Chapter Eight: Circling Beasts

“Everyone, the patriarch is here!” A young male voice called from high in the trees above us. I glanced upward and narrowed my eyes, finding a boy in familiar black and purple attire. He let out a squeak when I spotted him and went running through the branches.

“Patriarch?” I asked, shooting Yahui a doubtful look.

“I am the founder of my own sect,” Yahui stated dismissively. “They all see me as a father figure. In a manner of speaking, they are my adopted sons…unofficially. Some are orphans, others are from various families within the empire. The one thing they all share in common is an affinity for true dark arts.”

True dark arts? I mused to myself. He must mean they’re like him in some way, unable to be harmed by the powers they’re wielding. Or is there some unique facet to his teachings?

“Master, you really brought Lady Mingzhu?” A uniformed man appeared beside our qilin, his glowing yellow eyes checking us and our steed over before looking up to his emperor. “I smell humans on you.”

“It was an eventful journey,” Yahui remarked dryly. “We will have to be more careful than I anticipated. Gather everyone and instruct them to begin preparing dinner. I will brief everyone over our meal.”

Their camp was just about as lackluster as I had imagined it would be. There were a few dozen bedrolls spread out around a large fire pit that had been constructed of stones. Their qilins and carts were nearby and under the cover of an erected canopy. It appeared that all of their supplies were in those carts, including spare weaponry and bedrolls. Most of the disciples milling about the camp were young, with only a few elder brothers to supervise them.

“My lady.” Yahui offered me a hand after dismounting his qilin. I accepted his help, and my legs almost buckled the moment my feet hit the ground. He chuckled and braced me. “You will get used to it with time. If it weren’t for the busy roads on our way here, I would have let you take more rests.”

“Busy roads?” A man I recognized from the palace grounds approached us as Yahui released me. “All was quiet during our journey, Father.”

“Fang, assign men to shifting patrols throughout the night,” Yahui ordered, earning a deep bow in reply. “If they come across anything, they are not to engage. I want them to return to camp to fetch Mingzhu and I. We will handle any threats that appear.”

Fang mouthed in surprise for a moment, looking between Yahui and me, before bowing deeper. Finally, he ran off to carry out his orders.

“I’ve always wanted a sister!” One of the youngest boys barreled into my legs and hugged me around the hips. “Lady Mingzhu is our new sister, right?! She’s older than me, but she’s new to the school. So, is she Sister or Elder Sister? Can she play with us?”

“Gang, Mingzhu can hunt with me. If you must, Elder Sister is appropriate.” Yahui let out a tired sigh and gave the boy a small smile. “However, our school is watching over her, not training her. Mingzhu’s affinity is not for the dark arts…though what an interesting turn that would be.”

“Kindly refrain from causing opposing forces to wage war within my body,” I adopted the most icy, threatening tone I could muster while a cute child was clinging to me.

“Of course, that is a death I wouldn’t wish on even my worst enemy.” Yahui stared back at me with a confident smirk on his face.

I continued to glare at him, refusing to back down. Enemy? Only if he made me into one.

“Father,” a boy in his teens cleared his throat, “you’re both grimy from traveling. Shouldn’t you bathe before dinner?”

“You are right. See to it no one disturbs us.” Yahui grasped me by the wrist and pulled me off into the woods somewhere. When we were a good distance from camp, I opened my mouth to tell him off but he spoke first, “Don’t get the wrong impression. We will take turns bathing—the other will keep watch. It is late enough for Blighted to appear, and the beasts who hunt them. Furthermore, you won’t know you way back to camp from the springs.”

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about the children?” I asked pointedly. The fierce but brief glare he shot me gave me the feeling I’d hit a nerve. “You would have left them under the care of the disciples who stayed in the Obsidian Terraces if you’d known about the divine beasts, I’m sure. I’m not questioning your loyalty to them or your protectiveness. I’m saying you and I are likely the least of your worries.”

“As far as I am concerned, you are a potential threat to them as well.” Yahui pulled me forward sharply, then gave me a surprisingly gentle nudge forward. “Your affinity for light could terrify some of them if it is similar to the arts they have experienced before. I have never seen light such as yours, but I will not risk the assumption that it is the same for my students.

“You will bathe first. I will keep watch.”

“We could just bathe at the same time.” I rolled my eyes and strode toward the clearing, summoning some of the things Shui had thankfully stored for me. “The longer we’re in the wilderness away from camp, the more likely we are to draw out the very things you’re worried about encountering.”

