Phoenix

Part 38

                Jiang Yanli landed swiftly in front of Koi Tower before cursing herself for her stupidity. Old Yanli would have never been able to fly there by herself. She quickly called up Xichen to teleport to her as if he had taken her there personally. He showed up quickly, teasing her for her slip-up when she was normally so careful. She gently swatted his shoulder as they walked through the doors to greet the Sect leaders. He quickly excused himself and left under Madam Jin's glowering.

                 The woman did not like the closeness between her future daughter-in-law and the Lan heir. That was why she constantly pushed the still reluctant Jin Zixuan to spend time with Jiang Yanli. The poor man was trying, but his every request up to that point had been denied by her, stating she was too busy. He didn't understand what a noblewoman with such low cultivation could have to do.

                 Still, he took her to have tea in private under his mother's orders. It was unnerving to sit under her scrutinizing stare. She wasn't looking at him like she used to. At that moment, she looked at him like he was a puzzle she was solving. " Jin-Gongzi, as you may expect, I am not really here just to have tea with you. Do not worry. I know you have no interest in our engagement, so I see no reason to make this uncomfortable for either of us. What I need to know is if you can be trusted. Are you right enough to stand up against what is wrong, even against those you hold dear? If not, let me know so I can leave right now."

             A shiver went down his back. Her usual sweet tone was gone, and only ice remained in her questioning. Gulping nervously, he thought carefully before answering affirmatively she had captured his curiosity. Her responding smile was so dazzling he was surprised he had never found her beautiful before. "Jin-Gongzi, if that is the case, I need your help. All you have to do is walk by my side, so I have a way to walk freely around here. An important woman has gone missing. We are trying to find her. Xichen is searching the Gusu area, Huasang is checking Nie territory, A-Xian the Wen area, and I was asked to check around here in case.

            We have strong reason to believe she may be here since she was one of your father's past lovers before A-Xian rescued her from her abusive family. She is his blood cousin. One of the last bits of the family he has, along with her small son, is your half-brother. Now, knowing more, are you still willing to help me find her?" His mind was in shambles. He knew his father was a cheating bastard, but the idea that he had another brother and one that made him family to Wei Wuxian was startling.

              He was honor-bound to help since this was his little brother's mother. With a sigh, he stood up, stretching his hand to help her up. "How are we looking for her maiden, Jiang?" She smirked at him. Again, another thing he had never seen on her. It was more believable now that she and Wei Wuxian were siblings. They looked different, but their smiles were. It was obvious now that he had gotten his mannerisms from her. She took out a talisman and easily ignited it with a light pink glow. The talisman seemed to tug at her, so she hid it in her sleeve before they set off following its pull.

             Jin Zixuan would never admit how disappointed he was that the talisman was leading them further into Koi Tower. He had naively hoped that her kidnapping had been some weird coincidence. Yet the further they went, the more disappointed he became. The talisman was not leading them to the dungeons but to one of his father's 'work areas.' The door was locked with a strange array he had never seen before. 

               Jiang Yanli sent Wei Wuxian a mental picture of the array. She had to wait a minute or two for her A-Xian to draw it before he could tell her how to dismantle it. With a quick look at her fiancee, she began to work. It seemed that her cover would be broken, but it was okay if they could save Madam Mo.

                 He watched in astonishment as she quickly dismantled the array before entering the room. She grabbed him by the waist and pulled him out of the way as a jagged sword came down where he had stood. The culprit was a young man with a psychotic smile. They were forced to dodge again as strings came at them from behind. Jin Guangyao stood smiling at them sweetly. "Oh dear, it seems my brother and his bride-to-be have wandered somewhere they shouldn't be. All by themselves." 

               Jiang Yanli knew things were getting bad, especially since she could hear Jin Guangshan about to come into the room. If she were alone, it would have been fine, but she had to worry about Jin Zixuan making it out alive. With regret she asked for help on their mind link while using her daggers to keep The young man's sword away from her. The strings that almost caught her off guard were intercepted by a bladed whip, tearing them to pieces. She breathed a sigh of relief as Nie Huasang now stood at her back.

                The door slammed open, startling their opponents and allowing them to regroup with Jin Zixuan. "Xue Yang, A-Yao, what is the meaning of all this mess? Why is my array gone? Oh, Zixuan, it's a pity you found your way here. Your mother will be so upset to learn of your passing as a victim of Wei Wuxian." Jin Zixuan was puzzled at first by the appearance of Nie Huasang; then his useless fiancee was kicking ass against two opponents at the same time, and now he was supposedly a victim to a Wei Wuxian that wasn't even there?

                  A deep voice spoke from behind Jin Guangshan before plunging a sword through the Sect leader's heart. "Sorry to disappoint you, but my husband is occupied at the moment with far more important things than rats like you." Jin Guangshan's body dropped noisily on the ground, shocking everyone. Lan Wangji turned to the man now known as Xue Yang scrutinizing him. "Yanli-Jie, take your husband to free the prisoners. Send them straight to the Sun Palace." Yanli nodded before grabbing Jin Zixuan's hand and leading them farther into the hallways. They came across many women in cages, some in a worse state than others. 

                In an amazing display of skill, Jiang Yanli took out a small stringed instrument he had never seen before and was able to cut the bars with music. He finally had enough. Jin Zixuan had gone from thinking his fiancee was useless to admiring her intellect and being in awe of the skills he possessed. Now, he felt he wasn't enough for her. "Maiden Jiang, what is going on? I am so confused." She smiled at him as gently as he remembered.

                She answered while freeing the women from their bindings, still looking for the woman who had started this entire search. "We are immortal Zixuan. It wasn't just A-xian and Wangji that reached immortality. At their wedding, we were graced with the same so we could help them in the war to come. That time, we all disappeared. We were all training with Baoshan Sanren to get a handle on our powers. Why they showed up? Easy, we are all mentally linked like a family of immortals. If any of us need help, others will join us. Madam Mo!" 

                 The woman they were looking for was in one of the worst states of any of the captive women. Jiang Yanli had him carry her while she finished leading the women out of that area. He sent a butterfly message to his mother to get the carriages ready and help them. As he looked down at the woman in his arms, he felt sick. She was only about a year older than his fiancee. She did look very much like a female Wei Wuxian. At the realization, he almost dropped her. "A-Li, how old did you say her son was?" 

                Jiang Yanli looked at him with pity in her eyes. "I didn't, but he is six, almost seven years old now. He felt sick. This woman was only around fifteen when she got pregnant with his little brother. His father had really been a pig. Madam Jin rushed to their side, and Jiang Yanli filled her in on who they were freeing. He could see his mother look scornfully at the woman in his arms. He held her tighter protectively before speaking. His voice showed the brokenness of his thoughts. "Mom, she was fifteen when she got pregnant." Madam Jin's fury dissolved like a flame doused by ice water, her complexion now pale. 

                  They helped all the women to their carriages before Jiang Yanli teleported away from there with the young woman in her arms. Madam Jin rushed back inside to get everything ready for him to seamlessly take over as sect leader. He grabbed his most loyal guards and headed back to the place where the fighting was probably still happening.