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Chapter Text

Charm was something he loved to stock up and save for special occasions. As of this moment, he was glad that he had. For now that strategic use of his stock had earned him touches of promise on his hands, shoulders and neck, bright laughter accompanied with soft smiles, along with wide deep pools with a gaze only for him.

"Gongzi, I bet you say this to anyone you fancy."

"I guess that means I fancy you then," Wei Wuxian grinned, his hands reaching for a waist or a hip; either one would be fine as long as they came closer. Hot little breaths travelled up his neck, across his cheek, eventually arriving just above his mouth. They stood there in that alley in stasis, each waiting for the other to make a move. Wuxian gripped at their hips, clutching their clothing in anticipation. The space between them was so small and electric, he could not take the anticipation anymore and moved in, only to be stopped by a finger. Frustration in his groan was obvious.

"Baobei-"

"No, no. Before you kiss me, I need something first."

"Anything, anything you need I can do," he breathed out, desperation embarrasingly clear in his voice.

“Wei Wuxian… Wei Wuxian! Wake up, you idiot! You are going to turn red!” Wei Wuxian groaned as he felt himself being jostled awake. The gorgeous vision he had won over had disappeared while the blurry form of Jiang Wanyin came into view. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he slowly and regrettably returned to consciousness. With a narrowing of his gaze he slowly sat upright, glaring at his brother as he did.

“Jiang Cheng, I was just about to have a great time with a stunning beauty and you had to ruin it,” punctuating his admonishment with a playful punch to his shoulder. Jiang Cheng returned the playful jab with his own before he chided, “The only place you would be with a stunning beauty is in your dreams.” Feigning exasperation, Wuxian mockingly put a hand on his chest as he loudly sighed, “Jiang Cheng, you wound me. Why are you in my boat by the way? I distinctly remember rowing out here alone.” With a roll of his eyes, Jiang Cheng settled himself even more in the small dingy, as if to tell Wuxian that he was not going anywhere. He reached under his feet and held up his sheathed sword.

“You flew out here? Must be important.”

“I was sent to find you.” 

“What for?”

“The discussion conference.” Wuxian’s features turned both pensive and annoyed. He groaned, loudly. His afternoon snooze had been interrupted for something that was a month away, but with the way Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian had been planning, one could be forgiven for thinking the event was next week. Never mind the fact that Lotus Pier had been in preparation for this conference for the last few months. As far as he could see everything had been arranged to the smallest detail and even triple checked to make sure that it would happen without issue. This was becoming ridiculous. 

“Why?”

“A-Niang is asking for you.” Wuxian could not help his own eye roll when he heard that. “What did I do this time?" he asked as began to pry out some seeds from a lotus pod resting in his lap. The spring season was ending and the heat of summer was beginning to settle in. With the cultivation conference a few weeks away, its start would coincide with much of the lotus in full bloom. Wuxian had discovered one that got a little excited with the arrival of the season as it had already bloomed, then blossomed and then shed its petals by the time Wuxian plucked the nearby fruit pod. Jiang Wanyin shrugged as Wuxian handed a seed over.

“Asking for me or demanding me?” His brother paused in mid chew before answering, “She was demanding. By now she is probably shouting.” 

“Great. You know, if she wants me to make myself scarce during the conference, I would be perfectly happy with that.”

“You are the first disciple. You have to be there.”

“I know and I hate it.”

“You don't hate it. You like these types of things normally.”

“Yeah, when we are not in charge of them. Usually we go to these things, learn a bit, eat, drink, have a good time and then go home. Putting them on ourselves is a completely different beast.” He tossed another seed to his brother who deftly caught it in his mouth. “Well get used to it. We are going to have to do more of these things when we are in charge.”

“Ugh.” 

“Let's head back. Like I said, she is probably shouting for you by now.” Wuxian acquiesced with a second less pronounced eye roll as the two began the long row back to the docks.

“Do you think that he will be here?”

“Who?”

“Lan Wangji”

“Probably-wait…you’re not still hung up about the archery competition are you?” Wuxian’s silence informed Jiang Wanyin everything he needed. “Come off it. It’s been a year. I’m sure that he has let it go by now.” 

“You’re not the one that pulled his ribbon off his head.” Jiang Wanyin shot him a chastizing look before he huffed, “You are acting ridiculous." Wuxian turned incredulous. “You didn’t see his face! He looked positively murderous.”

“I would be murderous too if someone took something off of me.”

“There you see?!”

“But again, that was a year ago.” Wuxian rounded on and then leveled him with a stare that made him glare back in annoyed judgment. “He withdrew from the competition afterwards and then left for Gusu soon after,” Wuxian reminded him. “I have never felt so badly about anything before or since then.”

“Well maybe when he sees you he can kill you and then you can stop feeling sorry for yourself because you will be dead.” Immediately, Wanyin had to duck his head to narrowly miss the lotus pod chucked at his face.

“Jiang Cheng!”

“Alright alright. Look, It has been a long time since the competition. If Lan Wangji has not gotten over it by now, it's his problem, not yours.” 

“I hope so.” Seeing the glumness settle in on Wuxian’s features signaled Jiang Wanyin to stop his rowing and then to nudge Wuxian to do the same. His mother could wait a little longer. She would be angry no matter how much time was spent delivering Wuxian back to her; a few more minutes would not change that. 

“I think that you are overthinking this. But apologize to him and then see what he says. At least that way you will be in the right and you can stop looking like some kicked pet.” Wuxian raised his eyebrows at the logic and then nodded in agreement. 

“Are you sure you are eighteen? You are talking like you are in your forties or something.”

“One of us has to.” Jiang Wanyin took up the pod and plucked another seed from it. He popped it into his mouth as he continued on, “You know, for a guy who claims to be as thick skinned as you, I’m surprised that you let this hang over you for so long.”

“It shouldn’t have,” Wuxian answered, “But even during our time at Cloud Recesses, I got the feeling that Wangji really did not care for me, and I think that the archery competition confirmed it."

“In Lan Wangji’s defense, you did break a lot of rules while we were in Gusu.” Wuxian pursed his lips and silently agreed with that observation. Yes, he did break a lot of rules during their time in Gusu, but with 3000 of them carved into the wall of discipline, how could he go through his time there without unknowingly breaking at least one of them a day? He would have to sit in his room and not do literally anything to avoid breaking some sort of rule. But of course with his luck there would be some other rule about being a layabout. There was no escaping it. As such, he made the choice to embrace it. The result was a lot of rule copying in the library, coupled with many very intense stares from Lan Wangji.

“You’re not going to get along with everyone you meet, Wuxian.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”

“If he comes, Lan Wangji will only be here for seven days. Think you can survive that long?”

“What do you take me for Shidi?” Wei Wuxian settled further into comfortable but playful incredulity whenever he was with his brother.  

“Well with the way you’ve been moping about for the last few minutes I had to ask.” Wei Wuxian sulked and then sulked a bit more with a small glare for theatrics before he responded, “I will be fine.”

“Good.”

The sun had settled into mid-afternoon by the time the two had disembarked back in Lotus Pier proper. Madam Yu was usually near her rooms around this time of day, and Wei Wuxian was not looking forward to finding out what exactly had caused her displeasure. Usually he just avoided her when he could, and she seemed content to do the same with him. But her anger and fury spread across the complex whenever she was in a foul mood, and he always seemed to be her primary outlet. Wei Wuxian had learned ways over the years to at least quell her anger towards him if he could not avoid it.

Asking Jiang Wanyin’s assistance in finding Jiang Fengmian was one way to make sure Madam Yu’s reaction to him would be diminished. Jiang Wanyin could easily be sent away by his mother; her husband could not. 

“Jiang Cheng,” He turned towards him as they began to look for their sect leader. “Don’t go too far when I see her.” Jiang Wanyin acquiesced easily. Sure the pair had had fights and spats throughout their time growing up and he would be lying if he could say that Jiang Fengmian’s sometimes favoritism of Wei Wuxian didn’t anger him sometimes. But Wei Wuxian was as much his brother as Jiang Yanli was his sister, even if he was not family by blood. He also recognized the malice in his own mother, as well as being the target of it from time to time. 

The tightness in Wuxian’s chest loosened a little when he caught sight of Jiang Fengmian near the ancestral hall, engaged in conversation with a lesser disciple.

“Wei Wuxian, there you are. Did Jiang Cheng find you?” His brother nodded and then quipped, “He was asleep in the middle of the lake. If I didn’t find him when I did he would be red as a beet.” A small smile grew on Jiang Fengmian’s face. “Have you spoken to Yu-Furen Wei Wuxian?” The subconscious fidgets and the hands twisting into fists provided answer enough. With the ready excuse that he needed to speak with her as well, he accompamied his sons on the short trek to her pavillion.

Madam Yu’s quarters were separate from much of the complex, as befitting the wife of a major sect leader. It also gave the added benefit of projecting a look of supreme importance. Wuxian felt the tightness in his chest return as they walked up the path towards her rooms. They only worsened as they settled into the outer chamber while a servant went to fetch Yu Ziyuan.

The look of annoyance mixed with malice was evident in her eyes when she beheld Wuxian in her chambers. After greeting her husband and son, she coldly turned her eyes on him. “Wei Wuxian,” his name dripped with restrained ire as she spoke, “as you know, the cultivation conference is a month away.” Wuxian nodded, as if he could forget. Familiar feelings of his gut twisting and his knees starting to lose their feeling began to manifest as she continued on. “As first disciple you are required to be in attendance to all of the meetings and the sword fight tournament that will be held. However, your presence here is unnecessary beyond that. I do not care where you go or how you spend your time, but you will do it somewhere else.” She shot glances at Jiang Fengmian as she spoke, as if challenging him to speak against what she was saying. Jiang Fengmian’s emotions were usually in check but Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian could see his expression darken as she laid down her terms. 

“Yu-Furen, this is not what we discussed.” Like a viper her eyes then her head snapped towards the sect leader.

“I am merely speaking what I understood our agreement to be, husband.”

“It was not this.” Seeing a potential argument begin to take form and wanting a reason to leave as soon as possible, Wuxian held his hands up to get their attention.

“Madam Yu. I will do as you ask. You won’t see hide nor hair of me outside of the meetings.” With a quick bow that could barely count towards propriety, he hurried out of the rooms. Jiang Wanyin quickly tailed after him, leaving his parents in an inevitable squabble. He quickly grabbed Wei Wuxian by the shoulder when he caught up with him down the pathway.

“Hey, I’m sure A-Die will talk to her. What she is asking is ridiculous. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Better than fine.”

“Wuxian, you cannot possibly be okay with this?”

“Why not? Madam Yu just gave me leeway to do whatever I want during the conference. Didn’t I tell you earlier that I would be happy if she told me to fuck off? Well she just did that.” 

“But-”

“Jiang Cheng, I’m fine. I will see you at dinner, alright? We can talk more then.” With a reluctant nod, Wuxian turned and headed off to his rooms with a little more speed than he would have liked. After sliding his door shut, he let it take his weight for a few moments of relief. He did not anticipate the heat rising in his chest as he stood there trying to reel in his emotions. In the privacy of his room and away from other eyes, he walked to his bed and threw the pillows across the room before slumping down on it himself, before covering his eyes and trying to hold back hot tears.

 Wuxian had wanted nothing more than to disappear for a while after dinner, and stargazing provided a handy excuse. Stargazing was usually easy entertainment and Wuxian had been indulging in it, sprawled out on one of the quieter gangways for the better part of a half hour. Spending time staring up into the heavens provides ample time for the mind to wander and reflect, but too often the mind likes to go to places that people would rather not visit. Wuxian was trying to crawl his own mind away from these thoughts, but it was becoming difficult. The half full bottle of wine was probably not helping matters. 

The wood slats further up the dock began to creak and groan in a distinct pattern. Turning his head further upwards so that the top of his head rested on the wooden planks, the upside down form of Jiang Fengmian was walking out of the shadows to join him. He made to move to his feet, but he was stopped with a hand wave. There was no need for decorum this late in the day. 

“You left pretty quickly after dinner.” Wuxian sighed before taking another long swig and offering it up to his guardian, which after a moment of hesitation, he accepted. 

“I needed to get away.”

“...I spoke again to Yu-Furen.” Wuxian kept his face in check when he heard that, and tried to give off the most nonchalant acknowledgement he could with a quiet, “Oh?” 

“Mn. I explained that as the first disciple, to prohibit you from attending accompanying seminars and lectures would be detrimental to the prosperity of the Jiang Clan in the future. Which also means coincidentally, you cannot be barred from the complex if you are attending a lecture.” Wuxian could not help but smile at the loophole his guardian had found in his wife’s demands. He would have to attend all of the lectures and seminars if he stayed, but still the logic was sound. This was not so bad. But of course there would be a catch. 

“I see. What am I barred from then?” This time Jiang Fengmian let out the sigh and handed the wine bottle back as he spoke, “She has requested that you not attend the evening gatherings, the inaugural feast, and the ending reception.” 

“What about the tournament celebration?”

“If you place in the tournament, you may go.” Hardly a consolation. He could not help the groan that escaped his mouth at that. The one thing he was looking forward to during this whole event had been the social gatherings. Eating and drinking the night away with his friends and family, but with that being taken away…a growing tightness began rising up through his chest again at the injustice of it all. He was called back out of his ire when he felt a calming hand on his knee and turned back to the understanding but also resigned face of his guardian. 

“Is there anything that can convince her otherwise?” His heart sank when he saw the minute shake of Jiang Fengmian's head. Wuxian turned to take a very long swig from his bottle when he was stopped mid drink.

“This is only going to make you feel worse.”

“This is not fair.” Fengmian nodded in agreement as he gently removed the bottle from Wuxian’s fingers. “I know. But the conference is a month away, and you are resourceful. I’m sure you will figure something out.” Wuxian’s eyes shot back to his guardian, who had the subtlest smirk on his face. 

“Are you saying I should find a way to go?”

“I’m not saying anything. All I said is that you will find something to do with your time.” He retorted as that smirk grew more pronounced, quite obviously goading. Wuxian grinned at the implication and thanked Jiang Fengmian before he headed back to the complex. He needed paper and ink; his mind was racing with ideas. 

Chapter Text

“Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Wanyin loudly huffed, "you have been working on this thing non stop all month and it still hasn’t worked properly. What makes you think it's going to work this time?” As the test subject of Wei Wuxian’s many failed talismans, Jiang Wanyin had become annoyed at trial number three. Currently, the pair were on number…well…unsure, they both had lost count, but it felt like an impossible number. He simply grinned and walked back up to his brother, with his latest test in hand. “You forget my dear Shidi, that I am brilliant.” Wanyin spouted, “No, stubborn is what you are,” in response. Wuxian shrugged. Yes, that was certainly true as well. 

“Does stubbornness go hand in hand with brilliance then, Shidi?” Wuxian grinned.

“Shut up. Honestly though, all you have done with these things is change my face for the worse.” Wuxian snorted and tried to hold back laughter as he attached the talisman to the inside of his martial brother’s clothing. The last attempt turned Jiang Wanyin’s face bright red, while the trial before that made him grow so many blemishes, he looked like he was pox ridden. “Hey at least they have all been temporary. Nothing permanent…yet.” He took a breath and muttered a short prayer before he activated the talisman. This was it, there was no more time for theories and tests. This had to work, or he would have to resort to his back-up plan, which was in actuality non-existent. The array glowed for a moment under his touch and Wuxian stepped back to look at his handiwork.

Jiang Wanyin could see his brother’s face evolve from wonder to red faced giddiness, complete with one of the widest grins he was capable of. Considering their track record with these talisman experiments, he could not decide if he should be concerned or not.

“Wei Wuxian…did it work?” Wuxian raced across his bedroom and brought back a bronze mirror for him to see for himself. His eyes widened as he looked at the face in front of him. It was a chubby one, with wide, large eyes and a much more rounded nose compared to his own. He also had a mole under one of his eyes and the subtlest hint of peach fuzz. It was a very far cry from his own face. This was astounding; the talisman actually worked! 

“Holy shit!”

“I know right?!”

“Fuck! This is…this is amazing and…weird at the same time.” He kept prodding and  poking his face trying to find some kind of tell that the face was not his. 

“Wanna prank Shijie?”

“Wei Wuxian,” he scolded.

“Come on, she’ll love it!”

“...”

“...I’m not hearing a no.” he continued in a slight singsong. Jiang Wanyin knew better, oh he knew better, but he nodded and the squeal of delight that erupted from Wei Wuxian made him grow a smile of his own. 

“Wait here, I will be right back. Shijie is going to love meeting Yunmeng Jiang’s newest disciple.” He bounded out the door, leaving him to become more acquainted with his new face. 

Wuxian tried very hard to stifle his laughter when Jiang Wanyin awkwardly introduced himself to his sister with a polite bow and smile. This was working better than he could have hoped. Jiang Yanli, being her effervescent self, warmly greeted the “new arrival,” but questioned why exactly he was in Wei Wuxian’s chambers. Jiang Wanyin also tried to suppress giggles when she began to lecture Wei Wuxian on the impropriety of having him in his personal quarters at all.  

“Alright, alright Shijie. We’ll come clean. This is Jiang Cheng.” Jiang Yanli narrowed her eyes and switched on her lovingly annoyed face as she rounded on her brother. “A-Xian, you are exceedingly clever but surely you can think of a better trick than this?”

“No, no Shijie I swear, that is Jiang Cheng.”

“A-Xian, I have work I need to do before people start to arrive, which could be any minute now. So if you two will excuse me,” she quickly turned to Jiang Wanyin and bowed, “It was nice to meet you.” Then he gave the game away, “Wait Jiejie!” Yanli froze in the doorway, slowly turned back to her brothers, wide eyed and questioning. “...Didi?” Jiang Wanyin nodded as Wuxian reached over and guided her back inside. “Yanli-jie, it does nothing to mask the voice but…,” he said as he reached into his brother’s lapels and removed the talisman hidden within. “It does a wonder on the face does it not?” Yanli was in shock as his face immediately changed from the rounded chubby new disciple, to the normal sharp features of her younger brother. 

“A-Xian…I…how?” Wuxian beamed as he held up the talisman for her perusal. “Wuxian…you’re brilliant.” So engrossed she was with the array, she missed Wuxian gleefully sticking out his tongue at Jiang Wanyin. 

“Will it work on me?” Wuxian raised his eyebrows in a surprised and pensive manner as he took the array from her hands. 

“I don’t see why not? But I would have to make a new one.” 

“Wait,” their brother interjected, “why would you need something like this?” Her tone turned downright mischievous when she simply answered, “No reason.” Both of the boys narrowed their eyes at her. 

“Shijie, does this have something to do with Jin Zixuan?” The bright pink blush that grew on her cheeks explained at least part of her motive.

“Jiejie…” 

“-A-Niang wants me to talk to him while he is here,” she blurted out, not meaning to sound as hurried as she did. 

“Jiejie, your engagement was broken! Why does she insist on this?” The subject of whether or not Jin Zixuan was even good enough for their sister had been exhausted many times over, but it did not change Madam Yu’s mind about Yanli’s future union. It would be happening, regardless of whether or not the engagement had already been dissolved.

“She asked me to and I...told her I would.” Her brothers did not bother to hide their exasperation with an eye roll and loud groan respectively. 

“Talk to me and Wuxian after today is over Jiejie.”

“Alright.”

“Oh, keep this between us for now Shijie,” Wuxian added. “There is no need to let the world know about this just yet.” 

“I understand. It is quite amazing, A-Xian.” Wuxian beamed. “As exciting as this is, I need to head back to the main pavilion. You two should go look for A-Die. I’m sure he has something you two can be doing.” With a promise to meet up with them after the chaos of the day concluded, she bounded out of the room.

As members of the inner family, Jiang Wanyin and Jiang Yanli were expected to be on the receiving line to greet sect leaders and their retinues as they arrived. Wei Wuxian (much to his relief) was not beholden to this. He had no desire to be anywhere near Madam Yu at the moment, and he was quite sure that she felt the same. However, a part of him itched to test out his new disguise talisman, and if a newly hired sallow faced servant pruned lotus and water weeds near the grand pier so that they could watch the parade of arrivals, then none would be the wiser. 

The Meishan Yu sect was the first to arrive. It was one of the few times Wuxian could think of where he saw Madam Yu beaming with joy. It was her natal clan after all, and despite their small size would hold a bit of favor over the next few days. He watched as Madam Yu proudly bowed to her mother which was followed by a warm embrace. He then sighed a little as the Meishan Yu clan leader then walked over and hugged Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin. He could not hear their conversation, but from the animated and happy looks from his martial siblings, it looked loving. 

Over the course of the late morning and into the afternoon, clan after clan bedecked in their sect colors arrived by boat or by sword. Smaller subsidiary clans like the tarnished gold Laoling Qin and the bamboo green Tingshan He had very few people in their constituency, four or five at most along with their sect leader. By Wei Wuxian’s reckoning, the bright golden Jin seemed to have the largest retinue, followed closely by the white and red flamed Wen with nearly twenty in each. Wei Wuxian felt his stomach turn a little when he saw Wen Xu and Wen Chao step off of the boat with Wen Rouhan. Those two had always been trouble, even more so since the archery competition a year ago. It was not his fault that neither of the two Wen boys managed to place at their own Discussion Conference. Losing with grace was something that Rouhan’s sons never seemed to be able to grasp.

When the Jin’s disembarked, Wei Wuxian’s stomach turned for an entirely different reason. For a person who was once engaged to his own sister, Jin Zixuan had never shown much interest in her beyond a simple ‘hello’ and 'how are you.’ He had always treated her with a cold indifference. It was clear that he did not like her much and as far as he and his Shidi were concerned, she deserved much better.  

The retinue of the somber gray and yellow Nie clan was substantial with what looked like ten or more. Wuxian tried to suppress a smile when he saw Nie Huaisang disembark. Nie Huaisang was the complete opposite of his brother, Nie Mingjue, both in looks and in their respective temperaments. If one could describe Nie Mingjue as a rock; sturdy and unmoving, Nie Huaisang would be a flower; fragile and dainty. It had been months since he had been able to have a decent conversation with Nie Huaisang and he was looking forward to having more late night talks.  

Wei Wuxian was about to head back towards his rooms, when the blue and white Lan delegation finally arrived by sword. Wuxian held his breath as Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji bowed their greetings to Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu. The Twin Jades were famous for their peerless beauty, and it was easy to see why. Their perfect features, posture, mannerisms; it was as if some fine divine sculptor had crafted them out of the purest of jade stones. The only reason Lan Xichen was considered slightly more handsome than his brother, was for the simple fact that he smiled. 

Looking over the rest of the Lan arrivals, it struck him as odd that Lan Qiren, the current de facto clan leader and the Twin Jade's uncle, was not amongst the delegation. Perhaps business kept him in Gusu and he could not attend. Oh well, no matter. He could not say he was disappointed that Lan Qiren was not there, so he decided to not lose more energy mulling over it. 

Hoisting his bucket of weeds and clippings onto his hip, Wuxian began to make his way back to his rooms when he was called over by his guardian. Wuxian froze, his stomach curdled; well, if there was ever going to be a true test for his talisman it might as well be now. Just to play it safe, he kept his head low to the ground as he approached. He was concentrating so hard on controlling his movements and breaths, that he barely registered what was being asked of him.

“...I said, can you escort the Lans to their quarters,” he requested, for the second time apparently. Quickly responding with a deeper bow, and then another to the Lans; it was now or never he supposed. He stood up straight, smiled for all to see and gestured for them to follow. There was no reaction from Jiang Fengmian or Madam Yu when they saw his face. Wuxian resisted the urge to jump for joy.

The walk towards the Lan pavilion was a tense one for Wei Wuxian. An odd prickle and heat had manifested and spread over his back at the thought of being this close to Wangji again after a year, but he could not let that distract him. He was walking with both of the Twin Jades; people who had become very familiar with him during his time in Cloud Recesses, not for his cultivation prowess, more for his open disregard for rules. Lan Xichen, being the polite sort, had decided to try and converse with him as they made their way down the pier, causing the heat across his back to increase ten-fold. Needing to be careful, he exercised caution by pitching his voice a little higher and keeping to very short answers when he was asked anything about his home.

“What is your name?” Uh-oh. He should have thought of this before going through with this plot, but he blurted out the first name that jumped to mind, “Changze.”

“How long have you been working at Lotus Pier?”

“A week.”

“How do you like it?”

“It’s busy.” 

And so the conversation continued until they arrived at the prepared pavilion. Wuxian watched as the Lans slowly filed in, exploring their new surroundings. Taking a glance in Lan Wangji’s direction, he could see that he looked tense, as though he really did not want to be there. He had turned to leave when Lan Xichen called, “Changze?” calling him back to the First Jade. “I understand that the juniors are going swimming before the inaugural feast this evening?” Wuxian nodded to which Xichen smiled. 

“At the main dock?”

“Very near there, yes sir.”

“Thank you.” With another quick bow, and a breath to release the tightness in his chest, Wuxian walked as fast as he could through the complex and back to his rooms. Reaching into his lapel he removed the talisman from his clothes and beheld his normal face again. “All in all, I would say that this was a resounding success,” he grinned as he placed the talisman on his desk. He would have to make another one before the feast this evening, it would take some time, but that was easily accomplished, he had other things on his mind now. He quickly shed his disguise and then doffed his own comfortable robes and headed off towards the dock. A swim sounded amazing. 

Summer waters in Yunmeng are perpetually inviting. The water is always pleasantly cool on the skin and wonderfully fragrant for much of the season. Wei Wuxian, Jiang Wanyin and many of the male juniors were taking full advantage of that at the moment and quite enjoying themselves. Some were floating, relaxing away the stress of a long day of travel. More rambunctious ones seemed content to try and splash each other as much as they could, while others were happy to simply put their ankles in. Nie Huaisang and Wen Qionglin were the latter and they could not be convinced otherwise. 

Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian had just finished swimming circles around He Haoyu, when a flash of white on the dock very near Nie Huaisang caught Wuxian’s eye. Looking over, Lan Wangji had taken a place on the edge of the dock, looking his usual imposing self. His white robes reflected the brightness of the sun to the point Wuxian almost had to squint as he looked at him. He looked like what Wei Wuxian assumed an immortal would look like, dignified, ethereal and stoic. A sudden sharp jab in the shoulder pulled his attention back to his shidi and his questioning glare pointed directly at him.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“You’re staring at Lan Wangji!”

“I was not!”

“Oh please, you were full on gazing at him!”

“Well then, why shouldn’t I gaze at him? You can’t deny he is nice to look at.”

“Because it is rude,” he scolded with a small smack on the back of Wuxian’s head. 

“Ayah! Shidi!”

“Either stop staring or go and invite him in. You have to talk to him sometime.”

“Fine,” Wuxian pouted. Jiang Wanyin was right and he did not like it. But, he might as well start trying to make amends now. With a small splash at his martial brother, he detached himself from the reprimand and swam towards the dock. Hauling himself out of the water, he climbed onto the slats and dripped his way past Nie Huaisang and Wen Qionglin and up to the very stoic second Twin Jade. He had a split second to think about the decency of bowing in greeting while being soaking wet and only in trousers, before Wangji turned towards him. Wuxian had, by his own admission, a very thick skin. But the wide-eyed stare that bore through him and the subtle up and down appraisal from Lan Wangji in that moment, made him want to hide. However, he turned on his widest grin, and committed. 

“Lan Wangji, why don’t you join us?” Wangji regarded him for what seemed like an agonizing eternity, before he muttered a quiet, “Excuse me,” and walked back in the direction of his pavilion. Wuxian did his best to suppress a groan from indignancy but a small one still managed to escape. “Well shit. That went terribly.” He muttered as he looked towards the commiserating and sympathetic faces of Nie Huaisang and Wen Qionglin, who had a front row seat to that disaster. 

“Wei Gongzi, I wouldn’t worry too much,” Nie Huaisang placated, “ You know that Lan ar-gongzi has always been aloof. It's just his nature.”

“Still, he doesn’t have to be so…frustrating.”

“He is what he is; no point in getting upset about…oh shit,” Nie Huaisang cursed. Wei Wuxian nearly let out a curse as well when he saw the Wen brothers clearly making their way towards the dock and their afternoon swim. He took a steady breath as the two sauntered their way up to the three of them and made the smallest of greetings, which could barely be seen as polite.

“Wei Gongzi,” Wen Xu slowly dragged his eyes over the swimmers and smiled, “such a relaxing way to start the conference. Thank you for being so hospitable.” Wuxian held his fake smile and replied, “This is how the Yunmeng Jiang family and clan like to spend the summer. We thought to share the experience with our guests.” Wen Chao grinned with a bit too much teeth for Wei Wuxian’s liking. “Yunmeng Jiang? A servant thinks himself a member of one of the major families?” Wen Chao had always been the less tactful and witty of the two Wen brothers, and preferred to just go for the obvious and easy jab. That said, sometimes the obvious and easy worked for Wei Wuxian too. 

“Wen Chao, please help this humble servant, and remind me again where you placed in the archery tournament last year?” Wei Wuxian remained endearingly impassive as the boy’s face turned indignant and scowl shaped. A small snort from nearby momentarily stole Wen Chao’s attention. It was unclear if the snort came from Nie Huaisang or Wen Qionglin, but both unfortunately looked very guilty. Wen Chao turned back looking murderous, Wen Xu smiled and stared down Wei Wuxian like a giant cat, ready to pounce. 

Wei Wuxian stole a quick glance out to the lake and breathed in relief as the Wen presence had brought Jiang Cheng and other swimmers closer to the docks. Wen Xu seemed to notice too. “Wei Gongzi, we wish to see how your… lake,” he said with the barest of upturned nose, “compares to our hot springs. Will you permit us?” He would rather clean shit out of the stables for a week. But hospitality demanded it and Wuxian widened his fake smile as he bowed in welcome. Wen Chao took a moment as they passed to shove Nie Huaisang in with his foot, then stared Wen Qionglin down until he slid into the water as well. Wen Xu merely laughed. Jiang Cheng dived for Nie Huaisang, and another visiting disciple did the same for Wen Qionglin. 

Wei Wuxian went red with anger. He yelled down the dock, “Wen Chao!”

“What? It's a swim. They weren’t swimming!” He retorted.  Wuxian continued to fume as he helped his friends back onto the dock, which was a challenge with their water logged layers. Soon both boys were safe on the dock and divested of their ruined clothing. Wuxian looked back at the Wens who were having a marvelous time fighting each other in what had become their own private area of the lake. Everyone else had moved out of range for both splashes and insults. 

“Wuxian?”

“Shidi?”

“Which one do you want to beat in the tournament?”

“I couldn’t care less which one. As long as I get a chance at one of them.”

The inaugural feast would be beginning in less than a half hour; Wei Wuxian sat in front of his bronze mirror, finishing up the last few strokes on his disguise talisman. While he let the ink dry, he quickly changed into his evening disguise, a set of pinched robes from another Jiang disciple. Purple had never been his color, but it would be tonight. The ink still was not quite dry when he sat back down in front of his reflection. He was about to conduct a new test for his talisman array. Would each talisman be a new face? Or would he be looking at the servant Changze again? He hoped it was the former, it would be much easier for his purposes tonight. Another quick prayer and breath as he attached and activated the talisman into the folds of his clothing. The face looking back at him was not the sallow one he had used earlier that day, but an angular one with soft large eyes and a small mouth. His normal tan had fallen away to a much more pale complexion. This was good. He looked nothing like himself once again.

The main pavilion had been festooned with strings of lanterns that were the colors of every clan in attendance, while purple banners with embroidered lotus symbols lined the pavilion's edges. The pavilion was decorated for a party and was already buzzing with people by the time Wei Wuxian had arrived. Clans had mingled and mixed amongst the tables by design, so looking for Jiang Cheng in the crowd could take a few moments. Luckily, he quickly found Jiang Cheng sitting with Nie Huaisang (who looked recovered after his unexpected dip) and some other disciples from the Ouyang sect. Perfect. With a bold step in his gait, he sauntered over and caught his brother's attention by rubbing the side of his nose; their predetermined signal to each other for the evening. He relished the wide-eyed and prideful look his shidi gave him as he made room for him on the bench, and proceeded to let him introduce himself to the table as a new inductee to the Jiang clan.

Knowing that everyone was excited to eat and drink and have a good time that evening, Jiang Fengmian’s opening speech was blessedly short. Plate after plate of food was brought out to each table and everyone was encouraged to take what they wanted from each fragrant and delicious dish. There were noodles drenched in oil, squirrel fish, braised beef with scallions, eggplant, potato and pepper stir fry, grilled snapper, fish dumplings, vegetable dumplings, skewered vegetables, mantou, spicy soup, a generous amount of rice and copious amounts of wine. Wei Wuxian ate his fill and then some more just because he could. 

The food was delicious, the conversation was lively, the music was lovely, the people were wonderful…well most of the people. His seating situation had put him quite close to the Wen brothers and he could see them both pointing and laughing at other clan members around the other tables. He could not hear what they were saying, but it was not hard to guess that whatever they had to say was probably unacceptable. 

Another thing that was disconcerting was that Wen Xu kept giving his attention to something or someone over towards the front of the pavilion. Following his gaze towards the front, Wuxian could see any number of potential targets for Wen Xu. There were disciples from the Jin, Lan, and the Nie all intermingled together, he had no way of knowing which one it was until one of them stood up to leave, and Wen Xu surreptitiously followed. Wuxian’s stomach performed the smallest of drops, as he watched Wen Xu exit. Certain that Wen Xu was going to try something, with a quick excuse to Jiang Cheng, he quickly followed as well.  

Thankfully, he did not have to search too far. He heard the grating low raspy voice of Wen Xu quite near the ancestral hall, a short ways away from the main pavilion. Slowly turning a corner so as not to draw attention to himself, he could see Wen Xu purposely standing in Lan Wangji’s path, preventing him from leaving. The sneer he was wearing and the words he was spewing made Wuxian’s stomach curdle. 

“The peerless second Jade really is as icy as they say.” Wangji remained composed, one hand rigid behind his back. But Wuxian could see the grip on his sword tightening. 

“Let me pass Wen Xu.”  

“Oh no, no, no, no. Not until you tell me what makes you think you are better than me, Lan Wangji.”

“I do not think I am better than anyone,” Wangji quietly replied, to which Wen Xu huffed, “Oh yes you do.”

“It is forbidden to have excessive pride in one's own accomplishments.”

“Just because it is forbidden does not mean you don’t, Wangji.” Wen Xu took a step closer, causing Wangji to step backwards to keep him out of his space.

“Again, let me pass.”

“So you do!”

“Let me pass.”

“No.”

“You will move.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It is a promise.”

“How dare…” Wen Xu moved to pull out his own sword, spurring Wuxian to quickly rush over and intervene.

“Is there a problem over here?” Wen Xu’s eyes widened and he loosened his grip on his sword as he took a marginal step backwards away from Lan Wangji. Wangji however kept his eyes targeted on Wen Xu, his hand very near Bichen’s hilt. “No, no sir. No problem,” Wen Xu replied with the worst of smiles. “We were just talking.” Wuxian walked up and quickly inserted himself between the pair. “It looked like a great deal more than talking. Surely Wen Gongzi is aware of the massive breach of etiquette by raising a sword to another cultivator while being a guest in another’s home?” His face was quickly turning red from anger mixed with embarrassment and worry. Wuxian stepped closer not wanting to get right in his face but relishing the chance to put Wen Xu in his place for once. 

“If you go back to the party now and leave Lan Wangji alone, I might not tell Jiang Zongzhu what happened here tonight.” Boiling with what Wuxian could only assume was mostly fury and frustration, he watched as Wen Xu stomped back to the pavilion leaving him and Wangji in the darkness. Before he could speak, Wangji gave him a short “Thank you,” and headed back towards the Lan chambers. 

“Hey wait!” he called out as he hurried after him. “Are you alright,” he quickly asked when he caught up with him. Wuxian could see the tiniest of nods in affirmation before he moved to continue his way towards his own chambers. “Hey now, what was that about Lan Wangji?” Wangji seemed to want to ignore him as he continued to walk away, which only made Wuxian more determined as he followed. “Lan Wangji…Lan Wangji…Lan Zhan!” That did it. A small shiver snaked up his spine as Lan Wangji’s intense gaze turned on him. 

“We have never met. How do you know my name?”

“What? Lan Wangji, of course we’ve met.” Wangji shook his head and took a step closer examining Wuxian up and down, trying to understand the sheer gall he had by addressing him so informally. 

“I have never seen you before.” 

“What? Yes you…oh…oh!” Wuxian nearly slapped himself in the head when he remembered. Wangji’s face went from questioning to astonishment as Wuxian pulled the talisman from between his layers, and his face went back to its normal features.

“...Wei Wuxian?”

“That’s me.” Silence from Lan Wangji was expected, in fact it was considered normal for the Second Jade. But the look of wonder was…new, at least to Wei Wuxian. “...Um…yeah, so…what do you think of my new invention Lan Wangji,” holding it out for Wangji to examine. Gingerly, he held it between his fingers and ran his eyes up and down the array, front to back, all the while taking glances at Wuxian’s expectant face. Wuxian continued on while he inspected his work. “I’ve been working on that for an entire month, and I finally got it to work this morning!” Wangji’s scrutinizing gaze shot up at him as he spoke. He grinned as he elaborated, “Naturally, I thought that the party was the perfect place to test it out and I would say that it is quite a success.” Wangji slowly nodded as he handed the paper back, “It is impressive Wei Wuxian.” Why those words made his stomach and chest warm he could not say, but he was glad to have gotten such a reaction from Lan Wangji, his history with him notwithstanding. 

As Wangji bowed to take his leave, Wuxian quickly stopped him, “Hey listen, I do not trust the Wens as far as I can throw them, which is not very far. Can I walk you back to your quarters just in case?” Wangji took another glance back towards the main pavilion, where the lights, music and laughter were still going strong. He agreed with a slight nod. 

Madam Yu had made sure to place each clan in quarters that could best appreciate the view of the pier in full bloom, as a result many of the accommodations were situated along private docks along the main thoroughfare that ran throughout Lotus Pier. In short, Wangji had a bit of a walk. But thanks to the warm night air coupled with the sounds of waters gently moving underneath their feet, it was a pleasant one. It struck Wuxian that this was as good a time as any to attempt to clear the air with his guest.

“Lan Wangji?”

“Mn?”

“I wanted to apologize…” Wangji turned his golden eyes at him and immediately Wuxian felt his throat go dry. However he was now fully in it, so he swallowed and pushed through what he wanted to get off of his chest. “...for your forehead ribbon…at the archery tournament.” Something flickered across Wangji’s face as he gave his apology; shock, confusion, embarrassment, Wuxian could not quite identify it. He supposed that the surrounding darkness also hindered his ability, but that quickly turned into relief when Wangji bowed his head in acknowledgement and then said, “I accept.”

“You do?”

“Mn. I do not say words I do not mean.”

“Thank you Lan Wangji,” he replied with a loud sigh of relief as they continued to make their way down the pier.

“Thank you again for earlier.”

“Mn?”

“Wen Xu.”

“No worries, Lan Wangji. What was that about anyway?” His companion shook his head and Wuxian decided not to press the matter further. 

“Why did you leave the party?” The long silence he received in response should have been expected, so once again Wuxian had resigned himself to another mystery when Wangji quietly replied, “It was loud.”

