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Chapter Text

There was a boy with bright silver eyes and beautiful smile. His laugh chimed like a bell, pleasant to the ears and ring through the empty small road. His short black hair was tied into ponytail with beautiful crimson ribbon, swaying gently as they walk.

He was being carried by his father on the shoulder while his mother sitting on the donkey beside them, the donkey's lead was safely tucked in the father's hand

"A-ying, remember. You should always remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don’t hold all that in their hearts can they finally be free."

He recognized the couple as Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren. A two very formidable cultivator and was known to always help people in need without expecting anything in return. One being the former head disciples of prominent sect, the Jiang sect while the other being the disciples of the famous immortal Baoshan Sanren.

One look at the family and he know how happy they are even if they didn't have a place to call home but they have each other. He could feel warm feeling start to bloom inside him from watching the heartwarming scene but those feeling was accompanied with something cold that was sink deep inside his stomach. The feeling that he recognize as jealousy

Once upon a time, he also long for this kind of family. He crave for love from his father and he crave for more time to spend with his mother. But it was long since he already get used to it and understand that his family would never be a happy one, you can't fix something that are too broken after all

He watched as the family start walking away, slowly fading in the horizon.

His surrounding blurred away and the next thing he know he stood in the middle of a bustling market. He recognized it as Yiling. a small town located in between Qishan and Yunmeng. A lively yet dangerous town near the burial mounds.

He look around, searching for a certain family but he unable to spot them in the crowd. Unable to find them, he start walking around the market, marveling at how amazing the spell was.

Everything look so real and alive, if only for the fact that he couldn't touch anything and that no one here could see him, he would've thought it was actually real. He was pulled from his train of thought when he saw a small blur dashing in the corner of his eyes, he turned his head and saw a small child running through the street, there was a pack of street dog running after him

He lift his hand to send a wave of spiritual energy, to shove the dog away from the child, only to remember that he's nothing more than a spectators. He can't do anything here, forcing to watch as the child cry out when one of the dog manage to bit into his leg

He is completely useless here and he doesn't like it, it send his stomach churns, watching something so cruel and yet could only able to watched from the sideline. He could felt his chest tighten with an unknown feeling as he stared at the child, the child somehow remind him of another child sitting in the snow alone all by himself waiting for the door that would never opened again

He clenched his fist, wanting to hold the child tightly and reassure him that nothing will hurt him again, tell him that everything will be okay from now on

The boy manage to wiggle his leg out of the dog's mouth and ran to one of the stalls, hiding behind it while not alerting the owner. The dogs who were barking loudly in front of the stall and was chased away by the owner. The boy let out a relief sigh, hecouldn't help but also feel relief to know that the boy is okay.

He walked closer to the boy and examined his face, he then realized that this boy was indeed the same boy from before 'But where is Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren?' he thought, couldn't help but frowning, thinking of the possibility of what could happen to the couple

He continue watching as the boy happiness was cut short when the stall owner finally realize his presence, they screamed at him and immediately grab him in bruising grip before throw him to the street. Yelling at him names and curses, words that no adults should say let alone screaming it to a child, he left but not before spat on him

He could feel his knuckle turn white and his nails dig into his palm as he clenched his fist so tight

Killing is forbidden in Cloud recesses. But he wonder if it's still forbidden when done outside cloud recesses, he shook his head, start reciting the rules to calm himself. He's always like this, often thinking about things that people would often find horrible.

It made him questions himself whether he become crazy or if he slowly turn into someone like his father, someone that he both loves and hates so much. Someone that both saved his mother but also became the reason she got locked up and withered away. Someone who loves too much but also didn't want to let go even though the love he had was not returned

He stared as the boy get up and start walking away, head hung very low. The surrounding blurred once again, when it focused, he found himself standing in an alleyway. It was winter and the snow was already piled on the alleyway floor.

He turned around when he heard a small voice coming from behind him, there was a child. The same child he saw running away from the dogs early, he was currently sitting on the far back of the alleyway, surrounded with snow, wearing nothing but a rag clothes with no shoes on, there was something in his hand. He walked closer to take a better look at it

It was a doll made of a straws and he could see there was three of them on the boy's lap

"A-die, a-niang and a-xian!" the child mumbled, looking down sadly

How much he wanted to hug the child, to tuck him against his chest and run his hand through the matted hair. How much he wants to take him and hide him away from this cruel world. Maybe he could finally understands why Baoshan Sanren did what she did, refuse to involve with the worldly matter but still taking orphans to her mountain and raising them.

He always thought that maybe she did it because she want to have disciples, to have someone that could continue her legacy but maybe it was more deep and more familial than that

The area was blurred again. He was in the same alleyway, he turned his head and he could still see the child now boy in the alleyway, looking a bit bigger than before, he wondered how long does the boy spend his life on a street? Will he spend the rest of his life there? Will he also die as a beggar? Alone and unloved?

No, he wouldn't let that happen. As soon as he get out from here, he would come to find him and take him back to Cloud Recesses 

He was startled out of his thought when he saw a bunch of wild dogs start cornering him, the boy whimpering, blindly grab a stone and threw it towards the dog. It was a wrong decision to do as the dog growling even louder. The boy slowly backed away and his eyes widened in fear when his back collided with the wall

The boy raised his arms, preparing for the pain when a blur of purple appear. He saw a familiar man whisk away the dogs and walk towards the child. He recognized him as Jiang Fengmian, the current sect leader of the Jiang clan. He watched as the man crouched in front of the boy "Good boy. Don't be scared, it's alright" he reassures

Jiang Fengmian smiled as he extended his hand in front of the boy "Come. Let's go home" the boy looked at the purple eyed man and smiled widely. Smile that is brighter than thousand sun. A beautiful smile that could pair the moon and the star. He felt relief flooding in him. At least now the boy will not live in the street, at least now, he would have a better place to live, somewhere he could call a home.

He never know that he will ever regretted something so fast in his life

He watched as unfairness became part of the boy Wei Wuxian (he learned later the name of the boy) life. As he was abused every single day, physically and mentally.

Yu Ziyuan– he always regarded her as a prideful and strong willed woman. He often has neutral opinion towards her but he indeed respects her as a cultivator, being able to gain the title as 'Violet Spider' but now? He saw her as nothing but a pitiful woman full with jealousy and bitterness 

He has no ounce of respect left for her. In fact now everytime he hears the woman's name, he only felt venom inside him and the badly wanted to just steal zidian from her hand and hit her with it like she always did to Wei Ying almost every day. He calmed himself, a man should never raise their hands against a woman, that's what his mother always taught him. He could think another way to punish the woman without having to do it himself

Still, he never realized just how bitter and vengeful a person can be towards the dead. The woman has done nothing but spouting poisonous words to her family.

To Wei Ying, she belittles him and his upbringing as a mere 'son of servant' every day, slandering his dead parents and abusing him with Zidian at every chance she could. And Wei Ying? He just stood there and take everything thrown at him because he learn to believe that this was the cost that he need to pay in turn for him to have a place that he could called home

To Jiang Wanyin, she always looked down at him, disapproving of everything he did. She scorns and constantly compares him to Wei Ying, creating tension and strained the relationship between the two, she poisoned her own son to believe that his father favoured his friend's son more than his own son. And thus, unavoidably create rift between the two brothers, now Jiang Wanyin only look at Wei Ying with disdain and jealousy. It's really unfortunate, if only Yu Ziyuan didn't do what she did to the two boys, they both will flourish like twin jade is

Even her husband, Jiang Fengmian did not escape from her rage. Every day, she always seeks something to start an argument with him. Her insecurity made her believe that Jiang Fengmian was in love and still in love with Cangse Sanren. He snort at the thought, everyone know how much Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze love each other. The two travel all over the land and put every couple to shame by their love

Jiang Fengmian is not any better. He was a bad father, not as bad as Jin Guangshan but he could still be in par with his father Qingheng-jun. Both father refused to take part in their children's lives, leaving them to fend off themselves.

He also finds Jiang Fengmian to be a coward, his cowardice could par even Jin Guangshan. His nature in avoiding conflict make him believe that it was better to just let his wife attitude and treatment to Wei Ying, rather than confront it if it's mean he will start an argument

Jiang Yanli, he found, is more bearable than the other Jiangs. Although he doesn't like how she keeps excusing his family treatment of Wei Ying, but she is still a teenager after all. A teenager who still holding on a hope that someday her family will change, she also Wei Ying only source of comfort. A figure that came close as sister and mother to him and he felt gratitude towards her because of that.

As he watched Wei Ying grow up in the hell disguised as a home called Lotus Pier, he needed to constantly meditate and recite rules in his head, to keep his anger at bay.

Killing is forbidden. He repeats. As he watch Yu Ziyuan scolded Wei Ying when he ask for more rice. Calling him ungrateful rat.

Killing is forbidden. He repeats. As he watch Wei Ying got punished by Yu Ziyuan for calling Jiang Yanli 'jie jie'. That day he watched as Wei Ying learn to draw a clear line between him and the Jiangs family. Learn through the hard way that he could never crossed the line 

Killing is forbidden. He repeats. As he watch Yu Ziyuan whipped Wei Ying just because he took off his shirt in scorching day and having fun in the dock with other disciples

Killing is forbidden. He keeps repeating in his mind to prevent himself from barging into Lotus Pier and kill Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan after he get out from here.

He perfectly knew his own ability and cultivation limit and he could say it confidently that he could overpowered both Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan.

'Killing is forbidden' he recites again in his mind again and again as he watch Wei Ying life unfold in front of him 

Gusu Lan lectures is a special occasion that takes place every year in Cloud recesses where Gusu Lan will open their door to accept heir from other sects to come and study with them for a year. As a clan that was famous with their centuries old knowledge, this was a special and rare occasion that people often excited to but unable to go as it was strictly only for clan heir and only few chosen disciples.

There, he found out, is where he would met Wei Ying for the first time

On top of a roof and under the moonlight, he met Wei Ying 

"It's Emperor's Smile! I'll give you a jar, can you pretend that you never saw me?"

Bright silver eyes that shone beautifully under the moonlight, black hair that sway gently by the winds, plump pink lips that look inviting and a blinding smile that will send any star in the sky to shame

An unwavering blinding force that hit him and turn his world upside down, that's what Wei Ying is to him

He watched as his future self was sent to speechless for the first time in his life. Watching as he gaped at the boldness of the young disciple when he gulping down the whole jar right in front of him, some trickle escaping his lips and trickling down his bare neck.

He watched as something shift inside his future self, something that he didn't know what is it nor understand, so he did whag he could think of, pulled his sword and start lunged forward

A fight under the moonlight. He become the only witness as Wei Ying make his future self him fall in love at first sight

The scene was blurred away and he couldn't help but feel dejected, when he wasn't able to see more of Wei Ying under the moonlight

As his surrounding focused, he realized that this must be Wei Ying's first class on the lecture. His expression softened, excitement bubbled up inside him, he watched Wei Ying grow up after all, he know much of a genius the boy is, his uncle would absolutely love Wei Ying. 

He never thought how wrong he could be

A frown found its way to his face as he saw his uncle purposely singled out Wei Ying from the rest of the class and asked him a bunch of questions. He watched as Wei Ying pushed to the corner before declared the idea of unorthodox way, using resentful energy right in front of the whole class, in retaliation of his uncle unfair treatment to him

Ridiculous is what he wanted to say but he know that Wei Ying did it only because uncle purposely singled him out and act unfair to him

He couldn't hold back the small huffs that left his mouth when he saw Wei Ying able to make even Lan Qiren gape like a fish out of water, watching as his uncle vein popped. He watched, started to get worried whether his uncle would have qi deviation or not

His uncle was completely angered, without thinking much he throw the scroll he's been holding at Wei Ying, which obviously the teen dodge and end up hitting the Nie heir right on the face before shouting at him to get out of his class which the boy happily comply, running out from the classroom while laughing freely

'Ridiculous' he commented as he felt his ear getting warmer hearing those beautiful laugh

As the surrounding blurred away, the next scene show him as Wei Ying agree to help Nie Huaisang cheated on exam, only get caught by his nephew Lan Muxin "I'm so sorry, Wei-xiong" the Nie heir hung his head low, Wei Ying crossed his arm in front of his chest "Didn't you say it'd be okay" he huffed "I really didn't know Lan Muxin will caught us" Nie Huaisang apologized

"Anyway, you're on your own" Jiang Wanyin interrupt, he stopped and motion with his chin at the direction in front of them "There, the library is right ahead" he said

He turned his head and saw the familiar building where he spent most of his time there before decide to travel around and go wherever the chaos are

He watched as Wei Ying let out a sigh "It's just copying book" he paused before turn towards Nie Huaisang "Huaisang" he grinned, the Nie heir open his fan and start fanning "Grandmaster said no one is allowed to help you" he inform, Wei Ying pout "How would he know that? It's not like he send someone to watching over me" he said while opening the door

"Precisely" a familiar voice echoed, he turned and saw his future self sitting on one of the tables near the window. Posture straight and perfect, not a single hair out of place. Wei Ying flinch when he heard the voice, he turned around and gaped when he saw Hanguang-jun was sitting there, book in his hand looking regal as ever "Seriously?"

He watched as his future self lift his eyes from the book and stared at the boy intently "Lan er-xiansheng" Wei Ying mumbled. He could felt his ear warmed at the nickname, it was the first time he ever felt like this when someone ever refer to him with that and he didn't know what to do.

Nie Huaisang and Jiang Wanyin slowly walked away, realizing this Wei Ying turned around only to find no one was there "You guys?!" he yelled

Wei Ying let out a sigh as he slumped forward "This man is dead boring and i'll have to sit with him for a month? This is torture" Wei Ying complained. He find himself frowning at that. He know he wasn't the best company to have but he mustn't be that bad for even someone like Wei Ying to complain, right?

He stared as Wei Ying plopped down across him, looked at him before smiling "Xiansheng, i have a question for you. Do you actually really hate me?" he asked, only to be met with silence when Lan Wangji decided to ignore him "You're still ignoring me?" he said before a glint of mischievous lighten in his eyes and he chuckled

"Hey hey. What should i call you to get a response?" he moved his finger in childish way "Hanguang jun? Lan Wangji? Wangji-ge?" he sit on the table and cross his arms "Lan zhan!" he exclaimed but still receive no answer

He could feel his body temperature raising, to hear Wei Ying called him with all this name sending something weird spark through his body, a spark that he didn't know how to decipher

Meanwhile, Lan Wangji already stopped writing and stared at his sleeve that was sit on by Wei Ying who was still oblivious with it "Or Zhan-ge? Oh, i got it! Lan er-gege!!" he exclaimed while smiled widely at Hanguang jun. Both older men's eyebrows twitched at the nickname. Wei Ying mouth immediately clamped shut because of the silencing spell Lan Wangji cast

Silver eyes widened as he immediately scrambled and went to the other side of the table, grab a brush and start writing something on the paper. He show the paper to Lan Wangji 'I'm sorry, please remove the spell' it read. So cute, he think. Lan Wangji stared at Wei Ying who smiled at him, he didn't say anything as he turn his attention back to the book in his hand. Completely ignoring him.

Wei Ying let out a small exaperasted sounds and immediately began scrabble something again, when he show it to Lan Wangji, he couldn't hold himself to take a peek, it was a drawing of a wolf looking at a chicken. He huffed before muttering "Ridiculous". Lan Wangji seems to be on the same page with his past self as he took the paper, folded it and throw it to the bin. With averted gaze, he muttered "Ridiculous"

The silencing spell break and Wei Ying gasp "Wo de tian, i thought i was gonna die" he say dramatically, he hold himself not to roll his eyes at that "Lan er-xiansheng! I wanted to apologize to you! How could you treat me like that?" he pouted "One more word and it'd be four times" Lan Wangji say sternly not looking up from the book he's reading, Wei Ying pouted even more but comply

He witnessed as Wei Ying and his future self spending a month together, in the tranquillity of the library pavilion. One's writing and the other reading. Occasionally he could see his future self sneak a glance at the young disciples and he couldn't help but think of how obvious he is

The scene blurred away once again and he find himself still standing on library pavilion. He'd guess this must be the last day of the punishment. Wei Ying was seated on the table, looking very serious and deep in thought as he wrote down something on a paper. He suddenly stood up and skipped towards Lan Wangji who stood behind a shelf reading a poem book

Wei Ying grinned "Lan er-xiansheng. It's been a month, i won't come in tomorrow. Here's a parting gift for you!" he exclaimed, Lan Wangji looked up from his book and surprise decorate his face as he stared at the paper that was presented in front of him. He moved towards them and widened his eyes when he saw his own portrait on the paper, perfectly drawn and flawless. Wei Ying is very talented in drawing, he noted mentally as he felt his ear burning up

"Here, you can have it" Wei Ying smiled, Lan Wangji stared at him, averting his eyes when Wei Ying smiling face become too much for him, he didn't say anything as he closed the poem book and putting it down on the shelf, very oblivious to the way Wei Ying look at it and smirked mischievously. Lan Wangji took the drawing, only to narrowed his eyes when he realized the flower that was added to his hair

Wei Ying burst out laughing "How do you like the gift, Lan er-xiansheng" he teased, Lan Wangji opened his mouth to say ridiculous when Wei Ying cut him "It's ridiculous again, isn't it? Can't you say anything new?" he grinned "So ridiculous" Lan Wangji commented as he took the poem book again and opened it

Eyes immediately bulged as he realized what it was, he tilted his head when he saw his future self reaction and took a peek at the book before he also has the same reaction, eyes widened as wide as a lomquat, he sputtered and choked on his spit.

Lan Wangji immediately throw the book away while Wei Ying start to laugh uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth "Wei Ying" seemed didn't realize that he just call the young disciples with his birth name but he realize it and he couldn't help the small warm feeling that begins to bloom inside him. Lan Wangji glared at the disciple who still laughing on the floor "I'm here i'm here" he replied playfully

"You!" Lan Wangji turn his head to his sword that hang on the wall right beside him. The sound of sword being unsheathed abruptly stop Wei Ying laugh as he immediately sit up. He took the spring book and run to his table where his sword laying. He took it and turned around "Manners, Hanguang jun, manners!" he said "If you fight me, your library will be destroyed!"

Lan Wangji gripped Bichen tightly "You... What on earth are you?!" he asked through gritted teeth, Wei Ying smiled "I'm a man, it's just a spring book. Every man has seen something like that. Don't tell me you've never seen it" he smirked, frowned when he saw Lan Wangji expression, something finally clicked on his brain "Have you actually never..." before he could finish his sentence Lan Wangji cut him

"Shut up!" he said as spiritual energy start to flow out of him "You really are... shameless!!" he yelled and swung bichen, sending blue energy towards Wei Ying and manage to throw the book from his hand "Hanguang jun, calm down, calm down. Fighting a disciple is forbidden for teachers and no private fighting allowed here!" Wei Ying raised his voice

The boy looked up at the spring book that was flies away from his hand early. Both Wei Ying and Lan Wangji took a leap and catch it at the same time "Let go" Lan Wangji grunted "Why? I thought you didn't want to see it. Oh! so you wanted to see it! You were just pretending" he teased playfully

Lan Wangji whole figure is shaking as he grunted out an answer "I won't look" he tighten his hold on the book "Then why are you grabbing it, are you gonna hand it to Lan Qiren? Oh, i mean, your uncle. Well, don't do that! What if he suspects you've read it? Wouldn't you die out of embarrassment?" he grinned

"You! It was you who read it! I..."

Wei Ying clicked his tongue "What's with the you and I? Everyone says you're the finest gentleman in the world but you hid erotic pictures in books. You study them tirelessly" Lan Wangji watch as the book slowly rip into two "If your uncle ever found out..." before Wei Ying could finish his rambling, Lan Wangji send a wave of energy and rip the book into million pieces

"Aiyah, those pictures were great! How can you just tear them up like that" he said before turn around "Lan xiansheng better clean it up. I'm not helping" he said cheerfully "Get lost" he whispered, clenching his fist so hard his knuckles start to turn white

Wei Ying turn around in disbelief "What? Get lost? I can't believe you'd say that. Aiyah, Lan zhan Lan zhan, they say you're cultured and elegant" Lan Wangji clenched his fist "Always well behaved. But look at you now, goodness" He snap and turn at Wei Ying before scream "GET LOST!'

He watched the whole interaction completely speechless, he never expect such familiarity that Wei Ying would show to him nor for him to pull such a prank. To an outsider Wei Ying action must come across very disrespectful and deserve a punishment from discipline rules because Lan Wangji is more than a decade older than him, their age difference was as much as Wei Ying age. But he felt warm inside him

He know that if his uncle or any elder in the clan were ever learned about this incident they would have qi deviation and demand Wei Ying to receive punishment before exiled him from the lecture. He wondered if the reason Wei Ying familiarity to him was because Wei Ying himself didn't know how old exactly he is

He couldn't help the smile that slowly graze his pale face, that would be interesting to watch, Wei Ying reaction when he finally know just how old he is

There was a problem in Caiyi town. Ship keep sinking and people attacked by water ghoul. Sect Leader Lan, Lan Xichen, ordered his brother Hanguang jun to check on the case. He bring with him, his nephew, Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye with couple of disciples. Unfortunately for Lan Wangji before he could left Cloud Recesses, he met with Wei Ying and Jiang Wanyin

"Young master Jiang and their head disciple have a good reputation in Yunmeng, they are highly capable and weren't you happy for him to go with you? I was under the impression that you wanted the Jiang Head Disciple to join you. That's why i agreed"

Was all Lan Xichen said when Lan Wangji asked him why he agreed for the young disciples to tag along. Lan Wangji had widened his eyes, take a glance at the young disciple who chatters happily with Jiang Wanyin and replied "That's not true"

Later, as they fighting the water ghoul. Lan Wangji will learn about Wei Ying's sword and its ridiculous name. Later they would found out that the problem in biling lake was bigger than they would imagine

"Waterborne abyss" he muttered, clenched his fist as he saw Wei Ying and the other struggle to fight with the demon. His heart dropped as he saw Wei Ying fell down after that unimportant lan disciples took a leap, purposely push Wei Ying sword with his leg so it become unbalanced

He extended his hand as he saw Wei Ying fell to the water onky to realize that he was unable to help. Then a blur of white fly pass him and he realize it was his future self, flying in high speed and immediately fish out the drowned Wei Ying, the young disciples cough up some water and smiled at Lan Wangji "Lan er-xiansheng. Why are you holding me by my collar? I can't breathe" he grunts "I don't touch strangers" Lan Wangji replied without looking down

It was indeed a waterborne abyss. But he know waterborne abyss doesn't show up out of nowhere. He watched as his future self asked Lan Xichen which region lately has problem with Waterborne abyss after he reached Cloud recesses. Lan Xichen say nothing but his eyes pointed at the sun "The Qishan Wen clan" he mutters 

The scene blurred away, now he stood inside the Jingshi, his future self was busy copying down the report from the night hunt early when he saw a blur of shadow running on the rooftop. Lan Wangji glance at the direction, instantly know who it is

Wei Ying was running through the hallway, two jars of emperor smile in his hand "Stop right there" Wei Ying halted to stop, he turn and saw Lan Wangji stood in the courtyard holding an umbrella over his head. Even in the middle of rain, he still look ethereal. Wei Ying looked down at the jar in his arms before chuckled nervously, hiding it behind him "Lan er-xiansheng. What a coincidence!"

"Prepare to face your punishment" Wei Ying gaped "Seriously? I thought i'm your favorite disciples. Can you spare this poor disciples just this once?" he begged, but Lan Wangji ignore him as he pulled Bichen "Lan er-gege, why are you doing this? Only you and i here, if we both stay quiet no one else has to know, right? It won't happen again, i promise" Wei Ying rambling, but Lan Wangji isn't there to listen to him nor negotiate

And thus, they have their second fight. In the middle of nightrain, two figure dancing around each other. Once is chasing while the other running away.

He thought that the fight will end up with his future self become too flustered and decide to run away, he never thought Wei Ying will grab Lan Wangji and push them both over the wall, make them both break the curfew. "Now Lan er-gege. We both outside the wall. We both break the curfew, we should both be punished" he smiled, Lan Wangji stood up, stared at him before walk away without saying anything "But don't worry, I won't tell a single soul. The only ones that know are the heaven, the earth, and both of us" he smiled widely

Unfortunately for him, Lan Wangji are very unforgiving when it comes to rule. The next day, Wei Ying was dragged out of his bed before punished with discipline rules along with Lan Wangji. He watched it and feel enraged inside him, Wei Ying has been punished enough in Lotus Pier, he shouldn't be punished while in Cloud recesses as this was the only time he could get away grom Yu Ziyuan bad temper

He mentally vowed to himself to never let Wei Ying got punished while he's in Cloud recesses 

His surrounding was change and he find himself stood beside the cold pond. He saw his future self was meditating inside the pond, the peace was soon ruined by a familiar voice "Lan er-gege!" followed by the sound of water splashing.

Wei Ying emerged from the water and immediately shivered "It's so cold" he whined. Lan Wangji widened his eyes as he stared at the almost naked Wei Ying right in front of him, he could feel his ear getting hotter "How did you get in here?" Lan Wangji asked, panic latch to his voice "Zewu jun told me to come" he replied nonchalantly before waddles towards Lan Wangji "What are you doing?" asked the older man "It seems warmer over there" he replied, oblivious to Lan Wangji inner turmoil as he mumbled "It is not"

He watched as Wei Ying trying to be friend Lan Wangji even going as far as invite him to come to Lotus Pier, promising to take him around the market. He couldn't help but feel disappointed as he watched his future self reject the invitation. Their little date, he thinks, although it's technically count as normal visit, he still loved to think of it as little date between them, his daydream was interrupted when the fierce corpse his uncle brought home manage to escape.

He watched in worry as he saw Wei Ying was cornered by the corpses. His heart dropped when he watched Wei Ying accidentally using resentful energy without he realized it to defend him from the corpse "Wei Ying" he whispered but before he could say or see anything else, his surrounding changed

He was back in library pavilion. His future self was sitting on one of the table near the window. Wei Ying's head suddenly popped out of it "Lan er-xiansheng" he called, smiling at him with his usual blinding attractive smile "How have you been without me copying rules with you? Do you miss me?" he asked

Lan Wangji didn't spare him glance as he replied with stern voice "Leave"  even if facing with cold treatment Wei Ying smile never falter "If i don't will you thrown me down?" instead he teased the older man even more. Lan Wangji slam his hand to the table "Don't be so scary, i'm here to apologize by giving you gifts" he smiled "No need" came a fast reply from the other man

"Don't be like that, Er-gege. You see– the reason why i've been acting the way i am is because i thought er-gege is only at least five years older than me. Imagine how surprise i am when Nie-xiong told me that you were twice older than me, i mean can you blame me, Er-gege is so handsome and his cultivation is so high that he looked so young, barely looked older than me" he explained 

"Leave, you don't have to explain anything or give me anything" Lan Wangji said "You really don't want them?" he asked as he grab something inside his robe and fishing out a pair of rabbit, one is white and the other is black. With the rabbit in arms, he jumped inside the library "It's really quite weird here, there are no pheasants. But there's a lot of wild rabbits, they aren't even scared of people" he explains

"So how about it?" he said shoving the rabbit right in front of Lan Wangji face "Fat, aren't they? You want them?" Lan Wangji didn't say anything as he keep staring at the rabbit "Fine, if you don't want them then i'll give them, to someone else. The food here has been too mild, anyways" Wei Ying said before Lan Wangji could say anything "Stop, to whom are you giving them?" Lan Wangji inquired "To whoever's best at roasting rabbits" he replied smugly

"Killing is forbidden in Cloud recesses. It is the third rule on the wall" Wei Ying rolled his eyes "Fine, i'll go down the mountain, kill them outside, and then bring them back to roast it. It's not like you want them. So why do you care so much about them?" he grinned "Give them to me" Lan Wangji said "You want them now? Look at you, you're always like this" he say as he putting down the rabbit on the table and put down two cabbages in front of them 

"Lan er-gege" he called excitedly "What?" Lan Wangji turned to him "Look at them, nibbling on the same leaf. They look like a pair, don't they" he said, amused. He could feel his ear heated up "Both of these are males!" Lan Wangji yelled, He nods in agreement "Male? How befuddling" Wei Ying said taking each rabbit on each hand and inspecting them

"They really are male" he put down the rabbit and nudges Lan Wangji "Males then, males. Why are you so serious? Speaking of it, i'm the one who caught them and i haven't even noticed if they're male or female. Just where were you looking at?" he said teasingly, the older man clenched his fist "Get Lost" Lan Wangji scream as Wei Ying leaped out of library while laughing 

Watching all of this future he couldn't help but feel excitement run through his body. He couldn't wait to met Wei Ying, to bring him around Caiyi town, to let him show around the Lotus Pier. This vision made him excited for the future and his soulmate future

But, he never thought how fast everything could crumbled

He watched as Wei Ying involved in fight with Lanling Jin heir, Jin Zixuan. Both clan leader, Jin Guangshan and Jiang Fengmian was forced to come to Gusu. In the end, they decide to break the engagement between Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli. After that, Wei Ying goes back home with Jiang Fengmian, sooner than planned.

"I thought the two children loved each other. But i was wrong, we shouldn't force it" Jiang Fengmian replied when Yu Ziyuan asked why he break the engagement so suddenly, hearing her husband answer Yu Ziyuan couldn't help but narrowed her eyes "A-li has met Zixuan several times, she obviously likes him. Did Zixuan say something rude? He's too young to understand it now. A-li is a great girl, Zixuan will realize that after he gets to know her. Besides, his mother and i are good friends. Our families have been allies from the beginning, the Jin clan will be our ally if the two children get married" she rambled

"Marriage means they'll spend their lives together, if they don't love each other and they're forced to be together just to further their families interests, they won't be happy" Jiang Fengmian retorded, Yu Ziyuan mouth form thin line "Just like us, right?"

Jiang Fengmian widened his eyes before sighs "San-niang, you know that's not what i meant" he started, but Yu Ziyuan ignore him "Wei Ying, that little brat. He causes trouble wherever he goes" Jiang Fengmian sighed "There you go again, blaming A-xian for everything"

Yu Ziyuan slam her hand to the table "I shouldn't blame him? If he hadn't fought with Zixuan. None of this would happened. Ever since you brought him here, you have always favored him over your own son. If it was Jiang Cheng who made a scene, would you rush to Gusu like you did? Never!!" she spat

"San-niang!"

"This time he got between A-li and Zixuan. Who know what he's capable of doing next time. But it's alright. Because you will be there, clearing up the mess for him" she snarled before walked past him leaving the clan leader alone by himself. He clenched his fist as he watched the whole scene unfold in front of him

How dare she blame a fifteen year old boy for something that her husband decided. They don't deserve Wei Ying. Wei Ying is too good for them. Ton of plans start forming in his mind as he thinks a way of bringing Wei Ying back to Cloud recesses. He turn his head to a familiar figure standing in the shadow, he's been watching the whole scene, he realize.

Wei Ying must be blaming himself of what happened. His hand aches he want to pat the boy's head and hug him, rubbing his back while telling him that this isn't his fault over and over again until Wei Ying believe him

The scene blurred away and now he stood on a courtyard, he saw Jiang Yanli seated on the table "A-xian, is it you?" he turned and see Wei Ying emerged from the hallway, his gaze never leave the ground "I'm sorry, Shijie, i..." Wei Ying paused, seemed unsure what to say, Jiang Yanli smiled at him" Silly A-xian, it's not your fault" she said try to cheer him up, at that moment he consider to punch Jin Zixuan himself

"But... i made you sad" It was the most heartbroken look he ever seen from the boy, Wei Ying seemed to really believe that it was all his fault. How could Wei Ying blame himself? Jiang Fengmian himself to dissolve the betrothed not him. He couldn't help but feel rage towards Yu Ziyuan who can do nothing but blaming her ward for everything that went wrong in her family, never realized that it was her who make her family relationship strained. He also feel anger to Jin Zixuan who can't even try to respect someone he intended to

"A-xian, sit down first" Jiang Yanli coerced, Wei Ying stay silent as he sat beside her "Since i was little, A-niang told me Jin gongzi would be my future husband. I've only met him few times but a man full of charisma like him" he couldn't help but to snort at that "Is hard not to like. But when i really thought about it. I realized..." she paused "I didn't like him that much. Surely, i could spend my life with him but if we don't love each other..." she trailed off

Wei Ying looked up "Shijie"

"Well, Jin gongzi must have said something unpleasant about me, right?" she laughed "He didn't" Wei Ying replied, turn his head away "I just... don't like him" he pouted, Jiang Yanli couldn't help but giggle seeing his brother childish behavior "You can't fool me, we grew up together, i know you too well. You don't hit people just because you don't like them" she paused before stood up

"A-xian, it's not your fault. Jin gongzi is great man yet i'm willing to wait for a man who truly loves me and spend my life with him" she smiled, Wei Ying stared at her "Shijie, Jin Zixuan is not good enough for you. He's spoiled and vain. You deserve someone better than him" he declared

He couldn't help but smiled at the scene, sometimes he felt grateful that Jiang Yanli was there in Wei Ying's life, she is the only source of comfort Wei Ying could get. Maybe he owned her a punch for Jin Zixuan. He must say, the young heir deserve a punch or two

His surrounding changes and nothing could prepared him for what's about to come

The Qishan Wen discussion conference, usually Lan Wangji always refuse to attend a discussion conference but he knew why Lan Wangji willing to come this time. After all, he is here "Lan er-xiansheng!" this is where Lan Wangji met with Wei Ying again after more than a year didn't saw each other. He thought everything will went well

"Lan er-xiansheng!! Your forehead ribbon is crooked" 

He never thought Wei Ying would accidentally rip off his forehead ribbon right in front of everyone. He watched as his future self try his hardest to restraint himself, using everything in him to not pounces at the young man and take him right here right there where everyone could see.

He couldn't help but felt little sympathy to Wei Ying who seems very confused and little scared at Lan Wangji reaction, wondering if he had made a grave mistake. He quietly vowed to himself to react better when the time comes

The archery competition ended with Wei Ying came out as the winner. He couldn't help but felt pride swelling inside him, he really proud to his soulmate. On the second and third place is his nephew, Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye. And on the last place is Jin Zixuan

As his surrounding blurred away, he prepared himself for the next vision but– nothing could prepared him for what's about to come

Burning... Cloud recesses was burning

Wen Xu came with an army, he came prepared. He also came prepared when Lan Xichen refuse to let him inside, accusing Lan Xichen for a treason. He and Lan Wangji was forced to flee with important scripture from the library while Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye was forced to go to Qishan.

Indoctrination camp. A disguise the Wen clan use to hold the heirs from other sect as hostage

Wen Chao... he pronounce the name with venom mentally, putting him on the list of people he should kill along with Wen Ruohan and Wen Xu

Wang Lingjiao... the next person he put on his killing list. A malicious woman who has put that ugly brand on Wei Ying chest. Mark the beautiful skin forever

The next person is Su She... he might be a Lan disciples but he still an outer disciples. He find it no problem to kill him as he watch Wei Ying hold back a whimper pulling the arrow out of his arms

He honestly has no idea how Wei Ying able to survive in this dark cave alone. His body must been injured and damaged really bad after he forcefully using the resentful energy on the lake to kill the tortoise. It was unorthodox way but he knew that Wei Ying had no choice. He sat beside the boy, wishing for nothing more than to be able to touch him and hug him

His heart break realizing that he could do nothing but watch

Seven days... it took Jiang Wanyin that much time to finally able to rescue Wei Ying from the cave. How naive he is to think that Wei Ying would finally get the peace and rest he need once he was saved

He watched as Yu Ziyuan barged in to Wei Ying's room

"Yeah, he doesn't understand. But does it matter? It's enough that Wei Ying understand. Attempting the impossible, right? That's exactly what he did, he knew it'd put our family in danger but he still did it. One day, he'd be the ruin of our family" she spat

Wei Ying didn't say anything as he looked down in guilty "San-niang, what are you doing here?" Jiang Fengmian asked "You mean i shouldn't be here? Do i need to remind you that i'm still the lady of the house, that Jiang Cheng is your son" she said, raising her voice "San-niang" Jiang Fengmian said, try to give her clue that this was not the right time and place 

"What? Do i touch the nerve?" But of course, Yu Ziyuan doesn't care even if she arguing with her husband in front of their children "You have to know Jiang Cheng is your flesh and blood! Even if you don't like him because i'm his mother he's still your son. I'm sure you've heard of the rumours out there" she barked

Wei Ying looked towards Jiang Fengmian who clenched the table so hard his knuckles turn white but Yu Ziyuan didn't stop there "They say that after many years you still can't get over someone and that's why you even treated her son like your own. They even say Wei Ying is the son of you and–"

"Yu Ziyuan!" Jiang Fengmian yelled made both Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng flinches, Yu Ziyuan lips form a thin line as she watched her husband looked at her in disappoinment and resigned, he didn't say anything as he walked out of the room

"Jiang Fengmian, why are you leaving? You feel guilty. It's a shame that Cangse Sanren, the woman you loved chose another man. Whether you admit it or not, it's true" she screamed 

He clenched his fist 'What a hilarious play' he thought as he felt nothing but pity for Jiang Wanyin and Jiang Yanli to have such immature mother and a coward father. He looked at Wei Ying and steeled his heart to do everything he could to take him away from Lotus Pier

The scene blurring away...

Wang Lingjiao came barged to Lotus Pier acted like she's not merely a Wen Chao's concubine, demanding for Wei Ying to be punished. He watched as Yu Ziyuan raised Zidian and strike Wei Ying over and over again. And then after getting Wei Ying whipped with Zidian, the woman dare to ask for Wei Ying's hand. It took every ounce of him to not burst a vein, instead he recite Lan rules in his head

Killing is forbidden. He recited in his head

He keep watched as Yu Ziyuan pride made her refuse to retreat, cost her great amount of loss. Many of Jiang Disciples died and when the barrier that protected them finally broke because of Wen Zhuliu, Lotus Pier is no more.

But even after everything, she still choose her pride over her son, over her children. She decide to stay and died fighting instead of running away with her son, to be with him and to protect him like any mother would. She think she did her son favour but he thinks Yu Ziyuan is just selfish and prideful woman

"Wei Ying, look around you. This is all your fault, so listen carefully. Protect Jiang Cheng, you have to protect him until you die, understood?. Don't tell me any other nonsenses. I'm asking if you understood!"

Once upon a time, he have respect towards Yu Ziyuan, the violet spider as a felow cultivator

Jiang Fengmian stared into his eyes, then reached out. Only after pausing in the air for a moment did he finally touch Jiang Cheng’s head. “A-Cheng, be well.” Jiang Fengmian said“Uncle Jiang, if anything happens to you, he won’t be well,” Wei Ying pointed out. His sweet sweet Wei Ying who still care about other people even at a time like this

Jiang Fengmian turned his eyes on him. “A-Ying, A-Cheng— you must look after him.” he widened his eyes when he heard it, not expecting it at all but Wei Ying seems unfazed, he merely nod and look down. Then everything finally clicked in his head

Once upon a time, he have respect towards Jiang Fengmian as a sect leader of Jiang clan

But now, he doesn't even know if he can look at either of them without feeling disdain and disgust.

His surrounding is blurred away and he witnessing everything as Lotus Pier burned and the Jiang clan was massacred, the Wen even killed all the young disciple, he feel sick. But he was forced to watch as Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng decide to sneak back to Lotus Pier, watching as Wen Chao disrespecting Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan corpse.

Weirdly he didn't feel an ounce of guilt or sympathy for them. Though he did feel sympathy for all the Jiang disciples who died because they had no choice but to comply a selfish order from Yu Ziyuan. But he didn't feel any sympathy towards Jiang Fengmian or Yu Ziyuan, maybe it's because he know it's just a vision and has yet to happen or maybe it's because he hated them for what they did to Wei Ying

The scene changed again, now he find himself standing in the forest. He turned his head and there he could see Wei Ying trying to hold back the Jiang heir from running back to lotus pier "Jiang Cheng! What are you doing!? Don't go back! Wen Chao is still there, if you go back, you'll be killed. I know you want revenge... but not now" Wei Ying grunts and wince in pain, he guessing it must be the wound from Zidian that cause it

"Did you forget what your mother said?" Jiang Wanyin went still and Wei Ying slowly let him go "Jiang Cheng,” he whispered. “It’s never too late to take revenge. We–” before Wei Ying could finish his sentence Jiang Wanyin turned and punched him, Wei Ying staggered backwards “Jiang-”

“Why? Why?! Just why?” Jiang Wanyin shouted, staggering towards Wei Ying.“Are you happy now? Are you satisfied?!” Silver eyes widened as if Wei Ying didn't expect Jiang Wanyin to say that“Why did you have to save Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye?!” he shouted. His second punch manage to knock Wei Ying off his feet. Before he could fell Jiang Wanyin grabbed his collar

“Why did you do that?!” he shouted, shaking Wei Wuxian back and forth, madness seemingly creeping in.“I don’t care if Lan Muxin or Lan Xingye or Jin Zixuan dies! Just let them die! It's their own business, not ours! It's none of my family's business!! What’s their deaths got to do with us?!" The next punch brought Wei Ying to the ground. Wei Ying gritted his teeth, the zidian wound on his back must be flared and screamed from the impact

He clenched his fist, reminding himself that Jiang Wanyin is only teenager, this whole thing must be too much for him too 'Congratulations Yu Ziyuan, this is what your prideful has done to your son' he thought coldly. Then Jiang Wanyin did something that made his blood run cold

He reached out his hand, and wrapped them around Wei Ying's neck“Why?!” Jiang Wanyin repeated, slowly adding pressure to his hand until Wei Ying was gasping for air. He widened his eyes, Jiang Wanyin is choking Wei Ying, Jiang Wanyin is choking his Wei Ying. Golden eyes darkened as he keep watching the scene

“Why?! Why?! Why?!” Jiang Wanyin shouted, his eyes seemed unfocused and wild as he squeezed Wei Ying's neck tighter“Why did you save them? Why did you have to intervene?! How many times have I told you not to cause trouble?! Look at what you did?! Look at what you've done to my sect?! to my family?! Are you happy now?!” he screamed 

“Go to hell!” Jiang Wanyin shouted squeezing with all his might. “They should all just go to hell!” Wei Ying's face had become blue. Slowly, he brought his hand to touch Jiang Cheng’s arm, whispering “Jiang Cheng.” he whispered weakly

But his plea went unheard as Jiang Wanyin still choking him with all his might. His face split into a crazed smile, and he began to laugh. He laughed and laughed and laughed, and all the while kept choking Wei Ying. The boy hand slowly fell from Jiang Wanyin arms, his gaze become unfocused

Jiang Wanyin's laugh turn into sobs, tears fell to Wei Ying face as he slowly loosened his hand "I want my parents back" he whispered brokenly. Golden eyes watch him coldly, he didn't feel any sympathy for the Jiang heir, not when he just almost choked Wei Ying to death.

Drizzle start to fell and soon turn into rains. Wei Ying lift his right hand to cover his eyes as he choked back a sobs, tears running down his face as he crying silently. He kneel right beside Wei Ying, hand extended as if want to wipe the tears from his face 'Don't worry, Wei Ying. I will never let you cry or feel sad again' he whispered to no one

The scene change, he watched as Wei Ying try to bring Jiang Wanyin to Meishan Yu just like Yu Ziyuan ordered him to, but on the way there, Jiang Wanyin suddenly disappear. Wei Ying rushed back to Lotus Pier and found him almost half dead, they were helped by Wen Ning to escape and brought to Supervisory office in Yiling where his sister are. After reach there, although reluctantly Wen Qing decide to treated them

Jiang Wanyin core is crushed. He learned later just how far Wei Ying selflessness could go. It goes as deep as the ocean and as high as the sky

Because Wei Ying decide to give his own core to Jiang Wanyin. The core that protect him during his time in the street, the core that helped him fighting off the infection from the dog bites and illness. The core that he painstakingly built after he stayed in Lotus Pier because he started late and need to catch up with other disciples.

'He gave it away so easily' his Wei Ying is too good... He is too good for the Jiangs who only used him as punching bag and as a shield that ready to be thrown away at any time

Two days one night, to keep awake without anesthesia to lessen the pain

Wei Ying has to endure unimaginable amount of pain as Wen Ning hold him down. Scream filled the desserted mountain as Wen Qing slowly ripped apart his golden core, the very part of himself, the only thing that allowed him to cultivate from him and put it on Jiang Wanyin's body

Golden eyes narrowed at the Jiang heir, there's only one thought echoed in his mind 'he didn't deserve it' 

He watched as Wei Ying slowly opened his eyes, tired decorate his beautiful face "Is it working?" he asked, voice raspy and hoarse from all the screaming, when he saw Wen Qing nods, he smiled tiredly "That's good" he whispered before fell unconscious. He went to sat beside Wei Ying head, slowly his hand reaching forward, wishing he able to caressing Wei Ying's hair, only to get painful reminder as his hand went through Wei Ying's head, that he isn't actually there.

He clenched his fist "Don't worry, Wei Ying. Everything will be okay now" he murmurs softly. He never thought how wrong he was, it doesn't get better instead everything went even worse.

The Burial Mounds. An ancient battlefield filled with corpse in every inch of its land and filled to the brim with resentment in every part of its air. No one able to purify the resentment in here for centuries, no human nor soul could get out once it stepped inside. The place was like a living nightmare with no way out 

“Wei Ying,” Wen Chao started “Do you have any idea where we are?” Wei Ying looked around, eyes widening as he flinched “That’s right, we're in the Burial Mounds.” he grinned. “It’s right in Yiling. I’m sure even you Yunmeng people have heard about it. It’s a mountain of corpses— an ancient battleground. Take a shovel and dig wherever you want and you'll find corpse. In addition to that, this also a perfect place to dump unwanted corpse." he explains

“Look at the darkness in the air. Tsk, tsk, tsk, the hostile energy is strong. And the resentful energy is so thick, isn’t it? You can even see it in the middle of the day. Even the Wen clan couldn’t do anything about it. We could only set barricade to prevent people from going in.”

Wen Chao turned at him and grinned. He widened his eyes as he watch Wen Chao throw Wei Ying to the burial mounds, push him off the edge purposely choose the cliff where the resentment is the densest. He watch as Wei Ying collided with the ground, he could hear every bone inside the boy broken from the impact.

He was there watching all the horror that happened to Wei Ying in those three months.

He was there as he witnessed Yiling Laozu born from the deepest hell of the earth

And yet, after watching all of that. The things that happened after that... were too much for him

“Lan er-gege, we’ve just reunited after so long and you’re already trying to catch me.” Wei Ying said sharply“Wei Ying, there is always a price to pay for practicing evil. There has never been an exception.” Lan Wangji warned "It doesn’t matter. I can pay whatever the price is.” Wei Ying is outright growling at the older man, obviously looked irritated 

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji whispered. “Come back to Gusu with me.”  he could see desperation on his future self and unconsciously clenched his fist “To Gusu?” Wei Ying asked, his eyes returning to the warm silver in his confusion before going back to red “I see,” Wei Wuxian laughed. “After all, your uncle despises the unorthodox and he despise me! You’re his most beloved nephew of course you’re the same as him!” he screamed

"It is not to condemn you–"

"What it is then? To mends my way? or to take away my powers!? Who do you think you are? I’m not afraid of you or the Gusu Lan clan!”

Jiang Wanyin stepped between the two "Hanguang jun. With all due respect whether Wei Wuxian is right or wrong he belongs to our Jiang clan, what he has done is not up to Lan clan to judge" Lan Wangji looked between Jiang Wanyin and Wei Ying, clenching his fist, he finally turned around and walked away

Ever since then, Wei Ying relationship with his future self getting worse and worse everytime they met as the former will always try to avoid the older man while the latter always scolding the younger, try to stop him from using the unorthodox way.

As the war keep raging on, Hanguang jun and Yiling Laozu become one of the main figure that able to change the tide of the war. And even though they usually fight side by side in battle, they were known as arch enemies, always getting into argument whenever they met.

Even after the war's over... everything just went down hill.

"A-xian is my brother. For me, insulting him is not a small matter"

"Don’t you understand? When you’re standing on their side, you’re the bizarre genius, the miraculous hero, the force of the rebellion, the flower that blooms alone. But the second your voice differs from theirs, you’ve lost your mind, you’ve ignored morality, you’ve walked the crooked path"

"If you insist on protecting them, then I won’t be able to protect you!”

“Just go. Leave me alone, tell the world I defected. From now on, no matter what Wei Wuxian does, it has nothing to do with the Yunmeng Jiang clan.”

“Let the self judge right and wrong. Allow others to direct praise or blame, let gains and losses remain uncommented on,” Wei Wuxian said. “I don’t care what others say. I know what I should do. I believe I’ll be able to control it.”

"Ah, whatever. Who cares about the nice crowded, broad road? I’ll walk the single-plank bridge into the night!"

"A-xian, i'm getting married soon. I want to show you how i'll look"

"A-li... is still waiting for you"

"Who can tell me now... what should i do?"

"Wen Ning is just a knife in my hand... i am the killer"

"It's not supposed to be like this... it's shouldn't be like this"

"I barely told you this before but today, i want to say it. Because there won't be another chance in the future. Sorry and thank you"

"A-xian, you ran so fast that i didn't even have time to look at you"

"Good. My good little brother"

He witnessing as Wei Ying slowly descent into madness. That night, in the nightless city, Wei Ying use the stygian tiger seal and kill more than three thousand cultivator. He watch as Lan Wangji dragged the unconscious Wei Ying away and hide them both in the cave, for two days straight Lan Wangji transferring energy to the young man who sat blankly on a rock within the cave. He was whispering softly, all while Wei Ying repeated the same two sentence to him

"Get lost!!"

The elders eventually find them and Lan Wangji was forced to hurt 33 elders to protect Wei Ying. After he brought Wei Ying back to the Burial Mounds, he returned to Cloud recesses in weakened state and low spiritual energy to receive his punishment. He kneeled before the Wall of rules for so long before he punished in one go. Thirty tree lashes of discipline whip, the same amount of elders he hurt. They add another 33 lashes because they deem Hanguang jun was old enough to know better than to let emotion cloud his judgement

"Young master Wei has made a grave mistake, there's no use augmenting it" his brother told him when he kneel in front of the wall of rules. Lan Wangji looked up and from his gaze alone Lan Xichen realize just how deep his brother feeling for the younger man

With firm voice, Lan Wangji reply "I could not say with certainty whether what he did was right or wrong, but no matter what, i'm willing to shoulder all the consequences with him"

But it still wasn't enough. Even after everything he did, it wasn't enough to protect Wei Ying. They laid a siege on him, killing everyone in the burial mounds.

In amidst of chaos, he sees Wei Ying. His beautiful selfless Wei Ying still thinking about other people as he destroy the seal.

He watch as the army of corpse turn against its master and eat him alive, destroy him until there was no soul left

He watch as his brother told his future self what went around always came around, that one's deed would be paid no matter what– that the yiling patriarch finally died, both body and soul

He watch as Lan Wangji dragged his battered body to the burial mounds, searched for many days atop the entire mountain but he could find nothing. Not even a piece of bone, a scrap of flesh nor a single strand of dissipating soul

He watch during the period his future self was bedridden, he manage to reach ascension and become the second person known to ever reach immortality but none of it matter anymore. Not when the light of his life flicker to die because of the world

Lan Wangji woke up with gasp, sweat drenched his whole body, blood pounding in his ear, his heart beating so fast that he was sure he could hear it from across the room, golden eyes flicker around the unfamiliar room

"Oh! it's nice to see you awake, Hanguang jun!"

He turned his head and saw a man he didn't know. Instinctively, he shot up from the bed, hissed when his head felt like it was being nailed with hundreds of nails, it felt like its about to explode and his vision swarmed with thousand butterfly

"Woah woah woah, easy there Hanguang jun. I'm so sorry, i didn't expect for my spell to have such a strong effect for you. I was just planned to show you some flashes of vision from your future with your beloved. It should be just tiny bit of vision maybe not longer than two minutes but you've been unconscious for four days" the man chuckled nervously "So i have to purposely break the spell in order to wake you up"

The vision... 'So that's why the vision become flashes of image near the end because the spell was purposely broken'

Golden eyes widened as his brain finally registered and remembered what's happening. The nighthunt, the lecture, the sunshot campaign, the siege, Wei Ying!

He stood up, too fast for his body liking resulting him swaying on his feet a little bit. The seer squeaked "Ah! Hanguang jun! Be careful, you shouldn't get out of the bed, you've been unconscious for five days!" Hanguang jun narrowed his eyes "You said it was four"

The seer paled before chuckled nervously "Four days for me to realize there's something wrong and a day for me to break the spell" he explains, Lan Wangji went stilled for a moment before let out a sigh and stand straighter "I am fine now. I've been imposing to your hospitality, i thank you very much"

The seer laughed "No need to thank me, this was all caused by me anyway. I'm sorry once again and thank you for saving me that night from the dog demon" he paused looking at Lan Wangji "But are you sure you're gonna leave now?" he asked. Lan Wangji nods "I have something i need to do" hearing his answer, the seer didn't say anything but he keep staring at him as if assessing something before break into wide smile "I see you have something you need to do now"

Lan Wangji nods, before fell into deep bow of gratitude "Thank you once again, if you ever need anything just come to Cloud recesses" he said before pulled a pouch filled with gold and silver coins. The seer's smile widened before he snatch the pouchs "Don't worry, Hanguang jun. I will take you on that favor one day. I'm glad if my vision were any help" Lan Wangji nods before leaving, eyes filled with determination 

'Wei Ying. This time, no matter what happen, i will protect you'

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji mount his sword as he dashed through the sky

Truthfully his mind were still in turmoil and pretty much in shambles. The vision– was too much for him but Lan Wangji has no time to waste, there's only five years left until the starting point of the vision

His encounter with his Wei Ying at Gusu Lan lecture will happen in five years and until then, he had so many things to do to ensure Wei Ying safety in the future

The distance between the village he was night hunting and Gusu is quite far away, by the time he could make out the shape of the mountains that surrounded the Cloud Recesses it was already deep into the night, he fly almost all night, he realized. He slowly lowered his sword on the courtyard and immediately greeted by the Lan disciples who was in charge for the night patrol “Hanguang jun“ they bowed, he nods at them “Should i inform Lan zongzhu about your arrival?“ ask one of them

“There's no need, inform Xiongzhang at the morning and told him i wish to speak with him and shufu“ he replied “Do you want teas to be served to your room?“ ask one of the disciples again “No need, i wish to spend the night meditating without disturbance “ he answered, without waiting for a reply he start walking towards the direction of cold spring.

He need to cool himself down

As soon as he reach the spring, he doesn't waste time before shedding all his outer and inner robes, with only his pants on he walked slowly into the pond

The freezing water manage to awaken and clear his mind, he let out a satisfy hum. As he fell into deep meditation his mind began to recalled all the event he saw from the vision.

The Gusu Lan lecture, Qishan Wen discussion conference, the burning of Cloud Recesses, the Qishan Wen indoctrination camp, the massacre of Lotus Pier, the Sunshot campaign, the incident in Jin prisoner camp, the Ambush on Qiongqi path and the Siege of Burial Mounds. Those were are all the main event that he should be ready with and try to fix for Wei Ying

The first event is the Gusu Lan lecture, this will be where his first encounter with Wei Ying happened. Unlike in the vision Lan Wangji didn't want to treat Wei Ying cold and harshly, he want to treat the young man better even spoiling him rotten like he deserved. Wei Ying loves Emperor smile so he need to make sure to buy lot of them, he also love chili oil, so Lan Wangji need to buy that too. He couldn't forget such important things, Wei Ying loves spice, he couldn't live with it and Gusu Lan food is too bland for Wei Ying.

Maybe Lan Wangji should cook for him, it's easier to make the dishes that Wei Ying loves than asking the kitchen staff to do it, it also felt more accomplished. Lan Wangji is not the best cook but he has learned the basic during his traveling, maybe he should start learn to make Yunmeng cuisine, spicy dishes is their speciality, not to mention that's also where Wei Ying grown up.

The next thing he should be worry about during the lecture is Waterborne abyss. He should be prepared this time, this type of demon comes from the resentment brewing in the water, it take years and many drowned victims for this type of demon to form but people in Caiyi town are adapted to water and almost all of them could swim, no wonder his future self didn't even think there was a chance it was Waterborne abyss that they fought

It was Qishan Wen. They are the one who pushed the demon into Gusu territory, Lan Wangji wonder if he should stop them from doing it, but he immediately drop the idea. If he do that, there's a chance he would start conflict between Lan clan and Wen clan.

The only way is to eliminate the Waterborne abyss 

But– this type of demon is hard to eliminate once it takes shape unless every drop of water is completely removed and every treasure and sinked ship below it exposed to the sun for five years. That is the only way to get rid of it, but that's well beyond the power of humans.

Gusu Lan could suppress it but it wasn't a permanent solution, an action still need to be taken. Lan Wangji sighed, he couldn't prevent it from taking shape either as it was deriven from Qishan and already taking shape by the time it was send flowing down to Biling lake. There's no other way, he need to think of a new way, to create a new solution to get rid of it somehow.

After pondering about it for a moment, he find there's only two solution he could think, the first is to find something that could help him from the library, Gusu Lan has a centuries worth of knowledge, there must be something that could help to get rid of it.

The second is to ask a help from Lan Caihe, Gusu Lan renowed talisman master and also from Wei Ying, the teen was a genius especially in talisman field, maybe Lan Wangji could ask him for a suggestion of how to get rid the waterborne abyss and maybe, that way, he could spend more time with the boy

The next problem would be Su She, he couldn't forget about him, the dumb disciples who manage to lost his sword during the night hunt at Biling lake and because his recklessness, he almost put Wei Ying in danger. He need to make sure Su She didn't go with them to Caiyi town or maybe even better, he could make sure Su She never become disciples of the Lan clan. If he recall, Su She is also the one who shot that arrow to Wei Ying in Xuanwu cave.

Lan Wangji gritted his teeth, yeah, maybe he should make sure Su She would never become Lan disciples. If only Su She wasn't a mere child right now, Lan Wangji would find his house and kill him himself but Lan Wangji is not profound to the idea of killing a child so he would stick to the plan to make sure he never become a Lan disciples

The next important event would be the fight between Jin Zixuan and Wei Ying. Lan Wangji should treat this one with delicacy because this event would lead to many important event, the broken engagement between Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli and Wei Ying going back to Lotus Pier with Jiang Fengmian. While Lan Wangji think he should prevent the breaking of the engagement so Wei Ying could be saved from Yu Ziyuan's wrath, preventing her from having new reason to berated and blame Wei Ying about something,

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask what about her I could be satisfied with?!”

He also also think that Jin Zixuan deserve the harsh slap of reality and he need to groveling for Jiang Yanli love and trust with his own effort.

“If you like her so much, why don’t you talk to her father? If you want her, I don’t think he’d object. Doesn’t he treat you better than his own child or something-”

Lan Wangji brows twitched at the memory. It was better to be this way, he thought. The breaking of the engagement will provide Jin Zixuan a chance to matured and be a better man than his father and Jiang Yanli definitely deserve a better man than the current Jin heir. For all the hates he had towards the Jiangs family, he didn't hate Jiang Yanli as she was the only source of Wei Ying comfort in that hellhole

With that in mind, Lan Wangji decide to not interrupt with the fight

His mind drifted to the next event, Qishan Wen discussion conference. This will be the first time Lan Wangji met Wei Ying again after he got expelled, this was when Wei Ying would accidentally rip the famous Hanguang jun forehead ribbon in front of everyone, which in the vision would resulting him got berated again by Yu Ziyuan because of Lan Wangji negative reaction.

But this time, Lan Wangji would happily and gladly let it happen. He could probably used this as a reason to start courting Wei Ying and talking about an arrange marriage between him and the younger man. He nods to himself. This could be a really perfect chance for him. If he played it right, he could get engagement with Wei Ying from this. He couldn't help but smiled at the thought.

The real problem is the archery competition. Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye will come out as winner, taking the second and third place and receive endless praise from other sect which will hurt the Wens pride especially Wen Ruohan and his two sons even more. At first, Lan Wangji think that he simply shouldn't let Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye to participate but after he mull over it again, he come to conclusions that this would be a bad decision.

First of all, Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye were known as Gusu Lan best disciples, if Lan Wangji didn't participate them in the archery competition, aside from creating an opportunity for the Wen to start suspects them of something, it would also felt like he put a target on other people back that would eventually replace his nephew and take the second and third place. What if it's disciples from small sect that will absolutely have no chance against the Wen? And whose to say they won't target Wei Ying, the person who took the first place instead?

No, Lan Wangji absolutely cannot do that. He need to make sure Wei Ying is as far away as possible from the wen and the original path that the fate has set him to. If the only way to do it is to participate Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye in the archery competition, then he will do it.

Second of all, he's convinced that the Wens will use any reason they could came up with to attack and burn Cloud recesses no matter what, just like when they decide to came up with ridiculous reason when they attack Cloud recesses and Lotus Pier in the vision.

And third, the burning of Cloud recesses is an important turn of events that will work as flint to ignite the small move that later will known as the Sunshot campaign. This means that he can't do anything about the attack, he need to let the Wen to attack Cloud recesses.

But, this doesn't mean he can't tamper with the events. The reason why the attack has been successful is because of the fact that they were caught off guard and their weak old protection ward that couldn't hold the assault from the Wens. His clan has been traditional and old minded one, so upgrading their ward is always not on their to do list. And beside, Gusu Lan has always taught their disciples to be peaceful and pacifist, they will be not ready to shed blood especially if it's human blood and it's impossible to change how they've been taught when there's only short amount of time left

That left him with one solution... to upgrade their protection ward

The Lan clan has never change or upgrade their ward for generations, the current array used right now was very old and easy to penetrate but Lan Wangji must admit, even though he very vastly knowledgeable and know well about wards and arrays, it's still wasn't his specialize field. Lan Caihe is Gusu Lan renowed and specialist in array and talisman, maybe he should discuss this with her. There's also another option to ask Wei Ying for his opinion. 

Lan Wangji know that Wei Ying is a genius when it comes to array and talisman, maybe he could ask the teen for some opinion and suggestion of how to make new protection ward that can withstand cultivator attack and fire. He could do it when they discuss about the Waterborne abyss or during their one month punishment in the library.

He contemplating the option but immediately scratch the idea, the Waterborne abyss is enough problem, he can't possibly burden the younger man even more with this ridiculous task too. Lan Wangji would have to stick with Lan Caihe's help only

There's also two other problem that comes from the burning of Cloud recesses. The first problem is him and his brother that was forced to flee to save their important and fragile scripture filled with centuries old knowledge. Lan Wangji couldn't afford to be forced to flee this time and neither does his brother. That's why they need to copy all the important scripture and keep it safe somewhere in the Cloud recesses, five years would be enough to do that.

The second problem is his nephew, Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye, who was dragged and forced to attend the indoctrination camp. This is the reason why Lan Wangji nor his brother can't afford to flee from the Cloud Recesses, he couldn't possibly left their nephews like that after knowing just how cruel Wen Chao gonna treat them in the indoctrination camp and how they almost die in that Xuanwu cave

So, Lan Wangji will still let the Wen attack Cloud Recesses but he will not let them win. Upgrading the wards and copying all the important scripture were the two important things that he needs to do in order to win against Wen Xu army. As for Wen Xu, he was confident enough he could fight the man and win

The next important event is the indoctrination camp. Lan Wangji hate to admit it but he can't think of anything that could possibly prevent this event from happening nor think of any way to prevent other heir from attending the camp. He can't think of any way to save Wei Ying from this, he can try to talk with Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan but from their point of view, to have Hanguang-jun try to coerce you not to send your head disciple to the indoctrination camp would obviously look weird and suspicious

There's no other option, Lan Wangji would need to find a way to sneak in and help Wei Ying himself. Thanks to the vision, he know where exactly the Xuanwu cave is, he could find a way in and save Wei Ying from fighting the beast by himself.

The massacre of Lotus Pier. As much as Lan Wangji despise the Jiangs family and wanted to see their demise after what they put Wei Ying through and will put in the future, they're still a family to his Wei Ying. The same reason why he can't swoop in to Lotus Pier and forcibly take Wei Ying away from his home right at this moment. No, Lan Wangji is not and will never become someone like his father. He won't trap Wei Ying here like what his father did to his mother

That's why, as much as Lan Wangji hate the Jiangs, he still need to prevent the Lotus Pier massacre from happening. Beside, all those disciples were innocent, they didn't deserve to meet such an end just because their leader was too prideful to retreat. But it also doesn't mean he would forgive the Jiangs for all the abuse they did to Wei Ying, no, he will never forgive them for that. Especially Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan, recalling their name is enough to put bitter taste in his mouth.

Jiang Fengmian who only saw Wei Ying as a living shield for his son. He manipulate Wei Ying mind to always prioritize Jiang Wanyin first over his own safety and Yu Ziyuan who only saw Wei Ying as something to vent her anger and bitterness on.

His sweet sweet Wei Ying whose ready to give every part of him, his life and his soul just to ensure the Jiang heir safety. Lan Wangji need to think about a fitting punishment for both of them, maybe he could cut one of their limbs and disguise it as one of the Wen who did it or maybe, he could 'accidentally' let one of Wen Zhuliu attack to hit them and let him damage or even melt their core. There's so many idea of what he could do to the Jiangs and Lan Wangji couldn't wait to put them all into action

Wei Ying might be too sweet and kind to hold grudge but Lan Wangji doesn't.

The massacre could be prevent at least to the most minimum damage, Lan Wangji just need to be there when the attack happened and took control of the situation. He couldn't guarantee there won't be any deaths but he could make it so there's only the smallest damage. He also need to think about civilians, they were innocent and shouldn't be involved in this mess. He should make evacuate route for the civilians and the disciples, for that he need Wei Ying help in providing the full map of Yunmeng and their water way.

The Jiang disciples were trained well around water, waterway escape would be an easy thing for them and as for civilians, he could try to evacuate them bit by bit. As for the wen, aside from Wen Zhuliu there's nothing that he should be wary of, Wen Chao is nothing but a pampered young master. He remind Lan Wangji of Jin Guangshan, maybe the both of them actually has blood relation knowing the Jin leader really love spreading his seed. Lan Wangji mentally shook his head, he couldn't get sidetracked, he need to focus.

Burial mounds and Golden core transfer. This two are one of the vision that Lan Wangji refuse to think about ever since he woke up from the seer spell, the horror that Wei Ying was put through made him want to just snap and kill everyone who responsible for it.

The Jiangs and the Wens.

Without any care of the consequences.

Everytime he think about this event, he felt like he could just turn into a beast, letting the monster inside him that has been repressed to be free and went feral, it felt like he could just torn, ripped and snap every neck that responsible for this. Whenever he close his eyes he would imagine how it feel to rip Wen Chao's neck watching as the life in his eyes drained away, with Wen Zhuliu he will slowly carved his sword into him and ripped his golden core by his own hand

His mind drifted to the Jiangs family. He'd imagine how it feel to choke Jiang Wanyin's neck like he did to Wei Ying and then snap it so easy it will feel like snapping a small branch. He imagine how it would feel to torn Jiang Fengmian's neck, watching as the coward looking at him with fear. Stabbing Yu Ziyuan right on her neck, watching her as she bleed away and choked on her own blood.

It send thrill and shiver through his body thinking about millions way to kill them in the most gruesome way possible.

Two days one night, to have awake and without anesthesia. Being able to feel every bit of pain as the golden core ripped from him. Feeling as the ocean of spiritual energy slowly drained until there was nothing left, only an empty hollow pit.

And then those three months Wei Ying spend in burial mounds. The sickening sounds of bone breaking when the boy body collided with the ground. The struggle to keep running from the countless ferocious corpse, unable to sleep, unable to take rest. Those days when the hunger becoming too much that he have to eat what's there

He felt like venom crawled all over his body and the want of revenge is stronger than ever

’Dont worry, times will come when the Jiangs and the Wens will get what they deserves. What went around always came around– one's deed would be paid no matter what’ he told himself 

As for the Sunshot Campaign. Lan Wangji definitely on big advantage, the vision grant him with knowledge about the war although not the fullest but he still had all knowledge about Wen's attack, where and when the most critical battle will happen and the fact that the Jin clan will sided with the Wens almost half through the war, supplying them with money and food. In the vision, they purely dependent on Wei Ying ghostly path but this time, it will be different.

Lan Wangji would make sure about it.

They will have the Lan and the Nie power in their fullest, he also wouldn't let the Jiang to completely exterminated and he also had power from the smaller sect. This time, they will be prepared. There's no need for Wei Ying ghostly path or stygian tiger seal because Lan Wangji would never let him fall.

The problem that will came after that is the innocent Wen. He saw what will happen in that Jin prisoner camp and whose say that doesn't happen in other prisoner camp. Not to mention, there's also the problem with Wens sibling, Wen Qing and Wen Ning. Although in this life Lan Wangji hadn't had the chance to met them yet but it felt like he already own them a huge debt, a life debt, they are the real siblings Wei Ying ever had in his life. They were ready to give up their lives, if it means they can save Wei Ying and Lan Wangji will always be grateful for that

Lan Wangji need to focus on the Wen branch family, make sure that they save after the war. They were all weak woman and elderly, Lan Wangji saw them. To think they will get massacred and their remains will be thrown into blood pool, not even getting a proper burial just because they bear the Wen surname is sickening. Even Wen Qing and Wen Ning, their ashes were scattered and he was there by the side line, not even trying to do anything. He felt sick towards his future self

The way the cultivation world treated the Wen is nothing different than what a barbaric would do. They won't even spare children, woman and eldery. Lan Wangji couldn't let what happened in the vision to happen. He need to prevent the Jin from taking over the control after the war, they are the least sect that contribute with the war and yet they had the audacity to take control.

He need to prevent Jin Guangshan from taking the chief cultivator mantle

But this doesn't mean Lan Wangji will take the position, definitely no. The position for Chief Cultivator is too troublesome, beside he want to be always by Wei Ying side, he wouldn't have time to care about Cultivation world. Lan Wangji will think about who better to take the Chief Cultivator position later. All he need to do is to make sure Jin Guangshan never take the position and whoever will take it, at least should be a decent person

Lan Wangji let out a sigh. If he want to change Wei Ying future then he should try to prevent what happened in Qiongqi ambush from happening. But since Wei Ying wouldn't even be using ghostly path (Lan Wangji would do everything he could to prevent him from giving away his golden core and falling to burial mounds. Even if it means he need to sweep in and take Wei Ying away before he can go up the mountain where Wen Qing and Wen Ning await him) he shouldn't be worry about this event anymore

Though he need to do something about Jin Guangshan's nephew, maybe he should make it so he accidentally got killed in the battlefield, become one of the casualties.

As long as he could prevent the burning of his sect and the massacre of Lotus Pier, Lan Wangji think, it won't be hard to steers the rest of the event

Lan Wangji opened his eyes and he could see the first light of morning start to glimmering from the horizon. He's been meditating in the spring all night, he realized. Lan Wangji walked out of the pond and put on his robe before walking to the jingshi. His choice to meditate in cold spring seems the best choice as he felt very calm and refreshed now.

As he put on a new set of robe, there was a knock on the door “Hanguang jun. Lan zongzhu is waiting for you in the Hanshi“ the disciple informed him “Mn, tell him i'll be there soon“ he replied. As he put on the last layer of his outer robe, he took a deep breath ’Mother, please grant me your blessing so everything will work out, so i can save him’ he thought going out and walk to the Hanshi

“Wangji“ his brother immediately greeted as soon as he opened the door, face lit up, like it always did whenever they met after he go back from his traveling. Lan Wangji would never thought in his life that the sight of his uncle and his brother could make his stomach dropped.

He freeze in his place, a vision appeared replacing the sight he currently see. Him kneeling on their ancestral hall, while the 33 elders that he hurt to protect Wei Ying look at him with disappointment some of them even sneer at him, disdain clearly displayed on their face. There was his brother and his nephews each were hold down by two disciples as they plead to Lan Qiren to not whip him but Lan Qiren didn't budge as he raised the whip

“Wangji?“ his brother voice startled him out of his thoughts, he looked up and saw his brother and his uncle were looking at him with worried expression. Lan Wangji mentally shook himself as he straighten up “Greetings, Xiongzhang, Shufu“ he bowed, ignoring how sweaty his hand is from the nerves. He walked inside and took a seat in front of his brother while his uncle sat on his right

“Are you feeling okay, Wangji? You look little pale“ his uncle pointed out. Another vision appeared overlapping his sight “I'm so disappointed with you Wangji. You're really your father son“ it was the first thing his Uncle said after he nearly killed him with 66 lashes

“Maybe you should go to the healers first, so they could check and make sure you're okay“ his brother suggested, another vision appeared “Young master Wei is dead, they laid siege to Burial Mounds. I'm so sorry Wangji“ it was his brother who convey him the unavoidable news, the news that made Lan Wangji world crumbled, the news that made him dragged his battered body to burial mounds, searching for days the entire mountain for any piece left of him that he could find but he couldn't find any. Not a bone, not a piece of flesh, not even a piece of dissipating soul.

Lan Wangji gulped, throat suddenly felt dry “No need, xiongzhang. I am fine“ he said, trying so hard to compose himself “Are you sure? I heard from the disciple you were flying all night and then spend your time in the cold spring. You didn't even have any chance to rest in the Jingshi. I know you had high cultivation but if something bothering you, you can always tell me“ his brother said worryingly

“I have been meditating in cold spring, Xiongzhang don't have to worry, i feel more ease and freshened than ever“ he replied, which was not a lie “Okay, but if you feel anything slightly wrong, you should immediately go to A-yu and let her checks you“ Lan Xichen said, he nodded.

“I heard you were night hunting near Yiling. That place is near the burial mounds, maybe some of the resentment cause your uneasiness, maybe i should play cleansing for you?“ Lan Qiren suggested while Lan Xichen start pouring the teas “I am fine, uncle. The place i was staying were not anywhere near the burial mounds“ he reassures, Lan Qiren stared at him before nods and took a sip of his tea “So what was it this time?“ he asked

Lan Wangji took a sip of his tea “A dog beast“ he replied, another vision appeared, a child not older than six year running through snowy weather, on his trail were pack of wild dogs, with its canine ready to bite the child. Lan Wangji shook himself mentally, he need to focus “Shufu, Xiongzhang. How have you been? How are the Cloud recesses and the clan while i'm gone?“ he asked try to distracted his mind from thinking a certain lonely street child

“Me and Xichen were doing fine, so does the Cloud recesses and the clan. The last discussion conference were also going smooth. Although, i do hear some unexpected news coming from Clan leader Jiang“ his Uncle explained, at the mention of the name Lan Wangji couldn't help but clench the fist that was on his lap “This is my first time hearing this. What was the news, Shufu?“ Xichen asked “Sect leader Jiang finally has found the child he's been searched for years“

At this, Lan Wangji couldn't help but perked up “Ah, you mean the child of his former head disciple and right hand, Wei Changze?“ Lan Xichen asked “Yeah, he found him a year ago in Yiling“ replied Lan Qiren “I heard his parents were both died in nighthunt, i thought their child perish with them“ at that Lan Qiren huffed “Everyone thought so too, but who would've know that he was in Yiling all this time“ the older man said, stroking his goatee

“Yiling was close to Yunmeng“ he stated, not directly implying anything but it was enough to imply how weird for a Clan Leader from a prominent clan to have difficulty searching for a street child especially since Yiling was close to Yunmeng. Both his uncle and his brother looked at him, frowning. “Wangji, do not make assumption of other“ his uncle remind him, Lan Wangji gripped his tea cup slightly tighter ‘That was not your reaction when you assume the worst of Wei Ying the first time you met him and then denounce him and his ghostly path without even trying to learn his reasoning' he thought bitterly

“How was Muxin and Xingye doing?“ Lan Wangji asked, changing the topic, at the question his brother face lit up and smile grazed his face “They're doing great, they keep improving on their lesson, their movement and sword skill too has been improved alot while you're gone. They missed their uncle, maybe you should drop by this evening while they're on training ground“ his brother explain, Lan Wangji nods “I will, Xiongzhang. How was Yuen-jie?“ at the question, Lan Xichen face softened “A-yu is doing great too. Ever since we decide to add herb and medicine to the curriculum, she's been busy. She also been teaching the basic to Muxin and Xingye“ he explained “That is great to hear“ he commented

As he say it the door to the Hanshi opened and reveal a beautiful woman dressed in white carrying a tray of food followed by two teenager each brought a tray of food and snack. It was his sister in law Lan Yuen and his nephew Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye. He nods at them.

Lan Yuen is coming from family of their distant cousin but still counts as inner member, her grandfather is a distant cousin of Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen grandmother. She is renowed healer, very skilled in medicine and herbs. Lan Yuen has beautiful appearance and childlike face. Her beauty even make Jin Guangshan propose her when they were young, but she reject the older man right in front of everyone and mock him for having no face to propose someone as young as her when he already married.

Being raised with high status Lan Yuen is very polite and graceful, very similar to Lan Xichen. But unlike him, Lan Yuen can be very fierce and firm when it comes to her family and her patients, she also had strong sense of justice. One time she stopped Jin Guangshan attempt to make advance on a young servant girl by paralyzing him with her needle, she was only teenager that time but Lan Xichen who saw her bravery immediately smitten and start courting her.

He was rejected several times, she commented how she doesn't need a too polite and pushover husband like him, instead feeling hurt by her word Lan Xichen only become more ardent is showing how serious he is and keep trying to be better man for her, when she finally cave in, their first date end up being very awkward that Lan Qiren need to step in. Lan Wangji know that her sister in law will get along well with Wen Qing.

As soon as his nephew eyes landed on him their face lit up and they skipped happily towards the table “Shushu!!“ scream both of them, Lan Qiren huffed “Running are prohibited. Noise are prohibited“ he scold but both teenager ignore him, after putting the tray on the table they immediately jump to hug Lan Wangji “Shushu, when did you arrive?“ ask Lan Muxin “Why didn't you tell us when you arrive?“ ask Lan Xingye. Lan Wangji face softened “I just arrived last night“ he inform them

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye are the best nephew in the world and this opinion absolutely not biased. Even though they are famed to be the new twin jade but their personality and appearance are nothing like Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen. For example, the oldest sibling, Lan Muxin has boisterous personality. He often say what he think, very straightforward, open and honest with his opinion. He also has playful personality much similar to Wei Ying, only a little more restrained due to him being raised in Lan clan. He also show interest in becoming a healer, learn many things about herb and medicine from his mother.

The younger sibling, Lan Xingye, is very well-mannered, gentle and treats everyone with respect and kindness regardless of their status and upbringing. She is similar to Lan Xichen but while her father always had polite aura that keep everyone at distance, she didn't have any of those. Getting along and interact with people so easily. She is very organized and a very good leader.

Unlike her older siblings who interested in herbs and medicine, Lan Xingye obsessed with sword and fighting. She love dueling other Lan disciples even challenging disciples from other clan. People often called her a lily with a thorn, despite her gentle personality she shouldn't be looked down to.

As the family eating their breakfast, Lan Wangji could practically feel the excitement coming from his nephew as they went through their breakfast faster than usual. Lan Wangji couldn't help but feel warm inside him, another vision appeared. It was his nephew being dragged to Nightless city after the burning of Cloud recesses, under constant bullying of Wen Chao during their indoctrination camp and their near death experience in that Xuanwu cave.

