WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 134 Diagnosis

Lan Zhan opened his arms immediately.

Li XiWang, sometimes older than her mere ten years, was more in tune with Wei Ying and yet he had always felt closer to her because of this, because there was one more person in the world who loved his Wei Ying too.

SiZhui, Li XiWang and Rumi, even Shui to some extent...all were his children, their children because of the beautiful man sleeping next to them right now.

And as their father, he wanted to ease her worry too.

"He's tired." Lan Zhan told her gently.

She hugged him closer, her thin arms wrapping around his neck, her body trembling. Lan Zhan tried to soothe her by rubbing circles on her back...and feeling inadequate. Wei Ying was so much better at this than himself he always felt, despite Wei Ying's assurances that he was a good father. But he knew he was doing his best, so Lan Zhan put his doubts aside and spoke softly, loud enough that Rumi could hear as well but not enough to wake the sleeping man.

One hand stretched out and Lan Zhan smiled when Rumi took it willingly.

"Sometimes we have to be strong for the ones we love." He tried again because it didn't seem like what he wanted to get across. "It is alright to be scared."

She relaxed immediately and he could feel that. Point one to himself.

Rumi squeezed his hand back, as if he knew how difficult this was for Lan Zhan. Those purple eyes were searching, wide and intuitive.

Lan Zhan shuffled closer and Rumi was able to rest his head on Lan Zhan’s knee. He kept a hold on his hand too.

"Can you sense anything out of the ordinary in your father?" Lan Zhan asked her.

Maybe this was a task more suitable for Bai Hua, the Healer of the Heavens.

"I checked his pulse and his meridians, father. But I couldn't tell if anything was wrong with him." She admitted, her burgundy eyes big with worry.

"It might be nothing more than exhaustion." Lan Zhan replied.

"But you don't believe that, do you?" She asked, her face full of innocence.

"I am...not sure what to think." He said instead, opting for the truth.

Children could sense lying more clearly than some adults, and even if it hadn't been against his nature and the rules of the Lan Clan, Lan Zhan did not want to lie to his children.

"Maybe there might be something in our library about him." Li XiWang suggested, her brow furrowed with worry, trying to think of another possible solution to what might be the problem.

"I too, would be happy to return. Perhaps being in Cloud Recesses will make him better. Even the healers may have a diagnosis which we do not." Lan Zhan realised that just talking to them, in a way that simplified this situation, was making him feel so much better too.

This was the meaning of family, to be able to lean on one another and face problems together. It wasn’t a burden if it could be shared.

"I have books with me, father." Li XiWang was going to show him, but he stopped her.

"Tomorrow, Little Rabbit. Tomorrow. Now it is time to rest."

She nodded and reached up to kiss his cheek.

Rumi kissed his knee and turned over to sleep, too.

Lan Zhan lay down next to Wei Ying, their children between them, and fell asleep thinking how lucky he was.

**************

Wei Ying woke up carefully.

It was a slower process these days, for lots of reasons, but mostly because he didn't want to wake anyone up unintentionally. Before he had even opened his eyes, he had felt the warmth of Rumi burrowing into his chest.