DDD Chapter 131: More Trouble From Zayne (Patreon)

A few minutes later, I found myself back in Zayne’s room within Big Sis Sidra’s courtyard. Nothing much had changed since I was last here, just a few hours ago. Well, except for the blood. Elliot must have cleaned all of it up. Crystal lamps illuminated the room, since it was evening now.

Zayne himself laid on his bed, asleep and wrapped up in bandages. The smell of medicine wafted off of him. Harlow and I stood next to him on one side of the bed, while Elliot stood opposite of us on the other side. I still felt warm and lightheaded after drinking spirit wine with Mom, so I was a little unsteady on my feet. Harlow gave me a concerned look.

“We can postpone this until later.” she said. “This is important, but not urgent.”

I shook my head.

“No,” I said, “Let’s get this over with. There’s no point in delaying.”

Harlow studied me for a moment, before nodding.

“In that case,” she said. “I’ll let Cultivator Elliot begin.”

I looked at my brother-in-law.

“As you ordered,” Elliot began. “I cleaned up Cultivator Zayne and took care of his wounds. However, when I examined his body with my spirit sense, I found something interesting. I asked Cultivator Harlow to examine Cultivator Zayne as well, just to be sure.” He nodded to Harlow. “She confirmed my findings.”

I gave him an annoyed look.

“And?” I asked. “What did you find?”

Elliot gestured to Zayne.

“Rather than explain,” he said. “It’s better for you to see it for yourself.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Mere hours ago, I decided to cut ties with Clan Wind Dance and cast off the Wind Dance name. I wanted nothing to do with them, with a few exceptions. Zayne was not one of those exceptions. If we never saw each other again after the Rising Heroes Tournament ended, it would be too soon.

However, as annoyed as I felt, I trusted Elliot and Harlow. If they said that I needed to see this, then I believed them. So, I sighed before I grasped Zayne’s arm and examined his body with my spirit sense.

Right away, I noticed something strange about Zayne’s meridians. They looked unusual. I had never seen anything like it before. The more I saw, the more confused I became. However, when I examined Zayne’s dantian, my confusion cleared up. I let go of Zayne’s arm and stared down at him, horrified.

“He’s a human cauldron,” I whispered.

The structure of Zayne’s meridians and dantian resembled that of an alchemy furnace. I recognized it right away, thanks to my proficiency in alchemy, though I would need to take a closer look to be sure. Whenever Zayne cultivated, most of it would be condensed into a pill. That pill then could be removed from Zayne and ingested by someone else, letting them benefit from his hard work.

“Yes.” Harlow said.

I gave her a baffled look.

“Why?” I asked. “Zayne has mediocre talent when it comes to cultivation. Why would anyone turn him into a human cauldron? That’s a lot of work for so little reward.” I paused as the implications hit me. “Unless…”

I trailed off, before I picked up Zayne’s arm again and examined his body once more. This time I focused on his spirit root. To my surprise, Zayne had a heavenly wind spirit, like Lucius and Clarissa. I retracted my spirit sense and let go of his arm.

“He had excellent aptitude this entire time.” I muttered, almost speaking to myself. “The reason why he was so slow was because someone kept stealing his cultivation from him.”

I was stunned, to say the least. This revelation upended everything I knew about Zayne and made me see him in a new light.

“I thought so as well.” Elliot said with a nod. “However, I asked Cultivator Harlow to take a second look, just to make sure. She is a healer and more of an alchemist than I am.”

“After I examined Cultivator Zayne and confirmed that someone had turned him into a human cauldron,” Harlow said, picking up the conversation, “Cultivator Elliot and I investigated the contents of his storage ring, to see if we could find any clues.” She pulled a manual out of her own storage ring and held it out to me. “We found this.”

I took the manual and started reading it. It contained knowledge for a cultivation technique called Cleansing Gale. According to the manual, people with certain physiques produced impurities that clogged up their meridians, making it difficult for them to cultivate. To even try, they needed a special cultivation technique in order to cleanse their body and remove the impurities from their meridians.

