“Brother Ji, it has been a long time. I trust you have been well?”
A figure as refined as jade arrived gracefully, the hem of his blue brocade robe fluttering with his movements. Tang Zhen carried a bright, easy smile on his face.
As soon as he stepped into the hall, he acted as if he were the master of the place, sitting directly in a lower seat. He naturally picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup, and gently swirled the liquid—filled to seven-tenths—before taking a slow sip. His fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, as if savoring the quality of the tea.
On the main seat, Ji Wuyuan, whose expression was dark and unpredictable, watched him quietly, neither speaking nor rebuking him.
Although Tang Zhen was an uninvited guest, as a partner in a collaboration that hadn’t yet fallen through, he naturally had to be received.
After a moment, once Tang Zhen set down his teacup, Ji Wuyuan finally curled his lips into a faint, half-smile. “Third Young Master, does this tea newly shipped from overseas suit your palate?”
Tang Zhen also raised his lips in a smile. “This isn’t just ‘newly shipped from overseas.’ This is from Penglai Island, which only produces half a stone a year. It is something even my imperial brother, who ascended the throne, could not obtain despite his requests.”
He swirled the teacup again and sighed softly. “It seems I truly made the right choice coming to Brother Ji’s place; otherwise, I would never have had the chance to taste such precious tea.”
“Hehe… save those words for others. With the Third Young Master’s capabilities, would such a small thing truly be difficult for you to obtain?” Ji Wuyuan also narrowed his eyes, laughing along.
This back-and-forth was their usual mode of interaction—seeming like friends but not quite, seeming like enemies but not quite. Only interests and benefits remained constant.
However, the corners of Tang Zhen’s eyes twitched slightly. He took a deep look at Ji Wuyuan, as if peering through that smiling mask to catch a hidden trace of absent-mindedness beneath.
It was as if his body was here, but his heart had drifted elsewhere.
This was truly a rare sight. Based on Tang Zhen’s understanding of Ji Wuyuan, it was as startling as the first time he saw the youth sharing a carriage with him.
Tang Zhen’s thoughts raced as he began to guess if this was related to the youth, recalling that the youth had proactively used the secret whistle he had left behind…
Tang Zhen raised his eyebrows slightly with a gentle smile, but the gaze he directed at Ji Wuyuan on the high seat became somewhat meaningful.
He hadn’t been by the youth’s side these past days, so he wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. But looking at it now, it seemed like his opportunity… had arrived.
…
Inside Chu Ling’s Courtyard
An emerald-green bird flapped its wings and landed, hopping along the eaves of the octagonal pavilion.
Chu Ling looked up at the bright sky as if casually glancing, then looked down at the several goldfish swimming leisurely in the pond. He suddenly turned and instructed Zijin and Zipei: “Go get some fish food, and also the pastries I like.”
“Yes, Young Master.” x2
The two answered in unison and left the pavilion one after the other, appearing to have no suspicions at all.
Once their figures were out of sight, Chu Ling suddenly extended his arm and made a “chiu-chiu” sound. The emerald bird hopping on the eaves flapped its wings and flew down to land on his outstretched hand.
Chu Ling wasted no time parting the feathers on the bird’s back, revealing a small, thin scroll of paper. When his fingers left the feathers, the scroll had already fallen into his palm.
With a flick of his hand, the bird flew off as if startled and quickly vanished from sight.
Chu Ling lowered his eyelids and unrolled the scroll, seeing a line of tiny, fly-sized characters—a clear record of what Tang Zhen wanted to say to him next.
Yes, they had “hooked up” just like that.
Who would have thought that a common emerald bird seen everywhere was actually under Tang Zhen’s command? Or rather, it was likely domesticated by Tang Zhen’s people.
After Chu Ling blew the whistle, he had waited quietly for news from Tang Zhen, curious in his heart how the man would contact him.
Half a day later, taking advantage of a moment when Zijin and Zipei were away, an emerald bird suddenly landed before him. It groomed its feathers quietly, seemingly unafraid of humans. That was when he spotted the message hidden beneath the plumage.
Chu Ling had raised his eyebrows in surprise and slowly reached out. The bird didn’t fly away in fright but allowed him to stroke it. Thinking back now, it was probably related to the whistle he kept on his person.
Subsequently, he and Tang Zhen began an exchange of letters. In the first one, Chu Ling clearly stated his request—he wanted Big Brother Tang to help take something out of the Demonic Cult and deliver it to Jun Yichen of the Martial Arts Alliance.
At that time, the young master’s face was slightly pale. He seemed to realize that since the meeting with the Cult Leader and that sudden kiss, a certain forbidden switch had been flipped. He felt a strange, intense panic; he likely wouldn’t be able to leave this place in the short term.
