"A-Yao." Jin Zixuan entered his brother's dressing room and bowed politely, waving to the guards that had come with him to stay outside. Then he closed the doors and stepped closer, to ensure that only his brother would be able to hear him. "I've come to talk to you about a concern."
He supposed that was one way of approaching this. He was not even certain what exactly he was hoping for at the end of this. However, he knew the situation was a delicate one and they had to be discreet.
"If I can soothe any concerns, I don't believe that Yanli will still be thinking about it." Meng Yao assured, assuming that was what was on the young master's mind and not anything else. They rarely talked unless it was something linked to Yanli and that whole mess or their father. And he assumed the way he behaved last weekend was probably the source.
"Perhaps jewellery! It's a nice surprised." Meng Yao smiled and then turned back to the mirror, making sure his make up was properly adjusted.
"What." Suddenly with a whole new heap of worries, Jin Zixuan felt panic seize him, his chest going tight.
"What did I do?! Did she say something to you?" Oh no. Was that why she had been giving him a look? She had been giving him a look, hadn't she? She had said everything was all right, why did she always do that? "I can buy her jewellery... Anything she could want. She likes purple. And lotus." He knew things, he was a good husband. Passable at least.
"Oh, that wasn't why you came? Then, uh, never mind. Perhaps I misread her. Just, you know, send jewellery just in case. Or shall I send it?" He had better taste than the young master, who tended to go for expensive over looks. Ended up with some clunky, shining stuff that no one could wear or use. "I think all will be fine, you know me - I overthink."
But if that wasn't what he wanted then what on Earth did he come for? He frowned and then gave Zixuan a look. "What did you come for?"
"Please do send something. She-- I don't believe she thinks I know what I'm doing." He paused, then decided to amend it, to sound at least slightly hopeful. "Where jewellery is concerned."
Honestly, sometimes he feared she considered him to be generally a bit of a write-off. Regardless, he bowed again to thank his brother for handling this and for giving him further anxieties. He swallowed and tried to move past it.
"I came here--" He looked around, staring at some piece of Jin Guangyao's costuming and wondering how it attached where. "There have been murmurs. Have you heard? About demonic cultivation. I worry about Yanli hearing of it, it might distress her."
She still missed her brother and insisted that he had been misunderstood. Jin Zixuan disagreed, though never out loud around her.
"I haven't really been paying attention, I spend most of my time here. I believe the gossip is usually found closer to the Koi Tower." He didn't often go there, bad memories of being shoved down the stairs on his birthday and all. Fortunately, his father was kind and generous - not like those cruel guards who threw him. He was lucky to even be here, to be in such a good position. He never liked to tempt fate and stray to far from the theatre. He just wanted to keep what he had.
"I thought all demonic cultivation died with Wei Wuxian."
So surely it was just some silly rumour. When Wei Wuxian died, his brand of cultivation died with him. "There's no one who practises or even studied it."
"So it is said. He died and all of his writings were seized and destroyed, if he hadn't already burned them himself." Jin Zixuan sighed. It was a difficult topic, even now, after so much time. He had never cared for Wei Wuxian, but he knew his wife loved him. He also, admittedly, in spite of his personal distaste, never considered Wei Wuxian to be pure and irredeemable evil. No matter what the truth was, he had died, and any evil with him. Or so it had seemed.
"I have been to the sites. No one has survived these attacks yet the traces are clear. I believe people are right." Yet it made no sense. "Father believes it best to not investigate openly, he does not want people to be hysterical. But I think whoever this is has to be stopped before they can strike again. You are shrewd, brother, and you are much better at walking amongst people than I am. Maybe you can find what I can't. Any clue."
"You want me to seek out a demonic cultivator?" Well, at least his brother was consistent in giving him gifts he didn't like. Including, apparently, impossible tasks. In a city of God knows how many, how did he even start to narrow it down. He would have to do research, to understand signs of demonic cultivation and that would mean he needed materials. "I would have to look at whatever information you have on such methods. You know father won't let me look at anything like that, he's strict with me. I don't look at family business."
He also didn't like Meng Yao having too much or owning pets. For some reason, he always got super upset over his stray cat he just happened to enjoy feeding. "Do you have any leads or shall I simply ... mingle among our people?" And hope for some demonic energy.
