The sun had finally decided to make a bright appearance in the blue sky after weeks of harsh snow. The Lotus Pier was bustling with energy as disciples occupied the training grounds and sparred under the watchful eyes of their sect leader. Kids ran around playing all kinds of childish games while Yan Li sat on a step, knitting a purple sweater for her niece/nephew. She had been preparing baby clothes and a new Jiang Sect's jade pendant for the baby, although there was still plenty of time left for the child's arrival. But she was just so excited! Occasionally, she would look up from her knitting to smile at the children running around her or to throw worried glances at the disciples being berated by Jiang Cheng.
On days like this, she missed her A-Ling the most. As a mother, it was in her very nature to worry for her son who was all alone handling a huge sect. She wanted to be with him but also knew that without her, A-Cheng and A-Xian would never reconcile. She may have given birth to one child but she was the mother of three.
So guess her shock, when her A-Ling came striding through the doors of the Lotus Pier, with a huge smile on his face and wildly swinging his arms by his sides. She stood up to engulf him in a hug and placed wet kisses all over his face while muttering, "I missed you so much, my baby!"
Jin Ling complained loudly but showed no signs of stopping her. He could have easily pushed her away. To be honest, he always loved getting coddled by his mother.
Yan Li finally pulled away and gave her son a once over. He looked healthy and happy and that's all she has ever wanted for her son.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" yelled Jiang Cheng, making his way over to them.
"Hello to you too, Jiu Jiu! I am fine, thanks for asking," he replied with dripping sarcasm.
Jiang Cheng glared at his nephew causing the latter to laugh.
"You didn't send us any letter of your arrival, brat!" gritted out Jiang Cheng.
"Didn't I tell you the last time I met you that I will be here a month before the Discussion Conference so that I could help you arrange it?" Jin Ling asked with a frown.
Jiang Cheng stared at him in confusion and after a minute, his eyes widened as realization finally dawned on him and he began pacing with his hands on his head, muttering the word "fuck" over and over again. With all that had happened in the last three months, the Discussion Conference had completely slipped from his mind.
"What's happening?" asked Yan Li, staring at her brother who seemed to be losing his mind. "What Discussion Conference?"
"Oh A-Jie! What are we going to do?" cried Jiang Cheng. "This year's Discussion Conference has to be hosted by us. And it's only a month away!"
"And you are telling me this now?" she screeched. "How could you forget something as important as a Discussion Conference?"
"I should thank our brother for that," he replied with an unimpressed look.
Yan Li sighed. She couldn't blame A-Cheng for forgetting something so important with everything that had been happening.
"Calm down, A-Cheng. We've still got a month. We just need to get all hands on deck and trust me, we'll manage to arrange a decent Discussion Conference," she said.
"That is not what I am worried about, Jie. The Gusu Lan Clan will also be attending the Conference and he will be too," Jiang Cheng said giving his sister a pointed look. "And I also have to send out the invites as soon as possible, giving enough time for our guests to prepare and come here."
Jin Ling had been quietly watching the not so subtle exchange between his mother and uncle and he suddenly remembered a letter he had received from his friend, Lan Sizhui.
"Is everything okay with Wei Jiu Jiu?" he asked, interrupting them. "And stop speaking in secret codes! Did something happen between Hanguangjun and Wei Jiu Jiu?"
Yan Li's eyes widened with her son's question and she turned towards her brother for help.
"Why are you asking this?" Jiang Cheng asked with narrowed eyes. "What do you know?"
"So something did happen," Jin Ling whispered to himself. Jiang Cheng cleared his throat and gave him a look that said 'Spill'. "Lan Sizhui sent me a letter recently. He was asking about Wei Jiu Jiu. And he also mentioned that Hanguangjun hadn't been in the greatest of moods after their recent night hunt. Apparently, he kept zoning out in the middle of classes and has been completely distracted. Sizhui said that Hanguangjun looked almost –" he paused trying to think of a fitting word – "depressed."
Yan Li locked eyes with her brother as if silently telling him that maybe she was right. Jin Ling stared at his mother and uncle having a telepathic conversation and cleared his throat to gain their attention.
