Backlash Part 1

Chapter 137: The Yiling Supervisory Office

Wen Qing was so exhausted she thought she could probably sleep while sitting up. It was a tempting idea, but there was a decent chance that if she tried it she would end up falling off the carriage. That was not something she wanted to see happen. Sleeping inside the carriage was also tempting. Unfortunately the carriage contained three refugees she was smuggling under the guise of transporting her sick brother back to Yiling.

It was better for her to be outside the carriage, just in case anyone decided to take an interest. She was best able to keep anyone from looking in the wrong places. Wen Qing adjusted how she was sitting and prayed it would be enough. They would arrive in Yiling soon. Things would get easier from there. She'd have a large building, behind large walls that she could hide Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji behind. Jiang Wanyin too, although he was certainly easier to keep hidden when he wasn't screaming his lungs out. She fully expected him to scream his lungs out the second he woke up.

She would have to make a trip to Qishan in a few days. Wen Qing had volunteered to prepare Wen Zhuliu's body for burial and bring it to Qishan. She wasn't sure what Wen Chao had planned to do with Wen Zhuliu's body. He probably hadn't thought that far ahead. Wen Qing volunteered to escort his body. She was not certain Wen Rouhan would actually care about Wen Zhuliu's burial, but since Wen Zhuliu was a high ranking cultivator and carried the Wen name it wouldn't be strange that Wen Qing might assume that they should have proper funerary rights for him.

No one questioned her about it, and it was much easier to hide two dead bodies if everyone was expecting her to already be transporting one. Wen Qing was not certain how Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan would feel about being transported with their killer. Wen Qing personally thought it was rather poetic that their killer provide the cover for the safety of their remains. If Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan found lying beside Wen Zhuliu to be offensive... Well they'd have to get over that. It was a blessing she could transport their bodies intact at all.

Finally the gate of the supervisory office were in sight. As they creaked closed behind their procession Wen Qing slumped in relief. She had enough favour from Wen Rouhan to exert a lot of control over who worked under her. It was why she could do something like this without worrying about immediately being discovered.

Wen Qing got to her feet, trying to ignore the aching in her back as she stretched her stiff legs. She wanted to sleep for a week. Maybe two weeks. She went around back and opened the door. Immediately Wen Qionglin looked out, taking up nearly the entire view.

"We're here. Get them situated." Wen Qing said, suppressing a yawn.

Wen Qionglin quickly scrambled from the carriage ushering Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji out. Wei Wuxian was, apparently, asleep. He buried his face in Lan Wangji's chest after making several unintelligible grumbling sounds. Lan Wangji was gazing at him like this was the most adorable and precious thing Wei Wuxian had ever done. Wen Qing was mostly sure that if she was a little less tired she would find this sweet.

Wen Qing had never been annoyed about Lan Wangji doting on Wei Wuxian. In fact she generally enjoyed seeing it. She liked seeing her didi loved and cared for, and not constantly raked over the coals of guilt that burned in his heart. However, right this second she was just sort of annoyed with everything.

She was annoyed at the sun for being bright. She was annoyed at the cultivators under her orders for being too loud when they walked. She was annoyed that she still needed to make arrangements for three bodies, none of people she even liked. She was so tired that it was like her brain was rebelling against being awake. Her pulse pounded in her ears and her head throbbed.

She hadn't slept for more than a few hours in days. She couldn't risk a delay in being alerted to anyone coming around to 'check' on things. The safety of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji depended on it. As such, Wen Qing was currently very tired and found it just a little annoying to watch Lan Wangji gaze down at Wei Wuxian in a daze without moving indoors.