Cangse Sanren puts another cushion under her knees, groaning softly.
“What's the matter, Xingan?” Wei Changze asks her, bringing another low table into the expansive room.
“I just got comfortable when I realised I have to go pee. Again.” She huffs in distaste and annoyance, struggling to rise. “It's like every ten minutes, and now I'm thinking I should just lie down next to the chamberpot.”
Wei Changze tries not to laugh as he helps her up. “And how comfortable would that be? On a scale of one to ten, ten being a highly unacceptable level of pain.”
Cangse Sanren merely grunts.
After she washes her hands and returns from behind the privacy screen, she finally makes herself comfortable AGAIN, her warm palm rests on her roundness. “When do you think these rascals will come out?” Her voice is full of longing, and she sounds so tired now.
It's late in the day, and soon, their guests will arrive. This is the seventh time today she's asked him this specific question, albeit with a change of words. Wei Changze smiles and tries to hide it.
“Xingan…” he coaxes at her petulant pouting, “no matter how you phrase it, my answer isn't going to change.” His hand covers hers, and he caresses the back of her soft hand now, softer because she hasn't held a sword in six months. “They will enter the world when they're good and ready, and not a moment too soon.” He bends to kiss her forehead even as she scowls.
“You're not helping,” she grumbles.
“The children will be here soon,” Wei Changze attempts to distract her, seeing it as the only option left to him.
“Both sets?” She replies with a half smile, shifting her hips uselessly.
“Ahuh. When do you think both parties will discover they're on the same side?”
She waves her free hand around vaguely. “Both groups are so set on what they're doing, neither is aware of each others’ plans. That's incredibly funny if it wasn't such a serious affair. I'll tell you what, though. When the kids get here, why don't you sit near them and listen in? I'll pay attention to the adults, and we can compare notes tomorrow after they've all gone. Whatdya say?” Her impish smile makes him laugh.
“Deal.”
The children arrive first. Lan Huan and Nie MingJue go with Wei Changze to bring back dinner for everyone, and it takes two trips. Xue Yang, Wen Qing, Lan Zhan, and Wei Ying wait for them sitting at the table further away from Cangse Sanren. When they return the second time, Wen Tang Changpu and Nie XiongMeng arrive with them.
The first few minutes are spent dishing out and serving the food, and making fresh tea to go with their meal. As it is so warm, even in the evening, the tea is poured into cups full of chipped ice and handed around. Wei Changze faces the adults, but his ears are trained on the children, who are scarfing down their meal like there's no tomorrow.
The adults are already involved in a heavy discussion, around bouts of chewing, and only Lan Qiren is persistently quiet, as per the rules he lives by.
“Are you sure it will work?” Nie XiongMeng asks, staring at Lan Qiren, who refuses to answer until his meal is finished.
Wen Tang Changpu answers for him. “Yes. Whoever the perpetrator is, they won't be able to resist checking, and when they come around to look, that's when we'll nab them. We can spread ambiguous rumours, and it'll be like tying a carrot to a donkey. Personally, I can't wait to find out who it is. You know, we could send away the non-essential disciples, and that'll also narrow the search down.”
“That risks letting the guilty party leave. It's better if everyone stays.” Nie XiongMeng replies.
“Oh, but don't you see? Whoever the traitor is, they'll find a way to stay behind. We already know they are resourceful, an opportunist waiting for the right time.” Wen Tang Changpu downs her tea. “But I have to say, I'm finding Meishan-Zhongzhu to be downright annoying. What's with that attitude? Why did she come then, if she was just going to be an ass about it?”
“The real question is, is she being difficult for the sake of it, or has she got some hidden agenda? Why such an opposition to removing the position of Chief Cultivator? Unless she was eyeing up the seat for herself?” Nie XiongMeng puts his chopsticks down thoughtfully, pointedly staring at Lan Qiren for his input.
Lan Qiren chews even more slowly. It's his last bite, and he's going to make it last just for the hell of it. He glances up at Cangse Sanren, who grins back as if she knows what he's doing, and it makes him smile. There's no harm in acting like a child sometimes.
Finally, he answers. “Madam Yu has got a lot on her plate right now, hasn't she? She was already running the Meishan Yu Sect, and on top of that, she's not only bringing up two unexpected grandchildren, but having to take up the responsibility of their legacy, the operation of the Jiang Sect. I don't think she would have the time or the energy to think about much else. My suspicions about her behaviour are deeper.”
“Really? What do you think she's up to?” Wen Tang Changpu inquires.
“I have no proof, but what if she's after the Yin Iron? After the fierce corpses broke free from the underground cavern under the palace in Nightless City, I was first on the scene, but she arrived soon after. I am wondering if she saw anything that might have been buried. We all know that each Sect and Clan has spies embedded in each others’ competition, so is it really that much of a stretch to believe she does know about it?”
The talk moves on to other possible suspects and the reasons why, so Wei Changze turns his attention to the children, who are all whispering quietly in between gaps of silence where they are listening to the conversation on the other table and trying not to be obvious about it.
“A-Ying, A-Yang, what happened when you went to search the Jin guest houses?” Lan Huan asks him, in barely a whisper. He looks around furtively, and Wei Changze bites his bottom lip, trying not to laugh out loud. The Lans really need to practise rule breaking a little more. Otherwise, that guilt is going to eat them up alive, not to mention giving them away easily.
Both youngsters give a quick rundown of their morning adventures, adding what they saw in the afternoon, when they targeted the Nie guest houses. The fact that they found nothing is both a good thing and equally worrisome.
“Maybe the traitor is too clever,” Nie MingJue suggests. “If it was me, I would keep all incriminating evidence on myself where I could be sure to look after it.”
“Then…” Lan Huan suddenly looks excited, “what if we propose a swimming session in the lower regions? There are countless pools to take a dip in, and of course, all the suspects will need to disrobe. If everyone's attention is otherwise occupied, whoever among us is by the shore can search the clothes for evidence.”
“It's a good plan, but risky,” Wen Qing cautions. “It's definitely hot enough, but also bear in mind that girls won't be allowed in the same area.”
“The pools are separated, so that it would not be an issue. If you could take care of checking out the robes on the females, then we could deal with boys and men.” Lan Huan tells her, his knee bouncing under the table. “I can ask Shufu if he will agree to either ending the conference early one afternoon or dismissing the disciples who don't need to be there directly.”
“Me and Lan Zhan can search the robes left on the shore,” Wei Ying offers with the brightest smile. “No one will suspect us as kids.”
“Count me in,” Xue Yang adds, looking forward to this next part of this strangest of quests.
“Sounds like a plan,” Lan Huan replies, with a proud expression on his face.
Everyone in this room and at these tables is committed to finding the traitor to protecting Cloud Recesses with the best of their abilities.
What could go wrong?