"Please don't misunderstand me. I do not wish to endanger you in any way. But I know you cross paths with more people than I do." That was not difficult. He was in Koi Tower and he notoriously disliked meeting new people. Or people he knew already, for that matter. "Perhaps keep an eye out for someone..."
How did one describe the kind of person Wei Wuxian had been? "...shameless. Lacking respect for anyone or anything." That might be a bit of his own bias coming through. On the other hand, they were talking about a murderer. "The people he has attacked, they are in the business of--"
He cleared his throat. "--brothels. So. Perhaps if you find a way to subtly... I don't mean to imposition you, brother, but you understand. My mother. My wife. I cannot be seen anywhere-- You understand."
Xue Yang was lingering around the foyer of the brothel, prepared to settle in for a long wait. He was dressed in black without any clan colours, long hair tied up in a top knot with a few braids. In his pocket, he had some dried fruit to snack on, but the only entertainment he had was to watch the people around.
Prostitutes and customers. Some guards, like him, servants, here to fetch and accompany their masters. Most of them tried to stay to the side and blend in, a few leered at the prostitutes and waitresses that served drinks. Xue Yang didn't quite fit into either category and he had noticed someone else who did not quite fit.
He approached Jin Guangyao, who seemed vaguely familiar, simply addressing him directly without further preamble. "Wow, xiaojie, you must be for unusual tastes. What's your going rate?"
There was one suspicious looking person here and that was very clearly Xue Yang. He had asked around the brothel workers and they all mentioned the same person. Long, dark hair, eyes almost reddish and fangs. He was someone they feared and not because he was rough with the whores or a real asshole, it was just because he unsettled them. His vibe, his presence, his energy.
He had been wondering how to best approach him when suddenly, Xue Yang was coming over, as confident as anything. He was a little brat, that much was obvious.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He didn't work here, he could be as rude as he wanted. "I'm no girl and you know it. You are a tease."
"How am I the tease when you are the one walking around all made up and pretty? It's confusing, gongzi. All of that and then I'm the one getting scolded. You are too alluring, how is that fair?" Xue Yang was somewhere between teasing and flirting, clearly not serious about any of it. He leaned against the wall by Jin Guangyao, wondering what the old man's bastard son was doing here.
Did they share taste in women? That seemed rather unfortunate. Made him happy not to know his own family, a lot less fuss overall. "Do you want to order something? They serve drinks and little snacks here, gongzi. It's not all bad. You should order. I would share with you."
"Do I know you?" He clearly knew him but when he looked at Xue Yang, he couldn't quite place him. He could see his little fangs when he smiled so he knew he was the one they spoke about but he wasn't ringing a bell. Was he a Jin clan cultivator? He frowned and looked him over curiously. "You're a cultivator?"
Then why did this cultivator put so many people on edge. Sure, he had bravado and swagger but so did many pompous, self important men.
"I suppose I wouldn't say no to a drink." He wondered what Xue Yang thought he was up to. Perhaps the apple didn't fall far from the tree in his mind. Unsettling.
"Ah, someone like me? I'm no cultivator. I just help the old man home, don't I?" And he didn't clarify which old man. Around here, they were as numerous as the medicines they had to take to stay with the prostitutes for as long as they did. "I'm Xue Yang. Nothing special. No one comes to see me on stage, gongzi."
He might as well let Jin Guangyao know that he knew him from the opera. He was cultured enough for that. Or else he just had to stand around there guarding the old man and doing some other jobs. Whatever. "Xiaojie!"
He called out to one of the women serving refreshments. "The gongzi wants a drink. And bring some of the sweet rice balls with the syrup. Thank you."
He smiled, quite politely, in his pursuit of a sweet treat. Then he looked back at Jin Guangyao. "Gongzi is generous. You are good company."
"I'm very generous, I know." Meng Yao would have protested but he supposed if he wanted to talk to him and learn things, he would have to find a way to keep him around and this honestly seemed ideal. He pulled some coins from his purse and slid them across the bar, smiling politely at the women.
"Come, find us somewhere to sit. It seems we will be dining together." Given he was also buying the strange thing rice balls and all.
