Chp 17. Shifting

SHIFTING

It took her over 2 weeks to recover. She finally came back to consciousness on the 13th day. She felt her mind called back to her body, but she felt numb. She couldn't feel the resentful energy at all. At first she had for sure thought she was dead. That this was just the afterlife and the black unrelenting hole that she had been trying to come out of, for what felt like eternity, had been what she was doomed to face. Then all of a sudden she could feel the pull on her spirit like she had felt before, and her mind slipped back into her body.

She had been trying to get her body to move for a full 24 hours since then. Little by little, she had been testing out if she could move her fingers, then her toes. She could feel someone in the room from time to time. She could feel their presence like a warm aura. As soon as they left she would try to move her legs and arms but they always felt so heavy.

She had just been trying to move her legs when she heard from her periphery, "I know you're awake." Nie Huaisang said curtly as he shifted in the chair across from Huang Jin as she lay in the bed. Huang Jin froze.

"You don't have to be scared you can open your eyes. I found you on Xinglu Ridge. You almost died from a seriously grave curse mark."

Huang Jin opened her eyes and looked over, her voice calm but wary, "You saved me?"

Nie Huaisang unfolded his fan and began waving himself astonished at the question. "Yea, you were very close to dying. The curse mark was incredibly powerful too. It had almost made it up to your neck. I don't think you would have lasted through the night." Nie Huaisang looked nervously to the ground and began to fidget his fingers.

Huang Jin looked the man over. He was incredibly cute for a man. He had delicate features and it was clear he took care of himself. His hair was perfectly kept and tied into an intricate bun and ponytail with a gorgeously made hair pint. His clothes were all the finest materials as well and the grey, silver, and gold embroidery made it clear that he paid attention to details.

Huang Jin eyed him carefully from the bed, and she finally tried to get up and lean on the edge of the bed. She cursed under her breath as her body felt unbelievably sore and sent shooting pains everywhere. She felt like she had been run over by an entire CONTINENT of cattle.. Twice...

Her brows furrowed in pain, and she clutched her side as she adjusted to sitting up. "Thank you for saving my life, sir." and rose her arms and bowed politely. She grunted in pain as she sat back up, and lowered her arms. A gentle smile on her lips. "How can I repay you my friend?"

Nie Huaisang chuckled nervously, unfolding the fan once more and avoiding her eye contact. "Let's not worry about that, you still will need a lot of time to recover. Chang Su will be back in any second to finish your treatment today."

Huang Jin's eyes furrowed once again. "Treatment?"

She had felt very different since waking and the resentful energy she normally felt seemed to be a faint echo of what it normally was.

Nie Huaisang rushed to explain. "Yes, uhhhh, about that....when I found you the curse mark had almost taken over your soul. Chang Su is a very powerful cultivator and he was able to save you. With my help of course! He had to seal the resentful energy that was inside you, temporarily." Nie Huaisang nervously looked up at her. Huang Jin's face was fixed on his, listening intently.

"It would have consumed you completely if he hadn't. It was fine though because we can take the seal off....I just.....I just figured we could use the same sort of seal that my family uses to suppress our spirit swords..."

Huang Jin sat with eyes wide in shock. "How? What? Wait, you were able to suppress it with a seal?!"

Chang Su "That is correct."

Chang Su stepped through the doorway and bowed to Nie Huaisang and then to Huang Jin. He was a handsome young man by her first glance. He was tall and lean, his cheeks pronouned, and his eyes were striking in their soft brown. Huang Jin could tell that even though he looked young that he was probably around her age as well. He carried himself like an esteemed cultivator.

Chang Su looked at her, a resolute expression on his face. "With Master Nie's suggestion I was able to suppress the resentful energy in your veins using a similar seal used by the Nie Sect." Chang Su said matter of factly.

Nie Huaisang seemed to sit straighter and nodded to Huang Jin, "yes, and I have a question to ask you. Is it because you have Yin metal in your veins that there is so much resentful energy within you?" Nie Huaisangs face was so eager for answers that he sat forward waiting for her to reply.

