Chapter Text
Tianlang-jun flicks the garish green stone dangling from Zhuzhi-lang’s ear. “When did you get this awful thing? Don’t tell me Peak Lord Shen gave it to you.”
“Junshang,” Zhuzhi-lang implores, a protective hand not quite cupping his ear. He’s in the middle of washing their clothes and would prefer not to get soap anywhere other than where it belongs. “Please don’t tease this subordinate.”
“Who’s teasing?” Tianlang-jun folds into an elegant crouch to better admire his nephew’s new accessory. “Oh, don’t give me that look. I mean no offense,” he says with a smile, “but this truly is the ugliest earring I have ever seen.”
Zhuzhi-lang cannot dispute this. To be honest, he agrees wholeheartedly. It’s only one half of a pair, the gem is cloudy and cracked and an unnatural shade of green. To top it all off, the silver it’s set in has long seen better days. But…
“Why are you blushing?” Tianlang-jun’s dark eyes hold a strange light, an eagerness that goes beyond his usual ribbing.
Zhuzhi-lang schools his expression. “It’s warm today.”
“Is it not colder than average?”
“Junshang knows I’m cold-blooded. The temperature affects me differently.”
“Not in this form.” Tianlang-jun’s smile keeps growing. “So tell me. Who, dear nephew, is powerful enough to cause such a reaction in you? It truly isn’t Peak Lord Shen?”
“Of course not!”
“Hm.”
“Doesn’t Junshang have other matters to attend to?” Zhuzhi-lang knows for a fact that he does. As the leader of so many southern border demons, Tianlang-jun has no small amount of duties. There is only so much Zhuzhi-lang can help him with.
“Nothing of import.” Tianlang-jun rests his elbow on the wooden basin, nearly touching the sudsy water. Cheek against his palm, he continues to stare at his nephew. “Where did you say you went before finding Peak Lord Shen?”
“Many places.”
“Will you give me specifics if I order you to? As your lord.”
Zhuzhi-lang gives him a flat look. “Your sleeve is getting wet.”
“Ah.” Tianlang-jun lifts his arm, water dripping from the fabric, and shakes it out. “Zhuzhi-lang, you truly have no mercy for your beloved uncle.”
“Is it not apparent that Junshang is one of the only beings this subordinate is merciful towards?”
“And yet you still won’t tell me who has stolen your heart.”
“No one,” Zhuzhi-lang says helplessly. He only met Six Balls once! Certainly there was a…connection. Of a sort. But nothing so dramatic as Tianlang-jun claims. He’s been reading too many of those ridiculous Human Realm pamphlets again. “This earring was purchased.”
“That is not the whole story. I know you. Your taste is far better than this.” He stands and glances behind him. Their growing army has settled for the moment. The large black snake they ride atop is coiled around the makeshift camp, getting some much needed sleep. “It’s nearly time to burn those sprouts from the previous object of your desires, is it not?”
Zhuzhi-lang sighs. No matter how much he protests, Tianlang-jun is insistent upon finding romance where there is none. It’s true that sometimes strange images will float to the front of Zhuzhi-lang’s mind while in Immortal Master Shen’s presence, but that isn’t because of love or lust. It’s the natural consequence of being forced to hear and read and recite graphic porn about him.
Zhuzhi-lang is not prone to such thoughts! He has never had the types of feelings that are spoken about in novels and plays. Perhaps it’s his serpent half. Snakes do not tend to get attached to one another except for breeding purposes.
Which, admittedly, makes the odd thoughts Zhuzhi-lang has been having about Six Balls…pretty damning.
If someone had written a sprawling ballad about that little demon’s sexual exploits then it would make sense. But they haven’t. Unless Zhuzhi-lang simply has yet to find it.
Not that he would be interested!
He has more important things to deal with. Immortal Master Shen has yet to awaken, so it is up to him to ensure the continued removal of the Ties That Bind. Yes. He will go do that as soon as he’s done hanging the laundry.
And if he continues to entertain the possibility of a ballad starring Six Balls and a certain heavenly demon who’s half serpent…
Well. That is for him to know, and for Junshang to never find out.