After the lunch—which had felt like an unspoken battle—Chóng Fēi and Lìngxiāo now stood at the gate of the Yùn Chóng clan.
They had come to greet Chóng Fēi's father before he left.
The weather outside was stormy, full of eaves of wind. The silently heavy drops of rain had just turned thinner—enough to feel, but not heavy enough to fully soak through. The sky remained forever dark and heavy, symbolizing the city's curse that never stopped towering over them.
Chóng Fēi stood at the middle of the gate's space. Lìngxiāo stood at his left side, while the disciples stood in discipline at both sides of the gates. A few still shared uneasy glances with each other because of the suspicious way the air whistled—not like the wind, but like something dead yet undead too.
'Perhaps.. I said about repaying too openly..'
'Those stares.. I fucking wanted to tear them off. It was just a solution to stop any kind of insulting I wasn't in the mood to watch!'
'Why the hell does he need to be so.. prepared for some hooker? Is it a high-ranked hooker from this town's small clans?'
Chóng Fēi didn't speak the whole time. His lips pressed into a thin line. Sometimes he looked behind, tapping his boot faintly over the other.
His father was actually changing for the leave—and taking a little longer to come out.
Chóng Fēi didn't want to stand here in the first place.
It was just because of the 'formality'—his father would pitch a fit for the next seven days if he skipped it. Besides, Lìngxiāo didn't seem bothered by these things from the start, so standing with him would feel less annoying since they would be sharing it enough to feel less painful.
His gaze moved to Lìngxiāo through his lashes. He was still as ever. Only his hair fluttered behind and in front as the wind made it dance. His gaze was much clearer after lunch, and again actively thoughtful.
Chóng Fēi wondered if they could leave the clan for a restaurant to talk about that secret Lìngxiāo had mentioned. His father wouldn't come back until at least seven o'clock. They had at least four to five hours. Besides, he had restrictions on trying to go out of the town—but not always from the clan. He did sometimes go out to have some wild time instead of staying inside the walls.
He thought of asking Lìngxiāo. Both of their gazes met with their own questions in them. Their lips parted at the same time.
But Chóng Fēi shut his own a little awkwardly. It was awkward because a few disciples—in name but dear to his father—actually tried to prove his father's cursed 'disease' on him, that even normal conversations felt strange.
In this town, today something was a rumor, tomorrow a theory, then breaking news, and then a fully formed truth the very next day.
He didn't realize he was just doing anything to annoy his father and.. repay for making Lìngxiāo sick. But now that he was in his proper mind, it was a little embarrassing—not because of his decision, but for what others might be theorizing.
"If you do not mind, may I know where Chóng Xiānsheng is going?" Lìngxiāo's question pulled him back to reality. His tone wasn't forceful, but curious and thoughtful.
He looked at him again, blinked twice as if his mind would get clear if his vision was too.
"I.. don't know either." He answered in a silent, disappointed tone.
As a heir, he had all rights to know where his father went or did, just as his father had ten pairs of eyes on him. But his vision was not only limited to the town—but to only a few corners of the clan.
"I see.." Lìngxiāo didn't push about it. But his gaze didn't look like he totally believed him. The faintly dark edges of his smile only whispered: But.. are you sure, Gōngzǐ?
Chóng Fēi's gaze rolled from his head to throat once, finding it strange that he needed to be sure if he knew or not.
'Wait.. is he suspecting my zhù fù is the villain here or something—while he's nothing but a bug who bites but also helpless, searching for his wings?'
'He's lucky that I'm not being that usual brat and careless I usually am.'
'Zhù fù would have put that scene at the dining table and even put a black mark on his fragile exorcism career—which is like thin glass: shiny if clean, and all dark if it ever gets a bad record—past or present.'
"He and I aren't in a typical family dynamic. You should just swallow that truth." He replied dryly with a careless roll of his eyes.
Lìngxiāo just faintly huffed a formal chuckle and turned to just look at the carriage, standing ready. "Well.. your dynamic really is different—even if a little closer to the same shade of Wàng Wùjī Gōngzi."
