The Untamed Oneshots / CQL / WangXian

With regard to trouble...

The lecture hall was eerily silent...

Not the type of silence usually associated with the peacefulness of Cloud Recesses. No, this particular lack of sound promised nothing of grinding ink stones or the soft crunch of delicate rice paper being turned and set aside. There was no tranquil hum of the ever-present ambience of spiritual energy and the natural cultivation power from the blessed mountain abode.

It was indeed silent, the air heavy from being weighed down with apprehension. And this silence promised nothing but trouble.

The Junior Quartet were kneeling on the hard wooden floors, their swords neatly laid next to their person on the ground. And make no mistake, they formed quite the sight; Ouyang Zizhen was absentmindedly fiddling with the hems of his sleeves but his eyes were distant and glassy, his mouth slightly open in a stupid looking smile as a thin stream of drool dribbled past his lips; Jin Ling had his arms crossed, a frown furrowing his brows yet his eyes held a tinge of nervousness that usually wasn't there; Lan Jingyi - bored with having kneeled for the better part of a shichen - was swaying from left to right, occasionally bumping Jin Ling's shoulder to amuse himself (that is to say, he dared to sway only when he did not have to swallow down whatever vile substance tried to crawl its way back up his throat for Lan Jingyi was, in fact, rather green); and Lan Sizhui was the image of a proper Lan with his posture straight and hands folded, his face as carefully blank as his a-Die, the infamous Hanguang Jun.

At least, that is what they were doing up until a frigid gust of wind blew into the lecture hall from behind them. Shivering, the group cast nervous glances at each other, but then they heard it...

Footsteps.

Measured, confident strides could be heard ascending the handful of stairs and drawing closer towards them. With it came the aura of the cultivator it emanated from. Dark and powerful, a new kind of heaviness hung in the air; the kind one expected of a man who had stared down death multiple times, in fact died more than once and returned triumphant every single time. This was the power (though it remained impeccably controlled, simmering just below the surface) of one that felled battle fields and took on three thousand cultivators by himself. This was the power of a man who was arguably on par with, though most knew it was even stronger than, the Twin Jades. As it was, a few of his stygian shadows swirled around the knees of the kneeling juniors; not enough to actually do anything save for rustle their robes and send a chill racing down their spines.

Then finally, finally, their Senior Wei came into view from behind them, though one glance told them that this was not their normal bubbly, carefree senior. His face was stony, eyes slightly narrowed as he stared them down from the spot he'd chosen to stand at the head of the lecture hall where Lan Qiren would usually give his lessons. A cold breeze blew through his hair, the stygian energy around him whispering words the juniors were just unable to grasp.

With an abrupt swipe of his arm, Wei Wuxian banished the resentment. He turned and reached for an envelope on Lan Qiren's table. The cover of the envelope was fancy and official, an artistic pattern of grays and greens surrounding the seal of the Qinghe Nie clan.

Oh, ancestors help them...

Wei Wuxian opened the envelope, cleared his throat and began to read aloud in a cold voice. " 'To: the Yiling Laozu, Wei Wuxian.'" He took that moment to look up, glaring at the four youths before him. "Not 'Wei-Xiong', not 'Childe-Wei'. 'Yiling Laozu, Wei Wuxian.'"

The Juniors flinched, each trying to make themselves appear smaller than the next. There was no doubt about it...they were in trouble, and deep.

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat once more as if attempting to dislodge some of the anger that had manifested in him. He continued reading. " 'It is with a heavy heart that I write to you in this time, yet remains imperative that I do so.