72. Found
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Luoyin awoke to the familiar but annoying sensation of being unable to move, and he stilled as a damp cloth fell on his forehead.
'What the- ?!' His eyes flew open to find Weiyan incredibly close, and he drew in a sharp breath.
'Think of the devil, and he appears?! 'No wonder I can't move!'
This was surely the same qi-blocking technique Xu Weiyan had used on him the day he awakened as Luoyin... The night she had snuck into the Zhang residence!
Meanwhile Weiyan had noticed he was awake, and her hands froze.
"I'm sorry." She spoke softly. "You were tossing and turning, and I couldn't get through to you." She explained.
Weiyan had been playing the pipa in her room, when her fingers suddenly faltered, and a strange feeling washed over her, and her hand flew to her chest as the strange orb flared within her again.
The orb hadn't flared since the wedding, so she had assumed it was her imagination, but here it was again, and the intensity sent her shooting to her feet.
There was a flash of aura which surrounded her with the same five-colour flames from the eye-eater incident, and a sudden urgency filled her heart, making her run out and fly onto a roof, following the tiny tugs on her heart's strings.
"It's indeed connected to him!" She realized, staring down into Luoyin's courtyard.
Then she leapt down and hurried in without hesitation to find Luoyin writhing in discomfort...
"You have a high fever." She explained at present, resuming her damp-cloth assault. "Forgive me for being rude."
And like that first night in the Zhang Household, she boldly proceeded to undo his robes to his waist, softly dabbing at his chest and abs with the damp cloth.
Luoyin assumed the disrespect would make him nearly spit blood again, but instead, a feeling hotter than this fever was beginning to surround him, and he found his eyes entranced by her, noting the way her skin seemed to glow in the soft candlelight.
Barely two weeks had passed since their wedding, and since then, he had subconsciously avoided Xu Weiyan as often as possible, making a point of mostly remaining in his courtyard once he set foot in the household...
There were a few inevitable glances, each time drawing his helpless eyes towards Xu Weiyan, but at those time, she hastily glanced away, reaffirming his belief that this was merely a marriage of interests.
But then...
During the 2nd Stage she had boldly placed herself on his team, and now she was here like this, making him face something he hadn't bothered with in thousands of years...
Temptation!
But he wasn't a flippant person. If he dared move in Xu Weiyan's direction, then he would accompany her to the bitter end.
So was he really ready to let go of Yan Liwei...?
Meanwhile, free from the burden of any previous loves, Weiyan secretly marveled at the beautiful individual lying before her, and was presently resisting a mysterious temptation to to run her fingers along his chest, down his abs and to...
Her heartbeat increased in speed, and her face burned, making her hastily duck out of sight, dunking the cloth in cold water and wringing it out slowly.
Luoyin did not miss such an amusing sight, and he resisted an urge to smirk. Was Xu Weiyan not supposed to be a prim and proper lady?
"Xu Weiyan, isn't this a bad habit?" He asked with a deliberate sigh. He would have shaken his head for effect if it were possible. "Rendering full grown men immobile and then having your way with them... It's improper!"
"D- Don't put it that way!" Weiyan straightened, revealing a face redder than a plum's, and Luoyin found himself in awe of how beautiful she looked in that moment...
But before he could 'awe' any further, an amused burst of laughter drew his irises to the far corner of the room, where an invisible Yinying sat laughing.
~"Heh! Xiaobai, so you can tease a fair maiden like this?!"~ Yinyingpoked between snickers. ~"Is the iron tree finally blooming again?! I honestly didn't think you still had it in you!"~
~"Roll!"~ Luoyin ordered, and Yinying disappeared.
"What's wrong?" Weiyan was mildly confused at Luoyin's furrowed brows, and she followed his gaze.
He hastily relaxed his brows. "Ah, it's nothing... I'm fine now, so release me." He said.
Weiyan seemed skeptical, considering the state she had found him in, and she touched the back of one hand to his forehead, noting he was still burning hot.
However, he was now awake, and she was here to watch him, so she held up her fore and middle fingers. "Release."
Luoyin felt a mild tingle, and he could move again.
"Here..." Weiyan held out a small bowl with a greenish brown tonic. "These are herbs that can suppress most fevers."
A strong herbal scent shot up Luoyin's nostrils, and he raised a brow. "Er d- did you make it yourself?"
Her head dipped in a slight nod.
She had indeed made the tonic, because on that night of worries, Tong had said, "My Lady, you can also show care by personally making a loving and rejuvenating tonic when he's tired or ill!"
But at present, this only made Luoyin anxious... 'What medical experience was used to cook this?!'
Still, he couldn't smell anything harmful from the tonic, and she had personally made it. Wouldn't it be rude to refuse it?
He hesitantly accepted the bowl and took a sip, which nearly had him spitting it back out!
'A Supreme surpasses the realm of bitterness! How long did she boil these herbs to make them greater than *goldthread and gentian?!'
(*Two of the most bitter chinese herbal roots!)
"H- how is it?" She asked, not quite meeting his eyes.
