Reborn To Be The Imperial Consort [BL]

Standing by the flickering blaze of lamp, as the cool breeze caressed his skin, Bai Huiqi strolled in the embrace of silence.

It was sudden, but not unexpected, that Cheon WuHui approached him, seeking company in the later hours of the night.

Bai Huiqi yielded. Something in his heart compelled him to agree as the Heavenly Demon smiled down at him, with something imperceptibly tender in his expression.

The four-tailed fox couldn't bring himself to refuse. Even when Doctor Li and Hu Lijing—not too long ago—warned him to be cautious of Cheon WuHui.

Maybe it was whatever fate they shared beckoning him closer. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

This time, whilst walking beside the crimson-haired man, Bai Huiqi did not steal a covert glance. Instead, he turned to look at the man openly.

"Why did you seek me out?" Still, he asked in a hushed voice.

Even if they were alone, it seemed like the world was listening to them. So he couldn't help being cautious.

Bai Huiqi's question seemed to rouse Cheon WuHui from his own musings. Slowly, he turned to look at him, eyes lowered to meet the four-tailed fox spirit's.

He smiled again, something enigmatic dancing in that expression. Just like the man himself. Against his better judgement, Bai Huiqi stared.

"We are well-aware," the Heavenly Demon turned to look forward again, "that Doctor Li shall be leaving the Cult soon. These ranges aren't the kindest. Having endured such a long stay is commendable on its own. Moreover—"

Bai Huiqi lowered his head, the moonlight streamed down on his white hair, bathing the silken locks in a silver glow.

"—his fate dictates his presence elsewhere."

Bai Huiqi froze, foot hanging in the air as his head snapped to look up at Cheon WuHui, eyes wide.

"What are you insinuating?" The fox spirit swallowed. "Is… Could it be— you can see fates?"

Cheon WuHui's eyebrows shot up at the reaction. His face betrayed nothing of his thoughts as he realised his slip up.

"Perhaps," the Heavenly Demon replied vaguely, hands clasped behind his back. "However, humans have limits. With all Our power, We are still only human. And there is only so much a man can see."

Bai Huiqi stared. His face was pale as he looked up, unable to utter even a single word. As if his throat had closed and words failed him spectacularly.

He did not know that someone could see fates.

After a long time, cutting through the silence, the fox spirit's words rang loud. Shaken yet firm.

"The reason I intrigue you is the fate we share. Whatever it may be." His words were faint, slightly haunted even. As if the world—as he knew it to be—had caved in from under his feet.

Fully, his steps halted. Head lowered, the fox spirit no longer walked beside Cheon WuHui.

Somehow, it stung. The knowledge that Cheon WuHui's interest in him was nothing more than a fleeting curiosity for something so novel as their shared fate.

Bai Huiqi's chest was tight, breath faltering in his lungs.

Cheon WuHui had just that much effect on him.

He was not asking. He was certain.

If the Heavenly Demon's interest in him was bound only by a curiosity for their intertwined fate, then the moment his curiosity was satiated—

He would abandon Bai Huiqi.

Abandon. Just like that Taoist had, just like his own kind had. Abandon. Like Li Xinyuan, Hu Lijing, and someday, Cheon WuHui would too.

A hand landed on his shoulder, startling him so much he jumped. His entire body was taut like a string.

Who—?

Bai Huiqi's head snapped up, sapphire eyes wide and filled with glistening tears he wasn't aware of.

It was Cheon WuHui.

Though Bai Huiqi stood frozen in the same place for heaven knew how long, Cheon WuHui did not leave his side. The crimson-haired man did not leave him behind to walk ahead.

"Whatever thoughts you have in your head, Huiqi, put them to rest. Our interest in you far exceeds the fate We share with you." Cheon WuHui's voice was deep, firm, and grounded. In a way Bai Huiqi rarely felt.

"We are not the kind to follow whatever Our fate dictates, Huiqi." Cheon WuHui squeezed his arm gently. "Unless it interests Us enough, We defy Our fate. We have done so for as long as We know Ourselves." Without preamble, he drew close and used his free hand to wipe a stray tear rolling down Bai Huiqi's cheek.

Bai Huiqi's throat seized, hands clenching on the sleeves of his clothes. The closer Cheon WuHui leaned, the lighter his breath became.

"What—?"

"—However, you," Cheon WuHui cut him off and cupped the fox spirit's face in his large hands. "Your being alone, compelled Us to follow this fate."

Bai Huiqi reached up and held the taller man's wrists with shaking hands. His chest rose and fell, the overflowing waves of bone-deep cold ebbed steadily, giving way to warmth, as air flowed in his lungs easier.

Emboldened by the lack of refusal, Cheon WuHui stepped closer and rested his forehead against the four-tailed fox spirit's. Then, in a low voice, he murmured.

"And if you believe that We are going to let you slip away from Us so easily… Abandon that thought too."

Bai Huiqi should be terrified. He should push the taller man away and make his escape—yes, he should do that.

But he did not want to. Perhaps it was the same fate, the same premonition, that demanded he stay.

So, he did. He stayed put, feet rooting in the ground under him.

"That brings Us to the question," Cheon WuHui began, still holding the fox spirit's face in his hands, still pressing their foreheads close, "when Doctor Li and Young Master Hu leave… Will you stay behind?"

That made him pause. The disjointed echoes of his thoughts ceased for a moment.

Bai Huiqi sucked in a deep breath, the cold air all but rattling in his chest. His hold on Cheon WuHui's wrists tightened, fingers trembling even now.

If it was before this moment, without hesitation he would have refused. He had no reason to stay behind, other than the pull drawing him towards Cheon WuHui which he could ignore.

But now—after everything the man had said and done.

Bai Huiqi did not know what to think.

The promise he had given Hu Lijing, the trade they agreed upon, and his intensified feelings for Cheon WuHui: They warred against one another.

One part of him wondered if he could bear losing the opportunity to learn more about his powers while the other feared Cheon WuHui would change his mind.

Bai Huiqi could not decide. Not so suddenly.

Swallowing audibly, the fox spirit found his voice again. Though his voice trembled, he intended to stay firm.

"It is too sudden," Cheon WuHui could feel the fox spirit shake, softening his heart. "Could I request for some time to think?"