WangXian Forever 5

Chapter 35 Return

The children were waiting patiently by the white pillars of the gates, when Wei Ying and Lan Zhan met them, both dressed immaculately.

SiZhui glanced at their hands clasped together and smiled. They were never out of sorts for long, and he looked at his own hand nestled within Jin Ling's.

"What are you thinking about?" A warm voice whispered in his ear.

He shivered and kissed the available cheek.

"You."

"Right answer."

"Gag." Wei Ying made the motion of pretending to shove two fingers down his throat.

"What's the problem?" Jin Ling retorted. "You do it all the time."

He hid behind SiZhui at the frosty glare from beside his uncle.

"That's different. I don't particularly want to watch my kids doing it." Wei Ying bounced up to them effectively separating them by throwing his arms around both of them. "But I love you both, so don't worry."

The walk into Caiyi was quite uneventful. Wei Ying had shifted back to hold his little girl's hand while she walked in between her fathers. Lan Zhan held hers too, a small smile playing upon his lips.

"This is nice." Wei Ying remarked.

"Mn?"

"This." Wei Ying gestured with his free hand. "Us. Going to do something ordinary and fun. Like normal people."

"Mn."

No further explanation was necessary. Wei Ying knew Lan Zhan would know what he meant.

The weather was pleasant for a June afternoon; the sun shone down upon them but the mountain air prevented them from getting too hot.

"If we are separated, let's meet here." Wei Ying pointed to a man selling sweet haws.

"What if he moves?" Li XiWang asked, smiling.

Wei Ying booped her nose. "They know what I mean. By the tree."

Soon, the excitement of crowds, the throng of movement, new stalls selling wares and hot food, sizzling and readily available had Wei Ying floating like a butterfly with his eager little protégé. Li XiWang was just as enthusiastic about everything. She dragged him from one stall to another, delight shining in her eyes. The vendors were equally happy to see them, bowing when they saw the white robes of the Lan clan.

Lan Zhan followed behind them, paying for everything, now not bothering to put his purse away, and smiling fondly at the antics of his husband, dressed as always in red and black.

Wei Ying bounced back to him, forcing a sweet haw into his mouth, before pecking his lips still tasting of his treat. Lan Zhan felt light and happy seeing this familiar and much missed side of his husband. It reminded him of their vacation, and travelling together to the seaside.

Wei Ying suddenly cocked his head, listening intently.

"Mn?" Lan Zhan had caught up. He looked around too.

"Lan Zhan? Do you hear that?" Wei Ying concentrated now.

"What is it?" Lan Zhan's hearing was good but nowhere near as excellent as Wei Ying's had become.

"Screaming." Wei Ying turned to look at him. "SiZhui? Jin Ling?"

They ran back to him.

"Uncle?" Jin Ling asked, also looking around.

Nothing looked out of place. People were still milling around, clusters of folk ready to grab an unmissable deal, munching on corn ripe from the flame.

And then, there it was. A scream pierced the air.

Much like a single drop of water disturbing the calm waters of a lake, that noise was absorbed, understood and then was acted upon.

People began running as soon as more screams erupted, jostling them as they stood waiting.

"You stay here, alright?" Wei Ying told Li XiWang. "In between your father and me. Do. Not. Move. Unless we tell you otherwise."

She nodded, her burgandy eyes wide with a mix of confusion and fear.

"Lan Zhan, this is not something ordinary." Wei Ying told him.

"Mn?" Lan Zhan unsheathed Bichen, watching, waiting.

Hundreds of corpses attacked, and now the crowd was in a frenzy to get away. Their little bubble was jeopardised; SiZhui and Jin Ling were behind them, armed and ready to fight.

But Wei Ying knew that this was his fight. No one else here was strong enough, not even the Great Hanguang Jun.

He took Chenqing into his hand. The flute trembled, readying for his command. Lan Zhan stared at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Let me do this."

Lan Zhan nodded and put away Bichen, instead summoning Wangji. Li XiWang copied him, calling upon Yu NuWang. Both readied themselves.

Wei Ying began to play, his lips kissing Chenqing like a lover. A light wind struck up, and black wisping smoke started to rise, the tendrils flowing out from around his body.

The screams became louder and Wei Ying had to force himself to concentrate. He closed his eyes and played with a seriousness only seen once before.

Clashes of weapons, the shrill blades cutting down body after body, the whistle of the air before the blade cut through maggot infested rotting corpses, all the while the smoke of resentment energy grew thicker and stronger, swirling around them like a dense fog, before Wei Ying released portions into the four corners of a compass, attacking with fervour.

When he opened his eyes, red pupils shone with determination.

Lan Zhan watched his husband transform from Wei WuXian into the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.

His shrieking notes filled the air, the black fog intensifying, and they heard the plink plink of falling pieces of metal all around them.

Still the dead army fought back, and Wei Ying had to channel his will into their consciousness, fighting for dominance over whoever was already controlling them.

Lan Zhan and Li XiWang started playing too, sending out blue beams of light, dispelling, purifying, cleansing.

Beads of sweat covered his face, as Wei Ying exerted himself fully, his body much stronger than before. He could feel the zesty power growing through his veins, gathering strength before exploding upon the frenzied corpses, now just twitching as they fell to the ground.

The smoke cleared up unexpectedly, leaving five smallish forms standing, watching him.

They were hooded, lean muscle rather than bulk, dressed in a mix of browns and greens. Their skin was as dark as the red earth, the whites of their eyes providing a stark contrast.

One of them, the closest one to him, dropped a glass vial, grinning at him, showing all her teeth. She blinked once and Wei Ying had only time to gasp before the vial hit the ground, shattering on contact.

"Nice try."

He heard it in his ear, and then fast moving brown smoke wrapped itself around them, but not before Wei Ying had already resumed playing. His smoke fought with the intruder's brown one, but by the time his won and the air cleared up, they were alone. Just the five of them and a small crowd of people waiting behind them, holding each other in fear.

Wei Ying saw lots of shining things on the ground, and he picked up one with his sleeve.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked, reaching for Lan Zhan.

"Yes." Lan Zhan told him, before he passed out.

*******

A/N

This is for all the readers who offered to burn their school homework in the comments section of the first book, second chapter, in order to provide the much needed black smoke for our Grandmaster, the Yilling Patriarch.

I had forgotten to add it in there, and if you're still here, then, thank you!