Lan Wangji close his eyes as he set aside his chopsticks “How are my nephew's doing?“ he asked after he finished his breakfast “We're doing great“ replied Lan Muxin “And your lesson?“ he asked the two teenager “It's going great!!“ replied Lan Muxin “A-niang praise me when i able to identify a hundred herbs“ he said proudly “Me too!! me too!!“ Lan Xingye said excitedly “Master Heizu praise my movement the other day“ she told Lan Wangji

He nods approvingly “Lan Heizu is one of our renowed sword master, good job A-xing“ he praised before turned towards Lan Muxin “Your mother is a very skilled and famous healer, to be praised by her is something worth to proud of“ he said

Lan Yuen scoffs “I'm happy to be called skilled but i'm nothing compared to Zhiruo-xiong“ she commented while pouring tea for everyone, at that Lan Wangji raise his eyebrows “Zhiruo?“ he questioned, Lan Yuen nodded “Wen Zhiruo, he is Wen Ruohan's cousin. Unlike the annoying prideful Wen main family“ he could hear Lan Qiren clear his throat but Lan Yuen ignore him “Wen Zhiruo's branch family is famed as a healer family, swore to never take a life. Their family had produce alot of talented healer from generation to generation“ at her explaination Lan Wangji freeze, feeling like he just got thrown with a bucket of ice water

“Does... does he have children?“ he asked, Lan Yuen nods “He had two. Wen Qing and Wen Ning. While Wen Ning born with weak body and weak cultivation, Wen Qing is a rare flower among the rarest flower out there. She is a genius in medical world, i believe she could even surpass her father in several years. I heard her talent start to catch the attention of her uncle“ Lan Yuen explained

“I see“ Lan Wangji said taking a sip of his tea “Shushu, how was your last night hunting?“ Lan Muxin asked “Tell us what did you fight this time. Was it another fierce ghost? ferocious corpse? or a beast!?“ Lan Xingye asked, eyes glimmering with excitement “It was a dog beast“ he replied, Lan Xingye squealed in delight while Lan Qiren could only sigh in resigned, Lan Xichen smile while patting his uncle back

“How much are there? Is there a pack of them? How big they are? Did you manage to kill all of them?” Lan Muxin asked excitedly “There's five of them. They are ten times of the normal size and yes. I did manage to kill all of them“ he replied watching as his nephew keep rambling about many things. Watching his nephews, Lan Wangji couldn't help but felt time is precious. Every moment is precious.

That's right, time keep ticking, every day that pass is very precious. He ought not to waste it. With that in mind, Lan Wangji turned towards his uncle

“Shufu, there's actually something i wanted to talk about“ he started, catching everyone attention, even Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye has stop chattering. His uncle look at him “What is it?“ he asked, taking a deep breath, a flash image of Wei Ying appeared, his bright smile, his beautiful black hair and his shining silver eyes. Lan Wangji steeled his heart

“Wangji wish to enter seclusion“ he stated

Lan Qiren look taken back “Seclusion? What for?“ he inquired

“I am gonna attempt to breakthrough and ascend to immortality“ he replied.

There was a pause before he saw his brother and his sister in law widened their eyes while his uncle only nod in acknowledge “Hm, it's about time you attempt to breakthrough and gain immortality. You already in the brink of it, it will happen sooner or later“ he acknowledging, Lan Xichen broke into wide grin “This is amazing news, Wangji. If one deserves immortality, it'll be you“

Lan Yuen nods in agreement “Your cultivation is high. Wen Ruohan might have high cultivation too but he doesn't have merits that one need to gain immortality, unlike you“ she said proudly “Speaking ill of others is prohibited“ Lan Qiren remind, Lan Yuen only chuckled “I'm not speaking ill of other, Shufu. I'm merely stating the obvious“ she smiled, Lan Qiren sighed “Although this is very sudden, it is not unexpected, i do wonder what makes you suddenly change your mind“ he said stroking his goatee

Lan Wangji clenched his fist. Should he tell him about the vision? the fate of Cloud recesses? Lotus Pier massacre? the Sunshot campaign? About him who fall in love with a man half of his age? Who not only abandon the orthodox way to save his brother but inventing and cultivate the ghostly path? Should he tell him how Lan Wangji went against the clan to protect this man? Abandoning all the principal that has been engraved since he was little?

“I want to test my limit“ he replied instead, Lan Qiren didn't say anything as he nods “How long will you be in seclusion?“ he asked again, Lan Wangji hums “Around five years, i'm sorry Xiongzhang. I know this is very sudden and i have duty of my own“ Lan Xichen only smile “Wangji, you don't have worry about me or the clan. I have Shufu and a very capable wife beside me who will help me. Shufu was right, it is very sudden but not unexpected. You are very much in the brink of immortality, i see no problem in speeding up the process“ Lan Wangji nods

After breakfast over, Lan Wangji excuse himself and ask Lan Yuen permission to bring Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye to the library pavilion. Lan Yuen only nods while smile at them, so here he are. Walking hand in hand with his nephews, each claim a hand to hold onto “How was your music lesson? Have you choose an instrument?“ Lan Wangji ask, breaking the silence between them. Lan Xingye nods “I choose the xiao because Grand uncle said i'm quite talented with it“ she replied “I choose the guqin, so i could be as cool as Shushu“ Lan Muxin declared

“How about your inquiry lesson?“ the teenagers both perked up “Granduncle said we improve really well for our age“ replied Lan Xingye happily, Lan Wangji nods “It is rare for Shufu to praise someone that means you're both very talented. Keep your diligence and do not slack“ he praised, Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye nods happily

“Shushu, are you really gonna go to seclusion?“ the eleven years old ask, Lan Wangji looked down and nods “I am A-xing“ he replied “Will it hard? To reach immortality?“ Lan Xingye asked again “I do not know. The only other person known to have reach immortality is Baoshan Sanren but no one ever met her“

Lan Muxin huffed “What are you talking about a-xing? This is Shushu we're talking about. He will reach immortality with a blink of eyes“ he said proudly, Lan Wangji face softened. When they finally reach the library pavilion, he couldn't help but stilled in his step. For a second he thought he was back in the vision, watching helplessly as he saw the Wen burning his sect, burning the library pavilion where he spend a month alone with Wei Ying

“Shushu? Are you okay?“ Lan Xingye voice startled him out of his thoughts, he looked down and sees his nephew were looking at him with worried eyes “I am fine“ he replied before resume his walk “So what are we doing here, Shushu?“ Lan Muxin asked as they walked into the library “I have assignment for you two to do while i'm gone“ he said and both teenager immediately perked up

“Assignment? What kind of assignment are we gonna do?“ ask Lan Muxin excitedly, already bouncing around “I need you two to copy all the important fragile scripture and put them in this qiankun pouch“ he said while giving them both each a qiankun pouch

Lan Muxin tilted his head “You want us to copy scripture? Why? Did we break a rule?“ he asked panicked “You didn't break any rule, you two are the most discipline and diligent student i had“ he reassures “In our library, there are some very valuable scripture that you can't find anywhere anymore. Because of how old they are, this type of scripture are very fragile, that's why i want you both to copy them“ he explained “So we don't have to worry in case something happened to the original one?“ Lan Xingye asked, Lan Wangji nods “Can you two do it?“

“Of course, Shushu!!“ replied both of them

Lan Wangji looked at them as they start sorting out all the important fragile scripture “Do not rush, you have five years until i come back“ he said, both teenager looked at him and smile before nodded. He felt guilty somehow using his nephew like this, but he doesn't have any choice. He need someone to copy the scripture as he can't do two things at the same time. Not to mention, he also need to try and speeding up his breakthrough.

Yes, this will his first step to save Wei Ying's life and change the future. He need power, he need power far greater than Wen Ruohan. So he could protect everything he loved. So he could protect his precious Wei Ying.

To gain immortality, one would think it must be something impossible to do. After all, for hundred of years ever since the generation of Wen Mao and Lan An. There's only one person able to reach immortality and that person is Baoshan Sanren, Wei Ying's grandmaster. No one beside her ever reach the peak but Lan Wangji knew. He saw it in the vision that he gain ascension not long after Wei Ying's death

He laugh bitterly. Those must be his punishment, for failing his loved one. To finally reach the peak of cultivation but lost something that he cared more than his life, something that give the meaning to his life, something that he would never have again. To wander this world forever with that regret and live like an empty shell. Fate must be laughed at him

But— now that he know what will happen in the future. Now that he know he able to reach immortality, why not try to speed it up? Whose to say that everything need to happen exactly according to fate step by step? If he's always been destined to reach the peak, why can't he just speed up the process?

Although, before he goes to seclusion. There's some things that he need to do first

Lan Wangji goes back to the Jingshi and took several pouch of gold that he's been saving. It was the monthly expenses that he always received from his clan but Lan Wangji was not the type of person who like to spend money on things, that's why he just put them all in the chest near his bed. But right now, he need this money. He left the Cloud recesses that day and buy some properties and lands on each region. Alot of bolt of silk, seeds, kitchen pottery with high quality and everything he could think of.

By the time he was done, he stood in front of twenty massive cart filled with everything he just buy. After moving them and hide them inside a cave on a small hill outskirts Gusu, he pulled a protection talisman and set up wards to hid the hill, the hill that he just bought that day. Satisfy with everything he went back to the Cloud Recesses.

The next day he went and bid farewell with his family

But this is not a farewell for Lan Wangji, this is merely promise. A promise to come back and become stronger so he could protect his loved one. Protect his Wei Ying.

Gusu Lan has two special place for seclusions. A secluded residence used when someone wanted to reflect upon one's wrong doing and sin 'Just like his father' a small voice inside him chided, Lan Wangji ignore it as he keep walking. The other place that was made special for seclusions is this secluded mountain, located on one of the mountain on the back of Cloud recesses, it has special wards that was made by Lan An and later strengthen by Lan Yi. This mountain could only be entered by a direct bloodline of Lan family

When an elders in Lan clan decide to cut their ties with worldly matter, they will went to this mountain and entering seclusions.

This mountain is quite different from other mountain, one would said, its a sacred mountain. Not only because it has many cave entrance, it is said that no matter how many people walk in or if two people choose the same entrance, they would not encounter each other or anyone inside the cave. A perfect place for seclusions.

Weirdly, this mountain has no name. Lan An never named this mountain, the sect leader that took over the position after him take this as a hint to not named this mountain. So this mountain only known as 'seclusion mountain' among the Lans and no one outside Lan clan even knew the existence of this mountain.

After walking for awhile, he finally found a cave entrance. Taking a deep breath he started to walked in. It was really dark, he frowned, there's should be a light coming from the outside. He turned around only to come face to face with a cave wall. Sacred mountain indeed. Lan Wangji keep walking slowly as he let his eyes adjust with the dark when suddenly a glimmer of light start to light up the cave.

He looked down and realized it was a blue crystal that look shining inside the dark, probably been put special spell on it, the crystal was placed on the ground and on the roof along the path. Lan Wangji followed the path, he walk and walk, when it felt like he already walking all night, the tunnel finally ended and lead him toward a spacious area, his eyes widened as he took in the view in front of him

There was a lake... There was a huge lake inside a mountain.

Lan Wangji looked around the area. The area was really spacious, the roof was very high that he need to fly with his sword if he want to reach it. The light from the crystal on the roof of the cave reflected on the surface of the lake, make the water look like it made of thousands of jewel. In the middle of the lake there was small platform of land where a single magnolia tree grow. Lan Wangji took a leap and landed on the small land

It was very weird. There was only one way in and that was the tunnel where he come from. It felt like– as if this place was prepared for him. It felt like someone already knew he would come and prepare this place. He looked around the cave in wonder. Maybe it is a sacred mountain, he concluded. He took a seat under the magnolia tree, put Bichen beside him and sat in lotus position, taking a deep breath, he close his eyes.

Truthfully, Lan Wangji didn't know how his future self able to reach his ascension let alone speed it up, but he can't back down now. There's so much on the table that he risked. With new wave of determination he started focusing his mind to his golden core, he took energy from around him to himself, pouring it to his golden core, let it swirled and become his own spiritual energy. After that he took the energy from his golden core and spreading through every part of his meridian. He keep doing it over and over again

Slowly his mind start to drift and thinking about Wei Ying

He think of his first meeting with the boy. Smile as bright as the sun, eyes as beautiful as the moon. Ah, he really fell in love with the boy. Lan Wangji realize. He hasn't even met the boy but he already trapped too deeply, yet he found himself unwilling to be freed from such feeling. This feeling is what brought him relief and happiness.

At first he thought that he mistaken his sympathy to the boy living in the street and later grown up in abusive home as love. But as he keep thinking about the boy, as he keep looking at the memory of Wei Ying. He found himself unable to look away.

He was the first person Lan Wangji ever wanted to hold on to. The first person he ever wanted to hug and kiss. The first person he ever wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He didn't really have a name for that emotion, but Lan Wangji decided to call it love

He think of the month they spend together in the library. With nothing but Wei Ying chatters and laughs to accompany. His future self mistaken his feeling as annoyance and hatred. But as time keep going, even his future self realize, he has mistaken his feeling towards the boy. It was love after all

He think about his love for Wei Ying

And then he think about his grief for Wei Ying

He think about those three months his future self spend to look for Wei Ying. Asking the livings and the deaths, walking around carrying nothing of the boy but the Jiang bells he found on the foot mountain

He think about those time his future self spend as he watched the boy withered away, for a reason he couldn't understand

He think about those time his future self met with Wei Ying only to scold and berated him and his ghostly path

’It wasn't his fault!! He didn't choose to be like this!!' he remember wanting to scream those words as he watched his future self and Wei Ying slowly drifted apart

He watched as every time they parted and met, Wei Ying will look worsen than before

He watched as every 'thank you' Wei Ying told him, everything just going worse and worse 

The Qiongqi ambush and the death of Jin Zixuan

He watched as Wei Ying cried for the first time in front of the Wen siblings, shook the siblings to the core. How could they not?

He didn't cry in front of them even after the massacre of Lotus Pier

He didn't cry when Wen Qing success ripped apart his golden core from him and put it on his shidi body instead he look relieved

He didn't cry when he defected from the clan he growing up in, dragging his body, intensities hanging out of the wound in his stomach, he greet Wen Qing with smile

He didn't cry when he couldn't attend Jiang Yanli wedding, something that he's been waiting for, his whole life

No, he didn't cry during all of that. But right at that moment, they see for the first time as Wei Ying cried and cried, looked like nothing but a lost child, asking them what should he do

Lan Wangji thinks he would never forget the face Wei Ying made as he watched the Wen siblings bid him a goodbye 'I'm sorry and Thank you' he watched as Wei Ying skinny pale hand try to reach out to the siblings

He remember as Wei Ying scrambled out of the Demon slaughtering cave, three days after, only to stop at the foot mountain. He didn't know where to go. A small voice told him.

Burial mounds— he's just gone down from there

Lotus pier— he hadn't been back over a year

Koi tower? Three day had passed already. It was likely Wen Qing's corpse and Wen Ning ashes were the only thing left

He stood there blankly. Suddenly, he felt that the world had no place for him, despite how large it was. 

At that moment, he could felt Wei Ying's feeling flow and fused with the vision, enabling Lan Wangji to feel what he felt. Lan Wangji remember his heart felt like it was shattered to million pieces, Wei Ying was nothing but a teenager and to think he was forced to carry such a huge burden in those small shoulder of him all because the unfairness and injustice action from those hypocrite people

And then as if it wasn't enough, his sister died. Right in front of Wei Ying. Protecting him from the sword that was meant to harm him

And he finally broke

Lan Wangji remember the rage that run through him. The rage that made him want to go and find whoever responsible for this. No matter if it's heavenly being or even a god. Is this what it want? For Wei Ying to finally broke? No, Lan Wangji wouldn't let that happen. He won't standing on the sideline again, watching as Wei Ying withered away.

And lastly, his mind drifted to the future without Wei Ying.

No!!

He would never let that happen. Now that he know what would happened in the future, he won't let any of the bad things to happen to Wei Ying, no matter what, he would do anything to protect Wei Ying

Anything? A small mysterious voice asked him. and Lan Wangji find himself answering the voice without hesitation

“Yes“

There's price you have to pay to change the future. Will you still do it? the voice asked him again

”Yes“

Even if the price is your own life?

“Yes“

You always look away when he called you. You always walked away from him

“Even if i wanted to which i don't, I don't think i would able to look away from him anymore“

He had fallen many times. He wasn't scared of falling but falling on the ground still hurt. Would you–

“I'll be there to catch him. I won't let him fall, ever again“

You let him go... once— a life time ago

“And it cost me over a thousand lifetimes living without him. I will never let him go again“

You took him for granted and reject him coldly at every chance given

“He can try now, to see if i would reject him over anything“

As if it finally felt satisfy with his answer, Lan Wangji could feel his golden core suddenly cracks and explode. From within a surge of power blazed like raging fire, and then a nascent soul born and emerges with giddy delight 

Lan Wangji didn't know how much time has passed before his nascent soul finally merging with him in harmony and his ascension finished

He opened his eyes and breathe out. He felt weird somehow. He thought that reaching immortality will felt very different but weirdly, he felt the same but not necessarily the same. He know there's something in him that changed, it's really hard to explain.

Lan Wangji looked around the spacious area and the lake. Nothing much has changed since the last time he walked in. He wonder how much time has passed, he hope it didn't take him more than five years. At the thought, his heart start beating fast.

He immediately grab Bichen and stood up. Taking a leap, he surprised at how light his body felt, but he could careless now, he would think about it later. He need to make sure how much time has passed

“What if it's been more than five years?“

“What if they success burning the Cloud recesses“

“What if he was already too late and Lotus pier were already massacred?“

“What if Wei Ying already given up his golden core and thrown to the burial mounds?“

His mind racing, he didn't even realize as he started running through the crampy cave path. He widened his eyes as he saw a light came from the end of the path, he speeding up his run. He closed his eyes instinctively when the lights were too much for him, after blinking several times and adjust with the light, he looked around and realized that he was already out of the mountain

Lan Wangji sucked in breath, inside the cave he didn't feel much different but out here, he could feel it. He could feel all the different, it feels like his body has changed, it doesn't feel like his old body anymore. There was nothing in the place where his Golden core used to nestled, it was empty but he didn't feel like something was missing instead it feels like his body turned into golden core itself. All the pure yang energy from around him pouring to him, flowing through all the corner of his body, filled his meridian to the brim

Out of curiosity, he took a small branch from the ground and swung it towards the tree. Imbued his swing with just tiny bit of energy, his eyes widened when several tree was cut clean in half. He stood there blankly, looking at the trees.

'This is it!!' He exclaimed internally 'This is the power he need to protect Wei Ying' he looked up towards the distance and saw the shape of the Cloud Recesses, feeling giddiness start to bubble inside him, he start walking.

'Everything looked the same,' he thought as he looked around the Cloud Recesses but he knew some times must have passed, he walked passed the Lanshi and realized the tree near the classroom look slightly different, he stared at it before realized, the difference was that it much more taller than the last time he sees it.

Frowning, a sense of dread start to sink in his stomach 'It must not been more than five years' he thought try to convince himself, but started walking faster towards the Hanshi

It seems like well past curfew as he not see anyone else, Lan Wangji hum as he walk passed the outer wall, but stopped on his track when he saw a leg swung in from the other side 'Is there an intruder? Don't tell me it's the wens!? They already attacking!?' he thought panicking and leap to the roof across the wall and watch the intruder. Soon the owner of the leg manage to climb onto the wall, Lan Wangji couldn't see the person face but the person definitely hold something on their hand

This person didn't realize his presence as they leap to the roof beside the roof where he stand and start running quietly, Lan Wangji was ready to attack them until they realize they had smaller figure than him 'A disciple?' Lan Wangji realized, with that in mind he lowered his hand “Venturing after curfew is prohibited“ he said with stern voice, the figure freeze in their place and slowly turned around

Golden eyes widened as he came face to face with familiar face, one that he has yearn for a long time. The boy looked like a deer caught in spotlight as he looked around nervously before, he glanced up at Lan Wangji, smirked. Holding up a jar towards him, the boy smiled at him with a blinding smile, more bright then a thousand sun.

“Emperor’s smile! I’ll give you a jar, so could you pretend you never saw me?“

Chapter Text

Jiang Cheng grumbles as he slam the door open "Oi! Wei Wuxian! Wake up! How long are you planned to sleep?!" he yelled, walking towards the bed where a certain raven sleeping peacefully, sprawled on the bed like a starfish.

He crossed his arms "Are you gonna wake up or not?" he asked but was met with silence, his eyes narrowed to the sleeping figure "Fine!! I'll eat all the osmanthus cake A-jie packed for us and i'll write to A-niang how you're late on your first day. So you'll have punishment awaits for you in Lotus Pier" he threaten, although he was not being serious but he try to sound like it

The figure suddenly rise from the bed "Jiang Cheng! Don't you dare!" he yelled "She made those cake special for me" Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes "As if, she made those for his brother. Which is me!!" the Jiang heir exclaims, but Wei Wuxian ignore him as he groans and whined "It's still too early" standing up from his bed, he start to walk towards where the basin is and wash his face

"You need to remember, this is the Cloud Recesses not Lotus Pier. You can't do anything you wanted here" Jiang Cheng warned "Yeah yeah, i know" the raven replied walking behind the screen to change his clothes "I had the strangest dream last night. It was so strange that it felt so real" he started "What kind of dream?" ask Jiang Cheng

Wei Wuxian's head popped from behind the screen "I think... i dream of meeting a deity!" he exclaims, Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted with the sound of gong in the distance "We're gonna late. Let's go" he said before running out of the room "Ah! Wait for me Jiang Cheng" he yelled and running after the Jiang heir

The two running through stone path that surrounded by bamboo forest, both were wearing Yunmeng Jiang clan robes but one accentuate with the clan color while the other divergent and has red color instead of purple

After running for a while the two teenager finally reach a wider area. There was two path divided by small river. They stopped on top of a stone bridge "We're here!! let's take a break" Wei Wuxian shouted, panting heavily. He stretched happily with his usual wide smile decorate his youthful handsome face

Jiang Cheng quickly straightened his robes and turned to the other boy with a scowl. “If you get up late again tomorrow, I won’t even bother to come and wake you up. Do you hear me!!” he threaten but Wei Wuxian only give a light chuckle in response, threading his fingers through his black silky hair that he didn't have time to tie

“Relax, Jiang Cheng. We were just barely late. The worst punishment we can get is to stand in the corner!” he said lightly as he start tying his hair with a red ribbon "Next time, it won't be 'we' but 'i' if you wake up late again tomorrow, i'm gonna leave you behind" he declared, Wei Wuxian who finished tying his hair turned at his brother and circle his arms on the other boy shoulder "Don't be so cruel to your Da-shixiong. You're gonna make me sad" he said dramatically 

"Da-shixiong? What Da-shixiong? All i see is the most useless and annoying Da-shixiong i ever know, you never even practice properly!!" he scowled, Wei Wuxian cooed "Are you too embarrassing to call me Da-shixiong?" he paused, flipped his hair and smiled "Shidi?" he teased "Go jump off a cliff and see if i would care" he snarled

"You love me" the raven smiled

Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to retord when he stopped himself, staring at the familiar figure walking down the path, Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows at the reaction and followed his gaze. "Jin Zixuan" he thought sourly

"Zixuan-xiong," Jiang Cheng greeted, bowing, Wei Wuxian immediately followed him

The Jin heir flicked a careless glance over them, before preforming an equally but disrespectful mockery bow all while not even stopping his walk. Once Jin Zixuan was far enough that they could barely see his figure, Wei Wuxian lowered his hand and huffs

“He’s becoming more and more presentable.” he said mockingly

"Well, the Jin Clan of Lanling is as rich as the princes," Jiang Cheng said "He's the heir of the Jin Clan. He has to be presentable"

“Hmm?” Wei Wuxian hums, bringing a hand to his chin as he watched the small peck of golden figure with mischievous contemplation. There's so many prank ideas he could think of that will humbled the peacock and absolutely make him wouldn't forget about it

Jiang Cheng elbowed him.

Wei Wuxian yelped as he stumbled, before straightening himself and rubbing his back tenderly. His mouth formed a little pout as he turned to his brother “What was that for?“

Jiang Cheng does not look amused

“Don't get any funny ideas,“ he warned. “I’m warning you. No matter what, Jin Zixuan is still my sister’s fiance. He’ll be family one day. You will have to bear with it.” he scowled, Wei Wuxian huffs "Whatever" he said before start walking

“Shijie deserve better than him“ he muttered

“What did you say?“ Jiang Cheng ask, following after him

“Nothing“ the raven answered

As they walked down the stone path, a familiar figure dressed in gray and dark green with touch of gold color waving at them

”Jiang-xiong! Wei-xiong!” Nie Huaisang cheerfully greeted. The pair waving back. A disciple who stand next to Nie Huaisang furrowed his brow in confusion

“Wei Wuxian is only a disciple of the Jiang Clan. How come he’s able to study at Gusu? I thought only heir that allowed to participate in Gusu Lan lecture”

Nie Huaisang smiled ”Wei Wuxian’s parents were close friends of Jiang Fengmian, so he's been treating him like his own,” Nie. Huaisang answered.

“Oh, I see.” the disciples hums as he stared at Jiang Cheng ans Wei Wuxian who's playfully nudging each other as they walked “No wonder Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian get along so well. They’re like brothers!” he commented

When the pair finally reach them, Nie Huaisang smiled widely at them ”Jiang-xiong. Wei-xiong. It's nice to see you again“ he greeted 

Raised his eyebrows Wei Wuxian looked at Nie Huaisang confused “Huh, i'm wondering– why did your sect send you here?“ he asked bluntly, the shorter man let out a long exasperated sigh “I was sent here by Da-ge“ he said resigned

"He heard that grandmaster Lan Qiren of Gusu Lan clan has brought up many excellent disciples of the Lan clan. So he wished i would come back as one too“ he explained purposely use mocking tone for the last sentence

“Well, i heard he’s extraordinary indeed. However useless one may be, he can turn them into presentable men.” Jiang Cheng agreed as they began walking "They all say that those who've studied a year or two in his classroom, no matter how utterly useless they were when they went in, when they come out at least they'd look properly“ one of the disciples explains

Feeling a sharp gaze on him, Wei Wuxian smiled and turn to Jiang Cheng “Am i not presentable enough right now?“ he questioned with a hint of playful

"You are definitely going to be a mark of shame that staining his whole teaching career“ Jiang Cheng told him “I'd say enjoy your stay but the Jiang clan Lotus Pier is much more fun than here, isn't it?“

Wei Wuxian hums “Hmm. Depends on how you have fun,” he replied “There definitely aren't as many rules like here and we don't have to wake up this early either“ he added. Nie Huaisang tilted his head “Hm? We start at 5am here. It’s not that bad, right?” he questioned, crept open his fan

“When do you wake up? and what do you do during the day?“

Jiang Cheng crossed his arms “Him? He rise at nine and sleep at one. After he wakes up, he doesn't meditate or practice his sword. He fools around in the market or in the water, pick lotus seed pods, and hunts for pheasants“ he replied with tone of annoyance 

“No matter how many people try to beat me. I'll always be the best in hunting pheasants“ he declared proudly, Nie Huaisang stared at him with shining eyes

“Next year i'll go to Yunmeng to study! And nobody can stop me!“ he declared, the disciples behind him patted his back “Huaisang-xiong, no one will stop you. Your brother will just break your legs.” Nie Huaisang shoulder immediately slumped making the whole group burst out laughing

Wei Wuxian giggled “Honestly, Gusu doesn't seems that bad. It's quite pretty actually, i bet you can still have fun here“ he said “Are you kidding me, Wei-xiong? Here's a piece of sincere advice for you“ he lowered his voice and leaned in

“This place does not tolerate misbehavior. And during your time here, you must remember, always remember, there's three person you must not in under any circumstances provoke or mess with them“ he said emphasize each word

Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows “Who? Lan Qiren?“ he asked. Nie Huaisang shook his head “Not the old man. The three person you should watch out for is his proudest disciples. The new twin jade and Hanguang-jun“

“The new twin jade? You mean Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye?“ he inquired 

“What other Twin jade could there be? Let me tell you, the two siblings are very terrifying. The first one is Lan Muxin, he might came across as friendly and playful but you should always be careful of him, after all he's still a Lan and a very skilled medical cultivator. A needle from him is enough to make you paralyzed, don't ever let him catch you breaking a rule“ he explains, the crowd visibly shivered

“The second jade is Lan Xingye. She might look beautiful, polite and kind, just like a normal noble lady, but you must never look down on her. She is known as lily with thorns, her swordsman skill is unparalleled in the Lan clan. She has defeat all the senior here. Truly truly terrifying. Never get caught breaking rule by her“ he warned

“They're both a model example of the legendary 'other people's children' that parent tell you to compare yourself to. Heavens, they're both the same age as us, yet they got none of the energy that young people have. Both are very stiff and strict when it comes to rule. They both also in charge of discipline. Everyone here fears them.”

Wei Wuxian smiled, a glint of mischievous appear in his eyes “Interesting“ he mumbled “Jiang Cheng, who do you think would win if i duel with Lan Xingye?“ he asked, Jiang Cheng smack him on the back of his head “Ow! What the hell was that for, Jiang Cheng?“ he groans

“That's for being crazy and insane“ he hissed “But i'm just asking an innocent question“ he pouted “I'd throw you off the mountain myself before you could do anything stupid, that's my answer. Huaisang just told you to not mess with them and here you are, already planned to fight with her“ he scowled

Wei Wuxian huffed, his gaze immediately averted towards the building they heading ”The Orchid room?” he muttered “Huh. The name’s not bad, but the old man who teaches is so stubborn.”

He turned at Nie Huaisang “So who's the last one?“ he inquired, the other boy look at him puzzled “Huh?“

“You said there's three people i should be careful of. You only explained two, who's the last one?“ he asked, Nie Huaisang stares at him with mouth gaping “Are you being serious? Do you really not know who's the last one?“ he asked irrediculous

Wei Wuxian shrugs “It's Lan Wangji!! Lan Qiren's proudest nephew. The famous Hanguang-jun, the light bearing lord who always appear wherever the chaos is“

“Is he a handsome gentleman? Not looked much older than us? Dressed in all white, wearing a ribbon on his forehead and carrying a silver sword? And with his stoic beautiful face, he looks literally like a living jade statue of a deity?”

“That's terrifyingly detailed description but yeah, that's him! But he's been doing secluded meditation for the past few years. You only came here yesterday, when did you even see him?“ he asked, the other disciples now is also getting curious 

“Last night“ Wei Wuxian answered simply, Jiang Cheng widened his eyes “Last– last night?! There's curfew at The Cloud Recesses. Where did you see him? Why didn't i know any about this?“ he asked “Over there“ he pointed at the wall

“Wha– explain!"

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to explains but stopped when he saw three figure dressed in Lan clan robes standing right in front of the Lanshi. Two of them looked around the same age as them, they're definitely Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye. The third figure look slightly older than them. He was very tall probably taller than Jiang Fengmian with a broader shoulder and a well built body similar to Nie Mingjue but more learner

And his face, he was very beautiful, he wasn't even sure if the word did justice to describe his look. He has pale skin, black hair, a light colored eyes that shone like a gold under the sunlight and long eyelashes 

Wo de tian, if someone say to Wei Wuxian that this what God look like, he would definitely believe them.

“Ah– Hanguang-jun. Xin-ge. Xing-jie“ Nie Huaisang greeted awkwardly, the three figure turned their attention to the group. When Wei Wuxian locked eyes with him, he immediately realize who it was and shift nervously 

“Oh! Huaisang! I see you're arrive. Are you ready for your first day in the lecture?“ Lan Muxin greeted cheerfully “Please don't remind me about the lecture, Xin-ge. You know i didn't want to come and the only reason i came here was because Da-ge forced me“ he whined

Lan Muxin laughs “You know well he did it for you“ he said try to cheer up the dejected Nie heir "I hope you're not slacking on your sword practice, Huaisang“ Lan Xingye interrupt “Did you bring your saber? Maybe we could do short duel“ she offered, Nie Huaisang immediately shook his head “No need, no need. I didn't bring my saber with me“ he jabbered

“But! If you're looking for someone to duel, why don't you duel with Wei-xiong“ he chirped happily, smoothly shift the attention from him “Wei-xiong is very talented disciples and he's been eager to have duel with you, right Wei-xiong“ he trailed off when he saw Wei Wuxian still shifted nervously in his place with Hanguang-jun openly staring at him

Nie Huaisang blinked, stared speculatively towards Lan Wangji then extended his fans at him and slowly move it towards where his gaze pointed towards Wei Wuxian

Wei Wuxian immediately turned his head, refused to make eye contact

Nie Huaisang stepped back, instantly opened his fan to cover almost all his face except his eyes which staring suspiciously at his still-turned-away friend.

“Wei-xiong... have you done something wrong?“ he asked

Wei Wuxian laughs nervously “Ah– well–“ before he could say anything Hanguang-jun walked towards him, the younger man gulped as cold sweat began to drip down his forehead. The man stop in front of him, staring at him before his gaze softened “Good morning, Wei Ying“

An utter silence

There's no one dare to make any noise as their jaw dropped at the sight of Hanguang-jun staring at the young disciples with soft expression

“Ahahaha–“ the Jiang head disciples laughs awkwardly “Good morning to you too, Hanguang-jun“ he greeted back still refusing to make eye contact

“This was your first time in Gusu, right?“

“Y–yeah, i think so?“

“Mn, if you want. I could take you around Caiyi town“

“No need, Hanguang-jun. I could go by myself“

“I insist, Wei Ying is a guest here, he need to be treated well“

“Alright alright, i'll remember it next time i'm gonna go down the mountain“ he muttered, fidgeting nervously

“Mn, good luck on your first day lecture. I'll see you soon“ he said, nodding towards his frozen nephew and walking away. As soon as his figure disappear in the distance, it was safe to say, chaos was ensue

“You!!“ Lan Muxin yelled, stomped towards Wei Wuxian before grabbed his collar “How did you know my shushu?! I never see you before, when did you met him?! From where did you know him?!“ he asked, rapidly “Wei Wuxian! What the fuck have you done now?!“ Jiang Cheng shouted, while other disciples start murmuring too

“Everyone, please calm down“ Lan Xingye ordered with strong commanding voice immediately shut down all the chatters. She ripped Wei Wuxian off from her brother “Noise are prohibited in Cloud Recesses“ she glared, narrowed her eyes to Lan Muxin who only could hung his head low

“Now, if you didn't mindm Wei-gongzi. Would you tell us, how did you met and become acquittance with my shushu?“ she asked with a hint of dangerous

“Ah– well– i didn't know if you could called us acquaintance. We met last night and that was my first time met him” he muttered as he recalling what happened last night

It was a really perfect night. The sky is so clear and the moon shone bright. He couldn't sleep anyway so why not go down the mountain to buy a jar or two Emperor's smile and enjoy the beautiful night with wine

No one's gonna caught him anyway. In Lotus Pier, no one could beat him in terms of speed and if it's about sneaking in and out, he is the grandmaster of it. All he need is go down the mountain and then go back up. Sneak out and sneak in. Nothing else. It was a piece of cake.

It's a perfect plan.

Well, it was a perfect plan. That's until he promptly got caught the moment he leap onto the roof, two jar of Emperor's smile in hand. He could swore with his golden core that there was no one there, he couldn't feel anyone presence anywhere near him and yet, suddenly a heavy voice appear and it's startled him enough to halted his movement 

He was stupid, he know. But even he know there's no way to escape from the situation. So he did what he could think of, he turned around and give the best smile he could muster. 

“Emperor’s smile! I’ll give you a jar, so could you pretend you never saw me?“

He braces himself and slowly move his gaze to look straight at the person in front of him, when he did it, it felt like his breath was taken away from him

The person standing in front of him is simply the most beautiful person Wei Wuxian ever seen in his life. Well maybe not as beautiful as his mother, he didn't remember much about her but he know no one as pretty as her.

No, this man is not as beautiful as his mother because there was a touch of masculine instead of feminine in his beauty. His body is well built with broad shoulder and he is very tall, very very tall.

This man probably the perfect depiction of what a deity would look like

But there is something weird about the man. For some reason, he stood there with expression equally surprised like him. Molten gold widened as he stared at Wei Wuxian. As if he didn't even believe his own eyes. His hand twitching beside him

There was a hint of yearning and longing in his eyes but Wei Wuxian felt like he probably mistaken it

When the man finally broken out of his trance, his gaze softened and Wei Wuxian face suddenly feel heated up for a reason he didn't even understand

“Liquor are prohibited in the Cloud Recesses“ he said but there was no hint of hostility in his tone instead it sounds like the man is amused (?)

Wei Wuxian shook his head to focused himself “Is there anything we can do here?“ he pouted “The rules are listed on the Rock of Disciplines.” the man say calmly

The younger man sighed in response, turning around so he could sit on a nearby branch instead.

“There was more than 3,000 rules in your clan. Who’d read all of that?”

The man eyes narrowed but Wei Wuxian still can feel any hostility from him, no, it was different kind of hostility. One that Wei Wuxian couldn't decipher. He gulped “Ah, alright, alright. Liquor is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses. Then, if I don’t go in and drink it here instead, it wouldn’t be a violation, right?” he smiled

Giddily, Wei Wuxian tore the piece of cloth that covering the jar  with his mouth, then lifted it above his head. Slowly, liquor began pouring out right to his mouth although a significant portion missing its mark.

Wei Wuxian could feel a small streams of liquid began trailing down the pale expanse of his neck, soaking his clothes but he could careless, this is the best wine he'd ever taste in his life

He sighed in contentment as he finished the whole jar, when he looked up, he saw the man were still standing there, not moving even an inch. Seeing that, he couldn't help but grinned “Lan gongzi, are you sure you're gonna stand there and watching me as i break your clan's rule?“ he asked jumped down from the branch he was sitting on

The man nods “Mn, Wei Ying could have as many Emperor's smile as he want and he could break as many rules as he want. I won't let anyone punish Wei Ying“

Wei Wuxian gaped, completely caught off guard “How did you even know–“ he wasn't able to finish his sentence when the man suddenly start walking towards him, instinctively Wei Wuxian try to backed away but his back was met with the tree he sat on early, he widened his eyes as he realized he had nowhere else to run

He looked up and his breath hitched, the man was already in front of him, a scent of sandalwood immediately hit his nose

“Ah– um–“ he stuttered, face reddening. Wei Wuxian wanted to punch himself, why is he stuttering for?! Is he some sort of maiden or something? Knock it off, you are Wei Wuxian. Head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang clan, this behavior is beyond embarrassing!

Regaining himself, finally he straighten his posture “Lan-gongzi, this was actually my first time in Gusu. That's why could you please let me go, just this one time? I promise i will repay this favor someday“ he said sweetly, readying himself to get rejected and came up with another excuse only... that didn't happened at all

“Mn“

He blinked “What?“

“Will let Wei Ying go unpunished“

He blinked more “Are you sure?”

The man nods “Because it's his first time staying in Gusu, but Wei Ying should keep his side of the bargain. He shouldn't forget what he said“ he glance down, a hint of something dark and hungry in his eyes

Wei Wuxian gulped, somehow it felt like he just walked right into a tiger cage “What i said?“ he questioned, the taller man nods once again “The favor, Wei Ying should not forget the favor he offer. One day i will come to collect it” he said in low voice slowly leaned in

At this point, Wei Wuxian could feel his heart beating right against his ribcage “I will confiscated this“ the man whispered right to his ear before pulled away. It took a second for Wei Wuxian to finally realized that the jar he's been holding is not in his hand anymore but on the man's hand

“Wait–“

The man turned to look at him, his gaze softened “Go sleep, Wei Ying. It is late“ he said gently before leap off the roof and leave the young man alone and completely flabbergasted. When the gears in his mind finally work and process everything that just happened, his face immediately heating up and reddening in embarrassing 

“Wha– what?! What just happened?!“ he shouted

Did he just got tricked by the man? Him? Wei Wuxian of Yunmeng Jiang clan just got tricked and caught off guard?

Unbelievable, utterly unbelievable. This is the first time someone ever manage to make him speechless like this, usually it's always him who drive people crazy and speechless not the other way around!!

That man even manage to steal the jar from his hand, his hand!! of all people!!. Sneaky!! So sneaky!! Unbelievable!! Ridiculous!!

That night, Wei Wuxian go back to his room, stomping his feet angrily like a child

“Hey! Are you listening to me?!“ Wei Wuxian startled from his thought, he look around and saw the confusion and the curiosity from the disciples surrounding him “Um– where are we again?“ he asked awkwardly, rubbing his cheek

Jiang Cheng scowled “Wei Wuxian!! You better not fooling around and tell us just how the hell you and Hanguang-jun know each other“ he yelled “Oh!! That– Well... when we arrive yesterday, we passed a liquor shop called 'Emperor smile' didn't we?“ he started, the Jiang heir nods

“Last night, i was tossing and turning and i finally couldn't help it anymore. So i went down the mountain and brought back two jars of Emperor smile from the city. Just as i flipped over the wall and landed on the roof, before i even had the chance to take another step, i got caught by him“ he explains

Nie Huaisang fanning himself while listening attentively “Wei-xiong, you must've struck gold. Hanguang-jun probably just got out of secluded meditation and was on night patrol when he caught you red-handed“ he muttered

“Those who return past curfew are not allowed inside until seven in the morning“ Lan Muxin recites “How come shushu let you in?“ he asked

“Which was why he didn't let me inside. Then he asked me what i was holding in my hands“ without thinking any further i lift the jar towards him and say “Emperor's smile! i'll give you a jar, so could you pretend you never saw me“

“Liquor is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses“ Lan Xingye stated

Wei Wuxian looked up to the sky “He said that as well“ he said “And then?“ Jiang Cheng asked “And then i asked. 'why don't you tell me what exactly is not forbidden in your sect?'.“ Wei Wuxian replied looked at that the two Lan and realized they seemed to be a bit angry and wanted him to look at the Wall of Rules in front of the mountain. Before the two Lan could say anything he interject

“Honestly, there were over three thousand rules, and everything was written in seal script. Who would read them? Anyways, i didn't. What's so angering about this?“ he asked sounded genuined

“That's right“ one of the disciples exclaims in agreement. “Whose sect rules are over three thousand in number, and don't even repeat? Things like 'killing livestock within the area is prohibited, fighting without permission is prohibited, promiscuity is prohibited, venturing at night is prohibited, causing noise is prohibited, running is prohibited' are tolerable, but they're even ones like 'sneering for no reason is prohibited, sitting improperly is prohibited, eating more than three bowls is prohibited–'.“ before the disciples could continue Wei Wuxian cut him

“Fighting without permission is prohibited?“ he asked

Suddenly, Jiang Cheng felt like he want to facepalm himself as he answered “...yes. Don't tell me you fought with him.“

“No“ he replied

Jiang Cheng let out a relief sigh “But he did confiscated one of the jar from me“ he added. Lan Muxin frowned, feeling something is not adding up “Didn't you bring back two jars? Where's the other one?“ he asked

“I drank it“

Jiang Cheng actually facepalm himself this time while asking “Where did you drink it?“

Wei Wuxian grinned “In front of him. I said, 'Okay, if alcohol is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses, then i won't go in. I'll drink it here instead. That wouldn't count as violating the rules, would it' Then i drank everything in one gulp, right in front of him“ he explains 

“Preposterous!!“ Lan Muxin exclaims but Wei Wuxian ignore him

Jiang Cheng paled “And then?“

“And then he let me go but not before confiscated the other jar“ he said while shrugging “What a shame“ the other disciples muttered “Huh?!“ Nie Huaisang shrieked “It’s prohibited here to go out after curfew, drink alcohol, or bribing reinforcement. You–you’ve already broken three rules!” he exclaims

Jiang Cheng scowled “Violating three rules in just one night, you really are a special snowflake, aren't you?“ he said mockingly, rather than showing the slightest bit of regret, Wei Wuxian merely pouted. “There are more rules than ants,” he mumbled, crossing his arms like a child.

“Liar!!“ Wei Wuxian turned towards the voice and stared at Lan Muxin “You're lying!!“ he yelled “Why would i lie about something like that?“ he shrugged “Shameless!! Are you telling me that shushu purposely let you go unpunished?!“ he raised his voice

“He also said that i will never get punished no matter how many emperor smile and rules i break“ he said sticking his tongue at the lan “You–“ Lan Xingye went to hold his brother back “Calm down, didi“ she warned “How can i calm down when this pretentious shameless person go around and spreading lies about shushu“ he snarled

“You didn't believe me? You can ask your Hanguang-jun, but you see it yourself early how Hanguang-jun react when he met me. Do you still think i'm lying?“ he asked

Lan Muxin opened his mouth to say something in retaliation but was cut off by a familiar voice “Unbelivable!“ the disciples visibly flinched and looked up to see none other than Lan Qiren “What are you guys still doing in front of the classroom, the gong is already going on“ he scolded, all the disciples immediately rushed to the classroom

“You're gonna die, Wei-xiong! Xin-ge and Xing-jie has probably never been at such a loss before. They'll be watching you for sure“ Nie Huaisang whispered “What am I scared of? Don't they say that Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye has been a prodigy ever since they're born? As sharp as they are, i'm sure they've leaned all of the things their uncle teaches“ he explains

“And Hanguang-jun is always traveling to wherever the chaos is. Jow could the Lans have time to watch me? I...“ his rambling trailed off when he saw Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye speaking to Lan Qiren and a moment later, he saw the old man nodded and the two Lan bow to him before walked inside Lanshi

The three boy walked towards the Lanshi and saw the twin jade already took a seat inside the classroom. As soon as Wei Wuxian stepped in, they looked up and glared at him. “Wei-xiong, take care“ Nie Huaisang whispering as he slowly slid away

Jiang Cheng put his hand on Wei Wuxian's shoulder “They are watching you, good luck“

– – –

Lan Wangji couldn't believe his luck. Whatever good merit his past self has commit in his previous life, Lan Wangji would be forever grateful to them, he would even go as far as kowtowing to them. Not only did he manage to successfully breakthrough and finish his ascension without any trouble but he also able to finished his seclusion right on the time for Gusu Lan lecture to start

With this, he could still keep up with his plan and Wei Ying... His beautiful beautiful Wei Ying... Lan Wangji finally could met him in person, Lan Wangji think he might fall in love with the boy all over again

The vision that was shown to him did not do the boy justice, he was even more beautiful and mesmerizing in person. His long silky black hair that sway gently, his beautiful youthful face that retain a hint of mischievousness, his silver eyes that shine even brighter than the moon in the sky and his smile...

In his smile... Lan Wangji sees something more beautiful than the stars

It felt like he could write thousand of poems to depict Wei Ying's beauty and it wouldn't still enough. Lan Wangji would gladly to do anything to see that smile everyday

Love Is something that Lan Wangji always unable to understand. Ever since he learn the history about Lan An and his spouse since young age, Lan Wangji find himself unable to understand it. Lan An was grow in temple and dedicate himself to cultivate as musician. When Lan An met his fated person, he found and build Cloud Recesses. But as soon as his fated person depart from this life, he left Cloud Recesses and went back to the temple. Went into seclusion until he... also departed from this life

But Lan Wangji didn't understand. Why did Lan An choose to leave? Why not staying at Cloud Recesses, it was where he and his spouse used to spend everyday together. Why decide to leave such important and memorable place? Lan Wangji didn't understand and he could not find the answer either.

When his grandfather older brother got married, they found out months later that his spouse was infertile. The elders told him to find a new spouse or a concubine but he refused to marry or bed anyone else beside his spouse, so he choose to give the mantle of Clan leader to his younger brother, Lan Wangji's grandfather.

When his aunt wanted to married a poor farmer, because of his upbringing and his status as non cultivator, her father was against the marriage, his aunt decide to eloped with her fiancee and never to be seen anymore

And lastly, Qingheng-jun, his father who helplessly fell in love with his mother at first sight when he met her during nighthunt. He was deeply in love with her that when the woman he loved kill his own teacher, he decide to defend her and protect her by marrying her, despite her didn't even reciprocate his feeling and declared that he would not accept anyone else as his spouse but her.

It was his father love that save and protect his mother but it also his father love that end up killing her.

After forcibly tying the woman he love to him, Qingheng-jun who was unable to overcome with guilt and hatred decided to imprison his own wife in small house surrounded by Gentian. And after that he imprison himself on a house beside her house and like a coward he is, he refuse to partake in his children life. Leaving them completely in Lan Qiren's care

His mother was caged her whole life, unable to leave the Gentian house and only able to met her children once a month, she was treated as prisoner instead of a Madam from prominent clan. Such a life, no wonder she slowly withering away.

Lan only loves once

Those were infamous words in the Lan clan that has been told from generation to generation. The people in his clan found this sentence to be romantic and use this as a reminder to only love and be loyal to one person. However, for Lan Wangji this sentence become reminder that Love is nothing but curse, something that able to corrupt you, your morals and cloud your judgement

That was what he used to think. But now– he realized that he probably never saw love as something cursed, he realized that he probably just scared. Scared of falling in love and loving someone. After all, how could he say love is a curse when his mother love for him is nothing but a blessing?

And now, he will show the same kind of love to Wei Ying. A gentle love like the rain in springs, an ardent love like the sun in summer, a strong love like the wind in autumn and a beautiful love like snow in winters. He will show Wei Ying what unconditional love is, teach him to accept love from other people, make him learn to let people love him without feeling indebted and teach him how to love himself 

Lan Wangji walk through the Cloud Recesses with a jar of Emperor's smile in hand and a small smile grazing his pale face, if someone were about to catch this sight of him, they might question themselves if they're crazy or not. Lan Wangji honestly could careless even if it's his shufu who found him like this

He felt too happy to care. He just met Wei Ying in person and talked to him!! It felt like he could jump over seven heaven, ascend to heaven, telling every god there how much he love Wei Ying and scream his love declaration for Wei Ying from the edge of heaven so the whole world would know just how happy he is

Lan Wangji try to calm himself down as much as he want to just follow the boy like an obedient rabbit and protect him from any harm, for Wei Ying they are still a stranger who barely know each other, for Wei Ying today was the first time they met each other

He couldn't mess this up. He didn't want to scare Wei Ying. Nodding to himself in agreement. Mn, he need to take things slowly

Now that he has find out how much time has passed and has met Wei Ying in person. There still some things he need to do. He need to talk to his brother and uncle, he need to know if anything important happened during his seclusion, he also need to find his nephew and ask them about the progress they made with the scripture

Lan Wangji looked up to the dark sky and frowned, it's pretty much still in the middle of the night. He couldn't do any of the things he need to do, not until morning but now that he's immortal, he didn't have any need to sleep or eat. He looked down at Bichen on his hips "Maybe it's the right time to test it" with that in mind he went to put the Emperor Smile in the Jingshi before flying to the back mountain with Bichen

The main reason he need to gain immortality as soon as possible is because they need greater power to beat Wen Ruohan, now that he will do everything he could do to make sure Wei Ying never gave up his Golden core and thrown into Burial mounds, there will be no Ghostly path for him to invent nor a stygian tiger seal for him to create this time

This will make winning the Sunshot campaign is harder since Wei Ying ghostly path is the thing that able to change the tide of the war. Lan Wangji landed in the forest, looked around and checking for living being qi around him, making sure that there's no one around that could get hurt from his little experiment.

Satisfy when he found no one, he then unsheathed Bichen. Ever since he came out of seclusion, which is few sichen ago he hasn't stop to inspect his sword. He's curious to see if his sword will have significant difference now that he's immortal.

Bichen has always been known as beautiful and powerful spiritual sword, it is one of the best swords that ever created in Gusu clan history. With beautiful light blue colored scabbard, Bichen's hilt was made from pure silver with intricate pattern of cloud, it was refined wuth secret technique. A jade shaped cloud with light blue tassel was attached to the hilt to complete its elegant look.

It is really a beautiful and very well made sword.

Bichen's thin and nearly transparent blade gives the impression of a lightweight sword, but it is actually strong enough to cut through iron and heavy enough for non-cultivators to be unable to wield it. The blade exudes an air of ice and snow and a light blue glare when drawn. A very fitting sword for someone called Hanguang-jun

But now, as Lan Wangji stared at his sword, he couldn't help the look of wonder in his eyes. Bichen looked even more beautiful and elegant than before. The blade that used to exude an air of ice and snow are now emit a heavy heavenly aura. The blue glare of Bichen are now even brighter than before

Bichen are shaking with excitement in his hand, just like him, it seems like it couldn't wait to test its new power. Lan Wangji took a deep breath before goes into stance, he raise his sword and swung his sword. It wasn't a strong swing and he wasn't being serious because there was no enemy to cut

It was merely experiment, he just want to see how much his power has growth after his ascension

Lan Wangji blinks, trying to process what just happened. Somehow the thick forest that was in front of him before has been completely destroyed, every tree has been completely cut in half, a swing of Bichen has completely admonish two li of forest. Lan Wangji want to facepalm himself. He has miscalculated his own power.

How could he be so stupid, he should've know better to not experiment and recklessly use his new power. He look down at Bichen, the sword seems to be vibrating in happiness, satisfy to see its new power and how powerful they become. Lan Wangji is not amused

“We should be careful from now on. Never recklessly use our power again“ he scold, it's probably his imagination but Lan Wangji could swore he heard Bichen huffed “With this power we could protect Wei Ying“ he said softly, Bichen vibrating again as if its purring in agreement 

“Wangji?!“ Lan Wangji looked up in surprised. His brother is there, mounting Shuoyue, his hair was messy and he still in his inner robe. A couple of Lan disciples was flying behind him “Xiongzhang“ he greeted, Lan Xichen leaped down from Shuoyue right in front of him and looked around “I thought– i thought there was an attack“ he said in confusion

Lan Wangji hung his head low, somehow feeling very embarrassed “Wangji is apologize, i didn't meant to alarmed everyone. I was merely testing Bichen“ he explains, grow completely quiet. Lan Xichen blinked several times before let out a long sigh in relief “I see“ he muttered before smiling at him “I see you're already come out of your seclusion. How was it? Did you succeed, didi?“ he asked.

He looked at his brother, gaze softened before nods. His brother calm face broke into wide smile “Wangji, this is a great news. Just wait until Shufu and A-yu hear this. A-xin and A-xing would be delighted“ he walked towards Lan Wangji and pat his shoulder “Mother would be proud of you“ he whispered, Lan Wangji nods

“Alright, let's all came back to the Cloud Recesses. Shufu probably awake by now, i ask a disciple to come and fetch him, he must be waiting with A-yu“ he explains as they mounts their sword and fly back to the Cloud Recesses. Just like his brother said, his uncle was waiting alongside his sister in law by the time they jump down the courtyard

“Xichen, how is it? Is everything alright?“ he asked, Lan Xichen nods “I've found the intruder“ he said motioning towards Lan Wangji

“So, i take it you have succeeded your ascension?“ he asked, stroking his goatee, Lan Wangji nods. The four of them are currently seated in Hanshi. After all the commotion early, they decide to have small discussion over tea “That's really amazing brother in law, you were the second person ever known to have reach the peak. Something that Wen Ruohan hasn't be able to do“ Lan Yuen exclaims as she preparing tea for everyone 

“It is indeed a great news“ Lan Qiren nods in agreement and then he sees something he never expected, he watched as his uncle gaze softened and he smiled “I'm so proud of you, Wangji. i'm sure your mother too will very proud of you“

Lan Wangji widened his eyes, it's very rare for his uncle to bring up the late Madam Lan, him and Lan Xichen mother. Because of their family 'delicate' situation, his uncle has always had complicated feeling towards their mother, however as he is the one who took care of them, it was unavoidable for them to have interaction

He know that it must be very hard, not only for his mother but also his uncle. Whatever the reason is his mother is indeed has killed a senior of Gusu clan and she also become the reason why his brother life was ruined, but as much as he hated her for that, she is still the mother of his nephew and as much as Lan Qiren want to, he still couldn't deny the genuine love she has for her children

With that in mind, he looked up to his uncle and nods “Thank you, shufu“ he said, Lan Qiren huffed “Still, i can't believe you'll be so reckless like that. Using your power and causing the whole sect to be alarmed thinking that there's an attack“ Lan Wangji could feel his ears heated in embarrassment “Wangji apologize, i didn't mean to cause such inconvenience“

Lan Qiren sighs “No matter, this is still a great news that needs to be celebrated“ he said, Lan Wangji immediately perked up “Shufu, if i may, I want to ask for this matter to stay between us“ Lan Qiren raised his eyebrows “You didn't want anyone to know? Why?“

His eyes hardened as he replied “Wen Ruohan“

An understanding look dawned on his family face “Hmm, i understand your worries. No matter what, Wen-zongzhu has always known to be very obsessed with power and his prideful self didn't help with it“

“He will probably took it personally if he ever find out you surpassed him, brother in law“ Lan Yuen chided “Very well, for now, this matter will only between us“

“Thank you, uncle“

Lan Wangji took a sip of his tea “Xiongzhang, could you update me with what happened while i was in seclusion?“ he inquiry, Lan Xichen looked at him and sighed “Nie-zongzhu has sadly passed away, not long ago“ Lan Wangji widened his eyes “Qi deviation?“ he asked

The secret of Nie's clan saber is very well hidden secret even among the gentry family. Only Nie clan inner member and Lan clan inner member knows about it, as for the reason why Lan clan inner family know about it is because they've been trying to find the cure for it, they also been helping by playing the purification song

Lan Qiren sighed “No, it was not qi deviation. He was gravely injured during night hunt and died six months later“ he explains, Lan Xichen clenched his fist, his gaze hardened as he stared at the teacup in front of him “His saber was sabotaged by Wen Ruohan, it was a petty matter of pride“ he paused

“Mingjue saw it, he was there on the night hunt, watching as his father was gored by the horn of their prey“ he explains with tremble voice, Lan Yuen grab his hand and smiled which Lan Xichen returns it “Mingjue has taken the Clan leader mantle really well, he was very capable leader, however i couldn't help but worried for him“ he added

“Don't worry, he had you to guide him“ Lan Yuen reassures, Lan Xichen smiled at her

“Is there anything else?“ he asked, Lan Yuen turned to look at him and shrugs “I don't know if you want to know about this but not long after Nie-zongzhu died. Wen Zhiruo, my close friend also Wen Ruohan cousin, died. The causes was kept secret but i'm sure it was Wen Ruohan who–“

“Making assumption is prohibited“ Lan Qiren interject

“But shufu!! You also know how suspicious the whole thing was“ Lan Yuen whined, at that Lan Wangji couldn't help but perked up “What happened?“ he asked, Lan Xichen looked at him before sighed “Wen Zhiruo was the doctor who took care of Nie-zongzhu when he was bedridden after the whole night hunt incident. He always been a close friend with Nie-zongzhu. So after his death, Wen Zhiruo proposed to Wen Ruohan to let his family seceded from the Clan“ he explains

“Zhiruo-xiong wants his branch family to be freed from all this stupid politics and become farmer instead but Wen Ruohan denied his request and two weeks later Zhiruo-xiong was found dead. The cause was not release to the public, no one even know what happened but i'm sure it was Wen Ruohan“ Lan Yuen scowled

Lan Wangji eyes widened, if he's not mistaken Wen Zhiruo is the father of Wen siblings, Wen Qing and Wen Ning “So... what happened to his children?“ he asked, Lan Yuen blinked “I'm surprise you know about Wen Qing and Wen Ning“ she said before let out a long sigh “Wen Ruohan took them in, i was gonna offer myself to do it as i was very close with Zhiruo-xiong but Wen Qing medical skill draw Wen Ruohan attention. He took her in to used her for his benefit, he even using her brother as hostage. That damn piece of scumbag is getting bold“ Lan Yuen snarled

“A-yu. It is not good to talk bad behind other people's back“ Shufu scolded “I was not wrong though“ she muttered

After that, the four of them talked and had breakfast together “Now that you finish your seclusion, what are you gonna do, didi? Are you gonna start travelling and night hunt again?“ his brother asked after they finished their breakfast, Lan Wangji shook his head “I don't have plan to leave anytime soon however, there's something i need to find about in the library“

Lan Qiren raised his eyebrows “What are you looking for, Wangji?“ he asked “A scripture about ward and array“ he replied, the older man looked even more confused “Why do you need them?”

“I think, it is time for us to reform our wards, Shufu“ he answered “It has been too long since the last time we reform it, we need new and stronger wards because we never knew when we're under attack“ he explains. Lan Qiren stared at him, as if he's assessing him while stroking his goatee “Are you implying that someone will attack us? That's impossible, to attack one of the five clan, is like asking for death sentence. Whoever did it won't be able to escape“ he barked

But Lan Wangji didn't backed down, instead he try pushing it “But what if it's one of the five clan?“ he asked, he could see the three Lan's eyes widened “Wangji, you cannot be serious. Did you know what you implying when you say that?“

“Didi, i don't think the Nie or Jiang would have a thought to attack us and i doubt Jin Guangshan would have the–“ his brother trailed off before cough nervously “I don't think Jin-zongzhu will have the bravery to ruin the peace between the five clan“ he continued

“But what if it's Wen?“ he stated making the other three flinched. “We can't denied it that the Wen clan is the strongest among the five clan but Wen Ruohan prideful self is not a good thing. Sooner or later, he would do something, before it's too late i want us to reform our protection ward“ he pushed

“But Wangji. What you just said is an absurd assumption. If Wen Ruohan dare to attack Cloud Recesses, it's the same thing as they declared a war against the other clan“

“An absurd assumption but not impossible, he killed Nie-zongzhu for a petty matter and killed his own cousin when he want to seceded from the clan even though his family was only a branch family filled with non cultivator. How long will it take until his ego will effect other clan too?“

Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen went silent, it was Lan Yuen who break the silence “I see there's nothing wrong in taking precautions“ she stated “Our ward is old and very easy to break especially from the inside“ she added, Lan Qiren sighed “Truthfully, this is something that i've been worried about ever since Wen Ruohan took the mantle as Wen clan leader and the Chief cultivator mantle. After all, there was rumour that he killed his own father for the position“ he admitted

“Very well. Xichen, go and talk about this to Lan Caihe. Ask her to assist Wangji. I would do it myself but i need to prepare for class material“ he added, Lan Xichen smiled “Of course, Shufu“ he said “With all the commotion brother in law caused early, i forgot today was the first day of Gusu Lan lecture“ Lan Yuen muttered

“This year lecture is very special one. As we have almost every single heir from the five clan attending“ Lan Qiren stated “I just hope Cangse Sanren son will not end up like her“ he added quietly Lan Wangji couldn't help but perked at the mention of certain boy “Wei Ying“

Lan Yuen chuckled “Shufu, don't tell me you still bitter about Cangse shaved your goatee“ Lan Qiren huffed “You can't blame Cangse, Shufu. She was just little bit angry that your rule almost killed her crush“ Lan Yuen said “There was nothing wrong with the rules. If they followed it, they would've been okay. Beside that woman is abomination, very unruly and pretentious!! She never even try to follow any of our rules. I hope the boy took more of his father quiet side“ he said in resign, Lan Yuen only laughed before turned towards Lan Wangji

“Why don't you go and find your nephew, brother in law? They would be in Lanshi, helping Shufu to prepare the classroom. I bet they will be excited to finally met their favorite Uncle again“ she cooed, Lan Wangji nods, before bowing and excusing himself

He walk through the Cloud Recesses, admiring the views. It felt only yesterday he left the place but there's so much significant things that change. Lan Wangji couldn't stop thinking about the seclusion mountain, the way time flow differently inside and the way he heard voice talking to him when he going through his ascension, maybe it was his nascent soul talking to him or maybe it was something else. But he didn't have time to dwell on it much, all he need to focus to is Wei Ying

When he reach Lanshi, he could see two familiar figures in white busy preparing all the paper and scroll for the lecture “A-xin. A-xing“ he called, the two teenager immediately looked up and wide smile immediately broke to their face “Shushu“ they yelled, running towards him and hug him

Lan Wangji was still not used to the physical affection but he was very happy that his nephew did not grown up like he and Xichen did. One is very rigid and stoic, keeping people from approaching and the other is polite and kind but also keeping people in certain distance. He had Lan Yuen to thanked, she is really great mother

“Shushu, it's been so long. I really missed you so much“ Lan Muxin exclaims, Lan Xingye nods in agreement “We really missed you, Shushu. Did you finished your seclusion?“ Lan Xingye ask, he nodded “Did you succeed? Are you finished your ascension? Are you an immortal now? Tell me, tell me, tell me.“ he jabbered in excitement, Lan Xingye smack him in the head “A-xin, calm down. Let Shushu talk“ she scold

Lan Wangji patted both teenager head “Yes, i finished my ascension but i need you two to keep this matter secret. Only your parents and granduncle need to know“ he replied. Both teenager looked at each other and nodded, an understanding look in their face. Lan Wangji very happy to have such matured nephew “How are you two?“ he asked

“We are well, Shushu“ replied Lan Xingye “Shushu, we already finished the task you give us“ Lan Xingye said, Lan Muxin nodded excitedly “We have copied every book and scripture in the library, including the book and scripture inside forbidden library“ he said, whispering the last part

Lan Wangji widened his eyes “Every single one of them?“ he asked and the two teenager nods eagerly “But i only asked for the most fragile scripture“ he said “Well, at first we did as you told but then we were finished very quick. And so we thought, why not copying the whole library“ Lan Muxin explains

“And you even copying the ones in forbidden library? How did you even know how to get in? How did you even know about it?“ he questioned

“Please don't be angry, Shushu. It was an accident!! I swear, wwe found it when we tailing behind granduncle to prank him“ Lan Xingye whispered in small voice but Lan Wangji could hear it clearly, he couldn't help but sighed “It's okay, i won't tell your granduncle. Just make sure to not follow people anymore especially suspicious people. Am i clear?“ he asked

“Yes, Shushu“ replied the teenagers

“I am not mad. But don't do something reckless like this again. The person could have bad intentions or attacking you in self defense” he scolded “Where did you keep the copy?“ he inquiry, at this the two teenager perked “We keep it save in our room. We could go and get it for you“ Lan Xingye offered, he shook his head “There's no rush“ he replied

“How's your cultivation progress?“ he asked, changing the topic, at the question both teenager smiled widely “Granduncle say we progress really well. We also have received our own spiritual sword“ Lan Xingye answered, the two teenager eagerly show him their spiritual sword

He took Lan Muxin sword and start inspecting it. It was very beautiful and elegant sword, the scabbard was pure white, the hilt was light blue with white tassel attached to it. “What do you name it?“ he inquired “Anxing“ replied Lan Muxin excitedly “Mn, it's very beautiful name and a vey beautiful sword, A-xin. I'm very proud of you“ he praised

He give the sword back and then take Lan Xingye sword. Start inspecting it like he did to Lan Muxin sword. Although the two sword look very alike, there's significant difference between the two sword and that is Lan Xingye's sword is heavier and has dark blue colored hilt, other than that the two sword pretty much looked like twin sword

“What do you name it?“

“Rexin“ she replied with smile “How was your sword progress?“ he asked “Heizu-xiansheng said i progress really well and rather quick. He also said i could surpass Father when he's on my age“ she grinned “Shushu, listen. A-xing has develop a really bad habit when you're away“ Lan Muxin interrupt

“Bad habit?“ he raised his eyebrows “It wasn't–“ she try to explain but Lan Muxin cut her off “She has develop a habit to challenge Mingjue-ge to a duel every time he came to visit. She even dare to challenge violet spider when she came to visit the Cloud Recesses two years ago“

“A-xin!!“

At the mention of the name Lan Wangji mood suddenly soured “How was it?” he asked, startled the young Lan, she looked at him confused “Dueling with the violet spider“ he added, Lan Xingye face broke into wide smile “I lost but i did make her speechless. Later i also challenge her maids, Jinzhu and Yinzhu. I won against them both“

Lan Wangji nods approvingly “Next time, you have to be able to beat the violet spider“ he said, Lan Xingye nodded “Yes, shushu“ he give her sword back “Your sword is very well made and the name is also very fitting“ he commented, turn towards Lan Muxin “How was your medic lesson, A-xin?“

“A-niang said i would be able to surpass her soon“ he replied “Although, i really hope i could learn under Wen-guniang guide but A-niang forbid me to go to Nightless city“ he added “It's okay, as long as you study diligently, you will progress really well and become the best medic in the Lan clan“ he reassures

“How about your musical cultivation? Have you two choose your spiritual instrument?“

“We did. A-xin choose Guqin like Shushu, he name it Luzhu. I choose xiao like A-die and i named it Xuya“ replied Lan Xingye

“Granduncle said we also progress well in our musical cultivation“ added Lan Muxin

Lan Wangji nodded approvingly before remember something

“A-xin. A-xing. Do you know any disciples named Su She?“ he queried, both teenager eyebrows furrowed as they look at each other in confusion “Su she? You mean the outer disciples from Moling, Su She?“ Lan Xingye asked, Lan Wangji nods “Well, we do know him but we never talk to him outside necessity“ she explained “I don't like him“ Lan Muxin interject, crossing his arms “A-xin“ Lan Xingye chided

“What? I'm serious, he irked me, he always smile and act nice but everytime he think we're not looking, he always glaring at us. I don't understand him and i don't know what he wanted either“ he hums. Well, it seems that he couldn't carry on with his plan to not accept Su She as disciples anymore.

No matter, there's many things he could do to expelled the boy. He could even do it without a reason

“Why do you ask about him, Shushu?“ Lan Muxin queried. Lan Wangji opened his mouth to reply when sounds of chatters stopped him. The three Lan turned their head toward the sources and saw bunch of disciples from other sect walked towards them

He widened his eyes when he could see Wei Ying on the front “Wei Ying“ Bichen felt like it perked up when it heard Wei Ying voice. Nie Huaisang greet them awkwardly but Lan Wangji didn't pay attention to him, instead his golden eyes never leave a certain boy. He could hear his nephew walked towards the crowd and start talking with Nie Huaisang

He kept staring at Wei Ying and never move his eyes until the boy start to fidgeting nervously “This is not good, i made Wei Ying nervous, i need to make him not feel nervous towards me again“ with that in mind, he started walking towards the boy and greeted him

Wei Ying was openly laughs as he reply to his greeting. Lan Wangji take it as a good sign, with that he start conversing with the boy, ignoring the way his nephew and other disciples staring at them with eyes bulged and mouth gaping like fish out of water “Mn, good luck on your first day lecture. I'll see you soon“ he said as he walked away.

As he walked through the Cloud Recesses, he try to calm his heart that threaten to explode. Conversing with Wei Ying, he found– is still too much for him. He still couldn't believe that Wei Ying is actually here, in the Cloud Recesses.

The boy that he yearn to hold in his arms, to hug and to embrace. Lan Wangji mentally shook his head at the thought that only make his ear heated up 

“Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here. Wei Ying is here.“

Golden eyes widened as the realization slowly dawned on him. Wei Ying is here, in the Cloud Recesses and unlike in the vision where he keep pushing the boy away, this time he could enjoy and  spending time with Wei Ying.

He could take him around the Caiyi town, buy him many things he wasn't able to taste in the vision. Emperor smile, ice cream, lomquat and maybe some accessories like new red ribbon with cloud pattern sew on it. Lan Wangji ear heated at the thought 

He could cook him spicy lunch or spicy snack everyday during the time they spend in library. They could talk about ward and talisman that Wei Ying loves so much. He could also teach Wei Ying some of gusu dialect. There's so many things he could do with Wei Ying

This time Lan Wangji couldn't wait to do all of them

A flash of vision appear before him, a single figure clad in black robe, long black silky hair barely holding up by a red ribbon, around him was engulfed in fire, sword and weapon pointed at him, a swarm of fierce corpse around him, protecting him from the cultivator

As the figure raised his hand to the sky, a seal floating above him, the figure in black robe attacked it with concentrate resentful energy, finally break it into two parts before send another concentrate wave of resentful energy destroying one of the part before he could manage to destroy the other half, the fierce corpse turn at him

Running at him before devouring and torn him into nothing. Completely destroying both body and soul

Lan Wangji clenched Bichen, his golden eyes hardened. This time, he would protect Wei Ying. Even if he had to commit every single sin in existence. Even if he had to burn the world to dust. Even if he had to sacrifice every single drop of blood in him.

He would do it. With no hesitation

Because it's all better than to live in the world without Wei Ying. Living with the guilt and regret at the thought he could do more. That he had failed the one he loved more than the world

Chapter Text

At once, it was as if the ten-or-so mouths were silenced. They quietly entered the room, quietly picked their seat to sit, and quietly picked the table around Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye.

Wei Wuxian looked around and soon realized there's only one seat left and it was the one beside Lan Muxin while his sister, Lan Xingye sit right behind him, beside her was Nie Huaisang.

When Wei Wuxian took a seat he could feel the siblings glaring right at him. As he was just thinking about starting conversation with him, Lan Qiren walked into the room.

There was a virtuous and prestigious Elder in Gusu Lan clan, he is Lan Qiren. Everyone in the cultivation world accepted three characteristics which described him : pedantic, stubborn and a strict teacher who produced outstanding students. Although the first two points kept a lot of people at a respective distance to him, some even to the point of secret dislike, the last one made them try everything they could to send their children to study under him.

He had brought up a quite a number of excellent disciples of the Lan clan. As long as they stayed a few years in his classroom, no matter how pathetically useless they were, when they first entered, they would at least seem to be decent when they depart, especially in terms of appearance and etiquette. There were plenty of parents who were so excited that tears flowed down their cheeks when they picked up their children.

”Good morning, sir!” the students chorused

Lan Qiren merely gave a considering hum, then ordered the students to “Be seated.”

Lan Qiren was tall and thin, standing with a straight back. Although he had a long, black goatee, he was definitely not young. And, according to the tradition of the Gusu Lan clan producing beautiful men each generation, he was definitely not bad-looking either.

Yet, unfortunately with the pedantic and stiff air that surrounded him, nothing would feel wrong if one called him old man. He entered with a scroll in one hand. With a soft thump, the long scroll of paper rolled all over the ground crossing the entirety of the room as soon as he opened it, thousands of small letters were written on it

Then he started to read it “House rules of the Lan Clan:” Lan Qiren recited in near-monotone. “No private fighting, no promiscuity, no killing inside the city, no wandering around at night-”

The faces of everyone in the room started to grow dark. Only a handful of seconds it took before Wei Wuxian grow bored, disbelief written across his face as he watched Lan Qiren keep reciting the rules. He set his elbow on the table, and resting his chin on his hand. Then his gaze started to flew everywhere, and landed on the side face of Lan Muxin

“-no shouting, no rushing, no smirking, no sitting hunched over-”

He was shocked as he saw concentrate and seriousness that were nothing like facade, his gaze then drifted to his sister and frowned when he saw identical expression on her face too “How can they listen so attentively to something boring? As expected from Hanguang-jun nephew“ he thought

“...no-” a sharp wack struck the classroom as Lan Qiren slammed the scroll onto the ground, causing Wei Wuxian to turn back to him. He smiled bitterly, “I am only repeating this one by one because nobody reads it, even though it was carved onto the rock wall in front of the mountain. Hence, nobody will be able to violate them using ignorance as an excuse again“

‘Is he talking about me?‘ Wei Wuxian wondered ‘How did he even know what happened last night?‘ his mind start recalling the event from last night

“Mn, Wei Ying could have as many Emperor's smile as he want and he could break as many rules as he want. I won't let anyone punish Wei Ying“

His cheek heated up at the memory, he immediately shook his head‘That was what Hanguang-jun told me. He seems to be serious about it and he doesn't seems like someone who will sold me out to his uncle‘ he pondered then his mind recalled the two lans and Lan Qiren exchange right before the class

He shift his gaze to Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye ‘Ah, i see now‘

“Even if i do this, there are still people who do not pay attention“ he narrowed his eyes “Very well, i will proceed to talk about something else“

Although his word could be applied to everyone in the room, Wei Wuxian's instinct told him that it was a warning directed at him. And, as he expected, Lan Qiren spoke, “Wei Ying“

Wei Wuxian answered, “Here.“

“Let me ask you. Yao, mo, gui, and guai“ he said while stroking his goatee “Yao, demon, ghost and monster. Are they the same things?“ he asked

Wei Wuxian smiled, “No“ he answered

“Why not? How are they differentiated?“ he asked again

“Yao are formed from living non-human being, demons are formed from living human, ghost are formed from dead humans, monster are formed from dead non-human living“ he explains, but Lan Qiren seems to far from done with him

“Yao and monster are often confused. What is an example that distinguishes the two?“ he queried

“That's easy.“ Wei Wuxian pointed at the viridian tree outside of the room and replied, “For example, a living tree was tainted with the energy of books, cultivated into a conscious being, and causes mischief, it would be a 'yao'. If i took an axe and cut it in the middle, so that only dead tree-stump was left, and then it cultivate into a being, i would be a 'monster'.“ he explained 

When Wei Wuxian thought he were done, Lan Qiren opened his mouth again “What was the profession of the progenitor of the Qinghe Nie clan?“ he questioned

“A butcher“

“The heraldy of the Langling Jin clan is a white peony. Which type of white peony is it?“

“Spark amidst snow“

“Who was the first in the cultivation world to focus on the rise of his clan rather than his sect?“

“The progenitor of Qishan Wen clan, Wen Mao“

Jiang Cheng, who had tensed while Wei Wuxian answered, finally relaxed as Wei Wuxian answer every question correctly.

His fluent answers made everyone's hearts skip a few beats. Although they felt lucky, they all prsyed for him to not be stumped by any questions, so that Lan Qiren wouldn't have the opportunity to pick on other people.

'You must carry on, Wei-xiong!’ several other disciples thought. ‘Please don’t give Lan Qiren a chance to ask anyone else!’

Yet, Lan Qiren spoke, “As a disciples of Yunmeng Jiang clan, you should have been familiar with these and known them by heart since long ago, so there is nothing to be proud of even if you answered correctly“ he uttered

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye both frowned, exchanging glance and silent communication

“Let me ask you again– there is an executioner with parents, a wife and children, but before he died, he executed more than one hundred people. He suddenly died in the public, and to punish him for his deeds, he was left on the street for seven days, no one buries him. With the repressed energy of resentment, he started to haunt and kill. What should be done?“

This time, Wei Wuxian didn't answer immediately. The others thought that he was confused, and were all feeling restless. Leaning down as much as possible to hide his face in his book, Nie Huaisang shook slightly.

“Don’t choose me. Don’t choose me.” he chanted

Lan Qiren scolded, “Why are you looking at him? Think about this as well. Don't open your books!“

The disciples took their hands away from the book that they intended on quickly flipping through. They were confused as well– having died in the public and left on the streets for seven days without anyone buries him, it was definitely a fierce ghost and ferocious corpse, and therefore a question hard to solve. Everyone hoped that the old man Lan wouldn't pick on them to answer, Lan Qiren seemed like he was thinking, and spoke again, “Muxin, you can tell him what should be done.“

Lan Muxin exchange glance with Lan Xingye, he did not look at Wei Wuxian. He nodded to indicate respect and answered, “First, liberate; second, suppress; third, eliminate. The initial approach is to utilize the gratitude of his relatives and grant his dying wish, set free what he could not let go of. If it fails, suppress it. If the crimes were extremely wrongful, and its energy of resentment does not dissipate, exterminate it completely. The cultivation world should precisely keep to this order of measures. No errors should be allowed.“

Everyone let out a long relief sigh, thanking the heavens because Lan Muxin was the one the old man selected. Else, if it was their turn, it would be hard to not overlook a few steps or mix up the order.

