Shooting Star [Never Let You Go, Again Book 2]

25: Cocooned In Darkness

"A-Zhan darling, are we going back to meditating?" Wei Wuxian asked as he kneaded Lan Wangji's biceps on their walk from the bunnies to the Jingshi. Dinnertime and the ninth hour of the night were long past and it was almost eleven. Not that Hanguang-Jun minded.

"Mn."

"Great. There's something I need to do as well."

"A-Ying needs to go somewhere?"

"Oh no, something to do while cultivating. You'll see!" Wei Wuxian beamed as he hopped and leapt on his way to the Jingshi, towing Lan Wangji along with him.

Once they were inside, the two settled down on their mats and composed themselves before drifting off into states of absolute tranquillity. Lan Wangji just had a glimpse of Wei Wuxian constantly stroking his black ring before they shut their eyes.

A few hours later, Lan Wangji sensed very dark energy. His eyes shot open and his head twisted towards his husband — who was invisible. Wei Wuxian was... possibly still seated beside him. But Lan Wangji couldn't see a thing. In the place of his pretty husband was a thick cloak of gloom. Jet black smoke surrounded the figure within, completely encasing him, shutting him off from and to the rest of the world. Wei Wuxian was cocooned in darkness. Lan Wangji immediately stood up, grabbed Bichen, unsheathed it and slashed it through the smoke, careful to not strike too deep to avoid hurting Wei Ying. Under the turquoise blue glare, the black smoke quickly receded. Lan Wangji rushed in to find his husband lying on the floor, unconscious, blood dribbling from the tip of his mouth.

"A-YING!"

Lan Zhan flopped down on the floor, laying his husband on his lap. Splashing water didn't work so he checked Wei Ying's energy. A faint red string exuded from his forehead to Lan Zhan's inspecting fingertips. What was terrifying was that the red was almost coated in a dark black. Too weak.

All at once, Wang Meihui's words echoed in his head. Chase out the dark energy with your spiritual energy.

Nodding to himself, he dismissed Wei Ying's thin energy thread and sent in his own spiritual energy in rivers and waves. After some time, Lan Zhan saw the eyelids fluttering. Gradually, the lustrous eyes shot open, blazing with agony.

"A-Ying!"

"Mhm," Wei Ying groaned as he clawed at his chest. Lan Zhan immediately stopped sending in energy.

"I sent in energy, does it pain, A-Ying?"

Wei Ying, seeing the golden eyes burgeoning with worry, smiled through his pains. "It's fine, darling. Good that you did that." In a minute or two, the pain had subsided, but Wei Ying didn't want to get up from the warm lap so he lay there in his beloved's embrace. Nor did Lan Zhan make him sit up.

"What happened?"

"I did this cool thing, A-Zhan. Think it might have cost me some energy but I guess it's worth the trouble. Had to use a summoning chant: hence the smoke. Wanna see?"

Lan Zhan shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Stay here. Don't leave."

"Aww," Wei Ying chuckled softly as he snuggled closer into his husband. "I won't, I won't." Sniggering, he burrowed himself in Lan Zhan's cuddle, rubbing his nose cheekily on Lan Zhan's tautening abdominal muscle.

"A-Ying..."

Wei Ying laughed. "Yes, yes, I know. Isn't it past midnight? How about we go to bed?"

It wasn't like Lan Zhan could ignore the sparks running through him right now anyway so he nodded. Anything but Wei Ying getting up from him. So he picked his husband up and together, they went to bed.