Solstice Souls

All Kinds of Thirst

They might be enemies...but perhaps they were united in how they felt about the stern, always angry Purple Spider.

"Fitting name." XiChen remarked as the carriages set off.

Lan Zhan hadn't realised he had spoken the words aloud.

"Her face could curdle milk."

Lan Zhan snorted out a laugh. Then chuckled as his golden eyes met those of his brother's, warm as honey. XiChen always found a way to make him feel better.

"Everything will be alright, Didi." He was saying now, softly.

Xichen took his hand in his warm one and squeezed it gently. Lan Zhan looked at their joined hands, marvelling at the comfort so little a touch could give. It chased away the pangs of loneliness like the sun.

They stopped at a village after midday. The sun was at its strongest now, and the carriage felt stifling now that it was stationary. He adjusted his robes around his neck, feeling them sticking to his back.

"Shall we stretch our legs, Didi?" XiChen was already half outside their carriage.

Lan Zhan had no choice but to follow him out. There was no way he was letting his brother out of his sight right now, not when their enemy outnumbered them. Perhaps not exactly, but since the Jiangs were so comfortable with the Weis, Lan Zhan lumped them together in his mind.

Outside, Jiang Fengmian was talking to a woman who was speaking animatedly about something. Judging from her gestures, something was wrong. Lan Zhan stopped behind his brother.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Wei heir looking their way.

Now, he was walking towards them.

Lan Zhan froze.

All of his training came into play now, as he tried to bank down on the feelings that came to his mind unbidden.

He was supposed to hate Wei Ying.

Wei Ying.

The Wei Clan had been lying about the whereabouts of the artifact for as long as Lan Zhan could remember. The artifact that allowed them to control Yin energy, to control resentment energy. If Baoshen Sanren allowed them to go ahead and search the Wei vaults, Lan Zhan was a hundred percent sure that they'd find it there.

Wei Ying was close, but the younger Jiang sibling stopped him, just as the woman speaking to Jiang Fengmian shouted out heart-stopping words.

"But my son is innocent! He doesn't know anything about demonic cultivation!!"

Lan Zhan snapped out of his thoughts, seeing Wei Ying turn back. His silver eyes were shocked and troubled. And Jiang Cheng was man-handling him away.

Lan Zhan was about to step towards him, his feet naturally carrying him where the chaos was, because Wei Ying was struggling in the other's arms.

But over here, the woman burst into tears.

Lan Zhan saw Madam Yu jump down from their bigger carriage, and stride towards them with intent. Unconsciously, he stepped behind his brother so she could not see him.

Right now, she was staring down the woman as she sobbed, her face a mix of contempt and irritation.

"You would do well to keep your voice down. If they've taken your son away...there's nothing to stop them coming back." She said, almost bitterly.

Lan Zhan thought she might have stopped herself from adding 'for you'.

It did the trick though, because she quietened down immediately, looking around herself furtively.