Within some minutes, they were at a spot called Sealess Sands of Chén Xiè.
Just as its name suggested, the area felt like a piece of beach laid at the middle of the town. Not too many people to bother at this hour, not even a roof above. Small arranged tea and wine stalls with only a shop owner and a worker man, sometimes watching them work while they sat by the sand.
Chóng Fēi seemed to have gone by himself to order for the tea.
The sky above him had clear stars tonight. The moonlight softly fell over them. The wind was a bit fast, but gentle.
Lìngxiāo looked around, his hand lightly over his bamboo hat to hold it in place, watching Chóng Fēi talking to the tea maker as if he knew him since much longer.
It made him almost smile again.
'I thought he would not like simple things..but he seems somehow..a step ahead of me. But I think..he feels just right when not what he acts as mostly.'
'Or maybe just..the citizens kept one thing good and straight: sleeping early. So this place seems the only one where people are awake. No gûi's fear in them right now after the rain.'
'Also because I am here—even if they do not really recognize me in this robe..'
As he waited, memories floated back to him. Bittersweet. Unforgettable. Gone. But still close to the heart. A lot of things mixing together.
This place used to be only a house which his father would tenderly scare them with—that the ghost woman who lived inside would steal all of Chóng Fēi's candies and also keep him because he was a pretty boy who learned to wear a crown too early, while children usually couldn't, and not really as fast as him who was already enough to drive away people by himself if he somehow didn't like them.
Back then, those spooky things used to make Chóng Fēi pout and then break into giggles. He wasn't scared of it. But who knows..if that was the death of the mummy exorcist who had kept him shaken or not.
He also wondered if the woman lived a long life or had already gone.
Since he had come here, he would love to meet all the people he had seen a few times, even if they didn't know him as him anymore.
'I could have come in my casual robes..though this is not as uncomfortable as the last one.'
But then he blinked when something clicked. His gaze fell over his robe, lightly touching the hairpin. The sands. Shells. Now it seemed too clear why he was told to wear it.
His cheeks warmed without flushing red this time.
'Is..this theme was chosen before I was coming here? He prepared to come here like I need to look like that?'
'He..or his zhù fù had some weird perfection addiction with fashions even for people who walk around them..'
He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Chóng Fēi was coming with three cups—instead of two.
"Here, this is this area's famous tea called 'Five Shades of Truth'. There are more, but this one is the best." He placed the two cups of tea on the bench and another extra one at his side.
Lìngxiāo turned to the table with a soft smile, coming out of his thoughts as he touched the gentle warm cup of tea carefully.
"Thank you, Gōngzǐ." He looked at the teacup.
The cup was transparent and the tea actually looked like five shades of red color. Below was so deep that it looked almost black, while as the layers went up, it got lighter. Some herbal leaves and spices floated at the top.
"It actually looks..gorgeous, Gōngzǐ." He couldn't help but compliment.
This was the last thing he could expect here. Usually Chéng Yùe was famous for those kinds of creativity. They had their own things to make people amazed—but as much as he knew, it was not about tea at all.
His problem with not having personal bowls and cups was also seem knocking at the door but he swallowed it down—tightly.
"I know." Chóng Fēi sounded almost proud even here. "Everything I know or go for has a worthy reason. This place looks..empty but it still has a lot of things most places lack."
Lìngxiāo nodded thoughtfully, still watching the tea within the dim light before he was about to drink.
"It is also an accomplishment tea break." Chóng Fēi reminded before he put the tea close to his mouth.
He blinked, putting it down.
'Oh, he meant for the cheers, is it not?'
"Pardon for my slip of the moment.." He brought the cup close to Chóng Fēi's.
"May our next plans also be successful..by the grace of almighty Dìzūns." Chóng Fēi said as he cheered with Lìngxiāo's cup with a faint smirk.
"Indeed.." Lìngxiāo muttered and then repeated the phrase like a promise between them—which felt like blurring the line of professional and personal.
"But.." He said quitely. "The cup is.."
