Chapter 172: Ultimatum (Patreon)

Qingge should have felt her blood racing into her head, her heart beating like a drum, drowning out the world around her. Instead, she only felt cold, bitter dread. She didn’t know if it was her tiredness, the fact that she had just reached the very conclusion that Elder Zhong’s arrival confirmed, or the knowledge that any attempt to fight, run or call for help would be utterly useless in a situation like this.

“I am here to kill you.”, Elder Zhong stated, her tone cold and definitive.

Qingge nodded weakly. She’d already figured that.

“If it’s any consolidation, I’ll make sure it’s over quickly and you won’t feel a thing.”

If it wasn’t her life on the line, Qingge would have snorted at the absurdity of starting a conversation like that. Instead, she just stared at the shadowy figure before her. There was an otherworldly beauty to her pale, unblemished face. It seemed like an unfinished painting drawn into the real world.

Qingge shivered. She felt like her blood was slowly freezing solid. Her mind was numb without a thought.

Elder Zhong continued, a hint of regret creeping into her tone.

“I should let you know that the fault for this situation lies neither with you, nor with your master. It is solely I, who am at fault.”

Master Wei. The mention of the old man conjured his image into Qingge’s mind. The long, white beard, that he’d run his hand through; the thoughtful, concentrated gaze that seemed the like the gateway to an entire world of wisdom; the knowing smile, as he guided her towards a conclusion that would inevitably appear obvious as soon as she had reached it. The thought of him seemed like a tiny flame deep inside her, that driving back the cold that was creeping into her limbs.

The smallest hint of a smile appeared on Qingge’s face at the memory. She’d often thought of him when she was in hopeless situations, like this one. And, without fail, he’d appeared just in the nick of time. She saw him stepping out of the darkness as she was staggering through an endless labyrinth of tunnels deep beneath the earth. Appearing at the horizon like a second sunrise when their defeat at the hands of the Roaring Thunder Sect had seemed inevitable.

He wouldn’t be here to save her this time. Couldn’t be here. She was on her own. The flame inside Qingge flickered, letting the cold creep closer again.

He’d told her as much when he’d departed. That he wouldn’t be here to assure her safety. But he’d also told her that he trusted her to keep herself safe. The flame roared, driving off the cold.

For a moment, Qingge felt like her master was standing right next to her, his hand on her shoulder, as if to reassure her that she could handle this. A resolve built inside Qingge, driving away the paralyzing dread. And her mind began to race.

“I will give you some time to make your peace, before-”

“It’s your daughter, isn’t it?”

For a moment, Elder Zhong’s emotionless expression seemed to waver ever so slightly.

“Liting. The one who went missing.”, Qingge continued. She would survive. Or at least, she wouldn’t die not having tried everything in her power to do so.

“…Yes.”

The only way out of this situation, that much was certain, was talking. So Qingge talked.

“Elder Xia is holding her captive. She has ordered you to kill me.”

“Yes. Though I struggle to understand, how you could possibly have come to know this.”

“She wants you to clash with my master.”, Qingge pressed on laying out what she knew, even though none of this would be any news to Elder Zhong.

“She does.”

“My master will kill you.”, Qingge stated. It was the first thing she’d said that she didn’t express like a question she was seeking confirmation on. It was something she was certain about.

Elder Zhong stayed silent for a while, before replying.

“Perhaps.” Her voice remained cold. “But my daughter will live.”

“Will she?”

“Without me, there won’t be a reason to keep her captive any longer.”

“Or to keep he alive any longer.”, Qingge retorted immediately. “She could expose what happened, after all. Elder Xia strikes me as the type of person to tie up all the loose ends.”

“Enough members of my family know, and they are instructed to reveal the entire truth in the event that my daughter is killed, or remains imprisoned after my death. Elder Xia knows that as well, and she won’t take that risk.”

Qingge nodded. It wasn’t surprising that someone like Elder Zhong had already had that possibility in mind and formulated a contingency plan.

“That is, assuming they aren’t caught in the fallout of my master’s wrath, and that Elder Xia doesn’t get to them first, yes?”

“That it is.”

Elder Zhong’s expression remained unreadable, her shadowy figure still standing over Qingge, unmoving. But somehow, Qingge didn’t feel as threatened anymore.

