XueXiao Drabbles Collection

I wish you would...

Art by Lychee Syrup

Autumn breeze can barely felt around this time of the month. Summer almost ended. Traces of the changing weather can be seen anywhere. Despite the air now slowly turned cold at night, the dark sky is still as clear. No clouds can be seen as far as eyes can reach out. Stars are flickering at the distance space, as much as the sand on the earth. If one is paying full attention, shooting star can be found every so often.

The lantern in Xueyang's grip is not lit. It's not the time yet. Some people who have the same idea as him are mostly had their lantern lit, ready to set. He doesn't care. He is too busy to bother with other people and let them have a tiny bit of their happiness. At least that part, is also what he wants to have in this small lantern festival.

Soon enough, he left.

The road is bustling with so many people. The city is awfully busy. The light and a happy atmosphere filling the air in almost every corner. Heavy traffic like this is bound to attract troubles, however, as there is always some kind of bickers here and there. Xueyang doesn't bother at all. It doesn't concern him. As long as he got to steal a lantern thanks to the small fight that happened near him moments ago, the rest of the citizens can riot and fight for their life for all he cares.

His steps are silent as usual as he walks away from the busy street. Chattering filling the air soon enough dissipated into nothing. As soon as he leaves the village's entrance, the wind blew away any sound near. Across this part of the town outskirt, there's only a thick forest. The closer he walks towards the forest, the quieter it becomes. His eyes flicker from the moonlight. A glint of naughtiness mixed with deep sadism. Whoever sees him right now will surely run for their dear life.

Again, he doesn't care.

His legs brought him deeper into the forest. Aside from the bright moon, no other source of light around. Despite it's too dim to see anything ahead, Xueyang's steps don't falter. Darkness is not enough to scare him. Death isn't even managed to make him cowers. What he scares the most is something more ... insignificant. This something which enough to drives him mad out of fear, he will never admit. Strange enough, the path he is currently walking on is exactly heading to this something he fears the most.

This area mostly abandoned by the folks, as the dense trees become a home for wild beasts, ghosts, and any other creatures. Sometimes, cultivators near the area will take a stroll in their night hunts, hoping they will be able to catch something worth the praise. Indeed, this kind of place is the source of their fame and income. The deeper they in, the more dangerous the risk. Whoever wants to get deeper than the usual perimeter will usually form a party. The preparation is also not something to be done within a night. Thus, Xueyang isn't worried if he might bump into random cultivators. Even if he did, it's not a problem.

Xueyang arrived in the middle of the forest. Moonlight reflected on the surface of the vast lake giving out majestic aura in contrast with the deep, gloomy dense trees. Even though it's currently almost midnight, one can still take a look at the depth. The crystal clear water is flowing with pure energy. Not many places have this magical field.

He stopped for a moment. His eyes already closed. With a single deep breath, he can feel his own spiritual power being replenished. He did the right thing by choosing this place. If he wants to perform the forbidden ritual here, he doesn't need to feel worried about the supply of energy. After endless attempts to do the complicated spells and chants, he starts feeling frustrated for the failure in every single try. Maybe this time, he will succeed.

He opens his eyes. The sight in front of him changes slightly. The moon somehow shines brighter than a few moments before. He can see clearly someone is sitting calmly in a worn-out boat, back-facing him. Xueyang's body alerted on instinct. He couldn't feel any killing intent or malicious aura around. Strange enough, even as he is aware of the anomaly, he couldn't make out which part is wrong. Still, when it comes to that person, every anomaly is not an anomaly.