"... Yes." Something shifted in XueYa's eye, but LiangLin didn't falter, his tone only slightly trembling under the intense gaze. "I want to marry YaYun."
LiangLin had no choice but to lie. He couldn't put himself in a vulnerable position. XueYa was a sorcerer, so manipulation came out naturally from his kind. If LiangLin caved in now, the sorcerer would have the upper hand. He couldn't risk it.
Until now, there was nothing that proved to him XueYa was anything but a bastard of a sorcerer. Despite this knowledge, LiangLin didn't like the uncertainty swimming in the depth of XueYa's gaze. Somehow, he seemed to take it personally that LiangLin had announced he wanted to marry the emperor.
XueYa took a step back then, letting LiangLin's hand fall away, and turned to leave.
"Wait!" LiangLin reached out without thinking, clinging to XueYa's sleeve.
Why did XueYa ask that question again and again? What difference did it make? YaYun was his brother. He would save him despite marrying a snake shifter, right?
XueYa turned back, a slight hesitation apparent in his eye despite his smile. "What is it?"
"I-" LiangLin's gaze fell on his hand, and he quickly pulled away. What was he doing, stopping the sorcerer? These feelings… they were driving him mad. Why was he so anxious the moment XueYa turned to leave? LiangLin didn't want the man here in the first place! "Where are you going?"
"Get rid of that fox, as you asked."
"Oh..." LiangLin didn't know what he wanted by stopping the man. It was a weird sensation. How there seemed to be butterflies flying around in his heart, how he struggled to find the right words to speak to XueYa at the moment. He didn't want XueYa to leave, but he didn't understand why either. Gah, his mind was playing tricks on him!
XueYa watched him battle within himself silently, but made no moves or attempts at sweet-talking LiangLin. After a moment, XueYa shrugged his shoulders, smiling unnaturally bright.
"I won't waste any more time. I will get to that fox now."
"You-!" LiangLin swallowed the lump forming in his throat as XueYa halted in his steps, but didn't turn around to look at him.
"I-" LiangLin felt the weight on his shoulders and realizing he was still wearing XueYa's coat, he pulled it off. It was cold, XueYa's robes looked thin, and he needed the clothing more than LiangLin. "Your coat, don't you want it back?"
XueYa finally turned to face him, his smile turning into a mischievous grin. "If I take it back now, I won't have an excuse to come and see you."
This guy! LiangLin felt the blood racing to his cheeks, turning his skin scarlet. Did XueYa ever talk seriously? Whenever he parted his lips, he would throw out sweet nothings!
"I don't want to see you, take it back!" LiangLin grumbled, averting his eyes, but failed to hide his heated skin. "Besides… It's cold. You need it..."
When XueYa didn't answer, LiangLin shily glanced back. But the sorcerer was gone.
"..."
T-this guy! How could he just leave like that? LiangLin kicked his feet, wringing the coat in his hands. He truly was just a shameless piece of shit! XueYa could easily step in to spout flirty comments and then just up and leave without a word. How could someone like that be trusted?
"Damn jerk!" LiangLin mumbled as he hugged the crimson coat close to his chest, trying to shield what little warmth it still possessed. XueYa really could just walk away like that, how cruel. "Is this how you treat everyone you flirt with?"
"Miss me already?" XueYa hadn't left, he had just climbed up the wall while LiangLin was acting all hard to get.
Witnessing the surprise and darkening blush over LiangLin's visage before he stomped back towards the house without a word was enough of a proof to XueYa. He might still have a chance with the beauty if he played this correctly. Or he could be dismembered by LiangLin.
Either way, he was going to try his luck.
XueYa watched as LiangLin made his way towards the main doors before the snake god caught himself in time and curved back around the house to climb inside the house through the window.
The snake tripped once again, and fell inside with a loud clatter, alerting the entire house. XueYa chuckled at the clumsy creature as he dropped on the other side of the wall and walked away from White Lotus Hall.
He had a fox to skin and a brother to save.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Spells. They were a pain in the ass.
Creating enchantment circles and rings was already a lot of work, but having to mumble enchantments under your breath to get the magic flowing through one's veins was a bore.
XueYa rolled his shoulders to loosen up some of the tightness. Night had fallen when he kicked the gate doors of the Plum Blossom Hall open and stepped inside.
He loved the feeling of power coursing through his veins, but he didn't want to use any magic at all. The after-effects took a toll on him most of the time, therefore, he preferred using magical artefacts instead.
But when dealing with a fox spirit, magical artefacts weren't as effective, and XueYa wasn't planning on letting the fox get away. Besides, what intrigued XueYa more than that pesky fox was the man that followed the fox around.
Lanterns were strung up along the road over to the house. Not a wind was brushing by, but the yellow lanterns were swaying gently in the still air, casting warm light over XueYa's path.
He had deliberately entered as loud as possible, but no one emerged from within the house. As XueYa reached the swings of his childhood, the air shifted, sizzling before him like invisible, crackling flames.
A magical barrier and a weak one too.
Whoever this sorcerer accompanying the fox was, was a weak one. The country of Jin must have thought YaYun to be a degenerate. Helpless to the point of someone as magically unimpressive as this was enough to subdue the dragon god. The audacity!
XueYa swung his hand as if waving off some flies, and the barrier shattered at once, the air falling still, and XueYa stepped over the burned lines of incantations carved into the ground.
Pathetic.
When he reached the stone steps, the doors to the house flung open, and YaYun stepped outside, murder visible in his eyes.
Really? XueYa shook his head. Did they send out YaYun as the second line of defence? That was low, even for a sorcerer.
"Get out, XueYa," YaYun spat as he covered the doorway, blocking XueYa's way.
Ah, XueYa didn't have time for this, but he stood still before YaYun, letting him at least finish whatever speech he had prepared. But YaYun said nothing, only glared at him.
"..." XueYa sighed as he stepped the few stone steps up to stand face to face with YaYun. Something silvery glinted in the low light, and XueYa saw YaYun holding a dagger in his hand. "What, are you going to stab me with that?"
This fox and low-level sorcerer thought a dagger could stop XueYa? Even if the holder was YaYun, there was no way XueYa could even be wounded by such a meagre thing. None of these intruders had expected another sorcerer to enter the palace. How unfortunate.
"XueYa, leave this place or-"
"Go to sleep, YaYun," XueYa said as he stabbed YaYun in the neck with one of the zodiac tranquillizer needles he had been hiding between his fingers. YaYun drooped over the moment the needle left his body, and XueYa caught him and put him to lie down on the porch.
"Let big brother handle your problems for you."
XueYa patted YaYun's cheeks playfully before straightening up.
"You- who are you? How did you break the barrier?"
XueYa chuckled as the tall figure clad in dark green robes greeted him by the doors to the house. The man paled as he saw the missing fingers and the eyepatch that had become XueYa's trademark within the sorcerer community.
"M-Mang XueYa-"
"So, you are the sorcerer that the Jin country sent over." XueYa hated it when people called out his name. He snapped his fingers, and a blue fire flared and spread behind him, circling the entire house. There was no escape from him now.
"I've wanted to see you ever since I heard you came here with a fox spirit. We need to talk."
*****
XueYa took on his fathers name, so he is a Mang.
YaYun took on his mothers family name, so he is a Zhang.