OUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER (A WANGXIAN STORY)
Chapter 51
Jiang Ju was happy to see her advice was taken. Wei Ying was washed out the following morning but he couldn't help grinning like an idiot. It was as if his brother in law was lost in a daydream. Wangji resumed caring for him and Jiang Cheng was finally hers again.
"Wei Ying, have you thought of a name for your baby?", Ju slipped in a few candied fruits when Wangji left with Jiang Cheng to see to a report. "Jie, we've only discussed it once.", Wei Ying took his first bite.
"Oh ok. Your brother told me you gave Jin Ling his name. Since you missed Muyun's birth, I was hoping you and Lan Wangji would pick a name for my child when he's born."
"He? You're certain it's a boy?", Wei Ying giggled. "Why not, aren't boys better?", Ju lowered his eyes.
"Hah...Sister-In-Law, I beg to differ. I love being a man but look at me now. I traveled to the ends of the world so I can be more like you and I still suck at it. Jiang Ju, I would be so happy if my baby is a girl...", Wei Ying finished one stick in no time and grabbed another one. "... I bet Lan Zhan would spoil her more than me and so would I. She could take care of her siblings and I can fix her hair every day like my Shijie, YanLi, thought me... When I have a daughter, she will break so many hearts and I will get a good reason to kill any man who so as much as breathes when she passes by.", Wei Ying smiled so sweetly it warmed Lady Ju's heart.
"Wei Ying, you want more children?"
"Of course Jie. I will have a whole plantation of them if I can.", Wei Ying laughed.
"Haha...In that case, why don't you pick two separate names for whichever gender the baby is?"
"Certainly...Lan Zhan would be honored. Where did they say they were heading again?", Wei Ying suddenly remembered his husband was not around him.
"Oh Wei Ying, you probably didn't hear anything with your head deep in the clouds. Must have been a good night then.", Jiang Ju winked and Wei Ying turned red. "Haha, your face changes color so easily.", Lady Jiang mocked him.
"Jieeee..."
"Alright, I'll stop. Lan Wangji went with Jiang Cheng to dispose of a few water ghouls. They shouldn't keep long.", Ju explained.
Lan Shufen took the liberty to do her daughter's bidding. Her plan at the moment was to get rid of Sect Leader Jiang and make it look like an accident. But then again she did her homework and found out her enemy was a formidable one. If she was going to get her target she needed to be more cunning.
Lan Shuffen took a short trip back home to put everything in place. JingFei needed rest and none of the details...
Lan Wangji was suspicious when there was no sign of water ghouls at the given location. "Could it be an abyss?", Jiang Cheng remembered something from decades ago.
Wangji, "..."
Li Qiang and the other disciples spread out over the lake and mounted spirit flags to draw the creatures to their boat. Jiang Cheng stood on the same boat as Wangji. That awkwardness between them had begun to fade.
" It's interesting how the tides change...At least now there's no Wei Ying to cause trouble.", Jiang Cheng strived to make small conversations.
"Mn.", Wangji answered monotonously.
"Sandu Shengshau, I see something coming our way!", One of the disciples cried out. They turned their eyes to where the ghoul was spotted but there was nothing.
"That's odd, there seems to be noth...", A great splash came from a different direction. The boat carrying three disciples behind them was suddenly flung into the air. "Wh, what the hell is that thing?". Li Qiang's mouth dropped when they caught sight of the creature. The other men trembled.
"I wonder why there's such a beast living here when there have not been any complaints of missing persons."
"Are you saying this thing appeared here not long ago?"
"I'm saying it must have been planted here. Look at the mark on its neck", Wangji appeared calm pointing at the clear depiction of a ring scar on the creature's neck.
"If that's the case then it shouldn't be hard to kill it.", Jiang Cheng unsheathed Sandu and gave his men instructions...
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Lan Xichen became uneasy after his morning duties. He passed by his Uncle's quarters to see for himself how much HuiZhong had improved in his studies. Lan Qiren was scolding the boy when he entered. Xichen smiled.
Recalling those days his Uncle used to give him such tough love, he got curious about what HuiZhong's mistakes might be.
"Greetings Uncle...A'Jiang, did you get an answer wrong.", Xichen sat next to his son.
"Hmmph! I wouldn't be riled up if that were the case. Your son can't recollect simple things. If he were not your son I'd think he was blockheaded.", Lan Qiren slapped his table and the boy flinched.
"Uncle, he's still young. Please be gentle.", Xichen's smile rescinded.
