AN: I've been making story plans for my side stories for Xinyi and Xuejie but hit a snag. I'm wondering if I should reuse the scenes I already wrote in his story or do something entirely different. I'm leaning toward the latter personally but I feel sad losing the sweet scenes I already wrote. Much Sadness~

BTW, both side stories have a title. Xuejie: Where did my OTP go?! Xinyi: Is Love a kind of Alchemy?

*****

His heart jumped to his throat as Liang Fei tried to think of a response. All the while, his mind was scrambling to figure out how he'd been found out.

Worse, what would this person do if he did know the truth?

"I...I don't know what you mean." He replied, his tone belying his actual apprehension. "I'm not pretending to be anyone."

His words were truthful but also a lie, which made the elder mildly uncomfortable. He didn't like to lie but the truth, in this instance, was too complicated to even touch.

Liang Fei tried to move past Xuejie, hoping he'd let the matter go but stopped when he felt cool metal press against his throat. He hadn't even heard the man draw his sword.

"Did I say we were done?"

"Xuejie, please, we don't have to get violent." He sighed, though he was legitimately scared just then. Xuejie was loyal to Xieren. If he truly thought he was a threat, this might end badly. "I assure you, I'm not-"

"You told Yao Da that your name was Shao Liang Fei, right?" He cut in, glaring down at Liang Fei.

He flinched. Had he done that? He must have and clearly it was a mistake.

"I did."

"Did you know Yao Da can sense when a person is lying to her?" He continued. "You lied to her when you told her your name. So who are you really?"

Damn, this was a problem. Of course, it was a lie at the time. He had just hoped his previous time as Shao Liang Fei would make it the truth but apparently Yao Da's lie detector was very exact.

(AN: To explain, he said his name was SLF, which was a lie. Had he said he was SLF, it would have been truthful.)

He considered what to do. He could keep pressing on with his claim but he doubted Xuejie would tolerate it much longer. He was very impulsive as a child so he was sure the man would cut his throat if he tried.

He still had Xieren to repay so he couldn't die just yet.

"I... I'm not sure I can." He muttered, looking away.

"Not sure?" Xuejie pressed, his eyes narrowing. "Are you a spy?"

"No no! I'm only here for Xieren!" He stated, before realizing how that sounded. "I mean, not like that but-"

"Who are you really?!"

Liang Fei bit his lip, unsure how to respond. His true identity wouldn't help and the truth was unbelievable. Honestly, he wasn't even sure why Xieren had believed his story at all. To any sane person, such a tale would be written off as crazy.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." He sighed, knowing there wasn't much more he could say. "You'd think I was insane."

"Insane?" Xuejie stared him down, his thoughts unclear just before, frowning. "Wait, are you-" He stopped, looking Liang Fei over like some kind of strange creature. "No way..."

"?"

"I'm going to give you a quick test." He said, sheathing his sword. "One word and I'll let you off. You fail, I cut your head off."

"Does it have to be that?"

"If you aren't who you say you are, you're most likely a threat to Xieren." He said, his tone heavy with meaning. "I refuse to allow anything that could harm my friend to remain by his side."

In truth, that statement should have scared him but Liang Fei could only feel relieved that Xieren had such a good friend.

"I suppose that's fair." He sighed, nodding. "I'll be happy that you are with Xieren then if I fail."

He was sure Xuejie would protect Xieren. The man had stayed by Xieren's side all this time and the two were clearly close. If he were to fail, he could die happy knowing Xieren wouldn't be alone.

Though he would feel bad for leaving Xieren behind again, it was for the best.

"Ready?" Xuejie started, his gaze never leaving Liang Fei for a second. "One word: System."

He blinked. "Eh?"

"Well?"

"How... how do you know about systems?"

A wide grin stretched across Xuejie's face.

