Wei Ying
He worked the hardest after he receive his father message, making a report his father could have a look at it and see if he came to the same conclusions he had. His father was by far, better than him in the talismans making as well as using spells and magical arrays, so he may see the things that may had elude him.
He still believed that there was something missing and that there was something out of place in the array he saw over the decayed body, although he was quite certain it was a failed attempt to bring a soul. He was not an expert in curses, but he did know that all courses had side effects and for creating one to exchange one soul for another, also most had a price.
The arrangement looked like the summoning was been forced at the recipient, it was not a willing one, thus it failed, killing the host and rejecting the summoning. There were other array's that imply a willing sacrifice, but it also looked incomplete. So he guessed they had been trying both ways for a while, but there was something deep inside that tell him that everything could be a simply distraction.
The one working on all that was smart, so why leave the proof of their plans behind to be found? Did he thought no one would understand the complicated arrays? Or perhaps they didn't expect them to look on the ruins that were considerably far from the towns. Also, why taking the effort of creating corpses to hide them behind barriers? There were many, but not enough to be consider an army or to overwhelm a city full of talented cultivators.
There was also the disappearance of his mother he needed to tell him, which will be a huge blow on him, knowing how much his father loved his mother and how much he had miss her during those long years she was gone. Her connection with all that was happening behind doors, was also something to be consider. Was she working along with the so called seer? Was she trying to take down the rouges too? And if that was true, then how was he involved? Lan Zhan had told him she had save him and ask him to take him away and remove the curse from him, thus she knew the group and what they were after.
"Mom... just what happen to make you leave us?" Wei asked to himself, as he took a break, just before the rest of the group showed up. He had told both Wen siblings of the coming of his father, then Lord Xichen showed up along with an older man called Lan Qiren.
"He is Lan Wangji's Uncle. Very strict... good luck with him." Huaisang had whisper to him, before they enter the library and he showed his respect to both the Clan Leader and his elder. However, Lan Qiren wasn't too impress or pleased with him.
"Young Master Wei, your father had also send us a message of his coming and I assure you we had make the preparations for him to stay here for as long as he wishes. This is the first time he visit us, after he study here under Lord Zheng's guidance, so we are honor to have him back after such absence." Xichen said politely.
"Thank you, Clan Leader Xichen, I appreciate the welcoming and I'm sure my father will be pleased too." Wei Ying said politely.
"Have you make any progress with your investigation?" Xichen asked.
"I have, but there are some things I will like to verify with my father when he arrives. He had more expertise in this field." Wei said and Xichen smiled.
"That he had." Xichen agree.
"I have write a report, if you want to look at it, you are welcome, but there are some things that need further investigation, if you allow me, just to be on the safe side and not to rush on conclusion that may mislead us somewhere else." Wei Ying said.
"Of course, Lord Zheng had also said the same and he is currently examining the corpses himself." Xichen said.
"Let me see the report." Lord Qiren demanded and Wei Ying give him what he had worked on so far. The older man had a look at him, then read on, turning a few pages.
"This is full of errors... it seems you are lacking in your calligraphy." Lord Qiren criticize and Wei arched an eyebrow. Of all things considering, including a possible coming war, why would he care about such a trivial thing?
"Pardon my errors, I was focus in the research that can help our Clans with a new kind of threat." Wei answer sarcastically, almost making Huaisang laugh, but making Lord Qiren angry.
"Wangji can do research in perfect calligraphy, even with his eyes close or upside-down." Wei smiled.
"Lan Wangji is outstanding in many arts and especially skilled with his hands indeed." Wei said, with a hidden mining that make Wangji's ears go red and the others to struggle the desire to laugh.
"You are proving to be like your parents." Lord Qiren criticized him yet again, closing the report with more force than needed.
"I'm honor with the praise." Wei said with a slight bow that make Qiren madder.
"It wasn't a praise at all." The older man said as he touched his long bear.
"My bad, I will try to do better next time, to honor my family name." Wei said, calmly, which irritated the older man.
"You should ask Wangji to help with your calligraphy, Lord Zheng doesn't had the time to do so himself." Lord Qiren added and Wei looked at Lan Zhan, smiling at him quite mischievously. He simply couldn't help it.
