Once Qinghe fell deep asleep, Wei Xiang carefully got up from the bed and transported himself to the Order to take care of a few things relating to the aftermath of Xie Xingye's attack on the Battle Arena. After that, he talked with his master and managed to convince Feng Huixin to call for a cultivation-world-wide conference as Qinghe had asked him to.
Once that was done, Wei Xiang was waylaid by his subordinates and had to spend quite a while to convince his lieutenants—especially the teary Hou Yu—that Qinghe was more or less fine and that he was not on his deathbed as they feared.
It was only after all this that he could finally make it back to his little lover's side.
Meanwhile, after Qinghe woke up from his restful sleep, he had been patiently waiting for his beloved to return from the Sentinel headquarters. And as soon as Wei Xiang came back, Qinghe promptly dragged him off to the Silver Moon Sect so that he could ask Wu Xiao to cast a spell to hold his core together.
However, Wu Xiao was less than thrilled about Qinghe's request.
"Xiao Feng, are you sure about this?" Wu Xiao asked for the fourteenth time.
And just like the last thirteen times, Qinghe nodded with conviction. "Yes, I'm sure."
Seeing the determined look in his eyes, Wu Xiao could only sigh and relent. "Very well then. Unlike last time with the Soul Sealing spell, you are an adult who knows what will happen, so I will not refuse. But you do know that it will be exceedingly painful? Do you still want to go through with this?"
Qinghe hesitated, but still nodded in the end. "I've thought this through, and having my core temporarily patched would make many things more convenient for me."
Chuckling humorlessly, Wu Xiao shook his head. Then his expression turning grave, he cautioned, "Xiao Feng, I can do this, but it will mean that you cannot use your cultivation at all. If you do, then the cracks in your core will multiply. Based on the situation, your core might even shatter completely. You will have to start cultivating from the beginning then, and with damaged spiritual pathways at that. I hope you are well aware of all the consequences of worsening your condition."
Nodding once again, Qinghe reassured with a smile, "Thank you for worrying for me, Sect Master Wu, but I am fully aware of what I'm asking you to do."
Massaging his temples at this stubborn youngster's insistence, Wu Xiao could only agree to it in the end.
And so, after sending a message to Jing Shui explaining that he'd be gone for a while, Wu Xiao led Qinghe and his silent Sentinel lover towards one of the more secluded rooms in the sect's main building. Since they didn't have any sound-proof rooms, this would have to do for now.
The room was medium-sized and had undecorated grey floors, walls, and ceilings. A set of equally grey stone counters ran along the walls, holding various things, from dusty books and strange copper apparatuses to glass balls and thriving potted plants. A few wooden chairs were haphazardly scattered near these stone counters, looking worn but still functional.
Wu Xiao dragged one of these heavy chairs and placed it in the middle of the room. "Xiao Feng, come and sit here. And I also want to warn you that I'll have to tie down your hands and feet so that you don't move during the process due to the pain. Are you able to cooperate?"
Pushing down his unease, Qinghe merely smiled. "It's alright, Sect Master Wu. I can ask Xiang to restrain me."
Nodding, Wu Xiao motioned to the chair. "Sit down and get as comfortable as you can then. And I would appreciate it if you could undo your clothes to make it easier for me. I can sense that your robes have protection charms stitched into them, and the spells might hinder me while I work."
Qinghe pressed his lips together and nodded in assent even as his gaze stayed fixed on the chair, his body unmoving.
Then suddenly turning to his lover, Qinghe pulled Wei Xiang to the chair and pushed him down onto it. With a raised eyebrow, Wei Xiang sat down obediently.
"Do you want to sit on my lap?" he asked with a trace of amusement.
Qinghe gave a tight nod, but remained standing.
Deciding to help him out, Wei Xiang reached out his arms and began undoing his little lover's belt, lightly pushing apart the lapels until a slice of smooth skin was exposed, stretching down to his lower belly and the edge of his pants.