“Ah, so you needed quiet eh?” Wangji acceded. “I am also tired.” Wuxian remembered that Gusu Lan were one of the few clans that did not arrive by boat. Many clans would fly part of the distance and then hire a boat or two at the edge of Qishan for the rest of the journey. The distance from Gusu to Yunmeng was a large one and its length could be done in one day by sword, but it would be a very long one and taxing on the mind as flight required at least a bit of concentration. 

“Well you’re in luck. As a resident of Lotus Pier, I know all the quiet spots. There is even one near your pavilion. I can show you on the way…if you like?” With as little as Wangji typically spoke, Wuxian was starting to appreciate his small assenting head nods.

Just two turns from the Lan pavilion sat a small private dock that was lined with short benches and a large gazebo-like roof to protect anyone lounging there from the sun. There were also steps that went right into the water and were accommodatingly wide if a person felt compelled to rest with arms and feet in the lake. 

 Wuxian knew he could be pushing a boundary with this address, especially considering he had just been forgiven for the ribbon incident; but being one to throw caution to the wind, he went for it. “What do you think, Lan Er-Ge?” Wangji blinked at the address, but seemed to not mind as he simply went, “Mn. It is nice. Thank you for showing me.” Wuxian beamed. 

“Well, I will leave you then. Have a good night Er-Ge.”

“Mn. Thank you.”

Wuxian had made it a full minute back towards the main thoroughfare when he slapped his head in stupidity, turned tail and ran back towards the Lan pavilion.

“Please still be there, please still be there, please still be there…” he muttered to himself as he raced back. Rounding the corner at breakneck speed, he found Lan Wangji still in the quiet spot, sitting on the steps, his boots and socks carefully put to the side and his feet in the cool lake water. He looked up at him in surprise.

“Wei Wuxian?”

“...Er-Ge…” he panted a little.

“Is everything…alright?”

“Yeah…it’s great…umm…,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out his used talisman as he went on, “Please don’t let anyone know about this.” Wangji raised an eyebrow, but nodded, “I won’t.”

“You won’t?”

“Mn. It is not my invention to share.” Wuxian let out a big sigh of relief and then bowed in thanks. “Alright…umm…I’m gonna go…for real this time.” 

“Good night Wei Wuxian.”

“Good night Lan Wangji,” he replied with what he realized later was a very awkward wave. He felt the heat of embarrassment rise on his face as he stood there staring for just a moment. He quickly turned, then sped out of the pavilion and back to his own rooms, but not before snagging a bottle of wine from the kitchens on the way. Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng had made plans to meet up that evening. He could not wait to tell them about what happened with Wen Xu. What happened with Lan Wangji, he would keep to himself for now.

Chapter Text

Taking stock of the other faces in the room, many of the other cultivators seemed to be quite young, thirteen or fourteen at the most. Others, who had a few years of training under their belts, also seemed to be sharing the same sentiment Wei Wuxian had about the first lecture of the day; desperately dull. The desire to close his eyes for a moment or two came about ten minutes into Ouyang ZhongZhu’s long uninspired talk on spiritual weapon maintenance. Wuxian felt his head get heavy and begin to droop as the sect leader began a short rant about the importance of daily exercises with chosen weapons. 

He had woken up too late to attend the other (and in his opinion more interesting) lecture concerning new theoretical techniques for exorcizing major and minor yaoguai. Wuxian wanted to blame his body's want of a snooze on the topic at hand, but it was more likely the long and boisterous conversation he had late into the night with Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng that was the main culprit. Still, he needed to get through this, there would be no excuse for Madam Yu to voice her displeasure if he had anything to say about it.  

A quick poke in his side, and Wuxian shot back up wide awake. Jiang Wanyin glared at him and mouthed, “If I can suffer through this, you can too.” Wuxian scrunched his nose and silently whined, “I blame you.” Another slight smack on the arm, and he reluctantly turned his attention back to the talk at hand. Wuxian felt as though he could not get out of the room fast enough when the talk finally ended and the cultivators headed off for breakfast. 

Thankfully, Madam Yu had not barred him from the morning meals with the other cultivators, and after that draining talk, energy was necessary to get through the rest of the day. Along the way, the brothers witnessed the other lecture dismissing and cultivators filing out towards the main pavilion. Jiang Wanyin joined the ever growing crowd, while Wuxian found himself stopping to search for Lan Wangji in the exiting stream of people. He and his brother proved easy to find, two bright spots of white and blue in a field of greens, purples, and golds. 

Wen Chao also unfortunately proved easy to find but for an entirely different reason. He found him first. Wuxian felt bile rise in his throat when he heard Wen Chao say his name, dripping in an incendiary tone. He was looking to start something. Wuxian knew he should not give him any of his attention, as he barely deserved any of it. But something about Wen Chao’s ridiculous face made him just so punchable. Against his better judgment, he turned towards him, put on his most annoyed glare and said, “Wen Chao, I am busy this morning, give me your half-baked insult so that I can move on with my day.” 

“Wei Wuxian, I did not see you in the lecture this morning.” He groaned as he replied, “If you did not see me there, Wen Chao, that means I was not there. It's a pretty easy conclusion to make.”

“Is it because the subject was a bit too advanced for you?” Again, with the easy jab. Wuxian decided the best solution was the simplest; to let him dig his own grave.

“What do you mean by ‘too advanced’ for me?” he replied with the greatest of sincerity. The fleeting look of confusion on Wen Chao’s face was priceless, but Wuxian maintained his composure and looked at him expectantly.

“You...you know what I mean.” Oh, he knew exactly what he meant, but he kept playing up the façade.

“I really don’t. Can you tell me?” A more adept person would recognize the game Wuxian was playing and not go any further, lest they risk embarrassment. Wen Chao was decidedly not one of those people, and he soldiered on.

“I mean that the material would be too…difficult for you.”

“How would it be ‘too difficult’ for me?” Fluster was beginning to make a home on Wen Chao’s face and a small audience was also starting to gather around them. 

“Wei Wuxian, what are you playing at?”

“Nothing! I am merely trying to understand what you mean by the lecture being “too difficult” for me. Could you please explain how it would be?” 

“Well…there…there were a lot of new theories that were presented and you would not understand them.”

“Alright, neat, new theories! But you are still not answering my question, how would I not understand them?” A couple of quiet chuckles from their audience stole his attention away from Wuxian for a moment. Wen Chao turned red and he bared his teeth a little; it seemed he was catching on finally. 

“Wei Wuxian!”

“Wen Chao?”

“Stop this now!”

“What am I doing?” That got a few more giggles. Wuxian very nearly dropped the pretense at the sight of Wen Chao getting even angrier. He fought with the grin that was trying to grow on his face to maintain his questioning air. It looked as though Wen Chao was about to get into his face, when he took stock of the crowd moving around them and seemed to think better of it. He grumbled, sneered and turned towards the pavilion to join the crowd. “Hey, great talk Wen Chao,” Wuxian shouted as he walked away, “When you remember, please tell me how the lecture would have been too difficult for me!” He added an upturned thumb and a wide toothy grin when Wen Chao turned for a moment to seethe at him. 

In comparison with the night previous, breakfast was much quieter, both in terms of conversation and in food. Nabbing a youtiao and some congee, he hopped over to Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang who were engaged in conversation with Luo Qingyang, who apparently had also been in the weapon maintenance lecture. 

“How did I miss your pretty face Mian Mian? Had I known you were in there with me, that knowledge alone would have kept me awake,” Wuxian playfully grinned. Mian Mian was not amused. “Why do you insist on flirting with me, when you know I don’t like it.”

“Because you are even more beautiful when you are angry, Mian Mian.” Luo Qingyang immediately turned red, either from embarrassment or anger. The tiniest hint of fury grew in her eyes. 

“There, case in point! Your eyes are sparkling!” He said as he leaned his head into his hand, looking wistfully in her direction. Jiang Wanyin was wearing the cheekiest grin on his face, while Nie Huaisang at least had the decency to hide his behind his fan. Now she was definitely angry.

“Wei Wuxian!” She quietly bit out. Nie Huaisang, ever the placatory person of the group, leaned over, “Qingyang, you know he is an incorrigible flirt. He is just doing this to get a rise out of you-”

“And it’s working, Nie Huaisang.” She interrupted. “-and he doesn’t mean it.” Nie Huaisang responded with open hands while looking towards Wei Wuxian, silently telling him, “Fix what you started.”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry, Mian Mian.” He then put a hand over his heart and another in the air, as if he was swearing fealty. “I promise not to flirt with you for the rest of breakfast, or you may strike me down dead.” She huffed as she assessed him across the table. He briefly debated if he should pull out the puppy eyes just to try and mollify her a little more, when she uttered. “Fine.”

“Great!” He grinned and then proceeded to stuff his face. “Qingyang was just telling us that she actually enjoyed the lecture when you joined us.” Jiang Wanyin explained.

“What, seriously?!” He exclaimed with a mouth full of congee and bread.

“I did not say I enjoyed it, Jiang Wanyin. I said that the talk was a good review.”

“Mian Mian, the man went on for ten minutes about the best type of polish for swords.” Wuxian rebutted as he chewed.

“Which is important.”

“We agree that it is important,” Nie Huaisang interjected, “but Mian Mian…did you enjoy it?” He asked, eyebrows pointedly raised in her direction, waiting for an answer. After a long moment she shook her head, which elicited a loving but chiding groan from the three of them. “Alright, alright. Eat your food,” she admonished. 

They slurped, chewed, and joked through the rest of their meal, talking about their plans for the rest of the day. There was a large block of time between breakfast and the afternoon lectures, which were scheduled for just after lunch. With a promise to meet up later at the swimming dock, Jiang Wanyin and Nie Huaisang got up in search of Wen Qionglin, leaving Wei Wuxian and Luo Qingyang at their table, talking about the lectures on offer for the afternoon. 

He had just procured his second bowl of congee and was headed back to his seat, when he felt the bile rise in his throat again. Wen Chao had taken the liberty of seating himself next to Luo Qingyang and was currently leaning in very close. Making his way over, he could see that she was clearly uncomfortable; politely, but firmly refusing whatever he was asking and not being heeded. Wei Wuxian always flirted in good fun, this by comparison looked at the very least disgusting, at the most dangerous. As he came up behind them, he could start to hear some of their conversation; as he suspected, he did not like any of it.

“...come on Qingyang, it will be nice. You know that you will love it.”

“I said no. I am not interested.”

“Why not?” As he asked he moved to put his hand on her shoulder. She visibly winced, trying to roll her shoulder away from Wen Chao’s hand. He did not seem to care, because he continued, “We can go on the lake and-what the hell?!” He spun his head to look at his shoulder and chest which was suddenly drenched in warm congee. He went red as he sputtered, looking for words, then turned to see a very shocked and apologetic ‘looking’ Wei Wuxian. 

“Oh my goodness, Wen Chao, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“Y…you?!” He stuttered, pointing an accusatory finger at him and his still dripping bowl. 

“Let me help you, it's the least I can do.” Immediately, Wuxian moved to try and ‘clean’ Wen Chao, but maneuvered the congee down his sleeve and front, making the mess much worse.

“Wei Wuxian…”

“I’m so clumsy, my gosh…”

“...Wei…Wu…xian…”

“There’s just so much of it…”

“Stop!” Instantly, Wei Wuxian held up his congee covered hands, and backed up a step, continuing to be overly apologetic. Wuxian looked around the pavilion, and he could see he had caught the attention of almost everyone present. Good. Let Wen Chao be mortified. Wen Chao cracked his neck and schooled his face into controlled fury, then walked out of the pavilion, presumably to change, possibly to punch a wall somewhere.

Wuxian watched him go, smug with victory. However, his elation was quickly replaced with uneasiness, as he saw a familiar figure standing in the corner. It was not Madam Yu, but it might as well have been. One of her maids, her shadow really, Jinzhu, stood there regarding him with obvious disapproval. Doubtless, she would be telling Madam Yu everything he just did. Resigned, the damage done, he quickly turned back to Luo Qingyang, who sighed and let out a quiet “Thank you.” He smiled and escorted her out of the pavilion. At least he will not feel any guilt for what was sure to come later that day.

Wuxian made his way to meet Nie Huaisang and Jiang Wanyin at the swimming dock. He realized his face must have looked quite gloomy as his brother questioned him on it before he got to the water. 

“I poured food on Wen Chao,” he sighed. “Jinzhu saw me. She has probably told Madam Yu already,” he explained as he sat down in the gangway and removed his shoes and socks.

“Shit.”

“Yeah, shit is right.” he quietly sighed. 

“Can you explain what happened?” Wuxian looked resigned as he glanced down at Jiang Cheng who was treading water below him. “Has that ever worked with her, for either of us?” Jiang Cheng replied with the barest of head shakes before he added, “Maybe, you can disappear for the rest of the day. You know, let her cool down?” Wuxian quickly doffed the rest of his robes and slid into the water.

“Do you think that might work?”

“It wouldn’t hurt,” he shrugged. It was not a bad idea. If anything it would only delay Madam Yu’s coming ire. If it would soften it or worsen it, remained unclear. Her level of anger was always unpredictable, but it was always an underlying presence in their lives. Nie Huaisang and Wen Qionglin joined them not long afterwards, and the coming Madam Yu tempest was forgotten for a little while as they swam. 

As the sun rose in the sky, so did the heat, and soon other juniors had joined them in their late morning swim. Wei Wuxian was just splashing Wen Qionglin in revenge for dunking him in the water, when Jiang Cheng knocked him on the shoulder. He pointed with his nose at a familiar figure in white and blue sitting on the dock, dipping his toes in. Jiang Cheng never got the chance to ask if Wei Wuxian wanted to make another attempt at mending relations, before Wei Wuxian quickly swam away towards the gangway edge.

Wuxian could see Wangji’s eyes widen a little as he approached the gangway, but they softened a bit as he gripped the edge near his sitting place and happily exclaimed, “Good morning Lan Er-Ge.”

“Good morning, Wei Wuxian.”

“Did you come to join us Lan Wangji,” he asked as he pulled himself a little out of the water, resting his arms on the warm wood of the dock. Wangji shot a quick glance to the other swimmers further out, before giving him a slight shake of his head. 

“Come on Lan Er-Ge. Are you sure? Nothing like a swim on a hot day.” Again, Wangji politely refused with a small head shake. “No worries, Er-Ge. Dipping your feet in works just as well,” he grinned as he pulled himself out of the water. Water dripped and sloshed off of him as he climbed up onto the gangway, plopped down next to Lan Wangji in his own personal puddle, and put his own feet back in. Wuxian could not be sure if it was the heat or something else, but Wangji’s ears had turned a shade redder as he made himself comfortable next to him. 

“...You do not want to swim anymore?”

“Oh, I live here so I can swim anytime I want to. I just thought you might like some conversation.”

“...I see.”

“So, you got to go to the lecture about Yaoguai this morning,”  

“Mn.”

“I really wanted to go to that one, but missed the entry and had to go to the Spiritual Weapons talk. How was it?”

“It held my attention.” 

Wuxian chuckled a little. “What about it held your attention Er-Ge? You have to give me more than that.”

“Meishan Jinxin presented theories about qi levels of victims and their susceptibility to being possessed by lesser and greater Yaoguai.” Yep. Wuxian had definitely missed the better lecture of what was on offer that morning. 

“How was the talk you went to?”

“It did not hold my attention.” Wuxian grinned. 

“How so?”

“It was really boring. It was mostly a review. All about practicing sword forms regularly and the daily necessity of cleaning your spiritual tools and weapons.” 

“Mn. That is important.” 

“You sound like Mian Mian,” Wuxian replied with a slight chuckle.

“Mian Mian?”

“Luo Qingyang.” A squelch coming from Wuxian’s middle interrupted further inquiry about the talk. It was so loud even Wangji raised an eyebrow, as he laughed it off with, “I guess I’m hungry.”

“Mn. It would seem.” Realizing he was not ready to end his talk with Lan Wangji just yet, but also wanting to satisfy the growing sounds of need coming from his stomach, he took a risk, “Er-Ge,” he asked. “You want to get a snack with me and tell me more about the lecture?” An odd slight tightening in the chest grew as he watched Wangji contemplate the suggestion for a moment, which then dissipated when Wangji agreed. “Great! We can go to the kitchens,” he explained as he and Wangji began to get to their feet. “There are always lotus cakes there for the-Lan Zhan!”  

Horror spread over Wuxian as Wangji took a step while standing up, slipped in the puddle he had made and began to fall backwards towards the water. Moving quickly with more speed than he thought he was capable of, he grasped Wangji’s desperately outstretched hand and yanked as hard as he could to keep him sure footed on the gangway and not in the water. He managed successfully to keep Lan Wangji dry, but the force of the pull in doing so, landed Wangji in his arms and against his chest with a slight thud. In the flurry of movement, Wangji’s own arms had wrapped around his shoulders, clinging on so tight Wuxian thought he might have scratched his back a little. Once they were both steady, Wuxian started to pull away and found himself very close and looking directly at his shocked face. After a breath, Wangji moved quickly to detach himself. As he did, Wuxian was sure he saw a flicker of real fear in Wangji’s golden eyes. He made sure to keep his arms out and ready as Wangji began to steady himself, incase he needed to be prepared to catch him again.

“Lan Zhan? Are you alright?” It took a moment for him to catch his breath, but he finally responded with a quick nod as he replied, “Thank you, Wei Ying.”

“No problem,” he smiled back, trying to diffuse the tension and put Wangji more at ease. Wuxian haphazardly gathered up his bundle of clothing, while Wangji picked up his socks and shoes. The pair walked back down the gangway, while Wuxian continued to rave about Lotus cakes. 

The kitchens were in their own secluded courtyard a short distance away from the main pavilion. They were not surrounded by walls, but rather were situated in the open air under a purposely built canopy. Delicious smells wafted from the fires all day in a never ending tease if one was hungry or not. Wuxian quickly located a plate of Lotus Seed cakes on a communal table and held one out for Lan Wangji to take. 

Unfortunately, Wangji did not like sweets. Well, not so much ‘like,’ more like ‘never ate’ them. Wuxian could not help but tease a little, “Lan Zhan, how do you know if you don’t like them if you don’t eat them,” he asked with a mouth full of cake. He remained firm in a polite refusal. Undeterred though, he quickly found some dried apricots and walnuts that Wangji did approve of, which he quickly poured into a ready bowl. He also expressed an interest in some baozi that were steaming away in a corner when Wuxian pointed them out. Quickly, he snatched out two of them and wrapped them in a handkerchief to take them along.

He had just added some baked melon seeds to the bowl, when he nearly dropped it at the sight of Madam Yu. She was flanked by Jinzhu and her other shadow Yinzhu, standing a short distance away, her stare bearing down on him. Wuxian could start to feel the loss of sensation in his knees and began to sense his stomach start to drop as she snapped at him to come over, Zidian sparking on her finger. Zidian’s sting was unfortunately a familiar sensation for him and to a lesser extent, his shidi. Wei Wuxian braced himself mentally as he set the bowl down and walked over, fists clenched, eyes downwards. 

“I thought it was explained to you that you were not to be seen outside of lectures,” she bit out.

“Yes Madam Yu, but-,”

“-And not only that, but I was told,” Jinzhu smirked, “that you embarrassed one of the Wen boys after the lecture this morning,” she interrupted, her volume getting slightly higher. Zidian let out a big spark, which caused him to reflexively flinch. 

“Madam Yu, Wen Chao was-”

“Silence!” She yelled as the sparks on Zidian continued to grow brighter and more menacing. Almost as if they were echoing her emotions. Wei Wuxian knew better. Trying to explain his actions to Madam Yu had never worked in the past and it was clear that she would not be listening to anything he had to say. So, he closed his eyes to wait for the-

“Madam Yu.” His eyes shot wide open as he turned to see Lan Wangji walking out towards them. Wuxian stole a glance back at Madam Yu as Wangji made his way through the courtyard. She was still there, as foreboding as ever, the ring on her finger still sparking.  

“Forgive Wei Ying. He was helping me,” he explained, holding up the bowl of snacks as evidence. She was schooling her visible emotions, but the anger was still very much at the surface, radiating in waves off of her body. After the tensest of moments, through clenched teeth she stated, “Wei Wuxian, you will not be seen in the complex after this, am I understood?” Confused, but relieved, he nodded, then watched as she turned and walked out of the courtyard, closely followed by her personal shadows. Wuxian realized that he had barely breathed during that entire exchange as he took a large inhale and the feeling began to return to his knees. 

“Wei Ying?”

“...I’m alright Lan Zhan.”

“Are you sure?” In reality he was not and it would take a few moments to calm down fully, but he would be. He nodded in affirmation at Lan Wangji anyways. 

“Thank you Lan Zhan…for…that.” Lan Wangji took a step closer and held out an apricot for him to eat.

“Wei Ying did the same for me.” 

 Usually after a tense encounter with Madam Yu, Wei Wuxian would hold up in his room until he calmed down, or he flew out to an island in the middle of Lotus Lake to cool off. Wangji, was a new variable in this problem. His room was out of the question, so he asked if Wangji was willing to take a quick flight over the lake, which he was. The island was situated about one yin from shore, and served as an escape from the hustle and bustle of Lotus Pier. It was not insubstantial in size as it had a small wilderness growing all over it. But one could explore the entirety of it in about ten minutes. The only thing of note on the island was a small shrine that was exclusively used during the Dragon Boat Festival. It was quiet, out of the way, and rarely visited, an ideal place for solitude should one wish for it.

Wuxian laid out their pile of snacks between them on the decking, before lying down himself. 

“I’m sorry you had to see that Lan Zhan,” he said, staring into the back of his hand, where it was resting on his head. 

“It's alright Wei Ying.” 

“I suppose you have questions.” he sighed after a long moment of silence. 

“You may share if you wish to.” 

“I do not wish to.”

“Then Wei Ying does not need to share.” He tilted his head to look towards him, who had situated himself quite close by on the deck. Wangji seemed to be taking in the view of a nearby lotus blossom, looking quite serene as he did. 

“Thank you Lan Zhan.”

“Mn.” 

After a few moments of listening to the waters around them, Wuxian’s stomach growled in protest again. It clearly caught Wangji’s ear, as he commented, “Wei Ying should eat.” With a chuckle he sat back upright and replied, “I guess I should.” as he reached for a bao. He handed Wangji the second as he took a large bite out of the other. He finished his bao in three, maybe four bites, then watched Wangji take slow deliberate bites of his own. Wuxian had already moved onto the nuts and fruit by the time Wangji had finished his bao. Wangji consumed the nuts and fruit in much the same way as the bao; unhurried and measured. He worked through the seeds and fruit in his hand one piece at a time, chewing each piece thoroughly before swallowing and picking up the next. It was fascinating to see someone eat so fastidiously. 

Wuxian on the other hand, had always been a fast eater, having picked up the habit when he was very young. Whenever he got lucky enough to find anything to eat, it was immediately consumed lest it be taken by someone or something else. After Jiang Fengmian brought him into the household, it took him a while to learn to savor food, as he really never had the chance to before. Now, food was a great pleasure of his, even if he still ate very quickly.

“Wei Ying?”

“Lan Zhan?”

“Where are we?” Wuxian sat up and grinned. “This, Lan Zhan, is an island.” He giggled at the look of slight confusion he got in response before he went on, “This is where we make offerings at Dragon Boat Festival. If you look up there,” he turned and pointed up towards the center of the island, “there’s a tiny stone shrine with a dragon statue.” At that, Wangji got up and began to look around, taking in the trees, shrubs, and views of the lake from all directions. He quietly followed behind, giving him the space to explore.

“It is lovely here.”

“Thank you. I like coming here when I need to get away.”

“...How often?”

“What?”

“How often do you need to get away?” Wuxian sighed, it was more often than he would care to admit. “Often enough,” to which Lan Wangji nodded and did not pry further. 

Soon both boys had made their way back to their landing spot, with Wuxian immediately removing his shoes and socks to put his feet in the water. He watched as Wangji seemed content to just insert his toes. 

“Wangji, I have a question.”

“Mn?” 

“Can you swim?” Wangji’s ears went slightly pink, and he returned his gaze downwards towards the lotus once more. He could also see that Wangji was gripping the edge of the dock slightly at his question. 

“It’s okay if you don’t know how. Lots of people can’t,” he smiled, trying to put Lan Wangji at ease. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he turned his eyes from the lotus back to him, seeming a little more relaxed. “You can't swim can you?” It was more of a statement than a question, and Wangji confirmed it with another one of his small nods. 

“If you can’t swim, then why did you keep coming out to the swimming dock?” Wangji sighed a little, “XiongZhang has been encouraging me to be more social.” 

“He wants you to make friends.”

“Mn.”

“Well, no worries Lan Zhan! Why don’t I teach you?” He asked as he pulled his feet out of the water and scooted a little closer on the dock. Wangji went wide-eyed.

“What?”

“Lan Zhan, I can teach you! 

“Teach me?”

“Yes! Oh Lan Zhan, it's really easy once you learn how. Plus, with me as your teacher,” he patted his chest for emphasis, “you will be swimming circles around everyone else in no time.”

“Wh…where…would you teach me?” Wuxian grinned, wide and toothy.

“Here! The waters here are actually quite shallow. Take a look.” He began to shuck his layers and throw them haphazardly onto the deck. Soon, he was down to just his trousers, wading until the water was up to his chest a good distance away from the shore. He waved to Lan Wangji who stared back at him, seemingly stunned. Wuxian swam back and hoisted himself back on the deck dripping wet. Wangji was looking directly ahead when he joined him, his ears a bright shade of red.

“What do you think, Lan Zhan?” Lan Wangji blinked a few times as he looked out over the lake, seeming to ruminate over his proposal. Wuxian was starting to wonder if he had come on a bit too strong when he heard a quiet, “Alright.” 

“You will let me teach you?”

“Mn.”

“Great! Let’s get started!”

“...What?”

“No time like the present! Come on!” he exclaimed as he quickly got back into the water and beckoned him to follow. Wangji looked less than enthusiastic.

“Won’t we…miss the next lecture?” Shit. That had definitely slipped his mind. 

“Ahh. You’re right Lan Zhan,” he agreed as he plopped back down on the decking with a squish. “How about we start after dinner?” Lan Zhan, slowly nodded. It seemed as though he felt some trepidation about all of this. 

“No worries Lan Zhan. This will be fun!” He smiled. Lan Wangji still looked unsure, but it seemed at least that he was still willing.

Chapter Text

The second lecture of the day turned out to be quite divisive amongst its attendees. Yu Boyuan’s talk about pricing out Night Hunting services to lay people generated a lot of discussion and even a fair amount of frustration. Some saw literal value in the exorcism services they offered, others argued that pricing out their services was offensive to what they as cultivators had been taught and practiced. Besides, was that not what tributes to the clans were for? 

“Maybe the talk was for rogue cultivators?” Jiang Wanyin mused after the lecture had ended. Wuxian shrugged as he thumbed through the small pamphlet that Meishan Yu Boyuan had given out to everyone at the start. He could not speak for the others in the room, but he had no plans to go rogue anytime soon. It was all in all, an odd talk. Wuxian sighed, so far he was zero for two in terms of lectures he had attended and found some semblance of interest. Well, hopefully tomorrow will have a better outcome in that department, he thought. And if not, at least there was the possibility of a swimming lesson with Lan Wangji. That should be fun, plus depending how the lesson goes this evening, maybe they could-

“Hey, Wei Wuxian!” He blinked back into reality to see Wanyin snapping and waving in his face, seeming to try and get his attention. “Where did you go? You were miles away there.” He asked with a slightly annoyed scowl.

“Sorry. I was thinking about tomorrow. What were you saying?”

“I was asking about how the talk with Lan Wangji went.” 

“Oh, it went fine. We talked. We seem to be good.”

“You seem to be? You don’t know?”

“I apologized, if that is what you’re asking.”

“Oh, that’s good. You two went off together at the swim.” 

“We did.”

“Where did you two go?”

“Ehh?” Wuxian turned with a slight lascivious grin towards his martial brother. “What are you suggesting, Shidi?” Jiang Wanyin went a little red.

“Nothing! I’m just curious. You, of all people, know that Lan Wangji likes to hold himself apart from others. I am just wondering what he is like.” Wuxian stopped himself to give it a thought. Wangji had graciously intervened during his earlier encounter with Madam Yu. Where others would surely ask, he also had the kindness not to pry into what he had seen, to give him the space that he needed.  

“I think he’s just shy.”

“Shy?”

“Mn. Shy. He’s actually quite nice.” Jiang Wanyin’s stare remained questioning.

“Really?”

“Mn.”

“Lan Wangji? Nice?”

“Hey! You asked what he’s like, and he is nice.”

“...Alright, if you say so.” Jiang Wanyin still looked skeptical, so Wuxian simply came to the conclusion that he would have to show him. It would not be that hard. 

Wei Wuxian sighed as he finished the last stroke on his array and left it to dry as he bundled up his disguise for the evening meal. At the meal’s end, the first pairings for the swordsmanship tournament were going to be announced, so there was no way he was going to be kept from attending this one. He wanted to see who his opponents could potentially be, and start planning his strategies accordingly. Pocketing his talisman and nabbing his bundle, he quickly stepped outside. Jiang Wanyin and Wen Qionglin were meeting up for some easy target practice before dinner, and Wei Wuxian had every intention of taking part. Getting there would be the issue though. After his encounter with Madam Yu earlier, caution had to be paramount; there was no desire to get caught again.

Sticking close to walls and checking to see if his way was clear every time he entered a courtyard, slowly he made his way across the complex and towards the training grounds. Crossing the main pavilion would be the most challenging, not only was it the largest of the pavilions in Lotus Pier, but servants and lower disciples were hustling and bustling to make sure it was prepared for the evening events. Taking a chance, Wuxian brazened it out as he made his way across the courtyard in full view of the goings on in the pavilion. He had nearly made it all the way across when the sight of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan sitting together in a nearby alcove, made him dive behind a pillar. 

By all appearances they seemed to be chatting, well Jiang Yanli was trying to chat, Jin Zixuan seemed to not be contributing much, which was to be expected at this point from him. Stealing another glance from around the masonry, his shijie was clearly trying to engage in some kind of back and forth, but the Jin heir seemed to remain content with very short replies; at least he seemed to be paying at least some attention to her. He was at least looking at her as they were talking. 

All thoughts of moving closer to catch something of their conversation fled from his mind, when Jiang Yanli turned her attention towards someone entering the pavilion, 

“A-Niang!” 

Oh shit, shit, shit, shit! Madam Yu! Wuxian plastered his body to the pillar and held his breath in the hopes that he would not be noticed. Nervousness spread through his limbs so quickly, trying to maintain his composure became his first priority. His concentration was so intense, he could not register what was being said, only that there were at least four different voices in the courtyard behind him. He closed his eyes and listened and prayed to whatever gods that were currently listening for assistance, until the voices moved out of the pavilion and there was only the sound of a breeze and birds left behind. With a fair bit of hesitation, Wuxian looked around the pillar, to see that the group had in fact disappeared. The stress in his body immediately vacated as his shoulders sagged and he sighed in immense relief.    

By the time Wuxian had been able to join everyone else at the training grounds, Wen Qionglin was already steadily ahead of Jiang Wanyin. 

“Jiang Cheng, just because you are corresponding with his sister, does not mean you have to let him win,” Wuxian gleefully teased as Wen Qionglin was taking aim at a large painting of a tiger's head. Wuxian smirked as he missed the tiger by a wide margin. Jiang Cheng shot him a red faced look that silently but clearly said, “I am going to murder you in your sleep.” Wuxian beamed, winked back and then suppressed his laughter as Wen Qionglin turned to his now embarrassed, no mortified, brother. 

“Jiang Gongzi, is that true?”

“...Yes,” he replied with a sigh, “it is.”

“How long have you been writing to her?” He bent over slightly, looked down and quietly muttered, so anyone could barely hear, “...Since Cloud Recesses.” Wen Qionglin’s eyes went wide. “Two years?” Jiang Wanyin reluctantly confirmed it with a small nod.

“...Oh. I see,” he quietly understood as he stepped aside for Jiang Wanyin, who looked rather sheepish as he took aim at the target.

“It's funny,” Wen Qionglin began as Jiang Wanyin pulled back. “She never mentions you.” 

“What?!” His eyes grew twice in size as his shot flew far to the left, completely missing the target and landing just to its side in the dirt. Wen Qionglin bit his lips trying to stifle a laugh, but making very little effort to hide the snicker in his eyes. Wuxian had no compunction at all and cackled.

“You jerks! Look what you made me do, Wen Ning!” He admonished as he handed his bow to Wei Wuxian. Wen Qionglin just grinned back, admiring his handiwork on Jiang Wanyin’s face. He looked positively rankled as he took a seat next to him.

“We see it, shidi. At least your arrow went in the right direction.”

“I apologize Jiang Gongzi, I should not have said that.” Wen Qionglin said with a slight smile. Jiang Wanyin glared daggers at both him and Wei Wuxian.

“You two are awful,” he moaned after a moment of quiet.

“Shidi, calm down. You are too easy to wind up.”

“I am not!” Wuxian raised an eyebrow and did not try to hide his loving side eye at that reaction to his taunt. Jiang Wanyin continued to sulk. 

 The red in Jiang Wanyin’s face retreated a little when Wen Qionglin quietly began, “You know Jiang Gongzi, now that I think about it, my sister has mentioned you on occasion.”

“...She has?”

“Mn.” He nodded back with the lightest of upturned corners on his mouth. 

“What did she say?” Wen Qionglin pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows in a thoughtful manner. “She asked me once, what I thought of you.”

“Alright,” Wanyin narrowed his eyes as he listened. “What did you say?”

“Well, I explained that I considered you a friend.”

“That’s it?!”

“I would not consider you to be a friend if I did not think that you were a good person. Is that not enough?” he asked matter of factly. Jiang Wanyin’s shoulders sagged a little as he relaxed and smiled.  

“Alright. Thank you Wen Ning.” Wen Qionglin softened his smile and then explained, “In fact, I think she will be here mid week.” Wanyin’s eyes brightened as they simultaneously got wider with that news “What? She is?” He stammered out. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“You will have to ask her when she gets here.” Wen Qionglin shrugged, still wearing a very obvious playful smirk.

“So…are you courting my sister or what?” He then asked as he bit the inside of his mouth to try and control his own composure. As he expected, Jiang Wanyin rounded on him.

“Wen Ning!”

The training grounds of Lotus Pier had been constructed with ease of access by design. Being located very near one of the main pathways through the complex, anyone walking by could observe the training and exercises that were being practiced. Naturally, the laid back, but highly skilled archery that the boys were indulging in, caught the attention of passers by, and within the hour, a few more had joined them in their game. In fact, so many were taking part, a second and third target had to be set up. Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian were moderately successful at being at least cordial, as Jin Zixuan and Jin Zixun were among some Jin and Nie cultivators who stepped up to the range. He was relieved that they took up position at the target furthest away; he would not have to continue a pretense of hospitality. Wuxian decided that he would share that he saw Shijie and Jin Zixuan together later on this evening, now was most definitely not the time, with all of the ears and eyes present. 

Wuxian relaxed in his seat with Nie Huaisang and Tingshan Haoren, watching Luo Qingyang taking her time with her aim down the range. She had been having a time of it, many of her arrows flying far off of the mark.

“Mian Mian,” he stood up and walked over, giving her posture a quick appraisal, “can I help you?” As first disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang, training new disciples had always been part of his duties to the clan, and it was the one duty he probably enjoyed the most. Instruction came naturally to him, and it was something he took immense pride in. 

“Your stance is a bit wide,” she glanced down and did her best before he continued, “and your back elbow should not be so high.” Wuxian held his palms open, asking in silent permission to adjust her himself. Shooting him a glare, he calmly smiled back; no hint of teasing on his features, silently explaining he only wished to help. Luo Qingyang assented and let him begin his adjustments. With a sure but light hand, he brought her elbow downwards slightly, making her forearm more parallel with the ground. Gently, he placed his hands on her waist and turned her body slightly, giving her more power in her eventual shot. “Relax, and let go,” he instructed after he kept a hand on her hip and adjusted her bow arm a little. Taking a breath, she let the arrow fly. It struck with a loud thud, right in the tiger’s left eye.

“There it is Mian Mian! That was better. Grab another arrow and try again.” Luo Qingyang lightly smiled as she knocked another arrow to shoot. Wuxian took up position next to her again, adjusting where necessary. This time the arrow pierced much closer to the center, next to the tiger’s nose. 

“Even better the second time around, Mian Mian. Well done,” he beamed, infinitely pleased with her quick improvements. Turning away from the range for a moment to grab his own bow, he shot a quick glance towards the main thoroughfare. Lan Wangji along with a couple of other observers stood on the pathway, taking in the shooting.

“Lan Zhan,” Wuxian shouted to him, as he made his way over. 

“Come shoot with us.” Lan Wangji’s eyes widened and he looked a little skeptical of the whole thing. “Lan Zhan, come shoot. I promise that none of us bite,” he smiled, “Plus, I personally promise not to touch your ribbon.” Wuxian may have been a little too enthusiastic   when Wangji took a hesitant step forward, grabbing his wrist and hurrying back to the range. Turning, he could see Wangji’s ears had gone very red in the seconds it took to rejoin the others. 

After a few more rounds had gone by, Wuxian realized that Lan Wangji seemed content to remain a spectator, albeit a little closer now. Others on the range also seemed content to let Wangji spectate. No one had been interacting with him. No no, this would not do. 

“Lan Zhan,” he turned to him with a bow in hand, “why don’t you take a turn?” Wangji pursed his lips for a moment as he stared at the bow in Wuxian’s hands. His eyes then flickered up to his beaming face, before he gently took Wuxian’s offering, and stepped up to the range. Wuxian saw the others on the grounds take notice of Lan Wangji preparing to shoot. Lan Wangji had famously placed fourth in last year’s archery tournament, but that was only because he had dropped out half way through, thanks to Wei Wuxian and the ‘ribbon incident’ as he called it. Excitement began to bubble in his chest as Wangji stepped up; the chance to see a marksman of Wangji’s caliber was something to be both studied and enjoyed. He watched as Wangji went to pull an arrow from a nearby quiver when he paused and glanced slightly over his shoulder at him. Pointedly, Wangji carded his fingers through his hair, maneuvering his locks and more importantly his forehead ribbon tails over his shoulder and down his front. While the spectators raised eyebrows or shrugged at the adjustment, Wuxian quizzically grinned; was Wangji making a joke?

Wuxian could not help but regard Wangji’s form as he took aim; of course it was flawless, this is Lan Wangji, it would be nothing short of perfection. Wangji’s volley flew through the air in a perfect arc and thwacked dead center in the target, generating a quiet applause from the observers. Wuxian itched for another demonstration. 

“Lan Zhan,” he called, catching his attention, “how close to that arrow can you shoot another?” Wangji looked back down the range and loaded another arrow. With the barest of effort, and the quickest of movements, he let loose, landing it a hairs breath away from the first and dead center again. A loud boisterous clap came from behind, drawing everyone's eyes back to the main thoroughfare. The stupidly smug faces of Wen Xu and Wen Chao stood there watching the spectacle. How long had they been standing there watching?

