The Nine-tailed Fox gets slapped

Wu Yun doesn't even have the opportunity to digest that he's going to Ling Yan's former sect, because he spends the entire journey gripping Wan Mi's slippery feathers and trying to hold on for dear life.

Wan Mi seems to delight in making aerial displays of skill as she swoops and dives next to the rocky outcroppings that dot the landscape, only to nose back up just before impact. It makes Wu Yun's short life flash before his eyes, but Wan Mi revels in it and lets out a loud caw every time she executes a particularly impressive maneuver.

"Stop that! Just fly in a straight line!" he shouts, trying to make himself heard over the turbulence of the wind rushing past them.

Wan Mi gives no sign of having heard him, and continues to display her flying prowess, until they approach a mountain, its peak hidden behind the clouds, and she is forced to reduce her speed to prepare for landing.

The whole journey takes no longer than an incense stick, but it's enough for Wu Yun to decide that he would rather walk next time.

He slides down Wan Mi's wing as soon as she lands, desperate to reach solid ground.

Lu Meng is in no better condition, and as soon as his feet touch the lush grass he heaves all the food in his stomach.

He struggles for breath and wipes his mouth with his sleeve. "This is why humans don't trust Beasts."

Zou Qiao hears him and scoffs lightly, "Not in my experience."

Lan Tian is as unruffled as ever, but he steadies Wu Yun with a gentle hand on his waist.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine," Wu Yun answers, distractedly. He has more important things on his mind. "Listen, this sect, Immortal Mountain? It was Ling Yan's sect before he ascended," he tells Lan Tian in a lowered voice.

"We can ask around about him." Lan Tian says, hoping they'll have enough time, since they're not here on a social visit.

Lan Tian startles when he feels an arm wrap around his neck. He turns to the side and sees Zou Qiao grinning at him, his other arm thrown over Wu Yun's shoulder.

"What are the two younger brothers conspiring about? I feel left out," Zou Qiao says, pouting in dissatisfaction.

Lan Tian picks up his slim arm and removes it from around himself, touching it as if it's covered in boils.

"I don't care how you feel."

Zou Qiao flattens his ears against his hair, and turns to Wu Yun with a pitiful look. "Little brother cares how I feel, doesn't he?"

Wu Yun exchanges a confused look with Lan Tian, and says to Zou Qiao, "Uh...I guess."

That seems to be what Zou Qiao was waiting for, as he locks his arm with Wu Yun and starts dragging him along, out of the clearing they landed on, and towards the buildings they can see in the distance.

"Wan Mi, what do you know about Zou Qiao?" Lan Tian asks, eyeing Zou Qiao's expansive gestures as he explains every detail of the terrain to Wu Yun.

"Not much, he's a nine-tailed fox, he spends most of his time with other foxes from what I know, and visits this sect often,"Wan Mi says, back in her half-beast form.

"I don't trust him," Lan Tian says, watching the careless way Zou Qiao bumps into Wu Yun as he walks.

"My mother always told me that nine-tailed foxes are a bad omen," Lu Meng says, cutting in with a serious frown. "In the legends they're always trying to seduce people into their deaths."

The look Lan Tian levels at Lu Meng is cold enough to freeze rain in the summer. Even Wan Mi who has implied as much in some of her more heated arguments with Wu Yun looks affronted.

"One of them is willing to risk his life to save your lover. Who doesn't even like him." Lan Tian's tone is mild but his amber eyes betray his righteous indignation. "If I were you I would mind my words."

"I wasn't...I didn't know. I didn't mean Wu Yun," Lu Meng says, his shoulders slumping in consternation.

Lan Tian feels sympathy for his pain, but he doesn't have any placating words to offer. He simply nods and walks ahead, keeping Wu Yun in his line of sight.

"I didn't mean it like that, I didn't know Wu Yun was a nine-tailed fox too," Lu Meng says, turning pleadingly towards Wan Mi.

She is pragmatic as ever. "Would knowing he was one have changed your views on all nine-tailed foxes, or would you just think of him as an exception?"

Lu Meng doesn't have an answer for her.

---

Zou Qiao seems to know just about everyone in Immortal Mountain. Everyone stops on their way to greet him. Wu Yun tries to take advantage of these moments to disentangle himself from him, but Zou Qiao always finds a way to reel him back in.

"Qiao-ge! It's been a long time since I last saw you, please stop by my rooms later if you have the chance." A man in light green Immortal Mountain robes tells Zou Qiao, in a version of a conversation Wu Yun has heard at least four times since stepping foot inside the sect's gates.

Zou Qiao makes some polite smile talk, that Wu Yun has a feeling is hiding something else.

The other three catch up to them, before anyone has a chance to stop them for a fifth time.

Zou Qiao turns to them, with a surprised look, as if for a moment he forgot they existed. "Ah you're here! Good, let's go see Elder Lian, she'll know what you need."

