Jinse found Wuye right where he left him. Drinking at the bar in the Fox's Den despite the hour. It didn't matter to the God of Wind what time of day it was. He was often referred to as the God of Revelry for a reason.
"Maque, I have need of your talents," Jinse called from the front door. The place was closed and would remain so that day but it was still a place of respite for those that worked under Jinse if they had no other place to be. At that moment it was just Wuye and Hu Ning. Jinse wondered if she gave Wuye the same rebuffs to flirtatious advances that she'd always given Jinse when he'd first taken her onto the staff.
"Really? I thought you were out to have fun today!" Wuye giggled.
"I did too but that waterlogged snake made himself known to Xueye," Jinse's claws started digging into his palms.
"Is he alright?" Hu Ning looked rather worried. Jinse hadn't told her that Maque was actually the God of Wind, but he had informed her of the enemy he was after. She needed to know what to look for about the city and their network of information.
"He's alright, sort of," Jinse sighed. "It was a memory. The fatal blow that was dealt to Xinyi. Only that rotten bastard and I are the only living beings that were there to witness it. He was quite rattled by it. Honestly I am too."
"He's meddling with dreams first…" Wuye mused to himself. "How can he already have enough power for that?"
"I don't know, but the oddities don't stop there," Jinse huffed bitterly. "When I saw Xueye yesterday I'd just topped off his good fortune. It should have lasted him quite a while. When I saw him this morning, every ounce of it was gone. Not even a trace left."
"Very strange, when we saw him last night everything was perfectly fine." Wuye was turning over the information in his head.
"Do you think he could tamper with that so soon?" Jinse asked nervously.
"No, I could understand dreams with a basic amount of followers but fortune meddling isn't an easy spell. For the Young Master, an expenditure of his good fortune is the cost of his calming ability, right?"
"Yes," Jinse nodded. "Wait, you don't think it had a reaction to his presence, do you?"
"With as weak as he is now and how arrogant he can be, he likely hadn't thought that a mortal could affect him." Wuye spoke his thoughts aloud. "It likely could be a protection put in place by the Moon herself, but I can't guarantee."
"I wondered why that memory…" Jinse was really unnerved by it. It felt like a twisted threat. "I thought it would be some sort of allusion to his machinations."
"I also would expect that to be the case." Wuye nodded. "He's not the type to unveil something so personal. I could speculate on it but I think I would need to see Xueye to know for sure."
"Would you be able to?" Jinse asked tentatively. Even though he wanted his help to get to the bottom of it, he wasn't certain where the line lay for meddling in mortal affairs in this.
"Yes, yes, now quit moping and show the way!" Wuye hopped off the bar stool with a cheeky grin.
"Please take care, you two," Hu Ning bowed her head. She looked genuinely worried. It was little surprise given that Jinse was rarely so unnerved.
"Try not to miss me too much now!" Wuye waved back at her with a wink. She just rolled her eyes as the door closed behind them.
"I don't know why you try with her," Jinse shook his head with a shrug. "I gave up a long time ago."
"Because someone had already else caught your eye," Wuye teased.
"Not the point," Jinse grumbled. "You won't be sticking around forever, right? Don't go seducing my second in command and ditch her like you usually do. She deserves better than that."
"Quit worrying like you're her father, I'm not going to," Wuye shrugged. "I just enjoy talking to her. Since she opted to remain at the Den amidst the Brightness Festival, I thought I'd keep her company while everyone is out celebrating their ancestors and all that."
"How generous," Jinse looked amused. "An all-powerful being such as you, keeping a lonely mortal company."
"You're one to talk," Wuye scoffed. "Wasn't that your plan today as well?"
"Yeah, it was," Jinse sighed heavily.
"Is!" Wuye elbowed him. "We'll take care of this so stop looking so sour."
"We? Isn't helping us mortals against those obnoxious rules you follow?" Jinse huffed.
"Well the phrasing is along the lines that we can't interfere with mortal affairs but he's being affected by one of my kind, wrongly so." Wuye explained his thoughts on the matter. "Thus I believe I have every right to help him. Also if I'm being honest the Moon scares me more than my actual boss, so I'd rather be on her good side by helping one of her children."
