“What made you become a cultivator?”

 

Zhou Lieren turned his head to look at Huo Huli when he asked his question. They sat at the base of a plum tree, where they eventually ended up after their brief fondling. Well, if one could call it fondling. After complaining that his body couldn’t take it, Huo Huli had offered his thighs which he used to pump his cock in between. The feeling of his sliding between his slick covered flesh was pale in comparison to being inside Huo Huli, but it was a fair compromise where they didn’t ruin their clothes and instead both finished by cumming against a tree.

 

Now they were cuddled together, his arm wrapped around Huo Huli with a hand that rested at his waist. He thought about how best to answer Huo Huli’s question.

 

“I don’t really know if I had a choice. I was in a village not far from Tiger’s Grotto, and my mother passed away a year before my Shizun found me. It felt more life or death at the time, but at seven years old, I don’t think I could come up with any solution other than to take his offer.”

 

Huo Huli’s eyebrows furrowed and his lips which were swollen red from their kissing still frowned. “Does the Seven Star sect just...up and pick orphans?”

 

“Sometimes,” he used his other hand to stroke a thumb over Huo Huli’s chin. “Shizun offered me a place at his side because he noticed my ren and du meridians were open. He thought I’d make a good cultivator and disciple.”

 

“Ahhhh,” Huo Huli’s face relaxed and his small smile returned. “That explains how skilled you are.”

 

“You think I’m skilled?” The subtle praise made his heart light and he could feel a smile on his own lips.

 

A slender finger poked his chest hard, “I told you to not ask questions you know the answer to. Of course you are skilled.”

 

His smile grew just a bit more, “Maybe I like hearing you compliment me.”

 

Huo Huli settled back, folding his arms over his chest and closed his eyes with his nose in the air. “If you want compliments, then I guess I can tell you that it takes a great man to be in such control. You hide your aura and have been able to master your soul sword in such a way that I’ve never seen before. It’s also quite beautiful, and I don’t know why you haven’t shared it before. Your martial art skills are exceptional and...well…”

 

A touch of pink colored Huo Huli’s cheeks and he opened his eyes slightly but looked down towards his feet stretched out in front of him. “You are very talented! So,” he turned his head back to Zhou Lieren with a glare that held little malice but a pout. “You shouldn’t need me to sing your praises! Remember my words for another time when you try to question your abilities.”

 

Good. Very well. That will be all. Those were words he desperately wanted to earn growing up, because they were the only ones afforded to him. Listening to Huo Huli speak about him in such a way felt like poetry. His heart ached inside his chest but something flapped around in his belly like a bird in a cage. He was overwhelmed and didn’t know how to respond, so he leaned down to capture Huo Huli’s mouth in another kiss. 

 

Huo Huli let out a tiny gasp and moan, but the sounds quickly turned into protest and Zhou Lieren’s face was pushed away by both of Huo Hulo’s hands.

 

“You!” Huo Huli practically bristled as he lowered his hands. “You keep your paws to yourself for a little while!”

 

“Paws?” He tilted his head and Huo Huli’s blush went scarlet.

 

“You...you behave as ruthlessly as an animal when you’re like this. Like a hungry little wolf!”

 

“Why a wolf?” He was genuinely curious.

 

“Is it that strange?” Huo Huli huffed, “If I have to be a fox, certainly you can be a wolf.”

 

He thought back on when Huo Huli confessed that he dreamed of him, and it seemed often enough that Huo Huli told him to be more agreeable like the version Huo Huli dreamed of. He bent down closer again, but just out of kissing range. Huo Huli lifted his hands again and looked prepared to defend against another kiss. 

 

“...Do you dream of me as a wolf?”

 

Huo Huli went wide eyed and paled considerably, his cheeks matched the color of his cinnabar huidian. So it’s true! Zhou Lieren exaggerated his grin, trying to make it appear predatory and wolfish as he loomed over him. Huo Huli’s expression turned murderous.

 

“Change the subject!” He yelled, turning his head away with a swish of his hair that almost hit him in the face.

 

He remembered what Huo Cheng said about how he saw what was happening to his cousin and told his brother. Somehow that led Huo Huli to join the sect, but he wanted to know his side of the story. He obliged and asked, “Why did you become a cultivator?”

