Li Jun placed Tai Yang down on the bed after Li Wei drew back the covers. "Gently, gently…" Ji Ru said as Li Jun pulled his arms from beneath Tai Yang's slender body.
The said causer-of-all-worry was wearing soft, white sleeping robes and Ji Ru had regrown his hair too. Looking at him, it was impossible to tell that he'd been through something life-threatening in the last few hours.
Ji Ru neatened Tai Tang's hair and pulled the covers over him. "He'll be okay." He said, and though he was sure of it, the tone of his voice sounded quite weak and self-doubting.
Li Wei rubbed Ji Ru's back. "Of course he will." Ji Ru smiled and looked at Li Jun. He handed him a small bag.
"He may have fevers over the course of his unconsciousness, but that's normal considering how rapidly I forced his body to heal and the spells I used. If he does have a fever, give him one of these." Ji Ru said, handing him a bottle of medication. "They'll float down his oesophagus so all you need to do is get it in his mouth."
Li Jun nodded. "And here's a cloth. It will absorb his sweat without getting damp, and it'll cool him down simultaneously-"
"Ji Ru. You wrote down the instructions already. I'll read it." Li Jun said, pulling out the scroll in the bag. Ji Ru wrung his hands. "Ah… Yes."
Li Jun sighed. Ji Ru looked uncharacteristically upset, even though Li Wei had an arm around him. It wasn't pleasing seeing him so distraught. It always made Li Jun feel uneasy. Looking away from him and at Tai Yang, he reached out and petted Ji Ru between the ears.
"He'll be fine. You did well. I called you to see me, so it wasn't your fault that he was on his own. Don't have those thoughts." Li Jun said. Ji Ru sniffed, holding back his tears. 'Why does he always end up like this? Why can't I ever get there in time?' He thought.
"Hmm?" Li Jun looked at his hand, feeling something wet as he petted Ji Ru.
He gasped and drew his hand back. "LI WEI YOUR MUTT IS BLEEDING!"
"WHO IS A – Wait what? Ji Ru?" Li Wei gasped and looked about Ji Ru's head. It was still open behind his ear from the incision.
"Get him out of here! I can't believe he has the audacity to be worrying about this one when his head is frigging open." Li Jun said.
Li Wei looked at Ji Ru in worry. "Let's get that healed Ji Ru. Come on, sweetheart." He said, pulling him away. Li Jun pursed his lips as he went to open the door. "And don't come back till your Aura has replenished. I'll hit you, I mean it."
Ji Ru continued to stare at Tai Yang as Li Wei led him out of the room. Li Jun closed the door after he saw them reach the end of the passage. He then let out a massive sigh and walked over to stare at Tai Yang with crossed arms.
"Ungrateful bratty Mushroom. Do you feel good now that you've made Ji Ru cry, huh?" He said. Tai Yang didn't respond. Li Jun scrunched up his nose and picked up the scroll of instructions.
"Look how much he cares. Do you think it's fair to cause him to fret over you?" Li Jun clicked his tongue and went to the right side of the bed. "And now you took my side of the bed, and my favourite pillow. Great. Just great. Why don't you wear my underwear and use my toothbrush too?" He huffed. Although he offered up his bed, it was strange to have someone in it other than him.
"I suppose I'll let this slide since you almost died, but the next time you almost die, I'm going to shrink you and make you sleep in a sock. Do you hear me Mushroom?" He said, getting under the covers with the scroll.
"And don't even think of coming onto my side. I'll kick you!"
Tai Yang didn't respond. Blinking twice, Li Jun cleared his throat. "… That may be a bit harsh so I'll poke the mushroom instead. If you don't like that, then don't breathe in my face. I hate breathing. And keep your cold toes to yourself! I don't want any-" Li Jun paused and glanced down at the two peaks around three-quarter way down the bed.
'I wonder if his feet are cold…'
Slinking out of bed, he walked to the peaks and lifted up the blanket to feel Tai Yang's feet. Indeed, they were almost frozen. Li Jun blinked in shock.
'He was on fire not long ago and now he's this cold?'
"Heat Patches."
He stuck them to Tai Yang's soles. 'And his hands?' He thought. Tentatively, he went to check Tai Yang's hands. Like his feet, they were icy.
