All was calm, all was done within Cloud Recesses. But that was for those who were actually occupied with important things. More inside of Cloud Recesses, there was a heated argument going on.
"All you have to do is give yourself. It's not like we'll do anything to you precious Cloud Recesses. All you have to do is sign that and we'll be on our way." Wen Chao gestured to the scroll rested on the desk in front of Lan Qiren. The elder and the only person leader in charge till Lan Xichen is ready, hadn't even given a look of enlightenment since the young Master came in with this proclamation.
Lan Qiren tsked at the sight before him, the sight of Wen Chao seeming proud as though he didn't just ask him to give his clan to him. Even threatening that if he doesn't accept, things will go wrong.
Lan Qiren took that very personal.
The Lan at the scroll and glared at Wen Chao with disgust. "You bring that in here boy. What makes you think I will ever hand over Cloud Recesses? You might be big, but Cloud Recesses doesn't belong to you. Us Lans' deal with righteousness and discipline. Not..not this ludicrous."
The smile Wen Chao had at first began to disappear into nothing but an angry scowl.
"Old man, don't you understand the situation you are in! If you-"
"Not happening. Have your hearing gone? Do whatever you want, we will fight you off to save and preserve our clan! You have no right here."
Wen Chao gritted his teeth, looking to Lan Xichen as he looked away and not even bother stopping the issue or putting his words in the mix. It angered the young Master more.
"You are the rightful person to lead Gusu Lan Clan. Why aren't you stopping this goat from talking! He has no say in the matter! You are in charge!-" Lan Xichen lifted his hand, making Wen Chao stop talking for a second. The first son of the brother of Lan Qiren had kept silent for a while, collecting his thoughts and being calmer than his uncle.
"I'm sorry, but we are declining the offer. It may not be what you want to hear, but it has been done and you have gotten our answer." Lan Xichen spoke finally, his voice soft and held no resentment towards Wen Chao and his claims.
It was one of the rules after all and Lan Xichen will keep it as is.
"Now if you kindly leave, it would be pleasing."
Wen Chao was infuriated. He had promised his father he'd get them on board. He's given them things to appease their interest in them and then finally have them sign it and they were set. But now, it was going downhill and Wen Chao couldn't do anything more about it.
"Fine. You'll see. All of you.." He fummed, teeth grinding against the other as he stormed off. The one with him, she bowed but hadn't been able to leave just yet.
"Wen Qing." Lan Xichen called to her and she stopped before turning ever so slowly to face the Jade Twin. "Zewu-Jun." She bowed deeply again.
"Please, please talk with him. We don't want war. This isn't right."
Lan Qiren tsked. His kindest drawn thin. "More she should control him. Your his cousin."
"I apologize, Shifu, but we don't hold that type of relationship. I don't hold myself to his standard, neither does he acknowledge me." She said.
"Then your utterly useless! We have to deal with that stuck up brat and his ways, his father has been nothing but a rench in-between the cultivation world and the darkness that loams over their Clan. All of them residing there!" His hands slammed the desk, his anger taking a toll and Lan Xichen can only stand there and listen. All rules were being broken, by the same person who enforced them.
"Shufu, calm down. It can't be all."
"It is! Even her! You know who we have in our place girl?"
Wen Qing shakes her head with a neutral, "no", her face unchanging.
"We hold the prince of ghosts in our walls. Here that. The same boy you cared for. We deal with enough because of him!" Lan Qiren laughed madly. "Now we have to deal with that damn Wen Chao and his tyrunats!"
"Uncle. We were told to not say it!"
"It doesn't matter now." Lan Qiren looks at the scroll on the desk and frowned darker. He grabs the paper and ripped in front of them. "Get out of here. I wish for seclusion."
Lan Xichen looks to Wen Qing as she looked to him. With that he signals them both to walk of here, leaving Lan Qiren to his own fury.
~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~
No one knew what going to come. Everything was going good for the rest. Training, lessons commence but something seemed a bit off.
Hua Ying didn't want to seem paranoid with the shift of atmosphere. He even asked Nie Huaisang for the updates within the Lan Clan. Nie Huaisang only whispered about a fight between Lan Qiren and Wen Chao.
Hua ying hummed and looked about the class. The Wen Clan weren't present and he hasn't seen Wen Ning or Wen Qing since the entire two days here. It odded him out.
