WangXian Forever Book 10

Chapter 55: General Huang

They wait until all the men have dispersed, leaving their weapons if they want to.

"Nice." Porta Daven says, coming to stand next to Wei Ying and Lan Zhan.

"You're still here?" Wei Ying says, surprised. "I thought you'd have gone by now. Busy person and all that?"

"What? And miss that show? Buddy, you were on fire!" They cackle.

"Mn. Wei Ying is hot," Lan Zhan snakes his arm around his waist.

"So are you. Right now, I just wanna-" Wei Ying stops talking because another face is horribly too close to his own, avidly listening in.

Lan Zhan gently pushes them away, reciting a few hundred rules in his head so he doesn't hurt them on purpose.

"Well...as long as you're here, why don't you introduce us to the General?" Wei Ying says, just as the door of the compound slams open and a big man stalks out, striding towards them.

Wei Ying's body tenses up, ready for a confrontational meeting, and he can feel Lan Zhan do the same, pushing past him to stand just in front. It's such an endearing quality, to be sure.

Lan Zhan has always put himself in between Wei Ying and any present danger, a trait that wholly belongs to him alone. Never has Wei Ying had such support in any of his two lives, and he wants Lan Zhan to know that it is reciprocated fully.

He lifts up a hand to place it on Lan Zhan's shoulder in support.

To his credit, Lan Zhan stares ahead with determination at the General who is almost upon them. And then, to their surprise, he and all his men sink into low bows, greeting them respectfully.

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan bow back cautiously, and they use the opportunity to examine this man.

His build is that of someone used to military service and the handling of weapons as a norm, his robes clinging to his tight shoulders hidden beneath armour, staff in hand and sword on his belt. He's a solid mass of power quietly coiled and ready to strike. He looks to be around fifty years of age.

There's a broad smile on his face though, fierce dark eyes half hidden under the overhang of his bushy eyebrows, animated features that are simultaneously relieved and happy. His voice is deep and loud when he speaks.

"I extend my humble gratitude for your assistance," he says, bowing again with both arms extended in front of him. "And I believe I must thank you too, Porta Daven. I doubt this battle would have ended favourably without your timely intervention."

Porta Daven bows back unexpectedly, and they both grin.

"We actually want to take you back to see our Gracious Emperor," Wei Ying informs him.

"But Sir, it will take at least a week's travel, even if we take the best horses-" the General looks eager but worried.

Porta Daven interrupts him. "Not with us. These are the folks I showed your fake money to, and you know of Master Cheng's widow. She is examining the proof as we speak. But the situation is precarious, and it's best not to speak of such confidential matters out in the open."

"You're right," Wei Ying tells her, turning to the fierce man. "If there's anything you wish to bring with you, now's the time to fetch it. We must hurry to be faster than our enemies."

The General nods and begins barking out orders to his men, who start gathering up the discarded weapons from the ground. He leaves them to it and goes back inside the fortress, makeshift barracks where the army was barricading itself against the militia.

He returns a few moments later.

"I am ready."

"Good, then let's go. Directly to the Emperor?" Wei Ying asks Lan Zhan for his opinion.

"Mn."

Porta Daven holds the General by his arm and Wei Ying reaches for Lan Zhan's hand. He touches Porta Daven's shoulder and just like that, they are back in Cloud Recesses, within the remote room given to His Highness to recuperate in, with Tang Pei.

But there's complete pandemonium when they reach there.

***************

Breakfast time inside the Jingshi is always a quiet meal. Usually Li XiWang's Father Wei is half asleep and disinclined to talk while semi-conscious, and Rumi has always been a quiet child. Lan Zhan is effortlessly adhering to rules ingrained into the fibre of his being, and since he never spoke during meals anyway, it is a natural practice for him. Li XiWang takes her forehead ribbon very seriously, learning all the rules as diligently as she can.

That's why, when she serves breakfast, ladling hot congee into three bowls, she doesn't speak.

Prince Wu is barely awake, but as soon as Rumi pushes his spoon closer to him, his first taste of the simple meal brings his senses back immediately. But he's a quick learner and he waits until his bowl is empty before he speaks.

"I really enjoyed the breakfast," he says quietly. "It brought back memories of when I was a child. I don't remember the exact time, but congee tastes like...the feelings that were present when my mother was alive. It's like getting a hug from her again, even though I was too little when she passed away."

"Oh, I didn't know that about you," Li XiWang says, as Rumi pats his hand silently. "Both of us," she gestures between herself and Rumi, are adopted. We were both orphans, too. But then my parents found my real parents." She gives him a brief outline of how it happened.

The Prince is shocked and excited by her tale, in awe of the fact that he's here, on the home turf of the Great Hanguang-Jun and his loyal Sidekick, the Yiling Laozu. But he feels a little contrite now; having seen them in real life, he's understood that the titles of his favourite books are misleading.

Hanguang-Jun and the Yiling Laozu are real people, but so much more than their characters are in the written pages of the bestseller. Theirs is a solid partnership built on love as its foundation, the roots of a tree whose branches shelter not only their family and their clan, but have now extended to include himself and his family.

He tells them of the last few days in Chang'An, and the bitter shock of his own brother's dual personality, and his deeply cutting betrayal. When he cries, Li XiWang is at his side to hug him, and Rumi quietly climbs into his lap to hug him.

"Do you think my father will be alright?" Prince Wu asks them.

"Yes, absolutely!" Li XiWang knows it's wrong to lie, but her little heart breaks at the thought of telling him that doesn't know for sure. "We can go and see him if you like." Too late, she remembers what her father Wei had said; to distract Prince Wu while his father recuperates. So she smiles instead and says, "but I bet he's still asleep right now. Healer Fei and your Pei Shushu are there if he needs anything, so why don't I show you around Cloud Recesses? We can go and see Bofu now and ask him to let us know when your father wakes up. Is that okay?"

"I would like that," Prince Wu smiles after drying his face.

"Then let's take these back to the kitchens, and then we can go and see Uncle XiChen. He has a pet pig. And if you like, I can introduce you to Xiao Mao and DaErduo, and Thing. They like to be there more than here now that I'm usually staying in the dormitories." Li XiWang is actually feeling excited about entertaining the Prince now.

"Who are they?" Prince Wu asks her.

Li XiWang grins back at him. "You'll see."