Chương 13: Chapter 12

Since he had memory, Sable Lotus Palace had been Wu Nenqin's universe. The careful training Father blessed him with meant could pass months and even years out in the Plateau and the wider Province as he worked to improve himself through hardship. But he had never stopped thinking about the great castle of the Wu as his only home.

Built at the center of Ying Men island, right atop the opening that led to the First Abyss, Sable Lotus Palace bloomed like its namesake, great petals of Qi-reinforced, matte-black granite flowing outward into an inverted lotus shape. The sinuous, elegant lines didn't mean fragility: each petal was threaded with concentrated Night Qi, offering shelter to the defenders while allowing Night Qi attacks to pass through.

Wu Nenqin's chest still stirred with pride as he remembered the training exercises, when sheets of black flame would wash harmlessly over the great petals, only for them to disgorge fusillades of Qi blasts, as if the palace was lit by a defiant intelligence and defended itself against any who would dare to desecrate it. Sorrected by the inverted blossom, pagodas and towers soared toward the twilight, amethyst, pitch-black and silver shaping in graceful curves.

They surrounded the main keep like attendants around a king, some of them floated as they gravitated around it, held aloft by crystallized flows of Night Qi. It was magnificent, but the Sect's decadence was visible even here: the Night Crystals that once sormounted the towers were gone, their elaborate steel and gem basements empty. The same for the tamed spirit-beasts that once patrolled the skies.

Now, soldier patrols and sentinels replaced both, moving as streaks of shadows or standing atop the battlements in silent vigil. Only the keep had lost nothing of its luster. Vaguely squat, brooding and dark yet with an understated elegance to it, it was an impregnable fortress and a refuge of culture all at once. Windows clad in spirit-crystal gleamed with a gentle sheen, a challenge and an invitation both.

The Godless Night banners fell in imposing sheets across its face, boasting proudly about the Sect's independence and might. The Abyss may be the Godless Night's heart, but the Shadow Keep was its face. Refined and defiant, disciplined and strong, dark and protective. The Sect's character, all its virtues and features, made manifest. As the great doors closed behind them, Wu Nenqin felt immediately more at ease. The Night wafted thick inside, as thick as one could have it outside of the Abyss.

Every breath pulled its coolness into his Meridians, making him feel both energized and calmer. In a way, it was like sitting on a beach at night, the gentle breeze on your face, the sound of lapping waves in your ears. Almost enough to make him forget how empty the place had become. Moving through corridors and halls decorated in a lavish yet elegant manner made him remember: many halls were dusty and deserted, others were barred wholesale, infested by Night Beasts that were never the right moment to clear.

Clerks and soldiers in ornate robes and armor attended to their duties, but they were pitifully few, all but disappearing in the echoing spaces. Wu Nenqin's good mood evaporated instantly. His cheeks warmed with shame, but before he could wallow in it, Haoran attracted his attention to something he had missed. Maids and attendants moved with purpose across the corridors, armed with cleaning implements or straight-up weapons to clear up infestations.

The silence may be overpowering, but there was a very different atmosphere from the one he had left when they left for the walls. That grim, resigned determination was gone, replaced by a new energy that seemed to palpitate through the Night like a heartbeat and put a twinkle in the eyes of each officer or attendant they crossed. Wu Nenqin hadn't noticed, and now that he did, the shame felt a bit lighter.

As they entered a recently cleared parlour hall, they found a tall man addressing a group of maids, the women standing on attention like soldiers on parade.

"Ah, Young Master," the man addressed him, performing a pitch-perfect bow. He was tall and thin to the point of lankness, his robes so crisp they could have been used to measure Meridian diagrams. A massive, perfectly oiled and coiffed mustache sprouted from his upper lip, covering his mouth in bushy whiteness.

"The Night Palace welcomes you warmly," he said with a deep, vaguely scratchy voice.

"Once again, my utmost apologies for the state of the premises." Wu Nenqin raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture, not bothering to argue. He Yuan had been the Night Palace's majordomo since his grandfather's time, and took full and personal responsibility for the place's constant decadence. Never mind it was far beyond his means to influence or remedy. The old man would accept any attempt to justify him with a crisp bow and never stop apologizing.

"So you finally get to play to your heart's content in the palace," Haoran grunted, stomping forward. The old man grinned.

"You got your wish in the end, old warhorse." He Yuan's mustache twitched, reminding Wu Nenqin of a weather-beaten beetle flexing its wings.

