Loyal, Brave & True

Chapter 30

Their first stop North West or better say city that was in their way was Qinghe. They had not taken long arriving there, since all three of them had taken horses to ride. Wangji and Jia had their own, beautiful brown stallions while Wuxian was given a slightly shorter black horse. While at first, he was happy with it, his face showed some regret as he had trouble not only controlling it but being comfortable on the saddle.

All those years he was dead, had made his body forget how it felt to ride a horse. And in his defence, he was never accustomed much to riding a horse, always going on foot or flying with his sword.

At last, the painful trip for him came to an end once they reached the city. Tying their horses outside, they started to walk and pass through the open gates of the Grey Fortress. They stood out amongst the general population with Wangji drawing most of the attention.

His tall stature, white clothing and the main hairpiece that indicated his status as part of the main family was a dead giveaway. The second was Jia, also dressed in pure white clothing that made her stand out like a fly in a cup of milk. Her golden ornament in her hair didn't draw as much attention but her short stature and young age did.

The more normal would be Wuxian, carrying no sword and having simple black clothing. Yet, someone would say that being next to the two Lan cultivators would make him stand out as well and partially he did. Thankfully for them. Cultivators were a common thing and no one paid them true attention as they looked around.

"We have arrived in Qinghe," Wuxian said, slightly overtaken by the change in the city since his time.

That city did not have the best memories for him and he found it ironic to be searching for some dark energy there, once again.

"The further we go North West.." Wangji started.

"The stronger the resentful energy of the sword ghost will be" Jia finished, knowing exactly what they partially thought.

Wangji gave a faint nod. "It looks like what the sword was pointing at, is just around the corner"

Wuxian looked down at that revelation, his amusement for the trip and excitement gone. Jia noticed and she could suspect why because she was similar. This trip, even though it had just started was something. For Wuxian, was a reminder of the past.

Being with Wangji and going back to a time where he did not have to hide from the cultivation world. An adventure where his knowledge and skills would be tested, all while teasing his favourite Lan Zhan. Jia was the extra addition, something new and welcoming. Truth to be told, he wouldn't mind teaching her a few things during that mission.

It was long since someone looked at him the way she did, with such adoration and trust. He liked that and he did not want it to end so soon.

"Let's go in the town first," he said, wanting to slightly extend this trip but also hoping to find more clues in there.

Wangji gave a nod and Jia had a small smile as the three of them started to walk among the crowd. Most women were dressed in beautiful colours, caring matching umbrellas to protect them from the sun while men wore simpler clothes, in the colours of the disciples of the city.

As they walked, Wangji kept his attention focused forward while both Jia and Wuxian took their time to look around. The primer because she never had the chance to look around, always going straight for the mission or being busy training in isolation. The latter, because he wanted to see how much things had changed ever since his death.

Like two little children or a father and daughter with similar characters, they looked around. Jia had a more good and serious posture, but her eyes did not hide the amusement and curiosity of the things around her. Wuxian walked more carefree, moving his hands back and forth and reminding some of a freshly adult boy.