Brother tried contacting someone through a communication array. I remembered a citizen of New Xianle had ascended roughly a month after I... left New Xianle. I hope he hasn't changed his password.
'Change starts in the heart, results come from the mind,' I recalled in my mind. Nothing happened. Maybe one of the marks can help. I placed two fingers on an angled side of my neck. My eyes shifted to a dark Amethyst purple as I attempted to find one of the kids I had placed a protection mark on.
'Han Ying?' I asked in my mind. nothing.
"Can any of you use the communication array?" I asked, turning to the boys.
"No." Flower Sword said as he took his hand away from his temple. Nan Feng tried to use the array, but took his hand away after blinking.
"I can't enter." Fu Yao was the last one, only to end with a distraught expression.
"No connection." I knew the girls must have tried. They all looked hopeless. "I can't enter either."
"Something isn't right," I said as I held Kiyoshi close. I wanted to keep him safe and keep him from danger, but the dangers are too close to him.
"There is a lot of resentful energy in this area; there isn't a high chance it is what is blocking the array," Snake said as she and the rest of the girls gathered.
"Then-" Mu Yoong Yoong almost gave a response when a snake with a scorpion tail leaped from the boy's back towards Honger! Flower sword thankfully grabbed the snake by its heart. Before he could grab its tail, it wrapped around his wrist and stung his hand!
"Brother!" I shrieked as I shot up. He threw the snake to the ground. His hand was hidden in his sleeve, but not before Honger and I saw it.
"Stay on guard, there may be more of them," Brother said to the caravan while Honger snatched his wrist and looked at the wound. "San Lang?"
"Tie it off with Ruye," I told him before I swept across the sand with ease like a spirit, scaring the merchants. Feng Ling created an orb of fire to disinfect the blade. I cut an X over the sting. Honger held my brother's hand.
"San Lang, don't," brother said as Honger held up his hand. "You could poison-"
Honger began to suck out the blood that had been tainted with venom. Brother gave a short gasp that went unnoticed. Flower sword covered his mouth with the back of his hand. I smirked while the deputy gods and the girls looked a little confused.
"The snake might not have bitten him; that was really reckless." Fu Yao asked while Nan Feng looked away.
"It doesn't hurt, and it won't kill me, so don't worry," Brother said as a blush covered his ears and tapped his cheeks.
"You sure?" I asked. Honger stopped sucking out the venom and spat it out. After I asked, I noticed Honger lick away some blood on his upper lip.
"I'm sure snow lotus. " I can't feel it anymore," he said. The snake on the ground began to wiggle. I snapped my eyes to Honger, who saw my signal. With a bloodied spatter, the snake exploded. Honger glared towards what remains of the snake. I walked to him and patted his shoulder. It's not his fault. Honger turned and pointed the blade with his index finger on the side of the blade.
"... San Lang?" brother asked. I looked to the "guide" and understood what he was doing.
"You, take us to Banyue right away for an antidote," he looked to Fu Yao and pointed the blade at him the same way. "And you, stay here and watch the caravan."
"Why should I listen to you?" he spat.
"Fu Yao," I spoke loudly. He looked to me like Mu Qing did a few times that I can remember, where he did something that would upset me. "You, snake, and Mu Yoong Yoong will stay here and look out for the merchants and make sure nothing happens. Zhao, we need a guide, and my brother needs that cure."
I looked from the pale-faced deputy to the motionless guide. I could feel how upset Honger was. Meanwhile, my brother stood fazed.
"Okay," Zhao responded. We set off, but I looked to Fu Yao and whispered to him.
"You don't think I'm dumb enough to fall for the charade you and Nan Feng are doing?" he grew even paler. "I know who you really are, and this won't make it up to me. Hiding behind a mask will do nothing for you or him."
I told him and left with the others. Kiyoshi refused to stay behind. Fu Yao kept his shaky eyes on me. Mu Yoong Yoong walked over to him from what I could hear. But I couldn't tell what they were saying. We kept walking for a while as the sun went down. Kohana kept a steady pace with us.
"Zhao," I began my question, "how often do these snakes appear so far from Banyue?"
"Never," he responded low. "This is the first time they have appeared so far away."
I walked beside Honger. while Nan Feng and Flower Sword whispered among themselves. I reached out and squeezed his arm. He looked to me, and I gave a slight smile. He gave one. But it was halfhearted. He looked away. He feels guilty. It's not his fault that Flower Sword had been stung. I heard my brother sigh. A thud sounded ahead. Before us was a small city in ruins.
"We're here," Zhao said as we all looked to the kingdom, the size of a small city. We walked through. Kiyoshi was at my hip and was a little weary. I lifted him in my arms. Kohana looked around and had a similar expression to Nan Feng.
"So this is the country of Banyue. Was it taken down quickly?" Kohana asked as she spun around to look at the dishevelled buildings.
"No, countries located out here were only built as big as their oases," I explained. "So they are all about this size. some smaller, some bigger."
"Tsk," Nan Feng made a judgmental sound. "It looks like a few days could siege the area."
"I wouldn't say that," I said as I stood beside him and looked over a crumbling stone wall that stood roughly up to our waists. "They had a few thousand or so in their armies year-round. So it added to the strength of their soldiers."
"You know quite a lot, young miss," Zhao said with a side eye.
"I used to do trades here once upon a time," I said as I looked around, not bothering to explain how that is possible.
"What's with that wall over there?" Kiyoshi asks. I looked ahead.
"sinners' pit," I said with dread. "They throw prisoners in. Over it, they leave them hanged with nothing on and leave them for the birds around here and let the bones and rotting flesh fall into the pit."
I felt eyes all on me.
"ShieJie is right." Honger made eye contact with Xie Lian. Only to avert his gaze. "The bottom of the pit is filled with beasts and poisonous snakes."
