Hàoyǔ's dramatic pause made Mù Yēn's blood boil. He growled low, his golden eyes twitching with rage, the corner of his mouth jerking — a common sign of his patience snapping. With a sharp tug, he yanked at his brother's golden ponytail.
Hàoyǔ yelped like a dying phoenix, clutching his head with one hand, his one eye squeezed shut.
"Ah! Don't touch my hair! That's part of a great hero's glory!"
He flipped his locks back into place, batting his lashes and pouting at Mù Yēn like an offended courtesan.
"I'll shave that 'hero's glory' bald if you don't tell me what trick you're hiding," Mù Yēn threatened, his eyes narrowing to blades as he slid a knife from his robe.
Hàoyǔ froze, his smile turning stiff, then let out a shaky laugh that sounded more fake than real.
"Y-you… brought that thing too, brother?"
Mù Yēn nodded slowly, twice, letting the weight of his gaze bore into Hàoyǔ.
"Yes, my dear little brother. And I also remember quite well how to use it skillfully… to cut every strand of your hair."
He lunged again, knife gleaming. Hàoyǔ gasped dramatically, scrambling back with both hands raised.
"N-no no no! Aren't you my good brother?"
"No, I'm not."
"P-please don't cut it! I'll talk! I'll talk! My hair is half my beauty, you know!"
Mù Yēn sighed, sliding the knife back into his robe, though his golden eyes stayed sharp as he turned toward the path ahead. The lake stretched endlessly below them, its surface as blue as the sky, swans rising in flocks, and towering trees lining the edges like guardians.
"Speak then."
He waited, hoping his brother wouldn't twist the topic again.
Instead, Hàoyǔ flopped onto his back mid-air, rolling as if on a cloud-bed, arms folded behind his head, legs gently kicking like he was swimming. His eyes drifted closed in mock serenity.
"Actually, brother…" his voice was drawn out, dramatic as a stage actor, "the yao you're so eager to deal with — if you really call them, you'll faint before hearing their first request. And if you want to command them? You'll need more than music. They aren't satisfied with tunes alone, even if drawn to them."
Mù Yēn's brow lifted.
"And what exactly do they demand? Or threaten with?"
Hàoyǔ cracked open an eye, lashes fluttering, lips pushing into a pout.
"Your beautiful body…"
Mù Yēn's mouth fell open. Hàoyǔ smirked, savoring the effect, then added:
"…under the moonlight. Without your robes. All bare."
Mù Yēn's expression darkened, eyes narrowing in disbelief. His chest tightened.
"Under the moonlight…" Hàoyǔ paused for effect, lips curling mischievously. "Either he's inside you, or you're inside him."
"WHAT. THE. FUCK!?"
The shout ripped through the skies. Poor Yàn Yàn flinched, lost balance mid-flight, and Mù Yēn tumbled off his back.
The guqin spun in the air, abandoned. Hàoyǔ snatched it one-handed while gaping at his brother's plummet.
"AHHH! SOMEONE CATCH ME! I'M GONNA DIE BEFORE MY SPIRITUAL ENERGY GIVES OUT!!"
Mù Yēn flailed, voice cracking with sheer terror, eyes wild as the wind ripped his hair. Yàn Yàn shrieked and dived after him, wings burning with frantic speed.
Hàoyǔ dragged a hand down his face with a theatrical sigh.
"I told you, you can't handle the truth."
Together, he and Yàn Yàn caught the panicked fairy before he hit the lake. Mù Yēn was trembling, his chest heaving, hair a tangled mess as he clutched at his heart.
"You're lying," he hissed.
"No."
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not."
"You are."
"Nope~."
"Admit you're joking, Hào!"
"No. I'm. Not, my soft-hearted brother!"
Mù Yēn swallowed hard, eyes still wide.
"Y… you said… him? HIM? A MALE? A GUY?! A BOY?! LIKE ME?!"
Hàoyǔ bit his lip, holding back laughter, then nodded decisively.
"Now now~ should I call one for you?~" He plucked a playful note on the guqin, grinning ear to ear.
"NO! NO NO!! STOP!! DON'T YOU DARE CALL ONE!!"
Hàoyǔ's laughter burst free, echoing through the sky as he tilted his head back, nearly choking on his amusement.
Mù Yēn's face burned redder than ten bottles of Yèifēng wine, his whole body trembling as though fever-struck.
"A-and why would those yokai even want a male, when they're male themselves?!"
"Ah," Hàoyǔ hummed with fake innocence, "forgot to mention. They don't even prefer females. They only mate with beautiful, perfect males… like you. Or genderless bodies. Quite picky, aren't they?"
Mù Yēn's jaw dropped so hard it nearly unhinged. His horror-struck expression only made Hàoyǔ laugh harder, nearly rolling mid-air if not for their flight.
"You're ten years older than me, yet you don't know this!?"
"I—I never studied those forbidden chapters in my whole education!"
"That's basic! So you did skip your studies! You're no perfect crown prince after all!"
"I never wanted to be one anyway! And why didn't you tell me earlier if you knew everything!?"
"Who knew my perfect brother was so… innocent~?"
Mù Yēn was panting from both panic and arguing, chest heaving like he had just fought a war. Hàoyǔ, in contrast, dabbed his forehead with a theatrical sigh as if he had done the hard work.
"I'm never calling one. Ever. I'll go as far as Yàn Yàn can carry me — I wouldn't have stepped foot here if I'd known this!"
"Tsk, tsk. Told you before, but you didn't listen~" Hàoyǔ winked.
Mù Yēn dragged a hand through his messy hair, groaning.
"I regret skipping that one single topic in my life…"
"But you know," Hàoyǔ leaned close, whispering with a devilish smirk, "I want to see how many come crawling for you. It's their perfect mating season, after all… they might push and pull you like fresh prey."
Mù Yēn's blood ran cold. He shook his head furiously, lips parted, finger pressed to his own mouth to silence his brother from saying more.
But Hàoyǔ only smiled wider — that crooked, mischievous grin promising he'd do the exact opposite.
"NO! You're not calling one! And give me back my guqin! I nearly lost both arms getting it!"
Mù Yēn's voice cracked in desperation. He had brought the guqin to tame a yokai and escape, but now with these horrifying conditions… he couldn't even imagine it.
"Too late! Yàn Yàn, come on! Let's find a perfect spot to summon one!"
"HAO, YOU BRAT!! YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME WITH PANIC!!"
Mù Yēn's screams echoed across the lake as Hàoyǔ gleefully pulled Yàn Yàn toward the forest, his laughter carrying like wicked bells.
And poor Mù Yēn, trembling and red, realized with dread that panic might truly kill him before any yokai ever could.