14 Chapter 14

"What was that?" Feng Huan asked, turning to the sound of anguished cries. He walked towards the sound, walking along the dirt trail.

"Feng Hui?" Feng Huan asked, seeing the familiar silhouette of Brother Feng. Brother Feng turned around, glaring at his father. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy.

"What do you want?" Brother Feng croaked out, his adam's apple bobbing. Feng Huan looked over at the figure in Feng Huan's lap, recognizing the lotus hairpin that Feng Huan was clutching. He examined the disfigured body, recognizing the pattern of the robes that had melted into the skin.

"Is that..." Feng Huan asked quietly, stepping towards Brother Feng. Brother Feng shifted, covering the body with his own body.

"Go away," Brother Feng ordered, sniffling.

"Feng Hui, what's wrong?" Feng Huan asked, squatting down. Brother Feng shoved Feng Huan, anger clear in his eyes,

"Stay away from me, you monster," Feng Huan said. He put the lotus hairpin into his pocket, glaring at Feng Huan.

"You killed her. You did this. This is your fault," Brother Feng spat out. Feng Huan sighed and got up, dusting off his robes.

"I don't know what you're talking about Feng Hui. Why don't you come home and calm down so we can talk," Feng Huan suggested. Brother Feng snorted

"Now you want to sit down and have a talk? I already know that this was your doing," Brother Feng ridiculed. He took out the slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Feng Huan.

"Mother sent this to me with her blood on it," Feng Huan read it.

"Why are you accusing me of killing your mother, a woman who I loved dearly?" Feng Huan asked.

"How can it not be you? You're a scummy person according to Auntie Rong. You married so many women and she got pushed to the back," Brother Feng replied. Feng Huan sighed and pinched the space between his eyebrows.

"Feng Hui, that was years ago, long before I met your mother and before you were born. Rong and I already talked through this issue. And how does this have anything to do with you accusing me of killing Xinya?" Feng Huan explained.

"Does an evil person need a reason to kill someone? A murderer always knows their victim, and you probably get off on the feeling of controlling a person's fate, right?" Brother Feng asked.

"Enough. I understand that you may be feeling frustrated and confused with your mother's passing, but that does not mean that you are allowed to disrespect me. You may not like me, but I deserve the most basic of respect by you, especially as I am your elder and your father," Feng Huan lectured. Brother Feng laughed, the tone cold and even.

"Respect? Monsters like you deserve no respect. You are my father? I wish that my mother never met you. I wish that I never had a father. It would have been better if I had stayed a bastard child," Brother Feng replied.

"Better if you stayed a bastard child? You are truly an ungrateful child. Because of me, your mother escaped the ridicule of her peers by giving birth to a fatherless child. She was able to change her name and erase her past because I helped her. Xinya, who was born to parents that sold her for money, was given a male's name and became a fallen woman who gave birth before marriage. I have done nothing but provide for you two and loved you with all my heart, and this is how you repay me?" Feng Huan asked, tears pricking the side of his eyes.

"Please, you never cared for me. You only cared for my siblings, seeing me as the failure of the family for being so weak. The only people that truly cared for me were my mother and Auntie Rong, but you've taken away one of them. I hate you. I am no longer part of the Feng family!" Brother Feng shouted, running into the forest.

"Feng Hui!" Feng Huan shouted, stepping forward. He crumbled to the ground, his hand gripping his robes over his heart.

"First Master!" the soldiers shouted, going over to help Feng Huan back up.

"Are you okay?" they asked. Feng Huan's chest felt like it had a fist in it, his heartbeat abnormal.

"Get the doctor," Feng Huan ordered, gritting his teeth against the pain. The soldiers helped Feng Huan over to a cut tree, sitting him down on the stump.

"Someone get the doctor! First Master is not feeling well!" the soldiers shouted back to their comrades. Feng Huan gripped the sachet tied to his robes, bringing it to his nose. He breathed in the comforting scent, his nose filling with the smell of herbs, flowers, and the sweet yet delicate perfume of Sister Rong.

"Huan!" Feng Huan looked up to see Sister Rong running over to him, her hands lifting her robes to above her ankles so she could run easier.

"Huan, are you okay?" Sister Rong asked with concern, holding Feng Huan's face carefully. Feng Huan covered her hand with his, snuggling his head into her hands.

"Hello, dear," Feng Huan whispered. Sister Rong moved aside Feng Huan's robes and placed her hand above his heart, her face paling.

"Someone, hurry up the doctor! The First Master is having a heart attack!" Sister Rong cried out. Feng Huan shook his head, gripping her hand with his own shaky one.

"I'm alright dear, don't worry," Feng Huan reassured. Sister Rong frowned and lightly smacked him.

