Threads Chapter 385

Hanyi was already trotting off for the door, and probably ignoring her on purpose. She looked at Sixiang with concern.

“At the least, Xuan Shi and Zheng Fu want to chat. Meng boy is real busy, but a big supply caravan from the Bao showed up with a couple familiar faces. Pretty sure the only reason your snake bestie isn’t here already is because she’s sitting on her clan’s response to this mess.”

Ling Qi closed her eyes and groaned quietly. Meizhen was going to be furious, wasn’t she? She was almost surprised that the girl hadn’t assigned Xiao Fen to just stand in the corner and glare at her, but there were more urgent matters afoot. As for the other visitors… She did want to know more about what had happened. She had seen flashes of outside activity, and she remembered that Xuan Shi had been with Meng Dan.

“I wouldn’t have come out without his gauntlets, would I?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have,” Sixiang said, scratching the back of their head. “They’re totally trashed too, but they lasted till the bang at the end before they gave it up entirely.”

Of course, Xuan Shi really was a skilled crafter. A thought occurred. “Where is my gown?”

Sixiang winced.

“Where is she!”

“The docs had to pick it out of you. The silk kinda melted, you know, and so did you.”

“Is it…?”

“Your boss doesn’t do anything by half measures. It looked like a pile of ash, skin, and a couple glowing threads holding the bits together, but it was starting to repair already. It’s been sent back to Lin Hai to get looked over.”

She allowed herself to be cautiously optimistic.

“Ah… Boss lady might’ve wanted to say this herself, but since you look real worried, word is that the duchess is gonna let him use her workshop to do repairs. So, the dress is probably gonna come out fine?”

Oh.

Heavy footfalls were approaching the door. Solid and unyielding qi was matched with a scent she now recognized as sea spray. Beneath it, like an eel darting among the riverweeds, she could feel a sulking presence. That must be Xuan Shi’s bound spirit, the nightmare Kongyou. There was something else as well though, like a little blot of ink reflecting, or perhaps consuming, the very attention that fell on it.

She felt it pause there outside the door. There was doubt there, even now.

“Please come in,” Ling Qi said, projecting her voice more with qi than air.

The presence startled, and then the door pushed open.

Xuan Shi stepped into the room. He looked a bit worse for the wear. Without his gauntlets or heavy concealing outer robe, he seemed strange and unfamiliar to her eyes. A thick armored vest stretched across a broad chest, a belt hung with pouches, and sturdy trousers were tucked into thick boots. There was a crack in the wide brim of his hat.

“Xuan Shi, thank you for visiting me… and for your assistance. I don’t think I would be even this well without your gift,” Ling Qi said gratefully.

He looked at her for a long moment. “Then this one has no regrets.”

He sat down in another chair left by her bedside, across from Sixiang. He was staring at her from under the brim of his hat, but for once, she didn’t feel discomfited by the attention. She surely looked terrible right now, regardless.

“I did manage to save a, uh, couple fragments.” Sixiang reached across the bed and dropped into his hand a number of clay shards, still glowing cherry red with heat. She didn’t know where Sixiang had been keeping it… the same place as the idol that anchored them, she supposed. “Reagents, right?”

Xuan Shi looked down at it briefly. Unbothered by the heat, he closed his palm around the slightly smoking ceramic shards before it vanished into the storage ring on his finger. “Reagents. Yes. Miss Ling, this one is astounded by the lengths to which your ambition took you.”

No distractions, hm? She appreciated Sixiang’s effort.

“I only regret that I could not lessen the harm further. We will not fail here,” Ling Qi vowed.

“There will be no failure,” Xuan Shi agreed. “Not where you stand.”

“Moons, my cousin must be sulking up a storm in there, huh?” Sixiang asked.

“This one is told that the word is ‘brooding’ or perhaps ‘contemplating. But this one would like to report on the matter of the Meng and what occurred there.”

“Please do, Xuan Shi.” Ling Qi gave as much of a proper nod as she could.

“The details, this one will leave most to Sir Meng, but the elder was indeed propped by juniors in the manner of the Meng, raised from the deathbed through the machinations of others.”

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So, that was why he had weakened as the other Meng conspirators were taken down and why his death throes had been relatively limited in effect, even on her.

“Meng Deming was an innocent man usurped by this will, and he proved most upset when freed. However, this one’s part in the tale requires an introduction.”

“An introduction?” Ling Qi wondered, only for the answer to come. “Ah… Did you hatch that egg?”

He reached up under the brim of his hat, and when he opened his hand, there was a tiny, fluffy pale blue chick. She bobbled back and forth, tilting her head to and fro as she chirped.

Hungry hungry happy hungry warm hungry hello! hungry warm hungry happy warm…

“Oh, hello there!” This was the droplet of ink, inscrutable to her senses beyond that, for all that the infant beast’s simple thoughts were like an open letter to her.

The chick jumped in Xuan Shi’s palm before looking at Sixiang and letting out a wary chirp.