138 Met him halfway

When Chen Gaoyong had departed from the world, he left behind a message for his oldest son and heir. It instructed him to preserve his little sister's life as best as he could, for his own fates depended on her.

It was then that Chen Leike was made keenly aware that his affliction with fortune was not something born naturally, but in fact, the result of a forbidden spell. His gripe toward his sister only deepened then.

"Sect Leader--"

"I'd rather just be called Immortal of Luck, that's a lot simpler, you know?" Sect Leader Chen was leaning on his new throne, reclined in a way that his father would never be caught doing.

The servant paled at his words, but nodded stiffly and rephrased, "Immortal of Luck, there has been a development in Lady Chen's condition."

Chen Leike's eyes widened as he rose from his throne. "Why didn't you say that sooner? Tsk, people sure are lazy around here…no matter. Let us go see her at once." He sauntered off after the servant, purposely pretending not to see Nan Chang peeking out from the side of a pillar as he left.

This Chen Dage has become so strange lately, Nan Chang thought absently. Ever since he had taken up his father's role, he'd be gathering more rumors than even Nan Chang could count. There was a time she would characterize Chen Leike as a simple and lazy man, but nowadays, he had all the hallmarks of a schemer.

It was interesting.

And now Nan Chang had to weigh where her own interests lied. She didn't really have that many choices, but her favorite one was, of course, her little Xuelan.

But would that suit her interests? To begin with, Nan Chang was a person who understood the laws of survival above all else. There was a time she was more sympathetic and caring, but that was also a time when she learned that those were things that got a person killed.

Morals were useless if you were dead.

She hummed, kicking her feet absently as she blinked in thought. Something told her that she would have to pick her side sooner than later because Chen Dage would not care to wait for her decision. For he, was just as shrewd as she was.

Nan Chang pursed her lips and sighed over the complexities that plagued their current situation. She stretched her arms and whined in annoyance, deciding she was much more interested in the treasure that the Ivory Sword Saint was supposedly in the midst of trying to dig up.

It was either that or pursuing more rumors to strengthen her metaphorical fortifications.

Nan Chang decided that heading toward the Ivory Sword Saint's would reward her with both. She giggled at the prospects. A new bounced added to her heels as she walked. Though technically Liu Sumeng's office was not too far from the main hall, it would take her quite a bit of time to actually get there. And that was because she stopped to greet each friendly face, making sure to exchange a few words before moving on.

Secretly, she wondered if she could somehow manage to beat this silly new sect leader at his own game. It would be kind of fun, but maybe a bit too dangerous for Nan Chang's tastes.

…

"Xuelan." Liu Sumeng set his chopsticks down. A light clatter. His bowl of rice was empty, but many of the dishes in front of them still had a lot of food, savory fragrance filled the room, mixing the incense stick that was alight earlier.

Yuan Xuelan raised his head slowly, chewing and swallowing the remainder of food in his mouth. He set his own chopsticks down, mirroring Sumeng. "Yes…?" He said cautiously, "Have you finished already? I think Sumeng should eat more."

Liu Sumeng sighed, "No. We should talk."

"Um. Okay." Wait a moment! Yuan Xuelan's heart wasn't prepared for this. He was jittery from the top of his scalp to the tips of his fingers, terrified that Liu Sumeng would come and tell him that everything was all a mistake made in the heat of an adrenaline-induced hazed. He hadn���t gathered his wits to approach the subject yet!

"What did I tell you before?" But Liu Sumeng was without mercy; his hands folded neatly on top of each other his table. His eyes were leveled, still and masked his emotions. If it weren't for the twinkling sparkle that refused to disappear, Yuan Xuelan would have thought his current visage was cold.

But no, he could tell that there was something that made the Ivory Sword Saint impatient. Annoyed. Yuan Xuelan gulped, not entirely sure what Sumeng was referring to. He felt like he was at the edge of a plank, with a pot of boiling water below him. Unnerved, he wracked his brain for answers and found Huo Tang annoyingly silent. "U-Um… Well. Sumeng has told me many, many things. Which one of those things could he be possibly referring to right now?"

The glare he received only got sharper. Liu Sumeng maintained his posture and his silence.