“You really are shameless,” Yahui remarked. I glanced over my shoulder at him questioningly. “Most women refuse to be nude unless it is around other women, or near their lover.”

“Perhaps ‘shame’ is another thing I forgot,” I suggested sarcastically, reaching down to unfasten my sash. “Or perhaps having a male servant to assist me in the palace has made me care less about the concept. ‘Agree or don’t.’ It was a suggestion.”

To my surprise, Yahui strode past me while shrugging off his layers of hanfu. I paused to stare at his muscular back for a moment before letting out a low ‘humph’ and tossing my clothes aside. After picking up my cleansers and cloth, I entered the water after the emperor.

“Now what?” Yahui glanced over his shoulder at me.

“Now that we don’t have to worry about travelers overhearing us, I have questions to ask you about the array that Xiuying girl used to summon me or swap places.” I set my bottles on a large boulder protruding from the water. “First, do you think it succeeded?”

“I believe she evoked it whilst it was only partially finished,” Yahui stated, continuing to keep his back to me. “The girl was powerless in comparison to you. The amount of blood needed for the ritual is proportionate to the amount of power the caster is trying to trade with, and whether they wish to keep the memories and bodies of both persons in tact. Each of these traits are ‘optional.’

“She required blood from dozens of bodies to complete the array, yet the symbol for your memory was incomplete. There were several other sections left blank, such as the ones which would let the two of you truly trade identities to those you met.

“I believe some parts she intentionally left incomplete, but the memory symbol was partially filled. Something caused her to rush.”

“Such as word that her mother was coming to look for her?” I suggested, bringing a finger to my lips while I thought. “So, she wanted to trade places with me but not take my place?”

Yahui snorted bitterly. “It’s more accurate to say she couldn’t take your place. If I am right, she would have had to sacrifice all of the people within the Terraces to achieve that goal. She most likely ‘settled’ for less.”

That was a worrisome comment. Was it because the girl was mostly powerless, or was it related to whatever Yahui was hiding from me? I closed my eyes briefly and stilled my thoughts. The only certainty was that Yahui didn’t trust me. He seemed even more suspicious of me than I was of him, which seemed odd given the situation. Regardless, he was helpful at times.

“What is it?” Yahui’s voice was closer this time, causing me to glance toward him. He had finally shifted to face me. Thankfully, I found it easy to keep myself from glancing down.

“Where do you think Xiuying would have found such a complex array, and the information on how to use it? I doubt she acquired it in her homeland.” I turned away from him slightly to grab one of my bottles.

“She was Lady Xu’s most precious daughter. As such, she had a large allowance to spend as she pleased. It is also possible that one of her slaves could have been involved.” Yahui waded closer and picked up one of my bottles, turning it over between his fingers. “Why are you using such cheap things?”

“I don’t need expensive things. That money is best used elsewhere.” I uncorked the bottle in my hands, but Yahui promptly snatched it and turned away from me to sniff it. “Give that back.”

“I will have to give Shui and Qiu instructions to ignore your modesty in favor of purchasing higher quality goods,” Yahui remarked, tossing the bottle well out of reach. In its place, he summoned a collection of much larger, prettier ones. “Until we return to the Obsidian Terraces, I will share with you.”

Yahui lifted a green bottle by the neck and offered it to me with an amused smile. Declining would have been unforgivably rude given his status, but I was also annoyed by his treatment of my things. I sighed in frustration and took the bottle from him. ‘My things’ were bought with his money anyway.

“Back to the topic of the array,” I began, mostly to keep myself from saying anything I shouldn’t, “I’ve noticed a lock in part of my mind when I’m meditating. It gave me the impression that my memories had been sealed intentionally.”

“It may be unrelated. After all, you have no distinguishing features to indicate which race you belong to.” Yahui took the bottle from me once I had poured some of the cleanser into my hand. “Whatever you are, neither Shui or myself are capable of determining it. That leads me to believe something must be blocking our senses. A ‘lock’ could be related.”

“Mn…” I murmured absentmindedly, working the musky cleanser through my hair. He had a point, but I wasn’t sure what to do with the information. Instead of continuing the conversation, I submerged myself to rinse my hair.

When I resurfaced, Yahui was in front of me again and dangling the next bottle just out of reach. He smiled when I gave him a frustrated look. “Are you regretting your suggestion, yet?”

