As the dust settled within the bottom of the bowl, Zhongli sighed as he uncorked the small vial of geo-touched spring water, dripping it carefully to mix within the dry ingredients before him. Nothing too small was unaccounted for as he carefully measured within the stone container by eye alone, stopping only when it was of its necessary volume. The Geo Archon stoked the ingredients within with a small cylinder of blessed stone, watching as the concoction combined before his eyes into a brightly colored liquid. With a gentle tap, he removed the residue from the cylinder, and he carefully poured the concoction into its own small flask, where it rested as he stood from his seat.

The powerful painkiller slid slowly within the bottle as he picked it up from the table, his eyes trained on the amber medicine with a soft sigh. If only he could merely take away the pain itself, it would make it so much easier on the boy. Zhongli shook his head as the thoughts entered his mind, rubbing softly at the bridge of his nose. It wouldn't do to dwell on things that couldn't change, especially considering his… current predicament.

He slid the bottle within one of his pouches, cleaning up the area within his small office to ensure that no one within the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor would find the mess and accidentally inhale the concoction. The last thing he needed was to return to the other workers unconscious.

As he finished putting the ingredients away, the man stood in thought for a moment, just examining the area overall before lightly picking up a single Qingxin between his fingers. He tucked it into his pocket softly, ensuring it was secure before he picked up his pouches and made his way from the building. His gaze shifted in the direction of the Wangshu Inn, where his charge awaited.


"That's it?" Xiao said with a growl, looking at the defeated group of hilichurls before his feet. His staff hit the ground firmly as he twirled it within his hands, staring down the larger, axe-wielding Milachurl with a slow exhale. He took the haft within both hands, shifting into a wider stance reminiscent of Zhongli's own style.

The creature bellowed, moving his flaming axe up as he leaped and fell heavily towards the boy. Xiao shifted only an inch, the heat from the axe streaking by as his foot collided with the side of the haft, shattering it in twain as the head of the axe was buried into the sands of the islandbank. The monster looked on in sudden bewilderment, only having a moment to process before Xiao charged forwards, a gust of wind pushing him into and past the torso of the creature with his spear.

He slid to a stop, clothes ruffling as he sighed and shook his head. His stance became more relaxed as he heard the creature fall with a splash into the water, an exasperated look on his face. "Defeating evils like these becomes more pitiful by the day…"

He strode forward, twirling his spear in an easy motion to place upon his back. A sudden whistling, surprisingly, caught him off guard as an electrified arrow pierced into his shoulder. Xiao let out a shout, clutching at the wound with a snarl as his wet form took the electro burst much more violently than usual. His eyes glowed as his mask formed around his features, locking directly onto the hilichurl archer, which seemed to slowly raise its hands while holding the crossbow it had just fired with.

In the blink of an eye, the boy shouldered his spear and burst forth again, slamming into the sternum of the archer with the blunt end of his weapon. His foot swept to the side in a half circle, launching the creature off its feet as his spear spun about his neck by the haft. The sharp tip positioned downward, Xian thrusted with his right hand and slammed the creature to the ground with an explosion of wind that disintegrated the enemy within a moment.

The mask of the Yaksha melted away as he shakily reached to the arrow still within his shoulder, grunting as he snapped it in half before shoving it the rest of the way through and out of his form. Pain bit at him like any other, but he merely pushed the feeling to the side as he gave a single pant, looking at the destroyed camp before him. At the least, the Inn should have fewer problems that he would have to hear about for the time being. Finally, he would have a bit of peace and quiet for the day.

His eyes glanced about once more before he carefully put his spear on his back, wincing as the movement jostled his injured shoulder with a grunt from the boy. It did not matter. It was just another wound that would heal over time. He didn't need…

Xiao shook his head as he huffed a bit, thinking of the bottles of painkiller still stored within his room. No, the comfortable numbness that they offered only made him weaker in the long run. He dealt with pain long before he started using them, and he would continue to deal with it again. So, despite the fatigue he felt as he began trudging back to the Inn, the boy continued on with a tense stride, making his way back.


It was little challenge to make his way to the top of the inn without alerting the others, his natural stealth surpassing the usual tenants and workers that made Wangshu Inn their home. As he arrived in his room, the boy sighed as his spear materialized in his hand, being placed along a mount within the wall carefully. His room was quite minimalistic, simple, much like the boy tended to prefer when dealing with his duties.

A single bed sat flush with the wall, covered in simple blue sheets to stave off whatever cold might touch the room, the color being more of choice by a certain Archon rather than the Yaksha. He would have happily slept without one, even if it would have been much more uncomfortable. The only noteworthy things in the room were the few trinkets that the boy actually kept from more important kills and a single pot that held flowers given to him by the same Archon.

