THE YILING MATRIARCH

Chapter 39 : Wandering the Halls of Jin

Seeing how Meifeng still had no idea what Mo Xiemei could've done to earn such treatment from the Jin clan even though she had never properly met them, she was left with acting like the deranged lunatic, not knowing what they were talking about even though it wasn't a complete act. "Huh? What are you guys talking about? Xiemei hasn't done anything wrong!" Despite retorting back at the men as she fell back on her act of being Mo Xiemei, the men didn't budge at all. In fact, it only seemed to annoy them further, but thankfully she had Jin Ling still there to defend her enough that the people would leave her alone... for now.

Blows were enchanged between the bullies and Jin Ling, and despite an obvious difference in strength and knowledge of fighting, Meifeng's nephew was left the victor after a vicious onslaught of well-aimed attacks.

A trail of curses followed the bullies as they left in defeat, leaving Meifeng and a now huffing Jin Ling alone still in the garden. Despite being from the same clan, Jin Ling couldn't stand Jin Chan, who had been a ringleader of bullies ever since he was young, and had been the biggest annoyance he'd ever met. It was one thing to target someone weaker than him, but to attempt attacking a guest during the current time wasn't low enough apparently for Jin Chan to stoop to. "That guy... when is he ever going to learn?" The question wasn't something new Jin Ling found himself pondering, but he couldn't help but ponder this everytime the larger boy had ever picked on anyone.

Unbeknownst to Jing Ling as his thoughts rang loud in his head, he didn't hear Meifeng behind him walking up to give the boy a motherly hug; she had been moved by the fact her sister's son had obviously built up the courage to face those group of boys head on despite the difference in size and number. It was a big step to take to defend someone else when your own life was on the frontlines that many sadly didn't take out of their own self-preservation, so she couldn't resist the urge to give him one big hug. "Look how happy you are. Is this the first time you actually won a fight?"

"I've won one-on-one fights, but he almost always brings his cronies with him wherever he goes. Guy is totally a coward." The scowl on Jin Ling's face caused Meifeng to laugh a little, lightly squeezing the arm she had around his shoulders just a bit tighter. A few one-on-one fights didn't mean much, that's true, but the fact he had fought against uneven odds more than once spoke to her how strong he was... which honestly made her wonder if the boy had even had proper training in how to fight back against bullies. If Jiang Cheng had denied that much to his nephew, then not only was the man going to receive some words from her, but she wouldn't let her adoptive-nephew defend himself without knowing how to deliver a proper nose-busting punch.

However, as much as she wanted to do just that, it'd have to wait. For now.

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Meifeng hadn't walked away too far from where she had spoken with Jin Ling when she saw a familiar snow white figure standing in the distance, staring at her so intensely she wondered if Lan Zhan had been spooked by her appearance. Nonetheless, she ran towards him and spoke of her findings; apparently the reason why the servants hadn't been able to take their eyes off of her was because Mo Xiemei was considered to be brought to Lanling Jin as a cultivating disciple, but had been kept at arms length due to her status as Jin Guangshan's bastard daughter that would've made some political trouble for the man. The news was both surprising and predictable, knowing the Jin clan's habit of keeping things they don't want to get out hushed up within the clan itself.

Walking back with Wangji after finalizing that they needed to do something to uncover everything, the two decided they would wait for the right moment to strike, taking the rest of their time to walk the garden grounds; it really was a beautiful spot once you stopped thinking about what kind of men lived there. Wangji even held her hand as she walked on the stone railing of a bridge that overlooked a fish pond where colorful giants swam unbeknownst of the two watching them. Their peace was good and just what they needed after spending months tracking down leads of where and how their plight had started, ripping them apart for thirteen long years. Still, despite the harmonious atmosphere they were given, a sigh ripped itself from Meifeng's lips at what they would now be facing and Wangji's attention was focused back on her in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just.... Did you notice before how Jin Ling was always alone during his Night Hunts? Jiang Cheng went with him sometimes, but... it just doesn't sit right with me that no one was hunting with him. When we were his age...." Her last comment sat unfinished, but he could tell what she was trying to say, and he agreed with her sentiments. No matter how far apart Jin Ling was from his clansmen, there had to have been someone who the boy would've been with that was his age. Even young men from the Lan clan were not short of peers that would gladly accompany each other, and Yunmeng Jiang were filled with bright-eyed souls brimmed with a thirst for adventure, so seeing the youth alone was..... Troubling.

"I heard that Jin Guangyao had a son once, but he died young and the couple has not had a child since then." It was a sad tale that the Jin clan also wanted to cover up, seeing how the child hadn't simply died, but was in truth killed due to the fact many sects disagreed with Guangyao's plan to set up the watchtowers, and one sect in particular had been so angered that they had killed the boy who had been so loved by everyone and his parents. "With Jin Ling's temper," Wangji added after the melancholy weight landed from such a sad tale, "he has no shortage of people who dislike him, and the only reason no one has outright attacked him is because Jiang Cheng is his Uncle, though he is not exactly known for his ability to interact with children. Jin Guangyao on the other hand...."

Jin Guangyao, who had lost a young child and was a gentler soul than Jiang Cheng, had to make no effort in replacing his dead son with Jin Ling who had been starved of affection from his deceased parents and slightly abusive maternal uncle. The results of this outcome basically ensured no one would dare expect the childless man that took his nephew under his wing to be capable of any evil acts.

Seeing the sun begin to set, and Meifeng's eyes concentrate past her developing migraine at this implication, Wangji gently set the woman on her feet and directed her back towards the Jin Sect so they could prepare for the night.... And what was to come. 

A/N: Just letting you all know that in a couple of days I classes are starting again, so I will try my best to keep updating this story for as long as I can. I've actually hit another snag in writing, so I've been re-watching Mo Dao Zu Shi and reading the online novel just to get back into the mindset of this story. Hope you all had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Years!!