Chapter Text
"I'm sick of you treating me like a kid, jiujiu! I'm a sect leader now, at least let me have fun before I have to be locked away in a room reading papers, and spending time dealing with the people of the Lanling Jin Sect!" Jin Ling shouted, crossing his arms across his chest.
The argument started off as Jiang Cheng scolding Jin Ling for being reckless last night, hearing about a late night hunt with a few of the senior disciples in the Lanling Jin Sect. Then it escalated to growing up and now—
"Fun? What if someone attacked your sect while you were gone? You can't be gone every night to meddle around with senior disciples. You could when Jin Guangyao was still alive, but he's gone now and YOU are now the sect leader of Lanling Jin Sect!"
Jin Ling grunted his teeth, furrowing his brows lower. "You're always scolding me!"
"Jin Ling—"
"No–! Everything I do! The decisions I make! You criticize everything! It's like you don't care about how I feel! It's not like I wanted to be a sect leader in the first place!"
Jiang Cheng's fingernails sunk into his palm. "Jin Rulan! When did you learn how to be—"
"Why couldn't you be as caring as San Shu?!"
Silence.... There was no return of words between either for a moment.
Jin Ling only remebered the way Jiang Cheng looked. At first, he thought his uncle looked shock, iy was the way Jiang Cheng's brows slightly creased. But it looked more like betrayal when Jin Ling came to consciousness to what he said.
"J–jiujiu... I–i didn't—"
"Leave."
His eyes widened in pain. He didn't mean it... it just slipped out!
"Jiujiu..." His voice slightly cracked under his mumble.
Jiang Cheng stood from his seat. "LEAVE! Did you not hear me?!"
With that, Jin Ling ran out of Lotus Pier. Tears flew in the air and walking disciples nearly bumped into him as he ran.
Jiang Cheng fell back into his seat, one hand clutching the arm of his chair. His breathing didn't even feel like his own. Did he feel guilty for shouting at his nephew? Defitnitely. But anger over took him in those vulnerable seconds. The world felt wrong when he sat down. His remaining free hand lifted up to his temple, massaging it gently as he stared at the ground.
At most, he wanted it to be quiet for a minute. Whatever he could get to calm the pounding pain in the back of his head.
Most times, after a fierce argument like that, Jin Ling would run off and Jiang Cheng would chase after him. Both would apologize and come to their mistakes. However—
Hurried footsteps alerted Jiang Cheng's gaze before him. "Sect Leader Jiang!" A disciple came forward, bowing low. He was catching his breath in the spare seconds given to him.
"What?" Zidian flashed for a second, leaving the disciple slightly trembling. His eyes met the floor, thinking if he looked away; Zidian didn't exist.
Building up the courage to report the franctic words of his seniors, his raised his arm to form an oval between his chest and hands. "I have a report from Muxi Village."
"The small village southwest from here?" The two men did not make direct eye contact for a few seconds, the disciple kept his head low while continuing the report.
"Yes, sect leader. There's been a disturbance reported by the nearby watchmen. It's been stated that a few spirits have appeared to be attacking the villagers, and along with their sudden appearance, a thick fog covered the entire borderline of the village. No one has been reported to come out and no one is allowed in as they've been stopped by those on duty. The watchmen who weren't swallowed in, think the fog has appearing due to the downstream river near the village. They believe it's the only explanation and assume people cannot see through the dense fog."
Jiang Cheng's gaze sharpened, it was the middle of summer. With the humidity high, especially near a lake, assuming the fog was a natural phenomenon appearance, would pass as an explanation. However, Jiang Cheng decided to go with his instincts, something told him this was no ordinary fog. After all, they live in a world with spirits, ghosts, zombies, and a Yiling Laozu. Of course the fog wasn't ordinary.
He forced himself to his feet, exhaling strongly. "I'll head out immediately, notify the—" Jiang Cheng paused half way out of the room. The disciple turned to him, blinking his eyes.
The plan was to tell him to notify the senior disciples, but what was he thinking? They were sent away to finish their mountain training up north. And it was tradition to finish the whole course of training. None of them would return in time to assist Jiang Cheng, even if they road on their swords. They'd only get in the way by the time he finished the work.
