[Back to Flashback — Two Years Ago, Timeskip: two Months Later]
The hall room of the Yùn Chóng clan was heavy and closed with a deeper shade of darkness—more than the usual sky. A few disciples crowded in here—not to listen to what their Patriarch said, but to hold down the very man who wasn't worthy to be left alive. Not after at least more than twenty ordinary people and ten disciples had died by the Red Robe Ghost.
Just as before—again, the ghost had gone violent, even almost killed Chóng Féng too. It was proven that it was intentional.
He hadn't come to help.
He had planned to clean up the whole city and cultivate negative energy—which this place was already full of. Because it made curses strong.
Basically, a farm of curses that would feed only him, to make him the most dangerous exorcist.
But in prize, he might not even remain human—if he really was—because Chóng Fēi didn't think that statement "more like a Mō than a human" was a statement, but a warning disguised as a warm seduction that had totally cracked him open.
On top of it, his father didn't see those types of forbidden connections—same-gender attraction—as something 'acceptable.' To him, it was even worse than any kind of sin.
He didn't care if it was actually a rumor or not—he just believed his instincts and the sounds from his chamber, which he was sure of whom they belonged to.
This strange mix of sin—betrayal, manipulation, attraction, a master plan behind their back while calling himself a new rising exorcist as everyone knew—now it made sense why this man was keeping a really small profile. He himself didn't want any distraction or recognition.
His motive was only this land.
Chóng Fēi was kneeling—beside his father, his lungs tight, burning in shame, fear, and a mix of hurt and guilt. He said nothing. His eyes were lowered, his hands hidden behind him as part of his punishment too. He didn't try to struggle or create any problems. He just looked like he had admitted something just for the sake of saving himself, though his motive had been something else for a while.
But he would never try it again.
His gaze sometimes flickered to that man. Now he looked like a psycho to him.
The exorcist—this man wasn't looking guilty for anything he had tried to do. Just a bitter smirk at his bloody lips—which seemed almost black and thicker than usual. His once long hair was messily clipped, his right arm chopped off too. He was just kneeling with his cold gaze on both of them—only them.
"Any last wish..?" Chóng Féng stood in front of the exorcist, blocking his view. Disgust twisted into every inch of his face.
He tilted up the man's face by the very tip of his sword. A drop of fresh blood rolled down from his throat from the sharpness of the blade.
Chóng Fēi swallowed. His blood was ice, and he hoped his father wouldn't ask him more questions or anything else. He looked through his lashes just lightly to see the guy's expression and hear whatever he said.
The exorcist's pale purple eyes rolled toward Chóng Fēi once more while his chin was raised up like this. For a second, he paused. Then he looked back at Chóng Féng. His voice was faintly raspy. "I guess I do. And you are blocking the view by your egg plant legs behind the robes. I cannot speak out properly.."
Chóng Féng's eyes were unreadable and steady over him, still wide. The insulting tone seemed to have hit too far then it should. But there was a hint of curiosity in his gaze.
Perhaps to know whatever he needed to say while looking at his son's 'bluish-gray eyes.' He seemed to be seeing everything, believing all and also not—pathless just as Chóng Fēi was.
He looked like there were thousands of words waiting to leave his mouth. But he just took his left leg to the left side while one arm was behind—faintly gripping the seabreeze ribbon of his half-tied hair. And then another leg following the right one.
The sword carelessly moved past the exorcist's throat, which left a thin cut from the upper side of his neck, leaving faint redness. Black blood peeked out with transparent liquid.
"Even demonic cultivators do not have black blood. This motherfucker perhaps drinks mō energy like liquor..." Chóng Féng seemed to mutter those words fast and really faintly under his breath, which only a few could hear.
Chóng Fēi was the only one hearing it clearly. The fast murmuring seemed the father and son's second language.
"Whatever you think.. I am everything below these five skies.. from the below to above this earth." The exorcist replied to Chóng Féng's cursing—he had heard him already.
It made everyone share an uneasy glance, because this man really was daring to be caught this easily, and he wasn't doing anything.
Chóng Féng stared. But replied with chilling calmness and cold mocking. "Thirty breaths of mine—as time. Finish it. Or no problem." His shoulders raised and lowered. "Even it would make things easier. The less moment with my dumb son." His gaze flickered toward Chóng Fēi.
Chóng Fēi felt the burning heaviness of his father's gaze. Silent panic crept into his chest. But he never met his gaze. His body language shifted into more likely performing: a young heir who had never been outside this town like any other heir and got misunderstood because of a man who was planning to get access to this land and his father's treasures—because at least politically, he was connected with his father.
"Pathetic.." Chóng Féng cursed faintly—aimed for his son.
Then he turned back to his words to the exorcist. His voice rose with annoyance. "The better it would be. Because I hate those twisted revenge forbidden dramas with no head or tail!"
His yelling made even the other disciples shift uncomfortably. Their grip tightened over the black spiritual ropes around the exorcist.
A small but uncomfortable silence filled the hall, where even innocent disciples seemed unable to breathe.
Chóng Féng huffed, rubbing the corners of his eyes. "For the sake of the Lord of Earth.. finish your words. I do not want you to come back in any freaking form for those few words.."
"Alright. Stay patient a little longer then.." The exorcist said simply but in an uncomfortable way. His smile looked like he was still winning somehow.
Chóng Féng didn't speak another word. He just waited for this 'drama' to be finished—much desperately.
"Much better." The exorsist turned at Chóng Fēi.
"Nice move.. lil prince.." he said bitterly to Chóng Fēi, as if saying the opposite by the phrasing for changing his mind just to save himself from his father and blaming him fully about everything.
Chóng Fēi quickly looked away while head down. He couldn't think nor do anything. He just wanted this to end soon, more then his father.
"I can never forget how. Beautifully. You were letting me in." The exorsist added in dark, thin admiration, his eyes wide with that creepy smirk which seemed to promise to hunt him forever. "And now look at you.."
'Make him stop... it is his fault.. not mine.' Chóng Fēi's eyes shut tight like it would let him unheard those words. It was getting too much that his own body was trembling.
Chóng Féng's eyes burned with the words this man said. His jaw clenched so hard that his teeth might break like glass. His eyes narrowed on both of them with a mix of disbelief, disgust, anger—perhaps a hint of hurt too—because of his son—but buried under his pride and name.
The exorcist didn't stopped. He tilted his head lower, trying to meet Chóng Fēi's gaze again. His voice turned colder and louder. "Should I call you a dumb, arrogant ass.. or a smart game-flipping mind who got everything needed into his boring life.. and then just walked away when he saw danger coming.. like a too hot wave of pleasure..!"
"ENOUGH!" Chóng Fēi finally yelled.
His chest rose and fell hard. His eyes were wide, terrified and angry.
The space under his eyes had a faint touch of darkness, as if he had already been stressing out about thinking about those things a thousand times in a single day until everything rolled over here. His face was too dark with shame.
Everyone looked at him with quiet interest and curiosity.
A few were faintly murmuring about their opinion on the whole matter—though they were limited in knowledge, only that the exorcist had been trying to make Chóng Fēi fall for him so that he would keep things hidden from his father—but not that he might have actually gone much further with this man.