" P- No- Cao Chang, what would you like to eat?"
" Anything my awesome and tender-hearted gege would buy for me ~"
"...What about ordering a pig?" Leisurely seated with Wei Xiang carefully placed on his lap, elegantly drinking his tea, perfectly hiding the smirk on his face.
' Serves you right!'
The young peacock's face went blank, and a little frown crept up his forehead. But it vanished as it came; Playful mischievousness replacing it, " Thank you gege~" He covered his mouth in exaggerated awe, " I didn't know my gege is a tender beef to order a whole pig for me~" he gasped holding his chest and eyes teary from happiness.
"...." ' He is like the weather.'
Before the speechless gege could utter a counter word, the waiter came to take up their orders. The meals that were ordered were mostly spicy and raw, and they were ordered by, no other than the Smirking Gongzi.
" what?" He poured himself some tea pretending not to notice the slightest discomfort on his victim's face, " Don't tell me you don't eat spicy food?" he repeated the same gesture Cao chang did, the only difference is the exaggerated look on his face. As if he was shocked about Cao Chang's dislike of spicy and raw food. That it hurts him so much- When in reality, he was viciously victorious.
" Erm- Gege.." Cao Chang squirmed in discomfort. It was so obvious that he doesn't like what his gege did, both his voice and body were trembling so much that he couldn't try to hide it even with a smile, " I would rather you ordered a whole pig for me." He let out a small nervous laugh as he shifts uncomfortably in his seat.
Shen Zhufu, " Really?"
Cao Chang, "R-really."
"..." Shen Zhufu took a very long sip of tea trying so hard to contain his laugh, " Ah, our food is here!" He dropped the empty teacup he had been sipping on and rubbed his palm together in delight. The spicy aroma and the reddish colour of the meal placed in front of them were salivating. He barely managed to greet the waiter before digging in.
After several bites, he had realized something- which was, that an elegant and matured Gongzi should not eat the way he just stuffed his face. Has he lost face?
" Oh shit!" He mumbled under his breath.
He nervously glanced at the Peacock, who was staring in awe and his son, thank goodness, who wasn't paying much attention to him, or he would have died out of embarrassment.
' Oh fuck!'
" Ahem..." He dropped his chopsticks and sat straight like a buddha statue; So much elegance and maturity. Unlike the former person who was eating like his life depended on it, " Aren't you eating?" He pointed at the untouched food in front of Cao Chang.
Cao Chang, "...I-i will.." he nervously picked the chopsticks but they didn't touch the food. It was trembling as sweat dripped down its owner's forehead.
Shen Zhufu," C'mon, it is not so spicy." He watched as Cao Chang's adam apple moved up and down as he swallowed his nerves, " Cao Chang be a man."
Under the intense stare of his Gongzi, Cao Chang had no other choice but to dig in- Not immediately, he grudgingly picked up a piece of meat; meat so red as if it was swimming in the pool of different spices. It was as if it was so furious at him. Its spicy aroma hit him hard in his nose.
He glanced over to the smiling gongzi and took a deep breath before throwing the furious meat into his mouth. He chewed slowly in pain, his face flushed red and his nose flared up. He nervously took hold the gourd of wine and down its content in one go. His whole body was on fire. One could see smoke coming from his ears and nose.
Shen Zhufu, who was silently watching everything, burst into an unrestrained laughter. It was so loud and untamed. It attracted attentions from other people but he didn't, for once cared.
" Aww, peacock.. Hahaha," he poured him some water, " Drink it up! Look, you are so red hahaha." his eyes unconsciously glanced up behind Cao Chang, it met with two blank orbs staring at him. His smile gradually vanished without him knowing.
They held each other gaze with his lips curving to a silent smile - It wasn't returned, rather the owner of those orbs looked away without looking back at him. Not even for a second.
' What??' His smile froze with anger, ' At least, he should have returned my smile. Rude!!' He glared at the culprit, who no longer paid him any attention. He just elegantly sipped on his tea as if he did nothing wrong.He wasn't alone, another elegant man was seated with him.
' Rude!!' He gave them one last glare before looking away.
" Snap" Yes, that was something being a victim to his anger. The poor Chopsticks was snapped in two with the strong grip he had on them.
Only after, his anger was taken out of him into something, his mind became clearer.
" That devil had once again unleashed his fury."
"That bastard!!"
" Shh!! don't let him hear you... didn't you know that he has ears all over?"
" So what?"
" A thousands of people were killed this time....Ahh, I don't know where next!" the speaker let out a tired sigh.
While, in a few seats from them, a certain gongzi interest was piqued by their idle discussion.
' Killed? By who?' He dropped his tea cup and glanced over to them, ' I need to know more.'
