Chapter 25: Mount Hua
As dawn was breaking, Jiang Hong was yawning incessantly, but he still fought against his drowsiness and recounted everything he had heard underground to Lu Xiu on their way back to the hotel.
Lu Xiu remained silent for a long time, his brows deeply furrowed, seemingly puzzled, yet he didn't doubt Jiang Hong's retelling and didn't press for more details. Finally, he just said, "I understand."
Lying on the hotel bed, Jiang Hong turned over and said, "She wouldn't be planning to assassinate us, would she?"
Lu Xiu also lay down on the bed and casually stroked Jiang Hong's head. Jiang Hong, already half-asleep, felt extremely secure beside Lu Xiu and quickly drifted off to sleep.
He briefly woke up in the morning to see Lu Xiu beside him, sending messages. After drinking some water, he fell back into a deep sleep.
Being a demon hunter is a bit tough, Jiang Hong thought. They often have to stay up late capturing demons...
By noon, Jiang Hong finally woke up. Lu Xiu, at some point, had also fallen asleep beside him. Jiang Hong, accustomed to hugging a pillow while sleeping at home, instinctively embraced Lu Xiu.
On the third day of the National Day holiday, Jiang Hong stretched and video-called his parents, who were playing in Dunhuang. They had completely "forgotten" about Jiang Hong's repeating a year and only asked him about his adjustment to school and his interactions with classmates. Jiang Hong turned his phone towards Lu Xiu, who was brushing his teeth, introducing him as a postgraduate senior he was traveling with in Xi'an. Lu Xiu greeted Jiang Hong's parents, who were delighted and very happy that their son had made good friends just a month into school, continuously saying Jiang Hong shouldn't trouble others.
"It's no trouble," Lu Xiu replied, drying his hands with a towel. "I'm happy to take care of him."
Lu Xiu's response was sincere, but Jiang Hong found it amusing, thinking to himself that choosing to come back to school was a wise decision. Otherwise, he would have been miserably spending this holiday in a repetition class.
"Are we going out to play today?" Jiang Hong asked.
"Otherwise?" Lu Xiu replied with a counter-question.
Jiang Hong cautiously asked, "Are you going to... deal with that incident involving Yang Feiyao from yesterday?"
"No need," Lu Xiu said. "I've already informed the principal, he will handle it."
Jiang Hong was still pondering what exactly was going on with the demon-hunting committee. It seemed serious, especially if it involved "dealing with" Lu Xiu. Had their relationship with Cao Bin deteriorated to a point of no return?
"You won't be in trouble, will you?" Jiang Hong asked with some unease as they left the hotel.
Lu Xiu looked at Jiang Hong as if he wanted to say something, then changed his mind: "In case I get captured by demons, remember to come and save me."
Jiang Hong responded, "Of course, I definitely will!"
Although Jiang Hong was barely a novice, his love for Lu Xiu was genuine. If Lu Xiu were in danger, he would definitely brave any peril to save him, although whether he could actually do it was another matter.
But before Lu Xiu could be captured by demons, he decided to soak Jiang Hong's clothes first. Changing into fresh clothes, Jiang Hong caught Lu Xiu in the bathroom amusingly sniffing his own T-shirt he had just taken off and burst into laughter.
"You must be sweating a lot!" Jiang Hong laughed. "What are you doing?"
"The smell of earth," Lu Xiu said. "We spent too much time underground last night."
That day, Lu Xiu took Jiang Hong to an escape room. Without Zhang Xiting around, Jiang Hong finally experienced a normal escape room. He suspected Lu Xiu was even smarter than Zhang Xiting, usually just playing along, spending over two hours with him in the escape room. For the next four days, Lu Xiu showed Jiang Hong around Xi'an, and they even watched the sunrise atop Mount Hua.
Crossing the plank walkway suspended in the air, Jiang Hong clutched Lu Xiu's hand tightly.
"What are you afraid of?" Lu Xiu sometimes really couldn't understand Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong replied, "It's so high! And there's only a safety rope!"
Before them lay a sheer cliff, below their feet a narrow wooden plank walkway, barely fifty centimeters wide, clinging to the mountainside, with only a safety rope tied around their waists and secured to a chain.
Lu Xiu reassured, "Even if you fall, I'll catch you."
The howling wind blew as Jiang Hong, plastered against the mountain wall with a face full of fear, watched Lu Xiu walking behind him with grace. Lu Xiu, with one hand on the safety rope and his body slightly leaning outwards, had his other hand's slender fingers spread, as if capturing the trajectory of the wind.
