QT: Don't fall in love with the Male Lead

Xi Zirui has to expend some effort to get rid of Han Yu.

First he insists on joining him in the bath, which Xi Zirui vehemently denies. Then, he wants to be allowed to sleep over, a notion Xi Zirui quickly disabuses him of.

Finally, standing on the doorway to Xi Zirui's quarters he pleads, one last time, "Shixiong should at least give me a kiss, so that my heart won't ache so much from our parting."

Xi Zirui rolls his eyes at his dramatics, and pulls him inside by the lapels of his robe, just enough to hide him from view from anyone walking around outside, and plants a perfunctory kiss on his lips.

"There, sleep well."

Against his expectations, Han Yu actually smiles and goes on his way, throwing Xi Zirui one last delighted goodbye before leaving.

Xi Zirui watches him go with a complicated look on his face.

He thought the bath would help him clear his head, but he still feels shaken. Perhaps it's normal to feel this way after such an intimate experience -- just thinking about it makes heat rise in his cheeks -- but Xi Zirui doesn't like the uncertain feelings that come with it.

He prepares himself for bed, but just looking at the soiled mattress and sheets brings back the memories of his wanton behaviour. 

He can't believe some of the things he said, let alone did.

He strips the bedding and makes the bed with a fresh change of sheets. It still takes him a long time to fall asleep. His dreams are tumultuous and confusing. 

He remembers having dreamt about Han Yu holding two children in his arms that seemed to reach out to Xi Zirui.

For some reason, his cheeks are stained with tears when he wakes up.

---

After a light breakfast in his shizun's company, Xi Zirui once again visits the martial hall. Han Yu meets them just outside the hall's double doors, anxiety coming off him in waves.

Xi Zirui ignores his big, pleading eyes and makes his way inside the hall with his head held high.

Han Chang is siting on the sect leader's chair. The carved heads of the two dragons in flight towering over his own. He paints an imposing figure, but Xi Zirui's cloaks himself in the haughtiness of having just spent a night riding his precious son into incoherence.

"The council has decided on what disciple Xi's Trial of the Dragon will entail," Han Chang says.

His grave words don't have the desired effect on Xi Zirui, and a knot of frustration forms between his sharp eyebrows, to Xi Zirui's great amusement.

In one smooth movement Xi Zirui drops to his knees and bows deeply to Han Chang and the other sect elders. "This lowly disciple accepts the elder's discipline."

An elder sitting to the right of Han Chang clears his throat. "Rise." Once Xi Zirui does, the elder continues. "We have decided that your first trial will be spending 12 hours chained to the bottom of the lake."

Su Xueyi immediately protests. "My disciple has just awakened from a two-year coma! He hasn't had the time to replenish his inner sea, his qi reserves are depleted."

His shizun's concern would be wholly warranted, if Xi Zirui hadn't already taken precautions, and his meridians weren't currently thrumming with fresh new qi. The ability of foxes like him to drain the qi from the humans they have sex with is the subject of several bawdy tales, and a frequent excuse humans use to subject foxes to all kinds of disgusting abuse.

It is ironic, that even though humans are able to use their hands to kill, none of them are immediately condemned simply for having them.

But such is the humans' logic, and Xi Zirui has long stopped trying to make sense of it.

Xi Zirui bows his head demurely, and says, "This disciple accepts the trial."

His acquiescence silences Su Xueyi's protests.

Han Chang's frown doesn't smooth over. Xi Zirui is momentarily confused as to why, until he follows his line of sight and finds him staring at Han Yu politely standing behind Su Xueyi with his hands clasped behind his back.

He expected his son to throw a tantrum, and is trying to figure out why he hasn't.

Xi Zirui will have to take that into consideration next time.

---

He's led to one of the floating platforms looking out into the lake, where a crowd of disciples is already anxiously waiting to watch the first trial. If they plan to stand there for 12 full hours looking into the lake's water, Xi Zirui has no idea.

Xi Zirui strips off his outer robes and hands them to Han Yu. As his shidi, it's expected that he would wait on him if necessary, but Xi Zirui can feel Han Chang's disapproving gaze burning into the back of his neck.

He exchanges a nod with his pale faced shizun, and jumps into the water. Two Heavenly Dragon sect master jump in after him.

As soon as he reaches the bottom, the masters use an array that keeps him chained in place on the bottom of the lake, the lines of the formation glowing a pale green below his feet.

The masters leave, and Xi Zirui prepares himself for a long wait.

He draws from his qi reserves to sustain himself and suppress the lack of oxygen, as well as protect his body from the cold. In the state he was in before something like this would have killed him in a matter of hours.

Now, nevermind 12 hours, he could stay at the bottom of the lake for 2 days and not suffer a single internal injury.

---

After 12 hours the array frees him and Xi Zirui swims up to the surface. There are still a few random disciples scattered around, but only Su Xueyi and Han Yu are truly happy to see him.

Su Xueyi throws his dry outer robes over his back, and rubs his wet arms up and down. "I don't know how you did it, but well done."

Behind him, Han Yu smirks at Xi Zirui. "Shixiong is very resilient, he can take everything..."

Xi Zirui shoots him a warning look and lets himself be pulled away from the edge of the water by Su Xueyi. 

When they're about to reach Su Xueyi's pavilion, Xi Zirui steps out from under his shizun's arms and bows politely. "Shizun should go inside and rest now. There are some things this disciple needs to discuss with shidi."

From the corner of his eye, he can see Han Yu's look of delight.

If he had a tail it would be swaying back and forth in the air.