A golden beast towering with trees much taller than any palace gazed down.
Has he been seen?
Or stared clean though?
•••
This day was one of many that Qing Xiashu was forced to spend outside of the palace despite his... "grieving".
Or perhaps because of it.
Either way Qing Xiashu was miserable with it. Yaoguai hunts were entirely boring to him now. If he did run into Hong Chunji he would have to turn away before, or the moment that he was noticed.
Before all this, running into Yin Liming had been most of the fun.
Even the letters Yan Hesheng had begun sending the past few weeks didn't brighten his mood. As much as he adored hearing about all the things the baihu gui got up to. From hunts to random foods or craft projects. This was unfortunately how he discovered Hong Chunji and Yan Hesheng had become rather close friends.
Qing Xiashu tried not to take it personally.
At least Yan Hesheng didn't seem to hold any of the mess against him despite hearing a rather once sided account.
"Stop being so depressing!" Xue Huayu had yelled when she handed him a short hunt mission, one he could handle in less than two days and entirely alone.
When he and Hong Chunji had gotten into it, it had been spring. But now summer was in full swing and the weather had shifted from never ending snow to never ending rain. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't so irritating to dry and comb Hefeng every day just to dodge the inevitable matting behind her ears.
The only reprieve was the oil-paper umbrellas that were a Northern staple. It made Hefeng stick even tighter to his side than usual. Which unfortunately caused him to trip on the dog more often than not. The only thing that kept that from having him on the ground was his ability to catch himself on short notice.
Praise the cultivation world and the gifted reflex that came with its practice...
Truly a blessing...
Hefeng whined quietly beside him, pushing her face into his palm as they walked through the woods. The rain had paused for just a few minutes, letting the dim sun poke its nose through the clouds. The trees were so thin here that the sun shone down to the forest floor with ease, casting deep shadows into the twigs and fallen trees.
Today, Hefeng and her very pouty owner were hunting a few ghouls that were wandering about near the capital.
They were more active at night? Yes, but traces of their movement were easier to find during the day. Not to mention if they could be found, killing them during the day was infinitely easier.
The spirit beast was sniffing for the traces of the dead along the ground, catching a small whiff and following it for the last twenty or so minutes. It wasn't helped by the rain washing out most of the evidence.
The ambient air around them was steadily gaining a dilapidated stink of death. Perhaps it wasn't easy to directly trace. But it wasn't too difficult to play hot and cold with.
As they got "warmer", Qing Xiashu pulled a talisman from his sleeve, prepared to neutralize anything that might approach him.
In truth it was laziness that kept Touming in its sheath...
Hefeng shifted lower to the ground, pinning her ears towards the sound of a blade cutting through flesh.
The noise was loud enough to catch Qing Xiashu's attention as well. He shifted his own body lower to match hers and readied the talismans. It sounded like another cultivator found their prey first but that wasn't necessarily to say that it was a friendly party.
The opposite actually.
A rogue cultivator being protective of their kills and rewards was bound to be a lot more trouble than any undead could be. Especially if Hefeng's inherent distrust was anything to go on.
He peered around the clearing ahead to find a cultivator cutting down ghouls. One after another would sluggishly crawl from the nest's entrance only to fall to a waiting blade.
Focused to a degree that Qing Xiashu could easily say was admirable, a Northern rogue cultivator they surely were indeed. Xue xue hua stain was freshly painted below their eyes and on their forehead and their clothes dark in tones of black and blue.
They looked just like every other rogue cultivator that called the North home.
So much so Qing Xiashu might be hard pressed to assume they were the blueprint the rest were based on.
The rogue cultivator put down the last of the ghoul with a sigh, stowing their sword and setting their hands on their hips. They scanned languidly in a manner that almost read melancholic rather than triumphant.
Hefeng couldn't hold it much longer.
"Don't-"
Too late.
A low bark snapped through the woods.
The poor rogue cultivator shrieked at the sound before clapping their hands over their mouth, visibly shaking, even at a distance. "Don't come closer! I have a sword!"
Qing Xiashu chanced a glance at Hefeng who had dropped her aggressive posture and perked her ears. She chose to wander into the rogue cultivator's field of vision.
They flew into a panic, frantically scrambling backwards but tripping over the body of one of the disemboweled ghouls and falling backwards.
"Hefeng, get back here!" Qing Xiashu hissed quickly, running forward to ward Hefeng away from the clearly frightened cultivator and help them upright.
