Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Abandoned City
Before Leiji can answer Ling Fengbao's question, the man himself continues, "Don't mind it, the more important question is, are you going to stay in this sect?"
And isn't that a ride and a half.
Leiji silently looks at the teacher they had recognized more for convenience than anything—they both knew that, Ling Fengbao gets an official reason to stick around Ling Hongyun and mother and Leiji gets someone who can fill in the gaps of knowledge they have—and tells him, "I'll stay until the current situation is resolved. It won't take long, maybe another week? Can you people handle that?"
Ling Fengbao's answering sigh is more than a little exasperated. He—Leiji has observed—smiles a lot, but not like how mother smiles a lot. His smiles are actually mostly genuine, shocker right?
"Your mother will not be pleased." He tells them, mostly amused. A silence falls between the two of them and Leiji takes the chance to ask about the things they have noted down.
The clan and sect relationship is somewhat complicated and will take a while to explain, he had said before continuing with the body possession while deas. Practically, it should not be possible, but the evidence they had just seen contradicts that. "That man is probably feeling hsi body slowly rot." He had added.
Spirits are, according to Ling Fengbao, beings that are able to mess with your soul and existence as a whole. Everything that makes someone themselves, in their individual opinion, will be essentially scrambled. It more or less will cause chaos.
Leiji isn't entirely worried; they had Lightning who could help.
"Besides that," he continues, "did you and Ah Yun get into a fight? He has been acting off these days."
"What kind of off?" Leiji asks, silently confirming his question. They are more worried anout Hongyun doing something like ripping through a library to research on consent in an era where the word itself is something of a myth. At least, they once had grabbed a random person and asked them what consent is, the random person was clueless. But that was in a town like—uh.
What was the town...city? Was it a city? That the Tian's manor thing was in? The name of that place? Whatever, in any case, they have been told that it was a place more affected by 'righteous' cultivators.
The towns near the sect they had been with for a week should be affected by demonic cultivators, right? Would they answer the same?
Leiji should really listen to things like that more. It simply never occured to them that the name of the town-slash-city something that they lived in would ever be important. Or the kingdom...country?
It simply wasn't all that important.
"Off as in," Ling Fengbao pauses, figuring out the right words, "questioning societyand its views on certain things. Of course, he always does this but it seems to have...intensified. A lot. What did you two fight about?"
"Well..." Leiji trails off, wondering how to explain. "It isn't so much of a fight than me having a meltdown."
"You? A meltdown?" He doesn't seem to believe it at all. Leiji thinks back to the attitude this world has towards mental health and rolls their eyes. For all that the demonic arts side is more accepting of different sexualities and things like that, they weren't all that different from 'righteous' cultivators. Of course, that was with what they knew so far. They could just be wrong, but Lu Leiji is not helping anyone's case here.
After a beat, Ling Fengbao looks away and accepts what Leiji had said as some sort of placeholder truth. They know, because Ling-s aren't hard to read. This one in particular has trust issues that are simply there for anyone who isn't surnamed Ling.
The hidden entrance to the sect is in sight now. Ling Fengbao smiles and waves them off, Leiji not looking back.
("Look, no matter how many times you say it—," Lu Leiji gestures wildly.
"I ship it." Lightning says as she stares at the memory currently playing.
"—it won't suddenly become real!" He says, then continues, "Anyways, it's not like it's even here so why are we botherinf with this again?"
Lightning stares at him, then says slowly, as if Lu Leiji couldn't comprehend what they were actually saying. "I like this pairing. You should keep them together, they are unberable cute and this dynamic is my preference—"
He gestures wildly at the screen showing his past self hugging what seems to be a...bowl. Full of alcohol. "Do you even know what age Leiji is?! Also, why is it now that you're a complete chatterbox and not when something actually bad is happening?!" He shakes his head, "No! The most important question is, how do you keep winning these godforsaken bets?!"
"Talent," Lightning deadpans and resumes the memory, watching a drunk Lu Leiji's antics. She had to admit, he was a rather flirty drunk.
"Woman, you make no sense." Lu Leiji hisses.)
"...you have got to be kidding me." Leiji hisses, already dissecting the different ways they can make this work. Jiao Zihua and Zhang Xuanhe look at them like determined little ducklings about to go on their first swim alone, the things needed to go for their little exploration clearly prepared.
Zhang Binghua is cracking her knuckles with a dark expression and it almost visibly makes Zhang Xuanhe waver. Leiji sighs, asks with an almost resigned voice, "How did you get permission to do this?"
Jiao Zihua looks at them with an odd...tension of sorts. "I only wish to help rectify my wrongs."
They narrow their eyes and steo closer with a quick once-over, eyes catching onto the sword on his belt. Leiji has never seen that sword before. It must have shown on their expression because Jiao Zihua tells them, "It's my sword, I just don't use it much."
