WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 69 Woozy

Wei Ying rolled up the sleeves of his robes, both exasperated and giggling…because! This was the Perfect! Second Jade! In a fountain, of all places, and absolutely naked, not a shred of clothing on his beautiful body.

Wei Ying took a few moments to appreciate it, and he decided he could, because Lan Zhan was his.

At the moment, Lan Zhan had his back towards him, and Wei Ying could see the ridge of muscles that extended all over his back, and across his shoulders. Over old scars and skin that had to grow in new ways, and strength that had to be found, visible in the map of his suffering. Lan Zhan’s long hair covered the worst of the damage, but it was still extensive.

Wei Ying had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that this was his own Sect, which had done that to him…

Lan Zhan was sitting on the bottom of the fountain basin, thinking about…something. He had a coin in his hand, and he was staring at the square hole in its centre, studying the characters engraved on one side.

Wei Ying approached, holding the towels like a net to catch prey.

"Watchya got there, Sweetheart?" He says softly.

"Mother told me…if I throw coins into water, I must make a wish." He replied, looking terribly lost. "But those wishes don't come true." He sounded heartbroken. As if he had tried to…and it hadn't worked.

"What wish did you make?" Wei Ying blurts out, his eyes already filled with tears.

This beautiful man has so many hurts…and a lifetime of healing couldn't make his pain go away.

But Wei Ying was going to do his damnedest to change that.

"Cannot say. Against the rules." Lan Zhan turned his gorgeous golden eyes towards him, and there was a happy tilt to his lips. "Wei Ying!" He stood up abruptly, flinging the coin away and giving Wei Ying a bone crushing hug instead.

Now there were two wet cultivators…

Wei Ying hugged him back, not caring in the least what they looked like, but he held onto one towel which he strategically wrapped around Lan Zhan’s hips so people wouldn't faint. Alright, he might have done it possessively…but that was his business.

"There, there…" he whispers, still seeing the Lan Zhan in the water, and so cut up about wishes not coming true.

"Where were you?" It's both accusatory and tragic, how sad he sounds.

There's no point trying to explain anything to Lan Zhan, not while he's in this state. So Wei Ying blinks away his tears and smiles brightly.

"It's okay, my love. I'm here now…let's go home, shall we?" Wei Ying quickly grabbed all of their things, like Lan Zhan’s clothes, and Bichen, and stored them away. Then he picked up Lan Zhan who was now making cow eyes at him, and they grew even bigger from the moment his wings shot out and propelled them into the sky.

The look of wonder and endless love on his face, drove away any lingering feelings of hurt that Lan Zhan hadn't recognised him in the first place, back in the Jingshi. Now all Wei Ying wanted to do was bundle him into a blanket and keep Lan Zhan safe, away from the outside world until he managed to sleep it off.

They land outside the Jingshi and Wei Ying doesn't let him go, choosing to open the doors of their home with his back.

Thankfully, Lan Zhan really does fall asleep, as soon as Wei Ying puts him on their bed. Wei Ying grabs a washcloth and brings a basin filled with warm water and infused with sandalwood oil.

Lan Zhan doesn't smell so great right now, and Wei Ying doesn't want to run a bath for him and risk waking him up, especially when sleeping will be so much better for him.

Twenty minutes later, Lan Zhan is wrapped in his own sleeping robes and tucked into their bed. He looks so peaceful, and smells just like himself that for a moment, Wei Ying just wants to climb in beside him, but he has the headache of sorting out everything on the other side of those doors.

He's just about to leave when Li XiWang and Rumi come back.

"Father…we were walking past the Wall of Discipline…" Li XiWang leans forward in a hushed whisper. "Why is it covered?"

"Did anyone else notice?" Wei Ying bends and matches her volume.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. But we went to visit Grumple and Uncle XiChen was with us…he wouldn't open the door, so Uncle XiChen went inside to check on him…that's why we came to get you. He said it's an emergency!"

Wei Ying straightened immediately, and groaned internally.

He would pay good money on a bet that whatever the "emergency" was, it probably had something to do with the person having beautiful dreams right now…and he was even more tempted to crawl in bed with him, rather than face the aftermath of their drinking session….

But he listened to the responsible voice in his head that told him, because he lived in Cloud Recesses now, it was his duty along with Lan Zhan, to look after the place. Mostly because he would do damage control to the best of his ability when it concerned protecting his husband.

So he held a child in each arm and teleported outside Uncle Qiren's residence.

Wei Ying made them sit on the bench under the Moon Tree. She happily throws a white flower into his hands, and Wei Ying tucked it behind his ear, smiling, and thanking her for her gift.

"If Uncle XiChen wanted you to stay outside, then please wait here for me, alright?" He smiles at them more to assuage their fears. He kissed the top of their heads when they nodded, and then taking a deep breath, Wei Ying knocked on the door.