[Group Juniors ; Continuation chapter 20]

The mountain top was his favorite spot, it made him feel at home. The breeze was cooler there and sun set sooner there. The water of the pound was different than the water fall. It would probably be the most noisy place in Cloud Recesses. The Lan was sitting on the grass with one of the rocks to lean on. He was folding the end of his ribbon to make flower out of it. He was bored.

"Jingyi!"

"Zizhen!" the lan let go of his flower ribbon.

"Thank you for coming." Ouyang Zizhen said as he sat next to him. He observed their surroundings for a while then asked,

"Where are the others?" 

after some pause, Lan Jingyi asked,

"Have you ever fallen in love, Zizhen?"

Ouyang Zizhen choked on hearing this. 

"A-are you in love, Jingyi?!" 

Lan Jingyi gave a huh! expression to Zizhen, 

"Jin Ling confessed to Shizui."

"What?Already?" 

"What do you mean already?" Jingyi asked.

"Because it was obvious." Just like Lan Jingyi and Lan Shizui were together most of  the time, having associated sects made Ouyang Zizhen and Jin ling somewhat together. And being the observant lad that he was and a romantics on  top, made it easier for  Zizhen to figure out. 

 Heat rose to Lan Jingyi's face. Maybe he knows...

"H-have you fallen in love, Zizhen?" Lan Jingyi asked again, this time in a softer tone.

"I have." 

He shouldn't have asked. For a while there was silence and sound of the wind, even the water in the lake was hushed. If they were in cloud recess, it would have been easier to cope with reticent. 

"Who?" Lan Jingyi clutched the ends of his ribbons tightly. 

Ouyang Zizhen scratched his cheek with a finger, trying to mask his flushed face. Who could he make an adorable face for? 

"Maiden A-Qing" Ouyang Zizhen confessed.

"A-Qing!? you mean, the one-"

"I know she's dead." Ouyang Zizhen stated with a sad face. Lan Jingyi was somewhat relived.

"Do you know why I always end  up fighting with my father?" Ouyang Zizhen asked but answered himself.

"Because I've been studying something."

"Eh?"  The Lans would beg  Jingyi to study, something.

"I've been studying Jiaohuan." 

"You're what?" Lan Jingyi almost bit his tongue. Who wouldn't? after all, the things Zizhen was studying were a taboo for cultivators to study.

Jiaohuan was originally Yilling Patriarch's theory but it comprised of Hun and Po, the soul dualism belief of the cultivation world. When a person dies, The Hun leaves the body while Po stays in  the body. Much like Yang to the Ying, a person's soul was Hun to the Po. 

"Hear me out idiot!" Ouyang Zizhen took out the scriptures from under his robes, page after page of theories and scribbles and arrays. He had been working hard.

"I know the cultivators are not to meddle with the souls but that's  all I have been thinking. If Hanguang-Jun can wait for 13 years and play inquiry why can't I do something as well?"

"I mean I have better chances than Hanguan-Jun had. Daozhang Zichen has maiden A-Qing's soul with him, I can still wake her up." 

Maiden A Qing died years ago, unless they know where her corpse was they couldn't have access to Po but her Hun was there, though barely tactic but it was better than any possibility.

Lan Jingyi was still trying to figure out half of the things  he had said but he realized one thing,

They were all changing.

Jin Ling was trying to accept the past.

Shuzui was trying to change the past.

Zizhen was determined to bring out the past.

One way or the other, they were all trying their best to change, they were all thriving to grow.

What have I been doing? Am I the only one stuck when the rest of them are moving?

"Aren't you falling too close with Demonic Cultivation? Wei qianbei specifically told us to stay away from that path." Lan Jingyi was worried about his state of mind and heart, maybe that's why he was changing?

"I'm not! I can't even stand let alone control the resentful energy." Ouyang Zizhen reassured him. Lan Jingyi felt relieved.

"Speaking of resentful energy, remember when we opened the Heavens Gate?"