"Mhyes," he said, eyeing Haoran's feet for muddy traces. Since Haoran never bothered with wiping his feet, displeasure wafted from the majordomo in a crisp wave. Not one muscle of his face twitched; it was his special skill to be able to make you know in excruciating detail your level of politeness in the house, no Qi needed.

"Almost all of them." Behind him, the squad of maids looked at Haoran like he was the worst kind of offender. Then it was Wu Nenqin's turn. As the Master of the house, he would have, should have, bristled at being judged in the same way as any guest. In the sad reality, He Yuan had been watching him like that since he was a babe and he could bring himself to argue against it just as easily as he could smash his way to the bottom floor of the Abyss.

Also, He Yuan's judging gaze was for everyone, emperors and immortals included, so he didn't feel it was right for him to complain. … but maybe the majordomo was fond of him. After making him feel like his soul was being searched with a sharp implement for a few moments, He Yuan's steel glare softened a smidge. Not like he did anything special. He just… wiped his feet before getting inside.

"The Palace shall be restored to the proper standards, Young Master," the majordomo said, his even tone belying the hyperfocus in his expression.

"The spirit of the honored Wu Xin weeps at this unworthy He Yuan's inefficiency in hosting the venerable Founder as it's convenient. Rest assured that I nor any of my staff shall see rest until the Night Palace is the marvel of Qinghai once more." Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! Wu Nenqin was touched.

"My grandfather will surely smile at such devotion. I'll make sure to notify the Founder of it, He Yuan." The majordomo stared at him for a moment.

"Oh, Young Master," he said, turning away and covering his eyes with a gloved hand.

"Your goodwill is more than this wretched servant deserves. This He Yuan shall not disgrace your trust, even before death." Behind him, the maids were sighing and sniffling. Some were looking at him with… strangely sparkling eyes. Wu Nenqin wasn't sure of the meaning, and he had put enough unease in the old majordomo for a day to ask.

"Well said, well said," a cultured voice said before he could excuse himself. If Chen Liwei represented the martial soul of the Godless Night, the man who strode to them was the Night's dark elegance personified. Sect Elder Xing Xing was a tall, handsome man. Clad in elaborate robes of shadow and crimson, he was an imposing figure, radiating in the same measure authority and power, threat and charm.

There was something lupine in his sharp features, like lightning hiding in a storm cloud's belly; somehow, it blended well with the chiseled jaw and cultured, short beard and mustaches, like a wolf who tried on human clothes and found them to his taste. Still, what never failed to strike Wu Nenqin were the eyes: a sanguine crimson, gleaming as if lit from an inner light, possessed of a depth that threatened to engulf you.

At the moment, they twinkled with a mild amusement that belied the deep intelligence nestled in them. Wu Nenqin immediately felt a mix of affection and dissatisfaction with himself. If Chen Liwei had served under his father, Xing Xing had held the seat of Night Grand Sorcerer since the times of his grandfather, his already extended lifespan enhanced by his alchemy, his rivals crushed or turned to service.

The Chen matriarch may have held the title of most powerful Elder, but Xing Xing held the one of most mysterious and, just for that, most dangerous. In a fight between them, Wu Nenqin was honestly uncertain who would emerge victorious.

"It's so heartwarming to see such loyalty reaffirmed, and such efficiency put to the test." Xing Xing's voice was a rich, throaty growl. He accepted He Yuan's silent bow with a dip of his brow and turned to Wu Nenqin.

"Deputy Master," he murmured. Wu Nenqin bowed in turn.

"Sect Elder. It does me great pleasure to see you hale and well." He didn't need to fake the relief he felt. The Elder had fought valiantly during the siege, and suffered for it with many wounds. Part of him had feared for his life.

"Oh, but a trifle," the Elder said casually, picking nonexistent dust from his cuff.

"I'll admit that the barbarians entertained our evenings with their, mh, quirks, but let's not let ourselves be carried away now, mh?" Anyone else would have missed the quirk in Xing Xing's lips, or the fondness in his gaze. Not Wu Nenqin. Any anxiety he may have had toward Chen Liwei disappeared when it came to his beloved Uncle. Xing Xing had been his teacher, and he had long learned that under the threatening appearance that put off the rest of the Sect, there was a man he and the Sect could count on.

Wu Nenqin held his gaze for a moment longer, then both of them relaxed, letting go of formalities.

"I am happy to see you, Uncle," Wu Nenqin said, clasping the man's forearm with a smile.

