Lai Yiteng chose a bad time to hug

Xian Wu felt goosebumps go down his spine from Lai Yiteng's words. Not that he was too afraid of him, but just by the fact he knew this next conversation would not go well.

After all, Lai Yiteng could hardly be considered to have well-functioning brain logic right now.

Quickly, Xian Wu glanced back at Chen Yuwen again. He hadn't made any movements as of yet and only kept his palm gripped over the bleeding stump on his arm. In fact, Chen Yuwen was purposefully choosing not to move. If he moved suddenly, it would once again attract Lai Yiteng's attention, and then his head might be the next thing ripped off.

He'd only lost because no one predicted Lai Yiteng's surge in power, but now he was at a great disadvantage. 

In the meantime Xian Wu tried to pry Lai Yiteng's hand off his shoulder, noting the long black nails, sharp like a lizard's claws. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. Lai Yiteng's hold was firm as he stared at Xian Wu as though preventing a naughty child from going off to commit mischief.

Xian Wu did not want to be too forceful lest he provoke him. This whole situation was a mess and he wasn't sure how to approach it. 

It was Lai Yiteng who caught Chen Yuwen off guard, but now it was Lai Yiteng giving him a chance to escape! 

And yet the one who created this chaos was more worried about other matters. As though perplexed by it all, including Xian Wu's solemn lack of answers, Lai Yiteng repeated, "Why are you going without telling me anything?" 

Xian Wu took a deep breath to stay patient. He then turned his head and said pleadingly, "Yi'er, please, let go. I know you've gone a bit crazy by now, talking to trees and all, but don't you see this is a big opportunity? That guy," he pointed with his remaining hand, "over there, is someone we should really take the opportunity to kill."

Lai Yiteng gave no response to this at all. The ringing in his ears was only getting worse, his chest felt congested and ached. His fingers dug into Xian Wu's shoulder.

"I wonder why you lied to me so much." His tone was biting, worse than usual. "Always. Lying."

Xian Wu felt prickles of guilt. Moreover, his attention span was split in half as he kept an eye on Chen Yuwen as well. He coughed.

"I—of course I may have lied about a few things, but there was always a reason behind it. Now, you need to let go so I can kill Chen Yuwen, otherwise I'm gonna get angry."

Lai Yiteng only tilted his head. "No." 

"You little-"

There was a light snort that Xian Wu heard, one of amusement. It was Chen Yuwen who'd been unable to stifle that laughter of his.

To him it was all an entertaining show. 

Xian Wu surged with rage, but he could only glace with hate at the man while he was stuck in Lai Yiteng's grasp.

Not long after Chen Yuwen's foot shifted. He was about to use this chance to escape.

Once Xian Wu saw that he could no longer tolerate Lai Yiteng, he used his martial arts to escape his grasp and rushed over to Chen Yuwen. Unfortunately a heavy bout of poisoned needles came toward him. His approach was slowed as he avoided each one. His surroundings spun a bit from the poison in his veins. 

Next thing Xian Wu knew, he was tackled onto the ground from behind.

Two arms had wrapped around him like an encircling chain, and he was pressed into the grass with force. To be honest, he didn't expect Lai Yiteng to give the best reaction to shaking him off, but he didn't expect to be forcibly embraced of all things.

"Yi'er," he exclaimed helplessly. "Get off of me!"

Lai Yiteng was lying flat on top of his. "No. Stop running away." 

Chen Yuwen chuckled faintly again, but this time his voice was getting farther away.

Lai Yiteng hugged Xian Wu onto the ground. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted, but it definitely involved not allowing Xian Wu to escape him. It could only be that gege was trying to leave with that other man. Lai Yiteng's white pupils shuddered with unhappiness. His mouth hung open slightly, a two sharp fangs in view as he complained.

"…so you're trying to join with his side. I should have known this would happen, all you do is spew lies. Any moment I knew you'd come to betray me. I knew it and yet I…why did I ever even start to trust you, gege?"

Xian Wu tried to wiggle out of Lai Yiteng's hold to no avail. He was opening his mouth to reply when his words got stuck in his throat. Chen Yuwen was gradually going into the shadows. He was getting away!

There was a swear as Xian Wu noted his options. He could either throw Lai Yiteng off him with martial arts then ignore him to go after Chen Yuwen, or deal with Lai Yiteng like the soft-hearted bastard he is and let Chen Yuwen get away.

Even though he rabidly desired to avenge his shizun, at the same time he could never be like Chen Yuwen. Someone who was callous, able to throw away things for the sake of their goals.

Xian Wu knew he was dumb as he squeezed his eyes shut as he made a choice in his heart.

In the end, his concern and soft-heartedness for Lai Yiteng won out.

As Chen Yuwen's back went farther away while he was kept in Lai Yiteng's hold, Xian Wu just angrily shouted, "What the fuck did you do to him?!"

He'd never been expecting an answer, and yet…

"Just stirring the blood in him," Chen Yuwen singsonged in return. His body was no longer visible and his voice gradually fading. "After all, I am attempting to create dragons. Hasn't Lai Yiteng told you about the experiments at Lushang Sect yet?"

There was silence in return. A few crickets chirped.

Xian Wu was absolutely not going to go along with Chen Yuwen and casually give an answer. He hated how he spoke like how he did when he knew him. As though they were still in the past and he hadn't slaughtered those he cared about.

Chen Yuwen finished saying, "In any case, take good care of him. I'll be back to see if he is still alive at a later date. I'm going to need a good drink of wine after all of this…"

That elegant and frivolous attitude was plain aggravating.

"By all means," Xian Wu snarled, "do come up the front gateway of Graceful Dragon Sect, we will be sure to welcome you!"

But Chen Yuwen had already cut his losses and made an escape. Lai Yiteng was the one to respond. His arms hugged Xian Wu tighter, pressing his cheek onto the ground.

"Are you talking to the trees?" Lai Yiteng asked in a dull tone. "You know they can't talk, right?"

"You're one to say that, considering how you were having a conversation with them earlier!" Xian Wu then took a deep breath. "Ugh, no. Enough about the trees…when are you going to let go of me?!"

"Never, gege is mine now."

"…" What?

What did he just say?!

Xian Wu felt scared in more than one way. "No. N-no I'm not."

At least the cool, dewy grass and earth pressing against Xian Wu's face was helping lower his temper. Plus, his body was once again somewhat weak and crippled from the poison. It would take time to wear off.

What Xian Wu didn't know was the reason such a light poison was used on Chen Yuwen's blade. Was it perhaps meant for another opponent, one Chen Yuwen didn't intend to kill?

But he didn't really want to think about his failure to kill Chen Yuwen, who was even gravely injured.

Nope.

Let's not think about that.

At least Lai Yiteng ripped off his arm, a good start.

Just as he thought this, Xian Wu was alarmed when the arms wrapped around him shuddered as Lai Yiteng was wracked with a coughing fit. His silver eyes were slowly fading back to black as he coughed out a bout of dark-reddish purple blood onto the nearby grass.

The grass, one lush in the night air, turned brown and gooey.

Lai Yiteng released his hold on Xian Wu, sitting up.

"So annoying, I'm coughing up blood again." He coughed a few more times, the front of his robes stained with splatters of blood, and his insides were twisting as thought punctured with holes and tied into knots. "So much blood. Do you think I will die this time, gege?"