Lan Wangji seemed very out of it even. Like he knew something was wrong from the way his uncle was distant and forcing himself. His finger kept tapping, the habit only started more often and Lan Xichen was also odd.
He knew between fake and genuine smiles. His A-niang was always like that. When something bothered him and his A-die asked about, he would reply that everything was fine and he didn't have to worry which is what was worrying. He wasn't fine. His "smile" gave away it.
But in the end, with no leads for him to ask about the matter, especially to ask Lan Qiren, Hua ying and the rest of the disciples here all left the room and broke out to do their things and get done with their assignments and missions.
Excluding said Hua Ying and Lan Wangji.
"Lan Zhan~"
The Lan's eyes opened slowly when he heard that voice.
"Hua Wuxian."
Hua Ying cringed at his full courtesy name. He frowned and gracefully placed himself beside the meditating Lan. "I don't like it when you call me that. It sounds..odd coming from you. Keep it Hua ying, Lan Zhan." He begged.
Lan Wangji didn't reply with words but with an emotionless hum. Hua Ying smiled and leaned in. "What are you up to? Can I be here?" He asked. "I'm bored and I have done everything I can possibly done. Even pestering Jiang Cheng." The boy giggled at the memory. Jiang Cheng cursing under his breath when he emerged behind him in millions of butterflies.
His face was priceless.
Lan Wangji sighed. There was going to be no silence with Hua ying here.
"Hey want to go on a walk, I bet Huì and Zhòng will enjoy it. Right?"
Behind Hua ying, two tigers jumped out in excitement, their tongues out like dogs and belowing at the very idea of going out and stretching their legs. Hua ying chuckled and scratched their heads equally.
"Want to Lan Zhan? I know you do~"
Lan Wangji had opened his eyes and saw the two spirit animals standing there, anticipation running through them, not even caring if Lan Wangji wants to go not. They'll go anyways. But he very thought wasn't taboo.
"Mn, fine."
"Yes! Come come."
~~~~~~~~
As the two walked alongside each other, more Hua Ying bouncing around the Lan as he excitedly explained things he knew to him, they seemed to be having a nice time together.
The tigers preoccupied with rough housing and running round the two, while Lan, though he seemed emotionless on the inside, couldn't help the red pigment to rise of his ears. It wasn't as noticable and he was glad Hua ying was distracted with telling him the tales as old as time, or just what he read from his goddess aunt's library.
But as they walked, the silence was disturbed. Lan Wangji felt something going to happen before it happened. He was glad he went training at the Immortal Mountain, or else he possibly won't be as quick as he was now.
A white something came whisking by, faster than he has ever seen but his body reacted.
"Hua Ying!" He alerted the teen beside him. Hua Ying was already on alert when the something came flying by. They splitted up, the object passing Hua ying's eyes and he gasped. It was like slow motion.
Lan Wangji pulls out his sword and gets ready to fight whoever just threw that. He looked at where it would have went, the object went turning mid air and towards the handler in seconds.
"Lan Zhan wait!"
"Who are you?!" The Lan gets ready, sword drawn and aiming towards the one coming out of the shadowy tree line. Every step was loud, every crunch was heard and Lan Wangji didn't know who this culprit was and how he got into the barrier around this part.
"My my, what do we have here?" The voice spoke. It was eerie but rose more flags for Hua ying to get between Lan Wangji and this unexpected person.
"Lan Zhan wait wait! Hold on don't fight him! You will get hurt!"
Lan Wangji looked to Hua ying as though he was crazy. Did he not notice they almost died? "What are you talking about? Hua Ying step back." He goes to pull the teen behind him as though he can stop the senior man coming up.
He was tall, elegant, and wore an unique colored robes of fresh pink and vibrant red lacing the edges of the white think cloth making up the robe. The backs of the robes dragged slightly against the leaves, those leaves crunched under the shoes of the man before them. His face was soft, handsome and held a small smile on it. A fan fixed in his hand as he fanned himself with it ever so gently.
He stopped and kept smiling softly. "I expected you to be coddling up with your A-niang, A-ying." The man spoke. Lan Wangji was a bit taken back when Hua ying's name was called. Hua ying unlatched from Lan Wangji and sprints towards the older male.
"Kexing- Shushu" He jumped the guy for a large hug and the man gladly took up on the hug. "Ah you have grown mighty strong nephew. What has my older brother been feeding you?"
Hua Ying pulled away and smiled with a roll of his eyes. "I feed myself now. Though A-ning brings food he cooks, A-die doesn't do anymore than that."
