The verdict was delivered at mid-morning the following day: Jin ZiXun was guilty of the murders of twelve men, five women, and one child. The death price was disgustingly low, in Lan WangJi's opinion. The cultivator could pay it with his pocket money, which would be easily replenished. Jiang WanYin suggested Jin GuangShan further punish his disciple with physical punishment or being evicted from the sect. Everyone present knew Jin ZiXun might be sentenced to being banned from night hunts for a week or two. But nothing more strenuous than that.
Jin GuangShan brought up the Tiger Seal no less than ten times as the verdict was being argued. Jiang WanYin repeated over and over that he didn't know where the Seal was. Lan XiChen, looking irritated, also repeated his statement from the night before. Lan WangJi, when appealed to, merely glared at the Jin sect leader until the older man dropped his gaze.
Wei WuXian conveniently did not appear anywhere near Sword Hall.
"Lan Zhan!" Wei WuXian hissed when lunch was over. "Come with me!"
"Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise." Wei WuXian led them outside of the main compound, to where wooden walkways were replaced by dirt paths. At a junction in the path, he grinned. "Don't go down that way; that's for women only." He flipped a sign over, and led the way to a building with four doors. "Inside, you'll use the soap and brushes and scrub down. Then rinse with the second basin. Use the door on the back to leave."
"Where are we? Why do I have to bathe?"
"A hot pool! A Jiang from way back found a way to create them." He handed over a pile of purple cloth. "You can bathe in the pools naked or as clothed as you prefer. Most men use these short trousers for modesty. Leave your regular clothes on the shelf."
"Short trousers?" Lan WangJi held them to his waist; they didn't even reach his knees.
"If you want to preserve your modesty." Wei WuXian grinned, unrepentant. "Some of the men prefer to soak without any barrier between them and the water. I will admit, it's freeing."
"Shameless!"
"That's me!" Wei WuXian laughed. "I'll be wearing mine." He then disappeared behind one of the doors.
Lan WangJi chose the adjacent door, and stripped, feeling very naked. More than he usually did when he was going to bathe. The thought of seeing a wet, nearly naked Wei Ying had his body reacting. The thought that he would also be wet and very nearly naked.... I should take care of this now? Or hope that I can control myself? He tried to change his focus away from his arousal. The soap had a subtle floral scent. Lotus flowers? Orchids? Through the other door, he hears Wei Ying call out, "I like to put my hair up. It tends to get all straggly in the heat. If you want, there's usually a hair pin in one of the drawers." Lan WangJi opened the only drawer he could see, and, yes, there was a hair stick. He carefully removed his guan and forehead ribbon, and wound his hair up into a high bun, securing it in place with the stick. By this time, he was happy to see his erection had softened sufficiently; he would not embarrass himself.
Wei Ying was sitting on a flat rock at the far side of the pool. "I forgot how hot the water is. Compared to the stream in the back of my house in Cloud Recesses, this is practically boiling." He smiled as he said it, though. As if happy just to be back in Lotus Pier.
The water was hot. Much hotter than anything Lan WangJi had experienced before. So he entered slowly, allowing his body to adjust. Allowing his Core to cool him as necessary. Just as it heated him when he soaked in the Cold Springs. "Does it feel hotter because your Core is still damaged?" He used the polite fiction in case there was anyone lurking on the other side of the trees surrounding the pool.
"Damaged?" Wei Ying laughed and kicked his heels in the water. "I thought you understood what happened."
"Eavesdroppers."
"Ah. Yes." Wei Ying scooted forward so that his calves were now soaking. "There's a privacy spell around the pools. Jiang Cheng and I tried more than once to see how loud one could get and be heard outside of here." He sighed and kicked his legs. "You're probably correct. I haven't been able to regulate my temperature since I gave my Core to Jiang Cheng. I'm usually cold, so I should appreciate being warm, right?"
Lan WangJi waded further into the pool; the hot water now lapped at his thighs, wetting the purple garment. "Jin ZongZhu is very interested in the whereabouts of your Tiger Seal. He mentioned it again several times this morning."
"It's safe, don't worry." Wei WuXian smiled. "I grew up here, remember? I know where all the most secure hiding places are."
"Jin ZongZhu may ask Jiang ZongZhu to open the sect vault to prove it's not here."
"The sect vault is blood sealed," Wei WuXian hopped off his rock to stand in the water. "Hot! Fuck, that's hot!" he cried out. "I'm not a Jiang by blood."
"So you can't enter the vault."
"Who said that?" Wei WuXian grinned. "Of course, I know how to get into the vault. It's very dangerous to only allow blood relatives in. What would happen if Jiang Cheng and ShiJie were to die unexpectedly? The vault would be sealed forever? And no one would know where it was located? Such a bad design, huh? Doesn't matter, though. I didn't store my Seal there. I have more secure hiding places than someone else's family vault."