Wei Wuxian allowed the obvious eye roll as the Wens made their way over onto the range. He clocked the look Wen Xu shot Lan Wangji as sauntered into their space. It was well known that Lan Wangji was one of the best cultivators and fighters in their generation, so he could easily take care of himself should the situation arise. Still, the way that Wen Xu began to inch his way over to him as they insinuated themselves in their game, made Wuxian uneasy. 

“Almost everyone from last year’s tournament is here,” Wen Chao noted as he scanned the archers who were present,  “I think a rematch from last year is in order, all in good fun of course,” he added with a barely disguised superior tone of voice. Wuxian huffed and then could not help himself, it was too easy to rile him.

“Can you promise not to throw a fit if you miss the targets again?” As he expected, Wen Chao went red and took a step towards him, winding up with some sort of insult at the ready. 

“Wen Chao,” Jiang Wanyin stepped in, “we are here to shoot and talk, nothing more. If you are looking for competition, the swordsmanship tournament is the day after tomorrow. Get your kicks there.” 

“Fine. Just shooting and talking sounds ideal to me.” Wen Xu interjected while he picked up a waiting bow. The group stopped for a moment to watch as Wen Xu deftly loosed an arrow straight into the near center of the target, incredibly close to Wangji’s earlier efforts. Turning, he tossed the bow to Jiang Wanyin with a loaded grin, “Shooting and talking,” he added with a quick leering glance at Lan Wangji, “nothing more.” He sauntered over to a bench that was quickly vacated by some lower juniors, then sprawled out. Wei Wuxian stole a glance at Jiang Wanyin and Wen Ning, neither looked impressed. 

“Jin Zixuan,” Wen Xu cried out in a singsong tone, “let us see how you have improved since last year.” Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin grimaced as he said this. For all of his faults, Jin Zixuan was considered one of the more capable and powerful cultivators of his generation, and his third placement in the tournament last year was well earned and considered very admirable. For Wen Xu to speak at him with such implications was insulting.  

Jin Zixuan looked both annoyed and resolute as he joined Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian was happy to put his animosity for the Jin heir aside if it meant that he could help him put these two back in their place. He seemed to be thinking along the same wavelength as he gave him a very determined glance as he stepped up. 

 “Mian Mian, there is a seat next to me, if you want to sit down.” Wuxian called over to her as he made room on the bench next to Jiang Wanyin. Luo Qingyang again mouthed a “thank you” to the two boys as she moved away from Wen Chao, who had been discreetly moving into her space on the range. Wuxian shot Wen Chao a challenging look, barely discernible to anyone who watched the exchange, but it was a clear warning. He merely snorted back, as he prepared to loose his first volley. 

Neither of the brothers had placed in the tournament last year. Wen Xu had chosen not to participate for reasons unknown, but Wen Chao, rather famously, had shot at the wrong target and had been disqualified from the competition. He also threw a massive tantrum afterwards, not only embarrassing himself, but also his father, Wen Rouhan, who had to remove himself from spectating as he became boiling from rage at his son’s juvenile display. 

As much as this was emphatically not a challenge or a rematch as had been stated, Wen Chao very much treated it like one. Even though he was very much a lout and a bully, the man was talented with a bow, when he was paying attention. Being the first to shoot, Wen Chao gloated as his volley landed very much near the center, just under the tiger’s nose. Jin Zixuan sighed as he stepped up and subsequently landed his just above the tiger's nose. Wei Wuxian’s own volley landed just shy of the middle with a hard echoing thwack.

Wen Xu glowered at Lan Wangji as he took up position again. Wuxian could feel the intensity of that gaze and he was not even the target of it. If it bothered Wangji, it did not show, as his arrow landed in the exact center again. Wen Xu let out a long, impressive whistle after it pierced the target. Pointedly, Wangji refused to even look at Wen Xu as he stepped aside for the next archer. 

 To say that the training grounds were tense after the Wen’s had joined in would be an understatement. Wuxian felt as though he could grab tension out of the air and squeeze it with his bare hands. For all the shooting to be had, there was very little talking; the Wen brothers had successfully sucked the air from the grounds with their presence. An uneasy half hour of shooting followed, in which time, Wuxian noticed that Wen Xu barely turned his eyes away from Lan Wangji. It was common knowledge that Wen Xu took after his brother in the way that he was a bully and a lout, he was just slightly more subtle about it. Considering the encounter he and Lan Wangji had with him the night previous, it seemed clear that Lan Wangji had a target on his back. 

Thwack. Wen Chao’s latest attempt had landed dead center, right in the middle of the tiger’s nose. “Hah! I think that is a good way to end this little game.” Jiang Wanyin, wanting nothing more than to leave the situation, heartily and pointedly agreed. Putting up the guise of hospitality to people one loathed was exhausting. Moving to get up, Wen Xu once again got in Wangji’s path and stepped in very close. Immediately Wuxian stepped over, taking up a position directly behind Lan Wangji. Wen Xu shot a knowing glance at him but remained fixed where he was in Lan Wangji’s space. “I hope that we get to cross swords at the tournament, Lan Wangji.” He added after he looked Wangji up and down once more, “I can’t wait to see your forms up close.” A hint of anger flashed through Wangji’s eyes at the taunt, and as Wen Xu exited the grounds, Wangji observed him with the utmost intensity, as if he was sizing up an enemy before an attack.

“Lan Zhan?” Wuxian gently asked, “Are you alright?” Lan Wangji’s expression calmed slightly as he regarded him then made a slight nod. 

“What was that about Lan Zhan? Does Wen Xu have it out for you or something?” Wangji sighed then shook his head; seeming still reluctant to share. Wuxian was a little annoyed that Wangji still did not want to explain what was going on, but he could at least extend him the same courtesy he had shown him earlier in the day.

“Alright Lan Zhan. You don’t have to share if you don’t want to.” Wangji nodded a quiet thanks.

“Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Wanyin interjected. “I will see you after dinner then?” he asked as he discreetly rubbed the side of his nose, their established signal for Wuxian’s disguises. Wuxian nodded as he rubbed the side of his nose in understanding. His shidi smiled as he left with the other disciples and juniors to get ready for the evening. 

“You are not going to dinner, Wei Ying?” Wei Wuxian scratched the side of his head in a mixture of embarrassment and not quite knowing how to explain his situation. 

“Well, you saw Madam Yu earlier?”

“Mn.”

“I’m not to be seen in the complex, which includes the evening meals.” Wangji blinked what Wuxian had figured out to be his ‘questioning’ blink. 

“Why are you not allowed?” There were many reasons he could think of that would keep Lan Wangji listening for hours. However, Wuxian had no desire to get into that here and now so he simply replied, “To be honest, I am not sure. There are many possibilities.”

“Mn. What if you ate with me and my brother?” Wuxian gaped, his jaw dropping slightly at the suggestion. “Pardon?” 

Wuxian came to two realizations at dinner that evening. The first was a regret that he had not taken up Lan Wangji’s offer. But after the earlier Madam Yu episode, it was probably wise not to push his luck further today. But on the other hand, he could be himself, which was what he wished he could be at that moment sitting with Nie Huaisang and Jiang Wanyin and a brand new face. It had become apparent that spending time with friends was not at all enjoyable because he could not be himself. It was also becoming precarious.

“Nie Gongzi,” he asked during a mid-slurp of noodles, “do I have something on my face?” Nie Huaisang had been not so sneakily investigating him for the entirety of the meal, shooting questioning and appraising glances his way for nearly the entire duration. He narrowed his focus in his direction, “No, Lu Gongzi…you…don’t.” Nie Huaisang may seem like a person that was dandyish, fragile and somewhat incompetent, but Wuxian knew him to be one of the most clever people he had ever met. Nie Huaisang may not have figured out everything, but it was clear he was putting something together in his head. Wuxian either needed to be more careful, or possibly may have to come clean to his friend later on in the evening.

“Jiang Wanyin,” Nie Huaisang began, “can you explain again why Wei Wuxian is unable to attend the evening dinners?” 

“Wei Wuxian explained it last night. He has duties that keep him from attending.”

“Surely those duties can be done by some lower disciple,” Nie Huaisang flickered his gaze in Wuxian’s direction, “like Lu Gongzi here.” Jiang Wanyin tucked back into his noodles to avoid Nie Huaisang’s gaze. “Well, you can ask him next time you see him, Nie Huaisang.” 

“I will,” he shot a quick glance at Wei Wuxian again before he went on, “I was looking forward to speaking more with him while I was here.”

“I’m sure he was thinking the same as well, Huaisang.” 

As soon as dishes were cleared, Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu stood up near the front of the pavilion next to a very large board that was purposely placed for everyone to see. 

“Cultivators present!” He cried to get the chatter to settle. When most of the eyes in the pavilion had turned in his direction he began, “As you know, the day after tomorrow is the swordsmanship tournament. So tonight, we will have a glimpse of what is to come as we draw names for the first round of competition.” The names of juniors who would be participating in the tournament had been placed into a large imposing wooden box that had been decorated with a carved Lotus motif. Madam Yu reached her hand inside and stirred with her arm. The sound of small wooden tiles clacking around as they mixed was unmistakable. It was standard for all juniors who had achieved a high enough rank within their sects to submit their name for tournaments. With the high number of high ranking disciples however, it was customary that it was at the sect leader’s discretion who would be participating and who would not be. There was sure to be some disappointment in the crowd tonight.

Wei Wuxian shot a glance at Nie Huaisang, who was currently fidgeting in his seat. He was one of the few present, who had absolutely no desire to hear his name called within the next few minutes. The image of Nie Huaisang surrendering to his opponent within the first few seconds flew into his head. He tried not to chuckle at the thought as Madam Yu had pulled the first two tiles and handed them to Jiang Fengmian. 

“Wen Xu and Li Bolin!” 

Wuxian groaned. Li Bolin was an incredibly capable Jiang disciple and had quickly climbed the ranks within the sect. He knew Bolin could hold his own, he just despised Wen Xu and sympathized with anyone who had the misfortune to face him.  

“Lan Wangji and He Haoyu!”  

Wuxian glanced towards Lan Wangji, who like the night before was sitting with his brother and a mix of Lan and Nie disciples. If Wangji had any feelings about the match, he did not show them, but a snicker from behind drew his attention away from him. Wen Xu was glaring and smiling the most sadistic smile he could at Lan Wangji. Suddenly it struck him. Lan Wangji was among the most capable of all the cultivators there. His advancement was not even a question, but Wen Xu was a wild card. Should both of them advance to the second round, they would be fighting each other. A strange feeling of frustration began to pool in his chest at the possibility of the match.

“Jin Zixun and Jiang Wanyin!” 

Wei Wuxian shot an encouraging glance at his shidi. Jin Zixun was a cultivator who liked to use his family name to throw his weight around, not so much his sword. Jiang Wanyin’s first bout should be relatively easy. 

Luo Qingyang and Jin Zixuan were included among two more pairs of names before Wen Chao was called. He would be fighting a Nie disciple named Yu Zhe. The second to last pairing had another Nie and a disciple from the Lan sect competing against each other. Wuxian glanced towards Lan Wangji and his probable opponent Lan Xichen. Lan Xichen was just as capable as his brother, if not more so. It would be an immense challenge, he drew a breath at the thought and smiled. This could be fun. 

He watched with anticipation, as Madam Yu handed over the last two tiles. Confusion joined anticipation as he observed Jiang Fengmian read the two tiles, furrow his brow, then glance over at Madam Yu. A few murmurs bubbled up from the crowd as he stepped up to the box and extracted a spare tile. Most people who were not familiar with the main family of the Jiang clan would not have noticed the flash of disappointment that flew across Jiang Fengmian’s face. Wei Wuxian did not miss it, nor did Jiang Wanyin, who gave him a look that was a mix of confusion and mild shock. Madam Yu appeared poised as ever, but there was a hint of defiance in her eyes as she looked towards her husband.

“I apologize,” Jiang Fengmian said as he turned to the crowd with a smile, “there appeared to be a mix up with the submissions.” Anger began to seep into his chest as Jiang Fengmian went back to the board with the new tile in hand; his tile had been the spare. “Ouyang Jinlin and Wei Wuxian!” 

Jiang Fengmian had made a short speech after the names had been drawn, but Wei Wuxian barely registered any of it. Fuming with rage, he headed straight for the island as soon as people began to mill out of the pavilion. He needed calm and quiet. He needed to be alone. He quickly sat himself next to the dragon shrine to try and meditate as he looked over the lake. A damp blur fell over his views of the lotus and trees in his attempt to calm his mind. Choking back sobs as he wiped the tears from his eyes, he tried in vain to control his emotions, but his anger and anguish was becoming too strong. He let out a quiet sob, then another, and another.  

“Wei Ying?” Oh shit. Turning so fast he nearly hit his head on the shrine base, there stood Lan Wangji, looking slightly concerned. 

“Hey, Lan Zhan,” he managed to say as he stood up, wiping the tears from his face with his sleeve cuff.

“Are you, alright?” Wuxian bit his lips to try and reign in the pounding in his chest as he wiped some residual wetness from his eyes. He was sure his face looked a mess, so there was no trying to hide what Lan Wangji had surely just seen. He slowly shook his head, and replied with a quiet, “No. I’m not.” 

“Do you need anything?” Wuxian tried to smile a little in acknowledgement as he shook his head again. “Would Wei Ying like to do our swimming lesson later?” Swimming lesson? Oh fuck. With everything that had happened after dinner, their swimming lesson had been completely forgotten. Wuxian needed something to take his mind off of Madam Yu and what she attempted and a swimming lesson sounded perfect. “No, no,” he replied after taking a large sniff. “We can still do it, give me a few moments, and I will be ready.” Wangji nodded and headed back towards the landing dock, leaving him to breathe his way back into a state of relative calm. 

By all reasoning, Wei Wuxian should not have had the reaction that he did, but the sight of Lan Wangji sitting in nothing but his inner robe and trousers on the dock, nearly made him trip over his own feet. He looked positively otherworldly, sitting there in the light of a beginning sunset, like something out of a fairy tale. Wuxian could not help but stare for just a moment, before he joined him on the dock and began to remove his shoes. 

“You’re feeling better?”    

“A little. A swim will help me even more,” he smiled softly as he began to doff his layers into a haphazard heap on the dock. A flash of white in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Turning, Lan Wangji was folding his inner robe and meticulously laying it with his other layers on the dock, leaving him in just his trousers. Wuxian found himself staring again, thinking about the last time they were in a similar situation back in Gusu. He had joined him in the Cold Springs following a rather painful punishment at the behest of Zewu-Jun. During their shared time in the spring, Lan Zhan had refused to be near him, much less unclothed. In a complete turn around, here Lan Wangji was appearing to be unbothered sitting there with the sunset on his skin and his feet dangling in the wa-

“Wei Ying?”

“Oh, Lan Zhan,” he quickly blinked back into reality. “Are you ready to start?”

“Mn.”

Wuxian had waded about waist deep into the lake, when he noticed that Lan Wangji was behind him near the dock with a strange look on his face, almost as if he was trying to process something. As he came closer, he observed that Wangji almost looked a little unsettled. 

“Lan Zhan? Is everything alright?”

“It feels…odd.” Wuxian tried hard to repress a wide grin, but he could not help the sides of his mouth curling upwards slightly. Wangji would be used to the smoothness of the rock bed in Gusu’s Cold Springs, Lotus Lake bed however would be the complete opposite. Teaming with plants and underwater life, the squelchiness of mud and string-like feeling of plants running through his toes and underfoot could be a little overwhelming for the first time. 

“What you’re feeling are signs of a healthy lake, Lan Zhan.” Lan Wangji nodded and took an incremental step forward, feeling out this brand new environment with his feet. Wuxian’s chest warmed at the sight of one the most distinguished and composed cultivators of his generation, slowly trying to suss out the strange sensations between his toes. It was actually kind of adorable.   

“You’ll get used to it, Lan Zhan, no worries,” he grinned in encouragement and in no time both of them were almost chest deep in the warm waters.

“Alright Lan Zhan, the first thing any swimmer needs to be able to do is float. Can you float?” Wangji shook his head slightly. 

“That’s alright,” Wuxian calmly smiled, “it’s easy. It's all about trusting your body and the water. Here, watch me.” He then proceeded to demonstrate floating on his back for a few moments, letting the warm waters cradle him on the surface. He could see Wangji watching him intently, clearly studying what he was doing. “See, Lan Zhan,” he said cheerfully as he stood up again, “nothing to it.” Wangji gave a reluctant nod. Wuxian pursed his mouth to the side, once he saw the subtle uncertainty. 

“Lan Zhan, would you be alright if I spotted you?”

“Spot me?”

“Mn. I could stand behind and guide you in the water.” Wangji puzzled for a moment over the offer. Wuxian knew it was a long shot, since Wangji’s dislike of touch by most other people was well known, even towards his own brother, Lan Xichen. There were other ways to get Wangji comfortable with floating without physical guidance, but they could potentially take longer, especially with Wangji’s hesitancy. It was a complete surprise when Wangji replied with a ‘yes’ after some moments of contemplation. So much so that Wuxian immediately questioned it.

“Really?”

“Yes.” Wuxian blinked and then immediately took up position behind Lan Wangji before he could change his mind. “Alright Lan Zhan, go ahead and lean back. I’ve got you.” Slowly, he lowered himself backwards into the water, and Wuxian took a gentle hold of the back of his shoulders, guiding him so that his upper body was on the surface but his feet were still secure on the lake bed. Wuxian smiled into Wangji’s upside-down face. That recurring red blush had appeared on his ears again. 

“Great, Lan Zhan. I’m going to slowly start moving us around and when you feel comfortable, gently kick your feet up, alright?” He began to move after Wangji gave a slight but determined nod. He was moving so slowly, trying to get Wangji to relax; the water barely displaced as they moved. After a few moments of gentle motion, he could still feel some slight tension in Wangji’s muscles. Wuxian gently adjusted his fingers on Lan Wangji’s shoulders to get a better hold. Wangji’s skin was warm, smooth and pleasant on his palms. The years of Lan training were also obvious as Wuxian realized he was feeling a great deal of very defined muscle in his shoulders and upper back. It was impressive to say the least.  

Wuxian felt a shift in Wangji’s position. Glancing up, sure enough his legs were floating near the surface of the water.

“Great, Lan Zhan! How are you feeling?”

“Alright.”

“You relaxed?”

“Mn.”

“Good, flatten your back out a bit more. That will bring your legs closer to the surface.” Wangji, being the diligent student that he was, did just that, then proceeded to widen his arms slightly away from his body at his direction. “That’s good, Lan Zhan. I’m going to let go, alright?” Wangji closed his eyes in an affirmative; gently, slowly, Wuxian let go of Wangji but kept his fingertips incredibly close.

“See Lan Zhan? Nothing to it,” he laughed.

The sky had gone from pink to lavender and was steadily turning indigo by the time darkness forced them to finish. Wangji was able to get a few testing kicks in before they had to call it quits though. The first stars of the evening were blinking into the sky as the pair made their way back to the dock. Grabbing his heap of clothing, jostled his used disguise talisman free from the folds of fabric. Wuxian got a full view of Wangji’s reflexes as he saved it before hitting the water. 

“Were you sitting with Jiang Wanyin at dinner,” he asked as he handed it back.

“You saw me eh?”

“I guessed it was you. I did not know for sure.” Wuxian smiled and nodded in the affirmative.

“What happened at dinner,” he began as Wuxian turned to him, “wasn't a mix-up, was it?” It was framed as a question, but really he was asking for confirmation of what he had guessed. Madam Yu had tried to keep Wuxian out of the competition. 

“No, Lan Zhan, it wasn’t.” Wangji raised an eyebrow and huffed.

“Bold to try and do that in front of a crowd.” Wuxian snorted softly at the realization.

“I think she was counting on it to get her way, hoping Jiang Zhongzhu would go through with the mistake so as not to lose face,” he explained as he sheathed his arms back into the sleeves of his clothing and started fiddling with the ties. 

“Lan Zhan?”

“Mn?”

“Bolin Li is one of the best disciples of the Jiang Clan, but if he loses, you might be fighting Wen Xu during the tournament,” Wangji slowly nodded at the possibility as he listened, “are you alright with it?” Considering everything he had seen of Wen Xu’s interactions with Lan Wangji, and his own frustration at just the prospect of the match, Wuxian felt a strong desire to at least check in with him. 

“Wen Xu is not a threat to me,” he replied quietly. 

“Alright then.” Wuxian then began to think about his own opponents in the tournament. Lan Xichen would be a difficult match, but…wait…his opponent was not Lan Xichen. His name was not called out at all in the announcement.

“Lan Zhan, why is Lan Xichen not participating?” Wangji stilled as he was adjusting his sash, then blinked before looking up at him. Had he touched a nerve? 

“XiongZhang,” he said after a moment, “is acting as sect leader for this conference.” 

“Why didn’t Lan Qiren come?” He paused again. There was a very subtle shift in his breathing as he resumed adjusting his sash.   

“Shufu had duties in Gusu, so he could not be here,” he quietly replied as he straightened out his clothing, not looking up at him. Wuxian slowly nodded and decided not to press any further on the matter, quickly changing topics. 

“So, how about I meet you for breakfast tomorrow?” 

“Breakfast?”

“Yep. That way we can just come straight here afterwards,” he smiled. Wangji nodded and Wuxian beamed. 

After bowing in good night, and Wangji had headed off towards his quarters, Wuxian headed to the main pavilion to look at the tournament bracket, he still had no idea who his opponent was. On returning to his room after his stop in the pavilion, he found two notes under his door. One was from Nie Huaisang, inviting him to come to Jiang Wanyin’s room later for wine and another late night chat. The other was in Jiang Fengmian’s strong elegant hand,

“See me first thing in the morning.”

Chapter Text

The sun seemed especially bright as Wuxian groggily made his way through the complex the next day. There were very few things in the world that could drive Wuxian out of bed this early in the morning, and a summons from his guardian was one of them. Jiang Fengmian’s rooms were a short distance from the ancestral hall, purposely placed there to show the lineage and legitimacy of the current Jiang sect leader. Someday, hopefully not too soon, Jiang Wanyin would take these rooms, and someday, if Wuxian had anything to say about it, one of his shidi’s children. Stifling a yawn as he reached the door of Jiang Fengmian’s personal chambers, he attempted to shake out the tiredness he was feeling, thanks to Huaisang’s late night chat. Wuxian had made the decision to come clean about his disguise talisman to Nie Huaisang, and the conversation that ensued afterwards was a lengthy one. Mostly, it consisted of a lot of explanation after a few demonstrations and the loss of a bit of talisman paper and ink, which then evolved into a plan to spy on Jin Zixuan, with the disguise talisman as the essential element. It would be the easiest way to truly discover his feelings about Jiang Yanli. When they would attempt their spying was yet to be determined though, even he had to admit that they needed sleep. 

His guardian was already sitting in his study, looking over a massive pile of missives, requests from the subsidiaries throughout Yunmeng. Wuxian quickly moved to sit opposite him at his desk after he was beckoned over. Setting down a missive, his face went rather sympathetic, clueing Wuxian into what his guardian was about to discuss.

“I suppose you were informed about what happened at dinner last night?” Wuxian nodded. “I was there.” Jiang Fengmian's look of subdued sympathy was swiftly replaced with light curiosity when he heard that. He raised an eyebrow and began to lightly smile in amusement.

“I did not see you there.”

“Then that means it worked.” A look of pride grew on his face as he smirked. 

“Well then. Please tell me how you did it later,” Wuxian nodded before he continued, “how are you doing?” Feelings of frustration at the whole thing began to bubble up again in his chest. Not nearly as strong as the previous night, but most certainly still there. Wuxian had his suspicions and theories behind Madam Yu’s behavior last night, but he still asked, “Why did she try that?” Jiang Fengmian let his posture slouch a little as he mulled over his next words. 

“She thought that if you were not in the tournament,” he resigned with a sigh, “Jiang Cheng would have a better shot at winning.” Hearing his suspicions had been proven to be true, Wuxian sighed and sunk into himself a little bit, frustrated and disappointed at the entire situation. Jiang Wanyin was and always had been a formidable cultivator and fighter, one of the best in the sect and was well on his way towards becoming a very powerful sect leader in the future. Wuxian just wished Madam Yu could focus on his many accomplishments rather than his very few shortcomings. 

“Does Jiang Cheng know?” 

“As far as I know, no. But I suspect that he has some idea,” he replied softly after a moment’s pause, “I think he will figure it out, if he hasn’t already.” Wuxian sighed. 

“Anyways, that is not why I asked you here this morning.” Jiang Fengmian continued as he picked up a missive he had been reading. “I received a-” the sound of a squeaky hinge caught both of their attention towards the entrance. Jiang Wanyin walked in also looking a little drowsy and sat down at the table. 

“Sorry I’m late A-die.”

“Actually, you’re just in time,” he said with a light reassuring smile, “I received a request from Yunmeng Village last night. Apparently a yaogui has been terrorizing a young family on the outskirts of ChangLu forest.” That perked up Jiang Wanyin, eyes widening at the news.

“What type?”

“The letter does not say,” he explained as he handed over the request. “But based on the activity described, it seems to be a restless spirit.” 

“Picking up a person and dropping them from a roof is minor?” Wuxian questioned as he read the paper.

“For now it is minor. But as you can see it is getting stronger, and it is only a matter of time before it kills someone and turns vengeful.” Wuxian nodded and handed the letter to Jiang Wanyin. 

“So you want us to go take care of this?”

“Yes…and you are also to bring Jin Zixuan, Wen Xu and Lan Wangji.” Both boys let out two rather loud groans in concert at that request.  

“Why?” Wuxian whined.

“Their sect leaders wish to assist.” 

“Boast and preen more like.” 

“Jiang Cheng.” his father barely admonished.

“I’m sorry, but Wen Xu is an ass, so is Jin Zixuan.” Jiang Fengmian put on a pensive smile and nodded as he listened. “I understand that you two don’t get along with these boys. However, being leaders in this world means learning to get along with people you disagree with and even dislike. They are your peers and you need to work with them.” Wuxian quietly snorted while he shook his head. “This is an order,” Jiang Fengmian stated gently but firmly that this was something that could not be avoided, “Go and get your breakfast with the others and then take care of this. You are all very capable, so you should be back by mid day.”

“Huh, depending on the severity of this haunting, this man could owe us a lot of money or goods.” Wuxian rolled his eyes as he looked over at Jiang Cheng and Luo Qingyang, who also seemed to be thinking along the same wavelength as he was; where was the nearest well so that they could push Wen Xu into it? Wen Xu had seen fit to bring the exorcism pricing pamphlet they had received from Meishan Yu Bouyan’s lecture the previous day, and was annoyingly sharing the prospective prices with the group as they walked through Yunmeng Village. Jin Zixuan betrayed little signs of annoyance every so often, a slight head shake here, a slight eye-roll there, but for the most part retained his composure as they traveled. Lan Wangji's legendary stoicism did not falter for the entirety of the trip. 

Wuxian huffed as Wen Xu finally tucked the pamphlet back into his belt, but impulsively stepped a little closer to Lan Wangji. Seeing that, Wuxian adjusted his own pace so that he could be close to Lan Wangji as well, and to possibly deter anything Wen Xu may be thinking of doing. Jin Zixuan was an arrogant peacock, but Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin could trust him to behave in an acceptable manner. Wen Xu on the other hand was an odd variable. They could assume that he would behave well at the surface of propriety and decorum, but still, the man was unpredictable. When Jiang Wanyin suggested bringing Mian Mian along, Wuxian heartily agreed. Another friendly hand on this trip was very welcome, if only for his own sense of security, and everyone else's. 

Just as the letter had described, the small home was nestled just outside of ChengLu forest, right on the edge of the village border. A clear woodcutter's cottage, bundles of twigs and branches were stacked upon felled logs along one of the home’s edges. A barrow also sat idle, stocked with loads and clearly ready to take into market. Another notable feature was that there was an entire wall missing from the usual four. New foundation posts had been placed and it looked as though the beginnings of wattle and daub walls were in the process of being constructed. All that was missing was the coat of mud and plaster, and the roof could be extended over the new addition.  

A man who appeared to be in his early thirties limped over and greeted the group as they made their way to the home. The stress of what he had been experiencing was evident in the dark circles and lines on his face, the relief was also evident as he quickly bowed in greeting. 

“Thank you for coming so quickly," he said as he straightened. 

“You are the one who sent the message to Jiang Zhongzhu?” Looking at Jiang Wanyin, the man quickly nodded in assent.

“Yes, I am Feng Chaoxiang. Thank you for coming again; we are at our wits end.”

“Why did you not make a request sooner?” Jin Zixuan quietly but pointedly asked. Feng Chaoxiang shook his head a little before he began, thinking of how to explain what had been happening.

“We had dismissed it until recently. Thinking it was just our imaginations…until yesterday.” Jiang Wanyin gave him a quick scan before asking, “You were the one the yaogui attacked then?” Again, the man nodded. 

“Yesterday,” his breathing became a little more labored as he explained, “I heard a crash coming from the edge of the house. I went over to see an entire new wall had been pulled to the ground. I was investigating the damage when suddenly I found myself in the air straining for breath.” Wen Xu snickered a little. The others listened carefully as the man put his hands around his own throat for emphasis while he described being hurled back down to the ground. Upon landing he had severely injured his leg, hence the limp. He further explained that he had sent his pregnant wife away to be with family in the incident's aftermath.  

While Jiang Wanyin got more information from the homeowner, the others began to examine what seemed to be the source of the haunting; the home’s new addition. As described, it looked as though someone or something had yanked down one of the new walls, and then had torn it to pieces in the process. The rest of the new construction seemed to be intact, but it would take some work to repair the damage. Stepping into the half built room, Wei Wuxian began to make a circle around its perimeter, searching for any other signs of activity. Much of the dirt had been disturbed, which made sense with the construction. As he stepped over one of the corners, very near where the wall had been pulled down, Jin Zixuan called his attention to the opposite. “There is something over here.” Wuxian walked over and stepped in the spot he indicated, and immediately felt a distinct chill that quickly traveled from the base of his skull all the way to his heels, which was odd, considering how hot it was. Jin Zixuan was looking on, questioning. Wei Wuxian nodded, agreeing with him. Resentful energy was pouring out of the ground like spring. There was definitely something here.

“Over here,” he called. Sure enough, everyone sensed the chill that radiated from the nursery corner, it was enough to make almost all of them shiver slightly. 

“Well, I think we may have found something,” Wuxian began, turning to Lan Wangji and the guqin strapped to his back, “Lan Zhan, can you sense what this thing is?” Wangji nodded and sat down on the ground then set up his instrument in front of him. The first notes of ‘inquiry’ rang through the air, as the others observed, waiting, hoping for a response. 

After a few tense anticipatory moments, a series of notes played in answer to Wangji’s song. Everyone went silent, waiting for Wangji’s translation of the being’s answer. 

“It’s a man,” he said quietly. Wen Xu humphed. “Can you ask when he died?” he quickly asked, a twinge of slight annoyance in his speech. Wangji nodded and plucked a few more notes, before resting his hands at his sides to give the spirit space. Vibrations from the strings sang in answer seemingly of their own accord as Wangji listened. “Ten years ago,” he shared as the spirit continued to pluck the strings, evidently with more to share. 

“He…was murdered,” Wangji’s eyes widened as he continued to listen and translate, “by his wife…and her lover.” The strings stopped plucking seemingly on their own. Wangji played a few more phrases, trying to get more information, but the spirit seemed to have decided that this was enough for now; the strings sat frustratingly still. 

Jiang Wanyin huffed and shook his head slightly at the silence. “I suppose we are not going to get any more for now,” he voiced as the others agreed silently. When he finished speaking, Jin Zixuan suddenly reached for his temples. His face twisted into a grimace, bent over, clutching his ears as though he was trying to protect them from loud strenuous noise. Wuxian reached a hand over in concern, “Jin Zixuan?” Jin Zixuan let out a sigh of relief and staggered on his feet as whatever was happening to him seemed to stop. 

“Jin Zixuan,” Wei Wuxian leaned in, “are you alright?” Jin Zixuan nodded as he breathed his way back to calm. 

“What was that?” Wen Xu exclaimed. 

“It was the yaogui. He was trying to take over, but he couldn’t do it,” he breathed. He caught up with his breath as he continued. “It was as if something in my body was stopping him.” Jiang Wanyin stepped over.

“Your qi?” 

“Possibly.”

“If the spirit is strong enough to try to take over a host, it has gotten far too powerful.” Jiang Wanyin huffed. This was getting dangerous for what was supposed to be easy.

“It’s going to try and find an easier target,” Wen Xu shared. After a moment, almost collectively, the group seemed to all came to the same conclusion and slowly turned to Feng Chaoxing, who had been standing nearby observing everything. His head was lowered, seeming to concentrate on something on the ground.

“Feng Chaoxing?” Wuxian heard Mian Mian query the homeowner, while she took an apprehensive step forward. Wen Xu, ever the one to run into a situation without thinking, strode up and gripped the man by the shoulder. Wuxian watched in horror as Feng Chaoxing gripped him along the arm in return and then flung him into one of the newly constructed walls, knocking it down as he landed. Wei Wuxian could see the yaogui turn his attention to Mian Mian and move with an inhuman speed towards her. Wuxian raced to her side, pulling her out of the way of the incoming attack. “Wei Ying, get to the ground!” He heard Wangji yell as he made contact with her, tumbling on top of each other in the shuffle, Wuxian shielding her with his body. He quickly looked up to see Feng Chaoxing taking a turn being knocked to his feet, thrown to the ground by a chord assassination technique from Wangji’s guqin. The yaogui was on the ground for a mere moment, before he jumped back up to his feet. Wuxian got a good look at his face, the pupils of his eyes had disappeared entirely, and the slightest trickle of black bile was bubbling out the corners of Feng Chaoxing’s mouth. Shit. That was not good. The restless spirit had not only taken possession of the man very quickly, but it was clear that the possession had also turned deadly. If the spirit was allowed to reside in that body for much longer, Feng Chaoxing would most assuredly die from the experience. 

Jiang Wanyin and Jin Zixuan both magicked binding talismans one after the other targeting the yaogui, but both unfortunately missed as the yaogui quickly ducked and dodged out of their path. Seething with fury from being so easily tossed to the side, the group went aghast to see that Wen Xu had drawn his sword and was sprinting across the grass to attack the possessed Feng Chaoxing. There were shouts and screams for him to stop but they went unheeded as he barreled towards his target. There was a sudden flash of light and Wen Xu fell face first to the ground in a heap, as though something had kicked him square in his side. Wuxian looked over in the direction the propel talisman had flown, and saw Lan Wangji, standing next to his guqin, arms ready for an attack.  

Suddenly, Feng Chaoxing locked eyes on Wei Wuxian and Luo Qingyang tangled on the ground with him. Wuxian swallowed as the spirit made an inhuman growl then pounced on the pair, claiming them in a cruel grip, then quickly dragged them from the home and into the forest at a ridiculous, impossible speed. The trees and bushes they passed were almost a blur as they moved away from the home while pain shot through their lower limbs and torsos thanks to the speedy friction against the twigs, rocks and roots of the forest floor. Wuxian squirmed as he tried to loosen Feng Chaoxing’s grip on his collar as they sped through the trees, but his hand might as well have been made from iron; the hold would not budge. Shouts and screams for the pair of them from some distance away told him that the rest of the group had given chase. He and Mian Mian needed to do something to give them a chance to catch up. Mian Mian was being dragged by the arm, and like Wei Wuxian, was fighting as hard as she could to get the possessed man to loosen his grasp. 

Another flash of light came from behind them, causing the yaogui to stumble from the talisman impact, as a raspy victorious shout from Wen Xu echoed through the trees. While the spirit righted itself, Wuxian and Mian Mian took the opportunity to hit the man as precisely as they could in the knees, sending him into a heavy heap on the forest floor. Leaping to her feet, binding talisman at the ready, Mian Mian wasted no time in securing the writhing and screaming yaogui in wisps of energy. When Wuxian finally got a chance to observe him closely, Feng Chaoxing looked like something out of hell. His skin had gone deathly white, and dark lines following his blood vessels were traveling down his face from his eyes, which were a sickly, greenish white. Black, viscous bile was now bubbling out of his nostrils on top of gurgling out of his mouth. It was clear that they needed to exorcize the vengeful spirit out of Feng Chaoxing soon. 

A grimace formed across Wuxian’s face as the yaogui began screaming, his voice sounding monstrous as obscenities spilled from his blackened mouth, spitting thick, dark bile and squirming on the forest floor as he did, trying to push and pull himself free.  

“The pair of you! You think you can get away with what you did?!” Wuxian and Luo Qingyang shared a confused glance just as the rest of the group joined them. She raised an eyebrow as she asked, “What did we do?”

“You know what you did, you whore,” he screamed as bile continued to fly out of his mouth. Mian Mian’s expression darkened at the use of that title, while the rest of the group went slightly shocked, with the exception of Wen Xu, who smirked. Turning to Wei Wuxian, the yaogui gave him a turn with his tirade. 

“And you! You fucking murderering idiot!” At that, the group collectively turned to shock with raised eyebrows and small gasps. Wuxian felt his eyes widen at the admonition but let the yaogui continue screaming. “What makes you think you will be safe from her, after you have killed me?! That bitch will put a knife in your throat as soon as she finds someone else to do her dirty work!” Mian Mian looked incredulous. Wuxian shook his head. This was textbook vengeful spirit behavior. Vengeful and restless spirits spent their afterlives often fixating on something traumatic that happened during the course of their lives, the thing that kept them tethered to this world. This yaogui was still living through his murder, and projecting its anger onto Mian Mian as well as him in the process of trying to take its revenge for it.  

“Alright,” Wei Wuxian pulled an expulsion talisman from his robes, “that’s enough from you,” he said as he slapped the array onto the man’s chest and activated it. The yaogui had been siphoning a great deal of energy from its host, so the talisman alone would not be enough to expel it. But it would silence the spirit as it fought against it, trying to maintain control over Feng Chaoxing’s body. It was not a solution, but it bought the cultivators time. 

“Lan Wangji,” Wuxian turned to him, “can you play ‘cleansing?’ I think it will help keep him calm.” Wangji nodded and soon, special notes from his guqin began to echo through the trees, helping to keep the yaogui subdued, while they tried to find the best course of action to exorcize Feng Chaoxing. 

“If it was a lack of spiritual energy that allowed this,” Jin Zixuan began, “then it stands to reason that more could potentially drive it out of his body.”

“Are you suggesting that one of us give him spiritual energy?” Wen Xu asked, looking rather indignant at the suggestion.

“Would one even be enough?” Jiang Wanyin asked. “That spirit is too strong. It is going to take a lot of spiritual energy to expel it.” 

“We flood it out.” Luo Qingyang stated, catching the other's attention. She held it as she went on, “I agree that one of us would not be enough. If we all channel energy into his meridians at the same time, it should push the spirit out.”

“He does not have a core.” Jin Zixuan stated matter of factly. “That much energy could damage him.”

“It's either damage or death.” she shared. Wuxian found himself nodding, the logic was sound, and they were running out of time before the talisman wore off and Feng Chaoxing was back in mortal danger. He took a glance back at the possessed man, who was still struggling slightly on the forest floor, then to Lan Wangji, who was still dutifully playing nearby. It was not the best of ideas, and Feng Chaoxing would be recovering from the ordeal of exorcism for a while; a few days if not weeks. However, it seemed to be the best chance they had. 

“We need to do something,” he said. “I say we try it.”    

