บท 31: Betrayal?
Jin Wang was lying on a couch within the reception area of the inn, lazily raising his head when he heard Yin Long and Lan Yun descend the stairs. He rose from the couch and hopped down, stretching his entire body in a slow and drawn out manner, waiting for Yin Long and Lan Yun to reach him before he bothered to stop his stretching. Yin Long couldn't help but stop temporarily when Jin Wang took up position next to him, his gaze roaming over Jin Wang's body for a bit.
"Have you grown larger?"
Yin Long considered himself to have a fairly good memory so he was certain that his guess was correct, Jin Wang seemed to have gotten a few centimeters larger than he was when they embarked on the mission. Jin Wang raised his head proudly upon hearing Yin Long's observation, producing a low purring sound as he licked his sharp canine teeth and produced a ferocious smile. The action served as a sort of gesture to convey his meaning to Yin Long, who responded by raising a slight eyebrow.
"You actually managed to eat enough to grow a few centimeters within that short period of time? How did you even manage to stuff so much flesh into your stomach?"
Jin Wang didn't gesture a response, letting out several short meows to mimic a proud laughter while keeping his head raised. Yin Long rolled his eyes at the cat and continued moving, Lan Yun making sure that he was leaning on her as much as possible now that she had the chance. The three left the inn, Yin Long shifting his position slightly so that it looked like he was lazily slouching against Lan Yun, putting on the act of an exceedingly satisfied young master.
Stone Heart Village was located to the north of Wolfsoul city, on the other side of the four snow-capped mountains where Lang Meng and Lang Hua had declared that Lang Huo would be the next clan leader. Half of the village was built into one of the four mountains, a gargantuan cavern dug into the base of the mountain. The part of the village that was located outside of the mountain was where most of the normal people in the village lived, the part of the village built into the mountain was used more as a tourist attraction, a place for amusement and relaxation.
The reason behind this peculiar design was that there was a massive lake hidden deep within the earth beneath the mountains, a river of lava flowing beneath the lake and heating it up to a boil. The boiling water would then flow along one of the hundreds of small rivers spreading out from the lake, eventually reaching one of the many springs that had been dug out within the entertainment part of the village. The time it needed to reach the surface was enough to cool the water to a bearable and even enjoyable temperature, forming the famous hotsprings of Stone Heart Village.
The water coming up from the lake wasn't normal, it was pervaded with Qi and minuscule grains of minerals and underwater herbs. This resulted in the water aiding both the natural health, and even cultivation of those that bathed in it. The closer you got to the lake the more pronounced this effect was, so the part of the village built into the mountain tilted downward, reaching its deepest point at the very end of the village.
As the young master of the Lang clan, the inn where Yin Long had been resting was of course located at the very deepest part of the village, right by the best hotsprings. They were deep within the mountain, but the area was so bright that one would think it was noon, large golden crystals radiating with light embedded into the walls and ceiling of the cavern.
There were quite a few people moving around within the streets around the inn, it was just that all of them made sure to give the inn a wide berth, leaving them all outside the range of Yin Long's senses when he first scanned the area. But now when they saw Yin Long leave the inn with Lan Yun, the people in charge of the surrounding businesses quickly swarmed over.
"Ah, Young Master, what a lovely day, isn't it? I've recently gotten in some fresh people so how...!"
"Young Master, why don't you drop by my restaurant, I can promise you only the finest waitr...!"
"Young Master, I recently got in a new batch of dresses, they would certainly spice up your lo...!"
A deep growl from Jin Wang silenced all three of the colorfully dressed businessmen. One of them raised his arms in an attempt to calm down Jin Wang and took a step forward with a friendly smile. But that action only earned him a snarl from Jin Wang, who took half a step forward and popped out his claws while baring his teeth. The situation was quite clear to the surrounding people, Yin Long's guard dog would not allow any of these people to get close to him, he wouldn't even let them talk to Yin Long.
