CH17 – Counsel of war

Jiang Cheng slowly backed up towards the door aware Lan Zhan's eyes where fixed on him with an unblinking stare. He had thought he had gotten used to used to Lan Zhan not liking him in all those years he blamed him for letting Wei Ying die, only now did he realise that it hadn't been hatred he had been seeing for all those years it had been no emotion at all. Right now he had a strong feeling that if Lan Zhan didn't have a choice between holding onto Wei Ying's hand on one side of the room and coming to grab him on the other, he would already be half unconscious.

Just as Lan Zhan looked as though he was going to leave Wei Ying's side for a moment to strangle the answers he wanted out of Jiang Cheng a movement from the bed broke the thick tension between the two men. Lan Zhan's head turned back round and Jiang Cheng let out the breath he hadn't even known he was holding.

'What's going on?' Wei Ying asked in a weak voice, his fingers automatically curling around his husbands.

Your husband went temporarily insane, Jiang Cheng thought to himself at the same time Lan Zhan spoke with certainty.

'You over exerted yourself and fainted!'

'I healed two people in one day Lan Er'gege. And I have been looking after everyone here on my own since the last healer got ill, of course I'm tired. You won't get angry at A'Xian will you?'

The childish tone Wei Ying had used was exactly the same one he had used with their father and sister when he wanted to get his own way, but Jiang Cheng was a little astonished when it worked just as well on Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan smiled down at Wei Ying, running his thumb gently over their joined hands as if both men had completely forgotten Jiang Cheng was in the room.

'How could I be angry at A'Xian?' Lan Zhan spoke gently.

Jiang Cheng had had enough of the two lovebirds. They had been awake a matter of minutes and he already wanted to knock one of them out. Instead he grumbled something about going to make them all a meal, which he was sure no one actually heard, and left the room faster than was actually necessary.

Later on the three men where sat around the small table in the room. Well technically Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng where sat around the table, Lan Zhan was knelt behind Wei Ying fixing his hair for about the fifth time. When Lan Zhan had fixed Wei Ying's hair for the first time Jiang Cheng had pretended it wasn't happening, after all such a domestic scene should be kept behind closed door in his opinion. But once Lan Zhan had finished his chore, removed the ribbon and begun again he couldn't help but look over at Wei Ying who was just sitting passively as if this was nothing out the ordinary. Wei Ying had glanced over at him and mouthed silently balance. It didn't take much for him to realise that doing such domestic chores helped Lan Zhan balance his emotions, and having seen the look in his eyes earlier Jiang Cheng decided to say nothing further on the subject.

Once all three men where full of the simple broth Jiang Cheng had been able to make Wei Ying spoke up into the silence.

'How long was I out?'

The question was obviously aimed at his brother so he spoke up.

'Not long, about half an hour. I'm actually surprised you woke up as soon as you did, you used a lot of energy'

'I used up a lot of your energy to didn't I?' Wei Ying looked over at his younger brother obviously already knowing the truth. 'I felt it. Every time I felt I was going to collapse under the strain there was a sudden surge of energy. It could only have been you.'

Jiang Cheng just nodded.

'Well right now we need as many people awake as we can. If you had collapsed I would have lost not only you but HanGuang Jun as well. I need you both. You have more experience with this thing than either of us and we have already worked out your power can hurt it. HanGuang Jun has the strongest core. We should be able to figure something out between us.'

Half way through his talk Wei Ying suddenly winced and whined 'Owww Lan Er'gege than hurt'

Lan Zhan's hands had paused part way through his work and seemed fixed on Wei Ying again.

'What do you mean your power can hurt it?'

Wei Ying sighed.

'I worked out through trying to heal you and then healing brother that if I have a connection to someone I can heal them. This thing doesn't seem to like my cultivation energy, even though its dark energy itself it doesn't like mine. Of course it only attacks golden cores to which makes me immune.'

'So you could heal Sect Leader Jiang through his core as it used to be yours' Lan Zhan had resumed his work on Wei Ying's hair and was speaking like he hadn't had the moments hesitation. 'You could heal me through our mutual cultivation bond. That makes sense, but how will that allow you to cure others? And even of you can do it, curing all those people would kill you.'

The others nodded. This was obviously something they had thought about before and didn't have answers to. There had to be someway of using what they knew to help cure the others before this problem claimed the lives of everyone, or even worse they lost the power to cultivate and just became normal. All three men sat in silence for a while. Jiang Cheng sipped his tea deep in thought and Lan Zhan finished his husbands hair once again and decided not to do it again but rather sit and settle Wei Ying in his lap. Something Wei Ying had no problem with at all but he was sure the fine cup in his brothers hand would shatter if his husband showed any more public displays of affection.

Eventually Lan Zhan spoke up.

'Before I got the illness the healers where working under the premise that the strongest cores where the most affected, and got the illness easier.'

'Yes' Wei Ying replied almost to himself. 'The healers thought this thing infected the core through the cultivator, but it seems to infect the cultivator through the core. So the stronger the core the quicker and more seriously a person gets ill.'

'This means the youngsters shouldn't be in too much danger as they haven't reached their potential yet'

Jiang Cheng silently bowed in respect to Lan Zhan for being able to make such a deduction when he himself had needed it spelling out to him. Not that he would ever tell the man that, especially when he was practically groping his brother in front of him.

'That depends on the youngster. Youngsters like Jing Ling and Lan SiZhui have nearly reached their potential so they will be in almost as much danger as the adults.'

Wei Ying nodded again.

'Brother is right, its not as simple as it seems. This whole thing isn't simple. Someone has defiantly designed this so it wipes out the strong cultivators and leaves only the weak ones alive. They just didn't know I don't have a core any more so wouldn't be affected.'

