Chóng Fēi had never felt the skull mummy this angry—like a growling beast.
His mind was struggling to catch up with everything around him. And now this dangerous warning. He wasn't much good at begging, nor calming down a crazy ghost like him.
He never truly did with this ghost either.
So he just started to throw out words with anything his common sense told him.
'No, no, no, no!! It's nothing like that!'
'Calm down! Do-don't stress, okay?'
'I'm not going to tell a single word about you to this.. ghost form. He would just.. solve the Red-Robe gûi matter and leave.'
'I.. didn't even tell him about your grave here in any way he could suspect I have a connection here.'
"What is the benefit?" The skull mummy muttered dryly. "He probably KNOWS about it from the scrolls—as one of the youngest legends. Have any of this place's mouths managed to keep things inside their stomachs.."
Chóng Fēi didn't realize he was lightly biting at Lìngxiāo's robe out of distress.
"Chóng Gōngzǐ. Kindly breathe." Lìngxiāo said, his face still flushed, his expression a mix of judgment, understanding, and that same struggle—the one that seemed to bother him as much as Chóng Fēi's conversation with the skull mummy.
Chóng Fēi tried to do as told, but never let go of his grip on Lìngxiāo. His shaky nod looked like a puppet blindly shaking its head—his gaze not focusing on anything either.
His mind was still stuck on the possibilities—that maybe Lìngxiāo actually knew about this matter. What if he had only asked to be sure?
But this place had history from long ago. The most infamous story was ten corpses hanging over the trees. But their clan had never openly spoken of this incident. It was buried away like any other death of exorcists.
But his mind wasn't working properly at all. His tone kept shifting, just to change the direction of the internal conversation.
'He.. perhaps just wanted that mysterious.. view you own there..'
The skull mummy didn't say anything again—for now. But his silence didn't sound satisfied either.
Chóng Fēi felt a little relief. Perhaps there wouldn't be any problem on their way as long as Lìngxiāo was far from his grave here—which was among those ten graves.
'J-just don't come in front of us.. You know I would still react even if I'm.. used to seeing you a lot of times..'
"Fine.." the skull mummy said, almost bored. "You would not be able to even guess what I do to both of you if he does not leave this land within one month."
'One.. month..' Chóng Fēi repeated in his mind, as if capturing it properly.
It was too short a time. But he had to handle things—no matter how twisted the path might be. Just so he wouldn't repeat what had been happening for the past two years, specifically because of this ghost. Not even the Red-Robe one.
'A-alright...'
And then—no voice.
Just the sound of wind, their breathing, and his pounding heart knocking hard over his ribcage, echoing into his ears. He slowly started to regain himself back to reality.
"It is.. your fault.." Chóng Fēi bit out when he found his voice. He had no other way to control the situation. His eyes dimmed, clouded over Lìngxiāo. "I told you not to make me spill those.. nor bring me here. But you always had to."
Lìngxiāo's jaw tightened silently. He wasn't trying to move himself away. But the struggle of something unknown could be seen in the way his chest rose and fell, the vein of his neck a little more visible, popped up more than it should. His other hand under his sleeve was tightly clenched—trembling visibly, and he was trying to hide it.
"You are too pro—" Chóng Fēi cut himself off by seeing him this way, swallowing.
'What the..'
His own bloodshot eyes went to his wrist, while he didn't lose his grasp over the hand over his own chest. Lìngxiāo wasn't pushing him like earlier, but he was up to something—just like himself.
"What the fuck are you hiding from me?"
"Are you keeping something away from me, Gōngzǐ?"
They both asked in unison to each other. Then both stared. Both awkward and off guard. Their eyes silently wide and observing. Lìngxiāo's gaze felt like that peaceful sharp blade again, while Chóng Fēi regained his composure—though it was still shaken.
"I'm hiding nothing."
"What do I have to hide from you, Gōngzǐ?"
They both said to each other again.
Chóng Fēi huffed and finally awkwardly released Lìngxiāo's arm, creating a little space. Both of their faces were warm. This same question seemed to make it clearer just how different they were from each other. Even the same meaning words sounded different between their tongues.
It was also a reminder of how he was always apart from no matter whom he met.
But his gaze still went toward Lìngxiāo's sleeve. The curiosity and suspicion were too strong to ignore.
'But he can't hide anything from me. He WORKS under me. MY matter is MY MATTER.'
He swallowed hard before speaking lower but sharp enough, his gaze meeting his. "Can't you be.. open enough?"
Lìngxiāo didn't say anything. His hand hesitantly touched that arm—the one Chóng Fēi had been gripping like a lifeline.
His gaze moved outside before he wore back his hat properly, looking into that tiny door and asking the driver, almost ignoring the whole conversation of hiding things. "How far? Is everything alright..?"
"Well, Gōngzǐ.. rain might be starting heavily, so I'm moving slow but steady." The driver said. "Would you be fine if we take shelter not much far from here..?"
'How the fuck does he ignore me??'
'Even if I have the risk of getting another slap, I have to keep an eye on him.'
"How many times do I have to remind you that I'm in charge? I have all rights to know what you do or what you don't." Chóng Fēi muttered again. "What are you twisting at your hand..?" He reached out to look into Lìngxiāo's palm.
But Lìngxiāo pulled his hand away fast—before it touched his skin, like it had burned. His gaze didn't meet his. But the discomfort and worry were clear in his smile and eyes. He hushed him to stay quiet, a silent warning: I'm talking.
Chóng Fēi stared. That same annoyance of getting ignored or not obeyed returning.
'He really is something.'
'I think he still hasn't recovered from the sickness yet.'
'He's acting weird lately. Or was he always this way—someone who would never really obey orders yet speaks too politely most of the time?'
'No wonder the skull mummy is threatening me.'
Before he could throw some more questions at him, Lìngxiāo said to the driver, "Since we need to go to our destination in any way, we are not going to risk your life here. You may leave us right here."
Chóng Fēi opened his mouth and then closed it. First this location, and then stopping much far at the Queen Stone, and now not even there?
He couldn't tell what this guy was trying to do even now. While he was already hard to read, he also hid whatever reflected him. He was aware of what presented himself or not too—something Chóng Fēi didn't think he might be aware of, because his permanent smile already hid a lot, along with his composure.
"Lìngxiāo.." Chóng Fēi gritted his words like a dry, angry pea.
The driver hesitated to leave—because they had come this far together, so if he left them alone, he might be unsafe at such a location.
"It is alright." Lìngxiāo said to the driver, not listening to Chóng Fēi again. He paused for a moment, as if thinking of what to say.
'What is he going to do now? He thinks too much for others. He probably can't leave this guy alone at this place where the skull mummy could just.. break necks like twigs.'
Chóng Fēi waited, tilted his head, giving a look like: are you done?
But Lìngxiāo's gaze faintly met his—before he just stepped out of the carriage.
'What..??'
Chóng Fēi blinked.
"Lìng. Xiāo." He quickly followed him out from the same side of the carriage door Lìngxiāo came out from—while he could have used the other one. His pace was a little unusual.
He wasn't able to yell too openly in front of this driver, but he watched Lìngxiāo's every move. His hand unconsciously fixed back the braid he had done with so much care, while his right hand's one nail dug into his palm to stop its trembling—because most of the time, it was his right hand that trembled like that.
'Do you really don't have anything to hide as you said?'
'Then what do you hide right under my nose?'
'Is it bigger than that one I have spelled..?'