19 Dark Tunes, Sweet Melody

Wei Ying

The next morning, Wei Ying wake up early than usual, finding himself still wrapped inside Lan Zhan's arm. The sun was about to rise, with some rays already illuminating the big room. Because of that, Wei found himself admiring every corner of the handsome face that was just inches from his. He looked even more stunning when he sleep and he memorize every inch of that perfect skin to perfection.

He stared the longest on those tempting lips. The soft touch they had by accident was so fast that he could not have a taste of them, only feeling the warm and soft tender skin. He impulsively free his right hand very carefully, to touch those rosy lips that were enchanting him so deliciously, but when his finger was inches from them, Wangji open his eyes as well, glaring at Wei for a few seconds.

"Wei Ying..." Wangji whisper and Ying sighed, slightly touching Lan Zhan's nose instead.

"You are too handsome, worthy of your tittle as Jade..." Wei whisper back unconsciously, smirking when Lan Zhan's ears went red.

"Nonsense." Lan Zhan said before finally letting go of Wei Ying, who he was still holding and getting out of his bed. There was no emotions showed in that beautiful face of his aside for the faint blushing, but if he had remember correctly, Lan Zhan had openly shown him that he cared way too much, kissing the crown of his head so tenderly and he had responded back with kissing Lan Zhan's neck.

There was something about Lan Zhan that was alluring, a special something that make his eyes follow his every movement around the room, as he sat on the bed. He was honestly more aware of Lan Zhan than anyone else lately, to the point it was starting to feel like fascination, a temptation that was becoming more appealing on each passing day.

"Wei Ying? Are you alright?" Lan Zhan asked, taking him out of his thoughts, which lately only focus on him.

"Ah, sure... we should go to the training island and have some meditation like we did yesterday. Are you ready?" Wei asked while taking Suibian in his hand.

"Yes, ready when you are." Lan Zhan responded and so they went on their way to the training island. Like last time, they were the first to arrive, but this time Yang himself was waiting for them.

Inside Wei Ying's seal, Xuanyu was a bit nervous, because if Yang recognized him as Mo, he would want for explanations he could not give and he may even try to remove him from Wei Ying that could seriously harm the kid's cultivation, but Chenqing simply kiss him, to calm him down.

"Your energy had morphed into something different while inside the kid. Yang doesn't know it's you." Chenqing said as he hug him for reassurance.

"Then how did you knew it was me?" Xuanyu asked him.

"The same way you remember me, even when you remember nothing else. A lover will recognize his partner, even with another appearance or change in energy." Chenqing told him and Xuanyu sighed.

"Go, you will be needed out this time." Xuanyu told him and Chenqing kiss him again before disappearing from his dimension. Outside, Yang got close to the pair and once again glanced at Wei Ying, as if he could see trough him, but this time, Xuanyu remained calm and Chenqing was out right after.

"Lord Yang." Chenqing bowed deeply and Yang smiled.

"Chenqing... are you ready for some training?" Yang asked and the flute spirit assented, giving Yang his vessel, then going inside his flute.

"Alright. Wei Wuxian, time to teach you some tunes." Yang said and they found themselves in a changed scenery, just last the day before, but this time it was not to the Burial Mounds, but an endless field of wild flower of all kinds.

"Wangji, Wuxian, please sit and hear my songs carefully, one by one and memorize them. My time here is limited. Can you do that?" Yang asked and both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan assented, doing as they were told.

They sat close to each other and listen to the dark tones Yang played with Chenqing, one by one. Because there was no dark energy in that dimension, they could not see the effects, but feel the power behind each note. They spent there an hour or so, then Lord Zheng showed up and Yang went back.

"Well, did you got them all?" Lord Zheng asked.

"Yes." Wangji said.

"Piece of cake." Wei Ying responded.

"Good, now Wei Wuxian, it's your turn. Wangji, as you specialize in music, I want you to guide your partner if he makes any mistakes and use calming tunes with your zither if he gets affected, as he is too spiritually sensitive." Lord Zheng said, offering the dark flute to Wuxian.

In the moment Wei touched the flute, he let go of it, assaulted by a torrent of emotions, both white and dark that make his head spin. Wangji, by his side, held him closer to give him some support, knowing he had experience something deeply.

