Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian's unrestrained mischievousness was nothing new to the calm and tranquil home called Cloud Recess. After marrying the second young master of the Lan Sect, his abrasiveness only grew, much to their dismay, and his attitude went from being annoying to being an utter abomination (to Lan Qiren's eyes, anyway).

Three-hundred and fifty-two rules had been added to the wall of discipline, Lan Jingyi had counted, ever since Wei Wuxian came back to Cloud Recess. On second thought, three more had been added this very morning!

Lan Jingyi didn't particularly dislike his senior's new, joyous company, and actually revelled in it. Senior Wei, to him, was like a father figure, just how Hanguang-Jun was. You see, Lan Jingyi had joined the Lan sect as a child, just after his parents had passed away. It was then that he met the young, amnesiac Lan Yuan, and the punished, sorrowful Hanguang-Jun. They, (not that he would ever tell them) had become his new family, and with Senior Wei added to the picture, it felt like it was finally complete.

Except, despite the many praises and fond headpats he receives; despite the joking comments of him being their son; despite the love and care he has been given, Lan Jingyi doesn't feel part of their family, no matter how much they continuously tell him that he is.

Today was just another, ordinary, auspicious day. He woke up late, after falling back asleep who-knows-how-many-times, went to feed Hanguang-Jun's rabbits, woke up Wei-Qianbei with the day's breakfast, chatted a bit with his junior disciples, and finally began to practise sword drills. His skill with a sword has increased drastically, hence why he's now referred to as "Jingyi-ge", "Lan-xiong", and sometimes even a few passionate "Lan-Qianbei"s! Although Sizhui was better than him in terms of cultivation, it was only a matter of time before Jingyi would surpass him!

"Here, raise your right arm a little bit, and... there! You've got it! Now try again like that!"

As soon as they completed the move correctly, the junior's eyes lit up and then they turned to Lan Jingyi with a happy "Thank you, Lan-Qianbei!"

Lan Jingyi cooly nodded, briefly flicking his nose with a proud finger, just like Senior Wei had taught him to do when he was being cool. "It was your own hard work that led you to victory. Well done, shidi." Oh, how mature he had become!!

It was then that he heard a familiar call of "Jingyi!" and his walls of maturity crumbled as quick as they were erected. His face pulled into a wide smile as he saw his Wei-Qianbei running towards him!! "Wei-Qianbei! It's you!"

If Lan Jingyi childishly clung to Wei Wuxian's torso, he would vehemently deny it to any shidi who lived to tell the tale.

"So clingy," Wei Wuxian complained, although a smile crept up his face as he spoke. "Right, Jingyi, have you seen Lan Zhan? I've been looking all over for him this morning but no one has apparently seen him."

Lan Jingyi removed himself from the embrace and picked up his sword from where he'd thrown it onto the floor (oops) as he replied, "Hm... Yesterday he mentioned there being a discussion conference in Qinghe... perhaps he's gone there?"

"Oh, wait..." Wei Wuxian's smile suddenly faded. "He did mention that yesterday to me as well... I must have forgotten."

"Senior Wei, did you not question the tray of breakfast by your bedside in the Jingshi?"

Wei Wuxian slowly glanced to his left. "Oh, that tree is suddenly very intriguing.... Have you ever wondered how resentful spirits possess trees, Jingyi?"

Lan Jingyi rolled his eyes. "Senior Wei, Hanguang-Jun was the one who prepared your breakfast this morning since he was going to be away for the entire day."

"Oh," Wei Wuxian commented. "No wonder it was more delicious than normal..."

"You know it's me and Sizhui who prepare your usual meals, right?"

"..." Wei Wuxian said slowly. "Oh, would you look at that? My lips hurt, I think today's breakfast was a bit spicier than usual..."

"But senior, you yourself said that the more spice, the more delicious it is...."

"......."

Lan Jingyi chuckled, "Anyways, Senior-Wei, why were you looking for Hanguang-Jun in the first place?"

"Well, actually, this morning I was busy tinkering with talismans as usual, when I accidentally altered a cleaning charm into something that prevents your clothes from getting dirty as long as the talisman is attached to it!"

Lan Jingyi gasped in spite of himself, "Wei-Qianbei, that is genius! Can you teach me how to make them? I could show it to the other disciples too!"

Wei Wuxian grinned, "If you think that's amazing, then just wait until you see this." He pulled out a talisman from inside of his sleeve and waved it tauntingly in front of Lan Jingyi's face. "Guess what it does. I'll give you three attempts."

Jingyi's eyes widened, "No way.. Does it enhance your beauty, making you look young?! Wei-Qianbei, is that why you look like you haven't aged for ten years?"

"You're such a smooth flatterer; in the future, you'll have no trouble finding a partner," Wei Wuxian grinned, "But how I wish that were true, it's unfortunately not... Maybe I should work on something like that.." He began playing with both of his cheeks as he continued, "I was worried that this face was losing its shine. Lan Zhan gets more handsome each day, I am so envious.."

Lan Jingyi nodded in understanding before he considered, "Then... does it give you a free jar of Emperor's smile?!"

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow, "If I really made that, then do you really think I'd be here chit-chattering right now?"

"Oh..." Lan Jingyi commented. "Then... does it act as a sword cleaner? I could really use something like that; cleaning my sword takes absolutely ages... especially after a night hunt."

Wei Wuxian hummed in thought, "That's a great idea, Jingyi! It isn't correct, but I could also work on something similar to that. Bichen would definitely benefit from it too..."

"Bichen? Not Suibian?"

"Suibian, ah..." Wei Wuxian said slowly. "Suibian as well, of course. I just tend to favour Bichen at times, you see?"

The pair's conversation came to a halt when a familiar voice exclaimed from the distance, "Senior Wei, Jingyi!"

Wei Wuxian instantly brightened at the voice, "A-Yuan!!!"

Lan Sizhui was pulled into his father's embrace, who immediately began to pepper his face with kisses. "A-Yuan, where'd you go? I was looking for you, but both you and Lan Zhan had disappeared."

Lan Yuan smiled softly, "Well, A-Die invited me to go to Qinghe's conference with him for experience... Sorry we never told you."

From behind, Lan Wangji nodded with a slight smile. "Mn."

Wei Wuxian's smile got impossibly wider. His entire body screamed, Lan Zhan!!

"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, you're back!! This husband missed you!" Wei Wuxian shamelessly threw himself into his husband's arms, who accepted him immediately. "Lan Zhan, look at this! I made a new talisman! You'd definitely benefit from it!! You Lans always wear those immaculate white robes, and having to cast a cleaning charm all day must be so tiring! So, this talisman prevents your robes from getting dirty in the first place!! Lan Zhan, did I do well?"

Lan Wangji smiled, "Mn. Very good."

"...!!"

"Wei Ying is very good."

"Lan Zhan, don't smile like that, my heart... My heart can't handle it! Your poor husband will end up fainting!"

"Will catch Wei Ying."

"B- But then I'll end up sick! And in bed for days! What good will catching me do?"

"Will care for Wei Ying."

"....And- And then I will... I will..." Wei Wuxian trailed off, a flush forming on his cheeks. "..I will, you know..."

Wei Wuxian embarrassedly covered his face with both hands. When they were teenagers, it was always him flirting with Lan Zhan, him teasing Lan Zhan, and him making Lan Zhan blush like a maiden!! Now, somehow, Lan Zhan has grown accustomed to teasing him and is even more shameless! At this rate, he will have no face left!

A Lan disciple whispered, "So much dog food..."

Lan Jingyi turned to Lan Sizhui with a blank face, "Sizhui, should we go?"

"....Yes.." Lan Sizhui coughed into a hand. "A-Die, Baba.. me and Jingyi are going to go meet Jin Ling at the gate. Sect Leader Jiang and he are due to come, after all..."

Lan Jingyi added, "Senior Wei, try not to hand out too much dog food. All of my shidi are right behind you, if you didn't know already."

Wei Wuxian startled at the crowd of awkward Lans standing behind him, but nonetheless sternly remarked, "Don't get into trouble. I don't wanna be clearing up after you."

Lan Jingyi scoffed, "I'm surprised that it's you saying that. Now you know how Hanguang-Jun feels!" He stuck out a mischievous tongue before pulling Lan Sizhui along and running away.

Watching the two disappear into the distance, Wei Ying crossed his arms. "That boy is getting more and more bold each day.." He turned to Lan Wangji, "Lan Zhan... do you really feel like that? Am I too troublesome for you?"

"Never."

"You love me?"

"Mn. Love Wei Ying.

"You see!" Wei Wuxian threw his arms into the air in enunciation. "He just doesn't understand. And do you want to know why? It's because he's single! Maybe if he found himself a partner, then would he–"

His words suddenly slowed into an unintelligible slur. "What..?" He pressed a trembling hand to his forehead to stable himself. "Lan Zhan-"

Lan Wangji reached out a hand to catch his falling husband, but his limbs fell down like jelly until he saw his world tilt upside-down.

They both were swept into an unconscious state.

Everyone awoke with a sudden gasp.

Throughout the darkness of the room, Wei Wuxian could faintly make the outlines of other people of various heights and statures. His theory of others being in the same area was soon confirmed by the sound of multiple unidentifiable voices that he didn't seem to recognise.

Wei Wuxian felt through his robes before he eventually found the entrance to his qiankun pouch within his sash and pulled out a talisman. Thankfully, it was a fire talisman, considering the lines of cinnabar his fingers could feel through the material. He immediately activated it, and was finally able to identify where he was using the illumination provided.

The room was tremendously large; the talisman within his hand couldn't even cover a fifth of its entire perimeter! The walls were made of hard stone; rocky and crooked, with damp spots between the cracks and crevices. The floor in which he stood on was cold and also made of stone, although the surface was much smoother than that of the walls. The most noticeable thing, however, was how the place was brimming with such dense resentful energy that even with a weak core like Mo Xuanyu's, Wei Wuxian could sense it.

"Jingyi! Get off me!" The voice of a young man–that he recognised to be Jin Ling–disrupted the silence.

"Think about calming that temper of yours first, young mistress!" Another–Jingyi, he realised–exclaimed.

"Shut up! Do not call me young mistress!"

"You act like one so you are one! If you want me to stop then you should just grow up!"

"You-"

Lan Sizhui walked towards the two, hauling one off of the other. "Jin Ling, Jingyi, let's not fight."

"Where are we?" Nie Huaisang exclaimed nervously. Wei Wuxian couldn't see the man, but replied, "That's what I'd like to know.. Lan Zhan, are you there?"

"Mn."

Allowing the relief of his husband's presence to comfort his heart, Wei Wuxian turned towards the wall, where his friend was curiously standing. "Wen Ning."

Wen Qionglin immediately understood his instruction and briskly walked to the wall. He clenched his palm into a fist and struck at the rock, attempting to make even a dent but to no avail. "Young Master Wei... I can't break through."

Wei Ying walked over to the fierce corpse and gently knocked on the wall with a layer of qi on his knuckles. It produced three, taunting 'da da da's but instead of crumbling into his hands, it only made his knuckles bloom into a bright, sore red. "Ai- It hurts so much. What kind of wall is this?"

A presence appeared beside him, and before he knew what was happening, Lan Wangji had grabbed his hand and had already begun to send him spiritual energy to heal the wound. It wasn't really necessary, considering that Wei Wuxian now had a core of his own, but the thought was what really mattered. 

Lan Wangji suddenly paused, his lips pulling into a frown. "I can't access my golden core."

Wei Wuxian blinked, "Really? That's weird, I don't feel any different."

Jiang Wanyin–"Jiang Cheng, you're here too?!"–grumbled, "Of course you don't. You can't even call that small thing a golden core."

"But, Lan Zhan..." Wei Wuxian muttered. "I was able to use my qi to burn this talisman."

Lan Wangji pulled a talisman from within his sleeve and infused it with his qi. The talisman lit up, indicating that it was working. Lan Wangji reasoned, "I think we can use little bits of qi, such as using a talisman or doing a charm spell, but not masses of it, such as doing a qi transfer."

At their conversation, multiple others within the room began to try to access their spiritual energy but to no avail.

"So it's true..."

"I don't feel mine either.."

"What's happening?!"

Sect leader Yao snapped, "Isn't it obvious? This is the doing of the Yiling Patriarch! I knew we should have never trusted him!"

Wei Wuxian retorted with a scoff, "Why would I even need to do that? With or without your golden cores, I could take you down easily."

Sect Leader Yao's cheeks flared red in anger. "How arrogant! You don't need a reason to kill! Need I remind you? You're the Yiling Patriarch! Who knows what you're thinking? For all we knew, you could be planning world domination!"

A middle-aged cultivator gasped, "World domination?! How brazen!"

Wei Wuxian snorted, "You overestimate me. What use for the world would I have when its inhabitants are such fools?"

"You have deluded the righteous Hanguang-Jun and taken over the Lan sect! What more could you want, Wei Wuxian?!"

"Right! Release Hanguang-Jun right now! He's innocent!"

"Get your minds out of the gutter, you old geezers." A woman sneered, "I hope you didn't forget about how his name was cleared just recently."

"Being framed a couple times by that dog Jin Guangyao doesn't change who he is and what he's done in the past!"

The arguing came to a halt when Lan Xichen cleared his throat. "Let's not be hasty with accusations. Most importantly, we need to figure out why we are here."

"Finally someone speaks to me with reason." Wei Ying hummed. "Well, after a bit of observing, I couldn't help but notice... that the resentful energy here resembles that of the burial mounds-"

Many gasps echoed throughout the room.

"The Burial mounds?"

"It truly is your doing!"

"Oh, not again.."

Wei Wuxian, seemingly angered, forced a smile. "If I was going to trap you here, seal your golden cores and kill you all, why would I put myself with you? What idiot would even do that?"

From within his grave, Wei Wuxian could see Su She's eyebrow twitch.

And then, like moths to a flame, all of the juniors made their way to Wei Wuxian and immediately began to defend him.

"Yeah! He's right!"

"Don't slander him with those flimsy accusations!"

"Do you feel no shame?"

Wei Ying patted each of their heads affectionately, one after the other. "Thanks, kids."

And then, all at once, a screen behind them lit up, illuminating the entirety of the room.

Beside the screen was a platform. Written on the platform in italic golden text was the words: [Regain those that are lost] Below thee beautiful, intricately-written calligraphy was a large green [Yes] and a red [No.]

His curiosity piqued, Lan Jingyi did what others dared not to do, and nonchalantly walked up to the platform. "What's this?"

Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and many others in the room yelled at him at the same time, "Don't touch anything!"

However, they were too late, for Jingyi had already pressed [Yes]

Startled by the multitude of voices, he immediately retracted his hand, "Ah- Sorry.."

A blinding flash of white threw light upon the room, causing many to close or cover their eyes. But when they next opened them, what they saw left them in awe.

Because in front of the screen stood perfectly healthy, and alive people.

Alive people who were once dead.

All of the cultivators present were in an uproar.

To the very left, clad in her usual lilac robes, was Jiang Yanli, who was holding hands with Jin Zixuan. And they both looked so happy, which only increased Wei Wuxian's growing feeling of dread because it was just a reminder of everything he ruined.

He didn't even register Jiang Cheng leaving his side and rushing to their his sister, throwing himself into her arms and pushing the Jin aside.

Standing beside the reuniting siblings, their expressions of pure horror, were, of course, their parents: Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian. As soon as they saw their children, they were visibly trying to retain their tears as they joined the heartfelt reunion.

Wei Wuxian looked away.

He didn't even know what to do with himself anymore. His hands were shaking, teeth nervously pulled at his lip, and eyes darted around the room like flies, desperately trying to look at anything but them.

Was he supposed to be happy? Happy after seeing the very people he murdered come back to life? Happy to be reminded of everything he could have saved, but didn't because of his incapability and selfishness? Or was he supposed to be sad? Sad that he was no longer a part of their joyous family, sad that his shijie Jiang Yanli would never look at him sweetly, with warmth in her eyes, and softly call him "A-Xian" like she once did?

What was he supposed to do now? Laugh with them and pretend like nothing happened? Pretend like he didn't utterly destroy their family, and crumble it piece-by-piece until it completely fell apart?

Lan Wangji pulled Wei Wuxian into his chest, protectively covering him with his long white sleeves. "Wei Ying, don't cry."

Wei Wuxian didn't even notice the soreness of his eyes until he heard those words.

Upon hearing the name, Jiang Yanli looked up from the embrace she shared with her family, her eyes sobbingly wet. "A-Xian..?"

Nobody, not even a single person in the room, missed how Wei Wuxian's breath hitched.

Jiang Yanli walked across the room until she was standing before her brother and reached out a trembling hand, "A-Xian, is that really you?"

Wei Ying pushed his sobbing face further into Lan Wangji's chest, soaking the white fabric grey with his tears.

"A-Xian.." Jiang Yanli continued quietly, "A-Xian. I'm so glad you're alright.."

It was her words that made Wei Wuxian finally remove his head from within the embrace. "Shi.. jie..?" From behind her and into the distance, he saw Jiang Cheng crying. And from what he knew, Jiang Cheng never cried.

Why was she calling him so sweetly, as if nothing had happened? Why were her words so affectionate, so loving, when she was speaking to him? He killed her, he killed her husband; he made their child parentless.

"A-Xian.." Jiang Yanli choked down a sob. "A-Xian, I.. I wanted to tell you... I've always wanted to tell you.. It's not your fault. I don't–I have never–blamed you for what happened to A-Xuan. Nor to me or A-Ling... So please.. Would you please look at your shijie, hm?"

Wei Wuxian's lips opened, as if he wanted to speak, but then he violently shuddered and sudden tears were falling down his face and... and it was just too much– "Shijie..."

"A-Xian!" Jiang Yanli gasped as she pulled him away from Lan Wangji and into her arms. "A-Xian, I'm here. Shijie's here for you."

"Sh-Shijie.. It's- It's all my fault..!" Wei Wuxian sniffled. "If only.. If only I was stronger, I could have protected you! If only I was capable of controlling my own power, I would never have lost control... If only..."

"If only I was better..."

Jiang Yanli choked down yet another sob as she combed her fingers through his hair comfortingly, "A-Xian, it's alright. I'm here... Don't cry, A-Xian."

When Wei Wuxian finally calmed down, he was able to properly observe his shijie in what felt like forever. She now looked much healthier than before; gone were her mourning robes, the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, and the pale hue to her skin.

From behind him, within the crowd who were watching the scene, he noticed Jin Ling staring at his mother with both astonishment and longing. Wei Wuxian chuckled mildly to himself before pulling Jin Ling from within the mass of people and once again made his way beside his sister with teary eyes. "Shijie, look! The Little Peacock has certainly grown, hasn't he?"

Jiang Yanli threw her hands to her mouth as she gasped, "...A-Ling?"

Jin Ling's eyes widened, "A-Niang..?" His eyes darted to the man dressed in gold, standing beside her. "A-Die..?"

Jin Zixuan smiled at his crying wife and son and embraced them both. "A-Ling, you've grown up so well.. You're so handsome; you look just like me from when I was younger."

Jiang Yanli fondly rolled her eyes at his comment.

When they all pulled away, from within his peripheral vision, Wei Wuxian noticed Wen Qing blabbering to her younger brother, minutely picking out the words "relieved" and "happy" from her seemingly-endless speech.

He tackled Wen Qing into a hug, making sure it was tight enough so she wouldn't be able to pull away. "Qing-Jie!"

"Oh, if it isn't my lazy, incompetent and least-favourite didi." She joked before returning the embrace. "How have you been, Wuxian?"

"I've been great! I even cleared my name and married Lan Zhan!"

"Wow, it certainly took you long enough.."

Another person within the room exclaimed loud enough for all to hear, "Wei Wuxian! Did you not learn anything after your death? Why are you still mingling with those Wen dogs?"

Another unsheathed their sword, "I think we should kill them all before they start a war again!" And then, before anyone could react, the same person fell to the floor with a nosebleed.

"You idiot! Did you forget our golden cores were sealed?"

"Yeah! What were you thinking?"

"That's right! You're an idiot!"

Meanwhile, in another section of the room, Jin Guangshan was one step away from snapping Jin Guangyao's neck. His lips pulled into a snarl, he recalled the humiliating death he was forced to endure by that little deviant and oh, did his anger flare. "You unfilial bastard! How dare you!"

Lan Xichen was quick to redeem the situation, jumping in front of Jin Guangyao as he held his sheathed sword out in warning. "Senior Jin, I ask that you do not be hasty. We can settle personal matters once we have left this... place, for it is unwise to cause bloodshed in our current situation. Jin Guangyao has committed heinous acts, and he will be dealt with appropriately in due time."

Jin Guangshan privately huffed to himself before sending one last glare to Jin Guangyao and turning away. "You worthless bastard. I should have killed you when I had the chance."

Jin Guangyao turned to face Lan Xichen, his hands briefly trembling as they lied at both his sides, and mumbled longingly, "...Er-ge.."

Lan Xichen clenched his fists, blinked away the tears that were brought to the surface and turned away.

He didn't look back.

When Nie Huaisang saw his brother in the flesh, saying he was shocked would most certainly be an understatement.

Wei Wuxian watched as the headshaker dropped his favourite fan to the floor like he hadn't been boasting about it a few hours ago and ran towards Nie Mingjue with hopeful eyes. "Da-Ge!"

Nie Mingjue welcomed his younger brother into his arms, "Huaisang, you've certainly aged."

"Da-ge!" Nie Huaisang cried, as if wishing for reassurance that everything was real and was really happening. "Da-ge! Da-ge!"

Watching the scene, Wei Wuxian exhaled a well-deserved sigh, considering everything that's happened.

The one downside to everyone coming back to life was that they'd be after his head the second they realised he was alive too. (He didn't really want to be on the other side of BaXia, thank you very much!)

They shouldn't recognise him in Mo Xuanyu's body... probably. (Wei Wuxian was completely oblivious to the fact that they were too busy to even look at him, thus they didn't know he was alive.) He'd been told a couple times that he was beginning to look more and more like himself and less like Mo Xuanyu throughout the years. For the first time, Wei Wuxian prayed that it wasn't true.

But when he saw Jiang Cheng's unnaturally delighted expression at seeing his family, guilt once again rose within Wei Wuxian's heart. He watched as they cried, he watched as they mourned, he watched as they smiled, he also watched as the screen behind them lit up—wait what?

"Hey what's that?" He innocently questioned, rendering the room silent.

Nie Mingjue, Jin Zixun, Jin Guangshan and all those who bore hatred for him turned around and glared.

Wei Wuxian violently shuddered, feeling nervous all of a sudden. "What?"

Nie Mingjue slowly walked towards him, his intimidatingly deep voice booming throughout the cave. "Yiling Patriarch, you're back.. We killed you once and we won't hesitate to do it again!"

It was then that Lan Wangji once again stood before Wei Wuxian, holding Bichen out with a threatening air, his gaze piercingly cold. "No."

Jin Guangshan exclaimed, "Second Young Master Lan, what is the meaning of this?!"

Lan Wangji turned to the Jin with a calm gaze, and repeated, "No."

His face looking like the incarnation of fury, Jin Guangshan roared to Lan Qiren, "Is this how the Gusu Lan Clan teaches its disciples?!

Lan Qiren huffed, "Believe me, I want that demonic cultivator out of my nephew's life as much as you do. But there's no use fighting Wangji; he won't ever stand down."

Wei Wuxian sighed, his hand falling to his side. "Aiya, did you all forget about the thing behind you? Or is it just me who sees it?"

The heads of all within the room immediately snapped to the screen. Lan Sizhui walked up to Lan Jingyi, who was still presently fiddling with the platform, apparently having not learned his lesson before. "Jingyi, can you explain to us what you are doing?"

Lan Jingyi beamed, "Sizhui, Wei-Qianbei, Hanguang-Jun! There's writing!"

Wei Wuxian made his way to the two Lans, peering over Lan Jingyi's shoulder to see. "What? Didn't we tell you not to touch anything?"

From another corner in the room, Wen Ruohan smirked and rubbed his chin in curiosity. "Hm.. Qing-er, considering Wei Wuxian had the ability to kill me, do you think-"

Hearing the words 'Wei Wuxian' and 'Killed me', Wen Qing snapped, "Shut up!"

Every single person in the room came to a halt as silence befell the atmosphere.

"What are you doing, woman?! You're gonna get us all killed!"

"Yeah! He's gonna kill us all again!"

"Are you stupid or just a lunatic?!"

Wen Ruohan chuckled a chuckle that instantly threaded goosebumps through people's skin, "Wen Qing, looks like you haven't changed." He dismissively waved a hand in the air as he continued, "It's fine, It's fine. Qing-er meant nothing by it, now did you, Qing-er?"

To Lan Jingyi, Wen Ruohan's laughter sounded like 'that one song that would play at your funeral while everyone's busy crying their hearts out over his coffin'. In pure shock, he startled at the sound–just as everyone else did, he can defend!!--and accidentally pressed a button on the platform.

The very button that said [Begin]

On the screen, large text appeared. [Episode One (第一集)]

Everyone immediately turned to him with the most furious glares they could muster, "Lan! Jingyi!"

Lan Jingyi nervously laughed, internally praying that these feral strangers wouldn't throttle him to his death, and scratched the back of his head, "Whoops?"

Chapter Text

To Lan Jingyi, Wen Ruohan's laughter sounded like 'that one song that would play at your funeral while everyone's busy crying their hearts out over his coffin'. In pure shock, he startled at the sound–just as everyone else did, he can defend!!–and accidentally pressed a button on the platform.

The very button that said [Begin]

On the screen, large text appeared. [Episode One (第一集)]

Everyone immediately turned to him with the most furious glares they could muster, "Lan! Jingyi!"

Lan Jingyi nervously laughed, internally praying that these feral strangers wouldn't throttle him to his death, and scratched the back of his head, "Whoops?"

"The Yiling Patriarch Wei Wuxian has died! That's such great news!"

Throughout the darkness of the room, it was quite terribly obvious when a certain Wei jumped out of his skin at the words. Many questioning glances were sent in his direction, although most were just trying to figure out what just happened.

“Who said that?”

“Old Liu, that sounded suspiciously similar to your voice!!”

“Me?! Old Chang, you’ve got to be as deaf as you are blind!! I haven’t spoken as much as a word this whole time!”

“You say that yet you just said 18 words just now!! Old Liu, are you a lunatic, stupid, or are you just generally an idiot?”

“You were really counting that..? But everything aside, that was certainly not me! When Wei Wuxian died, I was at my grandparent’s house!”

“...You have grandparents? At your age?”

“My mother and father, what’s the difference?!”

If Jiang Yanli wasn’t the very incarnation of fury that very second, then her reputation as the Violet Spider’s daughter would all be for naught! But despite that, she pulled at her lip and retained her anger, for that’s exactly how she had been taught to.

She had been taught to stay a calm and composed noble lady, which only resulted in her abandoning A-Xian when he needed her the most.

And of course, she was doing that again. Because behind her mask of bravery, she was a coward . A coward that couldn’t even prevent the slandering of her own brother.

Jiang Yanli’s eyes watered with unshed tears as she stared down at her lap, where her fists had been clenched. And then another–a much larger–hand settled on top of hers, squeezing her own reassuringly.

When she next looked up, it was to the sight of A-Xuan’s comforting smile. She smiled back, even if tears continued to build within her eyes.

"Really? Who killed him?" A third party, seemingly oblivious of the happenings in the cultivation world, curiously asked.

The screen, which was no longer black, showed a series of memories. They varied from the sunshot campaign, burial mounds siege, and the many acts of evil in which Wei Wuxian committed.

"What's this?"

“Is that a painting?”

"How weird!"

"Look, look! The picture is moving!"

“Could this be the work of Wei Wuxian ?”

“How would Wei Wuxian do this? ”

“What I’m more interested to know is what’s happening right now… Is no one even questioning why we’re here in the first place?”

“There’s no point! We already know whose fault it is, after all!”

