He’s happy. Hongyan is very happy, satisfied, sated.
His new mate sleeps curled up in a nest of pillows and blankets as rumpled as he is, and looking at him, Hongyan thinks that this had all gone way beyond his expectations – beyond his wildest dreams even.
Because yes, Hongyan had definitely entertained serious notions of eventually courting the bird, especially so after seeing him in a body befitting of his actual age. However, he hadn’t actually thought he’d be able to bed him this quickly, without undergoing some gruelling trials in order to prove his worth.
Then again, perhaps him swooping in to capture all the Systems and then basically handing them over to Jixue on a silver platter had counted? Hongyan had butted into the other’s ‘Mission’ for sure, but thanks to him doing just that, Jixue had been free to deal with the rest, no?
And Jixue had come back to him as promised – well, as instructed. But regardless of the semantics, he had come back and then practically passed out on top of Hongyan’s bed. And later, he’d asked Hongyan to groom him. He’d asked Hongyan for help.
And how could Hongyan have resisted?
Indeed, he might’ve had something of a deal with the current Peak Lord Bai, but that had become null and void the moment Hongyan had fulfilled his end of the bargain. And so, he’d made a new one – with Jixue.
He’d brought Jixue to the Systems, and System 225 had settled things – things that included severing its bond with Jixue, which had left Jixue a lot more open to other possible bonds.
Granted, the System no longer being there to balance him had likely also made Jixue a whole lot more susceptible, both to Hongyan’s advances and to Hongyan’s presence in general. Still, Hongyan hadn’t been quite enough of a bastard to bed him right then and there, figuring he could wait for a while yet.
Thus, they’d waited – to an extent.
Like sure, they’d done the important things, but⸺
Looking at his new mate, Hongyan once again thanks the Heavens – as well as his late sister – for the fact that Jiao Zilei had not been around by the time Jixue had reached full-on maturity. Because while the man had been a fool, his spiritual root and qi reserves had been nothing to scoff at.
Furthermore, the other had always possessed a strong Yang energy, which Jixue – as naturally Yang-deficient – would unwittingly gravitate towards, especially so in a situation wherein something had lowered his inhibitions.
Fortunately, Jixue had held strong even in such situations, and while he’d been away, Limao had unwittingly done away with the competition – and then Hongyan had done away with her, leaving him as the only serious contender.
Because, given Limao’s past actions – namely her seducing half of Hongyan’s then-harem and then Jiao Zilei on top of that – Hongyan really wouldn’t have put it past her to put the moves on Hongyan’s intended mate.
The pair had already been acquainted after all, and with a mutual interest in medicine, they’d obviously found common ground.
Granted, Limao might not have had much Yang energy of her own to share, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t have provided it if need be.
In fact, if that Jiao Zilei hadn’t ended up as the first potential sacrifice, then Hongyan himself would’ve probably⸺
Where had Hongyan been going with this again?
Right, he was happy. He’d regretted plenty of things in his life – things done and things left undone – but right now, he’s happy. He’s happy because Jixue is there – because Jixue had decided to stay behind. If he’d decided to leave, then Hongyan would’ve let him go. But now is different, now⸺
Hongyan doesn’t want to leave, but unfortunately, duty calls.
Apparently, the Royal Council has a thing or two or twenty to discuss, but Hongyan hopes that things will be over relatively quickly.
As it turns out however, his hopes are for naught, because the meeting drags on for at least two hours.
Worse yet, when Hongyan returns to the royal bedchambers, exhausted to the bone, he finds that Jixue is nowhere to be found.
That isn’t all that he finds however – he sees it nearly immediately; the bangle neatly laid out atop a pillow, clearly left out there for him to find, and upon seeing it, Hongyan cannot help but mumble: “Huh. Guess he got me.”
Maybe Jixue just needs some time. Maybe Jixue just needs some space. Maybe he had just gone out for some fresh air and would be returning soon?
In any case, Hongyan won’t go after him. Instead, he will wait.
Hours turn to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to more months, and before Hongyan knows it, he finds himself scouring the Demon Realm and the Human Realm and the Borderlands for any sign of his wayward mate. Because without the ankle bracelet, the other proves annoyingly difficult to find.
Perhaps it’s because the other doesn’t want to be found. Still, even if that is the case, Hongyan will continue looking. He’ll find him and find out the reason why, and if Jixue wanted to be left alone afterwards, then Hongyan would oblige.
Until then however, he would keep looking.
Eventually, he finds himself up north, revisiting the frozen wastelands.
Few demons call this hostile terrain their home, and the snowstorm that greets him upon his arrival nearly makes him turn back around. He doesn’t though, unlike the first few times he’d dropped by – something keeps pulling him here, and Hongyan hopes it’s not just reminiscence.
Snowflakes whirl around him, and the chilly wind bites into his cheeks.
Today, the wind carries more than just though, because as Hongyan breathes in, he catches the faint tang of blood.
There’s a carcass somewhere nearby, and there’s little reason for such. There’s little reason except one, and Hongyan moves his head, staring out into the storm as he tries to pinpoint the source.
Eventually, he manages to track it down to some windswept cliff face, and soon he stands on top of it, peering over the edge. He still isn’t sure where the scent is coming from, but he can tell that he’s getting closer.
