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Lan XiChen met Nie HuaiSang when the little one had barely turned 8 months old, but he still looked like a newborn. He was still extremely small and had only recently begun to gain some weight, which was practically a miracle, given the circumstances of his birth.
He was tiny, much smaller than normal babies. You didn't need to be a baby expert to notice that; after all, HuaiSang was so small, soft, and fragile, it seemed like he would break at the slightest touch. But he had strong lungs and a powerful throat. His cries could be heard throughout the corridors of the impure kingdom.
"He just won't stop crying," MingJue said, crossing his arms and frowning. "It got worse after FuQin of QiZi died. There's probably something wrong with him. The doctors say he won't live much longer." Young Nie seemed quite discouraged.
MingJue was a little older but still very young compared to the people XiChen was usually used to, so from the start XiChen felt hesitant to meet him, but he proved to be a very intelligent and easy-going boy, with sharp eyes like a phoenix, an unwavering posture like the mountains and fortresses of Qinhe, and as many called him, a genius in hand-to-hand combat, a monstrous strength, having formed his golden core long before most - just like the first Jade of Gusu - and for his unparalleled skill with the saber, because of this, XiChen soon considered him his friend, even though he was only a few years older than him, the two had a lot to talk about, always supporting each other, as future leaders of their respective sects.
When the boys entered the room, the baby was still crying incessantly. The wet nurse looked quite exhausted, like someone who hadn't slept for several days, which was most likely what was happening. She was pacing back and forth with a slightly lost look, running around with the little one in her arms.
"Ah! A-Jue, it's good that you're here. Please, could you be a good Dage and take a look at A-Sang? Since you left, he hasn't stopped crying for a minute," the maid pleaded, with a desperate expression. "He seems a little hot today. I'll go call the doctor," she said, as she laid the small, crying baby down in the crib.
"Of course," MingJue quickly nodded, as if receiving important orders in a war.
"Thank you, I'll be right back." The maid left as quickly as possible, leaving the young boys alone with a small green bundle that wouldn't stop crying and moving.
"Come here, A-Hua, come meet A-Sang," MingJue said, already approaching the crib where his brother was lying.
Truth be told, A-Huan wasn't at all interested in meeting that round little dumpling, who hadn't stopped screaming since the moment they landed in the impure realm. He was only standing there in front of the crib because of MingJue's and his uncle's insistence, who wanted him to have contact.
Looking at that scene and hearing those endless high-pitched screams, Lan wondered if the baby was really as fragile and sick as everyone said because he simply wouldn't stay quiet. Zhan, who was still learning to sit, was much calmer than that small, strange creature, who was wrapped in a light green blanket. Honestly, HuaiSang had a powerful voice; he would certainly be a powerful cultivator if he used vocal cultivation. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that his mother had been a theater or circus performer? Perhaps a singer or dancer, Huan had already heard that she was a prostitute or a harlot, but it was all gossip, and gossip was forbidden. But the truth is that she had the title of "QingHe Niao" (Bird of QingHe), and the current leader, Nie, had been enchanted by her talent and especially by her exuberant beauty while she was performing in a building with red lights – whatever that means – but honestly, A-Huan had a doubt whether that noisy, restless, and chubby little thing had really been born from such a beautiful woman.
"Why are you still standing there?!" MingJue asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Well... it's just that... I... A-Jue," the man in white replied shyly, while playing with the tip of his headband.
"Don't tell me you're scared?" MingJue asked, crossing his arms, tilting his head slightly to the side while staring provocatively at Lan. - Come on, A-Huan, he doesn't bite, nor does he have teeth for that.
- Well... it's just that I... actually, I shouldn't even be here...
- Stop it, A-Huan, HuaiSang is my brother and you are also my brother, one day you will officially be my sworn brother, which makes you his brother too. – MingJue said in a simple, blunt and convincing way, for him it was the right thing to do. – Now come here. – The older man approached, holding Lan's hand, dragging him towards the crib, where the noisy little one was.
