Loyal, Brave & True

Chapter 13

Fall arrived and so did the Phoenix Mountain Crowd Hunt. Gathered all in Jinlintai, banners with different clan emblems moved proudly along with the wind. There were 5 rows, each one different from the other because of their colours.

At the very back were the Lei, being much less than the others and with some women in their ranks. Most were young and new recruits with only a few faces being more familiar with the campaign.

Right in front of them were the Nie, followed by Lan, Jiang and Jin at the very front. In front of them, in a line of their own stood the representative leaders.

Zhouan stood next to Wangji, with Hussain by her other side, in the same line with Wuxian, Zixuan and Zixun. Zhouan's mother had not attended due to the weakness of her heart which slowly increased the passing months. However, in the booth with the tables, Xichen sat and would support both his brother and his bride-to-be.

As they stood in line, Clan Leader Jin marched in front of them, followed by Yanli and some helpers. Wuxian waved his flute and smiled as his sister passed by. During the passing months, Zixuan had approached the Jiangs and asked their sister's hand to marriage.

It hadn't taken place yet and to Zhouan it was uncertain if it would fully happen with the heir's certain attitude and Wuxian's overprotective side of his sister. Yet, she didn't worry about that in a certain moment, instead smiled amused as the sister covered her face behind her fan.

It was adorable to see and Zhouan didn't fail to notice how much more Wuxian smiled whenever his sister was around. It reminded him of her, is similar to her brother even though now she had found a few to remind her to smile.

Yao stood up and walked to the steps, standing in front of our heroes with the very same smile he always wore. "You must all know the rules already. I want to highlight again that this row of targets *points at the archery targets at their very right* is the first barrier before entering the mountain. Only participators who hit one of the targets outside the range can achieve his entering ticket. The Target has 7 circles, which correspond to 7 mountain paths. The closer your arrow hits the centre of the target, the easier the way will be. And this year, we have designed a special activity to delight our guests"

Finishing is speech, Yao motioned with his hand for something to be brought forward. Zhouan's breath was caught on her throat once she noticed what this entertainment was or better say who. Innocent women, men and old people dressed in torn Wen robes. They had collars around their necks and chains holding their hands together and tying them one to the other.

They seemed exhausted, tired, scared, and wounded. Yet, the Jin members pushed and ordered them around without any remorse.

Her anger quickly boiled inside the Lei heir, her breathing increasing as she watched them being placed as an obstacle in front of the targets. The hand that held her sword started to shake, knuckles white from the force.

"If someone stood in front of the target, it would be more difficult to hit the target. Your skills shall be tested then" Yao continued, enjoying the faces two certain cultivators made.

Wuxian took a step forward, anger radiating from him in waves. Both his sister and his brother made contact with him, trying to motion for him to stand down and not do anything reckless.

Zhouan had her attention on the people, her hand shaking as her free hand itched to pull the swords and destroy the chains. Feeling a pair of eyes on her, she looked at the booth and immediately locked her gaze with Xichen.

He also seemed hurt by the result, but his kind eyes pleaded her to not act carelessly. It pained her, seeing him with such desperation but she understood why he was acting in such way. There was a lot at risk here, from the marriage to the dignity of both Lan and Lei clan.