“Right, right!” Another agreed. “Who else but Wei Wuxian would do this? He says he didn’t, but I don’t see anyone else in this room doing such a thing. Not even Wen Ruohan! Look, he just looks like an old drunkard! What evil Sect Leader? I think everyone exaggerated the war!”

“Did you just hear that, Qing-er, A-Ning?” Wen Ruohan raised an eyebrow. “They say I look like an old drunkard. Really, I tried my best to get rid of the belly, but it just won’t go away…”

“There’s also the Ghost General over there!” A third party added. “What ferocious corpse? He looks more like a kicked puppy…”

“It’s a ruse!” Old Liu exclaimed. “I bet you three silver taels that this is just him trying to fool us!”

Lan Sizhui, who had never even taken an interest in betting, could wager 300 silver taels that they were about to be proven very wrong.

At the same time; as everything else was happening, Jiang Yanli stifled a gasp. Not only had she failed to protect her sweet A-Xian, but he had died too! Was everything he– everything they went through for naught? Was all of that fighting for nothing?

Did A-Xian die… Just as she did, with an entire catalogue of regrets he had yet to fulfil?

Now, Jin Zixuan wasn’t the type to get all sentimental, you see? So no, he wasn’t angry in the slightest, nor sad , nor whatever feelings humans feel–for Wei Wuxian.

Well, actually, that’s what he would usually say in his internal monologue, but now, after seeing his son for the first time in years, Jin Zixuan was in a good mood for once. So he’s going to defend his brother from those silly old men and give them a run for their money. (And yes, he has lots of it.)

“Who killed him?” He repeated what the unknown voice had said on the screen. His blood was boiling with rage, and oh, if bloodlust was a spark, he was about to burn down an entire mother-f`cking city. “Who killed him?! What bastard of humankind would even dare to lay a hand on A-Xian? Hm ? Spit it out, you old fools. I’ll grab this murdering bastard by the collar, and–”

“A-Xuan!” Jiang Yanli exclaimed, sending an apologetic look to the horrified group of men. “A-Xuan, it’s… It’s fine, we… it’s not our knowledge to know without A-Xian’s consent. Please calm down.”

Nobody had the courage to move. 'Jin Zixuan can be terrifying when he wants to be', they all thought.

Wen Ruohan smirked in interest, "Wei Wuxian indirectly killed me. And to think there was someone alive who was able to kill that monster .." He glanced towards the trembling form of the Yiling Patriarch. "Is rather interesting."

A girl muttered from within the crowd, “Oh please no , not the ‘ interesting’..!!”

"Who else? His shidi Jiang Cheng, leader of the Jiang Clan. The Jiang Clan of Yunmeng, Jin clan of Lanling, Lan clan of Gusu, and Nie clan of Qinghe all took the lead and burned the burial mounds to the ground."

“A-Cheng, you didn’t!” Throughout the deafening silence of the crowd, a weak cry suddenly exclaimed helplessly. “A-Cheng, tell JieJie you didn’t do it. A-Cheng! Answer me! A-Cheng!”

“Jie…”

“A-Cheng, please...” Jiang Yanli shook her head as if she couldn’t comprehend the situation. “You… You love A-Xian, don’t you? You would never do something like that. A-Cheng, won’t you tell this useless Jie of yours the truth, mm ?”

The guilty expression blemishing her baby brother’s face was enough of an answer for her, for she immediately fell to her knees, cheeks dampening with the fluid of tears as she screamed.

“A-Li!” Jin Zixuan cried.

“A-Cheng!” She wailed, pressing both palms to her face helplessly. “How could you? I trusted you! I made you promise me that you’d protect A-Xian! You said you’d protect him from the other clans! You promised!”

Jiang Cheng held out a hand weakly as he replied, “Jie, he… You died! What else was I supposed to do? He… he killed you , Jie!”

As if realising what he’d just said, Jiang Wanyin froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Jiang Yanli’s gasp did nothing to rectify the situation, for it only morphed into yet another fit of sobs.

“A-Cheng, why would you do such a thing…? A-Xian has only done his best for us, yet you..”

“I know…” Jiang Wanyin replied weakly, his head lowering in shame.

“Jie, trust me… I know..”

"But the Yiling Patriarch and the four main clans were allies during the sunshot campaign, right?"

The man scoffed at the other's simple mindedness. "You call that being allies? The Jiangs raised him like their own, but the entire clan was almost wiped out because of him! What an ungrateful bastard!"

Yu Ziyuan huffed, "At Least they got that much right!"

"My Lady." Jiang Fengmian warned.

“How was it Wei Wuxian’s fault that the Jiangs weren’t strong enough?” A Jin remarked, “It only proves what a weak sect they are! In my opinion, Wei Wuxian would have fit in perfectly with our Jin Clan!”

A Jiang disciple retorted furiously, “You stupid Jins! Don’t forget who led the siege on him in the burial mounds! That’s right–it was your Sect Leader, Jin Guangshan! And the siege didn’t even succeed, for Wei-shixiong completely annihilated you all!”

“Hah! You Jiangs are no better! Just because he was once a Jiang himself, Wei Wuxian spared your entire clan out of mercy! And yet you dare claim to have been the main driving force of the war! How shameless!”

“Well– At least our Clan Leaders were all honourable men! Not like that fiend Jin Guangshan and that dog Jin Guangyao!”

“We had two chief cultivators rule the cultivation world–who were from our clan–in a row! Our Clan leaders didn’t tie themselves down with a petty woman like yours did!”

Fingers were immediately pointed, their underlying ruthlessness not a surprise to many.

“You!!”

“You!!”

"I heard he has another evil weapon. The stygian tiger amulet."

"He destroyed it before he died. At least he did one good thing."

‘That certainly was a good thing I destroyed it back then…’ Wei Wuxian thought briefly. ‘If I had left it in the hands of the clan leaders, another war would have begun. At least when Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao repaired it, the amulet wasn’t as effective as it once was.’

“How did Wei Wuxian create the Stygian Tiger Amulet?” A curious junior asked. “Apparently, he absorbed mountains of resentment from the Burial Mounds and forged it into a weapon! I don’t think that’s true though..”

“It’s definitely not!” Another replied. “Actually, I heard that Wei Wuxian carved the amulet with the strongest material in the entire world, only found at the Burial Mounds! And then, using his demonic cultivation, cast an array on the weapon!”

A third theorised, “That’s wrong! I think It was actually an artefact left behind by the great Xue Chonghai!”

“Wouldn’t it be more efficient to ask Wei Wuxian himself? I mean, he’s right here with us, after all…”

“But I think it’s more interesting to remain a mystery! Besides, a friend of mine already asked him once, and Wei Wuxian replied with ‘If disclosing this information would mean that it is potentially created again, then it is a secret I shall bring to the grave.’ What do you think it means?”

“Hm… Maybe Wei Wuxian just doesn’t want anyone to threaten his current position? After all, having the Stygian Tiger Amulet means eternal power!”

“We will never know..”

"They say he has powers beyond imagination. What if he steals somebody else's body and comes back?"

"Well, you see, various clans spent months trying to summon him but to no avail. It seems the Yiling Patriarch has truly left nothing behind." The man finished.

A woman who was listening sighed, "In the past, Wei Wuxian was a prominent figure from an established clan."

Another voiced his thoughts, "He also helped destroy the Wens. He made a name for himself at a young age! But how did he end up like this..?"

Jiang Cheng’s heart got caught in his throat at the words, and he remained still, unsure what to do with himself.

‘The Jiangs raised him like their own, but the entire clan was almost wiped out because of him!’

‘Various clans spent months trying to summon him but to no avail…’

‘How did he end up like this?’

‘Because of me,’ Jiang Wanyin realised with a start. ‘He ended up like this because of my incapability.. If only I hadn’t gotten caught that day… if only…’

‘If I hadn’t been such a useless piece of sh`t, becoming crippled and uselessly wallowing in self pity to gain everyone’s sympathy, then he wouldn’t have lied to me and given me his core. He therefore wouldn’t have become a demonic cultivator…’

‘A-Jie would have lived. So would he. And so many unfortunate others.’

"Fugitive life, I'd say. Fugitive life."

The scene slowly faded into black. Except there was no longer the darkness from before, and a stunning light shone from above, illuminating the room. Many looked up in awe, their eyes sparkling with curiosity and wonder.

“What's that light?”

“Is it– Could it be the heavens?”

“It is! They have shown us this because it is an important piece of history, involving the entire cultivation world. Do you think… that everyone here has been chosen by the immortals to ascend to Godhood?!”

“But– But Wei Wuxian is here too! And so many other fiends!”

“Look! The.. the painting is showing us an image again! Do you think the immortals are trying to communicate with us?”

The screen displayed, Mo Village, 13 years later.

“....Mo Village?” Lan Jingyi questioned in a small mumble.

“You don’t think…” Lan Sizhui and he both shared a look. “That we will see the events that happened from then, do you?”

Jin Ling furrowed his eyebrows, “Why are the immortals showing us this? If you two happened to be in Mo Village 13 years after Wei Wuxian died, then…..” He trailed off.

Another exclaimed, “This should be where Wei Wuxian was resurrected!”

“The first part was discussing his death, and now it’s his resurrection… what do you think this means? Are the Gods trying to show us something?”

“I have no idea… We will just have to wait and see.”

Interrupting the silence, a weak and raspy voice suddenly spoke, "With my blood..."

The screen showed the face of a young man with long, dark locks of hair that was tied into a bun. Most of the hair had fallen out of the hairstyle, and had fallen in many different directions, making the picture of a messy, unkempt madman. His eyes were pulled wide open, and his mouth was pulled into a wobbly attempt of a grin, briefly faltering at the sides.

At the pools of blood falling to the floor in sheets of red like specs of stained snow, the audience cringed in discomfort, and many made a motion of closing their eyes like children, as if the image they were seeing would disappear the moment they did so.

If Nie Huaisang was leisurely fanning himself with a small smirk, no one was watching to notice.

“Isn’t that…” Jin Ling’s eyes flew open at the revelation. “Wei Wuxian?!”

“Eh? Senior Wei? Why does he look like that?” Lan Jingyi asked. “But… if you look closely, their faces aren’t identical, only similar. There’s no way that’s Senior Wei.”

“I may be wrong, but…” Lan Sizhui gulped. “It’s been a few years, so my memories aren’t quite clear, however…. Isn’t that Mo Xuanyu?”

Everyone in the room immediately began to chatter amongst themselves at the theory.

“Mo Xuanyu?”

“Isn’t that Jin Guangshan’s kid?”

“Wait, really? Which one?”

“Wasn’t his name Liu Xuanyu, not Mo Xuanyu….? Oh wait, that’s his other kid. My bad.”

“I may be wrong, but it appears as if near eighty percent of our population are related to Jin Guangshan. ‘Which kid’, you may ask? Well, I was talking about the kid related to that other kid over there. Oh wait, I meant his brother.”

Another in the room mumbled, “You’re so funny, Huizhong.”

"Drawn by my hand..."

"I sacrifice my body to you..."

"My soul shall disappear..."

"Humbly I await you, Yiling Patriarch..."

"WEI WUXIAN!"

Jin Guangshan paused, and then leaned closer to the screen in interest. He found that voice sounding terribly familiar..

The scarlet glow that was emitted from the array slowly dissipated. The boy's shadow was shown as he fell to the side and passed out.

Before the screen yet again faded into black, Jin Guangshan made sure to study the array perfectly , to scrutinise every detail , to imprint it to his memory . Because in all of Wei Wuxian's transcripts that were taken by the clans, this was one that he hadn't seen.

Jin Guangshan (was)n’t an idiot. He could tell when strings were being pulled by a mastermind, and when puppets were dancing on the stage, fulfilling their roles. Meng Yao was one wild little beast, in his opinion. While Jin Guangshan was the mastermind, Meng Yao was his little puppet . No–he was a puppet whose string had snapped unexpectedly. A puppet that slipped from his hands, like the slimy ungrateful bastard he was.

They say that nearly everything can be repaired if the correct precautions take place. The small remains of the string was still attached to Meng Yao at this very moment, and Jin Guangshan was going to take advantage of that. He would put it together with his own two hands, permanently damaged that it is.

And when he finally leaves this damned place, he would take the position of Sect Leader once again. On second thought, he needed to restock on heirs.. His only heir, Jin Zixuan, had become a fool after marrying that plain Jiang Woman. He even refused to take a concubine of his own. And the girl wasn’t even that pretty, nor smart–just what did Zixuan see in her?

Jin Guangshan looked around the room, sneering at all of the women who backed away from his gaze. The Ghost General's dog of a sister was quite the beauty. Perhaps he could take her in as a concubine.. 

An heir shared between them would be quite the sight for eyes, especially if it was female…

Wei Wuxian's eyes opened. He looked to the side with much effort.

'I'm dead. I have been for quite a few years..'

Wei Ying scrunched his nose in confusion, "Did I say that out loud back then?"

"Wow."

"You-"

"Oh."

"That's-"

"Um-"

"Damn."

Someone clicked their tongue, apparently deciding to end the awkward reactions, " I'm dead. Is that the first thing you say when you've been resurrected? What about the overly-dramatic entrance? What about going mad and taking over the cultivation world? ...Even silence would have been better than ‘ I’m dead’.. ."

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, "I'm sure he was itching to be dramatic."

Wei Wuxian averted his eyes, desperately pushing down the memory of him traumatising the poor Lans back in Cloud Recess with his shamelessness…

Suddenly, the door was forced open as a Young Master ran in, a servant trailing behind. "Go Kill yourself, you damn cut-sleeve! Stop playing dead!"

Wei Wuxian was harshly kicked in the side, and he rolled over with hands clutching his sore injury.

Lan Wangji’s aura quite literally screamed the phrase ‘You!’ that Jiang Cheng was so proud of. He grasped Bichen that lay at his side, eyes flaming with fury. ‘Mo Ziyuan…’

Upon seeing his brother’s state, Lan Xichen weakly cried, “Wangji! Mo Ziyuan is already… he has already passed; there is no use seeking vengeance…”

The perpetrator scowled, "Whose land do you think you're living on? Whose rice are you eating? Whose money are you spending? What's wrong with taking a few of your belongings? They're mine to begin with, anyways!"

Jin Ling rolled his eyes, "You clearly just stated that they belonged to him. So stupid…"

"Now I’m wondering which Mo was the true lunatic..." Lan Jingyi muttered under his breath.

Wei Wuxian rubbed the sore spot at the back of his head and internally berated, 'That's quite a lot of courage you have to kick me, the patriarch!'

“That kid is so dead. He not only cursed Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch, but also kicked him. I pray for whatever family he belongs to…”

“Indeed. His fate, from here on out, is officially sealed!”

“You pray for him, whereas I curse him! I’m only curious about how Wei Wuxian will murder this kid. Will he use demonic cultivation? Or his hands?”

“Uh, excuse me? You’re condoning the slaughtering of children.. And you call yourself a cultivator?”

“A cultivator? More like a delinquent. You’re no better than that Xue Yang.”

“Xue Yang?”

“Uh… apparently he’s a famous delinquent too. Never heard of him though. My shizun only taught us about his history for one lesson..”

At the same time, in a far, far corner of the room, Wei Wuxian’s pale face was as white as a sheet of crisp snow. “I… I never said that aloud. Lan Zhan, you… do you think that they can…?”

Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes intently, “It is possible.”

“Oh god…” Wei Wuxian pressed his hands to his eyes nervously. “Lan Zhan, I don’t want them to hear..!! Please, make it stop… Lan Zhan, please!”

“I…” Lan Wangji clenched his fists, suddenly feeling very incapable. “I… Wei Ying, I’m sorry.. but I am unable to..”

Mo Ziyuan grabbed Wei Wuxian by the collar, hauling him up. "How dare you tell father and mother! Did you really think that anyone in this house is going to listen to you?!"

Lan Qiren's eyebrow furrowed in disgust, "Who is this young man? How rude." Nobody, however, missed how he hadn't used the term 'Young Master' to address the Mo.

Finally coming to terms at the sudden revelation, Wei Wuxian tilted his head, trying to remember the name. "His name was.. What was it, Lan Zhan? Mo... Mo Zixun?"

An enraged Jin in the background exclaimed, "THAT'S MY NAME YOU IDIOT!"

"He is Mo Ziyuan." Lan Wangji clarified. “The cousin of Mo Xuanyu.”

Some servants began to search the room for valuables as others smashed the furniture under their Young Master’s orders.

The Lans began muttering something along the lines of "Being disrespectful is forbidden.. Touching others' things without permission is forbidden.. Fighting is forbidden..."

Everyone decided to ignore them, well, the Jiangs in particular, of course.

A servant walked up to Mo Ziyuan and bowed, "Young Master, everything's been smashed!"

"How did you finish it so quickly?"

"There's nothing much inside this shack anyways."

Mo Ziyuan shoved Wei Wuxian to the floor, "As if anyone wants these piles of junk! Now that I've smashed everything, let's see how you're gonna tell on me in the future!"

"How arrogant!" Sect Leader Yao exclaimed, earning himself many incredulous looks.

A Jiang disciple quietly mumbled, “Arrogant? Did I just hear Sect Leader Yao say that?”

“Tsk, Talk about a hypocrite…”

Nie Mingjue furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms in a show of power, "He’s in the wrong, yet he continues to bully this… poor shell of a man whom Wei Wuxian has possessed. If he was a part of my Clan, I would have kicked him out long ago!”

“Possessed? Wei Wuxian didn’t really possess him, though, did he? We all saw how he was forcefully put into that body regardless of his wishes.”

“Oh! Now that I think of it, that’s why Zidian never worked back then! Since Wei Wuxian technically didn’t possess the body, his soul was never expelled!”

“Many things appear to be falling together now. Perhaps this is what the immortals wanted to do? To show us the things we are ignorant of to this day…”

"Are you proud of yourself just because you've studied cultivation for a few years?! Well, how does it feel when you've been kicked back home like a stray dog?!”

Mo Ziyuan beckoned his servants to follow as he walked out of the door, "Watch carefully! Don't let him outside anytime this month, or he'll make a fool of himself again!"

"Yes!"

The door was slammed shut, leaving Wei Wuxian–Now Mo Xuanyu– alone in the small hut.

Wei Wuxian felt sympathy in his heart as he commented, “What a pitiful man. He was treated no better than a slave by his own family, no less. And I can’t even thank him for resurrecting me… Lan Zhan, without Mo Xuanyu, I would have never…”

“Mn,” Lan Wangji hummed in understanding. “Mo Xuanyu, however, must be in a better place now since the wishes he put his soul on the line for have been fulfilled. You did good, Wei Ying.”

Lan Jingyi mumbled, “It’s a wonder how Mo Xuanyu managed to survive that long. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was the family’s dog! With all that suffering, I’m surprised he didn't kill himself sooner...”

Lan Sizhui exclaimed, “Jingyi-!!”

Wei Wuxian held his bloodied face with one hand, pushing his bangs up with the other.

"Huh..?" He blinked and then stared at the array placed underneath his feet. “Hm? This looks sort of familiar.. It seems like something I've made.."

Wei Wuxian reached for a book that was placed beside him and carefully read the open page.

"Ah, I see. It's Xianshe ."

Wei Wuxian huffed in amusement, "Since when was I categorised as a Sinister Ghoul? I just had a terrible reputation and a horrifying death. Really, how absurd.."

Sect Leader Yao snorted, "Since when weren't you a sinister Ghoul? The world would be better off if you died agai-"

His slandring comment came to a close as he noticed his mouth had been forcefully closed shut, unable to open!

He furiously turned to the Lan Clan, the only possible suspects for this, and boy was Lan Wangji looking furious.

He turned back to the screen as quickly as he turned away, the hidden sight of Lan Wangji the only sustenance of his trembling hands.

Wei Wuxian flinched when he felt a soreness tingle in his arm. He pulled down his sleeve. Long and deep cuts were dripping seas of blood onto his robes. He clicked his tongue, "Tsk tsk, just how much did he hate me?"

Everyone inhaled a harsh breath at the wound.

“Damn… poor Mo Xuanyu, bro… I kinda feel bad for him.”

“If I knew this was happening at the time, I would have offered to help!”

“No wonder he became a lunatic..”

“At least now that he has summoned him, Wei Wuxian can get revenge for him.”

The demonic cultivator sighed, "Now I'll have to grant this brat Mo Xuanyu's wish. Or else, if the curse causes a backlash, my soul with be annihilated, never to be born again."

Jin Guangshan frowned, "Mo Xuanyu.. It sounds familiar."

“ Every kid sounds familiar to you…” Lan Jingyi mumbled. “Just stop having children; it’s not that hard…”

“Jingyi!!”

Wei Wuxian's eyes widened as he gasped. "WAIT!"

Everyone flinched at the sudden yell. Some instinctively stood up in anticipation.

He absentmindedly scratched the back of his head. "What.. Was Mo Xuanyu's wish.. again?"

Jiang Cheng groaned into his hands, "This idiot..."

Traversing throughout the room was the echoing sound of people facepalming .

Wei Ying felt his soul slipping away, "There's nothing.. He didn't say anything.."

Rage made its way to his face as he clutched the ends of the book with a tight grip, "Where did that brat get this incomplete copy?! He missed the step of reading his wish!"

Yet, Mo Xuanyu's soul had already returned to the Earth. He can't even be summoned back.

" That's the consequence? What idiot would miss their chance at reincarnation just because of some young brat being a bully?!" A middle-aged cultivator yelled.

“Yeah!” Another exclaimed. “If I were him, I would have beaten him silly like this ! And this !”

"Really, how absurd. How outrageously absurd."

"Although I don't know what the wish specifically is, judging from the brat's way of thinking, it's probably to wipe out the entire clan."

As he said this, it made all of the spectators unconsciously shiver. Although they knew of the Yiling Patriarch and his evil misdeeds, experiencing it first hand was frightening.

Jiang Cheng idly commented, "I still wonder how you can say that so casually.."

Jin Zixun smirked, "It's obvious he killed them all."

"Senior Wei didn't kill anyone! It was the Ghost hand!" Lan Jingyi interjected.

"He obviously–Ghost what?"

He shrugged, "After all, I'm the legendary immortal ungrateful villain who's out of his mind and doesn't care about anyone, not even his family and friends. Is there anyone more sinister than me?"

Wei Wuxian fell down to his knees and sighed, "Yeah, but..."

"You've got the wrong person..."

Yu Ziyuan spat, "That's right! He has never been able to do anything! We should have left him to die in the streets!"

"MY LADY!" Jiang Fengmian exclaimed.

"Am I wrong?" She huffed as she raised an eyebrow, "Because of him, our Sect was destroyed!"

"It isn't A-Xian's fault-"

"SHUT UP!" Jiang Wanyin yelled. "A-Niang, stop blaming Wei Wuxian! Why must you hate him because of his mother? It’s not like he can control who A-Die loves and doesn’t love!"

"Jiang Cheng! You don't know anything-" Her mouth was suddenly pulled together, as if by a spell, just like how Sect Leader Yao’s was…

Everyone turned to Lan Wangji amusedly, immediately knowing who the culprit was.

Lan Xichen glanced at his brother and stifled a chuckle, "Wangji, you mustn't keep abusing the silencing spell."

Wei Wuxian defended, "Abusing the silencing spell is forbidden, I know. But Lan Zhan isn't abusing it! What's once or twice gonna do?"

"Mn." Lan Wangji agreed.

Lan Xichen sighed in amusement.

'Don't tell me that I'll be the first sinister ghoul...'

Everyone watched the screen, intently.

'In all of history...'

Jiang Cheng huffed, "What's with the dramatics? Just say it already!"

'To have just reincarnated...'

"What?" A Nie cultivator gasped in excitement. A Lan disciple who was to their left immediately shushed them.

'Before starving to death...?!'

He was laying flat on the floor, facing down. His hand was dramatically shaking, reaching out for something. "This body's level of cultivation Isn't even enough for him to have practised inedia yet.."

The entire room facepalmed again .

"What's with the dramatic 'I'm dying' act?!"

"If someone saw this, they wouldn't believe he's the Yiling Patriarch!"

At the comment, Wen Qing gently smiled. 'Wei Wuxian is still the same old him, I'm glad he didn't change for the worse after our deaths.'

Lan Qiren sighed, no longer caring whether it was proper or not.

The doors were slowly pushed open and sunlight cascaded through the small gap.

Wei Wuxian glanced up as a cracked bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks were harshly slammed to the floor.

A servant looked down at him and scowled, "Chop-chop! What are you waiting for? Take out the bowl when you finish!"

Lan Jingyi was enraged . "What?! He may have been a madman, but treating him like this is a bit much! It's like they've forgotten something called respect even existed!"

A woman sighed in pity, "It's sad knowing that there was nobody to help him. In the end, he had to resort to suicide."

The doors were slammed shut and a voice coming from the other side was faintly audible. "Why should I come to this ominous courtyard?"

Another person huffed, "A-Tong, are you delivering food to the one in there again? You just deliver one meal a day and nobody cares if you're lazy. This is such an idle task, yet you think it's ominous."

"Delivering his food is not the only work I do!"

Wei Wuxian picked up the bowl and grimaced, 'Really. I'm no better than the tiger in a flatland, the dragon in the shallow water, the phoenix without feathers.'

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes, "Since when did you become so poetic?"

He began to eat the rice while briefly eavesdropping on the servants' conversation outside.

"Look at me. I'm so busy that I can't even go outside to play!"

"How can you even dare to go outside these days? With so many walking corpses out there, everyone's locking themselves in their houses."

Wei Wuxian frowned, 'Walking corpses? Seems like Mo Village hasn't been too peaceful..'

"Today, some cultivators already came to the Mo Estate. I heard that they're from a very prominent sect! The Madam is talking to them in the main hall and everyone is watching!"

Wei Wuxian very dramatically wiped a fake tear, 'Now that he mentions them, it really does bring me back to the good old days. A prominent sect..'

Jin Zixuan frowned, "You talk as if decades have passed. You're still mentally in your late-teens. What's with the old man act?"

Wei Wuxian chuckled at his comment, "It sounded cool. Plus, I've always thought I was mature. More than Jiang Cheng anyway."

Jiang Wanyin exclaimed, "What?!"

"Ah- I just meant how I have found myself a husband when you're still.. How should I say this without sounding mean…? You're still young, innocent and very lonely. "

"Lonely?! I'm not lonely! Who said I'm lonely?!"

"Jiang Cheng, any maiden who looks at your face is immediately scared away-"

"Shut up!"

“Okay, okay, I’ll shut up…”

Wei Wuxian placed down the empty bowl and stood up. 'Although my looks have changed, Mo Xuanyu has also cultivated before. It'd be a pain to bump into somebody he knew. I need something to cover my face..'

He glanced towards a table that was now in tatters from being harshly abused. To be more specific, he was looking at an untouched box that sat atop it.

"Hm.. This is?"

He opened the box and stared at the rogue inside. 'Uh.. I really don't understand the ways of cut-sleeves..'

Everyone glanced at Wei Wuxian, who was shamelessly snuggling into his husband's neck. ‘Sure you don't,’ they all thought.

An idea rushed to his head, causing him to gasp, "!!!"

"Right!"

“What’s he gonna do this time ?” Jiang Wanyin sighed. “Seriously, whenever he gets an idea, it’s never anything good.”

He looked at himself in the mirror while dipping two fingers into the container, covering them in rouge. After a good few minutes spent applying it, he was satisfied. "Something like this should work.."

A woman gasped, "That's too much–Nononono!"

Many other women who shared her worries watched the screen with equally horrified expressions.

A servant outside shrugged, still speaking to their friend, "I don't have time to play around with you. They might give me more work afterwards."

The other chuckled, "Haha."

Wei Wuxian forced the door open, snapping the wooden plank that held it shut in the process.

He opened the door a fraction, a bored expression occupied his face. His skin was plain white from the rouge and large red circles surrounded his eyes.

