As with the announcement the other day, drums sounded again to assemble them at the hall of Muxue Yan’s chambers. By now, Xiyu was beginning to realise her biological father had regained most, if not all, of his lost powers. Her ‘mother’ had often told her stories of how the chained man in the mountains had met his demise.
Now that she thought of it, what had those tales, that she had heard so clearly even from others, said? The chained man had been betrayed by his kin. Though she was unclear of the identities of the people who had gone against him, she knew their combined powers had to be akin to his, or even more powerful to overwhelm him. She would never fathom the pain of betrayal.
Beside Yan, Dongyue was her only kin now, having forged the union of a soul and ritual bonding along with marriage. The union would strengthen their ties in time to come, and if they performed dual-cultivation, they could work their ways to become an unparalleled pair.
Whether this was Yan’s plan and what was on his mind when he announced the decision for their marriage, was beyond her. If Yan’s decision for them to marry was due to fatherly love, she would have nothing to worry about. But the words Yan had told her during their marriage stunned her beyond comprehension.
For years she had felt empty without the true love of a parent, although Fangyi had somehow relieved her of such low feelings in those few years he became her guardian. Her happiness was shortlived. If she had a wish, she would have loved to have Fangyi returned to the island. But now everything was way too profound. If she was Yan’s daughter and not his descendant, it ultimately translated that she was now Fangyi’s elder.
She cast aside those meaningless pondering for now and stood straight as her father emerged, heading towards the stage.
“I have called for this emergency assembly as I have something urgent to announce. I, Muxue Yan, have strongly decided that I do not have more time to lose, and I wish to return to Muxue with immediate effect!”
Her father made his statements in a crazed manner, but his minions merely bowed.
“Your wish is our command, Master.”
“Xiyu.”
“Yes, Revered Ancestor.” She bowed with esteemed respect. In her heart, she greeted him as ‘father’, and he probably could hear her call him that way because he smiled genuinely.
Why the suddenness? She wondered. Possibly he could read her concerns, because the next second, Muxue Yan answered her question.
“There are loose ends I have to tie up in Muxue, and it has been a long time since I last returned to our lands. In the meantime, I will seal the doors of the temple, where my late wife’s memories are preserved. However, the temple is merely a replica of the original, which has been destroyed. I cannot say whether this place will exist forever.”
Yan did not tell Xiyu that he had used the demonic power he had cultivated to create the structure. Once, the temple had existed, and he had created the replica to remember Ao Yun. He had first created the replica in some other region despite the fact he was chained. One of the demonic skills allowed him to project some of his consciousness temporarily, in the form of a weaker image of himself, for a short period. However, this image only had ten per cent of his power (called ‘one layer’ of power). His skills and dark abilities were limited.
Using an artefact that had belonged to him in the disguise of a dark lantern, utilising the image of himself, he lured Hoko’s group into the temple on what they believed to be an expedition. When Hoko and his companions touched the artefact, they were sucked into the temple. Hoko remained the only survivor, as the others perished as Yan absorbed their life power to fuel his recovery. With every death, he restored a portion of his lost power.
The memory of Ao Yun’s death would trigger his insanity from time to time, although he kept it well hidden from Xiyu. Dongyue however, was a different matter. Witches differed greatly from shamans, and any evil could not pass by him undetected. This also meant he was a strong force of goodness, although he was a little hot-blooded. This was a downside that Yan perceived of his son-in-law.
Goodness would bring more trouble than evil. He didn’t want Dongyue interfering in his plans, and although Xiyu was also good-hearted, she was much too perturbed at this juncture to do anything to stop him. Besides, she was his daughter, the only remaining flesh and blood of his that remained. He knew she would not forsake him, unlike his other children. But albeit then, he would not let her know his full plan just yet.
“Xiyu, we need to go home,” Yan encouraged her with a homely feeling in his eyes. As intelligent she was as a witch, she did not have the wisdom of a cleric. Thus it did not occur that Yan would have any tricks up his sleeve. In the same way, he had urged her to unlock his chains. Xiyu did also strongly believe that her father cared for her. While he loved her, she was not as vital to him as her mother or his plans.
