"It's alright for not to accept me yet. You are still my Xiǎo Wàngjī, are you not?" Làncǎi said as he managed to remove Little Wàng Wùjī's blanket from his face.
The boy lightly yelped—something close to a whimper mixing with a sob. His violet eyes widened and glittered with faint tears, lips pouting sadly but stubbornly guarded. But when he was about to hide back into the blanket, Làncǎi took him into his arms.
Làncǎi placed a gentle hand on Wàng Wùjī's belly—tender, playful and caring. "Look, your tummy is hungry. Please do not make them more sad, okay?"
Lìngxiāo couldn't help but paint his smile into a general, warm one by the scene, though he was still guessing possibilities of his question. 'Làncǎi gēge is so kind with him. And his highness's eyes.. it looks like a violet sky full of stars. He might be a beautiful gentleman when he grows up..'
He kept watching them as if no scene could be more beautiful than this.
He watched as Wàng Wùjī froze for a second by Làncǎi's gentle handling. Then started to jump over his lap while puffing his face, "Get down!"
But Làncǎi showed no discomfort or annoyance by the boy. His expression was still soft and caring. Instead, he chuckled faintly and just easily held Wàng Wùjī up into his arms. "I am indeed surprised by your energy. How do you jump this much without your breakfast?" He gently ruffled his dark violet hair which had just started to grow down from his shoulder.
Wàng Wùjī's watery eyes were wide with unknown surprise and lips pressed in a thin line while he kept his flushed cheeks puffed up. He looked like he had failed to drive away this young man. Or perhaps he wished someone stayed—only this child heart knows.
So he just.. stays in the arms while tiny hands grip Làncǎi's white robe like it is both a childish wish and a warning, carefully looking at him.
"Are you still mad at me for waking you up early? I am sorry, okay.." Làncǎi hummed gently after pushing back his hair from his forehead. "Have your breakfast and then I have a special gift for you. This one will be.. more special than any material thing."
As a child, Wàng Wùjī couldn't help but get tilted by the hope of having a gift. He looked at the soup bowl and awkwardly raised his hand towards it, now suddenly eager to finish it quickly.
"That is my good boy." Làncǎi smiled wider like the winter sun peeking from the clouds and lightly snapped his fingers.
The bowl gently trembled before it floated with a soft white hue and landed closer, taking a spoon of soup near to Wàng Wùjī's mouth.
Wàng Wùjī hesitated before tasting the soup as if he feared it would taste bitter—perhaps from recent experiences. But when he liked it, he started to take spoon by spoon without complaining until it was finished. Even the herb.
"See, my Xiǎo Wàngjī can do anything if he wishes?" Làncǎi said proudly, patting Wàng Wùjī's back lightly until a soft breath escaped from him.
Wàng Wùjī relaxed, melting into arms like a violet candle right after the soft breath. He was almost getting asleep again.
Lìngxiāo felt like overflowing by the cuteness of Wàng Wùjī and the gentleness of Làncǎi. He badly wanted to poke once at Wàng Wùjī's cheek—just like anyone else wishes because of that stubborn innocent beauty. Lìngxiāo's own cheeks flushed; he didn't know what he would do with that brotherly tenderness.
"Relax, relax." The man spoke after a while. "More things are left to see and understand—perhaps the whole day would end into it. But it would be full of life lessons for you to shift.."
His hand raised, fingers spread in a circular motion as he wondered for a second to form his words into an easy way. "To shift you into the exorcist. And to be it, you have to analyse and understand a lot of things—not only outside but inside high class clans."
Lìngxiāo could only nod and just wish if he had such a cute little brother and a caring older brother or father—not sure what to think of him. It felt so right and overwhelming. 'I want to play with the baby..'
The man crossed his arms as if he could tell Lìngxiāo was focused here—but the rest of it was kinda locked into Wàng Wùjī's shiny eyes. So he lightly added, "Stare and wish as long as you can. But do not even mistakenly touch them. Especially Làncǎi. He would get into his protective self for the kid."
Lìngxiāo got back to watching them. 'I want to see what gēge gifts him..'
"You deserve your gift now for having your breakfast." Làncǎi held Wàng Wùjī's tiny hand in his long larger one, closing fingers around him. "Can you see what is at my hands..?"
Wàng Wùjī looked at their hands with almost eager anticipation, almost vibrating in half-suppressed excitement.
Lìngxiāo blinked and closely looked at their hands too, confused a bit. But the hand is.. empty..
The man beside just rolled his eyes with a faint smirk as if he knew everything already, not fully warm nor dry. "Ah, that trick, huh?"
"Bush..!" Làncǎi playfully said as he opened his palm just as he said it.
Wàng Wùjī's eyes almost got closed in surprise with what he saw—before he couldn't help but break into a giggle, clapping, totally touched. The violet eyes sparkling with the white-gold hue.
Even Lìngxiāo's one eye got closed by the unexpected surprise. His golden-brown eyes looked glowing golden by the light. 'Huh?'
It was a big white rose—spread full over his palm. It had jumped off from his palm as if the gentle touches and the color of his pale skin had turned into a rose. It was still growing like time passing fast just for it, opening its petals more.
Lìngxiāo's mouth parted in awe again. This was gently too overwhelming to look away—not even easy to think about looking away.
'He is so.. talented. How did he even do it..? Is he really only a healer or a pure cultivator? Or both? I did not read this kind of spiritual powers in the main lore of cultivation or exorcism..'