The two servants saw him and yelped in fright, "AHHH!"

‘So that’s where he got that ridiculous getup from…’ Jiang Wanyin thought, desperately trying to push away the memory.

Wei Wuxian held a hand to block out the sun from his face. 'Tsk. The sunlight is so strong...'

One of the servants huffed, "It's the lunatic?"

He stood in front of his friend protectively, "Shoo! Shoo! Go away! Why did you come out?! You-"

Wei Wuxian landed a kick in his face, sending him flying. The demonic cultivator stepped on the servant's face and smirked, "Who do you think you're talking to?"

After gently brushing his hands together, he smirked and walked away.

All of the Young juniors cheered in unison.

"Yes!"

"You show him!"

"Senior Wei is so cool!"

"Jin Ling, get out of my way! I can't see!"

"Let go of my arm! Do all Lans have the grip of a gorilla?!"

Wei Wuxian pushed his way through the gossiping crowd, eagerly awaiting the scene he was about to create.

".....A member from the young generations of our family.. Used to be a cultivator as well.."

Wei Wuxian, who was currently being squeezed between two people, jumped up and frantically waved his hand to get her attention. "I'm coming! I'm coming! Right here!"

Jiang Yanli giggled at his antics as Jiang Wanyin equally rolled his eyes.

Wei Wuxian teasingly remarked, "Cheng Cheng, if you keep rolling your eyes like that, they'll get stuck up there!"

This time, Jin Ling rolled his eyes, immediately closing them when he realised what he'd done.

'...What if they really do get stuck up there?'

The villagers made way for him to get to the front. He grinned and pointed a finger to himself, "Who was calling me earlier? Someone who used to be a cultivator, isn't that me?"

Everyone present sent him strange looks, but he paid no mind to it.

Lan Jingyi snorted in amusement, covering his mouth to muffle the laughter that tried to break through. Lan Sizhui sent him a stern look and the other immediately sat upright as if nothing had happened.

“Pardon my interruption, but these two are just like the perfect duo..”

“They are!! If only I had a best friend like that..”

‘Looking at the uniform that resembles mourning clothes, it's obvious that they're from the GusuLan sect.’

Lan Qiren turned red in anger, "Mourning clothes?! How dare you mock our sect!!”

“But to be fair, he’s got a point…”

“You!!”

‘The clan motif of the GusuLan sect is drifting clouds. Those who wear forehead ribbons that have the drifting clouds motif sewn onto them are disciples of the clan. They must be disciples of blood relation to the Lan Clan.’

‘Guest disciples, ordinary disciples, and cultivators of other surnames who depend on the Lan Sect, wear forehead ribbons without the drifting clouds motif.’

Jin Zixun frowned and crossed his arms, "How does he know so much about the Lan Sect?"

"Shixiong, he studied at Cloud Recess when he was younger, did you forget?" A Jin disciple replied.

Lan Sizhui noticed his intense gaze and tilted his head to the side, sending the other a questioning look.

They were broken out of their trance when Madam Mo slammed her hand into the table, startling those present.

"Who let him out?! Get him back in there!"

"They really are treating him like a dog! The audacity!"

Mister Mo tried to calm down his fuming wife, "Yes, yes.."

Wei Wuxian fell to the floor, crossing his legs, as well as his arms. He ignored the people yelling at him.

"You damned madman! If you don't go back now, you can wait for your punishment!" Mister Mo grabbed him by the collar and tried to forcefully pull him away but to no avail.

The crowd snickered, whispering inaudible things to each other.

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes and smiled, "You want me to go back? Sure."

He pointed at Mo Ziyuan and frowned, "Then tell him to return the things he took from me first."

Mo Ziyuan turned red in anger, "That's nonsense! When have I ever taken your things? Why would I need to take anything from you?!"

"Yes, yes! You didn't take, you stole!"

Jiang Cheng glanced at Wei Wuxian with an incredulous stare, "Are you an idiot? That literally means the same thing!"

Madam Mo cleared her throat before speaking. "Taking? Stealing? How disrespectful. We're all part of one family. He only borrowed them because he wanted to take a look."

Ouyang Zizhen exclaimed, " Take a look , she says? He stole every last item Mo Xuanyu owned!"

Jiang Wanyin sighed, "Again, taking and stealing means the same thing."

"Ziyuan is your younger brother. As the older one, you shouldn't be so miserly. It's only a trivial matter, yet you're throwing a child's tantrum, making a fool of yourself. It's not as if he won't return them."

Wei Wuxian mockingly smirked, holding out an awaiting palm. "Then, return them."

"MUM!" Mo Ziyuan yelled.

Wei Wuxian stood up and patted down his knees, "Not that I think of it, not only should he not have stolen my things, he shouldn't have stolen them in the middle of the night! Sneaking around my room when it's so dark, a few people might have thought that some indecent scandals were going on."

"..Shameless..."

Nobody knew who spoke but it was most definitely a Lan.

Mo Ziyuan looked as if he were about to burst into tears any moment, "I wasn't... I didn't..."

Madam Mo glared, "What are you talking about, in front of everyone?! How shameless! Ziyuan is your cousin!"

"He didn't keep himself in check even though he clearly knows that he's my cousin–who's the shameless one here?!" Wei Wuxian retorted.

"YOU-"

Wei Wuxian absentmindedly played with his hair, twirling it around his fingers. "I wouldn't care as much if you were only losing your own face. Good thing that I'm your cousin. If I were a maiden, you would've destroyed my reputation! ..I would have still wanted to find myself a good man."

"Well you certainly found yourself one." A young cultivator commented, glancing at the two husbands.

Wei Wuxian nodded, "That's right! I actually got the best of them all, didn’t I, Lan Zhan?”

“No,” Lan Wangji lightly shook his head, “ I got the best.”

A young disciple commented, “....What’s this dog food? No thank you..”

Jingyi muffled his laughter with a sleeve; the shaking of his shoulders was the only evidence of his amusement.

Mo Ziyuan was enraged. He glanced at a nearby chair and picked it up, swinging it in the direction of his cousin. "SHUT UP!"

He smashed it onto the ground, where Wei Wuxian had previously been. The demonic cultivator had run to the Lan disciples in the nick of time, seeking protection.

One spectator gasped, "Hey! They've started fighting! Let's get out of the way!"

"Let's stop watching! What if you get hurt?!" Another worriedly yelled.

Wei Wuxian ran and hid behind Lan Sizhui, using him as a shield. He pointed to Mo Ziyuan, "Did everyone see that? Did you? The burglar is also beating me up! How heartless!"

Everyone in the room was tempted to roll their eyes.

Mo Ziyuan pulled up his sleeves, clearly preparing to throw a punch, but was held back by a servant.

Lan Sizhui held an arm up, protectively hiding the cowering Wei Wuxian. "Young Master, words are more powerful than weapons.."

Lan Wangji glanced at his son and affectionately ruffled his hair, proudness present in his smile. "Thank you."

Lan Sizhui flushed in embarrassment, "N-No problem, A-Die..."

Madam Mo facepalmed and gently patted her child's shoulder. She turned to Wei Wuxian and then to Lan Sizhui. "This is my younger sister's son. His head isn't so bright.. Everyone from the village knows that he's a lunatic and often speaks nonsense that shouldn't be taken seriously.. Please, you mustn't..."

Wei Wuxian stood out from behind the other and scowled, "Who said that my words shouldn't be taken seriously?!" He pointed to the two Mo's, "Next time, try stealing my things again!"

His right hand clutched his left arm as an example, "Steal from me again and I'll cut off your hand!"

"Wow." Jin Ling blinked, "Uncle, I wasn't aware you knew the future."

“Wei Wuxian, have you ever considered learning divination ? I’m sure you’d excel at it.”

Mo Ziyuan was at a loss for words, "You.. You- YOU BASTARD!"

Wei Wuxian mockingly pulled a face, sticking his tongue out. "Bleh Bleh Bleh!"

"Oh my god..."

"Such a tease.."

"That's so childish."

Wei Wuxian ran out of the room, leaving behind two very infuriated people, as well as amused spectators.

Lan Sizhui pressed a palm to his forehead before turning to Madam Mo. "Then.. We will use the west courtyard tonight.. Please remember the things I've said–After nightfall, close all of the windows. Do not come outside. Do not walk by the courtyard either."

Madam Mo hastily nodded, "Yes. Yes.. Please.."

Mo Ziyuan turned to his mother, "MOM! The lunatic is defaming my reputation in front of so many people! That's it?! You've told me before that he's only a-"

Before he could finish, Madam Mo cut in, "Be quiet! Can't you wait until we leave?!"

As she turned away, he glared. "That lunatic is going down tonight!"

“I feel an incoming sense of doom….”

“Me too… what do you think this kid will do?”

“My instinct tells me something not very good..”

Wei Wuxian was casually strolling in the west courtyard, stretching his limbs. 'So it seems that a light revenge for taking Mo Xuanyu's anger out on Mo Ziyuan Isn't nearly enough. Don't tell me that I really have to eliminate the entire Mo clan?'

"What does he mean?" A young disciple asked.

Lan Qiren stroked his goatee, "I think he was seeing whether the request was simply to humiliate them. It was especially convenient because Mo Xuanyu was a lunatic. That was quite impressive."

Wei Ying practically glowed from the unexpected praise.

The Juniors made a mental note to compliment him more.

Wei Wuxian suddenly froze when he spotted a familiar flag.

He jumped onto a roof, watching the four Lan Juniors converse. "Although the entire cultivation world seems to hate me to the bones, they're still making use of my inventions, aren't they?"

Ah.

The clan leaders selectively lowered their heads in shame.

That was exactly what they had done, wasn't it?

They scorned him for his ways of cultivation, yet they used his inventions simply because they benefited from it.

They didn’t even listen to the furious and defending voices of Wei Wuxian’s friends and family, for they didn’t need someone telling them to know how hypocritical it was of them.

Wei Wuxian began muttering to himself, "Since these boys placed the flag formation in the West Courtyard and told others not to approach it, they must want to lead the walking corpses here and capture them in one go."

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a voice behind him, "Go back, this is not somewhere that a person like you should come."

Much to the Lan Jingyi's surprise, Wei Wuxian grabbed the spirit lure flag and jumped off the roof.

The young Lan cultivator ran after him, "Do not move it! That is not something you should take!"

Wei Wuxian stubbornly clutched it tighter, "Not giving it! Not giving it!"

"Give it back! I am going to hit you if you do not!"

Lan Wangji glanced at Lan Jingyi, who flinched at his gaze.

“Hahaha, Hanguang-Jun, what a strange thing they said.. Hit him? How rude, hahahahahaha!”

“Jingyi…” Ouyang Zizhen mumbled, “That’s too many ‘hahaha’s…”

"Nu-uh! I want it!"

Lan Sizhui held his friend back, tugging at his arm. "Jingyi, calm down. Just take the flag back. What is the use of making such a fuss?"

Lan Jingyi pointed to Wei Wuxian, who was happily lounging on the floor like he had nothing better to do in life. "Sizhui, I did not actually hit him! Look at him. He messed up the whole flag formation!"

Wei Wuxian sat up and began silently inspecting the flag. 'The motifs are drawn correctly and incantations are complete. There aren't any errors, so nothing should go wrong when it's used.'

Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui froze. They turned to look at Wei Wuxian with wide, praising smiles. "Senior Wei, so you were just looking out for us?!"

“I always thought it was just to make himself look more like a lunatic..”

“Senior Wei!!”

Wei Wuxian pouted, "Did you really think I'd steal something so important from you for no reason? If I did , I’d be a real lunatic.."

Sizhui held a hand out to him, "Young Master Mo, the sky is growing dark, and we will quickly start capturing the walking corpses. It will be dangerous at night, so it would be best for you to return to your own room."

"This flag.." He mumbled..

'It's just that the person who drew the flags is lacking in experience. At most, the incantations would be able to attract walking corpses and other beings from within one and a half miles away. Well–they should be enough anyways.'

Wei Wuxian carelessly chucked it, "It's only a dumb flag, what's so special about it? I can draw way better than you guys!"

He jumped back up onto the roof to get away.

"Childish."

"So childish."

"Are you like three or something?" Jiang Cheng huffed.

Wei Wuxian grinned, much to the other's disgust, "Xianxian is three!" He proudly held out three fingers, to which Jiang Yanli replied, “And Xianxian is great at drawing, aren’t you, Xianxian?”

“Yes!!”

Lan Jingyi watched, appalled. "What a lunatic!"

The other Lan disciples nodded in agreement.

"He really is insane."

"Does he feel no shame?"

"Ignorance is bliss, I guess."

"Mind your words. It is best if you come back here and help." Lan Sizhui scolded. He sighed and turned to two disciples. "You can go over there and put the flag back. The rest of you can go back to your positions."

"Yes!"

Wei Wuxian looked at his son proudly before turning to Lan Wangji, "Lan Zhan, you raised our son so well!"

The corner of Lan Wangji's lips upturned as he kissed the other's forehead. "Mn. So did Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian watched with a smile, 'The flag formation is quite organised, and they have good manners as well. The boy leading the group is especially exceptional in terms of potential. The GusuLan sect is so full of over-conservative people. Just which cultivator brought up such a junior?'

A Lan smirked, answering the on-screen Yiling Patriarch's question, "Hanguang-Jun."

"Lan Wangji."

"Wangji."

"Hanguang-Jun."

"Lan-Er-Gege!"

The room was rendered silent, although all immediately knew just who exactly out of them all said that.

'Lan-er-gege?! How can someone be so shameless?!'

Wei Wuxian stretched his arms, walking away. "Oh well.. The new ones will always surpass the old, won't they? It's time to go back~"

Lan Jingyi muttered under his breath, “Lan-er-gege? Then does that mean Zewu-Jun is Lan-dage[1]? Oh, what about Lan Qiren? Shanyang-dage?[2]”

Lan Sizhui’s face was impossibly red as he once again exclaimed, “Jingyi-!!”

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian stretched his arms, walking away. "Oh well.. The new ones will always surpass the old, won't they? It's time to go back~"

Lan Jingyi muttered under his breath, "Lan-er-gege? Then does that mean Zewu-Jun is Lan-dage? Oh, what about Lan Qiren? Shanyang-dage?"

Lan Sizhui's face was impossibly red as he once again exclaimed, "Jingyi-!!"

Lan Wangji glanced to Wei Wuxian, who was watching the two Lans’ interaction with a fondness not known to many; his eyes crinkled at the edges and his teeth were brought together in a wide smile that made Lan Wangji’s breath hitch.

“Beautiful,” Lan Wangji murmured, raising a hand to tenderly cup Wei Wuxian’s cheek.

“Lan Zhan,” whispered Wei Wuxian in response. “They’re growing up so fast…”

In all his misery, sitting in one corner of the room, a certain Jiang Sect Leader could be seen gagging. Beside him, Jiang Yanli hid a giggle behind her hand.

Speechless, Jin Zixuan pointed at the pair, his head snapping to his wife in search of an explanation. “A-Li, this– They– Wei Wuxian !”

“A-Xian really is a harbinger of positivity, isn’t he?” said Jiang Yanli fondly. “I’m so glad he found someone like Young Master Lan.”

“A-Li,” Jin Zixuan whispered sharply. “ Wei Wuxian! Lan Wangji!”

“Yes, A-Xuan, they’re partners, like you and I.”

“ But…” Jin Zixuan murmured. “Weren’t they at each other’s throats, like, days ago?”

“ Years ago, A-Xuan,” Jiang Yanli corrected. “And no, they just… well, let’s say it was a lover’s quarrel, hm?”

In the meantime, Lan Qiren had blood dripping down his chin in a small trail of red, which was hurriedly wiped away with a handkerchief by Lan Xichen.

Wei Wuxian was awoken by the sound of a barrage of footsteps approaching, sounding like something akin to the march of an army. He rubbed his eyes groggily, a frown pulling at his lips. 'What happened? Did something go wrong with the boys' flag formation?'

“To think Senior Wei thinks of us first and foremost…” said Lan Jingyi appreciatively. “That’s so sweet.”

The Juniors nodded in unison.

“How could I not?” Wei Wuxian answered flatly, as if such a course of action shouldn’t be questioned. “You’re all my little Juniors; to not be worried would be very thoughtless of me as your senior! Besides…without me, who knows what mischief you’d get up to?”

Lan Wangji looked unconvinced.

“Is he referring to me?” Lan Jingyi pointed to himself—he was speaking to Sizhui. “Am I so irresponsible?” The words were bitter, although he was smiling mischievously.

The door was suddenly forced open, revealing a horde of many servants who were crowding the entrance, lit torches in their hands.

Still partially dazed, Wei Wuxian allowed himself to be pulled away by two servants who held him up by the arms. 'The things I made need to be used carefully, or else disasters can happen. But nothing was wrong with the flags that the boy drew. Just what in the world..?'

"It's obviously your doing, you crude fiend!” Sect Leader Yao’s lips curled into a sneer. “Why are you feigning ignorance?!"

"Are you an idiot or just unable to speak well of him?"

“Exactly! Besides, those are his thoughts right there—why would one lie to oneself?”

"Right! Right! We didn't even see him leave the room!"

In the east courtyard, the Lan cultivators were gathered in one room along with Madam Mo, Mister Mo, and multiple servants who stood at the side silently. A corpse was motionless on the floor, wrapped in a thin white blanket. Two Lan disciples were kneeling beside it, inspecting the body.

As he entered the scene, Wei Wuxian had a doubletake in surprise, 'There are so many people!'

Sizhui rolled up his sleeve, holding it still with his other hand as he reached to touch the corpse. "...Less than thirty minutes have passed since the corpse was discovered?"

Wen Ruohan rested his cheek in a palm and smirked in interest, "Oh?… A corpse?"

"Don't you go getting any ideas," said Wen Qing, chidingly poking him in the side. “An army of corpses is Wei Wuxian’s style, not yours.”

“A shame,” Wen Ruohan murmured. “Hey, Qing-er, do you think we’ll get to witness Wei Wuxian in his prime? Because from what I’ve heard, it sounds very interesting… ”

Wen Ning sheepishly smiled, "S-Sect leader W-Wen.. I-I am glad t-to h- hear you’re e-enjoying th- this.”

A young Jiang cultivator furrowed their eyebrows in confusion, "I didn't know fierce corpses could stutter!"

"After we suppressed the walking corpses, we found the corpse in the hallway when we were on our way to the East Courtyard from the West Courtyard," Lan Jingyi replied dutifully. He pulled down the blanket, revealing the distorted face of Mo Ziyuan’s corpse.

"It's that brat from before! What happened?"

"Was he murdered?"

A sarcastic remark, “ No, he’s sleeping.”

"Serves him right for being so arrogant!"

Wei Wuxian gasped, his eyes wide and unblinking, "Don't tell me that the corpse-" He froze, suddenly cognisant of Madam Mo, who was watching him with waves of murderous intent.

"Oh dear..." Jingyi murmured, "I know where this is going.."

Wei Wuxian shook the cautious thoughts away and instead reached out to touch the corpse.

The tense silence was interrupted by Lan Sizhui’s cry of "Careful!"

Madam Mo had pulled out a dagger from her pocket and was thrusting it in the demonic cultivator's direction, her face an enraged red. Sizhui swiftly grabbed her wrist, tackling the weapon out of her dangerous hands.

“What an impulsive woman,” said Jiang Cheng disgruntledly. “With a clan of the best cultivators of the generation in the room with them, did she really think she would be able to murder someone in their presence?”

“Er,” said Jingyi. “Can we just talk about how Senior Wei just almost got hurt? Not about how stupid that woman is?—which, by the way, I totally agree with.”

“I was sure my heart stopped just now…”

“You know, I feel somewhat sorry for Wei Wuxian,” said a woman. “Even in his second life, he cannot escape death…or attempts on his life.”

“L-Lan Zhan,” said a weak cry across the room. “You're squeezing me a bit tight."

"Wei Ying...I- sorry.”

Wei Wuxian leaned against the wall, clutching his chest with evident relief. "Whew. Close call… close call.."

Madam Mo, who was attempting to attack him once again, was being restrained by Lan Sizhui by the arms. "My child died such a tragic death! I have to avenge him! Why are you standing in my way?!"

Wei Wuxian crouched down, his voice both calm and unafraid. "What does your son's tragic death have anything to do with me?"

"Exactly!"

"How is it his fault?!"

"Although I hate to say it, the Yiling Patriarch really did nothing this time."

Lan Sizhui stepped in front of the crazed woman and held both of his hands up in a placating attempt to calm her down, "Madam Mo, seeing from your son's condition, how his flesh and essence has been drawn out of him, he was clearly killed by an evil being. It should not have been done by Young Master Mo."

“ Evil being ?” said Sect Leader Yao with a smirk, looking around the room purposely. “It's obvious what that is entailing."

"Shut up!" The juniors said at once.

Madam Mo ground her teeth furiously, "How do you know?! The lunatic's dad was a cultivator as well! He must have also learnt the dark arts!"

Madam Jin’s eyes widened.

A cultivator's son? Mo Xuanyu? So that's why the boy was familiar. He was that child who came to the tower many years ago… What a joke.

Her hands clenched into fists on the fabric of her robes. 'How can someone subject their own child to such torment and not care?!'

Yes, she’d sent all of the illegitimate children away; yes, she hadn’t acknowledged a single child other than Zixuan, but her husband had always assured her he’d supported those families, and she had naïvely trusted his word.

How many children have suffered because of her ignorance?

Sizhui’s smile looked tight. "Uh, madam, there is indeed a lack of evidence. I suggest that-"

"The evidence is right here with my son!” Madam Mo interjected, pointing at the corpse of her son. “See for yourselves!"

Wei Wuxian crouched down next to the corpse and lifted the cover, revealing a disfigured, bloodied body that was lacking a left arm. Madam Mo was still yelling in the background, but Wei Wuxian ignored her in favour of analysing the body.

“Ziyuan's corpse has already told me who was the one that murdered him! Did you see this? You all heard what he said today, right in this hall, didn't you? What did the lunatic say? He said that if Ziyuan touched his things again, he'd chop off Ziyuan's arm!"

"So that's why A-Ling asked whether he knew the future,” said Jin Zixuan understandingly, looking unsure if he should be amused or passive.

An amused chortle of laughter from Wen Ruohan resounded within the room loudly, "This woman is quite amusing! Back in Qishan, I wouldn't even have the patience to torture her! She would have been dead before she stepped foot in the dungeons."

Everyone decided that it would be best not to reply to that.

Madam Mo woefully sobbed into her sleeve, "My poor Ziyuan has never touched any of the Lunatic's things, yet he was not only framed but also killed... The lunatic is out of his mind..."

“Never touched his things?” Jin Ling scoffed, "Framed? This woman, seriously…”

“Wei Wuxian didn’t even kill him!” said a girl furiously. “Besides, what was that murder attempt of yours just moments ago? Are you going to account for that, huh?”

“Well,” said Sect Leader Yao. “She is a grieving mother, so it is only natural she wants to avenge her son, and for that, I can sympathise—”

“Of course, you can sympathise, you loathsome little fiend.”

Wei Wuxian reached into the corpse's robes, revealing a black material that was hidden inside. Sizhui removed the cloth, which he now revealed to be a spirit attraction flag. "He had it coming. How many of our spirit attraction flags are left?"

“Five,” said Lan Jingyi. “When we were dealing with the walking corpses in the West Courtyard, we found that one of them was missing…”

“And you decided not to mention this because…?”

“Cut him some slack, he was a young cultivator,” said Ouyang Zizhen. “Knowing him, he probably thought the wind blew it away.”

An embarrassed pink dusted Jingyi’s cheeks.

As usual, the servants began to gossip amongst themselves.

"Didn't they say that we mustn't go outside at night, especially to the West Courtyard?"

"I heard that It's used to attract evil beings! The cultivators are using them to lure the beings here and destroy them. Who would've known that somebody would steal such a thing?!"

"The flag looks so strange. The name is even stranger."

Wei Wuxian frowned, "It’s not strange! In fact, I’m quite pleased with the design. Besides, I’d like to see you create a complicated array and manage to make it look like a piece of artwork at the same time!”

“Well said,” agreed Wen Ruohan. “But in my eyes, it is a piece of artwork. In fact, I’d like to commemorate you.”

“Er… why is the devil incarnate praising the Yiling Patriarch? Is this a union of darkness we never saw coming?”

"Perhaps he'd always been a thief and grew addicted to stealing his lunatic cousin's talismans!"

"Tsk tsk tsk.."

Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes, observing the situation. 'I am the one who created the spirit attraction flags anyways..'

He held up his left arm, watching one of the two cuts fade away. 'And so, the sacrificial contract has deemed the death of Mo Ziyuan as my own doing. What a lucky hit.'

“Er,” said Jin Zixuan. "He really isn't afraid of voicing his delight, is he?"

Jiang Yanli did not reply, save for a small smile she flashed him.

Trembling in rage, Madam Mo impulsively grabbed a teacup from the side and launched it at Wei Wuxian, who skilfully dodged the attack. “If yesterday you didn't denounce him in front of so many people, would he have gone out in the middle of the night? It's all your fault, you bastard!"

She turned to Sizhui, "And you! You bunch of useless fools! You cultivate and ward off evil spirits, but you can't even protect a child! Ziyuan is still so young!"

The Lan disciples were evidently insulted by her comment, for they tensed, barely restraining their anger and frustration.

“Now,” said Wei Wuxian dutifully. “Self-restraint is good, of course, but sometimes you need to lash out —no, perhaps not that—but at least say something instead of bottling up your feelings.”

Lan Qiren’s face was an angry red, “Wei Wuxian! What are you teaching my disciples?!”

"—Yes, Yiling Patriarch!"

"Yiling Patriarch? Call me Senior Wei!"

"Yes, Senior Wei!"

"Good!"

Lan Qiren’s finger shook in the air furiously, "Whose sect are you from?! Whose rules do you follow?!"

Wei Wuxian scoffed, "Who do you think you're taking out your anger on? Do you really see them as your servants? They travelled far and wide to come here and exorcise evil spirits for you without taking a single penny, but do you think that they owe you?"

"How old is your son? He's probably at least seventeen by now, isn't he? He's still a child? Just how young of a child is he since he doesn't understand basic human language?!"

Madam Mo was at a loss for words, "You-"

However, Wei Wuxian continued, "Did they or did they not repeatedly tell him not to approach the West Courtyard or touch anything in the formation? Your son snuck outside at night on his own. Is it my fault? Or is it his?"

Lan Xichen smiled, glancing at Wei Wuxian with a mix of guilt and fondness, “Wuxian, thank you for defending the Junior disciples."

Wei Wuxian grinned, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck, "It’s no problem.”

Madam Mo gripped Mister Mo's shoulder tightly, "Call everyone!” When he didn't respond, she snapped, "Call everyone inside!"

The man pushed her away with ease, throwing her into the arms of a servant. "Madam!"

"You.. You... You, get out of here as well!" roared Madam Mo.

A servant gently took hold of Mister Mo, leading him out of the room. "Master, master, let's go outside for now and get some fresh air…”

Jin Ling pulled a face, "She actually kicked out her own husband simply because he didn't follow her orders?!"

“That’s women, all right,” murmured Jin Guangshan, sending a glance to his wife across the room.

Wei Wuxian jolted in surprise as he glanced at his wrist which had no trace of injury, 'Another cut has disappeared? Don't tell me..'

Jin Zixuan frowned, "What? Another cut disappeared? Did something happen?"

“Someone else must have died… someone Mo Xuanyu sought revenge on.”

"AHH!"

At the scream, everyone was suddenly alert, glancing at one another sharply. "It is by the door! Go outside and check!"

Laying on the floor was Mister Mo’s corpse, blood pooling all around it; the servant sitting beside him looked terrified, hastily scrambling away.

Wen Ruohan narrowed his eyes, "The thing that did this carries a lot of resentment. If not handled carefully, it can be extremely dangerous."

