Chapter 28 - I'll Take Responsibility

While the dragon and crayfish were in their love tussle, the inn was growing chaotic by the moment. The thugs pushed into every room and searched for the Yin constitute.

"Boss, ill check here," one of the thugs said and barged into a room. He heard some squeaking noise inside the bathroom. "Come outside," he shouted and ran inside. But he found a naked young man taking a bath there.

"Hey, what the hell are you guys doing? Why are you barging inside?" one of the room's occupants shouted holding a towel to cover himself.

"Hehe, so small," the thug snickered, looking at the towel. "You... what the hell?" the guest shouted, pulling his towel close.

"Sorry to disturb your bath time but we are searching for someone very important," one of the thugs leered and left the room.

"What the heck?" the occupant got dressed as fast as he can and ran to the inn's foyer.

"Inn keeper, you better have an answer for what is happening," The guest shouted running down the staircase. He couldn't find the innkeeper or anyone else manning the foyer.

He rang the small bell and shouted, "I want a refund of my rent. You better come out or I am coming in."

Still there was no answer from inside the room.

He pushed inside to find two badly bruised men tied up to the nearby bed.

"Oh lords, what happened to you both?" the guest watched in horror as their lumpy face moved.

"Thhe thugs diid this," one of the men said with difficulty.

"Oh, I see. That's why you should not offend anyone above you," the guest whispered and walked closer to them.

The innkeeper and this son were overjoyed that help had arrived. They smiled through their painful face at the guest.

The guest widened his eyes in horror and said, "Please don't smile like,"

Their smile dropped at this and they pointed towards their tied up hands.

"gueost pleaose untie usss," they whimpered, holding their tied hands up. Their swollen face started hurting more as they tried to speak, so they kept quiet after that.

"Of course I will. But I need my refund," the guest said, putting his hands on his hips.

"It's in that drawer," the innkeeper's son mumbled, pointing at a small drawer by the cabinets. The innkeeper secretly kicked his dumb son.

But the guest didn't notice this. He walked over and opened the drawer to find lots of silver and gold coin. "Please guest take your rent and help us," the innkeeper whispered, giving a painful smile.

"Just my rent? For the amount of trauma that I've experienced you can't pay me back even after selling your inn," he shouted and pocketed all the gold and silver.

The innkeeper bit his lips, looking at all that money. 'All that money is mine,' he internally cried but gave an innocent smile outside.

"Guest, now that you have got your pay. Please untie us," he smiled, holding his tied arms up.

"Eh, why should I? You still haven't paid me back in full, so i am going now," the guest said and sauntered out of the room.

"Guest, please. Please help us," the innkeeper's son screamed, pulling at his ties. But that guest did not even bother looking back at them.

Just like that, the two scheming innkeepers were left tied up in the foyer.

On the first floor of the inn, the thugs were still searching for the room.

"Boss, I think I found it," one of the thugs shouted from inside a room. The man with the scar rushed into the said room and started searching alongside.

"Search the walls for trapdoor," he ordered standing near the bed. He slightly touched the crumbled sheets.

"It is still warm, that means that he is very close," he shouted, urging his men to search faster.

"Boss I think it's here," one of the thugs shouted, tapping the walls.

"Break that apart. I want that Yin constitute," he shouted.

The wall was pretty easy to break, it revealed a small formation near the door frame that took them through a small dark passage way.

"Boss, there is a formation here. It might take us somewhere else," one of the thugs said in hesitation.

"We are thugs, what's there to fear," he patted that mans shoulders and walked inside with his chest held high.

The other thugs followed their boss and entered the small passageway. As they walked further and further the pathway got darker.

"Boss, I think.... I think we should get a torch," the man next to the scarred man said.

"Yeah, I think so too. Quick remove your shirt," he ordered, pulling his sword out. He then proceeded to roll the shirt on the tip of the sword.

"Anyone got a match," he said, glancing around.

"Boss, I have. I have," one of them enthusiastically offered him one.

They lit the shirt on fire and illuminated their pathway.

*****

Long Aotian was spent and so was Xia che, so both of them took a quick nap on the soiled bed. He hugged the little crayfish close and held him to his chest.

"Ah, this is what love feels like," he whispered, kissing his small forehead. The silly beast mumbled and nuzzled closer into his chest.

With a broad smile on his face, Long tapped his small nose and said, "Mine, you are totally mine,"

This aroused the slumbering little beast. "Why do you keep poking? Even when we were awake you were poking with that thing, ah?" he mumbled with a frown on his face.

A loud laugh rang from the golden dragon, and he poked the silly crayfish's nose again. "yeaa, stop poking," Xia che screamed getting up.

Long Aotian had a small smile on his face as he observed him. This made the silly crayfish blush. "Stop smirking. And I need to tell you something so get up," he said pulling the bulky guy's forearm.

The dragon just abided by that and got up. He pulled the crayfish to his chest and whispered, "What do you want to talk about?" he gulped a little, waiting for the silly beast's answer.

'Is he going to confess his undying love?'

The thought made him blush as well. "Ahem," the silly crayfish cleared his throat and started.

"What we just had is something I should have taught you before. We need to talk about birds and bees," Xia che said with a serious look in his eyes.

Long was a little disappointed that Xia didn't confess his undying love, 'But I really want to hear him explain this topic,' he thought with a smirk.

"Little son, this type of act should only be done with your lover. But since you were in so much pain yesterday, I complied and taught you how it's done," he said with apple-red cheeks.

This statement angered the dragon a little, 'Aren't you my lover?' but he kept quiet and listened to what he was saying.

"I am not even sure if a father should do that to their son," he whispered with a downcast look. The silly crayfish started tearing up.

This hurt his heart even more, so he hugged him close. 'Though I would love to see his tears, they should be of pleasure not sadness,' he thought and hugged him even close.

"Xia, look at me," he whispered and touched his delicate jaw. The silly crayfish looked up at him with tears flowing down his face. He gently wiped them away and said, "We are not related by blood and beside this and that happened between us." he held his face in-between his palms.

"You do know that this was an act between lovers. Then you have to take responsibility, don't you?" Long whispered with a very sad look in his eyes. 'I hope he falls for the act,' he thought as he subtly looked up at the silly beast.

Xia had a very confused look in his eyes, but he stopped crying. "If you don't take responsibility what is the use in me living in this world," Long said, squeezing out a few droplets of tears.

Xia che got an angry look at this. He slapped his forearm and yelled, "How can you talk about death so easily?"

With a red face he whispered, "I'll take responsibility."