On the hanging walkway, it was just the two of them. In that moment, it felt like they were the only ones in the entire world.
Jiang Hong always tried to find something to talk about to distract himself.
So, he asked, "Senior, no, Lu Xiu."
Every time Jiang Hong looked back, Lu Xiu was always there behind him, watching in silence. Unless necessary, he seldom initiated conversation with Jiang Hong, but he was like a mountain, always there. Whenever Jiang Hong sought him, he could feel Lu Xiu's attention firmly on him.
"Did you look for me for a long time?" Jiang Hong asked.
"Not particularly long," Lu Xiu replied with a lightness in his tone.
Jiang Hong then asked, "So, are you... are you... in a way, protecting me?"
Lu Xiu pondered for a moment, almost speaking but then hesitated. Jiang Hong remembered hearing the words "repaying a debt of gratitude" from someone. Because he had sealed Lu Xiu's true form, Lu Xiu was repaying him in this life, although Jiang Hong was oblivious to it. To him, matters of past lives weren't his anymore.
But maybe dragons have their own obsessions? Jiang Hong didn't say "repaying a debt of gratitude" out loud, finding it somewhat embarrassing. Besides, even if he remembered, it was just a few shouts – how significant could that be?
"What do you mean?" Lu Xiu asked, not understanding.
Jiang Hong inquired, "Will you protect me until I die?"
From behind, Lu Xiu answered, "No."
"Oh," Jiang Hong understood and felt a bit disappointed. He smiled and said, "But I'm already very happy to have met you at school."
At that moment, Lu Xiu's expression changed, seemingly filled with regret. His brows furrowed deeply, not meeting Jiang Hong's gaze, instead looking out at the vast landscape of mountains.
Jiang Hong asked, "Is it all about fate between us?"
Suddenly, Lu Xiu's tone became cold, as if he were a stranger.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Lu Xiu said coldly. "Move forward."
Jiang Hong was startled, as if Lu Xiu had released an invisible pressure. He quickly apologized, "Sorry, senior. I spoke without thinking."
Then, Lu Xiu remained silent, and Jiang Hong felt uneasy, always thinking that he had upset Lu Xiu again.
Fortunately, while descending the mountain in the tour bus, Lu Xiu seemed to realize the atmosphere was a bit stiff and suddenly said, "Dragons take off by leveraging the power of the earth's ley lines, and once in the air, they utilize updrafts."
"Ah," Jiang Hong was somewhat bewildered, not understanding why he brought up the principle of dragon flight, a question asked long ago.
"Updrafts are common in nature," Lu Xiu said, gazing out of the bus window, lost in thought. "Almost all flying species rely on them, but as they leave the troposphere, the air becomes thinner, making sustained flight difficult."
Jiang Hong obediently responded, "Mm, I understand."
Lu Xiu, looking at Jiang Hong's eyes through their reflection in the bus window, added, "Dragons are the only creatures capable of breaking through the stratosphere to reach outer space, even surviving briefly in space."
"Wow—" Jiang Hong whispered, "Isn't that just like a space shuttle?"
Jiang Hong originally wanted to ask if he could be taken to space for fun, but then thought that being taken to space would likely result in a quick demise.
Lu Xiu continued, "But once they leave the Earth's environment, even dragons struggle to endure. Once they fly beyond the outer layer, if nothing unexpected happens, they usually can't return."
Jiang Hong nodded, understanding Lu Xiu's implication: "You can't take me to space for fun."
After their three-day trip to Mount Hua, Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu went to soak in the hot springs of Li Mountain. Lu Xiu's mood improved. In the Tang-style hillside hot spring hotel, as the temperature dropped sharply at night, they each slept on a tatami mat. Jiang Hong squeezed into Lu Xiu's bed, playfully fighting over the blanket.
Lu Xiu had grown accustomed to Jiang Hong's habit of frequently initiating physical contact, lying flat while playing with his phone, as Jiang Hong lay watching TV, both under a thick blanket.
Since descending from Mount Hua, Lu Xiu had become less talkative.
Jiang Hong suddenly heard Cao Bin's voice message.
"Come back tomorrow first. The situation at the Commission is a bit complex, more than I had anticipated, but I guess they aren't targeting you for now..."
Jiang Hong glanced at Lu Xiu, who then dismissed the voice message.
Jiang Hong asked, "Is the principal looking for you?"
Lu Xiu casually replied, "Don't worry about him," and put down his phone, saying, "I'm turning off the light, you should go back to sleep."
Jiang Hong complained, "It's so cold, and it's only October. It's nearly freezing up here on the mountain. I want to sleep with you."
