Xiao Zhan chuckled and turned around to face Lan Wangji again, whose eyes glinted dangerously at him. Xiao Zhan grinned cheekily as he raised his sword and pointed it at his chest, "Let's stop our fight here for today and teach them a lesson. Shall we?"
"Alright." Lan Wangji flicked his wrist and Bichen went back to its shell and Xiao Zhan did he same. With their swords back onto their scabbards, and then walked over towards their trainees.
As they took their steps, Xiao Zhan wrapped his red ribbon around his hair, retying his loose ponytails. He took in the sight of his lover who still looked like he didn't just finish an intense sparring session with him only minutes before.
How is that even humanly possible? His hair did not even look tousled after all the jumping around! It almost looks like he is doing an advertisement for shampoo. So silky! How are you always perfect? Do you have built in beauty filters or what?
"Wei Ying, is there something on my face?" Lan Wangji asked quietly.
"Hm? Yes, a perfection." Xiao Zhan blurted an answer. Immediately he felt embarrassed by his own words and cursed himself silently in his head.
Lan Wangji halted his steps and faced him, "Did you say perfection?"
"Yes." Xiao Zhan simply shrugged while his hands were busy lacing his ribbon in place, he continued his words like a petulant child, "I mean, it's unfair how your hair always stays in place. Meanwhile, I look like I got hit by tornado or something."
"You look beautiful regardless." Lan Wangji stated softly without any hint of shame.
This guy has innate ability to flirt...
Xiao Zhan smiled coyly and teased Lan Wangji back, "You're just biased towards me."
"I'm just speaking the truth." Lan Wangji responded as he continued walking forward. Noticing Xiao Zhan playful smirk that about to tug on his heart once again, he changed the direction of the conversation. "What should we start with today?"
"Let's see how much the boys know about fighting with tactics first," Xiao Zhan answered with a smile on his face. He wiped off the grin on his face and replaced it with a serious expression since they were getting a little nearer to where the disciples were gathering. "I'm going to assess their current level of progresses and their knowledge on the topic. We'll teach them basic combat strategies after that and work our way from there."
Lan Wangji nodded as a reply.
In this new method, they would teach various types of techniques and strategies of warfare, which would include different types of combat. They needed those disciples to get accustom to using various tactics that would help them adapt to situations that may arise during a battle. Everyone should be well prepared for the upcoming war after all because Xiao Zhan could not possibly protect each and everyone. The least he could do right now was to make sure everyone was well prepared for any eventuality and get everyone to their best optimum selves to fight effectively and efficiently against large army when confronted. This way, there would be fewer casualties and the war would be much shorter.
"Well, well. Us monsters have something important to teach you guys today." Xiao Zhan greeted them jokingly as he clasped his hands together in front of himself in a playful stance. Lan Wangji on the other hand was very unfazed. His expression was void of any emotion as he placed his usual ice-cold gaze at the group in front of the two of them. The boys looked nervous.
"If I were you," Xiao Zhan paused to look directly into the frightened eyes of one of them who labelled them as 'monsters' earlier, "I would watch my words."
"You all saw how me and Lan Zhan fought just now." Xiao Zhan grinned, he was standing on the arena platform with an arm slung around the intimidating partner of his. As if he was challenging anyone to dare call them names again. "Let me tell you guys something and I'm not sure if you guys noticed from observing our fight; both of us never made uncalculated moves. Well, it's all about tactics and using our brain. You need to think more than just swinging your weapon blindly. In order to defeat someone, you also need to think about strategies. If you want to be stronger and more cunning in battle, you need to understand your opponent's mindset. That means understanding their strengths and weaknesses and adapting accordingly. So, from today onwards we'll learn about strategy. This will help you to improve your overall fighting skills."
