[Closed to Four Seasons Manor residents + Ye Baiyi]

[yeoldmonster]

⌛ Who: Ye Baiyi and residents of the Four Seasons Manor
⌛ What: Missing arachnida (scorpion)
⌛ When: August 30
⌛ Where: Four Seasons Manor
⌛ Warnings:

He'd woken up to a strange but minor pain he couldn't identify. It lingers and he's not used to feeling something like this, but there are more important things to deal with. Namely, he can't find Xie Wang. It was odd given how the young man had been as glued to his side as a loyal hound the last week or so. It was also annoying, since that meant no breakfast. Fortunately, he knew where he could go that also had good food.

Like he has since he arrived, he shows up at the Four Seasons Manor and walks through the door like he owns the place. "Zhou Zishu? Brat?" He calls, making his way to the kitchen.

Comments

[yeoldmonster]

"What's a cultivator?" He frowns, unfamiliar with that term. It's not a word they use where he's from and wonders if that means his friend is a gardener. That's not a very noble-y pursuit.

[theatrics]

Ouyang pressed his lips together in thought. "They are people who nurture their spirits in pursuit of what I consider magical power and immortality."

[yeoldmonster]

He blinks in surprise, almost stopping. "We call those Martial Artists where I'm from. It's what Zhou Zishu, Wen Kexing, and I are back home. Whether the little brats are still doing that now, I have no idea. This place is very strange."

He certainly was still training and meditating. However, he was also eating which was slowly making his hair more gray.

"Has this cultivator achieved immortality?"

[theatrics]

"Not yet." But he's confident. Mingye is very good at what he does and his magic still awes Ouyang whenever he bares witness to it. "But he will. I have no doubt."

[yeoldmonster]

That kind of confidence in Ouyang's leader is heartwarming. He approves of this little man.

"Very few are able to achieve immortality. I'll have to speak with him and see how close he is." Even though he speaks with authority, he feels that pain in his chest again. His hand slides to rest over his heart chakra and it takes effort not to let any other discomfort show. What was this that has been plaguing him?

Fortunately, he can see the training area not far ahead of them.

[theatrics]

If Ouyang noticed anything amiss, he didn't say. Instead, he escorts Ye Baiyi to the training grounds of the Manor.

"Many of us use these grounds to train."

[yeoldmonster]

It's a nice space, clearly something that has taken time and care to develop. He can sense the energy here too and knows Zishu, at least, does spend time here- or at least his sword. He nods approvingly, checking over things like a teacher with a new classroom might.

He turns and looks at the young man thoughtfully. "Let me see what you can do."

[theatrics]

He didn't hesitate. Ouyang drew his sword and went through the fluid motions of his warm-up routine, before genuinely showing off. While his skill may be little compared to those of Immortals and cultivators, among mere mortals he was one of the most skilled warriors of his day. He certainly hadn't become a General of Mongolian armies by being weak or commonplace.

[yeoldmonster]

The young man has great form and there's impressive power behind his sword thrusts. It's remarkable for someone outside of the Martial Arts community who hasn't harnessed their qi.

"Jiangjun, there are Martial Artists who would be put to shame by your form," he says, giving a rare compliment. He's glad no one else is around to hear him say that. If it ever got back to Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing, they luckily wouldn't believe it for a second anyway.

"How long have you been training?"

cw: mention of mutilation

[theatrics]

It's probably also a good thing for Ye Baiyi that Ouyang wasn't the sort to brag when compliments were paid to him. The secret lives and dies between them.

"As long as I can remember," he replied. "After..." there's a slight, unnatural pause. "After I turned ten, there was nothing else for me to do but hone my skills." After the slaughter of his family and his own castration, he had to do anything he could to survive. Even with all his accomplishments, the shame of his status always followed... but not here. He doesn't go around bragging that he's a eunuch.

