Little Black Angel

Chapter 10: Not One Escape, but Two

Chapter 10 : Not One Escape, but Two

After sending the message requesting for Lan Xian to come to Gusu to assist the clan in their investigation into the identity of the sinister left arm, Wangji and the Elders all decided to go ahead and begin the process of trying the summoning. However, they weren't expecting for the arm to have such powerful resistance to them, and the Resentment soon overpowered their efforts and was thrashing all throughout the room they were in. Everyone in the room, even Lan Qiren, had all succumbed to unconsciousness due to the violent resentment that filled the space; the distant sound of a bell ringing could be heard from inside above their heads.

Lan Wangji's Guqin could also be heard, tirelessly fighting the agitated limb that writhed on its pedestal with melodies that were trying to subdue it alone. Suddenly, out of the corner of Wangji's eye, he saw Mo Xuanyo enter the room and sit across from him, pulling out his flute as he tried to help suppress the severed arm. However, nothing seemed to work until the moment their eyes met, and soon after the tune became softer with something Wangji had not heard in years: a melodious lullaby that few people alive had ever heard that had been made for.... A specific person.

It almost didn't help that Mo Xuanyu actually reminded him a bit of that person.

When they stopped playing Mo Xuanyu said in surprise, "We... couldn't summon the arm's owner?"

"It appears the owner's soul, just like his body... has been cut to pieces." Wangji's observation rang true to the other man, and as Mo Xuanyu went closer to the arm, the younger Lan brother went to help his Uncle, who had woken up while the two of them were playing.

"Hanguang-Jun! Are you alright?" Sizhui asked, as he and Jingyi ran in, and Wangji immediately looked to them.

"Assist the Elders with their wounds," he said, and the two nodded as Wangji helped his uncle to sit up. "Perhaps... we should have listened to Brother Xichen and waited for A-Xian..."

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Xian had reluctantly headed out to Gusu with Wen Qing once she'd gotten the urgent summons to assist with the sinister left arm, but while they were gone... a certain teenager got a little too curious about the corpse being contained in the young woman's training areas. 'Mei Mei said he's apparently not violent despite his mind being suppressed... maybe I can get a closer look while he's awake...'

Jin Ling slowly walked towards her practice room, poking his head inside to see if the corpse was standing in there... but not seeing him, he hesitantly stepped inside to head into the training ground. When he went outside, he then saw Wen Ning just standing motionless in the center of the training ground, his head tilted up slightly as if looking just over the walls across from him, and Jin Ling wondered what he was doing. Going over, he then noticed a weird scrap of cloth that was stuck on the side of the wall, and so he went over and curiously tugged on it... but realized too late that it had a seal on it. When the cloth tore in half, there was a faint pulse through the air, and he looked up just in time to see a red barrier appear and then... shatter.

'... Oh crap, I hope I didn't just do what I think I did...' Jin Ling thought, turning back to Wen Ning, only to see the corpse suddenly move and jump over the wall. '... I hope I can find him before-'

"JIN LING!!!"

'... Yeah, I think it's too late for that.' Jin Ling thought, crouching into himself as he heard the angry voice of his Uncle boom like an angry thunder cloud as half of the cloth was still in his hand. The sight targeted him as the culprit once Jiang Cheng found him at Wen Ning's pen, and the anger he felt blended in with the absolute worry he had after feeling a disturbance in the air near that particular area. "... I'm going to say right now that I didn't mean to and please don't break my legs." The teen's own quick move to defend himself from his Uncle's wrath instead fueled the fire, Jiang Cheng grabbing his nephew by the arm and dragging him away to the main house, shouting at servants the moment they came near for a healer to look over Jin Ling for injuries (much to the boy's annoyance) and a messenger to alert Lan Xian what had transpired. Knowing that corpses brought back by a particular person would oftentimes seek out their 'Master', it was likely Wen Ning would track her down.