WangXian Forever 3

Chapter 14 Intentions

There were gasps all around as the married couple entered the Great Hall. Jiang Cheng had touched the small flash of purple edges on his husband's robes, questioningly and XiChen had blushed again.

"For you. For Lotus Pier and your parents. For your sister."

Of course, the mere mention of his Shijie had him tearing up, so they were slightly later than planned.

Uncle Qiren made the first toast. Wine was allowed for special occasions and Wei Ying was taking full advantage of this. Other toasts followed, food was served and gifts presented. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan's gift was a set of matching jade pendants keeping the theme of intertwined lotuses and clouds.

The banquet finished by a modest ten o'clock clock in the evening, most guests well aware of the strict rules for sleeping in Cloud Recesses, even though Uncle Qiren had stated that special occasions allowed for a lax view on this.

Wei Ying was just happy that now he could freely express what was troubling him. They waited until the Great Hall was nearly empty before following Uncle to his room.

Tea was dutifully poured before he could open his mouth.

He spread the letters onto the middle of the table so everyone could see, and explained what he had discovered by pulling out his fifth version.

"This child must extraordinarily clever. She's only eight years old, you say?" Uncle stroked his beard.

"She's so smart, Uncle! She's been writing letters on and off anyway, but we agreed to send these just recently. She created the code herself!" Wei Ying said, proudly. "It took me half a day to break it!"

Lan Zhan held his hand under the table, knowing how hard this was for him.

"I thought there was something strange about her parents suddenly arriving," he continued, "so I made her an anklet to wear inside her boot. Hopefully, I can activate our bond and locate her. But," he looked at Uncle Qiren, "I want to tell my grandmother. If they're trying to harm her, my grandmother will teach them a lesson they won't forget."

"Why didn't Baoshen Sanren stop them in the first place?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"She said if they claimed to be her parents, how could she accuse them of not being so?" Wei Ying admitted.

"So what will you do, if they refuse to let you take her away?" Jiang Cheng looked worried.

"I don't know. But I'm sure that my grandmother will do something. She loves Li XiWang like I do." Wei Ying stuttered at the end. "Oh, Lan Zhan!"

"She will be fine. Let us stay positive." Lan Zhan squeezed his knee.

"When do you want to leave?" Uncle Qiren sipped his tea. "And I suppose it is meaningless to ask you if you are leaving with him?" That question was directed at his younger nephew.

"Uncle is right." Lan Zhan said boldly.

XiChen hid his smile. His Didi was learning to stand up for himself.

"Your brother just said his vows." Uncle persisted.

"It is fine, Uncle." XiChen said, smiling at both Lan Zhan and Wei Ying. "I am here now. Both of us are clan leaders," he gestured at himself and his new husband. "Neither of us expected more than a week from our duties. And this matter is of an urgency that should not be ignored."

"Thank you, XiChen-Ge." Wei Ying smiled at him.

******

They left Cloud Recesses early in the morning at sunrise. Wei Ying was for once, ready without complaining. Lan Zhan missed his exuberance; this quieter Wei Ying troubled him.

Wei Ying fell asleep holding onto him as they flew on Bichen to where his grandmother lived, reaching late in the afternoon. She met them outside her cave. Wei Ying explained as fast as he could, the full situation.

"I would tell you off for interfering, but I'm so happy you did not listen to me." She told him, looking at the letters. "I don't know what came over me, then. Maybe it was that so many of them were leaving, my heart was already in pieces. But," she stood up defiantly, "we will find them. Activate the anklet now."

Wei Ying set up an array on the floor, concentrating. He tried again, a puzzled look on his face. "Grandmother,  something's wrong. I can't get a read on her location."

"Try again." She watched him.

He shook his head.

"Then let's head into Yiling. Someone must know who they are and where they've gone." She went into the cave and retrieved her whip, snapping it against her palm while she walked in front of them, leading the way.

******

In the town, nobody had heard of Li XiWang, Li Shou Wang or Li Mai Bui. They wandered around until nightfall  with no luck, until Wei Ying pointed at a wine house.

"Maybe someone in there will be willing to talk."

They sat around a table, paid for a few jars of their local wine and waited. Wei Ying listened intently but people were speaking in hushed tones, and none of it pertaining to their problem. Finally, Baoshen Sanren called over the waiter.

"Have you seen a family of three people, two adults and a child of eight? They would have passed through about three weeks ago." She asked him, watching his face. "The girl may have been a little awkward with them."

"Strange you should ask me about them," he replied. "I wasn't there that day, but my colleague told me about them." He stood up. "I'll be right back."

He came back with a friend who handed the Grandmaster a piece of paper.

"That day, I only noticed her because she spilled her drink twice, on herself and came with me to the kitchen to clean herself up. She wrote this there and handed it to me, saying if a man dressed in white, came with a man dressed in black, I was to give them this. She also mentioned a grandmother, but it is enough that you came." His gaze skimmed over Baoshen Sanren as if she couldn't possibly be the grandmother.

Wei Ying smiled behind his cup.