Fresh Embers of Love

Chapter 50

Yanyou escorted his daughter out of Xuanji Palace. That had been a close call. He had never imagined that Fuzangloong could become so feral, that the Dragon's drive for a Phoenix would be that strong.

He breathed a sigh of relief at the escape, too soon. Kuanglu was marching towards them.

"Your Highness" Yanyou said with a respectful bow.

"Yanyou, why are you coming out of my palace?" she demanded to know.

He gestured to his daughter. "Kun Ji has been contracted to redecorate Fuzangloong's room. I was accompanying her there" he explained.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who contracted you to do that?" she asked.

"The Empress" he replied.

She looked taken aback, then suspicious once more.

"Come with me" she demanded, turning on her heel.

"Your Highness, might I take my daughter home first?" He asked.

"No" she answered him, marching in the direction of the Empyrean Cloud Palace.

Yanyou sighed worriedly. What mess had Guihua gotten him involved in? Kuanglu marched them straight through audience hall, to the door at the back leading to Runyu's office. She waved at two guards as she came in, who fell into step behind them, making Yanyou even more nervous than before.

"Kuanglu, is this really necessary?" Yanyou asked.

"Yes" she answered simply.

They stopped in an antechamber, and Kuanglu ordered the guards to watch over them, before she disappeared through another door.

Soon the door opened, and Runyu stood there, glaring fiercely at him. Yanyou felt a thrill of fear go through him. What was going on?

"Yanyou, come in here. Kuanglu, you stay with the girl" Runyu ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty" Kuanglu said to him fiercely.

"Runyu, my daughter..." he pointed to her uncertainly.

"She'll be fine, Kuanglu won't eat her" Runyu told him.

Yanyou was not reassured. He walked into Runyu's office with a feeling of dread. Runyu indicated that he should sit down in the chair in front of the large desk. He sat down gingerly.

He expected that Runyu would take the chair across from him, but instead felt Runyu's hand fall on his shoulder. He was standing behind him. He started to turn around to look, but Runyu's other hand grabbed his forehead, holding him still.

"This is going to hurt" Runyu told him in a low voice.

"What?" Yanyou asked, startled, before feeling a sharp lancing pain, like a nail being driven through his skull.

He closed his eyes, and saw flashes of memory on parade on the backs of his eyelids, being flipped through like a book. They kept flipping, further and further back, the pressure in his skull mounting higher and higher. He couldn't stop himself from crying out, the pitch increasing with the level of pain. He struggled against Runyu's hand, which was holding him down in the chair with supernatural strength.

Just when he thought he couldn't possibly take anymore, the memory of his last encounter with the Fox Spirit played against the back of his eyelids. It played slowly, painfully. His argument with Danzhu, and fight against Xu Feng, being run through in slow motion, rewound, and then played again.

"This is your last memory of the Fox Spirit?" Runyu asked, his voice sounding strained.

"Yes?" Yanyou replied irritatedly.