'So young, It's a pity', she thought as her gaze swiped upon the two figures bowing in greeting. She crossed one leg on top of the other, taking on an attentive front.
After greeting her guest, she gestures for them to stand back up from their bows.
"What is the subject of this informal visit?" She asks.
Still bent in the most proper way expected for his station and the circumstances, the green-clad official open his mouth to speak: "Esteemed Qiányè-zōngzhǔ, this lowly one come before you today with a heavy heart and a plea for aid. Our Yōu Quán City faces an imminent threat—an invasion of Nether Hounds that has already claimed a significant portion of the town's people. The Huái Niàn Sect, our dependable defenders, were lost in a mysterious battle just days ago. Only one of the Sect's disciples remains, and stands before you today."
Yún Huìmíng stops then for a moment, letting the weight of their words sinks in before continuing:
"From what these humble ones mustered, the cause of the invasion is believed to be a Rift, a demonic gateway to lie around the town. As another moonless nightfall approaches, they will return, hungry for flesh and relentless in their malevolence."
Their eyes swiped across the room, appraising. The veiled disciples met their eyes, unwavering.
"Your Qiányè Sect, known for its expertise in quick rescue, is our last hope. Your operatives possess the skills needed to uncover and seal this Rift, preventing further devastation and sparing countless lives. With all due respect and humility, this lowly one implores you—assist us in this hour of dire need. Your swift action can turn the tide and protect our city from this encroaching darkness."
A heavy silence hangs in the air, and both Bái Jiānwēi and Yún Huìmíng do not dare breathe as the Sect Leader mentally appraises the matter.
Standing up, Xuè Yīnfēng's head nods her ascent. "You have our oath. We will not let darkness claim Yōu Quán. Prepare to depart with us promptly. Tonight, we hunt."
As she leaves the room with a bellow of her inky robes, the two strangers look at each other, smiling triumphantly.
They arrive right as the sun bows to the horizon, slipping east behind the faraway shadows of the closest mountains.
The town is dark, and from the sky the only artificial light hails from the lanterns the silent contingent of Qiányè cultivators are carrying, and from the centre of the city where Qiánkūn Shénzhǔ's Temple is located.
The majority of the dark-clad disciples spread out in an arch, surrounding the outer ring of the riverside sheltering the people, taking position. Bái Jiānwēi starts to dip toward the monument before being abruptly straightened by his passenger, who throws him a glare. "I'm staying right here with you," they whispered.
"No you're not", answered the man in the same manner.
As they argued back and forth, Xuè Yīnfēng flew close by and shot them both an unspeakable look. She turned north-east. "This way, Gōngzǐ?"
Bái Jiānwēi winced, giving up on his dispute. "I am the young master of nothing, Zōngzhǔ."
The Sect Leader shot Yún Huìmíng a look. "Jūnzi, then?"
The cultivator nodded, then pushed his sword forward.
"When passing over to reach Yōu Quán yesterday night, I took notice of a peculiar energy radiating from this general area of the woods. I didn't have the time to investigate it, and doubted my abilities to close a Rift alone while fighting off its retinue so I didn't come down to clear out my suspicions."
Xuè Yīnfēng raised one arm to rummage through her sleeve, retrieving a small and round object from it. Identifying it, Yún Huìmíng's eyes briefly flashed with contempt. Seeing the curious gaze Bái Jiānwēi casted it, the Sect Leader flew closer to show him.
"This is a demonic compass," she said with a polite tone.
Its needle was turning continuously in a circle, barely visible with its speed and clearly not calibrated.
"Pardon my insolence, but is it working?"
Xuè Yīnfēng chuckled behind her veil, facing back forward and putting the appropriate distance between their swords. "It is. We need to infuse it with the demonic Qi we want it to find."
"How do we infuse it?"
"There are multiple ways: we let it absorb the energy in the air or we pour a tangible form of it on its contraption. The first method takes multiple shichen though, but with the town nearby I doubt we would be able to find any Nether Hounds outside. We will have to lay in wait."