“Well observed,” said Madam Jin sarcastically.

Wei Wuxian's eyes widened in shock at the sight. At the same time, Madam Mo fainted in a servant’s worried arms, "Madam!"

Sizhui roughly grabbed the shocked servant by the collar, "Did you see what it was?"

The servant immediately shook their head from side to side, trembling in fear.

Sizhui sheepishly scratched his cheek, “That was improper of me, sorry…”

“It’s all right,” said Lan Wangji. “You were young. And considering the situation, what you did was needed.”

“Taking the lives of two people within such a short period of time, its level of brutality has got to be exceptionally high," murmured Wei Wuxian.

Sizhui asked Jingyi, "Have you sent the signal?"

Lan Jingyi nodded, "I have, but if there are no seniors in the area to assist us. It would most likely take at least an hour for our people to come here."

“An hour?!”

“What stupidity!” roared a self-righteous woman. “Letting a group of juniors deal with such a matter without seniors in the area for backup! What is the Lan Sect thinking?”

“Now, now,” said Nie Huaisang, thoughtfully watching the screen. “For all they knew, this spirit they were hunting was low-level and hadn’t even acted yet. Ignorance, yes; stupidity, no.”

The scene switched to Lan Wangji staring into the distance, watching as the blue signal exploded into the air. He held his sword, Bichen, in one hand, and strapped to his back was his well-renowned Guqin, Wangji.

Wei Wuxian made a sound of dissatisfaction, “Even from the back, you’re so handsome…how come I’m not that elegant?”

“Do not worry,” Lan Wangji gently patted Wei Wuxian’s hand, “I find Wei Ying very elegant. And handsome as well.”

At the display, Jin Zixun’s lip curled, "Damn cutsleeves. Disgusting."

Jingyi sighed, "Sizhui, what should we do now?"

Lan Sizhui’s eyes shone with determination, "We will wait for reinforcement! The being is likely hidden among us. Let none of the people here leave!"

Wei Wuxian looked at the unconscious figure of Madam Mo and let out a heavy sigh. 'It'd be quite a pain if the juniors brought over the 'old acquaintance' of mine. But if I take my leave now, it's more than likely that everyone here will lose their lives.'

“What a lovely person,” said Luo Qingyang with a gentle smile. “He has such a predicament, yet wishes to protect these Juniors over his own safety. Lan Wangji is a very lucky man.”

The man sitting beside her grumbled quietly, “If you like him that much, then who am I to stop you?”

“Don’t worry, dear,” she replied teasingly. “You’ll always be the one in my heart.”

On the other side of the room, Wei Wuxian blinked, rapidly shaking his head. "Lan Zhan! It- It’s not like I didn’t want to see you or anything! I was just scared that you were gonna-"

Lan Wangji leaned forwards and tenderly kissed his forehead, "I know. Wei Ying was merely worried."

Lan Qiren sighed loudly to himself. "Cutting people out mid-sentence is forbidden. My nephew.. My poor nephew. He has been tainted."

Jingyi gently knelt down and began to tend to the servant, while Sizhui checked Madam Mo for signs of sickness or traces of dark energy.

Madam Mo remained unconscious. The servant, however, slowly began to awaken. When he finally came to, his eyes widened in shock.

"A-Tong, you're awake!" another called from the side.

He swiftly sat up, his face placid as if in a trance, which incurred a peculiar interest from Wei Wuxian.

"Possession."

"Definitely possession."

"He's dead."

"Yep, he's dead."

The servant suddenly lifted his hand and roughly grabbed his own neck, squeezing it tightly and cutting off his airways. His face shifted into a white-blue colour, and he slumped to the floor before Sizhui could reach him, “Do not move!”

"How unfortunate…there's no saving him."

"Definitely no saving him."

"He's already dead."

"Didn’t we already gather that?"

Lan Sizhui sighed sadly, holding the lifeless body in his arms. "There is no use.."

Jingyi respectfully remained silent. The crowd, however, were in an uproar.

"..A ghost! There is an invisible ghost in here and it made A-Tong strangle himself!"

"That's rather dramatic."

“Have you ever seen a ghost before, lady?”

"There's no need for this useless fretting anyways."

“There really isn’t a need to worry, for Hanguang-Jun will be there soon!”

Jiang Cheng turned to the four juniors, a scowl plastered on his face. "Will you all just shut up for once and take this seriously?!"

“Sorry, Clan Leader Jiang.”

“Sorry, Uncle.”

“Sorry, Clan Leader Jiang.”

“What they said.”

Lan Sizhui observed the talismans placed on the wall. "The talismans show no sign of it being a vicious ghost…” he said thoughtfully. “If they were, they would've ignited green flames on their own instead of staying motionless as they are now."

"Sizhui, this thing just murdered a person in front of everyone's eyes,” said Jingyi questioningly. “Do you have any ideas?"

"I..." Sizhui was at a loss for words, unaware of how to proceed. 

Wei Wuxian folded his arms, ignoring the stressed servants yelling behind him as he observed the situation.

The being killed three people at once and with such little time in between each kill. Even a well-known cultivator will have trouble immediately coming up with a solution, let alone these juniors who have just started their careers.

The candles in the room were all blown out at once, breaking Wei Wuxian out of his trance. It brought great darkness to the once lit-up room and incurred panic from all unfortunate enough to fall prey to it.

"Stand where you are. Do not run around! It will catch whoever runs!"

"The ghost! The ghost's here again!"

"Do not worry. The lights will come on at once."

Jingyi ignited a talisman, illuminating the room with a bright light. Sizhui sent him a disarming smile of thanks. He then turned to the servants. "Is everyone alright?"

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian stared at his wrist thoughtfully, watching as the last cut dissipated.

"Hm?" he held out both arms, "The cuts...Have all disappeared?"

Wen Qing furrowed her eyebrows, "Someone else died? Just what is this creature?”

Nie Huaisang and Nie Mingjue suddenly held the attention of a third of the people in the room. Nie Huaisang nervously laughed and opened his fan to hide his face, to his brother’s confusion.

No, wait.. In the beginning, there were two cuts on each wrist.

The three that represented Mo Ziyuan, his father, and the servant A-Tong have disappeared already.

Unless..

Wei Wuxian sharply turned his gaze to Madam Mo, who was still unconscious on the floor.

She's already dead.

“I called it!” yelled a cultivator.

“No, you said she’s dying , not already dead,” said another smartly.

“Stop being so stingy and hand over the money.”

It isn't a spirit but it can still possess people. Just what in the world is it?

A servant yelped in fright, pointing to A-Tong's lifeless body on the floor. "The hand! The hand…A-Tong's left hand!"

Wei Wuxian glanced at the corpse, his eyes lighting up in realisation, “The left hand!” He then doubled over as he clutched his stomach, laughing hysterically throughout the chaos.

Jingyi looked at him incredulously, sneering in disgust, "How can he laugh at such a time?!"

“What a psycho,” agreed Sect Leader Yao.

Jingyi felt a sudden glare burn into his back from the group of Lans…he had a strange inkling that it was the Grandmaster, Lan Qiren. Therefore, he moved two steps to the right, snatched Nie Huaisang's fan after much resistance from the latter, and decidedly hid his face out of embarrassment. 'This is very useful for hiding from people's gazes. Maybe I should get myself one...'

Suddenly regaining clarity, Wei Wuxian walked over to them, reaching out a hand in hopes of stopping the misunderstanding, "No! No!"

Lan Jingyi slapped his hand away, "What 'No'? Stop fooling around!"

Wei Wuxian crouched down beside the corpses on the floor. "This isn't Mo Ziyuan's dad, and that isn't A-Tong either."

“So much for his psycho Mo Xuanyu pretence…Wei Wuxian is too smart for his own good.”

"Why is that?" Sizhui asked curiously.

"It's not like any of them were left-handed. At least I'd know that they'd always hit me with their right hand."

"Wow."

"Wei Wuxian."

"Shameless."

"He's right, you're really shameless."

“But the loony facade is back. Wonderful.”

Jingyi scowled, "What are you so proud of? Look how smug you are!"

Sizhui stroked his chin thoughtfully. 'Why have they become left-handed the moment before they died? Then who else became left handed..?'

Jin Ling scoffed, "Uncle was hinting at something, you idiots."

“I just thought he was an idiot trying to be smart like us,” said Lan Jingyi, shrugging. “I guess Senior Wei is just that good of an actor.”

Lan Sizhui’s face was red, “I… I realised it in the end.”

Lan Sizhui gasped in realisation as he stared at Madam Mo's pale corpse. 'Something is wrong with her left hand!'

Jin Ling proudly smiled, raising his head. "See, I was right. Maybe I should have been the one to deal with this spirit, not you group of dunderheads."

Lan Jingyi sent him a matter-of-fact look, “You would have been too scared to leave Clan Leader Jiang’s side, you proud peacock.”

Wei Wuxian burst into laughter, "Bahaha! Proud Peacock? I had never thought of that one! Zixuan, it looks like Jingyi takes after me!"

Jin Zixuan huffed through his nose in amusement while Jiang Yanli attempted to muffle her giggle with her sleeve.

"Hold her down!" said Lan Sizhui abruptly. Before anyone could reach her, however, Madam Mo stirred. She slowly awoke, standing up on two wobbly legs and stumbling with every movement, no matter how small.

Lan Sizhui pulled out a talisman and held it in her direction. "Please excuse me!" Before he could activate it, however, Madam Mo lunged for his neck.

'Oh no!'

"No!" The crowd wailed. Some, such as a few Lans, leapt up from their seats with the urge to save the on-screen Sizhui.

Before the arm could touch him, Lan Jingyi was kicked into range by Wei Wuxian. His body covered Lan Sizhui's, acting as a shield; the hand made contact with his robes, and at once withdrew when its fingertips lit up into bright green flames.

"Thank the heavens!" sighs of relief echoed throughout the room.

Wei Wuxian swore this was pulling at his heartstrings, watching them get attacked like that again. Every time one of his Juniors were put in danger, it was like something got stuck in his throat, making him unable to breathe.

Lan Jingyi held his left shoulder, where smoke was emitting from the burned patch. He then turned to Wei Wuxian with a scowl, "Why did you kick me, you damn lunatic?! Did you want to kill me?!"

Wei Wuxian held his head with both hands and wailed, "It wasn't me!"

Sizhui suddenly gasped, catching the attention of the two who were arguing. "Jingyi, look!"

Madam Mo stood up and her left arm twitched.

This is the creature that the spirit attraction flag summoned over--A left hand that wants to die as a whole corpse!

Jin Guangyao frantically bit his nails while mumbling, "Nie Huaisang, Nie Huaisang, Nie Huaisang... I should have killed him with Da-Ge. He destroyed everything. It was him. It was all him!”

Before his voice could get louder than the fighting on the screen, he paused thoughtfully. "Su She.." he murmured. “That's right! Su She was the only loyal one I had; he died for me! Surely I could get him to.."

A laughter made its way through his lips. Jin Guangyao set off on his feet, searching the large room for a familiar figure.

Nobody had noticed the movement, too focused on the screen.

Lan Sizhui held back the hand using his sword—it gripped tightly on the blade, attempting to force its way past but throughout the commotion, Jingyi yelled, "Sizhui! Blades have no use on the thing!"

The hand carries with it the resentment of a deceased person. If it's unable to find its corpse..

"Everyone, take off your robes and put them over the hand!" Sizhui ordered.

It could only devour the left hand of a human and take its place.

After it consumes the flesh and energy of the body, It'll continue to search for the next vessel of possession until it finds every single part of its corpse.

A Lan disciple beamed, "This narration is really useful! I can understand everything that's happening!"

A few nodded in agreement, voicing words of praise and thanks.

Wei Wuxian frowned, "They're my thoughts! Don't call them useful!"

The Lan disciple ignored him and continued speaking, "I'm so envious. The Yiling Patriarch is so clever. I want a genius brain like that!"

"Me too!"

"Yeah!"

Wei Wuxian looked so affronted that Jiang Cheng couldn't help but snicker.

The Lan disciples began to take off their pristine white robes and threw them onto the hand. The cloth lit up in a blinding green hue as soon as it made contact, viridescent flames alight.

Rows and rows of incantations have been sewn onto the Lan Sect's uniforms. They're capable of protecting the disciples.

But when facing such a strong opponent, the uniforms will wear out just after the first use.

"Unsheathe your swords and make a fence! We will have to manage until a senior comes!"

"Yes!"

“Like father, like son…” said Lan Xichen with a smile. “Sizhui is an amazing leader, just as both Wangji and Wuxian.”

“It’s good we have at least one dependable disciple from the younger generation,” commented Lan Qiren, slowly stroking his goatee.

Now it's getting a bit difficult. There are no materials at hand that I can use to make any tools out of. There isn't anything that I can command either...

A corpse holding both great malice and great resentment—I don't need to search at all!

Jin Guangshan sat up straight, intently watching the screen.

Wei Wuxian lightly walked over to the two bodies lying lifelessly on the floor. He yanked them up by the collar and smirked with eyes a bloody crimson.

"Wake up."

The way he said those sweet words with such an eerily frightening smile brought plenty of shivers to the viewers.

"Two words?!"

"That easily?!"

"Amazing!"

"That didn't really help to show anything..." Jin Guangshan complained, “If you’re going to explain anything with this ridiculous narration, then explain your ways of demonic prowess!”

The two fierce corpses ran to the hand that was currently squeezing Madam Mo's corpse's neck. They bit and gnawed in a desperate attempt of destroying it.

"Shixiong, what is this? Fierce corpses?

"I think so... Are they fighting with the ghoul hand?"

"This is my first time seeing with my own eyes a legendary battle between fierce corpses.”

"Me too!"

Many young cultivators stared at the screen with starry eyes.

"So cool!"

"Wow! I kinda want to learn how to make them do that-" The Jin who commented shrank under the many glares they received.

Ouyang Zizhen gasped, "Sizhui, Jingyi, how could you?! You never told me something so cool like this happened! I would have come!"

Jingyi smirked tauntingly, "It was a job offered to the Lans. It was so cool seeing it in first person-"

Zizhen grabbed the fan (which was Nie Huaisang’s) he held and slapped him on the head with it, "Why are you looking so smug? One time Senior Wei took me out on a night hunt and I got to see so many cool things! I bet he hasn’t done that for you! Hmph!"

Jingyi looked up, "You-" He turned to Wei Wuxian, "Senior Wei, how could you?!"

Jin Ling scowled, "Uncle, that's unfair! You said that you couldn't take me alone because it was dangerous! What's with this favouritism?!"

Lan Jingyi crossed his arms, "Yeah!"

As the scene unfolded, Wei Wuxian looked rightfully wronged.

One of the corpses bit harshly on the hand’s wrist, trying to rip off a chunk of flesh. The hand, therefore, released Madam Mo and began to fight ferociously against the two fierce corpses.

"My goodness, I feel that compared to the rumours and stories, the actual thing is... Spectacular!"

Lan Qiren trembled in fury. Nobody noticed other than Lan Xichen, who was busy muffling his laughter with a sleeve.

Wei Wuxian watched them fighting with sharp eyes. 'Even three recently deceased fierce corpses fighting together can't suppress this one arm!'

'If I interfere any further, it'd be hard to guarantee nobody figures out that it's me.'

Sect Leader Yao smirked, "He may try to act like a hero and save them, but in the end, he finds his life worth more than theirs."

The hand grabbed Madam Mo's neck and immediately snapped it.

Wei Wuxian blinked. "..."

The viewers did the same motion. "..."

'Oh well..' Feeling resigned and preparing to reveal his identity, he brought two fingers to his mouth, preparing to whistle but the sound of a guqin interrupted his actions.

Wei Wuxian beamed, excitedly tugging on his husband's arm. "Lan-Er-Gege! Lan Zhan! It's you! Look, it's you!!"

Lan Wangji smiled, "Mn."

A Clan leader gasped in astonishment, "You- You were willing to risk getting your identity discovered just so you could save them?!"

A few others looked at the demonic cultivator with mixed emotions.

Perhaps, just maybe he wasn't that bad after all.

Wei Wuxian froze, 'It's him?!'

“If you think about it, had Hanguang-Jun not arrived then, we would have known it was Senior Wei,” said Lan Jingyi.

“You right…I wonder how that would have played out.”

The Juniors beamed, hurriedly running towards the figure, "Hanguang-Jun!"

Golden eyes that rivalled the sun pierced the cold air as long elegant fingers danced on the guqin. Lan Wangji strummed a loud tune on the instrument, immediately destroying all three fierce corpses.

Wei Ying dramatically held a hand to his head and pretended to fall, fainting into Lan Wangji's arms. Lan Wangji caught him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

Wei Wuxian opened his eyes and stared at the on-screen Lan Wangji. He squealed in delight when he saw the gold irises and began to passionately compliment his husband.

"Such a prince charming!"

"Lan Zhan! Too handsome!"

"Just a strum and all of them are defeated!"

“So cool!!”

Everyone turned to him with a deadpan look that screamed, 'We all think the same, but please shut up, for the sake of everyone.'

Sizhui glanced behind him, intending to speak with Wei Wuxian, but startled at the sudden disappearance and lack of person. "Where did he go?"

Wei Wuxian was hiding behind a pillar. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest in fear.

"Fear?" said one Lan disciple.

"Why?"

"Oh, he's quite dense isn't he," said another intelligently.

"He is."

"When your heart pounds like that, it's love !" The Nie disciple who commented dramatically clutched his chest, blinking back tears.

'How unfortunate I am that the one who came just happened to be from the Lan Clan. But even more unfortunately, he's Lan Wangji!'

"Wow. Too dense, I say."

"He's worse than my husband."

'I've gotta find myself a mount and get away from here as soon as possible!'

Wei Wuxian arrived at a shed and locked eyes with the animal inhabiting it—a large donkey who was sniffing haughtily in his direction.

Jingyi beamed, "It's Lil'Apple! So that's where you found it!"

Wei Wuxian clapped his hands together excitedly, "I choose you!"

The screen faded into black, incurring confusion within the room.

Jin Guangshan grinned, "Well, Wei Wuxian is an excellent thinker. I used to only value him because of his demonic prowess. However…he would be a great asset to the Jin Clan."

Her temper at its peak, Madam Jin threw her hands in the air and decided that she's had enough. She held out a hand and slapped him on the face, leaving a bright red mark of her fingerprints. “He's already a married man! What were you thinking, speaking of him in such a way, you little rat?!"

Jin Guangshan hissed, clutching his cheek defensively, "Woman, you best watch your tongue!"

Madam Jin scoffed, "And you best cling onto that petty life of yours because I’m opting to end it right here and now!"

Wen Ruohan, amused, leant against the wall and whistled.

“That is my brother you were speaking of,” said Jiang Yanli, suddenly appearing behind Madam Jin. “He is a happily married man, with the most delightful child you could only dream of having! I am ashamed to have you as a father-in-law.”

“You–” Jin Guangshan roared. “All of you women are psychos! Psychos, I say! This is why men are the ones fit to rule, with you continuing the line for us! I should have never allowed you to marry Zixuan! He deserves someone who knows how to respect!”

Things got quite chaotic shortly following that, especially the state of a certain someone’s face. (Well, let’s just say that Jin Guangshan won’t be making more crude comments any time soon.)

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian could confidently say that the room had now been split into three masses: those sneering at himself, Jiang Yanli and a few unnamed others; those in approval of his shijie’s actions, nodding relentlessly and even applauding her; and, lastly, those who were simply indifferent to the matter, sprouting more and more gossip of different origins to their friends.

And him, well, he likes to think that he’d be in the second category. Lan Wangji felt inclined to agree.

Jin Zixuan, however, was pale as a sheet, his face glistening with sweat. He offered a trembling hand to Jiang Yanli, silently, and led her back to their area.

Jin Ling, however, watched her confidently walk in no small amount of amazement, "A-Niang, you're so cool! I want to be like you when I'm older!"

“No, please don’t!” the people surrounding could only think helplessly.

Jin Guangyao nervously gnawed on his fingernails, pacing silently as he plotted meticulously, 'Minshan—he isn't here, I’ve looked all around…But where could he be? Neither are the Wen Dogs that Wei Wuxian oh-so heroically saved. The doctor Wen Qing was resurrected so you'd expect the rest of the group to come as well, however...'

He glanced up instantly, an epiphany striking him suddenly. The tip of his fingernail split. 'Unless...'

 . . .

Curiously, Lan Sizhui made his way to the group of disciples that surrounded Jingyi, who was once again fiddling with the mysterious platform.

“I don’t trust you with that thing,” said one bluntly. “Who knows what you’ll make happen now? Step away!”

"What does it say?" another questioned.

"What is that thing?" said a third.

"Is it an immortal?" A Jin disciple asked.

The disciple was suddenly doubling over, clutching their head, for someone had chidingly slapped it with no amount of gentleness. "You idiot, immortals can speak! This is a magical box created by the immortals for us cultivators to use!"

"Ah, I see. How smart, shixiong!"

 Once Sizhui had finally pushed past the fray, he asked, "Jingyi, what are you doing?"

The person in question didn't turn around, keeping his focus deeply on the platform. "It's that weird name thing again. This time it says stuff like 'Remnants' , 'Yi quartet ’—what’s that say? ‘Moling Founder?’.. .and much more. What do you think it means?"

Lan Sizhui sighed exasperatedly, "I don't know. Let's not touch anything without A-Die or Xian-ge’s permission.”

Pink dusted Lan Jingyi’s cheeks as he meekly lowered his head, "M'Kay."

Jin Guangyao's eyes widened, staring obsessively at the words displayed on the platform. 'Moling Founder... So it’s him.'

 Lan Jingyi turned to Wei Wuxian curiously, “Senior Wei, which one should we choose? It looks like nothing will happen if we just leave it…”

Wei Wuxian glanced to Lan Wangji, "Lan Zhan, which one should he choose?"

"..."

Wei Ying then smiled brightly, "Lan Zhan said to do what you want!"

“How does he know that?” Jin Ling murmured. “Hanguang-Jun didn't even say anything.."

Lan Jingyi beamed gratefully, "Thanks!"

He attempted to place his finger on the section labelled Yi Quartet, but in a jolt, he was shoved by an enthusiastic member of the crowd and his hand slid down the screen.

Anxious for the outcome, Jingyi sighed helplessly and glanced to the left where the dead should have resurrected.

Except no one was there.

He frowned curiously, "Maybe it just happens the first time…"

. . .

As soon as Jin Guangyao spotted Su She amongst the masses, he grabbed his sleeve and hauled him away fiercely, worried about exposing their whereabouts.

Jin Guangyao offered a bright yellow Jin robe, as well as a patterned bronze mask. "Minshan."

Su She accepted the items, already knowing that his own clan’s robes would be too distinguishable amongst the mass of yellows and purples. "Clan Leader! Where…are we? Didn't I-" he gasped. "Clan Leader, your arm -"

“It is all right, Minshan. I am fine,” Jin Guangyao held a finger to his lips in an attempt to quieten Su She. "We need to be quiet. There's no doubt that the moment they find out you're here, they'll be after your head. And, as for me…well, they’ve already expressed just how welcome I am.”

"Yes, Clan Leader!" said Su She, not once questioning the command.

Jin Guangyao smiled fondly, holding out a hand to gently caress the white fabric of Su She’s shoulder. "Change into those robes and that mask. It will help to disguise you.”

"What will we do then?” Su She glanced around, pointedly staring at the stars of the show, seated in the very middle of the room. “Everyone will be trying to kill us…"

Jin Guangyao bitterly smiled, "After we escape this place, let's run away... But before that, I need to do something. I no longer have nowhere to go, nowhere I belong. Er-Ge despises me…It was foolish to think he would always be by my side."

"Understood. I will do everything in my power to help you, Clan Leader.”

"Thank you, Minshan."

Su She pursed his lips, small tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "Clan Leader, I'm so happy... You're alive…"

Jin Guangyao smiled, “I am also very happy, Minshan.”

On the screen, large text appeared. [Episode Two (第一集)]

At the edge of their seats, everyone waited anxiously for the next scene to arrive.

Wei Wuxian is shown standing beside a well while holding a donkey's reins. A crowd of rogue cultivators surrounded him, murmuring things to one another.

"My lord, let's get going after you finish these straws, alright?" he offered up dried straw to the donkey but it huffed, and then arrogantly turned away.

Jiang Cheng snorted, "My Lord? What's next? Shizun ?"

Many exchanged snickers.

A girl giggled, "The Yiling Patriarch is quite amusing."

Another covered their mouth with one sleeve, "I agree. It's a shame he wasn't born in our generation. Many girls would have flocked to him like moths to a flame."

In a fit of impatience, he pulled the reins hard, causing the donkey to huff in anger. "How am I supposed to find fresh, dewy grass here? If you'll just follow your humble servant to Buddha mountain, he'll let you eat all that you want!"

"Humble servant?!"

"Who is this man? The last time I checked, the Yiling Patriarch had pride and arrogance rivalling Wen Ruohan himself!”

“Hey, that wasn’t a very nice comment…”

While Wei Wuxian fought with the donkey, the rogue cultivators who were grouped together beside him began to speak, "Why is the pointer still not moving yet, now that we're at the mountain already?"

Wei Wuxian suddenly paused, watching the group curiously. 'Rogue cultivators here to night hunt?'

Another spoke, "Maybe your compass is broken? The mountain is less than ten miles away. We need to be on our way as soon as possible."

Wei Wuxian crouched down and sighed into his hand,   'I wonder if I'll be able to get a good ghoul to be my soldier over at Buddha mountain?'

Sect Leader Yao raised an eyebrow, pointing towards the screen aggressively, "See! As soon as he came back, he was planning on making an army to destroy the cultivation world! Truly a villain!"

“Exactly! I even heard he summoned Wen Ning on this specific night hunt! Of course, the fierce corpse is subdued now, but back then, it was a feral beast, I tell you!”

“What’s the use of power if you can’t even control your weapon?” another scoffed.

“I couldn’t have said it better!” said a third party. “Who knows, Wei Wuxian may be in good spirits lately, but who’s to say that he won’t suddenly turn on us all and slaughter everyone here?!”

A young girl suddenly appeared from behind a tree and smiled at Wei Wuxian while handing him an apple. "Here you go!"

The moment the donkey saw the apple, its eyes lit up and it hungrily pounced.

Wei Wuxian snatched the apple away before the donkey could even take a minuscule bite, "What are you doing? This is for me!"

The donkey pouted, its pitiful, teary eyes watching Wei Wuxian somberly.

Wei Wuxian stared in surprise. "Huh?"

"Cute!"

"Oh my god!"

"So adorable!"

Lan Jingyi looked at the bewitched teenagers in awe, "Adorable? Cute? Are you blind? That thing is a nuisance, an evil creature, a demon in donkey's skin!"

However, his attempt to reason with them had undoubtedly failed.

"Shut up!" They all reprimanded.

“Hey, I’ll have you know that this thing bit my arm eight times! I had to get more outfits tailored! It was an absolute nightmare!”

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian’s eyes carried an evil glint in them, making the donkey pale, sensing a foreboding feeling of dread...

Jiang Cheng clasped his hands together, somehow feeling sorry for the animal, "I know that look. Whatever he’s planning, this donkey definitely isn’t going to like it.”

A while later, Wei Wuxian was grinning while he straddled the donkey. He held an apple up by a stick and the donkey tried to reach it but to no avail. "Lil' Apple! Let's go!!"

“...Little apple?” a young female cultivator questioned.

Nobody replied.

After a small while of travelling, Wei Wuxian finally arrived at the Town of Buddha's Feet.

Rogue cultivators huddled in a group beside him; the one holding a compass frowned, "None of the compasses of evil are showing anything. I don't think that there are any soul-consuming beasts or spirits in the area at all."

"Even if the compasses aren't showing anything, it doesn't mean that nothing is in the area. They're only capable of showing the overall direction, anyways. It's not specific enough, so we can't rely on it."

