Chapter 2.5

Crimson robes with a gold lining, simple yet formal.

That was the clothing the people in this world found auspicious for men to wear on their wedding day.

And that was what Ling Xia was wearing. They were heavy on his body, although appearing light from any outside perspective. He ran his fingers down the side of his sleeve, trying to find comfort in the fabric.

The silk was smooth, as smooth as a baby's skin. He reveled in the feeling, watching as it flowed freely across his skin when he moved.

It was perhaps the only good part of this marriage.

Once he had soothed himself enough, he left his room to go to his soon-to-be wife. He was not too keen on it, but tradition took precedence over everything in this world. Walking through hall after hall, he finally exited the manor's walls where a horse waited for him.

The horse had an incredibly light mane and tail despite its warm brown coat that shone with sweat. It even heaved for breath as if it had galloped a thousand kilometers, but Ling Xia knew better. It was the weakest horse the Liu family owned, befitting of the weakest son.

They had given the worst horse to the heir of the family, and on his wedding day, no less. How much further could they trample on his pride with no care for his status?

Regardless of his inner ponderings, Ling Xia stepped into the stirrup and swung himself on to his horse with practiced ease. After situating himself, he lifted the reins, ready to ride to the carriage Feng Lian was in.

A hand showed itself in the corner of his eye. His eyes followed as it was placed gently on his own hands. When he finally looked down, he was surprised to find Liu Zhaofa peering up at him in return. "What is the matter?"

"I shall guide you to your wife," he responded, no expression on his face. He took hold of the reins, pulling them from Ling Xia's fingers before turning back to the road, not another word uttered.

It took a moment for Ling Xia to compute this. Under him, the horse's muscles moved while Liu Zhaofa pulled the reins. The movement made Ling Xia bounce up and down. It was an unwanted sensation, distracting him from his thoughts, so Ling Xia instinctively went to gather the reins to pull the horse to stop. He halted mid-motion.

Now he understood the reason Liu Zhaofa wanted to guide the horse instead of letting Ling Xia ride it. Liu Zhaoning had never ridden a horse before, or at least, not successfully.

Ling Xia almost laughed. An heir that didn't know how to ride a horse in this world… it was like Liu Zhaoning was asking to be made a mockery of. Granted, his parents didn't really support him in his endeavors, so it made sense that he found it to be useless. No matter what he did, it would never match up to his brothers' achievements.

A sudden shift in the horse's body as it stepped up a slope jolted Ling Xia back into reality. He quickly planted his hands on its back to prevent from falling.

His quick save went unnoticed by Liu Zhaofa, but it was noticed by the citizens of the country who had gathered around to see what the commotion was. They had filled the streets, cheering loudly for the lucky man who was marrying his wife today, but at Ling Xia's slip-up, they looked closer.

The person they were encouraging was actually the shame of the city, the fool that everybody avoided because they knew associating with him caused misfortune. The noise died down as people realized that Ling Xia was not even steering his own horse.

People started whispering, speculating.

"He can't even ride a horse?!"

"The second young master has to help the eldest with everything, aye?"

"His wife is so unfortunate. I hope the Liu family can help her live well."

"Who even offered to marry their daughter off to him?"

The whispers were barely legible, but as the horse trotted past, many drifted into Ling Xia's ears. Most of these snarky remarks were not meant to be heard, as they were too sharp, too mean to be said in public. This was reserved for conversations behind closed doors.

But right now, everybody had the same thought. The fool was being humiliated, and everybody else was adding fuel to the fire. Why should they hold themselves back either? They paid no heed to Ling Xia's feelings, nor had they paid any to Liu Zhaoning's in the real timeline.

Still, Ling Xia was unfazed. He knew that this shade was not being thrown at him, so he kept his back straight and face unmoved.

The long ride to Feng Lian soon ended, and the horse slowed to a walk beside it at Liu Zhaofa's beckoning. It slowly turned around, heading back to the Liu Manor to complete the wedding procedures.

They reached the manor in due time, although the way back was far worse than the way to the carriage. The people seemed to have gotten bolder, expressing their concerns and dislikes with utter disregard for their manners.

The voices echoed in Ling Xia's ears, although he could comfort himself knowing that these were aimed at Liu Zhaoning, he could only imagine what it would be like for Liu Zhaoning.

He did not know because the memories he had received and would continue to receive were devoid of emotion. They were only bleak retellings of the events from Liu Zhaoning's perspective.

