Hua Xianle

Chapter 8:

It was a quiet weekend in Puqi Shrine when Qi Rong came knocking, bringing along the boy that he never quite got around to eating. As he looked down at the child hiding behind his cousin's leg, all he could think was, 'He's small... really, really small.'

While Night-Touring Green Lantern had heard about the abuse the boy suffered and was aware the boy was still technically in recovery, he never expected he'd be this small. He was supposed to be eight years old, and yet he looked like he could pass for six.

Well, at least it looked like his cousin and Crimson Rain had been feeding the kid, and hopefully, the latter had been doing the cooking. The effects of malnutrition weren't easy to fix, and the last thing the kid needed was to be poisoned by the toxic sludge his cousin tried to pass as cooking.

Turning away from the kid, Qi Rong glanced back at Gu Zi, who was fidgeting with the desire to go greet his new baby cousin.

"What are you waiting for, kid?" He gave Gu Zi a small shove towards Hua Ying. "Don't be a coward. Go say hi already, you brat."

Gu Zi caught himself with a practiced ease, smiling as he waved at the boy. "Hi. I'm Gu Zi."

Tentatively, the boy peeked out from behind his baba. He gave a tiny wave of the hand before he proceeded to hide his face in Xie Lian's robes. His cousin chuckled awkwardly and patted Hua Ying's head, gently coaxing him to come out from his hiding spot. When the child finally stood in front of them, he stared at Qi Rong and Gu Zi before looking down again.

Now, Qi Rong wasn't one to be gentle and soft-spoken, but he'd heard of the boy's traumas and how he struggled with them up until now. That, and Gu Zi would nag at him again if he screamed and scared his little cousin so, nope.

Qi Rong sighed and crouched down to come face to face with the child while gently grabbing Gu Zi to come closer. Speaking quietly was a struggle, but he did his best, desperate to avoid getting punched, lectured, or glared at by the kid's protective parents.

"Little one, I am your uncle, Qi Rong. This here is Gu Zi, your cousin. He's 5 years older than you are so you have to call him Zi-gege. Okay?"

The child just nodded, which made Qi Rong grin. No crying or panic attacks. So far so good. He turned back to Gu Zi and nudged him. "Well, aren't you gonna give your cousin something?"

Gu Zi glanced up at Xie Lian, silently asking permission to give his cousin the gift. Of course, Xie Lian just nodded with a smile, and Gu Zi was immediately digging in his robes for the gifts: a bag of candies and a wooden carving of a bunny.

They weren't much, especially compared to the insanely lavish shit that the Gods had no doubt given the kid, but Gu Zi had spent weeks helping out villages to earn the coin to buy them. Qi Rong was damn proud of the kid, not that he would ever admit it out loud.

"I don't have much but I hope you like it," Gu Zi said shyly while holding out his gifts.

Hua Ying took them carefully, looking at them before beaming at his older cousin. In the blink of an eye, he pulled Gu Zi into a hug, shocking the older boy before he returned the hug in kind. Qi Rong chuckled at the scene.

"Ah, dear cousin, I want to kidnap your child now. He's so cute."

Qi Rong's comment earned him a menacing smile from his cousin. "No kidnapping."

"But Gu Zi needs a playmate!"

"Then let Gu Zi come visit. He is always welcome."

Qi Rong just clicked his tongue and stood back to watch the two children talk. Well, it was more like one was talking while the other communicated with a magical scroll of some sort. The more he watched them interact, the more Night-Touring felt his anger bubbling. Anyone who could hurt a kid like this... they were lower than scum.

"Say cousin, Crimson Rain wouldn't mind if I played with them, right?"

"Who? The children?" Xie Lian was confused by this line of questioning, raising an eyebrow to show as much.

"No, the Jiangs. I wanna make 'em suffer, you know? I won't kill 'em or hurt 'em too bad. Just a few pranks here and there."

Xie Lian hummed a bit. "And why would you do that?"

"Why wouldn't I? Look at what they did to an orphan kid." He gestured to A-Ying with both hands. "He was supposed to get a family and a home. Instead, all he got was starvation and neglect on top of physical and emotional abuse. And I'll bet that the Jiangs have more than just dead fish in that disgusting pier of theirs. If they can do this to a defenseless child, then I doubt they'd have any qualms against other innocents either."

Xie Lian's face was grim at the prospect. Qi Rong was not known for his nuggets of wisdom, but everything he said rang with truth. Who knew what other dark secrets the Jiangs had lurking in their filth-riddled lakes.

"Do whatever you want," he decided, his eyes never leaving his son. "I can't touch them because it's against the rules, All we can do is not bless them anymore and rescind what we have already given. But you, you're bound by no such rules. Do what you want and I will talk with San Lang."

Qi Rong just smirked and proceeded to watch the kids again.

...

Jiang Fengmian sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off a headache that refused to fade. How could things have turned out this way? Where had he gone wrong?

It had been a year since Wei Ying disappeared without a trace. A trail had led them into the forest hours from Lotus Pier, but from there, it was as if the boy had just vanished. Still, he continued to search, hoping that the boy would turn up. After all, Lotus Pier was where he belonged, and his only other option was the streets. What child would choose to remain homeless when they could spend their days in the safety of a Great Sect?

Then again... could they still be considered a Great Sect? Servants and Disciples alike were leaving Lotus Pier thanks to his wife's temper. That was normal by this point, a constant Jiang Fengmien had grown used to. However, now they were also leaving because of the rumors of Lord Black Water's curse. Even the merchants were moving on, taking their business to the other gentry families.

No matter what Jiang Fengmien did or tried, the result was always the same: his sect losing money, resources, and citizens. The only reason that they hadn't gone completely belly up was thanks to financial aid from the minor sects under their protection, as well as a stipend from the Jin Sect. It was thanks to them that the important parts of the pier, such as the bedrooms, offices, and training grounds had been rebuilt. Even so, their smaller stature and the ever-present stench of dead fish and rancid water were a constant reminder of how far they had fallen.

In the distance, he could hear his wife screaming again, a surefire sign that another disciple would soon be defecting. At this rate, they would be reduced to less than a minor sect, and with the Qinghe Discussion Conference just around the corner, Jiang Fengmien was grasping at straws. How could he possibly salvage this?

Perhaps he could bring Jiang Cheng and Yanli to the Discussion Conference with him and Yu-Furen. With luck, perhaps his son could make friends with the other Young Masters, and his daughter could have the chance to strengthen her relationship with the Jin heir.

As soon as he thought that, he scoffed and shook his head. Jiang Cheng was too much like his mother, believing himself to be above everyone else despite his weak cultivation level. No doubt this plan of his would only lead to more problems down the line, but he had no other options. This was his only chance.

A chance that was doomed to fail from the beginning.

If only Wei Ying was here.