Chapter Twenty-Six

After Madam Yu had finished her punishment, Wei Ying fell to the ground. Wei Yingyue placed her hands on her thighs, her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to remain upright, despite the throbbing pain running through her back. She heard the droning of a conversation happening around her, the raising of Jiang Cheng's angry voice, and the sound of someone walking around them when she suddenly felt someone pushing her behind them.

"Mom! Mom, please don't. The things aren't how she said it to be at all-" Wei Yue sighed, realizing that it was Jiang Cheng, pleading with his mother to stop listening to the woman who was sitting in Uncle Jiang's seat.

"Young Master Jiang, are you saying that I'm fabricking?" The high pitched sound of Wang Lingjiao's voice made Wei Yue wince, her head hanging low. "Madam Yu, think this through. The matter at hand, the Wen Sect will definitely get to the bottom of it. With their hand chopped off for me to bring back, it'll be good enough an explanation, and the YunmengJiang Sect would be fine. Or else, the next time when Young Master Wen asks, things wouldn't be simple anymore." Wei Yue blinked, trying to look at the woman but to be met with the sight of Jiang Cheng's shoulder.

"Jinzhu, Yinzhu. Quick, go close the doors. Don't let the others see the blood." Wei Yingyue sucked in a breath as these words left Madam Yu's mouth, her heart racing as the doors closed.

"Mother? Mother! What are you doing? Please don't cut off his hand!" Jiang Cheng pleaded. Wei Yue let out a breath as she closed her eyes, trying to conserve her energy.

"Madam Yu, I knew that you must be the most obedient subordinate of the QishanWen Sect. Somebody, hold these brats down!" Wang Lingjiao celebrated.

"There's no need." Madam Yu said, her maids moving closer.

"Oh, so you're having your maids hold them down. That'd work too."

"Mother, please listen to me. I beg you! Don't cut off their hands. If father knew-"

"Don't talk to me about your father! What could happen if he knows? Could he kill me?" Jiang Cheng was silenced by his mother, who screamed at him as soon as Jiang Fengmian was brought up.

"Madam Yu, I just admire you so much. It looks like that from now on, in the supervision office, we'll get along well!" Madam Yu turned and looked at Wang Lingjiao, who was beaming as she watched the woman before her.

"Supervision office?"

"That's right, supervision office. This is the second matter that I came to the YunmengJiang Sect for. The new supervision orders from your QishanWen Sect, calling for supervision offices to be built in every city. From now on, I declare that Lotus Pier is the supervision office of the Wen Sect at Yunmeng." Wei Yue looked up at Wang Lingjiao, scowling as she sat there and told all of this to Madam Yu.

"What supervision office? This is my sect!" Jiang Cheng snarled, making Wang Lingjiao glare at him.

"Madam Yu, you must discipline your son properly. Since hundreds of years ago, all of the sects have been under the Wen Sect. In front of the Wen Sect's envoy, how could he say things like your sect and my sect? I had originally been hesitating, Lotus Pier is so old and it has brought out quite a few dissidents, so could it really take on a heavy responsibility of being a supervision office? But seeing how obediently you follow my orders and how your personality suits my taste, I've decided to give this great honor to-" Wang Lingjiao was cut off when Madam Yu slapped her across the face, the noise rocketing through the room as Wang Lingjiao was thrown to the floor due to the force, her knows bleeding. As soon as the Wen disciples moved Zidian was swung, knocking a great amount down before she turned towards the girl on the ground. Madan Yu slapped her again once Wang Lingjiao began to scream, cutting her off before she began to yell.

"You look at it's owner before you hit a dog! You barge into my sect, and you want to punish my person in front of me? What a thing you are, how dare you be so undisciplined?" When she was finished she flung down Wang Lingjiao, wiping her hands as her maids stood behind her.

"How-how dare you do something like this! Neither the QishanWen Sect or the YingchuaWang Sect will let you go!" Wei Yue sat up as much as she could, taking in the tear-stained face of Lingjiao.

