"Ah haha... Catch me if you can!" Hua Ying yelled, slightly looking over her shoulder at the white clad man from behind. Xie Lian smiled at his little ball of sunshine as he continued to chase after her leisurely.
Both Lan and guest disciples alike stood at sidelines to watch the running and chasing with their mouths agape, wondering where the 'no running' rule went. Still, no one dared to mention that seeing how no elder commented on the matter. Even the strictest of them all, the grandmaster Lan Qiren too was seen near the lecture hall, silently watching the scene unfolding with fond eyes. However, there still was someone who dared to call quits when Xie Lian stopped for a moment to collect his breathing.
"A-Ying! Don't tire your mother!!" Hua Cheng warned, supporting his beloved up ever so carefully. He didn't like how their overexcited child is tiring his beloved with all the running and chasing.
"You are so boring, a-die... A-niang doesn't mind. So stop being a- oh!" Hua Ying's sentence cut short when her body collided with somebody but instead of falling, she quickly got engulfed into the tight embrace of that person. Though she struggled at first, after realizing who he was and how he looked so frantic, Hua Ying gazed at him a little bit worriedly. But before she could ask anything, her father's oppressive aura fell upon the Cloud Recesses, forcing everyone to their knees including the man who held Hua Ying tightly in his arms.
"HOW DARE YOU LAY YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON MY DAUGHTER?!" Hua Cheng bellowed, his thunderous voice demanding as E-ming vibrated in fury. Even Ruoye seemed threatening, ready to attack at any given moment as Xie Lian too released his oppressing godly aura. Hua Ying eyed them in confusion.
"What's going on? Why are you two suddenly so... angry?" She asked her parents in confusion before looking at the boy that held her, "And A-Yang... Why are you so nervous? What happened to you? Did someone say anything bad about me to you?"
"What A-Yang? Why are you acting so close towards him?" Hua Cheng asked in a slightly less demanding tone. However, Hua Ying didn't bother answering. Instead, she just kept her attention on the frantic boy.
"Jie... They- they are coming- coming to take you a- away..." Wei Yang muttered, tightening his grip around the girl while looking over his shoulder from time to time.
"A-Yang... I don't understand what you are-"
"Diànxià... The lords! They are here!!" It was Gui Qionglin who gave the answer as he suddenly appeared in front of Hua Ying and took up his place as a human shield in front of his master, covering her small figure from anyone approaching. Hua Ying's face paled instantly at the news, alerting her mother as well.
"Baobei..." Xie Lian called, not liking the way his daughter reacted to the news the two brought over.
"A-Ning... Take my husband, our kids and A-Yang out of here. Bring them to ghost city and ask aunt Yu to keep them all there until I say otherwise. Be quick and inform me once it's done." Hua Ying ordered- demanded in a hurry, already pushing the clinging boy to Gui Qionglin.
"A-jie... I don't want-"
"But Diànxià-"
"DO IT! NOW!!" Cutting both Wei Yang and Gui Qionglin, Hua Ying snapped, her eyes glowing crimson. And that got her what she needed.
"Yes, your highness." Gui Qionglin bowed before grabbing the struggling and protesting Wei Yang and vanishing into thin air, just like he came a few moments ago. It's only then the girl decided to meet the questioning and worried glances of her mother and father.
"A-niang..." Jumping into her mother's ever so welcoming embrace, Hua Ying cried softly, the domineering aura she held when commanding her guard nowhere to be found because she saw no need in hiding what she actually feels when it's her parents or Lan Zhan. She could and she would just be her vulnerable self in front of them because she knew that they would comfort, protect and shield her from all her worries until she would feel okay.
"I'm here, baobei. Tell your niang what worries you. Okay?" Xie Lian murmured in a hushed tone, patting Hua Ying's soft silky hair as she tightened her grip around him.
"Xiao Hua'er... Don't scare your mother... Tell us what is wrong? About whom your Ghost General was talking? Why did you ask him to take Wangji and the kids away?" Hua Cheng also joined the inquiry, not liking the state his beloved and daughter were in.
"A-niang... A-die... don't- don't let them take me away...Okay?" Hua Ying pleaded, her big round eyes staring right at her parents like a scared little bunny. The two husbands looked at each other in confusion. Even the onlookers seemed as confused as possible by her sudden change of behavior. But when a disciple came fast walking- almost running towards Lan Qiren who just watched the whole scene from afar, the looks on the people who knew about Hua Ying, mirrored her own worry as well.
"Grandmaster Lan! The demon lord and the peak lord of Qing Jing Peak is here. They are demanding a meeting with the sect leader." The disciple announced.
"Sect leader Lan isn't available at the moment." Lan Qiren replied, caressing his goatee as he eyed his niece-in-law from the corner of his eyes and he frowned more when he noticed her small body stiffening at the news the disciple bought over. However, before he had a chance to say anything, a powerful and cocky voice rang through the air.
"It seems like that your precious second jade is hiding after the stunt his kids pulled back at my husband's sect on our daughter's wedding day..."
"Binghe..." Hua Cheng grumbled in annoyance when he recognized the owner of that voice.
"Cousin!" Luo Binghe called enthusiastically, retracting his glare from the frowning Lan Qiren and looking at Hua Cheng.
"Long time no see... What a surprise to see you two here! Did you two also come down to deal with these thieves and cowards? What did they steal from you, eh?" Hua Cheng's face darkened when he noticed how that accusation affected his daughter who clung onto her mother like her life depended on it.
"Let's talk somewhere more private, please." Feeling his husband's degrading mood and Hua Ying's growing distress, Xie Lian suggested in a hurry.
"I agree." Shen Qingqiu approved, moving out of his husband's shadow as he locked his sight on Hua Ying's little figure that clung to Xie Lian like a cola. Though he only saw the back, his intuition said that something about that child is extremely familiar and he intended to dig in further.
Xie Lian nodded, "Grandmaster Lan? Where can we go to have a talk? I believe your Yashi is still busy with sect leader Jin and Lord Fenghuang?"
"Yes, your majesty. I think-"
"Jingshi." Hua Ying offered in a tiny voice, cutting what Lan Qiren tried to say. Xie Lian looked down at his daughter.
"You sure, baobei?"
"Mn." Hua Ying nodded before hiding her head in her mother's chest once again.
"Well then, let's head down there."
***
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Happiness of eternity
FanfictionHe wanted give his first, last and everything in between to a one person and to him only. However, when that wish of his got trampled by someone unexpected in an extremely unexpected way during the most inconvenient time, he had no other choice but...
