Promise and Betrayal: A Mo Dao Zu Shi (the Untamed) Story

Chapter 31

***Hey all! Sorry for not posting last week, the time got away from me. Hold on tight, though, because these last few chapters are a whirlwind. Stay safe and stay warm!***

* * *

We arrive at the gates at nightfall. The sky is still a light dusky grey, not full navy. Sparse, horse-tail clouds dot the sky, high above us. As I look forward, the lights of Nightless City flicker on. They were not always on, not after the fall of the Wen Clan. Our intel must be correct. The gentry clans gather here tonight.

Wei Ying leaves the main road, taking me with him. He leads as we weave through deserted alleys and shells of houses, until we are at the end of the city, precariously close to the lava bubbling below. We skirt the main entrance of the palace, coming at it from behind. If Wei Ying had not beaten me to it, I would have suggested we avoid the main entrance and approach from a flank. The clans do not suspect that a threat still lies in wait, not after they eradicated the Wen Clan once and for all. We must preserve our element of surprise.

My brother motions to the roof of the palace. I chuckle at the idea. It has been a lesson, in my experience, that people seldom look up. If we are to surprise them, why not make a spectacle of it and hide in plain sight?

I nod. We jump up together, alighting on the curved pagoda frame. We avoid the tiles of the roof; they are slippery and difficult to navigate, despite our agility, and we will run the risk of exposing our position if we do.

We settle, Wei Ying sitting and lounging against the peak of the roof twirling his flute, me standing beside him with crossed arms. I leave my swords sheathed for now, though without a doubt, I will need them for the fight that will ensue. We look down at the gathered clans, in their orderly and neat lines, the clan leaders at the heads. I spot the purple of the Jiang Clan, the tan of the Jin Clan, the grey of the Nie Clan, several smaller clans, and eventually, my eyes land on the white of the Lan Clan. Lan Xichen stands before his clan, Lan Zhan close behind to his right. Both look solemn and grave, contrasted with the smile on Jin Guangshan's features.

The Jin Clan leader stands on the staircase to Scorching Sun Palace, Meng Yao and Jin Zixan flanking him. As we watch, he extends a hand to the table set before all the clan leaders. On it are glasses and bottles of rice wine, for a toast. They pour the wine, raising it to the sky once they are finished.

Clan Leader Jin shouts, "To the eradication of the Wen Clan evil! Cheers!" The crowd rumbles the words back, and with a shout, the clan leaders pour their liquor on the ground in front of them and smash the now-empty glass. I hear Wei Ying scoff at the toast, and I spy Lan Zhan looking particularly melancholy, finding no gratification in a toast dedicated to the death of someone. Lan Xichen remains expressionless.

"I have brought before you today," says Clan Leader Jin, "a special demonstration." He gestures to the servants surrounding him. Two emerge hefting a wooden box and set it before the clan leaders. "The ashes of the Wen Clan lay in this box!" he proclaims. With a flourish, he moves his hands, and the box leaves the ground. It floats midair for a moment but explodes with a bang when Jin Guangshan crushes his hand into a fist. The ashes rain down on the ground, a macabre snowstorm at the height of spring.

The crowd cheers. We remain silent, as do Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen. Their clan may cheer, but they do not. And neither will we raise our voices in triumph at a clan that we protected at the expense of our own futures.

"And now, my friends, the plight has been destroyed once and for all! No more will evil plague China!" The crowd cheers. I chuckle. They forget the person beside me, the person they pushed off a cliff because they were afraid of him. Well, it is now his turn to shove them off a cliff.