[ The distraction is thorough and easily pierces Lan Zhan's defenses. The walls that stand as solid granite for others are thin silk to Wei Ying, easily torn from where they hang to leave Lan Zhan bare, vulnerable. At least this siege is a desirable one as he sprinkles kisses across his face, much-needed spice for a man so used to a bland diet of loneliness and unrequited love. So he had thought. They may be self-taught, but Lan Zhan is a studious learner, one who prides himself in his dedication to teachings, and Wei Ying is by far the best tutor he has ever had.

Humming before they part, Lan Zhan looks down at Wei Ying with wonder. He had only dared to dream of kissing him in the darkness of the Jingshi, stealing such lewd thoughts from the shadows and hoping Wei Ying would never find out. Guilty. Shameless. Now those same soft presses of lips calm his guilt as well as his momentary frustration with the object of his no longer buried desires. ]

You are more well-versed in many disciplines, Wei Ying. Aside from discipline itself.

[ A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, a playful string of which Wei Ying holds the end. They pass the first line of buildings, shut up for the night with windows like eyes shut to the world while the inhabitants sleep. At the end on the lane, he spots the same inn he had passed earlier in the day, a lifetime ago before waiting for Wei Ying, before kissing Wei Ying. ]

Feed, but never silence. I never talk because I am listening to you. [ Wei Ying is, after all, so skilled at speaking that he does it at length, and with such a wide variety of words. ] What do I have talk about?