Xiao huffed quietly as he rested his hand on the wall, squeezing tightly at his shoulder as he felt another sharp bit of pain pass through it. Damnit. Had he really gotten so weak over the past few days that a simple would like this was enough to faze him? His eyes closed as he tried to will the pain away, gritting his teeth gently as he grunted softly while squeezing.

"If you intend to staunch the flow of blood, it would be wiser to at least cover the wound. Otherwise, you will be doing little more but making a mess of the floor."

The boy's eyes shot open, his form going rigid as he took his hand off his wound and instead stood upright. He turned to face the Geo Archon, currently leaning against the wall with his eyes closed in seeming thought. They opened slowly to peer into the boy's own, amber meeting amber quietly as he pushed off from the wall and strode over.

Zhongli's hand rested on the injured shoulder, his gloved hand pressing down softly as he leaned a bit closer to examine the wound itself. Xiao gave another visible wince, body tensing as he tried to stifle it. It was something the Archon could clearly feel as well as already see. His other hand reached into a pouch, withdrawing a simple roll of gauze.

"The wound is not terrible, and it should heal fairly quickly as long as it is treated." He said simply, nudging the boy towards the bed in the room. Xiao obeyed silently and walked towards the bed, sitting down as Zhongli knelt in front of him with the gauze in hand. The Archon unraveled it quietly as well, focused on his task of dressing the boy's wound as Xiao spoke.

"It is truly nothing to worry yourself with, Master Zhongli.I can-"

"Then, it matters little what you can do, when I can do it instead." Zhongli said simply, wrapping the gauze around his shoulder softly. The words made Xiao wince again, a silent authority to them that seemed to actually cause a sort of chill along his spine. The Archon sounded displeased, but the boy could not seem to figure out why. This wasn't the first time he had been injured, after all.

He decided that his words were best saved after the man was done treating him. So, he merely nodded in return to Zhongli's statement as he let himself be taken care gauze was wrapped tightly and tied off, the man giving a small sigh as he looked over it and nodded. He stood, arms folding over his chest as he looked down towards Xiao with his eyes half-lidded.

Xiao looked up in return, his hands resting on the bed as he did so. His gaze crumbled a bit underneath the man's, eyes jotting to the side as he gave a gentle grunt of discomfort. He was about to speak when Zhongli did it first.

"Xiao. Do you remember the terms of our contract?" The tone with which the question was asked held a hint of… something to it. It was indeed a genuine question, almost explorative in regards to the boy's memory.

"Of course I do, Master Zhongli." Xiao said softly, his eyes peeking up towards the man's face again. His head lowered as he saw the features that had become more obviously displeased, more stern, a far cry from the neutral expression that Zhongli managed to retain so easily. He felt a dryness in the back of his throat.

"Then, I believe you would recall a clause that would state that you, a Yaksha of the Geo Archon, would be sure that you remained in a healthy condition so that you may carry out your duties to the best of your ability. Am I wrong in saying that you do remember such a clause?" Zhongli's tone had shifted now. It was indeed much more stern, layered in a displeasure that carried a hint of disappointment. The boy felt his stomach become much heavier, unsure as to why the man felt the need to recall their contract, made so long ago.

"I do recall such a clause, Master Zhongli. Is there something I have done to violate it?" Xiao had to bite back his own irritation at the man's tone. Although he respected the man to no end, he did not respect being treated like a child, and it showed in how his hands clenched the edge of the bed tightly.

"I would say so, young Xiao. Otherwise, I would not see it fit to remind you of it." The man walked off to the side, where a simple cabinet rested, one that Xiao used for the storage of more mundane items, what little he did find use in. His eyes wandered with Zhongli's form, watching as the man pulled out one, then two, then three bottles at once. Six bottles, all filled with an amber liquid rested on top of the cabinet as Zhongli looked back at Xiao over his shoulder.

His eyes were narrowed now, a sharp disappointment within them. "Can you explain this to me, Xiao?"

Xiao felt his jaw clench a bit, a small shudder running through his form. His amber eyes looked away, a small shake of his head coming forth. "There is nothing to explain, I have not been using the medicine."

Zhongli sighed softly, resting his newest bottle beside the others as he strode back to where the boy was sitting. His gloved hand lightly took the boy's chin, tilting his head up as he looked down into defiant amber with his own stern gaze. It was not an attitude that he often saw from the boy.

"Why have you not been taking the medicine, Xiao?"

"Because I simply do not need it."

Zhongli felt a single, solid tremor run through him at the silly notion, but he calmed himself as the floor beneath them shook softly. He breathed deeply, his eyes opening again as he gave a sigh. "Xiao. You and I are both aware that mortal medicines hold no comfort for the Adepti and beyond. It is why I make this medicine for you in the first place. Why do you think that you do not need it?"

