WangXian Forever 5

Chapter 80 Paces

The full moon was exactly two days and one night away, and time was short if they were to reach the Moon Temple in time.

Hongse was unofficially in charge of their journey since she knew the location of the temple, and a born leader, from the way she organised everything.

First, she sent ahead waves of scouts in pairs, to report on what they found and whether the road in front was safe from enemies. Then she had a team of her sisters lead the way, with Wei Ying and his family in the middle with the twins, flanked by more Flowers of Venus.

"I've been meaning to ask you." Wei Ying caught up with Hongse, as they marched at a steady pace.

Lan Zhan was carrying a tired Li XiWang who was carrying Xiao Mao.

"You always want to ask something." She told him, but she smiled fondly.

"It's the only way to learn." He grinned back.

"Go on, then."

"So why are you and your sisters called Flowers of Venus?"

"Two reasons. Did you know, the star of Venus, Jinxing, travels around this earth in a particular way? My Master discovered this after eight years of meditating in the same position. The star ascends at a point to form a petal, and after eight years, a five petal flower is formed. I've never quite understood it."

"Ah. It must have taken a lot of dedication. To sit in one place for that long..." Wei Ying replied, thoughtfully, his mind already jumping to something else. "What's the second reason?"

"I hope you never get to find out." She whispered, a haunting look in her eyes.

Wei Ying wondered if he'd misheard.

"What did you say?"

"I asked if you had any fun questions instead." She changed the topic, and Wei Ying decided to leave it for now. There were things which people might want to keep private, and he himself was one of them.

"Actually, yes. You seem to know a lot about familiars. Care to tell me? I have a feeling it may come in useful..." he stared back at Li XiWang.

Xiao Mao had sort of recovered, her appetite had returned, but still he wanted to be as ready as he could be, if it happened again.

"What do you want to know?" She asked, pleasantly.

"Do they grow old? Or have a set age? How do you find them? Or do they find you? Can all of them shape shift? Do they have to stay in any form, or they can pick? If something happens to the gifted whom the familiar is attached to, how does it affect both? And-"

She held up a hand to stop the waterfall of words.

Wei Ying blushed.

"Only that many? And I had to stop you! Alright, then, listen up. They are inherently imps or small level demons, cultivated to help the Gifted. They can be passed down by inheritance or by mutual consent. Our sect frowns upon slavery, but there are those...who do not care." She sighed at that, her mind wandering.

Wei Ying waited, patiently for him, until it looked like she had forgotten all about his questions.

"But what happens if one of them dies?" He whispered this, not wanting his daughter to overhear.

"What? Oh, that depends upon their connection, and the level of cultivation in the Gifted one. Obviously, the stronger the core, the stronger the connection. I would imagine the consequences of losing either one would be devastating. I'm sure there's a connection between each individual's life span, because in some cases, a familiar only obtains nourishment through a single drop of blood from its Gifted. Blood is an effective and powerful medium as a magic aid. It is the embodiment of life."