Red Rose [Never Let You Go, Again Book 3]

21: Sorry For Being Late

"Oi, stop kicking it, it might alert them," Nie Huaisang kicked Jiang Cheng's leg away from the barrier.

"What should we do?" Xuanji looked around. "Sizhui, Jingyi, Jin Ling, Liwei, Xiyi, any idea?"

The juniors sulked. "Shijie... Can't we break the ward?" Jingyi asked.

"No, it's a demonic ward," Sizhui pointed to the patterns on the barrier that appeared when they touched it. "To prevent any evils from entering, which includes both ghouls or demons, and intruders or enemies."

"Which is why Daddy got in, but we can't, because he's a demonic cultivator like Nie Jiuyue and Liu Zhongliang," Jin Ling nodded to him.

"Then what? How do we get inside?"

"Well," Huaisang turned to them. "We saw their hiding spot so we can come back in a day to attack them... There's no hurry. Unless..."

Xiyi nodded. "Unless Daddy's in trouble already."

"Jiang Cheng, can't you use the trick you used last time to find out?" Xuanji asked.

Jiang Cheng nodded and shut his eyes to focus on his core. He focussed and focussed with all his might but saw nothing.

"It's not working!"

"Calm down. You must be panicked. Five deep breaths, no time for ten."

Jiang Cheng nodded and took five deep inhalations before focussing again. The others watched intently before gasping when Jiang Cheng began to wriggle.

"Jiang-xiong? Jiang-xiong!"

Jiang Cheng's frame twisted either way, body squirming, expression contorting, before his grey eyes shot open with a gasp for air. "Jiang-xiong!"

"Chained," Jiang Cheng gripped his hair and pulled hard, shaking his head. "He... He's being dragged away somewhere..."

"Oh dear, he really has been captured..."

"We need to get in fast!" Jiang Liwei exclaimed.

"But how? We can't get in through this!"

Nie Huaisang shut his fan. "We'll walk around the barrier and look for a weak spot or a gap."

The others nodded and followed him to sneak around the ward. 

**********

Back at the Jingshi, Lan Wangji calmly opened his eyes. Anxious, he swirled his hands over his chest and brought out the image of his core. Sure enough, it was as bright turquoise blue as ever. Not a hint of the black and red from before.

Beaming, he cried out, "Gege!"

Lan Xichen, reading a book intently, looked up to smile at his pure core. "You did it!"

"The neidan helped a lot."

"Of course it did, why else would your sweetheart give it?" Xichen grinned as he walked over to his brother. "So, shall I send him the message through Meilien?"

"Gege's going to Lotus Pier now?"

"No, Jiang Cheng sent a letter saying he was going on a small task somewhere and would be leaving Meilien in my hands. She's here, must be playing outside. Give me a minute," Lan Xichen walked out of the Hanshi.

Lan Wangji stood and walked to the window to look up at the midday sun. A-Ying, I'm back. Better than ever. I've healed. You're coming home, right? A searing pain on his ring finger made him look down. The red tips of the rose petals on his ring were on fire. Right...? Lan Zhan turned to the door to call for his brother but Xichen walked in with Meilien just then. "Gege!" He held up his hand. "A-Ying's in danger."