The manual then outlined the mnemonics necessary to practice the Cleansing Gale cultivation technique. Right away, thanks to my proficiency in alchemy, I noticed something wrong. Despite the manual’s claim, it was obvious that the “Cleansing Gale” cultivation technique was nothing more than a sham. It didn’t cleanse or purify the body. Instead, it turned its practitioners into human cauldrons. However, if someone without any knowledge of cultivation or alchemy read this manual, that would be a different story.

“Someone tricked Zayne into turning himself into a human cauldron.” I said after I finished reading the manual.

In fact, I already knew who it was. Rather, I suspected them. However, I didn’t have any hard evidence. Not that it mattered.

“After we found that manual and read it,” Harlow said, “We decided to tell you about this matter and let you decide what to do next.”

I took a moment before responding.

“Why do I need to do anything?” I asked, glaring down at Zayne’s face. “Clan Wind Dance and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. Zayne and I are strangers now. Why should I care about the fate of a stranger?”

Elliot and Harlow glanced at one another.

“What do you mean?” Harlow asked with a frown.

I told them about my newfound resolution to cast off the Wind Dance name and sever ties with Clan Wind Dance.

“So,” I said after I finished, “This has nothing to do with me, and I see no reason to get involved.”

Harlow studied me for several moments.

“Are you trying to convince us?” She asked. “Or yourself?”

I opened my mouth to respond, and found that I couldn’t.

“If you don’t want to get involved in this matter, I’m fine with that.” Harlow said. “I may be a healer, but Cultivator Zayne is a disciple from a hostile sect. His life means nothing to me.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “However, I know it’s different for you.”

I glared at her.

“As I said, Zayne and I are strangers now.” I said. “His fate has nothing to do with me. Even if I hadn’t severed ties with Clan Wind Dance, why would I do anything to help Zayne? Other than my uncle, he’s the one I hate the most. Do you think I’m softhearted enough to help someone who tormented me for most of my childhood?”

Harlow didn’t respond. She just gave me a look. For some reason, that just angered me even further.

“There’s no need to look further into this matter.” I said. “Once Zayne’s injuries heal, we can send him back to Clan Wind Dance and forget about it entirely.”

With that, I turned on my heel and marched towards the door. I just made it past the threshold when I stopped in place. Several seconds later, I heaved out a resigned sigh.

“Damn it!” I shouted.

I marched back into Zayne’s room and stopped at the foot of his bed, glaring at him. Elliot and Harlow shared a look, as if they had expected this outcome.

“Not another word.” I growled, glaring at both of them.

Harlow gave me an amused look, while Elliot’s eyes danced with mirth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Harlow said.

“We didn’t say anything, Young Master.” Elliot said.

I rolled my eyes at them, before I focused on Zayne once more and frowned. As much as I despised him, and wanted nothing more to do with him, I couldn’t leave him like this. If the person who tricked him was who I thought it was, then Zayne was a pitiful and tragic figure.

The person he loved and trusted the most viewed him as nothing more than a tool. They should’ve guided him and taught him. Instead, they exploited him for their own gain. From a certain perspective, he suffered more than I had. At least no one in Clan Wind Dance had turned me into a cauldron.

This led me to wonder about Zayne’s actions, both past and present. I always saw him as arrogant, talentless, and lazy. He was someone who preferred to indulge himself in pleasurable pastimes rather than train or cultivate. That was one of the reasons why I looked down on him, even back when I was mortal.

However, how much of it was Zayne’s natural inclinations, and how much of it was another person’s influence? What if a certain someone led him down the wrong path, so that he would never break free from their control?

I shook my head. It didn’t matter. While I resolved myself to help Zayne, that didn’t mean I was going to go out of my way for him. As much as I pitied him, my hatred outweighed my pity. I would do the minimum, but no more.

“Elliot,” I said, “Deliver a message to Lucius. Tell him I want to meet with him as soon as possible.” I nodded to Zayne. “We’ll tell him about Zayne’s condition. Lucius can handle the rest from there. As the heir to Clan Wind Dance, this matter is his responsibility.”

Elliot nodded.

“I shall see it done before the end of the night.” He said.

He walked out of the room, leaving me alone with Harlow. She smirked at me.

“What?” I snapped, still in a foul mood.

