Chapter 128: STAKE YOUR CLAIM

CHAPTER

128

STAKE YOUR CLAIM

JIEYUAN

—∞—

Jieyuan would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought of kissing Meiyao before. He tried not to think about the subject—it was a total waste of time to dwell on fantasies, as far as he was concerned—but he’d never been able to push it off his mind altogether.

And it wasn’t a recent thing. Despite himself, he kept coming back to the thought of it—of what it would feel like, to have Meiyao like this, against him—for a good while now. From before they’d gone inside the Dome. From before the Gleamstone Hunt, even, all those months ago. Or even that mission in the Fatebloom Woods.

No, this went further back—all the way to the Gleaming Stone Sect’s entrance exams, nearly a year ago now. 

But not quite from the moment Jieyuan first saw Meiyao.

She had caught his attention from the start, standing around the stages back in the Gleaming Stone Palace, waiting for her match beside all the other candidates. But beauty wasn’t enough for him to warrant attraction, not to him. Granted, it helped—the Heavens knew as much—but all it did was draw his eyes.

Meiyao only drew his interest when she absolutely crushed him in their duel.

He’d climbed onto the dueling stage to face her after having beaten all his opponents so far, sure as the Heavens that it would be just more of the same. That he was about to defeat this clearly clan-born woman and prove that his origins didn’t define him.

Meiyao had quickly disabused him of that notion. She had swept aside all his attacks like she was handling an unruly child, delivered a series of blows to his body that he couldn't even track. She’d had him on the floor, the wooden blade of her saber held against his throat, barely seconds after their duel had started.

She’d stared down at him, a smirk on her face, green eyes bright with amusement, before giving him a smug little nod and strutting away.

The sight of her as she stood over him—her smile, her eyes, her well-earned arrogance—had been burned into his mind like a brand.

Later that day, Jieyuan had gone on to face Daojue and suffer a loss just as devastating.  Then, in the next step of the entrance exams, he’d become a cultivator under Protector Wanxin’s guidance. And then, finally, he’d been properly inducted into the sect together with all the other newly admitted disciples.

But as Jieyuan had lain down to sleep in his new house in the Outer Court, there was one thing his mind kept coming back to, over and over again. And it wasn’t how he’d finally achieved his life-long dream of becoming a cultivator, of joining a sect. No, it was Meiyao he had kept thinking of.

And he’d never figured out how to stop.

It was only months later, though, that he’d really made her acquaintance—after the mission in the Fatebloom Woods, and the assassination attempt on Daojue he’d foiled. And then, as they teamed up for the Gleamstone Hunt, what had started off as a dream, as some far-fetched fantasy, became a possibility.

Even before the Radiant Gold Tournament, Jieyuan had suspected Meiyao was attracted to him. Throughout their time in the Gleaming Stone Palace, that suspicion only grew. A few weeks into the Dome, it had become more certainty than suspicion.

But Jieyuan never acted it on it. He would tell himself that he didn’t need the distraction. That both he and Meiyao each already had too much on their plates. That it would only complicate things and get in the way.

And all of that was true, sure. But he’d also been scared, as much as it galled him to admit it. He wasn’t sure what exactly he’d been scared of. Of literally everything, maybe, but also of nothing at all.

The truth was that getting together with Meiyao would be uncharted territory. And though he was a Firesoul, though he’d never been one to shy from taking risks, for the first time he'd encountered a boundary he hesitated to cross—for reasons he refused to examine too closely.

Meiyao, like him, had also kept herself from taking that next step. He didn’t know why. How could he, when he didn’t know his own reasons?

He did know one thing now, though.

Whatever reasons he or Meiyao had for letting things lie?

To rot with them.

To rot with it all.

Meiyao’s lips were liquid fire against his. They met his own, incredibly soft yet surprisingly firm, pulling and pushing. No technique to it, just raw passion.

Jieyuan had thought he knew what kisses felt like. Pleasant little sensations. Warm, tingly. He’d fooled around with his maids from his household before, and with young ladies from prominent families.