However...
They had fainted.
Maybe Qing Xiashu had forgotten how terrified of dogs some people could get because oh my... He hadn't seen someone that panicked over a dog since he was a child. He hadn't even gotten to ask a single question before they got themself knocked clean out...
Slowly the head disciple sighed and carefully picked the rogue cultivator up off the ground, setting them up against a tree while he cleansed the ghoul nest to avoid it restocking itself with corpses later down the line.
Hefeng waited dutifully next to the unconscious cultivator with her head resting in their lap. Hopefully they wouldn't wake up while she was there. But at least if they did, their panic over Hefeng would be short.
Maybe fortunately, the rogue cultivator didn't wake up the entire time that Qing Xiashu spent cleansing the nest of its darkness.
Less fortunately, they didn't wake up later either. Qing Xiashu hadn't prepared to stay at an inn and surely by now any lodging that was this close to the palace would be full for the night. He couldn't carry both Hefeng and this stranger on Touming so he couldn't simply return to the palace either.
Eventually Qing Xiashu set up camp next to the cleansed den, burying the ghouls while he waited for the cultivator to awaken. Hefeng assisted him in breaking the cold ground, digging through frosted forest floor.
A yipe sounded from behind the head disciple where he had lit a small fire. He looked over his shoulder to watch the rogue, pausing his digging and leaning against the shovel in his hand. "Are you feeling alright?"
The cultivator swallowed before whispering. "I'm fine." Their eyes were zeroed in on Hefeng who was perked up and watching right back.
"I'm sorry Hefeng frightened you, she's quite young still so she doesn't really understand that you're upset by her." Qing Xiashu said with an apologetic smile. It was all the energy he could muster when he was so undeniably down.
"It's fine." They choked.
Qing Xiashu sighed quietly, turning his attention to Hefeng. "Run along home." He said.
The dog whined and gave him an impressive puppy eye attempt.
"Go on, I mean it Hefeng."
Hefeng whined dramatically before scampering off.
The rogue cultivator heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm so sorry, I've been afraid of dogs for as long as I can remember."
"It's alright." Qing Xiashu said with a kind smile, moving over towards the rogue cultivator, settling down beside them. "What's your name?"
"A-ah..." The cultivator laughed anxiously. "I... Don't really know..."
The head disciple squinted. "You don't really know." He echoed in wonder.
Truth? Amnesia? Lies? Wanted criminal? Run away?
"Mm... I woke up about two weeks ago but... I dunno... I don't remember a lot else..." They murmured, fiddling with a fluffy strand of dark hair.
"Really? Nothing?" Qing Xiashu asked as he inspected the rogue cultivator's features.
He found nothing of consequence in the sweet features, round eyes and fluffy hair.
Even the xue xue hua paint was little more than a circle.
All in all, the man seemed average.
Nondescript.
"Does your sword have a name? There are records kept in the palace and there's a chance you've been logged down."
"Gou Ya." The rogue said, patting the hilt of the blade resting at his side.
"Dog tooth..." It didn't come up off the top of his head. "Well, isn't that a bit caustic..."
"I thought so too..." The cultivator said with a sigh. "I don't know if it's a joke or not, but whatever it is it's a bit twisted I think."
Qing Xiashu nodded slowly as he gazed at the incredibly well crafted blade. The sword was on par with Xuelu and Kaihua. Its style was pointedly Eastern with an asymmetric point, something that could be documented in various records.
Made so well Gou Ya was likely a custom commission and expensive. That alone would be a long list but the list of Eastern blade smiths in the North was significantly shorter. "I wonder if you were afraid of dogs before. Minds that struggle to understand memories tend to interpret them a bit dramatically."
"I don't know." The cultivator murmured with a slow head shake. "I don't even remember where I'm from."
"You're a Northerner for sure." Qing Xiashu informed, pointing to the xue xue hua stain on the young man's forehead. "No other group of cultivators do that, and I assume you would know if you were a yao or a god."
"I certainly hope so." The cultivator said with a small shy smile.
"Well, I'm Qing Xiashu."
"It's nice to meet you, I'm sorry I can't return the exchange of a name."
"Don't worry about it." Qing Xiashu said as he finally stood from the ground. "I'll call you Mi-didi for now, if you don't mind."
The cultivator only smiled from his place on the ground, hands resting against his knees. "Alright."
