The Troublemaker Trio (Xicheng)

Chapter 25: Sect Leader Jiang

"Sect leader Jiang" His disciples bowed deeply as he walked past. He gave them a nod as he headed back towards Lotus Pier. The sun was slowly rising in the distance. Jiang Cheng had decided to get up early to buy breakfast from one of the many food stalls of Yunmeng.

"Oooh, you got buns?" an excited man rushed towards him. Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow at the violet robed man, who stopped right in his tracks.

"Welcome back, sect leader Jiang" he said with a respectful bow. After which he was back to excitedly checking out the bag in his hand. Jiang Cheng chuckled as he handed it over. His brother might have matured over the years, enough to show him respect in public. But in private he was still the same as ever.

Wei Wuxian took a bite out of one of the still hot buns and ran inside, bringing the bag with him. Leaving Jiang Cheng behind to walk back alone.

"A-Cheng" a gentle voice called out to him. A smile spread on the sect leader's face. His beloved had come to meet him at the door.

"Lan Huan" Jiang Cheng rushed over to receive his welcome back kiss. Perhaps he had gone out to buy buns, perhaps he had just left so that he could return again. This was his favorite thing in the world. And so if he could come home multiple times a day, why shouldn't he?

"What are your plans for today?" Lan Huan asked once Jiang Cheng let him go for long enough to get air. It had been calm for weeks so the Jiang sect didn't have much he needed to do.

"It's time to recruit new disciples, but I should be done by noon." It was that time of year. When he would go to meet the kids whose parents wanted more for them. All their eyes would be twinkling with hope of their child being the one to be chosen as the children ran around with their wooden swords trying to impress him. It was a rather cute sight. But it was something he as sect leader Jiang needed to do alone. By principle his beloved wasn't allowed to go along.

"Does that mean we get the afternoon to ourselves?" Lan Huan asked as he snaked his arm around his very willing husband. A smile spread across Jiang Cheng's face, he nodded and placed yet another kiss on his husband's lips. Afternoon couldn't come fast enough.

"Aaaaah" A loud scream could be heard coming from inside. Jiang Cheng looked up at his husband with wide eyes.

"Brother-in-law is here?"

"Don't worry, nothing happened, I was the one to invite him" Lan Huan placed a light peck on his forehead to calm him. Given that they both were sect leaders neither of them could leave their sect alone for too long. So in order to still be able to stay together they traveled back and forth between Yunmeng and Gusu. Alternating where they lived from month to month. Whenever they were gone their sect would be in the safe hands of their closest aids, their brothers.

The only time their brother's came to visit was when something catastrophic had happened. Which is why hearing Wei Wuxian scream had caused Jiang Cheng a light heart attack.

Wei Wuxian rarely screamed anymore. He wasn't afraid of anything, except for dogs. Which had long since been banned from all of Yunmeng, on Jiang Cheng's orders. So assuming that no dog had made it all the way to Lotus Pier there was only one person who could make him shriek that way. Lan Wangji.

Shaking his head, Jiang Cheng calmly walked hand in hand with his beloved to check out whatever mess Wei Wuxian had caused. Once inside they were faced with a completely white man. Skin as white as jade, robes as white as snow, and covered from head to toe in a white substance. His hand was raised ready to spank the Wei, who's wrists he was tightly grasping with the other.

"Wei Wuxian. Care to tell us what you've done?" Lan Xichen asked, his tone light but still commanding.

"Me!? He's beating me for a harmless prank" Looking at the piles of dust which fell off the Lan as Wei Wuxian struggled to get free Jiang Cheng had to agree, it did seem like one of his less serious pranks. But the second Jade twin, like most Lans, took great care in staying clean and didn't take too kindly to it.

"What even is that?" Jiang Cheng asked, looking at the mess they were leaving on the floor.

"Sugar. Though it made Lan Zhan even less sweet than before" Wei Wuxian pouted. Just then the piles of white dust started moving on its own, seemingly becoming larger.

"Wei Ying?" Jiang Cheng exclaimed, alarmed. This didn't look like just ordinary sugar. But his brother didn't respond. He couldn't even see him anymore because of the ever growing piles of white dust covering the room. Looking around, Jiang Cheng couldn't see anyone. Not only Wei Wuxian, but the two Lans as well had been swallowed alive by the monstrous mountains.

"Wei Ying" he screamed once more before his head was covered. He couldn't breathe. Flapping his arms and legs he tried to reach the surface. But it was much harder to swim in sugar than it was in water. It was helpless, and so all went dark.