The Nine-tailed Fox sees a familiar face

Shu Luan looks down at his black hands and then up again at Cang Chuxi's face blankly. He doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with him.

"It's best if the three of you come with me," Cang Chuxi says, still looking apprehensively at Shu Luan.

He leads them into a secluded pavilion in the middle of a lake. They reach it through an arched bridge with a few viewing benches along the sides. Fragrant lotus flowers dot the lake's surface, but the charming atmosphere doesn't match Cang Chuxi's hurried pace and anxious expression.

They walk into the pavilion where a few low cots are organized in rows. Cang Chuxi goes into a large counter and brings out a cumbersome wooden box he sets down at the foot of one of the cots.

"Strip down to your waist," Cang Chuxi tells Shu Luan, while opening the box and taking out a series of silver instruments.

Shu Luan takes off his robes from the shoulder, and lets them pool around his waist.

Wu Yun observes is neutral expression with some trepidation. Why isn't he questioning anything that's happening to him? Who lets a perfect stranger order them around? Certainly not the Shu Luan of his dreams. Yet this meek version only blinks up at Cang Chuxi with curiosity.

Cang Chuxi takes his pulse, with two fingers over his wrist. His slender brows furrow in concentration.

"As I suspected, he has two golden cores!" His odd, light colored pupils widen in shock.

Wu Yun doesn't understand the relevance of that, but he can infer by Cang Chuxi's amazed look, that most people only have one.

"What does that mean?" Lan Tian asks.

Cang Chuxi shakes his head. "He has a beast's appearance, and from what I've seen a beast's powers. However, that's not all that he is."

"What else is he?" Wu Yun asks, dreading Cang Chuxi's next words.

"A God." 

His words fall on the room like a sword. At Wu Yun's side, Lan Tian's shoulders slump. 

Wu Yun's last hope that he isn't really Shu Luan is dashed, with two short words. He looks into Shu Luan's eyes, and doesn't know what he expects to find.

"If I'm not wrong he is half-beast, half-god." Cang Chuxi turns Shu Luan's face up, and inspects it under direct candlelight. "The beast genes seem to be dominant, but of course, nothing like this has ever been seen before."

"You mean he's the first?" Wu Yun asks.

What has Ling Yan done? What kind of awful thing did he have to do to bring Shu Luan back, that has Cang Chuxi looking so appalled?

"I'm afraid you don't understand, he is the result of a god and a beast, breeding." He takes out one of the long silver needles and pricks Shu Luan's skin.

A tiny bead of silver blood comes out from the wound. 

Cang Chuxi looks down in amazement at that small droplet. 

"This shouldn't be possible, beats aren't capable of reproduction, we are born from the earth, not through conception."

"I assume the gods can," Wu Yun says, remembering that both Shu Luan and Xue Jin were brothers, and sons of the Jade Emperor.

Cang Chuxi nods. "Technically, all beats have completely functional reproductive systems, however no matter what shape we take, it's not possible to generate a pregnancy. We are all infertile. It's also not possible to breed with other species."

"So how did he come to be?" Lan Tian asks, waving at Shu Luan who is listening to the entire conversation as if it isn't about him.

"I can only assume extreme methods were involved, and that it was something very deliberate. Whoever his parents were, they really wanted him."

That doesn't bring Wu Yun any closer to the mystery of how he ended up being Shu Luan. Could Ling Yan have found a way to transfer his soul into an unborn baby? And one born under such unusual circumstances? Then why did he himself just attain conscience as a regular nine-tailed fox?

"Why do beasts have complete reproductive systems, if we are unable to breed?" Lan Tian asks.

Wu Yun shoots him a sour look. Why does he care?

"It wasn't always like this, like all creatures we used to be able to conceive our own young. However, millennia ago, there was a war between Gods and Beasts. Beasts wanted seats on the Heavens too, we thought we should have a say in the fate of the mortal world. But we lost, and this was our punishment. Our numbers have been greatly depleted, ever since." 

Wu Yun scoffs. "Which was just the Gods intentions, I bet."

"While they can make more gods, either by breeding among themselves, or with the ascension of human mortals." Lan Tian shakes his head. "Convenient."

Cang Chuxi sighs. "It was ages ago, those who remember that time have long since died in battle or taken their own lives. Immortality is as much as gift as it is a burden."

"Is there no way to increase the rate at which...uh...the snowflakes, and the morning dew, bring more beasts?"

Cang Chuxi lets out a small chuckle. "Not that anyone has found, no."

He turns to Shu Luan with a pensive look. "You however, are a marvel, I just don't know if it's a good thing that you exist at all."

Shu Luan has nothing to say to that. As if he's used to people questioning his existence on a daily basis.

"Do you remember your parents? Do you know where they are?" Wu Yun asks him.

Shu Luan hesitates for a moment, before shaking his head.

That flicker of hesitation doesn't go unnoticed by Wu Yun, or Lan Tian.

"I'd love to run more tests on him, to fully understand the extent of his hybrid nature." He turns to Shu Luan. "If he would allow it."

Shu Luan nods, and smiles the open guileless smile Wu Yun is begging to associate with him. "Sure, if Ling Yan doesn't mind."

Wu Yun sputters. "What say do I have in what you do with your life? And I've told you already, my name is Wu Yun."

"I'll call Ling Yan, Wu Yun if that's what he wants."

Wu Yun sighs, at least he has the general idea. 

---

Cang Chuxi has both Wu Yun and Lan Tian strip down their upper halves, so he can examine them as he did Shu Luan. 

Wu Yun tries not to flinch when Cang Chuxi's cold hands touch below his ribs, as he checks his golden core. And tries not to frown when he does the same to Lan Tian. 