Lan Qiren nodded in satisfaction, “Not a single mistake was made.“ with a pause, he spoke again “No matter in terms of cultivation or as a person, one needs to be solid as this. If one become complacent and proud just because they defeated a few simple mountain beings in their home and hold some empty reputation, one would bring disgrace upon themselves, sooner or later“

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye couldn't help the flinch they had as they widened their eyes towards Lan Qiren. Wei Wuxian raised his brows and took a look at the two Lan ‘So apparently this old man meant it for me. He called his best pupil to listen with us in order for me to watch‘ he thought 

Wei Wuxian, who had a contemplative look throughout the explanation, suddenly brightened in realization. Ignoring the rest of the class, he pulling out a blank piece of paper to write on and began to draw something

“I have a question.“

Lan Qiren looked at him before replied, “Speak.“

Wei Wuxian smiled, “Although, 'liberation' comes first, it is often impossible. 'To grant his dying wish' sounds simple– it would be easy, if the wish was a new piece of clothing, but what if the wish was to kill lots of people for revenge?“ he questioned

Lan Xingye interject, “Permission to answer, Lan-xiansheng“ Lan Qiren nodded “If that were happen, suppression assist liberation. If it is necessary, elimination would also follow“ she replied, Wei Wuxian blinked at her before smiled ‘I see, so they realized it too‘ he thought 

“Such a waste.“ he stated, ignoring Lan Xingye eyes who narrowed at him and continued, “It wasn't that i didn't know of this answer, i was only thinking of the fourth path.“

Lan Qiren spoke, “I have never heard of any fourth paths.“

But Wei Wuxian didn't seems to faltered instead he show the whole class what he was writing, turned out it was a drawing “Here,” Wei Wuxian offered, holding out the paper. On it, a cartoonish but expressive drawing depicted a man digging up graves.

“Because the executioner died in such a way, it is only natural that he turned into a ferocious corpse. Since he executed more than one hundred people before he died, why not dig up the graves of these people, arouse their energy of resentment, collect the heads of those hundred people, and use them to fight with the ferocious corpse...“

Lan Muxin finally turned around to look at him, his brows were knitted. Lan Qiren was so angered that his goatee quivered. He shouted, “How dare you!“

Everyone in the room was stunned. Lan Qiren sprang to his feet, “The essence of exorcising demons and annihilating ghosts is to liberate! You do not study the methods of liberation, and even think about increasing their energy of resentment! You reverse the natural order, and ignore ethics and morality!“

But Wei Wuxian didn't backed down, instead he replied, “There are some things that have no use after liberation, so why not find a way to make use of them? When Yu the Great tamed the flood, obstruction was the inferior method, and redirection was the superior. Suppression is the same as obstruction, so isn't it inferior...“

Lan Qiren hurled a scroll towards Wei Wuxian, but the boy simply ducked to the side and allowed the object to smack Nie Huaisang in the face instead. His expression remained unchanged, and continued to talk nonsense, “Spiritual energy is energy. Resentful energy is energy as well. Spiritual energy is stored in the dantian. It can split the mountains and fills the oceans, available for human to use. If so, then why can't resentful energy also be used by humans?“

Another scroll came flying from Lan Qiren, he spoke harshly, “Then, let me ask you again! How do you make sure that the resentful energy only listens to you and does not harm others?“ Wei Wuxian ducked the scroll, simply hummed to himself, acknowledging “Good question, i haven't thought of it yet!“

Lan Qiren raged, “If you thought of it, the cultivation world would not allow your existence! Get out!“

Wei Wuxian couldn't be more glad “Goodbye“ he responded, quickly went out while cackling

After running a good distance he slowed down and finally came to stop. He started wandered around the Cloud Recesses, stopping in front of a lake. He then took a grass and dipped the tip of it into the lake, watching as a koi fish swimming and playing with the tip, thinking it was some sort of food

“Wei Ying“

A deep voice suddenly startled him, the koi fish immediately swim away “Huh?“ he turned around and immediately face to face with Hanguang-jun. Looking regal as ever, robe as smooth as always, not a single dirt stained it and not a single hair out of place

“Hanguang-jun“ he muttered still looking disbelief at him, the older man walked towards him “The class is not over yet“ he stated, even though knowing well why the boy out here by himself. At the statement, Wei Wuxian abandon the grass and crossing his arms, mouth immediately form a little pout that Lan Wangji couldn't help but think it's so cute

“I was thrown out from the class by Grandmaster Lan“ he pouted, after seeing no reaction from the older Lan, Wei Wuxian sigh dramatically “I am nothing but a victim of injustice“ he stated “Grandmaster Lan is purposely targeting me, i don't even know what i did to him. He look like a maiden who have been wronged by me!“ he whined

“What happened?“ the older man asked

Wei Wuxian didn't know why but as he eyes stared at those golden eyes, he couldn't stop himself and start telling Lan Wangji everything that happened in the classroom. When he finished his story, he looked up and realized the older Lan has been staring at the lake with hardened gaze, he hurried sprang to his feet

“Hanguang-jun, i know what i did and say was wrong. I shouldn't have said that or purposely enraged Grandmaster Lan. I didn't actually meant it when i suggested using resentful energy. I swear i didn't mean too, i just– i'm just little bit angry... I guess? That Grandmaster Lan seemed to purposely targeting me, even using his perfect flawless grandnephew to prove a point, i didn't even know what i ever did to that old man“ he rambled

The younger man suddenly stop his rambling when he felt a hand patted his head gently, he looked up and widened his eyes when he saw the older man looking down at him with softened eyes. Golden stared at him as if he's the most important thing in the world “Wei Ying is not wrong“ he said softly

“What?“

The older Lan keep patting his head while replying, “Wei Ying is not wrong“

Silver eyes widened “I– i'm not?“

“Wei Ying!! Look at you!! Always making trouble wherever you go“

‘No! It was second shidi who did it. It wasn't me‘

“A-xian... I– you do know that San-niang didn't mean any of what she said, right? She was just worried for A-cheng“

‘But what about me?‘

“Why do you always causes trouble wherever you go and make me clean up after your mess?“

‘We did it together but as soon as it become trouble it's my mess‘

“A-xian... A-cheng is just like that. He didn't meant what he said to you, he just worried for you“

‘Why do i always be the one who need to understand‘

It was always him

It's always him who need to understand

It's always him who in the wrong

Silver eyes stared at golden molten “You– you really didn't think i'm wrong?“

“Mn, i think Wei Ying is very kind and considerate to think about that“ he said, golden eyes softened as he looked at the teenager. An image of a teenager being thrown into burial mounds flashed before his eyes. Fighting and running away from countless fierce ghost and ferocious corpse, didn't have time to sleep or rest

“In this world, not all people can be cultivator and cultivate a golden core. Not everyone have a golden core to follow the orthodox way“ an image of teenager laying on the ground, screaming and screaming as his golden core, apart of himself that he painstakingly built, was ripped away from him

“Sometimes people need to do what they have to do in order to survive” another image overlaying his sight, a skinny figure eating rotten flesh and anything he could find in deserted mounds filled with corpse

“Sometimes they had things that they wish to protect. Things that people wouldn't know or care about“ his mind drifted back to all the woman and eldery in burial mounds. To little A-yuan who had done nothing to deserve any of this

“Although it's not necessarily has to be ghostly path but is it not wrong to find other path or other weapon to use“ he added, his mind wandering to chenqing and the spirit attraction flag

“Judging someone action, principal and moral without trying to understand their reasoning and their situation just because they didn't use the orthodox way is unjustifiable“ he said, hand clenched into fist as he replaying in his mind all those times where his future self and everyone in cultivation world will scorned and berated Wei Ying's cultivation path just because he used different path than other people, not even trying to understand his reasoning and situation

“In this case, Shufu is in the wrong but he also very stubborn. He shouldn't purposely targeting you, berated you or throw you out from the class. Because of that, i apologize in his stand“ he said, lower his head toward the teenager who immediately squeaked and backed away

“No need to apologize, Hanguang-jun.” he rushed to say. “I really can’t stand when others apologize or thanked me, especially not when they do it so seriously. It gives me goosebumps. And kowtowing is even more unnecessary.” he rambled

However, Lan Wangji only looked at him with somewhat a saddened gaze “There are two cringe-worthy phrases that one's must said no matter what.”

Wei Wuxian blinked “Hm? Which two?” he asked curiously

“‘Thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry.’” For a moment there was only silence between them, as Lan Wangji saying those word not louder than a whisper, his eyes already move from Wei Wuxian and instead gazing at something at distance. As the wind fluttered and blowing the leaves around them

“Someday, you’ll say those words in tears but it'll fell to deaf ears. Because everything has been too late and the person who need to hear it the most are no longer there to hear it” Lan Wangji says, golden eyes finally move and fluttered to look at him.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but felt his heart clenched, he didn't know why but it felt like Hanguang-jun were saying those word not just for the sake of giving advise to the younger, no, it felt like he really meant those word

’It felt like– it felt like as if he say it to me‘

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to say something but before he could say anything a cheerful voice cut him “Wei-xiong!“Wei Wuxian looked away from Lan Wangji towards the voice and saw Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng walked down the path with the former waving at him cheerfully and the other with scowls on his face

“Your friends are here“ Lan Wangji stated “See you later, Wei Ying“ he bid a goodbye before Wei Wuxian could say anything and walking away without looking back

Wei Wuxian perked up as he noticed a certain two Lan stood under an ancient, verdant tree and gazed in their direction. They looked like a jade trees, reflecting the mottled shadows of leaves and sunlight. However, their stare wasn't kind at all, as if it could lock them in a cavern made of ice “Muxin-xiong! Xingye-jie!” he shouted across the path while waving his hand.

In response, the two Lan simply turned and walked away. Wei Wuxian cheerfully went after them and yelled “Muxin-xiong! Xingye-jie! Wait for me!”

The white clothed figure flashed behind the tree, and suddenly disappeared without a trace, clearly showing that either Lan didn't want to converse with him. Having received only a view from behind, Wei Wuxian turned around and complained to the others

”They ignored me,” Wei Wuxian pouted 

“What did you expect?” Jiang Cheng asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Nie Huaisang hums “Yeah, it looks like they really hates you. Xin-ge and Xing-jie usually… no, they never been that rude to someone before. Though, given what you did….” he trailed off

Wei Wuxian frowned “They hates me already? I wanted to apologize to them.” he muttered 

Jiang Cheng sneered “Apologizing now? Too late! Did you remember what you answered in class? You’re impossible! They probably just like Lan Qiren, who thinks you are evil and unruly to the core, and didn't bother to pay you any attention.” he spat 

“What are you doing with Hanguang-jun?“ Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, Wei Wuxian laugh nervously “I swear to whoever god and buddha out there, if you cause more trouble i will–” before Jiang Cheng could finish his sentence, Wei Wuxian cut him off “Relax, Jiang Cheng. There's nothing to worry about. Hanguang-jun just found me while i'm wondering around and asked what happened“ he explained

Jiang Cheng glowered “Did you tell him what happened?” he asked, the Jiang head disciples nodded “I did“ he replied “And? What did he say? What punishment did you got from him?” he questioned, Wei Wuxian blinked “Punishment?“ he couldn't help but burst out laughing “He didn't punish me, we just talked, he didn't even looked mad at me“ he said cheerfully

“Impossible“ Jiang Cheng hissed

Wei Wuxian frowned “What do you think so impossible from that?“ he asked, the Jiang heir is openly glared at Wei Wuxian like he's about to burst a vein “You– Did you even hear what you just said?! You just said that the pristine prestigious Hanguang-jun just let you go unpunished even after you told him what you did to his uncle?! And you expect me to believe that?“ he barked

“Be honest with me. You didn't actually tell him what happened right? You just lie to him, like you always did“ he pressed

Wei Wuxian raised his brows “Why are you getting so worked up, Jiang Cheng. I really told him what happened and he isn't mad at me, he even think i wasn't in the wrong“

“Bullshit“ Jiang Cheng spat “Every trouble that happened is always your fault, you're always the cause of it, because that's how you are. You're unruly and undisciplined“

Wei Wuxian widened his eyes, a flash of hurt crossing his face but he immediately recovered and put on his casual grin “Jiang Cheng, didn't you remember what i said this morning about my encounter with Hanguang-jun. Did you forget what i told you about what he said, no matter how much Emperor smiles i smuggled and rules that i breaking, i will never be punished unfairly“ he said with a hint of teasing

Jiang Cheng smacked him on his head “Stop spouting nonsense“ Wei Wuxian rub his head while pouting, seeing there's still tension between the two, Nie Huaisang who's been standing awkwardly on the sideline immediately interject

“By the way, Wei-xiong. How admirable of you! He told you to get out, and you really went outside! Hahahaha...” the Nie heir openly laughed “After you went out, a long while passed before he finally understood what happened. His face was so purple!” he added

Wei Wuxian huffed “He asks, and i answer. If he tells me to get out, i will get out. What else does he want me to do?“

Nie Huaisang spoke, “Why does it seem like old man Lan is especially strict towards you? He always directs his scoldings at you“

Jiang Cheng humphed, “It serves him right. What sort of answer is that? It's fine if he spouts these nonsense at home, but he dared to say this in front of Lan Qiren. He's seeking his own death!“ he exclaimed

Wei Wuxian only shrugged “No matter how i answered it, he wouldn't like me, so i might as well just say what i wanted to say. Anyways, i didn't try to offend him, i was just answering properly.”

After thinking for a few moments, an expression of envy and yearning appeared on Nie Huaisang's face, “To be honest, Wei-xiong's word were quite interesting. Spiritual energy can only be obtained through cultivation and it take great pains to form a golden core” he paused

“It would take I-don't-know-how-many years to do, especially for someone like me, whose talent seems as if it was gnawed by a dog when i was in mother's womb. But, resentful energy are from the fierce ghosts, if they can easily be taken and used, it would be beyond wonderful”

Wei Wuxian stared at the Nie heir suddenly remembering what Hanguang-jun said early

“In this world, not all people can be cultivator and cultivate a golden core. Not everyone have a golden core to follow the orthodox way“

“Sometimes people need to do what they have to do in order to survive” 

“Sometimes they had things that they wish to protect. Things that people wouldn't know or care about“

A golden core was a core formed by cultivator after they had cultivated to a certain point. It can store and control spiritual energy. After the core was formed, the cultivator's level of cultivation would increase at rapid speed, and become better and better. Else, they would only be a low-end cultivator. If disciple from prominent clan forms the core at a later age, it would be disgrace to tell other people of it, yet Nie Huaisang didn't feel ashamed at all.

Wei Wuxian smiled, “I know, right? No harm comes from trying it. If we can make use resentful energy, then many places that gather resentment won’t be forbidden places anymore.”

”Even the Burial Mounds at Yiling,” Wei Wuxian added, leaning back to look at the sky.

“That's enough!” Jiang Cheng interject “It's fine if you talk about it, you can say whatever you want, but don't actually walk such a crooked path.“ he warned

Wei Wuxian smiled “I’m not stupid enough to try that. Why would i leave the nice, broad road, and walk on a single-plank bridge on a dark, narrow river instead? If it really is that easy, people would have already walked on it. Don't worry, i’ll follow the right path just like everyone else. Beside, he was just asking, and i was just answering.” he said as he started walking

“Hey, are you guys coming? Since it's not curfew yet, hunt for pheasants with me.”

“What do you mean ‘hunt for pheasants’? Why would there be pheasants here?!“ the Jiang heir scolded “First, go copy Righteousness. Lan Qiren asked me to tell you to copy the Virtue section of Righteousness for three times, so that you can learn what natural law and morality is.” he added

Righteousness was the collection of the Lan clan clan's rules. The clan rules here was too long, so Lan Qiren revised them into a thick collection. The section Virtue and Conduct were four fifth of the whole book. Wei Wuxian choked on his spit as he widened his eyes “Three times? I'd fly up to Heaven if i just copied them once“ he exclaims

“I'm not from the Lan sect, and don't intend to marry into the Lan clan, so why should i copy the sect rules of his sect? I'm not gonna copy” he grumbles

Nie Huaisang quickly spoke, “I'll copy for you!! i'll copy for you!!”

Wei Wuxian stared at him with brows furrowed “No good person does favours for other out of the blue. Tell me, what do you want me to do?”

Nie Huaisang replied “It's like this, Wei-xiong, old man Lan has a bad habit. He...” the Nie heir trailed off

Only after three days, did Wei Wuxian finally know of Lan Qiren's bad habit. 

Lan Qiren's lesson were not only tediously long, but everything was also tested on. The generational changes of important Clans in the cultivation world, the division of their areas of power, famous quote by famous cultivators, family tree...

Although he didn't understand a single bit as he listened in class, Nie Huaisang worked as hard as a slave when the date of the test approached. He copied Virtue two times for Wei Wuxian, and begged before test

“Hold on,” Wei Wuxian thrust a hand forward. “You want me to take the test for you?”

“Ah, no, no! Telling me the answer is enough. I have everything prepared.”

He handed over a long, thin scroll, which Wei Wuxian skeptically unraveled.

“...Lan Qiren already hates me. If he finds out….”

“Please, Wei-xiong! It’s okay! Nothing will go wrong.” he begged, Wei Wuxian only stared at him “Please, Wei-xiong, if my grade is lower than yi, my brother would really break my legs! Stuff like telling apart direct lineage, collateral lineage, main clan, clan branches...“

“For us disciples from big Clans, we can't even distinguish our relationship with our own relatives, randomly calling everyone who are more than two tiers away from us aunts and uncles. Does anyone have enough capacity in their brain to remember those of other clans?!”

Wei Wuxian let out a long sighs “Alright, alright. I'll think of something“ he said before walking to the classroom, he slightly surprised how the arrangement of the classroom were changed, maybe because it's a test. Now everyone has their own desk and there's only three desk in a row

Wei Wuxian took a seat on the third row, Nie Huaisang followed behind him cheerfully but before he could take a seat beside Wei Wuxian, Lan Muxin came out of nowhere and sit beside the Jiang head disciples. Nie Huaisang blinked then shifted his gaze to Wei Wuxian, silently pleading at him to do something

Wei Wuxian looked in between Nie Huaisang and Lan Muxin before shrugged, the Nie heir's shoulder slumped as he took a seat beside Lan Muxin. As the test begin, Nie Huaisang clasped his hand together ‘Amitabha, i'll count on you this time‘ he prayed internally before glance at Wei Wuxian “Wei-xiong” he whispered

The boy looked at him and smiled before writing on small paper all the answer and then send it flying to the Nie heir, this happened several times until Lan Muxin caught them.

“Ah… Wei-xiong, I’m sorry.” the Nie heir apologized as he trudged up a hill alongside Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. The Jiang head disciples crossed his arms “Didn’t you say it’d be okay?” he asked “I didn’t expect Lan Muxin to be able to caught us!” he replied

As a result of cheating notes flying everywhere in the air, Lan Muxin manage to caught a few initiators of the commotion. Lan Qiren exploded with anger, writing letters to the prominent Clans to tell on them. He loathed Wei Wuxian– in the beginning, although these disciples could hardly sit still, at least nobody started anything, and their buttocks were able to stick to their legs.

However, now that Wei Ying came, the originally spineless brat were influenced by his encouragement. Looking for any loophole on every rule such as using large size of bowl to get more portion of rice than usual, killing livestock outside the Cloud Recesses before bring it back inside to be roasted, sleeping in class, reading novel in class

Some disciples even start to dare venturing out at night and drinking alcohol however they pleased. The unhealthy practices grew greater and greater. As he had expected, Wei Ying was one of the biggest threats to humanity!

Then, a letter from Jiang clan arrive a couple days after Lan Qiren send the letters about his report. “A-xian has always been like this. Please take care to discipline him, Grandmaster Lan“ was Jiang Fengmian reply

And so, Wei Wuxian was punished again.

At first, he didn't think too much of it. It was only copying texts, and he never lacked people who copied for him. Yet, this time, Nie Huaisang spoke, “Wei-xiong, even if i want to help you, I can't anymore. You'd have to endure it on your own.”

Wei Wuxian raise his brows “What happened?” he asked

“Old– Grandmaster Lan said that you have to copy both Virtue and Conduct.” he replied

Conduct was the most complicated section of the twelve sections in the Lan Sect's sect rules. It cited a lot of classics, was terribly long, and had a lot of rarely-used characters. Copy it one time, and one would lost all interest in life. Copy it ten times, and one would fly to the Heaven on the spot.

“He also said that, during the time of the punishment, nobody is allowed to fool around with you or copy them for you.” he added ”How would he know if someone copied them for me or not? Surely it doesn't mean that he's making someone to watch me.” he wondered.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, ”That's exactly the case.” he scowled

“...” Wei Wuxian blinked, ”What did you just say?” he asked ”He told us to tell you that you're not allowed to go outside and have to go to the Library Pavilion to copy, and also face the wall and reflect upon your mistakes. Of course there will be someone to watch you. I don't need to tell you who he is, do I?” he smirked

“Anyways, you’re on your own“ he paused before motioning forward “There, the library is right ahead.” There over the top of the hill, they gazed upon the Lan sect’s intimidating yet graceful building known as the Library Pavilion. Surrounded by the cool, ever-present fog, it radiated an aura of tranquility found nowhere else.

“Who would watch over me, anyway. Don't tell me it's one of the twin jade? Lan Muxin? or is it Lan Xingye? or maybe both of them?“

“It's someone even worse than that” Jiang Cheng stated, as Wei Wuxian opened the door to the Library Pavilion, silver stardust eyes widened as he saw a familiar figure sitting on one of the desk inside. His aura alone enough to scream 'Prestigious' with no a single hair out of the place and without a single crease on his robes. Hanguang-jun look perfect like always 

Nie Huaisang and Jiang Wanyin slowly slid away, realizing this Wei Ying turned around only to find no one was there “You guys?!” he yelled. Wei Ying let out a sigh as he slumped forward “Hanguang-jun looked like a dead boring and i'll have to sit with him for a month? This is torture“ he whispered.

There was one bamboo seat, one wooden desk, two candlesticks, and two people. One sat in proper position, but, on the other side, Wei Wuxian had already copied Conduct for more than ten pages. His head felt dizzy and his heart felt bored, so he dropped his brush to take a breath and looked across.

He still couldn't believe that Lan Qiren made his favorite nephew, the famous Hanguang-jun to supervisor his punishment.

When he was still in Yunmeng, there were a lot of girls who envied that he could come and study with the twin jade, Lan Muxin and Lan Xinye. They also said he was very lucky to have a chance to met with the very famous Hanguang-jun. They said that each generation was full of nice-looking men especially the brother part of the Twin Jade in the current generation, and also the Light Bearer lord whose beauty manage to preserve even throughout decades, put a shame to everyone from the same generation as him.

Before this, Wei Wuxian never had the chance to carefully examine the front of his face, now that he had a chance to look at it from closer, he started to think random thoughts. He look quite beautiful indeed.

His broad shoulder, perfectly built body, not too slender but also not too bulky, that would put even Wen Ruohan to shame, his smooth porcelain skin that looked like the sun even scared to touch it, his beautiful carved face that looked like it was straight up shaped and molded with a god in mind, his silky black hair that look so soft and glimmering under the sunlight.

And the most beautiful part of him, his eyes, his light colored eyes that look like a beautiful pure golden molten, it shine beautifully under the sunlight and it reflecting beautifully under the moonlight

Wei Wuxian find himself unable to look away

Lan Wangji who has been feeling the intent stare from the teen looked up from the script in front of him “You are distracted“ he pointed out with a hint of smugness, Wei Wuxian blinked several time before it finally clicked in his mind, his face immediately heated up “I'm not distracted!“ he exclaims before taking his brush back and start writing again

The older man only huffed, sounding amused before going back to his scripture. After a moment, Wei Wuxian stopped his hand movements and stared at the older man again. Lan Wangji was recopying some information from an important looking ancient books, which not only old but also unavailable to others, except in the Lan Sect's Library Pavilion.

His brushstrokes were slow and steady, and his handwriting was neat yet sharply vigorously. Wei Wuxian couldn't help but compliment him sincerely without expecting an answer. “Those are some great characters! They're of the top level.”

The older man remained indifferent.

Wei Wuxian rarely kept his mouth shut for such a long amount of time. Feeling suffocated, he thought, i have to sit in front of such a stuffy person for so many hours each day, for a month. Would i even survive?

At this point of thought, he couldn't help but slightly tilted his body forward.

Wei Wuxian was someone who was skilled at finding fun for himself, especially talented in the area of seeking joy amid dull circumstances. Since there wasn't anything else to play with, he could only play with Hanguang-jun. “Lan-xiansheng” he called, when he got no replied, he continued “Did your shufu and your nephew actually hates me?“

Lan Wangji remained motionless. “Are you ignoring me?” he whined, the frowning mouth shifted into a mischievous grin

“Hey, hey,” two of his fingers start crawling towards Lan Wangji, mimicking a human walk. “What should I call you to get a response?” he grinned walking behind the man “Hanguang-jun? Lan-xiansheng? Lan Wangji? Wangji-ge?” he sit on the table and cross his arms “Oh!! i got it!! Lan Zhan-xiansheng“ he said with a hint of teasing 

Lan Wangji finally stopped writing and loked up from the script. Wei Wuxian shifted backward, raising his hands as if he was defending himself, “Don't look at me like that. I only called your birth name because you didn't answer when i called you Lan-xiansheng. If you're upset, you can also call me back with my birth name”

“Mn”

“Eh?” Silver eyes blinked in confusion, he looked towards Lan Wangji, expecting to see a gaze full of hatred glaring at him, yet what he found is a soft golden eyes looking back at him

“Wei Ying should also call me Lan Zhan“

Wei Wuxian's mouth fall open, he completely look like a fish out of water, gaping “What? What did you just say?”

“Wei Ying should also call me Lan Zhan–” he paused “Or whatever name he wished to call me” he added

Wei Wuxian was speechless. For the second time, since he's arrive in this boring stuck up place, Hanguang-jun has manage to make him speechless for the first time in his life like this, and not once but twice!!

“Hanguang-jun stop playing with me. I was being serious, i didn't meant to be rude or to offend you, i just want you to listen and pay attention to me“ as he keep going, he could felt himself sounding more and more ridiculous until he doesn't have face enough to say the rest of the sentence above whisper

Lan Wangji only huffed quietly, sounding like he's actually amused. The audacity!!, Wei Wuxian thought. “Lying is prohibited“ the older man recited “I was not playing around. Wei Ying could call me anything he wished to, i will give him permission to do it“ he said, before motioning towards Wei Wuxian legs “Put your legs down and go back to your seat“

Wei Wuxian stared at him before finally giving up and going back to his seat, he grinned before purposely sitting improperly. Wei Wuxian's sitting posture was extremely improper, with a slanted body and legs propped up. Seeing that he finally teased Lan Wangji to the point that he started to talk, the former silently chuckled to himself, as if he finally saw the cloud disperse and the moon appear

Although, his victory this time feels weird

“Wei Ying should also call me Lan Zhan–” he paused “Or whatever name he wished to call me” he added

Listening to Lan Wangji's word, he put his legs down, but his upper body inched unnoticeably closer, and he pressed his arms onto the desk. It was still unacceptable sitting posture but Lan Wangji didn't say anything

“Lan er-xiansheng, let me ask you a question. Do your nephew and shufu really hate me that much? Do you... hates me that much?“ he asked in a serious tone

Lan Wangji looked down, his lashes casting light shadows onto his jade-like cheeks. Wei Wuxian hurriedly added, “Hey, don't be like this, ignoring me again after saying so few words. I want to admit my fault and apologize to you. Look at me“

After a pause, he spoke again, “You don't want to look at me? Sure, then. I'll just start talking. It was my fault during that night. I was wrong. I shouldn't have climbed the wall, I shouldn't have drank alcohol and i shouldn't have tried to bribe you. But, i swear! it wasn't that i provoked you on purpose– i really didn't look at the sect rules“ he explains

“The sect rules in the Jiang sect are all told verbally, none of them are written down. Or else, i definitely wouldn't have done that“

‘I definitely wouldn't have finished the jar of Emperor's smile in front of Lan-xiansheng. I would have tucked it away and carried it back into my room, secretly drinking it every day and sharing it with everyone until we all had enough.‘

“And let's be reasonable– i only drinking a jar, Lan-xiansheng confiscated the other jar. Isn't this meant we're even? Lan-xiansheng, are you listening? Look at me, Lan er-xiansheng“ he stared at him before grinned “Lan er-gege, why don't you do me a favor and look at me?“

To his surprise, Lan Wangji really looked up from his paper, instead of a cold look Wei Wuxian thought the older man would gave him, he instead looked at him with a soft expression “Mn, great job in admitting your fault. You don't need to do your punishment anymore“

Wei Wuxian blinked “What?”

“Wei Ying didn't have to copy the rules anymore“ the older man said

The boy were openly gaping “But, your shufu– Grandmaster Lan ordered me to copy the rules as punishment“ he reasoned “I will talk to Shufu. Wei Ying didn't have to copy the rules anymore“

“But– Hanguang-jun. I broke the rules“ he said, completely flabbergasted 

“Did i not tell you before, Wei Ying will not be punished no matter how many Emperor's smile he drank or how many rules he break“ silver eyes widened “Wait wait, Lan-xiansheng. Are–are you serious? Are you really serious? Did you realize what you just said?“

Lan Wangji nodded “Although, he didn't have to copy the rules anymore, he still need to come to the Library Pavilion every day for a month”

“But– that's not the problem here!” he exclaims, suddenly feel his face heated up for no reason “Did you realize what you just said?“ he asked, Lan Wangji nods.

“Lan er-gege, did you really gonna let me go unpunished?” another nods

“Even after i broke all those rules?” another nods

“Even if i broke the rules again, you won't punished me?” another nods 

Wei Wuxian throat bobbed “Lan Zhan, you do realize what you're doing right? You currently playing favoritism” he said, purposely calling the older man by his birth name to see the limit of this craziness. To see if he actually, by some sort of miracle, become Lan Wangji favorite disciples

Wei Wuxian watching the older man intently, watching every littlest change in his expression. But, Lan Wangji didn't look like he mad at all, instead he look like he satisfied as he gave another nods.

Okay, this is too crazy. Wei Wuxian thought as he sprang to his feet

“Hanguang-jun, this is getting too ridiculous. Are you trying to get back at me? Is this what it is? Are you trying to driving me crazy like i did to your Shufu? I'm sorry, okay. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. I can repeat it however many times you want me to. I can even say it while kneeling down” he said as he get to his kneeling position and ready to apologize again

Because this is too much!! For someone like Hanguang-jun!! No, he didn't deserve it

But before he could completely got into kneeling position, a hand, much larger than his own suddenly appeared and grabbed his shoulder, promptly stopping him from going further. He looked up and he was met with a golden eyes staring intently at him. Wei Wuxian thought that the older man couldn't endure it any longer and finally want to beat him up.

“There's no need for sorry and thank you between us” the older man said, a hint of seriousness and hurt in his voice, but it was so vague that Wei Wuxian wonder if he misheard it. Silver eyes blinked in confusion, Lan Wangji still looked at him intently but for some reason, his gaze looked unfocused. He opened his mouth to say something but the older man immediately stepped away and go back to his seat

“Seat“ he ordered

Didn't know what else to do, Wei Wuxian slumped forward and took a seat “Hey, Lan Zhan. Do i really not have to copy the rules?“ he asked “Mn, lying is prohibited. I do not lie“ he stated, eyes still focused on the script in front of him “Then, if i don't have to copy the rules, i'm free to go, right?“

Lan Wangji looked at him “Wei Ying is not allowed to leave the Library Pavilion until You Shi. However, you free to wander around and read any book in the Library” he replied

“But why should i stay here if i didn't copy the rules” he complained, a frown found its way on the older man, he stared at the Jiang head disciples as if the question somehow offended him. Wei Wuxian start to squirm in his seat before finally throwing his hands up “Okay okay, i'm staying i'm staying. It's not like i have a room to complain now that i don't have to copy the rules anymore”

He looked away as Lan Wangji picked up his brush and start writing again ‘What is seriously wrong with me?! It's not the first time i've been staring with such scrutinized gaze but why is when Lan Zhan did it, it makes me feel so weird’ he panicking internally 

Wei Wuxian shook his head before grabbing a piece of paper and start drawing many silly things then throwing the paper towards the older man, which the latter would folded it and put it on the bin beside the desk. This keep happening until You Shi came and the gong that indicates dinner rings throughout the Cloud Recesses.

“See you tomorrow, Wei Ying“ Lan Wangji said softly. Wei Wuxian didn't know how to reply at that

The next day, just like yesterday, Wei Wuxian came to the Library Pavilion after class. Hanguang-jun already seated neatly surrounded by scrolls inside the library by the time he came “Ah! Hanguang-jun!“ he greeted cheerfully, Lan Wangji looked up “Good afternoon, Wei Ying“ he greeted back

“I came straight from the class as soon as it's over, i thought i'm gonna beat you and got here first, but you're already here” he rambled, plopping down across the older man “I am mostly spend my day here“ replied Lan Wangji

Wei Wuxian hums before grinning mischievously “Oho, i see it now. Is that why despite you said i wasn't punished and didn't have to copy the rules you told me to stay here until You Shi. Hanguang-jun, do you really like my company that much? You should've just say so” he teased, Lan Wangji's stopped writing and looked up, for a second Wei Wuxian thought he finally get the older man

“Mn, i really liked Wei Ying's company“

“Huh?”

Wei Wuxian stared dumbfounded at the older man, when his brain finally process what Lan Wangji just say, his face flushed red and he immediately sprang to his feet “I can't believe you, Lan Zhan! You're too much for me!“ he yelled before running to hide in between the shelf

He slumped down the floor, covering his blushed face, he could feel his heart beating so fast from the embarrassment’What is going on?! How did he keep doing this?! I thought they said Hanguang-jun is a rigid, stoic, stick up, fuddy duddy. How is he so shameless?! I should be the one shameless here and drive a proper people like him crazy, not the other way around!!’ he scream internally 

He stayed there for a long time until he could hear Lan Wangji stood from his seat, he popped his head out “Lan Zhan? Where are you going?” he asked “Stay here“ the older man said calmly before walked out of the Library. Wei Wuxian stood from his place and walk towards the door, watching as Lan Wangji figure become smaller and smaller until it disappeared

Now that nobody is here to watch over him, Wei Wuxian could just left to find Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang and have some fun with them instead stuck in here with that shameless fuddy duddy. He hums, looked around the library. After a moment, he decided to dismissed the idea and start walking through the shelf

Gusu Lan Library Pavilion has been known to hold many century old scripture and book, some people even say wha you can't find, will find here, it was the oldest known Library full with ancient knowledge that would put even the Wen Clan to shame. Of course Wei Wuxian wouldn't let such a rare chance pass

He stopped on a shelf that filled to the brim with knowledge about array and talisman. His eyes glimmering in interest before picking up a book and start reading it. He didn't know how much time pass but Lan Wangji voice startled him out of his book “Wei Ying, i'm back“

He looked towards the desk and saw Lan Wangji bringing a tray of food, it was enough for two people “Lan Zhan, did you bring lunch” he trailed off ”For both of us?“ he asked in disbelief, Lan Wangji nods “You– you wanted us to eat together?“ he queried

“Mn, sit“ he told the boy while putting all the bowl and the plate to the table

“Ah, let me help you“ the younger scrambled to his feet to help the older man before scrunch his nose as he looked down at the food, he forgot just how bland Gusu Lan food is. He gulped nervously, he hates Gusu Lan food, but it's not like he could reject the food that Hanguang-jun himself has bring it for him

Lan Wangji stopped his eating and looked at the younger man “Wei Ying, don't play with your food“ he reprimand although it doesn't really hold serious tone in it, Wei Wuxian who has been pouting while playing with the food move to munch to the chopsticks “Don't bite your chopsticks“ be scolded

Wei Wuxian scream in frustration, falling backwards and start rolling around on the the mat “Nothing is allowed here! Why don't you just tell me all the rules that we can't do while eating“ he grumbled “Don't talk while eating. Don't be picky or leave leftovers. Don't eat more than three bowl of rice” he recited

The Jiang head disciples sat up, grabbing a piece of paper and start to draw something on the paper “Wei Ying, focus on eating first“ Lan Wangji scold “I will focus on eating but can we eat something else? Look at these dishes. They're so plain and tasteless, i'm not a rabbit” he complained

Lan Wangji hums before putting down his chopsticks, his hand went inside his sleeve before pulling out a very familiar jar that Wei Wuxian would recognize wherever he is “Chilli oil!!“ he exclaims immediately extending his hand impatiently, Lan Wangji put the jar on the boy hand “Lan Zhan, i didn't know you like spicy food“ he said happily

“I don't”

“Eh?“

“I don't like spicy food, my tongue can't handle spice”

Wei Wuxian raised his brows “Then why did you have–” silver eyes widened as he look between the jar then to the older man “Lan Zhan, did you– did you buy this for me?” he asked in disbelief, Lan Wangji avert his gaze as his ear slowly flushed “Mn“ came a quiet reply “Why? Why did you buy it for me?“

“Gusu Lan food is too bland for Wei Ying and he likes spicy food“ he muttered, Wei Wuxian face lit up, he stared at Lan Wangji as if he just hang the moon “Lan Zhan!! I like you! I really like you!!” he scramble to open the lid, didn't even stop to process what he just said or how the older man reaction

He scoop a spoon of the chili and pour it on top of his rice “Ta-da!! Wei Wuxian special chili oil rice!!” he declared proudly, Lan Wangji gulped seeing how red the rice has become. Wei Wuxian looked at his reaction before a mischievous idea appeared and he grinned “Lan Zhan, do you want it too?”

“No need“ came a fast reply

“Aiya! Just try some, don't stand on ceremony with me“ he said pushing the jar towards Lan Wangji

“No need” the other man replied, pushing the jar back to Wei Wuxian

“It's really nice. You can have three bowls of rice with it“ he coerced, pushing the jar back

Once again, Lan Wangji reject “No thanks“ and pushing back the jar again. Wei Wuxian sighed “It is chili that brings us together“ he stated before winking to the older man “The first requirement for marrying girls from Yunmeng is being able to eat spicy food. If you keep being so tactless in my hometown, none of the girls will like you”

Lan Wangji fell silence as he looked down at his rice bowl. Wei Wuxian took this as a chance, as fast as lighting he scoop a spoon of chili oil and pour it on top of Lan Wangji rice bowl. The other man widened his eyes, Wei Wuxian giggled “Lan Zhan! No food should ne wasted in the Cloud Recesses. Beside it's just chili oil not a poison. How could you not dare to eat it“ he rambled

The older man gulped as he took a bite of the intimidating red colored rice. Wei Wuxian gaped as he watch Lan Wangji start eating from the bowl “You... you really ate it. I was just kidding. You–“ his mouth form a smirk “Is there someone you like in Yunmeng?” he teased, running towards the man and nudge him

“What's her name? Which clan is she from? I'll ask about her.” he jabbered all while Lan Wangji face slowly become redder and redder from the spicy. When he finally done, he put down the chopsticks 

“Wei Ying“

“I know, i know. You're being shy. Don't worry, i won't tell anyone about the famous Hanguang-jun has a crush on someone in Yunmeng” he said cheerfully, Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes before putting all the radish and other vegetables on Wei Wuxian bowl “La– Lan Zhan?”

“Do not waste food” he stated

“Lan Zhan! Have mercy!” he yelled

On the third day, as soon as the class ended Wei Wuxian immediately dashed out of the room, not even bidding a goodbye to Jiang Cheng nor Nie Huaisang. He skip happily towards the Library Pavilion. He open the door with little too much strength and greeted the older man happily “Lan Zhan!! I'm here! Did you miss me?”

Lan Wangji looked up from the script he's been writing and nods “Hello, Wei Ying” he greeted back, the younger man giggled happily as he walked towards the desk “Lan Zhan Lan Zhan” he called “Mn“

“What are you doing?” he asked peeking at the paper the older man written “I am doing research” replied Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian raised his brows “Research? What kind of research?” he queried, Lan Wangji glance at him “Array and talisman” as soon as the words left the older man, stars immediately appear on the younger man's eyes

“Oh! What did you just say? Array and talisman?” he say excitedly, scooting closer to see a better look at the paper “What kind of array and talisman are you searching for?” he questioned “How to subdue and purify earthborne abyss and waterborne abyss” he answered

Wei Wuxian let out a low hums as he took a paper and read through the script “Interesting“ he muttered, take another paper and scanned through the contents. When he's gonna take another paper, his hand was met with Lan Wangji hand. He jolted and immediately look up, instantly regretting his decision when he realized just how close he is with the older man

He jumped back and scooted backwards “I–i'm sorry, Lan Zhan. That– um, that was so rude of me. I didn't mean to pry on your things or read your script or anything at all. I'm just gonna go and read some book“ he said, scrambling to his feet but before he could take a step, a hand much larger and much colder engulfed his own. He widened his eyes and look down at the hands that grabbed his, then to Lan Wangji

“Stay“ the older man said “Are you sure? I might end up bothering you” he said

“Not a bother. Wei Ying is a genius, he can help me“ Wei Wuxian blinked, when the word finally sink in, his face start to flushed “Aiya! Lan Zhan. Always so sweet with words, calling me genius and all. Are you like this with everyone? Why did people calling you the stone jade, the stoic cold fuddy duddy. If everyone know just what kind of person Hanguang-jun truly are, i bet there's long line of maiden asking for your hands” he rambled

“Not to anyone” he whispered

“What? What did you just say?”

Golden eyes looked at him “Only to Wei Ying”

Wei Wuxian widened his eyes “Aiya, Lan zhan Lan zhan. You are really too much for me. Nowadays you're actually gonna give me a heart attack. Have mercy on your poor disciples, Hanguang-jun“

“Mn, will careful next time“ Wei Wuxian flushed “Anyway, tell me. So what are you exactly working on“ he said trying to change the topic “You said an array to try and subdue a high rank monster right?”

“Mn“

“Why suddenly interested in making such array?”

“High level monster such as earthborne abyss and waterborne abyss are a very rare case that only occurs one to twenty years. Not only it took years to form one but it also need countless of sacrifice from people who died from that specific area. But once it formed, it was very hard to subdue and it took years to do it” he explained

“I want to create an array or talisman to help the process in subduing and purifying them without create more damage to the civilians who live around it. The existence of this type of monster were already gonna affect their source of living, the livestock and agriculture“

When he looked up, Wei Wuxian was sitting there, hand propped up and his chin lean on it, while staring at him. A look of dreamy is on his face “Wei Ying?”

Wei Wuxian smiled ”You really are deserving of your title. A light bearing lord, indeed” he teased, before Lan Wangji could say anything he raised his arms “Alright, let's do it. I'm not sure if i'm qualified enough or if my knowledge is enough. But i will try to help you with everything i got!! Although i'm sure Hanguang-jun has more experience and knowledge than this poor lil disciples. I hope you could guide me, Lan er-gege” he winked

”Ridiculous”

"Hm? What did you just said, Lan Zhan?”

“Nothing“

“Oho! Did i finally get the mighty cold jade fuddy duddy Hanguang-jun flustered“

“Ridiculous”

“Aha! You said it again“ a laughter erupted throughout the quiet library

That day, two figures could be seen from outside the library, the sounds of chattering filled the empty library until the sun is setting in the horizon. Both of them were missing dinner, but none of them were cared, too focused with their discussion. Until they finally parted when it's almost Hai Shi

“Time really passed when you're having fun” Wei Wuxian chuckled as he looked at the dark sky

“Mn, see you tomorrow. Wei Ying”

“See you tomorrow, Lan Zhan”

Lan Wangji lips parted slightly, golden eyes widened when he heard the word. He stared at the boy as he skipped through the Cloud Recesses. He took a deep breath, try to calm his heart that threaten to jump out, it's still hard for him to get used to Wei Ying calling him with his birth name. Hearing it through the vision is one thing but to hear it directly like this, it felt like he could just dissolve, evaporated into thin air.

After composing himself, he started walking back to the Jingshi. For an Immortal like him, sleep is not a necessary thing. That's why he need to focus and continue with this array project of him and Wei Ying. So far, they already make theories and plan of how this array would work.

The advantages this type of monster has is their large admirable size and their speed in growing making it hard to purify it. The waterborne abyss in biling lake was really great in size, it also has perfect place to use it as it host.

However, he and Wei Ying find out that there's might be a faster way to purify this time of monster.

To isolate the abyss from the host then divide it into different part, place it and sealed each part inside different array. From there, they could slowly playing rest to each different part. It's like slowly disentangle a tangled thread.

Wei Ying said it is not that hard to make array like that, he already had the concept in mind, Lan Wangji believe in him. If anyone can invent a complicated array like that, it'll be Wei Ying. After all, he's also the one who manage to tame the burial mounds and return Wen Qionglin consciousness.

No, Wei Ying did not worry about the array, what he worried the most is the process of isolating and dividing it. Lan Wangji agreed with him, it might be the most dangerous part of the process, not only the abyss will fight back but the monster they're gonna fight is waterborne abyss. Meaning they will do all of this above a lake. 

The chance of falling to the water and drown is not small

When he reach the Jingshi. He immediately went to his sat in front of his guqin. Rest is a melody capable of temporarily pacifying resentful energy. Cleansing is powerful melody capable of suppressing hostile energy and clearing the mind. Eradication is a melody that capable to exorcises evil when played with spiritual energy.

All of this is powerful music pieces of Gusu Lan clan but none of them is quite useful to be used on powerful monster like waterborne abyss. Even in the vision, he could only temporarily sealed it with rest.

However, this version of him is different from the version of him in the vision. He already ascends and he also has the knowledge about the waterborne abyss. All he need to do is to compose a new song. Melody that powerful enough to pacifying resentful energy, suppressing hostile enegy and exorcises the evil.

Composing such a powerful melody might be impossible but he still need to risk it

As he put his finger on the guqin strings, he suddenly think of a certain boy with smile as bright as sun and eyes as beautiful as moon

’Wei Ying’

Chapter Text

It has been a couple days since he start his little project with Lan Wangji

Yes, Lan Wangji.

Hanguang-jun, the man, the myth, the legend himself.

The light bearing lord who always appear wherever the chaos is

Wei Wuxian honestly didn't know how this is happened nor understand why did the older man seems to be really lenient towards him. He was supposed to be copying virtue and conduct just like what Lan Qiren ordered him! Not spending time experimenting array with someone prestigious like Hanguang-jun. 

But then, Hanguang-jun himself told him that he didn't have to copy the rules anymore, told him that no matter how many rules he broke, Hanguang-jun wouldn't let him get punished again, he even told him to stay in Library Pavilion because Hanguang-jun love his company, heck the older man even buy him a chili oil, a lot of them! just because he know how much Wei Wuxian hates Gusu Lan bland food.

So here he are... Spending hours upon hours everyday in the Library Pavilion. Experimenting and having so much fun tinkering with the array. Hanguang-jun is very nice company, Wei Wuxian didn't know why the rumour make it seems like he is unapproachable cold jade that will instantly freeze you to death if you get too close to him.

He is very good listener, they often exchange idea and concept about the array. Hanguang-jun will listen to all his ramblings and nonsense idea for hours, not even once did he interrupted him or stop him or seems to be bored.

Wei Wuxian felt like he was heard.

Honestly, all of this felt really absurd. Too absurd. That he felt like at any second he would woke up only to find out he was dreaming the whole time.

He didn't understand Hanguang-jun. He didn't understand why he's being so nice to him. The first time Wei Wuxian met the older man, he must admit, it was really not on the best scenario and he definitely not giving the best first impression. Hanguang-jun literally caught him breaking curfew and smuggling alcohol inside the Cloud Recesses on his first day in Gusu! Wei Wuxian was sure he's gonna get punished, but then he got away with it, Hanguang-jun only confiscated his Emperor smile before telling him to go back to the dorm.

He didn't understand Hanguang-jun. Why is someone as prim as him with such high status being lenient to him. He's just Wei Wuxian! He's just son of servant. He's not a sect heir, he didn't came from a noble family or a rich family. He didn't even have family! He had no one! He also has no status aside being a son of servant.

He didn't understand.

“Wei Ying is not wrong“

“You– you really didn't think i'm wrong?“

Golden eyes softened “Mn, i think Wei Ying is very kind and considerate to think about that“ 

He didn't understand him.

“Don't look at me like that. I only called your birth name because you didn't answer when i called you Lan-xiansheng. If you're upset, you can also call me back with my birth name” he reasoned 

“Mn. Wei Ying should also call me Lan Zhan–” he paused “Or whatever name he wished to call me” he added

“Hanguang-jun stop playing with me. I was being serious, I didn't meant to be rude or to offend you, I just want you to listen and pay attention to me“ he pouted

“Lying is prohibited“ the older man recited, “I was not playing around. Wei Ying could call me anything he wished to, i will give him permission to do it“

He couldn't understand him at all.

“Wei Ying didn't have to copy the rules anymore“ the older man said

The boy were openly gaping “But, your shufu– Grandmaster Lan ordered me to copy the rules as punishment“ he answered, “I will talk to Shufu. Wei Ying didn't have to copy the rules anymore“ the taller man said.

“But– Hanguang-jun. I broke the rules“ he said, completely flabbergasted.

“Did i not tell you before, Wei Ying will not be punished no matter how many Emperor's smile he drank or how many rules he break“ silver eyes widened “Wait wait, Lan-xiansheng. Are–are you serious? Are you really serious? Did you realize what you just said?“

Lan Wangji nodded “Although, he didn't have to copy the rules anymore, he still need to come to the Library Pavilion every day for a month”

“But– that's not the problem here!” he exclaims, suddenly feel his face heated up for no reason “Did you realize what you just said?“ he asked, Lan Wangji nods.

“Lan er-gege, did you really gonna let me go unpunished?” another nods

“Even after i broke all those rules?” another nods

“Even if i broke the rules again, you won't punished me?” another nods 

Wei Wuxian throat bobbed “Lan Zhan, you do realize what you're doing right? You currently playing favoritism” he said, purposely calling the older man by his birth name to see the limit of this craziness. But Hanguang-jun didn't do as much as twitch, instead he look satisfied

Why?

“Hanguang-jun, this is getting too ridiculous. Are you trying to get back at me? Is this what it is? Are you trying to driving me crazy like i did to your Shufu? I'm sorry, okay. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. I can repeat it however many times you want me to. I can even say it while kneeling down” he said as he get to his kneeling position and ready to apologize again

But before he could completely got into kneeling position, a hand, much larger than his own suddenly appeared and grabbed his shoulder, promptly stopping him from going further. He looked up and he was met with a golden eyes staring intently at him. Wei Wuxian thought that the older man couldn't endure it any longer and finally want to beat him up.

“There's no need for sorry and thank you between us” 

Why?

“Oho, i see it now. Is that why despite you said i wasn't punished and didn't have to copy the rules you told me to stay here until you shi. Hanguang-jun, do you really like my company that much? You should've just say so”

“Mn, i really liked Wei Ying's company“

Why did Hanguang-jun treat him so differently?

“Wei Ying!”

He startled out from his thought and looked up to see Lan Qiren already glaring at him. “Here here!” he say cheerfully. “Answer the question! What should one's do when they got Corpse Poisoning?” he ask, Wei Wuxian smiled “Try to not move the patient, keep their heads and heart higher than the rest of their bodies. So the blood isn't going to circulate quickly, and it will not enter the heart quicker.” he answered with ease.

But Lan Qiren is not done with him. “Corpse Poisoning can be cured by elixirs but when one's don't have it, they need to find other cure. What are the folk medicine that are known to be able to used as cure for Corpse Poisoning?” he queried, “Glutinous rice” the boy answered “How do you apply the medicine?” he questioned “You’d apply the glutinous rice to a scratch or bite wound.“

“And, what should one's do when they swallowed corpse poisoning powder instead of being scratched or bitten?”

Wei Wuxian smile does not falter. “Easy, cook the glutinous rice into congee and eat it.”

“What the use of 'Coffin House'?“ he then turn sharply to the rest of the class, “Don't open your book! This is should be a general knowledge for cultivator!” he yelled, startled the disciples who was ready to flip through their book.

“Coffin House are the place used to put the dead temporarily. Corpses that aren’t claimed by anyone, ones that would make a house ominous, and ones that are waiting to be buried are often put into coffin homes. It could be described as a courier station for dead people.” Wei Wuxian answered.

Lan Qiren stroke his goatee and hums, “Even though it's not a temple, coffin house are one of building that was built to have a high threshold. Why is that?”

“In case any corpses transform. High threshold can sometimes keep already-transformed corpses from going outside. Corpse's limbs are really stiff, they can't perform precise actions. They can't even walk. They'd trip if they stepped forward, so they can only jump. If a corpse who has transformed gets tripped by the threshold, they’ll fall to the ground and, given their stiff bodies, won’t be able to get back up for quite some time. When they finally do manage to rise, the sun will nearly be up and the rooster will call, or the person guarding the coffin house will have discovered them.”

Lan Qiren nodded “Very well. Pay attention while i'm explaining” he warned, glaring at the disciples. “Yes, grandmaster Lan” he said “The rest of you better listen because that'll be on test!” he scream to the rest of the class, the room erupt in groans and whining. Wei Wuxian giggled as he leaned back. ”Stuck up old man”

Then, he felt an intense gaze on him, he turned around and find Lan Muxin were glaring staring at him. He smiled but the Lan only narrowed his eyes and turn his attention back to the front.

As soon as the class ended, Wei Wuxian didn't waste any time, he immediately sprang to his feet and skipped towards the door. However, before he could take another step outside a hand suddenly grab his shoulder and drag him to the side of building. “What the hell?!” He opened his eyes and see a dark shade purple glaring back at him.

He let out a relief sigh, “Ouch, Jiang Cheng. What was that all about? You almost gave me a heart attack” he protests. “What was that all about? I should be the one asking you that?!” he hissed. Wei Wuxian raised his brows, having absolutely no clue as to why his shidi would be so angry at him

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Messing around at home is one thing. Messing around at Caiyi town is one thing. But messing around in the Cloud Recesses? Have you got no shame? Wei Wuxian, are you really that dense? Should i really keep reminding you to not bring shame to our clan?!” he spat. Wei Wuxian sighed, “Jiang Cheng, i have no idea what are you talking about? Haven't i been behaved well this couple days?”

Jiang Cheng sneered, “Behaved well. You mean running around to the Library Pavilion as soon as the class ended like an idiots? Must i remind you that the reason you're there copying rules in first place is because you're punished by Lan Qiren” he mocked

”Can't you go on one day without making me embarrassing, without making the Jiang clan losing face?”

Wei Wuxian huffed “Seriously, Jiang Cheng. What has gotten into you?”

Jiang Cheng glared at the other teenager “Wei Wuxian. Messing with the twin Lan is one thing. But messing around with Hanguang-jun is different thing.” Wei Wuxian widened his eyes before chuckling “Is that what's this is all about? Jiang Cheng, you don't have to worry, I'm not messing around with Hanguang-jun. I'm really been behaved.”

But the other boy only crossed his arms and look at him skeptical, “I promise, i've been behaved.”

“Whatever” the Jiang heir scowled before walking away.

Wei Wuxian turned and start walking towards the Library Pavilion. “Lan Zhan!” he beamed, slamming the Library door open “I'm here! Do you miss me?” he grinned, skipped towards where the taller man seated “Good afternoon, Wei Ying” he greeted.

“Lan zhan Lan zhan” he called

“Yes, Wei Ying”

“So, i've been thinking about the array and what adjustment we should do. Obviously, we should add a lot of layer of protection array on the outer line so whatever we're doing on the inside will not damaging the surrounding too much. And then–” his rambling filled the tranquility inside the library but Lan Wangji doesn't look bothered at all, instead he listen attentively to everything the younger man said.

Wei Wuxian realize that he might actually love Cloud Recesses, especially the Library Pavilion. The stuck up place that he swore would never come back to again as soon as the lecture finished.

But now, he had to embarrassingly eat back his own word because of what? because he find himself love to spend time here.

Wei Wuxian hasn't felt this much happiness in a long time. Rambling about what he likes nonstop and then getting feedback from the other man, not only he could tease Hanguang-jun endlessly, the older man would even joined and crack a joke. Hanguang-jun sense of humour, Wei Wuxian find, is so funny, he like it so much. The older man is effortlessly so funny, Wei Wuxian didn't know why people scared of him so much.

The older man also like to indulged him. He loved to bought him so many type of snack, even the spicy one. And when Wei Wuxian bored and didn't have anything to do, he would doodling on paper and then throw it to Lan Wangji, who will fold it and throw it to the bin while muttering ”Ridiculous” and Wei Wuxian would burst out laughing, every time.

He never get angry, he never berated him, he never yelled at him. No matter how many mischief he caused the other man, Lan Wangji would just huffs in amusement and indulged him.

He felt...

He felt happy.

He felt so happy, he hadn't feel this much happiness in years.

Has he ever felt this much happiness before? He wasn't even sure if he ever felt this way before. He definitely felt happy when his parents still around but he didn't remember much from that time. Living in street is out of question. There was no happiness during that time.

What about Lotus Pier?

What about the time he spend in Lotus pier?

Of course he was happy to live there, there's so many things and people you can find there especially the marketplace.

Lotus Pier marketplace are always bustling everyday, the people and the vendor there are nice especially all the jiejie who often share fresh fruits and snacks, you can also find many type of people that travel from other region or even from faraway land. Listening to their story and what kind of place they're coming from, you can explore the rivers, stealing picking lotus seed pods, and hunt all the pheasants he want. And the food!! Wei Wuxian loves Yunmeng food so much.

There's so much fun thing you can do in Lotus Pier and there's so much things that makes him happy in Lotus Pier.

But have you ever actually felt happy to live there? Or was it just another mask that you used to hide what you actually felt? A cold voice chided

“Wei Ying?” he looked up and see a golden eyes filled with worry staring at him “Are you okay? You suddenly went quiet” he ask worryingly, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but smiled “Aiya, Lan zhan. What did this lil poor disciples ever do to deserve your worries like this” he teased

”Wei Ying, are you unwell?”

“I'm fine, Lan zhan. My brain just got zipped, there's too many thoughts at once that it just went whoop” he lied. He lied effortlessly like he always did and he know that Lan Wangji know he lied, Wei Wuxian had a hunch that the older man always could see through his lie and facade, but he didn't say anything, he never did. Opted to just let Wei Wuxian to tell him himself whenever Wei Wuxian ready and he appreciate him for that.

He still feel the taller man gaze at him “What is it, Lan Zhan?” he asked “It is lunch” he informed the boy “Already? Wow, time really went fast when you're with someone you like” he said before grinning mischievously at the other man “For me, obviously Lan er-gege is my favorite person in the world” he teased. Lan Wangji huffs, “Ridiculous”

Wei Wuxian burst out laughing.

Lan Wangji stood up, “Lan zhan Lan zhan! Where are you going? I'm talking nonsense, it's my fault, please don't go” he rambled.

“So, you do afraid that people will leave and ignore you” the taller man mused, “Yes, i'm afraid i'm afraid” he replied with teary eyes 'After all, this is the first time i had someone like you. this is the first time someone make me feel this way. make me feel so comfortable and accepted’ he added internally

He let out a long sigh “Lan zhan Lan zhan, you really ruined me for life. How am i supposed to go back to my normal life after i left the Cloud Recesses” he murmured. Lan Wangji tilted his head “It's nothing it's nothing. Where are you going early?” he asked

“To fetch lunch. Stay” he said before walked out of the Library

Wei Wuxian smiled before grab the book about talisman that he took from the shelf early and start reading it. He wasn't even finish reading a page when the library door opened “Lan zhan?” he looked up from his book and frown when he came face to face with a sour face of Lan Muxin.

“Ah! Muxin-xiong! May i help you with something?”

The older teen ignored him, instead he look around as if searching for something or someone “Muxin-xiong, why are you still treated me so cold like this. What ever have i done to deserve such cold treatment from you” he say dramatically.

Lan Muxin rolled his eyes. “Where is shu– i mean Hanguang-jun?” he asked. “Oh, Hanguang-jun just left early”

“I see, when he came back please give him this and tell him this is from Zewu-jun” the Lan said as he put down a stack of paper on top of the desk, he narrowed his eyes to the Jiang head disciples ”Don't dare to read them” he threaten.

Wei Wuxian gasp, ”What ever have I done for you to think of me so low. Of course i won't be as shameless enough to do that” he said, sounded offended.

Lan Muxin stared at him then spoke, “What you did in class early is impressive” he stated, “Not many people know about what should be done when you get corpse poisoning as it's very rare case, let alone knowing the common folk medicine for it” he said.

Wei Wuxian blinked before his face broke into a grin “Well, when you go out night hunting it's impossible to prepare for everything. It's bound to happen that something unexpected to happen especially when you didn't have any elixirs or medicine to heal a certain injury. Beside i'm a head disciples, it's normal for me to know things like this”

The older teen nods his head in agreement. ”Still, it is very impressive to know” he insisted. A silence came over them as Wei Wuxian grin start to get wider, Lan Muxin immediately whipped his head toward Wei Wuxian and point his finger at him, ”This isn't gonna change anything between us. You heard me! I still don't like you” he declared, before storming out of the library.

Not long after that, Lan Wangji came back to the library with a tray of food in his hand ”Lan zhan! You finally came back, i missed you so much” Wei Wuxian said, cheerfuly. Seeing the good mood on the younger man face, Lan Wangji couldn't help but frown “Is something happened while i'm gone?” he queried.

“Hm? Oh yeah? Muxin-xiong came early and drop something for you, he said it's from Zewu-jun” he replied, Lan Wangji staring at him “Anything else?” he asked, still unconvinced that's all that happened “Um, no?”

”Why do you look so amused?”

”Aiyah, Lan zhan. As observed as ever. It's nothing really, it's just your nephew is really interesting” he said amused, then he sniff something in the air. His eyes going to the tray in Lan Wangji hand, silver stardust eyes immediately brighten, “Lan zhan Lan zhan! What are you bringing today? It's smell so nice. Is that sichuan pepper i smell?” he asked, excitedly. Lan Wangji nods, eyes softened as he set the tray on the table.

As soon as he open the lid, Wei Wuxian mouth's immediately watering. He looked down at the tray as if it's a chest full with golds and treasure ”Lan zhan Lan zhan” he called.

“Mn.”

“Is this? Is this really for me? Can– can i eat this?”

“Mn. It is made special for Wei Ying” the older man replied

Wei Wuxian wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth ”You're not pulling a prank on me, right? This is actually for me, right?” he jabbered. Lan Wangji huffs “Mn. It is made special for Wei Ying” he replied, ”But– this is Yunmeng cuisine. The kitchen staff in the Cloud Recesses didn't know how to make Yunmeng cuisine. I know it because i asked them before. They're as stuck up as the disciples, blabbering about the rules and how all the diet is already decided and cannot be change. Lan zhan, i'm worried your kitchen staff doesn't even know what spice is” he grumbled, reminiscing the memory.

“It is not them” Wei Wuxian halted his movement “What?”. Lan Wangji leveled his gaze with the younger man, “It is not them who cooked it” he stated.

“Um, I see i see. Then who cook it?”

“I did.”

Wei Wuxian poor brain immediately short circuited. It completely stopped working as soon as he heard those word. After a long silence, he finally manage to get out of his trance and looked at the other man, gaping. “Wait what? I'm afraid i didn't hear you right, can you repeat it for me, Lan Zhan?”

“I cooked it myself for Wei Ying.”

Silver eyes widened, “You– you cooked this. For me? Lan zhan, did you really cook this from a scratch?” the older man nods

“Are you telling me, Hanguang-jun himself going down to the kitchen?” another nods

”Washing all the vegetable? And cutting it? Set up the hearth? Frying and preparing all of this by himself?” another nods

Wei Wuxian stared at the older man, jaw hanging open, the silence and the awkwardness slowly getting into Lan Wangji as his ear began to flushed, “This is my first time cooking something complicated like this. It's okay if Wei Ying doesn't want–”

The shorter man slam his hand to the table “I want it! I want it!” he shouted, ”Are you kidding me, Lan zhan?! What makes you think i didn't want it? In what world will I rejected the food that Hanguang-jun himself has prepared for me. Listen to me, even if you cooked a poison, i would gladly eat it.”

”I will never poison, Wei Ying” Lan Wangji interject

Silver eyes stared at him, completely flabbergasted ”That's just a parable, Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian massage his temple “Lan zhan Lan zhan, this is too much, you are too much sometimes. If i didn't know any better i would've thought you were trying to make me stay here forever, Lan er-gege.” he said with face as red as tomato.

“Let's eat” Lan Wangji said as he start setting up the bowl, Wei Wuxian immediately scramble to follow. As soon as he took a bite, he couldn't help but moaned in delight “Lan er-gege, this is so delicious” if Wei Wuxian wasn't too engrossed with the food and pay attention to his surrounding he would realized Lan Wangji visibly flinched and drop the vegetable that he was ready to bit when Wei Wuxian let out the delight moan.

“Talking during meal is prohibited” he said as his ear flushing dangerously red. Wei Wuxian only giggled at his word “Thank you, Lan zhan. I really love the food!” he said sincerely. Lan Wangji lips quirk up a little ”No need for sorry and thank you between us” he reminded.

“Aiyah, Lan zhan. Just this time, let me thanked you, okay. It's really delicious, i never had anyone cooked for me back in Lotus Pier. Well, except for Shijie and the old woman who work in the kitchen. I called her popo, she always cooked special meal just for me, packed with sichuan pepper and all. She also the one who took care of me when i just saved from the street by Jiang shushu, she keep making me delicious warm pork soup and sometimes porridge, making sure i'm healthy, not malnourished and gained enough weight.” he told the other man

After a moment, he immediately chuckled “Aiyah, what a way to ruined the mood. I'm sorry, Lan zhan. I usually never tell sappy story like this to anyone.” he apologized.

”No need to apologize, i like to listen to Wei Ying story. I hope i could know more about him, to know everything about Wei Ying. The Wei Ying from Lotus Pier and the Wei Ying from Yiling street.”

Silver stardust widened “Aiyah, you're too much Lan zhan” he whispered, lips start to quiver “You're gonna end up spoiling me rotten”

”Mn, i will take responsibility and keep spoiling Wei Ying because he deserved it. Will buy everything he want, will cook anything he want, anything for Wei Ying.”

At this point, Wei Wuxian felt like his face is a boiled pot water “Alright alright, enough! I'm your favorite disciples, i get it. I'm your favorite, you need to stop saying things like that or my heart will actually give up.” he pouted, start shoving food to his mouth 

After that day, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji fell into comfortable routine, the two of them will spend all day after classes in Library Pavilion everyday. They mostly discussing about the array project they had or just chattering, well it was mostly Wei Wuxian. If Lan Wangji were busy with paperwork, Wei Wuxian will idle around the library, reading book or copying the rules.

Yes, he still try to finish his punishment. No matter what Hanguang-jun said, he still kinda deserve it for driving the old man Lan crazy. He also still like to pull a prank on Lan Wangji, although it's always failed but Wei Wuxian swore with his pride as prankster that he would never stop until he could crack Lan Wangji's mask and got him flustered with his prank.

And so on, the time went fly. By the time one month punishment almost up, they already finish with the array project, the design, the sigil, everything. All they had left to do is to test it out.

Meanwhile... far away on Qishan Wen clan territory.

Several people stood on the pier beside the lake that looked very tranquil at night, they talking worriedly between themselves. “How come the boat’s not here yet?” one of them asked. “We have waited so long. Hopefully nothing’s happened to the boat.” replied one of them. An infant’s cries permeated the peaceful night, while the mother try to call her baby down, her husband face brighten up as he looked at a familiar shadow on the middle of the lake.

”Oh! I see it! It’s here!” he shouted. From the distance, a mid size boat rapidly approached, cutting through the peaceful water like a blade. “Here comes the boat! Pack your things and get ready!” one of the older man said. But, before the boat can get any closer to the pier a tendril of resentful energy appear out of nowhere and approach it. It spread as long as the boat, then from the boat to the pier, and continued expanding until it looped across the entirety of the coast.

The lake immediately became turbulent, making the boat shook violently. Cyclones of water burst from the water, approaching the boat like starving wolves. “Water ghosts! We’re doomed!” scream one of the civilians. “Water ghosts don’t behave like that!” another person scream. “It must be something even more dreadful!”

”Amitabha. How-how do we deal with it?” As soon as the man spoke, his prayers were seemingly answered. Numerous cultivators in red robes and sun patterns descended from the sky, surrounding the being and announcing their presence.

“The Wen Clan has arrived to cleanse evil! All of you leave!” one of the cultivator shouted.

”To your position!” he ordered.

The sky lit up with the golden seals the cultivators produced, shining like dim suns in the cloudy sky before combining into a single large seal. Lightning looped around the pillars of water, and the civilians only barely escaped the enormous, crashing waves. The waves calmed after a while, only left behind small wave.

“It’s done,” the leader of the cultivator group declared. “You can all safely pass through now.” he told the civilians. The crowd thanked the Wen cultivators, not recognizing the odds of the circumstances.

Another Wen approached the leader, leaning in to whisper, “Isn’t this quite inappropriate? We were ordered to destroy it, and we only pushed it downstream.”

”What’s inappropriate?” the man responded. “That creature under the water is powerful. It’s easier said than done to kill it.” he said. “But the downstream reaches the boundary of the Lan Clan. I’m afraid-” instead of looked worry, the leader only scoffs. “Ha! Afraid of what? Today, most sects depend on us. The Lan Clan alone won’t pose a threat.”

On the last day of punishment, Lan Wangji noticed that Wei Wuxian seemed somewhat different.

During his stay at Gusu, he left his sword all over the place, and was never seen carrying it properly. Yet, he took it with him today, loudly slamming it onto the desk. He even went as far as ignoring Lan Wangji greeting and start writing without word, contrasting his usual boisterous behavior, endless chattering and relentlessly teasing Lan Wangji in every way possible. He was so obedient that it was strange.

Lan Wangji took few more glances at the younger man, wondering if there's an event he missed or forgotten from the vision. His worry disappeared when Wei Wuxian start repeating his past conduct again, giving Lan Wangji a piece of paper for him to see. Lan Wangji originally thought that it was going to be a mess of doodle again, which he wasn't complaining about, as he secretly collect all those paper that Wei Ying has thrown at him for the past a month.

But, when he glance at it, he was surprised to find a drawing of a person, sitting upright and reading by the window, with a vividly realistic expression on his face. It was Lan Wangji himself.

Seeing that Lan Wangji didn't avert his gaze at once, Wei Wuxian curled his lips, and raised his eyebrows with a wink. No word were needed, since the meaning was plain to see– Does it look like you? Is it good?

Lan Wangji slowly spoke, “It is very beautiful, thank you, Wei Ying” the younger man nods, before going back to his desk and start scrabbling more. After a while, he stood up and walked towards Lan Wangji who stood near the window, “Lan-xiansheng,” Wei Wuxian cheerfully greeted. “It’s already been a month; I won’t come tomorrow.” he grinned.

Lan Wangji slender fingers seemed to have paused before flipping over the page of the poem book he currently read, “Here’s a parting gift to you!” the piece of paper Wei Wuxian had been working on was held out before Lan Wangji’s face. ”Here. You can have it! It's yours!” he shoved the drawing forward.

It was another drawing Lan Wangji. But it was much more detailed and beautiful than the previous one. Lan Wangji snapped the Poems book by Lan An close and set it on the shelf to his right. He reached forward, and took the paper from Wei Wuxian’s outstretched hand.

And froze.

There was a flower added to the drawing, where the side of his head was. Wei Wuxian’s stared at him before burst out laughing, his laughter shook the room as he nearly collapsed in on himself, singing “How do you like my gift, Lan-xiansheng?”

Lan Wangji shook his head and opened his mouth to say something but Wei Wuxian crawled up from the floor and spoke before him, “Ridiculous, right? I just know that you're gonna say ridiculous. Can't you switch to something else? or add another word to it?”

“Utterly ridiculous” Lan Wangji said, Wei Wuxian was too busy laughing to realize the slightly curve on Lan Wangji's lips. Wei Wuxian clapped his hands, “So you really added another word to it. Thank you, Lan er-gege” he smiled widely.

Lan Wangji turned his gaze away, picked up the poem book which he put on the shelf, and opened it again. He only took one look at it before finally remembered which event from the vision this was.

He was initially reading a poem book made by Lan An, but when he looked at the page he flipped open, he was presented with naked, intertwining figures, intolerable to Lan's eyes. He too would definitely hurled the book away as soon as he saw the pictures, the book he was reading was substituted with a pornographic book, its cover disguised as a poem book.

Even someone without a brain would have guessed who had done the deed. It must have been done when a certain beautiful young disciples with silver stardust eyes took the opportunity that opened up when Lan Wangji attention turned to the drawing Wei Ying made of him, let alone the fact that Wei Wuxian didn't even bother to cover it up, rolling on the ground as he laughed hysterically “Hahahahahahahahahaha!”

“Wei Ying”

Wei Wuxian almost rolled under the desk from laughter, raising a hand with much difficulty, “Here! I'm here!” he beamed. It was very adorable sight to see. Wei Ying must've been trying to get him flustered since this was the last day of his punishment. Unfortunately, for him. Lan Wangji was prepared and no matter what he throw at him, this time he would gladly open his arms to receive everything.

With that in mind, he did something that Wei Ying definitely never thought he will do it.

He flipped another page to see the next drawing. He forcefully need to stop himself from hurling the book as the drawing depicted a figure of a man and a woman.

Wei Wuxian stopped his laughing when there was no yelling or scolding coming from Hanguang-jun. He opened his eyes, and he immediately gaped when he was greeted by the sight of Lan Zhan. Lan Wangji. Hanguang-jun. Staring at a pornographic book, even went as far as flipping through it calmly.

“U–um, Lan zhan? Lan Wangji? Hanguang-jun” he called

Golden eyes slowly looked up from the book to stare at him, Wei Wuxian suddenly felt hot under the intense gaze, “A–are you okay?” he fidgeting nervously, Lan Wangji raised his brows “Why wouldn't I be?” he asked, calmly. ”The– the book. That you currently looking at. Do– do you even know what kind of book is it?” he nervously ask.

“A porn book. I know what it is, Wei Ying” he mused, flipping another page.

Wei Wuxian jaw dropped, the younger man now openly gaping at Lan Wangji, his face was as red as tomato. Lan Wangji always know that Wei Wuxian liked to flirt around but he also know just how innocence the younger man is, this kind of reaction from Wei Ying, ignite something inside Lan Wangji. He found it adorable but it also make him hungry to see more of all Wei Ying's expression.

“Hanguang-jun! That's a porn book you currently looking at. A–are you okay? Isn't it against your precious Lans sect rules to look at something inappropriate like that?!” he rambled, sprang to his feet in panic. Wei Wuxian never thought in his life, he would witnessed someone as prestigious and prim like Hanguang-jun, flipping through porn book so calmly like that.

Lan Wangji spoke slowly, “Do i need to be ashamed about this? Don't tell me Wei Ying never seen something like this before” he teased, the younger man spluttered, “I don't believe it, after all Wei Ying does like to flirt around wherever he goes” he mused, slowly walking towards Wei Wuxian. “O–of course, i've read it before!” Wei Wuxian exclaims, sound like offended by the accusations.

“Oh really? Did Wei Ying really have seen something like this before?”

”Of course!”

“Then, have you ever hold a maiden hand?” he asked, slowly reached towards the younger man hands, Wei Wuxian flinched at the question but nevertheless still answered “Obviously, I have hold a lot of girls hand”

It was a lie and Lan Wangji knew it.

“How about a kiss? Have you ever kiss someone, Wei Ying?” he whispered as he hold the younger man hand in his hand, Wei Wuxian sputtered “A–a kiss!” his face was as red as tomato, looking like a maiden that has been wronged, but Lan Wangji wasn't done yet. “Mn. A kiss” he muttered under his breath, hands slowly reaching up to cup Wei Wuxian cheek.

The skin feels hot under Lan Wangji's hand and it drive him crazy to know that Wei Wuxian react like this towards him, “Have you kiss anyone, Wei Ying?” he asked, softly. Face leaned down so close to the younger man face. Wei Wuxian couldn't hold the shudder that run through him.

“I– i”

“It was really ashamed that it wasn't a cutsleeve porn” he amused, his hand has move from Wei Wuxian cheek to his ears, playing with the reddened earlobe. The younger man face is as red as tomato, the blushed even went to his neck and his ear. Lan Wangji felt the dark instinct to just pounce at the younger man and ravaged him.

“Cu–cutsleeve porn?! Lan zhan!” Wei Wuxian exclaim, looking conflicted.

Lan Wangji chuckled quietly. “Did Wei Ying didn't know? A man can do it with another man. It was even more pleasurable and enjoyable”

“Wha–”

“If Wei Ying wants I could teach him, but you haven't even had your first kiss. How about i teach you how to kiss first.” he teased leaned closer until his breath ghosting over the younger man lips.

“La–lan zhan” Wei Wuxian grabbed the front of Lan Wangji's robe as his knees threaten to buckle, ’This is too much’ he thought dizzily, feeling the raging fire on the bottom of his stomach, threatening to explode, but before he could do anything, the warm breath that has been ghosted his lips disappear along with the hand that has been playing with his ear and patting his cheeks

“I'll go and fetch lunch. Don't go anywhere.” he said with a hint of amusement in it, before walked out of the library, leaving the younger man alone as he stood there, blinking, and still unable to process what just happened.

’H–huh? What just happened?’

As the gear in his mind finally start to work again, he finally realized the older man was completely playing with him, his prank has somehow backfired so bad!! The teenager face explode in red hues, his knees immediately buckle and he fell to the floor. He stared at the empty space where Lan Wangji standing a moment ago “Lan zhan!!” he shouted

The teenager wailed as he start rolling on the floor ’This is unfair, how is it all my pranks always end up backfired and bit me back in the ass!! I was so sure i got him this time. The porn book prank should've work!! Lan zhan is a Lan! He's the hanguang-jun! He's pure, prim and prestigious man who shouldn't care about worldly pleasure. He should've never get close let alone read a spring book and yet... and yet’ 

“It was really ashamed that it wasn't a cutsleeve porn”

Wei Wuxian body start to trembling as his face flushed even more ’Not only he acted so calmly in the presence of a spring book, he even boldly talking about cut–cutsleeve porn. I've never even saw something like that before. Unbelievable!! ridiculous!! preposterous!! utterly ridiculous!!’ he wailed internally, start kicking his feet and rolling around the floor, at this point he doesn't even care if someone caught him like this, he need to let out this frustration.

’How is he so unfazed in the presence of a porn book? Is it because he's a grownups? No no no. I'm pretty sure if i'm doing the same thing to old man Lan, he would send the latter to qi deviation. Arrgggghhhh, I can't believe this’ he ruffled his hair in utter frustration 

‘And all those talk I did to Nie-xiong just so he would let me borrow his book. Bragging to him that i would definitely able to make Hanguang-jun speechless only for me to fail miserably. Not only that, he even manage to make me speechless. Me! The god of prankster Wei Wuxian was made speechless not once but twice!!’

This was how Lan Wangji found him when he came back from fetching their lunch, Wei Wuxian sitting near the window with arms crossed in front of his chest and a huge pout taking majority of his face, Lan Wangji couldn't help but found the sight so adorable

“Wei Ying, i'm back and I brought lunch” he said but the younger man didn't answer him, instead he puffed his cheek even more, “I made your favorite dish, I make it even spicier than usual” he coaxed, that caused Wei Wuxian's nose twitching adorably but he still stubbornly stay where he is.

