Gui Yin glanced at the mask that sat on the table in front of him. He lifted it up and turned it about in the light that streamed in through the window. His gaze drifted over to Langxia and he held the mask up questioningly.
“What’s this for?”
“Here, I’m the lord of Hongyan Tower,” Langxia explained. He leaned against the table and plucked the mask from Gui Yin’s hand. He held the mask in front of Gui Yin’s face, completely obscuring the bottom half of his appearance. “You are my new bodyguard.”
“I understand the outfit,” Gui Yin said as his fingers brushed over the black fabric that was sitting below the mask’s original box. He lifted his gaze again. “But why the mask?”
“Your face,” Langxia said.
Gui Yin quizzically raised a brow.
Langxia moved the mask and kissed the corner of Gui Yin’s lips. “It’s a memorable face.”
Gui Yin took the mask from Langxia and rolled his eyes. “Just say you’ll get jealous if someone approaches me.”
Langxia kissed Gui Yin’s forehead. “I would get jealous. You know me so well, my dear.”
Gui Yin placed the tips of his fingers on Langxia’s chest and nudged him back. He turned to the mirror and set the mask over his face with a small frown. After a sigh, he stood and started to take off the clothes he was currently wearing to change into the guard’s uniform.
Langxia sat on the edge of the table and watched silently. One hand propped up his head as he listened to the shuffling clothing. A small smile formed on his face in the silence and when Gui Yin looked over his shoulder, he frowned again.
“What?”
“Mm? Nothing.”
“Did you do something to my back again?” Gui Yin muttered. He instinctively reached back and touched his back, but didn’t find any obvious marks. He sighed and shook his head.
Sometimes, it was just easier to not bother with him.
Langxia’s smile only grew until Gui Yin had finished dressing. The man placed the mask over his face and readjusted it until it sat comfortably against his nose. He pulled his long hair into a tight bun, set the crown on top of it, and then turned to Langxia with a cold expression in his eyes.
Langxia stood and placed a hand on Gui Yin’s hip. “You look nice with your hair up.”
Gui Yin broke his character and rolled his eyes to the heavens. “Do I look like your bodyguard though?”
“Mm,” Langxia stepped back before pressing a kiss against Gui Yin’s forehead again. “I can’t tell. You just look like my Qinle to me.”
“Be serious. You were the one who wanted me to do this,” Gui Yin sighed.
“You look very handsome,” Langxia complimented.
Gui Yin nudged Langxia away. He walked to the doors and pulled them open. He poked a head out and was met with Wu Feng’s gaze immediately.
“Do I look intimidating enough?” Gui Yin asked.
Wu Feng nodded hastily several times. Langxia’s sigh could be heard from Gui Yin.
“If you’re asking Wu Feng, then let me ask you this,” Langxia said. He poked his head out as well. “When is Wu Feng never intimidated by you?”
Wu Feng’s face flushed. Gui Yin clicked his tongue and glared at Langxia. “We get along perfectly fine!”
Langxia glanced at Wu Feng and let out a long hum. “I’m sure you do.”
“We do.”
Gui Yin dismissed Langxia and fixed his robes. He readjusted his sword, then turned to Langxia. “So, what will we be doing today…Master?”
Langxia’s smile grew until his eyes could hardly be seen. He pulled Gui Yin in by the waist. “We have some people we need to talk to. We have to make it seem like we actually care about that one man’s duck spirit.”
“Swan.”
“Yeah, sure,” Langxia shrugged.
Gui Yin sighed. “Er’lang, that’s a human life.”
“They’re not human.”
“…A spirit life,” Gui Yin corrected himself.
“I guess you’re right, my dear,” Langxia said. “I should be much more considerate.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Gui Yin and Langxia held each other’s gaze until Langxia chuckled. Gui Yin shook his head slightly. “Forget it.”
Langxia chuckled again. “Then, are you ready to meet our most honorable guest?”
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It was said that if you crossed him, his subordinates didn’t even have to wait for his order before they cut you to pieces.