***

"Eh?! You actually met the god of reincarnation?" Xuejie exclaimed, his eyes bright with admiration. They'd moved from the hallway to another room to talk privately. Apparently, despite how he looked, Xuejie had some power in the castle and could order guards away so the two transmigrators could talk.

It was nice to not be pinned to the wall like a butterfly.

"That's so cool!" The man continued, looking envious. Gone was the man who had threatened to decapitate him just minutes before, in his place was an ally, sharing his woes. "I just got to meet that lazy system and was dumped here. I was lucky it didn't send me someplace I never read or I'd be screwed."

Liang Fei briefly considered whether or not to tell Xuejie that gods apparently had email addresses and spoke using emojis but decided against it. If this child thought that self-proclaimed god was cool, who was he to spoil that for him.

"I'm surprised you were paired with Shi of all the systems." The elder noted, a bit amazed. "When I was there, there were dozens of its hosts in the waiting room. Supposedly, they all died due to a lack of guidance."

To think Xuejie was one of Shi's host... How pitiful a fate that was.

"Obviously!" A hand slammed down on the table between them, tears that refused to fall gathering in Xuejie's eyes. Not from sadness, however, but anger. "That damn system barely gave me anything when it dumped me here. Now I'm just glad I didn't screw up and die."

"So you wouldn't have to see Shi again?"

"No! Because then I'd be stuck in some waiting room for all eternity." He retorted, shuddering at the thought. "If my choices are that or living on edge in this world, I'll tap dance on that edge forever."

"I see." The elder felt happy, finally meeting someone he could open up to. Xuejie was in the same situation as him, so there was no fear of sounding crazy.

Sure, he had shit taste in music, daring to say rock and metal were lame, but no ally was perfect.

"So what's your story, bro?" His non-rock fan ally asked after draining his cup.

"My story?"

"Yeah, you're like me, right?" The man's attitude was even friendlier than before. "From modern-day, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Ah, that's great." His smile grew, almost swallowing his face with how wide his grin grew. "I finally have someone to talk to."

"Don't you have Xieren?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't get my jokes." He grumbled with a pout. "Moreover, he has you now so what good am I?"

Liang Fei frowned, confused. "Has me?" 

"Yeah, you guys are dating, right?"

"A-ah, right." Liang Fei looked away, feeling embarrassed. To say they were dating wasn't wrong but... "That is..."

"That is?"

"Our relationship is..."He took a sip of tea, trying to calm his nerves. "a bit more complicated than that."

"You guys are fucking, right?"

The elder choked.

"Must you use such vulgar language?"

"After what I've witnessed between you two, I deserve a little bit of venting." He shot back, leaning in. "But don't change the subject. What are you two?"

What were they? There was a simple answer and the truth. The truth was more comfortable and Liang Fei didn't want to lie to his ally.

"Lovers at the moment."

"At the moment?" He echoed, confused.

"Yes, you know Xieren is the protagonist and is destined to get married, right?" Xuejie nodded and Liang Fei continued. "Well, I am teaching him how to court his future wife."

"You think he doesn't know how to court a woman?" Xeujie deadpanned, the disbelief very clear in his voice.

But Liang Fei was a very trusting man when it came to Xieren it seemed.

"He told me so himself." He assured, his eyes gleaming with pure trust.

He did say something like that before. Xuejie thought, piecing together the puzzle. It was becoming clear now why Xieren wanted to make this guy fall for him.

Liang Fei, it turned out, was an idiot.

Xuejie began to feel pity for his boss as he watched the man explain his plan. This man truly had no clue how loved he was. He was so trusting.

It was almost sad how gullible Liang Fei was when it came to Xieren. When asked about it, his only response was:

"Xieren wouldn't lie to me."

God, someone save this poor man! He was too pure for this world.

Xuejie was still marveling at the man's trust in humanity when Liang Fei spoke up.

"About before."

"Before?" Xuejie thought about it for a second. "Oh, the me-threatening-you thing! Yeah, sorry about that, my man. My bad."

