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Chapter Text

The morning of the departure found everyone motivated and eager to hit the road. Hanguang Jun was at the head of the convoy, followed by his students and his two deputies. Then came eight Lan elders flanked by eight Jin elders with Lan Ruoxing and Jin Feng side by side at their head, and finally, Jin Ming and his eleven Jin soldiers.

Hanguang Jun strode forward, informing the team about his last conversation with Peng Lizi. Then immediately, he began teaching, reviewing theoretical concepts with his students and above all imagining spells for which the students had to find counter spells.

“I want to hear from you all. Every time I mention a spell, two of you will give me a response. Please proceed in order.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” They said, proposing more and more imaginative solutions to their teachers as time flies by, their hands tirelessly drawing the radicals to write the spells and counter-spells.

Even the elders were silent to follow the session.

There was only one small slip from a Jin soldier when their steps crossed those of a creature. Hanguang Jun put an end to it immediately and took the opportunity to issue severe warnings to everyone. He would not accept any failure, any error, any incompetence!

“Jin Ming, I'm counting on you to discipline your men. They are the best in Jinlintai, aren't they?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun. The Chief Cultivator had approved every one of them…”

“Good, make sure to not make the Chief Cultivator pass for a fool.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

Jin Ling cast a nasty glance over his shoulder at them before sending Jin Ming a butterfly. If he wanted to keep his position in the future, he had better convince him!

Jin Ming gritted his teeth. This arrogant little Lord Jin had no idea what the Chief Cultivator had in store for him!

They found the Matriarch of the Naxis waiting for them. After the usual greetings she said:

“Hanguang Jun, as discussed briefly, I’m bringing my brother Xiao Ge with me. If anything should happen to me, he will be able to carry out the ritual, otherwise, he will assist...”

“Mm. It’s a wise decision. He is welcome.”

“Thank you.  I have proceeded with taking my father out of the tree, this way…” She said showing the hall where she had received them a few days ago.

“Mm.  Lan Boming, Song Yunming, with me please. Lan Ruoxing, you are responsible.  In the meantime, please, play Cleansing for the people here.”

“Yes Hanguang Jun.”

The two deputies looked at each other and followed. They had not realized that Hanguang Jun had asked for the shaman to be removed.

The Matriarch took them inside the hall and moved a trap door on the floor.  There were stairs descending in the bowel of the earth and they followed.  It was an underground cave system with galleries, identical with the one he and JingYi had descended into at the Xiao estate.  It was lit with torches, and she didn’t take them far before pointing.

She hadn’t needed to, the eyes of what was before a man but was now a wraith were shining bright red, staring back at them from the shadows.  Just like Wei Ying eyes. Immediately thought Hanguang Jun.  The man was infested with resentment.  He hardly looked like a man at all.  He was covered with a mixture of dried sap, earth, and body fluids that had form a cocoon or maybe a kind of bark around him, he was mishappen and was keeping his body in a strange position, pined to the wall by the immensely powerful deity net that Hanguang Jun had given the matriarch the previous day. 

“Old man,” said Hanguang Jun, “the time has come.  Please, hand over what you have taken from the Fairy and that had given you power over her and the trees.”

The deputies looked at each other, they had thought that the flower they put back to the messenger’s forehead was what had been stolen… apparently not.

The thing that was facing them grinned and entered his hand in his protruding and bloated belly and rummaged, while the exterior was hard, the inside clearly was squishy… then he pulled something covered with fluids out. He admired it and stroked it and said in an inhuman voice:

“Do you want to see them again, Hanguang Jun? This will take you to anytime you want… To the past to save them, or into the future to meet them again… If you have any doubt, come closer and have a look…” he said, as the thing that he was holding, and which was the size of an ostrich egg started to glow, and the wall of the cave seemed to melt.

Wei Wuxian’s laughter exploded inside the room. Seeming to mock him.

“Let it fall to the ground, now!” Ordered Hanguang Jun harshly, and the illusion broke.

Hanguang Jun wave his hand, parting the meshes of the net in order for the man to drop the object but he laughed, madly, and put it back into his belly.

“You know you want it, but it cannot be given, only gain, and with it the knowledge about the one that you have been looking for every single night for more than ten years already, playing Ask the spirits and begging every single soul that come to you if they have met them, begging for a sign, a word, but nothing, only void and desperation… Don’t you want it? More than anything else, don’t you want to know if you’ll ever see your one and only ever again?

He started laughing anew…

“How long before you cave, Hanguang Jun, before you put an end to the silence, the guilt, the loneliness!? Until your omega son doesn’t need you anymore?” He taunted.  “Will you do it at the place where he had fallen to his death, or the place where he had died once before without you even knowing or caring?”

Hanguang Jun didn’t show it, but he was being torn apart. He had not immediately silenced him in order to test what he was facing, to find out if there was still a human soul inside the husk; but now he knew that it was a demon and not a man anymore.  The thing knew too much…things that no one else new about him, about his past, about his thoughts… but even that realization couldn’t make him stop listening to its treacherous words.  And if he could tell you? His mind asked him.  If the tool that he is holding could make you see Wei Ying again…

The entity laughed: “He was garbage anyway! Eaten inside by the worms and the darkness of that cursed place! I have a tale to tell… Do you want to hear it, Hanguang Jun? I have met him…”

“Silence! Impure one.”  He ordered.

The entity trashed but could not keep talking.  It wailed, then bark, and growl like a pack of savage beasts.

Hanguang Jun pull out from a qiankun pouch a blanket covered with powerful suppressing runes and handed it to Song Yuming.  The deputy took it with hesitation.  Then Hanguang Jun pull out a divinity cage from the same qiankun pouch and handed it to Lan Boming.

“Please, bag it. The Shaman is gone, a demon has taken his place.” He told them.

The thing laughed and to everyone astonishment started to talk again:

“I’ve met your mother ZhanZhan. She is waiting in a little house surrounded by gentians for you to come and free her from your father! Did you know ZhanZhan what she told me? That the esteemed QingHeng Jun is a coward and a rapist!”

“Silence!” Ordered Hanguang Jun once more. Putting tremendous power behind the order.

The thing trashed, fighting the power of the order and growling like a tiger.

“Hanguang Jun?” Asked Lan Boming unsure, while the Matriarch was trying to smother her sobs with her hands.

“Mm.  Execution.” He said without any sign of being moved.

They hurried to execute the task.  Even though the deity net had weakened the wraith, he didn’t come willingly, floating to the ceiling and attaching itself to it for dear life while taunting everyone present and blaming his daughter.  Once more she was delivering him to the wolves.

When they finally brought him to the ground, he crashed there emitting splashes of putrid liquid and bits of viscera and waste, combined with rancid gas.  It was a disgusting process, and he emitted sounds that were not at all human as they dragged him with the deity cords towards the cage that Lan Boming latched with a bang.

The matriarch was choking by the time, but she didn’t interfere.

Hanguang Jun applied a cleansing fire to his deity net and called it back in order to store it in his qiankun bag. Song Yuming put the blanket over the cage.  It prevented any sound from escaping, and Lan Boming shrunk the magical prison back to its original dimension before handling it to Hanguang Jun who returned it to his pouch that he stored on his person.  He then turned to the matriarch.

“I’m sorry that you had to witness this.  I know it was hard, but that thing wasn’t your father anymore. He had long been devoured by the entity who is wearing his skin…You must understand that every time that there is a curse involving the reaping of human souls, the devil will show up to collect what he can…You are very brave for having taken care of this last night.” He said to the old woman.

“Until the end, I would have remained a wretched daughter…”

“Please, be kind to yourself.”

“That thing he is holding on to, what is it? 

“I don’t know… it might be an oracle orb…”

“Since that day, he has been obsessed with it… He never parted from it… He would not eat, not sleep, looking into it and holding it… At the end, he just gave up and it took him over…”

“Mm.  that thing is powerful, it is too much power for a human soul, it had shattered it.  Also, your father was depressed and tired...”

“We all are…”

“So then, let’s go.”

Chapter Text

They went back outside with his two deputies applying cleaning after cleaning talismans to their clothes.

No one asked them what went on inside, thinking that Hanguang Jun had probably put the old man to death when they saw his deputies applying talismans to their clothes.

The matriarch proceeded to kowtow in front of her village… At least, in front of those who were alive, unlike the zombies who were busy with their eternal task.

Hanguang Jun detected no hatred, no condemnation, no resentment, no fear on their faces. Clearly, they had been past those feelings for ages, and now were just waiting for deliverance.

The Jin elders and soldiers were very curious and kept glancing sideways around them. Following the comings and goings of the zombies with their eyes. However, they held their tongues, especially when they noticed the impassive expression on the Lans elder’s face.

When she rose, Lan RuoXing and Jin Feng signaled the matriarch who came to insert herself right behind them, with her brother.

“Hanguang Jun, which way?” Sizhui asked.

“Let's leave the village first...”

So, they took the path they had followed the first time they came to the village, which allowed them to go deeper into the forest, passing next to the tree where the father had been entombed and which bark had been opened, then through the mounds of earth covered with moss… Hanguang Jun stopped for a moment near the freshest ones and played Hope. Incense sticks were burning on top of them, and nannies were adding layers of slime.

The students, once again, were upset and even the elders seemed struck by the horror of the situation.

Then Hanguang Jun resumed his journey, until the path stopped. He sat down and took out his guqin and played Peaceful Nature, and indeed Nature seemed to calm down. Then he spoke the language of elves and fairies, and everything stopped and listened attentively. The wind, the trees and even the animals froze, even time seemed to take a break.

Hanguang Jun closed his eyes and found himself floating among the treetops, on a sea of ​​green, under an electric blue sky, while before him once again blossomed the mother tree, its monumental branches home to a thousand colorful birds, enormous flowers of breathtaking beauty, and equally impressive insects with shimmering wings.

“Hanguang Jun, follow the wind, whispered the Fairy Peony. It will lead you to me.”

He opened his eyes and noticed that a wind was blowing low on the ground, sweeping the leaves from under their feet. He made his guqin disappear, stood up, raised his foot, and the trees seemed to part before him, tracing a path between their trunks and under their intertwined branches.

Hanguang Jun advanced and the forest gradually opened in front of him and closed behind the last member of the group. The bushes of peonies and other flowers began to bloom as he passed, opening their flowers and closing them immediately after he passed them.

“I had heard that when the two Jades of Gusu Lan walked, flowers bloomed as they passed, but I never believed it...” A Jin soldier whispered in wonder.

Jin Ming sneered and murmured to his men. “If the two Jades are gods, they should stay in the sphere of immortals instead of coming to mock us, poor mortals that we are!”

The Jin soldiers immediately shut up, but the elder Lan closest to them, who had heard the remark, reported it to Lan Boming when he got the chance and said: “Hanguang Jun should not trust this man. He is jealous of him.”

“Thank you Laoxiong.” Lan Boming told him. “I will warn Hanguang Jun.”

Hanguang Jun spent his time teaching his students. The students recited, analyzed, debated, and questioned, with Hanguang Jun answering, clarifying, and correcting.

The scholars enjoyed attending the classes, and also spent time chatting with the matriarch of the Naxis. She continued to share small knowledge of the forest herbs, and plant magic practiced by her clan. She was aware that her expertise would die with her since the people of her native village left in Yunnan, if they still existed, with the loss of the manuscripts, had probably renounced these beliefs.

Their path inevitably crossed that of creatures, or trees that they suspected were creatures. Some took an interest in them and shook off their numbness for a second to look at them with interest, but the majority ignored them. They too passed by them as quietly as possible, avoiding disturbing them.

They took their first break at ten, then at two, and finally, at four p.m., they stop to set up camp in the shade of a very large tree which had obviously been a creature a long time ago, but which was now more vegetal than anything else, even if Hanguang Jun didn't think it was necessarily harmless. In case of danger, maybe it would defend itself.

“Set up the tents on this side,” Lan Boming instructed the students. “formation in a circle with the girls' tents in the middle and facing each other as usual.” She unfolded a talisman to give the width of the circle. “Execution.”

The young people immediately got to work; they all knew their place in the circle perfectly by now. JingYi and Sizhui first set up Hanguang Jun's tent on one side of what would be the central aisle and facing the outside. It allowed Sizhui to pitch his, which was generally almost leaning against the back of his father's tent and facing Qin Weizhang's, while JingYi was right next to Hanguang Jun and facing the inside. Jin Ling had gotten into the habit of placing his after JingYi's, and Ouyang Zizhen followed; then Jin Chan was next to Lan Boming whose tent marked the middle of the perimeter of the circle and faced the exit. Then came successively that of Yao Gao, Bao Sang, Tong Huke and Rong Peng, and finally Song Yuming’s tent that was separated by the aisle with Hanguang Jun’s and also facing the outside.  On the back of his tent was Nie Yunche's that faced Dong Bodi's.

Once the student had gotten to work, Lan Boming went to pass on Hanguang Jun's instructions to Lan RuoXing and Jin Feng who were chatting a little way apart. She bowed down to the elders and said:

“Lan Laoxiong, Hanguang Jun suggests that you take this side of the perimeter and closest to ours. He asks you to please include the Matriarch and her brother in your camp.”

“Hao. I was just thinking about it.”

“Jin Laoxiong, it's up to you to decide whether you want to join Jin Ming's camp or prefer a separate camp. Hanguang Jun has no instructions on this.”

“Ah, they are too loud most of the time! We're going to pitch on this side, a little closer to the Lans, if that’s okay with you.”

“Hao. This fits perfectly.” Lan Ruoxing hastened to reassure him.

“Hao. I need to go speak with Jin Ming. Excuse me.” Lan Boming said while bowing.

She greeted the sneaky individual who hastened to respond to her with a yellow smile.

“Jin-xiong, Hanguang Jun asks you to take the area over there to set up camp. The Lans go to bed at ten o'clock, Hanguang Jun would appreciate that from then on, your men turn down the volume to allow everyone to rest. It is not forbidden to play music, as long as it is quiet... He also asks that you organize sentry starting at the same time. Because of the minors, maidens and omegas in our care, our protection circle will not allow you in. If you need Hanguang Jun, come to the edge of the circle, and call him. He will certainly hear you. Or send him a butterfly. Do you have any questions?”

“No, Lan-Jie, no questions.” the man said. “Oh! Um, I was wondering, you go by the name Lan, are you closely related to the main family?”

“No. I am a Lan from a distant branch and what's more, many orphans taken by the Lans into the sect bear the name Lan, just like the Jin, I imagine... Are you part of the main family?”

“No, no. I was adopted.”

“Hao. You were lucky to have been taken by such a prestigious sect; look how far you have come! The Sect Leader and Chief cultivator’s right-hand man!

“Yes, Yes. The Jin sect is truly wonderful and Jin zongzhu is the humblest person… not at all like his predecessors… You know how they are when they are born into all this privilege… Not that Sect Leader Lan isn’t the kindest person… but his brother seemed a little less… social. But he is an alpha, after all…”

“Our sect fortunately has rules against pride and every other aspect of our lives, including gossiping. I must return to my duties, now. Please, excuse me.” She nodded to him and walked away.

She couldn’t believe that Jin Ming had tried to entice her into gossiping about Hanguang Jun.  Song Yuming found it very funny when she told him about it.

“Fortunately, he never approached me about the Twin Jades’ juicy secrets and temperament. Otherwise, I’m not sure I could be polite about it! Since you are an alpha, he must think that you’ll bond with him...”

“This alpha pack-mentality is really overrated! Female alphas do not join a pack to bound with followers, but to back up the dominant alpha male!”

“Aren’t you all a little delusional with your alpha propaganda?” gently mocked Song Yuming.

“You, man of little faith!”

Hanguang Jun sent the young people, in three groups, to collect firewood.  Once more, he advised them to be careful, to only take branches that were completely dry and clearly left on the ground, and to apologize if they ever touched a creature.

When Sizhui and JingYi returned, the latter said: “Hanguang Jun, your girlfriend, the creature is here. I think she's in love with you and is following you...”

Hanguang Jun stared him down, and the impertinent young man smiled with all his teeth. Hanguang Jun sighed, while Sizhui laughed in his sleeve.

“Mm. Are you only noticing her now?” he asked the two young people. “She's not the only one. There is a second wave of exodus.”

“Oh! We didn't realize, Hanguang Jun. They move without making any noise...” Said Sizhui.

“Mm. They are in communion with nature. Unlike human...”

“Hanguang Jun, Sizhui and I disagree on the writing of one of the spells...”

Hanguang Jun sat down and took out some paper. Each of the boys sat on one side of him to watch him write. They then stayed with him for a while, giggling and telling him about different things they had noticed during the day while also reviewing some notions. JingYi even went so far as to place his chin on his elder’s shoulder who glared at him. He smelled of Nutmeg and vetiver, a heady combination that Hanguang Jun was perfectly used to, and that he absolutely did not want on his clothes.

JingYi immediately corrected his posture but Jin Ling, who was watching them, understood from Hanguang Jun's reaction and the natural way in which JingYi had made the gesture, that it was probably not the first time. The two boys sometimes mentioned the long hours spent in the afternoon at Hanguang Jun's house studying and doing their homework while he taught JingYi concepts that he had not been able to understand in class. Every day, Hanguang Jun was becoming more human in his eyes.

The Jin soldiers prepared the meal. It was part of their tasks. They had killed a wild boar and poultry and therefore had meat, not to mention that they had also caught fish in a pond on their way. Hanguang Jun had taken care to check with the forest that they could hunt and fish. They could, but they had to be careful not to kill a sacred creature or a deity who was hiding under the appearance of an animal.

Indeed, they were extremely careful in their choice. The Lans, however, were content, for the majority, with the vegetarian dishes of the meal, and with fish.  They also had quite a few resources packed by Hu-Laoban, not to mention wild fruits and nuts collected along the way. They didn't know how long the expedition would last, but one thing was certain, the forest was teeming with resources. It was about choosing wisely and parsimoniously.

To avoid any awkward situation, the food was left in the cauldrons, and everyone helped themselves. Song Yuming, with four students, two alphas and two betas, all boys, prepared dishes for the rest of the group and JingYi personally came to serve Hanguang Jun and Sizhui. The Lans, as usual, ate in silence and drank the tea they had prepared themselves, their tastes tending towards more bitter infusions.

When the meal was finished, Song Yuming said:

“Hanguang Jun, there is a small waterfall and a pond not far away, I am taking the boys to wash. We will also take the opportunity to do the dishes.

“Mm.”

Once the boys had finished washing, it was the girls' turn to go and perform their ablutions, under Lan Boming’s supervision and in Ye Kun’s company, the beta woman of the Gusu Lan rites team.

The Naxis Matriarch and her brother followed, then the Jins gave precedence to the Lan elders and finally, those of the soldiers who wished it, not all of whom saw the need, went to wash.

Hanguang Jun went last while the young people, sitting around one of the campfires, started playing games. Soon laughter broke out, drowning out the notes of Lullaby. Hanguang Jun was playing for his creature friend.

The elders and the Naxis continued to discuss much deeper subjects while the soldiers told each other of their adventures. Some discreetly followed the young girls with their eyes and particularly the omega boy about whom they could not help but murmur.

“…and to think that I have seen him once or twice before and never realized his gender...”

“He's cute... not like a girl but still very attractive...”

“I wonder if his private parts are the way they draw them in the spring books?”

“Ah, Ah, you’re dreaming of having a look, right?”

“Watch yourself!” Jin Ming told them harshly when he perceived the subject of the conversation. “Do you not know the rank and destiny of the omega? How dare you speak about him so vulgarly and freely!” He assigned punishments.

Jin Ming knew that his master was planning to marry Lan Sizhui with Jin Ling or Jin Chan. So, he would not allow his men to mention his name. Moreover, if Hanguang Jun heard them, he would blame him and perhaps demand harsher punishment. He preferred, as much as possible, not to raise his suspicion beyond reason... he had already blundered with the matter of the petal...

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun returned to camp, and as it was already eight o'clock, asked Lan Boming to set up the security perimeter around their camp, limiting access. Students could not leave, and foreigners could not enter. She did so after checking that no one needed to go to the little corner.

Sizhui skipped towards her. Lan JingYi followed as usual. Jin Ling decided to accompany them.

JingYi, once again, ask his friend: “Sizhui, why do you need to squat for this!?”

“Ayah, how do you know that I squatted! Are you looking at me?”

“No. I saw your head disappear behind the bushes...”

“In other words, you are looking at me. Will you leave me alone! I already told you that I can't do it standing up all the time, and then I get my shoes wet…” he mumbled.

Jin Ling and JingYi started laughing.

“I hate you both!” Sizhui lamented. “I think your big alpha dick is an inconvenience!”

The boys protested.

“Lan-Ayi, tell the boys to leave me alone! I can't do it as long as they bother me.”

Lan Boming shook her head. Even she squatted. An alpha woman's penis that was not erect was unable to come out of its sheath. In Sizhui's case, his penis was probably simply too short!

“That's enough all of you! This conversation is highly inappropriate. And you Lan JingYi, I'll tell Hanguang Jun that you're bullying his son.”

“Aiyo, Ayi! We can't bother Lan-baobao anymore? Aw!” He shouted when Sizhui slapped him behind the head while Jin Ling went to take refuge behind Lan Boming. “Your hands aren't even clean!”

“As if you’d mind…” commented Jing Ling with a leer.

“False. There is a small spring. It’s your hands that are not clean, you were handling your disgusting snake!” protested Sizhui.

“It’s not a mere snake, it’s a python!” bragged Lan JingYi.

“Only? mine is a dragon!” added Jin Ling.

Lan Boming slapped the two alphas behind their head and the omega on the wrist.

“Ouch!” they cried out.

“This is unbecoming conversations from young lords.  Such lewd commentaries!”

“You haven’t lived in Jinlintai, Lan-Ayi” protested Jin Ling with familiarity, “Sex is discussed and done all day long there…”

“By the gods!” Exclaimed Lan Boming

The youngsters were still laughing at their elder’s confusion when they get back to camp.  Lan Boming had all three of them kneeling for thirty minutes and went to Hanguang Jun.

“Hanguang Jun, I’m not taking this bunch into the wild anymore, their minds are crooked, and your omega son has a potty mouth on him!” She told him.

Hanguang Jun looked in their direction, they were still giggling.

He sighted. “I’ll have Xiongzhang talk to him…”

“Xiongzhang!?”

“Yes, Xiongzhang.” He confirmed with a straight face.

“Hell, he’s going to preach him how to be a slut!”

Two things happened at the same time.

Hanguang Jun’s eyes went as big as saucers and his ears turned bright red.

Lan Boming, realizing what she had just said, looked at him fearfully, covered her mouth with her hand, then turned and left as quickly as possible.

Song Yuming laughed so much, he got the hiccups.

“Hanguang Jun is probably not even aware that his brother is a whore!” Lamented Lan Boming.

“Hush! It’s not that bad… I heard that he appreciates the beauties but is not a wolf either. He uses judgment and discretion. And what we are doing just now constitutes gossip!”

“She sighted.  I know but I need to talk to someone sometimes, and I know I can trust you. I’ll punish you and myself later.” She affixed a talisman to the tent. “So yes, let’s gossip.”

Song Yuming sighted. It was not the first time.

“On a more serious note, I hope he is using judgment about the Chief cultivator, and they are not fucking each other, because I think Hanguang Jun has him in his sights, and it might get ugly…” She stated.  “Bringing his sister to meet Hanguang Jun was very wicked of him.”

“Ayah, Shijie, that man is no joke! I’m afraid for Hanguang Jun… He is not politically savvy even though he did well during that rat’s visit…” answered Song Yuming, clearly preoccupied, while thinking back about Jin GuangYao’s visit and his slyness a few days ago… “However, I fear that unfortunately he doesn’t have a choice but to oppose him as the man is clearly trying to trap him…”

Lan Boming sneered. “He is in for a fight since Hanguang Jun can give as good as he gets. Like all alphas, he is ruthless.  But contrary to the majority, he is cold-blooded and pragmatic, which made his every move coldly calculated and impactful.  And he is intractable, he won’t bow down.”

“You do believe in him, yes?” prompted Song Yuming.

“I do.  You must not forget that this is a man who got tortured when he was sixteen and never broke down; a man who received thirty-three strikes of the discipline whip and never uttered a sound other than to question his uncle; a man that has been true to his own belief for the last twelve years and who clearly will never forsake them…”

“I can’t believe that you were present on those two occasions…”

“Yeah… As I told you before, the second one, I was not supposed to be there… only those from his generation up were permitted to attend.  I climbed over a roof… I could see, but I couldn't hear.  I was shocked when my grandfather related his words to my parents…” She shook her head. “I never thought he could survive it… At best, he should have been crippled… You know what? I always felt like there was something more going on with that punition…”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know how to explain it, other than from the moment his reputation began to grow, after the attack perpetrated by the Wens on Cloud Recesses, some elders, my grandfather included, had started to envy and fear him… when words came to the council of elders that he was teaming up with Wei Wuxian for the war, rather than with Jiang WanYin, they reproached him of not pursuing an occasion for brotherhood for his sect. Also, allegations were already being made about him turning his back on orthodoxy and following in Wei Wuxian’s steps.”

“That was quick…”

“Yes, and suddenly all his learning impediments, his social awkwardness, and temperament flaws became a mountain… he was deemed cold, arrogant, conceited, unfilial, and so much more… even this rumor about his sexual preferences was only conveyed to further damage his reputation…”  

“His learning impediments!?”

“Yes, have you not realized? Hanguang Jun has communication issues, even if it is much less prominent now… I remember my grandfather saying that the second Jade was a disgrace, that he was disabled.  They also said that he had socializing difficulties and thus, since he couldn’t even function within the sect and in harmony with his peers, he was unfit to inherit…”

“Really? That soon they were already questioning his inheritance!?”

“Mm. They were, and I assure you that my grandfather was stating what several of the elders were murmuring, including the head of the council at the time.”

“Truthfully, I never realized anything amiss with Hanguang Jun.  I only thought that he was not the friendly kind, and was a bit arrogant like most people who are gifted and titled, nothing more… Then, when I started working with him, I realized that he was simply a loner, like some alphas are… there are even studies calling those kinds of individuals Gamma nowadays…”

“Mm.  He is a loner, but he is also mostly estranged from the sect.  I think it is a combination of personality traits and his personal history.  I don’t know the specificities, but I remember my grandfather saying that he had gone feral and had to be isolated for about a year… only he would have been ten or eleven at the time, or maybe younger, I don’t know…”

“Whaw… If it’s true, it could have been very traumatic to him.” 

“There is also the matter of the secret around the two Jades’ mother, without counting their father’s abandonment… Zewu Jun is a beta and would not have gone through hormones depravation syndrome as they are calling it now, but as they say, an alpha or omega is much more at risk…”

“Where do you even hear about those things?!”

“I’m also a healer.  I’m still really interested in that field even though night hunting is my favorite.”

“Mm. You have really thought it through! The truth is, those kinds of problems, if diagnosed in a mere disciple, they would have earned him a dismissal from becoming a cultivator, but I suppose there was no other choice with Hanguang Jun since he was the heir. It’s fortunate, because he is clearly now the best cultivator of his generation.”

“He is. Don’t forget that he was born with his golden core, which is incredibly rare and foretells of a great destiny.  I believe his prodigy in swordsmanship and his academic success thwarted any true conversation about disowning him.  Therefore, him raising his sword against the elders would have made the perfect occasion…”

“But what about his uncle’s involvement? Why did he accept such a harsh judgment and even proceeded with the execution of the sentence?”

“Lan Laoshi was clearly preoccupied and unhappy with Hanguang Jun’s choices… also, the elders must have put a lot of pressure on his shoulders while he was only assuring the interim, and his own brother, the late Sect Leader QingHeng Jun, had died in shame… Lan Laoshi certainly knew that if Zewu Jun had opposed the punishment, he would have had no choice but to renounce his title and leave for exile with his brother, at best…”

Song Yuming opened his eyes wide.  He had never thought about it, never spent any particular time mulling over the manual dealing specifically with infractions and punishments. Clearly, Lan Boming had. She was older than him and clearly had seen and heard a lot of things that had made her question what had really happened.

“This is mind-blowing, Shijie.  I can’t imagine anyone in our sect being so wicked… But what were they hopping to gain?”

“I have thought about it a lot… Hanguang Jun is the heir, and he is proving to be the moving force of the sect.  Without him, I don’t think that Zewu Jun would have been this aware and this determined… The council would have continued to hold the real power… You have no idea what certain persons could do for power and because of envy…”

“Mm. That would explain why Zewu Jun has almost completely dismantled the old council of elders following Hanguang Jun’s punition.  He has even put aside family members…”

“Indeed… They had even dared put their hands on him and physically restrained him when he arrived at the scene of the punishment! As if he were a child and not the future Sect Leader… It was heartbreaking and demeaning… If he hadn’t dismissed them afterward, he would have lost all control over them and over the sect.”

“Mm.  I understand what you are saying…”

“That year, it was grueling for him… I thought that he was going to break… I knew he would have if Hanguang Jun had died… I respect him for his love and dedication to his brother, and also for having done what needed to be done about the elders with calm, discretion, and dignity. He is truly a good person and an awesome leader.”

“I must admit that for a long time I could not understand how two brothers could be so different, and I really was hoping to work with Zewu Jun instead, since I was worshiping the ground under his feet… Of course, no needs to say that I was a little flabbergasted to learn that his only apparent flaw, other than Jin GuangYao, was sexual indiscipline…”

Lan Boming laughed until she cried and Song Yuming continued.

“As for Hanguang Jun’s sexual orientation, I really don’t think he likes women.” He said with a bit of mirth.

She looked at him. “You, you know something!”

“Mm.  He said to me, and I quote: “It is a shame that she is a girl…” He was talking about Nie Yunche.”

“Hein!?” Lan Boming exclaimed.

“Mm. And yes, other than that, I really think Hanguang Jun is in mourning.”

“For that person?”

“Mm. Do you remember him, shijie?”

“No. I don’t. I must have cross path with him during the lectures, but I don’t remember him… the only thing I remember is that everyone was talking about the beautiful, brilliant, untamed, and shameless ward of the Jiang family.”

“Beautiful?”

“Mm. Beautiful. People easily forget that he was fourth on the list of most sought-after gentlemen, and I readily believe that he was placed below Jin Zixuan because of his birth and nothing else!”

Chapter Text

While his deputies were gossiping, Hanguang Jun had gone to talk with Lan Ruoxing for about fifteen minutes. He stopped by to greet Jin Feng and ended up spending around fifteen minutes with Jin Ming to remind him of his instructions for the night, particularly regarding the creatures, and to warn him that he would not accept any slippage. If he couldn't count on a cultivator, he would leave him there and pick him up on his return trip!

“Understand that in this forest, if we provoke the creatures and they attack us, we will be gutted by them as well as by the trees. There are not only creatures here, but also very ancient trees that have evolved a form of consciousness and recognize the creatures as members of their family. Am I clear?”

“Yes, yes, Hanguang Jun. there won’t be any problem, I guarantee it.”

“Hao. Good night, Jin Ming.”

He walked away as the man bowed and then called his men to give them another warning.

At ten o'clock, Hanguang Jun sent everyone to bed before leaving for a final tour of the entire camp and its surroundings.

The two sentries greeted him with deference. They were impressed by the alpha and their fearful gaze did not hide it.

Hanguang Jun whispered to the creatures to ask them not to approach the camp during the night so as not to frighten the humans.

Peng Lizi manifested, and Hanguang Jun took out his instrument and talisman paper.

“I decided to accompany my sisters and brothers, Peng Laoban is dead, there is no longer any reason for me to stay behind, apart from my little brothers and sisters who have not yet been reborn... Those who chose to stay behind, it is their decision...”

“Mm. I'm glad several of you are making the trip. Both for your own safety and that of the human.”

“My sister BaiNa, Young Nia’s guardian, has decided to stay with the cocoons... If after all this, she is still mobile, please consider the option of leaving the cocoons in her care. When all of them have matured and the sisters and brothers are born, she will take them to the fairy's domain to live with the others.”

“Humm… unfortunately, I have to see for myself that Xiao YuwenJi and Sang JiaoJie in particular cannot be rescued... once the goddess has passed into the other sphere, it is probable that the transformation will stop...”

“I thought about it too and unfortunately, one way or the other, it doesn't give me much hope. I believe this will probably sign their death warrant, Hanguang Jun… I fear you will be distressed…”

“This whole affair distresses me.” Hanguang Jun responded calmly.

“I regret marking this beautiful face and this beautiful soul.”

“It is not you. I have already told you… It is the men who did this who are responsible... How many of your sisters and brothers, in total, made the journey to the sanctuary between the other evening and today?”

“Many… hundreds. Others have chosen places near already rooted friends that are dear to them to remain.”

“Mm. I have seen a few on the way… How many are with you now?”

“More than a hundred.”

“They move very quietly. If it wasn't for their conversations, I wouldn't have known they were behind and around us.”

“Forest creatures and beings do not disturb the forest. It's human being who bother the forest.”

“Mm. I agree with you. Man, even when he seeks to live in harmony with nature, is harmful to it, to animals, to trees, to the earth, to the air and to the water. We contaminate and destroy our environment to make our lives pleasant and easy, but our lack of consideration and our greed will push our planet to extinction, unfortunately with all the forms of life it contains...”

“This is a very gloomy vision of the future that you have, Hanguang Jun.”

“No. Very realistic, unfortunately... If I cultivate to immortality, I must consider that one day I will witness the end of this forest... I will undoubtedly think of the creatures and the century-old trees, and I will be saddened...”

“Hanguang Jun, the creatures will be happy to know that they will remain in the heart of a man such as you until the end. Thank you for your gentleness; even if it’s a sadness that I would have preferred that has not tainted your existence…”

“Mm. Sadness is part of human’s destiny, especially men like me... We are condemned to watch everything and everyone around us die... as I watched this person die...”

“Despite this, despite this certainty... you pursue immortality?”

“Mm. Despite this certainty... because there is another certainty that I don't have... I fear closing my eyes and that this person won't find me in case they come back...”

“Hanguang Jun, I can feel your loneliness... the emptiness, without this person's presence... Yet the one I met, even in the midst of his grim trial, I felt he was a person who would have wanted the best for you... Surely, he would have been distressed to see you so disenchanted...”

“Mm. Surely…” After a moment he continued: “How many of your sisters and brothers are left behind?”

“Just four. Three brothers and a sister, Wu BaiNa.”

“I have never seen a male creature... Well apart from Po Sa which is already a tree...”

“They remain hidden... most of the time... they are very bitter and less peaceful than the sisters...”

“I understand. I imagine you will take advantage of the night to get a head start?”

“Yes. It is more pleasant for us to move around at night, even if here in the forest, in the shade of the tall trees, it is not painful for us...”

“Mm. Then I'll let you go.”

“SongYun will stay behind. She prefers your company.”

“Hao. I like to play music for him. I hope it brings her some comfort.”

“More than this. I believe it is a pleasure, and more specifically that your presence brings her comfort.”

“Mm. She’s a charming little sister…”

“She's not the only one who appreciates your presence, you know? I hope that our conversations will help you get through time, with the certainty that you matter and that you are appreciated.”

Hanguang Jun bowed down. “I thank you for your kind words. I will not forget them.”

When he returned once more to camp, he found the Lans and Jins elder’s spot already extinguished. Only the soldier-cultivators Jin were still on their feet for the most part, busy drinking while one blew into a Koudi, which made him think of Wen Qing.

The sentries jumped to their feet and saluted him. He responded with a brief movement of his head before heading to his tent. 

He found Sizhui in his bed, wrapped in his blankets and sound asleep. He woke him up and took him half asleep, wrapped in the blanket, back to his own tent. Fortunately, he had a second one. Traveling with Sizhui, since his differentiation into omega, had taught him to always have extra clothes and blankets to pass to the young boy.

It was confusing. Usually, children stopped being dependent on their parent’s pheromones upon differentiation, but in the case of an omega, the need for reassurance doubled. So, parents of omega children often found themselves managing some sort of regression, coupled with touchiness, temper tantrums, and general neediness. Fortunately for him, in the case of a male omega, the temper tantrums seemed to be milder, or was it due to Sizhui’s upbringings and temperament?

Alphas’ management was also tricky as they become conflictual, rebellious, and sometimes even violent. For some parents it was a few difficult years as their alpha child could easily turn to the worst, mingling with bad crowds, abandoning their studies, or becoming marginals, even if at least half of them would regain their sense at some point while the rest would join the army, and a few would become bandits.

The luckiest parents where those with beta children as they became even more grounded, easy-going, diligent in their studies, mindful to their parents and to society, and in general more mature than the two other categories, with the only negative point of turning more cunning, slyer, and for many of them more submissive to any kind of authority, even the wrong kind. 

Fortunately, the sects setting, with their often though regulations, regimented schedule, and communal living, particularly Gusu Lan, with its extensive discipline wall and multiple manuals and guidelines on everything pertaining to their way of life, including family education, greatly contributed to arm the parents with a structuring environment and effective ways to manage their children.  Also, by the time they differentiate, children were mostly groomed to act, and to think a certain way. 

Hanguang Jun did not agree one hundred percent with the teachings of his sect, particularly of the way the sect had, in the past, hinder disciple’s initiative and closed them to any kind of self-awareness and critical thought process, making then unimaginative and close-minded. But as for dealing with gender’s shenanigans during their children’s teenage years, he was quite thankful, even though there was nothing specific about raising a young omega male.

He wondered what Wei Ying would have thought of Sizhui’s quirks. He would probably have laughed out loud and spoiled the young boy excessively. Wei Ying was an instinctively affectionate and maternal person, unlike him who had to learn tenderness and affection without predisposition and without a reference model, except that of his brother...

However, he was grateful to life for this experience even if for the past year he had found it a bit more challenging with the introduction of this duality in his son's temperament which he was, more than any other parent, poorly prepared to face, having only extremely restricted contact with women and knowing nothing about their mentality.

Like everything else, he was learning, slowly but surely.

Chapter Text

The night was serene. Hanguang Jun was up at 4:30 a.m. and went to do his ablutions, hoping that he wasn't being watched by his friend SongYun. Then he meditated and conducted the forms with the students and elders of Gusu Lan. However, he authorized Jin Ling and Jin Chan to lead the forms of Lanling Jin's contingent, just to remind Jin Ming of his place.

They had lunch then broke camp. At exactly seven o'clock, Hanguang Jun spoke to the forest and the path opened before them.

He saw SongYun sleeping near a rock. He approached, stopping at a respectful distance, and spoke into the wind, calling her name.

She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw him, the flowers blooming on her head. He warned her that he was on his way and that he would see her later. She waved goodbye to him.

“Hanguang Jun is spinning the perfect love with a creature…” murmured JingYi under his breath.

“Mm.” Sizhui answered. “You are right. And I’ve come to share your opinion, JingYi.  She is way better than a certain person…”

Jin Ling, who was right behind him, slapped him on the ass.

All hell broke loose, the two boys found themselves rolling on the ground, the young omega straddling Jin Ling and showing teeth while the poor Jin Ling looked completely terrified for a few seconds.

Lan JingYi manually removed Sizhui from his compromising position and right afterward delivered a kick to Jin Ling’s flank who sprung to his feet, ready to fight.

Hanguang Jun grabbed Sizhui, Lan Boming grabbed Jin Ling, and Song Yuming grabbed Lan JingYi, as some people looked around bewildered, some were questioning what had just happened, and the others were snickering.

“Baba, he slapped my ass!” shouted Sizhui in a high-pitched voice, vexed and glaring at Jin Ling.

Hanguang Jun closed his eyes and took a profound inspiration.

Jin Ling’s ears turned bright red, but he managed to say: “It’s not even such a great ass…”

Lan Boming slapped him behind the head as the other boys and Nie Yunche started giggling anew.

“Sizhui, please lower your voice and mind your language.” Hanguang Jun said before fixing Jin Ling with an exasperated look on his face.

“Young Lord Jin, what you have done is so inappropriate that I don’t even know what to say. I’m almost twice your age and yet, I have never acted so disrespectfully toward a woman.  I can only beg your elders to see further to your education which, as an alpha, and taking into consideration your lineage, is very concerning…”

Hanguang Jun turned to the Jin elders who were trying and failing to hide their smiles. In Jinlintai, it was quite common to slap a girl’s butt.  Mostly the personnel, and even the young, unmarried, female cultivators sometimes found themselves being the subjects of such unsavory acts as a kind of corporal punishment and shaming. It was judge slightly demeaning but not overly inappropriate. It was more sexist than sexual even though it could become sexual…

“Hao, Hanguang Jun, we will remind our young lord that Jinlintai’s habits can be offensive to others…” tried to reassure Jin Feng.

Jin Ling rolled his eyes, clearly not impressed with his elder’s words.

“One would have thought that I had fondled him…” he murmured to OuYang Zizhen who turned bright red.

Lan Boming slapped him once more while Sizhui step on his toes.

“Awch!”

“Jin Ling, Lan JingYi, Lan Sizhui, pull out your shield.” Hanguang Jun ordered.

They obeyed.

“Up above you head.”

They obeyed.

“Walk.” said Hanguang Jun facing the road and resuming his walk.

Sizhui glared at Jin Ling but follow his father.  He started pleading for leniency after twenty minutes and Hanguang Jun allowed him to put his shield on his back.  The two boys followed suit after forty-five minutes or so, before being all allowed to put them back in their qiankun pouch.

“Jin Ling, once back to the Cloud Recesses, you will have to copy the book on chivalry.  My omega son’s buttocks are off limit.  Am I clear?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” said Jin Ling forlornly.

“Lan JingYi, you will… clean the junior student’s arena for a week to learn that it is unacceptable for a cultivator to kick his opponent while down but instead to confront him in the arena.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“Lan Sizhui, you will follow a six-hour reeducation class for omegas upon your return to the Cloud Recesses to learn more about modesty. Straddling you opponent’s lap was the most… vulgar sight. This kind of reaction is highly improper for a young omega boy, one of your social status at that!”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” He answered mildly.

However, as soon as Hanguang Jun had his back turned, the three boys resumed bickering under their breath.

“You’re dead.” Sizhui slyly warned Jin Ling.

“I maintained that your ass his overrated.” he replied vindictively to Sizhui.

“I should have crushed your nuts.” Exploded Lan JingYi.

“It’s your cock which is going to be overrated soon if you mention my ass again. I’m going to chop it off!” Sizhui said savagely.

“Lan Sizhui!” Exclaimed Hanguang Jun. Turning once again to be confronted with their rebellious, mischievous, and snickering faces. In reality, they were all also having fun shocking him, while their feud was entertaining the rest of the group. Only poor Qin Weizhang looked embarrassed as even Dong Bodi, usually a very modest and sensible girl, was smiling.

“Hanguang Jun, I don’t know anything about a male omega’s ass but, it must be said that a male alpha cock is really overrated.” said Nie Yunche. “I can certainly testify to this… Alpha women attribute is way cuter, and way more effective in that it is…”

Hanguang Jun put a hand to his forehead, he was developing a headache.  He closed his eyes and raised the other hand to stall Nie Yunche’s frankly appalling diatribe, as Lan Boming manifested next to her.  The young girl had the good sense to shut her mouth before her senior had the opportunity to slap her multiple times behind the head.

“Lan Boming, please, stay in front and lecture the youngsters on propriety and acceptable language and conversation for the next hour.  I’m going to take a break.”  Said Hanguang Jun moving away.

“Hell, and damnation!” Murmured Lan Boming.

“Shimei, if you don’t mind,” Ye Kun, the beta elder woman of the Lan contingent said, “I will do it for you.”

“Please, LaoJie, I’ll be in your debt.” answered Lan Boming bowing.

The Elder woman walk forward and started her lecture, making them recite after her the more important rules pertaining to the situation they were facing.

The elders started a debate on sex education in their sects.

Hanguang Jun put distance between himself and the rest of the group.  He really didn’t want anything to do with either conversation. If there was one thing that the lectures field practices taught him, it was that the road to teaching the younger generations, in particular when the students were coming from different horizons, was neither a straight one, nor a safe one!

They caught up with him at the site of a chilling scene. On either side of the path, attached to the trees with vines, were two rows of seven skeletons.

“Hanguang Jun, I thought we were in untouched territory… who are those remains?” Lan JingYi asked.

“Matriarch, please, come forward.”

The old woman approached, and Hanguang Jun pointed to her a few artefacts that the corpses were wearing.

“Are those skeletons the remains of the mercenaries that accompanied your group in the forest at that time?”

She got nearer and observed without touching anything.

“Indeed. She confirmed, I recognized their gear, she said pointing to a water bottle.  How did they all get to that place? They died or lost their way at different locations in the forest…”

“Class, what do you think?”

“Hanguang Jun, the creatures brought them all here, or the forest did it by itself, said Jin Ling.  In any case the real question is why would they do that?”

“Or why would they make us see that? Is it a warning?” Sizhui asked.

“It is indeed a warning.” Hanguang Jun confirmed looking around to try to determine what they were being warned against.

Ye Kun pulled out a small tweezer from his pouch and grabbed from one of the corpses, something that had captured his attention, it was a gigantic glowworm.

Upon further inspection, they realized that this part of the forest going forward seemed infested with the bugs that were releasing a potent smell when disturbed.

“Please do not touch them, as some glowworms can release a stinging substance… considering the dimensions of those individuals, it is not unreasonable to think that the toxin could be dangerous, particularly in case of multiple stinging.” Said Ye Kun who was an expert in bugs.

Sizhui looked at his father who looked disgusted.  Hanguang Jun hated bugs.

“Let’s spend some time gathering firewood before going further. I don’t want anyone to roam later on. Apply vermin repellent talismans before grabbing anything.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun

Chapter Text

They moved forward at a good pace because the forest continued to smooth the path ahead of them. Obviously, walking in the forest has never been so easy! However, as soon as they passed the boundary guarded by the skeletons, they realized that the scenery was changing and becoming more and more mysterious.

Their eyes settled on ever larger and worm-eaten fallen branches, more and more dense undergrowth, with much less familiar vegetation including a few distinctive trees with contorted boles that produce a rippled effect on the trunk.  They resembled the one that had dressed the messenger. Hanguang Jun also noticed that more than the other trees, those grew taller, and they also spotted more peony bushes on and under them.

The colors of all the trees and plants all around were vibrant, and they seemed to glow, bathed in an unnatural golden light. The elders hanged behind to collect plant specimens including leaves, small cones, and the peeling bark of the strange trees.  They also made drawings while discussing the type of tree it was, but they seemed all stumped. 

They took samples of, and drew any plants they did not know or that the Matriarch pointed to, citing their medicinal use. Each time, they took the time to apply vermin repellent talismans and more importantly, ask permission from the trees and plants before handling them.

Hanguang Jun didn't slow down for them, even though he understood their interest. He had a goal to achieve, and time was running out. He had even begun to come to terms with the idea that he would not be able to take his class to Moling Bai territory. If so, he would make an appointment with them and do the hunting after the lectures.

“Hanguang Jun,” Song Yuming said when they took a break. “I feel like we are much further away than we think. These trees are truly old and difficult to name.  This part of the forest seems... different...”

“Mm. The forest is enchanted. I think the path disturbs the space and reality...”

“What about time, Hanguang Jun?”

“I hope not. Otherwise, we could find ourselves facing an unpleasant surprise when we return to civilization...”

He immediately saw Song Yuming's worried expression. He should have kept quiet.

“Please better not share this information with anyone. They’ll all come to that conclusion soon enough.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

In addition to the trees, animals with increasingly mysterious appearance began to cross their path. They sometimes look like amalgam of different species, or they were way too big, or the wrong color or pattern.  For example, they saw an enormous deer as big as a horse spotting giant antlers with many more branches than usual.

“Hanguang Jun,” said Jin Ming who had broken rank to catch up with him. “Do you think it's a Qilin, a unicorn?”

“I doubt it.  It rather looks like a Milu deer.” He replied indifferently, hopefully convincing him that the fantastical animals of the enchanted forest were neither his concern nor his goal.

“Milu deer? That big! Ah! Hao, Hao, however Hanguang Jun, they can’t be normal deers, if they are not Yaoguai, then they must at least be spirit beast, or even divine beasts... This forest is a real gold mine!”

Hanguang Jun stopped abruptly, the temperature immediately dropping around him, and Jin Ming bowed his neck in an instinctive gesture of submission.

“Jin Ming, return to the ranks.” Jin Ling told him. “Stop annoying Hanguang Jun with your frankly appalling greed!”

“Hao, Hao. Excuse me Hanguang Jun, Excuse me Childe Jin.” The man said, returning to his place in the ranks.

The Matriarch of the Naxis whispered to Lan Ruoxing: “There are ceremonies in our books that can help protect the forests... Hanguang Jun had mentioned to me that he hoped to have the area declared a nature reserve... but with this man's mentality, I fear that he will influence his sect…”

“Mm. I will talk to Hanguang Jun about it to see what he can do before leaving the place... Unfortunately, this is Jin territory, and we cannot intervene freely. However, I am sure that my colleague Jin Feng will be able to plead with the Chief cultivator in favor of the reserve.”

“Certainly, I will, Lan-Xiong. I have already discussed it with Jin Huo-xiong.  You too, be reassured matriarch.” Jin Feng said. “This forest is an environmental and magical reserve in which man should not intervene. Fairy magic takes a long time to dissipate and until it does, and the fantastic animals and trees have retreated to the other sphere or become ordinary creatures and trees, it is ill-advised to disturb this environment. Moreover, this entire catastrophe stems from the advancement and avarice of men. The Chief cultivator will certainly not want to repeat such endeavor.”

“Hanguang Jun,” said Jin Ling, exchanging place with Sizhui, “I want to reassure you…”

He raised his hand to stop the group's progress.

“Jin Ling, walk with me.” He said as he set off again. The rest of the group waited until he was a good fifteen steps away before starting to move forward again.

“Hanguang Jun, in the Lanling Jin sect, everything related to territory, environment, and physical property cannot be decided by an Acting Sect Leader, which Jin GuangYao is, even if we often seem to forget it. He must require the approval of the Council to make concessions of land belonging to the sect, to exploit forests, mines, and any other form of natural resources. Since I passed the age of twelve, he needs mine too. I will have the area declared a nature reserve. I'm not going to let my uncle and Jin Ming's gang destroy the place. Enough harm has already been done around here because of the Jins!”

“Watch your words,” Hanguang Jun whispered.

“Hanguang Jun, I am already thirteen years old and next year I will have even more influence in the decisions of my sect, and I will also begin to receive more specific training for my ascension at eighteen. My opinion can no longer be simply ignored, and I intend to make it heard!”

“Jin Ling, be careful. You don't realize it, but danger is knocking at your door. Power is for many men an addiction, an illness... Just like money... or sex. Your rise to power will harm your uncle... I hope his affection for you is genuine...”

“Xiao Shushu only loves himself and your brother, Hanguang Jun. No, he doesn't love him, he's obsessed with him, it's different...”

“Jin Ling, since you know all this, I hope you will heed all my warnings...”

“I am grateful for your advice Hanguang Jun, although I know why and for who you are really doing it…”

With that, he bowed and returned to take his place in the ranks.

Hanguang Jun calmly waited for the group to join him before getting back on track and resuming classes where Jin Ming had interrupted them. Yesterday they had worked on spells and counter-spells related to water and metal. Today they were working on wood. After an advanced theoretical course, he asked the students to formulate increasingly effective and powerful spells and counter-spells.

The elders, like the previous time, took notes and practiced. Even a few Jin soldiers tried to follow the lessons. Even though they were supposed to be the best, the students were way more advanced than them.  Hanguang Jun knew they were probably very efficient in the hunt itself but as for the investigation and more advance cultivation art, their knowledge were very basics.  In truth the Jin cultivation’s art was not as widespread as that of Gusu Lan or Yumeng Jiang, for it was reserved for an elite which didn’t reunite the best cultivators, but the more titled individuals.

The students drew the spells with their hands one corrected each other, Hanguang Jun interfering only when there was disagreement to clarify and correct their mistakes. He heard many corrections being addressed to Jin Chan by his comrades.

He stopped and turned. “Jin Chan, this is the third counterspell that you have failed. Are you alright?”

“Hanguang Jun, I'm worried. We are far from any civilization. What if it's a trap, what if we get lost?”

“Jin Chan, your elders are here to solve these kinds of problems. Furthermore, when we are on our swords, we cover distances and wilderness comparable to this and bigger. Now it's time for class, please concentrate.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

So, they continued forward, with swarms of butterflies fluttering around them while exotic birds sang, and monkeys cried in the branches of the trees. However, they were often so far up above them that it was difficult to see them, especially the few mischievous individuals who had fun throwing fruits at them.

Quickly annoyed, a few Jin soldiers took out their bows and arrows, determined to shoot them down. The students turned around, and Hanguang Jun asked them to put away their weapons, obviously unhappy at having to once again call them to order.

“Hanguang Jun, may you please let me speak with them,” Jin Feng asked, bowing down to him.

“Jin-Laoshi, of course.” Hanguang Jun replied.

“My Shidi, let me remind you that we are here in the middle of the forest. We are the ones who are encroaching on these creatures’ territory and disturbing their peace. They are not used to seeing humans; however, despite this, they are hardly nasty... Just mischievous... Please show more consideration, patience, tolerance and above all, love, towards the fauna and flora. The animals are not our enemies.”

“Thank you for your teaching, Jin-Laoshi,” said Jin Ming and his men as they bowed.

“Hao, Hao.” Said Jin Feng, turning to Hangaung Jun who also bowed to the eldest Jin cultivator before sitting down and taking out his Guqin. He played, the monkeys, the birds, and all animals of the forest stopped to listen to him. When the music died down, they resumed their activities, now ignoring the intruders.