As he spoke, taking a few steps closer, HuaiSang let out such a loud scream that it startled the older men, making them quicken their pace to approach the crib, throwing themselves against the bars, clumsy, disheveling their hair, desperate, worried that something had happened to the little baby, the two put their heads in at the same time to check if everything was alright with the little green roll. And to their surprise, at that very moment, there was silence. Perhaps because of the jolt, or because he saw the familiar face of his older brother, the little one stopped crying, staring at the two with his enormous amber eyes, moist with tears, his round, red cheeks, with a slightly frightened expression that lasted only a few seconds. It was probably the worried expression on the older boys' faces that was funny - A-Huan was almost certain it was at the exact moment HuaiSang looked at him - when he looked at the older boys, the sparkle in that little creature's eyes intensified and he smiled - at A-Huan - while raising his little hands and letting out excited little cries, trying to touch the boy in white.
When little A-Huan saw that adorable little pink bun, with his chubby, soft cheeks and restless, chubby little hands, he felt for a split second that he had forgotten how to behave, exclaiming with excitement and joy.
-He's so... cute... – Lan Huan whispered.
-My brother. – MingJue replied proudly.
-A-Jue... – Young Lan took his index finger to the little one lying down, intending to touch his rosy, chubby cheeks, wondering if they were as soft as they looked, but the little one intercepted the older boy's finger, holding it back, letting out a satisfied and pleasant giggle, making A-Huan's heart skip a beat and his cheeks heat up, completely enchanted by that little creature he began to speak. – A-Jue.... he's so cute, he looks like a warm bun, I want to bite him, how can a creature be so adorable, this is certainly against the rules, with a big reason for punishment... – Lan spoke quickly and a few tones louder, completely enchanted, while looking at the oldest of the three.
-Okay, Lan Huan, you don't need to exaggerate. – MingJue stared at his friend, a little scared and confused by the boy's sudden behavior. – I didn't know you liked babies so much. – MingJue scratched the tip of his nose as he pondered. – Maybe he misses Lan Zhan.
-Are you sure HuaiSang isn't a girl? – Lan Huan asked, looking back at the baby's cute little face.
- Don't you have eyes? – MingJue replied indignantly at the comment. - What are you talking about? Of course he's a boy, a Nie boy, he's small because he's still a baby, but soon he'll be big and strong, like his father and me. – The older man looked to the side, making a cute, pouty face. – I mean... I think... – He murmured softly to himself.
After a few seconds of silence, the older man seemed to think seriously for a moment and, as if he had had a great idea, asked excitedly.
- A-Huan, do you want to hold him?
- What? I mean... can I?
- Of course you can, why couldn't you? I already told you that you are my ErGe and he is also your Didi. – MingJue replied seriously. – And besides, he stopped crying as soon as he saw you, you know... – With a mischievous smile, he continued. - He only stops crying when he sees people he likes or bright and beautiful things. -MingJue approached Lan and began to whisper as if he were telling his friend a big secret. - Maybe he likes you or thinks you're handsome.
It wasn't the first time young Lan had seen a baby, obviously not, he himself had a cute little younger brother, but even so, A-Huan had never seen a being with such bright eyes and such a lovely laugh, it was as if that little baby was the cutest child he had ever seen, probably his huge, bright almond-shaped eyes were the most precious jewel in all of Qinghe, XiChen wasn't sure, there was nothing to compare to that innocent glow, not even the crystal-clear lakes of Gusu, he could search all over China.
Truth be told, little HuaiSang was far from being a truly beautiful baby; his skin was as pale as a ghost, his cheeks were large and red, his eyes huge and bulging, his head almost bald and quite small, his little hands nimble and full of drool, as was his rosy and well-defined mouth and red, swollen gums still devoid of teeth, but with signs that they would soon begin to erupt. But for Lan Huan and Nie MingJue, Nie HuaiSang was the most beautiful and adorable creature of all; he was certainly QingHe's treasure.
With experience, the older man took the baby from the crib where he was, to hand the "little meatball" to his friend, who was visibly nervous about the new task of holding the baby. Of course, it wouldn't be his first time holding a child, but it was the first time holding one so small and fragile as HuaiSang, since he was still quite floppy, as if he had no muscles or bones. When MingJue finally finished placing HuaiSang in Lan's lap and finished giving the last instructions on how to hold him, Lan Huan stood motionless. Young Lan was completely enchanted by that little creature, so much so that he didn't even dare to breathe, so as not to scare HuaiSang, afraid that he would start screaming again, even though the little baby was now totally distracted, bringing his little hands to his mouth and filling it with drool.
