I'm Not A Mermaid (YuZhoufest)

Si

Zhou Zhou keeps glancing at the man who had saved more than once. No, not man, but something of unnatural being. Yet, the nearer they are to the Xu palace, the more grave Jing Yu looks. The whole area of his back is a sheet of red as the spots where his shoulder blades rested are darker.

Entering the entrance to the residence of Xu family, Zhou Zhou yelled at the guards, pointing one of them. "Hurry and get Physician Gua Lin! We need his assistance immediately!" He orders the other person to help out in getting down his mother and little brother down from the box wheeled transportation.

Hearing her son yell, Mother Xu peaks out of the square window and asked, "I heard your yelling. Was Jing Yu severely hurt?" She sees her son's personal attendant, and let's out a gasp. Tears escape from the corners of her eyes as soon as she notices the ill situation the loyal man is in. "Oh Jing Yu, thank you for saving us. This means a lot to us. I-"

"Ma, I got this, so just go inside. I'll take care of him. You and Little Xia can take a rest."

One of the guards had already propped the ladder, and a hand held out in front of them. The matriarch of the Xu family slowly climbs down with her resting child. Seeing her child behaving in a way she has never seen before, she gives Little Xia to one of the maid servant that came running to see the commotion in the courtyard. She, then, goes over to Zhou Zhou and embraces him in a tight hug. "Hang in there, son."

Biting his lower lip, Zhou Zhou nods at his mother. The mother and son duo left Zhou Zhou and a guard to carry Jing Yu to his room. Once inside Jing Yu's chambers, he orders the guard to have someone bring a bucket of water and some linens. All alone with Jing Yu, he positions the paling person on a prone position.

"Jing Yu, are you awake?" Zhou Zhou checks his manservant, thinking he fell into a sleep as his eyes was close. Jing Yu's lids flutters as he made low groaning sounds. "Thank Nuwa. I'm gonna need to take off your clothes off. I'm sorry if this is going to be painful, but bear with it."

Clammy hands touches the stained white robes of Jing Yu, but Zhou Zhou was stop by the wounded attendant of his.

"Don't."

Although he was weak, bruised, and pained, Jing Yu was still his dignified self as he said that one word.

Doing his best to reason with the injured Jing Yu, Zhou Zhou explained, "I have to clean the wounds on your back. Therefore, I'm gonna need to take off your clothes." The man on the ground said nothing else after.

After the bucket and linens have arrived, Zhou Zhou dismisses everyone. The servants all eyed him like he had grown another head in two seconds. One of the female maid pipe in, claiming master of the family shouldn't dirty their hands by cleaning up somebody else. But, Zhou Zhou glared at the girl as he shouted everyone to leave immediately.

"Thank you," Jing Yu expressed his gratitude. His tone turns into mellow compare to when Zhou Zhou was about to undress him. He tries sitting up, but his master pushes him back down.

"Jing Yu, don't. You're already weak, and you want to move? Let me take off your clothes."

Finding the time to joke, Jing Yu chimed, "Have I gone to heaven?" A hand comes onto Jing Yu's butt. "Hey, now. It's not bed time, yet."

"Ugh, you still have time to kid around when you're at this state?"

Chuckling, Jing Yu answered, "En. Anything to ease you from taking a look at my back."

"What's wrong with it? Is it really that ba-" Right after asking and taking off the white robes, Zhou Zhou's breathe was snuffed. There was something magical with Jing Yu's garment as it shows his back all bloodied. He laid the garment over the bony parts that was once connected to his wings. His robe conceals his actual appearance. "What happened to yo-"