 

“Mmm...well,” Huo Huli shifted and bent his knees, bringing them close to his chest. “After what happened at the party, I wanted to end my life. I thought it was the only way to preserve my honor, and honestly I didn’t want to think about the whole thing. I confessed to my mother, and she and my cousin Guowang - he’s our Elder now - pressed my father to let me join. My father doesn’t know anything, though.”

 

“Then...I guess we both fell into this.” He brushed his lips against the top of Huo Huli’s head. The heavenly beauty sighed, but this time it didn’t sound so sad but in relief. 

 

“I agree, but unlike you, I had very little talent at the start.” Huo Huli chuckled and leaned his head onto Zhou Lieren’s shoulder. “Neither of my extraordinary vessels were open, and I was very frustrated. I...well...you might get mad…”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Huo Huli scuffed his boot against the ground and continued, “I forced them all open by myself.”

 

“Huo Huli!” He balked, jerking back so far that Huo Huli’s head fell until he caught himself and sat upright. “That’s incredibly dangerous!”

 

Cultivating took years to develop and there had to be a certain patience and perseverance in order to master one’s self and abilities. Sometimes it came naturally to people, like himself, but it didn’t mean that he didn’t have to work just as hard as a person who didn’t have their meridians open.

 

What Huo Huli did could have resulted in an extreme qi deviation, risking death. It was absurd for someone to do so, especially so young. He assumed that was how his Shizun died, by possibly trying to force something. That thought made it hard to breathe.

 

“Aiya, calm down.” He patted Zhou Lieren on top of his head. “I am here, aren’t I? And don’t worry, I got my punishment later. Guowang gave me thirty strikes with a cane on each arm.”

 

He reached out and touched his arm, needing that little bit of contact to reassure himself that he was here and fine. Zhou Lieren remembered the dream he had of Shizun, and a sense of unease began to rise. “Were you alright?”

 

“Then? No.” Huo Huli chuckled, “I was a mess after what I did, then I had to have my punishment. My cousin was my Shizun before he became an Elder, so it was his responsibility. He didn’t hold back but he cried after he hit me.”

 

He could only manage to whisper, “I am sure he was worried about your safety…”

 

“That is true, he was. After that, I promised not to be a problematic disciple ever again.” Huo Huli turned to look up at Zhou Lieren, his eyes warm and kind. Those beautiful, reddened lips parted with a little smile. Frustration and something else felt like it was choking him.

 

“What have I told you?” Huo Huli spoke softly, a hint of laughter under the surface of his bright eyes. “There’s no need to frown.”

 

The words spat out of his mouth before he could hold them back, “My Shizun died from a qi deviation.” 

 

Huo Huli’s smile dropped and his eyes widened. Zhou Lieren turned away from him, fists clenched on top of his bent knees. He couldn’t shake the memory of the dream, when it was a simpler time with Shizun. Even though he could not have something with Zhou Jiang, it didn’t lessen how much it hurt to lose him. Now with how much Huo Huli made him feel and that he returned the same affection, the fear of losing him gripped his chest. The stabbing pain in the center made his breath hitch.

 

“It isn’t something to make light of,” he ground out between his teeth.

 

“Lieren…” Huo Huli’s hand came over one of his, his thumb running over the back of his hand. “I’m sorry, I was being flippant and offended you. Do you...want to talk about it?”

 

He looked at Huo Huli’s hand then at his face. His worried expression did something to Zhou Lieren’s heart that made it race and he reached out for him. With one arm he pulled Huo Huli close to his chest and shifted their positions so Huo Huli rested between his legs. He strained to not squeeze the breath out of Huo Huli with his embrace. Huo Huli didn’t complain one bit and only wiggled slightly to get comfortable before settling against him.

 

“Huo Huli, could you tell me a story?” He asked with a hoarse whisper and pressed his face into his lovely, soft hair.

 

“Of course, if that’s really what you want?” He nodded, rubbing his cheek against the top of Huo Huli’s head. “Alright then. I hope anything will do, because the only story that comes to mind is the time the snake swallowed the sun…”

 

Huo Huli’s words drifted from his mind, instead focusing on the sound of his voice and how nice it felt to just listen to him. Hearing and touching him meant that he was alive, and he needed that reassurance. Zhou Lieren needed this Celestial Fox to be immortal, because he was not sure he could survive losing another.