Night settled over the mountains with a suffocating stillness, the kind that whispered warnings through the leaves but offered no explanation. Beyond the Celestial Veil Sect's borders, deep within a twisted forest where moonlight rarely touched the earth, Feng Lan stood in quiet contemplation.
Mist coiled around his boots. The branches overhead bent like skeletal fingers, framing him in a scene of eerie beauty. He waited—despite hating waiting—because he knew the one he sought always arrived when he least expected, always appearing like a serpent sliding through the shadows.
A soft chuckle rippled through the darkness.
"You're early again," Mo Qing's voice slithered out before his form emerged. Cloaked in black, movement fluid as ink, Mo Qing approached with a lazy smile tugging at his lips. His eyes glimmered with dangerous amusement. "Are you that eager to see me, Feng Lan?"
Feng Lan stiffened, though his heartbeat betrayed him with its quick, involuntary leap. "I'm here to discuss the plan," he said, voice clipped. "Nothing more."
Mo Qing stepped closer, close enough that the cold of the shadows clung to Feng Lan's skin. "Oh? Your eyes say otherwise."
Feng Lan looked away sharply, jaw tightening. His usual arrogance faltered only in the presence of this man—this dangerous, intoxicating serpent who seemed to read him more easily than he read himself.
"Stop playing games," Feng Lan muttered.
Mo Qing's smile deepened. "But games are what make life interesting."
He walked past Feng Lan, letting the fabric of his sleeve brush lightly—deliberately—against Feng Lan's hand. Even that brief touch sent sparks through him, and Mo Qing knew it. He always knew.
"Tell me," Mo Qing continued, voice now smooth and thoughtful as he approached a map carved into the bark of a massive dead tree. "How are the Celestial Veil defenses?"
Feng Lan regained his composure, stepping beside him. "Weak in the north. The wards flicker. Their disciples rely too much on Ling Wei and Yu Zhen."
"Good," Mo Qing murmured, tracing one finger along the map as though caressing it. "And the Celestial Veil secret technique?"
"Still hidden," Feng Lan admitted. "No one has uncovered its location. But I know someone who might… Shen Yu."
Mo Qing laughed softly. "The messy, noisy boy with no self-preservation? What could he possibly know?"
Feng Lan shook his head. "It's not what he knows. It's what he is. He resonates with the sect's energy. I saw it during the festival. He reacted to the wardstone instinctively."
Mo Qing paused. His eyes sharpened, suddenly calculating. "So the Celestial Veil's secret truly is tied to him…" A slow, serpentine smirk formed. "Interesting. That makes things easier."
Feng Lan swallowed. "You won't hurt him, right?" The question slipped out before he could stop it.
Mo Qing turned, gaze slicing straight through him. "Do you… care about that boy?"
"No," Feng Lan said too quickly. "I just… dislike pointless cruelty."
Mo Qing stepped forward, forcing Feng Lan back against the lifeless tree. His fingers tilted Feng Lan's chin upward, making him meet his gaze. "Are you worried I'll kill him? Or worried you'll see something in him that threatens your devotion to me?"
Feng Lan's breath caught. "I'm not—"
"You are," Mo Qing whispered, thumb brushing the corner of Feng Lan's mouth. "You're so transparent. It's adorable."
Feng Lan's cheeks heated with anger and something softer—something he hated admitting. "I'm loyal to you," he said quietly, a confession he didn't mean to voice aloud.
"And I will use that loyalty well," Mo Qing replied, smile turning colder, more possessive. He leaned in, lips near Feng Lan's ear. "Don't worry. Shen Yu won't die yet. He is far too valuable."
Yet.
The word burned a hole through Feng Lan's chest.
Mo Qing stepped back finally, hands clasped behind his back as he began walking again. "The Grand Sects Gathering draws near. Celestial Veil will relax its guard during preparations." His tone grew darker, richer. "That is when we infiltrate. That is when we take what belongs to us."
"And if Ling Wei or Yu Zhen interferes?" Feng Lan asked, voice tight.
Mo Qing chuckled. "Then we deal with them. No mercy."
Feng Lan hesitated. His heart tightened unexpectedly. "Ling Wei… his strength is not ordinary. Yu Zhen, too."
"Oh?" Mo Qing tilted his head. "Are you concerned for them, too?"
Feng Lan's eyes flashed. "Of course not."
Mo Qing smiled the way a predator smiled at an animal pretending to be brave. "Good. Because we will crush them if necessary."
Feng Lan looked away, fists tense at his sides.
While darkness plotted at the forest's edge, the Celestial Veil Sect bathed in warm, blissful light.
Shen Yu was still glowing with the memory of Ling Wei's kiss, replaying it so vividly that every step he took across the courtyard felt weightless. Ling Wei stood beside him, expression composed but softened, occasionally glancing at him with quiet fondness that made Shen Yu's heart tumble all over again.
Not far behind, Xiao Rong kept elbowing Yu Zhen, whispering things that made Yu Zhen's ears pink and his discipline crack by the second.
The four walked through the lantern-lit paths with smiles, laughter, gentle teasing—the air around them bright, full, utterly unaware of the storm beginning beyond the mountains.
Shen Yu bumped into Ling Wei's arm and Ling Wei steadied him with a small, affectionate touch.
Yu Zhen pulled Xiao Rong's sleeve when he tried climbing a decorative rock for fun.
Their world was warm.
Safe.
Full of newly confessed hearts and shy touches.
None of them sensed the creeping shadow slipping across the boundary of their sect.
None of them heard the whisper carried on the cold wind:
"Shen Yu…"
Mo Qing's voice… or perhaps only the echo of his intent.
Feng Lan hesitated in the trees, watching the sect's glowing silhouette.
For a moment, something in him softened — longing, envy, or something painfully close to guilt.
Then Mo Qing placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go," Mo Qing murmured. "Our time approaches."
Feng Lan exhaled.
"...Yes."
Together, they disappeared into the dark, leaving warmth behind — preparing to shatter it.