[There's a quiet, pained noise when Blade sits back on his haunches, pulling away from proximity. But if this is what it will take for Blade to listen... Maybe he'll leave and focus on Jing Yuan if he tells him.

(he doesn't want him to leave, he wants to reach for the man and cling as tightly as he can until he feels less like crawling out of his own skin)]

He will not want to see me. I tried to help him avoid Dan Feng... and failed. Dan Feng... made a lesson of it and made him watch.

[There is the source of the shame.]