Cuz I keep digging myself down deeper,
I won't stop till I get where you are.
§
I keep running when both my feet hurt,
I won't stop till I get where you are.
Wangji stands at the balcony of Cloud Recesses's Elegance Chamber, his sword gripped tightly in his right hand. He's tempted to exercise his swordsmanship, but he knows he shouldn't. It's been a week since Lady Yang came to Cloud Recesses and told them to find Wei Ying... they still haven't found him.
Wangji is still not healing.
He stands on the balcony in the early morning, the sun not yet hot, the trees not yet awake with the wind. He is formally dressed and waiting.
Footsteps sound behind him. His grip tightens on his sword; he stiffens with anticipation.
Gu Meiyou bows, "Your Excellency."
Wangji turns and bows back without looking at her. He knows that if he does, his heart will hurt, "Lady."
She smiles, "I was glad to hear from you. I mean—it's an honour to be able to meet you again."
Wangji doesn't reply.
"How are you healing, Your Excellency? Have you been resting well?"
"I'm fine."
"I see... these beautiful mornings probably improve your temperament, don't they? To be honest, I was surprised that you called to meet this early in the day. I'm usually awake this time myself. I spend every morning either in the library of my home or with my harp... I heard you play the Qin very well."
Wangji doesn't reply.
Silence falls over them. Gu Meiyou glances over at Hanguang Jun, her eyes shifting uneasily. She starts, "So... uhh... perhaps we should eat something? Have you had breakfast yet, Your Excellency?"
"No."
"Well, we should then! Forgive me for imposing this first, but I've just had an idea that—if it works with Your Excellency—we could meet every other morning like this for a morning meal.... I could play you my harp. I know a few Songs of Clarity myself. They would help ease your mind and soul."
Wangji already knows every Song of Clarity in the book. He can play all of them for himself, make them work on himself, by himself. He doesn't need her to do it—
He answers, "That would be much appreciated."
Gu Meiyou beams, "May we discuss the details of our meetings in later letters?"
Wangji turns to face her, staring into her eyes for a long moment. In a single breath, he mutters, "Yes."
•••
Meiyou finds Hanguang Jun attractive, indeed. Physically and emotionally. There's something about him that has always stirred interest in her... she would watch from afar at ceremonies and parties, as the whole room bowed to his unwavering elegance. She was so happy when her father told her news that she'd be marrying him. That mysterious, tender-looking man across the room... she is embarrassed to admit how happy she was.
And yet.
When he looks at her, his eyes are hollow. Glassy, emotionless, far away. He seems to be looking straight past her all the time. Why? His eyes narrow on a spot beyond her, through her eyes and body and soul... every time she's with him, he seems far away.
Meiyou wants to know what he's looking at. She wants to know why he's out of space all the time. Is it really just his illness talking? ...or is it something else?
Whatever it is, Meiyou is determined to overcome it.
•••
Ah Xian plays his Chenqing to the steady rhythm of Little Apple's trodding, the melody gentle and familiar. Beside him, Lan Zhan grips the donkey's reins. Ah Xian watches through the side of his eye as Lan Zhan's attention perks, his chin raising as the song becomes more familiar. Lan Zhan looks sharply away again, silent. Ah Xian smiles through his flute.
Ah Xian is so busy playing his Lan Zhan tune that he doesn't even realise he is about to be ambushed.
Until a dozen men jump out of nowhere and lunge onto his path, surrounding him, gripping homemade weapons of steel, their faces torn into growls. Bandits. They cage Ah Xian in and cut off his path.
Ah Xian stops in his tracks, caught off-guard. He lowers his flute.
Really? This is happening now?
They all wear black robes, but the leader wears robes of deep blue. Every one of them are scruffy, but the leader has hands bejewelled in silver. The leader steps forward and grins slyly at Ah Xian.
Ah Xian barks a dry laugh.
"Hey—whatcha laughing at?" The leader demands. "I betcha didn't think this was going to happen to you, did ya?"
"You're right, actually," Ah Xian drawls cynically. "I really didn't think this was going to happen to me."
"Well, that's whatcha get for travelling alone, ya idiot—now, give us the donkey, the money pouch and the bag. And I promise ya, no harm'll come your way."
Ah Xian laughs louder. It sounds hysterical. The leader looks caught off-guard at his laughing.
"Ohh.... wow..." Ah Xian wipes tears from his eyes. He turns and stares around him, at the men who've obviously done this all their lives. They're not very professional, though. He grins, lighthearted, "I-I applaud you people. I really do." He claps for show. "Bravo! See? Fantastic job surrounding me like this unnoticed. Clearly, you're very good at the sneaking-up and clustering-around-the-victim move. Tell me—what's the secret? Is it your shoes? Do you wear luxury-brand shoes that don't make noise on this dirt path?" Ah Xian frowns coyly. "Well... I mean, they don't look very luxury-brand."
The leader glares back at him, "I don't know what nonsense you're spewing! But don't say I didn't warn ya."
He gives some kind of signal, and all at once the dozen men charge forward, their weapons raised. They beeline for Ah Xian like a pack of wild animals. But it seems to happen in slow motion, for all he cares.
Ah Xian scoffs a laugh. Idiots.
He raises his flute to his lips. His eyes flutter closed. When the song pours out of his instrument, time seems to stop entirely. He isn't aware of the notes he plays, or the spirits he summons—he simply follows his gut.
His eyes are still closed when he hears the screams.
