WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 96 Rules

The following day, a melancholy presided over the Sect Leaders, and their brothers, which filtered down to their children. It was noticeable to all, and even to a surprise guest, Young Master Ouyang Zizhen from the Baling Ouyang Sect who had come to visit his friends.

He had first travelled to Lanling and upon discovering that everyone was back in Gusu, had made his way back, excited at the prospect of meeting Wei Qianbei once more.

XiChen thought that since they were drowning in nostalgia anyway, a night hunt would be welcomed, especially as he had received a letter asking for assistance early that same morning.

It did the trick, and Wei Ying had brightened immediately, his mood as ever contagiously spreading to affect Lan Zhan and as Wei Ying referred to them, his Ducklings, too.

JingYi brought Zhitiao along with him, and as soon as dusk filled the evening sky, they set off, a group of seven Cultivators.

XiChen and Jiang Cheng were hosting a sleepover for little Li Li, and Li XiWang and Rumi were currently staying there, in the Hanshi tonight.

Li XiWang wanted to come along, but the minimum age for night hunting was twelve, Lan Zhan had informed her, and she had hugged them somewhat sulkily, returning to the others.

XiChen had smiled reassuringly, and that had been that.

"My love, you know you totally lied to her just now," Wei Ying giggled.

Lan Zhan never broke rules if he could help it, and yet the exception was always for family.

"Easily remedied." Lan Zhan replies, striding towards the Wall of Discipline.

Too late, Wei Ying remembered it was covered with a cloaking spell...and the reason why. He chased after his husband and reached the wall just a little too late; but now, all seven of them were staring at the carved stone.

Admittedly, four faces were agape at the graffiti, one amused and one full of approval.

"You lot can go on ahead, we'll catch up!" Wei Ying told them, sidling up to Lan Zhan, unsure how he was going to react to the most recent addition to the rules, done by his own hand in a drunken bout of rebellion.

The children and Zhitiao walked away, muttering under their breath in the slowest walking away Wei Ying had ever seen, but then he couldn't blame them, either. In his honest opinion, the rule about gossiping was the one more frequently broken than any other.

Lan Zhan was staring at the heart shape containing his heartfelt declaration of loving Wei Ying forever.

"Did Wei Ying know about this?" He inquired politely.

If it wasn't for the mischievous twinkle lurking in those beautiful golden eyes, Wei Ying could have mistaken his tone for being serious.

"Only after the fact. It was on the same night as Uncle's...incident." Wei Ying said, as Lan Zhan's fingers traced the outer shell of his vow.

To see those pale, elegant fingers move along the same path carved out by Bichen, it elicited shivers along his spine, and Wei Ying trembled, a reaction not gone unnoticed by the perpetrator, who glanced at him now.

Without breaking eye contact, Lan Zhan pulled out Bichen once again, and Wei Ying momentarily felt sad that this monument to their love would be erased, although he didn't see how, (because wouldn't Bichen only make it worse?) and then, as calm as ever, Lan Zhan added another rule on the bottom.

It read: NIGHT HUNTS ONLY TO BE PERFORMED BY TWELVE YEAR OLDS AFTER A TEST TO CONFIRM ELIGIBILITY

The characters came to life with orange sparks as metal met stone. That wall was seriously in danger of running out of space. Shorthand could only convey so much.

And then, Lan Zhan walked away.

Now it was Wei Ying whose mouth gaped open in shock.

"But Lan Zhan! We didn't-"

Lan Zhan pushed him up against the nearest tree and took possession of his mouth, kissing him senseless until Wei Ying was a puddle of dazed senses, clinging on because his knees had forgotten how to hold him up.

Lan Zhan solved that particular problem by hoisting him into his arms, a much preferred way to travel.

When Wei Ying recovered enough to glower at him, he got the smuggest smile from his husband.

"Wei Ying promised I could carry him whenever I wanted." Lan Zhan reminded him, with the most self-satisfied smirk.

Well, there wasn't much he could say to that, because unfortunately, Wei Ying remembered it.

He refused to look at Lan Zhan all the rest of the way, following the children out of Cloud Recesses.

They mounted their swords and Lan Zhan transformed into his Dragon form, still holding Wei Ying with infinite care in his sharp talons.

Wei Ying soon forgot about being annoyed; Lan Zhan was far too beautiful in any form, but this? He was simply magnificent!

He was lean and muscular, his wiry body powerful with hidden strength. A flash of lightning streaking across the sky next to gasping kids completely wowed by his awesomeness.

His pearl white scales shimmered in the light of the full moon, and his underbelly glowing with contrasting pale blue scales. His horns and his whiskers were similarly matched, his mouth slightly open in a grimacing smile.

Wei Ying could see his canines, gleaming with saliva, a fearsome being to his enemies.

But to his husband, he represented the embodiment of everything that was cool and great to do with their lives.

Wei Ying looked back at his striking tail, billowing out behind them, the tip fluttering in the air currents.

And then he looked up at the underside of Lan Zhan's jaw. His fingers reached up slowly, so as not to unbalance himself, and he began to stroke the soft skin he could feel under his fingertips.

And to his utter delight, Lan Zhan began to purr.

Okay, it was a bit on the growly side, but Wei Ying could tell he was happy.