It was late afternoon and Wei Ying was sitting by himself in the Jingshi, which was a rarity in itself these days, looking through all the things they had accumulated through their latest travels.
There was a box in front of him, filled with things that the lady of the village had deemed "magical". When giving it to them, she had explained that the villagers had developed a great mistrust of anything that seemed questionable, and therefore wanted nothing to do with these items. However, they were grateful to these travellers for getting rid of the witch, Wu Po.
Before he could examine it further, there was a knock on the door and Wei Ying called out a greeting.
Jiang Cheng opened it, shaking off the snow and entering with a blast of cold air. Wei Ying pulled his blanket closer and smiled at his brother, who sat down in front of him.
"How do you feel today?" Jiang Cheng asked him quietly.
Jiang Cheng was never quiet.
"Fine, much the same as I did yesterday...and the day before." Wei Ying replied with a twinkle in his silver eyes. "Lan Zhan says I only slept for twelve hours last night, though that could be because we-"
"Shut up!" Jiang Cheng hastily clapped his hands around his ears in case Wei Ying was going to continue talking about their bedroom adventures.
Wei Ying giggled at his face.
It was impossible not to tease his brother...maybe by this point it was a gut reaction.
"What's this? And what are you doing?" Jiang Cheng asked instead, looking into the box. "It reminds me of that box we found in Lotus Pier."
"You found a box like this? In Lotus Pier?" Wei Ying repeated, his curiosity spiked. "When? And exactly like this one?"
"We were in the middle of rebuilding...the disciples in charge of digging the new foundations for Swords Hall came and called me over. Did you know there was a secret vault under the Lotus throne?" Jiang Cheng looked at him shrewdly.
Wei Ying had the distinct feeling whatever he was going to say next would greatly impact their relationship. It was a good thing this was the truth.
"No. I did not." Wei Ying looked him in the eye when he said that.
Jiang Cheng had always had an unbalanced relationship with his parents...and consequently, everyone else except his A-Jie.
If Wei Ying had known about the secret vault in Lotus Pier, it would have made Jiang Cheng's doubts about his ability to be the Jiang family heir resurface all over again.
The relief in his face was real.
"What did you find?" Wei Ying asked carefully. He felt he should ask and that was the only reason why he did, and with startling clarity, he understood that while he had lived in Lotus Pier for so long...it had never been his home, not truly.
Not like Cloud Recesses was, and had become.
He felt as if the wind had been sucked out of his lungs for a second...as he fought for control over his features. He could deal with these feelings and thoughts later, on his own.
Jiang Cheng didn't need to know about this.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Cheng suddenly asked.
"Thirsty." Wei Ying poured out hot tea and drank it too quickly, scalding his tongue and choking, but now at least he had an excuse for his red eyes and the water coming out of them.
Luckily, Jiang Cheng accepted it.
"The box wasn't exactly like this but similar. You know that feeling you get, when you're about to open something that hasn't been opened for a long time, and you get that giddy feeling?"

YOU ARE READING
WangXian Forever 7
RomanceDue to popular demand, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan return with a new mystery to solve. Will they be successful? What new challenges will they face? And will there be a book 8? Read on to find out...