Previously...
Jiang cheng closed his eyes unwillingly. The tiredness made his eyes close and lean more towards the warmth. He thought, 'I must be drunk right now.' and fell asleep. Xichen smiled as soft snores left his lips and wrapped a hand around him before closing his eyes.
Third Person POV
Jiang cheng sat on the edge of the wooden deck, swinging his bare feet in the water and making small splashes. His heart was heavy like his head which had a million thoughts running through at the same time.
His thoughts kept going back to the past week when he laid in the warm arms of the Lan or the time when he shared a passionate kiss. He never thought about the Lan as he never had time before but now, with a huge problem solved, he couldn't help thinking about him.
His heart would beat faster, and a warm feeling would emerge in his stomach every time he thought about the Lan. But he did not know why. The last time he felt like this was when he had nightmares about the past. But that sensation was not warm at all.
He looked up at the dark blue sky with diamonds twinkling all over. Somehow, he could even make the silhouette of the Lan.
He took a deep breath and jumped into the water leaving behind his outer robes. He took a handful of water in his palm and looked at the reflected moon, but even that reminded him of the lan. He quickly splashed the water on his face and went into the water.
He despised how even the color white reminded him of the Lan. He swam till his hearts content and laid limp against the surface of the water, floating. He closed his eyes and took a small nap, but the Lan's jaded face and the firm body came before him. He could even feel the Lan's skin against his fingers. He opened his eyes and sighed looking at the almost full moon.
He mumbled, "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
The next day,
The Jiang disciples stood near the entrance, stuffing things into their bags and chatting. But all that came to a stop when their sect leader came. They all stood straight in a proper order waiting for a command.
Jiang cheng walked to the center and addressed the disciples. His sword shone under the sunlight like the ring that sparked in excitement.
They all took off, following their leader in horses.
Jiang cheng followed the map sent by the black lotus. Sometimes he would even cringe at a name like that.
The dark hooves pushed forward against the rough and rocky mud as they made their way to the destination. The Sun was right above their heads, and it brought a sense of deja vu.
They stopped near a lake after hours of travel and let the horses get some rest. Jiang cheng was discussing with Hui zhong when a strong wind blew, shaking the deserted trees almost off their roots.
The disciples quickly gathered together and looked at the bright sky. The blue sky had a flock of doves flying through the clouds. Jiang cheng ignored the strong winds and ordered everyone to get on their horses.
They continued on their path, but the strong winds shifted the sand and blocked their vision. Jiang cheng got very annoyed and looked up at the sky and the doves were still there.
Hui zhong, "Sect leader Jiang, what if these doves were sent from the south to keep an eye on us."
The disciples started to murmur and talk between themselves annoying Jiang cheng even more.
Jiang cheng leaned forward and took a bow from Hui Zhong's saddle and stretched out his hand waiting for an arrow. When Hui zhong placed a few, he took an arrow and positioned it against the bow and took a deep breath in. He stretched the string and closed on eyes, focusing on the bird which led the gang. He smirked and let the arrow pierce through the strong wind as he thought of having a lovely lunch. But his thoughts didn't last long as his fingers stretched another arrow aiming it at the bird right behind the first one.
He watched as the arrows hit the bird, but it did not seem to kill it. Jiang cheng felt even more annoyed. He grabbed all the arrows and shot them together, aiming it all at the first one. He was set on killing at least one of them.
The disciple's words started to increase as not even on bird fell down. Jiang cheng could feel his head burning up in anger. He grabbed more arrows but there was none left. He was about to ask Hui zhong when the others took back is bow.
"Sect leader Jiang, let's not waste time with these birds. They must have some protection against your attacks. Let's just move forward."
Jiang cheng wanted to disagree but he knew it would be useless and continued on with an embarrassed face.
"If I see those doves again, I will personally rip their heads off."
The horses galloped faster without the disturbances of the strong winds. Jiang cheng was glad he did something and rode faster to their destination.
It was near evening, and they stopped again for a short break. Jiang cheng sat under a tree and looked at the sky. He couldn't stop thinking about the Lan. But to his help, Hui zhong sat next to him, handing him some water.
Jiang cheng did not refuse. He drank to his hearts content since this might be the last lake they'd come across. He looked at the map and the letter sent with it. They were very close to the destination. Soon he'd be holding Zidian and punishing those bastards for summoning monsters and making him suffer.
A small smile appeared on his face as he sat in delight, waiting for those people to die in his hands.
Suddenly, he heard a lot of chatter and whispers from his disciple's side. He quickly got up with Hui zhong right behind him.
As he walked towards them, they all moved away, making way for him to pass through. Looked back at their questionable looks and shifted his gaze to Hui zhong who was shocked with the sight in front of him.
He turned his head forward but the moment he did, he collided with a hard rock. He stepped back and rubbed his nose, looking up, he too was stuck in place with a weird look on his face.
"Xichen?" His heart skipped beats and his stomach churned in warmth as a light red coat covered his face. He looked around and saw that the man brought his disciples with him.
Before he could question him, a man with a ponytail popped up from behind with a smile on his face. "A-cheng, it's been quite some time since we last met."
Jiang cheng stood confused, he did not know what to say and his grumpy face took charge.
"Why are you here? Who called you here?" He said with a hint of annoyance. The glowing smile wavered and turned into a fake one. But Jiang cheng hated it even more.
He was about to question the Lan when a small yellow figure made its way from behind on of the Lan disciples.
Jiang cheng's eyes darkened as he looked at his nephew's lowered head. It did not take long for him to figure out the side story. His eyes narrowed as his eyebrows met. This snitchy part was definitely from that peacock.