"Actually, I have to go back," Wan Mi says, looking around at the activity inside the sect grounds with a rueful expression. "Master said I was only to take you here, and go back, I'm still being punished for my transgressions."

Wu Yun would laugh at her disappointment, but before he has the chance to, she runs towards him and hugs him around the waist with a surprising amount of strength.

Her head rests for a moment against his chest as she whispers, "Be careful in the Underworld."

Just as quickly as she hugged him, she lets go. She stops at Lan Tian's side and the two of them share a look of mutual understanding.

Lan Tian pats her head twice. "Be good."

She nods and is gone among the trees.

Wu Yun doesn't understand what just happened. But he supposes that Lan Tian and Wan Mi had a month of time together that he'll never be privy to. The thought settles on his middle like laden weight

Zou Qiao lets out a melodic snort. "What a funny little child," he says, and pulls Wu Yun along by their linked arms.

---

Zou Qiao leads them to a central wooden building around which all others are arranged. The building sits on a raised platform, suspended above a small lake where a myriad of colorful carps swim.

Inside the room Wu Yun is immediately assaulted by the scent of strong incense. A woman sits at a low table with her back turned to them, plucking a guqin softly.

"The Kunlun mountain clan requests Master Lian Feng's help with a delicate matter." Zou Qiao clasps his hands in front his chest and bows, even though Lian Feng can't see them.

Lian Feng raises from her seated position in a fluid motion, and turns around to greet them. She clasps her finger below her waist and bows. "The Immortal Mountain sect is always glad to help our dear friends."

Wu Yun bows politely with the others, and tries to take the measure of Lian Feng. Her smile and words are pleasant enough, but her beautiful features are like a mask, hiding any real emotion behind their charm.

"We need help reaching the Underworld to retrieve a human's hun souls." Lan Tian says, unwilling to hear Zou Qiao's honeyed voice any longer.

Lian Feng raises a hand to her lips, "Oh, I didn't know the Kunlun clan was in the habit of helping humans."

Wu Yun can't helping cutting in, "Aren't you a human?"

Lian Feng shoots him the politest glare he's ever seen. "We are immortal cultivators, through our perfect unity with the Dao we have reached immortality. We don't distance ourselves from our humanity, however, the immortal cultivators of today will be the gods of tomorrow."

Wu Yun can see she takes great pleasure in that. He wants to tell her there was one of them for whom that didn't work out so well.

"Forgive my friend, he doesn't understand much yet," Zou Qiao says, linking his arm with Wu Yun again.

Wu Yun shakes him off. He's starting to tire of Zou Qiao's familiarity and condescension.

He walks towards Lan Tian and stands at his side, giving the other nine-tailed fox a wide berth.

Lian Feng hides an amused smile behind her daintily raised fingers. "I can see that. Well, reaching the Underworld won't be a problem. You've arrived early, so we can still do it today. We'll only be able to reach the passage at dusk, when the barrier between the worlds is thinnest, but we have enough time for the preparations."

"Thanks for your assistance, Master," Lan Tian says, ready to turn his back on the room and its unctuous smell.

"Reaching the Underworld won't be the problem. The problem will be surviving it." Lian Feng says, the corners of her lips pulling up a fraction. "Entering the Underworld with a mortal body isn't an easy feat. You'll have to take a pill to confuse the spirits below, so they don't notice you're alive. And you'll also be on borrowed time...the Underworld is no place for the living."

Wu Yun rolls his words at her cryptic words, she's having too much fun with this. "What will happen if we run out of time?"

"You have from sundown until sunset to leave, or your body will succumb to the pull of death, and you'll die." Lian Feng's smile is almost beatific. "But depending on the task at hand, that's plenty of time."

Wu Yun doesn't share her confidence.

Lu Meng turns towards him and Lan Tian. "I can go in alone, you've done enough by accompanying me here."

Wu Yun shakes his head. "It will be faster with the three of us searching for Jiang Tanmei's souls."

"I can't let you endanger yourselves. A-Tan is my responsibility."

Wu Yun smirks and bumps his shoulders against Lan Tian. "We don't need your permission to endanger ourselves, right?"

Lan Tian's gaze is heavy with meaning when it lands on Wu Yun. "I won't allow anything to happen to you."

Wu Yun averts his eyes. Why does he keep saying things like that? He knows full well that's not what Wu Yun meant.

"Well, if everything is settled, please follow me, we need to get the preparations underway," Lian Feng says, extending an arm towards an open doorway leading to another room.

Everyone walks inside the room, but Wu Yun stays behind with Lian Feng. When everyone is inside, he shuts the sliding doors, leaving him and her alone behind.

Lian Feng's large humid eyes blink down at him in confusion.

"There's something I need to ask," he starts, keeping his voice quiet. "I want to know if Master Lian has ever heard of someone named Ling Yan..."

He's blindsided by the harsh slap of Lian Feng's thin fingers against his skin.

The mask of politeness is gone from her delicate features, replaced by pure hatred. "Never say that name again, in my presence."