“I will be if your antics result in us running into Blighted after all.” I snatched the bottle from him and waded into the shallows. After pouring some conditioner into my hands, I set the bottle down on the shore and worked it through my hair. Finally, I waded out of the water completely and fetched a towel.

I felt Yahui’s eyes on my back the entire time.

“I answered your question. Now I want you to answer mine.” Yahui’s tone took on a commanding, dangerous edge. I shifted to look back at him, discovering him stalking through the water like a panther. His mismatched eyes shone bright with power as shadows twisted around his limbs. “When you snuck out of the palace, what was your intention? Did you truly think I was the one controlling the Blighted?”

“I snuck out to kill them,” I answered simply, toweling my hair dry as I could. “As for you controlling the Blighted…yes, the thought occurred to me. Imagine what I must have felt on my way to the city outskirts. The Blighted…and your power outshining theirs. With such a cacophony of mingling powers, there was no clear indication as to what your power was doing until I ventured closer.”

“Yet you didn’t attack me the moment you arrived.” Yahui stopped beside me to fetch a towel as well.

“I was determining your intent.” I reached over and slid my hand through his shadows. The power slid along my arm, filled with a warmth he otherwise kept hidden. “You seem to care about your subjects greatly, even if they seem to all have the wrong idea about you. As such, I needed to see what you were using your power for. You could have been using the Blighted to kill other Blighted for all I knew.”

“You are very calculated,” Yahui murmured, glancing to the side at me as I began to dress. “Have you nothing warmer?”

“No.” I shook my head before attempting to fasten my sash neatly. “I will be fine, especially once we return to the fire. Though, I must admit that I was surprised you instructed your student to have you and I both awoken in the event of an issue.”

“I brought you along because we fight well together,” Yahui reminded me while rummaging around with something. When he turned to face me again, it was with one of the boxes from town in his hands—and I was in the middle of pulling my hair up. “Wear it.”

His tone was soft, but there was an edge that indicated it wasn’t a request. I hesitated briefly before picking up the ornament and sliding it into my hair. Yahui smiled, finally appearing to relax.

“Can you tell me more about what we will be hunting, at least?” I asked while we gathered our things.

“Then it wouldn’t be a test.” Yahui laughed and placed his hand against the small of my back. “I meant it when I said a woman such as you should be treated gently…but you must also know how to deal with the things that won’t.”

“I thought we already established that I’m capable?” I frowned at him, feeling a little miffed. Was he saying I was weak?

“You have raw power, but how far does your control go when so much of your memory is missing?” Yahui motioned with one hand while he talked. “Testing that is best done here, away from where civilians can be harmed. I don’t believe you would intentionally hurt my people as you are now…but accidents happen, especially around those with unrefined power, and those who claim dark or light arts for their affinity.”

“Humph. Unrefined?” I grumbled, looking away from him.

“Uncontrolled. Does that suit you better?” Yahui laughed, shooting me a mischievous smirk. “A duel is out of the question. We will attract too many nasty thing if either of us reveals ourselves.”

“You can’t be sure if I’m unrefined or uncontrolled until I’ve gone through your little test. I understand.” I shook my head slightly. “That may be the only thing I understand when it comes to you.”

“The feeling is mutual.” He shrugged and offered me his arm. “Kindly keep up friendly appearances around my disciples.”

Friendly appearances… Ah. Is this a case of ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer?’ I wondered, taking his arm. There was a confident glint in his eyes even though the rest of his face had returned to the more familiar stoic mask. I see. Does this mean he already sees me as an enemy…or is he still deciding? Should I care?

“Fang, did you relay my orders?” Yahui questioned when we strode into camp. I promptly reclaimed my arm and looked around for somewhere secluded to sit so I could be alone with my thoughts.

“Yes, Father.” Fang bowed.

“Should I help with dinner?” I asked upon seeing the disciples milling around.

“Hardly. How many times must I state you should be treated gently?” Yahui scoffed and strode over to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and steered me over to a plush lounge that was unlike the other seats. “Rest. I can see you are exhausted after a day of travel—and after the manner of people we had to deal with.”

“But I should—”

“Obey a direct order from the emperor?” Gang giggled from nearby, peering at me over a large jar.

The little brat had me there.

“Very well.” I sighed heavily, sinking into the seat.

“Now then, I should tell you all what Mingzhu and I learned on our way here…” Yahui strode away from me and over to the fire pit, clamping a hand down on the shoulder of a boy who was attempting to cook something large in the flames. “But first, I should help you finish dinner preparations. You’re going to hurt yourself at this rate!”