Lu Xiu didn't ask him to leave, turned off the light, and they both stayed huddled under the blanket.
Jiang Hong turned off the TV and after a moment of silence said, "Lu Xiu, if there's something important, you should go back first, right?"
Lu Xiu hummed a response, showing no emotional fluctuation.
Jiang Hong turned over and fell asleep. Moonlight from the courtyard shone on his face. After a while, Lu Xiu sat up cross-legged, ran his fingers through his hair, and texted Cao Bin, occasionally glancing at Jiang Hong's peaceful sleeping face.
Jiang Hong looked like a carefree child.
On the 7th, their vacation ended early. Jiang Hong returned to his dorm, and Lu Xiu went straight to the administrative building to find Cao Bin, as Zhang Xiting and He Jian had already returned early.
"Wow! Let me see! What good stuff did you bring?" Jiang Hong exclaimed when he saw both had brought gifts. He Jian's mother bought the same style of clothes from Rei Kawakubo for all four people in the dorm, while Zhang Xiting brought specialties from Anhui.
Jiang Hong then also took out the specialties he had bought to share.
"Did you go out on a date?" He Jian asked.
Jiang Hong replied, "I went out to play with my senior."
"Are you and Lu Xiu in a relationship?" Zhang Xiting teased.
Jiang Hong, now used to such teasing, didn't overreact and answered, "No, no, he's a guy! How could that be possible!"
He Jian remarked, "Why can't it be possible with a guy?"
He Jian, who didn’t seem like a straight man at all, was actually as straight as they come. Just a month into school, he had already started dating a girl.
Jiang Hong: "..."
Zhang Xiting, opening Jiang Hong's beef jerky, said, "The whole dormitory saw it, wow—saying your boyfriend is a dragon, even came to pick you up."
Jiang Hong protested, "Stop talking nonsense!"
He Jian commented, "Even our dorm supervisor has a girlfriend, you know? She's a human lady."
Jiang Hong replied, "Oh, so what?"
Zhang Xiting said, "You don’t seem surprised at all. People can date fox spirits, so inter-species relationships are quite normal. Why can't two guys be together then?"
Jiang Hong replied, "Well, you're not wrong... But I definitely don't have any improper thoughts about my senior!"
Although Jiang Hong was always ambiguous with Lu Xiu and Lu Xiu’s responses to him were indulgent without principle, as a straight man, Jiang Hong knew there were absolutely no sexual fantasies involved, not even love. If their feelings truly transcended friendship, their interactions would not be as they are now; instead, they would be much more restrained and subtle.
"Could you accept being with a guy?" He Jian asked curiously. "This is just a discussion, don’t take it to heart."
Jiang Hong uttered an "Uh," as a virgin, he hadn't seriously considered it.
"Currently... I don't think I can accept it." Jiang Hong looked nervously at He Jian, wondering if he had any thoughts about him. He Jian is straight, right? But his elder brother seemed a bit ambiguous.
"Can you?" Zhang Xiting then asked He Jian.
He Jian said, "If it's a dragon, maybe it's not completely unacceptable... But anything else, absolutely not! Of course, this is just hypothetical."
"Why?!" Jiang Hong couldn't imagine He Jian with Lu Xiu, it was like a nightmare!
He Jian explained, "Dragons are the strongest creatures in the world! And did you know? It's said that Lu Xiu is the next designated Demon King, the prince of the demon clan. Initially, Principal Xiang planned to send him to guard the sacred land, but he didn't want to and stayed at Cangqiong University."
Zhang Xiting said, "Principal Xiang himself is a Demon King, right?"
Jiang Hong had heard that Xiang Cheng, both the university's principal and the demon clan's leader, known as the Demon King, founded Cangqiong University.
"Yes," He Jian said, "The principal has always been looking for a successor, but hasn't found a suitable candidate. Now, he has finally found a dragon as a successor."
Jiang Hong curiously asked, "If Lu Xiu were a female dragon, would many people pursue him?"
Zhang Xiting clarified, "Well, brother, dragons don't have females, only males, at least none have been discovered so far. Or it could be said that dragons ultimately exhibit male characteristics due to cultivation."
Jiang Hong: "Ah? Why? Then how do they find a mate?"
He Jian explained, "Have you heard of the dragon's nine offspring? Dragons mate with other species to produce hybrid... mutated breeds, like Chiwen, which is the offspring of a dragon and a fish; or Bixi, a dragon and a tortoise. Haven’t you noticed these half-dragons exhibit traits of their maternal species?"
