Shixiong

“I’m going to prepare some medicine for my mother,” Dai Xuan excuses herself as we cross into the courtyard.

She retreats towards the bigger buildings in the centre, where her mother lives. If I remember correctly, her mother is named Dai Qian and was injured when fighting off an attack of vengeful ghosts, which had been carried into the city by grave robbers, who had camouflaged themselves as merchants. The story was a whole arc in the series, centering on Feng Yu and his dealings with them as a merchant family son… though Liu Renqing also received a fair bit of screen time when the ghosts broke out of their confinement and had to be fought in the streets. Finally Dai Qian managed to contain them, but was poisoned in turn. She wouldn’t get better until the end of the drama, being unable to defend the city in the end.

It’s too bad I wasn’t sent here before that happened. I would’ve tried to prevent them from entering the city at all, leaving the grave robbers to be poisoned by the ghosts instead. But what if it isn’t a poison? What if it’s a curse? And didn’t Murong Zhiyu have a secret way to deal with curses? I look down at my hands, the backs of which sparkle in the sunlight when I concentrate the right way. Right. Her secret. I need to talk to Dai Qian anyway. Might as well check her for signs of a curse… well, if I knew what they were. In the drama, Murong Zhiyu has all the relevant knowledge, but I fall short of the things that weren’t displayed on screen. It’s easy for her to say but impossible for me to know. Though maybe… the body remembers martial arts, so the mind may remember other things.

My steps lead me through the compound, which consists of about ten buildings of various sizes protected by a high wall. The wall is less to guard against intruders and more to keep out the wind that carries heat and sand from the northern desert. Exposed as the sect buildings are, high up on the cliff, they are protected by this barrier, against which the sand piles up. One of the many duties as a fresh disciple was to clear away the sand, Murong Zhiyu being shown stoically enduring the ordeal in a nice training montage in the drama. I’m glad I can reap the rewards for her suffering.

I cross the main courtyard and bow to some other disciples I can’t place. Of course they look different than the actors who portrayed them, if all the author had to go on was a description by Gui. Though I am impressed by how many things look very similar. He must’ve talked off both her ears during the briefing. Or maybe he gave her a written dossier. If his livelihood depends on it, it’s probably important to get the details just right. A different bedroom wall colour could change the fate of the universe, huh? The one who figured that out must be an absolute mastermind. Gui, however, is a master of a different kind. A master of outsourcing. It’s smart, though I wouldn’t say that to his face—if I ever talk to him again, that is. I hope I do. While this is all certainly a new experience, I don’t appreciate being abducted.

Oh. As I turn another corner, I suddenly realise I don’t actually know where to go to reach Murong Zhiyu’s room. And even if I find it by mistake… I probably wouldn’t even recognise it. Instead I walk towards a small pavilion closer to the high wall, pretending I always wanted to go that way. There’s a small stone table and four low chairs arranged around it. Trees don’t grow that well up on the cliffs, but there are a few shrubs that make me feel like I can hide at least a bit.

Though not for long. I hear someone shout my name, look up and see Liu Renqing walk towards me. I would be happy to see him, if not for the realisation that he’s apparently stalked me all the way to the sect. Fine. If he wants to see me, he can help me. Before he can reach the pavilion, I faint dramatically and… he actually catches me. There’s something to be said about these cultivation skills.

There’s also something to be said about lying in the arms of a handsome man. Especially when said handsome man seems very concerned about you. I always liked Liu Renqing more in the drama. No. I can’t be biassed…

“Liu-shixiong?”

“I can’t leave you alone for a moment,” Liu Renqing says—which is not true—yet the gentle, amused tone is so incredibly romantic, I have to remind myself I need to get him to fall in love with Feng Yu. Stupid, beautiful men.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today,” I lie through my teeth and because he had the audacity to follow me, I make him work. “Can you accompany me to my room? I think I need to rest for a while.”

He does exactly what I expected. He takes the opportunity with both hands and lifts me up to carry me. Being in the middle of the story has its perks. At the beginning of the drama, he was too embarrassed to even approach Murong Zhiyu, but after Feng Yu started his offensive, he became a lot bolder.

Well, at least I can use him to find my room. As a long-time disciple of the Huoyun Sect, he should know where Murong Zhiyu’s room is. In fact I remember them in it towards the end of the drama, before they fled the city. Seemingly unbothered by the people watching us, he navigates the buildings until he reaches the closest house to a small pond. It’s set apart, unlike the other buildings, which cluster closely together. It’s also clearly made for just one person, I realise when we walk in.

Liu Renqing sets me down on the bed with care and I can see him frowning still. He takes my wrist and opens the bracer, then feels my pulse… which is about as scientific a diagnosis I can expect around here. His frown deepens.

“Your qi is erratic. Did you train too hard during these last days?”

“We eliminated the last of the ghosts that escaped when we brought the Sect Leader to safety. They had taken residence in a building at the edge of town and threatened to hurt the ones taking refuge in it,” I explain, recounting some events I remember.

Luckily he seems duped. I know it happened, I just don’t know when.

“You weren’t poisoned as well?”

“No, it was just a long night. I haven’t completely recovered. I’ll be alright with some rest.”

Liu Renqing reluctantly lets go of my wrist and then looks me up and down. My clothes are somewhat dry on the outside now, but I still yearn to change them. He realises this as well, as he walks over to a chest and selects several pieces for me, then places them on the bed.

“I’m going to go to the kitchens to get you some tea to help you sleep.”

“Thank you, Shixiong.”