"I already told to use a new one. He have put it down right in front of me. So it is fine." Chóng Fēi answered before he formed his concerns.
"Alright then.." Lìngxiāo felt lighter again, more impressed by his thoughtfulness.
'I thought he would forget it here..'
As Lìngxiāo finished his tea, his gaze went to that another cup Chóng Fēi had—and it didn't look like a warm drink at all. It was cold and deep red with sweeter scent.
It looked like wine.
'Is he not already roaming with more cold..than me?'
"Gōngzǐ..?" He echoed quietly, an eyebrow raised.
"Hm?" Chóng Fēi put down the cup and reached for the other one to drink.
"You are cold." Lìngxiāo said. The rest was left unsaid—but said all.
Chóng Fēi cleared his throat like being reminded made him a little awkward. He crossed his legs again, gazing elsewhere.
Lìngxiāo thought again he might get annoyed because of being told anything by 'someone who works under them'.
But nothing happened at all.
"I have chewed at least ten lozenges till now." Chóng Fēi said. "I will be fine."
He took out a small pack where the lozenges were and placed it on the table. "You can have the rest. My throat feels better now."
Lìngxiāo looked at the small pack and then at Chóng Fēi—who had already drunk all of the wine.
'He..did stop sneezing and coughing much more quickly than I expected.'
He took one lozenge and put it into his mouth.
But still he couldn't stop himself from advising—especially if he knew he used to take care of this guy with his father. "Still..wine is not good for health."
He stood up with the cup. "I would like to have another cup."
It made Chóng Fēi chuckle faintly.
Lìngxiāo blinked. "What is funny here, Gōngzǐ?"
"Nothing." His gaze was over the stalls, his expression calm, like no stress existed. "Just that I am used to drinking since seventeen and it is too late for me to hear those advices from anyone. It is not luxurious without some drinking."
'What? From..this age?'
Lìngxiāo was left calculating, looking at him.
'He always used to steal Xiānsheng's..adult foods for himself. That was almost..expected..'
"Two bottles for me this time, with more two cups of the same tea." Chóng Fēi ordered casually to the man who had come just now to take their cups.
"Two..bottles..?" The amazement faintly escaped from his lips as he sat down with an exhale, looking at the sky.
"One was regular. Two is for special events." Chóng Fēi said. "So as it goes for your tea."
"You do not always have to pay for my things even here.." Lìngxiāo said, eyes on the sands as he spoke.
"Do you even have anything to buy by yourself? Things were unplanned." Chóng Fēi almost teased a little openly. His tongue was loose from the wine—but not completely.
While Lìngxiāo would get drunk totally if he had just one cup without adding water.
And yes, he really didn't have a useful penny with himself, more than some talismans he didn't know they would actually go outside again.
Within the soft moment, Lìngxiāo couldn't help but wonder if they had talked about the rules enough—beyond the letter he got with the robe and the conversation on the road here.
"As much as we had talked about the rules, is it enough, Gōngzǐ..?" He asked.
"The most important part was stopping the execution and changing the rules." Chóng Fēi muttered, his chin on his palm, his eyes a little hazy but sharp. "The rest would be done as we move on. Informing their remaining parents would take a little time. So they can't immediately return to their homes."
But then he added a little seriously. His sharpness did prove that he didn't easily get drunk nowadays at all. "My main concern is with the children who were actually psychologically..wrong, the totally orphaned ones, and that Bàyàkūyà's child."
His last statements with those words had the unspoken fate Lìngxiāo somehow wished from all of the people around him. His gaze on him. "But this side is at your hands while I prepare for the children to return to their homes and zhù fù already ensures the safety of people here."
Lìngxiāo felt a gentle wave of confidence in himself as he felt the positive energy from Chóng Fēi.
He genuinely trusted him with this.
And as for having the hyper-aware spatial exorcism skill, he couldn't only feel the negative—but positive too. His body absorbed the positive energy, silently humming within his veins, calming down his nerves which seemed tired by that energy release and the whole event of the day, while he had his breakdown once too.
But right now, this felt like everything.