[yeoldmonster]

Baiyi can sense a bit of what is going unsaid. He's been through enough tragedy to recognize the signs. However, as he looks more carefully at the small man, his senses start picking up on something else. With a slight frown, he doesn't look directly at Ouyang, but around him. What exactly is he sensing?

"You have a strange presence around you," he remarks. If he was feeling better and could concentrate more clearly, he might've been able to figure it out on his own.

[theatrics]

Ouyang had no idea about the ghosts that followed him. But the way Ye Baiyi looked beyond him reminded him of others doing the same. But this was different. This man made no indication that he thought himself better than Ouyang, that he wasn't worth even looking at as so many had thought before.

"How do you mean?"

[yeoldmonster]

Well, Ouyang is partially right. Ye Baiyi does, in fact, think he's better than Ouyang and everyone else in the world, but that doesn't mean Ouyang isn't worth giving respect to. This general was clearly a good soldier and he was now a servant of a god. That's quite an impressive feat for a mortal to accomplish.

Baiyi doesn't answer immediately, taking his time to get an understanding of what kind of energy he feels. "There are souls that cling to you. Many of them." His gaze moves from where the spirits are to Ouyang directly. "Are they your people?"

[theatrics]

His people? It took a moment for Ouyang to compile the facts that were being presented to him. Many souls clinging... Something dark filled his eyes and his expression went sour.

"... My family." He lets that hang between them before continuing to explain. "Zuzhu."

[yeoldmonster]

Baiyi's eyebrows rose sharply hearing that word. That's a very severe punishment and thankfully rare. It, of course, reminds him of someone else from this household who was being punished when they met.

"Did you cause it?" He asks. Would there have been a stronger sense of hatred from those spirits if Ouyang had been the criminal?

[theatrics]

"My father." The words were dull on his tongue. He'd been so young then that he didn't understand. Even now, he only has the reports of others who'd deemed his father a traitor to the Great Khan.

[yeoldmonster]

The Sword Immortal has lived too long among the Martial Arts community to be revolted by zuzhu like someone more modern would. However, that doesn't mean he likes the practice either. It's excessive and brutal.

"How are you alive?" He asks, his gaze shifting once again to the spirits around the general. "Or have you been reborn here?"

[theatrics]

Shame washed over him and he looked away. "I begged for my life and the Prince of Henan showed me mercy."

Mercy... by having the child castrated and made a slave to live on in shame.

[yeoldmonster]

"That is a vicious death. It's no wonder you would beg for your life," he concedes. While he does think it's shameful to display such weakness, he also understand that when faced with death people get desperate.

"I don't sense any hate or anger from the spirits. They aren't mad at you, even though they accompany you."

[theatrics]

Ouyang's lips press into a thing line. "They should go. I have avenged them."

[yeoldmonster]

"Be patient and do that carefully. If they're connected to you, you might be the only way they get home to their ancestors again. No matter how you feel about them, they're your responsibility."

Even with that warning, Baiyi is already thinking of how he could help this man. He reaches out and catches Ouyang's wrist. He ignores whatever reaction the general has as he reads what he can from his energies.

[theatrics]

Oh, oh no! Ouyang tugs violently at his captured wrist, though being a normal human likely isn't able to free himself from the grasp of an Immortal.

"Unhand me!"

[yeoldmonster]

His eyes briefly shut, easily blocking out the small man's protests to concentrate. He doesn't sense any harm to Ouyang from being haunted by these spirits.

With a nod, he releases Ouyang's hand. "Your family hasn't harmed you. You have time to find the right way to release them."

[theatrics]

He finally managed to snatch his arm away, looking fully like he'd just been slapped across the face.

"They should go. The Prince of Henan is dead; his line ended, just like ours."

[yeoldmonster]

"Calm down, general. I needed to know if they were harming you or not." This man is looking at him like Baiyi had just stabbed him. Why were the young and mortal so dramatic?

"If you want them to leave, I'll help you."