"Sect Leader Jiang, would you like me to notify the—"
"No need. I'll deal with it myself." His declaration left the disciple dumbfounded. As sect leader, he didn't want the juniors coming with him. One, because they'd most likely get in his way. Two, he'd feel guilty and half of them ended up injured. And three, this case didn't sound right to him.
The younger cultivator quickly chased after his sect leader, catching up right behind Jiang Cheng.
"But Physician An has strictly stated that you must not use spiritual energy for some time! If she finds out you went to deal with the problem, she'll—"
"She'll what?" He turned. Daring the disciple to state his thoughts.
The younger man flinched, stepping back to create space between him and his sect leader. He shut his mouth into a thin line, feeling a huge wave of fear to speak before Jiang Cheng.
"I am the sect leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, she is merely a physician who works for me. What can she do to me?" With that, he left the disciple behind.
Jiang Cheng left no time to waste and rode on Sandu, heading southwest from Yunmeng.
The disciple immediately slapped his cheeks with worried eyes the moment the sect leader flew away. "She's gonna kill me!" He hissed, crying in the inside.
───
The weather on the way seemed normal, there was no disturbance of any kind. The sun was bright and there weren't many clouds in the sky. In fact, it looked like a perfect day for nothing bad to happen. Yet here he was, riding his sword and going to find out why spirits wanted to ruin this day which was already bad enough after aruging with his nephew.
Not far from his sight of eyes, as the disciple reported, there was a huge wall of fog. As if protecting something inside it. He landed on ground, near the stationed watchmen who were gathering others who tried to pass through.
"Sect Leader Jiang!"
"Help us!"
"Sect Leader, what is going on?!"
Many villagers threw questions out at him, questions he didn't know how to answer. He merely passed them, barely glancing at the villagers who kept pushing for an answer. The group was held back by other watchmen of the area.
"Sect Leader Jiang." One watchman saluted, his arms forming the common circle.
He looked at the wall of fog, analyzing if it would expand or not. "What's the report?"
"A villager ran inside—"
"They what?!" His shout caught the groupe of villagers attention, but it left the watchman frozen.
"You let a villager go inside the fog?!"
"We didn't let them— he ran inside!" Left with this explanation, Jiang Cheng nearly lost it.
"Sect Leader Jiang!" A woman suddenly grabbed his arm, her eyes filled with tears. She had managed to escape from being held back by the other watchmen. Jiang Cheng tried to pull back, but his energy died trying as he looked at her face.
"Please— help us! My husband ran in there to check on our family! Our daughter is with her grandparents— we were supposed to return hours ago, but were restrained from entering into the fog. It's been hours since my husband went in! Please save them!" Her voice was filled with desperation as she pleading the sect leader.
Jiang Cheng could only removing her trembling wrist away from his arm before giving a sharp glare at the watchman besides him.
"I'm going in. If this is not dealt with by tomorrow morning, report to the other sects for assist." His announcement made it clear that he wanted this fog gone by tonight. Soon, his body disappeared into the dense white clouds.
"Can Sect Leader Jiang really handle it alone?" One whispered among the crew. Some had settled down once they realized the fog wouldn't be lifted any time soon. A few were munching on the fruits and vegetables they had brought back from the nearby villages they shopped from. Some were even trading while others cried. Merchants I tell you.
The immediately recieved a smack in the head from his wife. "Nonsense! What are you muttering about now you useless husband?" The other man; not married, flinched back.
The husband rubbed his head, groaning in slight pain as his hand rubbed his head. "Haven't you heard?" The unmarried man asked. The wife only raised brows, hands on her waist.
"Heard what?"
"There's been rumors going around that Sect Leader Jiang is no longer able to use spiritual energy---"
"He still is able! Get it right!" The married man shouted, before recieving another attack to his head.
"Shut up! So loud- gosh!" She sighed, looking at the merchant in front of her. "Go on."
"Like I was saying, there's been some sayings that after the Guanyin Temple incident with the Lanling Jin Sect Leader, about a month after, Sect Leader Jiang encountered a strange guai spirit. It's said that the guai spirit had power similar to the Yiling Laozu himself and it tried to kill Sect Leader Jiang!"