Jiang Hong finally understood, "But why are dragons only male?"
He Jian replied, "Because dragons are nurtured by the heavenly pulse, they are a collection of yang energy from heaven and earth. I don't know the details; that's what my dad said."
Zhang Xiting added, "The earth's pulse nurtures another kind of yin energy creature, but they have disappeared for a long time, not seen for over ten thousand years. It's only speculated that such creatures exist."
Jiang Hong said, "Oh, I see. Lu Xiu never talks about it."
Zhang Xiting teased, "That's not good, darling. You need to pay more attention to your boyfriend."
He Jian replied, "My family is skilled in Qimen Dunjia divination. Do you want me to predict if you and your dragon sweetheart can end up together?"
"He's not my dragon sweetheart!" Jiang Hong corrected again.
Regardless of the jokes his roommates made, Jiang Hong never got angry. Over time, everyone enjoyed teasing him.
As He Jian went to take a shower, Jiang Hong thought for a moment and said, "Ah, He Jian, I am actually a bit curious. Does divination drain your energy?"
"Dragon, our hearts are as one... It's no trouble," He Jian sang from the bathroom, saying, "My good son, what do you want to divine?"
Jiang Hong remembered the conversation he had with Lu Xiu on Mount Hua.
"Can you divine how long our fate will last?" Jiang Hong asked.
"You two?" He Jian asked, "You and who?"
Jiang Hong replied, "Lu Xiu."
"See! I told you he's your boyfriend!" Zhang Xiting said.
After showering, He Jian came out wearing an oversized T-shirt, with his hair slightly longer than a buzz cut. He touched his hair and took out a handful of yarrow stalks, handing them to Jiang Hong.
"Yi Jing divination with stalks," Zhang Xiting commented with curiosity, coming over to watch.
Jiang Hong sat on He Jian's bed, following his instructions to hold the stalks, passing them from his left hand to his right, and counting the remainders. After repeating this nine times, He Jian began interpreting the hexagram.
"Huh?" He Jian uttered a sound filled with bewilderment.
Zhang Xiting's expression suddenly turned solemn.
"Can you do it too?" Jiang Hong looked up at Zhang Xiting.
"Ancient Eastern divination," Zhang Xiting said, "We had a course on it in our second year. My dad taught me a bit, but he's not a master either."
He Jian muttered, "How can this be? Something's not right."
Jiang Hong asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Xiting said, "Something is interfering with your divination results."
Jiang Hong: "?"
He Jian suggested, "Let's try it again."
The three of them were silent. Jiang Hong felt a bit nervous. After the second attempt, Zhang Xiting and He Jian exchanged a look.
"What does it mean?" He Jian was utterly puzzled. Jiang Hong asked, "Can’t you see the conclusion?"
"Wait," He Jian said, "I need to ask my mom."
He Jian texted on his phone, and quickly got a reply. He then took a feather from his luggage.
"Let's try using this instead of the yarrow stalks," He Jian suggested.
Jiang Hong: "???"
Completely bewildered, Jiang Hong did as He Jian instructed, but couldn't help asking during the process, "What did that mean earlier?"
With a grave expression, He Jian didn't answer. Zhang Xiting commented, "There's a strange force interfering with the revelation of your fate."
Jiang Hong said, "I haven’t been to offer incense or anything."
He Jian seriously explained, "It’s not interfering with your fate, but with its revelation. Someone doesn't want you to know what the future holds through divination."
Jiang Hong curiously asked, "Can that even happen?"
Zhang Xiting and He Jian exchanged glances again, and this time, the result of the divination with the feather came out.
"This is my great-grandfather's feather," He Jian said, "He was a crane immortal. There can't be interference this time... Let's see... Son, the prospects between you and your son-in-law are not very optimistic."
Jiang Hong: "..."
Zhang Xiting stopped looking and walked away.
He Jian looked regretfully at Jiang Hong, who said, "Go ahead, tell me what will happen. It's okay."
"Between you two, there's fate but no destiny," He Jian said. "There's a brief intersection, but soon you will turn against each other and never interact again."
Jiang Hong: "Oh... okay then."
Jiang Hong was quite depressed, but regarding fate, he still adhered to the principle his parents taught him: If you believe in it, it becomes real; if you don't, it won't happen.
So, he decided not to believe, like tying a bad fortune slip at the temple so that the bad luck doesn't follow him home. He waved his hand, indicating he didn't want to know more, and went back to his bed, sighing.
However, He Jian didn't put away the feather, staring at the divination result, muttering to himself, "Strange, hasn't your fate just begun? Where did it go wrong?"
