After Zhu Yan allowed Li Lun to enter the barrier with his promise not to harm any of the members of the two demon hunting units, a sort of tension remained, despite the warm lingering feelings of Zhuo Yixuan's spell still falling over the forest and the mansion as if it really was winter. Most of the group gathered in the kitchen, where a long table was set up for drinks. Ying Lei offered the wine to try and erase the sudden serious atmosphere and Bai Jiu offered to help him serve the drinks as they all sat staring at the window outside, the golden glow falling down like countless tiny fireflies. It was a beautiful sight still and they drank in silence, knowing that on the third floor, the two great demons were doing the same, supposedly having a friendly chat for old times' sake.
"Why is it so tense now? We all knew he was coming, and I think Zhuo Yixuan handled the situation quite well. The spell he used was not only beautiful, but a way to show Li Lun what we humans are capable of, that we can be loving and sincere, even if the spell drains him of energy and he has to lie down in his bed afterward." Wen Xiao said as she looked at the others.
"He had a kind heart, and Xiao Zhuo's love for his brother is also heartwarming. He refused to leave his side, even when I assured him that he was only tired from the strain of the spell and that he'd be as good as new after some rest." Bai Jiu said as he took a sip of his drink.
"The brothers have always been like this. Yixuan will stop at nothing for his younger brother, and Yichen would even dare to defy the heavens if it meant keeping his brother safe. I know this from my many years of friendship with Zhuo Yixuan, their relationship has always been very precious to both of them and always will be." Yiming said with a broad smile on his face.
"Then I suppose it's their destiny to each have a great demon as a partner." Ying Lei added, and have a beautiful, though jealous woman, staring at him as if she were throwing daggers with her eyes.
"Zhuo Yichen is undoubtedly smitten, but my Xiao Xuan will never fall for that demon. They're complete opposites, so get that idea out of your spiky, blond head." She said, and Bai Jiu chuckled at Ying Lei's side.
"Come on, Mei Lin, you always knew our Commander had no romantic interest in you. He'd even told you several times that he saw you as a dear sister, nothing more." Cao Wei said without flinching.
"Who's asking your opinion? Not me, of course, so keep it to yourself, you stupid trickster."
"Xiao Mei... I think you really should let it go this time. That spell he cast... we could all feel how open and willing Xiao Xuan is to make this work, and Li Lun's reaction was no different. Didn't you see how he closed his eyes and let the emotions wash over him? I know it hurts, but wishes don't always come true." Yiming said, and Mei Lin abruptly stood up to storm off. Yiming sighed.
"Sorry about her, but you should understand how difficult it is to forget a first love." Yiming added, and they both simply nodded.
"Will she be okay on her own?" Wen Xiao asked, willing to help her if necessary, even if it was just by staying close, as she didn't interact with her much.
"No, she'll be fine. To be honest, she saw it coming, she just refused to accept it. She's stubborn by nature, and Xiao Xuan is such an exceptional man that, well... let's just say, he's any woman's dream man." Cao Wei drank more from his cup.
"Actually, both brothers are." Pei Sijing said, and Wen Xiao smirked.
"True... Xiao Zhuo is charming in his own way, and cute too..." Wen Xiao said, and Cao Wei raised an eyebrow. Not that his charm would ever reach Wen Xiao, for she was already lock her sight into Commander Pei Sijing's beautiful eyes, which was the most composed of them all.
"I agree, my big brother is amazing. I wish I could be more like him..." Bai Jiu said, and Ying Lei tapped his forehead with his finger, forcing him to rub it while glaring at him with a sour face.
"What was that for?" Bai Jiu protested.