"I'm not upset." He assured, patting Xuejie on the shoulder. "I'm just curious as to how you realized I wasn't who I said I was. Q said-"

"Q?"

"My system." He waved, not wanting to talk about that troublesome thing. "Anyway, Q said my freebie would make it that characters wouldn't notice anything off about me. But you said  Yao Da noticed?"

"That's what her report said." He retorted, his mind drifting elsewhere for a moment. "Maybe its some kind of loophole?"

"How do you mean?"

"Like, you said, Xieren and others didn't question anything you did despite your major shift in character, right?" Liang Fei nodded. "But Yao Da and even He Qing noticed how weird you were."

"He Qing did too?" The elder questioned. He hadn't said anything when they met but then again, it had been a long time since then.

"Yeah, he used to tell me how different you were compared to what he'd been told but I didn't think much of it." He said, chuckling at the memory. "So maybe the freebie only works on those who personally know your original."

"Ah, that makes sense!" He gasped, now understanding what Q had meant when it said it wasn't all-powerful. "Shao Liang Fei would have never met Yao Da since he dies before she shows up so its no wonder she realized something was off."

"Right?" Xuejie grinned, feeling proud of himself. "Honestly, you got super lucky, dude. Had someone else other than me noticed, they might have actually thought you were some kind of ghost or vengeful spirit."

He knew the process of exorcising one of those and it looked to be quite painful. If done to him, someone not possessed, how much pain would he have to go through. He shuddered at the thought.

"My second try would have ended before it began." He breathed out, feeling relieved that he hadn't been caught by someone else.

"Exactly! How shitty would that have been?" Xuejie laughed, amused by the whole situation. I mean, how often does one become friends, threaten their lives, and then become even closer?

It was crazy!

"By the way, how did you die?" He continued, pouring himself some more water. "This here is your body from then so it must have been something interesting."

"Carbon monoxide poisoning."

"Wow, that's... unique." He muttered, looking Liang Fei up and down. "Usually its truck attacks."

"How could that be?" Liang Fei shot back with a furrowed brow. "Don't they look before crossing?"

"It's not that simple, bro. Its fate or whatever."

"That sounds more like stupidity." He huffed, rolling his eyes.

Xuejie choked on his water, almost bursting into laughter at the comment. "Boy, you are harsh."

"So I've been told." He stated before staring down at the table. "Truly, my only regret is having left my family behind."

"You had one?"

"You didn't?"

"Parents died long before. And I'm an only child." He said with a shrug. "Sometimes I suspect transmigration stories focus on those without families to just skip over the grief involved."

"You make it sound like you've met others."

"Only you but who knows who else is suffering through the wrath of dumb systems." He raised his cup, smiling as Liang Fei followed suit.

"Quite true." They took a drink, Xuejie a lot more animatedly than Liang Fei but just as meaningful. Then let out a sigh, thoughts of the past filling their minds as Xeujie spoke.

"But your sister huh?" He couldn't imagine what that could be like, losing a brother. Or a sister. Sure, he got a new chance at life but Liang Fei had people he'd left behind. People who'd miss him.

Xuejie couldn't say whether the man was lucky to have had someone miss him or cursed.

"Yes..." He mumbled, slipping his hands under the table to hide the trembling. He hadn't spoken about the matter to anyone, not wanting to reveal too much lest he get caught.

Truthfully, he wished he could tell this all to Xieren but he knew he couldn't. It would just be a bother to the man. They weren't truly close so there was no reason to burden him with such a subject.

It was for the best.

"She probably found my body." He continued, his voice trembling as he spoke. "I... I just hope she... she knew that I loved her and didn't want to leave her behind. I hate that I put her through that."

Seeing how upset Liang Fei was, Xuejie moved closer.

"I'm sure she knew." He assured the man, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. "With a big brother as responsible and caring as you, I have no doubts she felt loved every day."

