AN: Fortunately Lilliumscribe took me up on the invitation in my previous chapter to set me straight about the Feng Yun Ling. She says that the term "Kungfu of Ice" would better translate to something like "Ice Martial Arts" (and other terms that wouldn't work as well in English-speaking context), so that's what I've gone with. She says that "technique" is a decent description of the use of the Ice Martial Arts, so I've used that as well. "Technique(s)" doesn't always work in context, though, so I've used "abilities" to describe her capacity to use Ice Martial Arts techniques. She also pointed out that the writers were often deliberately ambiguous about the nature of the abilities/techniques themselves, so we as writers have a bit of leeway. I'm doing my best to get the terminology right, though, but please bear with me as I have to adjust my way of thinking about CQ's abilities when I write. (Well, in regards to the immediate plot, it's too late to adjust anything in regards to CQ's abilities and how lost and found they can be, so y'all will just have to deal.) So everyone go and thank Lillium for actually knowing what she's doing and being willing to help me to get things right for y'all.
Speaking of getting things right, I'm going to horribly mangle medicine in this chapter. In my last story, I mangled the birthing process, and this time, I'm going to mangle...well...you'll see. I've decided that any questions about how the medical processes work in this chapter are going to be answered with "Ice Martial Arts techniques." That's it. That's the answer. It's mysterious. It's deep. It's unknowable—so don't even try. Y'all don't care too much, do you? You just want to see XingYue put everything on the line for each other, right? So here we go—and don't try any of this at home (or anywhere else).
Chu Qiao had felt herself dying, her life force flowing out of her like the ebbing of the waters she'd recently remembered how to command. She'd been reasonably content to die in the arms of the man she loved, secure in the knowledge that he would use the techniques she'd given him to survive. Her goal had been to give Yuwen Yue the rest of her Ice Martial Arts abilities, but she'd felt too weak to do so.
The battle cry from the trees near the shoreline had jolted her awake and sent a bolt of energy crackling through her. She'd recognized that voice and the implications of its owner's presence, so she'd shakily gotten to her feet with Yuwen Yue's assistance, knowing that she'd have to hold on to life for a little while longer if she were going to save her beloved. After all, these people had come because she'd reached out to them, and she'd promised Yuwen Yue that she'd kill them herself if they posed a threat to him or his people.
As the bodies started raining down from the trees, she knew herself to be unequal to such a task. They fell in the midst of the enemy and simply started shredding them, killing them with the impersonal, efficient ease of the pugilists that they were. Their enemies cried out and tried to flee, but there was nowhere for them to go but back towards the icy lake and the hail of destruction that would rain on them courtesy of Yuwen Yue.
Many of the remaining enemy forces laid down their arms and fell to their knees, begging for mercy. Those who fought to the last man died to the last man, falling before the various weapons wielded by the new-comers or the blades of the original motley alliance of the Xiuli, rebel Yanbei soldiers, Yue guards, and Afterlife Camp assassins.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the battle was over. Its survivors stood there in shock, eyes wide at the fearsome appearances of the strange, black-clad warriors in their midst. Their styles of dress varied, but all of them wore the same flat black color of robes that had made them practically invisible in the trees in which they'd presumably been hiding all day.
A tall, rangy woman with sharp features and braided hair stepped forward, boldly approaching the shore as Yuwen Yue propelled their floating fortress the final few feet. Chu Qiao reached out a hand and touched the rampart in front of her, causing a portion of it to simply melt away. She stepped off of the icy platform on unsteady legs, determined to remain upright without any assistance.
Yuwen Yue stayed close at her back, however, the same solid, strong presence behind her that he'd been for so long. While she'd told him firmly that she had to have this conversation with her people on her own, she welcomed his support and love in these last few minutes of her life. She clasped Can Hong Jian's hilt tightly in her right hand, not doing anything to conceal the sword's identity from the woman who was eyeing it with obvious disapproval.
"Phoenix," Chu Qiao said, dipping her head in acknowledgment towards the warrior and scraping together the last of her strength. "Thank you for aiding us in our time of need. You are most welcome."
"Are we?" the woman asked wryly, her eyes pointedly looking at the scared faces surrounding them. "I got the impression from talking with Mister Wu that the Underworld wouldn't be welcome here unless we met some ridiculous conditions."
