.
Wuxian can be stubborn if he wants to be. Wangji told him that he was planning to skip the conference so Wuxian can rest but the smaller man will not allow it.
They ended up arguing for hours until Sizhui came up with a compromise that was barely accepted by both bonded men. Wuxian will go with Wangji, but instead of riding a horse like he should be, he will be moved in a carriage. Wangji was concerned about his soulmate, he's still recovering slowly from his last bout of illness: cold shaking hands, dizzy spells and he even lost some more weight. But a stubborn Wuxian was able to convince even Zewu Jun and Keeper Daozi to agree with him, claiming that this is a social visit and no fighting or physical activity is required. Jingyi joked that all he needs to do is 'sit down and look pretty' which made Wuxian throw a cup at him in irritation.
The healer sat down with Wuxian's disciples to explain his condition and what to look for as a sign of fatigue. He gave them medicine and showed them how to brew it properly. They were taking no chances when it came to his health. All those around him were on high alert and ready to aid him when needed.
With all precautions in mind, the carriage was set up to carry him and Sizhui, who's tasked with monitoring his health. It's supposed to take 5 days to reach Carp Tower, but with their slow pace, the time was extended to 7 days. Wuxian sighs miserably when he is led to his carriage on the morning they're set out to leave: "This is so embarrassing! I feel like a fair maiden."
Jingyi smirks: "You are pale and pretty enough to be mistaken as one."
Wuxian turns around to glare at him: "Say that again and I will rip your tongue out!"
Jingyi pouts: "I'm just telling the truth."
Wangji turns around to glare at jingyi too: "Don't provoke him."
Wuxian smiles at Wangji and accepts his help getting into the carriage.
Sizhui was sitting next to him the whole way, telling him stories about his childhood while he laid down and rested.
They would stop regularly for food and rest. Wangji was being extra clingy and in light of recent events, Wuxian didn't protest it.
Wuxian was sleeping in his carriage when he hears commotion outside. He opens his eyes to see an anxious looking Sizhui, looking outside the window, gripping his sword in readiness.
Wuxian reached over and touched his arm whispering: "What's wrong?"
Sizhui smiles back at him and says: "Nothing they cannot handle. Go back to sleep."
Wuxian ignores him and sits up to look out the window.
Wangji was trying to speak to a wailing woman who was begging and crying to the point of delirium. Wangji's lack of social skills was not helping the situation so Wuxian huffs his annoyance at his stoic soulmate and gets out to see what's the issue.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he was surrounded by his disciples. Bhao' gigantic frame blocks his view: "What's going on?"
Taiho steps close to him: "It seems that the woman just recently lost her husband and a group of grave robbers dug up his body. She cannot find his corpse and fears that her husband will not pass to the after life without being buried properly."
Wuxian nods and taps Bhao's back: "Let me pass. I think I can help."
Bhao looks at his brethren before they all nod and collectively move to keep their guard as Wuxian goes to stand next to Wangji. The lady sees him but continues to sob until he kneels down to comfort her: "Young lady, I am sorry for your loss. I know how painful it is to lose a loved one and we will try our best to find your husband's remains and lay him to rest."
She bows deeply: "Young Master! May heaven and earth bless you for your kindness. No one else would help me!" Wuxian smiles at her: "We will try our best. Can you show us from where he was taken?"
She nods and starts leading the way. Wangji instructed the others to wait with the carriage and horses as he, Wuxian and his guards followed the widow. The grave was clearly dug in a hurry and it was the only one disturbed. Wuxian turned to the widow: "Did you bury any money or jewels with his body?" The woman shook her head: "My husband was a bookkeeper. He kept the village records and his last wish was to be buried with his books. So that's the only thing I placed with him." Wangji asked the young disciples to look around the area for the missing books and they found nothing.
Wangji took Wuxian's hand: "Why don't you go back to the carriage while I find his remains."
Wuxian shakes his head: "I promised the young lady that we would find her husband. I will not fail her."
