Taking roots after the misty rain

Ch-21

Wen Qing was baffled as to why Wen Chao had decided to stay in the same Cloud Recesses he detested to no end. She knew her mission and she also knew that there was no room for error in the execution of her plans. And there was especially no space for indulging Wen Chao's whims and tantrums. She planned to ask for a room where she could reside with Wen Ning to take care of him and sneak into the back hills every now and then. Now, with Wen Chao around, most of her plans were off track. She confronted him the first chance she got. 

"Wen Chao, I don't care why you suddenly decided to stay here. You have to leave right now. Are you going to do it yourself or do you need the Sect Leader's orders to do so?" She asked fiercely. 

"Wen Qing! How dare you boss me around? You are just a doctor. I want to stay here to keep an eye on you. Father won't disagree with that." He replied haughtily. 

"You!" Wen Qing struggled to find the right words when she heard the rustling of clothes and footsteps not far from them. 

"A-Huan,  take away your hands. How am I supposed to walk if you won't let me see?!" 

"Nope, not gonna happen. This is a surprise for you." 

"But I am not able to walk properly like this. Also, what if someone saw us? My guess is that the Sect elders still don't know about us, do they?" 

"Not yet. A suitable opportunity hasn't come up yet." 

"Then let go of me and walk properly." 

"I will not." 

"A-Huan- Mn!" 

Suddenly, the girl was cut off and it seemed like she had been gagged. Since the pair still wasn't visible, the Wens didn't know that the girl had been abruptly kissed to silence her arguments. 

"Ha! Turns out, there is a sinful pair even in the Lan Sect of Gusu. Even more reason for me to stay here. What if you run into one of these gigolos and forget about your mission? We can't afford that to happen, can we?" Wen Chao said smugly. 

Whoever this couple was, they had no idea how much trouble their little rendezvous was going to create. 

*-*-*

A month had passed since the guest lectures had begun at Cloud Recesses, and no major events had happened in the past few weeks. If the rest of the Lectures could pass in peace, how marvellous would that be? 

Wei Chi was walking down the paved path to the Library pavilion when out of nowhere, a figure in red robes came her way. This was no other than Second Young Master Wen, Wen Chao. 

"Wen Gongzi." She said and did a small curtsy. Wen Chao snorted at this gesture and tried to hold her hand and help her stand up straight. She immediately stood properly, when she saw his hand creep towards hers. 

"Wei Xiaojie, which Sect are you from?" 

"I do not know why Wen Gongzi has asked me this question." She asked, her face no better than a porcelain mask, cold and inexpressive. 

"Wei Xiaojie, I was just asking a question. Why must you act so defensively towards me?" He asked and took another step towards her. 

"Wen Gongzi, I have a matter that must be dealt with urgently. Please excuse me." She curtsied again and scampered away to the Library pavilion before Wen Chao could say anything else. 

Wen Chao never had the best reputation in the pugilistic world. His name was even worse when concerning his attitude towards the fairer sex. Not to mention, Wei Chi knew something was wrong since she saw him come up to her suddenly, he had been finding excuses, blocking her way for no reason for the past month. She stayed quiet, afraid that she will offend him and hence Wen Ruohan. With the war coming up soon, the last thing she wanted to do was get in the bad books of the Wen Sect. Especially not after she had spent so long getting a grip on the economy of Qishan strong enough to threaten the Wen Sect. The Library Pavilion usually had an elder or at least a few disciples in it. It seemed like a safe place and she rushed in there, even if she had to go past that building to reach her destination.