Once he left, Chóng Fēi felt like he could breathe a little. His silently disappointed gaze moved to Lìngxiāo.
Lìngxiāo met his gaze too. His smile was dark at the edges, mixed with innocence—like he didn't even know what he was doing.
'That damn guy.'
"Stop revenging on me or fucking else. Just because I know how to handle him doesn't mean he won't bite me. He's my zhù fù, not a tamed lion." He faintly warned him, moving close back to the door.
"I have never expected you to even defend me, nor am I revenging on you." Lìngxiāo said as he followed him inside, arms locked behind. "It is his matter if he takes it in a wrong way. After all.. people react on what they truly are."
Chóng Fēi's jaw faintly tightened.
'I can never understand this guy's psychology fully—even if I manage to catch his lies sometimes.'
"W-whatever.." Chóng Fēi almost whispered.
'The fact..isn't a lie at all.'
He thought of bringing up the topic on their personal matter. He didn't know when he would bluff again—since this seemed like it wasn't going to leave him easily.
"Forget it. Just tell me if you have.. any plan about the conversation we had before you were resting." Chóng Fēi said.
Lìngxiāo tilted his head thoughtfully, his gaze over the embroidery over the large ceiling. His smile softly softened. "Well.. I do." His gaze met Chóng Fēi's. "Outside. I believe I know a place."
Chóng Fēi nodded thoughtfully. "Alright. Prepare then. We might take time."
'Strange. I have never seen him here before.. yet he knows a better place to talk without problem? Nobody usually knows the curves of this town unless they used to live here.'
"I would not take too long, Gōngzǐ." Lìngxiāo moved past, going upstairs. "Just some few necessary belongings."
"And yeah." Chóng Fēi called lightly, going up with him, more likely to keep the conversation between them. "Dress in something out of our identity. We are not going to take risk on being eyed. People here are like.. twisted fingers—never going to be straight."
Lìngxiāo raised his eyebrow faintly, the facts of this town seeming like a testing playground for him in a way Chóng Fēi didn't understand. "Are they not just helpless people seeking freedom from the Red Robe gûi?"
"They are cockroaches who act like lunar moths. Period." Chóng Fēi muttered fast enough with silent annoyance as he moved up to the stairs until standing at the corridor. "Just do as I said. Or I'm not going out."
Lìngxiāo exhaled. Their path separating for a while as he moved to the right side from the stairs where his chamber was located. "I was not disobeying you at all, Gōngzǐ."
"Kindly show me clearly without always giving me ten shades of it.." Chóng Fēi pushed back his tied hair. "Come to my chamber within ten minutes." He ordered, his side gaze meeting Lìngxiāo's.
Lìngxiāo nodded once and clicked open the chamber door more silently than ever.
Chóng Fēi watched him go inside before he quickly opened his own door too. "Gonna fucking look like a farmer more than this clan's heir."
***
As planned, within ten minutes, Lìngxiāo came. He gave three faint knocks with the tall bone of his middle finger.
Chóng Fēi opened the door just a crack. He blinked at the first look he had over Lìngxiāo. His heart skipped a beat, his mouth parting faintly. "What the hell with my wine..?" He blinked at him with silent amazement.
He couldn't deny it.
He really reminded him of Xiǎo Lìng's father. The way that old robe—probably found from the closet of that chamber—hugged his body like it was meant to be wrapped around him.
'He looks just like a mirror of him.. like he has just returned from the grave or something.'
Though he didn't remember his full face since he was only five years old, he remembered the pair of eyes of that wise man—brilliant royal blue, which looked like fallen gemstones or something. His forehead and eyes were always covered under his hair, and since he couldn't speak, he would lightly communicate by head shaking or some words written on papers.
He was just like him in a strange way.
'Perhaps.. Xiǎo Lìng would have looked twice this.. just as him if he was alive. I don't know how a stranger can just effortlessly look like him just by.. wearing a color which this man used to wear like he had invented it or something.'
Again—the strange possibilities of his theories that Lìngxiāo might be somehow connected to that humble caretaker directly or indirectly bloomed into his thoughts.
