Nine-Petalled Lotus |XICHENG| (Editing)

07 [Six-Petalled Sunshine]

Only Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren and a few elders left to attend the banquet. There were a few royal guards riding along them with white horses.

Under the clouded sun, Lan Xichen's horse remained white. He sighed, looking up the sky. Along while, his horse slowed down, delibarately making them fall behind.

Ah-Yao.. Happy birthday.

The sky was too gloomy, Lan Xichen eventually closed his eyes to reminisce in the past where Jin Guangyao would frown, but then reveal a soft smile as he told Lan Xichen that it's fine. It's fine if there was no sunshine. It's fine, as long as Lan Xichen continues to smile because if he did, it was already sunny.

Thus he promised.

A small tear dropped from the corner of his eyes. The horse made a noise below him, most likely comforting him. Lan Xichen opened his eyes and wiped his tears. He looked down with a smile and pat the horse's head.

"How could you be so sensitive?"

He suddenly raised his head when he caught a sight of a familiar figure along the trees. He grabbed the reins to tell his horse to stop.

"Xichen!"

Lan Xichen looked ahead to his uncle, giving him a smile.

"I will be right behind."

His uncle, used to his usual antics, shook his head and sighed. He finally ordered the others to go ahead.

Lan Xichen looked back at the right where he had seen Jiang Cheng, only to frown when he saw an empty space. Then his horse huffed to his left. Lan Xichen faced his left. He smiled when Jiang Cheng is walking beside him.

"Sire Jiang," Lan Xichen greeted with a smile, "I did not expect to see you again."

Jiang Cheng was as usual, crossing hir arms as he walked beside the horse.

"You look down," Jiang Cheng spoke.

Lan Xichen was taken a back. He retracted his gaze and looked over the group of his uncle going on ahead.

"What does Sire Jiang mean?"

Jiang Cheng snapped his gaze at him, they were hard as he replied, "No use denying. Is it the gloomy weather? Or your responsibility?"

Lan Xichen glanced at him again, smiling geniunely this time, "I might say both. Nie Kingdom invited us for a celebration, but at the same time, this day is the birthdate of an important person."

The other seemed genuinely surprised that Lan Xichen would open up, but it just came out naturally. Lan Xichen rarely ever tells his problems nor bother others with it but now, he felt so comfortable to tell him. It was as if it's just naturally right.

Jiang Cheng looked up the sky, noting how dark they are. "It's gloomy," he muttered, understanding that it is quite mood dampening.

"But it is inevitable. He believes it is a curse of his birth, that his birth is wrong and a misfortune, which was why the sun would never shine in his birthday. Still, I admired how he would always remain positive despite it, and would keep on wishing that one day it will shine. And soon, I held on to his wish. If it was his happiness, I will go by it, but I cannot naturally make all the clouds disappear. That would be impossible..however, I still wish I can. That way, he just might be able to smile, even in the after life."

Lan Xichen spoke of Jin Guangyao fondly, looking up the gloomy sky with a smile. He stopped when he noticed that the person walking beside him fell behind.

Then he suddenly realized that Jiang Cheng was walking. He mentally slapped his head that he forgot his manners. He ordered his horse to approach Jiang Cheng who stood there, seemingly in deep thought.