Empire (Xichen X OC)

Chapter 31

The very next day, Wuxian was busy packing the few things, essentials, he had with him. But mostly, he needed some time for himself. Ever since coming back to the Lan Sect, he had been flooded by memories he had in his previous life. Those kept him busy but also something new, a shocking reveal that Wangji had told him the night before.

His train of deep thinking and memory replaying was interrupted by the sound of shouting. Curious, he walked out and stopped a few feet in front of the room he had been provided with. Close by, Wangji and Guan-yin seemed to be in some sort of argument, with the latter having raised the tone of her voice; something he had not seen her do so far.

A few disciples had stopped what they were doing and watched from afar, as the family dispute continued.

"You are not ready," Wangji said in his stern voice, his back straight as he stood his ground like a mighty tall boulder.

"That arm would have escaped if it were not for me. I am more than capable to help" Guan-yin argued back, her body and muscles tense with anger and frustration.

"I said no, Yue"

There was a sudden silence as the tension between the two grew thicker and thicker. Wuxian was surprised, to hear Wanji lifting his tone. It was very subtle and small, one would have not noticed unless they knew him. That stricter tone and the name he used, seem to trigger the bottling up emotions inside of her.

"Don't you dare call me that" she started, her tone dangerously low. A wind passed by, her hands turning into fists and her body shaking slightly. "You are not my father and you are not my uncle. You are no one to me, so don't act as you worry about me"

Without another word, Guan-yin turned her back on her uncle and walked away. She marched angrily but kept her pride, head high and eyes refusing to show any tears of frustration that threatened to escape.

"Yue, Stop" Wangji called her but she did not listen. She didn't turn and simply kept walking. "Guan-yin!" this time, he almost shouted but the girl did not respond.

His uncle walked towards him, one hand brushing his goatee. "This girl is too much like her mother. I warned you"

His tone did not hide the disapproval of her actions, his eyes showing empathy for the young girl.

Wuxian had already put puzzles together of whom her parents were, only being confirmed by Wangji the night prior. However, along with that Wuxian also learnt that his favourite aunt had passed away.

During a mission, Tengchao was fatally wounded by an unknown cultivator; one that was never found or caught. She did not survive the attack and left Yue without a mother. However, Wangji did not share any more details of the incident, even after Wuxian begged him to.

It was either too painful for him or there was something he was hiding. There were no mentions of her anywhere so far and he had not seen a sign of Xichen either. There was something more, about the mission and her death but he was not allowed to learn.

The subject was dropped that night and had kept his mind busy ever since. Tengchao protected him multiple times and he only survived the tough challenges of his previous life, thanks to her teachings. Whenever he played his flute, she was always in his mind along with her lessons. His heart ached at the realization that she was killed, without true explanation.

But the most hurtful realization was the fact that Wuxian never managed to say a proper goodbye. He learnt that she was saddened by his death but now that he was back, he truly wished he could see her. One last time to apologize and ease her consciousness.

His eyes went back to the direction Guan-yin had walked away and she quickly followed the path, not wanting to lose her. When he passed away and even when he was summoned back, he had expected that things would be different.