"Truly, a god slayer scares you less than a woman who couldn't save the one she loved?" Jinse couldn't help but find it amusing.
"I know what to expect of him." Wuye shrugged. "She's quite cunning and knows far more than any of us, aside from the Archivist maybe, though she still could. Anyways, you've seen first hand what her anger is like when it comes to her children's safety is not one to be messed with."
"You're right," Jinse thought back to what happened after Xinyi was stuck down. The pure moonlight that pierced the storm was so tangible it nearly singed his fur. "I was rather scared she'd be upset about me executing Xinyi's final wish. After seeing what she did to that bastard, I thought for sure I would be next."
"She'd have ended up like him if she did," Wuye chuckled.
"I know that now but I didn't know of that rule then, especially given how flippant you were about mingling among us mortals," Jinse shrugged.
"Why are you so worried about it then? I have walked the thin line enough to know where the boss draws it," Wuye giggled.
"Sorry, should I go back to not caring about your wellbeing?" Jinse rolled his eyes. "You're my oldest friend that's not dead, so why shouldn't I worry a little?"
"You think of us as friends again? Truly?" Wuye looked at him hopefully.
"Do you think I let just anyone drink and eat for free at the Den?" Jinse scoffed. "Save the sentiment for later, we are here." Jinse pointed out the closed apothecary shop before ducking into the alley where the side door he was shoved out of earlier. Despite his impatience to see how Xueye was doing he knocked and waited patiently.
"Why an apothecary shop?" Wuye tilted his head curiously.
"The doctor that's treated Xueye all his life opened this place some time ago," Jinse explained. "Currently Xueye's little brother has been staying here, getting treatment from him. However, Xueye hasn't been able to keep warm since that dream. Shujing said that he was cold to the touch this morning."
"Strange, sounds akin to the curse of Yuki-onna," Wuye hummed softly. "Why would he-?"
"Apparently it's a preexisting issue," Jinse interjected before Wuye could speculate the Water God's involvement in this issue. "Also no one in there knows just yet. Try not to run your mouth, Shujing's hearing is quite sensitive."
"Of course," Wuye grinned.
"Just when did you realize that?" Yushi happened to be the one to open the door.
"I figured it was the case but your reaction last night when he sent me a message more or less confirmed it," Jinse pointed over at Wuye.
"Maque, was it?" Yushi looked the man up and down. There was something off about him as well. Similar to Jinse but Yushi didn't feel such an abrasive reaction despite the sense that Wuye was stronger, that power was gentler and less oppressive. Yushi glanced back at Jinse, "You left to fetch him?"
"I did," Jinse nodded but he almost seemed ashamed when Yushi sounded rather disappointed.
"He informed me of the Young Master's plight, I may be able to help," Wuye smiled softly.
"How so?" Yushi raised a brow. "You don't seem like a healer."
"I may not be a doctor but I am well versed in magic," Wuye explained calmly with genuine care in his voice in hopes of placating Yushi's suspicions. "Perhaps I'll be able to aid him or at least point us in the right direction. I was just hoping to see him to verify just what may be wrong so I'm not sending us down the wrong path."
"The doctor suspected that Xueye's chills could be some magical malady but was unsure of what," Yushi sighed, waving for the two to follow him up the stairs. "He intended to research it but if you have some insight as to the problem it'll save him the effort. Though, knowing him, he still might."
Xueye was bundled up near the hearth, slowly sipping the spiced herbal tea the doctor made just for him. Qingkong sat next to him, resting his head on Xueye's shoulder as Xueye hummed softly one of the songs his mother taught him. The doctor wasn't seated far from them but he was the first to look up at them from the book he was reading.
"Who's this?" Dr.Jingji looked at Wuye with a subtle surprise at the unexpected guest.
"This is Maque," Jinse gestured at Wuye. "He's an old friend of mine. He may be able to help Xueye."
"Really? Then you know what's causing his chills?" Dr. Jingji looked genuinely surprised given he hadn't told Jinse of his assessment just yet.