Men clawing and cursing and shouting with surprise. Ah Xian especially tunes in to the sound of the leader scrambling out of the way, demanding one of his men what the heck is going on. The words black magic and curse and deities stream into the air, followed by tortured screams. Still, no one says his name.
They must really be idiots.
"Brother Wei!"
A familiar voice rings suddenly into the air, tearing Ah Xian from his focus. That... that sounds like....
"Master Wei!"
"Brother Wei! Brother Wei!"
Ah Xian's eyes fly open. He whirls around to face the voices—and it's Ah Yuan. Ah Yuan. He stands on the outside of the dark spirits attacking the bandits, his bright eyes pinned to Wei Wuxian. Lan Jingyi is at his side—and Jin Ling.
Ah Xian stares at them, emotion swelling in him. He lowers his flute to his side, "Ah Yuan?"
And then someone grabs him from behind, tearing him off Little Apple. Little Apple rears and kicks. Ah Xian gasps, surprised. He falls roughly to the ground and immediately after someone kicks him in the side. An ache blows up on the right of his ribs.
Ah Xian curses foully, curling away. Chenqing has flown from his hand, somewhere long out of sight. Shit.
"Who the hell are ya, huh?" The leader of the bandits shouts in Ah Xian's ear. A ringing comes to life, deafening him. "You think you're some kinda immortal with all them evil tricks? Ya bastard!" The leader grabs something metal and chhhrrrnks it hard into Ah Xian's figure.
Pain explodes in his stomach. Ah Xian flattens against the ground, the breath knocked out of him. He wants to curse but he can't even, past the violent ringing in his ear, past the splintering aches in his torso. He barely registers the bandits mumbling amongst themselves, "Take everything."
"HEY!" Someone shouts.
The bandits stop.
Ah Xian opens his eyes.
"J-JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" It's Jin Ling. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!"
"That's right!" Ah Yuan yells. "Get away from him!"
What happens next is a bit of a blur. It starts off with the bandits laughing. And then, someone murmurs something about cultivators. But by then it's too late—talismans are being tossed around, swords unsheathed to fight the bandits' cheap metal. The men cry out and blood spurts. Ah Xian blinks and blinks and wills his vision to return—but everything is blurry.
The leader curses foully and hatefully at the three cultivators, shouting, "Retreat! Go back!"
"To the mountains!"
There's the scattering of footsteps. Someone kicks Ah Xian deliberately on his way out and Ah Xian releases an oomph, annoyed. But the dust settles soon... the moment had flown by so fast.
"HEY! COME BACK HERE!" Jin Ling shouts. "DON'T KICK HIM!"
"Jin Ling, enough." Someone falls to their knees beside Ah Xian, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him upright. "Brother Wei! Brother Wei, are you okay? We're here—it's..."
"Ah Yuan," Ah Xian opens his eyes. Finally his vision clears. He sees Ah Yuan staring at him with those big worried eyes... Ah Yuan.
A smile ghosts up Ah Xian's face. He gazes up at the boy, silent. Ah Yuan starts to smile when he sees him smile.
"You're not hurt then?" he asks.
Ah Xian scoffs, "Obviously, I'm hurt." He pulls himself further into a sitting position, huddling over his pain-licked torso. "Did you see what they hit me with?"
"Yes."
"Good. I didn't."
"It was like a big metal cane or something," Jin Ling spits. He throws a long look over at where the bandits had disappeared to, his lip curled into a familiar-looking scowl. He looks like Jiang Cheng. "Those bastards. I ought to beat them all to death with my own fists. The nerve of those peasants!"
"Fool," Jingyi tells him. "Don't bother with those fists of yours. They're better at petting dogs' fur than combat-fighting."
Jin Ling glowers, "Hey!"
"You two, will you knock it off?" snaps Ah Yuan, annoyed.
Ah Xian looks back and forth between the three juniors, slathered in sweat, their swords still unsheathed. Now, they sheathe them. Ah Xian's smile broadens into a grin.
"What are you three idiots doing here, anyway?" he demands. "Shouldn't you be at school? Hey now, don't go skipping your classes. That's bad manners."
"Master Wei. We came to find you," Jingyi says. "To bring you back to Hanguang Jun."
"Yeah!" Jin Ling exclaims.
Jingyi's words still something in Ah Xian's heart. For a moment, he completely forgets about the pain in his stomach and side.
He turns to Jingyi, "Why? Why are you... you're bringing me... to him?"
"Well, because he's looking for you. He sent out over half a dozen search parties for you, Master Wei. He intends to bring you back to Cloud Recesses."
"He does?"
"He doesn't know we got here first, though," mumbles Ah Yuan, and Ah Xian catches a lick of guilt in his eyes. "I mean—I figured we would be able to find you quicker. Especially with that tracking device I invented."
"Ah Yuan was the one who dragged us all out here," Jingyi divulges. "In case that wasn't clear."
Ah Yuan throws him a glare, "Don't blame me. Rule 2304, Be easy on others!"
"It's true, though!"
Ah Xian laughs. The laughter flares up the pain in his stomach, turning it immediately into a wince. All three juniors fully refocus on him.
"Come on. Help me," Ah Yuan tells the others, wrapping his arm around Ah Xian as a branch of support. Ah Xian leans into him. "Brother Wei—we'll get you to some shade so you can rest, okay? I'll perform Starlight Ritual on you... and then we'll take you back to Hanguang Jun."