Huang Jin didn't know how to reply at first. She tried to think quickly. Should I tell them? How did he figure it out so easily? Why would they want to know?

Huang Jin's mind raced and her head began to hurt. She finally sighed loudly, her shoulders lowered, "Listen, I...." She looked at Nie Huaisang and Chang Su. Huang Jin launched into the story of what had happened over the last month. Of how she was kidnapped, of how she accidentally transferred part of her core to Wei Wuxian, of her past, of the demon, of her being possessed, and ultimately how she had finally been overcome by the curse mark Pipa Jing had left her with.

Nie Huaisang and Chang Su sat quietly in amazement and neither said anything for a while once she was done.

Huang Jin sat with tears in her eyes as she felt the pain and sadness overcome her as she thought of how she left Jiang Cheng sitting frozen to the pier. The look in his eyes. The look of pure betrayal. Her heart ached. How she wished she had not had to leave. She still couldn't go back either. A small twinge of hope though sparked her small core.

The resentful energy though is sealed. You can train without fear now of being controlled by it....her conscious tried to tell her.

She finally looked up at the two in the room and wiped the tears from her eyes, a gentle smile on her face once again.

She carefully and gently rose up from the bed, even though it was most difficult. Both Chang Su and Nie Huaisang rushed over to help her. She smiled at both of them and stepped back slightly and bowed low to both of them once again. "Thank you again for saving me. I don't know how I will repay you both but I promise I will do my best."

They both looked at her and Nie Huaisang smiled, Chang Su helped her to sit back down on the bed and sat next to her while he began to feed spiritual energy into her. "You really did come close to dying. You are very curious indeed." he looked at her with a look of inquistiveness. Like she was a difficult puzzle to solve.

Nie Huaisang moved back to the chair and began tapping his chin with the fan. "You are welcome to stay though until you recover. It would give Chang Su time here to see if we can find a more permanent solution to that curse mark. I have a feeling that demon that you spoke of may cause more problems in the near future."

Chang Su and Huang Jin both looked at him with astonishment on their face. "You really don't have to do that. I have...friends that may be able to help as well." Huang Jin mumbled off, and Chang Su pursed his lips as he held back what he had to say.

He didn't know what Nie Huaisang was up to. He had rushed into the library to ask him to help this woman who he had just found passed out on Xinglu ridge. It had taken him 13 days and a multitude of spells and herbs to bring her back from the brink of death. He didn't know what his master was up to but he would find out!

Nie Huaisang flipped back open the fan and began to walk out. His demeanor had completely changed and he said in an authoritative tone, "Nonsense. We have helped you and you will stay until you are better. It would be my honor to host you until then."

Nie Huaisang stopped in the doorway as he opened the door and smiled back at Huang Jin with a sly smile on his face. "It is the least you can do."

Huang Jin was again at a loss for words. What a conniving man, she thought to herself. She sighed heavily and smiled gently at him. She raised her arms and bowed once more wincing in pain. "I am honored that you would host me...?"

"Oh! My name is Nie Huaisang. I am the leader of the Qinghe Nie Sect." He smiled blushing and he turned and left.

Of course he is the leader of the QingHe Nie Sect...Huang Jin rubbed her temples. I have absolutely the worst luck...

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2 months later..... It had taken a full month before she had been able to restore enough of her core energy to even draw her sword. Every day she woke at 4:30am and would train relentlessly to cultivate her core as quickly as possible. The seal that they had put had helped tremendously. She was always able to focus with ease, however, she had noticed that it took considerably longer to cultivate than with the use of powerful dark energy.

Huang Jin sat in the large training courtyard in the middle of the Unclean Realm. The glistening white tile underneath her was hot in the midday sun. She sat quietly in meditation facing a large rock. Her entire focus was on trying to grow the tiny ball of flame in her chest, and she held both hands opposite from each other in front of her. The small glow of golden light shining between her hands, flickered and sparked as she concentrated, trying to grow bit by tiny microscopic bit.