"Nephew, had I been lenient with you, would you have earned such an impeccable reputation? At his age, you mastered almost all the Lan Rules and books. Lan Jiang will be the future Sect Leader of Gusu, what will the world think if he can't even recite his own clan rules.", Old Lan stroke his goatee like he'd said something wise.
"Even so, not all hands are equal. Every child has his shortcoming and strengths. Please be patient with him until Wangji returns."
"Lan Wangji spoils the boy!! Being around that Wei Wuxian must be the reason why my grandson grows dumber by the day!", Lan Qiren fumed. All the while Lan Jiang sat there quietly with his head down; holding in his tears.
"Uncle, saying such words to the boy...A'Jiang, where are you going.", Xichen was alarmed when his son stood up and turned to leave without saluting.
"See what I'm talking about, Wei Wuxian is corrupting the Clan's future!", Qiren had more grounds for his false claim.
"Uncle wait...A'Jiang, you may be upset about your Grandfather's words but it's still disrespectful to walk out on your elders.", Xichen asserted his dominance as the boy's father by pointing out his mistake.
"I'm sorry father, but I don't want to be the Sect Leader. I don't want to learn the clan rules or be a Lan. I want to go away from here.", HuiZhong hung his head low.
Lan Xichen's heart sank after those words. More so he remembered something painful seeing his boy clench his fist tightly against his robes. 'Wangji', his brother's name popped up in his mind.
"Hmph! That boy needs to be taught a lesson.", Qiren was afoot to punish the boy but Xichen stopped him. "A'Jiang, come...A'Jiang!"
The boy turned away and carried on without looking back. His first instinct was to find Wei Ying but he remembered too soon Wei Ying was not home. Yet, he went to the Jingshi anyway. It seemed that the house was the only place HuiZhong found peace in the Cloud Recesses. A peace he nearly ruined once with his words.
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Lan Wangji took out his Zither after four of the disciples met a terrible end. The more they fought it, the bigger the creature became. "Jiang Cheng, you should get your men out of here!", Wangji said in haste.
"Not yet, we still need their help!"
"Don't be stubborn and just get them away from here. You should leave too!", Lan Wangji said out of the blue. "What the heck! Lan Zhan, this is no time to play the hero.", Jiang Cheng put more energy into his strikes.
"No, you need to return to your wife.", Wangji said; his Zither nearly getting smashed by the reptile's tail.
"And you, aren't you supposed to be going home to Wei Ying as well. Do you think I want to get nagged by my brother?!!", Jiang Cheng roared.
And so he told Li Qiang to keep a safe distance while he tried to kill the animal never seen before in his sect...
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JingFei was excited by the baby's kick. She could barely walk for long but that sign of life made her hopes heighten. "Soon my dear. I will see your beautiful face and hold you in my arms.", She rubbed her belly with love. "Mistress, your mother sent another letter.", Cuifen walked in to give Madam Lan the note.
"Read it to me.", JingFei instructed.
Cuifen read everything with trembling hands. JingFei on the other hand smiled like she'd won a chest of gold. "Great...Now I only have to wait for the good news.", She giggled menacingly.
"Madam Lan, you're not planning to hurt your own son are...."
"Cuifen, why can't you be more like Fan, and stop annoying me all the time. The only reason why you still have your head is that you pledged your life to my little Jun.", Madam Lan did not lose her smile...
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HuiZhong sat not far from the Jingshi, watching the men at work. "Lan Jiang, is your class over so soon?", Sizhui had in his hand a basket of steamed buns for the workers. HuiZhong sat quietly. "Just a second.", Sizhui took the food to the men and returned holding one hot steamed bun in a small napkin.
"A'Jiang, I brought you a bun.", Sizhui squatted before him.
The boy took it and dug in as soon as he saw the delicious flower ball. The food was hot and Sizhui told him to slow down but Lan Jiang was not interested. He rather used it as an excuse to cry.
"It's so delicious Ge, can I have another?", HuiZhong sobbed, rubbing his runny nose with the sleeve of his robe. "Shidi, are you sure it's the bun making you cry?... You know your Ge is here to listen to you...I'll get you a steamed bun if you tell me the truth.", Shizui pulled his cheek lightly.
"Shizui Ge, I'm not a kid anymore.", HuiZhong pouted.
"Pfft...Yes Shidi, you're a big boy now. Look how tall you've grown; I couldn't even recognize you. Okay, now tell your Ge what's bothering you." Lan Sizhui's deep voice made him think of Hanguanjun.
The boy stared at the floor, kicking his heels into the ground. "I wish I could swap places with you, Ge.", He began. Sizhui was amused by such a statement; he assumed HuiZhong wanted to grow up fast.
