Lin Shijin touched the lock hanging from his neck with his fingertips. The lock was a piece of jade. He did not know where Sheng Rufei had found it, but the colour looked excellent. At a touch it was clearly top-grade jade, carved with delicate patterns.
His fingertips traced the patterns on the lock. He did not notice that there were characters carved beneath them. Had he looked more carefully, he would have discovered two tiny characters engraved at the very bottom: “Rufei”.
Of course he knew Sheng Rufei would not harm him, but why would he not let him kiss him? He tried removing the lock. It came off easily, cool in his palm.
Lin Shijin touched the cool jade lock with his fingertips. Sheng Rufei still had not replied. He poked at the wood beside him, neither too hard nor too lightly, and ended up prodding something warm. He was unwilling to let go.
His fingertips slipped into Sheng Rufei’s palm, letting him warm them.
“Why isn’t Shixiong saying anything?”
Sheng Rufei’s gaze fell on the lock at his fingertips. His eyes paused slightly before he touched Lin Shijin’s head and said softly, “You are not allowed to kiss me casually.”
“Why?” Lin Shijin asked, puzzled.
Sheng Rufei held Lin Shijin’s palm and slowly wrote two characters in it. He wrote very slowly. The two characters were restraint.
“If it happens too often, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back,” Sheng Rufei said. He held Lin Shijin’s wrist and drew a little distance between them, returning to his taciturn self as he added coolly, “I don’t want to touch you right now.”
Lin Shijin’s face flushed slightly. He felt like complaining about how many rules Sheng Rufei had, but seeing how serious he looked, as though he had his own plans in mind, Lin Shijin spoke with a hint of reluctance.
“No kissing, no hugging, no patting my head, nothing at all. Then aren’t we just ordinary fellow disciples?”
Lin Shijin was unhappy. “Just now Shixiong said we were fiancés.”
“We are fiancés, that’s true,” Sheng Rufei corrected him. “I never said you couldn’t hug me.”
The youth had always been the most shameless when it came to getting his way. How few times had he let him hug him? When had he ever refused him?
“I’m only telling you to behave a little, not cling so much, and not always kiss me,” Sheng Rufei paused slightly, then said in a low voice, “My self-control is not as good as you think.”
Lin Shijin stared with wide eyes when he heard this. Sheng Rufei’s self-control was not good enough? He said slowly, “Shixiong is truly modest.”
Sheng Rufei: “……”
“What if I can’t hold back?” Lin Shijin rubbed the lock in his palm. After a while the jade had warmed, carrying a trace of his body heat. He thought of something and lifted it to his nose to smell it. There was a very faint scent of fallen plum blossoms, which meant it was something Sheng Rufei usually kept close to him.
“If I can’t help kissing Shixiong, and Shixiong won’t let me, I’ll still steal a kiss. Will Shixiong be angry then?”
Sheng Rufei’s lips pressed into a straight line. He could tell the youth was deliberately opposing him. Teaching him like this was useless. He ought to discipline him instead. Once properly dealt with, he would behave.
For a long while Sheng Rufei said nothing. Lin Shijin glanced at him again, wondering what the block of wood was silently thinking about. He played with the jade lock. They were both locks. When Feng Rugao had put one on him, he had resisted fiercely, yet the one Sheng Rufei gave him he treasured like a token of love.
He felt several formations carved into the lock. They were extremely delicate. He was somewhat surprised by Sheng Rufei’s control over spiritual power. He edged a little closer to Sheng Rufei, but the lock showed no reaction.
“Shixiong, didn’t you say it had quite a temper? Why is it that when I try getting handsy with you, it doesn’t react at all?”
Because Sheng Rufei had changed his mind at the last moment.
Sheng Rufei said nothing. Lin Shijin played with the lock for a while longer before hanging it back around his neck. Normally he slept whenever they travelled by carriage, but today he was not sleepy, and time felt unusually long.
Yet being with Sheng Rufei did not feel boring. Whenever he had nothing to do he would go over to bother him. Sheng Rufei was born with silver hair, and whenever he went out he wore a hooded robe to cover it.
Sheng Rufei’s hair was soft like the finest silk, very pleasant to touch. Lin Shijin leaned closer and played with the silver strands for a while, winding them round his fingers. Then he remembered something and asked,
“Shixiong, in a few days Shizun is supposed to come to the Three Thousand Worlds. Will we run into him?”
Sheng Rufei’s gaze darkened slightly when he heard this. “Probably not. If he comes it will cause many complications. Most likely he will not be able to spare the time.”
