A-Qi

Lin Qingyang returned to his room and changed out of the clothes he had just stained with blood. Seeing the marks on his arm, he thought again of the scene he had witnessed in the Illusion Realm. So the original owner's wounds were all self-inflicted? What exactly was going on?

But he had no time to dwell on that now. That incident in the treasure pavilion had set his blood surging again. He would be meeting Chimei tomorrow, and he had to recover as much Spiritual Power as possible.

Lin Qingyang took his medicine, then sat on the couch, closed his eyes, and began regulating his breathing. As Spiritual Power circulated throughout his body, his Divine Sense soon entered a boundless void.

He opened his eyes in a daze, only to find himself sitting against a tree. The sunlight around him was almost dazzlingly bright. Lin Qingyang surveyed the familiar surroundings. He seemed to be beside the river on the Nine Skies Sect's Back Mountain. As he puzzled over this, a red spirit fruit suddenly fell from overhead, landing right in his hand. Lin Qingyang examined it curiously. It was the same kind that was always laid out in his room.

A burst of hearty laughter came from above. He looked up to see a boy of sixteen or seventeen sitting in the tree. Lin Qingyang studied him, finding him somewhat familiar.

"A-Yang, I knew you'd be here." The boy leaped down from the tree as he spoke and slung an arm around his neck with easy familiarity.

Lin Qingyang tilted sideways under his pull. Looking at him up close, he finally recognized a young Shi Ruobai, his eyes bright and full of youthful spirit.

"Guess what good stuff I got on my trip to the Xuanhuang Sect." Shi Ruobai turned his hand over as he spoke, and two unusually shaped curved blades appeared, their sheaths engraved with rugged beast-head designs.

"Sect Leader Cen gave them to me. They're supposedly forged from a tiger demon's two big fangs!" Shi Ruobai drew a blade and gave it a couple of test swings, then sheathed it and pushed it into Lin Qingyang's hand.

"One for each of us. You usually use a sword, but another weapon for protection can't hurt." Shi Ruobai smiled.

Lin Qingyang looked at the curved blade in his hand. So Shi Ruobai had given him this blade. It seemed they really had been close before. Emotions that did not belong to him suddenly welled up in his heart again.

Outside Lin Qingyang's bedroom, Qi Mo arrived at the door carrying the meal he had prepared. He was about to push straight inside, but after a moment's thought, he imitated the Human Clan and raised a hand to knock. Yet even after a long wait, no one opened the door.

He pressed the ears atop his head close to the door and listened. The room was very quiet; he could hear only the faintest breathing. Was he asleep? Qi Mo considered for a moment, then gently pushed the door and found it unlocked.

He pushed the door open and entered. The room was utterly still. Lin Qingyang sat cross-legged on the Soft Couch, his eyes tightly closed, his breathing long and steady, a faint layer of Spiritual Light enveloping him.

Qi Mo unconsciously slowed his breathing. He gently set the food box on a nearby table, then approached on quiet feet and stood beside the Soft Couch, watching Lin Qingyang meditate.

Long lashes cast faint shadows beneath his eyes, and his thin lips were lightly pressed together. All his usual lively, slightly roguish expressions had faded away. His entire being held a serene indifference, free of sorrow or joy, like a divine statue enshrined in an ancient temple deep in the mountains, untouched by worldly dust.

His amber eyes froze for an instant in the dim light. Curious, he bent down and sniffed. The crisp, clean scent of grass and trees sent his mind wavering, and he unconsciously drew closer to Lin Qingyang's neck. Where the teeth marks remained, there seemed to be a faint trace of his own scent mingled in. Qi Mo closed his eyes and could not resist taking a deep sniff.

Suddenly, those long lashes stirred. Lin Qingyang slowly opened his eyes, and the Spiritual Power spilling from his body gradually drew back and dissipated.

Once he came to his senses, he caught the savory aroma of food drifting through the air. Qi Mo was standing at the dining table, setting out the dishes.

"Dinner's ready." Qi Mo turned toward him and spoke evenly.

Lin Qingyang glanced outside. It was already growing dark. He had actually meditated for so long. The medicine Xue Lanyuan had given him really worked; after two days of recuperation, he felt that a good deal of his Spiritual Power had returned.

Lin Qingyang stretched his arms and legs, got off the Soft Couch, and went to the Washroom to wash his hands. Looking up, he saw his face reflected in the bronze mirror above. It was him, yet somehow it was not. The scenes from the dream left him dazed again. The original owner had kept the blade Shi Ruobai had given him all these years. He did not seem to hate him as Lin Yao had claimed, so why had he poisoned Shi Ruobai?

He walked over and sat at the table, where four dishes, a soup, and two sets of bowls and chopsticks had been laid out. One of the two fish had been steamed, and the other made into soup, accompanied by two lightly seasoned side dishes. Lin Qingyang tasted a bite of tender fish.

"You're a pretty good cook." Lin Qingyang nodded in praise.

Qi Mo seemed a little embarrassed by the compliment. He hurriedly ladled a bowl of soup for him and said, "Try this."

Bright green chopped scallions floated on the milky-white fish soup. Lin Qingyang nodded repeatedly as he drank the delicious soup, then smiled at him. "Thanks, A-Qi."

Qi Mo's ears twitched. He looked up at him, a little surprised by the name.

"I can't keep calling you an ungrateful little wretch." Lin Qingyang laughed. Besides, calling him Qi Mo always made him think of exams.

Qi Mo said nothing. With his eyes lowered, he sat obediently beside him, looking unusually docile.

"Don't cook tomorrow," Lin Qingyang said as he ate.

Qi Mo's expression paused, and he looked at him.

"I need to go out tomorrow," Lin Qingyang explained.

"Oh." Qi Mo relaxed a little.

"You're coming with me," Lin Qingyang added.

Qi Mo froze, thinking he had misheard. "Me?" he asked uncertainly.

"There's a snake demon near Greenstone Mountain. I'm going to slay it, and I'll take you along. If I can't beat it, you can help me bite him," Lin Qingyang teased.

"Am I allowed to go out?" Qi Mo asked, puzzled.

"Not in principle, so we'll sneak out tomorrow. You can't tell Feng Shu and Feng Yi either," Lin Qingyang said.

Qi Mo's eyes brightened. He nodded. "All right."

Seeing his obvious delight, Lin Qingyang thought, We're going to slay a demon, not have fun. Is that really so exciting? Then he reconsidered. Given Qi Mo's status, he probably had few chances to go out, so it was only natural for him to be happy. But when he remembered that he was only taking him along to use him as bait, he suddenly felt rather inhuman. With a guilty conscience, he placed a piece of fish in Qi Mo's bowl.

"Eat more," Lin Qingyang said with a smile.

Qi Mo gave him a gentle look and clumsily tried to pick up food with his chopsticks, but he could not hold them steady no matter what he did. Embarrassed, he wanted to put them down.

"You'll get the hang of chopsticks after using them a few more times. Like this." Lin Qingyang raised his hand to demonstrate, and Qi Mo copied him, picking up his chopsticks.

"No, these two fingers." As he spoke, Lin Qingyang leaned closer and took Qi Mo's hand to guide him.

The sudden touch made Qi Mo stiffen for an instant, but he soon relaxed again, unable to resist secretly turning to look at the person beside him.

The Windflower Sword, which had been snoring on the Soft Couch, had floated into the air at some point. Looking at the two people sitting close together at the dining table, it muttered to itself, "Why do I keep feeling like something's not quite right?"