Then holding his arms wide as if for an embrace, Wei Xiang coaxed his beloved in a gentle tone, "Love, come and sit down."
Stepping forward, Qinghe gingerly sat down on Wei Xiang's firm thighs, feeling his lover's strong arms closing over his upper arms and abdomen as his familiar scent enveloped him. Resting his forearms on the armrest and gripping the length of wood tightly with his fingers, Qinghe tried to loosen his rigid body.
Swallowing nervously, he looked up at Wu Xiao and finally spoke, "Sect Master Wu, you may begin."
Nodding, Wu Xiao approached the seated Qinghe, but just as he was about to extend his hand, the door to the room suddenly banged open. With worried expressions and furious scowls, Jing Shui, Chen Xiande, and the twins strode in.
Wu Xiao simply smiled as if having long since expected them.
Seeing this, Qinghe immediately realized that when Wu Xiao had sent that message to Jing Shui, he must have revealed Qinghe's request. And Jing Shui would have then contacted Chen Xiande and the twins to mobilize them before the entire group marched in here to offer moral support.
"Feng Qinghe, what are you doing sneaking around like this?" Jing Shui shouted the second he spotted Qinghe. "You should have told us about what you wanted to do so that we could be here beside you. Or is it that you enjoy causing everyone so much worry? Or what, do you think we don't care?!"
Seeing that he seemed to have made his friend angry due to his inadvertently inconsiderate behavior, Qinghe hurriedly spoke with a sheepish expression, "I'm sorry. You're right, I should have told you."
Seeing his friend immediately showing a look of contrition and acknowledging his wrongs without arguing, Jing Shui simply hmphed in acceptation of the apology.
"Senior Brother, why did you call Brother Wei but not us?" the twins asked with teary eyes.
Qinghe felt the rock of guilt in his chest growing heavier.
Chen Xiande added another dose of remorse to it as he admonished, "Junior Brother, you vanished without telling anybody. The people in the sect were all very worried. Even Master was frantically running around searching for you, afraid that with your injured core, you might not be able to protect yourself in case of danger."
Qinghe's head drooped down. He had honestly not thought about it that way.
Wounded or not, before now, he was always used to coming and going from the sect as he wished, seldom having to notify anyone of his arrival or departure. But now that he couldn't use his cultivation without worsening the fracture in his core, it was obvious that people would be worried about him if he disappeared.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," Qinghe honestly repented.
Chen Xiande narrowed his eyes, then nodded. "It's good that you understand. Don't worry, I already notified Master of your location and asked him not to be anxious since I'll be accompanying you."
"Yes, thank you, Senior Brother," Qinghe courteously replied.
However, he was lamenting in his heart that if this were the Chen Xiande from before, he would not have been as authoritative when scolding his errant junior brother while also being capable enough to elicit maximum guilt like this.
At the side, Wei Xiang simply acted like a chair and watched the proceedings quietly, humor lightening his gaze.
Though he had wanted to remind his little lover to inform his sect before leaving, Qinghe hadn't given him the time to do so before dragging him here with an obvious look of both impatience and trepidation clouding his gaze, making Wei Xiang reluctant to bring it up.
And later, when Wu Xiao was sneakily whispering the message he was going to send to Jing Shui, Wei Xiang had been able to hear it due to his sharp beast senses and had thus known that this would happen, but had purposefully chosen to not tell his little lover.
After all, if Qinghe had known, he would have been stewing in guilt that he was bothering his dear ones for the convenience of gaining moral support. But this way, he didn't have time to dwell on that and could only accept their help since they were already here of their own accord.
And witnessing this situation playing out, Wei Xiang was convinced that he had made the right decision.
In the meantime, seeing that he was truly repentant, the newly-arrived group of four finally let Qinghe off.
Turning to his lover, Jing Shui asked, "Wu Xiao, is there any way we can help with this?"
Wu Xiao tilted his head in thought, then nodded. "If you don't mind, then can you hold him down?"