“And then?”, she asked, straightening her back. “She will remain behind, without the protection of her mother, part of a leaderless family as the sect falls into turmoil? Free, but always under the watchful eyes of the Xia Family, just waiting for a good opportunity to rid themselves of her permanently? That is the future you envision for your daughter?”

Elder Zhong remained silent, letting the question hang in the air for a long time. For a moment, Qingge began to wonder if she had pushed it too far. Then, the shadows surrounding Elder Zhong fell away, and color began to return to her face.

Her expression didn’t change, but somehow, instead of intimidating, she seemed only tired and fragile now. When she spoke again, her quiet voice was filled with sorrow and regret.

“I don’t have a choice. I have already defied her twice. The first time, she sent me my daughter’s severed finger. The second time…”

“…her hand.”, Qingge completed the sentence.

“You know quite a lot.”, Elder Zhong stated flatly.

“It was more a stroke of luck than anything else.”, Qingge admitted.

“The disciple that overheard the meeting last month. I take it he woke up?”

“Yes.”

“I see. And his state?”

“He will make a recovery.”

“Good… Now, as I said, I cannot defy Elder Xia’s wishes again, no matter the consequence.”

Qingge nodded slowly, taking her time to think before settling on an answer.

“But I can.”

Elder Zhong raised a brow.

“I am to kill you. Tonight. And leave your body behind with evidence of my guilt. How could you defy me?”

Qingge swallowed her fear, which was once again threatening to rise up, before answering with a question of her own.

“Has Elder Xia been having me monitored?”

She held her breath. The answer to this question was vital to the idea she was beginning to form.

“No. She’s left that task to us; in case someone gets spotted.”

“Then does she know for certain that I am here at this very moment?”

“…No.”

Qingge breathed a sigh of relief. If she had known, there would have been little she could have done.

“Then I was at the library. Staying with Zixin after his awakening earlier tonight. Approaching me under Elder Yuan’s watch would have been too risky. The assassination could have failed, and your involvement revealed early.”

A glint of understanding shone in Elder Zhong’s eyes.

“Zixin’s recovery is going badly. He’s not regained any memory, and can barely speak. Since he was trained by my master in the past, I feel responsible for his wellbeing and am staying by his side for the foreseeable future.”

Elder Zhong nodded slowly.

“Not a bad alibi. But Elder Xia won’t let that stay her hand for long. Your master has already found the planted evidence for the Zhong Family’s involvement in the assassination and is going to return soon. She has to have me act before he is back.”

Qingge understood the problem that it posed, but her face still lit up at the confirmation that Master Wei was returning.

“I will find a way to free your daughter. Then Elder Xia will have no leverage over you anymore.”

“So I am to risk my daughter’s wellbeing on your ability to outsmart Elder Xia… and on you not simply revealing all of this to the other elders.”

“Is the alternative any better?”

Elder Zhong closed her eyes, appearing to be deep in thought. When she opened them again, there was a deep resolve in them.

“You have figured out an impressive amount about the situation, considering you only had a couple of hours to think about it. Elder Wei is lucky to have you as his disciple… I shall put my trust in you. You may involve those you deem necessary allies in this matter, but do not inform them of this agreement. Never. You have until your master returns to the sect. If you haven’t succeeded by then, I will have to follow Elder Xia’s orders… and the library will not keep you safe.”

Elder Zhong turned around to leave, before stopping at the door once more, speaking without turning around.

“Oh, yes… My daughter is not in the Xia Family’s estate. She paid with her finger for that information. My hope rests upon your success.”

With that, she vanished, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Qingge took a deep breath and let herself drop onto her bed. She was only now realizing how tense every muscle in her body had been.

She’d survived. For now.

But now, she had a monumental task before her.

Damn it.

No time to lose. She jumped up from her bed, slipped back into her robes and began hastily throwing important stuff into a bundle of cloth. Fortunately, most of her possessions were being stored in the spatial rings she had acquired to hold her share of the spoils of the war, so it didn’t take long to pack up what she considered essential.

She scribbled a short note to Daiyu – who was still sleeping in the room right next to her –, explaining that she wouldn’t be able to come to the Enforcement Hall tomorrow and asking her to send Elder Shi to her as soon as possible, and put it onto the table in their shared living space. Then, headed off towards the library for the second time this night.