Shooting Star [Never Let You Go, Again Book 2]

30: When We Were Young

Once Nie Huaisang had left, Nie Xiyuan had retired to Qinghe too, seeing as he was fully in charge of the army for the moment.

After a blissful night at Yunmeng, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had checked on Baozhai first thing in the morning and saw that she was doing fantastic — better enough to return to work tomorrow. Deciding on seeing the Nies tomorrow morning, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had travelled all the way back to Gusu, riding Bichen through the early morning before landing at Caiyi and walking from there. Wei Ying had fallen asleep on the way high up in the sky, under the cool warmth of sunrise, and was now piggyback-riding his husband. They took their time, walking up the mountain to Cloud Recesses.

"A-Zhan darling?"

"Mn?"

"I've had a question since yesterday..."

"A-Ying can ask me anything."

Wei Ying beamed and smooched the silky hair before asking, "How are you so good with Meilien? And Zhilan and A-Xuan too, sometimes. You're this skilled with babies?"

"Mn. Sizhui."

"Oh," Wei Ying nodded solemnly, his face going all soft. "My sweetheart brought up such a wonderful boy, no wonder you're a good babysitter," he smiled gently and buried his face in Lan Zhan's hair, kissing all over the brilliant head that stored so much inside it. "But then again, there's something else. I've seen how you are with Meilien, and you seem to understand her really well. A-Zhan, you're good with girls!"

Lan Zhan twisted his head to look, a single eyebrow raised sharply.

"Oh, right. Cut sleeve to the core, how can you be good with girls?" Wei Wuxian laughed as he patted Lan Zhan's head and Lan Zhan turned his face to the front again. "I meant baby girls. Did you have someone like a cousin sister before?" Wei Wuxian looked down at the stilled feet. "A-Zhan, why did you stop walking? A-Zhan?"

Lan Zhan gulped before nodding. "Mn. Younger cousin sister."

"Aww, you had a meimei! How come I haven't met her? A-Zhan, your silence is worrying me..." Wei Ying frowned as he leapt down onto the ground and ran around to stand in front his husband. "A-Zhan? Darling, are you alright? Did I... Did I trigger some bad memory? I'm sor–"

"No sorries."

"Then tell me what's going on!" Wei Wuxian shouted, his hands slithering around Lan Zhan's waist and clasping behind Lan Zhan's scarred back, pulling their beating hearts together. "A-Zhan, you know we have a core-bond. I can sense your sorrow. What is it? Tell me. Tell your husband, now, come on," he mumbled, tenderly drawing circles on Lan Zhan's back like the latter always did to him.

"Mn." Lan Zhan wrapped his own muscular arms around Wei Ying's back as he spoke. "Gu Qiang. Father's and Shufu's meimei's daughter."

"Shifu and Qingheng-Jun had a sister?"

"Mn."

"Why is she..." Wei Ying realised he was asking a dumb question with an obvious answer but asked to know more. To make Lan Zhan spill it all out. A sorrowful Lan Zhan is something he could never tolerate.

"Auntie was... A bit like Father. Insurgent."

Was. That was a hint enough to make Wei Ying sigh sadly. "What was her name?"

"Lan Xiang."

"I see. Lan Xiang was Shifu's sister. Your auntie. Lan Xiang's daughter was Gu Qiang, your cousin?"

"Mn."

"How close was she?"

"Shufu disapproved of her several times. And then Auntie found Master Gu. Gu Feng. A rogue cultivator. Which enraged Shufu more. Father didn't mind but Shufu did. Auntie was like Father."