The Rise of the Divine Oracle

Chapter 109 - Respite

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Hweiru knew that someone was following her. Her Uncle Ning thought he was good at hiding but the birds left no one unscathed. Two hours into the lesson and Hweiru had no ink stains and no stone. She was determined to win and prove to Jingyi that she was superior and entitled to be called 'the favorite'.

She knew all the places Wuxian liked to frequent. Since he said that his rooms are not included in the exercise, she immediately went to the back mountains where the cold spring is located. It was a hard terrain to navigate especially when there are no trees to cover her as she moves between rocks and crawls from one spot to another.

She was not disappointed when she found the stone neatly placed between the rocks surrounding the spring. On her way back, she saw Jingyi running towards the main hall without even trying to be stealth. She shook her head in disapproval and continued to make her way towards the Treasure Room. She didn't find anyone there. She poked her head out the window to look at the sun. She was definitely not too late, so where is everyone?

Wen Ning joined her after a few minutes and they both shared a worried look. Wen Ning: "Stay here. I will go look around."

She nods and he steps out the door. A few minutes later, he rushes in and grabs her hand, pulling her along: "I think there was a struggle here and someone is hurt."

Hweiru starts to panic: "How can you tell?"

Wen Ning: "I found blood just outside the widow area."

Hweiru obediently went along as Wen Ning followed his instincts to where his soul-brother would be. They found themselves at the Quiet Room, where Healer Shi and Zewu Jun greeted them at the door. Zewu Jun crouched to the girl's level and said: "Hweiru, I need you to listen to me carefully. Can you do that?"

The girl nods, tightening her hold on Wen Ning's hand. Zewu Jun gently grabs her shoulders and smiles reassuringly: "Brother Wei was attacked a few minutes ago. He is well now.. maybe a little tired. Healer Shi already cleared him and all he has to do is stay in bed for a few days and he will be fine."

Hweiru swallows hard: "May I see my mama?"

Zewu Jun nods and ushers the girl inside. Wuxian smiles at her as she hastily approaches the bed. He taps the empty space next to him and Wangji helps her up. She looks worriedly at Wuxian: "Mama, you got hurt?"

Wuxian smooths her hair back and shakes his head: "I'll be fine. Your uncle saved me."

He winks at his brother who smirks with pride: "Jiang Cheng, meet our daughter: Lan Hweiru."

The girl hops off the bed to bow to her uncle: "Jiang Clan Leader, I am pleased to meet you."

Cheng's eyebrow rises up, he points at the girl and mouths to his brother: 'Mini Lan Wangji?'

Wuxian chuckles while nodding. Cheng pets her head and says: "You can call me Uncle Cheng. I'm pleased to meet you too."

She smiles at him then returns to her father's side. She pulls out something from her robes and places it on Wuxian's lap: "I found the stone you asked for."

Wuxian did not expect the three-year-old to complete the task two hours into the lesson. Her robes were ink free too. His mouth hung open. He was genuinely shocked.

Hweiru took the stone and placed it in his hand: "I can be the favorite now, right?"

Wuxian bit his lips when her eyes sparkled with hope. Wangji saves him by pulling the girl into his lap and patting her head: "You did well."

Wuxian can feel wetness spreading into his robes and he shares a silent look of plea with Wangji. The taller man stands up and carries their daughter: "Wei Ying needs to rest per his doctor's request. How about we go tell the others that he is well?"

Hweiru clearly wanted to stay but had no other choice but to comply with Wangji's order as he carried her out the room.

Wuxian lets out a strangled breath and hisses when he moves the cover to reveal his bloody side. Healer Shi made her way in and sighs: "Little rabbit! Why are you sitting up? What part of rest do you not understand?"

She helped him lay down, cleaned and wrapped his wound while Cheng watched from the side. He had no clue who this woman is but she clearly looks comfortable with his brother to a point of using nicknames. He was not impressed.

Wuxian found himself alone with Cheng after Shi finished attending to his wound. The smaller man blinked tiredly at his brother: "I missed you."

Cheng smiles at him: "Your lack of letters shows it."

Wuxian sighs while closing his eyes: "I got distracted."

Cheng leaned in to hear his brother's low voice: "Still.. I expected more than one letter and generic updates from Zewu Jun."

Wuxian shivers as he slowly falls asleep: ".. cold."

Cheng sighs and tucks the blanket around Wuxian before laying on top of them next to his brother. He pulls the cold man close and rubs his back: "Better?"

Wuxian hums his approval before finally slipping into a dreamless sleep.

Jiang Cheng stares at his brother's relaxed face. It's been a while since he saw his brother up close. He cannot help but be reminded of how disappointed he was at losing him. He smells like Shijie when she used to comfort him as a child. He moves his fingers over Wuxian's golden eyelashes and pale soft cheeks.

Someone whispers from the shadows: "I know how you feel."

Cheng huffs: "Don't compare my brotherly love to your weird fascination."

Yuxio steps into the light and folds her arms: "Love is love. It doesn't matter how you label it."

Cheng turned to glare at her and stopped short, shocked by her appearance: "That's an.. interesting choice of fashion."

Yuxio groans and points at the sleeping man: "You can blame him for this."

Cheng chuckles at her when she tries to wipe some of the ink, succeeding only in spreading it more into her skin and robes.

Yuxio sighs, giving up after a few failed attempts at fixing her look then looks at Cheng with a serious look: "We have a problem."

Cheng sits up to face her. She moves closer and says: "The man you killed was not alone. He came into Cloud Recesses when the wards were lowered to let you in. They moved fast as if they knew the layout of the place and where Grandmaster Wei will be. We caught the rest, 4 in total. Hanguang Jun ordered that the three still alive be questioned."

Wuxian sighs in his sleep, causing Cheng to rub his back to warm and calm him.

Cheng whispers: "Did they say anything when you arrested them?"

Yuxio's expression darkens: "The Divine Oracle must die."

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Dear readers,

I am so happy that many of you read my story, posted comments and voted to cheer me on. Unfortunately, I have fallen behind with updating the upcoming chapters. I will stop posting for the next 5 days and resume the daily updates on the 25th of June.

Stay safe <3

- Blaksalt

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