Another sighed, "Don't you remember who was the one that invented the compass of evil? I've never heard of anything that can interfere with the accuracy of its pointer."

"Of course I know that it was invented by Wei Ying. But it's not as if all of his inventions are infallible. Are you saying that we aren't even allowed to doubt?"

Wei Wuxian frowned, "I never mentioned this before, but why does everyone call me by birth name? It’s too intimate–I prefer the evil, scary, ferocious Yiling Patriarch!”

Jiang Wanyin merely raised an eyebrow, glancing between him and Lan Wangji.

"I never said that you aren't allowed to doubt. I didn't say that his inventions are infallible either. Why would you accuse me so, good sir?"

Thus an inevitable argument had begun, much to Wei Wuxian's confusion. "Hnn?"

In the middle of the crowd stood a girl who was blankly staring forwards. He silently followed her gaze, 'Buddha Mountain?'

Without prior notice, the girl began openly dancing under people's watchful gazes. Wei Wuxian smiled at the delightful display, "Wow!"

"A-Yan!" A woman yelled, rudely pushing past the crowd and hugging the girl from behind. "A-Yan! Let's go back!"

But the girl shoved the woman to the floor and continued to dance. "Hee... Hee..."

Jingyi stared, "Is she crazy?"

Ouyang Zizhen slapped him on the back of the head with Nie Huaisang’s fan, "You idiot! You can't just say that about a girl!"

“Well, what am I supposed to say? You’re perfectly sane? No, that wouldn’t be the truth! Isn’t it more unfair to lie to her? ”

Meanwhile, Nie Huaisang sulked, grumbling about the loss of his fan.

Nie Mingjue sighed humourlessly, "Huaisang... After this, I can buy you a new one to paint-"

"My Bao Bao is special!” said Nie Huaisang in a blubbering voice. “It was crafted by a master all the way at the other side of the world using only rare materials that many presently sought after!"

"I can always find you a better one-"

"Da-Ge! You don't get it!" He huffed and, out of anger, stormed over to Ouyang Zizhen and grabbed the hand which held onto his fan.

Zizhen gasped as he struggled out of the hold, "Where did Sect Leader Nie get this sudden strength from?! It's that of the Lans!"

“ My fan ,” said Nie Huaisang calmly.

The next second, Zizhen was kneeling with his hands raised, presenting the fan like a treasure. "Master. Please accept this one's apology." If you looked close enough, you could see him madly trembling.

The other juniors simply stared, backing away. 'Scary! Note to self: Never anger Nie Huaisang!' Wei Wuxian felt inclined to agree.

A villager stood beside Wei Wuxian and sighed, "How awful. The girl from Blacksmith Zheng's household ran out again. Her husband, A-Yan and A-Yan's husband—None of them are well. What a poor mother she is."

Wei Ying tilted his head to the side curiously, "Mister, could you please tell me what happened to the girl?"

"What? You here to catch those creatures as well?"

"No, No, I... I'm a storyteller! In search for folk tales!"

"Huh? Do all storytellers look so funny?"

"Ha, so somebody finally decided to tell him how hideous he looked.”

Wei Wuxian frowned, "Hideous? I- I did my best! I think it looks great! At least, better than what you could do!" He suddenly turned to Lan Wangji, "Lan Zhan, It looks good right?"

Lan Wangji coughed into a hand, "..Yes."

"How biassed! He's just saying that because he is your husband!" Another yelled.

Wei Wuxian huffed, shamelessly boasting, "My Lan Zhan has actual taste unlike you idiots."

"Idiots?"

"You-"

The villager sighed, "On our Buddha Mountain here, there's an old Burial Ground. A few months back, there was a dark and stormy night. When the next day came, people found that a few coffins had been brought to the surface."

-Along with the corpses inside them, they were burnt coal-black by the lightning. The townspeople of Buddha's feet were more anxious than ever."

-After a few rounds of prayers, they restored the Burial Ground and thought that everything was over. Who would have thought that the people of Buddha's feet started to lose their souls ever since then."

Wei Ying frowned, "Lose their souls?"

"So will we get to see the dancing fairy statue?!" A young Lan excitedly blurted.

"Yeah!"

"My friend was there and they said it was super cool!"

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard about that also!”

"The first was a sluggard, a poor wretch, loafing about and doing nothing. On the night of the landslide, he happened to be stuck in the mountain. He was lucky enough to come back safely."

-The strange thing, though, was that just a few days after he came back, he suddenly got himself a bride. He arranged their marriage with great fanfare, telling people that he was going to settle down and start doing good deeds."

-On their wedding night, he got himself as drunk as he could. After he collapsed onto the bed, he never got up again. He was all ice-cold and dreary-eyed."

-After lying there for a couple of days or so, eating and drinking nothing, he finally entered the ground. The poor bride had widowed just after she married."

-The second was A-Yan, the girl from Blacksmith Zheng's. Her future husband was killed by wolves when he was hunting on the mountain. After she knew of this, the exact same thing happened."

-Hard to believe that, afterwards, her soul-loss has been cured all on its own. But she herself had gone crazy as well, always dancing for others to watch."

-The third was A-Yan's father, Blacksmith Zheng. ..Until now, there have been seven consecutive victims."

"Thank you for the backstory,” said Ouyang Zizhen idly.

“I never knew there was such a story related to the Goddess Statue!” Jingyi exclaimed. “This is very exciting!”

Wei Wuxian continued to travel on the back of Little Apple, arriving at village after village and piecing together the veiled puzzle. 'The creature devoured seven souls at a time. No wonder so many sects gathered here. And it sounds like a high-level soul-summoning spirit!'

The rogue cultivators were still huddled together in a group, but this time, Wei Wuxian spotted them in the middle of a forest, "Seeing from how the prey is no small matter, it's only natural that the compass goes a bit awry."

Wei Wuxian casually went over to them, causing them to emit loud, high-pitched shrieks.

"Oh my!"

"What's that?!"

A sigh. "What do you want? It's the middle of the night, and you look like a hanged ghost!"

"We got nothing except for a bad scare—How unlucky!"

“A hanged ghost?!”

“Ahaha, that’s one I’d never thought of!”

Throughout this humour and excitement, Wei Wuxian was pouting.

Wei Wuxian sent them a deadpan look,   'Maybe they're frustrated because of how difficult the prey is? That's exactly what I'd hoped for!'

He took little apple's reins and walked away from the group, resulting in him missing the remains of their conversation:

"Did the leader of such a big sect really need to fight over a soul-summoning spirit with us?"

"What can we do? No matter which sect you choose to offend, you shouldn't offend the Jiang sect. No matter which person you choose to offend, you shouldn't offend Jiang Cheng. The only thing we can do is feel sorry for ourselves, eh?"

Jiang Cheng scoffed, "You're such an idiot to miss that conversation. I was wondering why you willingly went there even though everyone knew I was coming."

Jingyi pursed his lips, "Senior Wei, you can be a bit of an idiot sometimes."

Wei Wuxian dramatically clutched his chest and sent him a pained look, "How... How could you say that to me?!"

After a while of aimlessly strolling around the forest, Wei Wuxian suddenly heard overlapping cries for help.

"Somebody!"

"Help!"

Unnoticeably to many, Jin Ling paled.

Wei Wuxian frowned. It was most likely the trickery of evil creatures. He was in a desolate mountain, after all. After much thought, he smiled and went forwards.

'The eviler the better!'

Sect Leader Yao scoffed, "You see! He wants to build an army!"

A young woman snapped, "Shut up! You're getting really annoying now!"

Sect Leader Yao curled into himself in embarrassment.

However, what he found was contrary to his expectations. The four rogue cultivators from before were hung up on the trees by deity-binding nets.

"Huh… It's you."

"We called over a lunatic.."

Wei Wuxian heard a rustling in the bushes behind him so he swiftly spun around. A boy wearing bright yellow clothing with a peony embroidered in the chest area jumped out. He had a vermillion mark on his forehead and held a bow in hand. "I find you idiots every time!"

Jingyi glanced between the screen and Jin Ling with excitement, "Jin Ling! It's you!"

“I know, I’m not blind…” Jin Ling grumbled in response.

Wei Wuxian whistled, "A young master of the LanlingJin sect—Wealthy!"

“Wow,” said Jin Ling sarcastically. “I’m there , a member of the great Jin Clan, and your first thought is wealthy?! Why am I even surprised at this point?”

The boy scowled, "There are around four hundred deity-binding nets in the mountain, and you guys have already broken more than ten of them!"

‘Four hundred?!’ Wei Ying gasped, 'Super wealthy!'

"..."

"Yeah, no... I have no words.”

Chapter Text

The boy scowled. "There are around four hundred deity-binding nets in the mountain, and you guys have already broken more than ten of them!"

'Four hundred?!' Wei Ying gasped, 'Super wealthy!'

"..."

"Yeah, no... I have no words."

"Young Master, please do us a favour and let us down," pleaded one of the rogue cultivators.

Jin Ling crossed his arms, furiously exhaling a large breath. "You should just stay here in case you get in my way again! I'll let you down after I catch the spirit-consuming beast, that is, if I still remember."

"A-Ling," Jiang Yanli chided, gently prodding her son on the cheek. "Mind your manners."

"Well, it’s not my fault they got in my way…" After a scolding look from both his mother and father, Jin Ling slumped into himself and acquiesced. "Sorry, A-Niang.."

"Don't say sorry to me, you need to just mind your words in the future."

"...Okay."

Wei Ying pursed his lips, 'It seems that the cultivators from earlier didn't retreat because the prey was difficult, but because this sect was one to be careful about.'

The rogue cultivators' pleas got quieter, "If we stay in the mountain for the whole night, we'd only be able to wait as our souls are sucked dry…"

The donkey was undeniably moved by their pitiful situation and began to tear up. It angrily charged towards Jin Ling, only to be held back by Wei Wuxian, who was tugging on the reins in an attempt to cease its sudden rampage.

"Now isn’t that just the sweetest thing?" said a young cultivator. "Oh, I wish it was mine , that way it would beat up all of those men lining up to get my name."

"What arrogance," said the girl seated beside her. "I think I would have more use for it. Besides, you’d just scare it off."

"What did you just say?!"

" Why ?" said Jingyi solemnly into the air. "Just… Why would you fight over that demon? Please enlighten me."

The donkey easily threw him aside, but instead of allowing himself refuge, Wei Wuxian persistently continued to pull on the reins. "Come back! Stop, stop, stop!"

Hearing the commotion, Jin Ling turned around, evidently irritated at being interrupted, but his lips pursed in surprise as he noticed Wei Wuxian. Then his face contorted in disgust. "So it’s you!"

Lan Jingyi doubled over in laughter, clutching his stomach tightly as he attempted to reign in his giggles. "Hahaha! The immediate change, Jin Ling, did you see your face?! Hahaha!"

"Jingyi… I don’t think it’s a good idea to be teasing Jin Ling…" Sizhui trailed off, his face paling. Just metres away, Jin Ling’s face was bright red and he seemed to be wrestling with his father, trying to get to Jingyi, his sword in hand. "Oh dear."

Wei Wuxian stared in surprise, 'So he knows Mo Xuanyu?'

"For a moment there, I thought the Young Master knew it was Wei Wuxian… but that isn’t likely as he would have struck him down moments ago, knowing what he supposedly did to his parents."

"Huh, so you did lose your marbles after you were kicked out," Jin Ling scoffed, raising an eyebrow as he gave Wei Wuxian a one over. "Your face looks so.."

Wei Wuxian paused. 'Did I just hear something important?'

Jin Guangshan, the previous leader of the LanlingJin sect, enjoyed flirting around, although he feared his wife. As an awful womaniser, he had a great number of illegitimate children and died as he was 'doing the deed'.

Wei Wuxian grimaced, internally face-palming. 'Back then, during the siege in the Burial Mounds, Jin Guangshan was the greatest contributor aside from Jiang Cheng. And now I'm possessing his son's body.'

The viewers were flabbergasted.

From that small piece of information, the Yiling Patriarch was able to tell the origin of Mo Xuanyu? In his youth, Wei Wuxian was known to be intelligent, but this was simply extraordinary !

From another section of the room, a certain Jiang Sect Leader was wringing his hands together guiltily at an innocent yet piercing comment.

Jin Ling huffed in impatience as he put his hands to his hips. "Why are you just standing there? It's time for you to get lost! Just looking at you makes me want to throw up, you damn lunatic."

"A-Ling," said Jin Zixuan calmly. "From what I’ve seen, you have matured and become a much better person, but please be more considerate in the future." Upon seeing the downcast face of his son, he quickly rectified. "I’m not disappointed in you, no — I was just the same at that age — in fact, it brings me great pride to see how much you’ve grown… If only I was there to see it happen."

"A-Xuan," Jiang Yanli said softly, placing a gentle hand on her husband’s arm. They shared no more words after that, yet to Jin Zixuan, her touch was like an anchor, keeping him in the present.

Wei Wuxian took the donkey's reins and turned around. Spitefully, as he left, he spat, "I suppose you had no mother to teach you manners."

Many outraged cultivators within the crowd bolted up from their seats at his words as if electrified.

How shameless, how arrogant, how disgusting, how repulsive, how vile Wei Wuxian was!

"OUTRAGEOUS!"

"Truly the devil's spawn!"

"To say such a thing to his sister's child!"

"Demon!"

"Monster!"

Wei Wuxian bit his lip to suppress the tremors erupting throughout his body. He had said that without thinking back then, but hearing it from a third person's perspective made him realise how awful a thing it truly was to say. He regretted it deeply, even now, and if he could go back in time, he would certainly slap himself once more.

Jin Ling squirmed where he sat, uncomfortable at the outraged exclaims within the cave-like space. He was furious at the time, of course, but knowing just how arrogant he was showed him that he truly did lack manners. He no longer blamed Wei Wuxian, and forgave him long ago, but it was obvious how his Uncle still hadn’t forgiven himself.

Upon seeing Wei Wuxian glancing around the room with what others thought was passiveness, Jiang Yanli saw the hurt in his eyes, saw the way his eyes glistened with guilt, saw the way her son looked at him, and she stood her ground. "A-Xian had no way of knowing. He was by no means being malicious!"

"Madam Jiang is too forgiving!"

"She is even kind to a demon!"

Meanwhile, Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian shared mutual bewildered glances upon seeing the overreactions of the others. Was Jin Ling really such a revered cultivator? That was the only plausible explanation because after all, other than being highly disrespectful…

Why would that be an offensive thing to say to their grandson?

What Wei Wuxian failed to notice as he made to escape, however, was how the boy tightened his grip on the bow with an expression of pure fury. Not even moments later, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Wei Wuxian, eyes glistening with murderous intent. "What did you say?!"

Wei Wuxian frowned, 'The sword looks a bit familiar, doesn't it?'

"So… let me get this straight, Wei Wuxian," said Wen Qing. "A boy points a blade in your face, and no , you’re not concerned about your safety or how you’re going to get away — of course not, this is you we’re talking about — but instead you’re admiring his sword? Sorry to be blunt, but who cares?!"

As Jin Ling lunged in to attack, Wei Wuxian swiftly dodged the onslaught, a peculiar expression on his face. He looked as if he was taking a mere stroll, leaping over branches and roots of trees carefreely, swinging a pouch on the tip of his finger.

"The Yiling Patriarch is truly amazing," said Old Liu. "One of the accomplished cultivators of their generation couldn’t hold a candle to him. Not to say they’re weak or anything, but Wei Wuxian is in an entirely different body, yet still able to move so… fluidly ."

"Notice how he isn’t even attacking the kid… I expected him to strike him down at the very beginning, but…"

"Come, now, he’s just playing with his food at this point! Toying with the poor kid and mocking his strength. That is cruel in its own way."

A few moments passed when Wei Wuxian decided he’d had enough. He gripped the pouch, pulled a talisman out, and slammed it onto Jin Ling’s back; the boy froze, his sword falling from his grasp as he fell to his knees.

Wen Ruohan leaned closer in interest, glancing to Wen Qing for an explanation. "Care to explain?"

"It’s another branch of Demonic Cultivation," said Wen Qing smartly. "Wei Wuxian doesn’t use it often, but it sort of summons a ghost and they do your bidding."

Wen Ruohan’s eyes twinkled in amazement, and almost… admiration?

"I can't get up…" Jin Ling cried, trying to push his body off the ground to no avail.

Wei Ying indifferently watched his fruitless attempts, 'Ghostlings are weak, but they sure are enough to deal with brats like this one.'

Jin Ling stared in astonishment, "Weak? It felt like an entire mountain was on my back!"

"So that technique summons a ghost?" said Jin Zixuan curiously.

"Yeah," Wei Wuxian nodded, "I summoned a glutinous ghost. Now that I think about it, it must have been Mo Zixun. He was really heavy which is why Jin Ling had trouble getting up."

Jin Zixun seemed to tremble in pure anger, "STOP CALLING THAT FAT BASTARD BY MY NAME! I AM JIN ZIXUN!"

Wei Wuxian picked up the sword from the ground and with one slash, cut open the deity-binding nets, freeing the captives.

Jin Ling’s face contorted in rage, "You damn lunatic! Let me go! Well good for you, practising such a dark art just because you didn't have enough spiritual powers to do anything! Watch out for your life! Do you know who came today?!"

"Oh! I'm so scared!" Wei Wuxian taunted with a mocking grin.

"Why are you bullying the poor kid?"

"Let him suffer in silence… I almost feel sorry for the brat."

"You know he’s a Sect Leader now, right? You can’t go ‘round calling him names like that."

"Take this thing off right now! If you don't, I'm gonna tell my uncle! Just wait for your death!"

"Why your uncle and not your dad? Who's your uncle?"

"First he mentioned the child's mother, and now his father! What audacity!" Sect Leader Yao exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger. Many nodded in agreement, though were too spineless to speak up in fear of inciting Lan Wangji’s rage.

Jiang Fengmian frowned pensively. Where was Jin Zixuan, the child’s father? Did something go wrong in the future that led to the family being torn apart? After all, there must be a reason the child would threaten Wei Wuxian with his Uncle, and not his father.

"I am his uncle," said a thundering voice from within the woods.

Jiang Yanli giggled into her sleeve, "A-Cheng, that's quite the dramatic entrance."

"He's more dramatic than me," added Jin Zixuan, bathing in the chance to give Jiang Wanyin cheek.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, PEACOCK!"

Jin Zixuan calmly leaned onto his wife's shoulder, smiling innocently as if to express to everyone that he was the more mature by not responding.

Wei Wuxian froze. The fear that he felt was evident within his expression, and he was so tense that you could see the beads of sweat drop from his forehead to the forest floor.

"Do you have any last words?" Zidian crackled in Jiang Cheng's grasp, producing harsh zaps of lighting. With a swipe of his hand, the talisman that was on the young Jin's back appeared in his palm.

Jin Ling scrambled to his feet and immediately ran to Jiang Cheng’s side. "Uncle!"

Jiang Wanyin grimaced as he stared at the talisman, "Haven't I told you? If you see evil practices like this one.."

Jiang Yanli froze. 'A-Cheng.. What-'

Wei Wuxian couldn't process the rest of the sentence. Only one thought circulated his mind as he stared at the boy who was glaring at him from behind purple robes. 'He's... Jiang Cheng's nephew... He's… Shijie's child!'

"So he really didn't know..?"

"I suppose so.."

"Then... He didn't mean to offend the child. I guess he’s not really at fault here, then…"

Jin Zixun was furious. Everyone's opinions on the Yiling Patriarch were shifting. He had to do something, to incite a fire and make it spread like a disease…

"Only doing one thing by mistake doesn't make him good," he said carefully. "Remember how many people he killed, how many children he orphaned, how many families he cruelly tore apart!"

Yu Ziyuan was inclined to agree with him.

"Just kill the cultivator and feed it to your dog!" Jiang Cheng continued nastily. He crumpled the talisman in his hand and it immediately burst into flames, ashes falling to the floor as he glowered at Wei Wuxian.

'Has his hatred toward me been vented on anyone who cultivates to imitate me?'

A harsh slap resonated within the room. Everyone turned only to see Jiang Yanli standing in front of Jiang Wanyin with furious tears streaming down her face. 

"A-Cheng," she said, her head lowered and her entire body trembling with the force of her cries. "I understand, A-Cheng, that you may think A-Xian is at fault for everything. I understand, I do… however, what you did to those people… the motives you had for killing them… it was just cruel."

To Jiang Wanyin, all the chatter in the room receded into a small buzz and a bell-like ringing began to resound within his ears incessantly. He didn’t know what hurt more.

The force of her hand, or the cruel truth to her words.

And so it was with a bitter taste in his mouth that he decided to remain silent, holding his swollen cheek with one hand.

"A-Li!" Yu Ziyuan roared, outraged at the spectacle her children were making. "How could you hit your brother? Apologise right now!"

"Apologise?" Jiang Yanli murmured. "No, mother, it is you who needs to apologise. All of you. A-Xian is my little brother, the boy I grew up with, the boy I practically raised. " she paused. It was then that many people looked away respectfully. "So I know when he hurts. I know when he cries. I know when he has been wronged. So, no. Matter of fact, I think he deserves an apology right now ."

"Shijie," said Wei Wuxian helplessly. "I’m fine. Jiang Cheng has apologised many times. There is no need to argue."

"A-Li!" exclaimed Yu Ziyuan, ignoring Jiang Fengmian’s many protests. "You dare offend your mother just because of the son of a servant!"

"He is my brother," said Jiang Wanyin determinedly. Both Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian looked at him in surprise. "Not the son of a servant."

"You—" before Yu Ziyuan could continue, she was stopped by Jiang Fengmian, who urged her to stop making a scene. And so, it was quite embarrassedly that she sat back down, sending Wei Wuxian furious glances all the while.

Three siblings sat in equal silence.

As if snapped out of his reverie, Wei Wuxian jumped to his feet and began to flee. Before he could get far, however, Jin Ling immediately started after him.

"You can’t run away! Here!" he yelled, thrusting his sword in Wei Wuxian’s direction. A beam of light escaped the blade of his sword and narrowly missed him by a hair.

'What a strong sword energy!’

Too occupied by the sight behind him, Wei Wuxian's foot slipped and he fell to the floor squarely on his face. When he opened his eyes, his view was obstructed by white boots, followed by pristine white robes. He hesitantly but slowly looked up.

Gold eyes met silver.

'These mourning clothes—Lan Wangji!'

"It’s Hanguang-Jun!" The juniors said in sync.

"And so the husband arrives!"

"Haha, poor Wei Wuxian! First it’s his brother who's out for blood, and now his husband — sorry, I suppose he’s an enemy right now — right after resurrection. He really has the worst luck, doesn’t he?

"Wait a moment — morning clothes?!" said an older woman, jolting on the spot as if struck by a phenomenon.

“...Isn’t that just how Lans dress?”

"Wei Wuxian was making comments on his white robes, what of it?"

The woman dramatically drew out the silence before she whispered, "Who is he mourning for?!"

Everyone sucked in a scandalised gasp.

"He was mourning Wei Wuxian!"

"So devoted! So loving! Such beautiful love!"

"I know right?! If only I could find a man like that."

Wei Wuxian solemnly shook his head with faux pity, "I’m sorry to say he’s one of a kind."

Lan Wangji rolled his eyes fondly, drawing Wei Wuxian into a side-ways hug.

Jiang Wanyin’s lips curled into a snarl. "Hanguang-Jun, you sure live up to your reputation of ‘helping wherever there is chaos ’. So what, you had time to come to such a remote mountain today?"

"Do you think he knows?" said Jingyi slowly. "About… Hanguang-Jun?"

"You know, he probably does. Talking so suggestively, he’s practically admitting Lan Wangji is looking for Wei Wuxian!"

'What an unlucky year!’ Wei Wuxian lamented. ‘Enemies are running into each other! All good news to travel alone! Yet one disaster always follows the next...'

From within the crowd of Lans behind Lan Wangji, Lan Sizhui stepped forwards. "Young Master Jin, night hunts have always been fair competitions amongst the different sects. However, Young Master Jin has been setting up nets all over Buddha Mountain, significantly hindering the other sects' cultivators. Has this not violated the rules of the night hunt already?"

"Damn."

"The boy is smart, I’ll give him that."

"He's actually scolding a sect leader!"

"Truly fit to be Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-Jun’ child!"

Wei Wuxian smugly grinned at the praise of his son while Sizhui turned pink in embarrassment.

Jin Ling scowled. "It was their own fault for being dumb and stepping into traps. What can I do? If there's anything, wait until I catch the prey and then-" His mouth was suddenly forced shut.

The crowd burst into laughter.

"Hanguang-Jun strikes again!"

"That’s certainly one way to get him to stop complaining!"

"The Silence Spell is only used in necessary situations," said Lan Qiren, who had recently awoken, as he stroked his goatee. His face was contorted in discomfort, as if he was urgently holding back something.

"It was absolutely necessary in that situation," said Lan Wangji calmly.

"..."

"Lan!" Jiang Wanyin seethed. "What do you mean by this? It's not your turn to discipline Jin Ling yet, so release it, now!"

"Sect leader Jiang, there is no need for anger. If he does not break the spell by force, it will release itself after thirty minutes."

"Sect Leader Jiang, it's a disaster!" A voice called from behind. "Sect leader, sometime ago, a blue sword flew over and destroyed all of the deity-binding nets that you had set up!"

"A blue sword.." Jiang Cheng murmured thoughtfully. And then his face contorted in anger. "LAN!"

Wei Ying sat still and stared, desperately trying to make his presence unnoticeable. 'Although that many deity-binding nets cost a whopping price, it's not too unaffordable for the YunmengJiang sect. Jiang Cheng, though, is probably dead set on getting the top prize for Jin Ling. Losing the nets is a small matter, but losing face isn't. Now here comes a good show to watch!'

Jiang Cheng stared at the screen in disbelief. "You- You were actually watching for entertainment ?!"

"What?" Wei Wuxian murmured, idly rubbing circles onto the floor. "Did you think I was there just to wait for you to finish? It really was quite entertaining though…"

"You- Can't you act disciplined for once in your life?!"

Jiang Wanyin huffed, "Hah! Seeing that Hanguang-Jun wants to punish you, how about you listen to him just this one time? It must be difficult for him as well to take care of a junior from another sect with such dedication."

Lan Sizhui stepped forward immediately. "Sect Leader Jiang, the GusuLan sect will replace and return every one of the deity-binding nets that were destroyed."

"There's no need!" Jiang Wanyin furiously turned to Jin Ling, "Why are you still standing there? Are you waiting for the prey to walk into your blade?"

Jin Ling's lips began to tremble as his uncle continued, "If you can't capture something presentable tonight, don't bother coming back."

Jin Ling froze instantly. Noticing his discomfort, Jiang Yanli gently patted him on the head, "A-Ling, he was just saying that to protect you. He only wanted the best for you, and I want you to know that."

"I know, A-Niang… It's just..." he looked down at his hands which he was wringing together.

"Please wait." Jin Ling looked up at the voice, his gaze meeting Lan Wangji's. "On Dafan Mountain dwells an unusual spirit. Please be careful."

"In Mo Village not far from here," Sizhui elaborated, "A spirit manifested tonight. In less than half an hour, it killed three people. It is ferocious. Through our carelessness, it managed to escape."

Jiang Cheng smirked, "Hoh? Something so fierce that even Second Young Master Lan couldn't stop it?"

"It has nothing to do with Hanguang-Jun!" Jingyi exclaimed defensively.

"Such a devoted junior!"

"Protecting his senior's reputation, how admirable!"

"I wish my son was like that and respected me for once." Sect leader Ouyang lamented. Ouyang Zizhen grumbled incoherently under his breath in response.

"Do not waste your breath," said Lan Wangji. He looked at Jiang Wanyin. "The spirit appears as a left arm, and prays on human flesh and blood. If you find any sign of it, alert me immediately."

Jiang Wanyin glowered at him once more before he turned away, beckoning the lilac-clad cultivators to follow in the wake.

