Meng's Revenge: Vol.4 of Life Among Clouds WangXian Series

5: The Company of Siblings

Lan Xichen took a deep breath before he entered the bedroom at the clinic. He knew what to expect and it was something he had faced before. But his brother had borne it that first time, with his help and Dr. Yue's. Lan Zhan remained himself before, an advantage denied him this time. Meng Shi had tried to eradicate him, body, mind, and soul. It remained to be seen whether she would be the victor. It was very quiet within, and he did not knock.

Lan Zhan sat cross-legged on a cushion attempting to meditate. Xichen knelt in front of him and held his hands. Lan Zhan grabbed them tightly, a lifeline he needed, desperate and shaking.

"My little Zhan. My brave, beautiful boy." Lan Xichen had not expected this amount of extreme damage. He stayed calm, brushing an errant strand of hair back as he looked at Lan Zhan's face, gazing into the sorrowful eyes that were filled with tears. Crystal eyes and crystal tears shone in the morning light and Lan Xichen held on to him, as he had in front of their mother's house after they realized she was dead. These two had shared too many sorrows together in the past. And now this big brother was consumed by rage. While Lan Zhan's tears stemmed from grief, his brother's eyes were dry with fury and hatred. He would make sure Yao's mother felt nothing but pain before her death. They embraced one another while he remained solid, as strong as the young Xichen had been. As Lan Zhan's tears began to ease, his brother spoke calmly but firmly.

"You know, you will beat this, don't you? After all, you have the greatest weapon of all at your disposal, don't you?"

He felt his brother shake his head. He heard a sniff and felt him wipe his nose on his white robe. Still his baby brother, Thank the Gods. He smiled as he handed him a handkerchief from his pouch. He chuckled lightly. "You really must carry one of these around, you know."

"I used them all up."

"I will send several dozen new ones. As I started to say, before you made a mess of my sleeve just now, you have a weapon that cannot be defeated."

"What?"

"Your husband. I have never met anyone so single-mindedly devoted as Wei Wuxian."

"She wants to feed him to dire wolves. She said she would do that to him and said she would steal your son, make him into another meng Yao. I could not bear the thought."

"She lives in a dream world. That man is here to stay. He adores you, you know. And she will have to fight all of Cloud Recesses to get her hands on my son. Do not worry on our accounts. Concentrate on you and Wei Ying for now."

Lan Zhan smiled briefly. "I am lucky. But I do not deserve his attention. I am nothing like the man he married."

"You are all of that and more. You have survived the un-survivable and I am so proud of you. If you do nothing else, trust in his love."

"I do. It is my self I do not trust."

"I would like to pass energy to you; I sense your core is low and we must build it back up or you will not improve. The others will be transferring energy when I return to Cloud Recesses to prepare all aspects for this situation. I imagine the whore has remnants of Meng Yao's followers behind her so everyone must be on higher alert. I am certain they now know you were found and they will be holed up as well for the time being. We are keeping rumors of you still being comatose floating around, so stay within these walls for a few more days."

"When will you be leaving?"

"Today. I must return to check on security for Lan An Xi and QinYenay and the other children. Then I will be sending Sizhui and his battalion here to protect the clinic and to join Ming in her search for Meng Shi. Jiang Cheng is contributing a battalion of archers as well and Nie Huaisang, who is another we must assume is marked by her, is committing a large force of ground troops. She has kicked the sleeping lions."

"I will do my part as well. I promise. "

"I love you, little Brother. Now lay down and let's start feeding that core of yours."

He was white-faced with pain and anger when he left Lan Zhan sleeping and returned to his family.

"He is resting now. I transferred energy for a long time. He has some color in his face and his hands are warmer. The pulse is strong and the core slightly less sluggish. After I am gone, please keep transferring. Talk of his strengths and keep him positive. This person, I cannot lose again."

Qinyang rose. "I will take this shift. Please bring the others from the Lodge and protect them there in Cloud Recesses. There is safety in numbers."

He hugged her. "That was already started. They will be there at the Manor when I arrive."

She smiled in relief. Then went to sit by her brother. It was her turn to save him.

Lan Zhan woke as she began to transfer energy to him. She chose the mind, because she knew mental anguish better than most, and had learned more than all the others about how to battle it. Her fingers sent a modulated pink glow to his forehead.

"That feels so good."

"Hello, Fuddy-Duddy!"

"Hello, Bookworm."

"This is a switch, is it not?"

"I am sorry."

"What on earth for?"

"Not trusting. Allowing myself to be broken enough to not come to you."

"Think nothing of it, Brother. Shock can do that to a person and too many can uproot your foundations. We do what we must to survive and still protect those we love. You have always been stubborn. We excel at that trait, you and I. We are not invincible, just Lan, even though that makes us damned close to it."

"You are tiniest of all of us, but you are definitely the cockiest."

"You are the quietest but right now you are talking too much. Just receive my energy; it is certain to be the best in the group. Go back to sleep."

"Shameless!" The small grin as he drifted off was like gold to her.

Her strong Fifth Cousin. Her Sworn brother. Her savior at the Hunting Lodge. She would give her life for him. She would give up her right arm to cut off Meng Shi's head.

Several hours later, after he woke up, he made a decision. It was his first one since he was rescued. He rose and dressed in the green tunic and rebraided his hair. He listened carefully at the door and heard the muted voices of his family, the delicious aroma of dinner being prepared. He leaned his forehead against the grain of the wood, gathering his courage. Inhaling, he slowly turned the handle. Everything stopped and they looked up as the door slowly opened.