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Wang Ye never learned how to be the ideal Kunze.

He Presented late—he was in his second year at Wudang, just turned twenty-three, and was five years too late to the normal Presentation period. He had already accepted that he was just a Zhongyong and had finally felt assured with his decision to leave the secular world—finally certain he was right where he belonged.

But then his first Heat hit him like a truck. It came so suddenly and so fiercely in the middle of group sets with his peers. One moment he was just teasing Master Yunlong, and the next, he was being carried to the more secluded residential areas. Just like that, he had to restructure his world again and try to find his place in a world that’s become even more complicated.

Everything changed after he Presented. His family urged him to come home, saying now that he was a Kunze, his Qianyuan father would never rest easy if he wasn’t within his sights.

When it was clear he was going to stay, his treatment at Wudang changed. Fortunately, Master Yunlong still accepted him as his disciple and he would still scold Wang Ye when he purposefully lagged behind practice. But his punishments went from extra sets to writing lines or getting sent to the Grandmaster, who indulged him with a fond smile and a gentle, “Xiao-Wang Ye...”

His chores also changed from grueling work to lighter errand-boy tasks. Not that running around wasn’t tiring—but when he would see his fellow disciples lug heavy equipment up and down the mountain while his only task for the day was to deliver correspondence, he couldn’t help but feel guilty and frustrated at the same time.

He became a part of the household that belonged to the female and Kunze members of the sect. There weren’t that many women in Wudang and most of them were Zhongyong and only a handful were Kunze. And there were no other male Kunze besides Wang Ye.

Despite this, they never made him feel unwelcome. They were patient and caring during his first Heat, making sure he didn’t die from dehydration due to the intense fever that accompanied a late Presentation.

They reassured him that despite being a Quanzhen school, Wudang would never shame him for something biological and out of his control. They taught him the meditations that mitigated the fervid desire and how to keep his mind clear and tranquil during such a chaotic period.

Not that he needed such techniques. He came to Wudang because he never knew what desire was. Even as he had his first Heat, he still had yet to feel the burning need so many people had warned him about.

Rut and Heat were supposed to be so overwhelming that it made a Qianyuan and a Kunze abandon all senses and inhibitions, leaving only one thought in mind—to copulate; to possess and be possessed; to join into one whole as they both consume the other and be consumed by them in return.

There was the overbearing heat, yes. But that was all it was—something that had made him all sweaty and thirsty in the most literal way. There was no desire to be filled or to have his mating glands get bitten. There was no longing for some fantasy Qianyuan that would hold him, kiss him, and fuck him.

Even when his Heat passed and he was left to decompress about the sudden change, there was no newfound desire to find his fated Qianyuan, settle down, and have kids or whatever it was that mated people did to feel fulfilled with their life. He was still the same person as he was before. Just that, now he had to be mindful of his scent and his quarterly Heats.

So, he took his Presentation in stride, just as he always did with anything that came his way. He continued to live his life as if he was still an Unpresented Zhongyong. Well, for the most part.

The sect provided him with suppressant talismans that masked his scent and he had been using them religiously. And he was given leave for his Heats—which, after his first one, came regularly every three months and would only last for the minimum days that was considered healthy: three days, no more, no less.

It took him some time to get used to people treating him as a Kunze, but it wasn’t too bad. They could get too overprotective or a bit condescending, treating him like he was delicate porcelain, but it was never overbearing to the point of annoying. Besides, if it gets him out of hard work, then he won’t complain.

The best thing—or the worst, depending on how you thought about it—that came out of this was he usually was the one assigned to deliver lunch or dinner to everyone who couldn’t join the whole sect during meal times for some reason or another.

It was an excuse to explore obscure places in the mountain and to meet people he didn’t see that often. He discovered many places in the back mountain where he could meditate or simply hide from his master. He had met a lot of the veterans and elders of Wudang who had sacrificed their bodies for the sect during a great upheaval.

It was also how he met Master Lu.

When he first came into the seclusion cave, the three masters within were so deep in their meditation that they didn’t acknowledge him. All of them were quiet except for one, who was muttering, “The innate leads to the whole cosmos... thus covers all the change... shall make myself into the king...”

The last part made Wang Ye think he was being called over so he approached, but as it turned out the elder was just muttering something under his breath over and over again.

Then suddenly he was pulled into the Inner Realm by Master Lu, who insisted he call him more familiarly—Hong-ye. The elder looked far better than he was in the waking world, more like a deity than the rough old man in tattered robes he had seen before.

He smiled at Wang Ye kindly, staring at him with a gaze just as gentle but no less piercing. “A Kunze with no desires and who can accept anything the world would give him. Good... good. The perfect recipient... You’ll be able to do something no one has managed to do for decades.”

And that’s when he saw it—the very thing that would change his life and throw him into the chaos once more. Well... in about three years or so.

For now, though, Feng Hou Qimen was just another trick he effortlessly mastered. Something he used to sweep leaves more easily or, if it was too warm, to create a refreshing breeze.

Every time he would do that though... he would feel a prickle at the back of his neck as if someone was watching him—as if some ancestor or master elder was judging him.

So, he set it aside and focused on his Taiji training.

That was until he went down the mountain to participate in the Luotian Grand Assembly.

Wang Ye left the comforts of Mount Wudang for two things, and two things only: to preserve the reputation of the Celestial Master and to give Zhang Chulan a choice.

But why did it seem like his inner Kunze had other ideas?

Before he arrived at Mount Longhu, he set a limit for himself. He heard that the heir of the reclusive Wu-hou Sect was also coming to participate, so he vowed to only use Feng Hou Qimen to the extent of what Wu-hou Qimen could do.

There wouldn’t be too many people that would understand the difference and he didn’t want to do anything that would warrant unwanted attention.

So what the fuck did Wang Ye just do?!

Even though he showed his hand to the Celestial Master last night, he wasn’t actually planning on using the Chaotic Golden Clapper in today’s fight. And to be fair, he didn’t! No, he just did something much more incriminating.

Zhuge Qing, a descendant of Wu-hou Zhuge Liang, was the ideal Qianyuan.

He had an easy, charming smile and an inviting demeanor. Very attentive to his younger brother, quick to promise to avenge the kid when he heard that he lost, but never failed to encourage him and cheer him up—a warm-hearted guy: family-oriented, considerate, and protective of what he considered his own.

His sandalwood scent was also typical of Qianyuan. However, it wasn’t paired with white florals like jasmine or other woods like cedar. Instead, his scent had warm undertones of a slow-burning fire.

Wang Ye was not as well-versed with scent-reading as he was with face-reading or palm-reading—even when he ought to be, being a Kunze and all.

But with what the Daoist knew, he would say that Zhuge Qing’s scent was indicative of his strictness towards himself. He was the type of person to have constant regulation and calculation in everything he did despite his outward easy-going demeanor.

Zhuge Qing was someone who Wang Ye should steer clear of. People like him tend to be very keen and observant—no secrets could be hidden from him. Moreover, people with xun-aligned scents tend to be very nosy and when people with li-aligned scents found something to cling to, they would never let go.

The combination of bottom li and top xun resulted in the hexagram for ‘family.’ So, having a base note of fire and a top note of sandalwood further hammered in the fact that the Qianyuan was someone who valued his clan the most.

And it just so happened that Wang Ye held something that profoundly undermined it.

An insult to the Wu-hou Clan was an insult to the Qianyuan himself as its future patriarch. If he found out about Feng Hou Qimen, he would dog on it like a fox would to its prey. And Wang Ye was afraid that Zhuge Qing would never know peace ever again—falling deep into his obsessions and pursuit of Feng Hou Qimen like many before him.

But fate and karma had a sense of humor. He arrogantly declared before the Celestial Master that he could easily take care of Zhuge Qing for him. So, of course, when the fighting began, he couldn’t rely solely upon his luck and had to manipulate it a little bit.

At least, that was what he kept telling himself at the time. Wang Ye never bothered to improve his Qimen skills whereas Zhuge Qing studied it his whole life. Naturally, he couldn’t beat the Qianyuan easily.

But did he really have to go about the fight the way that he did?

Overpowering a kun-based spell while standing in xun. Suppressing a li-based spell with Sandalwood Succor. Wang Ye was never one to show off and there was absolutely no reason for him not to exercise subtlety, especially when he didn’t want to be exposed.

So, what was that? Some roundabout way of coquettish peacocking? Hey~ look at me! Look at how powerful I am. I even used a spell that made me think of you. Am I not the embodiment of kun? Have I not given xun the greatest honor?

Am I not the perfect Kunze for you?

Pei!

Pei! Pei! Pei!

Wang Ye blamed Zhuge Qing for making him curse. But who was he actually cursing at? The Qianyuan who was teased to the point of doing stupid, reckless things; or himself, the Kunze who did the teasing?

He truly didn’t know what compelled him to do such things. Where did his head go during the fight?

He had never been influenced by Qianyuan pheromones before, even after he Presented. So, when the arena was filled with burning sandalwood due to Zhuge Qing’s anger and frustration, he wasn’t worried.

But perhaps, he should have been.

Because, for the first time in his twenty-six years of existence, something excited Wang Ye. Something made him want to put more effort in instead of just going with the flow, want to provoke instead of placate, want to be seen instead of fading in the background. And maybe, just maybe, that something was Zhuge Qing’s scent.

The heady, choking smell made the Kunze lose his mind a little—made him want to show off and be beholden by a prospective mate.

Eh?! What mate? Who was thinking about mates? Weren't they fighting just now?!

Not wanting to unpack whatever chaos was in Wang Ye’s head, he turned back to Zhuge Qing and sighed, regretful and guilty. Prospective mate or not, it seemed like he inadvertently tied this poor guy to him by changing his fate. The least he could do was satisfy his curiosity.

In the aftermath of the reveal of one of the Eight Supremes, Wang Ye had no choice but to come home. Only to find wolves and tigers patrolling his yard.

So, he set out to find security details for his family. Then tried to reconnect with his friends to be able to pay for said security. And now he was drunk with nothing to show for it.

“That was such a nice thing you did for Muzhi-ge.”

Wang Ye blinked away the drowsy tears and yawned but ended up forcefully cutting it off since opening his mouth made his queasiness come back with a vengeance.

“...Hm?” He belatedly asked Jin Yuanyuan, who was the only one left of their previously rowdy group. Wang Ye offered to just let Du-ge drive her too but she insisted on taking a cab. As a consolation, he offered to accompany her until her ride arrived.

“Trying to make us all invest in a laboratory for community use. How did you put it again? ‘Keep making money and burn it for people like Muzhi-ge!’

“Don’t you think I don’t know your tricks by now? You called all of us so you could ask for money, but instead, you ended up giving away money to help Muzhi-ge. You didn’t even ask for a cut of the profit! What's that about? Are you trying to make him court you?”

“Eh?! Can’t it be just a favor between friends? What courting? Also, didn’t he say he has a girlfriend?”

“Tsk. Xiao-Ye, you’re a Kunze now.” She flicked his nose, and her sharp metallic scent laced with fresh peonies made him sneeze. “You should be more mindful of your actions. Especially towards Qianyuan. Muzhi-ge always had a crush on you, you know? You're getting his hopes up.”

Wang Ye opened his mouth and closed it, not knowing what to say. Ignoring the last bit of what Jin Yuanyuan said, he mumbled, “It was the kind thing to do.”

“Ai, of course, you would say that. Put more thought into your actions, hm? I know the Daoist way is to just go with the flow and act without thinking, but you’re already off the mountain—this... reckless kindness is more trouble than not.”

Wang Ye didn’t quite agree but he kept his mouth shut. What else should he do? Act as if everyone was out to get him, seeking to exploit him? It was probably true more often than not, but constantly looking over your shoulder and second-guessing everyone seemed exhausting.

Jin Yuanyuan was side-eyeing him before sighing. “I’m just saying... feed a stray once, and he would keep coming back, asking—demanding—for more.”

“But Muzhi-ge isn’t like that.”

“Of course, he isn’t! It’s fine this time. But what would happen when you meet some sleazy Qianyuan and they take advantage of you? What then?”

Unbidden thoughts led to a certain squinty-eyed fox, who ‘just happened’ to meet him on the stairs on his way out of Mount Longhu, who offered friendship but clearly had underlying motives.

Jin Yuanyuan poked his cheek, “Eh? What’s gotten you all pensive? Have you already met a sleazy Qianyuan? Could it be... this kind of person is actually your type?”

He flicked her forehead, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

She rubbed the part where she was struck and pouted. She was going to tease him some more but then a car pulled up on the curb.

“Oh, there’s my ride.” She bumped shoulders with him and said, “It was good to see you, Wang Ye. If you still need money... well, I can’t help you. You're already asking me to build a lab out of nothing!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely give you my share.”

