The King's Mate - Part 3: Guishi

Chapter 6

Sorry about the delay ^-^; I started my new job yesterday and it's a lot xDD
I think this is just going to have to be the new time I upload the chapters...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one :D

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After their conversation, Xie Lian had dozed off in his alpha's arms, feeling incredibly happy and secure, despite being out in the desert, with nothing to shield them from the elements.

Xie Lian was dozing lightly enough to still be able to notice Hua Cheng stroking his hair and head, caressing his cheek and holding his hand, making his woozy brain think that it almost felt like his alpha wanted to reassure himself of Xie Lian's well-being; as if he couldn't believe that he was truly still alive and with him.

When Xie Lian eventually woke up, the sky was still mostly dark, only brightening a little on the horizon. The stars were still clearly visible and it was still rather cold. Though his body felt surprisingly warm, he realised and looked down to see that Hua Cheng had covered him with his own outer robe while Xie Lian had been asleep.

"You're awake?", Hua Cheng asked, when Xie Lian had grunted in realisation.

"More or less", Xie Lian yawned, and cuddled closer to his alpha.

"Did you sleep at all?", he then asked.

"I was keeping watch", Hua Cheng said, and lightly nuzzled Xie Lian's temple.

"Did anything happen?", Xie Lian inquired further, now that he was becoming slightly more awake.

"Not out here, no."

"So your butterflies caught something?", Xie Lian figured.

"Quite something, indeed", Hua Cheng replied, before he explained in more detail.

"The city of Banyue itself seems to be fine, I only noticed some missing buildings here and there. The state of the palace is a different matter, though. There was definitely some conflict going on, a lot of buildings have taken damage. I couldn't see too well because of the darkness but I think there were burn marks on quite a few of them, especially the one housing the throne room. All the buildings I checked from the inside were empty, so I'm not sure what's going on with that."

"... do you think they moved the capital elsewhere?", Xie Lian couldn't help but wonder.

"No. Those news would have been talked about, and I definitely would have heard of that", Hua Cheng replied quite confidently.

"What if they are on the way to Guishi right now and don't want to let anyone know in advance?", Xie Lian theorised.

"Then we will find them before they get there. But the palace here doesn't seem abandoned, despite the state it's in. I didn't check every single building either, so it's entirely possible they simply relocated within the palace. Though I'm not sure what reasoning would lead to such an action", Hua Cheng frowned. "Either way, our manor is empty, and nobody seems to have used it since you left."

"What about guards and military presence?", Xie Lian asked, because that would most likely become their main issue.

"Guards are stationed at the city gates, as well as the palace gates. There were only a handful I saw on night patrol and no military presence whatsoever", Hua Cheng informed Xie Lian with a deepening frown.

It really didn't make a lot of sense. Surely security around the palace should have increased after somebody had seized the throne? Surely Ling Wen wouldn't have made a mistake on such a basic level?