Letting go of self-restraint 2 - All that is missing is a little one

Chapter 7

They were leaving in three days in order to prepare everything and give Wei Ying some more time to recuperate. And recuperate he did; he ate as two, he slept well and for long periods of time and his mood improved greatly. He was anticipating their so called holiday and was already planning how to spend it, except for the scheduled night hunt of course.

He also wanted to train with his sword, he neglected it for some time now, he was not feeling up to it before. Now however, he did not want his skills to get rusty, he would need them to protect innocent people and to successfully finish the night hunt.

He was already used to fighting when his body was not at its greatest, Madame Yu made sure of it a long time ago, but he did not have to force himself now. He was not in heat either which also made things easier. In his euphoria, the passing wondering thought about why his heat did not come when it had been regular all those years was quickly put aside, he could come back to it later.

He was once again feeling great and what was most important, he had Lan Zhan to fight together with this time, he was not alone anymore. He did not have to worry about protecting any juniors or Jiang Cheng under the threat of being punished should he let any harm befall them. He did not have to put himself in harm's ways to prove himself. He would of course protect his husband under any circumstances, that went without saying, nevertheless, he knew that Lan Zhan would do the same for him and it warmed his heart; the Second Jade made sure a long time ago he understood he could depend on him.

The Gusu Lan sect disciple was also glad for a chance to have a change of pace; it had been a while that neither him nor Wei Ying went out of Cloud Recess. He was worried about the Yunmeng Jiang disciple as the younger boy was behaving strangely and he did not want to risk anything. He was tiptoeing and hovering around him and did not even dare to suggest any extensive activities.

His mind was still flooded by insecurities whenever his husband got angry or offended or when he was talking about his previous life in Lotus Pier and his siblings. Lan Zhan did not want him to feel obliged to stay in Cloud Recess, he would gladly accompany his soulmate to Lotus Pier or anywhere else the younger boy wished to go. He was however unsure whether Wei Ying was ready to ask for that, he feared that the Yunmeng Jiang disciple was enduring for his sake; it hurt. With their mental bond still silent and unresponsive, the Second Jade felt extremely on edge.

Now to his relief, Wei Ying seemed once again to be himself, naturally cheerful and energetic, not forcefully so as he had been when he was pretending to be alright during last week. The older boy hoped that whatever was worrying the other was not weighing on his mind so much anymore, he was happy for him.

They were standing just outside the Cloud Recess gates, saying their goodbyes to Lan Xichen who was smiling at them gently and with fondness: "Wangji, Wuxian, please take care of the night hunt for me; cultivator's first and foremost duty is to protect the innocent from harm. After that, I hope you will be able to enjoy some time discovering the town and its surroundings. You do not have to hurry back, I have other disciples to take care of your usual duties, you deserve a break. You can take as much time as you want to." With the last sentence, the First Jade winked at both younger disciples in a very un-sect-leader way.

Lan Zhan nodded to show that he understood and squeezed the younger boy's hand, his worries about him leaving and not wanting to come back resurfaced.

Wei Ying laughed brightly as he teased Lan Xichen back: "Brother Xichen, do not worry. We will take care of things and be back before you know it. I am sure that Elder Lan Qiren would appreciate some quiet time but I do not intend to indulge him for too long, it would be bad if he started missing me." The Second Jade relaxed at these words as the Yunmeng Jiang disciple leaned closer to him.

They have unsheathed their swords, mounted them and flew higher, Wei Ying waving back for a good while. He was already feeling homesick; it was the first time since he came to live in Cloud Recess that he was leaving this peaceful oasis for more than a handful of days. He was happy for the change of scenery and the prospects of spending some time alone with his husband, he had however come to love his new home and grew attached to it greatly.

In his contemplation, he almost failed to notice that his spiritual energy seemed to deplete faster than usual. Their destination was a town not very far from Cloud Recess, normally only a day by sword away. He knew he should be able to still fly a long time before growing tired and having to descend to take a rest; he was not sure what was wrong this time.

With every minute of flight, he grew more and more tired, until he finally could not help himself and he staggered slightly. It did not go unnoticed by the older boy who quickly approached and steadied him, his face distorted in worry, eyebrows raised as he inquired what was wrong.

Wei Ying shot him a reassuring smile back, he did not however let go of the hand that was helping him keep his balance, instead he put his own hand over it as he admitted with a hint of embarrassment: "Ah, Lan Zhan, it seems I am still a little tired. Do you think... Could we perhaps... take a little rest?"

It was hard for him to admit his weakness but it had to be done, he would endanger them both should he push himself too much and fall off of his sword; Lan Zhan would then surely try to save him at the expense of his own safety. The Second Jade's worried wrinkle on his forehead deepened and he directed them into descending and helped them safely land in a little clearing.

Wei Ying stepped down from his sword, the steadying hand still on his arm to prevent him from falling down. He was very tired, more so then he would like to admit. Lan Zhan steered him to sit down with his back against a tree and took out a bottle of water for him to drink. The younger boy was pale and his breaths seemed somewhat heavy, sweat was covering his forehead; he had overexerted himself.

The older boy was observing his soulmate attentively. He was blaming himself, he should have noticed earlier that Wei Ying was not fully recovered before going out, he should have planned ahead and take time needed for the rest into consideration, he should not have let the Yunmeng Jiang disciple force himself. He released his pheromones and started humming their special song to let the other know that everything was alright, that he was indeed allowed to take a break when he need it.

After an hour or so, Lan Zhan decided that his husband was sufficiently rested and that they could resume their travels. Truth to be told, Wei Ying was ready to continue only minutes later, but he chose to listen to his husband for once, better safe than sorry, he did not want to endanger him.

There was still a hint of worry in the Second Jade's eyes, he however did not propose to go back to Cloud Recess and insist on the younger boy being looked after by a doctor. He knew that his soulmate would not heed to such suggestion, it could only result in him being in a bad mood again. The older boy knew just how much Wei Ying was looking forward to helping the innocent people and then their well-deserved rest in the hot spring.

He only gave a sigh and helped the other to mount his sword again. He wanted the Yunmeng Jiang disciple to enjoy their vacation, he only feared that the younger boy would feel obliged to force himself during the night hunt. In his current condition, he should not fight and depending on the beast in question, Lan Zhan could possibly take care of it himself.

They took several more rests along the way despite the younger boy's reassurances he did not need them. His soulmate however could detect the slight tension in his muscles that only grew as their journey proceeded. Wei Ying was really not doing too well, for some reason, his body was weak, he was overly tired and his spiritual energy was being depleted faster than normal.

Lan Zhan decided there and then that he would take care of the night hunt himself, he would not let the Yunmeng Jiang disciple endanger himself. He already dreaded the conversation that would have to take place to convince his stubborn and duty-driven husband.