Chapter 49: What's So Good About Grass?/Arc 6.8

The sun peeked out of the horizon as the stars dimmed. The moon and sun changed shifts, the sun's rays knocking on the doors of the animals' abodes. Slowly, creatures crawled out, cued by the hymns of the birds.

Wind moved between habitats, merrily delivering the morning breeze as dew dropped from the leaves, drumming a beat onto the ground below. Meanwhile the sky lightened in a burst of warm colors, revealing the white clouds which were hidden by the dark of night.

On the outskirts of L City, a mansion stood proud on a green hill, surrounded by a dark green forest. In a bedroom situated in the west wing, two figures could be viewed asleep on the King-sized bed.

The painted lanterns had a weird glow, making them barely visible in the dark room. It wasn't possible to tell from day and night but the silver eyes fluttered open habitually.

It took a moment for Wang Tao to register where he was and to recall yesterday's chaotic events. Once the confusion receded, warmth burst out and flooded to all corners of his body. A giddy smile on his face as he stared up at the man's sleeping visage.

Zhou Jian looked quite peaceful, even in his original form, and his brows had smoothed out. Gingerly, the Celestial touched the thin lips and a shock ran through his body. He jerked his hand back but it was caught by someone. Zhou Jian opened his eyes as he held the pale hand to his chest. Meeting the embarrassed boy, he smiled.

"Morning."

"M-morning."

Wang Tao had barely snapped out of his stupor to answer, Zhou Jian's voice was much deeper than normal, sending shivers down his spine.

It sounded so nice and sexy and it made the younger boy crave for something which he didn't quite know yet. He could feel a heat fester under his skin as well as the tingling sensation of the man's soft lips on his finger.

Ignoring his thoughts, he sat up and reminded the Zion that they still had school. Nodding, the older man got up, swiftly transforming back into a teenage boy and the two hurriedly prepared and left.

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The bell rang, indicating the end of school. Hastily, students packed their bags as the teacher reminded them of their homework. Zhou Jian neatly packed his bag before doing Wang Tao's. Once finished he glanced at the napping Celestial and smiled. Gently, he tucked the stray silver strands behind the small ear and whispered.

"A Tao, wake up."

Once shaken lightly, the phoenix eyes fluttered open. Rubbing his eyes, Wang Tao sat up and stared blankly at the older boy. Zhou Jian handed Wang Tao his bag after helping him up and led him out of the classroom.

They filtered into the hallway with the other students, making their way outside towards the school gate. Looking down at their clasped hands, the silver haired boy smiled. When they reached the gate, a tall figure could be seen waiting for him.

"Little Tao!"

Yang Ning waved at Wang Tao and greeted. He ignored the Zion, feeling no need to acknowledge the man at the moment. Noticing, Wang Tao frowned slightly.

"I hope you're not getting blind. I doubt that would be good news for your people."

"I'm not, I'm not…hello."

Reluctantly, the Sun Emperor said a few words to Zhou Jian. Switching the topic, Yang Ning proposed to take his friend for some street foot, earning a nod from Wang Tao. Smiling, the senior moved to take the silver eyed boy's hand but was blocked.

"Hands off."

Zhou Jian shot a glare at their senior as he pulled Wang Tao to his side. The Celestial seemed a bit confused but understood a moment after. A smile bloomed on Wang Tao's face as he held the warm hand tightly.

Yang Ning awkwardly apologized before they went on their way.

As they walked out of the school compound, the golden haired boy eyed the pair skeptically.

[ Why did it seem like they were closer? And Wang Tao's aura seemed brighter. Did I miss something? ]

Stopping at a stall, the Zion bought a few kebabs for his little cat. Handing them to the boy, Wang Tao, who was salivating due to the smell, smiled and thanked him before munching on one.

"You want one?"

The Celestial looked up at the older boy as he happily offered some. Zhou Jian's eyes softened as he shook his head.

"Just a taste."

"Oh, okay."

Wang Tao shifted his hands to offer one of the uneaten kebabs for a taste. However, the Zion ignored them and bent down to take a bite from the one Wang Tao was eating. Pausing, the silver haired boy blushed slightly as he watched the satisfied Zhou Jian lick his lips slowly.

