"However," he added after a beat, turning around gracefully to face Bai Huiqi, "my teaching is not without conditions you must obey."
Bai Huiqi felt a frown trace on his face, lips pulling down ever so slightly. "Conditions?"
"Truthfully," he humd, head tilting heavenward, "it is more of a single condition than multiple."
"Oh, then... What condition?" Bai Huiqi’s eyes narrowed, feeling a slight premonition settle in his gut.
The nine-tailed fox spirit gave a brief shrug, then lit a fire on the small stone and sat cross-legged on the flas that danced around him. It disturbed Bai Huiqi, just how unperturbed Hu Lijing appeared.
"It should not be difficult." The fox spirit mused lightly, resting his cheek on his palm and elbow on his folded leg. "Under ideal, or well, normal circumstances, might I add."
"And what are they?" Hu Lijing smiled on hearing a small trickle of impatience in the younger fox’s—usually timid—voice.
In a fraction of a second, his amber gaze flicked up to look at the younger fox spirit standing across from him on the stream’s bank.
"Well," he drawled, voice stretching with interest, "it should be easy for you, really. Since you seem to dislike the Heavenly Demon’s advances nearly as much as Xinyuan does, right?"
If one was to listen to his words carefully, they would hear the unmistakable trace of good-natured mirth.
Bai Huiqi felt himself pause, rooting in place, at the question. And the drawled, veiled question.
He did not hate Cheon WuHui’s advances. He did not dislike Cheon WuHui’s advances.
... But did he like them either?
He wasn’t sure.
Even so, he felt a strange reluctance in his heart at the notion of acknowledging the implication in Hu Lijing’s question.
"..." His thoughts pushed him into a brief trance, which inadvertently led to Hu Lijing taking his silence as an agreent.
"Do you really?" As though surprised, Hu Lijing looked at him, eyebrows raised high. "I surmised myself wrong. I expected you to contradict , even. Well, this is a jolly news" —Hu Lijing rolled his neck slowly— "Li Xinyuan would be plea—"
"No!" Abruptly and strongly, Bai Huiqi interrupted him, hands clenching by his side. "I did not an that! I... I do not dislike the Heavenly Demon’s advan, advances..."
Stamring, he swallowed the rest of his words as shyness overwheld him. As soon as he fell silent, at loss for words, he covered his face with his hands. His ears felt as if they were ablaze, and his heart thundered in his chest.
"... I ciphered as much." With a chuckle and a smug look on his handso face, the nine-tailed fox smirked. "Even so, no matter what you desire, if you wish to learn control and stability of your power... You ought to accept this one condition."
The vague statent, yet again, inspired frustration to rear its unsightly head up in Bai Huiqi’s mind. And before he had the opportunity hold his tongue, he—once more—blurted out:
"Why must you speak in circles? Just tell this condition of yours so that I may ruminate on it." His words fell into Hu Lijing’s keen ears as more a demand than a request.
Just what the four-tailed fox feared. The re thought of being perceived by the older fox in such a light caused him to be afraid. Frightened enough that colour drained off his face, akin to water flowing down a steep slope.
"I—" He feared Hu Lijing’s anger, his displeasure, and his wrath.
However, contrary to the dreadful reaction, he did not see Hu Lijing’s indignation. Wondrously, instead, he saw a swift flash of sothing in those older eyes.
It was sothing he could not quite na yet.
With a seemingly curt nod, the nine-tailed fox spirit cleared his throat with a murmured word of apology.
"Why, yes, certainly. I ought to get to the crux of this" —his free hand gesticulated around the air— "private conversation. After all, the midnight draws near and I do not wish to pass over an opportunity to watch lantern dance."
Bai Huiqi nodded in agreent and stepped forth slightly. Despite himself, he could not help but feel a thrill of anticipation course through his body.
What could this oh so secretive condition be?
"You must stay with Li Xinyuan and I for as long as it takes you to learn control and stability of your strength." Without preamble, Hu Lijing’s words struck him right on his chest, causing him to freeze. "Wherever we run around in this JiangHu, wherever Li Xinyuan wants us to be, you will be right there. And this is a uncompromisable condition"
For a long mont, only the chirps and noise of nocturnal crickets flowing through the area. The silence was heavy. As if it was watching the scene with bated breath.
Then, the four-tailed fox spirit spoke up, his voice nothing short of baffled—
"Whyever would anything else be a possibility for ??"
The question of an answer made Hu Lijing remain silent and stare at him for a few solid monts.
"... Right." He nodded, his cadence was sowhat aningful. His fleeting glance suggested that he knew sothing.
Sothing Bai Huiqi was not privy to. As though Hu Lijing knew better.
Regardless, he did not question, nor did he press to quench his curiosity. Instead, with enthusiasm, he accepted the older fox spirit’s offer void even a shadow of doubt or hesitation.
This was an offer entirely made in his favour. Hu Lijing had made this ’trade’ so that he may help and work for Bai Huiqi’s forgiveness in one of the only ways he knew.
"Now, then!" He clapped his hands together, stood up, and snapped his fingers. With that, Hu Lijing banished the flas and gracefully leapt to assu a stand beside Bai Huiqi, his back now facing the stream before the latter had an opportunity to blink.
"Since we have co to a jovial agreent, why don’t we go back to our rry way and reunite with Xinyuan and the Heavenly Demon?"
Bai Huiqi nodded once again, wordlessly voicing his acquiesce to the largely rhetorical question.
However, as the two spirits made their way out of the crawling wilderness, Bai Huiqi launched to a screeching halt, colliding with Hu Lijing’s body.
As he watched the latter fit his footing, he spoke up in a timid voice, barely acknowledging his mistake.
"But wherever will we et the two again?"
Suddenly, his anxiety was back. And with vengeance too. But, as always, all too easily, Hu Lijing swatted away the doubts, interrupting his spiral.
"What is there to worry about?" The fox spirit of divine flas rolled his eyes heavenward, not even bothering to look back at the nervous Bai Huiqi. "We will surely see them at the lantern dance." With a careless wave of his hand, he began running again. "Or at worst, we will have to return to the Cult. Just the two of us."
In Bai Huiqi’s opinion, it did not sound good. But maybe, he didn’t know better...
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