Liang Fei didn't move nor did he cry despite wanting to. He felt too full at that moment but couldn't let it free. It didn't feel right to so they just remained that way, Xuejie's arm wrapped around him.

Then, like a thunder cloud, Xieren burst through the door.

"Xieren!?" both men said in unison, though their tones were like heaven and earth. Liang Fei's tone, while subdued, was clearly glad to see his partner while Xuejie was terrified.

He'd been caught with his apparently overly affectionate friend's beloved in his arms. 

He was going to die~

A similar thought raced through Xieren's mind, various torture methods echoing through his head as he stomped into the room.

Unaware of the tension in the room, Liang Fei stood up and grabbed Xieren's arm. The demon king froze, his heart racing as he gazed down at the handsome elder beside him.

"Shizun."

"Xieren, come with me." He said, pulling his partner from the table and toward the door. "There is something I have to do with you before we go to bed."

Something before bed? Was his master... saying what he thought he was saying? Was he seducing Xieren just then?

If so, he could forget his rage toward Xuejie for an evening.

"Will I enjoy this 'something'?" He asked, allowing the elder to pull him.

"I hope so."

"And Xuejie?" His eyes narrowed on the human who had been attempting to sneak away. Xieren's glare pinned him to the spot.

Liang Fei frowned, confused for a moment. Had Xieren come in to talk to Xuejie?

"If you need him, you can do so tomorrow." He stated, leading Xieren to the door. "I'm tired so we should get this done fast."

"What if I don't want to go fast?" He'd much prefer his master's seduction to be slow and methodical.

"If you prefer taking it slow, that is fine as well." He replied, unaware of Xieren's filthy thoughts at the moment. His own was lily-white in its purity. "It feels better that way too. Now come with me."

"As you wish."

***

Liang Fei couldn't really describe the feeling he had when he saw Xieren burst into the room. He'd felt like he was going to burst before, like a balloon with too much air but stubbornly hanging on.

He was going to break. It was too much.

Then Xieren arrived and the pressure eased. He had almost burst into tears at his arrival, as if knowing it was safe to do so now that he was there.

It was a silly thought and made him want to chastise himself for acting like that. Xieren didn't need him crying like some wasteful leech. He had a role. Teacher and temporary lover. Doing more than that would just...

It would make things harder when it all came to an end.

Once they reached the bedroom, Liang Fei pointed to the bed.

"I need you to get on the bed."

"Oh?" Xieren teased, placing his hand on the elder's waist. "How forward of you."

"Don't play games. It isn't that." He pushed the junior away. "I just need you to be lying down or it won't work."

"Won't work?" Xieren blinks, a bit confused. "This 'something'?"

"Yes."

"Alright." Obeying his command, Xieren walk over and collapsed onto the spread, relaxing as he sunk into the bed. He wasn't sure if he'd bound again but raised his arms above his head in anticipation. "Well?"

"On your stomach, I mean."

"Are you sure you aren't planning something, Shizun?" He pressed, rolling over. "I seem to recall that this is a position you like to-"

"Xieren, behave yourself." He scolded, walking into the other room. "Just wait for me there."

"Right right." 

So he waited, the ever obedient Xieren waiting with bated breath to see what this something was. He had a feeling it wasn't sex but if Shizun said he'd like it, he was sure he would.

Minutes later, Liang Fei returned to the room and crawled onto the bed beside Xieren.

"Please remove your shirt." 

"Only my shirt?" He cooed, looking over his shoulder at the man. The elder had changed clothes as well, wearing only an inner robe.

"I don't want to mess it up with the oil." He explained, holding up the jug.

"Oil and striping me down. Are you sure you aren't preparing more than just a 'something'?"

"Xieren." The warning in his voice quieted his teasing, his body moving to obey his master's commands. Baring his chest, he took a peek at his partner, wanting to see if he liked the view.

Liang Fei saw but showed no indication of doing so. He'd spent years mastering the art of peeking at things without being noticed. All the stuffed animals he couldn't buy without being called weird or the adorable animals that would whimper under his intense gaze.