"Can someone please tell me what is happening?" he asked completely exasperated. His non-existent patience was something that he had inherited from his uncle, who in turn had inherited it from his mother, Madam Yu.
Yan Li pulled her son aside and Jiang Cheng followed. "What I am going to tell you now is strictly confidential. You cannot tell anybody. Even Sizhui," she said sounding completely serious. When Jin Ling nodded with wide eyes, she continued. "Your Wei Jiu Jiu is going to have a baby."
"Is that why Hanguangjun is sad? Because Wei Jiu Jiu knocked a woman up?" he asked, completely distressed with the fact that his Wei Jiu Jiu and Hanguangjun would never end up together, now that a woman was in the picture. He and Lan Sizhui were shipping them for so long that finding out his ship was going to sink, almost broke his heart.
Yan Li and Jiang Cheng stared at Jin Ling with an expression that one could consider as bewilderment.
"No!" Jiang Cheng exclaimed and was immediately shushed by his sister as disciples stopped to stare at them. One scalding look from him was enough to make them look away. "He did not knock a woman up! Your Hanguangjun knocked your Wei Jiu Jiu up!" he whisper-yelled.
Seeing the shocked and confused expression on her son's face, Yan Li softly explained to him the events that had taken place in the last three months.
"So I am going to have a brother?" he asked with brewing excitement. When Yan Li nodded with a smile, he continued, "This is great! Now Hanguangjun and Wei Jiu Jiu can finally be together!"
"You knew about their feelings for each other?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Everyone knows. Except the two idiots in question," he deadpanned causing the elders to laugh.
"Okay," began Yan Li. "Until A-Xian decides what he wants to do, we need to keep this a secret. And during the Conference one of us will always have to be with him. The Ouyang and the Yao Sect are still wary of him and they may try to strike conflict during the Conference. And A-Xian is capable of defending himself but he's been very weak and I don't want to take any risks with his condition. And it's best to keep Lan Wang Ji away from him until A-Xian is ready to face him. We already have enough to deal with, a crying A-Xian better not be one of them. And we need to get him out of the room before food is served."
"Why?" asked Jin Ling while simultaneously Jiang Cheng asked, "He's still throwing up?"
Yan Li nodded her head in reply to her brother's question. "He's slightly better than before. But any smell that is overwhelming will sending him running out."
Wei Ying chose that moment to walk out of his room with half lidded eyes, hands stretching above his head, a yawn fixed on his mouth.
Yan Li, Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling were so into conjuring up the "perfect plan" that they did not notice his presence. An idea struck Wei Ying's mind and with an evil smile, he snuck up to them and with a low, rough voice, whispered, "What are we talking about?"
Jiang Cheng and Yan Li jumped away with a shriek while Jin Ling let out a high pitched scream, causing everyone to stare at him like he had grown another head. His face filled with colour as he looked away to hide his embarrassment while Wei Ying howled in laughter. Jin Ling glared at his Wei Jiu jiu and noticed the tired eyes and the hollow cheeks that his uncle sported and was immediately concerned.
"A-Ling! When did you come? Did you miss me so much that you decided to pay me a visit?" asked Wei Ying with a smirk as he hugged his nephew and patted his back. Hard.
"You are the last person that I would miss," Jin Ling scoffed, followed by a wince as he returned the hug.
Wei Ying pulled away and turned to his siblings. The worry etched on their faces alarmed him.
"What's wrong?" he asked his family.
His siblings and nephew stared at each other wondering what to say when Yan Li decided to break the news to him.
"In a month, Yunmeng Jiang will be hosting a Discussion conference, A-Xian," she said softly.
Wei Ying knew what that meant. He would be seeing Lan Zhan again. He didn't know what to do but he knew that he couldn't put the Jiang Sect in a compromising situation. The Discussion Conference was inevitable.
"You don't have to worry about anything, Wei WuXian!" piped in Jiang Cheng, looking at his brother's face. "We have already come up with a fool proof plan! I can assure you everything will be fine!"
"Calm down, guys," laughed Wei Ying. "It's not like you're housing a fugitive. We will be fine. And we have only a month?"
Yan Li nodded.