“You all are forgetting something.” Five sets of eyes reluctantly turned towards Wen Xu.

“Yes?” Jiang Wanyin asked.

“Where is it going to go after we expel it?” he explained as his gaze flickered over all of them. “If the spirit is tired from trying to maintain control, it will head back to the house to rest. If not, it will try to find a new host.” 

“Then we will make sure it heads back to the house.” Jin Zixuan punctuated. 

Wuxian cringed as he watched Feng Chaoxing writhe in the leaves and twigs of the forest floor. His screams had thankfully lost their monstrous quality and had turned more human in vocality. Wuxian could see the beads of sweat that were dotting Feng Chaoxing’s face and head. There had been moments of clarity as they pushed streams of energy into his dantians, fleeting seconds, where he had been able to retake control of his body. In those moments he pleaded, begging them to save him. Even though they were unsure of the outcome, they assured him he would be alright before the spirit violently took control once again. They were so close, one more strong burst would do it.  

“On the count of three,” he instructed. Everyone readied themselves for the signal.

“One.” 

The ghost sensed their plan and began to scream again in those otherworldly, horrible sounds.

“Two.” 

Feng Choxing’s body began to contort, bend and twist in ways that should not be humanly possible as he writhed in place. His head turned at a concerning twisted angle to Wei Wuxian, then grinned a smile full of black teeth. “I will kill him,” it screamed in his face.

“Three!” 

Another burst of energy, another flooding through his meridians, and Feng Chaoxing’s screams echoed through the forest, as a stream of blackness erupted from his mouth like smoke from a volcano and slowly unfurled into the heavens. The cultivators watched as the black clouded spirit began to travel back towards the home, back towards the village. Quickly, Wuxian assessed the man who remained, who blessedly appeared to be breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face. Alive. Sighing in relief, he stood up to give chase, but not before asking Lan Wangji and Mian Mian to remain and take care of Feng Chaoxing.

Thankfully, there were no other opportunities for the spirit to find another host so quickly after its expulsion. The cultivators watched as the spirit headed towards the new addition of the home and dissolved into the ground, specifically in the corner that Jin Zixuan had observed earlier.    

There was only one shovel, and Jin Zixuan claimed it immediately while he and Jiang Wanyin had to resort to their hands. Wen Xu leaned against a pillar and "oversaw" as he so smugly put it. After what seemed like only a few minutes, the group had managed to unearth bones from what appeared to be a very shallow grave. Wuxian breathed a sigh in relief as he brushed more dirt off of the bones before clapping it off of his hands. That sigh was quickly replaced by a shudder, as the group observed what appeared to be resentful energy wrapping, snaking possessively around the remains. Jiang Wanyin quickly prepared another expulsion talisman. This time without a living body to latch onto and sap energy from, the spirit should be suppressed permanently.

“Wei Wuxian?” He turned to see Luo Qingyang had joined them back at the cottage. “Hey Mian Mian, how is Feng Chaoxing?”

“Asleep. He is alright, considering what he has been through.”

“Well that’s the best we can hope for then,” he said as he returned his gaze to the expulsion talisman doing its work on the bones. Sure enough, the resentful energy was slowly disappearing into the air. For an entity removal that was supposed to be simple, this entire ordeal had been surprisingly tiring. He was glad to see it ending. Wuxian checked the position of the sun to see that Jiang Fengmian was right; as long as the expulsion went according to plan, they would be back by mid-day.    

“You needed to see me, Wei Wuxian?” He turned back to her with a furrowed brow, wearing a confused look.

“No, I did not ask for you.”

“Wen Xu said that you needed my help.” 

“What?” Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened as he shot to his feet, then scanned the nearby area for Wen Xu. Nothing. Not a trace of him. When had he disappeared? Suddenly, there was the distinct clang of swords crashing together in the distance, in the direction that Mian Mian had just come from. “Shit, shit, shit,” he muttered, then sped off, back towards the sounds of combat, with Jin Zixuan and Mian Mian following as fast as they could. 

Sounds of metal crashing against metal grew in frequency and intensity as they returned to the small clearing. Feng Chaoxing was propped up against a tree, his eyes worriedly fixed on the fight happening in front of him. Wen Xu was moving with the speed and tenacity of a tiger, attacking and looking for a perfect angle to make a hit. Lan Wangji’s prowess with a sword was unquestioned, and he was holding his own easily, but something about this fight was throwing him off. Every move was clearly on the defensive with Wen Xu’s attacks, but his movements were not as smooth as they should have been with his talent. They were harried, slightly labored. Almost as if he had been caught by surprise. Wen Xu twisted out of a defensive block and moved to bring his sword down on Lan Wangji’s side as he moved in range. Lan Wangji managed to take the upper hand with a last minute step aside out of the way of the oncoming attack, with a quick sharp blow to the back, sending Wen Xu sprawling on the ground for the second time that morning. Wen Xu was screaming as he scrambled back to his feet, then prepared to attack again, when Wuxian threw himself between the pair of them, arms out stretched, Suibian sheathed, but ready to attack if necessary.  

“Wen Xu! Stop!” A long moment passed, as Wei Wuxian watched Wen Xu’s violent gaze flicker between him and Lan Wangji behind. The fury radiating in waves off Wen Xu’s body was intense, and it made Wuxian stand all the more firmly in place, meeting and challenging his furious look with his own, almost daring him to continue. Eventually and with a sneer, he sheathed his sword, finally signaling that he was finished. He winced and groaned as he moved to soothe a cut on his arm that Wei Wuxian finally noticed. It looked as though Lan Wangji did manage to land a hit on him despite what he observed earlier. Good.

Making the decision to separate the pair immediately, he turned to Jin Zixuan, “Could you make sure that Wen Gongzi returns to his pavilion back in Lotus Pier?” Jin Zixuan shot a glance from him to Wen Xu, then slowly nodded in assent. Taking a quick appraisal behind him, Wuxian could see that Lan Wangji was nursing a bright red spot forming on his cheek as well as a cut on his lip. He looked as though he had been punched. “Bring Jiang Wanyin with you on the way.” Caution seemed to demand at least the two of them to return Wen Xu back to Lotus Pier. He should have finished the final expulsion over the remains by now. He then went to turn to Mian Mian, but she had already moved over to Feng Chaoxing, and was helping him to his feet when Wuxian made his way over. 

“Are you alright?” Feng Chaoxing nodded his thanks as he leaned onto Mian Mian’s shoulder for support. Wuxian nodded then swallowed, needing to find out what he saw. “I’m sorry to ask this considering what you have been through, but did you see what happened?” Slowly, Feng Chaoxing shook his head as he explained that he only woke up after the sword fight had begun. Wuxian threw on a calming smile, and asked Mian Mian to return him home. Mian Mian pointedly moved her gaze over to Lan Wangji, who had begun to quickly pace up and down the clearing. Wuxian’s own gaze followed hers and then explained, “I will escort Lan Er-Gongzi back.” 

Lan Wangji was fuming. Wuxian was sure he had never seen Lan Wangji so aggravated in the entire time he had known him, and that assessment included the “ribbon incident.” Quietly, he stood there, waiting. Giving Wangji the space to calm down on his own. Eventually Wangji stopped pacing up and down the clearing, plopped down on the forest floor in the lotus position, his eyes closed, seeming to meditate. Carefully, Wuxian made his way over, trying not to make too much noise underfoot, so as not to disturb the quiet of their surroundings. Sitting down across from him on the ground, he got a better look at Wangji’s face. Wen Xu had left a small gash on his jawline on top of the cut on his lip. Splotches of red, tell tale signs of a forming bruise dotted along his cheek. Wuxian felt anger welling up in his own chest and stomach at the sight of it. Wangji’s golden eyes met his silver and Wuxian could see the agitation in his golden pools begin to lessen. 

“Wei Ying?”

“Lan Zhan,” he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it over, “your face is bleeding a little.” Lan Wangji winced slightly at the sting as he pressed the handkerchief to his face and jaw.

“Lan Zhan, can you tell me what happened?” Lan Wangji’s eyes went a little furious again for a moment, but then abated just as quickly as he held Wuxian’s waiting gaze. 

“Wen Xu came back and told Luo Qingyang that she was needed at the cottage,” he started, all of which was corroborating with what Mian Mian had told him earlier. “Wen Xu…,” his eyes flickered up to Wuxian’s face, and he could see the slightest sliver of fear within them in that moment, before they flickered back downwards. “...he argued with me.” 

“Was that when he punched you?” Wangji slowly bit his lips again before slowly nodding.

Anger was slowly bubbling up in Wuxian’s chest as he took in the sight of Lan Wangji nursing his cuts. The wounds were incredibly minor, and with his golden core should heal in a matter of minutes, but the fact that he had gotten them from Wen Xu, in an attack no less, was making his blood heated and boiling. On top of the fury, was a desire, no, a need, to make sure that Lan Wangji was alright before they left the clearing and headed back towards Lotus Pier. Whatever Lan Wangji needed, he would do his best to provide for him.  

“Lan Zhan,” he quietly asked, “what do you want to do?” Wangji stared at him for a long moment, his expression and breaths continuing to calm as he held his gaze. 

“Don’t want to go back.”

“That’s alright, we don’t have to go back right away.”

“The island.”

“The island?”

“Mn.”

“We can do that, Lan Zhan.”

As soon as they landed on the dragon shrine island, Lan Wangji sent off a butterfly message across the lake and towards the pavilions.

“Lan Zhan?”

“For XiongZhang. To let him know I am alright.” Wuxian nodded in understanding, as he invited Lan Wangji to sit next to him on the shoreline. The pair sat in a long pregnant silence, putting up a pretense of admiring the lotus and lake around them, before one of them decided to break the quiet. 

“Does he know about Wen Xu?” Wuxian finally, quietly asked. Wangji tensed at the question, but to his surprise, he answered, “A little.”

“What is going on Lan Wangji?” The tips of Wangji’s ears went a little red, and his body tensed a little more as he sat in silence, staring out across the lake. The young man sitting across from him looked so forlorn and lost in the afternoon sun, a complete contrast to the scene that surrounded them. Wuxian felt a distinct pull in his chest, a kind of continuation of the feeling that he had had back in the woods. He wanted, needed to help in any way he could for him, even if it was only as a sympathetic ear. Seeing Lan Wangji in this melancholic state, made him want to both put Lan Wangji at ease, and fight Wen Xu himself for putting him there.  

“Lan Zhan, I realize that you may not want to share, but I’m your friend,” Wangji turned to him, “I want to help.” He blinked, seeming to take in and process what Wuxian was saying, and what he was offering him. After a long contemplative moment, the tension Wuxian was feeling in his own chest lessened, as Wangji seemed to take his offer.

“Wen Xu, has been…” he started, “saying things to me.” Wuxian ruminated back on the few interactions he saw between the pair. From what he remembered, it had been mostly posturing on Wen Xu’s part. Puffing himself up, trying to goad Lan Wangji into an argument or a fight. He was sure that he knew Lan Wangji well enough that he would be above that sort of thing, so was there something else going on? He could guess, but implored him to continue.

“What things?” Wangji bit his lips, and then took a breath.

“Things…that are better shared…between couples.” Wuxian’s eyes widened slightly at the obvious implication, suddenly recalling the weird aside Wen Xu had made to Lan Wangji at the training grounds the day previous; “I can’t wait to see your forms up close.”

“Lan Zhan, is he...saying...things to you?” Wangji’s expression faltered towards exasperation for a moment before he was able to rein it back to melancholy as he explained, “His comments are,” he quickly turned his face towards the ground and quieted his voice so that his next words were barely above a whisper, his ears turning an even darker shade of red, “very obscene.”

“How long has this been happening Lan Zhan?”

“A few months.” 

“Does Lan Xichen know about it?” The flush that was present on his ears seemed to travel slightly down his neck, betraying Lan Wangji’s embarrassment at the entire situation and Lan Xichen’s ignorance of this aspect of it. Wuxian could sense the anger and tension begin to flood in his chest when he heard those quiet words. It was almost as if a dam had burst in his insides, and it was taking every ounce of control he had not to go find Wen Xu and punch him right that second. But that would not help the problem, only make it worse most likely. He glanced back at Lan Zhan, who had returned to viewing the lake from their spot on the shoreline. Causing bodily harm to Wen Xu would not help solve Wangji’s problem, but he could help Wangji himself now that he was aware of what was happening. Taking a risk, Wuxian scooted a little closer and followed his gaze over the lotus flowers in bloom across the lake. Lan Wangji noticed his repositioning close by, but did not move from his own spot.

“Lan Zhan?”

“Mn?”

“Wen Xu pulled a sword on you first, in the forest correct?”

“Yes.”

“Good. He broke the rules of etiquette then. When we both have calmed down, let's head back.” Wangji nodded slightly in assent and Wuxian continued on, “I will talk to Jiang Zhongzhu this afternoon and see if we can’t get that prick sent home.”

Chapter Text

Sandalwood. The scent of lotus blossoms coupled with the subtlest hint of sandalwood was gently wafting into his nose. Sitting up and rubbing the tiredness from his eyes, Wuxian took in the view of the lake from his spot on the shaded shoreline. He sighed at the sight of thousands of lotus blossoms stretching across the entirety of it and noted a slight cool breeze that was carrying their scent upwind. He took a large inhale, basking in the familiar and calming summer scent. That explained the smell of lotus, but the sandalwood? Wait a moment, where was…oh…yeah. To his left, a bit more than a hands width away on the shore was Lan Wangji, blissfully asleep next to him, his arm curled under his head in a makeshift pillow. Wuxian blinked. They both fell asleep? How long had they been out? A quick glance at the sky told him they had not been asleep long; the sun had moved slightly downwards from its mid-day spot. An hour at most would be a reasonable guess.

Making sure every movement was slow and deliberate so as to not make any noise as he shifted, he leaned back on his elbows to better relax and take in the view of the shining afternoon waters. Lotus Lake was a marvel every summer; its beauty unmatched with its thousands of blooming lotus flowers. Wuxian would rank Lotus Lake fully in bloom as one of his most favorite parts of life at Lotus Pier. He could happily spend hours on the lake floating in a boat or lounging on the island taking in the sight and scent of it. But at this moment, the beautiful serenity of the lake could not keep him entranced. It was the sleeping cultivator curled up next to him that was stealing his attention instead.    

Wei Wuxian could not help himself but to look. The stoic, stickler for rules and decorum, ramrod straight, never lets anyone get too close Lan Wangji, was right there on the shore, curled up on his side, quietly slumbering the afternoon away. To see him like this, defenses down, relaxed, and vulnerable was fascinating, and strangely enough, almost…sweet. 

Wait a minute…sweet? 

Lan Wangji, terrifyingly capable with a bow, an undeniable master of the sword, and one of the most accomplished cultivators of his generation...sweet? That’s a strange new juxtaposition of words. Wangji, stirring beside him, called him out of his strange reverie and sent his gaze wide eyed and flying back over the lake. However, the stirring was brief, and braving a glance to his side he could see that Lan Wangji had repositioned himself slightly in his repose, with his other hand now closer to his mouth and his body slightly more curled inwards. 

Yep. 

Sweet. 

Cute even….hang on…cute? 

Alright, that’s a thought. 

Weird. 

Wuxian felt his brow furrow in confusion at the idea, and forced himself to look back out onto the lake and decidedly not at Lan Wangji. A few moments of soothing quiet passed and Wangji breathed a quiet moan in his sleep, calling Wuxian’s attention towards him once again. Wuxian watched as he adjusted, and saw, clear as the afternoon sky, a small tear falling from Wangji’s closed eye. The droplet traveled down his face, and over the bridge of his nose, leaving the lightest of trails behind. What in the world? This accidental snooze was shattering every intimidating image he ever had of Lan Wangji into pieces.

What in the world would make him tear up? Wen Xu? No…maybe? Lan Wangji gave him the impression that he was mostly frustrated and angry with him for his behavior, but not so upset that he would cry over it. It could be nothing. Something that happened in his sleep. Still.  Wuxian continued to mull over it, when a bright sparkling light caught his eye some distance over the lake. The small ball of energy was flitting over the Lotus blossoms and Wuxian realized, was headed right in their direction. As it got closer, he recognized it for what it was; a messenger butterfly. Created by the Jin, but used by every clan, the color of the messenger informed its receiver what clan the message came from. The butterfly that landed on Wangji’s shoulder was bright blue, hinting that it was probably from Lan Xichen. The butterfly waited patiently for a few moments, before flying up and landing on the tip of Wangji’s nose, further emphasizing Wuxian’s earlier observation of Wangji looking “cute,” as it flapped its wings trying to wake its recipient. Wuxian smiled as he took pity on the spiritual creature, and gently called out to Lan Wangji, “Lan Zhan,” he started squirming in earnest, his limbs unfurling slightly as he started the climb out of his doze. “Lan Zhan, wake up.”

“Mn?” His eyes opened slightly into slits, then wide-eyed as he recognized the butterfly perched on his face. Quickly sitting up, the butterfly calmly flew into Wangji’s newly open and welcoming palm, then proceeded to dissolve into the aether as it delivered its message. 

“Lan Zhan?”  

“XiongZhang,” Wuxian nodded as he listened, “he wants to know where I am.”

“He’s worried?”

“Mn.” Wuxian glanced at the sun’s position again. Perhaps they had been asleep longer than he thought. Wangji moved to his feet, then proceeded to brush the dirt and sand from his clothing, before straightening it, then reached for Bichen nearby, getting rid of any hint of disheveledness. The redness on his face had begun to take on a bluish color, and the cuts on his face and lip had long since closed. With his high cultivation though, all the wounds should disappear by morning, but there was no hiding the dark red marks now.   

“Are you ready to head back?” Wangji let out the smallest of sighs, seeming resigned, rather than actually ready and nodded. 

Deciding it would be faster to go by sword rather than foot, the pair soon landed with soft thuds on the main thoroughfare a short distance from the Lan pavilion. Wuxian saw Wangji’s eyes widen for just a moment when they found Nie Mingjue engaged in a quiet conversation with Lan Xichen, just outside the main quarters. Lan Xichen was similar to his brother in that he kept his true emotions hidden in most situations, and always maintained a diplomatic air when he was in public. But at the moment he looked worried, almost lost, tired as he spoke to Nie Mingjue. Nie Mingjue, older brother to Nie Huaisang, sect leader of the Nie clan and possibly the most intimidating sect leader amongst all of the other clans at this moment, looked rather soft, pensive and quietly attentive as he took in his conversation with Lan Xichen.

Turning from Nie Mingjue at his prompting, Xichen let out a breath and his features softened from slight worry to relief when he saw Wangji had returned and they both quickly made their way over. 

“Wangji,” he asked gently, “where were you?” Lan Xichen raised an eyebrow and the smallest of upturned corners on his mouth appeared when Lan Wangji explained he had been with Wei Wuxian since they returned from the night hunt. “I see.” That slight smile quickly turned into a thin worried line when he saw the small cuts on his brother's face along with the bruise forming on his cheek. 

“Wangji, what happened?”

“I’m fine, XiongZhang.”

“Did that happen on the Night Hunt?” Lan Wangji nodded quickly, placating his brother a little. In a clear redirection of attention away from himself, Wangji shot a glance at the visiting sect leader and asked, “XiongZhang, is everything alright?” Lan Xichen nodded slightly, “Nie ZhongZhu was inquiring about home.” he replied after a quick glance towards Nie Mingjue, who in turn nodded and gave Lan Wangji a kind look, a look that was the antithesis to the intimidating persona that Nie Mingjue maintained. Feeling that he may be intruding on something he had no business in, began to turn to leave. “Wait, Wei Gongzi.” The sharp commanding bass of Nie Mingjue’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “We heard that there was an incident at the night hunt,” Wuxian saw Wangji subtly grip Bichen’s sheathe as his body tensed, “what happened?”

“Wen Xu…” Lan Xichen let out a barely discernible huff of indignance when Wangji said that name, “fought…with me.” Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue shot their gazes towards Wuxian, who easily affirmed their silent question with a single nod. 

“Wangji, did you get that bruise from Wen Xu?” Xichen asked quietly. Wangji stood still, tightening his grip on Bichen, concentrating on a spot somewhere behind his brother on the other side of the pavilion. Finally, another slight nod. Lan Xichen put on a rare frown, Nie Mingjue downright scowled. “That asshole.” 

“Alright Wangji.” Lan Xichen quietly said. “I will have another talk with Wen Ruohan.” Wangji swallowed, then requested some time to meditate on his own for a while, which Lan Xichen quickly assented to.

  “Lan Zhan,” Wuxian caught another small note of sandalwood as he turned to face him. “Do you want to meet up after the lecture this afternoon? We can do some sword practice in the training grounds for the competition tomorrow.” A quick nod of agreement, and plans to practice were made before Wangji headed inside for some quiet. Wuxian turned to leave, but was once again halted in his tracks by Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue.

“Wei Gongzi, my brother is…hesitant to share sometimes.” Wuxian listened as he went on, “Can you explain what happened?” Biting his lip and furrowing his brow, Wuxian looked at the expectant brother and sect leader. That desire to help Wangji bubbled up in his chest again. What Wangji had confided with him concerning Wen Xu’s behavior needed to be made known to Lan Xichen, but that was Wangji’s story to share, not his. He decided that it would be best to stick with what he saw.

“While we were finally exorcizing the yaogui, we found Lan Wangji and Wen Xu engaged in a sword fight some distance away.”

“I assume Wen Xu started it?” Nie Mingjue asked.

“I did not see the start, but that is what Lan Wangji says.” 

“And Wangji does not lie.” Lan Xichen added. “Did Wangji share what started the fight?” Wuxian could guess, considering what he knew, but Wangji had not given him details. 

“No,” he said readily. 

“I see.” Lan Xichen sighed as his face went pensive. “I will speak to Wen Ruohan today,” he added quietly, more to himself than anyone in particular. “Thank you Wei Gongzi,” he smiled, for escorting Lan Wangji back,” then bowed to him, signaling that he had gotten what he needed from that conversation. Wuxian quickly bowed back to the pair and hurried out of the complex and towards Jiang Fengmian’s chambers. 

“After I explain what happened with Uncle Jiang, Wen Xu will be sent packing.” He thought with a smug. “If only I could see Wen Xu’s face when he gets the news.”

Wei Wuxian was incensed. Jiang Fengmian looked resigned. Wen Ruohan was betraying nothing on his face except contempt while Wen Xu wore a stupidly wide smirk. Wei Wuxian sat across from his guardian, trying very hard to ignore the snickers coming from Wen Xu and the piercing stare of Wen Ruohan nearby. “Jiang Zhongzhu, Wen Xu pulled his sword on Lan-Ar Gongzi! According to the rules he should be sent home!” Jiang Fengmian sent him a quick look. The kind of look that preceded a short explanation, most often used to soften a blow before detailing why he was wrong. Wuxian waited for the blow, but Wen Ruohan beat his guardian to it, expertly threading the slightest bit of condescension in his explanation. 

“That rule applies when it happens in sect complexes. However, because it happened away from Lotus Pier, the rule does not work in this instance.” Wuxian bit his lips to bite back the grimace that was steadily growing on his mouth. Infuriatingly, Wen Ruohan continued on, “Besides, we do not have Lan Gongzi’s testimony, for all we know, he pulled his sword first.” Wei Wuxian felt the heat rise exponentially in his face as he turned towards the visiting sect leader, 

“Maybe he should be here accused instead of my son.”

“Lan Wangji does not lie.” Wuxian bit out through his teeth, trying to remain composed but showing signs of complete failure.

“No, the boy does not,” Wen Ruohan agreed, “But what about you?”

“What?!”

“Perhaps you are lying to protect him. Have you made up some other version of events?”

“I would never!” Heat started to rise from his chest like a font.

“Then why isn’t he here? Why isn’t he sharing what happened instead of you?”

“Wen Zongzhu,” Jiang Fengmian finally, loudly interrupted so he could be heard. He went on in a very firm tone, with a very clear threat laced in his inflections as he continued on, “You are in my home as a guest. I will not have my first disciple’s honor questioned while you are here.” Wen Ruohan bowed slightly. Enough to be considered polite but nothing beyond that.

“My apologies, Jiang Zongzhu. But I am afraid all we have at the moment is your,” he made a quick up and down contemptible appraisal of Wuxian as he emphasized, “disciple’s version of events. Until we hear it from Lan Gongzi himself, we will have to assume my son innocent.” Wen Xu’s smirk had long evolved into an outright sneer, and Wuxian could sense his anger rapidly turning into blazing fury. He could also feel his fingernails angrily digging into his palms where they rested on his knees, and wondered for a fleeting moment if his palms were bleeding.

“Wen Zongzhu,” Jiang Fengmian began again, “regardless of whether or not this altercation happened on the grounds of Lotus Pier is immaterial. There was still a fight, which seems to have caused injury to at least one of them,” he said as he gestured to Wen Xu’s freshly bandaged arm. Wuxian felt the tension in his chest lift a little as he listened, “Therefore, I extend a warning to you Wen Xu. Should I find that you have been involved in another fight, with Lan Gongzi or anyone else during the course of this conference, in Lotus Pier or surrounding areas, you will be asked to leave.” Wuxian let out a sigh of relief. Some semblance of justice at last…until Wen Ruohan raised an eyebrow.

“Jiang Zongzhu, the Lan boy injured my-”

“I will be speaking with Lan Wangji and his brother on the matter, and depending on his version of events,” Wuxian turned indignant as he listened, “I will decide whether or not to issue the warning to him as well.”

“But Lan Zhan was-” he started but was immediately silenced. “Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Fengmian warned with a quick look.  

“Jiang Zongzhu, this hardly seems to be equitable.” Jiang Fengmian turned towards the sect leader.

“Wen Ruohan, you yourself said that Lan Wangji does not lie. I suggest that unless the young man confesses to starting this fight, you stay concerned with your own son’s behavior.”

 Jiang Fengmian let the group sit in silence for a moment to digest the warning. After a moment, Wen Ruohan slowly turned his glare to his son, whose sneer had crept away, leaving a very visible scowl in its place. “Jiang Zongzhu, my son will be,” he sent a warning glare at Wen Xu as he leaned into his next phrase, “on his best behavior.” With a bow, the pair swept out of the office. Wei Wuxian refused to look at them as they exited, he could not possibly care less if his actions were rude or not. Wen Xu did not deserve propriety as far as he was concerned. The silence that hung in the air after they left was not quite a relief but rather uneasy instead. That discussion with the Wens did not end the way it was supposed to, and Wuxian was bristling in his spot on the floor.

“This is bullshit,” it was a mumble, but it was loud enough to be heard in the quiet of Jiang Fengmian’s office. 

“Wei Wuxian!”

“No! This is bullshit!” he found himself nearly shouting as he got to his feet. Heat was freely rising from his chest like steam from a boiling pot as he went on, “Wen Xu should be going home!” 

“Wei Wuxian,” he calmly stated to his ward, “I need you to breathe.” 

“Why aren’t you sending him home?” Wei Wuxian bore down his guardian with an intense indignant expression. Jiang Fengmian stared back with a caring look and a silent order to calm down. After a moment he spoke plainly, “Sit for a moment. Pace if you need to. When your mind is quiet, we will talk.” Wuxian saw the order for what it was, and began to quickly pace up and down the length of the spacious office. 

His mind was racing with fury at what had just happened, at the injustice of it all. Wen Xu was still here. He had fully attacked Lan Wangji, and provided he was on “his best behavior,” as Wen Ruohan put it, his stupid face would be here for the rest of the week. He turned to walk the length of the room again to see his guardian send off a butterfly message through a window behind his desk. Curiosity took him out of his seething state for a moment.

“Was that for Lan Xichen?” He stared for an inquisitive moment at his ward before taking his seat behind the desk again. Without looking up, he picked up some paperwork as he asked, “Is your mind calm?”

“Not really.” he sighed in a quiet reply.

“Keep pacing then.” Wuxian hid his eyeroll and continued to pace. After what seemed like many minutes, his steps slowed and sure enough his breathing evened out. The font of heat emanating from his chest had also abated somewhat, and he moved to sit back in his place in front of Jiang Fengmian’s desk. His guardian continued to look at the paperwork as he asked his question again to which Wuxian replied with a quiet affirmation. He set down the papers and calmly looked to his ward, waiting for him to begin airing his displeasure.

“Jiang Shishu, this is not fair.” He nodded in understanding.

“I agree. It’s not. But Wen Ruohan is correct. The fight happened away from Lotus Pier, so therefore it does not apply here. Wen Xu should be given the chance to redeem himself.”

“But Wen Xu-” Jiang Fengmian stopped him again.

“Do you think I am unaware of Wen Xu’s behavior or his brother’s for that matter? I know both of them are ridiculous.” He allowed himself a pause for a breath before he went on. He seemed to be at least a little discontented with the situation as he was. “They are also the heirs of a very powerful sect. We need to be able to work with them, no matter how frustrating they may be.” Wuxian felt himself sink further into the floor.

“I realize that the Wen boys are difficult. Believe me, I would like nothing more than to send Wen Xu home.” Wuxian brought his silver eyes up from the floorboards to meet his guardian’s dark brown ones. “Diplomacy also means that sometimes the right, justifiable outcome is out of reach in favor of peace.” He knew he was pouting, but he could not bring himself to bring his face back into a neutral expression as he listened. At least Jiang Fengmian saw eye to eye with him about the Wen boys, that was some consolation at least. Finally, he changed the conversation’s direction.

“The afternoon lecture is due to begin,” he hinted. Wuxian would have preferred to stay, to hear and support what Wangji would have to say, but a command was a command, even if it was in disguise. He needed to leave. Wuxian sighed, nodded and bowed before heading out of the office, and towards the pavilions. He meandered through the current of foot traffic headed for the last lectures on offer for the day. An hour and a half long lecture on the "Ethics of exorcism", or "The nuances of management during a crisis." Neither one sounded interesting and a lecture was the last thing he wanted to do at that moment. His mind was still a torrent, concentration on either topic would be difficult. Maybe he should just skip it entirely and head to the lake or Yunmeng village for a snack or wine. He would not be caught wandering the complex by Madam Yu or her maids again if he could help it. A familiar light voice yanked his attention out from his stupor.

“Wei Wuxian!” He sighed in relief as he turned to see Nie Huaisang jogging his way over in the crowd. Nie Huaisang was a welcome distraction to what was happening in his head, and he was sure his friend would agree to heading into town with him to skip the lecture entirely. If Nie Huaisang had his way, he would easily spend hours painting landscapes, drinking interesting teas or wines, debating philosophy, and looking at spring books. Nie Huaisang had made no secret, his desire for an aesthetic lifestyle, and this type of event with cultivation and martial business at the forefront, had never been his idea of a good time. Unfortunately, with his brother as the Nie sect leader and he as presumptive sect heir, attendance was expected.   

“Huaisang, you have your sword on you?” He narrowed his eyes as a mischievous smirk grew on his face. 

“I do, Wei Wuxian. Why?” He asked, playing coy.

“Have you had a chance to visit the bookshop in town?” That smirk quickly grew into a wide grin full of teeth.

Wei Wuxian had always prided himself on having a thick skin, but Nie Huaisang was currently giving him a run for his money. He had no problem discreetly looking through or even buying the occasional spring book from booksellers, however he did take slight issue with looking through them in public. It seemed that Nie Huaisang had no such compunction as he wandered alongside him, through the crowded market street, perusing through his latest purchase. His look was so intense and scrutinizing of the book's details, a passerby would think that Nie Huaisang was appraising a work of great importance as he thumbed through the book's crisp fresh pages. Wuxian was thankful for the small mercy that was the spring book’s un-assuming tasteful blue cover.

“Wei Wuxian, if I had known that Yunmeng had such variety, I would have visited much sooner.” Wuxian shrugged with a playfully ignorant smirk, as he listened to his friend lament about the lack of ‘variety’ in the bookshops in Qinghe. “It’s always the same five or six books in the shops back home, and they are always behind a counter. Wei Wuxian, that shop had a whole back room!”

“Huaisang, it was more of a closet.”

“Still!” he cried, “More than any of the shops in Qinghe combined.” He held out his newest acquisition for Wuxian to see for the fifth time since he had bought it as he went on, “Plus, they had this one which I have been looking for for ages.” Wuxian took a long look at his friend. Huaisang’s happiness at finding his new book was slightly infectious, so Wuxian indulged in it a little. 

“Alright, I’ll bite, what makes that one so special?” Nie Huaisang puffed up slightly as he explained, “Well not only is the artwork in this one quite superb, but the plot is actually worth reading as well!” Wuxian eyed him a little. The last time he checked, a riveting plotline was usually the last thing on a purveyor's mind when they were looking through a spring book.

“A spring book, with a decent story?” 

“Yes! That is what makes this one quite rare.”

“What is the story about then, if it is so good?” Huaisang’s grin got wider as he went into detail about two political rivals; a celebrated, but badly injured war general, and an influential imperial advisor under orders from their emperor to marry each other. Despite the imperial edict, the pair fall in love, but are soon separated by the outbreak of war and disastrous court politics. 

“Hang on,” he interjected, “is this a ‘cut-sleeve’ spring book?”

“Yes, it is.” Huaisang cocked an eyebrow, "Not to your taste?” 

Wei Wuxian shook his head lightly but unable to ignore his curiosity, implored Huaisang to continue anyways. As Huaisang went on with the details, Wuxian could not say he was entirely convinced, but he had to admit he was at least a little intrigued. A spring book, and a cut-sleeve one at that, with some semblance of an interesting story? Huaisang was right, the book was rare. 

“Wei Wuxian,” he had sent his gaze down the crowded thoroughfare of the market, “is that Jin Zixuan?” 

“What?” Wei Wuxian looked in the direction Huaisang was pointing, and there plain as day was Jin Zixuan, perusing around a market stall. Wuxian immediately grabbed Nie Huaisang’s wrist and yanked him off of the main walkway and behind a nearby shrub. 

“Wei Wuxian!” He hissed as he was unexpectedly dragged off of his feet. Wuxian replied with a quick finger to his mouth and a quick look begging for silence. With a whisper, Huaisang began to question. 

“Wei Wuxian, why are we hiding from Jin Zixuan?”

“Huaisang, we are not hiding. We are spying.” He quietly breathed back as he stuck his head above the branches and leaves to locate Jin Zixuan again. The young Jin heir was many things that Wei Wuxian despised. Arrogant, elitist, and boorish to name a few. But one to shirk responsibility? No. Definitely not something that he would do. So why was Jin Zixuan not at the lectures? He was still at the stall, but now he seemed to be handing coins over to the merchant. Clearly he was buying something, but what? There were too many things in his line of sight for him to identify it. He needed to get closer. 

“Alright, why are we spying on Jin Zixuan? I thought we planned to use your disguise talisman to spy on him anyways.” Huaisang quietly asked as they moved behind a market stall nearby. Wuxian kept his eyes fixed on Jin Zixuan now moving down the street with his new purchase in hand as he answered, “I want to see what he is doing out here.”

“Well, clearly he bought something.”

“I can see that, but what?”

“A souvenir?” he offered, as they moved into the street again some distance behind their target. “I mean, how often does Jin Zixuan come to Yunmeng?”

“I’m sure he would avoid Yunmeng if he could.” Wuxian huffed. 

“I see,” he quietly replied. 

Wuxian halted in his tracks when he heard a light soft voice nearby call out to Jin Zixuan catching his attention. That voice…that voice?! Shijie?! Wuxian quickly took stock of nearby points of cover and chose a pallet full of rice sacks to dive behind with Nie Huaisang in tow. From their vantage point, Wuxian plainly saw Jiang Yanli, with a wide smile and cheerful as she could be, walking up to Jin Zixuan, who in turn seemed to be…smiling? Smiling? Why is that ass smiling? And at his sister no less? Wuxian began to fume, his mind whirling as he watched the pair of them walk away out of the market and further into the village. 

What in the world was happening? He doesn’t like Jiang Yanli! He was the one who broke their engagement! Did Jin Zixuan buy something for his sister? Why would he do that? What is he doing stringing her along? This has to be an act of some kind. 

“Wei Wuxian,” Huaisang quietly said, “are you alright?” Wuxian shook his head as he turned to him, looking quite determined. “Huaisang, how would you feel about sitting with the Jins tonight at dinner?”

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian had now, thanks to circumstance, spied on the ‘Peacock’ (as Jin Zixuan was not so affectionately called) and Jiang Yanli twice; once in Lotus Pier and once in town. On both occasions they were merely conversing, but they were alone, and Jin Zixuan may or may not have bought a token for Jiang Yanli during the second occasion. Something was going on, and Jiang Wanyin agreed that they needed to figure out what was happening between the pair of them. Decision made, the plan to spy on Jin Zuxian would be implemented that night at dinner. 

With a tired sigh, Wuxian leaned back against his bedframe. He, Nie Huaisang, Jiang Wanyin, and Wen Qionglin had been in his room for the better part of a half hour, trying to come up with a plan to get Nie Huaisang to sit with the Jins that evening…with a new friend in tow. Then, once they were seated, converse with the Jins and get as much information as they could about Jin Zixuan and his feelings about Jiang Yanli. But attempting to come up with a plan of action unfortunately proved to be difficult. There were too many minds in the room and too many variables to consider. 

“Does it have to be at dinner?” Nie Huaisang finally asked, “it may be easier to talk to him outside of the meal. You all know how they like to be exclusionary.” Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes in agreement. Nie Huaisang had never truly been behind this idea, as it put him in an uncomfortable position socially speaking. Plus, a plan that hinged on being invited to sit down to a meal with the nearly universally dismissive to just about everyone Jins, had a slim chance of success. In order to find a way to be invited to their table, they needed to offer up something that they could possibly want. Wei Wuxian could not think of anything that Jin Zixuan or Jin Zixun wanted or needed from them. What can you offer a cultivator who can literally buy anything they need or want with money or influence? A quick glance at the contemplative scowls on the other three’s faces silently explained that they were having difficulty coming up with a solution as well. As they continued to mull over it for a few moments, Wen Qionglin eventually broke the quiet with a light cough.  

“Jiang Gongzi, isn’t Jin Zixun your first opponent tomorrow?”

“He is, Wen Ning.” Wei Wuxian became intrigued as the barest hints of a mischievous smile grew on the corners of Wen Qionglin’s mouth.

“What if Wei Gongzi were to claim he can help Jin Zixun with tips on how to beat you in the competition.” There it was, the answer they needed. Jin Zixun was even more boorish and arrogant than his cousin, but unlike Jin Zixuan, he was not above looking for every advantage possible if it meant his own success, even underhanded ones. Jiang Wanyin’s eyes went wide as his gaze darted to all three of them in a dawning understanding. “That would probably do it,” he smiled. Wei Wuxian was grinning ear to ear; this could work. “Wen Ning, you’re brilliant!” He exclaimed, while Jiang Wanyin and Nie Huaisang enthusiastically joined in, causing a red flush to grow on Wen Qionglin’s face. 

Wuxian’s mind was swimming with the ideas of what he was going to say in his head. “Well A-Cheng, how much or how little do you want me to play up you being an ass?” he grinned. 

“Whatever gets you seated at that table, is fine with me.” Wuxian flashed his smile and beamed at the thought of things he could say. Being very disparaging and belittling of Jiang Wanyin would at least get him in Jin Zixun’s good graces, and perhaps that sought after meeting. “Shidi, do you think you can send a couple of really bad scowls my way during dinner? Just to sell it a little bit?” Jiang Wanyin shot him one such look, then grinned a little. Oh, this was going to be fun.

