CH 40 – A very busy day

A few days later the high castes had once again come together in hastily arranged meeting in the large hall of the Cloud Recess. This time though they were all much more certain of what was happening and what was to be expected of them than the few times before. By now the rumour machine had allowed the knowledge of Jin GuanYao's seemingly resurrection as well as the effects of the tactics on the GusuLan to travel far and wide. Even those who hadn't had the specifics yet had already begun to put the pieces of the puzzle together on their own. Jin GuanYao had once been found out and defeated by the pairing of Lan Zhan and Wei Ying so it wasn't surprising he had a vendetta against those two in particular. As for the Lan Sect, it wasn't just them who he was obviously targeting but his once sworn brother as well.

People could work out easily why the Lan had been the focus of the attacks lately but no one was a fool. Jin GuanYao might be starting with the Sect he most hated but he wouldn't restrict himself to just one sect. Everyone remembered what had happened the last time the man had free reign over all the Sects and the total chaos that had ensued. No one wanted such things to happen again. This knowledge is what had bought them all to the meeting, what had them listening to every detail as first Lan XiChen and then Wei Ying spoke about everything that had happened. Technically as Excellency Lan Zhan should have spoken, but everyone present knew how much he disliked speaking in general let alone in public, so made no complaint about hearing the information from the other two instead. After a few hours of speaking even Wei Ying's voice was starting to go hoarse. Everyone needed to know the details but he was beginning to wish meetings allowed the speakers have a glass of water handy. After many questions where thrown at him, in what seemed uncomfortably like the kind of inquisition he had when everyone was vilifying him years ago, Lan XiChen nodded for him to sit down. Happily he did, taking his seat on the dais next to Lan Zhan.

The meeting went on for hours more, each Sect coming up with ideas on how to deal with the menace that had arrived in front of them, only for it to be shot down as foolish by another. The Sects argued furiously at first, some even argued against the obvious not being possible. Eventually though the arguments fell into some kind of rhythm and people began to agree with each other on a few small parts, even eventually a complete plan. The biggest problem with the plan decided upon was that it largely depended on the Lan Sect with support from the others. This had been decided from the angle of practicality as the Lan had already dealt with Jin GuanYao on a few occasions and had some experience. Also it was the Lan he was obsessive over at the moment so trying to turn his focus to another Sect would be a waste of time and effort. The main Sects would simply work with the obsession and use it to capture the fugitive.

This however did have strong possible repercussions for the Lan Sect. They were the ones taking the huge risks and the ones risking not only their home but the future of their Sect itself. Because of this potential problem the other four high Sects had agreed to take a number of the Lan children, along with a teacher each, to both allow them to keep their education going as well keep them safe. If all went completely wrong and the Sect got wiped out by Jin GuanYao then at least the Sect itself would survive in the care of others. Lan XiChen had also tried to get Lan QiRen to take one group of juniors to Yunmeg but the elder Lan had steadfastly disagreed, refusing to leave his home. Instead Wei Ying had pronounced that the teacher going to his old home with the juniors would be Lan SiZhui. Both Lan Zhan and Wei Ying had thought about a way to get their only son away from the potential problem the night before and decided that sending him to his other Uncle was the best course.

Once the meeting had concluded each Sect was given a Lan disciple as guide and sent off to pick up their group of children and teacher to take home with them. Wei Ying walked up to his brother, patted him on the shoulder and tilted his head in a non-verbal cue for the other to follow. The three men walked quietly over to the area where SiZhui was currently performing his duties, the silence only broken by the odd comment or two between the two brothers.

'Do you really think he will come for you again? He might be insane but he isn't stupid he knows we know about him now?' Jiang Cheng asked quietly.

'Yes he knows, and no he isn't stupid. But he believes in his own abilities too much, he doesn't think anyone is his match. He will come for us before anyone has a chance to coordinate a fight against him.'

'Believes in his own abilities…...'Jiang Cheng mused, rolling his eyes at his brother. 'Doesn't think anyone is his equal…...sounds like some one else I know.'

Wei Ying smirked and glanced sideways at Lan Zhan who was trying, unsuccessfully, to keep the smile off his own face. But the trio fell silent for another few minutes before Wei Ying spoke up again.

'SiZhui probably wont want to come with you brother, but it is the only way we can make sure he's safe.' He paused. 'Promise me!'

Jiang Cheng looked his brother in the eye without blinking and then moved his gaze to Lan Zhan before speaking in a serious tone.

'SiZhui is my nephew, just as much as Jin Ling is. I promise to both of you that I will keep him safe while he is with me, whether he likes it or not.'

