Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Small flurries fall from the sky over the barren mountain, settling on the freshly disturbed snow at the base of the armory. Limbs and fabric and bodies poke up through the sheet of white, the aftermath of the avalanche had yet to be calculated, but the battlefield had been cleared.

Ye Baiyi trudged through the nearly waist deep snow; It wasn’t his business who was buried and who wasn’t, those he needed safe were out of harm's way, but he’d told himself he’d check for survivors, just this once. To limit damage in the future, he told himself, to limit possible casualties if an enemy were to live. He knew it was a waste of time, knew his efforts were going to be fruitless, but he still went and left the warmth of the inn to satiate his morbid curiosities.

He checked pulses of the few that had made it to the surface of the snow as he pushed himself through it. All of the bodies were cold and lifeless, that is until he came to a relatively familiar one. He sighed as he stared down at Xie’er’s deathly still body, frowning as he debated whether or not to bother to check for a pulse. He looked rough, bruised and pale, blood staining his face and clothes.

Ye Baiyi begrudgingly leans down, pressing fingers against his wrist, shocked to feel the faintest hint of life left in the young man. He should walk away, leave him there for all of the things he’s done, but he remembers the words that play in his head every time a decision like this comes by. He had no place to judge others like this, not when they’ve been left with no choice but to do the things they’d done just to survive.

After a few moments hesitation he hauls the young man’s body out of the snow, Ye Baiyi tossing him up and over his shoulder, hobbling down the mountain with the unconscious assassin. He’s numb and cranky and sore when they get to the base of the mountain, but he’s alive, and so is Xie Wang.

Ye Baiyi doesn’t bother being gentle when he kicks the doors of their private inn open, the wood slamming against the wall as he steps inside. The warmth that sweeps over him feels heavenly, and he trudges inside towards the group sitting at one of the tables.

“Get a room ready.” He tells the innkeeper, and the man nods, confused but compliant, rushing off to do as he was told. The others look up when they see him enter the inn they’ve settled in, and Zhou Zishu’s brows furrow when he sees a familiarly braided head connected to an unconscious snowy body slumped over Ye Baiyi’s shoulder.

“Old Monster, what the hell are you doing?” A snowy haired Wen Kexing asks as he and Zhou Zishu immediately stand and rush over. Upon confirming it is indeed Xie’er Ye Baiyi has literally dragged in from the snow, they both fall silent, sharing a look as the older man gives them a look of his own. “Is he alive..?”

“You think I'd waste my energy dragging a corpse in from the drifts? Of course he’s alive, you idiot.” Ye Baiyi says with a scoff, carrying Xie’er in the direction of the room the innkeeper was now ushering him towards. “Barely, but he’s with us.” He grumbles as he orders two spare changes of clothes, lighting the fire in the hearth in the corner of the room after setting Xie’er down in a chair for now. Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu follow, eyeing the assassin with wary disapproval. “If you two are going to start yelling, go out there and wait for me to come out.” He warns, and Wen Kexing closes his mouth immediately.

They share a look and leave the room as the servant is bringing in clean robes. Ye Baiyi closes the door and carefully peels the half-frozen layers of robes off Xie’er’s body in an attempt to get him warm and dry, tossing them in a pile before looking over the younger man for any wounds that needed to be treated.

Xie’er had a few broken ribs, a broken arm, and various gashes and cuts over his body, but nothing worse than that. Ye Baiyi sighs as he sets the broken bones and pushes energy into Xie’er’s body, righting the internal damages after he’d gotten him dressed in some warmer robes. The younger man lays unconscious in the bed as he mends him, breath shallow and shaky, his body shivering hard from the change in temperature. Ye Baiyi doesn’t bother changing his own robes until he was sure the younger was in a stable condition, only then getting up to pull on the clean change of clothes.

There’s a knock at the door and Ye Baiyi grunts, adjusting his outer robe as he goes to open the door. Zhou Zishu is standing there with an incense burner in hand, a complicated expression on his face. He eyes the unconscious young man with uncertainty before holding the burner out to Ye Baiyi.

“Drunk like a dream?” A nod is his only answer before the younger sighs.

“Do I need to call in Wu Xi in?” He asks, Ye Baiyi nods his head.

“Just in case. He’s stable, but he’ll be able to give a better idea of the damages.” Zhou Zishu nods, though it’s not an entirely pleased expression. Ye Baiyi knows this isn’t something he approves of, not fully, but he knows those same words are bouncing around in Zhou Zishu’s head right now as well. Everyone deserves a second chance, even evil could turn to good, given the chance to drop its sword.

“I’ll have food brought to you after.” He replies, promptly turning and leaving after Ye Baiyi nods his agreement. He moves back to the bed, covering Xie’er in the thick blankets before checking his pulse and meridians. He’s stable, but weaker than Ye Baiyi is comfortable with. His body must have used up a lot of internal force trying to stay alive and prevent further injuries, which left him weak and far closer to death than preferable.

Ye Baiyi sets the incense next to the bed and lights it, letting the smoke drift into the air lazily, the wispy tendrils eventually floating out the slightly cracked window to avoid smoking up the room too much.

“You’re damn lucky, kid..” He mutters as he sighs and takes a seat at the table some 10 feet away. Wu Xi comes in a few moments later and nods his silent greeting, brows pinched together just so. He moves to the bed and takes a seat, feeling out the injuries both internal and external, before glancing to Ye Baiyi.

“He’ll live. Any longer and he wouldn’t have.” He says with a small frown. The man stands and digs a few small bottles from his belt, passing them to Ye Baiyi. He instructs him how and when to give them to the younger before leaving the room.

The innkeeper comes in and brings plates of food for him, as well as some alcohol and tea a few minutes later, and then it’s silent. The crackle of fire is a welcome sound, so is the warmth of it as he begins eating. He doesn’t bother checking in on Xie’er for some time, he can feel his energy from there, and he’s not worried. The man was a fighter, something he’d admired the few times they’d met.

He didn’t have much of an opinion on the world around him anymore, usually left things like reputation and gossip at the door, but he wasn’t a fool. He knew what type of person Xie’er was, knew the things he’d done, the people he’d killed in his climb to success. Xie'er was far from a saint, but he was young and foolish, and from Ye Baiyi’s understanding, under the illusion of a one sided, manipulative love.

He scoffs as he shoves a dumpling in his mouth, shaking his head as he chews.

‘These children know so little about themselves, how could they possibly know someone else enough to love them.’ He scolds in his mind, and a familiar voice answers.

‘You were once just as foolish’ The Rong Changqing in his head responds. If he were any more of a spiritual man he’d be convinced he was haunted, but he was no such thing. Though maybe in a way he /was/ haunted by the memory of him, trapped with the whispers of someone loved and long gone.

“Ridiculous.” He huffs at his own waxing thoughts, and he polishes off the plate of dumplings in an attempt to fill himself and chase out the bone deep cold. He’d been told it was pointless to go up there, to search for survivors, but he’d always been a stubborn man. He glances at Xie'er's unconscious form lying on the bed and he frowns, wondering what exactly he got himself into.

The man was troubled, that much was true, but given the chance of a blank slate, what would he become? Would he choose the easy path, jump headfirst back into evildoing, try and kill them all and inevitably perish by Ye Baiyi’s sword? He’d be damned if he let the brat do any harm to the idiots he’d collected, the disjointed, chaotic little cluster he’d found himself maybe not hating as much as he’d thought.

He sighs once more, shaking his head as he starts on a bowl of noodles, letting the warmth and taste of the dish chase away the thoughts. Who needed to worry when there was good food to enjoy. So long as there was more to enjoy, worrying could wait until later. He’d spent far too long chipping away at ice and drinking frigid water, he was going to enjoy the food while he still could.

Wu Xi gives Xie’er a look when Ye Baiyi asks him to make sure the still sleeping man is healing correctly a few days later. He’s heard stories of the Scorpion King, and while he wasn’t sure why Ye Baiyi saved someone so volatile from the grasp of death, he was a healer first above all else.

Xie’er is healing well, he tells Ye Baiyi, though he’s got a ways before he should be woken up. Maybe a few more days, maybe a week, just to make sure he doesn’t injure himself in the panic upon waking. It’s a panic they all know is inevitable, not that they would be too surprised if he does try and cause hell, they’d likely do the same in his position.

Ye Baiyi hadn’t really considered what he’d do with the Scorpion when he grabbed him from the snow drifts. Maybe take him somewhere, maybe let him go, though the latter came with its own risks. The armory was open now, at least to them, and its secrets exposed as useless to the majority of the martial arts world. He wondered if it would even matter to Xie Wang anymore, or if the little scorpion would give up now that his bastard Yifu was dead.

He sighs at the thought. He tucks the brat back in with a frown. He’s still shivering these days, but he’s not surprised about that. His own deep chill had just started to ease a day prior, and he hadn’t even been buried like the younger man had. It was a miracle he didn’t have frostbite, in Ye Baiyi’s opinion, the few broken bones and gashes he had were pretty easy to deal with compared with what could have happened with that much weight and cold crushing a person.

The immortal leaves the room to order breakfast, coming back after to sit at the table as he re-ties his hair out of his face. He hasn’t been sleeping well lately, and the sleep he has been getting is fitful and full of bothersome dreams. He refuses to call them nightmares, it sounds too childish a word for the visions and flashbacks he gets. He’s sure the lack of sleep is likely visible on his aging face, but he doesn’t care much about that. Never has. He was dying, how quickly could be argued, but he was dying nonetheless. Eye bags and grey streaked hairs were the least of his concerns nowadays.

Ye Baiyi calls for the servant to enter with his food when he knocks, moving his sword from the table to prop it up against the wall as the variety of dishes are brought in. He’d been on a kick of trying a little bit of everything each day, savory, sweet, salty, spicy; Well balanced meals that showed the range of the cooks ability. The plate and bowls are set down and Ye Baiyi nods his thanks as the servant rushes out, closing the doors behind him. He picks up his chopsticks with a thanks towards his food and begins to eat, pondering his next move.

He could always leave the brat with Zhou Zishu, Wen Kexing and their child, or send him back to Nanjiang with Wu Xi and Jing Beiyuan. He wonders how that would go, how either group would take the news of being left with an injured scorpion, stinger still attached.

No.

They all had their lives, they had their own problems to worry about, and pulling Xie’er from the snow was his decision. The man was his responsibility now. Xie’er was stuck with him, whether he liked it or not when he woke. Ye Baiyi frowns a bit as he picks up a bowl, gazing down at the spicy kimchi and pickled vegetables. He absentmindedly mixes some of it with the warm noodle dish and picks up that bowl instead, feeding noodles and vegetables into his mouth as he thinks.

How was he going to react to everything? How was he going to explain this to him, explain that he saved him from death, saved him from the life he had before. How do you explain to someone the reason they choose to live is now dead, gone and buried under feet of snow until the winter's end?

“He’ll be fine.” He tells himself, and Rong Changqing makes a sound of agreement in his head, he can practically see the solemn smile on his friend's face.

‘He will be eventually.’ He agrees, and Ye Baiyi nods. ‘You were.’ His friend says, and Ye Baiyi scowls a little, stuffing his face with noodles to ignore the slight burn of languish in his chest. He had survived, despite his best efforts, and he was here now. No sense in wasting the chance at life anymore, he’d done plenty of that on that damned mountain, eating ice and drinking that near-frozen water.

He’d just have to convince the little Scorpion of that now, something he’d taken well over a few decades to accomplish for himself. How he was going to convince him to live for himself when he’d spent so long serving someone else, he had no idea, but he’d always been good at figuring things out as he went.

Ye Baiyi pours himself a drink and continues to eat, glancing over to the younger man occasionally. A part of him was always wary of the incense, of them wearing off or not wearing off at all. He knew Zhou Zishu prepared it well and had been doing so for years, but things like this always made him on edge. Playing with the human mind like this was always a tricky balance, one Ye Baiyi preferred not to fiddle with if he could avoid it.

He was thankful for the peace and quiet in the room, though, and the limited sounds he could hear from the rest of the inn were kept to a low volume as well. He knew it was likely to avoid a scolding from him for being too loud, but it was appreciated nonetheless.

Ye Baiyi was surprised with the lack of yelling and fighting when he came out of the room to stretch and get the smell of that damn incense out of his head. Wen Kexing glances up from his spot at the table as Ye Baiyi joins the four of them when Beiyuan gestures for him to sit, and Zhou Zishu nods his greeting as he takes a drink from his jar.

“How is he?” Wu Xi asks, and the immortal shrugs.

“Alive and healing, still asleep thankfully.” Ye Baiyi says as Beiyuan pours him a drink, passing it over. He nods his thanks and takes a sip.

“You look terrible, Old Monster.” Wen Kexing says, and Ye Baiyi rolls his eyes, giving him a scowl.

“You try sleeping well with all the noise you lot make when you’re drunk” He scolds, and Wen Kexing laughs, shaking his head. They all know it’s a lie, but no one calls him out directly.

“Right, right, forgive us old immortal, how dare we make noise and enjoy life.” Kexing says, and Ye Baiyi flicks a peanut at him with an annoyed expression.

“You don’t need to watch him so closely.” Wu Xi says, and Ye Baiyi eyes him as he sips his warmed wine. “The threat of death has passed and the incense will keep him in rest as long as it’s burned.” He reminds, and Baiyi nods, sighing.

“I’m aware.” He says, and Zhou Zishu frowns a little.

“Then why are you watching him?”

“Nothing better to do.” He says with a shrug, and Zhou Zishu laughs, a flat sound.

“What’s the real reason, Old Monster?” Wen Kexing asks, and Ye Baiyi frowns over at him.

“Do I need a reason?

“People generally do when they take in feral strays.” Ye Baiyi shakes his head, grumbling under his breath about these kids and their logic.

“I watch him because he’s my responsibility, and I’ll not have the consequences of him waking up early and finding someone else there bite me in the ass. I saved him because someone once told me I have no place judging those that never had a real chance at making their own choices.” He says, staring directly at Zhou Zishu, the other slowly sipping his liquor. “He was there, he was alive, so I dragged him back here. What he does when he wakes up is up to him, but I’ll continue to do my part in watching the little menace.”

The table falls silent and Wen Kexing purses his lips as he processes the reasoning. Ye Baiyi finished his drinks and Zhou Zishu poured him another, nodding towards the room.

“You should wake him soon.” He reasons, and Baiyi nods with a flat expression. He takes another drink and sighs, setting his cup down.

“I know.” He says finally, and for a moment the group assumes that’s all he’ll say. “Tomorrow. While you’re all gone to the market, I’ll wake him.” He says, and Zhou Zishu gives a wary look.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I don’t want him panicking because he’s surrounded by enemies.” Ye Baiyi reasons, and Wen Kexing huffs but doesn’t say anything else. “One threat is easier to bear than 5 or 6 looming around.” He says as he finishes his drinks, setting his cup down and standing a moment later. “Tomorrow.”

Ye Baiyi returns to the silence of the room and sits at the table there. He could sleep, but there’s little point in trying this early. If he does he’ll just lay restless all night, and he was sore enough these days without restless sleeping making it worse. He sits on a pillow on the ground across the room from Xie’er, deciding meditating would be the best solution to pass the time.

He was never very good at keeping track of time, not when he was meditating; When you spent days or weeks doing so to pass the time, you tended to get lost in it out of habit, so Ye Baiyi doesn’t really notice when the incense goes out, nor when Xie’er starts to stir in his bed some hour later.

The first thing he notices is sound of something crashing on the ground, followed by the press of something sharp against his neck, digging into the skin there. His eyes slip open as his heartbeat quickens ever so slightly.

The incense burner had run out, he notes too late, cursing himself in his head as he holds still. He hadn’t filled it this evening, and judging by the sun peeking over the horizon, he’d been meditating long enough for the effects to wear off. Xie’er, there was no doubt who was behind him at the moment, pressed the makeshift weapon into his neck harder when he went to move.

“Don’t think about it, immortal.” He warns, voice rough and scratchy from disuse and injury. He was lucky he could breathe at all, lucky he didn’t puncture a lung when he’d been crushed.

“Killing me won’t ensure your escape, little Scorpion.” He says, his tone tired and even as he brings a hand up to grip Xie’er’s wrist, forcing the shard of porcelain away from his neck before he stands. It’s not hard to overpower him, the man had been asleep for over a week, and he’d been weak from his injuries to begin with.

“Sit down before you hurt yourself.” He demands, and Xie’er is staring him down, those large dark eyes narrow with suspicion. “It wasn’t a suggestion.” He warns once more, grabbing his arm and pushing him towards one of the chairs. Xie’er stumbles a little but refuses to sit, Ye Baiyi sighing as he takes a seat himself.

“Where am I?” He demands, still gripping the shard as though he was going to fight his way out with it. Maybe he thought he was going to have to.

“We’re at an inn, one of Zhou Zishu's friends owns it. He was kind enough to close it to the public while we all recovered here.” He explains, hinting at the others being there as well.

“Where are they-” He asks, bristling at the idea of the others being there as well. Ye Baiyi can see a well guarded look of panic in Xie’er’s eyes, and he rolls his own in response.

“Sleeping, given the hour.” He says with a scolding tone. “You weren’t supposed to wake up until later, when they were gone.” He sighs, running a hand over his face.

“Why?” Xie’er asks, tone full of suspicion as he eyes him once more.

“Because I thought it would be easier talking to one of us than it would be to the five of us.” He says with a frown, giving Xie Wang a look. “Would you /prefer/ I go and wake them, have all of them here for a reunion?” He questions, and Xie’er looks like he wants to charge forward and slit his throat. A thought pops up in Xie’er’s mind in that moment instead, and dread covers his face as he swallows.

“Where is he-” Ye Baiyi knows exactly who he means, and this is the part he’s not looking forward to. Standing, Ye Baiyi moves slow and careful, throwing another log on the hearth to keep the room warm. He’s turning his back to the Scorpion intentionally, showing him he doesn’t consider him a threat, showing him he's not afraid of the younger man, even if maybe he should be. Ye Baiyi had long since stopped fearing death, his life was a long one, if he was somehow taken out by the Scorpion King in a fit of anger, so be it.

“Dead.” He says bluntly, poking at the fire, rearranging the coals and logs. “Buried in the snow, long gone.” He adds, and he hears a sharp intake of breath.

“No-” Xie’er says and it sounds so broken and disbelieving, so hurt by the words. "No, you're- You're fucking lying-" Ye Baiyi sighs, hanging his head for a moment before looking back to the fire.

“I’m sorry kid, but the bastard’s dead. Served him right, honestly. “ He grumbles, standing and brushing off his hands. “You can collect his body in the spring, but it's pointless trying to get to it this winter.”

Ye Baiyi expects an attack, something violent and angry, maybe yelling or screaming, but he receives no response, so he turns around. In the moment he does, Xie’er takes the broken porcelain, from the jar on the table, Ye Baiyi is now realizing, and drags it hard down his wrists. There's no doubt it's an attempt at suicide now that he’d heard the news, and Ye Baiyi lunges forward, giving a surprised shout despite himself.

“What’re you doing you idiot?!” He yells, tossing the shard off to the side near the fire, immediately pressing his hands to the wounds. Xie’er is, to his surprise, crying. Loud, shaky sobs as he squirms and jerks around under Ye Baiyi, trying to get out from his hold.

Ye Baiyi strikes his neck with a flat hand, knocking him out before hauling him to the bed, dressing his wounds quickly. Thankfully the Scorpion hadn't had a chance to go deep enough to sever anything important, but he was bleeding a fair bit. He feeds energy into the younger to stop the bleeding, grumbling swears as he pushes a pill into the other’s mouth making him swallow it down.

“Fucking brat..” He mutters as he looks at the mess the outburst had made. His and Xie’er’s robes were splotched a bright red that would no doubt stain them, blood smeared on the bedsheets and floor where he’d struggled with the other. He stands as Zhou Zishu and the others fling the door open looking panicked and confused.

The scene makes them pause, Ye Baiyi still scowling as an unconscious, stained and bandaged Xie’er lays limp in the bed.

“Lost track of time.” He says as though that explains everything. “Brat tried killing himself. Thankfully he’s still weak from sleeping so long.” He explains as he washes his hands off, peeling off his stained outer robe and tossing it into the laundry pile with a sigh.

Wu Xi steps inside and walks over to the younger man, checking his vitals before nodding to Ye Baiyi, the older man relaxing a little.

“He’ll be fine.” He assures, and moves back to the group. “I’ll prepare medicine for his wounds.” Wu Xi says before leaving the room; Beiyuan follows him out and towards their own room and Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing watch him as he mops the blood up with his soiled outer robe, tossing it in the fire afterwards.

“What did you tell him?”

“The truth. That Zhao Jing was dead and he could collect his body in the spring.”

“You should have waited.” Wen Kexing says with a frown, and Ye Baiyi sighs, giving him a look.

“He’d have learned eventually. It’s best to tell him now and get this out of the way rather than let him believe the man’s alive looking for him or worse yet was alive and threw him aside.” He reasons, and the two fall silent, sharing a look.

“I’ll prepare more incense.”

“Don’t bother. When he wakes he wakes, he’s been asleep long enough.” He replies, and Zhou Zishu frowns but says nothing else. He’d likely prepare more anyways, he was never one to listen to the immortal. He and Wen Kexing take their leave, assuring him they'd have new robes sent in. Baiyi waves them out, sitting at the table with a sigh of exhaustion and frustration.

They were right; He should have waited, but the wounds were made and the Scorpion King knew now. He’d wake up in a few hours, and they’d have the same conversation, hopefully with less bloodshed, and Ye Baiyi would explain his options to him.

Right. His options. Ye Baiyi had to return to the mountain eventually, bring back the ashes and lay them next to the graves, but he had plenty of time to do that. He was in no rush to be back in that frozen hellscape, in no rush to live off ice again.

He glances at the hopeless young man across the room from him and frowns. He could bring him with, if Xie'er wanted to travel. Make the most of the journey and try to teach him things along the way. Teach him how to exist without bloodshed, without killing and fighting and manipulation.

Ye Baiyi lets out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. He was no teacher, and the young man was no disciple. Even if Xie'er had wanted to change, Ye Baiyi didn’t consider himself a very good example of doing the right thing. He lived in isolation for decades, became jaded and brutal, blunt and far too honest. This morning was just another example of his shortcomings. If he’d been more patient, more understanding, maybe the younger wouldn’t have tried to take his life.

Ye Baiyi closes his eyes, leaning his head back as he weighs his own options. He had to keep the man around, had to keep Xie'er with him so he didn’t cause any trouble, but how would he do so without making matters worse?

He leaves the room for a moment to order more alcohol, pleased to find that Xie’er's still unconscious when he returns. He takes a seat and drinks by himself as he waits for the younger man to wake up, waits for the inevitable fighting and threats and tears.

Chapter Text

Morning comes slowly when you’re waiting for it, Ye Baiyi rediscovers once again, a frequent realization these past few weeks. Xie’er stirs ever so slightly and Ye Baiyi turns his gaze to him, watching the other move a little before his brows pinch together, no doubt in pain. He hadn’t given him anything for that yet, they wanted to make sure he woke up first, but there’s a bottle of painkillers waiting for when the younger man finally wakes up, and Ye Baiyi grabs them, walking over to the other as he sits up in the bed.

Xie’er’s head is killing him by the time he’s properly awake, likely from blood loss and sleeping so long. His body’s energy reserves have been fairly low for a while now, and he can't imagine back to back life threatening injuries helped the matter. He doesn’t care, can't really bring himself to care. What’s the point in worrying about any of it now, his life was over. They’d hand him in to the authorities or kill him themselves, why they were prolonging this he didn’t know.

“Take this.” Ye Baiyi orders quietly, keeping his voice low since he can practically see pain written across Xie’er's face. The young man looks up at him with dull, disinterested eyes for a moment before his gaze fixed on the pills in the center of his palm.

“If you’re going to poison me, you should at least be discreet.” He says, though he accepts the pills without asking what they are, swallowing it down without a second thought. Maybe he doesn’t care what they are, Ye Baiyi notes, a frown forming on his lips. Maybe he had hoped they /were/ actually poisoned.

“They’re for the pain.” He says anyways, and Xie’er makes a grunt of acknowledgement. He simply stares ahead of him blankly, and it’s been some time since Ye Baiyi’s seen someone so disconnected with the world, so ready to just keel over and die.

“If you can hold off killing yourself for a few minutes, I can have them bring food in.” Ye Baiyi says as he puts the bottle of painkillers in his robes, not trusting the youth not to try and down them all if he left them in the room. As it was he’d removed anything sharp or breakable, something he’s sure Xie’er has probably already noticed.

"Don’t bother.” Xie’er says with a disinterested tone, and the older sighs, already knowing this was going to be frustrating to deal with. He reminds himself this was a mess of his own making and looks over at the other man once more.

“You’re eating, or I’m feeding you. Your choice, Scorpion.” He reasons, and Xie’er gives him a side eye but protests no further. Ye Baiyi opens the doors to the room and one of the few servants notices him standing there, asking him what he needed with a cheerful tone.

“Bring food in, he’s finally awake. Buns, noodles, broth, chicken, anything bland. He’s not eaten in a while and I’ll not have him throw up.” He says and the servant rushes off to the kitchen to prepare food for the two of them. He closes the doors after giving a small nod to Zhou Zishu when he meets the other’s gaze.

Ye Baiyi knows what that looks means, knows the intention behind it. ‘You can’t force him to heal’ Zhou Zishu had reminded him the night before, right before everyone retired for rest. ‘You can’t make him change if he doesn’t want to.’

‘I know I can’t.’ He tells himself, Changqing sighing as his imaginary ghost shakes his head.

‘You’ve always been stubborn though, that’s why they worry.’ He’s reminded, and Ye Baiyi huffs, sitting at the table while Xie’er continues to stare blankly. He watches him for a moment before shaking his head, moving to add a log to the fire.

“You have a few options.” Ye Baiyi says as he pokes about the fire, glancing over to the boy before looking back to the coals. “You’re stuck with me through all of them, so get used to the company.” He adds, and Xie’er scoffs. It's at least a reaction; A good sign, even if it's a small one.

“Why?”

“Why what, brat?”

“Why save me?”

“Why not?” Xie’er glares at him from his spot on the bed, clearly not amused with the answer. Ye Baiyi sighs, a little annoyed at the question that’s been thrown at him so often these past two weeks. “Because you were there, and you were alive, and I’m not a complete monster.” He replies, frowning back at the other. “I didn’t used to believe in second chances, but someone changed my mind. You have him to thank for this, not me.”

“That’s a shit reason to keep me alive.”

“Maybe.” Ye Baiyi says, standing and brushing his hands off, closing the hearth door so the coals didn’t fall out. “But it’s the only reason I’ve got.”

Xie’er looks away, and Ye Baiyi can see the faintest line of water in his eyes, the beginnings of tears he chooses to ignore. Calling the man out on them wouldn’t do anything but make him embarrassed and more upset, and he didn’t want a repeat of the night before.

“..I’m sorry for your loss.” He’s not, but it seems like the right thing to say. Xie’er scoffs, giving him a look, tears welling in his eyes now.

“No you’re fucking not.” He hisses, and Ye Baiyi remains unbothered by the words. “Don’t pretend to care about anyone but yourself, immortal.”

“Fine.” He says with a nod, sitting at the table once more, pouring himself a drink. “I don’t care he’s dead, the old boar had it coming. He was a despicable man, and the world’s better off with him gone.” Ye Baiyi says in a matter of fact tone, and Xie’er just stares at him with murder in his eyes. “Glare all you want little Scorpion, but you know I’m right, it’s why you paralyzed him. You loved him, sure, but you hated him too.”

“You know nothing of me.”

“I know enough to know you’re better off with that monster gone.” Ye Baiyi says, and there’s a knock at the door as Xie’er opens his mouth to say something. The door opens and food is brought in when Ye Baiyi calls for them to enter. Dishes are lined up over the table, a large variety of food, and the immortal nods his approval at the sight of everything. Xie’er cringes at the sight of food despite the nausea and pain that hunger causes in his stomach.

“Get up or I’ll carry you over here.” Ye Baiyi warns, and Xie’er gives him a look. Ye Baiyi stands and grabs Xie’er under his arms carefully but firmly, scooping him out of bed and dragging him kicking and squirming over to the table. He shoves him down in the chair and gives him a look warning him he’d do it again if he went to sit back down.

“I’m not bluffing, child, eat or I’ll feed you.” He warns, and the younger man sneers.

“I’m no child.” He spits, and Ye Baiyi rolls his eyes.

“You’re not, you’re right, but you’re just into your 20’s. Barely a man.” He reminds, and Xie’er frowns at that.

“I’m plenty of a man.” He scoffs, giving him a look. Ye Baiyi points to the food with his chopsticks, giving him another warning look before he takes a bite of a steamed bun.

“Then stop acting like a spoiled brat and eat already. I’m not having you waste away because you’re mad about being pulled from the snow.” He reasons, and Xie’er knows he walked right into that one. He frowns and picks up a pair of chopsticks, eyeing the food warily, though he knows he can safely assume it’s not poisoned at this point. They wouldn’t have kept him alive through the snow and the suicide attempt just to poison him now.

He didn’t know why the immortal was keeping him alive, but he knew he wasn’t going to die by eating a few dishes, so he hesitantly started to eat. It’s uncomfortable and awkward sitting there with the immortal watching him like a hawk, and the food is bland and flavorless, but he can’t help himself from scarfing down a steamed bun when he realizes just how hungry he really is. It dawns on Xie’er he has no clue how long he’s been out in the first place to become this hungry, and he eyes Ye Baiyi once more.

“..How long was I unconscious?” He asks as he tries to eat at a reasonable pace, the sword immortal rolling his eyes at the restraint.

“So long as you don’t puke it back up, eat what you want. Youth care too much about their appearances.” He scolds, grumbling about Xie'er's restraint with a frown. “You’ve been out for almost two weeks. Wu Xi has been making sure you’re recovering properly, and I’ve been watching to make sure the incense keeps you asleep.” He admits, and Xie’er’s eyes widen a little at the mention of the Great Shaman.

“The Great Shaman…?” He questions, Ye Baiyi rolling his eyes a bit at the mixture of surprise, horror and embarrassment on Xie’er’s face. The boy came from Nanjiang so of course he’d heard about the other. The embarrassment of being seen in such a state and doing such things in front of someone so important made his face pale.

“Yes, the Great Shaman. He happens to be a friend of Zhou Zishu, and now myself.” He says with a shrug. “He’s been checking on you daily, making these medicines to make sure you don’t keel over before we can get you healthy enough to travel.”

“Travel?”

“One of your options.” He mentions, gesturing to the food once more, silently telling him to continue eating. Xie’er does, albeit begrudgingly. “Option one,” He says when he’s finished another bun. “We go to help rebuild Four Seasons Manor, and you have to tolerate Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu and their little idiot disciple.” Ye Baiyi explains, pushing some noodles towards Xie’er when he notices the younger man eyeing them. “Option two, we let them build their home and stay away from them. Travel around wherever you’d like and get you used to being a human again.”

“Is there a third option?”

“I bring you to Mount Changming and you deal with being cold and bored all the time.” He says with a shrug, though he’d prefer not resorting to keeping him there. It wasn’t a life for the living, sitting atop a freezing mountain in seclusion. He’d spent far too long that way, and he doubted the younger would find it appealing after his near death experience.

“There’s no option of freedom then.”

“Not after the things you’re done little Scorpion.” Ye Baiyi laughs, shaking his head. “Not yet. You want freedom, you get to prove you’re not a threat anymore.”

“And if I am?”

“I wouldn’t recommend trying to be one.” Ye Baiyi says, and the tone he uses is one of pure danger and warning despite its calmness, a threat just as much as it is a promise of demise. “You’ve got a chance to be good, kid, don’t waste it trying to be something you’re not.”

“Why would I give a shit about being good?” He scoffs, and Ye Baiyi sighs, setting his bowl down.

“No one’s born evil, they’re made evil. You were molded into what you are by that bastard Yifu of yours. You want to do good, you want to succeed and show others what you’re made of, I saw that much when he was acknowledging you at that crappy banquet. You wanted his approval so bad you were like a puppy following its owner around.” He laughs, shaking his head. Xie’er’s cheeks burn with embarrassment and rage and he clenches his fists, wanting nothing more than to poison the man’s food right then and there if he could.

“You know nothing.”

“I know enough.” Ye Baiyi assures as he begins eating once more. Xie’er refuses to eat more, simply glaring at the man in front of him before Ye Baiyi sighs and sets his chopsticks down.

“Look kid, you can be as angry as you want, hell I encourage it, but you’re going to be sorely disappointed if you think I’m going to fight you or hurt you or yell just because you’re throwing a fit and want to be in pain.” He says, and Xie’er’s brows furrow a little in surprise and offense at the statement. “That’s right, I know how pests like you behave. You don’t get your way so you want a fight. You get upset and mournful and you want to feel pain. It’s not hard to figure out.” Ye Baiyi says, and Xie’er’s jaw clenches. “You’d have an easier time provoking Wen Kexing, if you’re really looking for a fight you’ll lose.”

“Fuck you.” Xie’er hisses, and Ye Baiyi pushes the noodles towards him once more, nodding to the bowl.

“Stop being fussy and eat. I know you’re starving, you were malnourished well before I pulled your ungrateful ass from the snow.” He scowls, taking a bite of chicken. “Eat without fussing for the day and I’ll consider letting you have your little hair trinkets back.” He says with a sigh, and Xie’er’s hands fly up to his hair.

He hadn’t even realized his braids weren't there, not his usual ones, least of all his rings and jewelry. Instead his usual hairdo replaced by a single loose braid tying his hair from his face. His hair rings and baubles are gone, as well, and he feels a little lost without their weight in his hair.

Xie’er realizes at that moment his face is likely not powdered and made up either, and a hand to his skin confirms it’s clear and clean, devoid of any powder or makeup or liners. He swallows hard and pushes down the feeling of sickness it causes, the feeling of dread and anxiety and panic that fills his chest and makes it hard to breathe.

It’s been years, nearly a decade, since he’d been bare faced in front of anyone. He rarely took it off for anything but sleep, and even then he usually just left it on and reapplied it the next day. He'd spent so long hiding his natural appearance that it made him feel sick thinking about being seen like this, his head spinning and stomach churning at the thought. To be bare faced and without his braids in front of the other man felt like being stripped of his weapons and thrown in front of a predator.

He supposed in a sense he was, his knives were nowhere to be seen, neither were his needles or whip or any of his other weapons. Ye Baiyi was a formidable foe, even with his weapons present, so having nothing, not even his usual comfort of hair and makeup, made his heart pound quicker in his chest.

Ye Baiyi seems to notice the beginning of the spiral the other was experiencing after a moment, slowing his eating to a stop with a small frown.

“Now what’s got you all worked up?” He sighs, and then he notices the way Xie’er’s shaking hand lingers on his cheek for a moment, and it clicks.

“We took it off, you were sweating half of it off on your own with the fever you had the first few days, so Wen Kexing recommended we just remove it.” He says with a shrug. “I’d let you reapply it if we had any of that stuff here, but none of us carries that sort of thing with them. Kexing might have some shadow or coal for your eyes, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

“My robes-” Xie’er says, a little too forced for Ye Baiyi’s peace of mind, and he nods towards the end table by the bed. There’s a small pile of things Xie’er recognizes as his on the table, and he immediately stands to look through them.

“If you had makeup in them, they were long gone when I found you.” He says, saving the younger the trip to the end table, Xie’er frowning as he slumps back down in his chair, closing his eyes hard. “I’ll send Wen Kexing to pick some up when he leaves for the market with the others later.”

“I’m going with.”

“Not a chance.” Ye Baiyi says with a scoff, shaking his head. “You’re not leaving this room until I’m sure you’re not going kill yourself or someone else.” Xie’er frowns at that, giving him a look Ye Baiyi ignores. The immortal could care less if the boy was mad at him, it made no difference if he was annoyed or frustrated with his predicament.

“Make a list of what you need. I don’t know anything about that nonsense, so it’s up to you to tell them what you want.” He says as he pushes a piece of paper and writing utensil over to the other. Xie’er accepts it, looking down at the paper like he’s debating if it’s worth it to trust them to bring the right things back. He was particular about what he wore, and the fact that he’d lost his favorite powders and makeups in the damned avalanche made his chest tighten.

Hesitantly, Xie’er makes a small list of what he needed to make more, something he was well versed in. He’d never found the right shades or colors in the markets, so he much preferred just grinding and packing his own powders and pigments.

Ye Baiyi watches him write with unsteady hands, finishing off the bowl in front of him as Xie’er finally sets the brush down when he’s done writing. The younger passes the paper over and Ye Baiyi reads it, a little surprised the youth’s handwriting was as neat as it was.

“This all?” He asks as he looks up from the paper. “Do you need anything else? You’re going to be here for some time, and while the idiots go to the market fairly often to look around, I doubt they'll want to make multiple trips for non essential items.” He reasons, and Xie’er hesitates, snatching the paper back, dipping his brush before adding a few more things.

When Xie Wang’s finished this time, Ye Baiyi reads over the list once more, nodding to himself. They were mostly reasonable requests; Some hair oil, various items for makeup, small jars to put the products in, a comb, and some darker robes, nothing really surprising in Ye Baiyi's opinion.

“They can do everything but the robes I’d imagine. You’ll have to wait until we find somewhere bigger for those, this place won’t have anything you’d want to wear.”

“..Fine..” Xie’er agrees, and he wonders when he decided to stay long enough for that to be a possibility. He should run the first chance he gets, run and never look back. Or maybe kill himself, there wasn’t a reason to run if you didn’t have a reason to live anymore, and he wasn’t sure he ever really had one. Now that his Yifu was gone, any reasons he might have had were gone too.

“Stop thinking so loud, pest.” Ye Baiyi huffs, giving him a look as he tucks the paper into his sleeve once it’s dried, shoving a jar of alcohol towards the younger. “You’re going to give yourself a headache, and I don’t want to hear you complaining.”

“I don’t complain.”

“Right, of course not.” Ye Baiyi scoffs, taking a drink of his own booze as he leans back in the chair. “You just glare and curse.” Xie’er opens his mouth to spit an insult, but he knows that would be falling right into Ye Baiyi’s words, so he shuts his mouth and huffs quietly.

“How smart you are, immortal, so wise being able to figure people out so easily.” His tone drips venom and sarcasm, and Ye Baiyi gives a sneering smile.

“Don’t be so easy to figure out then, little Scorpion.”

“I’ll be sure to try harder from now on.” Xie’er says with a fake, sickly sweet smile. The immortal just laughs, shaking his head as he takes a swig of his alcohol.

It takes some time, but eventually Xie’er is tired enough he’s dragged to bed. The time passed in relative silence, Ye Baiyi meditating and Xie Wang watching him silently, no doubt planning all of the ways he could end the immortal's life if it came to it.

Ye Baiyi tends to the fire as Xie’er gets in bed, facing the wall as he pulls the covers up to his shoulders. His shaking had finally stopped, and Ye Baiyi’s a little glad to see the brat was finally warm and as at ease as he could be in the situation. The older man takes his seat on the floor like he’d done the previous night, meditating carefully as Xie’er tries his best to fall asleep.

It’s just past midnight when the Scorpion tries to sneak out of the room, and Ye Baiyi speaks up the moment he hears him get out of bed.

“Lay back down, brat.” He warns, and Xie’er frowns, giving him a look Ye Baiyi doesn't need to open his eyes to feel.

“I’m not tired.”

“ Yes you are.” He says confidently, resting his hands in his lap as he opens his eyes. “Now go back to bed before I get more of the incense from Zhou Zishu.” The younger glares as he slumps back into the bed, begrudgingly laying down and covering back up.

He’s watching Ye Baiyi now, he can feel the stare as he closes his eyes, but the immortal pays it no mind. He could watch as much as he wanted, it wouldn’t change his confinement to the room. The man was stuck there, just as Ye Baiyi was, and that wasn’t going to change just because he felt the need to watch him incessantly.

Eventually Ye Baiyi opens his eyes, feeling a little less exhausted and irritable now, and finds Xie’er asleep under the blankets. He looks peaceful now, calm and content, which is something he’s sure not many people have had the opportunity to see on the younger man’s expression.

‘He’s going to be a handful..’ He thinks to himself as he leaves the room for a moment to get a bottle of whine. He returns to the room and settles at the table like he’s done for countless nights now, sipping his whine as he tries to ignore the lingering tiredness that's been following him.

He was getting older; Time was finally catching up to him now, and he couldn’t keep running on meditation alone. He’d need to start sleeping more than an hour or two here and there if he wanted to keep his strength up. With a sigh Ye Baiyi resigns himself to ask for assistance in the morning, it wasn't ideal, but it would have to be done eventually.

When Xie’er wakes, the others have already made their way to the market, Ye Baiyi left alone to watch the younger man. He’d made an agreement with Zhou Zishu to watch Xie Wang when he got back so Ye Baiyi could rest for a while, and at risk of sounding like an old man, he was looking forward to the nap.

The younger stirs as Ye Baiyi finishes a bowl of soup, something warm and light to accompany the medicine intended to ease the headache that had been forming behind his eyes. He glances to Ye Baiyi as the older looks over with a calm expression, though Xie’er can see the hint of tiredness in his eyes and the way he’s not sitting up quite as tall today.

“Did you not sleep well, immortal?” He sneers, and Ye Baiyi scoffs, giving him a look.

“Who could sleep well with such a noisy pest in their room?” He huffs. “You toss and turn so much in your sleep I’m surprised you haven’t fallen right out of bed yet.” Ye Baiyi lies, and Xie’er scoffs, baring his teeth in a vicious smile.

“I don’t move in my sleep, old immortal.” He says with confidence. “You learn to sleep still when you keep weapons in your bed.” There’s pride in those words, and Ye Baiyi barks a laugh, though he looks unimpressed at best.

“You think it cunning to sleep with weapons in your bed, but you’re a fool for having so many enemies you’d need to do such a thing.” Ye Baiyi reminds, and Xie Wang furrows his brow, giving him a look.

“This coming from you, old one? Surely you’ve plenty of enemies that want you dead.” He scoffs, and Ye Baiyi gives him a look.