Shifting his gaze, he turned to start walking, a bit ahead the other two. His mind was a mess of thoughts as he shook his head, hoping for the redness of his cheeks to disappear.

Yang Ning furrowed his brows as he glanced from the younger to the older boy constantly. He was confused on how the two suddenly turned so affectionate. The Sun Emperor now desperately wanted to know what happened last night.

Seeing that the silver haired boy was far enough, Yang Ning stealthily cast a sound barrier as he moved over to the Zion. Clearing his throat, he started.

"You two seem closer."

"Mm-hmm."

A short silence passed before the senior realized that the other boy wouldn't speak further. Thinking of something, Yang Ning put forward another question.

"Do you love him?"

"Yeah, very much."

"Oh…what about him?"

"Are you going to use my answer to fake your love for A Tao next time?"

Yang Ning flinched slightly.

Sighing, the Celestial realized he had been discovered. He was quite curious as to how though. As if he could hear his thoughts, the Zion divulged the process.

"It was simple. The moment I had time to think, I realized…I mean, why would a Celestial Emperor propose such an idiotic idea such as that? It didn't make sense. When you two first acted out your plan, I believed you because A Tao kissed you. Not just that, he let you hold his hand and even touch his waist. But now that I rethink it, you probably convinced him to so that the act would be more real."

"Ah, you got me. Though the waist thing wasn't planned. I just felt it was a good chance to. But you're right. It was a stupid idea but it was also a stupid idea which worked. And it worked because Wang Tao was too gullible and innocent which made it easy to manipulate him. All I had to do was make sure he trusted or was close to me so that he would consider me once I proposed that method."

Zhou Jian silently looked at the proud man and the irritation within festered. He had the urge to knock him dead but reigned in his killing intent at the last moment. This was his little cat's only friend, the Zion was reluctant to destroy that.

Besides, he obviously couldn't kill a Celestial Emperor and ticking him off wouldn't be good for Wang Tao. The Zion had no choice but to be fine with simply keeping the boy away from this senior or at a safe enough distance. Exhaling softly, he responded.

"He is innocent isn't he. It's a side I find very adorable but worrisome. I had hoped to keep him safe from wolves like you."

"Ha ha, that's a bit funny…Do you know what he was like before this? Before you helped him feel."

The Zion shook his head lightly. However, that was a half truth. After all, he had met the Celestial when the other was still emotionless and it had taken at least a year for the man to change even a little.

Reminiscing in old memories, Zhou Jian thought to himself how long ago that was. It really felt like an eternity had passed.

"He was quite cold. Cold, emotionless and a frightening Emperor. He still is but…it was just weird to see his face so expressive after being used to his wooden expression. Mmm, I'll give you an example. This one was at his coronation…"

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In the Empire of eternal darkness, the palace was quite lively as workers rushed to and fro. Decorations were hung, the floors cleaned and seats fixed. In this busy hour, on the far side of the palace, a young man stood in his room.

The silver eyes stared back at himself as the mirror gave him a view of his outfit. Not a single fluctuation could be seen in the frosty gaze as he neatened his clothes. The male was dressed in black pants and boots. His shirt was a formal one, dark gray in color, and long sleeved with a multitude of badges adorning it.

The fair skin was covered, his hands in gloves. Skillfully, he brushed his hair till it smoothly cascaded down his shoulders, the silky strands like a waterfall. Done, he placed down the rush and exited the room.

Celestials gathered and scattered in the ceremony hall, curious glances shot at the gargantuan double doors.

"Crown prince Wang is getting crowned today huh?"

"Mm-hmm, I wonder what he looks like?"

"I hope he's handsome."

"Of course he is, have you ever seen any ugly Celestials?"

"I know, I just meant that he should be incredibly hot. Like smoking hot or something."

.

"Hey, have you all heard the rumors?"

"The ones about how he has a never changing face?"

"Yeah that's it!"

"It must be fake. They're just trying to sell a cold immortal reputation."

"Is that really necessary though. Isn't he kind of immortal already?"