"What are you talking about? You're amazing too. Aren't you the youngest healer in history? That even the higher-ups make an exception to their rules to include you in our unit? Didn't Xiao Zhuo praise you when we dealt with that Heilan demon, nor did Zhu Yan praise you for integrating ancient medicine from the archives to mix with your own recipes and create better medicines? We're all very grateful for your hard work in easing our pain during our awakenings, and to the other unit for your faster energy recovery elixir. You even manage to fully grow a tree in a minute with a peach I brought from the Citadel. Zhu Yan definitely loves that tree more than the bright one and its in full bloom all the time." Ying Lei pointed out, making Bai Jiu blush at the praise, and Cao Wei laughed too.
"Seriously, you guys are all so full of love, no wonder Xiao Xuan caught the love bug too. I wish our unit was that lovely, it would be better to have fewer grumpy ones and more sensible comrades..." Cao Wei said, and Yiming hit him in the leg under the table.
"Speak for yourself. The only bad thing about our unit is you." Yiming said, while Cao Wei rubbed his leg and looked at Yiming, who pretended to ignore how he got hit.
"I think you guys are pretty lively, even betting on your Commander's first meeting with Li Lun... that was quite interesting." Wen Xiao chuckled, and Cao Wei slumped onto the table with a loud thud, remembering how he lost that bet. Yiming laughed, and Ren Jiang patted his friend on the back.
"That's right, you lost, Cao Wei... remember that this time you owe us big time, and you deserve it. How could you not trust that our Commander could handle a great demon? If only, for the example Zhuo Yichen and Zhu Yan gave, you should know by now that the Zhuo's are not even normal humans, they are magnets for great demons! Big, great demon attractors!" Said Yiming, and Ren Jiang nodded with all seriousness.
"I take it back, Wen Xiao, you're mean... why mention that now?" Cao Wei said, defeated, and Wen Xiao laughed.
"Don't worry, I'm sure my healer friend here can help you pay off your debt. He has some amazing pills that will help you master those 12-dimensional spheres that are causing your unit so much trouble. If they cancel your department, you can get them for free, one for each of you, which will help you accumulate more Qi flow and therefore become stronger. What do you think?" She asked, and Cao Wei almost cried upon hearing her generous offer.
"As I said before, you're the best! Is that okay with you, Bai Jiu?" Cao Wei asked, and the young man smiled.
"Of course." He said, since he was going to offer them help to strengthen their Qi flow anyways, as he had already told Wen Xiao and Ying Lei when they were in the archives, so he knew why Wen Xiao was offering them this way out and it was brilliant. With the offer, she killed two birds with one stone. First, she promoted friendship between the units, and second, she showed them that the team's unity was unconditional and that they were willing to help without expecting anything in return, which in return made Yixuan's unit support them just as unconditionally in the future.
"See? Everything's in order now. I just hope Mei Lin gets over her love for Yixuan, because I don't think he'll ever be with anyone other than the person destined for him from before he was born. The gods sometimes like to play with our fates, but it's never for the worse, and I think Zhuo Yixuan had been waiting for Li Lun for a long time. I felt his loss, his emptiness when he poured his heart out to us, and I also felt his fulfillment of that void when Li Lun embraced his feelings. It was a very beautiful exchange, even if the great demon didn't realize it." Wen Xiao said, and Ren Jiang looked up for a moment, toward the upper floor.
"Can we be sure the rooms were sealed, making them soundproof for Li Lun? Otherwise, he might skin us alive one by one for talking about him behind his back." He said, but Pei Sijing offered him a reassuring smile.
"I'm sure. Right now, not even I can hear what they're saying on the third floor, where Li Lun and Zhu Yan are talking, nor what's happening in Zhuo Yixuan's room. Therefore, it's quite safe to talk freely inside the rooms, not outside, nor in the living room, which is more open." She explained, reassuring the man a little.
"I wonder what those two are talking about..." Said Ying Lei, referring to Zhu Yan and Li Lun.
"I wish I could be with Xiao Zhuo... that shameless demon takes up most of his free time. I miss my older brother... but I know he misses his too." Bai Jiu said sadly.