"You are quite powerful aren't you?" Nie Huaisang said from the corner of the pavilion. He stepped out from behind a pillar and fanned himself with the intricate fan he always seemed to have, a subtle grin on his face.

Huang Jin opened her eyes and looked over in irritation, as the glow faded and her eyes met his. Nie Huaisang was suddenly taken aback by the piercing stare. Huang Jin's face crept into a mischievous smile in return and she closed her eyes. She stood up facing the rock on the other side of the court yard.

Her hand reached down to the hilt of her sword and she breathed in a deep breath. In one fluid movement she gathered all her spiritual energy into her sword and unsheathed it in one quick motion. The force of the cut and blast of spiritual energy, raced across the courtyard in a huge gust, and sliced cleanly through the top of the rock.

The huge thunderous sound filled the courtyard and echoed through the grounds as the top of the rock suddenly crashed to the side. Huang Jin stood silently, the blade sheathed back into the hilt and her hands resting gracefully on it. She smiled to herself and finally looked over at the speechless Huaisang.

"Huang Jin!" Nie Huaisang finally shrieked as he stared at the rock in both awe and admiration. He was stunned at her raw ability. She is absolutely incredibly powerful, he thought to himself. His face became blank as he tried to hide his thoughts.

Huang Jin began to laugh and bowed "I am sorry Master Nie I did not mean to break your rock that badly. I was just trying to show off a little..."

Nie Huaisang rubbed the back of his head and continued to fan himself as an interesting idea popped into his head...what if he could use her to help him fulfill his dream?

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As the weeks crept into months Huang Jin's sole focus was to cultivate her core. The curse mark had been suppressed, and she would need to eventually kill the spirit in order to get rid of it completely. Huang Jin spent countless hours each day rising at 4:30am and would do her morning training and then meditate.

She would spend the rest of the day sparring with Chang Su, or trying to train Nie Huaisang how to do some simple talisman work. He actually had begun to pick up quite a bit as Huang Jin's calming personality and her gentle tone made it easy for him to not get flustered when he didn't pick it up right away. The more that he learned the more and more his confidence grew and he had shown a real knack for talisman writing. His characters were always perfect compared even to hers.

Huang Jin had actually come to respect him over the months. He was a genius tactician. He had been teaching her how to play Xiangqi (chinese chess) and they had a daily match now. Most of the time they would spend it talking about nonsense or teasing each other trying to outwit the other. Chang Su even joined sometimes to watch or try to challenge her in a friendly match as well.

Nie Huaisang always won though. She had yet to even tie him. They had talked of many serious things as well. He had saved her life and she intended to repay that debt but it was made all the more easier with just how easy it was that they had become friends. She wanted to help him. His compassion for others was evident. He really did care for his people, he knew his limitations though and would reach out to others for help.

They had continued to hear more and more rumors of the demons taking lives. It had started to get worse however since Huang Jin's encounter. There were now reports coming in of bodies disappearing as well. Nie Huaisang had reached out to Lan Xichen to discuss possibly putting together a large hunting party. When Lan Xichen had come to discuss these important matters she had done her best to avoid Zewu-Jun for as long as possible. She didn't want to see him and knew it would be an awkward conversation with how she left Lotus Pier. She had tried to stay in the shadows the evening that Xichen had left, eavesdropping on Nie Huaisang and his conversation.

Lan Xichen smiled gently at Nie Huaisang, "You have grown much since I last saw you, both in spirits and strength. No one will be able to call you the head shaker now." Lan Xichen bowed politely but Huang Jin saw the small glint in his eye of....it looked like betrayal, she thought to herself. It was odd as the emotion seemed to be on his face for a split second.

Nie Huaisang rushed to return the bow, his face lit with obvious pride and his face flushed. He acted like he hadn't seen it. "Thank you Zewu-Jun for your kind words. I have been working hard to remove that unfair title from my name." Nie Huaisang tapped his fan in his palm and he looked seriously at Lan Xichen.