Harlow’s smirk widened.

“I knew you wouldn’t just walk away without doing something.” She said.

I let out a derisive snort.

“Yes, yes.” I said. “I’m a softhearted fool. I know.”

Harlow shook her head, before walking over to my side and pulling me into an embrace. Her slender body felt soft and the smell of medicine teased my nose.

“Yes, you can be a softhearted fool at times.” she said, looking up at me. “Do you remember how you stepped forward to protect Sister Clarissa from Cultivator Diana? When we took the entrance exam?”

I nodded. Years ago, during the entrance exam that I participated in to join the Dawn and Dusk Sect, Cultivator Diana mocked and derided Clarissa. No one stepped in because Cultivator Diana’s family were part of a prominent clan within the Dawn and Dusk Sect, Clan Verdant Lotus. However, I intervened when I couldn’t stand it anymore. This resulted in a short-lived feud with Clarissa and myself on one side, and Cultivator Diana on the other.

“What about it?” I asked in a grumpy tone.

“It worked out in the end.” Harlow said. “Sister Clarissa joined our group and she played a key part in our passing the entrance exam. Without her, we might have failed. Others may see your kindness as a weakness, but it can also be a strength.” She nodded towards Zayne. “Your actions tonight may end up benefiting you in ways you hadn’t foreseen.”

I scoffed.

“I doubt it.” I said. “After this is all over, I wanted nothing more to do with Clan Wind Dance, with a few exceptions.” I shrugged. “Besides, we don’t know if Lucius will be able to help Zayne at all.”

Harlow just gave me a soft smile.

“We’ll see.” She said.

***

A little after that, Harlow and I headed back to my courtyard. We had a few days before the Rising Heroes Tournament resumed, and I wanted to spend that time training and cultivating. I didn’t want to spend it dealing with Clan Wind Dance’s nonsense. So, the two of us went to bed early.

Ellen and Willow waited for me in my bedroom. I explained Zayne’s situation to both of them. Like Harlow, they were amused by my decision to help him, even if it was just the bare minimum. Afterwards, the three of us went to bed.

Ever since my uncle agreed to let me marry Willow, the three of us shared a bed each night. We each took turns being in the center. Nothing lascivious happened, since Willow wasn’t ready for that yet, but I didn’t care. It felt nice to share a bed with both of my wives.

However, a few hours after I fell asleep, Elliot woke me up by speaking to me through telepathy. It took me a moment to get my bearings, since I was still a little muddle-headed from all the spirit wine I drank. When I shook off my drowsiness, I cast my spirit sense out and found Elliot waiting right outside of my bedroom.

‘Elliot?’ My telepathic voice sounded groggy. ‘What time is it?’

‘It’s two hours after midnight, Darian.’ Elliot responded.

I closed my eyes and counted to ten in my mind.

‘Why did you wake me up two hours after midnight?’ I asked in a sharp tone.

Even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I didn’t enjoy waking up in the middle of the night.

‘Cultivator Lucius is here.’ He said.

My eyes snapped open again.

‘What?’ I asked. ‘Already?’

I felt Elliot’s amusement through our telepathic bond.

‘You did say that you wanted to see him as soon as possible.’ He said.

I rolled my eyes.

‘I know.’ I said. ‘However, I thought he would come at a more reasonable hour!’

Elliot’s amusement deepened.

‘Should I tell him to come back then?’ He asked.

I gave him the telepathic equivalent of a withering look.

‘No.’ I said. ‘I’m already awake, so I might as well meet with him and get this over with.’

I got out of bed, making sure not to disturb Ellen and Willow, before leaving my bedroom. Due to the late hour, all of the lamps in my courtyard were unlit, leaving it in complete darkness. However, that wasn’t much of an impediment for me.

‘Where is he?’ I asked.

Elliot gestured for me to follow him.

‘This way.’ He said.

Together, the two of us headed towards Big Sis Sidra’s courtyard. We were the only ones out and about at this late hour. Unlike my courtyard, crystal lamps illuminated the rest of Dragon Palace with dim light. We found Lucius waiting for us just outside of Big Sis Sidra’s courtyard. He wore an icy expression on his face.

