Backlash Part 2

Chapter 202: Wei Qing

Wen Qing heard nothing from inside the room. No sounds of conversation or movement before the door suddenly opened before her. The result of a silencing talisman clearly. Whatever Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao had been discussing they had wanted it to remain private. Wen Qing kept her expression calm and even as she could. Despite the terror that came unbidden whenever she was near the man who had tortured her. Jin Guangyao's eyes narrowed in anger at her before he pasted a meaninglessly polite smile on his face.

"Wen-guniang." Jin Guangyao said politely. Wen Qing could feel the venom lurking beneath Jin Guangyao's words. It wasn't sharp enough that she could call him out on it, but it was certainly growing more pronounced.

Wen Qing had known she had angered Jin Guangyao greatly when she freed Sect Leader Nie. Meng Yao, at the time, had made it clear that he intended to take his time with her. Made it clear that she would have a future as one of the subjects he experimented upon.

Wen Rouhan had visited her once. He had beaten her bloody and branded her for her disgrace. Then he had been done with her. As enraged as her betrayal was he had not deemed her worth his time beyond that first brutal day. Everything after that was all Meng Yao.

That last day of the battle Meng Yao had hastily attempted to clean house. If he had had the time and resources, the soldiers available, Wen Qing would have been dead. As it stood he only had servants free who could serve poison to his prisoners. Starvation and drugged food were a common practice in the Flame Palace. Even if the food tasted off, most of the prisoners would have had little choice but to eat and hope for the best.

Most prisoners did not have Wen Qing's knowledge. Wen Qing could identify much of what was being given to her. It gave her a power to be able to choose which substances she permitted them to give her and how much. It was not perfect, but for times like that last day it was enough. Enough for her to know that nothing offered should enter her mouth. Enough to keep her alive.

Wen Qing expected Meng Yao, Jin Guangyao, did not like that, but his venom towards her seemed to be growing every day. She wasn't entirely certain as to why. She had not slandered him. Had not brought up to the sects the sorts of things he had done. Had not even brought up to Lan Xichen the specifics of Jin Guangyao's actions.

Near as she could tell Wen Qing presumed herself to be little more than an inconvenience. Since Lan Xichen had picked up on Wen Qing's unexpressed discomfort around Jin Guangyao, he had limited having them both in the same place. Wen Qing spent a lot of time with Lan Xichen. Mostly because the LanlingJin sect made it unsafe for her to be without powerful company.

Well, that might have been giving them too much credit. Wen Qing did rather enjoy Lan Xichen's company. He was calm and intelligent. Still far too trusting, a trait that was simultaneously endearing and frustrating. Wen Qing's personal feelings around Lan Xichen were complicated by a traumatic past that was not truly Lan Xichen's fault, but affected Wen Qing all the same. It created a layer of hesitance and anxiety that she felt would probably not have been present otherwise.

Wen Qing wondered briefly if Jin Guangyao was able to recognize that tension, but dismissed the thought quickly. If that were the case she doubted Jin Guangyao would be as frustrated and angry as he seemed to be. As far as Wen Qing could tell she was a small risk to his reputation.

She had survived the Flame Palace and he did not like that. On the other hand Nie Mingjue had also survived the Flame Palace. Wen Qing mostly recalled Jin Guangyao making wounded puppy eyes around Nie Mingjue and making large displays out of placating him. Of course, Nie Mingjue was the leader of a great sect. He was important. Wen Qing was not... Or at least she was not supposed to be.