His fingers paused near his hair for a few seconds before carefully moving back a long lock of hair just enough from the left side of his face, keeping it away from his ear while that stubborn smaller lock of hair never went away.
Chóng Fēi's eyes snapped on him silently right after.
Lìngxiāo paused. 'He..does not look pleasant again..''
Chóng Fēi's eyes seemed to be reading him and searching for the pieces of memory which had been taken from him. Besides, perhaps he only knew the incidents from coming here till watching him almost jump from the valley—where the frozen fire never came into the middle.
"Is..something wrong, Gōngzǐ?" Lìngxiāo quickly lowered his hand, feeling guilty even from the helping. His smile was both polite, professional, and silently..apologizing.
Chóng Fēi parted his mouth to speak. No, more likely to throw some curses which he could take until it was similar to the last one.
But he shut his mouth again, blinked, and coughed over his own chest with another cough which he was trying to hold back. His wet pale face turned red from his nose and cheeks from frustration and maybe from struggling to breathe—which happens for one or two minutes after the ritual is done.
He stared back at Lìngxiāo with wider eyes, glaring like: what the hell did you do to me?!
"It is alright, it is alright. Please calm down." Lìngxiāo quickly yet gently said, awkwardly taking that polished metal near to Chóng Fēi's hand on his chest and lowering it down.
Chóng Fēi's mouth was still shut. He couldn't speak. He watched his own hand being guided down like everything was questionable to him.
Then again his eyes were on Lìngxiāo.
Lìngxiāo's eyes narrowed elsewhere sometimes, which made Chóng Fēi blink again—judgmentally asking: why are you avoiding my gaze?
Again reminded by those gazes what he had earlier—to talk while looking at him.
'He is staring like this again..he really does feel suspicious even after removing memories. I should not lie or say anything. He could easily catch me.'
He looked back at him, working on making him feel better than before and distract—since the needle dose was on waiting too. Everything else was healed, but this needed his needles.
"I apologize for running down from there without any warning." Lìngxiāo said into a softer tone, his smile turned apologetic but not weak.
His gaze on Chóng Fēi's chest sometimes where he saw the orange hue pulsing here and there like Chóng Fēi had eaten a big alive firefly. Every time Mō Qīn took a turn inside his body, Chóng Fēi sat straight like he had lightly jumped up with a faint breath hitch, and his hand again tried to go back to his chest or near his throat.
'He is like my frozen fire too. Cannot be helped sometimes, but does need patience..'
'I cannot believe whom Mō Qīn suggests to make use of as a container of my untamed qì. He is just a young heir. I do not even know if we would ever meet once this task of mine into this town ends.'
'We..do not fit for friendship. I can just treat him like a gēge I used to be for him..'
Lìngxiāo kept the polished metal a little over the space of his thumb this time, lowering the hand again, more gently.
"Please kindly relax. It would be fine soon. All you have to do is trust me.." Lìngxiāo said again, trying to lower the rate of 'professional' just a bit to lower his guard too. Then he added, "Besides..you did not need to slide down where thunders were landing. And about the valley..I have my curses. I could use my lantern talisman too..so I would have been fine.."
Chóng Fēi listened to the last statement with too much attention than the others. His blinking on him was like an angry, panicked bird learning that the place was not harmful. His lashes trembled from the surely double pain: that reaction of his body and Mō Qīn inside—not in a possessive form but to directly protect his core from Lìngxiāo's harmful frozen fire.
Even as a container, Chóng Fēi would struggle to swallow this raw energy. Only the main transfer made it bearable, but still sometimes high.
Besides that, Chóng Fēi seemed to be realizing the fact that perhaps he shouldn't have tried to catch him. But there were still questions in his eyes. Some he didn't know anymore, and some were still sharp. He was also analyzing him with those gazes which bared open all human lies like silks falling from skin.
Since he still couldn't talk, he made some signs—which he had probably marked deeply from Lìngxiāo's father back then—which said: then why did you fight with me like I am some kind of dangerous guy threatening you here?
Lìngxiāo blinked as he realized it.
'Oh no. He seems to remember everything except my frozen fire. Mō Qīn did not complete the work? Or did he keep this much by himself? As they said, "he doesn't let go easily"—he really is impossible?'
He didn't want to lie only to be suspected more. But—at that time, Chóng Fēi's eyes widened when a worm slid out of his mouth like some cursed noodle, his hands flying to his throat.
"WHAT THE—" He coughed and spat it out.
"Mō Qīn." Lìngxiāo's smile softened into both relief. Because now he was fine, and also because he didn't need to create more layers of lies.
"All done, Gōngzǐ," Mō Qīn said softly, carefully so only they knew.