“He even commands animals...” whispered the Jins.

“It’s Peaceful Beast,” Sizhui told his comrades. “It is, along with Tamed Wilderness and Ensnare Wild Creatures, one of the two main songs we use with animals. Faced with a pack of wolves, he would probably have used the second, and faced with an animal infected with negative energy, he would have used the third to capture it before purging it.”

“Sizhui, how many music does your father know?”

“He probably knows them all, which means around 200, but the majority of us will know and master about a third.  Elders and cultivation scholars around two-third during their career. Peaceful Beast is less difficult than many others because it requires little power and more persuasion. The second Tamed wilderness is more demanding. As for Ensnare Wild Creatures, it is a song from the first repertoire, level 3, that is to say, among the most difficult to master. A cultivator is advised to use mechanical means like a divinity net rather than attempting it.

“And Inquiry?” Jin Ling asked.

“It’s also a song from the first repertoire, level 1. It’s the most difficult of them all since there is almost no written specific melody other than a few catch phrases and questions.  Also, the amount of power needed to be instilled in the song is quite important without mentioning translating the answers which as you saw is a two-part endeavor, first the notes, and then the words. This is why we start learning it from our first year and only one-third of us will achieve sufficient mastery to use it as an investigative method. What you see Hanguang Jun do with his inquiry sessions has not been achieved by anyone before him in the Gusu Lan Sect.”

Hanguang Jun let him continue explaining Gusu Lan's musical repertoires to his classmates for a good thirty minutes before resuming classes.

By the afternoon, the forest was completely changed. It was as if they had crossed a magical threshold. The landscapes became more and more surreal: torrents and springs cascading backwards, ponds covered with water-plants suspended upside down, rainbows appearing out of nowhere, clearings where plants were growing at an accelerated speed before withering and then blooming again, rocks seeming to breathe and sing. They also encountered more and more fantastical animals, in addition to creatures at different stage of transformation into trees. All the trees also felt more sentient, they were talking to each other, moving their branches in unnatural fashion. It was magical and at the same time disturbing.

“This place is under a powerful spell OuYang Zizhen whispered. I doubt we're even on earth. Perhaps we have entered another sphere...”

“I hope Hanguang Jun knows the way back because I wouldn't want to be stuck here... I doubt we could eat those truly gigantic pheasant-like-beasts…” JingYi complained.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Qin Weizhang reprimanded him, obviously frightened.

“Nothing makes sense, not even time... We may have been here for weeks, or even years.” JingYi insisted.

“Lan JingYi. If you need to occupy your mouth, you can recite the Cloud Recesses rules starting with rule 2500 upward.” Hanguang warned him.

“Hein! Never mind, Hanguang Jun, I prefer to eat some nuts.”

“Mm. Make sure you eat enough so I won't hear you for the next hour till we camp...”

“Count on me, Hanguang Jun.” The cheeky boy answered.

Sizhui smiled. His father was very indulgent toward JingYi.

“I want everyone to be extra vigilant. The laws we know seem to be compromised here... We will stop shortly so that we have more daylight time to set up camp and secure our environment.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” everyone answered mildly.  They were all a bit frightened.

Chapter Text

They stopped at four o'clock sharp; As the way started to climb to more elevated terrain, they had gradually emerged from the thickest part of the forest and had been following the foot of a small mountain range.  It was nice to finally be a little bit out of the shade, and to see the rays of the sun.

Hanguang Jun decided on a place under the ghostly bare branches of a solitary gnarly tree that was growing in the sandy ground of a dried stream.  Its trunk was twisted and partly hollow, as if it had been struck by lightnings that had peeled its bark off, leaving exposed the smooth and ashen core. Some parasitic vines and molasses, mostly white, were hanging from it branches, gently swaying in the soft breeze and giving it a phantomatic appearance.

“Hanguang Jun, Hanguang Jun… not this one, not this one.” pleaded JingYi.

His teacher ignored him.

“Its old and wise.  It is at the dusk of its life. It is thankful for the company. Also, there is a clearing around it which will enable us to view the sky.”

“I like it, said Sizhui.  I don’t see any snake in its branches.”

“I’m sure it’s haunted.” Insisted Lan JingYi.

“Well, there’s someone who is not sleeping tonight…” joked Sizhui.

The fact that it was almost bare was not the only reason Hanguang Jun had chosen the perimeter around the tree to pitch their camp.  It was also situated near a small torrent. Hanguang Jun immediately sent Song Yuming to test it, and fortunately it was clean enough, which means they would be able to collect water for food, and also use it for their ablutions since it was also well protected by a number of boulders.

They had passed a pond shortly before, but Hanguang Jun hadn’t wanted to take the chance of anyone venturing into this bigger body of water. Since the animals they could see were already so strange, what was lurking underwater could equally be out of norm… He left his student to pitch their tents and set out with his two deputies to explore and secure the perimeter. He preferred to have control of the entire camp, and all the men that night.

Upon their return, Lan Boming informed Jin Ming of the measures taken by Hanguang Jun.  He seemed unhappy but was wise enough not to protest.

Everyone was mostly quiet during mealtime. The possibility that they might have entered another realm was weighting on them.  They went to make their ablutions right after the meal, following the same order as the previous night.  By the time the students finished, the sun was down, and the forest was slowly becoming aglow all around them, except for a quite large perimeter under the naked branches of the tree which was emitting a white spectral light.

“Oh, no, no, no.  I told you it was haunted.” said JingYi while holding onto Hanguang Jun’s arms.

“Hush! The glow warms are more dangerous than this tree, it was them that made the marquis’ men lose their mind or fallen ill.  This tree means us no harm.  It is in a place between two worlds, a threshold… Indeed, the tree is a ghost tree, but right now it’s better to be in the company of ghosts than covered with those glow worms… Let’s also put vermin repellent talismans everywhere.”

“What do you mean a threshold, Hanguang Jun?” Asked Zizhen.

“A place where it is easy for the different spheres, different state of existing, to communicate and interact with each other.”

“So, we could walk straight into the ghost world?” Asked Zizhen.

“We might. In this tree, there are portals between the human world and the fairy world, but also with the Ghost world with the bridge to the afterlife. But they are not the only halls that can use them.  Demon halls, as well as the gods and immortal halls have access to them.  That make them dangerous place for the living, but not for the ghost trapped in them, mostly for them it is comfort.”

They all looked at the tree.

“What do you mean, Hanguang Jun? How can such a place be a comfort for the ghosts trapped in it?” Asked Dong Bodi.

“A ghost tree is usually a reverie for the souls trapped in it, a loop in time and out of time, limbo... they usually worked by pairs, forming the loop.  There is another one out there… probably closer to town…”

The students looked at each other.

“Hanguang Jun, how do you know what is going on inside, have you already entered one like this? Asked Jin Ling.”

“No. But I’ve read about it.”

“The lost souls, will you contact them?” Asked Qin Weizhang.

“Lost souls are not easily contacted.  They don’t know that they have passed… It is a prison created in their mind. Sometimes it is a powerful entity that is deceiving, confusing, or even terrorizing them.  Sometimes it is the light of a human being that is captivating them, it shines so bright, or has such strong affinity to the ghost world that it blinds them to the real light, and sometimes, it is the result of a curse.”

“Hanguang Jun, you say that the other tree should be closer to town, do you think that the souls of the villagers are kept in that tree?” JingYi asked.

“Mm.”

The elders were nodding.

“Is there a way to help them?” Asked Sizhui.

“Mm. A medium, or a shaman, may enter the portal and guide them to the bridge; Or the entity that has been keeping them unaware needs to be defeated; In this case, by revoking the curse, we will break the illusion, and my music will guide them through, but as of now, there is nothing to be done…”

“How can you be sure which souls are kept in the tree?” Asked Jin Chan.  “Maybe it’s only people who got lost in the forest? There are neighboring villages…”

“Mm, but It is unlikely. Those kinds of reverie are created only under special circumstances and usually answered to very specific criteria as to who can enter them, and they are meant to trap lots of souls.  The chance that it is here for random souls, people that got lost in the woods, are very low.”

“Unlikely but not impossible…” insisted the young boy, openly challenging his teacher while insidiously casting doubts in the minds of some of his comrades.

“Mm. I understand that it is difficult for some of you to believe without seeing… It is a rare occurrence to find such a doorway… let’s learn as much as we can from the experience…”

“We will be grateful, Hanguang Jun.” Said Jin Feng, “Particularly young master Jin, I guess...”

The disapprobation was clear, and the young boy gave the man a venomous look, not happy to be put in the wrong by one from his own sect. But Jin Feng didn’t intend to back down and said:

“Will you not thank your teacher for his willingness to teach you, young master Jin?” He insisted with a fake smile toward the boy. 

He looked around and everyone was looking at him. Hanguang Jun’s clear eyes were shining with a dangerous light in them.  He felt as if he was about to fall prey to the older alpha. So, he decided to make the best of a bad job and nodded, put his hands together, and said bowing slightly “Thank you for teaching this humble one, Hanguang Jun. I’m looking forward for the demonstration.”

“Mm. Now, Jin Chan, let make this even more fruitful for you. I want you to draw the protection circle against ghosts and wandering spirits.  Make it big enough so that everyone can stand inside it.”

“Me? Hanguang Jun?”

“Yes, you.  Is there a problem?”

“No, Hanguang Jun.” He said, clearly worried.  He drew the radicals in the air and casted the spell, including the tree into the circle!

Everyone knew what was coming and the students bowed their head, not looking at Jin Chan. Hanguang Jun verified the circle, completely impassive.

“Young master Jin Chan, which circle did I ask for?”

“Heuh…, ghosts and wandering spirits protection circle, Hanguang Jun.”

“What is that?”

“It’s the circle Lanling Jin used for these kinds of situations, Hanguang Jun.”

Jin Ling open his mouth, but Sizhui stomped on his foot to shut him up.

Hanguang Jun looked sharply at Jin Feng, looking for confirmation.

“It is not, Hanguang Jun.” Answered the elder.  “Young master Jin is confusing the one for Fierce corpses with what you’ve asked for.”

“Jin Chan, second chance.”  He warned.

The poor boy started trembling.  He revoked the circle but didn’t dare cast the new one.

“I, I… I can’t remember it, Hanguang Jun.”

“Jin Chan, next time you are not sure of a spell, just admit it and refrain from doing anything rather than cast the wrong spell.  As you have seen it during the course of this investigation, it can be a question of life and death!”

No one said anything.  Everyone was thinking about the dead Jin cultivator.

“What I asked of you is one of the first protection circles that a disciple learned… It is a basic one that any cultivator should be able to cast without even thinking. I invite you not only to carefully revise the basics of your art, but also to act more when hunting rather than command your subordinates.”

The boy started crying and Lan JingYi rolled his eyes.

“Young Master Jin, please, get a hold of your emotions.  Crying in these circumstances does not redeem you.”

He bit his lips and dried his eyes on the sleeve of his uniform.

“Unfortunately, it’s not my only remark on your appalling job.  There is a second error in casting the spell.  I’ve asked for a protection circle and what you did was to include the tree inside it… It is an amateurish error that could have terrible consequences.  If a cultivator cannot cast basic spell, his place is not in the field!”

The boy hung his head even lower.

“Childe Jin, please, teach your future second-in-command the protection circle against ghost and wandering spirits.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” Answered Jin Ling.

“And you, Jin Chan, observe with attention.”

Jin Ling threw a murderous look at his cousin who was shaming the entire sect and proceeded to cast a powerful circle of protection big enough for all of them to stand in it.

“Good job Jin Ling.  It is not only accurate but also powerful. Now let’s open this portal and see what’s inside.”

Chapter Text

“Everyone, enter the circle.” Hanguang Jun said before manifesting his Guqin and sitting.

“Lan Sizhui and Lan JingYi, what should I play?”

The boys consulted each other with a look.

“Invocation, Hanguang Jun.”  Sizhui answered.

“Yes. And why?”

“Invocation is played instead of Inquiry in the case of very young child, lost souls.  Ordinary those cannot interact with the cultivator or provide an answer to the cultivator.  But their actions may provide clues. The cultivator must observe with attention in order to try and decipher what he is seeing and thus understand the purpose or the nature of the haunting or the curse.”

“Does it work for places, like a house?” Qin Weizhang asked.

“No.  You would like to use Reading in the case of an inanimate object.  It reads the object or the place’s aura, and it triggers projections of events that might have taken place there or are related directly to the object.” Sizhui answered.

“Isn’t Invocation similar to Empathy? Hanguang Jun.” Asked OuYang Zizhen.

“Very loosely, answered Hanguang Jun. In invocation there is no contact between the cultivator and the person, the ghost, the entity, the object. In Empathy, the cultivator touch and enters the person, the ghost, the entity, the object, or he allows the person, the ghost, the entity, or the spirit of the object to enter them.  The person who enters Empathy does not remotely witness the happenings but relive them like a dream, or as if they were happening to them, feeling the pain, the distress, and every other sentiment or sensation experienced by the host.  It is extremely dangerous as one can get lost in the dream, fall into a coma, suffer from trauma, lose their mind, and even die. Also, Empathy is in some ways like a possession. Once you have allowed a spirit to enter your body or to develop a symbiosis with you, you are marked, it might not want to leave...”

“Hanguang Jun, is Empathy learned or is it natural to certain person.” Nie Yunche asked.

“Some people are natural empath. Medium, witches, fortune teller are usually born sensitive to the spirit world. Shaman and cultivators usually learn Empathy through potion, trance, meditation and cultivational techniques.”

“Isn’t the knowledge of Empathy lost?” Dong Bodi asked.

“The knowledge survives in a few rare forbidden tomes but there is no adept in the cultivation world as it was deemed unorthodox.”

“Wei Wuxian used to practice Empathy, and he used to cast his awareness into a paper man which is also considered unorthodox.” Jin Ling said.

Hanguang Jun looked at him questioningly.

“There are mentions of it occurring in his night hunting reports.” Jin Ling explained. “Also, It seems that the thing with the paper man, he could do it since he was a child without anyone showing him how.  My grandfather, the deceased Sect Leader Jiang, mentioned it in his evaluation when he took him home when he was only six years old…”

“Already he was pursuing the dark arts!” Said Jin Chan. “He could never had been anything else than an evil sorcerer and a mass murderer!”

Hanguang Jun ignored him.  Something that Jin Ling had said had caught his attention. “Wei Wuxian could animate a paper man when your grandfather took him home! Are you sure?”

“Yes, this technique is not indigenous to Yunmeng Jiang’s art, and our sect does not practice it. My grandfather noted it in his evaluation of the young boy because clearly his father, Wei Changze, could not have taught him the technic, so it must have been a Sanren Sect method.”

“If it’s true that Wei Wuxian could animate a paper man, then he had already formed his golden core when late sect Leader Jiang Fengmian took him back to Lotus Pier!? It means that either he was born with it, or he developed it before even starting cultivating with the Jiangs, which would make sense since he had one of the most powerful golden core of this generation!”

Jin Ling looked stunned. “I… don’t know… Hanguang Jun… maybe he just knew a few magic tricks…”

“Not maybe but clearly! He was a sorcerer after all.” Interrupted Jin Chan. “Certainly his mother was a witch and had commerce with the devil.  That would explain…!”

“Bi zui!”  Said Hanguang Jun, uncharacteristically rude. “Do not talk ill about one’s deceased mother.”

The Jin elders nodded their head.  It was uncouth for someone of their status to attack one’s deceased mother the way common people did in the street.

“Jin Chan, for your information, Cangse Sanren is remembered as a great beauty and a talented cultivator. Her unexplained disappearance alongside her husband, Wei Changze, the late Yunmeng Jiang Sect Leader’s ex second-in-command, is still a mystery to this day.”  Said Jin Feng.

Not only was it the truth but, moreover, the Jin elder was also aware that there was a secret surrounding the two Jades’ mother, and it could easily be a delicate or painful subject for Hanguang Jun which would explain his harsh intervention…

Jin Chan bit his lips but had the good sense to keep quiet.

Hanguang Jun bowed his head toward the Jin elder.

“Now, let’s go back to our session.  I’m going to play Invocation, and you will all look with attention and try and understand what the majority of the ghosts that come forward are doing. Inquiry is famous but Invocation is also, with Calm and Rest one of the more used songs in our repertory when night hunting.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

Lan JingYi went to hide behind Lan Boming, ignoring without any sign of self-consciousness the mocking words of his comrades.

The music rose to the air. Haunting and powerful. It was an odd combination of harmonic notes and harsh commands interrupting the flow of the melody which then resume its momentum with a soft complaint.  It was clearly a very difficult song and not many musicians were probably able to play it to perfection.  Hanguang Jun was giving them a mastery class of the guqin but was also showing his immense cultivation by pouring into the music extraordinary power.

The tree in the meantime was emitting a white spectral light that was becoming brighter and brighter, washing out all the colors and muffling all the sounds other than that of the zither. An unnatural wind was blowing his skeleton branches and the white molasses hanging from them took the appearance of mourning paper ribbons.

Then the tree was hanging upside down above them and they were in a void where only the light emanating from the tree remained and inside the light, specters, with almost transparent body, and as if wrapped in shrouds that were moving around them, floated everywhere.  They were of all ages even though they could not distinguish any seniors, which was already a clue. They were going on minding their business, moving, marching, walking, wandering, acting in strange ways, and sometimes clearly interacting with something that their own eyes could not see.  They went by all around the protection circle, not in any way aware of their presence or even the presence of those around them, each person seemingly taken by whatever thought or action they needed to accomplish.

“By the gods, so many of them…” murmured Lan Huoxing. “They look so lost…”

Most of the students, now faced with the sea of specters were very alarmed and downright frightened. Jin Chan and Yao Gao were trembling while all the girls huddled together, Nie Yunche included.  The tree beta boys closed their eyes while only Ouyang Zizhen, Jin Ling and Sizhui looked at the vision with awe.

Then Sizhui advanced, as if in a trance and pointed.

“They are all doing things related to flowers... Even the baby is looking at a flower that someone is moving before their eyes… This one is cutting them… This one is putting them in a vase… That one is pulling the petals apart…”

His smell rose and suddenly forms and colors started to appear: Flowers everywhere being planted, being harvested, being sold, being transported, being gifted; flowers being arranged in vases, in hairs, upon tombstone, in outdoor pots, vases, windowsill. Flowers being dried… flowers being painted, being admired, being played with… Everyone was in a way, or another, taken with the peonies.

The village citizens had continued to be blinded by the flowers even in death.

“He is making us see through his eyes, making his visions real… murmured Jin Feng.  He has the gift of sight. Such a blessed and talented omega!”

They continued to murmur between themselves as the young omega boy seemed to listen to something.

But Hanguang Jun felt a change in the energy of the portal, something dark and ominous was encroaching, coming their way, fast… Hungry and menacing…

Sizhui was still lost in his vision when he perceived words in the murmur…

A Yuan… murmured the void. A Yuan… You have come back to us… come, come now, come to us, do you want to remember? We can bring you what you seek… we can take you to see him again… just come to us… revoke that seal on your arm… scratch it off, scratch it off, you are ours, Radish!” they screamed.

Sizhui was petrified and without even knowing it, he raised his left arm in front of his eyes and started undoing his armguard.

“Lan JingYi!” Hanguang Jun called urgently, still playing.

He stepped away from Lan Boming and opened his eyes wide when he saw Sizhui undressing.  Immediately forgetting his fright, he approached his teacher.

“Please, bring Sizhui back from his vision… I cannot stop playing until he is out of it.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun,” said the boy briskly approaching Sizhui and seizing his hand.

“Sizhui, wake up!” he said, releasing this scent so that the young boy could ground himself. Surprisingly, it worked instantly, and the illusion broke apart, leaving only the spectral forms of the ghosts roaming the light.

Hanguang Jun played de last notes of the song, closing the portal.  He made his guqin disappeared, went to his feet, and joined his son.

“Sizhui, are you alright?”

“… Yes… Hanguang Jun.  I, I think so…” He said with troubled eyes.

“Mm.  Go sit and rest, we will talk later.” he said putting back his son’s armguard and covering back the bright white seal that would sometimes shine on his forearm when faced with out-worldly threats.

His brother had discovered that the child was warded when he had tried to perform the soul calming ceremony for him.  The seal was unknown to him, and his research had not allowed him to identify the school.  Hanguang Jun thought that it was probably one that Wei Ying had invented to protect the child against the resentment of the Burial mounds.

“Is the boy okay, Hanguang Jun?” Asked Lan Ruoxing worried.

“Mm. He had just started manifesting this gift a few days ago and cannot control it yet.  He will be tutored on how to master it when we go back to Cloud Recesses.”

“Hao, Hao. What a blessing, such wondrous gift, really befitting a male omega…” Answered Jin Huo while Lan JingYi was helping Sizhui to the ground.  He sat near him to ward off his other comrades that were on the verge of smothering him.

“Now, let’s finish this impromptu course.”  Said Hanguang Jun. “Young master Jin Chan, now, who do you think those lost souls are?” Asked Hanguang Jun, seeking Jin Chan with his eyes.

“Hanguang Jun, since Lan Sizhui had interfered with the evidence gathering, I cannot say for sure.  He might have made all of us see what he believed was the truth.”

“Jin Chan, for heaven’s sake!” Exclaimed Jin Ling.

Hanguang Jun raised his hand to silence Jin Ling.  “In fact, Jin Chan made a very good point. I’m not aware yet of the scope of Lan Sizhui’s gift.  So, I cannot confirm or infirm his ability to influence to such degree people’s mind. Thus, I will accept your answer, as the doubt should benefit you.”

Jin Chan smile.  “Thank you Laoshi.”

“Mm. Anyway, as for myself, I still strongly believe that those souls are indeed the villagers’ souls.  We will be able to confirm it when everything is over, and liberation rites can be completed.  If the tree is still standing, then, the souls were not those of the villagers.”

“Mm.  Right, Hanguang Jun.”  Answered Lan Ruoxing.

“For now, let’s go back to our usual activities for the evening.” “Sizhui, let me see to you in my tent.” He said.

JingYi helped him rise to his feet.

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun made him sit and played Clarity for him.  Once Sizhui seemed less troubled, they share a cup of tea.

“Hanguang Jun, something strange happened while you were playing Invocation…”

“Mm.  What happened Sizhui?

“Resentment came for me… It spoke to me…”

Hanguang Jun frowned. “Are you sure it was resentment Sizhui? What did it say?”

“It was, I recognized it.  It called me A-Yuan and said to scratch off the tattoo on my forearm so that it could take me to see that person again… Baba, what does that mean? Who are they talking about? What is that tattoo exactly?”

“Mm, that’s a lot of questions you have, Sizhui…When you came to us, that tattoo was already on your forearm.  We haven’t been able to identify the school, so we cannot easily revoke it.  I believe it is a protection mark that your previous parent put on you to ward off negative energy.”

“My previous parent? You don’t know the school!? How’s that possible, I always though you knew them… how could you ignored what school they were from?”

“Baobao. Said Hanguang Jun, pulling him into his arms.”

The young boy blinked to try to fight off his tears but without success.  “So, I really am just an orphan you picked up along the way…”

“Sizhui… A-Yuan.  No.  You are my chosen child, the guardian of my soul. From the first day I saw you, to that day I fought death itself to go back for you, you were always going to be forever in my heart.”

“Oh! Baba! But you don’t know which school my previous parent was from…”

“That’s not what I said.  It’s not a school.  I believe It is something new that that person made, only for you.”

“Is it witchcraft?

“No, it isn’t. That person was a cultivator, not a witch, not a sorcerer, not a demon…”

“Oh! That means that person was very savvy and was also a great inventor.”

Hanguang Jun smiled.  “Mm. Indeed.” He then pulled his hair aside and proceed to scent him behind his neck. 

“Do not worry Baobao, I believe that that person’s protection and love will always look upon you.”

Sizhui hid his face in his father’s chest as his heart bit violently.  Something in his father’s words had opened up a floodgate of interrogation inside him.  Questions that even he didn’t dare to formulate clearly yet, because an idea that has been coming to him in increments those past months, seemed on the verge of becoming more than a possibility, and he was terrified.

Only, if there was any truth in what his instincts were telling him, how come he could not remember anything even with all those clues?

 A word resonated in his mind, the sound so wholesome, so intimate: Radish!

Afterward, that evening, the young people sat to listen to the scholars talk about Chinese cosmology and legendary gods and animals. They were fascinated by the subject and were disappointed when Hanguang Jun sent them to bed.

“Jin Ling, can I sleep in your tent?” Lan JingYi asked.

“No.  You can go and sleep with Hanguang Jun.”

“You!”

The others started laughing and making fun of him.  Lan JingYi ignored them but obviously, he was fearing having to spend the night alone.

“JingYi, you may sleep in my tent.” Hanguang Jun said, to put him out of his misery.

“Aiyo.  You are the best, Hanguang Jun!”

“Mm.” Answered Hanguang Jun before taking out his guqin and walking to the edge of their perimeter.  He applied vermin repellent talismans to a boulder, sat down and played Lullaby and a few other leisure songs. Even the Jins soldiers fell into silence, mesmerized.

“He plays beautifully,” murmured Ouyang Zizhen. A few of them were still huddling if front of their tent, waiting for ten o’clock and Sizhui told them:

Those last two are his compositions. They are called Lights in the starry night and Greenery.  Hanguang Jun composes a lot but rarely publishes, and even less plays in public.

In the meantime, SongYun, the creature, had come and sat down next to Hanguang Jun to listen. She put her arms over the boulder, near Hanguang Jun’s feet and rested her weary head.

“Thus, we are lucky that he likes the creature...” said Jin Ling.

Sizhui smiled.  “I know it might sound strange, but I like her too, more than some humans…”

“You are not the only one, Sizhui.”  JingYi reassured him. “It happens to all of us.  Its human nature, exacerbated by alphas and omegas’ pheromone to just like some people and being unable to stand others.” 

Hanguang Jun quieted his instrument after completing the last song and glanced at them over his shoulder.

It was ten, curfew hour.  The boys went inside. 

They heard him play Inquiry.

Later, sitting in front of his tent, he worked two hours on perfecting his tools and interventions.  He also reviewed all the ceremonies and materials pertaining to them.  He needed to be ready.  They would probably reach their destination by tomorrow.

All the while, the Jins soldiers observed him, taken by his aura, his elegance, and his beauty.

The morning followed the same pattern as the previous day, other than clearly, they have now fully entered a more mountainous and rough area. They had to go slower as the Elders and the Matriarch were unable to keep the rhythm.

“I think that our elders spent too much time on their ass.  They are not even that ancient…” Murmured JingYi.  “I believe Lan Ruoxing to be only one hundred and twelve…”

“Mm.  I think they are not used to walk that much but rather fly.  Answered Sizhui.  They are in good shape.”

“Huh!? When I’ll reach that age, I’ll be as agile as a deer, as strong as a horse, as…”

“Hao, Hao.  Said Sizhui, amused.  I’ve got it.”

“If you live that long!” said Jin Ling.  “With how sharp your tongue is, you are doomed to meet an early death.”

“Look, who’s talking!” Exclaimed JingYi while their two friends were laughing.  They continued their way bickering with each other and ignoring Jin Chan who had started to complain about his feet.

As the terrain became more and more treacherous, they advanced in silence in order not to trip and fall, with Hanguang Jun pointing to them potholes, loose rocks, and dangerous passages.  However, around 11:00 a.m., Wu Shi, they reached a chasm which would have been impassable if they had not been cultivators. However, the wind did not cross it but rushed into it in a long ribbon of dry leaves.

Hanguang Jun listened carefully to it and the whispering trees and nodded.

“This is the shortcut, Hanguang Jun, I remember it now. Said the Matriarch. We couldn't go down so the trees formed a bridge over the chasm, and we took the longest route, we arrived at the place two days later…”

“Mm. We're going down.” He told the team. “Lan Boming, Jin Ming, with me.” “Song Yuming, you are in commands.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” Answered all the concerned.

Since they were going into virgin territory, Hanguang Jun had asked the Jins to pack climbing equipment, and that was what they used to access the crevasse. The trees were so tightly crammed against each other and also touching the wall that they could not attempt a descent on their swords or by floating.  They would have to slide down the steep walls. Moreover, a mist rising from the depths, floating over the canopy, was so thick that one had the impression of surfing on a sea of ​​clouds.  Thus, they had no idea how deep the chasm was or what awaited them at the bottom.

The descent took a while since they had to stop and put crampoons on the walls, as well as extend their ropes to reach the bottom.  At the same time, they were preparing a passage that would allow the students to descend safely. Rapidly, they discovered that the wall was made of extremely friable limestone rocks that were threatening to collapse over their heads, or crumble under their feet at the slightest wrong move. And no matter how small, a stone to the head, in free fall, could cause serious injury…  Also, while the limestone made it easier to hammer in the bolts, it was significantly more dangerous because they came out more easily, hence the need to locate safe insertion points and test them. 

The vegetation growing on the wall, including groves of peonies, further complicated the task. Fortunately, the branches of the large trees parted as soon as they touched them to let them pass; otherwise, they realized, the descent would have been almost impossible at this point and would have required them to prune the branches, a process which would have been long, difficult, and above all harmful, when Hanguang Jun wanted to avoid, as much as possible, damaging the forest.

As soon as they passed the thickness of the clouds, they entered another world.  The undergrowth was lit up with a golden mist in which gold flakes floated, just like the pollen trapped with the flower under the glass bell. This fog, with its glitter, moved as if it were animated by a life of its own, changing direction, twirling in all directions rather than being moved by the wind, unlike what would have happened with simple dust.  Hanguang Jun realized that it didn't stick to their clothes or their skin either, just like the trees which were bathed in it but not slathered. It landed then flew away according to the invisible air currents.

In addition, the undergrowth was inhabited by a multitude of oversized and chimerical colorful insects and birds. There was a cacophony of sounds and a constant buzzing, kept alive by the rustling of insects' wings and their overly loud songs.  Fortunately, the talismans attached to their clothes kept all this wildlife away, because the sting of one of these wasps would have been potentially fatal.

The trunks and branches of the trees were crumbling under the weight of gigantic peonies which were flowering in all the colors common to the plant.  As had been the case with the messenger, peony groves were parasitic organisms that grew on trees regardless of type, mingling their leaves and flowers with those of their host it seemed in total symbiosis and perfect harmony; the development of one, apparently supporting that of the other, as well as its longevity.

The ground was also covered with a jungle of giant peonies, ferns, dieffenbachia, and other undergrowth plants common to the jungle of tropical rainforests; a lushness unusual in the forests of Shandong which climate was rather temperate. 

After what look like an eternity, they finally reached the bottom and Hanguang Jun heard his two companions sight in relief.

Chapter Text

Once down, they placed their feet cautiously on a large boulder and immediately Hanguang Jun started surveying the dense undergrowth with some apprehension. 

If he relied on the size of the insects, everything lurking there would be of the same ilk, that is to say gigantic... Moreover, he realized that the gurgling sound he was hearing was that of water flowing gently. They were in some sort of swamp! The plants quivered slightly and moved as if feeling the effect of a wave. Something moving in the water was responsible for their snakelike undulation.  He threw an air talisman that pushed the plants aside and he discovered a giant fish, a kind of brightly colored carp that moved slowly.  The animal was not the only one, there were several species, including a specimen with a long serpentine body and sharp teeth resembling an eel...

The bottom of the swamp consisted of fine white sand, mixed with gold dust.  The water was crystal clear, and the pollen shone on its surface without disturbing its clarity.  It was magical! However, if they set foot there, they would have water up to their thighs! Even if the constant height of the plants indicated that the bottom was more or less uniform, Hanguang Jun didn't know what kind of trap could be lurking in the bottom, especially since they would be unable to anticipate it in the middle of all this vegetation.  Roots and wood splinters alone would be a major risk, not to mention possible predatory fishes.

The trees growing out of that mangrove, for their part, were veritable titans and were easily one and a half times the height of all those they had encountered so far, with the specific type of tree that had intrigued the scholars towering far above the others and almost doubling their circumference.  Their massive roots system and buttresses had kept captive the sands and sediments around them, forming a kind of islet covered with moss and mainly peonies. Their twisted and singular shapes made them look very foreboding.  Hanguang Jun also noticed that the bottoms of all the trees, up to a height of about three meters, were covered in a crystallizing golden mud which was forming meanders on their barks, giving them the appearance of corals.  The place, without any doubt, was the palatial sanctuary of a nature divinity. Even Jinlintai, with his extravagances was no match. In all his life, he had never seen such a landscape and from Jin Ming's wide eyes, he guessed that neither had he!

Hanguang Jun looked towards Lan Boming who seemed much more interested in the potential dangers of their fabulous environment than in its splendor.  They all remained motionless, observing their surroundings. The undergrowth immediately to their right moved in a long wave, following the contours of the body of an elongated, narrow fish, an individual certainly much larger than the one they had seen earlier.   His two companions raised their hands to their swords, obviously they were not reassured.

“Hanguang Jun, it would be the height of insult to end up in the stomach of a giant fish while we are far from the sea!” Lan Boming said.

“Mm. That’s not what worries me the most,” he murmured.

Perfectly still, he examined the landscape in search of large mammals or large reptiles.  He listened, deploying all his other senses, including his sense of smell... His eyes lit up and the two other alphas stepped back to signal that they recognized him as the dominant one and were not contesting the territory.

He did not perceive any danger. 

On the other hand, his gaze fell on what was the huddled silhouette, at the foot of one of the large trees, of a creature.  Groves of peonies, leaves, and petals partly covered it, and some roots of the tree had even begun to wrap it.   He continued to watch and soon saw other creatures lying or leaning against identical trees.  They seemed asleep or, just like the birds and insects, perfectly indifferent to their presence.

He breathed, and the aura of anticipation his rapt attention had created dissipated.  It was at this moment that he noticed that the rock they were standing on was actually a huge, fossilized skull... he quickly spotted other scattered bones and, looking up, he saw that they had passed, without even realizing it, in the middle of the animal's skeletal ribs which stood above them like immense rocky pontoons, or the fleshless claws of a monster.  

Hanguang Jun pointed them to Lan Boming and Jin Ming.  The latter stammered:

“Hanguang Jun… What, what is this? A dragon?”

“These are the remains of a giant reptile... A dinosaur... They lived on earth tens of millions of years ago... Their remains are sometimes dug up in the earth, turning up randomly during plowing or construction work, or else they are found while digging mines... Their bones are studied by scholars who believe that the end of their reign came following a great cataclysm, perhaps a meteorite...”

“A mete… what?”

“A star that fell from the sky, if you prefer, in fact, it is not really a star but rather a rock, or more precisely a huge stone, or a comet...”

“A stone? But where would this stone come from, Hanguang Jun?

“From space, Jin Ming,” Hanguang Jun sighed.  “Remains of planets and stars…”

“Hein!? Planets and stars! What is this madness? Hao, even if that was the case, why would a stone falling from the sky kill these big animals?”

“It’s complicated Jin Ming.  But let's imagine your head with a nest of ants on your temple.  Now imagine that someone, standing about ten meters away, throws a fist-sized stone at your head.  On impact, it will fracture your skull, creating a violent ejection of pieces of bone, blood, and even marrow.  Also, at the moment of impact, the ants nest, will be crushed and lots of ants will die, even if it is not hit head-on, it will be jostled, would shake violently, and break into a thousand pieces; Lots of ants would fall out of it, not to mention that afterward, the hot blood and bone debris falling back , the material under pression that is escaping from the wound would not only flatten the ants, but also drown them in the hot mixture of your blood mixed with brains.  In the best-case scenario, which is you don’t die, surely, this, at least, will make the nest unsuitable for life for some time.  Are you following me? Jin Ming.”

“Hein?”

“Jin Ming, Hanguang Jun means that your skull is the earth, the dinosaurs are the ants, and the stone is the meteorite.  Do you get it now?”

“Hein? Who is the person who threw the stone?”

“Gravitation, and I imagine a lot of other accidents that could occur out there…” Answered Hanguang Jun, unfazed.

Clearly, Jin Ming did not understand anything! and Lan Boming had to hide her smile.  She doubted that the man would have had any notion of physics and astronomy, or even the curiosity, once in his life, to have asked himself any serious question about the place where he was living!

“Ah! Hao, Hao… As you wish. But… that doesn’t tell me what these bones are doing here?”

Hanguang Jun sighed again but decided to humor the man.  “The bones are fossilized, which means that death occurred a very long time ago... The animal probably fell into the abyss and died there, or perhaps it lived there as a relic of the past, just like these titanic trees and these strange birds. This chasm, through its fauna and flora, might be a time-capsule.  Clearly it shelters the vestiges of a bygone era... Time has not passed there in the same way, and evolution has not followed the same course as elsewhere...”

“Hein? Do you mean it’s a trap, Hanguang Jun? That there are monsters from another period around here!? Why would the Fairy Peony take us down there?” Jin Ming asked.

“This is not a trap, Jin Ming.  The chasm undoubtedly shelters the mother tree.”

“Hein? Isn't it said in the legend that from its summit you can see the horizon? What would the tree do in this hole?”

“Mm. The chasm camouflages the mother tree in a way that must make it almost impossible to detect from the sky, because it must appear of a size proportional to the other trees, especially if we take into account that we are in the mountainous foothills, with height differences that are difficult to estimate and mountain lines that create false perception of depth by modifying the line of the horizon... Since its foot take root from here, therefore, the mother tree definitely culminates much higher than all the other trees of the surrounding forest.”

“Oh! Ok...” Jin Ming replied doubtfully.

“Hanguang Jun,” said Lan Boming, “If this place is home to mammals, reptiles, or crawling insects of the same scale as these birds and fishes, or proportionate to this skeleton, then I agree with Jin Ming, this place is a death trap! If we are attacked by one of these monsters... I'm not sure that even our shields will keep us alive for two minutes...”

“There are no monsters and no predators…” replied Hanguang Jun.

“How do you know?” Lan Boming whispered, surprised by this affirmation.

“Look around you and listen: The ferns and the undergrowth are not trampled, the trees are not trashed, broken, or overturned; There is no resounding cries or growls characteristics of big vertebrates; on the other hand, the birds perch on the lower branches of the trees and sing at the top of their lungs but the fish don't jump to catch them... Clearly the birds don't see them as predators... everything that lives here feeds on the pollen and sap of the peonies.  We are not dealing with normal flora and fauna... Don’t forget, this forest is enchanted.”

“Hao, I see.  I am relieved... You have a real gift for observation and a very analytical mind, Hanguang Jun.  I completely missed this...”

“So, there is no danger?” Jin Ming asked.

“That's not what I'm saying... We must remain vigilant... In the absence of large mammals and reptiles, a large crawling or flying insect can be a dangerous adversary, not to mention that we don't know what the reaction of these animals might be if they feel threatened.  As for this swamp, we could fall into quicksand, not to mention the danger created by the underwater roots...”

“Ah! Ok.” “Say, Hanguang Jun, is this gold?”

“It's fairy dust, just modified pollen. It shines like gold but it's not. I got some on my hand after removing the messenger flower from its glass cage, it's organic, it glows in the dark which explains this strange glow.”

“Ah! Ok. It’s a shame… Otherwise we would all be rich…”

Hanguang Jun preferred not to comment.

A snap like the crack of a thunder bolt was heard to their left.  They all drew their swords and Hanguang Jun immediately looked at the ground to see if it was shaking, signaling that something heavy was approaching, but aside from the continued creaking of a tree trunk splitting, no other sounds came to disturb the atmosphere of the place, or the incessant ballet of the birds.  In fact, they didn't react to the sound at all.

Hanguang Jun saw the branches of one of the strange trees on their left move, lower themselves, and twist. Jin Ming and Lan Boming took up a defensive pose, but Hanguang Jun signaled them to stand still and lower their sword.

The branches slowly advanced towards him, until they brushed against him.  They did the same with his companions but quickly abandoned them to concentrate on him, trying to gently wrap themselves around him while a second tree repeated the maneuver of its fellow congeners, splitting its trunk with a sharp crack to expose its glowing center from which a cloud of fairy dust escaped.  Seeing that he wouldn’t bulge, the branches retreated, while doing an inviting motion, signaling him to approach and enter their trunk.

The trees murmured and Hanguang Jun answered them a few words in fairy language. They withdrew gently, raising their branches, and closing their trunks.

“Hanguang Jun?” Lan Boming asked in alarm. “What does this mean?”

“The trunks of these trees were once the home of fairies, and their magic imbued them. They take me for one of them, or a creature, and are inviting me to reside in one of them.”

“It’s… it’s sinister!” Jin Ming said.  “In other words, they are trying to eat you! They are cannibalistic trees!”

Hanguang Jun didn't answer and instead said to them: “Let's make sure there is no immediate danger before bringing the rest of the team.” He spotted what looked like a huge fallen tree trunk emerging from the jungle of the undergrowth and pointed it out to them. “Let's use this tree trunk to move around... Be careful where you step,” he said, pointing to one shape, then another, sleeping against trees adjacent to the trunk they were using. In the golden light, they blended almost entirely with the tree at the foot of which they were nestled.

“Oh!” Said Lan Boming who had not noticed them and did not seem at all reassured to be near the creatures.

They explored for a few minutes, with the wind gliding over the trunk and moving leaves and petals before their feet. Hanguang Jun realized that what he had initially taken for a fallen tree trunk was a gigantic root that didn’t seem to belong to one of the neighboring trees; and, as they moved forward, he saw that gold dust escaped from it every time they took a step, creating a small cloud on its surface.

He pointed out another creature, it had one of its arms laying on the root and they could have easily stepped on it.

“Hanguang Jun, I think we should look for another passage,” Jin Ming told him.

“Or we should use our swords to fly over this swamp.” Lan Boming said.

“Negative.  The Yang energy from our swords would cause chaos.  The creatures probably know we mean them no harm, but fear might cause them to react violently, and as for those trees, I don't know what they're capable of... I don't want to use anything that could amount to aggression... We are not on a fallen tree trunk, but on one of the main roots of the mother tree.  We should be able to get to the fairy by walking on it.  It will also allow us to make our way on dry ground in this swamp.  As long as we pass calmly near the creatures, without disturbing them, nothing will happen to us.  I will point out the obstacles to you all.”

“Hao Hanguang Jun, let's do what you think is best.” Lan Boming told him.

“Mm. Let's go back and get the others.” He concluded.

Chapter Text

Once out of the abyss Hanguang Jun explained the situation and gave instructions, particularly regarding safety and once again non-aggression.

“Sizhui, JingYi, Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen, you will come down with me.”  “Lan Boming, take down the girls and women in the group, then assist Song Yuming with the rest of the students and those elders who need help.”  “Jin Ming, also assist with the elders.  Descend other ropes and prepare other safe passages now so that we get there as quickly as possible. Have four of your men go down immediately to ensure security down below.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” The whole group responded, getting busy.

“JingYi, I’ll help you down first. You will supervise and direct from below while waiting for us to finish bringing down all the students.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

He followed his teacher to the ledge and strapped himself in securely as Hanguang Jun used him to demonstrate the procedure to all the students.  He saw Sizhui’s eyes flash with anticipation, but Qin Weizhang was looking at all this with a panicked look on her face. He shook his head at the young girl's lack of bravery.

“Put on your gloves and secure your clothes around your waist if necessary to avoid getting your feet entangled.” He advised his young students.

They all nodded.  They all wore shorter clothes than usual for their excursion; more like commoner clothes which reached their calves or ankles without touching the ground, including Hanguang Jun who was wearing an extremely simple outfit if one considered his habits: a yuanlingpao, a dress with a round neck which reached his ankles, and which he wore over only two other layers of clothing, a shirt and ku, trousers, in heavy ecru linen fabric, and a pleated skirt in gray brocade printed with clouds. In itself, an outfit which was much more suitable for a trip of several days in the wilderness if one disregarded the two silver brooches with the finely made chain which closed the garment at the shoulder and chest, the silver guan with a long pin also in silver that held his bun, the jade that decorate his leather belt and complimented his jade token, and of course the quality of the fabrics.

“Come and let me tie you up, little Miss A-Zhang,” said Lan Boming.

“Me?” Said the girl, starting to tremble.

“Mm. I suspect that you will give me more of a hard time than the others, so I prefer to proceed while I still have patience.”

JingYi meanwhile went overboard, following Hanguang Jun. 

Nie Yunche laughed as she confidently attached herself.  The Nies were the kings of climbing and she proved it by descending with extreme ease, joining JingYi who had done very well.

Hanguang Jun went back up to get Sizhui who also came down with just a few small adjustments from his father.  On the other hand, he let the latter grab him by the waist to put him on the ground, not to mention that he raised his arms for him to untie him, which his father executed without blinking.

“In my next life, I will be an omega.”  Nie Yunche said.

Sizhui grinned at him as JingYi started to make fun of Yunche.  “How could an alpha even for a second want to be an omega!”

Obviously, his remark provoked Sizhui’s immediate reaction who slapped the back of his head but did not have time to go further with the correction because a cry of terror, like that of a cat being skinned alive, sounded above them as Lan Boming took down Qin Weizhang who was clinging to her like an octopus.

She was trembling and crying by the time she reached ground almost at the same time as Jin Ling who could not control his laughter.  All her classmates made fun of her as she crouched on the ground and tried to pull herself together.

“Little miss A-Zhang, don’t go fainting,” Lan Boming advised her before going back up.

Sizhui stooped down next to the unfortunate Weizhang to try to reassure her and Hanguang Jun, who had arrived with Jin Ling, grabbed her by the arms to put her back on her feet and lightly tapped her on the shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

“Hush, it's over.  Everything is fine. Dry your tears.”

The alpha's concern and pheromones comforted her immediately.  She blushed, took out her pocket handkerchief and wiped her eyes, giving her teacher a smile of thanks.

Lan Boming helped Dong Bodi down and the kind young girl, although obviously a little shaken and tired from the stress of the descent, immediately took her friend in her arms.

Rong Peng and Jin Chan, whom Song Yuming had meanwhile helped to get down, joined the group and Song Yuming took the opportunity to say a few words to Yunche regarding her previous statement.  She gave him a predatory smile as her eyes sparkled.

Her comrades began to make kissing noises, and Lan BoMing, who was disembarking the Naxis Matriarch, called them to order as more and more people reached the bottom of the abyss.

Once everyone had eaten and quenched their thirst, and once their camping and climbing gear packed, Hanguang Jun floated to the root and consulted the wind to determine which direction to go before inviting the rest of the group to join him.

So, they resumed their journey in the phantasmagorical landscape, trying not to be distracted either by the beauty of the place, or by the exotic birds and insects buzzing near their heads.  It was a question of not stepping on the appendages of the creatures which tended to let their limbs drag here and there.

They all had the impression of being sub-beings, little gnomes, in the middle of these wooden giants endowed with consciousness; It was easy in this environment to feel insignificant and to question man's place in creation...

The root that served as their path above the oversized ferns, in one place, literally seemed to have grown a new tree, so much so that they had to perform a little floating maneuver to get around it. 

"Hanguang Jun, we were finally able, last night, to determine that these trees are Shuǐshān (Metasequoia), water firs, so called because they adapt very well to marshes and around bodies of water.  Do you see these marks on their trunks? It’s sand that has calcified.  They indicate that this place is not a simple swamp but is completely flooded under three to four meters of water part of the year..." Said Jin Feng. 

“Mm.” Hanguang Jun acknowledged.

“What kind of tree is a Shuǐshān, Laoshi?” Jin Ling asked.  “I've never met one before...”

“These trees are from the same family as cypresses and thujas, for example.  They are conifers, that is to say their fruits are pinecones which contain their seeds in their scales.  What sets the Shuǐshān apart from the majority of its peers is its magnificent autumn colors, ranging from orange to ocher.  Unlike other trees in the same family which keep their leaves and their green hue all year round, theirs turn red and fall; it is also distinguished by its fluted and twisted trunk, forming flutes and often large buttresses on the lower part of the trunk. This gives it its characteristic appearance as well as the ability to grow branches very low on its trunk, even if the majority of the time the branches start two or three meters from the ground.  Also note the position of the branches which generally form a forty-five-degree angle with the trunk, as well as the depressions at the base of each of them resembling armpits.  Usually, the general appearance of the tree is conical, especially when it is young, but the branches tend to spread out as the plant ages.”

The students, and everyone else had stopped to carefully observed a tree near them.

“This type of conifer is also called redwood because of the red to rose-tinted color of the wood.  It is most visible when you peel the outer layers of the bark which tend to come off quite easily.  The first layer is usually a darker red, but the color often becomes lighter, as pale as off-white, a few layers down, then turns red again in the center.”

“According to legend, this tree already existed at the time when large reptiles, like the one whose skeleton rests at the foot of the chasm wall, roamed the planet.  At the time, these trees looked more like the specimens we see here, and which are three or four times the size of the one that dressed the messenger and that we met at the start of our journey into this forest.  In comparison, the largest Cypresses in China are reputed to be the Giant Cypress of Tibet. They measure more than a hundred meters high with rumors of specimens reaching up to two hundred meters in the most remote and inaccessible places...Those are certainly their equals…”

The students opened their eyes wide.  It was absolutely incredible!

“We had difficulty identifying it because the plant is very rare.  It is only mentioned in a few very old volumes and is known especially, in recent centuries, in oral tradition... However, no one knew that Shuǐshān grew so far in the East and especially in such high latitudes, to the North, that is to say here in Shandong, since all the individuals and the few small groves identified were all recorded exclusively in Sichuan, Hubei, and Hunan. Their size was reported to be fifty to sixty meters high.  So, this is truly an exceptional discovery…”

The students began to ask questions about the different types of conifers and the tree in particular and Jin Feng cheerfully answered them.  He was, with his colleague Jin Huo, the healer, who had remained behind and who would intervene on the population if symptoms were to appear immediately, the most knowledgeable about plants, and obviously, the subject fascinated him. Even Lan Ruoxing was listening with attention.  Although the Gusu Lan element was Wood, they were not the most knowledgeable in botanic, having concentrated their studies on other applications and manifestations.

Once the explanations were finished, Hanguang Jun and his students turned to Jin Feng, brought their hands together on their swords and saluted.

“Jin Laoshi, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.  It was very educational for me and my students.”

Everyone else in the group bowed as well. 

“This is a fascinating subject, thank you colleague.”  Lan Ruoxing said.

Chapter Text

The elders, especially those keen on botanical science and pharmacy, continued to chat for a while among themselves and also with the Matriarch.  They carefully examined another tree growing directly from the root, chatting excitedly before joining the group that meanwhile, was taking a break.

“Hanguang Jun,” said Jin Feng, “the mother tree is not a solitary tree but a colony! This explains how it spreads and especially how individuals communicate with each other and share their knowledge... it can have children as far back as its roots can reach... We say children, but in this kind of organism it is sometimes better to speak of clones, because they are in every way identical to the main individual...”

“How are they identical in every way? Even twins are not identical, and theese trees do not look exactly like each other!” Jin Chan interrupted haughtily.

“Young master Jin, let me teach you,” his elder said. “Imagine that a person is able to reproduce without mating.  The reality would be that they would be the only one to bring characteristics to the child instead of having a combination of father and mother; this child, more likely, would be a clone… Conifers generally do not reproduce this way however, in this case, it seems that the roots of the mother tree are capable of producing individuals, so it is indeed a colony!  When in our gardens we do cuttings, layering, or grafting, it is not a question of sexual but asexual reproduction and the trees that we obtain are not children but clones.”

“Oh!” Exclaimed Jin Chan.  “I didn't know.”

“Now, Jin Chan, apologize to your elder for having interrupted him.”  Hanguang Jun said.

“Please forgive me for interrupting you, Jin-Laoshi.”  He said bowing and pouting.

“Jin Laoxiong, I thought in the case of a colony that all the plants shared a single root system, but I observe that these trees seem to have developed their own roots...” Lan Ruoxing said to him.

“Yes yes.  It is very likely that each individual become quite independent in time...  each of them is massive and they certainly need lots of sustenance.  The fact that other plants grow inside the colony is proof of this.  However, I bet, they remain connected with the roots of the mother tree all their lives...”

“Mm. This separation would explain why they are able to move…” commented Lan Ruoxing.

“Why do you say these trees can move Lan-Laoxiong?” Lan JingYi asked.

“The creatures are moving...plus, I was thinking of the messenger.  Surely, she lived with her mother here, but moved to the place where she was taken prisoner...”

“Uhmm.” Lan JingYi hummed. “So, you assume she comes and goes from here with her tree on her back? Whaw! imagine the time she was not the only one, it must have been quite a spectacle! I wonder how this could have been missed by humans since no tales of walking forests had made it to the lores book…” he asked with a note of impertinence in his voice.

Several of his comrades started giggling and Hanguang Jun intervened:

“Watch yourself!  The reasoning of your elder, Lan Ruoxing, is sound enough. However, personally, I do not believe that these trees, contrary to the creatures mimicking as trees, necessarily move, at least not over such long distances, and this even potentially on the back of their fairy...” Hanguang Jun couldn't help but say. However, unlike Lan JingYi, his voice was neutral enough to hide his derision.

“Why?” Lan Ruoxing asked him, seemingly quite upset. Lan JingYi had made fun of him and Hanguang Jun, instead of correcting his young student, appeared to be supporting him.

“Jin-Laoshi clarified that the tree is rare in this part of China, isn't it? However, we came across a few isolated individuals along our path, although less monumental than these, which suggests that they grow less the further away they are from this epicenter.  By the time they get closer to the village, they are all approximately the same size as the one sheltering the messenger. Right?”

“Right,” answered Lan Ruoxing.

“However, even if being away from here for about four centuries would have hinder the development of the tree that dresses the messenger, its proportions, even smaller than those known in Hubei and Sichuan, suggest that this tree did not grow here at all but actually closer to the village... potentially in the cenote...”