Yún Huìmíng couldn't stop themselves from jutting forward: "There is another-" Before the words could fully leave their mouth, Bái Jiānwēi veered sharply toward the ground, heedless of the startled yelp from his passenger. The wind roared in both their ears as they plummeted, the ground rushing up to meet them with terrifying speed. Bái Jiānwēi tightened his grip on Yún Huìmíng's hand, securing them firmly against his waist as he focused intently on their rapid descent.
Just moments before impact, Bái Jiānwēi acted with lightning-quick reflexes, flinging Yún Huìmíng towards a nearby tree. With a fluid motion, he redirected his own trajectory, landing squarely on the back of an unsuspecting beast. His fingers splayed as he summoned Xuánwǔ back in his hold, his weapon slicing through the air with deadly precision. The creature's meridians were severed in a swift, clean strike, its incorporeal form collapsing into the ground with a final wail.
As the beast's body began to dissolve, releasing a dark and swirling miasma, Bái Jiānwēi stood resolute amidst the dissipating shadows. The acrid scent of the creature's essence filled the air, mingling with the earthy aroma of the forest floor. His heart was steady in his chest, his mind remaining sharp, each sense heightened by the adrenaline coursing through his veins.
He closed his eyes, breathing in and relaxing his shoulders.
Bending forward on one knee and stretching back the other leg, Bái Jiānwēi initiated a codified sequence, his movements becoming slow, fluid and deliberate. His hands joined in a graceful arc, rising above his head before descending to the ground, drawing in the thick, oppressive concentration of resentful energy that clung to the air like a dark mist.
With a deep breath, he felt the energy gather into his palm, a heavy, malevolent force that pulsed with a life of its own. Slowly, he separated his hands, allowing the energy to split and flow between his fingers, pulling it apart with a sharp motion. He clenched his fists and brought them to his face, feeling the surge of Qi channel through his meridians, electrifying his senses and sharpening his focus. Filling his mind, pounding and pounding and pounding.
In a decisive motion, he swiped his hands away from his open lips, releasing the dark energy in a controlled motion. A thick, inky fluid oozed out from between his teeth, floating into the air as he expelled the last remnants of the malevolent force from his spiritual veins. Though winded, a proud smile spread across his face, the aftertaste of iron stuck to his lips.
He turned and brought his face to the sky in the direction of the still hovering Qiányè's Sect Leader. He raised his open hand, showing her the loose ball of red liquid drifting over his skin. The Sect Leader's body was taunt, attention fixed on the swirling mass as it shimmered in the dim light of her lantern.
"Will this be enough for the compass, Qiányè-zōngzhǔ?" Bái Jiānwēi asked.
Her face was veiled and expressions hidden, but her figure showcased her amazement as she slowly pushed her sword forward to hover in front of the man. What are the odds that one beast would be right under them?
"Is this… Huái Niàn's Blood?" She asked, a slight tremor in her voice.
Bái Jiānwēi nodded.
"It is conjured out of a concentration of resentful energy. This would qualify to activate the compass, would it not?" He asked.
Xuè Yīnfēng lifted her hand up, bringing the compass to view. The intricate device glinted faintly in the dim light, its surface etched with arcane symbols. Her voice was certain as she declared "I am certain it would."
Steady, she thrusted the tool forward.
"Did you have to throw me into the tree, you brute?" Whined a fuming Yún Huìmíng, one hand trying to free their hair from the leaves and the little sticks stuck in it.
"I knew you would be alright," answered Bái Jiānwēi with a carefree smile.
They were traipsing on sword, flying over the forest and following the compass's direction. Yún Huìmíng had cursed vehemently and tried to weasel out of it but eventually complied, barely refraining from begging the Qiányè Sect Leader for a place on her own sword out of property—they were currently a man, and it would be most inappropriate to stand so close to a lady.
