By the time Ziyu returns, it’s already dark. Master Jiao obviously takes note of the state of him – of the dirt and leaves and tears in his clothes – but for once, the other doesn’t say anything. He just wordlessly hands him a container of ointment and watches him go.
Ziyu’s injuries are nothing serious, and thanks to the ointment, there’s nothing left of them in the morning.
Ziyu himself is still a wreck though, and he stays in bed all day and then the next. He only gets up once another disciple comes to fetch him, raving on about Master Jiao suddenly having left without notice – no notice beyond a small note telling Ziyu to take care of things in his absence.
And that is fine, honestly. Because at least this proves that Ziyu can be good for something – because as far as Mingyue is concerned, Ziyu is clearly better off keeping his distance. He’s clearly better off keeping his distance, because Mingyue is still dealing with remnants of the poison, with occasionally violent qi deviations as a result.
Ziyu tries not to think of it, tries not to let the feelings of uselessness choke him. He tries to put on a brave face, tries to face his own fears. He doesn’t though. He doesn’t, and then one day, Master Jiao leaves and doesn’t come back – he sends back reports every now and then for a while and then suddenly, they just stop coming. They just stop coming, and then⸺
Ziyu doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know what to do, so he just keeps working. He just keeps working, because apparently, that’s about the only thing that he’s actually good at.
Yi Yeguang, the newly appointed Sect Leader, even says so himself. Well, maybe not in those words, but he does say that he appreciates Ziyu’s work ethics. And that’s good enough, honestly. That’s⸺
“So, what’s the verdict?”
Ziyu’s head hurts. He seems to be lying on the floor, but he doesn’t remember how he got there. Had he fallen down? Had he stumbled?
That’s not all however. This isn’t his office. This is⸺
“Overwork.”
It’s Mingyue. Even in this state, Ziyu would recognise that cold voice anywhere. But why is Mingyue here? Why⸺?
There’s a sigh, and then a rustle of cloth as someone else crouches beside him.
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Sect Leader Yeguang says. “I told him to delegate, but⸺”
Coming to think of it⸺
“Take care of it,” he says, straightening back up. “If I recommend him for Peak Lord while he’s in that kind of state, the other’s definitely won’t⸺”
Huh?
Ziyu is confused, and he cracks his eyes open. It takes effort and that effort is soon for naught. Because before long, a cold hand covers them, and then everything becomes blissfully dark.
Master Jiao is gone, and Bai Jixue as well.
Now there’s only Jiao Ziyu, and Bai Mingyue.
No, that’s⸺
No, that’s not⸺
No, that’s not actually⸺
“Oh, I think he’s waking up.”
Cracking his eyes open, Jiao Ziyu found himself staring up an unfamiliar ceiling. It was soon obscured however, obscured by a face. It wasn’t Mingyue’s though, surprisingly enough.
“What happened?” he asked – or rather, wanted to ask. What actually came out was something far less eloquent; a weak croak.
“You collapsed,” Yue bluntly told him. “You’ve been sleeping for three days.”
Oh. Okay then. “Sorry.”
“Not sure what you’re sorry for, but okay,” Yue said, nodding to Youming Jun, who quickly helped Jiao Ziyu to sit up while he himself prepared something for him to drink. “Anyways, what’s the last thing you remember?”
Huh. That was a rather strange question – and a surprisingly difficult one to answer at that.
“I remember talking to Venerable Master Bai... and after that... I think that was the Demon King...?”
“It was,” Youming Jun readily admitted. “He dumped you here.”
Oh. Okay then. “And then I crashed.”
“Yes.”
Right. “Where’s Mingyue?”
“...With Grandmaster Jixue.”
Well, no surprises there, huh?
Still⸺ “Did anything important happen during the three days I was out?”
At first, neither of the two said anything, exchanging a brief look before Youming Jun finally answered: “I guess you could say that.”
Huh, well that sounded positively alarming. “Do I even want to know?”
“Even if you don’t want to, you probably should,” Yue said in turn. “But⸺”
He trailed off, glancing at the Demon Prince before finally sighing, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
“Later,” he eventually decided. “We should talk about that... later.”
“...You probably shouldn’t wait until the day of the wedding though.”
Blearily, Jiao Ziyu looked towards the demon bastard next. “...Wedding?”
To this, Youming Jun promptly grinned.
“Ours,” he then immediately said, tugging Yue against his side while Yue in turn just lightly rolled his eyes.
“You honestly couldn’t resist it, could you?” the medicinal cultivator then said, shooting a mildly exasperated yet undeniably fond look the other’s way.
“Nope,” Youming Jun readily admitted, then turned his gaze back towards Jiao Ziyu, saying: “I mean, technically, Yue and I are already pretty much married by Demon Realm standards, but... I figured, with everything more or less settled now and with everyone in one place, why not also do the ceremonial bit so that there’ll be no more room for any confusion?”
Huh. Well, there was a whole lot of things contained in that statement, and Jiao Ziyu had only just woken up. He was starting to feeling better though, undoubtedly thanks to whatever had been in that concoction Yue had just given him. It better not have been some sort of aphrodisiac though, because if so, then Jiao Ziyu would definitely get revenge. That said however⸺ “What are the Demon Realm standards for... that sort of thing?”
Jiao Ziyu figured it’d probably be useful to know at some point. It was likely something physical too, considering Mingyue’s reaction back then.
“Well,” Youming Jun said. “Different demon clans have different customs about courtship and mating and that sort of thing. And as far as marriage goes, well...”