Chapter 25: Mount Hua
As dawn was breaking, Jiang Hong was yawning incessantly, but he still fought against his drowsiness and recounted everything he had heard underground to Lu Xiu on their way back to the hotel.
Lu Xiu remained silent for a long time, his brows deeply furrowed, seemingly puzzled, yet he didn't doubt Jiang Hong's retelling and didn't press for more details. Finally, he just said, "I understand."
Lying on the hotel bed, Jiang Hong turned over and said, "She wouldn't be planning to assassinate us, would she?"
Lu Xiu also lay down on the bed and casually stroked Jiang Hong's head. Jiang Hong, already half-asleep, felt extremely secure beside Lu Xiu and quickly drifted off to sleep.
He briefly woke up in the morning to see Lu Xiu beside him, sending messages. After drinking some water, he fell back into a deep sleep.
Being a demon hunter is a bit tough, Jiang Hong thought. They often have to stay up late capturing demons...
By noon, Jiang Hong finally woke up. Lu Xiu, at some point, had also fallen asleep beside him. Jiang Hong, accustomed to hugging a pillow while sleeping at home, instinctively embraced Lu Xiu.
On the third day of the National Day holiday, Jiang Hong stretched and video-called his parents, who were playing in Dunhuang. They had completely "forgotten" about Jiang Hong's repeating a year and only asked him about his adjustment to school and his interactions with classmates. Jiang Hong turned his phone towards Lu Xiu, who was brushing his teeth, introducing him as a postgraduate senior he was traveling with in Xi'an. Lu Xiu greeted Jiang Hong's parents, who were delighted and very happy that their son had made good friends just a month into school, continuously saying Jiang Hong shouldn't trouble others.
"It's no trouble," Lu Xiu replied, drying his hands with a towel. "I'm happy to take care of him."
Lu Xiu's response was sincere, but Jiang Hong found it amusing, thinking to himself that choosing to come back to school was a wise decision. Otherwise, he would have been miserably spending this holiday in a repetition class.
"Are we going out to play today?" Jiang Hong asked.
"Otherwise?" Lu Xiu replied with a counter-question.
Jiang Hong cautiously asked, "Are you going to... deal with that incident involving Yang Feiyao from yesterday?"
"No need," Lu Xiu said. "I've already informed the principal, he will handle it."
Jiang Hong was still pondering what exactly was going on with the demon-hunting committee. It seemed serious, especially if it involved "dealing with" Lu Xiu. Had their relationship with Cao Bin deteriorated to a point of no return?
"You won't be in trouble, will you?" Jiang Hong asked with some unease as they left the hotel.
Lu Xiu looked at Jiang Hong as if he wanted to say something, then changed his mind: "In case I get captured by demons, remember to come and save me."
Jiang Hong responded, "Of course, I definitely will!"
Although Jiang Hong was barely a novice, his love for Lu Xiu was genuine. If Lu Xiu were in danger, he would definitely brave any peril to save him, although whether he could actually do it was another matter.
But before Lu Xiu could be captured by demons, he decided to soak Jiang Hong's clothes first. Changing into fresh clothes, Jiang Hong caught Lu Xiu in the bathroom amusingly sniffing his own T-shirt he had just taken off and burst into laughter.
"You must be sweating a lot!" Jiang Hong laughed. "What are you doing?"
"The smell of earth," Lu Xiu said. "We spent too much time underground last night."
That day, Lu Xiu took Jiang Hong to an escape room. Without Zhang Xiting around, Jiang Hong finally experienced a normal escape room. He suspected Lu Xiu was even smarter than Zhang Xiting, usually just playing along, spending over two hours with him in the escape room. For the next four days, Lu Xiu showed Jiang Hong around Xi'an, and they even watched the sunrise atop Mount Hua.
Crossing the plank walkway suspended in the air, Jiang Hong clutched Lu Xiu's hand tightly.
"What are you afraid of?" Lu Xiu sometimes really couldn't understand Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong replied, "It's so high! And there's only a safety rope!"
Before them lay a sheer cliff, below their feet a narrow wooden plank walkway, barely fifty centimeters wide, clinging to the mountainside, with only a safety rope tied around their waists and secured to a chain.
Lu Xiu reassured, "Even if you fall, I'll catch you."
The howling wind blew as Jiang Hong, plastered against the mountain wall with a face full of fear, watched Lu Xiu walking behind him with grace. Lu Xiu, with one hand on the safety rope and his body slightly leaning outwards, had his other hand's slender fingers spread, as if capturing the trajectory of the wind.
