Ch 55

Lan SiZhui closed the door to the JingShi. It had taken him the most part of a day to clean all the dust of everything and make sure it all looked as neat and tidy as the day his parents had left. He knew simply lifting all the covers off the furniture and taking the personal items out the storage chests and putting them back onto shelves would have been enough for his baba, but he didn't think for one moment that his father would have changed. Part of him also wanted to make this place clean and tidy for himself as well. This was the place he had been raised in, the two men who had lived here where as different as night and day and yet they had both loved him with all their hearts. He had received a message from his father a few days ago saying the two were headed home. They had been away from the Cloud Recess for two years, exploring the world and taking time for themselves. Something they both deeply deserved.

His Baba had insisted that they wait until SiZhui's sixteenth birthday to travelling. Although his father had been determined that he could cope with just his Uncles help from being fourteen, when it came to SiZhui his baba could be very stubborn. From what the message had said the two where coming back for a few reasons, the least of which wasn't the pending funeral of his grandfather Lan QiRen who had died a few days ago in his sleep. Notes of condolence and emissary's from various clans had been turning up for the past day or so and he had been helping his Uncle XiChen as much as he could, but part of him would be really glad when his parents arrived to take over.

As SiZhui walked down the path out of the small courtyard owned by the JingShi he thought about using the small padlock always kept at the gate, but decided against it. For one, he didn't know when his parents would actually return and didn't want them locked out their own home, but another reason was that no one in the Sect was stupid enough to try and go into his parents house without permission, occupied or not. Instead he walked down to his own small home a small distance away. The place was sparsely furnished but he was only eighteen and had yet to accumulate things of his own. His Uncle had even spoken of his grandfather leaving him his Hanshi but SiZhui wasn't to sure how he felt about that yet. Instead of thinking about all the things going on he simply allowed himself to relax over a cup of tea and then mentally disappear in a good novel.

Lan Zhan and Wei Ying arrived back home both feeling exhausted but glad to have finished their journey. When Lan Zhan had received XiChen's message about QiRen's death the two had already been thinking about returning, although maybe not as fast as they actually did. Wei Ying had also received messages from the Wen village who still also lived on the mountain behind the Cloud Recess about some ideas they had and wanted his input on. It had seemed that although the two had been absent from the politics of the cultivation world for a few years it was beginning to catch up with them again. When Lan XiChen's message had caught up with them the two had been a region so remote it's name had long since been forgotten. The snow covered everything from the vegetation to the mountains and never seemed to melt. Although Lan Zhan had seen little attraction in it he had loved the brightness in Wei Ying's eyes as he looked around in pure amazement. He had also loved the excuse to pull his husband even closer to him than normal on the cold nights they spent in caves with just a fire for warmth.

As both men curled up in their old bed they sighed. It felt so natural yet so foreign after two years away. Lan Zhan turned onto his back, his boots and outer robes on the floor but his inner robes still loosely tied around his body, Wei Ying rested his head on his chest and let out a sigh like a contented cat.

'Do you remember the last time we slept in this bed Er-ge?' Wei Ying said quietly, running a finger absent mindedley in circles on Lan Zhan's robes.

'I do not recall much sleeping!' Lan Zhan replied in his normal deadpan tone of voice, but wrapped one hand around his husbands waist gently.

Wei Ying smiled and laughed into Lan Zhan's chest.

'No there wasn't you're right, and not just that night either. After A-Yuan got old enough to sleep in the dorms I don't think there was a single night we did much sleeping.'

'I was simply taking what was owed' Lan Zhan's voice didn't change but Wei Ying laughed again into his chest.

'You make it sound like I was forcing you to be a monk while our son lived with us' he giggled.

Lan Zhan simply smiled to himself and tightened his hand on Wei Ying's waist. Wei Ying took the cue and snuggled closer to the body next to him before closing his eyes and listening to the heartbeat he knew in some ways even better than his own. As the heartbeat slowed to show Lan Zhan was sleeping Wei Ying also felt himself dropping to sleep in the similar yet strange surroundings.

The next day when the two got up they noticed two sets of Lan Sect mourning clothing set on the side table next to the bed, something they had obviously been to tired to see the night before. Upon donning the clothes, and even wrapping small white ribbons round each others blue forehead bands, the two left the JingShi and went to find both XiChen and SiZhui. Luckily they found both men in XiChen's office, almost buried in a mountain of condolence messages. To their surprise however Wen Qing was also in the room speaking to both men when they entered the room.

'Father! Baba! Your home!' SiZhui exclaimed as he temporarily forgot he was both a Lan and an adult and broke into a run upon seeing his parents enter and almost leaped on them both to give them a strong hug. Lan Zhan looked over to Wei Ying as if their sons behaviour was somehow his fault, but Wei Ying was to busy hugging A-Yuan to really care.