"If you knew that you couldn't meet these terms that you found so unappealing, then why did you come in the first place?" Chu Qiao asked.
"Were we supposed to just ignore the news that Luo He's daughter had been found?" Phoenix asked. "While Mister Wu didn't give us many details, we were able to easily put the pieces together and discern your identity. We knew that you would never want for us to stop warring against the Eyes of God, so we assumed that you must have been in serious trouble to even suggest such a thing. Obviously we were right."
"Well, I was in trouble," Chu Qiao admitted, "but not for the reasons you thought. And I am serious about ending our feud with the Eyes of God, even if I'm not going to be able to make that happen personally."
"Where will you be?" Phoenix asked. "With him?"
"Nowhere so pleasant, I'm afraid," Chu Qiao said coolly, stepping closer so that Phoenix could see the hole in her chest. "But I have transferred the bulk of my knowledge of Ice Martial Arts techniques to him and plan to give him the rest of my abilities before the end so that there will still be a possessor of the Feng Yun Ling."
"How could you do such a thing?" Phoenix said, her voice growing louder by the end. The other Underworld warriors also muttered their dissatisfaction.
"Probably not using the same methods my mother employed on me," Chu Qiao said, an impish smile suddenly blooming on her face.
Phoenix blanched at the implication.
"Had you gotten involved in the battle sooner, perhaps I never would've felt the need to transfer my abilities in the first place."
"And why should we get involved in something before we have to?" Phoenix asked. "Besides, what were we to think of our supposed leader fighting at the side of the enemy, wielding the sword of the enemy, and sharing her techniques with the enemy?"
"'Supposed leader'?" Chu Qiao asked sharply, turning around so that they could see the Feng Yun Ling on her back through her arrow-torn robes. "This makes me your leader, does it not?"
She wobbled unsteadily on her feet due to the suddenness of the motion, and Yuwen Yue instinctively put a hand at her waist to steady her. Chu Qiao could feel the disapproval of Phoenix and the other members of the Underworld beating on her back, but she ignored them as she carved out a brief moment in time for her eyes to connect with those of her beloved. The love and pain she saw in his eyes was likely a mirror of her own as she let her own mask slip for a few seconds.
"I've seen enough," Phoenix said harshly from behind her. "This Yuwen has clearly brought you under his influence somehow, and I intend to see that influence ended."
"You can try," Chu Qiao said, her eyes flashing as she slowly turned back around with the help of Yuwen Yue's steadying hand. "Killing him won't allow me to live, however, or give you a new leader."
"No, but removing him from your life could give you the freedom to make your own choices once you recover."
Chu Qiao smiled humorlessly at the woman, pain flashing through her that she allowed to show in her eyes.
"Thank you, but I tried running away from him already and it didn't work. Those days are behind me. Well, all of my days are behind me anyway since I'm dying, regardless of your denial of that fact. In fact, I need to transfer the knowledge of the rest of my techniques to Yuwen Yue now or else it'll be too late. Don't worry; he'll lead you well. He's the best man I've ever known."
She turned around and placed a hand on his cheek, doing her best to give him the last thing she had left.
"Xing'er-"
"Shh," she said softly, placing her thumb over his lips. "No time…"
A sudden motion at her back broke her concentration before she could give her beloved the rest of her Ice Martial Arts abilities. She and Yuwen Yue were suddenly surrounded by a wall of bristling warriors with their swords drawn.
"Do what you have to do, Chu Da Ren," He Xiao said as he took his place at her side, his figure covered in blood from head to toe. "We won't let anyone harm you."
"Do you really think you could stop us?" Phoenix asked in amusement.
"We do not fear death," He Xiao replied calmly.
"We'll fight to the last man," Yue Qi said, taking his place beside his master.
"And the last woman," Meng Feng said from her nearby spot at Yuan Song's right side.
"Are you really going to allow these people to be slaughtered for you, Chu Qiao? That's not your way."
"Do you really think I could stop them?" Chu Qiao replied faintly as her vision began to gray.
She tried to concentrate on her task once again, but she heard Phoenix move towards her and knew her time was up. Chu Qiao broke free of Yuwen Yue's grasp with regret and got Can Hong Jian up as quickly as she could.
"X'er!" Yuwen Yue cried from behind her, forcing his way in front of her with Po Yue Jian at the ready.