It would soon be over, he thought to himself, ensuring Xiyu could not sense his thoughts by utilising a mind shield, one of his prominent melee skills that proved useful in the battlefield. His mind immediately became unreadable, hence his moves unpredictable by an opponent.
Xiyu smiled daintily, with her back to the others as she descended from the stage and strolled towards Dongyue.
“We are going home,” she whispered. Dongyue felt gleeful seeing her at ease. While she was recuperating, he had packed as much as he could to ready them for their eventual return to the island. The means for their travel was simple; her magical boat would ferry them back to the island. But it could only be capable of carrying the three of them, and their two companions.
“I need to go and check on how those two are faring,” Dongyue stated decisively. “We came with them, and we cannot simply leave them here.”
Xiyu closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
“Dongyue, there are things that I am not sure how to tell you,” she said slowly. “You need to take what I have to tell you with a positive mind and have yourself prepared for the truth.”
Dongyue’s eyes bulged, and a look of apprehension swept across his face. His silvery strands of hair crawled about his back as he turned around to look about the crowd. Finally, he came to a halt and faced Xiyu, taking her hand and leading her out of the hall.
“Xiyu, do you mean something bad has happened to Xiao Tian and Ya’Xing?” he asked as soon as they were alone. They stood at an unwatched corner of the temple, where he was positive there were no hidden eyes.
“Dongyue, do not underestimate a bull demon’s appetite for torture and experimentation. Anong and Yamon are pureblooded bull demons. Your men are in more danger than you can imagine.”
Dongyue fell to his feet in exasperation. His eyes turned red with concern, and at the same time, he was furious.
“Xiao Tian is my brother, Xiyu. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Xiyu averted his gaze. “We were in such chaos at that time, that we would not have been able to change anything. If anything, we would have created more trouble than saving them, Dongyue.”
In that split second, he suddenly felt so distant from Xiyu. She had kept the truth of her suspicions hidden from him so well, that he had not even sensed this coming from her. Even with their bond in place, he had not thought she would have kept her knowledge a secret. Was there more that she was not telling him?
She made no effort to explain herself and instead stayed silent.
Dongyue did not compel her and remained slumped on the floor. The joyous moment earlier had been destroyed in merely minutes. Though none of them realised it, they were having a communication breakdown. Because Dongyue cared about his friends too much and Xiyu wished to spare him from the pain of the truth, a rift was beginning to form between them.
His heart ached as he contemplated their relationship now as a married couple and bonded mates. He had thought that one day, she would come to tell him everything.
Xiyu hid her consternation. This was a man who she had accepted in marriage. She had allowed him to bond with her and perform the duty of a husband to her. All this while, she had thought that she meant well by keeping the truth from him until their companions were deemed to be healed. But now, he was upset by her actions.
After all, they were people from two different worlds, with distinctive cultures and beliefs. She must be stupid to believe that he was the man for her, although she couldn’t contain herself from being attracted to him sensually and slightly from the heart.
Short-term pain is better than long-term pain, she told herself with a silent sigh. She took a few steps forward, with the plan to return to her chambers alone.
She heard his masculine voice call out to her, and promptly froze in her steps. “Wait.”
His arm crept possessively around her waist to seize hold of her, which she submitted to. She didn’t bother to inhibit him more, allowing him to turn her around and swing her into his arms.
“I didn’t say I would abandon you, Xiyu,” he told her firmly. “You shouldn’t need to think this way. I’ll not allow it. We are not short-term.” He gazed into her slightly-teary eyes and stroked her on her head.
As with the previous encounters, she didn’t want to admit just yet, that she was indeed falling for him as days went by. The connection they had was unexplainable, stemming from both fate and affinity. Her willpower was so strong that she was unwilling to tell him how much she desired him from the start.
Given their current status, her neediness for him had now become even stronger. He was already her husband and according to the laws and customs of Muxue, no husband should have the right to deny a wife if she needed pleasure. Yet, she had respected him in this aspect, and not insisting on their coupling at will. Dongyue had ought to appreciate her for this.
Xiyu didn’t speak a single word as they headed back to their chambers, with Dongyue’s arm curled conveniently around her waist.