"Mmm!" Luoyin nodded, forcing himself to swallow. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and hastily gulped down the rest.
But that brought a small smile to Weiyan's face. 'Such enthusiasm!'
"Don't worry! You go back to sleep first..." She said with some pride. "I'll make more for you tomorrow!"
That sounded about as assuring as a death threat to Luoyin! But he lay back down without complaint, one singular thought in his mind...
'I must seal off the kitchens tomorrow!'
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A pair of booted feet landed atop a nine-tier tower, overlooking the vast Yue City, and a rustle of golden robes settled around the feet.
"Old friend... Is this where you're hiding?" A voice was saying. "I should have guessed it... Who else could so easily birth a Divine Tiger?"
Atop the tower, Zhurong Tianlong's irises darted left and right, his expression, a mix of longing and uncertainty.
It was ironic...
A little earlier, he had been attending a wedding between two High Immortals, all the while, his thoughts on a different, much older wedding, between Yin Bailong and Yan LiWei, when he had suddenly felt it.
'Bailong's Pearl again!'
It was perhaps excusable to miss the Dragon Pearl the first time it flared. It had been brief and sudden.
But he wouldn't be much of a Sky Emperor, or even a dragon, if he missed it a second time, so he had instantly vanished from the wedding, reappeared in the skies, and then fully transformed into a dragon for the first time in thousands of years.
And in dragon form, he had been able to latch onto the Orb's fast vanishing flare and follow it here, transforming back just before he broke through the Mortal skies.
"Old friend, it's really you... right?"
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Meanwhile, at around the same time, Yin Xing had been out on a walk with Yan Linfeng, enjoying the sights of the hidden Yan Clan.
But upon sensing Bailong's dragon pearl, he halted his steps.
'Not good! Brother's pearl is flaring again!'
Yan Linfeng bumped into him from behind. "Ow! Why did you suddenly stop?!"
Yin Xing turned, cupped his hand and bowed. "Thanks for healing me all this while! I have to leave quickl-!"
"Oh? So you can also sense his dragon pearl..." An amused voice cut him off, and in a mild flash of green light, an unlikely guest appeared. "Are you perhaps rushing off to warn your brother of his impending doom?"
Fate Immortal, Fei Yun, stood regally before them in a resplendent set of green robes, an elegant fan in one hand, and his other hand folded behind his back.
Yin Xing gave a small polite bow which lacked all sincerity. "Fate Immortal Fei. What brings you?"
Technically, he and Fei Yun were on the same level, but Fei Yun was older, and his elder brother's old friend, so he should be respectful... But Yin Xing could neither respect nor forgive such a friend-turned-enemy.
Fei Yun simply scoffed. "Xiaoxing, no need for such perfunctory acts. I merely wanted to see things for myself, but you're quite hard to find... You even left so many clones at Starry Pavillion."
Fei Yun had been looking for Yin Xing, but to no avail. Fortunately, he suspected Bailong was hiding in the Mortal Realm, so he had searched through the Fate Mirrors for Yin Xing, which had brought him here...
"I didn't want to believe you were hiding anything, but Yin Xiaolong has been alive for so long, yet our dear 'Night Immortal' still finds nothing in the stars.... One can't help but doubt.
"Also, wasn't your reaction just now a bit suspicious?"
Yin Xing gave another bow, making sure to raise the level of 'perfunctory'. "I don't know what you're talking about... I sensed my brother's orb, and I'm now going to look for him.
"You can visit Starry Pavillion later... I'll help you search the stars yourself!"
"You-!" Fei Yun let out an annoyed breath. "I'm not here to argue with you... I'm merely reminding you what will happen if A-Tian-... if the Sky Emperor discovers any betrayal. Hmph!" He shut his fan, flung his sleeves, and swivelled, vanishing as he did so.
Yin Xing let out a relieved breath, but he knew this was far from over.
First it was his second brother, Yin Zhi, and now it was the Fate Immortal Fei Yun...
Yan Linfeng shot him a side long glance. "Is Yin Xiaolong really alive?" She asked, not really expecting an answer, but surprisingly, Yin Xing turned to her.
~"He's alive! But I need your help in keeping him that way!"~ He switched to telepathy because this was the Mortal Realm- Fei Yun's turf, and Fei Yun might still be lingering around.
Yan Linfeng was shocked to find out Yin Xiaolong was alive, and she wondered whether she shouldn't simply step away, placing a firm distance between her and this issue.
Her sister's actions, though she couldn't be blamed for a single one, had ultimately harmed the *Yan Clan, and their father, the King of Swallows, had never recovered.
(*Yan = Swallow)
Now, Linfeng was in charge of the Swallows... Would she make the same mistakes? Put her own selfish desires first?
But as she looked up at Yin Ying's anxious face, she could instantly understand her sister's actions, and she took Yin Ying's hands.
~"What do I need to do?"~ She asked resolutely, and Yin Xing smiled.
~"Hmph! Help me give Fate Immortal Fei an irresistible smoke trail!"~
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