Hope was both a blessing and a dangerous thing—which he was feeling again, but this time it just.. deepened.
'I.. have no problem for now if zhù fù bluffs on me again for now..'
"Do I.. look unrecognizable, Gōngzi..?" Lìngxiāo whispered softly, his smile seeming as different as his robe. It softened into almost shyness.
Chóng Fēi knew Lìngxiāo's signature colors—the patterns he followed and that made him him. He usually dressed in soft golden or plain brown. But now he had dressed in a plain royal blue robe. He had even changed the thin veil of his bamboo hat into white fabric instead.
Chóng Fēi faintly shook his head and parted the door enough to let him come in, muttering low, "T-that was what I asked for. No recognition."
"Then.. I have met your expectations, Gōngzǐ." Lìngxiāo slipped inside, closing the door by himself from behind. His gaze fell over Chóng Fēi's outfit too.
It made him thoughtfully smile for some reason. He held his sleeve lightly over his mouth.
Chóng Fēi felt his cheeks really burning now. "What? Do I look funny?" His arms lightly spread carelessly, showing his outfit more properly.
"No.. well, I thought you said.. you would look like any.. farmer." Lìngxiāo said, still gazing over his outfit with a pressed-off smile.
But he was surely breaking inside to laugh at how he looked.
'Oh.. so his ears were going into my chamber already?'
Chóng Fēi cleared his throat, his voice a little awkwardly heavy. "Because I'm the next dàoist, so.. I wasn't able to keep any questionable outfit more than this. It doesn't look too much out of me, but also.. not really me, though it fits me."
He was actually wearing a silver robe with crimson red beaded jewelry around his neck, hands, and waist. His black shiny high boots had silver details. His usually tied high ponytail was lowered into a loose braid and resting over his chest, where the earlier tight collar had softened into loose enough to expose his collarbone a little.
He looked more like this time's luxurious ancient pirate—but maybe from any book—which wasn't only his thought.
"It.. does fit. You are not wrong, Gōngzǐ." Lìngxiāo muttered. "But like being from the sea. It reminds me of a novel."
He thought for a second before adding a little too quietly, not even meeting his gaze, "For The Four Arms, One Soul.. perhaps?"
He moved closer to the window instead, his hand still over his mouth as he tried to sniff away his laugh.
Then he quickly added, perhaps to break the awkwardness, "Apologies. Well.. a young lady gifted me this when I finished my job at her place. I just saw a few portraits at the pages. The second lead looks.. captivating."
But Chóng Fēi was like he had forgotten his embarrassment by this comment. Liking this book the same as him was like the ultimate way of melting him.
'H-he knows it too?!'
'Wait wait.. he IS NOT lying!'
Chóng Fēi shakily pushed back that usual lock of hair, his face flushed faintly. He didn't know now how he would hide what a big lover he was of this book. He bit back his mouth to speak anything about it.
"I.. don't know what you are talking about. It is just coincidence." Chóng Fēi said. "Go go go go. I don't know how long those useless heads would believe that we are at our room and taking an afternoon nap."
"Where will we go from here?" Lìngxiāo looked around. His gaze seemed sharp as any keen observer's.
"Here—" Chóng Fēi raised his hand toward a candle—but didn't even touch it yet.
"Oh yes. I noticed it." Lìngxiāo had already given the candle a twist, which turned with a sound like a key-based toy.
The small shelf of books parted at two sides, revealing a path down—dark and silent.
Chóng Fēi's jaw dropped a little before pressing into a thin line.
'This guy.. he seems to be watching every single thing.. but when did he even notice it? It was hidden!'
"Y-yeah. Move. Careful not to make any sound. The woods are old and.. cracky."
Lìngxiāo smiled.
He raised his palm. The golden hue fluttered and took that familiar shape of a lantern. He released it. It started to float down, brightening the path.
"After you, Gōngzǐ.." Lìngxiāo moved aside with soft politeness.
Chóng Fēi huffed faintly and moved on tiptoes, following the light. The darkness seemed the only way he could hide how his cheeks burned.
'He's gonna kill me without even trying. I just hope my death would look as coincidental as this too..'