The Nine-tailed Fox crosses the gates of the Underworld

Wu Yun rereads the plaque a hundred times. Committing the words to memory, and trying to make sense of it all. In his dreams, Ling Yan always spoke of his shizun with such fondness. Xue Jin even commented on it, how Situ Yi guarded him "jealously", whatever that means.

In any case, how could Ling Yan have killed someone he cherished and respected so much?

He can't reconcile that with the man he knows from his dreams.

He backs away from the funeral plaques, unable to look away from Situ Yi's name, when he collides with someone.

He turns around just in time to stop a girl in Immortal Mountain robes from dropping the basket of oranges in her arms.

"Thank you, elder brother," the girl says, smoothing her robes and straightening the sword at her hip. She looks up at Wu Yun then, and corrects herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought young master was my sect brother."

She smiles but her straight eyebrows almost meet above her eyes in confusion. "Is young master lost?"

Wu Yun thinks he might as well try to find out more from the girl.

"Ah yes, I got lost wondering around, and stumbled on this shrine. I was very saddened to...um...see all these brave cultivators die. Especially this one," he points towards Situ Yi's plaque with fake consternation. "Killed by his own disciple, how awful."

The girl nods sadly, her half-moon eyes landing on the plaque. She clutches the basket closer to her chest and lets out a sigh. "Ah yes, it's very sad. Everyone says Master Situ was the kindest and wisest master in all of Immortal Mountain. Everyone wanted to be his personal disciple, but he only took one."

"Ling Yan?" Wu Yun says, having guessed as much.

The girl turns several shades paler. "We don't say his name, this funeral plaque is the only place where it's mentioned."

"How did he kill Situ Yi? What happened?"

The girl looks worriedly behind her back, fearful that someone might walk in on them. "I really shouldn't talk about it."

Wu Yun grips her wrist, preventing her from leaving. "Please."

The girl pulls her wrist free and shoots Wu Yun a glare. "If young master is lost, I'll be glad to show him to his rooms."

Wu Yun knows she won't say anything else. He thanks her for her offer and leaves the shrine, still no closer to understanding what led Ling Yan to kill his own master.

For the first time, perhaps ever, he wishes he was dreaming. He would like to know what happened and watch it from Ling Yan's eyes.

He slips back inside the room where Lan Tian is still waiting for him. He looks like he had been trying to meditate, but judging by the way his eyes turn to the door as soon as Wu Yun unlatches it, without much success.

"Did you find anything?" he asks.

"Apparently Ling Yan killed his shizun, and saying his name is taboo." Wu Yun sits down on the floor and rests his head on his bent legs.

Lan Tian raises a single eyebrow and sits down besides Wu Yun. "Do you think he was capable of something like that?"

Wu Yun shakes his head, and lets out a sigh, "I don't know, I don't think so."

"Then there must be another explanation," Lan Tian says.

Wu Yun turns to him with a small smile. "Just like that?"

Lan Tian nods, the corner of his lips ticks up. "If Wu Yun doesn't think he killed someone, then he didn't."

Lan Tian makes Wu Yun feel warmer than any fire, or fur-collared cape ever could. He wants to lean into him and rest his head against his shoulders, burrow into the warm cradle of his arms.

He does none of those things. "I don't know why it matters to me, if he killed his shizun or not."

"Because you're a good person," Lan Tian says, his tone serious.

"I don't know if I am, but I think Ling Yan was," Wu Yun says, it's important to him somehow, that Ling Yan is a good person. He wants to believe that he is.

Wu Yun doesn't want to believe he would spend so much time living the life of someone who would be capable of killing his own master while trying to attack his former sect.

"We'll figure it out," Lan Tian says, bumping his shoulders against Wu Yun's.

Just by being in his presence Wu Yun feels some of the tension draining out of him.

He allows himself to relax from his curled position, and turns to Lan Tian, looking for a change of subject. "You and Wan Mi have grown closer, in the time I was asleep."

It's not a question, but Lan Tian still hums in agreement.

"Having a common goal brings people together. She's nice, when she isn't bickering with you."

Wu Yun bristles, and gasps in mock offense. "Are you saying it's my fault she's unbearable most of the time?"

"I'm saying the two of you are alike, that's why you clash so much. You both want to have the last word, and you both act like you have something to prove."

Wu Yun opens his mouth to disagree, but Lan Tian cuts him off. "I know what Wan Mi wants to prove, to herself, to her master, and to her clan, but I'm still not sure about you. What is it, that makes you rush ahead into danger? What is it, that makes you doubt your own worth?"

