WangXian Untamed

Chapter 45 - Recognition

"... Ying! Wei Ying!"

A heart-stopping scream echoed about the Archive chamber as the talismans flamed into ashes and released Lan XiChen and Lan WangJi.

"Wei Ying!" Lan WangJi threw himself toward his husband and his frantic hands tore at the spirit-guarding ropes that refused to give, despite his desperate efforts.

Lan XiChen raced to the Grandmaster and saw the spreading red stain on Lan QiRen. His heart leapt in his chest.

"Healer Zhang!"

Healer Zhang ran into the chamber, straight to his patient, horrified to see the carnage. Cultivators and then apprentices followed him, crowding about the bed, momentarily oblivious to the silent man entrapped on one side of the chamber as another fought to free him.

A few quick directions to apprentices, who raced to collect supplies. Another word to the Cultivators who returned to their posts about the chamber walls, where they would not impede treatment. With unexpected strength Healer Zhang tore open the Grandmaster's robes and bared his torso, running with bright red blood. Swiftly he stanched the bleeding, clean white linens being used and discarded in haste as needed, until at last he gathered handfuls of coagulant herbs and liberally applied them to flesh all but obscured by a multitude of tiny piercing wounds. Gradually the blood slowed, flowing more and more sluggishly, until it stopped running and subsided to an ooze.

At last, the crisis over, Healer Zhang reached for the Grandmaster's wrist and took his pulse. A look of confusion crossed his face, before he took up the other wrist and repeated his reading. A look in the eyes. A reading of the secondary pulses in the ankles. Healer Zhang held himself still and took several deep, grounding breaths. A second check of the pulses and he raised shocked eyes to Lan XiChen before blurting, "he did it! The Meridians... all the pathways... everything is clear! The Qi is already circulating Yang energy to restore balance and there is no resentful energy left around the Core. The Grandmaster..." he broke off and shook his head, his own colour fluctuating between pale and flushed as his trained mind tried to reject what was clearly before him and felt in his own fingertips.

"I don't know how he did it. I don't know what he did." The Healer's words were quiet, seemingly dragged from him without his volition, as he gave voice to what was impossible... and yet undeniable. "Somehow the Grandmaster is cured of his affliction... within the next day or two he should be back within balance and stasis will be lifted with safety. He... he's better."

Lan XiChen gaped at the Healer, before turning to look for Wei WuXian.

Lan WangJi was on his knees where he desperately clawed at the spirit-guarding ropes, which would not give, even when sawn with Bichen's pristine blade. Wei WuXian had known the power of Yin Iron and feared it's seductive and demanding call, having had experience of it before. As a result, he put all he had into making those ropes unbreakable, the better to protect his husband and brother-in-law. These were not the ropes anyone had ever encountered before, and they were fully infused with the energy-recycling magic Wei WuXian had invented for the talisman to hold his husband prisoner. Every effort to break them was being withstood with ease.

"Help, XiongZhang!" begged Lan WangJi, who had never begged in his life. "Help Wei Ying!"

Lan XiChen called to the other Cultivators, and all gathered about the still form, lying beneath the shielding ropes, a moist, dark stain spreading across the floor from beneath his body. The six Cultivators, Lan XiChen and Lan WangJi drew their swords and the combined attack of eight trained Cultivators of the highest level of ability finally broke the spells. The collected spiritual energy and righteous strength of so many first-rate warriors finally caused the spirit-guarding ropes to fall away, splintering and sparking to nothing as their energy was destroyed.