Blossoms of Love

Chapter 2: The Sun Wraiths of Ningyi

"What is it?" Lady Yin asked, curious to know what such a small village could be sending word for.

The young master glanced up at his mother. "It is a call for aid. The letter says they are being overrun by sun wraiths every night."

Lady Yin hummed in thought. It was unusual for such a small village to call for help, especially one that had been dealing with trivial incidents like these for such a long time.

"I will dispatch a group of soldiers to deal with the matter. It is only a day's ride from here, they will be there to deal with the issue by tomorrow night."

"No, you should go. The people of Ningyi have been having problems with sun wraiths for years. If they are sending for aid something must have happened, it will be better for you to go yourself. Take Song Mengyao with you. We are already short on cultivators; you will need his help."

Yin Jianguo bowed, obeying his mother's command, and left to prepare. He knew that taking the prince was a risky move. He could try to escape or turn on them the moment he was allowed the chance to, but his mother was right. They were a Sect of soldiers, very few were granted the opportunity to cultivate their Qi. They would need more than ordinary soldiers to hold off the sun wraiths— they needed Song Mengyao.

The prince was walking with Meixiu when Master Yin came looking for him. "I hate to interrupt but the prince needs to prepare."

"Prepare?"

"Ningyi has called for aid. Mother has suggested that you join us."

The prince furrowed his brows and gestured to the space on his side in which his sword used to reside. "I won't be much of a fighter without my sword."

Rather than answer him, Master Yin simply headed off to prepare his things for the journey. They would be gone for a while, a week at most, so he wanted to be prepared for what the road was going to bring.

***

Lady Yin had insisted that they only take one carriage and so, the young master was forced to share his with the prince. The guards rode alongside them, ready to protect them or ensure the prince did not escape should the need arise but as expected, the road to Ningyi was quiet. Yin Jianguo had brought the Go board with him, knowing that it would be the best way to pass the time as the prince was a little less than talkative with him.

It annoyed him, in fact, how the prince preferred the company of his younger sister. She was pretty but from what Master Yin could tell, the prince hadn't made any attempts at courting her. They seemed like friends, although it was clear Meixiu was rather smitten with the handsome Magnolia Prince, not that her brother could blame her.

Upon their arrival, as the sun was just beginning to set, Ningyi village was unusually quiet. Not a soul was outside, everyone hiding behind locked doors as the carriage rolled along the road.

When they came to a halt, Master Yin was the first to climb out. He walked off for a moment, obtaining something from one of the guards accompanying them, and came back to offer his hand to the prince as he stepped down from the carriage.

Yin Jianguo was not in the least bit surprised to find that the prince had soft hands, although the right was slightly tougher. It seemed that, despite his gentle demeanour, the boy had undergone proper sword training just like the rest of his sect.

Once Song Mengyao had both feet firmly planted to the ground, he glanced around to find that only one house had even the slightest flicker of candlelight despite the blanket of darkness that shrouded the village.

"Here." Master Yin gave Song Mengyao his sword, reuniting the prince with his weapon after weeks of being apart.

A man without his sword was no man at all, particularly when that man was the youngest son from such a high-standing sect.