Truthfully, there was no need to ask them to do this, since a length of rope, a restraining talisman, or Wei Xiang's strings would do just fine too. But since the four were already here and wanted to support Qinghe, Wu Xiao simply thought that this would be the best method to let them feel like they were helping. And having his beloved people so close, Qinghe might also feel more at ease as he went through the grueling process of temporarily patching his core.
"Junior Brother, is this alright with you?" Chen Xiande asked with a frown. After all, he already knew that Qinghe disliked touch.
Qinghe jerkily nodded. By now, his tolerance towards being touched by the people he loved had already grown to a great degree.
"I don't mind but…are you all sure you want to do this?" Qinghe asked hesitantly. Then looking away, he said in a quiet voice, "This isn't going to be pretty, you know."
Jing Shui huffed and retorted, "If I wanted to see something pretty, I'd just look in the mirror. Or even better, I'd just look at Wu Xiao."
Hearing this unexpected statement, Qinghe let out a startled laugh.
Wu Xiao batted his eyelashes exaggeratedly. "Did I hear that right? Did my Ah-Shui just call me pretty?"
With a blush, Jing Shui snapped, "Y-You shut up and just concentrate on what you have to do!"
"Of course I will. But hearing my beautiful beloved complement me so generously like this, how can my poor little heart take it? I might just swoon in joy~"
"Wu Xiao! J-Just f-forget I s-said anything!" Jing Shui stuttered out.
As the couple kept bickering, Qinghe smiled with helpless affection. With his loved ones so close by his side like this, showing their concern for him and wishing to support him with their presence, Qinghe realized that his apprehension had already decreased by a lot.
Just then, Chen Xiande walked up to him and solemnly spoke, his voice firm and sincere, "Junior Brother, even though none of us want to see you in pain, we still want to be here for you. You should know that you don't have to bear everything alone. You now have your Sentinel Wei by your side, and you also have us. Don't forget."
Hearing him say this, Qinghe blinked his stinging eyes dazedly, then lowered his head to hide his expression as he nodded. Then in a quiet whisper, he said, "I understand. Thank you, Senior Brother."
After regaining some of his composure, Qinghe looked up and also told the room at large, "Thank you for being here for me."
Stopping their arguing, Wu Xiao and Jing Shui looked at Qinghe with warmth in their eyes. The twins smiled back widely, while Chen Xiande merely nodded, hiding his awkwardness behind a cough.
Now that Qinghe's mood had somewhat stabilized, Wu Xiao thought it would be better to start soon.
"Then I think it's time to begin now. Everyone, please choose one of Xiao Feng's limbs to hold down. Sentinel Wei, please hold on tightly to his torso," he began instructing.
Qinghe unconsciously stiffened.
His arms staying securely wrapped around his little lover's chest, Wei Xiang placed his lips by Qinghe's ear and whispered, "It's alright, relax."
Inexplicably, Qinghe felt his body automatically loosening up in a preconditioned response as his ears lightly flushed. After all, the voice and tone Wei Xiang just used were the same ones he employed while they were in bed.
Every time they made love, as his Xiang slowly entered him after preparation, as Qinghe strained and struggled to accept his lover inside his tight passage, his eyes squeezing shut and his lips trembling as he let out soft cries… Wei Xiang would hold him close and often whisper to him just like this, asking him to relax and loosen his body while reassuring him that everything was fine in his steady and kind voice.
So how could Qinghe not react after being spoken to in the same tone?
While Qinghe was still blushing, lost in the haze of those pleasant recollections, four pairs of hands had already clamped down on his wrists and ankles. Chen Xiande and Jing Shui pressed down on each of Qinghe's wrists while the twins held his ankles in place, almost hugging his legs.
Feeling all his limbs being restrained like this, a vague feeling of alarm tried to rise in his chest, but Qinghe ruthlessly stomped it down. He loved and trusted these people, and he knew without a doubt that they would never hurt him or take advantage of him when he was this defenseless. Also, his Xiang was right here. Nothing would happen.
