Savage Wolf, Lotus Heart [Never Let You Go, Again: Book 4]

27: XiaXia's Gibberish

"But Master, Huli's too........ useless," Xiao Xiang reminded. "A good-for-nothing like her can't summon the Qiong Qi, let alone cooperate with him, and then go around manipulating so many demonic beasts! Impossible. She's useless. There's no way she's skilled enough to do something like all that."

"I don't know anyone else, Xiangxiang. The demon has to be someone at least close to your level."

"And how is SHE supposed to be at MY level?" Xiao Xiang huffed.

"Then what do you say? Who is it?"

"Perhaps someone else who has almost as much strength as I hold among demons... but someone I don't know? Strange... Master, allow me to look up on this back home. I'll get back to you right after I find something."

"Then thank you."

"Should I inform LanGui and Hei'An too? Might do with their help."

"Do it."

"See you, Master, everyone," she waved and disappeared.

"Susu, why don't you go on a night hunt and try tracking down the person when you sense them there?"

"But they won't come if they know I'm coming..."

"Then do it spontaneously!" Lan Xichen nodded. "Qiang-Er and Wen Ning will come with Wangji on a night hunt, tonight or whenever possible, soon. You hide in the shadows and search for the presence. See if you can find them."

"Tonight?" Wei Wuxian turned to his husband.

"Mn." We might come across Rulan too, see how he's doing.

Ah right, Rulan's coming here tonight right? Good, we'll get to meet him, Wei Wuxian conveyed back and nodded to him. 

**********

Lan Sizhui hummed to himself as he shut the doors to his room and looked around it. He had just returned home from dinner. He began rushing around, fixing things, making the bed, clearing the table, arranging the tea set for the sixth time that day, checking the stack of books on the table, reserved for later use, for the eleventh time. Once he was satisfied with the tidiness of his room, he began pacing up and down, patting his pillow arrangement on the bed at the end of each lap. Anxious, anticipating, excited, not really delighted because he didn't know what to expect.

Who knew if he'd even come? He was always so introverted, insular, bottling everything up inside, didn't want anyone to worry, didn't want to be a trouble, didn't want to harm Sizhui. What if he didn't come?

Never mind, I'll stay here until the night ends.

Tap! Tap! Rrrrap! Light knocks sounded on the doors. Sizhui ran to the door, took a deep breath and opened it wide. "A-Ling!"

"Sizhui," Jin Ling nodded curtly.

Lan Sizhui's arms opened wide and circled around, and Jin Ling opened his mouth to protest. But then instead of hugging him, Sizhui wrapped his arms around the little girl in Rulan's arms and picked her up onto his shoulder. "There you are, XiaXia!" 

Jin Ling smirked bitterly, disgruntled. 

"Goo!" Jin Mingxia squealed in delight at meeting her favourite person.

Sizhui poked her nose. "Boop!"

She burst into giggles and shrieks of glee.

"Aren't you the most cheerful little creature," Lan Sizhui chuckled and walked into his home. Seated on the bed, he rocked her back and forth. "A-Ling, there's a cup of tea for you to freshen up, I'm assuming you came straight after work, no rest?"