On the hanging walkway, it was just the two of them. In that moment, it felt like they were the only ones in the entire world.
Jiang Hong always tried to find something to talk about to distract himself.
So, he asked, "Senior, no, Lu Xiu."
Every time Jiang Hong looked back, Lu Xiu was always there behind him, watching in silence. Unless necessary, he seldom initiated conversation with Jiang Hong, but he was like a mountain, always there. Whenever Jiang Hong sought him, he could feel Lu Xiu's attention firmly on him.
"Did you look for me for a long time?" Jiang Hong asked.
"Not particularly long," Lu Xiu replied with a lightness in his tone.
Jiang Hong then asked, "So, are you... are you... in a way, protecting me?"
Lu Xiu pondered for a moment, almost speaking but then hesitated. Jiang Hong remembered hearing the words "repaying a debt of gratitude" from someone. Because he had sealed Lu Xiu's true form, Lu Xiu was repaying him in this life, although Jiang Hong was oblivious to it. To him, matters of past lives weren't his anymore.
But maybe dragons have their own obsessions? Jiang Hong didn't say "repaying a debt of gratitude" out loud, finding it somewhat embarrassing. Besides, even if he remembered, it was just a few shouts – how significant could that be?
"What do you mean?" Lu Xiu asked, not understanding.
Jiang Hong inquired, "Will you protect me until I die?"
From behind, Lu Xiu answered, "No."
"Oh," Jiang Hong understood and felt a bit disappointed. He smiled and said, "But I'm already very happy to have met you at school."
At that moment, Lu Xiu's expression changed, seemingly filled with regret. His brows furrowed deeply, not meeting Jiang Hong's gaze, instead looking out at the vast landscape of mountains.
Jiang Hong asked, "Is it all about fate between us?"
Suddenly, Lu Xiu's tone became cold, as if he were a stranger.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Lu Xiu said coldly. "Move forward."
Jiang Hong was startled, as if Lu Xiu had released an invisible pressure. He quickly apologized, "Sorry, senior. I spoke without thinking."
Then, Lu Xiu remained silent, and Jiang Hong felt uneasy, always thinking that he had upset Lu Xiu again.
Fortunately, while descending the mountain in the tour bus, Lu Xiu seemed to realize the atmosphere was a bit stiff and suddenly said, "Dragons take off by leveraging the power of the earth's ley lines, and once in the air, they utilize updrafts."
"Ah," Jiang Hong was somewhat bewildered, not understanding why he brought up the principle of dragon flight, a question asked long ago.
"Updrafts are common in nature," Lu Xiu said, gazing out of the bus window, lost in thought. "Almost all flying species rely on them, but as they leave the troposphere, the air becomes thinner, making sustained flight difficult."
Jiang Hong obediently responded, "Mm, I understand."
Lu Xiu, looking at Jiang Hong's eyes through their reflection in the bus window, added, "Dragons are the only creatures capable of breaking through the stratosphere to reach outer space, even surviving briefly in space."
"Wow—" Jiang Hong whispered, "Isn't that just like a space shuttle?"
Jiang Hong originally wanted to ask if he could be taken to space for fun, but then thought that being taken to space would likely result in a quick demise.
Lu Xiu continued, "But once they leave the Earth's environment, even dragons struggle to endure. Once they fly beyond the outer layer, if nothing unexpected happens, they usually can't return."
Jiang Hong nodded, understanding Lu Xiu's implication: "You can't take me to space for fun."
After their three-day trip to Mount Hua, Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu went to soak in the hot springs of Li Mountain. Lu Xiu's mood improved. In the Tang-style hillside hot spring hotel, as the temperature dropped sharply at night, they each slept on a tatami mat. Jiang Hong squeezed into Lu Xiu's bed, playfully fighting over the blanket.
Lu Xiu had grown accustomed to Jiang Hong's habit of frequently initiating physical contact, lying flat while playing with his phone, as Jiang Hong lay watching TV, both under a thick blanket.
Since descending from Mount Hua, Lu Xiu had become less talkative.
Jiang Hong suddenly heard Cao Bin's voice message.
"Come back tomorrow first. The situation at the Commission is a bit complex, more than I had anticipated, but I guess they aren't targeting you for now..."
Jiang Hong glanced at Lu Xiu, who then dismissed the voice message.
Jiang Hong asked, "Is the principal looking for you?"
Lu Xiu casually replied, "Don't worry about him," and put down his phone, saying, "I'm turning off the light, you should go back to sleep."
Jiang Hong complained, "It's so cold, and it's only October. It's nearly freezing up here on the mountain. I want to sleep with you."
