WangXian Forever 5

Chapter 6 Apologies

Jiang Cheng sat in the Hanshi, feeling very much like a punished child, told to stand in the corner with their hands on their head.

He stared despondently at the bowl of onions and pushed it away, feeling miserable.

XiChen was avoiding him.

He hadn't spoken to him in three days, and it wasn't as if Jiang Cheng hadn't tried, because he did. XiChen was still too angry.

So he was surprised when the door opened and XiChen walked in. He closed the door with a hush, but in the quiet room, where Jiang Cheng could hear his own heartbeats loudly, it was a sign.

Tension flooded the room.

Jiang Cheng watched Huan unblinking.

Huan moved his robes back and sat elegantly, like the gentleman he was.

"I'm so so-" Jiang Cheng started to say, but XiChen held his hand up to silence him.

"I am not here as Lan Huan, right now." He said sternly. "Sect leader Jiang Cheng, do you know why I am so upset with you?"

Jiang Cheng sat up straighter with the use of his title.

"Yes. It's because I used Zidian. On my brother. Again." At this he covered his face with his hands.

"Partially yes, but no."

Jiang Cheng was surprised enough to uncover his face. Tears fell slowly from his eyes, and he made no move to wipe them away.

A slight widening of his eyes betrayed whatever XiChen was thinking, but he masked his features immediately.

"Cloud Recesses is a safe place. I have always maintained that. It is not okay to harm a single body on these grounds, under my watch. Shui is a guest, and my Brother Wei has accepted him as his child. Furthermore, if Brother Wei had not intervened, the consequences of your actions could have been disastrous. Do you understand?" His voice was hard.

Jiang Cheng was too scared, unnerved by this side of his husband that he had never seen before. Huan never spoke to him like this, ever.

He nodded, wisely choosing silence.

"Secondly, Brother Wei became my brother, before we married. Not only is it my duty to protect him from anyone, including his brother, but it is my great honour. Think of the devastation it would have caused my brother if he was hurt by you. My entire family is upset by your actions." XiChen was staring at him coldly.

"I'm sorry." His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears. The result of not speaking for a few days. "It was an accident, please believe me."

"Jiang Cheng, when will you understand? From the moment you decided to reach for your weapon, that was your first mistake. To actually unleash it, here, was your second. Third, was the fact that you were unprovoked."

Jiang Cheng visibly paled.

"I do not care that you were frightened. I cannot. From the moment anyone enters the lands of Cloud Recesses, their protection should be a guarantee, not a maybe. I have the privilege of being Sect leader of Lan Clan of Gusu. If you are not punished in a suitable way, people will accuse me of favouritism."

"I will do whatever you say. Anything." He reiterated.

"Very well. As you know, my brother is in charge of all punishments." He hid a smile at the tremor his words caused. "However, given your status as a fellow Sect Leader, Uncle Qiren has decided upon leniency, for the sake of good relations between the clans."