10. Night Guest
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By the time BaiLong found Luoyin's decrepit courtyard and made his way to the dusty, rickety bed, he had a full-blown fever.
He felt hot and sore, and he weakly tossed and turned all night.
"Water..." He croaked at some point, and was relieved to find a bowl of cold water at his lips.
He drank the water and fell back into the feverish sleep, only to tense up when he felt something wet touch his forehead.
His eyes flew open at once!
The room was dark.
The servants had long abandoned this wing of the household, and Zhang Luoyin didn't even receive lamps or candles.
Luoyin stole candles from the storage, but Bailong hadn't been bothered to find them, and had fallen asleep in the dark.
But despite the darkness, there was that familiar scent.
"Xu Weiyan!" It was the middle of the night, and she was somehow in his room.
Had she already discovered who he was?!
"What are you doing here?!" He demanded while attempting to sit up, but he flopped back to the bed weakly.
In the darkness, Xu Weiyan simply reached over and placed a wrung-out wet cloth on his forehead.
"Stay still." She said. "You have a fever.
"I have my own reasons for sneaking into the Zhang residence. I knew from touching you earlier that you were ill, so I came to check on you before leaving."
"How bold of you! What if I report you to Lord Zhang?!"
"He won't believe you." She replied.
Bailong opened his mouth to reply, but clamped it shut.
She was right, and he didn't like it.
Also, he ought to be ashamed of himself!
He was the previous Medicine Deity, so how could he not have known the state of his own body?!
He puffed out hot air, suddenly feeling petty.
"Tch! Whatever your reasons, this is inappropriate! Our dear 'Erudite Swordsman' is doing such a thing! How can you enter a man's room in the middle of the night?!"
"No one will see me."
"I can see you!"
"No one will believe you."
"You-!!" He huffed in annoyance. "Even if no one sees you, shouldn't you worry about what might happen?!"
"I didn't feel the least bit threatened."
"You-!!!!" That rubbed Bailong the wrong way, like someone had forcefully yanked off one of his dragon scales! "I dare you to repeat that when I'm fully recovered!!!!!"
He forced himself upright out of sheer force of will, but Weiyan swiftly hit a few of his accupoints and he slumped back down.
"Please stay still." She instructed, as calm as ever, as she used the wet cloth to clean his face.
He tried to move, but not even a muscle would shift, and even his tongue felt heavy.
The wet cloth began wiping his neck, and then his chest.
The disrespect nearly made Luoyin spit blood, but all he could do was helplessly glare at her dark figure.
"Improper!" He forced out, squeezing his eyes shut, but Weiyan simply ignored him.
'Xu Weiyan!' He raged internally. 'I'll never forgive you!'
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By the time Bailong opened his eyes again, it was daylight.
He jerked up to a sitting position, but noted he was alone, and he visibly relaxed.
'She's gone.' He concluded, and then realized his fever was gone as well, and he could move freely.
'How did I sleep off before an enemy?!' He wondered, but he soon concluded that Xu Weiyan must have poisoned him...
He simply would not accept any other explanation!
The sun outside was bright, but as Bailong pushed Xu Weiyan from his mind, his thoughts shifted to gloomier affairs.
The air was filled with a sense of heaviness as more of Zhang Luoyin's depressing memories flooded him.
He raised his hand to study the burned formation on his wrist, and noted a circular pattern with the symbols for 'Life', 'Will', 'Favour' and 'Death' in between five small arrows which pointed outward.
Bailong understood the five arrows meant that Zhang Luoyin had five grievances, and though he had no idea what they were, he was willing to bet it was all revenge.
"And I'll happily kill those enemies!" He said aloud.
"Ho? You're not one to get involved in others' matters." A voice spoke right into his ear, and he jerked away as a familiar filled the shabby room.
'*YinYing!' He thought.
(*Shadow)
It was a presence he thought he would never see again! small black wispy ball appeared right before his eyes, and an unspoken joy filled his heart.
The ball opened a set of stunning blue eyes, and then transformed into a stark black baby tiger with gray stripes.
BaiLong didn't move, couldn't move, as a tear ran down his face. He watched as the tiger hovered in midair and then landed on its four paws, shook itself and looked at Bailong.
Words were not exchanged, but a sea of messages passed between the two, as they stared at each other.
It was as if time had rewound as two friends reunited, and there were also tears visible in the tiger's eyes.
"Oy, little boy..." The black tiger spoke first. "Are you going to keep staring at me?"
"Xiaoying!" Bailong finally moved, and he pulled the tiger into a fierce hug. "I thought I had lost you!" He said, cradling his head against the small furry head.
"Unhand me!" The tiger wriggled, trying to get out of the embrace. "How can you call me 'Xiaoying'?!! I'm older than your father!!"
"No! I won't let you go! Besides, your current size fits 'Xiaoying' more than ev- Ah!" The tiger's teeth clamped down on his fingers, forcing him to loosen his grip.
"Whose fault is it that I'm in this form?!" The tiger complained after leaping a short distance away. "Let me tell you! I bear grudges! I've been asleep for thirty-thousand years, so I'm bitter!"
Bailong was getting up slowly. "Ehehe, I'll address you properly! Yinying, let's forgive and forg - !"
"Too late!" Yinying dashed at him, displaying a full set of wicked teeth. "I must bite you till you're within an inch of your new life!"
"Yinying!" Bailong ran around the room. "How can a cub have such teeth?! It's ridiculous... Unsightly! Don't show them!"
"Hao! The wrongdoer teasing the victim!" Yinying was right behind him. "I'll start by biting off your tongue!"
But a few minutes later, man and cub, human and tiger were both exhausted!
Bailong and Yinying lay on their backs, staring up at random cobwebs on the dusty wooden ceiling.
"I can't - - get -used to this body!" Bailong panted, and Yinying chuckled.
"Little boy, even in your prime, you couldn't outrun me! Lucky for you, I'm not fond of this body either." He sighed. "It's too small for my cultivation, so I had to seal most of it away."
"At least you have your cultivation." Bailong sighed, feeling rather helpless in Zhang Luoyin's body.
"Little boy, don't think too much." Yinying consoled him. "Did you forget the ten-fold tribulation?"
Bailong shuddered. He could clearly recall how each of those hundred gold lightning bolts had zipped across every inch of his skin.
It was like being burned alive, and the pain when his essence shattered had been immeasurable.
"*Laoying, how can I forget such a thing?" He quietly asked.
(*Lao- Old. Like Old man Ying)
"Hao." Yinying said gently. "It's good that you remember it. Even previous Sky Emperors might not have survived such a tribulation. By right, your spirit should have been shattered completely, and since I'm linked to you, nothing should have been left of us.
"Yet here we are. I'm even awake after almost thirty thousand years! We can only be grateful. This can be considered a miracle, so cherish it and grow a day at a time. Understood?"
But only silence followed his words.
"Little boy! Did you sleep off on me?!" But when Yinying turned, it was to find Bailong bowing to him, his forehead on the ground.
"Xiaobai! What are you doing?!" Yinying was aghast...
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