The weather in the now sealed city began to deteriorate, as the stillness of the once bustling city turned into an empty shell as the rain fell like an ominous cloud of uncertainty and death. Bai Jiu now had almost everything needed to get the citizens of Tiandu back on their feet, but he still lacked the key ingredient that would eradicate the plague for good. Even with Qing Geng's extra help, they still needed to find the elusive ingredient that could save the people instead of turning them into demons against their will.
Outside the archive, gusts of wind howled through the narrow streets, causing leaves to spiral like frightened spirits. Inside, however, it was as if time had stood still. Bai Jiu's heart raced as he combed through the records, his fingers trembling with anxiety to finally find something that might be useful to him before it was too late. His two days of searching felt like an eternity as he sifted through tales and legends with the weight of countless lives on his young shoulders.
As dusk fell, casting an eerie twilight glow through the windows, Bai Jiu sat at the round table, surrounded by the majesty of the archive and its many rows of ancient scrolls and books awaiting his attention. The flickering light from the oil lamps cast an ethereal glow around him, illuminating an environment he knew like the back of his hand. It was a welcoming place with a soft scent of calming incense wafting through the cool rainy air. However, Bai Jiu sat there with palpable frustration at not having found what he was looking for.
The others had come to help him search at intervals, as he had instructed them to mass-produce the cure for the symptoms, with Qing Geng overseeing the process, and were therefore preoccupied with their own work of tending to the sick. As the long hours turned into a cold night, Bai Jiu was simply too exhausted, yet unable to rest as his mind raced with thoughts of those suffering outside. Each patient he could not save felt like a dagger to his heart, thus he push himself to his limit, hoping that somewhere a merciful god took pity on him and guide him where he needed to go. To find a way trough the sickness as well as the poison on Wen Xiao as well.
Then, almost like a divine answer to his silent prayers amidst a flurry of scrolls and open books, Bai Jiu heard the heavenly sound of approaching bells and knew that his beloved older brother, Xiao Zhuo, had come to see him, as he always did. He smiled sincerely at the sight of him carrying a tray of food and drinks.
"Xiao Jiu... I know time is short, but you can't neglect your health either. Don't only read, eat something too, Ying Lei prepare this for you with all your favorites." Yi Chen said tenderly to the young man, placing the tray in front of him and sitting beside him, ensuring that he ate and not set it aside to immerse himself in his research for the second night in a row.
"Thank you, Xiao Zhuo Ge." Bai Jiu said as he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, to reassure his brother and hero, who had treated him so warmly from the start, despite his deception at some point. Also to show his gratitude to Ying Lei, who always took good care of him, was always there to protect him, pamper him, feed him with the best dishes and have fun with him in ways he couldn't with others. So he ate in good spirits, under the watchful eye of his brother.
Yi Chen watched him eat, taking pleasure in caring for someone so import to him. He had Wen Xiao as a good friend and aunt, Bai Jiu as his younger brother, Ying Lei as his trusted reliable friend, Pei Sijing as his pillar of support, and Zhu Yan as his soul bound mate. Although the losses he suffered in his youth could never be erase or replaced, he had forged new bonds that were equally as valuable.
Once Bai Jiu finished dinner, Yi Chen filled his cup with hot tea. The coolness of the rain outside made the archive colder, so the tea was like a warm blanket for both body and soul. Bai Jiu accepted the tea with a shy smile and that made him realize that the great demon who usually stuck around his beloved brother was not around this time.
"Xiao Zhuo Ge, is everything okay between you and Zhao Yuan Zhou?" He asked timidly as he sipped his tea, and Yi Chen smiled gently at him.
"Yes, why?" Yi Chen asked curiously.
"He's not around, and I remember Qing Geng mentioned earlier that you two had a some kind of weird fight back in her villa." He said, avoiding eye contact with him, so he didn't see Yi Chen's slight blush and smirk.
"He's a troublesome demon, but surprisingly, we get along quite well. There's nothing to worry about us."