Looking at that little being smile made XiChen's smile automatically appear in a completely natural way, not mechanically or forced, as he had learned to smile from a very young age. The warm and cute feeling he felt at that moment was frighteningly pleasant. He couldn't understand how such a tiny being could have such a devastating effect on one of the strongest cultivators of his generation, but he didn't care about the control HuaiSang might have over him.
"Sang Di, don't be afraid, it's me, whose birth name is Lan Huan, courtesy name Lan XiChen, your ErGe."
At that moment, Lan XiChen didn't know if Nie HuaiSang could understand what he said, but it seemed so, since the little one opened an even more animated and charming smile, while stretching out his chubby little hands, trying to touch the older boy's face. Noticing this, the young man slowly approached the baby, with a silly smile plastered on his face, totally enchanted by that little creature.
Before he could realize it, Lan XiChen felt a sharp pain in his scalp, causing pain and making him groan.
-Ahhh!
Lan, completely captivated by HuaiSang's beauty, failed to notice how agile those chubby hands were. In just a few seconds of distraction, they were already wrapped around the boy's long, silky black hair, pulling it forcefully, while Lan XiChen desperately tried to free himself from the claws that had become entangled in his hair. The oldest of the three seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the situation, which had caused him to burst into laughter. He laughed hysterically loudly, placing his hands on his stomach to ease the pain he felt from laughing so much.
"Sang ErDi, let go, please, it hurts." A-Huan tried with all care and delicacy to make the younger boy stop pulling his hair, but only made the little one pull harder. "Why is he doing this!?"
"I already told you, he likes you." The older one replied with conviction.
- MingJue, please help me... - Lan Huan pleaded with tears in his eyes.
-I refuse. - Mingjue replied, puffing out his chest and crossing his arms. - Be a man. - The boy immediately started laughing again.
The little baby in Lan's lap pulled his hair even harder, while laughing even louder, squealing and shaking with happiness. Certainly, trying to make Lan Huan bald was the most fun game that little demon had ever found. At that moment, Lan XiChen cursed.
- I take back what I said, he's not cute at all, he's a Yao, that's what he is.
The pressure of those claws that caused him so much pain ceased, and a deathly silence fell over the room. Lan Huan's eyes were tightly closed when he spoke those words, so he didn't know what was happening. Finally, he opened them and saw that the smiling face had vanished, replaced by the ugly face of a baby about to cry. XiChen was in shock for a few seconds before trying to calm the little one, who soon began to wail, shaking and kicking in his lap as if trying to escape. Young Lan was completely lost as to what to do when those agile little hands gripped his hair again and pulled even harder, while the little one cried uncontrollably. At that moment, there was the sound of a headband coming undone. The pressure he had become accustomed to since he was little was gone; his sacred headband had been removed by HuaiSang, leaving Lan Huan and MingJue in shock. For a brief moment, the only sound in the room was the screams and... The baby's cries continued until Lan Huan finally had the courage to open his mouth.
"A-Sang?" Lan Huan didn't know what to say, he just stared at the crying baby, who was holding his sash.
"It's a good thing A-Sang is a boy, otherwise he would have to marry you." MingJue patted his friend's shoulder in consolation, trying to hold back a laugh.
-A-JUE!! Did you hear A-Sang? Now I'll have to marry you. - The young Lan complained, completely embarrassed by the situation, pouting and puffing out his cheeks with anger.
That expression made all of MingJue's efforts go down the drain. Unable to hold back any longer, the older man burst into laughter again.
The sound of his brother's laughter caught the attention of the little one, who was holding that white headband with cloud patterns tightly. Seeing his Dage laugh made the little one relax and start laughing again, letting out little cries of happiness.
XiChen, seeing that creature smiling while holding his headband, didn't get angry but relaxed and smiled, because it was as if, somehow, it fit perfectly in those chubby little hands, and the young man liked the smile much more than the crying of that little "Yao". All that yelling and shouting attracted the attention of the servants, who ran to investigate what had happened in the children's quarters and were shocked to find such chaos.
XiChen without his sacred headband, holding a baby, Mingjue almost dying of laughter, and Huaisang smiling as he brought the young Lan's headband to his lips to drool and bite. From the first moment Lan Huan saw that child's laughter, he promised Dage and himself that he would always protect HuaiSang's smile.
It would be wonderful if everything could freeze and everything would continue like this, everyone smiling, but happiness is like a thin layer of ice on a lake.