Bronze Magic - Son of the tree of creation

Lao Yang's message

Chen Pi was just sitting there scrutinizing the piece of paper. And as he still was wearing his sunglasses – never had taken them off really – Wu Xie couldn't even read his eyes.

Trying to keep still when he was feeling really fidgety was already hard. And then the old man slightly slanted his head – indicating that whatever he saw had caught his attention. Fine, Wu Xie knew that he was nosy but right now he felt like being on tenterhooks more then he could remember ever being before.

Even Panzi and Fatty seemed to have caught it. And were now interested in what was written on that piece of paper too. No, Panzi could have noticed earlier than this that the young man stepping into their compartment by accident was the very same person Wu Xie had been meting with at the station. He just wasn't sure if Panzi had really seen Lao Yang at that time.

Well considering that he was working as a bodyguard for the family at least part time he probably had noticed the suspicious man at the door. Even then he still was a more patient man and probably better actor then Wu Xie when it comes to thinks like this.

After several more seconds of every one waiting for Chen Pi's reaction. At this point, Wu Xie thought begrudgingly, it might just be an old man having fun making everyone else wait. Knowing that they wouldn't interrupt him.

Fatty obviously wouldn't want to get on the bad side of one of the nine, expecially if it was someone who had the reputation Chen Pi had. Panzi, wouldn't act up, without his uncle here or Wu Xie making the first step.

And him, Wu Xie was still unsure what to think about his – probably might have become his granduncle in law. According to his family the marriage between Chen Wenjin, Chen Pi's somewhat estranged daughter and his third uncle was only a question of time. But then about twenty years ago, Chen Wenjin disappeared, probably dead even – and only his uncle came back.

Even if Chen Pi wasn't really close to his daughter anymore at that point, he had still lost his daughter – and if the rumors that Wu Xie heard are to be believed it was his uncles fault. Chen Wenjin, Wu Xie could barely remember her.

But he still remembered that she had wanted to adopt him, take him away from the care of the clan 'and give him a proper home', she had said. He remembered that she was a really nice lady, that had scolded his uncle whenever he wasn't treating Wu Xie nicely.

Losing her must really have been a sever loss for Chen Pi. And even when Wu Xie couldn't remember ever having met this man before, he decided to try and treat him like the weird, somewhat creepy and dangerous estranged grandpa.

Or he just was too much of a scary cat and thus decided to give the old man his time.

It was just weird, as much as he really wanted to get his hands on that piece of paper, it felt like the first time he had thought about Chen Pi at all. Until meeting him he just had never asked himself how the disappearance might have affected others.

He only knew of Xiaoge's missing memories, and that too was only because of personally meeting him – talking to him.

Then Chen Pi folded the piece of paper again, still holding it in his hand.

"I can't read this", he said leaning back in his seat, looking relaxed.

Wu Xie was baffled, he had thought – expected that it was only a matter of time before Chen Pi had decoded the message. He was a legendary tomb robber, deciphering the old languages came with the business. The longer one was part of it the more one could understand, and even Wu Xie with his young age could read quite a large number of ancient languages.

Lao Yang and he had never used some code, even back in school they had only use one easy to learn ancient language to have fun with every now and then. How could this be, was Chen Pi lying to him?