“Boy, all of my enemies have been dead longer than you’ve been alive.” He reminds, and Xie’er falls silent, frowning at the words. He knew the immortal was old, sure, but he looked young. Maybe in his 30’s at most, though the streak of silver at his temple and the slight bags under his eyes were making him look a bit older these days.

“How old /are/ you?” Xie’er asks, unable to help the annoyed curiosity despite himself. “You don’t look that old. For all I know you could be lying about your title to get my guard down.” He reasons, just in case Ye Baiyi takes his words as too personal, too friendly or curious.

“Ye Baiyi is indeed the rumored immortal.” A voice says from the doorway as the door slides open, and Xie’er bristles, attention immediately shifting towards the person standing in the doorway. Zhou Zishu steps in, closing the door behind him, not before Xie’er catches a glimpse of a white haired Wen Kexing fanning himself with a complicated expression. He’s not sure what made the other man’s appearance change so drastically, but he refuses to give them the amusement of his curiosity over it. He hears him walk away as Zishu nears the bed where he’s sitting, and Xie’er can’t help but glare, sitting up a little straighter, like he’s ready to run or fight at a moment's notice.

“Relax, I’m giving you your things, pest.” He says with a sigh, holding a small bag out to Xie’er, waiting for him to grab it before looking to ye Baiyi. “Your requests are going to take a while, but you already knew that.” He says, and Baiyi nods, standing and stretching.

“Behave yourself, kid. I don't want to be woken up hearing about trouble you’ve started.” He warns, heading for the door. That seems to catch Xie’er’s attention, pulling it from rifling through the bag to looking at Ye Baiyi as he opens the doors.

“Where are you going-” He says before he can stop himself, looking between the two warily. He can’t help but worry about his own safety with the ex-assassin in the room now, but Ye Baiyi casts a glance over his shoulder, huffing softly.

“I’m going up to get some sleep, and then I’m going to come back down and make sure you’re still alive.” He replies, looking between the two. “He’s not going to do anything unless you provoke him.” Ye Baiyi says, though it’s not clear which of them he’s talking to or about. Xie’er watches Zhou Zishu give a ’tch’ and wave him off before sitting at the table, already pouring himself a drink.

Xie’er hesitantly settles on the floor in front of the bed, setting to work grinding pigments and making creams to apply to his face, storing the products in the small jars and containers he was brought. It’s a slow process with one of his arms being in a sling still, but he makes it work, and Zhou Zishu makes no comment when he fumbles and drops something or clangs something together a little too hard.

They remain in silence for a few hours as Xie’er works on the making and storing the products. When he’s done he does his best to clean up, wiping out the mortar and pestle, setting the items on the table when he’s sure he’s done with them.

Zhou Zishu pays him little mind, just sits and meditates as Xie’er moves to sit on the bed, not sure what to do now. He desperately wanted to do his hair, but with his arm in a sling that wasn’t happening any time soon. Xie Wang frowns, looking to Zhou Zishu for a moment.

“Who did my hair?” He asks hesitantly, and Zishu’s eyes open after a moment, the man looking over to him with a confused expression.

“What?”

“My hair, who braided it?” He asks again, frowning at the older man.

“Wu Xi did. Said your other ones were too tight and going to give you a headache while you were healing.” Zishu says with a shrug. “I can’t braid, and Lao Wen refused, so Wu Xi undid them and braided it back.” He explains, and Xie’er takes a moment to process the fact that Nanjiang’s Great Shaman had braided his hair back for him at one point. He’s not sure how to ask the next question, especially not now that he knows who did it, but he speaks regardless.

“..Can he re-do them? My braids, I mean.” He asks, and Zhou Zishu notices just how uncomfortable Xie’er seems asking for the favor, the man laughing as he shakes his head.

“They’re just braids, Scorpion, don’t look so hopeless.” The ex assassin responds, standing and stretching a little. “Stay here and don’t try anything. It’s not worth the pain it’ll bring.” He warns, and Xie’er gives him his faux sweet smile.

“Wouldn’t think of it.” He sneers, and Zhou Zishu leaves the room for a while. He’s gone for more than a few minutes, which surprises Xie’er, but he assumes maybe he’s being tested. Maybe they’re waiting to see what he’ll do now, if he’ll try to harm himself or run, or if he’ll stay put and behave himself like they told him to. A part of him wants to do something, wants to cause them more trouble, wants to try and end everything again, but he knows there's no point. They'd just bring him back from the brink of death again and again until they finally got sick of him, and that sounded like far too much effort to his exhausted mind. He could just let himself waste away instead, refuse to eat and sleep away his life until he inevitably died, though he doubted they would let him get away with that, either.

After a period of silence, Zhou Zishu comes back, though this time Wu Xi is trailing behind him. The man enters the room and closes the doors behind them, looking to Xie’er when the other immediately bows in respect. It surprises Zishu, but the man says nothing, and Wu Xi sighs.

“There’s no need.” He says as he pulls a comb from his robe sleeve, sitting in a chair at the table, nodding to the spot in front of him. “Sit.” Wu Xi instructs, and Xie’er does so immediately, facing away from the man, posture straight and proper as he waits.

Wu Xi makes quick work of the loose braid he was wearing, sectioning off Xie’er’s hair like he’d remembered it looking when they’d first seen him.

“It may not be exact.” He reminds, and Xie’er nods a little.

“...Close is fine.” He assures quietly, feeling a little uncomfortable being in the presence of someone so important. “...I just need to feel them again.” He admits quietly despite himself, and the statement once more surprises an onlooking Zhou Zishu, but Wu Xi just nods in understanding, setting to work braiding his hair back into its signature half ponytail.

Xie’er sits still and silent throughout the process, not making a sound even when Wu Xi tugs a little too hard or comes across a snarl or small, still healing injury. He’s just glad to have his hair feeling like he’s used to, how he’s worn it for nearly a decade.

When his hair is finally done, Wu Xi taps his shoulder, the younger getting up and looking it over in the polished metal mirror by the bed. It’s a relieving seeing them back in place, and he smiles a little at the sight and feel of the braids.

“Thank you.” He says without thinking, his good hand ghosting over the braids lightly, mind easing a bit as he glances over. “..They look good.” He says, and Wu Xi nods, standing and taking his leave. Xie’er looks a little surprised when Ye Baiyi comes in minutes later, though he quickly assumes this was a changing of the guards.

“You can leave.” Ye Baiyi assures when Zhou Zishu stands and gives him a look, the ex-assassin taking his leave as well. He leaves the room and Ye Baiyi sits at the table looking less tired than he had before, the bags under his eyes less prominent than before.

Xie’er says nothing to him as he sits in front of the mirror with his various jars, settling down to apply his makeup. Ye Baiyi raises an eyebrow as Xie’er dusts his face with white powder and applies various colors to his lids and lips.

“Seems like a lot of effort.” He says after a while, looking at Xie’er with a mixture of indifference and boredom. “You’re not some hideous maiden, why bother with all of that? That something your Yifu taught you, or something you picked up along the way?” Xie’er scowls a little at the words, casting him a glare as he fills in his eyebrows.

“Why does it matter to you?” He spits back, and Ye Baiyi sighs a little.

“It was just a question, kid.” Baiyi replies, earning a roll of Xie’ers dark eyes.

“I’m not a kid.”

“You're right, but you're younger than I am. Younger than the others too, I’d bet.”

“How do you know?” He questions with a huff.

“How old are you then?”

Xie’er considers the question for a moment, unsure of whether or not to answer the man. He was no doubt younger than Zishu was, probably Kexing as well, but he was a stubborn one, not willing to admit defeat so easily.

“I turned 24 this last summer..” He answers eventually, mixing the rouge with a drop of water to apply to his lips as he ignores the laugh Ye Baiyi gives in response.

“See, younger than both.” Ye Baiyi responds as he takes a drink, smirking. “Told you.”

“Then how old are they?”

“26 and 28 this year.” He responds with a shrug, watching Xie’er mix powders and liquids together to make the products. “And you never answered the question.”

“I’m ignoring it since it’s none of your business.”

“Yifu, then.” Baiyi says in assumption, answering the question for himself. Xie’er’s silence seems to confirm it, or at the least not deny it. He ignores the disgust he feels at the idea of Xie’er’s father figure dressing a young Xie'er up like a doll for the first time, makeup and all.

“He said it made me look more grown, more in command.” Xie Wang admits after a long period of silence as he stares at himself in the mirror, and Ye Baiyi looks over at him with a furrowed brow.

“What?”

“The makeup. You asked if it was something he taught me, or if it was something I picked up. Yifu had the maids show me how to do it when I first came to him. Said I looked better with it, more grown.” He repeats, giving him a look before avoiding eye contact once more. “Said it’d make me look less like some confused kid off the street, so I wore it.”

Ye Baiyi frowns at the explanation, taking a breath before sighing. He was glad the man was dead, he was, but a part of him wished he’d died a slower death. Something worse to atone for the things he did while he was living.

“You /were/ a confused kid.” He reasons, and Xie’er scoffs.

“I was 13.” He replies, and disgust settles in Ye Baiyi’s gut once more, heavy and solid and bubbling with anger.

“A child.” He reaffirms. “A child who shouldn’t have had to look more grown to please the taste of the damned bastard that raised him.” He reminds, and the Scorpion King gives him a look of anger and disbelief. He wants to argue, he does, but he knows he’s not wrong. He knows deep down he shouldn’t have had to do any of the questionable things Yifu demanded, but he had, and it was something he’d just have to live with now.

“You know n-” He’s cut off by Ye Baiyi’s scoff, looking at him like a fool.

“What don’t I know, Scorpion? I know that what that monster did was wrong, that he never should have touched you the way he did. Shouldn’t have raised you the way he did, hell, he never should have been given the chance to raise you at all.” He hisses back, shaking his head. “ I know he’s better off dead, that /you’re/ better off now that he’s dead-” He barks and the rage in Xie’er’s eyes only brightens. He cuts him off before the younger can say anything.

“Youth blinds us all, we think that anyone who gives us a scrap of attention must love us, must cherish us, and that that makes any pain they cause alright.” He muses bitterly, shaking his head once more. “But that’s a horrible way to view love- It should never be painful, should never leave you with bruises or fears or a longing for escape.” He reminds, and the Scorpion King falls silent, jaw clenched and eyes set in a weak glare. Ye Baiyi takes a breath and calms himself, sighing as he shakes his head.

“You know as much about love as I did.” He says and Xie’er doesn’t miss the sorrowful undertone to the words. He wonders briefly, for a split second, what had wounded the other so much that it tarnished his views of love in such a way those words came out so bitter. He reminds himself it’s not his business, nor does he care, and turns his face back to the mirror he was sitting in front of.

His makeup feels like a mask now that it’s been exposed, it makes his skin crawl wearing it, wearing the reminder of his Yifu now that the man was dead, but he can’t bring himself to remove it. He’d worn it too long to give it up now, so he simply closes the jars and packs them into the nightstand. Ye Baiyi takes his seat across the room and begins to meditate, and Xie’er crawls into bed with an exhaustion he hadn’t even noticed creeping into him.

Sleep comes for him slowly, his mind half awake-half dreaming as he lays there for an hour or two. Eventually he falls into a heavy sleep, oblivious to Ye Baiyi stepping out of the room for some air when he’s sure the Scorpion is asleep. The older man returns some time later when the weight of his responsibilities convince him to do so, reminders of Xie’er’s instability bringing him back to the room on the off chance the younger woke in the middle of the night to try something dangerous.

Chapter Text

The days pass slower than Ye Baiyi cares for, if he’s being honest with himself. There’s not much to do when your sole purpose for the foreseeable future is keeping a self destructive assassin from killing himself or someone else.

Xie’er gives him good reason to be concerned, too, and Ye Baiyi’s almost tempted to throw him back into the ice should he find the other bleeding out one more time. He’s tried to hang himself, tried cutting his arms and his throat, even tried stealing some bottles off the shaman when he’d come to visit, not that the contents would kill him even if he did successfully manage to obtain them in the first place.

It’s the third week when Ye Baiyi puts his foot down. The Scorpion King had been healing from his latest injury, his arm rebroken thanks to Wen Kexing, and the older takes the bed rest moments to try and talk some sense into him.

“Stay still and be quiet.” He warns as he checks his bandages, pleased to see he could go without them from now on. The old self inflicted wounds were healed enough they weren’t a concern anymore, so he tosses the bandages in the basket to be washed. Xie’er opens his mouth to speak almost immediately, a glare present on his fair face, but Ye Baiyi puts a hand over his mouth.

“I said sit still and be quiet, and if you so much as think of biting me I will toss you back into a snow bank and leave you there.” He warns, crouching in front of him to tend to his injuries. “You’re a fool.” He says with a frown, taking his hand away from Xie’er’s mouth as he checks on his arm.

“/Excuse/ m-”

“A deaf one, at that.” He scolds, and Xie’er huffs, giving him a look. “Since scolding doesn’t work, and harm and death are no punishment you fear, I’m changing tactics.” He says with a mix of expressions. Xie’er narrows his eyes warily, staying silent as the older man continues. “You hate it here as much as I do. “

“More.” He argues, and Ye Baiyi rolls his eyes.

“Fine, you hate it here more than I do.” He says, and Xie’er makes a noise of agreement. “If you keep this up, the only place you’ll be going is into an early grave. Now I know you’re going to argue that's what you want, you don’t want to live anymore, there’s no reason to be alive, all of that madness.” He sighs, giving Xie’er a weighing look. “But I know that’s not really what you want.” He says, shrugging as he stands. “You just don’t want to hurt anymore. You don’t want to be reminded of the things you did, the things /he/ did.”

Xie’er frowns as Ye Baiyi moves to the table, taking a drink before glancing over. He seems to consider his words for a careful moment before he finally speaks up when Xie’er doesn’t.

“If you cut this nonsense out, I’ll take you wherever you want to go. Starting when your arms healed, we can go where you want. No more stuffy rooms in stuffy inns, no more Wen Kexing or Zhou Zishu or the Prince or Shaman.” He explains, and Xie’er’s eyes widen a little in surprise.

His eyes narrow as he watches the older man sit down and lean back in his chair, watching him in return. He doesn’t trust the offer, doesn’t trust Ye Baiyi, but gods, movement and fresh air and travel sound amazing after a month stuck inside a single room with no option to leave.

“I want to go back.” He says with a small frown. “To the mountain, I want to go back and find his body.”

“In the spring.”

“Now.”

“You’re not /going/ to find his body right now, kid. There’s feet of snow covering everything, and there’s only going to be more snow as the winter approaches.” He reasons, and Xie’er frowns, giving him a look.

“You said wherever I wanted.”

“Fine- Alright, fine. We’ll go to the mountain, and you can look for that bastard's body, but don’t blame me when you can’t find anything in all that snow, you stubborn brat.” He sighs, shaking his head as he takes another drink. “I’ll have one of the others bring winter robes next time they leave the inn.” He grumbles, Xie’er looking rather proud of himself for someone with only one good arm and a variety of bandages covering his body.

The Great Shaman is highly unimpressed by their idea when they tell him later that day, the man in black giving Ye Baiyi a disapproving look before turning to Xie’er.

“You’re not going to find it.” He says with a frown, and it hurts a little more coming from someone he idolized so much growing up. “It’s better if you don’t go looking.”

“I’m going to find it.” He says with a stubborn determination, though Ye Baiyi sees something like uncertainty flash in Xie’er’s eyes before he steals his expression.

“It’s no use, Wu Xi, he’s hellbent on looking.” He says with a sigh, and the man grunts in response, giving Xie’er a pill to swallow before leaving the room without saying another word.

Xie’er frowns a little as he watches the Great Shaman leave, glancing at Ye Baiyi briefly before looking away. ‘They wouldn’t understand, none of them would.’ He reasons with himself. He’d find his Yifu’s body and drag it down the mountain himself if he had to, he’d bury him and give him the respects he deserved and then maybe he wouldn’t have to face him in the afterlife. Maybe Zhao Jing would forgive him for not dying with him, for never being a good enough son or assassin or tool.

“We’ll leave a few hours after sunrise.” Ye Baiyi says as he polishes his sword, the younger nodding as he watches the repetitive motions silently. It should make him relieved knowing he was going to be able to go look, but all it does is fill him with a sense of dread. What if he didn’t find him? What if he wasn’t even there, what if someone else found him first, before he died?

No, Xie’er looked for him as soon as he unburied himself, before he passed out, no one else had made it out. Yifu had to be there somewhere. He was dead now, but he was there and Xie Wang had a responsibility to pull his body from the snow just like Ye Baiyi did his own. If he didn’t find him tomorrow he’d come back in the spring when the snow thawed and find him.

“You should know that it’s not likely you’re going to find his body tomorrow.” Ye Baiyi says after a few minutes, not bothering to look up at Xie’er. “Not with as much snow is up there. I didn’t even see his cart, nonetheless his body, when I was looking for survivors. It’s unlikely you’ll find anything either.”

“I have to try.” Xie’er replies, annoyance creeping into his words. “I have to try and find him. He doesn’t.. He doesn’t deserve to be stuck up there because of my errors.” He says, and Ye Baiyi pauses his motions, brow furrowing as he looks up at Xie’er this time.

“That’s what this is about, then.” He sighs, shaking his head. ‘These kids and their skewed sense of importance..’ He thinks to himself, frowning at his weapon before he tucks it away in its cloth. “ It wasn’t your fault, you know. Kexing had this plan well before he started working with you. If it wasn’t you up there getting covered in snow, it was going to be someone else. They needed the threats eliminated before they opened the armory, it’s as simple as that.” He says with a shrug, and Xie’er glares before he catches the last part.

“Hold on, they opened the armory-?” He asks, brows furrowing as he goes over the events. “How- The key didn’t work, how the hell did they-”

“The key he gave you wasn’t real.” Ye Baiyi says with a shrug. “Kexing had the key all along, opened the doors moments before the avalanche, we had to blast them out of it. Took nearly a day to get them unburied.”

“Then it was all just.. “ He trails off, anger and hate and sorrow burning in his chest. It was all for nothing. His Yifu was dead for nothing, the others were dead for nothing. He had no one left, had no army, no underlings, no /friends/, all because of some stupid plan that was never destined to work in the first place.

Xie’er feels tears burning in his eyes as he swallows hard, trying to keep himself from letting out the sob that’s clawing its way up his throat. Ye Baiyi frowns at the clear distress the other is in, hesitating for a moment before standing and crouching in front of him.

“Look at me.” He says in a calm tone, and Xie’er does, glaring through the tears welling heavy in his eyes. “Your life isn’t over yet, little pest. You’re young and you’ve been through hell and back. This is your fresh start. Your chance to do more than you did before.” He reasons, trying to keep his expression even as those tears drip down Xie’er’s cheeks only to be aggressively rubbed away by the younger. “It’s horrible, what happened to them all, but what’s done is done and the past can’t be changed. All you can do now is mourn them and move forward, hopefully to better things.” Ye Baiyi reasons, and Xie’er laughs bitterly, shaking his head.

“What is there to move on to? Tell me, Great Immortal, what reason do I have to live now? Everyone I’ve ever known and loved is dead, I have no power or wealth or home, I have /nothing/-” He hisses, and Ye Baiyi sighs.

“Sometimes it takes having nothing to realize how little you had in the first place. Do you honestly think if they’d made it out of the snow things would have been different? The armory’s open, but it’s useless to you. You had power, yes, but you had no idea what to do with it. You had underlings, but did you ever truly have friends?” He reasons, and Xie’er wants nothing more than to lash out and hurt the man. He refused to acknowledge the truth in those words, refused to acknowledge he was /right/, something he’d spent the last few nights lying awake thinking about.

“I had more than I do now.” He replies, voice shaky with anger and stubbornness. “How am I better off now? I have nothing, I’m stuck relying on some stranger and my enemies for everything I need, and I can’t leave this fucking room unless I’m supervised like some /child/, so do tell Immortal, what’s the point in living anymore?”

“There won’t be one until you find one.” He says honestly, and the bluntness of the words catches Xie’er off guard. “If you want the truth, there’s not a point in living, never has been, never will be. We live to die, that’s it. We try to make life as pleasant and memorable as we can while we’re alive, but the truth is when we’re dead none of it will matter, we’ll be buried in a box covered in dirt or burned up and our ashes scattered. You want a reason to live, but I can’t give you one, kid, never figured it out myself.” Ye Baiyi admits, standing and moving to his sword, digging through a bag set next to it. He pulls something familiar out, and Xie’er furrows his brows as Ye Baiyi holds out one of his knives, something he thought he’d lost to the snow.

“I’d be a liar if I told you there was a silver lining to living a life you hated.” He says as Xie’er eyes the knife in his hands. “You want to end it so badly, then go ahead, I won’t stop you this time.” He says as the younger takes the knife, weighing it in his hand. It feels familiar, comforting almost. He feels far less vulnerable with it in his hand, and he looks up to Ye Baiyi as the man assures him he won’t stop him if he truly wanted to die.

“Just remember this,” He says as he watches Xie’er with a tired expression. Ye Baiyi looks somehow more genuine now, like he’d taken off a mask he’d been wearing the entire time. “You have nothing now, but that’s not to say you’ll never have anything again. I may not like the things you’ve done, but none of us are without blood on our hands. You still deserve the chance to live the life you never got a chance to have.“ Ye Baiyi reasons, and Xie’er stares down at the knife in his hands.

“If you decide to end your life today, that’s your decision,” He says as he makes his way to the door. “But I’ll be a little disappointed to see you gone before you’ve had a chance to live.” He says, looking from Xie’er to the knife before stepping out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Xie Wang’s vision blurs as fresh tears drip from his eyes, the younger man clenching the knife in his hand, raising it to his throat as soon as Ye Baiyi is gone. He presses hard, fully intending to slit his own throat this time, end it quick and painless, but something stops him. He presses harder and he can feel the tip of the knife draw a bead of blood from the pressure, but he still can’t will himself to move the dagger across the pale expanse of his neck.

A sob rips from his chest as his hand falls to his lap, knife clattering to the ground as he tips over the edge of emotions. Xie’er’s body shakes with heaving cries as he slumps down in his chair, and he’s glad Ye Baiyi isn’t there to see him so pitiful. He cries until he feels sick, until his head is pounding and his face is wet with tears, until he’s completely exhausted.

Even after he’s out of tears his body shakes with muffled sobs and whimpered sounds. He’s sure hours have passed since Ye Baiyi left, and it’s night by the time he’s calmed down enough he’s not shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Eventually, Xie’er hears a knock on the door, the younger sniffling as he stands, legs and hands shaky as he pads over to the door. He’s a little surprised to find Wen Kexing there when he opens the sliding doors, and he immediately looks down to hide his red rimmed eyes and pinkened cheeks.

“What?” He asks, voice scratchy and rough from the force of his crying earlier. Wen Kexing makes a soft ‘tch’ noise as he looks him over while crossing his arms.

“So you’re alive then.” He notes, and there’s something odd in his tone, but Xie’er doesn't care enough to decipher it right now. “Dinner’s ready, clean up and come out to eat.” He says, and Xie’er looks up in confusion and surprise. “Don’t look at me like that. That old monster said you’d need food around this time, and I’m not going to lock myself up in a room to keep an eye on you.” He scowls, and the assassin looks past him to where the others usually are, finding the table empty.

“Where are they?”

“The Shaman and the Prince are sleeping by now, I’d imagine. Ah-Xu and the old immortal are still running errands, though they should be back soon.” Wen Kexing says as he walks towards the table, sitting down as a servant brings a variety of dishes out to him. Xie’er watches with a furrowed brow before closing the doors to clean himself up. His makeup is mostly gone, smeared and smudged in the places it remains, and he washes it off carefully. He debates putting more on, redoing it, but he’s too tired. Exhaustion made his limbs feel like lead, so he just washes his face, blows his nose and leaves the room.

Wen Kexing is still sitting at the table, and Xie’er sits across from him warily. He knows the food is safe, but he’s hesitant to eat anything. His stomach is still churning from the waves of emotions he’d felt earlier, and he’s not sure how much he can get down, but Kexing clicks his tongue as he leans over to poke him with his chopsticks.

“Stop thinking and eat. I’m not going to get chewed out by the old monster because you’re not touching your food.” He scolds, and Xie’er picks up the chopsticks, ignoring the way the white haired Wen Kexing is staring at his face. The man looks away after a few moments in favor of digging into his own food with a scowl.

“You look better without all that garbage on your face.” Wen Kexing says in between bites, and Xie’er pauses to look at him.

“What?”

“The makeup, you look better without it. You look more.. Human like this, less like a painted doll meant to sit on a shelf in someone’s room.” He reasons, and Xie’er scoffs. “I would imagine you’re probably more comfortable without it, too. I can't imagine that much powder is comfortable to wear.” Wen Kexing’s nose scrunches up at the thought and Xie Wang just gives him a look.

“Have you ever even worn powders?” He scowls, and Kexing just shrugs.

“I haven’t, but I’ve worn shadows and liners, and those feel heavy enough. I can’t imagine constantly packing powders over my face without a need to do so.”

Xie’er just huffs softly, eating a few steamed dumplings as he ignores Wen Kexing. He felt naked without his makeup, but he knows it doesn’t matter anymore, they’d all already seen him without it, they’d seen him at his worst and then some, so sitting bare faced during a meal wasn’t the end of the world.

“What happened to your hair?” He asks despite himself, and Wen Kexing looks up, touching his hair before shrugging.

“Happened during the ritual.” He says, and Xie’er furrows his brow, clearly missing something. “When we opened the vault, Ah-Xu and I underwent the ritual Ye Baiyi told us about, my hair went stark white during the process.”

“..You’re immortal..?” He asks when he pieces it together, furrowing his brow as Wen Kexing laughs and gives him a look.

“Maybe.” He says, eyeing the Scorpion for a moment. “Ye Baiyi wasn’t even entirely sure it was going to work in the first place, so we’re going into this blind.” He reasons, and Xie’er nods a little in response. He stares down at the food as he processes everything, not sure how to feel about the whole situation he was in.

He was housed with a variety of people he’d consider enemies, three of which are, or at the least were probably, immortal. He wasn’t sure if Ye Baiyi would continue to age, or if he was going to stop at some point, or if he was going to return to his mountain and live even longer. None of it made sense to him so he stopped thinking about it, turning his attention to the bowl of rice and curry in front of him.

When he’s done eating, Xie’er sets his chopsticks down, taking a drink of the tea he’s poured. Wen Kexing doesn’t say anything as he takes a drink of his alcohol, nodding his thanks when a servant comes to get their dishes.

Xie’er’s debating returning to the safety of the room he’s been locked in when the front doors are pushed open, Zhou Zishu and Ye Baiyi coming in from the darkness outside with a few bags slung over their shoulders. They pause when they see him sitting at the table, Wen Kexing nodding his greeting as he grins in a self satisfied way.

“I see you chose to live another day, pest.” Zhou Zishu says as he walks up to the table, passing something to Wen Kexing as he places a hand on his lover's shoulder affectionately. Xie’er looks away, feigning disgust as he eyes Ye Baiyi instead. The man is making his way towards the room, so Xie’er stands and follows, assuming his time to wander was over. Baiyi seems a little surprised when he sits on the bed without protest of staying out in the common area longer, the older man saying nothing as he closes the doors.

“You chose well.” He says as he unpacks a few things from his bag, a bottle of liquor, some sweets, and a pile of what looks to be dark fabric. He sets the bag on the ground, not bothering to unpack the rest of it before he picks up the thick pile of fabric, holding it out to Xie’er.

“They’re tailored after your old ones, so if they don’t fit it’s not my fault. ” He says, and Xie’er gives him a confused look before it clicks, the younger snatching the robes out of Ye Baiyi’s hands, immediately going to unfold them to look them over. His old robes had been thrown out, or at least he thought they had, since they were stained and ripped beyond what was reasonable to mend.

The new robes are dark, nearly black, and while they’re not nearly as fancy as what he would previously wear in Zhao Jing’s palace, he still finds comfort in the familiar color and style.

“Try them on, I’m going to eat. We missed lunch and supper waiting for those to be finished.” He huffs, and Xie’er gives a nod, waiting for Ye Baiyi to leave the room before he’s stripping down.

There’s three separate outer robes to try on, he finds, each a nearly-black color. The accents around the collar are a shade or two lighter or darker than the bodies of the robes, but that’s the extent of their decoration. The robes fit well and they’re comfortable on top of his undergarments, not too heavy or light. One of them is a fair bit thicker than the other two, a good outer robe for the cold weather, and he leaves that one out for the next day knowing full well he’d need to be as warm as possible for his search.

Xie’er keeps one of the regular outer robes on as he goes to the door, opening it to let Ye Baiyi know he was done changing. The man is sitting at the table eating, looking up when he sees the doors open.

“Well don’t just stand there, let's see it.” He says like a parent urging their child to show off a new outfit as he nods for him to come over. Xie’er furrows his brow as he glances from Ye Baiyi to Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu, slowly making his way over. He’s not sure if he’s comfortable being looked at this much, but he supposes it won’t kill him to show how the robe fit after they went through the effort of having it made.

“They fit well, that’s good. I was worried they might not. Your old robes had a lot more layers and bulk to them, so we had to make up the measurements a little.” Ye Baiyi notes, looking over the outfit with a nod as he eats. Wen Kexing is fanning himself languidly and Zhou Zishu casts a glance towards Xie Wang before nodding, going back to eating.

“You picked well, the other ones would have looked terrible on him.” Zishu notes, and Xie’er has no clue what they’re talking about, but he stays put regardless. It’s time out of the room, even if that means being near two of his previously worst enemies. ‘Saviors’, now, he supposes. Not that he’ll ever let them hear him say that, not that he really believes it in the first place, if he’s honest with himself.

“They fit well.” He agrees as he glances down at the fabrics, looking back up to Ye Baiyi as Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu talk about something unrelated. “..The colors work well together.” Xie Wang says, and it sounds too friendly for his liking, far too close to a thank you, so he adds, “Though I’d have worries for your mind if you had a hard time picking out black fabric, it’s not a hard color to work with.” He says, and Ye Baiyi laughs, shaking his head.

“Always have to try and sting, don’t you Scorpion?” He scolds lightly, nodding towards the room. “Maybe if you eat enough of those sweets it’ll rid you of that sour attitude.” Ye Baiyi says, and Xie’er scowls a bit at the teasing. He turns to go back to their room, and Ye Baiyi finishes his food, standing to join him.

“You’re insufferable..” He grumbles under his breath, and Ye Baiyi just laughs, amused with the Scorpion King’s attitude.

“Maybe, but you’re stuck with me until I know you’re not a threat, kid.” He reminds as he closes the room's doors behind them. Xie’er sits at the table and Ye Baiyi takes a seat opposite to him. The older almost immediately opens the bag of sweets, picking one out and tossing it at Xie’er, the younger catching it with a look of slight surprise. “What, never had candy before?” He questions, and Xie’er rolls his eyes.

“I didn’t take you as a sharing type.” He says as he unwraps the sweet, looking it over before putting it in his mouth. It’s sweet, no doubt the honey coating the fruit at the center, and Xie’er finds himself enjoying it quite a bit.

He’d had candy before, Zhao Jing spoiled him rotten the first year or two he was in his care, but after that it became a treat, something he got after good behavior, not really something that was just given for the purpose of sharing.

Ye Baiyi sets the bag down as he leans back in his chair, taking a few moments to unwind and relax as they sit in mutual silence. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, he knew that, but the uncertainty was joined by a twinge of sympathy for the Scorpion King. Xie’er was going to look for his Yifu’s body, something that would cause immense grief, especially after he realizes he’s not going to be able to locate it until spring.

“You should rest soon.” He says when Xie’er yawns a few minutes later and the younger one gives him a look reminiscent of a stubborn child's.

“I’m not tired.”

“Try telling me that when you’re yawning in another minute.” He replies, closing up the bag of candy, tucking it in his travel bag before nodding to the bed. “Get some sleep, I’ll be outside.” He says, and Xie’er begrudgingly gets up and goes to the bed, crawling under the covers as Ye Baiyi leaves the room.

It’s an odd feeling, being left alone in the room, left alone with the supplies and his weapon. He could tuck the knife away, hide it for future use if he wanted. Ye Baiyi hadn’t asked for it back yet, so maybe he was trusting him to keep it.

The idea of being trusted with something that could be so dangerous in the hands of someone like him is both a warming and chilling thought. On one hand, it could mean that Ye Baiyi didn’t believe him to be a threat, that he wasn’t concerned about a future attack for whatever reason because he /trusted/ Xie’er not to harm him. On the other hand, it could also mean that he never saw him as a threat and wasn’t afraid of him, that he was so confident in his own abilities that, even armed and with the element of surprise, Xie’er wouldn’t be able to win the fight if he tried.

He falls asleep thinking about that, about how a fight with the Great Sword Immortal would end. If he did try something, would Ye Baiyi kill him, or would he keep him alive until Xie’er inevitably took his own life or gave up and behaved? He wonders briefly when he lost so much of his fighting spirit, so much of his edge.

Before the avalanche he would have fought tooth and nail to try and get out, would have tried to kill whoever came in the door the second they turned their back to him, but now. Now he was sharing candy with the man that dragged him back from the brink of death. Now he was growing soft. Weak and pathetic, that’s what his Yifu would call this. He drifts off with the words repeating in his head, his body curled up a little tighter under the blankets as a faint feeling of sorrow settles into his bones.

Chapter Text

Xie’er wakes early the next morning to the sound of someone entering the room. His eyes flutter open as he takes in his surroundings, his body only relaxing when he sees the intruder is just Ye Baiyi, and he briefly wonders when he started thinking of the man as 'just Ye Baiyi'. He was the Sword Immortal, a dangerous threat, someone who could probably fight and kill him one handed without breaking a sweat, and that should scare Xie'er but it doesn't. The older man looks at him before setting two bowls on the table.

“I brought breakfast.” He says as he takes his usual seat at the table, and Xie Wang sits up in bed, a little groggy but mostly awake now. “We’ll leave when you’re done with it.” He says, and that makes Xie’er’s pulse spike. Right. They were going to look for Yifu’s body. Zhao Jing was dead on that mountain somewhere, and Xie’er was going to find his corpse for a proper burial. Not that he was entirely sure these days that the man deserved one. The thought earns a sour taste in his mouth and he ignores the guilt that comes with thinking it as he pushes the covers off of his body.

Climbing out of bed, Xie’er takes a seat at the table and begins eating his meal, not looking up from his bowl as his thoughts start to swirl in his head. What was he going to do if he couldn’t find him? What if he /did/ find him? Did he really still have the heart to play the role of the filial son to someone who, as he’s coming to realize, intentionally made his life a living hell?

“You don’t have to go.” Ye Baiyi says as he pops a honeyed candy into his mouth, Xie’er’s gaze lifting from the table to the older man’s face. He wants to laugh but he finds he doesn’t have the energy for it.

“Of course I do.” He says tiredly, and Ye Baiyi frowns as he shakes his head, saying nothing else on the matter. 'Stubborn brat' he thinks as he gathers his things. Xie’er finishes his meal in silence, pulling on his warmer clothing while Ye Baiyi takes the dishes out of the room. He slips on the boots left for him and pulls on the cloak Ye Baiyi passes him as he leaves the room.

The journey to the armory is a slow one, even on horseback. Xie’er is grateful to have the horses, it makes the trip far shorter than it would be without them, but a part of him dreads arriving all the same.

The Scorpion King shivers faintly as they ascend the mountains, doing his best to ignore the memories of fear and panic that this much snow brings. He’d been conscious for quite some time as he dug himself out of the snow, only passing out some time after he’d gotten above the surface. He still remembered the pain of his broken bones and the all consuming chill that made his blood feel like ice.

“We’re almost there.” Ye Baiyi sighs. His tone is as even as he can make it, but a faint pessimism can be heard in the words. Xie’er knows he thinks this is a waste of time, knows he thinks the body is long since buried, but he has to try. It didn’t feel right not looking for him.

“Good.” Xie’er says, though it comes out less determined than he intends it to. He isn’t sure why this feels just as wrong as not looking for him, but he refuses to acknowledge it. Instead he trudges forward through the snow, only getting off his horse when Ye Baiyi stops his own, hopping down to push through the knee deep softer snow.

Xie’er starts looking the moment he spots scraps of fabric and bits of broken wood. Body after body are pulled from the powder and turned over to be inspected, but he finds no trace of his Yifu in the snow. He can’t even see the cart he’d been in; There had been too much snowfall to find anyone that had even been around the man when the avalanche had happened.

Tears burn down Xie’er’s cheeks as he claws through the snow with his good arm, searching desperately for any sign of Zhao Jing’s body. His hands are cold and the snow feels like blades against the chilled skin of his fingers, but he doesn’t stop. He doesn't even notice the sobs ripping from his chest as his breathing quickens to an alarming state, his thoughts spiraling as he fails again and again to find him.

“Yifu-!” He half sobs half screams, spinning around in the snow as he looks over the bodies he and Baiyi had unburied, the world starting to blur as the panic attack goes into full swing. He can’t feel his hands and the wind burns his face, but he refuses to stop looking.

Ye Baiyi frowns as he watches the Scorpion fall apart. He silently makes his way over to the younger man, pulling him from where he was practically diving beneath the snow.

“Xie’er-” He says, and Xie’er doesn’t respond, just flails and squirms in his arms as he tries to break free. “Xie’er he’s not-”

“Let me go!” He screams, voice hoarse from crying.

“Xie’er!” He shouts over the man’s cries. “Stop! You’re not going to find him, he’s gone. Alright? Your Yifu is /gone/, he’s not coming back.” He says as he holds the Scorpions face in his hands, making him look at him. Xie’er’s expression wobbles for a moment before fresh sobs wrench themselves from his chest, his body collapsing into the snow as his legs give out. Ye Baiyi lowers himself as Xie’er collapses, holding him to his body with a concerned frown.

The younger man cries for some time before Ye Baiyi can get him to stand, before he can get him back onto his horse. He leads them down the mountain silently, and Xie’er holds the cloak tight around his shoulders like he’s trying to disappear in it.

When they dismount, Ye Baiyi has to catch a shaking Xie’er when he nearly falls off his horse in the process of getting down. He furrows his brow as he supports the younger, letting him lean into his side before walking him into the inn. Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu look up from the table as the snow covered pair enter the main room, Ye Baiyi dusting snow off himself and Xie’er before he sheds his outer robes at the door. He tells Xie’er to do the same, but receives nothing but a distant, dazed look of sorrow from the other. He sighs and pulls Xie Wang's cloak and outer robe off himself before leading him to their room. He shakes his head when he meets his friend's gaze. They know what he means by it, know to keep quiet for the rest of the night, to give them some distance to avoid upsetting Xie Wang further. Even pests deserved to mourn, after all, they wouldn’t deny him that.

“Sit.” Ye Baiyi says as he nods towards the bed, and Xie’er does so without arguing. He immediately pulls a blanket up to wrap around his shoulders, pulling his legs to his chest as he shivers from the lingering cold.

Ye Baiyi tends to the fire in the hearth, heating the room quickly in an attempt to warm them both up. He looks towards Xie’er for a moment and he frowns at how small he looks. He’s never seen him so distraught, not even that first night he was awake. He’d look dead if it wasn’t for the windburned pink on his cheeks and nose.

Ye Baiyi sighs as he moves to the younger, hesitating for a moment before sitting on the bed next to him. He’s not sure what to say, not sure if he should say anything at all, but Xie’er breaks the silence for him.

“He’s really gone..” He says, his voice as cracked as broken glass, rough and strained as he whispers the words.

“..Yeah, yeah he is…” Ye Baiyi agrees, staring at the floor. Xie’er lets out a pitiful noise, and Baiyi puts a hand on his shoulder. It’s all it takes for Xie’er to break down again, though his sobs aren’t nearly as loud this time around. His body shrinks in on itself as he buries his face in his knees, and he doesn’t even realize it when he’s leaning into Ye Baiyi’s side.

The contact catches the older off guard, but he doesn’t have the heart to move. Instead, he wraps an arm around Xie’er’s crying form, letting him lean his weight into him as he lets out all of the pent up pain and anger and sorrow filling his heart.

As the hour passes the noises coming from Xie’er gradually quiet, the younger leaning heavy into Ye Baiyi, exhausted and too tired to care about appearance or reputation anymore. He lets out little sniffles and whines here and there, and Ye Baiyi takes it as a good time for him to get some rest.

“Lay down, kid.” He says, tone quieter now, almost soft, if one could ever use the word to describe him. “Get some sleep.” He helps him lay down, makes sure he’s tucked in and covered with the thick wool blankets before he’s going to the table, blowing out the lights there as he leaves the room. He’s taken his sword and Xie'er's knife out of the room, leaving them near the table two of his acquaintances currently occupy just in case.

They give him a mixture of looks as he sits down, Zhou Zishu pouring him a cup of wine that he downs without a second thought, the older Immortal mumbling a thanks when his cup is refilled.

“He’s not going to get past this without you now.” Wen Kexing says after a moment, sighing as he takes a drink from his own cup. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Ye Baiyi.” He adds, and Ye Baiyi nods solemnly. He knew bringing the Scorpion back meant tying them together for the foreseeable future, he’d known that since the beginning, but he had a feeling he’d just sealed the deal.

Xie’er is out cold when Ye Baiyi returns some hour or so later, and Ye Baiyi watches him for a moment, a complex look on his face. He was the last person to teach this broken man how to live, but he was all Xie’er had now. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that thought, being the last tether someone had to the world of the living when he himself barely understood the concept of 'living'. Ye Baiyi sighs as he sits at the table, pouring himself a drink as he runs a hand through his hair.

‘You really did it this time.’ Rong Changqing says in his head, and Ye Baiyi nods to himself.

‘I did, didn’t I..’ He agrees silently, rubbing his eyes as he wills himself to wake up. He needed to be alert on the off chance Xie’er woke up in the middle of the night, just in case the younger man tried something. Baiyi glances over to the sleeping Scorpion with a frown. ‘He’ll be fine eventually..’ He reasons to the ghost in his mind, and Changqing just sighs.

