Lin Shijin noticed that the snowballs were all behaving themselves, so he fed them immortal grass one by one. The little creatures no longer bared their fangs at him; instead, each nestled obediently against his palm, nibbling away at the herbs.
He tugged at the tail of one of them. The snowball merely shuffled its bottom, then carried on munching, entirely unbothered.
They crowded all around him. Two nestled in his arms, rubbing against his cheeks; two more hopped onto his knees; and one particularly naughty one even attempted to leap onto his head, which he promptly plucked off and put aside.
He just had to pull the ears of these snowballs and they would flail their legs for a bit before settling down.
But tugging their ears clearly hurt. He remembered the time Ye Lang had yanked his own ears. He’d been so terrified he couldn’t even move.
So he put the snowballs down again, gave them a prod, and said, “No jumping about. And absolutely no climbing onto my head.”
He fed them the herbs and let them roll around in the grass a couple of times. A soft glow rose from their bodies and streamed into his token. Each token automatically absorbed jade fragments and tallied them.
Lin Shijin glanced at his. A number had appeared beside his name—a single “1”.
He now had one jade fragment.
He reached down and absently rubbed a snowball. Another glow flickered, and the number became 2.
He rubbed another. The number became 3.
Lin Shijin: “…” It seemed he had discovered the secret to becoming rich.
He stayed with the snowballs until nightfall, the jade fragments piling up in a cheerful clatter until they eventually capped out. The amount wasn’t much, but he’d earned it fair and square from looking after the little things. He’d even bandaged two injured ones.
He gave each snowball a name, though he couldn’t remember half of them and often called them the wrong thing. Even so, he was rather pleased with himself.
After settling down the last one, he watched them line up neatly and fall asleep in a row. A pity there were no tiny blankets to cover them. He withdrew his hand, and the corner of his eye caught a dark Daoist robe. He looked up and saw Sheng Rufei standing not far away.
Sheng Rufei had arrived without a sound. It was impossible to tell how long he had been standing there.
“Shixiong, have a look at this!” Lin Shijin said brightly, carrying his token over and pointing at the number.
“These are the jade fragments I earned this afternoon.”
As he leaned closer, he caught the faint metallic scent of blood on Sheng Rufei, and noticed the pallor of his face.
“Shixiong, you’re hurt?”
Sheng Rufei’s black robes made it hard to see anything. He took the token from Lin Shijin; his lips were pale as he turned it between slender fingers.
He returned it and said coolly, “More than I expected.”
Then, after a brief pause: “It’s not a serious injury.”
“Of course not! I nearly rubbed the rabbits bald before I could earn these jade fragments.”
“But what did you do to get hurt? Where did you go this afternoon?”
Lin Shijin retrieved his token. Now that he was closer, the smell of blood was even stronger. Sheng Rufei never spoke about his own matters, not even when he was injured.
He had only been asking casually; he didn’t expect Sheng Rufei to answer.
“Clearing out the demons in the city,” Sheng Rufei said. “It’s the task listed on our tokens.”
So that was it. Lin Shijin couldn’t help asking, “Didn’t the elders say the secret realm had already been cleared? That there wouldn’t be any danger?”
“Yes,” Sheng Rufei said. “By ‘danger’, they meant demons we would have no power to resist. Those aren’t present.”
But demons of comparable cultivation clearly were. They wouldn’t let them finish their tasks so easily.
“Oh.” So they had been tricked by the elders. He added, “When did you come here? You didn’t even tell me. Why didn’t you treat your injuries first?”
“Just now. I’m going back.”
Lin Shijin chatted incessantly on the way. Sheng Rufei listened quietly, answering only now and then. When Lin Shijin noticed how pale he was, he fell silent.
He followed Sheng Rufei to the side hall. Sheng Rufei went in to treat his wounds, refusing help, so Lin Shijin didn’t join in.
Whether in the cold spring or any other time, Sheng Rufei had never undressed in front of him. He simply didn’t like being seen.
Lin Shijin remembered how Sheng Rufei refused to let him take off his undergarments. He secretly noted again that Sheng Rufei was very conservative.
At an age when he ought to be carefree and reckless, he was instead solemn and prematurely disciplined.
It looked like he would be sleeping with Sheng Rufei tonight. Remembering that method of breaking the soul-bond, today might just be the perfect chance.
The door opened. Sheng Rufei stepped out, looking as though he had just emerged from a cold spring. His silver hair spilled loosely over his shoulders, his complexion still pale, tiny droplets clinging to his lashes. With that cold, beautiful face of his, he looked utterly pitiable.
Lin Shijin, sitting at the edge of the bed, peered up at him. “Shixiong, are you not sleeping today?”
