It has been a week and Leiji has not been able to contact anyone outside, or go outside.
The more major wounds are slowly scarring over and Leiji would be an idiot if they haven't figured out that they were being used as a pawn of sorts. Or is this a hostage situation? In any case, if they are still not allowed to leave tomorrow then Leiji will break out.
Jiao Zihua, Leiji learns, is fourteen this year and held in his father's palm cery carefully. Most of the disciples prefer him over his brother.
Then there's Jiao Zimu, twenty and heir apparent. He...apparently reminds Zapfino of a bastardized version of her youngest son, both endlessly envious, one determined to become better and the other would prefer dragging people down. She had said, and they quote, "I kind of want to kick him into shape."
So for the sake of everyone involved, Leiji had to get out before Zapfino does whatever she wants.
The guest bedroom they were given is dark and feels empty.
Leiji misses their own room. It's probably rather ungrateful to have such thoughts, but it's the truth and if they have to spend another day without seeing the sun then the sect leader being an Aurora Legend or not, they will break down the walls. Not to mention that Hongyun would probably fight at one point.
The clothes they had provided are almost obviously high-quality and with a darker, warmer palette than Leiji would usually wear, they look more like things that Hongyun would wear.
Opening the door, they are immediately met with Jiao Zimu holding a hand up as if he was about to knock. The man himself immediately steps back and nods curtly before bluntly telling them, "Hall Master Ling is looking for you."
...Ling? That surname is far too familiat for Leiji to not immediately notice.
"Do you really not belong to a clan?" He asks doubtfully, staring at their hair for a long while before almost painfully turning away, "Not even related to someone who is?"
After thinking about what that could mean and observing Jiao Zimu for several moments, "I am engaged to a Ling."
Because at that point, Hongyun hadn't explained his clan's traditions or anything and mother had been underrating it a lot, but their fiancé had just looked—and felt through the bond—so crushed and Leiji didn't have the heart to reject. Besides, they wouldn't be able to legally marry for years back then and...
...Leiji may or may not like Hongyun. A lot.
It isn't their fault he's so pretty!
Though Jiao Zimu's reaction to those words is odd. He seems to tense up before forcibly relaxing but can't help flinching whenever Leiji speaks after that. Which is weird, is Hongyun's clan that powerful?
After walking a while, they reach a door in the Second Hall—Jiao Zihua had toured them around and pointed out that this is where the main fighters of the sect usually learn—and Jiao Zimu raises a hand to knock only for it to swing open. The man behind it, thankfully, doesn't look like an older copy of Hongyun, but they have the same dark red eyes.
"Hall Master Ling," Jiao Zimu greets, lowering his head slightly before motioning towards Leiji.
The Ling himself does not acknowledge Jiao Zimu, instead turning to Leiji and bluntly telling them, "Your fiancé is looking for you, violently."
"How violently?"
"Eighty percent at least." They exchange an understanding look among themselves, knowing just how dramatic Ling Hongyun can be. Though it sounds bad when they think of how worried he must be, Leiji sometimes wishes he can not use bodily harm for every problem he faces. "How close is the nearest town?"
Hall Master Ling gives Leiji a pitying look, then tells him slowly and as dramatically as Hongyun is sometimes, "It's too late."
What does Hall Master Ling mean by that?
The man pats their shoulder and tells him again, "It's too late by now, just sit back and wait for your hero, your highness.
...great, Leiji thinks sarcastically. Knowing Hongyun, he wouldn't even have done any thinking before breaking in here and saving them from being a hostage or something. They can't even trust Light to hold him back because she would purely be amused at what is happening. Mother wouldn't even try; she'll just wait and scold them afterwards.
Jiao Zimu stands to the side, looking faintly frustrated.
"There you are!" Someone suddenly shouts and Jiao Zihua is running towards where the three were standing. "Why didn't you wait for me earlier?"
"I was the one who called them away," Hiao Zimu murmurs, Leiji can barely hear him as his brother drags them away to the main room. There is whispering in the back of their mind, in a language they don't know. Jiao Zihua doesn't stop to listen and Leiji is hit by the sudden sense that something is wrong.
The main room—called as such because Leiji has no idea what to make of it. Plaza should be more accurate, perhaps—is where anyone would first come to when they enter the sect. It is a giant, circular room that makes Leiji wonder just how far underground they are and is where the communal dining place is, there is also a lifted platform on one side facing the entrance which they guess should be where they make announcements or similar things. The entrances to the six halls are on two thirds of the circular room and the remaining third has the entrance to the disciples' dormitory as well as the halls to the guest and storage rooms.
Disciples are chatting and Leiji is sat next to Jiao Zihua's close friend group, mostly consisting of his father's direct disciples.
One of them that Leiji vaguely remembers being called 'fourth' does not have a very pleasant expression when he looks at how close Jiao Zihua and Leiji are sometimes. Zhang Xuanhe, his name was, and according to many people, he is Jiao Zihua's admirer.
The doors of the entrance are opened with a large BANG!