"Are you really together? I mean, more than just friends? Ying Lei said you're basically married now."
"In my dragon way, yes. Does it bother you?" Yi Chen asked softly.
"Ah, no, of course not. It's just that the great demon is so possessive and terrifying..." Yi Chen smiled.
"Don't worry if he's a bit possessive around me. He knows better than to interfere in something he has no right to. He may act and appear imposing, but it's his way of teasing others. I assure you, he cares about every member of this team, even when he gets annoyed sometimes."
"Yes, I know. So you love him?"
"I love him, very much, and now our lives are linked."
"Ah... it should be nice to have such deep ties." Bai Jiu said as he lowered his gaze.
"Xiao Jiu, what's bothering you? You know you can trust me, right?"
"Oh, yes!" The young doctor exclaimed fervently.
"Then... is it the plague? I'm sure we'll find the answer here, somewhere, I will help you search..."
"Hmm, it's not that." Bai Jiu whisper and Yi Chen could feel his tension, so he gently offer him the bells that he loved so much.
"Here... hold on into them and tell me what's in your mind. I will listen for as long as you need me and it will help ease your heart." Yi Chen offer and Bai Jiu was happy to have him there with him, so he took the bells and hold them tight in his hand.
"I'm quite happy with the bond our team has, we're like a little family, we look out for each other, we support each other and we face the good times and the bad times as one. It's a nice feeling, but I guess I've been away for so long that I've forgotten about another kind of bond, one that scares me, because it was me who severed the link in my ignorance and now I don't know how to fix it."
"You mean Situ Ming, your father?"
"Yes. He is quite sick, just as much as Wen Xiao's father is, yet... even though I'm worry and want to make sure he is doing fine and assure him that I will not give up hopes in bringing this plague to an end... is not me, but Wen Xiao who takes care of him."
"Xiao Jiu... there are some things that requires time to get into the right place. You can use me and Zhu Yan as an example of that. At the beginning I only wanted to kill him, to avenge the unjust death of both my brother and father, not to mention the pain I endured in their absence, the rage that fueled my determination to some day pierce his heart with the very same sword that lie over the snow in Mount Kunlun that he tainted with their blood." Yi Chen paused for a moment when he saw a tear run down Bai Jiu's youthful face and he wiped it away with his hand.
"That should have been very awful..."
"And it was, but as we knew each other better, I realize that not everything was as black and white as I believed, that they were a wider variety of colors that I was missing, because my hatred was blinding me in more than one way. Yes, it was Zhu Yan's body who killed my family but not his soul, not his will and not his consciousness. It take me to be on his same shoes to fully understand his pain, his guilt, his wish to die, his desire for redemption, his sacrifices and love and to love him back didn't take that long... as it will your father is you allow yourself for your relationship to grow slow yet steady until it can flourish into the tenderness of a real father to his son."
"That sounds beautiful, Ge..."
"It doesn't need to sound beautiful, it just need time to become a reality. Give it a chance Xiao Jiu, no fear, no expectations, just an opportunity to know each other and get closer. Then, you can both enjoy the happy life you have before things go wrong. Yes, you make a mistake, but your father is still here, waiting for you to come to him, waiting for you to give him a chance to be a real father... and you only need to wish to be his son. The rest will come naturally..." Bai Jiu was so moved that he hug his Ge quite tightly as he cry on his chest.
"Thank you, Xiao Zhuo Ge... you are the best brother I could have. I'm so glad to have met you, to have your guidance and protection, your patience and kindness." Bai Jiu whisper as he sobbed and was more overwhelmed when he felt Yi Chen's arm close around him and wrap him in his warmth.
"Xiao Jiu... there is no need to thank me for anything... I'm glad you give me the opportunity to be a big brother and that means the world to me."
"You are so kind... why did you end up loving a scary great demon?" At that Yi Chen laughed.
