Ch 49

(A/N This was one of the hardest chapters I have written. Trying to wrap up so many ideas that could lead to this point so far. I hope I have done it well enough and people enjoy it. )

Lan XiChen once again spoke.

'I am sorry to say the one responsible is someone we all trusted. I particularly trusted him more than most. He was once like a brother to me and yet now I find that all the goodness he has was just an illusion. I am sorry to say the one responsible is Jin GuanYao.'

A stunned silence came over the group and some men looked to Jin ZiXuan, obviously wondering how much he knew about his subordinates actions, others scanned the group obviously looking for the man who had been with them just moments before. Some seemed more convinced by what Lan XiChen was saying than others. The faces of the Jin disciples had been almost completely drained of colour, as if they stood there as stone statues. Everyone was awaiting the response of the one man currently stood relaxed at the front who wasn't a Lan.

'It's true' Jin ZiXuan nodded. 'I was as surprised as you all seem to be when I found out. But we have the facts here to prove it.

Jin ZiXuan then proceeded to explain what had been going on between the Sects for the last few months.

He had just received a private message explaining the idea of Lan Zhan and Wei Ying falling out publicly with Wei Ying finding some reason to return to YiLing. The idea behind the deception was that whoever was after the Sects was clearly using Wei Ying as the focus of that plot. If they could make the person believe that Wei Ying no longer had the support of his new family the person would emerge from the shadows to take on his greatly weakened foe. To get the plan in motion though the Lan's were asking for his help. Not only were the Jin currently the most powerful Sect and the one everyone looked to to lead, but also Wei Ying was Jiang YanLi's most beloved brother. If even YanLi publicly turned against her husband for going against her brother everyone else would believe the truth of the state. The message also held a warning that there were spies in the five main Sects, as yet un-found, so he should keep any future correspondence about the subject between himself and his wife.

As the months had gone by Lan XiChen had sent him private messages clearly detailing what the next step of the plan would be, and if it was expected to be public or private. He had not particularly surprised when rumours began appearing, even amongst the senior disciples about things going on in Gusu, as well as things mentioned in the letters. Things he had been told where supposed to be private. He had been a little taken aback about how eager and happy YanLi was to participate in the plot, especially as it concerned her badmouthing HIM every chance she got, but the two made it work and soon there were rumours of two marriages on the rocks due to Wei Ying.

Under the guise of a visit to Gusu to visit Lan XiChen a few weeks ago, officially to convince the Lan to give up on Wei Ying and join the meeting that was taking place a few days later. The two had actually made a covert trip to YiLing themselves. While there they had visited some of the men already trapped by the teleportation ward and spoken to them on various subjects. On the face of it the men seemed to know nothing of consequence but soon patterns began emerging. All of the men had heard the rumours, the leader of each group (the one who attacked the ward first) had received unsigned letters explaining Wei Ying's responsibility for a loved ones death in one way or another. As the letters where unsigned the men didn't know who had sent them, but each letter had served its purpose and made the men act without thinking and throw themselves at the ward in rage.

It soon became clear that the rumours circulating where to make people easily angry at Wei Ying, who isolated in YiLing would be unable to defend himself against the whole cultivation world. It also became very clear that lots of the rumours where based on information Lan XiChen had informed him was supposed to be private. Therefore not only did the Lan Sect have a spy in its ranks (as Lan XIChen had mentioned before) but someone was trying to control the Sects and turn them against Wei Ying for his own purposes. Suddenly a lot of things had begun to make sense and small shiver had crawled up his spine.

When it came to the attack his part had been to make sure everyone accompanied the Lan to the space where they were currently stood and to simply explain the truth.

As his story wound down people stood agape. Such a complicated plot and yet somehow it seemed the best explanation of the facts. It was a fact that people had thought the fire ward killed and yet it only teleported. It was a fact that everyone thought that Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had broken up but it had all been some kind of play. It also seemed to be a fact that there were spies in the Sects, even the Lan Sect which was known for being upright and honest. If such a thing could happen then…

"Where is Jin GuanYao?' Someone asked from within the group.

'Right here!' A voice came from slightly behind and to the right of those assembled.

Everyone turned to see the smiling face of Jin GuanYao as it appeared from behind some rocks. His self assured bearing and slow steps, despite all he had heard, made people reach for the hilts of their swords. The aura coming off of him was powerful, nothing like the aura they were used to seeing from this specific person.

'I have to say that I didn't expect you to realise things so soon. You surprise me!' He spoke as if just speaking in his own main hall instead of standing in the half burned surroundings of YiLing. 'But I am afraid these realisations will be of no use to you. Do you really think I would walk into the lair of the YiLing Patriarch without a plan to escape.'

'Your plan was for me to die!' Wei Ying spoke up, equally unconcerned. 'What I want to know is why?'

'Simple' Jin GuanYao responded, looking at Lan Zhan and Wei Ying as if the others where not there. 'The others follow codes and rules which makes them easy to manipulate and control. You do not, that makes you are variable I neither want nor need. You even got HanGuang Jun to step from the path I had planned for him! You are a menace to what is righteous and organised.'

'You mean I'm a menace to your plans' Wei Ying scoffed.