" Cao Chang, help me watch over A-Xiang." He handed over Wei Xiang to him.
Cao Chang, " Where are you going to?" He still took the baby despite the hesitation on his face.
"..." A bright smile appeared on his face with a finger on his lips, " Investigation." with that he left for his work.
" Ahem! Excuse me, gentlemen."
The men glanced at him with a smile on each on their faces, apart from one.
" what?" the grumpy one asked glaring at him.
' Why is he angry?'
He sucked in his anger and plaster his face with smiles, " I hope I'm not interrupting?"
" Yes, you -Ouch, what was that for?"
" No, you aren't," a smiling man replied while giving a scolding look to his friend, " Please have your seat."
Shen Zhufu elegantly took his seat between two other smiling men while avoiding the glares from Mr. grumpy, " Thank you."
" I am Li Qiang and," he pointed to the grumpy man beside him, " my friend here, Hu Zihan." He elbowed the said man-child but no response from him, " Haha, don't mind him, he is always like this." He went ahead introducing his other friends.
" Nice to meet you."
Li Qiang, " So what can your name be?"
' My name?' His eyes searched around until it landed on a greenish blue painting behind them, ' I got it!'
" Ahem, you can call me Qing."
" Nice to meet you Qing." All of them but one, greeted him.
Li Qiang, " would you like some wine?"
Shen Zhufu, no- Qing waved his hands in front of his face, " No, thank you."
" Humph!!"
' What's wrong with Mr.grumpy?' Shen Zhufu spared him one last glance before totally ignoring him - otherwise it might be chaotic to pay attention to him.
" I don't know where that crazy man is targeting...ahh!" one man sitting opposite Shen Zhufu groaned as he rubbed his face in frustration.
This is his chance," which man?" he asked with pure confusion on his face which made his new friends, including Mr.grumpy, to stare at him as if his head had gone soft, " Haha... Actually, I am monk... so I was stayed at the monastery...i-l never...came out...haha." ' Please be stupid and believe that.'
"..."
Their stares made him feel uncomfortable and awkward not until each of them burst into laughter.
Li Qiang, " Haha, Life of a monk has no colour haha."
Shen Zhufu let out the breath he never he had. A breath of relief, " Haha, being locked up is tiring haha."
" I feel sorry for you" A big man seated beside him patted him on the shoulder.
Li Qiang, " Yh. By the way, the crazy man is said to be the second son of the Jade Emperor before he was kicked out of heaven by his father for a very grievous crime. "
Shen Zhufu, " do you know why?"
Li Qiang shrugged, " No body knows but what we do know is that he became crazy; Killing, destroying and ruining lives... Just like a madman," he paused before continuing, " No one has ever saw his real form, some said, he is very ugly to look at, that he drinks human blood and wear their skin, some said, he comes in different forms and some othes said, he is dumb.."
Shen Zhufu, " Dumb?"
" Yes, he was probably born like that... He can't talk at all. It is said, a special fifty stringed guqin is his mouthpiece."
Shen Zhufu was attracted and awed by the description of the madman. It was so evident on his face and his slightly parted lips, ' Wow!' He was eager to know more about this mysterious man.
Li Qiang, "But there is common about their descriptions are..." he paused taking a sip of his wine and dramatically glanced at his audiences, especially, Qing who paid much attention to every details.
Shen Zhufu, " What?"
Li Qiang, "fire lights and sound of guqin .. it is his motif.... so wherever you see fire lights or the strum of a guqin, he is the one. The fallen flower of jade." He said the last part in an animated voice for clearer dramatic effects for his audiences.
Shen Zhufu was taken aback by those last words, ' Fire lights? guqin?' his mind unconsciously went back to the forest where he had heard the most beautiful music ever, the burial....' h-he..' he held his chest in pain as his heart was palpitating.He doesn't know why? But, his heart was not responding to him.
" Qing?"
A hand on his shoulders brought him back to reality. It was Li Qiang's. His face was filled with concern, " What's wrong?" When did he exchanged seat with the man beside him?
" N-Nothing..." He got up, " I-i got to go back to the monastery...you know...i sneaked out..." without waiting for their responses, he bowed and left them staring at each other in awe.
Cao Chang and Wei Xiang, probably had already made up in his absence, were in a world of their own. They didn't even notice his approach.
" C-Cao Chang," He took Wei Xiang from him and packed their things, not forgetting to pay for the meal, including for the broken chopsticks, " Let's go."
Cao Chang, " Eh? Now? What happened?"
Shen Zhufu, "...' He didn't give an answer. He glanced at him with a small smile on his face. He couldn't look away - It was empty. The owner of those rude orbs....No one was there. He turned away and left with a single tear falling from his eyes, for no apparent reason- Known to him.