The Legend of Moonflower

Chapter 31 - The Past and the Promise

A/N: Translation - Xiao Huo Zi (小伙子) means young man or lad.

Idioms:

凤毛麟角 [鳳毛麟角] Fèng máo lín jiǎo  Phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Seeking the unobtainable.

读万卷书不如行万里路 [讀万卷書不如行万里路] Dú juǎn shū bù rú xíng lǐ lù  Reading ten thousand books is not the same as walking a thousand miles.  Learn from practical experience not from books.

Chapter 31

"It's no use," Wen Ruohan chuckled at his efforts.

For the last hour, he'd been trying to shift, but he couldn't reach his wolf. Even worse was his inability to channel any of the energy from his core.

Sweat was dripping from his brow and he couldn't help but feel annoyed. "What do you mean?" Wei Wuxian snapped.

"Your meridians have been sealed and they put something in your food and water to keep it that way."

He cursed under his breath. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

The former king huffed. "You didn't ask earlier. I'm telling you now because all your sighing and muttering is disturbing my peace. And why should I tell you anything? You haven't shared anything about yourself. Not even your name."

He had kept to himself after finding out who is prison mate was. "I'm no one of consequence," he said.

The laugh Wen Ruohan let out was bitter. "If you were no one of consequence, then you wouldn't be down here with me." He sighed. "Xiao huo zi, you can keep your secrets. Might as well since you won't be able to keep anything else. All your strength, love and dignity will be stripped from you."

Wei Wuxian stood and paced around his cell. How long had he been down here? Did anyone know he was here? Did Lan Zhan know he was still alive? Was Lan Zhan hurt in the ambush? That last thought had him gripping at his chest in fear. His trepidation was growing by the minute and panic rose to his throat in the form of bile.

He sat back on the ground and tried to calm himself. He needed a way to distract himself from his thoughts and focus on the situation. "I don't understand why your son would lock you down here," he said, hoping Wen Ruohan would divulge some information to help him figure out Wen Chao's motivation for abducting and imprisoning him.

"Wen Chao is conniving. I should have known he's always harbored an anger towards me for the death of his mother. By keeping me alive he can fool the people into believing he is loyal and filial. Many wanted me removed from the throne, but it is unacceptable for a son to kill his father," Wen Ruohan said. "I am at his mercy here."

"And imprisoning a father in the deepest dungeon is filial?" Wei Wuxian shook his head at how hypocritical royal families were.

"I'm sure that Wen Chao hasn't made that public," Wen Ruohan said. "He has likely told the people I am cultivating peacefully in the mountains."

"Why doesn't he just exile you to the mountains?"

"He wants to keep me close so he can keep his brother in line to help him control the council."

Wei Wuxian digested this piece of information. It seemed the politics in the State of Wen were just as complicated as the ones in Gusu. "Why is Wen Chao angry with you for his mother's death?"

Wen Ruohan was silent for so long that Wei Wuxian figured he wasn't going to answer. When he was about to ask a different question, the former king made a sound, a cross between a bitter laugh and a sad sigh. "Because he saw me kill her."