I love it when he says my name like that, Chu Qiao thought hazily as she prepared to defend her people one last time.
"I won't let you sacrifice the Underworld to the Eyes of God and the Yuwens because of your personal feelings," Phoenix said, striding forward. "Let me take care of him once and for all, and then the Eyes of God will be finished for good. The Underworld can ascend, and none will be able to stand before us—especially with you at our head, Chu Qiao."
"I've heard that 'we can conquer the world together' argument before, Phoenix, and turning my back on it and its maker was the best thing I ever did—even if doing so brought me here to my death. My last order to you is to work together with the Eyes of God under Yuwen Yue's leadership to make peace and to end this pointless feud. If you can't abide by that, then you need to just admit that you're staging a coup and get on with it because I'm almost out of time."
"I do not seek leadership for myself!" Phoenix said indignantly. "I merely want to free our true leader from the influence of the Yuwens before it's too late."
"Don't worry," Chu Qiao said, smiling faintly. "I killed all the worst Yuwens and left the only good one of the entire family alive."
"Except for your father, Yuwen Yue," she added as an aside to the man she loved. "Has he treated you well? Should I have found a way to kill him, too?"
"Xing'er," Yuwen Yue whispered in exasperation.
"Sorry," she whispered back. "You're right. No time..."
Phoenix moved with no warning, and Chu Qiao acted instinctively, sending out a pulse of pure energy that blasted the Underworld's would-be leader at least ten feet away from them. Chu Qiao almost blacked out, but she somehow managed to stay on her feet.
I'm too weak to give him my abilities now, but I can give him one more thing with my dying breath.
"This is the man I love!" Chu Qiao yelled loudly enough for everyone left on the battlefield to hear. "If you can't accept that, then you need to leave."
Her vision tunneled, and the ground rose up to meet her as she knew no more.
"X'er!" Yuwen Yue cried as his beloved suddenly lost consciousness and fell to the ground.
He shoved their matching swords safely out of the way and fell to his knees before Xing'er, tears rolling down his cheeks that he couldn't have stopped if he'd have had the energy to try. Ever so gently, he gathered her in his arms and pulled her into his lap.
"No, X'er, you promised me," he whispered brokenly. "Stay with me, X'er. Get up."
Yuwen Yue heard others crying out in dismay, but their voices all sounded far away and distorted. They didn't matter. Wei didn't matter. Yanbei didn't matter. Nothing and nobody else mattered except the woman who lay dying in his arms.
She was dying, and he was finally forced to admit that truth. His hands clenched and unclenched around her as if they were looking for something, anything, to do. He knew there was nothing. As far as he knew, the Ice Martial Arts techniques could do nothing for him. His own breadth of knowledge could do nothing for him. Nobody could do anything for him—or for her.
A sob wrenched its way from deep within him and he tried to find the means to care, to feel ashamed that all of these people were watching the Ice Cube shatter as if he were one of Xing'er's ice arrows fired at the enemy. He didn't care.
Yuwen Yue pulled his beloved up higher in his lap, resting his chin on her head as he'd done after he'd saved her from Chun'er's wrath. He clung to her as her breathing began to slow, as her skin began to grow colder, and as she slumped more and more against him.
"No," he grated out. "No, X'er...You can't. You promised you'd stay with me. Here...let me..."
He pulled out their handkerchief and pressed it against her chest as if that could somehow keep her lifeblood from slowly draining away. It was soaked through in an instant, but he pressed it to the wound anyway, because at least he was doing something.
"There is a way I might be able to save her, Yuwen," Phoenix said, towering over him. "But you won't be willing to do it."
Yuwen Yue looked up at her, confusion, hope, and suspicion warring within.
"What do I have to do?"
"Luo He was a smart woman, but she didn't have much spare time," Phoenix said conversationally. "When she did have time, however, she, Mister Wu, and I worked together to try to find practical applications for Ice Martial Arts techniques that could be used by ordinary people in the field. Sadly, most of the techniques she developed could only be carried out by a master of Ice Martial Arts, but I once watched her do something that I could probably replicate—with a bit of assistance, of course."
"What do I have to do?" Yuwen Yue repeated impatiently.
