The doors to the house in the Peony Pavilion was kicked open and Wei KaiJun stepped inside, carrying a tray of dinner for the sorcerer. But instead of XueYa, the one greeting him was JingYi loitering around with the two zodiac books.
Wei KaiJun placed the tray on the table, looking around the otherwise empty house. "Oi, where's XueYa? His food is here."
"He is eating as we speak." JingYi chuckled as he took the tray and ate the food without hesitation. "He is indulging in that eye candy."
"Again? Ah, that guy, is he here to help his brother or stare at beauties?" Wei KaiJun shook his head as he sat across JingYi and pulled the books over, flipping through them. "I can't understand a word. Terrible handwriting."
"He said he will get to that fox today," The rooster was smiling as he bit into the still steaming bun. "He is just making sure the coast is clear."
"Clear for him to hit on LiangLin. I'm starting to regret freeing him." Wei KaiJun snorted, shaking his head. "What a terrible brother. He thinks the snake is YaYun's, still, he is so shamelessly going after the man!"
"XueYa is smart. I think he just realised LiangLin isn't YaYun's type."
"Poor white snake doesn't know who he is going against." KaiJun broke into a laugh and JingYi soon joined him.
"Poor XueYa, for liking the feisty one. He needs to weave carefully, or he will lose that other eye, one of these days."
.-.-.-.-.-.-
It had been two days since XueYa received the books. He had gathered all magical artefacts he could find within the Crescent Moon Hall, which wasn't much. Just a few dried ingredients for potions that hadn't rotten over time, some artefacts that with a little fine-tuning and tinkering would work just fine.
None of this was truly useful against the fox spirit, but XueYa didn't need any to deal with the creature either. In his brief visit to the nether, his mother had told him everything he needed to know.
He had his reasons why he so idly wasted two days before making his move - he had been studying the snakes silently while sitting over the White Lotus Hall walls. The few trees that lined the stone walls covered him from the snakes, and he could watch them without being caught.
The one he wanted to see the most was LiangLin, yet the white snake had been always either surrounded by his sisters or hiding within the house. How was XueYa supposed to court the beauty if the man in question was guarded by his little army of snakes?
They seemed to have a strong family bond. Winning over LiangLin would mean XueYa had to win over his family too. Ah, maybe XueYa had started from the wrong foot when he had asked uncle WeiJie to charm the entire brothel back then.
But who would have known the white snake was just XueYa's type? Oh, well, can't change the past. XueYa would win the snake over, one way or the other. A smile tugged on XueYa's lips as he saw movement by the side of the White Lotus Hall. LiangLin had just climbed out from a window, looking around him like he was committing a crime.
The dragon jade bracelet gleamed under the sunlight, catching XueYa's attention. XueYa had read about the bracelet back in Peony Pavilion. Each dragon god could create only one bracelet, and the bracelet would only obey their owner, no one else. But the bracelet was given to XueYa by his father after his mother's death. Whose bracelet was it? His mother's? That couldn't be.
The bracelet shouldn't be usable anymore once the owner was dead. So which dragon god did the bracelet belong to? The only one alive in this realm was YaYun, but even he couldn't return the snake to LiangLin. This could be a problem.
LiangLin might just smack XueYa to death if the snake couldn't get his zodiac animal back after everything. XueYa would have to weave carefully with the issue and find out who was the real owner of the artefact. He should have used it before on someone else to test it out. Curse it that his father had left the artefact book behind for YaYun!
LiangLin made his way closer towards the walls, and XueYa pushed his thoughts aside for now. He had a snake god to woo.
-.-.-.-.-
Something was up, LiangLin could feel it. Ever since KaiJun promised to help, his sisters have been on their tiptoes, following him wherever he went. He couldn't even use the outhouse in peace. What was going on?
Even when eating, the sisters looked wound up and on edge, all studying him with minute attention. It got to the point he rather spent time with the apathetic QingYu in the sleeping quarters than with his sisters.
But he wanted to stretch his feet and limbs, at least take a peaceful walk around the White Lotus Hall. Being cooped up inside was eating away at his sanity, and his beauty too. He needed sunlight!
"Should we tell him?" LiYue whispered as LiangLin suddenly stood up from the dining table and stomped towards the sleeping quarters. The irritation of being watched over like a prisoner was showing, and LiangLin wasn't particularly good at hiding his feelings.
"No." Said LiBai as LiangLin disappeared out of sight. "It's better that he doesn't know the sorcerer has been staring at him for two days straight."
"I thought the sorcerer was trying to help his brother?" LiYue said, sighing from boredom as she leaned on her hand. "Why is he here?"
"He is trying to help his little brother, that's for sure," LiAi snapped, her eyes thinning as she looked towards the doors.
Even without seeing the sorcerer, the sisters could feel his presence and the piercing stare whenever LiangLin stepped foot out of the main doors. Their brother was like a piece of meat walking around in front of a starving wolf. At least he no longer wore his dancer outfit from Lushan, or gods knew what could happen with him walking around with half of his ass hanging out.
"Hand me the scissors and we can just cut his little brother off and he can get back to work and help QingYu!"
"Oh, yes! Let's do it!" LiChun squealed excitedly. "I hold him down, you cut!"
"Girls," LiBai chastened. "The only one who can go for the kill is LiangLin, remember that. We are only here to cheer him on and maybe finish the job."
"Sis, somehow I feel Lin'er won't kill him," LiYue drawled. "Baby brother is just too easily flustered and innocent to fight off someone so shameless."
"Our 51 is an idiot."
"I said innocent, idiot came from you, LiAi."
"First love will be a difficult one, especially for someone as sheltered as Lin'er." LiBai sighed. "Our Lin'er just might be doomed if we don't step in between in time."
"Just give me a sign, sis, and the little brother of that sorcerer will never rise again."
"... Maybe later, LiAi. Let's see what happens next."