.
Wuxian thought that his broken hand would be a source of annoyance for the next couple of weeks. But, after he started accepting others' help, he didn't mind the extra attention everyone seems to pay him. Today they're supposed to leave Luxia City to join the rest of the group in Qinghe City a few hours from here. Wuxian's bruises have faded and his arm is slowly healing. They haven't talked about what happened that day and if Wuxian is being honest with himself, he's not ready to open that can of worms.
He was sitting in bed, looking at Healer Shi while she gently unwraps his broken hand to check on it. She seemed so stressed out lately and he felt guilty over the trouble he caused her: "Little turtle, are you mad at me?"
Healer Shi looked up in surprise: "I thought your hand was broken, not your brain."
Wuxian rubs his neck in shyness: "Something is wrong and I cannot figure out what I did to make you feel uncomfortable. Tell me so I can fix it."
Healer Shi sighs loudly and turns to glare at Wangji, who's silently sitting at the table near the bed and drinking tea. Shi continues to glare at him as if her gaze would make the man choke on his hot beverage. Wuxian watches the open hostility and leans in to whisper: "What did he do?"
Healer Shi grumbles: "It's what he didn't do that's annoying me."
Wuxian: "Alright.. What did he not do?"
Healer Shi looks up and smiles evilly at Wuxian: "How about I braid your hair for you? It will be hard to control with one broken hand."
Wuxian looks over and sees Wangji tighten his grip on the cup he's holding: "It's fine. I can manage it with one hand."
Healer Shi finishes wrapping his hand and stands behind him: "I insist. Consider it a doctor's order." She braids his hair and shoots Wangji buring looks from time to time.
Wuxian was not oblivious. He knew that there is a silent war happening between his soul-bond and what seems like everyone else. Since Wangji refuses to leave Wuxian's side, the smaller man has to witness these silent jabs and passive aggressive moves towards his soul-bond who doesn't seem to be fazed by any of it. Wuxian thought it was amusing for a while but now it's starting to bother him. He had only one way of finding out.. the weakest link!
When Wuxian was escorted by Wangji out and into the carriage. He was surprised to see an empty street on a weekday morning. The inn has never been this quiet and Wuxian was actually prepared to fight his way to the wooden box. After he settled in, he looked out the window as they made their way towards the city gate without seeing a single soul. That was odd. Wuxian was hesitant but he turned to Kaoji, who was sitting with him, and asked: "Where are all the people?"
Kaoji coughs and as if he was reciting a rehearsed line said: "They have a town meeting on the other side of the city."
Wuxian raised an eyebrow: "All of them?"
Kaoji cleared his throat and said: "Yes?"
Wuxian frowns: "Is that a question or an answer?"
Kaoji looks around the carriage for something to help him out of this conversation and grabs the nearest sack and finds fruit candies in it: "Oh look.. food. Would you like some?"
Wuxian stares at him for a while then takes the bag. He will wait for the weakest link.
An hour into the journey, Sizhui switches with Kaoji and starts a light conversation: "Father, how are you feeling?"
Wuxian, was leaning his cheek on his good hand and looking out the window: "Bored."
Sizhui smiles at his childish behavior: "Da Ziran seems to enjoy traveling."
Wuxian glares at his spirit animal that decided to turn into a horse and ride with the others outside: "She said that hibernating for too long while I was sick made her joints stiff."
Wuxian pokes his head out the carriage to shout: "Snakes don't have joints, you traitor!"
He can feel her snickering through their connection and huffs while settling back inside.
Sizhui: "Animals don't fare well in captivity. Let her roam outside freely."
Wuxian glares at his son: "Whose son are you? You're supposed to be on my side!"
Sizhui laughs awkwardly: "She is part of you. So technically I'm still defending you."
Wuxian looks unconvinced: "Mmhm. I would've been fooled if I didn't know how much Jingyi and Yuxio had a bad influence on you."
Jingyi uses the butt of his sword to open the window and asks: "You asked for me?"
Wuxian whispers to his son: "Speak the devil's name and it shall appear.."
Jingyi smiles widely at him: "Yuxio is way back. Want me to call her?"
Wuxian hisses at him: "I was talking about you! Don't bring that pervert into this."
