Backlash Part 1

Chapter 19: The Infirmary

Wen Qing felt her blood run cold as she stepped out of Wei Wuxian's room. Her eyes had landed on the smiling figure sitting in the infirmary.

'Lianfang-Zun, Jin Guangyao, Meng Yao.'

On instinct Wen Qing immediately diverted her gaze and schooled her expression. She forced her breathing to be quiet and regular. She forced herself to look calm and confident. For a moment she forgot where she was. She was no longer in the infirmary of the Cloud Recesses. She was in the infirmary of Nightless City. She was not here tending to Wei Wuxian. She was staring at a person who had been reduced to something that was almost unrecognizable as human.

Meng Yao was smiling pleasantly at her as she tried to stabilize the prisoner in front of her. She was expected to keep them alive. Keep them alive so that Meng Yao could continue to work. So that Meng Yao could get Wen Rouhan the information he wanted. The entire time she worked Meng Yao would chat with her. Always in this polite and pleasant tone like they were at a banquet. Everything about it was horrible, but this wasn't the worst part. 

The worst part wasn't seeing the aftermath of Meng Yao's work. Nor was it trying to revive the victims on the brink of death.  The worst part wasn't even accompanying him to the dungeons. Where she was supposed to keep the prisoners alive. Keep them alive while the Principal Torturer worked. Even on those occasions where she had to watch while he...

No, watching the torture wasn't the worst part. The worst part was his smile. The entire time while Meng Yao tortured the prisoners he was always wearing this polite smile. Polite and pleasant like he was practising calligraphy or listening to music. He never lost his temper. He never looked angry or frustrated. He was calm and peaceful.  No flinching in his gaze. He would chat incessantly in his oh so polite and cheerful voice.  Occasionally his eyes would fill with this malicious joy.  Then the next second they would be perfectly innocent and sincere. The entire time he would be wearing that ever present smile.

"Wen-guniang." Wen Qing was suddenly pulled back to the present.  She suddenly remembered that this was Cloud Recesses.  The Meng Yao before her was not yet the Principal Torturer of Wen Rouhan.  He had not done any of those things that haunted her when she looked at him.  Wen Qing took a slow breath and suppressed a sigh of relief. Lan Xichen had no idea what he had just pulled her out of, but she was grateful all the same.  It wasn't often that she had such episodes, but seeing that face that had frightened her more than Wen Rouhan himself.  Wen Qing felt her response was perfectly fair given the circumstances of her experience. 

Lan Xichen turned briefly to Meng Yao.  Wen Qing assumed he was bidding farewell, though she was not listening.  Instead she was carefully watching Meng Yao's expression.  Wen Qing had no trust for Meng Yao.  She had of course heard that he was only in Nightless City to spy on Wen Rouhan.  The things he did were only because he had to.  Wen Qing could not bring herself to believe those words.  She had been in a position where she did what she had to to please Wen Rouhan and protect her family.  What Meng Yao did was not just what he had to.  He did things without being asked.  He did things that surprised Wen Rouhan as much as they delighted him.  But most importantly she had seen his expression while he tortured people in ways Wen Qing had never before seen.  Whether his expression was genuine or fake didn't even matter.  Anyone who could do those things and look so calm and happy, was not someone that could ever be trusted. 

She watched the smiling face that looked so disturbingly familiar as it gazed unblinking at Lan Xichen.  A new look filled Meng Yao's eyes than Wen Qing hadn't seen before.  Intense adoration.  Maybe it was her personal experiences colouring her judgment, but there was something deeply unsettling about the way Meng Yao was staring at Lan Xichen.  As Lan Xichen walked away from him Meng Yao's expression shifted slightly.  A look passed through Meng Yao's eyes.