Chapter 216: The Outcome (Patreon)

A few months away from Lungmen, and the Governor's Residence looked almost exactly as Ch'en Hui-chieh remembered it.

Few people were still about at this hour, but most of those who were knew her face, so nobody stopped to question her, even with Chi Xiao on her back.

Hui-chieh headed straight for Wei Yenwu's quarters. She had come tonight to settle some old business before returning to Victoria.

To her surprise, a familiar figure was sitting alone by the stone table. Her elegant Yan-style robes shimmered softly in the moonlight. Wenyue gazed quietly at the moon's reflection in the pond, as if she had been waiting here for a long time.

"Wenyue... Aunt."

Hui-chieh stepped closer and spoke her name.

"Hui-chieh, you come all this way back and don't think to stop by and see me?"

Wenyue smiled gently. She and Wei Yenwu had no children of their own, and over the years she had come to treat Hui-chieh as her own daughter. But she also knew better than anyone that the rift between Hui-chieh and Wei Yenwu could not be mended with a few kind words. It pained her to watch, yet there was little she could say.

"I'm sorry, Aunt..." Hui-chieh's voice dropped.

Wenyue's presence took much of the edge off Hui-chieh's sharp aura. In this world, there were precious few family bonds she could truly feel.

One was Talulah. The other was the gentle woman standing before her now, who had always been kind to her.

She didn't want to put Wenyue in a difficult position.

But some things had to be said in the end, and some things had to be faced.

"Haah."

Wenyue sighed softly. Her gaze settled on the clear apology and resolve in Hui-chieh's eyes, and she understood at once. Sorrow flickered across her face. She walked slowly up to Hui-chieh, looking at the child she had watched grow up, and reached out to straighten her collar and smooth her slightly tousled hair, as gently as if Hui-chieh were small again.

"Since you've already made up your mind, I won't try to talk you out of it." Wenyue's voice was so soft it seemed it might scatter on the wind at any moment. "We failed in our duty as your elders. If you can, please come back and visit from time to time."

Hui-chieh froze. It dawned on her that Wenyue had misunderstood something.

But Wenyue gave her no chance to speak. A plain cloth bundle was pressed gently into Hui-chieh's hands. It was slightly heavy, and carried a familiar scent of incense.

Wenyue gave her one last look, so complicated that Hui-chieh's chest tightened. Then the woman turned and left, her figure soon swallowed by the shadows deep in the courtyard.

'Never mind,' Hui-chieh thought, gripping the bundle. 'I'll explain to Aunt another time.'

She slung the bundle casually over her back, drew a deep breath, and pushed open the heavy wooden door in front of her.

Inside, the lamps were burning bright.

In the spacious main hall, Wei Yenwu sat in the seat of honor smoking, saying nothing. Nothing could be read from that atavistic face. Only when he heard the door swing open did he raise his eyes to the visitor.

"It seems someone has told you a great deal?"

"Is there anything you'd like to explain, Governor Wei?"

"...No."

Wei Yenwu shook his head. The facts were what they were, and arguing would be pointless.

He could easily have trotted out all those lofty justifications: the greater good, no choice in the matter, duty comes with the office... But even he found those words hollow.

Yet Wenyue's words, Old Lin's attitude, and the news from Ursus all seemed to be warning him, without a sound:

Some things were long overdue for a reckoning.

He set his pipe down on the table and regarded the niece before him. Hui-chieh seemed a little strange to him now. He had never seen this emotion in those eyes before.

Hui-chieh's fingers on the hilt tightened slightly.

In its sheath, Chi Xiao let out a low, delighted hum.

This time, there was no rejection, no resistance.

Wei Yenwu watched the drawn blade without changing expression. At this moment he seemed to have recovered a trace of his old self.

The next instant:

Shing—!

The crimson blade tore free of its sheath, tracing a dazzling arc of light under the lamps!

The clear ring of steel cleaving the air shattered the silence of the hall.

...

...

In a corner of the courtyard, Wenyue hadn't gone far.

She stood beneath an old tree, listening to the faint, crisp clash of metal on metal from inside the house. A flicker of reluctant pain crossed her face.

She wasn't worried that Hui-chieh would strike a killing blow. Whether the girl could do it or not, Wenyue knew her heart well enough to be certain she never would.

Wenyue simply felt a deep, heavy sorrow.

Kin bound by blood had ended up pointing blades at each other. And she stood between them, seeing everything clearly, yet unable to change a thing.

"Lady Wenyue."

A black shadow appeared silently at her side. The newcomer wore the garb of a Shadow Guard, and his voice behind the mask was hesitant:

"Lord Wei..."

"Pay it no mind."

Wenyue shook her head. This was only a petty squabble. That old dragon ought to pay some price, and it would do him good to learn his lesson.

What Wei Yenwu and the rest of them truly had to worry about came afterward. After all, there was more than one dragon-slaying sword in Lungmen.

The Shadow Guard gave a slight nod and was about to withdraw—

Whoosh!

His movement froze. Almost by instinct he drew his sword, spun, and stepped in front of Wenyue, his sharp gaze fixed on the shadows across the courtyard!

Out of the thick darkness, a figure slowly emerged.

The Shadow Guard knew the power radiating from that figure all too well. It was identical to that of the culprit who had nearly destroyed half of Lungmen more than a decade ago.

"Lady Wenyue, be careful."

The Shadow Guard lowered his voice and raised his sword tip slightly. At the same moment, several more equally dark figures materialized from the shadows around the courtyard, and a net of invisible killing intent closed in.

The air stood still.

"Wait!"

Wenyue's voice rang out suddenly, with a rare tremor that was almost excitement.

She pushed past the guard shielding her and took a step forward, her eyes locked on the figure now fully emerged from the shadows.

It was the face of a stranger, a Victorian, utterly unremarkable.

But Wenyue's gaze seemed to pierce that disguise and see the true face hidden beneath it.

"It's been a long time, Aunt Wenyue."

The figure walked slowly into the lamplight and removed the disguise device from beside her ear, revealing a head of neat silver hair.

Talulah looked at the woman before her, both familiar and strange, and a trace of tenderness softened her face.

Wenyue covered her mouth with one hand. The princess of Yan hadn't lost her composure like this in a very long time. Yet she still rushed forward and pulled the silver-haired figure into her arms.

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