"You have?"
"Of course," Lei Tianxiang said. He glanced sideways at Li Chenyuan, a brief flash of bitter frustration tightening his lips. Just as quickly as it was there, it was gone. "Master Li tells many stories of you."
"He does?"
Li Chenyuan, who had straightened up with difficulty and looked rather pale and shaky, nodded sheepishly. "Of course. Gege has done many amazing things, so there is a lot to talk about."
Qiu Yunru swore he could see Lei Tianxiang's jaw tick.
"Let us return inside quickly," Lei Tianxiang cleared his throat. "It will not do to be spotted about, even if there are few who would venture near enough to see us."
And so, they ventured into Heishi Mountain.
They entered through a large cave maw, gaping and sharp with stalactites. Qiu Yunru thought this was a rather poor choice for the entrance to a secret cult base. Wasn't it too obvious?
Seeing his expression, Li Chenyuan explained eagerly: "No one dares to come near Heishi Mountain; the tales of its curses are many and varied, so even if someone does approach, it's never close enough to spot us. As a secondary precaution, we've also put a talisman spell near the entrance. If anyone approaches, they will hear the sounds of a great beast tearing into its prey and be scared off."
Qiu Yunru raised an eyebrow. "Huh. What if they're stupid enough to keep going, and actually go into the cave? What do you do then?"
Li Chenyuan's face paled, and he averted his eyes, suddenly reluctant to go on.
"We kill them, of course," Lei Tianxiang said coolly. "There are various arrays set up to suck the blood from the body of anyone who enters without knowing where to step. If they somehow make it past these, we kill them with our own hands. After interrogating them, of course."
Of course that was the case. Who would expect otherwise? The Eight Purple Winds Sect was a demonic cult built by a crazed murderer, after all. Anyone here wouldn't hesitate to kill someone, and wouldn't bat an eye at torture. Killing an intruder wasn't enough; sucking their blood out would be more sufficient. Qiu Yunru sighed to himself.
Here he was, walking without resistance into a den of sadist lions. He considered turning and running away. However, remembering the cloud of suffocating demonic qi swirling around Li Chenyuan, he thought better of it. If Li Chenyuan lost it and chased after him, who could guarantee that he wouldn't squeeze him to a pulp on the spot?
Qiu Yunru held back from rubbing his face tiredly, instead clearing his throat. "Li Chenyuan, you've gotten used to murder, huh?"
Li Chenyuan's face froze in horror, his long lashes fluttering in a panic. Not only was did his gege clearly think he was awful, but he'd also called him by his full name--no comfortable "shidi"! His heart cracked a little. "Gege! That's not the case! I--"
"Really?" Qiu Yunru huffed. "You're the leader of a demonic cult, and your abilities are clearly out of control. If you deny it, you're just deluding yourself."
Li Chenyuan opened his mouth, then closed it. There was a long moment of silence filled only by the echoing sounds of their footsteps slapping against stone. The cave had grown dark; here and there along the walls, glowing red crystals had appeared, casting a bloodred light on their path forward.
The expression on Li Chenyuan's face was both guilty and distressed. Tears threatened to spill from the corners of his eyes, and he didn't open his mouth to speak again.
"Although we are not an organization of high morals, Master Li's powers are largely under control, Qiu...Master Qiu." Lei Tianxiang spoke up, his voice matter-of-fact. "We have determined a way to prevent him from losing his mind."
"Oh?" Qiu Yunru raised an eyebrow. "Does it have something to do with those golden bracelets?"
Lei Tianxiang's mouth curved into a rueful smile. "Indeed. Through these bangles, we have managed to connect his qi to my own. When I am nearby, my spiritual qi balances out his demonic energy, allowing for a return to control. He simply need come to me in times of difficulty."
"Sounds like you've given yourself a lot of power," Qiu Yunru said with a slightly smile. He was feeling reckless. Though he'd spent years presenting as a polite, intelligent young cultivator, he was now in the hands of a demonic sect. What did it matter? He should be able to let out his hatred just a little!
Lei Tianxiang's smile curved further, sending a shiver down Qiu Yunru's spine. "Power? I would never dream of it. I live to serve Master Li, as I served his father."
Qiu Yunru ignored him. "Li Chenyuan, don't you think he's a little suspicious? If you have an episode, he can just decide not to come nearby, and leave you to lose it! That's way too much power for a guy as questionable as him."
Li Chenyuan seemed to be pouting. Was he still miffed from earlier?
Qiu Yunru had to admit, he was starting to feel just a little bad for insisting on calling him "Li Chenyuan" and not "shidi". But he reminded himself that Li Chenyuan had really just left Liao Li in the dust of the Demon Realm and brought him here against his will. He had every right to be mad! In fact, wasn't he being quite gracious! Yes, he was!
"Watch out for him," He warned. Even if Li Chenyuan wasn't going to respond, he felt a sudden urge to be annoying and press the issue. "He might take advantage of you one day. I don't trust him at all."
"Master Qiu," Lei Tianxiang's voice was cool on the surface, but there was a rising irritation beneath. "Are you attempting to drive a wedge between myself and Master Li? How insolent--"
"Shut up." Li Chenyuan's voice was harsh and hot. He glared at Lei Tianxiang, his expression both hot and cold. "Don't talk about him like that. If you insult him, I...I won't talk to you anymore!"
How immature! Qiu Yunru wanted to slap his face into his hands from secondhand embarrassment. Li Chenyuan was indeed supposed to be the great master of this sect, but the best comeback he could think of was a cold shoulder! Was he ten years old?! He really needed to learn how to speak like a leader, ah!
Lei Tianxiang, however, seemed somewhat used to this behavior. A brief annoyance flashed over his face, but it was quickly masked. He sighed, lowering his head. "Apologies, Master Li. This one got ahead of myself. Do not be swayed by his words; it seems Qiu--Master Qiu is somewhat angered by being brought here, and is acting out accordingly."
Qiu Yunru felt just a little enraged. This man, what a snake! "Of course I'm angered by being brought here! Just because I'm angry doesn't mean my thoughts are worthless! You piece of--"
"Gege." Li Chenyuan's voice was guilty. He still wouldn't look Qiu Yunru in the eye. "Please stop. He...Lei Tianxiang has been a great help to me. Without him, I never would have found you. So please...don't yell at him. Even if it's hard to see when you're angry, he really does care about me."
Qiu Yunru felt a sinking in his chest. He really does care about me? Just how deep had this man gotten his claws into Li Chenyuan's brain? He opened his mouth to retort, then closed it, biting down on his tongue.
For some reason, he had the feeling anything he said wouldn't change this kid's mind. There was something about the way Li Chenyuan had said those words that showed genuine belief; he really, truly believed this man cared about him.
"...All right." Qiu Yunru gritted his teeth, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
Already, his mind was racing to find a feasible way to separate Li Chenyuan from this piece of shit!