‘Maybe.’ The wisp of memory says, and Ye Baiyi takes a drink, shaking his head as he looks away from Xie’er. A small part of him scolds himself for pulling Xie’er from the snow in the first place, and he stomps that flame out before it even has a chance of spreading. He wasn’t a monster, he wouldn’t just leave someone out to die like that. Not without giving them a chance, not anymore. He was the last person fit to judge the sins of others, he reminds the negativity in his head. He had no right casting the first stone with the things he’d done.

Ye Baiyi finds himself jerking awake when he hears the floorboards creak, eyes snapping open as he looks to the bed. Xie’er is standing there looking exhausted, watching Ye Baiyi as he watches him in return.

“..Bathroom..” He mutters, voice still hoarse, and Ye Baiyi relaxes with a sigh. The older man nods as Xie’er slips into the side room to use the restroom. He rubs his face as he blinks the sleep from his eyes, digging through his bag to grab a candy, hoping the sweetness would help keep him awake.

Xie’er emerges a minute later, glancing over to Ye Baiyi as he heads for the bed. Neither man says anything as Xie’er crawls back under the covers, though he doubts he’ll be able to fall asleep. It helps to chase out the still lingering cold, though, so he doesn’t bother getting up.

Ye Baiyi steps out of the room for a few minutes to steal some tea from the kitchen, returning to find Xie’er sitting up in bed, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He’s glad he grabbed two cups now, setting them on the table to pour before bringing one over to the younger.

“Here, it’ll help your throat.” He says as he holds the cup out, and Xie’er accepts it silently, taking a small sip of the warm liquid as Baiyi sits at the table once more. They sit there for some time just drinking their tea, and Ye Baiyi has half a mind to say something, but everything that comes to mind sounds terrible. He’d never been good at reassuring others, had never been good at talking in general, and he curses his shortcomings in these moments.

“...What do I do now..?" Xie’er asks, his voice far too small and broken to be that of a renowned assassin. He looks only slightly better than he sounds, exhausted and dazed still, but not so much so that Ye Baiyi feels immense worry or alarm looking at him. The older man sighs as he sets his cup down, looking at the pale red liquid inside as he purses his lips.

“Honestly?” He says, and Xie’er’s too tired to do anything but nod. “I don’t know.” Ye Baiyi says, looking over to him with an almost apologetic expression. “I don’t know what you should do, but I know you shouldn’t try and take your life again, if that’s what you’re thinking. You’re barely a quarter way through your life, it’s be a shame if I had to bury you in a box before spring comes.”

Xie’er just stares at him, a small frown spread over his lips as the younger listens to Ye Baiyi’s words. He sighs as he slumps down a bit, looking down at his lap.

“..I don’t know what to do without him.” He admits quietly, the older man nodding in understanding.

“Sometimes losing someone is for the best, even if we loved them more than life itself.” Ye Baiyi says, and Xie’er looks up from his lap, furrowing his brow. Ye Baiyi’s face gives away something sorrowful, something real, and Xie’er can’t help but wonder what the immortal has been through.

“You've lost someone, then?” He asks before he can stop himself, and Ye Baiyi sighs, leaning back in his chair.

“Someone I loved very much.” He says, frowning at his tea cup, finishing off his drink. “He was the only one I thought understood me, and I was blind until the last moments.”

“Is he..?”

“Yeah. Yeah, he’s gone. It.. happened during the ritual, it shouldn’t have.. It should have worked, but he didn’t..” Ye Baiyi takes a breath, sighing as he looks up. “I was wrong about his feelings, and it cost him his life.” Ye Baiyi says, and the confession feels equally relieving and crushing. He’d never told anyone about what happened, had only hinted at it with Wen Kexing, told him he needed to make sure he would die for Zhou Zishu because there was a high likelihood he would if things went wrong. If he wasn't true in his feelings. It had worked out for them, though, and Ye Baiyi was still pushing down the bitter bite of jealousy over that.

Xie’er furrows his brow as he listens to Ye Baiyi speak, listens to him confess a love long past, a love dead but not forgotten. It feels wrong, talking with him about this, knowing something no one else in the world knew, but Xie’er also feels a sense of familiarity in the confession. He knows what it feels like to love someone that doesn’t love you, he knows the pain it causes and now he knows how it feels like to lose that.

“Life doesn’t end after you lose them, though.” Ye Baiyi says after a minute of silence, and Xie’er looks away. He doesn’t want to admit Ye Baiyi is right, but he can only deny it for so long. The thought almost makes him laugh; He doesn’t even have the energy to try and end his life anymore, he just feels numb. Nothing feels like it matters anymore. His body aches from spending so long in the snow searching for his Yifu’s body. The pain serves as a good reminder he was alive, despite it all, that he survived everything, avalanche included. The assassin stands and makes his way to the table, setting his tea cup down when he sits.

“What reason do you have to live?” He asks, looking at him with furrowed brows. “Now that he’s gone, what reason is there to keep going?”

“There isn’t any grand reason I keep living.” He replies, shrugging a bit. “I used to keep myself alive on that mountain because doing anything else felt like it was wasting his sacrifice.” Baiyi admits. “though, I know now it was a foolish thing to do, to live up there in isolation, cutting myself off from the world and the things I enjoyed. It was just another way I was punishing myself for his death.”

“And now? What changed?”

“I realized he would have hated seeing me like that.” Ye Baiyi says with a wistful look. “Changqing wouldn’t have wanted me to keep myself stuck on some mountain eating ice for the rest of the century.” He hesitates for a moment before speaking up. “And I realized no matter how much I punished myself, it wouldn’t bring him back from the dead.”

Xie’er’s heart aches at the last sentence; He knows it’s directed at him as much as it’s directed at Ye Baiyi, and that only makes it sting more. He sighs, pulling a leg up to rest his chin on it as he closes his eyes.

“..I’m never going to be able to forget about him, am I?”

“We never forget those we’ve loved.” Xie’er stays silent but nods his acknowledgement as he lets himself stew in his emotions. Ye Baiyi was once in the position he was in, granted it had probably been a healthier relationship than his and Zhao Jing’s, but he’d lost the man all the same. He knew the pain of losing someone so dear to you, and Xie'er frowns at the thought. He hates how small he feels, how weak and pathetic he’s sure he looks in these moments. Ye Baiyi says nothing about it though, and when he opens his eyes to look at him, there’s not a single speck of judgement in his eyes.

“You get better at dealing with it over time, though. At first it feels like an open wound, bleeding and burning, but over time the wound will start to close. You’ll have ways of dealing with the pain, and when it’s finally healed, it won’t hurt as much. You’ll always have the scar, and sometimes it’ll ache, but wounds like this never truly go away.”

Xie’er feels his chest tighten at the words, but he holds back the tears that threaten to well in his eyes. Crying would change nothing, he’d done plenty of it and he still felt terrible. He nods instead, doing his best to hold the broken pieces of himself together.

Xie’er leans forward, grabbing the unfinished bottle of liquor from Ye Baiyi’s side of the table before downing the rest of its contents. The burn of the liquor is exactly enough to take his mind off the ache in his chest and the lump in his throat, even if he and alcohol weren't usually the best pair it helps in the moment, which is all he needs it to do. Ye Baiyi looks at him with confusion and surprise for a moment before laughing a little.

“If you intend on drinking to forget, you’ll need stronger alcohol than that.” He muses, standing and stretching as Xie’er wipes a few drops of alcohol from his chin. “You haven’t eaten since this morning, have you?” He asks, though Xie’er gets the feeling it’s a rhetorical question so he doesn’t bother answering. “I’ll get something from the kitchen. Too much alcohol on an empty stomach and you’ll be throwing up all night.”

“I’m coming with.” Xie’er says as he stands, heading for the door as Ye Baiyi stands. The immortal gives him a look but nods his head after a moment.

“Alright.” He agrees, leading him out of the room towards the kitchen. He doubted the innkeeper would care if they made something to eat, especially not with Zhou Zishu still present, so he doesn’t bother tracking anyone down for permission before he’s grabbing ingredients from the pantry.

Xie’er watches Ye Baiyi light a fire in the hearth, the older man moving around the kitchen in the dim light to gather what he needed. Xie’er does his best to stay out of the way as Ye Baiyi tends to the fire and chops a variety of meat and vegetables. It’s odd seeing the immortal do anything but eat and drink and look judgmental, but Xie’er is grateful for his apparent knowledge of cooking regardless.

“Grab me that pot.” He says as he gestures to the side, accepting the small cooking pot Xie’er passes him, putting it over the secondary hearth as he starts to cook some of the vegetables. The Scorpion King leans against the counter and Ye Baiyi continues to cook in silence, grabbing down two bottles of wine when the food is nearly done.

“Here,” He says as he dishes up some food into a bowl, holding it out to the younger man before passing him a jar as well. It looks delicious, just as good as the food the inn had been providing so far, and Xie’er glances up to Ye Baiyi for a moment.

“Who knew the Sword Immortal could cook so well.” He finds himself joking despite his exhaustion, and Baiyi laughs, a look of faux offense barely covering the hint of amusement shining in his eyes as he puts out the fires.

“I can do more than fight, little Scorpion, you shouldn’t be so surprised.” He replies, leading Xie’er out of the kitchen and to their room. The pair sit down and say their thanks before they start to eat their meal.

Xie’er finds himself hurting less as he focuses on the food in front of him, the ache in his chest slowly easing with each bite. The meal takes his mind off everything, gives him something to think about and process that isn’t related to death or the cold or his own spiraling thoughts. He risks a glance up to Ye Baiyi, and the immortal looks at ease despite everything that’s happened in the last two months.

He isn’t sure how to feel about the lack of worry the man has towards him as a threat, though he supposes he really isn’t one anymore. He could hold his own in a fight with almost anyone else, but Ye Baiyi and the others weren’t something he could take on on his own, and with his army gone, that’s all he was. Alone and tired and weak. Xie’er turns his attention back to his food with a frown, poking at a piece of pepper for a moment before he picks it up with his chopsticks. Despite his thoughts swirling inside his head, it feels almost normal sharing a meal with someone like this.

He’d spent the last decade sharing meals with Zhao Jing at every opportunity in an attempt to show his loyalty and care. The man had once said he liked that Xie’er would still sit down with him for a meal now that he was grown, though Xie Wang realized long ago it was just so he could talk about whatever plans or schemes he had made up, or to brag about whatever new ally or item he obtained. Still, he’d done his best to be there when he could, sitting right beside his Yifu while he ate, listening with an attentive smile.

This felt different, though, and Xie’er can’t help but relax a little as he eats. Ye Baiyi had no expectations of him, had no ramblings he needed to get off his chest, the man was just /there/, enjoying a meal the same as Xie Wang was.

By the time they’re done, Xie’er is tired, almost pleasantly so. He feels warmer now, too. The meal did wonders to chase away the cold from earlier that day. He sighs as he puts his chopsticks down next to his bowl, sipping the remaining wine from his jug as he lets himself soak in the warmth from the fire and food and wine. He has half a mind to crawl into bed while he’s still feeling alright, but something tells him to stay up, to stay there seated across from Ye Baiyi for a little longer.

“We don’t have to stay here, you know.” Ye Baiyi says as he finishes his food, and Xie’er looks up to him as he takes a drink. “I meant it when I said we could go wherever you want.” He adds. “Living locked up is no life worth living.” He reasons and Xie Wang mulls it over in his head. He’d never had the privilege of choice when it came to where he would go or stay, it was always just another step in his Yifu’s grand plan, so he’d never thought about where he’d go if he had the choice.

He supposed he could just pick a direction and walk, could travel wherever the road took him, but that didn't sound right in the moment. He’d need time to think about it, he’d need time to decide, which was fine by him. Time seemed to be the only thing he had in excess these days.

“You don’t have to pick now.” Ye Baiyi says as he leans back in his chair. “It’s not like either of us have anything better we could be doing.” He half jokes, and Xie’er gives a noise of acknowledgement.

“Where would you go?” He asks as he swallows another mouthful of the sweet whine. “If you had a choice.” He clarifies, blaming the question on the alcohol and not his own curiosities. Ye Baiyi seems to think it over for a moment, his expression changing a little, but Xie’er can’t put a name to it in his lightly buzzed state.

“Somewhere warm.” Ye Baiyi decides after a moment of silence. “I spent long enough freezing on that mountain, if I had to pick somewhere to spend the rest of my days I’d choose somewhere warm, somewhere south, probably.” He says with a shrug, and Xie’er nods a little. It made sense, wanting to be warm after spending so long being cold. Xie’er can understand, in a way, wanting to be somewhere you liked after spending so much time somewhere you hated out of the need for atonement.

“Nanjiang.” Xie’er decides, and Ye Baiyi looks confused for a few moments.

“Nanjiang?” He asks, and Xie’er nods.

“I’d like to go back to Nanjiang, eventually.” He says as he finishes his wine, setting the bottle down carefully. A thought comes to his mind, and he’s speaking before he can think ill of the idea. “You said the Great Shaman and the Prince were going to help rebuild Four Seasons Manor,” He starts, and Ye Baiyi has an idea of where this is going, uncertainty written across his face as he listens to a now drunk Xie’er speak. “We’ll stay to see it rebuilt, then we’ll go back with them, if they’ll have us.” ‘If they’ll have me’, he wants to say, he knows Ye Baiyi wouldn’t be the problem between the two of them. “That’s what I’d like to do.”

“I think you should get some rest.” Ye Baiyi dismisses, and Xie’er scowls.

“I’m not tired.” Xie Wang huffs with a displeased pout despite the tiredness he clearly feels. “I’m not going to change my mind just because I took a nap, you know.” He reasons with a scoffs. “It’s not because I’m drunk, either, so don't give me that look.” He says when Ye Baiyi opens his mouth to speak. Baiyi is still giving him that uncertain, dismissive expression, and it only serves to annoy the Scorpion King further. The younger man is speaking before he even realizes it, spurred on by the alcohol in his system and the self deprecating thoughts always spiraling in his head.

“Look, I /have/ nothing. I’ve /done/ nothing with my life but squirm around under some old bastard that hated my guts-” He says, and Ye Baiyi falls silent as Xie’er curses his Yifu, the first negative thing the man has said about him since he’s woken from the snow. Ye Baiyi has a bad feeling about this train of thought, but he stays silent as the younger continues. “I’ve spent my whole life struggling for crumbs of recognition and power, and it got me /nowhere/. I've done everything I've been told to do, I've killed and stolen and lied all in the name of some stupid fucking plan that was never going to work in the first place. I swore I’d never become him, but look at me now- At least he had his power and wealth, I have /nothing/! Gods, I don’t- I don’t think I ever had anything to begin with-” He admits with a sharp, bitter laugh, and Ye Baiyi’s suddenly not sure the wine or lack of sleep was such a good idea. “I want to do /something/, something fucking- Something worth doing! I don’t want to waste my fucking life anymore-"

“I think it’s time for some rest, Xie’er.” He says and Xie’er scoffs, glaring weakly.

“What, suddenly I’m not coherent enough to make my own decisions because I want to try and do something different? I don't want to do terrible things anymore so my choices aren’t good enough, so you have to make them for me? I said what I wanted to do, you’ll be sorely mistaken if you think I’m going to make a liar out of myself now.” He hisses, and Ye Baiyi stands, scooping the younger man up and dropping him on the bed, giving him a firm look.

“Sleep. The alcohol was a bad idea, you needed rest, not.. Whatever this was.” He sighs, and Xie’er just scoffs, glaring at Ye Baiyi defiantly. “Would you just make this easy on both of us and go to bed already? You’re exhausted, kid, you need sleep. We can.. Talk about this in the morning, but I need you to get some sleep before you lose your damn mind.”

Xie’er’s defiance lasts all of a minute before Ye Baiyi’s firm expression wins their staring contest. The younger scoffs once more, shaking his head as he flops back down on the bed angrily, yanking the covers up to his shoulders like a child throwing a tantrum.

Ye Baiyi sighs when Xie’er finally listens, the man moving to sit at the table for some meditation and thinking, processing Xie’er’s words as he closes his eyes. He wonders if this could be considered progress, Xie’er had sworn out his Yifu’s name, had decided where, tentatively, he wanted to go, and had even hinted at wanting to help their rebuilding the manor. How much of it was just drunk rambling, Ye Baiyi didn’t know, but he was sure he’d inevitably find out in the morning.

Xie’er sleeps soundly through the rest of the early morning, waking some time just after midday when Ye Baiyi nudges him awake.

“Breakfast.” He says, and judging by the immortal’s groggy voice, it sounds like he just woke as well. He holds a bowl of spiced fruit congee out to Xie’er and the smaller man accepts it when he’s done processing the words in his half awake state.

Ye Baiyi yawns as he pours them both a cup of tea, passing Xie’er’s to him before he sits down to eat his breakfast, only a little surprised when the assassin comes to join him at the table.

“You look like you slept well.” Xie’er notes, blowing on a spoonful of the congee. “You usually look terrible in the mornings.”

“Mm, well, lack of sleep will do that for you.” Ye Baiyi replies, and Xie’er rolls his eyes.

“You don’t have to babysit me through the night, you know.”

“The hell I don’t. Two months ago you were trying to kill yourself, the month before this you were trying to sneak out at every chance.” The immortal reasons, giving Xie’er a look. “I’m not releasing a poisonous little brat on the unsuspecting world unattended, sorry kid. You’re stuck with me, learn to live with it.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Xie’er huffs, looking up from his meal for a moment. “You don’t have to watch me every moment of the day. I’d imagine you’re hearing’s just fine when you’re asleep, there’s no point in staying awake and exhausting yourself when you could be resting and conserving your energy.” Xie’er reasons, and Ye Baiyi gives him a look.

“You’re suggesting I, what, sleep in here? You’ve proven plenty silent when you want to be, I’d rather not risk getting my throat slit in the middle of the night, Scorpion.” Ye Baiyi snips back, and Xie’er purses his lips with a frown.

“Like you’d ever consider me a threat.” The younger spits back, returning to his food with an irritated expression. Ye Baiyi barks out a laugh, shaking his head.

“You’re plenty of a threat, brat, why do you think I don’t leave you alone?” He replies. “You could have killed me that first night if I hadn’t noticed you soon enough, that’s as close to killing me as anyone’s come in decades, and it was because I was foolish enough to let my guard down in front of you. It won’t be happening again.”

“How any of you expect me to want to get better when I’m treated as a prisoner, I have no idea-” Xie’er laughs bitterly, glaring daggers at Ye Baiyi. It had felt like they connected the night before, like they were a little closer to something not quite so hostile, but Ye Baiyi’s words chased those thoughts from his mind. “Really, Sword Immortal, if you consider me that much of a threat maybe you should just take my life yourself, save yourself the trouble of trying to fix a lost cause!” He hisses, and Ye Baiyi slams his spoon down onto the table with an expression of annoyance and frustration.

“You’re not a lost cause, you damn brat!” He yells back, furrowing his brow as he stares Xie’er down. “You keep thinking of yourself as one, keep treating yourself like this and you’re no better than that bastard Zhao Jing. No one here’s giving up on you just because you're depressed and hard to deal with, and no one’s going to kill you, not while I’m still breathing.” Ye Baiyi scolds, and Xie’er scoffs, shaking his head as angry tears form in his eyes.

“Why?!”

“Because you don’t deserve to fucking die!” Ye Baiyi shouts once more as he stands up from his spot at the table, Xie’er flinching back slightly out of instinct. The immortal hesitates seeing it, seeing the way Xie’er stiffens when he notices Ye Baiyi notice, and he sighs. Ye Baiyi runs a hand over his face as he sits down, looking at Xie’er with a tired expression.

“You don’t deserve to die, kid. You’ve done a lot of bad in your life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do good when you’re given the chance to.” He reasons, quieter now. “That’s why I pulled you from the snow. I thought if I gave you a second chance you’d maybe see things weren’t so terrible, maybe you’d want to get better.” He sighs, shaking his head. “I didn’t realize at the time, though, that bringing you in meant you were stuck with me.” He says, and there's an edge of self depreciation in those words that makes Xie’er frown. The Scorpion King isn’t sure what to say to all of that, isn’t sure what to do except look away from the immortal.

“...Last night.” Xie’er says finally, keeping his eyes on his food as he frowns to himself. “When I said I wanted to go to Nanjiang, I meant that…” He says, and the next part makes him hesitate. “..I meant it when I said I wanted to stay to see the manor rebuilt, too..” He admits, and Ye Baiyi frowns, giving him a look of confusion and wariness.

“Why would you care about the Four Seasons Manor?” He asks, and Xie’er shrugs.

“I don’t, not really.” He sighs as he sets his spoon down, looking up to Ye Baiyi. “I don’t really care about anything right now, that’s why I want to stay. Maybe.. Maybe if I’m given a purpose, something to do, maybe with that something will matter again.” He says with a tired, desperate look in his eyes, and Ye Baiyi’s expression does something Xie’er refuses to acknowledge looks close to sympathy and understanding.

The Immortal seems to think it over for a few moments before picking his spoon up, nodding for Xie’er to do the same.

“Eat your food.” He says as he sighs. “...I’ll talk to the others when we’re done with breakfast.” Xie’er knows they’ll agree, he knows Ye Baiyi has too much influence with them now for them to decline without reason to, but it still makes him uneasy.

When they’re done with their meal, Ye Baiyi takes their dishes out of the room with him, and Xie’er works on redoing his hair in the nearly half an hour the man is gone. He can’t really make anything out from his spot in the bedroom, but he assumes the conversation is one of confusion and hesitance, given his past history with the other men.

Xie’er’s nearly done with putting the variety of bits and baubles in his fresh braids when Ye Baiyi comes back in, the man flopping down at the table as he rubs his face in what Xie Wang assumes is either exhaustion or frustration.

“They said you can come back to the manor with them.” He says after a moment. Xie’er’s able to catch a glimpse of something before Ye Baiyi’s face returns to its usual stoic expression. “I won’t lie to you. Neither of them were happy about the idea, least of all Wen Kexing, but they’re allowing it, if only because I’ll be there too.” He reminds, and Xie’er nods slowly as he adds the last ring to his braids.

“I never expected them to like the idea.” He says, letting his hands fall to his lap now that they're done fussing with his hair. “I’m surprised Wen Kexing agreed in the first place.”

“He didn’t.” Ye Baiyi says with a huff. “I had to convince Zhou Zishu on why they should allow you anywhere near the manor, and /he/ had to convince him that it was fine for you to come along, that’s what took so long.”

“And the Prince and the Great Shaman?”

“They’re out right now, but I’d imagine it’ll be a simpler process. Wu Xi is a far more reasonable man, and Jing Beiyuan is an empathetic one, I’ve no doubt they’ll allow us to come with back to Nanjiang when all of this is over with.”

Xie’er nods once more, going over it in his head. He wasn't sure what possessed him to do such a thing, help the people that used to be his enemies, but here he was, swearing to behave while he helped them rebuild. Maybe it was the boredom, or maybe he’d damaged his brain in one of the attempts, he’d heard lack of air could do that to someone.

He knew he hadn't been out long enough for that, though, and he knew he had no one to blame but himself for the decisions. Xie’er sighs a little as he thinks over how much things have changed since Wen Kexing outed his Yifu to the world, since he himself had paralyzed the man. Even just since the avalanche, his word had been turned upside down. It’d been nearly 3 months since he’d been pulled from the snow, and he hated that he was finding a sort of comfort in the new routine, even if the company wasn’t what he’d have picked prior to everything happening.

“When do we leave?” He asks as he moves to the table, ignoring the guilt that weighs down each breath. He feels terrible for doing this, for behaving so well, for going along with this plan of his, but he’s not sure what else to do anymore. His Yifu was dead, he had no one to lean on, no place to go, he was completely alone save for the immortal that refused to let him keel over and die.

“Couple of weeks. They want to gather supplies for the trip there and send word to another inn that we’ll all be staying there while the manor is rebuilt.” He explains, and Xie’er nods. It would be some time before the manor was finished, so it gave him time to think about the events he’s been through, gave him time to figure out what he was going to do now that he wasn’t dead in a snow pile on top of some mountain.

The distrusting part of him said he should make a break for it, slip away from Ye Baiyi as soon as the man let his guard down, but he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Ye Baiyi would likely track him down and drag him back, whether he was willing or not. He was a threat after all, a loose end they couldn’t justify not having tied in.

In the back of his mind, the sentimental side of him is telling him he needed to go back to the mountain and unbury Yifu as soon as he could, even if that meant staying put at the inn until the weather started to warm up. The thought makes him cringe inside, the idea of being locked here for another handful of months made him feel trapped, like a bird locked in a cage.

It felt wrong going somewhere else though, leaving his Yifu’s body behind in the snow drifts while he helped people he swore he’d kill for him. It feels like betrayal, and Xie’er can practically hear Yifu calling him an ungrateful bastard for making such a plan. He didn’t have many other options, though, he could only stay at the inn for so long before the monotony drove him or Ye Baiyi mad, and he had nowhere else to go now that Zhao Jing was dead.

“What’re you worrying about now?” Ye Baiyi asks with a frown when he sees the pensive expression on Xie’er’s face, the younger man pulled from his thoughts just as they start to drop down into a spiral.

“Nothing important.” He lies, and that feels wrong, too. A small part of him was tired of making up excuses and lies when Ye Baiyi would ask what he was thinking, how he was feeling on the odd days the man thought to ask. The sentimental part of him was always tempted to tell him the truth, the logical part told him to lie, and he was always stuck firm in the middle, both sides tugging at his mind as he navigated the mine field he’d made for himself.

Ye Baiyi just gives him a look, it’s clear that he doesn't believe him, but he doesn’t say anything past an acknowledging grunt. The older man leans back in his chair, eyeing Xie’er for a moment before standing wordlessly. He leaves the room for a while, coming back in with what looked to be a slab of wood. Only when he sets it and two bowls down does Xie’er figure out what he’s doing.

“Go?” He questions, furrowing his brow. “Why did you bring this in here?” He asks, and Ye Baiyi rolls his eyes with a scoff.

“Why do you /think/?” He reasons and Xie’er’s cheeks burn a little in embarrassment. “You know what it is, that’s a good sign. Have you ever played?” He asks as he slides the bowl of black stones towards Xie’er, the younger watching him in confusion.

“I have, but it’s been years” He answers honestly, still not completely getting why Ye Baiyi brought the board in. “I don’t understand, why-”

“Look kid, we’ve got at least 3 days before we’re ready to leave. I, for one, am pretty damn tired of sitting around doing nothing while I pretend you’re not staring at me like you’re trying to figure out how to kill me.” He reasons, and Xie’er huffs to cover up his mild embarrassment as he crosses his arms. “So I can either teach you how to play well, or I can meditate and ignore you for the next three days. Your call.” Ye Baiyi says, and Xie’er debates the pros and cons of engaging with this in his head.

If Yifu was here, Xie’er wouldn’t even be considering the option, he’d refuse and ignore the man for the remainder of his time there. He wouldn’t be going along with any of this if his Yifu was alive, though, he’d be trapped in a different cage with an entirely different beast guarding the door. Yifu was dead, though, and his ghost could only sway Xie’er so much now that he was gone. He’d grieved, he’d cried, he’d spent days and weeks thinking about what he should and shouldn’t do now that the man was dead.

Xie’er frowns as he picks up a stone, turning it over in his hand as Ye Baiyi waits expectantly. One game couldn’t hurt anything. It's been years since he’d indulged in something like this, since he’s allowed himself to be selfish and take time to do something he wanted. Surely one game wouldn’t be the end of his world.

“Fine,” He says as he places the stone down at one of the intersections. “One game.” He agrees begrudgingly, though the smirk on Ye Baiyi’s face as he places his own stone down immediately gives him the idea it’s going to be far from just ‘one game’.

Xie’er’s hunch is proven true hours later when Ye Baiyi has to light a lantern for them to see in the dark of the room. Night has fallen and it’s just started to get too dark to see the lines burned into the board properly. Xie’er, much to his annoyance and frustration, had only won a single game, and he was fairly certain it was only because Ye Baiyi had let him.

“You-! You’re cheating, you have to be!” He shouts after he counts their territory and points and sees Ye Baiyi had earned another win, grumbling a variety of colorful curses he only half means. “There’s no way you’re that fucking good at this stupid game-”

“I told you little Scorpion, I can do more than just fight.” Baiyi says as he clears the board, dropping the white stones, they had switched at some point, into Xie’er’s bowl. “I’ve been around long enough to know how to play well, not just let an impulsive play win me a temporary victory.” He says with a smug expression, and Xie’er glares.

“Once more.” He demands, and Ye Baiyi stretches a bit, feigning a disinterested look.

“You said you only wanted one game, and we’ve been playing for hours. Now you’re saying once more? We do need to stop eventually, you know.” He reasons, throwing Xie’er’s words back at him now just to mess with him.

“Once. More.” Xie Wang demands again, giving him a look of determination and annoyance, and Ye Baiyi makes a soft noise of resignation.

“Alright, alright once more.” He agrees, and Xie’er sits down as he watches the board carefully. Ye Baiyi places a stone down, and Xie’er counters after a few moments of thought. It’s the most focused he’s looked yet, the younger man watching his moves carefully, hesitating and pulling back a few times when he goes to make a move before replacing his stone somewhere else instead.

Ye Baiyi doesn’t go easy on him this round, either, and Xie’er appreciates it despite the annoyance of losing constantly. Being babied was worse than losing, so he appreciates Ye Baiyi actually challenging him instead of just giving up so he’d be satisfied.

He plans it out in his head, adjusting for each of Ye Baiyi’s moves, and some time, sooner than he expects, the game is over. The board looks an absolute mess, but somehow between everything Xie’er comes out on top this time, the Scorpion King grinning the moment Ye Baiyi is done counting and tallying their points.

“I did it-” He sighs as he looks over the board once more, just to be safe. He’d won. The last game was his, and while it’s only his second win of the night, it feels like a giant achievement for Xie’er. He can't help but laugh as he leans back in his chair. It’s the first time he’s smiled, truly smiled, since he was saved from the ice and snow, and the sentiment isn’t lost on Ye Baiyi despite his usually chilled heart.

“Looks like you won this one.” He says, and Xie’er nods, still grinning as he clears the board, tired and pleased and feeling better than he had in a long time. The win made up for the frustration and anger of losing so many times, in Xie’er’s opinion, and he notes something about irony in the back of his head before ignoring that train of thought. Right now he’d won, against Ye Baiyi of all people, and he was more than happy to end the night on that note.

“We can continue tomorrow,” Ye Baiyi says as he packs up the game, scooting it off to the side as he nods to the bed. “Go get some sleep, kid, got a long week ahead of us.”

Chapter Text

Xie’er finds the next three weeks going by simultaneously far too fast and far too slow. He’s a little surprised the next day when Ye Baiyi suggests they play Go in the commons area outside of the room for a ‘change of scenery’, but the younger agrees. Any time outside of the room is a welcome change, though it brings with it the unwanted attention of the others. Wen Kexing seems surprised when he and Zhou Zishu come down to find them playing the game, the man flicking his fan open, using it to cover his mouth as he leans in to whisper something to Zishu.

Xie’er ignores them in favor of focusing on the game, and Ye Baiyi pays no attention to them either as they take a seat at the table next to them. When Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi join them downstairs Xie’er glances up, giving a hesitant, respectful nod to Wu Xi when he catches his gaze. The man gives a small nod in return and Xie’er re-focuses on the game once more.

He’s getting better as the days progress, he’s lasting longer during games, and he’s not losing as many pieces to Ye Baiyi as they play. He refuses to call it ‘fun’, but he will admit it keeps him entertained.

Ye Baiyi seems to be enjoying himself too, and Xie’er wonders when the last time the Sword Immortal was able to play with someone like this. He can’t imagine the man playing the game against himself in isolation, and there were no visitors to Xie’er’s knowledge, so he had to have played the game frequently before isolation to remain this good at it.

“Your move.” Ye Baiyi says, and the tone he’s using makes Xie’er suspicious, the younger realizing too late he was on a fast track of losing the game. He mumbles a swear and stares at the board, trying desperately to figure out a way he can turn it around. He sees an opening after a moment, pretending he doesn’t, hoping Ye Baiyi doesn’t see it too. The younger man places a stone, feigning wariness and uncertainty as he plays, and Ye Baiyi falls into his trap a moment later.

The rest of the game goes quickly, and soon enough Ye Baiyi’s calculating their scores. He furrows his brow when he realizes the loss, recounting and figuring the numbers before glancing up.

“How did you-”

“Here,” Xie’er points to a stone, not bothering to hold the grin spreading over his lightly painted lips. “When I took that long pause, I was thinking about this area.” He notes, and Ye Baiyi goes over the motions in his head, leaning back in his chair as he nods slowly. A smirk spreads over the man’s lips and he chuckles, shaking his head.

“That’s a point to you then, Scorpion.” He says as Xie’er clears the board. “ That makes it 5 to 17.” He notes and Xie’er just nods, proud of himself for turning the game around.

“Another?” Xie Wang asks, they had time before dinner was going to be served and he was getting into the flow of the game now. Ye Baiyi’s about to speak up when someone else does first, the pair looking over to Wen Kexing as he fans himself slowly.

“I’ll play you.” He says, and Xie’er’s not sure he likes the smug look on Wen Kexing’s face. “If the old monster is willing to give up his position, that is.” Ye Baiyi laughs, turning to face Wen Kexing, giving him a look.

“You play?”

“It's the ultimate game of planning and strategy, what scholar doesn’t?” He shoots back, and Xie’er watches them change seats, Zhou Zishu shaking his head with an amused smile. Wu Xi and Jing Beiyuan just watch on curiously, and Xie’er can’t help but feel like the stakes have somehow gotten higher. Playing Ye Baiyi was one thing, he’d lost plenty of times against the man he’d spent the past 3 months with, but Wen Kexing was a new challenger, and they had an audience.

“Just remember it’s fine to lose, little Scorpion.” Kexing says between them, and Xie’er scowls.

“I think directing that to oneself would be more fitting, Wen Kexing.” He says as he places the first stone, and Wen Kexing looks down to the board to place his own. The game goes on for some time, stretching past dinner time, but no one looks away to order food.

It’s not clear at first who has the upper hand, and even towards the end it’s not entirely clear with how messy the board is. Ye Baiyi feels a smile tug at his lips as Xie’er places a rock down, already knowing the outcome as Wen Kexing places a stone as a countermeasure. As the game comes to a close, Xie’er smiles, glancing up to Wen Kexing as he places a final stone with a proud expression, swooping down to scoop up a few of Kexing’s captured pieces.

The ghost chief blinks as he looks over the board, brow furrowing as he struggles to find a play he can do. Wen Kexing’s lost, he knows he has, and he stares at Xie’er in disbelief when Xie’er leans back.

“You-” He starts, and Xie’er can hear Ye Baiyi chuckling a few feet away, the man standing to pat Xie’er’s shoulder.

“He isn’t one to be underestimated.” He agrees as Kexing stands and flops down in his seat next to Zhou Zishu with an exasperated huff.

“Anyone else?” Xie’er asks, Zhou Zishu just shaking his head in amusement as he continues to drink, his lover scowling as the prince shakes his head looking pleasantly surprised with the turn of events. The Great Shaman watches him for a moment, and Xie’er catches a smile before the man’s turning to talk to his partner. It fills him with a sense of pride, impressing someone so powerful, someone so important to his homeland and his younger self.

“We’ll play more after dinner.” Ye Baiyi assures with a quick squeeze to Xie’er’s shoulder, and Xie’er nods, the innkeeper coming over now that he saw the game was over. He congratulates Xie’er on his win as he takes everyone’s order, the younger ordering some rice, curry and stuffed buns.

Ye Baiyi ordered some noodles, spicy pulled pork with a side of steeped eggs and mushrooms, and a few deserts for the two of them. He was pleased with the progress he’d made with the younger’s appetite. He was glad he was actually eating full portions now, not that he had any problem scooting dishes over to Xie’er’s side of the table when he thought the younger wasn’t eating enough.

The group around Xie’er talk amongst themselves as they all wait for food, the Scorpion King debating going back to their room to wait. It didn’t feel right to be out here with them, to be listening to their casual conversations and chatter like he was. Still, it didn’t make much sense to go back to their room just to come back out when food arrived, so he stays where he is.

Xie’er studies the Go board as the others talk, playing a game of it in his head to pass the time. It’s not until he hears his name that Xie’er looks up, confused as to why someone was talking to or about him.

It turns out to be Ye Baiyi, which isn’t a terrible surprise, though the tone he’s using is different than usual. He’s talking about the games they played the night before, how he won twice, and how Ye Baiyi didn’t even see his win until the last play. Wen Kexing huffs softly at what Xie’er assumes was Baiyi’s attempt at easing Kexing’s pain of losing to the assassin. He has to repress a snicker at the man’s expression, and Kexing glances at him like he knows he’s amused by the reaction.

“It’s just been a while since I’ve played.” Wen Kexing says, and Zhou Zishu gives a sly smile as he turns to face his partner.

“Has it? I could have sworn we were playing just a few nights ago,” He reasons, smirking now. “That’s why Ye Baiyi came to us for the board, Lao Wen.” He reminds, and Wen Kexing’s cheeks go red as he swats Zhou Zishu with his fan.

“Aiyah, who’s side are you on, Ah-Xu?” He scowls, and Xie’er can't hide the laugh that bubbles up from his chest. Wen Kexing looks taken aback and surprised, and Ye Baiyi looks over at the sound.

“If we’re ignoring the last few days, I haven’t played in years. If you’re considering yourself out of practice, then I don’t know what that makes me.” He reasons with a self satisfied grin as Wen Kexing fans himself in annoyance.

Ye Baiyi just smiles that amused, smug expression when he knows he’s won an argument, and Xie’er finds it a little odd given the man hadn’t actually said anything. He wonders why the man’s so pleased for him but quickly decides to abandon that train of thought lest he make himself more comfortable with these people than necessary.

They weren’t his friends, he reminds himself, none of them were. They were just people sharing space for a period of time before they went separate ways. If they happened to share a meal and some games in the meantime, that was one thing, but he couldn't afford to get invested in people that probably didn’t give a shit about him. He was starting to come to terms with the fact that he spent far too long doing that with his Yifu, he wasn’t about to make the same mistake now.

They go on talking, and Xie’er pays a little more attention this time around, if even just to distract himself from his own thoughts. Zhou Zishu talks about the acquired building supplies, and the prince mentions something about helping him with the budgeting, the man casting a thankful expression his way as he nods. Ye Baiyi listens attentively with that calm, almost bored expression, and Wen Kexing interjects here and there to make a comment about the plan or the process.

Wu Xi and Xie’er are the only ones not actively joining the conversation, though he has a feeling the Great Shaman just didn’t talk that much in the first place. He glances at the Shaman as the others talk, wondering how he got mixed up in the group, how he knew someone like Zhou Zishu. Ye Baiyi had mentioned they were friends, and he wondered briefly how someone like Zhou Zishu even came about being the way he was.

Ultimately Xie’er decides he doesn't really care what the answer was, decides it’s none of his business just like his own origin was none of theirs. He instead focuses on Ye Baiyi as he gives some unasked advice on the building of the manor, to which Zhou Zishu gives a click of his tongue, reminding the Immortal he had already made the plans and to stop worrying. Baiyi huffs, his complaints about being hushed only silenced by the food being brought out.

Xie’er is grateful for the new distraction, his attention pulled from the conversation as his bowls are set in front of him, the younger muttering thanks before he’s eating. He hadn’t had much for breakfast, so he was fairly hungry, a problem he was coming to terms with being able to solve now that Zhao Jing was dead and not restricting his meals and snacking. He’d always been a little malnourished from it, and he had no doubt there were likely long term consequences he’d have to deal with some day, but he was choosing not to think about that, not when he had good food to pay attention to instead.

He notes somewhere in the back of his head that the thought sounds like something Ye Baiyi would say, something he’s probably heard the man say, and he wonders when the man had changed his mind so much. The younger used to be completely fine with limiting his food, with limiting himself in all aspects of his life to make himself easier to pick apart and digest.

He tries to pinpoint a moment as he dips his bun in his curry, taking a bite as he gets lost in thought, oblivious to the glance Ye Baiyi gives him as he eats his own meal. Maybe it was when he’d gotten drunk the other night, when he’d cussed out his Yifu in front of Baiyi. That doesn’t feel right, though. He’s been eating better and feeling better far before that.

Maybe it was when he stopped trying to kill himself, or when Ye Baiyi had told him he could look for his Yifu’s body. When he came up empty handed. He'd had to acknowledge the man was gone that day, and he’s fairly certain that’s when things started to change. Yifu was dead, he’d known that since the beginning, but it took seeing the mountain and all of the corpses littered throughout it to know that Zhao Jing, even back in his glory days, wouldn’t have been able to survive.

He’s pulled from his thoughts when he’s poked with a chopstick, and he looks up to Ye Baiyi with furrowed brows, the man nodding to his food.

“Eat before it gets cold.” He tells him, and Xie’er realizes he’d slowed to a stop sometime during the train of thought. Xie Wang blinks away the distance in his eyes as he continues to eat. Ye Baiyi gives an approving noise and does the same, making the occasional comment here and there about the food or something the others were talking about.

That night is an odd one for Xie’er, knowing the next day they’d be on the road. He could try and run, could fight his way out of this situation he found himself in. He knew Baiyi and the others would hunt him down if he even managed to escape, and he doubted Baiyi would be able to convince them to spare him again if he attacked them. He lets out a frustrated sigh as he shifts to lay on his side, facing the room now.

His gaze falls on the immortal and Xie’er furrows his brow as he watches the man meditate. Ye Baiyi let his guard down long ago, stopped considering him an imminent threat around the same time Xie’er stopped trying to escape. It feels wrong to consider the man anything but a threat, he’d been raised to trust no one but himself and his Yifu, but Yifu was dead and Xie’er wasn’t. He had to start thinking on his own eventually, and Xie’er knows it’s wrong to think about Ye Baiyi like he’s a threat, too.