Xiao Zhan lifted his arm from Lan Wangji who remained professionally emotionless and began marching up and down. His fingers were spinning his black flute deftly as he proceeded to put out his words, "Instead of the usual one versus one dueling, we will have team battles. For today, there will be two teams of players. The concept is simple, your main objective is to eliminate your opponents and destroy their base. A real-time strategy game, if you will. There will be two teams and each team will have a strategist. For this game, you will need to know all the tactics and skills that your opponent possesses. Everyone must play their own roles so learn to work together, communicate, cooperate, and try to survive until the end."
Everyone nodded obediently. Lan Wangji still rooted in place but his eyes moved to follow his lover carefully, feeling slightly proud of him since Xiao Zhan was excellent at this kind of strategizing stuff and had a great grasp on tactical warfare, among all other talents he possessed. A true all rounder. He could also see Xiao Zhan was really passionate in teaching and despite his harsh trainings, the trainees seemed to listen to whatever he had to teach because those brutal regimens were effective. The boys had no clue what was going to happen today but they toke note intently anyway.
"Everyone will be given a ribbon with your team's color and tie it on your upper arm. Your ribbon signifies your life and once you lose it, you're dead. That means, if someone manages to grab it, you're dead. So, guard it like it's your life, at the same time, defend your base as well. Losing your base means the entire team will be wiped out. Dead. Understood?" Xiao Zhan pointed the ghost flute randomly at the crowd.
"How about the rules?" Someone asked from the back.
"Good question. One, everyone should give their all and no one is allowed to give up half way. Keep in mind, we are always watching your every moves. Also, don't get too close to the barrier, you'll be electrocuted. Hence, don't think of taking the easy way out by escaping. Two, remember this is a simulation so don't get too carried away. You can choose to use any kind of method to win as long as you don't injure your teammates. You may attack and defend from your opponents. Do whatever you like and whatever method that work to eliminate them by stealing their ribbons. Don't worry, if you're getting serious injured, my dear partner here will pull you out from the game." Xiao Zhan smiled at Lan Wangji, who responded with a slight move of his head.
He added a warning edge, "But no one can kill anyone for real. If that happens, I will personally kill you myself. Are we clear?"
The boys agreed in unison. Xiao Zhan looked satisfied with the response and continued, "To be fair, your team will be decided through a blind draw. Pick a ribbon inside that box over there and whichever color you get, that's your team. Once you're done, gather with your team members. Alright we shouldn't waste time anymore, let's begin the draw."
With Lan Wangji's supervision, the draw was done in an orderly manner without any fuss and it ended pretty quickly. Meanwhile, Xiao Zhan went in the direction of the array formation that he prepared earlier for this exact purpose and activated it. The magical circle lighted up, revealing maze-like terrain surrounding them. A conducive environment for ambush and ganking, skirmishes, offense and defense, teamwork, etcetera. A perfect setting to train the boys in guerilla warfare.
"Remember to use your surroundings to your advantage. Try to learn to read your opponents' action. Be aware of where they are, what they are up to and once you know how to read their movements, you can easily tell where is the place that they most likely to strike next. Also, don't forget, if you lose your base, game over. If you lose your ribbon, you're out." Xiao Zhan reminded them sternly.
After Xiao Zhan finished speaking, he stepped aside so that he could observe the rest and prepare for battle. Lan Wangji moved along with him and soon everyone else was gathered and ready to go. Two teams separated evenly at opposite ends of the perimeter and Xiao Zhan motioned for everyone to form their formation according to what their strategist had instructed them to do. The team members were assigned their positions on their respective sides of the line, while some of their teammates were tasked to attack. They all took their starting position and began to prepare themselves. The battle of two teams was underway almost immediately after that. It was pure chaos. Some players tried their best to win but some just had a poor grasp of strategy. Some of them already have their defensive arrays set up as well, but many others were just charged without thinking. It seemed as if they didn't even care about following their strategist's instructions. And of course, no matter how hard it was, these teenagers would still push their limits.
As much fun as it would be to watch them struggle, Xiao Zhan was still keeping his focus on watching how each team played against the other. He was looking out for weaknesses, and trying to find where they went wrong. He was not kidding when he said he and Lan Wangji would be watching. He even sent up his dire owls discreetly to the sky to observe to get a sense of what each player's fighting style was like. Technically his eyes were closed but he could see everything in vividly through the stealthy flying creatures that were hovering on air and tacking movements of the disciples.