After he managed to calm himself down, Qinghe slowly unclenched his fists and let out a deep breath. Then looking up, he spoke, "Sect Master Wu, I'm ready. Please begin."
Wu Xiao nodded, then crouched down for a more stable posture before reaching forward again. And this time, there were no interruptions.
When Qinghe felt a cool fingertip lightly touching him just below his navel, he instinctively flinched back into Wei Xiang due to his anxiety and expectation of pain. But Wei Xiang held him firmly in place, not allowing him to move much.
Under his arms, Wei Xiang felt Qinghe's chest beginning to heave faster as his breaths sped up in the onset of panic. He felt his little lover's heart pounding against the walls of his chest as if trying to flee.
Tamping down his own anguish and pain at having to witness this, Wei Xiang quietly kept whispering soothing reassurances, eventually succeeding in calming Qinghe down again.
Wu Xiao's expression was serious as he hid his distress and began slowly inserting his silvery threads of power into Qinghe's stomach, reaching deeper inside to curve around his cracked core.
Qinghe felt a vague prickling sensation at first that slowly grew into an uncomfortable ache, then into a piercing pain. However, he was easily able to bear it without much change in his expression.
But then, when Wu Xiao started actually knitting together his threads around Qinghe's core, forming the first layer of the spell with careful gentleness, Qinghe felt the already piercing agony deepening to an unfathomable degree.
His body shuddered once as he attempted to swallow down his pained groans, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. His hands fisted as the torment kept mounting, his spine stretching taut while his jaws clenched tightly together, refusing to let a single sound of pain escape.
Seeing Qinghe trying to suppress himself even now, the others felt as though their own hearts were being pierced by needles. They wished he would openly express himself and let them share his torment even a little. They could not bear to see him suffering like this in silence.
Unaware of the others' thoughts, Qinghe rested back against Wei Xiang silently, his eyes squeezed shut and his body as stiff as a rock. Not willing to see his little lover remaining like this, Wei Xiang decided he'd had enough.
Through the thick cloud of pain filling his head, Qinghe heard Wei Xiang's voice instructing him, "Qinghe, love, please don't hold it all in. If screaming and struggling can let out even a small bit of your pain and make you feel better by even a little, then don't mind us and just do it."
As the meaning slowly filtered into his mind, Qinghe considered the suggestion hazily. Then deciding that his beloved was right after all, Qinghe finally decided to let it all flow out.
And so, as if something inside him had finally broken apart, Qinghe screamed.
It was very unlike his usual smooth voice or elegant tone, there was no refinement or finesse in it. It was a simple sound of pure, raw agony and emotion, trying to convey an inexpressible amount of torment.
As Qinghe let out heart-wrenchingly raw and guttural cries, his body beginning to twist and writhe, he turned his head back and rested it on Wei Xiang's shoulder reflexively as if trying to hide himself.
Wei Xiang's expression twisted with pain of a different sort as his arms tightened around his lover, holding his struggling body in place.
As he pressed Qinghe's squirming wrist firmly into the armrest of the chair, Chen Xiande's face went pale from just imagining the sheer pain his junior brother must be going through. After all, even when he had been tortured brutally in the Black Fang base so long ago, he had still been able to maintain his composure perfectly. For such a strong person to let out these sorts of unbearable screams, just how much agony must he be in?
Jing Shui looked away with red-rimmed eyes, trying to blink away the tears constantly threatening to fall. As his hands held down Qinghe's other wrist, his fingers trembled slightly. He would give anything to make this more bearable for his friend right now. For the Feng Qinghe who had already suffered so much in the past to go through this torture, it was simply too cruel.
Fei Jin and Fei Yin, on the other hand, made no attempts to hide the tears rolling down their cheeks, their faces expressionless as they stared intently at their senior brother's twisting expression, their eyes filled with inexpressible anguish. It was as if they were etching this moment into their hearts and souls, willing to never forget all that their beloved brother had to go through, silently accompanying him in sharing this pain and misery.
