WangXian Forever 5

Chapter 85 Sanctuary

The temple was vast and only looked misleadingly small from the outside. Worshippers and craftsmen had gouged out the stone from the mountain to burrow deep within the unyielding hardness.

The main temple room was huge and cavernous, with a hole carved into its roof. Massive stone pillars secured the space which was rounded like the physical shape of their goddess. Several rooms were added on the sides, though it was obvious they were not as aged as the main altar room, where a beautiful stone statue stood resplendent in all her glory. Even in the relative darkness, her face shone with grace and love. Someone had been filled with devotion and love themselves, in order to carve the same in her reflection.

Lan Zhan did not care.

When the fighting had begun, Hui Gai had taken Li XiWang to the empty temple and there, they waited. He was happy that they couldn't see anything from that height but this resulted in nervous pacing from the ten year old. No amount of distractions were useful, and she even rejected their game of jacks.

The first injured were transported earlier, and Li XiWang watched as the Flowers of Venus tended to their wounded with efficency and pride. Still, there was no word from her fathers.

Much later on, when a chill wrapped around her heart, she knew something was wrong. She turned to see Hui Gai looking just as worried, and she ran into the main altar room, when the rest of the casualties arrived. She looked desperately between them, watching out for black and white robes, smiling at first when she spotted them. But then she realised something was wrong from the face of her father Zhan.

She ran towards them, when she saw who he was carrying. They were taken to one of the separate rooms where he was laid upon a bamboo mat. Father Zhan began transferring spiritual energy straight away, trying to seal his internal injuries.

Lan Zhan looked up to see their daughter adding hers to his, a ferocious look in her suddenly white eyes. Together they fed him the precious energy that would start the healing process.

A while later, Lan Zhan stopped her.

"Rest now. We will repeat later," he told her.

Hui Gai sat with her against the wall where she promptly fell asleep, her head in his lap. The demon watched with red eyes, licking his lips and holding his tail, clearly distressed.

Lan Zhan removed Wei Ying's outer robes carefully. The blood had dried, caked into hard flakes where he had been stabbed. The abdomen wound was the worst, but there were so many cuts on his body. He remembered thinking about the fighting, wondering why all the attackers had focused on Wei Ying as a target. Whenever he had seen him fighting, there had always been twice as many warriors attacking him, which was another reason why Lan Zhan had escaped severe injury. Only his arm was cut, and even then, it was a shallow wound.

Gently, he turned Wei Ying's body over and tried not to cry. Somebody had pierced his back in an acutely painful slash,  deeper than the rest. He was sure that was when Wei Ying had been forced to drop Suibian. Lan Zhan washed the many cuts, cleaning them and wrapping bandages after applying the necessary ointments. Then he laid that precious body on its back and did the same with the front, all the while willing him to wake.

But Wei Ying remained cocooned in the sweetness of oblivion, fast asleep.

*******

Li XiWang woke up once in the night, near to morning. She sat up and found comfort in Hui Gai.

"How is my father?" She whispered.

He gestured to the both bodies fast asleep, one holding the other so carefully as not to hurt his injuries.

"They are both better."

Li XiWang smiled and returned to her sleep.

********

The next morning, they were woken by a commotion outside the room. Lan Zhan didn't bother getting up, afraid to wake his sleeping husband.

But Li XiWang bowed and asked permission to see. She opened the door where the noise was louder.

Yezi was crying, moving from body to body, searching for someone. When her eyes met Li XiWang's, she ran towards her.

"Have you seen my sister? Where's Zhitiao?"

******