Later, Lìngxiāo was back in his chamber, in his small washroom. He needed a pause too—since having a polite argument with emotions and mind drains a lot of energy.
Especially if you yourself are involved in it, and you have to hide it smartly but also use it as best as possible.
He took at least three hours, as his body ached from the cold, and now it was midnight—twelve am too.
But Chóng Fēi still wasn't ready to let go of this tea break with the discussion.
The meeting had taken two hours.
And who knew how long this one would take? Hopefully not too heavy, long, or tiring if comfortable tea was with them.
A candle pulsed in front of him near the blurred mirror, which was much clearer now. His face was damp from throwing water on it, his hair pushed back differently, no longer wearing the gorgeous robe. Only a white inner robe loosely around his body, like the weight had been lifted away from him.
He exhaled, his eyes on the mirror.
'Is it not too big an arrangement for only..a tea break?'
Within his thoughts and while getting fresh, he felt the door of his room open and close twice. And then, after a little longer, the same thing repeated.
Lìngxiāo looked at his washroom door, tilting his head.
'Perhaps the maids or someone else have dropped off my dress.'
'But twice..?'
'Or is that gûi trying to talk with me again since..before coming here, I touched the skull and the robe for a quick investigation..?'
While thinking those things, he opened the door and came out, holding the hem of his inner robe, his hair fully open behind, some large locks falling over his chest from behind.
The room was quiet and arranged as he had left it.
But the bed had two boxes at the middle of it. Similar to the one he had received for the first dress, which he had now kept in his closet with care. He wasn't greedy, but if the dresses were really given as borrowing, it would be truly insulting—and he wished it wouldn't be that way.
'Two boxes?'
He went closer to them and opened both, without taking the robes out. His breath caught, just as softly, with awe.
It was not only one, but a pair of robes.
'Why am I even given two more robes for one small break? The hospitality ways have changed here perhaps..'
His hand slowly stroked the fabric thoughtfully.
One was a yellow-golden robe—somehow the same shade as his frozen fire. It was both beautiful and also gave a little tug at his heart, that if..somehow Chóng Fēi remembered the removed memory of the frozen fire.
Or was it also simply given by Chóng Féng?
This man had this much taste—understandable. But why so much noticing that this color was the actual one which suited him, not even the usual one he always wore? It was strange.
Another robe was a cool, light green. Something close to his mind, but the shade was comfortable as he liked—not too vivid nor too pale. Almost close to the light shade the curtain dàoist of the Zhèng clan—Shèn Yùe—wore sometimes when not attending any event with his father.
All of the robes were beautiful, but less gorgeous than the first one. The first one screamed royalty, and this one whispered.
Exactly what he preferred.
He was about to pick the golden one, which felt the most like him, but then paused when he found a note beside the boxes.
The note read:
"Wear the pastel green one and keep the golden one for your invitation. I have seen the scrolls on your table."
Lìngxiāo blinked, his eyes moving to his table, where he still had the invitations from Hàngwō, before looking back at the dresses.
'So..it was he who came into my chamber earlier?'
'Why do they bother what I would wear at someone else's victory party and coronation ceremony..?'
The note wasn't finished, so he read the rest:
"But—I have a first task for you for this management too.
I have received a message earlier that our underground prison has one mistakenly come young boy who doesn't belong to Yùn Xi but Mō Bàyàkūyà. Somehow stumbled into the jail for no reason anyone can give an explanation to me. Others—most of their parents are still alive and waiting. A few are total orphans, but they can still be kept at the prison with extra care, and the execution is officially called off. When possible—and we are hoping you actually can break the curse—we will pass the orphans once the curse is broken.
First, I want you to take the Bàyàkūyà one to the Hàngwō Clan's orphanage organizations. Or it would create difficulties if somehow they know that a child belonging to Chéng Yùe was punished for those days. No need to mention my clan here. Not needed—you will not do it.
Just hand him to them.
And lastly—you will keep full connection with me though there. I still need to observe you."