All of them were safely stored in his mind for later admiration. Xieren's... impressive physique was just another thing to admire at a later date.

Seeing no reaction, Xieren could only sigh and lie back down, waiting for his 'something'. To his surprise, Liang Fei climbed onto his back, resting on his butt

Feeling his shaft pressed against his cheeks heated Xieren's blood and made his mind go wild. The elder's hands rested on his lower back, intensifying his imagination and making his face flush.

"What's wrong?" The elder asked, leaning down. "Your muscles are all stiff now."

There are other things that were stiff. He thought, though he couldn't speak just then. He shook his head, his mind clearing a bit as he did so.

His fantasy would have to come another time.

Liang Fei didn't think much of this and continued with his task. Pouring oil into his palms, rubbing them together to warm and pressing down onto the man's back. The muscles were stiff and hot, making it hard to work with.

He pointed ignored the scratch marks he saw there, not wanting to think about it.

All the while, Xieren laid beneath him, wanting to see what would come of this. He definitely liked being touched and the oil filled the air with a nice smell but he couldn't figure out what was so nice about this-

A loud pop echoed through the room, followed by a sensual groan from Xieren. The demon King, feared by all, melted beneath the amateur handling of Liang Fei.

"How was that?"

"Amazing~" He moaned, feeling the tension he hadn't known was there fade away. "Do that again."

The elder brightened up, happy he had made Xieren feel good. 

"I'm not an expert but I understand the basics of this." He stated, continuing his massage with a little more confidence.

"This is the 'something'?"

"A massage." He corrected, pressing harder into his back. "You work hard so I thought it would be a nice thing to do for you."

That and he had helped him sleep through the flight to the darklands. It was the least he could do.

"All for just working?" Xieren chuckled, suppressing another moan. "You'll start to make me look forward to this if you make it so appealing, Shizun."

"I'm really not that good at this." But he was glad Xieren was enjoying this.

"You've never done this with anyone else?" He asked, his eyes looking back at his partner intensely. The elder shook his head and Xieren relaxed a bit. "Not even that Xuetian guy?"

"How do you know about-"

"You mentioned him before." He stated, letting out a breath. "Was he the guy from your story about your scar?"

"Oh, yes. He was a good friend of mine." Liang Fei stopped, muttering to himself. "I wonder how he is doing now."

He hadn't seen Xuetian afterward so he worried about the man. Despite his promiscuity, he was a good man.

"Were you close?" Xieren asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"As close as friends can be. We were practically brothers."

"I see."

"What about you?" He asked, rolling over to lie beside Xieren. "You and Xuejie are still as close as ever.

"He's an idiot." He grumbled, thinking of all the dumb jokes he often told him. He never understood what the human was talking about but he could sense they were supposed to be amusing somehow.

He didn't understand what a galaxy was nor its connection to guards.

"Perhaps but you trust him." He offered, staring up at the ceiling.

"Yes." Despite everything telling him that he shouldn't, he did trust Xuejie. The man might be an idiot but something told him that the man wouldn't betray him.

The two sat in silence, one staring up at the ceiling as the other stared at his bed partner. Xieren was enjoying the view, resisting the urge to caress his master's face, when he spoke.

"Xieren?"

"Mn?" Xieren's fingers itched to touch the man beside him. He reached out to do just that.

"Why did you believe me?" 

His hand dropped. "I don't understand."

"You said, you'd always believe me but when I told you about my body, surely you had some doubts, right?" He knew the freebie given to him would help fool people but Xieren had definitely mentioned how different he and the original Liang Fei was. He'd gotten upset about it before but thinking back, the freebie must not have worked on Xieren so surely he had some doubts.

Yet to his surprise, Xieren responded, "No."

At this, Liang Fei sat up, turning to Xieren. "Not even a little?"

"No." 

