Fly free again

Chapter 8

Lan Jingyi had been worried about Senior Wei ever since they had seen his falter and fall from his sword. Even going to see him afterwards did not do much to calm his mind, Wei Wuxian had very apparently still not been quite alright, he had been only pretending to be, probably wanting not to worry them.

That is why, the very next morning when he spotted Hanguang-Jun and Senior Wei walking side by side in the direction of the flying field, he hurried to meet his friends. Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen were still in the Cloud Recesses, resting after their recent night hunt, they were however bound to depart in two days, already being expected to come back to their respective sects.

He burst into Jin Ling's room where he and the other juniors had taken a habit of meeting. Sure enough, all three his friends were there, looking at him, startled.

Before any of them could ask what was wrong and why he was in such a hurry, he was already speaking while gasping for breath: "I just saw Senior Wei and Hanguang-Jun going to the flying field! I think that Senior Wei had been bothered by not being able to fly properly and decided to try again."

The three in the room immediately shot up from the bed and hovered closer to him.

Jin Ling paled a bit as he asked: "Is it because we had forced him to before? Do you think he will be alright this time around?"

They all froze, the realization slowly creeping into their minds. Was it really because of them that Senior Wei was now apparently set on forcing himself?

Ouyang Zizhen put a hand on Jin Ling's shoulder to reassuringly squeeze it: "I am sure he knows what he is doing. And Jingyi said Hanguang-Jun went with him. I am sure nothing bad will happen to him."

A long silence reigned in the room, all three of them had matching expressions of worry on their faces and Lan Jingyi was sure that he was no exception. He did not want anything to happen to Senior Wei, especially not because of their pressuring. But what could they do now? Should they go tell Senior Wei that it did not matter that he could not fly and that they were in no means bothered by it? How would he take it? No, if Wei Wuxian had decided he would try, they should support him, just as he had been supporting and encouraging them all those years they knew each other.

It was Lan Sizhui who tentatively proposed: "Should we go check on him?"

The three others quickly nodded and they were already on their way to the flying field. They however stopped in between the last trees, not directly stepping onto the field. They did not know why they did that, but it seemed like a collective decision.

They were all looking at the pair of cultivators, one in white Gusu Lan sect robes and the other in black and red as they were flying slowly on Hanguang-Jun's sword, only just above the ground. It seemed like Senior Wei was very tense, at least from where they stood and watched his shut eyes and the way he was clinging to Hanguang-Jun. For some reason, the sight was a bit disturbing.

They stood there for a while longer and were rewarded by the sight of Wei Wuxian slowly relaxing and then even starting to smile a little bit when Hanguang-Jun started moving the sword around. It was nowhere near the bright grins he was always giving them, but it seemed kind of sweeter, in a way. They could not help themselves but to smile in response even though Senior Wei would not see them.

Before they knew it, the flying lesson was apparently over for the day and Hanguang-Jun led his sword down, dismounting it first and then helping Senior Wei to also step down from it. Then, Wei Wuxian threw himself at his husband and hugged him tightly. It was nothing new to the juniors as Wei Wuxian had always been quite a clingy person with just about anyone. However, when it came to Hanguang-Jun, there was just something different about the way he did it.

Lan Jingyi was still brooding over this fact when he suddenly froze altogether and felt blood rush into his cheeks. He could not believe it, Senior Wei and Hanguang-Jun were kissing! Right in front of him at that. Lan Jingyi had never seen them doing that before and he was completely stunned. He could not tear his eyes away even when someone started dragging him and hissing at him: "That was enough, we should not be here right now. Let us give them some privacy."

Only when they were back in Jin Ling's room did Lan Jingyi find his voice again and he stuttered out, his mouth staying wide open still: "W-What was that?" He was too shocked to manage anything else, his mind buzzling and his thoughts all over the place.

The three others looked at him with something akin to pity in their eyes. Then Jin Ling broke the awkward silence, behaving as usual like a spoiled maiden, although his words were far from that: "Uncle Wei and Hanguang-Jun were kissing, duh. You from the Gusu Lan sect do not even know that much?" He looked seriously taken aback.

This angered Lan Jingyi quite a bit and he retorted immediately: "Of course I know what kissing is, it is just I have never seen Senior Wei and Hanguang-Jun doing it."

The silence was back, shocked and disbelieving this time.

"Let me ask you," started Ouyang Zizhen carefully, "what did you then think they should do when they are husbands?"

His friend's voice was a bit patronizing and Lan Jingyi did not like it. It was true that he had never thought about what Hanguang-Jun and Senior Wei were doing when they were alone. As Ouyang Zizhen pointed out, they were husbands after all. It just never occurred to him that they could actually be kissing. Were they perhaps even doing other things he had heard some of his friends talk about? No, it could surely not be, not Hanguang-Jun.

He felt his cheeks blushing again and he had to avert him eyes in shame at thinking something this improper about the role model of the whole Gusu Lan sect.

"But we are in the Cloud Recesses... the rules..." he stuttered out, suddenly frustrated and ill at ease.

Lan Sizhui came closer to him and gently patted his shoulder, making him look at him again. His voice was soothing with only the faintest bit of amusement: "Jingyi, it is alight, it is what cultivation partners do. I was us who came intruding on them so they did nothing wrong, they must have thought they were alone."

Lan Jingyi slowly nodded, it made perfect sense. Perhaps even the great and seemingly untouchable Hanguang-Jun behaved like a normal person when it came to his cultivation partner. Everything was alright then. Although only when they would do those things privately, he was still blushing and he had only seen one kiss! He would not be able to stand anything more. No, he did not even want to imagine it!

But of course when he tried not to think about something, the same thoughts just flooded his mind. He felt his cheeks burning even brighter now.

Jin Ling was now blushing as well and pointing a finger at him accusingly: "You! What are you just thinking about!"

They all erupted into loud laughter, and Lan Jingyi was grateful for that as his thoughts could finally focus on something else and he could forget everything about his embarrassment.