The three men could only pull back with strained smiles, allowing Yin Long's group to move past them and head for the walled-off hotsprings located a few tens of meters away from the inn. Lan Yun unlocked the door to the hotsprings and led Yin Long to the best of the hotsprings, a circular stone bath filled with crystal clear water. Lan Yun left Yin Long to his own devices, allowing him to strip out of his robe in peace before he wrapped a towel around his waist and lowered his body into the warm water.
Jin Wang also got into the water while Yin Long was leaning against the temperate and smooth stones that lined the bath, the two letting out deep breaths of relaxation. But Yin Long's state of relaxation only lasted for a few moments before the sound of soft footsteps reached his ears, he didn't even need to stretch out his senses to realize who was coming. And just like he thought, Lan Yun arrived at his side and lowered her own body into the spring, only a large towel draped around her body to cover her. Noticing him glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Lan Yun put on a bashful smile and wriggled her body seductively.
"Are you charmed? Tempted? If you are, this is an all-you-can-eat buffet so you can just help yourself."
Yin Long repeated the familiar action of rolling his eyes before proceeding to ignore Lan Yun's attempts at seducing him, sinking a bit deeper into the warm water. Lan Yun giggled softly at his actions and then copied him, leaning against the smooth stones and sinking as deep into the water as she could. But Yin Long's rest was once again shortlived, a loud knock coming from the door to the hotsprings.
"Young Master, we need to talk about what you did to that poor girl. She ran away and has only barely let me see her so that I could apologize for your actions! Are you intending to continue acting like this for the rest of your time here?"
The one who spoke from beyond the wooden door was Jiu Meiyu, sounding as if he was between exasperation and anger. He spoke as if he was scolding Yin Long, only the two people resting within the hotspring understanding the true meaning of his words. Yin Long stretched his body quietly, rolling his arms and legs to check how they felt before he gave a loud and dismissive answer.
"It's good that she ran, at least then she won't bother me again. And yeah, I'll spend at least a day or so here just like this, got a problem with that?"
A soft sigh came from beyond the door after Jiu Meiyu received Yin Long's disguised report. He walked away without saying anything else, acting too exasperated to even continue talking with the frivolous young master. Yin Long returned to relaxing once Jiu Meiyu left, closing his eyes as he allowed the water to soothe his weary bones.
Yin Long did just as he told Jiu Meiyu that he would, he spent one day within Stone Heart Village just relaxing, Lan Yun accompanying him and making sure that he leaned on her wherever they went. Once the dawn of the second day arrived, he, Lan Yun, and Jin Wang headed for the transmission station and returned to Wolfsoul city, leaving behind Jiu Meiyu so that he could figure out if the person from the Deshi clan that was monitoring him was planning anything.
Jin Wang returned to the upper parts of Underearth Forest when they reached the city, Yin Long had repeatedly told him that the city was a place that was too stifling for a beast that was born to be free. Lan Yun returned to the Ten Flowers Pavilion to resume her work of information gathering, and Yin Long himself returned to the Lang clan estate.
He was still a bit weary from having overdrawn his body with so much strength so he snuck around to the back of the estate and climbed over the wall surrounding it, hoping to enter the mansion undetected so that his sisters wouldn't notice his slightly weak state. But his plan failed as soon as it started, a familiar voice reaching his ears the moment he dropped down from the top of the wall.
"Catch."
Yin Long's eyebrows twitched slightly as he raised his arm and caught the earthenware gourd that had been tossed at him, his gaze turning to the side and landing on Lang Ru, who was leaning against a tree a bit over 100 meters away. Yin Long felt like smiling bitterly at the circumstances, Lang Ru always seemed to find him at just the right, or wrong, times. She seemed to know what Yin Long was thinking, shrugging her shoulders casually while approaching him.