But the one who suffered the most while remaining silent was of course Wei Xiang.
He wished he could take away his beloved's pain, he wished he could take it into himself and suffer in his lover's stead. He wished he could go back in time and save his lover so that his core wouldn't have cracked in the first place.
Holding down his Qinghe's body as he struggled and thrashed in absolute agony, hearing his screams as he was tormented from within, smelling the pain, horror, and desperation emanating from his skin…it was too much. His beast howled and clawed within him, wanting to take away its beloved mate from all this pain and hurt. But Wei Xiang was forced to hold down his twisting lover. He had to make him bear this, and it tore him up more than he could ever express.
Meanwhile, Qinghe sobbed and wailed unrestrainedly.
This was too unbearable, the pain too much, slowly grinding down his thick mental barriers and eroding even his strong ability to endure. He wanted to shout and plead with them to stop hurting him, to show him mercy.
Please, let me go. I don't want this. Please, Xiang, it hurts so much. Please, stop…
But these words remained trapped in his throat.
After all, though he wanted to beg them for relief from the pain, Qinghe knew that he would not find it. So he swallowed down his miserable pleas and wordlessly screamed instead.
Because no matter what, he had no choice but to bear this…he had to!
The screams of excruciating agony shredded his throat as they ripped out of him, ringing throughout the room and resounding loudly. Even as his throat bled, his body that had already been strengthened due to being soaked in spiritual energy all these years kept healing any damages to his tissues, letting his cries ring out unimpeded.
And so, it went on and on.
In the end, though this day may eventually come to a close, all those who were present in the room would forever feel these heartbreakingly desperate cries echoing in their hearts for the rest of their lives.
―And it would be so also for Feng Huixin.
Outside the closed door of the room, a white-faced Feng Huixin stood frozen in place. Each scream was like a spike of agony being driven through him.
The hand that he had extended to push open the door stopped just short of touching it.
He did not feel like he had the right to intrude in his son's time of vulnerability.
As much as he wanted to be there to support and stand with Qinghe, he did not think he would be welcome. Right now, his son was staying among people he trusted and cared for the most, and so he felt free to express himself and cry out. But if Feng Huixin, the man who he still didn't feel comfortable calling 'father', joined him at this time, then what comfort Qinghe had been able to find would be nullified by his unwanted presence—or at least that was what Feng Huixin thought.
Lowering his extended arm, Feng Huixin fisted his hands, his eyes turning more and more haunted as his son's screams bled through the door, ceaselessly echoing in his mind.
From beside him, Kong Min observed all this with worry.
Though what Qinghe was going through sounded horrible and devastating, Kong Min was sure that with a little time, whatever scars it created could be healed. After all, his Little Bro was more resilient and tough than most people thought.
But his master wouldn't necessarily be able to think about this rationally right now.
After some thought, Kong Ming finally spoke, "Master, it seems like Wei Xiang is already keeping your son company and giving him the support he needs. If you want to help them, then I think it would be more useful if we could go back to headquarters and take care of the aftermath while arranging that conference Wei Xiang talked about."
Hesitantly, Feng Huixin nodded. What his disciple said made sense. He could do more good if he could make sure that all those little details were handled so that his sons wouldn't be burdened with them at this time.
And so, Feng Huixin turned around and left with laden feet and a heavy heart, wishing there would come a time when he could join his son in his joys and sorrows.
A half an hour later, the screams finally stopped, leaving the room feeling empty and hollow.
After exhausting his strength, Qinghe fell unconscious while still being held by Wei Xiang.
Wu Xiao had finally finished carefully weaving several layers of intricate spells to form a tight shell around Qinghe's core so that not only would its condition not worsen, but the persistent pain of having a cracked core would also not keep plaguing him. He would be able to function normally, except for being unable to use his cultivation. But even without the shell of spells, it would have been highly inadvisable for Qinghe to keep using his cultivation anyway.