"It's simple, really," Phoenix replied. "If you give me the Ice Martial Arts abilities, I can freeze and thaw certain parts of Chu Qiao at various times to keep her from bleeding out while Wu Daoya repairs what damage within her that he can. She'll be badly scarred, of course, but nobody in our line of work cares about such superficial details anyway."
"So you take all of my power and abilities, leave me defenseless, kill all of my people, and let Chu Qiao die so that you can officially take over the Underworld for yourself," Yuwen Yue said wryly. "That sounds like a great plan worthy of the Underworld."
"Typical arrogant Yuwen," Phoenix spat in contempt. "I knew you wouldn't be willing to give up all of that power—especially for the leader of the Underworld."
"I would do anything for the woman I love," Yuwen Yue said. "Anything. I don't care about the power, but I do care about my people."
"How sweet of you," Phoenix said dismissively. "That's my offer. Take it or leave it. Either way, you'd better make up your mind; she doesn't have much longer."
Yuwen Yue looked up, his eyes meeting He Xiao's and Yue Qi's. He saw expressions of resignation and understanding on their faces; He Xiao looked especially fierce as he nodded his head once sharply.
Without another word, Yuwen Yue let go of the handkerchief and held his bloody hand out towards Phoenix, his eyes challenging her. He could tell that he'd shocked her into speechlessness, but she took his hand and began to take his newly-gained abilities.
His back arched as he bit back a groan, determined to show this woman, this nominal leader of his hated enemies, as little weakness as possible. Her transfer method was nothing like Xing'er's; in fact, she seemed to enjoy inflicting as much pain on him as possible.
Of course, Xing'er's methods likely were a bit unorthodox, he mused to himself as he felt the removal of the Ice Martial Arts abilities leaving him a weakened, shaking husk of a man.
Yuwen Yue felt Phoenix dip into his personal reserve of inner power, and he resigned himself to the fate of dying at the hands of the Underworld. He didn't care, though, because there was a chance—albeit a slim one—that by his death, his beloved could live. He'd always been willing to give her everything, after all, and this time was no exception.
Phoenix pulled away from him without a word, not even sparing him a glance as she ordered someone to remove Chu Qiao from his lap and carry her. He looked up to see He Xiao making a point of sheathing both of his blades before removing his own cloak and gently wrapping Xing'er in it. The battered warrior picked up Xing'er as if he were carrying the most precious thing in all the world and told Phoenix that they had a crude infirmary set up not far from where they were.
Wu Daoya appeared as if from nowhere, and they set off at a brisk walk, leaving everyone else behind to either follow them or to start providing triage to the other survivors. Zhong Yu came behind him, her battered appearance making her fit in with the rest of the survivors. He knew that he himself probably looked like death, and that wasn't far from the truth. Of course, if Xing'er were to die today, he wouldn't mind following her into the afterlife.
Yuwen Yue felt multiple hands grasp him under the arms and try to pull him to his feet, but he had no energy to move. He knew he had to do so in order to protect Xing'er, but he also knew that he had nothing left to give her. Without the Ice Martial Arts abilities, his illness was reasserting itself, causing him to slip deeper and deeper into a mental fog.
"Master!" Yue Qi said urgently. "You have to get up, Master!"
I know, he thought, unable to say the words.
"A'Chu needs you," Zhong Yu said, suddenly standing in front of him.
He blinked, acknowledging to himself that he must've blacked out for a moment—and that Miss Yu was right.
"And Mister Wu needs you," Yuwen Yue whispered. "Okay, so we'll all go, then."
Many hands helped him up, and Yue Qi and Meng Feng provided him with ready support. Both of them gasped upon taking that first step, and he scowled at them, noticing that they both looked seriously injured. He tried to object to their assistance, but Meng Feng silenced him with her typical steady calmness.
"We're all injured, so we all need to go to the infirmary, don't we?"
Yuwen Yue glowered at her, but he couldn't hold his frown for long as he saw the look of fondness that Yuan Song bestowed on her. He looked at her and caught her responding to the young prince in kind, and she looked slightly abashed when she caught Yuwen Yue staring. He gave her a small smile, glad that at least somebody might come out of today with a chance at happiness. They left the battlefield without another word, trudging through the bloody slush past the seemingly endless array of corpses on their way to the infirmary—and Xing'er.