"Come on, Xiao Jiu, your older brother is caught in a web he can't escape, but you can always show him that you'll be there for him. How about we do something special so he can think of you even when you're both busy with other things?" Asked Ying Lei, and Bai Jiu's eyes filled with happiness.
"That's a good idea! Thanks, Ying Lei... I think I know what to do. Can you buy me some things next time you go to the Citadel?" He asked excitedly.
"How about we all go? I'm sure now that Li Lun is here, Zhu Yan can give us a free day at the Citadel, and we can all buy something to celebrate our special day or even our own festival. No, wait, we can make it as a welcoming party for Li Lun. We can decorate the mansion and courtyard, I'll prepare a delicious dinner, and we can exchange gifts if we want to make it more fun. We've been training for almost a month now, so we need some fun too." Ying Lei suggested, and everyone was delighted.
"Sounds good. I'll make the request to Zhu Yan tomorrow morning, and if he agrees, we can go back to the Citadel and spend some time there." Pei Sijing said, and Wen Xiao smiled charmingly at her.
"Deal. It's almost like going on a date..." She laughed.
"Wen Xiao, you're becoming as shameless as Zhu Yan, but I like it. Who wants to go out in a date with me?" Cao Wei asked, but only got empty air.
"Brother Cao, you can go out with Mei Lin... keep her away from Yixuan, so he can have fun too, he deserves it." Yiming intervened and suggested it.
"What? No. That's your job, brother Huang. It's not like you'll object, and she might even start looking for something more than the impossible. Give yourself a chance too, Yiming, is been so long since you think on your own happiness." Cao Wei said in a serious tone, very unlike from his usual mocking tone, and Yiming sighed.
"I wish it was that simple." He whispered.
"Oh, but it is that simple. The gods are on our side, so I'm sure they'll include you in their blessings, after all, we're all here for a good reason, chosen for a greater good and for our willingness and sacrifices, I'm sure our wishes will be granted." Wen Xiao assured him, and for the first time in a long time, Yiming wanted to believe that he, too, could win the heart of the woman he loved.
※※※ Third Floor ※※※
"Zhu Yan, you're getting desperate with age. Before, you hated it when I called you a monkey, yet you let that human not only call you that, but do whatever he wanted to you. Aren't you the strongest great demon? It's scary to watch you fall down like this." Li Lun said, and Zhu Yan drank from his cup. The wine Ying Lei made was quite good, right after Xiao Zhuo's pear soup on his list of favorites.
"Xiao Zhuo is pure, youthful, and impulsive, and although he sometimes acts a little harsh, he's also very caring. When Bing Yi fully possessed him, when he told me about the sealed dimension and how Cheng Huang would be able to escape if he died, I was deeply saddened. Even when his body was aching, he hugged me all night, spoke soft words in my ear, rubbed my back comfortingly, shared my pain, and didn't push me away. Almost everyone feared me before, but that young man never rejected me, and even though he denies it, he also has feelings for me, something real, Li Lun, the kind I've only seen in Bing Yi and Ying Long. How could I not fall in love with him? It's in my blood, calling to me, my dragon side, telling me he's the one I've been waiting for, and I won't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be with my destined self slip away. Perhaps one day you'll understand this feeling too, and it will be fun to see what you will allow him to do, something no one else will dare to do."
"I have no interest in humans."
"But you agree to be here and even train one."
"He challenged me."
"As if that's enough to provoke a tree head like you."
"How can a human challenge me? I'll teach him a lesson."
"Will you? His aura was enough to unsettle you. In fact, it overwhelmed you for a moment. He's not a simple man, not even I dare mock him like I do Yichen all the time. His resemblance to Bing Yi is terrifying, especially when he's very serious or angry."
"I fear no one, and I agree to be here for Cheng Huang. I agree that his escape from Bing Yi's dimension will be a disaster for the demon world, so it's in my best interest to find Bing Yi as soon as possible."
"You won't find him. Wan'er herself said your path leads somewhere else."
"Wan'er is dead."