Lin Shijin gave an “oh”. Then he remembered what had happened inside the illusion formation.
“What happened in the illusion formation… how did Shixiong know about it?”
“The soul-bond has other uses. I only learned about them a few days ago,” Sheng Rufei said, the corner of his lips tugging faintly. The red threads at their wrists were tangled together, looking inseparable.
Sheng Rufei’s voice was cool as he looked at the youth.
“If you do anything beyond the proper limits with someone else, the soul-bond will notify me.”
Lin Shijin looked down. The red thread at his wrist lay perfectly still. So it had been the red thread that reported him. He felt slightly guilty. Meeting Sheng Rufei’s gaze, he pursed his lips unhappily.
“Oh.”
Seeing the youth’s dejected expression, Sheng Rufei touched the tip of his ear with his fingertip. In truth, he had broken through the illusion formation and seen it himself, but there was no need to tell the youth.
The youth’s ear twitched slightly. His eyes slid over as he muttered vaguely, “Then does Shixiong know who was impersonating you?”
Sheng Rufei did not answer. There was tea on the small table beside them. He dipped a fingertip in the tea and casually traced a pattern, sketching the faint outline of a feathered crane chant emblem.
“This is an organisation that appeared about a hundred years ago. They are now considered demonic cultivators. Their sphere of influence lies around Wuhui City.”
Wuhui City? Lin Shijin recalled it immediately. Was that not the place Xue Ning had defected to?
“They are called demonic cultivators, but their faction is considered neutral. They have not taken part in the conflict between the immortal sects and the demons. Wuhui City is regarded as a grey region within the Three Thousand Worlds. The one who governs it… is Crane Immortal.”
“Crane Immortal… is that a name?”
Sheng Rufei gave a quiet sound of agreement.
“Their leader is called Crane Immortal. It is said he was originally a follower of Shouque, one of the Three Immortal Lords. This emblem is their symbol. The crane motif was originally an allusion to Shouque, and the feathered crane chant design was adapted from it. In just a hundred years they have built a powerful faction. No one knows the depth of their strength, and the immortal sects regard them with considerable wariness.”
Lin Shijin understood. He seemed slightly dazed as another thought occurred to him.
“Shouque… hasn’t he always been in seclusion?”
“Yes.” Sheng Rufei wiped away the pattern drawn in tea with his fingertip. “After Fuheng perished, he entered seclusion for a thousand years. There has been no news of him since. Whether he is dead or alive, no one knows.”
“Shixiong knows so much. The feathered crane chant emblem appeared at Jinyue Temple… was it for the sacred artefact?”
But the artefact had already been taken by Jun Yewu. With so many factions involved, it was impossible to make sense of it.
“Perhaps not,” Sheng Rufei said, lowering his eyes. His lashes cast a shadow as his fingertips tapped lightly on the table. “Bu Wen fell at Jinyue Temple. There was a strand of Shizun’s sword light there. That sword light cannot be imitated.”
“But it is not entirely impossible.”
Sheng Rufei’s eyes concealed his emotions. Seeing the troubled look on the youth’s face, he reached out and touched his cheek.
“There is no need to think about it so much. They have appeared several times already. Before long we will learn what their purpose is.”
Lin Shijin gave another “oh” and rubbed against Sheng Rufei’s fingertips.
“I have seen that emblem not only at Jinyue Temple. I saw it many times before, in the illusion formation in Yixiu City. I suspect… it may be connected to the evil curse.”
“I didn’t tell Shixiong then because I had my concerns. I was worried Shixiong might get involved as well. I didn’t expect you already knew.”
“In the future you must tell me,” Sheng Rufei said, touching the tip of his ear again. “If you see that emblem again, tell me immediately.”
“All right.” Lin Shijin felt slightly uncomfortable having his ear touched. Whenever the tip of his ear was touched it grew hot. His fingers brushed Sheng Rufei’s fingertips. “Shixiong, don’t touch my ears.”
Not only did he like touching them, he liked biting them too. Lin Shijin had no idea what sort of habit that was.
His tone carried a trace of displeasure as he softly squeezed Sheng Rufei’s fingertips. When he looked up and met Sheng Rufei’s gaze, his face flushed again.
Even though nothing had happened, his heart still felt sweet. Once their eyes met he could not look away, as though they were stuck together.
