INARTICULATION (MLM/MxM/M4M ORIGINAL)

18: Sweet

A shared kiss would open a spiritual weakness in oneself. Qi deviations are life-threatening, as is the human emotion called love. It is the reason many cultivators seldom partake in physical intimacy while clinging to that passion.

MEMENTO MORI

The Morning afterward was dull. The sky no longer had its warming hues and was instead a dark, gloomy backdrop from the previous tender night shared.

Wen Jingyi couldn't bear the sight of such a dark nature or a man frowning in his sleep. He slipped out of the bed and fixed the blankets and pillows around him before grabbing a large robe and leaving the room to wander the palace.

Fu Qianqiu was the first to see him wandering the halls.

"Excuse me, but where do you think you're going? You still need to rest." He spoke hard and stern, yet without his usual trace of anger.

"I won't be out of bed for too long. I'll return as soon as Xun Jie is awake."

His eye twitched.

"Did something happen last night?"

"What?"

"The two of you...you share a bed, don't you? I would have thought that you would relish that time together. That is unless something happened."

Wen Jingyi continued walking through the halls, admiring the golden lining of the interior's structure and decorum.

"He found a way to rid of Heng'e without killing any more demons."

Fu Qianqiu beamed at this. "He did? That's...incredible. Is that why he's been running off with his subordinate?"

Wen Jingyi nodded.

"Where is his subordinate now? Maybe we could discuss the matter while Xun Jie is still resting?"

"We can't."

Upon receiving no further explanation from the man walking ahead of himself, he scrapped the idea entirely.

There was a tearoom in the palace. It was mandatory in most brilliant architecture such as Jiao Xiang Palace, as visitors to such a beautiful chamber were expected to tour the sight eventually.

One would think this, while Wen Jingyi would know that this room was designed for no visitors or showing hospitality. Rather, the owner of this palace wanted a tearoom for himself.

It was a space where Xun Jie wouldn't invite anyone into. Fu Qianqiu hadn't known this, but Wen Jingyi knew very well that he may be upset to see someone like the General of Dong Nan in such a private area of his.

"Her Highness is already on her way," he said, removing two fingers from his temple. "She brewed a pot of tea, she says."

Well.

Wen Jingyi and Fu Qianqiu both took seats around the small table in the center of the room. The room was decorated with exquisite artifacts and the walls were covered in awe-inspiring illustrations of mystical mountain landscapes.

"Did he do all of this?"

Who else could it have been? Not even his trusted subordinate had been permitted entry to this room.

"Xun Jie is a very talented man," was all he could think to say. Again, Fu Qianqiu's eye twitched.

"He is indeed," Shang Hou entered the room with a tray holding an entire tea set. The fragrance emitted wasn't sweet, but it wasn't a stench either. Upon bringing the tray closer to settle on the table, it became clear that it was a brew of pure black tea.