The wind outside the Jing estate barely stirred. Silver mist rolled across the stone courtyards, carrying the faint scent of red spider lilies that had begun to bloom along the distant hills. Even the night seemed to pause, holding its breath, as though waiting for the storm inside Xuě Jìng's mind to settle—but it would not.
He leaned against the tall window, moonlight slicing across his face in cold, precise shards. Shadows tangled with the bandages wrapped tightly around his arm, remnants of the skirmish still smoldering in his veins. His glove, burned away in the fight, left his fingers exposed, twitching—not from pain, nor weakness, but from confusion, sharp and unrelenting.
" Why did I catch him? "
He had faced cursed beasts, yao, even the infamous soul-swallowers that had haunted the legends of old… yet none had left a glitch burning in his chest like this one. Somewhere beyond the estate, the red spider lilies swayed again in the moonlight, whispering their call across the distant hills. Their devil called again.
Flashback — The Ceremony
Mist clung to the clearing like a thick veil when Lóu Lóng Wēi emerged. White robes trailed behind him, hair black as ink flowing like liquid shadows. His lips glistened with blood, licked clean with a wolf's casual savagery.
"This throne… it's mine now," he murmured, voice sharp, slicing the air. "I'll be the new Dào… or king… whatever you call it. Lóu Dao Lóng Wēi—sounds already legendary, doesn't it?"
Xuě Jìng's temples throbbed—not from insult, but from the effortless arrogance threading through every word...and the way he gave interdiction aboit himself without exposing too much . Xuě stepped forward, golden eyes narrowing, body tense with the restraint of a predator.
"You destroyed everything I prepared! Those humans—"
"They were already rotting," Lóng Wēi interrupted, drifting like smoke, movement flowing with an unnatural grace. "You just didn't smell it yet."
Behind them, Jiǔ Chén inhaled sharply, the quiet hum of worry threading through him. He stepped closer—but Lóng Wēi raised a finger, eyes still hidden beneath his silken veil of black-silver hair.
"No. Stay there. This is a king's fight."
Xuě Jìng's jaw clenched. "Don't talk to him like that. He's… more than just a guard."
The younger yao smiled faintly, fangs glinting in the moonlight. "Great… I can sense something deeper between you two."
He moved closer, predator-like, invading Xuě Jìng's space with deliberate ease. The fox king's lips pressed into a thin line, pride and irritation prickling in every vein.
Jiǔ Chén's gray eyes followed silently, fists clenched, knowing better than to intervene in this delicate battle.
"But playing with you… might become my new pastime," Lóng Wēi purred, voice both soft and sharp. "Angry furballs are far more entertaining."
Xuě Jìng's reply was clipped. "Move away! You're acting… strange!"
A smirk curled the younger's lips, eyes twinkling with mischief. "What kind of strange, furball king?"
"I—don't call me that!" Xuě Jìng snapped, stepping back, but Lóu Lóng Wēi's grin widened, savoring the discomfort like a predator tasting fear.
Their verbal sparring twisted into something thicker—tension, desire, and raw heat filling the space between them.
"You tell me first," Xuě Jìng muttered finally, cheeks flushing, golden eyes betraying embarrassment. "Are you… homosexual?"
Lóng Wēi tilted his head, feigning thought. "Of course I know the word. But I am… not male in the human sense. I am high-ranked, genderless. My kind… despises women. I can produce—mm ? Mhph mmpph !!
"Shut up! Shameless!" Xuě Jìng snapped, pressing a hand over the younger's mouth.
"Mmph!" Lóng Wēi squeaked, half-annoyed, half-amused , gives a light bite to move away his hand .
" Auch ! Bitting already ! " Jiǔ Chén cried out then sighed furiously . He's exasperated yet helpless, as he watched this dangerous dance of words and postures unfold...
he acted quickly again and cuts a lock of Lóng Wēi's hair by his sharp claws which also quickly grows back . Xuè Jìng blinked in surprise .
" my hair ! How dare you touch those !? It's not even strong enough ! "
Lóng Wēi cried a bit dramatically while holding a lock of hair tenderly . Xuè could just be amazed by his weird acts .
The duel became physical. Flames of golden fox-fire erupted from the king, licking the night sky—but Wēi did not dodge. He danced. Every movement flowed like wind through silk, spinning and weaving, teasing without ever spilling a drop of spiritual energy.
"You get red so easily, hehe~" he teased, chest and thigh partially exposed beneath the flowing robe, testing Xuě Jìng's composure.
"I hate how much you show!" Xuě Jìng growled, yet his mind betrayed him with unholy thoughts creeping like wildfire.
"Stop saying 'shut up'! You sound like an old fox!" Lóng Wēi hissed, laughter flowing through his steps.
Their battle became a perfect dance of claws and words, pride and mockery entwined.
One instant, Lóng Wēi spun through the smoke, landing behind Xuě Jìng, gripping him firmly at the hips. Eyes met with his covered ones . Hair brushed golden eyes.
Soft. Cold. Dangerous.
Xuě Jìng's breath caught. A strange heat pricked at his chest, unbidden and unfamiliar.
"Get off… and cover yourself," he muttered, stiff and flushed.
The younger laughed softly, stepping away, brushing hair from his face. "Ouch! You're crueler than me! At least I don't hold what I cannot keep."
Back to Present...
Xuě Jìng's hand fell from the window. The weight in his chest had grown, not lessened.
"Before..he messes my personal business more…" he whispered, fingers brushing the charm seal at his neck.
He could not let the Eye awaken. Not yet. Not for himself. Not for Lóng Wēi—the creature who danced like tides, weaving guqin and bamboo flute music into the night, whose very presence glitched the veins of reality.
The estate was quiet around him, the golden mist curling through empty halls. Jiǔ Chén stood silently behind, shadow a calm anchor against the storm threatening to swallow Xuě Jìng whole.
Even in silence, the lilies whispered across the hills, and somewhere far beyond, a faint, impossible melody seemed to hum in the air. Something told him… this was only the beginning.