"Is this normal?" He mused out loud and then made two more heat patches for Tai Yang's hands. 'It's not even cold in my room.' He thought. Going back around the bed, he settled into his spot and with a last look at the unconscious man, he read Ji Ru's scroll.
After ten minutes, he got to the end and put it down. 'Time to sleep.' He yawned and sunk lower. As he was about to turn the lights off, he glanced at Tai Yang one more time.
'He seems quite tranquil in his sleep, this Mischievous Mushroom.' He thought.
'Oh, what's that?' He thought, noticing a slightly shiny mark in Tai Yang's hairline. It was so faint, and Tai Yang's hair did an excellent job of hiding the small scar.
"I never noticed that." Li Jun said, unconsciously reaching out to brush back a bit of Tai Yang's hair to get a better look at it. "Hmmm. That must be old, hey?" Li Jun said, running the pad of his thumb over it.
Suddenly, his head felt like it was about to explode and a memory began to play in his mind. He was watching on as an outsider.
'Listen to me, Li Jun. You're a good child, but you've been sheltered all your life. Don't make it difficult for yourself. Forget it all.'
'I want to know. Tell me, please, what happens out there Tai Yang?' Li Jun looked to be around fifteen years old while Tai Yang looked to be in his twenties.
'What would telling you do, your majesty? You'd never believe me till your father says it's true, and if you did believe my words, you'd despise your father and the Rulers of this world.'
'I will be the King someday. I'm not a child anymore Tai Yang. Don't treat me like one. I want to know.'
Tai Yang pursed his lips. He looked calculatingly at the young prince.
'Tell me.'
Tai Yang sighed.
'What if I told you that you people murder the innocent.'
Li Jun frowned. 'What?'
'Your father. The other Rulers. They've been murdering people to prevent them from reaching immortality. They think that letting them reach immortality would overpopulate this world. They also fear that stronger cultivators may arise from the lower classes and cause an uprising, questioning the lack of care, and the disdain for the weaker people of this Earth. And they hate that someone may be stronger, or smarter than them, who want to live on in power for eternity.'
Li Jun's eyes widened. 'That's- What? But father doesn't…'
Tai Yang sighed. 'You'll see for yourself, soon enough, I suppose. They're discussing making 'Culling' a law.'
Li Jun's eyes narrowed.
'I'll go talk to him.' He turned to leave Tai Yang's room.
'Stop.' Tai Yang grabbed the tinier male's wrist.
'What bullshit is this? Culling? I'll talk some sense into them! It's madness!'
'This is confidential, Li Jun. Nobody knows yet.'
'What are they going to do? Kill you for telling me?'
Tai Yang stared at him solemnly. 'I'm from the lower-class areas they cull too.'
Li Jun faltered. 'But then… All those people…' His eyes started to well up. Tai Yang let out a sigh. 'You see. It's too much of a burden to hear it said like this.'
'What other way can it be said? Murder is murder!'
'It could be said in a soothing way, your majesty. For example, 'If we don't cull them, they will lead a poor quality of life with a lack of resources, and hinder the lives of those around them, sharing bad morals. With an overpopulation of people with insufficient values, morals, or etiquette, our world will become a dark place.' Doesn't that sound more reasonable?'
Li Jun looked at him with red, upset eyes. It did sound reasonable if put that way… But he'd heard Tai Yang's version already!
'But still, they-! I can't be okay with-'
Tai Yang let out a sigh and stepped forward to hold the shorter boy's face. 'Then, if it hurts you less…' Tai Yang placed two fingers at Li Jun's temple. His fingertips glowed gold for a moment, and suddenly, Li Jun was unconscious.
Li Jun of the present time ripped his hand away from Tai Yang's forehead, breathing erratically.
"What was that?" He breathed, sweating profusely. In the present day, culling was normal. It was necessary to ensure that there were never billions of immortals. But hearing what Tai Yang said-
WAIT! He'd never remembered having such a relationship with Tai Yang that they could talk like that. Tai Yang was always stuttering and fumbling. How was the person in his memory so confident? He didn't stutter even once. He was so calm, and poised, and his gentle eyes looked haunted. Li Jun stared at mortal Tai Yang with his own wide amber eyes.
'He did something to me.' Li Jun realized.
What had Tai Yang's predecessor done to him?
Why couldn't he remember that memory before?
Where did that memory come from?
Why did he remember it now? And why the hell was he talking to Tai Yang as if they were close?!
What was going on?