The Red Prince: Hua Ying

23

Hua Ying's parents agreed to let Wangji and him court each other as long as it is only kissing for the time being. They worried for Hua Ying, as they didn't know Wangji's mindset right now. It was confusing, but Hua Ying was Wei Ying. Because Wei Ying died unjustly, his soul has a lot of resentment attached to it. Wei Ying's resentment carried over to Hua Ying, and because Hua Ying had ghost in him, that resentment reacted strongly to him. So any critical thoughts that raced through Hua Ying's mind, was because of the resentment that carried from Wei Ying.

Wei Ying's words were also very honest and brutal to Hua Ying, saying it just like it is, saying he likes Lan Wangji, how Wei Ying's faults carried over to Hua Ying, and how it will always be with him. Wei Ying just doesn't want to let Hua Ying be. Lan Wangji was determined to tell both Hua Ying and Wei Ying, that the two are the same. Lan Wangji knew exactly what he saw and how he felt. Hua Ying was Wei Ying, and Lan Wangji knew that. He just wished Wei Ying wasn't taunting Hua Ying's mind so much.

Hua Ying's parents left after he and Wangji made an unbreakable oath to always be their for each other. Lan Wangji promised that he was there for Hua Ying, and he will love him unconditionally forever. Hua Ying's parents knew that with the oath set, their minds could be at ease a bit. It let them know that Hua Ying would have a sense of security with this oath because if broken, Lan Wangji would be torn apart and his soul would belong to Hua Cheng, forever being tortured for hurting his son. Lan Wangji was determined to keep his promise, not just because he loved Hua Ying, but he didn't want to risk losing everything.

"Lan Zhan, I apologize for my parents if they scared you," Hua Ying told him.

"No need. They are just thinking of you first. I can respect that," Lan Wangji said.

Hua Ying nodded, "so where do we go from here? The curse has been removed from my leg and we still don't know what the arm was pointing to."

"Maybe we should go back," Wangji suggested, "your parents would have potentially calmed the spirits down right?"

Hua Ying nodded, "yes, but is that where we are needed."

"We found Jin Ling but not the reason the arm led us there," Wangji said.

"Okay," Hua Ying said with a nod, "let's go then."

Hua Ying and Wangji went back to the bunker and it was far quieter for Hua Ying this time. He felt a bit relieved as he knew his father had something to do with it. They scoped the bunker and Hua Ying felt something when he got close to a specific point near the wall. Hua Ying took out his fan and used it to break it down. Behind the wall, there were more bodies found. The arm reacted to one of them and they found a leg. So they put the leg in a separate Qiankun bag and then left the bunker.

"Well, now we have another limb. Do we want to go back and rest or keep going?" Hua Ying asked.

"I am okay to keep going," Wangji said.

"Okay, then where to?" Hua Ying asked.

"Southwest," Wangji answered.

"Well, let's head on our way."

Wangji nodded as he took Hua Ying's hand and they went on their way. Hua Ying felt happy. He had someone to talk to and to love. He had his parents, but it wasn't the same. He wasn't sure how Lan Wangji would be around him because of Wei Wuxian, but he seems like he is okay.

"Are you okay?" Wangji asked.

"Hmm?" Hua Ying asked.

"You look dazed," Wangji said.

"I'm just thinking," he said, "I am still trying to come to terms with me being Wei Ying but I'm also...happy that you are giving me a chance."

"Why do you not want to accept it?" Wangji asked.

Hua Ying sighed, "it has to do with his past. He gave up a lot and he was betrayed a lot. He did everything he felt was right and he was berated for it. He was framed but the amount of guilt that he held within him, it was heavy, and I can feel it still. He blames himself for everything that has happened. He was blamed for the massacre of Lotus Pier because he angered Wen Chao. He was blamed for his Shijie's death and she took a sword for him. That was the last thing he saw before he completely broke. He felt he had nothing left. Even if you kept trying, he felt like you were just trying to punish him."

Lan Wangji swallowed, "I...didn't know he felt that way," he said, "I was never good at expressing myself and because of that, he misunderstood me. I never once hated him and I never once wanted to hurt him."

"I know," Hua Ying said, "it's not your fault either. If there is anyone to blame, then blame the sects for not doing their job properly and listening to him before acting. They just kept listening to the lies and misinformation about Wei Wuxian. They were so corrupt that they couldn't see what they were doing was wrong. It was all of the sects against one man who did nothing but try to protect innocent people."

"I tried to convince my brother but he kept getting misinformation from Jin Guangyao. I tried to tell him everything but he didn't want to believe me his blood related brother over his sworn brother," he said, "and I haven't had the courage to tell him how I felt about it. I felt like I lost his trust and he lost mine. I want to tell him how I feel but I can't," Wangji said.

"He needs to know how you feel, Lan Zhan," Hua Ying said, "you both can't fix things if you do not talk to each other."

"I will think about it...after all, we are to tell him about our engagement," Wangji said.

Hua Ying giggled, "We will," he said.