Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 390 : The Unknown Connection

Chapter 390: Chapter 390 : The Unknown Connection

"Brother Zhang, I am terribly sorry," Qiao Wei said as soon as the disciples who guarded the temple entrance disappeared within the thick mist that engulfed the peak of Mount Wu.

"We keep inconveniencing you again and again."

"It’s no big deal," Zhang Fengxi quipped.

When he was only twenty-one years old, he came second in the competition to win the Dragon Throne.

Within these past six years, he diligently worked on honing both his martial arts to perfection and improving his cultivation level to the late stage of Soul Formation.

Zhang Fengxi did not want to brag, but which human being could hold a candle to his flame?

Qiao Wei smiled.

"I do not doubt Brother Zhang’s abilities. I just hope that you won’t think poorly of us. We will definitely repay you for all the kindness you bestow upon us."

Zhang Fengxi grinned at Qiao Wei.

"You keep calling me Brother Zhang, Brother Qiao. If you take me as a brother, why do you keep apologizing and thanking me for every little favor?"

"T-T-That..."

Red color suffused Qiao Wei’s cheeks, making them bloom like cherry blossoms in springtime.

Qiao Wei was so adorable.

No, it was Xie Jianyu who was adorable.

His stutter reminded him of the time when he caught Xie Jianyu with his dual cultivation manual books.

Zhang Fengxi’s hand hovered, a hummingbird in the wind, inches from Qiao Wei’s cheek. The warmth of anticipation flickered in his gaze, then dimmed as doubt took hold. He settled for a pat on the shoulder, brotherly but oddly awkward, leaving a hollow echo where a touch might have ignited a spark.

Qiao Wei’s smile faltered, a flicker of disappointment dancing in his eyes.

"Brother Zhang," Qiao Wei’s voice, hushed like the rustling bamboo, dipped beneath the wind’s sigh. "Why are you so good to me?" They walked shoulder-to-shoulder towards the Bamboo Stream Village, the coolness of the fresh mountain air wrapping around them.

Zhang Fengxi took a deliberate breath, allowing the crisp and cold air to bite at his lungs. "Why wouldn’t I be?" he finally said, his voice gruff, almost a challenge. His gaze lingered on Qiao Wei, catching the confusion in his eyes

"That’s not it," Qiao Wei shook his head. "I am deeply grateful to Brother Zhang. I am merely asking out of curiosity."

Zhang Fengxi did not look like he planned to say anything, so Qiao Wei decided to be bold and made some guesses.

"Were we good friends?"

"... Uh."

Thinking back, Zhang Fengxi kept telling Xie Jianyu that he wanted to be Xie Jianyu’s friend, but he made the dragon baby cry a lot. He was not such a good friend after all.

Zhang Fengxi let out a deep sigh.

"No, we were not."

"Then we must be siblings," Qiao Wei decided with a smile as bright as the sun hanging over their heads.

"....."

Thinking back, didn’t Zhang Fengxi tell Xie Jianyu that they should become sworn brothers?

That was rather stupid, coming from someone who knew about Xie Jianyu’s feelings toward him.

He kept hurting Xie Jianyu again and again.

He was so stupid.

The stupidest alpha across the three realms.

"No, we were not."

Qiao Wei was out of guesses.

Or better said, he did not dare to guess further.

If they were no friends or siblings, they could only be lovers.

.....

The red color on Qiao Wei’s cheeks deepened gradually, burning his face in the process.

They couldn’t be lovers, could they?

Qiao Wei stole furtive glances at Zhang Fengxi, admiring his features from the side.

The fabric of his fitted clothes whispered against him, hinting at the taut muscles beneath.

Qiao Wei had seen Zhang Fengxi’s naked upper half enough times to testify to the latter’s broad shoulders, powerful back, steel-like arms, and muscular build.

His eyes, like polished obsidian chips lit from within by an eagle’s keen gaze, glinted beneath sculpted brows, dark and thick as raven’s feathers.

His nose, a sculptor’s chisel honed by time, cut through his face with the precision of a mountain ridge against the sky.

His lips, the color of dawn before the sun ignites the sky, were sculpted into a firm line, hinting at a hidden passion waiting to be unleashed.

His jaw, a granite fortress, held the echoes of countless battles and the promise of unyielding strength.

Zhang Fengxi was a man forged in fire and stone, a force of nature both beautiful and untamed.

But it was not all about his good looks, for Zhang Fengxi was an accomplished spearman as well as a high-level cultivator. His mighty spear sang in his hand, an extension of his will, while fire pulsed at his fingertips, a tamed beast at his command.

He defeated the spider demoness as if she were nothing but an ant beneath his shoes.

Zhang Fengxi was a handsome, strong, and masculine man, the kind that was popular with the ladies, Qiao Wei mused.

And then a realization dawned on him.

No, how could he be so stupid?

Zhang Fengxi was already tied to a woman! He even sired two adorable children from the union with his lady!

An unexpected wave of relief washed over Qiao Wei, pulling the tension from his shoulders like a receding tide. Yet, within its wake, a faint tug of disappointment lingered, a whisper of anticipation left unfulfilled. He couldn’t quite grasp the source of this dissonance; all he knew was that he became more and more unreasonable as of late...

"Brother Zhang, are your children well?" He asked, hoping to drive away the inexplicable emotions that rose within his heart.

"They are, thanks for asking."

Speaking about his children in front of Qiao Wei, Zhang Fengxi was reminded of the silly jianzi.

"Thank you for returning the jianzi to them," Zhang Fengxi said.

"Ah, it was nothing, really."

Zhang Fengxi passed him a polite smile.

He did not tell Qiao Wei that the jianzi he painstakingly recovered for the twins was no more.

It was damaged beyond repair at the end of Wu Jiayi’s One-Month Celebration Party, after suffering a lot of abuse from the children’s mighty kicks.