Lost of Oblivion: Chapter 31

Wèi WúXiàn had finally recovered all his lost memories. He wrote down the character ‘Qíng’ on a piece of paper, drawing each stroke with great respect and solemnity.

The strokes were delicately and beautifully drawn, and yet, the character conveyed a powerful feeling.

‘The lady is gone. You left alone, in great panic, to see her bones crushed into ashes, then scattered in the air.’*

Little Apple, the abandoned baby girl whom Wèi WúXiàn rescued, had been given the name of ‘Qíng’ in the memory of Wēn Qíng.

“Lán Qíng.” said Lán WàngJī, who was holding the sleeping baby in the crook of his arm.

Wèi WúXiàn said, “A good daughter should be like Wēn Qíng.”

In a very low voice, Lán WàngJī agreed, “Uh huh.”

“We just give her a birth name, and leave your uncle to choose the courtesy name when she grows up.” said Wèi WúXiàn.

When he turned his head towards Lán WàngJī, Wèi WúXiàn was astonished in reading Lán WàngJī’s facial expression.

Uncertain, Wèi WúXiàn asked, “Are you jealous?”

Lán WàngJī only said, “Wēn Qíng was wonderful woman with an outstanding medical skills and a strong character.”

With certainty, this time, Wèi WúXiàn said, “You are jealous.”

Lán WàngJī then nodded his head very slightly, so slightly that his nod was almost unnoticeable, while his ears turned faintly red in embarrassment.

Back then, in the cave* of the burial mound, he saw Wèi WúXiàn pretending to be dizzy in front of Wēn Qíng, and happily joking around.

He saw Wēn Qíng unrestrainedly swept all kind of stuff, which was on Wèi WúXiàn’s stone bed, to the floor.

He watched Wèi WúXiàn pleasantly chatting with Wēn Qíng, and teasing A-Yuàn about tea leaves and radish seeds.

Of course, he was jealous.

There was a cheerful talk and laughter in the cave, only him felt out of place, like an outsider.

He had seen Wèi WúXiàn being gloomy, arrogant, playful and prankish. However, he had rarely seen him being relaxed and carefree, as though he was surrounded by family members.

He used to think that, one day, Wèi WúXiàn would probably get married and have children.

However, there hadn’t been such a woman to whom Wèi WúXiàn could take as a wife yet. Since, Luó QīngYáng was only an acquaintance, and Jiāng YànLí had already someone she loved.

So, Lán WàngJī had pretended that this probability didn’t exist, until he met Wēn Qíng.

She was brilliant and beautiful, well-known for her medical skills. Even her temperament was as bold and unruly as Wèi WúXiàn’s. And, together, they were very compatible.

People said that Wèi WúXiàn was the ruler of the burial mound, exorcising ghosts and slaying demons.

In fact, he mostly spent his days laughing and making jokes with his close friends.

In comparison with Wèi WúXiàn and Wēn Qíng’s chat, when Lán WàngJī talked to Wèi WúXiàn, and with him being not good at talking, they often ended up being at odds, only after a few words.

So, at that time, he suddenly turned around and left the cave without saying anything.

Back then, that was probably the time Lán WàngJī felt deeply jealous.

Wèi WúXiàn also recalled that day in the cave, then realised that, back then, Lán WàngJī was extremely jealous, and his jealousy still lingered even now.

He didn’t have the heart to joke about it. On the contrary, he was filled with sorrow to see Lán WàngJī in such a state of mind.

Wèi WúXiàn gently hugged Lán WàngJī by passing his arms under Lán Qíng’s head and feet, so that their both arms formed a bed for the sleeping baby.

Then, he put his forehead against Lán WàngJī’s chin, and, in a low voice, he said, “That day, after you left the burial mound, Wēn Qíng asked me:

“‘It’s unusual to see you bringing someone here. You never bring anyone here before, why did you make an exception for HánGuāng-Jūn? And why the two of you call each other by your birth names*?’”

Lán WàngJī then lowered his head, and kissed Wèi WúXiàn on the forehead. And then, he said, “Wèi Yīng, I know.”

“She was already gone.” thought Lán WàngJī, “Being jealous is meaningless and disrespectful for the deceased.”

Wèi WúXiàn shook his head, and said, “Lán Zhàn, you don’t know everything. You only know that I have treated you differently since we were teenagers.”

He sighed, then resumed, “Wēn Qíng had someone she loved, and that person was from another branch of Wēn sect. The two of them had known each other since childhood, and grown up together. They had already talked about marriage.

“Later on, the war broke out. Wēn Qíng’s branch was specialised in medical studies only. They were not involved in the war.

“However, her fiancé’s branch was not only involved in the Shooting Sun campaign, but also clashed with the YúnmèngJiāng sect on the battlefield.”

Wèi WúXiàn took a deep breath, then, in low voice, he carried on, “The body of her fiancé had never been found.”

A self-deprecating smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, he continued, “Maybe he died at my hands. Who knows?

“One day, when Wēn Qíng got drunk, she told me that because of the death of his fiancé, she didn’t seek help from Lotus Piers immediately after her sect had been defeated.”