Wu Yun doesn't know the answer to those questions himself, but if he had to say something, he would tell Lan Tian that he feels like something is biting at his heels, making him run faster and faster to evade whatever it is. He doesn't know what he's running towards but he hopes he finds peace whenever he gets there.

But Lan Tian doesn't expect an answer, so Wu Yun doesn't give him one.

They remain silent until Lan Tian returns to the topic of Wan Mi. "You know, she really worried about you, when you were unconscious, she would talk with you often. I caught her trying to annoy you into waking up so you'd argue with her, many times."

That makes Wu Yun chuckle, he has no trouble imagining that. He's surprised it didn't work.

"It was during one of those times that I found out that phoenixes cry tears of blood."

His soft words startle Wu Yun. He remembers Wan Mi hugging him and telling him to be careful. Now he regrets not saying something. He can be so cruel without even trying.

"She shows she cares in her own way, and so do you. You shouldn't feel guilty for that."

It never ceases to amaze Wu Yun how Lan Tian always knows the right thing to say. Wu Yun smiles up at him from beneath his lashes, and hopes that one day he can tell him how much he appreciates it.

When Lian Feng comes to fetch them, neither of them has managed to meditate much. She enters Lan Tian's room and doesn't seem surprised to find Wu Yun also there. Lu Meng and Zou Qiao enter after her.

"It's best if the three of you take the pills now. They'll have taken effect when we reach the gates."

She opens the pouch and places a pill in each of their hands. Wu Yun swallows his without chewing. It tastes bitter and dry, but other than an unpleasant aftertaste he doesn't feel any different.

They follow Lian Feng through the sect grounds. The sun is setting and bathing everything in warm shades of orange. The chill of the coming night makes Wu Yun shiver, it's hard to forget how high up they are when the cold wind feels like a whip against his tender flesh.

There are more disciples out at this time, and some of them stop on their paths to give them curious looks. Lian Feng doesn't stop for them.

They walk for some time, until they have left the Immortal Mountain sect grounds and have entered the deep woods that surround it. Walking further into a forest of high pine trees, so tall they hide the sky from sight.

Lian Feng stops once they reach a clearing.

Wu Yun looks around, but something is imminently apparent. "I don't see any gates."

Lian Feng's smile is one part mocking, two parts condescending. "No, I don't suppose you do."

She takes a paper talisman from her sleeve's inner pocket and flings it between two fingers in front of her. The talisman hangs suspended in the air as she chants in whispered words. She raises her hand in front of it, and a blast of power breaks away from her palm and disappears into the talisman making it glow blue.

The talisman starts burning, being consumed among blue flames until only ash remains. In its place now sits an opening, an entryway with shimmering edges, leading somewhere beyond the mountains.

Wu Yun can't see much through the entryway, besides darkness and what looks like water.

Lian Feng raises her arm towards the dark portal. "The gates to the Underworld."

She looks like she expects applause, and Zou Qiao looks ready to start clapping.

Wu Yun speaks up before he has to pay witness to that. "How are we supposed to bring back Jiang Tanmei's souls, once we find them?"

Lian Feng motions Zou Qiao forward with two fingers. He steps towards them, opening a bag and showing them three hand-held gold mirrors.

"You'll have to take these," she says, handing them a mirror each. "Once you find a soul, make it look into the mirror and say his name, it will trap it inside."

"I will stay here, keeping watch over the gates until you return," Zou Qiao says, with a pleasant smile.

"I would prefer it if you didn't," Lan Tian says, startling a laugh out of Wu Yun with the bluntness of his words.

Zou Qiao falters for an answer in the face of Lan Tian's dismissal, but Lian Feng cuts in, "Well, someone must, and I'm much too busy to keep watch myself. You should be going now, don't waste any more time."

Wu Yun eyes the gate with trepidation, it doesn't look dangerous, but the darkness beyond sets his hair on end.

Lan Tian takes his hand in his, "Together."

Wu Yun nods and squeezes his fingers tightly, crossing the barrier and stepping into the unknown. Certain that with Lan Tian beside him, no mountain will be too tall to climb, and no river too deep to cross.

A.N.: I've been translating "Diyu" which is the Daoist and (Chinese) Buddhist version of "hell" as "underworld", because that's what it most closely resembles, in theory. If you're familiar with the concept of the ancient Greek Underworld, there are more similarities with that, than with the christian hell, for instance. It works as a sort of purgatory where souls are punished for their transgressions in life (if they didn't receive adequate punishment while alive), until they are ready to enter the cycle of reincarnation again. I'll explain more as it becomes relevant in the coming chapters.