Lan Wangji sighed before he set the tray on the table, reaching inside his sleeve and pulling a familiar brown jar, he could see Wei Wuxian nose start to twitch even more as he sniff the familiar scent “I brought this special for Wei Ying, it was very unfortunate that it seems he didn't want it”

“I do! I do! Give them to me!!” he said, moving towards Lan Wangji and try to reach for the jar but because of their significant height difference (Mostly Wei Wuxian who didn't even reach Lan Wangji's chest) the older man could easily put the jar out of Wei Wuxian reach.

“Have some mercy to this poor lil disciples that you've been pranking to your heart content today, Lan zhan?” he pleaded “Who is it the one that initiate the prank?” Lan Wangji asked calmly, Wei Wuxian flinched before shuffle backwards, crossing his arms, “It's not like you fell for it, you even went and pranked me back so cruel” he said, defending himself. “I was trying so hard to came up with this idea, i even ask Nie-xiong for a help” he pouted quietly.

Lan Wangji stared at him before sighed and put the Emperor's smile on the table, Wei Wuxian eyes brighten as he scramble towards the jar, but before he can remove the cloth on the lids, Lan Wangji stop him “Eat first, you can drink that later” he ordered, Wei Wuxian pouted but complying.

They eat their lunch in peace, well in peace as in Lan Wangji eating while listening to Wei Wuxian chattering about his day, the class and Lotus Pier. ”Lan zhan, did you know? You can eat a watermelon rind” the younger man spoke as he took another bite of the spicy bok choy

The other man looked up and stared at him as if he's saying ’Wei Ying, be serious’ Wei Wuxian huffed “I'm serious, Lan zhan. You can eat watermelon rind, it taste delicious especially if you stir fried it with some spice.” he grinned, Lan Wangji only shook his head.

“Did you also know that lotus pod with stems is better than the one with no stems” he told the other man

“Wei Ying. Finish your food first” he say sternly, Wei Wuxian huffed but didn't say anything as he finished his food.

After they finished the lunch, Wei Wuxian eyeing the Emperor smile jar as if it's snake or scorpio “Lan zhan, did you bring this Emperor smile for me?” he asked the older man who was busy putting the empty bowl back to the tray. ”Mn. I do not drinks” he replied ”are you sure i can have it?” he ask, still sounds unconvinced. “Mn. Only for Wei Ying.”

“Lan zhan, you do know this is liquor, right?” Lan Wangji nods

“And last time i checked, liquor is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses” he remarked, “Already told Wei Ying before. No matter how many Emperor smile Wei Ying drink or how many rules he broke, he will be not punished” the other man stated.

Wei Wuxian brow's pinched together as if he still trying to make this whole situation make sense ”This is too much. Lan zhan, i still don't understand any of this. Did you know what you've been doing? You were giving an unfair treatment towards your disciples, using your authority to act more lenient towards a certain disciples and even encouraging them to broke a rule!” he shouted

Lan wangji frowned, “It is not weird for a teacher to have their favorite disciples. All teacher in the Cloud Recesses has one or two favorite disciples they favored more than other, even Shufu.” he defended.

“And yet, out of all disciples you could choose as your favorite, you choose me! You choose the worse choice ever!!” he retorded. “Wei Ying is not the worse choice. He is not just any disciples, Wei Ying is Wei Ying. I don't want any other disciples.“ he say stubbornly. Wei Wuxian wailed in frustration “That's even worse! What about Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye, your nephew!”

“They are shufu's favorite”

”What about Nie Huaisang?”

“Nie Huaisang always prefer Xiongzhang than me”

“Then, what about Jiang Cheng?” at the suggestion, Lan Wangji face immediately darkened, Wei Wuxian doesn't understand why. The change in his expression was so obvious that even Wei Wuxian who couldn't read his expression really well know that Lan Wangji doesn't like the idea.

“What about the peacock then?” he suggested, the other man's face now become sour, “Only want Wei Ying. Will not want anyone else. It can't be anyone but Wei Ying”

Wei Wuxian let out exasperated sigh as he slumped to the table “That's the thing, Lan zhan. I don't understand why would you possibly want me. I mean i'm me! I'm not a sect heir. I'm just a mere head disciples, with no noble upbringing or rich family. I have nothing. I wasn't even supposed to be here if Jiang shushu wasn't kind enough to recommend me.” he glanced up at the older man

“And you are YOU.” he say, emphasize the last part. ”You're so amazing, so perfect, so prestigious, so noble, so humble. Your cultivation is high, your heart is so pure, you're hardworking, you uphold your principal. I really admire you, Lan zhan. Hanguang-jun it's eally fitting to be your title.”

“Mn. I feel the same too”

”Eh?”

“Wei Ying is amazing. He is someone i'm very admired” he said softly, Wei Wuxian chuckled. “Lan zhan, didn't you hear any of the things I just said early? I'm nothing. I'm not a sect heir, i'm not from noble family or rich family. I am no one but a son of servant”

Lan Wangji nods “Mn. I hear you and i disagree” he said, tucking a hair behind Wei Wuxian ear “I think Wei Ying is very amazing. He is someone with the purest and noble heart i ever met. He is very caring, kind, cheerful and down to earth. Always smiling and brighten people's day around him, he bring happiness to wherever he go. He is very hardworking, with a very strong sense of justice, uphold his principal and always help the weak”

Wei Wuxian widened his eyes as blush start to crept his face and neck, he opened his mouth to object but Lan Wangji didn't let him “Wei Ying is very talented, he has high cultivation and already ahead among his peers despite starting late. He's a genius, smart, quick learner, and very well knowledge. He know much about array and talisman, he could tinkering with them and even inventing new things. I really admired, Wei Ying”

“La–lan zhan” Wei Wuxian stared at the taller man completely speechless and flabbergasted

“Knowing all of that, how come i didn't want to make Wei Ying my favorite disciples? I want to see Wei Ying blooms and flourish even more than before.” At this point, Wei Wuxian didn't even know what to say. He just hides his face behind his hand and groans ”You're too much, Lan zhan”

Lan Wangji eyes softened, ”Mn” he said before fishing another jar of Emperor smile from his sleeve. Seeing that, Wei Wuxian eyes glimmering with happiness “Lan zhan! You're the best!” he beamed and take the jar from the taller man. “Wei Ying, I planned to go to Caiyi this weekend to buy some supply. Do you want to accompany me?”

“To help you carrying your things? Of course” replied the younger man nonchalantly. Lan Wangji frown “Not to carry my things, to show you around.” he remarked. Wei Wuxian stared at him, mouth gaping like a fish out of water “You're gonna show me around?” he asked.

“Mn. Wei Ying is a guest here so he didn't know all the good secret in Caiyi town”

Silver stardust eyes widened “Are you really gonna took me down to Caiyi town? And show me around?” he ask, excitedly. “Mn, i know a place where they sell really good spicy cuisine” he answered. “I will go! I will go!!” he slam his hand to the table “Are we gonna go today? Tomorrow?”

“Weekend” replied Lan Wangji

“Eh? Why don't we just go tomorrow? Can we please go tomorrow” the younger man insisted, Lan Wangji sighs. “Wei Ying has class to attend” he reminded, Wei Wuxian pouted as he took another big gulp of Emperor smile. As he doing that, he glance towards Lan Wangji who busy with his paperwork.

The older man looked even more ethereal than usual, the soft sunlight from the window bathing his figure, made him glowing beautifully. From his position, Wei Wuxian could see Lan Wangji's long eyelashes, his beautiful molten gold and his plump pink lips. He look like an immortal descended from heaven. A deity who doesn't fit to be mingle with human down on the earth and instead belong to beautiful place like Heaven.

Wei Wuxian found himself looking away somehow feeling embarrassment for a reason he couldn't understand.

“Oi, Wei Wuxian”

“Wei Wuxian!”

Wei Wuxian startled out of his daydream and looked around in confusion before his gaze finally landing on the familiar sour face of Jiang Cheng who has his usual scowl on his face, beside him were sitting Nie Huaisang, fanning himself slowly while looked at him curiously “Finally, are you done daydreaming?” the Jiang heir asked.

“Jiang Cheng” he muttered. “Yeah, me. Welcome back to the real world, Wei Wuxian” he said sarcastically. Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes “So, how it is?” the Nie heir ask, perked from behind his fan. Wei Wuxian brows pinched together in confusion. “How is what?” he asked dumbfounded.

Jiang Cheng click his tongue and spoke, “Are you dumb? We talking about your amazing pranks. How are you already forgot about it? Aren't you bragging at us yesterday that you're gonna prank the righteous and prim, the one and only Hanguang-jun with a spring book and finally got your revenge, whatever that means. So how is it? How worse punishment did you get? How much copying you need to do this time? Don't tell me you'll get physical punishment, just wait until i told mom about this” he rambled.

Wei Wuxian form an O with his mouth when he finally remember the conversation he had with the two the day before he commit the spring book prank. He grinned puffing out his chest before slumped forward “I failed” he said, dejectedly.

Jiang Cheng sneered. “As expected, so what happened?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all!! And that's the problem. I thought for sure he would get flustered, or at least i would get a reaction out of him but he didn't react at all, he completely unfazed by it” he exclaimed. The Jiang heir smacked him at the back of his head “Ouch, what was that for, Jiang Cheng?!” he wailed

“That's for keeping embarrassing my clan in front of other clan!! I can't believe you are crazy enough to pull such inappropriate prank to someone like Hanguang-jun. Have you got no shame!! You need to stop before my clan doesn't have anymore face because of you” he barked.

“Calm down, Jiang Cheng. It's just a harmless prank–” Wei Wuxian reasoned but before he could finish his sentence the Jiang heir cut him off "A harmless prank?! You were showing Hanguang-jun a spring book!! The worst person that could ever choose. What even makes you think it'll be hilarious to show someone like him a spring book!! He's a fucking Lan for fuck sake. They never even drank alcohol or killing livestock on their territory” he raged.

“Just you wait until my mom hear about this” he added, at that Wei Wuxian couldn't help but flinch, but he immediately cover it up and start laughing “Come on, Jiang Cheng. It was just a joke, no need to bring Madan Yu into this. We're not even in Lotus Pier” he reasoned.

"That's the problem! It's because we're not in Lotus pier that we can't afford to lost anymore face because of you and your stupid pranks. I will write her so you could kneel in our ancestral hall as soon as we get back to Lotus Pier. You're unbelievable, i don't even know why I let you to tag along with me to this lecture.” he complained viciously. Wei Wuxian only grinned “It's because you love me”

Jiang Cheng push his shoulder “As if. Flattery won't work on me” he snarled. Wei Wuxian pouted. Nie Huaisang whose been watching their interaction in silence chuckled nervously and finally spoke up, ”So how much punishment did you get, Wei-xiong?” he inquired, “Punishment? What punishment? Why would i be punished?” Wei Wuxian raised his brows, looked genuinely asking.

“For the prank that you pulled?!” Jiang Cheng interject.

“Oh that, i didn't get punished” he replied, both Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang jaw dropped, they both looked at each other then to Wei Wuxian dumbfounded. “What? Did you really didn't get punished?” Jiang Cheng ask, “Nope” replied the silver eyed teenager. “Even after the crazy prank you pulled?” Jiang Cheng couldn't help but to ask again.

“I told you it's not crazy, it was a good prank. It really fit to pull reaction from a stuck up fuddy duddy Lan like him. And yes, i didn't get punished, i told you Hanguang-jun would never punish me no matter what kind of stunt i pulled or how many rules i broke” he say proudly.

“Wow, Wei-xiong. You really are Hanguang-jun's favorite disciples” Nie Huaisang mumbled from behind his fan, while Jiang Cheng stared at him with his jaw tightened.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Cloud Recesses. The Lan main family were having tea together.

“Wangji, i heard this was the last day of Wei Ying's punishment. I hope he didn't drive you crazy too much for the past a month” his uncle started, as he stroke his goatee. Lan Wangji looked up from his tea and nods ”Wei Ying has been behaved very well” he informed, Lan Qiren seems to taken back by the familiarity his youngest nephew show towards the Jiang head disciples.

“Has he not harassed you with his endless chatters and prank?” he asked, Lan Yuen blinked before burst out laughing “Shufu, Wei Wuxian might be Cangse's son but aren't you too over worried?” she chuckled, Lan Qiren's eyebrows twitched, seeing this Lan Xichen immediately interject “Ah, Shufu. I'm sure Wei-gongzi wouldn't do something like that” he said 

“That boy suggested the use of resentful energy on his first day class!” he exclaims. “After Shufu purposely targeting him and single him out” Lan Yuen pointed out “I heard it from A-xing. If that's what happens then you couldn't really blame him. In that manner, he was really like his mother. Did you see her in him?” she smiled.

“That woman is truly unruly, i don't want her unruly son to do the same thing she does to the Cloud Recesses. But it seems i was too late! In just a span a month and half, he manage to make all disciples start breaking rules here and there! I should've never accept sect leader Jiang request to let him participate” he huffed

“Shufu, those disciples are still young. They still have wild spirit inside them, it's not wrong to be more lenient towards them” Lan Xichen suggested. “Xichen, you and A-yu were always too kind and too lenient. If i don't discipline these young master since they're young what kind of adult they will turned into. Especially Wei Ying, i'm sure Wangji will agreed with me”

Lan Wangji looked at his uncle and spoke, “Wei Ying is very talented student.” Lan Qiren choked on his tea and stared at his nephew bewildered. “Wh–what?! What did you just say?! Wangji, have you not listened to me when i said he suggested the use of resentful energy?!” he shouted while still coughing

“Shufu, calm down” Lan Xichen coaxed.

“I heard you”

“Then, why–”

“Regardless of what happened on his first day of lecture, i cannot lie and being biased. Wei Ying is smart, a quick learner, very knowledgeable in medicine and cultivation, and a genius in talisman and array. I found myself admiring him, he really is worthy of his position as Head Disciples despite he's still fifteen. Beside he already admit his fault and realized the danger and the risk in using resentful energy.”

Lan Qiren looked as if he was ready to qi deviate, he never thought that his favorite proudest nephew would ever disagree with him especially about disciples, however before he could combust, Lan Yuen spoke up. ”Genius in talisman and array? Brother in law, what do you mean by that? Surely you know the difference between knowledgeable and a real genius”

Lan Wangji nods. “Wei Ying has been inventing talisman as a hobby”

That manage to make the three Lan, even Lan Qiren, taken back. “Inventing talisman?” Lan Xichen ask in disbelief. “I found out that Wei Ying has so many drafts about talisman and array, ideas, concept even the design. All of them which hasn't been patent. When i asked why he hasn't gone to patent them or asked for the Jiang talisman master to help him, he said that it wasn't important and just silly hobby of him.”

“What kind of talisman is it?” Lan Yuen perked up, seems to be interested.

“Talisman to preserve food such as meat and vegetables for winter, array to fertilize barren land using spiritual energy to give life on the soil, it can also cleansing dirty water so it could be use to drink and cook, he also had something called spirit luring flag”

Lan Qiren had begrudgingly listen to his nephew explanation but upon hearing the last sentence, he looked like he was close to bursting a vein “What did you just say?! Spirit luring flag?! That's–"

“Briliant idea!” Lan Yuen interject. She smiled widely “Was the function to lure evil being?” she inquired, Lan Wangji nods. “Isn't that amazing? This invention can change cultivator nighthunt forever!” she beamed. “A-yu! Have you lost your mind?! This– this spirit luring flag is unorthodox! Wangji, tell me. This flag is using the energy of the living as a bait, right?” he questioned

Lan Wangji nods.

“See?! That kid is truly unruly, he need to be disciplined mo–”

“But, Shufu. Can't you see how amazing this invention is? Cultivator always blindly searching and following clue of whatever evil being they hunted. It is not bad idea but on rare case, there's dangerous evil being who gained intelligence to find a way to lure those human and cultivator to their trap. With this trap, not only that could be prevent it also save time and energy of those cultivator” she babbled.

She turned towards the second jade with serious expression ”Brother in law, this Wei Wuxian has perk my interest. Are you gonna make him your disciples? This is very rare chance, he is a rare flower among the rarest!” she exclaims, before Lan Wangji could answer, Lan Qiren shouted ”Enough! This is getting absurd, he's not even a Lan disciples. Wangji can't make Wei Ying his disciples, not to mention he is Jiang Head Disciple, he had his own duty, he can't stay here and study under Wangji's, it will caused conflict”

Lan Yuen grinned ”So, you do agree that his talent deserve to be sharpened” Lan Qiren cleared his throat, ”I might have biased with my view of the boy. It will interesting to see what Lan Caihe would say about this, but still, for Wangji to make him his disciples would be hard”

Lan furen sighed “I wonder how such rare talent and amazing talisman is unheard, he was fifteen. He's so young and still has time to flourish even more. Not to mention, if the Jiang patented those talisman, they could probably as rich as the Jin family”

“Yu Ziyuan” Lan Wangji answered. He doesn't need to say anything more for the other three Lan to understand what its implying. Lan Yuen groaned “Such a waste of talent” Lan Xichen sighed ”I must agree, Young master Wei's invention could help so many people, not only cultivator but also civilians”

Lan Wangji turned to his uncle and spoke, “Is there nothing we could do about this?” he questioned. Lan Qiren hums “I would try to think of something. On the next discussion conference, i will try to see what Jiang Fengmian think about the idea of Wei Ying become your disciples”

Lan Xichen nods. ”Sect leader Jiang always came alone during discussion conference, maybe Shufu can persuade him” he said. ”Where is the next discussion conference?” Lan Yuen asked. “Qinghe” answers Lan Qiren. ”I will depart in three days” he added.

After talking for some more time. The three younger Lan finally bid goodbye to Lan Qiren. “Husband, why don't you go first while me and Brother in law return this tray to the kitchen. You still had some letter to sorted out, right?” Lan Yuen suddenly said.

Lan Xichen looked at her before smiling, ”Alright, i will go first” he said before take a turn towards the Hanshi while Lan Yuen and Lan Wangji take a path to the kitchen. Lan Wangji know that his sister in law is planning to talk about something with him. He only hopes that she doesn't say anything negative about Wei Ying

“You are infatuated to the boy.” nothing in Lan Wangji's life could ever prepare him for this and thus, he tripped.

Lan Yuen burst out laughing, seeing his usual very well composed Brother in law to trip literally over air at the mention of the boy “You do! You really are infatuated with the boy!” she exclaims. Lan Wangji opened his mouth to say something but the older woman quickly interject him

“Don't even try to lie to me, young man. I'm the madam of this sect. I know every single thing that happened here.” she paused looking at Lan Wangji with 'the look'

“I know that a certain young master Lan has been spending too much time in the kitchen, cooking for someone every day for the past a month.” she grinned “And weirdly, even though he's the one who cooked it. It was mostly spicy dish and most shocking part is, it's mainly Yunmeng cuisine, something that he impossible to eat.” she teased.

“Sister in law–” Lan Wangji started, a hint of flustered in his tone, as his ear rapidly turning red

Lan Yuen grinned, “Brother in law, are you trying to woo the Jiang Head Disciple?” she asked, bluntly.

“Shameless!!” he exclaims. “A-yu, he's still too young. It's inappropriate”

The woman rolled her eyes. “So what? I married when i was 18 and has A-xin when i'm 19”

Lan Wangji bowed his head “It's still inappropriate, he was half my age” he muttered. “My mother married my father who was twenty years younger than her. My grandfather married my grandmother when she was half of his age. I'm just saying, it's not something new especially in the gentry family with a lot of arrange marriage between two family. Beside, you are immortal now, Brother in law. Time and age is not something significant anymore” she reassures

Lan Wangji fell silence seeing that Lan Yuen only grinned. “So tell me, are you planning to woo him” she teased. “A-yu, language” he scolded. Lan Yuen click her tongue, ”Fine fine, are you planning to court him, Hanguang-jun?” she asked, emphasizing the 'court'

“I'm not sure, i don't even know if he would reciprocate my feeling. I– i don't want to force him or make him feel like he obliged too” Lan Wangji answered. He honestly have no idea whether Wei Ying would reciprocate his feeling, since even in the vision, he doesn't know if the younger man ever loved him back.

He lost Wei Ying without ever knowing if the younger man love him back .

Wei Ying died before Lan Wangji had a chance to confess his feeling.

Wei Ying died without ever knowing Lan Wangji feeling.

He died without ever knowing that there's someone out there who would love him unconditionally. Who would move the mountain and river just to see his smile. Who would do anything just for another chance to embrace him.

Wei Ying died.

Lan Wangji had lost him once. He took him for granted and he lost him forever.

“Love is very complicated things, huh” Lan Yuen suddenly spoke, he looked up in surprise and he saw a knowing look on her face.

He didn't say anything as he nods. Lan Yuen giggled. “Do not worry, brother in law. I'll teach you a very good way to tame and woo wild spirit like him. Believe me, it'll 100% work” she grinned

Lan Wangji felt his ear heated up at the bluntness, “A-yu” he scolded, Lan Yuen couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was always fun to tease her brother in law.

Biling lake, Caiyi Town, Gusu.

A small boat floated gracefully on the calm surface of the lake. A man sitting in the boat while patiently fished, it was deep late into the night, a perfect time for fishing. He yawned, failed to notice the darkening shade of the lantern-lit water. Suddenly, the fishing rod bounced twice in the man’s hand as the lake gently tumbled, then jerked down.

“Huh?!” the man surprised as he start pulled the rod.

He struggled and pulled with all his might, but whatever he had caught would not budge. Under the boat, there was a movement of the supposedly-caught creature. It was nearly double the size of the boat.

The creature began to circle around the boat, causing it spin in turn, still attached by the fishing rod. “W-what’s this?!” the man began panicking. Bending the fishing pole into a steep arch, the creature continued to secure the rod and tug and tug and tug.

Until finally, it snapped.

“Gah!” the man screamed, having not expected the sudden break and falling back. Luckily, he was standing facing the outside, so he did not fall out of the boat. Breathing shakily, the man looked to the left and right in confusion, and then held up his torn up hands, eyeing the rough wounded up skin. “What on earth was that thing?” he whispered, then flinched when he heard a few bubbles pop behind him.

The bubbles continued, increasing in frequency, until the large object they came from reached the surface. Dozens more followed, covering the lake’s surface like flies on a carcass. The man looked closer at the objects, then realized what they were.

Corpses.

His scream filled the night.

Chapter Text

On the third day after his one month 'punishment' over, Nie Huaisang came barging to his room with an overjoyed expression, literally slammed the door open and jumped to the bed where Wei Wuxian still sleeping in starfish position, “Wei-xiong, you really struck it lucky. The old man went to our sect's Discussion conference last night, so we don't have classes for a few days!” he exclaims.

Silver stardust eyes shot open as he immediately scrambled to sit up, “What?! Really?” he asked, the Nie heir nods vigorously. Wei Wuxian grinned widely. Now that the old one is gone, the young one can be easily taken care of! Beside he had the power of Hanguang-jun beside him, the twin Lan won't be able to do anything to him.

Wei Wuxian quickly climbed up from his bed, beaming as he wash his face with the water on the basin beside his bed, put on his robes, tying his hair up into ponytail with his signature red ribbon and lastly put on his boots, “A lucky strike, indeed, almost as if Heaven is blessing me with its clouds.” he exclaimed.

Jiang Cheng stood on the side, carefully cleaning his sword, and threw cold water on this notion, “Aren't you forgotten something?” he asked coldly, Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows in confusion. Jiang Cheng snarled, “Are you already forgot what happened between you and Lan Xingye yesterday?!” Wei Wuxian brows pinched together as he try to remember what happened yesterday.

When he finally remember, he hit his fist onto his open palm, mouth turned into shape of O as his mind went to replaying what happened yesterday 

It was really beautiful day in the Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian was walking through the path beside the river banks on the back of Cloud Recesses, both hand behind his back. His eyes suddenly brighten when he caught the sight of Lan Xingye, as prestigious as ever, meditated with perfect lotus posture under a tree.

“Xingye-jie” he greeted cheerfully, jog towards the Lan disciple. “What are you doing here?” he asked, when he got no response, he pouted and went to sit beside her “Are you meditating? What a diligence disciple you are. But who am I to surprise, you're Hanguang-jun nephew after all” he giggled at the mention of the older man.

He then make himself comfortable before opened the book he was holding, Lan Xingye opened her eyes to take a peak, slightly taken back when he saw the Jiang head disciples were reading a book but there were no cover or title on it. Realizing the staring, Wei Wuxian looked at her and wink “What? Are you wondering what book am i reading?” he queried.

Lan Xingye didn't say anything as she close her eyes and going back to meditate, seeing her reaction a mischievous idea immediately pop to his brain. “It's a buddhist text that Hanguang-jun lent me the other day” at the mention of her shushu name, Lan Xingye eyes shot open and she look at Wei Wuxian with a ridiculous look.

“You don't believe me? Here, take a look at this.” he pointed at the corner of the book where's Hanguang-jun signature written, “See? I'm not lying” he said, but Lan Xingye only huffed, still looked unconvinced. “If you don't believe me, why don't you open it. I don't want to be marked as a liar, this is really the book that Hanguang-jun lent me” he rambled

Lan Xingye look at him and then to the book, after a moment she took the book from him and opened right at the middle and then she flipped another page. She only took one look at before hurled the book away, as if she was burnt by fire.

It was initially a Buddhist text, but when she opened another page, she was presented with two figure, intertwining together in a kiss. As the book was thrown on the ground, Lan Xingye seemed as if she was escaping from snakes or scorpions, falling back from the stone she was sitting on. She roared with rage finally losing her compose, “Wei Wuxian–!”

The owner of the name was busy laughing and rolling on the ground, he raise his hand. “Here! I'm here!”

Lan Xingye swiftly draw her sword, Rexin. Ever since they had met, Wei Wuxian had never seen her appear so discomposed. He hastily grabbed his own sword that were on his hips. Drawing his sword so that a third of the blade was out, he reminded Lan Xingye “Manners! Young lady Lan! Watch your manners! I brought my sword today with me. If we started fighting, wouldn't it ruin this beautiful hill and caught everyone attention in the Cloud Recesses?” he was really lucky to decide to bring his sword with him today.

The blade of Lan Xingye's sword pointed at him. Fire could almost be seen sprouting from her pair of blue light-colored eyes, “What sort of person are you?!” she raged. ”What sort of person could i be? A man!” Wei Wuxian responded cheerfully.

Lan Xingye lashed out “You have no shame!”

Wei Wuxian raised his brows, “Do i need to be ashamed of this? This is just a book about dual cultivation and energy transfer, don't tell me you never seen something like this before. I don't believe you” Lan Xingye's weak point was that she didn't know how to argue with that. It's not necessarily weird for a cultivator to read about dual cultivation and energy transfer, especially people who intend to find a cultivation partner.

Lan Xingye's ancestors himself, Lan An, shown how much important one's to know about dual cultivation and energy transfer. But, Lan Xingye herself never willing to read such shameless topic, she prefers to fight strong opponent and evil beings her whole life rather than getting married.

After a moment of silently holding back, she pointed her sword at Wei Wuxian and spoke with frigid face, ”You! Let's have a fight” she demanded. Wei Wuxian shook his head a couple of times, pretending to be docile, ”Nope, nope. Didn't you know, Young Lady Lan? Fighting without permission is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses.” he proceeded to pick up the book which was thrown away, but Lan Xingye went before him, snatching it in her hand.

Wei Wuxian quickly guessed that the older disciple going to use this as evidence to report him. He deliberately spoke, “Why are you grabbing it? I thought you didn't want to read it. Now you do? Actually, even if you want to read it, you don't have to fight for it. I will lent it exclusively for you. Now that you borrow my book, you've become my friend. We can continue to exchange opinions on this topic or any other topic, and...”

Lan Xingye's whole face turned white. She spoke one word at a time, “I. Will . Not. Read. It.”

Wei Wuxian continued to distort the facts, “If you won't read it, why did you grab it? Secretly keeping it? You can't do that. I borrowed this from Hanguang-jun, so i'd have to return it to him after you read it or you can return it yourself... Hey, hey, hey, don't come here. You're too close, i feel nervous. Let's talk nicely. You're not gonna hand this in, are you? Hand it in to whom? Old... your granduncle? Young Lady Lan, do you think that you can let the elders see this? He'd definitely think that you're already read it. With a face as thin as yours, you'd be so ashamed that you'd die...”

Lan Xingye filled her right hand with spiritual energy, and the book broke into thousands of millions of pieces, fluttering downward. As Wei Wuxian watched, he spoke with a fake regret “What a waste! That was Hanguang-jun book, you know. And you ripped it so you're the one who have to tell him what happened to his precious book. I'm not gonna help”

The Young Lady tried again and again to put up with the Jiang head disciples, but she couldn't do it any more. She thundered, “Scram!”

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Well, well, look at you, Lan Xingye. Everyone says that you're a Lady of excellence, a bright gem in the world, carrying yourself with incomparable courtesy, so it seems that this is all there is. Didn't you know that causing noise is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses? And, you actually told me to 'scram'. Is this the first time that you used this phrase on somebody...” Lan Xingye draw her sword and went at him. Wei Wuxian hurriedly running off while yelling, “Scram it is, then. It's my best skill, but i still won't help you to talk to Hanguang-jun”

He running off like a maniac towards the forest. As he running, he accidentally bumped into Nie Huaisang, Jiang Cheng and a group of disciples. “Ah! Jiang Cheng! Nie-xiong!” he greeted. Nie Huaisang eyeing him, “Are you okay, Wei-xiong? What was the scream we heard early?” he asked, Wei Wuxian laughs. “It's nothing, Xingye-jie just caught me while i'm reading a book about dual cultivation and energy transfer”

Jiang Cheng jaw dropped, “The what–?!”

“What? Are you serious, Wei-xiong?! How did it go? Did she read it? What was she like?” Nie Huaisang interrupt. Wei Wuxian puffed his chest as if he's proud of what he just commit, “What was she like? Ha! Didn't you guys hear the loud scold she gave?”

Nie Huaisang looked at him in full admiration, “I heard it– she told you to scram! Wei-xiong, it was my first time hearing Lan Xingye tell someone to 'scram', how did you do it?”

Satisfaction was plastered all over Wei Wuxian's face, “Good thing that i helped her achieve this ’first’. Can you guys imagine if it wasn't me who was caught reading such a topic, she would not have prepared or if her junior ever asked her about the way to exchange one's spiritual energy, she would not have prepared“

“What are you proud of?! What is there to be proud of this?! Do you think that it's glorious thing to be told by someone to scram? Not to mention this person is someone like Lan Xingye. You bring so much shame upon our sect!” Jiang Cheng scolded with a darkened expression.

Wei Wuxian huffed, “I didn't even meant for this to be turned out this way. I was just enjoying the book that i borrowed, she didn't believe it was Hanguang-jun book so i proved it to her. It wasn't entirely my fault that she would react so strongly towards such a book”

Jiang Cheng sneered, “You've seriously offended Lan Qiren and both the twin Lan. Just wait for your death tomorrow! Nobody's gonna bury your corpse.“ Wei Wuxian waved his hand and putting his arm around Jiang Cheng's shoulder, “Who cares. I'm still Hanguang-jun favorite disciples. You've already buried my corpse so many times, so what's wrong with once more?“

The Jiang heir responded with a kick, “Shoo, shoo, shoo! Next time, if you do such a thing, don't let me know! Don't even came crawling to me begging to be saved, either!“

“Do you remember now what have you done yesterday to Lan Xingye? When Lan Qiren comes back, prepare yourself for your punishment.”

Wei Wuxian responded, “Why would a living person worry about what happens after they die? I'll just live freely as long as possible. Let's go. I refuse to believe that i can't find any pheasants on this mountain of the Lan sect.“

The three walked together, passing through the reception room of the Cloud Recesses. Suddenly, Wei Wuxian stopped in his tracks and exclaimed, “There are two fuddy duddy... i mean Lan zhan... i mean Hanguang-jun!”

A few people walked out of the room. Of the two man at the front, both looked as if they were carved out of ice and jade, both wore the same snow-white robes, and both had sword tassels which swayed in breeze, alongside ribbons on their clothes. The only difference were their ambience and facial expressions. Wei Wuxian could tell at once that, if the one with a stern face was Lan Wangji, the gentle one must be the other Jade of the Lan sect– Sect leader Lan, Zewu-jun, Lan Xichen.

Beside them stood the younger lil' fuddy. Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye, both also look as elegant and prestigious as the older Twin Jade. As Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye saw Wei Wuxian, they scrunched their brows, giving him a glare in an almost 'glowering' fashion. As if they would be tainted if they looked a moment longer, scarily they moved their gaze away and stared into the distance.

“Good morning, Wei Ying“ greeted Lan Wangji. The younger man smiled at him, this exchange seems to send the Twin Lan speechless, Wei Wuxian who saw it grinned, “Good morning, Lan Zhan. Muxin-xiong. Xingye-jie” he greeted which promptly ignored by the two, however Lan Xichen who saw the exchange smile widened, he turned towards Wei Wuxian and spoke, “And you are...?”

Jiang Cheng showed his respect with a salute “Jiang Wanyin of Yunmeng.”

Wei Wuxian followed, “Wei Wuxian of Yunmeng.”

If Wei Wuxian was any lesser cultivator he will probably missed it, fortunately for him he was a Jiang head disciple for a reason. He was trained enough to be able to see just for a mere second, Lan Xichen face changed when he introduce himself, Wei Wuxian hope after all the rumour going around about him in the Cloud Recesses and his own reputation in Yunmeng, the sect leader wouldn't think negatively of him and judge him blindly by it.

Lan Xichen returned the salute. Nie Huaisang whispered in the volume of gnat, “Xichen-ge”

The Lan sect leader turned to him, “Huaisang, a while ago, as I returned from Qinghe, your brother ask me of your studies. How is it? This year, will you be able to pass?“he asked, at the question the Nie heir shoulder slumped. “Generally speaking, yes...” he replied. He seemed like a wilted cucumber, looking at Wei Wuxian in a helpless way.

Wei Wuxian grinned, “Zewu-jun, did you planned to go out somewhere?” he asked, promptly changing the topic. “It is not me who will be going but Wangji. He planned to exterminate a water ghoul in Caiyi town. But we figured, he will short of hands, so he planned to bring A-xin and A-xing along“

Lan Xingye spoke coldly, “Fuqin, we do not need to engage in small talk. This matter permits no delays, it is time for us to depart.”

Wei Wuxian hurried, “Wait, wait, wait. I know how to catch water ghouls. Hanguang-jun, why don't you take us along?”

Lan Xichen looked at Lan Wangji who didn't say anything then he smiled without words. However, before he could say anything Lan Muxin spoke, “It is against the rules.” he declared. Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes, “How is it against the rules? We used to catch water ghouls all the time in Yunmeng. Beside, we don't have classes these days anyways.“

Yunmeng was abundant in lakes and water, so it teemed with water ghouls. It was true that people of the Jiang sect were adept at this, and Jiang Cheng also wanted to make up for the face which the Yunmeng Jiang sect lost during this stay at the Lan sect. “That's right. Zewu-jun, Hanguang-jun, we'd definitely be of help“ Jiang Cheng stated.

Lan Xingye glowered as she spoke, “It is not necessary. The Gusu Lan sect is also...” but before Lan Xingye finished talking, Lan Xichen spoke while smiling. “Sure, then. You do not mind, right Wangji?” he asked, Lan Wangji shake his head. “More help the better. Many thanks for your help, do some preparation, and we can depart together“ Lan Wangji ordered.

“While we at it, why don't we also invite Jin-gongzi“ the Sect Leader Lan suggested, completely missing the way both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng face cringing at the mention of the name “Huaisang, are you coming as well?“ he asked, the Nie heir nods vigorously. The three disciples went back to their room to prepare.

Both Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye looked at them from behind, their brows knitted with confusion. “Fuqin, why did you decide to bring them? Exterminating ghouls is not suited for joking around.“ Lan Muxin spoke.

“The head disciples and the only son of Sect Leader Jiang are quite well-known in Yunmeng. It is likely that they know more than joking around.“ Lan Xichen answered.

Although, both younger Lan didn't express their opinion, the phrase 'i beg to differ' was written all over their face. “And, also, your Shushu wish for him to go as well, right Wangji“ he added, turn towards Lan Wangji and smiled. The latter nods his head.

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye was stunned.

Lan Xichen smiled, “I only agreed because he looked as if he wanted the Head Disciple of Sect Leader Jiang to come“ he added. Lan Wangji nods “I promise Wei Ying to take him to the bookstore where i gets most of my books“

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye was ready to complained more, but Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng already grabbed their swords and headed over. so they had to shut their mouth. Not long after that, Jin Zixuan appear with a Jin disciple. The group mounted their sword and set off.

The place where the water ghouls haunted was Caiyi town, about ten kilometers away from the Cloud Recesses.

Caiyi town was connected with paths of water. It was either a net of rivers densely covering the town, or dwellings packed on either sides of the web-like water paths. The houses had white walls and grey roofs, and the rivers were filled with boats of baskets and people. On the banks, they sold flowers, fruits, bamboo crafts, pastries, tea and silk.

”We’re in the think of spring!” Wei Wuxian declared, “And we have this delicious ice cream to enjoy!” with that declaration, he happily devoured another bite of the frozen dessert.

After they arrive at Caiyi town, the disciples who's coming are let to walking around while Lan Wangji and the twin Lan talked to the chief town about the water ghouls. “You’re acting like you’ve never eaten frozen desserts before.” Jiang Cheng glowered. “Well, the Cloud Recesses always starves people. If I could eat these amazing desserts every day, I wouldn’t mind staying in Gusu for a long time.” he announced.

Wei Wuxian let out a long sigh. “I really envy people who grew up with this.” he say dramatically, Jiang Cheng scoffed. “If I tried to make you copy books for a month, you’d disappear faster than a rabbit!” huffing in offense, Wei Wuxian leaned across the table, sticking his tongue out at the Jiang heir.

The two of them continued their stare-off for several long seconds, before Wei Wuxian smiled again. “I bet Shijie would love this!” he declared. “We can come back here and bring some home with us!” Jiang Cheng nodded in agreement then he frowned. “But, wouldn't they be melted by the time we reach Lotus Pier?“ he pointed out

Wei Wuxian grinned, “No need to worries. I could make some talisman to preserve it, it'll be as fresh and as good as newly made when Shijie eat it“ he said cheerfully, however Jiang Cheng expression turned sour. “Are you still tinkering with all those useless talisman of you? Didn't mother already told you to stop doing it“ he said, sharply.

Wei Wuxian smile faltered, he quickly covered it and smiled widely “Relax, i'm just doing it for Shijie this time. I haven't tinkering a talisman for a long time, anyway. And didn't have any plan to do it soon“ he reassures, “Good. If my mother caught you wasting time with that useless hobby of yours again, she will definitely punish you and make you kneel in ancestral hall“

“I know i know, you don't need to remind me“ he huffed.

Gusu was in the Jiangnan area, and all the voices one could hear were soft and gentle. As two boats crashed into each other, and a few jars of rice wine were spilled, even the arguments of the two boatmen sounded like chirps of the oriole. Although, Yunmeng had many lakes, there weren't a lot of small towns with so much water. Wei Wuxian found it quite interesting.

“Gusu people talk in such a sugary way. How is this arguing? If they see how Yunmeng people argue, they might be scared to death...” he stopped mid sentence, straightened up, and began sniffing the air. He spun around fully, face lighting up into pure, adolescence joy as he looked past the arguing pair.

“That smells like rice wine!” he exclaimed, standing from his seat. He run and carelessly jump into a nearby boat, Jiang Cheng scowled “Wei Wuxian, where are you going?! Don't cause anymore trouble“ but his threat fall into a deaf ear as Wei Wuxian paid him no mind, instead grabbing onto the bamboo pole and pushing himself along the rivers.

“Where is it?” he pondered to himself. Then, with another sniff of the air, he fastened his boat. “Young man, where are you running off to so quickly?” a woman called from the river banks. “Would you like to try my freshly picked loquats?” she offered, Wei Wuxian smiled widely, “I appreciate the offer!” he shouted back. “I’ll try some when I return!”

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to say more, but cut off as his boat jerked to a halt, and ramming into someone's boat. He looked towards the boats and realized it was Jin Zixuan's. “Ah...” Wei Wuxian realized, bowing in apology. “I apologize, Jin-gongzi.”

The soaked Jin heir glared up at the other boy. “Wei Wuxian. Was that intentional?” Jin Zixuan demanded. ”It’s such a wide river. Did you really have to hit me?” he added with tone of accusations.

“I wasn’t paying attention. I’ll get you some more rice wine if you want!” Wei Wuxian coaxed as Jin Zixuan tried to squeeze the water out of his clothes. “No need for that.” he replied coldly. “All right, if that’s what you want, then I’ll–” before he could finish his sentence, Jin Zixuan cut him off with a venom. “Just make sure the Yunmeng Jiang sect to stays away from me.”

Wei Wuxian smile faltered. ”What do you mean by that?” he asked, turning around and stared at the Jin heir, they were shadowed as the sun was directly behind him. Slowly, Jin Zixuan turned at him as well, gazing upon Wei Wuxian’s clenched fists with disdain. The two made eye contact, and tension spiked. A cloud shadowed them overhead.

“A-ah,” Nie Huaisang gave a hesitant laugh, moving his boat to pass between the two. “Calm down. Just calm down.”

Jin Zixuan huffed, ”Huaisang, here’s some advice... If you lay down with dogs, you’ll end up with flees.” he jeered, ”Be careful who you call your friend,” he continued. “Don’t neglect your studies or your brother will have words for you.”

”Let’s go-” his order was cut off as his boat abruptly shook, causing him to sway dangerously. “Wei Wuxian! How dare you!” he shouted

“Huh? Wasn’t me!” he raised his hand to show that he's no longer holding the bamboo pole. Indeed, Wei Wuxian’s boat was still separated from Jin Zixuan by Nie Huaisang’s. Shortly after, all three boats began to shake. “Something strange is going on!” the Jin heir declared. “What? What’s happening?” Huaisang asked, not noticing the powerful wave unnaturally surging up behind him.

From the water, a legless water ghoul turned, surged forward, and pounced at him. Nie Huaisang screamed. A crack brought the ghoul down as Wei Wuxian’s pole slammed into its head. The Nie heir stumbled back, and the civilians on the pier ran away with terrified screams. “Water spirits! It’s water sprits!” they shouted.

The loquat seller was too slow running away, as mid-stride, she was pulled down by a hand around her ankle. In the next second, however, a red streak sliced the ghoul’s arm in two, Wei Wuxian’s sword having responded instantly. He landed, body upright and expression serious. “It's water ghouls!“ he shouted

An enormous water ghoul burst out of the water and climbed onto Nie Huaisang’s boat, tipping the boat and forcing the Nie heir to clutch to the boat’s rail. Jin Zixuan move his body to help Nie Huaisang but before he could take a step, he was already surrounded all sides, a new ghoul attacking every time he cut one down; he was trapped.

Then, two arcs of bright blue light cut through the water. Enormous waves surged up. With her robes flowing elegantly in the air, Lan Xingye landed on Nie Huaisang’s boat. “Are you okay, Huaisang?“ she asked, the Nie heir nods. ”Th-thank you, Xingye-jie,” Huaisang muttered.

On the street, Wei Wuxian continued slicing through the water ghouls with ease born from experience. To his right, Jiang Cheng landed on the roof of an abandoned boat. Then, three talismans flew out from behind Wei Wuxian, subduing a great number of ghouls. Wei Wuxian turned in the direction the talismans had come from, and saw Lan Wangji flying high above him. Seeing how outclassed they were, the few remaining ghouls quickly fled.

The disciples returned to the boats, fiercely staring down at the water ghouls their cultivator eyes could make out fleeing in the depths. “They’re gone now,” Wei Wuxian informed, watching the last of the shadows fade out of sight. Lan Xingye's frown deepened faintly as he turned to her Shushu, “I thought there weren’t any monsters in Biling Lake.” she muttered.

Lan Wangji nods, stared at the rivers, and to all the damaged boats. “Mn. The situation is more serious.”

They decide to gathered together. “Huaisang, since you don't have your sword with you, you should just wait for us here,” Lan Wangji advised. “The rest of you will come to the Biling lake with me.”

The group then boarded ten-or-so narrow boats, and rowed toward where the water ghouls gathered. Gradually, the number of houses on the banks decreased, and the river path become quieter as well. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng each had a boat, competing who could row faster while listening to events in the area that concerned water ghouls.

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye were on the same boat, while Hanguang-jun had a boat by himself.

”Hanguang-jun” Wei Wuxian called. “Does this match the reports on the river path?” he asked, Lan Wangji nods. “Water ghouls have not haunted Caiyi town in over 10 years, but, recently, people and ships have started sinking.” he explained.

This water path led to a large lake ahead of them, named Biling Lake. Caiyi town hadn't been haunted by water ghouls ever since ten of years ago, yet for the past few months, people had started to fall into this path and Biling Lake. Boats which carried goods also sunk without any reasons.

“Were arrays set up to catch the water ghouls?” Wei Wuxian asked again. “Yes,” Lan Wangji responded. “A few days ago, Xiongzhang set up net arrays. He thought he would catch one or two, but there were more than a dozen.” His mind flashback to few days ago, when Lan Xichen came to him and told him that he had casted a few nets over the area where it was say being haunted by water ghouls. He expected to catch one or two water ghouls but he got more than a dozens instead.

”Were all the bodies you found people who live here?” Jiang Cheng asked. “They are not. Xiongzhang cleaned the corpses, brought them to the town, and asked around, but there were many that nobody claimed. Yesterday, arrays were set up again, and even more were caught.”

Lan Xichen had cleaned the corpse and carried them to a nearby part of the town, only to find that some corpse were not familiar to any of the local people, and remained unclaimed. Yesterday, Lan Xichen set up the net formation again, and caught quite few again.

Wei Wuxian hummed in consideration. “It doesn't seem like that the corpses drowned somewhere else and floated here either. Water ghouls are picky about their area. Most of the time, the only place they settle on is the place they drowned at, and they usually don't leave there.“

Lan Wangji nods in agreement, “This was why I thought that it was no trivial matter, and asked Muxin and Xingye to come along, in case something happens.“

“Hanguang-jun, water ghouls are really clever. If we use the boats and take out times like this, isn't this possible that they'll hide underwater and not come out? Won't we have to keep on searching forever? What if we can't find them?“ Wei Wuxian asked.

Instead of Lan Wangji, it was Lan Muxin who replied. “We will wait until we find them. After all, we do what we must.“ he said. Wei Wuxian raised his brows, “Just by using nets?” he queried. “That is right. Does the Yunmeng Jiang sect have other methods?” Lan Wangji asked.

Wei Wuxian smiled but didn't respond. Of course, the Yunmeng Jiang sect used nets as well. But, because he was a good swimmer, he had always jumped into the river and dragged the water ghouls out. However, this methods was too dangerous, he definitely couldn't do it in front of the Lan sect's people. If it travelled into Lan Qiren's ears, he would definitely face another lecture. Not knowing that Lan Wangji already know about his bad habit and been thinking how to stop it.

“It'd be great if there's something that can attract the water ghouls like a fishing bait. Or something that can point out their directions, like a compass.” he switched the topic instead. “Look down at the water and concentrate on finding them. You're letting your imagination run again“ Jiang Cheng interrupt.

But, Wei Wuxian wasn't done. “Cultivation and riding on swords also used to be just imagination!” he exclaims. As he looked down, he happened to be able to see the bottom of the boat which Lan Wangji was on. An idea flashed across his head, and he shouted, “Lan er-gege, look at me!“

“You– what are you doing?!” Jiang Cheng yelled.

At the moment, Lan Wangji was keeping a sharp lookout. As he heard the words, he looked up, only to see Wei Wuxian's bamboo paddle sweep up a splash of water and strike it towards him. With a tap of his foot, Lan Wangji lightly hopped onto another boat, dodging the spray.

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye who saw it, were angered, thinking to themselves that, sure enough, Wei Wuxian was here to fool around. “Wei Wuxian!“ Lan Xingye scolded.

However, Wei Wuxian ignore her as he kicked the side of the boat which he was standing on, and tipped it over using the bamboo paddle. On the bottom of the boat, there were three water ghouls with swelling faces and ashen skin, tightly clinging onto the wooden boards!

Lan Wangji immediately suppressed the three water ghouls. He nods towards the younger man, “How did Wei Ying know that they were below the boats?“ he ask, Wei Wuxian knocked on the side of the boat and replied, “Simple! The displacement of water was wrong. You were the only person who stood on the boat, yet the displacement was greater than those of boats that carried two people. There must have been something on the bottom.“

“Mn. Wei Ying are experienced indeed.“ he praised.

Wei Wuxian's paddle lightly glided through the water, and the boat's speed quickened, so that he was right next to Lan Wangji's boat. “Lan Zhan, i didn't splash water on you on purpose. Water ghouls are really clever. If i said it out loud, they would've heard it and got away.“ he whispered, but Lan Wangji didn't say anything in return

“Hey, don't ignore me. Why don't you look at me, Lan er-xiansheng?”

Lan Wangji turned at him, lips slightly curved up before lightly jump and move to the younger man's boat. “Mn. Now that Wei Ying has tipped my boat, he responsible to bring me on his boat instead“ he said in low voice, so only the two of them could heard it, before continue staring at the distance.

Lan Xingye moved her boats toward Wei Wuxian. “Wei Wuxian, why did you actually come here?“ she asked. “I'm here to apologize to you. Yesterday was my fault. I was wrong.“ he spoke with sincerity.

Lan Xingye's countenance was slightly dark, most likely because she still didn't forget what Wei Wuxian did to her. “Why do you look so gloomy? Don't worry. Today, I'm really here to help.” he asked although he knew the answer. Lan Muxin couldn't watch the scene any longer, huffed “If you want to help then be serious! Stop chattering with my Shushu and my sister and start looking out for the water ghouls.”

Wei Wuxian laughs, completely unaware how Jiang Cheng had been watching from afar and glowered at him, feeling something twisted inside of him, Lan Wangji who realized this smiled in triumphs.

A disciple shouted, “The net moved!“

Sure enough, the ropes of the net started to wobble, Wei Wuxian beamed, “It's here, it's here!“

Thick, long hair formed veils of black satin, surging and swelling around the boats. Amid them, pairs of ghastly hands gripped onto the sides. Lan Wangji backhandedly drew his sword, Bichen, and severed twenty-or-so wrist on the left of the boat, leaving only palms with finger digging deep into the wood. As he was about to cut the ones on the right, a red light flashed past, and Wei Wuxian's sword was already back in its sheath.

The strange shift of the water had ceased, and the net also became still once more. Although, a few moments ago, Wei Wuxian's sword attacked at an extremely fast speed. Lan Wangji couldn't help the feeling of pride that start to swell inside his chest at the sight.

Lan Xingye could already tell that the sword he carried was of verg high quality. She asked with a serious face, “What is the name of this sword?“

Wei Wuxian answered, “Suibian“

Lan Xingye stared at him. Wei Wuxian thought that she didn't hear properly, so he repeated it again, “Suibian.“

Lan Muxin who has been listened to the conversation frowned, “This sword has a spirit. Calling it as one pleases is disrespectful.“ he scolded.

Wei Wuxian let out a sigh, “Think outside the box, won't you? I wasn't asking you to call it whatever you wanted to, but the name of my sword just happens to be 'Suibian'. Here, look“ as he spoke, he passed the sword over the siblings for them to see the characters on the sword. Surrounded by lines and patterns, two ancient characters were carved onto the sheath. It was 'Suibian', indeed.

For a few moments, the Lan siblings was at a loss for words.

Wei Wuxian showed his consideration, “You don't need to ask. I know that you definitely want to ask me why it's called this name. Everyone asks if it has some special meaning to it. Actually, there's no special meaning at all. It was just that, when Jiang shushu gave me the sword and asked me what I wanted to call it, I came up with more than twenty names, but wasn't satisfied with any of them. I thought that I could let Jiang shushu give it a name, so I answered, ‘Whatever!’ But, who knew that, after the sword had been forged and taken out of the kiln, these two characters were on it. Jiang shushu said, ‘If this is the case, then why not let this sword be named Suibian?‘ To be honest, this name isn't bad either, right?” he explained.

“So stupid.“ comment Lan Xingye.

“Utterly stupid.“ agreed Lan Muxin.

Wei Wuxian carried his sword on his shoulder, “You guys are such a boring person. Don't you see how fun this name is? It's especially good at tricking serious ones like you two, and it works every single time. Haha!” he laughs.

The Lan siblings opened their mouth to retord but Wei Wuxian cut them, “Look, even Hanguang-jun think this name is good“ he said, turned towards the older man. “You– there's no way Shushu–” however Lan Muxin word died in his throat when he saw Lan Wangji nods.

“Mn. It is a good name. Very fitting with Wei Ying“ he said with a small smile. Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye openly gaped at their shushu.

At the same time, from within the virid lake, a long shadow darted around the small boat. After Jiang Cheng finished the water ghouls on his side, he was still watching out for any that they had missed. Seeing the shadow, he immediately yelled, “It's coming again!”

A few disciples paddled and used nets to chase after the underwater shadow. Someone shouted from the other side, “There are some here as well!“

“What was that?“ Jin Zixuan asked.

On the other side, a mass of black shadows also whooshed past. A number of narrow boats dragged nets and went over, but they didn't catch anything. “That's strange. The shape of this shadow doesn't seem like a human. It's also sometimes long sometimes short, sometimes large and sometimes small“ he observed then shouted “Lan Zhan, beside you!“

Instantly, the Bichen on Lan Wangji's hip unsheathed and stabbed into the water. It caused a big explosion, after a moment, the lake quieted down and Bichen flew out of the water with a sharp resonance, taking with it a crescent of water. Yet, it didn't pierce any water ghouls or anything at all. He held the sword in his hand with a calm expression.

Meanwhile, Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye do the same thing as Lan Wangji did, Anxing and Rexin both flying elegantly yet fiercely to the water, causing smaller explosion than the one Lan Wangji had but still deathly, after awhile both the sword fly out without piercing anything, they stared at each other with stern expression.

As Lan Muxin about to speak, a disciple on the other side also drew out his sword, thrusting it toward a dark shadow which swiftly swam by in the water.

However, after his sword went underwater, it never came out again. He chanted the sword incantation for a few more times, but nothing was retrieved from the water. It was as if his sword had been devoured by the lake, disappearing without a trace. The disciple looked like he was a youth of similar age as Wei Wuxian and the others. Without his sword, his face grew paler and paler.

“Wha– Su She?! Didn't i told you to stay behind in the Cloud Recesses?” Lan Xingye asked.

An older disciple beside him spoke, “Su She, right now, we still haven't determined what the thing inside the water is. Why did you act on your own and make your sword go underwater?” he questioned.

Su She seemed like he was somewhat flustered, but his expression was relatively calm, “I saw that Young Master and Young Lady also...“ he realized, before he even finished speaking, howw unsuitable this sentence was. No matter what, the Anxing and Rexin sword or Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye were not comparable with others.

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye could enter their sword into water when the opponent was unknown and be just fine, but it might not be the case for others. An embarrassed shade of red seeped through his pale complexion, as if he had been disgraced. He glances at the Twin Lan, but neither of them look at him, and instead attentively observed the water.

In an instant, Bichen was unsheathed again. This time, the blade of the sword wasn't inserted into water, but instead, the tip of the sword jolted, and whisked up a piece of shadow from within the water. A pile of wet, black mess fell onto the floor of the boat with a plop. Wei Wuxian went on his toes to have a look. To his surprise, it was a piece of clothing.

Wei Wuxian laughed so hard that he almost toppled into the lake if it's not for Lan Wangji's hand grabbing his arms. “Lan Zhan, you're so impressive! This is my first time seeing someone remove a water ghoul's clothing when they're catching water ghouls.“ Lan Wangji simply sighed and told him, “Be careful, do not fall to the water.“ he then examined Bichen's tip to see if there was anything strange.

He honestly never saw a waterborne abyss in his life, the vision also didn't include all the details from all the event. The only thing he know is that this was waterborne abyss, he just need something to bait it so it will come out and show itself.

Lan Muxin rolled his eyes, “Stop laughing and focus“ he told the younger teens. Jiang Cheng scowled, “Wei Wuxian! You should shut up. The thing that swam underwater really wasn't a water ghoul. There was only a piece of clothing!”

Of course, Wei Wuxian also saw it clearly. He just didn't feel satisfied without teasing Lan Wangji a few times. “So, the thing that was sneaking around was just this piece of clothing? Now that's why the nets couldn't catch it and sword couldn't pierce it. Its shape was always different. However, a piece of clothing couldn't have swallowed up a whole sword. There must be something else in the water.” he observed.

Lan Wangji nods, “Stay close to me.“ he said firmly.

At that moment, the boats already floated towards the center of Biling Lake. The color of the lake was an extremely dark shade of green. Suddenly, the tranquil water start to move violently, the sound of water crashing against wood grew louder and louder as the waves grew progressively more and more violent.

A moment later, cyclones of water burst from the lake, twisting around the boats and tearing the flimsy wood to shreds. The two cultivators within screamed as they were hurled into the air, swirling around the tornado.

A five glow of spiritual sword flying and attacked the cyclone, glowing red, blue, green, purple and yellow. The combination attacks by the Great Sect Heirs made the cyclone to back off, dropping the boat back into the water.

Suddenly, Lan Wangji slightly lifted his head, “Go back immediately.“ he ordered. Lan Xingye raised her brows, “Why?”

“The underwater beings led the boats to the center of Biling Lake on purpose.” he answered. Just as he finished his words, everyone suddenly felt their boats sinking.

Water immediately started to spread into the boats. Wei Wuxian suddenly noticed that the color of Biling Lake's water wasn't dark green anymore, but almost black. Surrounding the area close to the center, a large whirlpool had formed without anybody realizing. The ten-or-so boats circled around, following the currents of the whirlpool. They sunk as they spun, as if they're going to be sunked inside a gigantic, black mouth!

“It's waterborne abyss!“ Lan Muxin exclaimed.

“Everyone mount your sword!” Lan Wangji ordered. “This kind of monster is more than we can handle. Focus on getting out safely."

The clangs of drawing swords chorused in the air. One after another, everyone mounted their swords and flew upward. Wei Wuxian already hovered above when suddenly a dark tendrils burst into the air, reaching up towards them like a tentacles. Wei Wuxian and the other sects heir dodged all the tentacles expertly, showing speed and experience that far outclassed nearly everyone else their age.

The Jiang head disciple then looked downward, only to see that the disciple who drove his sword underwater, Su She, was already knee-deep inside the water, the boards of his boat already engulfed in Biling Lake. Although his face was full of panic, he didn't call for help, possibly frightened rigid.

Without hesitation he took a dive towards the water, the tentacles still chased after him but he dodge all of them, as he getting closer, he bent down and stretched his arm out, grabbing Su She's wrist and pulling him up.

Having added another person, the sword under his feets dipped abruptly, but it continue to ascend. However, not long after, a strong force suddenly came from Su She, almost pulling Wei Wuxian off his sword.

The lower part of Su She's body was already submerged inside the black whirlpool in the lake. The whirlpool spun faster and faster, and his body also sunk deeper and deeper. There seemed to be something hiding underwater, holding onto his legs and pulling them down.

He clicked his tongue before his hand went to grab three talisman from inside of his robes, he active it and throw it at the water, causing an explosion. Whatever is holding on Su She's body was taken back and shocked by the explosion, it momentarily let go of his body. Using both hand he immediately pulled Su She out of the water.

Now, Wei Wuxian’s expression was significantly less playful, as the dark tendrils still trying to catching him, he dodge all the tentacles and tsked, “Waterborne Abysses are so difficult to handle.” however, when he looked down at the boy he was carrying, he clenched his fists with newfound resolve.

Jiang Cheng originally stood on his Sandu and already got into safer distance. As he looked down, he dashed towards them with an annoyed expression. ”Wei Wuxian! This way!” he shouted.

Wei Wuxian's sword was superior in terms of agility, but inferior in terms of strength. The added weight obviously slowed down his sword, he looked up to Jiang Cheng and then down to the disciple he's holding, he made up his mind as he haul Su She and throw it towards Jiang Cheng. “Catch!“ he screamed. Jiang Cheng scrambled to catch the disciple.

Seeing that Wei Wuxian prepare himself to ascend when his sword suddenly jerked, he looked down, silver eyes widened when he saw black tendrils already grabbed into his sword. He didn't have any chance to react when the tendrils got into his leg and immediately pulled him down under the water.

The dark tendrils blanketed the floor like seaweed, and Wei Wuxian gradually sank down towards them. Soon, they slowly meandered up, wrapping around his arms and legs and face until they could enter his mouth.

Trying to tear him apart from the inside out.

All around him become muted sounds, Wei Wuxian slowly cracked his eyes open. The abyss drew him in, and he entered the calm underneath the cyclone, where an enormous mass of resentful energy churned. Soon, the cloud of darkness expanded and surrounded him.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes bounced around the dark water, searching desperately for a way out. Then, in the echos of a memory, he heard his voice.

‘Resentful energy are energy too. Why can’t we make good use of them? If we could, then many places that gather resentment wouldn’t be forbidden anymore.’

’Resentment,’ Wei Wuxian thought, forcing his eyes open again. Slowly, he extended a hand, trying to reach through the massive whirlpool of darkness surrounding him. Sound remained muted by the water, and, slowly, light was beginning to fade as well, leaving Wei Wuxian in an empty void.

The tendrils crept closer, but there was a notable shift in the energy.

“Wei Ying!“ a faded voice shouted, obstructed by the water.

Then, louder, “Wei Ying!” Lan Wangji screamed. Then, a second later a massive of spiritual energy hit the water. Another one, until the black tendrils crept away. A blur of white jumped down into the water and swam towards him.

Hand found its way towards Wei Wuxian neck and the back of his knees. Then, he was pulled above the water. “Wei Ying?” a concerned voice called him. There was no response and the hand around the disciple tightened. After a moment, Wei Ying began to coughing the water.

The soaked and tired Wei Wuxian blinked up at his savior and disbelievingly muttered, “Lan Zhan?” before losing his consciousness.

Lan Wangji nods, “Mn. I am here“ he said while tightened his hold. Above them, Lan Xingye standing on her sword, playing her xiao, Xuya, and suppressing the abyss.

“Muxin, take over on here, i'll go back to the Cloud Recesses.“ he ordered. Lan Muxin glance at the unconscious figure on his Shushu arm and nods. “Yes, shushu” he replied. Lan Wangji immediately speeding up Bichen and took a dash towards Cloud Recesses, his outer robes already wrapped tightly around the younger man.

It doesn't take long for him to reach the Cloud Recesses, being an immortal also come with abundant energy. He lowered his sword right in front of the infirmary and lightly jump to the ground, Lan Yuen running out of the infirmary “Wangji? What happened?“ she asked, worryingly.

Then, she looked at the unconscious boy in Lan Wangji arms, she raised her brows and then, looked up to Lan Wangji. “A-yu, he– please help– he was fell to a waterborne abyss.“ he stuttered. He try to focus himself through the dizziness of his mind, his body trembling from the fear.

He's not scared of the waterborne abyss nor he scared about his well-being.

No. He's scared for Wei Ying.

A look of understanding dawn on Lan Yuen's face. “Bring him inside.“ she ordered, before rushing in and ordering other healer to prepare some medicine, herbs, fetching some warm water and new robes. Lan Wangji lay the unconscious teen on one of the bed, Lan Yuen was immediately there as she took Wei Wuxian wrist and check for pulse

“The pulse is slower than normal but it's still there.“ she noted, then raise her right hand, a blue glow start to appear on the tip of her index and middle finger. She then bring it to Wei Wuxian front robes and as she glided it down, the robes were cut open clean.

She press lightly above the lungs and close her eyes. “It seems there's also no water on his lungs, that's good.“ she said then went to press her palm on the lower part of his stomach where his golden core located.

Her hand slowly glow and she hums. “There are no damage on his golden core either. He was lucky that the waterborne abyss hasn't reach his golden core, although his meridian is little bit clogged by resentful energy but it could be easily purified with cleansing, but he will have some fever due to getting close approximate and exposed with huge resentment.“ she observed.

At the same time, the other healer is done fetching the medicine, herbs, warm water and clean robes. “Now, instead of just standing there doing nothing. Help me change his clothes. He will get more sick if we let him stay in that soaked wet clothes.” she ordered shoving a towel on Lan Wangji's hand

Lan Wangji blinked as he slowly regain his focused and when the gear in his brain finally moved, his ear immediately flushed. “A-yu, that's inappropriate!” he exclaims. “What's so inappropriate about this. Right now, he's a patient. There's no time to waste, he will die from freezing. So go and take off all those wet clothes off him and dry him with this towel.“ she demanded.

Reluctantly, Lan Wangji took the towel. He walked closer to the bed. Carefully and gently taking off the younger man's clothes piece by piece while trying his best to conceal his thought and desire. He need to focus! Wei Ying will get even more sick the longer he stayed in this soaked clothes. His hand abruptly stopped when he finally got into his inner robes.

He gulped. He couldn't do this. “Why are you doing standing like a statue like that?!” scolded Lan Yuen as she walked in with extra robes and blanket, then she looked at Lan Wangji face and couldn't hold the laugh anymore. “You should look at your face, brother in law“ she teased.

Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes. “I cannot do this, this is inappropriate“ he pointed out. Lan Yuen rolled her eyes then a mischievous idea popped in her mind. “Alright, i guess we can't force you to do it. I will just ask another healer to do it, he will surely do it efficiently“ she said, emphasize the word 'he'

“He? It's a male?“ Lan Wangji asked

“Of course it's a male. Or do you prefer a female healer to do it instead?“ she teased. Lan Wangji straighten “No need. I would do it myself.“ he said before continue taking off the inner robes while reciting the rules in his head. His hand momentarily stop when he reach the underwear. He shook his head and immediately began to take off the underwear.

When all the last bit of clothes finally off, he was presented with beautiful smooth sun-kissed body. He gulped and soak the towel in warm water and began to wipe the skin. After he dry it off with another towel he put on the new robes, it was white like a Lan robes, it stir something inside him.

He hears chuckled behind him and saw Lan Yuen, the young woman smiled at him before put the blanket and the extra blanket on top of the unconscious teen. “Wow, I never thought I would see the day where Hanguang-jun would barely holding his restraint.” Lan Yuen commented. Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes.

She smiled. “When I realized that you were infatuated with a boy and you confess to me that you did fell for him, I have never thought the boy would have this much effect to you, to have this much control over you.”

Lan Wangji bowed his head in resigned, realizing that he already fell too deep with Wei Ying. Lan Yuen giggled, “It's not a bad thing, you know.“ she reassures, giving little pat to his shoulder before leave them alone. Lan Wangji stay in the infirmary, he ordered a disciple to fetch him his guqin, he played all night.

It was the next day, during lunch when Wei Wuxian woke up, he looked around in confusion until his silver eyes landed on Lan Wangji's figure. “Lan Zhan” he called, groggily. Lan Wangji immediately stopped his playing, putting down his guqin and rushed to his side. “Mn. I am here“ he muttered.

He opened his mouth to say something but his dry throat caused him to start coughing, Lan Wangji pour him a glass of water and propped him up, he tip the glass to the pink lips and Wei Wuxian drink the water greedily. After he satiated his thirst, Lan Wangji helped him getting comfortable. He smiled and nudge him, “Lan er-gege, you need to stop spoiling this poor disciple or he would end up become spoiled” he teased.

“I don't mind. Wei Ying deserve to be spoiled“

Wei Wuxian blinked, staring at him in disbelief before sighed. “I forgot just how much of a stubborn you are, Lan Zhan. Alright alright, you want to spoil me, fine. Who am I to stop you anyway.“ he say, resignedly.

“How do you feel?“ Lan Wangji asked. Wei Wuxian hum, “Do you want an honest answer or–” Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes, “Wei Ying, be serious.“ he scolded. “Fine fine. It feels like i just get run over by a bull“ he answer, sincerely.

Then, silver eyes looked around the room. “Where is this?“ he asked. “The Cloud Recesses infirmary, we called it the Healing Pavilion.“ Lan Wangji answered. Wei Wuxian hums, “Did you brought me here?“ the younger ask again, Lan Wangji nods. “How long did i sleep?“

“All night“

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to ask another question but Lan Wangji cut him off “Wei Ying. What happened yesterday“ he started, face latched with seriousness. “Cannot be happened again“ he said sternly, Wei Wuxian brows pinched together in confusion. “What? What do you mean by that?”

“Don't do anything reckless like that ever again“ he replied.

“I was helping one of your disciples, you know. Little thanks would be great“ he joked but then seeing Lan Wangji serious face. “Lan Zhan, he was gonna drown“ he reasoned. “It was disciple Su She fault for losing his own sword, he overestimated his own skill“ he critize.

“Well, either way. Aren't you at least happy that he's safe?“

“I'd soon let the world burn rather than seeing you hurt. I'd soon killed anyone in this world rather than seeing you hurt. I hate seeing Wei Ying hurt“ he stated.

Silver stardust widened, he stared at the older man, completely flabbergasted.

Before he could say anything, the door to the pavilion opened and reveal Zewu-jun along with the Twin Lan. His face brightens upon seeing him. “I see, Young Master Wei has awake.“ he smiled. “How are you feeling?“ he queried. “As good as someone who got run over by a bull“ he joked

Lan Xichen laughs, took a seat on the table in front of the bed. The Twin Lan followed behind him silently, Wei Wuxian raised his brows at the weird act, he then smiled at them “Muxin-xiong! Xingye-jie! Did you two came to visit me?“ he greeted. The two Lan were ready to throw some retord but they flinched upon seeing Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian brows pinched in confusion even more, that's when Lan Xichen decide to cleared his throat. “Wangji. A-xin and A-xing came to apologize to you and to Young Master Wei.“ he informed. Now, Wei Wuxian even more confused.

“Apologize? What for?“ he asked, in confusion.

“For what happened on the Biling Lake. They almost endangered your life and causing you to be injured“ he replied.

“But, it wasn't their fault. It was my own decisions“ he defended. But, Lan Wangji disagree. “No, it was their fault and recklessness that caused you to be injured“ Wei Wuxian looked at the older man bewildered. “Lan Zhan, it wasn't their fault that, whoever that disciples name is, to lose their sword“ he retorded.

“Before we depart, I already told them that disciples Su She is not qualified to participate in this hunt. They didn't do any checking again when we reach Caiyi town, resulting disciple Su She to be able to sneak with us to the Biling Lake. It was their fault.“

“But, Lan Zhan–“

Before Wei Wuxian could finish his sentence, Lan Xichen quickly interject. “Either way, Young Master Wei. It is true that A-xin and A-xing were being careless. They should've know that small mistake could cost a life in a hunt like this. And for that, they wanted to apologize”

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye rise from their seat and bow deeply towards Wei Wuxian. “Apology accepted. Apology accepted. No need to bow to me anymore“ he exclaimed. The Lan siblings then turned towards Lan Wangji. “Shushu“ Lan Muxin called, fidgeting nervously.

Lan Wangji nods. “Be more careful in the future“ he said.

The siblings face brighten and Wei Wuxian need to stop himself from cooing at the sight, instead he turned towards Lan Wangji and asked. “So what happened to the abyss?“ he questioned. “It was still in the Biling Lake.“ he answered. “But, if the Waterborne Abyss is still there. The local people will suffer.”

Lan Xichen straightening up. “Waterborne Abysses are extremely difficult to handle. We planned to seal it in the Biling Lake temporarily, and make further plans once Uncle comes back.” 

Wei Wuxian make contemplating noise, “What it is?“ Lan Wangji asked, the younger man shrugged. “Just thinking about that Waterborne Abyss.”

“Because of reasons such as terrain or currents, some rivers or lakes often encountered sinking ships and drowning people. As time went on, the area of water would develop a personality. It was like a spoiled young mistress who couldn't tolerate a shortage of the luxurious lifestyle. If no boats of goods or living humans sunk into the water as sacrifices, it would stir up trouble and obtain them on its own.“ he explained.

“The people of the Caiyi Town area were all familiar with water, so sunken boats and drowning deaths rarely happened. It was impossible for a waterborne abyss to grow out of here.“ he observed

“...That’s right,” Lan Xichen confirmed.

“Now that one had appeared here, there was only one possibility– that it had been chased here from somewhere else.“ he pointed out, Lan Wangji nods.

“Once a waterborne abyss emerged, it meant that the whole body of water was turned into a monster. It was extremely hard to get rid of, impossible to remove unless every single drop of water was taken out, all of the people and goods which sunk were fished up, and riverbed was exposed to strong sunlight for a few years. Nevertheless, there was a method that could solve the immediate problem at the expensive of others– to chase it to another river or pond and let it wreck somewhere else.“

”Fuqin,” Lan Xingye turned towards Lan Xichen, her frown deepening. “Recently, has there been any place which suffered from a waterborne abyss?“ she asked

“Hm,” Lan Xichen grimly nodded, then, silently, pointed at the sun.

The three teenagers looked at each other, understanding it perfectly, it's the Qishan Wen sect.

The Wen Clan used the sun as the motif of their clan, signifying that they could ‘compete with the sun for radiance, match the sun in longevity‘. Its sect residence was quite large, almost comparable to a city. It was named the Nightless Sky, also called the Nightless Celestial City, because it was said that there was no nightfall in the city. It could be described as a titan for the fact that no matter in terms of number of disciples, power, land, or magical tool, there were no other families which could compare to it.

A great deal of cultivators took being a foreign disciple to the Wen Sect as a supreme honour. Based on the Wen Sect's style of doing things, it was highly possible that the waterborne abyss in Caiyi Town was chased here by them.

“Outrageous! They couldn’t take care of it themselves, so they just chased it here and allowed it to harm others!” Lan Muxin raged.

Wei Wuxian sighed, “Since it’s that sect, it’ll be useless to accuse them.” Lan Xingye nodded in agreement, “First, they won’t admit it. Second, we won’t get any compensation regardless.”

“However, Caiyi Town will be seriously harmed with that sect having chased the waterborne abyss over. If the waterborne abyss grows larger and expands onto the river paths in the town, all those people's lives would be up to the monster. This is so...“ Wei Wuxian muttered, clenching his fist.

If it became responsible for the problem passed to them by someone else, the Gusu Lan sect would definitely face countless problem. Lan Xichen sighed, “Let it down. Let it down. For now, Young Master Wei need to focus on getting yourself better. This matter will be handled by Lan Clan“ he stated.

“But–”

“Xiongzhang, I think, there's easier way that we could try to get rid of the abyss“ Having been a silent watchers this whole time, Lan Wangji finally spoke up. All eyes looked at him.

“Do tell me, Wangji. What is this easier way are you talking about?”

Lan Wangji didn't say anything as his golden eyes moved towards a certain Jiang disciple. Wei Wuxian eyes widened “Lan Zhan, you don't mean–”

He nods. “Xiongzhang. Wei Ying has invented an array that probably could help us with this matter“

There was a silence.

The three lans looked at the pair with bewildered look. Not only did they just hear Lan Wangji say the Jiang head disciple invented an array that could help them with waterborne abyss problem, they also hear the teenager call Lan Wangji in such intimate way, and the fact that Lan Wangji doesn't seems to be bothered by it.

The sound of pin drop and then hell broke loose.

Lan Xingye slammed his hand to the table, “You– you! What did you just call Hanguang-jun?!“ she lashed out.

“Impudent! How dare you to act so impudent like that towards my shushu!“ Lan Muxin shouted.

Lan Xingye unsheathed her sword, “I know it from the start that people like you were not gonna stop until they were beaten up”

Meanwhile, Lan Xichen didn't say anything but he was so pale, his skin turn ashen white, it looked like his soul leaving his body.

Wei Wuxian cover his mouth with his hand and look at Lan Wangji “Oops“ however, instead of getting angry or flustered Lan Wangji only huffed, seemed to be amused by the situation.

The door to healing pavilion slammed open, on the other side was Lan Yuen with a tray of food. “Oh! i didn't expect there will be so many people“ she said. “A-ying, I bring you some lunch, i know you're hungry since you haven't eaten from yesterday and I know that you liked spicy food” she said cheerfully

Before she could take another step, Lan Xingye stopped her. “Don't.” she muttered. “A-xing?”

“Don't get too close to him, A-niang. He's dangerous.“ she stated with serious face.

“What is that supposed to mean?!“ Wei Wuxian pouted, crossing his arms

“You just called shushu with his birth name!“ Lan Muxin yelled then rushed towards Lan Yuen side. “A-jie is right A-niang. You can't get too close to him. He's dangerous, impudent, the most shameless human being I ever met“ he rambled.

“Hey! Don't say it like i'm the one being shameless and impudent. It was Hanguang-jun who told me to call him that“ he huffed

“... what?” Lan Xichen is looked like someone who was ready to pass out.

“What do you mean it was my shushu who told you to do that?! There's no way, he would do that“ Lan Muxin defended.

“But, it's true! If you don't believe me just ask Hanguang-jun himself” he exclaims.

“Mn. It is true” Lan Wangji replied calmly.

“What!!” the Lan siblings yells at the same time.

“Why are you guys so surprised for? Isn't this normal thing? I'm Lan Zhan's favorite disciples after all, right?”

“Mn.” Lan Wangji nods.

Lan Yuen smiled. “Yup, that's right”

“WHAT!!!” Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye shouted.

Meanwhile, Lan Xichen's soul already leaving his body.

“Zewu-jun!”

“A-die!” ”A-die!”

“Xiongzhang“

“Husband! Get yourself together!”

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian hummed happily, tapping his boots on the floorboards of the boat as his eyes darted around the market on the river banks, Lan Wangji stood behind him as pristine as ever, in his hand were bamboo paddle, he stood there calmly rowing the boat down the river.

For the civilians who didn't know well about the cultivation world gentry or who actually these two are, this might be a sight that seems to akin with a servant rowing a boat for their master, only the difference is both men were exceedingly beautiful with very well made expensive robe and a beautiful crafted sword on their hips.

However, if those from the cultivation world ever came across with this sight, they surely gonna fall from their own sword with gaping mouth like a fish. The famed Hanguang-jun is actually rowing a boat for someone younger than him.

That being said, Hanguang-jun although he looked calm as ever on the outside is currently going through one of the biggest turmoil on the inside.

'A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying. A date with Wei Ying.‘

It has been two weeks since the accident with the waterborne abyss. Wei Wuxian was forced to stay in the Healing pavilion for a week because of the fever and the resentment that clogged his meridian.

That day, after Hanguang-Jun bring Wei Wuxian back to the Cloud Recesses. Hell broke loose. While Lan Xingye trying to suppress the abyss, Lan Muxin had to hold back the Jiang heir, Jiang Wanyin from completely beating up Su She within an inch of his life.

After all of them manage to calm down, they go back to the Cloud Recesses, Jiang Wanyin immediately demand to be allowed to see Wei Wuxian but Lan Yuen refuse to let him inside the Healing pavilion, telling the young heir that his head disciple need some peace to rest. That day, Jiang Wanyin was forced to go back to his room, sulking.

Su She was brought back and forced to kneel on the ancestral hall while the Lan siblings went and reports everything to Zewu-jun. He was accused of breaking the rules, went against head disciple order, sneaking into a night hunt in which was he was unqualified for, resulting him to make mistake and endangered the life of disciple from other sect. The lightest punishment he could get is hit by discipline paddle and the heaviest punishment he could get is for his status as Lan outer disciple to be revoked and he will be send home.

However, Lan Wangji himself hasn't decided what kind of punishment Su She must received. He just ordered for Su She to stay inside the Cloud Recesses and forbids him to leave, until he reflect on his mistake.