However, when Wēn Níng, her young brother, was in trouble, she rushed to ask Wèi WúXiàn for help, which led Wèi WúXiàn to go to Jīnlíntái, threaten them to tell the whereabouts of Wēn Níng.

But, when they found Wēn Níng, it was too late, and Wèi WúXiàn became the enemy of the LánlíngJīn sect.

Wèi WúXiàn carried on, “She was really drunk, and kept on apologising to me, telling that she regretted for not coming straight away to me for help, that, afterwards, she had pressed me to help her, leaving no room for me to refuser.”

Lán WàngJī shook his head, and said, “It was not her fault, nor was yours. Since you cannot read people’s mind, therefore, it is impossible to guard yourself against their scheme.

“Qióngqí Path was heavily guarded by LánlíngJīn’s people. So, how could one explain how Wēn Qíng, alone, managed to escape under their surveillance, and travel all the way down south to Lotus Piers to ask for help?

“After the war, many people knew that both, Wēn Qíng and Wēn Níng, had done YúnmèngJiāng sect a favour. So, they knew that she would come to you.

“Wèi Yīng, they had let her escape on purpose. They had set up this scheme to get you.

“‘A man is innocent, but he is guilty of carrying a jade.’*”

In an earnest tone, Lán WàngJī carried on, “Wèi Yīng, if, back then, they could not use Wēn Qíng and Wēn Níng, they would definitely find other means.”

Wèi WúXiàn smiled, he also knew that it was a trap, however, it didn’t stopped him from helping Wēn Qíng.

He said, “Anyway, Èr-gēge, I want you to know that I’ve never had any feelings for Wēn Qíng. And, you should also know that she was not head over heels in love with me, either.”

And, in a humorous tone, he carried on, “Someone said that I am a genius, handsome and romantic. Of course, it’s hard for a girl, who sees me, not to turn around and look at me again... Aargh!”

Lán WàngJī stopped Wèi WúXiàn’s nonsense talk by giving him a sudden deep kiss, then, he bit Wèi WúXiàn’s lower lip, out of jealousy.

“Haaah...” Wèi WúXiàn moaned in pain, his lower lip became sensually tinted with a shade of red, and Lán WàngJī’s kisses made Wèi WúXiàn’s lips become moist and slightly shiny.

Then, Wèi WúXiàn, once more, put his forehead against Lán WàngJī’s chin, and asked, “Èr-gēge, are you feeling better now? You’re no longer jealous regarding Wēn Qíng?”

“I’m fine.” he replied.

At that moment, the little Lán Qíng stirred a little bit inside her blanket, turned her head to one side, then, she carried on sleeping soundly.

“You told me that Wēn Qíng committed suicide by cutting her own throat.” said Wèi WúXiàn.

“That’s right.” confirmed Lán WàngJī, then, he added, “At Jīnlíntái, Wēn Qíng took the blame for her sect’s evil deeds, then, she put her sword against the neck and slashed her throat.

Her suicide made Jīn GuāngShàn* so furious that, in order to vent his anger, he whipped her body in front of everyone present there, causing Wēn Níng to go crazy and out of control.”

Wèi WúXiàn said, “It’s good thing that she didn’t suffer too much before dying. If she had not committed suicide, they would have tortured her, made her suffer before killing her.”

Lán WàngJī then said, “Let’s work hard to raise Lán Qíng in warm and comfortable environment.”

Then, he asked, “Wèi Yīng, do you want us to adopt her officially, and register her as our child?”

Wèi WúXiàn thought about it, then said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Just imagine how much attention many people would put on the adopted daughter of HánGuāng-Jūn and Yílíng Lǎozǔ.”

“If you are worried about other people’s criticism...” Lán WàngJī started to say, but Wèi WúXiàn interrupted him.

“Yes, but it’s not all. Firstly, you and I are both males, raising a daughter would be really inconvenient. And secondly, ...”

Wèi WúXiàn paused and looked into his lovely eyes, he resumed, “Secondly, among all children we look after on a daily basis, which one of them we don’t consider as our own child?

“Registration is just a mere formality. The most important is how much you care for them, not to stick with the formal ritual.”

Lán WàngJī asked, “This is how you want it to be?”

Wèi WúXiàn smiled, and said, “If we adopt Lán Qíng, I’m afraid that it will cause other young children to be jealous of her.”

He carried on, “You know how popular I am among those kids, right?.”

Lán WàngJī smiled, and said, “I know.”

“In other words, all those kids are our children.” said Wèi WúXiàn, “So, favouring one over others, or treating one differently than the others will not be a good thing for our little Lán Qíng.

“It’s better for her to be raised in the convent. And, from time to time, we can look after her.”

“Okay. We’ll do as you said.” Lán WàngJī agreed.

Wèi WúXiàn then remarked, “Come to think of it, I said that all the kids living in Yúnshēn Bùzhīchù are our children. Does it not sound like I gave birth to your offspring, a bunch of them?”

Lán WàngJī’s ears turned slightly red, he said, “You are talking nonsense, again.”

The present moment was filled with joy and happiness.

Wèi WúXiàn then smiled sweetly at him, stood on tiptoe and kissed his HánGuāng-Jūn.