Lan Wangji did not fail to notice that as he was keeping a very close eye on Xiao Zhan as he waited for his signals to step in whenever needed. He would occasionally pull out those who had their ribbons stolen or those who was too incapacitated to continue. Most of the time, however, his attention was revolved around Xiao Zhan and he wanted to make sure that his partner was not overusing his energy again, especially he seemed to spend most of his time in a constant state of fatigue these days, even though he insisted that he didn't. Xiao Zhan would look at him then give him an apologetic smile. This would send a stab right into Lan Wangji's heart because he could see the strain that he was under. Sometimes, Xiao Zhan didn't realize that he did that at all as he was still the same workaholic like he was. Old habit just died hard sometimes.
Xiao Zhan opened his eyes when he felt Lan Wangji's hand rubbing circles on his tensed back muscles. His shoulders instantly relaxed from the comforting gesture. He assured as he took in a deep breath, gradually closing his eyes once more, "I'm okay, Lan Zhan."
Lan Wangji scrutinized the beautiful face and he could see the apparent tiredness and slight pallor in it. He sighed before he finally spoke, "Wei Ying, I can see it when you're pushing yourself. Like you currently are."
Xiao Zhan brushed it off with a small chuckle, "You worry too much."
That's when he felt a sense of calming energy being passed through his body which comfort him considerably. His eyes fluttered open to glance up at Lan Wangji, "Really, I'm fine. You don't need to do this, Lan Zhan."
"You need it." Lan Wangji insisted before inquired quietly, "You're not maintaining the owls with just your spiritual energy, right?"
"Is it that obvious?" Xiao Zhan mumbled. Half of his attention was on the vision provided by his magical drones in shape of birds. Even though Xiao Zhan kept his eyes closed throughout, he knew exactly how serious Lan Wangji was by the tone of his voice alone.
"I can tell by the way your energy flows." Lan Wangji explained while stroking the space between his shoulder blades gently. He was careful to keep his touch light so as to avoid disturbing his lover's engrossment on his surveillance.
Xiao Zhan sighed heavily, "It's nothing to be concerned about. I can handle it."
"Wei Ying, have you forgotten? Your eyes turned red this morning." Lan Wangji asked with furrowed brows. He tried to keep himself calm but the concern in his eyes betrayed him.
Xiao Zhan chuckled softly, "I've been practicing my control over my demonic energy. It's nothing to worry about."
"You have not fully recovered your spiritual energy from last night's depletion and you already spent plenty for this array and our sparring earlier. The resentful energy could corrupt your core with the imbalance you currently experience, "Lan Wangji warned in a hushed tone, making sure no one else could hear their conversation as he continued sharing his own spiritual energy reserves to support his lover. "Just try not to use it. It isn't good for you."
"They're not harmful," Xiao Zhan argued stubbornly. He didn't really want to argue with Lan Wangji about this matter, especially when Lan Wangji had such strong feelings regarding Xiao Zhan's wellbeing. Besides, Lan Wangji was right, he did expend quite a lot of spiritual energy today. And if Lan Wangji wanted to protect him, then he shouldn't hesitate to let him do his job.
Lan Wangji stated plainly, "But, they're still dangerous."
"Lan Zhâ"
Lan Wangji did not even giving him a chance to finish, he pleaded earnestly, "No. Wei Ying, Listen to me please? At least for now. You're already in this state."
Xiao Zhan knew how worried Lan Wangji was for him and decided to compromise for now as well, although he would still use his demonic energy whenever he needed to. Xiao Zhan sighed heavily and relented reluctantly. "Fine."
"Thank you." Lan Wangji exhaled a relief and gave him a small smile when Xiao Zhan called off his CCTV birds with a snap of his fingers. His hands still tracing on Xiao Zhan's back in circular motion, "You can rely on me for anything, Wei Ying. I'm always here for you."