Lu Xiu didn't ask him to leave, turned off the light, and they both stayed huddled under the blanket.
Jiang Hong turned off the TV and after a moment of silence said, "Lu Xiu, if there's something important, you should go back first, right?"
Lu Xiu hummed a response, showing no emotional fluctuation.
Jiang Hong turned over and fell asleep. Moonlight from the courtyard shone on his face. After a while, Lu Xiu sat up cross-legged, ran his fingers through his hair, and texted Cao Bin, occasionally glancing at Jiang Hong's peaceful sleeping face.
Jiang Hong looked like a carefree child.
On the 7th, their vacation ended early. Jiang Hong returned to his dorm, and Lu Xiu went straight to the administrative building to find Cao Bin, as Zhang Xiting and He Jian had already returned early.
"Wow! Let me see! What good stuff did you bring?" Jiang Hong exclaimed when he saw both had brought gifts. He Jian's mother bought the same style of clothes from Rei Kawakubo for all four people in the dorm, while Zhang Xiting brought specialties from Anhui.
Jiang Hong then also took out the specialties he had bought to share.
"Did you go out on a date?" He Jian asked.
Jiang Hong replied, "I went out to play with my senior."
"Are you and Lu Xiu in a relationship?" Zhang Xiting teased.
Jiang Hong, now used to such teasing, didn't overreact and answered, "No, no, he's a guy! How could that be possible!"
He Jian remarked, "Why can't it be possible with a guy?"
He Jian, who didn’t seem like a straight man at all, was actually as straight as they come. Just a month into school, he had already started dating a girl.
Jiang Hong: "..."
Zhang Xiting, opening Jiang Hong's beef jerky, said, "The whole dormitory saw it, wow—saying your boyfriend is a dragon, even came to pick you up."
Jiang Hong protested, "Stop talking nonsense!"
He Jian commented, "Even our dorm supervisor has a girlfriend, you know? She's a human lady."
Jiang Hong replied, "Oh, so what?"
Zhang Xiting said, "You don’t seem surprised at all. People can date fox spirits, so inter-species relationships are quite normal. Why can't two guys be together then?"
Jiang Hong replied, "Well, you're not wrong... But I definitely don't have any improper thoughts about my senior!"
Although Jiang Hong was always ambiguous with Lu Xiu and Lu Xiu’s responses to him were indulgent without principle, as a straight man, Jiang Hong knew there were absolutely no sexual fantasies involved, not even love. If their feelings truly transcended friendship, their interactions would not be as they are now; instead, they would be much more restrained and subtle.
"Could you accept being with a guy?" He Jian asked curiously. "This is just a discussion, don’t take it to heart."
Jiang Hong uttered an "Uh," as a virgin, he hadn't seriously considered it.
"Currently... I don't think I can accept it." Jiang Hong looked nervously at He Jian, wondering if he had any thoughts about him. He Jian is straight, right? But his elder brother seemed a bit ambiguous.
"Can you?" Zhang Xiting then asked He Jian.
He Jian said, "If it's a dragon, maybe it's not completely unacceptable... But anything else, absolutely not! Of course, this is just hypothetical."
"Why?!" Jiang Hong couldn't imagine He Jian with Lu Xiu, it was like a nightmare!
He Jian explained, "Dragons are the strongest creatures in the world! And did you know? It's said that Lu Xiu is the next designated Demon King, the prince of the demon clan. Initially, Principal Xiang planned to send him to guard the sacred land, but he didn't want to and stayed at Cangqiong University."
Zhang Xiting said, "Principal Xiang himself is a Demon King, right?"
Jiang Hong had heard that Xiang Cheng, both the university's principal and the demon clan's leader, known as the Demon King, founded Cangqiong University.
"Yes," He Jian said, "The principal has always been looking for a successor, but hasn't found a suitable candidate. Now, he has finally found a dragon as a successor."
Jiang Hong curiously asked, "If Lu Xiu were a female dragon, would many people pursue him?"
Zhang Xiting clarified, "Well, brother, dragons don't have females, only males, at least none have been discovered so far. Or it could be said that dragons ultimately exhibit male characteristics due to cultivation."
Jiang Hong: "Ah? Why? Then how do they find a mate?"
He Jian explained, "Have you heard of the dragon's nine offspring? Dragons mate with other species to produce hybrid... mutated breeds, like Chiwen, which is the offspring of a dragon and a fish; or Bixi, a dragon and a tortoise. Haven’t you noticed these half-dragons exhibit traits of their maternal species?"