Who could forget that? They had never felt so much pain  in their entire cultivation life. The  resentful energy would have easily engulfed them as a whole. Even thinking about it ran shiver down their spine.

"It turned out we never actually opened it." Ouyang Zizhen said

"What? But then-" 

"Why do you think nobody had ever succeeded with opening the Gate? I'm sure everyone wants to see their loved one in Heavens. "Ouyang Zizhen cut him off because he knew he (LJY) was only gonna spat nonsense.

"Because, Heavens Gate required a bond- a bond of Soul."

"When I was studying, I realized something, the reason we couldn't open the Gate was because the bond was already made. And I'm not talking about Wei qianbei. Somebody else bonded with the Gate first."

"Then how did Mo Xuyanu come back?" Lan Jingyi didn't want to believe that he was put through that horrible experience for nothing? 

"Reverse of how Mo Xuyanu brought Wei qianbei back." If reverse Talisman was possible so were reverse array.

"I'm thinking even Zewu-Jun was aware that it won't work, I mean-"

"Zewu-Jun would never lie to  us!" Before Ouyang Zizhen  could finish, Jingyi cut him off having absolute faith in their Sect Leader.

"That's why I'm saying, we should know what they talked about that day." Ouyang Zizhen referred to the three sect leaders, Zewi-Jun, Sandhu Shengshou and The Head Shaker, on the day when everything became a mess.

"What about Chifeng-zun then? Wen Qianabei saw him and  Wei Qianbei together?" Lan Jingyi asked the real question.

"I don't know, that's what I'm trying to find out myself." Ouyang Zizhen said as he put the scriptures back inside his robes.

"Since, Zewu Jun and Sandhu Shenghou are away, Why not we find out who bonded  with the Heavens Gate first?" Ouyang Zizhen got up and offered his hand to Lan Jingyi.

"And how are we going to do that?" Lan Jingyi held his hand tightly almost squeezing it.

"Lets go to Meishan Yu sect." Ouyang Zizhen smirked.

                                                                                 •  •  •

Qin Cangye was staying in the Koi tower. After all the sudden Marriage was dropped on them. He didn't let the news out yet because the cultivation world would ramble. The Man who was declared Yiling Patriarch was back being  his own self? But wasn't he married to Hanguang-Jun?  and why was Hanguang-Jun so silent about it? And Jin Ling had locked himself in the room since yesterday.

All the things made the remaining hair on Qin Cangye grow white.

"A-Ling, how long will you stay in there? This is not how sect leader should behave." Qin Cangye had been trying to reach Jin Ling since yesterday. If he didn't eat anything , he would fall ill. Qin Cangye had no choice but to break open the door. And when he did, Jin Ling was not there. 

He rushed to the room and searched if he had been hiding under the bed or  in the closet but all he could find was books, piles and  piles of books. Jin Ling was studying on how to be a good sect leader? He (JL) had been working hard. He (QCY) found a letter on the study desk. It was addressed to him. 

Grandfather, I am going to visit Great Grandmother. I will return before Jiujiu comes back. Take care of the Lanling sect while I'm gone.

And the white hairs on his head also fell.

Jin Ling was aware that Grandfather Cangye would not let him ago, not after how he dashed to Gusu sect without formally informing and only returning with tears in this eyes. So he sneaked out. Qin Cangye had tried to ask him the reason, if he was hurt any possible  away but Jin Ling refused to say anything and locked himself in his parents room. Now that he was gone Qin Cangye could only pay for his save return.

                                                                                    • • •

The little rabbits  were inside the Jingshi as if they came to visit their owner who had not  been showing up for many days.  Lan Shizui was there, sitting on the chair beside the bed. With his  head on the bed and hands on his fathers, a single tear rolled through his eye.

"Please father, wake up." 

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[Another thing  about the Timeline. It's all happening simultaneously. Like it took weeks for XiCheng to find Baixue Temple. While they were traveling this was happening behind their backs and SongXiao is the past, already happened ages ago, same with Juniors flashback.]

Sorry for errors and confusion.

Thank you for reading.