"Not at all, that's why I grabbed him. He knows far more than I." Jinse chuckled.
"You flatter me," Wuye giggled.
"Qingkong, why don't you go rest? You seem so tired." Xueye pulled his drowsy little brother to his feet. "I've kept you up more than enough."
"M'kay," Qingkong didn't have the energy to fight it even if he was mighty curious. Hearing Xueye's comforting humming and all the activity so far had sapped the last of his energy.
"Allow me," Yushi walked over to support the wobbly Qingkong back to his room. He understood that Xueye didn't want Qingkong to know all of the details of what was wrong so he closed the door behind him as he helped Qingkong settle in.
"Don't leave him, okay?" Qingkong voiced quietly as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Never," Yushi smiled reassuringly. "Get some rest and try to not worry too much. I know it's difficult but we'll ensure he's alright."
"Thank you, Shujing," Qingkong smiled as he laid back and closed his eyes.
Yushi stepped out of the room as Dr.Jingji finished reviewing his earlier assessment with the newcomers. Xueye glanced over at Yushi when he heard the door close. The concerned look on his face was telling.
"He's gone right to sleep," Yushi reassured softly, returning to sit next to Xueye again.
"I knew he was likely getting tired. That's why I started humming one of my mother's songs," Xueye sighed.
"He's been getting more energetic spurts but he crashes quickly since he doesn't pace himself. He's all too excited to have more energy." Dr. Jingji chimed in. "He won't be up until dinner time, I suspect."
Wuye was turning over the doctor's information in his head. Hearing the details about the wound and frosted scar was unlike anything he'd heard of before. It eliminated the idea of the curse being from a Yuki-onna spirit immediately with both the length of time it took to progress and that type of curse wasn't something that originated from being wounded but typically being seduced by one or simply letting them in on a winter night. He needed a better look at Xueye's soul to know for certain if it was something he could figure out.
"Young Master, might I observe the flow of your qi?" Wuye asked. Seeing Xueye's confused expression he elaborated further, "It's much akin to the doctor here taking your pulse. You might not notice too much of a difference."
"Alright," Xueye nodded and held out his hand.
Wuye kneeled in front of him, placing two fingers over his wrist, focusing on the flow of energy within Xueye. There was so much to parse through. The energy from Jinse's magic was still settling in and Yushi's good fortune carried a bit of his own energy that seemed to be countering the cold stagnant energy at Xueye's core. It too was very foreign. He'd expected a trace of Shendu but it seemed that his qi was already absorbed by the strange cold energy. None of what lingered was usable for Wuye to track the Water God down but that was of little concern to him at the moment. The frigid energy was quite similar to that of dead spirits but it wasn't strong enough to properly possess Xueye. If it was a fragment of a spirit it wasn't one from Meihua.
"Interesting…" Wuye hummed thoughtfully as he withdrew his hand. "There is a lot of power coursing through you. Not all of it stems from the Moon's blessing. I suspect her blessing is why this problem hasn't progressed until now."
"You know what's causing this then?" Jinse asked hopefully.
"There is either a weak or partial soul dwelling within Xueye's core. It's not strong enough to bother him beyond what's already manifested, likely never will based on the nature of the Moon's blessing." Wuye's attention was directly on Xueye now, "Are you aware of the nature of that blessing?"
"Shizhe told me being around me calms those near me, nothing more," Xueye shifted in place, fiddling with the edges of the blanket.
"I'm not sure you would notice something like this since you weren't aware until recently, but did the severity of the cold change with the lunar cycle at all?" Wuye was still curious enough to ask. "Say less frequently around the full moon and more so around the new moon?"
"Well thinking about it now, it always seemed worse in the beginning of the month and less towards the middle of the month." Xueye nodded slowly, since the Meihua calendar followed the moon cycle it made sense to reason that whatever Wuye was thinking was correct. "So I suppose that would line up with what you said."
"The Moon's blessing tends to be linked with the cycle," Wuye explained, seeing the lingering confusion on Xueye's face. "Typically your ability would be stronger during the full moon."