But now he was realizing he’d never kissed before. Not really. All those times he must’ve been doing something else, or maybe something wrong, because they had felt nothing like this. It didn’t take even a moment for Jieyuan to lose himself in the sensation of it—of her.

His blood sang under his skin, fire coursing through him like never before.

Meiyao’s entire body was melded against his. He felt every inch of her with searing clarity through the thick robes she wore. Her breasts pressed against his chest, her thighs hugging his legs. Her arms cradling his back, pulling him into her, just as tightly as he pulled her into him.

His eyes were closed but he could see her clearly. See and feel her. Her heat, her breath, her strength, her presence. Smell the scent of her, too—soft and floral, of summer and spring. It filled his lungs, replacing the rotten sweetness that clung to the air in the Dome.

The entire time their lips stayed locked, struggling against each other. Her hands traveled up his back, reaching into his hair, and he found himself doing the same, his fingers tangling in her tresses as they each just kept trying to press further and further into each other.

But then Jieyuan felt something else. Something slender and furry, pressing into his neck. And then Meiyao released him, gently pulling away, and he let go—despite his every instinct screaming at him not to, to keep her in his arms and never let go—and took a step back.

And he blinked, half-dazed, still caught up in the lingering phantom of the kiss, as he took in the creature that stood on Meiyao’s shoulder. Its body was long and sleek, streamlined. It had a thick coat of fur, the top half of it a snowy white, the underbelly a deep, vibrant green.

Tiny, beady green eyes stared straight at him, set in a long, triangular face.

Wrapped like that around her neck, the little beast could easily have passed for a scarf. Its body was about as long as his forearm, and its tail, hanging down from Meiyao’s shoulder,  almost doubled its length.

Jieyuan wasn’t sure what it was supposed to be. Or rather, what its mundane counterpart was. A ferret, maybe? Could be some sort of weasel, too. He didn’t really know the difference between them.

Meiyao laughed gently as she reached up with her hand to rub the beast’s head. “Xiaohu? What’s wrong, girl?”

Before Jieyuan could speak, the beast jumped, and the next thing he knew there was a weight settling around his shoulders, little claws treading softly against his skin as the creature perched itself on his shoulders. It then raised its head to his, looking up into his eyes from just inches away.

Jieyuan just stood there, looking between the beast and Meiyao, entirely unsure what he was supposed to do now.

As if the little beast had reached some decision, it gave a sharp little yip, before it nuzzled its head into his neck. And then it just stayed there, fully wrapped around his neck, its tail gently swaying against his bare chest.

“I think she likes you,” Meiyao said. She was smiling, clearly amused.

Jieyuan just stared at her. He wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. He wasn’t even quite all there, to begin with. 

Half of him was still stuck in the very recent past, reliving their kiss. And the other half wasn’t any better, urging him to just take Meiyao into his arms again and pick up from where they left off. He wasn’t sure how long the kiss had lasted. But he did know it was nowhere near long enough. And that he wanted more.

It took considerable effort to push those thoughts aside and focus on the present.

He only managed it because he knew that the sooner he dealt with the current situation, the sooner he could get back to what really mattered—having Meiyao’s lips on his again.

“Right,” Jieyuan said. “So. I’m guessing this is some new friend you made?”

He didn’t reckon it was particularly safe to have a chromal beast—an Orangesoul beast, at that—this close to him. But Meiyao didn’t seem at all bothered or concerned. So after a moment’s hesitation, he reached a hand up, and tentatively ran his fingers through the creature’s fur.

It felt… soft. Soft and warm. Plushy, almost. He didn’t appreciate how it had interrupted him and Meiyao earlier. But he’d be lying if he said the little beast didn’t make for an awfully comfortable scarf.

The ferret-like beast purred, coiling tighter around him.

“You could say that,” Meiyao said. She took a step closer, raising her hand, brushing the back of her fingers against his cheeks. “It’s… Heavens, I’ve got so much to tell you. I still can’t believe— I can’t believe you’re here. That I’m seeing you again.”

