True to his word, Lao'er didn't give in, even until the very end.  Though he was still protected from Wei Yaling and her subordinates by the Zudang Jade in his possession, he knew when he was beaten and didn't make any trouble.  He merely sat inside his barrier, wasting away visibly as he spent his vital qi to keep it going.  Ma Qianle didn't have the energy to force the situation, and Ruan Ye was content to allow the man to choose his own manner of death.  His spirit would come into the hands of the courts of the Underworld regardless, and it would be soon enough to interrogate him at that time.

Ruan Ye helped Ma Qianle to a seat on the ground, and then went to search Lao'er's clothes for the jade, while several of the impermanents took Xiong Yucheng for questioning.  Though the officers of the Hells naturally had a different view of death than the humans and demons of the mortal realm, they weren't entirely insensitive to the fact that the cavern contained the corpses of three of the Xiong clan, and so they took him to a different section of the cave.

Before following them, Wei Yaling came over to check on Ma Qianle.

"You haven't died on me, kid, have you?" she asked, squatting down to perch on her toes at his side.

Ma Qianle groaned.  "Ask me in the morning, I haven't decided yet."  He rubbed his temples with his good hand.  "You got that other guy?  We saw him leave before we started the fight here."  Ma Qianle's speech was quiet, and his words a bit slurred as he spoke.  

"Yeah.  It would have taken us even longer to find this place if he hadn't decided to cooperate.  We're about to start asking some questions."  Wei Yaling looked down at Ma Qianle's leg, where he'd attempted to tie the piece of silk cloth he'd been using as a face mask around his wounds.  Given that he'd been trying to do it one-handed, he hadn't had much success.  She adjusted it, tying it more securely.  'All the work and materials that go into preparing a ghost trapping banner, and it's being used as a bandage.  The quartermaster would have a fit if he found out!"

"Give me a minute," Ma Qianle said, with a deep sigh.  "I'll join you."

"You will stay exactly where you are."  Wei Yaling pressed down on Ma Qianle's uninjured shoulder as he tried to get up.  "You've done enough for one night.  We'll be here for a while longer, looking for clues.  Get some rest for now."

"Mn,"  Ma Qianle replied, too tired to even use a whole word.  He was grateful for the reprieve.  He leaned back against the wall of the cavern, shifting as he attempted to find the least uncomfortable position.  The last of the energy from the qi enhancing pill had finally drained away, and his limbs felt like they had been filled with lead.  'Damn, I'm thirsty,' he thought. 'I wonder if anyone's got any water?'  This was the last thing that passed through Ma Qianle's head before he fell asleep.

~~~~~~~

The impermanents who had been put in charge of Xiong Yucheng were just about ready to begin when Wei Yaling arrived at the small side chamber off the passage where they'd decided to conduct their interrogation.  The Wu siblings were guarding at the entryway, and a member of the first squad had taken out brush and ink to record the proceedings.

As soon as Wei Yaling appeared, Xiong Yucheng started to babble.  "Don't kill me!  I'll answer all your questions, do anything you want, just don't kill me like the others!"  Since the end of the battle, someone had smeared some salve on his battered nose, so while he was still covered in blood, his speech was much clearer.

Wei Yaling frowned.  "What kind of stories are they telling up in the mortal realm these days?  Impermanents don't kill people!"  She crossed her arms as she scolded.  "Not unless they're trying to kill us first.  And especially not once they've surrendered!  We're just here for a friendly conversation."  She grinned wickedly as she pulled a falsehood detecting artifact from her pouch.  "I can't make any promises for Keeper Ruan though.  It's best if you answer us honestly."

Xiong Yucheng paled.  He'd been told tales of Ruan Ye's lack of mercy by his elders since he was just a cub.  "O-of course."

Wei Yaling nodded, satisfied, as she took a seat on a large rock.  "What's this all about?  Why did you and your family kill most of the village?

"It was all Uncle's idea!  That is, Xiong Changyan" Xiong Yucheng filled in, finally giving Lao'er's proper name.  "It started when I was just a kid, about 20 years ago.  Mom and dad were out hunting in bear form, and got captured by some bear farmers from the village.  Nobody realized they were demons. Uncle and his cousins tried to rescue them, but there were too many people.  Even if they could break in, mom and dad were too drugged and hurt to leave on their own.  Uncle took me in and has wanted revenge for his older brother ever since."

"Wasn't it reported to Keeper Ruan?"  Wei Yaling asked, one eyebrow cocked.  The Keeper's job was to protect demons from humans as much as it was to protect humans from demons.

Xiong Yucheng sneered, but on his face it looked more comical than distasteful.  "Uncle always said the Keeper hates us demons, so there was no point.  They'd only get a minor punishment, but he wanted the farmers, and anyone who'd ever used the medicine they sold, dead."  He looked down, a bit sheepishly.  "To be honest, I didn't want revenge that badly.  But uncle said that I was being unfilial, and that mom and dad could never go on to reincarnation in peace if they weren't avenged."

Wei Yaling glanced at the artifact, but there was no sign of falsehood.  'So he's not just trying to make himself look good?"  She pondered for a moment.  "If your uncle wanted revenge so badly, why did he wait so long?  That must have been decades ago."

"Ehh, well…"  Xiong Yucheng hesitated, reluctant to speak badly of his uncle.  "We thought it was just a wild dream.  Who knows how many people used things from that bear farm?  It's impossible to kill all of them.  The government shut the farm down years ago."  He shook his head.  "But then Jiang Ci showed up out of nowhere."

Hearing the name, Wei Yaling perked up.  'Finally, something we can work with!'  "Go on," she said.

"He told uncle that he was like us. He didn't like the way the Heavens run things.  He said he'd teach uncle some new spells and help him get revenge.  The price was to help him get rid of someone"  Xiong Yucheng's distaste, either for the idea of assassination or for Jiang Ci himself, was evident on his face.  "Uncle bought everything he said.  He tried to convince the rest of the family but only his two cousins agreed.  I...I wasn't really given a choice.  So he set up some spell, and lured that woman in, but she got away.  Jiang Ci said that was fine and someone else would probably come.  He told us to set the trap in the cave.  You know what happened after that."

"Not a lot of information, but it's more than we had,"  Wei Yaling pondered to herself out loud.  "I have one last question.  How did four bear demons manage to kill so many people on their own?"

"That was Jiang Ci.  He put the whole village in a trance somehow.  The ones that were too weak just fell where they were, and the rest all came to the cave on their own."  Xiong Yucheng's voice wavered.  He sounded even more fearful than he was at the start of the interrogation.  "He said he's like us, but I think that's wrong.  Nobody from any of the demon clans I know could have done that. I think-I think he might be from an Ancient Beast clan."

'The Ancient Beasts?  They all went into seclusion centuries ago!'  Wei Yaling frowned, deep in thought.  'Why would one of them turn up now as a ghost practitioner?  And how did he get his hands on the Zudang Jades?' 

"Alright, that's all for now,"  Wei Yaling said.  She stowed the artifact and the assistant began packing away their writing materials.  "I'll come looking if I need more questions answered.  You've given me a lot to think about."