During those seven days Wei Wuxian stay in the Healing pavilion, he spend majority of his time with Lan Wangji, truthfully it feels like the older man has temporarily move his office to the Healing pavilion and it's not even exaggeration to put it that way.

Lan Wangji would came right before breakfast, always bringing with him a tray of food and snack for both him and Wei Wuxian, then they would eat breakfast together. After that, he would stay and doing his paperwork while Wei Wuxian idle around reading book, when the time for lunch came, Lan Wangji wouldn't say anything as he stood and fetch lunch for both of them, and then they would eat lunch together.

He'd do the same for dinner, he would go and fetch the food, they would eat it together and near you shi, Lan Wangji would bid him a goodbye with a promise he would come back tomorrow and he always does.

Sometimes, when Lan Wangji's done with his paperwork he will offer to play cleansing for him and then they would talk about many things for hours and not even a second Wei Wuxian would feel bored even though he couldn't go anywhere. It feels really weird, Wei Wuxian wonder if this is how it feels like to live with Lan Wangji.

It feels nice but every night, as he lay alone inside the Healing pavilion, there's this gnawed uneasiness and fear that slowly crawling inside of him. Wei Wuxian has always been hate the loneliness but for some reason, the company that Lan Wangji always gave to him during the day, Wei Wuxian find himself start to crave it during the night.

During his stay in the pavilion, Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang has visited him couple times. While the Jiang heir spend his visiting time to keep berating and scolding him for acting dumb, reckless and always trying to be hero, Wei Wuxian, of course waved him off like he always did, the Nie heir spend his visiting time asking him so many questions about himself, sincerely worried about his well-being, he even bring the Jiang head disciple some sweet snack from Caiyi Town.

When the first time Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang came to visit him, Lan Wangji manage to make both teenager freeze in the doorway and gaping like a fish out of water, it was seriously hilarious that Wei Wuxian couldn't stop laughing and almost toppled off the bed. It was getting funnier when Lan Wangji presence obviously make the two disciples really nervous, resulting the whole situation become awkward.

It was getting too awkward that Wei Wuxian start to felt pity and decide to help them. He ask Lan Wangji to leave them for a moment. Good thing the older man comply and agreed to leave them alone, although Wei Wuxian could sworn he saw Lan Wangji send Jiang Cheng a cold glance before left, but it's clearly impossible, right?

It's Lan Wangji. The man who known as Hanguang-jun, always helping people in need, going wherever the chaos is, humble and very down to earth. There's no way someone prestigious like him would do something childish like that, right? With that in mind Wei Wuxian concluded that what he saw was indeed a mistake.

Once Lan Wangji left, the two teenager bombarded Wei Wuxian with thousand of questions, their main question is what Lan Wangji doing in the Healing pavilion with him and why is he there, so he told them that Lan Wangji feels responsible after what happened to him so he offer himself to look after Wei Wuxian and taking care of him.

After the fourth time of a very awkward visiting, so awkward that it felt like you can slice the tension between them with knife, both teenager finally crumpled and refuse to go and visit him, in fear of having to met Hanguang-jun again. Although, Nie Huaisang still sending disciple to give Wei Wuxian all the snack he promised to give.

Those were honestly not the weirdest thing that happened to him during his stay in the Healing pavilion.

No.

There is more weirdest thing happen to him during those seven days. Let's start with his relationship with the Lan main family, which has strangely improved and he didn't meant it in bad way, no, he meant it in a complete opposite way. After the chaos that ensue because of him that day when he called Lan Wangji with his birth name.

Lan Xichen had called an urgent family meeting right after that. Wei Wuxian didn't know what they discuss but it seems whatever they talking about Lan Wangji seems too stubborn enough to back down. Because, after that family meeting, everything between him the Lan main family change 180°. And once again, he was not being exaggerating.

The first thing is, Lan Yuen. The wife of Zewu-jun and the furen of Lan sect has started calling him, A-Ying. Now, Wei Wuxian isn't a stranger to having older people calling him in affection way. After all, Jiang shushu, Shijie and all those old people in the market always called him A-xian.

A-Xian

Always A-Xian not A-Ying.

never A-Ying.

Because, no one beside his parents ever called him A-Ying. Only his parents have the right to call him that. But, when Lan Yuen  called him A-Ying for the first time, Wei Wuxian thought it would irk him and make him uneasy like he always felt whenever someone calling him A-Ying, he even react negatively when Uncle Jiang try to call him that, but strangely Wei Wuxian find himself didn't react anything remotely close to negative, instead it feels right.

It confused him but more importantly, it scared him. Whenever he try to remember his own parents, nothing comes in his mind. Is he an unfilial son? That he's forgotten what their voices sound like? That their faces are blurred and distorted that he couldn't see it clearly in his memory? Does this mean he doesn't love his parents as much as he did before? Does this mean his love for his parents start to fade away just like his memories of them? At the thought of that Wei Wuxian finally break down.

It was the second day of his stay in the Healing pavilion, Lan Wangji was not there, he had to help Lan Xichen with some Sect business. He remember he was still delirious from the fever when Lan Yuen came to check on his condition.

“How do you feel today, A-Ying?”

With small quiet voice, little wobhly, unlike his usual self, Wei Wuxian asked the older woman to stop calling him A-Ying. Instead of anger that he somehow expected the older woman to react, Lan Yuen looked at him with face full of worry.

“Did I make you uncomfortable? I shouldn't have crossing the line, I was carried away. I'm so sorry“

Wei Wuxian wasn't expecting the older woman to start apologizing to him, so he hurriedly say “It wasn't like that. You didn't make me uncomfortable–“ he paused, try to remember anything about his parents but when his mind goes blank, just like that, the dam finally broke and all the words that he's been bottled up plus the fever finally made him pouring out everything.

“It was the opposite, it felt nice, really really nice. It felt right. That it start to scared me. No one ever called me that beside my parents, it always irritated me and make me uneasy everytime someone called me that way. Only my parents were allowed to call me A-Ying. No one else. Not even Uncle Jiang and Shijie were allowed to. And yet, everytime you called me that, I find myself didn't opposed it. I find myself feeling comfortable.

It scared me and I don't know what to do. Is this mean I didn't respect my parents anymore? So, I tried to remember them. Anything I could remember of them. Their voices. Their faces. But I can't remember any of it. I s this mean I don't love my parents as much as I did before? Is this mean my love for my parents start to fade away just like my memories of them? Is this mean I'm replacing them? Am i being a unfilial son–”

His rambling was abruptly stopped when Lan Yuen suddenly engulfed him in embrace. Tightly hugging him against her chest. Wei Wuxian was speechless, he didn't know what to do. This was the first time someone ever hugged him, so he cried and cried. Lan Yuen didn't say anything as she run her hand through his black hair.

After he calmed down, Lan Yuen gently wipe his wet face from the tears and the snouts. “Wei Ying. Forgetting things about your family or your parents is normal things. Memories fade. Your parents are at peace, they won't hold a grudge or angry at you for something that happens to all of us. You shouldn't hold yourself back, when the time comes and you find someone that bring you comfort like them, you should accept it. It doesn't mean you're replacing them. It means that your heart is growing allowing other people to place part of them inside of you, to loved you unconditionally like your parents. Because you deserved to be loved”

Once again, it felt like the dam finally break. He cried and cried on the older woman embrace until his eyes dry, at the end of it all, Wei Wuxian found himself laying with his head on Lan Yuen's lap with the older woman running her finger through his black jet hair.

Lan Yuen sighed, “I'm sorry, I shouldn't get carried away and called you that.“ she apologize knowing well the young disciple were awake and could hear her.

“It's okay, I was being little too dramatic and childish.“ he mumbles sleepily

“You're not being dramatic and childish, Wei Ying. You have every right to be upset. It was me who should be apologize“ she told him. Wei Wuxian shifts a little before mumbled quietly “A-Ying”

“Eh?”

The young disciple fidgeting nervously before sit up, his back facing Lan Yuen, so his face couldn't be seen by the older women, there was a silence for a long time that it start to worry Lan Yuen but then then the younger man spoke, “You can still call me A-Ying, if you want.“ he muttered, blushed so hard, his whole face looked like boiled tomato, good thing the older woman couldn't see his face.

Lan Yuen's blue eyes widened before her eyes softened “And you can call me, Yuen-jie.“ she said, Wei Wuxian went silence again “Can– can i lay on your lap again?” he ask in quiet voice, Lan Yuen smiled “Of course” she replied, Wei Wuxian lay his head on the older woman lap again, he hums “This is nice.” he said and then, there was silence before soft snore filled the silence in the room. Lan Yuen smiled.

By the time, Wei Wuxian awake. It was already the next day, the memories from yesterday immediately flooded his mind and Wei Wuxian want nothing more than to burried himself alive six feet underground. It was so embarrassing!! Wei Wuxian wanted to die. He was fifteen years old, he was too old to throw tantrum like that and crying so loud like a baby.

As Wei Wuxian sitting there alone, he was contemplating if he should just left the Cloud Recesses and Lotus Pier. To left the cultivation world entirely and maybe faked his death. What would everyone reaction to his death? Jiang shushu probably woould be sad but it is not him that he would be mourning but the shield that supposedly died for his son. Madam Yu would be very happy about it, she probably throw a feast. Jiang Cheng and Shijie would be sad but they would move on eventually, so does his shidis and shimeis.

Nie Huaisang would probably the only one mourning for him, he is a fun friends, maybe he would burn one or two ghost money for him. And Lan Wangji... he would probably mourning for him too. But there's so many amazing talented disciples out there, he would find a new disciples and eventually move on and forget about him. The thought somehow send his stomach to churned.

Then, after his 'death', he would become a new person, with new identity. He could decide his new name and then he could work in an inn or a farm. Farming sounds very fun to do. And then, he could stay away from the cultivation world, he doesn't have to hear people talking behind his back about his parents anymore, he doesn't have to hear all those vile rumour about his parents anymore. W he n Wei Wuxian think about it, he couldn't help the feelings of yearning.

His pondering was interrupted when Lan Wangji came with Lan Yuen. The three of them ended up having breakfast together, Wei Wuxian was strangely quiet the whole time during their meal, he only talk if he was spoken to. Wei Wuxian could feel the stare that Lan Wangji bore onto him, silently asking if something was wrong. But Wei Wuxian couldn't lift his head, he didn't want to lift his head! If he did, then he would be able to see Lan furen face too and he couldn't see her face, after what happened yesterday, he doesn't have anymore face to show her.

He might be known for being shameless but he's not that shameless.

Lan Wangji seems to understand and taking the hint as he started focus on his food. As they finished their breakfast, Lan Yuen start chatted a bit with them, asking Lan Wangji about his paperwork and then asking Wei Wuxian about Lotus Pier throughout the conversation Wei Wuxian try his best to avoid making eye contact.

He couldn't help but confused to see the healer act completely the same as before, like she didn't just witnessing a fifteen year old boy who known to be the most mischievous, unruly, incarnation of the devil as Lan Qiren said, break down in front of her because of a mere nickname.

After awhile, Lan Yuen looked at him, “My class is about to start now. I'll check on your condition before I left” she said. When he heard that, Wei Wuxian couldn't hold back his curiosity as he asked, “You're a teacher?”

“Yup, I teach young lans about the basic of cultivation, i also teach basic medic and advance medic to those who want to be a healer“ she replied as she start checking his meridians and his body. The whole time during the check up, Wei Wuxian couldn't stop fidgeting nervously, he really want to tell her to keep what happened yesterday as a secret but he couldn't do it because Lan Wangji was there.

“Seems like your fever already going down, that's great news that means your body is winning against the resentment.“ she observed. “ Direct contact with that massive amount of resentment could caused many kind of injury. If you were any lesser cultivator, you're probably will get very sick and start hallucinated. Worst case you'll get cursed or possessed.” she informed.

“But your health is improved. All we need to do now is to completely cleanse all those resentment in your meridian throughout.“ As Wei Wuxian saw her about to leave, he glance at Lan Wangji and decide. Fuck it, doesn't matter, if he know he know.

“Um– Madam Lan.“ he called, readily to apologize and beg the older women to forget what happened yesterday and to keep it secret. If Madam Yu ever found out about him throwing tantrum towards the Madam of the Lan sect, Wei Wuxian didn't even want to imagine how much hours he will ask to kneel in the ancestral hall and how much he will get whipped.

But, before he could say anything more, Lan Yuen cut him off. “ Oh! Look at the time now. I need to go now, see you later A-Ying.” she said cheerfully, winking at him before stuffed something on his palm. When he looked down to see, he realized it was candy. There were three of them.

Raised his brows, Wei Wuxian opened one and eat it. Then he realizes something was written on the paper that were used to wrap the candy. 'Don't worry, your secret safe with me‘ is what was written on it with small winking face beside it.

“Wei Ying“ he looked up to see Lan Wangji was staring at him worryingly. Right, he was acting strange during breakfast. Lan Wangji must be worried about him. “Is something wrong?“ he inquired.

The younger man smiled, “I'm fine now” he replied then couldn't help the teasing grin that start to form on his face “Hehe, i must've made you worried“ he said. “Mn. I was really worried about Wei Ying” he said earnestly, Wei Wuxian couldn't stop the blush that slowly colored his face, he sighs to his palm “Lan Zhan, you really gonna make me have heart attack” he said

Later, when he opened the two other candy. He found two another messages that said.

‘To make us evenly. I will tell you a secret that I never tell anyone in my life. Not even A-Huan know about this. One time I set up a talisman that would explode inks and I put it on Lan Qiren table. You should see his face when that talisman explode inks everywhere, it was so hilarious I actually rolled on the ground, laughing. And another secret of mine is sometimes I went to Caiyi town to have some meat feast. This is two of my secret that absolutely no one know, keep this secret of mine and we're even‘

Strangely, after reading that message Wei Wuxian felt lot better. He also getting closer with Lan Yuen. Often ask her about many type of injury and what best course of action to do when that happened.

It was definitely the weirdest thing but that's not all of it. That was only the first weirdest thing that happened to him during his stay in the Healing pavilion. The second weirdest thing that happened to him is Lan zongzhu, who is weirdly start to visiting him too.

At first, Wei Wuxian thought that the reason the older man came to the pavilion is because he want to talk to his brother. Both siblings are known to be very close with each other after all, but then as the older man keep visiting, he start to includes Wei Wuxian in the conversation. It was starting with small occasional question here and there, Wei Wuxian thought Zewu-jun was being polite to include him in the conversation too.

Until it slowly become a conversation between him and Lan Xichen. While Lan Wangji just sitting there, listening to them and doing his paperwork. They would talk alot about talisman, array even about some of his past nighthunt. Lan Xichen then would ask him a lot of Lotus Pier, about the people, the market and the food.

They talked about alot of things. Until one day, Lan Xichen start talking about him and Lan Wangji, it wasn't big of a deal at first, just small conversation about all the nighthunt he did with his brother in the past, some that very memorable to them. It was very interesting and Wei Wuxian learn alot of new things.

Until, they slowly start talked about their teenager and lecture time. Lan Xichen told him many things about Lan Wangji that he's sure he would never get the information from anywhere other than Lan Xichen or Lan Qiren.

“Wangji first nighthunt is when he's barely fourteen, it was a successful one too. Me, Wangji and shufu had small feast at dinner to celebrate it.“

“He lead his first nighthunt when he's sixteen. It was successful, they kill a bunch of fierce corpse that has been haunting a village.“

“He was very talented kid, he got praised alot by our talisman and array master. He also very talented in swordmanship, you should try to spar with him sometimes. If you want to talk about array and talisman, you can discuss it with Wangji too.“

“Did you know, all the spirit that Wangji summoned can't lie to him or avoid the question. He was one of the best inquiry player in our clan. Do you play instruments, Wei-gongzi? Maybe you can ask Wangji to teach you some of Gusu lan song“

“Just like you, Wangji also pointed as head disciple when he still really young., barely sixteen years old“

“Wangji first time learning the guqin when he was still five years old. He was a quick and natural learner, he got praised alot by shufu“

“Wangji has been a stubborn kid. And he love a lot. When he found something to love, he would do anything to protect it and absolutely spoiled it to rotten“

“Wangji is used to be a very cute and shy kid. Did you know, he like to bite when he was a little? He would bit me everything I tease him and make him flustered“

“Our mother really love teasing Wangji. She would tease him until he puffed all of his cheek out“

And so, in those seven days he stays in the Healing pavilion, he has learn so many new things about Lan Wangji. Something he probably would never had another choice to do it again. Wei Wuxian thought that was all.

But, he was proven wrong. On the fourth day of his stay, the Lan siblings suddenly visited him, telling him that they wanted to apologize again for the whole Su She and the waterborne abyss accident. Wei Wuxian really can't stand when people apologize to him to the point of bowing deeply, especially someone with high status like them.

Wei Wuxian couldn't imagine what Madam Yu gonna do if she ever find out the Lan heir bowed at him, apologizing at him at most sincere gesture. Him, a mere son of servant. Wei Wuxian couldn't held back the shiver that run through him, so he hastily told the Siblings to stop bowing and to just let go of the incident.

But, instead of leaving. The Lan siblings took a seat inside the pavilion and start chatting with him and Lan Wangji. And the anomaly doesn't stop there because the Lan siblings started to visit him almost everyday. Bringing him some spicy snack, lotus seed or just hanging around and play guqin to help him cleanse the resentment inside him.

They will visit him during lunch or around evening. They talk about many things, with Lan Muxin, he would talk about medicine, poisoned plants, injury, and the first thing they should do if someone was injured or poisoned during nighthunt.

With Lan Xingye, he would talk alot about sword and sword movement, she also like to talk with him about all the monster she had fighting before on nighthunt and how she killed them. They would exchange information about nighthunt.

Although the three of them still like to argue here and there, and the siblings still like to grumbling as if they reluctant to be there or reluctant to show how much they enjoy spending time with him, either way Wei Wuxian find himself enjoying their company, he hates to say it but it feels nice, it feels like having older siblings.

And, when he thought he couldn't be surprised anymore. He was proven wrong. Because on the sixth of his stay. Lan Qiren suddenly visited him with Lan Xichen trailing behind him.

“I heard about the accident. How are you feeling, Wei Wuxian?“ the older man asked after taking a sip of tea that Lan Wangji had made for them. “I'm getting better. Yu– i mean Madam Lan said I would be discharged after a week if there's no more problem with the resentment.“ the young disciple replied 

Lan Qiren stroke his goatee and nods approvingly. “That's glad to hear. However, I still need to apologize to you about this incident. It was because my grandnephew and grandniece recklessness that almost cost you, your live“ he started before slightly bowing his head “I apologize for it“

Wei Wuxian immediately raised and went to stop him. “No need, no need. There's no need to bow like that, it wasn't that big of a deal. I sometimes injured on nighthunt too, so this is isn't the first time it happened. Anyway, the point is. Getting injured during nighthunt is normal thing, so can we just drop this problem. I'm not really used seeing people bowing at him like that“ he said.

After that, Lan Qiren drop the topic. But once again! instead of leaving, the Lan decided to stay and start having tea with them. At the table, Lan Xichen poured all of them, including Wei Wuxian, a cup of tea, showing all the grace expected of the main family of Lan sect.

“Uncle, you must be exhausted after such a long journey.” he started. Wei Wuxian couldn't hold back his silver eyes from widening after finding out that Lan Qiren just got back from Discussion conference, he couldn't believe Lan Qiren immediately visited him after such a long journey.

“It wasn’t too bad, but I’m afraid it will be much harder in the near future.” replied the older man.

“Because of the Wen Clan?” asked the Lan sect leader.

Lan Qiren sighed, ”At the meeting in Qinghe, all the Sect Leaders were afraid to speak their minds. During the journey, I heard hundreds of complaints about how members of the Wen Clan talked black into white and acted wildly. I also heard about the Waterborne Abyss in Caiyi Town.”

Overcome by a sudden surge of anger, he slammed his cup onto the table, allowing the tea to slosh slightly.

“They have gone too far.” he stated

”The Wen Clan has too many followers,” Lan Xichen reminded calmly. “We have no choice but to put up with it. The Waterborne Abyss will be hard to get rid of,”

“Human life is our top priority, we have no time to lose. I’ll go with you today.”

“No need, shufu“ Lan Wangji speak up. Lan Qiren looked at him with his brows pinched together. “Ah, i forgot to tell you. It seems like Wangji and Wei-gongzi has found easier solution for us to deal with the waterborne abyss“ Lan Xichen said, Lan Qiren face morphed into more confusion.

“Impossible. It has not even a week after your discovery about the abyss, how can you find such solution in short time?“ he questioned.

“Actually, me and Hanguang-Jun has been talking about this for some time, of how getting rid a monster with high level such as earthborne abyss and waterborne abyss easier. We even had the structure and the array design ready. All we need is to test it out“ he explained.

Lan Wangji nods. “Mn. Wei Ying is very genius and talented student.“ he stated. Lan Xichen hide his face behind his sleeve to laugh while Wei Wuxian whined at the older man to stop praising him, however Lan Qiren know something doesn't add up.

“You and Wangji?” he questioned

Wei Wuxian nodded, suddenly feeling nervous.

“Do tell me when did you two have so much free time to do such complicated almost impossible project like this?”

Wei Wuxian silver eyes widened and all he could think is ‘oh, shit‘  he know Lan Qiren is someone with sharp intuition but he never thought he would be this sharp. If he finds out Wei Wuxian has been idle around instead of doing his punishment, he will surely get expelled and then Jiang shushu would be informed and if he's informed then Madam Yu would find out about it too.

“Wei Wuxian. You don't happen to do this project while you should be doing the one month punishment i ordered you, right?“

“Shufu“ “ Lan Xiansheng“

Both Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian spoke at the same time but Lan Qiren immediately cut them. “Shut it! No wonder all those copy you gave me looks very similar. You were doing the punishment in his stead instead of letting him doing it!“ he shouted. Wei Wuxian silver stardust eyes widened and he couldn't help but muttered “What? Wait what?“

Lan Qiren narrowed his eyes, “You don't even know your senior has been doing the punishment in your stead! Unbelievable! Unruly! Unfilial!“ he shouted

But Wei Wuxian ignored him, instead he turn towards Lan Wangji and gaped, “Wha– Lan Zhan?“ as soon as the words left his mouth, he realizes his mistake.

Lan Qiren eyes widened as he looked ready to explode and have qi deviates “What did you just call him?! Preposterous! Did you just called him by his birth name?! Wangji is your senior, have some respect!! I was right about you, truly unruly child!!“

“Shufu, calm down“ Lan Xichen said

Lan Qiren's breath become ragged before he turned towards his eldest nephew “There's nothing to be calm about this!” he yelled. “There's no need for another word, i've had enough. I'll write to Sect Leader Jiang to tell him that his Head Disciple is expelled from my lecture and forbids to ever come to the Cloud recesses.“ he barked.

Wei Wuxian widened his eyes, meanwhile Lan Xichen's jaw dropped “Shufu, i think that's a little bit too–“

“Are you gonna tell me what I did too much? Then what about him?“ he pointed at Wei Wuxian who could only hung his head and fidgeting nervously. There's only one thing on his mind, the thought that he actually messed up this time.

“He called your brother who is a senior and twice his age with no respect! And you said I was the one who is too much?!“ he argued

“You will not write any letter to Sect leader Jiang, and you will not send Wei Ying anywhere.“ came a stern voice from Lan Wangji

Lan Qiren narrowed his eyes, “Excuse me? Are you dare to tell me, your own uncle, of what he should and shouldn't do?“

“Both of you, please just calm down first“ Lan Xichen coaxed. But, Lan Wangji stubborn stood on his ground. “Wei Ying did nothing wrong. It was Wangji who told him to call me that“ he said

Gears seem to stop working on Lan Qiren's mind as he stared blankly at his youngest nephew and then to the young disciple. He keep staring between the two and then asked, “What did you just say?“

Lan Wangji staring at his shufu, his face was unreadable but Wei Wuxian could see one emotion there, it was determination

“I'm the one who told Wei Ying to call me by my birth name. Because he is my favorite disciples.“

Now Lan Qiren is openly speechless, staring between the two and then to Lan Xichen.

The sect leader only chuckled. “I told you, it was not a big deal. Wangji just have a favorite disciple that he prefer to call him by his birth name. Now now, let's just sit down and continue our discussion“ he suggested.

Lan Qiren scowled, “Your reasoning doesn't even make sense, Wangji. What kind of teacher want their student to call them in such impolite way like that“

“Ah, actually. A-yu did the same with her disciples”

“She did what?!“

“She didn't want to be called 'Madam Lan' or 'Yuen–xiansheng' or 'Yuen-ayi' because it made her sounds old so she told them to called her 'Yuen-jie' instead“ Lan Xichen explain, fondness were apparent in his tone.

Lan Qiren huffs, “I still didn't understand what you see in her” he said but with no seriousness. “I will took my leave now, tomorrow i'll ask our talisman and array master, Lan Caihe, to come and discuss about this matter with you two. I hope you can behave yourself, Wei Wuxian“ he said and turned around, start walking towards the door 

”Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.“ he said, stopping on the doorway “I caught some walking corpses to help with training the disciples. Wangji, go and associate with their spirits first, see if they had any wishes before they died.” he said before left.

It was only after the old man left the pavilion that Wei Wuxian felt like he was able to breath again. It was really one of the weirdest day in his life, to have tea with Lan Qiren, talking to him so casually, then not even a minute later he was threaten to be expelled by him and then, everything went normal again.

Wei Wuxian find it very interesting that most of his relationship with the Lan's main family seems to be progressing day by day and surprisingly, it was towards the positive side. It was a weird improvement and routine he find himself in. He doesn't understand it at first then he figures, it's probably just Lan Wangji's family has accepted him as Lan Wangji's favorite disciples.

The next day, on the seventh day of his stay in the Healing pavilion. A woman that Wei Wuxian never saw before came to visit them, she looked around the same age as Lan Qiren, wearing Lan signature robes and a forehead ribbon with cloud pattern, signaling her position as one of Lan clan inner member.

She introduced herself as Lan Caihe, the Gusu Lan renowed talisman and array master. She remind Wei Wuxian so much like Madam Yu and Lan Qiren, she bring with her an air of dignity and pristine. After Wei Wuxian introduce himself, she looked at her, it wasn't a necessary judging look but it was similar.

“So you are the one whose Qiren talking about. The one who has solution to this waterborne abyss problem that we had?” she inquired, her voice was deep and commanding, remind him so much like Madam Yu but unlike her, Lan Caihe voice doesn't hold any coldness or enmity in it.

“Um, yes, Lan-xiansheng. But, it wasn't just me. Lan Zh– i mean Hanguang-jun help me and guide me alot throughout the project“ he replied, almost make the same mistake he did with Lan Qiren.

Lan Caihe hummed, “Then, what are you waiting for. Explain to me what solution do you have“ she said sternly.

Wei Wuxian hurriedly explain everything to her. About the array, the detail about the design, the sigil and how it will work. Essentially, this array has actually a couple of layer in it. It wasn't just one array but six array that was packed into one huge array.

The most outer array, were double layer array for protection and ward. To protect the people on the outside, to prevent any damage to the surrounding area, to prevent people from coming in and to prevent the abyss from escaping, the second layer of protection will be put in between the cultivator and the abyss, to protect the cultivator from the abyss during the sealing process.

The array on the center were purposely to separate the abyss from Biling Lake, weaken it by separating it from it host and the water that make it powerful. After the waterborne abyss weakened, it will be much easier to divide them.

The four small array on the corner were made purposely to separate the abyss into four, it will pulled the abyss into the center of each four array and then, caged it inside invisible barrier, make it possible for them later to sealed it into Qiankun pouch.

Of course, the waterborne abyss will fighting back. This is why there's another array on the center made from three massive complicated array that has purpose to suppress, cleansing and eradicate the excessive amount of resentment.

Lan Caihe stared in disbelief at the blueprint of the array and the detailed description of it. “This is indeed a masterpiece“ she commented, Wei Wuxian couldn't hold the blush that slowly crept on his neck. “So complicated yet easy to understand.” she added then stared at the young disciple.

“Qiren and Wangji were right about you. Truly a rare flower among the rarest, very talented and genius. Something like this, i doubt anyone would ever able to create it, such complicated array yet so packed. The only person i could think able to do something like this is Immortal Baoshan Sanren.“

By the time Lan Caihe finished speaking, Wei Wuxian face is already as red as tomato, he sat there with his hand on his lap and head bowing low. He look like cute rabbit who couldn't hold the amount of attention it get and try to shy away from it.

Although he look as stoic as ever, Lan Wangji was having a hard time, while Lan Caihe was speaking, he was having inner turmoil as he try his best to hold himself back and not outright squeezing Wei Wuxian because how cute he is.

‘Wei Ying is so cute. So cute. I want to hug him. Wei Ying is so cute. So cute. I want to hug him. Wei Ying is so cute. So cute. I want to hug him. Wei Ying is so cute. So cute. I want to hug him. Wei Ying is so cute. So cute. I want to hug him. Wei Ying is so cute. So cute. I want to hug him. Wei Ying is so cute. So cute. I want to hug him. Wei Ying is so cute. So cute. I want to hug him. Wei Ying is so cute. So cute. I want to hug him.’

“However.” Lan Caihe voice broke the two male from their inner crisis. “This array seems to need a massive amount of spiritual energy. We will need at least hundreds of senior cultivator to activate it and keep it active for few hours as we seal the abyss. Not to mention, the abyss will fighting back“

Wei Wuxian smiled. “Which is why Hanguang-jun came up with a genius solution for that“ he said cheerfully. Lan Wangji shook his head “Not me. It was Wei Ying idea.” he interject. “That's not true, Hanguang-jun is the one who came up with the idea“ he protest. “No, it was all thanks to Wei Ying genius brain and lying is forbidden“ Wei Wuxian whined, still not used to all the praises the older man always give it to him freely.

“So, what was the solution?” Lan Caihe questioned.

“We'll powered the array from the spiritual energy around us, well to be precise, the yang energy“ replied Wei Wuxian

“As you may know, cultivators drew energy from our surrounding area and stored it inside our golden core, this energy is what we called the yang energy. The basic energy of every cultivators. This array will do similar thing as cultivator, it will took energy from surrounding area to empower itself though I need to add a suppression sigil to so it doesn't take too much energy that will overwhelmed and explode the array“ he explained.

Lan Caihe stared at Wei Wuxian in speechless after awhile she cleared her throat and look at the young disciple with serious expression. “Boy, did you know what you just did?”

“Um...”

“You're inventing something that was believed to be impossible. You just change the whole cultivation world with this invention of yours!” she exclaims “An array that could empower itself... Do you know how priceless that is? Do you know what kind of advantage and disaster will it cause once this will be known to the public?” she said sharply.

Wei Wuxian flinched, silver eyes widened as he realized what Lan Caihe mean, he never think too much about it before. After all, he just wanted to help Lan Zhan to take care of this problem, so he add this function. If this array ever fall to wrong person, let's say Wen Ruohan for example. He will surely exploit this array, Wei Wuxian didn't even want to think what kind of disaster the crazy Sect leader might cause.

Then, as his mind slowly become chaotic muddled. A hand much larger than his engulfed his hand, it was as if the touch is enough to ground him and clear his mind, he looked up and see Lan Wangji stared at him with those beautiful golden eyes.

“Do not worry, Wei Ying is not planning to publish this array to the public, the Gusu Lan will also not gonna reclaim this as ours. This array is belong to Wei Ying, only he would have the one and only scroll containing the design and detailed description of the array and even if someone stole the scroll, they would not be able to activate it. I already did a precaution so only both of us could activate the array.” he explained

Lan Caihe hummed, “That's good to hear. I think this is very good plan, however I do wondering what are you gonna do with the qiankun pouch containing the abyss after you successfully dividing them?” she queried.

“It's all up to Gusu Lan clan. Each qiankun pouch contained a waterborne abyss although weakened they still high level monster. If the Gusu Lan want to eradicate it, all they need to do is playing rest every single night to each pounch and in a month or two they will completely purified.“ Wei Wuxian replied

“Or if you want, you can send it back to their rightful owner. Releasing it inside Nightless city and let it wreck there” he grinned. Lan Caihe widened her eyes before shook her heads “And of course, that was just a joke“ he quickly added.

The older woman rolled her eyes “If we release those abyss in Nightless city, no doubt Wen Ruohan would do anything he could to accused one of the sect as the perpetrator and if they still can't find the one who's responsible, they will framed one of the sect, giving them a rightful reason to attack them and take their lands and treasury”

“I talked with shufu and I will take responsibility for it” Lan Wangji spoke.

Lan Caihe nods, “If it's Hanguang-jun then i'll rest assured“ the older woman said. “Then, when are we gonna seal the abyss?” she asked, before Lan Wangji could reply, Wei Wuxian exclaims cheerfully “Tomorrow! I'll get discharged tomorrow, so we can do it tomorrow.”

“No” Lan Wangji said sternly.

“What? But it's better to do it as soon as possible”

“No. Wei Ying is still recovering”

“But, i'll get discharged tomorrow that means i'm completely fine now”

“No means no. We'll do it in a week. That's final” Wei Wuxian stared at the older man before looking away, pouting. “I'll buy you anything you want in Caiyi Town.”

At that, Wei Wuxian turned back at Lan Wangji “Anything I want?” he asked

“Mn. Anything you want”

“Fine. We'll do it in a week but promise me you'll buy me anything I want in Caiyi Town.”

“Mn. I promise”

“Lan Zhan Lan Zhan“ he called to the older man who walk beside him. “Don't forget, you promise me, you'll buy anything I want in Caiyi town” he said, cheerfully.

Lan Wangji nods. “Mn. I did not forget. Wei Ying can buy anything he want. If he want, i would even buy the whole town for him.” he said with a complete stoic face and serious tone.

Wei Wuxian blushed, “Aiyah, Lan Zhan. Don't say anything like that again, my poor heart couldn't handle it” he said jokingly even though his heart was threaten to burst out of his chest.

“Mn. I'll be careful for Wei Ying's heart next time”

The young disciple blushed even harder, now he looked like a tomato. “Lan Zhan, if you say things like that to a maiden. Any maiden will completely swooned by you.” he told the man

Lan Wangji didn't say anything as he keep staring ahead, Wei Wuxian stared at him and spoke, “I keep wondering, Hanguang-jun, for someone like you. Why haven't you look for a wife yet? You are of the age. If you want, you can get any maiden you want in this jianghu, you know. I'm sure they all will lined up days and nights to be your wife.”

Lan Wangji was silence for a long time that Wei Wuxian thought he won't answer the question “I... used to think that it wasn't necessary for me to find a spouse. As long as Xiongzhang married and has heir, there's no need for me to find a spouse and have a heir.” he paused at the bridge above the river then look down at the river

“My parents marriage was not a happy one.” Wei Wuxian widened his eyes. “So I never thought about getting a spouse, just travelling and helping people as much as i can do” he added. Wei Wuxian grinned, “Very honorable indeed” then he sighed, crossing his arms “Too bad, all the maiden in jianghu probably so disappointed to know you didn't interested in marriage”

“I did not say that”

“You said–”

“I said, i used to think it wasn't necessary for me to find spouse and get married” he paused, glance at the young disciple “I had a change of mind” he admitted.

Wei Wuxian grinned mischievously, “Oho~ our venerable Hanguang-Jun is in love. I wonder what kind of person she is.” he teased, Lan Wangji looked at him before huffs and start walking away.

“Aiyah, Lan Zhan Lan Zhan. You can't just drop that out of nowhere and didn't even tell me who it is. At least, tell me what kind of person she is. Is she from Gusu Lan?”

A shake.

“Is she from the five great sect? Wait, is she even a cultivator?” the young disciple asked, as he followed the older man. “They are. A very talented one and a genius” replied Lan Wangji.

“Is she from the five great sect?” a nods.

“Well, that little narrowed it down. Is she from Qinghe Nie?” a shake.

“From Qishan Wen?” another shake

Wei Wuxian paused. “Then, from Lanling Jin?” he asked, hesitantly. When he get another shake, he let out a relief sigh. “Thank god, I don't need one more person that i know to like another peacock. Shijie is enough and even she didn't deserve to end up with someone like the peacock” he grumbled then stop in his step, silver eyes widening as the realization finally set in.

Realize that Wei Wuxian has stop walking, Lan Wangji also stopped and look at him in confusion, the young disciple look at him in disbelief, “Wait– does this mean... the one you like is from... from Yunmeng Jiang?!”

Lan Wangji averted his gaze before start walking again, Wei Wuxian gaped and skipped to follow him. “No way. Lan Zhan, did you actually like someone from my sect. Who is it? Tell me tell me. I want to know? Is she a teacher or senior disciples? I could think of couple people.” he rambled, giddily.

“Yushi-xiansheng, Liu-jie, Bai-jie, Yu-xiansheng. Ugh, there's so many people. Lan Zhan Lan Zhan, won't you tell this poor disciple who you like? Maybe i could help you getting closer with them” he coaxed.

Lan Wangji stopped then turn around and lean down. “No need. Wei Ying will know when the time comes” he whispered.

Wei Wuxian didn't know why those words suddenly make his face heated and his heart beating faster. He opened his mouth to ask more questions but change his mind, for some reason, he felt like the older man won't budge at all.

Feeling somehow defeated, he looked around, try to find something interesting. His eyes then landed on something. Wei Wuxian grinned before threw a series of charming winks at both sides of the path, “Jie-jie, how much for half of a kilogram loquats?”

His age was young, and his appearance was handsome. With such high spirits, it really was a scene of frivolous peach blossoms pursuing the running stream. One woman lifted her bamboo hat, smiling with her head raised, “Young beau, you needn't pay. How 'bout I can give you one for free?“

The Wu dialect was soft, sounding refreshing and sweet. The speaker's lips moved melodiously, and the listener's ears would be enveloped in fragrance. Wei Wuxian cupped his hand together, “If it's given to me by Jie-jie, then I definitely want it!“

The woman put her hand into the basket, and threw him a round, golden loquat, “You needn't be such polite. It's for how handsome you look!“ Wei Wuxian turned around and perfectly catching it, and grinned, “Jie-jie looks even prettier!“

As he showed off and flirted on the side, Lan Wangji was staring straight ahead, appearing quite virtuous. Wei Wuxian smugly tossed the loquat in his hand, and suddenly pointed at him, “Jie-jie, do you think that he looks handsome?“

Lan Wangji didn't expect Wei Wuxian to suddenly talk about him at all. Just as he was unsure of how to respond, the woman on the river spoke in harmony, “Even more handsome!“ Amid this, there seemed to be laughter of a few man.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Then, does anyone want to give him one? If you only give me and not him, I'm afraid he might be jealous when we go back!“

Chirp-like laughter echoed through the whole river. Another woman came from in front of them, standing on her boat, “Okay, okay, you get two. Heads up, young beau, catch!“

After the second one also landed in his hand, Wei Wuxian shouted, “Jie-jie, you're not only pretty, but you're nice as well. The next time I come here. I'm gonna buy a whole basket!“

The woman's voice was vibrant, and she was more daring than the other. She pointed at Lan Wangji, “Get him to come as well. You all can come here and get them!”

Wei Wuxian held the loquat in front of Lan Wangji's face, golden eyes stared intently at the loquat as if it's a poisonous fruit, a scorpio or a monster that gonna sprout a wings and attacked him. “I don't want it” he muttered.

And so, Wei Wuxian moved it away from his face and start eating it, “I knew that you definitely wouldn't accept it” he said somewhat sounded disappointed. Then, he turned and asked, “Lan Zhan, you're from Gusu, so you know how to speak in this dialect, right? Teach me. How do you swear in the Gusu dialect?”

Wei Wuxian didn't expect him to really answer. He just wanted to tease the older man, after hearing the amusingly soft Gusu dialect and thinking that Lan Wangji undoubtedly also spoke this dialect when he was young, he couldn't help but felt curious.

“Ridiculous”

Wei Wuxian eyes widened, his head turned so fast when he heard the soft reply from the older man. But, before he could say anything, he was interrupted by Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye.

“Hanguang-jun” both of them greeted, politely.

Wei Wuxian completely forgot that the reason they were in Caiyi Town in first place is because they're going to seal the waterborne abyss. After a week of resting for Wei Wuxian and preparation by Gusu Lan, today is finally the day.

As they paddle to the shore near the Biling lake, he could see around ten Lan disciples already stand by. “How many people are stationed?” he asked the Lan siblings. “Ten on each corner and twenty more stand by around the shore in case if something happened” Lan Muxin replied, sourly.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help the grin that slowly crept on his face, although he's been spending time alot with the Lan siblings during his stay in Healing Pavilion, they still occasionally send him cold glare and talked to him sourly. Wei Wuxian find it funny, the siblings was probably forced to befriend with him by Lan Wangji, they're trying but they still can't hide the jealousy they felt.

It reminds him with Jiang Cheng, fortunately compared to him, the Lan siblings is a bit more tamed.

“Have you checked the array? You have to make sure nothing is drawn wrong” he asked the older man. “Do not worry. I watched the whole process, there will be no error” he replied calmly, on his back were strapped his guqin, Wangji.

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to ask again when a certain Lan disciple caught his eyes, ‘Isn't that...’

“Lan Zhan” he called, “Isn't that the disciple that I saved that day? The one who lost his sword? What is he doing here?” he asked. Lan Wangji golden eyes moved to look at the familiar Lan disciple, Wei Wuxian could sworn he saw his eyes glint with something for a second before it returning to normal.

“What is Su She doing here?” he asked the Lan siblings. The two Lan stop their chatter before looked at the said disciple and sighed, “He keep begging us to allowed him to come, we already told him no” replied Lan Muxin. “I think he sneak out again, i'll tell him to go back to the Cloud Recesses” Lan Xingye said and start to move but Lan Wangji stop her, “No need”

The three young disciple looked at him puzzled, “If he keep stubborn and insist to prove himself, let him be, there's nothing we could do” he replied sternly

“But, Lan Zhan. This is dangerous mission, does he even have sword to protect himself?” Wei Wuxian asked. “I saw a sword on his back, I think he use a regular sword” Lan Xingye replied, then Lan Muxin suggested, “We could stationed him on the outer area”

Wei Wuxian was gonna protest more when Lan Caihe descended from her sword. “Everyone, ready? We better start soon. Lan furen already stationed with couple of healers in case something happened. Lan Heizu is came to help us too” she explained.

They positioned the four corner of the array on each corner of Biling Lake, which will be guarded by Lan Muxin, Lan Xingye, Lan Caihe and Lan Heizu along with ten Lan disciples. In the middle of Biling Lake, they already put a raft drawn with the sigil of the array as the main point.

As the signal was fired. The first layer of protection is created, the light blue ward is raised high to the sky, the second layer of the ward followed.

Wei Wuxian stared at the two giant ward that covered them, “Mn. This is good, they look strong enough and because it took energy from the surrounding area, it won't get destroyed no matter what” he observed

“Mn. Wei Ying is very talented and genius” he praised

The young disciple flushed still not getting used by the sincere praise from the older man. “Aiyah, stop doing that Lan er-gege or you'll distracted me” he said. Currently, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were the only one flying in the middle of the lake, right on top of the abyss

“Are you ready, Lan Zhan?” he asked

Lan Wangji nods. “Stay close to me. I won't let you fall” he said before went and hold Wei Wuxian hand.

Wei Wuxian smiled. Then, they flow their spiritual energy to activate the array on the middle.

A beautiful light blue array immediately glow right in the middle of Biling Lake, it slowly growing and then connected to the other four array in the corner. Creating a giant array that completely covered the Lake.

The viridian water start to turn black as the waterborne abyss awoken from its sleep and start fighting back. An explosion of resentment energy suddenly hit them, Wei Wuxian was having a hard time balancing his sword, it was easier to glide around in strong wind than flying still like this.

However, a big arms suddenly envelope him on the waist. He looked up and saw Lan Wangji face that look strangely calm. “I'm here” he whispered quietly, but it was loud enough for Wei Wuxian to hear.

Wei Wuxian smiled, “Seems like we could start the separating process” he said.

After they covered the whole Biling lake with array, the next thing they have to do is separating the abyss with the host because what a waterborne abyss could do without water.

The second array was activate, it lay over the first one. The abyss is rampaging, there's water cyclone everywhere almost covering the whole Lake. Lan Wangji strum his guqin and a light blue ward appear around him and Wei Wuxian. They slowly fly away as the array creating a ward inside the lake, as if it's scooping out the abyss

‘Well, that's literally what the array does. Entrapping the abyss and then scoop it out of the water. They were created after the concept of Deity binding net’ Wei Wuxian thought

As the ward slowly ascends out of the water along with the abyss, they finally could see the real form of waterborne abyss. It look like a massive black ink? that moving around like snake. By the time it was scooped out of the water, the cyclone slowly disappearing. But, this was still far from finish.

Another explosion of resentment hit them, much stronger than before. Wei Wuxian looked worriedly at the protection ward “Maybe we should cast the third layer?” he asked, Lan Wangji nods and then he send flare to signal the other to add the protection ward.

Another giant protection ward appeared. “Stay close to me” Lan Wangji said as his guqin, Wangji, start to float in front of him. He slowly let go of Wei Wuxian and put both of his hand on top of the string.

As soon as he start to play, Wei Wuxian could feel a massive of spiritual energy were released and hit the abyss, it was so strong that Wei Wuxian wondering if this is how it feels like watching an Immortal subduing a monster.

The abyss is obviously fighting back but whatever Lan Wangji is playing, it was strong enough that it weakened the abyss faster. It slowly shrinking in size, Wei Wuxian saw this and start the third process. The dividing process. The abyss will be forcibly divided towards each corner of the array.

As he start the third process, another array appeared on top of the previous array, as soon as the array active the abyss let out what it seems like a scream, it was so loud that Wei Wuxian have to cover his ears.

Then, he felt shiver run through his body. His instinct suddenly told him that the abyss know he was the threat, a massive resentment went towards him, Wei Wuxian doesn't have time to dodge and he was hit by the explosion energy of the resentment, make him unstable above his sword.

It was suffocating, it feels like thousand needles hit him all over his body. He lost his balance and fall from his sword but instead of cold water, he fell right into a warm embrace. He opened his eyes and surprised to see Lan Wangji. With his left hand, he hoisted Wei Wuxian body against him and his right hand was on his guqin string, instinctively Wei Wuxian wrapped his arms around the older man neck.

Lan Wangji strum his guqin again and this time, the wave of the spiritual energy was even bigger than before. So strong that Wei Wuxian wonder if Lan Wangji has actually ascend to immortality, because this much of power, is on the same level as Wen Ruohan, no it's maybe even stronger. Wen Ruohan was double Lan Wangji age and to think his cultivation seems to pass the older man, there's no other explanation, Lan Wangji must've been ascends.

It took almost two sichen for them to successfully dividing the abyss with Lan Wangji keep playing and weakening the abyss, and then it took another hour for them to sealed the abyss inside the qiankun pouch that Wei Wuxian has customize it and make it stronger to hold the abyss.

However, it wasn't over yet, seems like a dozens of water ghouls that has been controlled by the abyss break free and decide to attack the people on the shore. Some disciples were caught off guard and manage to get injured. Later, Wei Wuxian found out that among the injured disciples, Su She was one of them, and he received the most fatal injury due to the lack of spiritual sword.

His right leg were broken along with his right hand, both injury was so fatal, it injury the tendon, resulting his hand and leg to paralyzed and unable to be moved again ever. His left eyes were also blinded because it got clawed by one of the water ghouls. With this injury, Su She was unable to continue to be cultivator. And thus, he was send home with compensation money for his injury.

This whole mission was kept secret from the guest disciples and anyone outside the Gusu Lan clan. Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji agreed to kept the fact that they able to subdue and sealed a waterborne abyss as a secret, as they didn't want to attract the attention of Qishan Wen clan. If Wen Ruohan find out they had a strong method that could even subdue a waterborne abyss, he will want to find what it is.

And everything will lead him to Wei Wuxian and his astonishing talent. If Wen Ruohan ever find out what the young disciple capable of, he will do anything to get his hand on him. It was easier to pretend that the waterborne abyss still exist than to endangered a young disciple.

It was a day after they successfully sealed the abyss. It was past curfew but Wei Wuxian was forced to go down to buy some Emperor smile because he lost on the dice game. As he running through the Cloud Recesses hallways, two jars of Emperor's smile dangled in his hands.

“Stop.”

Wei Wuxian jerked to a halt, turning around to see Lan Wangji, stood only a handful of meters from him. An umbrella was held over his head to protect him from the rain, it giving him the aura of an immortal.

Wei Wuxian froze for a moment, then gave a nervous laugh and hid the jars behind his back, greeting “Lan Zhan! What a coincidence! I'm starting to think you watches me every single day with the way you keep finding me”

“Wei Ying, give me the Emperor smile” the older man said

”Eh? Seriously? I thought i'm your favorite disciples!” Wei Wuxian protested. “Are you gonna punish me? Can’t you spare me just this once?” he paused, “There's only the two of us here. If you don't say it, and i don't say it, then nobody would know whether or not I violated the rules, right? I promise that there's no next time. We're already this familiar with each other, so can't you just do me a small favor?” he rambled.

“It is not to punish Wei Ying”

“Eh?”

“Wei Ying is still recovering from yesterday, it is not good for him to drank liquor, give me the jar”

Wei Wuxian jaw dropped, his mouth open and close like a fish. He didn't know what to say when suddenly, Lan Wangji leaped forward, hand stretched out as if wanting to grab the jar. Instinctively, Wei Wuxian dodged and was landed on the courtyard.

Rain continued to fall, soaking the young disciple clothes. “Go back to your dorm, you will get yourself sick” Lan Wangji said. “Fine fine, you won, Lan Zhan”. he make a motion putting down the jar but before it touched the ground, he grinned and darted forward. Lan Wangji did a double take

“Wei Ying–”

He neglected to finish his sentence and began chasing after Wei Wuxian, who twisted through the hallway’s pillars with the grace of a dancer. Once he got to two adjacent ones, he threw one jar into the air and jumped up the pillars. Once he reached the top, he flipped onto the roof.

He landed, both jars in hand, only to see that Lan Wangji was already waiting for him.

In under the steady fall of rain, they made eye contract for a moment.

Then, Wei Wuxian fled.

Once again, Lan Wangji managed to circle ahead of Wei Wuxian, but every time he tried to grab him, Wei Wuxian slipped through as if his body was made of water. They twisted around each other, only barely avoiding contact each time

His attack were fast and chased after him so close that Wei Wuxian couldn't throw him off. He continued to slip around the other until he was forced to jump over an attack, leaving him momentarily suspended in the air. Instantly, Lan Wangji’s hand reached the ground, and Wei Wuxian was forced to block a ridiculously high kick.

One jar was knocked out of his grasp. Wei Wuxian got a little annoyed because he seems can't escape the other man. with desperate he asked, “Lan er-gege. Are you really not gonna let me go?”

“Wei Ying still recovering, no liquor”

Wei Wuxian puffed his cheek and yelled, “Fine!” he start to attacking back, slipping past Lan Wangji’s defenses and knocking the umbrella from his hand. Lan Wangji try to grab him, but the young disciple ducked and threw himself over, clinging to the older man and throw both of them plummeted outside of the wall of the Cloud Recesses.

He brace himself for the pain but it never came as he landed perfectly on top of Lan Wangji, the older man has wrapped his arms around him and cushioned his fall.

As the rain continue to fall, Wei Wuxian stared down at Lan Wangji's face and whispered, “Lan er-gege” he seems to be enticed by those golden eyes

He shook himself out of his trance and slowly moved away from the older man, blush start to crept on his face and neck. He chuckled nervously, “Lan Zhan, seems like you're out too. I bet this is the first time you ever break a rule. But, don't worry. I won't tell anyone else, the only one that know are the sky, the earth and the two of us”

Lan Wangji stood up and stared at him, the younger man started to feel nervous so he add, “And don't worry. If you let me go this time, i will repay the favor one day.”

The older man didn't say anything as he walked towards the still sitting disciples and kneel in front of him “Mn. Mark your words. I will collect the favor” he said before took off his outer robe and put it over Wei Wuxian body “Go back to your room and get some rest” he said before stood up and walked towards the abandoned jar of Emperor smile “I will confiscated this” he said before walking away.

Once again, Wei Wuxian was left alone. Sitting on the grass with Lan Wangji robes draped over him, somehow he felt absolutely defeated just like the first night, his face is now as red as tomato as he yelled “Ridiculous!! Utterly ridiculous!! I can't believe i let it happen twice!!”

The defeated Wei Wuxian walked back to Nie Huaisang room, he was greeted by the sight of couple disciples who still awake and playing games, including Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang.

Their eyes immediately widened at the sight of drenched Wei Wuxian draped in Lan robes which much bigger than him

“Wei Wuxian, what happened? Why are you look like that? And where is the Emperor smile?” Jiang Cheng asked

“Shut up, I don't want to talk about it”

But the sharp intuition Nie Huaisang know something is up, “Did Hanguang-Jun catch you again?” seeing the Jiang head disciple reaction, the Nie heir widened his eyes “He did!”

“Shut up! I was caught off guard, i could completely escape from him if i wasn't caught off guard”

“Wei-xiong, did you really get caught by Hanguang-jun? And he didn't even punish you? And is that his robes?” Nie Huaisang start fanning “My my, you're actually his favorite disciple” he teased.

“Whatever, i'm going back to my room” he said before rushed out towards his room. Face as red as tomato, all he hope is that no one realized it.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian has always love to bring a bunch of quirky gadgets from Caiyi Town and took them back to the Cloud Recesses. After he arrived from his little trip, everything was shared between the disciples from other sects.

When Lan Qiren went to Qinghe and there were no classes for a few days, all of the boys played around in complete chaos, rushing into Wei Wuxian or Jiang Cheng's room to sleep there. All through the nights, they ate, drank, wrestled, gambled, and viewed spring books.

During one of the night, Wei Wuxian lost in a game of dice, and was sent to sneak down the mountain and buy jars of Emperor's smile. This time, everyone finally had the chance to satisfy their taste buds. However, upon coming back. Not only Wei Wuxian didn't bring any Emperor's smile jar with him, but he was drenched wet with a white robe that everyone could recognize as Lan robes draped all over him.

When Nie Huaisang asked what happened, they found out that the young disciple was having a really bad luck, because once again he encounter none other than Hanguang-Jun itself after his little trip from Caiyi Town. Although Wei Wuxian said he didn't get scolded nor punished by the older man, the Jiang Head disciple were still acting unusual that Jiang Cheng couldn't help but asking if anything else happened.

Before he can pry an answer from him, Wei Wuxian already running out of the room, shouting that he was too tired and will going bed early. Everyone in the room were confused but didn't think much of it as they continue with their little party.

However, on the next day, before daylight even appeared, someone opened the door of the room, revealing the disciples who spread out on the floor in a tangle, sleeping as if they were a group of corpses. Peanut shells and empty jars were lying everywhere on the floor.

The noise from opening the door startled a few people. As they saw the stone-faced Hanguang-Jun along with the Twin Lan at the door through their sleepy eyes, they were instantly woken up. Nie Huaisang furiously pushed Jiang Cheng, who ended up in a position with his legs at the top and head at the bottom, “Jiang-xiong! Jiang-xiong!” he whispered 

Another disciple who has been shoved for a few times, spoke drowsily, “Who? Is anyone else up for it?! Jiang Cheng? The fight is on– like I'm scared of you!”

Jiang Cheng was drank too much last night, and his head still ached as he lay on the ground with his eyes closed. He randomly grabbed something and hurled it at where the disciple voice came from, “Shut up!”

The object landed on the disciples chest, it pages flipping open. Nie Huaisang eyed it, only to find that the item Jiang Cheng used to hit the disciple was one of his treasured out-of-print illustrated pornography books. As he looked up and saw Lan Wangji's cold gaze, his gaze moved to the Lan siblings who also had frigid gaze, he almost died on the spot.

The disciple mumbled a few sentences, hugging the book to his chest, and went to sleep again. Lan Xingye stepped into the room. She used one hand to grip the disciple's back collar, lifted him up, and dragged him in the direction of the door.

Lan Muxin were doing the same with Nie Huaisang, meanwhile Lan Wangji dragged the still drowsy Jiang Cheng. After a few puzzled moments as he was carried by Lan Muxin, Nie Huaisang finally awake. He turned around and asked, “Xin-ge, what are you doing?”

However, Lan Muxin didn't say any words, continuing to drag him forward. Jiang Cheng woke up a bit more, along with the lying corpses on the ground who gained consciousness one after another and also being dragged by Lan disciples. Seeing that he was being dragged by none other than Hanguang-Jun, his face paled “What's happening? What are you doing?”

Lan Wangji turned his head, speaking one word at a time, “To receive. Your. Punishment.”

Jiang Cheng had a slow reaction from his sleep and drinking too much, so he just remembered the mess of a floor in the room. Recalling that they broke a countless number of sect rules of the Cloud Recesses last night, he immediately froze, his face loss its color.

Lan Wangji, the Twin Lan and the rest of the Lan disciples dragged all the disciples to the front of the Lan Sect's ancestral hall. There were already a few older disciples of the Lan sect waiting there, fifteen in total. Of them, twelve carried discipline rulers made of sandalwood which were extremely long in length, having numerous square-shaped character curved onto them. It was a solemn-looking scene, indeed.

As Lan Wangji and the other dragged the disciples over, they were made half-knelt in the ground. Nie Huaisang looked up nervously, “Xing-jie, are you going to punish us?” he asked, somewhat sound resigned.

Lan Wangji stared at them coldly, maintaining his silence.

Lan Xingye cleared her throat, “Staying up after curfew, venturing out at night, causing noise, drinking liquor. There were probably countless other rules you all broke last night, but for this all of you will receive eighty strike of the discipline ruler.” she declared

Countless eyes bulged hearing the amount of strike they will get, Nie Huaisang opened his mouth to protest but before he could say anything, Lan Xingye cut him off, “As for Nie Huaisang. Due to– his cultivation, he will only get fifty strike” she added.

Lan Wangji nods at the disciples that holding the ruler, “Strike!” he commanded.

As they began the hitting, not a few of the disciples will start to struggle, some of Lan disciple will came and holding them down. Jiang Cheng didn't need anyone to hold him down. His back was upright and his kneeling position stayed proper for the whole duration., his face however seems like an upset old man. In his heart he probably want to scream and yelling but he know if his mother hear about what happened, it wouldn't end well, so all he could do is bit his lips and stay quiet throughout the punishment. On the other hand, Nie Huaisang wailed and howled without holding back at all, making the disciples watching the scene cringe from imagining the pain.

When the beating almost over, a voice suddenly interrupt them. “Wait! Wait! Stop the punishment! Stop it!!” everyone turned towards the voice and saw Wei Wuxian, standing on the entrance of the ancestral hall, his long hair was down, reaching his waist, untied and messy but still glowing beautifully under the morning light, he was still in his inner robes. Anyone with brain would know that he obviously just woke up.

Everyone there couldn't help but gaping at the sight, not only because Wei Wuxian messy appearance, his inappropriate clothes and his apparently bare feet, but because the familiar white robes that was draped messily on top of his inner robe. The Lan disciples were especially very shocked upon seeing the robes as they were familiar with the pattern that was sewn on the robes, the indication that the robe belong to someone on the main family is as clear as day .

Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye jaw were dropped, with just one glance they know whose robe it was belong to, they glance at their shushu in disbelief.

– – –

When Wei Wuxian go to sleep the night before, never in his wildest dream did he ever thought, one day, he would be jerked awake by a loud pounding on his door, it was so loud, Wei Wuxian sure the sound could reach the Heaven.

He grumbled, cursing under his breath to whoever was behind the door right now as he drag his pretty much sleepy body to the door. As he open the door, Wei Wuxian couldn't hide his surprised when he saw a familiar face, it was one of the Qinghe Nie disciple, he didn't know his name but Wei Wuxian remember his face. He's been hanging out with him and his group alot lately, he's also one of few Nie disciple that Nie Huaisang send to give him all the delicious snack during his stay in the Healing Pavilion.

“Ah... it's you.” he yawned and start rubbing his eyes sleepily. “If you came here to find your precious Young Master, i'm sorry but Nie Huaisang isn't in my room, try Jiang Cheng room, all the disciples were having party last night there.” he informed

But the Nie disciple only shook his head, only now, when all the sleepiness seems to disappear from him did he realized just how panicking the Nie disciple looked. “What happened? Did Nie-xiong got injured in nighthunt? Did he got sick? or cursed?” he questions.

The Nie disciple shook his head once again, “Young Master– he– he got dragged by Hanguang-jun and the Twin Lan to the ancestral hall along with all the disciples on the party!! Including Young Master Jiang!!” the disciple shouted, “It seems like Hanguang-jun intend to give them punishment” he added.

Silver eyes bulged out of its socke, “What?! Hanguang-jun?! He– he what?! Jiang Cheng!!” he start to running towards the ancestral hall but stopped when he remember he still pretty much naked with only wearing his inner robes, but he doesn't have time to put on his robes.

He running back to his room and took the first robes that his eyes landed on. It was Hanguang-Jun outer robes from last night, Wei Wuxian hang them off to dry it. He snatch the robes and hurriedly putting it on and start running towards the ancestral hall.

He was such a mess, he only wear his inner robes, his hair was down, untidy and messy and he's BAREFOOTED!! But, Wei Wuxian couldn't careless about his appearance. In his mind, there's only thought about Jiang Cheng and how he need to do everything he could to prevent Jiang Cheng from getting punished.

As soon as the ancestral hall came to view, he could see the disciples that was crowding the entrance. Wei Wuxian pushing through the crowd.

The sight that greets him made him completely went still, there he saw around twelve disciples were half-knelt on the ground while their back was hitting by the discipline ruler, on the very front row was Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng.

“Wait! Wait! Stop the punishment! Stop it!!” he shouted, catching everyone attention.

Wei Wuxian know that his appearance might be ridiculous right now but he could careless. “What– what is going on here?” he asked, trying to ignore the way the Lan disciples especially Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye gaping at him in disbelief.

When he received no answer, he asked again, “Well? Can somebody tell me what is going on here?”

“We're punishing them for breaking rules, countless of rules. If a disciple or guest disciple violates the rules so many times they need to go to the Lan Sect's ancestral hall to receive their punishment” Lan Xingye replied, having regained herself from her shocked state.

“If they were breaking the rules then why not tell them to copy the rules?” he asked

“If one's violates the rules so many times they need to go to the Lan Sect's ancestral hall to receive their punishment” Lan Wangji spoke. “Just drop it, Wei Wuxian. Don't cause any more trouble for me” Jiang Cheng hiss through gritted teeth

“No! I won't accept this” he stated then half kneeling beside Nie Huaisang “According to your rules ‘No impartiality,’ then you have to punish me as well. Actually, the whole thing was my idea. So I'm the only one who should be punished” he declared

“You were not there when we caught them” Lan Wangji spoke, molten golden staring at Wei Wuxian, looking up and down his body as if assessing something. The young disciple could see something change in those gold orb, he couldn't explain it, it feels like something just ignites in those beautiful golden orbs, suddenly Wei Wuxian felt conscious about his appearance.

“Well, what if i said, i run away and going back to my room to avoid being caught?” he retorded

However, instead of getting angry by the young disciple inappropriate attitude of talking back to senior, Lan Wangji only stared at him. Gone was his cold attitude, it was replaced with something different, something that the Lan siblings couldn't place their finger on. “You were not drunk nor you smell of alcohol” Lan Wangji calmly said.

“Well, there's no need for the perpetrator to also be there and get drunk. The whole thing could still be my idea even if i wasn't on the crime scene” he said, stubbornly.

Golden eyes met silver. Both were caught in staring contest when another familiar voice echoed through the ancestral hall. “What is going on here?!” every head in the hall whipped towards the voice, their eyes widened when they saw Lan Qiren, standing in the entrance of the ancestral hall, looking as if he was ready to combust.

He looked around and when his eyes landed on Lan Wangji, he strided angrily towards him. “Wangji. Explain to me just what is going on here?” he asked. Lan Wangji, looking as prim as always answer his Uncle with calm voice, “I caught them breaking several rules, if not countless of rules.”

“Which is?”

“Staying up after curfew” replied Lan Wangji

“That's it?

“If that's the only rule they broke, then it wasn't necessary for them to be punished by discipline ruler. You should've just told them to copy the rules.”

Lan Wangji gaze hardened, “Staying up after curfew, venturing out at night, causing noise, and drinking liquor. They also gambling and i found pornography books in the rooms. This were the only few rules they have broken and they have violates it so many times. They need to go to the Lan Sect's ancestral hall to receive their punishment” he stated

Lan Qiren stiffened, “Have you caught the perpetrator? There always be the perpetrator, someone who has the idea” he queried

Lan Wangji replied, “We have caught everyone that involves.”

The older man eyes went around the face that was half kneeling on the ground, then his eyes stopped on a familiar figure, it took him a second to realize that it was Wei Wuxian. Lan Qiren almost couldn't recognize him with his hair down and the white robes. He was too busy shocked at Wei Wuxian appearance which remind him of a certain unruly woman to realize just whose robe the young disciple is wearing

“You!” he pointed his finger at the Jiang head disciple who grinned at him in return. “Why is he not punished like the other?” he asked, raising his voice.

“Wei Ying was not there when we caught the guilty party, nor he drunk or smell of alcohol. Wei Ying has nothing to do with this” he defended.

Lan Qiren huffed, “He must be the one who has the idea, he always the one who causing troubles and influenced other disciples to do the same. This was his fault, he should be punished the same amount if not more.”

Wei Wuxian sighed ‘Old man Lan really have personal grudge to me. I don't even know what i ever did to him’

He raised his hand, “Me! It's me! I'm the one who has the idea, i'm willing to accept the same amount of punishment as the others.” he exclaims. Lan Qiren huffed and looked at Lan Wangji as if he say 'I told you'

Lan Wangji gaze hardened, “Wei Ying is not involved. He was not there when we caught the disciples red handed.” he stated

“He definitely went to hide when you caught the other disciples” Lan Qiren scowled.

“I went to his room to check on him beforehand, he was sleeping beside i already told you, he was not drunk nor smell of alcohol.” Lan Wangji replied, Wei Wuxian sputtered as his face started to reddened at the thought of Lan Wangji coming to his room and saw him sleeping. For some reason, the young disciple suddenly felt embarrassed.

However despite the reasonable word, Lan Qiren only huffed, “Wangji. Did you not hear what he just admitted? He admit that it was his idea. It's always his idea because he likes causing problem in the Cloud Recesses, influencing the student to misbehaving. Truly just like his mother”

At the mention of his mother, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but perked up. Meanwhile, Lan Wangji gaze getting colder and colder.

“These disciples have been breaking the rules several times. Regardless of whether Wei Ying tried to influence other disciples or not, those disciples were not children, they know what is right and what is wrong, and it's their own decisions to follow or not.” he paused before straightening his posture and looked straight at Lan Qiren

“Be just. And yet, even after breaking so many rules you never punish any of them. I stayed quiet when you keep letting them go, but targeting and punishing one person. Now that i caught them red handed, you still want to punish the one person who didn't have a hand in this?”

“Wangji. Do not use the rules against me. I know better than you. I'm the one who teach you.”

“Arrogance is prohibited.” he stated, “Do not be haughty and complacent. Be just. Do not succumb to rage. Do not take advantage of your position or connections to oppress others. Do not jump to an unfounded conclusion.” he paused before looked at his Uncle “Do not hold grudges.”

The last sentence seems to be one that successfully provoke the old man anger, finally breaking the little left of self restraint he has. “Wangji!” Lan Qiren shouted, but Lan Wangji seems to refuse to back down. This resulting both Lan staring intently at each other, the tension in the ancestral hall were getting thicker and thicker, it's nearly suffocating.

Everyone simultaneously holding their breath. Wei Wuxian was sure if it have form, the tension will be so thick it could be cut by knife.

“Do not argue with your family, for it doesn’t matter who wins” all of them turned towards the voice and stood there was Lan Yuen along with Lan Xichen. Lan furen only smiled as she walked towards one of the Lan disciples. “The punishment is done, right?” she asked, the disciples nods vigorously. “Escort them to the Healing pavilion.” she ordered before turning towards Wei Wuxian.

She walked at him and pat his head, “And you. Go fix yourself and accompany them to the Healing pavilion. You already acquittance with all the healer there, so it'll be easier. Also, don't forget to fetch some breakfast for you and other disciples. I'll catch up after i finished here” she informed.

Wei Wuxian looked at him, seemed to want to argue that he hasn't accept the same amount of punishment as the other, but when he heard Jiang Cheng hissed from standing up, he immediately change his mind and rushed to help his shidi. Giving him piggyback ride, Nie Huaisang wouldn't stop wailing as one of the Lan disciples also carried him on his back.

As soon as the disciples left, the Lan disciples also excuse themselves. Leaving the family alone on the ancestral hall, Lan Xichen stared at the retreating figure of the disciples before sighing and turned towards Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji. “Now, would you mind telling me what's happening here?” he asked

Lan Qiren scowled, “Xichen! Look at your brother! He was spouting nonsense and act irrational and childish.”

“What did he do?” Lan Yuen asked

“He was punishing a sect heir with discipline ruler” Lan Qiren replied. “They were caught breaking the rules, countless of rules” Lan Wangji retorded

“You could've just told them to copy the rules” Lan Qiren defended

“This was not the first time they breaking the rules, they violates it several times and never even once they were punished” Lan Wangji stated

Hearing this, Lan Yuen let out a long sigh “This is why i hate politic.” she muttered “Shufu, if what brother in law says is true, I don't see anything's wrong with what he did.” she said

Lan Xichen looked between the two and smiled, “Now now. Why don't we drink tea together and talk about this with calmer mind.” he suggested, however, Lan Wangji shook his head “Apologize, xiongzhang. I still have some work to do in the library. I will excuse myself.” he mutters before bowing and walked out

Lan Yuen smiled and turned towards her children, “Go and help your shushu with his work” she told them, the siblings didn't say anything as they bow and followed Lan Wangji.

“He is still as stubborn as ever.” Lan Qiren commented

Lan Xichen smiled, “He's not the only one who like being stubborn”

“Xichen, he's using the rules to talk back to me!” he barked.

Lan Yuen put her hands on her hips “Shufu must've talked something bad about Wei Wuxian or Cangse Sanren, right?”

At that, Lan Qiren fell silence. “Shufu, you should've know how much Wangji regard Sanren-jie. If you even talk slightly bad things about her or her son, of course he would mad” she murmured sadly. Lan Qiren stroked his goatee, “I should've never let that woman stay here. Not twenty eight years ago or sixteen years ago or that night fifteen years ago.”

Lan Yuen smiled as the memory from twenty eight years ago flooded to her mind. A memory of woman with bright smile and boisterous personality throwing the seven years old Lan Wangji to the air. She only stayed for three month and yet, she was able to make the cold second young master Lan Wangji to follow her like a little duckling.

‘Truly, like mother like son’

Lan Muxin didn't know what to say as he followed Lan Wangji with his head hung low, he's sure his sister also feel the same as him. When Lan Wangji suddenly gathered both of them and a couple of Lan disciples around mao shi, Lan Muxin never thought that they would be punishing Huaisang and the Jiang heir.

When he walk into the room, a strong smell of alcohol immediately assault his nose, he couldn't help but raise his sleeve to block the smell. He glance at where his sister at and saw she was doing the same thing like him. Then, after his nose adjust with the smell, he start to process what and who was in the room.

There were seven to ten disciples, laying everywhere, sleeping like corpse obviously drunk and wasted the night before. He didn't recognize anyone aside from two familiar figure, Huaisang and the Jiang heir. Lan Muxin felt raged. How dare they breaking countless of their rules while they were standing on the Lan sect ground.

So when Lan Wangji order him and the rest of the Lan disciples to drag them to ancestral hall, Lan Muxin comply happily. He know that all this disciples has been violates the rules several times but he never understand why his granduncle seems to pay no mind to them, he usually quite strict to the student, instead he only focusing to punish one student, it was Wei Wuxian.

Lan Muxin himself had complicated feeling towards the disciples, it was very deserved that he was punished every single time he broke the rules but there some times when Wei Wuxian was caught breaking the rules along with other disciples but he was the only one who got punished.

His granduncle disdain towards the disciples has been showing since the first day of lecture. When the first time it happen, Lan Muxin had been raising his eyebrows toward his granduncle, it was not unusual for his granduncle to ask couple question towards a disciple, no that was not it. It was the weird comment his granduncle made about Wei Wuxian that made Lan Muxin felt his brows pinched in confusion but he choose to not say anything.

Today, though. He finally realize that he has made a mistake by choosing to ignore it, he's sure his Sister also feel the same. Hanguang-jun must be mad at them, for ignoring such blatant injustice.

When they reach the Library Pavilion, Hanguang-jun turned around and said, “Why are you two here?” his tone was normal but Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye know that their Shushu is indeed mad at them. “We were here to help you with your work, Shushu” replied Lan Muxin. “There's no need.” Lan Wangji said.

The siblings looked at each other before clasp their hand together and bow, “Shushu. We want to apologize.” they both said at the same time. Lan Wangji looked at them and ask, “What for?”

“We have ignore the obvious unfairness that happened to Wei Wuxian during his stay in the Cloud Recesses, we should've say something or try to stop granduncle.” he replied. “Or at least try to get other disciples receive the same punishment too. But, in the end we didn't say anything and choose to stay silent.” his sister add.

There was silence before Lan Wangji sighed, “No need to apologize. I did not mad at you.” he said. Lan Muxin perked up, “Shushu didn't mad?” he asked.

Lan Wangji nods, “No, i'm not mad. Just disappointed.” he replied.

It was as if a bucket of cold water just dropped on them, the siblings immediately froze in their place. “I have known Shufu unfairness towards Wei Ying from the beginning and I thought that given times my nephew and niece would see something is wrong and will do something about it but they didn't.” he paused.

“Instead you guys have been glaring and act hostile to him. I know the reason behind Shufu unfairness to Wei Ying but i don't understand why you two acting like that.” he said.

The siblings could only hung their head in guilty and embarrassment. Lan Wangji stay silent as he keep staring at them, Lan Muxin fidget nervously before finally break “It's because Shushu has been paying attention alot to him, shushu never acted like that towards any disciples.” he exclaims

“He even boasted that he's shushu favorite disciples and that no matter how many rules he break, shushu wouldn't be mad at him and not to mention he's annoying too.” he adds, muttering the last part.

“And so, we thought that shushu...” Lan Xingye trailed off, shaking her head as if trying to get rid of the idea from her minds but Lan Wangji refuse to let it go, “You thought what?”

The siblings looked at each other, “We know he's Sect leader Jiang's ward but it was never an official thing and so we thought...” Lan Xingye trailed off “We thought you're gonna adopt him as you own ward” she muttered quietly.

Lan Wangji stared blankly at his nephew, all this time, his nephew thought he's gonna adopt Wei Ying?

Lan Wangji sighed, “I will not and will never adopt Wei Ying” he stated then his eyes narrowed. “Do not jump to an unfounded conclusion.” he recited, the siblings flinched “It seems that you two still need to learn about our rules. Copy the rules three times, handstand, i'll go to cold spring to meditate.” he said sternly.

The siblings hung their head in embarrassment, “Yes, shushu” they replied, bowing.

Groans and wailing of pain stretched out across the otherwise-silent pavilion. It's been couple minutes since they arrive on the Healing pavilion with Nie Huaisang whining nonstop the whole way, one of the older healer rolled her eyes, “Nie-gongzi. The wound is not that bad, just need to apply some herbs on your back and you'll be fine by tomorrow.” she informed

Wei Wuxian took the herbs and walk towards Jiang Cheng “Alright, take of your clothes” he ordered, the Jiang heir narrowed his eyes “What are you doing?” he asked, “What am i doing? I'm helping you, obviously.” replied the other teenager.

Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue and slap his hand away, “I don't need your help, you're not even a healer.” then, he glared while looking at Wei Wuxian up and down "And don't you even see yourself in the mirror?! Have you got no shame running around in your inner robes, barefoot and even wearing other people's robes. Should I remind you that this is Cloud Recesses?! This is not Lotus Pier, don't embarrass me and bring shame to the Jiang clan!” he snarled

“I was panicking. Can you really blame me? I was sleeping and then some disciples banging on my door and told me that you and Nie-xiong were dragged by Lan Zh– Hanguang-Jun to ancestral hall to receive punishment. I had no time to put on robes or shoes, i just started running here without thinking.”

The Jiang heir rolled his eyes. “Well, i still don't need your help. The healer could do that, why don't you just go and fix yourself instead. Stop embarrassing me.” he hissed 

“Fine fine” Wei Wuxian put down the herbs and walked towards the door, but he stopped when Lan Yuen appeared. “I came here to check on you guys” she smiled

Lan Yuen hummed as she inspecting the wound on Jiang Cheng's back “Yup, this is not bad. Just apply some herbs and you'll feel better tomorrow” she observed. Nie Huaisang whined, “Yuen-jie. It's hurt so much.” Lan Yuen only smiled and pat his head. Jiang Cheng click his tongue, “Stop whining, you got less hit than the rest of us.” he scowled

Nie Huaisang huffed, crossing his arms, “Yeah, well. I'm not like you guys, my cultivation is too low” he paused, looking at Lan Yuen “This incident... Hanguang-Jun wouldn't write about it to our family, right? I can't imagine what Da-ge would react if he know about this”

At the mention, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but also tensed. He didn't want his parents to know that he got punished by Hanguang-jun, he can't withstand the disappointed look on their face.

“Don't worry, brother in law wouldn't say anything about this to your family” she reassured, then turned towards Wei Ying. “Come here” she motioned, the younger man comply. Standing in front of her “Give me your hand” she ordered, Wei Wuxian extend his hand and Lan Yuen grab it.

“Seems like your meridian and golden core is stable. I was worried during the abyss sealing you'll overwork your golden core, so just to make sure I know of a good way to healed and stable it in just a few hours.” she smiled.

It was nighttime, at the cold spring of the Cloud Recesses.

Lan Wangji's eyes were closed as he relaxed in the ice-cold water. Suddenly, a voice rang through the quiet night, shattering the tranquility.

“Lan Zhan!”

Lan Wangji's eyes sprang open. Sure enough, Wei Wuxian was lying on his stomach, above the blue stones beside the cold spring, tilting his head and smiling at him.

Lan Wangji seemed to be caught off guard blurted out, “How did you come in?”

Wei Wuxian slowly crawled up from the stone, and spoke as he took off his sash belt, “Yuen-jie told me to come in.”

Lan Wangji eyes bulged, “What are you doing?”

Wei Wuxian kicked off his boots while leaving piles of clothing all over the ground, “I already stripped, so what do you think I'm here for? I heard that your sect's cold spring can heal injuries aside from helping with one's cultivation. So, Yuen-jie told me to come here to stabilize my core but I didn't expect to see you here.” he said jumping inside the pond, making an enormous splash of water.

Once the water settled, Lan Wangji was able to see Wei Wuxian standing before him, half naked. Wei Wuxian, immediately curled in on himself and began rubbing his arms, shaking at the low temperature. “Eep! It really is cold. Brr...” he whined.

Lan Wangji who was mentally not ready to see his beloved half naked form in front of him quickly distanced himself a few meters away wishing for anything down there to not waken up, He watched as Wei Wuxian walking and leaping around due to the freezing water of the spring. “Do not leap around, you'll slip.” he warned.

Wei Wuxian whine, “But it's so cold, it's so cold...”

