Chapter Text
A scorned courtesan at a brothel he was investigating long ago had once told Chu Wanning that he was, quote, ‘near impossible to please.’ She had lamented on the way his stiff posturing and unchanging face was the reason he would never have a wife- as beautiful as he was. It was hurtful if not enticingly true. It had been years since then and Chu Wanning had indeed never taken a wife… But not for the reasons she’d stipulated.
As he approached the secluded orphanage amongst the leafy green brush with Mo Ran- his careful eyes examined the path ahead. He thought of that sentiment. Near impossible to please. Perhaps that was true. His high standards for everything had never stopped being a source of contention for every aspect of his life. It had caused him and others a lot of unnecessary suffering.
Even still, there had been many times when all he had were his principles. To let them waver because someone else said they were ‘near impossible’ to uphold would go against everything he believed in. If something was ‘near’ impossible, then it wasn’t impossible at all, was it?
He’d just had to wait.
“What did you say was going on here again, Shizun?” Mo Ran asked him, letting out a large exhale of air. Spring had bloomed only recently and the morning had a decent cold to it still. Mo Ran’s breath blew in front of his face as he walked. Chu Wanning enjoyed the proof of his breathing being so plain to see. Suddenly he longed for winter to stay longer- even if it did make his nose all red.
“Nothing too concerning. A few dead farm animals and crops.” Chu Wanning continued to press forward beside him, his white robes gliding against the uneven ground as if he were floating.
“Some kind of dark energy surge?”
Chu Wanning nodded in silent agreement. “The director of this establishment wanted to be proactive and deal with it now.”
Mo Ran nodded solemnly. The implication hung in the air like a cloying smoke. This was one of the few new orphanages opening up around the lands for the countless misplaced refugee children. There were too many young ones to just palm off to random families after such a vicious cycle of years and Mo Ran wouldn’t let them even if they tried. No one knew how dangerous that situation could prove to be for them more than he did.
Chu Wanning watched as Mo Ran steeled himself in front of the door. His back was tight and tense. If Chu Wanning had the face for it, he would have placed his hand on the planes of Mo Ran’s shoulder blades to anchor him to the present… But he did not, so, he did not.
Mo Ran looked back at him then and Chu Wanning froze. For a stark, embarrassing moment, he was concerned that Mo Ran had just read his mind.
“Shizun?”
Chu Wanning shook off the thought and gave him a nod to continue. “Go on.”
Mo Ran, swallowing, took a deep breath and entered.
-With the indoor sound free from its wooden casing, Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were nearly knocked over by the sheer volume of laughter and glee rampant in the room.
It was an organised chaos within. Small wooden toys were strewn all about the floor. Stray socks and slippers were missing their companions. Atop the mess were dozens of children playing about. Running. Singing. Giggling.
Ah.
These were not the fearful souls that Mo Ran and Chu Wanning had been anticipating at all.
They were… happy?
“Ah! The cultivators are here!” An older woman appeared from the fray, entirely unconcerned by the cacophony. Behind her was a mousy younger girl- no older than twelve or so. She kept her head bowed as she approached them. Chu Wanning did not catch a single glimpse of her face.
“Hello, distinguished sirs. Welcome to Peony Hall; Our home for displaced children of the realm.” The elder spoke, a pleasant smile on her face. She had a warm aura about her that Chu Wanning supposed would be a vital source of comfort to the children she worked with. “My name is Lu Ping, I am the director of this establishment and this is Bai Xing, she is the stablehand who first noticed these mysterious attacks.” She gestured to the girl beside her, who seemed to want nothing more than to disappear into the floor. “Thank you for coming to see us so promptly.”
Mo Ran gave her an easy smile as he bowed. There was none of the nervousness from before on his face. It had been wiped away as soon as he had come in contact with the civilians. This level of heroic composure hadn’t always been there. It had grown from a cocky sense of teenaged self confidence and it had flourished in the time they’d spent apart.
It was for this reason alone that Chu Wanning nowadays liked to let Mo Ran do the talking. He was better at it and he found it put those affected at ease more than his stern face.
It did have the unfortunate effect, however, of making him seem too pompous to speak for himself.
“Please leave the investigation to us, Director Lu.” Mo Ran spoke, his voice soft. “My Shizun and I will make sure you are all safe.”
The use of ‘ my’ in that sentence felt diabolically intentional.
“Wah… Such a handsome and polite man.” Director Lu put a hand on her face. She resembled a proud grandmother as she spoke with Mo Ran. Chu Wanning half thought she would pinch his cheek next. “Please allow me to show you both around.”
The orphanage was surrounded by sweeping countryside and little to no neighbours- meaning that there was plenty of room for the children to play outside. Recently though, for their own safety, they’d been corralled indoors. This explained the near-riotous nature of the room they’d walked into. They’d probably been going stir-crazy in there. Still, it was better for them to be cagey than endangered. It was true that only livestock had been killed thus far, but there was no telling whether what they were dealing with could escalate. In most cases Chu Wanning had seen, it nearly always did.
“We had another death just last night.” Director Lu explained. “A donkey. The biggest one so far. Before this there’d been chickens, dogs, cats…” She led them to the stable, the latest animal’s final resting place. “It is cruel enough that these animals have faced such gruesome deaths, but if things were to escalate…” She trailed off with a shiver. “Please assist us, noble zongshi. We are at your utmost mercy.”
“We will not leave until you and the children are safe.” Chu Wanning, surprising even himself, spoke then.
Mo Ran stared at him with an expression Chu Wanning couldn’t look at for too long.
“This humble establishment thanks you for your dedication.” Director Lu bowed her head, her sleeves sweeping across the long planes of grass. “I have to go back to attend to the children. I will have Xing-er assist you.”
“Thank you, Director.” Mo Ran nodded, watching as the old woman shuffled off back into the building.
In the silence that followed, Chu Wanning and Mo Ran looked toward Bai Xing at the same time.
The young girl flinched under their mutual gaze.
Mo Ran pretended not to notice. “Little Xing, Director Lu said you were the one that uncovered these deaths? All of them?”
Bai Xing nodded softly. “I like the stables.” Her voice was willowy and slight as she spoke. Almost as if it were about to wisp away into the breeze. “I spend all of my time out here.”
“Ah, so you adore animals?”
Bai Xing fiddled with her hands. It was only then that Chu Wanning noticed she was missing a few of her fingers. One on her right and two on her left. As he inspected closer, he also found she had a rather large burn scar on her forehead. No doubt she had been brought here as a war refugee. He swallowed.
Eventually, Bai Xing found it in herself to nod. “Yes. I adore them.”
Chu Wanning stared at her then. “So why is it that you’ve killed so many of them?