Dragon of the Drunken Lotus

Chapter 8: The Hidden Grove Ambush

The damp silence of the Silent Lotus Chamber felt like a physical weight, pressing against Longwei’s chest as he stared at the top of Lanqiao’s head. Her shoulders were still shaking, her fingers digging into his forearms with a strength that suggested she was trying to anchor herself to the physical world before the darkness behind that obsidian gate dragged her under.

"Uh, Lanqiao?" Longwei started, his voice cracking. "You’re, uh... you’re kind of turning my biceps into ice sculptures. Not that I mind the cooling sensation after the whole 'human furnace' thing, but I think I’m losing feeling in my thumbs."

Lanqiao didn't look up. She took a ragged, shuddering breath, her forehead still pressed against his silk-clad shoulder. "I told you. Never speak of it."

"Trust me, I have zero desire to talk about the giant, evil-looking demon door inside your soul," Longwei whispered, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "I’m a simple man. I like naps, buns, and not being devoured by cosmic horrors. Consider that memory officially deleted. Format: C drive. Gone."

She finally pulled back, her face pale and her eyes red-rimmed, though the icy mask was already beginning to settle back into place. "The resonance is stable. The Drunken Lotus Pill has been... pacified. For now."

"Pacified? It feels more like it’s just sleeping," Longwei said, patting his stomach. "It’s like I’ve got a very warm, very heavy rock sitting right behind my navel. Does this mean I can go back to my pavilion and sleep for a week?"

"The Sect Leader wants us in the Azure Grove for recovery," Lanqiao said, standing up and smoothing her robes with trembling hands. "The spiritual air there is thicker. It will help filter the remaining toxins from your blood."

"More walking? My legs feel like overcooked noodles, Lanqiao. Can’t we just get a carriage? Or maybe one of those flying swords? I’ve always wanted to try one of those, as long as there’s a seatbelt."

"Walk, Longwei. Before I freeze your feet and slide you there like a puck."

*

The Azure Grove was a secluded pocket of the mountain where the trees grew in spiraling patterns and the grass glowed with a faint, minty luminescence. It was beautiful, quiet, and—according to Longwei’s internal clock—the perfect place for a high-quality siesta.

"Okay, look," Longwei said, dropping onto a mossy bank the moment they reached the center of the clearing. "I’ve survived a forbidden pill, a soul-tether, a dance-off, and a glimpse into your inner basement of doom. I think I’ve earned a fifteen-minute shut-eye."

Lanqiao sat a few feet away, her sword resting across her knees. "We need to circulate the Qi, not sleep on it. If you let the energy stagnate now, it’ll harden in your meridians."

"Everything you say sounds like more work," Longwei groaned, closing his eyes. "Can't the Qi just... circulate itself? It’s grown-up energy. It should be independent."

"You really are the most pathetic disciple in the history of this sect," a sharp, feminine voice rang out from the edge of the grove.

Longwei’s eyes snapped open. Standing at the entrance to the clearing was a girl in vibrant crimson robes, her long hair tied back in a high, aggressive ponytail. Behind her stood four other disciples, all of them wearing the smug expressions of people who had spent way too much time practicing their 'heroic' poses.

"Oh, great," Longwei sighed, sitting up. "Senior Sister Zhao Caixia. Let me guess, you’re here to check on my health and bring me some fruit? Because if not, I’m really not in the mood for a performance review."

Zhao Caixia stepped forward, her hand resting on the hilt of a curved saber. "I’m here to see if the rumors are true. The Elders are saying you’ve become a 'prodigy' overnight because you were too stupid to recognize a Grade-9 pill. They’re even pairing you with Lanqiao."

"It wasn't exactly a choice, Caixia," Lanqiao said, her voice returning to its razor-sharp chill. "The tether is a safety measure. Unless you want to be vaporized by the backlash, I suggest you take your friends and leave."

"Vaporized? From him?" Caixia laughed, her eyes flickering with jealousy. "He looks like he can barely keep his eyes open. I think the Sect Leader is being overly cautious. Or maybe you’re just enjoying the extra attention, 'Ice Beauty'?"

"Careful, Senior Sister," Longwei warned, though he stayed seated. "I’ve got a lot of energy and zero control. It’s a very dangerous combination. I’m like a toddler with a loaded crossbow."

"Then let’s see you fire it," Caixia snapped. She didn't wait for an answer. With a flick of her wrist, she drew her saber, the blade humming with a fierce, red Qi. "Disciples! Let’s help our 'Special Meditation Partners' with their recovery. Show them how real Azure Mist warriors train!"

"Wait, wait! Time out!" Longwei yelled, scrambling to his feet as the four other disciples began to circle them. "Is this legal? I feel like there should be a referee or at least some paperwork!"

"There are no rules in the grove, Longwei!" one of the disciples shouted, lunging forward with a practice staff.

Longwei didn't move—not because he was brave, but because his legs were still vibrating. As the staff swung toward his head, his stomach gave a violent, familiar lurch.

"Whoa!"

Longwei’s body moved on its own. He didn't dodge; he stumbled. His foot caught on a root, causing him to spin awkwardly to the left. The staff whistled through the air exactly where his head had been a millisecond before.

