WangXian - I am always with you

5: Qinglong

Three days later, Wei Wuxian woke up. Lan Wangji had been sitting at his side, unwilling to leave even for a moment. It had taken a considerable amount of time for Lan Xichen to convince his brother to even eat. So everyone was pretty relieved when Wei Wuxian finally woke up, blinking his silvery eyes at Lan Wangji.

"Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian asked, a little confused. Lan Wangji wanted to hug him so very tightly, and never let go again, but the Lan doctors had said he shouldn't move around too much, so Lan Wangji settled for a quick kiss.

"Wei Ying," he replied, the relief obvious in his voice.

"Didi, I have some-," Lan Xichen said, walking into the Jingshi. "-bad news..."

Lan Wangji did not like that worry and sadness in his brother's voice. He opened his mouth to reply when Wei Wuxian sat up, clutching his head.

"Master Wei, you're awake!" Lan Xichen said, smiling. Lan Wangji put an arm around his husband's back to keep him upright.

"You seem surprised," Wei Wuxian joked, but Lan Wangji could see the pain in his eyes.

"Well, you were asleep for three days, and the doctors said it would take another few days at least."

At that, Wei Wuxian's eyes had widened.

"I was asleep for three days? Damn, it felt so short," he muttered, unconsciously leaning into Lan Wangji.

"Sect Leader Lan, the doctors just-," said Jiang Cheng, barging in and getting a glare from Lan Wangji that shut him up on the spot. Wei Wuxian waved at Jiang Cheng.

"Cheng Cheng! I'm awake!"

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, but the relief in them was clear. Lan Xichen turned to the purple sect leader.

"What were you saying, Wanyin?" he asked gently. Lan Wangji noted his brother's use of Jiang Cheng's courtesy name. Jiang Cheng seemed to remember it.

"Oh, well, the doctors have confirmed it," he said.

"Confirmed what?" Wei Wuxian asked, confused. Lan Xichen looked at Lan Wangji for permission, and Lan Wangji reluctantly nodded.

"The poison from the Zhuque is incurable," Jiang Cheng said simply. Lan Wangji whitened, gripping Wei Wuxian's hand hard as the latter's eyes widened. Then he smiled softly.

"Actually, there is a cure," Wei Wuxian said.

As it turned out, Wei Wuxian could never have a decent rest. So in those three days he was sleeping, he was visited by someone.

Wei Wuxian sighed as he saw it. Here we go again, he thought miserably. Turning his attention to the beast, he let himself examine it. A massive dragon was curled up in front of him, watching him with keenly intelligent eyes. It's scales were a beautiful azure colour, paying homage to it's name: the Azure Dragon, Qinglong. Wei Wuxian bowed his head in respect, then waited for the Qinglong to make the first move. Sure enough, the mythical dragon soon spoke.

"I've heard of you. You killed Xuanwu," it mused, causing Wei Wuxian to stiffen. "Yes, I remember. And now, you've been poisoned by Zhuque. You really don't have too much luck."

"..."

Wei Wuxian didn't know what to say.

"Anyway, the Vermillion Bird has been pretty annoying recently," it rumbled. "The White Tiger, Baihu, seems to like you, so he sent me to tell you something."

"Lord Qinglong, may I ask why?" Wei Wuxian said.

"Hm, I imagine you know the legends of the Four Symbols of the Constellations? Well, Baihu always rewards those who are virtuous, and he seems to have taken a liking to you. I owe him, so I'm doing this. I came here to tell you there is a way to heal that wound. A few hundred years ago, I passed over this world, and my spiritual energy seeped into a plant. This plant was a small flower, and it turned gold when it absorbed my qi. If you eat that, the impurities from the Zhuque will be nullified."

"Where is this flower?" Wei Wuxian asked. "How do you know it hasn't been picked?"

The Azure Dragon laughed.

"You sure ask a lot of questions. I can still feel it. It's still alive and well. But I don't know where that is, and I can't guide you, so I'll give you a seed in my place."

A seed appeared above Wei Wuxian's hands, and he held it gently.

"This seed will grow and wither depending on how close you are to the flower."

Wei Wuxian smiled. "Thank you, great Lord Qinglong."

Qinglong smiled back, a slightly terrifying sight.

"Now. Wake up."

Wei Wuxian explained his dream, and opened his curled up left hand. In it, the seed was safely held. A small green tendril was poking out already.

"You should leave as soon as possible," Lan Xichen told them. "Take some disciples with you."

Wei Wuxian watched his husband acquiesce to the request, his golden eyes filled with a tremulous hope. Jiang Cheng, who had been quiet this whole time, just nodded and walked out. Lan Xichen quickly followed. Wei Wuxian made a mental note to ask Jiang Cheng about Lan Xichen when he returned.

"Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian turned his silver eyes towards his beloved, meeting bright golden ones. He reached out the hand that wasn't holding the seed and cupped Lan Zhan's face. They leaned their foreheads together, their breaths mixing.

"Lan Zhan, I'm not leaving. Not again," Wei Wuxian said, caressing his face. Lan Wangji's eyes darkened, and he pulled him into a searing kiss that made Wei Wuxian forget about the poison, about the deep cut in his arm, and only about the warmth of Lan Zhan's lips against his. When they finally broke apart, Lan Wangji carefully helped Wei Wuxian lie down again, his tenderness almost bringing tears to Wei Wuxian's eyes. A wave of tiredness overtook him, and he close his eyes, falling back into sleep in an instant.

"Sleep well, Wei Ying. We leave tomorrow," Lan Wangji said softly.