~~~~~~~

Ma Qianle awoke to a gentle shaking.  His wounds ached, and the uncomfortable position and location hadn't done any favors for the bruising on his back and sides.  He groaned and peeled his eyes open.  Ruan Ye was sitting beside him, holding out a bamboo canteen.

"Drink," Ruan Ye said.  "You must be thirsty, after losing so much blood."

Ma Qianle accepted the canteen gratefully.  It was full of cool, mineral tasting water.  He drank deeply, until he no longer felt like his vocal cords would stick together if he tried to speak.

"How long did I sleep?" he asked.

"An hour or two, no longer,"  Ruan Ye replied.  "We have found all there is to find here.  We will be leaving shortly."

'Good.  I can go and sleep in a real bed instead of on a pile of rocks,' Ma Qianle thought.

Ruan Ye seemed to hesitate about something, and then continued.  "Allow me to take you back to your home.  It is unpleasant, but at the moment-"

Ma Qianle cut him off.  "Fine."  He hadn't considered how he would be getting home in this state, only that he needed to get there.  "But I don't think I can walk right now."

Ruan Ye was taken aback for a moment and then gave a wry smile.  "No arguments?  I am surprised."  He stood, then carefully maneuvered Ma Qianle onto his back.  In contrast to Ma Qianle, the only evidence left of the wounds Ruan Ye had taken was a few traces of dried blood left where cuts had once been.

Ma Qianle leaned his head exhaustedly against Ruan Ye's shoulder.  "Too tired to argue," he mumbled, already falling back asleep.  Ruan Ye's body temperature was a little hotter than his own, and the warmth was comfortable compared to the chill of rock.

'He is almost a bit cute like this,'  Ruan Ye thought as he carried Ma Qianle out of the cave.  'It is a shame that it's a result of being unwell.'

~~~~~~~

Ma Qianle didn't remember getting back home that night.  When he awoke the next morning, he was in his own bed.  His ragged clothes had been removed, and in their place were clean pajamas.  The blood and gore had been washed away, and his wounds had all been neatly bandaged.  On his bedside table was a pot of salve, a bottle of normal painkillers, a glass of water, and a note.  The note was written in a graceful but readable brush hand, and read  "For your wounds.  Drink bone broth, and consume adequate water."

Ma Qianle contemplated getting angry at the fact he had been undressed and bathed without his knowledge, but decided against it.  'It's not like I would have wanted to get in bed like that.'  He swallowed a painkiller as he pondered.  'That guy...did I misjudge him yesterday?  Or is he just trying to make peace with me?'

He crawled out of bed.  He was stiff and sore, but nowhere near as bad as he would have been without the wondrous medicines he now had access to.  Even so, Ma Qianle was glad it was a Sunday and he didn't have to work.  He tested his leg and found that he could support his weight easily, but with a slight limp.  His arm was more troublesome, so he resolved to keep it in a sling for the time being.

Grrrgle  Ma Qianle's stomach growled.  He hadn't had much to eat yesterday, and what little he'd had had been vomited up.  'Time to see how I can make breakfast with one hand.  Maybe I'll just go buy something at the shop downstairs…'  He opened the door to his bedroom.  Sitting on his couch was a slight woman, hair cut in a bob at her chin.

flying_paper_crane

Author's note:  If you're not familiar with the practice of bear farming in east and southeast asia, and are sensitive to animal cruelty, I suggest you not look it up.  All you need to know is that it's horrific.