The man and his friends had never been anything more than an inconvenience, and even that was a stretch. They weren’t friends, Xie’er was pretty sure you didn’t get intrusive thoughts about slitting your friends’ throats in the middle of the night, but they weren’t enemies anymore, he knew that. They were something else, something foreign to Xie’er. There was a vulnerability in closeness, and he wasn’t sure if he was making the right decision joining their little group, but he had yet to come up with a better idea that didn’t end up with him getting run through by a sword.

Sleep comes for him slowly that night, despite his efforts, and he finds himself drifting off as dawn rapidly approaches. He’s out for a few hours before someone’s nudging him, the young man groaning as he turns over in an attempt at being left alone.

“Get up, pest, time for breakfast.” Ye Baiyi says, and Xie’er gives another noise of annoyance as his eyes open to glare at the wall.

“Too early.” He grumbles, begrudgingly sitting up after a few moments as he rubs his eyes.

“It is, yes, but food is done and it’s time to get out of bed.” Ye Baiyi sounds tired, almost a little cranky, and Xie’er glances up at him. As soon as he’s looking at him, Ye Baiyi holds out a bowl, moving to sit at the table when Xie’er grabs it and the younger does the same.

“You look like shit.” Xie’er mutters as he spoons food into his mouth, glancing up to Ye Baiyi. The older looks up to give him a look before turning his attention back to his food.

“I could say the same for you, brat.” He scowls, and Xie’er grunts in acknowledgement. “We leave in an hour, so pack whatever you still need to.” He reminds, and Xie’er nods, blowing on his food to cool it. He’d packed the majority of this things the night before, leaving a clean change of robes out for this morning. He’d wash these ones when they got to the new inn in a weeks time, his only worry now was to remember his bag when he was done changing.

Xie’er steps behind the privacy screen as Ye Baiyi brings their dishes to the kitchen, the younger glad he’d taken a bath two days prior as he changes. The trip there would take just under a week with the stops they needed to make, and Xie’er wasn't exactly keen on bathing in rivers or lakes along the way.

When he’s dressed he emerges as Ye Baiyi enters the room, the older looking him over before nodding his approval, pleased to see he was dressed and ready to leave.

“The horses are ready, grab your things and we’ll meet the others out front.” Baiyi says as he slings his bag and sword over his shoulder, waiting for Xie’er to grab his things before he leads him out of the room. The Scorpion hesitates at the doorway, the reality of everything catching up to him as he lingers at the inn’s threshold. Ye Baiyi nudges him forward and he steps over the line, leaving the inn’s safety behind as he’s guided towards the horses.

‘Run’ his brain screams, and he eyes the road for a moment, the tree line he could maybe lose them in for a few minutes. They’d catch up, though, they’d find him.

Xie’er swallows down the urge to run, to fight, to do something, and gets on the horse he’s guided to instead. He’s surprised he’s not being forced to ride with Baiyi, but he’s glad nonetheless, not sure he could deal with that amount of closeness.

Xie’er feels his heart pound in his chest as they all set forth on their trip, the assassin realizing there was a new face among them. Chengling is watching him with a look that screams anxiety, and Xie’er realizes they must have either been keeping the boy in a different part of the inn for safety or just brought him in from somewhere else while he was asleep.

He stares at the boy for a moment, expression flat and unimpressed until Chengling looks away quickly upon realizing he’d been caught staring. Ye Baiyi gives him a look when he notices Xie’er roll his eyes at the boy’s nervousness.

“Leave him be.” He scolds, but there’s something warning in his words, something dangerous for the first time since those first few weeks. It catches Xie’er off guard, and the assassin frowns at the change in attitude.

“..He’s not worth the effort..” Xie’er says, not that he ever had a plan for hurting the boy. He realizes now maybe he should. Take him hostage and demand his own freedom. He’d have no problem killing someone so weak, but a part of him knows it would be pointless.

He was trapped in a cage of his own making once again, and they were the only ones with the key to the door. Death was the only escape, and he had a feeling Ye Baiyi wouldn’t let him have the satisfaction of giving up.

The Scorpion King lets himself be distracted by the scenery around them, alert and ever so slightly on edge out in the open like this. They would be easy targets for larger groups, and with so many important people sitting in their party, he was surprised they'd managed to leave the inn without an attack in the first place.

Regardless of his worries, the first day passes as slowly as any other does. They stop at a small river for the night when it starts to get dark, and Xie’er sits near the fire as Wen Kexing sets to work cooking for the group.

Xie’er can't help but compare him to a doting mother as he passes food to Chengling and Zhou Zishu, the younger of the two avoiding eye contact with Xie’er like he was death itself. He almost feels a tinge of pride in the other’s discomfort around him, at least someone took him seriously. It’s short lived, though, when Wen Kexing seems to notice the boy's anxiety.

“Aiyah, why are you looking so nervous for? He’s not going to fight, the old monster has him trained better than that.” He scolds, or rather attempts to reassure, in frustration. Xie’er feels embarrassment and anger flash through him at the comment. He’s not supposed to hear it, he knows he’s not supposed to, but he clenches his fists as he stares them down. He has half a mind to attack the boy just because Wen Kexing said he wouldn’t, but he stomps the spark of impulsivity down before it has a chance to catch and spread.

“Bold of you to assume I wouldn’t kill any of you given the chance.” Xie’er says instead, and Wen Kexing gives him a look before scowling.

“Please, you’ve lost your sting, little Scorpion. You’re not a threat to any of us anymore.” He reasons, and Xie’er feels that spark of anger threaten to ignite once more. He makes a move to stand, but someone shoves him right back down, Ye Baiyi’s hand gripping his shoulder tight as he stares at Wen Kexing.

“Would you stop trying to pick fights already?” Ye Baiyi warns. “You’re acting like a child, be mindful of what you say and do in front of that boy or he’ll learn from your bad example.” He scolds Wen Kexing, and the ghost chief rolls his eyes, huffing as he grumbles something under his breath. His disciple looks between Xie’er and Ye Baiyi with hesitance before going back to eating, keeping his gaze down now.

Xie’er feels volatile right now, feels like lashing out and screaming at the immortal for stepping in. He wants to ask him what made him think he needed saving, that he could have handled Wen Kexing, but the look on the man’s face makes him fall silent the moment he opens his mouth. Ye Baiyi says nothing further, just sits down and holds out a stuffed bun to the younger.

There’s something in his eyes, a flash that makes Xie’er frown. He was unsure, Ye Baiyi was unsure, something the man didn’t usually show on his face, and Xie’er realizes it’s him that’s making the man so uncertain. Worried, his mind provides, he’s worried. He’s worried for the boy, worried Xie’er would make good on his words, and Xie’er isn’t sure why. Wen Kexing was right, he’d lost his edge. He’d gone soft and the thought made him scowl as he took the food from Ye Baiyi’s hands.

Baiyi catches the change in his expressions but doesn’t comment on it, relaxing a little as Xie’er takes a few aggressive bites from his food.

Ye Baiyi wasn’t sure why he was so concerned all of a sudden, Xie’er would have done something by now if he was going to, but he can’t help the unease. The look the Scorpion King had given Wen Kexing was far from a safe one, it was the angriest he’d looked in a long time, and he wasn’t sure the other had enough self restraint not to attack the man given the chance to. He hadn’t been around Kexing enough to build up his tolerance to the man's bullshit, so it was only a matter of time before one of them set the other off. Baiyi shakes his head with a sigh as he mumbles about the two of them being bad for his health, and Xie’er frowns as he barely catches the words.

Xie Wang finishes his food and shakes his head when Baiyi holds out another bun, the man shrugging and tucking it back in the bag for later as Xie’er stares into the fire. He was tired and annoyed, and the glances Chengling was giving him were really starting to get to him. The boy was clearly afraid of him, yet he kept staring with that stupid look of guarded curiosity. Wen Kexing stands and leaves to help Zhou Zishu set out their bed rolls, and Xie’er takes the moment to speak up.

“If you’ve got something to say, say it, brat.” He says, and Chengling bristles when he realizes he’s who Xie’er’s talking to, embarrassment coloring his face before fear drains it.

“N-nothing! It’s nothing!” Chengling assures quickly, casting his eyes downwards, and Xie’er scoffs.

“Do you take me for an idiot? You’ve been staring since we left the inn. It’s getting on my nerves, so if you’ve got something to say to me, get on with it already.” He warns, and Chengling swallows hard as Xie’er stares him down.

“Why are you here?” The boy blurts, and Xie’er scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“Why do you think?” Chengling's eyes flit to Ye Baiyi, the older man poking at the fire with a stick, clearly hearing the conversation but deciding to let it go for now. “That one dragged me out of the drifts and I’ve been stuck with you people ever since.” He reasons, and Chengling furrows his brow, confused by Xie’er’s words.

“Why haven’t you left?”

“You think I haven’t tried? You honestly think they’d let me run off?” He hisses, glaring at the boy as he shakes his head in disbelief. “You really are an idiot…” He grumbles, and Chengling deflates a little at that.

“I just thought-”

“What? That I chose to side with you? That I’m your ally now?”

“...” Chengling clearly seemed to believe so, and Xie’er laughs at the absurdity of it.

“I would have run given the chance, boy, but your masters and the Sword Immortal are far too keen on keeping me captive.” He says, and there’s supposed to be far more bite to the words, but he just sounds bitter. Bitter and tired and accepting of his fate. Ye Baiyi glances over at the tone, frowns and looks away.

Xie’er wonders when the words started becoming a lie. ‘I’d escape given the chance’. Would he? Would he run given the chance? Where would he run? Who would let him stay anywhere near them, with the things he’s done?

Chengling frowns at Xie’er’s expression, glancing at Ye Baiyi before looking back at him. The lack of aggression seems to have made him grow bold, and he speaks up once more.

“.. They’re not so bad, you know.” He says, and Xie’er looks up at him with a scrutinizing stare. “My masters and the prince and shaman, they’re not bad people. They just want to help, m-maybe you’d be better off if you let them.”

“You’d do well to keep your mouth shut.” Xie’er warns once more, and the glare he gives Chengling is enough to shut him up. Ye Baiyi sighs as he tosses another log on the fire.

“Time to rest, both of you.” Baiyi says, and Chengling stands, bowing his head to Ye Baiyi before stealing a glance to Xie’er. He rushes off when Xie’er gives him a look, the assassin refusing to move. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” Baiyi sighs, and Xie’er looks up at him with a flat expression.

“I’m not tired."

“Well I am, so get up and go to sleep.”

“I’m not. Tired.” Xie’er states again, and Ye Baiyi scowls as he crouches down in front of Xie’er, giving him a look.

“Listen brat, it’s been a long day for all of us. We’re all exhausted, and I know damn well you’re tired. You look like shit, so shut up, /get up/ and get some sleep.” There’s that edge of threat in Ye Baiyi’s voice again, and Xie’er frowns at its presence. He knew pushing the matter any more would likely result in him getting dragged to his bedroll, so he waits for Ye Baiyi to stand before doing the same, huffing as he follows his orders.

The Scorpion King wouldn’t admit it, but he was exhausted. The lack of sleep and the day’s travel left him drained and cranky, and he sinks into his bedroll with a sigh. He’s tense as he lays there, he’d never been one for sleeping outside, least of all with a bunch of strangers, but he reminds himself he’s safer here than he is alone.

Ye Baiyi is maybe 10 feet away, enough for privacy but not enough Xie’er was on his own. He’s disgusted with himself when the thought brings a bit of comfort, the Scorpion mentally cursing himself for getting so comfortable with the man so easily.

Xie’er closes his eyes and wills his mind to relax, wills himself to forget about the dangers both real and imaginary. He was grown now, he didn’t need to be losing sleep over things his mind conjured up like some scared child. It takes him some time to fall asleep, but the faint crackle of fire lulls him into a light, dreamless slumber sometime before midnight.

Xie’er wakes slowly the next morning, no one is poking him or pestering him to wake, and for a moment he almost debates going back to bed, but the smell of cooking food pulls him from his drowsy state. When he sits up, Xie’er notices it’s far earlier than he thought it was, the sun just starting to poke over the horizon. He’s also at least not the last one to wake, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu are still out cold, their disciple curled up asleep near them as well. Ye Baiyi sits tending to the fire and cooking something for breakfast, glancing over to Xie’er when he sits up rubbing his eyes.

Slowly Xie’er gets up, a little groggy yet, and moves to the fire. He gives a small greeting nod to Baiyi as he yawns, the older holding out a fish on a stick, Xie’er hesitantly accepting as Baiyi continues to silently roast the second he’d been holding.

“You’re always up so early.” Xie’er notes, voice gravely from sleep, and Ye Baiyi makes a noise of acknowledgement.

“You’re just used to sleeping in.” He replies, though there’s no bite to his words. Xie’er can’t help but huff at the words regardless, almost pouting a bit as he picks apart his fish.

“Am not and you know it for a fact, old immortal.” He reminds, and Ye Baiyi gives a quiet laugh, shaking his head.

“I suppose that’s true, you’ve been waking when I do lately, neither of us are sleeping in.” He agrees, and Xie’er nods as he eats his breakfast, accepting a bun when he’s offered one. He skewers it on the stick the roasting fish had previously been on before holding it near the fire to toast it lightly.

“I’ve never slept well.” Xie’er admits between bites of fish, shrugging at the admission. “Always too restless when I sleep alone.” He notes, and the words hang heavy between them for a moment, the implications making his stomach churn, and he can see something like anger and disgust cross Ye Baiyi’s face for a moment before he calms. Xie’er looks down to the fire, frowning as he tosses a few bones into it. “...I prefer it this way, I think. Rather be up half the night trying to sleep in my own bed than be confined to someone else's.” He says, and Baiyi seems a little surprised, the older man stealing a look for a moment before he pulls his own fish from the fire.

“You’ve come a long way.” Ye Baiyi says after a few moments, and the words catch Xie’er off guard.

“What..?”

“You have.” He says when he finishes chewing a bite. “When you first woke you were so devastated, you refused to admit Zhao Jing was dead, you would never think to say anything bad about the man.” He reminds. “Now you’re talking about preferring being on your own, how you’d rather be on your own then ‘confined’. I think that's a fair bit of progress, don’t you?” Baiyi reasons, and there's that same tinge of pride in his eyes, the same as when he’d beaten Wen Kexing in Go the night before.

“..You think too much of it..” Xie’er mutters as he pulls his bun from the flames, pulling pieces off to eat as he avoids Baiyi’s gaze. He knew it was a change, knew he’d changed more than he’d initially thought, but Ye Baiyi’s words put it into perspective. He’d not only just casually renounced his Yifu in a way, but he’d done so openly, without a second thought. It makes him a little sick with guilt, so he takes a bite of his food, shoving the guilt and existential dread down in favor of finishing breakfast.

“I think you think too lightly of it, kid.” Baiyi says as he tosses his bones into the fire, working on a bun himself. “Change takes time and patience and work. Growth takes even more effort than change, and you may not like it, but you’re growing to something better, I’d be willing to bet.”

“I didn’t take you for a gambling man.”

“I’m not.” He says with a shrug. “I only bet on what I know will win at the end of the race.” He says, and Xie’er pauses at that, looking to Ye Baiyi for a moment, searching his expression for a sign of mockery or lies, for something to ease the bowstring tension in Xie’er’s chest. He’d never had someone that believed in him, Yifu hardly counted. He didn’t /believe/ in him, he /expected/ from him. Expected results, agreement, submission. Ye Baiyi, though, he just believed, with no expectation of how he was supposed to be other than ‘better’, and that wasn’t a very high bar given Xie’er’s life before the mountain collapsed.

“You think too much of it..” Xie’er repeats, ears burning in embarrassment as he finishes his food, the younger standing, moving to their bedrolls to take off his outer robe. It was getting warmer and he wouldn’t need the thick layer soon, least of all by the fire.

When he returns to the campfire, Ye Baiyi is done eating, the man meditating as he waits for Zishu, Kexing and Chengling to wake up. Xie Wang takes his seat silently, mulling over Ye Baiyi’s words as the hour passes. Soon enough the others are waking, Zhou Zishu stares over at them for a moment as he sits up in his bedroll, the younger casting a glance his way.

He seems a little surprised to see them awake but soon turns his attention back to waking his partner, Wen Kexing groaning in disapproval at being woken up before he, too, sits up. Chengling wakes when he hears his masters speaking with each other, the youngest rubbing his eyes with a mumbled question Xie’er can’t quite make out.

Ye Baiyi grunts his greeting when the three come to take a seat by the fire, and Zhou Zishu asks the immortal if Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi have caught up yet or not. He assures him they haven't, but they should be there soon if they’re still making good on their word.

“Around noon.” He reminds, and Zhou Zishu nods. They had a few hours yet, so they’d wait for them here, the group going about their morning taking their time to wake up and get ready for the next stretch of their journey.

Ye Baiyi and Xie’er go down to the river to fill their water jugs, and Wen Kexing and his pair go down after them. Wen Kexing was still eyeing him with distrust this morning, but it’s milder than it was the night before, so he pays no mind to it. He knew the man was only a threat if he acted out, so for the time being he’d just ignore him.

Xie’er follows Ye Baiyi back to the camp when they’re done getting water, taking his seat next to the fire once more. With breakfast had and water collected there’s not much to do but poke at the fire and wait for the rest of their party to arrive, so that’s what he does. Ye Baiyi gives an amused look as Xie’er draws small figures on one of the campfire rocks with the burnt stick he’s holding, the older man taking a seat as the others return.

When Wu Xi and Jing Beiyuan arrive Zhou Zishu stands to greet them, smiling a bit as his friends apologize for keeping them waiting. They’ve both got their traveling bags slung over their shoulders, and Wu Xi carries a wooden box in his arms.

“You’ve got everything you need?” Zhou Zishu asks, and the Great Shaman nods, the ex-assassin nodding in return. Everyone collects their things and Ye Baiyi puts out the fire, herding Xie’er and the others towards the horses to start their journey.

Xie’er finds himself growing bored an hour or two into the trip, usually in the past long journeys meant he had company. Du Pusa usually telling stories of the men she’d seduced and killed, occasionally the women she’d taken to bed and left with broken hearts the next morning. Qin Song playing whatever songs they requested on his pipa, Xie'er sometimes joining in with his own. Here, though, there was a lack of company, or rather, a lack of company Xie’er valued.

Wen Kexing made comments here and there, and Zhou Zishu would talk with him about any given plan or story, but other than that, no one really spoke. They rode on for another few hours before giving the horses a break for water and grazing.

The Scorpion King eyes Wu Xi curiously as he talks with Zhou Zishu, and he wonders what took the men so long to catch up to them, or why they had to fall behind in the first place.

“You could talk to him instead of staring so much, you know.” Ye Baiyi says as he takes a drink from his jug, Xie’er’s gaze darting over to the older man with embarrassment.

“I’ve no reason to talk to the Great Shaman.” He replies, uncapping his own bottle to take a drink.

“Do you need a reason to talk to someone?” Baiyi counters, and Xie’er gives him a look.

“Someone like him? Yes, you do.” He huffs, and Ye Baiyi laughs, shaking his head.

“Tch, youth cares too much about keeping up an image, if you want to talk to someone you should just talk to them. Besides, he’s largely the reason you’re still alive after all of the stress you put your body through, could always just tell him thank you for the things he’s done.” He reasons, and the younger cringes at the memories of the first month, of the attempts and the hazy memories of someone healing him afterwards. “Don’t give me that look boy, you know I’m right. You could walk over there and talk to him if you weren’t so scared to do so.”

“I’m not scared to talk to him-”

“Then why haven’t you? I see the way you look at him like he’s some sort of saint-”

“I just- I have nothing to say, that’s all! I can’t just wander over there and interrupt without anything to say, some of us care about respect, you know.” He scowls, and Ye Baiyi barks out a laugh as he gives Xie’er a funny look.

“If your behavior is what’s considered respect, I’m not sure I want to see what it’s like when you’re /not/ being respectful, little Scorpion.” He reasons.

“If I didn’t respect you, you’d be dead.” Xie’er hisses before he can stop himself, huffing as he straps his water jug back onto his travel bag to distract himself from the fact that he very much just said that out loud.

“Oh? How generous of you, keeping me alive then.” Ye Baiyi's reply is dripping with sarcastic amusement, and Xie’er just rolls his eyes at the man.

They fall into a silence as Xie’er absentmindedly pats the horse when it bumps its head into his side, the immortal snacking on some dried fruit as they wait for the rest of the party to finish socializing.

Eventually everyone gets back on their horses, and Xie’er’s relieved to have something to focus on, even if it’s only staying upright on the animal. They travel for a few hours and rest, continuing on until night starts to fall. The group finds a spot big enough for them to rest before tying the horses up and setting up a fire. Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu leave to track down some rabbits, and Xie’er watches Ye Baiyi tend to the fire with his usual disinterested expression.

The assassin frowns as he leans back on his hands, the boredom setting in once more. At least at the inn they had the game board, here it was nothing but them and their thoughts. Xie’er mulls over what Ye Baiyi said earlier, about approaching Wu Xi. He could, if he wanted to, but the idea of going up to the man without something to say makes his heart drop with anxiety.

‘Thank you.’ He thinks to himself, he could say ‘Thank you’, just like Ye Baiyi suggested. He weighs the option in his head, and after a moment, his impulses get the better of him. Xie’er stands and makes his way over to where Wu Xi is sitting, sorting through the wooden box he’d brought along. Xie’er refuses to acknowledge his hands are shaking ever so slightly as he nears him, and Wu Xi looks up when he’s close enough.

“..Hello...” He greets with the slightest hint of confusion in his eyes as he stands to greet him properly. Fuck. He shouldn’t have done this.

“Hello.” Xie’er returns after a moment, the younger clearing his throat, willing himself to speak.

“You look pale, are you ill?” Wu Xi asks, and Xie’er mentally curses himself for the silence, for making the Shaman worry about him /again/. He shakes his head quickly, taking a breath before he’s speaking.

“Thank you-” He blurts, thankfully not too loud, though it surprises Wu Xi nonetheless. The Shaman blinks at him for a moment before his brows furrow, and Xie’er knows he needs to explain. Damnit. “The ol-” His pauses for a moment, realizing his word choice was hardly appropriate for who he was talking with.

“Ye Baiyi,” He corrects, figuring calling Ye Baiyi ‘old immortal’ might lose him points with the Shaman. “He said you were the one responsible for my care and healing while I was.. Mourning.” He says, not sure of his word choice, but he continues regardless of the sour taste it leaves in his mouth. “Thank you. I didn’t.. I didn’t make things easy for any of you, so I’d like to apologize. You went through a lot to keep me alive, and it didn’t seem right not to say something. If there’s anything you need help with in the future, please, let me know. I’m far from an expert, but I’m a fast learner and I’m happy to be of use.” He’s not sure where these words are coming from, and Wu Xi looks just as lost as he is, but the man nods anyway.

“You’re welcome.” He says after a moment, watching Xie’er for a second before he’s looking past Xie’er, then back to the younger. “..There is something, actually.” He says, and Xie’er’s eyes widen a little in surprise, the younger nodding quickly once more.

“Of course, what, what is it you need?” He asks, trying his best not to look too eager or confused. He’s not sure why the Great Shaman is letting him help with /anything/, but he’s glad for the distraction, glad for the show of trust.

“Give these to Ye Baiyi,” He says as he pulls a small bottle from the box, holding it out to Xie’er. “Make sure he takes one each night. If he protests, remind him he needs rest the most out of all of us.”

“A sedative..?” Xie’er guesses, looking at the small bottle full of pills, and Wu Xi nods. "You want /me/ to give him a sedative..?" He asks, confusion and wariness clear in his voice. "I don' think he'll.. I don't know if he'll accept it coming from me-"

“He will." Wu Xi says confidently, the certainty surprising Xie'er a little. "He hasn’t been sleeping more than a few hours a night, not since you arrived. These will help him rest easier, keep the..” He pauses, like he’s not sure if he should say something. “They’ll help ease his mind so he can remain asleep.”

Xie’er just nods, holding the bottle close to his chest with a look of determination. If the Great Shaman told him to make sure Ye Baiyi took the medication, he’d find a way to convince the man.

“I’ll be sure he does.” He agrees, a small, hesitant smile gracing the assassin's lips before Wu Xi nods, silently sending him off.

“Xie’er.” Wu Xi says before he gets too far, maybe a few feet away. “If you continue to have issues with sleep, come speak with me again.” He reminds the younger, and Xie Wang hesitates, brows furrowing a smidge before he nods, accepting the words.

“I will.” He agrees before going back to the fire, tucking the bottle in his robes for later. He just hoped the task he was given would be an easy one.

Chapter Text

“He told me to make sure you take it.” Xie’er reasons when Ye Baiyi refuses to take the sedative later that night, the younger holding the pill out expectantly. He’d shown him the bottle and everything, and Ye Baiyi refused to take it, claiming he ‘slept just fine without it’.

“I don’t care, I don’t need it.” Baiyi huffs, and Xie’er gives him a firm look.

“Stop being stubborn, old Immortal, it’s better if you just take it. You need rest, don’t tell me you’ve been sleeping fine when you fall asleep at dawn and rise 3 hours later.” He reasons, and Ye Baiyi opens his mouth to protest and Xie’er shoves the pill inside his mouth, covering his mouth with his hand until the man swallows the round object in surprised confusion. It’s only after he realizes what he did, giving Xie’er a look that screams anger, and Xie’er’s satisfied smile is wiped off his face.

“You little bastard-” Baiyi hisses, and it takes everything in Xie’er not to shrink back at the words. Ye Baiyi’s anger fizzles out the second he notices the glint of anxiety in Xie’er’s eyes, the way his shoulders tense and he stands straight as a stick. He wonders if this is part of the reason Wu Xi sent Xie’er to do this, he knew Ye Baiyi wouldn’t lash out at him, wouldn’t even raise his voice if he didn’t need to. He takes a breath and his body visibly relaxes, Xie’er’s hesitantly doing the same now that the ‘danger’ was gone.

“Sneaky brat.” He huffs as he shoves the bottle back at Xie’er for safekeeping. Xie’er just blinks owlishly at the man as he grumbles to himself on his way to the fire, likely waiting for the mild sedative to kick in.

It didn’t seem to matter how long he stayed around the Sword Immortal, it didn't matter that he /knew/ he wasn’t the violent type, Xie’er always expected a reaction from the man when he got angry. Power like his always meant volatile anger, the type you couldn’t trust not to hurt you, but the man had raised his voice at him all of maybe 2 times. He’d never so much as laid a finger on Xie’er in any way that wasn’t a pat on the shoulder or to stop him from hurting himself.

He wonders if there’ll ever be a day he does push too far, maybe he’s just got a longer fuse than Zhao Jing did, or maybe they were just two different creatures entirely. He finds his head hurting thinking about it too much.

Xie’er settles into his bed roll after he puts the medicine in his bag so he doesn't spill or lose it, Ye Baiyi going to his own bed shortly after. The man looks tired, sleepy, and Xie’er hides a smug smile with his blankets as he closes his eyes.

In the morning they go through the same routine they had the days before, coming to a small town sometime around midday. Ye Baiyi looks far more rested today than he has in at least a month, and Xie’er finds himself pleased with the change. He doesn’t look as old when he’s not exhausted, maybe in his mid thirties, early forties at the most, and Xie’er wonders what he looked like before he started aging. How old had he been when he went through the ritual?

Xie Wang remembers that conversation they had, the one about dead partners, and he frowns a little bit. The ritual failed because the man hadn’t felt the same about Ye Baiyi, maybe they were Xie’er's age, blinded with youthful optimism. Or more likely a little bit older, still young enough to seek out immortality, but not old enough to know the repercussions of their actions. He wondered if Ye Baiyi’s lover had known that he’d die, if he’d gone through with it knowing how much he’d hurt the man, how deep of a scar he’d leave.

He wonders if Zhao Jing knew how much damage he did, if he'd ever regretted it. His hands tighten on the reins as he thinks about everything he’d been through, all of the things that haunt him at night, in his dreams, in the moments he’s left alone.

No. Zhao Jing never regretted anything, not unless it cost him something. He likely wouldn’t care if he found out how badly he’d broken the younger man. He’d likely take pride in it, just as he’d taken pride with his trophies, how he’d taken pride in those he’d killed in his climb to the top.

He’d have killed Xie’er, too, given the chance. His name would have ended up on a plaque in that damn room, and gods only know how Zhao Jing would have disrespected him after he was gone. His face scrunches up at that, and Ye Baiyi notices the distant, dazed look on Xie’er’s face as they ride. It’s been a few hours, so he calls for them to stop for a break, the sudden noise next to him pulling him from his thoughts.

“You ok, kid?” He asks with a frown, and Xie’er blinks at him as he climbs down from his horse, nodding.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” He agrees, though it’s not exactly convincing. “Too much quiet, gives me too much time to think.” Xie’er shrugs, giving him just enough information he stops asking without him having to spill his guts. Baiyi gives a slow nod of understanding, though there’s still concern on his face, and for a second Xie’er’s worried he might press further.

“You look tired, should try and get to sleep earlier tonight. Might do you some good to get the extra rest.” Is all the immortal says before he drops the matter, much to Xie’er’s relief. He was right, annoyingly, more sleep would probably do Xie’er some good, but he refused to bother the Shaman so quickly after his first awkward conversation with the man.

They continue on and the night goes on similar to the previous, though Ye Baiyi puts up less of a fuss this time when Xie’er reminds him to take his sedative. The man grumbles something under his breath as he accepts the small pill, downing it with some water from his jug. Xie’er gives a pleased noise before tucking the bottle away, sitting at the fire for dinner.

They’ve caught rabbits tonight, and Wen Kexing, as their resident cook, butchers them and starts up a stew with some of the wild ingredients he and Zhou Zishu foraged up. Xie’er still feels a slight pang of jealousy when he watches them work so in sync, but he buries the feelings under lock and key. He refused to be jealous of these people, of their healthy relationships and their love for each other no matter how often his mind brought it up.

“You’re going to burn that if you keep it in any longer.” Ye Baiyi says as he moves Xie’er’s hand, pulling the roasting bun-on-a-stick from the fire before he /does/ burn it. The younger mutters a curse under his breath as he looks the food over, thankful it hadn’t been scorched yet. It’s golden brown, a little crisp but still good. He picks it apart carefully so he doesn't burn himself, glancing at Ye Baiyi with a muttered ‘thanks’ before he can stop himself. The immortal looks over for a moment at the thanks but doesn't say anything, just nods as he continues to cook his own food.

Night comes, and Xie’er lays down earlier than he usually does, fully intending on getting some extra rest like Ye Baiyi had suggested. Maybe it would help, maybe ending the night early would stop the nightmares from plaguing his mind. He doubted it, but it didn’t hurt to try, so he settled in as everyone else spoke around the fire.

Xie’er caves the next day, waiting until everyone was off doing different tasks to head over to the Great Shaman. Ye Baiyi watches him leave their horses from his spot under a tree but doesn’t make a move to get up, he could catch him with ease if he tried to run so he’s in no rush to see where he’s off to.

It surprises Baiyi a little when Xie’er approaches the Shaman, though, and he watches as he munches on some walnuts Wen Kexing gave him the night before. Wu Xi looks up when he hears him approach, the healer nodding his greeting as he takes a drink.

“Xie’er.” He says in greeting, and Xie’er nods back.

“Hello, Great Shaman.” He bows his head a little, hesitating, and he’s almost a little thankful for Wu Xi speaking up first this time.

“Call me Wu Xi.” He replies, and Xie’er looks at him with surprise, his nerves made worse by the calm demand. “There’s no need to call me such things here.” He says, and Xie’er gives a small, hesitant nod.

“..Wu Xi, then.” He says instead, and the Shaman nods to show his approval, giving him a curious look as he stands there..

“Did you need something?”

“I-” He’s not sure how to say it without sounding like a child. ‘Please cure my nightmares, great shaman’ wasn’t exactly how he wanted to approach this. “The medicine you gave Ye Baiyi, it.. Eases the mind, as you’ve said.” He notes, and Wu Xi nods, catching on quickly.

“You’ve been having trouble sleeping still.” He says, and Xie’er nods.

“Since I was young, but it’s.. Been getting worse.” He admits, and Wu Xi nods, moving to his horse to pull the wooden box out, digging through it for a moment before he retrieves the thing he’s looking for.

“This will help. Come back to me in a night or two if it isn’t strong enough..” He says as he passes the bottle over to Xie’er, and the younger gives him a grateful look as he accepts the medicine.

“Thank you Gr-” He catches himself, embarrassment burning his ears red. “Thank you, Wu Xi.” The older man nods, tucking the box back in its spot before he’s returning to his seat as Xie’er goes back to his own horse. He takes a breath to calm himself down, tucking the medicine in his bag alongside Ye Baiyi’s before they get ready to continue.

Ye Baiyi joins him a few moments later, and Xie’er nods his greeting to the older man.

“Not that scary after all, now is he?” Baiyi half teases, and Xie’er huffs softly, side eyeing the man.

“I was never scared.” He replies, getting on his horse when the others come over on theirs.

“You two ready?” Zhou Zishu asks, and Ye Baiyi nods, climbing up onto his horse, the group of them setting off down the trail once more. Xie’er feels better knowing he will, hopefully, finally have a decent night's rest tonight, and it makes the rest of the day’s journey feel a little less draining.

They stop at a small village some time before dusk, and Zhou Zishu herds them inside a small building that was apparently expecting them. It’s as close to an inn as the village has, and Xie’er’s grateful for the roof over their heads, especially with the rain clouds brewing on the horizon.

“You two are over here,” The old owner says as he directs Ye Baiyi and Xie’er to a room, ushering them inside. “If you need anything just yell. We may be small, but my wife cooks the best chicken soup you’ll ever have.” The old man boasts, and Xie’er rolls his eyes at Ye Baiyi as the immortal starts talking to the man about food for the night.

Xie’er sits on one of the beds, fishing out both his and Ye Baiyi’s pills, taking his while he waits for Ye Baiyi to finish talking to give him his. The Sword Immortal accepts the pill when it’s handed to him, and Xie’er nods when he tells him what he ordered for them. Xie’er’s used to Baiyi ordering for him at this point, even at the inn he was always ordering food for the two of them, he didn’t expect it would change now or in the future when they got to their destination, either.

“How is it going to work?” Xie’er asks as he works on unbraiding his hair, intent on brushing it to remove the small bits of debris he knows are inevitably inside from sleeping in the wild for the past half a week.

“How will what work?” Baiyi asks as he polishes his sword, glancing up to Xie’er as he lets the last braid down, shaking out his hair. Sure enough a few small pieces of leaf or branch shake loose, and he sets to work brushing his hair.

“Rebuilding the manor. Staying at the inn, any of it.” He says with a shrug, and Baiyi hums.

“Well, the materials for the manor have already been brought in, they’ve been there for the last week or so. Zhou Zishu just needs to make a few last stops to pick up various plans and contracts before we settle into the inn.” He explains, looking back down to his sword as he works the shine back into it. “As for the inn, it’s going to be open this time, so there /will/ be other people.” He glances up at Xie’er when he says it, and he knows Ye Baiyi is gauging his reaction.

“So I’m going to be stuck in a room again.” He says with a frown, and Baiyi makes a quiet, thoughtful noise. .

“That depends fully on your behavior.” He replies, and the response isn’t what Xie Wang expects. “We’re on the second level. If you try anything the first night you’ll be confined to your room, but if you can keep yourself under control, you’ll be permitted to sit wherever you’d like on the second level, providing you’re within eyesight.”

Xie’er nods at that, it was more freedom then he was allowed at the last inn, so that was progress.

“And while they’re off building? Will you be joining them?”

“That also depends on your behavior, and your willingness to assist.” Baiyi says, and Xie’er raises an eyebrow as he works through a knot in his hair. “If you’re willing to help out, then we’ll both be out there building with them. If you’re not, then we’ll stay at the inn for the majority of our time here.”

He weighs his options, what he’s willing to do for these people and what he’s not. He’d never built anything, had no knowledge on the subject, so he wasn’t sure how much of a use he’d be. He could follow directions, though, and he was a great visual learner.

“..I’d be willing to help.” He says, and Ye Baiyi eye’s him, waiting for the ‘but’ or ‘if’ he knows is coming. “Under one condition.”

“Which is?”

“You let me leave the inn occasionally.” He says, and Baiyi opens his mouth to speak, Xie’er cutting him off. “Supervised. I’m well aware you’re not going to let me wander around on my own, but I’ve spent a large chunk of my life stuck in places I don’t want to be, I’d like to be able to walk and move when I feel like it now that I’m.. Rid of my situation.” He says carefully, refusing to use the words ‘free’ despite their convenience and accuracy.

Baiyi seems to debate the offer for a few moments before nodding, a slow gesture, like he’s still thinking it over.

“Within reason, I can allow that. You’ll not be going to any crowded markets for a while, but I can permit walks around town and side streets.” He agrees, and Xie’er finds himself smiling at that, a pleased little expression as he nods.

“Deal.” Xie’er agrees kn return as he works on his braids, not bothering adding the bits and baubles once he’s finally done. He was far too tired, drowsy from the medicine starting to kick in, and he knew food would be there soon.

Like the universe heard him, there’s a knock at the door, the old man entering a moment later with their food. He sets it on the table between the two beds, and Xie’er gets up to sit down to eat. Baiyi seems just as tired as he is, which is oddly relieving as they settle in for a quiet meal together.

Xie’er finds himself drifting off as soon as he curls up under his blankets, the young man dozing within minutes. Baiyi takes a little longer, but soon enough he’s also out cold, the pair sleeping peacefully until morning comes.

A knock at their door awakes the two, and Zhou Zishu calls through the door.

“We’re ordering breakfast, come out to the dining room when you’re ready!” He yells through the door, and Xie’er groans as he sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Ye Baiyi is still asleep, or at least hasn’t responded, so he takes the task on to himself.

“We will!” He calls back, and there’s muffle speech behind the door before he can hear footsteps walking away. The Scorpion King sighs as he yawns, stretching out before getting up. Xie’er looks down to Ye Baiyi for a moment, contemplative as the gears in his head turn.

It’s the first time since his initial waking up that he’s awake and the other man isn’t. His sword is beside the table, covered for the most part, but he can see a small sliver of the shining blade. The impulsive part of him is telling him to grab it. To run the man through here and now, to slip out the window and never look back. He could do it, his specialty was knives and needles, but he’d wielded swords enough in training to know how to use one to kill.

Xie’er’s body is alight with adrenaline and anxiety as he takes a silent step towards the table, his fingers tingling with awareness as he eyes the weapon, just for a second. Then Ye Baiyi shifts just slightly in his sleep and the urge passes, the assassin closing his eyes as he scolds himself for thinking about such things. His anxiety fizzles out as he steps backwards, closing his eyes tight.

Xie Wang sighs as he runs a shaky hand over his face, tension draining from his body as the images of killing the immortal fade from his mind. Guilt replaces the adrenaline, and he finds himself feeling incredibly sick at his own thoughts. He looks back down to Baiyi, frowning as he nudges the man’s shoulder. He watches Ye Baiyi turn over, tired and confused as he blinks himself awake.

“..What-” He questions groggily, and Xie’er feels guilt weighing heavier in his stomach. How much of a coward was he, thinking about killing the man in his sleep. How ungrateful and disgraceful, thinking about harming someone who’d done so much to keep him alive and comfortable.

“Food..” He mutters as he nods to the door, pulling on his outer robe to be decent for breakfast. His fingers don't quite want to work as he ties the knots on his robes, but he ignores the slight tremble. Ye Baiyi covers his eyes for a moment before sighing, hauling himself out of the bed when he inevitably convinces himself food was better than more sleep.

“Looks like you slept well, old monster.” Wen Kexing says as they join the others at the table and the old man from the night before brings them dishes of varying sizes. Xie’er takes a seat, eyeing the food for a moment. He felt more than a little sick from the nerves and shame, but he knew he’d just be nagged into eating if he refused, so he picks at the rice and meat he’s given.

Baiyi takes a few minutes to wake up properly, but soon enough he’s discussing the path and stops with Zhou Zishu, the group almost to their destination. They’d made good pace, Zhou Zishu agrees, and they’d be there in another day or two, depending on the weather.

He glances at Baiyi as he eats, eventually pushing his bowl towards the man, offering the rest of his meal. Ye Baiyi raises an eyebrow, silently asking why he wasn’t finishing his food, and Xie’er gives a little grimace at the thought of eating more, hoping he got the message. No one else seems to notice, thankfully, and Baiyi just shrugs, accepting the food after a second. Ye Baiyi keeps an eye on him after than, notes the distance in his eyes and the tension in his posture. He wonders for a moment if he should pull the younger aside and talk with him but decides against it in the end. Xie'er wasn't usually one for talking, and Ye Baiyi wasn't sure he would appreciate being acknowledged right now.

They leave after breakfast, much to Xie’er’s relief, and he focuses once more on keeping upright on his horse, zoning the rest out as they continue onward. He lets himself think about the morning, about the impulses and thoughts he’d been burying down since he woke from his drug induced sleep the first time. He wondered if he could trust himself not to act on them; If given the chance again, would he be able to rein himself in once more? Would he be able to block out Zhao Jing’s voice in his head telling him to make his escape, to kill his enemies and run away? The uncertainty made his chest tighten, and guilt and shame are quick to sour his mouth as he stares down at the horses head in front of him.

Xie’er closes his eyes, a headache forming as he worries. He feels someone nudge his leg, and his eyes snap open, Baiyi looking at him with a small frown.

“You’re doing it again.” He says as he scans Xie’er’s face with a look of disapproval.

“Doing what?” Xie Wang asks with a frown of his own.

“Overthinking, winding yourself up over nothing.” He replies, sighing as he gives him a look. Xie’er wants to laugh at that; If the man knew his thoughts, would he still call them ‘nothing’?

“You should worry about yourself, Immortal.” He warns, and Baiyi scoffs.

“What, think I can’t worry about two things at once?” He reasons, the pair of them falling behind a little, but no one seems to notice or care. He was with Ye Baiyi, they likely didn’t care what they were doing so long as the immortal was there.

“I’m not your problem to worry about.”