Yuan Xuelan gulped, "Please don't be angry with me. I did something wrong again, didn��t I? I'm sorry."

The apology won him a sigh. "Don't apologize to me-" The words came out a little bit sharp, causing Yuan Xuelan to flinch. No, that wasn't what he wanted. Liu Sumeng was too caught up remembering a bygone time, where Emperor Taixu's words apologies had been as empty as his capacity for compassion. He shook his head and tried again, "I only want you to think about what you should be doing right now."

"W-What I should be…" Yuan Xuelan stuttered a little, being put on the spot. But Liu Sumen watched him patiently and waited for the nerves to quell a little. He shuffled about in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck.

What should he be doing right now?

This entire time he'd held back his emotions so that he wouldn't have to trouble Liu Sumeng, even if it itched and gnawed at him. To what end? What was it that Liu Sumeng was asking of him?

And suddenly, it dawned on him. He remembered the scolding words he received back in the desolate Hengsheng and the little vow he made not to keep things from Liu Sumeng. Though reality was a lot more complicated than words, he found. It seemed he had kept Liu Sumeng in the dark again, albeit unintentionally. Yuan Xuelan's shoulders slumped, and head hung, "W-We should talk."

Liu Sumeng nodded, pleased. "Yes. I feel that you're hiding something from me. Something you aren't telling me." His hands curled into fists, brows slightly furrowed.

"I…! I didn't mean to hide anything from you!" The chair squeaked against the floor as Yuan Xuelan stood. "I just…I don't…" With a deep sigh, Yuan Xuelan plopped back down into his seat. He leaned back and groaned loudly, hand coming up to fist his messy hair, only making it even more of a mess.

When he wasn't looking, Liu Sumeng's sharp expression eased into a smile. Even if he was a bit annoying, Yuan Xuelan was cute like this, flustered and speechless.

"I didn't know what to say," Yuan Xuelan admitted, curling up awkwardly on his seat with his arms crossed over his chest in a desperate attempt to comfort his anxiety. "I was scared of your reaction, what if--" And he stopped again, fearful.

"What if?" Liu Sumeng raised a brow.

Yuan Xuelan drew a breath, "What if…Sumeng decides he doesn't like me after all? What if I just made it up like some weird dream in my mind? I don't know. Sorry if I'm stupid, I can't help it!"

If Huo Tang had a body of her own, she'd be spitting blood.

"..."

"..."

Yuan Xuelan wanted to bolt out the room. He sucked in whatever sliver of courage he had and looked up cautiously.

"Pfft." The sound surprised him, but the sight surprised him more. Liu Sumeng raised a hand in a soft fist, covering his mouth as he held back laughter. Red surged up Yuan Xuelan's face, and even as terrible embarrassment rocked his heart, he was enchanted by Liu Sumeng's beauty.

"Why are you laughing!?"

Liu Sumeng shook his head. His eyes were crescented, dazzling with life. Those lips that pulled upward caused that left cheek to finally dimple. Yuan Xuelan's lips were dry. He wanted to kiss the Ivory Sword Saint now.

"You're so stupid."

He was right there, Yuan Xuelan shamelessly responded, "I am…"

"Why were you thinking about these things?"

Yuan Xuelan's frown turned into more of a pout than anything else, "I…well…Since I love with you, of course, I'm worried about these things."

"Why didn't you just ask me about my feelings?"

"I was scared."

Liu Sumeng sighed, his shoulders sagged a little, but the smile was still there upon his lips. "Next time just talk to me. I want Xuelan to tell me what's wrong because I'm not good at figuring things out. There's nothing to be scared about."

"Oh." Yuan Xuelan blinked his heart stuttering in his chest. His hands felt clammy as he gripped the hems of his sleeves. He had a lot he wanted to say, but recently he'd been so stupid he was left tongue-tied more often than not. In the end, it was better not to think about it too much. "Then, can I kiss you?"

Liu Sumeng laughed and replied, "You may."

And so Yuan Xuelan leaned in and captured those lips. An indescribable euphoria tingled his nerves, setting them aflame. Because Liu Sumeng had leaned in and met him halfway.