This man knew him from the stage, so he must live in Lanling and he probably had some kind of a master. But he wasn't a cultivator? Strange. Then what was it about him that left people so unsettled. "Do you enjoy watching me perform?" He usually got a lot of compliments but not everyone could understand the arts.
With a nod, Xue Yang walked over to a table. He pulled a chair out for Meng Yao to sit down before he sat down himself, lounging in a relaxed way, while waiting for their order. He considered Meng Yao's question, as it had never occurred to him before to have an opinion on this. "It's not boring," he finally said. It was high praise, coming from him.
"You move like no human would and you sound strange. Good job." From what he gathered, that was the goal of that kind of performance. "Keep it going."
As their order arrived, he immediately pulled the rice balls over, taking one of them to claim ownership right away. He took a bite and chewed happily.
"Say thank you." Meng Yao scolded gently as he bowed in thanks and took his own drink, sipping it lightly. He moved weird and sounded strange - not the worst review he'd ever had. It was quite funny to see how someone like this thought of the opera house. His father always told him feedback as and when it came, he wasn't exactly a manager or anything but he often brought friends and colleagues to have drinks and enjoy the show.
"If you're not a cultivator, what do you do then?"
If he was hanging around Lanling then what was the goal? Did he have a master or something? The old man he was waiting for, was he in a trade of some kind?
It was well into the night when Xue Yang came in through Jin Ziyu's window. He had done that before so he saw no problem with it. Better him than anyone else, he figured, knowing that many would disagree with that assessment. However, none of those many were the boy himself, so he didn't really care.
He quite liked him. He was the only high-born - if bastard - cultivator that did not treat him as less and look at him with disdain. Quite the opposite, which was a nice boost for his ego, especially on days like this. He felt a strain from what they had him working on. The Stygian Tiger Seal was no easy feat, after all. He had played with the thought of visiting Meng Yao instead, but he knew that had to be a longer game. There was little risk with Jin Ziyu, who didn't suspect Xue Yang of demonic cultivation and who likely would not have cared if he had suspected him anyway, as long as he still looked the same.
Xue Yang closed the window quietly and then he sat down on Jin Ziyu's bed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Aish, A-Yu, are you sleeping already? So boring."
Mo Xuanyu opened his eyes and squinted in the dark, not afraid of the person in his room as only one person ever climbed into his room. "Gege?" He rolled onto his back and then rubbed at his eyes, yawning tiredly. "It's late, gege, of course I'm sleeping. I'm not allowed out."
What else was he going to do? Walk the grounds? Go out drinking? He was underage!
"I hate when you surprise me, gege." His make up was washed off and his hair was in a disarray, he must have looked awful. "Now I'm ugly."
"Let's see," Xue Yang demanded, grabbing a hold of Mo Xuanyu's chin and looking at him from different angles as he made him turn his face this way and that. Finally, with one last pat to his cheek, he let go. "Nonsense, A-Yu. You look pretty. Like a girl or whatever you wanna look like."
He didn't care that much, but he felt he looked good enough. He reached out to pet his hair. "You can stay in bed. I'm drained anyway, I'm in no mood to stand around. Gege had work to do until now, he doesn't get to be lazy like you."
"I'm still pretty?" Aww, Yang-ge was always so sweet. He was perhaps the nicest boy he had ever met. Most boys bullied him or teased him but Xue Yang never had. He was smart, strong and sweet. Hence why he had such a weakness for him. "Thank you, gege."
He moved along in his bed and pulled the covers open for Xue Yang to crawl into bed with him. If he wanted. He had a nice bed, warm sheets, and he assumed Xue Yang didn't have anything quite as nice. "Do you wish to lie with me, gege?"
"Make space," Xue Yang demanded as he did indeed crawl into bed next to him. He wasn't quite happy with how much space he had, so he ended up grabbing Jin Ziyu around the middle and lifting him up. It ended with him on his back and Jin Ziyu on top of him, allowing the boy to rest his head on his chest should he wish to do so. Xue Yang assumed he would want to.
There was a coldness inside of him that wasn't quite shifting, but being in the warm bed made him feel more at ease even so. "How much did you miss me? It must have been agony."