"the fuck?!" Nan Feng shrieked.
"Okay, I don't agree with men often, but that is royally fucked." Kohana agreed. Brother and I were both looking at Honger. Brother turned away and rubbed his forehead with his palm.
"Not all of them were like that, some..." I trailed off when I saw something over the sinners' pit. "Oh."
"What?" Kohana asked.
"Above the pit," I replied. backing away. I can't handle people hanging out very well. especially if it's a suicide. I saw Zhao look up to the pit. The face he made only proves me right yet again. I heard something behind us. I looked back. Honger did the same. Someone was there. Honger rushed to my brother and took his hand.
"Someone's coming," he pulled Xie Lian to one of the buildings. I rushed after him. Kohana went with Nan Feng and Zhao. I held Kiyoshi close. And we hid.
"Where did they go?" a woman's voice sounded. "Ugh, I'll hunt you down one by one if I must."
I recognize the voice, but I can't remember where.
"Can't you call one of your friends to help?" another woman asked.
"I prefer to call you for help, aren't you flattered?" the woman from before asked.
The two continued to talk. I held Kiyoshi close and did all I could to keep him from crying. The two were on their way until I heard one of them stop. I turned and saw Flower Sword try his best to hide. They found us! I began to panic. Then I had the worst idea of all. I rushed to the window and sent a ball of winter snow, ice and wind from my palm. I backed away as I winced in slight pain. I knew I had reopened my old scars a little.
"Bad idea," I scolded myself silently. Brother and Honger caught me. Kiyoshi looked at my neck. shoot. scars reopened.
"What the?!" the familiar voice panicked. Next thing I knew, the entire place shook. A loud boom could be heard across from the building we were hiding in. Honger shifted us so he would cover us. We got up, only for Kiyoshi to ask something I dreaded.
"Mother, why are your neck and arms bleeding?" I looked down at him with a sad look, etching into my face. I gave a soft sigh.
"It's just some old wounds, they reopen when I use more power than I should," I told him. My brother and Honger looked at me like I had just set fire to my hair. We left the building. Nan Feng must have done that explosion.
"That woman wasn't the preceptor, I only saw her once, but she wasn't as tall as the two we saw just now," I said, setting Kiyoshi down after my arms began to ache. Using some mana I still have, I managed to heal and reverse the blood's travel. I saw Kiyoshi, my brother, and Honger look at me with all worried faces. I just smiled.
"Mei?" Kohana called from inside what is left of the already crumbling building. Zhao followed behind her.
"Over here," I called back. Zhao began to dust himself off and rise from the rubble. "Zhao, you okay? Any idea what the plant looks like?"
"I'm sorry." He said, shaking his head, then he looked to us. I then noticed that Feng Ling wasn't anywhere near us. She must have gone with Nan Feng to lead those women away. "I only know the way here."
"Its leaves are shaped like a peach," honger explained, his hands behind his back, and Kiyoshi holding on to me. "long stem, thin roots. It likes the shade."
"The royal residence," I said as Honger now had his arms folded over his chest.
We travelled through the ruins until we arrived in the... garden? This entire place is a garden at this point. Kiyoshi held onto my hand while we walked.
"Let's get the fern," I said as I began to search. "We don't have a lot of time, and the Banyue soldiers could be nearby. Be careful of scorpion snakes."
"Of course," Honger responded. We began our search. Rustling the plants, the fern won't be easy to locate for us. Honger might know, but I won't get my hopes up just yet. I heard a scream down beside my brother. I slid my mask on and rushed over with Kiyoshi behind me. I slid beside my brother, and Kiyoshi hid behind me.
"Don't attack! Don't attack it's me!" the little boy from earlier shouted.
"Tian Sheng?" brother questioned.
"Where's the rest of the caravan?" I asked. Tian Sheng looked panicked till I spoke; he relaxed.
"Are you really Tian Sheng?" brother asked, this time with Ruye at the ready.
"It's really me! Two other- mmf!" I covered the kid's mouth.
"Not so loud," I scolded. If this is the real Tian Sheng, then there is a possibility that he was followed along with the rest of his company.
"The two others who came are over there," he spoke a little quieter. He pointed to some old beams of stone holding the arches up.
"Oh," I sighed, aggravated. These merchants are too daring for their own good. "You came even after learning what might be here?"
"Uh- sorry," the little boy said as he tapped his index finger tips together.
"Let me guess, your uncle is getting worse?" he nodded. I pulled him up, and we went to the others who accompanied Tian Sheng here. all while looking for the herb. "We wouldn't have taken it. The fern."
I said with my back to Tian Sheng. he was surprised by what I said since he froze back there. "I've seen enough people die. I am not about to add your uncle to that pile."
The boy looked at me. I could feel his eyes trying to burn holes in the back of my head. In the corner of my mask's eye holes, Flower Sword also looked to me. He knows what I am talking about. I don't plan on going any further into this conversation.
"Did you know to look where royalty live because it's common? Or because it would be easy to look in potentially the heart of Banyue?"
"It would make sense that royalty had the fern." Tian Sheng said as he got back to searching for the fern.
"found it." Honger sounded from across the field. He held up a fern in his hand. I stood and went to my brother and helped him up. The four of us went to Honger while he crushed the fern in his hand and prepared to apply it to the poisoned wound on Flower Sword's hand. He was persistent. completely covering the wound on my brother's hand. He feels partly responsible.
"Thank you, San Lang," he said. Honger wrapped Ruye around his hand. I just smiled smugly behind my mask. The group began to talk. But I was distracted. The smug look on my face melted away as I felt something strange nearby. I looked towards the lush area of plants where merchants were travelling. Something is wrong.