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

Chapter 12

Wei Ying opened his eyes only to find that he was still cradled in Lan Zhan's arms where he ended up after yesterday's tearful outburst followed by more pleasurable reconciliation activities that took nearly half the night. He was exhausted after fighting the hellhound beast, but he would not pass on his intimate time with his husband for a reason such as that.

Lan Zhan was, as usually, up long before him, brushing his fingers through his hair, caressing his cheeks and humming their song. The Yunmeng Jiang disciple was fully content with this situation.

Only until he remembered that he still had a lot to apologize for, he worried his soulmate unnecessarily. He propelled himself up and turned to face his husband. Lan Zhan looked surprised but did not object, waiting ever so patiently for the younger boy's actions.

Wei Ying blushed slightly and took a deep breath before he started apologizing: "Lan Zhan, I am..."

His words were cut short by a kiss and the Second Jade's resolute inner voice: "Wei Ying, do not apologize. What happened yesterday was yesterday. Let us forget about it and enjoy the present. I am happy you are safe and that is all that counts. I do not blame you for anything, I am sure you had your reasons. I will not pry but I will listen if you decide to share your worries with me."

The older boy was intensely staring at his husband, he was determined to get his point across and he was checking for Wei Ying's acknowledgment. The younger boy looked baffled for a while longer, then his lips curled upwards into a smile and he nodded: "Lan Zhan, I said it already and I will say it again, you really are too good to me. Alright, I understand. Let us turn a new leaf and forget what happened. What should we do today? We still have our holiday..."

Wei Ying looked contemplative; the Second Jade could understand his indecisiveness, there were many things they could do in this town. First and foremost, however, they had to make sure the younger boy recovered from his fight. The hot springs were good to cultivate in, replenishing spiritual energy faster than normal meditation, the energy could then be used for healing; that is where they should start.

"Hot spring," Lan Zhan proposed before his husband could have any other ideas.

Wei Ying nodded and his smile turned to a mischievous grin, he started teasing: "Lan Zhan, you only want to see me naked. We could stay in our room and enjoy each other's body to the fullest instead." When he saw a small wrinkle appear between the older boy's eyebrows, he quickly gave up: "I know, I know, you want me to take care of my body first. Let us go to the hot spring then, we can indulge ourselves afterwards."

The Second Jade nodded, satisfied. They put their robes on and headed up the hill to the hot spring. There were many small basins all over, separated by natural bushes or manmade separation screens to ensure privacy of the guests.

They found themselves one that was fairly far away from the rest, Lan Zhan did not want his soulmate to be disturbed in his meditation, he knew that sitting still and concentrating did not come all that naturally to the always energetic Wei Ying. Nevertheless, he was a talented cultivator so it would probably not take long for him to replenish his reserves of spiritual energy.

The younger boy marvelled at the choice of their small private basin; the water was clear and the pond was surrounded from all but one side by bushes, efficiently shielding them from anyone passing by, on the last part there was a big rock coming down all the way to the water surface. There was also a small waterfall that was supplying steaming water. It looked like a perfect place to enjoy their rest.

Wei Ying laughed happily as he was discarding his robes all around him and then he threw himself into the water with a laud splash. Lan Zhan was more proper about his entry into the pond, he first gathered his husband's clothes and folded them beside his own and only then did he cautiously entered without so much as disturbing the surface.

The Yunmeng Jiang disciple only now marvelled at the fact that his robes were changed and the only evidence of his yesterday's fight were the scratches and bruises colouring his body. His husband must have cleaned him while he was asleep, there was a warm feeling in the younger boy's chest, he wanted to start thanking Lan Zhan all over again.

He did not however, he knew that the older boy would not hear it and would stop him immediately. Instead, he slowly approached his soulmate and gently manoeuvred him towards the small waterfall. They both leaned back against the rock, shoulders touching, and let the water wash away their fatigue.

Lan Zhan then urged the younger boy to meditate for a while and focus on healing his injuries. Although not incapacitating, they were still inconveniencing his movements so Wei Ying obliged. When they got out for lunch, there was already no trace of them anymore. The hot spring really was miraculous.

They ordered the food to be delivered into their room and the Second Jade fondly observed how his husband cleaned one dish after another, filling his bowl until the younger boy showed it away with a satisfied sigh. Lan Zhan was happy that Wei Ying was finally eating well again, the last few weeks he was worried because his soulmate was becoming more and more thin.

Now everything was back to normal, he was sure the Yunmeng Jiang sect disciple would recover in no time; perhaps it was Lan Xichen's plan all along, who could tell.

They have spent another week in leisurely activities: going to the hot springs, walking around in the town and the nearby forest, tasting local cuisine or sparring together in a small training field behind the inn, and of course enjoying their every night intimate activities.

After one week, they have decided to go back, partially because they felt bad about forcing their duties on other disciples and partially because Wei Ying was now fully recovered. They have opted for a long way back to Cloud Recess, there was no need to rush, they wanted to travel around a bit.