“Doubt it!” She swung the car door open but hesitated to get in, absentmindedly tapping her fingernails on the window. She turned to him again and said, “Xiao-Ye, you be careful, okay? Remember you’re the baby Kunze of us modern Four Lords. Don’t take too long to show your face to us again, hm?”

That made Wang Ye’s heart melt. Xiao-Tian, Muzhi-ge, Lao-Jin—the four of them became acquaintances only because of their families. But meeting with them again tonight—when the three of them immediately rallied in his defense earlier when that guy insulted him—made him remember that they were great friends even after all the years they had grown apart.

Like a pack, his heart twinged in some mixture of guilt and yearning.

“Alright, alright,” he lied through his teeth. He truly wanted to be a better friend, but... He was being targeted and his family was already being implicated. He didn’t want his friends to be in danger too. It would be for the best that he stayed away.

Jin Yuanyuan didn’t look convinced but she hid her disappointment well. She gave him a sad smile before getting in the car. Wang Ye watched the cab drive away until he couldn’t see the tail lights anymore. Then walked up to Du-ge, who had been patiently waiting on the side.

But of course, their night was not over yet.

After fighting the Zhuge Trio, Wang Ye picked up Zhuge Qing from the airport. He was lugging his ever-present suitcase as if he was staying for longer than it would take him to drag his three errant relatives back to Lanxi. He was dressed for winter—a long coat over his suit jacket that he was properly wearing this time around; a scarf was loosely draped on his neck as well as a pair of earmuffs.

The Qianyuan walked at a leisurely pace with his usual carefree smile. But as he approached, he grew tenser with every stride and the smile gradually fell from his face. He stopped just a couple of steps in front of Wang Ye. His narrowed eyes seemed more intense than they usually were. Even without Immaculate Scrutiny being active, his eyes seemed to pierce right into Wang Ye’s soul.

His nostrils flared and Wang Ye only then realized this was the first time they met without his suppressant talismans.

The Daoist was no good as a talisman master and would always just use ready-made ones provided by his sect. So, now that he was kicked out, he didn’t have any supplies anymore. He could always use suppressant drugs, but as a late-bloomer who didn’t get used to them much earlier, they always made his head hurt and made him nauseous.

He discreetly took a sniff at himself, making sure that he wasn’t releasing any hostile pheromones that would set off the Qianyuan. All he could smell was his mellow lotus scent underneath the smell of alcohol, Muzhi-ge’s scent from when he hugged him in gratitude, and Jin Yuanyuan’s Qianyuan scent.

“I never would’ve thought that Wang-daozhang knows how to go clubbing,” Zhuge Qing said with a sharp smile, his Qianyuan canines made him look more foxlike.

“A-ah... it was just a small gathering. In a private room.”

For some reason, that made it worse—Zhuge Qing’s smile turned into a full sneer and murderous aura came in droves. A breeze blew past them and Wang Ye shivered. Not because of the cold—a proud northerner like him only needed one jacket on this winter night—but because the wind carried the Qianyuan’s scent and it made him want to bare his neck and submit—

Shameless! Where did such shameless thoughts come from?!

Before he could start reciting the Sutra of Clarity and Tranquility, he felt something warm and fluffy touch his ears. He reached out a hand and discovered it was the pair of earmuffs that was just resting around the Qianyuan’s neck a second ago.

He looked up to ask what the other was doing, only to find Zhuge Qing was much closer than he was before he got distracted. He put his arms around Wang Ye and for one terrifying moment, the Kunze started to lean into the warm chest in front of him. Zhuge Qing was half-a-head taller than him—the perfect height-difference for him to easily smash his face into the side of the Qianyuan’s neck.

Fortunately, he got his wits back as Zhuge Qing draped his coat on Wang Ye’s shoulders, enveloping him in his burning sandalwood scent. The smell was softer now, more like incense—soothing and providing much-needed focus. And as if the past few seconds were just an illusion, Zhuge Qing was back in his smiling, charming self.

“If Lao-Wang was cold, he should’ve just said so! Your ears were getting pink already. As well as your nose!” He flicked said body part just like how Jin Yuanyuan did earlier. But this time, the Kunze didn’t sneeze. Then the Qianyuan put an arm around his shoulders and manhandled him into the cab that had been waiting for them. “Now take me to the three big-heads.”

Wang Ye was so confused about what just happened.

He must be drunker than he thought.

For the whole late dinner with the Zhuges, Wang Ye was distracted. He knew even before Zhuge Qing could reassure him that it wasn’t them who were spying on his family. But he didn’t know where to start in finding the bastards who were actually targeting them.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that Zhuge Qing didn’t leave with the others until Du-ge's car was already turning at the end of the street.

“You’re still here?”

“Shouldn’t Lao-Wang be a gracious host and entertain me a little?”

“Ah? Aren’t I already being a good host by lending my ride home?”

“So, you’re just going to walk home on your own? In the middle of the night? Isn’t that dangerous?”

Wang Ye blinked at that and then raised a brow, “Who are you looking down to? Didn’t I just beat up three people from your Wu-hou Clan?”

“Ai, those three couldn’t really make waves even if they tried.” So why did you have to personally come check on them, then? Wang Ye thought to himself. “What if someone stronger came and snatched you up?”

Seriously, what was up with these Qianyuan and their hypothetical big bad evil guy? And why do they always think they would overpower Wang Ye? Had he ever given the impression that he was someone who couldn’t protect himself? Jin Yuanyuan, he could understand—to her, he was just the genius but airheaded third young master. But this fox should have no reason to—

The said person tapped the visor of his cap, making it fall onto his eyes. “Plus, you keep spacing out. And you drank a little earlier, right? Lao-Wang, a Qianyuan would never feel at ease if he abandoned a Kunze who so clearly needed him~!”

He wanted to shout, Who needs who?! But he just relents with a begrudging, “Do whatever you want.”

They walked in comfortable silence, bathed in the warm light of the streetlights. Moths were gathered to each of the light bulbs, casting long, dancing shadows.

They hadn’t walked for long when Zhuge Qing broke the silence, “What’s wrong?”

“Ah?”

“Back then at Mount Longhu, you were as loose as a puddle of mud... but tonight, you seem very tense...”

Wang Ye stayed silent and kept his head down. Suddenly, a hand shot into his field of vision, stopping him in his tracks. He looked up and found that the ridiculous fox had donned his sunglasses, looking every bit of a suspicious fortune-teller scammer.

“Give me your hand.”

He barely raised his hand before it was snatched by the other. Zhuge Qing pressed the pad of his thumb to each fingertip as he cradled it near his face. He traced Wang Ye’s palm, from the joints of his fingers up to the heel, lightly pressing every mount. Then he wrapped a hand over his wrist. His fingers were right over the Kunze's pulse point and scent glands.

“The lotus trudges through the mud. Daozhang, great hardship will befall you soon! How about I show you a clear path?”

The hand on the Kunze’s wrist felt warmer than it actually was. And since his hand was held so close to the Qianyuan’s face, Zhuge Qing’s breath tickled the sensitive skin around his scent glands.

He snatched his hand back and hastily pulled down his long sleeves. Then tucked it into his jacket pocket to further hide it from the Qianyuan. “What lotus... Aren’t you supposed to be reading my palm?” Even in the guise of scent-reading, this guy didn’t need to scent him so closely! In public, no less!

Zhuge Qing briefly had a smug look on his face before sighing. He took off his sunglasses, his expression turning into something more serious, “Actually, I couldn’t stop thinking about how you managed to defeat me. Recently, there have been rumors about six or eight divine arts that are on par with the Origin of Qi.

“Our fight may seem unremarkable to a layman, but a skilled Shuist would know how unbelievable what you’ve done. Heh. Being able to turn the Four Plates at will, defying the Laws of Heaven and Earth… I won’t be surprised if people would go insane lengths to seize such an art.”

They started walking again and only after a few paces did Wang Ye reply, “How about you? Do you want it too?”

“Of course, I want it too. I’ve always been proud of my clan’s Qimen skills. Never had I expected that I would covet another art.” Zhuge Qing expelled a long, drawn-out breath as he looked up at the night sky. He laughed to himself, in self-deprecation, “I’ve never felt this shameless before.”

Then he looked back at Wang Ye with a coy smirk, “But I won’t really take it. Even if you were willing to teach me, I would still reject it. After all...” he flips his fringes in a flourish “...I am a noble person by nature.”

Wang Ye choked out something that was like a half-chuckle, half-scoff. “How ever did I miss that?” he said, dripping with sarcasm.

“Ai, it’s only one of the reasons. More importantly, I don’t mind a Kunze who’s more powerful than me,” he leaned close to the Kunze’s face and Wang Ye was half-tempted to headbutt this daring player.

He settled with an elbow to the ribs. “Stop treating me like I’m one of your fans. Be serious!”

“Okay, okay,” Zhuge Qing said, coughing and rubbing the assaulted part. “More seriously... I don’t want to become a target of public scrutiny like you or Zhang Chulan. I heard that he was even harassed by the Quan Xing before.”

Wang Ye sighed. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Zhuge Qing keep his eyes on him—not caring about the possibility that he might stumble while walking without looking at where he was going. “Yeah, it’s becoming a headache,” he mumbled. Then more loudly, “I think I might have overestimated myself a bit...

“Lately, I've been stalked. My family, too... despite them not knowing anything. Aish,” he lightly backhanded the Qianyuan on the chest, “If you had just let me defeat you with Taiji back then, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“You’re blaming me for this? As if you could? No, I won’t take responsibility for this.”

Then Zhuge Qing put a hand on the Kunze’s shoulder, stopping them in their tracks again. The hand was too close to the juncture of Wang Ye’s neck that it made him too aware of the touch but far enough from his mating glands to not be inappropriate.

“But I did say that I would help you if you were ever in trouble. However, in this matter, my abilities are limited. Therefore, we should find a professional and qualified person to solve this.”

“You mean Nadoutong? If possible, I really don’t want to alarm them.”

“I understand your concerns and I can’t guarantee they will help without any ulterior motives. But there is no risk-free, perfect solution... If it makes you feel any better, there is someone who works for the Company who could empathize with your situation. Plus, I think he’s funny.”

“Oh, right. Why didn’t think of that guy?”

***

When Zhang Chulan told them that they should just leave the sleuthing to him and Feng Baobao and that they should eat and play around instead, Wang Ye didn’t expect Zhuge Qing to take it to heart. And for him to interpret it as: going restaurant-hopping all around the city by day and squatting in the Kunze’s family home by night.

On the first day, while they were in some nondescript coffee shop, he offered to take the Qianyuan around the tourist spots just like how Du-ge was doing for the Zhuge Trio.

But the other declined, saying something about how rare it was to have some peace and quiet. Then he simply went back to the book he was reading, casually leaning so far into the armrest they were sharing that their shoulders and arms were touching.

Wang Ye had no idea why or, more importantly, how the fox wormed his way into staying in his family’s house.

The Wang Family mansion had so many rooms that it could probably accommodate ten squatting foxes. The issue wasn’t the space or that they didn’t have the resources to host him. What confounded Wang Ye was why? The Zhuge Trio and the Nadoutong Duo were checked into a five-star hotel owned by his family. They could easily book Zhuge Qing a room too.

Also, why was everyone so enamored by this audacious interloper? His mother had even introduced him to the mahjong aunties—thankfully, the spy among them seemed to have been scared off by the presence of two powerful Outsiders. Even his sister-in-law seemed to be in a better mood now and, consequently, so was his brother.

The only one who didn’t buy into the Qianyuan’s honeyed words and charming smiles was his father, who weirdly went way off in the opposite direction and acted as if Zhuge Qing was truly a wild animal who was ransacking his home. Not that he did anything to chase the fox away—not when his mother would glare at him whenever he got too unkind. Wang Ye always knew that his mother was the true head of their household.

When Wang Ye opened his bathroom door one morning, he heard, “It’s been three days, have you heard from Zhang Chulan yet?” On the daybed by the window sat Zhuge Qing, lounging and drinking a glass of iced tea. This fox was now even invading his bedroom!

“No.” Wang Ye, half-naked and still a little wet from his shower, stomped over to his bed where his clothes were laid out and got dressed. He clicked his tongue, “By the way... You’ve got no more business here, right? Why are you still here?”

“Don’t be so cold now. Didn’t I already tell you before? A Qianyuan won’t rest easy if he abandons a Kunze in need. And in this crisis, you need all the help you can get. Or is it that you think I'm too weak that I would hold you back?” Then this guy just continued sipping his tea as if he was on a vacation and not at all in a so-called ‘crisis.’

“You think this is so much fun, right? A once-in-eight-hundred-years chance—so, you’re just tagging along for the ride, right?”

Zhuge Qing choked on his drink and frantically waved his hand in denial, “No way! How could that be? Am I really such an unkind person to you?!”

