INARTICULATION (MLM/MxM/M4M ORIGINAL)

14: Sparkling Turn of Events

"Her Highness the Crown Princess, though renowned for her regal composure and profound insights, possesses a captivating mind that dances between worlds of fidelity and whimsey, occasionally leading her thoughts to wander adrift, like stars lost in the tapestry of the heavens. Her unique ability to seamlessly transition between the realms of practicality and abstract contemplation leaves no room for the burden of overanalyzing, allowing her to approach matters with a refreshing spontaneity that spurs innovation and ignites the ember of possibility."

APPOINTED GENERAL FU QIANQIU

MEMENTO MORI

Wen Jingyi went to sleep with a tear-stained face that night.

He still failed to process everything that had happened to him during his time in the Dong Nan Prison. It had only been a couple of weeks since he was thrown in by Shang Hou, but all the quarrels and beatings made it seem like forever.

Xun Jie said that he would likely be safer here, so it only made Wen Jingyi wonder what the outside world would have been like. Would it have been worse than beatings from Shang Hou every other day, or would it have been better to have Xun Jie by his side as things went on?

Perhaps Shang Hou was the real problem here. Xun Jie had always been oblivious and uncaring of the emotions of others regarding him, so that had Shang Hou at a great disadvantage throughout the story of Memento Mori .

But now, it seemed like he was an entirely different person. He had spent nearly two weeks crying his apologies in the telepathic array, but now he was trying to strike up a conversation in the main array and cussing at anyone who responded that wasn't Wen Jingyi. Even when Fu Qianqiu tried to explain in their private array that he couldn't speak at the moment, the poor guy would get called at least seventeen different slurs. Hearing these reports from Fu Qianqiu nearly made Wen Jingyi burst into tears every time. Sometimes he wished he had never made those slurs for the world of Memento Mori .

He had burst into fits of maddened laughter after hearing their conversations whenever they were in the public communication array. They were caused at rather inappropriate times too, as Shang Hou was often strangling him as he heard those conversations in his head.

Oftentimes, it earned him another beating for the day and tears to hold back later in the night as he was in the telepathic array with Xun Jie and Fu Qianqiu. During these times, sessions were often cut to be shorter as Fu Qianqiu often focused on sending spiritual energy to Wen Jingiy's wounds earlier the same day.

Before and after a few sessions, Fu Qianqiu was even included in conversations and plans on how the Demon Lord Heng'e was to be taken down singlehandedly by Xun Jie. it took a lot of explaining for him to understand why things would be different from the last battle with the demon, but he eventually understood that things may turn out for the better this time around.

"Has any progress been made on ascending Bing Chuan?"

"Lots. I've currently found myself standing on her doorstep."

Well.

"Please don't change the subject Jingyi. How was your day today? Has Her Highness done anything more extreme towards you today?"

It was hilarious. Xun Jie talked to Wen Jingyi like Fu Qianqiu wasn't even there, asking him how his day had been while completely ignoring the other man in the array. Fu Qianqiu didn't dare speak his mind on the matter, for he knew that Xun Jie wouldn't hesitate to return to Dong Nan just to string him up and leave him to die.

On the other hand, Wen Jingyi could talk all day about Shang Hou, but his aching throat and collapsed lung made it more painful than usual.

"Things were...fine. She didn't curse at me this time, so I guess she's been getting better."

But she did manage to make him cry, bleed, and almost lose the ability to breathe. She broke several of his ribs when she strung him to the ceiling to use him as a human punching bag and made more bruises on his neck from strangling him and trying to get him hanging by a noose.

"I'll be fine. Just make sure you finish with Demon Lord Heng'e soon. Remember the weaknesses I told you and you'll be fine, just exercise with caution."

"Of course. I'll make sure to bind the demon lord in cables and return to retrieve you, Jingyi."

He finished speaking and walked through the heavy gates of Bing Chuan Manor. Wen Jingyi and Fu Qianqiu couldn't see Xun Jie, but they could hear everything around him. It was a great skill, but it required much more spiritual energy than the usual casual conversations held on the array.

"There's nothing in here," Xun Jie said abruptly.

Wen Jingyi was perplexed. "Nothing? What do you mean by nothing? Elaboration, please?"

"There's nothing. No pillars, carpets, wallpapers; nothing but empty space."

That didn't sound right. A manor should be filled with stellar design and bountiful decor, yet the place Xun Jie found himself in was found to be nothing more than an empty building.

"Maybe you should wander the manor. See if you can find Demon Lord Heng'e's throne for now. Please proceed with caution, Xun Jie."

Xun Jie had either found himself in the wrong manor or Heng'e truly lived a life lacking any interest in style. The only way to confirm either of these was if he found the demon lord's special red and black throne in that manor or not.

The more of Xun Jie's footsteps they heard, the more they felt uneasy. The Heng'e that Wen Jingyi had written hadn't been such a basic character. She was rather complex, showing a variety of emotions for the protagonist and the entirety of humanity in every scene she was present.

Demon Lord Heng'e showed an extraordinary distaste for the protagonist and anyone who showed special qualities like he had. She especially hated him for his impure concentration of human- and demon-mixed blood, but even more so because he could use both spiritual and demonic qi.

Seeing as she had appeared in one of Wen Jingyi's dreams, it seemed that he would be a target of her torment as well. Perhaps his origin being from out of this world may have been what irked her so much to appear in one of his dreams. It was just her style to appear in front of something she hated, so it was a shocker for Wen Jingyi when he heard that she hadn't even been in the main hall of Bing Chuan Manor, leaving Xun Jie to hunt her down.

Through rooms and halls, he wandered but not a single thing was there. It was only when he reached the second floor that all of them sensed something amiss.

There was a muffled whimpering and screaming in the air, echoing throughout the halls.

"Xun Jie," Wen Jingyi called out.

"I know. I hear it too."

As he walked, the sounds became louder and could be discerned from the echoes. The lightness of the voice made it evident it belonged to that of a woman. Rather than screams of terror, they sounded much like ones of anger.

For a moment, Wen Jingyi thought the voice reminded him of someone else's. When Xun Jie opened another door, most of the muffling had disappeared and the cries only grew louder.

Xun Jie was silent.

"Xun Jie? What do you see?"

Rushed footsteps and a drop of his body to the floor were heard from the other side of the array. He seemed to be struggling with something, assumably involving the source of the feminine cries in the manor as it sounded to be right next to them.

Suddenly, another voice came into the array from Xun Jie's side.

"A-Xun, go back to Dong Nan now, Heng'e is there! She's plotting something horrid against Wen Jingyi."

It was Shang Hou's voice.

Strangely enough, another Shang Hou stood by Fu Qianqiu, wearing an expression bearing great resentment.

This gaze pierced the air as she looked in Wen Jingyi's direction.