WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 129 Cavernous

The cave was incredibly dark.

But a light glowed from around a bend in a corner, and that's when they realised how far in they actually were. The scent of chemicals and burning was stronger now, but hard to discern what could be the cause.

Dunshi had speeded up and was making little grunting noises, as if he couldn’t contain his excitement any longer. The echoes of his enthusiasm rang out, bouncing off the dark, uneven walls back to ones closer to the ground.

Another thing Wei Ying had noticed was that it was quite clean too. The cave floor seemed free of debris and stones, loose fragments of nature which could have entered the cave on the breeze, or on the feet of giants...but no, nothing hindered their pace.

And then, they rounded the corner.

A blaze of strong torch light blinded them after the darkness behind them, and they had to take a moment to adjust their eyesight.

And what a sight they saw!

Right next to them, where Dunshi had paused waiting for their reaction, was a circular stair case with no barriers, hugging the smoother walls. It appeared to descend right the way down as far as they could see, but the bottom was obscured by  steam and the now stronger smell that seemed to hang in the air.

Dunshi picked them all up, because it became apparent that climbing down those stairs one step at a time, was going to take the visitors forever. The actual steps were a little uneven and precarious, and they could tell Dunshi was being cautious as his fingers felt along the wall. Huge torches throwing off orange sparks were bolted into holders along the way to light the path for travellers.

Dunshi looked familiar with this place.

They must have descended around twenty of these huge steps before noticing that there was other openings to their left. So far, Wei Ying had counted four and there was a pattern to it; every five steps or so, the wall on their left would disappear to a gaping blackness, an awning of dark places. They must have gone down fifty such tall steps when this time, the opening on their left was lit with the same torches and they could look at how vast this internal abode really was.

Wei Ying was marvelling at the giants' ability to adapt to their lifestyle.

For a people who were unable to spend any time outside, they had become internal and concentrated their efforts on living underground, or to be more specific, inside the mountain.

Who would have thought that this mountain from the outside, looked so strong and undefeatable, would be hollowed out to this extent? It really was a marvel.

Now Dunshi was taking them along a wide and cavernous passageway, lit with torches on both sides. The heat from them and the closed off place should have been unbearable...but it was not.

"Is there some kind of air conditioning here?" He mused aloud.

"Yes, these little holes next to the torches, they suck out hot air." Dunshi paused next to one to point it out to them.

"Ah...I see. Very clever." Wei Ying commented, feeling satisfied by that answer.

They continued further into the mountain, through the passageway until it opened up into a discussion room.

It was circular in shape, with seats carved out of stone, higher and gradually going lower as each level was carved towards the ground floor like a theatre. Whoever wanted to speak could stand in the small circle in the middle and be sure his or her voice could reach everyone. And it was not empty, either.

"This is our council. Our leader addresses his people here." Dunshi explained.

"Where's your mom, big guy?" Xiao Zei asked him. He was still seated on Dunshi's right shoulder, close to his ear.

Dunshi pointed to the lower levels where the important people were seated, judging from their clothes. Most of the other giants were bare chested, with minimal clothing, even the ladies. But the giants right down in the inner circle were fully clothed and looked of a higher standing than the others.

"Hello, everyone! I am back!" Dunshi shouted, his sudden message deafening to those closest to him.

A silence sank down everywhere, as his voice echoed off the walls.

For a second, no one spoke.

And then a single voice rang out.

"My boy!!" A woman, who could only be Dunshi's mother cried out, and jumped up.

She ran up the stairs leading to them, at the same time as Dunshi ran down and they met in the middle. He quickly put his passengers down and threw his arms around his mother, both of them crying.

"I'm so happy for them both." Wei Ying said thickly, hiding his face in Lan Zhan’s neck.

"Mn. It appears that our Dunshi was missed, especially by his mother." Lan Zhan’s arms came around him, holding him close.

He knew how much Wei Ying had worried that this might not be a happy reunion, and he was glad for everyone that it was.

"How have you been, my boy? Are you feeling better now? We were just discussing your banishment and deciding what to do." His mother felt his temperature while she spoke, her tone loving and kind, filled with relief.

"I am well, mommy. But what do you mean, deciding what to do? I thought...I thought you all didn't want me back?" Dunshi was looking at her for answers.

"It's weird hearing him talk this much." Li XiWang whispered.

"He talks, you know." Xiao Zei replied back, in the same low voice. "Just not to everyone...only people he's comfortable with."

"Rather like you, my love." Wei Ying kissed Lan Zhan’s neck and stood straighter, feeling happier and slightly stronger.

Lan Zhan said nothing but his ears were pinker.

"Don't be silly, my boy. At the time, you were ill...and we were scared you would make others ill too. That was the only reason we had to send you away. And now you're back, we won't have to send out a search party." She replied warmly, smiling at him.

"And who are you, to make that decision?"

Another, angrier voice rang out, drowning all the others.

**********

A/N

Dear readers,

Thank you for guessing what might be wrong with Wei Ying's condition, I'm enjoying them very much...not going to say anything just yet.

What do you think about this new place? Can you see it as clearly as I can? I hope so...

Two updates today, possibly three, to make up for my absence in this book...one way or another, we'll try to keep a balance between the three.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.

I hope you have a nice surprise like a favourite meal, or find a beautiful flower to look at. Happiness is with us always if we know where to look.

Charlie.