Lìngxiāo raised an eyebrow softly at the news of finding a child from a totally different place stumbled here. The execution already came under the blacklist for injustice, and now another child from another place was another big thing.
The Zhèng clan didn't actively work on common cultivation rules, but gave final decisions, protected the divine lores, and updated them when given from the Lord—since they weren't common cultivators.
They were the first deepest shade among the ten shades for each of the five gods. They were barely seen, because their whole clan was hidden up on a floating mountain. So the rest was handled by powerful clans like Hàngwō, and then the Wèn clan and Yìn Làn clan. From the Xuè Gusu side, it was the Bài Yīlíng and Gù Yùe clans.
Other smaller clans worked by their sides too, but also competed every five years to earn names.
So if they knew that kid was from their side, he didn't know what arguments they would hold up, even from the other side of the boundary this curse created. And how long Chóng Fēi could handle it, while he was already struggling like any cold falcon sheltering his nest, while Hàngwō was at peace and in a safe environment, on the spot like a rare, beautiful bird that had everything it needed.
Though Lìngxiāo could do it, because since he had connections with Wàng Wùjī and Làncǎi, he chose to act obvious here. As long as the paths were right and there was no violence or breakdowns—he was on it.
So, without wasting any time, he quickly got ready.
The theme seemed to be a green ocean.
This robe was much easier to slip into. It felt like layers of veils over a raised inner robe, floating more easily. Below was thin silk of a faint green, and the upper part was deeper but still soft.
It had shells and snail covers arranged with pearls at the single hairpin, only at his bun.
Not too much to feel out of place, because those look good only near the beach—and not too little to look hollow.
He looked at himself in many turns at the window, blinking at the mirror like he was watching someone else again. His lips parted in awe of himself.
'What is this one, if the first one was a crown prince?'
'Is it something between a crown prince and an important guest's status?'
'I never knew I could fit into those colors too. I just liked it..but forgot to wear it, for mostly liking that single color which seemed..to represent me the most.'
'I look less sharp and..casual this way, though it is gorgeous..'
'Why does it have a veil too..?'
He looked at the veil, which was thin and beautiful, like a thin sheet of colored ice. He didn't remember which last time he had willingly looked at those types of items at the markets, or even on any noble man. But it was undeniably beautiful too.
As a habit, he didn't wear a veil directly, but by the hat. So when he found the attaching option, it felt just right. He quickly put it around his beloved hat, which had now dried over, unharmed, and wore it. This dress looked fine with his usual hairstyle too.
He honestly looked like a jade prince or an empire this time as he changed the style. He couldn't believe it could belong from here, while he almost saw nobody wearing this type of robe more than Chóng Féng here.
'Those robes cannot belong to this town. Perhaps..it was brought from Chéng Yùe.'
'How did they even bring it while the town is blocked?'
'Or can someone just pass by alone, like I did?'
While questions ran into his mind—light or heavy—he came out of his room after leaving the other box in the closet, his steps lighter and happier than before.
'I wonder how old the child would be..'
'What his name would be..'
He was about to go to the possible meeting room where they might have the discussion, when a disciple bowed in front of him, stopping his path respectfully.
Lìngxiāo looked at the man and bowed lightly, clearing his throat in a silent question.
"Fēi Gōngzǐ is waiting downstairs, near the middle chamber." The man answered. "He ordered me to inform you properly, since he did not mention the sudden change in the arrangement."
'Sudden change?'
"I see." Lìngxiāo nodded once with a faint smile. "I will be going downstairs."
Then he moved to the stairs.
"Have a nice small journey, Gōngzǐ." The man replied.
A little pinchy it was too. That same judgmental feeling.
Lìngxiāo paused. 'Journey?'
But he didn't stop, and walked down gracefully, the faint green below of the robe touching the stairs.
Curiosity was getting the better of him, from back-to-back unexpected events being thrown over him.
'He is also spinning me like I did before..'
'Let us see what is that long 'journey' at this late night into the clan..'