Wei Ying's destroyed heart (Complete) Edited

5: Time to search

As the three Lan's sat pondering things a soft voice called them back. As they all knew the only person who could get through the privacy shield was SiZhui, they were not worried.

'I apologise for interrupting your meeting.'

XiChen looked up at the voice and grabbed an opportunity. 'SiZhui, we need you to do something for us.'

'Yes ZeWu-Jun.' He looked at the family members and knew something was very wrong.

After glancing at his baby brother, XiChen looked back to SiZhui. 'We want you to tell us that Wei WuXian had nothing to do with the attack that almost killed WangJi.' When all the young man did was open and closes his mouth as he looked between the three of them. 'It's alright; you will not be punished for doing this. We are testing out a theory.'

'You must believe it ... with all your heart.' Lan Zhan said almost silently.

'I understand.' He closed his eyes and put all his belief into his next words. 'I know that Wei WuXian was not responsible for the attack the night HanGuang-Jun was so horribly injured.' Only then did he find that he really did believe those words and a tear escaped from his eyes and when he looked at the reaction of the three Lan's, he found ... pain of belief. 'May I ask ...'

'We need a meeting with everyone ... but only the GusuLan Sect.' Master Lan said firmly trying to fight the emotions welling up.

'Have everyone else cleared out with some excuse. Not one person other than GusuLan Sect is to remain.'

'I will see to it myself HanGuang-Jun.' SiZhui almost rushed but kept his pace at an acceptable speed. He gathered a number of his friends and spoke to them privately.

'I have been asked to gather all none GusuLan Sect Members and ask that they leave immediately. Then every member is to gather for a private sect meeting.'

'Is something wrong?'

'What happened?'

'....'

SiZhui held up a hand for quiet before they all started to ask questions. 'No questions. All will be informed during the meeting. Right now I want us to split up into pairs and take all visitors from the Cloud Recesses right now.'

'Okay.' They all answered as one before splitting up.

In less than an hour XiChen had written a letter and taken a set of prisoner robes that will bind the wearer who will not even be able to remove them. Very few people knew of these robes and what they do ... XiChen was happy that Jin GuangYao had never found out about them. SiZhui had gathered everyone in the Cloud Recesses, so he placed a silence spell over the whole place and then told them what they had found out. He also spoke of his suspicions that Wei WuXian was innocent of the near death of Lan WangJi.

'I will be sending some of you out in teams to try to find Wei WuXian and ask if he will come here.' XiChen gave his uncle a nod.

'We suggest the first place to look into would be drinking establishments and inns.' Master Lan received bows from everyone.

Lan Zhan remembered what Wei Ying had taught him. 'I think it best if you hear nothing, just go to those drinking establishments and ask the waiters while ordering. Always let them see you pay more than what you owe ... Wei WuXian used that on many occasions and always got the information we needed.'

'Also, SiZhui and JingYi you will both head over to Lotus Pier under the pretext of visiting Jin Ling but you will pass on a secret message to Leader Jiang Cheng that Jin GuangYao is to be arrested and have his cultivation blocked, strip his clothes and have others given to him that are here.' He handed over a parcel. 'Don't tell anyone other than Jiang Cheng that there are talismans sewn into every part of the material of the garments like our protections but these are for binding. They will stop him doing anything. Then tell Jiang Cheng everything that we have informed you of, but only after that man is captured.'

'Yes Lan XiChen.' They both said together with a deep bow before heading off to Lotus Pier.

XiChen sent off three groups of people under the pretext of fighting fierce corpses but in truth they were looking for Wei WuXian.

'Brother ... I am also going out to look for Wei Ying.' Lan Zhan looked at his brother and uncle and dared them to stop him.

'Under one condition WangJi ... take someone with you and keep yourself healthy. Also ... remember we were made to do this against our wills ....'

'It does not abate my guilt.'

'When will you return?'

'Uncle ... when I find him.' he went to his room and prepared to head off and when he arrived at the gate, he found his uncle with a half dozen juniors.

'Take these boys with you. It will be a cover if you taking them out to train them.'

'Very well.' He looked at the juniors and noted a couple of faces missing.

'I'm sorry they are not in the group ...'

'They are doing something important.' He nodded to the juniors and they were off.

They first started by looking in all inns, and drinking establishments but none of them had seen him in six months. They went to restaurants and got the same response. As they were not to draw to much attention to their search, they just started to listen to all the gossip. Lan WangJi had been shocked back when Wei WuXian had taught him the best place to find gossip was a drinking establishment. He had at first thought he had just wanted to have a drink but to his surprise, Wei Ying had managed to gather the information required. The waiters heard everything and would be willing to tell them if they paid a little more than the bill required.

'Wait .... Now you mention it Young Master.' The waiter sat at the corner of the table with a frown. 'A few months ago, there was whispers from travellers that a man dressed in black, and red undershirt, with a red tie in his hair had saved the lives of himself and his family. The man only asked for an old mask he had been carrying around for years ........ there are other tales of a man in a silver mask helping but never talking, only pointing at what he wants as payment.'

'Has he ever been seen in a town or something?' Lan Zhan asked as he sipped his tea trying to sound as if he didn't really care that much. However inside, his heart raced and his gut twisted.

'No. these tales are said to have taken place outside the area.'

Lan Zhan and the juniors travelled further and further only to heard bits and pieces about a young man in black with a red tie in his hair, a silver mask and he never spoke.

No one knew where he came from and no one knew where he went.

This person had been seen and encountered all over the lands ... other than the GusuLan Sect domains.

Not once was he seen there.

The only sure thing was Wei WuXian was saving people as he travelled and that news hurt the three who waited for information.

They tried to work with the times he was seen and realised they were sporadic at best and they were becoming less frequent as time passed. His direction could not be plotted as it was just like a drunk person veering all over the place.

However far away deep in a forest, at this time Wei Ying was having one of those times where he just couldn't bring himself to raise from the place he used for a bed the night before. His fingers worked mechanically as he removed two small pieces of material on the inside of the mask and replaced them with new pieces. Then he let it drop to the ground of dried leaves which sent the sounds of crunching leaves around the area, and then he just lay there looking at the world before him with no desire to go into it.

He heaved a sigh and just lay there.

Animals walked passed as if he was not even there.

In the distance he could just hear people walking and talking.

A bird in the air cried out.

A dead branch fell from its tree and crushed somewhere behind him.

Too loud...........

The world is just too loud ..................

He didn't move.

He just laid there and breathed.