Jin Feng nodded.

“As I told my students, I suspected that the trees are more like dresses. However, when I arrived here with my advanced team, two of them opened their trunk for me.  So now, I think they are not as simple as mere dresses... I think that the fairies must move from one trunk to another, as though through a gate, a portal, and this even when they have a favorite tree, a bit like us when we leave our home to stay for a few days in a hotel or in a secondary residence.” 

“Ah… I follow your reasoning.  However, if that tree was not her primary house, why did the messenger leave with it on her back?” Jin Feng asked, coming to his colleague Lan's defense.

“Probably because she couldn't get rid of it at the time, not having enough strength to shed it or to teleport to another one; or that she didn't want to abandon it in their old prison... she probably considers it her home after having stayed there for so long and through such dire circumstances... Without any doubt, the trees are intrinsically linked to fairies, and their magic changes them indelibly.  The roots system retreated and shed a good part of its weight when we disenchanted the box, and the rest snapped easily when we freed the messenger, so that the fairy was able to carry it away when the time came... However, transplanting a tree of this size and of this age must probably remain an extremely perilous operation for the survival of the tree... Without the magic of the fairy, obviously, the tree would die...”

“Maybe it’s already dead…” JingYi said. “It’s possible she got rid of it along the way…”

“Mm. We'll see... However, what happened when I arrived here, indicates that these trees keep their magic long after their inhabitants have abandoned them... I think that a death sentence for the tree does not necessarily align with the intrinsic nature of these creatures… However, as this was a case of force majeure…”

“Mm. I agree…" Lan Ruoxing murmured, resigned to the logic of the argument.  "The process would obviously be much simpler than uprooting one of these trees from here and bringing it over there.  Not to mention that there is a clear analogy between this chasm and the cenote in which the messenger was...”

“Effectively.  That makes sense,” Jin Feng said.  “I too agree with you, Hanguang Jun.”

After a few minutes of silence, the Naxis matriarch speculated:

“Then, if we refer to the accepted conclusion that those trees are a colony, therefore, the very fine roots we saw on the box were perhaps not only those of the messenger but also of the mother tree…”

“Please keep going.” Hanguang Jun encouraged her when he saw her hesitating.

“It would make sense since the town and the whole area had been part of her initial domain... Moreover, my experience in our village, in the forest, reinforces me in the idea that this roots system contributes to transporting the chemicals and the parasites... There are roots in the swamp water that are alive… and there is this fairy dust that is visible, at night, on the surface of the water… It shines...”

“Mm. I see your points. Indeed, if the fairy was able to channel, thanks to its roots, part of the biological contamination it suffered to this body of water, this would explain its properties...”

“Yes. In addition, there was a waterfall and a stream near the mother tree... The blood of the unfortunate Peng Lizi flowed into it and her assassins also washed there... the water disappeared under the mountain… it is possible that it reached the village’s pond…”

“Mm. What you’ve just said is very relevant and both scenarios are entirely possible.” Hanguang Jun replied. 

“Hanguang Jun, the river at the bottom of the canyon, in front of the emergency exit to the messenger’s prison shines at night... especially around the rocks in the riverbed!” Lan JingYi told him.

“Mm. Interesting observation, JingYi.  No one can know where this contamination stops and all the ways it propagates. If the different waterways are link to each other, then it is possible that the blood of the Fairy has contaminated the entire water network in the surrounding areas... And since the flowers of all Heze are renowned for their beauty and lushness, we must ponder the possibility that some chemical might have reached much further than anticipated…”

“I think I'm going to throw up.” Qin Weizhang whispered. “Since our arrival here we have been eating corpses through the pollen and now the water...”

“Water had always been part of the equation, little girl!” Nie Yunche grinned. “You can imagine that the roots of the peonies contaminate the aquifer system a long time ago, that the remains of corpses are carried away by the water, that…”

“Thank you, Nie Yunche, for your clarifications.” Hanguang Jun interrupted her.

“Hanguang Jun, does this mean that the daughter trees are also contaminated by the biological elements brought by the body of the sacrificed girl? If so, are they also contaminated by her resentment?” Dong Bodi asked.

“Mm. Probably, even if to a lesser degree... We all know that the contribution of human organic materials has clearly impacted on all the flora, specifically on the trees populated by the peonies, and visibly this phenomenon is not limited to the Shuǐshān trees only... however, we must not forget that only the Fairy and her daughter remained in this sphere. The collective consciousness of the fairies, and probably their human feelings inherited from Peng Lizi, have probably not imbued the trees themselves, at least not enough to cause intrinsic changes in their comportments... These trees are nothing but empty houses...” 

“This is all so sad.” Said Ouyang Zizhen.

Sizhui, who had noticed more and more creatures at the foot of the trees, and particularly the Shuǐshān trees, and noting how some of them seemed to be slowly closing in on them understood in a flash what his father had refrained from expressing and said to his comrades:

“They are not houses anymore; for the creatures who have come here, they are now coffins!”

“Do you need to be so dire!” Ouyang Zizhen immediately blamed him, while wiping his eyes.

“He's right!” Jin Ling said.  “They are preparing for their own funeral.”

“In addition to being a real ecological disaster, what happened here is also a human disaster, and ultimately an affront to life and creation itself.” Zizhui insisted.  “The plant kingdom is so benevolent, and children are so innocent... but both were victims... We are lucky that this forest and its creatures have not become a colony of demons, a gateway to hell...”

“Mm. You're right Sizhui. We must not forget this throughout our intervention.  These trees, the fairy and her daughter, these creatures, the ghost, must be the object of all our compassion.”

“Everything around here is so fucked up that if I grow a second penis, I'll know how it happened!” Nie Yunche exclaimed before placing a hand over her mouth as Lan Boming moved up the ranks with her ruler to hit her three time behind her thighs. A punition that the young girl didn’t even seem to notice.

Hanguang Jun also took out his notebook.  “Nie Yunche, you will hand in a full copy of the maiden etiquette book before you leave.”

“The whole book!”

“Are you contesting?”

“No.  Ha ha.  No. Of course not, Laoshi.”

Hanguang Jun slipped his notebook into his sleeve while his students were snickering.

“Order!” Lan Boming yelled from the back.

Chapter Text

The students were still discussing the whole situation when Yao Gao exclaimed:

“Hanguang Jun, I really can't understand the Fairy Peony! If I had been her, instead of making a pact with men, I would have decimated them!”

“Mm. Typical human reaction... As Sizhui just mentioned, this being knows neither aggression nor hatred, quite the contrary.  Moreover, the Fairy Peony was alone against many determined men... We must not forget that they threatened to burn down the forest. Clearly, she was not only thinking about herself, and her pain, but also about the risks that an intervention on her part would pose to all the flora and fauna... She sacrificed herself and also sacrificed her daughter, hoping that men would repent one day and breaks the pact themselves.”

“She was very naïve.” Jin Ling murmured.  “Human being is a merciless species; I know something about that...”

Sizhui glanced at him over his shoulder with pity. It was heartbreaking that his young friend had already learned such a devastating life lesson.  Moreover, he feared that it was not the last of its kind…

“Furthermore,” continued Hanguang Jun, “we must not forget that she used her magic to cast an extremely powerful spell on the forest and that maintaining it surely requires a lot of energy, thus, it would make sense that she had to remain in the immediate vicinity of an energy source at all times, hence the reason why she sent her daughter.  A king does not leave his palace at the first provocation, he sends emissaries first...”

“Hein? Did you say a source of energy? Why do you think that Hanguang Jun?” Asked Jin Ming who had immediately migrated to the height of the elders to be able to follow the discussion.

“The spell cast on the forest not only protected it but also modified it... This environment is the work of colossal magic.  Only an extremely powerful energy source could fuel such power.  It is this magic, fuelled by this energy that makes everything grow excessively here, both trees and animals, and gives them these particular shapes; it is also that energy that disrupts time and space, as well as natural laws…”

The elders nodded their heads.

“We must not forget the ABCs of our training.  Our powers are based on energy. The body and mind of cultivators is nourished by a source of energy, our golden core.  Any magical act, any spell, any talisman, any magical tool is powered by energy: For example, our barriers, around most of our sects, are perpetually powered by the Qi of our elders, increasing the strength of the runes and magical symbols tenfold; In the case of the messenger, the barrier of his prison was powered by a closed circuit of energy contained in the statues... Curses, spells, enchantments are all powered by energy, generally, rage, hatred, jealousy, despair, fear, pain, resentment, love... So certainly, these beings dispose of a powerful source of energy somewhere around here...”

The elders kept nodding as they listened to him.

“So, Hanguang Jun, you think that there is a hidden treasure in these woods?” Jin Ming asked.

Jin Feng's spontaneous intervention saved Hanguang Jun from having to answer the question.

“Jin Ming, you have to stop your mind for always looking for the profit in everything... you could miss out on much more valuable things because of your obsession with gold... For example, already this opportunity to work with Hanguang Jun is worth its weight in gold in terms of discoveries, knowledge, and experiences that we have already been exposed to.” Jin Feng told kindly.

“Hao, Hao.  You know I'm a down-to-earth man, Jin-Laoshi.”  Jin Ming said to justify his reaction without showing any signs of repentance.

“Hanguang Jun, what kind of energy could this be?” Jin Chan asked. “We often deal with ghosts and monsters, but this is the first time we've encountered creatures of the imp type, and I'm having trouble understanding their form of magic and what powers it.”

“Mm. This is an excellent question Jin Chan and a great opportunity to deepen our knowledge.  So, let's return to our theory to see what it tells us about the habitats, forms of magic, and energy sources used by the four categories of supernatural entities.  First of all, can ghosts, goblins, demons, and monsters go anywhere? Jin Chan.”

“No Hanguang Jun.  Of the four, only monsters are known not to be magically linked to a place, even if they often have a hunting territory or even a lair or a nest.”

“Mm. What about ghosts, demons and goblins? Yao Gao.”

“Ghosts are always linked to a place, an object, or a person.  Demons are more generally linked to a place, more rarely to a person; pixies and elves are usually tied to a location.”

“When it comes to ghosts and demons, why a place, an object, or a person? Tong Huke.”

“Because haunting is how ghosts and demons manifest and feed. Negative feelings and acts of violence perpetrated by men, or in certain places, or around certain objects, are their food.

“Mm. Alright, let's move on to fairies, elves, pixies and such.  What places can be occupied by these entities? Qin Weizhang.”

“Apart from a specific tree or a forest, waterways are also favorite places.  Hanguang Jun.”

“What else? Rong Peng.”

“Some fairies live on a rock or a stones circle.”

“Mm. What other places? Dong Bodi.”

“Some crop circles are also habitats for fairies and elves, not to mention caves and mines...”

“Mm. Very good.  Jin Chan, what do you think keeps a fairy or a sprite in its habitat?”

“I guess it's a choice, Hanguang Jun.  It's just their home...”

“This is not the case.  Sizhui?”

“A source of energy, Hanguang Jun.  Fairies and elves inhabit places generally imbued with magic, that is to say, energy.”

“Exact.  In relation to the places we have just listed, what kind of energy could it be? Jin Ling.”

“Hydraulic if a river or a waterfall.  Mineral, if a cave or a mine. For the stone circles, probably cosmic energy.” 

Mm. Ouyang Zizhen, what more.

“For trees and forests, as well as crop circles, it is assumed that it is a form of energy that we do not perceive, an energy linked to the earth.” 

“Alright.  Under what name can we bring together all these forms of energy? Nie Yunche.”

“Under the name of Feng Shui, Hanguang Jun.”

“Whose definition is? Lan JingYi.”

“An age-old Chinese art which aims to harmonize the environmental energy of a place in such a way as to promote the well-being, health, and prosperity of its occupants. This art aims to mainly arrange places of worship and residence according to visible or subtle "energies" to obtain harmony, a balance of forces, and optimal circulation of energy. It is the arrangement of the “later sky” which concerns the life of man as a living being (yang). The other variant of feng shui is the use of the arrangement of the “Anterior sky” (yin). This is mainly used for organizing burial sites.”

“Mm. Excellent.  Jin Chan, did what we just discussed answer your question?”

“Yes, I understand that you are saying that Feng Shui is probably the energy type powering the places where fairies, elves, imps and such chose to live, Hanguang Jun.”

“This is very good Jin Chan.”

“Thank you for your teaching, Laoshi.” Answered the young boy for once polite.

“Hanguang Jun, I have a question.” Said Lan Jingyi.

“Mm. I'm listening to you.”

“We know that it is possible to modify the Feng Shui of a place... builders, for example, divert rivers or build mountains; geomancers erect stones on ley lines; Is it also possible that the fairies did the same using tools rather than simply inhabiting a Feng Shui location that suited their magic?”

“Mm. It’s entirely possible JingYi."  Hanguang Jun confirmed.  "These beings are in communion with nature and their environment better than us, so I imagine that it is perfectly possible for them to modify a place to align its Feng Shui with their magic even if it is more likely, that just like human, they choose first a favorable place to implant their home.”

“Mm. Hanguang Jun, I have another question.  Is it also possible for a natural event to modify the Feng Shui of a place?” JingYi asked.

“Mm. Natural and supernatural. Unfortunately, in our profession we more often encounter cases where these interventions, natural or supernatural, lead rather to a negative, or simply conflicting Feng Shui of the premises.  Jin Ling, give me some examples of instances of natural interventions that can modify the feng Shui of a place.”

“The majority of hauntings arise from a natural, or human events, such as a murder or suicide in a house that becomes haunted.  Sometimes the cause of a haunting can be even more subtle.  Some houses are full of sadness.  A bereavement in the house, or a person who has been unhappy for many years... other houses, like flower houses, are negatively imbued with an energy of lust and can even invite demons... funeral parlor are also places conducive to a haunting. A striking example is what happened with the Burial Mounds, an ancient battlefield where many men perished and whose bodies remained unburied became a place with terrible feng shui.”

“Mm. Very good. Ouyang Zizhen, do you have any examples of natural events to add?”

“A landslide, an earthquake, a flood, are all natural events that can physically modify the environment resulting in a bad Feng Shui, but also, they would be responsible for the loss of human life that may in the long run negatively impact the feng shui of those places.”

“Excellent. Sizhui, give me examples of supernatural interventions.”

“In the case of a haunted house, sometimes it is a magical ceremony that has been conducted and a demon invoked that produces the haunting.  Sometimes a curse was placed on the place.  Sometimes it is a profusion of negative energy which swells the supernatural and modifies the Feng Shui in a negative way.  This often happens in cemeteries or places where graves have been desecrated... Some people invite an infestation of negative energy, or a demon in exchange for power, eternal life, knowledge, wealth...”

“Mm. That’s correct.  The principle is the same for natural or supernatural events having a positive impact.  Places of worship are often filled with positive energy.  Certain places that have housed wise people are reputed to have developed an aura, a positive Feng Shui, without there having been any mechanical intervention...” “JingYi, have we answered your question?”

“Yes, but I have another one.  What kind of natural event could have changed the Feng Shui of an area as vast as this in a positive way? It would have to be something absolutely phenomenal...”

“Mm. It is difficult to imagine the forces, the energies deployed by a natural event which could effectively modify the feng shui of such a vast place and create the favorable conditions to support the magic of this fairy and make it so powerful... Aside from the fall of a meteorite, I can't think of another.  However, as there are no impact craters in this area of ​​China, then we can eliminate this probability and instead go with the option that the area, since it is not in the vicinity of a particularly significant mountain range, neither being in the vicinity of a river or a waterfall, rests either on telluric currents, or on a geological fault, or on a mine.  These three options being the ones that would release the most energy…”

“So, I was right, we might stumble upon a gold mine!” Jin Ming exclaimed.

“I doubt that gold enhances the energetic properties valued by a fairy...” commented Hanguang Jun dryly. 

“Hein? What is more valuable than gold?” Jin Ming asked. “Didn't the alchemist Wei Boyang say: "Gold is the most precious thing in the world because it is immortal and never rots." Alchemists eat it and enjoy longevity.”

“Mm. Although we recognize the importance of potions, more precisely medicines, as opposed to elixirs belonging to the pharmacopoeia of external alchemies, Waidan, as put forward by Wei Boyang, and which decimated the emperors and dignitaries of the previous dynasty, I believe we all agree now that our longevity is not due to the ingestion of the metal itself, but rather to the cultivation of our golden core, to internal alchemy, Neidan.  Also, clearly, it would be better for a cultivator to talk about philosopher's gold rather than to cite Wei Boyang who, I admit, was an incomparable inventor and chemist when it comes to explosive compounds, that for my part, I prefer to keep out of my stomach…” Replied Hanguang Jun.

All the elders and students started laughing since Wei Boyang was famous for the invention of gunpowder.

“Hao, Hao, I know we don't eat gold, so if it's not a gold mine, what?”

“Jin Ming, you didn't listen to the lesson carefully...” Hanguang Jun gently reproached the man as he tried to remain calm.  “Other than a mine, I also mentioned telluric currents, fault zones... I personally believe that what represents a treasure for a fairy is probably something that has no value for us humans or cultivators.”  Answered Hanguang Jun.

“Ah! Hao.  We'll see... in any case, if it's a mine...”

“Jin Ming, should I remind you that all mines belong to the emperor who alone can grant exploitation to a group?!  Even if we came across any mine, the Chief Cultivator, once he had determined that the supernatural elements present in the environment and which could represent a danger to the people have been controlled, would be forced to report the discovery to the emperor.  Then it would be up to the emperor and his minister to have the vein evaluated and decide whether the exploitation of the mine would be lucrative and useful to the people good and the empire.  Once this has been determined, your Sect Leader, if he wishes to be entrusted with exploitation, would have to apply for an operating permit from the Ministry of Finance who would present his request to the emperor...”

“Hanguang Jun, you certainly know a lot of things…”

“Jin Ming, I think Hanguang Jun has tolerated you enough... you are not one of his young students after all...” Jin Feng said to him “… and you are taking way too much time out of the class...”

“Ah, Hao.”

He was about to turn around when Jin Ling said to him:

“Jin Ming, you forgot to thank Hanguang Jun for his teaching.”

“Ah, Hao.  Hanguang Jun, thank you for enlightening me.” He said, bowing over his sword.

“Mm. Rule 212 of the Clouds Recesses states that we should avoid passing on our knowledge to the wrong people. Certainly, you are not in this category, Jin Ming…”

The man fixed his gaze on the Second Jade's back, obviously wondering what exactly the repartee meant...

“You may resume your position now, Jin Ming.” Jin Feng told him.

“Hao, Hao Laoxiong.”

“Hanguang Jun, what is a geological fault?” Yao Gao asked

“Hanguang Jun, if you allow, I will teach, one of the Jin scholars suggested.  The Jins are well-versed in geology, mines being our business...”

“Laoshi, I would be grateful to you.”  Hanguang Jun said, putting his hands together and bowing to the elder.  “Please come to the front of the line.”

So, he let the elder Jin teach for the next forty-five minutes, keeping an eye on the landscape and trying to sense a destination that he felt they should have reached already…

Chapter Text

Silence had fallen for about fifteen minutes while they continued their journey in a heavy atmosphere.  Indeed, in this part of the forest, almost every tree had a creature lying at their foot.  The spectacle was both frightening and morbid as they discovered these children sacrificed to a terrible fate.  While some, whose transformation had occurred a long time ago, were horribly deformed and resembled more plant than human, others were of a strange beauty, more human than tree, as Chen Ziyi had been... some were already caught in the embrace of the tree; others, arrived more recently, were barely covered with a few leaves and petals. 

One in particular keep tracking them with her eyes.

“Hanguang Jun…she’s the one I talked to in the cave under the shrine.”  Sizhui whispered.

Hanguang Jun looked in the direction his son was pointing to with his chin.

“Mm.”

“May I go talk to her?”

“Mm. JingYi, accompany Sizhui but stay away. Use a flotation talisman and move carefully among the creatures.  Find a root or a dry place to touch down.  Sizhui, release your pheromones so they know you mean them no harm. And you, JingYi, control yours. Understood?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” Replied the two boys.

“We're taking a break,” he told the rest of the group.  “Ten minutes.”

“Yes Hanguang Jun.”

“Hanguang Jun, what if these trees try to devour Sizhui and us too!” Qin WeiZhang exclaimed with a slight note of hysteria in his voice as the boys prepared their talismans.

“Young Miss Qin, I doubt that these trees perceive us as members of their community and have the desire to merge with us and spend the rest of their lives in our company.” Hanguang Jun said caustically.  “As for the creatures, I don't think they are fond of fresh meat either, they must prefer to wait for decomposition to begin...”

The omega was truly pathetic. Hanguang Jun thought.  Clearly, she would make a poor field cultivator even if, by the way, her results were much better than Jin Chan’s.

The girl blushed and remained silent as her classmates gently made fun of her.

Dong Bodi squeezed her fingers when she saw her friend's crestfallen expression. Poor Qin Weizhang was becoming more and more infatuated with the mighty alpha and was even hoping to convince her father to offer her hand in marriage to Hanguang Jun after the lectures.  Dong Bodi knew the idea to be perfectly ridiculous, but she did not dare to discourage her friend. Clearly, Hanguang Jun had no inclination towards the girl. Nie Yunche, according to her, would have had greater chance at securing an alliance than Qin Weizhang. The alpha girl was brave, clever, determined, sassy, ​​not to mention her cultivation was very high for her age.  Hanguang Jun, when taking a spouse, in her opinion, would not choose someone dependent, nor deferential, but preferably someone who would treat him like a normal human being and who one day could become his equal, or who at least would have the ability to sustain his cultivation with dignity.

“Enough!” Lan Boming warns the boys and Nie Yunche to put an end to their harassment of the poor omega girl that obviously was on the verge of tears.

“Why when it’s one of the girls or Sizhui, does she always intervene so quickly?” Lan JingYi complained, “when it's me being bullied, she lets you tear me apart.”

“And here is the valiant alpha who didn't want to be an omega just a few hours ago!” Sizhui mocked softly.

“Humph, you're a pest!”

“I know you love me, A-Zi.” Sizhui said with a playful smile.

“A-Zi? Who is A-Zi? Jin Ling asked.”

“If you dare, I will call you Jin Rulan for the rest of your life!” Lan JingYi threatened.

Jin Ling immediately gave up the game and his two friends boarded their talisman, laughing. They carefully floated over to the creature.

Only one or two other sisters showed interest, the others were indifferent or drowsy: Small jerky movements of their limbs denoted that they were dreaming but that their dreams were far from being soothing.

Hanguang Jun, after quenching his thirst, sat down and took out his Guqin, after a moment of reflection he began the first notes of Lullaby, creating an atmosphere of gentleness, peace, and security, then he transitioned to another music which he hadn't used yet.

“It’s Pleasant dreams,” Lan Ruoxing whispered to the Jins.  “It is a song from the second repertoire, level 4, the same one which contains music like Healing or Clarity.  The goal is to calm the mind and induce a state conducive to calming dreams.  The Music must be played with Qi infused into it to have the desired effect…”

Hanguang Jun gradually increased the power behind his notes which manifested into strings, which then modified to form runes, which floated in all directions to rain down on the creatures, the thin filaments dissipating upon contact with their target and distributing their magic in the soul and body of the beneficiaries.  You could see the stress leaving their limbs and their facial features relax, as if they were indeed having pleasant things.

“He is weaving an enchantment, trapping the creatures in a dreamlike state.  This is very high magic.  Very few cultivators from the Gusu Lan sect are capable of achieving such a feat.  The most adept is our Sect Leader, Zewu Jun.  His instrument, Liebing, is much more suited to this kind of magic.  It is the musical notes, in the form of light energy, that transform into runes, and not strings like Hanguang Jun does.  This is the very first time I've seen him perform this form of magic.  His art far surpasses our estimates…”

Really? Asked Jin Feng, who was realizing more and more that the Gusu Lan sect had apparently not taken the full measure of their second Lord, who was increasingly emerging as their most eminent disciple. Wasn’t it rumored that Hanguang Jun’s cultivation far surpassed that of his brother and was rivaled only by that of their founder?

“Mm. It is rare that we have the privilege of collaborating with Hanguang Jun and therefore, having the opportunity to evaluate his cultivation... He is very... exclusive...”

Jin Feng did not ask him to elaborate.

The enchantment took effect, and they saw the creatures enter a peaceful and heavy sleep.  The one Sizhui was sitting next to, holding its hand, also fell into a deep sleep, a smile on its face. The whole forest had fallen asleep or was being silent, including the birds and insects.  The peace, which since the morning had been disturbed by their perpetual squawking and buzzing, had given way to a supernatural calm.

“How long can the enchantment last?” Jin Feng asked Lan Ruoxing in a low voice.

“Hmm... like any enchantment practiced without the intermediary of an object belonging to the target, and which therefore depends solely on the power of the cultivator, in my opinion, just half an hour to an hour maximum, especially since the targets are numerous…”

One hour! This was already extraordinary, Jin Feng thought. How powerful must Hanguang Jun’s golden core be for him to have cast such an enchantment? Clearly phenomenal.

“It’s always fascinating for those of us in Lanling Jin who don’t practice any form of musical cultivation to have the opportunity to see Gusu Lan’s magic at work.  Your art is certainly one of the most unusual and mysterious there is…”

“Not to mention difficult…” Lan Ruoxing confirmed.

Once the last notes died down, Hanguang Jun remained motionless, in deep meditation.  The wind rose, light, and the leaves began to swirl around him until they formed a whirlwind, without touching him and without even lifting his hair, dragging the particles of fairy dust into a shimmering vortex in their crazy circle. Then the dust formed peonies and the dry leaves, shining like gold, clung to their stems before withering and raining down on his head in a golden waterfall.

No one moved, and everyone held their breath.

The last leaf fell gently into Hanguang Jun's open palm, which brought him out of his meditation.  He opened his eyes, murmured words into the wind, in the Elvish language, then in the language of the wind, and prostrated himself on his instrument. The branches and trunks of the trees seemed to bow in response.

He turned his attention to the group and said:

“Elders Lan, I have just demonstrated it: Pleasant dreams combined with Oblivion will work when the time comes, provided you are able to unleash the magic of these two pieces of music...”

The elders gulped and nodded. The bar was set very high, and everyone knew that Hanguang Jun would not admit any failure.

“We have reached our goal,” he said, pointing to an entrance in the wall of the chasm.

Chapter Text

They were all now standing in front of the opening in the mountain that none of them had spotted before Hanguang Jun had pointed it out to them even thought it was quite remarkable.  Not only was the root on which they were standing was plunging inside it, but above all, the fairy dust that escaped from it was so thick that one could not see what was beyond. The birds and insects that dived there seemed to disappear as if passing through a mirror, even their cries were instantly muffled...

The door in the mountain was flanked, on either side, by an embankment formed by collapses of the wall which came to form some kind of terrace, or if one preferred a beach which descended gently into the water teeming with semi- aquatic plants and fabulous fish.

“I think this opening just appeared…” Song Yuming whispered to Lan Boming.  “Do you think the fairy led us astray so that we couldn't find the way?”

“It's entirely possible... this opening wasn't there when we stopped... I'd put my hand in the fire...”

“Maybe the fairy's lair is just the next door to the village...” theorized Song Yuming.

“Mm. We’ll find out when we get back…”

“Exact.”

“Lan Ruoxing, you are in charge, Lan JingYi will assist you.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“Lan Boming, Song Yuming, with me. We will use a talisman above our heads to protect us from falling rocks... I doubt there is any danger other than this...”

“Hanguang Jun, let me accompany you… what if something happens to you? How will I explain this to the Chief cultivator.” Jin Ming said.

“Rest assured Jin Ming, nothing will happen.  Preferably keep an eye on the elders.”

“Hao, Hao.”

They left the group behind and advanced into the opening which sliced through the rock as if a lightning bolt had struck it. The sky loomed like a thin blue ribbon far above them.  The enormous root seemed to have broken and pushed aside the apparently crumbly rock to make a passage, forming a narrow defile, with irregular edges, embedded between the two walls.  Its narrowness forced them to move cautiously while contorting themselves one side and the other; sometimes they had to stoop, and sometimes climb over rocks that had broken away.  However, despite some necessary acrobatics, the passage was relatively easy.  However, because of its narrowness and the nature of the ground, if it rained, the situation would quickly become extremely dangerous.

The corridor was also frequented by the multitude of exotic birds and insects which rushed over their heads at full speed, kept at bay by the talismans.

“It’s so beautiful,” Lan Boming whispered. “It looks like a procession…”

“Mm.” Hanguang Jun murmured but his response was drowned out by the sound of rushing water.  Less than two minutes later, they emerged from the passage to find themselves in front of a magical spectacle.  The mother tree, of proportions that defied imagination, stood about two Lis away in the cul-de-sac of a natural bowl-shaped depression.  It was almost nestled against a steep rock face, certainly the remains of a much more imposing formation that had undoubtedly been completely eaten away by erosion, leaving behind, as its only witness, its rocky skeleton.

The gigantic tree, with its monumental lobed and twisted trunk, rose towards the sky spreading its imposing branches in all directions.  Those at its summit were lost in the cloud of condensation made opaque by pollen and also the mist that rose from a multitude of thin waterfalls, diaphanous like silk veils, which poured from the rock wall at its back and to its left.  The waterfalls ended into a natural pool where part of the roots of the tree dipped. The crystal-clear water shimmered, illuminated from below by the chalk-white sand flecked with gold. Here again, they could make out brightly colored exotic fish swimming between the roots and keeping away from the tumultuous current of a narrow, but violent stream wedged between the wall and the roots and that drained into an opening under the mountain where it disappeared in a roaring whirlpool.

They were not at ground level but about eight to ten meters higher.  The root that had led them here had sought and found where the rock was the most friable, the most fragile, to infiltrate... A tangle of other more modest roots had crushed the face of the mountain housing the pass from which they had emerged, causing collapse after collapse that contributed to form a scree which gentle slope descended to the bottom of the basin where the tree grew.

However, the most extraordinary thing was that the mother tree was not alone.  It was flanked by half a dozen trees, some of which were almost as majestic as it.  They made easily two-thirds of its diameter with their heads disappearing into the fog.  They were competing for all the space of the depression.  Their spectacular roots had opened up the limestone rock in other places, disappearing beneath the mountain, as others crushed the rock which slowly crumbled before being washed away by rainwater, creating them, slowly but surely, more space in their crowded sanctuary.

They disembarked from the root.  The angle has become too steep and used the slope to reach the bottom.  The chalky sand disintegrated under their feet and the peony groves parted to let them pass.  The ground, as the reach under the canopy was covered in a thick layer of pine needles and flower petals.  The scent of resin and peonies saturated the air, and the artificial light created by the pollen and the mist contributed to the feeling of unreality.

Just like the trees of the outer abyss, these all carried in their branches groves of peonies covered with gigantic flowers which opened and closed in a perpetual ballet while the fantastic birds in all the vibrant colors of the rainbow, as well as the millions of insects with their sheer wings came to eat and nest in them.

Hanguang Jun’s attention while nearing the stream was caught by ribbons of brownish resin, veined with a dark red substance, clustered around the rocks.  The tree was bleeding... He pulled out a test talisman and took a sample.  Without surprise, it colored green and red, revealing that it contained human’s blood mixed with the sap.

A cracking sound resonated and caught Hanguang Jun’s.  At that moment, he noticed a tree of very modest dimensions, partially hidden and leaning on one of the daughter-tree.  The sound had come from it and as it continued to crack, Song Yuming instinctively reached for his sword.

“It’s the messenger.” Hanguang Jun informed him.

“How do you know, Hanguang Jun?

“The size of the tree and the metal bolts...” Answered Lan Boming.

“Exact.” Hanguang Jun confirmed.

The tree finished opening, briefly dazzling them with an outpour of light.  The entity floated to the ground while the light dimed slowly to reveal a charming half-man, half-tree creature, with a magnificent pink and yellow peony blooming on its forehead. She was small, no taller than five feet and extremely fragile in appearance now that she was no longer as tall as her tree and dressed in it.  She was almost naked if not for some well-placed roots tangles, leaves, flowers and her vines-like hair that moved on their own and helped conceal her body.  Her most dazzling attributes, other than the beautiful peonies on the wreath on her head, and her striking face, were two pairs of transparent wings, crisscrossed with gold threads, which quivered continuously, spreading golden dust all around her.

“Hanguang Jun, you have arrived…” she said, bowing to greet him.

“Mm. The path has been… tortuous to say the least…” He replied, also bowing with his two deputies.

“Ah! The spell cast by my mother on the forest is also a labyrinth.”  she replied. “Unfortunately, there is no direct path, and progress also depends on the intention of the hiker... since the passage of these men who harmed my mother and my sister Peng Lizi, it has become even more arduous , my mother being unable to muzzle all her negative feelings, which cause a constant rearrangement of the labyrinth and a distortion of space and time... Anyway, you arrived very quickly, I assure you…”

“Mm. I understand, and I am dismayed by the extent of the pain caused by fellow human beings. I would have liked to have come much earlier...”

“It's not your fault... Don’t blame yourself.” 

She turned towards the mother-tree. “Here is the mother tree, our kingdom and our palace... My mother, the fairy peony, is locked in the tree... she is unable to get out... The ceremony, and the remains of my sister Peng Lizi, buried in the trunk, made the tree and my mother merged... that's why we absolutely must extract Peng Lizi...”

“Mm. Do you know where the exact location of the remains is?

“Unfortunately, I was not there at the time... I was already detained in the village when it happened... since my return, I had been examining the tree, but it has grown a lot over the last few centuries, the bark has certainly closed on the place... I am unable to find it and my mother cannot express exactly where the remains are.  The pain is intense but diffuse in every part… plants do not perceive pain like men do, nor do they have the same understanding of their physical person as men.  They can't say for example my back, my leg, my arm...”

“Mm. I understand.  We will find her. Do not worry.  Do you allow me to bring the rest of the team? I think the Naxis Matriarch could help locate the spot more quickly.  I will also question Peng Lizi.  We must begin the process as quickly as possible... It is difficult for us to judge the passage of time here or the hour... however, I perceive that it will be dark soon... We must pitch our tents, eat, rest, and prepare ourselves for tomorrow...”

“Yes, please.  Send for the others... my mother has been waiting for a long time already...”

“We're going to have to make some space. I see a spot over there that could easily be flattened out to set up camp, unfortunately this means we'll have to uproot some peony bushes.”

“I understand, and it’s completely acceptable… I will talk to them.”

“Thank you.”  “Lan Boming, go find our students and elders.  Have Jin Ming stay outside, on the platform, in front of the passage entrance, with two thirds of his team.  Let them pitch their tents there. Ask them to do as little damage as possible.  No fire, only light talismans if necessary.  We will only eat what we brought with us.  No hunting, fishing or gathering... Warn Jin Ming that I expect exemplary behavior, flawless decisions... I will not tolerate any accidents... I will seek the punishment of imprisonment, dismissal, banishment, for any disobedience or negligence... If necessary, I will execute the men who compromise this hunt myself!

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”  The deputy bowed before climbing the slope and re-entering the narrow passage.

“Song Yuming, mark off the space for our camp. We will use as little space as possible... The tents will need to be very close to each other.  Students will have to share their tents in threes or fours. Same for elders.  The soldiers will camp outside.  Tell Lan JingYi and Sizhui they will stay with me.  Get help from the third of Jin Ming's men who will come here to clear the land, flatten it and generally set up camp. Then let everyone eat and take some rest.  Warn the Lan elders that they will have to play this evening.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

He turned his attention back to the messenger.  “I would like you to introduce me to your mother.  I will explain to her point-by-point tomorrow’s intervention.”

Chapter Text

For the next two hours, Hanguang Jun sat at the foot of the tree and chatted with the Fairy Peony and her daughter, taking detailed notes and paying no attention to the back and forth going on in the camp.  Everyone was extremely discreet in other not to bother him.

When the little fairy led him to the tree, he had placed his hand on the trunk and once again found himself mentally transported above the canopy. The fairy thanked him for persevering and reaching her.  She was eager to be freed but feared the intentions of some of his traveling companions.  Greed had motivated the men who had harmed her and Peng Lizi, and greed lived in the hearts of some of the men who had arrived with him and wore the golden peony on their clothes.

“Hanguang Jun, I fear their greed, but you must fear their jealousy... They harbor unspeakable designs.  Their aura is charged!”

Hanguang Jun thanked her for her warning.  He then asked her about the artifact still in the Shaman's possession.

“The stamens of the flower fixed on the forehead of a fairy are magical. The three principal stones are always linked to space, time, and matter or energy is you wish to call it this way... Thanks to these stone, I can not only see different places that are not part of this sphere, but I can also see the past, the present, and the future, I can move around them and displace with me whatever I want…”

“You see your future or anyone’s?”

“Any future… But that doesn't mean I understand it all.  That I can discern the intention, the reasons behind the state of things.  I also cannot say if what I see belongs to the same space and time… or the relation between cause and effect… The future, Hanguang Jun, is not yet written, so the outcomes are endless… But still, I can search…”

“Is the past immutable?

“No, the past is not immutable, but changing the past does not guarantee the future…”

He remained silent for a long moment.

“The stone is in the Shaman's belly for now... I will return it to you as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Hanguang Jun.”

Because this type of tree did not have large leaves and therefore an extremely dense foliage, and it was preferably the cloud cover at the top of the trees that diffuse the sun's rays, the whole team immediately realized when the sun finished setting. Moreover, the golden luminescence gave way to a bluish light; what was previously gold dust changed completely to become something organic rather than metallic, while the millions of fireflies lit their little lanterns and the bottoms of the trees, coated in their calcified lace made of sand, also lit up.

“If the sun is completely down, it must be almost Hai Shi.” Sizhui murmured, amazed by the spectacle.  “I thought this place was beautiful during the day but at night it’s even more magical…”

“Mm. I can’t wait to get to work,” JingYi said. “The sooner we start, the sooner we will leave this place… this is no place for man… the real world awaits us…”

Even if they could see clearly, it was nevertheless obvious that it would be impossible for them to search and extract the body of the ghost before it was daylight again.  This therefore meant additional delays…

Sizhui sighed.  JingYi was not the sentimental type, and although he appreciated beauty, he was generally far too preoccupied with his activities and was too pragmatic to really pay attention to nature.  The fact that he kept bouncing one of his legs showed that his adrenaline level was high... He couldn't wait to start the operations.

On the other hand, Zizhen, seated a little further away, seemed captivated and almost in a state of grace, completely taken by the magic of the place. Many people were in the same state of mind.  Others, particularly the Jin soldiers and also a few of the Jin elders kept glancing in the direction of the messenger.  She was truly enchanting, and without knowing it provocative in her pseudo-nakedness that was making them forget how exceptionally lucky they were to have been able to lay eyes on one of these beings!

As for the Lan elders, they were making every effort to avert their eyes, clearly shocked by the little elf perceived shamelessness. The students, on the other hand, could not forget that her body was infested with black worms.  And so, they found her not at all that much attractive.

“Stop fidgeting... your impatient smell is smothering me.  You smell like fire on a field of vetiver!”  Sizhui complained.

“Eh? Why then are you sitting next to me when there is all this space?!”

Sizhui, seeing that his father was taking a break, returned to his feet and hurried to bring him his food with JingYi close behind. Of course, he was never going to let his friend wander alone in this darkness with strangers around...

When his father had finished his meal, he said to him:

“Hanguang Jun, we haven’t seen Peng Lizi all day… I’m worried about her.”

“Mm. This place, and what we are about to do must be extremely stressful for her... She is afraid and in pain...”

“Mm. We have prepared talismans to wish her safe passage to the afterlife and a light karma in her next life.  The girls and I we’ve weaved funeral wreaths with the peonies that were pull out to make way for the camp.  We will decorate her coffin.”

“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful of you all. I am sure that your actions will bring her joy and comfort.  Now please send Lan Boming and Song Yuming.  Night has fallen, remember to not wander without Lan JingYi…”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun. He's right there, spying on me...” He said, pointing to JingYi who was sitting a little further away waiting for him.

“Mm. He’s not spying on you.  He’s protecting you...”

Sizhui rolled his eyes.  “He's unbearable today and he stinks...”

Hanguang Jun raised an eyebrow. 

“JingYi, come here!”

The young boy jumped to his feet and approached them.

“Manage your smell and your pheromones.  There is no need to be so impatient.  This will neither make time pass differently nor cause events to rush forward.  Besides, there is a time for everything under the sun and everything worth doing must be done well.  Rushing is often the prelude to disaster.  Furthermore, you're bothering Sizhui, not to mention that you're going to sleep in my tent and I under no circumstances want to have to breathe your frankly annoying smell.”

“Huh!” he said, putting his nose to his armpits and wrists. “What does my scent smell like?”

Hanguang Jun ignored him and continued: “Please don't take your eyes off Sizhui for even a second.  Also keep an eye on Jin Ling.  Warn him that he must obtain my authorization to travel to the outdoor camp.  He must also always be accompanied by Ouyang Zizhen.  Those instructions are also valid for all students, especially the girls.” 

He said so while looking at Jin Ming walking through the camp, questioning his man, ogling the little fairy, and generally putting his nose everywhere.  The man had spent more time inspecting the inner camp rather than supervising the outer camp and planning the nightguard and defense of the place.

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.  You can count on me to keep my eyes on Sizhui and Jin Ling.  I will also make sure that everyone follows your instructions.” Jingyi told him.

“Mm. Send me Lan Boming and Song Yuming.”

His two deputies came to give him an update on the camp. 

They had spent the last two hours supervising the setup of camp, placing barriers at the top of the surrounding mountain walls, and a net above their camp.  They obviously couldn't protect all the access points but if a problem were to arise, it would more likely happen on the side they have come through since the creatures were coming from that direction... Moreover, the most crumbling part of the cliff overlooked their camp, and it was necessary to protect themselves from falling rocks...

“Lan Boming, please ask the Lan elders to play Clarity and Healing on mute for the next two hours... I think by then it will be past ten o'clock in the evening... Wake up time tomorrow morning is at five o'clock, as usual.  Keep an eye on the students, make sure they stay put and are always accompanied by their teammate, especially the girls, the omegas and Jin Ling.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

He then called Jin Ming to find out the situation with his men remaining at the entrance to the passage. He confirmed that there was no organizational problem.  They had put up a barrier between them and the water edge to keep the creatures at bay if they ever became curious...

“Usually, they are more active at night. Don’t be surprised if you see them roaming as there might be some late arrivals.  Remember, to keep all offensive magical tools shielded.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.  Don’t worry.  There won’t be any trouble.”

“Mm.”

He then invited Ye Kun who sat to the side.  Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen were hanging around and Hanguang Jun also invited them to sit with Sizhui, while JingYi went to summon the Matriarch and her brother.

Once seated Hanguang asked immediately.

“Have you had time to look around? Do you have any idea where Peng Lizi's body is located? The Fairy is unable to tell me in which precise place in the bark the body was buried.”

The matriarch looked around at the tree and the surrounding area once again.  Because of the luminescence of the pollen and also the clouds of fireflies that lived in the branches of the trees, they appeared illuminated from within and stood out strikingly against the background of the rock wall.

“Hanguang Jun, we arrived through a canyon somewhere in the back of the tree... we weren't at the foot of the tree either... at least twenty meters from the ground... one of the waterfalls tumbled down from where we came... we had to walk in the bed of the river on some part of the way, and the patriarchs used it after...”

She stopped for a moment.  Her gaze still haunted by the horror of what had happened that day.

“That one waterfall was much larger than the others but there was a large ledge just a few meters to our left and slightly above the water that we were able to reach, and which placed us above the waterfall, even though we kept getting a fine drizzle from other flimsy ones, depending on the direction of the wind… The branch on which we climbed was at the height of that ledge and resting on it… It was easy for us to use it to reach the trunk…”

“Mm. I see.”

His four students had been taking notes earlier, but he now saw them studying the walls behind the tree, looking for clues. He had not noticed any waterfall more significant than the others... It was probably an ephemeral one, or its importance varied with the seasons...

“In what month exactly did you come here?”

“Towards the end of September...”

“Mm. Here in the Eastern Provinces, the rainiest month is August... It's likely that the falls will have swelled around this time... I'll summon Peng Lizi to see if she can also help with the location.  Anyway, tomorrow me and my students will inspect the tree and the surroundings…”

She nodded. Clearly anxious that the landscape has changed so much.

Hanguang Jun also was not reassured.  Since he didn’t want to disturb the ressentiment contained in the tree before they were ready to intervene, they would need to look for the place visually.

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun decided to concentrate then on the rites for the ghost.

“Regarding the funeral rites, I will need you to explain in detail to Peng Lizi the care you will provide to her remains... I will take the opportunity to introduce Ye Kun who will be helping with the cares, performs certain rites, and sat with the body if for example I have to leave to retrieve the children in the cocoons.  As I told you, Ye Kun knows perfectly well about funeral rites...”

She nodded her head, turned to the Lan elder and bowed down.  “Thank you for your help.”

“It's nothing. I’ve done so for many others.” The woman replied calmly.

“The little fairy, meanwhile, has helped identify a suitable place in the mountain cliff for the grave.” Hanguang Jun resumed.  “It is a shallow chamber, facing south, and overlooking the river.  Your brother will have to go there tomorrow morning to finalize the grave.  The Jin soldiers will help under Song Yuming supervision, but your brother will be mainly responsible for the operation.”

He turned his gaze and spoke directly to the man. 

“While you are preparing the grave, you will need to speak to the deceased; express your regrets to her on behalf of the entire Naxi community.”

Tears streamed down their cheeks.  They nodded and bowed their heads.

“Now we will prepare the space for the last offices and the embalming. Ye Kun. Please proceed.”

She bowed then stood up to explore her surroundings.  She chooses a place sheltered from view, on a flat surface located between one of the daughters and the mother-tree, and not very far from the stream as they would need to draw water for the washing.  Once she had determined the location, she performed a small ceremony to cleanse the place.

Hanguang Jun then manifested cords which he stretched between the tree trunks, delimitating the space which he then separated into two rooms with other cords: One room for the last offices, larger and on the water side, and another for the funeral rites, precisely the showing of the body, if possible...

Ye Kun handed a Qiankun pouch to Lan JingYi who took out large rolls of scrolls.  The three other young people immediately came to help him unfold them.  Both sides were covered with runes and prayers for the dead to ensure a peaceful passage into the afterlife. The young people made the parchments stand vertically up and stuck them on the ropes to create an enclosure.

Since they were lacking a few banners, Hanguang Jun took out some talisman paper, wrote two or three prayers, multiplied them, and enlarged them.  On another talisman he wrote a poem in his impossibly beautiful calligraphy and also enlarged it.  The young people hung them to complete the walls with Sizhui taking care to place the banner with the poem as a background for the coffin.

Zizhen and Jin Ling once again commented on Hanguang Jun's writing.

“Hanguang Jun has one of the best calligraphies of the Cloud recesses.  Only Xiansheng’s penmanship and Lan Laoshi is comparable to it.” JingYi said to them.  “For the amount of time I've had to copy the rules, you'd think my writing would be this good, far from it, on the contrary, it's getting worse!”

“Baba even made him recopy his copies.”  Sizhui told them.

“Ah, I really feel sorry for you.” Ouyang Zizhen replied.  “With the number of punishments you get, I wonder when you find time to do anything else!”

“I have to content myself with dreaming having a life and even there, Hanguang Jun and Lan Laoshi continue to persecute me!”

“Lan JingYi, take a sip of water.”  Hanguang Jun told him.

“Aiya!” JingYi exclaimed before complying, keeping the water in his mouth. 

His comrades immediately fell silent.

They rolled up the banners that formed the separation between the two rooms onto the rope, leaving the space completely open for the moment.  They also rolled up the places that would serve as entrance doors to the two rooms and then hung paper lanterns and funerary decorations on the ropes while Ye Kun placed amulets on the four corners and lit incense sticks.

Once their task completed, the young people bowed to their elders and returned to their seats.  Hanguang Jun signaled to JingYi that the punishment was over.

“I swear that guy hates me!” Was the first thing he said upon being pardoned.  He put his hand on his mouth shocked to have spoken out loud.  He then, upon seeing Hanguang Jun’s gaze fixed on him, took another sip of water while his comrades were giggling.

“Please take out the material and the goods.”  Hanguang Jun said to the Naxis.

The Matriarch and her brother stood up and entered the enclosure.  They took out of a qiankun pouch six benches which Ye Kun showed them how to align to respect conventions and feng shui. Four were put in the room destines for washing and preparing the dead, and the other two in the other room and would be used to receive the coffin.  On the first two benches, the Naxis placed a plank spotting a drainage furrow and a hole around the edge.  Below, they placed two large bucket to collect wastewater and two other ones to draw and store clean water from the stream.  

They set up the side table on the two other benches and on it, they lined up all the paraphernalia for the funeral toilet: small linens clothes, towels, soap, oils, talcum powder, perfume, small scissors for trimming the nails, and lacquer to paint them.  The matriarch also placed bandages and ointments to dress her wounds and a suture kit. Further down the table, she placed powder and rouge, resin and hairpieces for doing her hair, a few beautiful combs, pins and ribbons, as well as an impressive quantity of ethnic jewelry made of silver and decorated with jade, topaz, and other semi-precious stones.

“They are beautiful.”  Ye Kun told her.

“These are mine.  Heirlooms that I took with me at the time… I thought she would like them and that they would serve her better than me.”

“Mm. I understand.”

Finally, she hung up the dress that will be put on the dead girl.  It was a very elaborate outfit, cut from luxurious silk, both chiffon and heavy printed brocade, in shades of blue and bronze, and finely embroidered with peonies in shades of yellow and pink, bordered with gold thread.

“I have dreamed all these centuries of being able to give her a burial...” she said, running her hand over the dress... “I started preparing and embroidering this outfit more than ten years ago, when she told me that Hanguang Jun would come to deliver us... that she had received an omen from a young man’s consciousness that had come to her...”

Ye Kun raised a questioning eyebrow and looked at Hanguang Jun but he did not react.

“Hanguang Jun, I didn't want to bury her in white... the sacrificial outfit was white... I hope this is okay…”

“Mm. That’s a wise decision.” he confirmed

“I brought a veil,” she said, taking out the accessory, “but I don't think she would like to wear one.  I will place it next to or below her, just for her modesty and to respect tradition.”

“Mm.”

She also hung up the magnificent coat that went with the dress, the scarf, her underwear and her cotton-lined underdresses to keep her warm. She placed her socks, her shoes and a fan on the table.

They passed into the second room, the students moving in front of the door to continue observing.  The matriarch's brother began to extract the traditional coffin from a qiankun pouch, and the four young boys immediately came to his help.  It was in a very beautiful black lacquered wood, richly decorated on the sides with peonies and exotic golden birds.  On the widest end, the head of the coffin, it bore bats and a symbol of longevity, on the other end, the foot, clouds and another symbol of longevity. They placed the heavy coffin carefully on the benches.  The matriarch and her brother removed the lid and set it aside. The interior was lacquered in cinnabar red.

Hanguang Jun nodded; it was a very beautiful and well-made coffin. The Naxis had not spared resources, time, and talent.

The matriarch placed two cushions inside. One was blue and was to be placed under the body.  The matriarch put it in its place.  The cover case bore three sceneries embroidered with silk threads representing a young girl in an orchard, another in a water garden, and the last in a garden planted with magnificent peonies.  The other cushion was red and would be placed above the body.  She leaned it against the edge of the coffin.  The cover was embroidered just as beautifully, the designs depicting the girl playing the Pipa, playing various board games, busy doing her hair and makeup. The matriarch finally placed the red pillow in the shape of a crescent moon, that will support the head, in its own place.

They then proceeded to pile funerary objects on the side: bronze cups and plates, a lamp in the same metal, an incense burner, a mirror, vials of perfume, clothes and jewelry, a game of po, a Pipa, in short, everyday objects and also Mingqi, that is to say spiritual objects made of wood or terracotta, such as a miniature house, a boat, guardian animals, domestic animals including a horse with its rider, effigies in the image of her sisters and brothers the creatures so that she does not feel alone, etc.  In summary, everything she would need for her use in the afterlife.  Clearly, the matriarch wanted her to lack for nothing.

On the side, the brother aligned the instruments needed to close the coffin, that is to say the hammer and the nails; the matriarch also placed the stove, the incense, the joss paper which would be burned, and the funerary tablet.

Her brother leaned against the coffin the two poles to carry it, and with the help of the young people took out the tombstone. On it was written the name and date of birth and death of the young girl and these few words.  Loved daughter of the fairy Peony and beloved sister of, then followed in chronological order, the names with the information of the missing which continued on the other three sides of the stela. 

Hanguang Jun nodded once more. “It’s a great show of consideration for what they suffered.” he told them.

“We have not written down the names of the children who are still in the cocoons... We fear bringing them bad luck... If ever... If ever, they don't make it, I dare to hope that their family will give them an epitaph...”

“Mm. As discussed, if it comes to that, I will return the bodies to the parents in closed caskets so they can have a burial.  I will take the coffins from your store as well as their tablets which I will give to their family...”

Hanguang Jun had had a shield placed on the Naxis’ workshop to prevent it from being set on fire. It contained raw materials and furniture which would perhaps be useful for the future, including the coffins... the Naxis had been one of the two craftsmen's houses which manufactured them in town and probably the busiest...

“Thank you, Hanguang Jun.  May I also ask you to place Peng Lizi's mortuary tablet in the town hall mausoleum? We believe this is probably the best place for her to be honored... She probably wouldn't want to return to her father's house... even if the house was still standing after the events...”

“Mm. I'll bring it to the town hall.”  He promised. “My students have prepared talismans with little words for her, we will attach them to the inside of the lid before the coffin is nailed shut.  The young people also offered to carry the coffin during the procession and the girls, as you saw, are using the peonies that we had to uproot to make wreaths.”