"Don't look at me like I'm, some witch, the answer is simple. You always use this path to sneak into the estate, the foggy area where Uncle Xiang and Aunt Ru lived expanded just far enough to turn this area into a blind spot for the rest of the mansion, you could freely sneak in and out without others seeing you. As for how I knew you would return now, I received a report from the transmission station guards that you had returned with Lan Yun and some cat. The guard also said that you were limping slightly, he advised that I tell you to keep your libido in check for future vacations, otherwise you'll end up limping for life. The wine should help a bit, but you really ought to be careful in the future, wouldn't want to end up hollowed out while still young."
Yin Long continued to smile bitterly as Lang Ru spoke, removing the cork from the gourd when she finished talking. The wine smelled a bit bitter, but swallowing a mouthful revealed that it was surprisingly smooth and tasteless. Yin Long felt a small amount of energy flow through his body when the wine settled in his stomach, soothing his bones and muscles while also restoring a slight amount of his own Qi. The wine worked quite a bit better than he expected, Lang Ru nodding her head at the result and gesturing towards the mansion with her thumb.
"Get some rest, and don't go visiting Lan Yun again before you've had a bit of time to recharge."
Yin Long gave a casual shrug of his shoulders and started walking for the mansion while sipping the wine, Lang Ru walking beside him while occasionally glancing at him. The two entered the mansion, the servants respectfully greeting them as they moved through the hallways. Lang Ru followed Yin Long all the way to his room, giving him a short reminder before she returned to her own business.
"Little Huo is currently meeting with some of the elders and Sister Fen wanted to make some highly specific dish for dinner so she's out shopping for groceries. I'll get you when food is ready so you can just rest, call for a servant if you want some food a bit earlier."
Yin Long nodded his head like a woodpecker to everything his sister said, only letting out a light breath when she left the fourth floor. He entered his room and sat down at the desk, removing his white sword from his waist and leaning it against the side of the desk. But just when he thought he was about to get a bit of peace to enjoy the wine, a knock rang out from his door and an old man with a white beard and a slightly hunched back entered the room.
"Forgive me for disturbing you just as you returned, Young Master, but I felt that I had to share this information with you as soon as possible."
The old man, one of the less important elders of the clan, walked up to the desk and swiped his interspatial ring. He took out a flat circular plate of crystal the size of a watermelon, placing it on the desk while inserting a constant stream of Qi. The plate lit up with light that gathered above it, forming an image that started to slowly move.
Plate's like these were a type of small arrays that could be used to record images, and sometimes even sounds, based on the movement of the Qi within the area around them. They were very useful when used properly, but the fact that they had to be set up beforehand and had to be checked every two days to make sure they hadn't become too full to record more made it a bit hard to utilize them properly. As the image above the plate got clearer and clearer, the bearded elder spoke in a grave voice.
"I'm sorry to say that the Clan Leader has acted in a manner that tarnishes the name of the entire Lang clan, it is a true disgrace. While you were out searching for a concubine, she and your fiancee took the opportunity to betray you!"
The image that formed above the plate was the hallway in front of the closed door of Lang Huo's room, no servants in sight. The sound of quiet footsteps came from the plate as Tang Fen snuck into the recording, softly knocking on Lang Huo's door. The door slowly opened, Lang Huo peeking her head out and checking the hallways. Seeing that there were no servants in sight, a dazzling smile surfaced on her lips as she took Tang Fen's hand in her own, giving her a quick kiss before pulling her into the room and closing the door.
The recording continued for a bit, but there were no more sounds or sights to be played, it was simply a recording of a closed door. Yin Long remained silent as he looked at the recording, his left elbow leaning against the desk and his head leaning against his hand, his finger tapping his temple while the elder anxiously waited. After about half a minute passed, he stopped tapping his temple and looked directly into the eyes of the elder, his own eyes not revealing any of his emotions as he spoke.
"This is a grave betrayal to the clan, it must be dealt with right away. Call for a clan meeting, I want all the elders and everyone in charge of the four villages to gather before noon. Go!"
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