"Good." Lan WangJi wanted to close his eyes. But he couldn't look away. Wei Ying's short pants clung. To his hips. To his legs. The water was clear enough that he could easily see outlines of everything the fabric touched. He sunk into the water in an attempt to hide his body's reaction. It wasn't like the Cold Springs; the heat didn't suppress his body. He wanted. Steam from the water made Wei Ying's lips look wet and inviting. Wisps of curling hair were escaping Wei Ying's bun. His hands itched to pull on them. To wind the strands around his fingers, to use them to hold Wei Ying's body close. Close enough to touch, to taste. He burned with want. Hotter than the water, it seemed.
Wei Ying was looking right back. "Ha ha, Lan Zhan. You look like you want to kiss me again." Lan Zhan could feel his friend's silver eyes, focused as they were on his own lips. "I love the way you look when you look at me like this. Like I'm the only other person in the whole world."
"Wei Ying," spilled out from his mouth. The rest of what he might have wanted to say stuck to the back of his teeth, stayed locked in his throat. Kiss me. I want you. There was so much skin on display.... Touch me. Let me touch you. Images assaulted his brain. His hand sliding up a slim leg to disappear underneath that purple fabric. To stroke the flesh found within. To pick Wei Ying up and place him back on that rock, short trousers floating to the bottom of the pool. He swallowed back a burst of saliva. He wanted to suck, to taste his friend. He'd never tasted his own release; would it be salty like blood? Or sweet? Or like something he'd never be able to conjure up? As Head of Discipline, he'd confiscated far too many erotic books, most of them from Nie HuaiSang, and looked at enough of them himself to understand what exactly his body craved, even if he craved the wrong gender. It was so easy to picture himself in the woman's position, on his knees before Wei Ying, worshiping his friend's body. It was just as easy to picture Wei Ying reciprocating, falling to his knees and sucking his friend to completion.
Wei Ying half walked, half swum across the pool. "Lan Zhan... where did you go just now? You looked so fierce.... You're beautiful, but when you look like that?" He shivered despite the heat. "I can only imagine you ravaging your wife." It sounded like a tease....
"Not a wife," slipped out of his mouth.
Wei Ying's eyes skipped from teasing to what could only be described as 'want'. "Is that look for me, then? Is it me you're ravaging in your head?"
They were so close.... A mere two steps short separated them: Lan WangJi crouching in the water hiding his erection, Wei Ying standing as if waiting. The water lapped at them, soothing away aches. "Lan Zhan wants to kiss Wei Ying."
"Wei Ying wants that, too."
Lan Zhan surged up out of the water, breathing suddenly much more intense. Wei Ying pressed against him, wet skin sliding against wet skin. Mouths meeting in a sweet kiss. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. He pressed their lips together, hard, one hand locked behind Wei Ying's neck to hold him still, forcing his friend to open his own mouth, to allow their lips and tongues to caress, to linger, to taste. It was as intoxicating as the first time. More so, perhaps, because this time Wei Ying was a willing participant before the kiss was initiated. Lan Zhan luxuriated in feeling. They were chest to chest, breathing at times in harmony and at other times in opposition. And sometimes, when their bodies tilted just right, he could feel Wei Ying's hardened nipples brushing against his own.
"Lan Zhan? Am I supposed to enjoy it this much?" Wei Ying nipped a kiss against Lan Zhan's jaw. "On the way here, I thought about kissing some of the women we met. No one," he gasped as Lan Zhan bit his neck. "Fuck that feels good. Isn't biting supposed to hurt?" He lowered his own head and tried to copy.
"Harder," Lan Zhan encouraged his friend. Lover? Can we call each other lovers? The next attempt was obviously successful: Lan Zhan was unable to control his hips' response to the stimuli.
"As I was saying... I thought about kissing some of the women we met." Wei Ying spoke against the neck he was nuzzling, caressing it with his lips and cheek. "There were some very pretty girls, too. But.... All I could think about was you. Doing this with you. Is there something wrong with me that I want to kiss you and not those girls?"
"Lan Zhan didn't want to kiss them, either." He lowered his head, nudging Wei Ying's back, pressed his lips against the bite mark and sucked, gently at first, then harder as Wei Ying spasmed in his arms, moaning.
"Lan Zhan... we need to stop or I'm going to finish."
"Then finish." Wei Ying tried to pull back; Lan Zhan wrapped a hand around his lover's waist, holding their hips pressed together. "Stay."
"But Lan Zhan! We can't just... right?"
"Why not?" He tried to keep his voice light. As if the answer didn't mean anything. As if his erection was nonexistent.