Wuxian chuckled as he stood up to grab his satchel and talisman from his desk, when a small silvery blue ball of energy flitted in through the window, then fluttered in front of his face, waiting. Wuxian’s eyes widened at the realization that the message was actually for him as it gently landed in the middle of his palm. The other three watched as the spiritual butterfly dissolved into the air and Wuxian heard Wangji’s soft baritone clearly in his head, “I am headed to the training grounds now. Meet you there.” Wuxian smiled and turned to his friends' waiting expectant faces, “I’ll see you all this evening,” he said as he made his way to the door. Ignoring their cries of “Hey,” and “What was that about?” he bounded out of the room and into the late afternoon sun.

Wuxian silently cursed the architect who designed Lotus Pier all those years ago. Why exactly did the training grounds have one access route and why did it have to go by the main pavilion? If he ever made plans with Lan Wangji again while he was here, it would not be at the training grounds again if he could help it. Wuxian had anticipated beating Lan Wangji to their designated meeting place, provided he was not hindered on his way there. Unfortunately, the sight of Yinzhu and Jinzhu overseeing preparations in the main pavilion had done just that. And if the maids were there, that meant Madam Yu was somewhere close by. 

Having taken up position behind a nearby building, Wuxian began looking for points of cover across the courtyard. He made a face at the ridiculous lack of them; a thin wisteria tree, a bench, a couple of bushes. None of these would provide ample cover and they were too far apart besides. There were also the pillars, but those lined the main walkway, and he would still have to cross the courtyard to get to them. He absentmindedly pinched the talisman in his pocket as he weighed his options. It would be an easy solution to this problem, but he had meant to use this one for dinner and Jin Zixun. He supposed he could make another one after meeting up with Lan Wangji, but preparing another one would take time, more time than he wanted to spend that evening. He could wait it out, see if and when they leave, but who knew how long that would take. Perhaps he should just use the talisman and deal with-

“Wei Ying?” Wuxian whirled around in response to the soft baritone he had heard in the butterfly message a few moments ago. 

“Lan Zhan! Hey.” He nervously grinned. Wangji walked up next to him and surveyed the courtyard as he had done before turning, questioning, “What are you doing?”

“Headed to the training grounds?” Wangji nodded, but then asked why he was trying to conceal himself.

“Madam Yu’s maids,” he explained as he pointed to Yinzhu and Jinzhu working on preparations for the evening gathering. Wangji took another scrutinizing look in their direction.

“You said you cannot be seen?” Wuxian quietly confirmed.

“Would you get in trouble if you were to walk with me?” A small warmth spread from his chest through his arms and legs. Here was Lan Wangji, acting as a shield for him against Madam Yu’s typhoon, in what would be the second time in as many days. He took another quick glimpse towards the pavilion, scanning for Madam Yu’s harsh profile, giving Wangji’s offer some thought. Madam Yu certainly would not do something to him with Lan Wangji there, but later on? Her whims and anger were either calm or torrential, depending on her mood, and they could also change with a coin flip. When it came to him though, her emotions were most often the latter. He was currently under orders not to be seen in the complex, and he was fairly certain that even if he were seen with Lan Wangji now, he would be feeling her lightning whip Zidian on his back later. Wuxian thanked Wangji for the offer, but shook his head quickly, as he pulled his talisman out of his pocket.

“I’ve got this. It should be fine.” 

“Is there another route?” he asked, putting a pause on Wei Wuxian preparing to attach the talisman to his clothing. Wei Wuxian bit his lips, then glanced upwards towards the rooftops in a small revelation. The building rooftops were close enough that they could move down the length of them and get to the other side without issue, provided no one was looking up. Theoretically, it was a path. “Necessity breeds ingenuity,” he thought inwardly. “Well…yeah. It would take longer though,” he said with a fair amount of caution in his voice. Wangji followed his gaze to the sloping low canopy just above them. 

“You mean the roof?” Wuxian nodded, then sighed. If he took the last time he was on a rooftop with Lan Wangji into account, there was no way he would agree to using the rooftops of Lotus Pier to get to the grounds. On his very first night in Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji caught him sneaking into the complex by way of the roof with two contraband jars of Emperor’s Smile. The swordfight that followed was his first interaction with the second jade of Lan, and it resulted in a loss of one of the jars and left a lasting impression. Wuxian shook his head at the memory. It was silly to even suggest…wait. He looked unbelieving and his mouth opened slightly agape as Wangji stepped out from under the rooftop canopy to assess and examine the proposed pathway. Was he actually considering-

“Where do we climb up?”

“What?!”

Once his astonishment had abated, the path towards the training grounds was an easy one. Everyone in the pavilion below was so engrossed with preparations for the evening, no one bothered to look up and see a pair of cultivators quietly making their way across the rooftops above them. When they climbed down just outside the main pavilion, and out of sight of Madam Yu’s maids, he could not help the light chuckle coming from his throat when Lan Wangji landed beside him on the walkway. 

“Lan Zhan, I never would have thought you would agree to that.”

“Mn?”

“Well…that was just…very unlike you.” Wangji looked at him thoughtfully as he explained, “You told me that you could not be seen. Whether or not I agree with the method of you getting around does not matter.” Wuxian stared, completely taken aback by his statement. Lan Wangji, whom Wei Wuxian was certain had never stepped out of line or broken a rule in his life, just climbed up a wall and traversed the roof with him, simply because it was Wuxian’s best option. 

“Oh.” He had no idea why, but he pressed on asking, “Do you agree…with me using the roof?” Wangji huffed slightly as he thought for a moment. “I do not agree with the fact that Wei Ying has to sneak around his own home,” he quietly replied. Wuxian blinked. He stood there for a good moment, stunned for the second time in as many minutes. A strange lightness in his head and a sudden flutter in his stomach manifested as he absorbed what Wangji had just exclaimed. He shook it off as he said quietly, “Thank you, Lan Zhan.” 

When they finally arrived at the training grounds, there were a couple other cultivators already there, making use of the area in preparation for tomorrow’s event. A few spectators had also gathered along the main walkway, looking for a preview, some idea on who to place bets on, or a little of both. In a far corner, Li Bolin and He Haoyu were clearly in the middle of a bout, which Li Bolin appeared to currently have the upper-hand in. He Haoyu was doing admirably blocking and parrying each offensive move, but being able to turn the bout in his favor was proving to be difficult. Bolin was fast and his movements were smooth between each exchange. Wuxian swelled with pride as he and Wangji stopped to watch for a moment. Li Bolin ranked among Wuxian’s top students and his capability with a sword was on par with Jiang Wanyin’s and his own. Defeating Wen Xu tomorrow would be easy for him, no question.

After procuring two wooden practice blades, they made their way to a quieter corner of the grounds, farther away from the main walkway and the other cultivators practicing. Wuxian ginned as he watched Wangji test the sword’s balance, then give it a few quick swings, flourishes and thrusts in his talented hand, before nodding to the weapon’s suitability. Taking their places opposite each other, Wuxian took a moment to size up Lan Wangji as they each took a bow, then prepared to begin. The way he stood, poised to attack, that look of quiet confidence he exuded; Wuxian grinned in anticipation at the challenge he presented. This was an experience to be savored since the opportunity may not present itself tomorrow. 

Gripping the blade, he lunged, aiming for Wangji’s open left side. Wangji quickly side-stepped out of the way of the attack and immediately brought his sword up and into an arching, loudly clacking block, using Wei Wuxian’s own speed against him and sending him flying past. Wuxian used the momentum to turn and bring his sword flying for Wangji’s head. The speed with which Wangji moved to duck the blow and bring his own sword in an arc towards Wuxian’s chest was impressive. Wuxian was slightly faster; dodging the swipe and putting some comfortable distancing steps between himself and Wangji, providing time to plan his next attack or prepare for his opponents. 

The entire exchange was barely a second, but Wuxian marveled at the up close demonstration he was getting. Wangji’s moves were flawless and casually graceful. They were also efficient and to the point, and as a result would be deadly on a battlefield. Lan martial arts were designed to end a fight as quickly as possible, by conserving their own energy and using their opponent’s moves against them. In contrast, dominance was the main feature of the Yunmeng style, emphasizing speed and strength to gain the upper hand in combat and keep hold of it either to tire out or overwhelm their opponent. Wuxian was going to have to change up strategies. 

In the blink of an eye, Wangji closed the gap, swiping his sword in a blow towards Wuxian’s neck. Wuxian quickly blocked it with his own blade and then speedily twisted and pushed his own weapon so that Wangji’s was disengaged, and his own hovered near his face. Wuxian’s victorious smile was short lived as Wangji seemed to have anticipated this, using the momentum from Wuxian’s push to spin out of danger and bring his blade once again swinging for Wuxian’s head and neck. Wuxian gasped at the whoosh of air that flew by his ear. That was incredibly close. Quickly deciding that a bit of distance was necessary again, Wuxian tried to take steps out of range. Wangji was too fast, the tip of his blade harrowingly close to his face as he quickly followed. With a speedy gasp and suppression of a chuckle, Wuxian dodged and spun out of the way, leaving Wangji wide open to an attack from the side. Wangji twisted his torso out of the way of the blow and brought his sword down once again towards Wuxian’s front. He stopped just shy of connecting, his movement in stasis, and the practice blade itself a hair's breadth from the junction of Wuxian’s shoulder and neck. They ended the match standing nearly shoulder to shoulder, but facing opposite directions; Wangji’s sword in a fatal position at Wuxian’s neck, his own pointed towards the ground. Wuxian grinned at Wangji’s first victory.

“Your point, Lan Zhan!” he said cheerfully as he took up position again. “Just so you know I gave you that one,” he teased as he lied. He had most certainly not given that last match to Lan Wangji. “You’re gonna have to work hard for your next one though,” he chided with a friendly flash of his teeth. Wuxian thought for a moment he saw a corner of Lan Wangji’s mouth flicker. 

“Mn.”

The next point went to Wangji once again, but the following point was Wuxian’s to claim. The bouts were getting longer, their movements more complicated as they observed and learned their opposing techniques, figuring out and manipulating each other’s weaknesses and strengths. 

The amount of power they were throwing behind their blows resulted in very loud clacks and snaps as their blades crashed together, and each connection echoed loudly through the grounds. Like the archery practice from the day previous, their fights were starting to attract spectators. These observers were devouring their matches with eager eyes, shouting words of encouragement and sounds of wincing and surprise as the two cultivators sent blow after blow against the other. Bolin was beaming with pride as he watched and cheered his shixiong on. But the majority of the spectators seemed to be cheering on Lan Wangji, and Wuxian could not help but agree with them. Wangji in a swordfight was a sight to behold, and he had a front row seat to it. Moving from one exchange to the next with practiced grace and ease, every move was executed perfectly, which served as a testament to the intensity of the Lan technique and training regimen. This swordfight and the tournament tomorrow was warfare in the abstract; warfare for sport, practice, and spectacle. Wuxian nearly shuddered to think about the vision Lan Wangji would make on an actual battlefield; how awe-inspiring a sight he would be, and how terrifying an enemy to face.

After three more bouts, they were very evenly matched with three points each. Wuxian held in the smirk of pride to see Wangji’s eyes betraying the smallest hint of frustration when Wuxian won his third point, clinching their tie.

Wuxian allowed the wide toothy grin that had grown steadily on his face to remain there as he took up position opposite once more. Closing in at top speed, Wangji struck at Wuxian's right shoulder, which he had just enough time to duck, before spinning out under the blade and bringing his own up towards Wangji’s torso. Wangji used his own momentum to dodge, then move into a spin away out of range, then bring his sword up into a defensive position, protecting his front. Wuxian laughed as he shortened the distance at top speed, bringing his sword swinging downwards towards his opponent's back shoulder. The move was easily dodged, Wuxian knew it would be. But it opened up Wangji to another attack on his side, which was what he was really in pursuit of. With even more speed he spun his sword towards Wangji’s open side, which was just as quickly blocked with a loud echoing clack as his blade collided into his. Wuxian whirled around to find him in the middle of bringing his blade up again into a defensive position. An opening. He did not have time to think, he could only act. Bringing his sword up to Wangji’s neck, stopping just short of connecting, and halting him in his place.

The small crowd applauded as the fight ended, but neither combatant made a move. It took Wuxian a moment to realize that he was staring quite deeply into two golden pools, and that they were staring intently back in return. Wangji’s stare had always been intimidating, but had his gaze always been this piercing? Wuxian’s breathing was noticeably a little more heavy and his chest felt slightly constricted as they both stood there wide-eyed and unmoving, calming down from the intensity of their match. The realization that he was in fact gawking, blinked him back into reality. He flashed his grin, slightly dissipating the tension that was pooling in his body.

  “Point, Lan Zhan.” he quietly said in between breaths, his limbs still holding the practice sword against his opponent's throat. Wangji quietly sighed as he replied, “Look down.” Immediately, he glanced downwards to see that Wangji’s blade was resting against his torso in a clearly fatal position. If it were real, he would have been sliced open from his naval to his neck. In his move to get to Lan Wangji and end the fight, he had left himself wide open. 

“Point, Wei Ying.” 

“I guess we are still at a stalemate then, Lan Zhan,” he smiled.

“Mn.” 

Inherently knowing that it was best to leave a crowd in want of more spectacle, natural showman that he was, Wuxian projected his voice slightly as he began, “I think we should probably settle this tomorrow. What do you think?” There were some obvious sighs and moans of disappointment from the onlookers, but Wangji nodded in agreement as he handed back his borrowed weapon. 

By the time that Wuxian had returned to Wangji from putting away their swords, the delicious and teasing smells of what was being prepared for the night's gathering had grown especially potent, and their small audience had started to disperse for dinner. Shouting some words of encouragement for tomorrow, Wuxian reciprocated a wave to Li Bolin as he and another disciple headed off.

“Wei Ying?”

“Mn?”

“Do you have to use a talisman every night?” Wuxian nodded slightly then huffed his frustration at the entire situation Madam Yu had foisted on him. Yes, his talisman was proving to be incredibly useful, especially after tonight if his reconnaissance mission goes well, but the inability to not be himself was becoming tiresome. 

"Every night except tomorrow night.”

“The tournament celebration?”

“Mn. Provided I place in the top four.”

“I see.” 

“Oh, don’t worry Lan Zhan, " he smirked, “I intend to go as myself tomorrow.” That barely discernable twitch in the corner of his mouth Wuxian thought he saw earlier, appeared for a brief moment once again.  

Chapter Text

Remembering that the Night Hunt that morning had robbed Lan Wangji of a swimming lesson, Wuxian suggested that the pair of them meet up again after dinner to make up for it, to which he accepted with an affirming “Mn.” 

Plans made and after finding a quiet corner to change his clothes and face, Wuxian wove himself into the crowd flow of attendees headed off in search of their evening meal. Giving the area a quick scan after he arrived, Nie Huaisang, Wen Qionglin and Jiang Wanyin looked to be engaged in a very lively conversation with some Nie disciples near the pavilion center. Wuxian had to swallow the curse that bubbled up in his throat when he saw Wen Chao involved in a very animated conversation with Jin Zixun near a pavilion edge. Jin Zixuan sat across from his cousin, sporting a not so subtle grimace. It looked as though he would rather be anywhere else and clearly the only thing keeping him at that table was Jin Zixun. 

If Wen Chao was there, that meant that Wen Xu in all likelihood was not far away. Seeing this little wrinkle, he quickly scanned the area for Lan Wangji, who was taking a seat next to his brother and Nie Mingjue on the opposite side from the Jin's arrangement for the evening. The Wens being seated with the Jins should not wholly throw off their plan, but their presence there was not something they had accounted for.  

 Taking a fortifying breath, Wuxian strode over to the Jin table, meandering through the many people that were still milling about, conversing and looking for seats. He made sure to throw a monstrous glare towards Jiang Wanyin as he sauntered by, not only as a signal to his shidi, but as a start the show he was about to put on. There was a split moment of realization, then Wanyin sent a scowl just as galling in his direction. Wuxian tamped down the butterflies in his stomach and forced his face into non-chalance as he inserted himself on a bench next to a confused Jin Zixuan and right across from the surprised and abhorrent faces of Jin Zixun and Wen Chao. 

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Jin Zixun quietly bit out once he got over Wuxian’s bright smiling audacity. “That seat is not yours.”

“I think that it could be, actually.” Wuxian relished the sneer he felt blooming on his face and the ire growing in Jin Zixun’s. “Seeing as these gatherings are intended for cultivators to make new acquaintances. I do not know you. But I have a hunch that you would like to know me.” 

“That seat is for my brother,” Wen Chao annoyingly interjected. “I suggest you move before-”

“Before what?” Wuxian chuckled. “Before he comes over here and picks a fight?” Wen Chao being aware of the warning his brother had received from Jiang Fengmian earlier that day could be considered a sure bet, and it was a play that he relished using, just to see the subtle change in Wen Chao’s face as he backed off a little.

“How did you-”

“Word travels fast here, Wen Gongzi.” Wuxian quickly intruded with his lie. Jiang Fengmian was nothing if not discreet about inner conflicts within Lotus Pier, and gossip amongst disciples was discouraged if only to respect others privacy. But he was certain that that was knowledge Wen Chao did not possess or even cared about.

“Simply for the sheer arrogance,” Jin Zixuan finally spoke up, “why would my cousin want to know you?” Wuxian took a breath to go into his sales pitch, but was promptly interrupted by his target. “I do not need the acquaintance of a lower Jiang disciple, cousin,” Jin Zixun bitingly said and then turned back to stare him down. “Now-” 

“Your first opponent tomorrow is Jiang Wanyin, yes?” That gave him pause. Whether the pause came from dropping his shidi’s name or from interrupting him, Wuxian could not be more grateful as it allowed him to continue. “You want to beat him, do you not?” Jin Zixun’s face started to flush with growing outrage.

“Are you suggesting that I cannot beat him on my own?” He sneered. “No, no, no, not at all Jin Gongzi. I would never presume,” he smiled, hoping to placate a little, he needed this to work. “I am merely asking if you want to tip the balance more in your favor per se.” Wen Chao clicked his tongue as he looked Wuxian up and down. “Why would you want to help Jin Zixun defeat your own sect’s heir?” Wei Wuxian turned his head lightly back towards the table where Jiang Wanyin was seated for the evening. “Jiang Fengmian’s son is a pretentious ass, who uses his station to berate and belittle the rest of us.” Jin Zixun and Wen Chao were both leaning in slightly, he had their attention, but he needed to be careful to not oversell this too much as he went on. 

“Everyone gives him undeserved deference just because he is the son of the sect leader. And-” Jin Zixun held up a hand to stop him. “He is the heir of your sect and as such he should be given respect. Your argument is ridiculous and so are you,” he denigrated with a contemptible snigger. In retrospect he should have realized that advocating for more egalitarian treatment among cultivators would fall on deaf ears with other higher born ones. Time to change tactics, pure and easy unbridled dislike. “Alright alright, Jin Gongzi. I don’t like him, I loathe him. In fact, no Jiang disciple likes him or his first disciple, Wei Wuxian.” Jin Zixun held his gaze, he was listening again. “They take credit for everything that we lower disciples accomplish. Every Night Hunt, expedition, and tournament, our successes go to them. And when we do fall short of expectations, we’re punished.” Wen Chao shared a quick glance with Jin Zixun, before the latter narrowed his eyes and leaned in once more. “I would very much like to see him be taken down a peg,” at that he locked eyes with Jin Zixun, “and who could be better than his first opponent tomorrow.” 

As Jin Zixun leaned back to contemplate the offer, there was a succession of three hard taps on Wuxian’s shoulder. “You’re in my seat.” a low voice threateningly proclaimed. Wen Chao’s face turned bright; “Ah brother, there you are.” The hair on the back of his arms stood up and a flush of heat rushed down his spine. Wuxian could not bring himself to turn around and look at Wen Xu. The risk of punching him square in the nose was already worryingly high, and he had no desire to raise that chance by looking at him. Then again, the thought of goading him into a fight was sorely tempting; getting the prick kicked out of the conference would almost be worth the loss of the information he was hoping to get. 

“What are you offering?” Jin Zixun quietly asked. Jin Zixuan looked mortified and then dismayed at his cousin’s display. 

“Cousin, you cannot actually be thinking about-”

“Don’t be an ass Zixuan.” He interrupted, shooting him a look that turned him silent but clearly livid. Wuxian took a breath to steel himself, it would have to be now, “Allow me to sit here and I will share exactly which of his skills you need to manipulate in order to win.” For a long excruciating moment, Jin Zixuan flicked his eyes from Wei Wuxian’s new face to his cousins, before he finally said, “Sit next to me,” as he motioned for Wen Chao to make space on the bench. 

It worked? 

It worked! 

Pride swirled with relief grew in his chest and head as he moved to take his new seat. The first hard part was over, but as he took in Jin Zixuan’s fury-filled face, he realized that the next phase of getting the Jin heir to talk about Jiang Yanli would be a little more difficult.   

“Cousin, you are better than-” 

“Do you not want the Jin sect to win tomorrow?” Jin Zixuan bit his lips while he shook his head, clearly biting back what he really wanted to say to the entire situation. 

“I do not condone this, Jin Zixun,” he said finally.

“No one was asking you to.” he answered matter of factly with the smallest hint of bite in his voice. Fury churned in Jin Zixuan’s eyes as he held his cousin’s gaze.  

“I’m not going to listen to this,” he quietly spit out. The pride and relief that Wuxian was feeling in his chest quickly turned to horror, as part two of his plan got to his feet and walked away in the direction of another table on the opposite side of the pavilion. 

Shit. 

…

Fuck.

Wuxian and the others had known that Jin Zixuan’s sense of decency and honor was high, but clearly had failed to anticipate how high it was. The entire reason he had insinuated himself at this table of vipers was now sitting a fair distance away, and after that performance of his, he could not simply get up and follow. Now he was stuck, stuck with three of the last people on the planet that he wanted to spend any time with, much less share a meal. Wuxian tried to hide his frustration spreading down his body by smiling as wide as he could at the three faces surrounding him.

Wen Chao and Wen Xu were eying him the way a snake eyes its next kill, making him even more uneasy. “I just realized we don’t know your name.” Wuxian quickly tore his eyes away from the Wen’s disturbingly off putting gaze, and towards Jin Zixun’s, who was looking at him with barely concealed disdain. “If I am to take Jiang Wanyin “down a peg” as you say, I want to know your name.” 

“Zhao Caishen,” he smiled, trying not to sound annoyed at the situation he was now in. At least they had thought of his new identity before they put this disaster into action. 

“Alright Zhao Caishen, how does Jin Gongzi here beat your shixiong? Wen Chao drawled. Wuxian drew a breath and went into detail that was brief, but precise, and completely untrue. Jiang Wanyin’s style was full of quick footwork and tended to favor blows that aimed for the head and shoulders. So, by contrast, Wuxian explained that Jin Zixun should concentrate on protecting his stomach and chest, and that his shidi preferred to let his enemies come to him in a fight. He then offered up a deceptive description of his favored techniques, and what his weaknesses would be. Jin Zixun seemed to be taking it all in intently, with affirmative nods here and there along with clarifying questions. Wen Chao seemed to be absorbing every morsel of information as well. Wen Xu on the other hand made small impatient and disparaging sounds throughout, punctuating his own displeasure with the conversation. 

“Da-Ge, you do not think you need this information?” Wen Chao asked, when his brother’s disgruntled noises got a little too loud.

“Didi, you know full well that we do not need what he has to say,” Wuxian began to wonder if Wen Xu actually possessed some small measure of decency as well when he leaned towards Jin Zixun and quickly shattered that thought with, “not with what we have prepared.” he finished with a pointed raise of his brow. Jin Zixun nodded with a knowing smirk, seeming to understand whatever Wen Xu was implying. 

“Any advantage we can get is worth gleaning Da-Ge.” Wen Chao quickly retorted.

“You are not wrong, but in this case it is unnecessary.” Wen Xu chided. Wuxian’s gaze flicked between the three of them, trying to gauge what exactly they could be talking about. Were these two planning on something for the competition? The smile on Wen Xu’s face and the smugness in his very dark eyes hinted that they very much had some sort of plot at the ready. Wuxian stirred to attention in his seat, he had lost the chance to spy on Jin Zixun, but perhaps tonight would not be a total loss after all if he could get this information.

“Jin Gongzi, with this…insight that you now have,” he made a lazy gesture towards Wei Wuxian as he leaned in, “and my help, we all could place tomorrow.” Turning on his most ingenuous look as he leaned slightly in, “What do you mean?” Wuxian whispered. Wen Xu clicked his tongue again and bored his eyes into him before he smiled, possibly one of the worst smiles Wuxian had ever seen in his life. On any other person it would be considered a perfectly fine grin, but on Wen Xu’s face, it looked malicious. 

“Let’s just say, with a slight enhancement, your shixiong will have to work to keep up with Jin Gongzi tomorrow.” Wuxian blinked at the nerve of that declaration, and dropped his disgruntled disciple act for a moment to ask, “Aren’t you worried that you just admitted to cheating in front of a Jiang disciple.” Wen Xu chuckled, completely unbothered about the danger of divulging the smallest crumbs of his plot as he pointed toward the center of the pavilion. Wuxian followed the gesture to see Jin Zixuan conversing with Jiang Wanyin, and discreetly pointing in his direction. Wen Xu chortled, “Oh, I think I don’t have to worry too much about a lower disciple who is probably about five minutes from being kicked out of his sect.” He quickly swore and ducked out of sight, trying to sound and look panicked, but in truth Wuxian could kiss Jin Zixuan for his wonderful sense of decency. Whatever he said to his shidi, had sent a rescue striding in his direction.    

 “Shidi.” Wuxian allowed the relief to wash over him when he heard that voice a moment later, but he could not let it show on his face, neck deep in a snake pit as he was. Slowly, like a child being caught with sweets, he brought his eyes up to meet Jiang Wanyin’s. His shidi looked every inch like his father, staring at him as if he had been caught sneaking out of Lotus Pier at night or stealing from the kitchens. 

“I just got some interesting news from Jin Zixuan.” His voice was so even and measured, threatening in its steadiness as he spoke to him. Wuxian swallowed, feigning ignorance but inwardly grabbing the lifeline that was being thrown. 

“Oh?”

“Mn. You are to come with me now, shidi, so that we may have a talk.”

“But they haven’t served-”

“You’re lucky if you’re allowed to stay in the sect tonight, Zhao Caishen.” Jiang Wanyin interrupted in that even threatening tone. A loud snort from Wen Xu erupted across the table. “Now stand up and walk with me.” Wuxian quietly huffed as he threw on a sneer for good measure, still playing the part of a disciple who was about to be severely disciplined, and allowed Jiang Wanyin to grasp him by the arm and start to lead him out of the pavilion. As soon as they were out of earshot of the table, he asked quietly, “What happened back there? One minute I see you sitting down, the next the ‘Peacock’ is at my table telling me I have a traitorous disciple.” 

“Jin Zixuan did not like the idea of his cousin cheating tomorrow.”

“Oh. Well I can assume you got nothing then?” Wuxian raised his eyebrows and gave Jiang Wanyin a look that could only be called conspiratorial as he leaned in and and whispered, “Walk me out of here quickly.” Wanyin obeyed, gripping his elbow and speed marching him out and far from the pavilion, before letting him go in a quiet, deserted corner near the kitchens. Wuxian slid the talisman from his clothing and took a breath as his face reverted back to normal. His shidi looked at him expectantly, “All right, what happened? Did you learn anything?”

“The Wen’s have some sort of…something or other that is going to help them in tomorrow's competition.”

“What? Were you able to figure out what it was?” Wuxian shrugged along with the most tentative of nods. “I am guessing it's some sort of magical item,” he explained. “Like a talisman or a potion of some sort. Wen Xu offered to share it with Jin Zixun.”

“How do you know?”

“Wen Xu mentioned an “enhancement.” So I suppose it's something to make them slightly faster or stronger, probably both.”

“They would pull something like this,” he scowled, before he blew out a massive frustrated breath and then quietly declared, “I will talk to A-Die this evening. Something can probably be done before the tournament tomorrow.”

“What about shijie and the ‘Peacock?’ Jiang Wanyin shook his head. “We will have to figure something else out. Try again another day.” 

“Alright.” Wuxian assented.

“Do you have another talisman, so you can come to dinner?” Wuxian gave him a look of slight disappointment, silently informing him that he did not. 

“Can you make another one?”

“I can, but you know they take time.” Wanyin made a noise partnered with a small grimace.  “I’m gonna go talk to her, this is ridiculous,” he muttered as he turned back towards the main courtyard. Wuxian quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him with a quick headshake.

“No offense shidi, but if your father could not convince her, I do not think that you will be able to either.”

“But, this is-”

“Yes, it’s stupid, but that is not a problem for right now. Besides, the tournament celebration tomorrow will make up for tonight, no worries,” he smiled. With a promise to meet up later on, Wuxian turned the corner into the kitchens, where he swiped a plate of very fragrant dumplings, then headed off towards the lake, pleased that he did not have to spend dinner in very unpleasant company, and that he could at least be himself tonight. 

The water looked very inviting in the evening sun, by the time Wuxian had finished his dumplings, so Wuxian thought he could indulge for a bit before Lan Wangji arrived for his lesson. Summer swims were one of the main things that Wuxian looked forward to every season. Being out among the lotus flowers, submerging his body in the fragrant water, did wonders to calm his constantly moving mind, and the lake's soothing presence always helped him to let go after a long busy afternoon or a stressful encounter with Madam Yu. 

He had just started a second lazy circuit around the island, when the outline of a figure sitting on the shore caught his attention.

“Lan Zhan!” he beamed with a wave as he righted himself on his feet, and began to make his way over to sit next to him on the shore. 

“How long were you sitting there?”

“A couple of minutes.”

“A couple of minutes?! Why didn’t you call out to me,” he playfully chided, noticing that Lan Wangji’s ears had gone a little red after he questioned him.

“You looked like you were relaxing. I thought you needed it.” Wangji shrugged after a moment. 

“Well, you were not wrong Lan Zhan,” he smiled. “Now then, shall we start your lesson?” 

“Mn.”

“Great!” He beamed as he started to wade back out into the water. “Join me when you’re ready.”

When he realized he was waist deep, he turned to wait for Lan Wangji, who was still carefully doffing and folding his layers on the shoreline. “Surely he must be hot under all of that.” Wuxian thought to himself, as he watched Wangji fold and gently set down his third layer of white clothing before finally reaching his inner shirt and trousers. The Lan regimen was famous throughout the cultivation world as one of the strictest, in terms of discipline and training. The evidence of a lifetime of that training could not be more clear, as Wuxian observed Wangji remove his last layer, and gently place it with the others. Wangji’s build would appear rather trim underneath his clothing, but it was obvious that it was all muscle. The planes of his chest and his back were well defined, and the tautness of his arms showed off the lines of the muscles that sat under perfectly unblemished skin. Exceptional was not enough of a description for the person standing on that dock now removing his shoes. Wuxian held a chuckle as Wangji stepped into the water, and immediately made the smallest grimace as his toes hit the lake bed. Clearly he was still not used to the many sensations of Lotus Lake between his toes, but the slight look of discomfort slowly disappeared as Wangji joined him in the water.      

Since Wangji could now float easily, the next logical step was learning how to tread water. Wuxian was sure he would take to it easily, but he did not anticipate the nervousness that he saw in Wangji’s eyes when they had waded up to their necks in the lake.

“You alright, Lan Zhan?” Lan Wangji gave him a small determined nod. “Good! Now, watch me.” Wuxian then took another step out into the lake and began to tread, moving his arms and legs to keep his head above water. Wangji watched with focused attention, taking mental notes of Wuxian’s movements with his arms and legs. Wuxian moved back to Lan Wangji’s side and held out a palm. “Right here is where the lake bed dips, so you will lose your footing. Do you want to hold on?” he asked in a gentle voice, remembering Wangji’s dislike of touch. Wangji’s gaze flickered back and forth between the palm and Wuxian’s face for a heartbeat before he cautiously took hold of the tips of Wuxian’s fingers, then took a step out. 

That light hold turned into a nervously tight one as Wangji lost the sensation of the lake bed under his feet. Desire to keep his head above water outweighed his aversion to touch for a moment, as he went to grip Wuxian’s entire hand. Wuxian held on, even offering up his other hand and arm to help Wangji to keep from going under and allowing him to put a great deal of weight on his forearms. Tension radiated through Wangji’s limbs as he kept his hold. Once Wangji acclimated from the loss of solid ground, Wuxian was able to instruct, beginning with light kicks of the legs, which were easily done. Slowly, he extracted an arm at Wuxian’s prompting, and began to make circles in the water as Wuxian had done. 

“Lan Zhan, when you feel ready, let go of my arm.” Wangji bit his lips as he gave a slight understanding nod. Wuxian noted a few moments had passed when Wangji ever so slowly let go of his hand and began to tread. Keeping his arms outstretched should Wangji need them, he beamed, “Lan Zhan, you’re a natural!”  

Before the setting sun forced them to quit for the evening, Wuxian was able to assist Wangji in trying a few motions to help him move through the water. As Wuxian initially suspected, Lan Zhan was a quick study, absorbing and using his new found skills with ease.

“Lan Zhan, you won’t need lessons from me soon.”

“Mn?”

“You were doing really well. I promised that you would be swimming circles around everyone, and I think I am going to live up to that promise.” He grinned.

“Mn. Wei Ying is a good teacher.”

“Aww! Thank you!” he happily replied as he plopped down on the small dock, heedless of the puddle he was making as he sprawled his limbs on the slats. Wangji sat down next to him, effortlessly elegant, despite being soaking wet from head to toe. 

“Wei Ying, which one were you at dinner tonight?” 

“Mn?”

“At Jiang Wanyin’s table.” 

“Oh. Well…I wasn’t at his table tonight,” Wangji’s eyes narrowed, asking him to elaborate. Those eyes then went wide when Wuxian explained that he was seated with Jin Zixun and the Wens. 

“Why?”

“I was spying so I could figure out how Jin Zixuan felt about my shijie,” he shrugged. 

“Oh.” He appeared slightly confused as he looked at Wei Wuxian and asked, “Why don’t you just ask him?” Wuxian's skepticism in his voice was obvious as he retorted, “Ask Jin Zixuan? About my shijie?” 

“Mn. It would be easier than spying.”

“Jin Zixuan is not someone I wish to talk to for any length of time, Lan Zhan.”  

“Talk to your shijie then, what are her feelings?” Wuxian nodded at his point. He had no idea how Jiang Yanli felt about Jin Zixuan now. Perhaps it would be a good idea to see how she felt before moving forward with any more covert attempts at spying.

“Speaking of the Wens,” Lan Wangji did not so much as flinch, but there was a very obvious blink and the smallest, briefest downturn in the corner of his mouth at the mention of that name. “Lan Zhan, I wanted to ask earlier, did your brother talk to Jiang Zongzhu today?” Wangji flicked his gaze away from him for a moment before he nodded. 

“We both talked to him.”

“What happened?” Wangji took a long moment. Out of what he supposed was nervousness or anticipation Wuxian used the pause to continue onwards. “I know that if Wen Xu fights another person while he is here, he is going to be sent home.” Wangji nodded. “I was also given a warning.” Wuxian felt heat arising again in his chest, but Wangji went on, “It was explained that I need to come straight to him, should anything like that happen again. And also that you should not have been put in that situation for me.” Wuxian’s stomach dropped a little as Wangji apologized for what had happened before, quickly turning conciliatory and wide-eyed.

“No, no Lan Zhan!”  

“You…do not accept my apology?” he asked and Wuxian thought he heard the slightest bit of apprehension in his voice. 

“No…I mean yes, I do. Of course I do, but that is not what I am saying.” Wangji held his gaze as he gathered his words in his head for a heartbeat before starting again. “I meant that I do not need an apology. It was my choice to see Uncle Jiang in the hopes of getting Wen Xu kicked out of the conference.” Wangji blinked, absorbing what he was saying. “I wanted that prick to get what he deserved, still deserves,” he corrected. 

“I see,” he quietly breathed in answer. 

“I was happy to do it, Lan Zhan,” he gently smiled. The pinks and purples of twilight had made way for the indigos of the evening, and stars were beginning to blink into the night sky. It may have been the lack of light playing tricks on him, so certainty was impossible. But for a moment, the barest of smiles seemed to flit across Lan Wangji’s face

Chapter Text

When sect complexes were first conceived of centuries ago, they were designed with separation from the everyday in mind. This characteristic of sect construction served two purposes. The first was to allow cultivators to concentrate on their studies and skills without distraction from the secular world. The second and less openly spoken reason was to better protect and keep their own sect business and secrets inside. Massive, thick and heavy walls were the preferred type of barrier in complex construction, but there were some rare sects which did not rely on massive barriers to keep the uninvited out and the initiated in. Gusu’s Cloud Recesses was one of them, which used the natural earth made barrier of the province’s mountains to set themselves quite literally above the outside world.  

Lotus Pier was the outlier in this regard. Built at a natural crossroads of rivers and lakes, keeping the rest of the world outside or away from Lotus Pier was an impossibility, so the ancestors of the Jiang clan decided to simply embrace it. On a normal day, it was common to see children from Yunmeng village playing or flying kites in the outer complex. More curious ones would wander to the training grounds to watch junior cultivators practicing their sword forms. Merchants and fishermen liked to set up shop near the entrance to the complex to sell their goods and services. Picnicking and lounging on one of Lotus Piers' public docks was also a favorite spring and summer pastime of Yunmeng villagers. Unfortunately though, for the span of the cultivation conference, admittance to the complex had been temporarily halted, but today it was open again, specifically for the contest that would be happening in a matter of hours. 

When Wuxian arrived at the main pavilion for breakfast, the air and conversation was already buzzing in anticipation of what was to come. People sat shoulder to shoulder, seeming to crowd the space a bit more than usual. So much so, that Wuxian had a hard time finding Jiang Wanyin or anyone else for that matter. Consuming his congee and youtiao out on a nearby dock seemed to be a viable option, when a few splashes of white and blue amongst spots of gray and yellow caught his eye. As they had done for the entirety of the conference, Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen were eating their meal with Nie Mingjue along with a mix of Nie and Lan disciples. Wuxian walked over, catching Lan Xichen’s attention, who in turn gestured for him to join them with a smile. 

“Wei Gongzi, are you ready for today?” Lan Xichen asked brightly as Wuxian took a seat next to him to tuck in to his meal. A mouth full of congee hindered his answering grin, but he tried his best. “I am Lan Xichen,” he managed to swallow before continuing, “but I thought that speaking was forbidden for Lans during meals?” Lan Xichen smiled, seeming to repress a chuckle, then shared a brief knowing glance with Nie Mingjue. “It is, when we are in Cloud Recesses. While we are visiting other sects though, that particular rule does not have to be observed.” He explained. Wuxian smiled in understanding as he looked at Lan Wangji, who was determinedly looking straight ahead, concentrating on his food. “Lan Zhan, are you ready?” Wuxian asked. Lan Wangji gave him a small sure nod before returning his attention to fastidiously breaking his youtiao into small bite sized pieces. Lan Xichen smiled at Wuxian again, when he turned back to him a little confused. “My brother likes to be quiet during meals regardless of where we are though.”