"So we have to begin with the preparations soon. I'll handle all the jobs related to talismans. Like talismans for keeping the food warm, protection arrays, seating comfort etc.," he added.
"While you're at it, add a talisman for calmness and peace in the Great Hall. These conferences can get real wild," said Jiang Cheng with a shake of his head while Jin Ling eagerly nodded in agreement. "Oh! I also need your help with sending out invites. The invites were supposed to reach all the Sects by the end of this week! I was supposed to send them like three weeks back, so that that they'd have enough time to prepare for their travel and reach here on time."
"Don't worry, Jiang Cheng. I'll manage all that," he assured.
"Are you sure you're up for this, A-Xian?" asked Yan Li. Wei Ying nodded. "If you feel sick or tired, you'll have to let us know. And don't do anything that will put a strain on your body."
"Yes, Shijie. I promise," Wei Ying said with a smile. "Now tell me all about this perfect plan!"
As his sister explained the plan to him, with his brother and Jin Ling occasionally piping in, Wei Ying smiled. It felt truly good to have his family by his side again.
But alas! As the saying goes, even the best laid plans often go awry.
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Lan Wang Ji continued to stare at the book, words floating in front of him as he thought about every single moment that he had ever spent with Wei Ying. He recalled how Wei Ying had annoyed him to death when they were disciples, their more than fun night hunts, Wei Ying's death which had wrecked him, Wei Ying's return which had made him the happiest man on Earth, Wei Ying lying in his arms after their bout of love making - He was broken out of his reverie when there was slight knock on the door.
"Come in," he said softly, shaking his head.
Sizhui entered the room with such grace and elegance that all Wang Ji could feel, while watching his adopted son, was pride.
"Hanguangjun," greeted Sizhui with a bow. He presented a letter and said, "This appeared in front of the Cloud Recesses, out of the blue."
"Appeared?" asked Wang Ji.
"Yes. The disciples guarding the gate said that it just appeared out of nowhere. Like it fell from the sky. It's from Yunmeng Jiang sect," he replied with excitement.
Wang Ji plucked the letter out of Sizhui's hands and stared at it. A letter appearing out of nowhere could be a job only Wei Ying was capable of. A Lotus stamp was engraved on the envelope and Wang Ji's heart started beating fast and loud. His heart was beating so loud that he looked up at Sizhui, to check if he could hear his heart go on an overdrive. All he received was a smile.
Nimble fingers tore through the envelope with unhidden excitement. He pulled out the letter and stared at the calligraphy.
"It's not from Wei Ying," Wang Ji said with an almost pout causing Sizhui to sigh in disappointment.
'One of these days, I am going to lock those two in a room until they sort all their problems out', Sizhui swore looking at his father's pitiful face. Sizhui was worried to see his father so disturbed and depressed. And he could bet on his toy butterfly (No Betting in Cloud Recesses), that his Wei Qianbei's condition was as bad as Hanguangjun.
"What does it say?" he finally asked.
"It's an invitation to the Discussion Conference which will be held next month in Yunmeng Jiang," Wang Ji replied with blank, lifeless eyes. But then a thought occurred to him. If the Conference was in Yunmeng Jiang Sect, then Wei Ying would be forced to attend it as the senior disciple of that Sect. Which means, that he would get a chance to meet Wei Ying and try his best to woo him. Oh! He was going to sweep the man off of his feet. He would do almost anything to keep Wei Ying by his side. He loved Wei Ying and he was never going to let him go ever again. And just like that, in mere seconds, his eyes lit up.
Sizhui stared at Wang Ji, taking note of the myriad of expressions flitting across his face until it stopped at one. Excitement? If he didn't know his father/teacher better, he would think that Hanguangjun was bipolar!
"You'll be coming with us, Sizhui," added Wang Ji, getting to his feet. Sizhui nodded. "Prepare to leave in three weeks. We'll be taking the boat," and with that, he was on his way, to pay his dear brother a visit. He was a man on a mission and there was nothing that could stop him!
Notes:
So, hope that you guys liked it! Lan Wang Ji and Wei Ying will meet soon... Do let me know your thoughts regarding this chapter! XD
Qianbei: Senior
Jiu Jiu: Maternal uncle
A-Niang: Mother