Untamed Hearts

Chapter 6

"How exactly is your alcohol tolerance so good?" Jin Ling stared at Jingyi who was on his third cup of alcohol. Meanwhile Sizhui was already passed out on the bed. Zizhen looked ready to pass out as well, but was keeping his head up.

"I am not sure," Jingyi shrugged. "It's strange, really. Don't all Lans have terrible alcohol tolerance?"

"Senior Wei told me that Zewu-jun uses his golden core to expel the alcohol," Ouyang Zizhen commented. Jingyi nearly choked on his wine.

"Zewu-jun drinks?"

"It was only one time. Senior Wei offered so he accepted. So they drank together," Zizhen explained.

"Don't tell me Zewu-jun, our sect leader breaks the rule for Senior Wei too?"

Jin Ling snorted,"More like he allows his younger brother to bend the rules for Senior Wei. He lets Hanguang-jun bring in Emperor's Smile into Cloud Recesses."

"Our Senior Wei would never be able to give up alcohol," Zizhen laughed. "And Hanguang-jun would never deny him of it when he loves it so much." A moment from the side of the room suddenly startled them. Sizhui had suddenly sat up from the bed. Jingyi looked at his friend.

"Uh, Sizhui?"

There was no response. Sizhui only stared blankly at them.

"Great, not again!" Zizhen sighed.

"Sizhui, just stay there, okay," Jingyi went to stand next to Sizhui as if to keep him inside the room. Sizhui responded by standing up and walking unsteadily over to the table.

"Sizhui," Jingyi tried tugging on his friend's arm but he yanked free.

"There's a baby," Sizhui said quietly. Jin Ling stared at his friend.

"What?" He sputtered.

"Quiet," Sizhui's head turned to the door, with his eyes narrowed and he lifted a hand to point at the door. "Listen." They indeed grew quiet and they could hear the sound of a child crying. Two children in fact. The three remaining sober boys exchanged looks and stood up to walk towards the door and open it.

Sizhui was walking stiffly towards the entrance of Lotus Pier at a surprisingly fast pace and the others struggled to keep up with their friend, half intoxicated with alcohol. By the time they had caught up with him, Sizhui had opened the door. The two Jiang guards standing outside turned to look at them, but they looked concerned. One of the guards was crouching next to two young children, speaking softly with them. One was female and another was male.

"Young Master Lan, Sect leader Ouyang, and Sect leader Jin, we were just about to fetch Sect leader Jiang..," One of the guards began. "We don't know where these children came from. They told us that something attacked their home and their parents told them to flee."

"Where?" Ouyang Zizhen asked sharply. "We can go defeat whatever it was...or whoever it was."

"I'm afraid it may be too late," The disciple lowered his voice, looking nervously at the kids.

"We'll bring them inside," Jin Ling said calmly. "Then we should get Jiujiu and Dajiu to come help us."

"It's the middle of the night....are you sure-," Lan Jingyi began.

"It's an emergency," Jin Ling snapped, cutting him off.

"If Sect leader Jin wants us to go check it out, we can. We have orders to obey you as well as our sect leader," One Jiang disciple says.

"If it was a powerful yao or monster...if the parents were able to fight them off," The other disciple began, but Jin Ling shook his head firmly. He crouched down and took the young boy child's hand.