The merchant fell over onto his back, he too recieved a harsh blow from the wife. "False! You dare say such things?! Even if it were true, nothing can be strong and more evil than the Yiling Laozu!"
"Didn't he save us a couple months ago?" She gave a harsh, deep glare at her pathethic husband. Causing him shut up immediately.
Fuming with anger, she huffed out loudly. Her hands back on the sides of her waist. "Right. He did save us, along with the help of Hanguang-jun. If it weren't for them, we'd all be dead with that fierce corpse running around."
Nearby, a watchman who was listen to the group's gossip stepped over to his neighbor. Whispering under his breath, he asked his neighbor watcher a question. "Is it true?" The curosity in his voice sounded clear.
His neighbor gave him a hard side stare, ignoring the question. "Hey- come on! At least tell me if it's false." He nudged his neighbor with his elbow gently, trying to pursue him fofr an answer. The act defitnitely got him moving.
"Shut up! You're so annoying." He hissed.
"Is it true? That's all I wanna know..!"
"I hope you get fired."
"Woah! Hater! You're so mean, it was just a question..!" With that, he gave up. Standing back in position, hands behind his back, eyes harsh and annoyed with his useless neighbor.
Meanwhile, back in Lotus Pier... Jiang Anyu had just returned from picking new herbs from the mountains when she recieved the report from the same disciple earlier this morning.
"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE LEFT?!" Her shout echoed the entire hall of the medical wing. leaving the rest of the elder physicians covering their eyes and rolling their eyes at her.
"I tried to stop him...! I really did!" The disciple hurried to expain what happened, that he told Sect Leader Jiang Physician Anyu would be mad and he ended up leaving anyway.
"What kind of stopping is that?! You didn't even try! You call that trying?!" She argued. The disciple was left dumbfounded, what was she angry about? Him or sect leader leaving?
"Physician An." A physician warned. The two locked eyes.
"Aren't you worried about the sect leader running off to play hero?!" She questioned, tugging her bag of herbs close against her chest. The other physician just signed, placing the chart down.
"Sect Leader Jiang is strong, stop trying to make it seem as if he's dying."
"But-"
"Jiang Suyi." Jiang Anyu stepped back, furrowing her brows. Her grip on the bag handle tightened. Elder physicians just loved using her courtesy name to declare she "lost" the argument, when really they were "old" so they didn't want to argue anymore.
She lowered her head, feeling a tugging anger in her chest. "I have checked his pulse. Sect Leader Jiang will so fine for next few days, if he finally rests of course." He sighed.
"That's the thing that worries me! We all know the sect leader hates resting, yet we're letting him do whatever he wants as if he doesn't know that he's injured!"
"He knows his limits."
"Does he?"
The disciple stood far away from the two inside the medical hall. He wasn't supposed to be there, he knew he wasn't, but their argument left him in a frozen state. Not knowing if he was allowed to move or not. He tried to, but the moment he let one of his foot out the door, the two physicians stared at him as if he was at fault.
"Get back in here! It's your fault! You didn't stop the sect leader from leaving!" Jiang Anyu shouted.
"What is your problem Physician An?" The elder asked picking the scroll back into his wrinkled hands. To him, the question sounded fine. To the youngester across from him, she looked even more triggered.
"My problem?! What's your problem?!" She questioned him back before storming off.
The two men watched as she nearly tripped over the menkan (in Chinese architecture, it refers to a raised wood at the bottom of a door) of the entrance, trying to rush her way out in anger.
The elder physician could only sigh and shake his head. "It's as if everyone within the Yunmeng Jiang Sect has learnt how to take in Sect Leader Jiang's attitude." He mumbled.
"Um... Physician Gao...?" The elder looked at the young cultivator still at the door. They shared a long exchanged before Physician Gao cleared his throat.
"You didn't hear anything."
"Can I go now?"
"Yes! Go! Leave!" The disciple hurried off, closing the doors behind him as Physician Gao rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"That kid better not snitch on me." The only that could come to mind was the streets or Zidian. Either way, both were bad options.