Lan Xichen's PoV

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We made several stops in the afternoon, and at each stop Wangji lay down or meditated. Wei Wuxian watched over him tenderly.

Meng Yao and I took advantage of these stops to learn a little more about our 4 other travel companions.

SiZhui was, as Meng Yao had assumed, the last survivor of the Wen clan. He had been taken in by Wei Wuxian and then by Wangji who had made him accepted by the Lan clan as his son. I knew that Wuxian had been "absent" for 16 years and that he was supposed to be dead. When I broached the subject, I felt embarrassment from everyone! It was clear that none of them wanted to talk about this! I thought that there was a secret that must have some meaning in our world, but maybe I was wrong!

Then there was Jin Ling ... his parents had died when he was only one month old. We didn't dwell too much on the subject because despite his bravado and pride, it was clear that he was a sensitive young man who wore a mask to protect himself. He had been raised by his uncles Meng Yao and Jiang Cheng and had lived most of his life between Jinlintai and LianHua Wu.

As for Jiang Cheng, it was quite complicated to get some words out of him! Fortunately, his two nephews spoke for him! After the death of his parents, he had rebuilt his family cradle and gathered the survivors. I understood that at that time Wei Wuxian was not at his side... When I told them that in our world his counterpart had lost his golden core, I felt embarrassed again ... I also noticed furtive glances in the direction of Wei Wuxian! There was still a mystery there.

And then there was Wen Ning! He soberly told us with hesitant words that he had been killed by soldiers of the Jin clan and that Wei Wuxian had "given him back his life" to take revenge. The one he respectfully called Master Wei, then used his extraordinary talents to restore his consciousness. During Wei Wuxian's "absence", he was held prisoner but managed to escape and now lived peacefully on the outskirts of Caiyi, using his medical skills to help others.

When we resumed our journey, I noticed that I was getting used to the speed and the wind that was whipping my face.

The sun began to wane. We were in the territory of what had once been the land of Gusu. We landed in a clearing near a lake and set up camp for the night. The forest was thick and the first night birds could be heard in the branches.

Not needing to sleep; Wen Ning offered himself to stand guard!

So we settled down around the fire. Wuxian and Wangji went to lie down a little apart under the same blanket. It was easy to see that they were close to each other. Wuxian's head was resting on my brother's shoulder.

It was early autumn and the night was going to be cool. Jin Ling and SiZhui had put their backs together to keep warm. Jiang Cheng was leaning against a tree with his sword in his arms. This was the first time I had seen him with it! Wen Ning was standing. He was scanning the forest, on the lookout.

Meng Yao came and sat beside me by the fireplace.

"Can I sit next to you?" he asked.

"Of course! But you are already there!" Tonight I wanted to tease him.

"Brother !!!!" he reproached me!

I looked at our fellow travelers. They were all drowsy, but in my heart I thought that it must be just an appearance. I myself had learned over time to sleep with one eye open when I was on the road.

"I think we should rest."

I took my blanket and lay down. I felt behind me that Meng Yao was doing the same. I heard his sweet voice asking me.

"Brother, do you mind if I lay against your back to keep warm?

I smiled, but another feeling came over me too, fear! My heart started to beat wildly. I was afraid he would hear it....I could only give him one answer though.

"Of course not."

I tried to calm my breathing and the palpitations of my heart. Eventually I dozed off.

A strange feeling woke me up from my torpor. I felt an imminent danger. I opened my eyes... Meng Yao's face was in front of me... we were almost touching. During the night, I had turned around and so had he. We were lying against each other and my hand was resting on his between us. I took it off immediately. Was this what had woken me up? No, I didn't think so. His eyes suddenly opened. He looked as surprised as I had been when I realized our situation! But he did not move backwards... It is true that it was not the first time that he woke up in such a position. But for me, it was something else! Strangely enough, I didn't feel the urge to move away, I just took my hand away... not without regret.

