Swapped Vol 2: The Unrequited Story

Chapter 4

Past life – Lotus Pier

"Sizhui-ge." Lan Yuan braced himself, wearing the same calm face before letting the newcomer sees his face. He smiled a little to the younger male.

"A-Wei." Lan Yuan mused. Jiang Wei gave a little nod and stood beside him. They're next to a tree beside the lotus pond on the east side of Lotus Pier, the pond where they usually pluck lotus pod for eating. The pond that in the past was cared by Lady Jiang Yanli herself.

"Thank you." Lan Yuan said in low voice.

"It's nothing. Even he's dead as YunmengJiang's enemy, he's... a person I see as brother in my childhood. Yixing-ge often played with me whenever he visited here with you and the rest." Jiang Wei said.

It was in his vague children memory, but Jiang Wei remembered Lan Yu as a smart and warm brother from Lan even they didn't meet much before Lan Yu left Cloud Recesses.

It had been months since the siege in Lotus Pier, Lan Yuan finally came to visit Lotus Pier. And Jiang Wei had told him that the remnant of Lan Yu's ashes was kept making Lan Yuan very surprised.

Jiang Cheng was furious when he heard of this, but Jiang Wei worked hard to keep the ash and he placed it somewhere safe for one day to give it to Lan Yuan.

After the war according to what Jin Ling told Lan Yuan, the living innocent people were treated and returned home while the unknown corpses were all burnt and their ashes were released at the river so that no one would try to use it. The other corpses were returned to their family.

"A-Wei. Very much thanks, really." Lan Yuan said again, his fingers grasped a little around the porcelain. It felt heavy in his hands but he felt relief.

Jiang Wei nodded. Maybe, other than Wei Ying, Jiang Wei was the only one knew about Lan Yu in Lan Yuan's view. That actually surprised him that Lan Yuan was able to do that on that day. "You're going to bring it back to Cloud Recesses?"

"No." Lan Yuan turned to the pond. Jiang Wei looked at him. "I will bring him to Laoling. His birthplace."

Jiang Wei frowned. "He's born in Yunmeng?" Lan Yuan smiled and nodded.

"His father is Lan, he loves to travel. You could say he's a merchant more than a cultivator. He wedded to a Yunmeng lady, a Mu. His father built a house in Laoling. His mother died on the day he's born. His father raised him alone, until he's three, he was brought for travel. They will come home to Laoling once a while. Until one day, they encountered a group of bandits. His father managed to escape them and hid but he was heavily injured. He sent the signal to Elder Lan when he felt he won't last long. That's how Lan Yu was brought into Cloud Recesses." Lan Yuan told Jiang Wei the story that Lan Yu once told him.

"You're burying him at his house then? You know where?" Lan Yuan nodded.

"It was located in the border of Laoling and Yangjun. I have been there with him one time when we have night hunt in Laoling." Jiang Wei frowned slightly.

"Yangjun..." Lan Yuan took a breath.

"Yes... when you told me about the matters in Yangjun, I feel it. The twisting nauseous when Lan Yu left Cloud Recesses for his fate."

"So..."

"I have told you before. I did never get a vivid image about the future. I could only feel and see shadowy scene. I didn't know the attack would be in Lotus Pier." Lan Yuan said. Jiang Wei nodded.

"Sizhui-ge, you misunderstand me. I just want to inquire... that you have suspected Yixing-ge that time." Lan Yuan sighed and nodded.

"And it happened."