106 Dark clouds

Dark clouds formed in the south as seasons changed.

Hui Moxiang came to Reling in a new disguise. She was taller, with a flat chest and broad shoulders. Liu Sumeng hadn't recognized her even when her face barely changed, aside from the squaring of her jaw bone.

"Hey, Liu-ge! It's okay if I called you Liu-ge, right?" The deeper voice was jarring as well.

The person who walked up to him on the busy streets was not much shorter than him and was obviously a man.

Liu Sumeng was surprised at first but then remembered the nature of this demon's powers, "Hello…" But he couldn't really call this person Hui openly now could he? So he settled with, "Xiang'er."

The nickname only brightened the look in Hui Moxiang's face. "It's good to see that you're doing well. Let's go inside, this is my favorite restaurant in Reling. They serve the best duck, you know?"

Liu Sumeng allowed himself to be led by this male Hui Moxiang. There were a lot of things to catch up on and talk about. They've been keeping quite close tabs on the goings down south. And she or…he? had been very cooperative with sharing information.

"Let's just have a set of your specialty. Oh, and ten jugs of your best wine please," Hui Moxiang chirped at the waiter as they settled down in a small private stall in the restaurant.

After the waiter left, Liu Sumeng quickly set up a soundproof barrier around the stall.

"How are you?"

The Ivory Sword Saint did not miss how Hui Moxiang's smile was strained, "Getting by, as you know. I think my brother is onto me. We're going to be moving again."

Liu Sumeng nodded at these words. Hui Moxiang and the remnants of the Wayward Wind Sect had spent the past two months living on the roads. But because Hui Moxiang couldn't stop spying on Muguan Province and peering into the Seven Moons Sect affairs, he had left himself vulnerable to exposure and thus had spent most of the time relocating to stay safe.

If they were closer to Wangyun Peak, Liu Sumeng would have gladly offered them a place to stay. But he was far from home right now and it was improper to extend Sect Leader Chen's hospitality without permission.

"That sounds difficult."

Their conversation paused as the waiter came back with food. There was fish ball soup and roasted duck and many meat dishes that Liu Sumeng did not really eat. He was relieved to see the vegetables following suit.

After they were alone again, Hui Moxiang continued, "Maybe but…it's not too bad. We're getting by. My big bro is more of a pansy than you'd expect. He likes me too much to kill me outright...though. I'm not so sure about that anymore." He shrugged, stuffing his face with a piece of roasted duck and gobbling it down with rice.

"Have you discovered anything new?"

"Yeah, about that…" His expression quickly fell.

The past weeks have not been easy.

After the pivotal battle at the Wayward Wind Temple, Liu Sumeng had somehow managed to bring Xuelan back to Reling. The boy had not woken since. Chen Anyue was there to soothe his worries, the physicians were constantly there to remind him that they only needed time for Yuan Xuelan to wake.

Having peace of mind was a lot easier said than done. Liu Sumeng sorely missed even the constant chirping of one annoying bird.

So he did what any sensible person would obviously do and threw himself into work.

His work consisted of setting up a suitable spy network, gathering information on the heavily guarded Seven Moons Sect, and searching for as well as building countermeasures.

Luckily, Sect Leader Chen had been mostly cooperative, especially when the northern siege of Xinlie had still yet to see any resolution.

He was once called a fool not joining their cause. But after the news of the collapse of two major sects and the gathering of a storm where lie the Seven Moons Sect, people began to sing a different tune. Sect Leader Chen was more than happy to have the Ivory Sword Saint trying to sort things out at the southern frontier.

But it was a pity that the resources he had to work with were so scarce and frustrating when the majority of sects had sent their most prominent men and women up to Juganmen.

From what Liu Sumeng had heard from letters from his older brother, they were experiencing their own set of complications up north.

Liu Sumeng decided to put his trust in them for now, he had little choice, with his hands full of all the chaos down south.

Hui Moxiang had shared many detailed and alarming information about their enemy's plans.

"I think they succeeded," Hui Moxiang's voice was low, despite the soundproofing barrier erected around them. "They were able to summon Fallen Gods with the Devil Blood Moon Seal."

The Ivory Sword Saint froze, and put down his chopsticks. "You said--"

"I know!" Hui Moxiang flailed his arms up only to sigh with sagged shoulders, "I know, I said the other day we still had time but I think my brother was onto my spies and feeding me false information. The other day I followed one of his goons through a flea and swore I saw them perform the ritual successfully."