By his side were three people—two young men and one woman. However, today, as Patriarch Wei was marched into the meeting room by two of the three guards, he noticed that the one that usually lingered by the tower owner was not present. In his place was a man of tall stature, wearing a gruesome demonic mask that covered the lower half of his face. What was shown of his face revealed a handsome appearance, but his two eyes were cold—reminding Patriarch Wei of ice that thinly covered the top of a lake. At first, one might believe that this coldness was stable, but once you stepped onto it, there was no telling when it would crack and reveal a watery grave.
The young man and woman at Patriarch Wei’s side stepped away. The doors closed behind them, leaving only three people in the room.
“Patriarch Wei,” Sun Langxia smiled. “Thank you for accepting my invitation.”
Patriarch Wei smiled stiffly. “No, no…it was my honor to receive an invite to Hongyan Tower in the first place.”
Sun Langxia chuckled lightly. He accepted the wine that was poured for him, but his gaze flickered over to Patriarch Wei again. “Patriarch, why haven’t you sat down?”
“I…”
“This is a friendly chat between neighbors,” Sun Langxia said. He set down his wine cup. “There is no need to be so tense. I only want to make a new friend. It’s been a while since I’ve been back. The last time I was so busy and out of my mind that I hadn’t had time to even greet you. Those silly people who think they can just waltz in and out of my territory are sure a handful. Wouldn’t you agree, Patriarch Wei?”
Patriarch Wei swallowed in order to wet his parched throat. Gui Yin was considerate. He poured Patriarch Wei a cup of wine and placed it in front of him.
Seeing that he still didn’t budge from the doorway, Sun Langxia’s gaze darkened.
“I said, sit.”
Patriarch Wei felt his legs soften. He walked past the guard and sat down on the soft couch across from Sun Langxia.
The smile returned to the man’s face. He reclined back against the cushions and held out the pipe at his side. His guard carefully lit the pipe and flicked out the match without a moment of hesitation to his movements. Sun Langxia put the pipe to his lips and took a long drag. Smoke flowed from his lips, filling the room as he breathed out. There was a seductive look of ecstasy on his face, making Patriarch Wei unable to look away.
It was a type of beauty that transcended gender and Patriarch Wei found his mind growing hazy from the smoke.
Sun Langxia smiled languidly. “How are you settling in, Patriarch Wei?”
“I…it’s been fine,” Patriarch Wei said as he took another sip of wine.
“Only fine? It seems that our Windless Plains don’t quite suit your taste,” Sun Langxia said. “I have to admit, it is a bit flat, isn’t it? There aren’t many trees. Not many hills.”
“I-it isn’t that at all,” Patriarch Wei muttered.
“If it’s not the scenery, then is it the people?” Sun Langxia asked as he took another drag of his pipe. “I heard that people have been going missing recently. Has Patriarch Wei’s people also been going missing?”
Patriarch Wei’s brows furrowed tightly. His mouth opened to answer, but all that came out was a misplaced sound. He grunted and closed his mouth. His tongue pressed against his teeth, but it didn’t help to get rid of the rubbery feeling that began to set in. He gulped in an effort to soothe the dryness in his throat. His gaze flickered over to the wine on the table. He reached out and took a sip, then a gulp. His lips pursed. Just as he wondered how he could quench his thirst, the guard beside Lord Sun poured him another cup.
Sun Langxia was silent as he watched Patriarch Wei desperately drink cup after cup. He smirked slightly and took a drag of his pipe. The smoke drifted over to the other side of the room and wrapped around Patriarch Wei’s throat as he drank his fourth cup of wine.
The cup was placed down. The guard moved forward to pour him another, but Sun Langxia held up his hand.
“Patriarch Wei?”
The voice that called out was deep and normally filled with thorns but, this time, it had softened with concern. Patriarch Wei lifted his blurry vision and was just barely able to focus on the person in front of him.
“Are you okay?”
“I…No…”
Sun Langxia’s brows raised, as if he were genuinely shocked. “Oh? What’s wrong?”
“My…throat is dry…my tongue…tongue feels swollen…vision…vision…”
“One more cup,” Langxia said.
Gui Yin met Langxia’s gaze and stepped forward. He poured the wine and placed it into the hands of the man, even guiding him to drink it. After the cup was drained, it was taken away and Gui Yin stood by Langxia’s side.
