Come Back to Gusu

50.Lan XiChen Interrupts: Jin GuangYao isn't like that.

The allies had discovered in the Sunshot Campaign, an army moved only as fast as its food. Neither Wei WuXian nor Lan WangJi were willing to wait for the supply wagons. Every cultivator was asked to fill qiankun pouches with at least three days worth of food. The supply wagons could trundle after them.

For two days the slowly increasing in size (as more cultivators were sent to put an end to Meng Yao) army flew after the scouts. On the third day, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi stood in the Qishan town. The empty Qishan town. No being, living or dead, roamed the streets. There was plenty of evidence that the people who lived there evacuated quickly; fresh food had barely started molding. The wagon that had held at least some of the captives was abandoned in a street. "Shit," Wei WuXian swore. "Where did they go now?" No tracks left the town. There were no stray bits of clothing strewn outside the path the scouts had followed.

Nie HuaiSang was swearing. "Six days ago this place was full of people. My spies haven't reported any changes."

"Maybe they were compromised," Lan XiChen offered. "Or changed allegiance."

Nie HuaiSang sent a withering look at the elder jade. "My spies would never." He performed an elaborate fan dance and looked blankly at something invisible. "They're this way."

"Who?" Wei WuXian tried to see what his friend was looking at.

"My people. I put a tracking spell on each and every single one of them. They're over there." He started walking, face setting into a very disgruntled look.

"Hop on." Wei WuXian held out a hand to help his friend step onto Suibian. "I'm faster than walking." They all flew for a quarter of a sichen before Nie HuaiSang indicated they should dismount.

"They're here," he pointed to a fresh mound of dirt. The dirt was swiftly removed, displaying the corpses of approximately twenty women, one child, and the Nie spies. Wen Ning's pregnant wife was, thankfully, not one of them.

Wei WuXian frowned. "Why doesn't he want women? As far as I can remember, this accounts for almost every woman in GusuWen. Did he keep only the pregnant ones alive? He certainly didn't discriminate for beauty...." Several of the women in the burial pit had been beautiful when alive.

"He hates women?" was one suggestion.

Lan XiChen shook his head. "Jin GuangYao isn't like that."

"He can't use them," Mo XuanYu spat into the dirt. "This half brother of mine uses people and discards those who are unimportant." When Lan XiChen gave him a look, he protested. "You never lived in Koi Tower. I did. You haven't heard all the stories of what he did. Even reducing the obvious embellishments? People were either useful and therefore used, or not useful and therefore discarded like trash. You saw for yourself what he did to my cousin! Ji ZiXun was useful when he was able to successfully plant rumors about Wei Laoshi. When he was no longer useful, he was eliminated. Everyone thinks Meng Yao killed Su MinShan for the same reason."

Nie HuaiSang hid his mouth with his fan. "Actually... Su MinShan was killed by my people." He paused, appraising the young man thoughtfully. "I do like the way you think, though. So what use does he have for children and men?"

Wei WuXian brushed his nose. "We know, or we strongly suspect, he was working with Xue ChengMei on demonic cultivation. So..." he started pacing, one hand gripping Suibian tightly. "If I'm going to set up a sect of demonic cultivators... we all know it's easier to teach cultivation to children than it is to adults."

"That explains the children," Lan XiChen agreed. "What about the men? If we use your logic, they are too old."

"I'm sure a few will be able to pick it up? After all, I mastered it without a teacher when I was seventeen. Xue ChengMei was a teenager, too, but Meng Yao is even older than I am. So..." the finger rubbed against his nose again and again. "He'll be testing the men to see who is able and willing to try pick it up and the rest...."