Tao Hua's hands froze in Shan Si's hair. "Marked by white eyes?"
"Tried and true," Shan Si answered, tightening his grip on the back of Tao Hua's robe. "Does that bother you?"
His question felt intentional. Now, when it came to cultivation, Tao Hua barely understood how a thing about it, but even he could explain that curses weren't ideal as per all the fairytales read.
Furthermore, it wasn't the idea of the curse that concerned him. In many of those stories read, it was often dealt on the kindhearted protagonists—he knew fully well that there was no discrimination behind who fell victim to a curse and who could cast it.
However, there was always a reason why it was cast in the first place, but for all Tao Hua had known, that reason could have been as simple as "they just wanted to."
With a frown, he started to move his hands once more, noticing a dip in Shan Si's shoulders the moment Tao Hua restarted. He knelt there, sifting through every possible question and reply, every attempt at uncovering the truth, before finally settling on, "Can we break it?"
He didn't need an explanation; he just needed to trust Shan Si would give him one when the time was right.
"…" Shan Si removed his head from Tao Hua's chest, tilting it up to look at Tao Hua. He was trying to find any trace of a smirk, something that pinpointed his response was a mere jest. Alas, all he found was the empathetic expression of a man jumping into waters that went right over his head.
"No questions about what I did? Nothing on whether you may be affected?" Shan Si asked with a disgruntled smile. "Nothing about how any of this happened to begin with? Aren't you scared of me? Worried?"
"I…I am a bit scared," Tao Hua admitted, trying to position himself comfortably. He moved his hands from Shan Si's head and anxiously toward the back of his neck. "But I don't think it's as scary as dealing with a curse. If it were me in your shoes, I think I'd want someone to tell me I'm not alone. Actually, that's exactly what I'd want."
The smirk fell from Shan Si's lips. He looked away, unable to face Tao Hua any longer, as if ridden with an unspeakable amount of guilt.
"Hah, you really know how to make me regret everything I've done," he said. "You're either pure of heart, or intentionally trying to guilt me."
"N-No—" But before Tao Hua could retort, one glimpse was enough to stop him.
Naturally, Shan Si was teasing him, and Tao Hua had taken the bait.
No longer at bird's-eye view of the jester, nor eye-to-eye, Tao Hua's hands pressed against the nape of Shan Si's neck just as his body slumped forward. Due to this, Shan Si's own hands firmly kept him steady, falling around his waist.
It was an intimacy Tao Hua couldn't comprehend, but his mind was so overwhelmed with the curse, his care of fleeting.
"I'm serious, Shan Si. Can we break it?"
Shan Si softly laughed. "Why do you think I brought this topic up in the first place? You asked questions, didn't you?"
Sharply, Tao Hua blinked before darting his head up to look at Shan Si.
"Is that why you were looking for the relics?! In Siyue Town?!"
This entire time, he'd been treating Shan Si's curiosity as nothing more than a fool's wish, when it was far deeper than that. The relic wasn't just for collecting but necessary to Shan Si's survival—assuming the curse was detrimental.
It had to be given his reaction back at the estate when he assumed Tao Hua knew something.
Every piece of Shan Si was slowly starting to build into a complicating puzzle for Tao Hua. This man was easily the most misunderstood man to stubbornly exist.
"It's a wild guess," Shan Si replied, tightening his arms around Tao Hua, enough that even if Tao Hua tried, he wouldn't be able to wiggle himself out. But that was fine; he actually didn't mind it despite his reddening ears.
Shan Si glanced down at Tao Hua. "That's why I need my Reasearch Buddy, you know? Too long I've spent trying to figure this out. Two minds are better than one."
Fingers coiled around Shan Si's shoulders, the corners of Tao Hua's mouth slowly flipped upward, and he had to avoid Shan Si's watchful gaze lest he witness the cute and clumsy smile that adorned his lips.
To do this, he lowered his arms to Shan Si's chest and gently pressed his cheek against it. The roles were entirely reversed this time, but no amount of hiding couldn't conceal the excitement in his voice.
"S-So that's what we're researching? Shendi, relics, and curses? So that you can live freely?"
"Mhm," Shan Si hummed. "When things are finally set up and ready, I'll fill you in on more of the details. Does that sound good?"