Ling Hongyun's mental bond is immediately there again and screaming wrath and worry. Leiji must have let something loose because he is immediately striding towards them, casually flipping over the disciples on guard duty. Hall Master Ling is suddenly there and telling them to stop.
Jiao Zihua seems scared by him and is tugging on Leiji, telling them to quickly run. They tell him, frankly, who Hongyun is to them and the boy immediately understands.
He runs and Hongyun is in front of them, sheathing his swords and slamming a hand on the table with a furious smile. Personally, Leiji likes it when he makes that expression but this probably isn't the best circumstance...
"Did you enjoy your vacation?" Hongyun asks, eyes roving over Leiji's figure and with a slight bit of appreciation mixed in. Did he forget that they can also sense what he feels?
Leiji is still wearing robes with a color palette that Ling Hongyun would like.
"Not quite," they reply breezily, also taking in the small things that spoke of exhaustion in his figure and feeling slightly guilty. "I didn't know that the Tian had a...ancestor of sorts."
Hongyun pauses, "What are you talking about?"
Leiji looks around, spots Hall Master Ling and they exchange nods. They take Hongyun's hand and walk out the entrance, seeing the dimly lit tunnel and array etched at the end of it for the first time. Hongyun furrows his brow as the array comes into view and tells Leiji, "I...my clan did our research on your family. None of them are powerful enough to hurt you at this point and the only one who can died last year."
(As expected, Leiji thinks, watching how Lu Leiji almost gapes at the new information. Lightning rolls her eyes at him and tells them, "And so my theory has been proven correct. Pay up."
"You don't even have money in here, what are you going to bet?" Leiji asks. The two turn to them and say, "Memories."
Zapfino rubs their head, ignoring the ongoing argument.)
"They're dead?" Leiji asks lowly, Hongyun nods and continues, "Tian Li, died from a curse after offending some spirit in the Qianhai realm."
"Qianhai realm?" Ling Hongyun makes an odd expression when Leiji asks this. They nod expressionlessly and he explains as shortly as he can, "It is a separate space that opens up once every decade and for a month each time, bullsh*t about deities fighting and things like that. Called Qianhai because this one guy said that it's big enough to fit a thousand oceans and people liked it."
A thousand oceans? It really is bullsh—oot then. Even in Lightning's world, their mother planet didn't have more than ten oceans.
If it isn't bull and such a space exists. Then it would have become its own world.
But then that would mean that this world us far more...advanced in consciousness than it has shown to be, and that very thought it impossible. At the very most, this World has to be as sentient as Lightning's World is.
Realizing that they're thinking too much into it, Leiji asks again, "What was he when he died?"
Hongyun gives Leiji a look, then replies, "Myth, a spiritual cultivator."
Myth...the old guy who attacked them was also a Myth rank. Then, there was the fact that he had not attacked them with his spiritual power or anything, but with his sword. Lu Leiji had mentioned that he was able to do "body possession" or something.
Ling Hongyun leans down slightly to take their hand and places his mouth on their inner wrist for several moments.
Leiji blinks at him.
He blinks back innocently, playing with their fingers.
"Ling Hongyun, stop touching Leiji like that immediately!" Ling Fengbao suddenly rounds around from nowhere and glares heavily at where his nephew's lips touches his student's wrist. Hongyun gives him exactly one glance before opening his mouth and biting down lightly. Leiji stares, unable to understand what is being communicated here.
Ling Fengbao smacks their hand away, seeming murderous as he glares Ling Hongyun down. "I told you before right? Leiji's underage! You are too! You can do whatever when both of you are adults, or else A—Yanhei will kill you."
...admittedly, they have never thought of age as that important.
"And if I said it was purely to spite you?" Hongyun asks, seemingly completely unimpressed. Ling Fengbao seems about ready to throttle something.
Leiji has felt things exho through their bonds before, admittedly this means they know more than they want to. Ling Hongyun is seventeen this year and ending puberty, a teenager will always be rather...ahem.
Lu Leiji told them that they should be starting puberty this year and Leiji only wishes that they grow tall. Though it is unlikely when they think of how short both their parents are.
"Now, now, Fengbao," another voice suddenyl drawled out, Hall Master Ling floating up to Ling Fengbao. When put beside each other like that, it becomes very clear that they are brothers. "Haven't we all been stupid and reckless teenagers before? Leave them be, it's not like there's a law here about it."
"Eldest brother," Ling Fengbao starts, then, "I will choke you to death."
Leiji coughs. Ling Hongyun takes that chance to explain that, "Our clan founder had a ahnd kink and thought that it was suitable for his descendants to...practice."
Ling Fengbao looks very concerned that his nephew would explain things in such a manner, but Hall Master Ling easily distracts him again and winks at them, making a shooing motion. Hongyun nods at him, takes Leiji's hand again and leads them away.
Ah, wait. Leiji forgot to ask if it was at all possible to possess a dead body or if it had to be alive...
Leiji doesn't get to ask when they go back to thank Jiao Zihua and the Blood Moon sect when the news that the sect leader was poisoned spread like wildfire.