"Shut up!" Madam Yu shouted, kicking the girl. "Such a scum of a maid! My MeishanYu Sect has roamed the cultivation world for hundreds of years, and I've never heard of some YingchuanWang Sect! Of which gutter did this menial sect crawl out? Is it full of things like you? You mentioned the superior and the inferior before me? Let me teach you what superiority and inferiority means! I am the superior, you are the inferior!" Wei Yue was shocked. Even if Madam Yu hated her and has punished her extremly before, Madam Yu has never gone as far as she was now with Wang Lingjiao. Jinzhu and Yinzhu unsheathed their swords with one look from Madam Yu, nodding once before they killed all the Wen disciples, returning to Madam Yu's side as they looked at Lingjiao.

"Y-you think that you can silence me? You think Young Master Wen doesn't know that I'm here today? You think that he'll let you go after he knows about this?" She exclaimed, causing amusement to rise out of the maids.

"You sound as if he has let us go already." Yinzhu sneered, looking down at the rude girl.

"I'm close to Young Master Wen, I'm the closest one! If you dare do anything to me, he'll-"

"He'll do what? Cut off our hands or our legs? Or burn down our residence?" Madam Yu mocked, slapping Wang Lingjiao again. "Or lead thousands of people to level Lotus Pier to the ground? Build a supervision office?" Wei Yue watched as Jinzhu moved closer, sword in hand, before Wang Lingjiao started kicking and screaming again.

"Someone! Help! Wen Zhuliu! Help me!" Madam Yu stepped on the servant's wrist, unsheathing her sword when the doors burst open. Wen Zhuliu stood there, wearing black clothes with a grim expression. Wei Yingyue frowned, letting Jiang Cheng pull her closer as they watched the man; Wen Zhuliu, a cultivator who was very powerful. A cultivator that was Wen Chao's personal guard.

"Core-Melting Hand?" Madam Yu was holding Zidian up, staring at Wen Zhuliu.

"Violet Spider?" Wen Zhuliu returned, his voice cold as he looked at the woman holding Wang Lingjiao down.

"Wen Zhuliu! Wen Zhuliu! Help me now!" She ordered, tears streaming down her face.

"Wen Zhuliu?" Madam Yu snorted, looking at the man with an amused look. "Core-Melting Hand, isn't your original name Zhao Zhuliu? Your surname clearly wasn't Wen, but you wanted to change your surname no matter what. Everyone's rushing like ducklings. Is the surname of those Wen-dogs really that precious? Turning your back on your ancestors? How laughable!"

"Each serves their own master." He murmured, unswayed by her words.

"Wen Zhuliu! Don't you see what I look like? Why are you chit-chatting instead of killing her right now? Is this how Young Master Wen told you to protect me!" Wei Yue watched as Wen Zhuliu said something to Madam Yu besome they began to fight, the distraction giving Wang Lingjiao the opportunity to send out a signal, alerting the Wen Sect that she needed help.

"Go stop her from sending more!" Wei Ying ordered, pushing Jiang Cheng forwards. Wei Yue grunted as she grabbed Wei Ying, stopping him from falling when she heard Jiang Cheng call out. As she looked out, she saw that Jiang Cheng had taken a blow for his mother. Seeing the blood erupt from his lips, Madam Yu let out an angry cry and Zidian turned white. As soon as Jinzhu and Yinzhu pulled out their whips Madam Yu pulled back, grabbing her son and she grabbed Wei Yue, who in turn was supporting her brother. As they ran past the disciples she commanded for them to arm themselves and get ready, running to the pier with the injured young cultivators in her grasp. When they reached one of the boats Madam Yu pushed the twins and Jiang Cheng inside, helping Jiang Cheng after jumping in herself.

"Mom, what do we do now?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"What do you mean what do we do? Can't you see yet? They came here prepared. Today's fight couldn't have been avoided. Soon afterwards there'll be herds of those Wen-dogs arriving. Leave first!"

"What about Shijie? Shijie went to Meishan the day before yesterday. If she comes back-"

"Shut your mouth! This is all because of you brats." She growled, trailing off. Wei Yue leaned her head into Wei Ying's shoulder, watching as Madam Yu took Zidian off her finger and placed it on Jiang Cheng, her son's face holding a shocked expression.