"Certainly I will ask for his help in anything I need to learn. He is so good at it, I can't ask for a better teacher. He had already teach me a thing or two quite well." Lan Zhan's ears were on fire, knowing he was referring to kissing and possibly about what he almost did a few hours ago. The others were holding their amusement.
"Good, this is a place of deep learning, you do well in following his example." Qiren said and Wei Ying almost laughed.
"I assure you, I will follow his every steps like a shadow and his wonderful teaching to my heart." Wei said and Mianmian put a hand on her mouth, to hold a laugh.
"Do so, your mother and father lacked in discipline while in here." Qiren said.
"However they had learn well, our Clan survival depends on it and my father had exceed in many arts that others had benefit from." Wei said, defending his Clan.
"As we had done for generations. Learn well and you will do your Clan good." Lan Qiren said.
"Of course, I'm the pride of my Clan after all." Wei said already knowing that pride was forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, but he couldn't let Lord Qiren to have the last word, which only infuriate him more. So then he bowed respectfully to the elder that gave Xichen the notes and went out of the Library in an angry storm. Once out, the others laughed discreetly and Xichen sighed.
"Never mind that, young Master Wei, he had a bad experience with your mother a long time ago." Wei Ying was instantly curious.
"What did she did? I was told my parents were troublemakers while studying here." Xichen smiled.
"Your mother was ranked second, my uncle was ranked first, so they were paired up, but let's said it didn't work out well, then Lord Zheng paired her with your father and the rest is history. I would like to take a look at your notes, if you don't mind and I will bring them back to you before your father arrives." Xichen said.
"Ah, yes, I don't mind." Wei said.
"You should have some rest. The night is going to be a long one." Xichen said and gave him a bow that he returned, before he too go out.
"You are dead meat, Wuxian." Jiang Cheng said, as he sighed and sat back.
"I'm sorry, Lan Zhan..." Wei said as he looked his boyfriend, but he only smirked.
"No need to apologize." He said.
"He sure does, he piss off your uncle in his first time talking with him." Cheng said.
"Be fair Jiang Cheng, he gets angry with all of us too and he was a bit rude." Huaisang said.
"Ah, well that's true." Cheng said.
"Hum guys... Wangji is here, remember?" Mianmian said.
"I don't take any offense." Wangji said, to their relief.
"He is too god for you, Wuxian." Wen Qing told him, making Wei Ying smile.
"Jealous?" He joked.
"You wish... by the way, aren't you taking the coming of your father too lightly? Regardless of the reason he was sent a message, for him to come here personally is uncommon, nor heard off before. Just think about it, there is a lot your father will not be glad with when he comes here. Especially if Lord Qiren had a few words with him." Wei paled as Wen Qing's words sink in. She was right of course.
The thing his father warned him the most was to keep it secret about his seal and he had used dark energy right in front of his whole group. He had fall in love, not with a woman, but with a man and the Second Master of the Lan Clan no less. He had mess up with an ancient dragon and almost got killed, sent swords spirit out without permission in search of a talisman, sent Lord Zheng out of the islands and piss off Lord Qiren in their first encounter. Just thinking what his father will do to him when he find out about them, make him have a headache.
"Damn it, I'm so dead." Wei whisper.
"So am I... Grandmaster Lao will kill me for not taking better care of you." Suibian whisper too, almost shivering inside his blade.
"You are already a spirit that can't die, but I can't said the same with me." Wei told him.
"Let's run for it." Subian suggested, while Xuanyu laughed.
"What about your Bichen?" Xuanyu asked.
"She will go whatever Lan Zhan goes, so she is coming too." Suibian remained him.
"That sounds like a good plan to me..." Wei told him as he looked at Lan Zhan, stood up and taking his hand to pull him up as well.
"Lan Zhan, let's elope right now..." Wei said, making Wangji deep red and the others laugh in amusement.
"That will not do you any good, Lord Wei is a Master of teleportation, remember?" Wen Qing said, as she smiled.
"Tell father I will be looking for mother..."
"He will kill you faster if he find out you didn't told him about her." She said, enjoying Wuxian's panic.
"Is Lord Wei really that frightening?" Huaisang asked, not knowing the Clans of the east.
"He is." Said, Wen Qing, Ning and Wuxian at the same time.
"Wei Ying, calm down." Wangji told him, calmly rubbing his thumb over the delicate skin of his hand.