Wang Ye hid his almost laugh by sighing, “Forget it.” He then let himself fall onto his bed, arms spread out and toes still touching the floor.  “Even if you’re helping me just for the thrill...” He looked at the other and gave him a gentle smile, “Thank you.”

The Qianyuan’s usually narrowed eyes were wide as if taking all that he could get of the sight of the sweet and soft look on the Kunze. An eternity in one moment passed as they stared at each other. Zhuge Qing cleared his throat as he was the first to look away, “Don’t mention it. It was my pleasure.”

With the other suddenly being so evasive, it was hard for Wang Ye to discern his expression fully but he could swear that there was a pink tint on his cheeks and neck. Oh? Had the Kunze finally managed to fluster the Qianyuan? Who knew that a simple smile could disarm such a veteran in flirting?

Not that Wang Ye cared. Nope. He did not care one bit at all. But he did take this as a win of some sort.

“Anyways,” Zhuge Qing fully turned his back from Wang Ye, and pretended to survey the grounds outside the window, “Shouldn’t you follow-up on Zhang Chulan? What if he ran away with your money?”

As if being summoned, Wang Ye’s phone rang and Zhang Chulan’s caller ID was flashing on the screen. He put him on speaker phone. Before he could say something though, the caller beat him to it, “Who says that I ran off?”

Wang Ye looked around for any signs of the guy. “Were you here just now?” He stood beside Zhuge Qing to also look out the window.

Feng Baobao was somewhere away from Zhang Chulan’s phone but her voice was still picked up by it as she exclaimed, “How fair!”

Noting how skimpily Wang Ye was dressed—he was in his home, he can wear a simple tank top and mid-thigh length shorts if he wanted to, okay?—that showed plenty of fair skin, she must be talking about him.

He rolled his eyes. The Nadoutong Duo must be somewhere outside watching the house. He went to close the curtains but before he could do so, Zhuge Qing used Wind Rope to close it as immediately as possible.

“Lao-Zhang, any news?” The Qianyuan made his irritation known in his tone and Wang Ye could smell the tiniest bit of singed wood. What a moody fox! What even was he mad about? It wasn’t as if he was being detained here until Zhang Chulan found the culprits.

“Ai, don’t be like that Lao-Qing. We actually already found all of the spies and where they’re operating. So, if you guys want to join the fun, meet with us tonight.”

The ‘fun’ ended up being three nights of staying in the back of a van that kept getting more and more cramped as they picked up more ‘packages’ and revelations of just how despicable some people could be when they desperately want something.

Wang Ye rarely got angry. But when he did, the smell of lotus in his pheromones became extremely muted—almost imperceptible when lotus already had such a mild scent—and the smell of petrichor became much, much more prominent.

Usually, the base note was like the first rain of spring, invigorating and relaxing—heralding a prosperous year ahead. But right now, it was like the sudden light shower previewing a thunderstorm on a hot, humid summer day. The scent of wet earth was pungent and suffocating—as if you were drowning in mud.

So many things were happening all at once and one right after another. Feng Hou Qimen had failed him for the first time. He almost got lost in the shared Inner Realm with Zhuge Qing and Zhang Chulan.

Two of the Ten Elders were targeting him. And then there was another unknown party who finally made a move and tried to kidnap his family. And there was also that mysterious man who posed as a normal thug but couldn’t be stopped by the Chaotic Golden Clapper.

Rage simmered underneath his skin. He didn’t even have to act when Zhang Chulan asked to take pictures of him looking menacing, glaring straight at the man’s phone camera. He spaced out while the other explained his plan as the fire in the Kunze’s belly became more and more intense.

“Lao-Wang?” Somebody asked but their voice was too far away, muffled by the loud rushing of blood in his ears. Tears blurred his vision, and dark spots appeared in the corner of his eyes as his heart palpitated. The scent glands on his neck and wrists felt itchy and it felt like he was being burned from the inside out.

Wang Ye’s Heats had always been regular. But perhaps with all the stress, he should have expected that his Heat would come almost a month early.

He tried to step away from the group, only for his knees to give out. Fortunately, he didn’t fall to the floor and someone caught him.  He couldn’t see who it was but the smell of burning wood enveloped him as he scrambled for purchase.

In one swift dizzying motion, he was off the ground. He was lifted by Zhuge Qing—who, by the rumbling of his chest, had been growling at the others. A curt conversation was held over his head. However, he couldn’t focus on anything but the intense heat and the mating glands that were oh-so-close to his face. He only needed to lean forward and his nose would touch them.

From then on, the Kunze came in and out of lucidity—one moment he was being carried, the next he was sat down on a cold surface. He lowly growled then chased the warmth that was quickly retreating and plopped himself on top of it to keep it from getting away.

Wang Ye vaguely registered in his mind that he had climbed onto Zhuge Qing’s lap. He gave in to the temptation and rubbed his face on the Qianyuan’s neck. But then his head was cradled gently away from it. He let out a soft whine, frustrated tears escaping the corner of his eyes as he blinked in confusion.

“Lao-Wang, behave, hm? Your father might actually kill me if—” The Kunze didn’t listen to the rest of whatever the other had to say. If the stingy fox won’t lend his neck, there’s always the scent glands on his wrists. So, he snatched the hand cradling his head and rubbed the wrist to the side of his neck.

Zhuge Qing sighed but thankfully didn’t take his arm away. On the contrary, he curled his hand around the back of his neck and massaged the muscles near his glands. Then he brought his free arm around his waist, so his other hand could go up and down Wang Ye’s back.

The repeating motion and the comforting scent made the Kunze drowsy. All the anger and overwhelming anxiety from the recent events bled out in such a force that made him even more tired. He finally felt safe enough to close and rest his eyes. Just for a bit, was his final thought before fully losing consciousness.

***

The next time Wang Ye came to, he was in his bedroom. Afternoon warm light filtered through the semi-opaque curtains. His bed was in some organized chaos that his Heat-muddled brain made into a nest. Drying sweat, slick, and cum made his skin itchy.

Heat flushed from the roots of his hair to his neck. He didn’t remember the majority of his Heat, but the evidence was damning. He could remember flashes of him touching himself for the first time, wantonly burying his fingers—

The Kunze grabbed a pillow, pressed it to his face, and screamed into it. When did he become so—so—?!

Assuming that his Heat only lasted for three days, it hadn’t even been two weeks since he was kicked out of Wudang and he was already indulging in such vulgar matters?!

When he calmed down, he noticed that underneath the smell of a Kunze who just had his Heat—it was easier to compartmentalize and think of it as something separate from him—there was the smell of burning sandalwood intermixed with the earth and lotus blossoms.

In a dreading glance, he found pieces of clothing that Zhuge Qing had used recently—sweaters, shirts, scarves, and his coat—scattered in between the pillows, as if they were an immutable part of his nest.

He remembered climbing on the Qianyuan’s lap on the ride home. Then when he was put down on his bed, he clung to Zhuge Qing’s sweater, shamelessly trying to get it off of him. And apparently, he succeeded, and then some! He didn’t want to imagine Zhuge Qing walking around his house topless in the middle of the night, lugging his dirty laundry.

Oh, master elders and ancestors, this disciple had sinned!

He hoped that the Qianyuan wouldn’t mind him feeding his clothes to Fire Snake together with the bedding because that’s what he was going to do as soon as he got over his mortification.

Not wanting to remain in his nest of sin, he got off the bed. He stretched his stiff arms up to the sky. Then he bent down to stretch his lower back. His full head of hair came flowing down and a green jade pendant dangled from his neck—the same one he saw Zhuge Qing was wearing.

Wang Ye fiddled with it for a moment, rolling the jade between his fingers. Sandalwood clung to the black band that tied it to him. He didn’t know what to make of it. A Qianyuan who willingly gave him scented things for his Heat... He may not be well-versed in the courting scene, but he wasn’t stupid. But then again, maybe it was just to mollify a clingy Kunze.

He clicked his tongue. What a troublesome fox, he thought to himself as he put the jade back under his shirt and it rested near his heart.

He cleaned himself up first and got a change of clothes. Then tried to somewhat clean up his bed. He tossed his bedsheet and pillowcases in the hamper—he still had half-a-mind on setting them on fire—as well as the Qianyuan’s clothes. If he ended up not burning them, he should wash them and return them. Or maybe he shouldn’t? Which one had the higher chance of him preserving his dignity?

Wang Ye dragged his feet to the kitchen. He was starving and was craving for some noodles. He heard his mother’s voice and he was just about to call out for her when he heard Zhuge Qing’s cloying remark, “Ai~ Auntie, let me! Let me~!”

As he entered the kitchen, he saw the Qianyuan taking the knife from his mother and cutting an assortment of fruits. His mother praised him and patted his cheek. Did Wang Ye somehow enter a different dimension where Zhuge Qing replaced him as the third son of Wang Weiguo? Was this his karma for using Feng Hou Qimen?

“Xiao-Ye!” Well, that immediately stopped his brief moment of insanity.

His mother approached him and fretted over him, squishing and pulling his cheeks not unlike what she wont to do after a long stint of disappearance on Wang Ye’s part. He was dragged to sit on the dining table and Zhuge Qing brought over a platter of the cut fruits.

“Ma, I want fried sauce noodles,” he said in a pitiful tone.

His cruel mother just clicked her tongue, “You just had your Heat. You should be eating cool foods.” Then she pushed the fruit platter towards him. He jutted his lower lip to look even more pitiful. “How about I’ll prepare some sliced tofu salad, hm?” Then she walked away to do just that without waiting for his response.

Zhuge Qing watched quietly, an amused smile on his face. When he sat down beside Wang Ye, the latter couldn’t help but ask, “What are you still doing here?”

Wang Ye would’ve thought that without anyone to entertain Zhuge Qing and with the matter with the spies almost settled—they were just waiting for Zhang Chulan to clean up—this guy would’ve left by now. Besides, didn’t he already satisfy his desire to see Feng Hou Qimen one more time? Wang Ye wouldn’t use it again any time soon unless necessary. So why was he still here?

“Is that a way to talk to Xiao-Qingqing, ah?” his eavesdropping mother scolded him, waving the knife in her hand. “After he took care of you for the whole week of your Heat? We raised you better than that Wang Ye.”

His first reaction was, Xiao-Qingqing? Then the next: “A week?!” he exclaimed. Had his Heat really gone on for that long? What happened to the spies, then? He gave Zhuge Qing a questioning, and maybe slightly crazed, look.

Zhuge Qing mouthed, I’ll fill you in later.

“Xiao-Qingqing fed you and made sure you drank plenty of water. And you repay him for keeping you alive by being unwelcoming?”

Then the Kunze’s mind finally caught up to what his mother was saying: the Qianyuan was the one who took care of the Kunze throughout his Heat. Not his mother. Not even his Zhongyong brother. But Zhuge Qing. Did that mean he saw how—how—

His cheeks hurt and itched by the force of his blush. He would’ve let himself sink into the floor with Earth Dragon Burrow if it weren’t for the fact that his mother wasn’t an Outsider.

A cold finger poked at his cheek—well, it most probably was at a normal body temperature, but anything that touched his burning face felt cold in comparison. “Don’t overthink it,” Zhuge Qing said. Then the Qianyuan smiled at his mother, “Auntie, it was nothing. Besides, Xiao-Ye—” Who was this fox calling Xiao-Ye? “—was very well-behaved. It wasn’t difficult to take care of him.”

His mother sighed and swooned dramatically. “I remember my husband being just as sweet and attentive when we were younger. Xiao-Qingqing, never change, okay? Our Wang Ye is very spoiled, so you have to always dote on him. Please be patient with him.”

“Ma!” Wang Ye cried, incredulously. What spoiled? He never asked for anything from his family—except for that one hundred and ten million, but that was an outlier. If anything, he was the bullied, pitiful third son!

“Just teasing, just teasing~” His mother giggled and brought over the tossed shredded tofu and gave him a heap of serving. Then she ran her fingers through his hair, lightly scent-marking him like he was a kid again.

“Xiao-Ye is such a good boy, right? Always so independent. Mama had always been so worried for all the years you were away. Aiyoh, it’s a good thing you found such a good Qianyuan. Mama can rest easy now that I know you’ll be cared for.” She turned to Zhuge Qing, becoming more serious and judging, “Isn’t that right?”

The Qianyuan put a hand over his heart and said solemnly—like he was a general swearing fealty to the emperor in the cusps of war, “I’ll do my best.”

Wang Ye felt winded by the heaviness of such a declaration—as if all wind stood still and the air thinned by the fire in Zhuge Qing’s words. It’s almost as if...

He chuckled, awkwardly, in a poor attempt to cut the tension because he didn’t want to think about the implications of this weird exchange. “What nonsense are you two talking about?”

His mother’s response was to smush his cheeks again. “Your hair has gotten so long over the years… it has grown so beautiful. You should let it down more often.” Then an alarm rang from her wristwatch, which she stopped with just a tap. “Well, I’m off to my workout sesh. Xiao-Ye, eat plenty, hm?”

