Of Soulmates and Love

Substance Use

A/N: Post-canon TYK, around five years after the main story, a little bit after Extra 5

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It was a night of bright moon and clear wind. Though the hustle and bustle of the day had lessened somewhat, the light of lanterns hung all around the city of Jiangbo were like glowing fireflies scattered about in a dark forest, faint but beautiful. Under such good weather and pleasant atmosphere, what would be better than to quietly admire the moon while drinking the finest wine in town?

Of course, it would be to quietly admire the moon while drinking the finest wine in town, accompanied by one's beloved.

A pair dressed in rich red and black respectively, two figures who were once the most frightening men—one in the palace, and the other in the jianghu—had been indulging themselves in such amenities since the night first fell. Good food, good wine, and a good view of the lantern-lit town outside. If there was anything missing from the ideal scenario for such an occasion, it was the tranquility in which one was supposed to have when appreciating the elegance of the moon.

Why, because in an unfortunate show of absolute disgrace, the two had drunken themselves silly, having been freed of restraints previously chaining them both to their dark past.

During the day, the last Master of Ghost Valley was accompanying the head of their household to help their adorable disciple, who had grown into a fine young man making his mark in the jianghu, solving a certain disturbance in town. Now that the youth had gone ahead of them to sleep in his own room, it seemed that the two adults had forgotten to exercise control upon themselves. A simple banter soon turned into bets, and bets led to a wild drinking game. Although both men were supposed to have fine tolerance towards alcohol, a human's body still has its own limit, nonetheless.

His cheeks and ears flushed red, Wen Kexing could already feel his grasp on reality swaying. One more cup and he would be gone, he knew this, hence he held himself back at the last minute. At the very least, he could still somewhat discern his surroundings, unlike a certain someone beside him who had been intoxicated for good.

The last round of the game was the deciding factor. Both of them had equal amounts of wins and losses, and it just so happened that Zhou Zishu did not have luck siding with him. After the fragrant liquid in that cup went down his throat, for the first time in his life Wen Kexing witnessed how the love of his life appeared when completely losing his grip on himself.

It turned out that the former leader of the notorious Window of Heaven was quite a chaotic drunk. But what a good kind of chaotic it was; if he were to be honest, Wen Kexing couldn't have asked for anything better.

"Lao Wen, look at yourself..." with one corner of his lips pulled into a smirk, Zhou Zishu carelessly patted the other's cheek several times, "Your face is so red. Reminds me of the boiled crab we had for dinner."

"Really, A-Xu... Are you saying you're not?"

"Me? Of course not. I'm perfectly fine."

"No, you're not" — Wen Kexing shook his head. Zhou Zishu's complexion had always been pale, even when his physical condition was at its finest. Now that he was inebriated, not only his cheeks and ears, but his neck and what little part was visible through the loose cleavage of his black robe were also flushed in a vivid pink. The man himself had no idea of it, most likely, and Wen Kexing never planned on telling him either.

Such an indecent view, it would be best if his own two eyes were the only spectator.

"Well then, since you say I look as red as a crab, what does the great Master Zhou suggest I do?" deciding to indulge his drunken wife, Wen Kexing cast him an innocent look, pretending to be ignorant.