Seeing his hands against Lan Tian's firm abdomen makes something sour boil in his stomach. He assumes it has something to do with Lan Tian's look of focused restraint not to let his discomfort show in his face. 

Shu Luan watches their examination with curiosity. His thoughts are unreadable, but his gaze feels like a physical touch on Wu Yun's skin, and he wants the whole thing to be done with as fast as possible.

Cang Chuxi pricks their skin as well, and the blood that issues forth is vibrant red as expected. 

Finally, he says. "Your golden cores are being suppressed by something, maybe a poison. There are no marks on your skin, so I'm sure it's not a talisman or an array."

"The pearls," Lan Tian whispers.

He tells Cang Chuxi about the pearls they ate when they were still in their beast forms, and how after eating them they became humans. 

"Yes, that's the most likely cause. I suspect you didn't find them by accident. When we remain in our beast form for long periods of time, as the two of you had, more animal instincts take over. Those pearls were left there deliberately, in the hopes that either one or both of you would eat them."

Wu Yun doesn't understand how anyone would know where to find them, if they meant for both of them to eat the pearls how could they be sure that Wu Yun would find the river and Lan Tian?

"What were the pearls?" Lan Tian asks.

"My best guess is that they contained core suppressant powder. It's exceedingly rare, and hard to refine."

"How do we get rid of it?" Wu Yun asks.

"You need an antidote, luckily it can be found here in Kunlun. The skeleton flower blooms every night and its petals turn translucent when it rains. I need the translucent petals in order to brew the antidote."

Wu Yun has a bad feeling about how simple it all sounds. "So we only need to wait for rain?"

"And you need to take the antidote over the course of four days, I must warn you, its effects are unpredictable, and often unpleasant."

There it is. Nothing in Wu Yun's life is ever easy, so why would this be?

"What do we do, until then?" Lan Tian asks.

Cang Chuxi returns his instruments to the wooden box and says. "You should train your cultivation, and try to access your beast abilities. With your cores suppressed as they are, I can't tell how strong you'll be, but there's no harm in training. I suppose you're both interested in being stronger than the average human."

If only Cang Chuxi knew how much.

---

They leave Cang Chuxi in his pavilion, while being trailed by Shu Luan, who looks at the surrounding landscape in awe.

"This place is even more beautiful than--" He cuts himself short suddenly, and Wu Yun latches on to it.

"More beautiful than what?" he asks, his eyes boring into Shu Luan's.

"Nothing, just more beautiful than everything else I've seen." 

Lan Tian picks up the line of inquire. "And what is that exactly? Where did you come from?"

Shu Luan seems to shrink under the intensity of Lan Tian's amber eyes, and looks panicked for a second before he sees something over Lan Tian's shoulder and says, "I think she wants to talk with you."

Both Wu Yun and Lan Tian turn away and come face to face with Wan Mi.

The feathers at her temples are ruffled while she gives Shu Luan her best watchful glare.

"Master told me to take Lu Meng to the nearest city, so he can hire a ride back to Yangli. I came to see if the two of you wanted to come with us," she says.

"Can I go, too?" Shu Luan asks, looking at Wu Yun pleadingly and holding on to his wide sleeve.

Wu Yun shakes him off. Why does he have to be so clingy? 

"Who asked you?" She shouts, in her usual display of barely restrained temper. "And who are you?"

"I'm Shu Luan, Wu Yun's lover." 

He tries to cling to Wu Yun's sleeve once again, but Wu Yun jumps away and almost slams into Lan Tian's chest, who steadies him.

"Don't go around saying that!" Wu Yun hisses.

Wan Mi's frown grows darker as she looks between Lan Tian and Wu Yun to Shu Luan standing to the side, 

"Stop telling lies! Wu Yun is married to Lan Tian!"

Lan Tian puts some distance between himself and Wu Yun, and turns to Wan Mi, his tone even. "You know we're not actuall-"

"Shut up! Are you coming or not?" 

She doesn't wait for a reply, and starts walking back hurriedly. Each of her footfalls is so violent that Wu Yun is surprised the ground doesn't shake.

---

Wu Yun has no intention of staying around Shu Luan and his persistence any longer, so a short trip to the nearest city, actually doesn't sound terrible, even if they have to fly with Wan Mi to get there.

The flight is thankfully not very long. Wan Mi lands in a forest surrounding the city of Jinping where she switches to her human girl appearance in order not to attract unwelcome attention.

Jinping is a sleepy city crossed in all directions by canals filled with boats, carrying people from one side of the city to the other, as well as moored to the stone wall of the canals where sellers use them as stalls to sell their wares directly from the water.

"I want something to eat before going on my way, will you join me?" Lu Meng says, nodding towards a squat teahouse overlooking the canal

"If it keeps me away from Shu Luan, I'll eat anything," Wu Yun says.

The waiter seats them at a low table by the circular open window, letting in the fresh autumn breeze, and overlooking the comings and goings of pedestrians on the street.

Wan Mi still looks sullen, but her mood brightens considerably, when the waiter places a plate of bright pink peaches in front of her.

"A shame it's not pears," Wu Yun says, smirking.

He looks outside the window, he has an unimpeded view of the canal, and of a great boat that resembles a building, it has two floors and viewing decks crawling with people. A small plank bridge allows yet more people to climb in.

It's then that two of those people catch his attention. 

He squints, trying to make sure his eyes aren't deceiving him. "Isn't that Xin Liqin walking with sect leader Lian into that boat?"

---

A.N.: The skeleton flower is a real thing, and its petals do turn transparent when it rains. Sadly no antidote uses that I know of.