Every step that Meng Feng took on the mountain trail was agonizing, but she managed to blank her face to the best of her ability. After all, one didn't survive three Afterlife Camp Nirvanas without being able to power through pain. The ax slice that A'Jing had given her was still seeping blood, and she knew that it needed to be cleaned and stitched up. Resources and medics were few, however, and there had been so many who were more seriously wounded than her both inside and outside of the infirmary that she would've felt guilty for asking for help.
Not to mention that Yuan Song is determined to do his part to help the wounded on the battlefield—and I need to be there with him, Meng Feng admitted.
The injured—especially those of the enemy—could be unpredictable and could lash out in fear or spite. She was unwilling to take any chances with Yuan Song's well-being—especially since they were so close to achieving that happiness that she could sense was almost within reach. Granted, she knew that his family would likely not welcome her with open arms, but she figured that she'd worry about that problem later.
Maybe you should save worrying about his family's reaction to your relationship until after the two of you have actually established a relationship.
Meng Feng's foot slipped slightly on an icy tree root, bringing her back to reality as her midsection pulsed with pain again. She mentally chided herself for her lack of concentration, knowing that such a lapse even after the battle could still get people killed. Yuan Song reached out his hand to steady her, concern written on his face. She smiled reassuringly at him, but he didn't appear to be convinced.
They were heading up to the ridge on which Xiao Yu and Xia Chong had been fighting, wanting to ensure that the Liang princess was no longer a threat and their ally wasn't in need of medical care. Meng Feng knew that the former Afterlife Camp assassin might have decided to leave the area rather than to face the possibility of having her status as Xiao Ce's agent revealed, but she owed both Xia Chong and Xiao Ce too much to not check on the warrior's welfare. Yuan Song knew about Meng Feng's past, of course, and had swiftly agreed with her when she'd suggested that they inspect that particular ridge.
Of course, I can't help but hope that he also wanted to get away from all of the chaos with me for awhile, she admitted.
Not that they were alone; several of the men that Yuan Song had commanded in battle had insisted on accompanying them, and a few of the surviving Afterlife Camp assassins had come along as well. They picked their way carefully up the small pathway, checking any bodies they found for signs of life. So far, there had been no survivors.
Meng Feng led the way up onto the ridge, sword ready just in case a threat was still present. She saw no one, but she didn't relax her stance. A huddled figure at the base of a scrubby pine caught her eye, and her heart sank as she realized the person's identity. She saw the bloody tree stub above where the body lay and her optimism dimmed further.
Yuan Song looked at Meng Feng with compassion and they both walked up to the figure. She bent down and felt Xia Chong's neck for a pulse, shocked when she felt a faint fluttering against her fingertips. Carefully, she rolled the warrior's body over, noting that the severe wound in her side was frozen over in a manner that reminded her of what Chu Qiao had done to her and Yuwen Yue's injuries.
Xia Chong groaned softly, and Meng Feng instinctively tried to pick her up. She grunted in pain herself, however, and asked one of the accompanying soldiers to take Xia Chong to the infirmary. Yuan Song reached his hand out as if to examine Meng Feng's side, but she turned away from him as quickly as she could and pursued the soldier.
I know that I need help, but I can't leave him out here, she thought again.
Meng Feng wanted to make sure that the soldier understood that he was to make sure that Xia Chong received priority in terms of care, so she did her best to catch up to him, but her wound would not allow her to match his pace. On the way to the soldier, a pair of corpses caught her eye, and the obvious identity of the bottom one made her gasp and call out Yuan Song's name.
He was there almost instantly, eyes full of concern. She pointed at the pair of bodies, one of which was clearly Xiao Yu, whose face had frozen in an eternal glare. The other looked like a small, young soldier who had died face-down with Xiao Yu's odd sword speared all the way through him. Yuan Song's eyes widened as he walked over to investigate. Meng Feng considered staying with him, but the two were obviously dead, so she felt no fear for his safety.
She'd just caught up with the soldier and delivered her orders to him when she heard Yuan Song gasp out his sister's name before howling as if his entire world had ended. Ignoring the throbbing the movements caused, Meng Feng whirled around and pelted back towards Yuan Song.
She skidded to a stop in front of the two corpses, her eyes tearing up as she realized that the body of the young soldier Yuan Song was loosely cradling in the crook of his left arm was actually Princess Chun'er. His eyes were a maelstrom of misery and confusion as he tried to comprehend this sudden, stunning loss but could not seem to do so.
