WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 15 Puzzle

The door opened and Li XiWang and Rumi entered, taking off their shoes at the entrance. They bowed and came to sit next to their parents.

Wei Ying had slid off Lan Zhan’s lap as soon as they entered, smiling at the obvious disappointment on the Jade’s face. But he took it like a champ and smiled at the kids.

"What's that?" Li XiWang asked, pointing to the cherry wood box.

"Your father won that for me, at the carnival in Yunmeng today." Wei Ying told her proudly.

"However...it would not have been possible without good luck kisses." Lan Zhan replied.

Wei Ying beamed at him, impossibly delighted with his prize. He knew there was nothing stopping him from winning it in the first place, and it was probably something not very valuable in terms of money. But the fact that it was Lan Zhan who had won it, for Wei Ying...that made it priceless.

"Oooh...you both went to a carnival?" Now it was their children who looked disappointed.

Wei Ying laughed at their faces.

"Did you want to visit the carnival too?" He asked them, already knowing what their answer would be.

They nodded excited, and Wei Ying smiled at Li XiWang who had grabbed Rumi's hand and was squeezing it happily.

"Well, then we may need your help first." Wei Ying told them.

"Of course!" Li Xiwang replied enthusiastically while Rumi nodded.

There were times when Wei Ying wondered if the little boy understood more than he let on. And then he shrugged to himself; whether the child knew or not, it was their duty to show him how to be a good person, and do their best. The rest was up to him.

"So you know that Uncle Cheng ... Grandmother said he still has the remnants of a curse in his system...and your Uncle XiChen asked Uncle Li Pao in Yunmeng to help. He notified us of the carnival there and came with us." Wei Ying filled them in on what had happened that morning.

"So you have five days to work out what they want? Right?" Li XiWang asked, her burgundy eyes big and round with wonder.

"Yes." Lan Zhan said, pushing the wooden box towards Wei Ying.

"Then...shouldn't we start looking?" Li XiWang asked, stifling a yawn.

Rumi was watching her and since yawns were contagious, he was next.

"We can...tomorrow." He smiled at them and then he looked at the box. "Your father wants us to open this now."

Three pairs of eyes watched him eagerly.

"Okay...I think you all should see this first, before we actually open it." Wei Ying said, pushing it back towards Lan Zhan.

He watched Lan Zhan pick it up gently, his long elegant fingers pale against the dark wood as he probed and looked for a weakness in the structure.

Wei Ying wasn't sure why, but he found it incredibly hot. He imagined those same fingers probing his body with the same dedication...and he shivered with want.

"Cold?" Lan Zhan muttered, without looking at him. He was so focused on finding the key to opening the box, that he thought it could be the only explanation for Wei Ying’s state. "Got it." He discreetly showed Wei Ying, already knowing that Wei Ying wanted to teach their children something new.

So he wasn't going to spoil it for anyone.

Wei Ying reached up and kissed his cheek.

"Well done, my love. Now let's see if they can figure it out." Wei Ying handed the box to Li XiWang first. Rumi scooted closer to see what she was doing.