Chapter 162 - Four Guardians Set Forth

The meeting between Ao Wen and her companions hadn't been a stressful affair. Tang Jin was eager, both to learn the Holy Light Abode's 'Edge of Light' technique and to start an actual hunt. While Feng Xi was nervous about her own role in things, she was also eager to set out on this venture. As much as Ao Wen reassured her that spending her time in a clinic caring for the cultivation ailments unique to Spirit Folk didn't drive her too deeply into Cong Daiyu's life, Feng Xi preferred that her lover spend some time away from alchemy to focus on other pursuits. Even Zhang Bai felt that the time to do real training was close at hand with their villa needing only another few days of renovation to be reasonably complete.

The most significant argument, in the end, had been how to distribute the costs for the resources they needed. Ao Wen had tried to step up to pay more than her share since she'd contributed very little to obtaining and renovating their villa while Tang Jin insisted that he should at least bear all the costs for a technique he was meant to learn. After the group argued for some time, things settled with Ao Wen paying half of their costs since she intended to take as many of the beast cores as possible and their choice of prey primarily benefited her. 

Shuli once again proved her worth to the group by working with the Loose Cultivator's Association to acquire maps of the abandoned mines that were known to be infested by Dark Weaver Spiders, recent reports of sightings and any other information that could contribute to the group's success. There was also a reward offered by the Association. Evidently, something had recently disturbed a nest in a mine that once belonged to the Gong family and several of the nearby mines had seen increased attacks. The Association offered two hundred and fifty spirit crystals for reliable information about the cause of the disturbance and at least a thousand spirit crystals for eradicating the infestation along with the cause of the disturbance. 

While Ao Wen wasn't certain they could get to the bottom of the mystery, it did at least make selecting which mine to explore considerably easier. As far as she was concerned, their primary mission was to gain valuable experience, after that, to obtain the beast cores and other materials she needed. Finding the truth of the disturbance came in a distant third and no amount of spirit crystals was worth seeing her loved ones suffer the way she'd seen Kui Chong suffer. 

When the day of their departure arrived, Ao Wen gathered everyone at the entrance to their manor, including Shuli, Lingling and the mortal staff that they'd hired to tend the sprawling villa. 

"Everyone," Ao Wen said, addressing the small crowd. "Thank you for working so hard to turn this once abandoned place into a new home for all of us. I know we should have a banquet or something to celebrate, but that will have to wait until we get back. Shuli, maybe you can plan something for Mid-Winter?"

"I'd be honored Young Lord Ao," Shuli said with a bright smile and a slight bow. 

"Banquets mean guests," Ao Wen said with a smile of her own. "I know we've just started making friends here, but if we're going to invite guests over, we should be able to tell them where to go. For that, I prepared something special." Reaching into her cosmos bag, Ao Wen withdrew a large, polished stone slab. On the slab, she'd painstakingly carved the characters 'Four Guardians House.' It hardly matched the quality of her father's work, and if anyone looked closely, there were clear marks where her chisel hadn't been at the right angle when she struck it with a hammer, but at the moment, no one really cared for the minor imperfections. 

"Wen, did you make this?" Feng Xi asked, drawing close to her lover and inspecting the work. 

"I did," Ao Wen answered, her eyes a little misty. "Whatever happened, as long as my surname is 'Ao', I should be able to do at least this much." 

"I think Master Ao Yang would be glad to see this," Zhang Bai said, setting a firm hand on Ao Wen's shoulder. "Even if he can't wield a hammer and chisel anymore, knowing that you care enough to do so in his stead, even with everything else you can do, I think he'd be proud."

"Thanks," Ao Wen said, giving his hand a squeeze. "Not that he'll ever see it, but I hope he'd be proud too."

"Um, why 'Four Guardians'?" Tang Jin asked. "I mean, I get 'four', but what are we supposed to be guarding?"

"It's not so much that we've become Guardians or anything," Ao Wen said, shaking off the memories of days spent in her father's workshop and returning to the present. "The Four Guardian Ancestor Spirits; the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North," she recited. "Well, we have one dragon," she said, pointing at herself. "One bird," she added, pointing at Feng Xi. "One great cat and one tortoise," she finished, pointing at Tang Jin and Zhang Bai in turn. "Even if the bloodlines don't all match up, it's fine. It's close enough."

"I like it," Feng Xi said with a broad smile. Wrapping her arms around Ao Wen she leaned in close to bestow a chaste kiss on her lover's cheek before turning back to the carving. "Besides, we are Guardians of a sort. We're all protecting each other and anyone who comes to our house. After all, aren't you caring for people when they're sick? Isn't Brother Bai keeping us safe with formations, and Brother Jin hunting down anything that disturbs our peace?"

"And what are you guarding my love?" Ao Wen asked, gazing into Feng Xi's emerald eyes from scant centimeters away. "Besides my heart?"

"That's exactly what I'm protecting," Feng Xi replied with a smile. "Yours and everyone else's."

"I think it suits all of you very well," Shuli said, looking at the powerful group of young cultivators that had swept into Lantern City like a breath of fresh air. "And until you come home, I'll guard this place for you and prepare for a Mid-winter's banquet."

"In that case," Ao Wen said, pulling away from Feng Xi's soft curves with some reluctance. "The sooner we go, the sooner we come home." 

"Lord Zhang," Shuli said, darting forward as the group began to descend the steep valley toward the mines below. "Take this," she said, pressing a well worn silver coin into his palm. "For luck."

"For luck," Zhang Bai said with a smile before bending down and bestowing a quick kiss on her cheek. "That's for luck too," he added, turning away and rejoining his companions before Shuli could say anything more. 

"Shuli," Lingling pouted from beside her. "You should have told me to bring a charm for Tang Jin! It's not fair that you got ahead!" 

"Not my fault you didn't ask for advice," Shuli said to her pouting friend. "But maybe I can help you plan a surprise for when he comes back."

"He better come back," she said. "He's too sweet to die down there."

"They all are," Shuli whispered, watching the backs of Zhang Bai and his companions moving further away. "They better come back."