"You trusted me and that is why I returned from the temple, Gōngzǐ." He couldn't help but drop those words more directly but truly.
It was something he didn't think much about before, but it just worked naturally to his power system and was a big blessing. He never admitted it, but along with all of the people, Chóng Fēi's belief was the highest—somehow.
But he wouldn't try to understand things too soon. The knots of life seemed just to have started to take shape.
Clipping it would clip everything.
The words seemed never to lose their strange sharpness, mixed with gentleness even now.
Chóng Fēi blinked twice at those words as if he had forgotten about the ghosts for a moment. His eyes faintly rejected the calculation at the back of his head.
But Lìngxiāo turned away, just let the words land and..let him guess to keep busy on this matter more than the ghosts. The ghosts here didn't feel as powerful as the Red Robe one. But it really was a headache for everyone here. He could easily catch it.
"Guide us inside kindly.." He said to the chief instead, breathing through his mouth because of the smell.
"Yes. Indeed, Gōngzǐ." The man nodded and walked forward, guiding them.
Lìngxiāo nodded with a faintest smile which never reached his eyes and followed.
"Wait!" Chóng Fēi walked fast behind to catch up with him.
When Lìngxiāo turned at him, Chóng Fēi asked with amazement and disbelief, "Y-you can't be serious. You..feed on trust or something? Like those ancient God tales?? What kind of exorcist is that?" He was staring at him like he was some fallen God instead.
"Exists. Almost all of them are like that." Lìngxiāo cleared his throat lightly. His voice only meant for Chóng Fēi's ears.
He gathered his thoughts which he could have gathered earlier if he had known. But it wasn't something Chóng Fēi would simply keep announced. Nor could it be felt unless one got much closer—which he never did and never might do too.
Now he knew that Chóng Fēi had the container abilities, and he could actually exchange the rare type of spiritual power—which was called Cāng Yá. It already lived in him, and he could also generate it within himself by containing others' energy into a much more powerful way. No wonder the exorcist caught not anybody else but him when he was naive.
He wondered if this was why Chóng Féng couldn't hold him within two eyes, and he was actually misunderstanding it as he was behind all—while he himself had no cultivation core at all?
He exhaled. His veins weren't making it any easier to get lost in the sea of his regular, obsessively calculating thoughts. The water-filled wine seemed even poison for his head. He hated how miserable things were going in this town.
'I cannot believe I am getting tangled here again. I did not get much of my time to piece together the container revelation with the story and Féng Xiānsheng's behavior.'
'I would have figured it out faster if I was not drunk, at my chamber alone, and not already fogged by so many forces around me.'
'But I would still observe as I was doing since I do not know everyone from body to soul here.'
Chóng Fēi tilted his head, seeming like he was trying to sense his distress too. "You were explaining something to me.." He reminded in a low, dry, impatient tone. His gaze on him more than the path.
Lìngxiāo quickly came back to the conversation. The way Chóng Fēi asked..it seemed like he was unfamiliar with that.
"The..mummy exorcist you talked about.." He started carefully, using the reference instead. "Have also used your trust until as much as he could."
Chóng Fēi's eyes went wide yet sharp like any cub of tiger in the woods.
Lìngxiāo blinked at the look. It was unbelievable that his appreciating words would end up leading here. More unbelievable was that Chóng Fēi looked like he had just fallen from the sky, didn't even know those things.
Just to be sure, Lìngxiāo asked quietly, "Do you know your energy is..attractive to exorcists? That it can be abused..?"
Colors drained from his face as he hissed, "What..are you talking about?! I have something different? You're saying th-that exorcist ACTUALLY used me that way for energy?!"
Lìngxiāo paused sharply. For a moment, the children's matter was lost in the background of their conflict here.
They almost bumped. Lìngxiāo dodged it like dodging attacks instead but also didn't let Chóng Fēi fall over his face—or back.
'He really doesn't know what he is capable of?'
'Why was it kept secret from him too even?'
'Perhaps..Féng Xiānsheng did it on purpose to keep him safe. Just as I am hiding my things. I..did notice the fatherly protectiveness in him within the story he said and also..in real too.'
But here, Lìngxiāo got a reason to keep Chóng Fēi actually a bit far from himself. He had no intention to be anything more that later it would be his responsibility for whatever he does based on what last action he has taken here. Just cultivation partners. Good friends. Period.
This might make him look like evil too.
But for his own good. Not like he would take it easily if he found out who he was and why he was being a little friendly to him while he still had suspicion over Chóng Féng.
No friendship could remove this suspecting because he believed his instincts and observations. It really was questionable that how a clan stood this tall with only one son, had no spiritual powers himself, and just lost a son and acted like nothing happened at all. He never even spoke about it once. Then what was so special about Chóng Fēi to be this possessive over his safety but also he had no time for him to give too?
Chóng Fēi was not going to like it either if someone was..never really totally at his side. It was clear the way he spoke at the meeting—he does hate the way his father treats him. But he is still loyal to him, respects him. He wants to make him proud. Desperately perhaps.
It was almost fully now the way life was taking another large wave after last night. Though his life was never a peaceful lake. The chaos was too big to be true since childhood. It was just returning a rhythm like the way a swing comes back from where it started. And he would handle this too.
Chóng Fēi was looking at him for an answer. Or any confirmation. Lìngxiāo stood still silently like any statue wearing the ocean itself.
"Now..should I trust you here too..or you are judging me again with that story..?" He muttered shakily. Maybe not sure by a blow he never thought coming.
Lìngxiāo didn't answer right away.
He analyzed first about how to deliver things. He needed both this friendship to stay but on the surface, and also keep him safe from harm. But yes, he still couldn't swallow the story easily. He needed more time. He just had too many things yesterday. But he had no intention of reacting with the energy left by the story as before.
'I would not let him know if this..would end up standing near to Xiānsheng's feet. The less he knows, the more it would be better. I do not wish to ever use him. Nor I can. I never would.'
'I might be an overflowing waterfall of powers which needs a container..but I think I rather..be fine on my own.'
'I am just not ready yet to perform the one hundred steps ritual or the direct spiritual power giving..that way.'
'But I would try to do the second optional fast as possible before Mō Qīn's spell fades away.'
Once he decided what to say, he turned at him. There was no weight at his expression of what he had landed—as if he just shared a fact he wasn't sure of.
"It is my theory only. Believing it personally is all up to you. I only wished for your trust in my job here." He said with a calm smile. It perhaps even looked cold.
As always, Chóng Fēi was trying to catch his lie. His expression didn't betray what he was thinking either. Or if he actually believed him or not. Just the gaze looked like Lìngxiāo's sudden coldness unsettled him a little.
The moment paused as they held gaze.
Lìngxiāo knew that removing memory so many times here wouldn't even work because things would somehow get revealed by accident here. His curses were powerful, yes. But they had limitations.
All he could rely on was his own psychological tricks which could—perhaps could—fight against Chóng Fēi's much sharper instincts. But better if he never knew.
He had ways to handle the opposite situation as well.