She had an expression that he couldn’t quite describe, her eyes deep and fathomless and glistening, like she was halfway to tears. There was a scared sort of tenderness to her gaze and touch, like she was touching something fragile. Something she was afraid to break.

Jieyuan swallowed, her every touch setting trails of fire on his skin. He tried to find something to say, but he kept drawing blanks.

But then Meiyao looked down, past his face, past the beast wrapped around his shoulders, to his naked chest and stomach.

She blinked. Her brows furrowed. She took a step back, and then another. She was still looking at him, but now she wasn’t staring anymore. Now she was running her eyes over his body, scrutinizing every inch of exposed skin.

The more she looked, the deeper her frown grew.

It took Jieyuan a moment to realize just what was going on. What had set off this reaction. He recalled how Meiyao had looked at him much the same way once before. Back in the infirmary at the Gleaming Stone Sect, when she’d seen him shirtless the first time. Seen his scars.

He had a great deal more scars now than he did back then. Not to mention a number of fresh, still-red wounds.

Clearly, that hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Jieyuan… You…” She looked back up at his eyes, her lips drawn tight. “Rotting Heavens. It looks… It looks like you have much to tell me, yourself.”

He made himself smile, then laugh. The Heavens knew how much Meiyao’s concern meant for him. But he also didn’t want to see her concerned. He couldn’t quite explain it, only that he wanted her frown gone, and her smile back.

“Oh, I’ve had a blast and a half,” he said. “Daojue and I—”

Jieyuan froze.

Right. Daojue.

He looked to the side.

Daojue was standing some feet away, facing the other direction, Gleaming End held to the side. Keeping watch, unless Jieyuan wasn’t mistaken.

Suddenly Jieyuan felt something shift. The beast on his shoulder—Xiaohu, Meiyao had called it, unless he’d heard it wrong—stirred, and Jieyuan saw it lift its head in Daojue’s direction, its little green eyes focusing on the man’s broad back.

And then it began to growl.

Daojue turned around. The wound on his chest had already stopped bleeding. No doubt he’d already taken a healing pill.

Violet eyes trained on the beast.

The beast’s growl intensified. Jieyuan felt it as it flexed its legs, standing up on his shoulders, like it was preparing to pounce.

“Xiaohu!” Meiyao snapped, and the little beast whipped its head toward her. “Stop it!”

Xiaohu looked between Meiyao and Daojue, its growl dying out. Then it made a little sound that Jieyuan could only describe as a hmph before it settled back down, wrapping itself around Jieyuan’s neck again.

Meiyao turned to Daojue. “I apologize. She… She doesn’t take well to strangers, I think.”

Daojue stared at Meiyao. Then he moved his eyes back to the beast.

The beast currently wrapped around Jieyuan’s neck.

Daojue turned back to Meiyao.

Even if Jieyuan hadn’t spent the last two months getting the hang of Daojue’s unconventional approach to communication, he’d have still understood just what exactly it was the other man was trying to convey here.

Jieyuan only just barely kept himself from laughing.

Meiyao clearly got the message, too, if the rather awkward look that came over her was any indication. Jieyuan had never seen her make that kind of face before. It was adorable. “That’s… Xiaohu’s rather attuned to my own feelings, I’m afraid.”

She shot the little beast a glare.

All Xiaohu did was shift its position on Jieyuan’s shoulders a bit, like it was making itself more comfortable.

Daojue stared at Meiyao for a few moments longer, then turned back around without a word.

Back to standing watch.

And Jieyuan was suddenly reminded of just where they were. In the Viridian Dome. He’d been so caught up in his reunion with Meiyao that he’d forgotten just what this place was like.

He glanced at the headless corpse of the mimic beast that not even minutes ago had been wearing Meiyao’s face and body, lying just behind Meiyao. And then at the head—fox-like, he realized now—a bit off to the side.

There were a thousand and one things he wanted to say to Meiyao right now. A thousand and one things he wanted to do to her, too.

But there were other things that needed dealing with first.