Wei Wuxian's fever set in sometime during the night. Lan Wangji discovered it when he was going to give Wei Wuxian his second transfusion of spiritual energy. Wei Wuxian's face was flushed and sweaty. He shivered while trying to burrow more tightly into Lan Wangji's warm embrace. With some effort Lan Wangji managed to free himself of his outer robe and wrap it around Wei Wuxian.
"Lan Zhan." Wei Wuxian's voice sounded raspy.
"I'm here." Lan Wangji replied, gently kissing Wei Wuxian's forehead. Wei Wuxian frowned in discomfort as he tried to continue to talk. Lan Wangji hastily checked the water he had kept near the fire. He was grateful to find it still steaming as he poured some into a bowl and brought it to Wei Wuxian's lips. Lan Wangji had wanted to get Wei Wuxian to drink some before, but had barely managed to coax Wei Wuxian into taking the requisite medicines.
"Lan Zhan. It's dead, right? I... I think I asked you, but I don't remember if you answered." Wei Wuxian's voice sounded rough, like speaking was uncomfortable. Lan Wangji refilled the empty bowl and coaxed Wei Wuxian to drink more.
"It is dead." Lan Wangji replied quietly. He felt Wei Wuxian relax against him.
"That's good. I suppose with a name like Xuanwu of Slaughter I should have expected it to be rather vicious." Wei Wuxian said with a weak smile. Lan Wangji let out a small relieved sigh. Lan Wangji was quite certain that Wei Wuxian had suffered some sort of injury that had damaged his hearing. However, Wei Wuxian was already able to respond to Lan Wangji's words. That should mean that Wei Wuxian's hearing had recovered at least partially already. Wei Wuxian pushed away the bowl of water half half-heartedly.
"Wei Ying?" Lan Wangji inquired with concern. Wei Wuxian should drink more fluids. The hot water would be beneficial for his fever and for helping to warm Wei Wuxian.
"If I drink any more water I think it's going to come right back up." Wei Wuxian said with a grimace. Lan Wangji frowned. He reached into the nearby qiankun pouch and removed a ceramic container. As soon as Lan Wangji opened it it released a warm spicy fragrance. Wei Wuxian's eyes crinkled in delight at the sight of the yellow, sugar coated, pieces of ginger.
"Chew slowly," Lan Wangji stated as Wei Wuxian grabbed a piece of the candied ginger. Wei Wuxian grinned. He popped a medium sized piece into his mouth and began to chew diligently. Fortunately this was one medicine that required no coaxing. As Wei Wuxian eyed the container Lan Wangji suspected he may even need to hide it so Wei Wuxian did not simply consume the entire container.
"Lan Zhan, did you know this was one of my favourite sweets as a kid?" Wei Wuxian asked. "It's spicy and sweet. How great is that?" Wei Wuxian exclaimed. Lan Wangji kissed Wei Wuxian's forehead.
"It will settle your stomach. We will need to save it in case your nausea continues." Lan Wangji stated calmly. After Wei Wuxian finished off a few pieces Lan Wangji was able to coax Wei Wuxian into drinking another full bowl of hot water. The small amount of tension in Wei Wuxian's body from holding his head up to drink water evaporated. Wei Wuxian let himself collapse fully against Lan Wangji as though he had completed some great exhaustive feat.
"Food?" Lan Wangji inquired somewhat hopefully. Wei Wuxian's nose scrunched up giving a clear indication of what the answer was going to be.
"I think we need to see if the ginger is going to be enough to help me keep the water down. I don't think my stomach is ready for the adventure of trying to consume anything more exciting." Wei Wuxian grimaced. Lan Wangji lightly scratched Wei Wuxian's scalp and Wei Wuxian let out an appreciative sigh.
Lan Wangji soon learned that Wei Wuxian hated being sick. Wei Wuxian felt miserable. Not only was he uncomfortable, but as the fever worsened Wei Wuxian's brain became muddled. Wei Wuxian began to struggle to think coherently, let alone hold a conversation. Lan Wangji was discovering that Wei Wuxian didn't like not being able to organize his thoughts.
YOU ARE READING
Backlash Part 1
Hayran KurguAt the moment of his death, Wei Wuxian is sent back in time. He wakes up in the Cold Spring of Cloud Recesses during the time when he was there to study. Traumatized and exhausted Wei Wuxian attempts to end his life, only to be stopped by Lan Wang...