However, his attitude towards Bái Jiānwēi was another story. Distrusting of being flung from the sword for the third time this week, Yún Huìmíng was essentially plastered to the cultivator's back. Their arm was wrapped like a vine around his middle and was causing his breath to stutter, and their chin was hooked over the top of Bái Jiānwēi's head. The cultivator's expression was half flustered and half mortified.
After a shichen of flying, they began circling around a dense area.
"It's here," indicated Xuè Yīnfēng.
The night abruptly got colder, and Bái Jiānwēi felt a shiver shake his spine.
He dislodged the official's chin from his hair and turned his head in their direction. "What do you think we should do, O grand master of strategy?" He asked cheekily.
The other squinted their eyes, pulling one hand away from his waist to pinch his cheek.
Xuè Yīnfēng intervened before things could result in another fall from the blade: "As I do not have jurisdiction on this territory, this Sect Leader will heed your directions. If you would rather follow your accountant's advice, I will also comply with it." And if this advice led him to his demise, then she could simply pin the blame on the official.
Yún Huìmíng turned to her.
"What we must do is quite evident: I close the Rift while you both protect me from its retainers."
Their words received a dubious expression. Bái Jiānwēi cast them a careful look: "How do you intend to do this with no Spiritual Core?"
"Who said I didn't have any?"
At these words, the cultivator twisted on his sword to put one hand on their sternum, eyes glazing over as he focused. Yún Huìmíng felt his Qi probe around, searching. The cultivator broke the connection and frowned, puzzled. "I can't feel any. What do you mean by this?"
"There was an… event. My Core was sealed. This seal makes it hard to find, but an experienced daifu can detect it with the right methods."
While rare, it wasn't unheard of for cultivators to have their essence locked indefinitely for a variety of reasons: it could be because it was exposed and corrupted by abysmal miasma, because they seeked to return their bodies to their natural ageing… or because the cultivator was judged guilty of crimes and on his way to be exiled, imprisoned or executed.
Bái Jiānwēi winced, pulling his hand away and covering his own abdomen, protective of his own Core. He couldn't imagine what it was like to not have access to his own spiritual energy. He wondered: why would someone like Yún Huìmíng have his Core sealed? It couldn't be that they wanted to die with their loved ones: they didn't even have any friends. No, knowing his propensity to avoid caution in the face of unlearned knowledge, it was probably an accident with miasma or an artefact of sorts.
Truthfully, the other's guesses were quite far from the truth.
Xuè Yīnfēng interrupted his musing: "If your Core is sealed, you still cannot access your spiritual energy. The question still stands: how do you intend to close this Rift?"
The accountant snapped their fan open, lazily blowing air into his cocky expression: "Do I need to teach you this?" He drawled. "There is one way commonly used by cultivators to transfer energy to another person: it merely requires touch and intent."
The Qiányè Sect Leader was stunned speechless, and Bái Jiānwēi looked horrified. The wind whipped Yún Huìmíng's hair into their eyes for a second, making him sputter and fight to keep it out of their face.
Seeing the other's frozen expressions, the official's expression went confused. "I dread to ask, but why these faces?" He asked.
Yún Huìmíng's gaze switched between both cultivators. "Bái-Jūnzi, if you are too winded from yesterday, then perhaps Qiányè-zōngzhǔ can-" They were promptly gripped by their shoulders and shaken by a furiously blushing Bái Jiānwēi.
"Watch your words, Yún Huìmíng! They are highly improper and unfit for someone of your stature! How dare you speak this way to Qiányè-zōngzhǔ?" exclaimed Bái Jiānwēi.
The official grabbed onto the cultivator's arms, fearful of losing their balance and plummeting to the ground below (again). "What is the matter?" They asked, aggravated. Then their mind brought a thought to the forefront. "Ah…"
Their face reddened rapidly, and they shook their hands in the air, placating.
