Red Rose [Never Let You Go, Again Book 3]

9: Traitor

Blood. Blood and tattered silk. Blood and tattered silk and white headbands splattered with the crimson of yet more blood.

Lan Xichen came to a halt at the front of the group as he saw Lan Sizhui rushing into the dungeons already. The guards outside... were all slain. A dozen Lans lay on the ground, bleeding, some gasping for the breath of life, some long gone, their robes shattered in a fierce battle — fierce and yet, short. How else would nobody have been warned?

"Lan Hao? Lan Hao!" Wei Wuxian ran to one boy panting for air and lifted him up. "Thank goodness you're still here!"

"Ying-ge," Wen Ning popped up, having received Lan Qiang's message. He took Lan Hao, verified he would survive — hopefully — and ran to the Healing Hall.

Seeing more Lans rushing in to take the injured ones to the Healing Hall, Nie Huaisang sighed with relief. "Come, let's go check inside," Huaisang called out as he went in. 

**********

Flash! Smash! Jiang Cheng crashed Zidian into the walls of the cell. "HOW DO THEY KEEP GETTING AWAY!"

"Traitor," Wangji replied, clenching his fist.

"True," Huaisang nodded. "Sizhui, Er-Ge, hate to admit this but there must be a traitor in your sect..."

Sizhui shook his head. So did Xichen.

"If it was a Lan, they wouldn't kill all those other Lans outside. I trust that our people won't do that," Sizhui answered.

"Then WHAT THE HELL do you call Su She back then? A noble Lan?"

"A-Cheng, stop shouting! It's not Sizhui's fault!" Wei Wuxian shouted at him.

"Alright, now calm down both of you!" Huaisang held his fan between their raised fists. "We need to think. Who on earth could do this? Because if that person is still hiding among us, then we're in grave danger. Think fast."

Lan Qiang sighed. "No, it can't be a Lan. Sizhui's right."

"Fine, if not a Lan then who?" Huaisang asked. "Are there any outsiders staying in here?"

"Any children who came with their peers, Ying-ge? Like Jin Ling with some other Jin disciples?"

Wei Ying denied it. "No such–" He gasped as realisation hit.

Lan Zhan ran to his side when he crumbled to the floor. "A-Ying!"

"No... No-no-no-no-no... I trusted her..."

"A-Ying?"

"Wei-xiong, you trusted who?"

Wei Wuxian shot out his hand to his mouth and blew a sharp whistle. A puff of red smoke in the cell notified the others of the entry of their good demonic friend. "Lady Xiao!" Huaisang nodded.

But Xiao Xiang was too furious to notice. "MASTER! I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU OVER AND OVER–"

"Xiangxiang... So it was her?"

Xiao Xiang shut up when she saw her Master crouching on the ground, shaking. She knelt before him and nodded, downcast.

"Xiangxiang, who's Wuxian walking about?" Xichen asked her.

Xiao Xiang looked up at them, purely demonic anger flaming in her eyes. "That woman who pretended to be all accepting and grateful and nice. Bloody Hell of a Red Fox. Zhang Huli."

"What!" Lan Sizhui turned to them. "Huli? Daddy's fourth demon?"

"Hmph, I told Master, Master never listened. Trusted her too much," Xiao Xiang grumbled.