“Ah,” he nodded and started picking on his plate.

Wang Ye nibbled on some carrots as a painfully awkward silence descended upon the table.

The Qianyuan cleared his throat, “I swear I saw and heard nothing inappropriate. I was telling the truth when I said you were very well-behaved. Daozhang is truly a master of grace and tranquility.”

The Kunze didn’t really believe that wholeheartedly but it was for the best to never talk about it ever again. “You didn’t have to humor my mother, you know?”

“How could I not, when Auntie has been very kind to me?”

“Who told you to leech on us for two weeks? You’re worse than A-Lian.” That sobered Wang Ye up. “Speaking of, what happened while I was... away?”

Zhuge Qing explained how Zhang Chulan managed to scare away two of the Ten Elders. How he threatened their families the same way they threatened Wang Ye’s. “Lao-Zhang wanted me to stress: it only worked because they think it was you who did the threatening. So, you have to own it and act as if it truly was you who did it.”

“Hm,” he said noncommittally. This wasn’t his area of expertise so he could only listen to the expert in shamelessness. “How about the one who tried to kidnap my family?”

“Ah. That was Zhang Chulan.”

“What?!”

Zhuge Qing gave him a strange look—some cross between tender sympathy and offended anger for him. Or maybe he was angry for his family—the Qianyuan was so close to them now after all apparently.

“Zhang Chulan also left some advice for you: go as far away from home. Staying may make you feel relieved, but you can’t protect everyone by yourself. And bad people would see that as your weakness. So, leave Beijing and let others protect your family. But if nothing had happened, then your family might not agree to new bodyguards. So, he put on a show for them.”

“He really has thought of everything, huh?” Wang Ye replied weakly. He stared down at the meal his mother had prepared for him. He knew this was the best course of action. Didn't he leave Wudang for the same reason? Didn’t he say to his father he wasn’t staying for long the first day he was back?

But knowing and accepting it didn’t make his heart ache any less.

He pushed down the lump in his throat by shoveling food in rapid succession. If tears were ever to escape from the corner of his eyes, he could just say it was because he almost choked on a cucumber.

When Wang Ye finished up his plate, Zhuge Qing poured him a glass of water and then wordlessly wiped his cheeks—not that they were wet. Nope. They were just a little damp from sweat.

During the day or two before and after his Heat, his heart usually would be tender as his hormones were all over the place. So, he was grateful for the comforting scent of the Qianyuan. It didn’t make the pain go away or weaken it, but it did make it more bearable.

Wang Ye downed the glass of water and Zhuge Qing dutifully refilled it. “Has Du-ge arranged for the bodyguards?”

“Mmhmm,” Zhuge Qing didn’t miss a beat and gave him a mischievous grin.

“Oh, no. Please don’t tell me it’s you. Is that why you’re still here?”

“Ah? My father may not be as rich as yours, but I can still live off of him, you know? I don’t need a job.” Zhuge Qing gave him a thumbs up, “But I did recommend the Zhuge Trio.”

That’s good. The three had such a good rapport with Du-ge already and they’re part of the Qianyuan’s family. Wang Ye could trust his own with them.

“So, what now? What’s next for you? Back to Lanxi?”

The Qianyuan leaned back in his chair. But the hand that had been wiping Wang Ye’s not-tears earlier fell on the back of the Kunze’s chair, idly playing with the hair that it could reach.

“I’ve been thinking of traveling actually. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have met so many interesting people and discovered curious things.” He smirked at him, “I’m kind of addicted.”

“Travelling does sound good,” Wang Ye mused out loud. Then he confided about a weakness he only realized—talked about how there were so many things he had yet to learn. Only when he was polished by the world and experienced everything it had to offer could he have the right to choose to leave it.

Back at the Luotian Grand Assembly, he proudly proclaimed that he greatly admired Zhuge Liang, who turned his back on immortality—who stayed in a world beyond saving—because of his pack.

An old desire resurfaced at the forefront of his mind, from deep in his heart. Something that he had locked up long, long ago when he saw his future in his father—who worried all day to provide for his family and ran and worked for his little desires every day: perhaps, if he too found someone or a pack of his own who he would also sacrifice everything for, then perhaps, he would finally find his place in this world.

Maybe then he would also choose to stay himself.

So, travel around, meet new people, and see what his real abilities were—that was what Wang Ye should do.

The Kunze felt so sure of his plan, but why did it feel like he made a misstep when he sent Zhuge Qing off?

Why did the fox look so disappointed as they went on their separate ways?

What Wang Ye was most conscious and most careful about when it came to being a Kunze was that he didn’t want to feed into the stereotypes.

Even though he wasn’t the best Taiji student—he was barely above average—he made sure that he could protect himself without needing Feng Hou Qimen. While he skipped a lot of the heavy work, he was not one to complain if he needed to get dirty and sweaty.

If he got too moody during his pre- or post-Heat, he would retreat inwardly so as to not lash out at the poor people around him. While he did know housework and was conventionally, objectively ‘pretty,’ he was still a Tsinghua graduate with a degree in physics and astronomy and he could calculate predictions as instantaneously and as accurately as someone from the Wu-hou Sect.

So, why was he chasing after a Qianyuan like some nagging wife storming after his husband to drag him back from a night out of drinking and gambling?

Two times. Zhuge Qing had made Wang Ye act in such a stereotypical Kunze for two times now. Moreover, acting like a desperate, bratty Kunze who wanted his Qianyuan to just listen and do what he wanted was far worse than whatever he did back at Mount Longhu.

But no matter what he did or said, this stubborn fox just won’t listen to him! The bastard kept saying that his business had nothing to do with Wang Ye. But who was it that kept chasing after him before? Who was it that stayed in his home and endeared himself to his family? Who was it that promised his mother that he would do his best to take care of the Kunze as if they were in some cheesy romance historical drama?!

Not his business? Then this Qianyuan shouldn’t have made his inner Kunze feel as if there was—was—business between them!

Pei!

Pei! Pei! Pei!

Breathe out the stale air and breathe in fresh air, right? This fox had already gotten tired of the immovable Wang Ye, right? Now, he wanted the new Kunze with the new Supreme, right?

Not that Wang Ye cared. Let that player want what he wants! But wasn’t that stupid Qianyuan a diviner too?

Ma Xianhong's scent reeked of iron and brass with hints of some marsh plant that made Wang Ye sneeze—very dui-heavy. While wood could be carved into a beautiful piece of furniture, it could be easily destroyed by metal. Zhuge Qing should know that he would just end up resenting Ma Xianhong.

But then again, Wang Ye had heard how the Qianyuan managed to beat multiple Ruhua so easily. Shenji Bailian hadn’t quite managed to insult the Wu-hou Clan the same way Wang Ye and Feng Hou Qimen had. In fact, that fox even said that his family’s Shenji arts were better!

So what did Wang Ye know? Didn’t that fox tell him that he had no say in other people’s fates? Who was he to stop them from becoming the modern Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying?!

Besides, it wasn’t like Wang Ye was any better than Ma Xianhong. He had a dui-aligned top note with a kun-aligned base note.

While wind eroded earth, the latter could insult the former by sheer will—heavy stones fear no weather and Wang Ye was as heavy as they come. It was the same thing with fire and metal—the former may melt the latter, but there was a reason why Zhuge Qing used Black Lazurite to withstand the attacks of the Little Fire God back then at Mount Longhu.

The Kunze just wasn’t suitable for the Qianyuan no matter how you would look at their charts. Just as Zhuge Qing had said—they were opposites of each other, fated to either destroy or insult the other. Like a moth flying into flames. Could he really blame Zhuge Qing for wanting to cut his ties with him?

Alright. Fine.

From now on, the only reason that Wang Ye was still at Biyou Village was because he needed to take down Ma Xianhong. Not because he was some crazy jealous Kunze! But for the good of the world.

And if that fox would stand in his way, then even better! Wang Ye would have the excuse to beat him up!

The Kunze wrung the pillow under his head until it was almost popping at its seams. He was just so—so—!

He took a deep breath and rolled over onto his back to stare at the ceiling of the room he claimed temporarily. He took the battered pillow into his arms, trying to scent-mark it into something more familiar.

He had told Zhang Chulan that he needed all the sleep he could get to prepare for the final battle. But really it was because he couldn’t sleep properly the past few nights, so he needed the extra naps during the day.

It was just that—everything smelled so wrong.

There was an ever-present smell of metal and Ma Xianhong’s grassy scent that made his skin and nose itch. Kunze were rarely territorial—just over their nest, and mate and pups—and Wang Ye was never one to concern himself over such matters.

But then again, it was his first time staying in another Kunze’s territory for a long period of time—especially one that he didn’t like that much. All of Biyou Village smelled wrong. It felt wrong to nest even in this room he tried to claim.

Moreover, his scent was so sour all the time now due to his frustrations—not jealousy!—because of that stupid fox. He didn’t even know that he could smell like... like pickled lotus root that hadn’t been washed before pickling so there was the smell of mud and fermentation in a disgusting mix.

And the sandalwood scent on the jade pendant he honestly didn’t know why he still wore had almost completely faded and damn his body for craving it! Just a couple of weeks of sleeping with that Qianyuan’s scent close to him and he was already so dependent on it?!

Wang Ye sighed and covered his head with his blanket, trying to somehow contain the fading scent. He rolled over to his side to further wrap himself up.

He could look for the Self-Cultivating Furnace if he couldn’t sleep anyway. But the last time he tried, he saw a large group of Ruhua rushing towards the general direction of it, carrying all sorts of equipment as well as bedding and provisions.

As a Qimen practitioner, Wang Ye was sensitive to similar kinds of magic. So, when he felt Zhuge Qing’s qi being amplified by the Furnace, it was obvious that the Qianyuan was with Ma Xianhong at that time. And it seemed like they’d be staying together for a while.

Wang Ye didn’t want to find them doing whatever they were doing.

The Kunze brooded over that thought until he got tired enough to get sleepy. He was just about to finally doze off when he heard a low creaking of wood from somewhere behind him.

A draft snuck under his blanket that made him shiver and he assumed that one of the windows got accidentally unlatched. With an outstretched hand, careful not to unravel his blanket cocoon, he blindly used Yin Cloud Hand to close it again.

But then the floorboards groaned as light footsteps approached the bed. Wang Ye froze but was on high alert. If any of the people from the Company wanted to talk to him, they could do so in the morning. Surely Ma Xianhong or any of his lackeys wouldn’t attack him out of the blue. Was this another one of Ma Xianhong’s fucked up tests?

He was poised to attack but as soon as the intruder got close enough, a whiff of burnt wood assaulted his nose.

One of the Kunze’s eyes twitched in annoyance. Jin Yuanyuan’s words echoed in his mind—feed a stray once and he would come back demanding for more. Allow a fox inside your bedroom for one time and he would invade it over and over again as if he owned the place! Even when he kept running away from you!

He felt the bed dip behind him. Now this fox was entering his nest! Just because he wasn’t satisfied with it, doesn’t mean that he would allow just anyone in it! Who did this bastard think he was?! Wang Ye really wanted to beat this guy up!

But there was something in the Qianyuan’s scent that made the Kunze pause and eventually just let him be. Bitter ash settled on Wang Ye’s tongue as if he could taste Zhuge Qing’s anguish. He would gladly consume it and take it as his own if he could—if only to make the other’s scent right again.

So, Wang Ye let the Qianyuan into his nest, let him lie behind him, let him under his blanket. When Zhuge Qing gathered him into his arms, he complied without complaints—not even when the breath on his neck tickled him. And when he felt the other tremble or the wetness on his nape, he just took Zhuge Qing’s hand and held it to his chest.

Wang Ye let Zhuge Qing cry, let him take whatever comfort he could from the Kunze. Just like that morning after his Heat back in Beijing, perhaps the Qianyuan’s pain could be more bearable even if he couldn’t help him carry it.

His very first reading of Zhuge Qing was that he was someone who was very strict with himself, always striving to be the best he could be. Wood regulated fire—it could let it die, but could also feed it in excess. What could have happened in the short time they haven’t seen each other that this fox let himself burn out? Did that Ma Xianhong do something?

His grip on the other’s hand tightened. It didn’t matter what happened. What mattered was that Zhuge Qing didn’t feel as if he was alone.

They lay just like that until the light of dawn started to peek through the cracks of the window panes. The Qianyuan exhausted himself to sleep and his breath evened out. The bitterness receded, replaced with the smell of damp wood that mingled with the Kunze’s own petrichor scent perfectly.

For the first time in days, Wang Ye was lulled into a restful sleep.

Thin rays of soft golden light managed to seep through the borders of the still-closed windows, slicing their way into the room. It was hard to tell what time it was when Wang Ye was woken up by an aggressive—but somehow gentle—scent-marking.