Had he not been paying attention when Xieren said he believed everything his master said? How annoying that he had to repeat himself so often.

Yet Liang Fei was left flabbergasted, not truly believing Xieren just then. 

"Why?" He pressed. "Surely my story must have sounded insane." 

"It did," He conceded. Had it been anyone else, he would have never believed a word of his fantastical tale. "but I knew it was you long before you told me."

"How?"

"Your scent."

"My scent?" He echoed, his brows furrowed deeply. He sniffed his sleeve. "Do I smell?"

"Yes, you smell like Shizun." He chuckled, pulling Liang Fei down to cuddle with him. He pressed his face into his hair and took in his lovely scent. "I can't describe it but you are the only one with a scent like that. It's like nothing in this world."

He wondered briefly in his scent was unique due to him being from another world, Perhaps he smelled like the modern world?

He wondered what he smelled like. Hopefully something pleasant.

"What about Xuejie?" He asked, curious. "Does he smell like me?"

"Why bring him up?" Xieren grimaced, glaring down at his master for ruining his happy mood.

"I'm curious."

"Xuejie smells similar to you but very different." He said, through gritted teeth. He couldn't say what the smell was but they both smelled like mist sometimes. It wasn't unpleasant just stuffy. "Shizun's scent is not one I'd ever mistake, however. So even though your body is different, I knew it was you."

(AN: The mist smell is kind of like that feeling when you have a stuffy nose. Best comparison I can think of.)

"Speaking of Xuejie," Xieren continued, refusing to let the opportunity pass. "what were you two talking about before?"

He had only entered the room because he smelled how distressed his master was at that moment, yet when he arrived, the elder looked fine. The sour scent had faded as soon as he had arrived.

"Before?" Liang Fei blinked, thinking about it. "Oh, nothing much. I had come to realize Xuejie and I have a lot in common, so we decided to talk more."

When the elder didn't elaborate further, Xieren continued to press. 

"About?"

"Stuff."

"Stuff?"

The elder nodded. "En." 

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"I see." He grumbled, feeling annoyed. His master was keeping secrets from him clearly. He wasn't sure what they were but he'd figure it out later. For now, he'd let the matter go.

He rolled over, reaching over Liang Fei to go through his discarded robe hanging off the edge of the bed.

Liang Fei watched him, feeling a bit guilty for not telling Xieren the truth. He wanted to but he still had to come up with a way to explain everything. Talking to Xuejie, he realized he couldn't keep lying to Xieren. Even if their relationship was shortlived, he deserved to know who Liang Fei truly was.

He just had to figure out a way to do that without overloading Xieren's trust in him.

 "Shizun," Xieren held out the yellow and black gemstone hanging off a string. "is this yours?"

"Ah, you found it!" The elder took hold of it, pressing it to his chest. The energy within pulsed against his skin. "I was so worried when I couldn't find it the other day. Thank you."

Xieren could sense the reaction from the gem and frowned. It hadn't responded like that to him or his scholars when they'd held it yet resonated with him? 

Yet Liang Fei didn't look to have noticed it, at least not outwardly.

"Do you know what it is?" He asked, laying back down beside the elder. His eyes roamed over the older man's face, looking for a reaction.

There was none.

"A jewel." He replied, tying the necklace around his neck. It radiated energy and he felt it resonate with the cultivation he'd already accumulated.

It was quite a shock to learn he had somehow cultivated on his own, without the stone. When he brought it up to Xuejie, he'd mentioned something called dual cultivation. It was an ancient practice but nigh impossible to achieve.

In order to do it, the two people had to be compatible with one another in such a way that it fueled each other's growth. Not to mention, it took a lot of... unions to notice the change so even if one found their perfect partner, the amount of work needed to do it would tire even the most dedicated masters.

(AN: In simple terms: It's like farming a monster for a certain drop item while not knowing if the monster you're after even drops the item.)

"I see." He mumbled, his expression unreadable. "Take care of it better. We almost left it behind. He reached out to tuck the jewel away out of sight. "He Qing brought it back."