'Well that narrows it down to anyone not in this room' Jiang Cheng retorted sarcastically.

'Really!' Wei Ying leant forwards over the table and glared at his brother 'You can be so unhelpful sometimes you know that?'

'You tell me that often actually'

Wei Ying just stuck his tongue out at his brother and leant back against Lan Zhan's chest, rubbing his head gently like a content cat. Lan Zhan has been ignoring this exchange between the two brothers and had closed his eyes seemingly sleeping. A butterfly appeared by his cheek and without even opening his eyes he took it in his palm for a moment before letting it fly away again. Wei Ying turned round somehow without changing his position on his chest and the two locked eyes. Again no words where spoken and no moments made but Jiang Cheng could clearly see that something was communicated between them. Finally getting fed up of all this lovey dovey nonsense as well as being kept in the dark about what was obviously something important being transmitted via the Lan family butterflies, Jiang Cheng couldn't hold his calm any more.

'Are you two going to get a room or are you going to tell me what's going on? He didn't even try to hide the annoyance in his tone.

Wei Ying just smiled before resting one hand on Lan Zhan's inner thigh where he sat cross legged and spoke as if it was the most innocent thing in the world.

'We do have a room brother, you just happen to be in it with us'

Jiang Cheng growled at the shameless behaviour of his older brother and was just about to say something when Lan Zhan reached out and placed his own hand over Wei Ying's to still the moving fingers before speaking in a slightly reproachful voice.

'behave!'

Wei Ying pulled a sulking face but removed his hand and faced the rest of the room. Once more serious as if he wasn't playing around 30 seconds ago.

'I have been communicating with ZeWu Jun.' He said matter of factly. 'When this all started he was in retreat so not contact with people. Master Lan called him for a meeting with Lan Zhan and I, everyone expected him to remain and help but unknowingly he returned to his retreat. Because of this he never got the illness.' The other two men where listening interestedly to the story and what it had to do with their current problem. 'As you know ZeWu Jun is a very powerful cultivator but has somehow dodged this. It shows that it is transmitted from cultivator to cultivator and not any other way. Also a few days ago, when you were both unconscious, he had to go back to Gusu and asked if I had any ideas to help him. I told him about the relationship between getting ill and core power.'

Wei Ying paused, the other men looked at him but he didn't resume his story. The silence lasted for a few moments while everyone waited for him to resume speaking but he seemed stuck as to how to say the next words. Then at length he began, but the tone was no longer confident instead it was low and held a tone of apology.

'I told him that he had a better chance of staying healthy if he lowered the power in his core.' Everyone in the room understood what that sentence meant and Jiang Cheng couldn't help but gasp. Lan Zhan's eyes had widened behind Wei Ying's back but he otherwise remained silent. 'He sealed off his own energy!' Wei Ying finished slowly.

Jiang Cheng's head was spinning with all the ramifications that could come from what ZeWu Jun had done. Wei Ying could feel Lan Zhan stiffen behind him, see his knuckles go white and feel the pressure increase on his wrist. He tried not gasp as Lan Zhan's grasp turned bone crunching, after all he knew what the other was thinking about right now. Years ago Lan Zhan had sealed his own cultivation energy in order to save his life from Jin GuangYao, it was a memory neither of them really wanted to recall. Patting Lan Zhan's hand gently he felt the pressure ease on his wrist and breathed a little more calmly. Jiang Cheng didn't look like he could bring himself to speak, his face was white with shock and he obviously couldn't speak. The silence again seemed to drag on before it was broken, this time surprisingly by Lan Zhan.

'So if we can we can seal peoples cultivation energy that might make them easier to heal. Then it would take less of your energy, maybe even they could be healed by others.'

'If they aren't to ill its possible' Jiang Cheng agreed 'But what about the others who are to weak to cure like that? Wei Ying can't cure them all'

'Well you helped him cure me didn't you?'

'You think that would help? Someone providing spiritual energy?'

'No that's to simple. If it was that easy the healers would have worked it out. Maybe it has something to do with your intimate relationship' Lan Zhan stated blandly.

This time Jiang Cheng went a different colour on the spectrum, this time an amazing shade of blue. only this time it was because of trying to control a sudden coughing fit. Wei Ying wasn't in a much better state, leaning on Lan Zhan's chest for support and staring at him like he had grown another head. Lan Zhan himself was looking from brother to brother as they had suddenly caught a strange disease themselves that he couldn't quite understand.

'Intimate Relationship!' Jiang Cheng finally managed 'We aren't intimate' He managed to choke out the final work with difficulty.

Wei Ying finally managed to get his brain working a little and said with a horrified expression on his face.

'We are brothers Lan Zhan that's disgusting! Besides you know the only person I have been intimate with is you.'

Lan Zhan nodded at the pair as if they were taking too long to grasp a simple concept.

'Brothers exactly' He repeated as if it was the simplest thing in the world, and completely ignoring the look of both the other men who silently pleaded with him to change the subject.

'We were raised together that's all' Wei Ying spoke up after a moment.

'Exactly' Lan Zhan replied as if he had expected the other two to grasp his meaning earlier. 'Low cultivation, sealing spiritual energy, relationships and your power' He looked at his husband seriously. 'All part of the strange puzzle.'

Jiang Cheng was still trying to work out how being raised in the same house made you intimate, then realised he actually didn't want to know. Instead he decided to change the subject on his own if no one else was going to.

'But how do we know if we are right in this?' Jiang Cheng asked and when Wei Ying glared at him with a look that said my husband said it so of course its right, Jiang Cheng returned it with a look of his own which said This maybe your bedroom but wake up and think with your brain please. Wei Ying just smiled that smile which meant trouble was coming and people with any sense should run away.

'LanLing' He said with a laugh. 'It's time we head to see our nephew brother.'