Therefore, he had only one request for Tang Zhen: to send the stolen intelligence out as quickly as possible before it attracted notice.
In his heart, the young master was dazed and confused. He didn’t understand why the Cult Leader would… treat him that way. Could it be that he, like Big Brother Ghost, harbored feelings for him…?
As soon as this thought appeared, he shook his head. He couldn’t figure it out, nor could he distinguish the truth.
Beyond that, he felt aimless and helpless. That inexplicable kiss felt like it was about to break something. From the current situation, Big Brother Ghost liked him, yet the Cult Leader did that even knowing the situation…
His thoughts became more chaotic, like a tangled mess in his head, nearly frying his “CPU.”
The naive young master naturally didn’t know that starting from that rainy night in the ruined temple, the “Big Brother Ghost” he trusted—the one who claimed to have fallen in love at first sight and adored him—was actually the Master of the Demonic Cult.
Zijin and Zipei exchanged glances, worried in their eyes. They didn’t understand why the Young Master had suddenly become depressed and distracted after returning from his meeting with the Cult Leader.
But they didn’t dare ask directly. Through indirect questions, they only saw that his complexion was poor, so they didn’t have the heart to press him. Did something happen? Clear doubt flashed through their minds.
However, even if something had happened, they were completely in the dark. Everything was based on guesswork, and there was nothing they could do.
The air fell into a silent hush.
Seeing the youth looking so troubled even while feeding the fish—no longer his usual leisurely, happy self—Zijin suddenly nudged Zipei with her elbow. The latter knitted her brows and suddenly laughed: “Young Master, the weather is nice today. How about we go fishing?”
“Not going.”
“Young Master, the flowers in the valley are all in bloom. How about going to admire them?”
“No.”
“Young Master…”
After several suggestions were rejected, Zijin and Zipei looked at each other again, both seeing helplessness and a bit of gravity in the other’s eyes.
This state lasted until evening. For some reason, “Big Brother Ghost” did not appear. Young Master Chu felt a slight sigh of relief in his heart and had no desire to go looking for him.
After dinner, he returned to his room, using the excuse that he was tired and wanted to rest early to send Zijin and Zipei away to sleep, telling them they didn’t need to wait by his door.
The youth’s behavior wasn’t abrupt; it was usually like this. Although the two were servants sent to wait on him, when it wasn’t necessary—like right now—there was no need for them to be by his side every second.
Thus, the two were used to it. They would only come to wait outside the door in the early morning, calculating the time he woke up and preparing his favorite breakfast.
To him, the two were more like playmates than servants; he treated them with sincerity.
“Then, Young Master, please rest well. If you need anything, just call out; Zipei and I will hear you.”
“I know, I know. You two go to rest as well.”
The youth pushed the two out of the room from behind. His beautiful eyes were lively and vivid, as if recovering some of their former color. Zijin and Zipei allowed themselves to be pushed outside.
…
In the dead of night, the sparse lanterns had been extinguished. The night wind brushed gently through the treetops, casting down strands of cold moonlight that spread across the ground like liquid silver.
The young master tossed and turned on his bed, occasionally arching his body to look around the room. His eyes were sparkling—a brilliance that even the dark night couldn’t hide. Where was the gloominess from the daytime?
He was like this for a reason, of course: he was waiting for someone. In the message brought by the bird, Big Brother Tang had promised to come find him tonight.
The stolen intelligence was about to be sent out. How could he not be secretly excited? He had temporarily tossed all his worries to the back of his mind, focusing first on the more important matter at hand.
However, by the latter half of the night, he couldn’t resist the drowsiness. His eyelids were fighting to stay open, and his head was nodding off. When Big Brother Tang’s figure still hadn’t appeared, the light in his eyes dimmed. He couldn’t help but let his mind wander—perhaps Big Brother Tang wasn’t coming…
Just as he was startled awake by drowsiness again, he couldn’t help but clutch his pillow, his brow furrowing deeply on his fair face. Right then, a cool finger suddenly landed, pressing gently on the space between his eyebrows, accompanied by a low, pleasant chuckle.
“To keep my promise to A-Ling, I went through quite a lot of trouble… Why is A-Ling still frowning?”
“Big Brother Tang!”
The youth’s voice was clearly one of pleasant surprise.
In the hazy night, the silhouette of the man standing by the bed wasn’t completely obscured. That jade-like smile stared straight at the youth, who was wearing only a snow-white inner robe, revealing an exquisite and perfect collarbone like a piece of fine jade.
However, what made Tang Zhen’s eyes narrow was a bloom printed upon that collarbone—as if grown there naturally, a crimson pattern shaped like a blossoming petal…
So… that was it.