Fated (Wangxian)

#45#

“..ung..urrhggahuh this pain! I feel like my limbs are being torn apart! Aahh! Aarrghhggnnnhh haah it’s too much!!!

I-I can’t bear it anymore mnnurgghah!

Why does it have to hurt so much, feel so cold just like when I was in Burial Mounds! This body of mine is healthy, m-my wounds were already healed by sect healers and Lan Zhan then what exactly in hell this overexcited stupid resentment energy are doing to me- aahhhrrgnnhhuhaah!!!”

Grumbling and cursing freely after a long time to his heart's content, Ying finally managed to reach closer to the cold pond after about half an hour of struggling.

The distance which Ying'er would have covered in less than five minutes if he wasn’t suffering this harrowing, acute pain.

After diverting their minds away from himself, suppressing the excruciating sensations and hiding his pain from the Lan brothers, which Yingying had been suffering from the very moment he woke up, he tried to get away from them quickly, especially to escape the intense observant eyes of Lan Zhan.

And somehow making a stupid excuse while acting childishly to maybe hurt Lan Zhan a bit, seemed to be the only available option possible to keep Lan Zhan away for a short while and stop him from following him all the way to the cold pond, which Yingying wasn't at all sure was possible to reach in his fragile condition.

And the second he got a chance, Ying left Jingshi in his bunny form to avoid being caught as an intruder by other Lan disciples in his new body but the moment he reached a secluded area, Yingying turned into his human form and finally- he was able to stumble his way towards the cold pond, groaning and gasping in pain.

In all those last six long years of living in the Cloud Recesses, Yingying never thought that stupid hills and slippery mountainous all the way to cold pond would be this difficult to reach in his vulnerable state.

Especially now, Yingying felt a tad bit more humiliating and pathetic...since he wasn't even having the restraining body of a little kid but was already an adult!

In all honesty, that intense pain of his past life, tearing of skin, cracking and rejoining of bones, it was making him so sick, uneasy, numb, and dizzy that with every step he took, Ying wanted to just drop flat on the rough ground, lose his consciousness to escape from his trauma yet still... he kept pushing forward.

Only because Ying knew, if Lan Zhan were to see him in that delicate state, his silly fuddy duddy would feel even more helpless and devastated than he is already feeling now.

Also, Yingying had a feeling that the sacred waters of cold pond which is rich in spiritual energy would help him regulate the contrasting powers circulating in his body a bit better.

Hahh! To think he'd himself go to that ridiculously cold pond all on his own and now, in his state, after living with the weird Lans in Cloud Recesses for six whole years!

No sooner did Ying reach close to the cold pond than he started removing his robes hastily. Normally, he would have taken his own time, delaying as much as possible, trying every means to avoid touching the cold water, not only because he simply hates cold but also because now Ying actually knows and remembers the level of degree to which that stupid pond could be chilly based on that long gone time when he first and last entered in there...to heal his wounds before suddenly getting sucked into the sacred cold pond cave and meeting Elder Lan Yi.

After struggling for complete hundred and twenty seconds, removing all of his upper clothes and leaving only his bottoms on, to not hamper the energy flow in his dantian and murmuring a quick small prayer to save his feeble soul, Yingying took a deep breath and jumped into the cold pond.

~~Splash!!!~~

"…"

"…"

"..."

"L-Lan Lan Zhhaaann! Help Meee!!” Yingying screamed out loud, gasping and shivering uncontrollably due to the extreme coldness, "Lan Zhaaaa-"

"I’m here," Almost immediately, Lan Zhan’s deep calm voice echoed as he came out running from behind a tree? swiftly removing his outer robes on the way before entering into the cold pond, pulling his Ying’er closer to his arms and hugging him tightly without saying a single word.

"…?!"

"…eh??!!"

"…uhn???!!!"

"I was here. Watching my Ying…since a little while ago," Lan Zhan mumbled in a low voice, answering the unasked question visible oh so clearly in Ying's captivating, baffled silvery red eyes.

"…oh erm hihihihahmn," Instinctively replying to Lan Zhan’s words, trying to squeak out a tiny laugh to hide his surprise and blushing cheeks at the sudden closeness, Yingying blinked to regain his bearings and his lost mind.

With Lan Zhan's warm body hugging him so protectively, the coldness that felt like life threatening earlier didn’t feel that bone-chilling now. However, its low temperature was still far from what his body and numb mind could tolerate.

Having no choice in his frozen dumb mind, Ying'er threw his embarrassing thoughts into the gutter and cried out, "L-Lan Zhaann! Th-this is still c-colder than I th-thought! Warm m-me a little more! S-since wh-en the wat-ter of the cold pond was tthis fre-freezing huh?!

Last time, i-it wasn’t so coold! Has the tem-perature d-dropped fur-further in the recent y-ears?!"

Lan Zhan began transferring a steady stream of his spiritual energy into the cold pond, creating a layer of slightly warm current of water all around his soulmate and only when his precious Ying’er stopped shivering, did he say, "Thirteen years. Since we last stood in the cold pond together, Ying. And, it is not this water that has become colder but…you. Your body temperature has dropped below normal, Ying. You are not... well."

"…Huh?" Yingying squeaked adorably, quite like a rabbit he is, taking a deep breath to suppress his agonizing pain from Lan Zhan's eyes while adjusting himself a bit more comfortably in his strong arms.

"Stop hiding it, Ying’er!!!" Lan Zhan raised his voice in frustration, feeling closely and clearly how hard his Ying was trying to hide, to control himself from groaning and gasping in pain.

"I...I was watching you. I know you’re hurting, Love. Stop hiding everything from me, please! Stop making me feel so undeserving and so untrustworthy that you did not even think of sharing your worries, your struggles and your pain with me. Do you- really find it so difficult to c-consider me as your close confidant?!

You once said you think of me as your soulmate. I truly believed it Ying then why can’t you? Please- stop distancing yourself from me anymore, Ying'er...

After missing each other in our past lives, we both know now how much we have always cared for each other.

I never tried to hide my true feelings for you ever since you're given back to me by those mysterious beings, six years ago.

You're mine, my Ying'er!" Lan Zhan declared firmly, "I belong only to you in each and every life and I won't let anyone snatch you away from me so pleas-mmnm"

Covering Lan Zhan's mouth with both of his hands, Yingying breathed a sigh of relief and whispered softly, "L-Lan Zhan, could you p-please calm dow-n for a moment?! Your confession- don’t you think it's too sudden considering the fact that I-I turned seventeen just an hour ago?" Yingying said, laughing awkwardly, inching a little bit deeper into Lan Zhan’s arms hoping to not let Lan Zhan see him with this girly blush that has now spread all the way down to his chest!

"Not sudden. Missed thirteen years to be with my Ying'er. Not anymore. Not even a second." Lan Zhan said gently in a deep, slightly husky voice as he caressed his beloved's shivering back lovingly

"S-stop it Lan Zhan! Stop t-teasing me! T-this situation isn't suitable-arrghhh! nnmphuh ahrggnnnhah,” Ying cried out, unable to hide his pain anymore.

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