Wuxian addressed the widow: "Can you take us to the town hall? I would like to know what is in these books." She nods and leads the way. Wangji kept his hold on Wuxian's hand and instructed the woman to walk slower.
After meeting the city counselor and getting a copy of the late bookkeeper's records, they went to a close by inn to rest and research. Wuxian sat at the table and diligently started going through the records. Wangji sat next to him and took the book he was reading: "It's time to rest."
Wuxian protested: "But we still have more books to go through."
Wangji: "You have 5 able disciples and a guardian to assist. Trust them and let your body rest."
Wuxian nods and allows Wangji to help him prepare for bed.
Next morning, Wangji kept Wuxian hostage in their room until he finished his breakfast and drank his potion. While he was packing their things, the young disciples showed up to give him an update. Taiho: "We went through all the books and didn't find anything substantial. Sizhui suggested that we go search his house and office and we found something odd."
Sizhui took out a scroll that looks like it was torn in half then put back together: "Part of this was wedged between the wood panels in his office and the second part was under his garments at his house. We were able to fit them together."
He hands over the mended scroll to Wuxian who reads the content out loud: "Let the wind of the future cover the sins of the past. Same blood, different name. If your voice is loud, the vicious cannot be tamed." Wuxian rubs his nose: "This is peculiar."
Wangji takes the scroll and reads it again for any more clues while Wuxian addresses the kids: "Any idea what this message means?"
Jingyi shakes his head: "We asked the widow if her husband had any brothers, she said no. We also asked her about his family, she said that he was an orphan, dropped at a temple when he was a baby."
Wuxian: "So you think it's from a hidden family member because it says 'Same blood, different name'?"
They all nod. Wuxian voices out loud while deep in thought: "If the books he was buried with had a record of his birth, I understand why anyone would steal it. But why take his body? What does anyone want with a bookkeeper's corpse."
Wangji whispers: ".. sins of the past?"
Wuxian looks at him: "Do you think the widow is hiding something from us?"
Sizhui pitches in: "I asked the widow about his cause of death. She said he was ill and died naturally. I checked with the healer that treated him. He confirms it."
Taiho: "So if he was not killed or died unjustly, then why take his body?"
Kaoji: "I asked around the village. Most of the people say that he was a quiet man and kept mostly to himself. No one seems to have a grudge against him."
Wuxian: "Where is the widow now?"
Jingyi: "She's been sitting outside the inn waiting for you to come out. We tried to take her home but she refused."
Wuxian goes out to see the woman sitting at the inn's entrance, on the steps. He sits next to her and asks: "Young lady, why are you still here? Do you not believe my promise?"
She bows in respect and answers: "I believe you. I'm just not the kind of person who depends on others to solve my problems. The least I can do is be of service or answer any of your inquiries." Wuxian nods his approval and after a few minutes of contemplation he asks: "Have you read the books that were buried with your husband?" She nods: "They're records of flowers and seeds. It was his hobby and his peers made fun of him for it. He decided to bury it with him rather than leave it for people who don't deserve it."
Wuxian rubs his nose in deep thought and says in a low voice: "So they're definitely not after the books." He looks up and asks again: "Did your husband have any spiritual power?" She shook her head: "The only thing different about him was his odd birthmark."
That caught Wuxian's attention: "What birthmark?"
The widow: "He had a big birthmark in the shape of a lion on the left shoulder blade."
Wuxian: "Do people know about it?"
The widow: "No. He thought of it as a deformity and hid it. He even asked me not to tell people about it. He is dead now so I don't think he would mind me sharing his secret."
Wuxian draws the birthmark described by the widow and gives it to the young disciples: "Can you go around the city and see if this signifies anything? It might be a clue to finding his real family."
A few hours later, the boys returned to share what they learned.
Taiho: "We asked around the village and apparently there is a wealthy family that owns half of the houses and shops here. They're well known for their political power. The head of the family uses a lion seal. According to one of the elders in town, this family has a tradition of passing on the family fortune to the first born, so every generation bore only one son to not start a civil war between siblings. The town healer told us that the whole family shared a birthmark that looks like the lion from their seal."