He got up to sit down. He scanned the surroundings... Jiang Cheng was gone, Wuxian and Wangji were gone. By the fire, SiZhui and Jin Ling were standing with their weapons in hand.

"What's going on?" I asked them in a worried tone. SiZhui spoke up.

"Wen Ning, detected a presence approaching... 2 people at least. Die and Uncle Jiang went to look. Father asked us to watch over you.

I stood up followed by Meng Yao;

"You should have woken us up."

The two cousins smiled mischievously.

"We didn't want to disturb you, Uncle A-Yao and you, Uncle Xichen," said Jin Ling, holding back a laugh!

They must have seen our hands! What were they thinking? !!!!

"Don't worry, we are used to Uncle Wei and Uncle Lan!"

"It's not ...." began Meng Yao, I interrupted him by taking his arm and making a movement of negation of the head. It was useless to deny... the more we did, the more they would be convinced they were right!

"Let's go see if they need help."

We left the brightness of our campfire for the darkness of the forest. It wasn't long before we found Wangji and Wen Ning.

"Die and Uncle Jiang haven't come back yet?" worried SiZhui.

Then we heard a branch crack... someone was approaching. Jiang Cheng appeared out of the darkness of the trees. He was followed by Wuxian who was helping a man dressed in black to support an injured man. His white robe was stained with blood. He wore a blindfold and seemed unconscious.

When he saw the injured man, Wen Ning approached him. The man in black raised his sword at him.

Jiang Cheng stepped in.

"He is a friend, and a doctor...you can trust him!"

"He's a fierce corpse!" exclaimed the stranger in black.

"Master Song Lan, I just wish to look at Master Xiao Xingchen's wounds."

"How do you know our names? We've never met you!" cried Song Lan.

Wen Ning hesitated. He looked at Wei Wuxian with a pleading look. The latter spoke up.

"Song Lan, we'll explain later, but right now the most important thing is to take care of your partner. Wen Ning is a doctor, he can help you!"

"Wen... Ning? He's not only a fierce corpse but also a Wen?"

"It's... complicated!...Song Lan let's go back to the fire."

Wuxian then addressed the fierce corpse.

"Wen Ning as dawn is not far away, you will take the opportunity to check Lan Zhan's wounds."

Song Lan's gaze fell on me. He looked surprised and even more surprised when he saw Wangji! One could see incomprehension in his eyes. He followed Wei Wuxian, who had started walking again.

When they got to the fire, they laid down the one that Wen Ning had called Xiao Xingchen...

Song Lan ... these names on second thought, it seemed I had heard them before. I consulted with Meng Yao, and he nodded his head in response. They sounded familiar to him too!

Wen Ning had taken out a bag containing his medical equipment. He pulled aside the injured man's robe and set to work.

"What happened to you?" I asked him.

"We were attacked by some kind of monsters... I don't know what they were but they were obeying Wen Chao's orders! "

"Were there many of them?" intervened Wangji.

"About ten..." Song Lan looked at Wei Wuxian and then Wangji insistently.

"You are supposed to be dead, both of you! How is it possible that you are standing in front of me?"

"Let's just say we're not where we should be!... Song Lan where did you meet these 'monsters'?"

"We were supposed to join Qishan from Lanling. We ran into them on the way. Two of us against those monsters didn't stand a chance. We preferred to flee, especially since Xingchen was injured!"

"Those monsters, did they seem to you to go back to Qishan or go to Lanling?" worried Jin Ling.

SiZhui grabbed his cousin's arm, as if to hold him back! It was true that in their world Lanling was supposed to be the young man's home and even though he was not "at home" he was concerned for the people of his land, like any good Clan leader.

"They were returning to Qishan... I think."

Song Lan looked back at Xiao Xingchen who was still unconscious. Wen Ning had bandaged his wounds and even changed the blindfold on his eyes .

I remembered them well now. They were two wandering cultivators. They were not attached to any clan or sect. They had always stayed away from conflicts. They had only one goal: to kill Xue Yang who had annihilated the Song Lan clan!!!

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)