Wei Ying looked at Hongse, trying to remain calm.
"Who is it?" He asked, even though he had guessed at who it might be.
There was always the hope he was wrong...
"It's the Tree huggers. Who else?" Despite the severity of the situation, Hongse rolled her eyes.
"Then we have to tell the sisters." Wei Ying looked back at the two women who, while they were unshackled, were still surrounded by their crimson clad guard. "Let's slow down and decide what to do, but if they're watching us, don't make it obvious."
"Done." Hongse returned to the front line.
Wei Ying slowed his pace so the twins would catch up to him.
"Carry on walking and pretend what I'm about to tell you has no effect. Alright?" He walked beside them. "There's going to be an ambush by your sisters. There's definitely going to be conflict, and it's come faster than we would have liked. What do you want to do?"
"Fight." They both spoke without hesitation.
"Wait. Please think about this first." Wei Ying told them.
They looked at him in surprise.
"Eyes front," he reminded them. "I just want you to fully understand what this means, before you commit. Once you've decided, there'll be no turning back. If you're on our side, that means you're against them, and it's going to be obvious. Are you prepared to face the consequences?"
"Yes."
"I, for one, will not hold it against you, if you wish to return to your family. We can tell them we forced your cooperation."
Yezi stopped walking. She turned to fully face Wei Ying.
"For one thing, Shidi," she emphasised, "I don't change my mind, just like this." She snapped her fingers. "Secondly, I never would have expected you to say that to us. It...it means a lot, that you would trust us that much. You called them family, but they lied to us, and if you're right, they killed our Mother. I cannot forgive that. Do you know how many times they put my sister's life in danger? And for what?"
Zhitiao put a hand on her shoulder to rein in her temper.
"What my sister is saying, is that we can fight, and we will fight. They need to know that we no longer support them, and we need to show our remaining sisters the truth. That we don't need to live like that. Not any more. Besides," she grinned at Yezi who smiled back. "We gave our oath. We need to protect our niece, above everything else."
"Alright. I will not insult your loyalty by asking you if you're sure again. But as fighters, I want your opinions. Do you think we should still move forward to face them head on?" Wei Ying stroked the kitten which stretched languidly in his arms.
"We don't have a choice." Zhitiao replied firmly. "They already know we're coming. Even if you change direction suddenly, what's to stop them coming after us? Is it better to chase, or be chased?"
"To chase." He answered straight away.
"Then you've answered your own question. Now, just give us something to fight with." Yezi told him with a smirk.
"I'll let Hongse know." Wei Ying quickened his pace so now he was walking next to Lan Zhan again. "Ambush, up ahead."
It was all he needed to say, for Lan Zhan to understand everything.
"Hui Gai." He answered, looking at the sleeping form of their daughter.
Hui Gai, please don't come out, just listen, Wei Ying told him. There's a trap, and we're walking straight towards it.
Of course you are.
Wei Ying could feel the demon smiling through his words.
Can I ask you to take care of our daughter? Please?
Pengyou, it goes without saying. I will take care of her.
Thank you, my friend.
No need. That's what family is for.
Wei Ying smiled to himself. I love you too.
He happened to be looking at Lan Zhan then, who scowled.
"How do you know I'm not talking about you?" He teased.
"Wei Ying...looks different."
"What? When I say it to you and when I say it to someone else? You know it's not the same..."
"Mn."
"Then why are you getting all worked up over it? You must know, especially by now, that I don't feel remotely as much for anyone else as I do for you." Wei Ying reached up to kiss his cheek.
"Still hurts."
Wei Ying was left staring at him while he moved on.
"Wait...wait!" Wei Ying ran back to him.
Lan Zhan stopped for him, a sadness lingering within deep golden pools. Wei Ying grabbed his face and kissed him with a passion, both ignoring the sleeping child.
When they parted, both breathless, Wei Ying wiped his tearful face with his sleeves.
"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Lan Zhan, I love you. Only you...and if...if it upsets you so much, I won't say it to anyone else. I promise. Except the children. I...I can say it to them, right?"
"Mn."
"So...SiZhui and Li XiWang. What about Jin Ling? And JingYi? And XiChen-Ge? And Uncle Qiren? And Jiang Cheng? And Wen Ning?"
Lan Zhan's scowl deepened.
"See how unreasonable you're being?" Wei Ying whispered. "They're also my family, why should Hui Gai be any different?" He sighed, looking down. "It's not fair. You know it's a different type of love..."
"Mn."
"But if you're insisting...then..."
"Can say something else." Lan Zhan said, softly.
"Really?"
"Mn. Wei Ying should be happy." Lan Zhan kissed the top of his head.
"But I don't want to make you unhappy..."
"Whatever is going on with you two, wrap it up." Hongse was standing close, but neither had seen her. "We're approaching the valley, where they're lying in wait."
"Okay...okay, I'll think about it." Wei Ying promised. "Where's the Moon temple?"
"Up there."
Wei Ying followed her finger to where she pointed.
And gaped.
High up above them and still a distance away, sheer cliffs rose up to meet the endless inky sky. And on one face, attached to the cliff side like clawed nails hanging on, was a structure that looked as if a sharp gust of wind would shake it down.
Tonight was the night of the full moon.
They had to reach up there before the moon reached it's zenith. And in front of them lay a wide, overgrown valley full of hidden danger.
What could go wrong?
YOU ARE READING
WangXian Forever 5
RomansaThe search continues. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan have a mystery to solve and must help their daughter.