He trailed off, looking towards Yue who just sighed, shook his head and said: “Simply put, he marked me. He bit me, and since I survived and didn’t kill him afterwards, this means we’re now bonded mates.”
Hah? “Biting means marriage?” But in that case⸺
“It’s not just any bite!” the Demon Prince protested. “Like, it has to be done in a certain place and under certain circumstances for it to count!”
“It doesn’t have to be intentional either,” Yue said, completely disregarding the despairing look this earned him. “What? You were completely out of your mind at the time. I’d just saved your sorry hide and nearly got myself killed for it. If not for that, then you would’ve undoubtedly⸺”
Huh? Stop, stop, stop⸺ “He attacked you.”
“Yes,” Yue said.
“And then he...” Jiao Ziyu trailed off, not sure how to finish that sentence. Because judging by what he had heard and seen up until this point, he definitely had his suspicions and he vividly recalled Mingyue going from incensed to utterly livid.
“He bit me and drained me of most of my qi,” Yue said, utterly ruthless even as the Demon Prince winced. “And then⸺”
“I took good care of you afterwards!” Youming Jun whined, hugging him from behind and rubbing his face into the back of his neck. “Didn’t I do a good job?”
At this, Yue shot Jiao Ziyu a look that was full of exasperation. Nevertheless, he did reach up to pat the other’s head to the extent that the angle would allow.
“I guess you did keep me alive,” Yue said. “Against my own wishes at the time.”
Ah. Yeah, that’d probably explain a thing or two. Still⸺ “And now?”
“Well, I’m still here, aren’t I?” Yue said. “Jun, don’t be clingy. Didn’t I already promise to marry you again? This time, I won’t forget.”
Huh. “Are you sure?”
Perhaps it was a bit insensitive of Jiao Ziyu to ask, but⸺
“Yeah,” Yue said, putting his hands on top of the arms encircling him from behind. “This time, I’ll be sure to remember. I mean, it definitely helps now that the System’s no longer around to scramble my brains.”
Ah. “That’s certainly an image.”
“I suppose it is,” Yue said, offering up a mild shrug before patting the arms more incessantly. “Jun, that’s enough. I can’t focus if you’re keep distracting me.”
At this, there was a definite reaction, and soon, the Demon Prince moved his head off to one side, leaning his chin against Yue’s shoulder. “I distract you?”
“Yes.”
“How so?”
At this, there was an undeniably exasperated sigh. Then Yue reached up to pet the Demon Prince’s head, which Youming Jun clearly appreciated, rubbing up against the hand in a distinctly feline manner, a low purr rising in his throat.
“Well,” Yue said. “I was trying to preserve a bit of your dignity, but if you don’t care, then I won’t bother.”
“I don’t care,” Youming Jun mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut in obvious contentment. “Besides, it’s only Jiao Ziyu.”
It’s only Jiao Ziyu, huh? Honestly⸺ “Like father, like son, I guess.”
Predictably, this stirred a reaction from the Demon Prince.
“Fuck no,” he protested. “I’m nothing like him.”
“He’s not wrong actually,” Yue unexpectedly quipped. “There are definite similarities.”
Youming Jun shot him a mildly scandalised look. He looked so indignant that Jiao Ziyu nearly laughed at the sight. Still⸺ “How do you know?”
Because how would the other know what Master Jiao was like? Master Jiao had after all died years before Yue had been born into this world, and the sabre that Master Jiao had come to inhabit had been destroyed back in the cave while Yue was still⸺
“I saw him in Grandmaster’s memories,” Yue easily admitted. “They flowed into me when he fed me his blood.”
Uh⸺ “But when did he⸺?”
Actually, no, Jiao Ziyu didn’t really need to ask. Still⸺ “Why?”
“Strong healing properties,” Yue said. “Flying panacea.”
Right. Well, that definitely sounded like an incredibly interesting but also incredibly dangerous piece of information. And although curious, Jiao Ziyu wasn’t sure he wanted to know more. First, he needed to talk to Mingyue. After that, he’d decide.
Ah. Merely thinking about it made his head hurt.
“How long until the wedding?”
“It’ll probably be a few more days,” Youming Jun finally answered. “Maybe even another week. It depends.”
Hoh. “It depends on what?”
Neither of them seemed to want to answer that, and right now, Jiao Ziyu found that he was much too tired and that his head hurt way too much for him to bother pursuing the matter any further, at least for now.
“Right,” he just said, cradling his aching head. “I guess I definitely have time for another nap then.”
“Sure,” Youming Jun said, watching him as he laid back down. “I was thinking about taking one as well.”
“You should probably do the fittings first,” Yue said. “Or rather, we should, but⸺”
He trailed off, seemingly becoming lost in thought.
Youming Jun seemed to notice Jiao Ziyu’s confusion though and helpfully supplied him with a: “Bai Mingyue’s been working on it... trying to prolong the inevitable.”
Ah. Yeah, that kind of made sense. Still⸺ “Mingyue’s a perfectionist, and wedding attires tend to be rather elaborate.”
Also, knowing Mingyue, he’d insist on doing most of it himself, because while he undoubtedly had a lot of feelings about the matter at hand, he wasn’t so petty that he wouldn’t get the work done.
After all, if Mingyue wanted to ensure that this wedding ceremony didn’t happen, then he would’ve taken out the groom, not refused to finish the wedding robes.
Still⸺ “Don’t tease him too much. Mingyue’s always been... rather possessive of the those he loves. It’s very... difficult for him to let them go.”
Yes, Mingyue was⸺