Jiang Hong finally understood, "But why are dragons only male?"
He Jian replied, "Because dragons are nurtured by the heavenly pulse, they are a collection of yang energy from heaven and earth. I don't know the details; that's what my dad said."
Zhang Xiting added, "The earth's pulse nurtures another kind of yin energy creature, but they have disappeared for a long time, not seen for over ten thousand years. It's only speculated that such creatures exist."
Jiang Hong said, "Oh, I see. Lu Xiu never talks about it."
Zhang Xiting teased, "That's not good, darling. You need to pay more attention to your boyfriend."
He Jian replied, "My family is skilled in Qimen Dunjia divination. Do you want me to predict if you and your dragon sweetheart can end up together?"
"He's not my dragon sweetheart!" Jiang Hong corrected again.
Regardless of the jokes his roommates made, Jiang Hong never got angry. Over time, everyone enjoyed teasing him.
As He Jian went to take a shower, Jiang Hong thought for a moment and said, "Ah, He Jian, I am actually a bit curious. Does divination drain your energy?"
"Dragon, our hearts are as one... It's no trouble," He Jian sang from the bathroom, saying, "My good son, what do you want to divine?"
Jiang Hong remembered the conversation he had with Lu Xiu on Mount Hua.
"Can you divine how long our fate will last?" Jiang Hong asked.
"You two?" He Jian asked, "You and who?"
Jiang Hong replied, "Lu Xiu."
"See! I told you he's your boyfriend!" Zhang Xiting said.
After showering, He Jian came out wearing an oversized T-shirt, with his hair slightly longer than a buzz cut. He touched his hair and took out a handful of yarrow stalks, handing them to Jiang Hong.
"Yi Jing divination with stalks," Zhang Xiting commented with curiosity, coming over to watch.
Jiang Hong sat on He Jian's bed, following his instructions to hold the stalks, passing them from his left hand to his right, and counting the remainders. After repeating this nine times, He Jian began interpreting the hexagram.
"Huh?" He Jian uttered a sound filled with bewilderment.
Zhang Xiting's expression suddenly turned solemn.
"Can you do it too?" Jiang Hong looked up at Zhang Xiting.
"Ancient Eastern divination," Zhang Xiting said, "We had a course on it in our second year. My dad taught me a bit, but he's not a master either."
He Jian muttered, "How can this be? Something's not right."
Jiang Hong asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Xiting said, "Something is interfering with your divination results."
Jiang Hong: "?"
He Jian suggested, "Let's try it again."
The three of them were silent. Jiang Hong felt a bit nervous. After the second attempt, Zhang Xiting and He Jian exchanged a look.
"What does it mean?" He Jian was utterly puzzled. Jiang Hong asked, "Can’t you see the conclusion?"
"Wait," He Jian said, "I need to ask my mom."
He Jian texted on his phone, and quickly got a reply. He then took a feather from his luggage.
"Let's try using this instead of the yarrow stalks," He Jian suggested.
Jiang Hong: "???"
Completely bewildered, Jiang Hong did as He Jian instructed, but couldn't help asking during the process, "What did that mean earlier?"
With a grave expression, He Jian didn't answer. Zhang Xiting commented, "There's a strange force interfering with the revelation of your fate."
Jiang Hong said, "I haven’t been to offer incense or anything."
He Jian seriously explained, "It’s not interfering with your fate, but with its revelation. Someone doesn't want you to know what the future holds through divination."
Jiang Hong curiously asked, "Can that even happen?"
Zhang Xiting and He Jian exchanged glances again, and this time, the result of the divination with the feather came out.
"This is my great-grandfather's feather," He Jian said, "He was a crane immortal. There can't be interference this time... Let's see... Son, the prospects between you and your son-in-law are not very optimistic."
Jiang Hong: "..."
Zhang Xiting stopped looking and walked away.
He Jian looked regretfully at Jiang Hong, who said, "Go ahead, tell me what will happen. It's okay."
"Between you two, there's fate but no destiny," He Jian said. "There's a brief intersection, but soon you will turn against each other and never interact again."
Jiang Hong: "Oh... okay then."
Jiang Hong was quite depressed, but regarding fate, he still adhered to the principle his parents taught him: If you believe in it, it becomes real; if you don't, it won't happen.
So, he decided not to believe, like tying a bad fortune slip at the temple so that the bad luck doesn't follow him home. He waved his hand, indicating he didn't want to know more, and went back to his bed, sighing.
However, He Jian didn't put away the feather, staring at the divination result, muttering to himself, "Strange, hasn't your fate just begun? Where did it go wrong?"
