Chapter Ten

She kneels in front of the desk smiling kindly to her God. "My God Yiling Patriarch, you haven't changed in the hundreds of years since I've last seen you."

"Considering that I am immortal has that effect on me." he laughs full-heartedly.

"But that is not it anymore is it my God?" she stares at him with worry in her white eyes. "Your power, it's fading ever since that cruel day when you lost your wings."

"My power is still greater than any human or combined." Wei Wuxian reasons.

"And I don't doubt that, but not as great as it once was. I am worried, my God."

Waving his hand in the air to dismiss the topic he changed it to another, "As I am grateful for you wanting to stay with me, I just however have my instrument already A-Bai. Is there anyone in particular you want in a master?"

Grumbling like a child when she thinks about the first spirits that Wei Wuxian ever created "The Grandfather of all spirits" named Chenqing. "Has my father woken up yet?" Baiguang asks.

Summoning Chenqing to hand Wei Wuxian stares sadly down at the flute. "Not yet, he was the one that saved me that day. A-Qing took the most of the beating." Wei Wuxian still feels guilty about that day when he and Chenqing defeated the Demon King. His poor first son was doing everything in his power to protect his God. In the end, he was severely hurt, even worse than Wei Wuxian, and Chenqing still hasn't woken up from that battle.

Baiguang noticed this survivor's guilt in her God and reached over the desk and placed a hand over the hand that was holding Chenqing. "My God Wei, we would all have given our lives to save yours. Please don't feel guilty for something that is our own choice."

A knock came from the door, and Wei Wuxian thought it was the food finally arriving. He turns to Baiguang who bows before disappearing. Getting up from the desk, Wei Wuxian went to open the door, but instead of finding his order, it was Meng Yao who was bowing from outside of the door.

Smiling warmly Wei Wuxian takes him by his arms and straightens him back up. "Yao-gege there is no need to bow to me. Why are you here? Was there something you needed?"

"Young Mas… I mean A-Xian, I saw you leave Cloud Recesses, and I might have… followed you here… I was just working up the courage to talk to you." Meng Yao says rather awkwardly.

Wei Wuxian laughs, "Yao-gege if it was anyone else that you followed to their inn rooms, they might have taken it the wrong way."

"Your right A-Xian, please forgive my carelessness." he bows again but Wei Wxian was faster and caught his arms stopping beforehand.

"No, it's alright, Yao-gege, please come inside and have dinner with me. It should be here soon." he opens the door wider to let him inside. "Would you like some tea?"

Meng Yao only nods as he takes a seat at the table that was in the room. "I am sorry to intrude, A-Xian, I just didn't want to head back to Qinghe Nie just yet."

"You don't feel as if you belong there, do you?" Wei Wuxian gives him a solemn look. "Has Sect leader Nie ever… done anything to you?"

Meng Yao shot his hands straight up shaking them with urgency. "NO! Nothing like that A-Xian!" he takes a deep breath to calm himself. "It's the matter of the fact of what he HASN'T done anything to me I guess."

"You've lost me I'm afraid."

Meng Yao explains, "Nie Mingjue is a strong head, but yet a kind man. He took me in when he didn't even know who I am. He's given me a position that is higher than I would ever deserve because I got water for a bunch of his men while they were talking about me behind my back in a cave. I could never repay all the kindness he has shown me, and I hate it!"

"You hate being indebted to others." Wei Wuxian finally understood. "Because you feel like your life is worth nothing, perhaps because of where you've come from."

Shocked to find that Wei Wuxian was able to read him so easily. "I don't know what you heard of me A-Xian, but it's not all who I am, or at least I hope not, because my mother before her untimely passing wanted me to do more and become someone… to gain my father's approval…"

"Yao-gege, I've never heard anything negative about you or if some has said something to me about you, I didn't listen because I don't care about one background or ties. All I care for is who you are now and what you decided to do about yourself in the future Yao-gege."

For the first time, Meng Yao smiled a real smile. "Would… would you like to accompany me to Qinghe Nie? That is if it's not out of your way."

It was REALLY out of his way since Yiling was the opposite way, but adding a few more days to his traveling couldn't hurt. Besides, Madam Yu and Jiang's Sect leader think he would be in Cloud Recesses to serve out his punishment. "I would be honored to accompany you to Qinghe Nie, Yao-gege. Though I must inform you once we arrive I must depart again, for I have my traveling to do."

Nodding but gleaming with glee to have the company, Meng Yao couldn't help but smile even more genuinely. The food just arrives right on time. Sharing the food with Meng Yao and a pot of tea, both enjoyed the night talking about their sects, though it was mostly Meng Yao talking about the Nie brothers. Wei Wuxian knows he must care so much for them to talk such praise with every breath.