Wild Creatures

Chapter 84

04.30am Sunday

The ride up in the elevator is tense.

"Where's Uncle XingChen?" Wei Ying asks.

"Getting ready."

That doesn't help, because Wei Ying wants to know about someone else, but his Grandmother isn't forthcoming. He will have to ask openly.

Wei Ying sighs internally and wishes he didn't feel so guilty still.

"And ah, what about Jin whats-his-name? You know, down there?" He points down to make it clear, towards the torture floor, because that's what he's calling it in his head.

"Still passed out." She gives him a curious look. "A-Chen told me what happened."

Wei Ying is helpless against the warmth that floods his face.

"I didn't mean to do that."

The doors open and belatedly, Wei Ying realises that they haven't returned to the floor where Mo XuanYu is, hopefully with a report by now of what he's found.

They are on the floor where the armoury is located.

"I know, A-Ying." She's smiling sadly. "I fear that tonight ... Well, today is going to be full of things we don't want to do."

"But Grandmother, he told us that Wen Rouhan has a brother! Did you know?"

Baoshan Sanren gasps, stopping where she is.

"No! We knew there was someone they kept hiding, but I thought it was just an elder of their family, not his blood brother!"

Wei Ying can see her thoughts churning.

"That slimy weasel told us they're going to do something tonight, or today. It's the full moon, and he said whatever they're planning is to do with magic. That's why they use moon glyphs. He also said they want to test Lan Zhan's venom." His tone becomes icy cold.

"Then there's no time to waste." She pulls him into the room with knives and swords hanging off the walls.

She goes to the glass cabinet that is definitely a new addition to this place, and pulls out the tarnished silver armour, the one Wei Ying and Lan Zhan found in the underground room at the Lan Manor, under the fountain.

"Put this on." She pushes it against his chest.

It is so lightweight, and hardly makes a noise, soft despite being made from metal. Impossibly tiny chains of metal are looped together so tightly that nothing could penetrate through the nonexistent gaps.

"But Grandmother-"

"Put it on!" She barks, brooking no argument now. She turns away from him, expecting him to undress and wear it. "That's a command. The only way we're going in there, is if you are protected to the best of my ability. Otherwise, you can forget about coming." She's breathing rapidly, and just from that, Wei Ying can tell how close she is to losing it.

Silently, he peels off his shirt, glad that Lan Zhan had picked something with a little give in it. The armour was like a second skin, snugly fitting around his body and lined with the softest cotton, so it didn't feel cold at all.

It was the closest thing he had left to a hug from his mother.

"Ready." He says it sombrely, because somehow, this getting ready for the battle made it all real.

Baoshan Sanren turns around, purses her lips and quick as a flash, grabs a holster and a belt for him. She adds a thigh holster and gives him additional knives that he can place in the sides of his boots.