Tao Hua glanced up at Shan Si, and in doing so, his face suddenly fell. Why? He wasn't sure, but just watching someone who was calmly indifferent twist aggressively to the point that his pupils shrank, well, it wasn't quite reassuring.
"Please…" Reaching up to Shan Si's shoulder, Tao Hua helplessly smiled. "Please don't trust him…he's a lot more capable than you think…"
But there wasn't much he could persuasively say on the matter, otherwise he'd completely throw Gui Chang straight into the wolves' den. Thus, he was left tongue-tied in the matter, unable to vouch for the safety of the one person he wanted to protect more than anyone.
Shan Si met Tao Hua's eyes before shifting them to Master Tao's swaying shadow, stretched against the bricks. The lanterns really were rhythmically synchronised that night, adding to the warmth of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the lovingly passing families all making their way to watch the moon.
If only the same could have been said for this group.
"Information about the curse and how to break it," Master Tao said, folding his arms behind his back. From Shan Si's reaction to the way he froze, that was enough to bring back even the smallest bit of confidence in him. "The curse that makes those eyes of yours white. What was it…? Shendi?"
Shan Si's hand gripped Tao Hua's shoulder, and between the shadow and Tao Hua, his eyes shifted.
"Please, Shan Si!" Shaking his head hastily, Tao Hua tugged at Shan Si's sleeve more. "It's…he's not telling the truth!"
A pained expression creased Shan Si's brows. The hand on Tao Hua's shoulder lifted and gently brushed Tao Hua's pale cheek, and in a low breath, he whispered, "Let's just hear him out, okay? No matter the circumstances, I'll keep you safe—you're never up for negotiation. I promise."
It was met with an assuring, tender smile before he turned around and faced Master Tao. He blocked out that shadow, making his way closer to Master Tao with Tao Hua following behind. His hand remained attached to his sleeve.
Why…?
If it was his own safety he cared about, then sure…negotiate for all he cared, as long as the other was safe. But that's not what was happening!
Tao Hua could feel his breath thinning each time he stared into his father's cold, callous eyes.
Is this his way of extracting information from him? Tao Hua shook at the thought. Though Shan Si was strong-willed, he still had pressure points like all other mortals.
He was still human.
This was nothing more than a terrible fucking idea.
"I'm listening," Shan Si said, glaring down at Master Tao, whose eyes smiled with him; it was manic, contrasting Shan Si's sneer. The two had switched places for the first time that night. "You better not waste my time."
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, Your Highness," Master Tao said, addressing Shan Si with the expression that which a merchant would make after conducting an impressive sale. Who would have thought that such a merchant was nothing more than a conman dressed in royal attire.
The usage of titles was deployed so naturally, it nearly churned Tao Hua's stomach.
"How do I know you're not bluffing?" Shan Si asked.
"His Highness owes this servant not his trust, nor is it expected. A momentary truce that ceases this aimless fighting for a few days and offers this civil servant a chance to show his proof."
Master Tao bowed ahead of Shan Si, treating this one he considered a plague respectfully for once. It was the oozing remnants of all the manipulation Tao Hua experienced when raised by such a man, so it was only natural that he reacted negatively. He spoke up, trying to tug Shan Si back, and pleaded, "Please, don't…"
Lifting his head, Master Tao glared at Tao Hua with antipathy. "Impudent."
Shaking off Tao Hua, leaving him both lost and confused, Shan Si held out his arm, preventing him from moving any further. It was locked in place, and the palm of his hand was faced towards Tao Hua.
"Let's not do that. Get to the point. Why should I trust you?" Shan Si confidently asked. "I've looked everywhere—through countless library's—how the hell would you have the cure?"
"One soul from the teachings of Shendi, that's all it takes to find the cure," Master Tao took a step forward, his stance commanding as he cocked his head coyly. He first looked up at Shan Si with a knowing smile, before turning down to look at the boy hugging onto that arm for dear life, trying to tug it away. It was rather amusing. "Has His Highness ever wondered what it is that makes my dear son seem so special? Surely His Highness with his impressive skills has felt it?"
Shan Si's eyes narrowed on him.
"Now, don't mistake this servant's words; this child is still useless," Master Tao said, and in saying so, Tao Hua could feel the muscles in Shan Si's arms constrict. That was pressure point number one, was already off to a good start.
Master Tao continued, turning with a step to face Tao Hua, who only stared at his shoes, refusing to look at him. "If it's His Highness's plan to use the relics to break the curse…tsk, this civil servant would have to disagree. I'm sure she would, too."
She…? Tao Hua side-glanced Gui Chang, but from her concern, it was apparent even she didn't understand who he was mentioning. She was just as lost as he was, standing there silently. What does he mean by she…?
Toward Shan Si, Tao Hua then looked, trying to find the answer in his reaction. But instead, he was met with a terrified expression, one contorting in disbelief and anger, and one able to genuinely scare Tao Hua.
This was pressure point number two, and a major one. Tao Hua's face fell entirely.
It was no longer the expression of someone in control of whatever scheme he had planned. Clearly, Master Tao had finally found something that caused this fearless man's breath to hitch. Exactly what Tao Hua had dreaded.
So, he hugged onto that arm as tightly as he could, trying to coax Shan Si back to reality.
"My son is far safer back where she wanted him. What? What's with that look? Wasn't it His Highness's plan to sacrifice all the relics?" Master Tao asked, but it was rhetorical. "Yes. This servant…no, this grieving husband can finally offer her tablet at the Ancestral Hall a breath of relief, knowing her only offspring is now safe again. Right? She was always one to care deeply for those she loved; you should have seen the delight in knowing she'd finally have her own child after years and years of taking care of other's problem children.
"Right? His Highness should be the first to say she was quite the self-sacrificing individual." Master Tao laughed, tutting as he shook his head. "Nearly killed by one child, only for her own child to kill her."
"What…are…" Shan Si's arm trembled, ever-so-lightly, and it was only so much that Tao Hua could feel it. "Bullshit!"
"Oh? So His Highness wasn't aware? That's a shame. If only he understood the gravity of his choices in unravelling all she did to save our Great Zhonglai."
"…" Shan Si's breathing grew unstable, staring at Master Tao's arrogant complexion, one that was about ready to announce 'I win' at any moment. A decades-long game that had gone on too long. However, Tao Hua couldn't accept the results and suddenly acted without thinking.
He removed grasp around Shan Si's arm, hoisting it up and ducking under, all while Shan Si remained shell-shocked at Master Tao's words. Holding up his hands, he used every fibre of his being to push his father as far away from Shan Si as possible. It was the first time he had outright rebelled against such a reigning terror in his life.
This smaller man, without an ounce of muscle, no martial skill, or a weapon to his name, stepped up for the first time. He didn't understand the situation or had the context needed to understand. That was fine; he really didn't need it to know that whatever the reason, it bothered Shan Si.
"Leave…him…alone," Tao Hua mumbled, staring down at the hands held up, still stuck in the motion of pushing, every limb trembling. Everyone around had their eyes on Tao Hua. Gui Chang's were widened, fearfully, and she was ready to jump in, while Shan Si's were a step ahead of Gui Chang, his hand readied at the hilt of his sword.
Master Tao, however, differed. He glared at his son, refusing to blink even once. If the cracks in his composure had shown earlier, now they were peeling off to reveal the true father Tao Hua had dealt with for his twenty years of life.
"Excuse…me?"
Then, Tao Hua shoved him again with twice the strength, his eyes clamping shut. "I'm…so fucking sick of you! He's…he's not a fucking puppet you can toy with like you did with me! You can't do that to h-him! I…I won't allow it!"
Chapter end.