WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 9 Xiannu

They all bowed to the tiny fairy, so exquisite and perfect, yet so tiny.

Her iridescent wings shimmered in the light of the candle as she looked them over once more.

"Why have you chosen to seek me out today?" She asked.

Her voice sounded like precious little bells dancing in the wind.

XiChen bowed again, stepping forward.

"We have come to ask you for help." He gestured towards Jiang Cheng, held against Feng Li Pao's chest. "That is my husband and Jiang Sect Leader, Jiang WanYin. He has been particularly susceptible to...bodily changes these last few months, and we were recently informed that he has been cursed. Or that the residue of one still lingers. We wish to remove that affliction."

Xiannu stared long and hard at him, before her gaze drifted to Jiang Cheng.

"Bring him here." She commanded.

Wei Ying was observing her carefully too. He noticed that she had a tail...but it was attached from the base of her spine to the centre of the flower, and whenever she spoke, it glowed brighter than the candle flame.

Feng Li Pao came to stand in front of her and placed Jiang Cheng in bird form on the ground in front of her.

The lotus flower upon which she was standing began to lower until it hovered just above his head. Her tiny hand reached across to land on his head. She closed her eyes and concentrated on whatever she was receiving from him.

Moments turned into minutes and still, she did not waver.

XiChen was too focused on what she was doing, but he glanced at his brother and Wei Ying, just in case they found anything out of place in this process. It might be a little late to comment on the unorthodox methods of practice happening right now, but he would still like to know what they thought.

At last, she opened her tiny green eyes, full of curiosity and regret. However, she did not say a word.

XiChen felt anxious, from her expression alone.

Why wasn't she saying anything?

When she lifted her hand away from Jiang Cheng, she turned to XiChen. Her voice was kind when she spoke to him.

"There is ... a malevolence lurking deep inside." She said finally.

"Is there any way to remove it?" He asked breathlessly.

It was one thing to have someone say something potentially threatening about his husband...and an entirely heartbreaking truth to have it confirmed with such surety.

XiChen chided himself in the privacy of his mind; he should be better prepared for the news...but he lamented the fact that he would never be prepared to hear something of this nature in relation to the man he loved so unreasonably.

"There is..." she sounded as if she didn't want to tell them her next words. "But the price...."

"Whatever it is...we are willing to pay it." XiChen said, no hesitation in his voice.

"Xiongzhang?" Only Lan Zhan dared to speak now.

He was worried because they did not know these people.

At all.

What if they turned out to be charlatans? Scam artists were so common, it wasn’t even a joke any more. What if the price was too high? And, even worse than that...what if the "cure" didn't work?

He knew his brother wasn't thinking with his head right now. XiChen had been swinging from one tree to another in terms of his changing emotions, rather like Jiang Cheng in his ape form...and Lan Zhan could well understand him.

At this point, his Xiongzhang just wanted to get this over and done with. He only wanted his husband back...no matter what the cost was.

XiChen refused to look at Lan Zhan.

He was well aware of the risks pertaining to trusting someone blindly...but he had to do something.

Jiang Cheng had been gone far too long.

XiChen missed him so much.

"Please...state your price." He told Xiannu instead.

Her gaze became shrewd.

Xiannu looked around once more, her little green eyes finding Wei Ying almost immediately.

"As you know...the Universe is all about balance."

XiChen nodded solemnly.

"For what you need, I will remove the curse myself...and the payment to be offered is something you have in your possession...but you have not brought it with you."

"What is it?" XiChen asked, the confusion ripe on his face.

He looked towards his brother and Wei Ying then, hoping they knew what she was talking about.

The golden petals of the lotus flower began to close, one by one, and Xiannu was looking at XiChen full of pity now.

"No...no! Please! Explain!" XiChen shouted, his voice raw with tears.

"It is something valuable beyond compare. And you know what it is." Her sharp green eyes stared at Wei Ying then.

He stared back helplessly, wishing that was true.

XiChen lunged to grab the flower before she disappeared completely and the two snakes on either arm of the Shaman burst into life.

They sprang up, fangs extended fully prepared to bite him, when Lan Zhan’s quick thinking pulled XiChen out of harm's way.

The two snakes, one red and one black, hung suspended in the air, still poised to attack, their tails rattling ominously as they hissed at XiChen aggressively.

Lan Zhan held onto XiChen tighter, hoping he would calm down.

He knew better than anyone what a desperate Lan was capable of.

Whether it was a curse or a blessing, few could say with conviction, but the Lans only ever fell in love once and that was that.

It could not be changed once it happened, and the rest of the world had to deal with the fallout.

So, he could not blame XiChen now for feeling this way. All he could do was support him in whatever way was needed.

The golden flower closed and seemed to shrink in size, its glow severely diminishing until it resembled a tattoo. Just a flat drawing and nothing special.

The snakes receded back into tattoo forms as well.

"How much time do we have?" Wei Ying asked, as usual his thoughts processing the situation faster than anyone else.

"The carnival stays for no longer than seven days in any location." Feng Li Pao told him.

XiChen sagged against his brother.

Jiang Cheng lifted his head and watched him, a single solitary tear falling from his purple eye.

"When did they arrive?" Wei Ying asked Feng Li Pao.

"Yesterday, late at night. I was not informed of their arrival until early this morning." The Jiang Head disciple sounded apologetic.

"That's okay, Feng Li Pao. You did your best. It's not easy trying to run this place." Wei Ying patted his shoulder encouragingly.

A throat cleared noisily behind him, and he knew it wasn't XiChen.

"But that means, if they arrived yesterday, then we only have five more days to figure out what they want in return for their help."