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Writer: StarReader
Proofreader: Silavin
“Young miss!” The guard’s salute fell on deaf ears as Luo Yunchang walked by them with distant gaze and morose features. How many times had she passed through this same bleak corridor, same faded doors, same hard guards? She had lost count of today, not to mention of last month.
The early frantic worry ebbed with the days into a sadness that could never leave her features no matter the occasion. Not that there were many happy occasions with the threat of Heavenly Sovereign cleansing the world—i.e. humans—loomed ever nearer.
Alas, to this ‘young’ woman, one person plagued her mind and heart harder than anyone else, even Yunhai, who didn’t want to admit it.
She pushed open the door at the end of the corridor and entered a brightly lit room from the sheer number of tall windows on every wall, from the lavish decorations and the soft silks strewn about in perfect harmony; it was a room fit for a queen.
The centerpiece was a four-poster bed, carved in sublime and delicate shapes to soothe one’s dreams, draped over with sheer yet tantalizing silks.
“How is he?” Luo Yunchang glanced at the bed, on the blank faced man laying there, surrounded by girls all staring at him with worry and love; it was a man’s dream come true, if he had a mind to enjoy it.
“Still no change.” Came a sorrowful reply from her left. Shangguan Qingyan walked to Zhuo Fan’s left side to wipe his brow.
Luo Yunchang looked at the wooden face with empty eyes on the bed. Her own sorrow and worry joined with theirs as she stared, [Come back to me, Zhuo Fan…]
She glanced around the room, at the bleak faces of Lei Yuting, Shangguan Qingyan, Shui Ronghua, Yongning, Touba Lian’er and Chu Qingcheng, [To us.]
The Luo Clan and their allies were in battle with Sacred Mountains when the sudden and devastating interference from eight overpowered experts cut the bloody war short, unfortuantely also taking her dear Zhuo Fan with them. Sword Child flew right after.
The two sides were left hanging, but knew the war was not over. The Emperor Lands would be unable to wrest fate, and the prized cultivation methods, from the hands of Sacred Mountains. Meanwhile, Sacred Mountains was barely hanging by a thread, saved by the grace of Shui Jing. They left to fall back to their precious mountains to lick their wounds.
As Luo Yunchang waited for any news about Zhuo Fan’s fate, she jumped as Sword Child carried Zhuo Fan over with fear painted on his face, with distraught Luo Clan’s elders and Chu Qingcheng behind him.
It soon became apparent, through frantic words and much distress that Zhuo Fan nearly lost his life against the worst possible enemy. The strongest of the Sovereigns, Heavenly Sovereign.
From Sword Child recounting of the events, they all felt the pain of loss with the cheerful and naïve Shuang’er was no longer there to liven the mood, or the company of the strict and blunt Yuyu.
Luo Yunchang discovered then and there the pain Zhuo Fan went through, even if just a sliver. While the same thing had happened before, in Tianyu, this time proved to be too much for the cunning and ruthless devil. Seeing not just Yuyu, but the sweet Shuang’er, die before his very eyes must’ve crushed his soul. To make matters worse, there was no surviving having their souls ripped apart to nothing. He couldn’t bring them back like last time.
Through the course of the following month or so, the elders, stewards, and girls tried everything they could think of to wake Zhuo Fan up. He was not only their only hope at survival but also their rock.
Zhuo Fan liked to play dead so many times before, so Luo Yunchang always expected deep down, he was somewhere out there, alive and well. But this time, she saw him so vulnerable, so helpless, that her heart bled for him along with the other girls.
Through the following weeks, the other girls joined her, Yongning, and Chu Qingcheng in watching over Zhuo Fan. For the first time ever, there was not a shred of jealousy among them, or centered on Chu Qingcheng. They all had a common goal now, to help Zhuo Fan, the man they cared more than they do about themselves.
Learning the mortal domain’s barrier was now removed, she expected the rest of the Luo Alliance to connect with their clan, finding a sliver of hope in the prospect that it might bear some fruition in alleviating Zhuo Fan’s feeble state and the imminent threat of Heavenly Sovereign.
Unfortunately, it did not help.
Boom~
“How many times does that make it just this week alone? I swear, for the most powerful and wisest elders of the Sacred Domain, they’re behaving like nothing more than a bunch of children!” Luo Yunchang groaned.
The naïve princess replied to the obviously rhetorical question, “Maybe they’re letting off steam?”
“They can do that outside, in the training fields, not in the meeting room. They should do it for all to see, and especially not in the building. We just had it repaired yesterday!” Shangguan Qingyan wasn’t the least bit amused.
Luo Yunchang flung the door open with an ill temper. “I told them a thousand times, to stop with the ruckus! They’re disturbing Zhuo Fan!” The mere mention of his name had the other girls hanging their heads, with even Yongning looking silent.
The young miss of the Luo Clan stormed by the guards, growing accustomed to her foul mood, especially when the elders were growing unchecked.
While the entire clan honored, respected, and followed Luo Yunhai, their true clan head, they learned very early on that if they were to escape from Zhuo Fan’s cruel torments, they’d do well to get in this spitfire’s good graces.
This was why the guards stood extra sharp as she passed, saluting every single time, all the way to the meeting hall.
“Stand still already!”
“Elder Qiu, stop!” Shouts came from beyond and Luo Yunchang felt a searing heat pass by her delicate features while leaving a hole in the door.
She peeked her head in, showing a thin and terrifying smile. “I recall having told all of you to not speak loud enough to the point I can hear it outside.”
Her chilling gaze sent shivers down the spine of all there. Elder Qiu was sweating buckets as he made himself small, dodging behind his wife. Leng Wuchang looked up from under the hole in the wall, rejoicing at keeping his life intact. “Young miss Luo, we were only discussing how to deal with Heavenly Sovereign…”
“You mean fawn over him so we could get in his good graces?” Elder Qiu snapped, “That won’t work and you know it!”
“What else is there? We went through about every single reasonable way to handle him but the guy is a damn Sovereign! We need something radical!” You Ming added.
“Oh, and this is much better than last proposition, using me for a honey trap?” Elder Qiu’s wife, Xue Qingjian, snarled, her hand hissing as the air grew colder around it.
“Since everyone’s so lively, I think a round outside with Sword Child might do you good.” Luo Yunchang pushed the shabby door and entered. That had the entire room snap to attention.
“Young miss Luo, I don’t think that would be necessary.” Wu Qianqiu cupped his hands, though he couldn’t hide his anxiety and fear.
They had seen Sword Child’s might back when he fought Gu Santong. He didn’t know, or rather, he had no desire to hold back at all.
Now that Zhuo Fan was unconscious, there was nothing holding the guy back. Just recalling the last time sent shivers down his spine.
All of them, even the Sword Kings came together to spar with Sword Child after an infuriated Luo Yunchang blew a gasket ,as if the top of the entire building had blown off. The result? Omitted for sanity reasons.
“Oh, you oldies wanna go at it? It’s been rather dull honing my edge all alone.” Sword Child beamed as he popped out of nowhere, making the room flinch.
“Sister, I don’t think that’s necessary. Everyone’s on edge, even more so nowadays. With brother Zhuo’s condition showing no improvement, with certain death ready to barge in at any moment…” Luo Yunhai trailed from his seat, looking weary and drained.
“I know that! But they seem to forgotten that it is Zhuo Fan who is our only hope. This has been proven time and time again!” Luo Yunchang softened somewhat. “We all wish for him to return to us, to be just like before. No matter the danger or threat, he always came through for us. The least you can all do is keep it down!” Her piercing eyes swept over the crowd, over the elders and the stewards alike.
