Bridging the gap | Wangxian | ON HOLD

Chapter 9

That night felt very long and tiresome for Wangji. Worry had drained him of his energy and he felt him losing his grip on his steely exterior under the pressure. In addition, his mind was boggling with concentration as he played song after song on the guqin to help cleanse Wei Ying's aura. 

He hated how the man refused to bother others with his issues, as though he himself wasn't cracking under the cumbersome weight of the world, single-handedly restoring justice. He wished the other felt able to confide in others but he understood it was a two way thing. Lan Zhan himself tried to put himself out there but his conservative manner was hard to shift. 

Wei Ying would be alright this time, but for how long. Mental and physical stress had built up on him without care of the debilitating impact. He was being smothered with no strength or will to breathe. Lan Zhan believed that even the stuff he thought he knew about Wei Ying was only the tip of the iceberg. 

And he had come to accept that he loved this man. This extravagant, bold and determined man had stolen his bashful and restricted heart. He loved him yet he couldn't bring himself to tell the other. He understood that his feelings would be forever unrequited and Wei Ying was pretty happy at the moment so why should he jeopardise that out of selfish desire? 

He was also scared; scared of the finality of a response - a rejection, scared of the consequences, scared of the crushing loss. So he contented to waiting and watching in the background. Forgetting the sparks of joy when A-Yuan called him as his father. Perhaps, one day, he would see Wei Ying truly bloom with joy and perhaps he would be able to ignore the jealousy and regret and be happy for him. Any pain he would suffer was insignificant in comparison to what Wei Ying had faced. 

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Lan Zhan was gone long before Wei Ying woke up the following morning. Lan Xichen spotted him pacing pensively in the gardens looking drawn and exhausted. The younger's emotion be it admiration, friendship or... something more had not passed his notice. He understood the torture and confusion that was internally rife in his brother. He recognised in the slight twitches of his lips, the small changes in his posture his brother's repressed feelings and felt guilt and pity inside. That he had aided in raising a child to be so closed off and strict to himself was a lifetime regret.

He saw how the other's face lit up when Wei Wuxian came and looked for him later that day. A-Yuan ran and jumped and giggled as Wei Ying forced Lan Zhan to join their game, pouting when he didn't win. A-Yuan was so ridiculously cute as he held both of their hands, babbling away. They fit. They really did. A perfect little family separated by fear. 

As the days passed and the celebration was reaching its end point, a sombre atmosphere hung over the group in unconscious acknowledgement of the coming separation. Who knew when the next time they would meet under favourable circumstances would occur?

Wei Ying was unable to dwell on the matter though as his mind was occupied with his little family's safety. He did not know who was attacking him: he had theories but no hard evidence. It hadn't just been the poison, throughout their entire stay he had been cautious of little occurrences that were passable as accidents. What angered him the most was that the cruel masterminds behind the attempts had not just targeted him. No. Their malice had allowed them to drag in other innocents. Firstly, there was the very real possibility that something intended for him would get given to A-Yuan, then he had seen evidence of someone placing dodgy talismans around the area in an attempt to frame him, lastly, the tassel that he had gifted to Jin Ling had mysteriously disappeared for a couple of days and when it reappeared for the child to play with, Wei Ying saw that it was covered in almost invisible (yet apparent enough to be deadly) traces of corpse dust.

Moreover, the poison had stopped after the second night after they had realised that it was ineffective and it had been a while since anything had happened causing Wei Ying extreme anxiety. What if he couldn't stop whatever was next to happen? As far as he knew, no one else was aware of the attacks except Lan Zhan, but he had refrained from telling the other the true severity of it.

Days continued to pass until it was already the penultimate night. In the afternoon, the sects had participated in a huge hunt so spirits were high. Although, he had not personally attended in hopes to keep peace, some of the sore losers still complained that the venerable Yiling Patriarch must have bent the rules and biased the results.

They feasted on a grand meal and A-Yuan was sent to sit with Lan Zhan as had become custom. As he continued to eat, a peculiar sensation comparable to being drunk began to wash over him and he was struggling to concentrate. Figuring that his food must've been tampered with, he attempted to excuse himself but just as he was leaving, a loud, brash and arrogant voice halted him.

"Young Master Wei... sorry, that's not your title anymore, silly me. Yiling Patriarch, why are you so hasty to leave. Didn't you know that it's rude and discourteous, not though you care for these trivial manners I suppose." Shouted a voice.