Meng Feng realized that Yuan Song was unable to hold the princess properly because Xiao Yu's sword was still impaling her. She walked up to Yuan Song's right side, grasped his cheek with one hand, and turned his tear-streaked face up towards her own. Clasping the hilt of Xiao Yu's flexible sword with her other hand, she pulled it out of Chun'er's body while looking deeply into Yuan Song's eyes.
One of the men walked up and took the sword away, freeing Meng Feng's hand so that she could place it on Yuan Song's other cheek. He went to rest his head against her stomach, but his eyes widened when he saw the severity of her ax wound up close and he pulled back.
"Meng Feng-"
"I know," she said softly. "But this is more important now."
She knelt down next to Yuan Song, fighting through the pain to help him draw Chun'er up into his lap now that the sword was gone from her body. When that task was done, Meng Feng slumped against his right side, winding a hand around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. Yuan Song lowered his head to Chun'er's and wept, the few men around them standing watch awkwardly in the lengthening shadows of the pale, mid-afternoon sun.
Yuwen Yue had flinched at Yuan Song's scream, but he'd known from experience that a cry like that only came from one who had encountered the dead rather than the living. The image of Yan Xun throwing his head back and howling his misery at the heavens passed through his mind, but he cast that picture aside in favor of focusing on more practical issues. He knew that he could do nothing for the young prince, but he figured that Meng Feng was with him and that she would take care of the man she'd come to care for deeply.
The infirmary was a small, sparsely-furnished place, equipped with only a few crude, wooden operating tables, a couple of recovery beds, and rudimentary medical supplies. Yuwen Yue was sitting in a small chair close to where Phoenix and Mister Wu were working on Xing'er, absentmindedly twisting his beloved's blood-soaked handkerchief in his hands. Although he knew a decent bit about medicine from his studies and personal experience, some of what the two of them were doing was beyond him—especially in regards to their use of Ice Martial Arts techniques.
Yue Qi was standing next to him, obviously unwilling to leave his master at such a time. Yuwen Yue had tried to convince his loyal right hand to get his wounds tended, but Yue Qi had insisted that he was fine and that the few medics they had were occupied with more important tasks than taking care of his small side wound. Scowling had gotten Yuwen Yue nowhere, so he'd resorted to doing the same thing for Yue Qi that he'd been doing for Xing'er: watching.
He was too weak to go out and help the others who were combing the battlefield looking for survivors, but he could at least be here for the woman he loved as she fought for life. Xing'er had always been strong and resilient, managing to quickly recover from injuries that would've put many men on their backs. Yuwen Yue knew that if she could survive the night, her normal healing abilities would likely allow her to recover and live.
Of course she'll live, Yuwen Yue thought, hope rising again in his heart. A full recovery is in both Phoenix's and Mister Wu's best interests.
Yue Qi suddenly slumped over, his hand coming to rest on the back of Yuwen Yue's chair. He looked up at his house guard captain in startlement, scowling again as he realized that Yue Qi was in serious need of medical attention. Yuwen Yue sprang into action—as much as someone in his condition could spring, anyway.
He knew that he probably should've let someone else take care of Yue Qi, but there was nobody else, and there was suddenly a free table right in front of where he found himself, and he was forcing Yue Qi up onto the table in spite of the man's weak protestations. The whole string of events seemed to pass in a blur as Yuwen Yue allowed himself to operate on instinct.
"Xing'er," Yue Qi protested weakly. "Help Xing'er."
"I can't help Xing'er," Yuwen Yue murmured. "I can, however, help you—if you'll be quiet and let me concentrate."
Yue Qi stayed prudently silent, and Yuwen Yue turned his mind to the task at hand.
Somehow he managed to clean Yue Qui's injury, staunch the bleeding, and seal the deep stab wound. He wished that he'd had access to the high-quality medicine that he kept supplied at Qing Shan Yuan, but all the Xiulis had managed to stockpile were a few healing herbs that were already in short supply. Not feeling the slightest bit guilty, he used some of the medicine anyway, unwilling to jeopardize Yue Qi's welfare out of some misguided sense of selflessness.
"Xing'er," Yue Qi muttered again, his eyes widening as he looked at the table on which she was resting.