"Dramatic entrance, dramatic exit. When isn’t he dramatic?"

"Do your tasks. Do what you can, do not push yourselves,” said Lan Wangji coolly.

"Yes, Hanguang-Jun!" The Lan disciples replied with a bow and immediately ran ahead.

Wei Wuxian looked at him with mixed emotions, 'Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan really are two different people.'

"Couldn't agree more."

Lan Wangji glanced at Wei Ying and nodded his head before he, too, left. Wei Wuxian fumbled for his bearings and hastily bowed in response, watching as the other walked further away. ‘Back then he was strongly against my cultivation method. He was so desperate to catch me. Why is he so polite now?’

"Thank you, Young Master, for your help at Mo Village," said Lan Sizhui gratefully, halting his thoughts abruptly.

"So that’s what this is!"

"Why are you still standing there?" A voice reverberated from a distance. Both Lan Sizhui and Wei Wuxian turned to the source, only to find Jin Ling and Jingyi exchanging vulgar words and rude hand gestures.

Sizhui held his hand up in an attempt to placate them, "Young Master Jin.."

"I'll check this area," Jin Ling spat, gripping his sword tightly. "Don't follow me!"

Wei Ying watched him stalk off into the trees, a multitude of emotions swirling within his eyes. The wind swayed, trees rustled and the moon shone brilliantly onto the forest floor. Wei Wuxian stood amongst it all, isolated, with only nature to accompany him.

The screen suddenly switched to that of a yellow sword held in a palm. A much smaller hand, which was that of an infant's, moved up to reach for the sword and tenderly touched the hilt. Jiang Yanli cradled a newborn child in her arms, the Jin vermilion mark evident on its forehead.

"That's Maiden Jiang... and her newborn son!"

"Is it?"

"Why are we seeing this?"

"Little mistress, you looked so cute when you were a baby." Lan Jingyi teased. "Where did it all go, I wonder?"

"You!"

Beside Jiang Yanli stood a man with long, dark locks. The infant released the sword and began to giggle, which incurred a smile from the two parents. Jin Zixuan moved a hand and rested it around his wife's shoulders.

Suddenly, a sword thrust forwards, blood splattering all around. Jiang Yanli’s chest area was painted in crimson, a sword protruding from her stomach. Wei Wuxian watched, horrified, as a tender hand gently cradled his face before sliding off entirely. "A-Xian..."

"Wei Wuxian is a monster!"

Jiang Yanli lay in a pool of blood, her chest still and body motionless.

"His shijie treated him like her own brother! And he killed her so mercilessly!"

Upon noticing the absence of both of his parents, the infant wailed sorrowfully amongst the silence, isolated from the world.

"I feel so sorry for her child. He was only a month old and his parents are both gone."

Jiang Yanli covered her mouth in horror. "A-Xian.." she whispered tearfully, glancing at the man (her A-Xian was so grown up now — he used to be a whole head shorter than her — he came to her for comfort when he was feeling upset, but now he had someone else, someone who loved him in her stead) who was tenderly cradled in his husband’s arms. "A-Xian, it wasn't your fault. I… I always wanted to tell you. I don’t blame you, A-Xian."

"Shijie!" Wei Wuxian stammered. "Shijie I'm sorr-"

An enraged shout interjected him as quick as a strike of lightning. "WEI WUXIAN, YOU BASTARD!"

Ignoring her children's pleas to stop, Yu Ziyuan walked over to Wei Wuxian and slapped him squarely across the face.

"We raised you!" Slap

"We fed and clothed you!" And another.

"We gave you status, power!" And another.

"How dare you!" And another.

" That was my daughter, you murdering son of a—" before she could slap him once again, her wrist was caught in a tight hold. Now only recovering from the shock, Lan Wangji was glaring at her furiously.

"Don’t touch him."

Each word he spoke was coated in venom, but Yu Ziyuan wouldn't back down. No, she stood her ground and allowed her lips to curl into a nasty sneer. "Hanguang-Jun, don’t tell me he has actually got you wrapped around his dirty little finger? Wei Wuxian is just like his filthy mother, in that regard!"

"So tell me," she smirked condescendingly. "Did he blackmail you? Or perhaps tie you down with this marriage-"

Slap.

A sudden silence befell the room. Lan Wangji’s arm was still raised from where he’d delivered a resounding slap across her face, causing her to stumble back in shock. He narrowed his eyes when she opened her mouth, as if daring her to speak another word about Wei Wuxian filled with ill will.

"Lan Zhan, you…" Wei Wuxian spluttered, at a loss for words. Many others, such as Lan Xichen, shared the sentiment and were unable to conjure anything to say.

"Grandmaster!" cried a junior disciple as Lan Qiren paled and doubled over. He would have fallen to his knees had Lan Xichen not caught him, and there was a small trail of red down his chin.

Because his nephew — the righteous, restrained nephew of his, Wangji — had just attacked Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Fengmian’s wife. 

The silence seemed to prolong almost mockingly, before a thin-faced boy murmured, "What’s with all the slapping today…?"

And that, of course, was the primary catalyst for the upcoming onslaught of commentary.

"He just— he attacked—!"

"There’s just no way that’s Hanguang-Jun! What has Wei Wuxian done to him?!"

"I say he’s devoted!" giggled a senior disciple to her friends. "I would kill for a lover like that. Slapping a former Clan Leader across the face like so..."

"My standards are through the roof now, as a matter of fact."

"How admirable!" Nie Huaisang’s eyes twinkled with undisguised awe. "Hanguang-Jun, I hope to learn from you and become a great cultivator—" Having joined in the fun, he was swiftly struck on the back of the head by Nie Mingjue.

Wen Ruohan burst into a fit of laughter as he watched Yu Ziyuan retreat. "Haha! That Lan Wangji is quite interesting! I wouldn't mind having a drink or two with him!"

"Lans don’t drink," said Wen Qing as matter-of-fact. "I’d wager the number of times Hanguang-Jun has touched a cup of wine can be counted on one hand."

"Hey, A-Qing…" Wen Ruohan leaned in closer as if whispering undisclosed information of the utmost secrecy. "You mentioned that, uh… that Yiling Patriarch of yours enjoys a drink or two every now and then…"

"Don’t even think about it."

Wei Wuxian’s lips trembled with bitter regret as he stood in the forest, the angry wind swaying his tangled hair and rustling his dark robes. His hands drew into tight fists, drawing blood where his sharp nails had pierced the skin of his palms. "How could I say that to him…?"

It was as if an unguided, private truth had been disclosed to them all, and so it was with great surprise that their hearts crumbled as quickly as a stack of falling dominos.

The look on Wei Wuxian’s face, the trembling of his body, the dimness of his eyes — it all seemed to scream self-hatred, remorse and bitter regret.

The Yiling Patriarch — who was known to have slaughtered thousands without mercy, who was known to have committed the cruellest of deeds, who was known to have a heart cold as frigid ice — sounded vulnerable .

And for the first time, they were filled with the unbidden urge to comfort him.

"How could I…?" Wei Wuxian hissed. And without a moment’s hesitation, raised a hand and struck his own face. The night was eerie, the clouds concealing any trace of moonlight that attempted to shine down onto the forest floor like a shaft of the lustrous sun. Wei Wuxian remained alone in the forest, grievous tears sliding down his face.

The room fell silent as the sound of the slap echoed off the walls. As the scene faded into darkness, it left behind a palpable sense of sadness and regret. 

"Oh dear, he's crying !"

" Nooo ! Hanguang-Jun, why did you leave ? Wei Wuxian needs you right now!"

"This is so tragic!"

"Where's Hanguang-Jun when you need him?"

Lan Wangji hung his head in shame, 'They're right...'

'...Where was I?'

Chapter Text

Following Wei Wuxian’s endeavours in the forest, with a slight fade into darkness, the next scene rolled along. Wei Wuxian had continued his travels throughout the forest and his journey was eventually halted by the appearance of an old man.

The old man was seated on a thick tree branch that had fallen and rotted with time, and he was murmuring to himself incoherently. As Wei Wuxian drew closer, the words became more and more vivid until he could pick out every whimper the man made. “Ow, ow… It hurts! It hurts! Ow…”

“Where does it hurt?” he asked kindly, slightly bending down until he was at eye level with the stranger.

“Here, the head,” said the man as he pointed to his head, turning to Wei Wuxian. “My head.”

Wei Wuxian double took as he absorbed the sight: a large section of the man’s head had been cleanly destroyed, leaving only a massive hole in the wake that was leaking pools of blood profusely.

“Ah, disgusting, disgusting!” exclaimed Nie Huaisang, quickly snapping his fan open and hiding his face behind it. “A warning would have been nice!”

“I’m sure you’ve seen worse,” Lan Jingyi murmured spitefully, covering his face with the hem of his blue robes. “But, really, Senior Wei, how can you calmly look at that without even feeling somewhat nauseous?”

“You’re right, I think I’m gonna be sick—” The person’s words supposedly rang true, for the loud sound of retching echoed throughout the cave. Many exclaims of outrage followed.

Wei Wuxian looked at the man with something akin to pity. ‘A ghost! Seems like he was killed by a blow to the head. He's dressed in burial robes both excellent in material and craftsmanship, which means that he's already been buried properly. He's not the lost soul of a living human.’

A frown crept up his face as he walked away from the scene, the man’s cries now inaudible. 'But there's no way for a ghost like this to appear on Buddha Mountain..'

Not even moments later, Wei Wuxian found himself face to face with the group of rogue cultivators from earlier.

“I swear these rogue cultivators are everywhere,” said a Jiang disciple, idly leaning their face against a palm. “How many times has Wei Wuxian run into a group of them now? Three times? Four?”

“I’m sure they’re just lost,” said another. “The forest seems so big now that I’m watching Wei Wuxian venture around it. Just where is the exit?”

“Are the Jin sect's people still around the area?” said one of the rogue cultivators with an exhausted sigh. They were leaning against a tree with their legs bent in half and were idly picking up sticks from the ground, throwing them into tall patches of grass. “Hopefully we don't run into them again…”

“I heard they left for the Goddess Temple with the Young Masters from the Lan Sect,” said another. This one had their arms crossed to their chest and their face was contorted into an expression of deep concentration.

"Then, should we also…?"

His curiosity piqued, Wei Wuxian leapt off Lil’ Apple’s back and grabbed hold of the reins. He wandered over to them, lowering himself into a brief polite bow. “The Goddess Temple?”

The girl, who had been silent for a while, glanced at Wei Wuxian thoughtfully before exchanging looks with her two male companions. “It’s a cave-temple on this mountain,” she said, pointing to a certain place in the distance. “Over there.”

“Which deity does the temple worship?” said Wei Wuxian curiously.

The girl’s shoulders tensed into a shrug and she thoughtfully brought a hand to her chin. "I think it's a natural stone statue of a Goddess."

"I see,” said Wei Wuxian, leaping back onto Lil’ Apple and flashing the group a smile. "Thanks!"

"Don't go there no matter what! It's best that you're as far away as possible!"

“Like he’ll ever listen to that,” remarked Jiang Wanyin, rolling his eyes. “Wei Wuxian is always finding himself in trouble no matter where he is. It’s no use trying to prevent it.”

“I like to think that it’s trouble that finds its way to me ,” said Wei Wuxian cheekily. He purposely glanced up at Lan Wangji through his eyelashes, who was exhaling a noteworthy breath as if wishing to express his opinion at the ridiculousness.

“What was that supposed to mean?” said the serious-looking cultivator, unfolding his arms as he watched Wei Wuxian rush away.

“See how he ran over even though he himself said it's dangerous.”

“What madness.”

“Mn,” said Lan Wangji seriously. “It was dangerous, Wei Ying.”

“Is Er-Gege worried about me?” giggled Wei Wuxian, smiling at the concern shining in his husband's arms. “What a gentleman.”

“Of course,” Lan Wangji said as if such a concept was non-refutable.

Wei Wuxian pushed Lil' Apple to his limits, trying to cross the woods as quickly as possible.

'The sluggard's marriage, the destroyed coffin, the fiancé who was killed by wolves, the successive loss of the father's and the daughter's souls, and the extravagant burial clothes...'

He narrowed his eyes. 'So that's why the compasses of evil aren't picking up anything, much less the spirit-attraction flags!'

'All of them have underestimated the creature on Buddha Mountain! It's not at all what they think it is!'

“Er… still don’t get it,” said a rogue cultivator idly.

“Neither do I.”

The scene switched to Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui, who were staring at an intricately-carved statue with no small amount of wonder. The stone figure was exceptionally beautiful — if one would disregard the prominent abnormalities, of course: it had four extra arms that looked like they belonged more to a cruel demon than a delicate lady; its leg was permanently raised as if frozen in an awkward position while dancing and its face was stretched into a perpetual smile that was more eerie than majestic.

"So this is the 'Dancing Goddess' of the local legends?" said Lan Jingyi tentatively.

"Yes,” said Sizhui. "It is said to be an extraordinary stone, formed naturally. It really deserves to be called extraordinary, how a naturally-formed object can be so lifelike."

"Sizhui! It's us! It's us!" exclaimed Jingyi, excitedly pointing to the screen. In truth, he had been on the edge of his seat in excitement, awaiting his return in the play through of Senior Wei’s memories. Sizhui had been the one to witness this, and so he nodded at the boy’s words with a smile parents often reserved for their children.

"He can see that, idiot,” said Jin Ling, purposely avoiding meeting eyes with anyone in the room, already expecting his inevitable appearance.

"It's only a stupid rock, given the title of a Goddess by who-knows-who. How dare people put it here to receive incense and worship!" sneered a familiar voice from behind.

"It’s Peacock."

"Definitely Peacock."

"Peacock is back."

"SHUT UP!"

"Jin Ling?" Sizhui murmured in surprise.

"Damn,” tutted Lan Jingyi. “Seems like the silence spell has lifted.”

Jin Ling furrowed his brows furiously as he strutted inside. "There are thousands of millions of people in the world. Gods and Buddhas already have their hands full with their own matters. Who'd have the time to deal with the people?! If it really is incredible, then I'm gonna make a wish right now! I want the creature that's devouring souls in Buddha Mountain to appear before me right now! Will it be able to do this?!"

"Jin Ling? ” came an astonished exclaim. “It was you ?!"

At the sound of the voice, Jin Ling awkwardly shifted where he sat, his cheeks as red as the Wen Clan’s motif. 'I want to dig a hole and hide in it..'

"That's right, that's right!" cheered a Jin disciple. "Well said, Young Master Jin!"

"Dark creatures are running amok in Buddha Mountain — Why haven't the deities taken care of them?"

Feeling frustration arise in him, Lan Jingyi made a sound of frustration. "It is so loud!"

"Like you're one to talk, you loudmouth," Jin Ling muttered.

"Say that again and I'll slap you all the way to Gusu!” exclaimed Lan Jingyi, outraged. “I’ll let the old man deal with you!”

“ Old man?!” coughed Lan Qiren furiously.

Lan Sizhui suddenly gasped. "Jingyi, look!"

The duo glanced up at the statue at once, only to notice how its unpleasant smile was even more eerie, especially accompanied by its newly-coloured angry crimson eyes.

"That looks creepy..." Jin Zixun murmured, happy to provide commentary.

"Not as creepy as your” Lan Jingyi coughed politely. “uncle.”

"Hey,” said Wei Wuxian playfully. On the surface, he was scolding the Lan disciple, but really, no one missed the identical smirks they exchanged. “Stop messing with people, it's mean."

Jin Ling’s eyebrows were through the roof. He pointed to Wei Wuxian, and then gestured a hand to the rapidly paling Lan Qiren. No one needed extra emphasis.

"Her mouth was closed, right…?" said Lan Sizhui with a forced chuckle.

Lan Jingyi paled, his lips twitching into a false smile. "...And were her eyes always like this?"

"Hey, are you okay?!"

"Somebody collapsed!"

A Jiang disciple was cradling one of his peers in his arms, terror littered across his visage. Jin Ling hovered over them thoughtfully.

"What's wrong with him?" he murmured.

Lan Sizhui paled, "He looks like.."

'Like he is asleep,' he mentally added.

"Asleep?” murmured an older woman. “He looks as good as dead! Look at his eyes! So expressionless!"

"Was his soul taken, do you think? This might be another victim of that Goddess Statue."

With a great fearsome burst of wind, the candles surrounding the statue lit up in flames, illuminating the room that was previously consumed in darkness.

"What's happening?"

"Something dark is here!"

Both Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui exchanged equally shocked looks.

Suddenly sensing an unknown presence, Lan Sizhui spun around quickly. "Who's there?!"

Wei Wuxian sprinted towards the statue and swiftly poured a large bottle of liquor over the fire. Subsequently, he then pulled out a talisman and thrust it at the statue.

"Go Senior Wei!" The juniors cheered in tandem.

Many in the room were either cheering on the Demonic Cultivator, or remaining silent, too afraid to receive backlash.

"Look! The Goddess' pose has changed!"

"She moved!"

"Run!" exclaimed Sizhui.

"Run, run, run!” Wei Wuxian practically yelled. His attempts at getting them to safety, however, only proved to be fruitless. “Stop hacking at it! There's no use! There's no use, Jin Ling!"

“This is precisely why I never liked brats,” said Wen Ruohan smartly. Wen Qing looked at him blankly, hoping to relay the fact that she really didn’t care in the least.

Jin Zixuan was glancing around the room in an effort to find out who had spoken. His eyes landed on Wen Ruohan, but he immediately shook his head at the thought.

Nope — There was just no way.

"Let's charge!"

"So I've finally found the source!"

"Protect Young Master Jin!"

"Ahhh! The Goddess ate someone's soul!"

"Idiots! Who just rushes in like that?!" exclaimed Jiang Wanyin.

At the comment, Wen Ruohan burst into laughter that echoed throughout the room repetitively. Instead of being accompanied by more laughs, however, the room was instead rendered into utter silence. 

Fearing for their lives, Jin Zixuan instinctively raised an arm in front of his son as protection. Everyone did more or so the same; they watched Wen Ruohan fearfully, knowing he was highly unpredictable and therefore would only see his intentions after he had voiced them.

Not knowing what such a terrifying man was to do, they could only helplessly tremble in fear and await his inevitable response.

“That situation was dire,” he said seriously. Everyone listened with rapt attention. “Wei Wuxian even proved as much. Did no one take that as a sign they must leave?”

Wen Qing said blankly, “...What?”

“Did you not see? Wei Wuxian threw his liquor onto the fire! No man would waste such a precious concoction, lest it is absolutely necessary. As a powerful cultivator myself, I can say that with certainty. Therefore, you must have been in extreme danger.”

“Excellent,” said Wen Qing, at a loss for words. “Thank you for that.”

Only silence followed.

"Nothing works against it! Let's get out of here!"

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes throughout his frustration. "So you finally see that the situation is beyond hope?" He turned to the group of Lans. "Quick, send a signal and tell your sect's... Your sect's Hanguang-Jun to come up here!"

"Yes!" The Lan disciples began to search their robes but to no avail; their efforts resulted in them only empty handed.

"All of the signal illuminations…” said Lan Sizhui, exchanging a horrified glance with Lan Jingyi. “Were used up at the night at Mo Village."

Wei Wuxian ruffled his hair in annoyance. "You didn't restock such an important item?!"

Awkwardly fiddling with the hem of his sleeve, Lan Sizhui guiltily laughed. "We forgot... We never really use signals."

'Oh no!' As he walked away from the pair, Wei Wuxian suddenly froze as if recalling something. 'Jin Ling hasn't come out yet!'

"Oh no!"

"Is he gonna die?!" Nie Huaisang exclaimed, worriedly covering his face with his fan as he got too engrossed in the scene to think logically.

" Did he die?" deadpanned Lan Jingyi.

"...No."

Wei Wuxian, now mounted onto Lil' Apple’s back, was abruptly stopped by Sizhui as he made to leave. "Young Master Mo! Young Master Mo! How do you know that the creature consuming people's souls is neither a spirit, nor a beast, but rather the Goddess Statue?!"

"There are too many deceased souls in the area of ancient tombs," Wei Wuxian explained. "So it definitely isn't a soul-consuming spirit or beast. There are too many souls floating around. If it were either of these, would it have decided not to eat any? No."

"That... Kind of makes sense...?"

"Wei Wuxian is too smart, it's useless trying to understand him."

Sizhui rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Right... We all thought that because the landslide and thunder-stricken tombs were what led to the incidents, then it must be a soul-consuming beast."

"Wrong." Wei Wuxian interjected. "The order is wrong and the correlation is wrong. Between the landslide and the soul-consuming incidents, the latter came first and the former came second. The incidents were the cause, while the landslide was the effect!"

As he explained, the two Lan disciples could only listen in awe. "Think about it. The first person to lose their soul, the sluggard. He was stuck on the mountain for a night, then married someone just a few days after he returned.”

"What's wrong with that?" said Sizhui curiously.

Wei Wuxian folded his arms to his chest petulantly. "Everything is wrong! He's a penniless man who never does anything, so how could he have found enough money to hold such a grand wedding?"

Lan Jingyi nodded, but nonetheless said, “Couldn’t he have just borrowed money from a friend? Or from someone rich, who he was going to pay back?”

Jin Ling murmured something that sounded like “Not everyone’s like you.”

Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui tilted their heads in confusion.

'That's right, they're Young Masters who don't have to think about being poor or not.'  Wei Wuxian thought.

"So that's what you think of us?" said Lan Jingyi, outraged.

“Wei Qianbei…” added Lan Sizhui helplessly.

"Did you forget you're also a Young Master?" exclaimed Jin Ling.

“We have living standards!” concluded Ouyang Zizhen.

Wei Wuxian sighed, "The sluggard suddenly married after the night of the landslide. Something special must have happened during the night."

"Something special...?"

"There was a storm that night, and he took shelter in the mountain,” hinted Wei Wuxian. “On Buddha Mountain, what is a place that provides shelter?"

"The Goddess Temple!" Lan Sizhui exclaimed.

"That's right. And when most people go to a temple, there's only one thing that they always do — they make wishes. Like becoming lucky, earning money, marrying someone, and so on. The Goddess granted his wish. She sent down lightning and allowed him to see the valuables in the coffin. This is why there's an old man dressed in intricate burial robes among the souls drifting on Buddha Mountain. His burial goods were definitely taken by the sluggard!"

“-And now that his wish had been fulfilled, as the price to pay, the Goddess came upon him the night of his marriage and sucked away his soul!"

"You are just guessing, are you not?" said Lan Sizhui.

"Yes, but following the line of the guesses, all of the things that happened can be explained,” refuted Wei Wuxian. “Back then, A-Yan had just entered her engagement. She definitely made a wish at the Goddess temple. The wishes of recently-engaged girls always follow the pattern of 'I wish my husband would love me for his entire life.' "

“And how do you know what these engaged women do?” said Jin Ling suggestively. And then he thought of the Guanyin Temple and Wei Wuxian’s subsequent atrocious confession. “Oh, of course you’d know.”

"Can such wishes really be granted?" Lan Jingyi exclaimed.

"It's easy," said Wei Wuxian with a slight shrug. "Her husband's 'entire life' just needed to end as soon as possible."

"The statue is really too cunning,” tutted Jin Zixuan. “Bending her wish like that."

Many nodded in agreement to his statement, whereas others, such as Wen Ruohan, were busy admiring the morbid loophole.

"Oh! Oh!” Lan Jingyi exclaimed excitedly. “So then A-Yan's husband died!"

"So this is what happened! But then why was A-Yan's soul returned to her?"

"Have you forgotten?" Lan Sizhui explained. "A-Yan's father, blacksmith Zheng, lost his soul as well. He had definitely been to the Goddess temple to make a wish! He wished that the soul of his daughter, A-Yan, could be found!"

Wei Wuxian tore Lan Sizhui’s sword from his grasp and swiftly cut a section off a nearby bamboo tree, subsequently carving small holes in the grass plant. "After her soul returned, uncontrollably, she began to imitate the Goddess' dance, even her smile."

"Wow, then everything can be explained!"

As Lil’ Apple had been left into Lan Jingyi’s desperate care, he was responsible for retaining the donkey when it attempted to struggle and get away. His attempts, of course, were made with great resistance. “What is wrong with this donkey?!” he lamented.

Wei Wuxian stared at his newly-crafted bamboo flute with no small amount of pride. "This is why the pointer of the compass of evil doesn't move, why the spirit-attraction flags can't summon anything, why both weapons and talismans have no use — It's a God !"

"That's a big leap of logic…” said Ouyang Zizhen with a sigh. “But first an evil arm, and now a supposed God? Wei-Qianbei, do you ever get a break of some sort?”

“Judging by what we’ve seen so far, no, he in fact does not.”

Still pulling Lil’ Apple back by the reins, Lan Jingyi didn’t notice it until there was an explosion of screams and yells: the Goddess Statue was no longer dancing — no, it wasn’t even standing, in fact, it was on all fours like a sort of insect, crawling through bushes across the muddy forest floor.

Wei Wuxian stared at the Goddess. 'This is an untitled deity born from nourishment of hundreds of years of incense! To deal with it using the things used to deal with beasts and ghosts would only be fanning the fire!'

"What is that..? It looks a bit gross."

It was only then that the statue turned its head, showing the disciples its blood-stained face, as well as the horrifying sight of a lifeless body and half-eaten arm clutched in its grasp.

Sizhui paled. "We cannot be this unlucky.."

"Wei Wuxian is the unlucky one. You're just unlucky because you're around him."

“Understatement of the day.”

"AHHHHHH!" Following the yell, an arrow instantaneously flew towards the statue and struck its forehead, chipping at the hard stone. Standing beneath the statue was Jin Ling, who was holding his bow in hand as a flurry of Jin disciples crowded him eagerly.

"Young Master Jin!"

"You’re here!”

"Young Master Jin!"

Upon seeing the lack of impact Jin Ling’s arrow did to the statue, Wei Wuxian closed his eyes and sighed. Then he placed the bamboo flute to his lips.

And blew.

Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui desperately covered their ears at the sudden onslaught of horrific music. "Look at the situation we are in! Why are you playing the flute? Argh! It sounds so awful!"

Lan Qiren, who had been resting in order to recover from his latest Qi Deviation, awakened to the sound of the flute. As soon as it resonated within his ears, he rapidly paled. "S-Stop the flute!!"

"You sure he's gonna be okay?" Wei Wuxian asked, gesturing to the now-unconscious body.

"Yes, he will be fine. This is quite normal." Lan Xichen smiled, about to wipe Lan Qiren's mouth with his handkerchief but suddenly paused.

"Young Master Wei... It appears my handkerchief is stained with blood... Could I trouble you to borrow yours?"

"Sure.”

'With such a poorly crafted flute made from just a few chops, the fact that it still makes any sound at all is good enough!'  Wei Wuxian thought. 'Anything will work, as long as its energy of hostility is enough to tear the Goddess into pieces!'

"He certainly didn't think about the possibility of the Ghost General showing up.."

“I kind of feel sorry for him now. Everyone said he summoned the Ghost General on purpose.”

“But then again, the Ghost General is his weapon. How can we fault him for using it?” Wen Ning shifted uncomfortably.

The screen switched to a motionless corpse chained up by all four of his colourless limbs. Talismans were scattered across its body like articles of clothing, fluttering along with the harsh breeze of the wind.

'Be awakened, O sleeping ghoul!'

The corpse's eyes shot open, revealing two pearl-white slits.

"Aha! Speak of the corpse! It's the Ghost General!"

The screen switched back to the statue, which was waving its bloody arms around with a wide, menacing smile. "Heehee, heehee, it's the Young Master who made the wish!"

“That’s oddly creepy,” said Wen Ruohan good-naturedly.

“Wow, really ?” Wen Qing replied, her words coated with a thick sarcasm.

The Goddess Statue lowered its hand in an attempt to capture Jin Ling. Before it could reach him, the young cultivator had already unsheathed his sword and got into a stance, ready to attack.