"Well, can you fly?" The head disciple asked, holding a hand out for the man.
The cultivator took his hand and was hauled to his feet, grabbing his sword up from beside him on the way. "Mm, I can."
"Then let's head to the palace and check the library records, hm?" Qing Xiashu said, giving the cultivator a warm smile as he turned to take to the air, waiting just a moment for his new "didi" to get himself situated on the blade in his possession.
"Are you from the palace sect?" The rogue cultivator asked when he reached Qing Xiashu's side, matching his pace easily.
"I'm the head disciple."
This seemed to surprise the little rogue, who's eyes widened. "What are you doing out here?"
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Qing Xiashu sighed heavily, head dropping for a moment before coming back up. "I was on a solo hunt because I've apparently been dim lately, and the princess hoped it would be enlightening." He said with a mild sneer in his tone.
"Was it?" He inquired, head tipping in a way that was quite akin to a dog, Qing Xiashu thought this too was quite ironic given the whole situation.
The head disciple frowned as he looked out towards their destination. "No, not really." The morning sun was starting to come up to the East, but that didn't help ease the rain that was relentlessly pelting them as they flew. No umbrella was going to save them from this downpour.
The unusually green landscape below them slowly turned back to white and snow covered as they approached the mountains that cradled the frozen capital.
Thank the gods for qi powered temperature regulation...
They were both soaked to the bone when they arrived at the palace. Just before the gates they landed as was most polite, despite the rain that was now freezing on their shoulders.
"Quickly!" Qing Xiashu chirped as he took off running through the palace grounds to get to a covered section of boardwalk channels that led from place to place.
The rogue cultivator squeaked out a meek "Huh!?"
Footsteps quickly followed through the slightly flooded courtyard.
Finally there was something to fill his mind with!
Books couldn't hold his attention! Yet he'd read through half the library!
And still he was utterly miserable.
But finally there was a mystery!
Something to capture his interest!
The head disciple laughed as he ran through the rain, excitement filling his lungs.
Finally.
Finally.
Something he might be able to fix!
Something other than a bridge lit ablaze from either end.
The rogue cultivator giggled at Qing Xiashu's side, keeping pace with him as well as mirroring his emotion [https://img.wattpad.com/830369b4afbfc64810fbc634f00fcf1d4618752c/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6f704570633833453471365467413d3d2d313439373031353939312e313830393437363163353732396339373730303732313732313338362e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The rogue cultivator giggled at Qing Xiashu's side, keeping pace with him as well as mirroring his emotion. Now that Qing Xiashu wasn't so irritable, the rogue lost his anxious jitters.
With the head disciple at ease, he was as well.
Qing Xiashu grinned at the loosening tension in the man's shoulders, and now even under the cover of the boardwalk roof, they continued to run, leaving anxiety to eat the puddles they leapt over.
Eventually all good things come to an end.
They came to a stop outside Qing Xiashu's room. Breathless from laughter and taking a few moments to lean against the walls and breathe, giggling hopelessly the entire time until the rogue cultivator finally let out a long heave to relax.
"Let's change and dry out before we touch anything made of parchment." Qing Xiashu said, opening the door to his room to allow the rogue inside.
Qing Xiashu took it upon himself to help the rogue dry his hair once they were in fresh clothes.
The rogue kept a sweet patience while this happened. If he didn't want the head disciple poking at his head, he didn't say it. In fact he just kept his hands tucked into his lap with a peaceful expression, settled on the floor while his hair was gently dried and braided away from anywhere it may be in the way.
"Thank you." The rogue said with a smile as he felt over the braid resting on his shoulder with both hands.
"No worries, would you like to go check the library now, Mi-didi?"
"Mm." The rogue stood and trailed behind the head disciple as he walked, remaining under the boardwalk roofs to keep dry. "Do you really think we'll find anything?" He asked, voice small but hopeful.
"Maybe. If you've been in the North for four or more years we'll definitely have some kind of record of your name and your sword. But you do display features of classically trained Eastern yaoguai hunters, so you likely spent time over there. And that may explain your fear of dogs, their borders are protected by the Tiangou."
"Tiangou...?" The rogue's eyebrows knitted together almost immediately.
"Mmm, Tiangou." Qing Xiashu repeated. "It's an immortal dog that's supposedly so powerful it can eat the sun. But I figure that's just legend, it's the king's spirit beast that's now classed as an ascended yao. So, powerful yes, but not that powerful." He explained.