She smiled. “I'm sure it will please her to receive flowers.  She will feel loved and appreciated.”

“Mm. Now, I will proceed with the Inquiry session.” 

He took out a new talisman paper which he enchanted to record the session.  He made sure every session was recorded because the information gathered on this case was not only valuable but unique.  His conversation with the fairies was in the Elvish language and he would have to translate them later.

He played the first notes and immediately Peng Lizi appeared.  She was extremely upset and could barely answer their questions about the location of the body in the tree.  Hanguang Jun therefore played Calm, supported by the Lan elders.  Once she was in a better state of mind, he had Ye Kun and the Matriarch showed her everything that had been prepared for her.  She was crying and smiling at the same time.  Clearly relieved to see that finally she would be entitled to a funeral worthy of a family's beloved child.

Hanguang Jun also explained to her how her extraction and burial would take place and also Ye Kun’s role as he would certainly have to leave her in her care if he needed to go rescue the children.  He wasn’t sure at what moment this will happen. He promised that he would put a barrier around her body to make sure that nobody could tamper with it while he was away.  She was reassured.

“The women will need help moving you around during the washing and dressing, do you trust me to help? They will ensure your privacy and safeguard your intimacy at all times, and I will not see anything that is not absolutely necessary.  I will take you out of the tree myself and I will not let any man touch you.  I swear it to you on my honor.” He said to her.

“Hanguang Jun, if there is one human in the world I trust, it is you... Thank you for taking care of me like your elder sister and accompanying me to my final resting place.”

“Hao. We will do it like this.”

The little fairy had stayed with her the whole time, reassuring her, while the fairy Peony whispered tenderly to her in the tree.

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun sent everyone to bed, grabbed his Guqin and headed towards the passage.  He found the Jin soldiers on the outer platform happily playing dice and drinking.  At least they had put away the koudi that evening…

He paid them no attention as they jumped to their feet to greet him.  He passed the barrier they had erected as if it did not exist and moved away along the root.  A few minutes later the Guqin sounded on the notes of Lullaby.

Without any surprise, SongYun showed up and Hanguang Jun asked for her help.  He knew that she would not look for a resting place until the last minute and the little fairy had told Hanguang Jun that she would give her the tree she had brought back from the cenote.

The rest of the team went to bed with the Jin soldiers standing guard.  Jin Ling, Jin Chan, and Ouyang Zizhen shared a tent.  Qin Weizhang, Dong Bodi slept in Lan Boming's tent.  Nie Yunche and Rong Peng were in Song Yuming's room, and finally Yao Gao, Tong Huke and Bao Sang were staying together.

Lan Boming had warned Song Yuming: “I count on you to respect all the rules of decency...”

“You should lecture Yunche instead of me, I’m the one who needs a chaperone!”

“Aren't you ashamed!?”

His colleague smiled at her with all his teeth and left to join his two companions.  Tong Huke was already sound asleep, but Nie Yunche was waiting for him, sitting on her bed with bright eyes.

Hanguang Jun heard the girl giggling when he returned to the camp and called out to Song Yuming who sheepishly came out of the tent.

“Take your futon and sleep outside.”  Hanguang Jun told him. “You can only go back in if it rains...”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

He found Jingyi lying outside the tent door in his futon and woke him up so he could go inside.  Sizhui was already asleep with his father's futon arranged in the middle of the tent, separating his from JingYi's. 

It was only after lying down that Hanguang Jun noticed that Sizhui had stolen his second blanket and was lying on the other.

He sighed and covered himself with his dachang as JingYi chuckled.

When the people woke up the next morning, some, meaning the elders, were overcome with terror to discover the creature huddled at the foot of the tree. Apparently, she had spent the night inside the campground.

“Please, everyone, this is SongYun.  Since we can't use our swords and the little fairy can't change dimensions currently, having used up all her reserves on the way back, SongYun will help us not only searching for the body of the deceased, but also with all the heavy work, or those that require climbing.” Hanguang Jun told them.

“Hanguang Jun, if you explain the situation to the fairy, couldn't we use our swords instead?” Lan Ruoxing asked, looking nervously at the creature.

“We discussed it, and although she and her daughter were still very fearful, she gave me permission.  Unfortunately, the test I performed last night was not conclusive. Bichen proved to be extremely heavy and unstable.  The sword wobbles dangerously beneath my feet as I try to fly it.  The magic of the fairy conflicts with the magic of our spiritual weapons, and we will only be able to make limited use of them.  This is why I asked SongYun for her help.” He answered patiently.

They looked at each other then everyone bowed and thanked the creature for its help.

“We have a long day in front of us. Let's go through your assignments for the day together.”

He therefore reviewed with each group what was expected of them.  Then he gave a reminder of the safety instructions and especially regarding non-aggression and finally, he answered the questions.

Sizhui raised his hand and Hanguang Jun nodded.

“Hanguang Jun, when I arrived here, I expected to find the mother-tree, and its entire surroundings, engulfed in a thick fog of resentment.  Why is this not the case?”

“Mm. Good observation, Sizhui.  You might have noticed that I played Healing and Calm but not Cleansing.  The fairy is extremely powerful and has, over all these centuries, done her best to protect her environment.  She imprisons the resentment inside her body, channels it through the roots of the tree, and took it far from here.  She has confirmed that she poured it mostly into the Naxis’ village pond and the flower fields. The same with organic matters and wastes. However, she is also aware that there has still been some contamination…”

Everyone was nodding.

“She also said that some of her resentment, her bitterness, her pain went away when her daughter returned to her. She remains regretful about everything that happened; shamed over what she perceives as her failure to defend herself, her loved ones, and the forest; she still has concern for her human children, but she held no hatred.  She just wants to be able to leave this sphere. It is a magnificent lesson in self-sacrifice, forgiveness, and kindness. More importantly, this renunciation has a direct impact on the ghost which was already partly appeased by the revelation of the curse, the hope of being rescued, and the death of Peng Laoban.  She, just like the creatures, is tired and only aspires to peace and oblivion.” 

 “Hanguang Jun, does that mean there is no resentment left!?” Asked Lan Ruoxing bewildered.

“Absolutely not.  She has been able to channel only a fraction of it.  Don’t forget we are dealing with a multi-century situation… So, the rest is still trapped in the tree which serves, so to speak, as a lamp, a receptacle.  Cleansing will be played during the ceremony.  At the moment, I refrain because I absolutely do not want to risk disrupting the balance when we are not ready to intervene.”

“Ah! I understand.” Said Lan Ruoxing.

“During the interview she explained that she is in constant pain due to the presence of Peng Lizi's remains in the tree which had forced, as we have presumed it, an incarnation as well as made her develop human feelings.”

“Hanguang Jun, can you explain what that incarnation entails, physically?” Jin Ling asked.

“Mm. It means that organic human matters had invaded and modified the tree and the fairy.  We might encounter blood vessels grafted to the tree and in all probability to the fairy. Physical separation will most probably need to happen… In a way, we are going to force the tree to abort the deceased body. I want it to be clear that it’s neither going to be easy nor pretty. Everyone should be ready for a gory intervention. This is why students will only observe from a distance and will be allowed to turn their back if the process is too disturbing for their sensibilities. Am I clear?

"Yes, Hanguang Jun."  They all answered.

There was a moment of silence before Lan Ruoxing asked.

“Hanguang Jun, with what you just said about the resentment, am I right to believe that you may have to use the same method that you experimented with the messenger once more?”

“Mm.”

“I was hoping that you would not need to use the maneuver and therefore not having to submit to punishment twice…” the elder commented.

Before Hanguang Jun could respond, a visibly exasperated JingYi intervened:

“Lan Shizun, I think that since it is the same case, a single punishment would have already been more than enough... Hanguang Jun has much better things to do than spend his time on useless punishments just to please our unreasonable elders!”

“You! Who taught you to disrespect your elders!” Lan Ruoxing admonished

“Aiya! I will submit to punishment, Lan Shizun.” JingYi answered, bowing with mock deference. “After all, I have time to waste!”

“You!” yelled the elder, incensed.

Hanguang Jun raised an eyebrow but did not intervene to discipline his young relative while the young people snickered and Sizhui crushed JingYi's foot.

“Aye! Do you need to torture me like this!”

“JingYi, honestly, did you need to attract Lan Shizun’s wrath? He is not far from having a Qi deviation...” Sizhui murmured.

“Lan Ruoxing,” Hanguang Jun said calmly, capturing his elder's attention.  “There is, indeed, next to zero chance that I won't have to purge the tree of negative energy the way I did with the messenger... So, if I were you, I would start to make peace with that...”

“Hao, I see, very good then.  However, I will count on you, Hanguang Jun, to exhaust Cleansing before deciding to re-establish your previous feat, especially since anything you could use here to serve as a lamp would constitute a sacrilege!”

“Don't worry, elder of the Lan clan, surely, I will endeavor to follow as close as possible the path of orthodoxy... I certainly wouldn't want to give my elders the heavy burden of having to judge and punish me...”

Lan Ruoxing lowered his head and made himself smaller.  All the Lan elders imitated him. The irony, bordering on contempt in Hanguang Jun's voice, and the sensation of cold that had descended upon the assistance did not deceive anyone of the Second Lan's real feelings.

The Jin elders lowered their eyes, absolutely not wanting to be caught up in the conflict between Hanguang Jun and his sect.

Meanwhile, Lan JingYi, was still going on with his recriminations:

“Did you hear that old man? The elders had better make up their minds.  If I become Sect Leader one day, I have no intention of putting up with their harassment.  The two Jades are too complacent!”

“By the gods!” Sizhui whispered.  “Lower your voice!”

“If they know what is good for them, they had better marry Hanguang Jun to Songyun immediately so that he will produce offspring, that way I will never gain the position!”

“Eh? SongYun! If there are so few acceptable candidates, then Hanguang Jun would be better off marrying my aunt!” Jin Ling protested.

Qin Weizhang exclaimed but Dong Bodi immediately called her to order, feeling that this conversation would end badly, not to mention that it was highly inappropriate...

“Hanguang Jun doesn't like insects, and your aunt is a scorpion.  By the way, your whole family on the Jin side is made up of venomous animals…”

“You!” said Jin Ling, trying to grab him by the collar while Sizhui tried to restrain them both.

“Heaven, you're really in a bad mood! Did you sleep poorly last night?” he exclaimed, exasperated.

“Yes, you were snoring.” JingYi asserted savagely.

“You!” Sizhui yelled, pulling his hair and showing his teeth.

Hanguang Jun made the three of them kneel for the rest of the meeting.

During the meal that Hanguang Jun was having by himself while reviewing his to-do list and notes, Sizhui came to eat with him, and as soon as they finished, he asked his father:

“Baba, do I snore?”

Hanguang Jun raised an eyebrow.

He blushed and said: “JingYi says my snoring kept him from sleeping last night. Did I wake you up too?”

He seemed so embarrassed and anxious that his father took pity on him.  “No, you don't snore, but you talk in your sleep.”

“Oh! That’s right… you mentioned it to me before and so did JingYi… What did I say this time?”

“You kept muttering something about radishes that the person you were with had to buy instead of potatoes.”

“Oh? But… But… I don’t like radishes…”

“Mm. I know.”

“I prefer potatoes and carrots.”

“Mm. I know.”

“Did I say the name of the person I was with?”

“Unh-uh.  Just gege.”

“Gege?! Not A-niang or A-die?”

“Unh-uh.  Just Gege.”

“Oh! Okay…”

“Sizhui, don't worry about Lan JingYi and stop fighting with him like cats and dogs!  JingYi is used to share the same room as you and has never been disturbed, I think he got up on the wrong foot... he can't wait to start working...”

“Yeah, you’re right…”

“The day will be difficult and full of emotions… Are you ready Baobao?”

“Yes… I can’t wait to see this hunt end…”

“Mm. I too cannot wait, it has been… quite an ordeal… Let's get to work, I want the most important interventions to be done by tonight.”

The young boy smiled at him. “Hao, Baba.”

Chapter Text

The meal finished, everyone got busy. 

Hanguang Jun and his students, accompanied by SongYun and the Matriarch, observed the portion of the cliff behind the mother-tree and chatted for a while.  Then Hanguang Jun pointed out several targets to SongYun.  She bent down and Hanguang Jun boarded a branch on her back.  Like an acrobat, she climbs the face of the wall to place him in front of an opening in the wall at about thirty meters from the ground.  Then she went down to pick up Lan Boming and put her in front of another cavity which was a little further down.  Then, she took the students up one by one and placed them on different branches of the tree, starting from around twenty to forty meters high.

The students tied themselves with ropes.  They needed to work around the multitude of birds, some small and some really big, and insects nesting in the branches.  They were not aggressive in any way but squawked loudly when the students got too close to their nests and flapped their wings violently to scare them away.  Not to mention that their incessant ballet, and their sudden flight sometimes surprised the students, hence the presence of the ropes and a large divinity net which had been deployed below the tree.  The chances of them not being able to float before reaching the ground were extremely slim, but they could still crash into lower branches and hurt themselves, thus the precaution.

Once in position, each on a branch, the students took out their compasses and began to carefully inspect the trunk of the mother-tree in search of Peng Lizi’s remains.  Her presence should normally move the needle, giving them an idea if they were getting closer or further away.  They also knew they had to open their eyes, looking for places where the tree had been injured, that the bark was missing, or as Jin Feng had told them, that the trunk had an outgrowth, a burl, which would indicate that the tree had been opened at that location and had closed on a foreign body; they had to inspect all the places where it was losing resin. Like all conifers, unfortunately, they discovered it was quite frequent. In addition, the very morphology of the tree, with its armpits at the base of each branch made exploration and localization even more difficult... very quickly, one could get tired of investigating hollows and protuberance under branches, or the slightest negligence could cause one to miss the target.

The students would call Hanguang Jun or Lan Boming to check each time they found something suspicious.  Of course, Hanguang Jun had to remind Yao Gao and Jin Chan that the area of ​​interest had to be large enough to contain a standing or slumped body.  A fist-sized bump probably wasn't an area of ​​interest...

Hanguang Jun, meanwhile, as well as Lan Boming, were looking for the canyon that the Matriarch had described.  However, an hour of exploration later, he had to come to peace that the landscape had probably dramatically changed over the past few centuries and the canyon had filled in, while other gaps had opened.  If he could have made his sword fly, he would have been able to cover much more territory and more important have a view from above.  It was the surest way to spot traces of ancient geological formation in a landscape.

But deprived of this means, he had to rely on more random inspections...  moreover, it was probable that the spell cast on the forest would distort reality… The tree was colossal, and it would take hours, possibly half a day to inspect the targeted face if he was unable to circumscribe the research... Otherwise, he would have to involve more hands... However, the Lan scholars, in addition to playing different music for the occasion, were also busy finalizing the rites with the Jins.  He would therefore have to use Jin Ming's men and for the moment, he was not yet desperate enough.

The small waterfalls remained useful indications as to the height and likely area where the ancient canyon was located and two breaches, situated a little bit above them appeared to him to be likely candidates.

He was checking a rock debris that could potentially be the rest of the ledge the previous expedition had used when Lan Boming sent him a butterfly.  He went to join her in one of the cavities which turned out to be a system of small caves from whose walls water filtered to form one of the thin waterfalls.  However, what had caught Lan Boming's attention was something sparkling almost at the bottom of the cave wall.  Hanguang Jun shed more light with a talisman and inspected further.  He dug with his finger and dislodged the object. He picked it up.  It was a shiny stone the size of a quail's egg, with asymmetrical edges, and partly embedded in a stony sheath.  He continued to inspect the ground and in the small bed formed by the flow of water, he distinguished other small, more modest stones. 

Lan Boming bent down beside him and asked:

“Hanguang Jun, is this crystal?”

Hanguang Jun took out his hatchet and tested the stone.  It didn't break under the impact, and he hadn’t gone at it lightly… The slag disintegrated, but when he reinspected the shiny, crystal-clear stone, he realized that the instrument had left no mark.  He inspected the blade of the hatchet and saw that it had been scratched.

“I am not a gemstone expert but, in my opinion, it is a diamond, zuàn shí, also called the Stone of Morality.”

“Funky name, why?”

“It is a stone associated with transparency, control, and the divine.  It is used mainly to protect against the evil one... According to legend, our predecessors of the Liangzu culture polished their ceremonial axes, carved from corundum, ɡānɡ yù, with this stone, until they had the appearance of mirrors... by analogy, a man's morality must be as hard to attack and tear into pieces as this stone...”

“Oh! So, you mean it's harder than steel!” Lan Boming exclaimed.

“Mm.  Someone said to me a long time ago: “Do you know that even if diamonds are much less expensive and less sought after than jade, I would have liked to be a diamond, indestructible and flashy!?””

Hanguang Jun allowed himself to be transported more than thirteen years back.  He and Wei Ying had stopped at a watering hole that day, so Wei Ying could wash away the smell of death that clung to his skin after a raid on a small cemetery... seeing the translucent marks that streaked his back, he had questioned him, hoping to be able to open the conversation on the subject and perhaps get him to confess what had happened to him during the three months of his disappearance, and what had transformed him into a bitter specter, vengeful and desperate... But Wei Ying, after abruptly pulling his garment back on his shoulder, had cited angrily the perplexing sentence before concluding with those words: “Unfortunately, Hanguang Jun, it seems that in addition to having no value, I will only ever possess one of the qualities of the diamond...’” Then he had grabbed his jug of the horrible wine he had bought in a small village and walked away.

Lan Boming, for her part, would have loved to know who could have held such a conversation with Hanguang Jun.  However, seeing his gaze lost in the past, and knowing that it would have been an indiscretion, she asked instead: “So, this stone has no value?”

“Hmmm… In some countries… in India in particular, it adorns the crowns and fabulous jewels of the maharajahs but not here… it is considered tacky, vulgar.  So no, no great value, at least, not for the moment… However, this answers the question about the habitat chosen by the fairy… Like all precious stones, the energetic qualities of diamonds are enormous…”

“Do you believe this is the same stone that the Shaman stole from the fairy?”

“Mm, and it's an impressive size… Diamonds are generally more modest, like these.” he said, pointing to the ones that were in the water.  He played with the one between his fingers.  It was charged with raw energy.

He let it fall back to the ground, joining the others.  “It's best not to draw the attention of the Jins to this discovery...”

“Hao.  I understand, Hanguang Jun.”

Hanguang Jun! Sizhui's high-pitched voice rang out, startling his father who not only always had an almost knee-jerk reaction as soon as he heard shouting but above all who could not get used to the sometimes-strident notes of his son's voice.

“Hanguang Jun, your little girl is calling you…” Lan Boming said to him mockingly.

He glared at her and hurried out and joined Sizhui on the branch he was standing on about ten meters above them.

“What did you find, Sizhui?”

He showed him a talisman paper that was colored red and green. “I tested this trail of resin... he said. There's blood in it...”

“Mm. That’s good, Sizhui.” His father told him while examining the trunk.  He looked up, following the flow of resin with his gaze then climbed onto the branch higher and onto the next one. Unfortunately, the trail stopped there, and he carefully examined the entire facade of the tree before climbing to the upper level. There he again found traces of resin. He inspected, followed closely by Sizhui and Lan Boming.  He continued to climb, reaching a little more than sixty meters from the ground and noticed that in one place on the trunk, where there should have been an armpit, therefore a depression, the trunk had an enormous bulge under the branch.  The growth was nearly six feet tall, and his arms could not reach around its girth.

He also noticed that the burl, the trunk, as well as the branch there were covered in a kind of flaky material. Probably a whitish layer of mold.  Resin oozed from the junction of the branch and also all around the growth. It had formed a thick layer on the branch below and Hanguang Jun had to stand a little further away to prevent the soles of his boots from sticking to it. 

Sizhui for his part also noticed that there were almost no peonies on the branches in the vicinity of the affected place and that those that grew there were much smarler and less vibrant than the rest.  Not to mention that the birds didn't nest there...

Sizhui passed a talisman paper to his father who proceeded to test the resin and confirmed that it contained a high quantity of blood.

“Hanguang Jun… do you think this is the place? The compass is panicking... it indicates that there is something...” He said to his father.

“I'll inspect a little higher just to be safe, but I think we found it... Lan Boming, ask the students to stop their search.  I also need SongYun to bring the Matriarch up here.”

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, that morning, Song Yuming had accompanied the Matriarch's brother to the cavity that the fairy had designated to bury Peng Lizi.  Unlike the wall forming the cul-de-sac where the mother-tree was nested, this part of the mountain was not steep but on gentle slopes, and so, they were able to make their way to the place without much difficulty, except for the crumbling nature of the ground which easily rolled beneath their feet, and the jungle of peonies that they sometimes had to uproot to open the way.

Like the day before, they apologized and explained to the shrubs that they would be used to make wreaths for the deceased.

The location was south to where Hanguang Jun and his students were conducting their research and dominated the landscape.  The small stream that bathed the base of the mother-tree below, was a perfectly comforting vision and in accordance with the rules of Feng Shui, not to mention that the space also should receive sunlight if the clouds were to be parted since it was away from the shade cast by the mother-tree and its daughters.

Xiao Ge, the matriarch's brother, murmured: “I think she will be happy here...”

“I think so too.”  Song Yuming responded in an attempt to comfort him.  The man had the altered face and the dull look of those who had experienced the pangs of despair and no longer harbored any dreams, any hopes, any expectations... He simply seemed exhausted.

“Did you come with them at that time.”

“No.  I was too young… fortunately…”

“Indeed, fortunately.” Answered Song Yuming.  “Let’s examine the cavity and decide what can be done with it.” 

It was a natural U-shaped depression in the harder rock left behind by rainwater that had polished the surface, highlighting the pinkish grain of the limestone.  However, sand and larger rocks had ended up in the cavity and accumulated there.  It was therefore necessary to empty it.

They quickly estimated the height of the rubble that should be removed and discussed how to protect the grave from the elements.  The Jin soldiers proposed to lay a roof with slabs that they could easily shape from flat limestone rocks which were found everywhere around the site. So, they began by digging, about two meters high from what would be the floor of the tomb, a kind of groove that ran on the three sides.  Below this groove, they planted wooden stakes cut from dead branches that they picked up from the ground and which they drove deep into the walls.  They would be used to support the roof.

This done, they cleared out the rubbles, then they proceeded to pack the soil to make it level.  Using logs that they had split lengthwise, they isolated the spaces reserved along the walls for the funerary objects, leaving a central rectangular space. Then, with SongYun’s help, they brought large flat rocks which they used to fill the middle of the grave, forming a stone altar to receive the coffin, and hoping that by not placing it directly on the ground they would protect it from water infiltration.

Then, still helped by SongYun, they used the groove on the three sides of the wall to slide and interlock stone slabs which came to rest on the stakes to form a vault above the cavity. The gaps between all the stones were filled with cement made of pine needles and resin. 

They were all surprised at the ease with which they were able to work with SongYun, if they did not understand her, her vocal cords having been modified by her transformation, she understood them perfectly, and in addition to her strength, she showed incredible dexterity and agility to lay the slabs in record time.

In the back end of what had become a proper vault, Xiao Ge erected the tombstone. He had taken care to show SongYun her name on the long list of victims and she had seemed thoughtful, both saddened and happy that somewhere, she had been remembered and that this trace of her passage would remain.  As Hanguang Jun had recommended, he spoke and apologized throughout the preparation, bowing repeatedly and even crying, begging for forgiveness from the deceased and the creatures for the role they had played in this drama.

It was very moving and Song Yuming couldn't help but feel compassion for him and his people.  Without wanting it, without having sought it, their art and their knowledge had been diverted for a nefarious purpose, contrary to everything they believed in.  This was why a disciple of the Gusu Lan sect had to choose death rather than teach their art to an undeserving person.  It was also the reason why, a disciple accused of using his knowledge for contrary purposes, or unorthodox procedures, would receive the same sentence as someone who committed a homicide: In many cases, it was death.

Finally, a large flat stone was hammered to fit into the opening, it would be used as a door to block the entrance.

Once the supposed location was identified, the matriarch was brought to the branch for confirmation and from her reaction, Hanguang Jun had no doubt that they had indeed found Peng Lizi’s resting place into the tree.  She bent down and carefully inspected the branch they were on.  She pointed to a Naxi symbol, rendered almost indistinguishable by time and resin, carved into the bark of the branch.  As often happened with trees, because the wound inflicted did not reach the living part of the bark, there was no healing, just wear and tear.  She also pointed to another sign on the branch above them.

“If you hadn't found this place, I would never have been able to distinguish these signs.  Our magic is not as elaborate as yours; it is often impossible for us to find the symbols and seals that we have placed... in reality, no Naxi ceremony is planned to last over time... once the intervention completed, we must remove all traces and return the environment to the state in which we found it... If this had not been done for a nefarious purpose, normally, the symbol would have been traced using chalk and erased afterward.”

Hanguang Jun nodded and summoned Lan Ruoxing and Jin Feng who came to place preservation talismans.  It was important not to disrupt the signs with their own magic before even attempting to revoke them.  Here, as with any form of magic where a spell had been cast and seals placed, the risk of conflict and backlash was high.

The conversation that the two scholars had with the matriarch immediately before getting to work reassured him of the degree of mastery they had of the upcoming interventions.  They seemed perfectly sure of what they had to do and did not hesitate to affix the conservation talismans.

There was immediately a shudder, a subtle change in the aura of the tree but no knee-jerk reaction, proving that the talismans prepared specifically for the case were working. 

Hanguang Jun was impressed. It was extremely rare these days for new talismans to be made or old ones modified.  Of course, in this case, it was more a question of combining two arts, that of the Jins with that of the Lans, not really creation or modifying in depth. However, it was still admirable.

The Fairy whispered, indicating to Hanguang Jun that she had felt something. Hanguang Jun replied in Elvish language, reassuring her and informing her that they had just discovered the location they were looking for and neutralized some magical signs.

“Hanguang Jun, when we were here, we used the ledge to celebrate part of the rites... This time we will have to do it from the ground or on this branch directly since there is no flat surface to work…” the matriarch pointed to him while observing the branch with some apprehension.

Indeed, during the entire extraction, a complex ceremony had to be celebrated in order to revoke the link between the fairy and the dead girl, break the curse, and cleanse the tree of negative energy. For this, there would be between six to nine persons on the branch at all times, not counting students who had to be able to observe.  It was after all a practical class... 

Once this part completed, they would have to enchant the creatures into an eternal sleep or shorten the lives of those who wish it.  And finally, they would perform rites to help all those who had died under the curse pass to the other side.  In the midst of all this, they would have a funeral for Peng Lizi, witness the departure of the Fairy Peony and her daughter, and rescue the children. 

While clearly some of the rites and interventions would be performed elsewhere, however, the first phases would take place right there.

Lan Boming looked at the matriarch tied with a rope as well as the elders. The matriarch couldn't float and the elders, even if they could, the likelihood of them hitting a lower branch before they could even get back upright and breaking their neck, since they were quite old and their bones could be brittle, was quite high.  Moreover, even if the branch was enormous, but with its system of secondary branches, it did not necessarily offer a large exploitable surface area. Moreover, they needed to trace multiple circles…

“Hanguang Jun, this is not an optimal situation…” Lan Boming whispered.

“Mm. The Wood healing circle will be placed under the tree.  On the other hand, the Lan and Jin containment circle which will be used for this ceremony must necessarily be at this height, as well as our working circle.”

“Are you going to float them? All the time!? It’s impossible, especially since you’ll be busy with lots of other things…” Lan Ruoxing said immediately, concerned.

“Mm. You are absolutely right.  We are going to build a platform.”

Lan Boming opened her eyes wide.  “Hanguang Jun, how are we going to do this?!”

“Please, Jin Feng and Lan Ruoxing.  Proceed to revoke this symbol and cast a stasis spell in its place to maintain balance. I need the space freed up.  You can leave the symbol on the branch above.”

The two scholars looked at each other and set to work, proceeding carefully but also with confidence.  In the naxis form of magic, it was not so much a matter of finding opposites to break the original spell, but rather of erasing constituent segments so as to weaken the original intention of the spell caster.  Once the spell was sufficiently weakened, the cultivator created counterspells with the remains of the spell to convert them, modify them, or negate them completely. Fifteen minutes later, they had managed to revoke the naxis symbol, while containing the energy with a stasis talisman.

“Excellent! No leaks.” Hanguang Jun told them.  “Thank you.” he said with a brief bow of his head.

The two men smiled, proud to have impressed the Second Jade and to deserve his praise.

“Lan Boming, help the elders and the matriarch down so they can finish preparing.  Then go see how things are progressing with the tomb.  Inform Song Yuming that they must finished within the hour.  According to my estimates, it is already Wu Shi, 11:00 a.m.  We will begin the ceremony at Wei Shi, two o'clock sharp. In the meantime, send the students back up, it’s class time.” 

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

Chapter Text

Ten minutes later, all his students, in teams of four, were posted on branches overlooking the one under which the ghost was buried.

“We need a working surface.”  Hanguang Jun told them.  “A circular platform around the tree.  I'll give you ten minutes to find innovative solutions to build it.”

The students looked at each other.  They had expected everything but this… However, immediately the groups began to discuss.

Ten minutes later Hanguang Jun ended the reflection time.

“Nie Yunche, Jin Chan, Qin Weizhang, Dong Bodi.  Present your solution.”

“Hanguang Jun, we see no other solution than to build it with the dead branches that we’ll collect at the foot of the trees.  We can use ropes to tie them.  Then we will spread a layer of pine needles on top to level it.”  Nie Yunche said to him.

“Yao Gao, Bao Sang, Rong Peng, Tong Huke?”

“Hanguang Jun our solution was similar.”  Yao Gao told him.  “My sect has the habit of building huts in the branches of trees this way. We could ask the mother fairy to intertwine the branches to make the maneuver easier and the result more secure.”

“Lan JingYi, Lan Sizhui, Jin Ling, Ouyang Zizhen?”

“Hanguang Jun, maybe you could stretch some ropes to form a grid.  Then we will use enlarged talismans to form a surface.  Our solution would make it possible to trace the confinement circle on the surface of the talismans.”  JingYi replied.

“In your opinion, which of these solutions is the best, taking into account the level of effort, available resources, time, and expertise?

“Hanguang Jun, a solution that uses magical intervention is probably the best.  It will require the mobilization of Qi but it will certainly save us time.  The design of the platform with tree branches seems extremely complicated to me... We will also have to use Qi or SongYun to bring the dead branches up and this after having found them and cut them appropriately...” Said Jin Ling.

“Who thinks like Jin Ling?”

For once, they were all of the same opinion.

“Take out your divinity nets.”

Everyone complied.

“Spread them to the maximum around the trunk, as if you were unfolding rolls of fabric concentrically on the branches of the same level.  Just like a spider would do.  Do you understand what I expect from you?”

JingYi and Sizhui looked at each other, exchanged a few words while making descriptive movements with their hands, then Sizhui turned to his father.

“JingYi and I understand Hanguang Jun.  We will need more nets though.  We are going to requisition those of our elders and also the soldiers’. Are you going to sew them and tie them with cords?”

“Mm. I will.”

They set off, and in no time they were back with the nets.  Sizhui grabbed the ends of Lan JingYi's and jumped onto another branch while pulling on the net to extend it as far as it would go. He still had some maneuvering left and jumped further.  Once he could no longer extend it, they lowered it, the enchantment contained in the net automatically forcing all the secondary branches that were under it to bend gently without breaking. Just like a crop circle. The two boys used talismans to hold it in place on the branch then adjusted the edges against the trunk to seal the gaps.  There, they also placed talismans to fix it on the trunk while waiting for Hanguang Jun to secure all the nets together.

The maneuver completed, they looked at their companions who nodded enthusiastically.  They divided the work, discussing the how so that they didn't get tangled, then took action.

The task proved to be a real game for the young people.  While looking for the body of the ghost, they had become familiar with the features of the tree, and the distribution of its branches.  They therefore removed their divinity ropes and multiplied the acrobatics in the branches of the tree, competing in agility with the birds which, at first, seemed disturbed but gradually took to the game and began to follow the young ones, circling around the tree and uttering deafening squawks which mixed with their laughter.  The females with chicks in the branches, concerned, were of another opinion but the young took care to move the nests to shelter in branches above the construction.

Hanguang Jun, for his part, manifested and deployed cords to sew the nets end-to-end and attach them securely to the branches on which they rested.  He worked with a magic needle as if he were an embroiderer, making imaginary thread stitches with an invisible needle, and the strings executed his movements wherever he looked.  It was simply magical and the students, as well as those of the elders who had come up to watch, opened their eyes wide in wonder.

Without realizing it, he poured energy into the work, his thread points becoming runes of healing, comfort, peace, hope, forgiveness that imbued the nets with positive energy and feeling.

“Ah! Such magic!” Jin Feng whispered.

“Indeed, isn’t it?” Lan Ruoxing answered. "Hanguang Jun offers us an exceptional demonstration of his weaving skills.  The Lans, as you know, embroider their clothing with magical runes where other sects, when they have magical symbols on their clothing, use talismans and spells to imbue them.  Embroidery has the particularity of repairing itself, not to mention that they all have a range of properties in addition to protection, such as, for example, they repel dirt or even restrict the emission of odors.  This art comes to us from our founder, Lan An’s wife. However, if all the members of our sect practice this art, they are not born weavers, that is to say creators and natural enchanters, and their works are far from being comparable to what you see Hanguang Jun accomplishing here.  The two jades, since their childhood, have created works of great beauty, both physical and spiritual.  Hanguang Jun, because he manipulates ropes, cords, and strings, has an advantage over his brother when the work is spiritual, like this one.  It is a work similar to your gold catching nets but perhaps more complex.”

“Clearly much more complex, Lan-Xiong.  All the meshes of our nets are identical whereas here, the points are of great variety, of great complexity, and the final works are apparently unlimited as are the combinations of runes which are inscribed therein.  Since our founding fathers, I can't remember when such a great talent appeared in the cultivation world!”

“Mm. Unfortunately, the only other talent that could have matched Hanguang Jun’s followed a path of perdition…” he said with clear distaste in his voice.

“Indeed.”

At the foot of the tree, the soldiers kept pointing in the direction of the construction which looked like a collar of diaphanous and crystalline lace in places created by the nets of the Lans, and golden in places created by those of the Jins.  It was not only an ingenious construction but also a magnificent one.  They were impressed and amazed.  Watching the young people work, many couldn't help but sigh, because they would never reach this level, especially in a sect like Lanling Jin.

Three circumferences later, the young people had built a platform large enough to allow the elders to trace the magic circles and also work in complete safety.

“Congratulations.  You have done excellent work.” Hanguang Jun praised his young students.

They all gathered their hands on their swords and bowed before their laoshi, their eyes and their cheeks bright with exertion and joy.

“You will use the two nets that you have left to build yourself an observation platform.” he said, pointing to a branch which placed them behind the officiants, on the east side because Peng Lizi had been buried in the tree facing to the East.  Which was logical since they were operating on a tree and the magic of the Naxis manipulated two elements: Wood and Earth.

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

Hanguang Jun continued to stitch, securing even more the work. He threaded a rope around the entire outer perimeter of the lattice-like platform, then spreading his hands, he stretched it as far as possible, increasing the diameter of the structure by about a meter and stretching the mesh until the net presented a rigid surface.  He left some flexibility for it to be able to move with the branches in case of high winds.  He then deployed a Hide and Seek talisman to look for weaknesses and finding none, he used even sturdier ropes to tie it to nearby trees and the rock wall of the cul-de-sac.  He revoked the talismans that the students had used throughout the construction and the platform did not move a single centimeter or wobble.

He floated to its surface, landed, and circled it, followed by Lan Boming and his pupils.  When he returned to his initial position he said:

“Elders, may I enlist your help to increase the size of the talisman papers? We are going to cover the whole surface of the nets. The required dimension is that of the radius.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.  You and your students have already done a work of remarkable ingenuity.”  Jin Feng told him. “We are happy to be able to make our small contribution.” 

Lan JingYi and Jin Ling who were measuring the structure quickly provided the dimensions and number of talismans that would be needed.

The students therefore handed them their batches of talisman paper, thanking them for their help.  They could enlarge their blank talismans paper themselves, however, this required a level 5 golden core to maintain this kind of transformation indefinitely.  Furthermore, the level of energy allocated to the transformation was proportional to the magnitude of the transformation. 

Some of the youngsters, like Sizhui and JingYi already had an extremely powerful level 4 core that exhibited bursts of level 5. However, their core had not yet stabilized at this level, they still needed several years of cultivation before they pass this stage and, until then, certain applications were forbidden to them because they drained their core, pushing back its maturation times, and above all put their health and even their entire cultivation at stake.

Indeed, the golden core grew enormously during the first years of cultivation, especially when the apprentice was still very young.  Once level 4 was reached and stabilized, usually in the twenties years of age, it took a tremendous amount of effort to move to the next level, and the efforts went exponentially from there.  In reality, the majority of cultivators were never able to stabilize a level 4 core long enough to bring it to level 5 and seek highest positions and distinctions within their sect.  Eventually, only a few disciples entered the hall of fame by stabilizing their core at level 5, then reaching level 6 and 7, achieving the title of Elder and ancient, then Ancestor and Immortal at level 8 and 9 in a sect like Gusu Lan and the now destroyed Wen sect which were the only ones to have had disciples reach immortality other than the very secretive Sanren sect.

Once enlarged by their elders, the students therefore spread the talismans, completely covering the platform before Hanguang Jun enchanted them so that they formed a surface that was not only smooth but also strong enough to withstand the wear and tear that their movements would cause.

Hanguang Jun drew a first small circle around the tree using a string which blue fluorescence went to mark the space.  “This is the surface of the Earth element, which will also be the working surface of the Naxis and in which they will inscribe their spells for the first part of the ceremony. The outline of the Wood containment circle will be the extent of the rest of the circumference of the platform.”

The scholars nodded.

He then drew a second circle which he placed almost fused to the perimeter of the one which would hold the Earth element of the naxis. Then, he formed a third circle which he placed three-quarters of the radius of the platform.  He launched a multitude of ropes which connected the latter two circles and deployed enlarged talismans to form a second surface on this new delimitated area.  He made it float above the original platform and spun around the Earth circle. Then he enchanted it with complex runes and spells with his strings and divided it into four quadrants.  

“Here is our work circle with the quadrants for the Wood, Fire, Metal and Water elements. As discussed, this second surface is able to rotate and realign itself without us having to change position.  This will allow us to always work with our backs to the East but using the element that is most natural to us, that is to say Wood for the Lans and Metal for the Jins.

The scholars nodded once more.  When discussing circles, the scholars had struggled to understand how he intended to go about constructing these interlocking working circles.  He had just shown them that it was an easy achievement provided you have the imagination and the ability.

“The spells in the working circle, as discussed, should be grouped and aligned with their compass points instead of being strewn around the circle.”  Hanguang Jun continued. “We are drawing a perfect circle and not a companion one.”

The scholars nodded once more, following the outlines they had prepared in their notebooks.

In the meantime, Hanguang Jun was drawing with the two ends of a rope wound around the Earth circle, a corridor which he situated under what would be the Fire quadrant of the second circle when in the perfect position, which was to the South.  He dragged them to the edge of the platform, then towards a branch that grew in the same South alignment.  He covered the entire surface of the path with runes and spells associated with Purge and some that the Lan scholars did not recognize, and finalized with a small confinement circle around which the rope delimiting the path was tightly coiled. 

He had traced everything in records time with strings that shone blue with power, showing how he was so efficient with his time, knowledge, and skills.

“No wonder he concludes three, four hunts in the time it takes us to finish one.”  Murmured Lan Ruoxing.

“Please make sure not to touch the runes and spells I have inscribed in this aisle when you prepare the Wood containment circle that would be a companion circle.” Hanguang Jun warned.

The elders looked at each other because the path was not planned and they did not understand its purpose, but still answered: “Yes, Hanguang Jun.” 

“Thank you for your help and your collaboration.” He said, bowing slightly. “The space is yours.”

“The rest of you,” he said to his students.  “Set up your platform quickly, then go lend a hand with the grave goods. Then go change and put on your mourning clothes for the vigil.”

They had all acquired their mourning outfit, that is to say a white dress without ornament or made of burlap in the city in order to be able to give Peng Lizi, as much as possible, a real burial with respect to the customs and rites linked to burials.  Having died centuries before them, she could easily pass for an ancestor, and they could therefore play the role of little brothers and sisters during her funeral.

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” His students replied.

“Lan Boming, notify Song Yuming that the ceremony begins at Wei Shi, 03:00 p.m., as planned.  I am handing over command of the camp to you.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” 

He let himself fall from the tree and the branches parted to let him pass.

"Why don't they ever do this for us?" Lan Jingyi complained.

Chapter Text

On the grave site, Song Yuming, having received the butterfly from Lan Boming telling him the deadlines to finalize, was working hard with his companions.  The bulk of the work was completed but they were filling the gaps with small stones and cement made from pine needles and resin.  Song Yuming was busy drawing a talisman seal on the door which, once activated, would serve to make the entire tomb waterproof.

Two elders, Ye Kun for the Lans and a Jin, had arrived to perform consecration rites in the crypt. They recited the ritual formulas, burned incense, carved symbols and placed amulets. Ye kun inspected his seal and praised him for the work.

Once the rites were completed, the matriarch's brother returned, helped by the students, to place the funerary objects and the Mingqi which would accompany the deceased in the afterlife.  Spontaneously, other objects were offered by the students and the elders, mainly small personal objects made of jade or ivory. 

The students discussed the fact that the grave, if one day discovered, would be considered that of a wealthy person but would also certainly be the subject of a certain amount of speculation as to its dating...

Ye Kun and the elder Jins nodded, satisfied with the work, and sent the students to change to begin the vigil, as Hanguang Jun had requested.

Song Yuming made a final tour then placed a barrier around the grave before bowing to his Jin colleagues to thank them for their help.  Xiao Ge, the matriarch's brother, kowtowed before them.

Although more physical than anything else, Song Yuming was relieved to have been assigned to this task. It had in a way made him feel useful and caring towards the ghost. However, it was time for him to go down and assist Hanguang Jun.  He tried to hide it, but he was not at all excited about having to witness the extraction of the body...

The first notes of Murmurs in the Wind, a backing song, rose to him and he shivered.  Suddenly, the artificial light which bathed everything in gold seemed gloomy. An innocent young girl had been brutally raped and murdered right here!

Hanguang Jun didn’t waste a single minute after leaving the tree.  He went to the outer camp, passed the Jin barrier without any difficulty like the last time even though they had reinforced it, and went over the root to visit the creatures.  He noticed that many of them, the youngest in particular, recognizable by their very little advanced transformation into a tree, were still under the influence of the spell that he had deployed the day before.

He summoned Peng Lizi and told her to say goodbye.

“I spent the night with my sisters and brothers.” she replied simply.

“It's time, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then take one last stroll.”

He sat and spoke into the wind, explaining to the trees and the creatures dozing within them, what he was going to attempt, and asking them to not fight the enchantment but rather to let it happen.  He reassured them that they would not know any pain, any fright anymore, just oblivion until they their consciousness merge with the tree embracing them and they became trees themselves. 

He asked the wind to carry his message to the creatures throughout the forest as well as to those remaining behind in the town and the Naxis village.  The spell will be carried far and wide, touching those creatures already far into their transformation into trees and helping them to reach that phase mor quickly.  They just needed to accept and receive it.  As well those who had not come here could still benefit from the rites even if the effect would be less powerful.

He didn’t tell them that maybe, once the fairy leaves this sphere, they would all die since the parasites responsible for their transformation will die… or that maybe their transformation would stop, trapping them in an incomplete form.  Or that they would lose their cognition… At least, those caught in oblivion would not know a thing, but the other…

Hanguang Jun asked Peng Lizi about things back in town, and she told him that nothing serious had happened, the creatures were content to ransack homes without intentionally harming the population.  Clearly, they wanted the people to lose what they held dearest, that is to say their material possessions, but were not out to kill them. Hanguang Jun understood.  After all, they would still have their bank accounts, but their houses, their stores, their crops, all of that would be destroyed...

Since the fairy had opened the way for them, they had not been able to communicate with the rest of the team.  Hanguang Jun could only pray that everything keeps going well and that the soldiers and elders did not have to face a few berserk creatures once the malediction was revoked and the parasite in their brain and body dies.

After speaking into the wind, he took out his Guqin and played Calm.  When peace descended on the forest, he played Pleasant dreams and Oblivion, displaying his magic at full force.

When he returned to the outer camp, he turned to the two Jin elders. 

“Colleagues, as soon as the ceremony begins, you will be in command of the outdoor camp.  While the Lans play, it will be up to you to deploy the spells specific to the Jins to appease nature and reinforce the spells that the Lans will deploy to try to lull the creatures into an eternal sleep.”

They nodded.

“If something goes wrong, you will also be responsible for telling Jin Ming when and how to defend the camp. I am counting on you to prioritize all defensive tactics such as frozen spell, stripping and zapping talismans, before using offensive ones that may severely hurt them... I have explained to the creatures, but it is possible that the suffering of the mother-tree and the fairy, as well as the distress of the ghost, will cause, in despite of my reassurance, a defensive rout.  SongYun, if necessary, will come and speak to his brothers and sisters since the ghost will be unable to in a few moments.  I’m containing her and revoking her hability to reach the world of the living. The little fairy will be unavailable, and the fairy Peony might be incapacitated due to the pain. So, bear to mind that communication with the creatures might become much more difficult... and thus, be understanding and act with care and compassion. Do you have any questions?”

“No Hanguang Jun.  We are ready. Please be at ease.”

“Jin Ming, force should only be used in cases of life and death... I am counting on you if the situation becomes perilous to assess it correctly and to request help early enough for me to have time to intervene… Lan Boming will come to the rescue with the Jin soldiers who are in the internal camp and take charge of operations.”

Jin Ming gave a yellow smile.  “This won't be necessary Hanguang Jun, you can count on me to handle the thing here without having to bother Lan-Jie.”

“Mm. I hope your barrier is strong because it is our first line of defense... I had barriers placed at the top of the mountain and imbued with our elders’ Qi so that the creatures cannot pass over to surprise us. However, if the exorcism takes too much energy, we will be forced to revoke these and yours will be our only defensive barrier.  In case it collapses, take refuge in the passage and erect another immediately. SongYun will come and try to appease her sisters and brothers. she knows she has to use the passage to get around...”

“Heh Heh, your girlfriend is pretty smart Hanguang Jun,” Jin Ming told him.  “I trust that this she is not a fifth column and that she is not simply waiting for the opportuny to gut you…”

“Don't worry about that Jin Ming.  Clearly you must have more talent at evaluating gold than living beings...”

“ Ha ha ha, Ha ha ha. Hanguang Jun, this thing is neither man nor beast nor tree.  She is unpredictable.  If I were you, I would be less sure of her...”

“Thanks for the advice but I learned a long time ago that man, especially the illiterate, the envious, and the greedy, is the most malicious thing under the sun.  Just one step behind a demon.”  Answered Hanguang Jun, whose patience for the individual was at its minimum.  “I have to go. Do you have any questions about what I expect from you Jin Ming?”

“No, Hanguang Jun.” He said with a yellow smile.

“Hao.”

He turned towards the four Lans cultivators who had meanwhile set up shop with their instruments.  They were two flutists and two Guqin players.

“Colleagues, I remind you that your repertoire today will be: Calm, Pacify, Peaceful nature, Gentle giants, Lullaby, Pleasant dreams, and Oblivion.  Don't forget that you have dominance over wood and that Subdue is capable of defusing the creatures if you put enough power into it... Once calm is restored, you can also play Restrain (from doing Harm) and Biding You (from hurting yourself). Do your best.” 

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

Everyone bowed including Jin Ming and Hanguang Jun returned to the inner camp.

“Wángbādàn! A real motherfucker your second Jade!”  Jin Ming said vulgarly to the Lan elders.

“Jin Ming!” Exclaimed the Jin elders, but the man turned away and without apologizing went to join his men.

“Elders of the Lans sect, please forgive Jin Ming.  He is a man who has no education but who has yet come very far in life…” said the two men, terribly embarrassed, bowing down in front of their colleagues who were clearly offended.

“As long as he is honest and loyal to his master…” One of the Lans replied.  “That's the main thing.”

The five men remained in charged silence.

Chapter Text

By the time he entered the inner camp, the rites team had had time to do all their setup, including laying out the Wood healing circle at the bottom of the tree and a larger circle of protection within which they would work.  The majority of the team members were either in their position behind their instrument or performing a specific task to begin the ceremony.

He addressed the four Jin cultivators after greeting them.

“Elders of the Jins, you are in charge of the circles here and the healing ceremony.  As you know, our work above will primarily focus on the purification of negative energy and localized pain management maneuvers, that is to say on the very location of the extraction. Also, your talismans and your spells, in support of the music of the Lans elders, will be decisive in managing the pain of the fairy Peony and the mother-tree during this intervention which, unfortunately, will probably be agonizing...”

The elders nodded.  They were closed-faced and clearly anxious about what was to come.

“You will be our eyes as to the general health of the tree and the fairy.  If the extraction process ever gets too intense and you think we need to stop and give them time to recover or for your spells and music to do their job, let me know.” 

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“You are also responsible for managing the circle of protection.  Since we had to commandeer all the divinity nets to build the platform, stay vigilant and ready to manifest your shields and use different spells to protect yourself and your fellow Lans colleagues.  It is not advised to stop playing suddenly and they will therefore be unable to react at short notice. Branches could fall from the tree, not to mention that animals could attack... If possible, avoid harming them.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“The second danger is the backlashes arising from a relationship of contempt when we revoke the naxis spells; your circle of protection is Metal and has dominance over Wood, the element that was used by the naxis for their spells... Provided that you have poured enough power into it, there should be no problem… so the greatest danger therefore remains the negative energy.  You will have to be ready to face it if we ever lose control above.  Your Lans colleagues will immediately change repertoire to assist you in this case. Do you have any questions?”

“No, Hanguang Jun, everything is under control.”

He turned to the three Lan elders and asked them to begin with Clarity, so as to establish their intention to aid the healing and purification process and open the tree and the fairy for healing.  It would also put them in a state to accept the pain as part of the process of healing and cleansing.

“When the rites begin upstairs, you will play Calm, Conquer the pain, and Healing to support the entire healing process.  The Jin elders will decide when it is necessary to take breaks but don’t hesitate to ask for them if needed and thus avoid any damage to your health or your spells being ineffective. However, I hope that your music, combined with their spells, will be powerful enough that it will not be necessary to interrupt the ceremony for significant periods of time.  Lan Sizhui and Lan JingYi will fill in as needed.”

They nodded.

Also be prepared to play Clarity, Cleansing, Subdue, Purge, and Enter the Magic Lamp to support the extraction process and to control negative energy if ever necessary.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.  We rehearsed them all.  We are ready.”

“I see that you have prepared a number of lamps.  It is a good precaution even though I’m confident that I’ll be able to manage the resentful energy…”

“Hanguang Jun, may we ask what your lamp will be?”

“Mm. Don't worry about that, I have something planned.”

“Hao.”

“I heard you play Murmurs in the Wind earlier. If you are ever unable to follow me with one of the compositions or you simply need a break without stopping, you can replay it in muted as well as other accompanying music such as Whispers in the clouds, Cloudless harmony, The Sound of silence. I think these are the most common...”

“Yes Hanguang Jun.  We also master Quiet symphony and Wind in the chimes. We will not disappoint you.”

“Mm. Do your best.”

“Good luck to you too, Hanguang Jun.” they answered.

Finally, he addressed the four Jin soldiers. 

“Lan Boming will be your commander in chief in case of intervention.  For now, continue to stand guard.  Keep an eye on the cliffs, and if you see any suspicious activity, notify Lan Boming by sending her a butterfly.  Please, also help with removing any fallen debris or dead animals and gather them for the burial pyre.”

“Yes Hanguang Jun.”

“Lan Boming, is the grave ready? I don’t see Song Yuming…”

“I went to see it. It’s ready.  Ye Kun has consecrated the place and is in the tent preparing the bath water and the purification circle... She is waiting for you with the mortuary tablet... the students have helped to transport the funerary objects and have gone to put on their mourning clothes. I told them that they had to be on the platform in about fifteen minutes max.  Song Yuming is making himself more presentable, he had sand everywhere...”

“Mm.”

Hanguang Jun took out the qiankun pouch containing the deity cage with the shaman from his sleeve and handed it to Lan Boming.  He also gave her a more elaborate blanket with powerful suppressing runes and some that she could not yet recognized, sewn with assassination strings. Clearly, he has not been idle in his free time…

“Bring the cage up there, return it to its normal proportions, put it in the small confinement circle that I’ve drawn on the branch, and tie it securely with the help of divinity ropes to the branch, then cover it with this new blanket.”

“Will we also have to exorcise the Shaman, Hanguang Jun?” Lan Boming asked.

“Not exactly... Once the curse is revoked, the souls of the naxis will be freed... Already, there are almost nothing left of the shaman.  I’ve looked for parts of his soul and cognition and couldn’t find anything significant that is not irreversibly corrupted… what remains in this cage is just a receptacle for negative energy and demons.  Purification fire should get rid of it.”

“Ah! I understand now what you're planning... I’m relieved that we won't have to multiply the interventions or carry out a human sacrifice... I think that would be too much to ask of the Lans elders, and could even possibly give you a bad reputation…”

“Mm. Thank you for warning me…”

“You can always count on me to do so, Hanguang Jun.” She said impassively.

“Mm.”

He appreciated her frankness and bravery.  She was one of the few people who dared to tell him their way of thinking, although she also knew how to do it sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.

Song Yuming arrived, presented his sword and bowed.

