Beyond The Mud [MDZs]

chapter 11

"Shizui, let's switch. You've been watching over Hanguang-Jun since morning." Lan Jingyi brought his fellow Druzy some food and water.

They've always been together, during night hunts, classes and even in punishment.
Lan Shizui gets dragged around by Lan Jingyi a whole lot. There were no secrets kept between them. They were raised like brothers.

During one of the night hunt with Jin ling, Zizhen and Wen Ning they fought for the first time. Lan Jingyi had always been hard to deal with but he was Lan Xichen's pride. Everytime Lan Xichen would look at him, he would feel blessed to have someone who could speak what he felt not what he was expected to feel.

It made him feel alive.

That's why nobody bothered to correct Lan Jingyi and made him an abiding Lan.

[Flashback ch 11- ch16 : Juniors bond]

{Before WWX stepped out of the mortal Realm.}

"Shizui!! " Lan Jingyi was frustrated. He had been for past few days. Ever since Ghost General approached Lan Shizui, he's been spending too much time with him but that wasn't what ticked him off. What made him upset was the secret he (LS) had kept.

"Jingyi! I informed you beforehand that Wen Qianbei is coming on the night hunt with us. Why are you being unreasonable?"
Lan Shizui almost scolded the younger Lan, who had been eyeing Ghost general strangely.Why wasn't he bugging Jin Ling or planning something with Zizhen? Why was he being so so... Stubborn?

Lan Jingyi humphed as he stomped leaving them all behind.

"A- Yuan, I will leave. You accompany Young master Jingyi." Wen Ning proposed feeling unwanted.

"No! Wen Qianbei, you are coming with me." Lan Shizui said with the air of authority.

In reality Wen Ning really wanted to join A-Yuan. In the world of people, he was really lonely. After all he was the last of Qishan Wen Clan - at least to the people he was the only one.

A Yuan was the only Family Wen Ning had. But he couldn't even claim him as his family. His isolation had no solution. The Wen Blood had ended.

They all followed Lan Jingyi as they had no choice left. Lan Jingyi didn't decreased his speed either.

"Jingyi! " Lan Shizui called out but it fell to deaf ears.

Zizhen and Jin ling found it very disturbing. Why are they fighting? What are they fighting for? it looked like a siblings quarrel which to both Jin ling and Zizhen was a common happening. Jin Ling never got along with the disciples of Lanling sect while Zizhen was always rebelling against his father.

"If you do not stop this instance, I will not talk to you anymore."
Lan Shizui made it very clear, with voice so sharp and tone so soft. It was very effective. Lan Jingyi stopped for a moment and before resuming his steps he looked back and caught everyone by surprise.

Those were tears?

Lan Shizui froze in his steps as he saw the Lan in front disappear from his sight. Ouyang Zizhen ran after Lan Jingyi without a second thought while Jin Ling and Wen Ning stayed with Lan Shizui.

"Shizui, what really happened between you two?"
Jin ling was quite concerned.

"I..I don't know, he's been acting like this for past couple of days."
Lan Shizui tried his best to search all the corners of his memories to look for a clue.

When did he upset him? How did he upset him?

Before Lan Shizui could come up with his fault, he was dragged out of his thoughts with loud shrieks. Wen Ning ran in the direction of the Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen. Jin ling and Lan Shizui tried their best to match the Ghost General pace.

Those were flames?

When they arrived it was whirlpool of smoke. They spotted a small cave on mouth of which the trees were burnt to the ashes. Ghost General and other two managed to put out the fire. Lan Shizui and Jin Ling immediately went to look for the wounded. When the whole situation calmed down a bit, Lan Shizui begun his inquiry.

"Madam, would you tell me how the fire started? "

The madam was an elderly woman but not old enough to be considered grandma.

"Grandma! Why did you let those spirits go? " Of course to Lan Jingyi she was old enough to be dead.

It was a small group of people, living deep in the mountains. Too small to even call a village. Lan Jingyi ran into them just few moments prior to rest of them. He saw the spirits igniting the fire but when Lan Jingyi tried to capture the spirits, the women let out shrieks scaring lan Jingyi.

"Those are the spirits of our men".

They all had pretty much guessed that. But why did they become spirits? And how? Were the questions.

"What happened to them?" Jin Ling knew that their night-hunt would turn into a deadly mission if he pried any further, but curiosity got the best of him.

"We killed them. And they came here to avenge themselves."

Silence fell, they didn't know what to say or how to proceed.

"Do you regret it?" Ouyang Zizhen studied their expressions before coming up with hypothesis.

The small group of people mostly consisted of children and women no older than Lan Xichen.
Their faces so dull with barely enough meat between the cheeks and bones.
If it weren't for seeing Wen Ning very often, they would have easily mistook them for Corpses.

Without uttering a single word, juniors understood what they meant.

"If you don't mind, we would like to help you." Lan Shizui offered.

"Young master, we appreciate the thought but I'm afraid you can't do much." The madam handed him (LS) a small satchel.

"We're destined to die."

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I would suggest you don't skip juniors bond. Actually I'd suggest you skip nothing ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )

Sorry for grammatical errors and thank you for reading.