He hummed amusingly, chuckling even. "Interesting, especially knowing my brother and his ways. Both of them." He closed his fan with a light smack of his palm and looked directly at Lan Wangji. Then his eyes met Lan Wangji's, his feet moving forward.
"Who is this boy? What is your relationship with him?" He pointed, inspecting him properly. "He seems familiar."
"Shushu, this is Lan Wangji, he is one of the Young Masters of Gusu Lan Clan." Hua Ying introduced, going to his uncle's side and giving Lan Wangji a large smile. "Lan Wangji, this is my Shushu, Wen Kexing."
Wen Kexing narrowed his eyes at the boy and frowned. He didn't see much wrong with him but he was much different to someone he's met and had to deal with to often.
"And what are you doing out here with this Lan? I was told you were supposed to be studying?" He glanced to his nephew again, completely ignoring the other teen behind him. Hua Ying frowned and groaned. "I was, but can't I take a break?"
"I'm not the one to say. Just be careful of A-Xu."
Hua Ying smirked. "Yes after seeing Chengling absolutely die inside after his last training session, I'll be careful."
Wen Kexing was about to ask about something else till he heard a voice behind him. He didn't turn, smiling at the name.
"Lao Wen."
"A-Xu, you have finally caught up, look who I have found on my way here." He showed Hua ying who popped up and waved. "Hi Shu, Chengling-di."
Yes, his cousin also joined in this moment. He always seemed so attached to the two men even after the entire thing they delt with in the last. Now he was everywhere with them to the point they saw each other as family.
"Hua-Ge." He smiled, bowing at the young prince only for Hua ying to bow back. "It's been a very long while, hasn't it? How is it going?"
"It's fine." Hua ying answered. But then he remembered who he was with and he stepped back almost with a jump. "Apologies, where are my manners. This is Lan Wangji, Young Master of Guzu Lan Clan. Lan Zhan, this is Zhou Zishu, the Head of Four Season's Manor and my tangdi, Chengling."
Lan Wangji stepped forward and bowed perfectly in half before them. "Greetings. I didn't know that Hua Ying had another uncle." He brought up before he rose up straight.
Wen Kexing took a smirk onto his face and fanned himself again. "Yes, that is because we are masters of hiding away. My brother doesn't need to know all my whereabouts."
"We're just wanders, kid. We travel from time to time." Zhou Zishu side eyed his husband after his answer making Chengling laugh a bit at them.
"A-Xu we live in the Manor." Wen Kexing whined, leaning towards his husband for more of his attention. Zhou Zishu sighs and dismissed it. "Anyways, A-ying."
"Did you guys miss me?"
"Actually we heard about you going to study here, A-die Kexing thought it would be better to surprise you."
"By throwing a weapon.." Mumbled Zhou Zishu. "It was for entrance. I will not hurt my nephew neither the latter."
Zhou Zishu didn't go much more into it, he felt a headache coming on just talking about it. Either way, they were fine.
"Moving on,"
And they kept at the talking, more questions and Lan Wangji getting to know these two men and how they met. Well, more Wen Kexing blurting out how much he fell in love with Zhou Zishu's mysterious looks, how much his waist was and so on so on..He only silenced when Zhou Zishu had enough and told him to quit it.
Poor Chengling only smiled and waved as this went on, Hua ying leaning into the 50/50 feeling knowing who his fathers were and what they were mostly up to when their alone.
Meanwhile Lan Wangji felt like this was private conversations to keep inside, not blurt out..well.. them.
But everything came crashing down.
There was yelling in the distance and the smell of smoke that puffed up into the air. Where they were they could see it clear, even smell it.
Fire..
Hua Ying's heart sank. No.. This couldn't have been happening..
Lan Wangji didn't even stay a while before he muttered his brother's and uncle's name before he went running towards the Cloud Recesses.
"Lan Zhan!- No no this can't be!"
"Hua Ying-"
"Come on Wen Kexing, Chengling follow."
The boy nods and they were sprinting through the woods after the two boys currently running faster as the smell of more fire and smoke came their way.
When they arrived it was utter chaos.
It was to Late..
~~~~~~~
I have brought in three extra characters from on of my favorite bl drama. 'Word of Honor.' If you have seen it, you know who and what I am talking about and if not, I definitely recommend it.
It's been a while, sorry for the longest wait but it's here.
Hope you enjoyed and till next time.