Ch10 – alone once again
Wei Ying burst into the room the healers were using as an office. As he had guessed Lan Zhan was stood there with the Gusu healers trying to work out a logical solution to what seemed a completely illogical problem. Seeing Wei Ying burst through the door all the men turned and Wei Ying took in a deep breath before shouting.
'Lan Zhan you have to leave…..now!'
Lan Zhan showed no emotion on his face but stepped forwards to place a hand on his husbands arm.
'No' he replied steadily 'I need to stay here and help'
'You don't understand!' Wei Ying began almost frantic to get his point across 'The illness doesn't affect the core through the cultivator…...it affects the cultivator through the core!'
As the murmurs of the healers behind Lan Zhan started rising he squeezed his hand on Wei Ying's arm slightly.
'How do you know this'
'I checked Jiang Cheng's core' Wei Ying whispered.
Only Lan Zhan knew the secret of the cores and concern swept across his eyes. He didn't ask if Wei Ying was sure because he knew he wouldn't be so concerned if he wasn't. Slowly he nodded.
Wei Ying raised his voice again 'This illness seems to feed on the cores power, the more powerful the core the quicker the illness seems to grow'
'And the faster people fall ill…..' One of the healers finished.
Wei Ying and Lan Zhan both nodded as a collective inhalation swept the room. All the healers began talking at once, over each other. Talking about how this new information might help find a cure. Not one of them asked why or how Wei Ying had found out, even if they had the courage to question him they certainly wouldn't do it with HanGuang-Jun in the room. Lan Zhan grabbed his wrist and led them both to secluded corner of the room.
'I'm not leaving' He said with some finality.
Wei Ying grumbled some unpleasant words about his husbands stubbornness but didn't argue any more. Instead Lan Zhan seemed to be staring into space for some reason. Wei Ying tugged a little on his chin to get his attention.
'What?' he asked.
'There will be only 2 people immune from this, and he thinks he's the only one.'
Wei Ying was about to say something but paused…...Yes…...only himself and Lan Zhan knew about his core and without a core the illness wouldn't be able to strike him. He was immune. Perhaps they could use this fact in some way to help solve the puzzle. He knew it was pointless trying to get Lan Zhan to leave so the only thing they could do now was to solve this as quickly as possible.
The next morning Wei Ying awoke to find the bed empty once again. This was becoming a semi regular occurrence lately, Lan Zhan rose early anyway but when he had something to focus on he could forget to look after himself. Wei Ying noticed breakfast had been left on the table for him and sat down to eat before beginning another day sparring with his unseen foe. Just then a knock came on the door.
'Come' He replied almost automatically as he stuffed another piece of bread into his already full mouth.
A figure appeared round the door, but his surprise it wasn't one of the servants or junior disciples that had been delivering messages up to now, but rather one of the healers from Gusu. Wei Ying stood to receive his unplanned guest but the look on the man's face made him stop in his tracks.
'No' he tried to say but instead it came out a whisper barely audible even to himself. It was like his voice had suddenly been taken from him all of a sudden along with his ability to move.
The healer simply nodded his head slightly and bowed.
'When?' was all Wei Ying could manage with head in such a muddled state.
'Second Master Lan came to us early this morning with instructions not to inform you until you had woken.' The healer replied in a calm tone that for some reason got Wei Ying's temper flaring. 'It seems he contracted the illness at some point yesterday'
'Yesterday!' Wei Ying's mind still wasn't working right as he tried to put the pieces together in his shocked brain. 'He knew he was already ill when I told him to leave.'
Without realising what he was doing he had already pushed past the healer and run out of the room in search of Lan Zhan, the healer followed him trying to keep up but with the Gusu rules of not being able to run or shout it was impossible. Wei Ying wasn't headed anywhere he just ran from room to room trying to find his husband. Eventually someone must have understood the panicked look on his face and directed him to a guest room which was away from the others.
Inside lay Lan Zhan, looking as neat and tidy as he normally did. If it wasn't for the fact that he had heard Jiang Cheng screaming in agony the day before Wei Ying wouldn't have even know Lan Zhan was in any pain at all. Taking a deep breath he walked into the room and sat on the bed taking his husbands hand in his own. Lan Zhan's face was even paler than normal and at the touch he opened his eyes, although it took an obvious effort.
'You are still lying to me!' Wei Ying tried to sound calm but didn't quite manage it.
Lan Zhan squeezed his hand slightly.
'It's my job to keep you safe' he replied although his usual deep voice was thin and breathy 'and it doesn't hurt that much'
Wei Ying growled. 'When you get better we need to talk about you lying'
Lan Zhan smiled before moving Wei Ying's hand down to his stomach. It took a moment for him to figure out what Lan Zhan was meaning but eventually figured out that he meant for him to check his core. As cultivation partners both himself and Lan Zhan had a spiritual connection, Lan Zhan's core was the one he knew best after his own. Allowing his spirit to delve into Lan Zhan's body the same way he had done with Jiang Cheng he soon found the same blackness surrounding the core. Only this time it was growing larger, faster. This naturally scared but also reinforced the idea that the stronger the core the faster this thing grew.
Unlike with Jiang Cheng though he didn't have to hide his explorations and could delve as deep as he needed to. The deeper he went the more he noticed the blackness didn't seem to be demonic as he had first thought, it was something else he couldn't quite place. But what kind of illness would do such a thing to cultivators if it wasn't demonic? Leaving that question aside for the moment he lifted his hand from Lan Zhan's stomach to his forehead and felt for a temperature, there was none. He reached down to check the pulse, it seemed steady. Slowly he reached down to undo the upper inner robes as Lan Zhan laid on the bed watching him. Despite everything going on he couldn't help but huff out a laugh.
'Your ill and possibly dying and you think I'm still stripping your clothes off for fun?'
Lan Zhan's lips only curled upwards into a slight smile as a hand slowly inched upwards and stroked Wei Ying's ass through his robes. Wei Ying almost told Lan Zhan to stop being silly in the current situation but then realised his husband was trying to lighten the mood to calm him down. Instead he tried to smile as he looked at the bare chest in front of him searching for any tell-tale marks or curses or problems. Not finding any he closed and retied the robes not wanting Lan Zhan to catch a cold on top of his illness.
The two locked eyes for a moment. One unwilling to leave and the other unable to move. Eventually Lan Zhan spoke up.
'I need to sleep, you go on and figure this out'
Wei Ying simply nodded, unable to say a word for fearing he would cry. He knew Lan Zhan didn't want to appear weak in front of anyone, even him, so he leant down and kissed his husband gently on the lips before standing and leaving out the door.
Lotus Pier was now eerily quiet. Those few who hadn't contracted the illness where all looking after those that had. His mind went back to the time just after he, Jiang Cheng and Yanli had returned here after the Wen's had been defeated. It had been desolate and rundown then, but somehow it hadn't felt as lifeless as it did now. Both his brother and husband had gotten this illness. They were the two most powerful cultivators in the area so they would either die from it or lose their cultivation faster than anyone else. He looked up into the sky at the morning sun and prayed inwardly. What do I do? There is not only Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng but also Jin Ling and A-Yuan needing my help, not to mention the other thousands on cultivators out there. And I have no idea where to begin.
He was surrounded by people yet he felt alone, no not felt….he was alone….and it was up to him to solve this or he would remain alone.