When Xue heard what Ziqian had whispered to Huo earlier, it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. The world around him dimmed, swallowed by a dark, creeping fog. In that moment, the only thing he could still see clearly was Ziqian.
How could Ziqian like Huo?
Everyone said he was better than Huo. He was stronger, steadier, and more reliable.
Then why would Ziqian choose Huo over him?
I shouldn't have saved Huo back then.
I should have delayed the rescue.
If Huo hadn't survived… then Ziqian would have been mine.
The words echoed in his mind, heavy and suffocating.
Those ugly, dark, fleeting thoughts that were born of jealousy and despair surged through him like a flood, startling even himself.
Huo had always wanted to compete with him in everything, but Xue had never seen the need for it—until now. This time, he was willing to face Huo, or anyone else, even if it meant putting his life on the line.
He would prove to everyone that he was the better choice. That he was the one who should stand beside Ziqian.
But then, everything changed all because of those words.
"I really love you, Xue."
Because Ziqian had said he loved him, it felt as if the fog had cleared from his mind. The dark, suffocating thoughts faded, and the desperate urge to compete disappeared.
The world around him became vivid and radiant. The heavy pressure that had been weighing on his chest eased, and for the first time in a while, he could think straight.
"It hurts to see the two of you fighting because of me," Ziqian said, his voice trembling, edged with distress. "I like both of you, and it makes me feel terrible that I can't choose. What am I supposed to do? Why do you have to fight? Why do you have to get hurt like this?"
Then Xue suddenly realized something.
Yes…Why did the two of them need to fight?
Why did Ziqian have to choose?
And why were they still competing?
The questions echoed in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more it all felt unreasonable. Everything that had happened seemed ridiculous.
Ever since they were children, Huo had always wanted to compete with him. Xue, on the other hand, learned quickly and understood things with ease. To him, defeating Huo proved nothing, so there were times he deliberately held back or gave way, letting Huo show his strength.
Unknowingly, the distance between them began to grow.
Because for Huo, it was different.
To him, it looked like Xue was looking down on him. That made Huo even angrier and more relentless. He would find new ways to challenge Xue, turning even the smallest things into competitions.
Who could eat more meat? Who could roast faster?
There was hardly a day when Huo didn't provoke Xue.
It became such a routine that the entire tribe grew accustomed to and accepted as normal.
Then Ziqian arrived.
From that moment on, Huo's attention focused entirely on him.
Xue thought that all of that competition would finally come to an end—without realizing that Ziqian would become their greatest point of contention.
Xue had always believed he didn't care—that their rivalry had never truly affected him, that it was only Huo who felt the need to prove something.
But what had happened these past few days told a different story.
When Lia first told him he should marry Ziqian, Xue—aware of Huo's interest in the sub-beast—had intended to step aside and give way to Huo, as he always had been doing.
When Huo left for Mt. Nebo, he had only planned to accompany and observe the sub-beast at his mother's request. At first, that was just a simple task, nothing more.
But as he spent more time with Ziqian, things began to change.
What started as a quiet instinct to protect him slowly grew stronger. It turned into a desire to keep him safe, to watch over him, to make sure he was never hurt. Before long, even that was no longer enough. Xue found himself wanting to see Ziqian smile, to hear his laughter, to ease even the smallest crease of worry from his face.
Somewhere along the way, without him noticing, those feelings deepened into something more.
For the first time, Xue found someone worth fighting for—Ziqian, and the chance to have him as his partner.
But in truth, being with Ziqian was never something they needed to fight over, because they could both remain by his side.
Without realizing it, somewhere along the way, not only Huo but Xue as well had grown so used to competing at every turn that even something as important as Ziqian became part of it. It no longer felt like a choice but just another duel to win.
And now, because of that foolishness, Ziqian was hurt and crying.
"I'm sorry. We won't fight again. Please don't cry… I'm sorry." Xue didn't know how to comfort Ziqian. His words were clumsy. He had already dropped to his knees in front of the sub-beast, as if that alone could make up for everything.
"Xue, I can't choose between the two of you, and I don't want the two of you to fight anymore. It's better if—"
"No!" Xue cut him off anxiously. He didn't want to hear what Ziqian was about to say.
"But..."
Not only Xue, but even the four guardians were surprised. They had all assumed that Ziqian was ready to accept the twins and that a marriage talk would soon follow. But now, his words seemed to suggest something else entirely—that because he couldn't choose between the twins, he would rather choose neither of them.
"What are you doing, Ah-Zi?" Gae hurriedly asked. His childish voice was full of confusion.
Ziqian's thoughts were in disarray. Nervousness crept back in, followed by embarrassment.
I… want to be with them, but to suggest that I want the three of us to be together… is too embarrassing to say out loud. Shouldn't they be the ones to say it first?
The four guardians were left speechless.
Ziqian had almost experienced another emotional turbulence before finally confessing, but now, when it came to the final step of establishing their relationship, he suddenly found it embarrassing and started to play hard to get.
"You're already sailing in two rivers, and you still think asking to be together is embarrassing?" Ero said teasingly.
Ziqian's lips twitched, but he couldn't argue. He glanced at Xue, who was anxiously mumbling something he couldn't clearly hear.
Ero was right. He was already in this situation, but he was still hesitating. He had been bold enough to provoke Huo and shameless enough to seduce Xue.
He had already dragged the twins into this mess, so why was he still feeling embarrassed now?
If he continued pretending to be innocent, he would only be a hypocrite. He had once said that he would act like a white lotus, but never to the point of hurting the twins.
Ziqian let out a soft sigh. Then he once again pulled Xue into an embrace.
"Xue," Ziqian called softly, making the man slightly stiffen.
Throwing away the last traces of embarrassment and hypocrisy, he whispered, "Can the three of us be together?"
Before Xue could respond, Ziqian hurriedly continued, as he was afraid that he would lose the courage to speak if he stopped now.
"The two of you are the most handsome men I've ever met," he admitted honestly. "I won't lie, at first I was attracted to your looks. But the more I got to know both of you, the more drawn I became."
"The two of you have completely different personalities, and you each show your affection in your own way. But what matters most is that I know both of you genuinely care about me."
Now that he had decided to be honest, all the words he had been holding back came pouring out one after another.
"And before I realized it, my feelings just kept growing deeper."
"But as my feelings grew deeper, the more afraid I became," Ziqian continued softly. "I didn't have the courage to say all this before. I was afraid the two of you would think I was greedy and selfish." His voice trembled slightly as he tightened his hold on Xue. "But seeing the two of you fight and get hurt made me realize how foolish I was for not saying all of this sooner."
Xue parted his lips. He wanted to tell the sub-beast that it was alright—that he could be greedy, but in the end, he chose to stay silent and continue listening.
This was the first time Ziqian had opened up honestly about his feelings, and Xue did not want to interrupt even a single word.
So he remained silent and listened carefully, engraving every word into his heart.
His usually cold and expressionless face had already softened without him noticing. A faint flush spread across his cheeks, his eyes shone with warmth, and the corners of his lips curved up slightly.
I love him.