WangXian Forever 7

Chapter 125 Ju Xing Valley

Wei Ying shot up into the air, knowing that Lan Zhan was probably going to worry about him. But if he had stopped to ask, it would have made his husband even more panicky, and Wei Ying was planning to be fast.

The bright blue sky greeted him with not a cloud to be seen, a vibrant colour that reminded him of Lan Zhan’s favourite blue gentian flowers. He suddenly missed Cloud Recesses with a sharpness that he had never felt before, more than the normal feelings of not wanting to leave home.

Those familiar mountains were similar to these, but not the same. The waterfalls of Cloud Recesses were similar...but not the same. There was an attachment he felt to Gusu that went far beyond the actual place, something that tied the very fibres of his being to the water, air, space, earth and fire of Cloud Recesses.

And his family...he remembered SiZhui and Jin Ling, Lan XiChen and Jiang Cheng, their daughters...Wen Ning, Li Hua and their son...and JingYi, Zhitiao...and how could he forget Uncle Qiren?

These people made up his home.

This was a homesickness that he felt with every pore of his being, and even his flight became jerky until he made himself concentrate. Wei Ying looked around, hoping for confirmation of what he suspected was around them, hidden by the encroaching forest, its tall trees and foliage camouflaging the scenery.

And then, there they were!

The mountains that they had seen on their approach, only three from that side, were part of the Ring of Fire, and the five tall mountains stretched up towards the sky. Their peaks were white with unmelted snow and ice, glinting in the clear sunlight. The uneven tips shone up towards the sky, but even then, one mountain stood taller than all the rest.

Wei Ying swooped down to see the cascading waterfalls and knew without a doubt, they had reached Ju Xing Valley now. The sound of water crashing down upon resilient boulders reached his ears and he grinned at last.

On one side he could see the forest that they had emerged from, and right next to it, the lake, vast and spreading out towards the two mountains on the other side. And then the huge deep cave that he had seen from the ground, at the base of the tallest mountain.

They were one step closer to being able to go home.

As soon as he had proof, he flew back faster than he had ever flown to be back with Lan Zhan.

Lan Zhan held him at arm's length first, checking him all over before enveloping Wei Ying in a hard hug, holding him close.

"I'm sorry." Wei Ying murmured, hugging him back. "I didn't want to worry you more...I know it doesn't make sense but you were going to worry regardless...at least this way, the time spent doing it was less."

Lan Zhan neither agreed nor disagreed.

Just held him tightly.

"My love?" Wei Ying stroked his back wanting to reassure him. He kissed Lan Zhan’s hair, sighing when Lan Zhan pressed a warm kiss to his neck in return.

Lan Zhan was also trying to figure out what had changed about Wei Ying. His usually floral scent, lotus flowers plus Wei Ying, was remarkably different...but he thought no one else would be able to tell. There was the faintest trace of something else, something...maybe not good? He could not put his finger on it and his breaths were deeper as a result, trying to understand what was wrong.

"How does Wei Ying feel?" Lan Zhan asked instead.

Wei Ying thought carefully about this, before answering.

"Actually...I think I feel just fine. No pain anywhere." His excitement grew though, at the thought of his discovery. "But Lan Zhan, guess what?" He didn't wait for Lan Zhan’s answer and ploughed on ahead. "I went up there to see if it was really true, just to make sure we had reached the place we wanted to go. And yes, my love, this really is Ju Xing Valley and those mountains are the Ring of Fire."

"Mn."

It sounded hopeful to Wei Ying.

"Do you miss our home as well?" He whispered, as this other thought occurred to him.

Lan Zhan thought he would never get tired of Wei Ying describing Cloud Recesses as his home. Home was where you felt comfortable, where you could allow yourself to fully relax, to sleep, to be completely vulnerable. And his own home, the place where he had grown up and loved with his whole heart, was this sanctuary, all of those things for his husband.

Finally.

At last, Wei Ying had a place he could call his home, and not need to prove himself, or constantly seek justification for simply being allowed to stay. Cloud Recesses had accepted him, and even more importantly, Wei Ying had accepted Cloud Recesses as his.

So Lan Zhan smiled warmly, and kissed him.

This kiss was meant to give strength and show love, to offer a condolence that although they were not back home yet, they would be soon enough. This kiss was to show Wei Ying that he was not alone, that Lan Zhan’s feelings were the same and to give them both the reassurance that they were together, and always would be.

Still, Lan Zhan held him, even when they stopped.

"Mn. Miss Cloud Recesses...but I am happy, to be wherever Wei Ying is. If Wei Ying is happy, then so am I." He replied softly. "Wei Ying?"

Wei Ying kissed his forehead warmly, smiling gently too. He held Lan Zhan’s face in both of his hands, staring deeply into golden eyes, bright with love.

"My happiness lies with yours too. We are like a circle, no end, no beginning, just us. I love you, my husband, my love."

"Mn. I love Wei Ying." His arms came around him, tighter than before.

He only let go when he felt another presence.

"There are people in that cave." Hui Gai said.

*********

A/N

Dear lovely Readers,

I'm going to have things put into my eyes this afternoon, please don’t worry, it's a routine check up, but it will put me out of action today as I'm told I won't be able to see clearly afterwards.

Nothing to worry about, and I'll be back writing tomorrow.

Have a great day everyone!

Remember, the Universe loves you!

Charlie.