Lin Shijin rubbed against Sheng Rufei’s fingertips again, about to pounce over and cling to him. He thought Sheng Rufei would avoid him, but this time Sheng Rufei pressed him down instead, even more proactive than he was.
His waist was forced into a soft curve. His face flushed slightly. Sheng Rufei’s fingers touched his hair, his lips brushing the edge of his ear, his voice low and pleasant.
“Do you like kissing me?”
A shiver ran up Lin Shijin’s spine and spread through his body. The tips of his ears began to burn. He felt a little unsteady. Looking at Sheng Rufei’s face, his tongue tied itself in knots and he stammered out a vague “Mm.”
He instinctively wrapped his arms around Sheng Rufei. Heat spread across his face as he whispered softly, “I like Shixiong… I like Shixiong the most.”
When Sheng Rufei touched the corner of his lips, his whole body went soft at once. At first he could still endure it, but soon he could not bear it anymore. His fingers clutched the corner of Sheng Rufei’s robe. His shattered gaze was reflected in Sheng Rufei’s eyes, where beneath the cold calm there was the faintest ripple.
Just that faint ripple made his whole chest tingle. Sheng Rufei’s breath was slightly heavier by his ear. The tips of his fingers flushed pale pink as he buried himself against Sheng Rufei’s chest, melting into a soft heap.
“Shixiong… you…”
Lin Shijin began to realise he had fallen into a trap. Usually Sheng Rufei was the one who let go first. This time, however, Sheng Rufei did not release him at all, patiently kissing him as though determined to devour him completely.
Lin Shijin wore a white Daoist robe of Fuguang, the cuffs faintly patterned with gold. Sheng Rufei still wore the black robes of a scourge-slayer, the gold designs intertwined with the motif of a sword cradling the moon. At a glance it seemed as though the black sword-and-moon motif was about to swallow up the pale moon-white entirely.
The carriage stopped at the city gate. They were already not far from Wuxiang Mountain. Night had just fallen, and scattered lights flickered throughout the city.
Sheng Rufei helped him straighten his robes, pulling the collar tightly closed. Lin Shijin kept his head lowered, his face still flushed. His mind felt hazy. When Sheng Rufei touched his fingertips, he instinctively tried to pull his hand back.
There were faint red marks along the sides of his fingertips, one on every finger. Sheng Rufei touched them lightly and said, “Su Lian and the others are already in this city. I’ve sent word to them. They should be at the city gate by now.”
Lin Shijin answered softly. His voice was low, and the cut on his tongue made speaking painful. Sheng Rufei reached to take his hand and lead him down, but Lin Shijin felt somewhat displeased. He avoided Sheng Rufei’s fingers and braced himself on the carriage board to climb down on his own.
He was still a little annoyed. As soon as he stepped down from the carriage, he saw several familiar figures not far away.
Su Lian, Chunhe, Mu Wanqing, and the young disciple from Medicine Peak. This city was already not far from Wuxiang Mountain. They had travelled by three different routes and were now meeting here. Su Lian stood at the front. His gaze first fell on Sheng Rufei.
“Liuguang.”
Then his eyes swept past him and slowly came to a halt. His gaze paused slightly as he looked at Lin Shijin in surprise.
“Seventeenth-shidi, why is your face so red?”
Lin Shijin did not answer. He felt somewhat intimidated by Su Lian, and with that single sentence everyone’s attention turned towards him.
Not far away, the youth leaning against the carriage still had one hand resting on the carriage board. His features had always been delicate, but now there was an added richness in his eyes. A flush had spread across his cheeks, like a lotus rising from the water touched with rouge. His lips were redder than usual, and the whole of him resembled a peony bud on the verge of blooming in spring.
As though an unspoken spring warmth lingered about him, ready to spill over.
Before the youth could reply, Sheng Rufei stepped forward. His presence was cool and distant as he moved to stand in front of him, lifting his gaze to Su Lian and blocking the others’ line of sight.
“He caught a chill on the way here and has not yet recovered.”
Chunhe’s gaze shifted towards the youth standing behind Sheng Rufei. He knew that their seventeenth-shidi had always been somewhat delicate, but the way he looked now…
His eyes moved briefly between the two of them before he quietly withdrew his gaze.
Mu Wanqing glanced once and did not look again. She had no intention of involving herself in the love and grievances of those present.
Su Lian raised his brow slightly. He noticed the somewhat darkened gaze of the youth beside him, though he did not turn around. His tone remained gentle, carrying a trace of amusement.
“Then Lin-shidi… you must take good care of your health.”
