Empire (Xichen X OC)

Chapter 38

Wuxian had no words or comments, and he was not even sure if he had any actions, either. All he could do was stare in shock at his soulmate and at his niece, who was lurking not so far away.

The revelation about how Tengchao died was heavier than he expected, but he did not regret asking about it. It had been weighing his mind how his dear aunt had fallen, and despite now knowing the truth, a part of him was still not satisfied.

After all, Tengchao was a top-tier cultivator, having gone against hordes of zombies and enemy cultivators, sea demons, and so much more. She had skill, she had power, and she had survived many injuries.

How did a single wound kill her? No, screw that... who did manage to land such a hit on her actually to kill her?

Something was telling him that not even Wangji had the answers to that, meaning that someone had possibly murdered Tengchao and was still out there. The idea alone made his anger return, feeling the need to exact revenge for the woman who had guided and protected him all those years.

He breathed deeply to calm himself, feeling his powers slowly getting out of control. Now was not the time to do so, and he shouldn't. Things would change, and justice would be served not only to him but also to her.

He dared look beyond Wangji and saw Yue sitting atop a small rock, her back turned on the duo. He could not see her face, but he did not have to wonder how she must have been feeling.

Yue was a child when she lost her mother; not too young to forget it but not too old to process it better. Worse was the fact that her mother was murdered in a mission, and her uncle was nowhere to be found.

If Tengchao went on a mission to help Xiao Xingchen and was killed, she must be blaming him. The fact that he had vanished from the face of the earth definitely did not help prove his innocence; he thought and sighed heavily.

"Lan Zhan-" he called the name of his soulmate, but he had already started to walk away.

Wuxian could simply watch him as he silently motioned for Yue to follow him and headed back to where the disciples were to check on their final progress. Defeated, the cultivator could only let out a heavy sigh and follow, realizing that this was a topic none of the Lan wanted to discuss, especially now.

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The tension between the three of them had shifted, any lighter mood having disappeared like a fish when the water gets disturbed. Wuxian tried his best to keep his happy attitude as Mo and even went as far as to explain a few things to Shizui, mostly about the array and how the one who created it did not necessarily mean a demonic cultivator.

Wangji stood close behind but spoke nothing; his mind was occupied after the latest revelation. Yue was close by, with a similar expression to her uncle and, for once, truly showing the common blood those two shared.

However, everything was about to change when a Lan disciple started to sprint their way, already out of breath.

"Hanguang-Jun! Lan Guan-Yi!" the disciple shouted, calling the name of both uncle and niece.

This sudden rush and fear in the man's eyes drew Yue's attention. "What is it?" she asked and watched as the disciple came to a halt and quickly tried to regulate his breathing.

"Urgent message from the Cloud Recesses: The Ghost Hand has escaped!"

Wangji narrowed his eyes at the message and quickly grabbed the scroll from the disciple, reading it through to ensure there was no mistake. At the same time, Wuxian and Guan-Yi exchanged a look, equally surprised by the news.