“Hanguang Jun, everything is ready at the tomb.  How can I be of help?”

“Go up and help Lan Boming with the cage.”

“Hao…” He said grimacing. “Are the scholars already in the tree?” He asked, casting a worried look at Lan Boming.

“Ignore the old censors!” Hanguang Jun said sharply. “Do your job.  If they have anything to say, tell them to see me directly!”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” Lan Boming replied with determination.

Lan Ruoxing almost had a Qi deviation when he saw the cage with its contents and understood Hanguang Jun's intention.  Immediately he began to protest.  However, the two deputies noticed that Jin Feng did not support his recriminations.  On the contrary, he walked away with his deputy, calmly continuing with what was his responsibility.

“Lan Laoxiong, I already told you.  You need to talk to Hanguang Jun about this; however, I think you only have two choices, either continue with the ceremony or withdraw.” Lan Boming told him. “My humble opinion would be to proceed, then file a formal complaint against Hanguang Jun with the council once the case is completed…”

What she didn't say was that if Lan Ruoxing decided to stop and compromise the entire ceremony, he would risk his head.  The alpha would undoubtedly shred him to pieces.

“I thank you Shimei for your advice,” the elder replied condescendingly.  “Hanguang Jun will certainly confess to Lan Laoshi and the Council the extent of his fault.  He's an upright and responsible man, isn't he? He certainly wouldn't leave me with the heavy burden of having to denounce him! I will perform the rites I signed up for, however, I will not help with this.” He said pointing to the cage.

“Lan Loaxiong, as you say, Hanguang Jun is a righteous man, he would not involve anyone other than himself. Therefore...” Answered Lan Boming

Lan JingYi’s voice, who had arrived in the meantime with his comrades, rang out to interrupt them: “Laotu, this is very high magic, above your skills, so clearly Hanguang will not need your help!”

“You!” screamed the old man.

Lan Boming moved to slap JingYi behind the head, but Sizhui stepped between them, and she just had time to stop her hand. 

The young alpha woman glared at him but backed away.  The omega smiled with all his teeth.

JingYi gave a mocking grin and took the opportunity to walk away.  The young people returned to their place on the platform that they had set up on a higher branch so that they had a perfectly clear view of what was going on while not being in the way.

“Well said JingYi, and well done Sizhui!” Jin Ling told them.

The comrades approved.  They were all starting to find the Lan elders exceedingly annoying.  They apparently held too much power in the Gusu Lan sect.  In theirs, the elders were there to support and advise but not to oppose.

“Mm.” He replied with a smile.

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun entered the tent where Ye Kun was waiting for him.  She had already drawn the purification circle around the table where the funeral rites would be administered.  She had also drawn a small containment circle in the southwest corner of the tent and set up the mortuary tablet with some offerings and a candle.

Hanguang Jun thanked her with a bow of his head.  Then, he sat outside the containment circle, took out his Guqin, enchanted a talisman paper to record the session, and Played Inquiry to summon the ghost.  She appeared briefly and then disappeared again.  She had probably taken refuge, as usual, in the tree, with the little fairy. 

Hanguang Jun placed his hand on the cords to silence them and spoke in the Elvish language. 

The little fairy appeared at the door and flew towards him.  She sat down beside him.  She was crying and Hanguang Jun talked to her for a while.  She was after all losing the one who has been a sister, a companion, a protector for almost four hundred years… When she regained her serenity, he resumed the session, playing Lullaby to reassure them both. 

Screams and wails rang out from the tree. It has been a while since they have heard Peng Lizi react like that. But contrary to the other time, Hanguang Jun let her wail and lament. Everyone was touched.  It was a grim reminder of what had taken place there.

He finished Lullaby and continued with Calm. The screams gradually subsided, replaced by wick complaints and humming. Once the music was finished, he waited five minutes and played I compel you.  Unlike Subdue or Control which were orders without any nuance, unlike Inquiry which combined powerful orders and compulsion, I Compel You was an exercise in persuasion, a siren song.  This music was used when the entity was not malicious, and the cultivator had previously established a relationship of trust with it that he did not wish to break.  It was a pendulum exercise, too much power and the music would have no effect at all, too little and the entity risked breaking the compulsion. So, while it didn't require a lot of energy, technically it was very subtle, and many cultivators didn't like to play it.  They saw no use for it and simply preferred to command and compel.

It didn't take long for Peng Lizi to be convinced and appeared around the circle.  Her flickering figure was much more intangible than it had been at the start of the case.  It had begun to lose substance with the release of the little fairy and the largely regained serenity of the Fairy Peony. This signaled a reduction in her own resentment but also in general, in all the other negative feelings that fueled her. 

Hanguang Jun played Inquiry, indicating his intention to hold a conversation with the deceased.

“We are going to perform the renunciation rites.  It is destined to those spirits and souls who are ready to pass to the other side and leave behind their grudge.  Are you ready and willing?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

He asked her to state her name, her date of birth, the date of her death and what kept her in this world.  She did so.

“Peng Lizi, I, Hanguang Jun, after investigating, I’ve learned it was really your name and that everything you told me about the circumstances of your death was true. I’ve then endeavored to find your executioners, to make them recognize their crime and to bring you justice. Are you satisfied that you have received recognition and as much as possible the justice that a dead person can obtain over the living?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“Regarding your mortal remains hidden in the mother tree to serve as a medium for the curse, I have promised that I would look for them, take them out, and give them a decent burial.  Are you satisfied with the arrangements that have been made so far and do you trust me to bury you with dignity?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“Regarding your concerns about the fate of the Little Fairy, the Fairy Peony, and your sisters and brothers who, like you, were victims of this terrible curse, I’ve assured you that arrangements would be made to free them and /or bring them peace.  I have as now freed the Little Fairy and today I am preparing to free the Fairy Peony and grant oblivion and sleep to your brothers and sisters.  Are you satisfied with what has already been accomplished and do you trust that what I’ve promised will be achieved?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“If you agree with all of this, then today this curse must end! You must let go of your resentment, your hatred, your pain.  You must accept that you are dead and that your presence in this world no longer has any reason to be. You have to go to the other side of the bridge.  I offer my help to free you, to guide you.  If you agree, you may enter of your own free will this circle where you will remain until I cut your last links with the world of the living. If you refuse, in accordance with the powers I hold as a cultivator, I will proceed to forcibly confine you, then perform an exorcism, and even annihilate your soul if necessary.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“Once in the circle, you will no longer be able to leave it, you will no longer be able to interact with the world of the living. If I wish, I will command you and you will be forced to obey me.  However, please know that as a cultivator, I am bound by an oath and a code of conduct. For this reason, I light this candle in the southwest corner of this room, inside this circle, if during the proceedings that will follow I offend you, if I do not keep my promise, then you will be able to extinguish it, and if the gods judge me guilty, then your fault will fall on me, I will inherit your Karma while you may continue your journey, without burden, to the afterlife and in your next lives.  Otherwise, this candle will remain lit until it burns itself and will be a sign that I have accomplished my task with righteousness and integrity.”

“Hanguang Jun, I trust you.  My karma is mine and no one else's.  So certainly, I will carry it to the end and this candle will stay lit. I am already dead... in the conditions that you know... in truth, what insult, what fault could arouse my resentment again after I experienced it and got no consolation from it all these centuries!?”

“You are very wise, and you’ve learned a lot after your death.  I hope that this knowledge will guide your steps in your next life.”

Hanguang Jun turned to look at the little fairy and told her in elvish. 

“You have to say goodbye to her now. Once she enters this circle, you will no longer be able to communicate directly with her.  However, I will be able to continue to pass her your messages through Inquiry if you so desire.”

The little fairy began to cry again as a supernatural breeze swept the branches of the mother tree and the Fairy Peony began to whisper, encouraging her adopted daughter to take this next step on the path to liberation for all of them.

“Lizi, I wish you peace.  I wish you loving parents and family in your next life.  I hope that your karma is light and that the blame of this life falls solely on those who condemned you to commit these actions after your death, and on me for not having been able to understand their intentions and for not protecting you.  My obstinacy, then my pain and my thirst for revenge when they took my daughter from me were the basis of this curse.  I beg your pardon. Know that I have loved you as my daughter and that all these centuries you have been a comfort to me.  Do not look back so that your journey may be quick and light.”

“My sister, thank you for your company and your love all these long centuries. The Little Fairy told her. It's time now.” She pointed to the circle.

Peng Lizi nodded and entered the magic circle without any hesitation. Immediately all the symbols lit up and the ghost was trapped.

Hanguang Jun played on his guqin:

“Ye Kun will keep you company, play for you, and guard your body if I have to leave to rescue the children before the burial.  In the meantime, I will help remove your remains.  You won't feel any pain.  The magic circle around you will make sure of it.  You will be able to observe the washing, dressing, and all funeral rites and ceremonies, including the burial. However, once the curse is lifted, you can decide to leave at any time, or wait until the bewitchment ceremony for your sisters and brothers ends, or until I’m available to see you through. In all cases, I or Ye Kun will accompany you with our music.  If there is anything, ask Ye Kun on her guqin.”

She nodded and smiled at him.

Hanguang Jun ended the session and Ye Kun took out her Guqin and paper to record her own session if she was having one.  Her repertoire for the dead girl would be: Lullaby, Calm, Safe (from hurt), Healing, Peace at last.

Hanguang Jun beckoned to Little Fairy, signaling it was time to join her mother.  Her role would be to keep her company, encourage her, and reassure her during the procedure.  She had herself gone through a tough process and therefore knew she could trust him.  She also knew what to expect when they played certain music and could therefore help her.

Among other things, Peng Lizi absolutely did not want the Little Fairy to see her corpse before it had been prepared. She wanted to leave her adopted family with a beautiful memory of her.

Chapter Text

The matriarch arrived in the tree just about fifteen minutes after the young people.  She had gone to put on her ceremonial attire.  She stopped in her tracks when she noticed the thing hidden under the suppression blanket. She immediately understood that it was the cage containing her father. 

Her brother, who had followed her, carrying their magical tools, including a bulky ceremonial mask, took her by the hand and turned her away.

“Jie, we still have the hardest part to do... Don't worry... Our father has been gone for a long time... That thing you took off the tree... it wasn't him anymore...”

“Yes.  I know.”

Lan Ruoxing walked over and bow low. “Matriarch, I'm sorry about all of this.” He said, pointing to the cage.  “Hanguang Jun decided the steps and tools that would be used during this ceremony... He will take responsibility for it...”

“There is no responsibility to be assumed since there is no fault.”  The matriarch told him.  “Anything that can happen here to repair what has been done is right. Time is running out; I have to start; please excuse me...” she said bowing.

“Hao.”  Lan Ruoxing replied awkwardly as he gave way. 

She went to what would be her work circle and began to inscribe, under a powerful fire spell that the elders had drawn directly under the burl, Naxis symbols she had carefully chosen with the elders that would work in harmony with the fire spell.  She then completed the circle by writing all around the tree other Earth dongba magic symbols that would be useful in the various ceremonies.

Once done, she arranged her materials, and her brother took out a vial and made her drink a potion.  It was a drug with psychedelic properties that would help her sink more quickly into the Shamanic trance.  Then he helped her put on the heavy mask. 

Immediately the students, from their platform, had the impression that her silhouette had changed.  They looked at each other, disturbed by this strange metamorphosis.  They wrote it down in their notebook to remember questioning their teacher.

Then the matriarch's brother passed her her Damuru drum on which she began to beat rhythmically, humming a song belonging to the magical rites of the Naxis. Her brother, seated behind her, accompanied her with a Tibetan bell.

She was ready and already at work.

Jin Feng and Lan Ruoxing, on the other hand, with an assistant each, mentally prepared themselves for what was to come.  It would be their responsibility to undo the naxis spells and break the seals defending access to the remains.  They knew they were ready but also that they had to be careful because obviously the shaman had been a powerful sorcerer; furthermore, the energy of resentment had fueled and perhaps altered the nature of the spells over the centuries.  It was, after all, a different magic from theirs and its behavior could be unexpected...

Hanguang Jun had studied the Dongba spells as well as the counterspells developed by the rites team and had promised to help, however, the bulk of the work would fall to Lan Ruoxing and Jin Feng with their two assistants because for his part, Hanguang Jun would have the responsibility of mastering, imprisoning, and eliminating the energy of resentment. 

The students would not work.  They would watch from behind a protective shield.

As the tension slowly rose and signs of trance appeared in the Matriarch, Hanguang Jun's guqin fell silent from under the tent and a few minutes later, Hanguang Jun landed on the branch after having float from the base and all the branches opening to give him way.

His two deputies greeted him by bringing their hands together on their swords and his students saluted as well.

He responded with a brief movement of his head.

“Lan Boming, is everything ready?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.  Everyone is in position... The only one missing is SongYun.  I didn't see her...”

“Mm. She probably went to take a look at the outside camp...”

He looked around them.  Obviously, something was wrong.  He put one hand behind his back and closed the other on the hilt of his sword.

“Go get me Lan Ruoxing.” He asked.

“Yes, Hanguang Jun, said Lan Boming, immediately going to invite the elder who was already in the circle and who came to join him on the branch.

“Hanguang Jun,” he said with an anxious expression and bowing at him.

Hanguang Jun also responded with a brief movement of his head.

“Elder of the Lans, is everything ready?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“Mm. What about these animals?” He said, pointing to the thousands of birds and insects which were circling around the tree, or which were perched everywhere on the adjacent branches and indicated by the quality of their cries, an agitation laden with menace.

“Yes, indeed... I noticed that the birds and insects had become more aggressive...”

“Mm. Clearly, they are ready to defend the fairy and the tree.  So why hasn't anything been done about it?”

The scholar blinked several times. 

The students who were not far away heard the question and looked at each other.  Jingyi had gone to Lan Ruoxing and told him that the animals needed to be calmed down and restricted to the other trees.  But the elder, still ramped up by the young boy’s earlier words, not to mention determined to stay away from Hanguang Jun’s heresies as he called them, had replied that Hanguang Jun was old enough to sort out his own business by himself and ordered the young people to keep quiet.

“Your deputies did not communicate any instructions to me regarding that matter... I thought you had a plan for them, Hanguang Jun, since obviously certain stages of this ceremony were not revealed to me...”

The two deputies flinched and Song Yuming glared at him while Lan Boming kept her gaze fixed on the ground and her head bowed. Lan Ruoxing was an elder and the blame could indeed be attributed to them since they had not sought Hanguang Jun's decision...

Lan JingYi made a move to regain his feet, but Lan Sizhui grabbed his wrist and forced him to remain seated, hissing at him under his breath not to intervene in a conversation between his elders.

A frigid silence fell over the group and lasted almost a minute, the time it took for Lan Ruoxing to shrink into himself.

“Elder of the Lans, I expect your full collaboration on this ceremony in the absence of your dedication.  I also expect you to show initiative... This is why I requisitioned elders on this hunt instead of simply ordering my students and my deputies... There is no room here for pettiness! Did I make myself understood correctly?”

The elder bowed low in front of the Second Jade.  “Hanguang Jun, it’s my fault.”  He said, humbly.  “I'm going to play Tame Wilderness at this moment.”

“They are magical animals, and the intention is to command them, surely you will want to play preferably Ensnare (magical creatures). I would appreciate it if you would exile them on the other trees…”

“Ah, Hao, Hanguang Jun. I will do so.” He said, still hunched over.

Hanguang Jun had just sternly set the record straight.  Lan Ruoxing knew that if he wanted to have any chance of continuing to climb the ranks in the sect and be offered a position on the Council one day, he absolutely had to redeem himself.

“Mm.” Replied Hanguang Jun laconic before heading towards his students to give them his instructions.

“Your role today is to take notes and observe. You will need to be able to produce a detailed report of the intervention for posterity.  It is very likely that this is an opportunity that will only present itself once in your life, although you will probably work on cursed or haunted trees, but certainly not on one containing a fairy.”

The students nodded.

“Sizhui and JingYi, you can play on mute if and when you want.  Put very little power behind your notes so as not to exhaust yourself and also so as not to divert the attention of the forces that will be at work here on you. If you do not master a piece of music or do not have the scores with you, as usual, give up playing it altogether or play supporting music.  If I ever need you to play while some of our elders are taking a break, I will inform you directly.”

Yes Hanguang Jun. The two boys answered while immediately taking out their instruments, Sizhui his guqin and JingYi his erhu.  They took out their music sheet book and enchanted it to make it virtual and also so that it would immediately go to the music page as soon as they mentioned the title.

Hanguang Jun nodded to their preparations.

“Everyone, take out your shields and enchant them to stand vertically.  Then, store them on either side of you.  Six on one side and six on the other. When you need it, just order and they will come and cover you. Now execution and demonstration, please.”

They took out their shields and demonstrated.  They had gained confidence and dexterity with the handling of their shield, having all spent time handling the tool over the past few days.  Even Bao Sang, his Qi had aligned with his ancestor's shield making it less heavy for the young boy.

“Mm. Excellent.  Now Jin Ling, draw a circle of protection Metal. Your core is strong, and your sect has dominance over metal and therefore over Wood in a cycle of destruction.  The magic of the Naxis used here is related to Wood.  The magic that will be used today for counterspells is a combination of Lans and Jins.  Your circle will therefore be more effective than that of most of your comrades in repelling attacks from the Naxis brand of magic.”

Jin Ling got to his feet and cast the spell for the circle.

Hanguang Jun nodded.  The spell was powerful.  The young boy had made giant steps over the past few months.  He was proud of his student but also of the Lans method of teaching because it proved its effectiveness in refining the knowledge and gifts already awakened by the other sects in their disciples.  Jin Ling, by the time he reached sixteen years old, would be able to wield his father's sword without difficulty and eventually, he could bring the spirit of the instrument to an even greater level.

“I sent a message to SongYun.  She will come join you.  She promised to protect you in case of problems, she will help you evacuate the tree and reach the outer camp if needed.  Song Yuming will be responsible for you in that eventuality. Does everyone understand?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“Lan JingYi, you will assign yourself a punishment for disrespecting an elder this morning during the meeting.”

“Two punishments, Hanguang Jun.  He did it again when he got here this afternoon.”  Sizhui denounced him.

“You! Who taught you to be an informer!?” JingYi said to him, glaring down at him.

Sizhui lowered his eyes, rendered docile before the alpha's wrath.

Hanguang Jun snapped his fingers to distract Lan JingYi from his omega son.

“Pressuring and raising your voice on an omega is prohibited.  Rule 903. Lan JingYi, did you take your suppressants for your rut? I find you more vindictive than normal...” His teacher asked him.

After being differentiated into alpha at eleven years old, JingYi had his first rut at thirteen years old.  Like many alphas from the main family line, he was a little precocious.  The majority of his friends would wait fourteen, fifteen, or even sixteen years old for theirs.

“Ayah, Hanguang Jun.  I took all my medications.  These elders would tempt a saint!"

“That’s true!” Nie Yunche supported.

“They are old, you have to be tolerant.” Ouyang Zizhen countered.

“Mm. They are old, it’s true, but they are also supposed to be wise…” replied Hanguang Jun.  “Obviously, they missed this rule! Anyway, JingYi, you will give yourself two punishments. Community works.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun. Thank you Hanguang Jun.” He said with enthusiasm. JingYi loved community work.

“Well, good participation everyone.  Please stay safe and be kind to SongYun.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun, good hunting, Hanguang Jun.”  They replied, bowing.

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun went to the South Quadrant to check that the cage was secure and that the path he had created had not been tampered with while the team was preparing the other circles.  It wasn't.  It was extremely difficult to damage the assassination cords and whatever was created from them. Satisfied, he returned to the working circle.  As he passed, he noticed that Lan Ruoxing and his assistant, on a branch a little further away, were finishing controlling the birds and insects which were settling on the daughter trees.  They were not asleep but dazed and only emitting faint chirps and buzzing noises. 

He waited for the two cultivators to return to the circle and sent a butterfly to the elder Jin who was in control of the operations below.  This confirmed that everyone was ready and in position. 

Hanguang Jun activated the double circle.  Immediately a wave of power swept across the platform and spread from the top of the tree to its roots, also activating the fire spell in the Earth circle and the Healing Circle of the Jins that was at the foot of the tree.  Everyone on the platform and those sitting in the circle at the foot of the tree felt the energy vibrate in their veins. The magic healing, containment, and purification runes of the Lans, inscribed in the circles lit up in dazzling blue and white light, while the spells of the Jins flashed in gold.  They multiplied and floated all around the tree in a twirling ballet of gold and azure words and symbols.

Hanguang Jun signaled Jin Feng who also cast an activating spell and the meshes of a golden net came to connect all the runes and spells, those in the magic circles and also those floating all around the tree, creating a magic shield above and all around the tree.

“Whaw.” murmured several students, amazed.

“I think I will never forget this vision.” Qin Weizhang whispered.

“This hunt will go down in the annals of cultivation, there is no doubt about it.”  Ouyang Zizhen commented.

“If I were you, I would wait until the end.  Lots of things can still go wrong.” said Jin Chan.

His comrades ignored him.

“Ah, sighted Jin Feng.  When you explained it to me, I had doubts that we could power such a tremendous work, Jin Feng murmured.  Now, you have just done it with your sole golden core, Hanguang Jun... So young and already such power! I wish you Immortality.”  He said bowing to the younger man.

“Thank you, but let’s not put the cart before the horse.” He answered politely. “So much can happen until even a real chance of this happening occurs...”

“You are too modest.” Insisted Jin Feng.

“Hanguang Jun knows how difficult it is to put aside human feelings...” Lan Ruoxing commented. “I suppose it is even harder when one is an alpha…”

“With such a golden core, Hanguang Jun has centuries ahead of him to correct himself and reach Nirvana.”

“You are right.  It’s just that the path may turn out to be more difficult than it seems at first glance…”

“If the path were easy, the reward would be ill-deserved...” Jin Feng corrected him.

“Hao, Hao. I bow to your wisdom, dear colleague.” Lan Ruoxing said, sensing reproach in his new friend's voice.

Hanguang Jun cast a spell to form a small wood suppression circle and then a second small metal suppression circle.  He unfurled ropes around the small circles before attaching them to the circle of naxis.  Then, Hanguang Jun carefully pull out, taking care not to touch it, the dagger, that he placed in the metal suppression circle, then he took out the contract, that is to say the bark of the mother-tree, lined with the skin of Peng Lizi's back, which he placed in the wooden suppression circle.

Immediately the atmosphere became heavy. The tree shuddered while the fairy whimpered. Hanguang Jun hastily talk to her in elvish.

The elders had their eyes glued to the two artifacts that they were seeing for the first time and exchanged a few words between them when they saw them smoking, specifically the dagger which lifted itself, trying to escape from the circle.  Fortunately, it was a very powerful circle and the power of the cultivator that had casted it enormous.

“Heaven, what is this thing?” Lan Ruoxing whispered with a look of horror on his face.  He had fought in the Sunshot campaign and had been among those present during the bloodbath.  Jin Feng had not taken part in any combat and so had only heard descriptions of the Tiger amulet; however, he immediately made the connection.

“Is it possible that there are two different materials with the same properties?” he asked Lan Ruoxing.

“I... I don't know but it looks a lot like Yin iron”

Hanguang Jun paid no attention to their whispers.  He took out his Guqin, followed by his two deputies, and said:  

“Elders of the Jin sect, please place and activate the healing and purification talismans directly on the burl.  Elders of the Lan, play Cleansing and Purify (from miasma) on repeat.”

Jin Feng immediately stood up with his deputy and deployed the talismans that the joint team had prepared for the occasion. They went to fix themselves all over the growth.  Jin Feng activated them, and the mass became covered in a tangle of golden lines and blue runes at the intersections, while Lan Ruoxing began Cleansing, supported by his deputy and Hanguang Jun's two deputies.

Hanguang Jun had meanwhile enchanted some talisman paper and questioned the fairy in the Elvish language to see if she felt pain. She answered no but he could sense her anxiety.  He reassured her. Telling her that they would do their best to ease her pain and above all that they meant her no harm.  He asked for her trust.

He again deployed ropes which became entangled with the meshes of the net which covered the growth and also anchored themselves with the circle of the Naxis.

Lan Boming nodded, now understanding what Hanguang Jun had concocted... She had noticed spells similar to those engraved on magic lamps on the floor and the bars of the cage, not to mention on some of the talismans that Hanguang Jun had covered the shaman with, as well as the blanket.  The spells she could not identify were probably possession ones.  He had on the other hand, imbued the strings and the paths with runes and spells of the Purge family. If all went well, the ropes would automatically drain the negative energy and pour it into the cage and its occupant. It was simply awesome! 

She explained it in a low voice to Song Yuming who opened his eyes wide and nodded.

“Please continue by revoking the stasis spell we placed earlier under the platform to keep the balance of the Naxi symbol.  Also revoke the second Naxi symbol.”  Hanguang Jun said, pointing to the symbol carved on the branch above them. “It is time to expose this curse.”

Jin Feng nodded.

“I'm taking the lead on Cleansing and Purify.” he said to Lan Ruoxing who silenced his strings then got up to go help Jin Feng.

They started by revoking the second Naxis symbol counting on their stasis spell to compensate and ensure a slightly less abrupt transition.  They had done it before and so proceeded with confidence. The tree's aura became a little more charged and the branches began to sway. Hanguang Jun immediately spoke to the fairy.  He could also hear the voice of the Little Fairy speaking to his mother.  She was telling her of the things she wanted to do with her once they were free and had joined their family in the other sphere. It seemed to distract her from her fear a moment.

The two elders then revoked the spell under the platform. 

The fairy screamed and the peonies began to whiter, releasing a shower of petals all over the place.  The wind rose and the whole tree swayed, the platform with it. 

JingYi put away his instrument and grabbed Sizhui's hand because he saw him turn green.  He had also stopped playing.  Sizhui suffered from seasickness and the movement probably bothered him.

Hanguang Jun spoke to the fairy again then spoke into the wind so that it would carry his message to the forest so that all the plant kingdom would remain calm. The tree stabilized.

The burl changed appearance as its first layers peeled off. Gradually, it no longer looked like a shell but like a cancer that pulsed with negative energy and let out a stream of putrid resin.  Jin Feng’s deputy applied cleansing talismans.

Hanguang Jun addressed the Naxis:

“Xiao Ge, can the matriarch hear and understand me, or will you serve as interpreter?”

“I will repeat your orders to her in dongba, but in general, even in a trance, she understands what is being asked of her.”

“Hao.  It's time for her to intervene.

The matriarch, who had not stopped muttering and emitting disjointed sounds, stood up in a very stiff movement. Her bones creaked as if she was a skeleton hiding under her clothes and mask.  Then her voice, now guttural as that of a man, rose in a strange speech. Hanguang Jun realized she was speaking in tongues; glossolalia was a phenomenon by which shamans, mediums, priests of certain religions spoke or prayed aloud in a language having the appearance of a foreign language, unknown to the person speaking. In fact, it was a matter of fluid vocalization of syllables resembling words but meaningless except perhaps for the person who uttered them and the power they carried.  He had heard it referred to as the tongue of angels in the Hebrew religion.

Gradually, the old woman left the world of the living and entered the world of spirits.  She squatted with bone-rattling sounds and prostrated herself multiple times in a very supernatural and disturbing way and speed.  Her brother followed her example and then they began to recite formulas in Dongba, begging the spirits, the Shus, to forgive their faults and grant them the power one last time to intervene and repair what could be repaired. The branches of the tree continued to sway gently in the wind.  Then, she held out a strangely pale hand towards the dagger which turned on itself to point in her direction, but it was unable to fly to her since it was incarcerated in the magic circle traced by Hanguang Jun.

She waved her hand again and Hanguang Jun lifted the circle which glides along the cords toward the woman then rise to position itself above her.  The containment circled then slowly lowered itself and the dagger came to rest in the shaman's hand while the circle arrange itself in the Earth circle. That way, if the matriarch ever lost control, it would prevent the artifact from attacking.

Everyone sighted but no one had time to react any other way because when the dagger touched the woman's hand, she collapsed with a terrible scream. The hand holding the dagger shook violently, coated in ink-black smoke, as she tried to master the tool.

Everyone held their breath once more because she had to perform an essential maneuver at that moment. She had to thrust the weapon in the Fire spell drawn by the elders which would, if all went well, consume at least part of its resentment, allowing the matriarch to manipulate it hopefully long enough to extract Peng Lizi's body from the tree. 

The dagger had accumulated so much negative energy over the past centuries that if it was not drained, it risked breaking the spirit of the person holding it in their hand or simply refusing to obey them. 

Peng Laoban had suffered a gradual infestation which allowed him to acclimatize to the level of negative energy and also to maintain his dominance. 

The matriarch's brother, crouching beside her as she moaned, began to recite magic formulas, calling on the Shus to come forward and claim the tool again.  They had, after all, been its first tenants.  She tried to lift her arm but was unable to.  She remained in the circle, overcome by the resentment of those whom the weapon had been used to torture, that is to say the missing children and the little fairy.  All their pain had accumulated there and was now pouring into the shaman's soul.

“She won't be able to do it.” Lan JingYi whispered.

“Hush, bird of ill omen!” Sizhui scolded him.

“It's not looking good.” Jin Ling confirmed.

“We're screwed.” Ouyang Zizhen concluded gloomily.

The elders cast anxious glances in Hangaung Jun’s direction who, for the moment, remained impassive.

“Hanguang Jun, I think we're going to have to move on to plan B.” Lan Boming said to him.

“Bichen is certainly not going to thank me if I have to involve it in this...” he murmured.

As he was about to make a decision, a hand appeared above the matriarch, coming from a branch further above her, it extended, slowly reaching down to the dagger.

Xiao Ge looked up and suddenly prostrated himself and started reciting prayers as the serpentine limb descended from above.

“Hanguang Jun… It’s a Shu!” Song Yuming whispered in fear. He was referring to the nature spirits of the Naxis which were always described with snakelike attributes. 

“It’s SongYun,” said Hanguang Jun with a nod of appeasement to his deputy. “She’s trying to help. But indeed, shu are also feminine spirits.  So, one must ask what the dongbas ancestors had seen in the days to believe in Shus…”

“Oh! Okay, Yeah.  I can do with SongYun instead.  I like her.”

Lan Boming snorted.

SongYun gently closed her hand over that of the matriarch, and the old woman, although groaning in pain, raised her head hindered by the heavy mask from the ground.  Her brother grabbed her by the waist and with their help, she managed to kneel and SongYun guided her hand. The dagger, feeling the power of the Fire spell, immediately began to smoke and resist.  A thick cloud of resentment enveloped the matriarch's forearm and climbed up along SongYun's.  From the scream of the old woman and the noises made by the creature, they all understood that the attack was not only spiritual but also physical.

The creature, however, did not allow itself to be overcome by the pain and feelings that the artifact poured into its mind.  Maybe, she even encountered there her own suffering at the time, and this motivated her to resist. She used her strength and helped the matriarch drive the dagger into the spell.

The negative energy screamed, and everyone could hear it clearly.  Hundreds of voices pleading, crying and yelling, mocking and bargaining, and pain, immeasurable pain that tried to assault the senses and break the mind. The platform shook violently as the miasma struggled to escape the spell.  If it managed to break it, it could be the start of a catastrophe.  There was a risk of backlash not only for the matriarch that had triggered the spell, but also for the person who had activated it.  After toppling the matriarch, it would attack the Metal containment circle, and once free, everything could go to hell very quickly and the whole ceremony risked being compromised.

However, the power of Hanguang Jun's core that fueled the spell was phenomenal and the negative energy had to submit. its jolts and rattled, then the lines of the spell began to darken.  They were absorbing the negative energy contained in the dagger which then passed through the ropes attached around the Earth circle, and then followed the pathway formed by them that channeled it to the cage.  The circle around the contract also lit up and the negative energy contained in the artifact moved towards the circle of the naxis, then followed the same path to enter the cage. Whatever was trapped inside stirred, shaking the cage, but the suppression blanket muffled the noise.

The matriarch was able to take her hand off the weapon.  She immediately fell to the ground, moaning while her brother applied ointment to her hand.  He also talked words of encouragement to her.

Jin Feng’s deputy went to her to transfer Qi and assess her health. It was a difficult task as he discovered that the woman’s vitals were closer to those of a walking dead! He could only deploy talismans to help with the pain management and to accelerate the healing process.

The Lans continued to play Cleansing; It was imperative that they reinforce the fire spell in order for it to drain as much as possible the dagger of its resentment.

Chapter Text

The students followed attentively, and JingYi pouted with derision when he saw the frightened eyes of Lan Ruoxing who had just understood the maneuver.

“Hey, Jin Ling, Zizhen, can you guys go see how SongYun is doing?” asked Lan JingYi who didn't want to stop playing at the moment.

“If she is injured or infested, please help her.  Place healing talismans on her and if necessary, cut off her arm!” Sizhui whispered.

“Sizhui cares so much about his future mother-in-law.” Jin Ling teased.

“Mm. You know I like her. More than your devious auntie.”

“Humph.  This is ridiculous.  My aunt is not that bad.  Hanguang Jun would make a very good deal and at least, she will be able to give him descendants!”

“And what else, a warm bed!?” Qin Weizhang interjected.

“Oh, there is someone who thinks she would do better than Jin Ling’s aunt…” Nie Yunche hummed.

“Of course! I am a cultivator and therefore potentially a cultivation partner, she is just an omega and nothing more! He won't get far with her!”

“Weizhang is right.”  Dong Bodi said. “Hanguang Jun will never take a partner who is incapable of supporting his cultivation and with whom he cannot hold any inspiring conversations! Weizhang is talented and she is young, which means she has every chance of cultivating at a much higher level...”

“Weizhang is his son's meimei, she is the same age as him.  Hanguang Jun doesn't like children! Moreover, a political marriage to ensure the alliance between two sects can have much more importance than everything you just mentioned Dong Bodi!” Jin Ling countered.

“Hanguang Jun is clearly allergic to women.  He’s a cutsleeve. He won't marry one!”  Jin Chan hissed through his teeth.

“If you talk about Hanguang Jun's sexual preferences one more time, I'll beat you up!” Lan JingYi warned.

Hanguang Jun looked over his shoulder at them from where he was.

“Hush, hush, hush.”  Tong Huke whispered.

They all shut up.

Jin Ling and Zizhen regained their feet and quietly slipped away.  They climbed the branches and called softly to the creature.  They saw her in a branch a few meters above them and approached her slowly.

She held out her hand as if to show it to them.  It had turned black, as if it was burning from the inside.  The illness had already affected a good part of her forearm. She had two rows of pinkish tears marking her cheeks.

The boys applied extraction talismans to her and took her back with them so that she could benefit from the music played by the two Lans and they could continue to monitor her. Sizhui redirected the intention behind his music onto her and once they had finished extracting the evil, they applied healing talismans. Yao Gao, who had a balm known to be very effective against infestation wounds, soaked some talismans and applied them to her as well.

Satisfied with the care provided to the one who had become a friend, they refocused on the ceremony.

“Does someone know how long it’s going to take?” Jin Ling asked the two Lans while reinstating his place.

“We have no idea.  The dagger is small and is only tainted, contrary to a tool made specifically to store negative energy like a lamp, and to also command it, like the Tiger Seal… So, I think there’s hope that it will be manageable sometimes today…” Sizhui answered.

“Sometimes today! What do you mean?” Yao Gao exclaimed.

Sizhui shrugged, before remembering that it was a habit that he was trying to get rid of since it was considered overly impolite in the Lan sect. He turned to answer but JingYi gripped his arm.

“It’s fading!”

Indeed, the darkness began to fade and after a while the cords, and then the Fire spell regained their full brightness, and the dagger fell to the sides.

The matriarch rose from where she was laying and grasped the dagger.  This time, the weapon didn’t attack her.

“Ah! It worked!” the scholars exclaimed, casting admiring glances in Hanguang Jun's direction as the matriarch returned to her feet.

She approached the burl as Hanguang Jun spoke to the fairy to inform her of what was coming next.

Everyone held their breath.  She raised the dagger and stabbed it into the bulge.  Several things happened at the same time:

The fairy screamed and Hanguang Jun closed his eyes, gritting his teeth.

thousands of flowers automatically withered and fell from the branches, followed by leaves and even a few quite huge secondary branches fell and crashed.

The spells, as well as the meshes of the net, emitted golden and bluish sparks which flew in all direction, transforming into the constituent runes before falling back on the bump.

Negative energy exploded from where the dagger had been planted, pushing against the mesh of the net that encircled the growth but fortunately, the net held and immediately, the ropes began to drain the energy.

Putrid resin, like molten lava, cascaded from the cut and immediately the assistant scholars deployed talismans.

The other trees trembled violently, and the birds and insects broke the spell cast by Lan Boming and crashed into the magic shield erected around the tree.

The wind rose with force, as if it there were a storm, and the trees began to murmur among themselves.

The platform rocked violently, and everyone had to anchored themselves.  The students cast sticky talismans to themselves and their material; seeing that their elders had not think of the trick, they cast some towards them.  Song Yuming, despite the stress he was under, smiled.  The teens were really ingenious.

Lan JingYi, once again, hold Sizhui’s hand as he was hit with a bout of nausea.  Clearly, Zizhen also was not feeling well as he too was prone to seasickness which was strange since he was born on the shore of the river and had been taking the boat since he was a child.  He would always joke that he took it from his mother who was Uyghur.

SongYun, whom the students were also trying to reassure and keep on the platform with them, sat down again. They had also used sticky talismans to restrain her.

Hanguang Jun let the little fairy talk to her mother and try to calm her down.  She began to chant in the Elvish language but clearly the pain was too much and was clouding the Fairy’s mind. For his part, he was pouring all his power in Cleansing, reinforcing the spells and making sure that the resentment pushing against them didn’t break them.  He however decided to speak to the wind at the same time to try and appease nature.  It was essential that the elements collaborate and that the trees keep the creatures, that had come out of the enchantment in which Las Ruoxing had plunged them, within their branches and as calm as possible.  They were hurting themselves on the shield around the tree and probably on the one cast by those beneath the tree.

“Butterfly.” Hanguang Jun said, and one of those from his qiankun pouch manifested. He sent a message to the outer camp, asking them to play Peaceful Nature until nature calmed down before returning to Pleasant Dreams and Oblivion. He sent another one beneath the tree, asking them to play Calm and Clarity, before returning to his conversation with the wind.

Once the wails and cries of the fairy started to subside, and the trees and wind were under control, he tried to pick up his guqin and was surprised to find himself and the instrument glued to the platform. He had not realized what the students had done and Song Yuming pointed to one of the talismans and then to the students.

He nodded, clearly impressed with their quick thinking. He indicated for the others to keep playing Cleansing, unglued himself and walked out of the shield.  He played Ensnare to return the animals to the other trees.

Unfortunately, many had lost their lives and lots of them were stunned form their encounter with the shield.  Lan JingYi and Lan Sizhui accompanied him on the music. Once the animals were enchanted anew, he pulled out a vermin-repellent talisman that he quickly modified, multiplied, and blew toward the shield which absorbed them. Hopefully, they would keep the birds and the insects from crashing into it again if the enchantment broke yet again.

The matriarch, meanwhile, deaf to everything that was happening around her, continued her macabre work while her brother recited incantations, and the Jins continued to apply talismans to cleanse and above all mind the pain.

Hanguang Jun went back to his position and began playing Healing.  The fairy was suffering horribly and before their eyes the tree was withering.  Unfortunately, there was no other way to get to the body and he asked her to endure and be brave.

Hanguang Jun also checked and strengthened his ropes all over the circle. He trusted them more than the spells cast by the scholars, and also, they were essential to drain the resentful energy.  It was one element that could not malfunction.

A burl was a growth in which the grain of the wood has grown in a deformed manner. It was commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch, that is filled with small knots from dormant buds. Which is to say that it was very compact and hard wood. The operation lasted almost two hours, and if the matriarch had not been in a trance and endowed with supernatural strength, if the dagger itself was not a magical tool, she would never have succeeded in opening the bulge.  From the sound the blade made when it met the tree, everyone realized that if they hadn't been able to master the dagger, Hanguang Jun would probably have had to use Bichen because very few of their swords would have been powerful enough.

When the shell was finally completely removed, the matriarch slumped to her knees and let the dagger slip from her hand. Even though the deputies had worked hard, she was covered in filth and waste had piled up around her.  Lan Boming bent down and carefully wrapped the dagger in its qiankun pouch covered with containment runes again and passed it to Hanguang Jun.  Then she revoked the metal containment circle. 

The two assistant scholars kept cleaning and putting the pieces of the burl inside a qiankun pouch.  It was a disgusting task, but they did it without hesitation.  It was all part of the job.  It would have fallen on the students if they were allowed on the main platform.

Hanguang Jun rise from his position after quieting the strings of his instrument and walked over to the trunk. He put his hand on the trunk and peered inside the cavity. His heart sped up when he vaguely saw a figure drowned in the mixture of resin and organic matter.  Despite the quantity that had already flowed during the operation, there was still an enormous quantity left.  All in all, it looked like the inside of a womb. He tried to control his disgust and his uncertainty... the memory of the incident he had witnessed as a teenager came back to his mind...

“I need to see things more clearly.” he whispered through his teeth, fighting his nausea.

Lan Boming, aware of his difficulties and seeing his clammy complexion came to his side. “Hanguang Jun, I will replace you and overview the cleaning.  Take a moment.” She said, looking into her qiankun pouch and passing him discreetly something.

Mm. He answered before leaving the platform.

He went to the cave that Lan Boming had found earlier on, crouched and scooped water to wash his face, his eyes tightly shut and fighting the nausea.  It wasn’t enough and he threw up. 

A helping hand came to hold his hair aside and Sizhui’s sweet smell invaded his nostril. It took him some time to get the nausea under control.  Once done and his mouth rinsed, he could finally raise his head. Sizhui put a hand on his forehead and guided it against his thighs. They remained in that position a while, Hanguang Jun with his eyes closed and letting the young boy’s smell and pheromones comfort him.

“Are you feeling better, baba?”

“Mm.”

“Okay.  Wash you face now and put some of the mint ointment under your nose.  I also have mint leaves to chew.  You are going to be okay.” He said with assurance.

He followed his son’s instructions, amused and comforted by his care.  He was saying to him the same words he used to say to Sizhui when the latter was sick.

Once done and feeling human again, he went back to his feet and took the boy into his arms.

“Thank you, baobao.”

“Don’t thank me baba.  You are always there for me in my times of needs… Usually every four months now…” He was talking about his cycle.  He was usually miserable and needy, craving his father’s care and attention.

“Mm.” Said Hanguang Jun before scenting him.

“How is Hanguang Jun?” JingYi asked.

“What’s going on with your father?”

“Is Hanguang Jun okay?”

“What happened?”

“It’s a difficult scene over there and the smell is foul…”  Said Dong Bodi with a lot of insight.

“Mm.  He’s okay.  He needed a moment…” Answered Sizhui, laconic. Signaling that he wouldn’t discuss it further.

JingYi gripped his fingers and smiled at him and Sizhui nodded, confirming that everything was under control.

Chapter Text

The Jins, while Hanguang Jun was absent, had done a commanding job at cleaning, cleansing, and minding the stench with talismans.  Hanguang Jun realized that he hadn’t been the only one inconvenienced.  Lan Ruoxing and Jin Feng were also quite green. Ointment had been passed around.

However, If the assistants had cleaned the outside, they had not touched at the inside.  The matriarch was still stunned and probably out of commission for a while…

“Cleaning talismans, please.”  Hanguang Jun said.

The two men enlarged their talismans to the size of a bath towel and passed them to him.  He inserted them into the cavity through the mesh of the net that continued to extract resentment.  Slowly, he cleaned with extremely delicate movements of his hands and fingers, as if he were embroidering or playing his guqin.  He also spoke to the fairy from time to time, checking on her health and stopping from time to time to give her a moment to rest and composed herself.

While working, Hanguang Jun slowly gained confidence, and his movement became surer.  He also let Lan Boming and the two assistants helped, instructing them.  They brought the talismans weighed down with secretion and waste towards the pile destined for the pyre that kept growing and growing.

Hanguang Jun started to notice more and more worms, signaling that the fairy was bleeding.

“Cauterization talisman, please.”  He asked, and the assistants hastened to provide what was necessary. “Also, beware of the parasites.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” They answered.

Hanguang Jun explained to the fairy again before applying them.

She screamed and Hanguang Jun closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.  The birds once again broke the enchantment but did not throw themselves against the magic shield, they circled it and squawked in distress. The fairy went almost silent only emitting little pathetic sobs.  She was in excruciating pain. 

He sent a butterfly asking the healing team to put more power behind their notes and spells.

“Numbing talismans.”  He asked, and once more the assistants provided.

Hearing her panting into the tree and sobbing, at that moment, let everyone had a very clear idea of ​​the pain she was going through.  The tree also continued to deteriorate, dropping branches while all the peonies finished withering away.

“Human beings are monsters.”  Murmured Ouyang Zizhen, tears running down his cheeks.  He was not the only one crying and even Lan Ruoxing was mopping at his eyes with his handkerchief.

“Hanguang Jun,” said Jin Feng that had been applying healing talismans and spells, “The Healing team says we need to stop, the fairy’s lifeforce is low and fading; if we continue, we will endanger both her and the tree.”

“Mm.  let’s take a recess.”

Hanguang Jun resumed the operation a second time, then a third, and a fourth time before finally the inside of the cavity was sufficiently cleared and the bleeding controlled.  The dead girl was leaning to the side, in an almost vertical position, covered in a residue made of blood and resin, welded to the wall at her back by what looked like a membrane streaked with large pulsing veins and in which Hanguang Jun could see liquid circulating.

“Is that an umbilical cord?” Asked one on the assistant.

“Mm.  Looks like so…” Hanguang Jun confirmed.

They had perfectly understood what the spell was.  The dead woman was indeed in a parasitic uterus which had been grafted onto the body of the fairy.

The matriarch, who had remained stunned for a long time while her brother had continued to recite incantations and sing ritual songs, suddenly came back to life and leaned over to observe what Hanguang Jun had brought to light.

Hanguang Jun observed the meshes of the net which continued to pump the negative energy contained in the tree.  They were black with resentment and pulsing.  Clearly, it could take a while, and as long as they have not finished removing the negative energy, they could not take down the net to extract the body. Hanguang Jun returned to his Guqin.

“Elders of the Lan,” he said to his elders and his deputies, “you will play Purge to speed up the process while I will play Possession.  We need to finish the extraction quickly and start treating the tree and the Fairy.  They are both exhausted.  The tree risks suffering irreversible damage if the intervention lasts too long; as for the Fairy, we are in danger of losing her.” “Fellow Jins colleagues, please help us with your spells.”

“Yes Hanguang Jun.”

“Sizhui, JingYi, please play Calm in the meantime.”

“Healing Team, please play Clarity.” He told them by butterfly

What followed was one of the most intense and grueling purge and transfer sessions that the Lan team had ever played, minus the one performed on the messenger a few days ago.  It was brutal and frankly disturbing, even when the lamp was hidden to their views.  Purge was a heavy piece of music, but Possession, couple with the immense power Hanguang Jun was putting behind the notes, was terrifying.  It caused a feeling of extreme claustrophobia and oppression that lesser cultivators would have been drained by.  Fortunately, the students were at a safe distance and protected by their circle as their golden core could have been affected.

When the meshes finally regained their shine, signaling that there was no longer any negative energy, the two Scholars and Hanguang Jun's deputies, who have played, were exhausted and immediately entered into meditation. 

Hanguang Jun continued to play Possession until all traces of negative energy had disappeared from the ropes that formed the path to the cage.

He silenced his guqin, stood up, and meticulously inspected the tree and all the ropes that went from the tree to the Earth circle. Satisfied, he made the ropes disappeared.  He kept the rest in place since they hadn't revoked the contract yet.

“Elders of the Jin, please add stasis and numbing talismans to your healing and cleaning talismans in order to try and deal with the pain.  Then, let’s all take a fifteen-minute rest.” He said, briefly resting his forehead on his hand. It was not the first time he had made the gesture and Jin Feng guessed that probably he had developed a migraine.

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

Twenty minutes later, those who had left the tree, mostly the students to take a bathroom break, were back.  The Matriarch, who had been resting, lying on the platform, rose and sat on her knees.  The elders Lan went back behind their instruments and sorted through their music scores, while the Jins revised their notes. Hanguang Jun, who had been meditating opened his eyes.

At that moment, the demon in the cage threw itself against the bars once again. It has been getting more and more agitated and this time, the bars creaked mournfully, indicating signs of weakness.  Hanguang regained his feet and deployed assassination cords that wrapped themselves all around the cage.  If it ever gave way, the creature would be cut into small pieces by the ropes.

The negative energy would lose its container, but at least they wouldn't have to deal with a monstrous creature in a rampage, and the negative energy at the same time.

“Hanguang Jun is really badass.” Jin Ling commented.

“Mm.” Lan JingYi confirmed.

Hanguang Jun took the opportunity to go to the student platform and check on SongYun. She too had withered, had lost all her beautiful red peonies, and even most of her leaves as well as a few small branches and pieces of bark.  He spoke kindly to her and inspected her hand.

“You did a good job,” he said to the students, noting that they had managed to stop the spread of the negative energy and even extract most of it.  “Thank you.”

“Hanguang Jun, don't thank us.  She's your girlfriend after all, it's normal for us to help her, especially since she had just saved the day.”  Yunche exclaimed with a big smile.

Hanguang Jun ignored her while her comrades giggled.

“Let's address serious matters.” said Hanguang Jun who couldn't believe that young people could be so carefree with the dangerous situation they had going on. The youth were truly resourceful and optimistic.  Little did they know that things could end badly and leave nothing but devastation behind...

“I'll need you to go and check out the cage from time to time and add containment talismans if needed.  As long as the curse is not broken, I cannot get rid of the content yet...”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.  We understand Hanguang Jun. You can count on us.”

“Mm.  We're going to start with phase two of our intervention, don’t forget that you do not have to look if it’s too difficult…”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

He went back to the main platform and wrote in his little notebook to have all the students speak to a healer to assess their psychological condition before they leave the Cloud Recesses.

Chapter Text

“Everyone, we are starting the extraction of the body now. Is everyone ready?

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” 

“Matriarch, Jin Feng, Lan Ruoxing, please, begin.”

“Please play Clarity for now.” He told Lan Ruoxing’s assistant.

The matriarch, whose hand was now black and withered, and her brother, modified the Naxis symbols inscribed in the Earth circle while Jin Feng and Lan Ruoxing modified those in the Wood quadrant.  The spells they had prepared for this part of the ceremony had taken them longer to figure out.  It was a fine combination of Gusu Lan and Lanling Jin’s knowledge and art, which effects would combine with those that the Matriarch was tracing.  They were both confident with their work, but the true test was only in a few minutes and Lan Ruoxing, in particular, could not keep from feeling some apprehension. If the spells failed, the ceremony would be compromised, and he could say goodbye to his career.

Afterward, they also proceeded to change a few spells in the Metal Quadrant.  Since the Jin had domination over the element, they would use it to power even more their spells by making it interact with the Earth circle in a generating cycle.  After reviewing their whole work circle, making sure there were no spell contrary to what they were about to attempt left, they informed Hanguang Jun that everything was ready.

He talked to the fairy, explaining and reassuring once more, then said:

“Please, remove the talismans we have left in the cavity and replace them with those to induce the contractions, and those forcing the expulsion of the remains.”

Jin Feng took out a bunch of talismans from a qiankun pouch and handed them to his assistant who hurried with his Lan colleague to clean the cavity and blew the new talismans into the cavity.

The talismans had been provided by the Jin Healer, Jin Huo, who had worked on adding wood symbols to what was called through the cultivation world the “Shame Talismans” as they were used a lot in brothels for abortive purposes particularly in the Hubei province where brothels were a cultural feature.  They had been created by the YueYang Wu sect who dabbed into fertility issues and was renowned for its Wu Du medicine that enable beta men and alpha female to bear children.  But the sect was also made infamous by some other tools such as those ones even when, their creation was influence by real needs express by the cultivation world since the cultivators sometimes had to deal with impregnations by entities. Unfortunately, they had widely spread into the common world.

“Matriarch, Elders, please proceed with the ceremony for the extraction of the remains.  We need to start right now if we are to finish tonight.” “Please, play Calm and Clarity.” He said to his deputies and Lan Ruoxing’s assistant.

Everyone immediately obeyed.

The team had concocted a rather unique ceremony which they had named: Childbirth.  It was this ceremony that had taken them the longest to work out with the matriarch. To do this, they needed not only a good understanding of the ceremony that had been performed at the time: An incarnation.  They had also needed to delve into the dongba’s revocation rites found in their manuscripts and combined them with their own exorcism rites and also with some elements taken from rites which cultivators generally did not use, because it was part of the repertoire of sorcerers and considered black magic.

Indeed, after having discussed it at length, they had not been able to put the final touch to the ceremony using only orthodox rites and had resigned themselves to looking in the direction that Hanguang Jun was pointing to them…  In the end, the ceremony they were about to perform was one that Lan Ruoxing would confess and punish himself for, and most importantly, one that he would never repeat in his life!  Jin Feng had been less categorical.  The Jins were more pragmatic than the Lans...

The matriarch and her brother confidently performed the ceremony, practicing the modified dongba rites in accordance with the protocol she had agreed upon with the scholars who carefully followed her every move, checking in their notes that everything was progressing as planned...

It was a stressing factor because part of the ceremony did not depend on them and if the celebrant, by accident or deliberately, distorted the rites, the result could be dire...

The tension was palpable as the matriarch, with chalk, inscribed the magical signs on the bark and recited the formulas while her brother maintained the trance that had slowly creeped back on her by playing the drum and rigging the bell.

