"Hey, hey! Wang ge, wait up!"
Wang Heiyue pulled back his sleeves quite aggressively, startling the young girl. The dragon planned to lose the girl in the crowd, yet she latched onto him like a leech, unwilling to let go. Wang Heiyue stared down at Li Fantong.
Always, she had always been like this. Slithering her way into another person's heart, she just– she just have that kind of charm and she knew how to make advantage of it. Wang Heiyue didn't plan on being used and thrown away again like the first time around.
"What do you think you are doing?" Wang Heiyue asked.
"W– What do you mean?" She stuttered, looking so innocent like Wang Heiyue was the big bully.
"How did you know where I live?" He scrutinized her. "Who are you?" Wang Heiyue asked, his posture tensed.
Something was wrong. Regardless of the fact that he never wanted to have any business with her, Li Fantong wasn't meant to be here in the Li Continent. Sure, she lived here, but still— she should be back in the cold palace alongside her concubine of a mother.
"I– I–" Her golden iris, appearing juvenile despite the slit inside it, looked everywhere but him. She fiddled with her fingers, looking for answers before she wailed loudly, apparently even catching Wang Heiyue off guard. "I went over each and every window, y'know! Why are you being so mean to me?"
"And my name is Fantong, Wu Fantong!" She whined childishly. "My father is a mercenary from the neighbouring kingdom! Why can't you believe me?!"
'Wu?' Wang Heiyue almost stumbled on his feet. 'Isn't her surname Li?' He was about to rebuke the little girl for lying when he realized that he wasn't supposed to know anything about her, not at the moment. He should just eat whatever lies she fed him right now.
Wasn't this what happened the first time around? She did the exact same thing, using the old same trick, a mercenary father and a fake name. It was a terrible fake name as well.
She was still the same knucklehead tortoise.
Seeing as she was still grumbling and whining about how Wang Heiyue being so mean towards her, he spared little to no reaction, if one could see, there was a little disdain swimming in his eyes. He turned her back towards her, intending on leaving her in the crowded market place.
"Eh?? Wang ge!"
Hearing her calling out his name so familiarly, it made him nauseous, like a snake coiling inside his gut and squeezing until he couldn't breathe. He sped up, never looking back. It was only when he barely heard her calling out to him that he slowed down a little bit, however, there was another reason for him to fully put the brakes on.
The small reddish colored particles. He had been seeing those shiny little things floating around him. When one landed on his nose, Wang Heiyue almost went cross-eyed before he shook it off. His jet black eyes trailed the following sparkles until they landed on a certain bird sitting so comfortably on the nearby branches.
Small. Burning red in color. With the iconic long tails.
Phoenix.
Wang Heiyue knew very well what that was. What the hell was that thing doing in here? No, the better question was, why was that tomato prince here? If he was being paranoid, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. The appearance of Wu Jiangfeng and Li Fantong, he would have guessed the two had some kind of connection, despite the wrong story line and time line.
A squeeze on his injured hand startled the shit out of him, pulling him out of his paranoia. "Ge!"
Wang Heiyue hissed and pulled his hand away harshly, as if Li Fantong's touch had burned him, which actually did.
"Heavens, I'm so sorry," The rice bucket gasped. "I forgot— I didn't mean to!"
"Fuck off!" He growled at her.
Being told off rudely, Li Fantong's bottom lips wobbled and Wang Heiyue felt a little bad. She was persistent because that's her nature, her attitude, her kindness. He kept on reminding himself that she was innocent, had yet to be tainted by the cruelty of the world. However, he couldn't.
There was something in him that warned him otherwise, the uneasiness that settled in his gut every time he saw her.
"Wang ge— Wang ge hate Fantong?" She sniffled, big droplets of tears dribbled down her cheeks.
How unsightly.
"I thought it was obvious enough," Wang Heiyue said coldly. "Apparently not." He added.
It probably just downed into her as she stared at him in shock, like she couldn't believe what she just heard. And Wang Heiyue could care less about her opinion before he dashed back in the direction of his home, leaving her completely dumbstruck.
He dashed back home, going through the woods; a shortcut to reach his destination faster. He just wanted to spend the night with Bai Shuyin, however, along with him, was the sound of wingbeats. They weren't exactly audible, but Wang Heiyue could pick up the sound just fine. The dragon frowned. Every step he took, that bird would follow. It stopped when he did. The fiery bird didn't even bother concealing itself and would perch on the nearby branches or rooftops.
It made something in him freeze up— blood culling. What was it that he wanted?
Why was it here? Did he know about him being reborn? That wasn't quite possible. He was the only one in the cave when he destroyed the stone. Wang Heiyue rubbed his forehead. Ever since he woke up as a kid, he had become so paranoid.
Then again, when had he not?
It just got worse the second time around.
It took a moment, then two— really brief moments for him to gather himself, to erase the tense edges of paranoia, to compose himself. Wang Heiyue hid from the reddish phoenix, out of its sight. Not a second longer, the bird zoomed past him, searching, only for it to let out a loud screech when sharp talons pierced through its chest.
With a monstrous arm, Wang Heiyue crushed the spiritual aid until it dispersed into particles, only then did he feel satisfaction run through him.
***
—Meanwhile at the marketplace—
Wu Jiangfeng watched the flowing snowy hair as the younger girl walked further and further away. It looked ethereal, especially under the moonlight. It was truly breathtaking.
Never had it crossed his mind that he would fall in love at first sight.
Without looking at his personal guard, Wu Jiangfeng spoke. "Bai Lun, is it her?"
"Can't be sure, Your Royal Highness."
The prince huffed. "Thought you might recognize your own kin's."
Bai Lun chuckled. "Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. But she was still unrecognizable when our Kingdom was wiped out."
Wu Jiangfeng snorted. He even went as far as bringing her to buy clothes just to catch a glimpse of stigmata or tattoo on any surface of her porcelain white skin. Now he sounded like a pervert.
"Let's head ba—" Wu Jiangfeng jerked on the spot, his breath hitched before he let out a shaky exhale.
One of his phoenixes collapsed.
The last thing he saw through the eyes of his spiritual aids was dark midnight eyes filled with killing intent and unimaginable sharp talons that pierced through its chest.
A scoff escaped his mouth before a full blown laughter erupted.
"Your Royal Highness?" Bai Lun asked, confused at the sudden reaction.
Wu Jiangfeng wiped the corner of his eyes free from tears, the corner of his lips lifted up in an amusing manner. "My, my, what a surprise."