"Young Master Mo is right! Cultivational weapons really are futile against the Goddess!" yelled Lan Sizhui, horrified. "Young Master Jin! Send out the signals on you! This is not something that we are able to deal with!"

And then he suddenly recalled Jin Ling’s previous words: 'If it really is incredible, then I'm gonna make a wish right now! I want the creature that's devouring souls in Buddha Mountain to appear before me right now! Will it be able to do this?!'

"Right! It was Jin Ling's irresponsible wish in the Goddess Temple that caused it to attack so suddenly!"

"I'm here for my reward!" said the statue’s thundering voice.

Jin Ling watched as the figure approached and tightened his grip on Suihua.   'If this blow doesn't cut her head off, I'll be dead here for sure!’

A second glance at the incoming God had him sighing in resignation. ‘ Death it is, then!'

Fearful for her child’s life, Jiang Yanli felt a familiar striking feeling of worry permeate her. She unconsciously reached for her husband’s assuring hand, who squeezed hers in turn. “A-Xuan…”

“He’ll be okay,” he said confidently. “He’s our son after all.”

Seeing his parents’ immense worry, Jin Ling was suddenly given an overwhelming feeling of guilt. Why had he always rushed into danger like that, trying to prove himself? Why was he throwing away the life his parents had sought to be protected? Why was he always so reckless?

Suddenly, there was a terribly audible rustle within the bushes. Hearing the sound, although possibly fearing it, the Dancing Fairy Statue froze in its tracks.

Jin Ling frowned. "What's that sound?"

Wei Wuxian continued to play the song, though he stayed ridiculously oblivious.   'The thing I summoned seems to be a bit too powerful, doesn't it?'

"Wait– So he didn't know it was the ghost general? It was unintentional this entire time?!”

"Haha! He has such bad luck!"

The sound of chains rattling broke the silence and reverberated throughout the dark forest.

"It's the ghost general! It's the ghost general, it's Wen Ning!" yelled a Jiang disciple over the chaos.

Wen Ning stepped into view, his once vibrant eyes now lifeless and his skin lacking the natural hue. He looked crazy and unhinged as if he had been drained of all vitality, leaving only a shell of his former self.

Wei Wuxian’s face rapidly paled; the flute fell from his lips out of pure surprise. "Wen Ning? Hadn't he been turned to dust?!"

'Wen Ning was the most powerful corpse that I had created before I died.'

Wen Ning moved erratically and unpredictably, like a wild animal lashing out when in danger; he leapt towards the Goddess Statue with unprecedented strength, slamming his fist into its neck and cleanly destroying half of the stone attaching it to the torso.

'Aside from how he didn't fear injuries, flames, coldness, poison, and anything else that living humans fear, he was no different than humans. He could even think on his own — the only one of his kind.'

The statue toppled over at the force of the impact, its head no longer supported and rolling to the side. Even with such visible destruction, the Ghost General was not done, no, for he grabbed a large boulder from the ground and lifted it above the statue's remains, his eyes emotionless and distant.

"Ah- I think the statue is already long gone..."

"Um.. This is like.. Abuse of statues or something. Right?"

“ I think it deserved it,” said another. “Hurting all those poor kids like that… it deserves a thousand deaths!”

'But the current Wen Ning clearly lacks his own will!'

Wen Ning dropped the large stone onto the statue and it immediately crumbled into hundreds of unrecognisable pieces.

"Close in on him!" yelled one of the cultivators in chase.

"Fellow cultivators, we must stop him so that he doesn't escape! This is Wen Ning we're talking about here!"

The group of cultivators surrounded him, pointing their unsheathed blades in his direction. None made the initiative of attacking first, their fear evident on their faces.

"What's to be scared of? It's not like the Yiling Patriarch is here! His owner's already been cut to pieces!"

"If we kill him, from today on we'll be famous!"

Lan Sizhui immediate stood to his defence. "But he clearly saved us just a moment ago-"

"A mere dog who lost its owner, yet he's still so arrogant!"

Wen Ning turned his head at the voice — his face held no visible expression yet his eyes were emitting killing intent that seemed to roll off him in waves.

'Oh no. The melody was too aggressive, too sudden. It evoked the killing intent in him.'

“My word, has he not learned?” sniffed Sect Leader Yao. “This dear corpse of yours is a mass murdering weapon, if you’ve forgotten. Why are you so careless?!”

“I’d like to see you do it yourself,” spat Ouyang Zizhen. “Try to play an instrument while controlling arguably the strongest corpse in existence while trying to play it as calmly as you possibly can while people are getting slaughtered by a statue right in front of you!”

“Well said, Zizhen,” said Lan Sizhui approvingly.

“Couldn’t have said it better,” agreed Lan Jingyi.

Wen Ning reached out a hand to the Jiang disciple who had spoken the crude words, his fingers barely brushing the skin of the boy’s neck. But before he could proceed, Wei Wuxian had already changed the song he played, instead focusing on calming Wen Ning’s rage. 'How about a calmer, quiet tune.. Calmer, quieter...'

He closed his eyes in concentration. 'Calmer..'

'Quieter..'

With a flash of black, the screen switched to a different scene: Two familiar figures were sitting beside a fire, one bloody and bruised and covered in bandages; the other was leaning against a stone wall, quietly humming a song.

“Wangxian,” Lan Wangji murmured, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

“Hanguang-Jun, you really know how to capture this lowly one’s heart,” said Wei Wuxian bashfully, rubbing small circles into the robes of Lan Wangji’s chest. He looked up sheepishly through thick eyelashes. “I really thought it was called Love Song of Lan Zhan and Wei Ying… but to think you already named it before we got married. How confident of you, Er-Gege”

If the tips of Lan Wangji’s ears were red, then, well, it wasn’t much of a secret considering Wei Wuxian’s teasing laughter echoing through the cave.

Wen Ning launched two cultivators in the air, his large, unfeeling hands grasping their throats threateningly. “This corpse is gonna kill someone!”

Lan Jingyi, though feeling remorse, was by no means sympathetic. “You were clearly the people who provoked him first.”

"At least someone has some brains here."

“Here I was beginning to lose all hope with this generation.”

“As they say, you reap what you sow,” said Jin Zixuan. “Really, what did they expect when they provoked him?”

Wen Ning looked up in surprise, hearing his words despite their distance. He was the one to kill Young Master Jin — he murdered him in cold blood. So why was the man defending him?

Although the flute itself made the most horrific of sounds, the song was played articulately, the beautiful stream of music accommodating the instrument. As soon as Wen Ning heard the melodic tune played by Wei Wuxian, his eyes instantaneously shot open as if struck.

Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes with no small amount of determination. ‘Wen Ning, it’s me!’

Lan Sizhui listened to the tune thoughtfully. “Now I know why this song was so familiar at the time. I thought I’d heard it before. Isn’t this from Gusu?”

“Yeah!” exclaimed Lan Jingyi, nodding enthusiastically in agreement. “Senior Wei and Hanguang-Jun are always playing it together! I like to think that this is the song they chose to express their love.”

“But why would Wei Wuxian know one of the melodies from Gusu? I don’t remember them teaching us anything of the sort!”

Wen Ning suddenly loosened his grip on the cultivators, allowing them to drop to the floor as he dashed to Wei Wuxian’s side.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked the two who were spluttering on the floor, clutching desperately at their sore necks.

“Report to the Sect Leader immediately! Somebody can control the Ghost General using a flute!”

As realisation dawned on him, Lan Sizhui could only watch as Wei Wuxian’s fingers danced across the bamboo, unable to comprehend the situation. "Young Master Mo!"

But no, this didn’t deter Wei Wuxian from continuing to play. Instead, it encouraged him, for every time he took a step back, Wen Ning would obediently follow, as if a predator cornering its terrified prey. But right now, Wei Wuxian was the puppet master, controlling Wen Ning like one would their doll.

When they were finally far away enough for the group, Wei Wuxian looked meaningfully at Wen Ning, hoping to convey his message through the song. ‘Go back, Wen Ning!’

"So he was telling the Ghost general to leave…?"

"He was protecting the young disciples to the end, even if it meant risking his identity being revealed."

“So it turns out he wanted the Ghost General to leave… I really have misunderstood this man.”

“It’s such a pity we have to invade his private thoughts to find out. If only he was more open and explained himself, perhaps we would have earned another ally in this generation.”

“I don’t think anyone would have listened anyway,” said Jin Ling solemnly. “After all… up until now, he was greatly feared, wasn’t he?”

As Wei Wuxian stepped back, the corpse only followed. This pattern continued as they drew further and further into the forest, until Wei Wuxian abruptly fell into a hard surface. His wrist was grasped.

He slowly hesitantly turned his head, only to lock eyes with brilliant gold. ‘Lan Wangji!’

The girls were unusually silent.

“Hey, Hanguang-Jun,” said Lan Jingyi good-naturedly. “You said this was where you recognised Senior Wei… I still don’t understand. Is the back of his head so recognisable? Is his abysmal flute playing really how atrocious Wei Wuxian was behind closed doors?”

“Don’t be silly, Jingyi,” said Lan Sizhui. “Though I must confess, I am also curious…”

“It was obviously the fact he’s controlling Wen Ning,” said Jin Ling, his nose slightly raised. “Who else has heard of someone controlling that?” He suddenly thought of a certain uncle.

“Well…” Wei Wuxian shared a glance with Lan Wangji, who merely flashed him a small upturn of the lips. “I guess you’ll have to find out with the rest of us, haha!”

“Senior Wei!”

Chapter Text

As Wei Wuxian stepped back, the corpse only followed. This pattern continued as they drew further and further into the forest, until Wei Wuxian abruptly fell into a hard surface. His wrist was grasped.

He slowly hesitantly turned his head, only to lock eyes with brilliant gold. 'Lan Wangji!'

The girls were unusually silent.

"Hey, Hanguang-Jun," said Lan Jingyi good-naturedly. "You said this was where you recognised Senior Wei... I still don't understand. Is the back of his head so recognisable? Is his abysmal flute playing really how atrocious Wei Wuxian was behind closed doors?"

"Don't be silly, Jingyi," said Lan Sizhui. "Though I must confess, I am also curious..."

"It was obviously the fact he's controlling Wen Ning," said Jin Ling, his nose slightly raised. "Who else has heard of someone controlling that?" He suddenly thought of a certain uncle.

"Well..." Wei Wuxian shared a glance with Lan Wangji, who merely flashed him a small upturn of the lips. "I guess you'll have to find out with the rest of us, haha!"

"Senior Wei!"

Wei Wuxian’s breath suddenly stuttered. 'Oh no. Back then, Lan Wangji had seen with his own eyes how I use the flute to control corpses.'

“ Oh no? Really, Wei Wuxian?” said Jiang Wanyin sarcastically. “You’re so afraid of Lan Wangji that you shamelessly hang off his arm, professing your adoration for him right then and there? Oh no? Oh no, what? Oh no, Lan Wangji is just as shameless as you and will protect you, not allowing even a finger to touch you? Or oh no , I can no longer act proper and must embarrass myself to every degree? Oh no, Wei Wuxian, I agree. I really agree!”

“He…” murmured Lan Jingyi unsurely, glancing between Jiang Wanyin and Jin Ling. “Is your Uncle okay?”

Jin Ling huffed and rolled his eyes. “Who’s okay when Wei Wuxian’s involved? But honestly, Uncle, you’re being a bit embarrassing, yourself.”

“He has a point, though,” said Sizhui softly with a small smile. He gazed at the two cultivators dressed in red and white in front of him with no small amount of love and adoration. “Hanguang-Jun… he’ll really protect Xian-gege no matter the cost.”

Lan Wangji’s gaze shifted until he locked eyes with Wei Wuxian, his piercing gold eyes both intimidating and enrapturing as they peeled through Wei Wuxian’s many constructed barriers that separated him from the world and opened the windows to his soul, staring through as a most welcomed intruder.

“Wow,” said Lan Jingyi, at a loss for words. “Wow, Hanguang-Jun. I really admire the way you speak without words.” Many younger Lan disciples who were huddled behind him enthusiastically nodded in tandem.

“Really admirable…”

“Hanguang-Jun is certainly an esteemed cultivator.”

“Hey. Wait. Everyone dissociate from life for a moment,” said Ouyang Zizhen smartly, stroking his non-existent goatee like a well-accomplished cultivator. “Do you see the unabridged recognition? The concern seeping from Lan Wangji’s very soul as he stares upon Senior Wei? This certainly marks the beginning of a new era–”

“Zizhen. Words.”

“Yes, yes, er,” said Ouyang Zizhen eloquently. “Well, what I mean to say is… Hanguang-Jun doesn’t look cold! Look, he doesn’t look very happy—never does, mind you—but my point is he isn’t looking at Senior Wei coldly like he would to normal commoners such as us!”

Many nodded understandingly at his words, whereas others, such as Jingyi and Jin Ling, wished to refute that last cheeky statement.

“You’re right, they’re… twinkling with stars! No wonder Wei Wuxian was so infatuated by his gaze!”

“Is,” Wei Wuxian corrected off-handedly.

“No, no, no, little miss, they’re shining with hearts!”

“Do you need your eyes fixed? I see no hearts! His eyes are yellow! It’s definitely stars!”

“ Gold!” Nie Huaisang felt the need to add.

“Hey, I’ve heard a rumour of sorts,” said Lan Jingyi smartly, beckoning some to gather around. “I’m an insider at Cloud Recess, everyone’s favourite, you know?” (A cough. “Jingyi.”) “Anyway, I get all the gossip. I’ve heard from a very credible source that Hanguang-Jun liked Senior Wei when they were still young disciples like us.”

As the others ‘ahh’ed in awe and admiration, Lan Jingyi nodded appreciatively. “Yes, yes, and this must mean Hanguang-Jun still likes him. Therefore, upon seeing Wei Wuxian, he was really happy.”

“Isn’t that sad?” said Nie Huaisang solemnly. “Wangji-xiong was really doing his best… And Wei-xiong just thinks he wants to hurt him.”

Nie Mingjue was smart in that he did not even ask what was wrong with Huaisang .

"Sect Leader, the Ghost General went over there!" said a voice, quickly severing the connection.

"Quick, lead the way!"

"Where is he?!"

Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes. 'They've come up. I need to tell Wen Ning to hurry.' 

“Come now, must you all be so delusional?” said Sect Leader Yao, his cheeks an angry red. “He is protecting a fierce corpse! One who is attempting to slaughter countless, at that! I really don’t know how you all manage to justify his evil actions when he clearly doesn’t deserve any chance at redemption nor your pity—”

And then he abruptly stopped, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Many eyes nonchalantly drifted to the Lans — no, to Lan Qiren, to see if he was okay. And then they gathered he was fine, though coughing an unhealthy amount of blood while unconscious. Healthy, then. — then their eyes snapped to Lan Wangji, who looked smug?! But, of course, despite this being the first time they managed to read the famous Second Young Master Lan’s facial expression, they revelled more in the fact the old Yao Sect Leader had finally shut up! Really, though some agreed with what he was trying to say, the way in which he expressed it made them want to sympathise with the Yiling Patriarch. (Which was certainly a problem.)

With his wrist still caught in Lan Wangji's tight grip, Wei Wuxian placed his fingers on the flute and one again began to play.

'Whatever. Tens of thousands of people know how to play the flute, and the sheer number of those who imitate me in controlling corpses with the flute could form an entire sect. If nothing works, I'll just refuse to confess no matter what!'

Jiang Wanyin looked like he wanted to jump into Yunmeng Lake, climb back out, shake the life out of Wei Wuxian until he was disorientated and jump back in again. Many shared the sentiment.

“I just… I don’t understand,” said Jin Zixuan, flabbergasted. “I used to think you were really smart, Wei Wuxian—” (“What? Really?!”) “—especially when you had those one-sided arguments with me. But… I am really so lost as to how…”

“How can someone be so dense ? Are you okay over there, Yiling Patriarch?”

“He’s always had a bad memory,” said Jiang Wanyin much too calmly. “I suppose he must have forgotten his wits too. And perhaps the appropriate decorum.”

“I just pity him at this point. Honestly…”

'Wen Ning, go quickly, hide as soon as possible!'

As Lan Wangji watched him play, his eyes narrowed and his fingers tightened around Wei Wuxian's wrist.

Lan Xichen watched the scene with an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. 

Around this point in time, when Wei Wuxian was dead, the only emotion he ever saw on Wangji’s face was pure despair. And since Wei Wuxian returned, he began to see it less and less. He never thought he’d see that expression of pure anguish ever again, but this… 

He had never witnessed how Wangji reacted when he first saw Wei Wuxian again. He had seen the years of mourning, wallowing in despair, and then the crumbs of the aftermath, where they grew closer and travelled together.

But this…

Wangji was, in simplest terms, elated; it was like Wei Wuxian had just given him the stars. Lan Xichen had seen Wangji in many states; closed off, mourning, longing, upset, angry, happy, but…

That expression certainly wasn’t something Lan Xichen had ever seen on his little brother’s face.

He often blames himself for it, now, instead of Wei Wuxian. How could he call Wei Wuxian Wangji’s only mistake? In reality, it was really him who was the only mistake in Wangji’s life — he wasn’t a good enough brother. (Perhaps he should have tried harder. Perhaps he should have listened to Wangji when he begged and pleaded for them to save the Wen remnants in the burial mounds.)

The pain from Lan Wangji’s fierce grasp caused Wei Wuxian to yelp in pain and he lost his grip on the bamboo flute, his fingers slipping off the smooth material and allowing it to fall to the floor. Fearing that Lan Wangji would chase after the fierce corpse, Wei Wuxian hurriedly grabbed the man’s wrist that had caught hold of his own. "Don't chase after him!"

Lan Wangji remained silent, standing in a sort of stupor where he was unmoving, staring into Wei Wuxian’s eyes as if entranced. There was a flash of purple and all of a sudden, Jiang Cheng marched into the scene, his expression positively murderous.

“ And… cue the entrance of the side character, Sect Leader Jiang!”

“Hahaha, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have certainly grabbed hold of the scene, haven’t they? Sect Leader Jiang , who’s that ?”

"He has to bear witness to this dog food while having no wife of his own!” Lan Jingyi shook his head sadly with an exaggerated sniffle. “What a truly pitiful man!”

“I think a fair number of us here require your great pity as well, Great Master Lan.”

"Sect Leader, he's the one who summoned him!" stated a Jiang disciple, pointing to Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Wanyin’s lips pulled into a snarl as he idly fiddled with the deadly spiritual weapon that lay innocently in his hand in the form of a ring. "Well, well.. You're back? Wei Wuxian!" Zidian subsequently transformed into a long purple whip that emitted violent shocks of purple lightning, illuminating the trees within the dark forest.

Yu Ziyuan leaned back in her seat with an extremely pleased expression. “Very good, A-Cheng. Very good. Teach that arrogant fool a lesson. A dog should know its rightful place!”

Jiang Fengmian sighed into the air, not replying in favour of preventing yet another unwarranted argument.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lan Wangji waved his hand and summoned his guqin, stepping in front of Wei Wuxian protectively as if daring Jiang Wanyin to attack.

And attack he did. The pair exchanged many sophisticated blows and parries, each showcasing an outstanding display of strength. The disciples watching had their eyes wide in awe, not daring to blink even once lest they miss an important moment.

"Wow! The Zidian Whip is going up against the Wangji Guqin!"

"A fight between the most prominent cultivators is truly magnificent!"

“Come on Lan Wangji, beat up that great grape and profess your love to Wei Wuxian already!”

“A showcase of strength! Lan Wangji knows the secret to every maiden’s heart!” To prove her point, the girl who had spoken made a show of dramatically swooning and falling into a friend’s arms.

Wei Wuxian blinked. "Maiden?"

Jiang Wanyin muttered bitterly, “Well they aren’t very far off, considering the way you seem to act around ‘your’ Lan Wangji every second of the day.”

With the two cultivators distracted, Wei Wuxian immediately saw the situation as a chance. He flashed a sheepish smile to Jiang Wanyin, whose eyebrows were furrowed in fury, and then turned away, intending to escape through the darkness of the forest.

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. "You want to run? Hmph!" Zidian spat out of his hand and collided into Wei Wuxian's small frame, sending him crashing into Lil' Apple's back.

"A-Xian!" Jiang Yanli cried in surprise.

"Senior Wei!" The juniors called.

Lan Wangji unconsciously pulled Wei Wuxian closer, wanting to hide him in his arms and away from the world, where no one can hurt him.

(He would be lying if he said he didn’t send a few glares in Jiang Wanyin’s direction.)

Wei Wuxian hissed in pain as he gently massaged his back. "Ow... Ow..."

Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji both stared in equal amounts of surprise.  'Not Possession?!'

“What? Why are they surprised?”

“Zidian is a spiritual weapon that separates the soul and physical form of someone whose body has been seized by a spirit,” explained a Jiang disciple. “It should have removed Wei Wuxian from Mo Xuanyu’s body, who had possessed it through demonic cultivation, so to speak. But it didn’t… How strange.”

“How strange, indeed.”

Wei Wuxian hid behind Lil' Apple as he began to rant furiously, "How amazing! You really can do anything when you're from a powerful sect, can't you?! You can even beat up anyone you want to! Tsk tsk tsk!"

Jiang Wanyin’s eyes narrowed into a glare. "Just who in the hell are you?!"

“Senior Wei.”

“Senior Wei.”

“Senior Wei.”

“Senior Wei.”

“...” Jiang Wanyin speechlessly watched as all of the juniors replied in tandem, their eyes twinkling. “Just who are you calling Senior, huh?” he chastised as he roughly pulled on the lobe of Jin Ling’s ear. “Hey! I’m just as much your Uncle as him, so how come you seem to respect him more?”

Just as much Jin Ling’s Uncle as him… Wei Wuxian repeated the words in his mind over and over again, a large smile pulling at his lips. It was small comments like this from Jiang Cheng that never failed to make Wei Wuxian’s heart buzz with warmth.

Wei Wuxian suppressed the desperate urge to snort. 'Of course Zidian can't whip my soul out. I never possessed anyone's body. It's a sacrifice, a forced sacrifice!'

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes, muttering something Jin Ling heard as “I know that now…”

"Oh! I get it!"

"That makes so much sense now!"

“Now isn’t that just the most useful thing ever?” Nie Huaisang nodded at his own words, snapping his fan shut in a palm. “A shame he made Lan-xiong falter there, though, re-considering his identity.”

Nie Mingjue blinked in confusion. Just what happened to my sheepish little brother while I was gone, huh?

“How useful… It couldn’t even be detected by a spiritual weapon such as that,” said Wen Ruohan, leaning forward in interest. “I’ll have to find this array and study it myself.”

One of the disciples nervously laughed. "Sect Leader Jiang, you might not know, but Mo Xuanyu is one of the LanlingJin sect's... Ahem."

"-Because he had low spiritual powers and didn't work hard in cultivation, and had that sort of... He was thrown out of the LanlingJin Sect."

"-In my opinion, he probably ventured onto the wrong path since the right path didn't work for him. It doesn't have to be… That the Yiling Patriarch possessed him."

"That sort of? Which sort of?" Jiang Wanyin inquired.

"Get the hint, you idiot."

“Do you really have to get the poor kid to spell it out for you?”

"Uh… His head has some… Issues."

The Jin disciples who knew of Mo Xuanyu’s infamy all nodded in agreement.

"He dared to assault his own brother."

"He truly was a lunatic."

"A lunatic indeed."

“I’m glad he’s gone!”

“Hey, that’s going a bit too far .”

The Jiang Sect Leader glanced at Wei Wuxian, who was now fully hiding behind the donkey as a shield. 'According to his taste, he definitely wouldn't choose to possess such a madman's body..'

"Hey, it wasn't my choice,” Wei Wuxian murmured disgruntledly, blowing away a stray lock of hair.

"You think I don't know that now?" Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, and then added more sarcastically, “You know, I always thought you did have a thing for those lunatics, since you seemed to relate so much to them. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that the most favourable body for you was that.” Wei Wuxian half-heartedly glowered at him.

Wei Wuxian internally sighed in relief. 'I can't believe that Mo Xuanyu being an idiot has saved me.'

Jiang Wanyin’s gaze never moved from where it lay on Wei Wuxian’s pitiful form. "Indeed. Then... Take him back!"

"Yes!"

Sect Leader Yao raised his head arrogantly, the silence spell now broken. "Well done, Sect Leader Jiang."

Wei Wuxian paled.  ' But I still can't get rid of his doubts!' He quickly ran behind Lan Wangji and clutched onto his white robes desperately. "What are you gonna do to me?!"

The girls hastily nodded their heads in approval, glancing at one another as they exchanged excited commentaries.

"Well done, Wei Wuxian!"

"Seeking help from Hanguang-Jun’s noble self in a time of need!"

"How smart!"

"Truly admirable!"

“Hey, hold on, hold on,” said Lan Jingyi. “He preferred to go with Lan Wangji, who he thinks hates him, rather than to leave with Sect Leader Jiang… does that mean he held some fondness for Hanguang-Jun back then?”

Nie Huaisang murmured under his breath, “I think I’d do the same if my brother was out for my head, mind you.”

“What was that, Huaisang?”

“Nothing, Da-Ge!” came the swift response.

Lan Wangji simply refused to move an inch, and instead manoeuvred himself to block Wei Wuxian protectively.

Jiang Wanyin’s lips curled into a snarl. "Second Young Master Lan, are you making this difficult on purpose?"

"Sect Leader Jiang, the evidence is right before your eyes,” said Lan Wangji, his emotionless expression not once wavering. “Mo Xuanyu hasn't been possessed, so why should you want to trouble such an unimportant person?"

Lan Wangji determinedly avoided the many glowers he suddenly received from a certain part of the room. Most of all, he needed to focus on the pout Wei Ying was sending in his direction.

“Not you,” he said softly. “I said that to protect Wei Ying. You are important. Very important.”

“And?” Wei Wuxian blinked innocently.

“You are my everything,” said Lan Wangji, gently kissing the crown of his head. “My love. My partner. My soulmate. Everything.”

Satisfied, the Yiling Patriarch settled back into the circle of his husband’s arms.

'I need to find a way to get rid of both sides..' Wei Wuxian thought pensively. And then his expression positively lit up as he finally strung together an idea. 'Aha!'

Wen Qing narrowed her eyes, "I know that look... Very, very well, in fact. Wei Wuxian is going to cause trouble. I just hope he doesn’t do anything stupid and embarrass himself further."

Wen Ruohan leaned over in interest, his eyes carrying a hint of mischief. "Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

Wen Qing sent him a look that she hoped he interpreted to be of disgust. "Not you too…"

Wei Wuxian hid his smile behind a hand, "Sect Leader Jiang, um, you bothering me like this is making me feel really troubled."

"What's this?"

"Even if you don't like me, I won't just follow anyone who waves his hand at me."

"Okay, okay."

"We understand, that is reasonable."

"People like you, for example, I have no interest in." He pointed to Jiang Cheng to further emphasise his point.

The girls nodded, "That's right. Second Young Master Lan is the only one for him."

Jiang Wanyin crossed his arms curiously. "Oh? Then, may I ask, which type of person do you like?"

"Which type?" Wei Wuxian grinned as he slung his hands over Lan Wangji's shoulders, his head snuggled into the soft fabric of the cultivator’s neck. "Well, people like Hanguang-Jun, I do like very much."

The room was rendered silent.

And then after a few moments passed, the girls screamed. Really loud. 

Jiang Wanyin was once again questioning why he was even there. He would like a break, thank you very much. And so it was out of annoyance, certainly not a little bit of irritation that Wei Wuxian’s shamelessness was being encouraged, that he practically yelled. "Shut up!"

Wei Wuxian laughed unabashedly. "Jiang Cheng, is my fan group too much for you? Get yourself one and maybe I’ll consider asking them to be quiet.”

