Wolf King And His Fox Consort

They left early the next morning, despite Chu Yun's best efforts to stall them until after lunch. Chu Ming was impatient.

"The journey is long, and we really don't have time for this," he said, as Chu Yun hugged his mother goodbye. "You can always write to them."

Chu Yun made no comment, but in his mind he envisioned all the ways in which he was going to get back at his cousin.

Xiao Zai was incredibly patient the entire time, which took great fortitude on his part because Chu Ming did his best to be unbearable.

Along with his large retinue of servants, they were also travelling with the mercenaries -- some of them on their own horse, others riding along on open and closed carriages -- which naturally slowed them down. On top of that, Chu Ming had unbearably high standards for every roadside inn they stopped at.

The bed had to be just so, as well as the linens, to say nothing of the food, and the temperature of his bath water.

Once or twice Chu Yun had to intervene before he could harass a servant girl.

"You're no fun since you got married," he said, after Chu Yun made up something for the poor girl to do far far away from Chu Ming.

Chu Yun bit back his retort that even at his most hedonistic and decadent, he had never used his noble title to intimidate others into his bed.

"Maybe cousin should try marriage," he said with a stiff smile. "It has surprising benefits." 

In truth he feared the poor souls who would one day end up furnishing Chu Ming's harem. As far as he knew he already had a few "servants" which provided other "services", but weren't given official concubine status, on his uncle's orders. What exactly the King of Xin was planning for his three alpha children only he knew.

For now, he seemed content with having all three still living at the royal palace, where he could keep a close eye on them.

Chu Ming burped loudly and reached for another wine jar. Chu Yun gave him a displeased look from the corner of his eye. While Chu Ming seemed sure that he was ready for more responsibility, eager to get out from under his father's watchful eye, all signs pointed to that being a disaster in the making.

He hadn't seen his cousins in a long time, and even then, he avoided any contact with them for as long as he could, but if they were both as bad as Chu Ming, he could see why his uncle was scrambling to find anything to strengthen Xin's position. 

In Chu Yun's opinion he was better off holding out until one of the babies came of age. As unlikely as it was that they'd survive that long when Chu Ming and his brothers realised what their father's intention was. 

---

Travelling with Prince Chu Ming was a constant test to Xiao Zai's endurance. The journey was already much longer than it needed to be, due to his constant insistence to stop at every single minor inconvenience.

He also ran his mouth a lot. Half of everything he said were disparaging remarks against Zui, which Xiao Zai did his best to ignore. Everything else was conceited bloviating and detailed accounts of his sexual escapades.

His only source of relief were the brief moments in which his gaze met Chu Yun's and he could read in it a desire to commit gruesome murder that perfectly matched his own. 

Xiao Zai enjoyed all displays of the strong connection they shared, even when they were violent.

He and Chu Yun hadn't talked much about what he was planning to do regarding the contract Chu Ming carried with himself, but there was no doubt in Xiao Zai's mind that Chu Yun had no intention of going through with it. 

Sometimes Chu Ming would say something particularly annoying and Chu Yun would get this look on his face, a flash of gleeful carnage. A little smirk that promised, "just you wait and see." Chu Ming of course was too self-absorbed to notice any of this, but Xiao Zai always did, and it stole his breath away.

He loved the reminders of Chu Yun's ruthlessness, he loved knowing that he was a good person because he chose to, because he could just as easily have become a vicious person. A cruel person. 

It spoke volumes about his character that he had deliberately chosen to be good, and hadn't just stumbled upon it as many people did -- out of religious piety, familial piety, a genuine lack of opportunity to be anything else. 

Chu Yun had decided to be a good person because he couldn't conceive of causing harm to innocent people on purpose. 

Which made it all the more rewarding when he got that glint in his eyes, that said, "but some people deserve it."

Xiao Zai couldn't wait to see what he was going to do.

---

They arrived in Zui almost three weeks after leaving it, even though it felt longer to Xiao Zai. The last leg of the journey took on an inordinate amount of time. Even if they had managed to speed up after the mercenaries made camp in a forest a few li outside of Haolin.

Xiao Zai was extremely nervous that he had brought an external force into his own nation's territory. If someone found out, there would be no way to evade the treason accusations. They had to act fast.

Chu Yun thought so too, and managed to talk Chu Ming into going to see the King of Xin right away, despite his complaints that he wanted to eat and sleep first. They compromised on a bath, and then leaving.

Hua Nanyi met them by their bedroom's door, and said, "They're here," in lieu of a greeting.

Chu Yun exchanged a curt not with her, and told her to get changed into her best robes.

When they walked into the room there was a parcel carefully wrapped in wax paper on top of the bed.

Chu Yun untied the string and came face-to-face with the white tiger cloak Xiao Zai had commissioned for him.

He pulled it out of the parcel and inspected it with a smile.. "I guess I know what I'll be wearing."