Reunited

t h r e e

The trip, for lack of better words, had been long and grueling. Not because of the length of the journey from Heavenly Nightless City to The Cloud Recesses, but because to Xiaoying, and probably everyone else, being around Wen Chao for any amount of time was an amount too much. Constant complaining, ordering around, insulting, boasting, by the end of the first hour Xiaoying was ready to tear her hair out.

Packing her things had not taken long, it was more of a question of what not to take. Everywhere she went, she always took her scroll, within it hiding her parent's tomb drawings and the note given by Baoshan Sanren, wrapped securely with the ribbon of her father and pinned shut by her mother's lotus hair pin. She kept it in one of the inner pockets she had made in her inner robe, keeping it away from everyone and on her person at all times.

She couldn't afford to lose something so precious to her.

She decided on a few changes of clothes, giving her enough time to wash them in between, and she also packed some medicine she had managed to make with Wen Qing. Weng Qing taught Xiaoying things like acupuncture, which heal and which harm, while Xiaoying taught Wen Qing how to make the medicinal wine she made in The Celestial Mountains. Three bottles of the wine were wrapped neatly in her belongings, as well as a few healing salves in case they ran into any trouble along the way or someone was hurt.

Xiaoying kept close to Wen Ning and Wen Qing, walking ahead of them just barely but staying behind Wen Chao. She had a need to protect her sworn brother and sister, whether they be by blood or not, because in the three short years she had stayed in Heavenly Nightless City, she had learned quite a few things about Wen Chao's behavior. Insufferable. Shameless. Irritating.

If they stopped to rest, Wen Ning and Wen Qing would sleep near Xiaoying. She absolutely refused to let them out of her sight even in her sleep. Even if Wen Ruohan needed Wen Qing, that didn't mean she didn't seem replaceable to Wen Chao; Wen Ning didn't even have a particular reason to be there other than the fact that Wen Qing requested him, he was too naïve for Xiaoying or Wen Qing to leave him on his own with Wen Chao for too long.

Following the two days and one night's journey, however, they finally arrived to the gates of The Cloud Recesses. The pillars along the side of the mountain were tall, pristine white, with two ethereal looking guards on either side. The aura they gave off was one that reminded her of the more regal, more advanced senior disciples back on the Celestial Mountain, and the thought nearly brought a reminiscent smile to her face before she caught herself.

Xiaoying brought herself to a halt, holding her hand out softly to still Wen Qing and Wen Ning behind her and the rest of the junior disciples did as well behind them. Xiaoying watched, a brow raised as she looked on to Wen Chao, approaching the gates like he owned them before the guards stopped him. "Young Lord, please allow us to see your invitation."

Wen Chao scoffed, looking back towards our group and I merely rolled my eyes just as he turned back to the two guards. "Invitation?" He asked incredulously, beginning to walk before he was stopped again. "Young Lord, the only one's who may enter are those who have an invitation, a jade amulet pass, or are not late. Please understand."

And that was when everything went haywire.

Wen Chao cultivated enough energy to begin choking the poor guard. Smoke began forming around him as the choke hold turned into a full on second degree burn -- his skin and his robes catching flame and he still couldn't breathe. "This is the visiting invitation from our Wen Clan of Qishan-" The sound of his cries, the panic of the situation, Xiaoying couldn't sit idly by as Wen Chao hurt someone innocent.

Xiaoying jumped into action, her crystalline white energy flying across the expanse of air before hitting the disciple. A cooling sensation washed over him, the fire ceasing and he was then able to breathe once again. He whimpered in pain, leaning against the other guard who was holding him in fear.