Soul bound Strangers

30. Trigger

Qiren was lying on his stomach, for he cannot turn due to the fresh bloody whip marks on his back. He was overwhelmed with several emotions but he smiled through the corner of his lips. 

'I was right, I AM and I must be right!' 

Inside Jingshi

"Lan zhannnn, Let me go!" 

"Please trust me, will you?" 

"That is ENOUGH Lan zhan. Stop it already" 

Lan zhan didn't hear a word Wei ying said, his hands shivered as he tried to take control of his husband through his strength. 

"Lan er gege, Look at me?" 

Wei ying pleaded. 

Lan zhan's hands lost their strength slowly and his head drooped. 

"Lan zhan, I am scared. I am" Wei ying's voice broke. 

Wei ying cupped Lan zhan's face and continued. 

"You are my strength. I can handle the pain, just believe in me." 

"Don't leave me, Wei ying" Lan zhan almost cried. 

Yesterday, the moment when Lan zhan saw Wei ying's physical body flickering like a light that is about to die, he lost it. 

The fear got worse when Lan zhan couldn't touch or hold his Wei ying and his arms passed through the place where Wei ying stood, like he was trying to grab air. 

It happened in a flash before Wei ying got normal but it triggered the trauma that Lan zhan just started to overcome. 

He can never lose his Wei ying again. 

He did a full examination of Wei ying's body to make sure everything is alright, after checking on his spiritual core. 

On the ankle of Wei ying, the blurry yet unfamiliar cuff pattern told him that something is definitely wrong. The ring flickered just like Wei ying did, minutes ago, when Lan zhan traced it. 

Sealing jingshi with JiXian inside it, Lan zhan's hand was still holding Wei ying's arm tightly as he fled to the hidden library. 

After going through hundreds of books, Wei ying came across the word puppet ring and the description matched the mark he had. 

But that was it. It wasn't specified in the text about the spell to undo it. It just said that it is an old forbidden spell of the Wen sect. 

He was not even sure about what this puppet ring is capable of. 

However he knew someone who might know. Earlier when he was there to stop the disciples from lashing, he remembered how spiteful the old fox was to him, cursing him for being alive. 

Even if he were to be dead, Wei ying was sure that the old fox would feel nothing but happiness. How can he seek help from a person who wants only the worst for him? 

While he was thinking of getting advice from his family, Lan zhan who was reading a different scroll, noticed Wei ying in trance, and his eyes landed on the text that read "Puppet ring". 

"Uncle might know." Looking at Wei ying's expression, Lan zhan assured with a nod. 

The two headed to Qiren's quarters and Lan zhan asked Wei ying to stay outside the room so that his husband would not need to listen to any unpleasant words his uncle might spew. 

As expected, it wasn't a pleasant meeting. 

"Serves him right." the old fox replied with a relaxed smile. 

"Can you help or not?" Lan zhan had to stop himself from hurting his uncle who laid there like an unmovable log. 

"Call him in." 

"Not him." Lan zhan wouldn't allow that. 

"I see.You are protective." 

"But how long are you planning to protect him Wangji? He is your weakness. He is ruining you." Qiren coughed up blood as a result of shouting on top of his lungs. 

A disciple came forward to help the fox wipe the blood. 

"Wait. I haven't finished. 

Can't he take care of himself for once? I will agree that he is your match after he proves himself. Just once." 

"You should rest." Lan zhan almost gave up on his uncle and turned around to leave. 

"Only Wen Xu can reverse the spell. The flickering could be his failed summon. Don't put yourself in trouble for that orphan." Qiren spoke as he saw his nephew leaving his side. 

Lan zhan stopped, bowed once and started from there, only to see his Wei ying standing on the door. Inside. 

Actually Qiren had seen Wei ying inside, and he wanted to know whether the Jiang orphan would try to prove himself and die there in Wen's place or take his nephew's help and give him a chance to tell the world that he saw through the kid right. That Wei Wuxian is not a match for the chief cultivator and it was right that he hated him. 

Qiren just needed a reason to validate his hatred. 

Wei ying smiled at Lan zhan like he didn't care, putting Lan zhan in a tense state.  

Lan zhan very much knew that his Wei ying would want to prove himself and would soon talk to him about it. He cannot say no to his husband, at the same time he cannot let him go alone. 

How can he send his love away knowing that it is not safe. Even if his husband is a strong cultivator, there are a thousand things out there that could harm him. He definitely cannot let him get out of his sight. 

"Lan zhan" Wei ying initiated the conversation as they prepared to sleep. 

"Sleep" 

"Let's talk" 

"Tomorrow." 

"I don't want JiXian to know. So please, let's talk now, hm?" 

silence

"I shall go to the Wen sect to undo the spell." 

"Sure, We shall."

"Not us. Just me. You should stay with JiXian." 

"We can put him under your family's care until we return." 

"Lan zhan, you know what I mean." 

"And you know what I feel." 

"Please, this is for me." Lan zhan was afraid of exactly this kind of conversation. 

"Let's sleep now. It's time. Will discuss it tomorrow." Lan zhan hugged Wei ying and from his tight hold Wei ying understood that his husband needed time. And he was ready to wait until morning. 

"Lan zhan, are you crazy? What are you trying to do?" 

Wei ying was angry but feeling angry on Lan zhan felt wrong as he would have done the same if the curse was on his Lan zhan. 

His Lan zhan was in the process of shifting the puppet ring to his own body. But thankfully, he was halfway and he was able to stop him from finishing that. 

This was how the couple ended up having a physical fight in the middle of the night and ended up crying, cuddling together.