"No no, I assure you this is not what I mean! I intend to cast a spell circle and a simple prolonged handhold should suffice for this! There were no inappropriate thoughts in my mind, you have my oath!"
Bái Jiānwēi's face made a complicated expression then he sighed, dropping his head and loosening his hold on the other's shoulders. "You are adept at politics, how do you make this kind of easy missword?" He groaned to the ground.
Yún Huìmíng shrugged and turned their head, embarrassed. They brought one of their hands up to readjust their hair. To be honest, they… Forgot people did that.
Xuè Yīnfēng coughed, then pointed her hand to the treeline below. "Shall we go now, sirs?"
"Not a 'sir'," mumbled Yún Huìmíng under their breath. Bái Jiānwēi ignored them, nodding and pushing his forefoot down, causing them to begin their descent.
Yún Huìmíng counted themselves lucky they didn't get kicked off the sword this time.
It quickly becomes apparent the Rift is not on the surface but inside a cave, and they have to quickly adjust their strategies. They went in, with Bái Jiānwēi and Xuè Yīnfēng heading the party while Yún Huìmíng held the tail.
The accountant grabbed a strand of Bái Jiānwēi's hair and tugged, causing him to let out a pained cry. "Why did you do that?" He pleaded, tearing up and rubbing his scalp. "My hair is sensitive, please be more considerate…"
For all intent and purpose, Xuè Yīnfēng's veiled face couldn't express her emotions. However, she still managed to look tired of them. Her judgmental gaze could be felt digging a crater into the wall as she resolutely kept her face forward, ignoring their bickering.
After a while, Yún Huìmíng brought their hand forward, long and bony fingers spread out. They lifted one of their eyebrows, waiting, before rolling their eyes and speaking with a bored tone: "May I receive some of your spiritual energy, Jūnzi?"
Bái Jiānwēi huffed, then clasped his hand into the official's. A bright light emanated from their palm, and Yún Huìmíng hid a wince as the other's Qi surrounded his locked Core, hovering around its confines. Its heat was warming the bounds, and after decades spent with the shackles' cold, the warmth felt blazing..
They hurriedly let go of the cultivator's hand, clenching it into a fist and pulling it behind their back, hidden and trembling. Bái Jiānwēi looked at his hand, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Thank you. We can go now," Yún Huìmíng said with finality, pulling him back from his thoughts.
The man nodded, letting his arm drop to his side.
As they walk further in, the atmosphere becomes more and more oppressive. Resentment weighed in the air like hanging corpses. It hits their shoulders and head in waves not unsimilar to rain of blood: it was cold and vicious. The smell of copper permeates the wall, and the eerie sense of familiarity makes Bái Jiānwēi feel particularly on-edge.
After their third stumble on the terrain, Yún Huìmíng started regretting insisting on accompanying them.
After half a shichen of navigating the tunnels, they come to a pool. It is only illuminated by the Qiányè's Sect Leader's lantern, and after getting a glimpse of it, Xuè Yīnfēng and Bái Jiānwēi come to a stop.
The pool is quite big, and even though Yún Huìmíng cannot see the resentment swirling in it, even their core-locked body can feel its nearly soul-crushing strength.
Looking at Bái Jiānwēi's tense expression, the accountant came to a thought: Didn't they both talk about an underwater pool he lost consciousness in before coming back to witness his Sect's massacre?
The two cultivators pounced on opposite sides of the body of water, getting their swords ready. Xuè Yīnfēng turned her veiled face to them. "What do you need, official Yún?"
They gritted their teeth at the address. Once upon a time, that kind of human would have been begging at their feet…
"I need time. If anything tries to get out, kill it or shove it back in. After the spell is completed and stabilised, I will need you to free the way to the Rift."
Bái Jiānwēi frowned. "Free the way to- It's in the water! How do you want us to do that?"
"You have a ke to figure it out," Yún Huìmíng answered, dropping to the ground and starting to sift through their sleeve, bringing out a fine brush, paper and stones. They started grinding ink, while the other two stood at the ready.