After everything was finished, Jing Shui led a drained Wu Xiao to return to his room while Chen Xiande took the twins back to the Heavenly Peak Sect to report to their master. On their way out, they all asked Wei Xiang to notify them if anything changed with Qinghe's condition, to which Wei Xiang agreed.
Lifting his little lover up, Wei Xiang used the now-stabilized shadow realm that could still channel only a few people at a time, and transported them both back to Qinghe's room.
After lying his beloved down on his bed and covering him up with a quilt, a wan and tired-looking Wei Xiang sat by the bedside with bloodshot eyes, staring unwaveringly at Qinghe's face.
The day slowly segued to night, with Qinghe still remaining unmoving.
When the moon reached its peak, the figure on the bed finally stirred.
This time when Qinghe opened his eyes, he was thankful that there was only his Xiang by his side. The pain in his stomach had also abated a lot, leaving him feeling especially buoyant and free.
Decisively burying the memory of the agony he had felt just prior to losing consciousness deep into his mind, Qinghe stretched and yawned before asking in a hoarse voice, "Xiang, how long did I stay asleep?"
Wei Xiang only stared blankly. Then without a word, he pulled Qinghe into a hug.
"Do you feel alright?" he asked with unhidden anxiousness.
Qinghe was startled at first, but then understood. His lover was still trapped in the memory of when he was having his core patched.
Patting Wei Xiang's back comfortingly, Qinghe smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. Maybe it was because there were so many people willing to stay by my side and act as my support, but it does not feel mentally taxing at all."
Then burying his face into the crook of his beloved's shoulder, Qinghe added softly, "Xiang, thank you for being with me."
Wei Xiang let out a deep breath in relief.
All this time, he'd been afraid that Qinghe would fear him. He had after all been holding him immobile as his little lover had struggled and screamed like that. Wei Xiang had expected it to leave a psychological shadow in his beloved's mind, making him instinctively feel afraid of him.
But seeing that it wasn't the case, seeing that Qinghe had already bounced back to normalcy, Wei Xiang felt that he could breathe easy at last.
Feeling his lover's body finally relaxing in his arms, Qinghe smiled wider.
"Xiang, now that that's done, don't you think we should do a little dual cultivation to help me recover sooner?" he asked in the most innocent voice he could muster.
Wei Xiang's lips twitched at how his beloved kept thinking of such things even at this time, but he still enthusiastically pressed down his eager little lover. Then using careful actions and delicate touches, Wei Xiang directly sought affirmation from his beloved's body that everything was truly alright.
The couple thus thoroughly enjoyed each other while the moon serenely slid across the night sky.
Afterwards, they both cleaned themselves and the room up before getting dressed in their sleeping robes. Now knowing that his lover had delicious wine stored in his storage space, Qinghe greedily exhorted more of it from Wei Xiang before happily proceeding to get drunk.
Wanting to bury the echoes of his beloved's screams still ringing in his mind under the memories of much happier moments, Wei Xiang also very generously indulged his little lover this time.
And so, after downing a few bottles, Qinghe very seriously put forth while in a drunken stupor, "Xiang, I want to snuggle in a different bed."
Nodding solemnly as he hid all traces of laughter, Wei Xiang asked, "Which bed does my little lover want to snuggle in?"
Qinghe titled his head, his brows scrunching in thought as he pondered this question with due gravity.
"Hmm…that one, the one in your compound…I don't know what it looks like…"
Wei Xiang couldn't help the affectionate smile that slipped over his lips. "Then let's go there tomorrow, alright?"
But Qinghe very firmly shook his head before declaring petulantly, "No! We're going now!"
And so, with puffed cheeks and a little pout, Qinghe dragged Wei Xiang with him, making him use the shadows so that they could quickly get to the Sentinel compound.
As Qinghe thus pulled his lover along through the corridors of the Sentinels' living quarters on the noble quest to find a very particular bed in which he wanted to cuddle, Wei Xiang looked out through the windows at the beautiful night sky and smiled with contentment.