A Broken Heart Still Beats.

Chapter XXXI

"Yuan-er!" Zhuzhi-Lang hissed as he slithered forward, meeting the youth halfway before rearing up at the new scent with him. "How kind of you to visit us!"

Shen Yuan rolled his eyes at Tianlang-Jun's tone, whistling softly to encourage Guiying out of his robes. "This one apologizes for taking so long, there have been...many developments since we last spoke." When Guiying slithered out of his lapels, he and Zhuzhi-Lang held eye contact for a long moment before Zhuzhi-Lang's tail patted Shen Yuan's ankle encouragingly and Shen Yuan laughed as he set Guiying down. "Thank you, Zhuzhi-Lang. This one took in Guiying after his most previous mission."

Tianlang-Jun hummed thoughtfully at the sight, finding it almost funny as he watched Guiying and Zhuzhi-Lang slither over to a warmer patch of ground that Shen Yuan had spelled with a few talismans a few months ago in preparation for winter. How he wished he could speak snake tongue, he could only imagine the gossip! So unfair!

"That we can tell, Yuan-er." He eyed the youth playfully, it would be quite hard to miss this particular development. Two white and oh-so fluffy ears twitched in the cold hair, and a bushy white tail was curled around his leg, swaying side from side before curling around his calf every few intervals. "Will you tell this Emperor the story?"

Oh, how he wished to pet the fluffy ears! Yuan-er was already such a sweet-looking boy, but now adding this to it? Son, you better keep a close eye out! People will definitely try to steal him from you!

Shen Yuan hummed as he pulled a blanket out of his qiankun pouch and kneeled before Tianlang-Jun, wrapping the blanket around the half-corpse heavenly demon the same someone would a scarf before taking a seat against the mountain. "Where exactly would His Majesty wish me to start?" It had started to snow this past month, and he worried Tianlang-Jun might be uncomfortable.

Tianlang-Jun sighed appreciatively at the gesture, truly, the cold hardly ever bothered him but he wouldn't say such a thing against Yuan-er's gift. "Perhaps start with the... animalistic traits, Yuan-er."

"Ling Shou cultivates with many beasts and flora, and as such it affects our cultivation base, many of us can even inhabit more animalistic traits on the regular. However, this one and many others of his peak are able to actually summon the traits of our spirit animals, and it can enhance our senses." He paused at this, taking a moment to take a long look at Tianlang-Jun himself, a glowing yet dim silhouette of royal purple, rather fitting if he had to guess. "Likewise, for this one, it has allowed me to see qi. Only with my traits present, I can see qi as one would see shadows. There are no details, but I can sense and see people I know, also I can see their spirit animal as well!"

"My, my! How interesting, Yuan-er!" Extending his hand, Shen Yuan took it without hesitation, yet another gesture that didn't fail to make Tianlang-Jun smile. "Can you tell this Emperor what his spirit animal is?"

Shen Yuan nodded, looking past the present silhouette only to find a dragon, just the same as Luo Binghe! "His Majesty's spirit animal is a dragon, just the same as Binghe-shixiong."

"Ah, so that son of mine has the same spirit as me?"

"In some sense," Shen Yuan nodded, chuckling when he saw the silhouettes of Zhuzhi-Lang and Guiying slither around each other, quiet trills and hisses exchanged in conversation. "A spirit animal is something that is based on character traits. It is something that is embodied by each person, while two people may have the same spirit animal, they are not always entirely alike."

Tianlang-Jun made an understanding sound before Shen Yuan asked. "How has the plant body been?"

"It has been doing well," Zhuzhi-Lang slithered over to them at that, and Tianlang-Jun chuckled as he said. "My nephew has been dutiful in taking care of it as Yuan-er had instructed."