INTERTWINED (WangXian)

26. The Entry card

"Lan zhan"

"Mn"

"It's uncle"

"..."

'Ahem'

"Uncle" Both stood up unaffected and bowed. 

Lan zhan had his passive look while Wei ying zoomed in to Qiren's face looking for any extreme emotion. 

Qiren just closed his eyes, inhaling deep like he was trying to calm himself. 

"How did it go?" Qiren asked, stroking his beard. 

Lan zhan and Wei ying looked at each other. 

'See, uncle is the shameless one' Wei ying eyed the blushing Lan zhan. 

"Fierce corpses" Lan qiren said, regretting his blunt question earlier looking at the couple. 

Lan qiren was waiting for the pupil who went to protect the borders, as he was informed that the walking corpses were more fierce. That was when he saw Lan zhan coming, so he decided to know the details from him. 

"Safe now."

"Good, Bring Xichen once he comes."

"Mn. uncle-"

"I-i will be waiting in the meeting room."

Lan qiren fled from the scene, not willing to listen to the explanation why his chief disciple was hugging the mischevious Wei wuxian.

"Not worried?" Lan zhan asked Wei ying who was smiling cheekily looking at the closed door through which Lan Qiren left. 

"I was. But looking at how your uncle behaves, I feel excited." Wei ying giggled.

"Wei ying" Lan zhan cupped Wei ying's face, gaining attention.

Lan zhan stared at Wei ying, his thumbs drew circles in Wei ying's cheeks. 

"I missed you, too," Wei ying answered. 

"What was uncle asking about?"

"Fierce corpses tried tampering the border." 

"Ok-Wei ying flickered as he tried to respond. He sensed something strange. 

"It can't be," Wei ying continued, not looking anywhere in particular. 

His legs involuntarily moved, and Lan zhan followed him closely. 

When Wei ying finally felt the strange force nearer, he was inside Lan qiren's chambers, in front of few fierce corpses on the floor, and Lan qiren whose eyes were almost popped out looking at none other than Wei ying. It was not like Wei ying did not notice anything, all he had in mind was finding the energy which pulled him in the village.

He greeted Lan qiren which he should have done while entering the hall, but he felt safe, as Lan zhan stood right next to him like he was defending with his presence.  

Wei ying heard the melody of a dizi,  that was when he noticed Xichen, who was placing a spell on a corpse which struggled to move. Lan zhan joined his brother with his guqin as the corpses tried to free themselves. 

"Sleep" 

Wei ying ordered and the corpses complied. He himself did not expect them to listen, but his inner self urged him to give it a try. 

All the 3 Lan's turned to Wei ying's side wide eyed. 

Wei ying shrugged his shoulders like he owned the moment, and moved forward to the corpse, his fingers pressing the centre of the forehead of one of the corpses. 

"I could feel this familiar energy." Wei ying provided. 

"Young master Wei, Can you explain?" Xichen asked, before his uncle could say something inappropriate.  

Wei ying looked at Lan zhan and began when the other nodded. Wei ying did not share that particular experience with Lan zhan, embarrassed to talk about his day as a maiden. However, now he had no choice.

He narrated how he felt gravitated towards the village and the energy he felt but left out the part why and when he went.  

"So earlier today?!" Xichen's eyebrows arched and now it was Wei ying's turn to get an answer. 

"Chenqing" Lan zhan completed the puzzle. 

All the 4 sat down in the discussion room and Xichen explained the things that happened today in the borders. When he was describing the details of the freezed corpses, Wei ying rolled his fist down the table, worried that it might have a bad impact on his already non existent manners to Lan qiren. He slowly glanced at Lan qiren who was stern, but the moment he turned to the proud looking Lan zhan, his heart felt light. 

Wei ying without a choice, admitted that he played chenqing in his sealed room. 

"Yin metal?" Wei ying wanted to know when the other three used the term every now and then during the topic. Xichen told him the details he knew.

Though they got a hint, it did not give them an idea how it was related to Wei ying. 

Lan qiren suggested that they can have another meeting once he collects facts about yin metal from sect elders and the scrolls to help them get a clarity on the situation. He also informed that they can pause the examination of Wei ying's core at present to avoid any kind of mishaps. 

"gusu clan rules 50 times" Lan qiren did not forget to punish the troublemaker for breaking the rules by playing chenqing within cloud recesses, when he saw Wei ying slip away from the room as soon as the discussion got over. 

'This old man and his damn memory!' Wei ying did not forget to praise inside his head. 

"Uncle… Back in the roommm" Wei ying scratched his nape and blushed. Of Course how could he leave Lan qiren without getting back at him.

"60 times." Qiren said, holding his chest.

Xichen was amused seeing how his brother-in-law was able to scare his great uncle. 

Lan zhan enjoyed his shameless guy's antics. 

"From what we enquired, everybody likes him." The old man read out the report. 

"He is close to his siblings and Hanguangjun." He continued reading, assessing his master's expression. 

"So..-"

"So you can't bring him?" The man on the dias challenged the oldman to answer. 

"It's not-"

"Didn't you say that Lan wangji cancelled his engagement recently?" 

"Yes my lord." 

"Find out his ex-fiancée. She is our entry card to yunshen." 

"Lan er gege is so mean. Locking me inside jingshi" Wei ying pouted, crossing his arms on chest, his eyes screening Lan zhan's face. 

".."

"Lan zhan, you are supposed to comfort me"

".."

"So you won't?" Wei ying looked at him pleadingly. 

"Would you like to stroll around Caiyi town with me?"

"Lan zhaannn, you are good at bribing me." Wei ying smiled victoriously.