'The same thing!' Jin GuanYao responded. 'But it hardly matters that you know this as I will be gone soon enough and you can think about the many ways you all lost to me'

He seemed so supremely confident that what he said would happen would come to pass. The cultivators who had now found themselves as an audience to a show, they hadn't been aware of attending, looked around for some trap or attack that could arrive at any moment from the steep rock walls of the mountain or the many cracks surrounding them. The men in front of them though still seemed unconcerned about anything. Wei Ying stood with his hand folded over his chest, more relaxing than annoyed. Lan Zhan stood with a palm on Bichen's hilt, but then he did that whenever other people where around Wei Ying anyway so that was nothing new. Both Jin ZiXuan and Lan XiChen's body language was that of men who had everything under control, and Lan QiRen.

'What did you do to Elder Lan?' Someone asked, pointing a sword at Jin GuangYao in accusation. 'How did you manage to take him out of here?'

Jin GuanYao laughed, a loud noise that he made no attempt to cover up.

'Fools.' He spat out eventually when he got his voice under control. 'You think the grumpy Elder is the one I am aiming for. No! I have someone much more special in mind to get the so called 'high castes' under proper control'

Some of the people gathered threw insults, saying they would never bow down to such a man. Some were asking who he thought would ever be important enough to enough Sects that he could control the Sects using just one person. The majority of people however were just beginning to think he had gone insane and were calling for him either to be killed or just locked up where he couldn't harm anyone else. At hearing all of these comments Jin GuanYao just began laughing again, sounding a little like a madman over the top of all the voices.

'Hardly!' Lan QiRen exclaimed, appearing from one of the cracks in the side of the mountain.

Before anyone could exclaim or ask any questions the Elder Lan began reciting so chant. No one understood the words or the meaning but as it WAS the Lan Elder no one spoke up, just watched cautiously to see what would happen. After a moment or two a strange orange light appeared just above the heads of those stood at the front, something none of them seemed to too bothered about. Slowly the light got wider and wider until it resembled the surface of a mirror, leaving everyone stunned.

'Impossible' Escaped Jin GuanYao's mouth before he could contain his amazement.

A flick of the wrist from both Lan XIChen and Jin ZiXuan had disciples from both Sects moving. The Lan disciples moved into position to protect Lan QiRen, who was concentrating to hard to see the world around him, and the Jin disciples moved to surround Jin GuanYao. The main group of cultivators however had their vision still glued to the orange coloured mirror hanging in the air. A picture was slowly coalescing in full view, but not one of YiLing. Instead the picture was of a totally different place, it was of LanLing.

The group glanced from the mirror to Lan QiRen to the others stood at the front and then back again, unsure what to say. Then out of the no where a voice appeared.

'It's nice to know I am so forgettable that no one wondered why I wasn't around' It said sarcastically. 'But as the famous YiLing Patriarch is there and HanGuang Jun, I guess there is no need for the rest of us to be present to.'

'Brother are you done being a sarcastic ass?' Wei Ying remarked looking upwards at the face of Jiang Cheng, his own face wide with a smile.

Jiang Cheng just nodded and laughed, looking down at the group.

'All done my end. Sister is safe and both Sects are secure' He reported simply.

People were looking so confused by the exchange that no one noticed Jin GuanYao's face turn a sickly white.

'I am sure people will be confused again.' Wei Ying spoke up fighting not to smile. 'Jin GuanYao planned on taking my sister, Jiang YanLi, hostage and forcing myself, Jiang Chang and Jin ZiXuan into obeying him. However as you can see my brother has already secured both the Jin Sect and my sisters safety.'

The orange mirror began to waver. Lan QiRen's power was beginning to weaken. This type of spell took up a lot of power to create and even more to maintain, the Elder Lan had done well to keep the opening to LanLing this long.

'I have some people in custody who have been threatened or coerced by Jin GuanYao' Jiang Cheng said quickly. 'I will turn them over to ZiXuan when he returns.'

With a nod from Wei Ying and a smile from Jiang Cheng the mirror opening finally closed, accompanied by an audible gasp of fatigue from Lan QiRen.

Anything else anyone want's to say?' Lan XiChen spoke up honestly asking the cultivators present.

No one answered. Some looked like they had been overloaded at all thay was happening, others looked furious, and still others wouldn't look the Lans or Wei Ying in the eye. After leaving a moment for anyone to voice any suspicion or questions Lan XiChen spoke again.

In that case I think we can all agree that Wei WuXian has been falsely charged and is welcome back with no prejudice to the Lan. We can also all agree that rather than doing anything to harm our community he has in fact put his own safety on the line to solve the problem. As for Jin GuanYao, whether he is a Sect problem or a whole community problem that can be settled at a later date. For now he can be given to the custody of his Sect leader.'

Nods and murmurs followed the pronouncement with no one either wanting to speak or feeling confident enough to. Slowly the horde of Sects dispersed, each feeling silly for believing such foolish lies. The last to leave was the Jin with Jin ZiXuan wanted to get home to his wife and Sect. He had paused long enough to take the third bound man with him, a man dressed all in black, that had been captured when Xue Yang had invaded Gusu. This only left the Lan family alone, surrounded by the imposing, dead world of YiLing.