"Likewise, Nephew." Xing Xing never did anything in a mediocre way. Even at rest, his welcome radiated off him like the heat from a hearth, interlaced with the dignity of a patriarch.

"Now that this disturbance is behind us, you'll join me for a soirée, yes? I've grown so deafened with all these barbarians knocking at our doors that I fear I have forgotten what true culture means."

"That will be when the Godless Night forgets its roots, Uncle." Wu Nenqin smiled. Of course his martial uncle would return to his evenings as soon as things started calming down. He thought that having to give them up had wounded him more than risking his life in battle. Xing Xing retreated into his robes, as if only the thought wounded him.

"Ah, perish the thought and the words. To think that I was just about resigned to send my wives beneath, among the lessers, for their own safety." Distaste radiated from him in refined waves.

"Of course, they would need convincing. But my whip was more than ready to make them see sense." Wu Nenqin wanted to shake his head. The Elder's three wives were aristocratic jewels, as refined as one could be. They'd have preferred death to leaving the Plateau, and his Uncle would have regretted forcing them. But Xing Xing wasn't a man to be denied.

"You talk as if death in battle is to be preferred to exile." The Elder waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, as if swatting a mosquito.

"Death. A over-feared concept," he purred.

"What is death, if not the completion of a noble's duty? Are we to wade through oceans of time with our heads held high, only to shy away and fail at the end, so that we must present ourselves before our ancestors with a stained cap? No, no, I don't think so. I'd rather uphold nobility and humble the barbarians to the end than turn my back on my lessers." Xing Xing's eyes gleamed, the wild twinkle of the beast beneath the man.

"The blood of lions flows in our veins, nephew."

"The blood of lions," Wu Nenqin repeated, nodding solemnly. But then, he couldn't stop himself from a little of their old teasing.

"Put it like this, Uncle, sending your wives away may seem a ruthless act." Xing Xing's eyes gleamed again, but with amusement this time.

"We all have our duties. As mine is to hold the line so that they can escape, my wives's duty is to give meaning to my sacrifice by living and bearing my family name. As they owe me everything, I expect this service from them in turn." Wu Nenqin bit his lip to refrain from arguing back. It was just his Uncle to drag him into a philosophical debate so easily.

"Twisted, in a way, Uncle."

"Refined," the Elder gently corrected.

"So, can I count on your presence? The Qi and Sun will be present, of course. And the Chen," a twitch coursed through his cheek, "I suppose I can make an exception if that's your wish." Wu Nenqin was tempted. The cultured atmosphere, the spirit wine, the interesting conversations. How long has it been since he enjoyed it? But no, he was going to be too busy for him to waste time in entertainment, no matter how enjoyable it may be.

His thoughts must have appeared on his face, because awareness flashed in Xing Xing's eyes.

"But maybe I am underestimating my wounds again. Likely, it won't come to anything for now." He bowed.

"But my invitation is still extended for the next one, of course." He Yuan coughed in polite approval. Wu Nenqin felt the tips of his ears warm. His Uncle was too kind. Only Haoran wasn't satisfied.

"You won't give up trying to hook up the Young Master with your daughter, won't you?" grumbled the old man, to Wu Nenqin's embarrassment. Thankfully, his uncle wasn't offended.

"Ah, yes, Haoran," the Elder said, glancing at the old man as he had just noticed his presence.

"With your charming word choices. Do you still live in that little house, or have they finally changed their policy about indoor pets?" Steam jetted from Haoran's nostrils, but before he could reply, Wu Nenqin jumped back in.

"The Founder is waiting for us!" he said in a hurry.

"I'll see you soon, Uncle!" Thankfully, apart from a bow, Xing Xing didn't argue. His Uncle's expression flashed with a mocking smirk, and Haoran snorted, but that was all, thanks to the Heavens. As for He Yuan, he had long excused himself to return to his cleaning and sweeping, the maids trooping after him.

"Do you really need to antagonise him every time?" Wu Nenqin hissed when they were out of earshot. Haoran's thunderous expression was all the answer he needed. Wu Nenqin sighed, not bothering to reprimand him. His old friend was loyal to a fault, but could be just as stubborn. But setting his house in order would have to wait. Taking the slow route, and indulging in his worst side, meant that now they were skipping on the edge of tardiness. It was time to stop dawdling.

It shook his heart to its foundation, but he couldn't let it simmer any longer. Beneath, in the heart of Sable Lotus Palace, the Founder awaited.