Chapter Notes:
Recap: Zi Shi noticed some major changes in his junior and decided to confront him about it. Xiao Tian who never failed to kill a target before, for some reason, is unable to assassinate Bai Feng. The jade-eyed man for the first time in his life is getting distracted and the purple-haired assassin isn't happy about it.
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Zi Shi has been dragging his junior around the other side of the market where weapons and more dangerous items are bought and sold. From getting ingredients for his poisons to buying spare weapons, the senior assassin always prepares for the worst-case scenario.
"You sure you don't need anything?" the purple-haired assassin cocked his eyebrow as the two browsed through the weapon shop.
Xiao Tian didn't even respond before he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Oi! A little warning next time.." the gray-eyed assassin complained as he bumped into his junior's back.
"Why is this in a weapon shop?" the short-haired man questioned the store owner, holding a beautiful piece of anklet.
"Ah, I bought it while I was on a journey outside of the country. I've been waiting to see who will be its next holder. You interested young lad?" the shop owner smirked.
"How much for it?" the emerald-eyed assassin walked towards the merchant leaving Zi Shi lost in his own thoughts.
HeiLi buying an anklet? For what? The purple-haired assassin thought.
Xiao Tian rarely buys things that aren't useful for him. So for him to purchase an anklet..
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As days passed, the assassin quickly learned that:
The bunny would approach the assassin every time he called out "Xiao Bai". Maybe it thinks that the assassin granted it that name. And it will not approach Xiao Tian if he has his mask on.
"Xiao Bai, time for dinner" the assassin called out as he took off his mask. Soon after, the bunny hopped to his side, munching happily on hay.
Once the rabbit was done, Xiao Tian cradled the adorable fluff in his arms.
"Warm.." the assassin nuzzled into the bunny's soft fur. Oh right.. Xiao Tian suddenly pulled out a beautiful platinum-colored anklet and showed it to the bunny.
"Does it look nice?" the emerald-eyed assassin set down the bunny and placed the anklet in front of it.
The rabbit approached the jewelry and sniffed it. Realizing it was not food, it quickly hopped away in disinterest.
"Why you.." the assassin suddenly has a mischievous idea in mind to get back at the rabbit.
He crushed some red bayberries between his fingers and stained the bunny's cheeks with the juice. Of course, the rabbit immediately tried to clean itself, rubbing its paws onto its face in irritation. Yet the assassin caught both of its paws, causing the adorable creature to kick him repeatedly in annoyance. But when Xiao Tian stared at the angry bunny, he realized that it reminded him of a certain someone causing him to click his tongue.
Xiao Tian finally crossed a point of no return, he technically assassinated Bai Feng that night even though he spared the informant's life at the last second.
There is no way he could see the cedar-haired beauty again after what he did. Although the assassin is unable to understand complex human feelings, at least he knows that the golden-eyed man must hate him for what he did.
As Xiao Tian was distracted by his thoughts, the white bunny was biting on his mask and smacking it with its paws, showing its hostility towards the item for revenge.
"Even you hate this side of me huh.." the assassin took his mask away from the upset bunny and stared at the intricate design.
Sadly, being an assassin is everything Xiao Tian has known since he was a child. It gave him a sense of belonging, an identity, and a small reason to keep going.
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"Shi Xiong! Are you going to leave for a long time?" the dark-haired junior with a ponytail asked his senior.
"Worry not.. I shall be back before you know it." the gentle cedar-haired beauty smiled at the young man, bidding him goodbye.
In broad daylight, the jade-eyed junior was half transformed into a beast, covered in wounds as he growled viciously at the members of the sect. Dozens of students lay injured before the teachers could successfully stop the raging beast in its tracks.
"****!!" the golden-eyed senior called out as he slapped the half-beast across his face.
"You dare.. Harming your fellow disciples like this.." the cedar-haired man scolded.
The half-transformed junior was stunned but it effectively returned some senses to the young man.
"Shi Xiong..? It's not like that Shi Xiong! They—" the junior frantically tried to explain himself yet it was cut short by the cedar-haired beauty.
"Silence, I do not wish to hear your excuses. Quickly go to the highest peak, you will find an old shed there. Copy the sect rules a couple hundred times and dust every single inch of the house. Stay there and be self-sufficient until you have finished your task. Do you hear me?" the senior didn't spare a glance as he was busy checking the injured pupils on the ground.
"Understood.. Shi Xiong.." the junior looked down as he walked away into the direction of the mountains.
The senior finally turned around, watching the onyx-haired young man limp away in pain, looking discouraged and disappointed. But there was nothing he could do, harming fellow disciples for any reason is not something that should be taken lightly.
"Do you think sending him into seclusion for a couple of weeks will be enough for—" one of the teachers started.
"It is my fault. I did not teach him enough.. If I had taught him well, this would not have happened. So I shall bear the consequences." the senior spoke up.
"****, it is not a matter of teaching. He is a demon and it is in his nature to—" one of his tutors spoke but was quickly cut by the cedar-haired beauty.
"This disciple is wrong for disrupting Shi Fu, but that child has a gentle heart. It is simply my guidance that is lacking. I will face the punishment." the golden-eyed senior stood his ground.