Langxia twirled the pipe in his hand and took one more drag. Gui Yin watched as the smoke filled the enclosed space. He accepted the pipe that was handed to him and dumped out the herbs. He returned to Langxia’s side and handed the empty pipe to him.
His gaze remained on the man enshrouded in smoke until the rare molten eyes met his. The man smiled, showing a hint of genuine happiness that contradicted his appearance as well as his previous actions. He leaned back against his arm and raised a brow.
“What is it?”
“You’re so horrifying,” Gui Yin said.
“Then, why are you smiling?”
“You look pretty this way,” Gui Yin said.
Langxia chuckled. He glanced at the slumped man across from him and let out a long sigh. “Patriarch Wei?”
Gui Yin glanced over and watched as the man slowly sat up, as if he were a puppet pulled by a string. He shifted and half-sat on the arm of the couch, looking on with great interest.
“What do you think of me?” Langxia asked.
“You…horrify me…”
Langxia smiled in satisfaction. If a person could say such a thing so thoughtlessly, that meant that the drugs had worked. He leaned back and crossed one leg over the other.
“Why did you move your clan to Yongxiu?”
“Es…cape…”
“Who are you escaping from?”
“Demonic…cultivators…from Yinfeng…”
“Why are you escaping from them?” Langxia asked.
“I…saw the war…wasn’t in our favor…so I left…”
“Oh,” Langxia said. He looked at Gui Yin. “It turns out to be a deserter.”
“Ask him more questions,” Gui Yin said.
He wasn’t here to listen to the man’s life story. According to what Langxia had told him earlier, the drug only lasted for twenty minutes. Although twenty minutes was a long time, who knew whether or not the man would randomly start rambling about a particularly long topic?
Langxia smiled and placatingly patted Gui Yin’s hand. He turned back to Patriarch Wei. “Who is responsible for the people going missing in the Western Banks?”
“We…are…”
Langxia and Gui Yin exchanged a glance.
“What is your purpose in kidnapping these people?” Langxia asked.
“For…our…great god…to establish…a paradise…”
Langxia scoffed. “Is that how he lied to you all.”
Patriarch Wei’s eyes showed a flash of life. “It isn’t…a lie. He…only he can…bring us…out of the darkness…”
Gui Yin’s brows furrowed as he fell into his own thoughts.
“You deserted, but you still want to help this god? Aren’t you a little hypocritical?”
“The…war…is different…Just…gathering…resources…My loyalty is to our god…not to…Half Moon Cult.”
Langxia raised a brow. His finger tapped his thigh and he soon turned to Gui Yin. “Do you have any questions, my dear?”
“Where have you put these people?” Gui Yin asked.
“In…Winding…Python Ridge…”
Langxia frowned. “Do you have associates there?”
“…Yes.”
Langxia showed an expression of vague interest. Did Ao Yuxiang know that all of this was going on in her backyard? If Langxia entered without permission, then it would be considered an act of aggression and a baseless accusation. However, if he told Ao Yuxiang, he risked her turning around and hiding the people and evacuating the ghost cultivators.
Just as he was thinking this, he heard the sound of a sword unsheathing. He looked up and watched as Gui Yin approached Patriarch Wei.
“What are you doing?” Langxia asked.
“Do you still have something to ask him?” Gui Yin asked.
Langxia smiled. “Dearest, you don’t have to dirty your own hands. Someone else will take care of them on his way out.”
“You just don’t want blood to dirty this room,” Gui Yin said, sheathing the sword.
Langxia smirked as he made his way over to Gui Yin. “If you know, then hold your blade. Come on, let’s move somewhere else to discuss our next steps. Wu Feng and A-Qi can take care of him.”
Gui Yin followed Langxia out and nodded to Wu Feng and A-Qi who were still at the door.
The two men ventured up to the upper levels of Hongyan Tower. Langxia took Gui Yin to his study and closed the door behind them as Gui Yin sat down at the meeting table nearby. Langxia sprawled out on the divan.
“So, what do you think?”
Gui Yin fell silent. He softly shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
Langxia propped himself up with an arm. “Not sure?”
Gui Yin hummed. His fingers drummed on the surface of the table. His brows were tightly furrowed as anxiety swirled through his chest. Another beat of silence passed before he was suddenly enveloped in the familiar, near suffocating warmth. He leaned back against Langxia’s chest and stared ahead.