Just as the crowds were getting restless, a trumpet sounded to signal the star of the coronation and not a peep was made. The two doors opened automatically as a tall figure strolled in. His posture was straight and his pace consistent. Power exuded from his body as each step was placed with confidence. Not a single change of expression was shown on his flawless face as he ascended the stairs.

Some couldn't help but murmur, admiring his looks and even beginning to rethink that rumor. However, they quickly calmed themselves to listen to the ceremony.

The crown prince stopped before the leader of the ceremony and it immediately began. A few words were passed before he was asked to kneel.

Elegantly, he kneeled, his back upright, as he made his vows. In moments, these Celestials had a new Celestial Emperor. After placing the crown on the silver hair, the man introduced their new sovereign officially.

"I give you, His Majesty, Wang Tao, The Celestial Emperor of Death!"

Thunderous applause sounded in the room once the words were uttered. It took a while before it softened as the people filtered out to go celebrate. Now an Emperor, Wang Tao had to perform his first duty.

With two procession of servants behind him, Wang Tao made his way to the courtroom. Entering, for the first time he sat on his throne before looking at his officials. The cold gaze observed each and every one of them carefully as the Celestials nervously fidgeted.

Withdrawing his gaze, his pale hand stretched out and his head eunuch quickly handed him a document. Flipping through it slowly, the dreadful silence continued to suffocate the men below as the Emperor took his time. Finally he looked up and everyone awaited his words with baited breath.

"Official Wei."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty?"

Hesitantly, a blue haired man stepped forward and kneeled. The Emperor didn't answer him as he said another name.

"General Lou."

Replying similarly, a black haired male stepped forward and kneeled beside the official. The two waited for the man's next words. As they inwardly began to question their sovereign's intention, excruciating pain burst inside their bodies.

Everyone watched in horror as the two bled from their seven orifices before combusting on the spot. Fear stricken faces looked up to see their Emperor indifferently unclench his fists before flicking his wrist, erasing all blood fr the ground below.

A cold sweat broke out among them as they listened to Emperor Wang's words. His voice echoed throughout the room, cold and harsh as he warned them with two simple words.

"Absolutely. Intolerable."

No more words needed to be spoken. Every single man and woman there could tell what he meant. Their new Emperor would not tolerate betrayal or wrong ways in the least. It was obvious that those two had done some great misdeeds and were paying the price. Though corruption was little among Celestials, it was still there. These people weren't quite sure when was the last time something like this occurred however they knew one thing.

[ Emperor Wang is not to be messed with. He was to be respected and feared.]

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"You see what I mean now, completely different."

The Zion agreed but it didn't change a thing. Well, except how it made his chest swell in pride, his gaze affectionately lingering on the boy in front. Wang Tao was looking around at all the food stalls they passed and then down at his hands which were filled with kebabs before sighing repeating this process in a quite cute manner.

[ Adorable and frightening...I want to kiss him. ]

Yang Ning glanced at the man and almost rolled his eyes at the lovesick look. Sighing, a question which he'd had for a while resurfaced in Yang Ning's mind.

"Hey, by the way. How did you know you fell for Wang Tao?"

Zhou Jian froze as he thought it over. A bit uncomfortable, he explained that it was a bit complicated.

"How?"

"...Well, let's just say I knew it was happening but didn't know what was happening and only actually knew what was happening when it happened."

The Sun Emperor had a blank look as he registered that explanation in his brain. For a few moments he went through a series of I-got-it-no-I-don't-wait-yes-I-do-actually-I-don't but he didn't bother asking for clarification.

Zhou Jian noticed that the upperclassman wasn't questioning further so he kept his mouth shut. An awkward silence arose and the Zion shifted his sight away from the gold eyes. As moments passed, his mind couldn't help but rebound to the recent queery.

[ How did I fall for A Tao? The process was so long and subconscious yet I remember so clearly now. Let's just say…I knew I had been mistaken from the start.

In the first world, Chen Xiang had made me feel things I'd never felt my whole life. That's what I thought. But how could I forget who actually did it?

