Opening the seal a little

"Don't worry kid. You give us the information we need and we will do the rest" how it will happen, no one knew but they will make it work somehow.

The kid looked grateful, his eyes filled with a small laugh once again. He looked hopefully at them so they had to do their best to maintain that hope that had been placed in them.

When the party of four accepted the Smiths place the mood was somewhat gloomy. They had not foreseen this development coming but now that it was upon them, they had to deal with this.

"What unpleasant circumstances. They ignored the royal summons presented by you as well, right?" that still stung to Xiao Lan.

The notice he had sent to those nobles even had the royal seal inscribed on it. How dare they ignore it in favour of their gain.

"That just means we cannot count on them. I do have a few ideas to get past this mess but they might not be agreeable to you all" Fu Hua looked right at Xiao Lan as he said that. There was no room to misunderstand his meaning here.

"Anyway. Should we go and pay the noble a visit? Though it would not be a very noble thing to do" Detective Song asked that question, fully prepared to be rejected any second but the immediate rejection he feared did not happen.

No rejection of any kind happened.

In contrast, Xiao Lan seemed to be thinking upon this idea and he had a small grin on his face.

Was he actually considering that idea? There was no way right?

"Fu Hua, think you can get us inside without detection. You were a master of this kind of thing back then right?" the teen turned toward the other who tried to divert his eyes.

Of course, it was useless and they all knew that fact. Fu Hua's fondness of ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time was well known. That was what made him such a good spy.

"Can we not put me up to this? I don't have enough magic to perform my usual tricks" a lie and Xiao Lan knew that. He could see that this was a ploy to get out of the situation.

Not on his watch.

"Come with me" the smaller hand took Fu Hua's own and tugged him behind the outer wall. His expression looked anything but happy as he looked at Fu Hua.

"Would they be alright? I cannot help but notice the slave collar and the kid seemed genuinely angry" said the other kid in the room said, clearly misunderstanding the situation.

"What could go wrong with them both. You should not worry that much about them." detective Song had intended to reassure the kid but the other seemed even more freaked out for some reason at those words.

"I noticed the collar. That was a slave contract, right? That person with you was a slave, likely owned by that kid and now he is in trouble" the kid rubbed his wrists, his eyes having a faraway look.

Those white wrists did not have any noticeable markings but they still told Detective Song all he needed to know.

"The kid is not like the rest of the owners out there. Their relationship can only be labelled as complicated but I'll let you in on a secret. The kid is in love with his slave" Detective Song gave a mysterious smile to the child as he continues, "I wonder who the real save among them is.

The kid looked a little spooked but his eyes still held the darkness.

"Love or not, being a slave is a contract you cannot run away from. Even after you gain freedom, the feeling of that filth would not go away" Detective Song had no words for the kid, especially since this was what every slave ended up saying.

None of them could forget their place, their memory and so they suffered silently.

…..

"How long will you hold onto my wrist like that? People are going to talk, you know" Fu Hua teased, his body relaxed as it got dragged behind Xiao Lan's.

His wrist had a noticeable red patch though, a result of the rough handling Xiao Lan did.

Fu Hua might not have minded this rough treatment but his body certainly did.

"Be quiet and just follow behind me. I know how to give you the control of your magic back temporarily" Fu Hua's words paused in his mouth, refusing to come out after that as his eyes widened.

He knew what the other was suggesting but he was not if the other wanted to do this or if this was something being forced onto him due to the circumstances.

"You don't have to allow me to have my powers back temporarily. There are better ways out there to infiltrate the noble's family. I'm sure if you just walked up and knocked their gates, they would have no way to turn you away and -"

Fu Hua was yanked down.

They had reached a secluded part of the shop, which no one paid any significant attention to before he was yanked down further.

"That is my problem. I am the master here after all" that was not the problem here. Xiao Lan could not begin to understand what their current position spelt for Fu Hua's character.

But it all left his mind once soft lips covered Fu Hua's own.

Xiao Lan moved his lips above the older one's, his tongue coming out to demand the entrance and he was making it clear that he would not be denied.

Fu Hua knew the other's character as well as he knew his own. There was no negotiation to be done once the situation reached this part. It was better to go with the flow.

And what a fantastic kisser Xiao Lan was.

It may not seem like this for anyone else, but Fu Hua had done a lot with him. The other knew him inside and out. Xiao Lan was well aware of how to get past Fu Hua's defences.

That tongue was soon in Fu Hua's mouth and energy passed between them. The seal that was laid down on Fu Hua's power lost its hold temporary and magic flooded his senses.

He felt like his old self again and his eyes shined with magic.

When Xiao Lan let go, Fu Hua had no energy to stand but the rest of his energy swirled inside his body, demanding an out.

"T-There was no need to kiss me" Fu Hua panted, his voice still shocked at the suddenness of that attack. His lips looked swollen and red as he looked at the teen.

Xiao Lan did not even look guilty for taking advantage of Fu Hua with his young and innocent looks. What a crafty devil.

"Well, now you can use your magic. This was a one-time thing anyway" despite his words, Xiao Lan looked flushed as well. It was pretty clear that this had been an impulsive decision on his part.

"You are going to get me in trouble with the masses" of course, they all would take Xiao Lan's side should it evolve in a fight and they both knew it.

"Let's go back before your seal comes back. U-Unless you want to have another go at it" there was the barest of stutter in Xiao Lan's voice and Fu Hua decided that it was not necessary.

He could not believe he had kissed Xiao Lan once again. And a kid at that to boot.

The kiss had been familiar but the situation made it far worse but also better in every way. There had been a bitter-sweetness in that contact and it left Fu Hua wanting more.

In the end, there had been no time or place for them to discover this new connection and they had returned to the left behind the duo.

"You are back. D-Did you finish your business?" the kid asked and Detective Song shook his head not to ask behind the nervousness. Fu Hua understood it instantly, recognising a fellow freed slave.

"Everything is going to be alright now" If only Fu Hua could believe this himself, he would gladly be able to rest this nervous feeling inside him. But for some reason, he felt afraid of this endeavour.

His energy also made him nervous since he was not used to this.

He just hoped that this trip would not turn out as his feeling was telling him it would.