"I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming conference." With that Nie Huaisang bowed once more, Lan Xichen returned it and left with the rest of the disciples he had brought.

Nie Huaisang watched Lan Xichen leave and turned around to head back through the main gates, flipping his fan out and waving himself with a look of deep thought on his face. He stopped suddenly and loudly clacked his fan on his palm, a mischievous smile on his face.

"I wonder who could be listening to this conversation with such beautiful smelling shampoo wafting in the breeze...Did Huang Jin forget that she is up wind?" Nie Huaisang sang out in a teasing voice to the open air.

"Nie Huaisang! How?!" Huang Jin stepped out from the pillar she was hiding behind over 50ft away and she stood looking at the ground like a 4 year old that had been caught trying to eat a cookie off the counter.

Nie Huaisang began to laugh and walked over to Huang Jin. He began to sternly tap her on the shoulder like an adult telling off their child. "You know it is incredibly rude to eavesdrop on conversations between two sect leaders Huang Jin...I could have you imprisoned or worse...." Nie Huaisang teased the smile on his face some would call creepy.

Huang Jin knew he had meant those words. She could feel the truth in them. She had known from there many conversations and interactions that he could be a dangerous man. Even though he always treated her well and with the utmost respect the look in his eyes was a warning.

"I am sorry sect leader Nie." Huang Jin bowed the gentle smile on her lips once more.

Nie Huaisang instantly turned back into the cheerful carefree person he always seemed to be, and replied quickly, tapping her again on her arms as she bowed. "Why do you always get so serious and say you are sorry so formally? No, no, no. That won't do for my new advisor to be saying sorry and thank you to anyone and everyone." Nie Huaisang smiled and flipped the fan out once more hiding his sly smile behind it.

It took Huang Jin a moment to register what he had just said. "New. Advisor."

"Yes. I am asking as a friend and ally who has the same ultimate goal to honor me and have you as a permanent cultivator and advisor for the QingHe Nie Sect."

Huang Jin's mouth was slightly open as her mind raced. Her eyes darted back and forth and her eyes locked with Nie Huaisang's. When he grasped both her hands softly and his face showed nothing but resolute determination. He wanted her to be by his side.

"We both want to see a world where it doesn't matter where someone comes from or what family they are born in they can do whatever or become whoever they want to be. You grew up on the streets not knowing who your family was, an orphan. You taught yourself how to cultivate. You sought others who could teach you, relentlessly. You always fought for the justice of others and always fought with a clear conscience. What more can we as humans ask for?"

Nie Huaisang looked deeply into Huang Jin's eyes and she knew then that she couldn't say no. This was where she was supposed to be right now. This was her fate. She could feel it through her whole body.

The piercing grey eyes flashed through her mind, and a soft smile turned the corner of her lips as she grasped Nie Huaisang's hands back. "I owe you my life, Nie Huaisang. I feel that our meeting was not by our choice. You give me far too much credit." Huang Jin breathed in deeply and straightened her shoulders and bowed in the most elegant formal bow.

"I would be honored to be able to serve the QingHe Nie Sect."

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She had spent the next several weeks in a training course she never thought in a million years she would ever have to take. Nie Huaisang had spent countless hours a day teaching her proper etiquette and how to talk to everyone. How to eat, sit, stand, breathe...it had been exhausting...She knew that he was just trying to prepare her for the upcoming conference that started the next morning, and it was absolutely exhausting how much she needed to remember. But secretly, she was looking forward to it.

She had spent the last 6 months working tirelessly to cultivate her core. She had almost destroyed the training ground this morning when her and Chang Su had practice sparred.

Nie Huaisang had instructed them both to a no holds barred match. Neither of them held back and Huang Jin had unleashed a devastating series of combination attacks using her new talismans she had invented with the help of Nie Huaisang. He wanted her to use them at the conference, but he hadn't told her how yet and she was beginning to get worried.