“You are, yeah.” Baiyi scowls, and Xie’er gives him a tired look of annoyance. “All it takes is a bad mood and you’re ready to hurt yourself or someone else, which presents some problems when I see you starting to work yourself up.” Ye Baiyi reasons, and Xie’er huffs.

“I’m not a child that needs babysitting.”

“You’re not.” Baiyi confirms. “But you are a threat to yourself and others, which makes you my problem. So stop whining and tell me what’s bothering you.” He demands calmly, and Xie’er laughs.

“Like I’d tell you what’s on my mind.” He hisses, a small part of him hoping Ye Baiyi drops it soon. He was far too tired and drained to argue for long, and he definitely didn’t trust himself not to spill something right now.

“Why not? You’ve done it before, brat. I distinctly remember you getting chatty when you got drunk the other n-”

“That’s different.” Xie’er defends, glaring daggers, and Ye Baiyi rolls his eyes.

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

“If you say so, Scorpion.” He says, turning to face the road once more. Xie’er relaxes a little with the topic being dropped, and he doesn’t miss the way Baiyi steals glances at him here and there, like he’s trying to figure the younger out.

“I think I liked it better when you ignored me.” Xie’er huffs, and Ye Baiyi smirks, the expression cold and mocking.

“Get used to it, pest, you’re going to be stuck with me for a while.” He reminds, and Xie’er mutters something under his breath Baiyi just barely catches, the older looking over with an expression like a mother that just heard her child cuss her out.

“What was that, brat?” He questions, and Xie’er laughs, sharp and near hysterical. They’ve fallen a fair bit behind, but the others just continue on out of sight as Ye Baiyi and Xie’er stop their horses momentarily.

“I said ‘it won’t be a problem for long if you keep sleeping with your sword between our beds’.” He hisses and something flashes in Ye Baiyi’s eyes. In a moment Ye Baiyi is off his horse, yanking Xie’er off his own. The younger lets out a yelp of surprise at the sudden movement, stumbling a bit as he rights himself. Ye Baiyi gives him a look and Xie’er stares at him with wide eyes for a moment before anger fills his dark gaze. Ye Baiyi is holding him up against a tree, the youngers feet barely touching the ground.

“Put me do-”

“Shut your mouth and listen, boy.” He warns, all but growling at him, and Xie’er gets the feeling he’s really in for it now. He scoffs, opening his mouth to speak, and Baiyi’s hand covers his mouth, gripping his jaw tight as he narrows his eyes. “I said shut your mouth.” Baiyi says again, and Xie’er has half a mind to bite his hand, though his self preservation kicks in a split second before he does, stopping him from taking the chance.

“Now listen and listen well. You think you’re so smart, so tough and dangerous, but you’re nothing but a scared fucking child.” He scolds, and Xie’er’s eyes narrow at the insult. “You’re lashing out because you’re tired, I understand that, but I have had enough of this game you’re playing. You wanna try and end my life, I invite you to try, but I can and /will/ win that fight. If you still feel the need to talk empty threats, you’d do well to keep your mouth shut instead.” Ye Baiyi says as Xie’er’s hands ball into fists at his sides.

“Now if you’re done being a fucking pest, we can continue before we waste too much time. It’s going to rain, and so help me if we get caught in it because you’re looking for a fight, you’re going to be sleeping in the rain and not in a tent.” He warns, and Xie’er scoffs behind his hand. He feels anger and annoyance welling in his chest once more, and as soon as Ye Baiyi’s hand is removed he’s yelling at the man.

“Fuck you- You think you’re so intimidating, don’t you?! I could have slit your fucking throat this morning and you wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing to defend yourself you old bastard!” He rants, and Ye Baiyi narrows his eyes, connecting the dots, barking out a laugh moments later.

“For the love of- That’s what this is about, isn't it?” He questions as he storms back up to Xie’er, grabbing him by the collars of his robes. “You’re mad you don’t have the guts to kill me, aren’t you little scorpion?” He sneers, and Xie’er shoves at him, trying to make space as his brain screams at him to lunge forward and hit him, strangle him, to do /something/ to get the anger and frustration out of his system. The closeness is making his skin crawl; The warning whispers in the back of his head are more akin to screams but he can't get a control on his emotions, his head is too foggy and his heart is pounding too hard, every breath felt like inhaling water.

“If you had the strength to kill me you would have done it the night you held that shard to my throat, but you /don’t/.” He reasons, and Xie’er glare is as cold and heavy as the snow he’d been pulled from. “You don’t have the strength to kill any of us, that’s why you’re still here. That’s why you’re so mad, that’s why you’re lashing out. You’re scared and mad and /hurt/, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to be a menace every time you get upset.”

“You don’t know shit-”

“I know enough to know you’re lost, Xie’er, and if you keep stumbling down the road you’re on it’s going to end up with you dead and alone, buried in a ditch somewhere.” He warns, and the look he’s giving him makes Xie’er’s chest tighten. There’s not anger there like he’d expected, instead something like worry or concern, something close to sympathy and mournfulness.

“You need to ask yourself if this is the way you want to go out. You said you swore you’d never become your Yifu, but you’re falling down the same rabbit hole he fell down before he died. You’re letting the hate and anger he raised you with destroy you, just like he did when he was alive. You don’t need him here, you’re doing his job for him even in death.”

Xie’er falls silent at those words, angry tears burning his eyes, and his fists clench once more. Baiyi lets him go, his hands moving from Xie’er’s collars to his shoulder, the older man staring at him, searching his face as Xie’er refuses to make eye contact.

“Look at me, Xie Wang.” He orders quietly, and Xie’er refuses, the older sighing as he closes his eyes for a moment. ‘This man is going to be the death of me’ he thinks to himself, carefully grabbing Xie’er’s jaw to turn his head. Xie’er jerks his chin free, glaring at Ye Baiyi as tears fall down his cheeks.

“He’s dead, Xie’er. Your Yifu is dead, but that doesn't mean you have to keep punishing yourself like this.” He reasons, frustrated and tired. “Take it from me, if you keep letting him haunt you, you’re going to live your entire life wishing you were dead, and that’s not a way to live.” Xie’er’s shaking now, holding on by a thread as Ye Baiyi looks at him with sympathy Xie’er once again refuses to acknowledge. “You need to let him go, Xie’er, before he ends up killing you.”

A sob rips from Xie’er’s chest and the younger slumps in on himself a little, the composure he’d been trying so hard to maintain crumbling in a second. Ye Baiyi watches him as his body shakes with his cries, and the immortal sighs, putting a hand on his shoulder. Xie’er’s arms wrap around himself as he closes his eyes, head tilted down to hide his face from the other’s view. He wants to hide, to crawl into a hole and die. He wants to stop feeling so small and pathetic, so weak and useless. He wants to stop crying, to get over it and continue his life, but he can't let go, can't pull out the thorn of Zhao Jing that's poisoning his mind.

He hates that Ye Baiyi is seeing him cry again, hates that he’s crying again in the first place. He was weak, a soft, pathetic mess. Maybe he deserved to die, he wasn’t good for anything now that his Yifu was gone. All he was good for was theft and murder, all he’d done in the last decade was silence those who opposed his Yifu. He sinks to the ground as his breath comes quicker, bordering dangerously to hyperventilation as Ye Baiyi kneels in front of him.

“Hey- Breathe, kid, you’re going to pass out if you keep this up-” Ye Baiyi says as he reaches out to put a hand on Xie’er’s shoulder. Panic and fear cross his tearstained face for a split second as he slaps Ye Baiyi’s hand away.

“Don’t touch me!” He yelps, eyes wide and panicked as he looks up at the Immortal . “Don’t f-fucking touch me-” He warns again, voice cracking and shaking from the waves of emotion crashing into him. Baiyi frowns at the look on Xie’er’s face, the stiffness in his expression despite the coherent enough warning. He wonders what’s going through his head right now, what memories are playing to make such a wild look in those dark eyes of his.

“Kid, I need you to slow down and breathe,” He says, though Xie’er doesn’t seem to register the words as he closes in on himself. “Xie’er!” He says a little louder, and those wide eyes settle on him as he gasps in shaking breaths. “Look at me. You need to calm down.” He says, and tears fall down Xie’er’s cheeks as he shakes his head, pitiful whines mixing with the broken sobs.

“C-can’t-” He chokes out and Ye Baiyi nods

“Yes you can. Just look at me, ok? Breathe slower, think of something good, something that makes you feel calm.” He instructs, and Xie’er clenches his eyes shut, shaking his head. Everything coming to mind is horrible, every bad thing he'd ever done crashing into him at once. He feels phantom hands closing around his body, feels all of the memories of his Yifu and he swears he feels like hes going to pass out then and there. Ye Baiyi puts a hand on his shoulder and Xie’er jumps with a quiet whimper but doesn’t pull away this time. “Xie’er listen to me. Open your eyes.” He says, giving his shoulder a squeeze. The younger takes a moment, the fog is too thick for him to register the word sat first, but he does eventually, brows knit together as his eyes search Ye Baiyi’s face for something, anything that will make the pain stop.

“Good, just keep looking at me.” He says as he inhales slow and deep. “Just like that, alright, brat? Slow and steady, try and think of something good.” He says again, and Xie’er takes a shaky breath, more of a heaving intake of air than anything, and struggles to think of anything but the swirling vortex of emotions constricting his chest.

He’d never felt safe in his life, and good memories were rare, the search for one only making the bad ones stand out more. He cant help the whimper he lets out, the fresh tears that pour over his cheeks. Then his brain finally lands on something, a recent memory that he’d been quick to bury. He closes his eyes, and despite the panic flooding his veins, Xie’er’s sobs slowly start to ease. Ye Baiyi’s hand never leaves his shoulder, and it only solidifies the memory.

They’re in the dining hall, and he’s about to beat Wen Kexing in Go. Ye Baiyi is sitting across the table watching him, a smug smile spread across his face as Xie’er places one of his last stones, Wen Kexing oblivious to the play he’s about to make. Ye Baiyi looks up to Xie’er, a knowing look in his eyes, and Xie’er looks back down to the board as Kexing plays his stone. With a move or two he’s done, scooping up the small handful of rocks as Kexing gawks.

He’d felt proud of himself in those moments, and someone had been proud of him, too. Ye Baiyi had been proud, if even for a moment, and it wasn’t because of some dead body or stolen treasure or shared secret. No, the man had been impressed by a simple board game, by his planning skills and intelligence. His Yifu had always praised his intelligence, but never like this. He’d never been /proud/ and Xie’er finds himself craving the feeling as his breathing eases and his mind slowly starts eases its screaming thoughts.

“There you go, just like that.” Ye Baiyi’s voice cuts through the darkness, and the memory fades as Xie’er opens his eyes. His head is pounding and his throat hurts, but the panic eventually passes leaving him exhausted and feeling heavy. The Immortal’s brows are knit together as he watches Xie’er’s eyes come into focus, the younger looking down in shame and embarrassment as his shoulders sag a little.

“Stay here,” Ye Baiyi says as he stands, going to their horses before coming back with Xie’er’s water jug. The younger accepts it silently and the cold water feels amazing on his scratchy throat. His hands are still shaking and he still feels flughty, but hes stable enough Ye Baiyi calms a little.

He wants to say something as Ye Baiyi crouches in front of him, but he can’t seem to find the right words. The Immortal watches him for a moment, shaking his head when Xie’er opens his mouth to speak.

“.. I’m s-”

“Don’t Apologize.” He says with a sigh, and Xie’er looks up at him in confusion. “I don’t want to hear you saying things you don’t mean. It’s better if you just stay quiet, we’ll leave when you’re ready to stand.” He says, and Xie’er looks down, weighing the words in his heart. He frowns a little as he closes his eyes, only opening them again when he looks up at Ye Baiyi.

“..I’m sorry,” He says before looking down at the ground, focusing on a small, round pebble, grey with white streaks through it. He picks it up, turns it over in his wobbly hands, his thumb absently stroking the smooth surface as he frowns. “For always fighting. For being such a fucking mess, and for crying and thinking about all of that shit and-” He says, forcing himself to take a deep, unsteady breath before the panic returns. ‘I’m sorry for not dying’, He wants to say, ‘for making your life so much harder’ his mind provides, but he doesn’t. Ye Baiyi seems to know what he means even without him saying it, though, and the Immortal sighs as he nods.

“I’m sorry too, kid.” He agrees, and Xie’er knows what he means without hearing it. ‘I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused’, Baiyi’s eyes say as they soften just a hair, ‘I’m sorry he’s gone. I’m sorry he hurt you so much’ his frown says.

“But I’d do it again if I had to.” Ye Baiyi vows as he stands, holding a hand out to the younger. Xie’er feels his heart stop for a moment at the admission, at the knowledge that, despite everything he’d put Ye Baiyi through, he still deemed him worth the trouble. He still believed him redeemable, even now with tear stained cheeks and red rimmed eyes. Even seeing him at his lowest, Ye Baiyi still believed he could turn things around, and in that moment, Xie’er believes maybe he actually can.

Xie’er takes his hand as he stands, hauling himself to his feet as Ye Baiyi gives him a nod, letting go of his hand as they return to their horses. Maybe the immortal was right. Maybe it was time to let go. Yifu was dead after all, there was no changing that. He couldn’t keep letting the man haunt him. He’d need to move on eventually, and maybe after he moved on he could find out what it was like to truly live in the first place.

Chapter Text

The rest of the ride comes and goes in a blur. He feels exhausted by the time they get to the campsite the others have set up, his body sore and his mind a little numb. He keeps his head down as they’re greeted; Wen Kexing asks what took them so long, to which Ye Baiyi gives some excuse about needing a break from riding. He looks sore so the others don’t question it further, even if Wen Kexing does give Xie'er a side eyed glance as they pass. Zhou Zishu just nods, ignoring his partners suspicion in favor of going about his business. The younger man helps Ye Baiyi set up the tent before they’re both laying their bedrolls for some rest, the pair equally exhausted after the long day.

Xie’er falls asleep to the sound of the light drizzle of rain tapping against their tent; It’s a comforting sound, he’d always enjoyed the melodic beat of it, but the peace doesn’t last long. Some time later his unconscious mind wanders, memories and fears mixing as his nightmares return once more, likely brought on by the stress of his breakdown earlier that day.

In his dream he sees his Yifu, drunk and angry, standing in the secret room Xie'er had only once seen. He hears him yelling, he's swearing and throwing things as he rants about something Xie’er can’t quite make out, but he approaches with the bowl of soup regardless. It's meant to be a peace offering, but the man lashes out, flinging it from his hands as he glares daggers at his 'son'. His hand connects with Xie’er’s face next, knocking him down as he screams at him.

His Yifu is yelling angrier now, yanking him up by his collar, ripping the glazed armor from his neck before shoving him back down to the floor. Dream Xie’er feels fear burning through him when he sees his Yifu pick up one of the swords resting on its stand, and in a flash he’s swinging it at him in a fit of rage.

Before the blade can connect, the vision shatters and he’s jolting awake in bed, hand flying to his neck as he gasps for air. The first things he notices as his vision clears is a wall of white next to him, closely followed by the the weight of a hand on his shoulder. His frightened gaze immediately darts up to Ye Baiyi, the older man looking down at him with a concerned frown.

“You were talking in your sleep again.” He says as he crouches down, Xie’er looking away quickly, shame and embarrassment burning on his cheeks and ears as he works on controlling his breathing. “Breathe. Whatever it was, it’s over, you’re not in danger anymore.” He assures, and Xie’er feels terrible. He hates Ye Baiyi seeing him like this, hates that he clearly woke the Immortal up with his childish nightmares.

“Go back to bed.” Xie’er's jaw is clenched and he cringes when his voice crackles as he speaks. The younger man runs a hand over his face as he gradually calms. “I’m fine, just, just go back to bed.”

“You wanna tell me what happened?”

“No.” He hisses, glancing at Baiyi with a tired, frustrated look. “Nothing happened, I’m fine.”

“You were having nightmares.” Ye Baiyi says, and Xie’er frowns, refusing to answer the statement. “Bad ones, judging by how bad you’re shaking.” He points out with a frown, and Xie’er sighs, glaring weakly.

“Yes- Alright, yes, I was having nightmares, happy? Now would you leave me alone and go to bed? I’m fine, I don’t need to talk about this. It’s just some- some bad dreams, I’ll live.” He reasons, his embarrassment and frustration clear on his face. His brain is replaying the images over and over, replaying the feeling of his Yifu's hand striking him across the face and the fear that burned in his chest when he picked up the sword.

“Yeah, you’ll live, but for now you look like you’re gonna burst into tears. What’d you see, kid?” He asks, and Xie’er’s throat feels like it’s closing as he opens his mouth to speak. He looks away, expression twisting to one of discomfort as he picks at his blanket.

“It was nothing.”

“‘Nothing’ doesn’t make people cry in their sleep.” Baiyi reasons, and Xie’er frowns.

“It was just an old memory,” He sighs. Ye Baiyi says nothing, silently urging him to continue, and Xie'er does despite his reluctance to do so. “... I remembered the night I realized Liu Qianqiao and Lou Fumeng were right.” He mumbles, and Baiyi gives him a confused look, waiting for him to explain. “..They told me he was going to kill me when he was done with me. That once his plan was complete he’d get rid of me, just like he got rid of everyone else. He.. He had a room full of trophies and memorials from the people he’d used and killed. They- they told me about them, told me I’d end up in that room too, if I didn’t get out.”

Ye Baiyi frowns as he listens to Xie’er, watches the way the younger man’s hands refuse to stay still and how he looks anywhere but Ye Baiyi.

“I remembered seeing it, remembered him screaming at me when he noticed I was there, but this time he didn’t just send me away.” He notes, frowning as he closes his eyes, expression shifting to a tired pain as he imagines that sword swinging down, imagines what it would have felt like to be struck down if he hadn't woken up. “I dreamt he killed me, then and there. Or, he would have, if you hadn’t woken me up. It felt- it felt real, like he was really there..” He mutters, and Baiyi ignores the anger bubbling in his chest in favor of putting a hand on Xie’er’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

“Your Yifu’s gone now, kid, he can’t hurt you. I know the memories hurt, but you’re not in danger anymore. No one’s going to hurt you like that, not so long as I’m around.” His tone is softer than usual, almost comforting, and Ye Baiyi blames the sentimental words on his lack of sleep. Xie’er nods and sighs, opening his eyes to look at the other man.

“Yeah, yeah he’s gone.” He agrees, frowning a little at the words. He knew them to be true, but it was hard to accept someone was gone when their abuse continued to haunt you day and night. Baiyi moves to sit back on his own bedroll when Xie’er seems to have calmed down, crawling back under his own blankets after a moment.

They settle into a relatively comfortable silence as Xie’er lays down, hands resting on his chest as he stares up at the ceiling of their tent. Ye Baiyi lays down a moment later when he’s done taking a drink, and it takes some time, but they both eventually drift off once more.

Morning comes and the sun illuminates the trees above their tent casting it in a variety of shades of green. Xie’er wakes slowly, the warmth of his blankets nearly making him fall back asleep, but he hears Ye Baiyi stirring next to him, so he wills himself to sit up.

The others are already awake, it seems, and sitting around the fire as the assassin and the Immortal emerge from their tent. They work on breaking it down before joining the party, working on breakfast as they’d done the past few days.

There’s a sort of relief hanging in the air as they mount their horses, the group glad that their traveling was almost done. The idea of a warm, dry inn was no doubt motivating them all during the last stretch of the journey, and when they finally reach town later that evening, there’s a small collection of approving sighs and a few thankful smiles.

Xie’er pats his horse one final time before they all head inside, the younger stuck in the middle of the group near Chengling as the others check them in. They clearly didn’t trust him enough around strangers, but deemed him safe enough to be near the boy for the few minutes check in would take.

“Ah, you’re here! I was beginning to worry!” The friend of Zishu’s says as he pats him on the back, leading them all towards the empty upper floor. A few people watch them ascend the stairs before turning back to their drinks and food, and Xie’er turns his attention to the newest cage he’d be stuck inside. He wouldn’t exactly call the large room a cage, though; With a window overseeing the market below, two comfortable beds and nice looking furniture. The reminder of ‘supervised outings’ lingers in his mind and the inn was feeling less and less like a cage by the minute.

He wonders if that’s the point, to keep him sated enough he doesn’t want to leave, comfortable enough he behaves himself and doesn’t cause any problems. He’s long since abandoned any serious ideas of trying to harm any of them, and he’s sure they likely figured that out by now. Maybe that’s why they didn’t care about leaving him with Ye Baiyi the day before, why no one bothered coming back to check on them.

Xie’er sits down on the bed and lets out a tired sigh, laying back with a soft thud. He was somehow both exhausted and thrumming with energy, his brain under-stimulated for too long, having long since grown bored and restless while his body was tired and sore from all of the riding and poor sleep over the past week.

“Food will be up in a half hour, it doesn’t pay to go to sleep yet.” Baiyi says as he takes a seat on his own bed, unpacking his bag for the time being. They’d be there for quite some time while they oversaw the rebuilding, so it didn’t make sense to keep everything packed away.

Xie’er just gives a groan as he covers his eyes with his arm, laying there for a few moments before sitting up with a sigh. The Scorpion King unpacks his own bag and neatly arranges his things on the end table next to his bed, setting his extra robes on the bench at the foot of his bed.

Food is brought up by the time he’s done unpacking and rearranging, and he and Baiyi sit at the table in the center of the room for their meal. Xie’er’s silent for the most part, eating his food as he gets lost in thought. He’d be here a while, so it would pay to know the area, if even just so he knew what there was to do. Maybe he could convince Ye Baiyi to walk with him later after supper, or the next day after breakfast.

Tonight, though, all he wanted to do was sleep, which meant he needed to talk to the Shaman about the medicine. See if there was something he could do about the nightmares so he didn’t wake the Immortal again with his dreams.

Xie’er watches Ye Baiyi as the Immortal bunches up his robes from the past few days, clearly intending on bringing them downstairs to be washed, and Xie’er grabs his own to do the same. Ye Baiyi looks over, about to ask him if he needed to wash anything, pleased to find Xie’er already standing there with his bundle of clothing.

They step out of the room and make their way downstairs, the Scorpion sticking close to Ye Baiyi as they weave through the sitting room and to the back of the inn towards the laundry room. He relaxes a little when they’re out of sight, following Ye Baiyi’s lead in rinsing and scrubbing his clothes clean before hanging them outside in the courtyard to dry. He’s thankful that the only people allowed out this way are important guests and staff, so they don’t have to worry about their clothes being messed with or stolen.

“Do you need anything else while we’re down here?” Baiyi asks as they dry off their hands. Xie’er thinks it over, shaking his head.

“Not from down here.” He says, and the older nods, leading him back inside once they were sure they were done. They head upstairs and he’s not at all surprised to see Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu sitting at one of the tables on the second level, the pair talking as they play Go.

“Can ask later if they’ve got another board.” Ye Baiyi says when he notices the younger watching them for a moment, and Xie’er nods in agreement.

“It passed the time.” He says, which is the closest he’ll come to admitting playing the game with the older man was fun. Ye Baiyi seems to understand that, the man laughing as he shakes his head.

“You’re too worried about image, kid.” Baiyi huffs in amusement.

“Told you I’m not a kid.” Xie’er grumbles, and Ye Baiyi waves a hand dismissively with a soft ‘I know, I know’. Xie Wang follows Ye Baiyi back towards their room until he notices Wu Xi emerge from his and Beiyuan’s room, the Scorpion king pausing for a moment.

“I’ll be right there.” Xie’er says when Baiyi gives him a raised eyebrow, the younger wandering over to the medicine man.

“Xie’er, hello.” He’s greeted as he approaches, the Shaman giving him a curious look. “You look tired, has the medicine not been helping?”

“Hello Wu Xi.” He greets in return, shaking his head at the question. “It.. It did the first night, but the nightmares have been persistent.” He explains with a small frown, and Wu Xi nods, thinking it over before stepping into his room. Xie’er stays where he is as the Shaman assumedly looks through his medicine, emerging a minute or two later with a new bottle.

“This has a different blend and a higher strength. You should be out the entire night if you take it.” He explains as Xie’er accepts the bottle, looking it over in his hands with a nod.

“Thank you, apologies for bothering you so soon.”

“It’s what I’m here for.” The Shaman assures, and Xie’er nods his thanks once more before returning to Ye Baiyi, the older pushing the doors to their room open when he returns.

“Should help you sleep.” Ye Baiyi says as he closes the doors, nodding to the bottle in Xie’er’s hand as he moves to sit on his bed. The Immortal sits cross legged on his bed as he closes his eyes, fully intending on meditating for a while before bed to ease his mind before he needs to rest.

“Hopefully.” Xie’er mutters as he shakes a pill out, swallowing it down with his water before leaning back against the wall. It’s relatively silent as they sit there, the sounds of the inn providing sufficient white noise to keep the room from being /too/ quiet and uncomfortable, and Xie’er finds himself starting to drift off fairly quickly thanks to the medicine he was given.

Ye Baiyi settles in for bed some time after Xie’er falls asleep but well before the others go to bed, the sounds of their conversations and laughter still audible as he starts to doze. Neither wakes throughout the night, though Xie’er is the first to wake in the morning, which feels like a process in and of itself now.

He’s still a little wobbly and dazed when he first wakes, sitting up makes him feel a little off balance, but he assumes it’s just the sedative in his system. Given the early hour it likely hadn’t fully worn off yet. He takes his time waking, yawning and fumbling for his water before he gets up. He’s pleased to find he feels better fairly quickly after he starts moving around, the assassin using the bathroom and returning to sit on his bed soon after.

Xie’er’s awake for a good hour or so before Ye Baiyi starts to stir, the Immortal blinking himself awake as he sits up with a quiet groan of disapproval at the light shining in through the windows paper. Xie’er muffles a snicker at the groggy grumbles from the man as he brushes loose hairs from his face. The younger is in the process of removing his braids as Ye Baiyi finally sits up properly.

“Hush, you’re no more of a morning person than I am, pest.” Baiyi grumbles, but there’s no real sting to his words. Xie Wang just hums a little in acknowledgement at the response to his laugh.

“I’m not, but it’s still amusing seeing the Sword Immortal grumble about being woken by the sun.” He reasons, and Baiyi waves a hand at him dismissively as he stands and stretches. Xie’er finishes undoing the last braid when he looks over to him.

“Don’t those hurt your head?” He questions, and Xie’er blinks for a moment, looking at him in confusion.

“My braids?” he asks, furrowing his brow. “Why would they?”

“You braid them so tight, they look uncomfortable. Hair's not supposed to hurt, you know. I don't know why you'd do something that brings you discomfort if you don't need to.” Baiyi reasons as he heads for the bathroom, the younger one just sitting there in mild surprise. He’d never really thought about it that way if he was honest with himself; Sure, they stung a little the first few hours of wearing them, but they were meant to be tightly braided, they looked neater that way. At least, that’s what he’d always been told, though the man telling him such things was the same man that told him to keep his makeup on constantly, something he hadn’t worn properly for weeks now.

Xie’er massages the discomfort out of his scalp before he brushes out any knots or snarls, taking his time to work the comb through his nearly waist length hair. Baiyi returns as he debates what to do with his hair, the Immortal glancing over at him with a curious look. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Xie’er’s hair down, but it was the first time he’d seen him look so pensive about putting it back into its usual hairstyle.

“Scoot over.” Ye Baiyi says after a few moments of watching him be indecisive, Xie’er giving him a confused expression before moving over on the bed to make space for the other man. Baiyi snatches the comb from Xie’er’s hands before the other can protest, running it through his hair to make sure it was snarl free before he’s sectioning it off carefully.

“What are you-”

“Be quiet and sit still.” He huffs, and Xie’er scowls at the man’s ever present bluntness. He's not sure how he feels about Ye Baiyi being so close behind him, or the feeling of his hands working with the dark strands, but he keeps quiet for now. “Tell me if I’m pulling too hard, pest.” He reminds, and Xie’er grunts, refusing to acknowledge the statement or the idea of telling Baiyi to be gentler with his hair. Short of ripping strands out, he wouldn’t give the other the satisfaction of admitting defeat like that, not that Ye Baiyi would see it that way.

They sit there for some time as Ye Baiyi styles Xie’er’s hair in some sort of singular braid, he can feel the sections moving so he knows it’s some sort of braid at least, but beyond that he has no clue what the other was doing.

“Almost done.” Baiyi says, and Xie’er grunts quietly in response, significantly more relaxed than he thought he should be given the ‘enemy’ quite literally behind him. Still he can’t help but droop contently under the attention as time ticks on, eyes closed, and for a moment he’s worried he might just fall asleep. Then Ye Baiyi’s hands stop fussing with his hair and he leans back and Xie’er’s wide awake again. His ears burn a little from embarrassment of being so comfortable around the other and he does his best to ignore the slight increase in his heart rate now that Ye Baiyi was done.

“.. Are you done?”

“Yeah. Keep in mind it’s been a few years since I’ve done anything like this, so I can't promise it’s up to your standards.” He says, and Xie’er stands, stretching out like a cat in the sun for a moment before he’s going to look in the mirror.

It’s.. actually pretty nice looking, he notices as he looked over the single fluffed up braid going down the middle of his head. The slides are incorporated into the top, which is why it took so long, and all of his hair is swept up and out of his face. The bottom half is still down, the style mimicking his usual half up half down ponytail but with a single braid instead of several, and he hates to admit it’s a hell of a lot more comfortable. There’s no pulling or stinging this time, no uncomfortable aching in his scalp, and it looks /nice/, for something different, not too much of a change that it was uncomfortable to see on himself.

“Well?”

“It looks fine.” He says, and Ye Baiyi can see the soft, pleased smile pulling at his lips in the mirror, Xie’er oblivious to Ye Baiyi's attention. He finds himself liking the braid a fair amount, not that he'd admit it outright, and the attention he was given during the process wasn't something he'd complain too much about recieving again.

“Yeah? Been a while, honestly surprised I still remember how to do that.” He admits with a shrug, and Xie’er glances over, his expression closer to his neutral resting face, though he’s unable to help the way his eyes crease just so, like he’s holding back a smile.

“You did better than I thought you would. I didn’t think you’d know how to do something like this, honestly.”

“Everyone tries something new at some point. There was a very very brief time in my earlier years I would braid my hair back like this when I was sparring, but at some point I got lazy and stopped doing it.” He admits. Xie’er wonders for a moment what Ye Baiyi would look like with his hair brushed back and braided now, what he looked like back then. He supposes not much different than he does now, maybe less grey hairs at his temple, maybe more of a youthful glow. He doesn’t look ‘old’ by any measure despite the silver streaks and the creases by his eyes, he also doesn’t seem to be aging much at all now, not that Xie’er notices. Xie'er notes that Ye Baiyi would probably look nice with his hair braided back, the Immortal wasn't exactly hard on the eyes, though Xie'er buries that thought the second he thinks it. Instead he takes a second to properly look at Ye Baiyi, taking in his appearance now. The progression of grey seemed to have stopped, and Xie’er wonders why for a moment before he turns his attention to his things sprawled out on his bed.

“You should put it up sometime,” He says absentmindedly as he puts his things away, and Ye Baiyi’s a little surprised by the words. “I’m sure Wen Kexing would be taken aback seeing you change something like that suddenly, it might be funny to see.” He notes with a mischievous smirk, and Baiyi just chuckles.

“Maybe some time I will.” He agrees, standing and nodding to the door. “Breakfast?” He asks, and Xie’er nods, following him out and towards one of the second level’s tables for breakfast. Wen Kexing stares at Xie Wang as he emerges with the Immortal, eyeing his hair with a look of intrigue as he munches on a few mixed nuts, the younger raising an eyebrow and giving him a look of ‘yes?’ in return as they pass. He says nothing to the assassin, but instead whispers something to Zhou Zishu, the other rolling his eyes with a fond smile. Chengling watches him with wide, surprised eyes, and the Scorpion King huffs a little at the boy’s staring but doesn’t try to scare him this time.

Sitting down, Xie’er can’t help but run his fingers over the braid, feeling over the new hairstyle as he and Baiyi wait for a server to come over. Soon enough they’re ordering and he focuses back on the inn around them, the buzzing of conversations and the smell of food and alcohol and tea wafting through the air. The server returns with some tea and Xie’er pours them both a glass, Ye Baiyi nodding his thanks as he takes a drink.

They share their first meal of the day in relative silence, one or the other making an occasional comment about the food or something going on around them. Xie’er wonders how the rest of their time is going to be spent, how long it’s going to take to rebuild the manor and when they’re going to start.

“Something on your mind?” Baiyi asks, and Xie’er shrugs, finishing the bite in his mouth before speaking.

“Did he say when we’re going to start rebuilding?”

“They’ve been building since the supplies arrived, we’re all mainly just lending a hand where we can. Supervising, mainly.” He shrugs, and Xie’er nods, finishing his tea before pouring them both another cup. “We’ll be going to the manor tomorrow to see the progress. With all the workers Zhou Zishu hired, I’d imagine they’re at least done with a small portion of the framing by now.”

“Did he say how long it would take?”

“No, but I’d say it’ll take quite some time, even with the manpower. It wasn’t a small place, and we’ve got summer heat to contend with soon.” He notes, shaking his head in dismay as he takes a sip of his tea. “No more than a year for the buildings to be done, I’d guess. They were able to salvage a lot from the old buildings, so perhaps less if the conditions are favorable and work gets done quickly. Zhou Zishu said once the main housing is done they’d be moving into that instead of staying at the inn, so that’s what’s being worked on first.”

Xie’er fell silent at that, the idea of staying anywhere for a year was a slightly uncomfortable thought, he’d never been anywhere but the palace for that long, and that was a chapter of his life long since closed now. Someone else had likely stepped up, taken over since Zhao Jing’s death, and they’d likely changed everything Xie’er knew by now anyways. He nods as he mulls it over in his head, debates changing his mind, heading for Nanjiang right away or finding somewhere else to travel. Maybe he could just walk forever, keep on going, never settle down anywhere.

He frowns at that thought, of never settling down, of never finding a place he belonged or felt comfortable in. He’d never really had a home; He’d had housing, but it was always at risk of being taken away for some reason or another. He’d never really belonged anywhere, never really had a place where he was safe and comfortable, nonetheless happy.

“What’re you going to do?” He asks, looking up to Ye Baiyi as the man watches the crowd down below, people watching for lack of anything better to do. “After you’ve taken me to Nanjiang, what’re you going to do?”

Ye Baiyi looks up at that, tilting his head just so as he thinks it over in his head. He hadn’t really thought about it much, what he’d do after he brought Xie Wang to his destination, when he was sure the man was no longer a threat to anyone. A part of him had assumed he's always be a concern, that Ye Baiyi would always have to keep an eye on him, but Xie'er was slowly changing that train of thought.

He wanted to bring the ashes back to the mountain, but he had plenty of time to do that. Settling down in the mountains was always an option, but he wasn’t sure how much good it would do now that he’d started to age slowly. Slower nowadays, he notes in the back of his head, the changes so slow they were almost unnoticeable now.

“I haven’t thought about it.” He answers honestly, sipping his tea as he watches Xie’er frown. “Go back to the mountain, probably. Take care of some things before I die, maybe make the place a little more comfortable for my last years.”

“Do you know how long you have?” Xie’er asks before he can stop himself, mentally cringing at the edge of worry creeping into his words despite his efforts of keeping them out. He isn't sure why the idea of the immortal dying made him so uncomfortable, so on edge and nervous, but it did. Ye Baiyi would die some day, and Xie'er would likely be alone once more, if he even stuck around that long.

“No. Shaman didn’t have any guesses since this is such a… Specific case. Could be years, could be a lifetime.” He says with a frown of his own. “Could die tomorrow, though I doubt that’ll happen. If it was going to happen like that, it would have by now.” His words do little to ease Xie’er’s worry, and the younger looks down to his tea, nodding slowly.

“You shouldn't have to be stuck with me for what could be the rest of your life.” He says, and he’s not sure when he started caring about what would be inconvenient for the Immortal.

“I’m not /stuck/ with anything, kid. I made a choice knowing full well what the consequences would be.” He reasons, earning another frown from the younger man.

“Yeah, but it’s not ideal having me around that long.” He reasons back, and it’s Ye Baiyi’s turn to frown. “I’m not exactly the most pleasant person to be around, I’m sure you’d rather be spending your time relaxing somewhere warm than being stuck babysitting some brat.” Xie’er says, and Baiyi just sighs, setting his cup down.

“You worry too much about things you ought not to.” Baiyi scolds. “Having you under my care isn’t as much of a burden as you seem to think it is, it’s not some arduous task I’m being weighed down by, you know.” He huffs, giving the younger man a look. Xie'er doesn't believe him in the slightest, despite the seemingly genuine tone Ye Baiyi's using. The idea of putting up with his breakdowns and angst for so long while trying to live the rest of your questionably long life didn't sound like an appealing thing to the younger man, so he assumed it was the same in Ye Baiyi's mind, too.

“But it’s still not what you prefer to be doing.”

“Kid, I didn’t think I’d last this long once I left the mountain. I don’t /have any preferences/ on how to spend my time because I never planned to have this much of it in the first place.” Ye Baiyi reasons with a sigh, and Xie’er’s brows knit together as he listens to the words. “So stop worrying so much about how I’m doing, and worry more about how /you’re/ doing. You worry and fuss too much over others and not nearly enough about yourself.” Baiyi scolds once more, and Xie’er huffs softly in response.

“I worry plenty about myself.”

“Do you? Until a month ago, I could barely get you to eat and sleep enough, and that’s only barely changed now.”

“I-”

“Don’t tell me you were doing fine, because you weren’t. You were a mess until a few weeks ago, you couldn’t see a reason to live nonetheless eat, you were full of anger, so ready to attack anything that moved.” Ye Baiyi cuts him off with a scowl, shaking his head. “You worry about surviving, but life’s far more than just living from day to day, when you understand that /then/ you can tell me that you’re doing just fine.”

He’s right, Xie’er knows he is, but he refuses to admit it at the moment. Instead he just huffs, crossing his arms over his chest as he gives the older man a look.

“And you?” He questions. “Aren’t you also worrying too much about others and not enough about yourself? I mean, you’re /dying/ and you don’t seem the slightest bit bothered by that, Ye Baiyi.” He reminds, and it’s not lost on Ye Baiyi that this is the first time the younger has properly used his name in front of him.

“Of course I’m bothered by it, but it’s not going to change the matter any.” He shrugs. Ye Baiyi knows he'd better be careful about how the conversation continues, so he takes a moment to collect his thoughts. “We’re all going to die, and not a single one of us knows when that day will be, not unless we take our own life. My case is no different than anyone else's, I’ve just as much of a chance of keeling over as that man down there.” He says, nodding generally towards the downstairs area, gesturing at no one in particular.

“Still, you-”

“Listen, if I spent every single second I’m alive worrying about when I die, or how much time I’ve wasted living in the ways I have, then I might as well just stop living. Wasting a life you’re given is the same as giving up your life.” Xie’er opens his mouth to argue, but Ye Baiyi knows he has him beat. He can't find a counterpoint, so he shuts his mouth, narrowing his eyes at the older man’s self satisfied smirk.

“I don’t like when you make points like that.” He grumbles, and Baiyi laughs at the near pout on Xie’er’s face as he finishes his tea. “Leaves no room to argue.”

“That’s because there's nothing to argue about.”

Xie’er and Ye Baiyi sit and people watch for some time before Baiyi bothers the innkeeper for more tea and a go board. The man in white returns with both, setting the board down and refilling their tea before he’s nodding for Xie’er to pick a bowl of stones.

The younger decides on white, letting Ye Baiyi go first for now, and they fall into a rhythm as they play the game. Xie’er finds himself enjoying playing against Ye Baiyi more than he thought he would after the long ride to the inn, and he can’t help but smile a little as he places a piece down. Baiyi’s expression softens just so when he notices Xie’er’s smile, the Immortal making a poor play in his distracted state.

Xie’er’s more than a little surprised when he wins the first game, eyeing Baiyi suspiciously as he finishes counting for himself.

“You didn’t let me win, did you?” He asks, but he knows the surprise on the Sword Immortal's face is an answer enough.

“I don’t /let/ people win, kid, you earned that one yourself.” Baiyi replies as he clears the board, giving Xie’er’s stones back as they start another round. It goes on like that for some time, with Ye Baiyi winning most and Xie’er winning some here and there, though he was winning more than he had at the previous inn.

Zhou Zishu comes over some time during their third game, watching for a moment before he speaks up.

“Lao Wen and I are going to stop at the manor and see how things are going, make sure construction is moving at the rate it should.”

“Weren’t you doing that tomorrow?”

“He’s restless and I’ve never been a patient man.” Zhou Zishu says with a shrug and Ye Baiyi nods as Zishu glances between them. “You’re welcome to come if you’re needing a break or fresh air.”

Ye Baiyi looks towards Xie’er questioningly, and the younger nods at the offer.

“We’ll go.” He agrees for them, and Baiyi seems a little surprised but pleased nonetheless.

“We’ll leave when your game is done, then.” Zishu agrees, leaving the pair to finish the round and get ready. He disappears into his and Wen Kexing’s room and Xie Wang places his stone when Ye Baiyi’s focus is back on the board.

The game doesn’t last too long, a defeat for Xie’er, but he doesn’t mind too much. It was only the third game of the day, he’d inevitably lose more later when they got back. The pair stand and head to their room, getting ready for a trip to the manor.

Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing meet them out front, letting them know the Shaman and Prince were staying behind to work on some medicine. Xie’er nods in understanding, following the older three through town towards the forest. The path to the manor is a pleasant enough one this time of year, trees in bloom, flowers just starting to bloom. It was pretty, Xie’er mused, something straight out of a silk painting or embroidery.

“We’re almost there.” Zhou Zishu says, and the younger nods, Ye Baiyi grunting in response. He seemed to be enjoying the view, too, the softer expression on his face as he looked around the area gave him the air of calmness or contentment.

“..It’s pretty..” Xie'er mutters without thinking. Wen Kexing glances back at him with a raised eyebrow at the comment and Xie’er gives him a look when he notices. “What, am I not allowed to appreciate beauty when it’s in front of me?” He scowls and Ye Baiyi laughs a little, shaking his head at the two.