"You're not okay!" Sister Rong protested. Feng Huan smiled and pulled Sister Rong into his arms. Her face flushed a light pink as she tried to struggle out of his arms.

"Huan, we're out in public! Please, let me go!" Sister Rong said softly. Feng Huan chuckled against the pounding of his heart.

"We're married, why would anyone care?" Feng Huan asked.

"Sister Rong, please move aside. I need to make sure that First Master hasn't suffered any more injuries," the doctor appeared, holding a medicinal bag. Sister Rong stood up and moved aside, watching carefully. The doctor took Feng Huan's wrist and placed his two fingers on it, carefully feeling his pulse.

"You were right Sister Rong, he is having a heart attack. It's a good thing that you made the soldiers hurry me or else I might not have made it in time before First Master went into a critical condition," the doctor reached into his medicinal bag and took out a pill, handing it to Feng Huan.

"Take this for now. I'll treat you more extensively when you're in a more stable environment," the doctor said. Feng Huan took the pill obediently, grimacing at the bitter taste of the pill.

"Oh, stop being a baby. Is there anything else wrong with him?" Sister Rong asked. The doctor shook his head.

"Aside from him having a heart attack from shock and grief, there is nothing else. I would still recommend for First Master to be in bedrest considering his age as well," the doctor said. Sister Rong nodded and gestured for the soldiers to help Feng Huan. The soldiers went and helped Feng Huan up.

"Bring him back to the bed chambers. Make sure that he does not get out of bed and that he is taking his medicine properly," Sister Rong ordered.

"Yes ma'am," the soldiers said.

"Rong, I still have work to take care of at the sect. At least let me go and grab the documents so I can work on it while I'm resting," Feng Huan asked. Sister Rong frowned.

"Then it is not really resting," Sister Rong said. Feng Huan opened his mouth but closed it again when Sister Rong glared at him.

"I will take care of your work. I know how it works, so you just go back home and rest," Sister Rong ordered. Feng Huan stopped protesting and allowed himself to be taken away.

"No need to accompany me to the sect. Please make sure that Feng Huan doesn't try to escape," Sister Rong said. She exited the forest, walking along the road to the sect.

She walked into the main building, going into Feng Huan's office.

'Such a different style compared to his home office,' Sister Rong thought. She looked at the large stack of files and documents on the desk, going through the ones on the top.

She sat down on the chair, reading through the documents. She picked up the quill and started to write on the documents, crossing out words and rewriting forms.

"First Master, are you in? Oh, it's you, Sister Rong," Sister Rong looked up and saw that Sect Elder Tang had opened the door a crack, popping his head in.

"Hello, Sect Elder Tang. The First Master is sick, and the doctor ordered him to stay at home. For the time being, I will be taking over his duties as the sect leader," Sister Rong explained. Sect Elder Tang nodded his head, chewing his lip. Sister Rong noticed that he was trying to hide some papers behind his back.

"What is that?" Sister Rong asked. Sect Elder Tang jumped slightly and shuffled over, handing her the papers.

"Um, here is the monthly inventory of the treasury," Sect Elder Tang stammered. Sister Rong narrowed her eyes and looked through the pile on the desk, pulling out the inventory from last month. Sect Elder Tang shifted as Sister Rong compared the two reports.

"Sect Elder Tang," Sister Rong said suddenly.

"Y-yes?" he asked. Sister Rong looked at him, her eyes sharp.

"It seems there are some items that are missing from this inventory, care to explain?" she asked. Sect Elder Tang rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"Ah, yes, well, about a month ago, there was a break-in of the treasury. The staff has all done their best efforts to locate the box, but it's like the box has disappeared," he explained. Sister Rong folded her hands, sighing.

"How did the thief get into the treasury?" Sister Rong asked.

"This, it seems that there was a chip on the door that was taken off, breaking the formation. We assume that the thief unlocked the door like that," Sect Elder Tang replied.

"The formation? No wonder you can not locate the box," Sister Rong mused.

"Pardon? I don't understand," Sect Elder Tang said. Sister Rong smiled slightly.

"That formation is connected to the box. Since the box is very important, the formation is also a tracker. Since the formation was broken, the tracker also disappeared," Sister Rong explained.

"Oh, so that's why we couldn't find it. It's a very ingenious way to keep track of the box. Who thought of it?"

"I recommended it. I also brought in a formation expert to set it up," Sister Rong replied.

"Please revitalize your efforts to find the box. I want it back in the treasury before the First Master comes back," Sister Rong ordered.

"Of course," Sect Elder Tang said. He bowed his head and left the room. The easy-going smile on Sister Rong's face fell, her eyes darkening.

"This is troubling. With the boss arriving in a week, I need to find this box as fast as possible," Sister Rong mused out loud. She walked over to the window, watching as the sun hid behind the mountains, the moon high in the sky as it chased the sun.