Mo Xuanyu let Xue Yang just move him around, bouncing about until he was in the arms of Xue Yang. He curled up into his arms, head against the older boys chest as he imagined what it would be like if they were lovers. If Xue Yang was his and his alone. Perhaps it was a childish crush but he couldn't help himself, he did adore him deeply.
"Red beans grow in southern countries. How many would sprout in spring? I wish you'd pick more, my dear friend. The closest bond they would bring." Mo Xuanyu quoted from heart, hoping that cleared up how he felt without him. Just in case it didn't, he added: "I yearned, gege. I suffered."
"I wish I had a red bean paste bao," Xue Yang remarked from a far more practical and less poetic viewpoint. He didn't think he had eaten enough after everything tonight. The only food they had offered him he had not cared for and now he was too lazy and it was too late to find anything else. He'd have to get a good breakfast tomorrow.
He shook his head, playing with the boy's hair. "I talked to your brother today, earlier. Jin Guangyao. He agreed with me that I am no one special but I believe I've scared him."
"If you wake me up tomorrow, gege, then perhaps I can buy you a red bean bao before your day begins. Or perhaps a sesame ball with some red bean paste. I believe you've earned it. You work so hard. Too hard. It's just not fair." Mo Xuanyu wondered what Xue Yang was doing all day that meant he didn't train with the other cultivators but he was always so drained and tired. "I should talk to a-die. It's not right."
He just wanted Xue Yang to not have to be overworked. "Why are you scaring him? Yao-ge is nice to me. He says I am a very good didi." Which was nice as few ever expressed such terms of endearment to him. "But he is wrong. You are special."
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He supposed that was one way of approaching this. He was not even certain what exactly he was hoping for at the end of this. However, he knew the situation was a delicate one and they had to be discreet.
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"Perhaps jewellery! It's a nice surprised." Meng Yao smiled and then turned back to the mirror, making sure his make up was properly adjusted.
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"What did I do?! Did she say something to you?" Oh no. Was that why she had been giving him a look? She had been giving him a look, hadn't she? She had said everything was all right, why did she always do that? "I can buy her jewellery... Anything she could want. She likes purple. And lotus." He knew things, he was a good husband. Passable at least.
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But if that wasn't what he wanted then what on Earth did he come for? He frowned and then gave Zixuan a look. "What did you come for?"
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Honestly, sometimes he feared she considered him to be generally a bit of a write-off. Regardless, he bowed again to thank his brother for handling this and for giving him further anxieties. He swallowed and tried to move past it.
"I came here--" He looked around, staring at some piece of Jin Guangyao's costuming and wondering how it attached where. "There have been murmurs. Have you heard? About demonic cultivation. I worry about Yanli hearing of it, it might distress her."
She still missed her brother and insisted that he had been misunderstood. Jin Zixuan disagreed, though never out loud around her.
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"I thought all demonic cultivation died with Wei Wuxian."
So surely it was just some silly rumour. When Wei Wuxian died, his brand of cultivation died with him. "There's no one who practises or even studied it."
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"I have been to the sites. No one has survived these attacks yet the traces are clear. I believe people are right." Yet it made no sense. "Father believes it best to not investigate openly, he does not want people to be hysterical. But I think whoever this is has to be stopped before they can strike again. You are shrewd, brother, and you are much better at walking amongst people than I am. Maybe you can find what I can't. Any clue."
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He also didn't like Meng Yao having too much or owning pets. For some reason, he always got super upset over his stray cat he just happened to enjoy feeding. "Do you have any leads or shall I simply ... mingle among our people?" And hope for some demonic energy.
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How did one describe the kind of person Wei Wuxian had been? "...shameless. Lacking respect for anyone or anything." That might be a bit of his own bias coming through. On the other hand, they were talking about a murderer. "The people he has attacked, they are in the business of--"
He cleared his throat. "--brothels. So. Perhaps if you find a way to subtly... I don't mean to imposition you, brother, but you understand. My mother. My wife. I cannot be seen anywhere-- You understand."
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Prostitutes and customers. Some guards, like him, servants, here to fetch and accompany their masters. Most of them tried to stay to the side and blend in, a few leered at the prostitutes and waitresses that served drinks. Xue Yang didn't quite fit into either category and he had noticed someone else who did not quite fit.
