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33 - Baoshan Sanren

I was the first one to wake as I felt someone hovering. I carefully laid Wei Ying down properly and with a quick turn I had Bichen in hand pointing at the intruder. It was a woman, in her late forties or early fifties. She had on white and black robes with silver and gold accents.

The woman smiled, "You two are the ones intruding on my property, and you hold a sword to me?"

"I apologize, but I will not ease up. I am just protecting myself and my soulmate," I told her.

"Lan Zhan, why are you being so loud?" Wei Ying asked sitting up.

"I'm sorry, Wei Ying," I said.

"Wei Ying?" The woman asked, "his name is Wei?"

Wei Ying looked at the woman, "yes, is there something wrong with my name?"

"No, it's just, I never thought I'd see my grandson all grown up. It looks like Jiang Fengmian kept his word," the woman said.

Wei Ying stood up quickly, "grandson? Baoshan?" He asked.

"It is me," she said pulled him into a hug, "you found me."

"I had help," Wei Ying said and pointed to me, "this is my soulmate Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan. He is the second master of the Gusu Lan Sect."

"Out of all people, I would see my best friends grandson paired with my grandson. I call this fate," she said.

"You knew my grandmother?" I asked.

"I knew Lan Yi, even though she and I married our husbands out of obligation, she was actually my real soulmate. She and I hid it from the world. Our husbands knew and they were happy to keep it hidden for us," Baoshan said.

"Lans are amazing," Wei Ying said, "sometimes I wonder how they do it. You just melt into the palm of their hands."

"I agree," she said.

"But, how are you still...alive? Aren't soulmates connected? If one dies so does the other?" Wei Ying asked.

"We were soulmates, yes but we never bonded. If you bond then it becomes that way," she replied, "you two are not yet married, but you are bonded?"

"It kind of came out of nowhere," Wei Ying said, "we were going through a lot and Lan Zhan and I had fears of losing each other. We made a blood vow to always be honest and communicate with each other and to always be there for one another."

"So you made a bond before you married, it is normal to do that," she said, "if you create a second vow, it will only strengthen your bond."

"We haven't dual cultivated if you are leading the conversation in that direction," Wei Ying said.

"But you have played," she said with a smirk.

My ears and neck were feeling very hot. I did not mind Wei Ying talking about us but this was so difficult as she was his relative.

"You are quiet for a Lan," Baoshan told me.

"I am more reserved," I answered, "I became this way after my mother passed away. No one told me what happened to her as I was too young to understand. My parents did not live together so each month I would go see mother. One day she didn't open the door. I would kneel and wait for it to open but it never did."

"Lan Zhan and I can relate with the loss of parents. He may be quiet but I do enough talking for the both of us," Wei Ying said.

"You two must be hungry after your travels, come with me and we can talk more," she said and then looked at me, "can you handle talking and eating?"

Wei Ying giggled, "hey, I am the only one who can tease him."

"Of course," she said patting Wei Ying on the head and then we followed her.

We were led through a long hallway until we got to a door then led to her dining room. It was a nice place. She already had placed set for us so we sat down and ate.

"Thank you, would you prefer Baoshan or Wai Po?" Wei Ying asked.

"Both of you, can call me Wai Po," she said, "and I do know why you both are here. Your powers are changing?"

Wei Ying nodded, "when this training is over are we not able to see you again?"

"As my grandson, you have the right to return. My daughter had that choice and she came when she could. When she died I was trying to find you but I found that you were taken in by the Jiang's," she said.

"In a way, I wish I could as with you," Wei Ying said, "I would have suffered less."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Wei Ying did not respond so I spoke, "his back," I told her.

She stood and removed his robes to see his back. She gasped, "some of these scars look freshly healed," she said, "how did this happen?"

"Zidian," I answered for Wei Ying.

Baoshan closed her eyes, "why?"

"I never understood why she didn't like me," Wei Ying finally spoke, "she always called me a bastard child of mom and Jiang Fengmian, and son of a servant."

"You are Wei Changze's and my daughter's son," Baoshan said as she helped him put his robes back on, "Wei Changze was never a servant. Jiang Fengmian took him in out of kindness when his clan was destroyed. Jiang Fengmian kept Wei Changze's family a secret but I would have at least expected him to tell his wife."

"He didn't," Wei Ying said, "the other Jiang's were fine but they didn't know of her treatment towards me until after I met Lan Zhan. With our bond, it was hard for her to get away with hurting me."

"I'm glad someone finally did something," Baoshan said, "do you want those scars to go away?"

"I don't think so," he said, "it's something that I have in common with Lan Zhan."

"You were whipped with Zidian?" She asked.

"No, but Shufu punished me a lot as a kid. He didn't want me to follow my father's path and he also didn't want me to keep thinking about mother. It didn't work out to well for him," I explained.

"That old goat," Baoshan said.

Wei Ying giggled, "he doesn't really like me much either. He thinks I'm too much like mother."

"Judgement is forbidden in the Lan Sect, and he broke that," Baoshan said.

"No one did anything," I said, "my brother and I did what we could to keep Shufu away from Wei Ying. I never once disliked his playful behavior. I think it's his best trait."

"Lan Zhan," Wei Ying mumbled.

"Cangse was playful. She liked to play and did not like rules all that much. She was a free spirit," Baoshan said.

"If it isn't an issue, could you tell me more about her?" Wei Ying asked.

"Of course, I miss her too, Háizi (Child)," she said, "we can talk about her a bit later tonight, alright."

Wei Ying nodded. Baoshan was a wonderful person, and I honestly looked forward to knowing more about her.