Wangxian- Love is My Way

Dreams

In Gusu Lan

'I am asking you for the last time, tell me where Wen Ning is'

'I'll count till three'

'One'

'Two'

'Thr..'

"Wei ying, no!!!!"

"Er Gongzi, are you okay?" asked a Lan disciple with a concerned face.

Lan Zhan was still a bit distorted having woken up from a terrible dream.

'I can't tell if this was just a dream. It feels way too real. I couldn't see much but this feeling of pain is surreal. Every time I wake up, I have this feeling of pain and longing. It stays for some time before I finally manage to move on from it, only for it to return the next day I wake up.'

'Wei ying, it's just been two weeks since we were at the cave and I can't seem to have a second to myself without thinking about you' thought Lan Zhan, longingly staring at a pink fragrance pouch in his hand.

"Gongzi? Are you alright?"

'I must have been way too exhausted to sleep during the day'

"Yeah, I'm fine. How is the work going on the library construction?"

"Library construction is one-fourth complete. But Er gongzi, it might still take three more months for it to be as good as the old one. However, the other sections will be completed within this month. All the disciples are giving their best, still, many of them are still injured and some are still grieving for their loss."

"I understand"

"Er gongzi, you must take rest. Your leg is still not fully recovered and you have been working so hard to rebuild Cloud Recesses. Master Lan won't be happy to see you like this"

"Hmm. Go to the other side and check the work there."

"Yes gongzi" said the disciple and left.

'Uncle needs to rest. He is still not well and Xiozhang is still missing. All the GusuLan disciples are now looking up to me for guidance. It's a huge responsibility. I can't fail them. Even though, my own father's ashes are still newly kept in the ancestral hall, and my brother is...I don't know.... alive or injured or......No!!... I have no time to grieve. I have to stand strong. I can't fall as well.'

Lan Zhan got up and went to clan hall to check updates on his brother's whereabouts.

After returning dejected from clan hall. Lan Zhan decided to have some time to himself and clear his thoughts. Lans were always taught to tackle their problems by facing them rather than stalling them. Lan Zhan decided to do the same. He let his thoughts wander in the direction of his weird dreams to make some sense out of it.

These dreams have been constant. Coming regularly since he left the cave. It's always about Wei ying. But it feels so different. Wei ying feels so different, so lonely, so sad. It hurt Lan Zhan to see Wei ying suffering, even though it's just a dream.

'Thinking back now, I started having these dreams since that day, the day when I returned to Cloud Recesses two weeks ago.'

Two Weeks Ago (Lan Zhan at the gate of Cloud Recesses)

Lan Zhan somehow managed to reach Cloud Recesses on his broken leg. Only to have a broken heart.

Cloud Recesses was burnt from all sides. His beautiful home, that his ancestors poured their hearts into building, was nowhere to be seen. All that was left was half burnt structures. Wherever he could see, there were half-injured disciples working to build their home back and nursing those in critical state back to health.

His Cloud Recesses was in a mess and Lan Wangji couldn't be any sadder. That's when a disciple noticed a half dazed Lan Wangji standing near the gate.

"Er Gongzi?" the disciple screamed.

"It's Er Gongzi." Shouted another disciple with evident glee.

"Wangji!!!" Lan Qiren exclaimed in a much louder voice than he had intended to.

But, Lan Wangji couldn't hear anything. His pain had reached its limits and his heart was beyond broken seeing his home in this state.

Before anyone could reach him, Lan Wangji collapsed at the gate of Cloud Recesses. The last thing he saw was his rule-abiding uncle running towards him, screaming and calling for healer.