He approached Jin Guangyao, who seemed vaguely familiar, simply addressing him directly without further preamble. "Wow, xiaojie, you must be for unusual tastes. What's your going rate?"
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He had been wondering how to best approach him when suddenly, Xue Yang was coming over, as confident as anything. He was a little brat, that much was obvious.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He didn't work here, he could be as rude as he wanted. "I'm no girl and you know it. You are a tease."
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Did they share taste in women? That seemed rather unfortunate. Made him happy not to know his own family, a lot less fuss overall. "Do you want to order something? They serve drinks and little snacks here, gongzi. It's not all bad. You should order. I would share with you."
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Then why did this cultivator put so many people on edge. Sure, he had bravado and swagger but so did many pompous, self important men.
"I suppose I wouldn't say no to a drink." He wondered what Xue Yang thought he was up to. Perhaps the apple didn't fall far from the tree in his mind. Unsettling.
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He might as well let Jin Guangyao know that he knew him from the opera. He was cultured enough for that. Or else he just had to stand around there guarding the old man and doing some other jobs. Whatever. "Xiaojie!"
He called out to one of the women serving refreshments. "The gongzi wants a drink. And bring some of the sweet rice balls with the syrup. Thank you."
He smiled, quite politely, in his pursuit of a sweet treat. Then he looked back at Jin Guangyao. "Gongzi is generous. You are good company."
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"Come, find us somewhere to sit. It seems we will be dining together." Given he was also buying the strange thing rice balls and all.
This man knew him from the stage, so he must live in Lanling and he probably had some kind of a master. But he wasn't a cultivator? Strange. Then what was it about him that left people so unsettled. "Do you enjoy watching me perform?" He usually got a lot of compliments but not everyone could understand the arts.
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"You move like no human would and you sound strange. Good job." From what he gathered, that was the goal of that kind of performance. "Keep it going."
As their order arrived, he immediately pulled the rice balls over, taking one of them to claim ownership right away. He took a bite and chewed happily.
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"If you're not a cultivator, what do you do then?"
If he was hanging around Lanling then what was the goal? Did he have a master or something? The old man he was waiting for, was he in a trade of some kind?
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He quite liked him. He was the only high-born - if bastard - cultivator that did not treat him as less and look at him with disdain. Quite the opposite, which was a nice boost for his ego, especially on days like this. He felt a strain from what they had him working on. The Stygian Tiger Seal was no easy feat, after all. He had played with the thought of visiting Meng Yao instead, but he knew that had to be a longer game. There was little risk with Jin Ziyu, who didn't suspect Xue Yang of demonic cultivation and who likely would not have cared if he had suspected him anyway, as long as he still looked the same.
Xue Yang closed the window quietly and then he sat down on Jin Ziyu's bed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Aish, A-Yu, are you sleeping already? So boring."
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What else was he going to do? Walk the grounds? Go out drinking? He was underage!
"I hate when you surprise me, gege." His make up was washed off and his hair was in a disarray, he must have looked awful. "Now I'm ugly."
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He didn't care that much, but he felt he looked good enough. He reached out to pet his hair. "You can stay in bed. I'm drained anyway, I'm in no mood to stand around. Gege had work to do until now, he doesn't get to be lazy like you."
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He moved along in his bed and pulled the covers open for Xue Yang to crawl into bed with him. If he wanted. He had a nice bed, warm sheets, and he assumed Xue Yang didn't have anything quite as nice. "Do you wish to lie with me, gege?"
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There was a coldness inside of him that wasn't quite shifting, but being in the warm bed made him feel more at ease even so. "How much did you miss me? It must have been agony."
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"Red beans grow in southern countries. How many would sprout in spring? I wish you'd pick more, my dear friend. The closest bond they would bring." Mo Xuanyu quoted from heart, hoping that cleared up how he felt without him. Just in case it didn't, he added: "I yearned, gege. I suffered."
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He shook his head, playing with the boy's hair. "I talked to your brother today, earlier. Jin Guangyao. He agreed with me that I am no one special but I believe I've scared him."
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He just wanted Xue Yang to not have to be overworked. "Why are you scaring him? Yao-ge is nice to me. He says I am a very good didi." Which was nice as few ever expressed such terms of endearment to him. "But he is wrong. You are special."
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