"I already told you," Yuwen Yue said in frustration as he helped his right-hand man off of the table. "I can't help her. I have nothing left to give her."
"No...I mean..."Yue Qi lapsed into silence, causing Yuwen Yue to turn around and follow the direction of Yue Qi's eyes.
Xing'er lay unconscious on the table, in that regard appearing no different than she had looked earlier. What had likely drawn Yue Qi's eyes, however, was the sheer amount of blood pooled on and around the sides of the table. How could she possibly survive losing so much blood?
How could she not survive? Yuwen Yue thought in anguish, the continual ebb and flow of hope and despair in regards to Xing'er's survival prospects serving to exhaust him further.
Finally, Phoenix lowered her hands and straightened up from where she'd been bent over Xing'er as she'd used the Ice Martial Arts techniques to try to keep his beloved from bleeding out. Wu Daoya also stood up, his expression grim.
"We have done all we can, but she's lost too much blood," Phoenix said. "As before, there's a way that we might be able to save her, but it'll be risky for both her and whoever volunteers to help her."
"What do I have to do?" Yuwen Yue asked just as he had previously.
"As I said earlier, Luo He was a learned woman who experimented with the medical uses of her Ice Martial Arts abilities whenever she could. One thing that she discovered is that not everyone's blood is the same. We don't understand her findings, really, but using a particular Ice Martial Arts technique can cause different types of blood to react in certain distinctive ways that can identify them as compatible or incompatible with one another."
Yuwen Yue stared at Phoenix blankly, unable to follow her reasoning—especially in his current state. He knew much about blood and the way it moved through the body; he had, after all, managed to fake Xing'er's death so convincingly with a dart that he'd even fooled himself. This, however, was something new to him.
"In short, I can use this technique to test people's blood for compatibility with Chu Qiao's. If someone's blood reacts the same as Chu Qiao's does when manipulated by this technique, then that person can give his or her blood directly to Chu Qiao through a device that Mister Wu developed."
"Give her blood directly?" Yuwen Yue asked in disbelief. "But how? I've never heard of such a thing."
"This is something that the three of us developed over years of study and research," Mister Wu said, pulling out a strange-looking contraption from within his robes. "One of these will go into Chu Qiao's arm," he said, holding up one part of the long, thin device that had what looked like a metal dart at the end, "while the other will go into our volunteer's arm."
The device looked simpler upon further inspection. Each thin dart seemed to be attached to an end of what looked like a fairly long piece of intestinal tubing with a small metal ball roughly the size of a silver bell. Yuwen Yue simply couldn't get his mind to wrap around what Phoenix and Mister Wu were proposing, so he decided to stop trying in the interest of getting back to the most important detail.
"So you have to...test our blood somehow?" he asked.
"Yes," Phoenix said. "I've already set aside some of Chu Qiao's blood in this bowl because I knew this would likely be the outcome of our ministrations. I have these small bowls here; everyone who's willing and able will be asked to drop a bit of blood into an unused bowl so that I can test for matches."
Yuwen Yue shakily stood up and staggered over to Phoenix. He reopened one of his many wounds and allowed several drops of blood to drip into the bowl.
"You do realize that, as weak as you are, giving any of your blood to Chu Qiao will likely kill you, don't you?" Phoenix asked.
"I already told you I'd do anything for her," he said, looking down at his beloved. "I've always been willing to do anything, give everything...If the last thing that I can give her is the very blood from my veins, then I won't hesitate."
Phoenix nodded once, a look of grudging respect entering her eyes.
"Don't start making dramatic pronouncements yet, Yuwen," she said. "We might yet find a healthier volunteer."
Yuwen Yue opened his mouth to point out that the healthiest people were those who were currently not in the infirmary, but he didn't see the point. He knew that his blood would match that of his beloved's and that he would be the one to make sure she lived on. Protecting Xing'er had been his highest priority for awhile now, so putting his own body at risk to save her didn't seem unusual to him.
He didn't even bother to watch the test itself, his typical curiosity in regards to such matters not being compelling enough to turn his gaze away from watching his beloved's bloody chest rise and fall with each labored breath she took. She was so pale, so small, so weak…
A couple of gasps sounded from observers near where he knew the testing was going on, and he looked up, knowing what he would see. His eyes connected with Phoenix's, and he knew. She nodded in confirmation, and he stood up uncertainly.