"Then I must thank him later for it."

Had he lost such a precious thing, he might die later on after he and Xieren break up.

"You won't be doing 'something' for him, will you?" He growled, leaning down to bite an exposed ear. "Will you?"

"It's called a massage and no, I wouldn't." The elder stated, pushing Xieren's mouth away. "That would be inappropriate."

Asking another man to strip was bound to cause misunderstandings and trouble for Xieren.

Xieren, on the other hand, brightened up at his words.

"Ah, so you do know what and what not to do with others."

"Xieren is different from others." He explained, leaning in close to Xieren. Pressing his cheek to the man's bare chest, hearing his steady heartbeat, calmed him and los=osend his tongue. "You are very important to me."

Xieren's heart skipped a beat. "H-how so?"

"That..." Liang Fei stopped, feeling self-conscious. It felt terrifying to say his true feelings out loud to the person in question. It could be easily misunderstood if he worded it wrong.

Xieren was important to him the same way a piece of driftwood was important to a man adrift at sea. Liang Fei was someone who had lived his life to help his family, never truly finding any reason outside that.

Now that his family had moved on, the elder found it hard to find a reason to struggle. Life was hard and one needed a drive. Liang Fei lacked one for himself so he latched onto Xieren.

Perhaps it was selfish of him but he needed Xieren. After his role had been fulfilled, he wanted to find that drive for himself. But he couldn't do that until he repaid all his debts.

Meanwhile, Xieren was taking note of his master's silence. That along with the rapidly accelerating pulse echoing through the elder's body made Xieren feel a bit hopeful.

"Has Shizun fallen for me already?" He teased, though he was truly hoping for a confession.

"No no, that isn't it." The elder was quick to deny this, feeling concerned. He didn't want to be a bother to him. "I know my role and won't interfere with your interests."

"...I see." The words said and unsaid echoed through the room, leaving both men to wallow in the silence. Their thoughts miles from that very room.

***

The next morning, when Xuejie was called to meet with Xieren, he knew he was going to die. The demon king, Lord of every brick and heartbeat in the land, was glaring down at him like his most hated enemy.

He was definitely going to die.

Yet minutes passed and his head still remained attached to his neck. Taking a peek from his position far below his throne, Xuejie noticed his friend's introspective gaze.

"Uh." The human's voice echoed through the empty throne room. "Bro, what are you thinking about now?"

Hopefully not how to torture your best buddy~

Xieren sighed, staring out the window as he rested his cheek on his fist. "I'm contemplating how to punish you for embracing Shizun."

"Eh?! But I was just comforting him." He exclaimed, not really expecting such a response. Sure he'd hugged Liang Fei but was that any reason to be punished? Couldn't he have at least lied and said it was some other reason?! "I swear there was nothing lewd or untoward-"

"Shizun should be crying on my shoulder, not yours." He snapped, that hateful glare bearing down on Xuejie.

Ah~ Xuejie felt so hurt. He wasn't even worthy of being cried on? Just how much does this idiot protagonist love Liang Fei? He was nowhere near this unreasonable in the novel. Domineering and fierce but never possessive like this.

"That... that really hurts, man."

"No more than your punishment," He stated before his introspective expression returned. "but I find myself in a conundrum."

"How come?"

Was his bro considering their life long friendship as a reason not to kill him? Had all the work he'd done to sow good intentions and feelings somehow saved him at long last?

"Usually, death is the best punishment, since then I won't have to worry about the person displeasing me again."

Did everything have to be solved with a death penalty!?

"We don't have to go that far!" He insisted, waving his arms frantically to convince the lovesick man before him.

"Yet doing so would displease Shizun, since you too are his student." He sighed, looking torn. Then, as if it were an afterthought, he continued. "As well as our friendship being a reason not to kill you."