After finishing their preparations, they dipped their brush and started drawing onto parchment.
As soon as the intent behind the symbols drawn is registered by the resentful energy filling the cave, deep and boisterous growls sound out, making the ground tremble and lifting dust into the air. It rattles their teeth, making Bái Jiānwēi and Xuè Yīnfēng drop into a crouch as Yún Huìmíng hastened their preparations.
A colossal serpentine head drops from the purple depth of the portal, its body slithering out with an unnatural sound that makes the hair on one's body raise up. The oppressive atmosphere increased tenfold, immobilising both Bái Jiānwēi and Xuè Yīnfēng.
Both the cultivator's bodies were frozen, their hearts pounding wildly in their chest and members straining against the screams of their will, refusing to move. As Yún Huìmíng's voice rang out in warning, the monster opened its maw and lunged in Bái Jiānwēi's direction.
He barely had the time to see a slip of paper flung at him before he was engulfed.
The world became dark.
His body felt weightless. The distant sound of battle was rapidly fading out. He was drifting somewhere between words, and his eyelids were heavy. Nonetheless, he could see. From the shimmering night sky glistening in front of his gaze, stars were moving and forming themselves into recognizable shapes.
One was a deer, the second was a monster. What followed was a man, then a child. Finally, a king.
From the void, the ether sang.
Once upon a time, in a desert so grand,
In mystical realms of enchanted sand,
There lived a creature, majestic and dear,
Known to all as the Nine-Coloured Deer.
The Deer roamed freely, in a landscapes vast,
Its coat shimmering with colours so fast.
A rainbow it wore, a sight to behold,
A wonder, a legend, in stories often told.
One day, a child in a ravine did stray,
With no light to guide, in fear he lay.
Scared and alone, he tried to escape,
He ran and he ran,
Caught by monsters, he wept in fear,
But his cries for help no one would hear.
For the Deer, too, was caught by a hunter's snare,
And it never came for the child's despair.
Darkness enveloped the kingdom wide,
A hunter became king with deceit as his guide.
With a smile so kind, and a generous guise,
He hid his true nature, his hunger's size.
Behind the facade of benignity he stayed,
His avarice and greed cleverly played.
"Bai-Jūnzi, wake up! Bai-Jūnzi…" Yún Huìmíng's strained voice pierced through the haze.
Bái Jiānwēi's lungs finally expanded and as air rushed in, it filled his head with a dizzying speed. The last verse of the stars' song still danced in his skull, echoing softly as he struggled to reorient himself.
The kingdom believed in his gentle art,
Unaware of the darkness that lay in his heart.
One hand started to tap against his cheek while the other painfully pried one of his eyelids apart. Dark eyes peered into his own. "Huìmíng…" Bái Jiānwēi murmured in a breath, his eyes fluttering open with great effort. In his ears, the stars crooned their last words:
The kingdom destroyed, left to die.
Now he rules in the skies, so high.
The accountant's thighs cushioned his neck, and his head was surrounded by the other's long sleeves and hair, casting restful shadows over his sensitive face. As Yún Huìmíng scrutinised him, their worry seemed to calm. "Are you alright, Jūnzi?" they asked, their voice trembling slightly. The other nodded weakly.
The official straightened up and helped Bái Jiānwēi sit, bracketing his shoulder against their front. A nimble hand pushed his hair aside to lay three fingers against his forehead.
He felt the probe of a weak borrowed Qi around his highest dantian and firmly grasped Yún Huìmíng's hand, taking it away. Seeing the other on the verge of protest, he raised a finger: "I will do it myself. Preserve your energy."