The rogue cultivator grimaced and shuddered, as if he was shaking off rain. "Sounds like a nightmare."
"I suppose it would to you, Mi-didi. But actually, the best way to combat it is to cross the border with a dog. That's not really well explained though." The head disciple said, leading the other into the library and to the corner that held obscenely long scrolls filled with notes on rogue cultivators.
"We'll start with things from the last five years alright?" Qing Xiashu hummed as he pulled down a few bamboo slip scrolls and one insanely long scroll. He handed the rogue one of the slip scrolls and settled at a desk in the middle of the library. "Just look for something about your sword, if we're going to find anything I'm sure it'll be about that."
"Alright." With this, the rogue sat across from Qing Xiashu and opened the scroll, scanning the words.
Outside the freezing rain raged and the sun began to travel across the sky behind the thick blankets of clouds. The silver daylight was so dim that they were forced to work by the candles and lanterns set around the library.
Qing Xiashu heard the disciples in the library responding to their king before he saw the man approaching, but he turned his head to greet him with a smile.
"Qing-Shidi." Xue Feiyi greeted with his commonly flat expression.
"Shixiong." The head disciple hummed, smiling.
Xue Feiyi raised a brow as he looked over the scene of his younger brother sitting with a stranger. "What are we searching for?" He asked, sitting beside his head disciple.
Qing Xiashu smiled at the king, passing him one of the scrolls. "Anything about a sword named Gou Ya used by a rogue cultivator."
"Gou Ya? Why?" The king asked, already beginning to skim through the scroll set out before him.
"Mi-didi doesn't remember his name, but his sword is called Gou Ya, so I figured that we might be able to track down some information about him through the records."
"I see." Xue Feiyi murmured. "Do you remember anything else about yourself?" He asked the rogue across the table.
"Past a few weeks ago, not really, I know how to do things and I know where things are, but I can't remember learning anything... I don't know the names of anyone, even of political importance, and don't remember certain details of the landscape. Even in the town I was staying in before." The cultivator explained, hands still resting against the slip scroll before him.
"Amnesia?" Xue Feiyi asked Qing Xiashu, looking to the man at his side, likely for his opinion.
"I'm not sure, he could have accidentally eaten some herb while scavenging, or been cursed, or just been hit in the head, it's really hard to say to be truthful. Though he did faint when I first met him--"
"Don't tell people that!" The rogue squawked.
"--so I'm partial to the head hitting theory."
"I see." The king repeated, turning his attention back to the scroll before him.
"I'm sorry, what is your name?" The rogue asked quickly to Xue Feiyi, hunching forward so his voice wouldn't carry so far. He wasn't the best at keeping his voice low it seemed.
"Xue Feiyi. Qing Xiashu is my younger brother. I adopted him." The answer was so unceremonious that there was no way for the poor memoryless rogue to know that that name meant anything more.
Qing Xiashu smiled beside them and simply let it happen. He only turned his attention back towards their search and ignored the issues that may present themselves later due to this miscommunication.
Besides, Xue Feiyi had probably neglected to mention it himself to keep the rogue from panicking and clamming up.
When hours later a small hand grabbed Qing Xiashu's sleeve he realized how odd it was that it hadn't happened sooner. "What is it, A-Ying?"
The little girl slunk into his side as she watched the stranger. "Food..."
"Ah."
"We can take a break." The rogue said with a small smile, setting his fifth scroll down.
So far none of them had found a damn thing.
And to say Qing Xiashu was growing antsy would be an understatement. "Are you hungry? We never did have breakfast."
"I would greatly appreciate food." Said the rogue as he rose from his spot at the desk.
"We'll get something started then, come on Mi-didi. Could you tell Xue Xiaojie?" Qing Xiashu said as he gently handed Hei Xianying to his brother.
"Alright." The king nodded gently, rearranging the scrolls on the desk so it would be easier for the disciples on library duty to put them all away.
They would return to their search at a later time. For now, Qing Xiashu would prepare lunch.
Arriving at the kitchen posed... a small problem, one of the hunting dogs that wandered the grounds was dozing in the kitchen by one of the fire pits that was always left lit under a small vent.
The rogue cultivator froze the moment he saw the large black dog, even as it peacefully slept.
"Qing Xiashu!" He squeaked in a little whine, which unfortunately awoke the sleeping dog and caused it to pick its head up to look at them.
