CH 36

Wei Ying sat at his desk in the JingShi pretending to do his work, but in actuality he was peeping over his papers at Lan Zhan who was studiously working opposite him. Lan Zhan never noticed him catching sideways glances, but then when that man had his nose in work he was completely oblivious to anything else. A crash came from the open doorway, soon followed an excited and happy yell, Wei Ying laughed internally as Lan Zhan's pen paused and his eyebrows scrunched together. Well maybe not totally oblivious to everything…..Wei Ying thought to himself.

'Baba!' the excited A-Yuan bowled into him, nearly knocking him off his cushion. The boy seemed to still be growing every day and Wei Ying couldn't help wonder what he would be like in a few years. Wei Ying regained his balance and took A-Yuan into his arms. Tickling the young child until his laughter was loud enough to make his ears ache. By this time Lan Zhan had given up even the pretence of trying to work and put his brush down completely to watch the two mess around. A-Yuan's cloak and book bag where scattered along his path between the door and Wei Ying, making Lan Zhan want to sigh at the mess all over the floor. He should really be used to it by now he guessed, after all it was becoming an almost daily occurrence.

It had been just over three years since Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had moved A-Yuan in with them for his cultivational studies, just under three since they had formally adopted him. Although Wei Ying had said he didn't want children, adopting A-Yuan just seemed like a natural fit. Of course Lan QiRen had almost had a stroke at the idea of his still unmarried nephew, who was currently living with another unmarried man, adopting an orphaned child. QiRen had a great ability to preach to others about keeping their eyes open to the world while remaining stubbornly blind to what was obvious in his own family. Everyone else in Gusu had realised that Wei Ying was not just living in Lan Zhan's home as a guest any more, both of them had become determined they would remain together for life.

Lan QiRen had just had time to calm down from the adoption shock when a few months later Lan Zhan had finally gained enough courage to ask Wei Ying to marry him. Of course Wei Ying had given a loud yes…...while Lan QiRen gave an even louder no! He had been forced to back track on his opinion though when Lan XiChen, who stood firmly beside his younger brother in whatever choice he made, pointed out sensibly that the two men had been living together for a few years and shared a son. Did QiRen really think that anyone in the Sect was really stupid enough to think Wanji was just friends with Wei Ying? Lan QiRen of course had stomped about for a few weeks, not spoken to Wei Ying except to admonish him for something and then eventually given his agreement.

The wedding had been simple, most things at the Cloud Reccess were. YanLi had managed to find some excuse to attend, but could only stay the day, and was Wei Ying's only family member. She had performed the necessary rituals with her brother while Lan XiChen did the same for his own younger brother. The vows had been taken in the Lan ancestral hall with only YanLI, XiChen and Lan QiRen in attendance. Part of the Lan wedding practice consisted of exchanging forehead ribbons, Lan Zhan happily took his off and tied it round Wei Ying's bowed head, but of course Wei Ying had no ribbon to provide in return. Lan XiChen though had happily provided Wei Ying with a box containing a new ribbon, which Wei Ying had tied around his husbands bare forehead, and everyone watching had felt a little twinge of emotion at both men wearing their new accesories. Especially someone of Lan Zhan's age and fame baring brand new ribbon.

As the two couldn't have a honeymoon they spent some time alone in the JingShi, Lan XiChen had offered to look after A-Yuan, who wanted to know why both his parents wanted to spend their days inside, as inside was boring. Lan XiChen had coughed at the question and tried to cover it up with a none answer, only to be side-lined with another question that could only come from a six year old.

'They tell me I'm old enough to sleep in my own bed but they always sleep together. What does that mean Uncle XiChen? Does it mean when I get older still I will have to share a bed with someone like I did when I was a baby?'

Lan XiChen had tried to push the child's attention onto something else but, of course being Wei Ying's son, it wasn't that easy. This uncomfortable feeling had made him ecstatic when a disciple had come with a message for Lan Zhan. XiChen had simply written back to the person that his brother was ill and couldn't get out of bed at present. He wasn't lying! Completely anyway! Love-sickness was a type of illness, just not one you could cure. And as for the getting out of bed part, well he guessed his brother was doing exactly what other people did on their honeymoons. Outside of that he really didn't really want to imagine what was going on behind the JingShi's closed doors.

YanLi had managed to arrange a handful of visits to her brother over the past few years. Always on her own, leaving her Jin guards at the entrance to the Cloud Reccess with the excuse of them not being allowed. Neither her husband or brother where completely stupid, they knew she was doing something in these visits to the Cloud Reccess, however they both still thought she was visiting Lan Zhan to get updates on Wei Ying's whereabouts. Both men thought Wei WuXian was dead, hoped he was dead, but knew enough not to say anything to YanLi. On her few visits, Lan Zhan would greet her at the entrance before handing her over to Wei Ying. The two would spend the day alone, catching up and enjoying each others company, before Lan Zhan returned her back to entrance gate and the Jin guards. . YanLi was also one of the principal links Wei Ying had to the outside world. She would tell him what was going on, what gossip was happening and of course how herself and Jiang Cheng where doing. Wei Ying had been so happy after finding out his sister was pregnant he had almost skipped around the JingShi for long enough for Lan Zhan get annoyed enough to pin him to the bed and 'put his mind on something else'. Wei Ying was always much happier after these visits and Lan Zhan couldn't help but have that doubt inside his head which told him he wasn't enough for Wei Ying

