“Don’t grope around,” Xiao Kun warned.
Xiang Xian yawned, feeling utterly content. That day when the Demon Spear pierced through, they had clung together in just this pose. Now, in the snowy mountain cave, holding Xiao Kun felt more comfortable than anything.
They fell asleep quickly, their dreams connecting.
Xiang Xian suddenly realized he was back in the Exorcism Division!
Everything felt so familiar. A red candle burned in the room, casting dim light where he and Xiao Kun embraced.
“Is this okay?” Xiao Kun’s voice whispered in his ear.
Xiang Xian lay there while Xiao Kun supported himself with one hand, hovering over him.
Xiang Xian’s heart pounded as he took in their bodies.
“Feels like a dream,” Xiang Xian said, gazing into Xiao Kun’s beautiful eyes. “But I like it.”
Immediately, Xiang Xian placed a hand on his neck, drawing Xiao Kun’s lips to his in a wild, uninhibited kiss. Xiao Kun wrapped his arms around Xiang Xian’s back, clutching his waist tightly.
The kiss started and became an unstoppable storm. They held each other fiercely, warm lips and tongues entwining until Xiang Xian abruptly opened his eyes.
In the cave, Xiang Xian jolted awake instinctively.
Xiao Kun had turned at some point, from facing away to facing him directly. They held each other just like in the dream, though clothed in thin garments. Xiao Kun pillowed on Xiang Xian’s arm, one hand around his waist, holding him close. Xiang Xian’s leg draped over Xiao Kun’s hip.
Their breaths mingled, dream and reality overlapping, making Xiang Xian’s heart race wildly.
Their noses touched, lips mere half-inches apart.
Xiao Kun shifted, and Xiang Xian closed his eyes immediately. Moments later, Xiang Xian sensed Xiao Kun waking, as his breathing rhythm changed.
He’s looking at me? Xiang Xian resisted the urge to open his eyes.
Xiao Kun gently disentangled himself from Xiang Xian’s front, silently donned his outer robe, and slipped past him toward the cave entrance.
The wind had died down, and the snows of Kunlun Mountain were beginning to melt. In the seemingly endless cold night, Xiao Kun sat alone on a large rock outside the cave, gazing at the inky darkness.
Soon, Xiang Xian’s voice sounded from behind. “Can’t sleep?”
“I had a dream,” Xiao Kun said.
Xiang Xian stood behind Xiao Kun. With the wind stilled, the chill had dissipated somewhat.
“What do you think we went through in our previous lives?” Xiao Kun asked without turning.
Xiang Xian: “I’ve wondered too.”
In the quiet night, Xiao Kun continued, “Did I kill you, or did you kill me?”
Xiang Xian: “Does it have to be killing? Couldn’t it be something else?”
Xiao Kun’s Nether Eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness, but soon he dismissed the idea of peering into Xiang Xian’s heart. He didn’t even turn to look; the blue glow gradually faded and vanished.
“Have we been here before, said the same words?” Xiao Kun asked, a hint of bewilderment in his voice.
“I don’t think so,” Xiang Xian said. “To be honest, Xiao Kun, I feel like last time—or even the time before—we went to many places together… How to put it?”
He sat beside Xiao Kun, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder. Xiao Kun brushed it off, making him behave, then placed his hand atop Xiang Xian’s instead.
“Last time, we must have been brothers,” Xiang Xian said. “Because when I first saw you, I was truly happy—happy from the bottom of my heart.”
A strange feeling stirred in Xiao Kun’s heart. They were like two people who had lost all memories, reuniting under the power of the Wheel of Fate, unable to recall past events or details. All that accompanied them was a hazy sensation.
“Just brothers?” Xiao Kun asked seriously.
Xiao Kun had meant to ask if, beyond protecting each other, they had also turned enemies. But suddenly, both recalled Shuhu’s third prophecy unprompted.
“You will fall in love with each other…”
Xiang Xian didn’t know how to respond. Normally, he would joke it off, but seeing Xiao Kun’s expression, it seemed he had something else to say.
The atmosphere turned intimate.
Xiang Xian said, “Don’t tell me you want to be my dad?”
Xiao Kun’s expression grew exceedingly strange.
Xiang Xian nearly burst out laughing. Xiao Kun raised a leg to kick him, but Xiang Xian dodged swiftly, his face changing as he cried, “Look! Quick, look over there!”
“What?” Xiao Kun turned to see a faint glimmer of dawn piercing the pitch-black mountains.
“The sky’s lightening,” Xiang Xian said.
Caught off guard, Xiao Kun’s collar was yanked open, and Xiang Xian stuffed a snowball inside. He yelped loudly.
“Don’t shout!” Xiang Xian said earnestly, urging him. “Shouting will trigger an avalanche! Watch out for the snow up the mountain…”
Xiao Kun was determined to punish Xiang Xian. He pinned him in the snow, straddled him, gathered snow with Magical Power, and prepared to shove it down his clothes. Xiang Xian struggled wildly. “Wait! Look! This time it’s real!”
Xiao Kun knew Xiang Xian was pranking again, but staring at his face, he hesitated to strike. Xiang Xian alternated between laughter, mischief, and feigned tension, begging, “I won’t do it again.” Xiao Kun gripped his collar, suddenly tempted to lean down and kiss him hard.
Xiang Xian’s face changed again, serious this time. “Deer! Deer! Look!”
Xiang Xian struggled up, turned Xiao Kun’s head forcefully while holding his waist. Xiao Kun, clutching a snowball, turned and suddenly saw a streak of light.
The White Deer appeared.
Trailing brilliant starlight, the White Deer streaked across Kunlun Mountain like a meteor toward the distance.
“Is that the one we saw last time?” Xiang Xian gaped.
Xiao Kun turned too late, catching only the light trail and the White Deer’s afterimage in the sky. He released Xiang Xian immediately. The two climbed to higher ground to gaze out, one after the other.
The east showed a pale fish-belly white. The light gently plunged into the heart of Kunlun Mountain and vanished.
Xiang Xian clung to a protruding rock, one hand extended to pull Xiao Kun up. Together they overlooked the sheer cliff.
“Is it?” Xiang Xian asked.
“I’m not sure,” Xiao Kun said. “Go back and wake the others.”
