Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 27

Sya continued squeezing them both for a long moment. She stepped back and took them in. Her gaze landed on Chao and he saw what remained of the woman’s icy demeanor melt.

“Son-in-law, this one is pleased to see you in good health. Are there any lingering side effects from the poison, or have you completely recovered?”

He bowed deeply to her. “This one is pleased to see you, Mother Sya. I have fully recovered thanks to our Huifen.”

“Good,” she said, looking at him for a moment longer before sidestepping to address her daughter.

He should’ve expected what happened next. Father Tu appeared as soon as she had moved over and grabbed Chao by both shoulders and started shaking him. “My boy, we’re happy you’re in good health. Of all the people…”

“Husband,” Sya warned out of the side of her mouth, motioning toward the girl that was with them.

The man just nodded and gave him a double handed pat. “Now you’re here and the treasure hunting can begin.”

He cuffed his father-in-law on the shoulder. “You’re telling me you haven’t started without us?”

The man grinned from ear to ear. “I didn’t say that.”

He then noticed that Pangfua and Genji hadn’t stayed put. As soon as Father Tu had stepped back a little, a full-grown Genji slipped through and hugged him around the waist. He was taken aback. They had some friendship, but he wouldn’t say they’d ever been close. Hugging wasn’t exactly commonplace amongst friends either. Not even amongst family. Father Tu had always been different, and he could see Mother Sya having the inclination because of her connection to him even if she rarely showed it, but this? Then he realized he didn’t actually know where she was from or what her background was. Only that she was the Sage Pangfua’s disciple. And was sixteen now.

“I’m happy that you’re okay, Big Brother Chao.”

He copied Tu’s grin and replied. “Thank you, Genji.” He wasn’t sure how intimately to address her, so he went with something neutral. “You look all grown up. Did you do something with your hair?”

She stepped back shyly. Instead of the bob on the top of her head, her dark hair was straight and lay just past her shoulders. “You noticed.” She didn’t let the smiled reach her mouth. “I did.”

“It looks nice. Mature.”

Then he saw something that was even rare for his Huifen—an icy blush. “Thank you, Big Brother Chao.”

“Husband is right,” Huifen said, joining them. “You look lovely, Little Sister.”

She then hugged Huifen as well.

He glanced at Pangfua to see her watching the girl closely. Their eyes met and he saw their meaning. She was the girl’s master, but Genji was no longer a girl at all. If she was outside the Ice Phoenix Sect, there would already be talk of marriage for her. More than that, she was nothing like the ice fairies the Ice Phoenix Sect traditionally produced. The Sage was coming to terms with it. This was a whole new era for the Ice Phoenix Sect and Pangfua would ultimately be the one to lead it to a new golden age.

“Brother Chao,” Pangfua said, motioning for him to take her hand. “May I?”

He didn’t hesitate.

She took it and began to scan him. When she opened her eyes, she gave a satisfied nod. “There’s no trace left of the poison.” She cupped his hand with both of hers. “That’s a relief. As you can see, we’re overjoyed that you’ve made it here safely.”

“Thank you, Sage Pangfua.”

“None of that, Sage Long Chao,” she replied, narrowing her eyes. “Having you and Sage Huifen here will allow me to rest easy.”

“There’s a threat?” He asked, matching his demeanor with hers.

“There is, but we will speak of it later.” Her eyes moved to the girl half hiding behind him. “You’ve brought a guest.”

“Yes.” Huifen said, grabbing the girl’s hand and presenting her. “This is Duan Yu-yan.”

The girl that had been as warm as a lap cat to Divine Cultivator Billi was now glancing around timidly like she was amongst a den of hungry beasts.

“Little Yu-yan, I have heard of your parent’s deeds before their death,” Pangfua lamented, but then a dazzling smile, one Chao had only seen once or twice, shone down on their little friend. “It’s an honor to have you here.”

The girl had gone from not speaking to chatty, only to revert back in the sage’s presence. “Yes,” was all she said.

Huifen squeezed her hand to encourage more, but Pangfua shook her head as if to say it’s unnecessary.

“I don’t think I’m the cause of her distress. Am I, Little Yu-yan?” Pangfua asked.

He watched the girl’s eyes dart from Huifen to him. She built up courage then pulled on his wife’s hand. When she drew closer, the girl asked at barely a whisper. “You’re a sage?”

He’d already concluded the girl didn’t have a good grasp of the different realms, but it seemed she had some idea what a sage really was.

“Yes,” Huifen replied. “My husband and I have been hiding our real identities for convenience and to accommodate Senior Billi. But also for our own safety. It doesn’t change anything, though.”

Chao took that opportunity to mess the girl’s hair. “It’s all true. And you’re still cuter like this.”

“Big Brother Chao,” Genji said with a glare. She stepped forward from where she’d been standing off to the side, bend down, and began to run he fingers through the girl’s hair to fix it. “You have nothing to fear. As you can see, even though Brother Chao is usually quite solemn, he also has a silly streak. Shall we call him the Silly Sage?”

Yu-yan cracked a wide grin.