"A'Jiang, you're perfect like this. This is the time to enjoy your childhood.", Sizhui said.
"No Ge, I really wish I were in your place. That Uncle Wei was my mother and Uncle Wangji, my father. They would spend more time with me and love me... Uncle Wei would tell me every day that I was smart and Hanguanjun would take me to the bunnies again. *Sob* A'Jiang would not be sad or lonely and I can stay with them at Jingshi- with your new baby brother.", HuiZhong's gentle sobs turned into suffocating wails. "I don't want to be Future Sect Leader Lan! I want to be...to be..."
Sizhui embraced Lan Jiang and let him cry on his shoulders. "Shhh...A'Jiang, calm down. It's not good to show others your weakness, you're going to be Sect Leader someday.", those words made the boy cry louder.
"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. You're just A'Jiang...Shidi, look at me.", Sizhui wiped his tears as they fell. "There's no rule that says we can't share parents. Zewujun may be busy as Sect Leader but he loves you very much and your mother...Well, your mother...Let's not think of it, my mother is also yours. He will always be there for you. All you need to do is ask, Mn?"
HuiZhong nodded.
Sizhui, "And Hanguanjun, he told me to stay behind so I can make sure you're safe. He loves you like your father."
"Then can I call him 'Father'?", HuiZhong looked up at his brother and Sizhui gulped. "Mn, you can call him father.", He answered.
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It was almost sundown when news reached the Lotus Pier that many disciples had fallen on a short trip to fight water ghouls. Wei Ying and Jiang Ju sighed when they saw Jiang Cheng enter the pier. "A'Cheng, thank goodness. We heard what happened...You injured your hand?", they went to him.
"Wei Ying...", Jiang Cheng called out weakly. A look of guilt made it hard to face his Shixiong. "Jiang Cheng, did Wangji go to the room already. I don't see him." Wei Ying smiled anxiously, looking behind them. He was waiting for a white silhouette to appear.
"Wei Ying...Brother in law..."
"Jiang Cheng, stop scaring me.", Wei Ying chuckled nervously until a few disciples walked in with a man on a stretcher.
"Lan Zhan?... Lan Zhan!", Wei Ying rushed to his side, not minding he was heavily pregnant. "What happened to him?", he touched the man's cheeks and it was burning with a fever. Jiang Cheng's words were stuck in his throat. "Say something!...", Wei Wuxian glared at his brother. Wanyin flinched.
"He was poisoned...We went to clear off some water ghouls but what we met was no ghoul at all. It was a giant crocodile. Everything happened so fast and Hanguanjun tried to get us to safety...", Li Qiang stepped in to help his Sect Leader.
"Poisoned by a beast?", Wei Ying was confused by the tale.
Li Qiang glanced at Jiang Cheng solemnly and continued. "In our attempt to escape, we were ambushed by a group of men. Hanguanjun was hit with a poisoned dart when he pushed the Sandu Shengshau out of its way. From the look of things, everything was a setup."
Wei Wuxian was stuck on the ground, "If it's a trap, then..."
"The target was not you or Hanguanjun, it was me!", Jiang Cheng would not let Wei Ying conclude. "He warned about it yet I stubbornly disobeyed."
"Sect Leader Jiang disobeyed because Hanguanjun wanted to fight the beast on his own while we run away!", Li Qiang interrupted Jiang Cheng much to his anger.
Wei Ying, "Where did the poison dart land?"
Li Qiang, "Behind his left shoulder...We took him to a physician nearby and he said there was nothing he could do. The poison should be spreading to his heart."
"AND IT TOOK YOU THIS LONG TO GET HERE!!!...", Wei Ying screamed at them, his heartbeat racing like a tidal wave.
"Wei Ying..." Wangji murmured.
The tender call made Wei Wuxian turn to him, stroking his hot cheek.
"Don't shout...Not good, for the...baby."Lan Wangji gritted his teeth.
"Okay, I won't...Lan Zhan, you can't die on me, ok? You can't leave me alone with this baby.", Wei Ying said in a low tone. A stream of tears flowing carelessly down his face.
"Mn...I won't.", Wangji's breathing was faint yet he forced a smile. His porcelain face was now tainted with beads of sweat and his eyes were already sinking in. Hanguanjun was paralyzed, unable to move his body. Slowly, his eyes began to roll back and his eyelids were closing.
"Lan Zhan!... Please don't close your eyes. Don't punish me like this!!. You have to stay with me. Please!!..."
Thanks for reading...Sorry for any grammatical errors. This chapter has me scared. I pray the next update comes sooner.😔💔💔💔
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