"...it makes me weaker." Xiao said with a clench of his jaw, the boy's eyes shifting off to the side. The sigh from the man above him sounded both tired and disappointed at the same time, making his stomach clench just as tightly as his jaw.

"I will follow your notion for a time, if only to disprove it. This medicine is made specifically to soothe the pain of an Adepti and similar. It had no degenerative effects on the body as a whole, and the thought that it would make a creature any weaker is a thought that requires little to no consideration. That is simply just not how it works. Now, you can choose to rebut this logic if you wish."

"It takes away the pain from battle. So, if I continue to take it, it will make me softer overall to the damage my body can take while performing my duties." Xiao said with a reserved tone, contained a bit behind his teeth.

Zhongli took his hand from the boy's chin, crouching down slowly to his eye level as he spoke. "Xiao. The notion that a Yaksha of your capabilities would ever become 'soft' is ridiculous in its own right. The painkiller does not handicap you. It is meant to help you, and the thought that you would disregard it for a reason as simple and false as this one is quite concerning."

The boy's pale face flushed at the gentle, scolding tone that Zhongli had with his words. The pain from his shoulder did still throb softly, even beneath the bandages, another reminder that his weakening body did need some sort of relief. Yet, he despised the reliance he had on the medicine, even if it was from Zhongli.

"My reasons are valid in my eyes, Master. I don't see the merit in taking the medicine."

"Then you are childish." Zhongli said firmly, making Xiao growl a bit under his breath as the man stood. His tone shifted to a much more clear, authoritative pitch, speaking down to the boy. "Xiao of the Yaksha. By neglecting your health, you have broken one of the clauses of the contract made between us. As such, you shall receive the penalty established within the contract itself in the case of this event."

Xiao felt a wave of irritation wash over him, but he still gave a nod. He was in fact bound by duty, and, if he so broke a clause in Zhongli's eyes, he would accept the punishment the Archon would deal out. "I… accept responsibility for my actions, even if I believe them to be within the right."

"They are not. But, it is good that you accept them so easily. Hmm…" Zhongli raised a hand gently, his palm opening as the geo energy within began to build softly, collecting itself into a shape after a moment. A short, stone paddle formed within his palm, resting in his grip easily as the man set it down on the bed.

Xiao looked at it warily, unsure what it exactly meant. He expected some sort of punishment, but he also remembered that the severity depended on the actions of the clause breaker. So, what was his punishment to actually be to require an implement like this...?

Zhongli brushed the spot of the bed near the boy into a straight neatness, sitting down softly with a heavy, if gentle, sigh. His hand took the boy's upper bicep of his uninjured arm and pulled him close by it. Before Xiao could question why, he was tugged over the lap of the taller male, settled into place rather easily atop Zhongli's thighs. It was at this moment that something clicked within his head, and he couldn't help the gasp that came from his form as the fingers of the Archon gripped the waist of his trousers.

They were pulled below his rear, followed shortly by his boxers as the boy began to softly squirm. His pale rear was revealed to the Archon, shifting slightly as Xiao's face flushed with color. Zhongli placed an elbow on his back gently, his hand slowly peeling the glove off from his other hand as he sighed gently. He placed the glove on the bed, replacing his elbow with his hand as the now bare hand raised into the air.

With little warning, his hand came down, landing in a cupped, upward swat that lifted the boy's rump up softly as a loud clap resounded throughout the room. It repeated with the left side of the boy's bottom, soon falling into a rhythm as Zhongli took on a stern expression. His hand was firm and fell slowly, making sure the boy felt every swat even though they had only just begun.

Xiao gasped and suddenly yelped as he felt the first aches of sting across his bottom. His teeth caught his bottom lip, biting down as he held back the tide of more surprised yelps with some effort. This was NOT what he was expecting to be the penalty for his contract. To be put over an Archon's lap like a child? His face burned with embarrassment as his backside heated with the slap of the man's hand against his cheeks, stomach turning a bit as he squirmed while clutching the bedsheet.

Zhongli sighed as he felt the boy tense, his hand continuing to fall as he carefully watched the rear of the boy darken in color with each round of swats. A punishment like this would be considered childish, especially to creatures like them. Yet, the Archon could not help but admit the effectiveness it truly had. Even now, he could feel a bit of the boy's irritation loosening, put in a more vulnerable state as the punishment continued.

His hand fell in it's continuous rhythm, first the right cheek, then the left, not sparing an inch of flesh in between each carefully laid handprint along the boy's soft rear. It wasn't long before the skin of his normally pale bottom was taking on a darker hue of pink, which only continued to darken as the man nodded slightly.

"Xiao. It is good that you are accepting your punishment quite well. But, I wish to ask you something. Do you know exactly why you are being punished?" He punctuated the question with a resounding swat along both of the boy's thighs, starting to aim for the more sensitive parts of his bottom.

