Shooting Star [Never Let You Go, Again Book 2]

15: Immortals' Newfound Powers

The Nie couple, Jiang Cheng, the two Jiang ladies and the Immortal couple stomped through the forest, Zhang Huli leading them. "So, Master, why do you want the sceptre anyway?"

"Stupid thing in me. Got to get rid of it."

"Ah?" Huli turned to him with round eyes.

"What?"

"You want it to absorb evil?"

"Please don't tell me right now that it's incapable of doing that!" Wei Wuxian stopped walking and stared at her.

Zhang Huli smiled and shook her head. "Oh no, it does do that. Just that, I expected the Yingxiong Laozu to want to use it to emit evil?"

The troop heaved a united sigh of relief and walked on.

"No. One thing, I don't wish to use such an evil thing. It's a Forbidden Item and once the absorption is done, it's going to be taken under the GusuLan sect's custody. Two..." Wei Ying grinned. "With regard to releasing evil and manipulating it... I don't think I need the sceptre for that."

Everyone grinned; even Lan Zhan's lips tilted upwards. Zhang Huli nodded. "True, Master's got Chenqing and an amazing core anyway. Master, that's the place." Huli pointed to a cleared patch of grass at the centre of the woods. The canopy above hadn't been cleared, and seemed especially thick here, in order to block as much light as possible. Whoever cleared the area didn't want anyone to spot the entrance. 

Which Nie Huaisang spotted in no time.

"Wei-xiong, there it is!"

The Squad ran to the rock Huaisang pointed to. It was well covered in moss and bushes of bluebells around the clearing but Director Nie had caught sight of it. "Didn't Lan Sizhui say there was a ward?"

Wei Wuxian nodded. He pointed two fingers at the rock, shooting out a burst of his energy. The Immortal no longer needed to draw talismans to break any barrier — the instant the red energy touched the ward, it shattered. Lan Zhan held Wei Ying's wrist. "I'll go first."

"Okay!" Wei Ying smiled. Lan Zhan unsheathed Bichen to let the blue glow fill the dark staircase as he cautiously treaded down. Darling's always so protective. Darling? I'll call him that here after, might get to see rosier ears, Wei Ying grinned as he skipped his way down the steps, carefree, shielded by his beloved.

Jiang Cheng and the rest followed silently, each lighting their own energy to turn the tunnel into rainbow stairs: Bichen's turquoise glow, Zidian's violet light slithering down the steps, a soft golden luminescence from Zhiming the fan, ashen green fluorescence from an unsheathed Zhipei, pinkish-lilac energy radiating from the Jiang seniors' swords, all lit up the tunnel, chasing away the darkness and the gloom. The one thing that did make the ambience eerie were the piercing scarlet glares from the Demon and her Master. 

Once Lan Zhan reached the last step, he held up Bichen to signal to the others to wait. He stepped down and checked the room. Not one person was there yet so he walked to the large rock entrance at a corner of the room. Rolling it aside in a single light push, he peeped in to find another long tunnel. Jingyi's been here, he thought as he recalled the juniors' tales and saw a burnt log of wood near the door. Picking it up and snapping his fingers to light up a brilliant fire, he planted the torch in a round torch-holder on a wall. "A-Ying."

Wei Ying hopped to his husband and pecked his cheek again. "You lit up the room?" He grinned. "Darling knows best!"

Lan Zhan bit his cheek and looked away while Wei Ying enjoyed the rosy ears.

"Oi! Get to business."

"Sheesh, A-Cheng," Wei Wuxian turned to his furious brother, nose scrunched up in exasperation. "Just because gege's not hear you're letting your lonely frustration out on me? Not fair!"