Chapter 22
The rains had begun not too long ago. There was a time that Liang Chen loved the rain, the rain made Liang Chen feel peace and tranquility. This rain however was loaded with tension.
The day of the signing of the Jade Veil Accords had finally arrived. It was singly the most important signing in the history of the three sects. And as Liang Chen had emphasised before, if this deal went south, war would erupt.
He sat on a long table, where members of the Crimson Lotus Sect ate.
He sat there just staring, his chopsticks were idle in his hands, his food was barely touched. He wasn't eating, he was watching. Studying the body languages of each of the disciples of the Crimson Lotus Sect. They seemed oddly tense.
Yu Miaoran had a fake smile on her face as she chatted away with other anxious disciples.
[All-Seeing Eye: Passive Scan]
Pulse detected: Anxiety(78%), Suppressed Hostility(34%)
Notable Reactions: Yu Miaoran's hands tremble when reaching for her tea.
Something was definitely off.
A servant poured tea into his cup, he watched as the steam rose lazily into the air. Even his favourite blend of Lavender and Mint tea leaves didn't taste as good as before.
All of a sudden, the door slammed open.
A violent wind swept through the dining hall, extinguishing the torches. It was a disciple from the Heaven Tear Sect. He wore bright blue robes and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. His chest heaved as he clutched the doorframe, his knuckles were turning white.
"It's Cui Huang," the disciple gasped. "He's been gravely injured by an attack on the palace, from disciples of the Wisteria Empress Sect".
Thunder struck somewhere in the distance. Liang Chen's pupils dilated. Yu Miaoran stood up so quickly her chair toppled over, clattering to the ground. "What did you just say?"
"Cui Huang has been attacked. It was the Wisteria Empress Sect, I swear it, I saw their robes!"
The dining hall erupted into pandemonium.
"Those perfumed snakes—!"
"They dare?!"
"During the Accords?!"
The disciples rose to their feet, the hall erupted into a cacophony of shouts of outrage.
But Liang Chen didn't move. Not initially.
Then he rose from his seat, grabbing his Guan Dao from under the table. When the disciples saw what Liang Chen did, they felt invigorated and determined. Yu Miaoran followed him. She didn't need to ask. She just moved.
They made their way toward the Heaven Tear residence with a squadron of Crimson Lotus disciples trailing silently like ghosts behind them.
The Heaven Tear residence was in disarray.
The exterior of the palace looked normal. The interior was a whole other story. Servants dashed through the halls with cloths and incense burners, Doors hung open crooked at their hinges.
And in the far west wing, beyond a shattered wooden screen… lay Cui Huang.
He lay on a straw mat, half-naked. His chest was tightly wrapped in blood-stained bandages. Another roll of bandages circled his head, darkening with red slowly at the temple. His skin was pale with blood loss.
At his side knelt Zhao Su. Her usually neat curly hair was wet and looked unkept. She looked tired. Her hand held his tightly, but her other held a jade slip trembling with stress.
"Don't try to sit up," she murmured.
Cui's voice rasped out. "Then don't try to look like you're not panicking."
Liang Chen stepped inside.
Yu Miaoran followed behind him.
Cui coughed. Then groaned. "Took you all long enough…"
Liang Chen knelt beside him. "What happened?"
Cui gave a weak chuckle. Then he winced. "If I say 'wrong time to flirt with a Wisteria disciple,' would you hit me?"
Yu Miaoran crossed her arms, scowling. "No. I'd stab you."
Cui closed his eyes. "Fair…"
He took a deep breath and continued, this time his voice was serious. "It was them. The Wisteria Empress Sect. They came in just after the ninth stick of incense. They said they brought ceremonial gifts. I recognized the girl, a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Fei Luomei, part of Shao Yanli's inner circle."
He clenched his fist, voice shaking, but he steadied it. "Then they released this… pollen. It was black and sweet-smelling. It turned to mist. Ate through the floor. Burned our lungs. I tried to summon my weapon, but by then she was already at my throat."
Zhao Su pressed a hand against his, calming him. "You don't have to relive it."
"They didn't come to kill me," Cui continued. The attack sent a clear message…"
He looked straight at Liang Chen now.
"There's no going forward from this. The Accords are dead."
The room went still again.
Only the sound of the storm outside prevailed.
Liang Chen closed his eyes. He looked up to the ceiling. He took a long inhale, then a long exhale. After a short while, Liang Chen opened his eyes.
"So it begins," he said, almost quietly.
Zhao Su narrowed her eyes. "Begins?"
"…It means one thing."
He turned back to them.
"War."