Even if Ling Xia saw, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted every single thing Liu Zhaoning did, he would never know how Liu Zhaoning felt because they were two different entities. They perceived things differently, and as such, they felt differently toward certain events.

Ling Xia had forgotten about this for some time. But now that he had remembered, he also recalled what he saw in those memories was not the absolute truth either. He needed to find and solve any discrepancies between Liu Zhaoning's perspective and what truly happened. He needed to be at the top of his game.

But he knew all of this. The train of thought was caused by a single moment of pity for the young man in his position. In a flash, it had ended, none the wiser.

There was, however, something he did not know, something he was undeniably curious about. He looked past the bobbing head of the horse beneath him, to Liu Zhaofa. "May I ask a question?" he asked over the raging crowd beside him. By now, everybody had entered the streets, creating quite the ruckus.

Liu Zhaofa's head jerked slightly before he raised his head. Ling Xia noted it silently. "Go on."

"Why are you leading me up here? Wouldn't a servant be able to do the same task?" He had found it quite odd when they first started up to the carriage, especially because it did not happen in the real timeline. Perhaps his reaction when Liu Cai had scolded him invoked some emotion within Liu Zhaofa?

Liu Zhaofa was quiet for a long time. Ling Xia simply waited patiently for an answer, watching as the manor grew larger as they continued forward. They pulled to a stop at the gate, and Ling Xia got off the horse, figuring his time to speak with the elder Liu brother was over.

As he moved toward the carriage, he heard a sound from behind. It was high-pitched, much like a whinny, and a smile flitted through Ling Xia's eyes. His dislike for the horse could not stop his appreciation for one of the few creatures that did their duty that day.

He lifted a hand to run his fingers through its mane gently. They tangled together as he petted it slowly, and a tiny huff left the horse's mouth.

The sound pleased his ears which were formerly distraught, scoldings and insults the only thing they heard.

He loosened his fingers and backed away. Just as he began to approach the carriage for the second time, he heard Liu Zhaofa's clear voice from behind.

"You are my older brother."

And that was all. Silence stretched between them as Liu Zhaofa stared at Ling Xia's back. He waited for a response.

Ling Xia blinked from behind the cover of his own body. Perhaps the Liu brothers were more softhearted than he had imagined. Swaying them to his side should not be too difficult.

"Thank you." They were barely audible, but the words had dropped from Ling Xia's lips. They tickled Liu Zhaofa's ears like a warm breath. The warmth spread from his ears to his cheeks, and he turned away, suddenly flustered.

Who knew a simple 'thank you' could do so much?

Ah, right, it was because it was a genuine one, he thought as he hurried away.

His footsteps faded away, signifying Ling Xia of his departure. Deciding to ignore any other distractions, Ling Xia finally reached the carriage door. He pulled it open and stepped aside, not bothering to take a glance inside. His eyes found the ground, waiting for Feng Lian to step out. A hand gripped his shoulder.

A torrent of emotions drowned out any semblance of rationality. Ling Xia's hand curled into a fist, ready to punch the person who touched him. He drew his arm back and—

He paused. In a moment of realization, he dug his nails into his palms, using the pain to remind his instincts of reality. His erratic heartbeat slowly calmed down as he stayed still.

The hand pressed down like it was trying to use him as support. A following swoosh told him that the owner was done with his shoulder, proven by the hand's retraction.

The tension diffused from Ling Xia's body. He had spent only half a day in his home world, and he had already begun to reaccustom himself to the norms. He took a deep breath, cleansing his mind of all unnecessary thoughts before asserting to himself as he had painstakingly and painfully done over and over in his very first world with the system, 'An unexpected touch on the shoulder does not mean the beginning of sexual assault.'

His head craned up. By now, he had already deduced that the person who so rudely touched him was Feng Lian, and a quick scan of his clothing revealed the reason for this contact.

The man was veiled, and his obscured vision did not do well with his need to get off the carriage. That was most probably why the polite thing for a groom to do was to hold out his hand for the bride to use as a support while getting out.

Unfortunately, Ling Xia didn't care for this bride. In the real timeline, he pretended to love Liu Zhaoning to help the emperor. Liu Zhaoning fell for his tricks, and thought Feng Lian would help him in his moment of need, but he only looked on coldly as Liu Zhaoning's body went up in flames.

