In the name of love || ONC2023

Chapter 10: Lan Zhan

Lan Zhan's POV

Location: Earth.

Dimension: Undisclosed.

Walking into the pouring rain had done me good. Yet, the prospect of returning to the one I had left alone in the cave scared me. I was surer than ever that the place or the man was enchanted.

Why else had my body reacted that way?

Still, an unfamiliar pull had urged me to return, and I hadn't been able to stop myself, making my way back earlier than I expected. I was glad I had done that, for no sooner did the cave come into my sight than an ear-piercing scream reached out to me, begging me to make haste. 

I was glad to have returned when I did. 

The youth I had left barely minutes ago was convulsing in pain. His beautiful countenance was drained of color, and his skin burned like the flames that lit the heartlands of Qishan, the home of the Wen Clan. 

It hadn't taken much to understand that he had been put under a spell, just like me. But what? Surprisingly, my proximity had lifted whatever evil was trying to possess him. I could tell that he was grateful for it. If there was ever any doubt in my mind about it, the kiss he placed on my heart before falling unconscious turned it into dust. 

I couldn't explain why my heart had suddenly abandoned its routine, choosing a pace that made no sense, heating me from the inside out. Thus, I didn't fret about the lovely creature losing himself to sleep. It gave me time to train my mind, more importantly, my body. I didn't want to be caught in a position that could embarrass me and disgrace the Lan clan. I had already taken advantage of his unconscious state once and had vowed never to do it again. 

Summoning Wangji, I played a melody specifically constructed to calm the body and soul. It was my first time using it for reasons other than teaching my juniors, who often failed to concentrate during lectures due to their unruly hearts.

No wonder my uncle had made a rule forbidding the students from venturing into the pleasure district.

Disgusting! 

The seductive creature had woken up just as I completed the melody, and an awkward conversation followed immediately after. Two things had become clear: 

He was either not from our world or had come from another time. 

Or, the melody that was supposed to help me out of my predicament had done me no good and either needed much work or had to be fine-tuned to my temperament. 

Keeping my distance from the man who had called himself Wei WuXian was of the essence till I could find a way to fix the calming melody. Unfortunately, my conviction had crumbled as soon as he had clutched his chest and doubled over as if someone had taken a blade to his heart. 

From experience, I knew that my proximity would likely help him, but it hadn't done that this time around, which surprised and disappointed me.

"What do you need?" I demanded, feeling out of my depth. Instead of replying, Wei WuXian pulled himself excruciatingly close. Soon, I was fighting on two fronts, my body, which was done listening to my commands to stay put, and my mind, which refused to point me to a solution that would help me help him. 

I was on the verge of giving in to my uncouth, vulgar desires by reciprocating his touches when his body began trembling, and before I could worry more, he peeled himself off my chest and laughed.

Understanding dawned on me in that instant. Wei WuXian was jesting with me, taking pleasure in my discomfort! 

He was just like everyone else. 

'Lan Zhan, what made you think he might be someone you could befriend? Or more? You, who was abandoned by your own father, what gave you the right to hope for someone to walk next to you!? You are good for one thing and one thing only. Fighting.' The voice that often reminded me of my unworthiness ridiculed me. 

I balled my hands into fists and pushed the man away. "Shameless!" I reprimanded, channeling my strict uncle. 

"What did you just call me!?" 

The mirth lining the enquiry made me furious. Obviously, my name-calling hadn't had any effect on the boisterous man. Perhaps, the word meant something other than what it meant here, in this realm. I thought it imperative to give an explanation. "You have no manners, Wei WuXian! You lack honor and take others' feelings to be lesser than yours. What gives you the right to treat me this way? Are we friends? Are we comrades? Are we family? Are we lovers?" 

Just as I finished, Wei WuXian's bright eyes met mine. My flow of emotions had brought us within an inch of each other without realizing it. I didn't mean to get so close. Even so, my feet refused to put distance between us. 

"Do you want to be?" He questioned, batting his long lashes with an expression I was familiar with but had avoided like a curse: seduction. 

'Lan Zhan, you are our clan's second son. You are my right-hand man, little brother, and have taken after our mother. Do you know she was the most beautiful woman of her time?'

'I don't like it, brother.'

'I know. But you need to get used to it.'

I was well aware that Wei WuXian's proximity was not good for my internal balance, and it was more than possible that he was jesting with me now as he had done moments ago. Yet, an insignificantly small part of me wished for the offer to be genuine.

"Lan Zhan," My name rolled from his lips like it belonged there. "Do you want us to be lovers?"

Yes. I do. 

"No!" I ejaculated definitively, but it seemed that 'No' too must have meant something else from where he hailed. Wei WuXian watched me like a hawk stalking its prey before devouring it. But instead of pushing him away or summoning Bichen to threaten him with bodily harm, I merely stood there, paralyzed and wanting him to do whatever he wished. 

My inner robes, which were as of then covering his modesty, slid to the cave's floor, and my eyes followed the lines of his body's curves with abandon. 

I recalled my education, training, upbringing, and everything in between, hoping for an answer that would stop me from staring at the expanse I wanted so desperately to explore with my lips, my tongue…my teeth, but I came up with nothing. Absolutely nothing. 

I was almost there, ready to fall into the abyss of bodily pleasures, when I saw a path to save us both. I was sure it could drag me out of the lust-filled haze that had possessed me. 

Closing my eyes, I summoned Bichen. Wrapping my fingers over its hilt, I acted quickly. Without hesitation- the same couldn't be said about my sword- with one swift motion, I eradicated the root of the problem…at least for the time being. 

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Chapter Word Count: 1191
Word Count so far: 19906