“Zewu-Jun,” Wuxian asked, “it’s your first time not participating in this type of thing, how do you feel about it?” His eyes and mouth turned wistful and slightly sad at the question, before he brought his expression back to a more neutral state. “I am happy to be watching from the side. Besides, I have a feeling my skills will not be necessary for the Lan clan to be successful today,” he said as he snuck a quick glance at his silent, meticulous brother. 

“I would not be so sure, Zewu-Jun,” Nie Mingjue playfully informed. “My disciples have promised me victory today.”

“They should know better than to make promises they cannot keep,” he retorted with a grin that he hid in a sip of his tea. Nie Mingjue's focus narrowed as the corners of his mouth took a slight upturn at the jibe.

“Are you that certain of a Lan victory today?” 

“It is Wangji’s tournament to lose.” A full on smirk had appeared on the Nie sect leader’s face, looking as though he had caught Lan Xichen being mischievous or breaking a rule.

“I thought it was forbidden to have excessive pride in your sect.”

“It is, I am merely stating a fact.” Xichen was now making no effort to hide the smile now painted across his face along with the very clear playful glint pointed at Nie Mingjue. Taking in that bold declaration, he sent his gaze Wangji’s way. Remembering their practice yesterday and what he had seen of his sword prowess over the years, Zewu-Jun was speaking the truth, even if it was with a hidden prideful grin. 

Wuxian smiled as he swallowed another mouthful, “Well, Zewu-Jun, Neither I, nor Chifeng-Zun’s disciples have no intention of making it easy for Lan Zhan regardless.” he explained with a surreptitious wink at Wangji. His concentration on his congee intensified as a rosy tint bloomed around the tips of his ears. 

 As the time drew near, a steady river of people began to make their way towards the front of the complex. A large temporary arena had been constructed on the field where on any other bright sunny day, village children liked to fly kites and play games. A wide circular platform with dirt and sand had been constructed, and spectator seating was placed on all sides. A special canopied section for sect leaders high up to better afford a view of the contest had been prepared, along with designated canopied seating along the sideline for the participants. From a fair distance away, Wuxian could see that it was already bustling with people, eagerly anticipating the show that was beginning soon. 

Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin arrived in the midst of the throng and took up seats very near Lan Wangji and another Lan disciple. The Wens arrived not long afterwards looking quite confident and smug, barely concealing the obvious superiority they clearly felt as they took their seats opposite. 

“Jiang Cheng, did you talk to Shishu last night?” Wuxian whispered as he watched the Wen’s take their seats.

“I did. A-Die said he would take care of it.”  

Soon the arena had filled to the brim and then some with cultivators and spectators. With seats gone, many contented themselves with either standing or finding a small patch of ground to sit on near the benches. Chatter and din mellowed then quieted as Jiang Fengmian and four judges from different sects made their way out to the center of the arena. “Cultivators and spectators present,” he shouted above the quieting voices, calling their attention. “Before the contest begins, let me inform you all about the rules in play. In each bout the first combatant to land three hits on their opponent, will be the winner of the match. However,” he gestured to an obviously marked, purple border that indicated a large perfect circle in the middle of the large platform, “should a combatant step out of the bounds of the arena, it is an automatic loss and the match will be forfeited.” The crowd murmured a little as they took in the rules, while Jiang Fengmian continued onwards. “Also, as this is a demonstration of swordsmanship, the arena itself has been outfitted with protection spells. The first is so that swords can be used without causing injury to their opponent. The second, is so that personal spells and cultivation are rendered useless. Talent and skill is what is on display today.” Jiang Wanyin shot him a brief wink. Wuxian grinned and stole a brief look at the Wens, whose grins had changed into sneers and they appeared as though the wind had been taken out of their sails. Wuxian surmised that he had guessed right about their “enhancement” after all. 

“At that,” the sect leader concluded with, “I wish all combatants the best of luck. Will the first two opponents make their way to the stage please.” 

After loudly shouting words of the encouraging variety to Li Bolin as he made his way to the stage, Wei Wuxian roved his focus over Wen Xu taking his place opposite. Wen Xu was carrying himself as though he discovered someone had spit in his food. His scowling mouth and frustrated eyes could be observed from the very top of the seating; it was warming to see. A signal from one of the four judges that encircled the arena, and the match began in a flurry of speed and a bright clash of metal. 

Wen Xu, even in his sour state, was not an opponent to be taken lightly, quickly landing a point on Li Bolin in the first round of their match. Shaking off that early loss, Bolin was soon showing off the intensity of the Yunmeng style to great effect and matching success in his match. In barely any time at all, he had landed two points on Wen Xu with one on his shoulder, the other on his torso, each hit generating enthusiastic acclaim at the show he was putting on. Wen Xu had grown more and more visibly frustrated as the match moved into the fourth round. Seeing his disciples victory within reaching distance, Wuxian could not help letting a propitious shout of, “Finish him Li!” mix into the din of the excited crowd.

Wen Xu charged at his opponent as soon as the next round began, catching him off guard and driving him towards the arena’s edge. Deftly, he stepped out of the way allowing Wen Xu’s own momentum to drive him closer to the out of bounds demarcation. Wuxian held his breath as Wen Xu very nearly stepped out of bounds, then cursed as he managed to save himself. Li Bolin was prepared this time as Wen Xu charged again, but was not ready for the sudden skidding stop, and the cloud of dust and dirt that flew straight into his face as a result. Blinded by the dust cloud, he staggered back. Cries of nervousness and apprehension came from the crowd as he stepped uncomfortably close to the arena’s edge. 

“Li, look out!” Jiang Wanyin shouted, but Wen Xu was already moving, driving his sword towards his opponent and sending him fully out of bounds. Cries of anger and frustration from the crowd drowned out elated ones at the result. Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin rushed onto the stage in an instant, calling for Wen Xu’s disqualification and helping their disciple, who was still faltering about from his imposed blindness. They were immediately ushered off the stage to better allow the four judges to come to a ruling on the match. 

Wuxian was pouring water down Bolin’s eyes when the judgment that he had lost came down, causing a great deal of hissing from the stands. 

“Having prowess with a sword also means being able to use your environment to your advantage,” the Meishan Yu judge loudly explained, “therefore, the result stands.” Wuxian bit his lips and held in his anger as he continued to flush out his disciples eyes, slightly grateful that he could not currently see the fury spreading over his and Jiang Wanyin’s face. 

“I’m sorry Shixiong.” Bolin quietly apologized as small streams of water ran down his eyes and cheeks.

“What are you sorry for?” Jiang Wanyin admonished. “He knew you were the better swordsman, so he played dirty to win.” Wuxian nodded in agreement as Bolin allowed himself a slight upturn of his mouth despite his obvious disappointment at it all. “Besides,” Wei Wuxian went on, “he won’t make it past the next round. If Lan Wangji wins his first match, he is sure to trounce him in the next.” Of course there was no “if'' when it came to Lan Wangji and his advancement. His match against He Haoyu went quickly, with Wangji earning three hits in record time. He Haoyu looked rather stunned and confused as he left the arena, barely five minutes after he had entered it. Lan Xichen’s statement at breakfast rang in Wuxian’s head again as he watched Wangji confidently retake his seat on the sideline. This contest was indeed Lan Wangji’s to win; everyone else there was competing for second place.  

 Without a working “enhancement”, and the bad information Wuxian had supplied the night previous, the following match of Jin Zixun and Jiang Wanyin went about as well as could be expected. After four rounds, Jiang Wanyin landed the winning point on Jin Zixun’s back, the force of which sent him stepping out of bounds, adding insult to injury. Taking a look upwards, he could see his guardian’s look of immense pride as his son bowed to his opponent in victory. Madam Yu also looked to be beaming at the sight. Wuxian enthusiastically greeted Jiang Wanyin with a grasp of his hand in congratulations, while catching sight of Jin Zixun’s sulking face as made his way to the spectator stands in defeat. “That’s what you get for trying to cheat, asshole,” he thought inwardly.

Mian Mian and Jin Zixuan’s respective matches, were each spectacles of the Jin technique, with their flourishes and wide showman like forms always a crowd favorite. Both unsurprisingly won their bouts easily. Wen Chao’s match against Yu Zhe was also a sight to watch, making Wuxian wonder if the younger Wen brother was in fact the superior swordsman of the pair, considering how well he was holding his own against the Nie disciple. The match went into round five, with the next point being the deciding win. Akin to his brother’s earlier display, Wen Chao charged at his opponent when the signal came down, aiming for Yu Zhe’s stomach. Thanks to the obvious move, Yu Zhe was able to block quickly, bringing his sword into a protective position across his torso. Using Wen Chao’s momentum against him, he dodged slightly, and their swords made a horrible high pitched scratching sound as their blades ran against the other. Yu Zhe then used his power to swing his blade down towards Wen Chao’s head and neck, while Wen Chao scrambled to right himself and turn to face him. 

Point.

Yu Zhe had won. At least this time Wen Chao did not put up a tantrum at the loss, as he dejectedly took his place in the stands near his father. It was progress.  

Wuxian took in the next match of a Nie and Lan disciple with great interest. One of these cultivators could potentially be his opponent in the next round, and this was his best and only chance to study them both. After observing and analyzing three rounds of combat, Wuxian realized either one would be a challenge, but most certainly not insurmountable. The Nie technique favored movements that supported the large knife like dao. As a result, the movements were slightly slower than other techniques, but immensely powerful in their connections, and on an actual battlefield would result in devastating slashes and chops into any unfortunate enemy. 

The Lan disciple was using her conservation of energy to great effect against her combatant, able to dodge and sidestep many of the oncoming attacks. Her jian’s lightness also helped her to recover more quickly than her opponent and had helped her land two points in consecutive rounds. A hush fell over the spectators as the fourth round began. The Lan disciple stood sure footed and guarded as the Nie disciple cautiously moved closer, holding the hilt near his face, and his blade pointed in her direction. Brazenly, the Lan disciple lowered her sword, leaving her body wide open to attack. If she was not a Lan, Wuxian would most certainly have called the move ‘cocky.’ Wuxian took a glance at Lan Wangji, who was also watching the match with rapt attention. Inwardly, he cursed Wangji’s stoic face; giving nothing away in regards to the display. A flash of blue and white, a glint of sunlight off the dao, a loud clang of metal crashing against metal and the Lan disciple had found her third point in the stomach of her opponent. 

When faced with a loss, it was customary to be the first to offer up a bow in congratulations to the victor, then perhaps an exchange of hands. It was considered poor form to grimace or frown at the victor, and common to put on a small smile after bowing, the better to mask disappointment. The Nie disciple by contrast looked as though he was ecstatic to lose because he wore the widest happiest grin as he bowed and left the arena. The display was, in a word; odd. Wangji gave her a slight approving nod as she returned to the sideline, before glancing Wuxian’s way and directing her attention towards him. Wuxian snickered as he sauntered a couple of steps over.

“Lan Zhan, should I be worried? What spell did she cast to make her opponent so happy to lose?” he asked with a wink in her direction, to which the Lan disciple giggled slightly. Wangji stared for a moment.

“Jiang Zongzhu explained that spells do not work here,” he said rather questioningly. Wuxian bit his lips to hide a giggle as Wangji informed onwards, “I am merely instructing Lan Fanghua to watch her probable opponent for the next round.”

“Lan Zhan,” he teasingly admonished, “you have that much faith in me?”

“Mn.” Wuxian felt some heat rise to his cheeks as he smiled in return for the encouragement. Quickly, he skipped up onto the platform, but not before he turned back and rather cheekily asked, "Lan Guniang, would you tell me what you did so that I can prepare my feeble heart?” Lan Fanghua smiled and bowed. “If you beat me, I will tell you Wei Gongzi.”

“Well then, I will make sure that I win this match. I need a chance to discover what you did to that man.” he declared with another wink for the young disciple, causing her to giggle once more. After sending a wide grin Wangji’s way, he strode off to his match. 

Silence fell over the crowd as he and Ouyang Jinlin were announced and had made their way to opposite sides of the arena. Confidence in his own prowess was something that Wuxian possessed in multitude, but the man in gray made him second guess those skills for half a second. The short, willowy boy he remembered had disappeared. The man now across from him was tall and quite stocky, looking as though he could have been built from literal stone. Questions of what exactly they were feeding Ouyang disciples in Baling ran through his mind as he gave his opponent a quick up and down appraisal. Wei Wuxian tried to hide a nervous swallow as he bowed and took up position, Suibian at the ready.

The match began with a burst of speed from Ouyang Jinlin, barreling across the arena and straight for him. Wuxian narrowly missed being hit as he sidestepped just in time, and blocked the opposing sword finding purchase near his neck. His opponent's strength behind that swing had been immense, and Wuxian felt bolts of sharp pain from that block travel up his arms and into his shoulders. Sensing a need to put more distance between the pair of them, Wuxian quickly pushed him away with the full force of Suibian, giving him a chance to step away as his opponent righted himself. Jinlin spun towards him and swung his sword in a wide arc for Wuxian’s chest. He blocked easily, then turned his blade to his advantage, finding his first point in Jinlin’s upper chest.

A change of strategy was necessary. It would seem that the Ouyang style was quite similar to the Yunmeng Jiang in its use of power and speed, and with two such similar sword forms, the potential for the match to drag on was high, and then it would be a matter of stamina to see who the winner would be. As Wuxian stared down his opponent for the next round, he discovered his answer. Ouyang Jinlin preferred to use his speed for the offensive aspects. Wuxian would use his own speed for the defensive ones, and hopefully gain the upper hand. 

It seemed as though his opponent had changed strategies as well as he moved much more cautiously throughout the second round of combat. The high speed and power behind his movements remained, but he kept his sword positioned in an obvious protective manner across his torso. After what seemed like many minutes and loud exchanges of blades, Wuxian was unable to find an open target, and if he could not find one, he needed to make one. Subtly, he repositioned himself as they circled each other, purposely opening up his side to attack, and hopefully tempting Jinlin. His opponent’s eyes flashed downwards, then back up to his own; he had seen the bait. Wuxian had a moment to plan, before a blur of gray and scarlet and a bright flash of metal came flying in his direction. Jinlin did just as Wuxian hoped he would, aiming for his open flank with a wide arc, easily blocked with Suibian. Using his own momentum against him, he was able to find his second point in the back of Jinlin's neck. 

The Ouyang disciple was looking very frustrated as he took up his position again across the arena. Understandable, one more hit and he was done. Wuxian stole a quick glance to the sidelines, and for a moment locked eyes with Lan Wangji, who gave him a nearly imperceptible approving nod. He sent a small knowing smirk back in his direction; he practically had this match in hand. 

The signal for the third round was given and once more, a flash of gray and scarlet bounded across the arena, and made devastating, loud contact with Suibian, which Wuxian was able to position in the nick of time. The force of the hit sent Wuxian backwards, scrambling to find his footing. Loud gasps and cries from the crowd gave him some idea of how close to the edge of the arena he was. Dust kicked out from under his feet as he made some distance between him and disqualification, and he swung wildly for his flank. Another loud clang as the swords made contact, and Ouyang Jinlin deflected, parrying his swing and finding his first point on Wuxian’s shoulder. 

Shit. He had let his lead get to his head. Granted, he was still very much in a favorable position, but another point lost, and they would be on equal footing once again. Wuxian planted his feet in position as the fourth round began. He needed to go back to his original plan, get on the defensive and use his own speed against Jinlin. 

The crowd was incredibly silent while the scene in the arena unfolded. As Wuxian had planned, Jinlin advanced, albeit slowly, so slowly he was trying his patience. Still, Wuxian remained rooted to his position, saving his energy and looking for an opening as his opponent got closer. Without warning, Ouyang Jinlin swung for Wuxian’s head. He felt the woosh of his opponent's sword above him just as he barely dodged it. Evading the strike, he just had time to right himself when Jinlin's blade came swinging towards his side, seeking a target. The sharp sounding clash that followed that wide arc, echoed through the arena, and the crowd gasped in turn. 

Wuxian was able to block blow for blow to great effect, but it was by no means easy. Each swing seemed to have more power behind the other, rather than diminishing, and if Wuxian did not find an answer soon, he would lose another point. Jinlin had managed to maneuver him back to the center of the arena, and was bringing his sword down towards Wuxian’s front in another of those wide sweeping arcs he seemed to favor, when he saw it. He had a split second to act, it would be risking another hit, but he would get his third point. Taking advantage of the widest part of Jinliln's swipe, he lunged forward towards his stomach. 

Point.

He had won.

His match had been the conclusion of the preliminary round of the tournament, and the sun was now at its hottest point of the day. A break was so ordered, with the quarter-final set to begin in an hour. Wei Wuxian had begun to pull his brother towards a nearby dock for their rest, when a small red sparkling messenger butterfly landed on Wanyin’s shoulder, catching them both off guard. Wanyin’s eyes widened and a grin bloomed wide on his face as he absorbed the spiritual animal’s message, then began to quickly scan the spectator stands. 

“Jiang Cheng?”

“Wen Qing is here,” he excitedly explained, and Wuxian immediately began to scour the spectators as well. In a moment, Wanyin bounded towards the stands, it would seem that he had spotted her amongst the sea of people filing out. 

“Say ‘hi’ to her for me, and remember you have an hour!” Wuxian shouted to his shidi as he disappeared into the crowd. Suddenly bereft of his brother, Wuxian headed off towards a nearby dock alone, until the delicious savory smells of nearby enterprising vendors around the arena caught his attention. A long row of food sellers ran from the entrance of the complex all the way to the arena, all of them wafting savory and sweet temptation into his nose. The dock could wait, he had an hour after all. 

Managing to find a stall with a short enough queue turned out to be a slight challenge, but he had managed to get a hold of a lotus seed cake and a savory meat bao with enough time to spare to spend some of it on a nearby somewhat crowded dock. “Wei Ying?” Turning with a mouth full of cake, Lan Wangji stood nearby, holding a small sprig of lychee. 

“Lmn Zhn!” he attempted through his bite before managing to swallow it. He quickly moved over, in a wordless invitation before Wangji had finished asking. 

“Lan Zhan, you’re not with your brother?” 

“I lost track of him.” Wangji replied quickly, flickering his eyes behind him and then back to the lychee in his hands. Taking a glimpse at the attendees on the dock and on the thoroughfare nearby, he could see the unmistakable silhouettes of Wen Chao and Wen Xu a short distance away, and slowly meandering in their direction. Wuxian wanted to imagine that Wen Xu would not try anything in front of a crowd, but after the stunt he had pulled during the night hunt he was not so sure. “Lan Zhan, is Wen Xu following you?” Wangji quickly nodded his head, before turning his attention to peeling his lychee. 

“What is he doing? Is he trying to intimidate you or something?”

“I believe those are his intentions.”

“Asshole.”

Wuxian turned again to see that Wen Xu had seemed to have left his brother behind at a tangren stall and had made it all the way to the start of the gangway, then planted his feet there. His searing, frustrated and angry gaze was not pointed at Lan Wangji, but very clearly straight at him instead. Seeing the strong emotion plainly on the Wen heir’s face, and with a piercing look of his own just for him, Wuxian moved his sword hand and a sheathed Suibian to rest on the planks just behind Lan Wangji. To a passerby, it looked like an attempt to get more comfortable, but for Wen Xu it was a clear show of protection partnered with a subtle threat. Come any closer and you will get what is coming to you. Wen Xu’s features darkened as he took in Wuxian’s subtle presentation, then turned and skulked in the opposite direction, stopping to grab his brother by the collar along the way. 

“He’s gone Lan Zhan.” Wangji turned to see Wen Xu’s back disappearing back down the row of stalls, and Wuxian’s sword arm where it remained on the slats just behind him. A pink flush quickly appeared on his ears, as he returned to fastidiously peeling another lychee. 

“Thank you, Wei Ying.”

“No worries. Lan Zhan, are you alright to continue the match later?” Lan Wangji gently tossed his fruit's discarded wrappings into the water. 

“I am.”

Eight. Of the sixteen participants who had started the competition that morning, now only eight remained. One participating disciple each from the Nie and the Wen sects, and two from the Jin, Lan, and Jiang. The number of chairs on the sideline was not the only thing that had been lessened in the hour previous. The large purple rimmed circle that showcased their bouts had also reduced in size. Combat would not be hindered, but the odds of being thrown out of bounds had increased by a noticeable significance. 

Mian Mian was already the sideline, happily conversing with Lan Fanghua when he and Lan Wangji returned to their seats. “Watch out for that one Mian Mian, she has magic that turns her enemies into smiling, happy fools,” he grinned. Lan Fanghua bit her lips, trying to hide a smile. Mian Mian shot him a glare. 

“Wei Wuxian, be serious.”

“I am being perfectly serious,” he said with feigned indignation and an obvious smirk. “You saw that Nie disciple grinning ear to ear last round,” he playfully gestured to the Lan disciple sitting beside her, “She knows cultivation that will bring entire sects to their knees, I’m sure of it.” The pronounced eyeroll that followed from Mian Mian could have been seen from the tops of the stands, were they not protected by a canopy. 

“Take your seat, Wei Wuxian.” She ordered, her voice betraying how she was very much over his antics. However, it only spurred Wuxian onwards. 

“Where are you sitting, Mian Mian?” 

“Not next to you.” she explained, sitting down with emphasis next to the Lan disciple.

“Mian Mian, take pity on this feeble man.” he pouted.
“You are the furthest thing from feeble, Wei Wuxian.” she quickly scolded and pointed at a chair on the far end of the sideline, indicating that he should sit as far away from her as he could.

“...Mian Mian?”

“What is it, Wei Wuxian?” 

“Your eyes are sparkling again.” Luo Qingyang immediately began looking for something to throw in his direction. Wuxian cackled as he quickly put some distance between them.

Lan Wangji was determinedly looking straight ahead at the arena when Wuxian plopped down in a seat nearby, looking as though he was trying to meditate. Wuxian chose not to disturb him and began scanning the crowd for Jiang Wanyin, wondering how is time with Wen Qing had gone in the hour that had passed.

“Wei Ying?”

“Lan Zhan?”

“Is Luo Qingyang angry with you?”

“Only a little.” Wuxian chuckled, “She gets that way when I flirt with her, but she gets over it pretty quickly. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

“Why do you flirt with her, if you know she doesn’t like it?”

“We’re friends,” he beamed. “Here, watch,” He spun back around in her direction and yelled out, 

“Good luck Mian Mian!”

“I’m fighting your shidi, Wei Wuxian!” she returned.

“Well then kick his ass!” He grinned as she smiled and threw back a confident nod his way. 

“See, Lan Zhan,” he brightly explained, “friends.” Wangji still looked a little puzzled, but he slowly nodded all the same. 

Soon afterwards, the other four participants had returned to the arena for the start of the quarter-final. Jiang Wanyin had slipped in with the crowd and was wearing a very wide grin when he arrived at the sideline. Wuxian knowingly waggled his eyebrows at him, “I assume your hour went well then?” he playfully asked, earning a small but loving jab in the arm in return. He caught sight of Wen Qing in the stands next to Wen Qionglin and Nie Huaisang, wearing a similar bright smile on her features. By contrast, Wen Xu returned still wearing the scowling look he had on the dock. His gaze flickered back and forth between him and Lan Wangji, seeming to assess something, and his face got noticeably darker. Wuxian stared at him with a glower of his own as he took a seat opposite. 

Once again, Jiang Fengmian called the crowd to attention, then began the quarter-final round by calling up the first combatants; Wen Xu and Lan Wangji. 

“Trounce him, Lan Zhan.” Wuxian quietly encouraged as Lan Wangji stepped onto the platform. The crowd quieted as Lan Wangji and Wen Xu took their places, and Wuxian left his chair to lean onto the stage, the better to observe the fight that was about to happen. Considering how quickly Lan Wangji's last fight ended, this could potentially be even faster. The signal went down, both combatants flew at each other across the arena, and a loud clash of metal against metal echoed through the stands. 

The pair matched strike for strike, with Wen Xu swinging wildly on the offensive, and Wangji deftly answering each one on the defensive. Just in these few exchanges, it was easy to see who the superior swordsman was. Wen Xu’s strikes were some of the sloppiest Wuxian had ever seen in terms of technique, while Wangji’s swings were a master class in speed and control. As a result it did not take long for him to secure his first point in the middle of Wen Xu’s torso. The signal had barely come down for the second round, when Wen Xu barreled at top speed towards Lan Wangji. Immediately dodging a wide arc that was clearly meant for his head, then using Wen Xu’s energy against him, sent him falling to the ground in a cloud of dust and dirt with Bichen’s impact. Mere seconds after the round began, it had quickly ended. The match now stood two to nil and Wangji very clearly was on a speedy path to victory. 

Wen Xu did not seem to realize that his strategy of flying at top speed at his opponent was not working, as once again that is precisely what he did as soon as the signal went down. Wangji was prepared, standing his ground, moving backwards to dodge and sidestep Wen Xu’s strikes, and blocking and deflecting with Bichen when it was necessary. Wen Xu’s swings became more wild as the bout went on, with Wangji remaining poised and controlled through it all. The match speedily to come to a head with another wide, sloppy sweep targeting Wangji’s torso, to which Lan Wangji quickly parried, then using the opportunity Wen Xu provided, brought Bichen down to the back of his shoulder. 

Point. 

The match was over. 

Wuxian had never doubted Lan Wangji and his certain victory, still, his chest released a tightness he did not know he had at the match’s conclusion, as he headed back to his seat. A couple of murmurs from the crowd immediately drew him back out of it and to the platform’s edge, where he was quickly joined by everyone else on the sideline, wanting a closer view of the unfolding drama on the stage. In a display of immense disrespect, Wen Xu was refusing to end the match and bow to Lan Wangji. Instead he was silently staring him down with what appeared to be every ounce of fury he stored within his body. A tentative Ouyang judge had walked over and Wuxian guessed, was telling him to bow, so that the match could officially end. He remained unmoved, as he continued to stare down Lan Wangji, seething. 

Long pointed moments had gone by, and Wen Xu remained stubborn in his refusal to end the bout, even after words of frustration from another judge who had joined the first. Then it happened; Lan Wangji bowed, turned his back to his former opponent, and exited the stage. A few gasps and murmurs came from the crowd as he exited, and Wuxian felt his own jaw drop slightly. This simple act from Wangji presented to the entire cultivation world how truly dishonorable a person Wen Xu was, and potentially did more damage to him than anything he possibly could have done during their match. Up until that moment, Wen Xu could have saved some face, gritted his teeth, bowed and been done. Some social embarrassment would have followed, but easily overcome with a little time. Now though, that door had been slammed shut. Lan Wangji had embarrassed him to the point that this event would follow him for a very long while, potentially well into when he would become sect leader of the Qishan Wen, perhaps even influencing his future effectiveness as sect leader. Wuxian felt no pity as Wen Xu quickly left the arena entirely and fumed his way back to the complex.

Chapter Text

The frown on Nie Mingjue’s face as his remaining disciple was eliminated was brief, but clear from his point high in the stands. To his disciple’s credit, Yu Zhe had by no means made it an easy victory for Jin Zixuan. The pair were very evenly matched, using the full five rounds of combat to find a victor. Jin Zixuan wore a quite relieved expression as he returned to the sideline; now the only Jin representative remaining in the competition. Wuxian had observed the match with precision focus. Provided he won his match against Lan Fanghua, the ‘Peacock’ would be his opponent in the semi-final. With a quick good luck jab in the arm from Jiang Cheng, Wuxian skipped back into the arena and threw a tooth filled grin at his opponent. 

“I hope you’re prepared to tell me what you did to that young man,” he smirked, as he took his place opposite in the ring. The young Lan disciple merely smiled. “You are going to have to earn that privilege, Wei Gongzi,” to which she took up position, ready to strike once the signal was given. 

“I intend to, Lan Guniang.”

Lan Fanghua’s talent was not as graceful or refined as Lan Wangji’s, but she was still very much a powerhouse. Her conservation of energies and swift, efficient movements were emblematic of the Lan technique and quite the challenge to boot. Wuxian found himself grateful for his practice with Lan Wangji the day previous, as that preview was proving invaluable for this fight. Lan Fanghua had quickly taken the first point, but lost ground when Wuxian scored two successive points in the following rounds. By the end of the fourth round, they were sitting on a tie. 

As soon as the signal to begin was given, both combatants moved cautiously to the center, not wanting to give any easy advantage to the other. As soon as he had reached within sword's reach, he swung for Lan Fanghua’s middle, to which she blocked, then spun her body in his direction, while bringing in her jian towards his throat. The breeze that followed her swing blew through his hair as he ducked and dodged at the last moment. In the split second he had to right himself, Lan Fanghua’s jian came sweeping for his torso, only to be met with a loud echoing clang as it clashed with Suibian. With victory and placement in at least the top four on the line, neither gave the other quarter as the round went on block for blow. The match had been going long when Wuxian saw Lan Fanghua’s jian swinging wide, his shoulder seeming to be the target. Scrambling, and taking a leaf from the Lan handbook, used his energy to sidestep just enough to get out of her blade’s path, and connect Suibian with her stomach. 

Victory. 

Lan Fanghua’s smile was quite bright as she bowed in congratulations at the match’s conclusion. Wuxian quickly pulled her in for an exchange of hands before she headed off to find a seat for the rest of the contest. 

“Lan Guniang, you made a promise,” he grinned, to which a red flush appeared on her cheeks and her smile went slightly coy. She acquiesced with a head nod and explained, “When the fight ended, I gave Yu Pengxi permission to court me.” His eyes went incredulous, flabbergasted at the explanation and stammering. 

“You d-did what?” 

“What I just said,” she explained. Another smile and a bow for courtesy, then she made her way up into the seats, where she quickly joined the Nie disciple she had bested earlier. Wuxian could see that he was still sporting a very wide grin as she sat down next to him, and discreetly laced his hand with hers. 

“Lan Zhan, just so you know,” he began as he rejoined the other three back on the sideline, “should I win, I will not be giving you permission to court me to soften the blow.” ‘Priceless’ was the best way to describe the expression that flew onto Wangji’s face. So much so, it sent Wuxian into a hysterical fit. 

“Wei Ying!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Lan Zhan,” he cheerfully said as he wiped away a small laughter fueled tear.

“Where…wh…why would you say that?” Wangji managed to stammer out after a moment, as Wuxian continued to lightly chuckle. 

“It seems that Lan Fanghua gave her previous opponent permission to court her.” Wangji raised an eyebrow then cocked his eyes to the stands, seeming to hunt for the Lan in question. 

“Did you know about them?” Wangji shook his head slightly in answer, as he had zeroed in on Lan Fanghua sitting with who could be assumed her eventual intended. Her smile was just as bright as Yu Pengxi’s as she subtly leaned into his side. “Well, in any event, they do look cute together.” Wangji responded with his signature quiet “Mn.”

The sun was making a home in the mid afternoon sky when Jin Zixuan, Lan Wangji, Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian walked onto the stage for the semi final round. The Tingshan He judge called the spectators to attention as he stepped to the center, carrying a shining, lacquered bamboo container of Guan Yin sticks. “Cultivators and spectators gathered here,” he shouted above the din so that he could be heard, “the penultimate round of the competition is about to begin!” The crowd responded with a brief round of clapping with some shouts of encouragement to the four remaining. Jiang Yanli let out a loud squeal of encouragement for her brothers. They both scanned the crowd for her and quickly sent a wide smile and a wave her way. 

“For the next round of competition,” he held up the canister of Guan Yin sticks for all to see, “we will let fate decide the matches.” Wuxian shared a quick glance with all of the remaining combatants. Confusion had made its' way into their faces at the change to the roster that was being presented. “The cultivator who draws the highest number, will receive the chance to draw their opponent for this round, and thus setting up the matches for the remainder of the contest.” Wuxian swallowed as he looked towards Jiang Wanyin, who was taking the darkly lacquered canister into his palms. He held his breath as he listened to the gentle sound of the thin bamboo sticks hitting against each other as they moved through the air, and the collective loud thunk of them hitting the bottom of the container as it shook in his brother’s hands. 

This surprise had changed everything with how he thought the afternoon competition would proceed. He glanced at Jin Zixuan, the person who was supposed to be his opponent for this round. The difficulty of fighting Jin Zixuan would be high. Jin swordsmanship was flamboyant in nature, a spectacle to observe, and was always a crowd favorite. But in its’ flamboyancy was its power; distracting enemy combatants. Wuxian would have to be on the top of his game if he was his opponent. Now however, who knew. It could still be Jin Zixuan after everything was said and done, but by the same measure, it could be Lan Wangji or Jiang Wanyin. The odds were good that his opponent would not be his shidi, but…still. A soft clink of a stick hitting the ground and the shaking stopped. Wuxian let out his breath when his brother picked up the stick and read the number out loud. 

“Sixty-three.” 

The judge quickly adjusted the remaining sticks back into the container before passing it into his nervous hands. The large cluster of numbers in tiny elegant script stared back at him as they rested in the canister, ready to bestow his fortune for the rest of the competition. He held his breath again and began to shake. 

Clunk. 

He had to get a higher number than Jiang Wanyin. 

Clank.

He wanted to be the one left standing.

Clunk. 

If only fate was kind…

Clink. 

One of the sticks had fallen to the ground. He paired a resigned smile with a shrug for the crowd as he said aloud, “Twenty-Seven,” and passed the fateful canister back to the judge. Who was he kidding? Fate was in control here. None of the finalists had any power over this contest, only the illusion of it. He put on a brave smile and nudged his brother with his elbow. Provided fate was unkind to Jin Zixuan and Lan Wangji, Jiang Wanyin would be the lucky one to set the bouts for the remaining competition. Wuxian tensed in anticipation as Jin Zixuan began to shake. 

Clink. Wei Wuxian heard his brother hold his breath as Jin Zixuan picked up the stick from the ground, which was summarily followed by a loaded sigh when he heard Jin Zixuan say, “Eighty-four.” Alright, that would be a hard number to beat, but maybe fate would smile on Lan Wangji, as he watched him take the container and begin to shake. Taking into consideration his bout with Wangji yesterday, they were evenly matched, barely. But if he were to lose, it would probably be a match he would enjoy losing though, then he could then spend the rest of the competition cheering him on along with Jiang Wanyin. Soon the collective thunk was joined by a light clink as fate landed on the ground at Lan Wangji’s feet. 

“Thirty-five.” Wangji quietly read. Wuxian could hear Jin Zixuan let out a quiet breath from either relief or possible apprehension, judging from the look on his face. Another judge stepped forward with the wooden box that had helped to set the bouts for the entire competition two days ago, and held it out expectantly to the Jin heir. The crowd was deathly quiet as Jin Zixuan closed his eyes and drew a name from the box. The sudden drop of Wuxian’s stomach was immense when Lan Wangji’s name was read aloud. That meant… His eyes shot to his shidi, who was also staring at him with the same levels of apprehension and dread if not more. Jiang Wanyin’s expression danced from shock to hardened, almost angry determination before walking past him, back to the sideline. As they exited, Wuxian observed his brother flick his eyes up towards the top of the stands once or twice, the area reserved for sect leaders, where his mother and father were seated. Jiang Fengmian looked rather pained at the realization that his son and ward would be fighting each other. But Yu Furen? Shivers from her icy terrifying stare ran up and down his spine when he made eye-contact with her, and he threw his sights to the ground to better calm the nerves raking up and down his body from what fate had prepared for them.  

Tenseness settled between them like heavy air before a thunderstorm, a strange prickly sensation of calm before the heavens opened up in divine fury. Frustratingly, Jiang Wanyin was keeping his eyes fixed on the fight that was happening, if he was paying attention though, it was unclear. He and Jiang Wanyin had sparred and fought enough over the years to know each other’s moves backwards and forwards. They both also knew that Wei Wuxian was the superior soldier, and also how much that fact galled Madam Yu. If he won, there was no question as to whether or not he would be on the receiving end of her wrath. But if the son of Jiang Zongzhu, the next in line to be leader of the Jiang sect lost to his first disciple, in front of the entire cultivation world no less, Jiang Wanyin would also be feeling his mother’s fury in more ways than one for the foreseeable future. 

Wuxian swallowed. He could throw the match, lose. He had done enough to earn the right to go to the celebration that evening as himself, which was all he really wanted anyways. With his skill, making the loss look convincing would be nothing, and no one in the audience would be the wiser. His loss would also be good from a narrative perspective; the Yunmeng representative in the final match should be the heir, and not the first disciple. The tension that was steadily pooling in his chest and head dissipated as he realized the relative ease of the solution. Jiang Wanyin was still watching the match with apparent intense attention, when Wuxian broke the tension that was still hanging in the air between them.

“Jiang Cheng, I think that-”

“You had better fight with all you have got, Wei Wuxian,” he quickly interrupted, still not pulling his gaze from Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan battling out for placement in the final match.

“Jiang Cheng, you-”

“Fight. I will win or lose based on my own merit,” he tersely explained as he finally pulled away from the arena and turned in his direction, eyes steely and more determined than Wuxian had seen in a very long time. “You will not interfere in that.”

“What about-”

“Do it, Wei Wuxian,” he held his gaze for what seemed an interminable length of time in his own intense one before he finished, “Or I will not forgive you,” then returned his attention ahead to the arena. 

Shit.

Wei Wuxian looked directly ahead, but his mind went frustratingly blank save one thought, “What do I do?” He was mulling over his options with such intensity, he barely noticed a deep voice quietly calling his name.

“Wei Ying?”

“Oh, Lan Zhan. I see you won your match,” he smiled readily, quickly masking the dilemma playing out on his face. 

“Mn. It is time for yours.” He replied, with a small nod towards the stage. Wuxian could see that Jiang Wanyin was already determinedly making his way towards the circle. With a quick huff, Wuxian gripped Suibian and made his way to face his shidi, his mind still furiously sifting between his options. By the time he found himself face to face with Wanyin, he still had no idea how the match was going to end; only that any outcome was going to be difficult. 

It was the slowest start to any of the matches that had happened that day, with neither of them wanting or wishing to be the first to make a move. Questioning murmurs from the crowd finally spurred Wanyin to hesitantly start to circle the arena’s edge, slowly making his way in his direction. Wuxian leveled his gaze, knowing that if he broke eye contact for a moment, Jiang Wanyin would take that opportunity in an instant. Part of Wuxian wanted to give him that advantage, to let him win and present to everyone else a show. The other part of him wanted to give his shidi what he had ordered him to do; fight. Give him his best, even if it meant Wanyin’s defeat and Yu Ziyuan’s outrage. For the moment, he held his martial brother in his sights. If he wanted a fight, he would give him one for the time being. 

Wanyin was quite close now, holding his sword Sandu in a defensive manner across his torso and neck, but clearly ready to strike should he find an opening. Gently, Wuxian stepped within touching distance of Sandu and brought Suibian up to meet her. In a move that was pure drama, and entirely for the audience, he slowly moved Suibian up and down the length of Sandu as he circled Wanyin, creating a grating sound of metal against metal, before coming to a stop in the center. 

In the breath of a moment, the air in the arena went from uncomfortably tense to explosive, as Wanyin brought Sandu into a massive swing towards Wuxian, knocking Suibian out of the way and clearing a path towards his middle. Seeing Sandu coming towards him, Wuxian immediately righted himself and stepped backwards, giving himself time for a counter block, Suibian making loud contact with Sandu as he moved. Using a fair amount of his strength and Wanyin’s momentum, he used Suibian to push Sandu fully towards the ground, and his shoulder slamming into his brother, sending him more than a few steps towards the circle's edge. The sudden collective gasp of the crowd was a sure indicator of how close to out of bounds he had actually gotten. Wuxian needed to be more careful; he had no desire for the match to end soon.