"Who know? But let me tell you, he is close..." Yi Chen whisper to the young doctor still hugging him and Bai Jiu bolted away in such hurry that he fell into the floor, making Yi Chen laugh some more as he help him back to the floor cushion.
"You don't need to be so scare, he may tease you, but he will never harm you." Yi Chen assured him as he slightly patted Bai Jiu's back in amusement.
"Xiao Zhuo Ge, that was mean..." He pouted.
"No, it wasn't, you are more like yourself now. What about I help you look for this elusive ingredient?" Yi Chen offer and Bai Jiu beamed with happiness.
"I will like that..." He whisper as he took one book and start reading and so a few more hours passed and still no findings and eventually Zhu Yan show up in the archive to claim back his lover without a hint of shame.
"Is my turn to have him back now... you cannot monopolies his time now that you are back." Zhu Yan tease the young doctor.
"Hush, you shameless monkey... Xiao Jiu, don't take his nonsense to heart." Yi Chen dismissed his lover antics.
"It's okay, Xiao Zhuo Ge. I know the great demon cannot stop me from been close to you, because you are my Ge now." Bai Jiu said as he looked at Zhu Yan with a challenge.
"Oh? That's fine, but since your Ge is a married man now, then you should start calling me brother-in-law instead of great demon. What about that?" At that, Bai Jiu's face burned hot red, which pleased Zhu Yan greatly, but Zhuo Yi Chen couldn't stand his teasing any longer, so he grabbed his arm and pulled him away from his younger brother, muttering something about possessive, wicked, impossible and shameless demons.
A little later Ying Lei came to help him in his research as well and as they read and bickered about this or that from time to time, not to mention throwing things at each other, something caught Ying Lei's attention.
"Xiao Jiu, you're bleeding. Look..." He pointed at the bamboo slip scroll he was reading, which had a drop of blood on one edge. They both watched as the blood seeped into the bamboo and sparkled with golden particles before sprouting a few leaves, just like that cypress tree had in the last plague.
"Your blood sure is incredible. It can even revive a dead bamboo tree slip that's who knows how many centuries old." Ying Lei said casually, but something inside Bai Jiu simply clicked, and he froze as he stared at the finger that had been slightly cut when Ying Lei threw him a scroll.
"It can revive... it can revive! Ying Lei, you're a genius!" Bai Jiu shouted as he pulled Ying Lei into a tight embrace, too elated to care about what might seem improper for the mountain god. This left Ying Lei paralyzed with sudden emotions for a few seconds before he caught his breath when the young man finally let go of him.
"What was that for?" Ying Lei asked, a little embarrassed, but Bai Jiu's mind was full of ideas that he needed to put down on paper before they could slip away from him.
"Do me a favor and tell the others to come back, especially Wen Xiao. Well, you can bypass Xiao Zhuo Ge and the great demon for now, as they might be very busy with..." He blushed briefly at the thought of what two newlywed demons might be doing in private, but he sprang back into action and made way at the table for everything he needed.
"Forget the others, just call Wen Xiao. I need to try something to remove her poison once and for all. Hurry, there's a lot to do. Go!" Ying Lei also ran to Fan Ying's room, where Wen Xiao was tending to her ailing father, and knocked on his door with the urgency that Bai Jiu had instilled in her.
"Ying Lei? It's late, and my father needs to rest." Wen Xiao said as soon as she opened the door and saw him. But the mountain god had a mission, so he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the room, leading her briskly into the hallway.
"Ying Lei! What's going on?"
"I think Xiao Jiu found a way to detoxify you. He needs you to test something, and if it works... you'll be poison-free..." He explained in the brief moment when he paused to look at her and smiled, finally seeing hope in her previously melancholic expression. Things were finally looking good, and Ying Lei was glad he had done his part.
AN: This is a fast update, but this story is heading to the end, so I am pumped up! I find the relationship between Yichen and Bai Jiu so cute and heartwarming and Bai Jiu and Ying Lei are cute as well. 🥰🥰 Thanks for reading and until next time, take care.