30 The White Snake has an Existential Crisis

They made a pretty couple, LiangLin had to admit it as he watched Zhang YaYun take off his coat and place it over Lan QingYu's shoulders. Somehow, as LiangLin stood in the dark, under the cover of a drooping willow, staring at the two, he felt... lonely? Or maybe it was the cold creeping through the thin fabric of his clothes, caressing his skin in its frigid embrace.

LiangLin pushed the feeling aside. His job was done here. Get the two together and let them sort their issues out by themselves. He was now free to roam around in the darkness, alone. He shot a last yearning glance towards the couple and watched as they walked out of sight together. He was going out of his mind. What was this feeling gnawing at his guts?

LiangLin stepped out from under the branches and flexed his body, taking in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the crisp night air. He forced a smile as he turned his gaze upward.

The night was beautiful. A few stars winked at him from beneath the thin clouds. The moon was almost reaching its full circle, but he couldn't make himself enjoy any of it. Something was missing.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he started walking without a real destination in mind. It was his snake he was missing, he couldn't possibly feel whole without it. Yes, that must have been it. He enjoyed his life just fine otherwise. He had a chaotic but loving family. His life in Lushan had been fun. Even though it was annoying at times, performing on stage had its perks from time to time.

But things would be different from now on, wouldn't it? Would QingYu return to Lushan with him or stay here? And his sisters… They would have to settle down eventually, too.

Gah, his mind was playing tricks on him! There was nothing wrong with others having lives of their own. He would just have to come up with things to occupy his time. He was sure madam She would work him like a mule as soon as he returned home to Hei'ang. Time flew by when he bustled alongside his father and among the groping customers. Could he sustain it for the rest of eternity, though?

His feet touched soft grass, droplets of dew clung to the hems of his white robes. The cold, moist air slicked his skin and dampened his hair, but he paid it no attention. He wasn't sure what he wanted in life anymore.

He had freedom in Lushan, or at least, more than before. He was free to do anything he wanted. He was a good-looking specimen, too. Both men and women gawked at him whenever he passed them by, but that would become boring too, eventually.

So what did he truly want in life? LiangLin kicked the grass at his feet, sending a few buds of flower flying. He just wanted to be carefree, enjoy his life. He just wanted -

LiangLin halted right before he walked into a tall stone wall. Where was he exactly? He had paid no attention to where his feet had led him, and under the towering trees, he started along the side of the wall, trailing it until he saw black gate doors looming ahead. No guards stood before the doors as he took cautious steps forward.

Under the cover of darkness, the sign above the gate was hard to read at first. But LiangLin's eyes soon adapted to the dark, and the words slowly formed a coherent name for him. Crescent Moon Hall.

LiangLin could feel his cheeks flare up like two burning torches. Why the hell was he here of all places?! This was where that one-eyed piece of shit was held a prisoner!

But instead of turning away, LiangLin stood before the doors, wringing his fists like a madman. He could see faint light breaching through the gaps of the gate and wanted to reach out and fling the doors open. He just wanted to... to what exactly?

LiangLin took a step back, clearing his mind, putting a distance between him and the doors. He had to think of this objectively. If he went through the doors, he would put all the attention on himself. That wouldn't do, so he turned to the wall and decided to climb it instead. And for why he wanted to climb it? He would think about it once he was on the other side. Setting his priorities straight was not one of LiangLin's strong points.

He walked around the area and looked for trees with strong enough branches closest to the wall to aid him in his climb. After studying one of the older trees in the area, he nodded at the sturdy-looking branches and reached up. But before he could start his climb, a delicate hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him with one easy motion back on his feet.

"What are you doing, 51?" LiAi said as she pulled LiangLin away from the tree with ease. Despite looking as frail as a vase, she could easily manoeuvre a man his size around like a puppet.

"I, um, just wanted to take a look inside." LiangLin lied with a poor attempt, then quickly changed the subject. "Why are you here? I thought you were keeping the husky occupied."

LiAi had an involuntary shudder run through her body, shaking her like a leaf in the wind.

"Eh, have you ever witnessed a dog and a snake trying to flirt with each other?"

"No?" LiangLin said, confused for a moment about how it could even be possible.

"Lucky you," LiAi gagged a little as she pulled out her fan and started fanning herself in the cold. "You'd think it would be funny, but it's just awkward. Especially when the dog is apparently borderline mute, and the snake is just sleepy and cranky most of the time."

"..."

"I had to bail before my ears would start to bleed." LiAi continued. "But fear not. The doggy is very occupied at the moment, so she didn't notice anyone leaving the premises. We are free to go crazy out here."

