THE UNTAMED HEART

Chapter 17: Qinghe

It was one week after the battle, Qinghe was calm, or so it seemed. Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang were on their way to check the ancestral tomb, to make sure that everything was intact and balanced. The two brothers arrived in the ancestral tomb, using the formation, they open the door and entered to check. Nie Huiasang lit the chandelier with a fire talisman and said:

"Da-ge, what are we looking for?"

Nie Mingjue:

"We are checking the tomb Huaisang, check the matrixes, make sure they aren't broken."

Nie Huaisang nodded and started looking at the matrixes, none of them were broken, though this was his first time at the ancestral tomb, he had seen all these matrixes, formations, puzzles from the books that he read. Nie Mingjue checked the blades and made sure that none of them went missing, he then went back to Nie Huaisang:

"Huaisang, the blades are intact."

Nie Huaisang:

"Da-ge, the matrixes are fine too."

The two brothers nodded to each other, they paid their respects to their ancestors and left the ancestral tomb. While they were on their way back, they heard a woman screaming, they looked at each other and changed the direction of the horses, Nie Huaisang threw a talisman to disperse the fog only to reveal that a man was pushing a woman against a tree and trying to undress her. She was doing her best, flailing, kicking around, but all were in vain as the man managed to lock her in a position. Nie Mingjue signed to Nie Huaisang, the two brothers rode towards them, Nie Mingjue threw the Baxia at the man, killing him right then and there. He stopped his horse and got off it. Nie Huaisang also stopped his horse but he didn't get off. Nie Mingjue looked at the woman:

"Lady Luo."

She was Luo Qingyang or "Mianmian" as her friends called her. Back when they were discussing about Wei Wuxian, she had stood up for him, stating that Nevernight was a battlefield and that everybody was killing indiscriminately under such circumstances. No matter how much the other leaders tried, she didn't change her wording, standing behind what she told, she then declared that she defected from Lanling Jin Sect, threw her outer robes on the floor, right in front of all those sect leaders, left the discussion. When Nie Migjue saw her, she was outside, speaking with Lan Wangji, Nie Mingjue back then, looked at Lan Xichen he said "this woman has some backbone" he never thought that he would meet her again. Luo Qingyang looked at him and said:

"Sect... Sect Leader Nie?"

Her face was restless and she was shivering, she fell forward, Nie Mingjue caught her and said:

"Lady Luo?"

Luo Qingyang vomited some blood and continued shivering. Seeing what happened, Nie Huaisang rushed to their side and said:

"Da-ge?"

Nie Huaisang grabbed Luo Qingyang's arms and Nie Mingjue pushed her to Nie Huaisang, he then took off his outer robe and put it on her, he asked:

"Lady Luo, can you walk?"

Luo Qingyang was definitely shaken from what happened to her. Nie Mingjue retrieved Baxia and sheathed it on his back, he then helped her get on the horse with him, Nie Huaisang also got on his own horse and they rode back to the Unclean Realm.

Nie Mingjue helped Luo Qingyang to get off the horse, she was still shaking, seeing their leader, their second master and a lady who was wearing their leader's robes, the disciples were shocked, Nie Mingjue loudly said:

"Don't just stand there, find some doctors, bring some food and find some female clothes!"

He looked at Luo Qingyang:

"Lady Luo, no worries."

Luo Qingyang:

"Thank you Sect Leader Nie."

Nie Mingjue led Luo Qingyang to a room, he left when the doctor arrived, he then made his way to Nie Huaisang's room, entered and spoke:

"Huaisang, do you remember her?"

Nie Huiasang:

"Da-ge, wasn't she the lady who stood up for brother Wei?"

Nie Mingjue sat on a chair and said:

"She was. Her cultivation is high, how did she end up like that? Huaisang, I told Zonghui to take care of the body, he will bring it back."

Nie Huaisang also sat on a chair, he poured tea for his brother and himself then said:

"Da-ge, what are you thinking?"

Nie Huaisang knew his brother very well, he could read through his tough face, Nie Mingjue's eyes suddenly filled with tears, he took a deep breath and said:

"Huaisang, this happened near the ancestral tomb, you said that the matrixes were fine, how did they breach the last barrier?"

Nie Huaisang took a sip from his tea and thought, his eyes suddenly opened widely and he said:

"Da-ge didn't you tell that Lady Luo's cultivation was high, that is how she must have breached but nobody night-hunts here. No, wrong."

Nie Mingjue looked at him and said:

"Huaisang?"

Nie Huaisang:

"She can't be here to night-hunt, nobody dares to do it in Qinghe, she was probably passing by. What if the guy chased her towards the ancestral tomb, and to breach the last barrier, he could succeed if he was following."

Nie Mingjue nodded and said:

"If she doesn't know the rumors, the maze is the only barrier to keep her out but her cultivation is high, there is no way she couldn't resist the guy, his cultivation must have been high too."

A tear streamed down Nie Mingjue's face, Nie Huaisang gave him a napkin and said:

"Da-ge, what is it?"

Nie Mingjue shook his head:

"I was just thinking of how she stood up and how I turned a deaf ear to her words, my temper was really bad during that time."

Nie Huaisang said:

"Xichen-ge told me that you appreciated her."

Nie Mingjue nodded:

"Though I disagreed with her back then, she stood behind what she said."

Nie Zonghui knocked on the door and said:

"Sect Leader Nie, Second Master Nie."

Nie Huaisang opened the door, Nie Zonghui bowed and said:

"I brought it back."

Nie Mingjue stood up and said:

"Take us there."

Nie Zonghui nodded and led the two brothers to where the body was. Upon examining the body, and seeing the peony, they noticed that the cultivator was from Lanling Jin Sect, his cultivation was indeed high when he was alive. Nie Huaisang noticed a piece of paper, he carefully picked it up and gasped, Nie Mingjue looked at him:

"Huaisang, what happened?"

Nie Huaisang was pale and he said:

"Da-ge, this is a bounty for Luo Qingyang and it is signed by Jin Guangshan."