The Kunze groaned when a wrist grazed the side of his neck, instinctively shrinking away from the tickling touch. He grabbed the offensive hand and said, still a little groggy, “What are you doing?”

“Lao-Wang smells as if he’s been bathing in vinegar. It’s not good for a Kunze to stew in such bad airs.”

He pinched the Qianyuan’s arm and punched him in the gut for good measure as he turned to face the other. This fox trespassed into his nest and he dared insult him?! He ignored Zhuge Qing’s soft oof and retaliated some more with some scent-marking of his own.

It wasn’t much—he just buried his face in the Qianyuan’s chest and rubbed his cheek lightly. Just enough to maybe ease whatever agitation that the other—and perhaps himself as well—was feeling that prompted such marking.

Zhuge Qing tensed, his arms awkwardly hovering over Wang Ye. The latter clicked his tongue, annoyed. If the Qianyuan did such shameless things, it’s fine. But when Wang Ye showed just an ounce of audacity, this fox gets all shy?

“Wang Ye... you—”

“Lao-Wang!!!” Zhang Chulan barged into Wang Ye’s room. “Have you seen that... squinty-eyed...” he trailed off as he saw that the Kunze wasn’t alone in his bed and was actually cuddling with someone, “fox?” He managed to finish his question in a squeak.

The three of them stared at each other just for a second. Then a harsh gust of wind threw Zhang Chulan out of the room and closed the door after him.

Wang Ye felt more than he heard the Qianyuan’s rumbling growl. “Lao-Wang, does that shameless guy often come here unannounced?”

He shrugged, “Not really…”

“But you keep your door unlocked for anyone to just enter? You haven’t even barricaded the windows? I got in last night very easily!”

What exactly was this fox complaining about? “Why would I barricade the windows, are we in a zombie apocalypse?”

“Lao-Wang, Qianyuan might as well be some mindless zombie out to eat hapless Kunze! Especially if they saw…” he gestured wildly to Wang Ye’s state of undress.

In his defense, he didn’t like how the wrong smells clung to his clothes. Besides, even if it was late January, the weather in the village felt as if it was mid-to-late summer—another annoying unnatural aspect of this place.

“You don’t look like a zombie to me.” Zhuge Qing opened his mouth to argue some more, but Wang Ye pinched and pulled his cheeks. “Stop talking nonsense and go see what Lao-Zhang wants.”

The Qianyuan was grumbling the whole time Wang Ye was hauling him off the bed and nudging him to the door. Before letting Zhuge Qing go though, the Kunze’s touch lingered. Then he hastily brushed his wrist to the side of the other’s neck before he could think too much of it.

He used Eight Gates Moving to teleport Zhuge Qing out of the room before he could do something even more embarrassing.

The Kunze sunk back to his temporary nest, which was now filled with sandalwood and his normal scent of lotus blooms and earth. Oddly enough he couldn’t catch any hint of fire. Was that fox trying to hide the turmoil in his heart? He really shouldn’t make a habit of overworking his heart lest it wither.

He checked his phone for the time and found out that he had been sleeping for over twelve hours. Even then, he was caught between going back to sleep or staying awake. So, he just laid on his back and let his body decide for itself.

Zhang Chulan and Zhuge Qing stayed in the foyer. And if the wind carried their voices, Wang Ye was just in the most auspicious spot to hear them. He let their chatter wash over him, not really listening but treating it like white noise.

Until Zhuge Qing’s heightened and exaggerated voice caught his attention.

“‘I gave up my freedom, risking death to see you once more because you are more important than my freedom and life. I don’t need to look further to seek—happiness is in your hands. I behold you! Give me... give me my happiness!’”

“But the ending was that the Qianyuan didn’t give the Kunze happiness,” Zhang Chulan said.

“There’s a sadder possibility,” Zhuge Qing replied, more somber. “The Qianyuan gave the wrong thing.”

The two outside talked some more but Wang Ye became preoccupied by the Qianyuan’s words. There was just something in how he built up to it—Chen Duo gave up her freedom just to see Liao Zhong one more time, didn’t that show his place in her heart?

Wang Ye was brought back to the beginning of his stay at Biyou Village—when he and Zhuge Qing had to fight Ma Xianhong’s Operators and the heir of a Supreme himself—a test that supposedly revealed their true natures.

Zhuge Qing, who had always put himself first, gave up his freedom for Wang Ye. Didn’t that show the Kunze’s place in the Qianyuan’s heart?

And what did Wang Ye do at the time? He undermined Zhuge Qing’s sacrifice and arrogantly tried to change his fate again. It didn’t matter if he thought it was what was best for the Qianyuan. If he were wrong and Ma Xianhong ended up hurting him anyway, then everything would have been in vain.

He didn’t notice that the two had finished their conversation until the bed dipped and Wang Ye felt a hand run through his hair.

“What has gotten Lao-Wang so lost in thought?” Zhuge Qing asked. He must have opened the windows to let fresh air in because he was haloed by the full strength of the near-setting sun.

“Qing...” Wang Ye’s voice trailed off, not really knowing how to articulate his fragmented thoughts. He himself didn’t know for sure what he felt or what he wanted to say, how could he make others understand him?

Something green caught his eye. “That’s mine,” he blurted out, glaring at the jade pendant around Zhuge Qing’s neck. Wang Ye checked his own neck and sure enough, his necklace was not on him—yes, it was his; no, he would not elaborate on or justify this; if the fox wanted it back, then too bad.

The Qianyuan chuckled, “I’ll give it back to you in a bit. I’m wearing it to refresh my scent on it.”

This fox really knew what to say or do before Wang Ye even knew he needed it.

“A-Qing...” he tried again. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For giving you the wrong thing.”

The hand in his hair stopped. Zhuge Qing regarded him with intense, keen eyes. The Qianyuan was smart—Wang Ye could let him figure out the mess in his head for himself, and let him dissect his heart. After all, hadn’t Wang Ye also already shown his own heart?

Zhuge Qing sighed and turned away from him. The smell of embers came in small bursts, like damp firewood crackling—faint but undoubtedly present.

“‘The treasure that helps the world cannot be passed down to those who are not virtuous.’ Lao-Wang should already know this, right?”

It was an old saying Hong-ye had instilled in him as he learned the Qimen arts. To a layman, it could be seen as a guideline to be followed. For Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing—heirs of Feng Hou Qimen and Wu-hou Qimen, respectively—it was simply a matter of fact.

Nine out of ten who practiced Qimen Dunjia would go mad the longer they did; and anyone who tried to learn Feng Hou Qimen would almost always sink into their Inner Realm, never to come out again.

Wang Ye might have had an advantage in learning the Qimen arts because of his background in physics and astronomy. However, it wasn’t his intelligence and ability to calculate the position and trajectory of heavenly bodies with respect to the earth that allowed his mastery over it. Rather it was his character.

Do virtuous things, effortlessly, spontaneously, and recklessly, and the world would follow. Only those who were so one with the Dao that they upheld its virtues instinctively and without conscious thought could help shape the world.

“Haven’t I mentioned already? Even if you tried to teach me Feng Hou Qimen, I would reject it. It... it can never be passed on to me.” Zhuge Qing took one of his hands but still wouldn’t meet Wang Ye’s eyes. “You never gave the wrong thing. How could it be when the Qianyuan in me was so ecstatic to know that his Kunze was so willing to sacrifice himself for me?

“How could it be when you’re the opposite of me—when you are everything that is good in this world?”

The wind seemed to leave Wang Ye’s chest, his heart pounding as if it was trying to escape from his body. It was good that he was already lying down because if he were standing, he would’ve swooned at such a candid declaration—spoken as if it was some irrevocable truth.

To be held in such high regard—to be seen in a way that you had never seen yourself before—was as exhilarating as when he defied the Laws of Heaven and Earth. It was also just as terrifying.

Wang Ye had spent so many years trying to find out who he was. And here was Zhuge Qing, speaking as if he had the answer?

The Qianyuan finally looked at him, a small smile on his face but there was regret on the edges of it and melancholy in his eyes. “You have already given me so much. Friendship even though you knew I had impure motives. A chance to be good when you didn’t have to.

“And during that night... you revealed that you’ve given your heart,” he let out a wet laugh, “And I turned my back on you... Don’t you see, Lao-Wang? It was me who gave the wrong thing.”

“I think you’re misremembering that night. Didn’t you also try to sacrifice yourself for me?”

“Who’s to say that I didn’t do it to prove a point? To prove that I can be just as good as you? Who's to say that I didn’t do it with more hidden motives?”

That irked Wang Ye, so much so that he sat up and got up to the other’s face, “Well, did you?”

“I—” Zhuge Qing flinched back at the sudden aggression.

But Wang Ye didn’t let him go far and tugged on his hand forcefully. “Did you?” he asked again. “Were you even thinking at that time? Everything happened so fast that you couldn’t have possibly made up some... some elaborate scheme.”

The crackling firewood suddenly turned into a blazing forest fire. But Wang Ye had a feeling that none of the Qianyuan’s anger was directed at him.

“You want to know what I was thinking back then? I was thinking, ‘If I let Wang Ye die, would I finally have peace?’ There. Do you finally see what a piece of shit I truly am?”

Wang Ye was struck dumb for a moment and then his own anger boiled from his gut. The Qianyuan’s actions were recontextualized in his mind. This fox wasn’t avoiding him all this time because of what Wang Ye did. No, he was avoiding him because he was ashamed and guilty of what? A thought?

“You fucking dumbass!” Wang Ye would ask for forgiveness from his ancestors and master elders later. For now, he channeled his father because this fox needed to be shouted some sense into him!

“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve thought about beating you up just yesterday alone? If that also makes me a piece of shit, then we’re not so different then! Everyone gets intrusive thoughts from time to time—I’m thinking of beating you to death right now—!”

Wang Ye cuts himself off as Zhuge Qing lets out a bellowing laugh. The kind that made his body quake as he doubled over and clutched his midriff. He laughed and laughed and laughed until tears streamed down his face and he was gasping for breath—until his laughter had turned to hiccupping sobs.

The fight in the Kunze seeped out as he felt bad for dismissing Zhuge Qing’s feelings. It might not have been a big deal to Wang Ye, but it clearly was to the other. So, he gathered the Qianyuan in his arms and the latter held him just as tightly.

He murmured into Zhuge Qing’s ear, “A single bad thought does not make you a bad person. You think that you wouldn’t be able to understand Feng Hou Qimen—that the reason why I won’t give it to you is because I doubt your character. You keep saying that we’re opposites, so if I was good then you must be bad, right? But you’re wrong.

“Feng Hou Qimen is not a gift or reward of virtue or that mastery of it is some kind of proof that I’m good.” No matter what Hong-ye had said, it’s not. “It's a burden that breeds chaos—one that I don’t want you to bear. Besides, you don’t need it. Your Wu-hou Qimen is enough—you are enough.”

The arms around Wang Ye’s waist tightened as Zhuge Qing further crumpled into their embrace.

“You told me that I couldn’t decide for myself whether or not I changed your fate for the better or worse. Then you shouldn’t decide for yourself whether or not you gave me the wrong thing. Because if you did, then I wouldn’t still be here.

“You say that I’ve given you so much—that I’m this saint who was a paragon of goodness—but I’m just like any other person. What looks like empathy was just my own way of trying to learn who I am and who I could be. You think I accepted your friendship when I didn’t have to? Do you really think that I don’t have my own desire for companionship? For belonging—for finding where I would fit in this world?

“It doesn’t matter whether our friendship started because you just wanted to see Feng Hou Qimen again or because I felt guilty about tying your fate to me. It doesn’t matter that sometimes we do things for reasons that might seem impure. We are not defined by our mistakes or our fleeting bad thoughts. Rather it is our actions that show us who we truly are.

“And you, Zhuge Qing, are good.”

Wang Ye was a little lightheaded and his mouth was dry and his throat was hoarse by the end of his spiel. Heaving sobs rose from his chest. Frustration, disbelief, guilt—it all threatened to choke him and crush his heart.

He didn’t know how to make Zhuge Qing believe his words. Nobody ever listened to him—not Zhang Chulan, not Ma Xianhong, and especially not this stupid Qianyuan. Every time he had spoken out about something important, it all fell on deaf ears. And he was just so—so—fucking afraid that he would lose Zhuge Qing to his foolishness.

The most fundamental requirement for a Qimen practitioner was that you should have a strong grip on your mind and your heart. Wang Ye already had a suspicion that Zhuge Qing was waging a war with his heart—he just didn’t think it was this bad that it was as if he was one small mistake away from getting stuck in his Inner Realm.

“You’re so fucking stupid,” slipped from Wang Ye’s lips. Tears escaped from his eyes as he closed them, clutching the other so tightly it couldn’t be comfortable.

