Soulmates are a thing?!

Part 4

                       Lan Wangji patiently waited in the Jingshi for his brother's arrival. It had already been a week, so it was reasonable to believe he would be back with news soon. With the calming songs of his sect and a lot of meditation, his nerves had settled. He still would have preferred to die than be outed by a stupid curse like this to Wei Ying. It was pathetic. 

                   Part of him wanted the marriage proposal to be denied, but a more selfish part of him was rejoicing at the chance to be with Wei Ying. He had long buried any hope that the flirty young man. Everything his soulmate was lashed out against the rules constantly.

                   A hesitant knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He stood up gracefully to open the door. A very nervous disciple stood on the other side shaking. He knew his stoic demeanor scared others, but it still hurt to be treated like this by his own sect members. Only his beloved Wei Ying had tried to see past the ice. "Lan Wangji, the sect leader, is meeting with the elders now but will come see you right after." He nodded and the boy walked away so fast it almost broke the no running rule. His brother seemed to have come back alone. Had someone done right by Wei Ying not to allow his self-sacrificial tendency to rush into this marriage?

                  Back inside the Jingshi, he made his brother's favorite tea and waited. He had braced himself for the heartache of rejection. A gentle knock was followed by the door opening to allow his brother inside. He looked as calm as ever with his sect leader mask on. Whatever would be said now, he knew it was the sect leader who spoke it, not his brother. He poured them both tea and waited patiently for his sect leader to speak. " Wangji, you will be wed in a month." What?!?! Wei Ying had agreed? He was about to have a panic attack. Was he breathing?

                 His mind was racing a mile a minute. "Please, Wangji, relax. It is not good for you to react like this; the curse will strengthen." Xichen's worried face got him out of his frantic state. In a month, Wei Ying would be his spouse. The thought should have made him happy, but all he felt was bitterness. His soulmate probably felt that he had to do this for Lan Wangji's sake. 

                "Wangji... there is something else. It seems young Master Wei is worried about this marriage being so rushed. He has requested to live with you for a week to get used to being with you in different states of comfort. Wangji, as your brother, I want you to listen to your heart this week and make him feel at ease." Xichen spoke calmly while Lan Wangji's brain short-circuited. His Wei Ying wanted to spend time with him. His Wei Ying was not as experienced as he allowed others to think he was.

                 Oh! If Wei Ying wanted to live together before the wedding in a month, he would probably be there soon. He looked at his brother full of panic. To others it nearly looked like he furrowed his brows slightly with wider eyes. "Brother, I need another desk and courting gifts for Wei Ying." Lan Xichen nodded, and they both stood up to head to Caiyi. On the way, Xichen explained the actual marriage contract and what it meant for him and Wei Ying. The contract was genius. Whoever had negotiated definitely had Wei Wuxian's best interest at heart. They had milked the fact that the marriage was to save the Lan heir to the fullest, not demanding wealth but rights for Wei Wuxian's freedom and happiness within the marriage.

                He was even more surprised to learn that it was not the Jiang Sect leader who had negotiated the contract on Wei Ying's behalf. His brother was not willing to tell him who had negotiated the contract or why he had more rights to do so than the sect leader.  

                Later that night, he sat in his home, staring proudly at the courting gifts he had chosen. According to his brother, he had one week to show Wei Ying that he wanted to be by his side. It would have been so much easier if he could use his words. Unfortunately, he had always been bad at using words to express emotions. For Wei Ying, he would have to try harder. No. He would be better for his soulmate. Wei Ying deserved to have the best.

             Two days later, Lan Wangji was surprised to see the proud Madam Yu and a pale-faced Wei Wuxian at the gate. He had to admit she had a regal air around her. Both her beauty and her aura screamed danger to anyone who came too close. Overall, she seemed deserving of the name Violet Spider. She dismounted from her sword calmly while Wei Wuxian seemed to be shaking in place and stumbling on his dismount, worrying him. Lan Wangji was left speechless when Wei Wuxian flung himself into his arms, begging to be saved. Frozen, he just held on to his soulmate while Madam Yu scoffed, pulling them apart easily.

             "Wei Ying, is this any way for my guard and head disciple of Yummeng Jinag sect to behave? Besides, we only had a small chat. I could go into more details if you like." Madam Yu stared intently as Wei Wuxian stiffly pulled himself together. "Madam Yu I am so grateful for the knowledge you have bestowed on this unworthy one. I am unworthy of your kind wisdom and would like to save you the time of trying to educate me anymore."

               Wei Wuxian bowed low. It was strange to see him be so respectful. It became obvious that the only person Wei Wuxian feared was Madam Yu. " Sect leader Lan, Second young master Lan, thank you for receiving us. Let us get Wei Ying set up, and we can speak at pleasure." They made their way quietly through Cloud Recesses, with Xichen and Madam Yu leading the way. Wei Wuxian fidgeted nervously by his side. 

               Trying to comfort the young man, Lan Wangji grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before pulling it away. He could feel his ears burn under Wei Wuxian's surprised look. A beautiful pink blush slowly covered the boy's face. Oh... Lan Wangji wanted to see more of that it was the first time he had seen a shy Wei Ying. 

                With effort, he tore his eyes away to look at the path. It was enlightening. He had thought that people treated him reverently but he was mistaken. All disciples, even guests, were silenced at the sight of Madam Yu and bowed respectfully. He was almost bitter that his Shufu, who educated most of the cultivation world, never garnered this kind of attention. Not that he didn't understand. Her beauty and battle prowess was as legendary as her bad temper. 

                 He had yet to see that temper himself but it seemed she would be here a week to oversee her head disciple. The path was blocked by Jiang Cheng in a deep bow. "A-Niang, I didn't know you were coming, or I would have met you at the gate." The words were spoken softly, very unlike the normally bad-tempered boy. "No need, A-Cheng, go back to your classes. I am here on business, and Wei Wuxian is to stay at my side, am I understood?" Jiang Wanyin gulped, giving Wei Wuxian a pitying look before walking away. Their group quickly made their way to Lan Xichen's office to throw off the curious onlookers.

                Like a good host, Xichen served tea for everyone gathered at the table. He was glad for his cold, expressionless mask at the moment since Madam Yu seemed to be looking straight into his soul. "Lan Wangji, I have agreed to these strange living conditions since my ward is too innocent. Understand that my ward will stay chaste until your marriage in a month. You may hold hands, hug, and kiss, but no more. Am I clear?" Lan Wangji's throat was dry, looking between the woman emitting sparks of purple lightning and the fidgeting Wei Wuxian.  He nodded slowly, not wanting to draw her wrath. 

              "Good. You are lucky I know about soulmate bonds, or you would have been out of luck. You will, however, use your words to explain how it works to my dense as a rock ward." She then drank her tea gracefully in a show of being done with the conversation.

               Lan Wangji's mind was all over the place. The way Madam Yu described Wei Ying, it seemed that he had never even held someone's hand before. Everyone, including himself, was so sure that with the boy's silver tongue, he had to have a lot of experience. It was unbelievable. Yet, the startled pink hue on the boy's face when Lan Wangji grabbed his hand spoke for itself.

              He couldn't help the pleased hum in his core at knowing he would own all his soulmate's firsts. His thoughts were interrupted by a chill going down his spine. Sure enough, Madam Yu was looking at him like a predator that had found its next meal. Looking around, he realized that at some point, while he was lost in thought, both Wei Wuxian and his brother had left the room. He fought the urge to fidget under her intense gaze and ferocious smile like she knew he was trapped.