Wuxian smirks and gets up: "Let's go pay this family a visit."
Wangji sent Sizhui with a letter requesting audience with the family head. Once they received the acceptance, Wangji and Wuxian, followed by the guardian and the young disciples, went to sit with the family elders and leader.
The family was honored to have such prominent figures, his Excellency and the Treasure of Lan Clan, in their home and spared no expense in treating them like royalty.
The old woman, who looks like the one controlling house affairs, speaks up after sharing a meal: "Young masters, we are honored to have the privilege of your company. May I ask the reason behind your visit?"
Wuxian: "We came across a young lady who was recently widowed. She asked for our help. Someone took her husband's body from his grave and we were tasked with finding the culprit."
The old lady looked confused: "Are you asking for our help?"
Wuxian: "No. We're here to confirm a suspicion."
The old lady was starting to get annoyed: "You think one of our family members stole the man's body?"
Wuxian smirks: "I'm sure of it."
All family members shared a collective gasp and started to protest loudly. Wangji used Bichen and banged the sword's bottom edge on the ground. Within seconds, everyone was silent in fear.
Wuxian looks at the furious old lady: "We are not here to create a commotion, Madam. I will lay out the facts and ask your assistance in finding the reason behind this crime."
Wuxian proceeds to tell her about the birthmark. He handed over the scroll for her to examine and she gasps in horror and turns to look at her son: "Did you do this?"
Her son, a middle aged man, looked furiously at the letter in her hand and shouted: "I didn't kill him! I just asked him to keep his existence to himself!"
The old lady shook her head in shock: "I don't understand."
The son continued: "Before father died, he told me about an affair he had with a young maiden in town. She was a bookkeeper he fancied and had a child with, a boy. At his deathbed, he wanted me to find him and kill him because he couldn't. He said that I must fulfill our family's traditions: one boy per generation. But when I found him, I couldn't do it. He had a wife and people respected him so I just walked away. A few years later, he found us. He found records with the town healer about the birthmark and wanted to rejoin our family. That was not possible so I sent him that letter."
The old lady looked tearfully at her son: "Why would you do that? It's not your duty to cover up your father's sins!"
The son shook his head: "I didn't want people to fault you for his mistakes. As the oldest descendent alive, I had to keep our legacy intact."
The old lady slams her hand on the table in anger: "HE IS YOUR BROTHER! To hell with old traditions. Did you steal his body?"
The son bowed his head in shame: "I didn't steal it. I felt guilty about not accepting him when he asked to join our family so I moved his body to our family shrine."
The old lady was heartbroken: "You stupid boy. Why didn't you tell his wife?"
The boy shook his head: "I'm sorry. I didn't want you all to know about it."
The old lady takes a deep breath to collect herself and turns to bow to her guests: "On behalf of my family, I would like to apologize for causing trouble and thank you for exposing the truth."
Wuxian shakes his head: "You owe us nothing. All we ask is that you do well by the widow who mourns her husband's death. He was her only family."
The old lady smiles sadly: "I know how it feels to lose a significant other. I will make sure that she receives an apology and is well cared for in the future."
The widow was introduced to her new family and they apologized properly. She finally was able to visit her husband's resting place and pay her respects. She caught up to Wuxian on his way out of the village and bowed to him: "Young master, no words can describe how grateful I am to you and your clan. How can I replay you?"
Wuxian smiles at her: "Just live a wonderful life with your new family. That would make us happy."
She shakes her head and takes a folded cloth out of her robes: "My husband was a big fan of mysteries. He would travel to nearby villages to collect hearsay and legends. The other day, I saw the markings on your ring: The Divine. It reminded me of something I read. It's a torn page from an old book my husband received as payment for helping a wise man a few villages over. I hope it inspires you to greatness."
Wuxian frowns but takes the folded cloth and bids the widow farewell. Once inside the carriage, he opened the cloth to find a worn out, folded parchment paper. Most of the words were smudged or fading but what he could read made his skin crawl.
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