She didn't always like that Nie Huaisang sprang things on her without telling her first. He always seemed to plan things to the utmost detail. It was somewhat annoying because he hardly ever didn't know what everyone was doing. That being said, he did let her get away with sneaking out for a week or two here and there. They both acted like neither knew why she was leaving. She wanted to check in on Jiang Cheng and her mentors.

Anytime she had a chance she would sneak out and fly off to Yungmeng or Gusu and disguise herself and sneak in. She kept telling herself that it was just because she wanted to make sure they were ok. Nie Huaisang had known better though.

He had dropped several hints that he had known the true reason a few nights ago at dinner. Oh how she had blushed...

Nie Huaisang tapped her on the head with his fan as she had been zoning out as he went on and on about the plan for the conference the next day. The last thing she had heard was "...and at dinner...."

Huang Jin flushed and smiled gently raising her arms to bow, "I am sorry Sect leader Nie."

Nie Huaisang looked down at her and sighed exasperatedly, "Huang Jin you have to get this right. Both our reputations are on the line here." Nie Huaisang sat down in frustration across from her at the table she had been sitting at in his room.

Huang Jin smiled at him gently, and she began to pour him some wine and handed him the cup. "I know and I am sorry. I promise I won't do anything to screw anything up. I know that you have been working hard to get rid of your reputation and become better." She took a large swig from her own cup before she looked at him again, her face serious. "Lan Xichen was right, you know? You have grown a lot since I met you."

Nie Huaisang accepted the cup of wine and drank from it his cheeks blushing slightly at the compliment and her blunt words. "Huang Jin you can be so blunt sometimes..."

Huang Jin laughed softly and smiled "You know you wouldn't have it any other way." she toasted to him and drank a huge gulp of the wine she had poured herself. Nie Huaisang eyes narrowed and the "I'm counting on it..." was written across his features.

Huang Jin shook her head and she looked seriously at him. "How are we going to deal with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng?" It was a question that had been bothering her for weeks. She had told Nie Huaisang about her past with them and it was the one thing they hadn't intricately planned out or talked about yet. He had avoided her question for days.

Nie Huaisang smiled and unfolded his fan and began waving himself with it as he gulped a sip of wine down. "I think things will play out how they are supposed to with those two."

"Huaisang?!" Huang Jin said exasperated now. Nie Huaisang raised a hand to quiet her.

"Hold on let me explain. I have thought about it a lot, and the more I try to plan, the more unpredictable it gets. I do not think either of them have bad intentions. Both of them are wild cards and I would never be able to predict every outcome with either of those two..." he turned to look at her with a soft smile. "I trust that you will live up to your promise and that you will not do anything that would hurt the QingHe Nie Sect." With that he poured himself a cup of wine and downed it in one go. To be honest he was worried too.

It had plagued him for days trying to come up with plan after plan. The more he thought about the more his mind raced in circles. He finally had concluded that no plan was in fact the best plan.

Huang Jin stared at him for a full minute before her gentle smile returned but her eyes stayed narrowed. She began to pout her lips. She didn't like this plan. No plan is in fact not a plan.

Huang Jin sighed and downed the entire cup of wine and poured herself another. She raised it up to toast Nie Huaisang "Fine. Here is to you Nie Huaisang ,and here is to the great goddess Guanyin. May she grant us luck on this new treacherous path we both are on."

They both toasted each other and drank the night away. In the back of her mind though she kept seeing those piercing grey eyes and her heart would start to flutter. He is going to be so mad at me...

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Over the last 6 months Jiang Cheng had been trying to track down the three demons. He had sent countless numbers of his own disciples out to investigate and report back. All of the clans had come together and reported that they were all having problems over the last year with the mass reporting of deaths.

It had taken them months to figure it out. There were over 900 cases reported so far from these demons alone. 900 souls. 300 days.... These demons had been terrorizing the country. The clans had planned for a conference to discuss what to do with the demons as it was going to take a massive effort to eliminate them. The Nie Sect had offered to house the conference.