From what he remembered, Sheng Rufei had never slept, only meditated. He patted the spot beside him. “Come rest. You were injured today, have a proper sleep.”
The young man on the bed loosened his silk hair-tie. Long, dark hair cascaded down, his features softened by candlelight. His eyes, normally slender and cold, appeared rounder because of how animated he looked. With the small mole at the corner of his eye and the faintest smile glimmering within those dark irises, he looked like a springtime youth painted in ink.
He appeared lively, full of fresh energy.
A barely noticeable expectation glimmered in his gaze. He patted the blankets softly.
“Shixiong, come and rest.”
His thoughts might as well have been scrawled across his face: Shixiong, come over here, I need to do something sneaky.
Lin Shijin grew nervous when Sheng Rufei didn’t react. Just as he began to worry Sheng Rufei wouldn’t come, Sheng Rufei paused for a moment, then walked towards him.
“Is your injury really not serious? Why are you still so pale?”
Lin Shijin tried to keep the conversation going, all while letting his gaze drop from Sheng Rufei’s eyes to his lips. The youth’s lips were thin, lightly coloured, the corners always straight; he had never seen Sheng Rufei smile.
Well, a block of wood couldn’t smile.
Sheng Rufei’s fingertips twitched. “It’s not serious. I’ve applied medicine. It won’t affect anything.”
They were only two arm-lengths apart. Lin Shijin said, “Shixiong, can I go back tomorrow? Su Lian-shixiong and the others must still be waiting for me.”
Sheng Rufei didn’t reply. The youth couldn’t transform properly yet, and he was worried for his safety. More importantly, he didn’t want anyone else to see him like this.
His pale lashes lifted slightly. Sheng Rufei’s eyes were calm, indifferent. “You want to be with Su Lian-shixiong and the others that much?”
Of course I do. Had he forgotten? He was currently on the demon side. How could a demon stay with scourge-slayers?
“Shixiong, I’m in their team. In the secret realm we should stick together.”
Sheng Rufei’s gaze shifted to his ears. “You still can’t hide your ears.”
“I can wear a veiled hat,” Lin Shijin said. His ears twitched; he had discovered today he could move them in whichever direction he wished. He perked them up, and his whole mood seemed to perk up with them.
“With a veil and an illusion, no one will notice I’m a demon.”
Sheng Rufei had recognised him because he knew him well.
After hearing this, Sheng Rufei remained silent for a long while. At last the silver-haired youth closed his eyes again. His face was still pale, long lashes casting a faint shadow.
Lin Shijin stared secretly, nervous, his heart thumping. He wanted Sheng Rufei to fall asleep. This was the first time he’d ever seen him sleep!
A once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.
He sat perfectly still, afraid of making noise and waking him. Every so often he would glance over.
After a long quiet spell, Lin Shijin whispered, “Shixiong.” No response.
So he leaned over and gently poked Sheng Rufei’s cheek.
Up close, Sheng Rufei’s features were extraordinarily handsome. He poked again. No reaction. He seemed truly asleep.
Lin Shijin let his gaze wander freely, eventually landing on Sheng Rufei’s lips. Hesitation prickled. Was he… about to steal a kiss?
He looked down at the red thread linking their wrists… a bond tying the two of them together.
He hated being controlled, even though Sheng Rufei had never once used the soul-bond against him.
But what if the kiss didn’t break the bond and Sheng Rufei woke up? He’d probably get beaten.
He’d never caught Sheng Rufei asleep before. It was likely exhaustion from slaying demons that had forced him into rest this time.
Two little versions of himself argued in his mind, until one knocked the other flat and said: This is your only chance. Try it first, worry later.
You don’t really want to be bound to Sheng Rufei all your life, do you?
He certainly didn’t. He just wanted a quiet, peaceful life with no danger, no trouble.
Thinking this, his ears perked up. Decision made. He shifted slightly closer, then back, then closer again.
He’d never kissed anyone.
Never even dated anyone, let alone kissed a youth his age. His nerves fluttered.
Maybe a kiss on the cheek was enough? It didn’t have to be on the mouth.
He was far too afraid of that.
Lin Shijin inched closer and closer. They weren’t far apart to begin with. Now he was face to face with Sheng Rufei.
They were both sitting at the edge of the bed. When he was less than half a foot away from Sheng Rufei’s face, his heart hammered wildly.
Surely he wouldn’t be so unlucky as to wake him now—
He leaned in. From here, he could see Sheng Rufei’s long lashes, his beautifully shaped lips, high nose bridge, cool pale skin. Nothing out of place.
Their breaths mingled. Just as he was about to brush his lips against Sheng Rufei’s cheek, his heart raced—
And the youth opened his eyes.
The air froze.
Sheng Rufei looked down at him, gaze cold, emotionless.
“What are you doing?”
