"So deal?" Chóng Fēi said when no reply or needle came from Lìngxiāo just yet. Then he realized the tense hand over his eyes probably had something more than just needles. "A simple agreement taking you as long as selling away your soul to any Mō? Why are you even covering my eyes for so long? Wait—wait. What is the size of the needle?"
"The size is not more than what you have seen. The coverage is required for your less panicked reactions, Gōngzǐ." Lìngxiāo quickly said, didn't remove his hand from his eyes, exhaled through his nose while his mouth parted, eyes closed—as if bracing himself from a storm he knew would come yet also not.
'I cannot lie easily. But if he pushes too much, I have to create my boundary. He does not know what is true and what is not. I should just satisfy his curiosity without giving away myself.'
He made up his mind within seconds before Chóng Fēi could give him that suspicious look again. "Ask as you wish, Gōngzǐ. But you cannot create any more difficulties for me for the last needle I would use."
Chóng Fēi's eyes still twitched under Lìngxiāo's hand, and he silently turned away from the needle just enough not to touch it even a little. But for probably getting the agreement from Lìngxiāo, he didn't disagree with it either. "Fine..one last needle..m-might be enough in exchange of three secrets."
Then he added with a faint flush at his cheeks yet lips curved as if he had tasted something bitter, "And stop sighing on me. Where did your manner go? You..breath bad."
Lìngxiāo raised his eyebrows while his eyes were closed by this judgmental remark, as if doing it instead of his hopeless sigh. Though it didn't pinch too much, the way he spoke kept amazing him.
'I forgot I myself hate any kind of physical contact for no reason. Yet the situation required it.'
'How do I smell bad while the food I tasted was not even rotten..?'
'My breath is supposed to hit his skin for staying close. You have left me no choice but to grab you like this for a few needles you need for your own healing.'
"Apologies, Gōngzǐ. I was too focused on healing you more than my breath on you." He said with humbleness, but it carried a silent tint of hopeless exhaustion which was barely seen in him, and a little flatness.
'This is more his reward than mine. Mine is only headache.'
"Fine, I forgave you." Chóng Fēi bit his inner mouth thoughtfully. "The first question will be.."
Lìngxiāo didn't know why his pulse at the wrist felt tight by his dramatic pause when he had already decided to lie. He focused on searching for a better spot to put the needle since all of his veins were moving faintly under the skin.
It would be dangerous if he put it somewhere the vein could risk moving too much backwards where it shouldn't. He paused attention over time studying their placement and behavior since nothing was normal here—but better if Chóng Fēi never found out what was happening to him.
His gaze followed one vein which moved a little backwards under another purplish vein. 'You are being used. Carefully. With cold mind which requires too much attention. One mistake..and everything will be clear to me. Your controller is..more critical and perhaps addictive for me to find out in any way.'
He blinked when he found a non-moving vein under another thinner vein. He prepared the needle, one eye shut as he angled it. 'Got it.'
Then without any warning, unaware of the critical functions inside Chóng Fēi, he presented his first question, "What is your cultivation race?"
'Cultivation race..?'
He stopped sharply, breath caught just faintly, eyes widened when unbelievably he almost injured it at the wrong vein. He glared at the vein as if it challenged him. His smile twitched, darkness creeping in a little. He felt himself close to failure for the second time, his heart clenching in distress.
'This headache again.'
His hand trembled—barely. He reached for his pouch, fingers finding the tiny colorless needle he kept for moments like this. Mixed with Harb. Pressed into the back of his skull, through his hair, into the bone. Eyes shut. Breathe just enough to compose himself.
'Unbelievable. I angled wrong after carefully analyzing? No, he distracted me.'
'Should I wait for his questions to end or should I go on while he talks? But if I do it after his questions, he would struggle too hard—which is harmful. But also if I work like this, I might not be able to concentrate.'
'And race..? This is something I'm still searching. Some say I might be from the Hàng Wàng generations for having a few identical spiritual powers..'
'I should just speak of any race which comes to my mind first.'
Just when he parted his mouth to have his first ridiculous lie, Chóng Fēi spoke again, "And no lies. I can tell who is pretending and who is real. You have already seen the examples earlier perhaps.."
Lìngxiāo's jaw tightened silently. This wasn't a lie at all. This guy had the great ability of catching lies. He always had since childhood—yet he himself used to lie to save himself from his father.
'How could I forget it?'
Lìngxiāo's mind raced in a new direction by this statement.
'Why did he not use such a skill on his zhù fù sometimes? Or..this man was never enough close to even check on him while he is suspicious to me? Or he has made sure he believes him blindly..?'
'Very well. Saving his life and solving this mystery is my first priority right now. I do not have anything to share either this way since I do not even know.'
After thinking a lot in a short time, he spoke, "Apologies, Gōngzǐ. I do not know what my cultivation race is." He paused a bit to choose the words which wouldn't expose himself fully, "Some believe I belong from the Hàng Wàng generation for having similar powers. But there is no guarantee."
He kept his expression natural. Truth was clear on his face as Chóng Fēi removed his hand from his eyes to look at him suspiciously. His gaze on him. Lìngxiāo held his gaze as usual. When Chóng Fēi found no lie in it, his brow softened just a bit.
"You do not know." Chóng Fēi said to himself more than him. Then added softer, as if trying not to hurt, "Orphan, hm?"
Lìngxiāo paused.
Easy question. Hard answer. Because how do you tell a man he's lying to himself—when you don't even know who you are?