A Ghost of Snow

16. What Should I Do Now?

Lan Wangji left Lanshi, when he realised that the screams coming from Wei Ying had subsided. He was scared, and rightfully so, Wei Ying had always been brave and strong, he remembered back in the Xuanwu Cave, Wei Ying did not hesitate getting burnt or being left behind to save others. How much pain did he have to be in for him to be crying.

When he reached the back hills, the view only broke his heart further. The loud cries might have stopped but Wei Ying was still sobbing. He wanted to go and reassure his friend that everything would eventually be alright and that he would help him figure out a solution soon but he stood glued to his spot trying to first stop the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. Lan Wangji  was never good at interacting with people let alone provide comfort. He wouldn't even have talked to Wei Ying if the latter had not kept bugging him shamelessly, he couldn't deny that he liked it though.

After a few moments of pondering, Lan Wangji decided that maybe it was time for him to step out of his comfort zone, so he decisively walked the distance between them. He could see from the corner of his eyes that his brother, Uncle and Baixue had followed him but he didn't pay much mind to them and focused on the task at hand.

Wei Wuxian looked up when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder, "Wei Ying", just the sound of his name in Lan Zhan's voice was enough for him to go into a full blown crying fit again. He did not care if anyone was watching him, he didn't care if Lan Zhan would be embarrassed of him after seeing him ugly cry. As soon as he heard Lan Zhan 's voice, he pulled him down and hugged him, now sobbing in his arms.

Lan Wangji froze for a moment before he hugged Wei Ying back. Maybe this would calm him down. "Wei Ying, I am here.", He had never been good with physical touches and words but in that moment all he could think about was how it felt just right with Wei Ying, it wasn't awkward, and he didn't feel repulsed by this act of intimacy.

"Lan Zhan, What should I do?", Wei Ying sobbed in his arms, "Who can tell me, what should I do now? Isn't she younger than me, I should be the one protecting her, why has it turned out like this? Lan Zhan, can you tell me what to do? Please! Tell me.", Lan Wangji's heart clenched, he couldn't stop the tears that escaped his eyes, he didn't have answers to any of his friend's questions. He felt useless, he hugged Wei Ying tighter, before he finally managed to whisper, "We'll figure it out together. It can't be impossible." He did not believe his own words though, he didn't know if there was anything that could be done but Wei Ying seemed to have calmed down a little hearing his words so he counted it as a win.

Lan Qiren was perplexed by how easy it was for Wangji to calm Wei Wuxian down. He could hear the hesitation in his nephew's voice, he could tell that Wangji did not really believe what he had himself said but it was enough to stop Wei Wuxian from blabbering on aimlessly repeating the same questions over and over again.

He had an idea about how his former disciple had managed to befriend his younger nephew but from what he had seen in the last two days, he was sure that Wei Wuxian was more invested in his relationship with Wangji than he usually let on. To a stranger,  they would seem like fire and ice, always at odds with each other but to him it was clear that the little distance between them was because of the misunderstandings since one of them could not express himself properly and the other was always in a hurry, lacking in patience and drawing conclusions quickly based on what he was fed. It was no secret that Wei Wuxian was really intellectually gifted but when it came to understanding obvious gestures on Lan Wangji's part, he was a fool.

Lan Qiren could still not decide if he could approve of Wei Wuxian as his nephew-in-law but in his heart he knew that he did not hate this disciple of his as much as he would like to. Once Baixue's situation was settled, he would talk to Wei Wuxian about giving up his unorthodox methods, and explain to him calmly that he has no objection with the two of them being together as long as he agreed to cultivate spiritual energy again.

With that in mind, he was about to turn around and leave, leaving the youngsters to figure out their feelings on their own for a little while when he noticed that Wei Wuxian's eyes were drooping and he looked unusually pale. As if on cue, his body went limp in Wangji's arms.

"Wei Ying", Lan Wangji frowned when he felt that Wei Ying had suddenly stopped sobbing. He shook him slightly, no response. He tried to take his pulse but found it to be unusually irregular, at that, he panicked. "Wei Ying", he called again, a little louder, still no response. "Wei Ying", he  shook him harder this time, no response, not even a frustrated groan.

"Wangji!", it was Lan Qiren's turn to panic now, he had never seen his nephew so disorganized before. "Bring him back to the healers, so we can know what's wrong with him."

His Uncle's voice brought him out of his sudden panic, "No", he said adamantly carrying Wei Ying, "I'll take him to the Jingshi, the healers can check on him there." He was already on his way without waiting to hear a response from others.

Lan Qiren's brow twitched, it was one thing that Wangji wanted to court or marry Wei Wuxian and another to let them stay in the same chamber before any of that happened. He didn't know, even his nephew was this shameless. But what was it that he could do? It wasn't as if he would forbid it and Wangji would oblige. Lan Qiren sighed, at this point he had even lost count of how many times he had sighed since the previous day.

Too old, too old for this. He didn't have time to complain about it though. "Go find someone to inform the healers and come back.", he instructed Xichen before following Wangji into the Jingshi.