The tale of the fox and the dragon egg

Chapter 56 - One step closer

"Oh, now I get it. First you turned Song Lan into a fierce corpse and now I find Xiao Xingchen as a shattered soul?"

"Shut up!", Xue Yang quickly screamed at him and Wei Ying needed to keep himself safe from the corpses that tried to pull him apart. Wen Ning helped him, burning every enemy that stood in his path, "Shut the fuck up! Don't fucking talk about him!"

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This feeling of being filled with darkness was not new to him.

It was strange and familiar, something Wei Ying wished he would never feel again. But the weight of the flute, how it felt in his hands and under his lips brought him back into a time he never wanted to return to.

A time where the sky was filled by black clouds, where purple lightning had crashed right next to him and cries filled the air like a horrible song.

But it was necessary. He may have used this weapon for causes that were not all good back then - however, this time he used it to safe his friends and his son.

As the first haunting note of Chenqing echoed in the air, all of the eyes turned right towards him. Some eyes that knew of the horrors of the past, like Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng, were quick to assert the situation and remember that this was not against but for them. Xue Yang was watching him with open curiosity now, a gaze that the seven tailed fox met without any hesitation.

And just like in his past, he felt the energy around him move. It followed his call and clumped together at his fingertips. Although some of it was resisting him, the energy that was in Xue Yang's hand, it was more than enough.

As the haunting melody of his past flowed with the breeze around him, there was shockingly much resentful energy answering him. Presumably the residue of the ritual that took place here such a short time ago.

"Now, this is getting interesting!", he heard Xue Yang over the high tones of his flute, a crazed grin darkening his face. Not even the purple thunder crashing from the sky could wipe it off, but it bought Wei Ying more time, "I have waited for this opportunity for so long. Finally I can show you that I am more powerful than you ever were!"

More time to gather, more time to call, more time to summon the creatures of the night, more time to ruin the lives of so many townsfolk that were still screaming outside the walls as the first bony fingers emerged from the ground-

A hand placed itself on his shoulder and Wei Ying almost jumped away, but golden eyes made him realise the harsh tension in his muscles and soul. Lan Zhan was looking at him, truly looking at him. His eyes spoke of so much and Wei Ying almost expected them to watch him with hatred.

"Wei Ying", the dragon whispered and even with the music overshadowing it, the fox knew exactly what he said, "This is the present, not the past. I will follow and help you."

Then a nod, one full of trust and Wei Ying needed to take a deep breath. One he desperately needed as he watched Xue Yang raise the Yin Tiger Tally into the sky. It was worth the break in his melody.

"Yes, this is not the past, Yiling Patriarch!", the fox shouted at him without any fear. Jiang Cheng tried to get through to him, but the countless corpses around them threw themselves onto his body and in front of his snout, "Now show me what a single fox can do."

Oh, he would gladly.

And there were already plenty enough ghosts, resentful souls and corpses around them.

The ghosts that were called by the array still swirled around them in a search of a safe place or a chance for revenge. And outside, countless townsfolk were slaughtered by the beings Xue Yang had called on. Wei Ying closed his eyes and felt the energy rise around them.