Jiang Cheng had spent the vast majority of time since Huang Jin left researching and tracking the movements of the demons. He had also been trying to find out any information about her as well.

His chest ached at the thought of her. He missed her terribly.

His eyebrows scrunched together as he shook his head in anger. Why does he keep wasting his energy on someone like her...She left him without even saying goodbye. He thought angrily. His chest felt a sudden warmth and he rubbed it unconsciously. Why did he have to keep thinking about her?

Several times over the past six months he had stumbled upon a jar of his favorite liquor suddenly appearing on his table in his room. He had thought it had been his brothers doing, but a tiny voice in his head always thought he had somehow felt her golden core nearby. God he was such a lovesick child, he thought angrily to himself.

He had been trying to track her down and listen for any rumors of a female cultivator but he had heard nothing. He hoped that maybe she would be at the cultivators conference since it had to do with the demon, but he didn't expect it either. It was rare for a rogue cultivator to even be invited to a conference, let alone a female rogue cultivator. Jiang Cheng spent the entire week leading up to the conference worrying day and night over it. His temper had been the worst it had been since the days right after Wei Wuxian had died.

When he arrived with his entourage to the Nie sect that afternoon he was in a terrible mood as he made his way to the Unclean Realm gates.

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Inside the Unclean Realm that morning was a complete blur of movement.

All of the junior disciples and servants had worked for weeks to prepare the grounds for the upcoming conference, and everything was freshly painted and repaired if needed. All of the pathways were meticulously swept, there were new fresh silk fabric curtains and draperies everywhere. It had been amazing to see the transformation from the drab, very monotone, and dreary place that had been the head of the QingHe Nie Sect. Whereas now, the entire grounds was much more feng shui oriented and showed a sense of superior style and taste. There was a new pond and pavilion that had been built as well. Nie Huaisang had built it for himself to do his daily poetry and art at.

Everywhere Huang Jin looked she could see the new gold and dark emerald colors that had been added tastefully to the grey and black exteriors of the buildings. All of this was meticulously planned by Nie Huaisang even down to what Huang Jin would wear.

He had gifted her the most beautiful robes she had ever seen. They were a beautiful patterned silk in an almost sparkling sheen of silver and grey. The edges of the robe had emerald embroidery everywhere. He had even given her an intricately ornate headdress to compliment the robes.

He had even had some servants help her do her hair and had her put on a dark eyeshadow and bright red lipstick. He had said that it made her look even more mysterious. When she had looked at herself in the mirror she had barely recognized herself.

She looked like a beautiful cultivator with her hair high up in an intricately braided updo. Her long brown hair fell perfectly to the middle of her back and fanned across the silk material. The intricate silver headdress looked perfect with her outfit and the make up she was wearing made her look like a delicate and fierce woman. She had to hand it to Nie Huaisang...he definitely had fashion sense.

Before she knew it she was standing next to Nie Huaisang and Chang Su in the courtyard in front of the main hall, bowing to everyone as they came in. Sect by sect they greeted themselves.

There were huge butterflies in her stomach as she tried to remember all the rules that Nie Huaisang had taught her. This was the first time she had ever been to a cultivators conference, let alone one with all the sect leaders attending, and for such important decisions as well.

Now she would have to not only have to be of help to Nie Huaisang and advise him, but also have to somehow prove why she was here...How was she supposed to pull that off? On top of that Jiang Cheng was supposed to be coming...her hands hadn't stopped sweating the entire time.

The moment she thought of the name in her head she felt him before she had even seen him. She had just been bowing to a fuming Jin Ling and entourage when she could feel his angry presence enter through the gates. How could she not, it seemed to be coming off him in invisible waves.

The disciple calling out the names of people coming in, called out, "Now arriving the Yungmeng Jiang Clan." Jiang Cheng and his entourage turned the corner and the moment she made eye contact with him, she smiled gently and her heart almost beat out of her chest.

His face was pure shock at first but instantly changed into angry frustration, and he immediately broke her eye contact. His back stiffened as he walked up to Nie Huaisang and he bowed to him, then Chang Su who was standing next to him on the other side, and then to her. They all bowed in return.