Hanguang Jun who had kept an eagle eye on the process had to move his attention elsewhere as he began his intervention on the contract. Deprived of the energy of resentment, he could now manipulate it safely.  He began by plastering talisman paper to each of the four seals that pined the skin to the inside of the bark.  Then, using a brush and magical Ink, he wet them thoroughly. It was imperative while doing so that the words of the contract itself did not get damaged or tampered with, thus the talisman paper that served as a barrier. He cast an Open spell toward each of the seal, which unfurled and printed the radicals contained inside on the paper, using the ink splashed before to form the symbols of the seal.

Hanguang Jun had studied the dongba scrip when he was young but had not practiced for a long time. So, using the books that his uncle had sent him, he had, thanks to his eidetic memory, taken a crash refreshing course in record time.  Then, he had read the Naxis’ manuscripts, learning about their magic.  Their seals were not overly strong, having come to their art later on since mostly, the Naxis did not believe in letting traces after an intervention.  However, because Dongba magic was different from the one they practice, it was still tricky.  However, with Lan Ruoxing’s help, he had been able to determine which counter spells would work best. 

He opened the palm of his hand and used his blood to modify the symbols with his brush.  It was a blood contract and so nothing else than blood would work.  In addition, even when the Shaman was powerful, but Hanguang Jun was more powerful and Lan magic was renowned for its disenchantment prowess. 

Hanguang Jun worked slowly and carefully, breaking the seals one after the other, not meeting any impediment.  When all traces of the seals, as well as his blood vanished from the talismans, he removed them. Then, with his fingertips, he delicately separated the skin from the bark.  Lan Boming gingerly grabbed the other extremity, and they carefully spread it on an enlarged talisman paper covered with healing runes and also stasis runes to prevent it from deteriorating now that not only was it not fed with negative energy, but it was also separated from an integral part of it.  Once the contract written on it revoked, they would have to sew it back on the remains so that the body was whole to enter reincarnation. 

Hanguang Jun took a breath and Lan Boming nodded to him to let him know that he had done a good job.

They also wrap the bark in a talisman covered with the same runes.  Likewise, they would also need to return it to the tree.

Lan Boming revoked the small Wood containment circle.

The Matriarch sat back on her knees, signaling that she had completed her part just as they were finishing with the bark. Hanguang Jun returned his attention to this part of the ceremony. 

“Please, elders of the Lans, begin playing Extraction (Parasites and foreign body) and Purify (miasma). Pour as much power as possible into it.”

The Lans nodded.

Both were music closely linked to the ritual of exorcism, but which did not address possession by spirits or demons but rather an infestation by an organism or a foreign body.

“Jin Feng, please proceed with finalizing the spells.”

Jin Feng stood up and took out his chalk stick and began to modify the spells that the matriarch had just written down on the trunk of the tree.

The first musical notes activated the talismans that the scholars had placed in the cavity. A pulsating reddish golden light immediately started thrumming inside the cavity, illuminating it in a sinister way and showing clearly to the students that were further, how the wood had transformed to become a mixture of vegetal and human tissues.

The tree shuddered, then the whole cavity contracted, emitting a cracking and squishing sound at the same time. The tree wobbled and the Fairy screamed as a new stream of resin mixed with fresh blood was expelled.  The excruciating contractions repeated again and again. 

The matriarch whispered to the tree as if it were a woman giving life, while Hanguang Jun spoke to the fairy. 

Jin Feng's deputy began applying talisman after talisman to clean, sanitize, and cauterize as streams of greenish-brownish blood, mixed with red streaks, emanating from the fairy, and containing a multitude of parasites flowed from the cavity.  She was bleeding profusely while the amount of resin in the mixture had decreased significantly indicating that the wound in the tree had emptied.

“Please everyone be extremely careful with these worms.  Apply talismans to your clothes from time to time to avoid any contamination.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” The Jin assistant replied as Jin Feng, completely focused, continued to modify the spells with chalk until he finalized the last one, taking the spell to its apex.  He then stepped back.  He had done all he could, now he was counting on the music to finish the work since apparently, the body was still attached.

Hanguang Jun, worried, moved closer to have a look into the cavity.  The remains were still embedded in what was certainly the flesh of the fairy and the separation was proving to be extremely painful and more difficult than they had anticipated, not to mention much more perilous for the fairy.  

He returned to his place and took the lead on Extraction, pouring formidable power behind his notes.

While playing, he remembered the title of a song he had seen in the collection of turmoil. So, when he finished playing the current song, he looked for the book in his pouch, and frenetically searched through it.  There was a sinister score named: Birthing the dead.

He signaled Lan Ruoxing to stop playing after the last notes of Purify that he had intoned in the meantime.

“Colleagues, I’m going to attempt a music that I’ve found in this forbidden book that Grandmaster Lan had sent for the occasion.  Please, everyone that does not feel comfortable with it or whose golden core is fluctuating, join the students’ observation deck.  Please, someone, as a precaution, cast a second protection circle around the student’s Wood and Metal protection circle.  This one should be the specific one against Evil entities and demonic infestation.”

All the cultivators looked at each other and Lan Ruoxing went to his feet, motioning for his deputy to follow.  Jin Feng also got to his feet and left with his deputy. Hanguang Jun signaled his two deputies to go with them.

“What’s about you?” He asked the Naxis.

“We will stay Hanguang Jun.  Our souls already belong to the devil.”  Xiao Ge said since his siter didn’t even react.

“Mm.”

He heard the students asking what was happening and focus on the sheet of paper with the notes.  Once he had thoroughly read it.  He closed his eyes and meditated briefly, seeing in his mind the notes. He then put his fingers on the strings and played a disturbing music that was strangely gleeful in a sinister and wicked way since it sounded like the mocking laughter of different animals, of a cheerful witch, and a laughing demon.

Everyone remained petrified, not daring to move a single muscle.  Coupled with the sinister tune, the power that Hanguang Jun deployed behind his notes was shattering.

Xiao Ge, who was with his sister the nearest to the tree, heard a sound resembling that of a body falling into a pool of water, immediately followed by a powerful gush of liquid that came out with long black hair floating in it, splashing him, and even toppling the matriarch.

“Hanguang Jun, the body! He shouted. I... I think you have succeeded...”

Hanguang Jun quieted the instrument and went to his feet.  Everyone rushed back to the platform as he approached the cavity, flinging talismans to the floor to incinerate the worms that swarmed the platform, crawling in every direction.  Upon reaching the cavity he also flung into it cauterizing talismans. The fairy yelp, too tired to shout or to cry anymore.

He sent a butterfly to the team beneath the tree asking them to play Healing and all the repertoire of healing songs.  There was a number of other songs that could also help even when they were less powerful: Safe (From hurt), Conquer the pain and also some nature song:

Jin Feng, guessing the situation, also started flinging healing talisman inside the cavity and some outside that went to attach themselves to the trunk.

“Elders, please remove the extraction spells at once.” Hanguang Jun said while also taking care to remove the talismans to induce contractions that were still in the cavity.  They were still imbued with the power deployed by the music of the Lans and keep on working even if weakly.

Jin Feng, with a wave of his hand, erased the spells that he had drawn previously with chalk. The contractions stopped altogether and the golden-reddish light bathing the cavity extinguished.

Everyone was looking in the cavity, mesmerized, in a horrific way, by the long black hair pouring from the hole.

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun took out some sheets and some towels from a qiankun pouch.  He placed them on the ground, in front of his knees.  He looked into the cavity, trying to see if he could grab the dead woman since part of her hair was already out, but she was further than he thought, and he didn’t want to pull her hair out while trying to extract her. 

The matriarch signaled him to move aside and tried to crawl inside. She was much smaller than him and she was able to touch the dead girl, but she discovered that the inside was slippery and that she didn’t have enough physical force to drag her.  She would need to enter the cavity entirely and Hanguang Jun would have to pull her by her feet…

Hanguang Jun asked her to back off.  He preferred to avoid having to remove two bodies from the tree. He spoke into the wind and sent a message to SongYun.  The latter stood up, startling the students who tried to hold her back, but Hanguang Jun signaled them to let her come to him.  She entered the circle with grace, taking care to not disturb anything.  Everyone made space for her, and she knelt next to Hanguang Jun who talked to her a minute, and she nodded.  She stretched her arms, flinching as her previous wound reopened and oozed, and slipped her hands into the cavity, grabbed the girl under the armpits, and gently pulled Peng Lizi towards them.

The students held their breath and opened their eyes wide as the body became visible to them. It was not bloated and decomposed, contrary to what the smell had suggested, she was limp, like a dead fish, and they could see a number of cuts and bruises on her. 

Hanguang Jun signaled SongYun to wait while he wiped her face using a towel and placed a preservation talisman on her forehead.  Lan Boming stood up and using a blanket, made a screen, shielding her from the view of the other participants, except the matriarch.

The students groaned then resigned themselves. They understood perfectly that the privacy and dignity of the dead girl had to be preserved to allow her to pass without difficulty into the afterlife.

Hanguang Jun told SongYun to lay her down on her front. The dead girl was still connected to the fairy by a kind of umbilical cord which, like a suction cup, attached itself to the place where the skin on her back was missing and disappeared inside the tree. The matriarch and Hanguang Jun quickly cleaned her up and covered her lower body and any parts that didn't need to be exposed with towels. 

Hanguang Jun, for his part, was trying to control his emotion.  It rarely happened that he was so involved in a case or felt so much sympathy for the dead.  When the girl's corpse had finally emerged from the tree, they had realized that an unearthly calm had fallen over all nature.  For a few seconds, time seemed to stand still, then the fairy sighed and began to cry in the tree, murmuring thanks, even when she was still bleeding and was terribly weakened.

The little fairy tried to console her, but she too was crying.  Hanguang Jun whispered a few words of comfort to them.  He too was moved and could not come with anything too inspiring.  For more than five days now, he had been in constant contact with the dead girl, and despite knowing what to expect, when he finally had her in his arms, he had realized that she was very small and fragile, nothing but a child, and his heart had broken in the face of this terrible loss, in front of all the injustice of this situation, in front of so many hopes that had never blossomed... unjustly cut down by men of unspeakable and unforgivable cruelty.

The Jin scholars sprang into action, performing rites of purification and separation, like those they performed when a woman died in childbirth, but the child survived, or the opposite.  The Lans continued to accompany the operation with Purify and Extraction.  They both required accuracy and a great deal of power to serve their purpose.

The umbilical cord stopped pulsing, drying up, and Jin Feng cut it with a ceremonial Knife. Hanguang Jun deployed a preservation talisman to the back of the dead girl and applied also a healing one. He turned her and swaddled her in the sheet before lifting her.  He was moving her further away in order to make space for the Jins to take care of the tree and the Fairy.  He placed her in a conservation circle that Song Yuming had drawn.

Something moved inside the cavity, startling Jin Feng's deputy, who almost ran away.

“It’s the body of the fairy.” Jin Feng said to reassure him.  “Probably one of her legs.”

“Hanguang Jun, tell her we're going to cauterize again.  We need to stop the bleeding...”

“Hao.” he replied from where he was applying talismans to other parts of Peng Lizi’s body.

Jin Feng threw new cleaning and cleansing talismans into the opening to remove waste, and then cauterize the wound while the Lans changed their repertoire to Healing. 

The two young Lans students, for their part, chose to play Calm to try and keep the fairy calm during the process.  They didn't doubt for a moment that she was still suffering.

Jin Feng waited for a moment then took a relief breath when he saw the greenish blood diminish, then stop flowing. He then grabbed and pulled on the umbilical cord, and it came to him with a new moderate flow of mostly transparent liquid followed by a fleshy pouch attached to it. It was really long, like the shed skin of a gigantic snake. But it was not flaky and thin, but moist and slippery. They keep pulling and pulling more of it and SongYun came to give them a hand.  Once it was completely out, they realized that it was indeed a placenta that probably had developed around the fairy, attaching her to the inside of the tree, cementing the symbiosis between her, the tree, and the dead girl, and preventing her to morph into her smaller form.

They had never come across anything so gross in their whole career and everyone was quite disgusted by the amount of waste material, piled at their feet like a slimy intestine.  Fortunately, it did not smell that bad, more like fresh meat mixed with the vegetal smell of sap and resin but it was teeming with parasitic worms so they apply lots of cleansing talismans to it and to themselves.

The two assistants put it in a qiankun bag while Jin Feng packed the wound with new cleaning and cleansing talismans to help break down whatever waste might had remained inside the tree.

Hanguang Jun had given the placenta-like membrane only one glance and had decided to concentrate instead on Peng Lizi’s body.

Lan Boming once again assisted Hanguang Jun.  She screened her again with the sheet while Hanguang Jun put the body in an underrobe covered with runes. Then he wrapped her in another dry sheet but left her face uncovered. 

“A little more patience,” he whispered to her. “We will now break the contract.  I hope you are well.”

Lan Boming, sitting next to him, was once again touched by this little-known aspect of the alpha.  Hanguang Jun, contrary to his reputation, was very humane.  He genuinely cared about others, was devoted to his family, was a caring father, and would certainly make a loving husband.

The Jins meanwhile needed to complete the closing rites of the extraction ceremony.  Jin Feng had spun the circle so he could use the metal element because he and his deputy were both tired. They had to cast the majority of the spells, and the amount of Qi needed to make them effective was well above what was required for the majority of the hunts in which he still took part.  These days, he spent the majority of his time in books and meditation.  Very fortunately, in fact, because his core had become much stronger in recent years.  He was aware that the cultivation level of almost the entire group of Lans scholars was higher than his own, which was a testimony to the Lans' method, but also brought reflection on their own cultivation or rather the fervor they put into it.

They recited the formulas and cast the appropriate spells to revoke those written in the circle and bowed once finished. Then, they immediately went to sit and entered meditation.

Xiao Ge approached the Earth circle and did the same with the Extraction signs traces by the Dongbas in the Earth circle. He also had a look inside the hole.

The cleaning and cleansing process was sufficiently advanced.  The talismans seemed clean enough. Surly the fairy and the tree could continue the self-cleansing and self-healing process on their own… He therefore, with Song Yuming's help, took the talismans out and replaced them with herbs that he had brought with him.  In the future, sap would most certainly mix with the herbs and fill the void, but right now, they would continue to help both the tree and the fairy to heal, even if they had very little time left to spend together.  Indeed, now the physical impediments were out of the way, the magical prison would be dealt with soon.

Once Xiao Ge finished, Song Yuming placed a temporary Healing talisman to cover the opening. The man stepped away and bowed to the tree.  

He returned to his sister, who was lying at the foot of the tree and breathing shallowly.  He then proceeded to recite the formulas to thank and send away the Shu spirits.  In another situation, she would, at this stage, slowly come out of her shamanic trance.  But now he didn't know for sure, he could only hope, since he could see by looking at her crouched body that she had wasted away.  They still have some work to do… He took off her heavy mask and placed it aside.  She was semi-conscious and had taken at least a hundred years!  He only noticed then that his hands and arms also showed the passage of time and that the strands of hair escaping from his bun were white...

The two Lans elders finally silenced their instruments. By their slumped demeanor, they, also, were bone tired.

“Is your sister conscious?” Hanguang Jun asked Xiao Ge as he approached.

The old woman moved.  “I am, Hanguang Jun...” she whispered in a rapsy voice.

“Mm. How are you?”

“I... I see shadows coming...” she whispered, turning her faded gaze on him.

“Mm. I understand... It's almost the end... come and keep the dead girl company while we prepare the space for the contract to be revoked.  I will help you.” Hanguang Jun said, supporting her to get back to her feet. 

He led her to the circle where the girl's body was lying and made her sit near her head.

Her gaze fixed on the small face with the eyes wide opened and filled with terror.  Tears flooded her cheeks.

"I was the only woman on the expedition being her father’s mistress, even if by that time it was forced… Anyway, she trusted me… She tried to make friends with me... along the way… One night, I took her by the hand and walked away... I told myself that if I managed to leave the camp without being noticed, then, it was better that we perish in the forest..." She made a little noise of derision. "Peng Laoban was watching us... of course... he let me get far enough… Let me hope… than he caught up with us… acting like nothing was wrong… and once I was under his tent, he strangled and raped me until I lost consciousness...”

Hanguang Jun didn’t say anything.  Her whole story was one of such incredible violence that he didn’t know what to say to comfort her. Instead, he said:

“Talk to her.  After her death, she understood your situation and your intention.  She had kept her trust in you. She would be happy to know that you are keeping guard over her.”

She nodded and said: “I don't know if I'll still be here...or fit enough to prepare her...”

“Don't worry... We'll do what's necessary if you ever pass before...”

“Xiexie.” She said kowtowing.

Chapter Text

Night had descended upon them, signaling that it was around 8:00 p.m.  Like the night before, the golden light had changed to a blue, murky one with millions of fireflies, and glowworms in the trees adding their own fluorescence and eeriness to the place.

They had officially been actively working on the different rites for at least six hours!

“Colleagues, Hanguang Jun said to the rest of the team, take a thirty-minute recess.  Next, we will proceed to phase three of the intervention.”

Everyone nodded. They were meditating and so wouldn’t answer.

Lan Boming left the tree to go take a look at the outer camp to see how things were going.

Hanguang Jun beckoned his students to join him and guided them to clean up and then prepare the platform for the contract revocation ceremony. He separated them into four groups, each of which was responsible for casting the spells of one of the quadrants. The students worked with great precision, one teaching one, and requiring little correction. 

Song Yuming cast the spells for the earth element and went to observe the student’s work.  He nodded and smiled after examining them.

“Hanguang Jun, they have made phenomenal progress since the beginning of the lectures.”

“Mm. Even Jin Chan learned something, and it wasn’t a done deal…” He answered.

“One might say that!” Replied Song Yuming who, as usual, had done a flawless job in the earth part of the circle.  He was extremely skilled at drawing circles, using spells and runes that many were reluctant to trace because their writing, thus their conception was more complex.

Hanguang Jun also took the opportunity to answer the questions his students had regarding everything that had happened in the previous steps, reserving questions that required lengthy explanation for later.

“Hanguang Jun, what you did with the ropes is really great.” Jin Ling told him.  “It's a shame you can't teach it to other sects...”

“Mm. The principle can be repeated with other schools of cultivation. Your technique for weaving nets could be used the same way as long as you can refine it to create golden threads and then learn to make magical embroidery...”

“Hao, I understand. Would Gusu Lan agree to sell us the patent for creating the ropes and teach us magic embroidery?”

“Young Lord Jin, I think that would be too much to ask of Gusu Lan.”

Jin Ling sighed.  He would have at least tried.

The young people then took the opportunity to talk to the dead girl.  She was really pretty and of course the students couldn’t stop admiring her. Hanguang Jun chased them away, not wanting them to swarm her and recreate a situation similar to what she probably had experienced.  Also, he didn’t want them to get too attached to her, already, aside from Nie Yunche, Jin Ling, and Jin Chan who had just given her a brief, uninterested glance and went to take care of their business, everyone was crying.

It was dangerous for a cultivator to react with too much emotion and too little…

SonYung climbed onto a branch above the body and started humming a song, her cheeks stained with tears.

The rest of the break, Hanguang Jun talked to the fairy. 

She was still in pain but reassured him about her health and particularly about her mental state. 

“I remember her feelings, but I do not feel them anymore.  I have her memories, but I do not relieve them as if they were mine anymore.  I remember her physical pain, but I do not suffer from them anymore. I’m eager for you to break the pact so that I can transform and walk out of the tree.”

“Soon.”

She then questioned him about the young girl.  Hanguang Jun reassured her that the remains were in perfect condition, and they could perform normal funeral rites.

The fairy was already extremely calm and collected.  She thanked him for everything they had already accomplished and express her trust about the rest of the procedure. He advised her to meditate to try to regain some strength since it was not over yet and explained what was to follow.

She also explained:

“Once the pact is broken, I will be able to lift the enchantment on the forest.” She said. “This should weaken the hold my magic has on everything related to me. Already, there is no more resentment, and almost no more organic material flowing in the tree’s root-system and reaching the Naxis village, the town, or anywhere else… The parasite in the children’s blood is responsible for the transformation. It produced a toxin that triggered and keep the transformation going.  Once the pact is broken, even if I'm too weak to walk out, my daughter will be able to physically enter the mother-tree, I will give her petals from my magic flower for those who had not risen yet… the flower has strong magical powers and healing properties… I hope that it will be enough an antidote to give them a fighting chance… As for the people in town, unfortunately, I cannot intervene. However, their chances of survival are still greater than that of the children since there is, at this point, no parasite in their system, just modified pollen…”

“Mm.  We have also developed a treatment protocol…”

“I’m relieved to hear that you have thought of that...”

“Mm.”

He then informed her about what was going to happen during the intervention and after. She’ll need to give them a moment to dismantle the platform so that the tree can open.

“I won’t be able to transform and walk out of the tree immediately.  I’ll need time to regain my strength.  I’ll also need the Time Stone that is in the shaman possession to be able to fully command my magic.”

“I understand.  It was the same with your daughter. You’ll come out when you are able and/or if you want to.  We will carry on with what we need to do, specifically A-Lizi’s burial and some Reparations rites, including getting rid of the tainted objects with magic fire.  It’s only then that I’ll be able to take back from the husk your divination stone.  I will hand it to your daughter if you have not yet come out.”

“Thank you. I know you have a question to ask out of the stones… I will try to the best of my abilities to look and find your answer. It will be my way of conveying my gratitude…”

“You don’t owe me anything. But I’ll be grateful to you for whatever you can tell me…”

“Then, we will do that.”

Finally, the little fairy wanted to come and spend some time with her sister, but Hanguang Jun refused and reminded her that Peng Lizi didn't want her to see her in that state.

Hanguang Jun then played Calm.

Hanguang Jun stood up and signaled everyone to take their positions as Lan Boming arrived.  She quickly gave him her report.

“Everything is fine Hanguang Jun. Some of the creatures, the youngest ones, had broken the spell at some point and approached the barrier, apparently worried about the fairy. But the elders were able to calm them with music and communicate through Talk to the Wind. The Jins has also used spells to appease them, and they have gone back to their trees or fallen into a stupor near the barrier.”

“Mm. The little fairy had also talk to the forest during the intervention… Certainly the trees had transferred them the message…”

“Yes.  Jin Ming had found some diamonds and has been asking about their value…”

“Mm.  Nothing I can do about that… Unfortunately.  As I mentioned before, I’ll try to erect some kind of barrier or cast a spell on this depression.  I’ll also plead for the place to be declared a natural habitat… but it can’t be my priority right now and, in the end, it will be the decision of the Chief cultivator since this is Jins’ territory…”

“Mm.  I know.”

Jin Feng and Xiao Ge went to sit in the Metal quadrant that was to the west of the Revocation Circle.  Metal had dominance over Wood and since it was one of the Jins’ elements, they would attempt breaking the part of the pact engraved onto the bark of the tree.  Jin Feng observed the quadrant, making sure that it was correct since he had not prepared it himself.  This spoke highly of his level of professionalism and Hanguang Jun nodded.  The Jin elder then proceeded to move four of the most powerful metal spells to form a square, unfolded the bark that the healing and stasis runes on the talisman placed on it earlier had rendered pliable, and laid it flat on the four Metal spells. He was ready.

On the other side, toward the East, Lan Ruoxing and the matriarch occupied the Wood quadrant of the revocation circle.  They were going to work on the skin part of the contract since Wood had dominance over Earth and the Skin belonged to the earth.

Jin Feng's deputy would work the magic circle in its entirety. Hanguang Jun and his deputies, in addition to Lan Ruoxing’s assistant will play.

“Our repertoire will be Clarity and then Release (From chains and evil pacts).”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” Answered the assistant.

So, they played Clarity first, putting everyone into the moment and then, the first notes of Release activated the revocation circle and signaled the elders, the matriarch and her brother, to begin undoing the pact. 

The matriarch and her brother used their brushes, filler, and magic ink to erase bits of words, and the two scholars did the same with their brushes to modify the remaining radicals, proceeding carefully but confidently.  The exercises they had conducted earlier had taught them that the counterspells they had prepared were up to the task.  The only difficulty was that one artefact used spells linked to wood and the other to Earth but their counterspells needed to complement each other; put end to end, the text was to form a blessing which would eliminate the curse inscribed on both the skin and bark.

Each time they managed to undo a spell, it simultaneously rose, blue and golden, from the skin and bark to float above their quadrant, then went to mix together on the talisman paper covering the opening in the trunk, forming words.

Hanguang Jun saw the exact moment Lan Ruoxing’s counterspell exploded.  Fortunately, his power was greater than that of the shaman.  The poor man emitted a small yelp of pain and closed his eyes as the discharge ran through his entire body.  Jin Feng's deputy immediately deployed a healing talisman on the eldest Lan.  After five minutes, he opened his eyes then took out his notebook while reassuring those around him about his health.

Hanguang Jun silenced his guqin and took out his own notebook to review the spell and counter-spell.  His heart sunk because he couldn't see any potential errors in the counter-spell.  He saw from Lan Ruoxing's expression that he too had not detected any error.

“Hanguang Jun, I wrote down the correct counter-spell...” He murmured, stressed.

“Mm. I saw... This means the intention behind the spell is not what we thought... We misunderstood it.”

The light of the words flickered, and the words undid themselves, splitting anew into their constituent spells, and detaching from the talisman paper returned to their respective quadrant. Hanguang Jun knew that they would collapse into their artefact, undoing the work that had already been done. So, he immediately cast a stasis spell upon them to fix them in time.  If they managed to reach the skin and bark, the spells would be destroyed completely, and they would have to come with new ones since the same would not work a second time.  The ceremony would be irreparably disrupted, and no one knew when they would be ready again...

Hanguang Jun seeing the spells in the Wood Quadrant starting to move around said: 

“Lan Ruoxing, please meditate so that the wood quadrant doesn’t dislocate.”

“Assistant, please work the circle so that the spells of the Water quadrant can nourish the Wood.” “I’m working on modifying the spell.”

Everyone concentrated on their task.

“I need Clarity… Song Yuming…”

His deputy immediately quieted his guqin and started Clarity while Lan Boming and Lan Ruoxing’s assistant kept playing Release on mute.

Lan Ruoxing, having regain control of his emotion, opened his eyes.  Jin Feng nodded to his colleague to encourage him. Since the counter-spells were linked, if Lan Ruoxing's counter-spells came undone, his would also be broken.  Even if not, it was likely that part of his Metal counterspells would need to be rewritten to merge with its new Wood counterparts.

“Matriarch,” said Hanguang Jun, “what are the other possible meanings of these words?”

He chatted for a while with the matriarch and her brother, keeping an eye on his stasis spell.  These kinds of spells had a limited duration, usually ten minutes max, just like the silence or immobilization spell.

Lan Boming continued to play as Lan Ruoxing's deputy came to join into the conversation. Hanguang Jun realized that they were going in circles.  The matriarch didn't know anything more.  There was no way to salvage the counterspells and he was going to have to break the pact by force! An extremely dangerous maneuver that would leave him drained of most of his energy and could even cause a Qi deviation...

“Hanguang Jun, Hanguang Jun!” Sizhui shouted. He raised his head and gestured for him to come closer as the scholars glared and hushed the young boy.

“Hanguang Jun,” Sizhui said, crouching next to his father.  “Zizhen asks if this could be a reference to the word “fossil”.  This is how it translates into Uyghur languages.  His little mother is from this region, and he speaks the language.”

“Zizhen, come here!” Hanguang Jun ordered.

The young man came to join him, and they quickly reviewed the spells and counter-spells.  Hanguang Jun corrected two more words with Zizhen's help and quickly came up with the counter-spells, accepting one that Zizhen had crafted himself and that inserted into the flow.  Suddenly, the few parts of the text that had seemed lame to them fit into each other perfectly.

The stasis bubble burst and Hanguang Jun immediately cast the counter-spell he had just crafted, and they looked with relief as all the words returned to the talisman paper and the new word formed and also inscribed itself on the talisman paper on the trunk. 

“Well done, Zizhen.”  His teacher complimented him, as everyone took a breath they hadn't realized they were holding. “Return to your place now, he said to the two young people.”

Hanguang Jun duplicate his new notes and handed the copies to the two scholars who resumed their work.

Thirty minutes later, all the spells were revoked, the benediction written, and the Lans started playing “Free at last.”  The revocation circle collapsed on its own and the words, sentences, and benedictions forming the counterspells flew from the talisman paper in long ribbons, carried by the wind, multiplied, and went to fix themselves on the shield around the tree, pouring their power into the net linking the spells, into the spells themselves, and the whole shield collapsed, crackling like lightning, and sounding like a broken mirror.  The runes and spells fell on the people inside and outside, bringing with them small electric shocks of yang energy, automatically relieving pains, tiredness, and even sorrow.  The students held out their hands to receive them like snowflakes, talking in awe between themselves.

The fairy sighed in the tree and started speaking in elvish, words that everyone could hear out loud and in Mandarin.  They were words of thanks and benedictions, drowned within sobs.  They bloomed like golden peonies in the air and rained down their petals and leaves everywhere and particularly on Hanguang Jun. 

A shudder ran through the tree, the branches moved unnaturally, and a shock wave spread from the tree throughout the forest which fell silent, holding its breath before exploding into a cacophony of sounds: woods crackling, wind whistling, and animals screaming while the branches sway violently. The real peonies also started to bloom and soon their petals mixed with those of the spiritual flowers.

Hanguang Jun spoke softly to the fairy, trying to comfort her and calm her.  He needed her to limit her movements within the tree until he removed the platform, also he needed for the wind to fall, and the tree to stop swaying.  So, he sat down behind his guqin and played: Peaceful nature and then Calm. Letting his music operates its magic and saying what he never could with words.

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun got up, made his guqin disappeared, and came to collect the skin now free of any markings.  The stasis runes had vanished, having done their job, while the healing ones were still in place.  Hanguang Jun delicately rolled the skin still protected by the talisman paper and slipped it into his sleeve.

“Matriarch, Xiao Ge, Xiexie.  I hope that what you have accomplished today had helped you look with more serenity and reassurance to your passing and reincarnation.”

“It had.”  Replied Xiao Ge and the matriarch nodded.  She was beyond tired, and she still had work to do.

He turned to the elders.

“Elders Jins and Lans, I’ll let you end the revocation rites and fix the bark to the trunk.  Thank you for your incomparable work.”  He put his hands together and bowed deeply. 

They responded in kind, also smiling, their eyes tired but filled with pride.  Lan Ruoxing tried in vain to hold back a few tears.

“Then please, go and rest.  What remains to be done here is a rite of reparation and liberation for the souls of the dead and also, we need to conclude the enchantment for the creatures.  I will take care of the cleansing by fire following the funeral rites. Somewhere in between I will probably leave to rescue the children. I that case, I will need you here to wrap up a few things…”

“You can count on us, Hanguang Jun.”

“The bulk of the liberation rites for the dead can be celebrated in town… I’ll also count on you for this part while I tighten some loose ends in town and in the Naxi village.  Then, I’ll move the students to our next destination, if there’s still time…”

“Yes Hanguang Jun.  I think clearly Jin-Laoxiong and I can manage…” Lan Ruoxing reassured him.

“Mm. Xiexie.  The students will take care of dismantling the platform.”

They nodded.

He turned to his deputies and bowed.

“Xiexie for your unwavering trust and collaboration.”

They both bowed lower.

“Hanguang Jun, thank you for instructing us with your words, your actions, and your magic.”  Lan Boming said.

“Mm. Lan Boming, please take the cage down and bring it to the place reserved for the sacrificial pyre and prepare it.  Don't forget to place the cage in a containment circle just in case it broke…”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

He then summoned his students and bowed formally to Ouyang Zizhen.

“You have saved the revocation ceremony.  It shows that knowledge, dedication, analytical mind, and ingenuity has no age and will make the distinction between success and failure, between greatness and mediocrity.  I wish you to bring your sect to the highest level of cultivation.”

“Thank you Laoshi.”  The young boy answered kowtowing to his teacher.

“You all have done well today.  Both in your behaving and dedication to your learning.  I’m proud of you all. Please help with anything around here and particularly with the dismantling of the platform.  Song Yuming will be supervising.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

He then recovered Peng Lizi's body and jumped from the tree to join Ye Kun under the tent.

The scholars collected the bark and pulled on it until it became large enough to cover the cavity. Then they removed the talisman paper now blank and replaced it with the bark. Healing talismans were placed on the exterior and healing spells cast to attach it securely to the tree. 

Finally, they recited the closing formulas and ended the ceremony, leaving the space for the students and Song Yuming to clean.

SongYun, for her part, helped the matriarch and her brother leave the tree.  They had aged so much that it was difficult for them to even walk.  Then she returned to get all the waste stored in pouches and also the cage that had become so heavy and so drenched in resentment that Lan Boming was unable to manipulate or shrink it.  The creature took it down the tree and brought it to an embarkment not far from the tomb, where the sacrificial and funeral pyre will be ignited.

Lan Boming prepared the pyre and had songYun placed the cage on top of the construction.  Then, as advised by Hanguang Jun, she drew a containment circle around it.

The thing inside hissed and threatened. Then, it tried to lure her with promises, but she paid it no mind.

Song Yuming stayed in the tree and helped the elders gathered their belongings and disembark. He revoked all the assassination cords that were still in place since the students couldn’t and also supervised while they finalized their sketches, revoked the last spells, undid the circles, and broke the platform apart gathering the nets by sect in order to return them to their owners.

Finally, they too left the tree.

Below, the elders of the two sects also ended their ceremony.  The ground was still covered with a carpet of petals, and cleanup efforts to get rid of the multitude of down branches and more importantly carcass of a number of dead animals was still underway.  They were being added to the pile of waste near the cage. Hanguang Jun would immolate them with the Shaman.

Lan Boming went once more to the outer camp.  Aside from what she had reported earlier to Hanguang Jun and two creatures that had been stunned near the shield, there had been no other problem out there.  The team of elders was also terribly tired.  The score they had been playing and the enchantment they were weaving was extremely delicate and asked for total concentration.

“Please, Hanguang Jun asks the elders to rest now.  It’s already 10:00 p.m.  He will need your help for the funeral and reparation rites tomorrow, and also to renew once more the enchantment over the creatures.”

They did not need to be asked twice.  They all went back to the inner camp to rest.

“Jin Ming, Hanguang Jun asks you to please see with your men that everyone receive something to eat and drink.”

“We’ll do that.”  He said, brushing sand from his clothes.

Lan Boming sent for SongYun.  With her help, and thanks to flotation talismans, she returned the two stubborn creatures to the foot of their respective tree that SongYun identified by speaking with the trees.  The little fairy also came to lend a hand.  She then sat and explained to them, while tears streamed down her face, that her mother was free and that soon she would come to see them.

When Hanguang Jun entered the tent with the girl's body in his arms, he found Ye Kun playing Lullaby for the ghost.  She silenced her instrument, returned promptly to her feet and went to unfold the talisman papers which served as a door to the tent.

“Hanguang Jun.” She said, greeting him with her hands gathered on her sword.

“Mm.” He replied with a slight nod.  Then he placed his sad burden on the table.  He carefully removed the sheet and rearranged her as best he could.

Ye Kun quickly covered her with a towel from her breast to her crotch while exclaiming with emotion when she laid eyes on the body:

“By the gods! So young... If it weren't for these horrible teeth marks on her ravaged neck and body, and that look of terror in her eyes, one might have believed her alive!” she said, struck with sadness.  “It so hard the way they become so fragile in death… my boy had an expression very similar on his face…”

“I know it has already been more than ten long years, but I’m sorry for your lost.” said Hanguang Jun bowing to the woman with his hand joined on his sword. 

“We all lost someone, and if not, we lost our innocence or our conscience during the war, Hanguang Jun. Our sect leader’s words a few months ago, while talking about the Wen genocide, had shocked me… I blamed you at the time for putting those thoughts inside your elder brother’s head, but since then, I’ve looked inside me and didn’t like what I saw.  Thank you for showing us the truth. For myself, acknowledging it and accepting it, had helped me heal and I can finally move on from the death of my son, live happily, and fully be of service to the sect again.” She said bowing back to him.

“Xiexie for your honesty and your sacrifice.” He said.

She smiled. “I’m at your service, my liege.”

She had been discovering the man during those past few days.  Sure, he could be cold and arrogant, but he was also just, loyal, and caring.

“When are we starting? She asked.”

“The matriarch is coming... She is fading fast… Song Yuming or Lan Boming is also coming to stand at the door, to help fetch water and any other task. Do you need anything?”

“No. Everything is ready…”

“How is A-Lizi?”

“She is altering between being calm and anxious. I did my best.  I think that the separation from the fairy hastened her passage into the afterlife.  She is even less tangible than before... I don't think it will be difficult to send her away...”

“Mm.”

“Did everything go well up there?”

“Mm. Tiring, a little bit stressing, a lot gory, and immensely sad... Anyway, it’s done.  The pact has been revoked.”

“Yes, I heard and fell it when it happened.  Emotions were high, even down here…”

“Mm.  Let me go talk to our ghost.”  He walked towards the ghost and took out his Guqin.  The conversation was brief because she wasn't really in a state to speak.  She seemed lost and was also avoiding looking towards the table where her body lay.

Ye Kun had lowered the talismans that separated the two spaces because soon the young people would arrive to start the wake.

The matriarch entered the tent and greeted the Ye Kun who was struck by her appearance.  She now seemed extremely old and frail.  She was hunched over, and her approach was hesitant, yet her gaze remained sharp...

She stopped near the table and whispered:

“Ah, my xiao-Lizi, baobao! I beg you, forget this world that has made you suffer so much.  Let me do you one last favor and then don't look back!”

She burst into tears, violent sobs wrecking her whole body while she begged the dead girl for forgiveness.

Hanguang Jun took out his guqin and played the matriarch’s plea for the ghost. She answered immediately:

“Ayi, I forgive you.  Please take courage.  Be strong to do me this last service.”

Ye Kun lightly tapped her on the shoulder to encourage her.  “We need to start...”

She nodded.

Chapter Text

The youngsters, once their chores in the tree over, had gone to collect the wreaths prepared by the girls and Lan Sizhui, brought them to the tent, and arranged them around the coffin.  They also brought food and libations which they placed on a small hotel made with their writing desks.  They rolled up the talismans forming the front door and lined up outside in their mourning clothes. 

The two Lans were playing the role of little brothers, and so sat in the front to direct the operations, with JingYi shouting to his comrades when to prostrate and when to stand up for the series of ritual prostrations and Sizhui taking care of feeding the stove with incense and joss paper.

Herbal smells were already rising from the room next door, and soon their perfume came to mix with the smoke and incense burned at the stove.  They could also hear Hanguang Jun's guqin sounding from time to time as he spoke to the deceased.  The atmosphere was filled with sadness and dismay, and it was not very difficult for the girls to shed some tears and to sobs quietly, especially with Ouyang Zizhen who never stopped pitying the unfortunate girl.

The Lan elders, in the courtyard, had also begun the funeral rites.  They had a whole repertoire for these circumstances: Rest (in peace), Surrender (to one's fate), Peace at last, Closure, for the vigil, and a few others for the funerals and burial.

Inside the tent, the two women washed the body, reciting the usual formulas and also speaking to the dead girl to comfort her and help her cross to the other side. Hanguang Jun sat with the ghost, turning his back in respect for the privacy of the deceased. He also played for her, supporting the musicians outside, while also using Inquiry from time to time to talk to her and check on her state of mind. 

He joined the two women when they called to him.  So, he was the one who closed her eyes and sealed her eyelids; He was the one who put the ball of elixir that Ye Kun offered her into her mouth so that her body would not rot and then closed her lips; He was the one who placed the skin on her back where it belonged and used a needle and magic thread to sew it back together.  It was essential to restore the dead woman's integrity so that she could leave this world without difficulty.  He came back to help support her body when it was time to put her clothes on. He also brought the buckets to the door so that Song Yuming could throw away the wastewater and bring back clean water. Finally, he was the one who carried her and placed her gently inside the coffin, tenderly arranging the veil next to her and assuring her that she absolutely did not need it.  That she was beautiful and modest.

Ye Kun placed half of the comb they used to comb her hair under her and handed the other half to the matriarch.  Hanguang Jun moved the mortuary tablet from the circle where the candle had remained lit and brought it near the coffin and placed it on another altar made with his students' writing desks and in front of which incense sticks were also burning.

The dead girl followed him obediently when he invited her to approach.  She finally glanced at her restored remains lying in the coffin and began to cry and smile at the same time.

Hanguang Jun spoke in elvish and invited the little fairy to appear.  She did so immediately, and she too began to cry and thank Hanguang Jun, the matriarch, and Ye Kun.

“We have only done our duty,” Hanguang Jun told her.  “How is your mother?”

“She is recovering, slowly.  She had lost a lot of blood… The ordeal has been more tasking for her than for me… she hopes to have regained enough strength to be able to step out of the tree in time to see Lizi...”

“Mm. We will wait for her for a while, while the wake continues.  However, we plan to proceed with the burial at down... We will therefore begin the funeral rites in about four hours...”

“I understand.  She will come...”

He bowed to everyone present and left the tent. 

Sizhui, seeing his father leave, left his post, and followed him behind the tent.

As he had guessed, his father immediately went and found a place in the stream well hidden from view. He took out the toiletries from a qiankun pouch, placed them on a root, took off the first two layers of his clothing which he rolled into a ball and slipped into another pouch with his boots and socks, keeping only the pants and the shirt made of heavy ecru linen.  Then he slipped into the stream.

Sizhui took off the first layer of his clothing, his boots and his socks, rolled up the bottom of his pants and climbed onto one of the half-submerged roots and approached his father.  He grabbed the wooden scoop, and without saying a single word, he helped him remove the smell of death from his person.  The young omega had remembered to bring lemon with him for the journey, he used it too, pressing the sour juice on his father’s raven hair.

He saw that Hanguang Jun was crying but did not mention it.  He used his scent and pheromones to comfort him.

When Hanguang Jun finally came out of the water, he put on a big coat and returned to his tent to get dressed, placing all the rest of his clothes in the bag which he handed on his way out to Song Yuming who was stationed in front of his door so that he could add it to the growing pile of the pyre.

How is Hanguang Jun? Lan JingYi whispered to his friend when he returned.

“He is shaken.”  Sizhui whispered in his ear while hiding his mouth behind his hand so that his comrades would not hear.

JingYi answered him in the same way: “Will he be able to continue?”

“Mm...” Sizhui said to him before putting his hand on JingYi's shoulder to continue whispering in in his ear, but Lan Boming, stationed in front of the tent, snapped her fingers.

“Omega! Rule number 2 and 6 of the Wall of discipline, Book of Four feminine virtues, and rule number 43 of the omega behavior manual!” She warned when she saw the gaze of some of the elders fixed on the two young boys.

Indeed, the way these two whispered in each other's ears was perfectly indecent.  It was a childhood habit that Hanguang Jun, apparently, had not corrected in his omega son.  The alpha was too permissive towards the child. Thought Lan Boming

Sizhui lowered his head and sat back on his legs, sulking.  He hated being cited the Book of Four feminine virtues.  JingYi surreptitiously squeezed his fingers before getting up to go and pay his respects to the dead woman since the adults had finished.

Hanguang Jun was the last to do so and when he entered the tent, his heart instantly became less heavy.  The ghost no longer wore her bloody veils but the outfit in which her corpse had been dressed for her last journey.

He took out his Guqin.

“A-Lizi, I'm happy to see you in these clothes.  I wish you a quick journey.  I wish you all the best in your next life.”

“Thank you, thank you for everything, Hanguang Jun.”

“Are you ready for the last step?”

“I am.”

The little fairy floated to the tent door and came to talk to Hanguang Jun.

“Mm.” He nodded than turned to the public. “The fairy is going to come out of the tree.  There will be noise.  He said to the audience.  Stay calm.” He sent a butterfly to Jin Ming so that the outer camp would also know.

There was a series of thundering cracks with spots of light flinging from the tree, and as if lightnings was striking the earth and thunder was rolling in the sky.  They all startled, despite the warning, particularly the Lans who were noise adverse. Smaller cracking noises and groans followed as the earth moves shallowly under their feet, and small fractures appeared in the trunk of the mother-tree. It took almost ten minutes of trying before a blinding light illuminated the entire bowl-like depression, piercing the condensation fog and momentarily giving them a view of the night sky alight with stars, before the place turned as bright as day instead of the blue moonlike quality that nighttime under those trees donned, or even the golden sunset that continuously bathed the place during the day.

Something floated in the light, entering the tent, and when the light subsided, plunging them back into their blue, supernatural light, they became amazed. 

If her daughter was beautiful, she was for the moment, only a child and only a promise of what she would be in her final form upon reaching maturity.  There were no words to describe the creature.  It was dazzling, coated in a cloud of gold dust that illuminated it from the inside and out.  The Yellow peonies on its head were stunning and imbued with magic so powerful that those present could feel it vibrating around the creature. But the real statement piece was the one on her forehead.  It was made of liquid gold able to move like matter, and sporting two enormous crystals at its center, surrounded by gold stamens topped with round gold drops.  Her face was the very symbol of perfection and unlike her daughter whose hair looked like vines, hers was a magnificent curtain of gold thread moving about and around her like a cloud.  She was simply breathtaking.

“I've never seen anything like this.” murmured Jin Ming, who had come to witness the event when he had received the butterfly.   At the outer camp, everything was calm, and the creatures were asleep.  The trees had closed in around them almost completely and it was now difficult to distinguish what remained of their limbs from the roots that enveloped them.  So, Lan Boming had found no reason to chase him away and had to resign herself to seeing him spy on them and question his guards and the elder Jins.

The fairy slid up to the coffin and stopped. She spoke to Hanguang Jun who nodded and returned to the Guqin.  The fairy spoke to the ghost and Hanguang Jun translated. 

She spoke to her as a mother would have spoken to her child, tears cascading down her cheeks and ending up in tiny crystals ranging from transparent, pink, to the most intense green on the dead girl's clothing.  She told her how much she had been a source of comfort and knowledge for her.  She did not blame her for having taught her human feelings, she was grateful to her for having shared, even in the midst of her unhappiness and her suffering, her love, care, and companionship.  She told her that she was a beautiful soul for having kept her compassion all these long centuries. That she had been an exceptional sister because she had always sought to protect her human sisters and brothers, even taking in their place repeated assaults and acts of unimaginable depravity.  She had also looked after and soothed the little fairy’s pain when being tortured.  She told her that without her and her insistence that one day they would be delivered, they would all have lost hope those past years and would not have known even a single day of happiness while all of them have, thanks to her, memories of camaraderie, filial and sibling love that they would take with them on their next journey, whatever and wherever it may be.  Of course, they also had memories of fear, terror, anger, despair, but never loneliness.  And it was thanks to her.  She wished her a quick, safe trip, and that she reached her next life free from heavy Karma.

She raised her hand to her forehead and plucked one of the stamens from her flower.  By the time she slipped it into the hands of the dead woman, it had become a magnificent golden egg, the size of an Ostrich egg, covered in elven symbols.

“I give you, Lizi, for your next life, one of the three virtues: Kindness.  The one you showed others, and the one I hope you receive in your next life.”

JingYi and Sizhui noticed Jin Ming and his men pointing and heard them exclaiming about the value of the egg.  Jin Feng left his place and went to silence them.  Scolding Jin Ming.

“Elder, what does a dead woman need such a thing.  Already, she is covered in jewelry made of gold, silver, pearls, jade, Ivory, and precious stones, as if she were an empress! Now she will take such an artifact to her grave!? Who knows the magic it contains and the power it would grant to whoever had it in their possession!  We should bring it back to the Chief Cultivator!”

“Enough!  These are funerary goods!  What kind of cultivator are you, Jin Ming!? I don't want to hear any of you mention this again and when I return to Jinlintai, I will demand that you be punished Jin Ming!” Jin Feng said sternly before walking away.

“Will Jin Ming and his soldiers be a problem?” Lan Ruoxing questioned.

“Obviously not! His words are unpleasant but that's it.”

“Mm.” Replied Lan Ruoxing who suddenly felt anxious.  Hanguang Jun absolutely had to find a way to protect the place, otherwise he feared that Jin Ming would give in to temptation and come and vandalize the tomb.  He would tell Hanguang Jun about it.

The fairy leaned down and kissed the dead girl on the forehead before raining petals on her from her head.   The little fairy joined her, as well as SongYung who was discreetly hidden on a branch above the tent.  The trees joined in and soon the dead woman as well as the inside and the outside of the tent were covered with petals.

She and her daughter then sat at the head of the coffin.

Ye Kun had arrived in the meantime and Hanguang Jun, noticing the absence of the matriarch and her brother, asked her about them.

She shook her head. Neither of them is really conscious… or in a state to join... Hanguang Jun,” she whispered to him.  “Song Yuming wrapped them in a shroud and carried them into the circle near the cage... He has placed a preservation talisman on them so that they would not rot alive...”

“Mm. That’s good… We will sit vigil for the next two hours, then, Ye Kun, please start the funerals rites. Peng Lizi will be buried at dawn.”

She bowed and signaled JingYi to resume burning joss paper and incense.

Chapter Text

As instructed by Hanguang Jun, two hours later, Ye Kun performed the funeral rites accompanied by the Lan elders playing: The other side, Afterlife, Peaceful journey, The open road, Beyond the grave, From cradle to the grave.

Then, the youngsters came to affix the talismans containing the short messages they had written to the dead woman inside the lid of the coffin.  Hanguang Jun took down the talisman paper with the poem, shrunk it, rolled it up, and placed it in the coffin.  Once done, Ye Kun covered her with her beautifully embroidered red cushion and nailed the lid of the coffin herself while everyone turned their backs except the fairies and Hanguang Jun who helped her with the maneuver. 

Ye Kun then attached talismans to the outside of the coffin, ending the ceremony, and walked out holding a long stick of incense in her hand.  Six students including JingYi, Jin Ling, Zizhen, Bao Sang, Tong Huke and Rong Peng took out the coffin. Even though it was considered good luck to be a pallbearer, without surprise, Jin Chan and Yao Gao had not proposed their alpha strength, and they had to refused Nie Yunche’s since women did not traditionally do that kind of things.

Hanguang Jun lifted the mortuary tablet and went out, followed by Sizhui with the incense burner.

The students placed the coffin at the side of the road, while Ye Kun recited the ceremonial formulas, and incense and paper were burned once more. Then they resumed the funeral procession followed by the rest of the students who carried flower wreath and spiritual objects made of paper.  The girls were crying loudly and lamenting.  The fairies and all the rest of the audience followed the path to the tomb in silence.  SongYun closed the procession.

They passed by the esplanade where the thing waited in the magic cage to be incinerate.  Next to it lain the enshrouded bodies of the matriarch and her brother.  They had passed while everyone was taken with the funeral rites for Peng Lizi, alone and forgotten, just like time had forgotten them… Hanguang Jun could only hope that the devil had also forgotten about them, but he doubted it.  Those would have to purge in hell before being re-eligible for reincarnation, if ever…

Also, accumulated around them, were everything that had been used to prepare the deceased, all the clothes of those who had participated in the extraction, as well as all kind of trash, from fallen branches to pouches full of waste taken out of the tree, dead animals etc.  The Mourning clothes would be added a little later, at the time of incineration.

They stopped in front of the tomb and SongYun was the one who placed the coffin there while the audience turned their backs with the exception, once again, of Hanguang Jun, the fairies, and the celebrant who continued to feed the incense burner with perfumes and paper.

Then SongYun placed the wreaths inside the cavity with the spiritual objects made of paper, and finally, she put the heavy tombstone in its place.  Song Yuming, equipped with a shovel, came to fill the bottom of the slab and used other small rocks to seal the gaps between it and the walls, using the resin and sand cement to weld everything together. 

Meanwhile Hanguang Jun had sat down and played: Farewell, and In memoriam.

The assistance remained transfixed by the purity and the power of his notes. The Jins commenting once again.  When he quieted the strings, the ghost, who had been standing next to him for the whole time pointed at something. It was toward the East, where the rising sun would be seen if not for the fog obscuring it while they turn to gold.

Hanguang Jun, without saying a word intoned: Into the light.

Peng Lizi left his sides and walk towards the East.

The students were all sobbing when Hanguang Jun went up his feet and cast a very powerful inviolability spell on the tomb.

Jin Ming who was completely at the back of the procession with his men gritted his teeth. 

“Hush!” Hanguang Jun reprimanded his students who were all sobbing. “Continue to perform the rites.”

The students hastily dried their face and distributed pieces of red string to the participants to thwart the evil eye.

Hanguang Jun picked up the mortuary tablet and wrapped it in a shroud before putting it in a qiankun pouch.

The whole procession moved to the cremation site.  The students removed the first layer of their clothes, which constituted their mourning attire, and threw it on the mound that had grown quite big.

“Elders, we will now start the Reparations and libaration rites.   Please play Cleansing, liberate from evil, and Deliverance (exorcism) for the purification part, and then play: Pardon my sins, song of harmony, Return to the beginning, and Closure.”

“Lan Ruoxing will direct the ceremony and recite the formulas. I will affix the purification Talismans and cast the reparation spells.  I will also ignite the pyre.”

“Ye Kun, please, rest.” He said when he saw the woman about to retrieve her guqin.

The thing in the cage howled and rattle the cage.

“Silence impure one!” Hanguang Jun commanded as he cast the purification circle around the mound of trash and step inside to put talismans on the two corpses laying near the cage.

The thing answered: “Rise!”

The students saw the moment the matriarch’s hand twitched within the shroud, like that of a puppet. But Hanguang Jun was ready and had no intention of letting them create havoc.  He pinned them to the ground with a powerful evil suppression-talisman. Took out his brush and started writing on their shroud.