"That's Xian, he's friendl-'' Qing Xiashu's words died in his throat as Xian's ears flicked back and his lip raised in a snarl.
The rogue cultivator let out a whimper and crumpled in on himself, shrinking behind the head disciple for cover.
"Xian!"
The dog neither backed down nor did so much as glance at Qing Xiashu.
"Xian, pay attention." He said in a low voice, holding out a placating hand while he pushed the rogue carefully backward. "Go lay back down." He commanded sternly.
Only for the dog to take a running start at them.
Qing Xiashu had a hand on Touming's hilt when another furry body charged through the door and barreled into Xian's side, devolving quickly into a full blown dog fight.
Hefeng's snarling and snapping barks sounded undeniably alien. Never once had he heard her in a dog fight before. She fought yaoguai regularly but never like this. In those fights she was always quiet.
"Hefeng!" Torn away from the fight by the scruff and practically thrown backwards towards the rogue she stilled.
Xian on the other hand was similarly thrown but he was forced to scramble himself upright again or risk sliding into a wall.
"Bad! Very very bad, Xian! Go! Get!" The head disciple stomped in his direction a few times before inevitably the dog fled through the opposite door.
When he finally turned back to the rogue and Hefeng, he found the man squeezing the dog like a stuffed animal while completely rigid. Meanwhile Hefeng seemed entirely unconcerned, a happy smile, panting, and wagging her tail.
Despite that small tufts of fur were sticking out in ways they weren't supposed to.
"Eh- Mi-didi, are you alright?" Qing Xiashu asked with a breathy laugh.
Well, he had asked for some excitement, he just hadn't expected that level of adrenaline rush.
"N... no... help." The rogue whimpered.
"Alright alright." Qing Xiashu carefully helped the poor man let go of Hefeng, and set her down at their feet. "That was a very good girl, but please go stay with A-Ying, don't follow." He directed, rubbing her face. Hefeng whined but eventually scampered off again. "Dogs really don't like you do they?"
The rogue made another meek whine and hopelessly began to wring his hands.
"It's alright, at least Hefeng likes you, we'll keep the rest away from you for now."
"Thanks..." The rogue murmured.
Qing Xiashu decided a change of subject was in order. "Do you cook?"
The cultivator shook his head before answering, taking the subject change like a lifeline. "Not really, I've been buying from vendors for the most part, or just eating raw foods."
"Hm... I think we should change that..." The head disciple hummed, pulling ingredients from drums and cabinets. "I can show you how to make noodles if you'd like."
This time the younger of the two nodded, moving closer to observe the steps that were taken.
Before long they had made soup that was quite good if you were to ask either of them. "I think you probably knew plenty about cooking, I didn't even have to explain how to hold the knife correctly. I bet if you could remember any recipes you'd be an amazing cook." Qing Xiashu said with a warm smile, hands on his hips as he looked over their work with a proud air.
To this the rogue cultivator gave a shy grin, glowing under the praise. "Thank you... you know a lot so it was easy to figure out what you were doing." He murmured quietly, twiddling his thumbs and staring down. To which the head disciple only shook his head.
"Nah, don't give me your credit, Mi-didi. Now let's get this dished up and take it to the others, I'm sure Xue Shixiong has corralled them by now."
"Alright."
Collecting everything they would need to actually serve the food was thankfully easy, Qing Xiashu set some spiced rice crackers on the tray as well.
Mostly to perk up Hei Xianyin.
The little huan had also been down lately.
This was his own fault but he felt far too guilty to acknowledge the fact out loud.
"Shu-gege is happy?" Hei Xianying asked the second they entered the little dining room, standing at her place and observing their new guest with deep interest.
The two set out the food rather quickly.
"Mm, Shu-gege is happy." Qing Xiashu replied as he sat at her side, patting her head. She was absolutely beaming, even before he presented her with the spicy rice crackers.
Ah... definitely his fault. It really wasn't much of a surprise that Hei Xianying was such an emotional sponge, she was a huan after all.
"Who's that?" She asked finally with a suspicious scowl at the rogue.
"Who indeed?" Xue Huayu echoed both the question and the squint.
"Mi-didi has lost his memories, so we're trying to find some record of him or his sword." Then he seemed to belatedly realize something and turned to the rogue. "Mi-didi, don't panic but I think you should know Hefeng is under the table."
