WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 54 Coral

The lagoon split into two waterways, one the stream they had followed, and another that seemed to lead in the direction Lan Zhan was pointing, towards the south.

"I wonder what kind of unrest the night fairies were talking about? Wei Ying said, picking his way through dead leaves, twigs and little stones. He was carrying Rumi while Lan Zhan had Li XiWang.

Ordinarily they would have let the children walk, either ahead of them or in front of the Sisters. However, in the dark there was always the risk of snakes, scorpions and other venomous creatures, and neither Lan Zhan nor Wei Ying wanted to take that chance.

Also travel was faster if they held the ones with the shortest legs.

"When can I learn how to travel by sword?" Li XiWang asked.

Her voice sounded loud in the hush of the night where only a half moon lit their path.

"When you reach twelve years of age." Lan Zhan told her.

"So two years to go...." She said, thinking deeply. "How did you learn? What was it like?"

Wei Ying listened attentively, getting this rare chance of insight into the Jade. Not that Lan Zhan wouldn't have answered him, but Wei Ying knew with their children, Lan Zhan made more of an effort. It was lovely to hear him talk about his childhood, a time that Wei Ying had not witnessed, having only heard bits and pieces here and there.

And when the children asked him anything, he took the time to think about his answer and this way, they coaxed him to talk more, by reminiscing about the past. In another way, it was therapeutic.

"Xiongzhang helped me. First time, I fell."

"You did NOT!" She exclaimed, dramatically.

"Mn. Only time."

"I bet he was perfect every time after that." Wei Ying added, smiling at the smug look on Lan Zhan's face.

"What about you, father?" Li XiWang asked him.

"We practised on water, so if we fell in, there was less chance of getting hurt." He told her. "Though Madam Yu discouraged us from learning that way...but boys will be boys. And what she didn't know, didn't hurt her..." He cleared his throat, not wishing to talk about her.

The children were only now beginning to ask about their childhoods, extended family and such, and Wei Ying did not want to say anything less than positive about his youth.

There was no point...and one did not speak ill of the dead.

"Hongse, did you ever learn to fly by sword?" Lan Zhan asked out loud.

Wei Ying was so surprised, because Lan Zhan never asked questions to anyone else, preferring to let Wei Ying speak most of the time. When he looked back, Lan Zhan was smiling kindly at him, as if he knew what Wei Ying was thinking and wanted to distract everyone. Wei Ying mouthed a 'thank you' and turned to the front, appreciating what a wonderful man he was.

"No need. Our Master, Master Dashi used to emphasise independence so that none of us were reliant on tools to travel. We incorporate the natural elements to our favour from the start." Hongse was saying.

The little river they were following was becoming wider and deeper by the looks of it, and in one place their path went a little higher than at ground level. There they could truly see the river in force, rapids were smashing against boulders, turning the thick trunks of trees into splintered driftwood.

All throughout, Wei Ying was humming their song to Rumi, trying to distract him from the roaring currents flowing a short distance away.

But as they turned the bend in the mountainside, they were pleasantly amazed at the scene which lay before them.

There was a lake, a huge one that span hundreds of miles and the water had been redirected out of it. In the centre of the lake, buildings were floating all around, moored to their position via air filled buffers. Tiny walkways and miniature bridges were made in between for ease of getting from one place to another.

Right in the centre, the houses were made into shops, tied together to form a tight circle, leaving a body of water in the middle.

"Er...do you guys think it would be better for Dunshi to travel in the water?" Wei Ying recommended, imagining scenarios where every single one ended in Dunshi putting his foot through someone's home.

He had also been thinking back to the time he and Lan Zhan had needed to be invisible, and whether the talismans they had used then would work for hiding Dunshi. So far they had been lucky not meeting anyone who paid attention to him, but surely it was only a matter of time. He promised himself that the next break they got, he would definitely try and come up with something.

"Look, there's a fisherman..." Hongse pointed out, whispering now.

Could they travel past and not be noticed? Only if he was asleep. But he cast his fishing rod and they knew it was not to be.

"Maybe I can blind him temporarily while we travel through?" Wei Ying mused.

"Might fall into the water." Lan Zhan reminded him.

"I can create a fog." Hongse decided. "Not too thick, but certainly thick enough to blur shapes. He will not be able to define us."

"Then can you make sure his boat doesn't move, otherwise if he gets scared then he'll definitely fall in." Wei Ying suggested.

"Will do."

Hongse let the blue electricity crackle between her palms and everyone watched as vapours began to rise from the surface of the lake. Unbeknownst to the man happily fishing, nine shapes flitted past him in silence and he was none the wiser.

Their path following the river was short lived; it ran in another direction and much to Rumi's joy, Lan Zhan announced a different route forward.

They managed to find a main road to walk upon a short distance away, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief.