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It had been a few weeks since Jin Ling came into his room in Baling in the middle of the night, loudly proclaiming how irritating the elders of his sect has been. It had become such a regular occurrence since he became the new Jin Sect Leader. ZiZhen could only stand and listen, opening up his arms whenever they had a chance to see each other and holding him close. However, said elders seemed bound to keep Jin Ling at Koi Tower everytime they planned a moment to see each other.
ZiZhen missed Jin Ling badly.
That was why, when he heard of some unrestful ghosts haunting a village near Qinghe, ZiZhen hastily wrote to Sect Leader Nie, asking if he could go and take care of it himself. He then wrote to Jin Ling, asking if he would join him on a Night Hunt in the village.
Sect Leader Nie's answer was fast. Jin Ling's was faster. Within two days, ZiZhen was at the border between Qinghe and Lanling, waiting for Sect Leader Jin to show up. As specified in the letter, he was alone. The moment he stepped down from his sword, Jin Ling threw himself at ZiZhen, face as stern as it ever was whenever he had to deal with the vipers in his clan, and remained in his embrace for a few minutes. He didn't have to explain anymore, and enjoyed how ZiZhen's hands quickly found their way at the nape of his neck, softly stroking his skin.
"I missed you," ZiZhen said with a kiss on Jin Ling's temple.
"I missed you too," Jin Ling grumbled, face hidden in the crook of ZiZhen's neck. "Where's the monster? I need to hit something. Repeatedly."
ZiZhen laughed and kissed his cheek.
"About half an hour's walk from here. Apparently, the ghosts only show up after midnight. We have more than enough time to walk there."
Jin Ling nodded and followed behind ZiZhen, reaching for his hand. They walked in silence for about five minutes before Jin Ling started spitting out all the different ways the sect elders managed to show their incompetence these last few weeks. ZiZhen patiently listened, knowing Jin Ling's mood was bound to get better once everything had been thrown in the open, no longer plaguing his mind.
"Have you found new disciples to train?" he asked, once Jin Ling had become quiet again.
Jin Ling heaved out a sigh.
"I found two. They seem okay for now, but the elders have already reached out for one of them. It's only a matter of time before they go for the other one too, although she seems more headstrong. I don't think they'll get her on their side that easily."
ZiZhen nodded and squeezed his hand.
"One is better than none, I'm sure others will follow soon."
"I hope so. It was a good idea at least, to replace the old with the new. Jiujiu wanted to send some Jiang disciples to pass for new Jin ones, but... This is something I'd like to do on my own."
ZiZhen stopped walking and pulled him close, enjoying the sight of the blush that spread underneath Jin Ling's startled eyes.
"I know you’ll succeed. I'm proud of you," he said, before capturing Jin Ling's lips with his own.
Jin Ling eagerly returned the kiss before pulling back.
"We're supposed to be Night Hunting," he reminded him with a small smirk that did not hide how flustered he looked.
ZiZhen smugly smiled back, eyes twinkling in an expression Jin Ling knew all too well. The latter looked back, suspicious.
"ZiZhen. There are ghosts to hunt, isn't there?" he asked.
"There are monsters," ZiZhen replied, starting to walk towards the trees. "This way."
Jin Ling followed him, hand casually laying on the pommel of his sword, looking around for whatever surprise he knew ZiZhen certainly had in mind. When they reached a meadow, lit with a dozen lanterns spread all around an area covered in blankets, Jin Ling let himself fully relax.
"ZiZhen, what's this?"
Jin Ling couldn't help but smile at the excitement that bubbled on ZiZhen's face.
"A Night Hunt, of course!"
With a small movement of his hand, ZiZhen removed the talismans protecting a section of the blanket, revealing a table full of fragrant meals and two jars of Yunmeng's best alcohol. He walked towards a plate on which stood what looked like weirdly shaped dumplings.
"Look! Aren't they monstrous?" ZiZhen asked, taking one of them with a pair of chopsticks and presenting it to Jin Ling.
Jin Ling could see the vague shape of a body, darker lines coloring what should be its neck and head. He sent an amused look towards ZiZhen as he ate the dumpling.
"Very," he agreed, mouth full.
The happy smile ZiZhen offered made him blush again, and Jin Ling hurried to sit at the table, reaching for the wine and pouring two cups for them. He gave the first one to ZiZhen once he sat down next to him.
"How long have you been planning this?" Jin Ling asked, serving himself more of the delicious dumplings.
ZiZhen laughed, looking away in a shy manner Jin Ling hasn't seen much of lately.
"Um... Since I learnt about the ghosts in the village a few li from here," he said.
Jin Ling looked up, surprised.
"So there really were ghosts?"
ZiZhen nodded.
"Yes, but I took care of them yesterday night," he answered dismissively.
"All alone?"
He shook his head.
"Sect Leader Nie sent some of his own disciples to help. I wrote to him first."
Jin Ling looked at his boyfriend, unable to choose whether he should be impressed by him or disgruntled that he seemed to have a better relationship with The Headshaker than he had. He ended up settling on the latter.
"Since when are you close to Sect Leader Nie?"
He didn't miss the heavy blush on ZiZhen's face and narrowed his eyes, suspicion rising again, this time tainted with some jealousy.
"He... sends me interesting literature."
Oh. Understanding dawned on him. Jin Ling did remember some of what Wei Wuxian told him about his year at Cloud Recesses. Between his wailing about how Jin Ling will never enjoy this "foundational experience" himself and his nagging at JiuJiu, reminding him how much of a mess he was then ("and still is"), Jin Ling did catch some stories about Sect Leader Nie and his underground business. At least now he knew how ZiZhen got the novel he was reading last time he went in Baling.
Jin Ling coughed and emptied his cup of wine at once.
"Well. Okay then. I guess -- I guess it makes sense."
ZiZhen moved closer to him and put another dumpling on his plate.
"Sect Leader Nie agreed to let me use his kitchens to make these today. Are they good? I wasn't sure if the soy sauce of the veins would make them too salty."
Jin Ling put a hand around his waist, his other hand reaching for the dumpling on his plate and lifting it to ZiZhen's lips.
"No, they're perfect."
He put his head on ZiZhen's shoulder and closed his eyes, thankful for the quiet around them. Next time, he vowed, he would be the one making their night perfect.