"Mom, why are you giving me Zidian?" Wei Yue looked at her dede, frowning as he was slow to understand.

"I've given it to you, so it will be yours from now on. Zidian has already recognized you as its master." She said, looking at him as she came to terms with what was happening.

"Mom, won't you be leaving with us?" He asked, looking at her. She only stared at him before she suddenly hugged him, kissing his head.

"Good boy." She whispered, still holding him tight. As she held Jiang Cheng with one arm, she grabbed Wei Ying by his robe with the other. "You damn little brat. I hate you! I hate you and your sister more than anything else! Look at what our sect has gone through for your sake!" She growled, glaring at the twins as Wei Yue stared at her.

"Mom, won't you be leaving with us?" Jiang Cheng repeated the same question, only for him to be shoved into the twins before his mom jumped out. After sitting there for a few seconds he understood, but as soon as Jiang Cheng stood and tried to leave a rope of light shot out of Zidian and tied around the twins and Jiang Cheng. "Mom, what are you doing?" The shout erupted from Jiang Cheng, seeing as no one was able to move.

"Don't make such a fuss. It'll loosen up when you're somewhere safe. If anyone attacks you on the journey, it'll protect you as well. Don't come back. Go to Meichan straight away and find your sister." Madam Yu told Jiang Cheng, though Wei Yue was listening intently to the instructions seeing as Jiang Cheng was too panicked to really take it in. "Wei Ying. Wei Yue. Listen to me!" She snapped, looking at the twins as she pointed. "Protect Jiang Cheng, protect him even if you have to die. Do you understand?" She asked, her eyes cold.

"Madam Yu!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed.

"Did you hear me?" She cut him off.

"Yes, Madam Yu." Wei Yingyue answered as her brother nodded, but Jiang Cheng began to shout.

"Mom, father isn't back yet! If anything happens, can't we manage through it together first?" Her eyes turned cold, her voice cutting through the air as she cursed.

"So what if he's not coming back? Can't I do anything without him?" She growled as she cut the rope that was holding the boat to the pier, kicking the side of the boat hard. The three young cultivators sat in the boat, watching as the pier grew further in distance until Madam Yu finally went back into the battle waiting for her.

After the trio had gone back to Lotus Pier and heard everything said by Wen Chao and his mistress, Jiang Cheng had attacked Wei Wuxian. When she tried to help her brother he had elbows and kicked and punched Wei Yingyue away, ignoring her cries for him to stop choking Wei Ying. When he let go everyone had collapsed on the ground, crying for what seemed like forever, until the two boys fell asleep. Wei Yue couldn't sleep so she curled into herself and let herself cry, but at some point the tears stopped running from her eyes as she sobbed. At some point Wei Wuxian began to move, making her open her eyes to see that the sun was up and that they needed to move.

"Let's go." Wei Ying's voice was hoarse, seeing as he was almost strangled by Jiang Cheng the previous night. When neither of his companions moved he repeated himself, pulling at their legs.

"Go where?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"We need to go to the MeiShanYu Sect, we need to get Yanli-jie." Wei Yue whispered, sitting up as she looked at Jiang Cheng. Wei Ying helped her up, hugging her tightly before he kissed the top of her head, happy that she was relatively okay. The three began to walk in the direction of Meishan, trying to go as fast as their exhausted bodies would allow. By the time they finally left the desolate fields and broke into a small city, Wei Yue collapsed but Wei Ying caught her before she hit the ground. Propping her up near Jiang Cheng, Wei Ying looked at the younger boy.

"You sit with her, I'll go find something to eat." He said, though he had gotten no response from Jiang Cheng. After he was reassured that Jiang Cheng wouldn't move he turned, dashing off to find food. Being away for quite some time, Jiang Cheng stood and went to find Wei Ying. However, along the way he found two Wen disciples walking up behind Wei Wuxian. When he saw this, he glanced back over to where he saw Wei Yue, who was still out cold. Taking a deep breath, Jiang Cheng stepped out and revealed himself, allowing for himself to be taken as he watched Wei Wuxian get food for the three of them.