Uncle Qiren listens to the men as they describe what could only be a strange and terrifying chimaera, an abomination of a creature that has mutated into a powerful foe. So far, according to these three people, the Beast of Yiling has taken countless lives, forcing the local Magistrate to set up a curfew at night, to prevent more innocent people being killed.
Certainly, this night hunt is too dangerous for just a couple of rogue Cultivators, even if they're exceptionally talented.
Lan Zhan holds his breath as Uncle Qiren takes far too long to decide what to do. Ants are crawling along his skin as Lan Zhan waits, hoping and praying that it's not too late for them to intervene because, what is the point of coming back to the past and missing what could be a golden opportunity to save lives? In particular, these two lives which would change the trajectory of Wei Ying’s life.
If Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze die, that means the Jiangs can still turn up and cause problems for Lan Zhan, but he's going to do his best to make sure that doesn't happen.
“XiChen, summon Shouyue. Go back to Cloud Recesses and gather reinforcements. Tell them to come immediately here, and the Magistrate will bring them to where we are going. Go now.”
XiChen glances at Lan Zhan for a split second, obviously torn between wanting to fetch aid, and leaving him behind. Fortunately, Uncle Qiren is not oblivious to this.
“Do not worry about WangJi. He has his own mission,” Uncle Qiren says, taking Lan Zhan by the hand. They watch as XiChen does as he's told.
Uncle Qiren turns to the three strangers. “You mentioned a child. Where is he staying? The Rogue Cultivators would not have taken him with them.”
“We heard they left the boy at the inn,” one of them stammers, still in awe of this tall warrior dressed in white, with a matching little person next to him mirroring his frown.
There are only two inns in Yiling at the moment.
Lan Zhan is regretting leaving their inn now. Could it be that he was already in the right place earlier? But as a child, stuck in this little body, he knows he would have floundered looking for another child, or even getting any information about Wei Ying's whereabouts. At least this way, he has Uncle Qiren on his side.
Uncle Qiren picks Lan Zhan up, carrying him as he strides towards the inn they left earlier. While he appreciates the speed, Lan Zhan absolutely hates being carried, his independence vanishing like the early morning fog up in the mountains of his home. He tries hard not to squirm, telling himself that this is normal, and it's perfectly acceptable for a six year old child to be carried.
They reach the inn in record time, and only after Uncle Qiren hands over a piece of silver, does the innkeeper’s wife tell them what they want to hear: yes, two rogue cultivators are staying here, and yes, they've left their child in one of the rooms upstairs.
Uncle Qiren makes her show them which one. The door is unlocked, and both Uncle Qiren and Lan Zhan wear matching glares of disapproval at her carelessness. She bustles away quickly, knowing she has erred.
Uncle Qiren sets Lan Zhan down and to his surprise, crouches in front of him.
“WangJi, I am going to leave you here with the most important job of all. Inside this room, there is a child who may be scared to see strangers, but you must look after him and do not tell him anything about his parents yet, or the danger they might be in. I know that is the reason you brought those men to see me, and that was very brave of you. But now, you must be even more brave and stay here. Wait for either myself or your brother to come and fetch you. Do not leave. In case we are late, then take this money to pay the innkeeper so you may stay here longer.” Uncle Qiren gives Lan Zhan some pieces of silver in a pouch.