On the other hand, Chóng Fēi stared. His entire body went frozen, his face paled, his jaw hung open.
"Don't scream," Lìngxiāo said quickly, his hands catching Chóng Fēi's shoulders to steady him.
'Please do not spread over his shoulders now..' He internally requested to his own powers.
"It is just Mō Qīn. He was tending to you." Lìngxiāo added.
Chóng Fēi's eyes were wide, horrified. "It was in my mouth." He breathed out in loud disbelief but forced to keep it low that it sounded more raw, panicked, and high-pitched at the edges.
He looked totally worked up. His horrified face looked more horrified, but his half-soaked hair tangled over his neck, some over his forehead and back—made him look like he had been chased by that Red Robe Ghost or something.
"Yes." Lìngxiāo quietly admitted with the quietest tone.
"And..it fucking came out of my mouth." He pointed to his own mouth.
"He was healing you." Lìngxiāo reminded gently but firmly again. "You were..hurt by the thunderstorms."
Chóng Fēi looked at Lìngxiāo—then at Mō Qīn, who was now sitting on the table, looking offended.
"I saved your doomed life," Mō Qīn said flatly. "You're welcome."
Chóng Fēi turned to the side and spat again, cleaning his mouth from the back of his hand with the sticking wet sleeve. "I need to brush my teeth. And my throat. And my soul."
'He is so dramatic..'
It reminded him of himself too when he got disgusted by riding Mō Qīn. That candle-like harness was unforgettable.
'Well..I was a little like him too at his age..'
Lìngxiāo's smile—the real one, he couldn't help—softened the edges of his face.
"I will find you some water." Lìngxiāo quietly rushed to the small dried-out well which had now filled up with water from the rain.
And there, both arrogants weren't done.
Chóng Fēi still kept a hold over his mouth, a leg hooked over the table and staring at Mō Qīn.
"Have you gone to heal me or postmortem me? Who the fuck heals like that? Does curses even HEAL?" Chóng Fēi asked Mō Qīn.
His teeth sometimes rubbed over his tongue and spit away. His one hand folded over his knee while the other was over his throat where the vein pulsed uncomfortably—but he seemed not going to say anything after the last treatment.
"We do..I think.." Mō Qīn answered like a half-amazed question, raising an eyebrow, also judgmental. Then he added by pinching, "To search if there were any of those zombie spiders in there."
Chóng Fēi's eyes snapped on him. "Shut up, worm. Nobody asked you to listen..whatever I talk with him."
His face faintly flushed as he looked elsewhere, his expression still annoyed.
Mō Qīn smirked. "I did because I did~"
"No you didn't~" Chóng Fēi sang dry and mockingly too, rolled eyes.
"It is my duty~" Mō Qīn moved his tail in front of Chóng Fēi's eyes like it was some bells.
It actually rings like those kind of snakes.
Chóng Fēi immediately moved away, shivering. "Yak! Keep some respect on me! Do not bring that ringing thing on my nose."
Lìngxiāo silently shook his head in hopelessness and fondness. 'Mō Qīn seems to have found a better argument partner for a few days..'
He returned with the water. Chóng Fēi immediately drank it like he was starving, though he was making faces because the water was not completely 'purified' but from rain.
But he needed it.
"We will return to the clan now." Lìngxiāo said.
Chóng Fēi nodded but then remembered. "That secret question! You did not tell it."
"I told it." Lìngxiāo exhaled softly. No lies at his words or body language
"What? When? You did not." Chóng Fēi crossed his arms, still can't believe.
"That story you shared.." Lìngxiāo awkwardly pressed his mouth into a soft thin line, fixing back the collar of his robe which was already fine. "This was the secret question already."
"Eh?" Chóng Fēi stared like it was any betrayal and then shut his mouth again, his cheek on his palm. "You did not..give me the exchange questions too."
"It can be..done later." Lìngxiāo took back the needles again, smiling at him but also knowing another struggle he would need to do for a short time. "First..let me finish the rest of the work. Then you get your answers..alright, Gōngzǐ."
"N-no. You are not in the right mind to do so.." Chóng Fēi smirked awkwardly, his brow twitching, seeming like a roaster getting ready to run away.
"Mō Qīn, hold him down..a little.." Lìngxiāo lightly ordered Mō Qīn.
"As you wish~" He quickly tangled around Chóng Fēi so that he couldn't move—both in fear and the grip.
"It would not hurt much..like the last time, Gōngzǐ." Lìngxiāo came closer with those five needles.
"MMMMPHHH!!!!"
The empty mountains echoed Chóng Fēi's muffled scream as his mouth was shut by Mō Qīn's tail. Birds flew away.
The rest is..history!
***