YILING PATRIACH'S PROTECTOR

36

The next few days were a bit uneventful. Unlike the expectations of the servants of the Gusu clan and their Clan Master Lan Xichen, nothing was done from the Young Lady's side. 

All she did was take walks around her courtyard, go outside to look around and go back before the night turned deeper. Oftentimes, the servants especially Lianting and Mianmian, could see their Young Lady walking but her face was vacant from any emotions and seemingly deep in her thoughts. 

The two worried about her and reported this to the Clan Master, but they were not permitted to do anything. 

"The Young Lady can do whatever she wants at her own pace, do not get in her way, but make sure to keep her safe," Lan Xichen told them and they abide by his command and go back to the courtyard of the Young Lady. 

"Huh? Did she leave again?" Mianmian looked at her partner, Lianting as she tidied up the table where the Lady finished her tea time a few hours ago. 

"Yes, Though, nobody saw her figure leaving the courtyard... I wonder where the Lady goes?" Lianting asked while carrying the tray of used utensils. 

"I just hope that the Lady will cheer up and let us communicate with her, It's been a few weeks, and yet she never tried to learn about anything inside the Gusu Lan Sect," Mianmian said and they retreated to do some other chores around the courtyard.

One day turns into a week, a week turns into a few months. The two maidservants of the Lady residing inside the courtyard of the Gusu Lan Sect. Their worries, however, were twice as much as Lan Xichen's worries were, as he started to track and look for her around the Sect. He tried to do this swiftly and efficiently until he got a lead on her whereabouts. She was trying to track the whereabouts of his younger brother and Wei Wuxian.

Although Lan Xichen knows that she, Zhen Huatian, was opening her heart to him, he was still not the first priority of her being. He tried to confront her the same night about her activities outside and her answer made his heart sting a bit.

"I promised the Sect Leader's wife, to take care of Wei Wuxian. Even if it's not his lover, I am still his protector..." She said, watching her pet snake move around her wrist. Lan Xichen was sitting in front of her inside her courtyard.

"Zhen Huatian... You know that Lan Wangji is with him... You know that the two of them will not let anyone know about their next steps... Can you at least focus on me? Or just focus on your happiness for a while... I promised Wei Wuxian to protect and love you, if I can't do that, what kind of man will I be?" Lan Xichen reaches out and holds her hands. They were ice cold, which made Lan Xichen shiver a bit, but he held her firmly and transferred some Qi to warm her up. 

"Lan Xichen... I'm sorry... I do not know how to," Huatian told him honestly while looking at his face, Her expression was lost and sad, and Lan Xichen wanted to make sure that it would never appear on her face ever again. He has to try harder. 

"Zhen Huatian, I will be honest with you that I also do not know how to make you happy by my side, but we can try things together, and grow our relationship side by side. You do not need to worry about other things. Regarding Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, if they are both in danger, my brother will call for me, so please ease your mind," Lan Xichen put the stray hair at the back of Zhen Huatian's ears and gave her a reassuring smile. 

"Hm... if you say it like that, then I will listen to you," Zhen Huatian said and focused on the warmth that was coming from Lan Xichen's hands. Lan Xichen smiled and went forward to hug her in his arms.

Zhen Huatian was surprised from the sudden skinship, but she didn't reject it. The soft smell of sandalwood on Lan Xichen and the warmth of his embrace. it was the first time she received a hug from him after living here.

Zhen Huatian hugged him back and buried her face a little closer to his chest, near enough to hear his honest heartbeats.

It was fast, and beating, telling her that he was alive.

"Zhen Huatian, like this, we can start small and do things together," Lan Xichen told her as he put his hand on top of her head and stroke her hair.

"Mhm... this... feels nice and warm," Zhen Huatian said with a small smile on her face.

The following days, everyone in the Gusu Sect saw the Young lady always following Lan Xichen wherever he goes. From the library, to the classrooms, from the garden to the training grounds. It was starting to look like a routine that everyone was not acknowledging quite yet.

Some female students who admires their sect leader, would sometimes try to black Zhen Huatian's way to scare her away or bully her. But who was Zhen Huatian?

She lived multiple times and faced death before coming back to life, these small insignificant infants dares to block her way? how funny.

They would always get beaten up by her without using her skills, making it look like a one-sided fight.

Hearing that Zhen Huatian has been dealing those sorts of students, Lan Xichen made a decision to push forward and told everyone inside the Sect that he was courting Zhen Huatian.

Everyone was surprised and in disbelief. WHAT?! THE FAMOUS LAN XICHEN WAS COURTING A RANDOM GIRL FROM AN UNKNOWN ORIGIN?! HOW COULD THAT POSSIBLY BE?!

"Lan Xichen..." Zhen Huatian looked at Lan Xichen who was busy copying a book of discipline on his table. Lan Xichen  smiled as he looked at her, but she only frowned at his demeanor.

"You can still smile carelessly? See what I told you that people in your sect will disprove us, yet you still persist and-" Zhen Huatian wanted to vent for being wronged.

Why are people so quick on putting faults to others when she clearly didn't do anything to wrong them?

"Zhen Huatian do not worry, writing is not something so serious, besides, I can still stay with you, I'm happy," Lan Xichen said that made Zhen Huatian's lips turn into a pout, eyes conveying her clear discontent with his words.