“Take your time,” Langxia murmured against Gui Yin’s head.
Gui Yin took a deep breath and concentrated on the heat of the large palms on his shoulders.
“Qiao Ceng said some odd things when we met again.”
“Expected,” Langxia grumbled. He placed another quick kiss on Gui Yin’s head. “What did he say?”
“He said that he only wanted to come back for me,” Gui Yin said.
At the time, Gui Yin had been blinded by his anger, then his fear. He couldn’t make heads or tails of Qiao Ceng’s words and he wasn’t even sure if he remembered them properly. All he remembered was the obsessive look in the demon’s eyes that blurred together with his fuzzy past memories.
Langxia placed his chin against Gui Yin’s shoulder. “He wants you back? Only his dreams.”
Gui Yin was pulled from his suffocating emotions for a brief second. He laughed and poked Langxia’s hand. “What’s this? Eating vinegar?”
“I am,” Langxia nodded. He nuzzled closer again. “But continue with what you were saying. I’ll eat silently.”
Gui Yin rolled his eyes as a small smile formed against his lips. “Ahem. Now that I think about it, he did say he didn’t want to take over the world or anything like that.”
“And you believe him?”
Gui Yin smirked. “Not necessarily. But I do think it’s interesting. Knowing his personality, he wouldn’t lie to me about something so trivial, especially when such plans are already underway.”
“Maybe he’s trying to woo you again.”
Gui Yin frowned. He glanced at Langxia who met his gaze shamelessly.
“I’m being serious. If he really wanted you again, wouldn’t he want to make it seem like you’re his world,” Langxia said. “There are some people who would find all he was doing romantic if it was just to see them again.”
“Murdering thousands?” Gui Yin asked, unimpressed. other“Who would find that romantic? It’s just psychopathic. Would you find it romantic?”
“You would never do such a thing,” Langxia said.
“I’m saying in general.”
“I only love you,” Langxia said. He thought about it for a moment and amended his response, “If you did it as a show of affection, I would find it romantic. But you would never do such a thing, so I don’t find it romantic.”
Gui Yin tried to hold a serious expression, but he failed to keep it when he looked at Langxia’s innocent tilt of his head. He turned completely and pressed a kiss to Langxia’s cheek.
“You’re ridiculous.”
Langxia’s smile grew. He let out a long sigh and draped himself over Gui Yin again. “I suppose, right now, his motivation doesn’t matter. What matters is other people’s motivations.”
Gui Yin hummed thoughtfully. “You mean to say, even if he doesn’t think too much about his own revival, there are others who are trying to use it to their advantage?”
“Precisely. These people want a new demon god.”
“Only in creating a new demon god can they start a new era in their favor,” Gui Yin murmured. His fingers hooked Langxia’s thoughtfully as his expression grew grave.
Since the great war between the Celestials and the Demonic Race, the Demonic Race had held their end of the promise and sealed off the Demon Realm completely. Because of this, the Celestials were able to seal off the route to the Celestial Realm with a peace of mind and the Mortal Realm had been briefly purified of all demonic energy. In the past, there could not be light without shadow, but for a brief period of several hundred years, that really was the case. But as time dragged on, the world was once again tainted by the desires and emotions of living creatures.
Paradise was lost, but natural order was restored. And, slowly, the way to the Demon Realm was cracked open once more.
However, this period of several hundred years played a big role in the world as it was today. Without the interference of demonic energy, the purest energy of the world was able to circulate and grow. During the era of kingdoms, this energy determined the rise and fall of emperors. If the emperor was born with the innate ability to absorb this energy, the Heavens would be on their side. If they couldn’t, then they would not be the Son of Heaven and their throne would crumble.
The world today was unlike that from the time of Celestials or even the early cultivators. The distinguished upper realms had little demonic or resentful energy. Even the demonic energy in the lower realms would not be comparable to what it was in the olden days. Because of this only the truly desperate or greedy would embark on the demonic path.
Gui Yin and Langxia are badass
thanks for reading!
me 🤝 Gui Yin, enjoying Langxia in Big Boss mode
me too LOL thanks for reading!!!