"I forgot to bring fairy, now Jiujiu will definitely break my legs." Jin Ling didn't realize that he had mouthed his thoughts loud.

"Young Mistress, if you're scared you can go back." Ouyang Zizhen decided to tease the little sect leader. 

"Without me, you guys would be dead for sure." Jin Ling was not letting Zizhen have his way. 

"Hahaha you're right young Mistress, here let me read you my new poetry." 

The Baling Ouyang sect was associated with Yunmeng Jiang Cheng. Ouyang Zizhen and Jin ling had met each other whenever his father came to visit Sect leader Jiang in Lotus Pier. 

Jin Ling was forced to greet  the other child who was 3 years older than him. Ouyang Zizhen knew it was all obligations and he had no say in it. They really didn't like each other  much after their first encounter but after many such encounters they developed a mutual understanding of how they both hated these greetings. Jin Ling was a stubborn child while Ouyang Zizhen was a rebel, what a combo!

They both would sneak out of the meetings and run around the Lotus pier. Ouyang Zizhen would write poetry under the shade of trees while Jin Ling would play with fairy. But it was after Yi City that they both openly accepted each other as friends.

"Maidens will fall out of love with this disgusting poetry." Jin Ling read the newest description of Love that Zizhen had written. 

"Hey! it's my master piece, don't disrespect it like that" Zizhen was offended by it a little, after all he spent days writing this new piece for the one he loved.

"You're still going on about love crap? you know it is fake" Fake like their system, where they bowed to people with power and flattered them with words just to avoid getting on their bad side.

"What would you know about love?" it came out wrong, Zizhen didn't mean it like that. Of course how would Jin Ling know about Love? the Love his uncle gave him is disguised in his stern voice. 

"What? you're saying it's my fault that I don't  have  parents? It was those Wen Dogs!" 

Lan Shizui and Lan Jingyi heard their loud voices and followed them quickly but they stopped at the wrong time. Wen Dogs.

Lan Jingyi glanced at Lan Shizui who had no expression on his face but he clenched his fist to hide the pain. 

"Will you just  stop with past? Can't you move on already." it came out even more wrong but Lan Jingyi wanted to ease the pain of his brother. 

"That's right? I'm the one at fault, I'm always the bad guy and it was also my fault that Yunmeng Jiang Sect suffered the most by those Wen Dogs!"

Jin Ling stomped away, he was furious, he was mad but he was hurt the most. Lan Shizui took a deep breath and followed the Young Mistress cause nobody else would.  

Wei Wuxian heard it all, he felt remorse because everyone suffered- suffered because of him.

He decided to stay behind and calm the two kids, Lan Jingyi was furious while Ouyang Zizhen was drenched in guilt. 

                                                                                      .  .  .

"Jin Ling!"

"Jin Ling Stop!" 

Lan Shizui grabbed the wrist of younger boy in front of him and he (JL) halted with a jolt. 

Jin Ling with one hand wiped his tears and let out a sob,

"Shizui, you know I didn't mean it. I just lose control whenever they mention Wen Dogs." 

Lan Shizui had been dealing with his unintentional insults for a while now. during the time when he didn't know about his origins he would feel as if he's missing a part of his life. Now that he knew who he was, it was given to him on the silver platter of insults. Would it have been  better if he hadn't  learnt about it?

No! he was proud to be a Wen. A family that Yiling Patriarch had.

"Jin Ling, you're a sect leader now. You have to be strong otherwise all the sects will consider it your weakness and take advantage of you." Lan Shizui's tone was gentle and calming. How many times he craved the gentle voice? His uncle and Aunt were dead, and he was too scared to listen to gentle voice of Sandu Shengshou, afraid of his breakdown. 

"I'm trying Shizui, I'm really trying. It's so hard though, I don't understand how to feel the same way they do. If i had parents maybe..." 

"I know, the past is hard to get over, but remember there are people who are willing to stay by your side now."

Even Lan Shizui could feel the extent of love that Sandhu Shengshou disguise up front. Only Jin ling needed to see that.

"I will become stronger so they won't be ashamed of me."

"I know you will."

 "Shizui, you're the only one who really understands me. Stay like that forever."

Some of the tears still resided in his (JL) eyes, he slumped in close and hugged the man in white. 

"I will." 

His (LS) mellow voice filled him (JL) with warmth when he hugged him(JL) back. The only time Jiang Cheng held him tenderly was, whenever he (JC) broke down remembering the past. The benign embrace of Lan stormed away all he frustration built in him. Ouyang Zizhen was right, he (jL) didn't know about love but if Love was this warm, he was willing to give it a go.

They stayed like that for sometime before Lan Shizui proposed, 

"Let's go back, they are waiting for us." 

They both held hands as they made their way back to the cave.


                                                                                    . . .

 "These are the remains of Yanling Daoran?" Wei Wuxian grabbed the satchel and raised it as if checking something. He eyed it softly. 

You are my Shushu.

[The accurate term should be Jiujiu but WWX calls XXC his Shushu. So, we're going for that.]

Zao Clan heard about Yiling Patriarch's revival but they were scared to see him in person. A lot of people still feared  him believing in the stories of the past.

"We need to hurry before Lan Zhan catches up to us, trust me he will be really mad and we all have to copy scriptures while doing handstand." 

The great Yiling Patriarch was scared of his husband. This was not how they imagined him to be. 

"Young Mistress, I do have to trouble you a little, may I get a drop of your blood?"

Now they were terrified.

"Wei qianbei, I can give my blood." Lan Jingyi saw that the Grandma (Madam Zao) got scared. 

"If any blood could be used, I would have used mine, don't you think? Hahaha the young Maiden's blood is what attracts the spirits." Yiling Patriarch was clearly flirting.

The curse was placed on Zao clan and they needed Zao blood to nullify it, but Wei Wuxian wouldn't dare take all of their blood so he came up with an alternative. He would mix their blood with the remains of Yanling Daoran. While for the array he would use his own. 

Wei Wuxian made a cut on his wrist and begun to draw the blood array, the juniors panicked. 

"Wei qianbei, you alone can't use that much blood, use ours." Ouyang Zizhen extended his arm towards his senior and others did the same. 

"You kids think I'm that weak? hahaha that's an insult to Yiling Laozu you know." Wei Wuxian gently brushed away their hands and begun to draw the array. 

"Now listen, all of you draw a shield and stand against each incantation, The moment I play my flute the spirits will surge out, by all mean do not let go of the shield or the spirits will escape. got it?" 

The Junior square nodded in unison while Zao clan people stood there gawking the cultivators.

Wei Wuxian completed the arrary and juniors forged out their shields positioned on assigned spots. When Wei Wuxian took off his outer robes, then juniors realized what actually was going to happen. 

He was going to use his own body as a bait for spirits to take over. He was going to harm himself again. 

"Baba!"

it caught everyone by surprise especially Wei Wuxian. 
All Juniors were really worried. He was already weakened from using that much blood and now he would act as bait?

"A-Yuan, focus. Everything will be alright." He smiled at his son.

"Why do you call him like that?" Jin Ling humped. 

"Hahaha Why are you upset? I will call you like that as well,  A Ling~" 

Jin Ling's face grew red as tomato but he didn't hate it. He laughed and teased all the juniors, assuring them that there was nothing to worry about. But Lan Shizui knew, the pain he hid behind that smile, if only the world could see.
Wei Wuxian stepped inside the array and begun to play the deadly flute.

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(Sorry for grammatical error and thank you for reading)