He didn’t mind that she saw him as silly, for he saw himself as easygoing and prone to make things fun. But to be seen as usually be solemn… How could that be? Then he remembered Genji mainly knew him from his time in the Frigid Moon Mystical Realm. He’d spent most of his time there taking care of Huifen. Once she’d recovered, they had a number of peaceful days, but almost as soon as they were married, he’d turned his efforts to figuring out how to protect her. Father Zan had been there to accommodate him, and ultimately, he’d taken him to the Training Construct. Those had been dark demanding days. Of course, she saw him as solemn. At least, she knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t take offense. On the contrary.

“I like it,” Chao replied with a snicker.

The girl looked relieved but was still hesitant to look him in the eye as she asked. “So you’ll still come visit me?”

“Of course,” Huifen said, beating him to it and running her fingers through the girl’s hair as well. “Sages can have friends too you know. So can divine realm cultivators like Senior Billi.”

“That means…” Realization struck the girl. “Big Sister Billi is stronger than a sage?”

“Much stronger,” Pangfua said. Her anxiety was enough for Chao to notice it. “Genji, can you take our new friend to the side chamber and get her sorted. I think some food and rest is called for.”

As if to declare it true, Yu-yan yawned.

Taking her by the hand, Genji led her away.

“If you would please, Brother Chao.”

In answer to Pangfua’s request, he surrounded them with a sound barrier as soon as the two younger girls were out of the room.

“You were traveling with the Blood Cultivator?” She asked as soon as it was up.

“Yes,” Huifen said. “Her contribution to capturing my husband’s would be assassin was reported to you?”

“It was. I just didn’t expect her to stay with you.”

She relayed a brief telling of how she’d mostly join them for meals and only stayed after Yu-yan had joined them. “I can’t say I’m confident she’s not dangerous, but she’s not bloodthirst like I first believed. She showed incredible restraint in her handling of Ping. It was like she was confused and fearful of acting.”

“I agree,” Chao said. “And even though she undoubtedly has killed female cultivators in the past, I doubt she’ll be any threat to the woman of the joint sect. She took to Yu-yan almost immediately, and almost all of her conversations were with Huifen.”

“You speak as if she is planning to join the sect,” Pangfua said.

“I think she’s an unofficial member of the Divine Fire Sect already. From what I could glean from my father, he and Elder Law saved her and her sisters from slavery to a divine realm family. She’s sworn an oath of loyalty to him. Also, she promised she’d visit Yu-yan when she returned with Father and Mother Quinyuan from their journey.”

When he felt Pangfua begin to circulate her qi, he knew she was using heart of ice. The sage had come a long way from using it unceasingly, but she hadn’t embraced it like Genji, or even Quinyuan. “She’d have to have an unimaginable amount of self-control to survive what she has, but now that her shackles have been removed, who can tell if her control will remain. This is beyond my experience to handle. Senior Zan will be returning with her, at least.”

“Sister,” Huifen said, concern heavy in her voice. “You mentioned there’s a threat. What are we facing and how can we help?”

“We will take our leave,” Mother Sya said suddenly. “I need to get back.”

“Thank you, Sister,” Pangfua replied. “Brother Tu.”

It was soon just the three of them. She no longer held anything back. “The threat is different from the one you faced with the Aureate Empire. It’s not direct and there’s no clear military to face. The enemy could be any or all the sects in the Divine Spire. We’ve only been here for two days, and already there have been four incidents. It’s not just bullying, either. That’s to be expected. These were attempted murders. One of which succeeded, and another will never be able to cultivate again.”

He felt his wife’s qi churn as her anger built with it. She responded. “Don’t they realize their putting us in a position where we might banish everyone to keep our disciples safe and the spire for ourselves?”

“That might be exactly what they’re thinking.”

“They want to join the sects against us?”

“Perhaps, or they might just want to use that possibility as a deterrent. You likely didn’t notice because he has a knack for keeping his cultivation hidden, but Elder Harnish of the Morning Midst Village is an overlord. Forcing them out wouldn’t be easy on my own.”

“If you want our help, just give the word,” Chao responded.

“Thank you, Little Brother, but if we took such actions then finding the culprit would be near impossible. Also our joint sect isn’t the only one that has been attacked. We can keep our people safe by keeping them in groups. Attacking them then would cause too big of a commotion.”

“You want to use us as bait, then?”

“No, but if you could mingle with the disciples of the other sects and gather information it would be helpful. The only reason there’s been so many attacks is because the first looked like a simple case of bullying taken too far and the other three happened so close together. One of my duties is to make sure your cultivation isn’t hindered while you’re here, so I’ll use you sparingly.”

“Why?” He said with a smirk. “What are the cultivations of the disciples attacked? Are they in the sky and overlord realms?”

“No, but you did just get done being poisoned—almost losing your life. It’s an unnecessary risk.”

“Unnecessary, but practical. It might also be the best method.”

“The primary assistance you can provide me is to be there in case something happens. If we need to take more drastic measures or the threat worsens, I know I can call on you.”

Huifen stepped past Chao and gave Pangfua a martial salute. “You have our full support.”

“Thank you. And thank you, Brother Chao. I’ve never doubted your willingness to help, but this isn’t your responsibility, it’s mine. You have my word I’ll call if I need you. Just having the option makes things much easier for me.”

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Doing some reworking. Hope to have another chapter up today.