Chapter Text
The Cloud Recesses were by their very nature a serene retreat for contemplation and inner peace.
It was nestled in the comfortable grip of a mountain, soft and open fields next to sheer cliff sides and rocky hills.
Clear and icy brooks sprang from rocks and wound their way through the open forests.
Many days, the rushing and mumbling was the only constant companion to the trilling of birds and the mating cries of cicadas.
Today was not one of those days.
"Out! Out! All of you out!!!"
A wave of students rushed out of the Lanshi, just shy of breaking the rule of no running in the Cloud Recesses.
The culprit of the commotion, and cause for the yelling, quickly ducked to the side to get out of the grandmaster's line of sight as fast as possible.
The frown on his face turned into a pout when Lan Wangji, who was leaving at a sedate pace in the back of the group, shot him a pointed frown.
Wei Wuxian threw his hands up in exasperation.
"I didn't even mean to provoke him this time! Master is so inflexible!"
The throng of students passed with more than one admiring (and some derisive) look in his direction.
When Lan Wangji too left with one last stern glare, Wei Wuxian slumped against the wall, eyes cast down.
A shadow fell over him.
"Wei Wuxian..."
"Your teeth will crack if you don't stop grinding them so hard."
Jiang Wanyin scoffed, took a deep breath and very obviously geared himself up for a tirade.
"Wei Wuxian! What do you think you are going to accomplish with this behavior! We were sent here to represent Yunmeng Jiang! I know you like to treat life like a game, but this is serious! We can't rely on our sect's reputation to carry us out of trouble with these people forever! Sooner or later we will lose face, and it will shame not only us, but the whole clan!"
"Hey, Jiang Cheng! How was that right now even my fault!?"
A scoff tore their attention away from each other, and they glared at the Jin sneering at them in unison.
Jiang Wanyin narrowed his eyes.
"What, you got something to say to us?"
The Jin disciple, recognizable by his golden embroidery even in the student robes, sniffed haughtily.
"If a master scolds a servant, is it not obvious who's at fault? How pretentious. But we have all known for a long time that in Junmeng, the dogs may come and go as they please, with no respect for their owners."
For a moment, there was stunned silence, and then Jiang Wanyin started radiating fury.
"What. Did. You. Just. Call. Him."
"Oh, don't pretend to have your dignity offended. I have seen firsthand what the power and standing of the Junmeng Jiang are actually worth when we threw you out of your own inn. That sect might have once been counted among the great, but those times are long gone. The little games your servant is playing can only distract from the truth for so long."
Murderous fury flashed over Jiang Wanyin's face, and he stomped towards the Jin disciple, fist already raised and sizzling with spiritual energy.
"I am going to-"
"Jiang Cheng! Stop!"
Wei Wuxian quickly jumped forward, ashen faced but determined. His interference gave the rapidly paling Jin a chance to retreat hastily, but not without one last condescending sneer towards them.
Jiang Wanyin let out a furious hiss, and punched Wei Wuxian in the side instead.
"Oof!"
"Why did you stop me?! The little shit deserves to be taken down a notch!"
Wei Wuxian grimaced and shrugged.
"Who cares. He's just a nobody. But if we go around beating up random weaklings, we really will damage Yunmeng Jiang's reputation."
Jiang Wanyin turned to him incredulously.
"He called you a fucking servant!"
Wei Wuxian turned away quickly, but for once not fast enough for the younger to catch a glimpse of his expression.
"Jiang Cheng... That's what I am."
Hastily, he held up a hand to stave off the rant already forming on his foster brother's rapidly purpling face.
"I know that is not true for you or Shijie, and maybe even Jiang Shushu! You are my family, and I know I am your brother in all but blood. It's just that..."
He shrugged helplessly before continuing.
"For all of my education, position and your support, I'm not a member of the gentry. I did not even come forward to pledge myself to the sect or enter a contract. I'm just... there. Not truly a member of the main family, but no ordinary disciple either. Trained to serve as your right hand, in whichever capacity you decide."
For a long, endless moment, Jiang Wanyin looked stricken. He swallowed, and the fist still clenched tightly at his side trembled.
When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"But... You are favored. I thought..."
He shook himself, as if to brush off the spider web of confusion clinging to him.
"You are trained to replace me? In case... In case. And anyway. You are better at archery. At sword fighting. Hell, even at making connections!"
Wei Wuxian blinked.
"Jiang Cheng... do you think a sect leader is called suitable just because he can hit the hardest? Win the most fights? That's ridiculous! That's what you have servants for! A good leader has to always look at the wellbeing of their clan first, and at his personal desires second. They don't have to do everything, they just have to know who to pick for the job to get it done! I don't even know what a sect leader's most important skill is, but it sure as hell is not shooting kites!"
Jiang Wanyin swallowed visibly, and then shook himself.
"You! I am not dealing with this. And you are delusional if you think I am going to let some random Jin get away with demeaning our First Disciple."
Wei Wuxian sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Let them talk about me. Who cares? What is actually offensive is the peacock and his cronies throwing around their money to bully other sects, and then having the gall to try and make it look like a weakness on our part! Those Jin really need to be taught a lesson not to mess with the Yunmeng Jiang!"
"They better not get away with this. But I would still like to know why you stopped me from hitting him."
"Because, Jiang Cheng, a little weasel like this does not deserve us actually getting in trouble over him. And I can think of a few things that are going to hurt his ego much more than your fists."
With his foster brother's arm slung over his shoulder, and a calculating look on his face, Jiang Wanyin slowly unwound from the tight coil he had found himself in after his sect brother's uncomfortable outburst of feelings.
"Alright. Tell me what you have in mind."
They walked away with their heads stuck together and eyes glinting mischievously.
It was only when they were out of sight, that a pale figure stepped out from the tree overshadowing a different path.
The very same moment, the door to the Lanshi slid open.
The eyes of Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen met, and their twin frowns made them look even more similar to each other than usual.
Lan Xichen cleared his throat.
"That was... troubling."
His younger brother nodded gravely.
"Wei Ying tried to excuse his lateness by claiming it to have been Jin Zixuan's fault."
Lan Xichen pursed his lips.
"True. I had not truly considered his words. I confess I had thought them empty excuses. But perhaps there is more to the story after all."
"Mn."
Satisfied with his brother's agreement, he could not help but add with an impish smile:
"We are not touching the internal affairs of the Jiang clan."
"Mn."
This time, the answer sounded far more rebellious, and Lan Xichen could not help the fond chuckle.
This earned him a dirty look.
"Xiongzhang. Eavesdropping is forbidden. Gossip is forbidden."
Lan Xichen nodded sagely, not trying overly hard to hide the amusement in his voice.
"Handstands?"
"Mn. And conduct. Ten times."
"I look forward to spending time with you, Wangji. We can discuss what we are going to do about those two troublemakers then."