WangXian Forever Book 8

Chapter 35 Past

XiChen addressed the messenger.

"We will be there shortly. It's after curfew...but he says it's urgent so perhaps we should go and see what they want."

Baoshan Sanren snorted under her breath.

"Why did you ask me about the foundations?"

"Oh, it's nothing." She gestured towards the stairs. "Li XiWang was telling me before that Master Dashi had referred to her parents by those titles...something about meeting an Oracle. I want to come with you."

"WangJi and A-Xian?" XiChen asked.

They both looked at each other.

"Well, who else?" Baoshan Sanren was losing patience with them.

"Go and tell both the second Jade and his husband that someone has come to see them. Tell them it's urgent." XiChen told the disciple who was nervously shifting from one foot to the other, eyeing the Grandmaster warily.

He bowed and left quickly.

"That might be the first correct step you've taken." She said drily, and then tired of waiting, she started climbing the stairs first.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes and squeezed his husband's hand in reassurance.

"She'll be gone soon."

Baoshan Sanren roared with laughter ahead of them.

XiChen threw him a look of disbelief.

"Not going to lie, she makes me feel like a five year old who's done something wrong."

"In her case, that's probably the right kind of age gap but add a few hundred in her case." Jiang Cheng agreed. "And she makes everyone feel that...except that idiot."

"My grandson might be the only one among you with a brain, and he actually uses it." She retorted.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes behind her back.

But then he stumbled over a stone on the path which previously didn't have any.

They reached the gates of Cloud Recesses to find a tense stand off.

The stranger was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. His hair was silver mixed with black, plaited close to his head, and running loose over his shoulders. His robes were plain, dark and ordinary looking, and in fact, there was nothing remarkable about him, except for his unusual dark aura.

The air around him seemed to shimmer and vibrate with his thoughts, and his eyes kept changing colours.

XiChen recognised him first.

"Welcome to Cloud Recesses." He bowed.

"Hey...you're that Soothsayer we met on our way ... we took a detour to come and see you in Cai Fei." Jiang Cheng said, suddenly remembering. As an afterthought, he bowed too.

But the Soothsayer was ignoring both of them. He was staring at Baoshan Sanren, and they seemed to be having some sort of confrontation, only visible through their eyes which looked like they were having an invisible battle without even lifting their fingers to wield a weapon.

The disciples guarding the gates could feel the sky rocketing tension and looked towards XiChen for guidance, but he shook his head at them subtly, telling them in that small action that they need not interfere nor interrupt.

The tension grew and grew.

Jiang Cheng wasn't sure what would happen, since both looked like formidable opponents, and right when he thought Baoshan Sanren would use her scary whip on the Soothsayer, he threw back his head and laughed, breaking the silence.

The sound dissipated the stress levels and finally the Soothsayer bowed towards her.

"Grandmaster...it is good to see you again."

Baoshan Sanren didn't bother bowing back, but she had the smallest of smiles on her face.

"Why have you come here? At this late hour?" She demanded.

"Time is of no consequence when urgent action is required. Where are the Light Bearer of the North and His Dark Angel? I need to speak with them right now." He said, in his raspy, coarse voice.

"They have been summoned." She replied.

"Then I shall wait, if you don't mind. I do not like to repeat myself." He stared back at her unflinchingly.

The tension was rising again, and it was beyond XiChen's diplomatic capacity to take it a second time; he was already tired from the day's events and having just returned home dreaming of his bed and wanting to sleep, he had not expected any of what had happened so far.

"Why don't we retire to somewhere a little more comfortable and private?" He suggested.

Baoshan Sanren turned around and left, followed by the Soothsayer, with XiChen and Jiang Cheng bringing up the rear.

Once they reached the Great Hall, XiChen called for hot tea to be served.

The silence was heavy with possibility as all four people avoided looking at each other.

XiChen refilled their cups as there was nothing else to be done, not until his baby brother and his brother-in-bond arrived.

Seconds ticked by and still there was no sign of them.

"Where are they?" Jiand Cheng frowned.

"They must be sleeping..." XiChen said, quietly. "WangJi always had trouble rousing A-Xian...but with his condition...it may not be possible."

The Soothsayer looked up at that, his gaze sharp and intense.

"Tell me, what has happened to him?"

XiChen didn't want to divulge anything personal, because while they knew the Soothsayer as an acquaintance, they didn't know him better than that, and he wasn't sure how much he should reveal if anything. So he glanced at the Grandmaster, who hadn't touched her teacup.

The Soothsayer sighed, and pulled out something from the folds of his grey robes. He put it on the table in front of everyone.

"What's that?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"A sign of the future." The Soothsayer replied, giving XiChen a hard look.

It was a black feather, the colour of which was darker than onyx, charcoal or even velvet. However, it shone with iridescent colours depending on how it caught the light.

It was a thing of beauty, remarkable and pulling their attention completely.

"Where did you get this?" Baoshan Sanren asked, sharply.

"This looks like my brother's wings." Jiang Cheng suddenly added.

He picked up the feather to look at it more closely.

The door burst open and the messenger that they had sent to the Jingshi entered, in a state of obvious distress.

"Sect Leader, you have to come quickly! It's an emergency!"