By the time that Cale had finally woke up in his room in Lotus Pier, a week and a half had already passed by since the burning of Cloud Recesses.
And apparently, the infant that was drooling in his stomach is called Jingyi.
"I'm glad you're finally awake." Someone says, making Cale look at the source of the voice as he slowly sat up, mindful of the infant that was playing his robes.
"And I see that you've already healed, Qingheng-Jun." He retorts, looking at the infant and the old man.
"If you're wondering why I let Jingyi wander around you, don't ask me. I'm just doing what Lan Xichen says."
Cale furrows his eyebrows, noticing what the man was doing.
"Why are you peeling lotus seeds?" He couldn't help but ask.
"My, what a good question. My sons have taken quite the liking to eating them you see, so I'm peeling some for them after their work."
Cale blinks, the sound of goo goo ga ga fell deaf to his ears as his arms encircled around the child in instinct.
"Work? What work?"
Qingheng-Jun just smiles, making Cale look at him in confusion.
"Hunting water ghouls with your brothers."
The redhead nods, though he doesn't know why there was still an unsettling feeling inside him.
Qingheng-Jun then continued, "Without using boats that is. They went manual."
Cale choked both in his spit and from Jingyi who pressed his weight against a weak muscle in his stomach.
"Manual? You couldn't perhaps mean that one?!"
By what Cale means as manual, is that you hunt water ghouls while only swimming around and holding your breath for as long as possible or you're dead the minute you lost your air underwater.
It was one of the most vicious training methods of Yunmeng Jiang. Just remembering how he managed to finish that tutelage still surprises him until now.
Qingheng-Jun just shrugs like he doesn't care about his sons, "I can't do anything if it is the Sect Leader's punishment to them. Isn't that right, Sect Leader Jiang?"
The redhead felt a presence behind, which is quite odd and not at the same time since a window is situated behind him.
Cale felt a cold shiver run down his spine, cold sweat started running down from his forehead.
"Look who decided to finally wake up." Jiang Fengmian says in an ominous tone, making Cale flinch as he robotically looks at the Sect Leader.
"Haha, good morning Sect Leader Jiang." Cale says, willing himself to not stutter and look away from the man.
Qingheng-Jun just smiles.
"It's already dusk, you brat." Jiang Fengmian corrects, making Cale continue to sweat cold.
"A-anyways! What's for dinner then?" Cale tries to divert the topic.
Keyword, tries.
"Why did you barge into a battle without telling us first, hmm?" Jiang Fengmian smiles viciously, making Ron's face appear in Cale's mind.
Before Cale could answer, Jiang Fengmian started barraging him with questions and statements, making the redhead have no time to interrupt the Sect Leader in his over thinking.
"Is It because Lan Xichen called you? Or is it because you are worried about him that you didn't have the time to inform us? Do you like him? Who am I kidding, you do like him! How else will you just do waltzing in a burning Cloud Recesses and coming back in his arms, unconscious!"
Cale felt a headache forming, kneading the baby hands that was playing against his long ones in comfort.
Qingheng-Jun, somehow noticing his discomfort, tries to alleviate Jiang Fengmian's worries.
"Sect Leader Jiang, have mercy on the child. He just woke up after all."
Jiang Fengmian just sighs, heeding the other Sect Leader's words.
"Pwetty." Jingyi suddenly says, yanking Cale's hair as the redhead could only curse in his mind from the pain.
Looking at child, Cale found out that Jingyi is getting sleepy with a dead lock grip in his hair.
"Q-Qingheng-Jun, h-helpㅡ"
Sect Leader Lan just chuckles, while Jiang Fengmian lightly snorts to not disturb the infant that was now sleeping.
"I see he took a liking to you." Jiang Fengmian teases.
"Yes, I see that too but can you help me? My scalp is burning!" Cale whisper yells at the old men.
"Replace your hair with your thumb." Sect Leader Lan says, which immediately made Cale follow him.
He wiggled his thumb to the tiny fist, successfully making Jingyi let go of his hair.
The infant let a series of sound similar to childish giggles, as if he was having a good dream.
Cale just sighs before sitting comfortably, his back leaning against the wall as the child rested his head peacefully in his chest.
"We'll excuse ourselves first, A-Xun. Rest here for a while." Jiang Fengmian says in a defeated tone, since the redhead have a reason to lay in his bed for a little longer.
Cale just hums, also starting to feel drowsy from the even breathes of the child laying in his chest.