"You just don't have any idea..." Wei said as he rubbed his forehead with his free hand.
"Even so. There is a proper decorum to follow in every Clan." Lan Zhan insisted.
"Lan Zhan..." He pouted.
"Have some rest, you are too tired." Wangji told him as he pull him forward.
"I need wine." Wei whisper.
"That can be arranged. I can sent Qingfeng downtown." Huaisang said.
"Idiot, drinking is forbidden here." Cheng said.
"Ah... right... Sorry, Wangji..." The young Lan almost sighed. It was not like they had not break a few rules already.
"Don't add more troubles to the already doom idiot." Wen Qing pressed, having her fun.
"I just hope Ah Yuan annoys father with wanting to come for long enough. Only he can save my skin now." Wei whisper.
"Ah Yuan?" Asked Wangji.
"Hum, he is my son." Wei Ying said and Wangji glare at him quite hard. Mianmian laughed.
"What?" Wangji manage to bring out in his astonishment.
"Wait, don't get me wrong Lan Zhan. He is actually Wen Qing and Ning's orphan cousin, but after I save him once, he calls me father and follow me around like a lost puppy. He is three years old and of the Wen Clan, but he stay in ours for most of the time." Wei explained and Wangji relaxed.
"He truly likes Wei Ying and he wants for him to become his father. As our Clans consider themselves as one big family, Ah Yuan stays with the Wei's for as long as he wants and we visit him regularly." Wen Ning said quite tenderly.
"Even so, I don't think your father will travel with a kid." Song Lan said.
"You don't know how persistent the brat can be." Wei sighed.
"Still, it will be dangerous to ride in eagles as such a young age." Zixuan interrupted.
"Eagles? Ah, no... Lord Wei does not travel on them." Wen Ning said.
"Yeah... actually, we were not supposed to do it either, but the idiot here wanted to leave a big impression in the cultivators of the north." Wangji smirked, having no doubt he actually did impress him the most.
"We were late and I lose my talismans." Wei try to make an excuse.
"Lord Wei should be mad about that too." Wei paled even more.
"Never mind that... I'm already in troubles." Wei said, taking Wangji's hand on his again and pulling him to go out.
"Hey, were are you going? You are not really eloping, right?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Nope, but I would like to enjoy the few hours I had left before he arrives." Wei said as he winked at the group and went out on a date, before his father either kill him of punish him for months.
"Idiot... he is just making it worse." Cheng said as he saw them walk out.
"Guys... really, Lord Wei is indeed very strict in his teaching, but he loves Wei Ying above all. He will not get that mad, not matter in which troubles he may fall." Wen Ning assure them and the group looked at his sister and she smiled mischievously.
"He deserved the teasing..." She said.
"Poor A'Xian..." Yanli whisper, yet she smiled.
Ours latter, a big colorful magical array manifested in town, just below the main Lan Clan island and a small group of people walked toward the teleportation circle. Wei Lao, let the message butterfly sent to him touch the array, so the magic will know he was invited and then walked inside of it.
A bit after, they were teleported to the main island, right at the border of it. The group walked a few step forward, when the fires of the Lan Clan were candle cerulean blue, then a few men's go down the entrance stairs to greet them.
"Clan Leader Wei Lao, please welcome to our Lan Clan." Lord Xichen said with a welcoming bow that Wei Lao returned.
"Thank you, Clan Leader Xichen and Lord Qiren..." Lao bowed politely again and the older man did the same.
"Where is my son?" Lao asked and Xichen smiled a bit nervous.
"He is in his room, but he will be called shortly. I apologize, because he had gone through a big ordeal, when the corpses were set lose inside the barrier. We didn't knew about the rouges back then." He said with a soft tone.
"What about this new group? And what exactly happen to my son?" Lao asked.
"We should discuss this inside, if you don't mind." Xichen offer, moving his hand to show the way up.
"Yes, it will be best to talk inside, but first bring me to my son. You can tell me all while in the way." Lao insisted, as Xichen agree, having no other choice.
AN: 🙇 I'm sorry dears that this chapter didn't have much Wangxian, but to make a full story, some chapters will be dedicated to character grow or introductions. 😉 Still, I hope at least I give you some fun with Wei Ying and Qiren's discussion and Wei's fear for his father. Thanks for reading, love you lots and take care until next time. 😙💖💖💖⚘