Shooting Star [Never Let You Go, Again Book 2]

16: Waiting

"Nothing to talk about."

"Yin Yue Xian, why be so cold? I didn't do anything to you!"

"Baozhai is A-Ying's sister." Bichen would not lower in the least.

The bloke grinned. "I see."

"LIU XIAOWEN! Leave my husband alone. You," Wei Wuxian pointed to him, stilling his body so that Lan Zhan let go of his hand. "You talk with me. Any last words to say?"

"Hmph. Last words? I thought you came here for the sceptre and not to kill me!"

"You filthy rat," Wei Wuxian's eyes were aglow with his ruby-red. "Jiang Baozhai is my sister. You did this to her, I will mince you, limb by limb," he hissed.

"A-Zhai? Just for leaving her–"

"Pregnant, you rascal! Leaving her pregnant!" Lin Qiao shouted.

"What!" Xiaowen turned to the ladies. "QiaoQiao, what did you say?"

"QiaoQiao? You leave me and you still call me QiaoQiao? Liu Xiaowen, I'm sorry, I don't know you. My brother's Lin Xiaowen. Not some nasty Liu swine," Lin Qiao growled.

Liu Xiaowen nodded. "Fine, then. My own sister disowned me. But, A-Zhai?"

The entire group strived to attack again but Baozhai shouted, "SHUT UP!" Everyone turned to her. "Sorry, guys. But really, I can handle this. Hanguang-Jun?"

Lan Zhan gripped Bichen tighter and nodded to Wei Ying. Wei Ying held out his hand to let Baozhai pass through the barrier.

"A-Zhai–"

"DON'T you dare come near me. Xiaowen, you know I loved you right? I still do. But I can't ignore what you did. Not to me, I don't mind that. But to my sect. To my meimei. QiaoQiao and this one here," she stroked her abdomen, "have nothing to do with your ambition and yet you tossed them both away. And the sect. Just what wrong did us Jiangs do to you? DON'T talk," she held up a shaking hand to block his protests. "You betrayed me, my child, my Shimei, my sect. It's as you said. We should give our all for our sect, right? So please. Get it into your head." She removed her sword's tassel: a soft pink tassel with a sparkling lotus cut from jade handing at its end. "Here. Keep this," she tossed it to Liu Xiaowen and it landed at his feet. "I don't want you anymore. I'm no longer yours. I'm a Jiang. That's all." She spun around and with Wei Ying's help, she stepped back into Lin Qiao's arms.

"Liu Xiaowen, you don't get to talk," Xuanji pointed her sabre at him. "I'll inform you right here, all we came for is to confiscate your sceptre. And we got it. So we'll leave now. You're not worth a goodbye so just go tell that to your good-for-nothing Clan Leader when he wakes up. Wuxian-gege, let's go."

Wei Wuxian grinned at her domineering voice. "Yes, Xuanji. A-Zhan?"

"Mn." With a wave from Bichen, the ward vanished.

"A-Cheng, children, not now," Wei Wuxian shook his head sternly.

Jiang Cheng and the juniors shot an intense merged glare to Liu Xiaowen before stomping away behind Hanguang-Jun and Senior Wei. Lin Qiao and Xuanji flanked Baozhai, not even bothering to glance at the man, and Nie Huaisang covered them at the back. Liu Xiaowen watched the woman that was no longer his walk away embittered but was shocked by Nie Huaisang. Sect Leader Nie was signalling something to him.

Liu Xiaowen's jaw dropped open when he understood what he saw. Nie Huaisang pointed the fan at Xiaowen, then slid it across his neck. You are so dead.

Frowning, he waited for the group to leave. When the gates were shut once more, he bent down and picked up the tassel. Fondling it in his hand, he sighed. A-Zhai, I do love you. Just... I guess I value other things more... He tucked the tassel in his robes and left to find Liu Donghai.