Rebound

20

Lan Zhan and I stepped into the cold caves where Zewu Jun was secluded. I stood back a bit to let Lan Zhan have a moment alone with his brother. I could still hear everything they were saying and I could tell Lan Zhan knew that. It was also made clear that Zewu Jun didn't realize I was actually there. So we played into it a little bit.

"Xiongzhang," Lan Zhan said in a stern voice, "I see you are here to repentant."

Lan Xichen looked up at him, "When did you get here?" He asked.

"Just now, I am not staying long though," Lan Zhan said, "I have a husband to get back to," I could hear the emphasis on the word 'husband'. I smiled at his words.

"You married him?" Zewu Jun asked, surprised.

I inwardly scoffed, 'Really Zewu Jun? You were the one who encouraged us to be friends when we first met. Surely you would have known that this would have happened if this kind of thing manifested?'

"He is my fated soul bond," Lan Zhan told him, "so of course I married him. Plus I love him. You should know that by now. It was you in the very beginning who encouraged me to spend more time with him and I did. It's the only thing I am grateful for that you had done for me recently. I am otherwise disappointed in you that you would spread news about Wei Ying when you know he is not guilty of anything," I did not expect Lan Zhan to say this much but I knew he was angry and upset. He had every right to be. He needed his brother but Zewu Jun let him down.

"I was just doing what I thought was right," Zewu Jun said.

"Did you ever consider hearing his side of things?" Lan Zhan questioned, "did you ever think about what I would feel? You didn't do the right thing, you just followed others orders and listened to a weasel. Because of that, dozens of innocent civilians died and Wei Ying almost died too. If he died, you would have lost me too."

"You are not bonded to him yet though, even if he died you would be alive," Zewu Jun said.

"I would end my life if he died, that is how far I'd go, and you are wrong, we are bonded and if he dies, so do I," Lan Zhan explained.

"Why are you wasting so much of your life on him, he is just one person?" Zewu Jun asked.

I internally sighed and finally decided to speak, "you would know if you fell in love with someone so deep that it transcends all of heaven and earth. You'd do anything for them, be anything for them, give them anything and everything. You would fight the entire world and burn hell for them. It is this kind of love that makes you do such things."

"When did you get here, how did you get in here?" Zewu Jun asked, "only Lans can enter the cold caves."

"Not if you are bonded to one," I said, "plus I have one of his forehead ribbons," I showed him the ribbon tied on my wrist, "what is it about me that you hate so much? What have I done to you specifically to hate me?"

Zewu Jun sighed, "I never said I hated you, I am just tired of seeing Wangji getting hurt due to your reckless behavior."

"Reckless behavior?" I asked, "might I remind you, you are part of the reason for my reckless behavior. You listened to every one of those prominent figures and you believed their slanderous words towards Wen Qing's family when you knew full well that she and her family were innocent. I even remember Lan Zhan telling me he told you the truth about them at the burial mounds but you did not listen to him."

"The Wen's no matter who they were, are considered traitorous people and they only harbored ill-intent. Everyone was concerned for a rebellion with the remaining members of the wen sect," Zewu Jun said.

"Even the innocent? The children who have not even had a chance to live or non-cultivators who have no idea what it's like to live our life. Some of which actually don't even know what cultivators are to begin with," I said, "Zewu Jun, I used to think that you were actually a very smart and intelligent and kind person, but you are actually just a coward and a hypocrite. You run a sect that lives on the path of righteousness but how can you say you are when you let innocent people die for other people's crimes and choices that they had no control over?"

It was silent. It seemed my words really had him thinking. I then felt Lan Zhan's eyes piercing through my skull, "what?" I asked him.

"You are lucky we are not alone right now," he said.

"Oh, am I?" I asked, "what would happen to me if we were?"

"You wouldn't be standing, that is for sure," Lan Zhan told me.

I giggled and managed to bring myself back a bit and I cleared my throat, closing my eyes as I took in a couple breaths. Luckily this cold cave had a lot of tranquil energy so it kept me calm. I was only just starting to get aroused by those simple words. The cave was helping me from it getting out of hand.

"Um, if you two want to continue that conversation, can you please go elsewhere?" Zewu Jun asked.

"Why, you don't want to watch?" I asked.

"I would not like to see such scandalous things, thank you," he said.

"Very well," I said and turned to leave the cave, "by the way, your uncle has accepted me into the Lan family," I then stepped out and gave Lan Zhan and him a couple minutes alone.

I didn't wait long. I sat down where our rabbits used to be. They all got moved to Baoshan's once Lan Zhan and I got settled in. I sat there just thinking about him. I got really lucky. Even after everything I had done and had been through, he was still there for me. I'm grateful too.

"Wei Ying, are you ready to head back?" I heard him say from behind me.

I smiled and stood up to face him, "yes," I said, "and then we can eat dinner before I let you do whatever you like to me for dessert."

Lan Zhan blinked slowly as he took in what I said. I giggled when he let it click. He grabbed my hand and teleports us back to Baoshan's mountain. He made a quick meal for dinner and right after we finished eating...let's just say we didn't get to clean up the dishes until the next morning.