Nie Huaisang smiled "Thank you for coming Jiang Cheng," and flipped his fan out and waved himself with it. "I have heard that you have also been having problems with the demon and I am glad we can collaborate on how to deal with the problem."

Jiang Cheng sneered at him, "Yes, well if you had been more forthcoming and not hid the fact that this demon had killed so many people, I wouldn't have had to be here now would I?"

Nie Huaisang snapped as his fan closed, a look of cold calculation on his face. This was not the normal reaction that the infamous headshaker was known for. Normally, he would have cowed in the face of Jiang Cheng's anger, or tried to avoid confrontation, but Nie Huaisang coolly replied. "Jiang Cheng, it took me many months to figure out that it was all connected, the same as you. These demons are tricky, and have been killing in such a small number over so long a period it took everyone time to realize what was going on. You have no right to blame just me."

Jiang Cheng's face flustered for a second at the solid reasoning and he couldn't come up with anything to respond with.

Huang Jin couldn't keep her mouth shut anymore. The miny pissing match wasn't going to help anyone. "I think that we all have the same goal here. We all have lost people we care about to these demons, and it is important we put aside our feelings and work together to take care of the problem, right?"

"What Huang Jin said was perfectly said,'' Lan Xichen's voice echoed through the courtyard as he walked towards the group. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were also by his side

"I am sorry to have spoken out of turn." Huang Jin bowed respectfully, and lowered her eyes once more. However, she could see the small smile on Nie Huaisang's lips. He had been proud that she had spoken up.

"You do not need to apologize for something that needed to be said, Huang Jin." Lan Xichen said softly, as he walked over and raised her up from her bow.

"Well at least it's nice to see you aren't dead..." Wei Wuxian said darkly.

Lan Wangji had an indifferent face on but Huang Jin could tell he was also mad at her.

Uhg this is going to be fun...she thought to herself.

"I am so glad that you all made it, please come. Everyone is here now we should start." Nie Huaisang turned to look at Jiang Cheng, who had been staring at him, his face tight lipped. "Come on, I heard you love herfung liquor so I made sure you and senior Wei would have some." Nie Huaisang said, waving himself with his fan, a small mischievous smile hidden behind it.

Huang Jin could barely hide her irritation at him. She had told him that it was Jiang Cheng's favorite one night when they had gotten drunk together...she was going to murder him.

Jiang Cheng had been glowering at her and Nie Huaisang the entire time. He had looked like he was going to spout fire at one point. But the moment she had smiled at him with that beautiful kind, gentle smile his heart had melted slightly. He was still pissed, but he had at least calmed down enough for Zidian to stop shooting sparks everywhere from his wrist.

They all followed Nie Huaisang into the main hall.

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The whole time they had gone through the typical formalities of a conference. They had all toasted each other, ate, drank, and then got to business. Nie Huaisang had introduced her earlier on as his advisor to much chagrin, and all of the men had stared at her with a mixture of awe and mild irritation that she was there. She had heard them whispering the whole time to each other. She could hear them all saying these like, "just a woman," "not from a sect," "she doesn't even look that powerful," "doesn't deserve her position."

Nie Huaisang had sat in quiet contemplation, listening to all the reports, and he seemed to ignore everything else.

Jiang Cheng sat looking pissed the entire time, and answered in short answers. He avoided Huang Jin's eye contact the entire time. At least she couldn't feel the heavy aura that she had felt from him when he had first come to the Unclean Realm.

Wei Wuxian had been trying to send evil eye glances her way the whole time as well. Lan Wangji kept interfering, and would tap him on the shoulder or softly whisper something to him. He would blush fiercely and stop for a while before returning to stare at her in anger when he got bored again.

She had only been half paying attention when she finally had had enough. She quietly excused herself to Nie Huaisang and the rest of the cultivators in the room. Nie Huaisang looked at her worriedly but she handed him a note secretly as she left. It said three words. Be right back.