"Wei Ying, you okay?" Wangji asked and Wei Ying touched his head.

"It was too strong..." Wei whisper.

"Ah, yeah... well, it is Yin's flute after all. Chenqing is full of her energy. Try it again, but Wangji, transfer some of your energy to him at the same time." Lord Zheng said and Wei sighed, yet he was determine to hold the damn thing one way or another.

Wangji closed his eyes and concentrate in steadying Wei's energy, slightly feeling that darkness hidden inside of him, then Wei Ying took Chenqing again and held it. The assault was strong the second time as well, as he heard a deep scream, then felt the madness. His hand began to shake and even Wangji felt the rush of dark emotions flow into him.

"Control the energy, tamed it..." Lord Zhen told him and Wei gave a deep breath. He was desperate when he used Xuanyu's energy, so he honestly didn't remember how he did it, but he was willing to try it. He had Lan Zhan's white energy surrounding him protectively, with a platinum white ribbon curling around him in the surrounded darkness.

"Feel it Wei Ying... feel Chenqing's energy just like you feel mine inside of you." Xuanyu said, also concentrating, in the unlikely case Wei lose control.

He breathed in and out and force himself to pass through the dark cloud of all the madness, screaming and pain. He felt lost for a few seconds, but just like Xuanyu had suggested, he searched for the energy he knew best. Xuanyu had absorbed his white energy and feed from his core, so his energy wasn't as dark as it was when he was a kid and he had to be sealed away or he would had kill him. So he imagine the many levels of energies contained inside the flute, as spiritual ribbons, hoping to find a trace of Xuanyu in Chenqing.

Yin madness was undoubtedly like the night sky, deep dark yet with sparks of white, spread like a wild fire inside the dark void, Xuanyu was dark brown steady and serene, Lan Zhan was platinum white strong and protective, still surrounding him, Yang's energy was pure white, tangle with Yin's, like if containing it and that leaved the actual dark gray, which would be Chenqing's as it looked like it was dancing around Xuanyu.

"Got you..." Wei whisper, pulling the ribbon and opening his eyes. This time, he could see clearly without the madness making him feel sick and now he could play Chenqing without been affected by Yin's energy still imprinted inside the flute.

He played the first note Yang had played without problems, feeling the power contained and bending it to his will. With that tune, he could control corpses, sending them away as they search for Yin inside the Burial Mounds. The seconds was to control the dark energy itself, from which he could open a way, so the group could pass, without been affected. The third was to detect the denser madness, which would locate Yin and the fourth, it was Yin.

By then, Lan Zhan saw Wei Ying shed tears of sadness, overwhelmed by Yin's solitude. Wei Ying knew she felt lost, scare, sad and abandon, which was far from the true, because Yang was as desperate to find her as she was to be found. Lan Zhan joined the dark tunes with his own calming one, creating new music to comfort Wei Ying as he travel in his dark world. The last tune was harder to play, because it was meant to bring back Yin from the madness and summon Yang.

Still he play it and replay it over and over until Xuanyu assure him he had play it right. Whatever or not that tune actually succeeded it was up to Yin herself, because no one, aside from Yang could control her deep darkness and only him could bring her back to become once again his other half.

When they went back to the training ground, it was about to be dark again and the others were testing their spiritual growth with that day's training with several fires. Lan Zhan put one hand on Ying's waist and pass one of his arms over his shoulder, as he was visibly exhausted from playing a very powerful dark flute for hours.

"Lan Zhan, I'm fine." Wei whisper to him.

"Your energy levels are low again. You need another bath in the Crystal Lake." Wangji whisper back.

"You want me naked, right?" Wei teased.

"Don't talk nonsense." Wangji ignore him, yet his ears did tinted and Wei half smiled, way too tired to laugh.

"Lan Zhan, you are such a pervert." Lan Zhan looked at him seriously.

"And you too shameless." Wangji told him, which make Wei Ying smile wider.

"You got it right... To be honest, I had been fantasizing with you in...."

"Shut up." Wangji cut him, as his tint became a deep crimson, making Wei Ying laugh despite his tiredness.

"Wow, when the two of you showed up?" Jiang Cheng asked, finally noticing them, after hearing Wei Ying laugh.