"Nice move!" Longwei chirped, his arms flailing. "I call that the... uh... the Drunken Dragon Ducks the Bill!"

"Stop playing around!" Caixia roared, swinging her saber in a wide arc that sent a wave of heat toward them.

Lanqiao was already moving. She didn't engage directly; she knew the tether would jerk Longwei around if she moved too fast. Instead, she slammed her palm into the ground. "Ice Mirror Wall!"

A jagged sheet of frost erupted between them and Caixia, shattering the heat wave.

"Longwei, stay within five feet of me!" Lanqiao commanded, her hands weaving signs. "I’ll handle the range. You just... do whatever it is you’re doing!"

"I’m trying to stay upright, Lanqiao! That’s the 'whatever'!"

Another disciple charged him, this one wielding a pair of short swords. Longwei felt the Drunken Lotus energy surge into his limbs. It didn't feel like strength; it felt like he was being piloted by a very caffeinated squirrel.

"Eat this!" the disciple yelled.

Longwei tried to punch, but his weight shifted too far forward. He ended up doing a clumsy, rolling tumble. His shoulder slammed into the disciple’s shins, sending the boy flying backward into a tree.

"Oof! Sorry! My center of gravity is currently a suggestion!" Longwei shouted, popping back up and accidentally elbowing a second attacker in the ribs.

"He's mocking us!" Caixia screamed, her saber glowing brighter. "He's using some kind of unorthodox movement technique! Surround them! Break the tether's rhythm!"

The four disciples closed in, their weapons a blur of motion. Lanqiao was a whirlwind of blue light, sending shards of ice flying like needles to keep the attackers at bay, but she was limited. Every time she moved to strike, she had to compensate for Longwei’s chaotic, drunken stumbling.

"Lanqiao, on your left!" Longwei yelled. He didn't think; he just lunged. He grabbed a disciple’s arm and, instead of a throw, he simply let his own body weight collapse.

CRACK.

The sheer output of Yang-energy from his skin scorched the disciple’s sleeve, sending him retreating with a yelp.

"Is that all you've got?" Longwei panted, his pink glow intensifying. "I’ve had harder fights with my duvet on a Monday morning!"

"You arrogant little brat!" Caixia’s face was contorted with rage. She backed off, reaching into her inner sleeve. "If you want to play dirty, let’s see how you handle this!"

Lanqiao’s eyes widened. "Longwei, move! She has a Sun-Slayer needle!"

Longwei saw it—a tiny, flickering spark of black light in Caixia’s hand. She wasn't aiming for him. She was aiming for Lanqiao’s throat, knowing the Ice Beauty was currently focused on maintaining the shield around them both.

"No!"

The world seemed to slow down. Longwei felt the tether in his chest snap taut. He didn't have a technique. He didn't have a shield. He only had a body full of Grade-9 chaos and a sudden, terrifying realization that he didn't want Lanqiao to get hurt.

He threw himself in front of her.

"Longwei, no!" Lanqiao screamed.

Thwip.

The needle didn't make a loud sound. It buried itself deep into Longwei’s shoulder, right at the base of his neck.

For a second, everything went silent. Caixia froze, her eyes wide as she realized what she’d done. Using a poisoned Sun-Slayer needle on a fellow disciple was an exile-level offense.

"Longwei?" Lanqiao’s voice was small, trembling.

Longwei stood there for a moment, blinking. "Huh. That... that actually didn't hurt as much as I thought."

He took a step toward Caixia, his hand reaching for the needle. "You know, you really shouldn't throw things. Someone could lose an—"

He stopped. His hand didn't reach the needle. It just hung there, trembling.

"Longwei!"

Lanqiao caught him as his knees buckled.

"Hey... Lanqiao," Longwei whispered, his voice sounding like it was coming from the bottom of a well. "Is it... is it getting dark? I thought we were in the glowing grove."

"Stay with me! Longwei, look at me!"

Lanqiao ripped his collar open. Where the needle had entered, the skin wasn't red or bruised. It was a deep, oily black. The color was spreading with terrifying speed, creeping up his neck and down toward his heart like a swarm of ink-colored ants.

"Oh, gods," one of the disciples whispered, backing away. "The poison... it’s reacting to the Drunken Lotus energy."

"Get help!" Lanqiao roared at them, her voice filled with a raw, jagged desperation. "Get Elder Han! Now!"

Caixia and her group fled into the woods, their bravado replaced by pure, unadulterated terror.

Longwei lay in Lanqiao’s arms, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. He looked up at her, seeing the tears streaming down her face, hitting his cheeks like cold rain.

"Don't... don't do that," he wheezed, trying to reach up and wipe a tear away, but his arm felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. "The Ice Beauty... isn't supposed to cry. It’ll... it’ll ruin the brand."

"Shut up, you idiot! Just keep breathing!"

"I'm trying," Longwei murmured, his eyes fluttering. "But I think... I think I finally got that nap I wanted."

His head fell back. The pink glow of the Drunken Lotus Pill flickered once, twice, and then vanished, replaced by the suffocating, absolute black of the poison. As his consciousness drifted into the void, the last thing he felt was Lanqiao’s icy hands gripping his, her heart beating against the tether in a frantic, dying rhythm.