Second Time Around

44. Extras 2: Animals to People

Wen Qing nodded thoughtfully. That agrees with the testimony of how many of the others died. Then something caught her attention. "Why are you being nice to me?"

Nie MingJue straightened up. "Can't we have a normal conversation at least once before I die?'' Then his shoulders bent just a tad. "I don't want to die, you know. And A'Sang is not ready to be sect leader. He's capable; he's just not ready."

Wen Qing settled to her knees on the opposite side of the table. "Are you ready to tell me the truth then? Will you tell me why so many QingheNie disciples are dead from qi deviations?"

'Yes." In an emotionless voice, Nie MingJue told her about the Nie cultivation method, the difference between sabers and spiritual swords.

Wen Qing stared at the Nie sect leader. What an ass. What an idiot! What she said was, "Your use of the sabers is what's causing the problem? I think I know how to help you."

It wasn't his fault, necessarily, that he was an idiot. Generations of Nie lived and died with no hope of a cure aside from altering their cultivation basis. It was his fault, however, that he knew that Wei WuXian was a genius, used resentful energy, and neglected to ask for his assisstance.

Wen Qing prided herself on not being an idiot. Her butterfly to Wei WuXian was short and direct: A'Xian, I need you to tell me how you suppressed or eliminated resentful energy in the area around our settlement in the Burial Mounds. I have objects here that eat resentful energy and, once it builds up enough, the energy bleeds into the person using them.

His reply took a few days to arrive. 'Are you trying to purge resentful energy from the person or the object?' He had talismans and instructions for each.

Nie MingJue was skeptical. "Are you suggesting that all we have to do is engrave this onto our blades and it does what?"

Wen Qing tried to recite from memory. "Once applied with spiritual energy, It disperses resentful energy away from the object it's written on harmlessly into the ether. When it gets faint, you need to refresh it with more spiritual energy. He used a variation of this when he lived in the Burial Mounds."

"A variation," the sect leader's doubts were very much in evidence.

"Well, he couldn't use spiritual energy, could he?" she retorted.

They experimented on one of the weaker senior disciples and his blade. When he suffered no ill effects, they experimented on a slightly stronger cultivator. When she actually felt healthier after a few night hunts, Nie MingJue allowed the spell to be applied to Baxia.

Wen Qing insisted that he allow the spell at least a few days to settle in and start working before he went on a night hunt. She monitored his pulse several times a day, delighted to see more than just slight changes in the seething qi. When killing a measuring snake decreased the volatility of his qi, Wen Qing announced her intent to depart. "You are no longer in danger; I'm no longer needed here."

"You can't leave," Nie HuaiSang protested. "What if he gets worse again?"

"Please prepare a carriage," she insisted, and left to pack up her belongings again.

"Wen Guniang, may I come in?" Nie Mingjue asked and entered her room without waiting for an answer.

"Apparently, I answered yes without speaking," she groused.

"Will you stay?"

"There is no need for me to remain in the Unclean Realm. My brother needs me."

"I mean... will you stay... with me?"

Wen Qing's jaw dropped. That sounds like... Is he asking me? Thoughts flew away as Nie MingJue bent down and lightly kissed her. His mustache tickled. "Why did you do that? Why are you asking me to stay? You don't even like me!"