With every word spoken, Xiao Zhan felt warmer inside. Lan Wangji never failed to make his heart swell with love whenever he said those words. He couldn't help but smile widely, "I'll definitely get diabetes one day with all the sugary words you spout every day."
"A what?" Lan Wangji asked, genuinely confused. He wasn't able to decipher what that meant.
"It means..." Xiao Zhan trailed off before chuckling, "Never mind. It's not important for now."
Mn." Lan Wangji agreed easily. He knew it was not the time for another session of long elaborative explanation.
"Lan Zhan, you can stop sharing your energy now. You need it more than I do now since you are about to be running around a lot more after this, " Xiao Zhan reminded the other who seemed reluctant to let go of him. He reassured him, holding his palm up, "I swear, I won't do things that require cultivation after this. I promise. I'll take a break."
At that statement, Lan Wangji finally broke contact with him. "Mn. Just tell me what you want me to do next."
Xiao Zhan smiled at his lover's consideration as he directed his sight towards the arena once again, "Just help me watch over our pitiful trainees then. Looks like a huge mess out there."
Lan Wangji nodded his head as he followed suit, "Alright."
Lan Wangji acted as Xiao Zhan's extra pair of eyes while he himself took notes and made mental lists of everything that happened in the battle arena. He also made sure to stay close enough that he could react to any situations that occurred. It was pretty natural for him since he was here as Xiao Zhan's partner and a trainer himself. He knew that Xiao Zhan could take care of things himself without his assistance, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Not when the risk of his lover being harmed by his dark side was high. He wanted to make it clear that he will stand by Xiao Zhan's side to fight beside him in all his battles. As long as Xiao Zhan needed his help, Lan Wangji was ready to provide it. No matter what.
After three hours, the battle was over.
"That was a total chaos." Xiao Zhan began his critics to the all worn out and tattered disciples who were sweating profusely. Their bodies ached from moving so fast and getting some strikes from their session that was just over. Their thoughts were still a jumbled up mess with the adrenalines still running high. Some had bruises all over their skin and most were looking scruffy and disheveled with dirt tainted clothes.
Not that Xiao Zhan cared as he continued ravaging them with his usual drill sergeant personality, "Can anyone call that sloppy mess a team fight? What were you all doing? Did you all not care about your life? Or your teammates' lives? Why do you fight so stupidly among yourself when you all are supposed to be working together? There were plenty of heads but did you all left your brains somewhere when you woke up this morning? I can't believe how many of you were so eager to die."
"I believe the term used for what they were doing was 'suicide'." Lan Wangji supported his harsh points.
"Yeah, suicide. If this is a real battlefield, I already can see how many funerals I have to attend." Xiao Zhan continued to admonish while shaking his head disapprovingly.
The trainees were used to this. They just held their breaths and bit their tongues, trying to hold on with whatever unfiltered remarks they were getting from that demon trainer of theirs.
Xiao Zhan didn't disappoint their expectation of being a crude talker whenever he was unsatisfied with their display of skills, "Where are the strategies you could have picked up to prevent this exact scenario but you chose to waste your precious time in useless fights. Are you people stupid? What were you thinking? In the end, how many of you survived? There was so few that I can count with my hands."
"This is going to be hard. Most of them had the same mindset and zero knowledge on strategies." Xiao Zhan continued ranting to Lan Wangji about their poor performances. "All these little tricks they used to were wasting their energy."
"Mn." Lan Wangji agreed in agreement. It was the truth, no matter how harsh it sounded.
"Perhaps we really have to start from scratch." Xiao Zhan sighed. He then turned back to glare at the boys, he resumed his nagging, "However, there's one of you who has the potential to be exceptional."
He pointed at the one disciple who was the least disheveled. As expected from a scheming mastermind, Nie Huaisang possessed excellent tactical skill, he also displayed great adaptability and initiative. He was the strategist of one team and one of the survivors of the hectic mock battle.
