WangXian Forever 4

Chapter 78 Siblings

Lan Zhan stared at him, all negative emotions disappearing like smoke.

"So he's my brother?" Li XiWang asked, in wonder.

"Yes, and he's more special because he lives in the sea. You may come and visit with him whenever you come." Wei Ying glared at Shiyong Fei, daring him to argue.

"Of course, of course!" The King bowed down.

Wei Ying smothered a laugh.

"In fact, please come with us. Let us show you around our Valley, and you can see where the Royal Son resides."

"What do you think?" Wei Ying asked everyone. "If we're going, then we should do it quickly. We don't have much time left."

The Dragon family looked so disappointed that the Jiaoren King extended his invitation to them too.

They swam back the way they had come, Li XiWang staying by her aunts.

Wei Ying was happy now, having had the chance to see what they were like, and they obviously cared about his daughter, almost as much as he did.

And it was good for Li XiWang too, because these people were her family, a part she may have missed without knowing.

The world was a big place. The more friends you made, the easier it was to live. Wei Ying had lived with this motto all his life, and it had served him well up to now.

Besides, he had his hands full with an extra clingy man-child-jiaoren who missed him too much. If Wei Ying was honest, he had missed him too.

Shui was sweet.

He was a simple person, and if, as Kedou had said, that he had gone missing a while ago, he must have found it hard to survive on his own.

It was hard being an orphan. Wei Ying remembered what it was like, hiding from the dogs, and no one giving him any food, let alone shelter.

Shui had to contend with sharks, but the difficulties would be the same. Loneliness was equal in the pain it caused, whether alone or in a crowd, rich or poor.

Shui had let him go just to swim beside him, throwing him wonderful smiles every time their eyes met. Wei Ying was dreading the time when he would have to say goodbye, which by his calculations, was just under an hour.

The oyster pills would only last so long, and Lan Zhan probably wouldn't allow him to stay longer. Plus he had really missed Lan Zhan. It was like missing an arm, or a leg.

The Jiaoren King led them into the valley and they entered the Bamboo coral palace. Wei Ying couldn't help but remember his time here, locked within four walls and a ceiling. He had never been good with enclosed spaces.

Lan Zhan took his other hand. Wei Ying smiled at him gratefully. This was what he had missed.

Luckily and perhaps out of shame, the King didn't take them anywhere shady. They passed through the a long hall and out from a back door to a private enclosure.

Shui seemed right at home here, he swam away to a little hut without a roof, looking back at Wei Ying and beckoning with a wave of his hand.

Inside, there was a soft bed of sea moss and sponge upon which the boy lay down to show Wei Ying how he slept. Then, he pulled out a string of shells and gifted it to Wei Ying, putting it around his neck. He had another for Li XiWang too.

Wei Ying noticed that Shui didn't speak if he could avoid it, preferring to gesture or articulate rather than actual words. Perhaps this was due to all that time spent alone, used to his own company.

Wei Ying remembered talking softly to himself, the sound of his own voice making him feel less alone, less lonely. He had used to worry that he might forget how to speak, and he certainly didn't want to be alone with his memories.

There were toys in the corner and Shui picked out his favourite ones to show Wei Ying. His heart broke at the simplicity of his affection, how much he trusted Wei Ying, so that everything that was dear to him, he shared with gusto.

So it was with a heavy heart, that Wei Ying sat next to him.

"Shui?" He waited for him to look up.

Shui stared at him. He reached for another toy and put it in his lap.

"Thank you Shui." Wei Ying took a deep breath. This was hard. "You know we can't stay here-"

Shui started piling more toys in his lap, anxiously checking after each one, if Wei Ying was happy or not.

"Shui, I have to go. We have to go." Wei Ying looked miserably at Lan Zhan.

Shui stopped smiling.

"Shui, please understand. We can't stay here. There are people waiting for us to come home." Wei Ying started to cry.

Shui removed all the toys and put his arms around him.

"Home." He said, softly. "Home. Here."

"No, it's not. Our home is far away...and...and...we have to go back." Wei Ying couldn't see any more.

Shui wiped his tears, but in the ocean, it didn't matter.

"Young Master, if I may?" Daden Yaonu came closer.

"Of course." Lan Zhan spoke for him.

Daden Yaonu pressed two fingers against Shui's temple, transferring... something. It wasn't spiritual energy, but the boy's face became calm and peaceful. He smiled gently.

"I will come." He told Wei Ying. "Visit you."

"You will?"

Shui nodded.

Wei Ying threw his arms around the boy, still sobbing.

"I will bring him when I have news." Daden Yaonu reassured Lan Zhan, who was looking increasingly worried about Wei Ying.

In the end, Wei Ying was far more upset than the young prince when they left. Shui had waved, with both his hands and his tail, while Lan Zhan led Wei Ying away.

They said their goodbyes to everyone. Li Xiwang was hugged by all her family, and made to promise to return soon.

Daden Yaonu came with them, right to the sandy shore.

She watched Li Xiwang run up to her Uncle XiChen to tell him about her adventures, and turned to Wei Ying and Lan Zhan.

"Might I make a request of you? Please do not take it as impertinence on my part, for I do not mean any disrespect." She told them.

Wei Ying nodded, still wiping his eyes.

"Please go on." Lan Zhan replied.

Wei Ying was definitely going to do something about that. Why on earth was he so...so...nice?

"Li Xiwang needs to strengthen her core. It is absolutely imperative. She must be able to harness her powers completely, otherwise it will have a detrimental effect on her body."

"Mn." Lan Zhan nodded too.

"Lady Daden, may I ask you a question?" Wei Ying asked.

Lan Zhan was glad he had stopped crying now, but his eyes were red and puffy. It hurt his heart.

"Please do."

"Do you know someone by the name of Bai Hua?"

"Not personally, but I can ask my father." She smiled at them both. "You are good parents to her. I must admit, I had my doubts, but after I met you, I am sorry for having them. Please, do not keep the child away from us. We love her already."

"As you wish." Lan Zhan bowed.

Wei Ying wanted to push him into the sand, inexplicably.