The tale of the fox and the dragon egg

Chapter 57 - The wish of a mother

Everything was engulfed in fire.

Like an explosion it quickly spread around them like a storm, but Wei Ying was surrounded by cold scales at the same time. The flames couldn't lick his skin, but it was like he could feel them anyway. The scent of smoke and burned flesh was sickening, but the scales around him held another scent that was more to his liking. 

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"Mother", Jin Guangyao whispered under his breath, not even touched by the fate that has befallen one of his subordinates just seconds before, "Mother, please calm. Not everyone here is against you."

Lan Minshan was still wheezing at his side, with his hand clutching at his neck. Black markings appeared on his skin, stopping in their reach up to let him take wheezing breaths. Maybe he finally felt the pain Wei Ying did every time his curse had activated.

A sick feeling rumbled in Wei Ying's stomach, his eyes still remaining on the black patch that was once a fox in the distance.

Black mist was creeping around it, the air humid and thick. Whatever seemed to vanish to the eye was still whispering. Whatever the Yin Tiger Tally contained before was free from its shackles, circling around Wei Ying's mind, taunting him just like before.

He had warned him, clearly warned him about what would happen with the Yin Tiger Tally in such a state. It had been filled to the brim in the massacres the five tailed fox had caused. A container would not be able to hold any more, developing cracks and it simply broke, just as Xue Yang did.

The pouch in Wei Ying's hand seemed so heavy one second to another and he instinctively pulled it closer. The last shreds of the soul moved inside and as to not damage it, he placed it into his robes.

Maybe he hated Xue Yang, but he still couldn't help but feel at least a little sympathy for one of the only of his kin. Would he have turned out like that, without the Jiangs taking him in?

A presence next to him brought him back from that horrifying thought, as Lan Zhan stood in front of him with Bichen in his hand. His gaze was focused and harsh, protective and unmoving.

Only then did Wei Ying see the shadow look at him, clearly look at him. It didn't even regard anyone else and the sensation hunted a shudder down his back. Not even eyes looked back at his own through the darkness, but he felt them on himself.

>Mother<

One hand of the strange being started to reach out. As if it was a person in need, in help, searching for something to save them from drowning.

The whole figure was so strange and unknown, but that voice echoing within his head was not. He knew it very, very well.

"A-Yuan", Wei Ying spoke with urgency, something that made Lan Zhan look at him in alarm.

"Wei Ying, can you hear him?"

„He is -", the fox wanted to begin, but the dark figure shrank back in a heartbeat, one hand clutching its head. A shrieking scream made Wei Ying's ears hurt as he laid them back against his head, then the sound vanished as if it was never there in the first place.

Just in that heartbeat, the shadow whirled around and jump right towards Jin Guangyao, the one who was rushing back in shock as he realised what happened. The black hand nearly reached his skin, but the sharp swing of Shuoyue severed the hand before it could.

"Mother!", he called out in panic, but there was nothing answering him.

As Lan Xichen was placing himself in front of the deer spirit that was still looking like it was torn between running towards its mother and staying away, his sword hand clutched the sword so tight that his knuckles turned white. He didn't even dare to show the weakness befalling him from the curse, but his face was a little more expressive than that.