Living at the Cloud Recess, although it was beautiful place, seemed had started to seem like a gilded cage to Wei Ying after a while. Many people would come to Gusu and himself and Lan Zhan would be secluded in the JingShi, as as far as everyone else was concerned Lan Zhan was still in seclusion as part of his punishment for the YiLing attack. This was partly because Lan Zhan didn't want to leave his love and partly because Lan QiRen didn't trust Wei Ying not to get into trouble if he wasnt closley watched. Not that Lan Zhan minded staying at home and watching his new husband every day, it was kind of a holiday for him in some ways. Also because Wei Ying had nothing to do he would often spend his days pacing around the JingShi before he walked around Gusu in general. Lan Zhan did his best to keep him 'entertained' in the evenings, but he was always busy during the days. One day though he had found himself ambling along on his morning walk and happened upon the juniors archery classes. The tutor soon saw him and when he offered his help the tutor accepted. This help soon became a daily occurrence and part of Wei Ying's daily routine. In the end the archery tutor had seen the difference in his own and Wei Ying's abilities and approached Lan XiChen for the teaching duties to be swapped. Lan XiChen had agreed and in no time at all teaching the juniors archery, along with flute and talisman making had all become part of Wei Ying's teaching load. Much to Lan QiRen's, very vocal, disagreement.

A-Yuan was now six years old and had been renamed Lan Yuan with the permission of the Wen's. All the world thought the Wen survivors had disappeared and of course Wei Ying had died providing them time to vanish. In order to provide A-Yuan with the best chance in life it was deemed that Lan was the best identity for him. It had also become a running joke around Gusu that Lan Zhan's JingShi was now probably anything but quiet and only appeared that way because of the silencing spells. It normally either had A-Yuan running riot in the courtyard or Wei Ying doing something that should make the great HanGuang Jun's teeth grate. Yet Lan Zhan seemed very happy with his new family.

One thing both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had learned early on in living together was that a silencing spell was needed around the house, it kept the internal sounds private while letting external sounds through. Wei Ying always had been too noisy for the Lan Clan and the JingShi was the one place he could relax without the three thousand rules dangling over his head. When A-Yuan had come to live with them they had also both realised that a second silence spell was required around their bed area. After all their …...nocturnal activities….often left both of them not exactly concentrating on keeping the noise down. Wei Ying had also put a few talismans around A-Yuan's bed to alarm either of them should the boy get out of bed in the night. A-Yuan had regular nightmares and it wasn't unusual for him to walk outside the JingShi. If he went any further than than the courtyard of the JingShi he technically was breaking several rules, so both parents wanted to be aware if went on one of his own nocturnal walks.

Wei Ying had once joked that if you could see all the spells and talismans on the Jingshi it would look like a worn out quilt badly patched together. But it seemed to work for them just fine.

One downside for Wei Ying of having A-Yuan in the JingShi was that he could no longer wonder around in his morning routine naked. He had always enjoyed getting washed, eating breakfast and even brushing his hair in the nude. The look on Lan Zhan's face while he was walking around was always full of want and need that Wei Ying very rarely could behave himself enough not to wiggle his ass or strike some pose to cause some sound from Lan Zhan's throat.

As A-Yuan finished wriggling on Wei Ying's lap, as Lan Zhan moved round to look down at his son.

'How was school today A-Yuan?' He spoke gently, resting a hand on his son's shoulder.

A-Yuan made a loud noise which Lan Zhan supposed meant the boy hadn't enjoyed his day in school, and then looked up at his husband. Wei Ying's eyes where dancing with repressed laughter as he looked back with a glance that seemed to say 'don't look at me, I didn't teach him that. Lan Zhan sighed gently and turned back to A-Yuan thinking to himself 'Well I certainly didn't. Seeing Lan Zhan's attention on him, and completely unaware of the psychic conversation going on, A-Yuan jumped straight from Wei Ying's arms into Lan Zhan's lap. Lan Zhan instinctively wrapped his arms around the boy as A-Yuan snuggled into the small gap left by his crossed legs.

Wei Ying couldn't help laughing this time as he spoke.

'He's six and he already knows how to stop you asking things he doesn't want to answer' Lan Zhan just looked up at his husband, his hand naturally stroking A-Yuan's hair as the boy lay in a ball. 'You can be bossy out there' Wei Ying continued. 'But in here that boy has you wrapped around his little finger.'

'That makes two of you then I guess' Lan Zhan mumbled to himself, thankfully low enough that Wei Ying didn't hear.

That evening once they had put A-Yuan to bed, they settled down to eat themselves. Relaxing in the cool evening air coming through the open windows. Wei Ying had built himself a cupboard years ago which housed both his alcohol and meat, and which everyone else pretended they didn't see, so he sat with a cup of wine in his hand while Lan Zhan drank tea. Eventually though it was time for them to also turn in for the night. Over the years the strict routine of sleeping at nine and waking at five had been drilled into Lan Zhan until it was almost like breathing. It had taken less than a year of living with Wei Ying for that strict routine to go flying out the window. Although Lan Zhan still woke up early, as he had work to do, his desire for his husband would keep him awake well past nine. Sometimes the two would be awake into the early morning hours, their joined desire, joined bodies along with Wei Ying's completely shameless moans driving them both to distraction.

The next day started like any other. A-Yuan was dressed and sent to school. Wei Ying ate and walked, a little sore, over to the archery range where he had begun teaching both the juniors and the outer disciples. Lan Zhan took himself off to one of the classrooms to teach the juniors. However it wasn't long before the normality of the day shifted and the laid back happiness they had enjoyed for the past few years started to crumble.