Hold on to me

Chapter 5

Huaisang greeted the day with a frown upon his face, the sun had barely peeked over the mountains when he received a letter from one of his messengers in Qinghe, alerting him of a few suspicious happenings in the far north and that there were new strangers in Qinghe that resided in an inn just a few days ago. The letter was penned by his most trusted Comrade Zhongqui who had been there ever since his Da Ge passed on. He temporarily handled the affairs of Qinghe Nie sect while he was away. He knew he had to return soon before things get out of hand, the letter might have said that it was but a small suspicion but Huaisang wouldn't dare take the chance. After all, out of all the people that would understand how a conflict can bloom from the tiniest of seeds, it was Huaisang that knew how much damage it can actually bring.

"Àiren, you're up rather early today" his husband said, emerging from the comfort of the the bed. His hair messy and unbound, he looked adorable with a small frown upon his face, caused by the disturbance of his sleep.
Huaisang smiled at him, folding the letter neatly and hiding it inside his sleeve.

"Good morning to you as well" He greeted.

Jiang Cheng yawned and lazily sauntered over to the bathroom connected to his room. The tub was already filled with warm water.

"Zhàngfū" Huaisang called

"mnh?" he replied, untying his sash and placing it on the chair by the tub. Huaisang was on the other side of the door, contemplating if he should leave right away.

"Pardon for such a short notice but i need to leave for Qinghe today"  he said.

Jiang Cheng paused when he was about to take of his night robes. He sauntered over to Huaisang.
"Right now? Why are you going back in such a hurry?" he asked. The Jiang sect leader hoped that his husband would stay for another week. If it were three weeks ago even 2 days of Huaisang's visit would guarantee a headache form Jiang Cheng. But now he didn't want his husband to just leave, neither of them really knew when they would ever get the chance to see each other again as Jiang Cheng tend to not visit often and Huaisang would be very busy considering his position.

"Ah you see, Zhonqui had just informed me of some strange happenings in the northern area of Qinghe, it seems that my presence is needed" he explained.

"Nothing too serious i hope" Jiang Cheng replied.

"I'm sure it's only small for now. But i cannot deny that it might worsen if not dealt with earlier. After all, the unexpected always happens when one is caught off guard" Huaisang turned around and began to run his fingers through his hair to clear out the knots that sleep had left behind. Jiang Cheng couldn't tear his eyes away at how smoothly his fingers glided, he wondered how soft Huaisang's hair hair really is.

"I understand" was his curt reply. But he couldn't help but want to keep the other man just a tad bit longer

"Don'r worry Zhàngfū. I'm sure you'll manage on your own. I say Lady Meihu is already seeing you in a different light" he teased. Though it hurt to utter those words, the sounds scarping against his ear and piercing his heart. But he also knew he was no competition. It wouldn't surprise him if Jiang Cheng were to pick the lady over him. He just hoped his hunch was wrong.

Jiang Cheng's frowned deepened. He didn't know how to reply to that, he knew his heart just didn't quiet beat for Lady Meihu, but he had to keep a brave face. There was only a mere 5 day remaining before he would decide if he wanted to take Lady Meihu as a wife or not. He had his decisions to think through of course, but two days prior he had talked to Wei Wuxian just before him and his husband had to leave for the Cloud Recesses, and what his brother advised him also stuck to his brain.

"Jiang Cheng, you have to look harder in yourself. I believe you already have  a beautiful lotus, why bring in another flower?" Wei Wuxian declared.