This time, he didn't lie or intend to cause trouble. It was true that most people couldn't become use to the Gusu Lan Sect's cold spring in a short amount of time, feeling as if their bodies and blood would freeze if they stayed still for just a few moments. So, Wei Wuxian could only jump around, intending to warm his body from the movement.

Lan Wangji was originally wanting to meditating in peace, but with the young disciple jumping around half naked, a splashes of water was thrown on his face. A few droplets trickled down his long lashes and ink-black hair. He was trying so hard to restraint himself but Wei Wuxian half naked form was beyond his endurance, “Wei Ying, stay still” as he spoke, he extended an arm, and put his hand on Wei Wuxian's shoulder.

Wei Wuxian instantly felt a surge of warmth coming from where their bodies connected. Feeling better, he couldn't help but to shift closer over to where the older man is. Lan Wangji who was trying so hard to not awaken a certain part of his body immediately tensed as the younger man shifted closer, “What?”

Wei Wuxian replied in an innocent tone, “Nothing. It seems like your side is warmer.” Lan Wangji firmly kept his arm between the two of them, maintaining the distance. He sternly declared, “It is not.”

The young disciple looked at him with his brows pinched together, “You're acting weird.” he stated “Is something wrong?” he asked, tilting his head, Lan Wangji gulped as the sight of those slender neck being exposed even more “Nothing.” he replied through gritted teeth. “No, something is definitely wrong with you today Lan Zhan. I could feel it.”

Lan Wangji didn't say anything as he shut his eyes. “Why did you punish Jiang Cheng and the other?”

“They were caught breaking the rules.” he replied without opening his eyes. “Yeah, well, you could at least told them to copy the rules no need to beat them with discipline rules.”

“They violates the rules several times, it is bound to happen.” Lan Wangji answer simply. “Then, what about me? I violates the rules too but i didn't get punished.”

“Not true. Shufu punished you several times, asking you to copy the rules while he let go of the others unpunished despite breaking the rules with you. The other disciples is also not trying to defend you, today punishment is an exchange for all those time they let you being punished alone.”

“They helped me copying the rules too, you know. They're not that heartless.”

“Mn. That's why i just punished them for the rules they broke last night. If i count the past misbehave, they will get more than three hundreds hit of discipline ruler.” he explained.

Wei Wuxian groaned, “I can't believe you, Lan Zhan. You even went as far to argue with your Shufu and using the rules against him just to defend me.” at the mention of that, Lan Wangji's eyes turn cold “Shufu is being disrespectful to Wei Ying, he also talked bad about Wei Yin's mother, he disrespect the dead.”

Wei Wuxian stared at the older man, “Lan Zhan, I admire you so much.” he said, sincerely. Receive no answer he spoke again, “Really, I've never seen someone as prim and proper as you. It'd be impossible for me to do something like this. You're so cool.”

Lan Wangji opened his eyes and look at the younger man, “Wei Ying is even more cool.” he said. Wei Wuxian flushed, didn't know how to react to that. He turned around and started to swim around the cold spring. He swum for a while, but still went near Lan Wangji, “Lan Zhan, didn't you notice what I was doing when I talked to you?”

Lan Wangji replied, “I do not know.” the young disciple smiled, “You don't even know about this? I was complimenting you, trying to become more casual with you.”

Lan Wangji glanced at him, “And why is that?”

Wei Wuxian smiled, “Because I want us to become friends. Lan Zhan, why don't we become friends? We're already so familiar with each other.”

Lan Wangji stared at him, “No. Don't want to be friends, Wei Ying is my favorite.”

Wei Wuxian slapped the surface of the water, “Yeah yeah, I know I'm your favorite disciples, but don't reject me like this. Now you're being boring again. Really. There are lots of benefits if you become friends with me.”

Lan Wangji stared at him, “For example?” he asked.

Wei Wuxian swam near the edge of the spring, and leaned back with his arms on the blue rocks, “I'm always really loyal towards my friends. For example, I'd definitely let you be the first person to look at new porn that I get hold of...”

Lan Wangji stared at the young disciple upper body who seems to be glistening under the moonlight, he could feel all the blood start rushing towards certain place and he immediately walked away

Wei Wuxian whose in the middle of rambling about his spring book immediately stopped, “Hey, hey, come back! It's fine if you don't look at them. Have you been to Yunmeng? Yunmeng is really fun. Yunmeng's food is also good. I don't know if it's Gusu's or the Cloud Recesses's problem, but the food in your sect are so bad. If you come to Lotus Pier, you can eat lots of delicious food. I can take you to pick lotus seed pods and water chestnuts. Lan Zhan, do you wanna come?”

Lan Wangji close his eyes, try to calm himself with everything he got, even start to reciting the rules and sutras in his head. He wasn't paying attention to the question and thought Wei Wuxian was offering to show him his spring book collection, so he reply through gritted teeth “No.”

Wei Wuxian was taken back, doesn't seem to get used to Lan Wangji refusing him. It took him a moment to recollect himself and he pouted, “Don't answer everything with negative words. You sound so uncaring, girls won't like it. Let me tell you– the girls in Yunmeng look very pretty, different from the sory of pretty in Gusu.” he winked his left eye at Lan Wangji in a proud way, “You sure you don't wanna come?”

Lan Wangji blinked, “What?”

Wei Wuxian let out a sigh, “Why are you so unfocused, Lan Zhan. I asked you if you want to come to Lotus–”

“Yes.”

Wei Wuxian blinked. “What?”

“I want to visit Lotus Pier, Wei Ying could show me around the market, all the good restaurant and good shop” he said.

Wei Wuxian blinked several times, “We–well, that's easier than i thought” he laugh awkwardly 

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian stared at Lan Wangji before walking closer. “Um, Lan Zhan. There's actually something i wanted to ask” he said, sound hesitated and unsure, unlike his usual self. He look so small. Lan Wangji thought.

“Ask away” he said.

“It's about my mother” he paused, “Your shufu seems to know about her”

“Mn. Like you, your mother also came to Cloud Recesses to join the lecture after she got down from Baoshan Sanren mountain.” at that, Wei Wuxian perked up “Really? She also came to study?”

“Mn. In fact, i think this was where she first meet with your father. Wei Changze also came along with Jiang Fengmian to the lecture.”

“What– what was my parents like?”

“Your father. Wei Changze, is very quiet person, he didn't like to talk much but very good leader. He is smart, kind and a good teacher, many Jiang disciples like him. A very capable swordman and cultivator.”

Wei Wuxian listen attentively, “Then, what about my mother?”

Lan Wangji glanced at him, “Your mother... Cangse Sanren is something. She is bright, outgoing, mischievous and straightforward. She is very intelligent and smart, like to tinkering with talisman. She is unrestrained force that affect every person around her.”

“In bad way, right?”

“No, in a good way. She is unrestrained force that left everyone speechless and didn't know what to do. The first day she arrive at Cloud Recesses, she refuse to join the female lecture where it focused on medicine and herb, instead she want to go along with the male lecture which focused on cultivation and sword fighting. Of course, Shufu refuse to place her along with other heir. She then challenge everyone, if anyone could beat her in fight then she would comply and join the female lecture.”

“And? Did anyone could beat her?”

Lan Wangji stared at him, “What Wei Ying expect from a disciples of immortal Baoshan Sanren?”

Silver eyes widened, “So...”

The older man nods, “No one can beat her, she's just too fast for them to follow. But one person could go par with her, it was your father. The fight make everyone speechless but in the end, even your father couldn't beat her, so Shufu was forced to let her join with the male lecture.”

“Is that why old man Lan hates my mother?” he asked

Lan Wangji shook his head, “She's just like you. She like to break rules and do whatever she want. At one point, she even shaved Shufu goatee” Wei Wuxian widened his eyes. “She did what?!” he shouted. “There is a reason behind that. Shufu is tend to very strict in following the rules, at one point during her stay, this habit of him nearly cost Jiang Fengmian and Wei Changze their lives during a night-hunt, and your mother shaved his beard in retaliation.”

Wei Wuxian burst out laughing, he laugh so hard that he almost fell backwards if not for Lan Wangji grab his forearm. “I can't believe this. My mother really shaved the old man goatee, no wonder he's still holding grudge on her” he laughs.

“My parents died when I was four,” he revealed. “I didn't remember much about them, not even what they looked like. But there’s some memories I remember” he paused, looking up to the night sky “I was riding on a donkey with my mom beside me, and my dad was right in front of us. I think my mom cracked a joke, making my father laugh.”

Wei Wuxian smiled, “There's also one more memories I remember, i was sitting on my father shoulder, my mom was riding a donkey beside us. As we walk, she suddenly lost balance and almost fell, my father immediately went and grab her hand to balance her. I remember i was laughing and put my hand on top of theirs, with only that small gesture, they burst out laughing.”

Lan Wangji gaze softened, “They are a great parents.” the younger man nods in agreement, “They are, they are. There's one saying that I remember my mom used to tell me. She said 'Remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don’t hold so much in their hearts would they finally feel free.' I use it as my principal.”

His breath stuttered, as he stared at the younger man in front of him. 'And when I think I couldn't fell for you any deeper, you always prove me wrong.’ he thought.

Lan Wangji now understand, it was not just the younger man bright and boisterous personality that make him fall in love, not just his kindness and honesty, or his diligence and smart brain. But he also fall in love with his courage, sincerity and loyalty. The way he hold strong to his principal till the end.

Lan Wangji admire him. He find him beautiful.

“Wei Ying is amazing. I admire him so much.” he said, sincerely.

Silver eyes widened, he looked up at the taller man “Lan Zhan...” He opened his mouth to say something but suddenly interrupted by the sounds of shuffling and groaning of a group of fierce corpse, it made both man freeze. “Huh?” Wei Wuxian paused. “What’s that sound? It… sounds like walking corpses.”

“Shufu brought back a few fierce corpses from his journey at Qinghe and asked me to lock them up in the Mingshi. How would they have come out?”

Wei Wuxian bit his lip, “Neither of us has our weapons. This is gonna be hard.” he started walking towards the shore and put on his robes. “Wei Ying! Wait!”

“What?”

Lan Wangji stepped out of the pond, “Stay close.” he ordered, Wei Wuxian shook his head, “It's better we split up” at that, the taller man's gaze hardened “Stay. close” he repeated, emphasize every single word.

In another place, two Lan disciple led Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye after the fierce corpses. “I’m sorry. We weren’t paying attention and let them escape,” he explained. “Sect leader Lan and Grandmaster Lan are not back yet. We must find Hanguang-jun as soon as possible.” he informed.

Hearing the groans of the corpses, the group skidded to a halt. The Lan siblings made eye contact, they grab their sword and leapt off the path to dart through the trees in the direction of the sound.

On another path, Lan Wangji ran past flowering trees. Golden eyes darted around searching for a certain with silver eyes. He didn't meant to get separate from Wei Ying, they were running and the next time he looked to his side, Wei Ying already gone.

A group of fierce corpses crawling after him, he clicked his tongue, creature moved closer and closer, matching his speed. Then, with a twist, Lan Wangji spun and grabbed a nearby branch. With a swing, he sent a massive spiritual energy towards the corpses, using the leaves as a conduct for the attack. The corpses was easily slices into pieces.

Lan Wangji dodged the attacks from the next corpse. He grabbed a bunch of leaves, infuse it with spiritual energy and send it fly towards the corpses, effectively kill them.

‘Wei Ying! I need to find him’ he thought as he dashed towards the forest.

In a different part of the forest, following Wei Wuxian, bunch of fierce corpses moved in sync, jumping over bushes and under branches as deftly as he did. Just as he arrived at a clearing, another fierce corpse circled around before him.

Without slowing his pace at all, Wei Wuxian simply bounced off a nearby tree to jump above the fierce corpse, landing on its back and kicking it into the other corpses. Despite having been knocked down, the corpse rose again a moment later.

Without Suibian, Wei Wuxian had nothing he could use to fight against the corpses, he had no choice but to keep running. At first, Wei Wuxian maintained high ground, using the trees as his escape route from the approaching corpses.

However, seeing that it hadn’t granted him any advantage, he swiftly jumped down to grab a branch as thick as his forearm off one of the trees and chucked it at one of the corpse. The corpse the branch hit was pinned to a tree, but the other corpses were left unhindered.

By this point, Wei Wuxian was starting to breathe heavily, having sprinted through trees for some times. One more shaky exhale, and Wei Wuxian’s brows tightened in determination. Facing the corpses fully, Wei Wuxian prepared himself for their attack.

When the corpse lunged, Wei Wuxian immediately ducked under its grasp and slammed his fist into its cheek. The corpse skidded several meters back, jaw dislocated by the punch. The next corpse proved to be more troublesome, forcing Wei Wuxian to dodge its attacks.

Then, with an overextended lunge, it gave Wei Wuxian the opportunity to tug on its arm and pull its body close, delivering a bone-shattering back kick. A normal human’s ribs would have been crushed by the attack.

Just then, the corpse Wei Wuxian had hit with the branch returned, and began hobbling towards the cultivator. Wei Wuxian swallowed nervously. The group of corpses approaching Wei Wuxian simultaneously. Now, the boy’s labored breathing was even more noticeable, and his determined gaze was laced with wariness.

“They’re still alive?”

After a few more shaky steps, the corpses broke into a run. Ome of them manage to hit him and Wei Wuxian flung back, slammed into a tree. He gasped and coughed, all the air knocked out of him. Gulping once, Wei Wuxian turned to hide behind the tree he had been thrown into. The only sound that could be heard was his own breaths.

‘Without my sword, there’s no way for me to kill them all.’ he thought. He turned to his right, trying to peek past the tree at a corpse. Another corpse attacked from behind.

Wei Wuxian narrowly dodged the attack, and immediately jumped up a tree to one of the higher branches. Below him, the corpses followed. Unlike Wei Wuxian graceful leap, the fierce zombie climbed the tree like an animal.

It groaned and dug its nails into the bark, uncaring of how its climbing destroyed its fingertips. The other two wrapped their arms around the trunk, trying to shake Wei Wuxian off. Right before the climbing corpse reached him, he jumped out of the way. Then, an enormous shadow covered the ground around him.

Wei Wuxian looked back. The uprooted tree crashed down. The tree slammed into the ground, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust. When the air cleared, Wei Wuxian’s body flat against the ground. While he managed to avoid serious damage, he had been slammed to the ground. The three corpses began to approach.

Shakily, Wei Wuxian stood up, pushing off the tree for additional support. Hearing several soft pats to his right, he turned to look and see “...A rabbit?” the corpses attacked, perfectly willing to crush everything in their way. Wei Wuxian dodged, then turned and ran towards the rabbit.

He picked it up mid-stride.

As expected, trying to remain alive with a liability was nearly impossible— especially given how tired he was. This time, when he dodged an attack from one of the corpse, he wasn't faster enough, resulting him got three scratches on his arm.

Stumbling slightly, Wei Wuxian momentarily sank to his knees, only for another corpse to attack his open back. He closed his eyes and raised an arm up to block.

When there's no pain came, he slowly opened his eyes and saw a familiar white robes and broad back. He widened his eyes, “Lan Zhan” he muttered as if in disbelief the older man was actually there.

Lan Wangji on the other hand already killed the corpse that lunged for Wei Wuxian with the leaves. When the group of corpses dashed at them, Lan Wangji sent a massive wave of spiritual energy that manage to make huge explosion and ruined almost half of the forest.

Wei Wuxian jaw dropped, “La– Lan Zhan. I think you kinda overdid it.”

The taller man didn't say anything as he turned around and immediately strided forward, Wei Wuxian yelped “Lo– look, it wasn't my intention to separate with you, i just take a wrong turn and–” he doesn't get to finish his sentence as he immediately engulfed in tight embrace.

Eh?

Wei Wuxian blinked.

Did Hanguang-jun just hugged him?

Wei Wuxian hasn't even process what just happened when Lan Wangji tightened his hold and whispered over and over again, “I'm glad... I'm glad... I'm glad i made it in time.”

After that, Lan Muxin and Lan Xingye arrived and handle the situation. Wei Wuxian didn't say anything neither does Lan Wangji as they both walked back to the Cloud Recesses, they stayed silence even as Lan Wangji walked back Wei Wuxian to the dorm.

A couple days after that, Wei Wuxian intended on going outside with a group of seven or eight people again. As they passed the Lan Sect's Library Pavilion, he looked through the drape of magnolia branches and he could just about see Hanguang-jun sitting alone by the window.

Nie Huaisang spoke in a puzzled tone, “Is he looking at us? That's strange. We didn't make too much noise, so why does he still look at us like that?”

Wei Wuxian chuckled, “He's probably watching you guys thinking you might break another rules” he teased. Jiang Cheng interrupted, “Wrong. Not 'us', but 'me'. I think the only person he's watching is you.”

Wei Wuxian glance at the older man, smile slowly formed in his beautiful face “Heh...”

The group only returned to the Cloud Recesses when the time almost reached noon. Lan Wangji sat before the desk, organizing the stack of paper which he wrote on, as he heard a creaking noise coming from the window. He looked up to see someone hop inside.

Wei Wuxian came up by climbing the magnolia tree outside the Library Pavilion. His face was beaming, “Lan Zhan, I'm back! Did you miss me? Huh? Without me copying texts for these past few days?” he grinned.

Lan Wangji seemed like an old monk in a state of meditation, seeing everything as nothing. He even continued to organize the pile of books with a numb expression. Wei Wuxian deliberately misinterpreted his silence, “I know even if you don't say it, that you definitely missed me. Or else, earlier on, why did you look at me through the window?”

Lan Wangji immediately shot him a glance, the younger man sat atop the windowsill. “Alright alright. I'm actually here to apologize for what happened the other day, you know with the whole fierce corpse and separating with you even though you already told me to stay close. I want to apologize by giving you a present!” he beamed

Lan Wangji refused at once, without thinking twice about it, “No need.”

Wei Wuxian grinned, “Are you sure?” he then fished out two rabbits from inside his robes, as if he was performing a magic trick. As he held onto them by their ears, it seemed like he was holding two round, chubby snowballs. The snowballs even kicked their legs around.

He lifted them in front of of Lan Wangji's eyes, “It's actually quite strange here. There aren't any pheasants, but there are lots of wild rabbits. They aren't even scared of people. What do you think? Aren't they fat? Do you want them? I actually found one the night we were chased by the corpses so I went to find one more so it won't get lonely.” he explained.

Lan Wangji only stared at him

“Fine. If you don't want them, I'm gonna give them to other people. We aren't having much flavors in our mouths, anyways.” he said. After he heard the last sentence, Lan Wangji perked up “Stop. Who are you giving them to?” he asked

Wei Wuxian answered, “I'm gonna give them to whoever's good at roasting rabbit meat.”

“Killing is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses. It is the third rule on the Wall of Rules.” the taller man stated.

“Fine, then. I'll go down the mountain, kill it outside, and then bring it back to roast it. You don't want it, anyway, so why do you care so much about it?”

“Who say I don't want it? Give it to me”

Wei Wuxian grinned on the windowsill, “Now you want it? Look at you– you're always like this.” he teased.

Both of these rabbits were chubby and round, appearing to two balls made of fluffy snowflakes. One had white fur, bleary eyes, and lay on its stomach, remaining motionless even after a long while. As it chewed on the lettuce, its pink mouth moved in a leisurely manner. The other one had black fur, seemed as if it was actually a cricket, constantly hopping up and down. It played around with its companion, wriggling and leaping nonstop.

The energetic rabbit has stepped on Lan Wangji's inkstone and left a line of black footsteps on the desk. Lan Wangji was unsure of what to do, holding a piece of paper and considering different ways to wipe it off. Wei Wuxian tossed over a few pieces of lettuce which he took out of nowhere. He suddenly called, “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!”

“What?”

“Look af how one is on top of the other... Are they...?”

“Wei Ying, both of these are male!”

Wei Wuxian raised his brows, “Male? How weird.” he lifted them by the ears, examined them, and confirmed, “They really are male. Well, then, I didn't even finish my sentence. Why are you so stern? What were you thinking of? Now that I think about it, I was the one who caught them, and I didn't even notice whether they are male or female, but you even looked at their...”

Lan Wangji glanced at the younger man, “Didn't Wei Ying the one who think about something inappropriate when you saw them on top of each other”

Wei Wuxian flushed, “I didn't think of anything!” he exlaims.

In the Cloud Recesses, there was a long wall. Every seven steps, there would be a Hollowed out window with intricate designs. All of the designs were different– playing an instrument amid tall mountains, flying in the air on a sword, fighting monsters and beasts, and so on.

Lan Qiren explained that the designs of every hollowed out window on this wall was about the life of each ancestor of the Gusu Lan Clan. The oldest and most famous four windows told the life of the founder of the Lan Sect, Lan An.

This founder was born in a temple. He grew up listening to the chanting of sutras, and thus become a famous monk at a very young age. At the age of twenty, he used the "Lan" from "Qielan" as his last name and resumed the worldly life, becoming a musician. During his path of cultivation, he met the "fated person" he searched for in Gusu, became cultivation partners with her, and founded the Lan Sect. After his partner passed away, he returned to the temple and ended his life there. The four windows were "Qielan", "Xiyue", "Daolu", and "Guiji".

During these past few days, the lessons seldomly involved a topic as interesting as this. Although Lan Qiren introduced it with boring timelines, Wei Wuxian absorbed the knowledge for once.

After class, he excitedly said, “So, the founder of the Lan Sect was a monk– no wonder! Lan Zhan's ancestor was a monk, therefore it explains why there's so many rules. He ventured into the mortal world to meet one person, and, as she went, he went as well, leaving nothing behind on this Earth.” he paused, “But why would a person like him produce such unromantic descendants?”

Since nobody expected the Lan sect, which was famous for being orthodox, to have such a founder, they started to chat among themselves. “Lan An looks like an immortal descended from heaven,” one disciple observed the painting. “I wonder how exceptional ‘The One’ really was.” he added

As they chatted, the center of the conversation tipped toward the direction of "cultivation partners", and they started to discuss the cultivation partners of their dreams, evaluating the well-known girls in the different sects. At this point, someone said, “We’re not short of beautiful or refined ladies now, are we?” then another disciple perked up, “Zixuan-xiong, who do you think is the best girl?”

As Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng heard this,, they both looked toward a boy in the front rows of the classroom.

The boy had proud, handsome features, with a vermilion mark on his forehead. His collar, cuffs, and sash belt all had the white peony named Sparks Amidst Snow sewn on. This was the young master sent to study in Gusu by the Lanling Jin Sect– Jin Zixuan.

Another person spoke, “It's best for you to not ask Zixuan-xiong about this. He's already got a fiancee, so his answer would definitely be his fiancee.”

Hearing the word "fiancee", Jin Zixuan's lips seemed to twitch, showing a slight expression of displeasure. The disciple who asked was quite oblivious, continuing with a cheerful face, “Really? Which sect is she from? She must be extremely talented!”

Jin Zixuan crossing his arms and said, “Forget it.”

Wei Wuxian suddenly spoke, “What do you mean by 'forget it?”

Everyone in the room looked at him with surprise. Usually, Wei Wuxian was always grinning. He had never really been angered, even when he was scolded or punished. Yet, at the moment, there was an obvious streak of hostility on his face. Jiang Cheng didn't criticize Wei Wuxian, either, for making trouble out of nothing, as he usually did. He simply sat beside him with a dark face.

Jin Zixuan spoke in an arrogant tone, “Is the phrase 'forget it' too difficult to understand?”

Wei Wuxian smiled sardonically, “The phrase isn't hard to understand. Instead, it's hard to understand how on Earth you are unsatisfied with my shijie.”

Everyone whispered to one another. They only understood, after the exchange of words, that they had accidentally stirred up a hornets nest– Jin Zixuan's fiancee just happened to be Jiang Yanli of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect.

Jiang Yanli was the oldest child of Jiang Fengmian and Jiang Cheng's older sister. Her personality was mild, with nothing too notable, her voice was smooth, with nothing too memorable. Her appearance was only above average, and her talents weren't astonishing either. Amid the girls from other prominent clans, it was only natural that she seemed a bit average.

On the other hand, her fiance, Jin Zixuan, was the exact opposite. He was the only official son of Jin Guangshan, with outstanding looks and exceptional talents. According to common sense, with Jiang Yanli's condition, it was true that they weren't well-matched with each other. She wasn't even qualified enough to compete with the other girls.

The only reason why Jiang Yanli was able to enter an engagement wuth Jin Zixuan was because her mother was from the Meishan Yu Sect, and the Meishan Yu Sect was quite friendly with the sect of which Jin Zixuan's mother was from. The two madams grew up together, and they had a close relationship 

The way of the Jin Sect were proud, and Jin Zixuan inherited every single drop of this. With his high standards, he had been unsatisfied with this engagement since a long time ago. He was not only unsatisfied with the candidate, but even more so with her mother taking the liberty to decide for him, making him grow more and more rebellious at heart.

Today, he took the opportunity to break out. Jin Zixuan asked in reply, “Why don't you ask me how on Earth can I be satisfied with her?”

Jiang Cheng instantly stood up.

Pushing him to the side, Wei Wuxian walked in front of him and sneered, “You sure think that you're pretty satisfying, don't you? Where did you get the guts to be all choosy here?”

Because of this engagement, Jin Zixuan had no positive impression of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, and had frowned upon Wei Wuxian's behavior since some time ago. On top of that, he boasted himself to be unrivaled among the juniors, without ever having been looked down upon like this.

All of the blood in his body rose to his head, and he blurted, “If she's unsatisfied, then tell her to get rid of this engagement! In conclusion, I don't care for your shijie. If you care for her, ask her father about it! Doesn't he treat you better than treating his own child or something?”

Hearing the last sentence, Jiang Cheng's eyes stiffened. With uncontrollable anger, Wei Wuxian rushed over and sent out a punch. Although Jin Zixuan was prepared, he didn't expect Wei Wuxian to attack so quickly, before he even finished his sentence. Having suffered one punch, half of his face numbed. He immediately struck back without speaking a word.

The fight startled both of the two prominent sects. On the same day, Jiang Fengmian and Jin Guangshan hastened to Gusu from Yunmeng and Lanling.

After the two sect leaders went to see the two who were punished to kneel, and received a severe scolding from Lan Qiren, they wiped some sweat from their foreheads and started to engage in small talk. Jiang Fengmian soon brought up the idea of cancelling the engagement.

“A-Li's mother was the one who insisted on having this engagement, in the first place, and I didn't agree. Looking at it now, as neither of them are keen, it's best if we don't force it.” he told Jin Guangshan.

Jin Guangshan was shocked. He felt a bit hesitant, as it was never a good thing to end an engagement with another prominent sect, no matter how one looked at it. He responded, “What do the children know? They can play around however they want to. Fengmian-xiong, you and I don't need to pay them any attention.”

“Jin-xiong, although we can set the engagement for them, we can't carry out the marriage in place of them. After all, they are the ones who will be spending the rest of their lives together.” Jiang Fengmian advised.

This engagement had never been the intention of Jin Guangshan. If he wanted to strengthen his sect's power by a marriage with another sect, the Yunmeng Jiang sect was neither the only choice nor the best choice. It was only that he had never dared to go against Madame Jin.

Anyhow, this was initially proposed by the Jiang Sect. Since the Jin Sect was the husband's side, they didn't have as many concerns as the wife's side, so what was the point of worrying over it? Moreover, he knew that Jin Zixuan had always been resentful toward Jiang Yanli's status as his fiancee. After some consideration, Jin Guangshan conjured up the courage and agreed to this matter.

At this time, Wei Wuxian still didn't know what this fight broke up, as he knelt on the stone path that Lan Qiren assigned him to. From a distance, Jiang Cheng approached with a sneer on his face, “Look at how well-behaved you are, kneeling so properly.”

Wei Wuxian was gloating, “Of course, I kneel all the time. But Jin Zixuan is a spoiled brat, so he's definitely never knelt before. If I don't make him kneel to the point that he cries for his parents, my last name won't be Wei anymore!”

Jiang Cheng lowered his head, pausing for a few moments, and spoke in a soft voice, “Father came.”

Wei Wuxian perked up, “Shijie didn't come, did she?”

The Jiang heir rolled his eyes, “Why would she come? To see how you lost face for her? If she did come, would she not come to your side and bring you medicine?”

Wei Wuxian sighed, “... It'd be nice if Shijie came. It's fortunate that you didn't hit him.” Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue, “I was going to. If you didn't push me, the other side of Jin Zixuan's face would also be ruined.”

Wei Wuxian waved his hand, “Nah. he looks uglier right now, with an asymmetrical face. I heard that he values his face a lot, like a peacock. i wonder what he'd think after he looked into a mirror! Hahahahahahahaha...”

After rolling on the ground with laughter, Wei Wuxian spoke again, “Actually, I should have let you hit him, and I should have watched on the side. This way, maybe Uncle Jiang wouldn't have come. But there was no choice. I couldn't help it!”

Jiang Cheng humphed lightly, “You wish.”

Although it was only Wei Wuxian's casual words, he held mixed feelings, because he knew that this wasn't a lie.

Jiang Fengmian had never hurried to another sect in one day for anything related to him, no matter if the issue was good or bad, large or small.

Never.

But, unfortunately Jiang Cheng would never understand. He would never understand that the reason Jiang Fengmian does that is because he doesn't want to coddled him, because Jiang Fengmian want Jiang Cheng to grow up as independent leader that could not be intimidated by other, not a failed leader like him. On the contrary, he need to keep coddling Wei Wuxian. That way, it would make the boy stay beside his son's side forever, it would make the boy feel even more in debt to the Jiangs who has give him everything.

Jiang Cheng would never understood but Wei Wuxian did.

As Wei Wuxian saw his melancholy face, he thought that Jiang Cheng was still annoyed at Jin Zixuan's words

“You should go. You don't need to stay with me. If one of the Lan siblings comes again, you'd be caught by him. If you have time, go visit Jin Zixuan and look at how idiotic he looks kneeling down.” he said 

Jiang Cheng was somewhat surprised, “The Lan siblings? Why did they come? They still dared to come see you?”

Wei Wuxian shrugged, “I also think that they should be praised for having the courage to come see me. They probably was told by their granduncle to come check if I was kneeling properly.”

Jiang Cheng instinctively felt a foreboding sensation, “Were you kneeling properly?”

Wei Wuxian smiled, “I was kneeling properly. After they were some distance away, I found a stick and started to dig in the dirt. The pile beside your foot. There's an ant hole there that I went through tons of trouble to find. When Lan Muxin turned his head, he probably saw that my shoulder was shaking, and he definitely thought that I was crying. They both even came back to ask me. You really should have seen their expression when they saw the ant hole.”

“...” Jiang Cheng spoke, “You should get lost and go back to Yunmeng as soon as possible! I don't think that they wants to see you ever again.”

And so, on that night, Wei Wuxian packed up his things and returned to Yunmeng with Jiang Fengmian.

Chapter Text

It was a month after Wei Wuxian left Cloud Recesses and go back to Yunmeng...

Before the Hanshi, two white figures stood by the hall. As a breeze swept by, their robes fluttered gently, yet they remained motionless.

Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji were standing.

Upside–down.

Neither of the two said a thing, as though they were already in a state of meditation. The only sounds that could be heard were the murmurs of water and the trills of birds. In contrast, their surroundings seemed even quieter.

A while later, Lan Wangji suddenly spoke up. “Brother.”

Lan Xichen calmly withdrew from his state of meditation, his eyes unwavering. “Yes?”

After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji asked, “Have you picked lotus seed pods before?”

Lan Xichen looked at him with brows raised, “... No.”

If a disciple of the Gusu Lan sect wanted to eat lotus seeds, of course they didn't have to pick seed pods by themselves. Lan Wangji tilted his head downward, “Brother, did you know?”

Lan Xichen glance at him, “Know what?” he asked.

“Lotus seed pods with their stems attached taste better than those without.” the younger replied.

Lan Xichen's eyes start to glint, “Oh? Now that would be something I have never heard of. Why do you ask, all of a sudden?”

Lan Wangji shook his head, “It is nothing. The time is up. The other hand.” he said. The two changed the hand with which they propped themselves up from the right to the left. The motion was extremely uniform, steady and soundless.

Lan Xichen was about to ask again when his eyes focused on something and he smiled, “Wangji, you have guests.”

At the edge of the wooden hallway, a black, furry rabbit slowly crept over. It clung to Lan Wangji's left hand, its pink nose sniffling. Lan Xichen smiled at the sight, “How did it find its way here?” he questioned. Lan Wangji stared at the rabbit and spoke to it, “Go back.”

And yet the rabbit didn't listen. It nipped an end of Lan Wangji's forehead ribbon and pulled with force, as though it wanted to drag Lan Wangji away just like that. Lan Xichen commented calmly, “Perhaps it wants you as company.”

The rabbit, unable to move him, hopped around the two in a fury. Lan Xichen was quite amused, “Is this the boisterous one?” he asked, Lan Wangji let out a sigh, “Too much so.”

Lan Xichen smiled, “There is no harm in being boisterous. It is lovely, after all. If i recall correctly, there should be two of them. The two are often together, are they not? Why has only one of them come? Does the other one prefer quietude as opposed to playing outside?”

Lan Wangji shook his head, “It will come.”

Just as expected, soon later, another rabbit with fur as white as snow hovered above the edge of the wooden hall.. The other rabbit had also come, in search for its companion. The two snowballs chased each other for a while. In the end, they found a spot, which was beside Lan Wangji's left hand, to cuddle together.

The rabbit snuggled against each other, forming quite an adorable scene even when seen upside-down. Lan Xichen smiled, “What are their names?”

Lan Wangji shook his head, either to say they had no names or simply refusing to say them out loud. Lan Xichen, however, added, “I heard you call them by their names last time.”

“...”

“They had lovely names.” Lan Xichen commented, sincerely. Lan Wangji switched his hand and Lan Xichen smiled, “The time is not up yet.” he reminded, in silence, Lan Wangji switched his hand back.

Thirty minutes later, their time was up and the training ended. The two returned to the Yashi, sitting quietly.

A servant presented them iced fruits to relieve the heats. The watermelon had been peeled. The pulp was cut into neat pieces and spread out in the jade plate, their translucent red appealing to the eyes. The two brothers sat kneeling on the mats. After they exchange a few quiet words, discussing about the Sect matter and politics, they finally began to eat.

Lan Xichen took a piece of watermelon. However, as he saw Lan Wangji stare at the plate without clear intention, he instinctively stopped. With no surprise, Lan Wangji spoke up, “Brother.” he called.

“What is it?”

“Have you have watermelon rind before?” he asked

“...” Lan Xichen fell silence, seem to taken back by the question, “Is watermelon rind edible?” he asked. After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji replied, “I heard it can be stir fried.”

Lan Xichen nods, “Perhaps it can.”

“I heard it tastes quite good.” he added

“I have never tried it.” the older Lan admitted.

“Neither have I” Lan Wangji said.

“Hm...” Lan Xichen hums, “Do you want someone to try to stir-fry some for you?” he offered. After some thought, Lan Wangji shook his head, his expression solemn.

Lan Xichen let out a sigh of relief. For some reason, he felt he didn't need to ask the question, ‘from whom did you hear this’

The next day, Lan Wangji went down the mountain alone.

It wasn't that he rarely went down the mountain, but instead that he rarely went to the cramped marketplace alone

People came and went everywhere. No matter within the sects or in mountainous hunting grounds, there wouldn't be so many people. Even during the crowded discussion conferences, there were a lot of people only in an organized way, rather than this kind of congested. It seemed as if there'd be no surprise if one stepped on another's foot or bumped into another's carriage.

Lan Wangji never liked to have body contact with others. Seeing this situation, he hesitated slightly, yet didn't stop entirely. Instead, he decided to ask someone the way. Even after a while, however, he couldn't find anyone to ask.

Only now did Lan Wangji realize that not only did he not want to approach others, others didn't want to approach him either.

He was truly too different, too pristine, as compared to the hustle of the marketplace. He was even carrying a sword on his hips. The vendors, farmers, and passerby rarely saw young masters such as him, all of them hurrying to avoid him. They either feared that he was an arrogant heir, scared they'd accidentally offend him, or feared his cold expression.

After all, even Lan Xichen had once joked that no life could remain unfrozen within six feet of Lan Wangji. Only the women, when passing Lan Wangji, wanted to look at him but didn't dare look too much. Pretending that they were busy, they faced down while peeking up. When he passed, they'd gather up and giggle behind his back.

Lan Wangji had been walking for a long time when he finally saw an old woman sweeping the ground before her house. He asked, “Excuse me. Where is the closest lotus lake from here?”

The woman didn't have excellent eyesight, and on top of that the dust blurred her eyes. She panted, unable to see him clearly, “Go two or three miles this way. One house has planted over an acre of lotus.” Lan Wangji nodded, “Thank you.”

The old woman spoke, “Young Master, the lake doesn't let anyone inside at night. If you want to go, you should hurry up and get there before dusk.”

“Thank you.” Lan Wangji repeated.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw the woman hold her thin bamboo pole high up in the air, unable to knock down a branch stuck under the roof. With a point of his finger, his sword energy struck the branch off, and he turned around to leave. Two or three miles wouldn't take long at his speed. Lan Wangji followed the direction that the woman showed him and didn't stop.

In half a mile, he'd left the market. Just a bit further, the buildings grew sparser, after more than a mile, all that was beside him had already turned into fields of green and criss-crossed paths. Only once in a while would he encounter a small, crooked cottage, emitting crooked wafts of smoke from its chimney.

A few grimey toddlers wearing high braids were squatting in the field, throwing mud at one another as they giggled. It was such an interesting scene that Lan Wangji paused to look, although he was discovered soon later. The toddlers were all young and shy, scrambling away in just a blink of the eye.

He finally took a step forward and continued to walk. When he was just a bit over halfway there, Lan Wangji felt something cool on his cheek. It was a strand of rain, sent over by the breeze. He looked at the sky. Sure enough, the gray, rolling clouds seemed as though they'd fall from the sky. He immediately walked faster, yet the rain came faster than him.

Suddenly, he saw half a dozen people standing by the field ahead of him.

The strands of rain had already turned into droplets. Yet, the people neither held umbrellas nor sought for shelter. They seemed as if they formed a circle around something, without no time to pay attention to anything else. Lan Wangji went over. He saw a farmer lying on the ground, moaning in pain.

After listening to just a few words, Lan Wangji understood what had happened. When the farmer was in the fields, an ox ran into him. Right now, he was unable to get up, having hurt either his back or his leg. The ox that committed the crime was chased to the far end of the field, swinging its tail and too afraid to approach. The owner of the ox ran to find a doctor, while the rest of the farmers didn't dare to move the wounded carelessly in fear that they'd dislocate his bones.

This was the only way they could take care of him. Unfortunately, it had begun to rain. It was just a bearable drizzle at first, but soon it became a storm.

As the rain grew heavier and heavier, one of the farmers dashed home in quest for an umbrella. His home was far, however, and he couldn't come back just yet. The rest of the group was anxious despite not being able to do a thing, blocking as much rain for the wounded farmer as possible. But nothing would come out of this, if this went on. Even if the umbrella arrived, there'd only be one. They couldn't simply cover up a few and leave out the others, could they?

One of them cursed under their breath, “Damn it, it's only been a minute and the rain is crashing down.”

At this point, another one of the farmers spoke up, “Let's prop up the shed over there. It'd hold up at least for a while.”

Not too far away, there was an old, abandoned shed, propped up by four pieces of wood. One of them was slanted, while another one had rotten after years of weathering. One farmer hesitated, “Aren't we supposed to move him?”

“A... a few steps should be fine.”

Everyone lending a hand, the farmers carefully carried the wounded man over. Two of them went to hold up the shed, yet even two farmers couldn't lift the roof. As the others urged them, they used all their strength, their faces flushed red, yet it still didn't budge an inch. Two more people came, but it still wouldn't move

The roof of the shed had a wooden frame and was covered in tiles, hay, and layers of dirt. It wasn't light, but it definitely wasn't so heavy that even four farmers who worked in the fields all year long couldn't lift.

Even before he approached, Lan Wangji knew what was going on. He walked to the shed, bent down, raised a corner of the roof, and lifted it up with a single hand.

The farmers were shocked speechless.

The young man single-handedly lifted the roof even four farmers couldn't!

A few moments later, one of the farmers whispered something to the others. With only some hesitation, they proceeded to carry the wounded man over. When they went inside the shed, all of them glanced at Lan Wangji who looked straight ahead.

After they let the person down, two people came over, “Y–... Young Master, let go of it. We can do it.” Lan Wangji shook his head. The two farmers insisted, “You're too young. You won't hold out.” as they spoke, they raised their hands, wanting to help him with the roof. Lan Wangji only glanced at him. He didn't say anything, only retracting some of the strength he exerted. At once, the farmers expressions changed.

Lan Wangji turned back around, letting his strength flow back. Embarrassed, the farmers went back to squatting. The wooden roof had proven to be heavier than they imagined. If the boy let go, they wouldn't be able to hold it up at all.

Someone shivered, “How strange. Why is it colder now that we're inside?” None of them could see that right now, hanging in the middle of the shed was a ragged figure, hair tangled and tongue stretched out. As wind and rain hit the shed from outside, the figure swung back and forth under the shed, carrying forth an eerie gust of wind.

It was this spirit that made the roof abnormally heavy, unable to be lifted by ordinary people no matter what.

Lan Wangji didn't bring the tools used to liberate spirits. Since the creature had no intent to harm others, of course he couldn't beat its soul apart without a care. As of the moment, it looked like he wouldn't be able to persuade it to let down its hanging corpse, either, so he could only prop up the roof for now. He'd report it afterward and sent people to deal with it.

The spirit swished back and forth behind Lan Wangji, blown here and there by the wind. It complained, “It's so cold...”

“...”

It looked around and found a farmer to lean on, likely in search for some warmth. The farmer suddenly shivered. Lan Wangji tilted his head slightly, giving it quite a stern, sideways look.

The spirit shivered as well, returning in misery. Still, it extended its tongue and complained, “Th–the rain is so heavy. And it's wide open like this... it's really so cold...”

“...”

Even until the doctor arrived, the farmers never gathered up the courage to talk to Lan Wangji. When thee rain stopped, they moved the wounded out of the shed. Lan Wangji laid the roof down and went away without saying anything.

When he arrived at the lake, it was already past dawn. He was just about to enter when a small boat came from the other side, a middle-aged woman on the boat spoke, “Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing here?”

“To pick lotus seed pods.” Lan Wangji replied.

The woman shook her head, “It's after dawn. We don't let anyone in when it's dark. Today is not gonna work. Come here some other time!”

Lan Wangji frown, “I will not stay for long. I only need a while.” but the woman insisted, “No means no. That's the rule. I don't make the rules here. You can go ask our owner.” Lan Wangji nods, “Where is the owner of the lake?”

“He went home long ago, so it's no use asking me. If i let you in, the owner of the lake wouldn't go easy on me, either. Don't make this so difficult for me.” the woman replied.

At this point, Lan Wangji didn't force her any longer. He nodded, “Apologies for the disturbance.” even though his expression was calm, everything about it gave off a sense of disappointment.

Seeing that even though his clothes were white, half was soaked by the rain and his boots were covered in mud as well, the woman softened her tone, “You came too late today. Come earlier tomorrow. Where are you from? The rain was so heavy earlier. Young man, you didn't run over here in the rain, did you? Why didn't you take an umbrella? How far is your home from here?”

“Ten and a half miles.” Lan Wangji replied honestly.

The woman choked as she heard it, “So far?! You took a long time getting here, didn't you? If you really want to eat lotus seed, you should go buy some in the streets. There are plenty.”

Lan Wangji was just about to turn around when he heard this and stopped, “The lotus seed pods sold on the streets do not have stems on them.” he said. The woman was amused, “Do they have to have stems on them? It's not like they taste any different.”

“They do.” Lan Wangji said.

“They don't!”

“They do. Somebody told me they do.” he insisted.

The woman broke into laughter, “Who in the world told you? What a stubborn Young Master you are. You must've been possessed by something!” Lan Wangji didn't say anything. Head hanging low, he turned around and began to walk back. The woman called again, “Is your home really that far?”

“Mn.” came a simple reply from the man.

The woman looked at him, “What if... what if you don't go home today? Settle down somewhere nearby and come back tomorrow?” Lan Wangji shook his head “There is curfew and I have to teach tomorrow.”

The woman scratched her head, as though she thought about it with quite some hesitation. In the end, she spoke, “...Fine, I'll let you in. Just a bit, just a little bit, alright? Hurry up if you're gonna pick lotus pods, in case someone sees you and tells on me to the owner. It'd be embarrassing to get scolded at my age.”

In the Cloud Recesses, after the rain...

The magnolia was especially fresh and delicate. Lan Xichen felt about of affection. He spread paper on his desk and painted by the window. Through the window's hollowed-out carvings, he could see a white figure approach slowly. Lan Xichen didn't put down his brush as he greeted, “Wangji.”

Lan Wangji walked over and called across the window, “Xiongzhang”

“I remember you mention lotus seed pods yesterday. Shufu happened to have them be brought up the mountain today. Do you want some?” he asked. Lan Wangji, outside the window, shook his head, “I have, already.” he replied.

Lan Xichen was somewhat confused, “You have, already?” the younger nods, “Mn.”

The brothers exchanged a few more words, and Lan Wangji returned to Jingshi. 

After he finished, Lan Xichen gazed at the painting for a while before he put it away and forgot about it. He took out Liebing and went to the location where he usually practiced Sounds of Lucidity.

Before the small cottage sprouted bushes of soft, violet gentians, their petals adorned dew like stars. Lan Xichen entered through the path, he looked up and paused.

On the wooden hallway before the cottage's doors was a vase of white jade. Inside the vase were lotus seed pods of varying heights. The jade vase was slender and the pod stems were slender as well. It was quite beautiful scene.

Lan Xichen put Liebing away and sat down before the vase. Tilting his head, he looked at it for a while, hesitating.

In the end, with much reservation, he chose not to take one secretly and peel it open to determine just what tasted different about lotus seed pods with their stems attached.

If Wangji looked so happy, they must be quite a delicacy indeed.

A week later... Lan Wangji depart from Gusu to go to Yunmeng.

Meanwhile... A month ago, right after Wei Wuxian left Cloud Recesses.

Yunmeng was abundant in lakes and its river path. Hundreds of people use its river path every day either as transportation for peoples or goods.

The Yunmeng Jiang sect's "Lotus Pier" is the residence of the prominent sect, it was built near a lake as well.

Starting from the end of Lotus Pier, after just a while of paddling, one would see a large lotus lake, more than a hundred miles in length. The wide, verdant leaves and the smooth, pink blossoms brushed shoulders against one another.

As a breeze blew over, the petals and the leaves swayed as if they nodded their heads. Amid the purity and grace, one could also feel a naive sense of clumsiness.

Unlike Cloud Recesses which exclusively for cultivators, and any servants in the area did their best to remain out of sight while the disciples were around, not many commoner will come and climb their mountain unless it's urgent. Unlike the Nightless City which only for clan members even their disciples are not allowed to freely enter. And unlike the Impure Realm which open for anyone but because of it's terrain filled with mountain rock, not many merchant or commoner go there.

Lotus Pier wasn't as other-worldly as other sects residence, shutting their doors and refusing to let commoners come within a boundary miles away. The docks right in front of Lotus Pier's entrance often bustled with vendors selling seed pods, water chestnuts and all kind of pastries. The market also filled with many kind of goods from faraway land.

Runny-nosed children from household nearby could also sneak into Lotus Pier's field to watch the cultivator practice their swords. They wouldn't be scolded even if they got caught, either. They could sometimes even play around with the Jiang's sect disciples.

Yunmeng Jiang is one of the only prominent sect closest to the common people, reflecting their rogue cultivator origins amicably and Lotus Pier is a beautiful explosion of color and people.

A lovely young woman wearing beautiful lavender robes walked towards the edge of the pier. As the breeze blew, the silver bell on her hips sway, the indication that she is part of the Jiang Clan. She is Jiang Yanli, the oldest child of Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan.

She stood on the edge of pier, stared at the distance, looking like waiting for someone. A seller who just finished transferring his harvest goods from the boat spotted her and immediately smiled. “Ah, Lady Jiang. How are you today? Do you want to try some fresh melon?” he offered, far more casual than any other sect would have allowed, but with an undeniable layer of respect, rather than fear.

Jiang Yanli turned at him and smiled, her gaze is gentle and her smile is sweet, “I would love it, but I'm currently waiting for someone.” she reject, softly. The seller smile didn't falter instead it's only widened, “No worries, no worries. I could just go and send some to Lotus Pier.”

The young woman smiled, “I appreciate your kindness.” she said. The farmer bowed before walked away.

Jiang Yanli turn to stare at the lake again, then after awhile, she spotted a boat with Jiang flag attached on it. As it got closer and closer, she could see a familiar figure in black and red waving enthusiastically at her, followed by a very familiar boisterous voice, “Shijie!”

Jiang Yanli brows raised in confusion, “A-xian?”

“Shijie! I’m back!” he shouted from his boat. As soon as the boat was close enough to the pier, Wei Wuxian jumped down and ran towards his senior martial sister. Jiang Yanli couldn't contain her happiness, she immediately smiled widely “Watch out. Be careful, A-xian.” she warned.

But, Wei Wuxian aren't slowing down. He sped past some sellers who just got down from their own boat, light as a feather despite the big item in his hand, and stopped right in front of her with a grin. “Shijie! I’ve missed you so much!” he exclaims.

Jiang Yanli giggled, “I thought it’d be one whole year? Why are you back so soon?” she asked with a smile. Wei Wuxian grin widened, “Because I... missed you so much!” he replied, cheerfully. She giggled again, “You sweet talker.”

“Oh, right,” he set down the luggage he was carrying. “It’s for you.” he opened the lid and on the inside, were five high-quality moon cakes. “For me?” she asked. “Mmhm!”

“Thank you, A-xian. I like it!”

Wei Wuxian giggled, “I'm glad you like it.” he said, “I really missed your lotus root soup with pork ribs” he adds. “I've already made some.” she told him

“Ah! Really? With sour and spicy lotus root stir-fry?”

“All prepared”

As the two conversing, another boat docked on the pier. Jiang Fengmian stepped off, giving a pleasant smile to the civilian sellers around him. Once again, the townspeople didn’t have even the slightest bit of fear in their eyes, instead their eyes filled with respect. “Zongzhu” one of the sellers greeted, Jiang Fengmian nods at him, as he walked another sellers greet him “Welcome back, Zongzhu.” Jiang Fengmian turned at him and nod.

“Did you make them really spicy?” Wei Wuxian asked, enthusiastically. Jiang Yanli smiled, “Spicy enough to make you cry.” she replied, flicking the younger man forehead. Then, she spotted Jiang Fengmian and bowed, “A-die” she greeted.

Jiang Fengmian smiled softly and asked, “Where is your mom?”

At the question, Jiang Yanli face immediately changed and turn into awkward and nervous. “At–” she paused, avert her gaze “The training ground.”

With wobbling knees and sweat pouring down their forehead, several Jiang disciples trembled under the scorching heat as they holding into the weight.

“Hold it!” a woman voice echoed through the drill ground. A purple clothed woman sitting on a chair in one of the building, watching the disciple.

The woman had creamy skin and was rather beautiful, though her delicate features displayed some fierceness. The corners of her lips lay between a frown and a smile– she was a natural at sneering, just like Jiang Cheng. Her flowing purple robes wrapped around her thin waist. Both of her face and her right hand, which rested on the hilt of her sword, were as cold as jade stone. A ring embellished with amethyst was worn on the index finger of her right hand.

“Yes... Yes! Madam Yu,” one the Jiang disciple exclaims. straightened his posture, held his head and arms up despite the heavy weights in his hands. A line of five Jiang disciples standing with their arms extended in front of them, heavy weights carried in each hand.

Madam Yu was Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng's mother, Yu Ziyuan.

Of course, she was Jiang Fengmian's wife, and used to cultivate with him as well. Naturally, she should be called Madam Jiang. But, for some reason, everyone had always called her Madam Yu. Some people guessed that it was because she didn't want to take on her husband's surname due to her assertive personality. On this matter, neither the husband nor the wife in question had ever argued either.

Madam Yu came from the prominent Meishan Yu sect. She was ranked third in her clan, so was also called Third Lady Yu. In the cultivation world, she went by the name "Violet Spider". Just bringing up the name could scare quite a few away.

Ever since she was young, she'd had a cold personality and never came off as likeable when conversing with others. Even after she married Jiang Fengmian, she had always been out of night-hunts, not overly fond of staying at the Jiang Sect's Lotus Pier.

On top of that, where she lived at Lotus Pier was different from where Jiang Fengmian did. She had her own area, where only she and a few of the family members she'd brought from the Yu sect lived. The two young women, Jinzhu and Yinzhu, were both her trusted maids, they never left her side.

“If you can’t deal with something this simple, what will you do with fierce spirits?!” Madam Yu demanded. “Do you want to die?!”

“Practice for two more hours!” she ordered, twisting Zidian on her finger as she speak. “You should focus on improving your skills, not fooling around! You’re just like that good-for-nothing Wei Wuxian!” she scoffed, “We sent him to Gusu to learn, and he still managed to cause trouble. Are you following his lead?!”

“A-Niang,” Jiang Yanli’s soft voice greeted. In an instant, her expression change, gone was the scowl, as she turned towards the voice. “A-Li” she said as Jiang Yanli bowed, her facial expression immediately turn softer. Then, when she noticed Wei Wuxian behind her daughter, the glare and the scowl returned.

“Madam Yu.” Wei Wuxian greeted with his usual cheerful tone but still performing a deep salute at her. Madam Yu scoffs lightly as she averted her gaze. Jiang Fengmian glance at the disciples and spoke, “San-niang. Haste makes waste. What level these children can reach is their own destiny and it depends on many factors. If you push them too hard, it won’t help.”

Listening to their Sect leader defending them, one of the disciples relaxed and lowering the weight. But as soon as he did it, Madam Yu turned to glare at him, the disciples yelped immediately lifted the weight again and fix his posture.

Madam Yu stood from her chair “You’re always defending them, that’s why they won’t achieve anything!” she barked, her glare then turned towards a certain disciples behind her daughter, “Especially Wei Wuxian,” she pointed out. “He always picks fights with others, and you had to clean up his mess.”

Hearing this, Wei Wuxian immediately wilt, averting his gaze and looking down with guilt. “I’ve never seen such impudence! Fighting with another heir like a barbarian!” she hissed.

Frowning, Jiang Fengmian looked at Wei Wuxian then turned towards Yu Ziyuan, his voice was latched with warning as he spoke, “San-niang.”

Yu Ziyuan left hand curled into a fist at the gesture Jiang Fengmian showed for Wei Wuxian. “What? Am I Wrong?” she said mockingly, start walking forward “He’s always messing around here, and now he has disgraced us in Gusu! He knew the relationship between Yunmeng Jiang and Lanling Jin. He also knew that A-Li and Zixuan’s are engaged, but he still fought with Zixuan!” she shouted.

Jiang Fengmian’s frown deepened, but he clearly realized the argument was not going anywhere, especially given that he had just ended his daughter’s engagement.

Jiang Yanli looked back and forth between her parents, as the wind picked up dangerously and the tension quickly grow thicker. As Jiang Fengmian keep silent and refuse to say anything or to agree with her, Madam Yu only grow angrier, her clenched fist is tightened even more.

Jiang Yanli immediately walked towards her mother and grab her tightened fist, “A-niang, don’t be angry.” she said softly, Yu Ziyuan demeanor immediately changed as she looked at her daughter who smiling at her, ”They say A-Cheng is doing well in Gusu. Even Lan Qiren praised him.” she said.

After listening to her daughter’s words, Madam Yu took a deep breath and fondly huffed, “That boy. At least he didn’t let us down.” she said then turned towards her maid, “Jinzhu, Yinzhu, let's go.”

Then, Yu Ziyuan walk away from the training ground accompanied by her two maids. Jiang Yanli bowed, “Take care, A-niang.” she said. Neither Jiang Fengmian nor Wei Wuxian had moved from where they stood, one lost in thought and the other uncharacteristically dejected. After a moment, Wei Wuxian shook his head and forced himself to smile again, he walk towards Jiang Yanli and spoke “Thank you, shijie.”

She turned at him and smiled, “The other disciples haven't seen you for a while. Go and say hello.” she said. Wei Wuxian looked at the panting and exhausted disciples, who instantly brightened upon seeing him. “Da–” one of them shout, before abruptly stop himself, glancing hesitantly at Jiang Fengmian. Wei Wuxian also turned to look at his sect leader, who only smiled deeper, silently giving permission.

Wei Wuxian brightened up again and ran towards his fellow martial brothers, jumping towards them and tackle them, sending all of them crashing to the ground in a giant mess of limbs. As the group got up from Wei Wuxian’s surprise attack, the latter wrapped his arms around them affectionately.

“Did you miss me?” he asked, patting one of them on the head. “Da-shixiong. Did they also do this to you in the Cloud Recesses?” one of them asked, Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue and stood up. “No, they made me copy books instead.” he said and start walking away, the disciples follow him like a ducklings “It's even worse than physical punishment.” he added

As he said it, his mind reeled back to Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng punishment in the Lan Sect's ancestral hall, he couldn't help but frown, it was really good thing that Lan Zhan agreed to kept the punishment secret. If Madam Yu ever find out about it, Wei Wuxian wouldn't even want to imagine how angry would she be. His body instinctively shivered at the thought of having to be Madam Yu punching bag again.

“Did you meet the famous Twin Lan? Are they really good?” one of them asked, ”How about Hanguang-Jun? Did you meet him?” another ask. The disciples keep bombarding him with questions. “Hm, the Lan siblings... they are good” he said, “Especially Lan Xingye, we're neck and neck.” the disciples make an awed sounds.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but smiled at the memory. It was after he finish his one month punishment with Lan Wangji, during the lecture there are some rare occasion where they were allowed to practice sword and have duel with other disciples. It was very rare chance to duel with disciples from other sect, so naturally Wei Wuxian was very excited.

Yet, it was even more exhilarating when it turned out Lan Wangji himself would take over the class since the usual teacher who responsible were out in night-hunts. When Lan Wangji came, Wei Wuxian couldn't hide his excitement and smiled widely, the taller man glance at him and his eyes immediately softened.

The five duel was between disciples that Wei Wuxian couldn't even remember their name, he was slowly felt boring until finally Jiang Cheng got his turn and his opponent was Lan Muxin. Sandu and Anxing were both beautiful and elegant sword, both were very well crafted. A glare of purple and blue filled the training ground as they both moved very fast, sending attack, one after another.

In terms of agility, Yunmeng Jiang sect has the upper hand as their sword style focused on agility. However, Gusu Lan sword style described as firm, as it very dense and left no room for the opponent to attack. When Jiang Cheng slowly worn off, Lan Muxin took the opportunity to strike, Sandu was manage to get ripped off the Jiang heir hand.

It was a really good duel, however, the Jiang heir will never felt satisfy if he didn't win. He didn't even bother to hide his scowl as he went to take Sandu that Lan Muxin has retrieve from the ground. Wei Wuxian who saw this could only sighed, he really wish Jiang Cheng would realize that winning is not everything.

When Jiang Cheng walked towards him, Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to say something but cut off when Lan Wangji called his name. It was his turn and he couldn't hide his excitement when he find out that Lan Xingye were his opponent.

“I would not holding back even if you're a girl.” he said, and Lan Xingye smirked, “Don't worry, i will make sure to hold back mine so I won't hurt you.” hearing this instead of feeling offended, Wei Wuxian grin only widened.

As Lan Wangji make a motion for them to start, both of them immediately leaped at the same time. As soon as Suibian and Rexin met, a powerful energy sweep through the training ground, make everyone speechless. Both disciples movement were too fast to follow with normal eyes, red and gold glare become a blurred light because how fast their movement is.

Lan Xingye attack was dense, strong and unyielding. Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian attack was fast, flexible and unrestrained. They keep exchanging attack after attack, then Lan Xingye saw an opportunity and thrust her sword, she manage to ripped Suibian from Wei Wuxian hand but the latter doesn't seems to be worried or nervous, instead he grinned.

As Suibian thrown to the air, he spin and send a powerful kick towards Lan Xingye hand, the Lan disciple were caught off guard because attacking with leg is not common thing to do in a duel between cultivator. With her being caught off guard, Wei Wuxian kick managed to ripped Rexin from Lan Xingye hands. As the sword clatter to the ground, Lan Xingye didn't have time to summon it as Wei Wuxian immediately have Suibian back to his hand and pointed it right at her neck.

It took a moment for the watchers to realize what was going on before cheers and shouts immediately erupted around the training ground. The unbeatable Lan Xingye just got defeated by the Jiang head disciple. The girl huffed as she took Rexin from Wei Wuxian who has retrieve it from the ground “Should've not holding back yourself.” he said

Lan Xingye rolled her eyes and muttered, “Shut up.” before giving half hearted bow and walked away with Lan Muxin. Her reaction was understandable as both of them know that Lan Xingye was not holding back and started to get serious mid fight.

Wei Wuxian chuckled at the memories. “Is something's wrong, Da-shixiong?” one of the disciples asked, Wei Wuxian shook his head, “It's nothing, just remembered something funny” he replied. “Tell us more about Hanguang-Jun then. Did you met him? What kind of person is he?” a disciples asked, “They say he can freeze people if they get too close. Is that true?”

Wei Wuxian laughed, “He’s a man, not a monster. He's also very nice and kind and funny.”

“Eh? Are you sure you aren't lying, Da-shixiong. All the rumour I heard about him is totally the opposite!” one of the disciples exclaims.

“Aiyah, do you believe the rumour more than your own Da-shixiong? Believe me, you guys would also like him if he visited here.” he said cheerfully.

“Do they really have 3,000 rules?”

“Yeah, it’s true. They even carve them into a huge rock.”

“And what about–”

As the disciples conversing with Wei Wuxian, Jiang Fengmian watched silently at his wife retreating figure.

It was nighttime. The moon shine beautifully on the night sky. Deep inside Lotus Pier, stood a gazebo surrounded by Lotus lake. One glowing red dragonfly appear and flying around the gazebo, soon followed by thousands of glowing red dragonfly, they flying around the gazebos creating an illusion of red mist.

Jiang Fengmian walk along the pier towards the lone gazebo. A familiar woman were sitting inside the gazebo drinking a cup of fine wine, it was none other than, Yu Ziyuan.

“San-niang,” Jiang Fengmian called, Yu Ziyuan turned to glare furiously at her husband. After a moment, she looked back to stare at the lake, “It's late, what are you doing here?” she asked calmly, it was unusual to hear her without shouting and yelling.

“I went to your room looking for you, but you were not there. Jinzhu said, I'd find you here.” he replied.

The tension slowly turn solemn, Yu Ziyuan still has her back facing her husband as she asked, “What's the matter?” silently, Jiang Fengmian took an intricate box from inside his robes, set it down on the table and pushing it towards her.

Yu Ziyuan turned her head to look at the box, lifted her hand and touch the box, softly moving her finger to feel the carved intricate before slid the lid open, revealing a very well beautifully carved jade hairpin. She looked at the hairpin with complicated expression then avert her gaze and spoke, “You know I don't care for jewelries.”

“The hairpin is of good and high quality,” Jiang Fengmian explained. “It was beautiful, so I bought it.” he adds.

Yu Ziyuan fell silent.

Jiang Fengmian took this as a hint and took a seat, his back facing her, it was a really interesting view as both husband and wife sitting with their back facing each other.

After a moment, Jiang Fengmian spoke, “San-niang. I went to Gusu to discussed A-Li engagement with Jin-zongzhu.”

“Zixuan’s mother and I arranged their marriage when they were little. Is there a problem?”

“Sect leader Jin and I have decided to call off this marriage.” hearing this, Yu Ziyuan's violet eyes widened. “What? Why would you do that?” she asked, “I thought the two children loved each other, but I was wrong. We shouldn’t force it.” he turned his head to look at his wife.

“A-Li has met Jin Zixuan several times. She obviously likes him.” she pointed out. “Did Zixuan say something rude?” Madam Yu demanded, when Jiang Fengmian didn't say anything, she stood up, already knowing the answer. “He’s too young to understand it now. A-Li is a great girl. Jin Zixuan will realize that after he gets to know her.” she said.

“Besides, his mother and I are good friends. Meishan Yu and the sect where Jin Zixuan's mother from, were allies for a very long time and we were grew up together. The Jin Clan will be our ally if the two children get married.” she explained.

“...Getting married means they’ll spend the rest of their lives together. If they don’t love each other... and were forced to be together just to further their families’ interest–.” he trailed off, 'they will not be happy' were left unsaid but Yu Ziyuan already know what he meant

“Just like us, right?” she said solemnly.

When the marriage between them had originally been proposed, the previous leader of the Jiang Sect was quite interested, but Jiang Fengmian had no such intentions. He didn’t like Yu Ziyuan’s cold personality and felt that they wouldn’t be a good match. He politely refused the marriage offer a couple times.

However, the Meishan Yu sect is one of prominent sect, they start putting pressure on Jiang Fengmian, who at the time was still fairly young and had no one to back him up once he took the mantle as the leader of the Jiang sect. In the end, he caved in to the pressure and marry Yu Ziyuan.

Although, the Jiang and Yu relation were strengthen because of it but it was still an arrange marriage formed from politics. When Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan agreed to live apart on different quarter, rumour start to circulate that the couple didn't love each other and that Jiang Fengmian was actually in love with another woman.

“San-niang, you know that’s not what I meant.” he said. Yu Ziyuan clenched her fist. “...Wei Ying, that little brat. He causes trouble wherever he goes.” she glared accusingly at Jiang Fengmian.

The Jiang sect leader was momentarily taken aback by the abrupt change in topic, before he sighed and turned away from her. “There you go again. Blaming A-Xian for everything.”

Yu Ziyuan slammed her hand on the table, “I shouldn't blame him?!” she shouted, “If he hadn't fought with Jin Zixuan, none of this would have happened!” she raised her voice, and then scoffs ”Ever since you brought him to Lotus Pier, you have always favored him over your own son!” she yelled. “If it was A-Cheng who made a scene, would you rush to Gusu like you did for that boy?” she asked, Jiang Fengmian hand that he put on his lap clenched into fist

“Never!” she shouted.

Couldn't take the childish hatred she bore towards his ward for no reason beside a pitiful jealousy, Jiang Fengmian stood up and spoke with raised voice, “San-niang!”

But, Yu Ziyuan's glare doesn't falter. “This time he got between A-Li and Jin Zixuan. Who knows what he’s capable of doing next time!” she said before scoffed, “But it's alright. Because you will always be there, clearing up the mess after him!” she exclaims before walked past Jiang Fengmian and back to her compound.

Unbeknownst to the two adults, a certain teenager with black and red robe stood under a tree, not far from the gazebo, his figure was shadowed further by the branches of a tree. Wei Wuxian was unable to sleep like usual, so he raised from his bed and planned to drink some wine until sun rise.

But, before he could go and buy some wine, he caught Jiang Fengmian figure walking along the pier towards the lone gazebo, curiously he followed him and spying from far away. He was ready to leave when he saw Madam Yu was also in the gazebo. Feeling that eavesdropping the conversation between the two would be really inappropriate.

As he was about to leave, that's when he heard Jiang Fengmian bringing up Jiang Yanli. Feeling confused, he decided to stay and listen more, that was when he found out just how far the consequences of his action.

He broke Jiang Yanli engagement. One of the thing that makes his shijie happy and something she always looks forward.

He staring across the lake at Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian as the former angrily stormed off. His expression was hidden by the shadow of the tree. After some hesitation, Wei Wuxian began making his way back to Lotus Pier. In his mind, Madam Yu’s words and warning rang out like an echo.

‘This time he got between A-Li and Zixuan. Who knows what he’s capable of doing next time.’

He stared down at the wooden floor gloomily and dejected. “Shijie.” he whispered.

As he keep walking through the hallway, he spot a lone figure sitting on the courtyard. The figure has their back facing him but the familiar lavender robe is enough to tell him who the figure is. It was Jiang Yanli sitting alone, under the moonlight, with a set of tea in front of her.

Wei Wuxian looked down, he moved his foot forward to step on the courtyard, only to pause, then put it back. He stared down melancholy, even if he walked to her, he had no idea what he should say.

“A-Xian, is it you?” Wei Wuxian flinched, everything in him scream for him to just turn and run away but knowing that Jiang Yanli didn't deserve to receive such a rude treatment, he had no choice but to approach her. He slowly walked towards her, head still hung low.

Jiang Yanli pour them both a cup of tea, “S–sorry, Shijie. I...” he couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence. Jiang Yanli shook her head, “Silly A-Xian. It’s not your fault.” she said, gently. “But... I made you sad.” he whispered. At that, the girl looked up and smiled at him, her eyes still hold the kindness, there's no enmity or hatred in it.

“A-Xian, sit down first.” Wei Wuxian comply and took a seat beside her.

“Ever since i was little, A-niang has told me that Jin Zixuan, the young master from Lanling Jin would be my future husband. I've only met him a few times, but a man full of charisma like him is hard not to like.” she explained, Wei Wuxian lowered his head.

“But, when I really thought about it. I realized... I didn't like Jin-gongzi that much.” Wei Wuxian looked up in surprise. “Surely, I could spend my life with Jin-gongzi, but if we don't love each other...” she trailed off, her mind reeled back to all the arguments her parents had.

“Shijie...”

She glance at him, and seeing Wei Wuxian’s concerned expression, she couldn't help but giggled, “Well, he must have said something unpleasant about me, right?”

Caught red handed, Wei Wuxian averted his gaze and denied, “He didn’t. I just... don’t like him.” Jiang Yanli laughed and held out a cup, “You can’t fool me. We grew up together, I know you too well. You don’t hit people just because you don’t like them.” Wei Wuxian scratched his head in embarrassment.

Jiang Yanli stood, “A-Xian. It is not your fault.” she said, firmly. She looked up to the moon and smiled, “Jin-gongzi is great, yet I'm willing to wait for a man who truly loves me. Someone who I can spend the rest of my life with.”

After pausing for a moment, Wei Wuxian looked up and declared, “Shijie, Jin Zixuan is not good enough for you. He’s spoiled and vain. You deserve someone better than him!”

Back in the Cloud Recesses, inside a certain Jin heir room, Jin Zixuan abruptly sneezed.

Then, one month passed with Wei Wuxian tried as hard as he could to avoid Madam Yu. Life going back to normal minus Jiang Cheng who still study in Gusu.

Wei Wuxian smiled widely as he put Suibian on his hips. He turned around to the group of five Jiang disciples behind him, “Are you guys ready?” he asked, receiving a collectively nods from the disciples. “Where are we going, Da-shixiong?” one of the disciples asked.

“Dafan mountain.” he replied

“What kind of monster are we gonna fight?” one of them asked. “According to the reports, it seems like some people has their soul stolen from the village on the foot mountain by whatever monster haunting this mountain. It sounds dangerous so, if you're separate from the other, make sure to just runaway if you came face to face with the monster instead of trying to fight it.”

This one of Wei Wuxian favorite activity. Night-hunts. A lot of refined cultivation clans called travelling to places and exorcising evil beings as "hunting." Because of how these creatures often appear at night, it was also called "Night hunting." There were countless cultivation clans, but only a few were distinguished. Without the contribution from its ancestors, if an average clan wanted to become famous and receive respect in the cultivation world, it would have to show its abilities. Only if a clan captured a fierce monster or a terrorizing being, could it have then been treated seriously.

It took them couple days to arrive at Dafan mountain. Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, Wei Wuxian finally realized that the "fan" in Dafan wasn't the one he thought it was. It got its name because, looking from far away, the mountain looked like a kind, chubby buddha. There was a small town below the mountain, named Buddha's feet.

The number of cultivators who gathered here were far more than what he had expected. Everything was a jumble, with people from different sects and clans walking down the streets, all in uniforms of different colors, almost blinding to the eye. For some reason, all of them wore distressed expression.

Upon seeing Wei Wuxian group, they immediately halted from their activity and began to whisper with each other. Of course, even with the amount of cultivators from different sects and clans gathered, even with all the different colors of uniform, those who came from prominent sect especially the five great sects will always stole the spotlight.

Their beautiful purple robes and silver bell on their hips, is enough indication that they are a part of one of the great five sects, the Yunmeng Jiang sects.

In the center of the long street, a group of cultivators gathered, talking in serious tones. It seemed as if their opinion differed greatly. Even from afar, Wei Wuxian could hear them talking. In the beginning, everything was fine, but they suddenly become agitated. 

“...I think that there are no soul-consuming beasts or spirits in the area at all.” one of the spoke

“If there isn't, then how did the seven people lose their souls? They couldn't have all attained the same disease, could they? I, for one, haven't heard of this disease at all!”

Wei Wuxian hummed thoughtfully, creatures that ate blood and flesh were usually low in level, such as walking corpses. Only the more refined high-level monsters or ghosts were capable of eating and digesting souls. This one ate seven at once– no wonder so many clans had gathered here. Since the prey was by no means a trivial matter.

He turned at one of the disciples that came with him, “Lifen, you and Baiyue, go and book an inn for us to stay. The rest of you, go in a group of two and find some information, we will gather here again at dinner.” he ordered. The disciples bowed before scattered, Wei Wuxian turned around and start walking along the streets.

His mind couldn't help but start to think of Lan Zhan. When he leave Gusu, he didn't bother to find Lan Zhan to say goodbye, he also hasn't wrote any letter to him. He know he could do it and he also know the older man would definitely replied to him. But still, Wei Wuxian think it wasn't necessary for him to write letter since he wasn't Gusu Lan guest disciples anymore, he isn't Lan Zhan favorite disciples anymore.

At the thought, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but feel saddened. Suddenly, someone bumped into his back. He turned around to see a girl. Although she bumped into him, she didn't acknowledge him at all. Her eyes were dull and she had a smile on her face, staring into the distance without blinking.

Wei Wuxian followed her gaze, and saw the dense mountaintop of Dafan Mountain.

All of sudden, the girl started dancing in front of him without saying anything.

The dance was wild, with her arms flinging about savagely. Wei Wuxian was watching the performance with keen pleasure when a woman ran over, lifting her dress slightly. She embraced the girl and cried, “A-yan, let's go back, let's go back!”

However, the girl, A-Yan brushed her off with force, her smile still unfaded, creating a terrifying sort of affection, and continued to dance. The woman had to chase her down the street, sobbing while running. A street vendor on the side spoke, “How awful. A-Yan from Blacksmith Zheng's family has escaped again.”

“It must be horrible for her mom. A-Yan, A-Yan's husband, and her husband... All of them were...”

Wei Wuxian wandered around, piecing together the strange event that happened here from picking up on different people's conversation.

On Dafan Mountain, there was a burial ground. Most of the ancestors of the townspeople from Buddha's Feet were buried here and, sometimes, unidentifiable corpses would also receive a spot and a wooden plaque here. A few months ago, in a dark and stormy night, the wind and the rain caused a piece of land on Dafan Mountain to slide and collapse, which happened to be the burial ground.

Many older graves were destroyed, and a few coffins were exposed to the air and struck by lightning, causing both the corpses and the coffins to be charred black.

The townspeople of Buddha's Feet were extremely uneasy. After a few rounds of prayers, they rebuilt the burial ground again, assuming that everything would be just fine. However, ever since then, people in town started to lose their souls.

The first one was a sluggard. He was a poor wretch, loafing about and doing no work at all. Because he love to hike on the mountain and catch birds, he happened to be stuck in the mountain during the night of the landslide. He was frightened to death, but luckily, he was safe. The peculiar thing was that, after a few days, he suddenly married someone. His wedding was quite large, and he said that he wanted to be charitable from now on and settle down.

On the night of the wedding, he was completely drunken, having never woken up ever since he lay on the bed. The bride didn't receive an answer as she called him. Only when she pushed him over did she realize that the groom had dreary eyes and a cold body. Aside from being able to breath, he was no different from a dead person. After a few days of lying on the bed, not eating or drinking anything, he was finally buried. Unfortunately, the bride had become a widow shortly after she married.

The second one was A-Yan, from Blacksmith Zheng's family. The young girl had just received an engagement when her future husband was killed by a wolf on the second day, while he was hunting in the mountains. After she got the news, she also become like the sluggard. Luckily, after some time, her soul-losing disease was cured on its own. However, after this, she went crazy, cheerfully dancing to other people when she was outside.

The third one was A-Yan's father, Blacksmith Zheng. Until now, this has happened to seven people.

“It's most likely a soul-consuming spirit, not a soul-consuming beast.” Jiang Lifen concluded during their dinner, the other disciples nods in agreement. “You're right, Lifen. I also think the same.” Wei Wuxian said, grinning widely. “Although only one word was different between the two, they were completely different beings. Why is that?” he asked.

“A spirit was a ghost, while a beast was a monster.” Jiang Baiyue answered.

“It was likely that the landslide had destroyed an ancient tomb, and, with lightning splitting the coffin open, a resting spirit had been let out.” he explained. “If we looked at the type of coffin and the presence of any seals on it, he could figure out whether or not this was the case. However, the townsfolk of Buddha's Feet had already buried the charred coffins somewhere else and laid the corpse to rest again, which meant that there wouldn't be a great deal of evidence left.” he adds.

“Then, is there nothing we could do?” the oldest between them, Jiang Fengye asked.

“That's not true, we could try to go up the mountain and see what we could get.” he said

After dinner, Wei Wuxian and the other five Jiang disciples walked up to Dafan Mountain, hike up trail that started in the town. If it was darker, then one would need a torch to move freely around in the mountain's forest. The group walked for a while, but they didn't meet many cultivators.

“There's no one here.” Jiang Fengye noted.

Jiang Lifen huffed, “It's possible that half of the clans who came here in Buddha's Feet arguing and talking emoty words, while the other half could only come back defeated.” she said

“Like the group of people who just passed by?” Jiang Baiyue asked, Jiang Lifen nods.

Suddenly, cries for help came from in front of them.

“Is anyone there?”

“Help us!”

Both male and female voices could be heard, and all sounded panicked, probably not faked. Cries for help from desolate mountains were usually the works of evil creatures, to lure ignorant people into traps. He directed the disciples towards the direction of the voices, but couldn't find anything around him. As he looked upward, instead of spirits or monsters, it was the rural clan that he met in the town, hung on the trees, by a huge golden web.

The middle-aged man was originally patrolling and scouting in the forest with a few others. However, rather than meeting the prey that they had hoped for, they stepped into a net trap, probably set up by some wealthy clan, which was why they were hanging on trees, complaining and calling for help.

Although, the threads of the deity-binding net were thin, the material was fine in quality, making them difficult to break. No matter human, god, demon, spirit, or monster, it would take a long while for the intruder to struggle out since it could only be broken by a superior magical tool.

Wei Wuxian was about to unsheathed Suibian when the crisp sounds of parting branches and stepping on leaves approached. A group of disciples wearing a light-colored robe, emerged from within the dark forest, they are disciples of Lanling Jin sects.

One of the disciples had a vermilion mark in between his eyebrows, he has a large build, a good physique, and a darker skin complexion. He looked around the same age as Jin Zixuan. The embroidery on his clothes was extremely delicate, forming a magnificent white peony in front of his chest. The golden threads glistened against the dark nighttime shades surrounding him.

“How wealthy!” Wei Wuxian silently exclaims.

The one in the middle must be from the Jin clan. Lanling Jin is the only sect with a white peony as the clan pattern, using the king of all flowers to suggest that they were the king of all cultivators. The vermilion mark implied the meaning of "opening the doors toward wisdom and aspiration, illuminating the world with the vermilion light."