"But tonight's a full moon," Yushi's brow scrunched in confusion. "It shouldn't be worse, right?"
"Well since it seemed most apparent following Xueye's nightmares, likely the strange one from the last night had an effect," Dr.Jingji chimed in.
Wuye and Jinse exchanged a look and Wuye nodded. Jinse understood that likely the energy from the Water God's meddling and while Xueye was fully depleted of good fortune his ability was fuel enough for such a drastic progression.
"Maque, is there a way to extract it without hurting him?" Jinse asked worriedly.
"I am unable to do so, but only because this soul isn't from Meihua," Wuye explained.
"It came back with me from Vual then," Xueye closed his eyes. It was getting rather overwhelming learning all of this. Almost as if reacting to his words the chills intensified once more. He pulled the blanket around himself more securely.
"Could it be something that resided in those ruins then?" Jinse seemed to be trying to come up with a solution but to no avail. His mind was drawing a blank. "What do we do then?"
"Find whatever Vual's equivalent to a cultivator might be," Wuye suggested.
"I'm not quite sure what that might be," Xueye thought back to what he'd learned of Vual from his time there. "There's a lot of 'old magic in the land' as they used to put it. I don't know who practices it at all. There was a professor at the academy that taught the history of it but I don't know if they would know more."
"Is going back the only way?" Jinse looked worried. He was hesitant to let Xueye travel alone but he couldn't just leave either. It would leave the Fox's Den vulnerable. If The Water God's followers attacked Wuye couldn't do anything about it, only if it were the god himself.
"Unfortunately, it may be the case," Wuye smiled apologetically. "I wish I had a proper solution."
"It's more than we had before," Dr.Jingji closed his eyes and let out a breath. "You're certain this won't get worse, right?"
"It would take a strong external power to trigger it to grow," Wuye smiled reassuringly. "It could also be feeding off those nightmares since it seems to pair with those most often. It's possible to make it so you won't be able to, if you are willing."
"How so?" Dr.Jingji asked.
"There's a couple ways." Wuye explained. "I would recommend a charm. Rather than having the spell internalized, where the spirit could feed on the qi, the charm would just need to be near and can prevent the dreams that feed it."
"How easy is it to acquire?" Jinse asked.
"Not difficult at all," Wuye shrugged. "I can get it ready before you head back home, but it's only if you want it, Young Master."
"Please, if you don't mind," Xueye nodded. The idea of having a peaceful night's sleep after a day like today sounded delightful, provided the chill would dissipate enough for him to rest easily. Before Wuye could set off Xueye spoke once more, "Wait, is it possible to make more than one?"
"What for?" Wuye blinked.
"For Shizhe?" Yushi asked, finally emerging from his own conflicting thoughts about Xueye having to leave.
"Yes," Xueye nodded.
"The Master Diviner is having nightmares as well?" Jinse placed a hand on his chin, he was starting to understand why she wanted to see him.
"When she learned Xueye was having similar nightmares to her in recent weeks she was quite concerned," Yushi explained.
"I would much prefer to assess her condition separately first, but I can make another just in case." Wuye nodded.
"Thank you, Maque," Xueye smiled warmly. It was such a sweet thing despite all the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. Wuye was starting to understand why those around Xueye felt the need to protect him. Still in the face of what could be the worst time for him, he still thought of others.
"Try to take it easy and enjoy the rest of your day," Wuye beamed. "Worry about the idea of traveling another day, okay? It seemed to be settling more and more as I was reading your qi."
"Okay," Xueye nodded.
Wuye vanished down the stairs and Jinse quickly followed after, grabbing his arm, "Just a moment!"
"What is it, boss?" Wuye asked.
"Anything you need for it, obviously money is no issue," Jinse stated quietly. "Just don't let Xueye know, he might think he owes me more than he's deluded himself into thinking he already does."
"It won't take much actually so don't worry," Wuye giggled.
"We'll talk more later about this," Jinse let him leave this time.
"I figured as much," Wuye nodded before finally slipping out the door.