Xiao grunted as he struggled to keep himself in check, even one as normally subdued as himself having a hard time keeping reserved when he was being spanked like a child. When the question reached his ears, his jaw clenched again, keeping relatively silent despite the circumstances.

This did not please the Archon. He brought his hand down harshly for a moment at the spot between thigh and buttocks, his fingers splaying against the tender skin and leaving pink marks that stung. "I would prefer you to answer. We still have a long way to go, and I would hate to have to add on more due to disobedience."

"B-Because I have neglected the medicine." He said with a tight voice, regretting answering immediately as it caused a soft whine to squeeze from his throat. His eyes stung at the indignity of it, the Yaksha boy realizing they were the makings of tears.

"Not just because you have neglected the medicine, Xiao. But, because you have neglected your health as a result." The man spoke firmly, resting his hand softly against the boy's stinging rear. He gave a gentle rub, a sigh escaping him. "And for that, you are receiving your penalty. It is not only to serve as punishment, but it also should serve as a reminder that the clauses in a contract are for both parties' benefit. It would be… problematic if you were to collapse because of your neglect."

His hand gripped the handle of the paddle softly, lifting it into the air as he closed his eyes. "You will be receiving a final ten strokes with this paddle. Afterwards, this transgression will be forgiven. Is that understood? A verbal answer this time please."

Xiao swallowed heavily as he listened to the man speak, his rear burning from his punishment. The Yaksha nodded softly as tears leaked from his eyes, and his mouth opened with a soft sob as he spoke. "I… understand, Master Zhongli. I will… try to keep from further infractions."

The boy's stomach swirled with remorse, only spurned on from the words of the man. It did not take much to realize that while Zhongli was indeed speaking of their contract, his tone also showed genuine concern for him as well. The sentiment sent a small spike of shame through him, that being the break that his stubbornness needed to squeeze the now flowing tears from his eyes.

Zhongli nodded softly, rubbed his hand along the boy's back softly for a moment. When he thought he'd given the boy enough of a break, he brought down the paddle firmly, a resounding crack exploding a sharp pain across Xiao's backside. He himself winced at the boy's sudden wail, not expecting it to come from the boy so suddenly. His arm swung again, nevertheless, landing on the boy's bottom with just as much force.

Xiao gasped as he felt the wail spill out from him, tears flooding his cheeks as he pushed his face into the bed. His hands clutched the sheets tightly towards him as he felt the paddle fall repeatedly, over and over again as he cried into the bed. Within a few minutes, the boy was little more than a sobbing mess over the man's knees, and the paddle disappeared as Zhongli sighed softly above the cries of the boy.

His glove was replaced as he looked down at his handiwork, amber eyes looking over the crimson that covered the boy's rear and sitspots. His hand gently stroked along the boy's back as his cries continued, and he gently tugged the pants of the boy back into place for him. Zhongli shifted his form back, pulling up Xiao easily as the boy dripped tears from his eyes.

Xiao himself barely noticed, the boy's face red from crying as his arm pressed against his nose to try and staunch the flow of tears. When he was suddenly set down against the man's lap again, he gave a surprised yelp, trying to squirm off his rear as the Archon's arms wrapped around him. A tight squeeze finally brought him to the man's attention, Xiao relaxing marginally as he leaned on the Geo Archon with a soft groan.

Zhongli's gloved hand came up, stroking down the boy's hair softly as he held him. He held the boy close, merely coddling him as he felt the boy begin to calm just from the simple ministrations of the older male. His fingers played gently along the colored locks of the boy as he noticed the tears had stopped, replaced with light breathing as Xiao rested on him.

"Xiao?"

"Yes… Master Zhongli?" The boy spoke tiredly, his eyes half-lidded as he merely wiped at them. His head was placed against the man's shoulder, not quite wanting to leave the embrace that left such a warmth in his form.

"You will be sure to take your medicine from now on, unless you want a repeat of this lesson. Is that understood?" Zhongli said softly, hugging him tightly against his form still as the boy nodded. Xiao gave a sniff, nodding into his shoulder.

"Yes, Master Zhongli. I… am sorry for my stubbornness. It was quite… childish in hindsight to believe such a thing." The boy said with a little sniff, his hand coming up to wipe his eyes again.

As the boy said so, the man placed a firm kiss upon the boy's head, a thin smile on his lips. "That you are correct about, but I do hope this will serve as a rather memorable lesson."

Xiao nodded softly again, his mouth parting in a soft sigh as he nuzzled in close against the man. With a short exhale, he relaxed against the man's form, and Zhongli continued to hold him even as he started to doze. Perhaps… it would be best to drink the painkiller once he woke, at least if he wanted to sit again without wincing for the day.