Zhuge Qing sighed and maneuvered both of them into a more comfortable position. The Qianyuan laid the Kunze back on the bed and just plopped on top of the other like a big weighted blanket comforter. Wang Ye felt a kiss on the crown of his head. “Ai, I sin, I sin. Lao-Wang, ah—I know my wrongs. Don’t cry for this unworthy one.”

Wang Ye bit whatever he could of the body smothering him. “Fuck you,” he said, muffled. After all that, this fox still didn’t get it?! “Stupid people don’t get to talk.”

“Yes, yes, I’m stupid. Just a dumb Qianyuan who should listen to his enlightened Kunze.”

“Who’s your Kunze?” Wang Ye protested, more out of pettiness than actually disagreeing with the sentiment.

Wang Ye felt another kiss on his head, one that lingered as Zhuge Qing hesitated with his reply. “The thing is… I already know that what you said is true. At least, at some level. I just—” he expelled a puff of breath in between a scoff and a sigh, “Sometimes, I just can’t help but think, ‘What if I’m the conniving greedy bastard after all?’”

“Shouldn’t the very act of thinking that says that you’re not?”

“But I haven’t actually been tested. You’ve never tempted me with Feng Hou Qimen. But now... Ma Xianhong gave me Shenji Bailian. I know I should burn it but I can’t bring myself to. Isn’t that proof that I’m falling into temptation?”

The Qianyuan released bitter pheromones, which Wang Ye tried to appease by scent-marking him—rubbing his hand up and down the other’s back until the glands on his wrists felt raw. This fox really was too strict on himself. “It’s just as much proof that you’re resisting it.”

Zhuge Qing fell silent while Wang Ye mulled over what more should he say. But then the Qianyuan took one deep breath and pulled away. A moment of panic struck the Kunze, which was somewhat quelled as the other cradled his face before kissing his forehead.

“Thank you,” Zhuge Qing said into his skin like a reverent prayer—like a goodbye. He took off the jade pendant and tied it back around the Kunze’s neck. Then he stood up.

Wang Ye clamped on the other’s wrist to stop him from going too far. But the Qianyuan just pried his hand off, brought it to his lips, and then set it down to the Kunze’s side.

“It’s alright. I know what to do now. But I have to do it on my own, so... Please wait for me. Only by overcoming my heart demon can I know for sure that I can be worthy of everything that you just said about me—that I can be worthy of you.”

“You already have my heart,” Wang Ye reminded him, instinctively and breathlessly. “You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

“I know, but... This isn’t about proving anything. I’m done with that. What I want is... I want to be able to love you well. I can only do that if I face my deepest shame. Please let me do this.”

The Kunze stared at the Qianyuan’s pleading face, the barest smell of a sandalwood sapling tickled his nose.

How many times did Wang Ye have to learn the same thing over and over again? He couldn’t change other people’s fate or will. Ultimately, he could only control his own actions. And sometimes, the best thing to do was to let people choose their path—let them grow on their own—and trust that it would converge back to yours.

To know and love yourself and others well was the most difficult and meaningful work you’ll ever do. If this was what Zhuge Qing had to do to finally see who he was and accept himself, then who was Wang Ye to deprive him of that?

“Okay. I’ll be here.”

***

Wang Ye was a patient man. He didn’t say or do anything when Zhuge Qing locked himself in his residence for three days. Nor did he do anything when he saw the Qianyuan come out and proceeded to ignore him—again!—opting to ask for help from someone else he had only recently met instead of the Kunze. And then disappearing once more!

It wasn’t as if Wang Ye was being idle anyway. When one of the Nadoutong Temps amassed scraps of broken Ruhua and tore apart Biyou Village’s false sky, the Daoist knew that the time for the final battle was near. So, he didn’t have any time to worry about Zhuge Qing, much less feel... jealous over something small.

However, didn’t that fox say he needed to do it alone? So why was he asking the swordswoman for help?

Logically, Wang Ye understood that confessing the parts of yourself you’re ashamed of was easier to do to a stranger than to someone you hold dear. Besides, he was grateful that Zhuge Qing had someone to watch over him during such a chaotic and vulnerable time.

But knowing and understanding didn’t make the irrational feelings go away. And the scene he stumbled upon while he was helping with the evacuation was the final straw.

When he saw that the Qianyuan had his arm around someone else, looking all intimate and romantic, all thoughts fled from the Kunze’s mind. Acting on pure instinct, he dropped the poor villager he was carrying and sprinted to the other side of the clearing.

Because clearly—

This fucking player was asking for his long overdue beating!!!

He flung dirt with Boulder Toss right into the Qianyuan’s mouth so the stupid fox couldn’t say anything—no spells, no sweet talk, no nothing! Then with a pro-wrestling move—Beijing-style: arm-lock around the neck—Wang Ye slammed Zhuge Qing to the ground. Then he picked him up, just to slam him back down.

He stomped on the other a couple of times. Then he straddled the Qianyuan’s waist and proceeded to just rain down blow after blow. No need to open a Qimen chart or use Taiji forms—this fox wasn’t worth it! He was only worth a thug’s beating!

Zhuge Qing finally spat out the dirt in his mouth and managed to croak out, “Surrender! We—we've surrendered! I’m leaving the village!”

Wang Ye still wasn’t satisfied, so with the most condescending and sarcastic voice he could muster, he said, “What? Why didn’t you say so? Lao-Qing, I was reckless! But isn’t it also your fault? Why didn’t you speak up earlier?” He still didn’t stand up from where he was sitting. Instead, he patted the other’s cheeks in a mocking gentle apology before pinching and pulling it.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!”

That continued for a few more—deeply gratifying—seconds until Lao-Meng had to step in and cleared his throat, “You two... er, we’re pressed for time. I think Zhuge Qing and Fu Rong should go down the mountain now. There will be people from the Company that will guide you to what happens next.”

Wang Ye ‘accidentally’ kneed the poor Qianyuan as he stood up. Finally satisfied, he took a deep breath and reveled in the relief of seeing Zhuge Qing again.

He observed the Qianyuan as the three talked about the logistics of their deal with the Company. Zhuge Qing seemed more relaxed, his smiles more real and less for show. The tightness around his eyes had eased and the stiffness in his cheeks had slackened.

And more importantly—the Kunze took another deep breath—the sandalwood and fire were not at odds with each other anymore. One did not smother or embitter the other. It smelled like a campfire in the middle of a forest, the well-deserved rest after a long day of adventuring. Not quite the homecoming yet—no, there was still much to explore—but no less warm and peaceful.

Wang Ye broke away from the others and went back towards the villager he dumped carelessly. Just as he was about to pick him up, Zhuge Qing magically appeared at his side, “Lao-Wang, let me, let me.” Then heaved the guy onto his shoulder. “We’re all going down the mountain anyway. Let me carry him for you.”

He was going to say that if Zhuge Qing were going to take the unconscious villager, then he should go back to the main compound and carry somebody else. But then Lao-Meng hurriedly said, “Wait! Just one more question—according to our database, Ma Xianhong gave Qiu Rang Shenji Bailian. Was it also passed down to you?”

The Kunze side-eyed the Qianyuan but nothing in his scent or expression showed any anxiety or agitation. Zhuge Qing simply shrugged, “I’m just a newcomer. Why would I learn Shenji Bailian?”

Lao-Meng sighed, “Aiyah, we were hoping that you could help us find the Self-Cultivating Furnace.”

“Who says that I need to master Shenji Bailian to be able to break into the mechanisms created by it? My family may not be as well-known for our Shenji arts as we are for our Qimen arts—and it might not be on the level of a Supreme—but I can still find the Furnace for you.”

Pride swelled in Wang Ye’s heart. At the beginning of their stay at Biyou Village, Zhuge Qing had admitted that the two Supremes felt like a disgrace to the Zhuge Clan. Now, he had gotten back his confidence in his family’s teachings—in himself.

Wang Ye reached out to take back the body so Zhuge Qing could help the Nadoutong Temps unhindered. But the Qianyuan stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, “But I’m going to need to borrow Daozhang for a bit.”

“Ah? Zhuge Qing, are you seriously volunteering me without asking first?” This fox had too much of his confidence back.

“Lao-Wang, I know the limits of my Wu-hou Qimen. What if I need to change the position of the Furnace? What if I set up the Central Palace in the wrong place and the Furnace wasn’t in range? I can’t move the Four Plates or extend the chart while it’s open like you can.”

It made sense. Wang Ye checked the time—they had about half an hour before the set time they plan to engage Ma Xianhong. He needed at least ten minutes in between usages of Feng Hou Qimen. Feng Baobao had already sounded the alarm so the villagers didn’t need much help evacuating anymore. He nodded to Lao-Meng.

“Alright,” the Nadoutong Temp said, taking the unconscious guy off their hands. “I’ll escort Fu Rong and this villager. Wang-daozhang has his comms, so just inform Zhang Chulan where he should meet you.”

They weren’t even fully out of the clearing when the Qianyuan sidled up to the Kunze, putting an around Wang Ye’s shoulders and holding him close as they walked towards the direction of the Furnace.

This fox was so happy with himself and was very liberal with his delighted scent. The Kunze had never smelled the flowers of sandalwood before but he could guess what the saccharine smell was. Not that Wang Ye was actually annoyed by it as he just let the Qianyuan scent-mark him all he wanted.

“You scheming fox. As soon as you saw that the tides have turned, you become a turncoat?”

“All that scheming and I still couldn’t escape a beating,” the Qianyuan had the audacity to mumble.

“Consider yourself lucky,” Wang Ye clicked his tongue. Since he didn’t know what to do with his arm that was smushed in between them, he wrapped it around the other’s waist. Then he leaned on the other as any tension he didn’t realize had built up within him melted. “Whatever. I’m just glad you didn’t get caught up with Ma Xianhong’s mess. But still... don’t you feel a little guilty?”

“About what?”

“Setting aside the moral quandary about whether Ma Xianhong is good or bad, he’s been nothing but kind to you. And when he gets into trouble, you didn’t even pretend to help and you’re poaching one of his bests. What happened to ‘a Qianyuan would never rest easy when a Kunze is in need?’ And didn’t you... you even spent nights with him.”

“Ah??? Do you mean that night after I pulled Zhao Nian out of his Inner Realm? I left as soon as the Ruhua laid out the bedding! We only met when working on the Furnace during the day. Even if we ever finished late, no one was sleeping with anyone.”

Okay, that made the Kunze feel a little bit better.

Zhuge Qing chuckled and pinched his cheek, “Lao-Wang is so cute when he’s jealous~”

Wang Ye pouted but didn’t refute the statement. If Zhuge Qing could face his shame, then he should also start facing his own ugly emotions.

“You worry too much. No matter how good he is, I’d never consider him as a close friend—let alone a potential mate.” The Qianyuan rubbed his cheek on Wang Ye’s head to sweeten the sourness brewing in the Kunze’s scent.

“Lao-Wang, don’t you know? Whether someone can be accepted by others depends on one trait—even more than their morality. Sometimes, it’s even the deciding factor. This trait is graciousness.

“Ma Xianhong lacks tact. He never considers the feelings of others. So what if he’s a good person—if his intentions were pure or the weight of his actions are a net positive? Dealing with someone like him is exhausting. So, my relationship with him is purely transactional. He's been good to me, sure, but I helped him perfect his Furnace. We owe each other nothing.”

Wang Ye felt a kiss on the side of his head, “You, on the other hand, are gentle. You feel empathy even for those who do not deserve it. To be honest, I don’t think that your intentions were ever impure or that your actions have done more harm than good. But even if you think otherwise, I know for sure that I was willing to associate with you—even make sacrifices for you—because I think it was worth it.

“You and I owe each other nothing not because we’ve satisfied an exchange of favors. But because... grace keeps insisting that it requires nothing of me so I require nothing of it, too.”

Did this fox just equate him to grace? Wang Ye, who never learned how to be a proper, ideal Kunze; who didn’t have any desires or ambition growing up like a ‘normal’ kid; who tried to change the fate of the world and its people for the better—only to constantly fail?

Was this really what Zhuge Qing thought of him? A paragon of goodness, the epitome of grace? Was this really who Wang Ye was? It didn’t feel like it was true, but...

It did make Wang Ye want it to be true.

A muffled cough sparked his earpiece to life. So, he pulled away from that thought and refocused on their mission.

“Eh? A-Lian, is that you? How long have you been on this channel?”

“Not long! Not long!” Zhang Chulan said very suspiciously, but Wang Ye didn’t call him out on it. “Er, Ma Xianhong just left. We have about fifteen minutes until the others start baiting him to the middle of the village.”

“Alright.” Wang Ye glanced at the Qianyuan, “I’ll give my comms to Lao-Qing. He’s the one who can actually lead you to the Furnace.”

Zhuge Qing accepted the earpiece and activated his Immaculate Scrutiny. Then he fired off instructions to Zhang Chulan. They trekked across the mountain, side by side and so close to each other.

