"Oh. Then do it yourself."
Xuekui didn't understand Shichen's obsession.
To him, human courtship was just a mating impulse. He, a yaksha, didn't have that need. Why bother learning it?
Besides, he couldn't even tell what humans considered beautiful. Over the years, he'd only learned their standards by watching how they reacted to faces.
But he himself still felt nothing.
So he couldn't understand why humans stared at handsome or pretty people— Or why Shichen was so devoted to Shuang'er-jie, who often fed him.
Xuekui yawned and turned to leave. Then he felt a force on his leg.
He looked down. Good heavens.
Shichen—the mighty, steadfast man—was clinging to his thigh, wailing like a child.
"Xuekui no! Little Xuekui! Xue~ help me! This is your big brother's once-in-a-lifetime request!" Xuekui stared.
How many "once-in-a-lifetime requests" did this man have?
The longer he lived among humans, the less reliable Shichen seemed.
"All the Silk Flowers you brought back on herb runs are gone," Xuekui said. "You wasted them. We can't continue."
"Then pick more!"
"No. I'm going to eat. Tomorrow." Xuekui refused cleanly.
Shichen stood up, face dark, aura rising.
"Then I'll have to use my trump card." "?"
Did you forget the time I snapped your arm by accident? Shichen raised one finger solemnly.
"One roast chicken." Xuekui froze.
Second finger. "Grilled Tiger Fish."
Xuekui's body trembled. "Roast goose."
"Braised pork."
"A jar of good wine."
...
Each dish name made Xuekui shudder harder.
Finally, trembling with excitement, Xuekui wiped a bit of drool and turned around, voice grave. "Not enough. Two meals."
Shichen's face darkened.
"Impossible. I'm not that rich— I'm trying to woo Shuang'er." "Then do it yourself," Xuekui said flatly, turning to go. "Wait!"
Xuekui stopped.
Shichen's face was like frost. "…Fine."
"I'm going right now!"
Xuekui ran out, his face twisting with delighted glee. Ha!
Brother Shichen—after years among humans, Xuekui had learned to demand more benefits.
He remembered his early days—being bribed by one grilled fish into hoeing fields for an entire afternoon.
Back then, he was simple. And happy.
Xuekui, right now, you're truly despicable.
In the courtyard, Shichen's grin split nearly to his ears, his face twisting into something barely human.
This little brother thinks he can take advantage of him? Shichen's true bottom line…
Was four meals.
Xuekui, you're still too young.
In the wild, among red leaves, bloomed Silk Flowers like sunset clouds—like pale cheeks dusted with blush.
They stood like queens among their subjects, demanding worship. Unfortunately, a white head leaned in and sniffed.
A breeze rustled through the red leaves like silent fury. Worse—
The white-haired intruder shook his head in disappointment, about to leave. How dare he.
Not only did he disturb their queen… He ignored her charm.
Xuekui, unaware of the leaves' righteous rage, continued searching for the right Silk Flowers. Even within one species, individuals varied greatly.
Strength of fragrance. Clarity. Purity. He measured it all.
Shuang'er-jie was gentle and clean. Too heavy a scent wouldn't match her. He might've extorted Shichen for food…
But he still took the request seriously.
The flowers he'd brought before had all met his standard.
As Xuekui crouched to inspect another plant, a familiar, blazing warmth entered his senses like sparks.
He didn't bother turning. He kept working. But the person behind him wouldn't let it go.
His vision went dark. A warm, soft hand covered his eyes. "Guess who I am?"
The voice was forced deeper, but it fooled no one.
"Next time you play this game," Xuekui said lazily, "learn to hide your aura first, Indarias-jie." He pulled her hands away and looked up at the red-haired girl, who was grinning.
"That's so hard to understand. How do you even sense 'aura'?"
"Isn't it something you just know?" Xuekui sniffed the flowers, replying casually. "Are you sure you're even a yaksha?"
Indarias huffed.
"Oh, please. You don't even know how to wear a Yaksha Mask, and you're calling people out?"
"That thing's pointless." Xuekui scoffed. "Even if you wear some weird mask, you still won't be stronger than me."
Indarias puffed up like a hamster, cheeks bulging.
The gap between them was real. Even the Yaksha Mask couldn't bridge it. Even with four yaksha together, they could only barely contain this little monster.
But truth had nothing to do with whether a girl got mad.
"Here," Xuekui said, cutting off her brewing tantrum. "This suits you." He plucked the flower in front of him and handed it over.
He'd lived among humans long enough to read faces a little. The fragrance of this Silk Flower was sharp and stimulating—strong enough to hit like a punch.
It matched Indarias's fiery nature perfectly. Besides, she was sulking.
So Xuekui performed the ancient ritual of "giving a gift to shut someone up," sacrificing a flower that could've otherwise lived.
"A random wildflower and you think—" Indarias paused, sniffed it, then coughed and tried to save face. "Fine. I'll… accept it."
Sometimes, people knew the moment their eyes met whether they'd be beloved companions or lifelong enemies.
Maybe objects worked the same. Compatibility was a strange thing.
Right now, Indarias stared at the flower like she was looking at herself. Hugging it happily, she trotted after Xuekui.
"Why are you following me?"
"I'm looking for someone to play with…" Indarias asked. "Xuekui, what if it wilts?" "Then it wilts."
"No! Do something!"
Xuekui's head started to throb. He motioned for her to hand it over.
A moment later, the Silk Flower returned to Indarias covered in a thin layer of frost, glittering under the sun. Its seductive beauty was cloaked in pure crystal—its inner splendor half-hidden, half-revealed, strangely artistic.
"As long as you don't burn it with your fire, it'll last a long time," Xuekui said. The first time he used his "principle" outside of fighting Morax…
Was for preserving a flower.
Xuekui briefly wondered if he was abusing "principle."
As Indarias admired her frozen Silk Flower, Xuekui lifted his head— And saw a human offering table in the distance.
His mouth slowly curved into a grin.
Then the grin widened into something dangerously pleased. If he remembered right…
This was Morax's territory, wasn't it?