"Really!?" Xuejie snapped, jumping to his feet. "Our friendship is only an afterthought compared to Liang Fei being mad?!"

The air grew heavy and cold, Xieren's expression completely blank as he stared down at Xuejie.

"...And you speak so casually about Shizun."

This couldn't be helped, though Xuejie cursed his loose tongue. When they were bonding, Xuejie stopped seeing Liang Fei as his master and more like his brother in arms. They both got screwed over by a system (though they were apparently different ones) and sent to another world. Hence his use of his name as opposed to his title.

That and it turned out that Xuejie was actually the older of the two, so Liang Fei insisted on being called by name.

(AN: XJ was a little older than LF when he died so LF defers to him)

"Uh..."

"Are you close to Shizun now?"

"I... Kind of. Sorta." He replied, a bit unsure how his ally had explained things or how much. Xieren was hard to read. "I was just asking him some stuff about... himself."

"Oh?" An elegant brow rose in question. "And what made you so curious?" 

He considered whether or not to lie just then. He could do it and possibly get away with it but considering the subject, it might be better, to be honest.

Letting out a breath, he replied. "I was just suspicious of his identity."

Xieren narrowed his eyes. "What about it?"

Xuejie frowned, unsure what to make of his reaction.

"You... you know who he is, right?"

"Of course."

His frown deepened. "Do you really?"

"He's our elder, Shao Liang Fei." He clarified, his glare weighing down on the human.

Xuejie sighed, feeling wronged. It turned out that Liang Fei hadn't told him everything yet. Well, he wasn't going to be the one telling him. 

At present, he had his own life to save.

"Yeah, but that's why I was suspicious!" He explained, hoping he'd live through this. "He died, right?"

"Yes, he did." Xieren stared him down, leaving the fearsome man rooted to the spot under his glare. "Now he is alive and I don't want to hear you bothering Shizun anymore, are we clear?"

Of course, he knew about Xuejie's interrogation. while he was sure Liang Fei wouldn't mention it, there were eyes and ears everywhere. He was just lucky that Xieren was his friend or he'd have died yesterday.

"Crystal!" He cried, bowing his head.

Ah, being in love is scary~ He thought, holding his tears. Those in love are scarier.

Xuejie decided it might be best to leave while he was still on Xieren's good side. Yet luck wasn't on his side just then.

"Before you leave," Xieren called out, watching the man freeze. "answer one question."

"Anything."

"How did you find out?" He questioned, his expression unreadable just then. "About his true identity."

"I read Yao Da's report and-"

"We both know you aren't the type to read anything that isn't fictional." He interjected, jumping from his throne. His voice deepened as his anger grew. "Moreover, between the time you left and when Shizun did, there is no way you had the time. So how did you find out?"

"That..."

***

Liang Fei walked through the castle with Yilan following behind him, his mind on a myriad of things.

How to explain his true identity to Xieren.

How to properly teach courtship to Xieren so he could find a wife.

But most importantly, what should he eat for breakfast~

From the suggestions Yilan had listed out, there was too much to choose from and surely not enough days in his life to try out all the combinations. It was too cruel~

"You seem to be in need of assistance." A velvety smooth voice called out, surprising both Liang Fei and Yilan. "Might I offer some?"

The demoness knelt down, her head inclined as she faced the woman. "My lady!"

Liang Fei turned, not expecting to see such a beautiful woman. she looked every part the elegant noble, the air around her full of poise and strength.

Yet what truly cause him to stare was that the woman was someone he knew and hadn't expected to see. Hair as pale as snow and eyes of a corpse, how could he forget such features when they had belonged to his fiancee in his previous life.

"Min Leilian?"

*****

AN: I wanna try making updates more often so from now on, I'll be updating on Sundays and Wednesdays evenings.

Also, for those curious about what joke Xuejie was trying to make, here it is. I found it on laugh factory under pop culture jokes.

Q: What do you call security guards working outside Samsung shops?
A: Guardians of the Galaxy.