The tale of the fox and the dragon egg

Chapter 22 - Gulch

"Lan Wangji."

The dragon visibly stiffened. As his own head slowly turned back his silver eyes could see it, looking at Lan Wangji through the wet strands of his long, dark hair. It was like his own whole head hurt, pounding against his forehead.

The helpless feeling returned tenfold. With it, the memories. The nostalgia. It was just the same as back then. And his whole being felt like it was back, all those years ago. His soul resumed back towards the same he did back them, the need to protect himself.

He closed himself off. 

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The storm that held Koi Tower in such a firm grip before travelled further in the dark of the night. Throughout the whole of Lanling, even further into the territory of the unclean realm.

Everything was covered by the thick clouds. They pushed out every light from the night sky, even the stars and the full moon that should have spent light.

Every spirit and every human knew to remain inside their esteemed houses. It was a night of darkness, a night for every dark being that roamed around. Those poor creatures that had no home nor house to step or steal themselves into hurried to find themselves a hiding place or vanished in the heavy downpour and wind.

Within such a night, a five tailed fox found refugee within the cold darkness of a long-forgotten cottage. Only the flame of a candle lit up the room, where a fireplace remained unused and cold.

"What a shame, what a shame."

Those whispers ran through the howling of the wind and the heavy raindrops pushed against the wood of the walls. Whoever could have heard them would have stopped, a heavy shudder travelling across their body.

"Not even now? What have I worked at all this time? But no, look at you, truly magnificent. You're growing stronger, I can feel it. He could feel it too, I am sure."

A moving shadow passed to the wood of the wall, hands travelling across something that was shaped like a circle. A seal. Dark and oozing with a black mist, dropping and blackening the ground.

"Some weeks, maybe? Not months anymore. We could do it next month! Maybe? What do you think?"

The pouch on the mans – Xue Yangs – hip remained silent. It couldn't answer, not ever, but it didn't matter to the fox. What mattered was inside, or who was inside and surely, he would be able to hear and listen to him!

"Of course, you'd be thinking its great. You will be back then, surely. I mean, with all that power? He said it would be possible!"

In an almost maniac display, the fox tinkered with the dark seal in his hands. Xue Yang was an intelligent young fox with an affinity to resentful energy, even when he wasn't as talented as the man he wanted to surpass as a goal in life and death.

Suddenly, there was another presence within the cottage.

Xue Yang felt it clearly and he instantly turned, the seal clutched within his hand. What he saw was a black robe over a clear white one. The man in front of him just stepped in and was drenched from the rain, but wasn't showing how uncomfortable he must be. A cloak was around his body, his face covered by the hood that was deep within his face.

"Never learned how to knock, did you?", the fox spoke as his nose picked up the familiar scent.

He got no answer, but he didn't expect one from a man that was arrogant and held so much of himself, but was actually worth so little. Still, Xue Yang was almost gleeful to see him, because of what he could possibly bring and say to him.