Wei Wuxian sneered under his breath, “Truly a bunch of peacocks.”

The young master already has his word unsheathed, when he realized that the deity-binding nets only caught humans. He scowled in annoyance, “I find you idiots every single time. There are more than four hundred deity-binding nets in the mountain, but you guys have already broken ten or so, and i haven't even seen the prey yet!” he shouted.

“How wealthy!” Wei Wuxian thought, again.

A single deity-binding net was already expensive, yet this group of Lanling Jin had set up four hundred all at once. A smaller clan would've become bankrupt after buying so many, but then, of course, this was Lanling Jin sect. Well, although, Yunmeng Jiang sect could also buy the same amount without draining even one four of their wealth.

However, wasting deity-binding nets like this and not caring about what they caught shouldn't be considered night-hunting at all. In fact, it was almost as if they were chasing people away, not allowing others the chance of contributing to the process. It seemed that the cultivator who retreated earlier didn't do it because the prey was difficult, but rather because this sect was one that shouldn't be mess with, as it one of the five prominent sects.

The middle-aged man spoke with tolerance, “Please, Young Master, do us small favor and let us down.”

The Young Master smirked, “You guys should just stay here, in case you mess around and get in my way again! I'll let you down after I catch the spirit-consuming beast, that is, if I still remember you.”

If they really stayed on the trees for the whole night and happened to bump into the creature that haunted Dafan Mountain, being unable to move, all they could do would be wait for their souls to be sucked dry.

In a swift motion, Wei Wuxian move his fingers, Suibian fly out of its scabbard and slice into the nets. Allowing all the people to fell to the ground. The Young Master seemed to be shocked, “Who is that?!” he shouted.

Wei Wuxian walked out from the shadow. After a second, the shock turn into disdain. His mouth twitched, “So it's you, Wei Wuxian.”

The Jiang head disciple blinked, staring at him, “Who are you?” he asked earnestly.

The Young Master paused in surprise before fuming, “You don't know who I am?!” he hollered.

Having heard the commotion, the other Jiang disciples immediately rushed towards the voice. “Da-shixiong!” they called, however, Wei Wuxian ignored them, instead he looked at the Young Master in amused, “Why should I know who you are?” he asked.

Jiang Lifen looked towards the Young Master before leaned closer to Wei Wuxian and whispered, “That was Jin Zixun. Jin Guangshan's nephew and Jin Zixuan's cousin.” she explained.

Jin Guangshan was the current leader of the Lanling Jin Sect. On the topic of this man, one sentence could not tell the whole story. He had a fierce wife from a prominent family and, in fact, he was known for being scared of her. However, even if he was scared, it never stopped him from going to other women. No matter how fierce Madam Jin was, it was impossible for her to follow him twenty-four hours a day.

Therefore, from ladies of distinguished statuses to prostitutes in rural areas, if he could get his hands on one, he wouldn't miss the chance. And, although he enjoyed casual relationships and flirted everywhere, having an uncountable amount of illegitimate children, it was extremely easy for him to get bored. After he grew tired of a woman, he would forget about her completely, without any responsibility or whatsoever.

There's even a rumour saying he was one of the Young Master who fell in love with Cangse Sanren but he got rejected coldly in front of a lot people.

And, Cangse Sanren wasn't the only one. Because couple years later, Jin Guangshan proposed again to none other than, Lan Yuen. The much younger women, scolded her for being shameless and rejected him in front of everyone.

“Ah... so it is just another peacock.” Wei Wuxian said, mused.

As the fourth ranked in gentleman list, Wei Wuxian has been a known figure in cultivation world. Not only because his handsome and stunning appearance but also because his astonishing cultivation. Although he started late, he able to catch up with his peers really fast, forming golden core in just a year and at tender age of fourteen, he was able to become Yunmeng Jiang sect head disciple. A position that only some could dreamed of even if they part of prominent sect.

Some people argue that it was because Jiang Fengmian biased but for some people who has watched him fighting in night-hunt, they all could confirm that indeed Wei Wuxian was rare flower among the rarest. He and his sword was known for their agility, their speed was second to none. Some people even claim Wei Wuxian's sword could cut ten walking corpses before you could even see it unsheathed, showed just how fast of a sword it was.

Jin Zixun has heard a lot of things about him, has heard a lot of rumour and accomplishment of him.

Now, in front of his face, Wei Wuxian was asking who he was, stirring up a strange of indignation within him– he knew Wei Wuxian, yet Wei Wuxian didn't know him and even dared to ask who he was in front of everyone. It was as if this had caused him to lose much face. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he felt.

Jiang Baiyue spoke, “Jin-gongzi, night-hunts have always been fair competitions amongst the different clans and sects. However, to set up nets all over Dafan Mountain is clearly hindering the cultivators, causing them to fall into the traps. Is this or is this not against the rules of night-hunting?”

Jin Zixun scoffed, “What can I do? It was their own fault for stepping into the traps.”

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. “Let's just go. We're wasting our time here.” he said.

Hearing this, Jin Zixun pride was wounded even more. He snarled before unsheathed his sword and leaped towards Wei Wuxian. The Jiang head disciple was ready to block the attack, when suddenly, the blue glare of a sword slashed out like lightning. It collided with Jin Zixun's sword, breaking the sword's golden ray in an instant. 

It wasn't because of the quality of the swords, but rather the great disparity in the strengths of the person using the swords. Wei Wuxian was caught off guard, he originally had calculated the timing, but his movements were suddenly interrupted by the sword's glare, causing him to trip.

However, before he could make contact with the ground. A pair of strong and much bigger hand, caught him. After pausing for a moment, he opened his eyes and the first thing he saw is a pair of snow-white boots, he slowly lifted his head.

What first came into his sight was a long, slender blade, crystalline and translucent, as if it was made of ice.

In the cultivation world, this sword was one of the most famous ones. The hilt of the sword was forged from pure silver that had been refined with secret techniques. The blade of the sword was extremely thin, almost transparent, sending forth the cold breaths of ice and snow. However, at the same time, it could cut through iron like cutting through mud. This was why, although the sword looked light, as if it could fly away any instant, it was actually quite heavy, unable to be wielded by an average person.

It name was "Bichen."

Chapter Text

The blade turned, and the clank of the sword being inserted back into the scabbard sounded so near.

Wei Wuxian looked higher and then he could see it.

He had an aura of smooth moonlight. The seven-stringed zither that he carried on his back was narrower than most. Its body was black, made using wood of soft color.

The man wore a forehead ribbon with cloud patterns. His skin was pale, features both refined and elegant, as if he was a piece of polished jade. The color of his eyes was especially light, like they were made of colored glass, causing his gaze to be overly distant. His expression held the traces of frost and snow, stern to the degree of being stiff but upon meeting Wei Wuxian own silver eyes, the golden orbs immediately softened.

As Wei Wuxian balanced himself, he looked up at the taller man and couldn't help but awed.

There wasn't a single spec of dust or wrinkled spot on him, from his head to his feet. It was impossible to find any fault with his appearance. Even so, two capitalized words jumped into Wei Wuxian's mind.

Mourning clothes!

Mourning clothes, indeed. Although all of the clans in the cultivation world used extravagant words to describe the Gusu Lan sect's uniform as the best-looking uniform and Lan Wangji as an incomparable beauty who only appeared once in a blue moon, nothing could help the bitter facial expression that made him look as though his wife has passed away.

Powerful cultivators from prominent clans usually didn't care to pay attention to lower level preys. However, Lan Wangji was an exception. He never cared for the prey of a night-hunt, and wouldn't refuse to go just because the creature was not threatening enough to increase his fame.

If anyone wanted help, he would be there. He had been like this ever since he was young. "Being wherever the chaos is" was the comment that the public gave him for his night-hunts and, also, praise for his moral character.

“Hanguang-Jun, you sure live up to your reputation of 'being wherever the chaos is'. You even had time to come to this remote area today?” Jin Zixun sneered. “I would've walked away from Wei Wuxian if I were you. Little advice for you, Hanguang-Jun hanging around with that son of servant will not only taint your reputation, but also bringing a bad luck. Did you know, because of this ungrateful servant, his mistress Jiang Yanli, engagement is broken and–” Jin Zixun was rambled when he suddenly stopped, his mouth clamped shut as if it's glued together.

The silence spell was used by the Lan sect to reprimand its disciples. Although it wasn't anything too complicated or obscure, only people of the Lan Clan could release the spell. If one wanted to forcibly speak, it would result in either their lips being ripped bloody or a hoarse throat for a couple of days. The only solution was to stay silent and reflect upon the wrongdoings until the time limit of the punishment was over.

However, Jin Zixun has no such patience. He keep flailing his arms, pointing at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji while keep trying to speak, Wei Wuxian who started to get annoyed, spoke up with the politest voice he could manage, “Jin-gongzi, there is no need for anger. As long as you don't break the spell forcefully, it would release on its own, after thirty minutes.”

At first, Jin Zixun face become relaxed when he heard that the spell will released on its own but when he heard the last part, the vein in his face appeared once again.

“Jin-gongzi!” one of the Lanling Jin disciple ran towards them from within the forest. However, after seeing Lan Wangji's presence, he hesitated. Jin Zixun glared at him. As if telling him to hurried with what he's gonna say. The disciple was confused but taking the hint, he spoke in low voice “Not a long ago, a blue sword flew over and destroyed the deity-binding nets that you had set up.”

Jin Zixun glanced at Lan Wangji harshly, his displease plastered all over his face, “How many were broken?” one of the Jin disciple who stood beside Jin Zixun asked. “...All of them...” the disciple replied, carefully.

That's more than four hundred!

Jin Zixun seethed with anger.

He didn't expect this journey to be this unlucky. Originally, Jin Zixun was planning this night-hunts for himself. He was already of age which he should be making his debut in cultivation world, competing with other disciples of other clans, such as the famous Twin Lan of Gusu Lan sect, Lan Xingye and Lan Muxin, or like his cousin, Jin Zixuan, who debuted as top three gentleman in their generations.

That's why, after a careful consideration he choose Dafan Mountain as the location of the hunt. He also set up nets everywhere and threatened the cultivators of other clans, showing them the consequences so that they would retreat. He did it all in order to take the top prize without anyone fighting against him.

Although four hundred deity-binding nets were a whooping price, it wasn't too much for the Lanling Jin Sect. Nonetheless, losing the nets were a small matter, but losing face was not. With Lan Wangji's action and Wei Wuxian's cocky attitude, Jin Zixun felt a whirlpool of anger at the bottom of his heart, rising higher every second.

However, after awhile, Jin Zixun compelled himself to restraint his hostility.

Although he was displeased, as the member of Jin Clan, he needed to take more things into consideration, which meant that he couldn't be impulsive. Among the five great sects, the Qinghe Nie sect and the Gusu Lan sect were quite close due to the personal relationship between the two leaders. After the broken of Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli's engagement, Lanling Jin sect were no longer had a relation with Yunmeng Jiang sect. And judging by how close Hanguang-Jun with that Wei Wuxian, then Lanling Jin sect were the only sect with no relation with other great sect.

Not to mention, Hanguang-Jun or Lan Wangji, was quite prestigious cultivator, some people even say his cultivation could par with the Chief Cultivator, Wen Ruohan, himself! His elder brother Zewu-Jun or Lan Xichen is the leader of the Gusu Lan Sect. The two brothers had always been on good terms with each other. It was best to not openly dispute with Lan Wangji. It seemed Lan Wangji is determined to take part in this matter, so it wouldn't help if he continued to play the antagonist. With that in mind, Jin Zixun huffed and make motion for the Jin disciples to follow him as he walked away.

“Jin-gongzi, the Yunmeng Jiang sect will return the exact number of deity-binding nets that had been destroyed.” Jiang Fengye called, Jin Zixun made a sound that seemed as if he scream “No need!”

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes, “Truly a bunch of peacock.” he commented. His attention then turned toward the taller man who have been staring at him, he grinned widely, “Hanguang-Jun. What a coincidence, we met again.”

“Mn.” came a simple reply, but it was enough to make Wei Wuxian day better.

“What are you doing in Dafan Mountain?” he asked, vaguely he could see from the corner of his eyes, all the Jiang disciples looked at him as if he just grown another head. Their reaction was understandable, this was Hanguang-Jun after all, someone who was known to be cold and able to freeze people if they get too close to him.

“I was passing by when I heard about the soul-consuming spirit.” replied the taller man, Wei Wuxian chuckled, “As expected from Hanguang-Jun always going wherever the chaos is.” he praised, “You were saying you're just passing by, where were you going?” he asked.

“Yunmeng.”

Wei Wuxian blinked, “What?” he asked, dumbfoundedly.

“I want to visit Wei Ying in Lotus Pier.”

Wei Wuxian's brain short-circuited, he stared blankly at the older man. Lan Zhan was going to Lotus Pier to visit him. When the gear in his brain finally work, his face immediately flushed red like tomato. He cleared his throat then turned toward the Jiang disciples. “Now that the mountain is not filled with deity-binding, you guys can split into two groups and investigate the area” he ordered.

The disciples nods before bowed toward Lan Wangji, they didn't say anything nor question anything. How did their Da-shixiong able to be so close and act intimately even as far as calling each other with birth name, especially with someone like Hanguang-Jun, the answer is simple, because it's their Da-shixiong. If someone has the ability to melt even the most stoic jaded person and befriend them, it will be their Da-shixiong. If the sun has incarnation then it will be their Da-shixiong. Because their Da-shixiong is as bright and dazzling as the Sun. It was as simple as that, so they didn't say anything more before splitting into two groups and start investigate the area.

After watching the disciples scatter, Wei Wuxian turned around and lightly hit the older man in the forearm, “I can't believe you just did that and in front of my juniors! Lan Zhan, you're getting better at teasing people now.” Lan Wangji nods, “I learn from the best.” he replied, with a hint of amusement. Wei Wuxian whined, “Stop teasing me, I still need to save some face in front of my juniors.”

Lan Wangji nods, “Mn.”

Wei Wuxian was convinced that the older man didn't mean it, but he decide not to talk about it further, he doesn't want to end up getting teased again somehow, “Do you have inn booked in the Buddha's Feet?” Wei Wuxian asked, the taller man nods. “That's great” he exclaims 

After a while, the young disciple start to fidgeting nervously, “Um... since you planned to go to Lotus Pier. How about we go together? After the night-hunts over, of course. I mean you can always leave first, I was just wondering if you want to travel together? It's better to travel together than alone, you know. Less silence and less boredom. I know you're don't like socializing and crowds and noise, but it's still better than going alone. Of course it was just a mere suggestions, i'm not trying to force you at all.” he rambled.

“Mn. I would love to travel with Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji replied.

Wei Wuxian face brighten, “Great. Then, um... you should wait on the town. I'll take care of this night-hunts, can't have Hanguang-Jun to do it, it'll be too easy for someone as great as him.” he teased, Lan Wangji shook his head, “Ridiculous.” the younger man burst out laughing, he really missed spending time with Lan Zhan. “I will wait down on the town, if anything happen, send a flare and I will come.” he said. Wei Wuxian smiled, “Hm, would you?” he asked, teasingly.

Lan Wangji nods, “Will always come for Wei Ying” he said in serious and earnest tone. Wei Wuxian immediately flushed as red as tomato, he pushed the older man “Yeah yeah, stop teasing me, I still have night-hunts to finish.” he said and then, both of them parted.

After walking for some time, Wei Wuxian fished out a talisman from his sleeve. As soon as he pulled it out, a ball of fire appeared in his hand.

The burning item was as gloom-burning talisman, one of his invention, which, like its name, used dark-energy as fuel. It's not like Wei Wuxian has been tinkering around resentful energy, it's just he purposely made some of his invention to be more sensitive towards resentful energy. Just like the compasses of evil and spirit-luring flag.

This gloom-burning talisman would burn automatically if it made contact with dark or resentful energy. The more energy there was, the stronger the flame was. It lit up as soon as it was taken out, meaning that there was a spirit nor far away from Wei Wuxian.

Seeing the light of the fire, Wei Wuxian held it to detect the spirit's direction, watching attentively. When he turned to the east, the fire weakened. When he turned to the west, the fire suddenly intensified. He walked a few steps toward the direction, and saw a white, stooping figure appear under a tree.

The talisman had finished burning, and the ashes fell from his fingertips. An old man was sitting with his back to him, speaking in faint murmurs. Wei Wuxian slowly approached. The words that the old man murmured become clear.

“It hurts, it hurts.”

Wei Wuxian spoke softly, “Where does it hurt?” he asked.

“Head. My head.” the old man replied, pointing at his forehead.

Wei Wuxian nods, “Let me take a look at it.”

He walked a few steps to the side of the old man, and saw a bloodied, large hole on his forehead. Without feeling slightly surprised or scared, Wei Wuxian hums, this was a ghost, probably killed with a weapon which was smashed onto his head. He was dressed in a burial robe made with fine material and craftsmanship, meaning that he had already been en-conffined and buried properly. This wasn't the soul that a living human had lost.

However, ghosts like this shouldn't have appeared on Dafan Mountain.

Wei Wuxian could not find an explanation to this implausible scenario. Feeling quite worried, he immediately run toward where the other Jiang disciples go.

Around the area of the ancient tombs, there were a lot of cultivators who wandered around, in hope of a hare crashing into the tree trunk. Wei Wuxian scanned around, the people carried handmade bamboo baskets, and wore cotton clothes and straw sandals, emitting the rustic airs of rural villagers. In the group, there was a young girl with a round face that could be considered delicate.

Wei Wuxian realized that this was the people that got trapped in the deity-binding nets earlier, as he observing them, he realize that this was probably a poor cultivation clan from the countryside. Aside from highbrow, affluent clans, there were also smaller clans like this, who closed their doors and cultivated on their own. When he free them from the nets, they fell to the ground in an awkward way, but they sprinted off without saying anything.

The round-faced girl seemed as if she wanted to thank him, but she was pulled away by an elder, who was scared that the Young Master Jin would hate them even more, they also realized the tension between the two Young Master.

He then asked in a loud, clear voice, “Excuse me and sorry for the interruption, but did anyone see where the disciples from Jiang sect go?”

“They left here along with the young master from the Jin Clan, toward the Goddess Temple.” one cultivator asked.

Wei Wuxian raised his brows, “Goddess Temple?”

The rural clan from back then had sneaked up the mountain again and joined the group of night-hunters, after hearing that all of the deity-binding nets were destroyed. The middle-aged man recognized his clothing. He felt quite awkward, and pretend that nothing happened. Nonetheless, a round-faced girl approach him, “Over there. It's a divine temple in a cave on the mountain.” she said, showed him the path.

“Which deity is the temple built for?” Wei Wuxian asked.

The round-faced girl replied, “I– I think it's natural stone statue of a goddess.”

“Thank you.” Wei Wuxian nods.

After the conversation, he immediately ran toward the direction of Goddess Temple.

The sluggard's marriage, lightning that destroyed coffins, the fiance eaten by wolves, the father and the daughter losing their souls, the extravagant burial clothes... It was as if a string was being pulled through all of the beads, tying everything into one perfect strand. No wonder no one found any leads of the soul-consuming monster or soul-consuming spirit. Everyone had understimated the creature in Dafan Mountain. 

It wasn't at all what they thought it was!

On the other hand, Jiang Fengye and the other disciples did not find anything in the area of the ancient tombs, and had moved on to search for clues in Goddess Temple.

In Dafan Mountain, aside from the tombs of Buddha's Feet ancestors, there was also the Goddess Temple. The being of worship was neither Buddha nor Guanyin, but the statue of a "dancing goddess."

A few hundred years ago, a hunter from Buddha's Feet ventured into the mountains, and found an extraordinary stone in a cave. It was around three meters in height, formed naturally, and appeared strangely like a human, with four limbs making a dancing pose. The more peculiar thing was that human features could vaguely be seen on the statue, appearing to be that of a smiling lady.

The townspeople of Buddha's Feet were all astonished, and thought that it was a magical stone formed by gathering the energy of Heaven and Earth, making up a series of legends about it. Some told the story of an immortal falling in love with the Goddess of the Nine Heavens, and carved a stone statue from the goddess's appearance to convey the hardships of being lovesick. After discovering this, the goddess was furious, so the unfinished statue had to be left alone. Others told the story of the Jade Emperor and his beloved daughter who died young. The emperor's longing for his daughter had, supposedly, turned into this statue.

Anyhow, there were all sorts of myths, able to make anyone gawk. In the end, the townspeople themselves also started to believe in these legends which came out of their own mouths. Hence, someone turned the stone cave into a temple, and the stone platform into a holy seat. The statue was named "Dancing Goddess," and there were worshippers all year around.

The inside of the cave was spacious, similar to the size of an erjin temple, with the statue of the goddess set in the center. At first sight, it did indeed look like a human– the maiden's waist could even be considered lithe and graceful. However, after taking a closer look at it, it would seem rougher. Then again, a naturally-formed statue being so similar to an actual human was enough to make some people gasp in awe.

A thick layer of incense ashes covered the table for offerings, and disordered candles lay on there as well. A sickly sweet scent came from the plates for holding fruits. Jiang Liuxu who has minor mysophobia grimaced as he fanned at the air in front of his nose and spoke, “The locals said that it is quite effective to pray at Goddess Temple, but how can it be this ruined? They should at least come and clean once in awhile.”

“There has already been seven people who lost their souls. Everyone is saying that lightning has let out a fierce creature from the ancient graves of Buddha's Feet, so would anybody dare to come up the mountain? There is no attendance at the temple and so, naturally, there is nobody to clean the place.“ Jiang Fengye said.

A disdainful voice came from outside of the cave, “It's only a stupid rock, given the title of a goddess by who-knows who, and people dare to put it here, accepting incense and worship!” Jin Zixun came inside, with his hands crossed in front of his chest. The time limit for the silence spell was not long, so his mouth could already open.

However, nothing nice came out of that mouth of his, as he looked at the goddess statue and humphed, “These rural villagers don't work hard when they face difficulties, but instead pray to the Buddha and other things every day. There are thousands and millions of people in the world, but gods and Buddhas are already hands-full with their own matters, so who would care about them? Let alone a powerless goddess without status, like this one. If it's really that effective, then I'm gonna pray for the soul-consuming creature in Dafan Mountain to appear in front of me right now. Can the statue do it?” he rambled.

The Jin cultivator and a few cultivator from smaller clans came behind him, and everyone laughed right after hearing him, agreeing with his words. The originally quiet temple became bustling with noise, after the group of people had rushed forth, and the space also seemed more cramped. Jiang Baiyue silently shook her head, turning around and glancing without aim. Her gaze landed on the head of the goddess statue, the features of a compassionately smiling face could vaguely be seen.

Yet, she felt a strange sense of familiarity toward the smile, as if she had seen it somewhere before this.

Where on Earth had she seen it before?

Jiang Baiyue thought that it must be a very important matter, and couldn't help but to approach the statue, wanting to examine the goddess's feature carefully. At the same time, someone bumped into her. A cultivator from the smaller clans who was originally standing behind her had fallen down without any noise. The others were alert with surprise. “What happened to him?” Jin Zixun spoke with vigilant tone.

Jiang Baiyue unsheathed her sword and hold it, then bent down to examine the cultivator. There was nothing wrong with the cultivator's breathing, like he had just suddenly fallen asleep. Yet, no matter how hard he was pushed or called, he would not wake up. Jiang Baiyue stood up, “He seems as if...”

Before she could finished her sentence, the dark cave abruptly lit up. The cave was suddenly covered in red light, as if a waterfall of blood was rolling off its walls. The candle on the platform for offerings and in the corner of the cave had ignited on their own.

With a few shings, everyone in the cave had either drawn their swords or taken out their talismans. At the same time, a person suddenly burst in from outside the temple, holding a gourd of medicinal alcohol. He threw it toward the stone statue, and raging flame sprouted from it, illuminating the stone cave so that it could even pass for a daytime.

“Everyone, go back outside! Be cautious of the soul-consuming goddess on the inside!” Wei Wuxian shouted.

Seeing their head disciple, the Jiang disciples visibly brighten, “Da-shixiong!” they yelled, in chorused. However, they didn't have time to exchange when someone yelled in surprise, “The goddess's pose had changed!”

Before, the statue clearly had one foot lifted and both of its arms raised upward, of which one was pointing directly at the sky, its form graceful. However, amid the crimson and yellow flames, it had lowered both its arms and its foot. There was no doubt– it definitely wasn't a mistake of the eye!

The next moment, the statue lifted one foot again and stepped out of the fire!

“Run, run, run! Stop slashing around! It won't work!” Wei Wuxian shouted.

Most of the cultivators ignored him. The soul-consuming monster that they had tried so hard to find had finally appeared, so why would they miss out on the chance? However, even with so many swords chopping and stabbing, and so many talismans and magical tools being thrown at it, the statue's advance didn't stop at all. It was around three meters tall, resembling a titan as it moved, giving off a strong sense of oppression.

It picked up two cultivators and lifted them in front of its face. The stone mouth seemed like it opened and closed, and the swords in the cultivator's hands dropped to the ground with two clanks. Their heads dropped. Their souls were sucked away.

With no attack methods working properly, the others were finally willing to listen to Wei Wuxian's words. Everyone gushed outside, scatterings in all directions as fast as they could. With so many people and faces, the more anxious Wei Wuxian became, he's afraid he couldn't find all the disciples that gone with him in this night-hunts.

As he running, he came across a bamboo forest, encountering the Jiang and some of the Jin disciples. “I finally found you guys!” he exclaims. The Jiang disciples immediately brighten, “Da-shixiong!”

“We need to send a signal to Hanguang-Jun who's staying in Buddha's Feet. Unfortunately, I used mine on the goddess statue early, so one of you, use your firelights to send a signal.” he spoke.

The disciples nodded a few times, and ran around while searching for signals, Jiang Xuanshi paled, “The signal firelights... we left it behind in the inn. Wei Wuxian slap his hand on his forehead, “What about you guys?” he turned towards the Jin disciples.

The signal firelights were usually only needed once in over eight hundred years, “We didn't bring any.” replied the Jin disciples, bashfully.

“Did any of you really didn't bring any extra?” he asked Jiang Lifen, who only shook her head, “We forgot.” she replied, “Is this a matter that you should forget about? If Madam Yu knew about this, she's going to make you sorry.” he said, tried to scare them away.

Jiang Xuanshi face went paled with terror, “It's over. This time, we are gonna be punished to death by Madam Yu...”

“Indeed, she should punish you! Without punishment, you wouldn't remember the next time.” Wei Wuxian spoke

“Da-shixiong, you always said that. But wouldn't she also punished you? If anything, you'll be the only one punished, just like usual.” Jiang Xuanshi pointed out. Wei Wuxian couldn't help but felt shivered at the notion, then his face turned into a frown “Where's Jiang Baiyue?” he asked.

The Jiang disciples looked at each other in confusion, “Don't tell me she's still up there.” he let out exasperated sighs “Seems like that Young Master Jin is also not here yet” Jiang Fengye, observed. “We should find them.” Wei Wuxian said as he start running towards where they came from.

“Da-shixiong, how did you know that it was not a soul-consuming spirit or beast, but the goddess statue instead?” Jiang Liuxu, asked.

Wei Wuxian searched for Jiang Baiyue as he ran, “How did I know? I saw.”

“What did you see? We also saw lots of things.” Jiang Lifen said.

“You saw? So what happens next? What things were in the area of the ancient tombs?” he asked.

“What else could there be? There were only dead souls.” replied Jiang Liuxu.

Wei Wuxian nods, “Correct, there were dead souls. This is why it can't be soul-consuming spirit or beast. It's simple– if it was either of these two, with so many dead souls in the area, would it have chosen to not eat them? No, it wouldn't have.”

“Why?” one of the Jin disciples who also running with him asked. 

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes, “How is this hard to understand? Dead souls are a lot easier to absorb than living souls. The physical body of a living person is like a shield, and if it wants to eat a living soul, it would have to break the shield. For example... if an apple is put in front of you, and another one is put inside a locked box, which one would you chose to eat? Of course, it would be the one in front of you. This creature only eats living souls, and knows of a way to obtain them. It is both powerful and selective in terms of food.” he explained.

“So that's how it works? It makes a lot of sense!” Jiang Liuxu exclaims.

“We all thought that, because the landslide and lightning led to the series of events, it must be a soul-consuming spirit.” Jiang Fengye said.

“Wrong”

“What is wrong?”

“The order and the correlation is wrong. Let me ask you– for the landslide and the soul-consuming events, which one were the first and second, the cause and effect?” he asked.

Jiang Lifen answered without thinking twice, “The landslide was the first, and the soul-consumption was the second. The first was the cause, and the latter was the effect.”

“Completely wrong. The soul-consumption was first, and the landslide was second. The soul-consumption was the cause, and the landslide was the effect! During the night of the landslide, a storm suddenly started, and a streak of lightning broke a coffin– remember this. This first person to lose their soul, the sluggard, was trapped in the mountains for the whole night, and married a few days later.”

“Where is it wrong?” Jiang Liuxu asked.

“It is all wrong! Where would a good-for-nothing and penniless person obtain the money to form such a grand wedding?”

The disciples were rendered speechless. But it couldn't have been helped, since Jiang Lifen and Jiang Fengye came from a wealthy merchant families, while Jiang Xuanshi and Jiang Liuxu came from a noble family, while the Jin disciples also in similar state, they are people who need not to worry about matters of wealth. At this Wei Wuxian couldn't help but rolled his eyes, “Did you take a look at all of the dead sous floating in Dafan Mountain?” he asked.

“There was an old man who died from a hit to the head, wearing burial clothes that were made with fine craftsmanship and fabric. With such extravagant burial clothes, his coffin couldn't have been empty, and there must have been a few burial items to protect it. The coffin that was broken by the lightning was most likely his. Yet, the people who came to retrieve the corpse did not find any burial items, which meant that they were definitely taken away by the sluggard, explaining why he suddenly became rich.” he explained.

“The sluggard suddenly decide to marry someone after the night of the landslide, so something unusual must have happened during the night. On that evening, there was a harsh storm and he took cover in the mountain. Where on Dafan Mountain is it possible to take cover from the rain? Goddess Temple. And, when most people go into a temple, there is one thing that they would do.”

“Pray?” Jiang Lifen asked.

“That's right. For example, he would pray for himself to be lucky, to become wealthy, to have enough money to marry, and so on. The goddess fulfilled his wish with the lightning that split open the grave, letting him see the treasures in the coffin. His prayer came true and, as the sacrifice, the goddess came to him on the evening of his marriage, and took his soul away!”

One of the Jin disciples huffed, “All of these are just your guesses, right?”

Wei Wuxian who didn't feel embarrassed or try to defend his theory, nods without hesitation, “Yes, they are guesses. But, following this train of logic, all of the things that happened afterward could be explained.”

“How can this explain what happened with the girl, A-Yan?” Jiang Liuxu asked.

“Great question. You guys probably asked around before you came up the mountain. A-Yan had just got engaged during those days. All recently-engaged girls will definitely have the same wish.”

Jiang Liuxu was befuddled, “What wish?”

“None other than something that goes like, 'I wish my husband would love me and care for me for his whole life attracted to only myself'.” the disciples were at lost, “Would a wish like this really be able to be granted?”

“It's simple. If her husband's 'whole life' immediately ended, wouldn't it count as 'loving only one person for his entirely life'?” Jiang Xuanshi finally understood and shouted excitedly, “Oh, oh! So, so, so, the reason behind her husband being eaten by wolves the day after her engagement was that it was highly possible for A-Yan to have been to Goddess Temple to pray!”

Wei Wuxian nods, striking the iron while still hot, “It was hard to say whether he was attacked by a wolf or something else. There is another factor that is unique to A-Yan, why is that, out of all victims only A-Yan's soul returned? How is she different from anyone else? The difference is that she has a relative who also lost his soul. Or, in other words, a relative replaced her! Blacksmith Zheng is A-Yan's father, especially one who loved his daughter. So, when he saw that his daughter lost her soul, and there were no ways to deal with it, what was the only thing that he could do?”

This time, Jiang Fengye was quick to reply, “He could only entrust his hope to the Heavens. Therefore, he also went to Goddess Temple to pray, the wish being 'I wish my daughter A-Yan's soul can be found'!”

Wei Wuxian nods, “This is why only A-Yan's soul came back, and also the reason behind Blacksmith Zheng losing his soul. However, although A-Yan's soul was given back, it was still slightly fractured. After her soul returned, she had unconsciously started to imitate the goddess statue's dance and even its smile.”

The similarity of the people who lost their souls was that, most likely, they had all prayed in front of the goddess statue. The price to pay for their wishes were their souls.

The goddess statue was originally just an average rock which happened to look like a person. Having accepted a few hundred years worth of worship without any reason, it had gained some powers. Yet, because it was greedy and its thoughts ventured off the wrong path, it had wanted to quickly increase its powers by eating souls. These were souls that it obtained by means of swapping wishes, and could be considered as the voluntarily sacrificed souls of the people who prayed.

The two side had a fair deal, one wish for another, and it seemed to be just and moral. This was why the power of the swords and talisman were all nullified– the creature in Dafan Mountain wasn't any spirit, demon, ghost, or monster, but a goddess! This was untitled goddess born from the hundreds of years of incense. Using the items used to deal with evil spirits and beasts to deal with it would be like using fire to distinguish fire!

Jiang Lifen shouted loudly, “Wait! Before this, in the temple, someone's soul was also taken away, but we didn't hear him wish!”

Wei Wuxian's heart suddenly jumped. He stopped his footsteps, “Someone's soul was taken away in the temple? Describe to me everything that happened earlier, without missing a single word.”

Jiang Fengye repeated the scenario both clearly and quickly. When he heard Jin Zixun's talk of “If it's really taht effective, then i'm gonna pray for the soul-consuming creature in Dafan Mountain appear in front of me right now. Can the statue do it?” Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue, “How is this not wishing? It most definitely is a wish!”

The others agreed with Jin Zixun, so it was accepted that they had all wished the same thing. At the time, the soul-consuming goddess was right in front of them, so the wish was granted. Then, it was time to seize the sacrifice.

Suddenly, in the bushes in front of him, there came a noise of chewing, complete with crunches and slurps. An immense figure was crawling in the bush, its huge head on the ground and moving using its stomach. Hearing the noise, it immediately lifted its head. Their eyes met.

In the beginning, the soul-consuming goddess's feature were vague, and there were only, the shapes of eyes, nose, mouth, and ears on its face, but after it had eaten the souls of a few cultivators all at once, it could already form clear features. It was the face of a smiling woman, with blood dripping down the corner of its mouth, munching on an arm that had been torn off.

Wei Wuxian immediately ran to the other direction, the rest of disciples following behind him.

“That is not supposed to happen! Didn't high-level ones eat souls, and only low-level ones eat flesh!” said Jiang Liuxu, panicking.

“No rules stay the same in all situations. You can think of it as an infant– when it lacks teeth, it can only eat congee and soup, but when it grows up, it would, of course, also want to eat meat using its teeth. Her powers had just risen greatly, so naturally she'd want to taste something new!”

The soul-consuming goddess stood up from the ground. Her body was tall. She used her arms and her legs to dance with uncontrollable excitement, seeming like she was extremely pleased. Out of the blue, an arrow came with a whoosh and pierced her forehead, the arrowhead appearing out of the back of her head.

Hearing the sound of the bow's release, Wei Wuxian looked toward its direction. Jiang Baiyue stood atop a tall hill, not a far away, and already had her second feathered arrow on the bow. She pulled to the maximum, and another head-penerating arrow was released, the strength causing the soul-consuming goddess to stagger a few steps backward. Not far behind her, stood Jin Zixun, who was cowering in fear, hiding behind a tree.

“Young Master Jin! Sends off the signal on you!” Jiang Lifen yelled. However, Jin Zixun seems like he was too emersed with fear that he didn't hear any of Jiang Lifen's word.

Jiang Baiyue is determined to kill the monster. With a solemn face, she set three arrows on the bow at once. Although she was shot in the head twice, the soul-consuming goddess was not angered, and advance toward Jiang Baiyue with the same smile plastered on her face. 

Although she danced while walking, her speed was terrifyingly fast, decreasing the distance between them by half in just a few moments. A few cultivator appeared from the side and fought with her, hindering her strides. Jiang Baiyue shot each arrow as the goddess took each step, probably intending to use up all of the feathered arrows first, before fighting in a closer range with the soul-consuming goddess. Her arm was quite steady, and her shot were accurate, but all magical weapons were useless against it!

Lan Wangji were at Buddha's Feet, waiting for any news, so who knows how long it would take for him to realize that something was wrong and come up here. To extinguish fire, water was needed. Therefore, if spiritual weapons didn't work, what about dark sorcery? Wei Wuxian chewed his lip.

“Da-shixiong, what should we do?” Jiang Liuxu asked. In the battle, three or four of the cultivators who were fighting with the soul-consuming goddess had lost their souls. Jiang Baiyue pulled out her sword. She was already less than two zhang away from the soul-consuming goddess.

“We have no choice but to fight!” he took the bow on his back and aim at the goddess, he infuse the arrow with little bit of spiritual energy and then shot right on its eyes. This success caught the soul-consuming attention. As she stopped on her track and turned her head toward where the arrow came from. Then, in the next second, she change her direction and stride towards him.

“Here she comes! Here she comes!” Jiang Liuxu screamed. “What are you doing?!” Wei Wuxian shouted as he released another three arrows and shot the goddess. “Go to Buddha's Feet and search for Hanguang-Jun” he ordered. The Jiang disciple widened their eyes, “Then, what about you, Da-shixiong?” asked Jiang Lifen.

“I'll hold her off”

“There's no way we're leaving you!” Jiang Fengye exclaims.

Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue, “Are you dumb?! If we all stay here together and we end up dying, then who's gonna stop the soul-consuming goddess? Who's gonna tell Hanguang-Jun about this? If he came late and the soul-consuming goddess find her way to the Buddha's Feet then what?!”

“But– but– we can't leave you here either!” Jiang Xuanshi spoke.

“That's why we don't have any time to waste. Hurry up, i don't have neither nine lives or nine souls.”

The Jiang disciples looked at each other then nods, “We'll go as fast as we could and we will try to put wards around Buddha's Feet.” Jiang Fengye said. Wei Wuxian nods, “Don't forget to bring Jiang Baiyue with you and other cultivators. It's useless for them to be here anyway”

With that, the Jiang disciples took off toward the Buddha's Feet. Leaving Wei Wuxian and a soul-consuming goddess that slowly decrease the distance between them. He took several arrows and shoot at her arm but just like before, it was pointless, aside from causing a little dent, it didn't do much damage. But Wei Wuxian wasn't faltered, he keep shooting at the same dent, almost run out of arrows before the arms finally torn off from the statue.

Wei Wuxian smirked.

But it was far from finish as the goddess merely staggered before start to stride towards him again as if nothing happened. Wei Wuxian took a leap backwards and reach to take more arrow, only realized that he was down to five. It would not enough to tear another arm of the statue.

Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue, he took an arrow, infuse it with spiritual energy and aim at the statue's head. He was the best at archery in Yunmeng Jiang sect, no one ever beat him, not even Jiang Cheng. With eyes full of determination, he pulled off the arrow. Then, without wasting time, he fired the rest of the arrow. All five of them hit the statue right on its head, able to destroy the top left of the statue's head.

He couldn't help the victorious smile that slowly crept onto his face, but his attack still not enough to slow down the statue. Now that there's no other cultivators here beside him, the goddess statue attention were fully on him.

He took a leap and start running, to create some distance. He stopped after he felt it's enough and fished three talisman from inside his robes. He throw all of them to the goddess statue, as soon as the talisman touch the statue, it blows up. Wei Wuxian stared at the explosion, hoping that it was enough to make dent or to tear off another arm of the goddess statue.

But as the smoke cleared out, the goddess statue were still stood tall in her glory. “It's really like extinguish fire with fire.” Wei Wuxian commented. Then, he unsheathed Suibian. He readied himself before running towards the goddess statue, dodging every attack of the arm. “Why is this have to be a goddess statue with eight arms?! For fuck sake” he yelled in frustration, as he try to dodge the attack from all of the arms.

It was hard, but Wei Wuxian is always known for his agility. After a while, he finally saw an opening and immediately swung Suibian as hard as he could to one of the arms. It barely make a dent, he attacked it again, but it still doing small damage. Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue and immediately leaped backwards to create some distance.

'What should I do? If sword and talisman has no effect then what should I use to fight it’ the Jiang head disciple thought.

Wei Wuxian stared at the goddess statue. To extinguish fire, water was needed. However, the opponent is a goddess statue who had received hundreds of years worth of incense and worship. Therefore, spiritual weapons wouldn't work, neither talisman, sworx nor array would work on it.

A goddess statue.

Brimming with Yang energy.

If he want to extinguish fire, he need to use water.

Then... what about resentful energy? Resentful energy was originated from the Yin energy that the death emitted, then it got corrupted with the resentment of the death, then turned into resentful energy.

“Spiritual energy is energy. Resentful energy is energy as well.”

Wei Wuxian gulped as he took out a talisman from inside his robes. It was one of his invention, that he absolutely didn't want anyone to find out. ‘Should I try it? Would it even works?’ he thought as he clenched the talisman.

He was distracted, when the goddess statue stood not even a zhang from him. One of her hand extended to attack him, Wei Wuxian was barely dodge it  He pulled out another explosion talisman and start running from the goddess statue. He looked down at the talisman on his hand then towards the goddess statue.

Making up his mind, he throw the talisman and it hit right on the chest of the goddess statue. If he were to be honest, this wasn't the first invention where he's tinkering with resentful energy. There's spirit-attraction talisman where instead of warding off evil, the talisman will lured the closest ferocious ghost or fierce corpse. Wei Wuxian had to admit that this talisman is dangerous, not only it could attract ghost and corpse up until 5km away, once lured these ghost and corpse will attack every living person around.

And, Wei Wuxian still had not find a way to control the lured ghost and corpse so it don't attack blindly.

He also create something called spirit-luring flag. It similar to the spirit-luring talisman. But instead of talisman, it has a form of flag. The radius it could reach also far more wider than the talisman, it could reach up until 25km away.

Aside from this two, he also created Compass of Ill Winds, a compass that capable of detecting evil creatures, but it still haven't finished yet and cannot pinpoint an exact location. However, if he able to finish this, cultivators night-hunts will change forever. It'll be alot morre easier than to just run blindly looking for the prey.

Wei Wuxian watched as the talisman activated and start letting out a black smoke. This talisman work the same way as spirit-luring talisman, the difference is, this talisman is more crueller than the spirit-luring talisman and spirit-luring flag, if you can still runaway from those two, you can't runaway from this talisman. One of the requirement to activate this talisman, is it needed to be affixed on living being specifically human.

Why? Because human is brimming with Yang energy, especially man. And this goddess statue is perfect to be use to experiment this talisman, brimming with Yang energy and all those human soul.

The talisman will work as a target. It'll summon every ghost and corpse around and it'll make them to attack but only the one with the talisman, hence why it's called a target.

He watched as the ghosts slowly appears and attacked the goddess statue, wanting to suck away all those Yang energy. The goddess statue seems to be still for a moment, it appear as if it's confused but soon start fighting the ghosts too. ‘It's seems like there's many ghosts around Dafan Mountain. Too bad there's no fierce corpses.’  Wei Wuxian thought.

He took a leap backwards, wanting to create distance between the goddess statue and the ghosts but something caught his attention. The sounds of crying, he frowned and start looking around. Didn't he already ask everyone to leave the mountain? His eyes widened as it landed on familiar figure of the young master Jin. ‘That stupid– what is he doing here?! Why didn't he go down the mountain like the others?!’

Wei Wuxian glance at the goddess statue that still busy fighting all the ghosts and paled, ‘Did he saw it? Don't tell me he saw it . If he saw see me using the talisman, it'll be the end for me. He will definitely sold me out to Madam Yu and uncle Jiang. Worst scenario, he will blabbering it to other sects. The Jiang Head Disciple is tinkering with resentful energy, he's using an unorthodox way and then he will be condemned by the whole cultivation world.’ he gritted his teeth.

‘How Jiang Cheng will react if he find out? Will he condemn him like the others? How Shijie will react if she find out? She will disappointed in me. What about Lan Zhan? How Lan Zhan will react if he know this?’ he immediately goes still at the thought. ‘He will definitely be disappointed in me’ the thought ached his heart, he didn't want it, Lan Zhan is the only person who has been so kind to him, even when Wei Wuxian told him about the compass of ill winds, he's been nothing but supportive, keep praising him, calling him genius and talented.

At the thought of making him disappointed. He didn't want it. He didn't even want to think about it.

His train of thought was dispersed when he heard Jin Zixun screaming. Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue, “That stupid spoiled young master” he grumbled under his breath as he watched the goddess statue now has its attention on Jin Zixun, “What is he doing? Is he stupid? Getting scared will only attract the ghosts and the goddess statue, it'll be easier to suck out Yang energy from scared people. He just put a target on himself!”

He moved to run toward the Jin disciple but stopped in his track, “You should just let him die, he's the only one who knows about you using the talisman, if he's gone then no one will know.” a voice chided.

Wei Wuxian shook his head, letting someone die just to save yourself, that's definitely worse than being caught tinkering with resentful energy. With that in mind, he ran toward Jin Zixun and grabbed his arms, yanking him away from the goddess statue arm who ready to devour him. “Wei Wuxian– you!” but Wei Wuxian ignored him, “What the fuck are you doing? Why didn't you go down the mountain like the others?”

Jin Zixun blinked before snarled, “And letting you take all the merits? As if! I would definitely be the one who defeat that dumb statue.”

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes, “You can't even lift your sword at the sight of it and you still blabbering about defeating it?” he let out a sigh, “Anyway, you need to go down the mountain. You'll just hindering me.” he shouted

“Wei Wuxian! You dare!” Jin Zixun growled. “Do you want to die?! If not then go, go!” he shouted. Jin Zixun was silence, he looked back at forth toward Wei Wuxian and to the direction of the Goddess statue. “Don't think I will forget about this” he spat as he start running towards the direction of Buddha's Feet.

Wei Wuxian turned his attention back to the goddess statue, all of the ghost has been defeated. Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue “It's not enough.” he fished another two talisman and throw it at the goddess. Once again, the ghost start to appear and fighting the goddess but it wasn't enough.

“How the hell am I supposed to kill this thing” he grumbled, take out another talisman, three this time, and throw it at the statue. As the black smoke start to appear, it immediately dissipate. Wei Wuxian widened his eyes in horror “There's no ghost left. I should've increase the radius.” he said as he start running.

‘This is bad! This is bad! What am I supposed to do?!’

He looked back and saw that the goddess statue were not far behind him. It's getting harder to create distance between them, Wei Wuxian need to avoid all the bushes and the trees while the goddess statue could destroy and walk through every trees without slowing down.

He jerked to the side when one of the arm extended, he narrowly avoid it, the arm hit the tress instead and crush it as if it was nothing more than a stick.

Wei Wuxian try to leap backwards when his back hit a tree, he widened his eyes, he looked up and saw one of arm of the goddess statue already moved towards him

‘There's no way I would be able to dodge it. This is it, this will be my end. Dying on night-hunts like my parents’

He closed his eyes, waiting for the monstrous hand to wrap around his body and crush it.

But nothing's came. Instead, there's a loud sound of a sword hitting a stone.

He opened his eyes and the first thing he sees is a familiar broad shoulder and white robe.

“La–Lan Zhan” he murmured in disbelief.

Lan Wangji stood there with Bichen on his hand, attacked the goddess statue arm and able to change its direction.

As if finally pulled out from his shocked state, Wei Wuxian immediately yelled in excitement, “Lan Zhan! You're here! You're actually here!”

Lan Wangji glance toward Wei Wuxian and immediately wrap his arm around the young disciple waist, pulled him against his chest and took a leap away from the goddess statue “Mn. I am here”

Wei Wuxian looked up at the older man. This was the second time Wei Wuxian ever looked at the older man this close, the first time was in the library pavilion, that day when his prank come back to bit him in the ass.

The younger man know just how famous Lan Wangji is not only for his cultivation and his merits but also for his looks but he never realized just how attractive and beautiful the older man is, with fair skin and black hair. The outlines of his waist and back are smooth and graceful, yet strong. He has light eyes and long eyelashes.

“Wei Ying?”

Wei Wuxian was pulled out from his train of thought, he looked up the older man dumbfoundedly. “Are you alright?” the younger man immediately flushed embarrassed, he didn't know why but he suddenly felt like he just got caught red handed staring at the older man.

“Wei Ying?”

“Huh?! What?”

“Are you alright?”

Wei Wuxian shook his head, try to focused himself back to the situation. “Lan Zhan! The goddess statue! We need to do something about it! But sword, talisman and spiritual weapon have no effect on it.” he rambled

Lan Wangji glance back at the goddess statue that still striding towards them.

“Any idea, Hanguang-Jun?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“Mn. Do you trust me, Wei Ying?” the older man asked.

“That's a silly question, of course I'll always trust you, Lan Zhan”

Lan Wangji nods then tightened his hold around Wei Wuxian waist “Stay close to me” he said before took out a qiankun pouch from his sleeve

Wei Wuxian raised his brows in confusion, then he looked down at the qiankun pouch on the older man hand, silver eyes immediately widened. “Lan Zhan. This is–” before he could finished his sentence, Lan Wangji looked at him with serious face, “Stay close.” he ordered, then he open the qiankun pouch.

From within, an ink black smoke came out, swirling slowly as if its tasting the freedom, it was a deep black that looked like a stump of gooey black slime, the sight was enough to make Wei Wuxian shivered.

Yes, it was none other than, the waterborne abyss!

It was one of the part of waterborne abyss that they sealed inside the qiankun pounch back in the Biling Lake. There's total four qiankun pouch that hold waterborne abyss, Wei Wuxian suggested the Lan to play rest every day to each qiankun pouch so it would be dispersed quickly.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but very confused as to why Lan Wangji has one of the qiankun pouch that contain waterborne abyss with him.

Just like ghost, monster, yao and fierce corpse. Waterborne abyss feed on not only human flesh but also the Yang energy of living human. So it would naturally drawn to anything that's brimming with Yang energy.

And right now, between all of them that present. The goddess statue is the only thing that brimming with Yang energy and this will be enough reason for the waterborne abyss to go after it.

Wei Wuxian gulped, as he watch the black ink gooey slowly swirling towards the goddess statue and then, in a blink of eyes, it already attached itself on the statue, sucking away all the Yang energy.

The goddess statue went still for a moment, as if it doesn't expect for such annoying creature to appear. It lift two of its arm, try to attack the black smoke, but it was useless as the black smoke only went through the statue arm like water.

Wei Wuxian watched in awe as the goddess statue couldn't do anything as the waterborne abyss wrapped around its body while sucking away all the Yang energy.

It doesn't take long before the statue were sucked dry from its Yang energy and return back into a normal statue without any consciousness. The stone statue slowly crumbled away, Wei Wuxian attention then turned at the abyss and he can't help but flinch as the abyss seemed like staring at the two of them.

The only other living beings around.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but clutch at Lan Wangji robes and whispered, “Lan Zhan.” but the older man merely nodded and take his guqin out. He started to play melody, one that Wei Wuxian couldn't recognize. During his one month punishment, Wei Wuxian use his time to look through Gusu Lan sect music scores, because he know how to play the dizi, he thought that there's nothing wrong to learn some of Gusu Lan sect music scores as it might help him on night hunt.

But among all those music scores, he never heard this music score. Is this music score exclusive only for Gusu Lan Clan? or did Hanguang-Jun himself who composed it.

Either way, it seems the music scores has huge impact to the waterborne abyss as it visibly flinched and went still. Then, on the next moment, it try to fight against it but it's all futile as the music slowly draining and weakened them.

After a while, the waterborne abyss that grown its size after consume a huge amount of Yang energy, slowly shrunk again. Lan Wangji took out the qiankun pouch and sealed it inside again.

For a moment, none of them talk. Until Wei Wuxian broke into a wide grin and nudge the older man. “Hanguang-Jun. Lan er-gege. Did I see it right? Did I see it right? Did I just witnessing the esteemed Hanguang-Jun using waterborne abyss like a pet to defeating an evil goddess statue?” he asked 

Lan Wangji didn't say anything as he tied the qiankun pouch and put it back inside his sleeve, “It was necessary” he said. Wei Wuxian gaped, “That's still a dumb idea. Lan Zhan, did you even realize what you just did? You use waterborne abyss as if its your pet to defeat the goddess statue. That's such unorthodox! What if someone found out about it? You'll be condemned by the whole cultivation world”

Lan Wangji frowned, “Not unorthodox. And I do not care if someone ever find out or try to condemn it, it was the only way to defeat the statue. To extinguish fire, water is needed. To defeat a Yang, Yin is needed. Beside, resentful energy is energy.”

Wei Wuxian widened his eyes, “Ah, this is bad. This is really bad, seems like I corrupted the esteemed Hanguang-Jun. How would the Old Man Lan react if he know about this. What would he do once he knew I corrupted his favorite proudest nephew.” Wei Wuxian couldn't help but shivered at the thought.

However, Lan Wangji has different reaction as his frown only deepened. “Do not talk about Shufu. Beside, it was Wei Ying brilliant mind who saved us tonight.” he said.

Wei Wuxian looked up at the taller man, “Lan Zhan” he called, “Are you still fighting with your Uncle?”

Lan Wangji huffed, “Shufu is being stubborn.”

The young disciple slap his forehead, “Is it because what happened in the Lan Ancestral hall?”

Lan Wangji didn't answer but Wei Wuxian already know the answer, he couldn't help but whined, “Lan Zhan. I can't believe you're still fighting with your Uncle, it's been like what? Two months and it's all because of me. Look, i don't mind if he was being unfair to me, he's not the first person who'd done it. However, you shouldn't fighting with your Uncle like this.”

“Wei Ying is very kind.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Let's go down the mountain and check everyone's there”

After that, both of them walked down the mountain towards the Buddha's Feet. The Jiang disciples who has been waiting for him immediately tackled him to the ground. Turned out, by the time the Jiang disciples reach Buddha's Feet, Hanguang-Jun were nowhere to be found, this made Wei Wuxian frown.

“Did you already know something is wrong before the disciples could find you?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Lan Wangji nods, “I sensed something, so I immediately go to Dafan Mountain.”

The cultivators from the small rural clans came to them the next day to say thanks, they came back with empty hands but very grateful that they're still alive. The Jin disciples also came to say thanks to Hanguang-Jun before depart to Lanling Jin, Wei Wuxian could see how much Jin Zixun was forced to say thank you to him, it make him chuckled, he definitely would never forget about it.

Later that day, Hanguang-Jun put rest towards all the wandering soul in Dafan Mountain.

“Lan Zhan. Is there any way we could help to restore A-Yan's soul? I feel bad for her mother” Wei Wuxian asked as they walked down the Dafan Mountain.

“I already wrote to Xiongzhang. the Lan music might help to recover A-Yan's soul, I will tell A-Yan's mother someone will came and take them to Gusu for treatment.” he replied.

After that, they come to break the news to A-Yan's mother, the poor woman started to cry uncontrollably, keep saying thanks to Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. Then, after she calmed down, Wei Wuxian offered to help to pack their things while they for the Lan disciples came. By noon, the Lan disciples finally arrive and they with the poor mother and A-Yan depart to Gusu.

“Is something wrong?” Lan Wangji asked.

“What?”

“Wei Ying looks uncomfortable”

Wei Wuxian blinked, “Ah, you mean earlier? It's really nothing, I just never get used when someone saying thanks to me especially when they went as far as kowtowing like she did earlier. It feels weird and always sent goosebumps.”

“Wei Ying is very kind.”

“Hm? What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

As they walked back to the inn, the Jiang disciples already waiting for them giddily. “Da-shixiong!” they greeted

“What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you packed your things already? We'll go back today”

“But, Da-shixiong. The villagers planned to make celebration”

Wei Wuxian brows raise in confusion, “Celebration? What for?”

“Of course, for the evil goddess statue that has been defeated by the great Hanguang-Jun. After this, no one will have their souls stolen again”

Wei Wuxian hummed, “I see”

“So, can we stay for another day?” Jiang Fengye asked

“Please, Da-shixiong” Jiang Baiyue and Jiang Lifen begged.

All the Jiang disciples now have their puppy eyes looking directly at Wei Wuxian.

“Alright alright, just one more day” he say, resigned. The Jiang disciples cheered then they start talking about the things they should buy and try.

Wei Wuxian sighed fondly at the sight then turned towards Lan Wangji “Well, it seems like we have to stay for another day. I hope you don't mind”

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian fidgeted nervously, “You know, Lan Zhan. Lotus Pier has celebration too, it was more festive and colorful, second to none! There's alot of stalls selling different kind of food and many interesting things. It was definitely better than this one, but those brat... make it seems like the celebration seems really fun.”

“Do you want to go together?”

Silver eyes widened, he looked up at the taller man, “Would you go with me?”

“I would love to”

A grin broke into Wei Wuxian face and he immediately grab the older man sleeve and start dragging him to the market area “Then, what are we waiting for, let's enjoy the celebration”

With that, they stayed on Buddha's Feet for another day. When the morning comes, they packed their things and bid goodbye to the villagers. They decide to use boats instead of their swords.

It was awkward.

It was a really really awkward situation. Jiang Baiyue didn't know what to say, she glance at Jiang Lifen who had her head down and staring at the floorboards of the boats as if it's the most interesting thing in the world. Then, she glance at Jiang Xuanshi and Jiang Liuxu who's busy reading books. Jiang Baiyue want to slap them and yelled how much of a dumbass they are, the book was clearly upside down! It was obvious they didn't read the book and just want something to distract them from this awkward situation.

She let out exasperated sigh then turned towards Jiang Fengye. He had half of his body leaned to the side of the boat, as he staring to the distance while smiling and muttered “What a beautiful lake.” Jiang Baiyue want to scream at how dumb he is.

This awkward situation is none other than caused by their stupid head disciple who's currently sleeping peacefully on Hanguang-Jun lap.

You see, Da-shixiong always wake up late, he could never wake up early. He won't wake up until eleven, but they need to depart early in the morning. So they planned to drag him out of the bed but before they could do it, Hanguang-Jun stopped them.

Now, they might already acquaintance with the older man well enough this past few days, but it all thanks to their Da-shixiong who always stick with him like a butter and always knew how to melt the awkwardness. Without him, Hanguang-Jun is still scary.

So when Hanguang-Jun told them to not wake him up and just let Da-shixiong get more sleep, they didn't have any choice but to comply. However, what they didn't expect is for Hanguang-Jun to dressed the still sleepy Wei Wuxian so calmly like it's normal thing for him and then carried him to the boats.

For twenty minutes, they stood there with their jaw dropped, still trying to process what just happened. In the end, they didn't even try to understand anything anymore and just let it go as nothing more than fever dream.

So here they are, stuck in the same boat with Da-shixiong who's still sleeping peacefully on Hanguang-Jun lap and the man who seems to not bothered by it, in fact he looked like he enjoyed it.

It was around eleven when Da-shixiong started to awake, Jiang Baiyue watched as those silver eyes slowly opened and looking around sleepily. There was confusion but then those eyes landed on her, “Good morning Baiyue” he greeted, still oblivious at his own situation.

“Good morning, Da-shixiong”

“Why are you in my room? Do you need anything?”

She looked at him, suddenly feeling tempted to smacked his head, “Da-shixiong, we're not in the inn anymore. We're on the boats on our way to Lotus Pier” she replied

“Hm, what are you talking about.”

“Just like I said, we're not in the inn anymore. We're on boats, Da-shixiong.”

“You're lying, boats doesn't have a comfortable mattress like this” he say, slurred.

“That's because you are not laying on mattress but on Hanguang-Jun lap.”

It took seconds before Da-shixiong brain finally process her words. When it did, his eyes sprang open and he immediately looked up only to be met with Hanguang-Jun golden eyes.

She could see as Da-shixiong face flushed red like a tomato before he scream and scrambled off Hanguang-Jun lap and immediately scampered away to the back of the boats “La-Lan Zhan!”

Jiang Baiyue find her Da-shixiong reaction worth it for all the awkwardness.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian felt like burying himself six feet underground

Never in his life he ever felt this humiliated before

Not only waking up in Lan Wangji lap was already humiliating enough (what if he's drooling all over Lan Wangji's robe?!) but according to Jiang Baiyue, the older man is also the one who dressed him up and was carrying him around like a princess as they departed from Buddha's Feet.

Wei Wuxian could feel his face heating up at the thought. Just thinking about it is enough to make him want to slam his head against the wall or drown himself in the water. He sighed and looked at the night sky above him, they were just a day away from Lotus Pier. It's been a torturous seven days, after waking up on Lan Wangji's lap, he spent all day glaring at the older man, since then everything has become really awkward between them, not just for them but also the Jiang disciples.

“Hey”

“Hm, what is it?” Jiang Baiyue, who was still reading a book responded.

“Do you reckon if I jumped into the water right now a water ghoul would appear and pull me down and drown me?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Da-shixiong, just let it go.” Jiang Baiyue replied, sounding like she's too tired of this nonsense.

“Baiyue, you don't understand. You can't just tell me to 'let it go', it's a matter of my pride and I've never felt this humiliated before. Just imagine if Jiang Cheng ever finds out about this, he will never let it go, he will mock me for the rest of my life!” he shouted

Jiang Baiyue rolled her eyes, “Da-shixiong, Young Master Jiang isn't even here. What makes you think he's gonna know about this, besides aren't you supposed to be the most shameless person here?” she commented.

“Baiyue, don't tease me, I'm being serious right now!” he exclaims.

Jiang Baiyue rolled her eyes again and spoke, “It's already happened anyway, there's no use to mull over it. Count yourself lucky the only one seeing that whole embarrassing act is just the townspeople in Buddha's Feet and us. And none of us will tell Young Master Jiang.”

Wei Wuxian groaned, “Please don't remind me of the fact that the townspeople saw the whole thing or I'll commit suicide and slit my own throat.” Wei Wuxian let out a sigh and buried his face on his hand “The fact that the whole townspeople saw that.”

Jiang Baiyue looked at Wei Wuxian, “Da-shixiong, just remember that you're lucky all the cultivators including the Jin disciples departed the day before. Imagine if they were still in Buddha's Feet and watching the whole thing, imagine if Jin Zixun saw that.” hearing the last sentence, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but shivered, “I guess, you're right” he muttered.

After it seemed like Wei Wuxian had calmed down and went back to drinking himself to sleep, Jiang Baiyue let out a long sigh. She felt like crying, she would have never thought in her life, she would ever regret surviving on night-hunts, she never thought that she would feel regret that an evil goddess statue did not consume her soul.

It was really awkward.

Those seven days.

It felt like a torture. Watching all those awkward one sided staring contest that Wei Wuxian had with Hanguang-Jun, all those awkward meal time, and all those lame awkward attempt at conversation. Wei Wuxian didn't know how much the Jiang disciples have been contemplating to just go jump the water and drown themselves.

Jiang Baiyue sighed, “I can't wait to get back home.”

As the sun rose, they could see the sight of Lotus Pier on the horizon. The Jiang disciples couldn't hold back as they cheered in happiness, “Da-shixiong, look! We're finally back home.” Jiang Liuxu exclaims.

Wei Wuxian nodded, “That's great” he said as he hugged them all then his demeanor changed 180° as he whispered, “Remember, what happened after night-hunts is a secret brought to the grave. Never mention it to anyone ever again or I'll make you run around lotus pier fifty times every day for the rest of your life” he threatened

The Jiang disciples gulped as they nodded vigorously, Wei Wuxian smiled, “Alright, let's packed our things and make sure nothing is left behind. Baiyue, Fengye. You two are responsible for making the night-hunts report this time.”

“Yes, Da-shixiong.” “Yes, Da-shixiong.”

Wei Wuxian smiled before he skipped towards where Lan Wangji was seated. The older man is currently meditating but Wei Wuxian didn't care as he nudged the older man “Lan Zhan Lan Zhan.” he called, cheerfully.

Lan Wangji hummed lowly, “Yes, Wei Ying”

Wei Wuxian couldn't hold back the grin that found its way on his face, whenever Lan Wangji decided to not ignore him, “So, how is it? What do you think after traveling with me and the Jiang disciples? Is it different than with the Lans? I bet it's different right? The Lans are more quiet and organized, I bet traveling with them is better.”

“Not true.”

“Wei Ying's juniors are very well organized too, they're nice and friendly to people. I watched their interaction with the townspeople of Buddha's Feet and I'm sure they will think the same too. The Yunmeng Jiang sect are very lucky to have Wei Ying as their Head Disciple.” he praised.

Wei Wuxian immediately flushed as red as a tomato. “Aiyah, Lan Zhan. You really need to stop doing that, my poor heart can't take it.”

Lan Wangji eyes softened, “I'm just telling the truth. Wei Ying is a very capable and responsible leader it mirrored well on the disciples.”

Wei Wuxian whined, “Alright alright, enough about me. Let's start talking about you. Have you been to Yunmeng before? What about Lotus Pier? Okay, that's dumb question. I bet you have visited at least once during the discussion conference, right?”

Lan Wangji nods, “Mn. I visited Lotus Pier once, couple years ago for a discussion conference.”

“So what do you think about it?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“It's definitely different than the Cloud Recesses, it's more lively and colorful, even the market is more bustling than the one in Caiyi Town. It's definitely an unforgettable experience visiting Lotus Pier.” Lan Wangji replied.

Wei Wuxian hummed, “What's so unforgettable about it?”

Lan Wangji glanced at him and smiled, “I was young when I visited Lotus Pier, no more than seven years old and Lotus Pier was too overwhelming for me. It was completely the opposite of Cloud Recesses. It's loud, it's bustling and it's colorful. I was walking around the market with my brother and my uncle when suddenly I lost sight of them. I got panicked and run towards an alleyway, I was hiding in there while covering my ears. It was too much so I started crying. But then, someone tapped my shoulder, and when I looked up I saw a teenager, he didn't have a smile on his face but his eyes were gentle. He pat me on the head and suddenly i calmed down, he gave me a rattle drums. He didn't say anything, he just sit beside me until I felt calmer and stopped crying. After that he give me his hand and then he took me back to uncle and brother.”

Wei Wuxian stared at the older man in disbelief, he never thought he would ever get to hear a childhood story from someone like Hanguang-Jun, especially a story about how as a vulnerable child he got overwhelmed by crowds and loud noise. Most people tends to hid this kind of childhood story of them, seeing them as something embarrassing and needed to be buried deep inside, some of them willing to share it but only to those whom they closed and trusted the most.

After this, Wei Wuxian is pretty sure he's the only one outside the Lan family who knows about this story, after all Lan Wangji wasn't the type of person who likes to socialise, let alone sharing his childhood story. Wei Wuxian couldn't help but flushed at the thought of being the only exception, his stomach suddenly churned with weird feelings, like giddiness, excitement and anticipation.

“Later, I found out from Uncle that the teenager who helped me is the Jiang Head Disciple, Wei Changze.” at the name, Wei Wuxian's silver grayish eyes widened, “He saw me running through the crowds with a pale and teary face, he was concerned so he decide to follow me to the alleyway.”

“My... my father?”

“Mn.”

“He– he was a Head Disciple? Just like me? I– i never knew that” he stuttered, the older man frowned, “Did Sect Leader Jiang never tell you about this?”

“Well, I knew that my father was part of the Jiang sect, I just never knew that he was also a Head Disciple like me” he muttered quietly, there was silence between them before Wei Wuxian spoke again, “I never bother to ask, you know. I– I could just ask Uncle Jiang, I knew he wouldn't mind telling me everything he know about him. But I guess... there's this small part of me that's scared... scared of being rejected, scared to find out that Uncle Jiang would refuse to tell me anything about my father and it's not his fault, you know. It's just that... the thing with his wife... and with his family... it's become some sort of taboo to talk about my parents even at the mention of their name.” Wei Wuxian awkwardly laughed, “It's really a complicated thing but I understand.” After all, I'm just an outsider, was left unsaid.

“I will tell Wei Ying everything he wants to know about his parents and I will tell Wei Ying everything I know about his parents” the older man said.

“Re–really?”

“Mn.”

Before they could exchange any more words, Jiang Liuxu interrupted them, “We're here! We're finally here!” he exclaims cheerfully, pointing at the huge pier in front of them filled with boats and peoples.

Wei Wuxian smiled, looked back at the taller man, “Welcome to Lotus Pier, Lan Zhan.”

As their boat slowly approached the pier, Wei Wuxian didn't wait until it stopped before grabbing Lan Wangji's sleeve and jumped to the pier, “Baiyue, I'll leave the unpacking and the rest to you. I have to bring Lan Zh– I mean Hanguang-Jun around Lotus Pier” he exclaims and didn't wait for a reply before starting dragging the older man towards Lotus Pier.

Otherworldly.

This might be the right word to describe Lotus Pier, but this otherworldly is different than the Cloud Recesses. While the residence of Gusu Lan sect was giving off otherworldly elegance and untouched vibe, Lotus Pier was giving off otherworldly splendid and free spirited.

The water is so clear and shimmering under the sunlight, making it seems like the lake was made of gems, thousands and thousands of lotus flower filled the lake as far as one's eye could see. Boats filled the river and the pier. There were people bustling around either bringing the goods from the boats or loading them onto the boats.

The market itself was even more bustling than the one in Caiyi Town. Lan Wangji thought it was no surprising for his younger self to be overwhelmed with the market, now that he was older he could see around and each stalls better than before, there are so many things being sold, fresh vegetables and fruits, spices, accessories, silk, toys and many more.

At the end of the market, stood a huge building. This was the actual Lotus Pier, the main residence for the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. A majestic building that looks sturdy and strong with its giant and high white wall. There was a huge nine-petaled lotus painted on the wall, it was none other than the symbol of the Jiang sect. Beside the symbol on the wall, there was also a giant tapestry with nine-petaled lotus sewn on it, the tapestry was uncoiled from on top of the watchtower beside the gate, it was so long that it reached down to the ground.

“Quick quick, Lan Zhan. I can't wait to show you around the Lotus Pier.” Wei Wuxian exclaims as he dragged him towards the giant gate in front of Lotus Pier. The gate was made from wood, it was so big that Lan Wangji was sure any size carriage would be able to go through even an elephant, on top of the gate there was a big plaque made of wood with big 'Jiang' written on it.

There were two Jiang disciples guarding beside the gate, at the sight of Wei Wuxian they immediately straighten up and bowed, “Da-shixiong, welcome back.” they greeted, before pausing at the sight of Lan Wangji. They blinked several times, as if trying to see if it was just their eyes playing trick with them.

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat, “Are you guys gonna greet our guest or not?” he asked, then shook his head in disappoinment, “Where are your manner, if Madam Yu knew about this...” he trailed off, the Jiang disciples looked at him dumbfoundedly before finally scrambled to bow at Lan Wangji, “Ha•••Hanguang-Jun! Welcome to Lotus Pier!” they greeted in a chorus.

Lan Wangji nods. Wei Wuxian smiled, “Where's Uncle Jiang? Is he here?” he queried, “Sect Leader is on his workplace, he just finished meeting with a silk merchant.” replied one of the disciples. “Then, what about Madam Yu? Is she too?” Wei Wuxian asked again, “Madam Yu just got back from her trip to Meishan Yu with Lady Jiang.” replied the disciple.

“That's great! Seems like Shijie is here too, I can't wait for you to meet her, I think you two will get along well since both of you love cooking, but before that I still need to take you to met Uncle Jiang first, I also need to report to him. Come come, let me show you around Lotus Pier on our way there.” he babbled happily, started dragging the older man, completely ignoring the Jiang disciples who were gaping at them.

“This is the training ground, here is where we have our swords practice” Wei Wuxian exclaimed. The training ground was very open and spacious ground, it was surrounded by a wall and hallway on two sides, on one side there was huge building and on the other side there was a huge lake filled with Lotus flowers.

“As you can see, it was very open and spacious, Uncle Jiang said they made it purposely that way to fit our swords style, swift and fierce. Beside, our sword style is more of free resulting in us needing alot of space to move. The training ground was also purposely build beside a lake so the disciples could practice their swimming here regularly, we occasionally have swimming race too.” Wei Wuxian explains.

“This is the duelling hall where we put our equipment such as the wooden practice swords, bows and arrows, weights for body building and alot more. We also used it as an indoor training ground when we couldn't do practice outside or to have a special duel lessons. Madam Yu is always sitting here when she's supervising our training.” the younger disciples explained happily, he then turned towards the older man

“Maybe we should duel here sometimes soon” he said, he was not being serious, after all he know how busy the older man is and there's no way the older man would see him as someone who is qualified to have a duel with him, “Mn. I will look forward to it.” silver grayish eyes widened, “Are– are you serious?”

Lan Wangji nods, “Wei Ying is a very talented swordsman. I wish to exchange some blows with him” he said, Wei Wuxian grinned widelg “Well, it can't be helped. I'm sure you're very interested to duel against my swords skill, after all I'm the only one who's able to defeat your niece, Lan Xingye.” he said happily.

“So this is the training ground, over there you can see a hallway, that one leads straight to the disciple dormitories, dining room for the disciples and kitchen, the other hallway leads to the quarters for inner members including Sect Leader's quarter, Madam Yu's quarter, inner families quarter, the second kitchen, dining room and guest quarters. And that's where we're gonna head to.” he said

He lead Lan Wangji through a hallway that soon branched to several hallways, there was a courtyard complete with a table and chairs, Lan Wangji thought this must be where Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian had that conversation after he was expelled from Gusu Lan lectures. Since he didn't prevent the fight from happening, the two must have had the conversation here that night.

“And this is Uncle Jiang's office” Wei Wuxian's voice pulled Lan Wangji from his thought. He looked up and saw two huge door made of wood with nine-petaled lotus crafted on it. Wei Wuxian smiled before knocking on the door, “Uncle Jiang. This is me Wei Wuxian, I just got back from night-hunts and I'm here to give my reports. I also brought a special guest.” he said

“Ah, A-Xian? Come on in” came a voice from inside. Lan Wangji recognize it as the voice of Jiang Fengmian, the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader. The immortal glowered as memories of a vision started swarming his eyes. Two teenagers tied on the boat with a first class spiritual weapon as they drove away from the burning Lotus Pier.

The two teenagers struggled as hard as they could. Zidian had almost sunk into their flesh, yet it still remained.

A mad roar rang from Jiang Cheng's throat as he continue to struggle, “Why won't it break?! Why won't it break?! Break! Break!”

Wei Wuxian had just been whipped over ten times by Zidian. His body was still hurting. He knew that they wouldn't be able to struggle out of this and that all of their effort would go to waste. Remembering that Jiang Cheng was still injured, he spoke through the pain, “Jiang Cheng, calm down first. Facing the Core-Melting Hand, it's not for sure that she'd lose. Back then, didn't she hold Wen Zhuliu back?”

However, instead of calming down, Jiang Cheng roared, “How do you want me to calm down?! How could I calm down?! Even if Wen Zhuliu is killed, that despicable woman has already sent out signals. What if the Wen-dogs saw them and are leading people to lay siege on our sect?!”

Wei Wuxian knew as well that there was no way for them to calm down. But, between the two, one of them had to have a clear head. Just as he was about to continue, his eyes suddenly lit up. “Uncle Jiang! It's Uncle Jiang! He's coming back!” he shouted.

As he had said, a larger boat sailed toward them over the river.

Jiang Fengmian was standing at the head of the boat. Around a dozen disciples were also standing on the boat. He was staring in the direction of Lotus Pier, his purple robes flapping in the wind. “Father! Father!” Jiang Cheng shouted.

Jiang Fengmian saw them as well. He looked somewhat surprised. One of the disciples rowed the oar, and the boat approached. Jiang Fengmian still didn't know what had happened and mused as he said, “A-Cheng? A-Xian? What happened to you two?”

The boys at Lotus Pier often played strange games. Even lying in the water with faces covered in blood pretending to be floating corpses wasn't out of the norm. Thus, Jiang Fengmian couldn't immediately decide if they were playing some new game or not. He didn't pick up the severity of the circumstances. Jiang Cheng, however, was so happy that he almost cried. He hurried to explain, “Father, Father let us go!”

Jiang Fengmian spoke, “This is your mom's Zidian. Zidian knows its masters. I don't think it'd let me...”

As he spoke, he touched Zidian with his hand. However, just as he came into contact with it, Zidian retracted obediently. It immediately turned into a ring and wrapped around one of his fingers.

Jiang fengmian froze at once.

Zidian was Yu Ziyuan's best weapon. Yu Ziyuan's intention was its most important command. Zidian could recognize multiple masters, but there was an order. Madam Yu was undoubtedly the primary master of Zidian. Her command was to tie Jiang Cheng up until he was safe, which was why even though Jiang Cheng was also its master, he couldn't struggle out of its constraint.

Nobody knew when, but Jiang Fengmian had been recognized as the secondary master of Zidian. In front of him, Zidian determined them to be safe, and thus it loosened.

But Madam Yu had never said that she let Zidian recognize Jiang fengmian as its master as well.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian had finally broken apart. They collapsed to each side. “What is going on? Why would you two be tied onto a boat by Zidian?” Jiang Fengmian asked.

As though he saw something that could save them, Jiang Cheng clutched him, “Today the Wen Sect's people were at our sect. A-niang had an argument with them and started fighting with the Core-Melting Hand! A-niang might be at a disadvantage. Later, there might be even more enemies. A-die, let's go back and help her! Let's go!”

Hearing this, all of the disciples looked shocked. “The Core-Melting Hand?!” Jiang Fengmian asked.

Jiang Cheng nodded, “Yes, A-die! We...”

Before he could finish his sentence, a purple light flashed, and Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian were tied up again. In the position that they had been, the two collapsed onto the smaller boat. Jiang Cheng's face was blank, “... A-die?!”

“I'll go back. You two leave. Don't turn in any way. Don't return to Lotus Pier. After you reach the shore, try to go to Meishan as soon as possible to find your sister and your grandmother.” Jiang Fengmian said.

Wei Wuxian widened his eyes, “Uncle Jiang!!!”

As the shock passed, Jiang Cheng kicked the side of the boat furiously. The boat kept on shaking. “A-die let me go! Let me go!” he shouted.

“I will go back to find San-niang” Jiang Fengmian declared.

Jiang Cheng glowered at him, “We can go back and find her together, can't we?!”

Jiang Fengmian stared into his eyes. Suddenly, he reached out. Only after pausing in the air did he finally touch Jiang Cheng's head, “A-Cheng, be well.” he spoke slowly.

“Uncle Jiang, if anything happens to you, he won't be well.” Wei Wuxian said calmly.

Jiang Fengmian turned his eyes to him, “A-Xian, A-Cheng... you must look after him.”

As if not surprised by the older man's words, Wei Wuxian merely bowed his head without saying anything.

Jiang Fengmian returned to the larger boat. The two boats brushed against each other before parting and drifting farther and farther away. Jiang Cheng shouted in despair, “A-die!!!”

People believe that Jiang Fengmian has always favored his ward over his own son but, Wei Wuxian knew better, better than anyone else that he would never have something that never belonged to him to begin with.

Jiang Fengmian had always loved Jiang Cheng more than Wei Wuxian. This fact would never change. He never even considered Wei Wuxian more than a meat shield and a loyal servant for his son. Thus why, his last word for Wei Wuxian is not a lovely parting words but an order. An order to protect Jiang Cheng no matter what the cost is. It was unfortunate that Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Cheng failed to see it because their jealousy already clogged their eyes, make them unable to see the truth in front of them.