"In any case," Zhang Xuanhe abruptly says, probably ending whatever mental conversation he and his sister had. "We aren't breaking any rules."
"This 'we' better not break any rules that will get Hall Master Ling on our cases."
"Don't worry," Jiao Zihua breaks into a bright smile. "I won't let anything happen to anyone if I can help it."
Zhang Binghua hums, then moves the full force of her glare to him and asks, "Why didn't your intuition react to the poison anyways? Doesn't everyone sing praised about it and sh*t? I can't imagine you'd ignore it either."
Jiao Zihua falls silent. Zhang Xuanhe seems to be telling his sister something in their mental bond because she huffs and mets go of it.
Leiji rolls their eyes at the three, only half-listening to them. The other half is watching Lu Leiji and Lightning very aggressively bicker, wondering if one of them is going to kiss the other in frustration or something. The two-s faces are close enough...what if they just give a little push...
"-eiji?" Huh? Leiji blinks and looks at the annoyed face Zhang Xuanhe makes as he realizes that they did not pay attention. Jiao Zihua stifles a laugh before saying again, "We agreed on going today, in an hour. Is that fine?"
"You don't need to ask me." Leiji tells them and starts inspecting the equipment prepared. Healing salves, rope, knives, talismans, spare clothes, rations and water skins just in case...and an odd assortment of pebbles? "What are these for?" They ask Zhang Binghua, the only sane person here.
She answers, looking resigned to be the eldest—and therefore most responsible—of their little group. "Those are Life Trackers. There is a mini array etched into it to monitor your heartbeat, also they work as trackers."
A safety thing then. They shouldn't be concerned by it too much.
An hour quickly passes with all of them going to Leiji's quarters and doing some light meditation, making sure that everyone is well-equipped and bickering, it almost feels like they're with a bunch of friends. Almost, that is.
...almost, that word again and again.
Is it wrong for Leiji to feel greedy? The most probable answer is yes, because of all the horror stories they have heard about people becoming greedy for more and getting far too much. Being taught and told over and over again to be grateful and don't be greedy, that should have been enough. The Life Tracker—that is the correct name for it right?—hangs heavy around their neck.
Zhang Binghua seems about ready to clock her brother unconscious by the time they reach the transportation array that Hall Master Ling had prepared and is supposed to bring them to the ruin. The boy himself does not seem to realize that his fawning over Jiao Zihua is annoying her.
"They really should go lay each other..." she mutters under her breath and Leiji nods absentmindedly. Someone starts snickering in the back of their head.
Lu Leiji whispers what Zhang Binghua had meant with 'lay' and they internally groan, hiding their face in their hands. Leiji does not want to know anything about anyone's...bed life. Most especially people they don't know that well.
The four of them step into the array and it—for lack of better word—glows. Leiji is hit by a wave of nausea and they stumble, feet landing on grass and soft soil.
A forest, trees tall and vines hanging from branches. There is a faint sound of animals rustling about the tall grass and wind—making something like a whistling sound as it runs through. Leiji can smell the everlasting scent of wet soil and grass, seeming like it had just rained even though the mud was at a minimum. In front of them is an array of stone buildings, covered in moss and creeper plants.
Zhang Binghua starts cutting the grass around the array. The four made their way to the array of buildings, only to realize that there were even more buildings beyond that and suddenly, the seven day limit that Hall Master Ling gave them seemed reasonable.
"He did not mention a city." Zhang Binghua grits her teeth as she makes some motions of cleaning her sword before sheathing it. "But we really should have guessed that to be the case."
Right. Biggest temple of a famous deity. Of course it's in a city.
"Well," Zhang Xuanhe sighs, "we better start looking for it. Third Martial Brother, where do you think it is?"
Jiao Zihua is silent, observing their surroundings. He furrows his brows, murmuring things under his breath before speaking up, "I feel like we should leave immediately, but...," he scratches his head before saying, "it should be somewhere north, I don't know if it's our north or actual north though."
"Well that is reassuring," Leiji drily comments, "how will we pair up?"
"Can I go with you?" Jiao Zihua asks, not appearing to notice the glower Zhang Xuanhe suddenly has. Zhang Binghua does though, and proceeds to whack him over the head before pulling on his ear to scout out the actual north side of the city.
Leiji asks, mind wandering as the two step away, "Why would you want to go with me anyways?"
He hums, considering, then answers, "Because I felt like it."
Time passes with the both of them making passing remarks and small conversations here and there. This continues until they spot an oddly shaped and taller building. It was built to have gardens, there is a big structure that might have been a fountain once with a statue on top.
They turn to look at Jiao Zihua, about to say something, but the words die in their throat as they take him in. He had froze, expression stuck in terror as if he had seen something horrifying.
"We need to leave." Jiao Zihua absently says. "As soon as possible."
Weekly Power Status
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