In the end, he replaced his thumb with his red hair again, since he knew the moment he'll wake up, his entire arm would go numb.
The two Sect Leaders quietly then left, the other pocketing the peeled lotus seeds in his sleeve.
"What an interesting disciple you have, Sect Leader Jiang."
The said man just sighs, "Interesting enough to have Wen Ruohan eye him."
Qingheng-Jun chuckles, "Who wouldn't be interested? He's someone who have a unique face and hair, and someone who have a spiritual energy that could rival the Heavenly Martial Gods."
Jiang Fengmian closed his eyes before sighing.
"It's not that he have strong spiritual energy considering he have a small golden core."
Sect Leader Jiang fears that there's another external factor that let Wei Xun harness such otherworldly powers.
If the world had found out about Wei Xun's ability, he fears that an unwanted responsibility would fall on the redhead's shoulders.
Jiang Fengmian then says, "That child looked like he carried a huge burden in his previous life. That back of his may be comforting to see, but it was lonely too."
Qingheng-Jun hums, agreeing at Sect Leader's Jiang statement.
"So the least you can do, was to atleast ease that loneliness by surrounding him with people who will stand beside him?" Sect Leader Lan inquires, making Jiang Fengmian nods.
"He wants to live a peaceful life, then I want to give it to him as much as possible. But the brat is throwing himself in a fire and started sparking attention to him." Jiang Fengmian groans, making Sect Leader Lan snort as he patted the latter's back.
"Uncle Jiang! Is gege awake now?" The newly arrived Wei Ying asks, his robes still dripping from the river's water.
Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng, and Lan Wangji then came. All looked like they were dogs and cats that couldn't find shelter in a rainy day.
"He woke up earlier but slept again. Go bath, you'll get sick if you continue to be exposed in the cold wind." Jiang Fengmian says as he eyes the two Lan brothers that are shivering.
As the four of them took a bath in their respective rooms, Lan Xichen was the first one to finish.
"Oh, Zewu-Jun. You're fast. Do you miss gege that much?" Wei Ying teased, where he was only answered with a smile.
The younger gasp before looking at Lan Wangji, "Lan Er-gege! Your brother is such a romantic!"
Lan Xichen just looks at his brother who have a stoic face but red ears.
"I'll visit A-Huan and get Jingyi for him to rest comfortably." Lan Xichen reasons, in which Wei Ying just looked at him.
"Go on. Chengcheng and I will visit him tomorrow instead." Wei Ying says and gave him a toothy grin.
Walking towards to where the redhead is, Lan Xichen admired the night view of Lotus Pier.
It was filled with lights that if you look at the place from afar, they look like stars in land.
Lan Xichen knocks lightly at Cale's door when he finally arrived.
As the man briskly walks to where the redhead is, he couldn't help but stop for a while as he took in the sight in front of him.
Cale, even when he sleeps, looks as elegant as ever like he was someone sent from the Heavenly Realm. He holds Jingyi like he was hugging the whole world in his feeble arms.
There was something that fluttered in Lan Xichen, making him knead the robes above his chest as he looked at the two sleeping figures.
"You're going to have a sore back with the way you sleep." He mutters to himself, shaking his head as he still looks at Cale who sleeps while seated.
Lan Xichen sat in Cale's bed inches away from him, brushing away the lone strands of red hair that fell to the redhead's face.
"Abwaa...pwetty." Jingyi says, visibly having a good dream.
"He is pretty, isn't it?" Lan Xichen couldn't help but agree at the sleeping child's mutters.
"Hyung."
Lan Xichen looks.
It was that word he can't understand again.
"Hyung-nim...cookies..."
Lan Xichen just chuckles, "Even you are capable of acting cute in your sleep."
Seeing that Jingyi and Cale won't be separated anytime soon, Lan Xichen figured that he should leave them alone.
Standing up, Lan Xichen turned his back and was about to walk away when his breath hitched in his throat.
His forehead ribbon covering half of his eyes, the end seems to be being pulled by someone before he looked at the source.
While Lan Wangji can be flustered with his red ears thanks to his stoic face, Lan Xichen will have his entire face become red since he is more expressive than his younger brother.
There it is, his forehead ribbon being held by the sleeping Cale who doesn't know what he's doing.
Lan Xichen grabs his forehead ribbon with no regards and immediately walks away from that room, hitting every corner of Lotus Pier due to his mind going haywire thanks to his rapid beating heart.
If there is a visible bruise that was formed behind his forehead ribbon the next day, no one bothered to ask except for the main root himself.