[ZHUILING] More Than Enough

Chapter 13

     It had taken only one night for Jin Ling to recover.

     He was a cultivator, after all.

"Don't you dare tell anyone about this!" Jin Ling had scowled the next morning. His face seemed as if soiled dark ink had been dumped right downwards his head. Sizhui didn't dare to have their eyes meet, but he did notice the weak sound trailing after his threat. It was like the retreat of a poor and wrongly-treated dog. One sound and Sizhui knew that the younger cultivator hadn't meant any harm.

"It's fine." Sizhui soothed. "I'll tell nobody."

"Are you sure?" Jin Ling's face had expressed all of his concern. "What if... what if they find out that the future sect leader of Lanling Jin had gotten sick... just from a small splash of water? That would... that would mean the end of my pride and the beginning of my humiliation."

Jin Ling had strode back and forth across the wooden flooring. "It'll all be over when Uncle hears about this."

"Jin Ling, calm down." Sizhui gently smiled. "It'll be fine."

     It was already morning, and as a fellow cultivator who had perceptively watched over the Young Mistress, Sizhui was confident to say that Jin Ling's condition was fine (and nobody'll hear a thing about the incident). "How am I supposed to trust you?" Jin Ling's eyes had enlightened a new spark. "What if you betray me?"

     Sizhui had shaken his head. "Impossible."

     It had taken some time for him to comfort the younger cultivator, rubbing lightly on his back to ignite a warm and gentle sensation. Soon enough, Jin Ling had settled down.

     "You better swear on your life, Sizhui." Jin Ling whimpered.

     Just by looking at the younger cultivator's warm brown-coloured eyes, Sizhui found himself melting right there on the spot. "Of course." He stated.

*****

"Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan!" Wei Ying had cheerfully called his husband's name for several times until he was gracefully swept into his hubby's arms. "Mn?" Lan Zhan replied.

     Their faces were only inches close—no longer bothering to deal with their separation rule in Cloud Recesses.

     "Do you know the annual events of cultivation for the juniors?" Wei Ying gently poked a hand on Lan Zhan's face. It left no difference on the stern and neutral expression of his husband. "There is the Cloud Recesses that your Uncle holds each year." Wei Ying added. "And..." the Yiling Patriarch had swayed and nudged Lan Zhan to continue on, and indeed, he did, "the Discussion Conference hosted by Qishan Wen, where the archery competition will be hosted as well."

     "Yippee!" Wei Ying squealed. "You got it right."

     Although Lan Zhan's face had stayed solemn and serious, his wife could tell the glint of pride embedded into his pupils. "I heard that this year, they've decided to hold the Discussion Conference all over again. This time with GusuLan as the host. I'm pretty excited to see my juniors at the archery competition." Wei Ying had swung back and forth in Lan Zhan's arms, quite rhythmically and appeasing to the eyes.

"Well? Lan Zhan, aren't you excited for the juniors?" Wei Ying asked.

"Mn," despite the neutral expression, Wei Ying had understood what his husband felt. Excitement, joy, and pride, all mixed up together into a doughy batter of sentiments. "I heard that the Discussion Conference will begin tomorrow. Let's tell the juniors together." Wei Ying smiled.