"He had gotten everything right. Everything except, for the fact that nobody was listening to his strategies! Well at least, your team won. So congratulations, Young Master Nie, you managed to survive and you are the top student of the day!" Xiao Zhan intentionally congratulated him in an exaggerated fashion.
At that praise, Nie Huaisang smirked proudly while fanning himself, "Wei-Xiong, now you know my true power."
Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes. "If that was your true power, then why majority of your teammates were dead?"
Nie Huaisang chuckled softly as he began defending himself, "You have a point there, Young Master Wei. I may be the best strategist amongst us but no one wanted to listen to the worst cultivator. I couldn't force them to follow my plans."
"Hmm...I guess you could say that." Xiao Zhan rubbed his chin. "I have to admit, your plans were not bad at all."
The rest of the students were rather riled up with the comment but still nodded in agreement, before their heads turning towards Nie Huaisang, who was flashing a mischievous smile and waving his fan around, "Oh, please don't flatter me."
Xiao Zhan scoffed with an eye roll, "Okay enough with that. Bring your ass down from the clouds. I know you can do better."
Nie Huaisang bowed slightly with his grin still remaining on his face, "Yes, of course. You can look forward to it."
Xiao Zhan shook his head at his confident reply but he was intrigued to see more of that cunning schemes. He then addressed the rest of the disciples, "And now you know that it's really quite difficult to beat someone with brain and knows strategies. This is a perfect example of outsmarting a stronger opponent."
"So, for the next session, you're going to learn about battle tactics, leadership and teamwork. Please listen to your strategist next time and strategist make sure to assign suitable roles to your teammates. Come up with better battle formations and legit plans. Use the terrains, opponent weaknesses and everything to your team's advantages. Also, try not to focus on the individual skills. Focus on group effort!"
Xiao Zhan stopped pacing and crossed his arms at his chest, he was pretty tired at this point. "Communicate more. I'm sure you all can talk since your mouth seemed to be running a lot when you people cursed me behind my back. Make sure that everyone works well together and make sure everyone plays their part. Understood?"
Everyone nodded vigorously. They too couldn't wait for this brutal feedback session to be over and done with.
"Good, then I'll see you all in 5 days." Xiao Zhan announced as he stood.
"5 days?" The boys yelled out in unison, confused with the sudden time off they had just earned.
"Yeah, I don't want to see your ugly faces until then." Xiao Zhan added jokingly. "I need a break after that shitty battle. I felt like I aged twenty years older because of you people."
Xiao Zhan noticed the piercing look he got from Jiang Cheng but he decided to ignore him. He didn't want to deal with another argument with Jiang Cheng right now. Not today. He was already drained from today's events and the last thing he needed was another fight on top of that. He wanted this brief getaway to relax a little, so that he wouldn't lose control if he was confronted by his martial brother next time. He was sure, the cranky fellow would not just let things go so easily.
He glanced at Nie Huaisang who was grinning wickedly. He warned before turning to leave, "Say one word about this morning and I will hang you from the nearest tree."
He heard Nie Huaisang's knowing and sardonic laughter but chose to ignore it as he exited the training ground together with Lan Wangji.
He still had to face the elders in two days time but for now, he wanted nothing else for the remaining hours of the day but to rest for a bit.
*******
The horizon was painted gold from the setting sun, a perfect image of a golden sunset. The mildly chilly breeze blew past his body, the gentle caress of the cool wind making him shiver lightly.
It was only now, after an entire day of exhaustive activities and events, that Xiao Zhan allowed himself to take time and enjoy the warm glow in the sky, like sunlight on water.
The pair sat at their usual hidden place; the same rock that they often found themselves sitting on many times already. It was their spot, their secret haven, where no one else would suddenly popped in and ruin the peaceful atmosphere between them, and he had grown more than accustomed to seeing his other half here. In fact, he was very glad for the privacy that this secluded spot gave them. The sound of water rushing down the side of the rock they sat on was all that could be heard, a calming background noise that made him feel like nothing in the entire world could go wrong right now. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have met this beautiful, smart and talented man in such an unconventional way.