Chóng Fēi exhaled through his nose.
'He speaks of this violet heir like he's gonna hold him—or even me—if falling from the mountain.'
'He's two years smaller than even me.'
'I think his five-minutes-apart twin fits in my level better. At least there is some more censored mouth like me to think that I'm not the only brat my zhù fù announces to this whole clan in annoyance.'
'So sad. I only heard this guy's famous curses around whenever their 'gēge hissing' gets popular to come this far into people's ears.'
'Would like to meet him if ever I fucking manage to die outside this town.'
"Five steps apart."
Suddenly, Chóng Fēi's father muttered from behind. He hadn't made a sound, nor let any guard announce that he was there. He just raised his hand between him and Lìngxiāo, fanning his fan like removing any unholy air from his way.
He was wearing a brilliant black robe that sometimes gleamed as sea green, crimson red, and dark blue—just like his elegant eyes. The golden embroidery of an ancient-style sun with the dragon seemed to tell a story.
Chóng Fēi looked at him from up and down in one glance.
'Eh..? I never knew any clan was this rich than us here to give this type of robe as a gift.'
'I do fucking suspect if it is.. given by any other clan outside this town, or just.. he brought it by Zì Hāo, since he was the only guy with almost identical energy as any exorcist to easily go out of this town.'
'How did this guy give such a beautiful robe to my zhù fù but only not me??'
'Let him come from Mount Yào.. he needs to answer this.'
"Hmph. I'm not claiming into his fucking arms. Just some political and case talks." Chóng Fēi muttered his reply to his father. His tone turned bitter and done even more.
"Apologies.." On the other hand, Lìngxiāo moved aside for Chóng Féng. His head faintly bowed as he raised a hand toward the carriage a little far.
The guards kicked their heels over the ground with the soft sound of their swords hitting too. A few were holding back those cold yet mischievous judgmental smirks because of the ridiculously insulting scene his father had just made.
"Indeed I would see it." Chóng Féng muttered back bitterly, pausing just a little. His face lightly close to Chóng Fēi's ear, his hand fan hiding his face from being caught on what he was mouthing.
"Do not think I do not know about how you were sticking with other exorcists." He added a warning with history.
Chóng Fēi felt like his cheek had touched a faint drop of lava. "This was JUST a rumor. Forget it already. You are getting late. Just leave."
"Huh. Indeed now you would say this—a great way to take advantage of the removing habit of this citizen. Just stop daydreaming and grow up." Chóng Féng didn't press further. He just put his fan at the fold of his gorgeous waist belt and moved past his son.
His gaze unconsciously moved a little toward Lìngxiāo. His faint smirk was pure political acting. "Progress..?"
Lìngxiāo didn't react to anything happening around him. His smile was a mix of lightness, darkness, curiosity, thoughtfulness, and challenge all at once. "Not enough evidence yet, Xiānsheng. I may let you know when I am confident with the theories."
Then he greeted with that strange tension again, "Have a safe journey, Xiānsheng. The roads do not look much safe.." He lightly tilted his head, "perhaps you need to use any underground path?"
Chóng Féng blinked like he was cursed by those sharp eyes. His smirk twitched like he was done too. "The path is my problem. Not yours, son. You better.. focus on the case."
"Your safety matters here too, Xiānsheng." Lìngxiāo added with the same calm heat.
Chóng Fēi stared too.
'Is he insane?'
'Maybe he has not recovered from that collapse yet. Saying anything while I have just balanced things which cost me more glasses than I usually break. All of this ends while Zì Hāo hasn't really returned yet.'
'All of the things I have to face because of him.'
"Shut up." He faintly hissed to Lìngxiāo, hoping it didn't sound as panicked as he felt in real.
He turned at his father. "Could you just leave now? It's gonna rain soon. Your path doesn't look too close if my guess is right."
"Fine. But I am not satisfied by your recent behaviors more." Chóng Féng finally moved and climbed into his carriage.
The curtains of the carriage closed with soft gentleness. The driver gave a shake to the harness. The three black horses cried out, standing on their two feet before running the carriage forward, leaving dust behind.