COPPER COINS

Chapter 98: Some sweetness (V)

   That first kiss on Heishi Shore had been as light as a dragonfly across a pond; it could barely even be called a kiss, with no hint of nervousness or intimacy –– it had been more of a restrained, poignant farewell, because in that moment, Xuanmin had thought they would be parting forever.
    At the time, Xue Xian's senses had only just been returning to him, and he had only felt a faint sense of something touching his lips. If it hadn't been for what he'd seen of Xuanmin's death scene back at the Cave of a Hundred Insects, he would not even have noticed that touch –– after all, he had not been in a state to notice such things.
    So it was only now that Xue Xian truly understood how it felt to be kissed by Xuanmin.
    Normally, Xuanmin always seemed so aloof and unapproachable, like an intimidating ice sculpture, cold and unforgiving. If one did not get close to him and only observed from afar, one might imagine that his entire body was made of snow, that his every breath was laden with frost.
    But his kiss was hot, and brought an overwhelming, indescribable passion, as though all of the intense and intimate emotions he'd ever felt in his life were sealed into that one act.
    For Xuanmin to express such a feeling was a miracle; how could Xue Xian take that on? He was utterly defeated.
    He tilted his head and returned the kiss, enveloped in the passion of the moment. As he brushed against the cool tip of Xuanmin's nose, his parted lips were still drawn in a smile.
    However... around an hour later, that warm, lazy smile on Xue Xian's face was utterly gone. Not a single trace of it was left.
    Xue Xian deeply, deeply regretted that moment when he'd opened his mouth to lick Xuanmin's lips and reach in to touch his tongue. Or else he wouldn't be here now, with one hand on Xuanmin's abdomen and the other locked in tightly with Xuanmin's fingers, straddling him...
    Xuanmin was covered in relentlessly outpouring sweat, and Xue Xian was sweating even more; each and every part of their bodies that were touching were humid and sticky, and even their fingers wound around each other were about to slip out of grasp.
    Maybe it was the devastating power of the dragon spit, or maybe it was the freedom that came with their mutual devotion, but Xue Xian had never imagined that he might one day lose all control like this; those frenzied kisses, the fervent biting, his knees pressed so hard against the rough bamboo bed that it left marks.
    His legs tensed, he brought his hips down brusquely; his half-shut eyes were suddenly clouded with a layer of moisture, and his eyelashes were already wet; he could not help but feel a redness well up in his eyes. His lips, pressed against Xuanmin's, parted slightly as he let out a long, heavy sigh, the sound of the breath mixed in with a faint, low moan.
    His hand that held Xuanmin's began to tremble and their fingers finally slid away from the wetness of their sweat, but he quickly caught on to Xuanmin's tense shoulder.
    As Xue Xian struggled to catch his breath, Xuanmin brought his hand over to his waist and brought it down deeper.
    Xue Xian finally couldn't help but let out a groan. Xuanmin gazed up at him from half-closed eyes and scanned his face and lips. Xuanmin's other hand went to pinch his chin, then brought him in for a kiss...
    Many, many centuries ago, Xue Xian had heard the phrase "dragons are erotic creatures" in a folk rumor and had burst out laughing on the spot, mocking the stupidity of mortals. In the countless years he'd lived, he'd never found anything within him that might match him up with a phrase like that.
    But now, he suddenly thought, That phrase does make some sense...
    But it wasn't his fault. It was the dragon spit.
    Oh, right.... and the copper coin pendant, and the red string.
    Normally, the dragon spit would only mess with Xuanmin. But now that the two were interlinked, Xue Xian couldn't get away scot-free either.
    Alright, fine. Maybe part of it was his own enthusiasm, too. You reap what you sow.
    All in all, too much had happened between them, and it all added up together to the realisation that he'd be happy to spend the rest of his life in bed.
    But Xuanmin had only just come back from the dead, and before he'd died he'd taken out the Buddha's bones from his body... although Xue Xian had made sure to check that new bones had grown in their place in Xuanmin's pelvis, extracting one's bones was no small matter, and he suspected that Xuanmin was still vulnerable.
    If it wasn't for Xuanmin's weak hips, Xue Xian would never have sat down on him so eagerly.
    Not that he minded; of course, it did feel good, and Xue Xian didn't have any regrets when it came to that alone. But he hated himself for not having waited just another day, so that he could've gotten some food beforehand. Or else he wouldn't be here now, starving, while sweating away all of his inhibition...
    The two of them tumbled and tussled on and off for three days straight; when, finally, utterly satisfied, they began to walk out of the mountain path through the poisonous fog, they were greeted by the sound of Xuanmin's crow flapping its wings and hurtling into the forest, as though frightened.
    Xue Xian crossed his arms and looked up at the bird now perched in the branches above him, his black robes billowing lightly in the breeze. "This crow must be hundreds of years old, right?" he said to Xuanmin. "Do you think it's about to die? Why is it suddenly missing so many of its feathers?"
    He reached out to prod the pile of black feathers on the forest floor with his foot and clicked his tongue. "We should buy it some food too. Make sure it leaves this world happy and full."
    Hearing this, the crow was so furious that it lost its balance and fell off the branch onto Xue Xian. Before it crashed into him, it suddenly remembered that it could fly and nervously took to the skies, flapping around in a large circle before coming back to them.
    Xue Xian suspected that the crow had probably tried to come in the previous night and overheard too much. Considering how smart the bird was, Xue Xian guessed that it had shed feathers in shock –– though he couldn't tell if this would've been out of fear or worry.
    For some reason, the dragon and the crow just didn't see eye to eye; but you also couldn't say that they hated each other –– after all, when Xue Xian had been hungry, the crow had brought him food without even being asked. Most likely, the events of the past two weeks had caused them to develop a strange relationship consisting partly of begrudging companionship, partly of mutual disgust.
    In any case, Xuanmin didn't understand their relationship. He glanced at the crow and decided not to force it into anything. All he said was, "You may follow or not follow. Up to you." Then, he tapped Xue Xian on the shoulder, indicating for them to begin walking out of the forest.
    The bird flapped its wings above them some more, hesitating, but ultimately came along with them. It landed on Xuanmin's shoulder and prodded him lightly with its claws, then bashfully rubbed its body against his face.
    "Little brat," Xue Xian muttered, glaring at the crow.
    The crow squawked back at him, then hopped over to his shoulder and began rubbing his face, too.
    "Oh, so now you're playing fair. Leave me alone," Xue Xian scoffed, though he didn't really mind. But suddenly, Xuanmin raised his hand and grabbed the crow expertly by its claws, bringing it away from Xue Xian.
    The crow scowled.
    Great, it thought. I can't hang out with either of them anymore without making the other jealous. Assholes.
    The crow wanted attention too. It knew that it wasn't any ordinary animal. Magical pets needed to be treated according to their status! Huffing up its chest, it batted its wings and slapped them both in the face, then flew off in a tantrum.
    But it only whined once before suddenly changing its tone and beginning to coo in a certain direction.
    Xue Xian and Xuanmin looked up just in time to see a grey messenger dove come flying straight at them.