“Elders, what are you waiting for?” he asked, casting them a dirty look over his shoulder.

They scrambled to start the music and Lan Ruoxing begun reciting the formulas and execute the ritual gestures while his colleagues played and burned cleansing herbs and talismans.  Jin Feng joined in to assist his Lan colleague with the ritual and the Jins also casted purifying spell to fight the infestation.

The thing in the cage couldn’t rise the bodies but it made sure not to go quietly: hurtling profanities and insults, telling lies, revealing secrets, taunting with the voices of loved ones etc.  Hanguang Jun would silence it for a moment, but as was the case with those demonic entities, after howling and imitating animal cries for a time, they would speak anew.  Once they got to Deliverance (Exorcism) it could only pleaded in the matriarch’s voice as Lan Ruoxing cast it back to hell.

The calm descended and the unnatural wind howling around the cage died down, the blanket covering the cage that had been flapping wildly, once more became limp.

Hanguang Jun enlarged the fire containment circle to the size of the purification circle and blended them together, then he stepped back, pulled out his guqin and played Pyre of magic fire, making blue flames rained down on what was inside the circle. Usually, a Lan cultivator would start sparks that would ignite the goods and developed into a raging blue fire, but Hanguang Jun made the fire rained instead…

The Lans and Jins were all amazed at such feat.

How much powerful was the second Jade?

“I’ve never though that I would witness such power and magic in the mortal world anymore…” The Mother Fairy told her daughter. “It’s been a long time since Heavenly trials had not taken place here… But the god of fate had been sent here by the other jealous ones to play his dirty tricks and hinder ascension… We will see if we can find his other half so that he can accomplish his destiny…”

“Yes Mother. I hope we’ll be able to help him…”

“We will try…”

As the smoke rose, something started to shine under the blanket that was not consuming in spite of the flames. Hanguang Jun raised his hand and his tool, made specifically for the occasion, came to him.  He folded it and put it in his qiankun pouch while some were commenting on its magic. 

He then revoked the assassination chords that were wrapped around the cage, and which also were not burning. As soon as they disappeared, what looked like a star shot out from the cage, slowed down near Hanguang Jun’s head who ignored it. The fairy Mother exchanged a surprised look with her daughter, then she held out her hands and the orb flew all the way to her and came to rest in her palms. She put it to her head, near the two other stones, closed her eyes, and the enchantment over the forest dissolved.

The revocation of the enchantment cast on the forest all those long centuries ago, and this to protect it against the incursions of men, manifested itself first and foremost by a subtle change in the atmosphere. They couldn't say what exactly had changed, but they all felt it intrinsically.  It was as if their senses were returning to their proper place, as if they were waking up from a strange dream, as if all their senses were becoming sharper.

And precisely, they discovered that their sense of smell had been so saturated by the perfume given off by the hundreds of thousands of flowers that they had stopped perceiving the more discreet odors carried by the air currents... Only the more powerful and contradictory odors had remained, like those of death and carrion, but now they could smell the trees, the people around them, and even the air.

Then, the cloud cover that hung over the trees, obscuring the sky and keeping them in artificial daylight, descended on them in the form of a viscous, peony-oil-scented dew to gather into a thick, low-lying mist at their feet. 

However, it was not the fact of finding themselves damp that threw them all into a state of stupefaction, it was the fact that the day that had dawned an hour earlier gave way to a full moon night!

Sizhui immediately went to cling to his father who instinctively put an arm around his shoulders, sensing his confusion and his fear.

“Hanguang Jun? What's going on?” Song Yuming stuttered.  “Did she transport us somewhere else?”

“Calm down! Everyone!” He said as tension rose and people cast wary glances in the fairy's direction.

“Hanguang Jun, as explained before, time in the enchanted forest does not pass at the same pace as elsewhere but I assure you that we are still in Heze.”

“How long have we been in the forest?” Lan Ruoxing asked in a muffled voice.

“Unfortunately, it is difficult for me to evaluate... The enchantment changed, depending on the intention of the person entering the forest...”

“It was also a full moon when we left... it's possible that very little time had passed.” Hanguang Jun tried to reassure everyone.

“Or that a whole cycle and even more has passed…” Answered Lan Ruoxing, already thinking of the worst.

“Hanguang Jun…” Prompted the fairy with urgency in her voice, “You must hurry... You must leave now that the pact is completely gone, and all links are broken between me, the forest, and men. Come and let me explain to you what to do about the children still inside the cocoons…”

“Lan Boming, gather the students and your belongings.  We are leaving.”

“Ye Kun, you come with me. I also need two volunteers from among the Lan elders.”

The two youngest elders stepped forward and Lan Ruoxing nodded.

“Jin Ming, take two/thirds of your men with you. You are also coming.”

“Song Yuming, you have control of the camp.  The remaining soldiers are under your command and must help you put everything back in place.  Do your best.  You have to be back in town with the elders no later than 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.  If there's anything, send me a message. I will also let you know as soon as I know the which date we are.”

“Elder Lans, please play for the creatures again the enchantment songs. Lan Ruoxing, you will lead the session.  Elders Jin, please help with spells?”

Jin Feng nodded eagerly.

“If possible, take some rest before returning.  We will still need you for purification rites in the Naxis village, liberation and reparation rites in the city...”

“Jin-Laoxiong, my assistant is young and not used to the ways of the Jins.  May I ask you to advise and guide him and the soldiers regarding any issues that may arise, including communication issues?”

“You can count on me, Hanguang Jun.”  Jin Feng said while bowing down.

“Hanguang Jun, I'm uncomfortable leaving the elders alone here.”  Jin Ming said.  “My assistant will accompany you instead.”

“Negative, Jin Ming.  The elders are not at risk here.” He replied dryly without giving any further explanation.

“Hao, Hanguang Jun.”

“Last recommendation, and this concerns everyone: Do not take anything found in this place with you.  Greed led eight men on a path to perdition and claimed thousands of victims including nearly a thousand children... Do not burden your karma, as cultivators, with objects or wealth that do not belong to you and which not only risk tarnishing your reputation but also might bring you bad luck.  If something is given to you, accept it, if not, leave it.”

The Jins looked at each other.

“SongYun, please, watch over the Fairy and her daughter.  I'm coming back...”

She nodded, plucked a flower from her head and offered it to him.

“Xiexie, SongYun.”

He pushed Sizhui who had remained glued to him towards Lan JingYi who grabbed his sleeve to bring him back towards his comrades.

“Hello kitty cat.”  Nie Yunche said mockingly.  Poor Sizhui blushed to the roots of his hair.

“We're leaving in fifteen minutes.”  He said to the group that would accompany him. “Execution.”

Chapter Text

He turned to the fairy and motioned for her to go ahead of him.  A few moments later, he disappeared into the mother tree following her.

Once in the tree, he found himself transported to its summit, facing the full moon, then the wind parted the tops of the trees, tracing a path, like a long silver ribbon. 

“Hanguang Jun, follow the wind,” the fairy said.  “It will take you back to the Naxis village.” “I’m giving you five petals from my magic flower for the five children still in the cocoons...”

She plucked them and handed them to him.  He slipped them into a qiankun pouch.

“Remove the golden flower that they wear on their forehead so that the parasite is exposed to the air.  It will stick its head out. You must extract it while it is still alive, otherwise it will be too late... The children will die in terrible suffering.  It will be more magnanimous to kill them... Blow into the cavity to force its head out until you can grab it and gently pull it toward you.  Once the parasite extracted, roll up the petal and place it in the cavity.  It will slowly dissolve, releasing its healing properties.”

Hanguang Jun nodded.

“The children must be kept in the shade and in a cool place while they recover and reaccustom themselves to the sun's rays... anti-parasitic herbal teas like those that healers prescribe for intestinal worms must be administered to them and also all the medicines used for known health problems that they will develop because of the waste in their viscera. They will also probably need painkillers...”

Hanguang Jun nodded once more.  He already knew that it was going to be a grueling process…

“If they get through this, they will retain certain non-human physical attributes for the rest of their lives... Men are so evil... I hope they remember the reasons behind these differences and treat them with kindness... They are going to need a lot of help and understanding to overcome what happened to them and learn to live with their history and with their differences… It is also very likely that they will lose part of their mental abilities but develop gifts of healing, clairvoyance, and above all they will always be very close to nature and will be able to communicate with it... In a loving community, they will be a blessing but otherwise, they will suffer.”

“I understand and I will advise their parents.”

“Otherwise, for the rest, it has to rely on luck... I regret not being able to do more...”

“The main thing is to do everything you can.”

“There still remains the question of the souls I have imprisoned… they are free now but still in limbo.  I’m not knowledgeable in how to help them cross...  Now that the reverie dissipates, those unable to find the bridge on their own risk remaining wandering souls and returning to haunt the city...”

“I will take care of that... Don't worry.  I just need to locate the second tree...”

“The other is in the canyon, not too far from the cenote where my daughter was imprisoned.”

“Mm. Thank you.”

“Go ahead, I will wait for your return... I still need to gain strength before I can open the portal.  I also promised you an answer...”

“Mm. If you need to leave, please don't hesitate.  I told you before, I don't consider you owe me anything, just a service if you wish... However, about SongYun...”

“We will take her with us to the fairy realm.  We think it's too late now to put her to sleep unless you stay longer just for her... I don't want to risk her not being asleep enough... You need to know that the parasite in the creatures will not die quickly... The creatures are no longer chrysalises but fully formed children, except that they have not yet reached their final development, just like human babies who turn into adults, then into old people, then die... However, my absence will cause a much faster maturation and therefore an early death of the parasite, in a few months to a few years probably for the oldest... Once the parasite dies, the creature that was its host will also die.  The more human tissue they have and the more their brain functions like a human, the more death will follow a pattern close to human death.  That is to say, they will suffer both physically and mentally if they are awake and conscious. Even the more tree-like will suffer to a certain extent if awake. This is why I am counting on your enchantment…

“Mm. That's what I’ve guessed, and that's why I chose Oblivion as the most magnanimous way to help them.  Once the enchantment is complete, they will not feel anything... I will come and add the final touches... You can help me by identifying those creatures who are, so far, the least deeply asleep.”

“Hao. As for SongYun, she is strong and has the qualities of heart which, with training, can allow her to successfully pass the fairy trials and earn a fairy life on her own.  This is our version of heavenly tribulations... Otherwise, in any case, rest assured that she will be my adopted daughter until she dies.”

“Hao. Xiexie, she touched my heart, and I wish her well.”

“Mm. You have a big heart, Hanguang Jun.”

He did not reply and said preferably: “I am taking with me the person who I believe had been a source of concern for you when I arrived here.  Song Yuming, my deputy, is to be trusted, as are the Lan elders. They will keep their eyes open and ensure your safety…”

“Don't worry.  I now know human nature well enough to be able to protect my daughter and myself.”

“Good.  See you soon then. I will keep in touch with you.”

They boarded their swords and left at full speed, gliding on the silver path that Hanguang Jun could easily perceive on the tops of the trees. They arrived at the village so quickly that they were shocked. This was the distance between Cayi and the Cloud Recesses.  Ten to twenty minutes on a sword, depending on the cultivator.

They landed outside the village, on the road, between the trees which parted to let them descend.

“Listen to me carefully.” Hanguang Jun said. “Our primary objective is to rescue the children. However, there are certainly ghouls waiting for us in Naxis Village.  Demons will certainly have infested the empty shells of the Naxis, just as was the case at the pyre with the bodies of the Matriarch and Xiao Ge when the Shaman attempted to raise them.  Just like the latter, and unlike the Shaman who I had to weaken for days, the infestation is recent and therefore the ghouls cannot be very powerful. We will have to face a horde of 42 individuals maximum.  There were 45 of them in the village before...”

Everyone nodded.

“Ye Kun, you will cast a spell for a triple circle in the center of the village as soon as we enter: circle of purification Fire inside; second-class demon containment circle in the middle; and finally, a general protection circle outside. You will play Deliverance (exorcism) so we can send these demons back to hell.  Since our goal is to help the children, so there is no time to waste. Do you have any questions?”

“No, Hanguang Jun.”

“Elders Lan, have you mastered the magic fire purification spell?

“Yes, Hanguang Jun. But as you know, the spell is extremely energy hungry and not being our element, we will only be able to use it twice each...”

“Mm. I can throw it up to three or four times.  This gives us a total of 7, 8 fire-starter at most.  Without a sacrificial pyre to keep it burning, we run the risk of it quickly going out. This is why I need everyone to work quickly and efficiently to feed it combustible and save us from having to drain our energy by casting it multiple times, or worse from running out of fire-starter and having to maintain a containment circle for days to incinerate these demons in a regular fire.”

Everyone nodded their understanding.

“Jin Ming, you and your men will be on the front line, outside the protection circle. Attack the Yin meridians of the feet: Liver, spleen, pancreas, kidney in order to weaken them and prevent them from capturing energy from the earth.  Also cut off their feet and hands to hinder and make them more vulnerable and slower. Then move them as soon as possible to the second line.”

“The Lan elders, Lan Boming and I will be in the second line and will attack the Yin meridians of the hands which manifest their power in the lung, heart, master heart. We will also cut off their heads if possible and above all we will set them on fire.  We will work together in pairs.  Lan Boming you will be with me. Never light fewer than two three or four ghouls at a time, use your ropes and nets as needed, and alternate starting fires between you to give yourself time to recover.  If you notice a fire still lit in the purification circle, do not use one of your spells but quickly bring the demon down to the third line, towards the students, who will be responsible for throwing them into the last circle.”

“Students, your role is not to fight with the ghouls but rather to throw them into the circle of purification fire.  Use your shields, ropes, nets and talismans to push, pull, throw them in the circle.  Also throw in every smallest piece you find; the main thing is to keep the fire going.  Use your swords only as needed and place ice talismans inside your shields to lower their temperature.  Is that clear?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“Jin Ming, are you ready? It is you who will supply us, and therefore the success of the operation depends on you.”

“Have no fear, Hanguang Jun. Jin Ming is here!”

Hanguang Jun did not respond, and preferably sent a butterfly to Jin Huo.  He needed the doctor to put the rescue plan in motion and arrive at the village with equipment, medicine, reinforcements, and coffins… just in case...

The confrontation was brutal and rapid.  Hanguang Jun had to admit, the Chief Cultivator’s elite team was very efficient.  He should definitely not underestimate Jin Ming.  The second circle also worked perfectly even if the two Lan elders had to go into meditation immediately after the fight was over.  As for the students, they did not forget to have fun while working, and Ye Kun did a remarkable job at the guqin and with casting the circle.

Jin Huo accompanied by two Lan elders, two Jin elders, and a dozen Jin soldiers, arrived following Hanguang Jun's butterfly which showed him the way to the village while Hanguang Jun was throwing the last ghoul into the fire.

“Hanguang Jun…” said the man while bowing on his sword.

“Jin Huo,” acknowledge Hanguang Jun with a brief movement of his head.  “How long have we been away?” 

The fact that the man was still there and had arrived so quickly already told him that there had been no demobilization and therefore, they must not have been missing for a very long time. But he still needed to know.

The man raised a questioning eyebrow but replied: “In a few hours you will have had forty-eight hours, Hanguang Jun. Two days.”

They were all surprised, but Hanguang Jun did not dwell on this information.

“Listen to me carefully, everyone,” he said, taking out a qiankun pouch from his pocket. He explained to them what needed to be done after exhuming the children, and handed a petal to Lan JingYi, one to Jin Ling, one to Ouyang Zizhen, and one to Nie Yunche.

Jin Ming's eyes almost fell out of his head.

“Jin Huo, take the elders with you. You are in charge of the four cocoons located in the same area.  Lan Boming and I will take care of the other one who is a little further away.”

“The rest of the students, you will go to the large hall of the village and prepare, under Ye Kun’s supervision, everything that will be needed to treat the Children.  Also have plenty of water and clean laundry brought to the hall.  The boys will be responsible for searching the homes and recovering anything that may be useful.  The girls and Sizhui will prepare the space.”

“Ye Kun, I rely on you to make all appropriate decisions.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“Jin Ming, complete the cremation, finalize the rites, revoke the circle, and see to security and logistics.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“I will communicate with all as needed, but right now we need to start digging those mounds. Do your best.”

The elders and students who were going to work on the cocoons bowed and they all left on the path leading them towards the cocoons, illuminated by the ghostly glow of the light talismans.

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun immediately saw the figure of Wu BaiNa sitting and watching over Han Nia's cocoon. In the light of the talisman which preceded them, he discovered her half woman, half plant.  She bore no flowers, and even the leaves on her branches had fallen.  She also bore burn marks... distinctly, she had been among those who had sacked the city and taken revenge on their torturers... Her stare was hard, dark, and painful. 

He stopped at a respectful distance and took out the fairy petal, gleaming in its gold dust.

“The fairy gave me this to try to save her...”

She stood up and walked a few feet away to sit on one of the gutted mounds.  It looked like she was sitting on a throne.

Hanguang Jun approached and found that the mound was muddy, signaling that the creature had continued to not only watch over it but also take care of it.

“If you have brothers and sisters among the other cocoons, tell them not to attack my people.  We are here to help…”

She emitted a series of disjointed sounds, and other whistles following the same tone, responded to her.  Hanguang Jun counted two more creatures.

Hanguang Jun put some ointment under his nose, and he and Lan BoMing got to work.

Searching the slimy, putrid mound might have been unbearable if the hope of finding Han Nia alive did not motivate him. She had been buried for almost four years.  What were the real chances of finding her alive and even then, if she was, what were the chances that she wasn't terribly deformed? What life would she have if she survived? He didn’t know and left those questions for later.

For now, he focused on removing the wet and viscous earth.  They used their shovels at the beginning with talismans to move the earth once it had been uncompacted, then they used their hands and talismans, careful to see clearly so as not to hurt the unfortunate girl.

“Hanguang Jun…” Lan Boming whispered; she had just seen a hand.  She placed hers against it, it was not that much bigger... This gave her courage, and she continued frantically to clear away the earth which had become looser and greasier rather than viscous as they opened the cocoon. 

They heard exclamations ring out a little further away and a butterfly reached them.

‘Xiao YuwenJi is alive!’

Hanguang Jun redoubled his effort as tears flowed down his cheeks.  He applied a talisman which moved a little more of the earth and the grayish face of the young girl appeared to him while other exclamations of joy rang out again.

Another butterfly arrived: ‘Sang JiaoJie is alive!’

They finished clearing the girl, took her out of her cocoon and placed her on her side.  She looked normal in size, a little taller than average, but they had no way of knowing if that had not been the case before being buried... Lan Boming applied more talismans to clean her face and respiratory tract while Hanguang Jun took out his tweezers and carefully began to remove the golden peony from her forehead.

He was surprised to find that it wasn't that difficult.  A brownish liquid escaped from the orifice and the parasite poked its head out.  Quick as lightning, Hanguang Jun grabbed it with his pincers and pulled. it tried to resist, to shimmy away, but he held it tight and used the pliers to roll it up because it was much longer than he expected... the length of a forearm.

Lan Boming took out a jar and they trapped it in it.  It was long, very thin, and black. Lan Boming couldn’t suppress a shiver.

Hanguang Jun then took out the petal and rolled it up like a miniature parchment and carefully inserted it into the cavity.  It melted, leaving a drop of gold in the middle of the girl's forehead.

Hanguang Jun grabbed her wrist as Lan Boming placed her hand on her heart.

They waited with their hearts in their throats and five minutes later the hand Hanguang Jun was holding jerked, as her extremely weak pulse raced.

Lan Boming also felt her heart speed up and she came alive under her hand like a newborn, trashing and wheezing, trying to take her first breath.

They turned her on her side and Lan Boming began to tap her meridians to unblock her airways while Hanguang Jun passed Qi into her.

She convulsed under their fingers and the air finally passed through her lungs with a terrible noise before she began to cough and vomit black lava.

“It's going to be okay, you can do it, you're going to be just fine, A-Nia.”  Hanguang Jun whispered to her, nodding his head more to reassure himself than the girl.

Wu BaiNa stood up and staggered away into the woods.

It was 09:00 a.m., Si Shi, when Hanguang Jun took a break.  They had worked non-stop since they dug up the children.  One of those taken the previous year had died less than an hour after her exhumation, and the other would likely follow in the next few hours if the progress of the transformation was anything to go by. Also, her vital signs were declining. Jin Huo and Hanguang Jun would have to make a decision; they both knew it wasn't worth prolonging her suffering...

For the other three, there was hope... a lot of hope... and that was what motivated them to push their physical limits, ignoring fatigue, dismay, and uncertainty; to force their minds to stay sharp in order to discuss the best protocols and make the best decisions for their little patients. If these children had survived such circumstances, then they had to dedicate themselves entirely to giving them the best possible care.

For the moment, they were fluctuating between unconsciousness and some form of awakening even though they gave no sign that they were fully perceiving their reality. But as the hours passed, their vital signs had improved significantly, and the potions Jin Huo had administered to them were doing their job to purge their system and manage their discomfort without plunging them back into a coma.  It was essential that their brains function normally again, or as normal as possible considering the circumstances.

Physically, they all had minor changes, especially to their extremities. Their ears, for example, were distinctly elvish; that is, elongated and pointed.  Their fingers and toes were too long, and the shape of the face was slightly altered. They were all a little taller than they should have been, too.  Their spine was more prominent as well as the bones of their joints.

Their joints also seemed more flexible, allowing their limbs to perform much greater movements.  Some has sharp teeth and their eyes, when they opened them, were dotted with black ink... In the end, minor changes if one remembered what they had just survived... And they all had hope that some of the transformations will continue to become less apparent…

Jin Huo had, during the two days during which the practical class had gone to the forest, trained the monks and those elders of the two sects who had no training in health, so that they could assist him during what obviously was going to be a sanitary health crisis in the village. And in fact, the healer had returned to town about thirty minutes ago since cases of respiratory distress and other symptoms had been increasing since dawn. 

They had intended to transfer the children, but the day had dawned, and knowing the sun and the heat were dangerous to them, not to mention that their case required a calm environment, they had decided to keep them in the village while waiting for them to stabilize, and also finding a place that was not the hospital to treat them.  For now, the Naxis hall being a cave house, was ideal as it remained dark and cool even in broad daylight. Exactly what the patient needed, not to mention that the Lan had added air and ice talismans.  Jin Huo would travel back and forth for at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours.

For their part, his students, in what had become the medical pavilion, had done remarkable work to prepare the premises and convert it into a real hospital room.  They had worked hard, in a calm and organized manner, and with great empathy and discretion once the children had been brought back from the forest.

Song Yuming had arrived as planned at 8:00 a.m., and the elders who had been part of the expedition had joined Jin Huo to provide care both in the village and in the city.

The Jin soldiers, too, had worked well; cleaning the environment by burning the remains of the zombies, drying the swamp using talismans, then placing others to absorb odors and repel flies, vermin and parasites crawling in the swamps and in the remains.  They also took care of all the manual tasks that facilitated the transformation of the village and the transportation of goods, food, and medicine.

JingYi and his comrades who had helped with the exhumation were sleeping in one of the huts.  They were physically and emotionally drained. They had proven that they were all leaders and would go far in their profession because they stopped at nothing and worked to the point of exhaustion.  The events they had experienced in recent hours were extremely shocking for such young people, but they had been able to put aside their sensitivity to prioritize the victims. The other students had joined them about an hour ago and he saw Ye Kun also returning to one of the small dwellings that had been reserved for the elders.

Hanguang Jun realized that he hasn’t even known her name before this hunt.  Like many other elders, he passed her by in the Cloud Recesses but had never paid her any attention.  She was part of that generation that he distrusted... He rarely had to work with elders and very often their intervention was required for only one aspect of the hunt and he let Lan Boming interact with them or Xiongzhang, when he made the trip… But on this hunt, he had discovered an upright and devoted person.

She was also very knowledgeable and full of empathy.  He realized that in discovering her, he had also learned to appreciate her, especially since their brief conversation. It was likely that it was the same for her... This realization also forced him to consider that perhaps there were many others in his sect, who deserved a second chance... However, how to give up his grudge, without giving up the past and without betraying Wei Ying and himself?  Wei Ying was dead, and he had almost died because of the injustice, the incomprehension, the jealousy of the members of his own sect... No, he wasn't ready! He may be known as Hanguang Jun, but he didn’t always deserve the name! He could live quite comfortably with that!

“Hanguang Jun,” Song Yuming said to him, handing him a plate of food.

He shook his head in refusal.

“Hanguang Jun, you have to eat…”

“I will meditate and practice Inedia.  I can't take anything.” He said.

“I understand... Ye Kun has just finished washing the dead child with Lan Boming... They can't swallow anything either...”

“Mm.”

“The public baths are empty, come take a bath... I brought you some clothes and spread your futon in one of the huts so that you can rest a little...”

Song Yuming had never seen him in such a state of neglect in his entire life!  He had thrown away his Yuanlingpao after the exhumation.  Once more, it was beyond recovery.  If the rest of his clothes were in a less deplorable state, they were no less stained and muddy.  With his boots, they were all destined for the trash.  Wild locks were spilling out of his bun and his face had a slight greenish tint with blue shadows all around his eyes.

“Mm. Hao.  I want that.” He answered and let Song Yuming show him the way.

Chapter Text

There was a slight noise at the hut door.  Hanguang Jun opened one eye.

“Hanguang Jun…” Lan JingYi’s voice rang out.

“Mm.”

The young boy opened the door, knelt, and walked on his knees to come and sit down on his legs next to the futon. 

“The Jin soldiers say there are creatures on the promontory... They look dazed but are still hostile.  They're going to kill them...”

Hanguang Jun sat up, furrowing his brow. 

“What time is it?”

“Wei Shi, 1:00 p.m., Hanguang Jun.”

“Lan Boming…” He called.  He could smell her around.

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” replied the young alpha woman who was hidden behind the door. 

She opened it and stuck her head through the crack, not wanting to invade his space.  Apparently, he was so tired after his bath that he hadn't bothered to put on his minimum three layers of clothing.  He was wearing only his zhongyi, his underwear, and the flap of his shirt left open revealed his impressive muscles as well as what looked like a Wen seal on his chest.  Aside from his ribbon, his hair was completely undone and slightly wavy, which indicated that he had not taken the time to style it or dry it.  His heady smell of incense, mixed with endorphins, wafted through the room and was strangely comforting, even to her who was an alpha.  By spending time with him, she had more or less learned to acclimatize to his smell and his pheromones... His eyelids were lined with blue shadows, and she found him both magnificent and vulnerable. 

“Go put an end to this witch hunt immediately! and ask Jin Ming to wait for me in the courtyard. Also gather the students in the courtyard.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” She said as she disappeared.

“Do you need help getting dressed, Hanguang Jun?” JingYi asked him with a glim in his eyes.

Hanguang Jun glared at him and Lan JingYi smiled brightly.

He had indulged the boy too much, Hanguang Jun thought.

Thirty minutes later, Hanguang Jun joined his assistants and students who had been waiting for him for ten minutes, and Jin Ming who had been doing the same for more than twenty. 

Hanguang Jun had taken the time to dress properly in his uniform, comb his hair, and ate bitter leaves to block his hunger. He had once again taken on his appearance of a lost god on earth and Sizhui smiled.

The elders of the Jin sect, guessing that there was a situation with Jin Ming, passed by several times, but didn’t linger.

“Hanguang Jun…” said his students while greeting him, hands gathered on their sword and bowing.

Jin Ming, who was pumping adrenaline and whose scent could be smelled to at least one Li around, also bowed.

Hanguang Jun responded with a small nod.  “Is everyone okay?” He asked, turning his back on Jin Ming to address his students.

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.  Thank you for worrying about us, Hanguang Jun.” They responded in unison.

“Mm. I would like to congratulate you all on your exemplary behavior over the past three days.  You have all demonstrated discipline, empathy, dedication, and initiative. You’ve also worked very hard and this under minimal supervision.  I am very proud of you.”

“Thank you Laoshi.” they said bowing.

“Furthermore, JingYi, Jin Ling, Zizhen, Nie Yunche, once again you have proven last night that you have the mindset to be exceptional cultivators and leaders.  I wish for your names to pass into posterity.”  He said, bringing his hands together on his sword and bowing. 

His four students kowtowed to their teacher under the applause of their comrades.

“I will plan mandatory meeting for the four of you with one of our healers before the lectures end so you can discuss last night's events and receive spiritual and mental guidance and care.  For others, if you feel the need, do not hesitate to make an appointment.”

Moans of protest were heard from one side while the other responded in the affirmative.

“Good.  We will resume our school activities and try to finalize this hunt as quickly as possible.  Do you have all your equipment with you? If not, please go back to your hut and make sure to pick up all your belongings”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

He finally turned to Jin Ming.

“Jin Ming, first of all, thank you for your assistance and that of your men last night.  Your work was flawless.  The Chief cultivator actually sent me the best!”

“Thank you, Hanguang Jun.  Me and my men will certainly not forget this opportunity to have been able to assist Hanguang Jun and especially to have seen him at work...”

“Mm. What's happening now?”

“Creatures, Hanguang Jun!” he replied. Excited again.

“Yes.  And then? Did they attack you?”

“Yes yes.  When we got closer...

“When you got closer!?” he interrupted. “Why did you go to them?” he asked, impassive.

The man looked at him strangely then said with a glint of challenge in his eyes: “They were acting strangely, so we wanted to help them...”

Hanguang Jun let his gaze fall on him and the man had the audacity to smile at him.

“Jin Ming, since the beginning of this hunt I have given clear orders regarding how to behave towards the creatures.  I ask you and your men to stick to it until the end of this hunt.  I wish with all my heart to be able to make a report free of any blame towards you to the Chief cultivator.”

“Ayah! Hanguang Jun, don't be so dramatic for a few creatures... I called my men back.  Now your little darlings are all yours! and before I forget, the Chief cultivator has just sent reinforcements to town and an emissary for you.  You should go meet him to receive orders from our Xiāndū.  Have a nice day Lan-Er-gongzi.” He said, bowing mockingly before turning on his heel in a fit of foul mood.

Hanguang Jun let him take a few steps away before saying:

“Jin Ming, I don't think I’ve ended this conversation...” His voice was dangerously calm as the temperature dropped and charged with danger.

Everyone in the yard looked down and hunched their shoulders as his two assistants stepped back. 

Jin Ming froze then slowly turned around, knowing that he had just made a mistake that could have been fatal.  He had turned his back on a dominant alpha...

He bowed down.  “Hanguang Jun… Please forgive me.”  He said, remaining doubled over.

Hanguang Jun waited a few seconds too long before saying:

“Stand up Jin Ming.  Please choose four of your men to stay here to stand guard and carry out various tasks under the orders of Jin Huo or whoever he designates.  I believe we can say that all danger has passed... As for you, you can return to the city and put yourself under the orders of Jin Feng who is assisting Jin Huo with the management of the health crisis.  I learned that the situation in town had deteriorated and that it was necessary to manage the influx of patients to the hospital.  From this moment on, your job will be to assist the population.  For my part, I no longer need you.  I will report to the Chief Cultivator and place a word for you.”

Jin Ming stood stunned, his mouth open, and JingYi who was among the students who had remained, having all his equipment with him, had to stop himself from snickering.

“Oh! Before I forget.  I will hold a Postmortem session tomorrow with the whole team, at the hotel, at 8:00 p.m., of course you are invited, if Jin Feng deem it necessary... you are dismissed.”  He said coldly.

The man surprisingly glanced at Jin Ling who was also there, seeming to ask him to intervene.  But Jin Ling remained silent.

The man could only bow, took a few steps back, before standing up and turning on his heel.

“Hanguang Jun, I think you’ve just made an enemy.” Lan Boming whispered to him.

“I have never been popular, even among my own people, I can get by being hated by a person like Jin Ming.”  He said contemptuously.

“Are you going to go to town to meet this emissary?” Song Yuming asked.

“Song Yuming, am I not the second lord of my family and the alpha heir of my sect!?”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun. My apologies Hanguang Jun.”

“Mm. For now, we'll go see what is happening with the creatures on the promontory.” 

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” Everyone answered.

There were three of them: Wu Baina and two others who had clearly been young boys, one of whom was the one who had stuck his head through the opening of the cave under the mountain but remained outside. He was gigantic, indicating that the transformation had begun a long, long time ago and only an iron will, or perhaps deep resentment, had kept him active, preventing him from settling down like many companions of misfortune... 

What also immediately caught Hanguang Jun's attention as soon as he laid eyes on them was that the golden peony they wore on their foreheads had disappeared.  Was this the work of the Jins? Certainly not! The sun reflecting off an object laying around wrapped in a long black serpentine shape that was disintegrating under the sun.  This confirmed what he suspected.  They had not only pulled out their flower but also, at least one of them, had managed to eradicate its parasite.  Probably Wu Baina who had understood when she saw him doing it the night before.

He observed her carefully and clearly, she was more weakened than the other two. Moreover, she gave him a look filled with pain and distrust but made no movement to stand up and attack.  The other two managed to sit up and cast a questioning look at their companion who remained lying down.  Their attitude confirmed that she had been in charge until now, and now that she was unable to do so, the other two felt lost.

They must have spent the day in the sun because they were very wilted and shedding.  Their skin was peeling like the upper layers of the bark of certain trees.  They all, like Wu BaiNa bore numerous marks testifying to the altercations they had had with humans over the last few days and which left them with broken branches, missing limbs, and burn marks.

“They are committing suicide.”  he said to his class.

“Hanguang Jun… how do you know?” Qin Weizhang whispered.

“They tore off their golden peony,” Nie Yunche replied.

“Exact.”

Hanguang Jun sat down and manifested his Guqin.  “Sizhui, what should I play for them?”

“Play Sympathy, Hanguang Jun.”

He did so and they seemed to listen to him and relax.  Then he spoke into the wind, sending a message to the fairy.  Again, the creatures seemed to listen and when the fairy's response reached them, he saw a tear slide down Wu Baina's cheek while the whole forest murmured and lamented.

“Han Nia, will be okay,” he told her with compassion. “Allow me to assist you and your brothers.  The agony is likely to be long without intervention.  Then I will play for you so that your souls can cross over to the other side.”

Wu Baina made a few short sounds, and the other two listened and then turned their gaze to Hanguang Jun. They lay down on the ground and closed their eyes.

He drew his sword and cut off their heads, proving to Nie Yunche that Bichen had nothing to envy of her saber.  Then, after placing anesthetic talismans on them, with movements of his hands, he dismembered them.  Gusu Lan had dominance over wood and for him, it was not a difficult task, just barbaric.

Sizhui and JingYi played all this time: Mercy and Rest.

Meanwhile, the deputies and the rest of the students prepared a pyre which they began to fill with the dried remains scattered on the promontory, included those of Chen Ziyi who was still recognizable. Then they added the last sacrifices.

Hanguang Jun lit the pyre and then took the lead and played: The other side, Peaceful journey, Cross (over the bridge) and Into the light.

Lan Boming handed Hanguang Jun three golden peonies she had picked up from the ground. He slipped them into a Qiankun pouch.

They remained a moment, in contemplation, before leaving the promontory under the surveillance of two Jin soldiers who would scatter the ashes.

A second, equally difficult task awaited him on his return to the village.  Jin Huo came to warn him that their patient had to be euthanized.  There was no more hope, just a long agony.

So, he played Invocation to bring the soul out of the body so that she could witness the state of her body.  Then he moved on to Inquiry, slowly explaining what had happened and convincing the soul to renounce clinging to life, and discouraging it to remain after the death of her body.

He performed the renunciation ceremony.

Jin Huo proceeded to block all the meridians and Hanguang Jun cut the head.

He then played once more to direct the soul to the afterlife.

Ye Kun, tireless, prepared the remains with Lan Boming, and they locked the dead girl in her coffin with a talisman of inviolability to prevent the family from being able to open it.

Hanguang Jun collected the golden peonies and the tablets from the hotel that the Naxis had set up and added them to his pouch. 

Then, he and the few Lan elders present performed purification rites for the souls of the Naxis.  None came forward to be accompanied to the afterlife. They had all either already crossed over, or their souls had been taken to the underworld.

They burned incense and joss paper in front of the tablets, all neatly lined up in the Naxis Ancestral Hall

“It’s a very sad story,” Lan Ruoxing murmured.  “These people suffered martyrdom, and for what?”

“There is usually never any good reason behind the wickedness and greed of men.  These people are victims of the great and powerful of this world, of men without faith or law... Unfortunately, even the most rightful men, under the right circumstances, are capable of the worst compromises, the worst atrocities or simply, are guilty of turning a blind eye...”

Lan Ruoxing said nothing.

Chapter Text

Finally, Hanguang Jun and his class returned to the city around 6:00 p.m.  They were struck by the desolation that reigned there.  Already, when they left for the forest, it looked abandoned, but now it was difficult to remember what it looked like a week earlier and even to imagine that one day it would be reborn from the ashes...

A lot of houses had been vandalized and fires had raged in several neighborhoods.  All the peony groves had been torn up or had dried up.  The fields of flowers were in some places a putrid mass and in others a carpet of windswept ash that rushed into the nostrils and stinged the eyes and nose with every breath.

The charred remains of Po Sa, the grandfather Tree, lay in the crossroads where the creature had taken up residence when its time had come to settle down.  It had wanted to remain among the living, but men had ultimately sacrificed it a second time. 

They also spotted the charred remains of three other creatures that had perished during the attacks. Hanguang Jun realized that their heads were missing! Who had taken them along with their golden flower? He sighted.  He’d asked Jin Feng to investigate as it could only be the Jin soldiers. He doubted that the people, even though they had clearly defended themselves with the help of the Jins, would have done so...

Other large trees had suffered the same fate, people frightened by what they could be and/or by what they could hide from view.

Behind closed doors and windows, people were coughing their lungs out and were wasting away from bout of vomiting and diarrhea.

The few people they encountered in the streets gave them looks that were sometimes frightened, sometimes filled with anger, less rarely filled with despair and shame.

A woman threw a stream of spit in their direction and cursed them.

“Auntie, do you want to inherit another curse?” Lan Boming asked sternly.

They returned to the hotel, seeing many Jin cultivators as they passed.  Lianfang Zun had indeed deployed additional soldiers to organize and secure the aid efforts.

Hanguang Jun immediately went to visit the innkeeper.  He and his wife, as well as his sons, except the fourteen-year-old, were all bedridden but their wives were doing a little better.  They were not from the city and therefore were not as infested with pollen as their husbands even though they shared their fate once they marry into the city.

“Hanguang Jun,” the man said between coughing fits.  “Forgive me for not being able to properly care for my guests.  I had prepared dishes that could be preserved before falling ill and also, I gave free rein to the cultivators to use the kitchen... my young family members, who are not so sick, will do their best…”

“Hu-Laoban, please don't worry about us.  How are you doing? Jin Huo tells me that you are already better…”

“Hanguang Jun, I am probably the person in town who has received the best care! Thank you.”

“Mm. Don’t mention it…”

“So, you did what you promised to do... you got rid of the curse…” he said smiling.

“Mm. I’ve also recovered Xiao Yuwengji, Sang JiaoJie, and Han Nia.”

“Oh god! Oh god! The man exclaimed emotional, tears flooding his cheeks.  “You are indeed Hanguang Jun.”

Hanguang Jun bowed his head in a small salute and said:

“They will need help.  I’m counting on you to keep everyone’s head leveled, and their heart cleared of malice and resentment.  Please, especially, treat Nia and her mother well…”

“I will, I will, I promise you. If needs be, they will be my children.”

All the members of his family who were able to do so bowed down.

Then, after inquiring whether they were hospitalized or at home, he first went to see the families of the two children who died after their exhumation.

Their cries, amid the coughing fits, were heartbreaking.

They all bowed down before the bereaved families, Hanguang Jun apologizing for not having been able to save them.

The bodies would be brought to them by the end of the evening.

Then they went to see the Xiaos.

Xiao-Laoban had seemed to recover from his amputation, but now that the disease had taken hold of him, his chances were diminishing visibly.  He simply didn't have enough resources to get by... He cried, asked for forgiveness again, and thanked Hanguang Jun when he told him that his son, Xiao YuwenJi, was alive.

He also fell that the couple was unravelling.  It was going to be difficult for the wife to forgive him if ever he survived…

“A-Ji will need care and understanding to get back on his feet and lead a life as normal as possible,” he told the mother. “It won't be easy and he's unlikely to make a full recovery... He also has slight physical deformities...”

“What does it matter! As long as he's alive and this never happen again.  Thank you, thank you.”  She said, kowtowing.

“The child will remain hospitalized at the monastery until Jin Yisheng, or his doctor, declares him fit to return home.  He will be transported there shortly.  You can go visit him tomorrow morning.”

Little Sang JiaoJie's parents were both seriously ill and thus, hospitalized.  They were both from the city, and the husband having worked in the Marquis's fields, and his wife in the flower packing warehouses were more infested than others...

However, they cried heartily and thanked him when they received the news.

He was hoping that they would survive and not leave the girl orphaned.  But it was beyond what he could guarantee… So, he tried not to dally on it.

They noticed in passing that Jin Huo had indeed received additional staff and medicine.

“Jin Ling, your uncle has been very generous…” Hanguang Jun said.

“Xiao Shushu likes for people to think well of him... The Lanling Jin's... ignorance of this case is already troubling enough...” He replied, strangely bitter.

Jin Chan gave him a stunned look but said nothing.

By the time they arrived at the doors of the flower house, it was already after 10:00 p.m.

The madame and her workers were being treated at home. The population did not want to let them pass to the hospital... Hanguang Jun couldn't help but feel disquieted and doubtful about the future of the town with such a mentality...

A very young girl opened up to them. Obviously, because of her young age, she was not as sick as her elders.

“How can I serve you, my lord, my lady?” she asked shyly.

“Meimei, I guess no one is working today and you have no customers, right?” Lan Boming asked.

“No Gunian.  The girls are sick.  If you're here for their company, I'm afraid that's not possible... I'm still in training and haven't started serving the customers yet, other than pouring tea, some games and music... I'm sorry.  Ah! Bibi and AhLe can suck you off, kǒu jiāo, they are not feeling too poorly and are authorized to offer this service, but you cannot deflower them without discussing it with the madame and paying good money… We also serve women, and we have a male flower if the gentlemen prefer.”  She said this in one breath without giving them a chance to interrupt her.

Hanguang Jun, Lan Sizhui and the girls almost fainted as all the other students laughed, including Lan JingYi.

“Meimei, we are not here for the girls but for your Madame.” 

“Furen, she's sick, she won't be able to serve all these people at the same time... Even less these manly alphas... she serves no more than two clients at once, and only one of them can be an alpha… if not, it’s too much and she will hurt herself.”

The students looked at each other, most of them not understanding how a woman could serve two men at the same time.

Song Yuming snickered.

Hanguang Jun almost run away.  Only pride, and Lan Boming’s hand around his wrist, kept him from doing so.

“We're here just to talk to her!  We have news of Han Nia.”

“Han Nia!” She exclaimed, opening her eyes wide.

“Yes.  We will be in the garden.  I'm afraid the madame will have to come down because Hanguang Jun won't enter the house of ill repute!”

“Han, Hanguang Jun?” she said, staring at him… “Oh! yes, yes, she told me to watch out for you!”

She left the door open and ran upstairs.

Han Nia's mother had a strong cough but was not in the worst condition. Two younger girls supported her to the garden and left her on a bench to talk to her guests.

“I guess I have to thank the gods that I never worked in flowers!” She said ironically.  “Don't spare me...”

“Furen, Han Nia is alive.” Hanguang Jun said.

They had to support her.

They waited while she got dressed and escorted her to the monastery where the three patients had just been transferred.

“Han Nia,” the woman said to her daughter, “so, you are like your mother after all, weeds, impossible to be pulled out against your will... already when I was carrying you, you did the same...”

She pulled out a chair and sat down.

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun met with the Lans elders at Midnight.

He found Jin Feng with them waiting for him in the hotel lobby, accompanied by his assistant.

“Hanguang Jun,” he said, bowing. “I received a letter for you from the Chief Cultivator, but I forgot it in my room.  I will give it to you tomorrow... In the meantime, I see no reason to change the status quo, everything works perfectly well.”

Hanguang Jun bowed to him also.

“Xiexie.”

“If you allow it, me and my assistant would like to accompany you this evening.”

“Jin Loaxiong, there was no need to seek my approval.  Obviously, you are welcome.”

They left in the direction of the fairy peony's lair, once again following the long silver ribbon that the wind traced at the top of the trees.  The view from above was impressive, the tree majestic even though it was difficult for someone unaware of it to detect that it was not simply on a slope because indeed, the cavity was located in the foothills of the mountain range.  The topography of the place continued to do its camouflage work even if it was less effective than the enchantment.

The whole depression had already changed considerably.  In particular, the environment was already much drier. Once the fairy left, the climate would slowly but surely align with the rest of the forest, although the depression might still maintain some sort of microclimate, but obviously nothing as extreme as what they had witnessed.

The peonies were still resplendent.  They too would die and transform over the years and centuries to become common, like those found elsewhere.

The Fairy and her daughter thanked Hanguang Jun for what he had done for the children and for the creatures who had wished to die.

“Wu Baina and a few others have never come here, she told them.  She never accepted what she had become... She never accepted me as a mother or a friend... only as an employer...” She said with sadness but understanding.  “She was right...”

The Fairy had worked a lot during their absence, also deploying her magic to put the creatures to sleep and reinforce the stitches of the new reverie. 

“I visited the forest today; it was such a pleasure even with the dire situation… It has been so long… a lot has changed, and the forest became smaller and less dense outside of my zone of influence…”

“Mm.  Nothing can slow the march of man…” Answered Hanguang Jun.

“Yes.  Fortunately, all the creatures that did not come here but stayed, preferably, with implanted friends who were therefore unable to move, are also asleep, as well as the implanted ones.  The Lan's magic is truly spectacular! Music has no boundaries as long as it is pushed by the wind. Hanguang Jun, I felt your energy from over a hundred miles away and all my children are thankfully within this range, so I really trust that the enchantment will hold for them too.”

The Lans therefore proceeded to the last session of Pleasant dreams and Oblivion, Hanguang Jun replicating the wonder he had accomplished the day they arrived there.  The Jins added their spells, and the fairy deployed her enchantment.

As the day dawned, the Fairy invited him once more into the mother-tree.

He left the elders and his students in meditation and disappeared into it.

Lan Ruoxing opened one eye and whispered to his colleague Jin: “How reckless! Did you see how she looked at him this morning when talking about everything he had accomplished? What if she kidnaps him!?”

Jin Feng couldn't help but gently mock his colleague Lan. 

Hanguang Jun, once again, found himself floating above a forest.  However, it was not a landscape that he recognized.  He had traveled to many places in China, and he couldn't place it.  it wasn’t like anything knew.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“This is one of my memories… a place beyond The West Sea, from xī hǎi.  It is a large island.  This is where I will go to join my family who have been waiting for me there for several centuries already... there, men still respect the forest and the beings who live there... Their civilization is not yet that advanced... Their magic is not as sophisticated and therefore their faith and actions towards nature much more respectful.”

“Mm. That’s a good choice.  Do you plan to stay there for a long time?”

“Only for a moment... then, I will definitely leave the sphere of men... I do not wish to remain there...”

“I understand.”

“Hanguang Jun, you saved me and my daughter.  I would like to express my gratitude to you... Fairies are capable of granting certain wishes... I say certain ones, because we are not capable of creating things that do not exist... You also asked me if the past was immutable, and I told you no. Let me give you some advice so that you can express your wish with full knowledge of the facts…”

“Mm. Xiexie.”

“The past is not immutable and if the past were to be modified, then surely it would change the present that we know.  However, the universe has a particular way of imposing its will... of putting things in order... of correcting things... of prioritizing certain developments... often it is extremely complicated to change our destiny even by modifying several events in our past ... We would have to be able to bring about a radical change... Furthermore, there is a second disadvantage, even if we changed the past, we would still not know what future we would inherit since we would be rewriting the future... do you understand?”

“Mm. If someone travels to the past, do they keep the memories of the present and the past to which they belong?”

“Fairies keep the memory of all their lives and all their time.”

“Is it the same for a man?”

“I can't say for sure; men’s memory is not that good… but I think a man would also keep his memories...”

“Mm. If a man traveled to the past, would he return to his own body but with knowledge of the future or would he be an older duplicate of himself?”

“He would be a double of himself, an anomaly that the universe would seek to correct at all costs... It would also be extremely dangerous for him to meet his double or to occupy the same space-time as him.  Probably this would create a soul-destroying paradox.”

“Mm. I understand… he said.  He was silent for a moment, lost in thought... Can you take a man with you to the past or the future?”

“I can take whatever I want to take...”

“I lost... someone...”

The fairy's gaze filled with compassion.  “I’ve guessed it... Would you like to join that person? In the past or in the future?”

He hesitated and replied: “I cannot risk the past... It does not belong to me alone... I have a son... the son of this person who became mine after his death... the slightest derailment could erase him from this present and the future... So, no... I don't want to correct the past...”

“It is rare that a man does not wish to erase the suffering of the past... Moreover, knowledge of events would give you the advantage of being able to anticipate what happens next and perhaps prevent it... Are you sure that you prefer to go to the future? So, once again, let me advise you:”

“When a man wishes to travel to the future, he must ask himself two essential questions: The first is when in the future? That is, do you want to reach this person when they are just a child and influence their whole life? Or do you want to join them when they are already an adult and thus seize, if possible, a future at their side?”

“Hmm… I think it would be best to find this person while they are still a child and watch over them, taking care to interfere as little as possible in their life while waiting for the time and opportunity to try to have a relationship with them...”

“In other words, you want to take Lord Siming's place, the god of fate, in that person’s life?”

Hanguang Jun was confused. He could see how this was a bit gray and even potentially dangerous. 

“Hmm... I understand what you're telling me: hell is paved with good intentions... I just... wish I could protect them in their next life... I know it doesn't seem innocent or desirable, but I can't risk this person experience a destiny similar to that which was theirs in this life… “

“I don't doubt it.  However, how and on what will you live in the future? If you want to protect this person, you need to have the means, the ability, and the position... It could be that when you arrive you won't even be able to speak the language of the future...”

He remained silent.

“What if you are unable to help them?  To modify their destiny in such a way as to avoid a tragic end.  What if your sacrifices were in vain?  What would you do?  Are you able to accept this loss a second time?”

He remained silent.  Of course he couldn't...

“Let me at this point address the second essential question: Towards which future? There are certainly several futures where this person exists, but how do we choose which one? On what basis? And then finally there is the possibility that the soul was destroyed... Are you ready to accept that?

He looked at her, anguished... he now understood the full extent of the decision...

“And your family in this present, are you ready to abandon it? Your son... His son? What would he think of this abandonment?”

A-Yuan who clung frantically to him every time he was gone for more than a week...

“And if your absence in this present caused you son’s misfortune, would you be able to live with this possibility?”

He didn't answer.  He had already endured so much for Wei Ying's son. For his A-Yuan. How could he even jeopardize this before securing his future?  And Xiongzhang, what if his absence broke him and worse, led him down a path of iniquity?

The fairy looked at him with compassion.  “Think for a moment and then express your wish.”

He closed his eyes and meditated for about fifteen minutes.

“I'm ready,” he said.

She plucked a petal from her head and handed it to him.  “Eat it.”

He did so and the three stones that the fairy wore on the flower at her forehead began to glow.

Her search took longer than he had expected and when she opened her eyes, she had a troubled expression.

Hanguang Jun’s heart contracted in his chest.

“Hanguang Jun, you asked if Wei Ying would be happy one day.  This is a very unconventional question in that it does not involve you directly and does not delimit either time or space. So, I searched for the energy of your Zhiji across time and space. This is very disturbing...”

Hanguang Jun furrowed his brows. At this point he was on the verge of nausea.

“I reassure you immediately, the soul of your Zhiji has not been destroyed.  it is here, in this world and in this present!”

“Hanguang Jun blinked.  I don't understand... Wei Ying... Wei Ying is dead.  I saw him die with my own eyes!”

“Yes, I didn't say he was alive.”

“You mean he became a wandering soul! If so, he would have answered my call!”

“Neither! He doesn't wander.  It's hidden somewhere and I'm not the only one looking for it.  The gods have also been looking for him, continuously... He and you are a fated pair, going through heavenly tribulation together, but your Zhiji, he is an ancient and cunning soul... I have seen him in the past... so powerful and yet so different...”

“You mean that Wei Ying's soul took refuge with someone who is neither me, nor A-Yuan...”

“Mm. probably... A place could not have hidden him so well…”

A tear slipped down Hanguang Jun’s cheek. 

“Is it with his adopted brother?”

“I don't think so.  It's not an obvious person.  Otherwise Siming, the god of fate, would have found him and forced him to enter the cycle of reincarnation...”

“But... why would he hide? What is he waiting for if not reincarnation?”

“I don't know, unfortunately... I can only guess that he has unfinished business in this world but intend to take care of it in an unconventional way…”

“Are you sure that Wei Ying is not a prisoner?”

“I'm sure. Your Zhiji is as cunning as Sun Wukong, the trickster god.  Only he would have been able to solve the puzzle, and he refused to help Siming... Your Zhiji was his student in a previous life and Sun Wukong owes him a debt...”

“So, you don’t know if Wei Ying will ever be happy… he whispered.”

“Unfortunately, no.  No future is written for him… If that can be some solace, in the past, he was happy for some times, In the Cloud Recesses, besides you…”

He nodded.

“On the other hand, as for your future, even though you asked nothing for yourself, I still saw that you will be happy... And I sincerely think that it is in this life...”

“Without Wei Ying?” He shook his head as tears flooded his cheeks. He then prostrated himself.  “Thank you for your indulgence towards me.”

