WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 71 Chance

XiChen gulped.

The last time he had seen those eyes, they hadn't been friendly then, either.

Ruby red, a flash of brilliance glowing ever brighter, as his irritation grew.

XiChen had a hard time telling himself that this was A-Xian, his Brother-in-Bond.

His brother's husband, usually so cheerful and bright, happy and laughing, was quite upset.

Even Uncle Qiren shifted subtly away, not even daring to breathe.

"Who?"

A demand, not really a question.

A single word, and yet it meant so much. One wrong word and this Wei WuXian could annihilate hundreds and thousands of seasoned cultivators.

XiChen was right to be scared.

"Maybe you should ask WangJi. I don't really remember now…" XiChen hovered, getting closer to the door just behind him.

Just then, Hui Gai and Zago suddenly materialized in between them.

"Hui Gai! Did you get it?" Wei Ying turned back into the sunniest person alive!

The switch was terrifying.

The reassuring granite eyes were shining like a luminescent mirror…only when he was talking to Hui Gai.

But every time his razor sharp glare happened to focus on XiChen, they shimmered with a scarlet hue that was gone in just half a second.

"Here, PengYou." Hui Gai looked rather proud of himself. "You can pay me back later." He winked.

In Hui Gai's book, that meant hugs.

"Anything." Wei Ying promised, easily.

Hui Gai gently put the white sack he was carrying, on the little table where they usually took tea with Uncle Qiren.

"You'll have to come a little bit closer." He encouraged Uncle Qiren.

Uncle Qiren wasn't feeling too great.

For starters, he had woken up in the middle of a nap, quite a nice nap it had been, too, by a draught.

A draught, of all things.

It was cooler than it should be, and as was his habit, he went to stroke his beard…and smacked his own face.

It stung.

When it shouldn't have.

He tried it again, thinking maybe he was still dreaming, because when he actually went to sleep, the beard was there. He was certain of this. So…where did it go? And his moustache? The side bangs of the mouth, normally always right there…were torturously missing.

Uncle Qiren closed his eyes once more, convinced that this was just a nightmare, and when he opened his eyes for real, they would be right there, where his facial hair ought to be.

Several deep breaths later, Uncle Qiren tried again.

This time, he misjudged the distance and nearly took his eye out.

The balance of hair to face ratio was tipped, missing, hoo-ha…not THERE.

He shot up like a bat out of Hell and grabbed his grooming kit…why was it out? That was a question for later, though. Right now, Uncle Qiren needed a mirror. The draught situation hadn't improved, only gotten worse, and the more he moved, the more he felt incredibly bare.

Naked.

His face was naked.

Uncle Qiren did not recognise the man he saw in the mirror.