LiangLin nodded as his eyes wandered back to the wall that stood between him and - the bastard he was going to strangle with his bare hands. Yes, that was it! He was going to torture that asshole!

"Why are you so fidgety? You really want to get inside that bad?" LiAi said, her eyes now twinkling with curiosity. She let out a shrill laugh and rolled her sleeves up and over her elbows. "Well, baby brother, should have just said so. It's been a while since I've charmed anyone."

"Huh?" LiangLin was starting to sound daft even to his own ears. What was wrong with him tonight?

"Hm, I wonder how many there are inside. It could be difficult to charm many at once. Sister LiYue and LiBai are better at it than me."

LiangLin watched as LiAi started pulling at the hems of her dress up, taking a wide stance that promised of war. LiangLin had never seen as an unladylike approach to charming a bunch of men as LiAi's. But LiAi never failed, so he only admired her fearless approach.

Her eyes took on a red hue as her pupils narrowed into thin slits. It was unsettling how pretty and scary she managed to look at the same time. The drunken scent of sickly sweet roses filled the air, and LiangLin felt a smile forming on his lips as the gate doors were suddenly pulled open before them. Guards stood there with their physical bodies present, but a vacancy filled their eyes. Nobody was home.

"Well, are you waiting for an invitation? Get inside!" LiAi huffed as she pushed past the frozen guards and stepped into the yard. Ahead, another row of guards had stopped to watch in surprise how two of their comrades had suddenly pulled the doors open. But before they could react, the sickly fragrant invaded their senses, rendering them almost in an unconscious-like state.

"Damn, it takes a lot of energy to charm these dudes," LiAi gasped as she settled next to one of the guards. Heaving lightly. "This guy looks like he has enough life-force to spare. Do your thing, 51, I'll just have a little snack while I'm out here."

LiangLin rushed up the few steps to the house and reached for the door, but before he moved for the latch, it dawned on him that he wasn't going to see XueYa. No! To torture him. Who wanted to see that bastard, anyway?

Four different locks were keeping the doors fastened, and no matter how hard LiangLin tried to pull at the door, it didn't budge. The windows were too narrow for him to squeeze through and hurrying around the premises, there was no other way inside but through the door.

LiangLin cursed his luck. He couldn't fit through any of the crevices, not even if he still had his snake. Snake gods were too big for such a task. Lan QingYu had been a small river snake, so he fit through small gaps with ease.

But he really wanted to see - no - strangle XueYa! LiangLin let out a frustrated howl as he kicked the door, hurting his toes in the process.

LiAi was now next to him, alerted by his mewls of pain.

"Locks, huh?" LiAi was studying them with intent before she straightened her back, smiling mischievously at LiangLin. "Shouldn't be hard for us to get the keys."

LiangLin's pain subsided at once as he perked up at his sister's words. "Really?"

"Hm, if you want to see that sorcerer, us sisters can get you in, no problem. But," LiAi said, then raised her finger at LiangLin, waving it before his face dangerously.

LiangLin swallowed as his gaze followed the long, sharp finger.

"But," LiAi repeated as she flicked at LiangLin's nose playfully. "No falling for the guy."

"I-!" LiangLin flushed the colour of a ripe tomato as he struggled to find the right words to use. "Who said I would fall for him?!"

LiAi shrugged as she made her way towards the gates. "How would I know? He is handsome, and the eyepatch kinda adds to it, I guess? Ma said there is a thin line that separates love and hate. And sometimes, we misunderstand passion for either."

"..." LiangLin opened then closed his mouth, unsure of what to say.

"Either way, the keys will have to wait for another day. It's too late for any of it." LiAi said, and the two walked back to White Lotus Hall in silence.

As they reached the house nestled among the lotus ponds, a screech pierced the air, alerting the two, and they hurried over to the main hall. It was LiYue's voice.

"I said, why can't you be like your dog form, not turn into your dog form!"

LiangLin and LiAi exchanged surprised looks as they peered into the hall and watched as the husky wagged its tail, whining softly.

"I'm going to sleep. You are driving me crazy!" LiYue stomped away from the hall the moment the two of them stepped in, chuckling at the whimpering husky.

"It's ok, ChangChang," LiAi cooed as she petted the dog over its head. "She is just grumpy cause she's sleepy. She doesn't hate you. Not much."

"She is sleepy all the time, though," LiangLin added, grinning evilly at ChangChang's wide puppy eyes. "Good luck with that, husky."