Chapter Text

He sat for a long time and talked to SongYun, then he played Lullaby, The Safe Place, and Farewell transforming his notes into strings, then into runes.  She tried to catch them, and Hanguang Jun let two of them tattooed themselves on SongYun's damaged hand to form her name.

“So that you don't forget me, and that you don't forget your name when you become a fairy.”  He told her.

She smiled and offered him the most beautiful flower on her head.

He took advantage while he was playing The Safe Place to cast a Labyrinth spell on the place, hidden in the runes of the song.  As he had hoped, no one seemed to notice except the Fairy who smiled at him.  The power of his golden core guaranteed its inviolability and duration. Few cultivators would dare to measure up to such magic...

The invention was not his.  Hanguang Jun had given Nie Yunche a special job.  That of designing a labyrinth to protect the depression in which the mother tree was located for a period of 500 years. The Nies were, after all, very good with Labyrinths... Hanguang Jun was also good at mazes, but he was not a master and above all, it was a secret between him and Yunche.  If the Jins tried to enter the area, they would try Gusu Lan's element combinations first, but they would not immediately think of trying QingHe Nie's. This added a level of difficulty to the maze.

Nie Yunche had therefore designed the labyrinth, taking inspiration from what the fairy had done previously.  When she presented the final work to Hanguang Jun, he was impressed by her ingenuity and praised her.

“Hanguang Jun, don't thank me.  I just hope that you will treat me like a little sister and turn a blind eye to my eccentricities if one day I join Gusu Lan as your deputy's wife.”

“Hao.  It’s a done deal.” Hanguang Jun replied, and she had smiled with all her teeth.

The little fairy, sitting next to her mother and SongYun whose hand she was holding, thanked him once again. 

“You are welcome.  I only did my duty to repair what I could. I wish you a long and happy life alongside your mother, SongYun, and yours.”

“We will take good care of your little friend, Hanguang Jun, and maybe when she becomes a fairy, she can visit you…”

“Mm. I will not forget you SongYun, and I will always recognize you.” he told her.

“Hanguang Jun,” said the fairy, “we will never forget you either... My daughter has already granted you the gift of communicating in the Elvish tongue.  I couldn't have thought of a more appropriate gift for you.  However, I wish to give you this, she said, handing him one of the most beautiful flowers on her head. It opened and closed and shimmered with gold. “It contains two diamond tears, she said, pointing to the two diamonds that shone among the pistils of the flower.  “They are Joy and Tenderness.  They crystallized the day my daughter returned to me.  I hope that one day the diamonds will go to your Zhiji.  The flower is for you, it is filled with healing and magical properties…”

“Xiexie.” he said, receiving it with both hands and putting it under a preservation talisman until he could put it under a glass bell.

“When are you leaving?” he asked.

“I'm waiting to greet you, farewell,” she replied.

“Hao.”

They returned to the hotel it was 8:00 a.m. and Hanguang Jun sent everyone to rest. 

The Lan elders were to prepare and perform a first reparation and liberation ceremony at ten that night.  He and his students would go around 2:00 p.m. to look for the second tree in order to place talismans on it.  On the way back, they had already done the same with the tree under which they had stopped one night.  Hanguang Jun also planned to bury the cenote after the rites that evening or tomorrow morning.

“Bag all the evidence and put the room in order.  Then rest and collect your belongings.”  He said to his students.  “We leave tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m.”

The students opened their eyes wide. 

“That soon!” Exclaimed Sizhui, disappointed.  “But Hanguang Jun, the children have not woken up yet and there’s so much left to do here…”

“Mm.  We will certainly receive update news. We have done all the essential tasks.  The teams here will tie any loose ends pertaining to ceremonies and other bits and odds… But for now, we must go back to finish school. It is already the 12^th day since we’ve landed in this city…”

The students nodded.  They indeed had to go back to their life as life here, in that city, would take a long time to go back to any normalcy…

The next day, if all went well, they would hit the road.  Hanguang Jun thought.  He would devote 3 days to the case in Anhui and then return to Gusu with only 4 to 6 days late.  It was playable.

Jin Feng came to his apartment to give him the letter from the Chief Cultivator.

“I let him know that I was responsible for the delay.” he said, smiling behind his cup of tea.

“Xiexie.”  Hanguang Jun said to him, unfolding the letter to read it.

“Lianfang Zun wanted me to entrust you with the management of operations in order to free me to finalize the practical class... So, everything is already under control.”  Hanguang Jun said.

“Right.” Jin Feng told him.

“I will give him a formal response later.  If you don't mind, I will hand it over to you to send by the emissary.”

“Of course, Hanguang Jun.” “I imagine you are leaving tomorrow with the students?”

“Yes.  I hope to have time to conduct our last hunt in Ahnui.”

“Yes… fortunately, apart from fatigue, all the students are in good health…”

“Yes, fortunately.”

“Hanguang Jun, I was happy and honored to be able to work with you… I moved closer to the sphere of influence only after the Sunshot campaign... I am not proud of the role, or rather the lack of a role, that Lanling Jin played in it... I was subsequently dismayed by the actions of the post-war period and then by the death of the heir... I am not part of the Council and have no close friends there... so I do not know what happened during those times, but I sincerely hope that we have not harmed you personally... As for the question of the Wens, I too believe that there was genocide... if the question passes to the extended vote of the elders, I will support the cause. I wish I could do more...”

“Jin Laoxiong, this is very honorable of you.  I'm sure my Sect Leader will appreciate your gesture.”

The man nodded, noting Hanguang Jun's very diplomatic response.  He was said to not be very savvy with politics, yet apparently, it was very difficult to take him at fault...

“For the rest, I would like to thank you personally for the support you have provided to our heir.  He completely came out of his shell within six months! I am now very optimistic for his government and look forward to the moment when legitimacy returns to the head of our sect; I hope that the future will see the birth of many other collaborations and other, even closer, alliances between our sects!” He raised his cup and Hanguang Jun did the same.

The students rested, packed their intervention room, and carefully bagged the evidence.  They also discussed the hunting report and drew its outline.

Of course, the two cousins ​​still found a way to argue and Jin Chan even reproached Jin Ling for his remark at the hospital which he considered very ungrateful and disparaging towards Jin GuangYao.

“He really cares about everyone; it was mean and not at all justified of you to insinuate that he was just doing it for his reputation! Since you have no mother, you are ignorant about filial piety!”

“And I, Jin Chan, am starting to get tired of seeing you licking Xiao Shushu’s and his clique ass! Not only are you blinded by your ridiculous desire to rise to the head of my sect, but you have no common sense, in addition to being a poor cultivator! Even out of charity, I won't take you as my second in command! I'm going to have a sect to lead, and I won't have time to put up with your nonsense and wickedness, and even less with your lack of loyalty and respect toward me!”

“You are a spoiled, ungrateful orphan!  You will never rise to the head of the sect!” Jin Chan said as he left the room angrily.

“Good riddance!” Jin Ling threw.

“Jin Ling, did you need to be so blunt?” Sizhui blamed him.

“I'm tired and disappointed with Jin Chan.”  he replied.

The others looked at him with pity.

Jin Chan, upon exiting their apartment, as fate would have it, stumbled upon Jin Ming.  Of course he related what had happened, and of course, Jin Ming had wicked words to escalate the situation and then, he had a proposal.

They also packed their bags and the boys, minus Jin Chan who was sulking, and Sizhui obviously, took advantage of the hotel's public baths that the innkeeper's youngest son, with friends, had prepared for them as a thank gift for their intervention. It consisted of four large pools heated to different temperatures and it was indeed very pleasant.

The girls received an invitation from one of the innkeeper's daughters-in-law.  She was a beautician and the hotel's regular hairdresser.  She used all her knowledge to wash and style their hair and also do their nails which she also painted.

Sizhui, refused to go and, disappointed for not being able to enjoy the bath with the other boys, stayed in his room to rest and sulk.  Hanguang Jun was in a gloomy mood since his conversation in the tree with the fairy and was locked in his room writing his report.

Sizhui ended up feeling alone and went to scratch at Hanguang Jun's door.

“Sizhui, come in for two minutes,” his father, who was immersed in his report, told him.

“Baba," he said, kneeling beside him.  "I hate being a male omega!”

“Sizhui…" Hanguang Jun sighed.  "You're lying! you just want me to cuddle you a little.” he said, taking him in his arms.

He spent a good fifteen minutes with his father who scent marked him then, sent him away when he started purring.

He was about to leave the living room when he saw Jin Chan sneaking out of the room shared by Lan JingYi and Jin Ling and running down the stairs. He shook his head: What was he plotting?

Sizhui returned to his room and made a note to talk to Jin Ling if there was ever a problem.  He felt like a bit of a snitch and that he might be pouring oil on the fire, but hey!

He fell asleep and woke up suddenly when Qin Weizhang pulled his leg.

“Sizhui, are you sick? Aren't you going to look for the tree with us?”

“Eh? Oh my God!”

Hanguang Jun didn’t look at all impressed with his wrinkled outfit and neglected look, especially when all his comrades were dressed to the nines!

Hanguang Jun had them practice floating up and down the canyon. He and his assistants monitor them and help them through the most difficult passages.

“Little Miss Weizhang, we are practicing a technique that could save your life, please concentrate on the lesson!”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun,” she whispered, blushing.

Hanguang Jun entrusted her to Lan Boming for her next two trials since with him the girl was completely scattered-brain.

Her comrades obviously laughed and made fun of her.  She ignored them. 

By the time they finished, Hanguang Jun was at least reassured about their abilities.

He sat them down and taught them how to enlarge an air talisman.  “Remember that any physical mass change operation uses a lot of energy.  Particularly if it’s not an element over which you have dominance.  Lans students can easily do this because air is our element, but even they have to be very careful with the dimension. So, I advise you to use the technique only as a last resort.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.  Thank you, Hanguang Jun for teaching us a unique technique to Gusu Lan.”

“Mm.”

He enlarged and multiplied talismans, and passed them to the students. 

“We will use them to float above the river.  Remember, they only last about ten minutes.  However, those of you with water dominance can use this element to balance, stabilize, and even power your talisman.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.”

“He deployed a Hide and Seek talisman, and they boarded their air flotation talismans and set off above the riverbed.  By the time they found the tree, which was about five Li into a cul-de-sac below which the water disappeared, evidently the young people had turned the experience into a real challenge and leisure, surfing above water and using their magic to create jets that propelled each other to a height that they otherwise could not have reached with their air flotation talisman alone.

He let them have fun. 

They placed talismans on the tree.

“Hanguang Jun, if we enter the tree, will we come out in the other?” Ouyang Zizhen asked.

“Exact.  While they constitute a loop for the souls trapped there, for a living person, they can be used as gateways to go from one place to another in the real world and, as I previously told you, to enter other halls.”

Sizhui noticed Jin Ling furrowing his brows as he rummaged through his qiankun pouch. Did Jin Chan steal something from him?

They climbed to the surface from this point to find themselves in the woods.  They boarded their swords and returned to the hotel just in time to begin the Postmortem.

Chapter Text

Hanguang gave his report quickly as all sects, as usual, would receive a hunting report. 

The main objective of the meeting was to take the opportunity to thank everyone who had assisted them with the hunt and to inform them of the activities of the coming days for his class. He also confirmed that Zewu Jun allowed the Lan scholars to remain in Shandong to assist the Jins with the reparation and liberation rites since they had planned three sessions.

He saw Jin Ming at the back of the room.  The man had a mocking expression on his face, as if he knew something that Hanguang Jun didn’t…

They had a little more than an hour left before the start of the ceremonies and Hanguang Jun inquired about the preparations.

Everything was ready according to Lan Ruoxing and there were already quite a few people in the town hall square.  Lan Ruoxing thought that they were repenting but Hanguang Jun thought they simply were afraid that not attending would curse them and exacerbate the disease.  Of course, he didn’t voice his opinion.

“Mm. That's good.  We'll meet in about an hour.”

JingYi helped Jin Ling search the entire room and they both checked their luggage in case JingYi had accidentally taken Jin Ling’s deity net.

“I don't understand,” Jin Ling murmured, with tears in his eyes.  “It is very special to me... It is an exceptional tool because not only is it used to catch monsters and the like, but it is also a net capable of moving gold.  The master who made and enchanted it died, taking its secret to the grave.  There are only two copies, the other is buried with my grandfather.  This was my father's net.  For me it is priceless!”

“Mm. I understand.  It bothers me too... We share a room... Besides, I know that you take great care of your things, especially your magic tools... I don't understand how it could have disappeared...” JingYi said.

“It was there this afternoon when I packed my bags...”

“In this case, we can eliminate any possibility that you left it in the Naxis Village where you had used it last.”

“Exact.”

“I’m sorry Jin Ling, but I think someone stole it while we were in the bath...”

“Jin Chan and Sizhui are the only ones who stayed in their rooms…” said Jin Ling “and no one can access our apartments except us…”

“Mm. You know Sizhui wouldn't touch your stuff, right?”

“Mm. Maybe he played a trick on me...”

“I doubt it...but let's ask him anyway.”

He sent a butterfly to his friend who arrived immediately.

“Sizhui, come in and close the door.” Jingyi invited.

Sizhui glanced down the hall to see if anyone would see him and did so.

He immediately noticed Jin Ling's dejected expression.

“What happened?”

“Sizhui, have you played a trick on Jin Ling and moved his deity net?”

“Huh! Oh! So that was it!”

The two surprised boys looked at him.

“You moved Jin Ling's net!” JingYi exclaimed.

“Of course not! But…”

“Yes?” Jin Ling prompted him, full of hope.

“Lan JingYi is going to call me an informer again, but whatever! It was Jin Chan who played a trick on you.  I saw him come out of your room while you were in the bath downstairs.”

Jin Ling raced out to the room shared by Jin Chan and Ouyang Zizhen.

“Give me back my net!” he shouted.

The boys, who had followed him, hastened to close the door and place a talisman on it.

“What is this all about?” Ouyang Zizhen asked the two boys while Jin Chan of course was denying it.

“He took Jin Ling’s deity net from our room.”  JingYi replied.

“I saw you!” Sizhui accused him when he heard him mocking Jin Ling.

He seemed surprised but continued to deny it.

“Let them talk it out,” Ouyang Zizhen said.  “For once, Jin Chan has gone too far!”

So, they left the room, and Zizhen returned to JingYi's room with him while Sizhui returned to his own.

Thirty minutes later, Hanguang Jun, in formal attire, joined them in the hall. He immediately noticed that Jin Ling was absent, as well as the concerned look on Sizhui and JingYi’s faces. He also saw that Jin Chan's face was swollen and bruised.

“Where is Jin Ling?”

“Hanguang Jun, he was with Jin Chan last.” Sizhui said immediately.

“You like to denounce so much that you would sell your own mother, fortunately you don't have one!” Jin Chan shouted.

“Enough!” Hanguang Jun said sternly.  “Jin Chan, where is Jin Ling?”

“How would I know?” he replied arrogantly.

Jin Feng, who was arriving in the hall, heard Jin Chan's impolite answer and glared at him.

“Jin Chan, I repeat, where is Jin Ling.”

“He threw a fit and must have run away, as usual!  What do I know?”

“You're lying!” Sizhui shouted at him.

“Enough!”

“Hanguang Jun, Hanguang Jun!” JingYi tried to intervene by jumping up and down.

“What's going on?” Jin Feng asked.

“Jin Ling is missing.”  Hanguang Jun replied, immediately sending a butterfly to the young boy. 

“Jin Chan, in the next room, please.  Sizhui, JingYi, Ouyang Zizhen, get inside,” he added when he saw the latter young boy raise his hand also.  “Jin Feng, I would appreciate your presence...”

“Of course, Hanguang Jun.”

“Let's go wait on the street…” Lan Boming said to the other students.

“Jin Chan, I'm going to give you the chance to explain yourself without your classmates having to denounce you further...” Hanguang Jun said with ice in his voice.

The young boy began to tremble.

“He... he accused me of stealing his deity net.”

“Did you do it?”

“No.”

“He's lying!” Sizhui shouted again.

“Calm down!” Hanguang Jun scolded him.

“I saw him!” He insisted before starting to cry.  “Baba... Baba... I... I was supposed to watch over him... I have a terrible feeling.”

“Hush.”

Turning once more to Jin Chan, he insisted:

“What did you do with the net?”

“I didn't touch it!”

Hanguang Jun took out his ruler. “Hold out your hands.”  He ordered.

“Hanguang Jun, Hanguang Jun… no, no!” he said, backing up against the wall.

“Jin Chan, last chance.” Jin Feng told him.  “If anything happens to Jin Ling because of you, I will have you hanged for treason.”

The young boy fell to his knees and confessed.  “I… I gave it to Jin Ming.”

“To Jin Ming!” Hanguang Jun exclaimed as ice flowed through his veins. “What for?”

“I… I… don’t know… I didn’t ask. It was only for a few hours; he was going to give it back to me, and I had to return it to its place...”

“Jin Feng, what is Jin Ming assignment for tonight?”

“He has the evening off... Hanguang Jun.” The man said, troubled.

Hanguang Jun opened the door.  Song Yuming was stationed behind it.

“Song Yuming, discreetly inquire where Jin Ming and his men are, please.”

“Yes, Hanguang Jun.” 

He noticed that the butterfly had not returned... there was hope.

“Jin Feng, why would he need Jin Ling's deity net?”

“Hanguang Jun, I… I have no idea.”

“Hanguang Jun, the net is capable of moving gold…” Lan JingYi shrieked.

“He found another access to the cave…” Hanguang Jun whispered.  “He's going to steal the golden peonies.” he murmured darkly.

“Hanguang Jun, this doesn't make sense.”  Jin Feng said.  “He can only move the gold to one place. Towards the chests that were made at the same time with the net, and which are in Jin Ling's possession... he will never be able to recover the gold!”

Hanguang Jun turned around and said to Jin Chan.  “You would never have taken such a risk just to help Jin Ming steal gold!  What did he promise you?”

“I… I… don’t understand.”

Jin Feng slapped him.

“Ah!” he shouted, kowtowing.  “I don't know anything else... I swear to you... I don't know anything.”

“Jin Feng, let's not waste time.  We will learn it all later.”  Hanguang Jun said ominously.

“Ouyang Zizhen, take Jin Chan back to his room and make sure he stays there. JingYi, go upstairs and get the keys to the shrine's door and meet me in front of the hotel.  SiZhui, you come with us.”

Hanguang Jun opened the door and found Song Yuming in the hall.

“No one knows where Jin Ming is, Hanguang Jun. One of the soldiers told me that he left with his squadron...”

This meant that with Jin Ming and his deputy, there were fourteen of them at least...

“Mm. Follow me.”

“Lan Boming,” he said as he walked out in front of the hotel. “You come with me.”

JingYi dropped down from the balcony with the pouch containing the keys in his hand. 

“Nie Yunche, you will lead the rest of the group to the ceremony and put yourself under Ye Kun's protection.” He said, sending the latter a butterfly. “I will arrive as quickly as possible.”

“Hanguang Jun, is there a problem?” Qin Weizhang asked.

“I'm not sure...execution.”  He said.

Chapter Text

They embarked on their sword.

Along the way, Hanguang Jun sent a message to Lan Ruoxing, asking him to take the young people to the podium and stay vigilant. That there was a possibility that there was a coup in progress.

Jin Feng also sent a butterfly to Jin Huo.  He was the second highest ranking after Him.  He also told him to remain vigilant and keep an eye on the soldiers. 

When they arrived at the sanctuary, they immediately took the smell of smoke.

“Hanguang Jun…” Sizhui whispered.

“Mm.”

They manifested their shield and entered the sanctuary.  The heat and smoke told them that the cenote was on fire.

“Oh my God!" Sizhui exclaimed. "There was fire in my premonition!”

“Stay calm.  Let's go outside.”  Hanguang Jun said. 

They threw themselves into the void and floated to the balcony behind the waterfall, then to the beach. As they passed by, they noticed that there were fires breaking out in several places on the rocky façade; probably spread by the conduit which led the oil for the trap into the cenote… the peony bushes were on fire!

On the beach, they discovered the corpses of eight men, five unknown soldiers, Jin Ming's deputy, and two cultivators from his garrison whose wounds bore the energy signature of Suihua, Jin Ling's sword!

This left eleven opponents.

Hanguang Jun sent a butterfly to Jin Ling, it disappeared in the direction the trail of corpses were pointing to, and they walked onto the banks of the river. There were traces of blood here and there.

Hanguang Jun listened and his eyes lit up. He jumped from one rock to another, his deputies, Lan JingYi, Sizhui, and finally Jin Feng following him.

The alpha was fast and above all seemed to guess obstacles, as if guided by a sixth sense.  He caught up with a group of three Jin cultivators, slaughtering two while JingYi fought with a third.

There were now only nine men left between them and Jin Ling who Hanguang Jun could hear panting.  His smell and his pheromones that had spread like a wildfire spoke of fear, rage, and pain.  Those of Jin Ming spoke of hatred as he and his men pursued the young boy.

His deputies had continued on their way.  He passed them while they were grappling with two men.

The fire which had spread all over the face of the mountain cast wild glows and phantasmagorical shadows on the landscape.  Sizhui was back in his nightmarish vision and if nothing changed, Jin Ling would be killed that night!

Jin Feng soon found himself abandoned and Sizhui isolated.

An arm tightened around the latter's waist, he spun and freed himself, three blows later, he opened his opponent's throat.

Hanguang Jun saw Jin Ling retreating into the river while fighting with Jin Ming.  His movements told him that he was indeed injured.  His heart stopped beating when Jin Ming managed to disarm him, but Jin Ling used his dominance over water to attack his opponent with a powerful jet as the current carried him away.

Hanguang Jun jumped on his sword and chased after him. Three Jin cultivators intercepted him, and an aerial fight ensued.

Sizhui rushed past him and managed to destabilize Jin Ming with a powerful gust of air that sent him crashing into the trees. He grabbed Jin Ling by the collar and managed to drag him to a rock and dismounted his sword. He supported him and they returned to the bank.  Jin Ling had a broken arm and an injured thigh, not to mention that he had drunk the cup and was coughing.

“Jin Ling, we have to reach the tree before Jin Ming catch up with us, this is our only chance!” he encouraged when he saw that Jin Ming was on their trail again.

Meanwhile, Lan Boming and Song Yuming got rid of another individual.

At this point, there were only three opponents left. Jin Ming and two acolytes.

Sizhui stopped in his tracks when he came face to face with a Jin cultivator that had been hiding behind a Shuǐshān tree.  He freed Jin Ling and drew his sword as the branches which were on fire exploded above him, raining sparks as well as peony petals. He took the stance, ready to fight, but JingYi arrived in the meantime and engaged the cultivator.

But they were far from being out of the wood. Jin Ming has arrived and Sizhui stepped back.  The man was a very good swordman and he’s killing intent was overpowering.  They had to flee! He put an arm around Jin Ling's waist to help him stand up and moved back towards the river.

“Omega, get down on the ground!” Jin Ming ordered.

Sizhui felt his knees weaken under the alpha’s command, but he gritted his teeth.

The alpha jumped towards him, and he let Jin Ling go.  He defended himself with all his strength as Jin Ming ordered him to lower his weapon.

Finally, weaken and disoriented by the numerous commands, and drunk by the alpha’s pheromone, he staggered, and Jin Ming gave him a monumental slap which sent his head reeling and threw him to the ground.

He heard Lan JingYi growling.

In the meantime, a Jin cultivator had dragged Jin Ling into the river and was attempting to drown him.

Hanguang Jun fell on him, and he let Jin Ling escape who was once again carried away by the river.  However, he was able to manifest an air talisman which he enlarged and climbed on; using his dominance over the water, he managed to escape the attraction of the whirlpool and return to the bank just at the foot of the tree.

Hanguang Jun stood up, covered in blood, and walked towards Jin Ming.

Of course, since he was a coward, he grabbed Sizhui, pulling him by the hair.

“One more step and I'll break his neck.” he said, stepping back with Sizhui, who he held by the throat, pushing his finger into his exocrine gland and completely immobilizing him.

“You too.” he said to JingYi who had just defeated his opponent.

He backed away as Hanguang Jun moved forward, making sure to keep both Hanguang Jun and JingYi in his sight.

The trees were all on fire around them and exploded in a shower of sparks, setting Hanguang Jun's eyes ablaze. He looked and smelled wild.

“Gently…” he warned Hanguang Jun, pressing on the young boy's neck.

Sizhui whimpered and struggled weakly.

“Jin Ling!” he shouted, disrespectfully using the young boy’s given name. “I have your friend, the omega.  I offer you something that any man of honor will accept.  You, in exchange for the omega's life.”

“I accept!” Jin Ling, who was lying on the shore a short distance away and trying to regain his breath and his senses, immediately shouted back.

“Ha! Alright. That was easy... Young Lord Jin is truly his unfortunate father's son.  Always in a hurry to help others without thinking of looking behind his back...”

Hanguang Jun growled when he heard Jin Ling's gasp of surprise and pain.

“Hanguang Jun, I will approach Jin Ling, and once I am ready, I will return your omega son to you.  I don't want to have all the cultivation world at my back for a boy with girl parts... I prefer them less weird. In exchange, you will walk away and let me go with Jin Ling. I think this is the correct procedure, No?”

Hanguang Jun knew his deputies were around but as long as the man held Sizhui, he would have an advantage, so he decided to keep him talking.

“Do you think you're just going to get away with this?” Hanguang Jun asked.

“Of course! You are going to declare war on Lanling Jin for the unfortunate death of the Jin heir which occurred in unexplained circumstances under your watch!?” He taunted.

“You forget Jin Chan’s testimony... He knows you are involved...”

“Jin Chan! He's stupid but he knows when to shut up.  After all, he will inherit the sect...”

He stepped back again and came up to Jin Ling, still holding Sizhui firmly by the neck and dragging him with him. 

Jin Ling got on his knees and said to him in a voice trembling with rage

“You are trash, Jin Ming.  My sect should never have pulled you out of the hole it found you in!”

“You see, Jin Ling, it is words like these that create you enemies, as does your contemptuous attitude towards the humble people! All the difference with the Chief Cultivator who knows how to appreciate each person regardless of their origin.  Stand up!” he yelled while kicking the boy in his injured leg.

Jin Ying yelped but manage to regain his feet when Hanguang Jun nodded at him

He was obviously exhausted, not to mention in pain. The cut he had on his thigh had turned the white Gusu Lan uniform he was wearing over his golden one, crimson red.

“We're going to move back towards the tree now.”

Jin Ling did so, his gaze fixed on Sizhui who was almost unconscious.

“Well, that's perfect, just here.” Jin Ming said.  Casting an open talisman to the tree.  Then, he positioned his sword at Jin Ling's back, winked at Hanguang Jun and threw Sizhui into the swirling waters at the foot of the embarkment as he dragged Jin Ling into the tree with one hand clawing at his broken arm.

Several things happened at the same time:

JingYi screamed.

Hanguang Jun deployed a biding/bonding talisman which attached itself to Sizhui and with a movement of his hand gave him momentum which took him away from the waves.

Song Yuming deployed an air cushion on which Sizhui landed.

An arrow struck into Jin Ming’s shoulder, knocking him back from the impact.

Lan Boming, hanging from the end of a rope, passed by and snatched Jin Ling from Jin Ming's now weakened and uncertain grip.

Destabilized, Jin Ming fell into the tree.

Hanguang Jun dove into the tree in hot pursuit as the cushion of air carried Sizhui back to the bank and gently deposited him at JingYi’s feet who dropped to his knees next to Sizhui and took him in his arms.

Lan Boming placed her foot on the ground and handed Jin Ling to Jin Feng who had just jumped from a tree, slinging his bow over his shoulder.

Lan Boming looked at Song Yuming and the two of them disappeared into the tree, following Hanguang Jun.

Jin Feng took charge of the situation.

“We must leave this place as quickly as possible; the flames are surrounding us.” He said, wrapping an arm tightly around Jin Ling's waist as JingYi lifted Sizhui into his arms.

Jin Feng looked around and realized that getting back on their sword and flying amidst the flames, was far too dangerous an undertaking.

“In the tree!” Lan JingYi confirmed.

“Hao.”  Said the elder.

The elder Lans had just finished with the reparation rites and were about to begin the purification rites when Lan Ruoxing noticed the glow of the fire, and the smell of smoke reached their nostrils.

He gave instructions to his assistant to take the lead of the ceremony and took two men with him.

His gaze met that of Jin Huo who stood up and spoke.

“Citizens, we have also noticed that there is a fire, probably near the temple... We will intervene.  In the meantime, the ceremony continues.”

He sat down again.

“Lan-Shizun...” said Lan Ruoxing’s colleague stunned when he noticed that the whole chasm was burning... The sound of the fire and the smoke almost made it looked like the opening of hell…

“Is Hanguang down there?” asked the other one.

Lan Ruoxing dispatched a butterfly and waited.  The animal returned immediately.

They all opened their eyes wide.

“Lan-Shizun, what does this mean? Is Hanguang Jun dead!?”

“Hush! Bird of ill omen!  There was a ghost tree down there.  Logically, he's in it... We're going to use Jumping Water to control the river below to douse the flames, and if that's not enough, we'll apply Extinguish with a fire containment circle to each individual remaining fire since the song is energy hungry, and we won’t be able to use it on a large scale... I also need one of you to go scatter some talismans to cause rain.  Let's put all the chances on our side.”

Of the reverie that had been the enchantment, all that remained was a thick, luminescent mist in which souls wandered in search of an explanation of what had happened to them and also of the way out.  Unfortunately for Hanguang Jun, as soon as he entered limbo, his light immediately attracted the souls who converged to him, slowing his passage.

He sent a ghost butterfly to Lan Ruoxing who was manipulating the water in the meantime.

‘Play Cross (over the bridge) and Into the Light immediately for the village souls.’ 

Lan Ruoxing forwarded the message to Ye Kun who signaled everyone to start playing.

Hanguang Jun, despite being hindered, managed to reach and engage Jin Ming twice, and on the second time, he severed his arm.  The man screamed, his sword falling to the ground with a metallic sound. He then seemed to abandon all desire to measure himself against him and only sought to escape.

The notes of the rites of Liberation sounded in the limbo and soon the spectral light of the afterlife manifested itself.  Many souls abandoned Hanguang Jun to turn to it, but others continued to cling to him.

When he finally came out on the other side, he had fallen far behind Jin Ming.  He let his senses unfold, putting into practice everything he had learned with the Mongols during his stay years earlier with a young boy's family where he had spent six months. His gaze lit up again, changing his vision and allowing him to see heat sources, every drop of blood was a clue; his sense of smell immediately picked up not only the scent but also the pheromones of his prey; his ear heard his panting and his little moans of pain.  Hanguang Jun gaved him chase.

His deputies came out just five minutes later, but he was already far away.  They set out to look for him.

Jin Feng began to sense that something was wrong when the mist began to give way to shadows…

“Jin-Laoshi,” JingYi whispered, “I think we took the wrong exit... we're heading towards one of the halls... the underworld perhaps...”

“Hush! There is a presence at work here... How is Lan Sizhui?”

“He's just unconscious... It can't be King Yan coming for him... he is not at death’s door.” he whispered.

“Jin Ling, what about you?” Jin Feng asked.

“I’m Ok, Jin Laoshi.”

He passed him some energy and briefly assessed him.  He therefore knew that the young boy was not in danger of death.  So, this shadow that was stalking them... what was it?

“A-Yuan…” the shadow whispered.  “Welcome home…”

The energy of resentment exploded all around them.

The tattoo on Sizhui’s forearm lit up and spread like a shockwave as a shrill sound rang out.  The wisps of miasma dissipated immediately, defeated by this single intervention from nowhere.  They found themselves once again in the spectral light of limbo.

A ghost butterfly appeared in front of them, and they followed it to the exit.

When they emerged, the rain had broken out.

“Jin Ming, if you tell me the truth, I will kill you quickly.”  Hanguang Jun told him, as the man crawled on the ground, trying to escape him. “Did you act of your own free will or under your Boss’s orders?”

“I have nothing to tell you!” He answered and proceeded to spat in Hanguang Jun’s direction.

Hanguang Jun took his time, but Jin Ming remained silent and took his secret to the grave.

Chapter Text

Jin Huo ran to the suite upstairs and without asking anything, he began to treat the children.  In particular Jin Ling because Sizhui had meanwhile regained consciousness even though he was going into shock, and JingYi only had minor injuries.

Jin Feng returned to the ceremony which was continuing under the rain.  The Lans had simply deployed a shield over the audience and continued as if nothing had happened.

He spoke discreetly to his colleagues, his gaze scanning the soldiers to see which ones looked suspicious.

Jin Ling started crying as soon as he was wrapped in a blanket and realized what had happened and that the danger was really over.

“I lost Suihua.” he sobbed.

“Hush!” Lan JingYi told to him, extracting the sword from a Qiankun pouch.  “Like I was going to leave it in the river.”

Fortunately, his golden core had been strong enough to make the sword obey when he had rushed over the river to it, or maybe it has sensed that he was a friend.

Jin Ling began to laugh and cry and threw himself into his friend's arms.

Sizhui was smothered under a ton of blankets in JingYi’s bed since at the moment, the healer didn't want to leave him alone.

He had lost his voice, had signs of strangulation on his throat, and above all his exocrine gland had been bruised.  He had developed a shake in the past half hour and only Lan JingYi seemed to be a consolation to him.

They all heard the other students arriving, but nobody moves. They were all shocked of what had transpired.

There was a discreet knock on the door.

“Young Lord Lan, it is Ye Kun.”

JingYi went to open the door, and the woman entered.  she glanced at Lan Sizhui trembling form under the blanket, at Lan JingYi who was pretty banged up, at Jin Ling who had an arm in a cast and was as white as a sheet, then at the doctor’s expression and said nothing.

She sat on the ground, took out her guqin, and started playing Calm then Healing.

“Jin-xiong, are you going to arrest the Jin soldiers? asked Lan Ruoxing who had meanwhile returned from his intervention.  The rain was finally putting out the last remaining fires and he had deemed it safe to leave the premises under the supervision of one of his colleagues.

“No.  This matter must unfortunately be handled with the greatest discretion... For the moment, we are observing them.  We will only arrest those who seem suspicious to us.”

“Are you going to send a message to the Chief Cultivator?”

“I'm waiting for Hanguang Jun.”

“He hasn’t been answering my butterflies, but they had not returned to me either, so I suppose he is ok…”

“Mm.  Only busy.”  Answered Jin Feng without an inch of emotion toward what was certainly taking place in the woods.

Everyone felt the moment when the dominant alpha entered the hotel, followed by his two deputies; his aura was so charged and for once his smell so overwhelming and ripe with danger that everyone moved out of his way. He was also covered with blood.

Jin Feng and Lan Ruoxing who were waiting for him in the hall bowed low. 

He gestured to Lan Boming who simply extended a qiankun pouch to Jin Feng.

“How are the children?” Hanguang Jun asked.

“They are all doing better.” reassured Jin Feng.

“I retrieved Jin Ling’s net.”  Hanguang Jun said.  “I'm going to go up and see the children.  Give me half a Shi chen and then we'll talk...”

“Hao.” They both replied.

He ran upstairs, ordering his deputies to also change and, above all, to take care of themselves.  They also had minor injuries.  He went inside his room, undressed and kicked aside his clothes drenched in water, blood, and filth.  He got into his tub and scrubbed off the smell of sweat, dread, bloodlust, and rage.  He dressed in a rush, then he hurriedly went to Lan JingYi's room.

Everyone gave way when he entered.  He went straight to JingYi’s bed and took his child in his arms, putting his face in his neck before starting to scent mark him.  Sizhui at this point was in the middle of a panic attack and hormonal imbalance due to the absence of his father, the excessive pressure on his exocrine gland, and also Jin Ming’s pheromones that had permeated his skin and nervous system.

Fifteen minutes later, when he began to calm down, Hanguang Jun took him, still smothered in Jingyi’s blanket, with him to the living room, inviting Jin Huo and Ye Kun to follow him to join Jin Feng and Lan Ruoxing.

“Jin Ling, you must come.  We will summon Jin Chan…”

Song Yuming and Lan Boming were waiting outside the living room door and Hanguang Jun signaled Lan Boming who went to pick up Jin Chan.  All the students were already confined to their rooms.

He took a moment to go to his room and build a nest in his bed and put Sizhui, who was now drowsy with sleep and exhaustion, in it.

Jin Chan was completely crushed and was shaking badly. He opened his eyes wide when he saw how badly Jin Ling was injured.

He fell face down on the ground and began to sob.

“Jin Chan,” said Hanguang Jun. “This is your chance to explain yourself.  Jin Ming had tried to assassinate the heir of the Jin’s sect.  He has also attempted to my omega son’s life, injured Lan Jingyi, me, and my deputies. Now your cousin, your elders, and I, are all listening to you.”

He confessed it all.

The aim of the maneuver was just to disgrace Jin Ling by accusing him of having hired a few Jin soldiers to steal the gold.  Once his deity net signature detected, and the gold found in his chests, he would not have been able to deny it. The soldiers would have testified against him.  It would have been a scandal that would have excluded him from the succession.  He hadn't known that Jin Ming was going to attempt to Jin Ling's life.  He had never thought that he would dare and that was why, exasperated by the words he had exchanged with Jin Ling, and seeing that the deception had been discovered, he had confessed the whole affair to him, and indicated where Jin Ming was to be found.  He never thought that Jin Ling would go and confront him alone, but would preferably go, as usual, to tell everything to Hanguang Jun.

He sobbed and begged Jin Ling to believe him.

“So, even though it was a dishonorable situation for the sect, one which could indirectly implicate my uncle, the Chief cultivator, you thought I would go and talk to Hanguang Jun about it instead of taking care of it internally!?” Said Jin Ling sounding every bit the future leader.

Jin Chan batted his eyelashes and knitted his brows trying to think about what his cousin had just said, and it was clear on his face, that it was then he realized that he had been deliberately deceived by Jin Ming.

They had dismissed Jin Chan. The trust between the cousins was irreparably broken, but Jin Ling seemed to be more unhappy than resentful.

“It’s not his fault.  People has been playing with his mind for a long time… I don’t want his name dragged in the mud over this.”  He said not realizing that his tone was that of a sect leader.

They looked at each other and answered, including Hanguang Jun:

“As you wish.”

They then asked him to tell them how things had happened, starting with when he left Jin Chan’s room.

“I went to the chasm.  Upon descending, I realized that Jin Ming had found the conduct transporting the oil inside the cave halfway down the mountain, and that a man could easily crawl into it… He was indeed in the process of entering the place, and I challenged him, ordering him to stop.  I said hurtful words to him when he wouldn’t comply.  He lost his temper and answered arrogantly, bragging that I would never inherit the sect.  By that time, four or five soldiers that were inside had come out and were saying they wouldn’t continue with the scheme.  Jin Sa, Jin Ming’s deputy, was also backtracking.  I threw a flame talisman inside the conduit and Jin Ming lost it, he struck and pushed me over the ledge. I was taken by surprise and couldn’t get back to an upright position quick enough, so I crashed into a boulder and that’s when I broke my left arm.  Fortunately, we have exercised this afternoon how to manage those kinds of descent and I was able to float and jumped to the beach. They all came down following me.  By that time, the soldiers and Jin Sa, had already engaged Jin Ming’s and his squadron.  I fought and managed to kill two of Jin Ming’s men, but Jin Sa told me to run as the soldiers had been killed and he was injured.  I did.  I left him there…”

“Jin Ling, you have done excessively well.” Hanguang Jun said. “A lesser cultivator would not have survived long enough for us to rescue them. As for Jin Sa, he willingly gave his life for you, even though he was wrong to go along with the scheme, at the end, he did the honorable thing.”

Jin Feng and Jin Huo were nodding.  Jin Feng was dabbing at his eyes while the realization that they could be heirless at that moment struck him.

“Thank you all for your timely rescue, and I’m sorry for having put you in harm’s way.” he said going to his knee in order to kowtow.

Hanguang Jun grabbed him by his good arm and prevented him from doing so.

“There is no need.  I should be the one kowtowing… You were my charge…”

“But what happened is solely, once more, because of the Jins’ disloyalty.” Answered Jin Huo, grim.

“Young lord Jin, let me ask you, did at any time, Jin Ming implicated the Chief cultivator?” Jin Feng asked.

“No.  He didn’t.” He answered without wavering. “I don’t know if he even planned to kill me, even less so under my Xiao-shushu’s instigation.”

Everyone nodded.

“I disemboweled then dismembered the man while he was still alive.” Hanguang Jun added.  “He would not confess to such thing.”

The two Jin elders looked at each other and nodded.

They also took note of the savagery that Hanguang Jun was capable of.  The man was not at all what he seemed. Sure, he detained the record of most death in the cultivation world after the Yiling Patriarch, but they had never heard it say that he would dirty his hands, only Bichen, his sinister cold-blue-light blade.

Everyone remained silent, aware that no matter what Jin Ming had confessed of or not, it was still a very disturbing situation and the Chief cultivator could not be so easily exonerated…

Chapter Text

Hanguang Jun sent Jin Ling back to his room and thanked Jin Huo and Ye Kun for their assistance and their discretion. Then he sat down with Jin Feng and Lan Ruoxing and they developed a narrative. They did not stray too far from the truth as the Lans would not sign a false statement.

Then, Jin Feng wrote to the Chief Cultivator.

He explained that Jin Ming had been won over by the lure of profit.  He had convinced Jin Chan to hand him Jin Ling’s net to try and retrieve some gold but had inadvertently set off a death trap in the shrine.  Jin Ling, who had gone there to try to stop him, had also found himself trapped by the fire and was only able to escape thanks to Jin Sa who had sacrificed his life.  Unfortunately, Sizhui and JingYi who had went after him had also became trapped in the inferno.  Hanguang Jun and his deputies, accompanied by Jin Feng, had then rescued them by going through a ghost tree.  They all had slight injuries but nothing serious. No body had been recovered because of the fire and then the rain they had to start to extinguish it which had swollen the river, carrying away what was left after the explosion.

He also wrote to sect Leader Jiang, including a copy of the letter sent to the Chief cultivator and promising him a full face-to-face report as soon as possible, stating that Jin Ling would once the lecture ended explain everything to him in details. 

They all wanted Sect Leader Jiang to know everything that had happened in other to look out for Jin Ling.

Hanguang Jun wrote a message of condolences to the Chief Cultivator and apologized for not having lived up to the trust he placed in him.  He also let him know that although he had not sent Jin Chan straight back home, he would not receive his diploma.

It was already three by the time they went to bed and Sizhui became restless during the first hours of the morning, calling for his gege, his baba, and also for Jin Ling to watch out.  When he cried, his father shushed him and played Calm and Healing for him.

Jin Ling and Lan JingYi also spent a lot of time talking about the events before falling into a deep sleep in the wee hours of the morning.  They were bruised, injured, and exhausted, but also proud of having fought and survive the night to tell about it.

“JingYi, I thought I was going to die…”

“Mm. You were.”

They remained silent a moment.

“Did you hear what Jin Ming said about my father?”

“Mm.  I did.”

“Jin Ming was one of Jin Zixun’s men.  He was among those who survived the incident on Qionqidao… I was so sure how things happened before coming to the lectures… But now, I do believe that my family may have killed my father by design, by opportunity, or by accident…”

“Jin Ling, I’m sorry… I know it might not help but those kinds of things don’t happen only in your sect… Hanguang Jun had had things going on also with the Gusu Lan sect… Not everyone is looking forward to him inheriting the sect… they fear him and his way of thinking… Life, Jin Ling, is not black or white…”

“Oh god! How could life be so complicated! Worse, do you realize that in this case, Wei Wuxian could have been framed also!?”

“Mm. It’s not impossible at all Jin Ling… Hanguang Jun believe so…”

“By now, I know what Hanguang Jun believes happened, what I don’t know is who he suspected! My grandfather is dead, and I doubt that he would have set up his heir and only legitimate son… Jin Zixun is dead and cannot explain himself.  There is only one person left… so, I’m asking you, do you believe that my Xiao-Shushu was involved at that time, and do you believe he is really completely innocent in what happened tonight?”

“Jin Ling, I don’t have any answer for you, only advice: Watch your back!”

“As if you needed to tell me… He has been playing with Jin Chan’s head. Insinuating that I’m the only thing standing in his way… Even during his visit here, he said to him: “He is the heir, and this until further notice... You are only one step away from ascension... Destiny being unpredictable, you never know...” and then also: “Remember that you will obtain nothing if you do not take the means to conquer them; what your heart desires will not simply come and lie at your feet…””

“It is indeed very insidious, and I also think it disloyal that he would pit Jin Chan against you instead of encouraging him to second you… Still, his words didn’t mean anything concrete as destiny is indeed unpredictable and thus the reason for presumptive heirs… But indeed, Jin Chan is jealous and weak…  As for Jin Ming, he was very arrogant and devoted to your Xiao-shushu.  He could really have made up his mind by himself, thinking that it was in his master’s best interest…”

“Mm.  I’m hoping… He has always been nice to me, you know? even if in a hypocritically way. But he certainly had never gave any indication of hating me or wanting to get rid of me… He was even planning my marriage to Sizhui…”

“Sizhui!? Humph!”

“What does that mean?”

“I mean, why not? Anyway, your uncle, Sect Leader Jiang, I’m sure he can protect you and can make an enemy think twice before attempting anything…”

“Of course, and everyone know that my Jiujiu meant business and one better not get to his wrong side...  If something were to happen to me after this whole disaster, he would disembowel Lianfang Zun. After all, Jin Ming was his right hand…”

“Exactly!”

“As for that person, Wei Wuxian, where is the truth? Will I ever know it? If I were to meet him in another life, how should I treat him? Like a friend or like a foe?

“I don’t know, Jin Ling…”

“What was he to Hanguang Jun for him to have such trust in him?

“What do you mean?”

“Humph… Don’t tell me you have not thought about it, JingYi!”

“About what?”

“That Hanguang Jun and Wei Wuxian may have been Zhiji?” He challenged.

“I’ll tell you what I know: I know for a fact that they were friends.  As for what you’ve just said, I have no elements in my possession to chase such a risqué theory.  I hope you will also take care of not voicing it to anyone and compromise Hanguang Jun’s reputation without just cause… Jin Chan had already done enough damage.  Hanguang Jun is bruised and tired of these allegations and intrusions into his personal life…”

“Of course not, I won’t mention it to anyone else! I owe him my life, him and Sizhui.”

“Mm.  You do. But you owe it first to yourself.  You fought like a tiger.”

“Thank you for having come to my aid, JingYi, for putting yourself in danger...”

“I’ve been wanting to eat some Jins for some times now…” He joked.

“Humph, nonsense! I’ve never killed someone before… Is it strange that I don’t feel anything?”

“Yet.  Only Yet.  You will never forget the face of the first person you kill.”

He sighed.  “I know, that’s why I’m so reluctant to sleep… I’m afraid I will have nightmares and wake you up.”

“I don’t mind. That’s what friends are for… I don’t think I can sleep either without dreaming about the ghosts in that tree…” He shuddered while saying so.

“Mm.  Oh! Do you know what happened with the darkness while we were in the Ghost tree? The resentment called Sizhui’s name… and then, that spell came out of nowhere and annihilated it, I’ve never seen anything like it… I swear it was coming from Sizhui, but it didn’t feel like Lan magic…

“Mm.  It’s not Lan magic.  He has a mark… It’s as if he is warded against resentful energy… but how could this be? Who would know how to do such a thing? I have no idea...”

“That’s strange indeed… Do you have any idea who his parents might be?”

“Not a single clue.  Hanguang Jun had never said a thing about it…”

“Mm. It’s so strange… another mystery… You know, at the beginning of this journey, I was so sure that I could get all the answers… I thought that by unveiling Wei Wuxian I could find peace.  Instead, I now know that Wei Wuxian is only one piece of the puzzle… That I cannot understand him in isolation, or understand my past without understanding Hanguang Jun, my Jiujiu, my Xiao Shushu, my family’s dynamic, and the whole historical setting of what happened then… particularly now that the way seemed to have taken me back to my own front door… JingYi, I feel even more confused than before and also afraid…”

“I understand you, Jin Ling. I understand…”

The next morning, at dawn, Hanguang Jun went with his two deputies and Jin Feng to the riverside.

Lan Boming and Song Yuming collected any remains they found, as well as their swords and any other belonging and put them into the pit that had held the messenger prisoner for centuries.  Jin Feng also put Jin Ming’s remains there and proceeded to trace symbols on all the bodies as a precaution, even though they all had been submitted, as children, to the soul calming ceremony guarantying that they could not become vengeful ghosts. 

Hanguang Jun had his deputies searched the rubbles of the temple for the statue used for the processions.  They found it covered with soot but still in one piece.  They descended it into the pit and Jin Feng put restraining talisman on it, also as a precaution.

The inferno that had reigned inside the cenote had melted the golden peonies into an unidentified mass, gold lava had flown, running in different directions, like the tentacle of an octopus.  The golden flowers that had kept Jin Ming entranced when he had come to the pit only a dire memory, if not for those twenty-six flowers, those taken from the Naxis mausoleum, Chen Ziyi’s golden peony and the last tree recovered from the promontory after helping the last three creatures to die.  Hanguang Jun crouched and put the qiankun pouch containing the flowers into Jin Ming’s dismembered hand. 

“For the road.” He said.

Then, flying over the cenote, he used the assassination chord to cause the cave to collapse on itself, burring everything inside, hopefully for eternity.

Afterward, he went to place Peng Lizi’s tablet in the hall where hundreds of other were aligned. He burned incense and joss paper, kowtowing in front of the tablet and honoring the life and death of the first victim of what was one of the vilest and deadliest pact he has encountered until now.

Around 8:00 a.m, they once again had a meeting with Jin Ling and Jin Chan. 

Jin Feng explained to the latter what was expecting of him in the future and stated that he would not refrain from accusing him of treason since he didn’t believe that he hadn’t known that things could have escalated, being well accustomed to Jin Ming’s temper and contempt toward anyone that was not Jin GuangYao. 

“Already, you have caused Jin Ling, Lan JingYi, Lan Sizhui, and your teachers to get hurt.  You have also caused a terrible fire that had destroyed the village’s shrine and could have spread to the whole village and woods. Moreover, you are also responsible for the death of nineteen men even when thirteen had been renegades, thieves, and horrendous cultivators for not respecting cursed goods! Normally, you should have been hanged!”

Jin Chan started to tremble anew.

“Make sure to keep your tongue with the Chief cultivator.  Jin Ming was his deputy, and his acts reflects upon him.  Paranoia can grow quickly, like a cancer, and put Jin Ling in unnecessary danger… Am I being clear Young Master Jin?”  Asked Jin Feng unusually harsh and stern.

“Yes, Laoshi.”  Said Jin Chan with his head bowed.

“Don’t forget that all your comrades already know that you are a thief for having taken Jin Ling’s net.  Some might also think that Jin Ming was going to share the loot with you! They can now only have contempt toward you!”

He started sobbing once more.

“It’s enough, Laoshi.  Thank you for the dressing down…” Said Jin Ling with compassion. “I’m sure Jin Chan understand, and since clearly he had not wanted my death… even if I might have a hard time convincing Sect Leader Jiang… we will take his word as it is.”

The boy was so frightened that he peed himself.

They also spoke to Sizhui, JingYi and Ouyang Zizhen, sharing what would be the official version and explaining their decision.  Jin Ling thanked his comrades in advance for their discretion.

Zizhen, the good soul that he was, also pleaded Jin Chan’s cause.

“He had made himself sick from crying while waiting for news of Jin Ling.  He didn’t mean it Jin Ling.  Jin Chan is not that brave and not that intelligent to have plan an assassination attempt…”

Not planned thought Hanguang Jun, but definitely facilitate…

They then had another meeting with all the students and Hanguang Jun’s deputies. Jin Feng once again shared the official version; They all knew that a lot had already been said among the students since they were present at the start of the event. Jin Feng thus, had to be a little more transparent with them, clearly stating Jin Chan’s role and admitting that the latter had indeed made a grave error by giving Jin Ming the net, an action that set the stage to all that followed which was an unfortunate accident: There was no nefarious intent, there was no conspiracy.

Most of the students seems to buy it.  Not Nie Yunche.  She had realized that Hanguang Jun had not said a word.  She also noticed that Jin Ling, in addition to his broken arm, had cuts marks and not burn marks.  It was the same with the others, without mentioning that Sizhui had clearly been strangled!

Jin Feng also asked them to keep the information between themselves so as not to bring dishonor to Jin Chan since there was already a lot of shame regarding Jin Ming’s actions.

They all agreed.  Nie Yunche included, even though she stated: “You are lucky, young master Jin, if I was Jin Ling, I would have asked for your devious head.”

And everyone knew that it was true.

Finally, Jin Feng also held a conference with the whole contingent of Jins and also Lans, even though it was more intended for the Jins soldiers, in order to cut short any rumors and explained the circumstances in which Jin Ming and his whole squadron, plus five other soldiers, lost their lives and their honor if not for Jin Sa who had managed to redeem himself. He didn’t mention Jin Chan’s involvement.  It was an internal matter.  He expressed the hope that this would constitute a cautionary tale for every Jin Cultivators…

While Hanguang Jun was writing to his brother to share the exact same information that had been sent to Jin GuangYao, his deputies did paperwork; Lan Boming paid their account and brought an offering to the monastery to help them out with expenses. She also took the opportunity to see the little monk, Xiao-Pei, and promised him to come back for him after the end of the Lectures.

At noon, Hanguang Jun left with his students. 

They were on the road when the horizon opened under a rainbow, forming a celestial door, and the fantastic animals that had inhabited the forest rushed in.