"Yes, but her spirit still lingers... perhaps because all this calamity stormed with her death."
"It all started with the humans..."
"Yes, we agree to disagree." Zhu Yan drank a little more, and so did Li Lun.
"How can one find Bing Yi?"
"I don't know, but the key lies with Yichen... he probably saw the location of Bing Yi's dimension in his nightmare, but he doesn't remember it." He drank again.
"That's easy to solve. Just get into his head more than you want to get into his pants." At that, Zhu Yan nearly choked on his own drink, causing him to spit the wine he had just drunk directly onto Li Lun.
"Oops... that was your own fault, so don't go blaming me now and you deserve it. How can you say that?!" Zhu Yan offered him a small towel to wipe himself off.
"How could I not, you silly monkey, if all you talk about is Yichen this, Yichen that! Just bed him and be done with it."
"I dare you to try that with Zhuo Yixuan, because I warn you, he'll freeze you to your very soul." Zhu Yan smirked.
"Unlike you, I have no such interest, and besides, no human can freeze me, let alone try to reach my soul. I don't have a soul. My heart is only filled with the darkness of the demonic energy I cultivate. I don't know why you're so full of those things Ying Long or Bong Yi told you, they won't work, nor will they turn out the way they hope."
"Now you sound like Yichen..."
"Stop thinking about him already!"
"I can't, he's my soulmate..."
"I'm warning you, Zhu Yan, if you continue like this, I'll go find Bing Yi on my own. It'll be less annoying that way."
"Aren't you curious?"
"Curious of what?"
"The feelings Zhuo Yixuan let slip for you to grasp. Aren't you also intrigued by how those feelings can fill your emptiness? Before we were friends, you seemed truly soulless, and in a way, our friendship relieved that emptiness in your heart, but when you take them in, didn't it feel right? Didn't you see their beauty? You see... they are still calling for you..." Zhu Yan said as he looked at the open sliding door that led to the golden snow spell.
"How long will that snow fall?" Li Lun asked as he looked at it, still bright, still beautiful and warm, so welcoming, so comforting...
"Perhaps until you recognize them."
"Then it will fall forever."
"Ah, I miss my Yichen..."
"Stupid monkey. I regret coming here."
"Oh, you won't... I assure you, when you start training Yixuan, you'll only wish you had come sooner. My father was never wrong, and you only need to use the Truth Eye on yourself to see how badly both of us are messed up in Siming and Yue Lao's handy work." Zhu Yan suggested, and knowing that Siming was the god of destiny and Yue Lao the deity of matchmaking with his book of marriage and red strings, he did as he was told and used his Truth Eye to peer deeper into himself. He discovered, with genuine surprise, that in his hand he had tied a red string that, as he saw, reached down to Zhuo Yixuan, who was resting with his brother in his room, who was also carrying Zhu Yan's string.
"Impossible..." Li Lun whispered.
"Still, it's there, isn't it?" Zhu Yan smiled while Li Lun paled.
※※※ Zhuo Brothers ※※※
It had been many years since he shared a bed with his older brother. When Yichen was little and had nightmares, Yixuan would lie down beside him and hug him, hoping that his younger brother would stop having nightmares that night. But as he grew older, even though he continued to have nightmares, he never asked Yixuan to stay, though he did hold his hand until he fell asleep again. However, now, with his brother's comfort, even when they both felt cold from their own awakening, it felt like a blessing, and Yichen was still too absorbed in his brother's spells that expressed so much love.
"Xiao Chen... there's no need to cry, I'll be fine. I know the challenge sounds threatening, but I assure you it isn't. No matter how hard Li Lun tries, I won't show weakness or bow to him, so please don't cry..." Yixuan said softly as he wiped his brother's tears, looking at his beautiful blue eyes tint red.
"That's not why I'm crying..."
"Then what?"
"Your spell..."
"Ah..."
"Your soul is so beautiful... how could that demon not see it?"