Bái Jiānwēi focused on circulating his Qi through his meridians. He found some weaknesses around his upper dantian but swiftly patched them. After doing so, he reopened his eyes to find Yún Huìmíng too close from property, their nose mere zhang away from him. The other's expression was focused and intent and despite the situation, Bái Jiānwēi couldn't help but let out a slight breathy laugh. He gently took Yún Huìmíng by the shoulders and pushed them away. "What are you doing?" he asked incredulously, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Checking your pupillary light reflexes," the accountant deadpan. Noticing the other didn't listen to their words, they smacked his shoulder with their fan. "Listen to the answer of the question you asked, you airhead!" they raged, brows furrowed.
Bái Jiānwēi paid them no attention as he was looking around, and after seeing the Qiányè Sect Leader sitting against a wall off to the side, straightened up his clothes. Xuè Yīnfēng didn't seem to be paying attention to them—although it was hard to tell with her veil—but the boredom in her posture spoke volumes.
For all of Yún Huìmíng's curated words, they truly are quite shameless, she mused.
Ignoring the official's inconsequential anger, he rose carefully to his feet. After this, he gripped Yún Huìmíng's upper arm to help them up, making them grumble under their breath: "I can get up on my own. I am not injured."
Hearing Xuè Yīnfēng rise to her feet, Bái Jiānwēi looked toward the pool at the centre of the cave. Seeing it clear of any demonic rift, he hummed thoughtfully. "Did you—?"
Yún Huìmíng interrupted impatiently, "Yes, I did light a demonic Qi flag and it didn't burn. All is cleansed. Nonetheless, this place is dreadful. Shall we go now?"
Not waiting for an approval, the accountant pulled him toward the exit, their walk brisk and feet noisy against the ground. They moved in silence until they stepped out of the cave's mouth.
Xuè Yīnfēng then marched up to them, firing off questions at Yún Huìmíng: "How do you know talisman and spell circle? How do you have a Core and why was it sealed? How did you close the Rift? And who really are you?"
Leaning against Bái Jiānwēi, Yún Huìmíng closed their eyes, taking on a tired expression. "You will have to excuse this one, Qiányè-zōngzhǔ. This Hunt took a toll on this accountant's untrained body, and they are not used to Qi." They breathed in deeply before curling up, one hand against their abdomen, a grimace of pain sketching on their face.
Still supporting him by their arm, Bái Jiānwēi frowned and put his free hand around the back of their neck. "Are you alright?"
The other grunted in answer, then slowly breathed out. "My Core is exhausted. Your Qi is spilling over, and my body interprets it as pain. I need to focus on circulating it before it creates injuries in my depleted meridians."
Xuè Yīnfēng huffed, pulling her sword out and hopping on it. She flew one lap around them before pivoting in the direction of Yōu Quán Village and stilling, clasping both hands behind her back. "I will allow you to rest for now, official. But do not think I will not get my answers," she intoned before speeding away, black robes billowing into the night.
Bái Jiānwēi called Xuánwǔ out of its scabbard and ordered it to hover a few chi above the ground. He helped Yún Huìmíng onto it and stepped in front of them, pulling both of their arms over his shoulder and letting the taller one tuck themselves against his body. Within seconds, Yún Huìmíng let their head drop in his hair and put most of their weight onto him. Bái Jiānwēi huffed, his ears turning a lovely shade of pink.
"Did you not learn to circulate while standing up? You have too much energy, don't act tired now!"
Yún Huìmíng grunted and tightened their hold around Bái Jiānwēi's neck, furrowing their nose into his hair. Bái Jiānwēi puffed and gave up, imperceptibly gripping the other's arms tighter and directing his sword up into the sky, letting the wind beat against their figures.
"You're heavy…" he complained weakly.
Yún Huìmíng's chest moved against Bái Jiānwēi's back as he breathed slowly. His voice, slightly husky from the cold, reverberated into Bái Jiānwēi's spine and chest bones. "You're a strong cultivator. You will manage to support this feeble one for one more trip," Yún Huìmíng said resolutely.
Embarrassed, Bái Jiānwēi coughed into his hand and sped up, eyes resolutely cast forward.
Out of sight, Yún Huìmíng smiled softly.