With more grace and self control both XiChen and Wen Qing walked towards, what was two people but was now a huddle, and waited for Lan Zhan to extract himself. XiChen smiled at his younger brother before reaching out a hand and resting it on Lan Zhan's shoulder.

'It's good to see you both back little brother. SiZhui has been speaking of nothing else the past few days since he got your message. However I wish it was under better circumstances.'

Lan Zhan simply nodded and looked as he was going to say something as Wei Ying, who had finally gotten free on his sons strangling arms, stepped forward and spoke.

'We got back late last night but it was past curfew. We knew we would find you here this morning, but I didn't expect to find Wen Qing here with you.'

'Both Lady Wen and SiZhui have been very helpful the last few days since Uncle passed away.' XiChen said while unconsciously resting a hand on Wen Qing's arm.

Before Wei Ying could speak up and ask why the Lan Sect leader was being so intimate with the Sect Leader of, what was left of, the Wen's Lan Zhan asked in all seriousness.

'Now we are back how can we help'

XiChen's face turned to his brother and brother-in-law.

'Wei Ying you can help me with some of these emissaries. SiZhui has been helping with the letters but I can not do both.' As Wei Ying nodded, a little dumbly agreement at being giving such an important task, XiChen turned to Lan Zhan. 'Wanji the funeral is being handled by the Clan elders however if they have any problems they will need a family member to speak to. You don't have to make any decisions you are uncomfortable with but it will help a lot if they are not coming to me for every little detail.'

Lan Zhan simply nodded again but before anyone could move to about their new jobs Wen Qing moved from her place at Lan XiChen's side and spoke up.

'Wei Ying I need to speak with you a moment before you disappear'

Luckily for Wei Ying, Wen Qing Lan Zhan had long ago given up being jealous of her and the two had gotten into a sort of 'protect Wei Ying from himself' club which Wei Ying didn't always enjoy, but he put up with. Once outside the two stopped and Wei Ying looked down at the smaller woman who for once looked a bit nervous and jittery.

'What's wrong?'

He asked all of a sudden wondering what those letters that said 'I need to speak to you urgently' had been referring to. Wen Qing took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes.

'I'm making a new Sect!'

'What!' Wei Ying exclaimed, before realising he had shouted and bringing his voice down to a whisper. 'Your making a new Sect…..as in a new Wen Sect?….are you mad?'

Wen Qing pulled an indignant face before smiling up at him thinly. However her voice was calm and relaxed.

No I'm not mad. This is why I wanted to talk to you about it before It was decided but you were god knows where…..'she paused. 'I know you have been hurt by the name Wen just as much as any of us and that's why I'm not going to use it. I'm going to let the Wen Sect remain where it belongs, in the past. But XiChen and I were speaking before all this happened and both of us feel that both I and the Wen in the village still have something to provide. Some enjoy farming, some are learning here to be cultivators, but others don't want either of those options….'

Wei Ying nodded although he looked confused as was trying to ingest what he was being told. Wen Qing just carried on talking and he tried not to put his head in his hands as he listened.

'My Sect is going to be a healing Sect…..no fighting….no weapons allowed. Healers only. Because it will naturally make us weak we are going to link with a powerful fighting Sect, however my Sect will heal anyone who needs it, be it friend or foe.' Wei Ying was still nodding, after all she was making sense so far. 'XiChen has agreed to let me use Lan in the Sect name to show our links to the Lan Sect, however I have been thinking about the rest of the name. I would like your permission to call it the YiLingLan Sect, after all we are all here because you saved us and not only kept us safe in YiLing but you bought us here. I would also like people to have a positive image when they hear that name, just like the rest of us do when we think back to our saviour.'

Wei Ying was speechless…..he wasn't even sure he could nod his head in agreement. Wen Qing wanted to name her Sect after her time in YiLing…..after the name that people still didn't utter out loud…..after the one man some cultivators still, even after all this time, still didn't feel comfortable being alone with. She wanted to risk everything for this. The fact that XiChen was allowing her to use the Lan name in the Sect, which was normally reserved only for Sect members and family dawned on him a second later and he just stopped himself from sputtering...what the hell happened in the last two years?

'Permission granted'

The strong but gentle voice of Lan Zhan came from behind Wei Ying a second before that strong arm wrapped around his waist giving some well needed grounding. He glanced at Wen Qing once more who simply smiled before walking back into the office, then looked over his shoulder at Lan Zhan. The look on Lan Zhan's face said…...I know what you're feeling, that's why I answered for you…...Wei Ying could only smile and mouth back silently… Thank you…...before the two broke apart once again and went about their duties.