On his way back to Wushan, no one cared about the tattered cultist who slunk through the streets with his head bowed. They all had bigger problems. New leaders had to be appointed. The chaos in the sects and the territories was tangible.
They were all injured and defenseless. There were discussions, envoys were sent from A to B, no one dared to convene a larger discussion group, no one would agree to it so quickly again. The only clan that rose above all others and took a leadership position was the Wang clan. Just before Ying yue reached the borders of Wushan, he received a new message. He sat on the street, wrapped in a dirty, tattered cloak, holding the bag in which the lotus was located. When someone shouted on the street.
»The Bai Clan has a new leader. After the betrayal of the sword master and Bai Furen and the destruction of the sect, Bai Lingxi has now been officially appointed as the new leader by Wang Bing Yang. He assures him of all the support he needs to rebuild the sect.« Ying yue looked up. Recently, there had been many restless voices, insinuating that Wang Bing Yang had taken advantage of the chaos caused by Gao Teng fei to install himself as the supreme sect.
He sighed. But the truth was that he was the only one who had been prudent enough to listen to the voices before. He had listened to Wang Bing wen when he had shared his suspicions with him. He had been far-sighted and careful enough to consider that the Gao clan was planning something. All the other clan heads had received the same warning from Bing wen.
And yet they had been arrogant enough to gather under Teng fei's nose and walk into his trap. Ying yue rubbed the bridge of his nose. He felt bad, drained, and exhausted. Without cultivation, spiritual qi, and for the first time without his weapon, he felt incredibly naked and vulnerable.
On top of that, Zhen yan's condition just wasn't changing. He needed to go back to Wushan, the demon-infused energy there would help him get back to his old self. He rose and left the boy, eagerly wielding his copy, behind. Lingxi was safe, and not only that, his family's future was also saved. For Ying yue, there was nothing left in this world to turn back to. So he continued on his way. When he reached the foot of the Misty Mountain, the white, billowing clouds closed in tightly.
He took out the jade lotus and followed the path that opened up before him. It was exhausting; he kept stumbling over roots, and the exhaustion in his body burned and forced him to rest again and again. Only when he set foot on the first footbridge of the huge estate did the fog in front of him clear. He had made it. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the jade lotus suddenly disappeared.
»Zhen yan!« he cried in horror and ran after it.
The walkways and bridges were so thickly covered with petals that no one had cleaned up for so long that the path was slippery and slippery. More than once he fell and cursed himself for his clumsiness. Until he followed the lotus into a cave. Here, too, the path did not get any better. Now it was damp, slippery stones that made his way more difficult.
He slipped and fell hard, landing unceremoniously in ice-cold water. He surfaced, gasping for air. Sunlight flooded the spacious cave through a hundred small holes in the walls and ceilings. The cave itself was a huge, cold spring. As he looked around, he spotted the jade lotus in the middle of the lake.
It turned smoothly, calmly, absorbing the energy that the mountain had fed. Ying yue wiped his wet hair out of his face.
»Now it's a matter of waiting,« he murmured, folding his hands protectively around the lotus.
And he waited. After a while, the Yang energy had not only healed his injuries but also restored some of his spiritual qi, so that he could begin to practice martial arts and cultivate himself. After thinking about it for a while, he wrote letters to the Wang clan and soon the first replies arrived. Lingxi rebuilt the old estate with the support of Xueling and Wei meng. He took back old students who had fled from the Gao soldiers.
Bing wen was slow to recover and Yian took care of him. Although Wang Bing Yang was not particularly pleased about it, he said and did nothing against the fox and the connection he had with his son. In the letters that Lingxi and Xueling sent him, she said that the clan leader probably ignored the two most of the time. Although Bing is the eldest son and heir, his body would probably never recover, so Bing's younger brothers were now the focus of the heir. Ying yue wrapped himself more tightly in his winter coat.
Now that Zhen yan could not constantly maintain eternal spring, the seasons had arrived on Wushan. So did winter. Everything was covered by a white, enchanting layer and sparkled. Nevertheless, the trees continued to bloom unabated. Ying yue lit an incense burner. It had a strong, warming essence.
So, as he had done every day for several months, he set out for the cold spring under the mountain. Meanwhile, his steps were no longer as clumsy and he no longer fell as often as at the beginning; he placed the burner at the edge of the basin and wrapped himself more tightly in his cloak. A thick layer of fog had gathered over the water, and the jade lotus was no longer visible. Ying yue closed his eyes. He could hear the soft lapping of the water, the warmth that the incense spread around him, and an aura that smelled of spring blossoms.
When he opened his eyes again, he looked straight into a pair of bright, emerald-green irises. Surprised, he opened his mouth when Zhen yan grabbed him and pulled him into the water. He sealed Ying yue's surprised scream with his lips and held him close. It took them a while to break away from each other, breathing heavily.
»Did you miss me?« the demon asked teasingly. Ying yue's first impulse was to hit him. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Zhen yan and let his cloak drift away. The warmth he felt now filled every inch of his body. Zhen yan held him close.
»You kept your promise,« he said softly, his voice quivering a little.
»Not just to you,« Ying yue replied, looking at him. ‚I met Xiao Lian.'
Pain flitted across Zhen yan's face.
»I vaguely remember!« he admitted.
»From now on, the big stupid demon is mine!« Ying yue said and gave Zhen yan a long, intense kiss. He felt Zhen yan tense up. »This big stupid demon has only belonged to you, A'yue, from the beginning,« he replied and pulled him deeper into the water with glowing eyes.