Narrowing his eyes against the wind, he eventually pinpoints what looks like a small ledge from above. After looking around some more, he then determines it would be his best bet. Then he steps right off of the cliff.
Hongyan falls, but makes sure to fortify himself with qi to avoid getting swept away by the winds. It’s not a particularly easy task however, especially given his quite bulky winter coat. However, difficult or not, he manages it, not only making the landing but keeping his balance as well.
Unfortunately, it turns out that this ledge isn’t the one he’s looking for.
That’s not a huge issue however, because from his new vantage point, Hongyan has a clear view of another, and with another leap, he soon finds himself standing upon it, having managed to catch himself just in time before a particularly vicious blast of wind had almost carried him off.
It wouldn’t have mattered though, because Hongyan could’ve jumped right back to this place – because this is definitely the right place.
There’s a cave, its entrance partially sealed but not entirely, and Hongyan quickly slips inside, bulky winter coat and all. He makes sure to move the small boulder back into place though, shutting out most of the wind and some of the cold while leaving him in complete darkness.
This poses no real obstacle to him however, because Hongyan has excellent night vision. Besides, he doesn’t really need to see every detail to make out the partially stripped carcass of some beast laid out near the cave entrance.
Looking at it, Hongyan has a niggling feeling that he should probably recognise the thing – the blood smells vaguely familiar somehow. That’s not all that smells familiar though.
Jixue, he thinks, keeping his steps quiet and his presence hidden. Because Jixue is there, and as Hongyan rounds the corner, he finally sees him; his wings to be specific, emitting a strange glow where he lies, curled up and unmoving.
“Jixue?”
No response. Hongyan moves closer.
“Jixue?”
Again, there’s no response. Hongyan immediately closes the distance.
“Jixue?”
He’s breathing, but cold to the touch; his face, at least.
With little hesitation, Hongyan shrugs off his coat before crouching back down, covering Jixue with it as he checks him over.
Sleeping. What is he doing out in this cold hellhole when there’s a warm bed that he’s perfectly welcome to? Well, at least he seems to have been eating, although clearly not enough, given his evident state of exhaustion.
“You know,” Hongyan mutters, tucking him in. “I’m starting to realise why your species is practically extinct.”
There’s no immediate response – not from Jixue, at any rate.
Instead, Hongyan pulls back his hand with a hiss, more startled than pained. Then he squints, trying to make out what little creature has just attached its maw to his hand.
Eventually, he just gives up though, and uses his other hand to conjure up enough light to take a proper look at it.
This soon reveals not just one but two fluffy little tots, one still biting into his hand quite viciously, and for a good moment, Hongyan just stares – seeing but not really comprehending what he sees.
Then, with another glance towards Jixue, he finally understands. He finally understands and starts to purr, receiving a low growl for his efforts. Hongyan doesn’t let this bother him however. Instead, he purrs even louder, using the light to distract the little ones while saturating the immediate area in soothing qi.
Before long, they’ve both dozed off, and soon after that, they’re both sleeping quite soundly – and only then does Hongyan really pick them up to take a closer look, confirming that yes, those are indeed children, and yes, those are indeed his. He nuzzles them, purring still, making sure to mark them both with his scent before carefully putting them back down and bundling them up alongside his wayward mate.
“Well,” Hongyan mutters as he bends back down to scoop up all three of them. “This will be interesting to explain to the Council.”
And he had, eventually.
Reactions had been understandably mixed, and for a brief moment, Hongyan had feared that Jixue might just end up killing Xunyun, his most trusted advisor. He hadn’t though – he’d backed down, and then he’d promptly taken the kids with him and left. He hadn’t gone far though, and by the time Hongyan had gone to find him, he hadn’t really said anything.
Instead, Hongyan had asked him: “Are you really fine with this?”
And Jixue had said “Yes” and nothing further.
He’d said even less when time had come for their departure – for Hongyan to drop the kids off, as per a pre-negotiated agreement – and not for the first time, Hongyan wondered if this was really the right decision.
He obviously didn’t let this show however as he cheerfully greeted Mingyue and the rest, including the current Sect Leader – one Yi Yeguang, if Hongyan’s memories served him right.
“Greetings, dear friends,” he said. “How do you feel about taking part in some species conservation efforts?”
There was no real need to ask though, because an agreement had already been reached beforehand – with Mingyue, at least. And although Mingyue wasn’t technically the highest authority here, the highest authority in these parts had turned out to be even more sensible than Hongyan had initially hoped for.
Of course, that wasn’t to say that the other didn’t have any sort of spine, because although the Sect Leader bowed and said they’d be honoured, it was evident that the other’s words and true opinions on the matter different significantly. It was nothing nefarious though – merely stressed exasperation.
As for Mingyue, the other was obviously torn in-between inflicting violence upon Hongyan and getting a closer look at his master’s offspring – and naturally, curiosity won out. There was curiosity on both sides though, and Hongyan wasn’t worried. He’d stay for a bit, simply to let them get situated, and then, he would leave.
Thinking this, Hongyan looked towards a visibly stressed Jiao Ziyu and said: “Nice weather, isn’t it?”