"Because he doesn't understand Yichen."
"What do you mean?"
"He hated humans, so he never learned to love like we do, never experienced the things we experience growing up; learning from our mistakes, connecting with others, being part of a community, sharing his life and burdens with others, loving like lovers do when the feeling gets too intense. He only knew the friendship of Zhu Yan and of parents, from his time traveling with Bing Yi and Ying Long, but even that wasn't a long time, so he still doesn't know much. That's why I open up to him, to let him know there's more, that if he's willing, I can teach him about them, so he can experience them one at a time."
"So, will you really fall in love with him?"
"I don't know, will you fall in love with Zhu Yan?"
"I won't." Yixuan smiled.
"That was such a quick refusal. Xiao Chen... denying your feelings isn't wise. That doesn't mean you're letting him dictate the pace. You may have your own, but you even let him hug you at night. Do you think that's what friends do?"
"It was because of the cold."
"You're cold right now, but do you feel the same in my arms as you do in his? Think about it, Xiao Chen. Is it the same? Being hugged by a caring brother as by a loved one? It should be warmer in his arms, not because of the heat spell, but because of the feelings you already share." Yixuan asked, and saw his brother's cheeks flush.
"It's different..."
"Of course it is."
"But he's immortal..."
"Ah... I see... so you don't want to accept it because he will outlive you?"
"I'll grow old too..."
"Yes, of course, but Yichen... do you think the gods will be so unfair to us? If they bound us by fate long before we were born, if they granted us the blood of a god, do you think it was just to fight demons?"
"I don't know..."
"Yes, that's true, we don't know, Yichen, so why torment ourselves with something that might not even be a problem in the future? And even if it is, I think the most important thing is to cherish what we have, because if not, we might regret it one day. What if another war breaks out and Zhu Yan dies? What if we die? If our time is limited, why not live it to the fullest?"
"Are you shipping us, Ge?" Yixuan smiled.
"I think so... I want your happiness, and now I'm sure you're too valuable for Zhu Yan to hurt you. He's already made it clear and even seriously threatened his friend for you... his feelings are sincere, and yours?"
"I do like him... a lot." Yichen blushed more.
"Just like?"
"Can we leave it at that?"
"Yes, we can. Just remember to be honest with yourself. It'll save you pain."
"Then, if the opportunity presents itself, will you let Li Lin in?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I've been empty for so long... If I have the chance to fill that emptiness, I'll be glad..."
"You're too good for him." Yixuan laughed and hugged his brother tighter.
"But I don't object... I want you to be happy too, Ge." Yichen whisper, making Yixuan smile.
"Then, thank you, dear Didi. Your Ge is very grateful for your understanding."
"So... should I give Zhu Yan a chance?"
"That's up to you, Didi. Follow your heart. It will never let you down, even if everything else fails you. Just remember that the most powerful demon in the history of humanity is madly in love with you."
"That sounds great..."
"You're Didi... now, get some rest. Tomorrow could be a very long day."
"Mnn. Good night, Ge."
"Good night, Didi." And snuggled up in his brother's arm, Yichen fell asleep, just like when he was a child. Protected and cared.
AN: Ah, they are so cute, what a sweet brothers they are. This chapter had a bit of everyone interaction, which was about time, since I skipped things, so I hope this one fills a bit more those gasp left behind and warm your heart. Also Yixuan is trying to advice Yichen, because he is still young and inexperience. Thanks for reading, until next time, please take care.
Godly notes:
Siming: He is a complex figure, sometimes seen as a deity and sometimes as a celestial asterism, overseeing the lifespan and destiny of individuals. The "Greater Siming" and "Lesser Siming" are mentioned in ancient Chinese poetry, potentially representing different aspects or functions of the deity.
Yue Lao: This deity is particularly known for his role in matchmaking, using a red string to connect those destined to be together. He is often depicted holding a book of marriages and is the deity people pray to when seeking a partner in temples.