Journey to the Beautiful Ending

C2 - Long lashes

This chapter has brief narration in the chapter entitled "Shameless Jin Ling"

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It was already 12 midnight and  everybody in the Lan Sect should be fast asleep. The night was peaceful. In a room where two young men are both in bed, lying. One already fell from a deep slumber while the other was still widely awake. Lan Jingyi has been snoring and it might be the reason why Lan Sizhui couldn't fall asleep. However, that was not the case. He couldn't asleep not because of Jingyi's snore, not because his body was in pain due to excessive training but because of something that he was looking at. The blue tassel he was holding gently in his hands. He couldn't hold back his smile. He was smiling widely as his eyes twinkled. He placed the tassel near his chest. His heart was thumping fast. It was too deafening.

He glanced at Jingyi, afraid that he might hear it but he sighed in relief when he's still fast asleep.

"I gave it to you. Why would you give it to others?"

Those are the words he heard from the person who gave him the tassel. The tassel that the person won from a mini game in a festival but he still treated it with utmost care.

'Yes. This is mine. I will not give it to others.' Sizhui told himself as he started imagining those long lashes of a sleeping person. He lifted his finger and traced it but he soon realized that its not infront of him. He sighed in dismay. He turned his position and face the wall. Beside him was the dog made out of jade. He patted the dog's head with his point finger. 'I want to see it. I want those long lashes.' Sizhui bit his lower lip as a smile slowly crept into his mouth. 'Beautiful.' He fixed his sleeping position and kissed the tassel before he laid it carefully beside him. 'Goodnight.'

Sizhui closed his eyes and let himself dream again the time he had first saw those long lashes.

Three months ago.

"Let's rest at that inn." Wei Wuxian told Lan Wangji. There were three group of juniors who joined them with their night hunting. Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi with six Lan disciples, Jin Ling with three Jin disciples and Ouyang Zizhen with two Ouyang disciples. They just finished exorcising the house that has been disturbed by three fierce corpses.

"Mm."

When the two seniors went upstairs, the juniors from different sect started sneaking alcohol again just like what they usually do when they're together. The Lan disciples was thrilled and started to take a sip. Jingyi was even the first one to do it. Sizhui did not bother them and let them do what they want but made sure that they won't make so much noise. Jin Ling took a sip too. The others followed.

"Don't drink so much or you'll be punished once HanguangJun found out." Sizhui reminded the disciples in his sect.

Jin Ling who heard it, grabbed a cup and shove it to him. It almost spilled. "Take some too. Don't be such a stickler."

Jingyi cheered him on. "Go, Sizhui. It was really good."

Sizhui hesitated but Jin Ling was persistent so he took it and tasted a bit. "Don't be such a sissy and drink them all." Jin Ling told him so he did. The taste was bitter and wasn't good for the throat so he doesn't understand why Wei Wuxian was addicted to alcohol.

"Hmp! Sissy." Jin Ling told him but Sizhui didn't mind it since he was used at the other's sharp tounge.

Nine in the evening has come, Sizhui advised all the Lan disciples to proceed to go to bed. There are only five rooms in the first floor that they were able to occupy because others was already booked. Since the incident in Yi City, the bond of this juniors was already quite deep so they no longer mind sharing room with other disciples from other sects. Its just that Lan disciples especially with Sizhui as the head disciple, follow the bed time routine.

Sizhui and Jingyi shared the room with Jin Ling. Since Jin Ling has three disciples with him, he cannot afford to have them all sleep on the floor while he sleep on the bed. The bed was quite wide though. Three can actually fit as long they sleep like a log but Sizhui knew better. Jingyi moves a lot when sleeping.

"Jingyi, let's sleep on the floor."

"Huh?"

"You moves a lot."

Jingyi glanced at the door which was opened by Jin Ling who just came in.

"A true cultivator sleeps wherever he can."

Jin Ling knew Jingyi was referring to him. He answered back, "I can sleep anywhere. You can take the bed."

Jingyi smiled naughtily. "Okay, I'll take the bed. Thank you, Sect Leader Jin." He said as he occupied the whole bed without giving any spaces for another person.

Jin Ling realized he was fooled. Sizhui looked at him apologetically but the other just sighed. He prepared the quilt and both laid down to have their rest. It didn't take a while before they both fell asleep. In the middle of the night, being a light sleeper, Sizhui felt that someone was moving so his eyes immediately open. He was about to grab his sword when he notice that Jingyi was rushing out of bed.

"What's wrong?" Sizhui asked looking at his pale face, hands touching his belly.

"My stomach was upset. I'll just go to the toilet."

"Do you need any help?"

"No. I'm good. Go back to sleep."

"Okay."

Sizhui went back to sleeping but he couldn't sleep at all. He turned to his right side where the other man was laying beside him. Jin Ling moved a bit and turned to face him. Eyes still shut, mouth slightly parted. Unlike Jingyi, Jin Ling doesn't snore loudly. There's a soft sound from his breathing but he really sleeps quietly.

Sizhui couldn't help but to stare at his face. He moved a bit closer. Jin Ling's was flawless, he can't see any pores in it. His eyes was...Sizhui averted his gaze. He saw something that amazed him. He turned back to check if he didn't see it wrong. He move his head much closer than he was. Sizhui lifted his hand with his point finger trying to touch something so unreal for him.

Sizhui never had a closer look with anyone yet and this is the very first he had the chance to see a long lashes. He always thought that long lashes was good for women because it makes them beautiful. It was always used to describe a beautiful woman at some books but he never thought that a man can have long lashes too.

"Beautiful." He whispered under his breath. He was so amazed to see Jin Ling has long lashes. He was tempted to touch it and he did but he immediately withdraw and hold his finger that had the privileged to touch it. He turned his back and shut his eyes closed, still holding his finger to his chest. He was kind of nervous but later on, a smile crept to his lips.

From then on, whenever he talked to someone, he was also observing other's lashes but those long lashes was incomparable. He was somehow looking forward to seeing it again. Jin Ling thought that Sizhui was just too respectful. Always talked to him with an eye to eye contact. Little did he know that Sizhui was not looking at his eyes but to his long lashes which made his day a lot better.