Moreover, it wasn't even that big of a step down. Tripping was not a big risk here, and Ling Xia found it laughable that the people in this world thought otherwise.

He held his hand out, still, conforming to the standards Liu Zhaoning should have been taught. Only a few moments later, he felt the warmth of another's hand in his, and he folded his hand over it.

They walked into the manor hand-in-hand, appearing to be star-crossed lovers, but if one only looked at their expressions, they would see their blank faces. They never once glanced at each other throughout all the wedding procedures, which whizzed by. They were only procedures, after all.

After they paid homage to heaven and Liu Cai and Madam Liu(1), and bowed to each other, all while holding red cloths that were tied together, Feng Lian headed off to the wedding chamber. Ling Xia, not wanting to interact with all of those fake friends of Liu Zhaoning, followed suit soon after.

He pushed through the door and stepped in the chamber in which he was supposed to consummate the relationship that was forced onto him.

The first thing he noticed was how dark it was. The only light source was the flickering candlelight that only got dimmer. It created a romantic atmosphere, like there was love to be shared that night.

Unfortunately, that would not come to pass.

There was a certain custom in this world that allowed for that, one that Ling Xia was surprisingly glad for, considering how many times it had screwed him over in the past. There were two types of marrying: marrying, and being married.

The husband married the wife, and the wife got married to the husband, regardless of gender. In this way, Ling Xia had control over Feng Lian's actions because he was the wife, not Ling Xia, and he got married off to the Liu family to help keep them in check.

Ling Xia's eyes found Feng Lian. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, prim and proper. His hands laid in his lap, and his hair fell around him in a perfect circle.

"Shall we drink the wine?" Ling Xia walked over to the small round table in the middle of the room. He sat down in a chair. Feng Lian sat down in his. They picked up the two cups of wine that were lying on the table, ready to be drunk. After crossing their arms through the other's, they downed it.

It rolled down his throat, burning hot yet freezing cold at the same time. And then began the five minutes until Liu Zhaoning's body passed out. He could not hold his liquor.

Feng Lian loosened his hold on his veil, letting it flutter back onto his face. Through the bright red, his face was barely visible, only the most basic features showing through. Ling Xia could also see his eyes which were staring right back at his own.

Under his gaze, Ling Xia flippantly commented, "You know you can take that off, right?"

Feng Lian visibly shook out of his thoughts. He rushed to yank the veil off. It snagged a strand of hair as it was thrown away, pulling Feng Lian's head along slightly before he untangled the knot.

A blush, previously concealed by the veil, adorned his cheeks while he could not brave Ling Xia's gaze. His head hung low, and he delicately placed his hands in his lap, veil still in his clutches.

Ling Xia watched on with condescending thoughts. It was actually a little funny to him. He wondered how Feng Lian would react if his cover was machine-gunned to smithereens. He stood and swept past Feng Lian to the bed that practically begged him to lay in it.

He undressed with a facade of boldness, seemingly uncaring about the hot eyes on his back. With white robes still on, he got into bed in the most elegant way possible. It was a measure to prevent embarrassment because of his discomfort.

It did not matter how many eyes were on him. The intentions behind the stares were what made him uncomfortable. Feng Lian looked at him with a gaze that tried to pierce right through him. Ling Xia did not even have to look back to feel the intensity, and he acted awkwardly because of it.

When he finally settled under the thin blanket, he heard Feng Lian call out to him. "We are not going to-"

He was interrupted by Ling Xia's sharp, "No".

"But consummation is a tradition!" Feng Lian protested.

Ling Xia turned to lay on his side, facing the blank wall next to him, so Feng Lian could not see the irritation blatant on his face. He softened his voice. "I will only sleep with my love."

"Oh."

The sound of realization sounded off. The tone fluctuated in weird ways, ways he could not explain. It creeped him out further when he felt the bed sink. His immediate reaction was to scoot away from the intruding party.

Breathing occupied the space behind him, suppressed but still so loud. Its presence unnerved him. Despite his experience with sleeping in the same room as others, he could not help but move even farther away.

Maybe it was the way Feng Lian said that word that continued to irk him. Either way, he would get used to it soon, he thought, as the first specks of drowsiness splattered across his mind.

Relieved, he let it overtake him.

~~~

Notes:

1: Madam Liu - I said before that women keep their last name when they marry in China, but in this case the form of address is a title, not her actual name. She's the madam of the Liu family because she married into it.