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

50: Deadly Heiress

Crash! Crumble! Trees fell away as massive beasts and ghouls ran towards the Jiang sect.

"A-Ying, careful!"

"A-Zhan, stand back!" Wei Wuxian shouted above the chaos before blowing his own flute. Black smoke fluttered out of his soul and wrapped him up in dominating darkness that frightened both cultivators and monsters. Wei Ying flashed his eyes a bright red, casting a charm all over the evil beings. The beasts and spirits came to a standstill a good distance away from the people. And just a foot in front of Wei Ying. Lowering his hands, Wei Ying glared at them all. "What do you think you're doing!"

"Susu..."

"Not you, Meilien," Jiang Qiao tapped her as she cuddled her close.

Wei Wuxian was talking to the monsters. "Don't you know who this is?" The red glare doubled. "She's my heiress! Dare to hurt her again and you're all done for!"

While the beasts watched in terror, the ghouls, relatively intelligent, bowed their heads in apology.

"GET LOST!"

All of them dispersed.

"Ah? Daddy, you could have kept them back! We'd have won in no time!" Jin Ling whined as he ran into the group.

"Stop talking nonsense, Jin Ling. We're doing this fairly. I'm not saying calling them here was wrong, I'm saying we'll start over. Meilien..." Wei Wuxian turned to the worried girl. Meilien was pale and shaking.

"Susu... I'm so sorry..."

"Little Lien, it's fine, it's totally fine," Wei Wuxian took her from Qiao and hugged her tight. "Sorry if Susu scared you, but please don't do that again."

"MEILIEN!" Lan Xichen ran in and shook her. "Are you alright? What happened? Why's she trembling? What was all the chaos? Why did I hear two flutes? What's going on?"

"Goodness, you're more terrified than her own father is!" Jiang Cheng huffed as he marched in.

"Gege," Lan Wangji turned to them.

"Wangji, did Wuxian play Chenqing? I heard it but didn't expect him to change tune so fast so I ran here. What happened?"

"Mn, same with us," Sizhui nodded with Jin Ling.

"Not A-Ying. Meilien played Xinqing."

"What?" Jiang Cheng gasped. "That was Xinqing? Meilien, not bad! As good as Chenqing!"

"A-Cheng, it's not a happy situation right now," Wei Wuxian mumbled bitterly as he stroked Meilien's shuddering back.

"Wait, why is she shaking?" Jiang Wanyin hurried to them.

"That's exactly why I panicked," Xichen glared at him.

"She... It's affecting her. This is why I didn't want her doing it. Didn't want her following my path. See? It's affecting her," Wei Ying kept stroking her trembling back.

"You mean the demonic energy is affecting her?" Jiang Qiao asked.

Wei Wuxian nodded. "She still has a spiritual core. It'll affect her disposition a lot. What if her beautiful core darkens? Or her soul tears apart? I kept telling you guys, see now?"

Lan Wangji watched, terrified, as both niece and uncle shook. One with shock, the other out of worry. "A-Ying... It didn't hurt you as bad..."

"It didn't because I had no core at all back then. And now I have a demonic core. But hers is spiritual. What if her core turns demonic like mine?"