The Lotus and the Flame Volume 3 Life Among the Clouds

Smoke and Mirrors

Qing stirred several hours later; she had been laid on a bed in Lan Zhan's Jinshi and both he and Wei Ying were present. A cold compress lay on her forehead and Lan Zhan was passing gentle and soothing energy at the point there. Wei Ying was pacing nervously from one end of the room to the other.

Lan Zhan spoke quietly.

"She wakes."

Qing moaned softly and breathed Ning's name and a tear ran down her temple into an already salt-dampened patch of hair. Hair that had been returned to her natural jet black.

"She is herself again. Not sure if every bit of her memory has returned. Reliving her worst moments may have brought back her natural self. Unsure until she is able to communicate."

Wei Ying whirled around. 

"What on earth did I do? Wen Ning is gone again and Qing, well,who knows what this did to Qing. We are only guessing here."

"Then we must be patient and wait. This is not an easy fix situation. Patience is called for."

"What if we made things worse?"

Lan Zhan sighed knowingly. "The cure can sometimes be as bad as the problem. Cannot reach happiness until you visit hell."

Wei Looked somberly at his partner.

"Is that what you do, Lan Zhan? Do you go through hell each day, trying to get through to me? If so how do you stand it? When do you give yourself a break? Why would you even think I am worth it?"

"Because Wei Ying is worth everything to me. And, for Qing, saving her brother, is everything to her. It has been the focus of her life. She was lost without her goal. She now has it back. She will not fail this time."

Wei knelt before Lan Zhan and gazed into the crystal eyes.

"Why do you always sacrifice yourself for me? I do little in return."

"You are my joy. I lived a comfortable. boring life before you. Every day was the same. I was lost myself but did not know it. Not until I saw you. How could I ever give up on you? For people like me and Qing, it is worth it."

Wei Ying sat with his back against the bed platform, lost in thought. He looked up and studied Lan Zhan as he concentrated on passing more energy to Qing. This man never stopped giving, silently and unstintingly. He did not deserve anything less than a full effort on Wei's part to make his own way back to his side. While Lan Zhan concentrated inward, Wei Ying scattered towards a million things at once. It was not really the best way to solve the issues he faced and he knew it.

"Lan Zhan...I will do better. I will work harder and try to meet you in the middle. It is time to quit being such a child and accept my new life. I know it will take me time to learn that, but I promise to work as hard at it as you."

Lan Zhan's eye opened and returned Wei's look. The crystal eyes smiled gently.

"Wei Ying, that would make me happy."

Wei smiled and raised up and gave him a shy kiss on the cheek. Then settled on the floor again.

A voice came from the bed. "Are you two quite through analyzing me and the entire cultivated world? You could pick better times for your little moments, you know."

"Qing!" shouted Wei as he jumped to his feet.

Lan Zhan said nothing as he immediately broke the energy connection and felt for her pulse.

"Fairly normal, but still a bit thready," grumbled Qing. Like most doctors, she could not keep from self-diagnosing.

They helped her to a sitting position. She asked for a bowl of broth and Wei ran to get it. As soon as he left, she grabbed Lan Zhan's arm

"I know who gave the orders for our deaths and then enacted a plan to deceive all the Sect Leaders by keeping us alive. It was a truly awful game of smoke and mirrors.

"Who?" demanded Lan Zhan.

"Meng Yao. Meng Yao has been behind this since before Jin Sect Leader was killed. He wanted control of Wen Ning that whole time. He protected us from the fire, sent all from the room after it was lit and we were engulfed in the flames. The heat and noise and terror were all-consuming, yet we lived, unscathed.

 He placed me into a deep stasis of some sort, and I knew nothing for 15 years. Not until I woke up in the grove. I believe that he used me to control my brother. Always dangling my sleeping form to get Wen Ning fully manipulated into compliance until he can no longer resist his orders. Someone thwarted him though. Someone found out about me and place me in the forest. Someone is working to undermine him."

"I will tell Wei Ying but not for a few days. I must think of a way to broach Brother. This is his Sworn Brother. He will not fully accept this information at first. But someone is using Wei's techniques to attain power. I do believe it is Meng Yao who gave Xue Yang the information on how to abduct my brother from his Minshi."

"Agreed. This must be kept quiet until after the Celebration from any others. We can observe Meng Yao there and keep assessing him at closer range."

By the time Wei Ying returned with some vegetable and noodle soup, Qing was on her back again and Lan Zhan had returned to monitoring her pulse.

"I am back!"

Wei Ying was his cheerful self once more and never noticed the change in the room's atmosphere.