Unconventional Cultivation: Vol.1 in Life Among Clouds WangXian Series

One Year After The War:Despair, Dark and Deep

Qinyang lay on her pallet, unmoving, uncaring, uninterested in anything. It was dark and her shutters were boarded up. Her breathing was shallow and thinking, well thinking was hard to even begin to do. Her mind felt frozen. She was racked with pain; at one point last night she had rammed her head into her locked door and knocked herself unconscious. It was sometime after she had forced past Lan XiChen's silence spell, ripping her throat apart, screaming like a mad woman for her Yenay.

'Yenay. I love you. Stay alive. Come find me, I do not care how long it takes.'

Only the blood that ran down her throat and the final, total loss of her voice stopped the screams to her loved one. Even as the men sent by Lan XiChen frantically began to board up her shutters, she would open her mouth wide mouth, throat straining, soundless screams kept pouring forth. 

Her hand was in agony. She had broken it badly against the wooden door. She could see, in a tiny sliver of moonlight, bone jutting from its side, blood running. She looked at it in a calm, dispassionate state, curiously wondering if the bleeding, the swelling throat and the head injury would be enough to kill her. It had not so far. Perhaps later, when she could move, she would try ramming her head again. Perhaps she would concentrate on the temple next time. Then she could wait for Yenay in peace. 

But she could not do that, not after begging Yenay to find her again, no matter what.

This pain in her heart though. Even death would not be able to ease it. She knew it would be eternal.

And she damned everyone who had caused it. She wanted them all to pay. Lan Mingli, Lan Qiren, Lan XiChen. Lan, Lan, and Lan...

She regretted ever leaving the Night Hunting Lodge after the war ended. But, like the whole world, she thought that life would be full of light and kindness again. That they would throw themselves into rebuilding again, refashioning the world into a finer place. But an old enemy surfaced one day, begging forgiveness from the Sect Master, and willing to sell anyone out to do it. And those people were Yenay and Qinyang.

She heard several sets of footsteps approaching and she found strength enough to form a defensive posture, readying herself to attack. She clenched her good fist and waited. She heard the key scrape the lock and she looked up, eyes wild and yellow like a snow leopard caught in the light of their lanterns, her long hair, soaked in blood and sweat, covered half her face. She looked feral and dangerous. Several figures loomed above her and just as she was deciding who to kill first, she heard the compassionate voice of Dr. Yue...

"Oh, my girl. My beautiful Qinyang. What has happened to you?" He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her and held her steadily for a few moments. She felt herself begin to tremble and leaned into his grandfatherly warmth. He turned quickly to the man with him. "My bag, now, and don't speak a word to me right now. I will not be responsible for my actions, XiChen."

She heard the name and shrank back into a corner and glared at her cousin in betrayal and hopelessness. She held out her arm and pointed a finger at him and shook her head. She tried to speak but a small gout of blood trickled down her chin. No sound escaped her shredded throat.

"Calm down, my Hero, calm down. No one is going to hurt you right now. I won't let them." He jerked his head at XiChen, ordering him from the room with his very, angry eyes. He wrapped her in a blanket, trying to minimize the shock. Then he walked out to XiChen.

"What the hell happened to her tonight? You speak now. And make it good."

"Yenay's old spymaster showed up and wanted to blackmail Uncle into leniency for his crime of espionage. He had a letter written to Qinyang from Yenay, professing her love and commitment. He ordered them to come before him and then passed judgment on Yenay. He was furious, I have never in my life seen him this furious! He wanted her executed. Qinyang became distraught, begging him for mercy. Yenay took all blame on herself and submitted. Uncle relented and spared her life, but he ordered her banished to the high Steppes in the Northern territories.

Qinyang went mad. She was screaming at Uncle for him to send her as well. I was desperate. I could see Yenay's eyes pleading with me to save Qinyang so I placed a silence spell on her and ordered her confined to her room. They loaded up Yenay in a waiting detainment cart and took her away immediately. When Qinyang got here, she forced the spell open. Tearing her throat so she could scream last words to Yenay. The rest, she did later."

"What in hell is wrong with that man? It is not a matter that they love one another. Why should that matter in the least? But they saved all of us. Protected nearly one hundred of us at all times. They strove to make sure we had a sanctuary."

"He grew so hard and bitter after leaving the ice cave. It does not matter that the Wen are decimated, and the remnants are being hunted. I have difficulty making him see a moderate stance on any breach of the 3000 rules. It was all I could do to mitigate things tonight. I must see she understands that."

"Not tonight. She is too distraught to even begin to grasp all of this. And you better realize that no matter what logic you try, her world was destroyed tonight and by men she trusted and helped these last few years. She may never see things the same again; her mental state after the head injury and the stability of her mind after losing the love of her life could be permanent. Especially if Yenay dies up North. Leave us. I will stay with her and tend her injuries. Rouse her maids and send them in here. I want her surrounded by the women who love her tonight."

The old Doctor approached her slowly.

"Now, my brave child. Help me make you well again for your Yenay. She would not like to see you suffer. Would she?"

She shook her head.

"Let me start with your scalp up here. Then we will fix your hand. After that, I will need to tend to your throat. I want you to be heroic again tonight and do exactly what I say so you can begin to heal."

She nodded, slow tears creeping down her cheeks.

Several hours later, he left Qinyang to the tender ministrations of Chu Chu and Mei Mei, who were, besides being worried sick, absolutely furious to find their Mistress in this condition. They also expressed their fear and worry about Lady Yenay. He was satisfied that if even the Sect Master showed up here, he would be refused admittance.

He left Mei Mei to help her sip medicine to soothe her throat and to drug her into a deep sleep. He motioned Chu Chu outside for a moment. "Do not let anyone disturb her for 48 hours. I will check in several times a day to check the wounds and change bandages. I am going to wait to splint the hand tomorrow. But it's her broken heart and assaulted mind that worries me the most. Qinyang does not do well with loss. And the loss of Yenay is a huge one. Yenay may never make it back to us and that would be catastrophic for Qinyang."

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