WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 6 Family

They hit the surface of the water with everyone hanging on to each other and Suanni's fur. Wei Ying had curved his arms around Li XiWang so she was braced against impact, and Lan Zhan had done the same for him.

Given Suanni's size, the disturbance upon the ocean floor was substantial and debris from the loose sand and errant fish caused them to lose their bearings for a while until it settled again.

Once the waters cleared, they all gasped, not only the ones who were returning to this beautiful haven of wonders, but the ones who were experiencing it for the first time, gazed around in shock.

Shoals of colourful fish scooted around them, wrays came to nose around the new visitors, watching the way the seahorses swam in tandem. This blue-green world was both vast and vivid, with colours bursting unexpectedly along the reefs adjacent to where Suanni was taking them.

Coral in shining pinks and iridescent peaches, contrasting against the green seaweed and underwater ferns stood out, the flash of oysters burrowing in the shallow sands, while octopuses sent inky trails to deceive their hunters. Life was busy in this marine oasis, a rainbow world.

Sea snakes swam by, eyeing their group and deciding something so big was not worth the trouble, while red lobsters hid behind sea grass watching them swim away.

Wei Ying was staring at the gills that had appeared on his daughter's arms, both in fascination and awe, since he had the same ones appear along the ridge of his wingspan. This whole journey of transformation had a purpose, and they had no idea where all of this would lead.

Suanni was travelling further along the ocean floor until he reached the dip where the Jiaoren Kingdom lay, and as they got closer, they saw the King, Shiyong Fei, waiting for them.

Wei Ying smiled, despite the fact that the last time they had met, the king had imprisoned him against his will, and it was only by the quick thinking of his friend, Kedou who had saved him, that he had managed to find Shui and stop the war between the Jiaoren and the Dragon Kings.

Kedou was swimming next to the King, already waving. Wei Ying handed Li XiWang to Lan Zhan and they watched while he shot off, his wings acting as a rudder, sleek and shining from the little sunlight that could reach them here, so far away from the surface.

Kedou, now a few years older, was dressed in the finery of the Royal court, and he immediately hugged Wei Ying when he got closer.

"How are you, friend? You came back to see us?" The words were trapped inside oxygen bubbles, heard only when they burst next to Wei Ying's face.

He nodded enthusiastically, smiling.

"How have you been? I can see you've made some changes in your life?" Wei Ying looked him up and down.

By this time, Suanni had reached them, and once all the travellers climbed off his back, Wei Ying made the introductions.

"This is the brave Jiaoren King, Shiyong Fei." He said, consequently explaining who everyone else was.

"I never got a chance to apologise to you," the King said to Wei Ying.

"Whatever for?" Wei Ying was taken aback.

"You were a stranger to our world, and I...I thought you had bad intentions, so I locked you away. I am sorry that happened at all, because you found our Shui. And prevented a misinformed battle which would have resulted in great loss of life."

The King bowed, much to Wei Ying's embarrassment.

"No need, no need." Wei Ying took his arms and raised him up.

"Wanna see Shui?" Kedou asked, grinning.

"Yes please." Wei Ying replied eagerly. He turned back to his brother. "Jiang Cheng, it may be better if you stay here...because...you know..."

He was referring to the last time Jiang Cheng met Shui; they were strangers and Jiang Cheng had accidentally attacked the boy with Zidian.

Jiang Cheng had the good grace to look embarrassed, and XiChen wrapped an arm around his waist.

"We can wait here. Perhaps the King could show us his magnificent Palace instead?" He smiled at the King, who preened at his slight praise.

"But of course. Please follow me." They swam towards the his Palace while XiChen asked him polite questions about its architecture and how difficult it was to govern here.

Wei Ying smiled after them; his XiChen-Ge was a master of diplomacy, always one for the politics and soothing ruffled feathers. If the King was miffed in any way that Wei Ying had greeted his friend first, XiChen had banished negative thoughts, and now the King was pointing out interesting facts about his home.

Kedou swam around the back of the Palace, to small home where Shui lived. He was the Jiaoren Prince, but as a child, he had gotten lost and the trauma of not having any family to look after him, as well as navigating through the perils of underwater life by himself had made his mind embrace simplicity.

After so long living by himself, hiding within the ruins of shipwrecks, Wei Ying had been the first person he had contact with, after so long. Shui was the last of the Jiaoren royalty, a fact that was proved by his ability to cry pearls, and Wei Ying had been shocked at how many littered the place where he was found.

Luckily, he had a good home now with people who treated him kindly and looked after him. He had only basic needs and mostly amused himself by making chains out of seaweed string and shells he found pretty, to make into necklaces.

Wei Ying reached into the pockets of his trousers and pulled out the ones Shui had given them as parting gifts from the last time they were here. Lan Zhan and Li XiWang wore theirs as he put his one over his head, admiring the skill with which they had been made.

And then they were ready.

Wei Ying knocked on the door of the humble home, half expecting Shui to open it, but Shui flew out from the window. He aimed straight for Wei Ying, clinging on and crying happy tears, which still came out in pearl form.

"Shui, Shui, my boy! I missed you!" Wei Ying put his arms around the young Prince and hugged him, both content to just stay like that.

Shui was a vessel for all of the love that Wei Ying had for the innocent boy, so glad to see him, his heart was bursting with joy.

Shui couldn't stop his happy tears, burrowing into Wei Ying's chest as if he wanted to get closer. His tail wrapped all around both of them, a cocoon of love.

"Now, no more crying, okay?" Wei Ying wiped under his eyes, his own ones shining with too much emotion.

Lan Zhan and Li XiWang felt the same, watching this exchange between two souls, one ever so hungry for love. Lan Zhan was so proud of his Wei Ying, and this weird connection the both of them seemed to have. He would always be in awe of Wei Ying's capacity to love, picking up children wherever he went, not intentionally but those children who really needed him, tended to gravitate towards him out of choice. And the wonderful man that he was, he readily accepted them with open arms.

Perhaps it was due to Wei Ying's upsetting childhood, where every day was a challenge, that led him to have this inherent quality, a need in himself to make sure that every child he came across was happy and well-fed.

Lan Zhan thought back to his life before Wei Ying had made an impact, because that was what had happened to them both. A barren life, full of rules and harshness, and suddenly it was full of light, love and laughter. Their first child, SiZhui gave him a reason to live after tragedy stole his life. Again, brought about by this amazing soul.

Lan Zhan looked towards his son now, married and grown up, but watching his father with the Prince, tears in both his eyes and Jin Ling's as they watched.

Surely, love was the purest emotion in the universe.

And they were lucky to be able to witness it like this.