"I originally sought out Brother Wu to commission a portrait for my younger sister," Fang Lin explained, shifting his attention away from Su Xiang and toward the well-connected Artist. "But we were told he wouldn't be available for some time because he was joining Brother Zhang and Fairy Su on an adventure. My father suggested, to show sincerity in wanting to build ties with the Su Family, that I should come along on this adventure," he said, swallowing heavily from his bowl of wine while Su Xiang continued to direct her piercing gaze at him.
What his father had actually said was that if he didn't find a way to go along, their window of opportunity to tie themselves to the ascending Wu Ling and Su Yao would likely all but close. If Fang Lin still wanted his father to put in effort negotiating with the Bamboo Silk House, he needed to demonstrate that he would put in some work on cultivating a relationship with Wu Ling and Su Xiang to prop up his efforts.
When Su Yao had first proposed a meeting, it had been the young woman from a humble cultivation family in a less prosperous ward that was courting him. At the time, he could afford to sit back and allow her to do the work of winning him and the Fang family over. Now, however, it was Fang Lin who might not measure up to the ascending disciple of a second-rank sect.
Since he couldn't reach the young woman herself while she was initiated into the Bamboo Silk House, the only path that felt viable to curry favor with the young woman was to win over her close cousin and dear friend. If both Su Xiang and Wu Ling spoke well of him after this expedition, his father was certain that it would improve negotiations with the Bamboo Silk House and secure the engagement they sought. Though the thought of heading into the dangerous mountains frightened him, the notion of disappointing his father was even more terrifying!
"I see," Su Xiang said, dismissing the young Formation Initiate from her mind as she turned her attention to the room's final occupant.
All eyes gathered on Xiong Dahuo when the crimson-haired Brawler from the Sanguine Saber Sect stood up from his chair and strode purposefully to stand before Wu Ling. A complicated expression flickered across the young man's face as though there were many things he wanted to say but chose not to. After a moment of intense staring between the two men, Xiong Dahuo finally extended a hand to Wu Ling.
"Brother Wu," he said, keeping his voice as neutral as he could manage.
"Brother Xiong," Wu Ling said diplomatically, reaching out to take the taller man's hand. "It'll be good to have your strength on our side in the days to come."
"Mmm," Xiong Dahuo nodded. Then, before anyone in the room could react, his grip on Wu Ling's hand turned from firm to crushing. The powerfully built man's muscles bulged and he yanked forward, pulling Wu Ling into the battering ram of his other fist!
Whether it was intentional or not, his left fist struck the same spot at the base of Wu Ling's sternum that he'd struck with the ring pommel of his saber in their previous duel. Pain and surprise rippled through Wu Ling in equal measure. His eyes quickly misted, shrouding the room in a hazy fog. His knees turned to jelly and the floor rushed up to meet his head. Muscles twitched and spasmed with the force of the blow and Wu Ling curled up on himself like a cooked shrimp while he struggled to draw breath.
"Brother Xiong!" Zhang Buyan shouted, leaping from his seat, golden energy swirling around his hands. "You promised not to seek revenge for your duel! What are you doing?"
Su Xiang moved much slower than normal but when she moved, she was even more decisive than Zhang Buyan. Silvery light flashed and in an instant, she'd brought her new sword to rest against Xiong Dahuo's neck. Only the fact that the menacing saber cultivator hadn't made any additional moves stopped her from taking more lethal action!
"Explain!" Su Xiang said sharply.
"Brother Wu owes me this hit," Xiong Dahuo said, holding his hands up in a clear sign of surrender. "If he's a real man, he'll admit it," he said, scowling at the artist scrunched up on the floor. "I nearly died delivering that message for him! If Hall Master or Grand Elder Hong discovers that I've helped him, I'll still die!"
Weakly, Wu Ling straightened himself out on the floor, his vision clearing as he finally managed to draw a ragged breath. "Brother Xiong is right," he said, raising a hand to forestall any further aggression from Su Xiang or Zhang Buyan. "The message he delivered for me wasn't simple."
"Good that you know," Xiong Dahuo said, using two fingers to brush aside Su Xiang's sword before reaching down and taking Wu Ling's hand to haul the young Artist to his feet. "Next time Brother Wu wants me to risk my life for him, just ask directly," he added, brushing off a bit of dust from Wu Ling's robes. "Brother Wu doesn't need to resort to tricks with me."
Around the table, Huang Yeyan, Fang Lin, and Yu Jinqi looked on with wide, shocked eyes. Only Jin Wuya seemed unsurprised at Xiong Dahuo's sudden pivot from violence to … kindness?
Even Su Xiang only blinked a few times before putting away her new blade. Nothing about the crimson-haired man's posture or bearing indicated that he intended further violence. In fact, he seemed less agitated than he appeared when they entered the room.
"Does that mean you were successful in delivering my message?" Wu Ling asked, still working hard to restore his breathing to normal after taking the other man's punch.
"I was," Xiong Dahuo said, pulling a small, slender wooden box from within his robes. "Your second mother took me as her direct disciple. Master gave me the choice between that or a clean death," he added with a scowl. His words drew several shocked looks from people still seated around the table but he continued on as though such threats were normal. "When I told her how you fought me, she sent this gift to you," he said, passing over the box.
Wu Ling took the box gingerly, eagerness warring with trepidation as he debated whether or not to open it in front of everyone here. In the end, he decided there shouldn't be anything too intimate or sensitive in the box or Xiong Dahuo wouldn't have presented it to him publicly. Opening the box revealed a slender knife with a blade no longer than Wu Ling's thumb and a hilt of polished red wood. The most interesting part of the blade, however, was the delicate characters carved into the red wood hilt of the knife.
"Blood River?" Wu Ling said, raising an eyebrow at the grand-sounding name for such a small blade. "Is this a Named Blade?"
"Hardly," Xiong Dahuo said with a shake of his hand, pushing back the sleeve of his robes to reveal a similar knife secured to his left forearm. "This is a blood-spilling knife used by the Sanguine Saber Sect for rituals that require a bit of blood. As long as the cut is shallow it will be without pain and the wound inflicted by the knife will heal within a few breaths. These knives aren't common," he added.
"Master bestowed mine on me only when I swore to serve as her disciple," the crimson-haired man explained. "You should understand the risks she took in securing this one for you aren't less than the risks of delivering your letter," he said, wanting to ensure that Wu Ling recognized the significance of his master's gift.
"When we return home then, I'll be counting on Brother Xiong to carry my thanks," Wu Ling said, putting the knife away and placing a hand on Xiong Dahuo's shoulder. "And I thank you, Brother Xiong. I shouldn't have sent the letter in the first place and you'd have been justified in hurling it into the river or presenting it to your Hall Master instead of delivering it for me."
"As long as you know," Xiong Dahuo said, returning Wu Ling's gesture. "Enough of this though. We ordered plenty of wine and several dishes. Brother Wu, Sister Su, please," he said, gesturing to the table. "Brother Zhang said your trip might have been rougher than ours, so sit and let's all eat and drink until we can't remember the carriage ride here anymore!"