Yuxio appears next to Jingyi: "Someone said my name?"
Wuxian sighs: "I was having a reasonably good day.."
Sizhui laughs and says: "Father thinks you're a bad influence on me."
Yuxio scoffs: "You'd be so lucky. I'm well known for my charms in many sects."
Jingyi: "Demons are known to use charm to lure their victims."
Yuxio punches him in the arm: "Stop calling me a demon!"
Jingyi rubs his arm: "How is calling you a demon a problem for you but being called a pervert is alright?"
Yuxio leans around him to look dreamily at Wuxian: "Because being recognized by my beautiful grandmaster is a privilege. He can call me anything he wants and I will gratefully accept it."
Wuxian looks disgustingly at her and whispers: "I think I just threw up a little in my mouth."
Sizhui nods: "Even I thought that was a little unsettling."
Wuxian looks at his son: "A little? That was beyond disturbing." He uses his hand to cover his mouth and whispers: "She bought me a chicken as a get-well-soon gift.. an alive chicken. Then offered to kill it and roast it for me."
Sizhui: "It did taste delicious."
Wuxian: "That's not the point! Even my own soul-bond didn't bring me chickens! It's weird coming from her."
Jingyi: "It did taste good though.."
Wuxian sighs, shaking his head at the boys and glaring at a weirdly proud Yuxio: "You boys are easily swayed by your stomachs."
Jingyi stares at the white horse riding in front of him and thinks out loud: "Do you think since Da Ziran cannot die, we can eat her as a chicken then she would just regenerate?"
Silence covered the surrounding area as everyone around Jingyi stared at him like he was a lunatic. He reacted to their weird looks: "What?"
Yuxio shakes her head at him: "And you call me a demon?"
Jingyi: "It's a legitimate question!"
Mianmian joins them: "It's a dumb sadistic thought. Someone give the boy something to eat before he kills and roasts us all."
Jingyi huffs his frustration and gives them the silent treatment.
At the last hour of the journey, the weak link finally showed up. Wen Ning sat with him, and silently started to peel oranges and hand them over to Wuxian to eat. Wuxian looked suspiciously at the pale fierce corpse then began his investigation: "Wen Ning, what happened after the evil man vanished?"
Wen Ning looked like a deer that was about to be shot with an arrow: "W..What?"
Wuxian inches closer to his soul-brother and asks with a low threatening voice: "I know you're all pissed off at Lan Zhan over something he probably did at that time. Tell me what I want to know." Wen Ning cringed and spilled his guts to his soul-brother without any further prodding. A few minutes later, the people riding their horses heard Wuxian scream inside the carriage: "THEY DID WHAT?"
Wuxian opened the carriage door in a fit of rage: "STOP THE CARRIAGE!" And landed heavily on the ground before it came to a full stop. He was livid. Zewu Jun and Wangji dismounted and Wuxian didn't waste time and pointed his finger at them both: "Whose brilliant idea was it to bribe the city people into silence?"
Zewu Jun put his hands up, ready to calm the furious man: "Brother Wei, it was not a bribe."
Wuxian yells: "YOU GAVE THEM MONEY TO KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHUT! WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU CALL THAT? A DONATION?"
Zewu Jun tried to step closer to Wuxian but the man took a step back: "Brother, please calm down. Let us explain."
Wuxian took a deep breath and gritted his teeth: "Was it your idea?"
Wangji cuts them off with a calm voice: "It doesn't matter whose idea it was. I made the final decision."
Wuxian turns to focus his anger at his soul-bond: "WHY? Did I embarrass our clan? What did I do that was so sinful that it needs to be covered up with hush money? We saved their lives for heaven's sake! TELL ME WHY?"
Wuxian was working himself up. Their silent reply made his anger easily melt into self-loathing and doubt. Tears of shame started making their way down his cheek. His breath became stuttered as he took a step back and sadly whispered: "Is it b.. because he kissed me?"
Wuxian wrapped his arms around himself and stepped further back when Wangji tried to approach him: "I didn't.. It wasn't.. It wasn't consensual." He turned sad fearful eyes to Zewu Jun and Wangji: "Did I bring shame to our clan?"
