AT THE FOOT of Mount Jiao, hidden behind dense vines, a remote footpath wound its way up to Qingtan Palace, used by the Nangong clan when they came to the mountain to pay their respects to their dead. The palace was small, but its paths were rambling, and the garden was filled with dragonblood flowers that glowed softly in the dark. Their bloom season had already passed, and only a scattered few retained their petals. From a distance, they looked like shattered stars bejeweling the velvet black of night.
Shi Mei strode into the depths of the garden, where a natural hot spring was nestled in the landscape. He disrobed, his bare feet pale as jade as he padded to the water's edge and looked down at his reflection.
The waters were hot, but his gaze was frigid. He reached a hand up to touch his chest—a large swath of flesh there had festered as a result of backlash from the forbidden technique. But now he could stop worrying: All was going according to plan, and soon, everything would get better.
He stepped into the water. The hot springs of Mount Jiao were imbued with the energy from the demon dragon, and bathing in them was spiritually nourishing. Shi Mei leaned against the wall of the pool and closed his eyes.
A rustling emanated from somewhere nearby. Eyes closed, Shi Mei called, "Who is it?"
Nangong Liu popped out of the shrubbery with a dragonblood flower tucked behind one ear. At the sight of Shi Mei, he smiled in delight. "Dear friend-gege, are you taking a bath? Can I help you at all?"
"No," Shi Mei said.
Nangong Liu scratched his head. "Th-then I'm going to leave, I'm going now. Otherwise, if you're naked and I'm not, it's not fair."
Through the curling mist, Shi Mei laughed. Deep within the springs, his face gleamed like the first sheen of ice in a Jiangnan winter: shining, fragile, and freezing cold. Those peach-blossom eyes fluttered open as he gave Nangong Liu a smile that was not a smile. "How so?"
"Because you're beautiful," came the frank reply.
"Oh… Does a little boy like you already know so much about beauty?"
"I'm five," huffed Nangong Liu. "I'm not little."
Amused, Shi Mei's smile deepened. "Okay, gege was wrong. Come here; let me ask you a question. Between myself and Taxian-jun, who do you prefer?"
"Dear friend-gege, of course." Nangong Liu said instantly. "Who is Taxian-jun? I don't know anyone with that name."
"Let me put it another way. Me and Mo Ran… He greeted you before. You remember him, don't you?"
Sucking his thumb, Nangong Liu gave the question serious thought and nodded.
"Whose face do you like better? Don't decide based on who you've known longer. I just want to know who you think looks best."
This time Nangong Liu couldn't give an instant reply. After more thought, he announced, "I still think dear friend-gege is the best."
This seemed to satisfy Shi Mei. "Oh? Tell me, what's wrong with him?"
"I…don't know."
"Then why do you like me better?"
Nangong Liu seemed hurt. "I don't know either… I just think you're prettier."
Shi Mei sank into thought. After a moment, he rose from the water and leaned against the edge where the mist was thin, revealing the graceful lines of his back. "Come here," he said with a smile, waving Nangong Liu over with a dripping hand. When he deemed Nangong Liu close enough, he straightened up, rising from the water.
"Aiya—"
Shi Mei laughed. "What's all the fuss? We're both men. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Nangong Liu scrubbed at his face. "M'not," he mumbled. "You got water in my eyes."
Shi Mei didn't care about his eyes. He grabbed Nangong Liu by the wrist and forced him to look at his body, baring that frightful wound on his chest. "Look at this. Are you afraid?"
That wound had festered badly and oozed pus. Nangong Liu scarcely glanced at it before turning away in disgust. "Yuck," he said, with the frank candor of children.
"Do you still think I'm pretty?" Shi Mei was still smiling, but his eyes were cold.
Rather than answer, Nangong Liu tried to struggle out of Shi Mei's grasp, but Shi Mei was strong. There was nothing he could do. Eventually, he teared up, voice quavering with fear. "L-let go of me. I don't like this."
"Take a good look."
"I don't want to—ah!"
Crack. Shi Mei's iron grip had dislocated Nangong Liu's wrist. Shi Mei's eyes flashed with resentment and dissatisfaction. "Didn't you just say I was pretty?" he asked, a manic light flashing in his eyes. "What, one little wound changes everything?"
"No…"
"Does the slightest imperfection make beauty revolting?" Shi Mei pressed closer. "Turn affection into disgust, longing into irritation?"
Nangong Liu couldn't help it—he burst into tears. "I don't get it, I don't get it! Let go of me, I want to go!"
His fussing worsened Shi Mei's poor mood. Storm clouds gathered in his eyes. He drew his hand back and slapped Nangong Liu across the face. "Imbecile. Get out." he said coldly, finally releasing his grip on Nangong Liu's wrist.