Tao Hua nodded, but he wanted to know more. It wasn't based on his curiosity; he just wanted to prove to Shan Si that he could exceed his expectations, even if he had little to no experience and considered himself useless.
"So…Shendi," Tao Hua began. "You said it was filled with skilled cultivators and stuff. Um, why haven't you looked for a cultivator to help reverse it? Sorry, I…"
He wanted to say that he didn't know much about cultivation, but snapped his mouth shut immediately. Useful, he had to remain useful even if it was quite obvious and he had said it many times before that he knew next to nothing.
But Shan Si didn't seem at all concerned.
"Two reasons," he explained. "Number one: curses of this degree are masterful. They're not easy to reverse. I'd need an exceedingly talented cultivator and an abundance of spiritual energy to rival even a god if I want to break it."
"Ah…I see why the relics are important now," Tao Hua pressed his lips together, thinking for a moment. Given that all those within the palace had similar coloured eyes, it wasn't just one person he needed to save from this curse.
That alone brightened the already goofy smile. The past week had proven so many things he'd assumed about Shan Si wrong.
"And the second?"
"Shendi was wiped out two hundred years ago. There shouldn't be a single citizen left in the mortal world that wasn't killed during the Xingcai Era," said Shan Si, causing Tao Hua to freeze entirely, from his body to his smile.
"Xingcai…?"
"The reigning emperor of Jianlai, Emperor Xingcai. Like Gaifu and Shengkai, it has its meaning. Xingcai is defined as 'Prosperous and Wealthy.' He's the one I told you about back in the Imperial Baths—the father of the crowned prince of Jianlai."
To wipe out an entire civilization was no mere Monday task. Even Tao Hua could understand that in order to do something that extreme, it took power.
"Was it also the prince who eliminated Shendi?"
"No. Not entirely, at least. He killed off what was left of Shendi, but Shendi and Zhonglai had been at war for decades prior during Emperor Xingcai's rule."
Tao Hua glanced up at Shan Si, but this time, he wasn't looking at him. Instead, he was staring straight ahead, and at nothing.
Does he not like talking about this? Should I stop? I probably should.
It confused him, however, why this topic seemed to bother Shan Si, and no matter how much thought Tao Hua could offer, he couldn't quite figure it out.
"I see…" Tao Hua looked back down, frowning slightly. "Um, so if there aren't any citizens left, what about their history?"
"Gone. Just like Daoist Master Zhuan, and unfortunately, most arts die with their masters. Such is the life of cultivators," Shan Si replied, and just as he did, he tugged Tao Hua into an obnoxiously tight hug, enough to nearly cause the poor man's eyes to bulge. "Don't worry about it so much; this is my burden to bear. I now have a delicate little flower to assist me which means I'll be fine."
Tao Hua's face nearly beat a new shade of red, but before he could even process what was said to him, his entire body swung straight onto his side and his head gently slammed against the rounded pillows.
Dizzy, he shook his head to find that he was still stuck in the same hold, and facing the same black fabric had been for the last portion of their conversation. But when he tried to look up, he couldn't quite tilt his head.
Shan Si's chin was pressed against it.
"W-What…are you doing?"
"Surviving," Shan Si quipped, his eyes lowering. "All this talk has me exhausted. Sleep."
Tao Hua's breath bounced back at him, making everything surrounding feel much hotter. When Shan Si mentioned they'd be sharing a bed, he didn't once think it would be this close, and yet, Shan Si refused to let him go and only strengthened his embrace.
If his goal was to quiet Tao Hua, then it worked.
At the sound of rustling fabric, Tao Hua extended his outer arm around Shan Si, while the other awkwardly stuck under him, unable to move. Every inch of his senses were intoxicated with the familiar scent of pine, spice, and haughty delight.
So much so that Tao Hua even found his own eyes heavy at the warmth of it all, and before he fell into such slumber, Shan Si's voice vibrated pleasantly.
"One more thing, Tao Hua," Shan Si began quietly. "Do you know what Daoist Master Zhuan loved most?"
This was entirely random, but Tao Hua just made a noise of acknowledgement.
"Flowers."
Chapter end.