How could I forget all the times I laughed, played and even smiled. My first smiles were for him and I'd never realized. His face when we first met, so cold yet beautiful, and his face when he got annoyed at having to speak more. When he made actions resembling a robot or ones resembling a child when taken to a buffet. All are such prominent memories to me when I look back.

The first time I met Chen Xiang, he was…different. I was intrigued because of the sudden change he had. He was no longer rebellious or annoying or ignorant. He was kinder, milder and…just so different. It was then that I made the mistake.

After so many years with A Tao, I still kept him at a distance. I only saw him as a friend but he was still special. I had so many barriers and he was let in most. But there was one left, and I never opened it to him in that world. But Chen Xiang, he was the one who made his way in. He was in and it was almost impossible to push him out. My heart held tightly, its grip never slipping, as I learnt more and more about him.

Soon, I was in love and it seemed wonderful. I was on cloud nine, enjoying the emotion of love. Enjoying his caring gestures and kisses. And no, it wasn't a case of, 'I thought loved him but it was actually you I loved the whole time.' I truly loved Cheng Xiang, and I only saw A Tao as a friend.

But then everything changed when he came to me. A Tao told me it was my illusion, Chen Xiang never loved me. And I…I believed him. I believed him…I could feel that it was true, from A Tao's words, from Chen Xiang's expressions. From that moment on it was like the wall trapping Chen Xiang in my heart was replaced with a glass window. I could now see everything but I couldn't touch it.

There was something holding me back. It was like I was separated, one side in love and the other just confused. From then, as we traveled from world to world, the window slowly faded. He forgot my birthday, he lied about his gifts, the disgust slowly turned into pure lust, and I could see that he barely considered me as a person.

Meanwhile, that second me who was in love shrank and shrank and shrank and the other me took more control…But that wasn't all. As everything occurred, there was this...space.

It was dark and still and wide. And there I was, in the middle of it with a huge stone. The more I understood who Chen Xiang was, the lighter the stone became. Slowly, it turned to sand and then slowly, the sand slipped through my fingers. One grain every second, slipped down into the black emptiness below me and vanished.

The sand -originally a rock- was my love for him slowly fading. At the same time, something else was forming there.

A figure formed.

Every grain of sand which fell caused a dot of color to appear. As the dots were painted, one by one, someone was soon formed. It was incredibly familiar but I just couldn't make out who it was. However, I recognized a few things.

The colours built up from the bottom, creating a figure so flawless. When I finally reached the face, the first part completed were the eyes.

Two daunting, enchanting silver eyes pierced my inner soul.

And next were the long silky silver strands of hair which I had wanted to touch since the first day I laid my eyes on them. Then, those small cute earlobes, then his nose, then his delectable cheeks before his smooth forehead. Almost everything was completed except the lower part of his face.

After years and years and years, the excruciating wait was over and the last piece was there.

It was a smile.

A bright smile as warm as a spring morning and it melted my heart into a puddle every time I laid my eyes on it. That was when it all hit me.

It was A Tao.

I had fallen in love with him gradually. Shock, bewilderment and many more emotions wrecked my soul in that instance.

Before I could even fully understand what this meant, the worst happened.

A knife was thrown.

Without me noticing, hate, regret and pain had been forming and molding themselves together into a knife. A long, sharp one directed at myself from behind. The moment I finally acknowledged my love for A Tao, it struck, piercing through both my heart and soul, right through my body and into the figure. It had stopped just at the smile, the blade causing cracks in it.

Everything else was fine except that beautiful smile.

It was then that I found that I couldn't move. No matter how much I desired, I couldn't run up to try and fix his precious figure.

A Tao's smile was broken.

Meanwhile, in real life, at this same time I had become increasingly distant from Chen Xiang and I began to piece together signs of Xiao Shuang's abuse. As I did so, the cracks grew and spread at a moderate pace. Until almost everything was cracked up. Somehow, the millions of pieces stayed together despite none being joined.

However, my love couldn't act as the glue for much longer, for my heart was too weary and my soul and mind wounded.