"We got back right now." Wei Ying said.

"Just what kind of training you got this time, to be in such bad shape?" Jiang asked again.

"Training under Yang himself is not a walk in the park kid. You two can go, I still have a thing or two to do with these competitive ones." Lord Zhan told them and Wangji bowed slightly before taking the offer, teleporting Wei directly to the off-limit island.

"Will you undress me? I'm so tired..." Wei retake the filtering teasing.

"No." Lan Zhan said, walking along with him.

"Lan Zhan, you are no fun... what about bathing me?" Wei try again.

"You can bathe yourself or even ask Suibian to help you." Lan Zhan teased back.

"Hell no!" Suibian yelled to Wei Ying internally, that make Wei Ying laugh.

"Good one... you are actually learning, huh?" Wei said as Lan Zhan stop under the big tree, to leave Bichen and Suibian by the trunk and make a fire, as it was darker now. Then, he once again help Wei Ying to walk toward the border of the lake.

"I will be here. Just stay in the water for ten minutes, it will help you greatly." Lan Zhan assure him and Wei sighed. He was indeed tired, so he stop the teasing and jumped inside the warm lake, full of white energy. Been genuinely tired, Wei simply let himself float over the water and relaxed when hearing Lan Zhan play one of the calming tune he composed while in training.

It was a beautiful melody, sweet and calming, that almost spoke about love. Thinking back, their relationship had turned a bit more intimate in the last few days and he ponder about his feelings toward Lan Zhan. There was no doubt the younger Jade had an interest on him, because that was plain to see when he kissed his head last night... but he wonder about himself. Was he really interested? In such a short amount of time?

He swam back a little, watching the young man, beautifully playing his zither to him with a song he had already memorize. Lan Zhan was not only physically handsome, he was beautiful internally too. Since they meet he had care for him more than he should, as a simple partner, embracing him, caring not about the darknes he carry inside.

Wei Ying closed his eyes once more and concentrate back in those ribbons of energy that could be found anywhere, as long as there was life. Lan Zhan's was still platinum white and to his surprise, his spiritual energy was still reaching him, with many ribbons, almost resembling fingers enveloping in a protective dance, very similar to what Chenqing did with Xuanyu. However, that was not all, as he looked at Lan Zhan spiritual ribbon, he also saw his own, a deep red slowly intertwining with the platinum white, as if they could merge into one.

"I see..." Wei whisper to himself, swimming closer to the border where Lan Zhan was sat, still looking down as he played.

"Lan Zhan..." Wei said in a soft tone, making Wangji look at him.

"Are you feeling better?" Wangji asked.

"Yes." He responded, as he looked at those gorgeous eyes.

"Then, get out and sit by the fire." Lan Zhan said, as his zither disappeared from his lap.

"Then help me out... please?" Wei pleaded, extending his arm. Wangji sighed, yet he reach for the hand offered, but as soon as it was inside Wei Ying's, he pulled him down, falling into the water.

Lan Wangji thought it was yet another prank he had fall into, so he surface and turned to move back to get out of the water, when Wei Ying put a hand on his shoulder and turn him. What happen next was so fast that Wangji barely registered what Wei was doing. Wei Ying's warm lips were covering his in a kiss that was neither accidental, nor out of gratitude, like the one he gave him last night. It was fill with need and curiosity and something else he could not distinguish yet.

"Lan Zhan... let me in..." Wei whisper as he passed his arms around Lan Zhan's neck, deepening the kiss and it was then when Lan Wangji lose himself, forgetting about Wei Ying been his cultivator partner, about him been from the other side of the world and about him be a man. He gave in, responding Wei Ying's kiss with a passion of his own, taking control of their kiss.

If it was wrong, all be damn, he just could not repress the need of him, nor his growing feelings for the that precious man from the east and even less when Wei himself had been the one who start it. He was obviously in love of Wei Ying, despite the short time knowing him. In all the thousands of rules of his Clan, there was not a single one that said, loving someone else should take time and he was not ashamed of it. To be honest, it felt right and as long as Wei Ying want it too, he will keep him close and protect him from all harm. It was perhaps, as it was meant to be.

AN: I'm sorry if this seems too soon, thanks for reading. 😄