Healer Shi knew this was going to happen sooner or later. She made sure everyone stood back while she slowly made her way towards the distressed man and said in a calm voice: "Little rabbit, you need to calm down."
Wuxian didn't seem to hear her and kept sobbing: "Lan Zhan.. you know I didn't.. I didn't want that to happen, right?"
Wuxian was starting to hyperventilate. Shi puts her hands up and tries again: "Wei Wuxian, look at me. Focus!"
Wuxian falls to his knees in a heap of sobs, arms wrapped around himself in a desperate attempt at self comfort. He was barely taking enough air in while whispering to himself: "He's going to leave me.. They're going to kick me out.. So stupid.. I can't even defend myself.."
Wangji didn't know what to do. His soul-bond was locked in an anxiety fit and every time he tried to inch closer, he would crawl away. He heard Zewu Jun whisper urgently to Healer Shi: "What should we do? He's about to pass out!"
Healer Shi whispers back: "We need to force him to hold his breath."
Lan Wangji took action.
He moved faster than light, grabbing his soul-bond and pulling him into his lap. He used Wuxian shock to his advantage by gently placing his hand on Wuxian's neck and pulling him in for a deep kiss. He literally stole the smaller man's breath away.
Wuxian's brain screeched to a halt. He can feel all the self doubt and hatred melt away with every second his soul-bond's lips were on him. The taller man was a man of few words, but his actions were louder than thunder on a peaceful night. Wangji poured his love and trust into that kiss and Wuxian reciprocated with need and affection. If anyone had doubt that they completed each other.. this moment was a testament to that claim.
The kiss lasted longer than both of them were used to. Wuxian broke it off to take a refreshing deep breath and smiled warmly at his soul-bond. The moment was broken by a forced cough coming from Zewu Jun. Wuxian closed his eyes as his cheeks turned red from embarrassment. He hid his face in Wangji's chest when he heard Healer Shi say: "Well.. that was a.. creative way to stop him from panicking. Hanguang Jun, I didn't know you had it in you."
Wuxian groans over the playful tone in her voice. But what really made him wish for an instant death was when Yuxio said with a breathy voice: "That was so hot!" Followed by a loud thud and her protest of pain: "Ouch! That was uncalled for!" Whoever did that to her will be in Wuxian's good graces for eternity.
Wangji rubbed his back while speaking in a low calming voice: "We didn't bribe the city. They complained that we removed the blessing from the well which in turn decreased their status between the other cities in the sect. We were cordially asked to leave and never return. Nie Sect Leader offered a settlement to help rebuild their economy on something other than the blessed water and we didn't want your name to be associated with bad rumors so we made a deal: They will never bother you again or ask for our help if we donate money to help repair the damage the vengeful spirits created."
Wuxian's muffled response was heard after a few seconds: "That's a bribe."
Wangji pulled the smaller man closer and sighs: "It doesn't matter what it's called. We completed our task and they will not bother us anymore."
Wuxian pulls back to look at the people around him in confusion: "Is that why they're all pissed at you?"
Wangji purses his lips and looks down.
Healer Shi moves close to take his pulse: "That's not it."
Wuxian sighs: "Then what is it?"
Zewu Jun sits close to them and smiles sadly at his brother: "They're just over protective. I am assuming it's because Wangji left after the attack in a fit of rage seeking revenge and they all blame him for abandoning you."
Wuxian chuckles: "That's stupid."
Yuxio stepped closer when Wuxian was back on his feet, still rubbing her aching arm: "He left you! How is that stupid?"
Wuxian looks smugly at his soul-bond: "This man wouldn't last a couple of days without me. He would've crawled back sooner or later."
Wangji wrapped his arm around Wuxian's waist and pulled him close while glaring at everyone else, daring them to argue over his devotion to his soul-bond.
Wuxian graces his soul-bond with a threatening smile: "Besides.. I let him leave the last two times. But we're soul-bonded now. If he thinks of ever doing it again.. I will find him, cut off his balls with Bichen and feed them to Da Ziran."
A chill swept through all those present at that moment. If they thought that the smaller man needed protection, they were way off. He is well known for making his own rules and not taking any hostages. He has no regrets.
.