“You seem surprised by it, have you not heard the lines about Four Seasons Manor?” Kexing reasons, and Xie’er rolls his eyes.

“I have, but seeing it oneself is a hundred times better than hearing it from others, isn’t it?” He reasons back, and Wen Kexing just laughs, fanning himself as Zhou Zishu hides a look of amusement. They continue on and soon enough they’re at the building, the bare bones foundations and framing of the manor in place in areas and being constructed in others as they step through the main gate.

There’s still a lingering smell of burnt wood in the air as they make their way through the construction site, but no one mentions it as Zhou Zishu leads them around the area. The main rooms seemed to be coming along well, piles of lumber sitting here and there for its construction along with other various building materials.

“They’re coming along well it seems.” Wen Kexing notes, and Zhou Zishu nods in agreement. Ye Baiyi sticks close to Xie’er without hovering too much, he was still a little wary about having him out of the inn but trusting enough that he didn’t think he’d make a run for it.

A member of the building team rushes over when he notices them standing there watching, bowing his head respectfully before rambling on about the project and the plans as he leads them all through the site once more. Xie’er can’t help but find it all a little boring, but he’s thankful for the time out of the inn, so he follows along, only falling behind once or twice to look at something he was curious about.

When the tour is over, Zhou Zishu spends some time talking with the man and Baiyi and Xie’er talk amongst themselves as they wait for their guide to finish talking.

“It’ll be a nice place when it’s built.” Xie’er notes, looking over the skeletal build of the manor's front half, the progress the men had made so far. “Pretty location, large building, he’ll be happy when it’s done I’m sure.” He notes, glancing over to Zishu. Baiyi nods as he leans against a pile of logs, chuckling softly.

“I think he’s just happy he has the means of rebuilding it at all. Things like this take a lot of time and money, even more patience than that, and neither he nor Kexing are patient men.” He muses, and Xie’er nods.

“They’re not, though I’m not exactly the picture of patience myself either.” He says with a shrug, and Baiyi makes a soft hum in agreement.

“You’re doing better, though. Shows when you’re playing; You’re taking time to figure things out more than you used to, and you’re making less impulsive decisions, too.”

The praise feels odd coming from Ye Baiyi, but accepts the kind words regardless. It didn’t pay to deny them when he knew they were true, though the logic behind that did little to ease the embarrassment turning his ears pink.

“Are the two of you ready?” Zhou Zishu asks before Xie’er has a chance to complain about Ye Baiyi’s niceness, and the younger quickly nods as Baiyi pushes off the pile he was leaning against.

“We’re ready when you are, Zishu." Baiyi agrees, and they once more follow Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing out of the construction site towards the road. “We can get something to eat on the way back, stop at a stall for something.” Baiyi tells Xie’er, and the assassin has no idea how Ye Baiyi manages to stay in shape when he loves food as much as he does. He never saw the man training or moving much at all for that matter, chalking it up to ‘that’s the way his body works’, similar to his own. It was amusing nonetheless, and he agreed quietly, looking around at all the flowers and blooming trees as they walked.

When they get to town, Zishu and Kexing make their way back to the inn after Ye Baiyi assures them he’ll be fine with Xie’er, that they were going to track down some street food to enjoy. The pair cast each other a look before they shrug and go back to the inn, leaving Xie Wang and Ye Baiyi alone to find food.

“What’re you in the mood for?”

“Surprise me. I’m not really picky.’ Xie’er replies with a shrug, not even sure what they had in the area for food vendors. Ye Baiyi nods, leading him down the street a ways. It’s not empty by any means, but there’s not really much of a crowd, just a dozen or two passersby going about their day. Xie’er looks over the shops and buildings they pass by as they walk, pausing for a moment when he sees a street performer playing a pipa across the street.

He wonders what happened to his own, the custom made instrument he’d gotten for a birthday nearly half a decade ago. He wonders if it’s been thrown out yet, or maybe sold or burned. He doubts it’s still in the palace, not after this many months, and it wasn’t like he’d be able to obtain it again anyways.

Ye Baiyi glances back when he doesn’t feel Xie’er’s presence near him anymore, giving the younger a confused look when he sees him just standing there in the street looking across the way. It clicks in his brain when he sees the musician, and the older man feels a sense of sympathy. To have lost something that must’ve meant so much to you was a hard feeling, especially when you had little chance of getting it back.

“Why don’t we get something to eat and then come back to listen?” Ye Baiyi suggests as he puts a hand on Xie’er’s shoulder to pull the younger man from his daze. “Music’s always better with food and wine.”

Xie’er blinks away the fog in his mind as he processes Ye Baiyi’s words, looking back at the musician for a moment before nodding. He’d never be able to play again, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate someone else playing.

“Yeah, lead the way.” He agrees, turning back to follow Ye Baiyi down the road to a vendor. They settle on some street food Xie’er’s never seen before and make their way back to the music, taking a seat as they eat their meal. The songs are nice, ranging from slow and calming to upbeat and lively. The artist doesn’t say or do much as they play, instead letting their instrument do the work, which Xie’er appreciates. A good song didn’t need any introduction or talking over, it moved people on its own, in Xie Wang’s opinion.

“Have you ever played for yourself?” Ye Baiyi asks as he takes a bite of his food, glancing over at Xie’er curiously. “Or was it always just for work?”

“I played a lot for myself.” He notes, looking over to the Immortal. “‘I had to stay in practice’, that was the excuse I used. Zhao Jing bought it every time, though he rarely let me play in his presence. I think it made him nervous, knowing what I could do with my songs.” He shrugs, and Baiyi’s brows raise a little in surprise. Xie’er hadn’t even noticed the slip of a tongue, ‘Zhao Jing’ instead of ‘Yifu’, but Baiyi chooses not to say anything lest he ruin the moment.

“I’d imagine you were quite the musician. I’ve never played, but I’ve heard it takes quite a lot of energy and practice to be able to control sound the way you used to.” He muses, looking back to the musician curiously. “It’s a shame you can’t play now, seems like a good way to pass the time.” Ye Baiyi says, and Xie’er frowns a little bit as he nods.

“Yeah, it was.” He agrees, finishing his food despite the lack of hunger now. “I used to play a lot when I had free time, it helped during my.. Fits, too, gave me something to focus on and feel.” He admits, leaning back on his hands as Ye Baiyi finishes his meal, the older man listening attentively to both Xie Wang and the music. “Never did well with sitting still for long, silence never sat right with me either, so I’d play at camp when we were relaxing. Didn’t have anything better to do, so I’d let Du Pusa pick a song and I’d play for her and the others. Qin Song would join occasionally, but he would usually just sit and listen too.”

“Did you have a favorite song?” Xie’er thinks it over, tilting his head a little bit as he remembers all of the songs he’d played, all of the songs he’d made over the years.

“I think so.” He agrees, glancing over before looking back to the pipa. “It was one I wrote. Du Pusa had trouble sleeping sometimes, so she’d always request something soft before bed to help her get to sleep. I never named it, but I’d played it for her almost every night we were out camping together for missions, she said it was her favorite song.” He muses, a wistful look in his eyes before he closes them with a sigh.

His chest feels heavy, a lump forming in his throat as he thinks about the mountain, about his friend’s bodies sitting frozen and abandoned. He’d get them in the summer when the snow thaws. They all deserved that much at the least, a proper burial somewhere nice. Du Pusa had always wanted her ashes scattered somewhere pretty, somewhere she’d be able to rest and enjoy. Maybe he’d bring them back to Nanjiang, find somewhere pleasant to scatter them once he’d had her body burned.

“You ok, kid?”

“Hmm?” Xie’er’s eyes flutter open and he realizes his cheeks are wet, a few stray tears have fallen, and for a moment he’s glad there’s only a few people around the musician. “Oh, I’m.. I’m fine.” He agrees, wiping his cheeks with a sigh. “I don’t know why I keep crying, it’s not going to bring them back.” Xie’er says with a quiet laugh, the sound tired and a little bitter.

“Mourning is a slow process.” Baiyi reminds, and Xie’er frowns as he looks at the ground. “Just because time has passed, doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt.”

“..Yeah..” He mutters quietly, taking a breath to ground himself, letting it out slowly. “We should head back, before the others worry about us.” ‘Worry I’ve done something’ He thinks, and Ye Baiyi nods, standing as Xie’er does, leaving the musician behind as he and the Scorpion King head back to the inn.

Chapter Text

Xie’er finds time at the new inn to go by far quicker than the first; With people to watch, and permission to sit out on the second level whenever he feels like, it feels far less confining as well.

He’s assumes the proper sleep he’s been getting helps, too, all thanks to the Great Shaman’s medicines and incense. He finds himself well rested in the mornings now instead of exhausted and cranky, even on the days he wakes up before he needs to.

His relationship with Ye Baiyi and the others seems to be getting better over the course of a few weeks, too, less biting remarks from Wen Kexing and more small conversations with the Prince and the Shaman. Zhou Zishu gives him a nod of greeting every morning he finds the younger sitting on the interior balcony overwatching the commons, and it feels about as friendly as Zhou Zishu gets with people other than Wen Kexing or their child.

Even Chengling seems to have grown used to his presence. The young boy was staring less, Xie’er had long since told him it made him uncomfortable, /politely/ asking him to stop after Ye Baiyi told him to try and ‘communicate’ instead of ‘threaten’. They occasionally greeted each other whenever they’d cross paths, and the boy wouldn't scurry rushed and scared out of his way when they met in the hallways.

It was beginning to feel comfortable being at the inn. The daily routine gave him some structure, and the overseeing of construction gave him something to do, something that felt almost meaningful. This would be someone’s home, after all, it had worth and value well beyond its monetary price. Memories would be made there, new chapters of lives would be started, and others closed, all within those buildings.

It’s the middle of summer now, and Xie’er finds himself enjoying the warmth. It reminded him of summers spent in his youth, reminds him of swimming and running around, snacking on whatever vegetables or fruit he could sneak from local farms and gardens, and being a general nuisance before he was taken away.

He’s long since visited the mountain again; He'd retrieved the body he went up there for, had found Du Pusa and had her body cremated, ashes placed in a beautiful decorative urn for the time being. He still wasn’t sure where to scatter them so he kept them safe at the inn, intent on finding the best place to bring her, somewhere that she’d be able to rest peacefully. He'd left Zhao Jing up there, after a long period of debate with himself, had left the man that had hurt him so deeply on that snow covered mountain to rot where he belonged.

That was the beginning of summer, though. Now he finds himself enjoying the warm days by basking in the sun outside the inn, sitting at a table with Ye Baiyi as they share a drink and listen to some street musician play somewhere in the distance.

Xie’er gradually learns more about the group he was staying with as well. He’s learned that Chengling is a terrible cook thanks to his easy upbringing but was working on getting better, that Wen Kexing hated messes and getting dirty, especially when it came to blood, something he and Zhou Zishu shared in common. He makes a mental note when he learns Ye Baiyi’s birthday was in the winter sometime, though the older man refused to tell him what day when he asked about it.

He eventually finds out everyone’s birth months when it comes up during a shared meal; Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing were both born in autumn, Chengling and Jing Beiyuan in Spring, and Wu Xi and Xie’er in mid and late summer. The group makes a suggestion of celebrating Wu Xi’s birthday when it comes up, and the Shaman looks a little embarrassed but agrees nonetheless.

Xie’er’s not entirely sure what to do about birthdays, he finds as he pursues the market with Ye Baiyi, the pair trying to find a gift suitable for the Shaman. They had agreed to celebrate it with food and drinks, gifts and time spent together as they agreed to do with everyone’s, but the younger is quickly realizing he had little to no idea what to get someone for such an occasion.

He’s been staring at the goods at this booth for a handful of minutes now, and the booth owner looked a mix of irritated and confused, not sure why he was taking so long or why he was starting to look a little dejected. Ye Baiyi makes his way back over with some street food he’d said he’d grab, and Xie’er’s pulled from his thoughts when the immortal nudges him.

“Find something?” He asks, and Xie’er sighs, accepting the food with a scowl.

“No. Well, yes, but I don’t..” He purses his lips, looking at Ye Baiyi with frustration. “I don’t know what to get him. I’ve only ever gotten Zhao Jing gifts, and those were usually just whatever he complained about wanting-” He huffs, and Baiyi hums as he looks over the items at the booth.

“Well, has he mentioned wanting anything lately?” Ye Baiyi asks, and Xie’er thinks it over, giving a slow shake of his head after a moment.

“Not that I can think of, he doesn’t talk about that sort of thing a lot. Whenever he’s low on something he always just goes and gets it.” Xie Wang replies, and Baiyi nods.

“Well, you know what he likes, the sort of things he already owns, maybe get him something that fits either of those categories. Something he likes and has gotten before, or something he’d probably be interested in.” The older man suggests, and Xie’er opens his mouth to speak before pausing, expression lighting up for a moment.

“I think I know just the thing-” He grins as he grabs Baiyi’s hand, leading him through the market towards another booth, scrolls and books stacked neatly on a blanket around the cart. Xie’er lets go and almost immediately starts rooting through the books, on the hunt for something. The booth owner just cracks an amused smile, telling him to take his time, that they were welcome to look as long as they’d like. Ye Baiyi nods his thanks to the middle aged woman, gaze flicking over titles as Xie’er searches.

“The other day we stopped to look and he mentioned having all but two books for this herbalism collection,” He notes, and Baiyi nods, smiling a bit at the other’s distracted explanation. “I remember seeing it the other day, but we were busy and had to get back to the construction, so I didn’t stop and look.”

Ye Baiyi vaguely recalls the events, the Shaman and Xie’er had been talking about their favorite books and various herbalism and plant based topics on their way to the building site and Xie’er had seemed a little distracted when they passed the cart they were currently standing in front of. Ye Baiyi assumes he must have seen the book then, though the Immortal had doubts about it still being there after nearly a week. Still, he was more than willing to help the younger man search for it since he was pretty sure it would make Xie'er's day being able to find the perfect gift.

“Do you remember the title?” He asks, and the younger purses his lips as he tries to think, perking up when he remembers the name. He tells Ye Baiyi and the older man helps him look, the woman behind the stand offering to help them search as they carefully navigate through the piles.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” Ye Baiyi asks as he holds out a book that met the description Xie Wang had given him some 10 or 15 minutes later, the Scorpion King beaming when he sees the cover.

“Yes! Exactly, gods I’m glad it didn’t sell-” He sighs in relief, the old woman looking over at the item curiously.

“Do you know which ones your friend has already?” She asks as she stands up from her searching spot, stretching her back a little as she moves to the cart. “I have a few other books written by the same person, just got them a week ago during a trade.” She says as she moves a few things around inside the cart, pulling out a small wrapped bundle. Xie’er peers over curiously as she unwraps the books, holding two of them out for Xie’er to look at.

To the Scorpion’s surprise one of the books is the other that the Shaman needs for his collection, while the second is one he’s never heard of before. He knows he doesn’t have either, and he carefully accepts them when she offers for him to look through. Ye Baiyi holds the book Xie’er had previously been holding, a soft, pleased smile settling on the Immortal’s lips as he watches Xie Wang flip through the pages gently.

Both books seem to be written by the same author as far as Xie'er can tell; The grammar, style, and word choice all seem the same, and their stamped signature was the same on the inner cover. He glances to Ye Baiyi and then to the woman now sitting back on her stool.

“I’ll take all three.” He decides, and the woman seems a little surprised but offers a smile regardless. She tells him the price and Ye Baiyi holds the books as Xie Wang digs out his coin bag, holding out a little more than the agreed price. “Thank you for your help, these will be a perfect addition to his collection.” He thanks when the woman opens her mouth to protest the extra money, hesitantly accepting when he assures her he means to give it to her.

Ye Baiyi holds the books out when Xie’er’s done paying the woman, and the two make their way back to the inn, a small grin dancing across Xie Wang’s face.

“He’ll love them.” Baiyi assures, and Xie’er nods, looking over to the Immortal.

“Thank you for your help looking. They’ll be from both of us.” He says with an almost soft expression that he blames on the residual adrenaline making him a little overly cheery. ‘This kid’s gonna be the death of me-’ Ye Baiyi thinks fondly as he chuckles at the thanks.

“Glad to help. Now we just have to wrap them and wait for the big day.” Ye Baiyi says as they enter the inn, the younger hiding the books with his sleeves as they go to their room to hide them properly.

The big day, as Ye Baiyi calls it, arrives a week or so later, and Xie’er’s practically vibrating with energy the whole day. He was excited to give his gift to the healer, even more excited to see his reaction to the books.

Everyone settles in for a good meal at the inn that night, enjoying a variety of food and deserts, drinking happily as they chat amongst themselves. When the time for presents finally comes everyone puts their gifts in the center of the table for Wu Xi to open.

He seems a little surprised and more than a little embarrassed, but with some reassurance from Jing Beiyuan, he starts to open the gifts. They range from hard to find dried herbs and plants to a new mortar and pestle, and finally Xie’er’s books. Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu seem a little surprised when they see the books, the pair looking to Xie’er since they hadn’t gotten them, and the Prince had gotten him something else, so it left only Xie’er and Ye Baiyi. Wu Xi looks up to them with a smile that relaxes Xie’er’s racing heart, and the younger grins in return.

“I’m surprised you were able to find them.” He says as he looks over the covers appreciatively. “I’ve only ever heard this one mentioned once or twice,” He notes as he looks at the book Xie’er had most definitely never heard of. “Thank you, all of you. I’ll be sure to make good use of all of your gifts.” Wu Xi says with a thankful bow of his head, the group once more buzzing with conversation about the presents and the day they’d had.

Xie’er finds himself smiling the rest of the night, even as he's getting ready for bed he can’t shake the slight warmth of happiness that lingers in his chest. He’d found a good gift, and Wu Xi had liked it. He’d done something good, someone he respected thought he did a good job, and he was proud of himself for it. It wasn’t something he was used to feeling, not in such a mundane way, but it was a pleasant feeling nonetheless.

“Alright, time for some rest.” Ye Baiyi says as he enters the room, stretching with a yawn. “Have you taken yours yet?” He asks as he holds up his own pill bottle, taking his sedative, and Xie’er shakes his head as he reaches to do the same.

“Forgot.” Ye Baiyi nods as he moves to turn out the lights, the darkness only eased by the moon shining in through the screen of the window.

“Try not to make it a habit, I’d hate to see you sleeping poorly again.” He says, and Xie’er makes a noise of agreement. They lay in their beds for a while, a comfortable silence between them, and Xie’er closes his eyes, willing himself not to fall asleep the moment he does.

“Thanks for today.” He mumbles with a yawn, and Baiyi smiles a little to himself.

“It’s no trouble.” He replies, closing his own eyes. “Try and get some sleep, kid.”

“Mm,” He agrees, sleep sounded good, an early night sounded even better after the exciting day. “Goodnight, Ye Baiyi.” He says as he pulls his covers up, readjusting and getting comfortable in bed with a yawn. “See you in the morning.” He mutters as he starts to drift off, the older man not faring much better.

“Night, Xie’er.” Ye Baiyi says as the younger’s breathing evens out, no doubt asleep now. Ye Baiyi lets out a soft sigh as he lets himself feel the warmth in his chest, the pleasant weight of contentment paired with the comfort of his bed easing him into a deep sleep minutes later.

In all fairness, Xie’er had forgotten he’d told the group his birthday, had forgotten they were the type to remember such things about a person, so when Ye Baiyi wakes him the morning of his birthday he thinks nothing of it.

That is until breakfast where, much to his surprise, everyone is awake and waiting for them. They’re up earlier than usual, but he just assumes they’re maybe going to the site later to check on the buildings, so he once more thinks nothing of it.

He’s a little confused when Ye Baiyi orders all of what he’s over time figured out are Xie’er’s favorite dishes, the younger man raising an eyebrow but not questioning it. The day goes on like normal, and towards the evening he and Ye Baiyi take a walk around town, the Scorpion King just happy to be able to get some fresh air and enjoy the lingering warmth of the summer day.

“You look rather pleased with yourself.” He notes as they wander, looking to Baiyi with a furrowed brow. “What’ve you done this time?” He asks, narrowing his eyes in faux suspicion, though his curiosity is obvious enough.

“You’ll have to wait and see.” Ye Baiyi says with a smug little smile, and Xie’er huffs, pretending to pout as he crosses his arms.

“It's rude to keep secrets, you know.” He sighs dramatically, letting his arms fall to his side. “Not even a hint?”

“You’ll like it.” He says with a self satisfied smirk, and Xie’er raises an eyebrow at that.

“I’ll like it?” He repeats, wondering what the statement meant. “Now I’m even more curious, Ye Baiyi, you can’t just tell me I’ll enjoy something without telling me what it is-'' He complains, and he notes they're on their way back towards the inn, the path familiar enough by now.

“Sorry, that’s all you get to know.” He replies, and Xie Wang huffs softly but drops the subject, changing it to the plans for the upcoming week. Soon enough they’re back at the inn and climbing the stairs, the younger confused when he notices the others sitting there, looking like they were waiting for them.

“Aiyah, you took so long old monster, we were waiting forever!” Wen Kexing complains dramatically, though he’s smiling fondly at the two of them. Xie’er’s suspicion increases when he notices the small pile of wrapped objects sitting on his and Ye Baiyi’s usual table.

Ye Baiyi directs him to sit in his usual spot, the group looking between them as Xie’er’s face twists in confusion.

“..Why is everyone staring?” He asks hesitantly, and Baiyi passes him the first gift, the Scorpion furrowing his brow. “ What's this for..?”

“They’re presents.” Zhou Zishu says as he nods towards the stack. “You mentioned today was your birthday, so we all got you something to celebrate.” He reasons, and Xie’er swears he feels his heart stop for a moment. He looks to Ye Baiyi as his cheeks and ears go bright red, embarrassment and realization crossing his expression.

“You-”

“You’ve been with us for nearly a year, obviously we wouldn’t leave you out of the festivities.” Wen Kexing reminds as he fans himself with a pleased smile, and Xie’er looks around at all of them. He was shocked any of them even remembered, nonetheless bought him gifts, his heart fluttering in his chest as he looked back to the gift Ye Baiyi was still holding out to him. There's anxiety in being acknowledged, in being seen and heard and remembered, and there's a second he considers running to his and Ye Baiyi's room to hide from all of the attention, but he stays still. Ye Baiyi notices the wariness, moving to place the gift in Xie'er's hands with a supportive nod, the older man giving a small, almost soft smile when Xie'er's uncertain gaze meets his.

Hesitantly, carefully, Xie’er goes about unwrapping it, pausing when he finally sees what's inside the wrapping. It’s a book, similar to the ones he’d gotten Wu XI, but this was one he’d grown up reading, one he’d mentioned a while ago had been his favorite when he lived at the palace. His fingers trace over the characters on the cover and he can’t help but furrow his brow a bit, glancing up to see Wu Xi smiling a bit. So that’s who’d gotten it. The Great Shaman of Nanjiang had remembered something Xie'er would consider so trivial in the moment, but now, now the gift felt worth it's weight in gold.

Ye Baiyi encourages him to open the rest, the Scorpion mindfully setting each gift down on the table before he moves onto the next. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing had gotten him a new mortar and pestle since he’d accidentally dropped his previous one. The Prince and the Shaman had gotten him a few books he’d gushed about in the past but couldn’t find recently, as well as what could be considered the start of his own medicine kit. Chengling had even gotten him a small variety of pretty silver hair baubles since he knew Xie'er had gotten rid of his old ones due to the memories they carried with them.

By the time he’s got everything unwrapped, Xie’er’s embarrassment and anxiety is still there, but the warmth of the gestures has left him speechless. He’s looking over the items and the people that gifted them with a mix of fondness and awe when Ye Baiyi chuckles softly, getting up and going to their room for a moment. His hand brushes over Xie'er's back when he passes, a gentle touch that Xie'er barely has time to register before Zhou Zishu is speaking.

“He’s speechless and he hasn’t even seen the last one.” Zhou Zishu teases, and Wen Kexing grins, leaning in to whisper what Xie’er can barely make out as ‘I bet he’ll cry’. “No bet." Zhou Zishu says as he glances tot eh scorpion, covering a playful smirk with a sip from his cup. "He will." It's enough to distract him, enough for Ye Baiyi to come back out without his noticing, and the pair fall silent when he stops a few feet behind Xie'er.

“What're you talking ab-” Xie’er’s cut off by someone tapping his shoulder, and he turns around to see Ye Baiyi standing there, clearly holding something behind his back. Xie Wang eyes him with confusion and suspicion at the less-than-natural standing position, furrowing his brows at the smile Ye Baiyi is clearly trying to hide.

“Last one,” Ye Baiyi says as he takes a step away from Xie’er to have room to move, the Immortal pulling the surprise from behind his back. Xie’er’s eyes widen as he looks at it, the Scorpion King standing up as he processes the gift. Once more it feels like his heart stops, his breath caught in his throat as he looks down at what Ye Baiyi is calling his final gift.

It’s a pipa; Not the one he used to have, but it’s a similar in color. The wood was stained a similar darkish color, with intricate carvings up and down the body, and he can’t help but shake his head a little when Ye Baiyi holds it to him.

“You..” He starts, not sure what to say as tears well in his eyes.

“It’s a shame for a musician not to be able to play his instrument.” Baiyi says with a grin, and Xie’er accepts the instrument with shaking hands when Ye Baiyi gives him a little nod of reassurance. Xie'er's staring down at the pipa with a mixed expression; On one hand, he was so incredibly grateful for the gift, so thankful to have something so familiar. On the other, he was uncertain. Surely they knew the things he'd done, the things he /could do/ with the instrument. He'd killed with his pipa before, his previous instrument had taken countless lives, giving him one now was the same as gifting him a weapon. He swallows hard as his fingers ghost over the threads, his hands unsteady and his throat tight as he thinks over the implications. They trusted him with this. Trusted him not to hurt them, not to use the instrument against them in any way, but instead wanted him to have something familiar, something that clearly brought him immense joy, if his recounting of stories was anything to go by. Xie'er takes a shaky breath as the tears fall down his cheeks, the younger man looking up to Ye Baiyi with another uncertain look. 'Are you sure?' his face reads, and Ye Baiyi's expression softens for a moment as he places a hand on his shoulder. "It's all yours, Xie'er." Baiyi says, and the table watches with a mixture of concern and anxious hope as Xie Wang looks back down to the instrument in his hands. It’s overwhelming how heard and seen he feels in that moment; His heart is pounding in his chest as he steps forward, body moving on it's own accord as he wraps his arms around Ye Baiyi in a moment of gratitude and joy. Tears fall down his cheeks as he laughs, the older man surprised by the contact and sound before he’s returning the hug a moment later.

The table erupts with little cheers and claps as they pull apart, Xie’er wiping his cheeks with his hands as he looks at the instrument once more. He can’t help but grin as he looks up at the others, embarrassed but overjoyed nonetheless.

“I-I didn’t-” He takes a breath, expression going sheepish for a moment as his gaze darts from their faces to the table. “I didn’t know any of you planned on doing this, but it’s- It’s greatly appreciated.” He says, voice cracking as new tears threaten to fall, the assassin laughing a little as he dries his eyes. “I don’t, I don’t know why I’m crying-”

“You should play something!” Chengling chimes in to lighten the mood, and Xie Wang's eyes widen a little, shocked by the suggestion. Sure, he was given the instrument, but that was different from him playing it around them. Surely they knew how dangerous that request could be, surely they weren't /that/ comfortable with him?

“I don’t-”

“He should.” Zhou Zishu agrees, leaning back in his chair, and Xie’er hesitates at the permission. There’s a few agreements from the others at the table, and Ye Baiyi sits down as Xie’er thinks it over. They trusted him with the Pipa, they trusted /him/ of all people not to hurt them when he so easily could, and the thought makes his heart flutter once more. He takes a breath and nods, trying to find his voice amongst the sea of emotions he was feeling.

“A-alright-” He agrees, and Chengling gives a little ‘yes!’ as Xie Wang settles into his seat with the stringed instrument.

It takes him a moment to think of what to play, but eventually his hands are steady enough as they find the strings and he takes a breath. ‘Just play’ his brain reasons, and he closes his eyes for a moment before he strums the first notes of one of the songs he’d written when he was younger.

The table falls silent and everyone watches with curious attentiveness as he plays on, the soft, sweet notes of the pipa drifting through the air. It’s a pretty song, something light and airy sounding; He’d made it for Du Pusa shortly after they’d met and started working together, she’d politely demanded he write her something to sing to after hearing him play a few times, and he’d been inspired by her voice when she sang for him that night when they were gathered around the fire.

As the song slowly comes to an end, Xie’er opens his eyes, cheeks burning the moment he sees the surprise and approval on the group's faces. Ye Baiyi looks incredibly proud of him, and it doesn’t help the vivid blush in the slightest, nor does it ease his rapid pulse.

“It’s been a while since I’ve played,” Xie’er notes to break the silence, shifting a bit in his seat as he looks down at the Pipa. “So I might be a little out of practice.” He says despite the nearly flawless performance, and Zhou Zishu chuckles, shaking his head. Ye Baiyi places a hand on his shoulder and the younger glances up at him.

“You did just fine, kid.” He assures, and Wen Kexing flicks his fan open, hiding a smile behind it.

“You’re better than I thought you’d be after this long.” The ghost chief says, and Xie’er rolls his eyes playfully at Kexing's compliment.

“I guess it's just something you don't forget.” He replies, and the group request another song or two before they’re all retiring for the night, Ye Baiyi helping Xie’er carry his gifts back to their room.

Xie’er sets the pipa down in the corner of the room before dealing with the rest of the gifts, setting things where he’d remember them and be able to use them when he wanted. The younger man places a few of the hair baubles in the small braids in his hair, adding little accents of sparkling metal here and there. He’s still sporting the singular braid Ye Baiyi had put his hair in, plus the addition of a few tiny braids here and there in the down portion of his hair.

“You were really surprised, huh?” Baiyi asks as he takes a seat on his bed, watching Xie’er flick through one of the books with a soft smile on his face.

“I was-” He agrees, looking up to Ye Baiyi with that same expression of fondness as he closes the book. “I didn’t have a clue what was going on until we got to dinner and you held the first gift out to me, I just figured everyone was having an odd morning.” He admits sheepishly, setting the book on the nightstand by his desk.

“I’m glad it worked then, we wanted to make it a surprise, thought it would be more fun that way.”

“Well it was.” Xie Wang agrees as he grabs a change of clothes to get ready for bed. Ye Baiyi does the same, waiting for Xie’er to come back before going to change himself.

Xie Wang has the pipa in his lap when he returns, the younger tuning it a little as Ye Baiyi closes the doors to the bathroom.

“Gonna play a song for me?” Ye Baiyi jokes and Xie’er looks up at him with a smirk.

“Do you /want/ me to?” He questions, and the Immortal looks at him for a moment before sitting back down on his bed making a ‘go ahead’ gesture.

Xie Wang thinks for a moment before picking the instrument up properly, getting into position before glancing up to Ye Baiyi as he starts strumming and plucking the strings. The older man tilts his head a little as he listens, closing his eyes to properly appreciate the music. Xie’er smiles a little as he plays, the peaceful look on Ye Baiyi’s face as he listens is one he doesn’t often get to see, but one he’s come to enjoy all the same.

He looks down to the strings as he plays Du Pusa’s lullaby, the soft, slow music drifting from the pipa lazily. For a moment he lets himself imagine the jar of ashes sitting next to the table are actually her there with him, listening and humming along. He’ll find somewhere nice for her, he reminds himself, somewhere she can be at peace.

When the song ends, they both open their eyes. Ye Baiyi smiles softly at the younger man as the final notes eventually float away leaving silence in their wake.

“You asked me once if I had a favorite song,” He says with a soft, tired tone, and Baiyi nods. “That was it.” He's got an almost wistful expression on his face that Ye Baiyi watches closely, but it doesn't seem to shift to anything negative yet.

“She’d be proud of you.” Ye Baiyi replies with as gentle of a tone as he has, and Xie’er looks down with a small nod.

“I know she would.” He agrees despite the lump in his throat. He gets up and sets the pipa down in the corner once more; It’ll be safe from getting bumped into or knocked over there. “She always hated Zhao Jing, the things he'd do and say, how he'd treat me." He admits after a moment. "I think she and Qin Song were the only ones that ever really gave a shit about how I was treated back then." Xie'er sighs as he traces a finger over the pipa's strings. "..I’d like to scatter her ashes before summer ends,” He notes, swallowing down the emotions threatening to bubble up. “Bring them somewhere nice, somewhere she’d enjoy.”

Ye Baiyi nods in understanding, blowing out the candles when Xie’er crawls into bed and lays down. They’ve both taken their pills, so it’s a matter of time before they’re drifting off. Xie'er can already feel the sedative kicking in a little, the sharp edge of his emotions dulling a little with the medicines effect. Ye Baiyi frowns slightly at the admissions, at the knowledge that that chapter of Xie'er's life was done, dead and buried. In a way he's grateful it's over, that the younger man can move on from the pain uninterrupted and untethered, but he also knows how hard it is to lose those you care about. Xie'er had lost his only friends in that avalanche, and while he had the start of new ones, nothing would ever fully erase that pain.

“There’s always the road out of town, with all of the blooming trees and seasonal flowers.” Ye Baiyi suggests, and Xie’er nods.

“I think she’d like that. She always did like flowers, especially peach blossoms.” He agrees with a sigh. "She'd like seeing new faces all the time, too. Think that's why she liked to travel so much, she got to see things and meet people without the worry of commitment, got to have fun without any expectation of something more..." Xie’er’s silent for a minute or two before he speaks up again, his thoughts swirling around heavy and dark in his chest. “..Am I a bad person for leaving him up there..?” He asks quietly, voice barely above a whisper as he speaks. Ye Baiyi hears him though, he always does.

“No- “ He says immediately, and Xie’er feels his chest tighten a little. “No, kid, you’re not a bad person-” He assures, sitting up to look over at Xie’er. “You’re not a bad person, Xie’er, what he did was terrible. You didn’t deserve any of it.” He reminds, and Xie’er holds back the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. His hands are gripping the blankets tight as he holds back a whimper at the reminders.

“He deserves to sit and rot on that mountain, you owe him nothing. You don’t owe him a burial, nor do you owe him an apology for not going up there to get him.” He reasons, and Xie Wang takes a shaky breath in as he lets Ye Baiyi’s words into his heart. He was right, after everything his Yifu did, he really did deserve to sit there and rot. It's painful to think about, even now, but he knows the Immortal was right in the end. It takes Xie Wang a few minutes to calm down and balance himself out, but Ye Baiyi gives him all of the time he needs. He was a patient man, and he knew how deep this scar ran over Xie'er's heart, rushing would only make it hurt worse. No, he'd be there for the smaller man, he'd reassure him as many times as he needed until he believed the truths Ye Baiyi spoke, and even after he'd remind him just to make sure they stuck.

“...Thank you..” He mutters when he can trust his own voice again. “..I’m sorry I’m such a mess.” He sighs, laughing a little as he wipes his eyes, the sound a little self deprecating but Ye Baiyi lets it slide.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Xie’er.” Baiyi reassures him, the older man watching him for a moment before laying back down when Xie'er does. “We all have our ghosts, you don’t need to apologize for them, not to me.” He replies, and even though Xie’er can't see him in the dark, he can still hear the gentle understanding in the man’s words.

“You’re right.” He agrees, sighing as he lets his arm cover his eyes. “...You’re always right...”

“Well, I don’t know about /always/-” Baiyi half jokes to lighten the others mood, and Xie’er can tell how tired he sounds, how close to sleep he is. He’s not faring much better himself now that his emotions are settled and his medicine is in full effect.

“Mm, maybe not always, but close enough to.” He mumbled, yawning as he lets his arm fall to his side. “..Thank you, though. I may not show it, but it is appreciated. All of it.”

“Get some sleep, Xie’er.” Ye Baiyi says with a soft fondness that makes Xie Wang smile a little as he drifts off.

Chapter Text

It’s the tail end of summer and Xie’er finds himself standing at the crossroads at the start of the long road out to Four Seasons Manor; The trees are in bloom and the flowers are fragrant as he stands there taking in the sights.

Ye Baiyi is standing there next to him, silent and supportive as Xie’er holds the jar of ashes he’d promised to scatter. He clutches it to his chest as he closes his eyes. These would be the last moments he and Du Pusa were together, the last moments he’d be carrying her ashes, and a part of him wasn’t ready to let go.

‘She’s finally at peace.’ He reminds himself, the Scorpion King sighing as he opens his eyes, looking over to Ye Baiyi for reassurance. It hurt his heart knowing she was gone, truly gone, but he was glad that he was able to grant her wishes and set her free somewhere truly beautiful and peaceful. She'd always loved people watching, and she loves when the trees would bloom their delicate blossoms, so he thought this was the perfect place for her. She's be able to watch the disciples and his new friends come and go, be able to watch travelers and martial artists of all types walk the trail, all while surrounded by beautiful plants and trees. Baiyi gives him a nod and squeezes his shoulder, and Xie’er lets out the breath he’d been holding. He could do this.

Xie Wang removes the lid of the jar carefully, sprinkling the ashes inside out below a large, flowering tree he'd ordered her headstone to be placed at. He says a few words, quiet and fond as he does so, memories and words of endearment for his deceased friend.

“I’ll visit often.” He promises quietly as the jar empties, Xie Wang furrowing his brow a bit as he closes his eyes. He could almost feel her there, standing with him as the gentle breeze blew against his robes. For a moment he imagines it’s her holding him one last time before she’s at peace.

After a minute Ye Baiyi places a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently as Xie’er leans into the man’s side.

“She’ll like it here..” The Scorpion King mumbles, and the Sword Immortal hums his agreement.

“She’d would.” He agrees, Xie’er looking up at the man next to him for a moment. He wonders if Du Pusa would get along with him, if she would approve of his choice of company. He thinks she would once they got past the initial meeting; They were both sharp people, intelligent and sarcastic, both great lovers of food. They knew him better than anyone, and he knew she'd approve if she saw how he affected the Scorpion. He made Xie’er happy, even if the ex-assassin refused to acknowledge the warmth in his chest whenever they were together, and he was sure she’d have seen his feelings long before he had. She'd have teased him endlessly about it once he'd come to realize them; He'd never hear the end of it if she were still around.

“Let’s head back.” Xie’er says, standing up straight as he glances back to the tree one last time. ‘I’ll be back, I promise.’ He swears to Du Pusa and himself, following Ye Baiyi back down the road towards the inn.

The day goes by slowly, Xie’er plays his pipa for a while in their room, and eventually comes out to play a song when Chengling politely badgers them into coming out for a while. He’s tired, and he doesn’t feel like being out for long, but he plays a few songs for them regardless. It helps, as much as he hates to admit it, and he feels a little better after playing through his feelings.

“We could have lunch there sometime, if you’d like.” Ye Baiyi offers over food, and Xie’er glances up, nodding his approval.

“I’d like that. I could bring my pipa and play for her when we’re done eating. It’s a nice place to sit for a while.” He agrees, and Baiyi nods in return. The younger cracks a small smile as they continue eating, the occasional comment or story shared between them as they relax and sip their tea afterwards.

The rebuilding of the manor goes into the fall as expected, the main building looking closer to completion with each passing week. It’ll still be a few months before the rest of it’s caught up but it’s progress, and the structures are on track to be completed before winter. The insides will take another few months to furnish and decorate once the snow thaws again in the spring, but they knew it’d take a while.

Ye Baiyi and Xie Wang spend their days there with Zhou Zishu and his partner and friends, the group overseeing the construction, lending hands where they could, and it’s hard work but it’s satisfying.

Xie’er finds himself growing closer to these people as time goes on, growing closer to Ye Baiyi especially. The man never expected anything of him, never demanded or took without permission, and it’s such a stark change from Zhao Jing that it feels wrong putting them in the same category of adoration. He can’t deny the feelings that have been forming, though, and at the end of the day he knows he can only ignore them for so long.

“What’re you thinking about?” The Immortal asks over breakfast, and Xie’er gives a small smile as he takes a drink of his tea.

“It’s a secret.” He says with a hum, and Ye Baiyi laughs, giving him a curious look.

“That so?”

“Mm.” Xie’er agrees and Ye Baiyi nods, amused by the younger as he snacks on some dried fruit.

“Are you gonna give me any hints?” Xie’er pretends to think about it for a moment, and Ye Baiyi appreciates the soft, relaxed expression on the younger man’s face. Xie’er was an effortless sort of pretty, in Ye Baiyi’s opinion. Even when he just woke up he was a sight to behold, all tired puppy dog eyes and sleep pinkened cheeks, but in moments like this, moments he was at peace and happy, he was breathtaking.

“Thinking about someone.” Xie Wang says after a moment, feeling emboldened by the lack of people around them and by the smile on Ye Baiyi’s face. He liked all of Ye Baiyi’s smiles, but this one, the one of slight amusement and curiosity, it had to be one of his favorites.

“Oh? Someone we know?” Baiyi asks, and Xie’er nods, resting his head in his hand. “Thinking about talking with Wu Xi again?” He asks, a touch of worry in his tone, and the shake of Xie’er’s head relaxes the man immediately.

“No, I’ve been sleeping fine.” He assures, not that Ye Baiyi doesn’t know that. They still share a room despite him being ‘set loose on the world’, Wen Kexing’s words, not his. He didn’t mind though, if anything sleeping in the same room as the Immortal eased his mind. The few nights Ye Baiyi had gone with Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing to oversee construction or visit a different town for supplies left Xie’er tired and grouchy, the younger tossing and turning for most of the night.

“Mm..” Ye Baiyi makes a contemplative sound as he thinks. “Zhou Zishu? I saw you two were talking about something earlier today.” Xie’er hesitates at that but shakes his head. He /had/ been asking Zhou Zishu for advice, but he hadn’t thought Ye Baiyi noticed. Embarrassment burns his ears as he thinks about the Immortal noticing his absence, even just for the hour he was gone earlier. He wonders if Zhou Zishu said anything to Ye Baiyi, if he mentioned their topic of discussion was the Immortal himself.

