Hàoyǔ bit back an excited scream, then twisted toward his brother, who was now comically tiny compared to him—already traumatized, trembling, and sprawled across Yàn Yàn's back like a featherless chick who'd fallen out of its nest.
"Mmmm!!! They're here! They're here! Brother! Quickly—shift into your human form!"
His jade-green eyes were sparkling with mischief and barely contained glee.
"LIKE HELL I WILL!!"
Mù Yēn's tiny voice cracked into a high-pitched squeak that sounded more funny than threatening. Hàoyǔ, unfazed, drew his lips into an exaggeratedly grim line, pretending to summon a dark, heavy aura.
"Then I'll have to force you… brother…"
"Don't copy Dad now!!"
"I'm not~ I can do it too."
"Tsk—you can't force me to turn big."
"I can~"
"No, you can't! You're just talking big!"
Before Mù Yēn could blink, Hàoyǔ pinched him gently between two fingers, lifted him like a fragile scrap of fabric, and gave him a playful shake.
"AAAHH HÀOYǓ!! NO WONDER YOU'RE MOM AND DAD'S HEADACHE!!"
In a burst of sparks, his small body shuddered and—just like that—Mù Yēn popped back into his human form. He staggered on his feet, wide-eyed, jaw dropping in disbelief. Then, turning shakily toward his brother, he nearly fainted at the sight:
Hàoyǔ stood proudly with arms crossed, golden ponytail flicked back in slow, smug drama, smirk tugging at his lips.
"H–HOW?! You only shook me like a piece of paper!!"
Hàoyǔ chuckled cockily, then rolled the guqin around one finger like it was nothing more than a toy. He held it against his hip with the flair of a roguish musician, one leg bent in arrogance, the other braced wide apart, eyes glinting dangerously.
His lips curved into something both hot and mocking.
"(萧风)—the Wind of Elegance Jutsu. A forbidden ritual… used to force fairies into their human forms."
Mù Yēn's jaw dropped. "Wh–WHAT?! You villain!! You're going around practicing forbidden arts?!"
"How will you see the world if you don't take risks?" Hàoyǔ tilted his head, tone silky with mock sincerity. "I can't sit around like a pregnant bird all day like you. Besides—" his smirk deepened, "the more you keep saying 'no, no!' the faster those things will come stumbling right into your life. So now… don't disturb me. I'm about to sing. You've already wasted precious time. Birdies might be angry boys by nowMù Yēn's face drained of color. His chest heaved as if his heart was trying to claw its way out of his body. He opened his mouth to protest—
—but it was too late.
Hàoyǔ lifted the guqin and declared with shameless flair:
"This is Hàoyǔ's Song—借我一夜 (Jiè Wǒ Yī Yè) —— Lend Me One Night! Inspired by my cute and handsome brother, MÙ YĒN!!!"
His fingers plucked the strings with reckless grace. A tune spilled out—messy, strange, but disturbingly smooth and silken. His voice wrapped around it like smoke: low, mocking, mischievous… too hot and shameless to be endured.
Mù Yēn let out a strangled growl, face burning in humiliation, and buried half his head in his long hair.
"Hào, stop!!"
But Hàoyǔ only grinned wider and began to sing:
黄金的瞳孔,偷偷为你闪烁
Huángjīn de tóngkǒng, tōutōu wèi nǐ shǎnshuò
Golden pupils, secretly shining for you
我那英俊的兄弟,美丽得像个公主
Wǒ nà yīngjùn de xiōngdì, měilì dé xiàng gè gōngzhǔ
My handsome brother, beautiful like a princess
抛下皇冠,逃离他的王宫
Pāoxià huángguàn, táolí tā de wánggōng
He threw away his crown, fleeing from his palace
鸟妖啊,载他去未知的远方
Niǎo yāo a, zài tā qù wèizhī de yuǎnfāng
Oh bird yokai, carry him to an unknown destination ~
The effect was instant.
The skies stirred with shrill cries. Wings—white, gray, dark red, violet, black—beat the air like thunder. Dozens of yokai birds swooped lower, circling faster and faster, their wings whipping the garden into a miniature tornado.
"NO NO NO NO!! SHU SHUU!! DON'T COME NEAR!!"
Mù Yēn's voice cracked in terror as he scrambled behind Hàoyǔ like a panicked child.
Hàoyǔ laughed softly, confidence swelling as the yokai responded. He reached out, ruffled his brother's hair like calming a bawling toddler.
"Don't worry, don't worry~ They won't hurt us… I mean you. Unless you piss them off first."
"Don't give me those twisted logics! Stop. Singing!!"
"Nope~" Hàoyǔ's grin flashed. "I want to see the end too. I've never witnessed these beautiful creatures choosing their mates. I've only read about it in books. I've got desires to feed, don't I?~"
Mù Yēn's eye twitched violently. But Hàoyǔ only leaned deeper into his shameless melody:
今晚他不是王子,而是献祭的花
Jīn wǎn tā bú shì wángzǐ, ér shì xiànjì de huā
Tonight he's not a prince, but a sacrificial flower ~
Mù Yēn almost choked. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
Hàoyǔ clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.
"Tsk. Don't interrupt me, brother. Can't you see? I'm summoning them here. Be quiet—like a good little son of Mom and Dad~"
"I don't wanna be!!"
"Be or not… you have to be~"
任你撕开锦袍,把他灵魂点燃
Rèn nǐ sīkāi jǐnpáo, bǎ tā línghún diǎnrán
Tear open his silk robe, set his soul aflame ~
Mù Yēn's cheeks went crimson. He clutched desperately at his robe as if it might truly be ripped from him.
The yaos shrieked in chorus, wings flaring brighter, sharper, hungrier. They dropped closer, feathers brushing the brothers' sleeves.
"Almost close~" Hàoyǔ whispered, smirk curving sharper.
哭吧,笑吧,心跳是你的乐器
Kū ba, xiào ba, xīntiào shì nǐ de yuèqì
Cry, laugh—his heartbeat is your instrument
"I'm not their instrument!!" Mù Yēn shouted, voice breaking in both rage and panic.
But Hàoyǔ only pushed to the finale, every note more dramatic than the last:
若他尖叫,便是最甜美的旋律!
Ruò tā jiān jiào, biàn shì zuì tiánměi de xuánlǜ!
If he screams, that will be the sweetest melody!
The yao birds screamed louder—like applause.
Then the air itself shifted.
Wings slammed into the earth. One by one, thirty… fifty yokai landed in the rose garden. As their talons struck the soil, their bodies stretched, shifted, dissolved into mist.
Fog unfurled across the garden—white, gray, violet, black, blood-red. Shadows emerged within it. Tall. Human-shaped. Many. Too many...and by their body shape , the way their robes hugs their cerves without even being visible properly was breathtaking...
Hàoyǔ's smirk faltered, lips parting in real wonder.
Mù Yēn blinked once, twice, then turned deathly pale. His knees almost buckled, voice breaking into three pitiful words:
"Someone save me…"