RAGING FATE (Hiatus)

Chapter 52

THE NEST

Aiya... Forget about it; wanting more always leads to nothing.

Emperor Fen's second son looks down at his bracelet and can't help but caress it with his left hand before returning his gaze to the person sitting across from him.

"Haiyo... I was truly bored before, as I was always alone in my room, but now that I have Yoyo. I will never be bored again," the second prince of the Yao clan said, changing the subject, while leaning back in his chair, face relaxed and contended.

"Oh, yeah! I just remembered. Elder-Jing, mother said you're very good at playing mahjong and that she can't always beat you to it, so maybe if you teach me, I can beat you, hehe," Wei quipped, not thinking about the things they had previously discussed as he now had a mischievous smile on his lips and his eyes filled with eagerness.

Mujing was taken aback for a moment before bursting out laughing with great amusement.

"Ha! Hahahahaha. You're Highness. You are, in fact, Empress Vie's son. Okay, I'll teach you, but it'll be a long day," Mujing teased the second prince, but his teasing was ineffective when he only saw this with a smirk.

"Oh? Aiya, don't be concerned, Elder-Jing, as you said. I'm my mother's son; I'll show you how high my self-quality is," he replied with a cheeky smile.

The atmosphere around them quickly became vibrant, but it was cut short when a quick wind passed through them out of nowhere and a silhouette of a tall person appeared four steps away from where Jui was standing, wearing the cloud clan's long-sleeved hanfu, alerting them.

"Brother Jui, it's me, Fui," the man said, kneeling not too close to Jui and not too far away.

When they realized the person who had appeared out of nowhere was one of the Emperor's senior disciples, they all relaxed their guards. While Jui, who had almost sheathed his sword, strode over to the man who was still kneeling.

"What happened? Why are you here?" he asks, and Fui stands up, looking straight at him, anxious and on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but before Fui can say anything, he senses the presence of two people not far from where he was standing.

He shifted his gaze to the side, only to be surprised to see their second prince and Mujing, causing his heart to race, but he remained calm outside.

"G-greetings, your highness and Elder-Jing," the man stammered, bowing respectfully.

Wei examines him from head to toe, observing his presence and behavior before responding and acknowledging his greetings, alongside Mujing, who was also observing Fui's entire expressions all the time, sensing something wrong.

"Em, tell us what happened right away."

Hearing their second prince's response, the man looks nervously back at Jui, unsure what to do, while Jui simply stares at him, reading his thoughts through his eyes. 

Until he realizes something, prompting him to quickly and stealthily connect his wind-linked spiritual power to Fui, who was still staring at him with the same expression and say something only Fui can hear.

"It's okay, relax, and remember your training to not let your enemy read your mind or detect your weakness. Just tell them the first part of why you're here, and the rest leave it to me."

Fui was pleasantly surprised to hear his sworn brother's voice inside his mind, which made him feel relieved. He immediately nodded and returned his gaze to the two people who were still sitting on their wooden chairs beside the stone table.

"Brother Xichen just sent out his butterfly signal, saying that some Jeng clan trained disciples, as well as Hu clan disciples, were secretly roaming around the mountain, and he also advised his highness to stay in his room for five days and not go roaming around in the meantime. To double-check our overall safety,"

Wei scoffed, he felt upset, and his spirited behavior vanished after hearing his father's other senior disciples' words, but he remained calm and smiled as if what he just heard did not bother him.

"Aiya, great timing..." he said, his voice tingling with laziness as he stood up from the chair, stretching his both hands into the air to relieve the numbness in his body caused by sitting for too long, then smiled at Mujing, his face looking as if he were retiring for the day.

"I guess your lesson will be postponed for the time being," Mujing replied, standing out to the chair and smiling back at their second prince.

"I suppose so," Wei shrugged his shoulders and continued to speak.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well already, Elder Jing; please always take good care of your health, at all times," Emperor Fen's second son replied, his face thoughtful and sincere.

"Ah, yes. I will, and I appreciate your kind words. I'm also relieved to know that my body is already acclimating to the weather of the cloud clan," Mujing responded.

Since the HenDu residence was located on the highest point of the mountain, the weather was always cold. The sun still shone above them, but the warmth it provided was insufficient to offset the cold temperature of the mountain.

As a result, some of the Yao clan, particularly Mujing, who are accustomed to summer and spring weather, are slow to adjust. When they first arrived at their assigned residence, some of them developed a fever due to the abrupt change in weather.

However, as the days and weeks passed, their bodies gradually adapted to the temperature of the mountain and became accustomed to it.

"Mn, I must depart now; please convey my apologies to the children for leaving early," Wei said, not waiting for Mujing's response as he walked away, followed by his father and two senior disciples, now showing his face that filled with unhappiness and displeasure when another gust of wind passed through them and revealed one more senior disciple of his father.

 His eyes filled with tears, while his face and clothes were filled with fresh blood.

However, there is no wound.

Wei's heart screamed with fear, not realizing Jui had already jumped beside him, holding the head of his sword, and asked.

"What's the matter?" His voice was calm, but his face was alarmed.

"Brother Jui, please help. Ming Xie, Brother Ming Xie, he..." the disciple stammered, exhausted and desperate, now helplessly kneeling on the ground as he wailed in agony.

Emperor Fen's son couldn't help but cast a worried glance down at the man into Jui. He has no idea what is going on, but the goosebumps on his skin and the wild beating of his heart suggest that it is not easy to deal with. 

"Fui, bring his highness back to his room and do not leave his side until I return," Jui instructed, about to leave when Wei grabbed his left arm and said.

"Fixed it quickly,"

Jui quickly nods, then looks at the crying disciple, signaling it to stand up and lead the way, which the man immediately performs, and they leap away quickly using their wind spiritual power.

Wei didn't want to appear needy in front of his father's three senior disciples right now, but he doesn't have a choice; he was just not comfortable having someone he didn't know guarding him, and he doesn't trust this person named Fui even though he is his father's disciple. 

He felt uneasy around him for some unknown reason; he only needs Jui as his guard and does not require another. But for the time being, let us persevere.

To be continued.