“Cultivator Darian.” Lucius said in a quiet voice. Even so, I heard a chill in his words. “I’m here for my kin. Where is he?”

It took me a moment to remember that the two of us were pretending to be on bad terms with one another, since we belonged to opposing sects. Anyone who knew us would see through the act in an instant, but the pretense would let us avoid a lot of trouble.

“Cultivator Lucius,” I said, scowling at him, “Couldn’t this have waited until morning? I was experiencing a rather enjoyable dream.”

Lucius snorted.

“Consider this revenge for the inconvenience you caused by keeping my kin prisoner.” He said.

I rolled my eyes at Lucius, before I walked past him and gestured for him to follow me. At the same time, I cast my spirit sense out to search for Big Sis Sidra. While I had her permission to enter her courtyard whenever I wanted, it was polite to let her know I was here. However, I didn’t sense her presence. She must have been still out on official business.

Lucius and Elliot followed me as we made our way to Zayne’s room. Big Sis Sidra’s courtyard wasn’t lit at all, but the three of us had no trouble navigating our way through the dark. Lucius dropped his icy mask the moment we entered Zayne’s room and closed the door behind us.

“What’s wrong, Darian?” He asked. “Why did you ask me to come here?”

I grimaced.

“It’s better if you see it for yourself.” I said.

I led him to Zayne, who slept peacefully. This irked me, and I resisted the urge to slap him. We were going through all this trouble, and the one in the center of it all wasn’t even aware of it.

Lucius frowned when he saw Zayne’s condition. While Elliot did a good job cleaning him up and bandaging his wounds, Zayne still looked beaten and battered.

“Did you have to go this far?” Lucius asked with a sigh.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“This is mild compared to what he put me through.” I said. “However, that isn’t why I asked you to come here.” I nodded to Zayne. “Examine him and you’ll see what I mean.”

Lucius picked up Zayne’s arm and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, when he opened them again, he wore a horrified expression on his face. He looked at me.

“Is this what I think it is?” Lucius asked.

I nodded with a grim expression on my face.

“Yes.” I said. “Someone turned Zayne into a human cauldron. And no, before you ask, it wasn’t me.”

Lucius shook his head.

“I know this wasn’t you.” He said. “Demon or not, you’re not the kind of person who would do this.”

Lucius’ faith in me filled me with warmth. My cheeks heated up. I coughed to hide my embarrassment, before pulling the manual for the Cleansing Gale cultivation technique out of my storage ring.

“Here,” I said, “This was in Zayne’s storage ring. I believe it’s the cultivation technique he practices.”

Lucius took the manual and summoned a mote of light. While it was possible for Foundation Establishment cultivators like us to read in the dark, it was more comfortable with light. Lucius began reading the manual. His expression grew darker and darker the more he read. When he finished, he looked ready to kill someone.

“As you might guess,” I said, “Someone tricked Zayne into practicing this technique, thus turning him into a human cauldron.” I gave him a serious look. “You and I both know who is responsible for this.”

Lucius clenched his jaw.

“You don’t know that for sure.” He said, though he sounded uncertain.

I snorted.

“Who was responsible for teaching Zayne?” I asked. “This isn’t a rhetorical question. I don’t actually know. I never bothered to find out.”

Lucius remained silent for several moments before responding.

“My mother.” He said, sounding bitter.

I thought as much. Senior Lucille treasured Zayne and treated him like her own son. In fact, sometimes she treated him better than she treated Lucius. Before today, I thought it was because Zayne was the son of Senior Lucille’s favorite brother.

However, after finding out about Zayne’s condition, she was the first person that came to mind. Senior Lucille treasured him because he was a human cauldron with a heavenly spirit root. Keeping him around benefited her.

“Even if your mother wasn’t the one who gave Zayne that manual and turned him into a human cauldron,” I said, “She knew about it. There was no way she didn’t.”

Lucius closed his eyes as his shoulders slumped.

“I…” He began, before trailing off. “I knew from a young age that my parents were not good people. My father is greedy, ambitious, and fearful. Meanwhile, my mother is vain, cruel, and ruthless.” He opened his eyes and held up the manual. “But this? I never expected either of them to resort to demonic practices like this.”