“No.” He replies, and Ye Baiyi hums once more, shaking his head.

“I’ve got no clue, then.” He gives in, and Xie’er’s worries are eased momentarily. So Zishu hadn't told him anything, that was good. That left him with the urge to tell him himself, though, the urge to share his thoughts and feelings then and there but he stops himself. Maybe if the Immortal had guessed right he’d have told him, but now didn't feel right. Maybe some other time, some time it felt right to say something, some time he could better handle the inevitable rejection.

"It’s not important.” Xie’er assures, smiling over at the man. “Let’s have some more tea, hmm?”

The day passes, and so do a handful of others. He spends his time with Ye Baiyi, playing Go and talking, walking and shopping. It feels comfortable, feels right and good. They celebrate birthdays as they come and visit the manor regularly as it’s being built.

Xie’er can't help but be a little restless on any given day, though, too much time spent indoors reminded him too much of being stuck in the palace, and Ye Baiyi seems to feel the same. Maybe it reminded him of the mountain, stuck in a temple for decades without leave.

“How about a walk, Ye Baiyi?” He offers as he stands and stretches, the older man nodding and following him down the stairs and out the entrance. Xie’er hums his approval at the faintly cool autumn air; Someone’s roasting some sort of meat a few doors down and he can smell it, someone else drying tea leaves, the fragrance mixing with the cooked meat to make a pleasant aroma.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.” Baiyi notes as he nudges the younger gently, and Xie’er laughs a bit, nodding his head.

“It’s been a pleasant day.” He shrugs, glancing over to Ye Baiyi, studying the man for a moment. He was smiling, a softer one he was wearing more and more often these days. When he’d first met him, Ye Baiyi was cold and distant, like he dreaded getting close to others. Now, though, he and the Immortal spent most of their days together, something that had done little to ease the flutter of his heart and the thoughts in his head.

He knew he was a goner, knew he was too far into it now, and the idea scared him a little. He had Ye Baiyi to himself more often than not, he could be greedy with taking his attention, but he knew eventually the Immortal would catch on, if he hadn’t already. Ye Baiyi wasn’t a stupid man, he’d figure it out eventually, and Xie’er dreaded that day as much as he longed for it. A part of him wanted to make that day come quicker, to share his feelings and get it over with, to deal with whatever came afterwards sooner rather than later. He keeps his mouth shut, though, locks the feelings up in his heart and only acknowledges them when he's alone. Ye Baiyi was a good man, but Xie'er assumed there would some day be an end to that kindness if he stepped over that line, if he gave in and told him too much. It /was/ too much, in Xie'er's opinion; He'd never loved lightly, never felt anything lightly, if he was honest with himself. He was always a tsunami of feelings, and his love was no different. Zhao Jing had always told him he was smothering, on days Xie'er got a little too needy or close, and even though the man was dead and gone, even though Xie'er was glad for that, he always worried he was right.

Xie'er buries his worries down, ignored them for the time being as he and Baiyi walk out of town. He can't help but admire the way the Immortal always walks with a sort of easy grace, he's beautiful in a way Xie'er rarely considered people, handsome and poise and ever so patient.

Ye Baiyi leads Xie’er down their usual path, all the while pretending he doesn’t see Xie’er looking at him from time to time, though he can’t help the small smile the attention gives. A part of him enjoyed the time he spent with the Scorpion King, another part felt selfish keeping him to himself, but Xie’er never seemed to mind so he never bothered correcting his own behavior. The logical part of his brain knew it was a bad idea to get this involved, to get this attached, but he couldn’t help it. Not when the younger was looking at him with those pretty dark brown eyes, with the way his lips quirked into a smile at whatever thought was going on in his head as he stole glances.

Xie’er nudges him and he nods towards one of the paths they take on occasion, the one that leads down to the water. He gets the hint and walks down the path, looking down to Xie’er curiously. He doesn’t have to ask the question aloud for Xie’er to understand the look, and it amuses him that they’ve become so in sync.

“Change of scenery.” He excuses, arms crossed behind his back as they walk. He wants to sit by the water with Baiyi; He wants to see the sunset reflected over the rippling lake and watch the birds float lazily about its surface while in good company. Most of all he just wants to be close to the other, sit next to him somewhere quiet for a while.

“Fair enough.” Baiyi chuckles, and he’s glad for the longer path, for the longer time spent with the Scorpion King. It was a bad idea, he’d told himself time and time again, but he’d already fallen down the rabbit hole. He’d enjoy it while he could, enjoy it while it lasted, because it would inevitably end when Xie’er realized the feelings he held.

'He could do better.’ He’d reminded himself of it constantly, but it still stung to think about him with someone else. Someone who wasn’t awkward with feelings and words, someone who wasn’t stiff and timeless. Someone that wasn't Ye Baiyi.

He blinks away the thoughts when they arrive by the water, the younger walking down to the shore to sit on one of the large flat stones there. Ye Baiyi sits down next to him and they watch the sky change in silence, enjoying the cool breeze and the vibrancy of the setting sun. Off in the distance some birds float about the water, and a small boat drifts down the way towards one of the docks further down the bank.

Xie’er looks over to Ye Baiyi, his face is painted in soft pinks and oranges and golds of the sunset, and Xie’er feels his heart pound in his chest. He looks beautiful painted in the warm glow of the sky, almost ethereal. He looks like what Xie’er imagines an Immortal ought to look, heavenly and wonderful and far too tempting.

He craves closeness in that moment, craves touch and warmth, and the look Ye Baiyi gives him when he looks down melts his heart. There’s that guarded look of content; Ye Baiyi was always so wary to relax and let himself enjoy things, but Xie’er swears for a moment he sees something like affection in that gaze. It makes his heart flutter, and the Scorpion searches his eyes for answers to the million questions running through his mind.

Ye Baiyi watches Xie’er’s expression change as he forces himself to look away, focusing on the water instead of Baiyi. The Sword Immortal almost misses being at the center of Xie'er's gaze, but the peaceful expression that replaces it as the younger watches the water is nice, too.

“You know, you never told me when your birthday was.” Xie’er hums as the sky starts to shift to soft lilacs, indigos, and violets. “We promised to celebrate everyone, that means you too.” He reasons, and Baiyi chuckles softly, leaning back on his hands. The Immortal caves and tells him the date, Xie’er’s eyes darting up to him with a surprised look.

“That’s- That's in two weeks!” He swats the Immortal’s side lightly, scowling a little as he shakes his head. “You were just going to let us pass it by, weren’t you-” He grumbles, and Ye Baiyi can’t help but laugh at the pout on Xie’er’s lips. It's as endearing as it is attractive, the way the pout emphasizes his lips and those big brown eyes.

“Maybe.” He says and Xie’er knows it’s a ‘yes’. He sighs, giving Ye Baiyi a faux exasperated look.

“You’re impossible.” He complains, and Ye Baiyi nods.

“I know, but you’re stuck with me.” He teases, and Xie’er looks up at him once more, something crossing his expression for a moment as he purses his lips. Ye Baiyi’s about to ask what the problem was when Xie’er shakes his head, sighing a bit as he looks away.

“I’m not /stuck/ with you, you know.” He replies, furrowing his brow as he looks over the water, his expression complicated, almost guarded compared to a few minutes ago. “..I could have left by now if I wanted to.”

“Then why do you stay?” Ye Baiyi asks, it’s a selfish question and he knows it’s a mistake, knows it’s too much vulnerability, too personal, but Xie’er just shrugs. He smiles in that closed off, wistful way he gets when he thinks too much on something, and Baiyi purses his lips.

“Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t know?” He asks, voice small as he fiddles with his rings, a gift from the Immortal when he’d seen him eyeing the jewelry at a booth a week or two prior.

“No.” Baiyi answers honestly, furrowing his brow at the body language and expression Xie’er had in that moment.

“I didn’t think so.” He sighs, and Ye Baiyi frowns a little.

“You don’t have to an-”

“And if I want to..?” Xie’er cuts him off, somehow sounding both uncertain and annoyed, and Ye Baiyi feels his heart sinking as Xie’er frowns down at his hands. This was it, the inevitable let down he’d been telling himself to prepare for. The reminder that he wasn’t what the other wanted, what he needed. He’d seen it coming and it still snuck up on him somehow.

“We should head back-”

“I stay for you-”

They say it at the same time, and Baiyi blinks, processing the words as Xie’er’s cheeks burn a bright red.

“What did you-”

“We should head back-” Xie’er cuts him off once more with an agreement to his statement, suddenly feeling sick as Ye Baiyi frowns at him. He feels his heart drop to his stomach at the confusion on the man’s face, his hand shaking as he stands, fully intending on walking back to town as fast as he could. Maybe run back, he thinks for a moment, hide in their room, or some back alley until the storm blows over.

“Wait-” Ye Baiyi’s hand darts out as he stands, catching Xie’er’s wrist in his hand, holding him still as the younger man starts to walk off.

“Xie’er.” He says, and Xie Wang swallows hard, swallows down the anxiety and fear and panic and sickness welling inside him. “Look at me.” He asks more than demands, and Xie’er closes his eyes, letting his head fall as he sighs.

It takes him a moment to gain the courage to turn around, eyes opening when he’s facing Ye Baiyi, and the older man’s face holds everything Xie’er hoped it wouldn’t. Confusion, uncertainty, wariness. He has the same look on his face as he does when Xie’er recounts a memory of something that makes Baiyi question his upbringing and choices, the same look he gets when something changes the way he sees Xie'er for a moment, and it hurts his heart to know this was going to be another moment that changes something between them.

“What?” He croaks out, the lump in his throat making it hard to speak. Ye Baiyi’s frown only grows at that, and the younger refuses to look at his face anymore.

“What did you mean by that?” Baiyi asks, and Xie’er frowns at the question.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He lies, and Baiyi sighs as he gives him a look.

“Yes you do, Xie’er.” He replies, and the Scorpion King remains silent. “Kid, please.”

“It was nothing, just ignore it-”

“Xie’er, would you just-”

Xie’er’s moving before he can stop himself, stepping close and yanking the Immortal to him, his lips crashing against Ye Baiyi’s own. It surprises both of them, and after a moment to register what was going on Ye Baiyi pulls away with an expression of shock and confusion.

“What the hell was-”

“You wanted to know what I meant, there you go- Are you happy now?” Xie’er hisses, refusing to look at him as his hands clench at his sides. He knows he fucked up, can tell in the way silence hangs around them, the way Ye Baiyi stands tiff as a board, not moving an inch as he stares at Xie’er silently. “Say something.” He demands, furrowing his brow as the silence stretches on. He risks a glance to Baiyi’s face, and he’s not sure he likes what he sees there. “Baiyi, say something.” He mutters, voice barely above a whisper while still crackling as he feels his breathing start to become uneven. Of course this would happen, of course he'd misread everything, of course he'd mess everything up by being the impulsive, foolish brat he always was.

“You didn’t mean that.” Baiyi says, voice firm as he seems to recover from the shock of the kiss. “You didn’t mean that, Xie’er.” He sounds like he’s saying it to himself now, like he’s trying to convince himself, and Xie’er laughs, a bitter, sharp sound.

“And if I did?” He questions, looking up at Baiyi properly now, anger and shame burning in his chest. “What if I did mean it, Ye Baiyi? What if I’d do it again, given the chance?”

“Xie’er-”

“No! No, you wanted to know what I meant, so I showed you! You don’t get to pretend I didn’t answer. You don’t get to tell me what I do and don’t feel, Baiyi-”

“Xie’er!” Ye Baiyi says a little louder than intended, and Xie Wang falls silent. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.” There’s a hint of desperation in his voice that wasn’t there before and it makes Xie’er’s anger melt. “I can’t do this again.” He says, and it suddenly makes sense. Xie Wang's eyes widen slightly at the words as the dots connect in his mind.

“Baiyi-” He breathes, furrowing his brow as he stares at the older man. He looks terrified, so on edge that Xie’er can’t help but step closer. He never considered it, the history the Immortal had, the way he’d lost his first love. He’d never thought about the way he’d been led on, unintentionally or otherwise, only to have his heart broken in the worst way. Maybe that man /had/ loved him in some sense, but it wasn’t the same, and he’d known that. He’d known it and then he died and he left Ye Baiyi alone. Now Ye Baiyi was pleading for Xie’er not to do the same.

“Don’t-”Ye Baiyi starts, and Xie’er cuts him off.

“‘I’d do it again, given the chance’.” Xie’er quotes, watching Ye Baiyi’s expression closely. “When we were traveling you told me you’d do all of this again if you had to. I’d do this again, too, all of it. I'd- I'd sit through every single event of my life all over again if it meant getting to this exact moment with you-" He reasons, his head feeling light and fuzzy in the wya it does right before an episode, but he ignores it in favor of trying to convince the Immortal. " All of it,” He repeats, and Ye Baiyi frowns as his heart aches at the words. “I’d do all of it again, even if it means your rejection because at least I’d be able to spend that time with you and-”

“Xie’er, please-”

“I’m being honest, Ye Baiyi, isn’t that what you’re always telling me to do?! Be honest with others and myself?!” He yells now, he doesn’t mean to but he can’t stop himself. “Tell me how you feel, Ye Baiyi.” He demands, voice wavering as he stares into Baiyi’s eyes. “Be honest with me.” Ye Baiyi is silent for some time, the older man’s gaze distant for a moment before Xie’er reaches for his hand, holding it with shaking fingers. “...Please…”

Ye Baiyi lets out a breath as he closes his eyes, head tilting back with a muttered curse. Xie’er frowns at him when he finally looks back down, waiting silently for what he assumes to be the inevitable. A part of him expects the rejection, but a small, hopeful part of him had thought maybe it would be ok. Maybe Ye Baiyi would accept him, would return his feelings, or at the least would forget the whole ordeal ever happened.

“Xie’er, I don’t..” He purses his lips, unsure of his words as he takes a moment to gather his thoughts. Xie’er’s heart sinks at the look on Ye Baiyi’s face, the younger nodding slowly, taking a shaky breath as Ye Baiyi trails off. That was it, then, the end of this, the end of the one good thing he'd found in his life.

“Right.” He says, nodding once more. “Right, of course.” He laughs, wiping the tears from his eyes as his worry and fear turns to anger. “Of course you don’t." he mutters, the sick feeling returning double as he shakes his head. "I shouldn’t have assumed you’d ever be interested-” He hisses, turning and running off before Ye Baiyi has a chance to stop him. The Immortal opens his mouth to speak but closes it immediately. ‘Good going, Ye Baiyi’ He thinks to himself as he sets off after the younger. ‘You really fucked it up this time, didn’t you?’ There's no response this time, there hasn't been in months, and Ye Baiyi knows Xie'er's the reason. He knows the younger had distracted him from the heartache and pain, had distracted him from the 'ghost' that used to haunt him.

When he gets back to the inn, Xie’er is nowhere in sight. He asks around if anyone’s seen him, and when Wen Kexing asks if something happened he just gives them the excuse of ‘we had a disagreement’. The others are quick to offer help looking for him, worry and uncertainty on their faces as Ye Baiyi agrees.

It’s nearly four and a half hours before someone finds him; Wen Kexing lets out a sigh of relief when he finds Xie’er tucked away in some back alley, a bottle of wine untouched by his side, eyes rimmed red as he stares blankly at the wall across the path. Thankfully, the younger seemed to be unharmed, no signs of self destruction or other injuries present as Kexing approaches, which is equally surprising as it is relieving.

“There you are, what are you d-”

“Fuck off.” He warns, not bothering looking up at Kexing until the other steps closer, crouching next to him. “I mean it Ghost Chief.”

“Aiyah, what’s gotten into you? Running off and acting so hostile, you’ve been doing so well lately, what wrong?” The older questions, and Xie’er scowls, reaching for the wine. Wen Kexing stops his hand and the Scorpion King yanks his hand back with a glare. “None of that, tell me what’s wrong.” He demands. “What happened out there?”

“I said fuck off, are you suddenly deaf? I don’t want to talk about it, so leave me alone-” He hisses at Kexing, and it's teh angriest he's seen him since the first months at teh original inn.

“Too bad, pest. You’re stuck with us, so you’d better just spill whatever is bothering you now, or it’s going to be an awkward walk back to the inn.” He reasons, and Xie’er feels his stomach churn at the idea of going back. For a second he thinks he might throw up, but the feeling settles into a sharp nausea as he stares at the ground.

“I’m not going back.”

“What-” Wen Kexing’s shocked by the words, eyes widening a bit before he laughs, shaking his head. “Where else would you go, Xie’er? You’ve been staying there for months, what’s the problem now?”

“I don’t want to go back.” He replies, voice cracking as he thinks about it, thinks about Ye Baiyi. “Just, fuck, just go away-” His voice is breaking as he closes his eyes tight, tears wetting his dark lashes.

“No.” Wen Kexing says with a sigh, moving to sit next to the other. “I’m not going away just because you’re having a fit over some fight you got in with the old monster. So you might as well tell me what’s going on so I can help fix this mess. After you tell me, we'll figure out what to do and then we can go back and get some rest, ok? The others are out looking for you too, you know.”

“A fight? Is that what he said?” He laughs, shaking his head as the older man frowns next to him.

“Was it not-”

“I confessed-” Xie’er blurts out, the edge of his words turning to a whine as he rests his arms on his knees, hiding his face in them as frustration and pain blooming in his chest. “I confessed and he didn't.. He doesn’t feel the same and I feel like such a fucking /idiot/ for not seeing it-” The words are muffled and broken but Wen Kexing makes them out after a moment of processing.

“You-?” Wen Kexing pauses, eyes wide as he stares at the Scorpion King. “You confessed..?” He questions, slowly processing the meaning behind those words. Things made more sense now, the lingering stares, the soft smiles and the time always spent together. “Ah-Xu did mention something about you and Ye Baiyi, but I didn't.. I didn’t know you felt that way for him-” Kexing admits, surprised but still trying to figure out how to fix this mess. “What did he say..?”

“He said ‘I don’t-’.” He mumbles, and Kexing barely makes it out. “Just trailed off after that.” He whines as he takes a shaky breath, willing himself not to cry despite the sharp pain in his heart. “I’m such an idiot-” He sobs, and Wen Kexing places a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re not an idiot, little scorpion.” He sighs, shaking his head. Xie'er's shoulder shook from the suppressed crying, and Kexing's heart aches for the smaller man. “That old man is, though.” He mumbles, standing and pulling Xie’er to his feet after a minute. “Come on, we’re going back. We at least need to tell the others you’re safe, and you two need to have a talk.”

“No- No I-I can’t-” Xie'er hiccups, eyes wide with panic, his heartbeat spiking at the thought of going back, of facing the mess he'd created.

“You’re not the type to run away, Xie’er. Don’t let this change that.” He reminds, and Xie’er furrows his brow, Wen Kexing guiding him through a few deep breaths when he notices how wound up he looks, how close to breaking the man seems. Xie'er does his best to follow the rhythm Kexing sets, and while his breath comes shaky and uneven, he eventually calms enough to not risk passing out or throwing up. "They'll want to know you're safe. Lets return, and you can get some rest, alright?" Xie'er whines but eventually lets Wen Kexing lead him back to the inn. Kexing tracks the others down and lets them know Xie’er’s back as the younger trudges his way up to their room. He flops down on his bed with a sigh before he's curling up on his side with fresh tears burning his eyes. He was dreading talking to Ye Baiyi, especially after he’d run off like a child, after he’d made them all worry about him. Now they all knew something had happened, he’d changed everything now, nothing would be the same after this. He never should have stopped running, should have just left and never come back, it’d be easier without him there, anyways.

Xie’er finds himself crying again by the time Ye Baiyi returns to the inn, the younger buried under his pile blankets like he was hiding away from something. Himself, maybe, Ye Baiyi most definitely.

“Kid?” Ye Baiyi says as he closes the bedroom doors behind him. When Xie’er stiffens and muffles a soft sob as Ye Baiyi approaches the bed, the Immortal sits down next to the blanket covered lump that was Xie Wang with a sigh. “..You wanna come out so we can talk?”

“No-” Xie’er hiccups, and Baiyi places a hand on what he correctly assumes is Xie’er’s shoulder after a second of hesitation.

“We need to talk, Xie’er.” He reasons, and it does little to help ease the turmoil in the younger man's heart.

“Just go away.” Xie’er whimpers, and Ye Baiyi frowns at the pain in his voice.

“We both know I’m not gonna do that, kid.” The older man reasons as he carefully pulls down the covers despite Xie’er’s protesting noises. Xie’er’s hiding his face in his robe sleeves when the blankets are removed, and Ye Baiyi sighs softly. “Come on, Xie’er, out of hiding.” He reasons softly, the ex-assassin giving a weak sound in protest before slowly moving his arms a few moments later. He still doesn't look at Baiyi now that his face is uncovered, which makes Ye Baiyi's heart ache more for the young man.

“Can you sit up?” Baiyi asks, scooting over a little for Xie’er to do just that. There’s some reluctance but he eventually does, the Scorpion pulling his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around them as he stares ahead dejectedly.

“Thank you.” Ye Baiyi says as he looks the younger man over for a moment, almost a little worried he’d find fresh bandages or blood somewhere, but he’s relieved when he finds neither. “About earlier-” Baiyi starts, and Xie’er frowns, resting his chin on his knees as he closes his eyes. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Xie’er. I didn’t.. I didn’t know you felt that way, if I’d have known I wouldn’t have been such an idiot.” He reasons, furrowing his brow as he looks down at his hands. “You know I’m not good with this sort of thing, kid. I don’t.. I’ve never been good with words, even before locking myself away.” He reasons, and Xie’er grunts his acknowledgement, looking at Ye Baiyi’s sleeves instead of his face. it's better than him hiding his face, so Ye Baiyi doesn’t say anything yet.

“..It’s fine.” He mutters, sitting up a little as he rubs his face. “It’s fine, you don’t- you don't have to apologize when I’m the one acting like a dumb little kid.” He mumbles as he steals a glance at the Immortal’s face. “I didn’t expect you to feel the same way, I knew you wouldn’t, I just.. I was being inconsiderate, just forget it even happened.” Xie’er says, and Ye Baiyi purses his lips before frowning.

“You’re not letting me finish, Xie’er.” Baiyi sighs, and the Scorpion gives him a look for a moment before looking away once more.

“Fine, say what you want to say…” He grumbles, and Ye Baiyi takes a breath and closes his eyes, steeling himself before he speaks.

“I can’t go through the same thing again.” He says, opening his eyes to look at Xie Wang, and it feels too much like rejection, the younger closing his eyes as his heart aches. “Losing him, it.. It destroyed me. I can't do that again.” Ye Baiyi reasons, and Xie’er frowns, looking back down to his sleeves, fidgeting with the rings on his hands as he waits for the final blow.

It doesn’t come, though.

“If I did- ” His voice cracks a little, his dark eyes searching Xie’er’s face for a moment. There's nervousness in his eyes, a hesitance written across his face clear as day as he speaks. “If I felt the same, I would need to know that you knew this was for life. Not some.. Not some fling, or a fun night, or a bad decision you’ll live to regret,” Baiyi reasons, and Xie’er’s heart might have actually stopped for a moment; The world feels like it’s spinning, and all he could do is stare at Ye Baiyi in astonishment. “I can’t lose someone again, not after him.”

“What..?”

“If I felt the same for you, I would need you to agree this is a permanent thing, Xie’er.”

“This isn’t funny, Immortal-” Xie’er warns, his voice shaky as his heart starts to beat quicker, his mind is racing now, alarm bells ringing at the same time a part of him is screaming for him to take the leap. He could be lying, sparing Xie’er’s feelings only to end it later on. He could be telling the truth, though, after all you’d have to like someone a lot to put up with the things that Ye Baiyi put up with.

“It’s not a joke.” He assures, and Xie’er’s brows furrow as he searches Baiyi’s eyes, trying desperately to find any hint of lie or deceit or /something/ that would save him from heartbreak later down the line if the older got sick of him. He finds nothing of the sort.

“...You’re not kidding..” He mumbles and Ye Baiyi shakes his head.

“I’m not.” He confirms, his tone somehow even and calm despite the unease Xie’er can see in his eyes, and Xie'er's pretty sure it's an attempt at calming him down. “If this is what you want, I need you to be /completely certain/ Xie’er, I can’t lose someone again.” Baiyi says, and the words make Xie’er’s heart ache. The younger feels wet drip down his cheeks as he lunges forward, tackling Ye Baiyi onto the bed with a hug as a shaky breath escapes his lungs.

“Shut up and hold me-” He whines as he buries his face in Baiyi’s chest to hide the relief washing over his face. Ye Baiyi knows exactly what he means with those words; The Sword Immortal lets out a breath as his arms wrap around Xie’er’s, his chin resting atop the younger's head as he holds him tight. He’s terrified, he’s sure they both are, but the uncertainty and worry and guilt are gone with those words.

“You’re sure you wanna be stuck with me forever?” He mutters after a few moments, after he's sure Xie'er's not teetering on the edge anymore, and he feels him nod.

“If you’re sure you’re ready to tolerate me forever.” Xie’er half jokes back, and Baiyi hides his face in Xie’er’s dark hair as he chuckles.

“Then we’re both sure.” He agrees, pressing a kiss to the top of Xie’er’s head before pulling back to wipe the younger’s cheeks dry. “What do you say we go get some food for you? You missed supper, and I’m not gonna have you getting faint in the morning because you didn’t eat before bed.” Ye Baiyi offers in a softer tone, brushing a few strands of hair behind Xie’er’s ear.

“Only if you’re gonna eat with me.” The younger replies and a small grin spreads over his face when Ye Baiyi nods.

“Alright then, let's go get something to eat.”

Chapter Text

The next morning is a calm one despite the night before; Xie’er wakes before Ye Baiyi, sitting in his bed recalling the previous day's events with an embarrassed blush. He hadn’t meant to act so childish towards Ye Baiyi, but the other had accepted it regardless, had accepted /him/ regardless. It was something he’d need to get used to, the support and understanding, the offer of help from other people. It was all new to him, something he’d have to navigate through in this new situation he found himself in.

He sighs as he runs a hand over his hair before he’s standing and heading to the bathroom to change. Ye Baiyi is starting to wake up when he comes back in, and the Scorpion King smiles a little at the sleepy grumbles coming from the older man.

“Good morning.” He greets when Ye Baiyi sits up and rubs his eyes with a yawn and groan. “Sleep well..?” He asks as he sits down on his bed, taking his hair down to brush it out. There's a bit of anxiety still lingering in his chest, a worry that Ye Baiyi might have changed his mind, might have seen the error in his decisions, but the dismissal never comes.

“Mm, slept alright.” Baiyi agrees, watching Xie’er for a moment before getting up to get dressed as well. Xie’er’s waiting for him when he returns, holding out the comb questioningly. It's a test, Ye Baiyi knows it is, but he cracks a small smile as he accepts the comb and sits behind the younger to do his hair for him.

“The usual?”

“Surprise me.” Xie’er says with a soft, relieved smile, and Ye Baiyi nods, setting to work on pulling the hair back from Xie’er’s face. He knew the Scorpion didn’t like it hanging in his eyes, so he was sure to sweep all of it back before sectioning it, braiding it down the middle and adding loose braids on the sides before pulling everything back in a ponytail.

He’s careful with Xie’er’s hair as he moves it about, taking his time playing with the braids he’s putting into the younger man’s hair, savoring the closeness and comfort it brings. It’s nice to see Xie’er visibly relax as he lets Ye Baiyi go about his task, the way his shoulders slump a little and he lets out a soft, pleased sigh as he practically melts under the attention.

Ye Baiyi spends a few minutes playing with Xie’er’s hair after he’s done braiding before someone knocks on the door alerting them to breakfast. The Immortal grunts at being disturbed, letting his hands fall from Xie’er’s hair as he pats his shoulder.

“Looks like it’s time for us to join the others.” He notes, and Xie’er gives a soft grunt of disapproval but gets up anyways, Ye Baiyi following him out of the room. They make their way over to their usual breakfast spot and Xie’er does his best to ignore Wen Kexing’s stare. He knows he and Zishu are likely a little worried given the night before, so when he meets their gaze he gives a small, awkward smile. It seems to do the trick, and Kexing looks away, Zhou Zishu giving a small nod in return as they all begin to eat.

“So,” Zhou Zishu says as they work on their meals. “The main rooms of the manor should be ready by the end of the month.” He notes, and Ye Baiyi nods, the Prince and Shaman sharing a look before Zishu continues speaking. “Of course you’re welcome to stay here if you’d like, but anyone that would like to visit is more than welcome to do so. We’ll have to put the final touches on it before you visit, but we’ll be ready for guests around the time autumn ends.” He offers, and Xie’er makes a soft noise of acknowledgement as the others talk amongst themselves about the planning.

It would be interesting to stay somewhere that wasn’t an inn, though he wasn’t sure how long they’d be permitted to stay. Maybe for the winter, if he behaved himself, they could leave in the spring for some traveling.

“What do you think?” Ye Baiyi asks him as he passes over a desert, Xie’er humming approvingly at the food.

“I think it’d be a nice break.” He says with a shrug. “Give us somewhere new to stay for a little while, change of scenery and all that.” He reasons, and Ye Baiyi nods his agreement.

“I’ll talk to Zhou Zishu after breakfast then.”

When breakfast comes to an end soon after, Ye Baiyi goes to speak with Zishu, and Wen Kexing meanders over to Xie’er with a curious expression.

“You seem to be doing better today, Scorpion.” He notes, raising an eyebrow. “Have you two figured things out?” Xie Wang sets his teacup down as he looks up to Kexing, giving a small nod.

“We spoke.” He agrees, glancing at Ye Baiyi for a moment before looking back to Kexing. “As it turns out, we’re both oblivious.” He half jokes, and Kexing chuckles as he nods, an amused smirk settling over his lips.

“That you are, though it was hardly my place to tell you that. I’m glad things have been worked out, though, it’d be a pity to see you two at each other's throats again.”

“I can’t see it being a problem.” Xie’er assures, and Wen Kexing just nods, heading back to his spot as Ye Baiyi makes his way back to their table.

“So what’d he say?”

“He said as long as we’ve worked everything out that he doesn’t have a problem with our staying there.” He replies, and Xie’er nods. “Which means you and I will need to have a talk some time before we go.” He reasons, and Xie’er cringes a little inside but hums his acknowledgement regardless. He knew they’d have to talk about it some time, but it didn’t stop the feelings of awkward anxiety that came with the subject. “We could step out for a little bit, discuss it while we’re walking?” He suggests, and Ye Baiyi considers it for a moment before standing, nodding his agreement.

“It’ll do us some good to stretch.” He agrees, offering a hand to Xie’er to help him stand, the younger accepting it with a smile. They leave the inn and take one of their usual paths, Xie’er keeping close to Baiyi as he crosses his arms behind his back.

“So,” Ye Baiyi starts, glancing over to Xie Wang curiously. “We’ve agreed that we’re both..” He pauses to think of the right words, and Xie’er speaks up in his silence.

“We’re both aware that the other has feelings.” He offers, and Baiyi nods. “And that neither of us is looking for something short or casual.” Xie’er notes and Baiyi gives another nod once more. “But we’ve yet to decide what that means for us, what it is we want out of this, what we’re looking for from the other.”

“Well, you know I’m not looking for something short term. I’m not /expecting/ anything, I want to make that clear. I’m not going to demand anything, least of all anything that might.. Upset you.” He reasons, and Xie’er hums a little at the reassurance. “I think a better starting point would be you telling me what you’re comfortable with, and I’ll tell you in return.” He suggests, and Xie’er hums a little.

“...It.. changes from day to day,” Xie’er notes, tilting his head a little as they wander. “I think most days I’m fine with touch, like your hand on my shoulder or playing with my hair,” He says with a playful smirk, glancing up at Ye Baiyi, the older man not bothering hiding the smug look at being called out. “I’ll be fine with small kisses, if that’s something you like. As far as anything /further/, I think I’d.. prefer waiting, at least until we’re more comfortable with each other.” He notes warily, and Ye Baiyi’s expression softens as he nods, a hand going to Xie’er’s shoulder.

“As long as you need, Xie’er.” He assures, and the Scorpion King smiles a little in response. How he managed to find someone so patient, he didn’t know. “I’m fine with touch so long as it's appropriate for the situation and company, though I doubt I’d have to worry about that much with you.” He notes, Xie’er shaking his head to assure him he didn’t. “I think kisses would be nice, though I can’t promise I’ll be any good at it.” He half jokes, and Xie’er chuckles, nudging him gently.

“You’ll do just fine.” He assures. Ye Baiyi smiles back and they continue on their way. Ye Baiyi’s willingness to wait is a foreign concept to him, but it’s greatly appreciated, and he feels his heart flutter at the thought. Baiyi didn’t expect anything from him, didn’t expect sex or favors or anything but his attention, and even that wasn’t actually demanded so much as it was politely asked for.

“As far as anything else, I’m perfectly fine waiting, it’s hardly a priority in my mind. One doesn’t need to be active with a partner to show they care.” He hums. “That does remind me, though. Zishu did want me to ask if we’d prefer to share a room, or if we’d prefer being separate.” He notes, looking down to the scorpion King curiously. “I told him I’d speak with you about it and get back to him.” Xie’er thinks it over, humming a little as he looks up to Baiyi.

“If you’d like to share a room, we can. If you’d prefer to sleep alone, that’s alright too.” He shrugs, chuckling. “I don’t mind the company, though I understand if you need a little space after being in the same space for so long.”

“I can’t say I’ve minded.” Baiyi replies, nudging him back. “Hard to complain when you’ve got good company.” He teases, and Xie’er’s ears blush a soft pink as he huffs.

“Quiet, you..” He mumbles, and the Immortal just chuckles.

“One room, then?” His offer earns a nod in return and he makes a noise of approval. “I’ll tell him when we return, then.”

They continue on their walk and discuss the upcoming change of scenery, the things they’d need, the things Zhou Zishu had said he’d provide. It was a nice thought, the idea of being a guest in someone else's home, but it also left Xie’er with a feeling of unease.

Being a guest came with rules, came with expectations and a mutual agreement to be on your best behavior, and while he’d grown a lot since he was initially brought to them, he always worried it wouldn’t be enough. He still had plenty of fight left in him on bad days, the hostile whispers in his head at every little inconvenience never really went away, even now he just had better control on the impulsive urges.

“It’ll be interesting to see how everything goes.” He notes as he looks over the variety of booths they’re passing. “Has he talked to Wen Kexing about it yet?

“I’m sure he will.” Baiyi replies, and Xie’er gives him a little pensive look. “Don’t look at me like that, you know Kexing doesn’t have a problem with you anymore Xie’er." He reasons softly, and Xie Wang gives a small grunt of acknowledgement.

“There’s a large difference between not minding sharing common space with someone, and being their friend or being comfortable with them in your home.” He reasons with a small frown. “Just because he tolerates me doesn’t mean he likes me.”

“I think he likes you plenty, I can’t imagine he’d have come to check on you this morning at breakfast if he didn’t.” Ye Baiyi reasons with a soft chuckle. “Wouldn’t have given me a scolding for being oblivious last night, either.”

“He scolded you?” He questions, furrowing his brow as he looks up at his friend. His partner? His partner, he settles on in his head. “Why would he do that?”

“Because he cares.” Baiyi says with a shrug. “Because I upset you, and he knew if he didn’t say something about it I’d have apologized and probably continued to pretend to be oblivious because I thought it would be easier than confessing.” He admits, and Xie’er swats his arm lightly.

“I’d have dragged the truth out of you, I hope you know that.” He huffs, and Ye Baiyi laughs, nodding.

“I know you would.” He agrees, nudging Xie’er’s shoulder. “We don’t have to worry about that anymore though, do we, Xiao Xie?” He teases with a smirk and Xie’er huffs again, leaning into him like a housecat begrudgingly accepting attention.

“We don’t.” He hums, the pair making their way back to the inn. “Partners, then..?” He asks, glancing up from the path they were following. Ye Baiyi’s expression looks pleased at the suggestion, and Xie’er smiles a little in return.

“Partners.” He agrees, an almost affectionate expression crossing his face. “I’ll speak with Zishu when we get back and we can plan for leaving when the time’s right.” He suggests, Xie Wang nodding in agreement. “Is there anything from town you’ll need before we leave?”

Xie’er thinks it over for a few moments, looking over the vendors and stalls around them as they near their destination, shaking his head after a moment.

“Nothing I can think of right now.” He shrugs, straightening up when they enter the inn. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are sitting at their usual table, and the Shaman and Prince are sitting at a table next to them. Chengling is nowhere to be seen, so Xie’er assumes he’s training out back in the private courtyard or studying in his room.

“You two are back.” Kexing greets, watching them with a subtle sort of curiosity. “Enjoy your walk?”

“Mm, we did.” Xie’er agrees, heading to their room to pack his things as Ye Baiyi goes to talk to Zhou Zishu. He’s got plenty of time to pack his things since they won’t be leaving for at least another few weeks, but Xie’er sorts his things regardless, makes note of what he has and what he needs. He’s running low on powders and rouge, but he can’t find it in himself to want to get more. He’d been wearing less and less over the past few months, only ever really applying balms to his lips and the occasional light liner or shadow to his eyes.

He knew the others considered it progress, the process of slowly leaving his old life behind, but it was less of a decision and more of a subconscious omission. He’d never actively intended to stop wearing the products, or stop braiding his hair in its signature style, but he had over time stopped both. Wen Kexing had once told him he looked better like this, and at the time he had found it almost insulting, but now he couldn’t help but agree. His old style never bothered him per se, but there was something almost freeing about a clean face and hair braided by the man he had grown fond of.

The weeks slowly go by and Xie’er finds himself growing equal parts nervous and excited for the change of scenery; The trip to Four Seasons Manor was promising to be both an interesting and educational trip. He’d only ever been part of the Scorpion Sect, so being in the vicinity of a sect that was nearly the polar opposite of such a thing, even if it only currently had one disciple, was something he was curious to experience.

“Something on your mind?” Ye Baiyi asks as he looks over to the younger, the Scorpion king tuning his pipa as he gets lost in thought.

“Hmm? “ He asks, looking up from the strings before tilting his head. “Just thinking is all.” He assures, though his curiosity gets the better of him. “Does Zhou Zishu plan on bringing in more disciples over time?” He asks, strumming a soft, light song as they talk. “It wouldn’t make much sense to only have one disciple for an entire manor, especially after it’s finally rebuilt.” Xie’er notes, and Baiyi shrugs.

“I’d assume he plans on it. Chengling is a good kid, but he’ll eventually get to a level where they don’t need to watch him as closely anymore, they might pick up new disciples after he gets there.” He muses, and Xie Wang nods.

“I can see them bringing in more as the boy gets older, he’d be able to help them watch the disciples when he’s independent enough.” He agrees as he plays. “I’ve no doubt they’ll bring Four Seasons Manor back to its original glory given some time. They’ve got plenty of it after all.” He half jokes, and Ye Baiyi chuckles.

“That they do. With the success of the ritual, they’ve got plenty of time to make mistakes and learn from them, and plenty of time to rebuild the manor’s strength and reputation.” He agrees, sitting on his bed as he listens to the Scorpion King play his music. “You know, you could always help Wen Kexing teach the disciples music.” He teases, and Xie’er’s cheeks burn as he huffs.

“Hush, you, I’m no teacher.” He grumbles, though there’s an edge of affection to the words. “The students would do well to learn from someone more patient and deliberate.” He reasons, though the idea wasn’t entirely ruled out in his mind. If they got bored with travel, maybe he’d consider it. He’d never been the type to settle down, but maybe he’d reconsider after a few years.

“Speaking of,” He finishes the song and looks up, tilting his head. “Do you still plan on whisking me away to Nanjiang, dear Immortal?” He questions with a hint of playfulness in his tone. “I don’t think either of us would like to travel in the winter, least of all that far.” Ye Baiyi gives him a curious look at the question, a thoughtful noise coming from the older man.

“If you want me to.” He agrees, cracking a little smile. “I can’t say I’d mind the southern warmth and sun, but you’re right, it’s definitely a trip for after the winter has passed.” He agrees and Xie’er nods. “I do need to make a stop back to Changming Mountain before we head south though, something I need to do before too much time has passed.” Baiyi notes, Xie’er tilting his head a little out of curiosity but doesn't press the matter.

“Whatever you need to do.” The younger man assures and they settle on sitting out in the commons after a minute. The pair sip tea as Xie’er plays his pipa for their friends, Ye Baiyi relaxing and listening to the soft music with a pleased expression.

Chapter Text

By the time Four Seasons Manor is ready for them, Xie’er is more than ready for a change of pace. The inn was a nice place, sure, but he’d been in and out of the same two for nearly the past year now. He was looking forward to the peace and quiet of the countryside, looking forward to being somewhere a little closer to wherever he belonged, not some temporary solution to the question of ‘where to go’.

Zhou Zishu visits the manor the day before they’re supposed to leave just to make sure it’s up to standards, which he’s happy to report to them it is. Ye Baiyi had packed alongside him the night before, the pair going over the details as they sorted their things. It was easy since neither of them really had much in the first place, Ye Baiyi was never really the type for keeping physical possessions, and Xie'er was used to travelling light.

Xie’er catches a glimpse of the urn Ye Baiyi carries with him the night before they leave, but doesn’t question it; The man hadn’t talked about it so he decided it wasn’t his place to ask, if the Immortal wanted help with it in the future he’d be happy to oblique, but for the time being it was Baiyi’s business and that was that.

“You got everything ready?” The older man asks as they work on eating breakfast the next morning. Ye Baiyi knew he did, he’d helped him pack, but it still felt right to ask anyway.

“Mm, everything’s packed.” He agrees when he’s finished the bite of food in his mouth, Xie Wang glancing up to Ye Baiyi. “Do you have anything you need before we go to the manor?” Baiyi thinks it over for a moment before shrugging, taking a drink of tea before speaking.

“It wouldn’t hurt to look around before we leave, make sure we’re not forgetting anything we might need.” Xie’er nods in agreement and the two finish their meal, Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing emerging from their room for breakfast. One goes to wake Chengling as the other orders food, Xie’er and Ye Baiyi letting them know they’ll be stepping out to look over the market before exiting the building.