Lan Wangji clenched his hand into a fist, golden eyes gleaming dangerously. To give such a huge responsibility to a merely sixteen years old teenager. Jiang Fengmian sure is something else.

As Wei Wuxian opened the door to the office, they could see a man in purple robes sitting in front of his desk, writing.

The man looked up from his paper, his purple eyes immediately brightened at the sight of his Head Disciple “A-Xian. How were the night hunts?” he asked, “It was really crazy, Uncle Jiang. I have so much to tell you. Oh! and i brought a guest.” at the mention of that, Jiang Fengmian only then realized the other presence in the room.

Wei Wuxian might have missed it but Lan Wangji could see it clearly the change in Jiang Fengmian expression as soon as he saw Lan Wangji.

He had expected as much, especially after what happened during Discussion Conference in Qinghe.

“What? Rejected? Did Jiang Fengmian really reject your offer to make Wei Wuxian as our honored guest disciple?” Lan Yuen asked in disbelief. It was a couple days after Lan Qiren came back from the discussion conference, during one of their tea times, Lan Qiren told them that the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader had rejected his offer to make Wei Wuxian as their honored guest disciple.

Lan Qiren took a sip of his tea and sigh, “It is what it is.” he said. “But, I still don't understand. We might not be as great as the Wen Sect but we still known for our education and vast knowledge, becoming our honored guest disciple surely is an honored thing”

Lan Wangji looked at Lan Qiren, “Why did he reject it?”

“I'm sorry, Lan-qianbei. It was a very honored thing that you think A-Xian deserve to study and be an honored guest disciple for Gusu Lan Sect, but he's still my Head Disciple. He had duty as the Head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang sect. I can't let him abandon his duty to the Jiang Sect to study in your Sect.”

“That's what he said to me. After that, everytime I tried to bring up the matter, he avoided it and changed the topic instead.” Lan Qiren said. Lan Yuen clicked her tongue, “What a cowardly asshole.” she spat, Lan Qiren brows twitched, “A-Yu. Language” Lan Xichen reminded.

“What? Am I wrong? He has hundreds of disciples that could take over the Head Disciple position temporarily but instead he refuses the opportunity that could give a huge advantage not only for his Head Disciple but also for the Jiang Sect. And the way he talked about Wei Wuxian's duty, for godsake, he's still fifteen!” she rambled angrily.

Lan Xichen hummed, “It is strange for Sect Leader Jiang to pass up such an opportunity.”

“I told you, A-Huan. There's something fishy about the Jiang family” Lan Yuen remarked.

“Do not speak ill of others. Talking behind other people’s backs is prohibited.” Lan Qiren stated.

Lan Yuen groaned, “But, shufu. At least you're agree that the Jiang family is fishy, right? All those rumours about how Madam Yu treated her own ward. At first I didn't want to believe it either but when I treated Wei Wuxian's wound...” she trailed off, her expression changed as she glowered, “Shufu, you should've seen his back. Brother in law saw it too.” she said and turned towards Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji nods. “Shufu, his back was marred with scars. In various sizes and depths.”

Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen eyes widened. “What? What could have caused it?” Lan Xichen asked.

“Zidian” replied Lan Yuen

Lan Qiren's eyes narrowed, “A-Yu. Are you trying to accuse–”

“Yes. I inspected the wounds and there's no mistaking it, it was caused by a whip weapon. Zidian is a first class spiritual weapon. Even if it wasn't on its full power, it's still a spiritual weapon made to fight against evil beings.” she explained.

Lan Wangji glowered, “Shufu, he's only fifteen and yet his back was full and marred with scars. He was taken in by Jiang Fengmian when he was nine, in just those six years...” he clenched his fist.

“What I don't understand is how Sect Leader Jiang didn't do anything about the mistreatment. Despite the rumour about him favouring his ward more than his own son, he never tried to stop his wife's actions nor to stop the rumour from going around and earlier when Shufu offered Wei Wuxian to be an honored guest disciple in Lan Sect, he firmly rejected the offer by saying Wei Wuxian still need to fulfill his duty as Head Disciple. It seems as to me, Sect Leader Jiang is...” she trailed off

“Trying to caged him in the Yunmeng Jiang sect.” Lan Xichen finished.

Lan Yuen nodded, “His actions do not make any sense to me, if he does care about him but too afraid to confront his wife then he should at least accept Shufu's offers so that Wei Wuxian could at least take sanctuary here while furthering his knowledge. It seems to me he just wants Wei Wuxian to stay within his sect like an obedient servant.”

“A-Yu, that's too far. This is a baseless accusations” Lan Qiren warned.

“Not true” Lan Wangji spoke up. “His back is a real evidence of the mistreatment he receive in Jiang Sect.” he said

“If what A-Yu saying is true, and Sect Leader Jiang merely wants him to be an obedient servant fulfilling his duty, then why did he allow to him to attend the lecture?” Lan Qiren queried.

“That's...” Lan Yuen trailed off 

“Don't tell me it has something to do with the Jiang heir, Jiang Wanyin?” Lan Xichen spoke, Lan Yuen widened her eyes, “Do you mean he actually sent Wei Wuxian here to be his son's bodyguard? That's... Is he trying to make Wei Wuxian to be a living shield for his son?! That's...”

“Outrageous!” Lan Qiren shouted, “You aren't really saying Sect Leader Jiang is able to do something like that to his bestfriend's son are you? Wei Changze is Jiang Fengmian's dearest friend. They grew up together!”

“And yet, he didn't do anything to the mistreatment Wei Ying's receives from his own wife and he also rejected the offer that could make Wei Ying's talent flourish.” Lan Wangji pointed out

Lan Qiren sighed as he stroked his goatee, “No matter if this is true or not. Wei Wuxian is still part of the Jiang Sect, we can't do anything if his Sect Leader forbids him to be our guest disciple and as someone from a different sect, there's nothing we can do. Even if we try to bring up the mistreatment, we have no concrete proof. All we had is the scar on his back, Wei Wuxian is loyal to his sect, he will definitely try to cover it as injury from night-hunts or practice. The Jiang Sect will try to accuse us of for lying.” he explained.

Lan Yuen hummed, “If we try to talk to Wei Wuxian about the offer to become a guest disciple, he would gladly to accept it, but then again it's all up to his Sect Leader's decision and Wei Wuxian really respect Sect Leader Jiang, he will definitely follow his order.”

“If we try to use his talent in talismans and arrays as a gateway for him to learn in our sect freely, it might catch the attention from unwanted people like Wen Ruohan.” Lan Wangji pointed out

“Ah! I completely forgot about that lunatic old man. He's always been obsessed in recruiting talented people to his Clan, did you remember the Core-Melting Hand, Zhou Zhuliu? I heard Wen Ruohan took him in as a guest disciple and later promoted him to high rank, even giving him the Wen surname and appointed him to be a bodyguard for his second son, Wen Chao.” Lan Yuen groaned.

“If we let him know about Wei Wuxian's talent, he definitely will try to recruit him as a guest disciple on his Sect and even Sect Leader Jiang wouldn't be able to do anything to oppose him.” Lan Xichen added.

“It's like freeing him from a snake den only to give him away to the tiger's den” Lan Yuen commented.

“All will be well in the end. There will be a way to save him from the Jiang sect, we will just have to wait for an opportunity.” Lan Wangji stated

The three Lans nodded in agreement. Lan Wangji took a sip of his tea.

Yes, there is nothing to worry about. After all, the problem is already solved. All he needed to do is to make his family aware and understand of Wei Ying's predicament, and then once they sympathize it'll be easy for him to propose the idea of marriage. All he needed to do was to make Wei Ying's fall in love with him, as much as he wants to save him from the Jiangs, he still wanted Wei Ying to marry him out of love and his own decision.

All will be well in the end. Lan Wangji has everything planned out.

“Hanguang-Jun, this is quite unexpected. I believe I didn't receive any early notifs from Sect Leader Lan about your visit.” Jiang Fengmian smiled. Lan Wangji nods, “Mn. This wasn't planned, I was passing by during my travels and decided to visit Lotus Pier.”

'If Xiongzhang sent early notifs, you definitely would have assigned Wei Ying out to night-hunts far away from Yunmeng just so we wouldn't have a chance to meet.’

“I see. Then, we will be honored to have you as our guest.” he smiled, then turned towards Wei Wuxian. “A-Xian, about the night-hunts report.”

“Ah, I already ordered Baiyue and Fengye to make it” he answered, cheerfully.

Jiang Fengmian nods, “Then, why don't you show our guest to his quarters?”

Wei Wuxian smiled and bowed, “Okay, Uncle Jiang. Let's go Lan Zh– I mean Hanguang-Jun.” he said as he took Lan Wangji's sleeve and started dragging him out of the room. Lan Wangji tried to hold himself back from smiling when he felt a piercing gaze on his back.

They walked through the hallway, Wei Wuxian was humming cheerfully. “Follow me, Lan Zhan. It was right around the corner. The area for the guest quarters.” he said, as they took a turn, the hallway lead them towards a giant spacious lake, with lots of big floating buildings filling the lake. Each building is probably twice as big as the most expensive room in an inn and there's probably around twenty to thirty buildings, there are also lotuses everywhere with a small path made from wood that connects every building.

It was very beautiful and very different than the guest quarter in the Cloud Recesses. Instead of a lake, it was a green mountain that was filled with building.

Wei Wuxian lead the older man towards one of the buildings, “This will be your quarter, Lan Zhan.” he said as he opened the door. The room was spacious, nice and clean. Clearly being taken care of really well. Lan Wangji put down his guqin on the table “Um, do you need time to unpack? Honestly, do you even bring things with you? I didn't see you bring anything besides your guqin and your sword.” he observed.

Lan Wangji fished out a qiankun pouch from inside his sleeve, “Everything I need is here.” he said, Wei Wuxian smiled and crossed his arms “As expected from Hanguang-Jun. This is clearly a normal thing for you, travelling around, i mean. It must be nice, right? To visit many places and meet different kinds of people. This makes me want to travel too, I guess this is why my parents decided to become Rogue cultivators.” he babbled happily.

“I will take Wei Ying.”

“Eh?”

Lan Wangji's eyes softened, “I will take Wei Ying wherever he wants to go, we could travel together all over jianghu, helping people along the way, night-hunting together for the rest of our lives.”

Wei Wuxian burst out laughing, “You're so funny, Lan Zhan.”

“Wei Ying, I am serious.”

Silver eyes widened before he smiled, “That's sounds really amazing, but you know we can't do that. We both have duty and–”

“Then, we'll eloped from our duty. There are hundred of people who could take our duty. We could travel together and maybe we could also buy a donkey.”

Wei Wuxian giggled as his silver eyes turned misty, “Someday, Lan Zhan. I'll take you up on that offer.”

Lan Wangji nods. “Mn.”

“Alright alright, enough with the sappy talk. I still need you to meet my Shijie. I bet you're gonna love her, she's really good at cooking, you two are gonna get along really well.” he chirped. “Mn, I can't wait to meet Lady Jiang.” Lan Wangji said. As Wei Wuxian dragged him around, they unexpectedly came across a woman that was accompanied by two maids.

The woman had creamy skin and was rather beautiful with some fierceness displayed on her delicate features, making her look as cold as jade. She wore an expensive purple robes with a sword on her hips, a silver bell hanging on her belt and an amethyst ring on her right index finger.

She is none other than, Yu Ziyuan. Jiang Fengmian's wife and the Madam of Yunmeng Jiang Sect.

Lan Wangji golden orb turned cold at the sight of her. A vision started to appear.

Jinzhu and Yinzhu pulled out two long, sizzling whips from their waist, and began to fight Wen Zhuliu. The two maids had been close to Madam Yu ever since she was young. All of them were taught by the same person. Their combined attacks were by no means to be reckoned with.

With the opportunity, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, were picked up by Madam Yu with each hand as she rushed out of the hall. Many disciples still surrounded the training ground. “Get dressed and armed, now!” Madam Yu commanded.

With the two in her hands, she rushed onto the pier. The pier of Lotus Pier always had a few small boats docked in it, to be used by the Jiang Sect's disciples for roaming within the water. Madam Yu tossed them onto one of the boats. She jumped into it herself as well. Holding Jiang Cheng's hand, she helped him regain himself. Jiang Cheng had only coughed up a mouthful of blood. His injuries weren't too severe. “A-niang, what do we do?” he asked.

“What do you mean what do we do?! Can't you see yet? They came here prepared. Today's fight couldn't have been avoided. Soon afterwards there'll be herds of those Wen-dogs arriving. Leave first!” Madam Yu shouted.

Wei Wuxian spoke, “Then what about shijie? Shijie went to Meishan the day before yesterday. If she comes back...”

“Shut your mouth! It's all because of you little...!” Madam Yu glowered.

Wei Wuxian could only stay quiet. Madam Yu took off the Zidian ring that she wore on her right hand and put it onto Jiang Cheng's right index finger. Jiang Cheng was shocked, “... A-niang, why are you giving me Zidian?”

“I've given it to you, so it'll be yours from now on! Zidian has already recognized you as its master.” Madam Yu said.

Jiang Cheng was confused, “A-niang, won't you be leaving with us?”

Madam Yu stared at his face. Suddenly, she embraced him and kissed his hair a few times. With him in her arms, she murmured, “Good boy.”

She hugged him so tight that it seemed as if she wanted to turn Jiang Cheng into a baby and stuff him back into her stomach, so that nobody could hurt him, nobody could tear them apart. Jiang Cheng had never been hugged by his mother like this, much less kissed. His head was buried in her chest but his eyes were wide open, not knowing what to do.

One hand holding him, Madam Yu grabbed Wei Wuxian's lapels with her other hand as though to strangle him to death. She spoke through clenched teeth, “... You damn little brat! I hate you! I hate you more than anything else! Look at what our sect has gone through for your sake!”

Wei Wuxian's chest heaved up and down. He said nothing. This time, it wasn't that he held back his words or that he had unspoken comments, but that he really couldn't say anything.

Jiang Cheng hurried to ask, “A-niang, won't you be leaving with us?”

Madam Yu let go at once. She pushed him onto Wei Wuxian.

She leaped onto the dock. The boat rocked side to side amid the water of the river. Jiang Cheng finally understood. Jinzhu, Yinzhu, all of the disciples, and all of the treasure that Yunmeng Jiang Sect had passed down from one generation to the next were still inside Lotus Pier, unable to be evacuated within a short period of time. After this, a grim battle would have to happen. As the mistress, Madam Yu couldn't flee, yet she worried about her child. Perhaps selfish, she could only let these two escape first.

Knowing that there'd be immense danger after they parted, Jiang Cheng was more than scared. He stood up and tried to leave the boat as well, but suddenly, a rope of lightning tied the two tightly to the boat, it was none other than Zidian. They couldn't move at all, “A-niang, what are you doing?!” Jiang Cheng shouted.

“Don't make such a fuss. It'll loosen up when you're somewhere safe. If anyone attacks you on the journey, it'll protect you as well. Don't come back. Go to Meishan straight away and find your sister!” Madam Yu yelled.

After she finished, she turned to Wei Wuxian and pointed at him, “Wei Ying! Listen to me! Protect Jiang Cheng, protect him even if you die, do you understand?!”

“Madam Yu!” Wei Wuxian yelled, as if trying to prevent her from going back, trying to tell her to just runaway with them, trying to tell her that Jiang Cheng needed her more than anything right at this moment but his lips trembled, unable to say anything else other than shouting her name.

“Did you hear me?! Don't talk nonsense to me, I'm only asking you– did you hear me?!” Madam Yu barked.

Wei Wuxian couldn't struggle out of Zidian. He could only nod his head. “A-niang, A-die isn't back yet. If anything happens can't we manage through it together first?!” Jiang Cheng shouted.

Hearing him mention Jiang Fengmian, for a split second, Madam Yu's eyes seemed to turned red.

Immediately, she cursed with a loud voice, “So what if he's not coming back? Can't I do anything without him?!”

After this, she cut off the rope that leashed the boat with her sword and kicked the side of the boat hard. The water was fast and the wind was heavy. Along with the kick, the boat drifted yards away at once. With a few spins, it sailed quickly yet steadily toward the center of the river. “A-niang!” Jiang Cheng wailed.

He shouted for dozens of times. However, Madam Yu and Lotus Pier were farther and farther, smaller and smaller. After the boat was far into the distance, Madam Yu went back within the gates of Lotus Pier with a flash of her purple robes.

Lan Wangji tried to calm himself down as he looked at the woman in front of him. The woman who was ready to cut off Wei Ying's hand, the woman who declared how much she hates him and that there's nothing she hates more than him before putting heavy responsibility of her own son's safety and life in his hand. The woman who knew the Wens came prepared and yet still blamed everything on Wei Ying.

It really took every ounce of him to not just stick Bichen through Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. He needed to make sure to treat himself by painting a picture of Wei Ying to add to his collection.

“Madam Yu.” he greeted, beside him Wei Wuxian bowed in full salute, “Madam Yu.” seeing that, Lan Wangji really wanted to scream at the young man to never bow to this wicked woman anymore.

Madam Yu looked surprised as she stared at Hanguang-Jun then towards Wei Wuxian. “Hanguang-Jun, this is very surprising. I believe I didn't hear about your visitation to Lotus Pier beforehand.” she said with a stern voice.

Lan Wangji nods, “It was not planned, I was traveling near the border when I heard of troublesome case coming from Dafan Mountain, on my way, I met with Wei Ying who also night-hunting with a couple of Jiang disciples.” he explained, as he stared at the older woman face, he could see the surprised on her face when he called Wei Ying with his birth name very casually as if it's a normal thing to do. Lan Wangji somehow felt triumph. However, Madam Yu quickly recovered from her shocked.

“I see. I hope my Head Disciple did not trouble you on the night-hunt.” she said sharply, glaring at the young disciple. Wei Wuxian gulped, as he started fidgeting and averting his gaze to look somewhere else. “Wei Ying is very helpful, I managed to finish the night-hunt because of him. He also very dependable and responsible leader, he lead the disciples very well.” he replied

Madam Yu seems so close to scowling but managed to restraint herself as she lightly huffed, “That's what I expected from the Yunmeng Jiang Head Disciple.” she said, then paused, “What about A-Cheng? How is he doing on the lecture?” he asked.

Lan Wangji was tempted, very very tempted, to just say everything bluntly just to see how Madam Yu would react. Telling her how Jiang Wanyin is nothing more than a loud duck walking around the Cloud Recesses with the seemingly permanent scowl on his face. He was an annoyance. Lan Wangji was also tempted to tell her how her son has been breaking rules in Gusu Lan even got punished with the discipline ruler because he was caught breaking rules with other disciples.

He was tempted to tell her everything.

But the burning gaze that he felt on his back told him otherwise.

“Jiang Wanyin...” he paused, feeling his tongue burned just by saying the name, the person who had brought a siege for his beloved. “He is a good student, very diligent and always pays attention in the class.” he said, trying so hard to not show his discomfort through his face or his tone.

Madam Yu let out a relieved sigh, “At least, that boy is not bringing a shame to us.” she muttered before narrowed her eyes to Wei Wuxian, “Unlike someone who did nothing by bringing shame, even got expelled after three months.” she spat.

Lan Wangji opened his mouth to say something to defend Wei Ying regarding this matter but changes his mind, if he blindly came to Wei Ying's defense against Yu Ziyuan after her daughter engagement got called off, she would definitely feel humiliated and make her pride hurt. It would only make the situation worsen for Wei Ying once he left Lotus Pier, she would grow even more resentful to him. So, instead of defending Wei Ying and make the situation worsened for him he has better way that still could make Yu Ziyuan feel humiliated and her pride hurt but will not affected Wei Ying.

“Although, if I could be blunt, Madam Yu. After I supervised your son during the lecture, I did realize that Jiang Wanyin, has some problem with his temper and his view about politics.” he said, Madam Yu's eyes narrowed, “What do you mean by that?” she asked. “He is quite a temprament child, a fierce person like you but unlike you who will stood on her ground and will not succumbed, he is similar to his father, he will choose to be neutral and will do anything to please other people with high rank.” he said bluntly.

Madam Yu's fist clenched, “Hanguang-Jun. Are you trying to say that my son is a cheap bootlicker?” she asked, ribbons of lightning starting to appear around Zidian.

Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes, “Madam Yu, I'm telling you this because your son will take over the Sect Leader mantle of Yunmeng Jiang Sect someday. He is a fierce and a temprament person like you but unlike you, he can't stand on his ground instead he will try to please people and be neutral if it means it'll keep a peace and good name for his sect, in that area, he is very similar to your husband.” a very cowardly person, was left unsaid.

“You and I both now, that kind of combination of personality will be the worst type of Sect Leader, not to mention he is not very good at communicating with people. He will succumb once he was cornered by other people even if they're on the same rank as him” he explains. “It's better if you teach him how to stand on his ground while not succumbing to other people's tricks. You also need to teach him more about politics and how to communicate with people.” he said.

Madam Yu eyes were flared with rage but after a moment, she let out a long sigh and unclenched her fist, she seemed resigned and understood that Lan Wangji didn't meant to humiliate her or his son, he was genuinely giving advice regarding her son problems. “I really appreciate the advice, Hanguang-Jun.”

“Well then, I will take my leave. Wei Ying promised me to show around the market” he said, at the mention of the name, Madam Yu's eyes sharpened again, she scoffed “I hope you enjoy your stay in Lotus Pier.” she said then turned towards the young disciple, “And you! Don't embarrass me and cause trouble for Hanguang-Jun” she ordered, Wei Wuxian immediately straighten, “Yes, Madam Yu”

After they got far enough from Madam Yu and her two maids, the young disciple nudged Lan Wangji on the arm, the older man looked down and saw Wei Wuxian was looking up at him, grinning. “That was so cool of you, Lan Zhan. You care about all of the guest disciple, you even know what Jiang Cheng is lacking” he said before letting out a sigh

“Still, I really hope that brat will learn to control his anger and learn to communicate better with people. If he become Sect Leader with that kind of temper, I don't even want to imagine just how much of work i will have to ensure he will still have allies from other sects or trading agreements from the merchants.”

Lan Wangji looked ahead and spoke, “Wei Ying shouldn't be worried about that.” Wei Wuxian raised his eyebrows, “What do you mean I shouldn't be worried, when he become Sect Leader, I will be his right hand man.” he declared.

Lan Wangji bit the inside of his cheek, ‘No, you will not. He will leave you by yourself and then lead a siege on you’

Realising that the older man had suddenly grown quiet, Wei Wuxian spoke, “Lan Zhan? Is something wrong?”

Lan Wangji shook his head, “It is nothing.” however, the younger man was still unconvinced, he stared at Lan Wangji intently as if trying to see whether he's lying or not, he then hummed and opened his mouth to say something when suddenly Lan Wangji stopped in his track. He tilted his head and looked at where he's staring at and immediately brighten up

There, on a lonely floating gazebo that was surrounded by lotuses. Sat a young woman, she has creamy skin, a delicate features, beautiful long brown hair that was braided neatly and a pair of light amber eyes that almost similar to Lan Wangji's eyes, her face was gentle and her smile was lovely. She wore exquisite lavender robes with a silver bell hanging on her waist. She was staring at the lakes with solemn expression yet her smile was still there.

“Shijie!” Wei Wuxian immediately snatched Lan Wangji's sleeve and started running, pulling the older man with him. Hearing the voice, the young woman looked at them and her face immediately lit up.

“A-Xian.”

This was none other than Jiang Yanli. Wei Wuxian's beloved Shijie.

The only person in Lotus Pier who gave Wei Wuxian all the love and comfort.

“Wei Wuxian! You're only the son of a servant– how dare you be so bold!!!” Jin Zixun yelled.

The pupil of Wei Wuxian's eyes shrunk. It seemed that his right hand was almost going to touch Chenqing. As the air thickened with conflict, ready to burst any moment, somebody suddenly spoke, “A-Xian!”

Hearing the voice, Wei Wuxian's heart softened. He turned around, and muttered, “Shijie”

Jiang Yanli waved at him, “A-Xian, come stand behind me.” she said.

Wei Wuxian hesitated. Before he could move, Madam Jin quickly picked up her hand, “A-Li, don't intervene in their business.” she said, however, with an apologetic smile toward Madam Jin, Jiang Yanli went forth and stood in front of Wei Wuxian. She saluted Jin Zixun and the others.

Jin Zixun and his people didn't know how to respond either. A few of them returned the salute and a few didn't. Jiang Yanli spoke to Jin Zixun in a thin voice, “Young Master Jin, from what you meant, it was A-Xian who made a third of the prey on Phoenix Mountain all to himself, it defied the rules and he was too bold. I... I haven't heard of anything like this either. It truly must've troubled everyone here. I apologise to you in place of him.”

As she finished, she bowed down again. It seemed to be quite a serious apology. Wei Wuxian clenched his fist, “Shijie!”

Jiang Yanli didn't rise yet. She looked at him and shook her head almost unnoticeably. Wei Wuxian could only clench his fist and stay silent.

Jin Zixuan gazed over from afar. His expression was quite complicated. Jin Zixun and the rest, however, didn't even try to conceal the triumph on their faces. They were more than satisfied with themselves.

Jin Zixun chuckled, “Maiden Jiang, you really are kind and understanding. What your shidi did was extremely unbefitting, and indeed caused us much trouble. But, since you do recognize that it was unbefitting, then for Maiden Jiang and Sect Leader Jiang's sake, an apology won't be needed. The Yunmeng Jiang Sect and the Lanling Jin Sect are as close as brothers, anyways.”

He was on the verge of breaking into pompous laughter. Wei Wuxian was fuming with rage as his tightened knuckles craked. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Yanli had finished her bow and got up, and continuing in an earnest voice, “But, even if I haven't participated in a hunt before, there's one thing that I know– for all the hunts that have happened, I've never heard of a single rule that prohibits someone from hunting too much prey.”

The smiles on the people's faces froze before they could even set into place. 

Jiang Yanli continued, “And so, you said that A-Xian defied the rules– which exact rule did he defy?”

This time, it was Wei Wuxian's turn to laugh.

Jin Zixun's face was dark, but he didn't respond. There were two reasons. First, he had never seen Jiang Yanli step up and talk before, so he didn't know how strong his reply should be. Both Madam Jin and Jiang Cheng held Jiang Yanli in high regard, and he didn't dare rashly go against them. Second, if they really looked into it, they'd indeed fail to find such a rule!

At this point, some people among the crowd couldn't hold it down any longer. At such times, Sect Leader Yao was always the first one to jump out, “Madam Jiang, that wouldn't be the best way to put it. Although some rules aren't written out, everyone understands and follow them.”

Someone shouted, “How much prey is in Phoenix Mountain in total? Is it even five hundred? How many people are there in the hunt? More than five thousand! We're fighting for the prey to begin with. If he keeps so much prey to himself using such wicked means, what could other people do?”

Wei Wuxian sneered. As he was about to speak, Jiang Yanli stopped him, “It's best if you don't say anything.” she whispered.

Someone else felt unsatisfied as well, “Yeah, or else I would've at least been able to get one.”

Jiang Yanli spoke, “But... It isn't his fault that others can't capture the prey.”

The person couldn't say anything back. She continued, “Isn't the hunt all about true strength? Even if the ghouls are gone, aren't there also the yaos and the monsters? Even if he didn't keep one-third to himself, or even if he didn't attend the hunt, those who can't capture the prey will never be able to. Although the methods that A-Xian used are different from what other people use, it's still an ability that he cultivated. You can't call it a crooked path just because others don't have access to that third of the prey, can you?”

The people who gathered around Jin Zixun had on the same dark faces as he did. Yet, taking into consideration Jiang Yanli's background, they didn't dare talk back to her directly. 

Jiang Yanli added, “Besides, hunting is hunting, so why bring the matter of discipline to the table? A-Xian is a disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. He grew up with my brother and I, and so he's as close as a brother to me. Calling him the ‘Son of a servant’– I'm sorry, but I won't accept this. And thus...”

She straightened her back and raised her voice, “I hope that Young Master Jin Zixun would apologize to Wei Wuxian of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect!”

If the one currently saying these words wasn't Jiang Yanli and instead some random person, Jin Zixun would probably have come at them with a slap already. His face was almost black, but he kept his mouth shut. Jiang Yanli stared at him quietly, refusing to turn her eyes away. 

Madam Jin spoke, “A-Li, why are you being so serious? It's just a small matter. Don't get so worked up.”

Jiang Yanli's voice was soft, “Madam, A-Xian is my younger brother. Him being humiliated by others, isn't just a small matter.”

The only person who will come to defend Wei Wuxian so fiercely in front of others...

A woman stood in the yard, wearing a black cloak and a bamboo hat with gauze curtains hanging down its sides. Wei Wuxian felt his throat swell, “... Shijie”

The woman took off her hat and her cloak as well. Under the cloak were wedding robes of scarlet.

The robes were very exquisite and very refined, they were decorated with gold, reflecting a brilliant light every time they swayed under the sun. Jiang Yanli herself wore alot of gold on her, a bracelet, necklace and a lot of beautiful head piece that resembled a crown. When she smiled and tilted her head, the bejeweled crown on her head tinkled with the sound of bells.

She wore a very beautiful make up, the bright flush on her cheeks, enchanced her beauty even more. Jiang Yanli was beautiful. Her looks would even put the Empress and the concubine to shame.

Wei Wuxian's eyes widened at the sight, he walked a few steps closer to her, mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, “Shijie... you're?” he was still speechless, before he could say anything else, Jiang Cheng interrupted him, “What? You think she's marrying you?”

Wei Wuxian huffed, “You can shut up.”

Jiang Yanli spread out her arms, putting her form on full display, and gave a little spin. She flushed in embarrassment, as she spoke, “A-Xian, I'll... be married soon. I came for you too see...”

Wei Wuxian felt warmth in his eyes.

He wouldn't be able to be there the day Jiang Yanli got married, unable to see how his loved one would look in wedding robes. And so, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli snuck to Yiling and led him into the yard for him to see how his sister would look the day she got married.

A few moments later, Wei Wuxian finally smiled, “I know! I heard...”

Jiang Cheng cut him off and asked, “Where did you hear it from?”

“None of your business.” Wei wuxian replied.

Jiang Yanli spoke shyly, “But... I'm the only one who's here. You won't be able to see the groom.”

Wei Wuxian pretended that he didn't care, “It's not like I want to look at some groom.”

He walked a few times around Jiang Yanli, “It looks good!” he praised.

“A-jie, I told you so. It really does look good.” Jiang Cheng said.

Jiang Yanli had always known her own limitations. She answered earnestly, “It doesn't count if you two says so. I can't take it seriously.”

Jiang Cheng sighed, “You don't believe me and you don't believe him. Is it that you'll only believe it when a certain somebody says so?”

Hearing this, Jiang Yanli's face grew even redder, all the way until her snowy white earlobes. Even the pink of her blush couldn't hide it. She quickly switched the subject, “A-Xian... Give a courtesy name.”

Wei Wuxian raised his brows, “What courtesy name?”

Jiang Cheng scowled, “The courtesy name of my unborn nephew.” he replied.

The marriage hadn't happened yet and they were already giving a courtesy name to their future nephew. However, Wei Wuxian didn't find anything strange about it. He didn't show any modesty at all. “Sure, The next generation of the Lanling Jin Sect is named Ru. How about Jin Rulan?” he said after a while of thought.

Jiang Yanli brightened up, “That's great!”

The only person who always cared for him...

Suddenly, amid the battle noises, Wei Wuxian heard a faint voice.

The voice was shouting, “A-Xian!”

Like a bucket of ice-cold water just poured on him, the voice doused the vile flames raging within his heart. 

Jiang Yanli?

When did she come to the pledge conference?

Wei Wuxian was immediately half dead with fright. He couldn't care about the fight with Lan Wangji any longer and put down Chenqing, “Shijie?!”

Jiang Cheng heard the voice as well. In an instant, his face had turned white, “A-jie? A-jie! Where are you? Where are you?”

Wei Wuxian jumped down the ridge of the palace, shouting with just as much force as Jiang Cheng, “Shijie? Shijie? Where are you? I can't see you?”

He couldn't careless about the swords and arrows that came at him. With his bare hands, he fought his way through the frenzied crowd as he walked as fast as possible. Suddenly, he saw Jiang Yanli's white figure sunken within the people. Wei Wuxian went forth and tried to push away those who blocked his path, but it was difficult for him to move.

There was still a large distance between them, formed by countless people. At the moment, it was impossible for Wei Wuxian to rush over, and it was the same for Jiang Cheng. At this point, both of the two realized that behind Jiang Yanli's back, a fierce corpse had stood shakily up.

The corpse's body was already half-rotten, it dragged a rusting sword in his hand as it slowly approached Jiang Yanli.

Watching the scene of terror unfold, Wei Wuxian's voice was harsh, “Get lost! Get lost right now! Don't touch her!”

Jiang Cheng roared as well, “Make it go away!”

He tossed out Sandu. Purple light flew toward the corpse, but in midway, the glare was obstructed by another cultivator's sword, deviating from its original direction. The more Wei Wuxian panicked, the less control he had. The corpse ignored his command and instead lifted the sword in its hand, slashing it down at Jiang Yanli!

Wei Wuxian had lost it, dashing as he shouted, “Stop it, stop it, right now, stop it!”

Everyone was busy with dealing with the corpses around them. Nobody had the spare time to see if another's life was in danger. The sword in the corpse's hand swung down and slashed open Jiang Yanli's back!

Jiang Yanli fell to the ground.

Standing behind her back, the corpse raised its sword again. Suddenly, a sword glare sliced off half of its body!

Lan Wangji landed amid the plaza, catching Bichen which he summoned back. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng could finally hurry over. They couldn't even manage to thank Lan Wangji. Jiang Cheng first picked up Jiang Yanli, while Lan Wangji stopped Wei Wuxian.

Seizing his collar, he dragged Wei Wuxian in front of him, his voice hard, “Wei Ying! Stop the corpses!”

At the moment, Wei Wuxian couldn't care about anything else. Reflected in his eyes wasn't Lan Wangji's face, much less the veins of blood within Lan Wangji's eyes or the redness that surrounded his eyes. He only wanted to see if Jiang Yanli was fine. With red eyes, he pushed him away and rushed to the ground. With the push, Lan Wangji staggered a bit, and gazed at him after he steadied himself. Before he could do anything else, he suddenly heard another scream of help in the distance. He suppressed whatever was in his eyes and went to provide assistance.

Jiang Yanli's back was dyed in blood. Her eyes were closed, but fortunately she was still breathing. Trembling, Jiang Cheng took back the hand that he used to feel her pulse, letting out a breath of relief. He threw a sudden punch toward Wei Wuxian's face, “What happened?! Didn't you say you could control it?! Didn't you say it'd be fine?!” he shouted.

Wei Wuxian sat collapsed on the ground, his face blank, “... I don't know either.” in despair, he continued, “... I can't control it. I just can't control it...”

Suddenly, Jiang Yanli moved. Holding her tightly, Jiang Cheng hurried, however incoherent, “A-jie! It's fine! It's fine, how are you feeling? It's not that bad, just a single gash, not that bad. I'll take you down right now...”

As he spoke, he was about to pick up Jiang Yanli when she spoke up, “... A-Xian.”

Wei Wuxian felt shivers go down his spine, “Shijie, I... I'm here. I'm here”

Slowly, Jiang Yanli opened her dark eyes. Wei Wuxian felt fear rumble within him.

“A-Xian.” she whispered then tried to move towards him, Wei Wuxian caught her, he looked down at his hand, it was smeared with Jiang Yanli's blood, it started to trembling, “I'm here. I'm here.” he say, more firmly.

“... A-Xian. Before... Why did you run away so fast... I didn't even get the chance to look at you, or say something to you...” she said, weakly.

Hearing this, Wei Wuxian's heart beat fast.

He still didn't dare to look at Jiang Yanli's face. Right then, the face was the same as Jin Zixuan's back then, covered in dust and blood. He was even more scared to hear the words she was about to say.

“I'm... I'm here to tell you...”

To tell him what?

That it's fine?

That I don't hate you?

That everything is fine?

That I don't blame you for having killed Jin Zixuan?

It was impossible.

But, she couldn't say anything that was the opposite either. And so, she didn't know what else she could say to Wei Wuxian, under such circumstances. It was just that she felt like she had to see this brother of hers once more.

Jiang Yanli sighed, glanced at the battlefield, “A-Xian, you... you s h ould stop first. Don't, dont...”

Wei Wuxian hurried, “Okay, I'll stop. I'll stop.”

He took up Chenqing, placed it by his lips, and began to play. He only managed to steady his mind with great effort. This time, the corpses finally stopped ignoring his commands. One after another, strange gurgles echoed in their throats as if they were complaining. Slowly, they bent down.

“Shijie, I've stopped them.”

Jiang Yanli lifted her hand towards Wei Wuxian and started stroking his cheek. “Good... My good brother, A-Xian.” she whispered.

Suddenly, Jiang Yanli's eyes opened wide. Her hands conjured up an explosive current of strength from nowhere and pushed Wei Wuxian!

“Look out!” she screamed.

Wei Wuxian was pushed onto the ground again by the force. The next time he looked up, he saw the gleaming blade of a sword pierce through her throat.

Sitting on the dirty ground, Wei Wuxian stared in disbelief at Jiang Yanli, whose head had already dipped, blood trickling ceaselessly from her neck.

He was still waiting for her to speak, to give him her final judgment.

Jiang Cheng was at a loss as well, he hadn't completely realized what happened yet. 

A moment later, finally, Wei Wuxian let out bitter scream full of sorrow and grief.

The only person who was always willing to protect Wei Wuxian from anything...

Lan Wangji lift his hand and bowed in deep gratitude, shocking both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli.

“Lan Zhan?! What are you doing?!” he hurriedly asked.

“Hanguang-Jun?” Jiang Yanli asked, unable to understand why would someone like Lan Wangji would bow to her in such a grateful way, even though it's the first time they met.

“Maiden Jiang. It is nice to finally meet you. I have nothing to say other than Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Thank you for being the only one defending Wei Ying.

Thank you for being the only one cared about and loved Wei Ying.

Thank you for protecting Wei Ying with your own life.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian huffed, crossing his arms “I can't believe you just freaked out my Shijie like that, Lan Zhan.” he scolded, Lan Wangji stood behind him with his head hung low, “I am sorry, Wei Ying. I did not meant to do it.” he said. Jiang Yanli giggled at the sight of his little brother scolding the much bigger and taller man than him. Wei Wuxian turned around, “You need to apologize to my Shijie. It must be really scary for her, a man she never met just bowing in gratitude to her without any reason.” he scolded again, Lan Wangji could only nods, with his head still hung low he approached Jiang Yanli.

“Maiden Jiang, I am sorry for my inappropriate action earlier.” he apologized, once again bowed to her though it wasn't as deep as before, because he didn't want to scare her again or getting scolded by Wei Ying again. Jiang Yanli smiled, “It's alright, Hanguang-Jun. Although it really did surprised me but I don't really mind it.” she assured. “Honestly, Lan Zhan. Why did you do that? What has Shijie done for you to act so grateful? Have you even met my Shijie before?” Wei Wuxian asked, “I believe this is our first time meeting” Jiang Yanli said

At that moment, Lan Wangji realised his mistake. Uh oh... He shouldn't have let his emotion overwhelmed him like that. Now he need to explain why he did what he just did toward Jiang Yanli whom he never met before. Lan Wangji looked between Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian, seemed lost and didn't know what to say. What should he say? Must he really say 'it's because your Shijie is the only one defending you when the whole world condemned you and mocked you for your cultivation path, Wei Ying. She even sacrifice her life to save you although it all was for nothing because your own shidi, Jiang Wanyin, brought siege upon you'

There's no way he could say that

As Lan Wangji stood there in silence, looking all troubled, Jiang Yanli took a pity on him and decided to intervene.

“A-Xian.” she called softly

Wei Wuxian turned to her “Yes, Shijie?”

she smiled “Won't you introduce me to your Hanguang-Jun?” she asked, Wei Wuxian gasped, he just realising he hasn't introduced them yet, “Oh right!” he cleared his throat, “Let's start this over.” he said before lifting his hand and motioning at Lan Wangji, “Shijie, this is Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji, the famous Hanguang-Jun, you might heard of him before. One of the Twin Jade and the younger brother of Sect Leader Lan. The light bearer lord, who always goes wherever the chaos is. He is also my favorite teacher in the Cloud Recesses” he introduced

Jiang Yanli smiled and bowed, “Nice to meet you, Hanguang-Jun.”

Wei Wuxian moved and motioned at Jiang Yanli, “Lan Zhan this is my Shijie, Jiang Yanli. The oldest child of Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu, also the older sister of Jiang Cheng. Our beloved Shijie, the best sister in the world! She is very kind and caring. She is the best at cooking. No one can beat her lotus root and pork rib soup, it will make you feel better in just one spoon. Everyone in Lotus Pier loves her and adores her.” he said proudly

Jiang Yanli nudges him, “A-Xian, that's enough. You're exaggerating again” she told him but the younger man only smiled, “But, Shijie. I didn't say any lie and I wasn't exaggerating, all I said is the truth. You believe me, right Lan Zhan?” he asked

Lan Wangji nods, “Mn. I believe him, Wei Ying would never tell a lie.” he said before turning towards Jiang Yanli and bowed, “It's an honor to meet you, Maiden Jiang.” he said, earnestly. “The honor is mine, Hanguang-Jun.” she said then smiled, “I was having tea by myself, but it'd be lovely if you two could join me.” she offered, motioning at the table which still has steaming tea

Wei Wuxian glanced at Lan Wangji, as if waiting for his answer, Lan Wangji nodded, “It would be my honor to have a tea with you, Maiden Jiang.” the older man answered, Wei Wuxian grinned before reaching for Lan Wangji's sleeve and dragging him to the table. Jiang Yanli smiled and took a seat, followed by Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

“Weren't you out on night-hunts, A-Xian?” Jiang Yanli asked as she started preparing the tea for them, Wei Wuxian nodded, “Yup, I was. But I just got back today.” he replied, “That was quite fast.” Jiang Yanli commented, “Mn! I missed your cooking and all the pastry you will baked for me so I hurried back.” he exclaims.

Jiang Yanli giggled and shook her head, “My my, how old is Xianxian?” she asked while booped his nose, Wei Wuxian giggled and showed three fingers, “Xianxian is three!” he replied. “Hmm, three is too much. How about one?” she teased. “No. Xianxian is three.”

Lan Wangji couldn't help but melted at the sight, he really loved seeing the younger man's laugh and giggle like this and he would never exchange this sight with anything. Seeing a sight like this where Wei Ying could be so happy and free only made the determination fire up inside Lan Wangji to burn even brighter than before.

He wanted to change the future, no matter what the cost, no matter who he needed to kill.

“Alright, Xianxian lied. It was actually Hanguang-Jun. He helped me alot on the night-hunts, without him I'm not even sure if I would have survived and came back home safely with the others” he said, “Is that so? I heard it was dangerous case of soul-consuming. Are you really alright, A-Xian? No injury at all? Have you seen the healers?” she asked. “Don't worry, Shijie. Why wouldn't I be okay? Lan Zhan was with me and he's very strong.” he declared. “Shijie, you should've seen when Lan Zhan was fighting the evil goddess statue, he was so cool and so strong!” Jiang Yanli smiled, “It must've been really amazing for A-Xian to praise it like that.”

“It really was amazing, Shijie! No wonder Hanguang-Jun is very famous in the cultivation world and known even among common folks. He is simply amazing, just a swung of his sword, it was enough to tear down a chunk of trees and send out massive energy waves.” Wei Wuxian praised, Jiang Yanli turned towards Lan Wangji and bowed her head a little, “Thank you for taking care of and saving A-Xian.” she said. “It is nothing, Wei Ying is also a very talented and skilled disciple, without him there would've been more casualties” he said.

“Hanguang-Jun is very kind, i'm really happy A-Xian had a chance to meet you during the Gusu Lan lecture and to have you as his teacher.” she said

“Lan Wangji.”

Jiang Yanli raised her brows in confusion, sensing her confusion Lan Wangji continued, “Maiden Jiang should just call me, Lan Wangji. Calling me Hanguang-Jun is too formal and unnecessary.” he said, and we'll become in laws one day, anyways, so better get used to it. was left unsaid.

Jiang Yanli blinked several times before smiling, “I understand, Lan er-gongzi” she said as she started pouring teas for both Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. “It was really nice to meet you. I have heard so many good things about you from A-Xian.” she added, picking up a teacup and offering it to Lan Wangji, who stared at her in disbelief. Jiang Yanli tilted her head, “Lan er-gongzi?”

Lan Wangji startled and immediately took the cup, still gracefully as ever, “Wei Ying... he–he talked about me?” he asked, Jiang Yanli couldn't help but giggled at the older man's reaction, “He did, he talked alot about you. Almost everyday. It seemed like there will be no ending if it's about you.” she replied, realizing that he had just been sold off by his Shijie, Wei Wuxian spluttered, face started to flushed red, “Shijie!” he whined.

Jiang Yanli ignored him, as she continued, “He told me what a great person you are and that alot of the bad rumour did not do you justice, he also told me you are really a great teacher, you've been helping him alot with his studies and been very supportive about his hobby in array and talisman tinkering. I really appreciate it very much, Lan er-gongzi.” she said

Lan Wangji could feel his heart fluttering, he suddenly felt jittering and wanted to jump around while screaming happily, it was unbecoming of him, something like that he would never even think of doing it before he met Wei Ying, but could you blame him? To think that Wei Ying talked alot about him to his shijie, the person he cared the most in the world, made him feel so happy and over the moon. Wei Ying talked about him and all of it is the good thing about him, this must be a good news right? This mean Wei Ying think highly of him, enough to brag about him in front of the person he cared the most.

Lan Wangji hope Wei Ying think of him as much as he think about the younger man.

At the thought, Lan Wangji could feel his ear heating up. Jiang Yanli eyes widened as she cover her face with her sleeve and staring at Lan Wangji and then to Wei Wuxian and then back to Lan Wangji, after a moment she put down her hands and her expression turn solemn, “A-Xian did not get much support here in Lotus Pier from A-niang and our talismans and arrays master because his experiment always causing explosion and damage to our property. But to be honest, i think it's worth it for all the reparations and the expenses. A-Xian loves to help people and I believe his invention would help a lot of people” she said.

Lan Wangji's heart ached to hear it. To think such a talented disciple like Wei Ying didn't get as much as support as he needed just because a mere reason of damages to the property. Yunmeng Jiang is very rich, it's one of five great sect. Such expenses are nothing for them. It must be jealousy. Madam Yu and the Jiang's talismans and arrays master... They've must felt jealousy, to strained such rare ralent that will bring so much benefits. Lan Wangji couldn't wait until he could take Wei Ying away from this suffocating hellhole.

“Shijie...” Wei Wuxian whispered, Jiang Yanli smiled at him before patting his head, “By the way, how was A-Xian during the lecture? I hope he was not much of a trouble for you and Grandmaster Lan.” she said, Lan Wangji eyes softened at that, “Wei Ying is a very talented student. He's been behaving really well, he's very diligent and friendly with everyone. Lot of disciples loves him and loves to hangout with him. I think, he makes the Cloud Recesses livelier” he replied.

Jiang Yanli nods vigorously, “As expected, that's just how A-Xian is. He is funny, easygoing and friendly with everyone, he's very good at making everyone's day better. He is also everyone's favorite here, everyone loves him especially the younger disciples. They love to play with A-Xian on the pier. Just being around A-Xian is enough to bring smile to your face.” she praised. “Mn. I could see Wei Ying doing that. He also make our juniors happy whenever he's around, he made our stuffy juniors acting just like teenagers of their age.”

It was not a lie. Lan Wangji has seen it himself, the position change that Wei Ying brought to the Lan's juniors during his stays. There were some moments where Lan Wangji caught them chatting happily and laughing out loud with Wei Ying, doing little pranks and having fun in the back mountain like fishing. Lan Wangji could see the huge benefits the Gusu Lan Sect will get after he marries Wei Ying. The Lan Sect will definitely thrive with Wei Ying.

“Wei Ying also talked alot about Lotus Pier. He told me all the thing he loves and all the happy memories he had here, he loves to play in the pier and swimming in the lake, he also loves picking lotus seed pods and shooting kites with the disciples.” Lan Wangji said.

Jiang Yanli giggled, “It seems Lan er-gongzi is very close with A-Xian. I wonder what are their relationship is and what is his actual purpose.” she said with a hint of amusement. Lan Wangji blinked as if taken back by her words, “I hope he wasn't playing around with A-Xian and is actually genuine with him.” she added, Lan Wangji stared at Jiang Yanli in disbelief. There's only one thing in his mind right now. How does she know? How did she catch on his feeling so fast? Was he really that obvious? It's definitely wasn't him, he always tries to ro conceal his feeling as much as he can, no it's not him but Jiang Yanli's. He never thought the kind and gentle Jiang Yanli is actually someone with sharp intuition like this, but somehow this kinda make sense to him. He fell silent for a moment. This is it, this is the important part where he had to convince Jiang Yanli and get her blessing for when he proposed to Wei Ying later, he could not screw this over, Lan Wangji thought.

With that in mind, he steeled his heart and cast a deafening spell around him and Jiang Yanli and spoke, “Maiden Jiang has very sharp intuition, I'm very impressed.” he paused, “Wei Ying is very important person to me, maybe even more important than my own family. I know you probably found it weird because I just met him but... I was not playing around. I want to spoil him, cherish him, care for him, support his talent in any way I could and give him so much love that he deserves for the rest of my lives.”

Jiang Yanli stared at him, she didn't say anything for a long time that it started to make Lan Wangji feel nervous, but then her face broke into a smile, “Was it love at first sight?” she asked, Lan Wangji's golden eyes widened as his ear reddened, he slowly nods “I did. I fell in love with Wei Ying as soon as my eyes landed on him the first time we met. I'm so embarrassed to say it but Wei Ying is just too beautiful. Too blinding.And I'm like a hopeless moth who could do nothing but be drawn onto that beautiful light. He came to my life like an unstoppable force and then he flipped my whole world, it would never be the same again. I love him. I couldn't live without him. It can't be anyone but him.” he said, “I'm glad to hear it. I would hold onto you to take care of A-Xian and give him all the love he deserves.” she said.

“What are you two talking about?” a voice suddenly interrupted them, “Lan Zhan? Did you cast a deafening spell around you and Shijie? Why?” he asked, Jiang Yanli tilted her head, “Lan er-gongzi, did you really use a deafening spell when we talked earlier?” she asked, Lan Wangji averted his gaze before slowly nodding. The young lady smiled, “Why did you do it?” she asked, “I–i didn't want– I'm not ready yet.” he admitted, shyly. If Jiang Yanli was not raised to be a proper lady from a gentry family, she would surely have already squealed watching how smitten Lan Wangji is for his brother.

At first, she was very surprised at how casually his little brother and the older man were acting around and toward each other, she was even more surprised to find the two calling each other by their birth name. And then, her little brother introduce the man as Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli couldn't help but think at the time, so this was the man A-Xian wouldn't stop talking about. A-Xian loved talking about alot of things to her, his daily life, his night-hunts, the prank that he did to A-Cheng and other disciples, the people that he met in the market. A-Xian loves talking alot of things.

But, after he came back to Gusu. There's only one person who A-Xian was constantly talking about and seemed to never get bored to talking about. That man is Lan Wangji. She wasn't that much involved in the cultivation world, despite being born in a family from one of the major sect, but she always avoided everything that involved the cultivation world. The reason is because she's not interested in cultivation and she doesn't like politics. Although, she was never involved or interested, Jiang Yanli does recognize the name from the fleeting rumour in Lotus Pier,

Lan Wangji, he was known as one of the Twin Jades of Gusu, he was the younger brother of the current Sect Leader of Gusu Lan Sect. From the rumour, Jiang Yanli learn that the man was very cold and indifferent, he doesn't talk much and doesn't like to socialize. A cold jaded person. The rumour even says because how cold he is he could freeze someone who got too close to him. Despite, known for being a cold and quiet person, Lan Wangji loved to helping people in need, he travelled around doing night-hunts, going wherever the chaos is and he never asked for payment. This was why he was given the title, Light Bearer Lord, Hanguang-Jun.

After learning about Lan Wangji from rumours, Jiang Yanli was expecting to see a cold, indifferent man who will looked very similar to her mother except minus the scowl. But she would never thought, that the cold jade, Lan Wangji is this man. Whose eyes will softened every time he looks at his little brother, whose eyes will lit up every time at his little brother's laugh, whose ears will reddened every time his little brother praises him. What is this? Is this actually the Hanguang-Jun that people talking about? He was so much different than what the rumour said about him.

Jiang Yanli was surprised, she was even more surprised to find out that those golden eyes will only softened and light up whenever it's about her little brother. After she's over with the initial shock, she couldn't help but start to feel worried. What if the older man has bad intentions toward her A-Xian? Her sweet little brother might love to play around and appear to be mischievous but he's a nice kid, he's caring and loves to help people. He always prioritizes other people before him especially when it comes to the Jiang family, her little brother will definitely jump head on to danger if it means he could protect them. Aside from that, her A-Xian is also very naive. He was too trusting and self sacrifing. Jiang Yanli didn't want her little brother to be trapped with a man that only want to use him.

That was what she thought but then, her eyes looked at the older man and suddenly, she understood. Now, Jiang Yanli was definitely not an expert in love, she never got close or talked to anyone outside the people in her sect and the people in Lotus Pier, she never exchanged a words with a man outside her circle of people, her own parents were not a perfect example when it comes to love, her betrothed doesn't love her and her engagement had just been broken, in short Jiang Yanli was definitely not an expert in love

Although, Jiang Yanli wasn't an expert. She thinks that she would be able to recognize what love is when she sees it. And she sees it, in those pair of golden eyes. She could see the ardent love and she could see just how much the older man loved and cherished her little brother. It was very surprising to find out someone like Hanguang-Jun is able to be so smitten over his little brother. Jiang Yanli really wanted to cooed at the older man because of how cute he is around A-Xian but she held herself back knowing it would be very inappropriate.

During the conversation between Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli, the younger man couldn't help but to gape at them the whole time, he didn't expect Lan Wangji to be so friendly with Jiang Yanli this fast, i mean who could blame him? His shijie is just the best but still this is too... The younger man was so immersed with his thought that he didn't even realize when Lan Wangji cast the defeaning spell or the fact that he couldn't hear any of the things they talked about... He looked between the two of them back and forth, there's something stirring inside him, an unknown feeling that made his stomach churned, an ugly feeling that screamed 'mine!' but he didn't know to whom those feeling were directed

He shook his head and immediately did what the first thing that came to his find, rushed to stand in front of Jiang Yanli.

“Wei Ying?”

“A-Xian?”

“Lan Zhan. Just so you know, just because my Shijie engagement with the peacock is called off doesn't mean you can have my Shijie that easily without proving yourself deserving of her. Let me tell you, i'll not let you have her that easily even if you're my favorite person in the world.” he exclaims.

Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli looked at each other before the latter broke into laughter and the former sighed, “Silly A-Xian.” she said, “Where did you even get that silly idea from?” she laughed, Wei Wuxian blinked, “... Am I wrong?” he asked, “Yes, completely wrong. Where did you get that idea from?” asked Jiang Yanli, Wei Wuxian started fidgeting, “I saw both of you talking and you seem... so familiar with each other despite you just meet today. So i thought...” he trailed off, after a moment his face immediately exploded red when he realized what he just said.

Did he seriously think his Shijie and Lan Wangji like each other? Even though they just met twenty minutes ago? He must be crazy to think that, just because they seemed already familiar with each other and look like they've already known the other for years, it doesn't mean anything. He felt embarrassed now. What is he rambling about in front of Lan Zhan and Shijie? He really wanted to bury himself six feet underground and never came out again. For the second time in that week, Wei Wuxian thought if he jumped into the water would a water ghoul appear and start dragging him down and drown him?

What was he even thinking? Why would he think of something ridiculous like that? Wei Wuxian fell silent

No

Deep down, he knew why he was thinking like that

He was scared

He was scared at the thought that everything Lan Wangji did for him is just for the sake gaining Jiang Yanli's attention and approval 

He was scared at the thought that everything Lan Wangji showered him. All the affection, gift and caring was merely fake

He was scared to think that everything was fake

Just like what Jiang Fengmian did

Seeing the younger man fall silent, Jiang Yanli lifted her hand and pat him gently on the head, “A-Xian, it is not me Lan er-gongzi fond of. Beside how come he's in love with me when he already in love and very smitten with someone else.” she smiled, teasing, Lan Wangji could feel his ears heating up. Wei Wuxian blinked, staring between Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli. He opened his mouth to say something but before he could say anything Jiang Yanli stood from her seat, “I need to go now, A-Xian just got back from night-hunts, he did great so i will cook him his favorite soup.” she said, and I want to celebrate A-Xian finally being able to find someone that able to take him away from Lotus Pier, she thought.

Despite what the outsiders were thinking, Jiang Yanli was not that naive or stupid, she just liked to pretend that everything was fine. Deep down, she know that A-Xian needed to leave Lotus Pier, he could not stay here just like A-Cheng wanted. No, he could not stay here forever, Jiang Yanli also didn't want him to be trapped stay here forever. Not because she hates him but because she loved him so much that it hurt her to see him the longer he stayed here. She wanted to save him, to save him from her own parents.

Her little brother A-Xian position in Lotus Pier and Yunmeng Jiang Sect has always been an awkward one. He wasn't officially adopted to her family nor to the Jiang Clan. He also wasn't officially adopted as ward by Jiang Fengmian. But he wasn't a normal disciple either as he grew up with both her and A-Cheng, even ate with them in the dining room. He was treated harsher than any disciple by Yu Ziyuan but he was treated gentler than his 'master and mistress' by Jiang Fengmian.

Did Jiang Yanli ever feel jealous of her father's treatment of her little brother A-Xian? She would be lying if she said she didn't but growing up, Jiang Yanli also learned that her father does in fact loved her and his brother A-Cheng, despite what her brother and their mother believe. He gave her a present on her birthday, he always brings souvenirs after he went for a trip, he praised her cooking and never belittles her for being weak or for her hobby spending time in the kitchen

Unlike her mother

Jiang Fengmian might not be the best father, he wasn't really good at showing affection but he does love them. It was too bad that her mother and A-Cheng were too blinded by their own jealousy to see it. They were too blinded to even see or realize what was Jiang Fengmian was trying to do to A-Xian, turning him into a loyal servant, a meat shield ready to throw his life away for the sake of her and A-Cheng.

That's why she needed Hanguang-Jun to save her A-Xian and take him away from this hellhole called Lotus Pier

At her words, Wei Wuxian immediately forgotten what he was about to say and spoke excitedly, “Are you gonna cook lotus root and pork rib soup?” he asked, Jiang Yanli nodded, Wei Wuxian face lit up “Don't forget to make it very spicy” he grinned, Jiang Yanli giggled “Yes yes, so spicy it would make you cry” she said, “Oh, make sure to make another soup without the meat. Lan Zhan can't eat meat.” he remarked, “Is that so?” Wei Wuxian nods, “But I'm sure he can't wait to taste your soup, right Lan Zhan?” the older man nodded in agreement, “I feel very honored to know Hanguang-Jun was looking forward to my soup. I will make the soup with tofu, vegetables, and mushrooms. I hope the taste will not be much different.” she said, “Everything Shijie's cook is always delicious!” Wei Wuxian exclaims

Jiang Yanli shook her head, “There you go exaggerating again.” she said, “But, I was being serious.” he whined before something seemed to crossed his mind and his face immediately lit up, “Shijie, did you know. Lan Zhan is great at cooking. He's the best! No no, you're still the best, Shijie! But Lan Zhan's food is also good. Arrgh, i can't really choose between you two. Both of you are the greatest, the bestest cook in the world, even beating the Emperor's cook!” Lan Wangji couldn't take it anymore, he could feel his body will start combusting if Wei Ying kept praising him like that, “Wei Ying. Excessive praise is forbidden.” he told the younger man.

“But, i'm just telling the truth, i'm not being excessive with my praise, your food is just that great besides we're in Lotus Pier, your sect rules do not apply here.” he retorted, Jiang Yanli's giggled “I see. Lan er-gongzi must be really great at cooking if A-Xian wasn't able to choose between our cooking.” she glanced at the older man who tried his best to appear calm even though his flaming red ear said otherwise. “Yes! He was really great, his food was the best. Shijie might be wondering why I know such a thing, that's because Lan Zhan has been cooking lunch for me during my punishment time in Cloud Recesses library pavilion.” he babbled happily.

At that, Jiang Yanli smile froze and she looked at Wei Wuxian worryingly, “Punishment?” she looked at Lan Wangji and then back to Wei Wuxian, “Oh, it was nothing. Old man Lan really wasn't used to my charm, so he punished me.” he replied, “What kind of punishment? Did he–” she trailed off unsure of what to say, Wei Wuxian waved his hand, “It's nothing like that, Shijie. You don't have to worry, Old man Lan is not Madam Yu and Cloud Recesses is not Lotus Pier, they had a lot of rules. So it was natural for me to get punished at least once. The punishment also wasn't that bad.” he paused before shaking his head, “No no no, the punishment was absolutely bad. Did you know, Shijie. Old man Lan punished me by asking me to copy their rules. All three thousand of them!!” he exclaimed

“Can you imagine how torturous it was? I couldn't move my hand for days, it felt like my hand will fall off its place. It was horrible.” he said dramatically, “Good thing, Old man Lan was losing his patience that he told me to copy the rules in the library pavilion for a full month and Lan Zhan was the one appointed to supervised my punishment. It was really Old man Lan's biggest mistake. Lan Zhan was being super nice to me, he told me that I don't need to copy the rules so I spent my one month there studying about array and talisman. Shijie, you should really come and see their library, there were so many books in there, it was the biggest library I've ever seen and it was filled with old scripture that you wouldn't find anywhere. Not only i got the chance to explore the Cloud Recesses famous library but every day Lan Zhan would make me lunch that he cooked himself, sometimes he even brought some dessert and pastries.”

“At first i couldn't believe myself either. The great Hanguang-Jun going down to the kitchen, washing and chopping all the vegetable, cutting all the meats and turning on the hearth. Can you imagine someone as prestigious as him doing all of that work?” he started to rambled, “But then, he kept cooking different foods everyday. So i asked the kitchen staff, it wasn't that I didn't believe him, I always believe in Lan Zhan, i just thought that maybe the kitchen staff helped him a bit but then I found out that he actually cooked everything by himself from a scratch. Imagine how surprised I was to find out about it.” he blabbered.

“Oh my, that's so sweet.” Jiang Yanli commented.

“I know. Lan Zhan is very sweet and caring to his disciples. It really moved me, he cooked alot of things for me when I was in the Cloud Recesses. He was even able to make Yunmeng cuisine and all the spicy food. So I was thinking if you could probably teach him how to make your soup?”Jiang Yanli brightened, “That would be a great idea. I would love to teach him how to cook A-Xian favorite food.” she said, at that Lan Wangji looked up, his eyes shimmering with happiness, he immediately bowed, “Thank you, Maiden Jiang. I really appreciate it” he said

Wei Wuxian nudges him, “Good for you, Lan Zhan. Now you can make the soup for your family, show them just how great Yunmeng cuisine is” he exclaims, Lan Wangji nods, “Mn” Jiang Yanli giggled, “Now now, A-Xian. Why don't you take Lan er-gongzi around the market, i'm sure he will be really happy to spend times with you and for you to show him everything you liked in the market.” she said

“That's a really great idea, Shijie. Come on, Lan Zhan. I will show you all the stalls that sell my favorite snacks in the market” he said excitedly, grabbing the older man's sleeve and started dragging him towards the gate, Jiang Yanli watched them happily.

“Look Lan Zhan! This is our famous Lotus Pier market!” Wei Wuxian exclaims happily making a motion at the bustling market in front of them, “I know you've been here before but it was a long time ago, so much has changed! Not to mention, I'm sure that time you didn't get any chance to explore and discover all the amazing things in our market. So let me, Wei Wuxian, the greatest Yunmeng Jiang Sect head disciple to grant you such a rare opportunity and show you around the market” Wei Wuxian babbled happily.

Lan Wangji smiled, “Mn. Tell me everything. Show me everything. I want to know all the stalls that sell Wei Ying's favorite things. I want to know more about Wei Ying.” he said earnestly. Wei Wuxian blushed, “Lan Zhan, i told you to be careful with my poor heart. You're gonna give me a heart attack, seriously I don't understand why did people keep saying you are as cold as jade and that you're able to freeze people if they get close to you when you're totally the opposite! You're a bully and a teaser! Have a mercy on this poor disciple of yours.” he whined

“I am sorry, Wei Ying. I can't help it. I really love Wei Ying's reaction when he's flustered, it's so cute, it reminds me of a cat.” he paused before humming, putting his right hand under his chin and staring at the younger man “Mn. Cat suit you but foxes suit you too. Wei Ying reminds me of a fox, a red fox. The way they likes to chirp when they're happy, they're very energetic too running around nonstop and they're known to be very mischievous just like Wei Ying. But also, a rabbit. Rabbits are cuter and it fluffier, definitely suits Wei Ying more”

Wei Wuxian couldn't hold it in anymore as he puffed out smokes from his ear, he was too embarrassed, this is too much for him. Being called cute and compared to all those cute animals by someone like Hanguang-Jun. He was so embarrassed he felt like he's going to die. “Stop teasing me, Lan Zhan” he whined

Lan Wangji huffed in amusement, “Wei Ying is too cute”

“Lan Zhan!” he whined louder, he could feel his face heating up, he was probably as red as tomato, this is too embarrassing! What if any of his shidi or shimei saw him like this! He will surely lose his face in front of them. After a moment, Wei Wuxian shook his head, he took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure. He cleared his throat and spoke, “Anyway, let's get back to the topic!” he exclaimed

“Like i said before, you might haven't had a good times during your trip to Lotus Pier years ago, Lan Zhan. In that case, let me as Yunmeng Jiang Sect head disciple to show you, all the amazing things you could find here.” he said, excitedly.“Lotus Pier is known for one of the largest trading cities in Yunmeng, abundant with lake and river paths that connect almost to everywhere, that's why it's used as a main transportation route. In here it's always bustling with people that transport goodies from all over jianghu everyday. Fresh vegetables and fruits, goods, condiments, silk, accessories, and all the things you haven't seen before. You can find them here.” he explained, excitedly.

Lan Wangji watched the younger man rambling happily, walking through the bustling market, the sight was enough to put a smile on Lan Wangji's face. This sight is everything he ever wanted in his life, he wished he could keep seeing this sight for the rest of his life. He love seeing Wei Ying like this.

Ever since he was a little, Lan Wangji was quite a little bit different from any other kids on his age, he was very reserved and quiet. He spent his time studying, reading books and painting instead of playing with others kids. He doesn't like to talk to people unless he's spoken to, even then his answers are always quite simple.

For as long as he could remember, he was not a spoiled kid. Unlike any other children from the gentry families, he was happy and satisfied to just spend his time with his mother. He never asked for anything, he never threw any tantrums (well, that's if he wasn't being teased by his mother and brother). You could say that Lan Wangji was a very obedient kid, a dream to any parents out there.

Yes, Lan Wangji never asked for too much. He was content with everything he had. That's until, he wasn't allowed to visit his mother anymore. For the first time in his life, he wished for something. He kept begging Lan Qiren to allow him to visit his mother, but each time he was met with rejection. He kept wishing for the door to opened, but each time the door stayed tightly closed.

Lan Wangji might have been an obedient child but he was also a very stubborn. That was the only reason that made him able to sit in front of his mother cottage, hours and hours, during winter. Waiting for those doors to opened.

He continued to sit outside her door month after month, no matter how many elders comforted him, or how much Lan Qiren scolded him, he still sat in front of his mother's cottage. Even after understanding what "gone" meant, Lan Wangji still continued to visit her house. Wishing that this once, his wish would come true.

Ever since then, nothing really mattered to Lan Wangji beside the rules, his study and cultivation. He was diligently studying, practicing his guqin and meditating everyday. Toys, sweets, gifts, none of that matter to him, he started to view those things as a waste of time, a worldly pleasure just like how the book told him. So he never asked for any of those, he never wished for anything, even on his birthday.

But today, at this moment...

Just this once

For the first time in his life after his mother passed away, he wished for one thing. For Wei Ying to be happy, always happy, always be the happiest person in the world.

An image of a young man appeared before him, standing alone, in the middle of rain. A needle that belong to a certain medical cultivator that he already thought of as sister was in his hand with a look of lost the young man walked through the rain, not even caring about his drenched clothes. Those look will haunt Lan Wangji for the rest of his life.

Suddenly, he felt that the world had no place for him, despite how large it was.

Lan Wangji clenched his fist. Never again. He will do anything to prevent his beloved Wei Ying to going down that path. Even if he needed to fight Wen Ruohan, even if he needed to fight the cultivation world who wanted nothing but to kill his Wei Ying. Lan Wangji will do anything to prevent Wei Ying from ever going down that future.

“Lan Zhan? Are you listening to me?” Lan Wangji startled out of his thoughts, he looked at the younger man in front of him, the very much a live and happier version of his beloved than from the one he saw in the vision. Without realising it, his right hand already moved to touch Wei Wuxian's cheek

“La– Lan Zhan? Are you okay?” Wei Wuxian asked, suddenly feeling worried for the older man. Lan Wangji nods as he slowly stroked Wei Wuxian's cheek with feathery touch, so gentle as if he was made from porcelain, so light as if he would dissipate if he touched too hard. “Mn. I am here” he said.

I am here and i will make sure nothing ever happens to you anymore.

“Lan Zhan, are you sure you're okay? You're acting really weird.” the younger man asked again. Lan Wangji's eyes softened as he retracted his hand, “Mn. I am fine” he assured, Wei Wuxian seemed unconvinced but he didn't pressed further

“Anyway, you seems to have been zoning out and didn't hear what I was saying so I'm gonna repeat it, i'll show you the stalls where I always got my meatbun. They are the best in Lotus Pier, so spicy and delicious. I know that you don't eat meat but don't worry, they also sell one with veggies filling and the taste is as amazing as the meat one.” he said, cheerfully. starting dragging Lan Wangji towards one of the stalls. It was small and looked very simple with a middle aged woman standing behind it.

“Auntie! I want to buy the buns!” the woman who owned the stalls looked up from the buns she was currently steaming, as soon as her black eyes landed on Wei Wuxian, she immediately lightened up. “Xiao Xian! How have you been? It's been so long since the last time you came that i start to wonder whether you forgot about this old woman or not” she teased.

Wei Wuxian gasped dramatically, “Me? Forgetting you? Never! Your buns are one of the best bun in Lotus Pier. There's no way I would ever forget about it, even if i died from a yao during night-hunts, or died from bandits, i'll literally crawl out of hell just to eat your buns one last time.” the old woman shaking her head and stared at him fondly, “Like always, our Xiao Xian loves to exageratting things.” she chuckled, “So, where have you been these past three months?” she asked, “Oh, I was gone to attend the Gusu Lan lecture with Jiang Cheng.” he replied. The older woman raised her brows, “Ah, the gusu lan lecture. I've heard about it before from a merchant that came from Caiyi town. But, doesn't that usually takes a year? Why are you back so fast, Xiao Xian?” she asked again.

“That's the problem, auntie! The Cloud Recesses is too stucked up, they couldn't stand my charms so they kicked me out of there.” he replied, hearing this the older woman burst out laughing. “Did you really manage to piss them off so much they actually expelled you? This is like what? Three months?” she asked between her laughs. Wei Wuxian puffed out his cheeks, “It's not my fault. They are the one too stucked up!” he exclaimed, the older woman laughed then his eyes landed on Lan Wangji. “And who is this fine gentleman? I've never seen him before, must be not from around here. Is he your lover Xiao Xian?” she asked, Wei Wuxian spluttered meanwhile Lan Wangji felt his ears heating up.

“Lovers?!” Wei Wuxian squaked

The older woman raised her eyebrow, “Oh, did i get it wrong?” she asked, innocently.

“Very very wrong. Lan Zhan was my teacher in the Cloud Recesses, he is my favorite teacher and i'm his favorite student, that's it. We are not lovers or anything like that. We just came across with each other during night-hunts and he decided to stay in Lotus Pier.” he said, well it's actually half true half lie. The older man did planned to visit Lotus Pier, it wasn't just because they came across with each other in night-hunts but auntie does not need to know that. “A teacher? My, he looks so young though.” she commented, “Has he married yet?” she asked

“Auntie! You can't marry him, he's off limits!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, “Who says i want to marry him, i was just gonna introduce him to my daughter.” she said, “Well too bad, he's off limits even for your daughter!” he said possessively, the older woman looked at Wei Wuxian then looked at Lan Wangji whose ear was very red, “You act like a very possessive wife, Xiao Xian.” she teased, “Wife?! Auntie!” Wei Wuxian whined, the older woman only chuckled

“So what are you gonna buy, Xiao Xian?” she asked

It took a moment for Wei Wuxian to calm down, when he finally manage to do it, he replied “My favorite! The spiciest meatbun and some veggies bun for my favorite teacher”

“Alright”

She packed some meatbun and veggies bun onto different container before giving it to Wei Wuxian, when he moved to pay for it, the old woman raised her hand to stop him, “No need. This one is on me. To celebrate your return and to celebrate your first date.” she winked, Wei Wuxian immediately blushed, “Auntie!” the old woman is now openly laughing as Wei Wuxian dragged Lan Wangji away.

“Here you go, Lan Zhan!” he said as he gave Lan Wangji the container with veggies buns in it, “Thank you, Wei Ying.” he said as he took the container, “Don't mind her, Lan Zhan. She wasn't being rude or anything, auntie is the best and nicest vendor here. She just really loves teasing me whenever I come to buy.” he explained, “Mn. I could see it, she was very nice and friendly” he noted. “Yup, she's been around for a long time. Even before Uncle Jiang brought me to Lotus Pier, she's been here selling buns. Her food was one of the best in Lotus Pier.”

“Wei Ying seems to be very close with her.” Lan Wangji noted

“Hm? Ah, that's because I've known her ever since I came to Lotus Pier. It was a couple of weeks after Uncle Jiang brought me in and also my first time exploring the market. Shijie and Jiang Cheng took me around but sometimes later I got so excited that i lost sight of them. That's when auntie found me, she gave me a bun to calm me down. It was the most delicious thing i ever tasted, after calming down she brought me back to Lotus Pier. Ever since then, I always come to buy her buns every day.” Wei Wuxian explained

As soon as he took a bite of the buns, he couldn't help but moaned in satisfaction, “No matter how many times i eat her buns, they always taste amazing like the first time i ate them. Come on, Lan Zhan. You should try it–” he stopped his sentence when he looked up and found the older man was completely frozen with his bun in front of his mouth. “Eh? Lan Zhan? What's wrong?”

The younger man has no idea that he just broke the famous Lan Wangji with his moaning over the buns.

That's how they spent the rest of the day, walking around the market, Wei Wuxian showing him all the good stalls and all the goodies that Lan Wangji hadn't seen before. They buy tanghulu, mooncake, dumplings and alot of other snack. They go to an art shop, looking at all the paintings, the fans and the paints. Wei Wuxian went and bought some of the paints and the fans, saying that it was for the Nie heir, he needed to pay back for all the snacks Nie Huaisang gave him during his stay in the Healing Pavilion.

The younger man joked about buying spring books and even told the older man he would give him recommendations to which Lan Wangji retaliated by actually asking for cutsleeve porn from the shop owner with a completely stoic face. He started talking with the shop owner, conversing about the latest edition and recommendations. He was successful in embarrassing the famous shameless Wei Wuxian to the point of making him gape like a fish out of water.

After a listening to the conversation, Wei Wuxian couldn't hold it anymore and immediately dragged Lan Wangji out of the shop when the owner started to look at them back and forth, the man started to sending Lan Wangji a disbelief look then proceeded to sending Wei Wuxian a pitying and understanding look, he even started to recommend a book to Lan Wangji telling him a way to make it as painless as possible and pleasurable for both parties, it was too much even for Wei Wuxian, what does the owner even mean by making it as painless as possible and pleasurable for both parties? Wei Wuxian shook his head, he doesn't understand, he doesn't understand anything at all, it's infuriating. It was even more infuriating when he saw Lan Wangji wasn't even fazed by it not even for a little bit.

After all that chaos, Wei Wuxian took the older man to a music shop. He knew that Lan Wangji loves music and instrument, this is the perfect shop for him. There were so many kinds of musical instruments. There was erhu, qin, pipa, xiao and dizi. Lan Wangji ask the younger man if he could play any instrument, although he obviously already knew the answer. When Wei Wuxian told him he could play a little bit of dizi, Lan Wangji started to look through the dizi section.

His eyes landed on a black dizi, it was eerily similar to chenqing. Its body was made from black bamboo, as black as ink. Lan Wangji might not approved of Wei Ying use of Demonic Cultivation, not because it's unorthodox but how it's easy to get a backlash and how uncontrollable it was once Wei Ying lost his patience.

Though, Lan Wangji felt indebted to Chenqing. As the only weapon that stayed by Wei Ying's side during his worst time in burial mounds even until the end when he got torn apart by the army of corpses, Chenqing stayed loyal beside Wei Ying. Helping him control all the corpses and the ghosts.

Lan Wangji then bought the dizi for Wei Wuxian, he also bought a red tassels as red as blood and a green jade for a finishing touch. Although the younger man tried to refuse but Lan Wangji insisted for him to have it. Wei Wuxian was confused at first as to why Lan Wangji would buy him a dizi, specifically a black dizi, but in the end he didn't complained and accepted the dizi.

Lan Wangji told him that he will teach him some of Gusu Lan music, to help him on night-hunts. Wei Wuxian was excited to have such a rare opportunity. After they're done, they start walking around again. Until they stopped at a shop that sold many kind of accessories.

There were a lot of accessories inside. Combs of many kinds of design, hairpins, and ribbons. Lan Wangji eyes fixated on the ribbons section. He glanced at Wei Wuxian who was busy looking at hairpins and buying some that he thinks would be good for Jiang Yanli. After satisfied, they're start walking around the market again.

Wei Wuxian started showing the older man around lotus pier, all the good spots and his favorite places in Lotus Pier. He even brought Lan Wangji to rent a small boat and start rowing around the lakes. Picking lotus seed pods and eating them. It was very nice and Lan Wangji really enjoyed spending time with the younger man. Truthfully, his decision to go to Lotus Pier was right.

For the next week, Lan Wangji spend his time in Lotus Pier in peaceful. In the mornings, he spent it with meditating. Then, he watched as Wei Wuxian taught the disciples, sometimes he would give advices to the disciples, point out what was wrong with their stance and fix it.

He even joined them playing in the lake and shooting kite. Showing his skill in archery that could even make Wei Wuxian gaped.

After watching the disciples practice, he would spend his time teaching Wei Wuxian how to play the dizi. As expected the younger man was a quick learner and in just a couple days he mastered the dizi and started to learn gusu lan music. Not only Wei Wuxian who started to learning music, but Lan Wangji too has also started to learning how to cook lot of Yunmeng cuisine from Jiang Yanli, especially the lotus root and pork rib soup.

Lan Wangji must admit although the recipe didn't need many steps and skill like other dishes, it still took a lot of time to make, the meat needed a lot of time to boil so it would softened and he needed to be very careful with the condiments. If something was amiss even a little, the taste would be different.