Once the sounds of Nangong Liu's sobbing faded into the distance, Shi Mei slunk back into the depths of the springs. His surroundings remained gorgeous, and the fragrance of dragonblood flowers in bloom yet filled the air, but his initial satisfaction had evaporated. In his heart was only fury, endless fury.
He punched the water's surface. After a great splash, the waves subsided, the ripples smoothing out to again show that reflection—still surpassingly soft and lovely, with a rotting wound over his heart.
Confusion and helplessness welled up to join Shi Mei's wrath. Leaning against the side of the pool, he tipped his head back and gazed into the sky.
"Everyone changes," he mumbled.
Just as seeds sprout and new buds swell; just as flowers unfurl their petals amidst green leaves to bloom, then die, then crumble into mud. Time's passage was marked by the change it wrought. Some would see their teeth sharpened, while others had their edges worn away.
"Everything changes…"
He wearily cupped a handful of water and rinsed his face. Comparing his past and present lives made the changes stark—but when did he step onto that dark road? When did the change become irreversible?
After dressing in a fresh bathrobe, Shi Mei bound up his inky hair and took that fragrant path back to the secret chamber on Mount Jiao. He stood at the door for a moment before pushing it open.
It was the dead of night. The lamps in the room had been snuffed out, leaving a single candle burning behind the gauze bed canopy. Shi Mei slipped silently into the room. All that marked his presence was the faint scent of soap from his bath, yet this was enough to wake the man behind the bed curtains. Taxian-jun's voice, rough with sleep, rang out. "Who's there?"
"It's me," Shi Mei replied with displeasure.
There was a short silence, then the sound of robes rustling as someone turned over on the bed. "How refined you are, Master," Taxian-jun sneered. "Eavesdropping in this venerable one's bedroom in the small hours of the morning?" He paused deliberately. "Not getting all hot and bothered, are you?"
Shi Mei's expression worsened. "You should learn to control yourself. None of us will have any fun if he winds up dead."
There was a faint hint of exhaustion audible in Taxian-jun's smug tone. "Master needn't worry. This venerable one doesn't have any strange kinks in bed—I prefer to keep things simple. No rambling, snakes, or blindfolded riddle games. No one's dying here."
Rambling, snakes, blindfolded riddle games—even an imbecile would understand whom he was talking about. Furious, Shi Mei flung the canopy aside as one might unsheathe a sword, ready to send sparks flying. Shi Mingjing's gentle visage came face to face with Taxian-jun's handsome mien. "You—!"
He froze before finishing his thought. He'd assumed Taxian-jun and Chu Wanning's long-awaited reunion would have culminated in debauchery. But upon drawing the canopy aside, what he saw was quite different.
Chu Wanning was sound asleep, cheeks flushed with fever. Taxian-jun lay beside him with his robes open, revealing a broad swath of pale chest. He held Chu Wanning in his arms, face gloomy as he stroked his hair. He looked simultaneously disdainful yet defiant, as if he'd never let go of the man in his embrace.
"What are you doing?" asked Shi Mei.
"What do you think this venerable one might be doing?" Taxian-jun shot back with utmost scorn.
Forget it, why argue with a corpse? Shi Mei closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm, but a tiny flame of fury still burned in his chest. He couldn't put it out. A retort slipped from his lips: "I hadn't expected Emperor Taxian-jun would still need his teacher's presence to sleep, even at his mature age. If you're not afraid of the dark, could it be that you missed being teacher's little pet?"
Shi Mei's jibe had the intended effect. Taxian-jun's eyes narrowed dangerously; he unconsciously moved to push the sleeping Chu Wanning aside, or perhaps even kick him off the bed. That would certainly make him look more imposing. But as he watched Shi Mei approach, he instead clutched the man in his arms tighter, sleeves flaring as he swept a hand over to cover Chu Wanning's face. He looked up, displeased. "What this venerable one does is no concern of yours."
"Watch your mouth." Shi Mei ground his teeth. "Don't forget who made you."
"Hanlin the Sage uses this fact to threaten this venerable one nearly once a day," said Taxian-jun icily. "I'm shaking in my boots."
"How dare—!" After so many snide comments, Shi Mei lost his patience. He jabbed at Taxian-jun's forehead and pushed in a thread of spiritual energy. "Gather Soul."
The words of the incantation dropped from his sensuous lips, but Taxian-jun's gaze remained determined and furious on him for a long time—so long that Shi Mei shuddered, feeling as if the man would finally escape his control. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he and Taxian-jun clashed in a silent battle of wills. Using nearly all the spiritual energy he possessed, Shi Mei shouted again: "Gather Soul!"