At this moment the dog whined, as if complaining about being exposed.
The rogue froze solid at his seat before rigidly continuing to pass out the dishes to everyone. "She's fine." He said slowly through his teeth.
"Are you sure?" Xue Feiyi asked, raising a brow at their guest.
"I should get used to her, don't you think?"
"Don't push it too hard." Qing Xiashu said with a soft smile, beckoning Hefeng closer to himself while he dished out noodles
"Is Mi-gege scared of dogs?" Hei Xianying questioned, standing to grab her rice crackers, which got her side gently poked.
"I'm afraid so." The head disciple answered, finally taking a few sips of the soup.
"That is unfortunate." Xue Feiyi mentioned. "Many hunting dogs wander the grounds here, we'll have to keep them a little more confined while you stay here."
"That's alright it's not their fault. I don't want them to feel punished on my behalf... I can get used to Hefeng, maybe it won't be so bad."
"At the very least Hefeng will be happy to protect you." Qing Xiashu chuckled.
He was pleased to be with the people he was fond of and at peace over a meal.
And more importantly the people that were fond of him.
Unlike someone...
Qing Xiashu's face fell, failing to keep with his rhythm for eating.
Xue Huayu struck his arm lightly. "Stop thinking about him." She scolded in a quiet hiss.
"It's hard..." He murmured under his breath.
She rolled her eyes first before deigning to reply. "He isn't worth your thoughts, Er-ge."
"Has something happened?" The rogue cultivator asked eventually, watching the siblings quietly talk, similarly listening to every word spoken.
"Ah, no, we had a falling out with a friend some months ago." Qing Xiashu laughed lightly with a wave of his hands. Quickly returning to eating to avoid the awkward conversation.
"Were they cruel to you?"
The head disciple sighed.
He wasn't going to escape the questions, was he?
"Not really, I might have been though, I think I kept something from him and to say we're parted on bad terms would be an understatement."
"Do you regret what you did?"
This made Qing Xiashu pause.
In the end he'd been right about how Hong Chunji would react to the knowledge that Xue Feiyi had possibly been the perpetrator of the freezing of the citadel.
"No, I suppose not, though I really only delayed the inevitable. That could certainly be considered cruel of me."
"He didn't have to be so mean though." Xue Huayu grumped. "He was unnecessarily rude, he called Er-ge's face ugly and everything."
"That's not what he said Xue Xiaojie....."
"Might as well have been! It was awful!"
Qing Xiashu sighed. "She's biased."
"Shu-gege is pretty, not ugly." Hei Xianying said stubbornly, small arms crossing over her chest. "He's just a big meanie."
"Hong Chunji was understandably angered." The king finally said. "Though his anger was arguably misdirected."
"Oh, not this again! Let's stop pretending his claims aren't both unfounded and impossible, the only single being that could have done that to the Southern citadel would be Shuang Xianjun, and that's absurd!" Xue Huayu snapped sharply, making both Qing Xiashu and the child beside him flinch slightly.
Xue Feiyi leveled his sister with a pointed look over her tone before continuing on to speak. "That debacle is an issue you needn't trouble yourselves over."
"We needn't troub--!? Da-ge, he's accusing you of a massacre! The destruction of a long standing dynasty! Mass murder! What about this needn't be troubled over?" The princess shouted, standing quickly.
"As I was the only one here that was present at that incident. I am the only one qualified to defend myself."
"Is that right?" Xue Huayu scoffed before storming from the room, Hefeng climbing out from under the low table to follow her.
Qing Xiasuhu and Xue Feiyi heaved a slow synchronized sigh.
Hei Xianying had at some point leaned herself into Qing Xiashu's side and was lightly pulling on one of the yellow tassels in his hair, rolling the bead back and forth between her fingers. He only frowned and softly patted her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to set her off."
"You did not." Xue Feiyi said simply, turning his head to the rogue who had been quietly watching. "I apologize, I assure you arguing in front of guests isn't typically a habit we employ. Things have been rather tense lately."
"That's alright, I apologize for pushing on the topic, I didn't realize it was so explosive..."
"Under typical circumstances I swear it really wouldn't be." Qing Xiashu sighed as he gently rubbed Hei Xianying's back. The child was understandably not fond of the near constant arguing that had been going on between the Xue siblings as of late.
"These are unfortunately not exactly what one might call common circumstances."
•●•