Honor and Cultivation (WoH×MDZS)

To Tell the Truth

Turns out activating the array was gonna be more complicated than Wuxian, Kexing, Chengling and Gu Xiang had been expecting.

They had found the correct picture in the books and it turned out they needed candles, string, livestock blood- preferably goat or cow- a thin paintbrush, ash and some needles.

Thankfully, these were all easy to find so Kexing and Wuxian had been able to get all of them in 1 night.

They knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

The door was nudged open as Kexing and Wuxian came in, then shut behind them after Wuxian put the bags he was carrying down.

"Really I doubt this was necessary," Wuxian remarked as all 4 of them unpacked. "If these are all key to activating the array wouldn't the perpetrator put them close by?"

"Great, then we can blame you for saying that if it turns out there are none of these things behind the waterfall," Kexing snapped.

"Didn't you look through the shelves?? Shouldn't you know if these things are there or not??"

"I got called over before I could look at everything."

Wuxian snorted and muttered, "You're way too slow. A tortoise's faster at looking for things than you."

"If you're so fast then why didn't you look at the shelves and the wall?!"

"Shishu!" Chengling pacified.

Kexing huffed and mimed throwing something at Wuxian, but no harsh words were exchanged as they sorted the things into containers that could perserve them perfectly.

"That should do it," Kexing concluded at last, dusting off his hands. "A-Xiang, you carry the string and paintbrush. Chengling, you take the candles and ash. I'll take the needles and blood."

"You're not gonna make me carry anything?" Wuxian asked.

"I don't trust you," Kexing retorted. He shrugged. "As for the books, we don't need them anymore. I'll pay the inn staff to have those evil things sent back to the Yueyang Sect."

Chengling and Gu Xiang nodded.

Kexing smiled and ruffled their heads. "Go to sleep," he told them.

"Before we all turn in for the night," Wuxian piped up. "I've been thinking for a few days... I have a real question."

"I'd like to see you ask a fake one."

Wuxian glared at Kexing and retorted, "I'm not in the mood to argue with you, I'm serious. Are you lot sure I'm not known at all in this world?"

"You are, actually you're known as the Greatest Annoyance in All Humanity."

His patience slipping fast, Wuxian got up and snapped, "Wen Kexing-!"

"Uh- Uncle Xian!" Chengling interrupted. "I'm pretty sure no one knows you here... you're from another world, who would know you here?"

"That's why I'm confused," Wuxian explained. "Someone did in fact know me. Someone who showed up that night at the Yueyang Sect."

"Who?"

"Your Uncle Zhao."

"..."

"..."

"...what?" Chengling asked weakly.

Wuxian waved the sword he had used as half a prop in the distraction.

"Hey!" Kexing snapped, grabbing his wrist and glaring at him. "Don't wave that thing around so carelessly, you'll hurt A-Xiang and Chengling!"

"I'm watching it!" Wuxian retorted. He rolled his eyes and continued, "What I was gonna say before someone interrupted me was that I know how to use a sword- my moves aren't gonna be recognizable as from any sect in your world nor are they gonna pack a punch because of my weakened state, but they make sense. I'm not waving it around carelessly. And I didn't touch my flute at all during the distraction."