Demonic techniques and practices could be sorted into two broad categories. There were techniques that dealt with actual demons and demonic qi. And then there were techniques and practices that were considered demonic because of their harmful effects, both towards their practitioners and other people. The Cleansing Gale cultivation technique belonged to the latter category.

“I’m not surprised.” I said. “Then again, I am biased against your entire family. Well, except for you, of course.”

Lucius glared at me for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

“What am I going to do?” He muttered to himself.

“That’s a good question.” I said. “What are you going to do? Now that I’ve brought this to your attention, my part in this is over. As the heir to Clan Wind Dance, dealing with this is your responsibility.”

Lucius gave me a helpless look.

“Thank you, Darian,” he said in a sardonic tone, “I much appreciate this gift.”

I smiled at him.

“You’re welcome!” I said with complete sincerity.

Lucius let out a bitter chuckle, before he walked over to a nearby chair and sat down.

“I don’t know if there is anything I can do.” He said. “If I tried to expose my mother’s misdeeds, my father would suppress the matter. There is no way she did this to Zayne without my father’s approval. At the very least, he knew about it and turned a blind eye.” He shook his head with a disgusted expression on his face. “After what happened with you and Cultivator Willow, my father can’t afford to lose any more face. The clan elders are already voicing their discontent. He’ll do everything in his power to preserve what little face he has left. I may be his son and heir, but there is a limit to what I can do.”

I raised an eyebrow at that.

“Are you sure you should be telling me this?” I asked. “I’m an outsider.”

Lucius snorted.

“You’re not an outsider.” he said. “You may not look like a Wind Dance, nor do you practice our cultivation techniques, but you are still a Wind Dance.”

I shook my head.

“Not for much longer.” I said in a quiet voice.

I explained my resolution to sever ties with Clan Wind Dance and forsake the Wind Dance name. Lucius frowned when he heard this.

“With a few exceptions,” I said. “I never want to deal with Clan Wind Dance ever again.”

Lucius studied me for several moments, before nodding.

“I see.” He said. “Well, I don’t blame you, given what happened. Still, this doesn’t change anything between us. I will always consider you family.”

I smiled at him.

“Thank you.” I said. “I feel the same way.” My smile faded and I nodded towards Zayne. “So, what will you do about Zayne?”

Lucius frowned in thought.

“At the very least, I’ll need to get him away from my mother.” He said. “Which means I can’t bring him back to Clan Wind Dance.” He glanced at me. “If I do, my mother will never let him go again. She might even lock him up.”

A sense of foreboding filled me.

“More than that,” Lucius continued, “I don’t know if there is any way to reverse what happened to Zayne. Even unraveling his cultivation may not work. I need time to figure out a solution.”

“You don’t want me to keep him here, do you?” I asked before he went further.  “I told you, my part in this is over.”

Lucius gave me a pleading look.

“Only until I figure out what to do.” He said. “Please, Darian. As a favor to me.”

I scowled at him. However, before I could respond, Elliot cleared his throat. Lucius and I both looked at him.

“Forgive me for interrupting,” Elliot said, “However, is there any reason to go this far?” He looked at me. “Darian, you owe Cultivator Zayne nothing. You already did enough by bringing this matter to Cultivator Lucius’ attention.” He turned towards Lucius. “Cultivator Zayne has a heavenly spirit root. If you help him, he may become a threat to your position as the heir to Clan Wind Dance.” He looked between the two of us. “Why not leave things as they are? Cultivator Zayne has done nothing to earn your help. In fact, doing so is against your interests.”

Lucius and I glanced at one another and shared a nod, before looking back at Elliot.

“As the heir to Clan Wind Dance,” Lucius said, sitting up straighter, “It is my responsibility to look after the wellbeing of my kin.” He glanced at me. “I may not always succeed, but I must at least make the attempt.”

I gestured to Lucius.

“I’m doing this as a favor for my cousin.” I said.

Elliot looked between the two of us.

“I see where Darian gets it now.” He muttered.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, another voice spoke up.

“I could take care of Cultivator Zayne for you.”