WangXian Forever Book 10

Chapter 2: Birthday

Wei Ying wakes up early for a change because today is special: it's Li XiWang's birthday and it's an important one. Lan Zhan rises first and finishes getting ready before helping Wei Ying, and then they go to get the children ready.

From the age of twelve, all children in Cloud Recesses are allowed to choose whether they want to move to the student dormitories and Li XiWang wants to try again.

After the bad time she had a while back with being bullied in class, Wei Ying wasn't sure this was the right thing to do, but his daughter can be as stubborn as her fathers when it comes to what she wants. She assured them that she had good friends now and the possibility of being bullied was zero.

So from tonight, she will sleep in the dormitories with her friends and peers, and Rumi will have the room to himself; this is something else both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are worrying about. They tried making Rumi sleep in his own bed since he joined their family but the young demon always sneaked into Li XiWang's bed and inevitably they would be found sleeping in each other's arms by morning.

Today is no different.

Wei Ying is barely awake himself, but he smiles when he sees them both asleep.

"I don't think they budged!" He laughs, going to their side.

Li XiWang is awake and as bright as a sparrow when she opens her eyes, remembering what day it is as she jumps out of bed.

"Happy birthday, Little Rabbit!" Wei Ying hugs her tightly before she moves onto Lan Zhan, where he is equally affectionate with her.

Wei Ying picks up Rumi from the bed and kisses his cheek. "My darling boy, we have to get ready now," he hums.

Soon enough, they are arranged around their little table, eating bao buns and longevity noodles for Li XiWang. Wei Ying has to tell her to slow down or she'll choke, and he laughs when he catches Lan Zhan's eye because of the irony. Lan Zhan has told him the same thing too many times, and he blushes at that.

Then they're making their way to the Great Hall.

All of their family is there, with SiZhui and Jin Ling and their daughter, QuQu who is nearly four years old now, and XiChen with Jiang Cheng and little LiLi who is the same age. Hui Gai and Zago appear with Oge, Klem and Jez, and all of Li XiWang's classmates have gathered for the ceremony.

Just as they enter, JingYi and Zhitiao arrive, and then a disciple comes walking fast, heading towards XiChen.

"Zewu-Jun, we have guests at the gates requesting to enter. They do not wish to be late."

XiChen smiles at everyone.

"Perhaps we can wait for a few minutes?" He catches Lan Zhan's eyes and winks as he walks past quickly.

Li XiWang is standing next to her Grumple, and she takes his hand tentatively. "Do you think it's-"

And then suddenly, there's a loud roar in the skies and Suanni lands in the Great courtyard, smiling with his big teeth. Li XiWang runs towards him, her hands sinking into his thick soft fur and he gives her a lick of approval. Lan Zhan is ready with a towel and makes herbs presentable as he can, as Wei Ying and Rumi come to greet the Great beast as well. All three including Lan Zhan are dripping with the signs of his affection after that.

"Look at that!" Someone shouts, earning a glare from the Elders, but then everyone is busy watching seven male dragons and seven female dragons rising into the air.

Daden Yaonu, with the First Dragon King of the Sea, Daden De Long, twisted into the air, their bodies a red flame, serpentine and lithe up in the sky.

Their brothers and sisters in their dragon forms, rose up with them in a rainbow dance of red, orange, pink, purple, yellow, green and blue.

All of Li XiWang's Aunts and Uncles from under the sea had come to celebrate this very important day with their niece, as well as her biological parents, Tiaopi De Long and Zai Shu Xia.

Like firecrackers in the sky, they twist and turn, gathering the fine mists around the mountain peaks and dispersing them with their agility, astounding the people watching them from below.

Lan Zhan and Wei Ying stand together, Rumi in Lan Zhan's arms, watching the dragons as they dance above them, listening to the gasps and cries of their audience below.

And then, just like that, seven tall Lords and six Sirens, and Zai Shu Xia land, materialising into their human forms.

Daden Yaonu rushes towards Li XiWang, bending to catch her niece as she runs towards them and swinging her up into the air as if she is a toddler. Greetings are exchanged and there's excited talk about what everyone has been up to, until Uncle Qiren clears his throat.

"The auspicious time is seeping away..." he says, not looking at anyone in particular.

Li XiWang bows to everyone and then goes to him.

Inside the now crowded Great Hall, Li XiWang is led to the front of the hall, where her grandfather helps her to light incense. She bows to the Heavens and the ancestors of the Lan Clan and then, to her parents and her family.

Uncle Qiren nods at Lan Zhan, and he withdraws a qiankun pouch from his sleeve, handing it to Wei Ying. Hui Gai takes Rumi so his hands are free, and then Wei Ying opens it. From inside, he takes out a sword.

"What will you name your spiritual sword, Little Rabbit?" Baoshan Sanren whispers into her ear.

"Gramps! I missed you!" Li XiWang turns and throws her arms around her grandmother's neck, hugging her tightly. All of her favourite people are here, today.

When she opens her eyes, wet with happiness, she spots her uncle Wen Ning with Auntie Li Hua and her cousin, Qing-er. Today is the happiest day of her life!

"Think about it carefully, now. Nothing flippant or casual." Baoshan Sanren says, her eyes drifting towards Wei Ying, who mouths, "it was ONE time, and Suibian doesn't care!"

Wei Ying comes towards them now, holding the sword in both of his hands out to his daughter. A month ago, he and Lan Zhan had taken a strand of Li XiWang's hair and delivered it to the Swordsmith in Caiyi Town, imbibing the metal with a direct connection to its owner. Now, the sword is ready, and so is Li XiWang.

It is similar to Suibian in that the handle is made out of the hardest wood forged with steel, but the pattern on the scabbard and the hilt matches, depicting a vine of healing herbs carved out of ivory with an iridescent shine to mark Li XiWang's sea heritage. The hilt itself is in the form of a dragon's mouth holding the pearl of wisdom in its great jaws, its tail winding all the way up the sheath.

The attention to detail is intricate and on point, so that the dragon looks real, and if Li XiWang were to look elsewhere, the dragon could blink. Each long whisker curves up the handle, and when Li XiWang unsheathes the slim blade, there is a gasp of approval and awe among those who are watching.

"Jianmie*." Li XiWang breathes out like a whisper in the wind. (*annihilation)

"That's...um, okay!" Wei Ying draws out the appropriate sigils on the talisman in his hand and blasts it towards the sword near the hilt.

As if by magic, the characters for Li XiWang's chosen name appear, engraved into the heart of the metal.

"Why did you pick that name?" Baoshan Sanren asks her curiously, placing a warm hand on her young shoulder.

"Why is it so violent, you mean?" Li XiWang turns her burgundy eyes towards the Celestial Immortal, the person she has always seen as her own grandmother.

"Yes."

"That's because when I draw her from her sheath, that's my last attempt. She means business, when all other avenues have failed, she will be my last resort."

Baoshan Sanren gets the feeling that she is no longer talking to her twelve year old granddaughter. This is an old soul, perhaps Bai Hua, perhaps the lines between the Healer of the Heavens and Li XiWang are much more blurred now. It feels inevitable, because technically, Bai Hua and Li XiWang are one, just different reincarnations of the same person.

Regardless, it has been a long time since anything has given her goosebumps like this.