{Note :- Readers discretion advised. Mind mature content.}

Every day, as a part of the healing process, the Yiling patriarch was supposed to visit the cold springs. The first day when the physician had told him that he absolutely could not get out of it, he had made a deal with Lan Zhan in exchange for cooperating with him.
"Lan Zhan," He had said, braiding his husband's hair, "You know I hate the cold, but still you want me to visit that wretched place."

"Mn."

"What's in it for me?"

"It will help you heal." Lan Zhan had replied emotionlessly.

"Yes, but why should I suffer alone."

"What do you want?" Lan Zhan had sighed and enquired, turning to his husband.

"Since the past eight days, you haven't touched me."

"Wei... " Lan Zhan had tried to interrupt, but the latter had kept going, "What if when I am finally better, my body forgets how you used to make it feel. Hm?"

"You are spouting nonsense. That's not how it works."

"Are you sure?"

By then, the younger Jade had already started feeling hot. It hadn't helped that his husband was stroking his thigh absentmindedly while talking about touching and feeling.

Not being able to bear it any longer, the man in white had relented, "What do you need, Wei Ying?"

"After we visit the cold springs, I need you to bathe me in hot water exactly how I want. You know, to remove the chill from my body." Wei Ying had an evil glint in his eyes when he had said it.

Lan Zhan, bring the pure man he was, had thought nothing of it. Instead, he had gotten worried, "Do you still feel fatigued?"

"Lan Zhan, haven't you been too cruel to me for this past week? The least you can do is help me bathe." Wei Ying had complained and directed his deadliest weapon at his husband: his pout.

The past week had been nothing but torture for the cultivation partners as the medicine the younger was consuming had left him weak while healing him. Sometimes he used to wake up drenched in cold sweat, while at other times, even sitting next to a fire wasn't enough to warm him up. Lan Zhan had done his best to take care of the love of his life in every way he could. The hardest part was to avoid getting intimate with him when the latter used to beg for kisses. Yes, Lan Zhan knew that kissing wouldn't hurt, but on the first day when he had complied with Wei Ying's wish: to be kissed, the light bearer's control had slipped, which had resulted in one of the wounds to reopen.

Lan Zhan had felt guilty, even as Wei Ying had insisted that he was fine and that it was not his fault. The light bearer had immediately sent for the physician, who had said nothing, but had looked at the latter so disapprovingly that Lan Zhan had felt ashamed of himself.

"Master Wei, you need to be more careful. You just added two more days to your recovery time!" He had informed the Yiling patriarch before leaving.

Just as Elder Bao had exited the jingshin, Lan Zhan had caught up with him. "Elder, I am sorry. But I need to ask you something." He had requested. And after the old man had gestured him to continue, he had asked hesitantly, "Elder, just now, I did not intend to do that...I thought that I could control- " The thing the light bearer wanted to ask was indeed very private, so he had trailed off, hoping that the intuitive physician would fill in the rest.

Lucky for him, the physician had understood and replied, "The resentful energy still lingers on him. Master Wei tried to manipulate that which is almost impossible to control fully in the mortal realm. To make matters worse, he dared to do it in the in-between realm. Hanguang Jun, you share a core..."

Lan Zhan's eyes had widened as what had happened dawned on him, "They latched on to me and guided my actions!"

"Yes. That is what I had expected. For one, these energies are trying to stick to their host; they want him to remain weak. As for the other, they are trying to corrupt whoever they can latch on to, and since you are already connected to the young master spiritually, they can manipulate you more easily."

"Is that why you told us to keep away from each other till he has completely healed?"

The physician had nodded and giving the light bearer a light squeeze on the shoulder, and left.

Having understood the importance of abstinence, Lan Zhan had vowed never to let his guard down and never let himself get swayed by the need to be with his husband.

Of course, Lan Zhan hadn't mentioned any of this to Wei Ying, who continued to believe that his husband was getting worried unnecessarily.

The younger Jade had, however, felt guilty when he had to refuse his husband and acted emotionless while the latter pleaded him with his innocent almond eyes.

Now that Wei Ying's internal injuries had healed and all he needed was to regain his strength and cleanse his soul from resentful energy, Lan Zhan had relented a little. So when Wei Ying had asked him for such a simple thing as bathing him, he hadn't refused.

"I will do anything to please you, Wei Ying." He had replied, conveniently falling into the Yiling patriarch's trap, "Thank you, Lan Zhan." Wei Ying had smiled and opened his arms, "Ok, now I am ready for the cold springs."

Lan Zhan, like a clueless lamb, led to get slaughtered, had carried his husband to the healing waters and as the latter squatted, immersing himself in the chilly water, he had played the healing notes the old physician had taught him. Wei Ying had looked miserable, yet had not complained even once. But as the light bearer had stopped playing the healing melody and wrapped him in a soft white blanket, Wei Ying had smiled bashfully. Leaning in, he had whispered in Lan Zhan's ears, "I am ready for my bath."

"Mn," Lan Zhan had nodded and proceeded to their jingshin. Once there, placing Wei Ying gently on the bed, he had heated the water that the light bearer had kept ready before carrying his husband to cold springs.

"Lan Zhan," Wei Ying had called softly, making Lan Zhan turn and gasp. For in front of him stood his husband, stark naked.

"Wei Ying! What are you doing!?" Panicking, Lan Zhan had rushed to him and covered him up. But before he could do or say more, Wei Ying had closed his mouth and demanded, "I am ready for bath. Why aren't you?"

