Never Let You Go, Again

4: Legend turned to dust

Watching the boys and his dearest walk away, adrenaline already pumping through their veins, Lan Wangji felt satisfied. And relieved. He knew his Wei Ying would never let them come across uncontrollable harm. Shaking his head at Wei Ying's strange behaviour after his even stranger disappearance, the Chief Cultivator strolled towards the library.

Meanwhile, having entered the forest beyond Caiyi Town, Wei Wuxian and the juniors stopped. Everyone turned to face the Yiling Patriarch, who then put his fingers to his lips and blew a sharp, two-beat whistle. Barely a second later, the tress ruffled around them and a silhouette dropped onto the forest floor a few feet away from the group.

"Ning Shushu!" screamed the youngsters, running towards their new friend. They had gotten used to calling him this thanks to Sizhui incessantly talking to his uncle. Why did they not get used to Jin Ling's 'Wei Shishu' then, you might ask? Simple: who would dare to address the partner of the possessive Chief Cultivator as all their uncle?

Tucking his mop of hair behind his ears, Wen Ning beamed at his friends and nephew surrounding him. The whole forest seemed to light up with his grin.

"Ning Shushu, I missed you," cried his nephew. A-Yuan hugged him tightly, and Wen Ning returned the embrace, as the rest watched, smiling. Nobody smirked at Lan Sizhui's behaviour because everyone knew him to be hug-loving and innocent — unlike his best friends.

Letting go of Sizhui, Wen Ning glanced around, saw his old brother-like friend, and bowed, "Young Master!"

Another smile blossomed elsewhere, turning the forest brighter than the heavens. "Wen Ning, were you waiting for us?"

"Yes, Young Master, A-Yuan told me earlier of your coming here today, so I stayed standby."

"Alright then, let's go, today's task will take longer... Where's Young Master Romantic?" Wei Wuxian asked, making everyone burst into laughter, wondering where Ouyang Zizhen, and the rest who were to join them on night hunts, were. As if on cue...

"Senior Wei! Ning Shushu!" Zizhen and his companions bowed to the Seniors. His face was flushed red, a sign that he had heard Wei Wuxian's words. His friends surrounded him, as Wei Wuxian announced, "everyone's here, let's go!"

On the way, questions bombarded him. "Senior Wei? Where are we going today?"

"To the forest beyond the hills."

"What are we tackling today, Young Master?"

"A beast." Here he stopped. Clearing his throat, and shifting into dramatic tone, he described, "today, it'll be a demonic beast with a tiger's body and the Devil's horns. It has a dragon's tail about two hundred meters long. Oh, and teeth? Yes, its teeth are the most amazing. Razor-sharp teeth and sabre-like canines. It lives in the remote regions in the west, but I heard at the wine store yesterday that it has paid a visit to the east."

Nobody dared breath, out of sheer fear. "Tiger's body? Two hundred metre-long dragon's tail? Devil's horns?" mumbled Zizhen. The others were just shaking.

"MO LONG HU [ 魔龙虎 ] !" Shouted someone. Everyone turned to look at this amazing, all-knowing person, only to hide the shock on their faces at the sight of the youngest sect leader ever.

"Well done, A-Ling! You've done your reading!" Wei Wuxian beamed proudly. Scowling mildly, he turned to his son and 'son'. "A-Yuan, Jingyi, you Lan people will forever read about etiquette and rules, at least learn from A-Ling! A-Ling, remind me to ask Jiang Cheng to send some more books."

"Sure, Shishu!" Jin Ling was glowing, while his friends had never been more ashamed of their Lan education.

Every single junior present was bewildered. Would they be able to handle such a monstrous... monster? What if they made a single mistake? What if they made a wrong judgement? A long list of 'what if's buzzed through their minds as amidst a lot of chatter, they headed towards the fierce Mo Long Hu.