"What do I have to do?" he asked in what had become his life's refrain in regards to Xing'er.
Mister Wu pulled Yuwen Yue's chair forward and set it close to the side of the woman he loved.
"Sit here," he instructed. "I'll put this needle in your arm-"
"Needle?" Yuwen Yue asked skeptically.
"It's hollow, so the blood can pass through," Mister Wu explained patiently. "Phoenix will attach a similar needle in Chu Qiao's arm. Then she'll use an Ice Martial Arts technique to make your blood flow into Chu Qiao at a steady pace. When Chu Qiao's color starts to improve, we'll stop and look for another volunteer. I promise we'll stop as soon as we can."
Yuwen Yue's eyes met Phoenix's again, and she nodded her head almost imperceptibly at his implied question.
I knew we'd understand each other. She is a member of the Underworld, after all. She won't hesitate to do what's necessary to save Xing'er.
Mister Wu tied a bandage around Yuwen Yue's bicep, explaining that doing so would help him to put the needle in the right place. Yuwen Yue nodded, barely even feeling the insertion of the dart-like needle in the crook of his arm. He could see his life blood flowing through the small, translucent tubing, disappearing at the base of the other needle but not coming out through its opening. He looked at Phoenix in question.
"I need to get the needle into Chu Qiao's arm before I let the blood flow all the way through," she explained.
Yuwen Yue nodded again, not having the energy to do anything else. He watched Phoenix insert the needle into Xing'er's arm and then place her hand under the tubing roughly midway between himself and the woman he loved. She appeared to be using the Ice Martial Arts technique to control the blood transfer just as she'd promised to do.
Almost immediately, he began to weaken again. Yuwen Yue felt himself growing even colder than he'd been before, and his consciousness began to recede further and further from reality. He allowed his mind to drift from topic to topic, idly musing about the fates of Wei and Yanbei, whether his friend Prince Xiang would become emperor, and whether Yuan Song and Meng Feng would be allowed to wed. These topics failed to generate as much concern as he knew they should because he could feel himself slipping away.
Xing'er, however, appeared to be losing a little of the death-like pallor that had scared him so much. In fact, he would swear that he could see the faintest tinges of color beginning to return to her cheeks. The woman he loved was coming back to life in front of his eyes, and he felt a sense of peace steal over him.
Yuwen Yue's eyes began to grow heavy, and he could feel himself start to fade in and out of consciousness. He vaguely registered Mister Wu's alarmed eyes making contact with Phoenix's placid ones. There seemed to be an argument happening between them, but everything seemed far away and disconnected from Yuwen Yue's reality.
"D-do it, Phoenix," he whispered with the last bit of his strength. "I know you can. K-kill the leader of the Eyes of God, the l-last Yuwen heir. B-bring your leader b-back to life. T-tell her...t-tell her I love..."
Xing'er was right, Yuwen Yue thought as the darkness closed in on him. Being a spy of sacrifice isn't so bad, and there are worse fates than dying for the one you love.
AN: [dodges rotten produce] Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that's a mean thing to do to y'all, but this really was the most logical stopping place given what's going to happen next. Remember my disclaimer; a happy ending lies ahead, but first they must make it through the crucible of the icy lake, which, as I said earlier, demands all. (At least I think I said that earlier; if I didn't say that earlier, then let's just pretend I did, okay? Because it's true.)
Tentative Posting Timeline: Next week: The aftermath of the battle/triage with secondary characters. (Our babies have earned a break, don't you think? No? Well, too bad, because they're getting one.) Two weeks from today: Awakening. Three weeks from today: Nighttime XingYue recovery. Four weeks from today: Daytime XingYue recovery.
Musical Selections: I felt our OTP deserved two songs this week. The first is "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis. I've honestly never found a cover that's better than the original (although Vitamin String Quartet's instrumental version is nice if that's your type of thing). The second is "Gone, Gone, Gone" by Philip Phillips. For a nice XingYue experience, feel free to listen to the cover by Caitlin Hart and Corey Gray.
Translations: Angel Chua has added to her fanfiction, "The Secret Princess," on her blog, princessagents dot wordpress dot com. You know how I've lamented that I know my stories suffer at times due to lack of understanding the Chinese culture? Well, this story doesn't have that problem in the slightest, so check it out.