They came to a stop in the expansive field of tall grass Wang Ye remembered going through the first and only time Ma Xianhong allowed him to see the Self-Cultivating Furnace. The Qianyuan squeezed his shoulders before dropping his arm. With one look of confirmation from Zhuge Qing, Wang Ye established the Central Palace.

“Hmm...” Zhuge Qing studied the immediate vicinity. “It’s definitely near, but it’s not within range of your chart.”

Wang Ye nodded and extended the scope of his Qimen chart. This time around, he wasn’t holding five people out of time, so it was easier to do so. He had never really tested how far he could make it go—it wasn’t as if he was going to need to use Feng Hou Qimen ten kilometers off the ground to land safely after jumping off a plane, right? He just hoped that they find the Furnace before reaching his limit.

Zhuge Qing shook his head, “It’s still not enough.”

He took a deep breath and upon exhale, the chart expanded again. It was nearing five hundred fifty meters in radius when Zhuge Qing finally asked him to stop. It wasn’t that straining yet, but he had to grit his teeth as he settled.

“There, on the Delusion Gate.”

Wang Ye scoffed. Ma Xianhong had one of the best Shuists and Qimen practitioners of their generation helping him and he chose to hide his precious Furnace in such an inauspicious position? Sure, he was able to keep it from prying eyes, but was it worth the misfortune?

“Since the Furnace has the sample of my qi when I helped Zhao Nian back then, Ma Xianhong must have found his own way of determining the position of the Delusion Gate when it moves every two hours. Then he programmed the Furnace to follow it and keep itself hidden. Lao-Wang should move it to either Open or Life.”

“No, it’s more troublesome to move the Furnace. I’ll just turn the Four Plates. I can also set up the most auspicious configuration for Lao-Zhang to make his job easier for him. Align the Life Gate and Heart Star together—for maximum good fortune. And maybe I should force Jia Wood to appear—so that Zhang Chulan’s Yang Lightning would have more power.

“What do you think?” When he looked at the Qianyuan to ask for his opinion, Zhuge Qing had a soft, fond look on his face. “What?”

“Nothing,” the fox flicked his nose. “I think it’s a good idea. Although, isn’t it the Metal Yang hour? I think Wu Earth over Gui Water is enough. Lao-Wang doesn’t need to defy Heaven and Earth superfluously for this, right?” Then before Wang Ye could argue with him, he addressed Zhang Chulan to relay the Furnace’s position and their plan.

So, Wang Ye just started with his part. The Heaven and Earth Plates moved without a hitch. Following Zhuge Qing’s advice, he didn’t bother to force Jia Wood out of hiding, so he didn’t have to suppress Geng Metal. ‘The Green Dragon comes under the Heaven canopy’ was a good hexagram anyway, so he aligned the respective Heavenly Stems.

The Furnace was already channeling the power of the Chief Deity—Ma Xianhong was not an idiot after all, huh—so he didn’t have to move the Gods Plate because Zhang Chulan could also benefit from it.

But when he tried moving the Gates Plate, he was repelled by a backlash tenfold of the power he used. Good thing he wasn’t exerting much effort and he could withstand it. But it still made him spit blood.

“Wang Ye!” Zhuge Qing hurriedly came to his side. “What happened?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he waved off the other’s concerns. “The Gates are stuck.”

The Qianyuan clicked his tongue. “I should’ve known Ma Xianhong has a failsafe in place.” He brushed off the blood on the side of the Kunze’s lips. “Leave it to me, Lao-Wang.”

“Be careful.”

Zhuge Qing just gave him a reassuring, confident smile. “Don’t worry,” he pinched the knuckles of his four fingers with his thumb and a blue flame lit up from his fingertips. “When your mind is in samadhi, you achieve a more profound understanding of creation and destruction.”

The Qianyuan turned to the direction of the Furnace. “I helped Ma Xianhong perfect it.” Wang Ye’s breath thinned and the wind picked up as Zhuge Qing paved a path of pure oxygen. “I know exactly where to hurt it the most.”

With a flick of a hand, flames came bursting from Zhuge Qing’s palm, burning the formation and mechanisms holding the Furnace in place. It was as blue and bright and scorching as one of the nine stars; specifically, the seventh star of Beidou: Yaoguang—the Twinkling Star of Brilliance, the Heavenly Pass.

Zhuge Qing wasn’t standing on xun or li, and yet here he was—harnessing the power of the heavens, wielding a star of his own making.

Wang Ye vaguely registered the Plate clicking into place or the erupting earth that revealed the Furnace in the far-off distance. He kept his eyes on this amazing man who had bravely faced his demons, broke through a bottleneck in his cultivation, and learned a new skill.

The fire eventually died down, leaving only moonlight to shine upon them once more.

“It’s the final legacy of Wu-hou,” Zhuge Qing proudly said. “Pretty cool, right?”

The Kunze, feeling a little playful, shrugged and tried to keep a nonchalant face, “Meh, it was alright.”

“Ah? Just ‘alright?’ Weren’t you moved at all? Lao-Wang has such high standards!”

They stared at each other and they didn’t even last two seconds before descending into giggles. Still, they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other.

Zhuge Qing covered Wang Ye’s eyes, “On second thought, it’s too much...”

“Can’t I admire my very handsome and very powerful Qianyuan?” The Kunze pried off the hand on his face.

“That wasn’t what I meant...” the other mumbled, scratching his cheek that was getting pinker and pinker.

“A-Qing,” Wang Ye squeezed Zhuge Qing’s hand. “I’m proud of you.”

The Qianyuan squeezed his hand back, “Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

The earpiece buzzed to life again and Zhang Chulan was talking so loudly that Wang Ye could faintly hear him. Zhuge Qing clicked his tongue, “Ai, A-Lian, we just did a miracle for you. Can’t we have a moment?” Another slew of words came from the other side.

Eventually, the Qianyuan sighed and reluctantly relented. He took off the comms and put it on the Kunze’s ear. But not without putting a lock of hair behind Wang Ye’s ear like the sappy guy that he was.

“I just got off from the main channel,” said Zhang Chulan. “Ma Xianhong is currently chasing Bao’er-jie just as planned. But the others were talking about pushing our timeline a little earlier. They might engage him even if they haven’t reached the center of the village.”

“Alright.” Wang Ye could do that. He just won’t use Feng Hou Qimen for a bit, so he won’t end up vomiting his lungs out or something. “I’ll tune into the main channel as well so I can adjust accordingly. Good luck.”

“You too.” Then the radio zipped into silence. Wang Ye tuned his earpiece to the proper frequency, just in time to hear the end of Wang Zhenqiu’s instructions that was for some reason spoken like a soliloquy in an opera.

He muted himself and turned to the Qianyuan, “You should go down the mountain now.”

“Lao-Wang is still going into the center of chaos after already doing so much?”

The Kunze shrugged. Even though he did not like Ma Xianhong that much, he didn’t want him to suffer needlessly. Only by being in the midst of the fight could Wang Ye make sure that there won’t be unnecessary casualties on both sides.

Zhuge Qing hummed irritably but didn’t voice out his concerns. Instead, he said, “I’ll see you after? Lao-Wang won’t reject me this time, right?”

“Ah? When did I reject you before?”

“Wow... you already forgot? Back at Beijing—when I suggested that we should travel together.”

“When did you—wait. Was that why you were so disappointed when we separated? Are you saying that we could’ve avoided all this—!” he gestured with his hands wildly “—if you just had properly asked?”

“I think I was very clear at that time.”

“No, you weren’t!” Wang Ye clicked his tongue then sighed and shook his head, “Fine, fine. I was the wrong one this time. Next time, just say what you mean, you stupid Qianyuan!” He lightly rapped his knuckles on the other’s chest.

Zhuge Qing caught his hand and held it to his heart, “I’ll heed the words of my very enlightened Kunze.” In a more serious tone, he said, “I’ll come find you after. Lao-Meng said that we’re going to the capital tonight. But I suspect they’re going to take us to another location for questioning. I don’t know how long that’ll take.”

“It’s no matter. I’ll wait for you.”

In the end, Wang Ye didn’t even feel like he was waiting for Zhuge Qing to settle his matters with the Company because he was bedridden the week after the fight at Biyou Village and spent most of it asleep.

Ma Xianhong had taught his followers well on how to deal with him and Jin Yong had put up quite the fight. Then after using Feng Hou Qimen for the second time that night, he was attacked by that face-stealing stalker of his as soon as he closed the chart. The mysterious man caught him unawares and slashed the side of his neck, right at his mating glands—which his stupid body mistook for a bond mark and forced him into a Mating Heat.

Good thing Wang Ye had learned his lesson back then in Beijing and started to carry emergency suppressants on his person. But it was awful. He immediately vomited as soon as he injected the drug into him. Plus, it was only a temporary fix.

Then he opened a Qimen chart for the third time that night and used the Tortoise-Musca Form—a technique that he had never used before because it cost him too much.

Needless to say, Wang Ye had pushed himself too far this time. It was no wonder that he couldn’t get up after he collapsed when he took the three beads off of Ma Xianhong.

He really, really did not want to be indebted to Nadoutong. But the Kunze had no choice but to accept their help when his body was failing on him. The only consolation was that he got to stick with Zhang Chulan and Feng Baobao.

They let him rest and recuperate in a safe house under the Lubei Branch. It wasn’t just any safe house either. It was the very same one that the Nadoutong Duo was residing in.

The forced Mating Heat came and went fast. There were no Qianyuan pheromones injected into him so his body quickly realized that it wasn’t actually bonding with anyone at that moment. But since he just had a Heat not even a month ago, it still took a great toll on his body.

He was also having cold sweats and a normal, non-Heat-induced fever on and off throughout the week as if his body was fighting off some infection or virus. He kept getting rashes that would come and go. When he finally had enough strength to wash his face and brush his teeth, there was bleeding in his gums.

Wang Ye hoped that his overuse of Feng Hou Qimen didn’t trigger some kind of autoimmune disease. He rubbed his face in frustration. The last thing he needed was for his body to attack itself. He hoped it was a simple infection and his immune system was just overreacting.

“Lao-Wang~!” Zhang Chulan banged on the door and without waiting for a response, he came in. “How are—oh! You’re up and about! That’s good, that’s good. If you hadn’t woken up soon, your Qianyuan would have finally lost his mind. Then we’ll have a feral half-god on the loose!”

Then he took out his phone and snapped a picture of the Kunze who still had some toothpaste froth in the corner of his mouth. He mumbled to himself, “I need to send this immediately or I’d never hear the end of it. Wait. What if he still kills me because I came in without asking again?”

Zhang Chulan motioned for the Kunze to wipe his face and threw his hair tie to him. “Lao-Wang! Make yourself presentable. Make it look like I didn’t just barge in while you were in the bathroom.”

Wang Ye was very confused, but still tied his hair and cleaned up his face. “What are you doing?”

There was another click on the other’s camera phone. “Proof of life,” he said curtly as he typed away.

“Ah? Am I a hostage? A-Lian, are you blackmailing Lao-Qing?” Wang Ye raised his eyebrows, amused. But then a darker thought flashed in his mind and he narrowed his eyes, “Is Nadoutong—?”

“Nothing like that! Aiyah, Daozhang when did you become so suspicious of other people? That fox insisted I regularly update him of your condition with pictures and all. And before you ask, we did have to run some tests to make sure you’re healthy. But don’t worry, I made sure the results don’t stay in our system.”

He scanned the Nadoutong employee’s face for any deceit. But Zhang Chulan was someone who could understand Wang Ye’s reservations about big organizations. So, ultimately, he believed in him. He asked instead, “Am I? Healthy, I mean.”

“Daozhang takes care of his spirit and keeps himself fit. Of course, you’re healthy. Though a bit overworked.” Something must have shown on his face because the other continued, “Why? Do you feel something? Should we do some more tests? Go to different doctors?”

The Kunze waved him off, “No need. The Company has such advanced equipment. If it says that there’s nothing wrong, then everything is fine.”

The other observed him for a bit before saying, “Lao-Wang... why don’t you stay for a while? If you think there’s something wrong, we could find out for you. If you think you’re sick, we can help you.”

Wang Ye sighed and crawled onto the bed as exhaustion came creeping into his bones again. He stared at the yellowing ceiling as he said, “Zhang Chulan, you’re not really asking because you’re worried about me, right? You’re collecting people that would back you up. Or, more accurately, people that would back Feng Baobao.”

“Heh… Nothing really gets past you, huh...” Zhang Chulan sat on a chair by his bedside. “I know you already said that I should stay away from her and I should stop digging up her past. But Bao’er-jie has done so much for me. I want to do this for her.”

“This path would affect the fates of many people,” Wang Ye reiterated what he said at the Luotian Grand Assembly—it felt like a lifetime ago. “But if you continue, the one who’ll actually be at the greatest risk is Feng Baobao herself.”