In a heartbeat, Wanyin was on him again, trying to find targets with probing swings and lunges with his sword. Wuxian connected on each blow, remaining on the defensive, giving Wanyin every opportunity to try and find an opening. Wanyin knew exactly what he was doing, and the anger was growing steadily on his face as the match went on. 

“Damn it, fight back!” He spit out when an exchange brought them close enough to share some minimal words. 

Fine. 

Expertly, Wuxian pushed him away then with a spin brought Suibian down into the opening he had made, right on Wanyin’s neck.

Point.

Wuxian did not bother to look at his martial brother as he took up position back at the circle's center for the start of the next round. However, he could not help but look up at the top of the stands, back towards Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. To anyone else looking, Madam Yu’s face betrayed nothing as she observed the match between the two Jiang representatives. But Wuxian could see the cold fury behind her eyes. Her piercing gaze was not directed at him however; it was squarely on Wanyin, indignant, immovable, and furious. 

Decision made.

It may have been from his own frustration at the match, but caution seemed to have gone to the wayside slightly as Wanyin boldly strode his way over to Wuxian for the first exchange of the next round. He met him in the middle, swinging Sandu masterfully for Wuxian’s legs and catching him off guard with the unconventional choice of target. In less than a heartbeat, Wuxian quickly dodged, took a measured step backwards and brought Suibian down in a forceful block. There was no time to breathe as their swords clashed together then sprung apart as Wanyin brought Sandu’s edge barreling towards Wuxian’s arm. In a flash of speed, Wuxian had brought Suibian up to block his shoulder then swung his blade towards Wanyin’s front. It was a move that was well practiced and powerful should it connect with its target, but unfortunately opened up Wuxian to an easy attack. Wanyin took the bait, and slammed him hard with the full force of his body, sending Wuxian backwards a few steps. 

A glimpse of the arena’s edge came into view as Wuxian quickly righted himself, and prepared for the next exchange. Wanyin’s skills in matters of warfare were amongst the best of their generation, but like all other practitioners he had his weak points. Emotions and letting them get the best of him were his. When confidence was high, it influenced his choices to become more brazen and less guarded, leaving him open to his opponents. Frustration caused the opposite to occur. The tenseness in his movements was evident, as Wanyin moved back into range. His moves were tight, not as fluid as they would normally be if he were more level headed. His tells were subtle, but thanks to their years of practice, Wuxian could easily see his brother’s thoughts, the slight telegraphing of his moves as the match went on.    

 Back on the defensive, Wuxian swung Suibian up to meet a wide swing downwards from Sandu. The blades crashed together then Sandu slid downwards, resulting in a loud metallic scraping sound, sending Wuxian stepping backwards once more, and causing a very loud cacophony of gasps and cries from the stands. 

“Match, Jiang Wanyin!” Wanyin’s eyes widened at the declaration, the questions of “What?” and “How?” clearly expressed on his face. Another judge stepped forward and explained to the entire arena, “Wei Wuxian has stepped out of bounds. As a result, the fight is forfeit to Jiang Wanyin.” As they bowed to officially end their bout, Wuxian could easily observe the tightness of Wanyin’s face and the subtle clenching of his fists. He quickly mouthed, “I’m sorry,” before exiting the arena, and putting some distance between them.

Wanyin’s frustration and tension followed him into the final round of the competition, and if it had any influence on Wangji, it merely made his victory arrive slightly faster. Wanting to delay the inevitable argument that was coming, Wei Wuxian quickly slipped out of the stands with Nie Huaisang and Wen Qionglin following closeby.

Wuxian threw on a quick ready smile to mask his disappointment as Nie Huaisang congratulated him. “Wei Wuxian, well done today! You really put on a show out there.”

“Thank you,” Wuxian quickly replied. On matters of combat, Nie Huaisang despised it when he had to participate, but in terms of spectatorship however, he was an expert. 

“Your match was quite the spectacle. It’s a shame that you got knocked out of bounds.”

“Just not my lucky day I guess.”

“Did you not see the circle's edge, Wei Gongzi?” Wen Qionglin asked in a quiet voice. “It’s not like you to make a mistake like that.” Wuxian shrugged. “Like I said, just not my-

“Wei Wuxian!” A familiar voice bit out. Wei Wuxian had a breath to register that his brother was calling to him, before he was quickly and painfully grabbed by the shoulder and dragged off. It was as if Wanyin’s fingers had become a vice; Wuxian tried every twist and push he could as they moved into a secluded nearby area. His brother’s grip refused to budge. 

“Jiang Cheng! What are you- Let go!” Unfortunately, if anything, his complaints made that grip on his arm worse, and Wuxian winced at the sharpness of fingernails digging into his skin through the fabric of his sleeves. If Wanyin noticed that Nie Huaisang and Wen Qionglin were following closely behind, he made no show of concern. He proceeded to grab Wuxian by the collar and press him up against a wall with a thud and a hiss as the back of his head made contact with plaster and wood. 

“Jiang Cheng!”

“Why, Wei Wuxian?!”

“I couldn’t-” Wuxian gripped Wanyin’s wrists in an attempt to pry him off. Wanyin pulled in closer, his voice becoming more and more unrestrained and loud as he leaned in.

“You couldn't do what? Fight me properly?!”

“No! I-”

“Is it because you thought I couldn’t win!”

“...No shidi, I-”

“How could you?!”

“Jiang Cheng, please-”

“Why?!"

“I could not let her hurt you!” Wanyin blinked, paused, his breaths still deep and angry as he continued to hold Wei Wuxian against the wall. 

“You don’t know what she would do,” he retorted with a whisper. Wuxian sighed, trying to maintain his composure while he loosened his grip on Wanyin’s wrists to a more comforting pressure. “We both know she would,” he quietly replied. Realization mixed in with fury and sadness behind Jiang Wanyin’s eyes, as his grip slackened and eventually he let go. Wuxian did not. They stood there for a moment, not breaking their sights on the other, until Wanyin twisted his wrists out of Wuxian’s grip and he turned to leave. 

“That was still not your call to make Wei Wuxian,” he quietly bit out as he turned to exit,  leaving Wei Wuxian with tears gently falling down his face, looking quite broken with Wen Qionglin and Nie Huaisang nearby to help pick up the pieces.  

Waves of guilt and anger over what had happened at the tournament crashed through his gut and head, but he masked it quite easily with a ready smile and laugh to anyone he spoke to. Wei Wuxian had always been better at hiding his emotions than Jiang Wanyin, who spent the evening festivities looking like someone had spit in his wine. He bestowed only the barest of smiles and nods as people congratulated him on his second place finish. If ever a second place felt hollow, it was his. And by all standards of measure, it was a hollow one. Still, even though it pained Wei Wuxian to see the anger and disappointment on his shidi’s face, he could not bring himself to feel as though he had made the incorrect choice, regardless of how Jiang Wanyin had felt. The best course of action was only slightly better than the other. It still hurt. 

Wuxian’s original plan was to enjoy himself to his fullest extent that evening. But after what had happened during his last round of the tournament, he could no longer find it within himself to follow through. By the time the limits of propriety ran its course and he had been congratulated by enough attendees, Wei Wuxian was seriously considering exiting. After seeing Lan Wangji exit the pavilion not long afterwards, he decided to do the same. Grabbing some small lotus cakes and a bottle of wine on the way out, Wei Wuxian followed out into the quiet of the night, finding Lan Wangji walking towards the thoroughfare and nearby pier.

“Lan Zhan!” 

“Wei Ying?” Wuxian waved as he made his way over. 

“The winner of the tournament does not want to stay for his own celebration?” he teased, to which Wangji allowed a small head shake. “Eaah, that’s fair,” Wuxian grinned. “It was getting too loud and stuffy there anyways.” After asking to join Wangji in his late night walk, the pair made their way down the pier, slowly meandering in a vague direction of the Lan pavilion in relative silence. Wangji kept throwing his gaze out to the water, taking in the moonlight reflected in the water and the hints of lotus floating on its surface while perfuming the night air.

“It is beautiful here, Wei Ying.”

“Yeah, it's a shame it only lasts a couple of weeks.” 

“Will it end soon?”

“Mn. Harvest season will begin next month. We spend days out in boats collecting pods, plucking seeds. Then we have to prepare all of it for preservation. It’s actually a lot of fun, but I do miss the flowers when they go,” he sighed. After finding a small dock that jutted slightly out into the water, the pair sat down to let their feet soak, and to appreciate the tranquility. Wuxian began to imbibe a little wine and cake as they lounged (Wuxian lounged, Lan Wangji remained upright) on the wooden slats, taking in the evening stars.  

“Oh, Lan Zhan, you should have one.” He said with a mouth full of lotus cake, holding the other out for him to take. 

“I do not eat sweets. But thank you.”

“Lan Zhan, come on. You have to at least try one.” Even in the night air, he could see the apprehension on Wangji’s face, so he pressed him a little more. “Lan Zhan, you are the tournament champion, you are sitting on a dock on Lotus Lake in full bloom on a beautiful summer night. Plus, most importantly, you humiliated Wen Xu in the most polite but devastating way possible; celebrate a little.” He held the sweet up again, waving it slightly in front of him, in a very obvious playful attempt at baiting him. Surprisingly, Lan Wangi gingerly reached out, his fingertips barely brushing his as he took the sweet from his fingers. Time seemed to slow as he watched Lan Wangji carefully break off a small piece of the cake, and bring it to his mouth. Even in darkness, Wuxian could see the shape of his eyes widen a smidge and the slightest of upturned corners appear on Wangji’s mouth, betraying the smallest hints of a smile. 

“Is it good Lan Zhan?” Those upturned corners relaxed back into neutrality as Wangji nodded his head and broke off another piece. As he watched him eat the next morsel, Wuxian briefly wondered what Wangji’s smile looked like, which then shifted to wondering what his lips felt like. Would they be soft like his skin? His skin was definitely soft, he remembered it from their first swimming lesson. Moonlight also seemed to suit it beautifully. It’s almost criminal how handsome Lan Zhan is. Is perfection even possible? Well if it is, Lan Zhan would definitely come close…wait a minute…hold on. Since he had joined Lan Wangji for their evening walk, that small but familiar feeling of tightness had long settled and made a home in his stomach and chest. Now though, the feeling had quite suddenly exponentially grown into a very clear and present thrum rippling through his chest and worryingly...below his waist. It was now wholly recognizable. Wei Wuxian’s mind went blank at the realization, save one terrifying thought; was he…no…it could not possibly…with Lan Wangji?!

“Wei Ying?” his soft baritone pulled him from his thoughts and firmly back onto the dock.

“Oh…um…yes, Lan Zhan?”

“You’re staring.” 

…Shit. 

“I was? Oh, I’m sorry. I did not realize.”

“Mn. Are you alright?” That remained to be seen, but it was probably better to reassure in any event.

“I’m fine Lan Zhan.” 

To say that the rest of his time spent with Lan Wangji that evening was awkward, would be minimizing the situation on Wei Wuxian’s part. The intrusiveness of those thoughts which had started as a small trickle, quickly became a waterfall of troubling revelations about Lan Wangji’s prowess, character, and natural beauty. That thrum only became more obvious and problematic as their conversation continued. After plans were rather quickly arranged to meet up the next day, Wuxian sped back to his rooms. He needed to think.

For all of his playfulness and seeming lackadaisical nature, he could be quite shrewd and analytical when the situation called for it, and this assuredly counted as one of those situations. A few years ago, he had fallen head over heels for a shop girl in Yunmeng Village. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen at the time, and lust poured out of his young teenage body whenever he saw or thought of her. The day he found out that she was married ended up being one of the worst days of his life, and he spent a good majority of it shut up in his room, wallowing in sorrow. She was the person he conjured in his head most often when he was up late in his bed at night, his hand busy finishing himself off. Laying down in bed, he thought of her again. Her ebony hair shining under the sun, the way the corners of her lips curled in her smile, her large eyes; two bright pools in a perfectly round face. The way her laugh was akin to sunshine, and her lilting, cheerful voice. Stirrings below his waist began to poke into his body and brain, and the urge to take himself in hand was starting to make itself known. Yes, he still liked girls. 

Now for the second part of his experiment. After willing his body to allow the urges to subside, he began again, this time thinking of Lan Wangji. He thought about how gracefully he moved through the world even when he was in a sword fight, which naturally enhanced his seemingly perfect stature and physique. How his muscles moved under the unblemished planes of his chest when they swam together in the evenings. He stopped in shock when the realization rolled over him. The urge had not only returned, but it had intensified. There was no need to touch himself to know that he was becoming aroused, but the compulsion was still there, practically screaming at him to feel for himself. Sliding his hand inside his trousers, he could feel that he was growing, steadily. His body at least liked Lan Wangji; more than liked it would seem. For the first time since he discovered his body could do this, and after grabbing some nearby hair oil, he took himself in hand, thinking, no, fantasizing about another boy.

After the haze had waned and his mind began to rebuild itself, Wuxian took stock of the situation, as he fetched a wash basin to clean up the result of his new personal discovery. Clearly, his body was very attracted to him, but how did he even feel about Lan Wangji the person? Rather famously, the pair had squabbled when Wei Wuxian studied at Cloud Recesses a couple of years ago, not to mention the ribbon incident last year. At the beginning of this week Wei Wuxian was certain that Lan Wangji strongly disliked, if not outright hated him. Now uncertainty prevailed. Their prior experiences with each other before this conference notwithstanding, Wuxian admittedly was surprised to find Lan Wangji to be the near opposite of his icy untouchable reputation. He was in actuality incredibly gracious. He had stepped in and protected him from Madam Yu, not only on that first day, but also in his invitation to dinner. He also had the kindness not to pry into what he had seen in regards to her actions, giving him the space to share if he wanted to. Lan Wangji also had no qualms about jumping onto one of Lotus Pier’s rooftops, which was something he was certain the Lan Wangji of a year ago would have stoically balked at.  

Wuxian decided that it would be doing himself a disservice not explore this new part of himself, but that exploration seemed to hinge on Lan Wangji. Would Wangji even reciprocate? As he mulled over the question, he realized that the possibility of Lan Wangji even growing feelings for him was probably very slim. They were definitely becoming friends, but anything other than friendship seemed beyond the pale for a person who held a very icy reputation and on top of which did not like to be touched, even by family. In the impossibly rare event that he even would consider it, how could this even work for the pair of them? Cut sleeve pairings were not unheard of, especially among common folk. Children of sect leaders however were expected to marry and produce heirs, in order to take over the clan in the event of their parents' passing. Wei Wuxian was not an heir, but Lan Wangji most definitely was. However, he was the second son, he had a brother who could supposedly continue on the family line. And besides that, events where the title of sect leader was passed down to a chosen heir rather than a child, had precedent, but it was still uncommon.

Then there were the literal mechanics that he had to work out. Thanks to his own regular perusal of Spring Books, he was fairly certain of how it worked between a man and a woman. But two men? What were the logistics of that? He may not know, but that did not mean he could not easily discover it. Taking a seat at his nearby desk, he quickly prepared, then sent off a butterfly missive into the night;

“Hey Nie Huaisang, can I borrow that book you bought yesterday?”

Chapter Text

Coupled with the events and revelations of the day, and Nie Huaisang’s enthusiasm for literature that tended to be procured from the shadowy corners of bookshops, exhaustion easily crawled through Wuxan’s limbs and was swiftly pulling him towards sleep by the time his friend returned to his rooms for the night. 

The softness of his bed had just welcomed him when he heard a very light knock on his door. He let his pillow swallow his groan as he contemplated getting up to berate the person on the other side or to just ignore it. He arrived at the conclusion to ignore his late night visitor, when the knock came again, its rhythm a little more insistent than the last. Groaning, he stumbled out of bed and to his door, with every intention of giving whoever was on the other side some very spirited colorful language about the time of night and their lack of common decency. 

“Lotus Pier had better be ablaze for this late…oh.” Words became lodged in his throat at the appearance of the white clad person framed in his doorway. 

“Wei Ying.” An intense golden stare came into view which caused his want of sleep to quickly disappear and a sudden dryness to settle in his mouth. He tried to find words, but all that came out was a raspy, “Lan Zhan,” in reply. He stood there in awkward silence before remembering himself and opened the door a little wider, allowing Lan Wangji to take a tentative step inside. 

“Aren’t you usually in bed by this time Lan Zhan?” He asked, his throat still a little more parched than he would like considering the situation.

“Mn. I need to talk to you.”

“About what?” Wuxian quickly asked as the door quietly closed. That intense golden eyed stare was decidedly much closer as he turned back around. So much so that he backed into the now shut entrance with a noticeable soft thud. 

“This.” Suddenly hands came to rest on either side of his shoulders, encasing him against the doorway and warm soft lips were on his in a greedy hungry embrace. Shock quickly fell away to happy surprise, as Wuxian found himself and began to kiss back. In an instant, their embrace elevated to something that was much more heated, and Wuxian became somewhat aware of hands exploring around his body, heading in a vague direction southwards. “Lan Zhan,” he said between breaths, weaving his hands through his hair, and grasping his neck, “this…is not talking.” Regrettably, Wangji pulled away slightly, leaving Wuxian feeling incredibly bereft at the loss of his mouth on his. 

“Did you want to stop?” His quiet baritone sounded heavy and needy at the question, causing a small whimper to let loose from Wuxian’s throat. “Fuck, no,” he quietly exclaimed and locked his mouth with his once more. Wuxian gave a slight yelp into their kiss as Wangji’s hand moved lower, decidedly below his waist, and hovered there, resting precariously on his hip. It took Wuxian a moment to realize that he was waiting for permission, distracted as he was. 

“Whatever you are going to do with that hand Lan Zhan, do it.” With a groan, he felt Lan Wangji’s hand slip past his waistband and down his leg, dangerously close to where he desperately wanted to be touched. 

“Please, Lan Zhan, please-”
There was a gasp, followed by a quick thud as Wuxian felt the mattress solidly underneath him and Wangji nowhere to be felt or seen. The darkness of his room obscured his view, as he groggily sat up from his repose and peered into it. Rubbing the sleep and grit from his eyes, Wuxian could just make out the springbook that Nie Huaisang had left behind on a table nearby. With a huff and a light curse after eying the book from the bed for a long pointed moment, he rolled back over and let sleep take him under once more.

Rather uncharacteristically, Wuxian’s body woke quite early, and being able to lull it back to sleep was frustratingly out of reach. He muffled a groan into his pillow. Considering how little rest he had gotten the night previous, a long day seemed to be a foregone conclusion. After resigning himself to being tired, he dressed and walked the pier in the early morning light. The fragrance of the blossoms seemed especially potent and the twilight bathed the lotus flowers in a beautiful blue hue. Despite the tiredness, he supposed the view of the lake in the predawn hour was worth his current tired state, and he smiled as he took it in. A light rhythmic creak of floor boards punctuated the quiet morning air and stole his attention from the blossoms. He saw Jiang Yanli before she saw him. 

“Shijie!” Her face went from recognition to surprise to brightness as she walked over in greeting. “A-Xian, you are never up this early,” she lovingly teased. 

“First time for everything Shijie.” He lovingly replied.  Her face softened and she smiled gently as she took his arm. 

“You couldn’t sleep?”

“Not as such,” he replied with a small shake of his head. She nodded hers in reply as she squeezed his arm. 

“Jiang Cheng?” Their brother was probably part of the reason his sleep was lacking. The other part he was not sure he was ready to divulge just yet. 

“Did he talk to you?”

“He did. I also saw what you did at the tournament,” she added with a comforting squeeze to his arm where she was holding onto it. 

“What did he say?” To that, his sister shook her head and gave him a small loving smile. “He is still upset, but he does understand why you did what you did.” Wuxian curled his mouth and let out a slight sigh as he listened. Wanyin had always been hot-tempered, quick to anger and slow to come down from his rage. It was not uncommon for the adopted brothers to not speak to each other for a couple of days after a particularly nasty spat. Even more so if Wanyin was the one who needed to apologize. 

“Let him come to you when he is ready.”

“Alright shijie,” he quietly nodded, and resigned himself to what could be an agonizing wait as he took her hand in his arm and began to walk down the pier. The sun still had not risen, but orange and yellow light was starting to turn the sky a light pink by the time they had walked a full circuit around the private Jiang family docks, and made their way very near the start of the guest pavilions. Looking down the pier, the sight of an ostentatious gold wearing Jin caught his eye. A pit in his stomach formed when he realized that the early rising Jin was in fact Jin Zixuan, and he was looking in their direction with a reserved gaze. Wuxian quickly put two and two together and gripped his sister's hand tightly where it was resting in his crook.

“Shijie,” he began cautiously. “Are you up this early to see him?” he asked as he nosed in his direction. To his horror, she smiled.

“I told him the other day that sunrise on the lake is one of the most beautiful sights that Yunmeng had. He asked that I meet him today to see it with him.” 

“Shijie-” he started.

“I will be fine.” she interrupted along with a squeeze back of his hand for reassurance. “Jin Zixuan is also providing a chaperone.” Wuxian threw his gaze back down the pier to see a bleary eyed and yawning Luo Qingyang join Jin Zixuan on the deck. He huffed. The tightness in his chest shrank considerably at the sight of Mian Mian and the knowledge that she would not let any harm come to his sister, but still, the fact that Jiang Yanli was willingly looking to spend time with Jin Zixuan still muddled him. The words fell from his mouth before he realized he had said them. “Do you truly like him, Shijie?” Her features turned thoughtful, as if she was trying to land on a decision and Wuxian went a little incredulous, frustrated that his sister seemed unable to see what was clearly obvious in the Jin heir.

“You’re not sure? Shijie, he’s a pompous ass.” he quietly hissed. She expertly partnered another comforting squeeze of a hand with an incredulous look as she rounded her eyes back towards him. 

“Perhaps I have seen past those qualities, A-Xian.”

“What? How? That’s all he is, Shijie.” She smiled and took a step towards the dock with a shrug. “We talked.”

“You talked?” 

“Yes.” Wuxian began to wind up another retort to complain that a conversation was not enough to excuse JIn Zixuan of his faults when she beat him to it.

“Didn’t you talk with Lan Wangji?” Wuxian went dumbfounded for a moment. What? When had she…?

“A-Xian, I’ve seen how friendly you have been with him since he has been here. Did you two not talk as well? 

“Shijie, that’s not the same.”

“Isn’t it?” She gently countered. Wuxian went a little quiet, quickly recognizing the mirror to his own situation. A simple conversation had begun the transformation of Lan Wangji from this untouchable frosty personality, into…something else entirely. Gracious as she was, instead of pressing her point, she gave his arm a light squeeze. “Maybe you two can try talking too.” Wuxian huffed, threw a slightly disgusted face in the Jin heir’s direction, and then turned back to his sister, who was fully making her way over. The brightness that had made a home on her face as she did was obvious. A part of him wanted to dig his heels in and refuse to budge on his opinion, but the way Jiang Yanli looked as she stepped next to him, and the warmth in her features gave him pause. If there was anyone in the world for whom he would do anything for, it was his sister. And if she was happy with this (by all reason very ridiculous) choice, then he could at least be cordial,...maybe not cordial…tolerant. He could at least be tolerant.            

The air was abuzz at the first lecture of the day with news that both of the Wen heirs had been sent back to Qishan, and their unexplained departure quickly became fertile ground for rumor and speculation. Most believed that Wen Rouhan was so embarrassed at his eldest’s behavior the day previous, it proved justification enough to send him home. As for Wen Chao, there was no obvious reason for his leaving. Nie Huaisang suspected it was more to keep up with propriety and decorum with the other clans, as he shared later on at their breakfast, but the actual reason would probably never be known. In the end it did not matter, they were both gone, which was an immense relief.

Wuxian was just tucking into his second bowl of congee, when he caught sight of Jiang Wanyin across the pavilion having what appeared to be a quiet conversation with Wen Qing. Jiang Wanyin had deliberately avoided him that morning by attending the other lecture that was on offer and was now causing further avoidance with the ready excuse of wishing to spend time with Wen Qionglin’s sister. Wuxian could not begrudge him that, as he would ask for the same. Things would work out eventually, they always did. The uncertainty lay in how long it would take. They could be back to normal by the end of the day, but it could also easily be a week or more before they were once again on speaking terms.

“Wei Ying?” Wuxian turned wide eyed to see Lan Wangji waiting to the side with his own breakfast in hand. He brightened and inwardly noted a growing heat in his chest as he moved over to give Wangji some space. 

“You’re not eating with Zewu-Jun?” Lan Wangji shook his head lightly as he took a small bite, then gestured with his eyes towards a table near the front of the pavilion. Lan Xichen was sitting with a mix of Lan, Nie and Jin disciples and looked to be a serene calm anchor in an otherwise boisterous conversation.

After explaining that the conversation had been too loud for his tastes, Wangji had decided to join him for breakfast, to which Wei Wuxian was more than amenable. Breakfast was finished in relative speed, as they made plans for things to do before the afternoon lecture. Well, Wuxian offered suggestions, Wangji either agreed or disagreed with a head nod, still adhering to the ‘no talking during meals’ rule. The pair fell on the idea of a swimming lesson after heading into town, with the goal of showing Wangji around Lotus Pier. In actuality he planned to get him to try more sweets, and the town had so many more opportunities than Lotus Pier did. He remembered how close he was to seeing Wangji smile the night before, and after a week of echoes and hints of one on Lan Wangji’s face, he was determined to see it fully before the conference concluded.

Every year, along with the summer heat and lotus blossoms on the lake, the streets and thoroughfares in Lotus Pier and Yunmeng proper would become inundated with outdoor markets. Booths that dealt in trinkets, cloth, books, charms, were plentiful, but the most popular were the food stalls, with tantalizing fragrances filling the air and passing noses for blocks. Both Wei Wuxian and his brother were frequent visitors to the day and night markets and had open tabs with many of the more popular stalls. 

Wuxian was all confidence and easy going while giving Lan Wangji a small tour of the surrounding area and his favorite spots in Yunmeng village. Inwardly his chest had acquired an annoying tightness, not the light pleasant one when he was normally around Lan Wangji, but a nervous one instead. He had become more than acquainted with Lan cuisine when he studied in Gusu, and the blandness of it did not agree with him. What if the flavorful food of his home did not agree with Lan Wangji, or worse, he would refuse to eat any of it? Wuxian held a breath and put on a smile as he held out a ready and waiting candied hawthorne skewer for his friend to sample. That tightness worsened a little as Wangji simply stared at the darkly glazed berries for a moment in thought before explaining that he would happily eat if Wei Wuxian would eat it as well. 

“Of course Lan Zhan! You don’t have to ask me twice,” he laughed, letting the tension dissipate a little as he took a sticky hawthorn off the skewer and popped the whole thing into his mouth. With a little more grace than a sticky candy would normally allow, Wangji took a tiny bite, inadvertently squishing the remaining sweet in his hand and creating a small mess of his fingers. 

In one moment, Lan Wangji was looking rather discomfited at the tackiness of his fingers, and in the next, Wuxian suddenly found himself producing a handkerchief that he kept in his cuff and wiping down Wangji’s hand. Wuxian only realized what he had done when he sensed the tension in Wangji’s wrist in his hold as he gently wiped away the glaze. It was a well known fact that Lan Wangji despised being touched by anyone, and as far as Wei Wuxian knew, that included his family, and here he was with Wangji’s wrist in hand, cleaning it! Dread washed over his limbs as he slowly looked up to see Wangji’s ears had gone scarlet, his eyes bright and wide and staring, focused where their hands were currently meeting. As if Wangji’s wrist had suddenly become scorching, he immediately let go and brought his hands to rest at his sides, absentmindedly clenching them as he let out a short string of apologies. Wangji quickly finished wiping his fingers before awkwardly handing back the small bit of cloth to an equally awkward Wei Wuxian.

“Umm…how did you like that one, Lan Zhan?”

“Too chewy,” he quietly answered after an interminable pause where they both looked everywhere in the market except at each other. 

“How about trying something else then? He held his breath once again. His plan to get Wangji to smile was starting off like a house on fire. It could only get better from here he supposed. No…it could get worse. Wangji could end this excursion entirely and request to go back to Lotus Pier, leaving him to try and think of some other way to achieve his mission. Wangji’s quiet monosyllabic assent allowed him some air once more, along with putting a gentle grin on his face to boot. Alright, he could do this. 

At the end of an hour, the only thing Wuxian had to show for his effort was the rumbling of a possible stomach ache, mostly from eating what Lan Wangji did not finish. Wangji on the other hand showed no signs of discomfort. Something that could be said for the Lan diet Wuxian supposed; Lan Wangji probably possessed a gut made of iron. They had made short stops at all of Wuxian’s favorite sweet stalls, all of which had produced some emotion on Lan Wangji’s face, ranging from slightly wide eyed surprise to a small grimace, but none of them had come close to producing a smile, not even a hint of an upturned corner to be found. Despite the lack of smiling, Lan Wangji was trying everything that he was offered with reserved enthusiasm, and providing short but informative summations of everything that he tried. Regardless of the disappointment that his plan had not worked, to watch Lan Wangji experience the novelty of Yunmeng sweets was an endearing one. 

He was polishing off a red bean cake when Lan Wangji called his attention to some bright red and purple streamers that were flying a fair distance away. Wuxian smiled, explaining through a mouth full of cake that the hill situated nearby was popular with kite flying enthusiasts. He had managed to swallow before asking if he would be interested in taking a closer look, to which Lan Wangji quietly agreed. Soon afterwards, the pair had trudged their way to the near top of the hill, and had found a somewhat cozy spot to sit and watch the streaks of color that were gliding through the nearby sky. Wei Wuxian possessed no qualms of sprawling out in the grass and wildflowers, Lan Wangji seemed to prefer remaining upright, sitting in the grass with his hands in his lap. A perfectly respectable position to watch kites, except that it gave Wuxian a perfectly good view of his back, which simply would not do. 

Wuxian propped himself up on his elbows to see that Lan Wangji was intently watching not kites, but a young boy with whom he could only assume was the boy's father near the base of the hill. The boy was laughing as his father was giving instruction on flying a rather small kite that had a coyfish lovingly painted on one side. If he did not know any better, Wangji almost looked somewhat forlorn as he watched the pair.     

“Lan Zhan?”

“Mn?”

“When was the last time you flew a kite, Lan Zhan?” There was a rather long pause before he answered, “Never.”

“Never?”

“Mn.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“We just…never did.” Wuxian went pensive, suddenly wondering what else Lan Wangji had missed out on when he was younger. With thousands of rules carved into the wall of discipline back in Gusu, it was easy to guess that Lan Wangji had missed out on a great deal growing up. Wuxian stored that thought away in favor of getting Lan Wangji to throw some more of those rules out of the way.  

“If you lie down you can see the kites better.” A complete lie, but Lan Wangji did not have to know that.

“Lie down?”

“Mn. Your neck will thank you later too.” He could almost hear Lan Wangji thinking as he watched him process the idea of lying down in the grass. Then he seemed to make up his mind as ever so slowly, Lan Wangji stole a quick glance behind him and then gently laid himself down onto the tufts of green next to him.

Lounging in a field and watching kites fly by is normally a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. This was relaxing, fun even. But Wangji was right there, next to him, in the flowers! Wuxian attempted to ignore the low hum in his stomach that had grown exponentially since his friend had joined him on the ground, but it had become an annoying ever present menace. Wuxian decided to concentrate on the kites in the air, the smell of the grass, the blueness of the sky, the scent of sandalwood, Wangji’s golden eyes, the closeness of his head…wait, wait, wait! No, no, no, no, no! This was so ridiculous! He started to fidget in his spot, trying to calm his mind. He glanced at Wangji to see if he had noticed his distress. If he did, he was being polite and not saying anything. Looking downwards, their hands had become a bare breath apart as a result of his squirming around. Determined not to think about how easy it would be to just brush against the back of his hand, he turned his attention back to the clouds above.

However in trying to will himself not to do that, and remembering that Lan Wangji had not pulled his hand away during the Hawthorn candy debacle earlier, he found he could not help himself. With the lightest of touches, he grazed the back of Wangji’s hand with a nail, then braced himself. 

Nothing. 

Maybe he did not feel it? 

He brushed again, this time with a little less of a light touch, but still very subtle. Again, nothing. Finally it seemed that better judgment prevailed over the war going on in his brain and he decided not to push his luck any further. He allowed his hand to rest at his side and started pointing out the different clouds and kites in an effort to soothe his racing thoughts. 

Suddenly, the barest hint, the lightest brush. There was a finger grazing against his own. Scared of ruining what was happening, he refused to look at his hand, but with the greatest of hesitation, lightly grazed back. Wangji did not pull his hand away, and gently continued, with the barest of touches, to feel about for his fingertips. His heart was skipping every other beat. Wuxian let his hand relax, just to see what Lan Wangji would do. His heart began to pound in his chest as Wangji gently rested his pinky finger next to his, gently brushing against it in a featherlight touch.

Wuxian swallowed as his mind emptied of everything else except for the present moment. The touch was a hair’s breath, but it was so overwhelming. Another brave glance downwards and Wuxian could see their fingers begin a semblance of overlapping amongst the grass and petals. He had just started to wrap his finger around Wangji’s pinky when suddenly the fingers pulled away and Wangji quickly sat upright, his face in slight distress and his hands clasped in his lap.

“Lan Zhan?” Wuxian shot upright quickly, worried he had taken it too far. “Are you alright?”

“Mn.” 

“Lan Zhan, I… I’m sorry,” he quickly placated, “I guess our hands got a little too close there,” he added with a breathy chuckle, trying to ignore the light pit that was quickly manifesting in his stomach. Despite his assurances to the contrary, Wangji still appeared to be in slight distress.

“You don’t look alright Lan Zhan. Are you sure you are good?” Wangji acquiesced a quick tight nod, but it did not lessen his looks. 

“Wei Ying, may I speak plain?” Taking a breath, Wuxian realized that he would want nothing more than that from him at the moment, if it would help. 

“Of course you can.” Wangji swallowed and composed himself, repositioning his hands on his legs, seeming to prepare what to say as he leaned in a little closer. 

“For a while now I have been having thoughts that-”

“Wei Wuxian!” A loud voice echoed over the hill. Both boys turned to see Nie Huaisang nearby on the footpath, clearly on a search and find mission. Their location had not been discovered yet as his searching gaze was turning in every direction. They still had time. He quickly turned back to Lan Zhan, hoping he would say something, anything that would lessen the feeling he had in his gut. “What thoughts Lan Zhan?” He pressed closer while Wangji swallowed once more before beginning again.

“...I think that I am-”

“Wei Wuxian, there you are!” The shout came again, but still coming from the footpath below the hill. Wuxian sighed, frustrated for Lan Wangji and for himself but he quickly masked it with a shrug. 

“Can you tell me during your swimming lesson?”

“Mn,” he quietly replied as Nie Huaisang jogged up to them, panting slightly at the exertion.

“Wei Wuxian, I've been looking everywhere for you.” Nie Huaisang playfully chided. 

“You found me Nie Huaisang. How can I help?” 

“I was hoping to get…” he trailed off, seeming to see Lan Wangji next to him for the first time, as his eyes darted between the pair of them, and a deceptively mischievous smile quickly grew on his face. Wuxian could see the conclusion that Nie Huaisang came to clear as day, and it made the pit in his stomach rumble in trepidation. “I was hoping to get my book back, unless you still need it, Wei Wuxian?”

Thankfully Nie Huaisang was nothing if not discreet, and it did not take any explanation on Wuxian’s part to get him to leave with the simple promise of returning his book to him that evening. Unfortunately that return would most likely involve Wuxian revealing everything, and that was the last thing he wanted when he was not even sure of everything himself. He was relieved when Lan Wangji suggested going for their swimming lesson; anything to get his mind off of the conversation that was surely coming in a matter of a few hours. 

Having learned how to tread water, Wei Wuxian decided it was finally time to start adding in arm and leg movements, and actually swim. As with all of the other previous sessions, Lan Wangji took to the lesson very quickly, being able to swim on his back and on his front with relative ease after being given instruction. He was doing so well, Wuxian actually found himself challenging him to a race around the island, to which Lan Wangji gracefully declined. Wangji was more amenable to his next suggestion of relaxing and drying off on the shoreline before heading back to the complex for the last lecture of the day.  

The idea of at least lounging if not outright sleeping on the shoreline sounded very appealing after Wangji’s rather active swimming lesson. Sprawling out on a hot day, next to Lan Wangji was actually really nice. Ever since the Wen’s had been sent back home, Wangji looked much more relaxed. Almost as if a taut string that wrapped about him had finally been loosened. If only he could have spent the entire conference in this manner. 

Wuxian glanced downwards, to find that their hands had fallen once again into the same position they had in the flower field. With a breath to steady himself, he reached outwards with his fingertips, just grazing Wangji’s own fingers as he had done nearly an hour ago. He gasped slightly when Wangji once again brushed back. Thoughts began to whirl around his mind. What exactly is happening? He is not taking his hand away, he is also touching my hand…I am not taking my hand away! Why am I not taking my hand away? Do I want this? Yeah…I think I do… wait… Looking down he could see that Wangji had very lightly wrapped his pinky around his. Wuxian’s mind emptied, trying to process the sight of it. He looked at Wangji, who also looked to be having similar confusing thoughts running through his head as he looked back at him. One thought jumped to the forefront of Wuxian’s mind, just to see what would happen. With the greatest of trepidation and gentleness, he lightly grasped Wangji’s fingers. Immediately Wuxian sensed the tension spike in Wangji’s knuckles, it was barely a hand hold, but it was overwhelming and everything at the same time. Still, Wangji did not recoil, allowing Wuxian’s featherlight touches along his fingers and palm. 

Gently, Wuxian turned his body towards Wangji and brought their hands to rest between their chests. Fingers and palms tentatively explored and caressed as they lay there in silence, taking in every callus and scar. 

“Wei Ying, what is this mark?” Wangji asked as he grazed his finger tips over Wuxian’s palm.

“That is a dog bite.” Wangji looked back up at Wuxian with his questioning blink. “When I was little, I often had to find leftovers in the streets to eat. Let's just say on the day I got this, I ended the day hungry.” Wangji furrowed his brow slightly as he listened, his grasp on Wuxian’s hand tightening gently. 

“That’s awful.”

“It was, but it’s in the past now.” Wuxian scooted his body closer as he examined Wangji’s tiny calluses on his fingertips, almost certainly having come from his skills as a musician. 

“How long have you been playing the qin?”

“Since I was eight.”

“That’s a long time!” 

“All Lan disciples choose an instrument to cultivate with at that age,” he shrugged as he explained. “Do you not play an instrument?” he quietly asked.

“I used to play the dizi.”

“Used to?”

“I found I enjoyed working with a sword more.”

“You should pick it up again.”

