Chapter 47: Pilgrimage Part 6

Xiao Kun came under a waterfall, stripped, and stood in the icy water, his body shivering, pale skin turning faintly blue under the snowmelt.

Xiang Xian had already washed and wore a warm yellow single garment, roasting by a fire in a sheltered cave, a grass stem in his mouth as he studied the map.

“Where is Chaosheng?” Xiao Kun asked.

“Old Wu took him and Hulü Guang hunting,” Xiang Xian replied without looking up.

“How much longer must we travel?” Xiao Kun’s hair was half-wet, his upper body bare save for martial trousers, as he sat by the campfire.

“At least three days,” Xiang Xian said, “and only on clear days.”

“Follow the Mani Heaps of the pilgrims,” Xiao Kun said, “and we won’t lose our way.”

The path from the Loulan Ancient Road to Kunlun Mountain Peak was rarely trodden, preserving its millennial form, yet pious mortals still passed through. Of course, they could not reach the White Jade Palace or even approach the Garden of Life. The farthest mortals could go was the base of a solitary peak, where they glimpsed palaces in the heavens through parting layers of clouds.

After the battle at Gaochang, Chaosheng and Wu Yingzong’s bond returned to normal. Since leaving the Western Regions, Chaosheng rarely left Wu Yingzong’s side, mostly carried or piggybacked.

Fresh from hunting, Wu Yingzong sat Chaosheng in the snow and urged Hulü Guang to get to work. Chaosheng rubbed his hands and burrowed into Wu Yingzong’s arms.

“I remember there’s a village in the mountains,” Chaosheng said, pinching and kneading Wu Yingzong’s face, twisting his head to force him to look. “Long ago, Lord Chang Ge took me there to play, but we only stayed half a day.”

Wu Yingzong’s handsome face flushed, but he could not look away. “Lord Chang Ge has little lifespan left, yet he descended to play with you. He truly dotes on you.”

“Yeah.” Chaosheng said, “That’s why I never let him come down again after.”

Xiang Xian somewhat understood their dynamic but still found it hard to watch after a while, so he usually pretended they did not exist.

Only Hulü Guang found it amusing and sometimes tried to tease Wu Yingzong like Chaosheng, only to be rebuffed.

“Are you courting death?” Wu Yingzong’s eyes flashed murderously, cowing Hulü Guang, who nocked an arrow with a grin and shot at a rabbit.

“Tomorrow or the day after, we might reach here,” Xiang Xian said, studying the map. “There is indeed a secluded village. If it still stands, we can resupply.”

The wind grew stronger, carrying flurries of snow into the cave. Xiao Kun rubbed his ears incessantly, and Xiang Xian said, “Come here, I’ll clean them for you.”

Xiao Kun pushed at him playfully, then patted instead. Xiang Xian warned, “Careful, or you’ll pat yourself deaf.”

“Don’t poke my ears with that grass stem you’ve been chewing.” Xiao Kun struggled a bit, but Xiang Xian switched ends and had him pillow his head on his lap to clean them.

“All blood,” Xiang Xian said. “You don’t clean them yourself?”

Xiao Kun stayed silent. After several great battles, his head was often bloodied. Wounds healed on their own, but clotted blood blocked his ears, making him uncomfortable.

“When I was little, Master often cleaned my ears like this.” Xiang Xian chuckled. “Didn’t your mother do it for you?”

“No.” Xiao Kun shivered all over. Xiang Xian’s nimble fingers, skilled in crafting magic treasures, touched the depths of his ear with the grass stem, flushing his face. “She died not long after I was old enough to understand.”

Their shadows danced on the cave wall in the firelight. Xiang Xian added casually, “I’ll do it for you from now on. Turn over.”

Xiao Kun turned to the other side, and Xiang Xian placed his hand on his face. His palm was large and warm, yet Xiao Kun’s body remained ice-cold.

“You can use a bit more strength,” Xiao Kun said.

“Afraid of hurting you,” Xiang Xian murmured as he leaned in closer.

With each breath, Xiao Kun could even feel Xiang Xian’s breath. Xiang Xian’s hand brushed over his eyelashes, tickling him a little. He reached out to pull Xiang Xian away, but Xiang Xian intertwined their fingers instead.

“Alright, this side is clean now,” Xiang Xian said.

Xiao Kun sat up with a flushed face. Xiang Xian reached out again to pull him close, drawing him near and asking, “How will you thank me?”

“I… you…” Xiao Kun stammered. “What do you want? Last time… that thing…”

Xiao Kun’s panic was visible to the naked eye. Xiang Xian held him, pressing close in an intimate manner, just like last time in the restaurant, when the parrot cracked open pine nuts and fed them to A Huang.

The reminder jogged Xiang Xian’s memory.

Xiao Kun eyed him warily but did not pull away. “What exactly was that thing?”

Xiang Xian smiled, his gaze falling on Xiao Kun’s lips. After the cave warmed up considerably, Xiao Kun’s lips looked rosy, and the clear blue of his eyes reflected the campfire’s glow.

Both men’s lips parted slightly as they searched for teasing words, but their minds blanked out for a moment.

Xiang Xian subconsciously licked his lips but couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud, so he let go.

“I’ll dig it out for you?” Xiao Kun offered.

Xiang Xian waved it off. He recalled how, while acting as ambushers on the cliffside, he had teased Xiao Kun into agreeing to something ahead of time—though he himself felt shy now, since all he had wanted that day was a kiss.

He had bumped into Xiao Kun unexpectedly in the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves and ever since fixated on those soft lips, fantasizing about tasting them. The saying “one kiss of fragrant lips” rang true; kissing brought an indescribable pleasure.

Xiao Kun fetched a cloth towel and wiped his hair a few times. Xiang Xian snapped back to reality, placed an iron pot over the fire, and began brewing tea.

“What about Mr. Liu?” Xiao Kun asked.