This time, Taxian-jun flinched. His eyes lost focus.
Panting, Shi Mei retracted his spiritual energy, clutching his aching chest as his vision went dark. Both his spiritual core and spiritual energy were weak due to his natural constitution. Regardless of how assiduously he cultivated, he was no match for a cultivator like Taxian-jun. When it came to medicines, he was a force to be reckoned with, but as soon as spiritual energy was required, he could barely hold his own.
Shi Mei closed his eyes in rest for several moments before he turned back to Taxian-jun. "I'll ask you once more. What were you doing?"
Subdued, Taxian-jun replied without inflection. "He has a fever. He's cold."
"So?"
This puppet who possessed only the cognizance soul from its previous lifetime answered blandly, "In this venerable one's arms, he'll be warmer."
Shi Mei stared at him. "Warmer?" His pale lips twitched and he burst out laughing, though his peach-blossom eyes held no mirth at all. "Mo Ran, are you mad? Feel the temperature of your skin—what do you think you are? You're cold as ice all over—you're dead. You have no heart or lungs or warmth. You yourself are freezing cold; how do you intend to warm him up?"
Pain seemed to flash in Taxian-jun's hollow eyes, but it was a flicker only. He was merely a corpse, after all.
"Get up," Shi Mei ordered.
Taxian-jun didn't move. Brows furrowed, he sat still, struggling between his own willpower and Shi Mei's control.
"Get up!"
The command intensified. In response to Shi Mei's vicious tone, Taxian-jun finally obeyed. He rose slowly, his robes still loose and open. Chu Wanning's warmth lingered on his unmoving chest.
"Get out," Shi Mei said darkly.
Taxian-jun took a few shuffling steps, then came to a stop. "I have it," he said quietly.
"…What?"
"I do have it," he said with the same stiffness.
Shi Mei didn't understand. "What do you have?"
"Warmth." Taxian-jun slowly reached up to touch his chest, which had been pressed to Chu Wanning's skin. "It's warm here."
Shi Mei flinched as if stabbed, now furious. Nothing vexed him more than a misbehaving puppet. "Get the fuck out," he snarled.
Taxian-jun stepped forward again, but made it scarcely two steps before his face twisted. "No…" he muttered, clutching his head. Tendons protruded on his hands. He trembled, breathing hard. "This venerable one…refuses… H-how could this venerable one let you—" His eyes were screwed shut, his mind seesawing between focus and confusion, his memories flickering. He struggled again and again, tormented by two lifetimes. "—do as you wish?!"
His voice came to a shaking stop.
Shi Mei grunted, pressing a hand to his chest. Taxian-jun throwing off his control had unleashed a great wave of energy upon him. He stumbled backward, watching as Taxian-jun's eyes snapped open to reveal his bloodthirsty gaze. There was no hint of helplessness in those eagle-like eyes—only Shi Mei's own cool reflection.
Bone-pale, Shi Mei said slowly, "I see you're recovering faster these days."
Taxian-jun said nothing. His pupils flashed as he reached a hand out, panting shallowly, and summoned Bugui.
Shi Mei lifted his chin, his gaze running up along the blade until it landed on Mo Ran's predatory face. "What now? Are you angry? Do you want to kill me?"
That pitch-black blade flashed up, coming to a stop with its point against Shi Mei's snow-white throat. The movement was sharp enough to break skin, leaving a thin trickle of blood.
Yet Shi Mei didn't back down. "Your Majesty," he said scornfully. "My spiritual energy is the only reason you can even move. You'll die if you kill me, as I'm sure you're well aware."
Taxian-jun said nothing.
"It's true I'm no match for you in terms of power," Shi Mei continued. "But I advise you to think carefully whether you'd rather live like this or die in your escape."
Taxian-jun's hand was steady. After a beat, he withdrew Bugui and turned his face away.
Shi Mei reached up cautiously to touch the blood at his neck. "Fortunately, you're not an idiot."
Faced with Taxian-jun's silence, Shi Mei admonished him, "Don't pull this with me again. You know how things are between us." He glanced at Taxian-jun. "Right now you're like a rusty blade. I want to make you as useful as you were in the past, and keep using you as my knife. But you—you probably want to escape my control entirely and kill me."
Taxian-jun turned to stare icily at him.
"All these years, you worked for me in the other world," Shi Mei continued. "The crack left in the Space-Time Gate is too narrow for frequent travel, so I often sent you letters. But don't forget we also communicated telepathically through the gu flower. Of course I know what you're thinking. Don't be so surprised."
Taxian-jun finally spoke. "You seem to be going blind yourself. Where the hell are you looking that you see this venerable one surprised?"