"Mn?"

"Strip. I am getting cold."

Widening his eyes as if he had heard wrong, Lan Zhan had pulled Wei Ying's hand away, "What..."

"You are going to bathe me. You are going to clean every. Single. Part of me." He had whispered, leaning in and kissing the shell of his husband's ear.

Lan Zhan, already a man of few words, had gone silent. Wei Ying's words had already started stirring his heart, his body. Gulping, Lan Zhan had carried his husband to the tub. And after removing the blanket from around him, had placed him in the heated water.

"Mnnnn." Wei Ying had hummed appreciatively and looked at Lan Zhan with hooded eyes, "Come."

It was at this precise moment when Lan Zhan had realized how very painful the next week was going to be for him. But Lan Zhan was a fighter. He was a man of his word, so he had tried to hold on to his sanity and stripped.

Wei Ying had shamelessly insisted him to get naked; Lan Zhan had agreed. He had gotten into the tub, which was a little tight for two grown men, and pulled a very naked, smirking Wei Ying in his lap. Wei Ying had done what he always did: he tortured had his husband by making Lan Zhan touch him everywhere, "Harder, lower... Ah! There- I love your hands, Lan Zhan- Yes!  Clean it again- I am still dirty down there- Ah!!!! Fuck! Hanguang Jun, I love your fingers- " Wei Ying had murmured in Lan Zhan's ears, clinging to his rock hard chest. And the light bearer had endured and endured. His face had shown nothing, but Wei Ying had heard him nonetheless, for what Lan Zhan's face had refused to show, his heartbeats had, 'Lan Zhan... Hanguang Jun, are you sure you can restrain yourself from acting on your desires?' The Yiling patriarch had wondered as his hands grazed over his husband's throbbing cock, by accident, of course.

Any man would have lost it and taken what was on offer, but the second Jade was no ordinary man, and neither was his love. He held back from doing anything other than touching Wei Ying, where he so stubbornly insisted on being cleaned, and did not cross the line he had set for himself.

Every day, Wei Ying tried to up his antics by doing something more shameless, "Lan Zhan, I think I am ready for your sword. Look, " He had said on the second day, wrapping his fingers on Lan Zhan's member, rubbing it at his entrance.

Lan Zhan's carefully timed breaths had faltered for just a moment before he had gently removed Wei Ying's fingers from around him and smiled, "You will be ready when Elder Bao gives you a clean bill of health."

Wei Ying had frowned; his resolve to break Lan Zhan's restrain had only grown stronger. But in the end, Lan Zhan's restrain had won. And Wei Ying, for the first time in life, had accepted defeat.

Finally, the day had arrived, the day the soulmates had been waiting for with batted breath. The day the physician was going to examine Wei Ying's energy, both physical and spiritual, and give them the result.

Bao had nodded, satisfied. And giving Wei Ying a green colored drink, he had called Lan Zhan outside.

"Lan Wangji, you have done well. Master Wei has completely recovered." Elder Bao had reassured; Lan Zhan, however, looked troubled. "Then why did you give the drink to him?"

"Patient confidentiality. I can not disclose it. Only master Wei has the right." He had stated smiling affectionately, "Wangji, I have seen you grow up. I have seen how hard you always were on yourself. Wangji, I am so happy that you found someone who loves you like this- You have my blessings, my boy."

Lan Zhan's eyes had widened, "Why are..."

"Your mother was a good friend of mine. Master Wei reminds me of her sometimes." He reminisced, "I always thought how I would face her in the afterlife, but now I know you have found someone who can make you happy, I am at peace." With that, the physician had left.

"Lan Zhan, I am healed." Wei Ying had said, beckoning Lan Zhan to sit next to him. Cheeks coloring, the younger Jade had approached his husband and embraced him. Wei Ying had felt surprised, to say the least, for he had expected, that after the way he had been teasing Lan Zhan over the past week, his husband would have rid him of clothing and mounted him even before the physical would be out of earshot. The Yiling patriarch had still been mulling over this turn of events when he had felt Lan Zhan's arms tremble, 'He is crying!' the younger man had realized, and returned the embrace, "Lan Zhan, did I do something to hurt you? Lan Zhan, I am..." But before Wei Ying could apologize, the light bearer had put his hand over his mouth, "You didn't do anything. I am just happy that you are fine." Lan Zhan leaned away as the latter cocked his head and looked at him questioningly. "Lan Zhan, tell me the truth. What are you hiding now? I know this face; you are hesitating again. Do you still have doubts about my feelings for you?" Wei Ying had demanded, cupping his husband's face, "I love you. There is only you in my heart, Hanguang Jun. Please- Mph!"

Lan Zhan had once again closed Wei Ying's mouth, only this time, he had used his lips. Wrapping his arms around Wei Ying's middle, the light bearer had pulled his husband closer and pried his lips open. Of course, the Yiling patriarch had not put up a fight; he had obliged happily, inviting the warm tongue and meeting it halfway with his own.

Unfortunately, however, Lan Zhan had ended the kiss abruptly and caressing the younger's cheek like the latter was made of fragile glass, he had whispered, "Wei Ying, before we do this, I need to do something."

{Note:- That's it for this update. Only three chapters to go before the story ends.

Please Vote to show your support for this update if you have enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading.
Have a nice day.}