The Immortal takes his time looking over the booths and stalls out this morning, Xie’er right by his side as he wanders around. It’s a pleasant enough morning, not too hot or cold, the slight chill on the autumn breeze makes the warm day feel more cool despite the sun shining bright above them.

Xie’er purchases a few things while they’re out and about, and Ye Baiyi does the same. They return to the inn and tuck their goods away in their bags before meeting with the others to head to the manor.

Xie’er slings his bag over his shoulder and carefully drapes his pipa over his back for easier carrying. They all leave the inn with a variety of thanks to the owner before heading on their way. Xie Wang pays his respects when they pass Du Pusa’s resting site, and the group gives him a minute to say hello and goodbye to his old friend.

It’s not a far walk by any means; It takes them maybe an hour or two to get to the manor, though the group is in no particular rush to get there. They take their time and enjoy the sights, Xie’er looking over the variety of flowers and plants blooming despite the cool weather.

The Scorpion King is pleasantly surprised when they get to the manor; While a portion of it was still under construction, the main houses and guest houses were built and decorated for their arrival. It was a decently sized place, and he had no doubt it would be rather grand looking when it's reconstruction was finished.

Zhou Zishu smiles when they enter the gates, the head of house leading them through the courtyard and towards their rooms after he’d closed the gate doors. Xie’er makes note of the path and where their rooms were, entering his and Ye Baiyi's with an appreciative hum. It’s a nice room, plenty spacious for the two of them, and he nods his thanks to Zhou Zishu when the man gives them time and space to unpack their things.

The Scorpion puts his things away and sets his pipa in the corner like he usually did before watching Ye Baiyi sort his things. When he’s done, Xie’er moves closer, hugging the taller man from behind as he rests his chin on Ye Baiyi’s shoulder.

“So, what do you think?” He asks, and Ye Baiyi chuckles at the content tone in the ex-assassins words, a hand going to Xie’er’s hair to gently massage his scalp.

“It’s nice.” Ye Baiyi replies, turning in Xie’er’s hold to face him, his hands settling on the younger's hips as Xie’er’s move to wrap around his neck. “Even nicer with such good company.” He teases, smirking smugly when Xie’er’s ears burn pink. “But I like it, they made good progress on the place, it’s coming together well.”

“They have.” Xie’er agrees, stealing a little kiss from the older man as he smiles. “It’ll be a sight when it’s done, Kexing and Zishu will have plenty of room for disciples and guests when the construction finishes.”

The pair work on settling in for the next hour, roaming the halls of the finished portion of the manor before Chengling finds them to let them know dinner was ready. They head to the main room for their meal, the group settling in for food and wine and Xie’er begrudgingly allows Ye Baiyi to pour him a drink after some coaxing. It’s not unpleasant; The liquor is almost sweet and it doesn't burn as much as the alcohol from the inn when he takes a sip. He listens to the others speak amongst themselves, throwing a comment in here and there when something relevant comes up or when someone asks him about something.

Zhou Zishu seems pleased with everyone’s opinions of the manor and Xie Wang smiles a little as he sips his wine contently. Things had changed a lot since he’d first been rescued, and he was almost looking forward to seeing how things could go in the future.

He wondered how their trip to Nanjiang would go, if he’d like his hometown now, if Ye Baiyi would like it, if they'd find somewhere to stay that suited the both of them. Maybe they’d spend winters there, travel north for the summers to visit their friends. Friends, he thinks; They're something Xie’er had never really had many of, and now possessed multiple as far as he was concerned.

He wasn’t entirely sure when the shift from ‘stranger’ to ‘friend’ had happened, but he finds it to be a true enough word to describe the people sitting around him at the moment. They were friends, and while he couldn’t see wanting to spend as much time with them as he had in the last year, Xie’er found himself looking forward to seeing them from time to time all the same.

Wen Kexing lets them know at the end of dinner that Gu Xiang would be visiting in a few days, that the girl was bringing her partner over to introduce him to everyone. Xie’er tilts his head a little at that, he knew vaguely of the girl, had seen her a few times in passing when he’d been following Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu, but he’d never directly met her thus far.

‘It’ll be fine,’ He tells himself. ‘She’ll have her master watching over her and I’ll have Ye Baiyi keeping me company.’ It wouldn’t be a complete disaster so long as they both held their tongues and behaved themselves.

Ye Baiyi nudges him and he glances over, nodding when Ye Baiyi holds up the teapot, silently asking him if he’d like a refill.

“Thank you.” Xie Wang says as he holds his cup out to Ye Baiyi, the older filling it before setting the kettle down.

“You’re looking a little tired, you can leave whenever you’d like you know.” He reminds and Xie’er nods with a little smile.

“I know. I’m not quite tired enough to fall asleep yet, but I’ll leave when I get too tired.” He assures, and Ye Baiyi gives his leg a little pat under the table, the affectionate gesture earning a soft smile from the Scorpion King.

The rest of the night goes by uneventfully, Wen Kexing tells Chengling some stories and the other guests listen in with amused smiles and the occasional comment here and there. Eventually everyone retires to their rooms, Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu sitting up for a little longer to drink under the bright, round moon.

Ye Baiyi and Xie’er return to their room, the younger changing behind the curtain first, Ye Baiyi looking everywhere but the younger man’s silhouette against the paper screen. When it’s his turn to change Xie’er focuses on getting ready for bed, casting the occasional habitual glance to the screen before he reminds himself he’s not supposed to be looking.

A part of him wonders if Ye Baiyi looked when he was changing, if he watched his shadow move and sway as he undressed, or if he looked away and gave him due privacy. His cheeks burn at the train of thought so he changes topics quickly, focusing instead on undoing his hair and tying it back into a single loose braid for sleep.

Ye Baiyi comes out a moment later and ties his own hair back before climbing into his bed, blowing out the candle when Xie’er lets him know he’s ready for rest. The pair mutter quiet ‘goodnight’s’ before falling silent.

When morning comes, Xie’er’s a little embarrassed to find he’s the second to last one awake, the younger climbing out of bed to change into his day robes before moving over to Ye Baiyi’s bed, gently nudging the older man’s arm to wake him up. He can hear the others chatting around the table outside in the courtyard, so he figured it was a good time to wake Baiyi up. Said Immortal grumbles a little as his arm’s poked, and Xie’er can make out something like ‘a few more minutes’ as Baiyi tries to fall back asleep. The younger laughs softly, shaking his head in amusement before sitting on the bed next to Ye Baiyi’s form.

“Mm, sorry Immortal, everyone's awake already. They’ll no doubt have breakfast done soon, I think it’s time you wake up.” He coos with a grin, the mention of breakfast earning a thoughtful noise before Ye Baiyi’s pulling Xie’er down to lay with him, the younger letting out a quiet, surprised noise as he tumbles onto the bed.

“Few more minutes won’t hurt.” Ye Baiyi says, those dark brown eyes gazing at Xie’er sleepily as he wraps his arms around the ex assassin. Xie’er’s cheeks go a faint shade of pink and Ye Baiyi chuckles softly, glancing down to his lips then back to his eyes in a silent question. Xie’er smiles and relaxes, leaning forward to press a kiss to Ye Baiyi’s lips.

“Who knew the Sword Immortal would be so keen on closeness in the morning~” He teases softly, though he does move closer to properly cuddle up to Ye Baiyi, even if it’s just for a few minutes. “I didn’t take you as one for cuddling, Baiyi.”

“Just takes the right person.” Baiyi teases back, giving Xie’er a light peck on the lips. They stay like that for a few minutes before Xie’er pulls himself up, dragging Ye Baiyi with him as he stands up. Ye Baiyi gets dressed and Xie'er steals a glance to the screen before he’s focusing on re-braiding his hair in it's now usual updo.

When Ye Baiyi’s done they head out for breakfast, Wen Kexing bringing out the food as they enter the courtyard’s eating area. The Ghost Chief teases them about sleeping in but Ye Baiyi just huffs, giving him some answer about sleeping as long as he pleases.

They spend the rest of the day and the next much the same as the rest, sitting in the library reading, eating with the others, sometimes watching Chengling train on the occasions the boy was in the main courtyard the same time they were.

Gu Xiang comes the day after that, the girl arriving with her starry eyed partner Cao Weining. He nods his greeting when the boy is introduced to everyone. Cao Weining pauses a little when Xie’er’s mentioned, glancing to Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing for a moment before putting on a polite smile to greet Xie’er as well. Ye Baiyi nods his hello when he’s introduced next, keeping close to Xie’er out of habit. He didn’t know the boy and the boy didn’t know them, so it was only natural in his mind to stick close to his ex-criminal partner in case the boy had any ill intent.

“It’s a pleasure to meet everyone! Truly it’s spectacular meeting so many strong willed and talented people here!” The boy beams and Gu Xiang rolls her eyes with a fond smile. Everyone files into the courtyard for lunch, and Wen Kexing drags Chengling into the kitchen for another cooking lesson. Gu Xiang snickers as the boy is dragged off, focusing her attention back on the guests. She eyes Xie’er for a moment before opening her mouth to speak, Zhou Zishu interrupting her instead.

“How has life been at the sect?” He asks, and she turns her attention to him, the man raising an eyebrow. “You’ve been behaving I hope, I’d hate for his family to think you’re as much of a menace as you are.” He teases lightly and the girl scoffs, rolling her eyes with a faux pout.

“I’ve been doing just fine there thank you very much. His family thinks I’m a treasure, we’re planning on celebrating the festival together in a few months.” She grins and Zhou Zishu nods in approval, sipping his wine with a pleased expression. Cao Weining nods eagerly, beaming as he looks between Gu Xiang and Zhou Zishu.

“She’s been getting along great with everyone, really! I think Miss Gu Xiang really likes it there, she even agreed-”

“Yes, I like it there!” She agrees, clearly cutting him off intentionally. He gives a sheepish smile as she nudges him, the boy laughing a little.

“Ah, how have you and Master Wen been doing, Master Zhou?” He asks, and the older man chuckles.

“We’ve been doing fine, Lao Wen was excited when you two said you’d be visiting. I think he missed Gu Xiang being around.” He teases, and the girl grins, giving him a happy look.

“He would be the one to miss me waiting on him.” She jokes back, and they hear a playful scoff from behind them, Wen Kexing bringing out some cut fruit.

“As if, I just worry about you causing trouble.” Wen Kexing lies, and the group share amused looks and barely hidden snickers. Xie’er rolls his eyes with a little smile, sipping his tea as Ye Baiyi leans in to whisper something.

“I smell big news.” He says barely loud enough for Xie'er to hear, and Xie’er smiles, nodding as he leans back to the other to whisper his response.

“I say it’s a marriage proposal.” He guesses, and Baiyi nods in agreement.

“Mm, think you're right.”

The news, as it turns out, is indeed a marriage proposal, the boy asking Wen Kexing for Gu Xiang’s hand in marriage after dinner. Wen Kexing doesn’t look surprised, the man smiling that mischievous grin as he fans himself. After a moment of suspenseful silence he nods his agreement, the pair visible relaxing at the approval of their marriage. Cao Weining grins and thanks him endlessly, Gu Xiang even smiling brightly as she thanks him as well.

The group clap and cheer for the pair and Xie’er wonders if they’ll all be invited to the wedding. He barely knew the girl, but it wouldn’t surprise him if he was dragged along for socialization. How did weddings even work? What did one bring, or even wear for that matter?

He ignores that train of thought in favor of having a celebratory drink, sipping his wine with a soft, relaxed expression. He hated to admit the alcohol wasn’t terrible, and it wasn’t enough to get him drunk so he let himself relax and enjoy it for the time being. The group chat for a while before bed, Gu Xiang and Cao Weining are eventually shown to their respective rooms and the rest of the group dissolves down to Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu, the pair talking about the wedding and how it’ll go. Xie’er and Ye Baiyi retire to their room and the younger asks the older mans opinions on the matter.

“Do you think his sect will show up?” Xie’er asks as he’s changing behind the screen, and Ye Baiyi glances over out of habit before looking away. “I’ve heard they were one of the main sects looking to bring down the ghost valley, surely there’s been tension between them and Miss Gu Xiang.” He reasons, coming out in his sleeping robes.

“I’m not sure, but I know it’ll be best to be on guard.” Ye Baiyi answers with a frown, the older man going to undress and change behind the screen now that Xie’er was done. “If there is unresolved tension, it’ll no doubt snap at the wedding, if they even show. Either way it'll be unfortunate for the bride and groom.” He sighs, shaking his head. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen, but I’m happy for them.”

There’s hesitance in Ye Baiyi’s voice just as there was in Xie’er’s, and the younger’s glad he’s not the only one worrying about the repercussions. He has no doubt it’s probably what Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are talking about right now, the plans and details, the countermeasures should anything go wrong. Xie’er can’t help but feel there’s going to be a lot going wrong, but he’d never been the hopeful type.

The next morning Zhou Zishu pulls them both aside and tells them they're invited to the wedding, and that he’s well aware of the concerns they bring up to him. Xie’er notes that such a powerful sect wouldn’t just drop a grudge and Zhou Zishu nods his agreement, the man looking a little solemn as he sighs.

“We’re hoping for the best and planning for the worst. If they plan an attack, we’ll be ready.” He assures, and the three go over details as Wen Kexing works on breakfast and the others work on waking up.

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu decide the wedding will be held in the spring in ghost valley, and Cao Weining’s sect will be invited to the event. They would be limited on how many they could bring due to the made up issues of venue size and accommodations, though, the group deciding it was best if they avoided being outnumbered on the off chance something /did/ happen.

Over breakfast the group assures Gu Xiang that they’ll be attending, that they’re all very excited for her and Weining’s union and futures together. Xie’er listens silently to the girl gush about how open and inviting the sect has been, and Cao Weining assures them he understands their concerns but it won’t be a problem, that his sect loves her just as much as he does.

Xie’er can tell he means it, that he genuinely believes they care for the girl as he does, and he holds back the disbelieving scoff in favor of taking a sip of his tea. Such a respectable sect with such a deep grudge for the ghost valley would never care for someone from it so openly, but he lets the boy believe what he wants to. He’d see in due time that he was blinded by the familial ties he’d been coddled by all his life.

“Here’s to a peaceful wedding.” Zhou Zishu says as he toasts the group, and Xie’er raises his cup in solidarity before finishing his food. He and Ye Baiyi head into town to browse the market, and Xie’er talks with Ye Baiyi about wedding culture, the younger not really knowing anything about it. Ye Baiyi lets him know the customs and expectations, even goes so far as to stop at the tailors to help him pick out robes for the occasion.

They settle on a soft purple robe with a faint red sash and his usual white under robes. The outfit is a subtle nod to his favorite color while still being wedding appropriate. He likes the look of the robes on himself and Ye Baiyi smiles when he sees them on the Scorpion King.

“Look good, pest.” He says affectionately, and Xie’er steals a kiss when no one’s looking.

“Now to find you something~” He hums playfully, and Ye Baiyi opens his mouth to protest but Xie’er’s already dragging him to look at pale colored robes that would suit the wedding. They settle on a pale grey, nearly white over robe before Ye Baiyi decides that’ll be enough change for one day and they bring the clothing to the tailor.

“We’ll take these.” He informs the young woman behind the counter as he pulls out his coin pouch, the lady letting him know how much it’ll be. Ye Baiyi raises an eyebrow at the sheer amount of gold and silver present in the pouch, giving Xie’er a look of ‘dare I ask’ before Xie’er’s paying his bill and accepting the wrapped robes.

“You shouldn’t carry so much on you at once you know,” Ye Baiyi notes, nudging him gently. “Especially if you plan on walking around a lot, good way to get robbed.”

“I’d like to see someone try and rob this thief.” Xie’er reasons back with a smirk, and the Immortal hums a little. At times these days he forgot Xie’er’s true roots, murder and theft, stealth and cunning were all second nature to the younger given his upbringing. He could no doubt avoid being robbed, and even if he was, he’d have no problem tracing down the robber and killing them for their crime.

“How bad do you think it’s going to go?” Xie’er asks him as they peruse the market, and the Immortal knows immediately what he’s talking about. Ye Baiyi sighs as he shakes his head, lips pursed at the thought.

“I don’t know, but I know they won’t go down without a fight.” He replies, looking over the booth of hairpins and accessories, glancing over to Xie’er. “I just hope no one on our side is hurt too bad after the dust settles.”

“Mm, here’s hoping.” Xie’er agrees with a sigh, looking over the pieces. They make their rounds through the market and pick up some wedding gifts and a few things for themselves before heading back to the manor, Xie’er tucking his things away in his bag for safe keeping when they get back to their room.

Gu Xiang ends up being less of a menace than Xie’er expects over the next couple of weeks. The girl manages to hold her tongue for the most part, giving only the occasional snide comment or look when Xie’er says or does something she dislikes, or takes too long to do something she demands.

He’s not at all surprised that Cao Weining is a little spineless compared to the girl, being as polite as possible to everyone during their stay there. It’s not unwelcome, he doesn’t mind the polite attitude since it’s a genuine sort of niceness. It’s not something he’s used to but he appreciates it nonetheless.

When the wedding rolls around, there comes no word from Cao Weining’s sect seniors or juniors, and everyone assumes for a moment that maybe they decided to let bygones be bygones. Xie’er helps with wedding decorations with the unfaithful lists' girls as well as Luo Fumeng and Liu Qianqiao, and Ye Baiyi helps arrange the furniture with Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing. The Prince and Shaman work on the food preparations with Chengling, and the planning goes well as the big day nears.

It’s not until the day of the wedding that they hear word from Weining’s sect, the group showing up hours before the wedding with a variety of large gifts and baskets. Zhou Zishu has half a mind to turn them down, send them away on the account of their lack of response, but Wen Kexing convinces him to let them in. It feels like a trap, and he’s fairly certain everyone knows it is, but he readies himself for it nonetheless. If they wanted to cause mayhem he’d do his best to end it before it started, or at the least before it got too out of control.

Ye Baiyi has his sword on his back as the group makes their way inside, Xie’er’s own sleeves are filled with knives and poisoned needles, and everyone else is carrying their weapons on the off chance something happened.

Cao Weining is quick to rush over to his masters the moment they’re through the gates, beaming like a child on their birthday as he bows his greeting. The masters look unimpressed when Gu Xiang joins them, the girl bowing politely as she smiles.

“Masters, I knew you’d come! It’s an honor having you here today, thank you so much for coming!” The younger boy grins, and his master sighs, shaking his head. Xie’er frowns, watching the scene carefully as Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu near him. They’re watching closely too, he can feel it, and the masters look between the boy and girl, then to the group watching them.

“Are we guests or criminals? Watching us so closely, is there no respect between us?” The older leader says with a scowl, and Cao Weining’s smile falters a little as he glances behind him, offering a sheepish smile to his masters.

“Apologies Master! It’s just, they were a little upset that there was no word sent of your arrival, no communication telling us you’d be joining, so they were caught off guard.” He assures, leading them inside. The gifts are set down and the men follow him inside, the couple handfuls of disciples following their masters before taking their seats. It’s a calm, quiet ceremony, but there’s tension in the air. The bride and groom are brought up to the pedestal, but Xie’er can’t take his eyes off Weining’s seniors sharing the occasional look between each other. They’re waiting for something, he knows they are, and when he sees the briefest flash of something silver in one of their hands, he has a knife in his hand before he can think otherwise.

Everything happens in a blur, and Xie’er’s genuinely not sure what possesses him to move at first, but he’s on his feet the same moment one of Cao Weining’s Seniors is charging at the now married couple with his sword drawn. A knife whips from his hands lodging in the man’s back in a split second, his body dropping to the ground before he can reach the couple. The room erupts into chaos as the blood seeps from his body. The seniors are shouting for an attack, and Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu are ordering the innocents out of the room, defending the line as the enemies try to attack.

Some run off to the side and Xie’er launches knives at them before they can reach their destinations, wherever that may be, but not before one reaches the drums. He’s throwing another knife as the drums are pounded, and it lodges a few seconds too late. The doors are opening and he can hear enemies flooding in at the gates.

Ye Baiyi is by his side in a second, fighting off a foe as he tries to urge Xie’er into the valley where it’s safer. The younger man refuses as he makes a dive for his pipa, thanking the gods above that he brought it with out of caution.

“Come with me to the gates!” He yells over the noise, and Ye Baiyi nods, rushing towards the gates with him. A few ghosts join them trying to shut the doors, and Xie’er takes a deep breath, clearing his mind. Ye Baiyi knows to guard him as he begins playing, channeling energy and power into the cords he strums. He feels the music thrum in his veins, feels the tune pulling energy from him as he opens his eyes to focus on his opponents. He lets the anger and hatred loose in his music, lets the sharp notes cut through the air without a second thought,

Magic lashes out in front of him, bouncing around in the enemies bodies like a bullet in armor, and he takes down part of the first wave in moments. It takes a lot of energy, he hadn’t practiced the method in over a year now, his body ill suited for the means of defense, but he had no choice. There were too many not to take drastic measures, and he could only hope the rest would run away when they saw the slaughter he and his companions would inevitably leave in their wake. The others join him soon after and Cao Weining is on their side, fighting off his fellow disciples with tears in his eyes. Gu Xiang looks like an angry, feral animal as she strikes and swings, driving her knives into anything that resembles their foes, her robes splattered with blood by the time the first wave is dealt with.

Xie’er’s beginning to get light headed by the second wave of strangers rushing towards the gates, gates they’re finally getting closed now that the foes behind their lines of defense had been dealt with. It’s been so long since he’s used his skills like this, since he’s killed with his music and he knows he can't hold it out much longer. It takes so much of his focus to channel the song the way he needs to, so much of his energy flowing outward to lash out and kill those that dared attack them. He has to worry about his friends now, too, keeping them out of his trajectory takes even more strength, takes so much more effort, but he doesn't want to hurt them. He feels it draining him, feels his out of practice body start to tire as time progresses and the bodies pile up.

Xie’er focuses solely on his music, on controlling the waves of sound just right so that he only injures those he intends to. The song becomes all consuming as he puts his energy into it, the only thing he can hear and feel, the vibrations ringing in his head as his fingers dance over the strings, his body growing exhausted as he pushes through the aching pain.

He doesn’t hear Ye Baiyi when he yells at him to watch out, not until it’s too late, the sound only registering above the music a handful of seconds after he yells. When his voice finally registers the second time, Xie’er feels something hard and sharp piece through his stomach from behind. It takes only a moment for blood to bubble up his throat, coughs forcing it out as his hands fumble on the strings.

Pain, white hot and searing shoots through the wound, it makes him falter for a moment, falling to his knees as his heart pounds in his chest. He’d been stabbed; He can see the sword protruding from his front for a moment before it’s yanked back out of his body, and the pain makes him shriek.

The last sharp notes he'd cast out slice through those closest to him, somehow missing Ye Baiyi in a stroke of luck, and his focus dissolves into nothing as he drops his instrument. Ye Baiyi’s sword slashes the neck of the man who’s stabbed him and he can feel the warm blood splatter the side of his face. He’s bleeding quite a bit, he notes somewhere in the back of his head, and Ye Baiyi presses a scrunched up outer robe to his wound in an attempt to compress and stop the bleeding.

He winces hard at the pressure, a muffled cry pulled from his lips as he squeezes his eyes closed. He’d never been stabbed with a sword before, knives sure, needles a few times, but never run through with a sword, and a part of him was afraid it was going to be his undoing as the blood keeps pouring out.

He tries his best to stay calm despite the blood and pain and fear coursing through him, and he’s fairly certain the only reason he’s not passing out or screaming is because of Ye Baiyi’s voice calming him down, assuring him he’d be ok.

A tired, catastrophizing part of his brain reminds him that's what everyone says before someone dies, before they lose consciousness and inevitably pass on. ‘It’ll be ok’ ‘You’ll be fine’ ‘We can fix this’ all last words people heard, all words he was hearing now.

“Hey, focus kid, look at me.” Ye Baiyi demands as the chaos gradually comes to an end around them, the last of their foes overpowered and slashed down. Wu Xi is rushing over at the sight of Xie’er on the ground bleeding, the man quickly pulling apart his medical kit to find what he needed to stop the flow. Xie’er registers a sharp burning feeling in his stomach as Wu Xi pours something over it, the pain spreading through him as the liquid penetrated the wound quickly.

A few sharp swears are hissed as Xie’er’s hands grip Ye Baiyi’s arm tight, his teeth gritting together as he coughs up another mouthful of blood.

“Hold on, Xie Wang,” Wu Xi says as he and Ye Baiyi push energy into him, the flow burning cold and hot through his exhausted body. There’s something pressed into his mouth and he has no reason to distrust what is likely medicine, so he swallows when he’s told to. He can feel his wound gradually stop oozing into the white fabric, can feel the pain start to ease ever so slightly, and a hopeful part of him thinks maybe he’ll be just fine after all.

He’s having a hard time keeping his eyes open as Wu Xi works on closing up the wound, though, the sharp pains of the needle piercing flesh cuts through the pain from being stabbed only just a little, but soon he finds it starting to numb. It’s no doubt thanks to the pill Wu Xi gave him, a cold dull numbness spreading from his wound outward until his entire torso feels cold and heavy.

“..Sorry..” He mumbles as Wu Xi ties the thread off, Ye Baiyi shaking his head, and it’s the most worried and fearful he’s ever seen the man. He can see the others coming into line of sight, asking what happened, asking if he was ok. He’s not the only one bleeding, Wen Kexing has red staining the front of his robes, but he’s standing and moving, so Xie’er’s brain hopes he'll be fine.

“Don’t go apologizing now kid, you’re gonna be fine.” He tells him, and Xie’er makes a small noise, whether it’s agreeing or not he’s not sure. He’s tired, and with his torso numb the pain and adrenaline are starting to wear off, the exhaustion is starting to drag him down.

“Eyes open, Xie Wang.” Wu Xi orders, and he hadn't even realized he’d closed them. He opens them, blinking groggily at the man as he’s moved. He vaguely registers the warmth of Ye Baiyi as he’s carried out of the great hall, the group retreating to the Four Seasons Manor where they could assess damages and take care of the injured.

Chapter Text

When Xie’er wakes, the room he’s in is dark, a small candle struggling to cast light in the room, but he could care less. He was alive, thankfully, but gods was he in pain. An involuntary whimper leaves him as he shifts slightly, and the movement in the corner of his eye draws his attention.

It’s Ye Baiyi, not at all a surprise to the younger, the older man moving close when he realizes he’s woken.

“Stay still, you’ll only hurt yourself trying to get up.” He reminds, a hand going to Xie’er’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll get the Shaman, won’t even take me a minute, ok?” He assures and Xie’er does his best to nod despite the pounding headache behind his eyes. Everything hurts, his stomach holds a searing pain from the wound and stitches, his head throbbing from the blood loss and stress of the injury. His whole body felt cold and achy, far too stiff for his liking. It feels like he's been pulled back from the brink of death, and he wonders just how accurate that thought is.

Ye Baiyi comes back maybe a minute later with Wu Xi, the Great Shaman looking relieved when he sees Xie’er awake and somewhat alert looking. He checks his pulse before holding something to his lips, another pill Xie’er swallows without concern.

“It’ll help with the pain and healing.” Wu Xi explains anyway, and Xie’er gives a small noise of acknowledgement.

“Is everyone ok..?” He asks through cracks in his voice, the man in black nodding as he checks Xie’er’s temperature.

“Everyone's fine.”

“Wen Kexing?”

“Alive and healing. Someone managed to hit him, but he’s doing fine now.” Ye Baiyi assures and Xie’er closes his eyes with another grunt of approval. Wu Xi didn't bother telling him to open them again; He was stable and safe now, no longer on the verge of death, so he wasn’t too worried.

Ye Baiyi sits down next to him on the bed when Wu Xi stands and gives him a nod.

“Bed rest and energy transfusions for the week, we’ll see how you’re doing after that.” He says and Ye Baiyi nods, thanking the man before he takes his leave. Xie’er opens his eyes to look up at Baiyi, furrowing his brow a bit.

“I’m sorry I scared you.” He mumbles, and Ye Baiyi chuckles, shaking his head.

“That you did, but you made it out and that’s what matters.” The man assures, pressing two fingers to the pulse point on his arm, the warmish flow of energy trickling into his body.

“How long was I out?”

“Few days.” Baiyi answers honestly, and Xie’er frowns, closing his eyes again. “Could have been worse, Wu Xi wasn’t sure when you’d wake up.” 'If you'd wake up', Xie'er knows he means, but Ye Baiyi doesn't say it aloud. “He says you used up a lot of your energy reserve with your music, pushed yourself too far and that’s why you were losing control.”

“..Maybe.” Xie’er says with a frown. He’d never lost control of himself before, not like that.

“He said it’s why you wouldn’t stop bleeding, too. Your body couldn’t heal itself, so it just kept going until we were able to stabilize you,” He sighs and guilt is written across Ye Baiyi’s face when he looks up at him.

“It’s not your fault.” Xie’er defends, furrowing his brow as a shaky hand reaches up to hold the man’s face. “You warned me, if anything it’s my fault for going too far.” He reasons, and Ye Baiyi frowns, clearly not accepting the shift in blame.

“You did what you had to.”

“Fine, then it’s neither of our faults. We weren’t the ones leading the attack, they’re the ones that should be groveling at our feet.” He huffs, wincing at the action as soon as he does it.

“Hold still, you’re going to hurt yourself.” His lover scolds lightly and Xie’er grunts, settling down and laying still. His arm feels a little tingly from the energy transfer, but he doesn’t complain. Whatever helped him get better quicker. He can't help but slowly drift off, his body still healing and exhausted from the fight, and Ye Baiyi lets him. He needed as much rest as he could get after everything his body went through, the older man sitting next to him as he slept.

Xie’er is bedridden for the next two weeks, and Ye Baiyi sticks by his side for the entirety of it. He makes sure the younger moves a little each day to prevent too much cramping and soreness, but otherwise keeps him confined to the bed for healing.

When he’s finally permitted to leave the bed, Xie’er lets Ye Baiyi take him on short walks around the manor to help with the boredom, sitting in the courtyard more often than not. They find their routine once more now that he was steady enough not to worry about getting worse, and Ye Baiyi seems more relieved when he starts to return to his normal mischievous self.

They spend the nights together in their room, Ye Baiyi more often than not sleeping in the same bed with Xie’er, the younger’s nightmares returning worse than ever thanks to the new trauma yet to be processed.

When they wake the next day, it’s to the sound of Wen Kexing knocking on their door. When he gets a groggy ‘What?’ in response the man figures it’s generally safe to open the doors. Xie’er groans at the light flooding into the room and Ye Baiyi scowls at Wen Kexing’s interruption of their sleep.

“What do you need?” Baiyi asks, sitting up groggily, Xie’er carefully doing the same. The younger still looks a mess, skin a little paler than it should be, with dark circles under his eyes and a scratchy voice when he speaks up.

“What time is it..?” He mumbles, Wen Kexing looking between the two with an amused smirk.

“It’s well past midday, and I came to tell the two of you Zhou Zishu and I are going to meet with the Five Lakes Alliance in a few days.” He informs, and Xie’er’s awake immediately, Ye Baiyi furrowing his brow as he stares at him.

“As in the assholes who just tried to /kill/ us?” The younger questions, disbelief and confusion written across his face. “/Why?/”

“We’re going to try and talk some sense into those idiots,” Zhou Zishu says as he reaches the room, stepping inside to place a hand on Wen Kexing’s shoulder. “We’re going to attempt to restore the truce between Ghost Valley and the Five Lakes Alliance. It held up in the past, and now that the drama with the glazed armor is sorted out and everyone's settled down over it, we believe it’s time to renew those promises of peace between our groups.”

“They’re never going to agree-” Xie’er says in disbelief, frowning a bit as he rubs a hand over his face. “We’re coming with-”

“You’re not going anywhere, Xie’er.” Wen Kexing says with a firm tone, and Ye Baiyi glances at him, shaking his head.

“I’m with him on this, Xie’er, you need rest. We can provide support if they need it later on, but for the time being you still need to rest.” He reminds, and Xie’er scowls, giving him a look.

“I’m f-” He’s interrupted by Wen Kexing poking his stomach lightly, the careful jab is nowhere near his injury but the area was sore enough he winces anyways.

“You were saying?” Kexing reasons, and Xie’er knows he’s been beat this time. He grumbles something akin to a halfhearted ‘fuck you’ and Wen Kexing clicks his tongue in disapproval but doesn’t comment.

“Back to the matter at hand,” Zishu says, and they turn their attention back to the man in dark blue. “We’ll be leaving in a few days, provided the weather remains this fair. If it storms, we’ll reschedule for a time it’s more appropriate to leave the manor. We’ve haven’t told anyone at the alliances we’re coming yet, we don’t want to give them the upper hand on the off chance this does go sideways.” Zhou Zishu reasons, and Xie’er nods a little, still not feeling great about any of it. “We should be back within a week of leaving, assuming everything goes according to plan.”

“And if things do go wrong?” Xie’er can’t help but ask. Wen Kexing gives him a confident smile, but something about it seems off, like a mask he’s putt on and it rubs Xie’er the wrong way. It's an uncomfortable look, but he knows that's the point.

“If it doesn’t, we’ll deal with the problems accordingly.” He assures, and there's that tone again; It’s the one that slips into Wen Kexing’s words occasionally, something akin to a waiting threat, a promise of danger just below the surface. Wen Kexing was a dangerous man, Xie Wang knew that, and he'd proved that much fighting alongside them weeks ago, but the domesticity of the man tended to make him forget those facts. The tone makes Xie Wang’s skin crawl, but he nods hesitantly, looking between the two.

“If you’re sure about this.” He says with a sigh, Ye Baiyi giving them both a firm look.

“Don’t go getting yourselves killed before your child has had a chance to settle in here.” He warns, and Zhou Zishu chuckles, shaking his head.

“Chengling will be safe here, and we’ll be safe while we’re there.” Wen Kexing assures once more. “We’ll be telling him the day we leave to avoid working him up too much, I trust you’ll be able to manage him while we’re gone.”

“He’s just one child, we’ll manage." Xie’er scowls lightly, though there's no actual bite to his tone, if anything he almost looks amused in his tired state. “As long as you two come back he’ll be fine.”

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu both nod, assuring them they'd be smart about their decisions before leaving the two to get dressed and ready for the day. Ye Baiyi permits Xie’er to come out of the room to settle at the table for lunch, and Chengling nods his greeting when they come to sit.

“You’re feeling alright today?” He asks, and Xie’er rolls his eyes, hiding a smile behind his cup.

“Of course I’m alright, I've been healing fine.” He reasons and Chengling smiles at that, nodding.

“I’m glad.” The boy says, and Xie’er blinks, a little surprised by the words.

“Alright you two, eat your food.” Zhou Zishu says as he waves his chopsticks threateningly at the pair, Chengling smiling sheepishly as he begins to eat. Xie’er picks up his own chopsticks, thankful for the plain food since his stomach was still a little upset with him these days.

The group dig into their meal, mostly silent save for the occasional comment about the food or drink or a story here and there. The Shaman checks on Xie’er after they’re done eating, pleased to find him slowly recovering his strength and energy.

“He’ll be fine, I don't believe there'll be any permanent damage.” Wu Xi assures Ye Baiyi, and Xie’er gives him a look that says ‘I told you I’d be fine’. While he’s there the man checks on Ye Baiyi, pausing a little in surprise when he checks his meridians and energy flow.

“Something wrong?” Xie’er asks, a little worried about the uncertain face the Shaman is making, and he receives a head shake in response.

“No, nothings wrong, that’s why I’m surprised.” He admits, and Ye Baiyi frowns a little.

“What do you mean?”

“When I first started treating you, do you remember how I told you your energy reserve was getting lower, that you were getting weaker as you aged?” Wu Xi reminds, and Ye Baiyi nods, still confused. “It’s been nearly 3 months since I’ve checked on you like this, and I’ve waited for a reason.” The Shaman sits back in his chair and Ye Baiyi furrows his brow at the slight smile the man gives them. Xie’er speaking up in his place.

“In the last three months, your reserve hasn’t weakened, nor has your body. If anything, it’s regaining its strength, building itself back up from the drop it took. While I don’t think it’ll ever reach the state it was before when you were Immortal, I do believe it’ll return to a healthy level soon enough.” He assures, and Xie’er looks between them for a moment in confusion.

“So he’s, what, becoming immortal again...?”

“No, no he’s aging, but for nearly a year now it’s been slowing down. He hasn’t been aging as fast, and I have reason to believe it’s slowed down to a standard rate by now.” Wu Xi says with a shrug, and Ye Baiyi nods slowly.

“But.. Why?” Xie’er asks, and Wu Xi glances between them with a knowing look, something lost on Xie’er, but Ye Baiyi’s eyes have something akin to understanding in them.

“The balance was restored, I presume.” He says with another small shrug, standing and pushing in his chair. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it, as long as you’re both happy and healthy, it shouldn’t be a concern.” He assures, and Xie’er opens his mouth to speak but closes it, furrowing his brow before he gives a little nod.

“Thank you, Wu Xi.” He says instead, the man nodding before he’s taking his leave, no doubt to return to his own room to his partner.

Ye Baiyi runs a hand over his face as he processes everything, looking to Xie’er for a moment before chuckling.

“What’re you laughing about, old man?” Xie’er teases lightly, and Ye Baiyi shakes his head.

“Nothing, nothing.” He assures, standing and helping Xie’er up. “How about I bring you to the library and you can sit and read, hmm?” He offers, and Xie’er agrees, letting his partner walk him to the book-filled room, flopping down into one of the cushions Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing had placed there.

“Anything specific you want to read?” He asks Xie’er and the younger man shakes his head, telling him to surprise him. Ye Baiyi looks over the books for some time before returning with a few choices, sitting with Xie Wang when the smaller man requests the company. They sit and read together for a few hours, enjoying the peace and quiet and each other's company.

Xie’er spends his days healing largely the same as he had the past week or two, sitting with Ye Baiyi in the library reading or in the courtyard getting some sun. When winter hits, they spend more time together inside, sticking to whatever rooms were properly heated and cozy enough to be comfortable.

As spring comes, slowly but surely the world starts to thaw, and Ye Baiyi and Xie’er get out more and more. Xie’er visits Du Pusa as soon as the snow thaws, spending picnics there with her memory and Ye Baiyi’s company.

Ye Baiyi listens to every story he tells, every memory he recalls earns a soft expression and a smile, the older man just glad to be close enough Xie Wang was willing to share such things with him. None of them were saints, they’d all spilled blood, they all had their sins, and he wasn’t going to hold Xie’er’s against him, not with how much the man had changed over the years.

Their bubble slowly expands as summer arrives, the pair traveling from town to the surrounding areas, getting Xie’er used to travel again before their trip to Nanjiang. Xie’er accompanies Ye Baiyi to the mountain to scatter the ashes he’d been carrying with him one particular summer evening, and Ye Baiyi spends a few minutes staring at the graves he’d made. Ye Baiyi closes his eyes as he makes peace with the dead, and Xie'er's there when Ye Baiyi takes a deep breath and turns to him, a small smile gracing the older man’s features.

“He’d want you to move forward.” Xie’er assures, and Ye Baiyi nods, holding Xie’er’s hand, looking down at it before his smile turns to something hopeful.

“I know.” He agrees, and Xie Wang leans in to kiss him, pressing their foreheads together.

“I’ll be with you every step of the way, if you’ll have me.” He offers, and Ye Baiyi nods once more, giving him a gentle kiss.

“As long as you’ll have me.” He agrees, and Xie’er smiles. They spend the rest of the year in the Four Seasons Manor, helping rebuild as the weather tolerates, and by the end of the year the manor is more or less rebuilt. Xie’er and Ye Baiyi take their promised trip to Nanjiang as winter sets in, traveling south to warmer areas during the cold season.

They stay with Wu Xi and Jing Beiyuan for a few days before finding their own place to stay, the pair growing fond of the area and its particular sort of blunt charm. Wu Xi takes Xie’er on under him thanks to Ye Baiyi’s suggestion, and the Scorpion King spends their time down there studying under the man, improving both his medicinal and non-medicinal skills.

When the winter ends up north they return with Wu Xi and Jing Beiyuan under the invitation of wedding attempt number two for Gu Xiang and Cao Weining. They’re on guard as it progresses, but with no threats to their safety alive thanks to Kexing and Zishu’s ‘talk’ with the Five Lakes Alliance, the wedding progresses peacefully. It’s a beautiful ceremony, and it makes Xie’er a little sentimental, which he’ll continue to deny when asked about it.

He and Ye Baiyi decide they're not necessarily the wedding type, but Ye Baiyi gets them beautiful matching jade necklaces they wears with pride, and the sight of Ye Baiyi’s hanging over his white robes is enough to bring a grin to his face.

They’re not the type for marriage, but they spend the next few years traveling together. Ye Baiyi keeps him safe, even though Xie’er is more than capable of defending himself, and Xie’er keeps Ye Baiyi safe in return. They live on, moving from town to town, traveling the country while still returning to the Four Seasons Manor or Nanjiang from time to time to visit their friends. Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu remain ageless as the years pass, the pair offering Xie’er and Ye Baiyi a permanent place in the manor as they get tired of traveling, and the two accept the invitation.

They settle in as Kexing and Zishu accept disciples, helping where they can to raise the children in the best way they can. Xie’er helps teach medicine and knife skills, and Ye Baiyi teaches sword fighting alongside Zhou Zishu. It’s a good, easy life, something Xie’er had never thought would be within reach in his lifetime. There he was, though, loved and cared for, with people who’d remember him long after he was gone, people that would /care/ if he were gone.

Xie’er considers himself lucky, incredibly so, to have been pulled from the snow that day, and he thanks Ye Baiyi for it every chance he gets. He’s happy now, truly happy, and he wouldn’t trade this life he’d been given for the world, and he’s glad he’ll never have to. Ye Baiyi assures him he’s there to stay every morning in the way he smiles at him with nothing but love and adoration, and every night he pulls Xie’er close, kissing his cheeks or lips or neck, whispering promises of ‘forever’ into his ear as they fall asleep.