That horrid day when I saw the recording of Xiao Shuang being abused and my wife cheating, everything shattered. The knife moved in further, breaking the figure completely. I had believed everything to be over

In the real world, I guided and raised my son for decades but still I had no choice but to stay frozen in place in that dark space, watching each and every fragment fall like snowflakes being sprinkled at night.

It was painful, watching was tearing me apart and my mind raced desperately, hoping that I may soon move

Time passed and weirdly enough, as I spent time with A Tao in this world, the fall stopped, leaving just those phoenix eyes which stared at me.

In the next second, I almost jumped for joy as I could move once again. Without hesitation, I hurriedly ran to the shattered figure and tried to gather the fragments in a disarray.

It was then that something else happened.

Before I could gather all the fragments, A Tao told me he had moved on, that he was with Yang Ning. The news was shocking, disbelieving. But his actions made me think it was true. Although greatly unwilling, I didn't protest and I even congratulated him but the remaining parts started falling once more.

They had almost disappeared completely when I heard the saving words.

It was all a lie, a ploy, a facade. A Tao, he still loved me. He still wanted to be with me.

Much to my initial relief, the fragments froze in midair but in turn the knife grew larger.

My heart was tormented with even graver emotions realizing that I was actually lucky enough, undeservingly so, to be loved by someone as precious, as magnificent, as wonderful as him. I felt so unworthy.

I had almost suffocated from the mass of feelings when he snapped at me. His words shocking me to the core. It was only afterwards, when he took me away to cry could I relieve myself of the burden, although temporarily. I cried silently for hours on end, for the dam inside me had burst open, beyond repair. And with as my streams if tears fell, the fragments returned to its original place.

Slowly, the figure formed again and the color returned as I vowed in my heart to forever love him. To cherish him. To help him. To protect him.

And as I made this heartfelt oath, the knife leaked blood.

The blood dripped along with my tears and the knife shrunk. It didn't disappear, it never will, but it was lighter and smaller and less deadly. The inner me who had been gradually choking for lifetimes could finally breathe. ]

Yang Ning silently watched the torrent of emotions in the purple eyes and couldn't help but sigh.

[ Love is so painful yet lovely. ]

Not knowing what else to say, he didn't bother continuing their conversation and removed the barrier.

Sensing that the force had disappeared, Wang Tao like looked over. A slight frown appeared on his face observing the Zion before he ran over and hugged the older boy. He somehow picked up on the other's down mood so he did this hoping it would help. Smiling, Zhou Jian relaxed and rubbed the silver hair slightly.

A while passed again before the two parted with their senior. Reaching the park, they entered the car awaiting them.

Once the older boy was seated, Wang Tao slowly climbed onto his lap. Resting his head on Zhou Jian's chest, Wang Tao peeked up and gazed at the man for a few minutes. Finally, he couldn't help it anymore and whispered,

"A Jian, forgive me but…I want to do something."

"Oh, what is it?"

"I-I'm not sure."

Zhou Jian smiled lightly as his arms circled the slim waist. Resting his hand there, he pulled the Celestial closer.

"You can do whatever you want, no need to ask."

"Really?"

"Mm."

Getting the affirmative, the silver haired boy was elated. After a moment he started, blushing a dark red as he lifted his head slightly. Zhou Jian flinched slightly as the soft lips pecked his neck lightly.

Wang Tao was still unsure at first but he soon relaxed when the other boy didn't stop him. Following his instincts, he nudged against the older boy contently. The purple eyes narrowed as his hand twitched and the Zion felt as if a feather tickled his heart with each touch. Soon, Wang Tao moved upwards, placing a kiss on Zhou Jian's chin nervously before deciding that he pushed his courage enough and hid in the man's arms.

Zhou Jian was a bit speechless at the abrupt end but didn't complain. A sweet smile on his face, he raised Wang Tao's head up and gently kissed the left cheek and his heart melted watching the boy's face redden in moments.

Wang Tao's heart was beating like crazy as another fleeting touch was placed gently. When the older one pulled back, the Celestial grew disappointed but it quickly vanished in favor of his joy on how far they progressed.

Wang Tao smiled and leaned against him the Zion, a comfortable air surrounded the two as they drifted off into a short nap.