You Don't Know Love (Fanfic)

Chapter 28: Ripped

 
The familiar feeling of small pebbles digging on his clothed back made Lan Wangji roused from his passed-out state. No matter how strong of a cultivator a person is, to fell and be swallowed by a swirling mass of resentful energy can put anyone out cold. With the strong force of dark energy, even a golden core so bright will slightly dim when confronted by such an amount of demonic force. Lan Wangji thought he will not survive and yet here he was breath heaving and coughing out the lake water that forcibly invaded his system.

A gentle rub on his back pushed Wangji out of his stupor. The presence feels so familiar. Slowly, he shifted his hazy view. Wei Ying with his hand still rubbing soothingly on his back smiled softly at him.

“Wei Ying?” The second jade of Lan reached and grabbed Wei Ying’s shoulder before pulling him and enveloping him in a crushing hug and releasing a sigh of relief. The jiaoren ended up sandwich between Lan Wangji’s legs.

“I am here Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying whispered, his breath fanning the crook of Wangji’s neck.

He’s breathing. Wei Ying is breathing. Lan Wangji thought to himself and basked into the warmth seeping out of their wet robes.

Both of them waited until Lan Wangji’s trembling breath toned down.

“I am not going anywhere Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying stated. His arms around Lan Wangji’s torso and cheek resting on the other’s shoulder.

“You’re here.” Lan Wangji whispered under his breath. All of his worries and concerns dissolving to nothingness with Wei Ying in his arms, alive and warm.

Once they were untangled from each other's embrace, they simply stared at each other's eyes. Wei Ying reached for Lan Wangji’s left earlobe and gave it a firm and reassuring squeeze. He really likes Wangji’s ears.
Wei Ying asked amidst the silence, “Were you worried?” On the contrary, Wei Ying hadn’t need to ask, with his face close to the jade he can see the slightly red rim eyes of Wangji, proof enough of the turmoil he’d been through while Wei Ying was weak and unconscious, almost dead. He felt the hands resting on his waist tightened. Lan Wangji’s staring at him unblinking, afraid that once he blinks the jiaoren will disappear.
 
 
 

 
Concealed behind the tree trunks and hidden under the shadows cast by the forest, several Wen cultivators were lurking, eyes sharp staring at the surface of the calm lake water where the Waterborne abyss was creating havoc just a while ago. Wen Xu is leading them. He’s crouching down and ready to pounce if ever someone emerged from the water. Everything happened so fast. All they have witnessed is a blur of black and red robes diving into the swirling water. No human can have such courage to willingly plunge in the mouth of a monster just to save a mere stick-in-the-mud Lan cultivator. There’s no denying it.

The strange calmness of the water after the echo of a captivating tune and the valiant figure going after the second jade of Lan. Wen Xu sneered and thought to himself how his father will praise him if he got his hands on the suspected jiaoren. But a few minutes already passed and no one, not even a twig resurfaced on the water. Seething in anger, Wen Xu signaled the cultivators to patrol around the area and look for the figure of black and red. They must be wary because Lan Xichen and a bunch of Lans are already doing the same thing and they can’t risk being exposed. Not now, when he’s already so close to the creature he’s been chasing for several years.
 
“Young master!” one of the Wens came rushing to their leader, still out of breath.
 
“Did you find it?” Wen Xu asked in haste.
 
“The second jade of Lan and black-clothed figure are in the far east side of the lake.” The cultivator reported.
They immediately headed in that direction. Lan Wangji must have been so weak to move just yet and so they have been staying at the shore that entire time.
 
When they arrived at the scene, Lan Xichen is already at the area and giving his brother a bone-crushing hug along with the black-clothed figure. The Lan disciples were standing a distance away but still wary and alert for anything that might happen. Wen Xu and his minions remained hidden, the former suppressing the urge to forcefully drag the figure to Qishan Wen. The first and second jade of Lan is there so they can’t risk it all. He needs more men and more power to take on the two promising cultivators of Gusu. Once the acting-sect leader lets go of the two, Wen Xu has a clearer view of the black-clothed figure merged in the pool of white robes. The heir of the Wen clan saw him, a man so enthralling even his wives can’t compare to the mesmerizing beauty of him. His greed grew even more. Those grey bright eyes and smile so dazzling it’s almost blinding, he wondered if all Jiaorens have this kind of pull to man. If that man is a part of any clan, Wen Xu is sure he would have remembered, but no. Now, he was even surer of it. That man is the jiaoren he had been looking for all these years.
 
He needs to report back to his father and ask for more troops. It will probably take few more days for them to go back but Wen Xu will make sure to get that jiaoren and he will burn and purge Cloud Recesses without a second thought.