Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 424 : Fengxi’s Little Predicament (2)

Chapter 424: Chapter 424 : Fengxi’s Little Predicament (2)

"Fengxi, come on."

"Don’t want!"

Sprawled on the floor like a human rug, Qiao Wei stared at the hissy lump under the bed. Little Zhang Fengxi, curled up tighter than a spring roll, was making a convincing case for a good exorcism.

Should he borrow the innkeeper’s broom to sweep him out? On second thought, it might not be a good idea. Best not to aggravate Zhang Fengxi further.

Qiao Wei extended a hand in Zhang Fengxi’s direction.

"Baby, will you come out please?" he coaxed in a soft voice, but whatever he said at this point only served to fan the flames burning in Zhang Fengxi’s heart.

"I am not a baby!" the little boy hissed at him like a tiger baby. "Don’t call me that!"

Qiao Wei smacked a hand against his face.

He couldn’t help it. Little Zhang Fengxi was the same size as Zhang Mingrui and Xie Junjie. And he was so adorable. All Qiao Wei wanted to do right now was hug him and pepper his face with kisses.

Qiao Wei cleared his throat.

"Fengxi, I am sorry. Please, let us find out what happened to you. I can’t examine you if you refuse to come out."

"I can examine myself!" Zhang Fengxi snapped. He stubbornly sprawled on his back and closed his eyes, seeking solace in the embrace of stillness. Alas, the ground offered no solace, only a harsh echo of emptiness. His spiritual power, once a roaring furnace, had disappeared into thin air. His golden core seemed to have shrunk to a cold, unlit pebble, lost in the nebulous twilight of his being.

Dejected, Zhang Fengxi subsequently curled up into a fetal position, his back facing Qiao Wei.

"I am tired," he said in a hoarse, broken voice. "That’s why I can’t meditate. You go out first, I don’t want to see you."

Qiao Wei sighed. He made use of the opportunity to squeeze himself under the low-hanging bed, his adult frame barely fitting.

"Fengxi..."

Qiao Wei wrapped his arms around Zhang Fengxi’s body from behind and pressed his lips against the back of the latter’s head.

"Fengxi, please. I am sorry for everything. Please forgive me?"

Zhang Fengxi’s face fell, the mask of composure crumbling like sandcastles under a wave. This sudden descent into a younger, more vulnerable state sent a shockwave of confusion and fear through him.

His body regressed, and the familiar movements appeared clumsy and awkward. His mind, too, seemed to echo this retreat, leaving him adrift in a sea of disoriented thoughts and impulses that he could barely control.

Frustration welled up within him, manifesting in tremors in his hands and a desperate stammer that replaced his usual eloquence. These were not the actions of a Supreme General, but of a child grappling with circumstances beyond his understanding.

"I will always be with you," Qiao Wei gave him another kiss. "Let’s get out first, this place is so dust... Ah... Ah... Achoooo...!!!"

Zhang Fengxi rolled around to look at Qiao Wei’s face.

"What if I stay this way for the longest time?" He asked in a hesitant tone. "What if you get tired of me and want to leave?"

Qiao Wei broke into laughter.

"Fengxi, ah, Fengxi... We have gone through the highs and lows of life for three lifetimes altogether. I don’t think that we will separate over this trivial matter."

Zhang Fengxi pressed his lips together and extended a little finger at Qiao Wei.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Qiao Wei hooked his little finger around Zhang Fengxi’s and shook their entwined fingers together.

Afterward, both of them crawled out from under the bed -- Zhang Fengxi swiftly without much effort, the complete opposite of Qiao Wei.

Halfway through pushing himself across the floor, Qiao Wei saw something circling Zhang Fengxi’s ankles.

"Oh," he mouthed. "Fengxi, I think I know what happened."

"... What?"

"Your ankles. I am pretty sure that they are around your wrists as well."

Zhang Fengxi freed himself from the tangles of his overlarge clothing. Naked as when he just came into the world, he started inspecting the inexplicable marks on his body.

On five different spots on his body, around his neck, two wrists, and two ankles, thin dark chains pulsed under his skin like trapped serpents.

"This is..."

Qiao Wei grabbed Zhang Fengxi’s wrist and examined the pulsing dark chain with his keen eyes.

"As I thought," he slowly said. "This is the ’Binding Seal Of Heaven’."

The "Binding Seal Of Heaven" was a punishment given to heavenly creatures who had committed unforgivable transgressions in a realm not of their own.

Loss of spiritual power and a degeneration into a helpless state, as a little child or an animal cub, were all part of the punishment.

"What in seven hells’ name???" Zhang Fengxi exclaimed. "What transgressions have I done???"

Qiao Wei heaved a deep sigh.

"You are messing with the fate," he pointed out. "Together, we might have done something to alter someone’s fate. This is not good."

Zhang Fengxi cursed loudly and shook his fist at the sky, "That stupid, useless Goddess!!!"

Before he could unleash a torrent of obscenities at the Goddess of Fate and Destiny, Qiao Wei quickly grabbed him and pressed a hand against his little mouth.

"Fengxi!"

Zhang Fengxi let out a muffled groan. He removed Qiao Wei’s hand and gave the latter a pitiful look, reminiscent of a puppy who had just wreaked chaos but still begged for love afterward.

"What now???"

Qiao Wei could not help but smile at the adorable sight before him.

"No worries, Fengxi. Fate has a way to re-align itself. Your seals will be released when the consequences of your actions have been rectified."

"... Until then, I have no other choice but to stay in this state...?"

Qiao Wei pulled a grimace and confirmed Zhang Fengxi’s worst fear.

"Unfortunately, yes."

A second anguished "AAARGHHHHHHH" was heard from the inn that morning, much louder than the first one.

------

Author’s note :

Xie Jianyu, a dutiful housewife whose husband recently turned into a five-year-old, visited a renowned marriage counselor to ask for some advice.

Jianyu : Our society has yet to come up with help books about ways to deal with husbands who suddenly transform into children. What should I do?

Counselor : ...

Fengxi : *hisses* I AM NOT A CHILD.