"You said the cities were still intact." To be able to use the Devil Blood Moon Seal to resurrect Fallen Gods, an absurd amount of blood sacrifices were needed. Hundreds and thousands of lives had to be traded for even one successful ritual. It would be impossible without uprooting entire cities, which was why one of the main things they had kept tabs on were the biggest cities and the densest areas of population in Muguan province.

At least they tried to.

"I-I really did believe so. You had a traveling merchant that told you a similar story to mine, didn't you? Anyway, when I saw the ritual the first thing I sought to do was to check on the major cities, but I couldn't. A bunch of my contracted demons all got killed at once! Damn, I'm telling you it's definitely my Dage's doing…I think he's been keeping a tab on all my movements this entire time, which was why I didn't know anything until it was too late…"

"Say no more," Liu Sumeng sighed and poured them both a very full glass of wine. "There is no use wallowing in our mistakes. We can only think about the next step now."

Hui Moxiang's complexion did not look good, but he still nodded and accepted the offered wine, "You're right. Speaking of which, about that legend you told me to look into…"

They spent the rest of the day deliberating plans. Though, even when they parted ways at nightfall, the city was still lively with preparations for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Lanterns dotted the streets with the laughter of children and lively food stalls that sat by the street's edge.

Liu Sumeng didn't know how the townspeople had so much energy despite the ominous cloud that gathered and festered just beyond the horizon. If only he could take from them even an ounce of their happiness and optimism.

A deep sigh escaped his lips, Liu Sumeng made his way back to the Ascending Dawn Sect.

His mind was already circling around a long to-do list that he was hoping to tackle uninterrupted when he returned. Liu Sumeng did not register the strange looks he received after entering the tall golden gates.

"Master Ivory Sword Saint!" A servant called for him. There was both alarm and excitement in her voice that caught him a little off guard. But it was her next words that really made his world stop and freeze, "Young Master Yuan is awake!"

He reeled and stared at her with wide disbelieving eyes.

"Young Master Yuan is awake in his bed and he wishes to see you!"

Liu Sumeng did not waste time.

He rushed across the courtyard, taking the shortest route to Yuan Xuelan's room, from across the Seeking Crane Court.

Emotions whirled and his heart thumped against his ribs. Liu Sumeng didn't hesitate to push the door open.

Inside Yuan Xuelan's room and study, Chen Anyue lifted her head from Xuelan's bedside. "Liu-ge," she spoke softly and smiled, "I'm glad you returned home safely."

He nodded politely to her but Liu Sumeng was not interested in making small talk. His gaze was toward the bed, where Yuan Xuelan sat.

His skin was pale, from staying home for so long and away from sunlight. But when he looked up and saw Liu Sumeng there was a charming smile that bloomed on a sweet face.

"Hello, Sumeng."

And Liu Sumeng was at a loss for words. "Hello." He tried to smile back but felt awkward, "It's…been a long time." Emotions choked up in his throat and he could only stand there stiffly, uncertain of what was appropriate to do or say.

"Has it?" Yuan Xuelan squinted and rubbed his eyes, "I must have slept for a long time."

He watched the way Chen Anyue reached over and placed her delicate hands over Yuan Xuelan's. They were so small compared to his, "You have. A-Zhang, we're just happy you've finally awoken. Please take your time to recover your strength."

"Oh, yeah, I suppose I have. I feel a bit strange," he frowned and held his forehead in complaint.

The worry that flared in Liu Sumeng's chest was sharp. For a moment his composure faltered and he rushed to Xuelan's side. But he didn't know what to do or say. Liu Sumeng always lamented how he never had the right words to make things better.

Luckily, Chen Anyue was there. She, unlike the Ivory Sword Saint, always had just the right words, "Don't worry, you're just groggy from sleeping for so long. How about I make you some tea. At least, Liu-ge will be here to keep you company now."

"Oh, I guess I'm tired."

She gave him a hug and then pulled away to turn to Liu Sumeng, "Thank you for keeping him company. It means a lot to me. I will be right back."

An odd, sharp feeling flared and Liu Sumeng felt like he didn't belong. He nodded stiffly and watched as Anyue left, waiting until her soft footsteps turned distant.

But when he looked back, Yuan Xuelan was staring at him with enough intensity to bore into his soul.