"Because you don't just..." Wei Ying made a crude gesture with a hand, "do that with other people around! Do you?"
Lan Zhan shrugged. "Never wanted to do it with anyone else. Never thought about doing it with anyone else. Want to see Wei Ying. Want to touch Wei Ying."
Wei Ying's eyes darkened to a deep silver. "You want to touch me?" Lan Zhan could only nod; words wouldn't even come up his throat. "Touch me, Lan Zhan." He wiggled a bit, and in his peripheral vision, Lan Zhan could see something purple floating away.
"You're naked," he blurted out. Naked.
No clothing in the way.
Just Wei Ying.
He forced his eyes to stay locked on his lover's. He could see no hesitation in their silver depths. So he raised one hand, and placed it flat against his lover's chest. "Tell me if you want me to stop," he commanded and watched his fingers outline the Wen brand, then slide to circle around one firm, brown bud. "Beautiful," he breathed. This was already beyond his tamest dreams, and far beyond any expectations. He let his hand trail down to circle the belly button. He could see it now, Wei Ying's cock, bobbing in the hot water. "So beautiful." He sounded like he was praying. Perhaps he was. Perhaps he was thanking the gods for answering his prayers. His fingers trailed down further, running through wiry hair to the throbbing shaft. He grasped it, softly, and felt his whole body exhale in tandem with Wei Ying.
It felt amazing. The length and girth felt so comfortable in his hand. It was almost as if he was somehow more completely himself. He gave it a stroke, and felt himself shuddering in pleasure right along with his lover.
There was a problem, though. His fingers were wrinkly; there was too much of the wrong kind of friction. What ideally would be a smooth glide was rough, and must be bordering unpleasant.
"Do you want me to touch you, too?" Wei Ying was nearly breathless.
"Not here. Wrong kind of wet." He could feel the rest of his explanation jumbled in his mouth and he cursed internally at his inability to speak. And even if his mouth cooperated, how did one go about explaining that water wouldn't ensure a slick and pleasurable glide?
"Wrong kind of wet," Wei Ying laughed softly. "Only you would complain about that. You feel so good around me." His hips shifted, rubbing his erection through Lan Zhan's fist. "If you don't mind, I'm going to ignore that water is an inefficient lubricant." He shuddered and fucked his cock back through the loosening fist. "You feel so good. Can you just...."
Lan Zhan captured his lover's mouth with his, and tried to work his fist in tandem with Wei Ying's thrusts. He swallowed his lover's gasps of pleasure, held the body in his arms closer and slightly to the side, so there was room for his hand to move.
"Lan Zhan, don't stop. Please. Just. Like. That." Wei Ying pulled his head back, huffing, shuddering. "Oh fuck. Yes. Fuck." The cock swelled and Wei Ying's body jerked a few times.
Lan Zhan looked into the water. There were a few strands of a translucent off-white liquid floating and already starting to separate. He mourned its loss. I could have tasted it. Licked my fingers. His fingers were clean. How disappointing.
"Lan Zhan... that was... amazing." Wei Ying sighed and almost fell forward to rest against Lan Zhan. "We should have done that back in the inn."
"Mmm." We should have. I wanted to. I wanted to force you to strip, to spread yourself out for me to feast as I desired. I wanted to shove myself into your mouth, your ass. Fill you with my spend. I wanted.... Still want. If I picked you up right now,, wrapped your legs around my waist, and forced my way into your body, would you fight for me to release you or to get closer? Would you hate me? He felt disgusted with his wants, perverted.
But maybe... just maybe Wei Ying was just as perverted? Or almost as perverted? He, too, wanted to be touched. Wanted to touch in return.
Wei Ying forced himself to stand up on his own. "If we dress now, I think we still have time to ourselves before dinner is called." His eyes looked down, and his cheeks pinked up in a manner that suggested it wasn't the water's heat coloring them. "You haven't seen my room yet.... I'm not sharing with anyone, you know." He looked back up into Lan Zhan's eyes. "You could even stay in my room if you wanted. To give Lan XiChen some privacy to talk about sect leader stuff?"
Are you asking me to share your bed again? To do more than just sleep? "Mmm. I have spent sufficient time in this pool." Will you take me into your arms? Into your body? Or just use your hands?
Dear readers,
So I'm writing a half-dozen or so chapter ahead of what I'm posting. And trying to write a not-quite-drunk WY wandering around LZ's room and deciding to check out what kind of books his friend has. He discovers that LZ doesn't necessarily throw out or destroy every inappropriate book.... Hi-jinx ensue. I've pictured it in my head so many different ways, and... cannot find the one that will best work on the screen. Sigh.
Wish me luck!
- Aitch.