Black Greed

THIRTY FIVE

"Lan Huan, are you ready to see me die?"

Lan XiChen's smiling face went frowning. "Can you, please, tell me why are you saying you're going to die?"

Lan Huan knows she's kidding, but the way she said it was so serious that it scared him. She only recovered few days ago, and now she's running around like what had happened to her didn't really occured. And her overexerting herself gives him a whole load of worry and stress.

"Well, I invited you to my special night hunt that might take a whole day, an endless fighting, and slim chances of returning alive. So yes, I'm asking you if you're ready to see me die when our plan fails." Wei MeiLan thought really hard of the possibilities that can occur in them.

"In my opinion, Young Lady Wei," Lan XiChen put his hands behind him. "As long as I'm here, you won't die. No matter what."

"Well, that's only a probability, not saying I will die for real. Did you bring someone else too?"

"WangJi won't join, so no one, I think."

"Well, A'Xia and A'Cheng will come with us," Wei MeiLan said. "They'll be our back up. Better than having nothing, right?"

Lan XiChen was surprised to find out that someone will come to join them. "Who else?"

"If you're thinking of GuangYao, don't you dare." Wei MeiLan warned.

Lan XiChen shot his arms up in surrender. "I'm not, I mean—"

"Any comments are not going to be entertained."

Wei MeiLan walked towards the forest where she felt the disgusting feeling of resentful energy.

"Lan Huan," Wei MeiLan spoke seriously this time. "I hate dropping surprises, but brace yourself with what you will discover today."

"Are we going to see Master Li Duan?" Lan XiChen asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Then why aren't we heading to the east part, but to the west part? Isn't those where some suspicious houses located?" Lan XiChen was getting confused with her actions.

"Uh-huh,"

"Is Master Li caught?"

"No."

"Wei Qing, what is happening? You're not telling me what it is."

When they reached the west part of the forest, several shed looking houses were erected, and you'll be able to hear some muffled voices inside. "Perhaps they are still doing it after all these years..."

She pulled out a sword from behind, surprising Lan XiChen. "You're not using Descend. What did you found out here?"

She swung the sword with ease. "As much as I don't like bringing weapons with me, I have no option but do this."

She marched towards one of the house, and that building is the most eye-catching one of all. No one was guarding the area, thus their arrival didn't caused any ruckus at all.

"Li Duan, Li ChangJin, show yourselves!" Wei MeiLan shouted, surprising Lan XiChen.

"Wei Qing, what are you doing?" He rushed up to watch over her when she shouted in the middle of the clearing.

"I don't have time for your shit, show yourselves!"

A group of black figures surrounded them, and from the outstanding house, a figure came out.

A man wearing a dark green robes with a fan in his hands, smiling casually. "Ah, Wei MeiLan. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

His smile looks plain, but his eyes shows mania and hatred. "If you didn't revealed a good plan back then, I would have killed the man I've given with info."

Lan XiChen looks confused. "What do you mean?"

"Hmm, ZeWu-Jun. It's an honor to see you," the man saluted at Lan XiChen and went back his attention to Wei MeiLan. "And Wei MeiLan.... How's your health? I heard you almost died. What a pity, you really should have died, like your brother."

His tone was mocking, trying to annoy Wei MeiLan. But Lan XiChen lost his calm rather than her when the guy said that she should die like her brother. "How dare you speak like that, to a woman, nonetheless?"

"Li ChangJin," Wei MeiLan spoke to control Lan XiChen's urge to go in front and defend her. "It seems like, the decade that has passed on us made you different...more like inhuman. I guess fruits never fall far from their trees."

She shrugged. "Well, not that I can blame you, it runs in the blood already. Also, I'm going to tell you this, more like, announce it before you do: I'm insane too. So don't worry, we are on the same page, but unfortunately, you don't want to live at peace which I want, so our ideals collide to one another."

She tapped the sword to the ground. "Anyway, it's irrelevant to anyone.  So, where's your dad?"

"I have one question: how did you know he's my dad? We can be sharing one family name but not related." Li ChangJin asked.

"Does it matter? Your dad gave himself away. He should have left the forest if he want to make it look like real, but he staye in one part of the forest. All beings will want to covet something. So why take a small part of the forest when you can have the whole? If he went to another place, I would have believed him. But no one dares to come over his 'place' and that set off some alarms, you know?"

"Wow, even without premonition, you still can do it?"

"When your minions tried to kill me, that confirmed everything I am suspicious of. Only your father knows where Flowing Water Valley is, and of course, my relatives and Lan Huan. Who would tell them where I am? Also, I know that you didn't use the metal to 'trace' but its a cover if you barged to my barrier.

"The metal wasn't with me when they attacked us. My disciple was in Lotus Pier back then, holding that item and returned when I called her back to tell her to give it to someone else. That's why when you invaded us, she was on her way and got caught in confusion. Good thing I managed to tell her what to do next before I got myself killed."

She pulled up the sword and swung it to lean on her shoulder. "So, how do we end this? 'Cause I still have some errands to do."