WangXian Untamed

Chapter 48 - News

The senior elders were ready and waiting when Lan XiChen arrived at the Main Hall in the morning. Taking his place at the head of the Hall, he took a moment to bow his head in greeting to each of the men and women before him. Twenty pairs of eyes looked back, silent and solemn.

Lan XiChen raised his head and motioned to a servant, awaiting directions. A swift exchange of hushed words and suddenly the usual assistants were being gently ushered from the Hall, doors and windows closed, until only the Council of Elders and Sect Leader remained.

Lan XiChen sat perfectly erect. He had used his meditation time in the morning to prepare for this meeting, and the other challenges clamoring for his attention. "The circumstances of the Grandmaster's illness are only just beginning to be understood. I know word will soon escape, but I hope to keep the truth within Cloud Recesses as long as possible."

The Council members remained still where they waited, long years of self-discipline reflected in their seemingly passive acceptance of this statement, although several eyes shifted, sharing glances.

"While there will be discussions and many questions and more than a few of you may have been... concerned to learn we owe Lan QiRen's recovery to Wei WuXian, I know you will soon agree that it was a gift from the gods that Wei WuXian returned at this time and that he was willing to come to Cloud Recesses." He held up a hand as a small noise of protest escaped even these senior Lans. "Surely you do not imagine that Wei WuXian held any eagerness to come to Cloud Recesses. Where a solid thousand of our Rules are precisely aimed at his every thought and action? Where he has been reviled and hated for many years? Wei WuXian came to Cloud Recesses because we had need of HanGuang-Jun. We had need of HanGuang-Jun and he flatly refused to return without Wei WuXian. Wei WuXian came to us not for gain, not to wreak the havoc so many lay at his feet, but so that we would have HanGuang-Jun when we needed him. Not for himself, but for us. Can any find fault with him for that?"

Lan XiChen held the gazes returned, until they softened and fell before his eyes. Undefeated, but perhaps willing to acknowledge there could be reasons beyond their knowledge.

"Healer Zhang was able to place the Grandmaster in stasis and discover the accumulation of resentful energy driving him to Qi deviation, however that was all he was able to accomplish. Resentful energy is beyond his ability to manage. He could not remove it, nor could he determine why it was there in the first place. Despite his excellence, Healer Zhang could do nothing but attempt to preserve Lan QiRen until someone else, someone who could deal with resentful energy, arrived. That someone was Wei WuXian."

Pausing, Lan XiChen sipped some tea, framing how best to give the bad news necessary.

"Wei WuXian was forced to develop Demonic Cultivation – yes, I will name it, there is nothing to be feared in labels and words – for his very survival. Upon his... unusual return to the world, his skills with Demonic Cultivation were still needed as the Core he... inherited was inadequate. Wei WuXian has been working hard to develop it, but the skills he acquired in manipulating resentful energy - which I remind you all won the war for us - are still his to command. He inspected the Grandmaster's quarters, and he was the one who found the magnet which drew the resentful energy to Lan QiRen. He examined the Grandmaster and discovered the truth behind the Qi deviation. He also removed a quantity of resentful energy, allowing the stasis to stabilize once more. And he created a plan to rescue the Grandmaster from his peril. He lies now, between life and death, because he once more threw himself at danger to save someone else, someone who has never had any use for him. He is the only one who could have done this. I believe he is the only one who would do this."

Lan XiChen allowed himself the luxury of a single stifled sigh, one hand on his temple, before continuing.

"I will ask you to keep this news to yourselves as much as possible for now. A somewhat edited version of what has been discovered will be public shortly, but I would hope to avoid panic in the population as long as possible."