WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 107 JingLing

The smoke got thicker and thicker but Hui Gai was faster. His trademark transparent bubble surrounded the orb as it floated in mid-air.

Lan Zhan had already pushed Wei Ying behind himself, and all three waited and watched to see what would emerge. When the green smoke cleared, there was a pink cloud floating within the bubble...with a face that was peering anxiously back at them with curiosity in its eyes.

And face was being generous, really, there was only two eyes, bright blue like Hongse's.

"It looks harmless, Hui Gai..." Wei Ying said, also looking anxiously back at both of his protectors.

He didn't know when the other two had made this agreement, even if was verbal, more like some sort of understanding between the two of them that Hui Gai and Lan Zhan were acting like a team to stop anything horrible happening to him...and Wei Ying was overwhelmed by a feeling of love towards both. He slung his arms around both their necks, a feat because both were a few inches taller than himself now.

"What's your name?" He asked the shape.

Two curious eyes immediately pressed up against the clear barrier, trying to get a good look at him, and again, both men in front of Wei Ying stood closer together, forming another kind of barrier.

"Guys...I swear, it looks harmless...in fact...it looks kind of cute." Wei Ying waved at it.

Lan Zhan glared at the thing, but it seemed fixated on Wei Ying now.

"JingLing....yes...I think....I think that's my name. JingLing." The eyes had looked as if it was struggling to remember and when it announced its name, it brightened considerably. The eyes looked happy to remember...

"Hui Gai...I promise you, it is not going to harm us. Please...release it." Wei Ying had a feeling....something he couldn't put his finger on.

Lan Zhan and Hui Gai shared a look, and clearly opposite views...Wei Ying frowned...just what the heck was going on with these two?

Lan Zhan was the first to move aside, but only an inch, and then Hui Gai sighed to himself and reluctantly shifted so that Wei Ying could see the thing better.

"How strong is your bubble?" Wei Ying asked, looking up at his friend.

Red eyes gleamed back, calculating.

"Strong enough. It can't break out, at least not in that form."

"Do you think it's always been like that?" Wei Ying mused, as he put his palm against the cool surface of the transparent bubble.

"No." Lan Zhan sounded certain.

"How do you know, my love?" Wei Ying stared up into golden eyes full of surety.

He was pretty sure too, and wondered why they both were getting the same feelings about whatever this was. He took Lan Zhan’s hand and put his palm against the bubble too, and held his other hand.

The thing started purring and rubbing up against its barrier, wanting to touch both of them.

Wei Ying felt incredibly sorry for it...having been trapped inside the crystal orb for who knew how long, starved of any contact with anything outside of its confinement. With only itself as company, it was a miracle that it had not gone mad yet, crazy with just its own thoughts.

"I think a little bit of forgetfulness can be forgiven." He said. "Do you feel any malicious intent, my love?"

Lan Zhan closed his eyes and sent out his cognition, feeling out this new thing.

"No. It is indeed not harmful."

Wei Ying only just stopped himself from punching the air, turning to Hui Gai with a triumphant beaming smile.

"Fine." Hui Gai scowled and snapped his fingers.

The bubble disappeared and the cloud turned around a few times as if it couldn't believe it was free. Its bright blue eyes looked so very happy, and it turned to Wei Ying, closing them briefly as if it was saluting him. Then the smoke seemed to stretch out and wrap around both him and Lan Zhan as if it was hugging them.

Wei Ying giggled and tried to stroke it, but his fingers went straight through its body, and he sensed a sadness about it. And then, something more unexpected; it grew very frightened and shrank into itself.

Before Wei Ying could ask it what was wrong, it vanished back into the crystal orb.

"Why are you scared, little one?" Wei Ying whispered to it, hoping it could hear him.

"I don't know...outside is scary..." it replied.

"It hasn't been out for a long time..." Hui Gai wiped a finger off the table in front of them, and made a bad face at the mess on his skin.

Wei Ying wiped his finger off on his own sleeve, and turned back to the thing.

"Do you want to stay here or come with us? We promise to try and help you, if we can. And we definitely won't make you do anything you don't want to." He said softly.

There was a long silence while they waited and it seemed like JingLing wasn't going to answer, so Wei Ying was thinking about putting the crystal back, when it spoke.

"Come with you." It was faint, but clear.

"Alright. Maybe once you get used to living properly again, you might feel like coming out too, and it's okay if you don't, too." He quickly added when the crystal ball began to tremble. "We're going to put you in a safe place, okay?"

"Okay."

Lan Zhan pulled out his qiankun pouch and Wei Ying carefully deposited the crystal orb inside.

"I feel kind of bad for JingLing..." He tapped his nose thinking. "JingLing means genie...the jinnee...do you think it's been cursed? Why can't it remember anything...it knows what it is..." Wei Ying looked at Hui Gai. "When you were cursed, what did it feel like? And sorry for asking...I have no other point of reference."

"No need." Hui Gai waved a hand as if it did not matter. "My experience was unique...my brother and I were tied to a knife...when it happened, I was a baby. I do not remember why, or how it happened but it was painful."

"Oh...Hui Gai..." Wei Ying wrapped his arms around his friend. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I'm not." He replied, but he wasn't smiling.

"What? Why?" Wei Ying looked up at his face.

This time, his eyes were suspiciously wet.

"Because if I wasn't cursed in the first place, I would never have met you. Or you." His eyes lifted to Lan Zhan's. "Both of you have changed my life, and I would not change a single thing."

Wei Ying tried not to let his eyes leak, but a single tear fell anyway. His throat closed up at the thought that Hui Gai valued their friendship so highly, that even if he had suffered so much in his early days, he thought the scales were balanced because of meeting Wei Ying and Lan Zhan.

"Don't cry for me, Pengyou...it's only the truth. I am here only because of you. Our destinies are wrapped up together in a strange way, and I for one, am immensely grateful. I would do anything for you, and you should know that." His red eyes looked so sincere and kind, upon his friend, that Wei Ying was openly crying now.

"You should...you should know too, that we feel the same way about you. If you're saying I saved you...Well then, let's be honest, you've saved me so many times...I've lost count."

Lan Zhan wiped away his tears with an impeccably clean white handkerchief. Hui Gai patted his head affectionately.

"There, there."

Wei Ying felt better after that. He took one more look around the place.

"I don't think there's anything else here that requires our attention." He said, holding out his arms for Lan Zhan. "Let's go back there. Hongse must be worried."