"****, why are you going this far.." a scarlet-eyed man grabbed his lover's arm.
"You should know better than anyone that Shidi would not have the heart to harm his friends if nothing happened. I will investigate but for now, I have more pressing matters to attend to." the cedar-haired beauty calmly spoke before following his teachers to receive his punishment.
Despite his master persuading him to not go through with the consequences, the cedar-haired man kept his ground.
"Shizun, the moment that child leaves the sect, he won't be alive.." the golden-eyed beauty reasoned.
"Three lashes for every disciple injured. Begin." the council spoke.
Strike after strike hit the golden-eyed man's back.
Tearing through his hanfu and eventually his skin and flesh. Blood trickled down the senior's lips as he bit them down in response to the pain.
At the end of punishment, the golden-eyed man's back was unsightly, covered in blood and raw, deep gashes.
His teacher immediately ran to his disciple and cupped the cedar-haired beauty's cheek.
"Shizun, send someone.. To give Shidi some ointment.. He.." but before the golden-eyed man could finish his sentence, he had passed out from the pain.
That night, the dark-haired junior was diligently copying the sect's rules when the door to the old shed creaked open.
"Shi Xio—" but the jade-eyed young man was quickly disappointed to see another member of the sect delivering ointment instead.
Shi Xiong must be angry.. He didn't even want to hear my explanation..
He recalled as his fellow disciples surrounded him, slashing his arm while he was held in place.
"You'll heal in no time anyway, right? Come on, show us you demon. Or are you going to scream for help? Your dear Shi Xiong is not even here right now, no one will come for you." his fellow classmates taunted.
Cut after cut, until he couldn't bear the pain anymore and it was then.. He lost control.
Even as days passed, his Shi Xiong didn't visit him once. The junior's wounds have healed thanks to the ointment and the panther's regenerative power, but it doesn't mean that the young man couldn't feel pain.
Though what's more painful than his wounds were.. The pain of disappointing his Shi Xiong.
Days passed and the young man finally was able to descend the mountain. Despite being exhausted and not well-fed, the first place he visited wasn't his bedroom to rest.
It was his Shi Xiong's chamber.
The dark-haired junior softly called out to his senior, receiving no reply.
"Shixiong.. I know you're upset with me.. But can I see you? I'll explain what happened that day you were away.. Please don't hate me.." the young man pleaded but there was no response.
After a while of kneeling down in front of his senior's chamber, he decided to come in. He will face the consequences later but all he has in mind right now is to see his Shi Xiong.
Noticing a lump on the bed, the junior felt guilty for disturbing his senior's rest. But after weeks of not seeing his favorite person, the young man can't help but approach.
"Shi Xion—" the junior's eyes widened when he saw his senior lying down on his side. His torso was covered in bandages, his lips pale, and his whole body covered in a cold sweat.
The dark-haired young man was frozen into place, his breath hitched as he took in the scene before his eyes.
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Xiao Tian woke up unable to breathe as a mop of fur was sitting on top of his face. So the assassin grabbed the fluffy creature and set it down gently. The rabbit then stomped in front of its corner, showing that it was out of hay.
Even the emotionless man can't help but snicker at the adorable behavior of the rabbit.
But something was bothering the assassin lately. These dreams.. He knew for a fact that he didn't know any of the people in his dreams yet.. They felt familiar.
The tightness of Xiao Tian's chest resurfaced as he recalled the badly wounded man. The assassin stared at his trembling palm, is it because he resembled Xiao Bai in a way..
It's been a couple of weeks since he last met the informant. And the longer it goes on, the more Xiao Tian craves Bai Feng's presence.
Seeing its caretaker frozen in place, the bunny hopped over to the assassin's side. Rubbing its cheek on Xiao Tian's palm to check if he was responding. But all he did was hug the rabbit gently and set it down in its favorite corner, giving the bunny stacks of hay before letting out a sigh.
Not wanting to be swayed by his distracting thoughts, the assassin quickly donned his mask and left for a run.
Avoiding the busy city, the assassin went to the outskirts of town and ran alongside the lake. After eating his lunch, the assassin made sure to sharpen his daggers and clean them one more time before the mission tonight. Xiao Tian also glances through the scroll the boss gave him.
Life returns to how it was before the assassin met a certain golden-eyed beauty.
Colorless, mundane, and repetitive.
Though, something felt different about him this time and one thing for sure is that, it was not a good feeling.
As for the cedar-haired beauty, he dreaded whenever the sun sets. For that is when he had to rely on his brother to keep him safe.
"What's with that look Bai Feng?" The gentle doctor rustled his little brother's hair.
Not long after, the brothers heard soft thuds and rustles around the area.
"Ah, that's my cue to go, I'll be right back" the doctor stood up, clutching on his scabbard before disappearing behind the moon gate.
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Author's Notes:
Hope you enjoyed reading 'Point of no return' <3 Votes and comments are highly appreciated!
Are we finally seeing changes to the unfeeling assassin? Or would things go back to before they met each other? Stay tuned to the next chapter!