Black Greed

FOUR

Wei MeiLan and Lan XiChen separated ways after that night hunt. He was so ashamed that Wei MeiLan did all the work because he got distracted.

But surprisingly, Wei MeiLan's reflexes are fast. She knows what to do even without a proper knowledge on how to deal with those things. Unfortunately, she treats the night hunt as work with her all-serious face and deadly glare, contrast to her cheeky attitude before entering the forest. He had expected her to falter and be surprised at what she will see, but she didn't even screamed nor show fear.

"How are you able to bring a double-pointed spear with you when I hadn't seen a stick with you?" Lan XiChen asked in curiosity.

"Ah, that? Descend is a spear disguised as twin dagger. So you can adjust the scabbard as the body for the dagger or use them as mini spears," She explained while they left the forest in the middle of the night.

"Descend, huh? My brother named his sword Dustless, and your brother, Whatever." He murmured.

"Well, for me it's because I can still fly despite it's a short blade , but I still prefer walking around than flying to see the view from the ground. Another reason is, it can really make a flying sword fly down everytime I use it," She chuckled.

"I see. Interesting. Will you come with me to do night hunts?" He asked.

"Well, that hunt is interesting. A'Ying mentioned that to me already once, saying he encountered one?" She pondered. "So this is what he meant. But, I'm sorry I need to decline your offer. Despite the holiday that they gave to me, I still have some problems I need to solve on my own and wait for their return,"

He smiled. "It's fine. But I noticed that your spiritual energy doesn't emit a silvery white color, but gold. Are you an immortal already?"

"Who knows? All I know is that it has been like that ever since. We don't know the reason, but it doesn't affect me or anyone badly," She shrugged.

"You have a unique spiritual energy. Please beware of greedy people. Then, shall we part ways now, my soulmate?"

She turned around to face him, but he disappeared after he murmured the last two words, causing a shift in her mood.

He knows, now I need to hide from him. She decided.

After a week of going to mountains and forests, she found a good spot to build a home for her for the next two weeks as she plans to do something. She will grab the chance that was given at her. She created talismans and spells that works well with her energy and some pills to help her in case of emergency.

But she never expected that the annihilation of the Lotus Pier happened while she's away, until a summon from an unfamiliar place interrupted her work. Her seclusion made her forget to check what's happening.

That's why when she reached the destination, she saw all cultivators, except her brother and the old Jiang couple.

"Jiejie, A'Cheng, where's Aunt Yu and Uncle Jiang? Did my stupid brother fetched them?" She asked upon her arrival.

They both looked away from her as she asked again. "J-jiejie, did what I warned you two months ago had happened?"

"It's not your fault, A'Qing," Jiang YanLi tried to comfort her.

She unconsciously took a step backwards. "I knew it. I shouldn't had left, I—"

A pair of strong arms supported her from behind. It was Lan XiChen.

"Don't blame yourself for that, Qing'er. It's only natural for the clan leaders to stand up and remain to fight back. Even if you're there, the result will still the same. Plus, your brother is missing," Jiang YanLi said.

"My brother is fine as he can be and will return in a few months," Wei MeiLan's face is full of distress as her body shakes. "If I'm there, I might be able to do something to save them. T-this shouldn't be—"

A wisp of bluish white energy entered her temple, sending her to sleep in Lan XiChen's arms.

"A'Qing/Second sister!"

"Let her rest for now," Lan XiChen suggested. "She's distraught to digest the devastating news, that she ignored her missing brother,"

"Young Master Lan," Jiang YanLi spoke. "Never underestimate their twin bond, if she says he's safe, then he is. It's just that we don't know where he is right now,"

Lan XiChen gazed softly at the unconscious Wei MeiLan. "Shall we send her to her sleeping quarters?"

Any people will notice that one of the twin Jades of Lan Clan took the first move to help a person that looks like Wei WuXian with feminine features. And he had never gazed like that to anyone.

******

Even when she was knocked out to calm down, another premonition came in a form of dream.

Darkness surrounded her body, entering her from all direction, giving agony on her. Wails, cries and screams keep ringing on her ears, torturing her.

That endless darkness is suffocating her, making a difficulty in breathing. As she gaze again, she saw a pair of red eyes gazing back at her before she woke up sitting and catching her breath.

Her forehead is full of sweat and temporarily confused as to where she is currently until she saw familiar faces looking at her with worry.

"Second sister, are you okay?" Jiang WanYin asked.

Wei Meilan gathered her will to stop herself from crying as she tried to apologized.

"A'Cheng, I'm sorry, I didn't do my job well," She stared at him, trying to be strong.

"We know that between the four of us, you're gonna be affected the most," Jiang WanYin hugged her to comfort her. "It's not your fault, it's the Wen's,"

"I—"

"Shh," Jiang YanLi took a tray and put it on the bedside table. "Everything will be fine, A'Qing. A'Ying will return as you say, but for now, rest is important,"

"No, please call Lan WangJi. I don't know how long I will be asleep, but I must tell something to him. This is important," She weakly asked. "If he doesn't want to come, tell me where he is and I'll go there,"

"Stay here, I will try to persuade Second Young Master Lan," Jiang YanLi stood up and left as Jiang WanYin helped her lean at the head board.

"Second sister, what have you've been doing this past weeks that you don't know what's happening?" Jiang WanYin asked worryingly.

"Where's my bag? Take out the bottles in there and keep it. They are medicines for energy exhaustion and physical injury," She told him.

Jiang WanYin put a bag in front of her as she reached out to it and opened the bag. Inside, tons of bottles and boxes were put orderly and labeled properly.

"How did you made a lot? You shouldn't have to,"

Jiang YanLi returned together with Lan WangJi, interrupting them. Her black eyes stared hardly at him as she asked the Jiang siblings to leave them for a bit and set up barrier so that no one can hear them.

"What I will tell you is regarding with my twin brother. No matter what happens, no one can know this, only you. Are we clear?"