“I should.” Moments turned into minutes as their caresses traveled from the hands to the forearms. Each of their touches had turned into tests, how far would the other allow them to go? Wuxian shuddered as he felt Wangji’s calloused fingers lightly move from his forearm to just past his elbow. He had traveled a light course up past Wangji’s arm and then held that hand just above Wangji’s shoulder. He only had to move his fingertips a hair's distance and he would be touching it, but he held it there in seeming stasis, hesitation, worry from ruining what was happening between them. Holding his breath, he met Wangji’s golden eyes, and brought his fingers down in the lightest of touches. Wangji did not stir. He also did not move as Wuxian’s hand tentatively traveled from Wangji’s shoulder to a light touch of the neck, and Wuxian’s mind melted a little when Wangji leaned in a fraction to that caress. Their explorations had brought their bodies even closer, until their heads were barely a hand width apart. Suddenly Wuxian found himself staring intently into two golden eyes, and they were intensely looking back at him. Wuxian flicked his gaze to Wangji’s mouth for just a moment before looking back into those deep pools. He wanted, no, he needed to know how those lips felt against his own.

“Lan Zhan…may I-” Wangji did not wait for him to finish before he closed the gap and pressed his lips against his. Warmth flooded from his head down to his toes at the discovery that Wangji’s lips turned out to be just as soft as they looked. There was also a gentle pressure to them which he had not anticipated but was relishing as they pressed together. Far too soon, the heat and pleasant press of Wangji’s mouth disappeared, leaving Wuxian with only the lingering echo of it. A shocked Wangji gaped at him, on his knees and backing away as if he was about to run away at any second. 

“I’m sorry, I-”

“Don’t apologize,” Wuxian quickly interrupted before he took hold of the back of Wangji’s neck and pulled him in once more, taking, claiming Wangji’s lips before he could pull away again. The tension from Wangji’s transgression quickly transformed into ease under Wuxian’s hands as he relaxed into this new embrace. Suddenly awareness had been reduced to a blur of fingers, palms, lips and breaths in between. There was nothing else in the world that mattered in that moment, but Lan Wangji and the startling revelation that kissing him was. He needed more. His mouth opened slightly in silent response to Wangji’s prompting with his lips and elation spread through his body as he realized that their mouths slotted together perfectly. The light sudden presence of Wangji’s teeth on his lips produced a small moan in Wuxian’s throat, which seemed to spur Wangji on, as he pressed in with even more need. Wangji’s palms were radiating heat as he moved them up Wuxian’s arms, coming to rest on his shoulder and neck in a grounding and gentle grip.  

Eventually after a few bliss filled moments, they came to a natural stop, with their hands resting on or near each other’s faces and their heads barely a cun apart. Wuxian beamed to see that Wangji’s kiss swollen mouth was slightly curled upwards. Finally, he had seen Wangji smiling and it was a truly devastating sight.

“Wow, Lan Zhan,” he whispered. Wangji merely smiled a little wider in response and caressed Wuxian’s cheek where his thumb was currently resting. “I guess this means you like me, eh?” He quietly asked with a slight bit of cheek in his voice. “I do,” Wangji quietly replied as he cheerfully leaned in and kissed him again. “I like Wei Ying."

Chapter Text

“So…how long have you liked me?” heat that mirrored the rosy flush on Wangji’s ears quickly flooded his cheeks and trailed down his neck. 

“A while,” he quietly replied after a long moment.  “Lan Zhan,” he countered in a playfully chiding tone, but hoping for a more concrete answer, “define, ‘a while.’” Wangji bit his lips in a way that was both endearing and worrying. He was about to interject that he did not have to answer if he felt uncomfortable when he quietly answered, “Since you studied at Cloud Recesses.” Wuxian felt a pit drop in his stomach. Had he heard him correctly?

“Since…then?” Wangji’s long silence affirmed it.

“I…thought…I thought you hated me.” Wangji looked as though he wanted to hide away after those words, but he bit his lips once more in preparation before quietly answering, “I was…confused.” 

“Well, that makes two of us,” Wuxian thought to himself before he asked, “Are you confused now?” 

“A little. I thought…” he trailed off, casting his eyes slightly downwards, sounding a little embarrassed.

“You thought what Lan Zhan?”

“I thought you liked Luo Qingyang.”

“You thought…wha…Mian Mian?” He asked in utter confusion. “What gave you that impression?” Wangji sheepishly ran through his list of reasons, including what happened on the archery range, the congee incident that happened the first day, and the night hunt. Wuxian quickly smiled and shook his head in a gentle refute, paired with a light grasp of Wangji’s hand. “I told you yesterday Lan Zhan, Mian Mian and I are friends. That’s all.” That flustered blush spread a little more down Lan Wangji’s face as he tentatively answered, “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for,” he giggled. “It is a confusing situation.”

“Are you confused?”

“A little,” he responded gently, giving him a light smile. Confusion was definitely the most obvious emotion running through his body at the moment, but there were so many other ones mingling around as well. He could not give a name to what he was currently feeling about Lan Wangji, only that he desperately wanted to explore more of it.  

“It’s very…new.” Wangji quietly explained after a beat. Wuxian gave him an appreciative nod and confessed his own newness to their situation. He felt his grin grow slightly mischievous as he gently brushed his hand up Wangji’s arm before he continued, “In fact, it's so new…you’re my first.” 

“Boy?”

“Kiss.” Wangji’s shock was immediate and very evident. 

“But you…you flirt all the time. I assumed that-”

“You would think so,” Wuxian interrupted, “but no. It just never happened.”

“I see.”

“You?” Wangji gently shook his head. With Wangji’s aloof reputation, Wuxian figured as much, but he kept that to himself. Wuxian smiled as he took Wangji’s hand in his again. To think how far they had come in the space of a couple of hours. His head whirled at the speed of it, and he was very content to let it keep whirling, as long as Wangji was willing as well.  

“Since this is new for the both of us…do you think we could…figure this out together?”  

“Mn. I would like that.” 

Part of ‘figuring it out’ meant that for the time being, the pair decided that they would keep whatever this was between them, just between them. There was no need for others to know when they were not certain of everything themselves. Wuxian also decided that if ‘figuring it out’ meant more touching and kissing, he was very happy with however long the discovery process would take. 

A wonderful floating feeling had made a home in his chest as he and Lan Wangji made their way back to Lotus Pier. They had missed the afternoon lecture by a wide margin, so the complex was quite silent as they took their walk towards the guest pavilions. Wuxian had wrapped his pinky finger around Lan Wangji’s as they strode down the thoroughfare; it was an easy solution to not wanting to break contact with Lan Wangji, and at the same time being able to disconnect quickly should they run into anyone along the way, which happened a couple of times. Once on the main pathway near some visiting Ouyang cultivators, and another incident while passing a servant. By the time they had gotten to the docks that lined the guest pavilions, there was nary a stray person in sight. Wuxian seized the opportunity to elevate his grip on Wangji’s finger into a light hold of three of them. By the time they had arrived at the Lan Pavilion, the hold had evolved to a new form once again; a full gentle lacing of their fingers. 

“I suppose everyone is at the lectures.” Wuxian observed as they entered the empty pavilion. 

“Mn.” At that moment, Wuxian’s stomach decided to let out a long, furious growl. He had felt the familiar stirrings of hunger during their time on the island, but was content to ignore it in favor of more immediate matters. The bodily complaint produced a raised eyebrow from his companion. 

“You’re hungry.”

“It would seem so,” he chuckled.

“You should eat.”

“Nah, I’m gonna wait until this evening, that way I can properly stuff myself,” he grinned. Wangji went pensive for a moment as he listened. “Do you have to go in disguise again?” The reminder that he now had to return to using talismans just to spend time with his friends was frustrating. His grin shifted into a small grimace as he confirmed the necessity. “Yeah, I have one in my room for tonight.”

“Why don’t you eat with me and my brother as my guest?” Wuxian blinked in surprise at being offered the invitation twice, then calmed in slight resignation at the situation.

“Lan Zhan...”

“We can make a request to Jiang Zongzhu for you to come.” He explained. “Perhaps that would help with your situation?” As Wuxian mulled over the offer for a moment, he had to admit, it was an elegant solution to his problem. If Lan Xichen made a formal request, it could not be challenged by Madam Yu later on. Sure, he could respectfully decline, and diffuse Madam Yu’s ire, but, on the other hand, he would possess the ready excuse that he was asked for by a visiting sect. Refusal could be seen as incredibly disrespectful, and therefore it was in his (and the sect’s) best interest to accept the invitation. Wuxian found himself slowly smiling and agreeing to the idea as he leaned in once more to kiss Wangji in thanks.   

Wuxian had a feeling long ago that he would really like kissing when he finally got to experience it. He was very pleased to discover that his instinct was completely correct.  

That wonderful floaty feeling did not dissipate as he made the long trek back towards his rooms. He would be seeing Lan Wangji again in a few hours, and on top of that, he could actually be himself at dinner that evening. Madam Yu would most certainly be throwing a fit later, but he found that he could not really convince himself to be terribly bothered by it. 

A quiet knock at his door pulled him from taming his strands that were still tangled from his glorious swimming lesson, and that floatiness rapidly moved to a weight in his gut at the sight of the person standing at his doorway. 

“Jiang Cheng,” his voice breaking a little in the greeting. Opening the door and stepping slightly to the side, he invited him into his room, took a seat and waited. His shidi paced in apprehension for a moment, seeming to look for a way to begin. From prior experience, Wuxian had long ago learned it was best to let his brother begin the mending after an argument, so he bit down the need to speak in favor of letting him find his words and a nearby seat. 

“I talked with our sister,” he quietly bit out after an age. “She suggested that I talk to you…about yesterday,” he added, his voice getting noticeably smaller near the end. 

“I see,” he responded, trying not to let the sound of caution slip through into those tiny words. “What did she say?”

“She said, ‘I am being a bit ridiculous.’” Wuxian continued to inwardly combat the need to speak, to state his side and say his own peace on the matter. But with Jiang Wanyin and his temper, doing so could make the fixing of metaphorical bridges only more laborious. 

Wanyin swallowed, but he held Wuxian’s gaze as he said, “I’m…sorry. I…should have seen what you were trying to do.” Silence permeated the air for a long while after his brother’s apology. Both boys allowed it to settle over them as they inwardly began to look for words in order to start moving forward. Finally, Wuxian broke the quiet with a small thanks as he moved his seat slightly closer and asked, “Are you…alright?” 

“Yeah,” he affirmed quietly with a small nod followed by a huff. “I’m alright. Are you?”

“I’m fine.” Wanyin continued to hold his gaze, seeming to wait for him to continue. 

“Did you…want to say anything…to me?” 

“What do you want me to say?” was the wrong response, which he quickly discovered as his brother’s face instantly turned incredulous.

“Maybe, “I’m sorry,” for a start,” he began, sounding quite frustrated that he had to explain basic politeness to him. Wuxian stared for a moment in consternation. A large part of him had no desire or saw any reason to be apologizing for his actions during their sword fight. But the look on Jiang Wanyin’s expectant face made it clear that he was expecting something within that sphere; so Wuxian swallowed his pride and quietly gave up his own apology. Wanyin visibly relaxed as the frustration began to ebb away. 

“I think that we both were put in an impossible situation,” Wuxian shared, to which Jiang Wanyin let out an affirmative snort. 

“Did your mother say anything to you yesterday?” A loose grimace fleeted across his brother's mouth as he explained, “She said she was proud.”

“She was proud,” he quietly echoed. The answer was obvious, but he asked the question anyway, “Did she say anything else?” Wuxian scrunched his face slightly in disappointment as his brother gave a slow small shake of his head. Madam Yu had always been sparing of her praise and too enthusiastic in voicing her disapproval. On the rare occasions she did show pride it was always of the reserved variety; succinct and to the point, and barely any feeling behind it. Wuxian supposed that his adopted brother knew on some level that his mother could never be truly pleased with her son. He also knew that Wanyin wanted nothing more than her approval, pride and affection, which he always seemed to be endlessly chasing and always seeming to come up short of earning.

The words were out before he could stop them, “I’m sorry, Jiang Cheng.” If there was one thing his brother loathed, it was pity, even if it was delivered in the dressings of commiseration. Another wonderful side effect of Madam Yu and her influence over her children. For a moment, it looked as though Jiang Cheng would turn from glum to slightly furious, if the eye-roll was any indication and Wuxian braced himself. Instead, his brother surprisingly waved it away and explained that there was no need for apologies, for this infraction anyway, and brought the conversation back to their sister. 

“What about her?”

“She was wearing a new trinket on her clothing today.” Wuxian narrowed his eyes. “Alright, she is allowed to buy new things, shidi-” 

“She said, “she got it from an admirer,”" he interjected, stopping Wuxian in his thoughts with a sharp halt. He had just seen her this morning, practically skipping down the dock to join…

“Oh,” he finally managed after a rather pregnant silent beat. Evidently, his brother could read his face like a book.  

“Oh? Do you know who she got it from?” Wuxian bit his lip and looked rather sheepishly as he nodded in confirmation, then quietly responded with the answer. 

“The Peacock?” he blustered as he sat back down with a weighted thud coupled with an exasperated, “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“I’m guessing because she knew you would react like this,” Wuxian shrugged. This time his face did go apoplectic. “Wei Wuxian-”

“I reacted the same way, when she told me,” he quickly informed, which blessedly stopped Jiang Wanyin from another attempt at berating him, and reduced him to a mere, “I see,” before asking what they were going to do about this new development. With his sister's words from this morning in his head, Wuxian flashed him a grin and picked up a comb to resume combing out his locks. “I am going to get ready for dinner. I suggest you do the same.” Wanyin went a little dumbfounded as he was gently ushered out the door.  

That pleasant flutter in his chest manifested once again as soon as he saw Wangji standing on the dock they had agreed to meet on, and intensified as Wangji betrayed that barely there smile when Wuxian sped up to join him. He had to resist the urge to take his hand as there were others milling about, making their way towards the main pavilion for the evening gathering. If there was some slight brushing of arms as they made their way there though, none were the wiser. 

The coy knowing look on Nie Huisang’s face as the pair entered the pavilion was in complete contrast to the look of surprise that Jiang Wanyin wore, which swiftly shifted to concern as Jiang Wanyin flicked his sights toward the front of the pavilion; where Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu had been situated for the entirety of the conference’s evenings. Wuxian tried not to notice the look on Madam Yu’s face as he made his way to a table, but it was difficult not to feel her piercing gaze. That cold, relentless anger that could not be missed if one knew to look for it, and Wuxian saw it in an instant. Earlier in the day, he could not have cared the slightest about Madam Yu and her ire when it came to being with Lan Wangji. Now however, seeing her seething in his direction gave him second thoughts, and inadvertently froze him slightly in place, until he got a gentle nudging at his side. 

“Wei Ying?” Wuxian swallowed back a little and quickly put on an affirming grin. 

“I’m fine, Lan Zhan.” He supposed that he was not altogether convincing, as Lan Wangji shot his sights in Madam Yu’s direction for a fleeting moment. Then, the considerate person that he was, quietly offered, “We could go elsewhere.” Wuxian gently smiled as he shook his head, and took a seat. The sensation of her stinging gaze lessened as Lan Xichen sat across from the pair and gave him a very warm smile in welcome. 

“Wei Gongzi, Wangji and I are very happy you were able to join us this evening.”

“Thank you Zewu-Jun.” he grinned with a slight bow in thanks. “I am as well.”  

In no time at all, Wuxian found himself surrounded by more Lan disciples as well as a few from the Nie sect, which provided an easy barrier to Madam Yu’s probing and assessing eyes. Wuxian had grand plans of trying to keep his foot in contact with Lan Wangji’s for the evening, but thought better of it as the intimidating form of Nie Mingjue sat down next to Zewu-Jun and directly across from him. As the meal went on, relaxation had replaced the feeling of worry and the intensity of Madam Yu’s stare lessened along with it, and while Lan Wangji still continued to adhere to the “no speaking during meals” rule, his brother made up for it for the pair of them. 

“Wei Gongzi, I understand that you have been giving my brother swimming lessons?” A quick glance at Lan Wangji, and a slight blush had dusted his ear tips. Wuxian felt a smile creeping onto his mouth. “Merely pointers. As you know he is a fast learner.”

“Indeed.” Lan Xichen beamed.

“In fact, I have every confidence that Lan Zhan will be swimming circles around me pretty soon.” 

“I am glad to see that you two are getting along, regardless of your time in Gusu.” Wuxian had to work to hide the smirk on his face. Blushing was not something he did easily, but he was sure of a tiny distinct warmth that flooded his cheeks. The tips of Lan Wangji’s ears had gotten noticeably rosier. 

“In fact, since I have been giving him pointers, he gave me some valuable information on the Lan technique before the tournament,” quickly changing the subject.

“Did he? So, that is how you were able to defeat Lan Fanghua?” Nie Mingjue’s querry dripped with a noticeable veneer of sarcasm. Wuxian leaned into it. “It certainly helped.” Nie Mingjue blew a small impassive raspberry as he glanced towards the Lan in question some distance down the table, before returning to his food and conversation. “If I had known those two were seeing each other…” That stopped Lan Xichen mid bite. 

“You did not know?” Wuxian observed the most incredulous stare form on Nie Mingjue’s features as he began to dissect this new information. 

“No! Did you?”

“For a while now.” 

“What?” Nie Mingjue blanched, to which Lan Xichen shrugged.

“Yu Pengxin informed me of his intentions and requested permission a while ago.”

“ You gave permission, and not your…oh.” Nie Mingjue’s face froze on a precarious realization, before catching himself and continuing on, “Why didn’t you tell me?” Not missing a beat Lan Xichen simply smiled and replied with an obvious rebuttal.

“I assumed you knew.”

Wuxian cast a glance at the new couple some distance down the table, not quite attached to each other, but an argument could be made. Both kept stealing glances at each other along with the occasional brush or linger of a hand or arm as they moved to eat their food. Small but incredibly bright smiles that went all the way to their eyes had made homes on their faces. As he watched, thoughts of surreptitiously moving his foot closer to Lan Wangji flashed back in his head. Creeping at a snail’s pace, he inched his toes in Lan Wangji’s direction, until he found his target. Lan Wangji betrayed nothing in his face, but that pink dusting along the tips of his ears got a little darker. Wuxian hid a smile as he tucked back into his noodles. 

Apart from Lan Xichen being called away for an unscheduled meeting near the evening’s end, the meal concluded with little fanfare. With a couple of hours of sunlight left to the day, the pair found themselves skirting along the pier, looking for a quiet spot to spend the remainder of it. Unfortunately the task was proving to be impossible, as the pier was dotted with people along its entire length, out enjoying the summer evening as they were. Not wanting the time to go to waste, and realizing that they may have to make their own space, Wuxian offered up two choices; their island or a boat. Wangji surprised him when he chose the latter, but was quite happy to share another cherished aspect of Yunmeng summers.

The sky had long taken up a pinkish orange hue by the time they had rowed out some distance onto the lake and in the middle of a blanket of lotus blossoms. Wuxian beamed with pride as Lan Wangji drank in the sight of the massive fragrant carpet that surrounded them, wide eyed and serene. Wangji caught him staring, and that slight but devastating upturn in the sides of his mouth made a brief reappearance. 

“It’s beautiful, Wei Ying.” Wuxian moved closer as fingertips brushed against fingertips and Lan Wangji reached over the side to touch one of the flowers. 

“You said, it only lasts a couple of weeks.”

“Mn. harvest season will begin afterwards.” He reached for a nearby pod and plucked it from the water with a satisfying snap, and held it out for Lan Wangji to examine. 

“We spend so many days out here collecting the pods and the roots.” Wuxian broke open the pod to reveal the fruit and seeds contained inside, then deftly removed one for Lan Wangji to try. He made a slight face as he ate, coming to the conclusion that perhaps the pod was not ready to be plucked just yet. Wuxian laughed and gestured to the wide lake. “It’s alright, Lan Zhan. We have plenty,” he grinned. If given a chance to talk about Yunmeng to anyone, Wuxian would leap on it in an instant. He told stories of harvest time, glorious hours out in boats and in the muddy shallows collecting pods and blossoms. Plucking the fruit and slicing the pods, drying out the flowers for medicines and perfumes. And of course the break for the Dragon Boat festival, where races went up and down the lake in specially decorated skiffs for the occasion. Finally, at the end of harvest, there would be a lantern celebration, to thank the lake for the harvest and pray for another for the next season. Lan Wangji listened to it all, asking small questions here and there, and showing a particular interest in how Yunmeng celebrated Dragon Boat. 

“Lan Zhan, you should just come and see it.” Wei Wuxian explained. 

“You would like that?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I want you to see that? You and I could even race if you wanted to.” Wangji flushed a little but allowed a diminutive head nod. “I would like that.”

Taking in the sights over the lake once more, Wuxian realized that with their distance from the pier, they were well and truly alone. Never one to shirk an opportunity, Wuxian laced his hand with Wangji’s and gently leaned into his shoulder. He was fairly certain of his answer, but it was best to check anyway.

“Lan Zhan, may I kiss you again?” Rather than respond with permission, Lan Wangji leaned in and kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him. So much so, that by the time they had pulled away, in need of a moment and some air, it was evident that their boat had been rocking side to side. Small ripples and undulation of the nearby leaves and lotus being evidence of it. Light laughter bubbled up through his chest at the realization that they were both quite wrapped around each other. 

“You know Lan Zhan, for a person who does not like being touched, you are taking this very well.” In answer, he leaned in further into Wei Wuxian’s side, then replied, “I do not mind if it is you.”

The pinks had given way to purples and dark indigos when they noticed a small ball of magical energy flitting over the blossoms. Wuxian let a small groan escape when he realized that yet another spiritual butterfly was flying in their direction, about to interrupt or outright stop whatever was going to happen out there on the boat. He had entertained hopes for more time out on the water, more time with Lan Wangji before turning in for the night. With the conference coming to a close in two days, Wuxian was determined to spend as much time as he could with him before its end. Lan Wangji appeared to be of similar opinion as he let out a small sigh and lightly squeezed Wei Wuxian’s hand as the little messenger bounced from blossom to leaf to pod as it came closer to their dinghy. Wangji stretched out his hand as the butterfly reached their stern, and floated gently into his palm, where it promptly dissolved as it silently delivered its message. The very subtle slump in his posture and shoulders while he listened to the message was enough to communicate that their time had probably ended. Wangji confirmed it, stating that Lan Xichen needed him to return to the pavilion. If Lan Wangji noticed Wei Wuxian purposely taking his time rowing back to shore, he kept that to himself. 

The crowds on the walkways and gangways had dissipated somewhat for the evening, by the time they had docked back on shore, so their walk back towards the Lan Pavillion was mostly un-heeded by passersby. There were multiple opportunities for accidental brushing of fingers and palms to happen along the way as a result. Wei Wuxian had half a mind to pull Lan Wangji into a dark nearby corner for nefarious purposes, when they had arrived to find the Lan occupants of the pavilion not winding down for the night, but standing in their small courtyard, seeming to wait for something. Wei Wuxian looked to Lan Wangji for some sort of understanding as to what was happening, but his was a mixture of perplexity and what looked like a twinge of apprehension.

A couple of his clan rushed over with relieved looks and instructed Lan Wangji to go and see his brother immediately. A brief worrying glance at Wuxian, and then with a quick stride hurried inside. Wuxian’s eyes continued to watch as Jiang Fengmian, closely followed by Nie Mingjue, exited the same door that Lan Wangji had entered, seeming to give the two brothers privacy. Something was clearly serious. With emotion tethering between curiosity and a desire to know and help with whatever was happening, he quickly weaved his way through the small Lan crowd to Jiang Fengmian’s side, just outside Lan Wangji's door. He looked towards him, wide eyed and imploring his Shishu to explain. His Shishu must have been able to read Wuxian plainly, after a quick bow to Nie Mingjue, he gently guided him out of the pavilion, and into the privacy of the docks outside.

“Shishu, what is happening?” Even in the darkness, he could see that Jiang Fengmian looked rather drawn. “The Lan contingent will be leaving in the morning.” His heart dropped. 

“What? Why,” he asked, not bothering to hide his feelings at this sudden news. “Wei Wuxian-” he began but Wei Wuxian heard none of it.

“No, please tell me what has happened.” He did not mean to sound as though he was begging, but he was sure that it came through none the less. After a huff of resignation, he was led further into the darkness and around a corner, their position underlying what he supposed was the secrecy of what he was about to learn. “Lan Qiren arrived at Lotus Pier during dinner. Lan Zongzhu has passed away.”

 Blessedly, Nie Huaisang did not call on him that evening looking for his book and news about Wei Wuxian’s supposed prospects with Lan Wangji. He suspected that Nie Mingjue may have had something to do with it, and for that he would be very grateful to the Nie sect leader. Wei Wuxian was not sure he would have been able to handle it otherwise. He lay sprawled in his bed, trying to sleep and failing miserably. Fretting with worry for Lan Wangji, and wishing nothing more than to offer up his help and comfort, but that was not his place, at least not right now. Family was what Lan Wangji needed at this moment. Preparations were most certainly being made for travelling tomorrow and for when they returned home to Gusu, not to mention the torrent of grief that he and his family must surely be experiencing.

With emotions running higher than usual through his limbs, the room had taken on a quality that was not quite stifling, but enough for it to have become uncomfortable. Figuring that sleep was going to be elusive once again, Wuxian threw open his window and leaned out into the cool night air. Fireflies could be seen flitting about the leaves and lotus on the lake and on the plants near his window. Small yellow pinpoints of magic dancing to the music of crickets and frogs through the blossoms and foliage. 

After a few moments of taking in the serenity of the nighttime tableaux, thoughts of another attempt at sleep were poking about in his mind, when a distant point of light appeared in the blossoms that was not the incandescent yellow of the fireflies, but a bright sparking blue. Perking up, Wuxian could see that it was another Lan messenger butterfly, and that it was fltting about in his direction. Scrambling up to his feet, he craned outside of his window stretching as far as he could reach, trying to close the distance as much as his body would allow before falling from his window entirely and into the bushes just below. Soon, the little messenger made a soft landing in his palm, and as though he were next to him, Lan Wangji’s soft baritone, sounding drained and a little broken, spoke in his head.

“May I see you before I go tomorrow?”

Chapter Text

Sleep continued to be illusive for the remainder of the night. In its absence, Wei Wuxian used his hours to write a letter and then scoured the lake for a suitably small lotus flower to press inside. When the first signs of sunrise began to creep through his window, he came to the horrible realization that the letter and the flower were not enough. Nowhere near it. Remembering the confection that had nearly put a smile on Lan Wangji's face the night of the tournament, he could not don his shoes fast enough and raced to the kitchens.

The sky was taking on a light blue hue by the time he had made it to the Lan pavillion, quite out of breath, and thankfully in time. Preparations for departure were in full swing, with the contingent milling about the courtyard in anticipation. Wei Wuxian scanned the figures of blue and white, searching for Lan Wangji but frustratingly coming up short. Wei Wuxian was just about to inquire, when the hustle and bustle quieted. Lan Xichen followed by his uncle and brother had stepped into the pavillion; all three looked exhausted. Wei Wuxian felt a distinct pull in his chest as he saw Lan Wangji's golden eyes, which brightened silghtly, when he finally saw him across the way.

Privacy, both needed and wanted, Wei Wuxian ducked around a corner, not far from the Lan courtyard. His heart jumped a little when Lan Wangji appeared a moment later, searching for him, visibly relaxing at the sight of him nearby. From a distance, Wei Wuxian could tell that Lan Wangji was tired, up close it looked as though he did not get a wink of sleep. Purple circles sat under his eyes, which themselves carried a reddish tint.

"Lan Zhan, I…I'm so sorry." A flinch, a flash of anger, was not exactly what Wei Wuxian had been anticipating when he offered his condolences. Lan Wangji quickly shrugged it off with a tiny appreciative nod, calming any misgivings. "Here. It isn't a lot, but-" he stared at the box in embarrassment for a moment as he held it up. It had looked fine in the dim light of his room, but here in the morning sun, his gift was clearly not the greatest example of pleasing presentation. The purple silk scrap he had managed to find barely covered the corners of the box, and the string that tied it all together was fraying out of control. But Lan Wangji softened at the sight of it and gently put it into his sleeve.

"Thank you, Wei Ying."

"Is there anything you need? Anything I can do?" he quietly asked. Lan Wangji merely shook his head, and thanked him again, taking his finger tips in his, before then lacing them with his in a gentle joining. Wei Wuxian found himself fighting the incredibly strong urge to take Lan Wangji into his arms, to hold and comfort, but he remained. Lan Wangji needed to take the lead, to decide what he wanted or needed from him.

"Wei Ying, I-"

"Lan Wangji?" A nearby call, and Lan Wangji quickly dropped their grasp. It was time to leave.

Far too soon, the entire Lan contingent were specks of white in a bright blue expanse as they flew away, then nothing at all. Spending the rest of the morning back under his blankets suddenly felt like an amazing idea, but even though sleep had once again been somewhat absent the night previous, he was unsure if it would visit him now. His mind was unable to quiet. Instead, he skipped the morning lecture and went to the island for a swim, figuring it may not calm his mind completely, but it was a distraction he needed. The swim itself provided little in terms of calming his thoughts, merely bringing up memories of swimming lessons instead.

Morose would be a good way to describe his looks when he eventually sat down for breakfast. Jiang Wanyin thankfully held his tongue and gave him a gentle nudge on the arm, silently inquiring about his well being. Ever practiced, he gave his brother an assuring head nod as he tucked into his congee. 

If the Wen brothers leaving the conference early created grounds for small rumors and speculation, the entire Lan contingent's absence left behind rumors of epic proportions in its wake. Wei Wuxian suspected that among the remainder of the attendees, only he, his brother, and the Nie brothers, knew the full truth. There was no need for announcements. The Lan’s would let the news out in their own time.  All he had been instructed to say was that family business had called them home, which he told Wen Qionglin and his sister when they had inevitably asked, and they were kind enough not to press the matter. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for others, with Jin Zixun in particular being the most vocal and receptive to speculation. Currently, he seemed to be holding court with other Jin cultivators at a nearby table, tossing about different theories that could explain the unexplained and sudden Lan absence.

Wei Wuxian had half a mind to walk over and not so kindly tell the Jin heir to shove it, when Jiang Wanyin beat him to it. 

“Jin Zixun.” The look on his face betrayed a fair amount of annoyance when Jiang Wanyin called his attention away from his cronies, but he quickly disguised it with a look of reticent welcome. 

“Jiang Wanyin, please join us,” he said casually while he motioned for others to make room. “We were just discussing possibilities as to why the entire Lan delegation up and left this morning without a word.” Pointly, Jiang Cheng refused the seat that was offered as Jin Zixun drawled onwards. “Do you know anything about that, Gongzi?”

“I am sure that the Lans will share when and if they wish to. Rumors and speculation do little good in this instance.” The snort Jin Zixun unleashed turned a few heads at neighboring tables. Jiang Wanyin went onwards. “But since you currently seem to be dealing in gossip, I heard a very interesting story involving the Wen brothers and the tournament.”

“What did you hear?” Wuxian could practically hear the smirk and raised eyebrow in his querry.

“I heard that they attempted to use some sort of enhancement to give them an edge in their fights." The guarded edge in the Jin heir's voice was audible when he asked; "Who told you?"

"Oh, the disciple we let go from the sect the other night. He told us a lot in hopes that he would be able to stay." A grin had bloomed and blossomed on Wei Wuxian's mouth as he watched his brother go on. "Would you know anything about that Gongzi?” The other Jin cultivators shot questioning looks at each other as Wanyin explained. Jin Zixun got visibly uncomfortable, and Wei Wuxian preened a little when he began to squirm in his seat. 

“I never used a talisman during the fight,” he argued rather quickly, unknowingly admitting to incrimination.

“I never said you did," Jiang Wanyin expertly replied before continuing, "Besides, a strong capable cultivator such as yourself has no need for such a thing, correct, Gongzi?”

"Of course not! How dare you imply such a thing, that I would need to cheat to win." he stammered out. There it was. The vulnerable point. Wei Wuxian began to fidget in his seat from anticipation. "Of course, of course, I apologize Gongzi. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"It's just, considering how the Wen brothers left after that spectacle Wen Xu pulled, to possibly be associated with that in any way would be…very hard to come back from."

"I do not see why you are telling me."

"You were sitting with them the night before the tournament, were you not?" The adendum Wanyin then tacked on to his insinuation, made Jin Zixun's face take on a slightly paler shade. "My ex disciple explained that you and the Wens were very excited about the tournament, and whatever 'enhancement' or talisman that you suggest, that was prepared." Even with the distance between tables, the widening of Jin Zixun's eyes was very clear to anyone looking, and after a quick glance around the pavillion, a fair amount were.

"But as you say Gongzi, that would be beneath you." With a slight bow, Jiang Wanyin then returned to the table, trying very hard to suppress a grin. Wuxian threw his eyes back to the Jin table. There was at least one cultivator that was squarely in the camp of Jin Zixun's innocence, but there were a couple who did not look terribly convinced of it after Jiang Wanyin's implication. Wei Wuxian swelled with pride as his brother returned to his side and tucked back into his breakfast. 

The rest of the day went on as normal, well as normal as he could manage. His mind was a torrent of emotions, each fighting for prominence in his head. The afternoon lecture provided little distraction. It had been a promising one, a practial lecture on new talisman designs for protecting homes and property, and one of the lectures he had been looking forward to attending. At the lecture's conclusion, he found he could only frustratingly recall snippits of it, and only had an inkling of how the new talisman design in his pocket worked.

Nie Huaisang chanced upon him soon afterwards, and looking for a distraction agreed to a quick excursion back to Yunmeng village. By the time they had perused the street market stalls for trinkets and even made a quick return to the bookshop where Nie Huaisang availed himself of yet another spring book, it was well and truly evening time. Desire to return to the complex was not as strong as the need for a meal, so (making full use of his open tab) the pair loaded up on the best Yunmeng street food and made their way to a nearby park to stuff themselves.

"When do you think the Lan's will make their announcement?" Nie Huaisang asked into their so far silent chewing. Wei Wuxian shrugged. There would be an initial mourning period of a week, and then another ninety days of mourning after burial. The Lan's had always been private, so after the burial would be a reasonable guess.

"So, you and Lan Wangji, eh?" his friend finally said after a few moments of conversation and thoughtful chewing. Wei Wuxian knew it was coming, prepared for the interrogation even. The uncertainty and dislike was still there though.

"You know better than to assume Nie Huaisang," he replied mid chew. A friendly warning, but no bite behind it whatsoever. Nie Huaisang smiled and held up his hands in a placating manner. "I did not mean to assume, Wei Wuxian. I merely came to a conclusion. One that is…wrong?" Tension formed slightly in his arms and chest. Nie Huaisang was not wrong, but then was he right by default? He and Lan Wangji had discussed things at length on the lake, mostly about figuring things out. But there was not really a concencious as to what they were to each other. There were definite feelings, but did that mean they were together? What was together? What did that mean? It was still terribly new. Wei Wuxian had never done anything like this before and he certainly knew that Lan Wangji had not either.

"What do you think is going on Nie Huaisang?" Was decidedly not the question he should have asked. Nie Huaisang was incredibly discreet, but as a result was incredibly insightful, being able to read beneath the surface of just about any situation. A quiet uncomfortable heat grew in his chest and neck as his friend proceeded to read him.

"Well, you have been awful close with Lan Wangji, for almost this entire conference. You asked to borrow my new cut sleeve springbook after proclaiming you did not have a taste for such literature, I caught you two lying in a field together watching kites, you were sitting with him at dinner yesterday, plus, (to Wei Wuxian's horror) I saw you row out in a boat together last night on the lake. So, I naturally came to the conclusion that you had developed some sort of feelings for him or at least a curiosity." Wei Wuxian was not certain he was hiding the wild panic he was feeling in his chest, but he comitted to the surest truth he possessed.

"We're friends, Nie Huaisang."

"That much is plain, Wei Wuxian."

"Yep."

"You called him frustrating earlier this week. What changed, if I may ask?"

"We talked it out," which was all he was going to say on the subject. Discretion was the other part he and Lan Wangji had committed to.

"I see."

The look on his face made it clear that Nie Huaisang was not buying what Wei Wuxian was selling. But, he demured and went back to his baozi. "I'm happy you two made up, Wei Wuxian."

"Thank you, Nie Huaisang." A few more moments of peaceful chewing went onwards, until Nie Huaisang broke the silence once more.

"So, is Lan Wangji a good kisser? He looks like he might be." Wei Wuxian dropped his bao mid-bite as he whirled back around wide-eyed, his mouth in a similar state.

"Ha-How? When did you?" Nie Huaisang smile turned into a devilish grin. "Just now. You just told me." Wei Wuxian groaned, giving in to his friend's cleverness, having foolishly fallen right into his snare.

"You are awful, you know that?" he stated, making no effort to hide the morose frustration he was feeling on his face. His friends expression went from joyously teasing to placating in moments.

"I'm sorry, Wei Wuxian. I should not have pushed." Wuxian huffed. "Nie Huaisang, you have to swear that-"

"That I won't tell anyone?" His friend's looks immediately went from placating to pleading assurance. His eyes had flown wide, needing to fix his mistake. "Wei Wuxian, your secret is not mine to share." More than a little bit upset as he was with his friend, he had half a mind to storm back to the complex, to let his friend stew until he begrudgingly accepted his tear filled apology the next evening. For reasons unknown, even to himself, he remained in his spot, surrendering to the situation.

"I am sorry." Wei Wuxian stared at him again for a long pointed moment. Well, if anyone were to find out about him and Lan Wangji, Nie Huaisang was probably the safest bet. "You're forgiven," he let out, begrudgingly, and to his friends relief. "I'm still mad though," he tacked on, wanting to see his friend continue to squirm a little for the transgression. "Also, I know you want to ask, but no, Lan Zhan and I are staying discreet while we figure things out."

"Reasonable. But forgive me, one question?"

"Nie Huaisang…"

"No no, it's not about Lan Wangji. It's just that you never showed an interest in…" he trailed off, letting it go unsaid. Wei Wuxian gave an acknowledging shrug, before confessing to his own very new awareness.

"Is it odd that I think I like him in that way?"

"Do you think its odd?"

"No."

"Well then there's your answer," he smiled.

"When did you…you know…know?" timidity woven in his quiet question. His friend smiled slightly and took on a thoughtful look, seeming to search for an appropriate response. "I'm not really sure. I think that I have always had a preference. Regardless of that though, it does not really matter. I enjoy being with anyone who enjoys being with me, man or woman," he explained.

"I see," he replied quietly.

"Is there something else about it that bothers you?"

There was something else. Something that he had not quite realized until that moment. That with his fathers death, Lan Wangji's position within the Lan Sect had become even more apparent, along with the duties that came with it.

"Lan Wangji is sect heir." A beat, then another. Nie Huaisang then blinked and narrowed his eyes as if to say; "Yes. And?"

"Wei Wuxian, what do you think I am?"

Oh. Right. Their personalities could not be more different, but Nie Huaisang was cut from a very similar cloth.

"Does your brother-?"

"Does he know about my preferences? Yes. He also does not try an push me in a direction I do not want." He grinned as he grabbed a pork skewer to munch on it. "Besides, I'm the spare," he muffled through a chew. "Da-Ge will have no problem securing heirs. It seems to me that Lan Wangji's position and mine are quite alike." Wei Wuxian breathed a little more easily at that assessment. It could still work, after everything was said and done.

"All this heavy discussion aside, you should be commended," his friend beamed, eyes wide with both pride and a hint of mischief. "From frustration to kissing in less than a week; it's a feat one only reads about in novels."