“I’ll protect her. The same way that Bao’er-jie would protect me.”

“You’re really willing to exhaust a hundred percent of your efforts for her?” The Kunze brought his hand to his chest, fiddling with the jade pendant that rested near his heart. “Hmm... Zhang Chulan, I kind of understand why you stay by her side...”

He stewed over that for a moment and then he sat up. “You want me to help Feng Baobao when needed, right?”

“Yes, yes...”

Wang Ye held his hand over his chest, over the jade, emulating as much confidence of Zhuge Qing as he could, “This is the kind of person I am—gentle and empathetic, good and gracious. You might even say I have the heart of a Bodhisattva! But I am not cheap.

“Back then when you helped me with the matter of my family, you said you were expensive. How could you think I’m so cheap? If you want me to help in such a big matter, I have to see if she is worth helping!”

Zhang Chulan met him head-on, a determined look on his face. “Just by getting to know Bao’er-jie more, I’m already grateful.”

The Kunze clicked his tongue, “Don’t thank me yet.” He laid back down on the bed and started fidgeting with the necklace again.

“You know... Two things can be true. I want you to help Bao’er-jie, sure. But at this point, we’re friends, right? Lao-Ma had the right idea—we heirs of the Supreme Skills should stick together. If you ever need help, I will try my best to help you.” He held up a thumbs up, “No payment required.”

The other’s gaze went to Wang Ye’s hand and the jade in it, “If you want... we can request for Lao-Qing to be posted here. I promise you, Si-ge will be good to him. You can keep an eye on us and make sure we won’t exploit him.”

As he thought about it, he doubted Zhang Chulan had the power to make it happen—why else would he need such underhanded techniques to protect Feng Baobao if he held power within the Company? But he appreciated the sentiment. Besides, there was no loss in trying, right? “What can you tell me about his situation?”

“Ah... you see, Ma Xianhong got away...”

Wang Ye raised his eyebrows at that. He had come to the conclusion that Ma Xianhong was backed by a powerful person on the same scale as Feng Baobao—someone whose fate was so heavy Feng Hou Qimen couldn’t manipulate it.

He did not expect that he was backed by an organization as large as Nadoutong—maybe even something bigger and more powerful than the Company if they managed to successfully jailbreak Ma Xianhong.

Zhang Chulan continued, “So President Zhao has asked for the help of Lao-Ma’s Operators. He said that once it’s resolved, they’ll be released. Unless... they want to work for Nadoutong that is.”

He wondered how fine the line was between ‘wanting’ and being coerced—if there was any line at all. Who was to say that once released, Nadoutong wouldn’t constantly surveil them—waiting for one small slip-up to take them in again? In that scenario, they wouldn’t be as... magnanimous as they were right now.

“Are they being detained until Ma Xianhong is captured again? Even those who didn’t help during the final battle?”

“Er, I think they’ll allow them limited access to the outside world once the interrogations are over.”

Wang Ye scoffed.

“Which will be soon,” Zhang Chulan hurriedly tried to placate him. “After that, I’m sure we can negotiate a way for Lao-Qing to liaise remotely and have fewer restrictions.”

“How about the others? I remember a young girl among their ranks—Wukui, was it? And that swordswoman, Fu Rong—” she helped Zhuge Qing at his lowest, Wang Ye owed her for that “—they don’t deserve to be treated like criminals.”

“Ai, we can’t save everyone...”

“But we can try, right? Besides, they’re fresh out of a cult. You can recruit them into your Feng Baobao cult.”

“D-don’t put it like that! You’re making it sound like I’m someone who doesn’t deserve friends.”

Zhang Chulan’s phone chimed and lit up, and he read the message he had just gotten. Wang Ye could hear the clacking of his teeth as he gritted it tightly while he tapped his reply.

“I have to go...” the other said, already by the door. “I’ll try to get at least Lao-Qing here this week.” His phone chimed again and this time, the text put him in a more jovial mood. “Although...” he gave the Kunze a cheeky grin, “I’m sure that sneaky fox has his own ways to get to you.”

It had only been three hours since Zhang Chulan left when Zhuge Qing busted through the door.

The Qianyuan was heaving and drenched in sweat. His hair and clothes were swept back and in disarray. It took him precisely five long strides to reach Wang Ye who had been meditating on the terrace to catch some sunlight.

Wordlessly, he dropped to his knees by the Kunze’s side and fretted over him. Every part of Wang Ye that could be examined, Zhuge Qing grabbed and held close. He scrutinized Wang Ye’s palms, then turned over his hands to inspect his nails. He cradled his face, squeezing his cheeks and stretching his lower eyelids to check the whites of his eyes.

When he grabbed the Kunze’s ankle to check his lower limbs, the latter had to hold onto him so as to not topple over. Wang Ye pinched the shoulder to which he clung to, “You stupid Qianyuan! What are you doing?”

This damn fox ignored the Kunze’s outburst. In fact, he doubled down in his... insanity by activating Immaculate Scrutiny. This guy was now just wasting his qi! He truly was a half-god who had reached Nirvana, right? What an arrogant fox!

“Zhuge Qing!!!” Wang Ye slapped both of the said person’s cheeks. “Enough. I thought Lao-Zhang updated you regularly? Didn’t he send my test results? Can’t you calm down just for a second?”

“You think that A-Lian or any of the Company’s doctors comprehend the cost of Qimen techniques?” The bright blue of Immaculate Scrutiny danced like flames as Zhuge Qing glared at Wang Ye. “Tell me, just how much of your lifetime did you sacrifice that night?”

The Qianyuan’s scent was so overbearing that it felt like there was an actual fire right in front of the Kunze. The heat of a body already so worked up—did this guy run all the way here from the train station?—and the inhuman blue eyes added to the illusion.

Oh. Zhuge Qing was furious.

The Kunze had to change tactics. When in doubt, just act all submissive and pitiful. It worked on Wang Ye’s Qianyuan father nine times out of ten whenever he got shouty with him. “We haven’t seen each other for a while and the first thing you do is scold me?”

“Wow... Lao-Wang knows underhanded techniques after all? You think you can distract me by acting cute?”

“Who’s acting cute? I’m just saying... it seems like you didn’t miss me all that much. Maybe I should move on to greener pastures—” Wang Ye cut himself off. He was so used to using this ‘technique’ with his father that he automatically went straight to the threatening phase.

But threatening his father with going to another temple was far different from threatening an already angry Qianyuan with finding another guy.

Zhuge Qing leaned forward until their cheeks were touching. He murmured, “Xiao-Ye, don’t even joke about that unless you want me to tie you down and claim you right here, right now.” He tilted his head down and laid an open-mouthed kiss over the mostly healed wound on the side of the Kunze’s neck, teeth grazing the sensitive skin.

“Lao-Wang has been stomping all over the grass, he has no choice but to eat it, right?”

Wang Ye suddenly became all too aware of their... suggestive position. After all the limb-tugging earlier, the Kunze’s legs were on either side of the Qianyuan. He was halfway on the other’s lap. He was clinging to Zhuge Qing for balance and the latter had his arms braced upon the former’s torso. They were so close to each other that he could practically taste the other’s pheromones.

The Qianyuan pulled away but then his hands started to wander lower—

“You—you—you—you—you—!”

The Kunze’s center of gravity shifted as Zhuge Qing stood up, lifting Wang Ye with him. He didn’t know whether he was lightheaded because of the rush of it or because of the sudden flush on his face and the hysterics.

He instinctively clamped his legs around the Qianyuan’s waist to stabilize himself. “If you trigger another Heat so soon, it might actually kill me.”

The pervert fox bit his ear and chuckled, “Lao-Wang has such a dirty mind? I’m just carrying you back inside. It’s going to get colder soon.”

“Yeah, right...” Wang Ye grumbled. But true to Zhuge Qing’s word, he was set down on the bed innocuously and the Qianyuan joined him just for some innocent cuddling. Zhuge Qing pulled him close, tangled their legs, and slotted every part of him in a perfect fit against Wang Ye.

“The Wu-hou Clan has been around for thousands of years, you know? Of course, we have our traditions concerning Bonding. Lao-Wang hasn’t even met my parents yet! If I claimed you without permission, if your father somehow failed to kill me, my father will finish me off.”

“Wow... you’re really already thinking about Bonding? You’re so sure we’re fated mates?”

“Eh? Aren’t you a diviner too? Have you never asked the Inner Realm? But then again...” the Qianyuan absentmindedly caressed the Kunze’s earlobe, “I don’t need to calculate it to be sure that you’re the one for me.”

Wang Ye groaned and tried to hide in the crook of Zhuge Qing’s neck, “You’re so corny.”

“It’s the truth though and as a Shuist, I consider it to be the truest thing I know.” The Qianyuan poked what little skin of the Kunze’s cheeks was still visible, “How about it, Lao-Wang? Come home with me?”

“Can you even leave Nadoutong’s purview right now?”

“Ah, about that... I’m actually technically a Nadoutong employee now and for the next two years, not counting the six months of training.”

“Two years?”

“They initially wanted three but my father’s friend negotiated for my contract.”

“That’s still so much!”

“But at least, I do get some vacation leaves and they’ll leave me alone as long as I adhere to the company rules. Though I’m only allowed limited contact with the outside world for the first six months during training.”

“How are you here then?”

“I... am actually on a Rut leave.”

Wang Ye slowly came out from where he was hiding and stared down at Zhuge Qing. To which the Qianyuan responded by pressing a kiss onto his nose.

“Don’t worry, it’s not going to start for a couple more days. I’m not going to jump you out of nowhere. Besides, you’re still recovering, right? We don’t have to share my Rut. But it was a convenient excuse for me to be able to come see you as soon as you woke up. Speaking of...” Zhuge Qing narrowed his eyes, “Are you ready to be honest with me now?”

The Kunze puffed his cheeks and pouted. He thought that he had successfully redirected the conversation. This fox was relentless!

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Wang Ye finally admitted. “But I feel fine! There’s just… something going on with my body… or maybe I’m just looking for a problem that isn’t there. It’s too early to tell.”

“If Lao-Wang says that there’s a problem, then there is one.”

“You’re just biased to believe I’m right about everything.” Even if this fox didn’t listen to him every time.

“My Kunze is very smart—ow!” Zhuge Qing exclaimed when Wang Ye pinched his sides. “Were you always this violent?”

He ignored the question and continued, “Zhang Chulan offered to help me and asked me to stay. He also wants me to get to know Feng Baobao more.”

“Hmm...” the Qianyuan frowned as he looked at Wang Ye pensively. “And is that what you want?”

He shrugged, “The Jiashen War, the Thirty-Six Rebels, the Eight Supreme Skills, Feng Baobao—they're all connected. Maybe by learning about her past, we can know the true nature of the Supremes. And the true nature of Feng Hou Qimen might shed some light on what’s happening to me.”

“I didn’t ask for your rationalization of the situation. I asked if that’s what you want to do.”

He gave another shrug; the I don’t know was at the tip of his tongue. However, the firm but patient look on Zhuge Qing’s face urged him to reflect on it more carefully.

“I want to do what’s right. If Zhang Chulan insists on treading the hardest path, then as someone who has a more profound understanding of the cause-and-effect, it’s my responsibility to try to mitigate the harm and chaos this path will lead into.” He chuckled weakly, “Aiyah, saying it out loud, I sound just as arrogant as that Ma Xianhong with a god-complex.”

Wang Ye sucked on his teeth as he struggled with his thoughts. “But you know what? I’d be lying if I said that this... desire wasn’t secondary to me. I...” he glanced at the Qianyuan then immediately looked away, “I want to be with you. And if that meant being in the peripherals of Nadoutong, then so be it!”

The Kunze retreated to the crook of his Qianyuan’s neck once more. “My stay at Biyou Village taught me something about myself: I want a proper nest. I still want to travel around the world, but I want somewhere I could go back to—somewhere to miss and long for while I’m away.

“I can’t go back to Beijing unless it’s an emergency. So, maybe... we could... build a home here.”

Zhuge Qing didn’t answer immediately, but before could Wang Ye’s heart drop in disappointment and rejection, he said, “Okay.”

“Yeah?” Wang Ye turned his head to rest his cheek on the other’s shoulder so he could look at him.

“But only for the two and a half years that I’m working for Nadoutong. I want our endgame to be back at Zhuge Village.”

Right. This guy was still the very important future patriarch of the Wu-hou Clan. He would naturally want to settle down there. "Okay.”

“And we don’t stay here here. I still have my pride as a Qianyuan! I can’t have us staying in Zhang Chulan’s territory.”

“We can check out the house listings later.”

Zhuge Qing then went on about his ideal home with Wang Ye interjecting now and again. But in the end, it didn’t really matter how big or small, or what color it would be, or if it was styled traditionally or modern chic.

Because as long as they had each other, they were home.