Beyond The Mud [MDZs]

Chapter 21

[Group XiCheng ; continuation of chapter 17]

Zidian had already been turned into a whip. The purple lighting was fierce but silent. Jiang Cheng didn't want to deal with whatever was coming without disturbing the first Jade. But his movements were limited because Sect Leader Lan was using his shoulder as a pillow.

*Step

*Step

*Step

The shadow that fell on the wall confirmed the fact that it was indeed a cultivator and the sound of unsheathing sword proved it further. why would a cultivator enter in an empty Temple? was he the one taking care of the Temple? When the light on inferno fell on his face, it revealed a youngster. Probably few years older than Jin Ling. He couldn't help but think he had seen this face before, but where?

"Who are you?" Sect Leader Jiang asked in a low voice. Zidian returned back to the ring form sensing no apparent danger.

"Ah! sect leader Jiang and ...Sect leader Lan?" the youngster was confused for a mere second. He was shaken further  when Sect Leader Jiang put a finger on his lips - to keep quiet . The Young man could only nod.

"What are you doing here?" Sect leader Jiang asked in the lowest voice his vocals could muster.

"I-I am here for the night hunt when I heard voices inside the Temple, I thought maybe some corpses are inhabiting here." The young man said.

Night-hunt in a dead sect? It wasn't anything uncommon but a young man alone?

Before Sect Leader Jiang could asked anything, the man said,

"What brings Sect Leader Jiang and Sect Leader Lan here?" the youngster clearly had the confidence to speak to Sandhu Shengshou.

"Night-hunt."

Jiang cheng didn't add a word further nor the young man asked any.

                                                                             . . .

The flames of inferno flickered in the silence, dancing in the dark. The young man was already asleep .It had been many hours now and Sandhu shenghsou's shoulder was getting numb. But nothing could compare the numbness of his heart.

He remembered when his limbs would benumbed after holding his sword for too long. Or holding quill for too long even holding his arch for too long. Wei Wuxian would always laugh at him saying that he (JC) had maiden's fingers. But that was not it. His fingers would go numb because he had always been practicing longer than rest, he had always been struggling harder than rest, trying his best to keep up with his talented brother. Trying to follow an unknown path with a pace set by others. It was tiring.

"A-jie..." The words he muttered suppressed under his breath and he closed his eyes.

" A-Cheng."

He sprung open his eyes and followed the words he had heard, he was speechless.

"Ah! I apologize sect leader Jiang, I- "

"Say that again."

"Pardon?"

"Say that again!"

"A-Cheng?"

Jiang Cheng covered his eyes with his hand and softly laughed at himself.

How Pathetic!

Even after all these years, he's still longing for someone to take away all the lonely demons that dwell in his mind. His eyes were already wet. Lan Xichen patted the shoulder he was lying on before.

"How did you know A-Jie called me like that?"

"Wei gongzi talks about Sect Leader Jiang and Jiang gunya a lot."

Jiang cheng was surprised, he knew wei wuxian couldn't hate him but he didn't know that he would still ramble about him.

"I actually have learnt a lot about Sect Leader Jiang from Wei gongzi." Lan Xichen chuckled.

Jiang cheng's face grew red out of embarrassment. Knowing Wei Wuxian, he might have started with story where Jiang Cheng wet his bed, or the time when he had a bad dream and slept with Wei Wuxian holding his pinky. Or the time when they discovered porn for the first time, even the time when they tried to take a peak inside a brothel. Wei Wuxian might have led them all but he was curious himself.  Jiang Cheng internally prayed for none of the case.

 Wei Wuxian! You can't leave me some face even when we aren't together.

 Remembering all the extreme pranks they had pulled before, jiang cheng wanted to dig a hole and hide.

"I'm glad!" Lan Xichen smiled.

"Huh?"

"I'm glad that Sect Leader Jiang has happy memories as well."

Jiang Cheng stared at the smile the bright jade had produced. That smile was warm. It certainly did remind him of his sister. The same tenderness, the same gentle voice.

"It's not 5 yet why are you awake?" Jiang Cheng killed the mood.

"I can't possibly let Sect leader Jiang stay up all night. I will keep watch now." Lan Xichen smiled again.

Jiang Cheng couldn't bare to see that smile much longer so he slept without arguing much.

Lan Xichen saw the younger who was lying few feet away from them, facing the wall. From the robes he could deduct that the young man belonged to Fang clan.
The Fang Clan was associated with Tingshan He sect. After it's annihilation, The Fang clan feared being the next target so they dissolved their clan and became rogue cultivators cursing the Sect system.

If Sect Leader Jiang let him stay then he might not be a trouble.

But Lan Xichen had trust issues now. It was not easy for him to let pass just anyone. He kept an eye on him till the dawn broke.

                                                                               . . .

Sect leader Jiang woke up with a bed hair, like a hair out of place in Papillon*. it was cute honestly. Lan Xichen smiled to himself as he prepared the morning meal.

"I'm not eating that." Jiang Cheng was still half asleep, with one hand rubbing his eyes and with other pointing at the soup Lan Xichen was making.

Lan Xichen gazed in awe.

"Sect leader Jiang can add as much spice as he wants." Lan Xichen offered him a bowl and spice.

They had their meals and Fixed their attires. The young man was still sleeping. It was quite early but the noises they made, he was sure to wake up.

Just as Jiang Cheng reached to check on the youngster, something burnt in him.

He stroked the area just below his diaphragm. His throat was itching and his face was sweating. His breathing became uneven and his limbs started to shake.

"Sect leader Jiang? " Lan Xichen called out to the man and rubbed his back. He thought maybe it was because of the spicy meal so he offered him some water. But that was not it.

Jiang Cheng was clearly in pain. His body had been vibrating with fluctuation of his spiritual energy. He kept stroking his stomach it felt aflame. He coughed out of reflex, panting in between.  Lan Xichen's face grew paler when he saw the blood along with that rasp.

Jiang Cheng couldn't breath, when the air around him condensed. He couldn't see when the light around him dimmed. He couldn't hear when Lan Xichen called him out.

"Sect leader Jiang! "

"Sect leader Jiang!"

"Jiang Wanyin!"

His Golden Core was reacting!

---------------------------------------

Papillon - Dog breed

Sorry for grammatical Errors.