Shi Mei pursed his lips in a scowl. "All right. If you understand the pros and cons of our arrangement, then simply endure the situation. We'll work together, and once everything is finished, we'll see if you manage to kill me, or if I obtain an undefeatable weapon."
"Looking forward to it," said Taxian-jun.
A low groan from Chu Wanning on the bed silenced both of them. The sound was as soft as a queen of the night flower blooming, but both men stopped their bickering and turned.
"Wanning?"
"Shizun—"
The erstwhile martial brothers stared at each other.
Taxian-jun glowered, then shifted his gaze from Shi Mei to the sleeping Chu Wanning. He spoke with affected carelessness. "He's had a fever for days, and he doesn't seem to be getting better. If it goes on like this, will he…"
The question died on his lips. Emperor Taxian-jun, butcher of thousands, stopped short of those final words. His lashes fluttered as his eyes closed.
But Shi Mei didn't care to beat around the bush. "Will he what? Are you asking if he's going to die?"
Perhaps it was a trick of the light; Taxian-jun's white face seemed to pale further. He compressed his lips, as if the word irritated him. "Will he?" he asked, carefully avoiding it again.
"Of course not. You underestimate the Beidou Immortal. Aren't you ashamed to ask this question?" Shi Mei arched a brow. "Who's responsible for this fever? Weren't you the one who took him like a starving animal?"
Taxian-jun's expression was beyond ugly. "He isn't me," he hissed. "Don't confuse me with that piece of garbage."
Shi Mei looked him up and down. "As it happens, I too think he's a piece of garbage. You know as well as anyone the lengths I've gone to. I tore open a great Space-Time Gate and brought you into this world to destroy that trash and help you return to ascendancy. Your Majesty," he said in a teasing singsong. "We're so very close to our goal. You also want a complete source of power—a powerful spiritual core—do you not?"
He regarded Taxian-jun as a hunting snake would, scarlet tongue flickering as he hissed sweet promises. He saw the desire in Taxian-jun's eyes, so he smiled, going in for the kill. "If you want to regain your full potential, behave a little." Venom seemed to shine on his teeth, and his eyes glinted eerily. "Our work goes more smoothly when you behave."
Taxian-jun fell silent, sweeping his sleeves back. "Enough." He pointed at Chu Wanning. "Let's talk about him first."
"What about him? He's merely had a shock from his soul returning to his body," said Shi Mei blandly. "There's not much to talk about. If you really want him to feel better, step outside."
Taxian-jun grew instantly wary. "What are you plotting?"
Shi Mei smiled. "Healing, of course."
"This venerable one will stay."
"That won't do," Shi Mei said. "Hanlin the Sage's healing arts are not for outside eyes." At Taxian-jun's silence, Shi Mei continued. "But it's fine if you wish to stay. I'll go. After all, Mister Emperor, you're so very powerful. I'm sure you know how to properly take care of him."
Taxian-jun's expression twisted into an ugly scowl. His spiritual power was harsh and domineering—completely unsuited to healing. In the past life, he'd had so many servants and doctors there had been no need for him to learn the art at all.
Shi Mei had wholly recovered his serenity. He watched him, smiling.
Taxian-jun couldn't stand to look at that smile. He turned around, jaw working as he avoided Shi Mei's eyes. His response came after a long moment. "Okay. This venerable one will leave, and you will heal him." He paused, and his voice went sharp. "But this venerable one will be right outside. If you dare…" The chill in his expression threatened a punishment worse than death. "If you dare touch a hair on his head, this venerable one will take your damned life."
Shi Mei let the threat roll off him. He smiled a little wider and waved Taxian-jun out.
After hovering at the door for a long beat, Taxian-jun at last left the room. Shi Mei stood in the secret chamber, finally quiet, and stared at the stone door he had closed behind him. Then he turned and walked over to that white-clad man. The mocking smile on his face fell away, in its place a calm yet utterly deranged expression. "Shizun," he cooed.
Step by step, he drew nearer. He had Chu Wanning in the palm of his hand—did it matter that Taxian-jun was outside? There were so many ways he could keep Chu Wanning from making a sound. By the time the emperor of the mortal realm returned, all his fury and cruelty would be futile. He'd have no one to blame but himself—for being so useless, so naïve, that he'd left his beloved in a nest of snakes for Hanlin to devour.
A slender hand drew the canopy aside. Shi Mei cast a gentle, ravenous gaze down onto the feverish man within. "This time, no one will interrupt us." Lowering himself onto the bed, he caressed Chu Wanning's face. "Come, Consort Chu. Let me master you, while your husband waits on the other side of the wall. Hm?"