In Darkness

The Knife in His Back

AN: I might come back and edit this first scene a bit, just to make it flow better (plot won't change) ... but beyond that, I'd like to put in an NSFW warning out for the next chapter, as well as a reminder that this isn't a bright, cheery, and fluffy type of fic. Mentions of dark content in this chapter.

When the old Phoenix returned with his wine, Mo Yuan already had a number of questions running through his head.

Why did she insist on hiding her identity as a High Goddess? Surely, if the rest of the realms knew, she would become untouchable and her family could be restored. Was she hiding from someone higher up than her?

Bai Qian had claimed that she only had the old phoenix, her mother, niece, brother, and a sister left in her family. The Bai Clan always struggled to give birth to females. Could the sister be Xuan Nu? Furthermore, was Bai Mei Rong actually still alive? What about the other three names? Wouldn't she have mentioned them when she spoke of her family?

Even in the Su Jin Clan's highest days, they had still been far below the prestige of the Fox Clan. How come she hadn't reclaimed her eyes yet?

"We should start from the beginning. With what Zhen Zhen was willing to tell me..." Sitting down, Zhe Yan hands him a wine bottle, forgoing the cups. He doesn't want any of the few he has to break.

Whatever he's about to tell him would call for drinking the wine straight out of the bottle, something Mo Yuan had always been against. For the sake of pleasing his stubborn sworn brother, however, he would go along with it for now.

He needs information.

"On the night of Xiao Wu's 25,000th birthday, she had dropped by with Zhen'er for a visit. She played and danced in the peach blossoms while I continued to help Bai Zhen practice chess. That little brat had always been an energetic one... but Bai Zhen thought it would be best to bring her home before it was too late to head back without me."

Mo Yuan nods, uncapping the wine bottle and taking a drink.

"Somewhere along the way, he realized outsiders had entered their den. I had just taught him how to communicate with his mount from afar, so he sent for help when he realized their family servant had been hurt, the babe they were rearing was left in his arms."

Zhe Yan sighs, nursing his bottle already, "He told Xiao Wu to stay behind, but like the mischievous one she was, she went forward to investigate after he went inside. Hao De had broken into the fox den with his men. He left shortly after they arrived."

Mo Yuan nods slowly, listening to Zhe Yan's tale silently as he allows his gaze to wander over to the beautiful, jade-colored pool in front of them. The peach grove is silent. The mere mention of the young girl had caused all noise to still. What had once been a comforting, peaceful silence now felt eerily foreboding.

"They spouted some nonsense about the Fox clan raising an army to rebel against the Nine Heavens while they were occupied with the Demon Wars, but in all reality, it had been to protect their people. Bai Zhi had reason to believe that their barriers wouldn't hold against whatever both parties had planned. As a land with territory next to the Ghost Realm, they claimed that they had an alliance."

"Did they?"

Zhe Yan gives him an exasperated look, "They indeed did, but it was only one to mutually protect the borders of their connecting territories that they shared to prevent more fighting. They rarely communicated, if at all."

"With the Heavenly Lord absent, all of the vixens and kits were dragged out of the den. Their men raped, beat, and roughly shorn the hair off of all of them. They started with the Empress, then moved on to her children. Somewhere along the way, Bai Xuan and Bai Zhi were killed during an attempt to escape and save them. Their bodies were thrown into the woods as far as I knew. During that time, Qing Qiu's capital city was pillaged. Few survived. When they went to move onto Bai Yi's wife and the girl, Xuan Nu, Bai Yi managed to pry himself loose and give them enough time to escape."