Jin Ling is once again met with somethings he hadn't expected. The first being Huaisang being upfront about his spying. He'd thought there would be a little more weaseling out of this particular conversation but instead the other sect leader takes it on very openly.
The other and the much, much more powerful part is getting told he did something right. For a moment, it puts him on the back foot, but before he has time to even react, his friend is joining in. Jin Ling's attempt at presenting himself as a tough sect leader slips briefly to the child he nearly was- wide eyed, uncertain, and obviously unaccustomed to hearing anything positive.
Fortunately, Huaisang keeps talking and he clumsily finds his composure again. However, even afterward, his defenses aren't up quite as high or as strong as they had been. Whether he couldn't or he was choosing not to was hard to tell.
"How would you do that?" He asks curious and cautiously but none of the aggression from a few moments ago.
~~~
It does Lan Zhan's heart good to see his boy wake up as easily as he did and start eating. He knows it'll help him regain the strength he needs to keep recovering from this poison. He tries but fails to stop himself from thinking of what they could be dealing with right now had the poison been stronger or faster acting. This son that they've longed for and only recently found could've been snatched away that quickly.
He never should've left the boy's side. No, he never should've let Sizhui go on a night hunt at all. Could he keep the boy in a bubble of some kind? Maybe those old stories of maidens being kept in a tower safe from everything had some value to them..
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The other and the much, much more powerful part is getting told he did something right. For a moment, it puts him on the back foot, but before he has time to even react, his friend is joining in. Jin Ling's attempt at presenting himself as a tough sect leader slips briefly to the child he nearly was- wide eyed, uncertain, and obviously unaccustomed to hearing anything positive.
Fortunately, Huaisang keeps talking and he clumsily finds his composure again. However, even afterward, his defenses aren't up quite as high or as strong as they had been. Whether he couldn't or he was choosing not to was hard to tell.
"How would you do that?" He asks curious and cautiously but none of the aggression from a few moments ago.
~~~
It does Lan Zhan's heart good to see his boy wake up as easily as he did and start eating. He knows it'll help him regain the strength he needs to keep recovering from this poison. He tries but fails to stop himself from thinking of what they could be dealing with right now had the poison been stronger or faster acting. This son that they've longed for and only recently found could've been snatched away that quickly.
He never should've left the boy's side. No, he never should've let Sizhui go on a night hunt at all. Could he keep the boy in a bubble of some kind? Maybe those old stories of maidens being kept in a tower safe from everything had some value to them..