Deep in his mind he knew full well that he probably shouldn't be alone with this wonderful man of his at this very minute. They were still a pair of teenagers fueled with hormones that sometimes seemed to get the better of them, which meant that sometimes things got out of hand. The embarrassing incidents earlier were the solid proofs of that.
Still, despite the risks involved, he still couldn't help but indulge himself in the physical intimacy he always got from his lover, even when he wasn't ready for them to go too far beyond kissing and cuddling. He loved those kisses like crazy because he knew that he got to spend so much time kissing the most perfect man in the whole wide world, who made him feel like he was the luckiest person in the whole wide world.
He closed his eyes, his back leaning against the warmth that radiated from Lan Wangji's chest. The soft vibrations of the sound of his heartbeat and the soothing sensation of his body slowly relaxed the tension that had built up inside of him during the day. He couldn't help but sigh happily. This man really did have such magic powers when it came to making him feel so calm. The stroking on his hair felt like heaven, along with the warmth of Lan Wangji's body were all just what Xiao Zhan needed right now, and he found himself sinking even deeper into the comforting embrace.
"Wei Ying, do you feel better?" Lan Wangji asked curiously while his hand behind Xiao Zhan's neck, massaging the tight muscles there gently. The gesture itself was enough to make Xiao Zhan melt under the contact.
"Much better." His soft voice drifted up towards the sky as a small smile spread across his face. "Thanks to you."
Lan Wangji hummed in acknowledgment; he was happy that he could do something to relieve Xiao Zhan's stress. His gaze flickered across his features before focusing on the bright smile that sat on his face.
In his eyes, there was absolutely nothing more beautiful than him smiling. His eyes softened as he looked at Xiao Zhan and the warm feeling inside his heart grew even bigger when Xiao Zhan's eyelashes fluttered to look up at him. Lan Wangji returned the smile with his signature gentle one and placed a gentle kiss on the top of Xiao Zhan's head.
This action was enough to send butterflies throughout Xiao Zhan's stomach, causing him to blush just a little. He could swear he saw stars flash through the light golden eyes above him and he felt himself being swept away by the warmth and affection of the man next to him. He closed his eyes once more and let himself enjoy the quietness around them; engulfed in Lan Wangji's presence. For awhile they stayed like that, content with simply chilling out on the rocks next to each other and watching the sun slowly set over the horizon.
Xiao Zhan shifted ever so slightly when he heard a soft melody float in the air. He cracked open his eyes again only to find Lan Wangji humming softly while looking down at him. Lan Wangji had his arms wrapped around his waist tightly as he hummed the tune quietly into Xiao Zhan's ears, his chin resting in the juncture between his neck and shoulder. His lips curled up in a gentle smile at the familiar song from the voice that sounded like a hot chocolate freshly poured during a cold winter day, its deepness of low timbre wrapping around Xiao Zhan and warming him. The warmth spread through his body until he was immersed by the feeling, the soothing sounds reaching even the deepest parts of his soul. It was such a rare occurrence to hear Lan Wangji sing without him pestering for it, and he didn't think that he'd ever get tired of hearing his voice. He nuzzled even further into the already tight hug and listened to the humming continued until the last note died away in the breeze.
"You know, I never thought I'd end up here, with you." Xiao Zhan said, his gaze fixed on the sky above them. It was true; he had never imagined his life would be like this. He was from a very different world, yet somehow they ended up together in this moment, in a strange parallel universe where everything changed.
Lan Wangji tightened his hold slightly. A small smile graced his face as he whispered. "I am happy that you are here with me."
The words hit Xiao Zhan directly on the heart, filling him with so much joy. He turned and pulled Lan Wangji closer, placing a kiss on top of his forehead, brushing on the ribbon with his fingertips.
"Me too." Xiao Zhan murmured softly and earnestly, a genuine smile spread across his lips. His adoring gaze met Lan Wangji's, he stated, "You make me happy."
With those four simple words, Lan Wangji's expression brightened as if someone had lit a candle inside him.