Wei Ying smiled. Lan Zhan simply nodded his agreement. This time the three fell silent until they reached their destination.

As imagined SiZhui wasn't fond of the plan to send him away from Gusu and the battle ahead. He even went as far as to complain about it to Wei Ying, who had stood back while Lan Zhan had given him the instructions. Wei Ying had smiled at his son and calmly explained that SiZhui needed to go and protect the children that would be in his care, he also had to be a good teacher while they were away from home. Wei Ying had gone to explain that if the worse came and both his parents died in this battle then SiZhui would be the only descent of the Lan leaders around and would be looked upon to rebuild the Sect. If that eventually ever occurred he would need to listen to his Uncle Jiang Cheng in how to run a Sect. At this point SiZhui had lost all of his Lan teaching and hugged both his parents hard around the shoulders and neck.

'I am not a child any more! I don't care how hard the battle is that's coming….' he had announced while looking both parents straight in the eyes. 'I won't need to be Sect leader for many years to come because you will be victorious and you will come back…...both of you.'

Lan Zhan had hugged both his husband and son in one enveloping hug of those strong arms, and the three stood there a moment saying nothing. They had completely forgotten Jiang Cheng who stood off to one side until he cleared his throat and spoke quietly.

'No one knows what the ending will be SiZhui. However don't you think that both your fathers will stand a higher chance of victory knowing you are safely away from the battlefield?'

'SiZhui looked at his uncle with something approaching a glare, then back at his parents, before nodding reluctantly. After another round of hugs and promises to be safe, between SiZhui and Wei Ying, SiZhui and Jiang Cheng walked away to find the children allocated YunMeng leaving both Lan Zhan and Wei Ying stood watching with heavy hearts.

Wei Ying collapsed onto the cushion in front of the table in the middle of the JingShi that evening. The night was cool and the stars bright, it was beautiful outdoors but for once he was in no mood to see the beauty of the sky. They had spent all day either squashed into seats in the hall, saying bye to family or running around doing various other duties. He felt both physically and emotionally drained. The only good thing about this evening was that Lan Zhan was sat opposite him. For the past few days the two had had very little time alone together, often not getting home at the same time in the evening. One would normally be fast asleep by the time the other one returned, and already gone from both the bed and the house when they woke in the morning. They had shared very few meals in the past few days, and those they had shared had been rushed affairs as one or both had some duty or another to attend to. As for any kind of intimacy, that had been zero.

Tonight they were supposed to be working on a ward that could go around the main areas of the Cloud Recess. It was supposed to serve a dual purpose, protect the vital areas such as the library and Sect leaders office, but also serve as an early warning system. After all people had already worked out how to get through the normal protective wards so having a secondary set seemed a sensible idea. They had come up with the outline of the ward relatively easily, they would pool their cultivation just like they did when they enjoyed being intimate. If anyone had the skill to get past the normal Lan shields they would find Wei Ying's shields blocking their path and if anyone had the skill to get past Wei Ying's shields they would similarly find the power of the Lan shields stopping their advance. It would literally be a case of the two halves being much stronger as a whole.

Even though the idea was simple though finding a way through had proven a little tricky and both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan were staring to feel the wear of the last few days. Wei Ying rested his fist against his forehead in an effort to resist a headache that threatened to break through only to feel long, delicate but strong fingers at his temples a moment later soothing away the stress. He couldn't help but sigh a sound of contentment.

'Ohh that's better Lan Zhan thanks'

'Wei Ying has been working hard the last few days'

'So has Lan Zhan. We have both been working so hard I feel like I've been empty forever.'

There was no seduction or blame in the words, it was just a simple statement of fact. However Lan Zhan's fingers stilled anyway, his breathing low.

'I miss you to.' Lan Zhan whispered. 'I miss hearing you moan my name, I miss seeing your body respond under my touch, I miss seeing the blissful look on your face and knowing I am the only one who can give that to you. But the time will come again soon'

Wei Ying smiled as Lan Zhan's fingers resumed their work on his temples gently. Feeling himself slowly dropping off to sleep.

'Yes…..' He said slowly. 'But when that time comes I want you to promise me one thing.'

'Anything' Lan Zhan said without hesitation.

'When that time comes again I want you fuck me into oblivion…...let me come back and then do it again' Wei Ying said with a sleepy smile.

Lan Zhan smiled slightly as he picked up his sleepy husband and deposited him on the bed. Then he removed his outer robes and shoes he got himself ready for bed as well, going through his normal routine. By this time Wei Ying had already thrown the rest of his clothes on the floor and was fast asleep. So entwined in each others arms the two fell into a deep, restful sleep for the first time in days.