The girls’ screaming died down because they eventually started to realise that it was probably more potent than any song from the Collection of Spirit Turmoil. Instead, they had (un)fortunately taken to yelling instead. 

"Second Young Master Lan! Get him! Marry him! Go, go!”

"Who cares about self restraint?! Do the three bows! Quick, quick, or he’ll slip away again!”

Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji shared an alarmed look.

'Annoying two people at once—killing two birds with one stone! They'll definitely feel disgusted and keep their distance from me and draw a line between me and them!'

"Hm?" To Wei Wuxian's surprise, Lan Wangji took his words at face value and grasped his wrist once again. "Mark your words."

"Yes! Mark your words, Wei Wuxian!"

Lan Qiren blinked.

"..."

"!!!"

His nephew! What happened?! Why was his nephew holding Wei Wuxian so intimately? In front of everyone, no less! No, when did this even happen?! Why was Wangji acting so strangely?! Wasn’t this before they got… got… Married?! Someone stop them!

“Uncle, calm down,” said Lan Xichen slowly. “Uncle? Uncle!”

"This person, I will be taking them back to the Lan Sect."

And then Lan Wangji began to pull Wei Wuxian along, out of the forest, and away from the dumbfounded Jiangs.

Wei Wuxian blankly stared at the white figure in confusion, "...Huh?"

"Ohh! You're doomed, Wei Wuxian!"

"He brought this upon himself!" Wen Ruohan laughed. “Wei Wuxian, even I’m not finding your situation pitiful anymore!”

The gathering of girls (and a few boys now, so it seems) glanced at the former Sect Leader with equally sparkling eyes, 'He ships it too?!'

Cloud Recess was widely known to be one of the most beautiful places in the entire world: The buildings were large, waterfalls were elegant, and surrounding hills towered over the appealing structure. The entire premises was enveloped in a soft mist that made the scene appear picturesque.

"It's so pretty!"

"I wish I could study there one day!"

“I’ve ‘studied’ there plenty of times…” Nie Huisang looked slightly nauseous. Wei Wuxian thought he was referring to the countless times his brother had sent him there to improve his abysmal grades, to no avail. He sort of pitied the man.

Within the sect, a loud, resounding bell could be heard. The serene atmosphere was suddenly disturbed by a loud shriek that was followed by a series of wails, startling the young Lans who were attentively listening to a lecture.

"No..! Let me go..!" Wei Wuxian howled, desperately clutching onto Lil' Apple as Lan Jingyi attempted to drag him through the large gates.

"Why are you crying?! You yourself said that you like Hanguang-Jun, so what are you wailing about, now that he has taken you back?!"

"He's right! Why are you complaining?" Jiang Wanyin murmured. “You got what you wanted and was taken back to Gusu, you little troublemaker. What’s there to complain about?”

Wei Wuxian idly fiddled with his hair, “I may or may not have been afraid Lan Zhan would try to exorcise me…”

The fangroup were, shall we say, scandalised.

"You thought he was gonna hurt you?!"

"What?!"

"How on earth did you come to that conclusion?!"

"Have the rules on your wall of discipline increased in number...?" said Wei Wuxian through sniffles. "When I came here in the past, there were only three thousand.."

Jingyi raised his eyebrow curiously. "Just how long ago did you come here? It has been four thousand since a long time ago."

Wei Wuxian froze. And then moments later, he was pulling Lil’ Apple by the reins in the opposite direction. "See you later!"

The crowd erupted into laughter at the comedic scene.

Wen Ruohan shook his head fondly. "This kid.. He's funny,” he said to Wen Qing. “Can I adopt him?" (He ignored the glare shot at him by a certain Jiang Fengmian).

"I'm sure he wouldn't want to be siblings with Wen Chao,” said Wen Qing as matter-of-fact.

"Who wants that disgrace as their son? Besides, I can always get rid of him," Wen Ruohan paused thoughtfully. "Speaking of... Where is that failure?"

"Wow,” Wen Qing shook her head in exasperation. “We've been here for a while and you didn't know your sons were missing? Some father you are."

"Stop him!"

Wei Wuxian now let his crocodile tears flow freely. "Gahhhh! I'm not going up there, I'm not going up there! If I go I won't be able to ever leave again! Gahhh!"

Jingyi stared at Wei Wuxian, who was now sprawled over the floor, clinging onto Lil' Apple's leg and making a scene. "Alright! Stop being so noisy. Making noise is prohibited in Cloud Recess."

The older Lan disciples chuckled as if the statement were a sort of inside joke amongst them.

"It's a little Lan-er-gongzi!"

"He's a mix of Wei Wuxian and Lan-er-gongzi! How sweet!”

"I'm only being noisy because I don't want to go in there,” Wei Wuxian continued desperately. “Please give up on me!"

"Let him cry," said a cold voice. All of the disciples simultaneously turned around, only to be met with Lan Wangji’s retreating back. "When he becomes tired, carry him inside."

"How lively,” said another, albeit more cheerful, voice.

"Yes, how lively," Nie Mingjue added, sending a smile to Lan Xichen, who dutifully sent one back. They both shared the same fond exasperation for their younger brothers, and so it was rare moments like this that they were just allowed to sit and appreciate what little troublemakers they have been blessed with.

"Sect Leader!" called the Lan disciples respectfully at Lan Xichen’s sudden appearance.

"Xiongzhang,” said Lan Wangji coolly. “Are you visiting Lianfang-Zun again?"

The atmosphere immediately darkened at the mention of Jin Guangyao.

"Yes, to talk over the next discussion conference at Koi Tower,” said Lan Xichen softly. “It's not often that you bring somebody home, especially in such good spirits. You must treat your guest with way more courtesy than this."

"Good spirits?!" Jiang Cheng scoffed, "How is he in good spirits?"

"Look in his eyes! Can you not see the fondness? Sect Leader Jiang, I am quite disappointed, that I am."

"Good spirits?” Wei Wuxian practically wailed as Lan Xichen walked away. “Where did he see the good spirits? How can you call this being in good spirits?"

Lan Wangji glanced at Wei Wuxian and then seemed to make a decision as he looked back to the disciples. "Drag him inside."

"Yes!"

"Hanguang-Jun, where should we take him?" said Lan Jingyi.

"The Jingshi," Lan Wangji replied without a moment’s hesitation.

"The Jingshi?!"

Wei Wuxian stared in bewilderment. "What's the Jingshi?"

"Yeah, what is it?!"

“I can see him concocting some sort of torture room in his mind right about now…” murmured a Lan disciple. “Look how he’s shaking… he probably thinks it’s where we put our prisoners.”

"It's Hanguang-Jun's bedroom,” the boy elaborated at the many confused looks he received.

“Oh.”

“Hanguang-Jun’s bedroom… I see…”

“Wait, what?!”

The scene suddenly changed to where Wei Wuxian was sitting idly by himself in the Jingshi, his head resting on a hand. The air was thick with the calming scent of sandalwood, the incense burner on one of the tables producing the aroma as it burned.

With nothing to do, Wei Wuxian’s hands started curiously wandering places. He felt around the floor, only to find something quite unusual about a specific area. Wei Wuxian knocked on the spot a few times as confirmation and nodded determinedly. 'The sound that this piece of wood makes is clearly different from those of the others.'

He curiously placed his hands on it and then pulled it off in one fell swoop. But what he saw left him speechless: There were seven or eight jars of emperor's smile snuggled together underneath, hidden under the very floorboard beside Hanguang-Jun’s bed!

“WANGJI!” Lan Qiren gasped, clutching the fabric of his chest.

Lan Wangji merely coughed into a fist, attempting to escape the piercing eyes of his uncle. No, in fact, basically half of the room was staring at him. And not for the right reasons.

“I thought… I thought Lan Wangji didn’t drink!”

“To think he sneaks in liquor! It’s a scandal!”

"No way!"

"Who would have guessed?!"

"Lan Wangji, he really has changed, hasn't he? He even began to hide liquor!" murmured Wei Wuxian. He didn’t seem too disappointed, however, for he happily proceeded to pull each jar out and began to drink to his heart's content.

Wei Wuxian suddenly reached a moment of epiphany after consuming a second of the jars. "That's right! I know where to find the token of passage!"

“Exactly!” Wen Ruohan nodded in total agreement. “You and I are really so similar! To think Wei Wuxian also understands how one is only at his peak with a bottle of liquor in his hand, hahaha!”

Jiang Cheng pursed his lips. "You can't just find a token of passage. I think you meant steal ."

Behind Cloud Recess, near the back hills, was a source of water named 'The Cold Springs'. It is used by the sect's male disciples and is capable of calming one's heart and quenching one's life.

As he hid behind a rock, Wei Wuxian glanced at the shadowy figure in the pond, briefly concealed by cold, frigid smoke. 'When the male disciples go into the cold spring, they'll have to take off their clothes, and the token of passage has to be inside of those clothes!'

"Found it!" He glanced at the pile of neatly-folded robes on the floor. "...Damn, it's so neatly folded that I almost don't have the heart to go through it!"

Wei Wuxian began to hastily rummage through the clothes in search for the token of passage. 'Where is it.. huh?'

"Nooo! Don't look, Wei Wuxian!"

"It's over!"

"Lan Wangji, why did you leave him alone? He’s bound to get into some sort of mischief or the other!”

"This is!" he glanced at the figure standing in the pond, who appeared much more clearly as the large cloud of smoke cleared. ‘Lan Wangji?!’

Jin Zixuan’s hands, that had previously been wrapped around his wife, smoothly slipped upwards until his palms were pressing to Jiang Yanli’s eyes, concealing her view of the screen. “A-Li, you don’t need to look.”

At his explanation, Jiang Yanli chuckled but acquiesced to his words. “Of course, A-Xuan.”

“I mean, it’s not really shameless to watch since Second Young Master Lan’s body is hidden by mist… so I suppose it’s fine.”

“Hey! What we see doesn’t matter,” said Ouyang Zizhen boldly. “The fact alone that Second Young Master Lan is there, dressed indecently, should be enough for all of you to turn away! So shameless, all of you! Are you really going to disrespect him like that?”

The juniors nodded in tandem, their respect for the romantic boy skyrocketing.

“Exactly! How shameless!”

“How dare you disrespect Hanguang-Jun!”

“Look away or I’ll see to it myself that I gouge your eyes out!”

“…Hey, you four, what about Wei Wuxian? He’s the one being shameless by peeking, not us!”

“Senior Wei is different!” All four exclaimed. Wei Wuxian determinedly nodded in agreement.

At the four junior disciples’ words, Lan Wangji felt a warm feeling erupt in his heart.

Wei Wuxian noticed a small mark on Lan Wangji’s chest, just below his collarbones: it was a bright red sun that stood out amongst the pale skin, undeniably the motif of the infamous Wen Clan. 'That brand mark!'

“Isn’t that my Clan’s branding mark?” murmured Wen Ruohan curiously. “I don’t recall ever branding Lan Wangji… How could he have it on his chest? How curious… How very curious…”

Wei Wuxian was broken out of his trance by a sudden exclamation of outrage, “Who?!”

Lan Wangji grabbed his robe from the side of the pond and draped it over his body. With Bichen in hand, he sent forth a large blast of energy in Wei Wuxian’s direction.

Wei Wuxian hid behind a rock and paled, sucking in a deep breath. 'Oh no..!’ Thinking it best to run away as soon as possible, he began to sneak away but just as he turned, he crashed into a chest robed in white.

"Ow!" Jingyi yelped. "Who is it?!"

"What are you running for?! Walking too quickly is prohibited in Cloud Recess!"

"One moment he's loud, and the next he's a proper disciple who recites the rules loyally! Which one is it?"

Wei Wuxian smirked to himself, another shameless idea coming to fruition. 'Here's a chance! Now I can be kicked out of the mountain!'

Jiang Wanyin was suffering from second hand embarrassment and currently had his face in his hands. "Stop... Please stop.."

Many could only watch him in pity, shaking their heads as they held the very same thoughts deep at heart.

‘Wei Wuxian, you are really so unbelievable!’

Wei Wuxian’s demeanour faltered and he frantically waved his hands in denial. "I didn't see anything! I didn't see anything at all! I definitely wasn't here to peep at Hanguang-Jun bathe!"

"What?! Watching Hanguang-Jun bathe?!"

Lan Jingyi glowered as he roughly trapped Wei Wuxian by the collar. "You lunatic! I-I-Is this something you can peep at?!"

Wei Wuxian tried to stop himself from laughing and forced himself to turn red. "I didn't see at all how Hanguang-Jun looked without his clothes on!"

The Lans paled, "..."

The viewers paled, "..."

Lan Jingyi began to yell rather loudly, and Wei Wuxian squeaked in fright, quickly covering his face with his hands. "That is too specific for you to be innocent! Still saying that you did not, then what are you doing, sneaking around here?! Look at you! You should be ashamed of yourself and no longer dare not show your face to others!"

Lan Jingyi lowered his head with shame. "Sorry Senior Wei… I was really rude to you.”

“It’s all right,” said Wei Wuxian with a warm smile. “You were only protecting Lan Zhan’s modesty. In fact, I’m glad you reacted like that. You’re a really good kid, Jingyi.”

Lan Jingyi’s cheeks lightly dusted with pink, a reaction only further noticed by other disciples when Jin Ling doubled over in laughter, cackling as he pointed it out to all.

Throughout the commotion, Lan Xichen lightly patted his Uncle on the back. "Uncle, you have tried your best…”

Wei Wuxian groaned a sound of annoyance. "Don't be so loud, won't you? Noise is prohibited in Cloud Recess."

Lan Jingyi glanced up to where Lan Wangji was approaching them, now properly dressed with his many sophisticated blue and white layers. "Ah, Hanguang-Jun!"

Not once did his gaze wander from Wei Wuxian.

Lan Jingyi once again turned his attention to Wei Wuxian. "Hanguang-Jun, Mo Xuanyu is really outrageous. You originally took him back in consideration of his help at Mo Village, yet he… he..."

Wei Wuxian peeked at Lan Wangji through his fingers, chanting in his head. 'Kick me out! Kick me out!'

Lan Wangji suddenly emitted an atmosphere of solemnity. Upon noticing it, Wei Wuxian shifted so he faced his husband and gently took his cheeks in his hands. “Lan Zhan, look at me.”

“Mn.”

“I’m so sorry for everything back then. I- I didn’t know, and I… I wasn’t thinking!” he quickly rambled. “But I just want you to know that if I had known, I promise I-”

Lan Wangji gently shushed him and took both of his hands in his own, gently pulling them down and locking their fingers together. “Wei Ying doesn’t need to explain himself,” he said softly. “I understand.”

“But Lan Zhan, you just… you seemed really upset, I just want to apologise… I never realised how that must have been to you. I kept trying to leave without considering-”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji interjected. “Stop. I know. I won’t deny that it hurt,” (“I really am sorry—“) “but I want you to know that I understand. You were scared. All that matters now is the present.”

“Well said, Lan Wangji,” said Wen Ruohan approvingly. “A-Qing, you really befriended some good lads.”

“I did,” Wen Qing murmured fondly.

Lan Wangji put Bichen back into its sheath and played a hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. “Leave,” he said. He then grabbed Wei Wuxian by the collar and pulled him away from the group of bewildered Lans.

When they reached the Jingshi, Lan Wangji pushed open the doors and threw Wei Wuxian onto the bed in the side room.

“Lan Wangji!” Jiang Wanyin exclaimed, his hands already covering his eyes.

“Stop being so dramatic,” Jin Zixuan murmured. “He’s just being courteous and giving Wei Wuxian some place to sleep.”

Wei Wuxian sat up slightly and leaned his head on one hand. 'Since when has the Lan Sect been so lenient towards something as shameless as peeking at one of its most distinguished cultivators bathe?! How could they tolerate this?!'

And then Lan Wangji began to strip off his outer robes, preparing himself for the night.

Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes curiously. 'What if I strike while the iron is hot and disgust him some more..'

He quickly sat up with a flirtatious smile. “Lan- Ouch!" But just as he spoke, he collided into a hard chest.

Lan Wangji towered over him, looking totally undone as he was dressed in only his inner robes. His hair was loose, and the thin white material exposed some of the pale skin on his chest. The scene was strangely intimate in a way that sent flutters to Wei Wuxian’s chest.

'The brand mark, I also had one before I became the Yiling Patriarch… No matter the position or the shape, this one is exactly the same as the one I used to have... But why?'

“The exact same place and the exact same brand,” Jiang Wanyin murmured thoughtfully. “Isn’t that ironic?”

Nie Huaisang idly fanned himself, his expression unreadable. “Really ironic…”

Wei Ying raised his head slightly. 'Lan Wangji made his name at a young age and people have been speaking very highly of him. Just what an unforgivable mistake did he make for him to be punished so harshly?'

Lan Wangji silently turned away, his face not visibly portraying his thoughts. "You will be sleeping here." And then he walked through the Jingshi’s doors, once again leaving Wei Wuxian alone to his devices.

'But now, no matter what I did, Lan Wangji can tolerate everything, how strange. In the past, no matter what I did, Lan Wangji couldn't tolerate anything.'

“Ah!” Wei Wuxian fell back onto the bed with a satisfied exhale. He stared at the ceiling thoughtfully while contemplating. "Would he be asleep already?"

'The lights inside Lan Wangji's inner bedchamber are still on.'

"Oh no, what’s he going to do this time?”

Wei Wuxian pried himself off of the bed and snuck into the room where Lan Wangji resided. 'The token of passage is on him. Maybe I'll be able to find it?'

He crept up the bed and past Lan Wangji’s sleeping figure, his hands raised to search the man’s robes—

Lan Wangji's eyes blinked open.

"…oh dear.”

“The second hand embarrassment though…”

Wei Wuxian immediately retracted his hand. 'He's not asleep!'

‘… Oh well, I'll just go through with it.'

He gently lifted the blanket off of Lan Wangji’s body, 'I remember him hating physical contact. Back then, if I touched him, I could be thrown into the air.'

Wei Wuxian placed his hands on either side of Lan Wangji's head, now seated atop him. 'Now he'll definitely kick me out, won't he?!'

Jin Ling turned away. "I really don't need to see this shameless display."

“I agree,” said Jin Zixuan calmly. “A-Ling, you really don’t need to see this.”

Lan Wangji indifferently stared at him. "Get down."

"No." Wei Wuxian smirked as he brought his face closer to Lan Wangji’s. They were so close that he could feel the man’s warm breath against his lips. "If you let me sleep here, you should've known that something like this would happen."

Lan Wangji murmured, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Wei Wuxian paused. 'For some reason, I feel like I should think twice before I answer this question.'

Before he could reply, Lan Wangji abruptly wrapped an arm around Wei Wuxian's waist and pressed a pressure point. In a matter of moments, Wei Wuxian had slumped onto Lan Wangji, now as still as the man beneath him. ‘ I can't control my body..'

"Then stay like this for the rest of the night,” said Lan Wangji calmly.

Wei Wuxian paled, 'Just what's happened to Lan Zhan during these years? How did he become like this? Is this still the Lan Zhan from back then?! He's the one who's had his body possessed, isn't he?!'

Lan Wangji suddenly sat up slightly and Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but smirk at the action. 'He finally can't stand it any longer?!'

With a wave of his hands, the lights went out.

"Sleep," He sat back down and pulled the covers over both him and Wei Wuxian. After a while, they both shut their eyes, fatigue finally overtaking, and slept.

The screen gradually faded into a great heap of black.

Wei Wuxian’s self-proclaimed fan group were busy gushing about that and the other, while others discussed what they had just witnessed with much bitterness.

"Why, exactly, do we need to see this?"

"It's just Wei Wuxian acting all chummy with his husband!”

“Exactly! What’s the point? What about us single people?!"

“Of course!” said Wei Wuxian brightly. “Lan Zhan is just the best, isn’t he? I love you so much, husband.”

“No. Wei Ying is the best,” murmured Lan Wangji, slinging an arm around his lover’s waist. “Love you too.”

There were many sighs made by the people watching the sweet interaction.

"They're clearly pouring salt on our wounds!”

“What blatant dog food!”

"My Mum still cooks my food…”

"I haven't even held hands with anyone yet…”

“They’re really too much!”

Chapter Text

Amongst the murmurs of discussion and curious exclamations of surprise, in a certain corner of the room stood everyone’s favourite villain: Jin Guangyao. He had his arms crossed in a relaxed manner, his chin was raised in a show of the utmost confidence and his demeanour was poised; there wasn’t a single tell-tale sign of distress or nervousness emitted from him.

It was this noble sight that had Su Minshan’s lips curling into a smirk, his faithfulness for the man not yet deserted, for Jin Guangyao was someone he could confidently say he respected over any cultivator. “Clan Leader, are you waiting for them to let down their guards before you finally act? So smart! As expected of Clan Leader! Nie Huaisang, that cunning little fool—he dared to brazenly scheme against you! He deserves to die a thousand deaths!”

“Minshan, Da-Ge is back. And this time, he is even more guarded, for he knows of my schemes,” said Jin Guangyao, and he sounded amused. “I won’t be able to do anything to them. Not now that I have been villainised by the world.”

He uncrossed his arms and gently placed a hand on Su Minshan’s arm, looking distantly somewhere above his shoulder. “All I wanted was to unite the cultivation world and to prove myself… to prove that even a bastard like me could flourish with success. And how is it my fault there were so many obstacles blocking my path? How is it my fault that I was born out of wealth? How is it my fault that Da-Ge persisted to stand in my way?!”

The sympathetic speech had Su Minshan’s lips trembling in both fury for the cultivation world’s injustices and sympathy for Jin Guangyao’s pitiful history. “Don’t worry, Clan Leader. I will definitely find a way for us to regain our former glory!”

“Thank you Minshan,” said Jin Guangyao softly. He smiled. “You really are the only one on my side.”

“Of course, Clan Leader,” Su Minshan stuttered, his cheeks embarrassedly flushing red at the praise.

At the same time, Lan Jingyi had somehow pushed past the masses of people (who had respectfully parted for him to make way for a path) and had once again reached the platform. The stone steps were intricately carved, and looked far more pristine and stable than any part of the cave. He idly scratched his head in confusion, not quite sure what to do next to get everything to continue. Did he even want to? Although, unless they got through all of these trials, he couldn’t quite picture anyone managing to ever escape this mysterious place.

“You know,” he said idly. “It’s kinda surreal knowing I resurrected these people, an accident though it may have been. I sort of feel like a great immortal.”

“An Immortal? You?” came a not-quite-yelling yet certainly chastising voice. Jin Ling joined Lan Jingyi on the platform and pulled at his ear, erupting a yelp of pain from the Lan’s chest. “Keep dreaming. If you ever became an immortal, you’d be cast out of heaven within a stick of incense!” [1]

Ouyang Zizhen huffed in exasperation. "A stick of incense?” he said incredulously. “That's extraordinary! Knowing him, it wouldn’t have even burnt out half way!"

“Haha, very funny, you guys,” said Lan Jingyi, and he wasn’t amused. “I am a very responsible adult, thank you very much. What do you mean within a stick of incense? Matter of fact, that’s how long it would take them to fall-absolutely-in love with me!” he nodded in Wei Wuxian’s direction. “Right, Senior Wei?”

Wei Wuxian tilted his head in confusion, not quite hearing what the boy was saying. But he nonetheless smiled and even sent Lan Jingyi an encouraging nod, for the junior was being very responsible, taking it upon himself to control the tricky-looking platform! What a good child!

“Yes, you’re just so responsible that you’ve just left Sizhui depressed and crying by himself over there!” exclaimed Ouyang Zizhen. Jin Ling sent him a look of confusion.

“What?!” Lan Jingyi gasped, glancing around for any sign of Lan Sizhui. “He’s crying? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” And he zoomed off in a matter of minutes, yelling, “Sizhui!” as he rushed past the throng of cultivators.

“ Crying ? What was that about?” Jin Ling murmured, peering at the platform curiously. “Why’d you say that? I was just with Sizhui and he was completely fine.”

“Of course I was lying,” said Ouyang Zizhen with a small smirk. “But since Jingyi isn't here anymore, I suppose the only one suitable for controlling this thing is me .”

“You–” Jin Ling spluttered. “So you sent him away just so you could control everything? So childish!”

“Well, say what you want,” Ouyang Zizhen curiously looked at the options, humming a song to himself to decide which one to pick. The last note he sang ended on [Yi Quartet] , and so he decisively selected it, which opened up another window of options.

[Character one] [Character two] [Character three] [Character four]

“Wei-Wu-Xian,” he said, his finger hovering over one of the numbers at each syllable. “Lan-Wang-Ji.” His finger ended on [Character two] , and so he quickly selected it. Suddenly, a blinding white light erupted from the platform, clouding his vision in its entirety.

When it finally faded, a tall figure in dressed black adornments stepped forwards. They carried a sword on their back and from amongst the dark silhouette of elegant, drifting sleeves, Ouyang Zizhen could make out the shape of a horsetail whisk carried in the crease of their arm.

The man stepped out of the shadows, and Ouyang Zizhen could finally commit his features to detail: he was very handsome, indeed, with a perfect jawline and thin, night-like eyes. He also undoubtedly had some deep trauma beneath that handsome façade! How intriguing!

“Where am I?” said the man curiously as he glanced around. Even more strangely, the moment his eyes drifted to a certain place on his sash (Zizhen found that funny, after all, nothing was there!) his lips tightened and he seemed more guarded. And then he looked at Zizhen. “It’s you.”

“Er, what?” Ouyang Zizhen must have been hearing things. After all—he had never met this man! And being so handsome, there was no way he would have forgotten! But then again, did so many people in the world look like Zizhen?

“Do you know where we are?” The handsome man glanced around once more, his hands unconsciously tracing the fine hairs of his horsetail whip. “I recall wandering… I still haven't found any answers. But with this, I was able to pay some respect to him.”

Ouyang Zizhen short-circulated. Just what nonsense was this man spouting? Why was he talking to Zizhen so coldly, yet with a short dismissal like they were tied acquaintances? Was he just mental?

But despite his internal conflict and long scriptures of screaming monologue, Ouyang Zizhen politely (and coolly) coughed into his palm. “I am not sure myself, Xiansheng, although I— Hey!” But the mysterious, handsome (and mental?) man was already walking into the crowd of cultivators! How could he just dismiss Zizhen like that? How rude!

Meanwhile, in another part of the room, Wei Wuxian was quietly murmuring to Lan Wangji with their sweet A-Yuan seated comfortably beside them. With it being so comfortable and familial, he decided he liked it and they should therefore cuddle up more!

“Sizhui!” came an exasperated yell. Lan Jingyi was rushing to them, his clothes unruffled and hair in disarray like he’d just been flying his sword. He looked at Sizhui with no small amount of distress. “Sizhui! Zizhen, he- he said you were crying! Are you okay?!”

Lan Sizhui tilted his head curiously, wondering what his best friend was talking about. “I’m fine,” he said, and in a matter of seconds the bewilderment shifted to amusement. “He really said that to you? He must have been dishonest. Thank you for your concern though, Jingyi.”

“That little cockroach really tricked me,” Lan Jingyi murmured darkly. “The next time I see him, see if I’ll tolerate such cheek from him again—”

“Young Master Wei. Second Young Master Lan.”

Lan Jingyi looked up in confusion at the newcomer. “Who are you?”

“Song Lan!“ exclaimed Wei Wuxian happily, standing to formally greet the man. “It’s good to see you! And you’re back to normal, that’s great!”

“It appears so,” said the man (apparently Song Lan?!) with a resting coldness rivalling the great Hanguang-Jun. “Do you know why we’re here? I figured since this place reeks of Resentful Energy, you would know.”

“WAIT!” Lan Jingyi screeched. “ That’s Song Lan?!”

“That’s right. Haven’t you met him?” said Wei Wuxian. “Jingyi, not even my memory is that bad.”

“Yeah, I met his corpse!” Lan Jingyi exclaimed incredulously. “Remember? The pale, lifeless skin? The weird creepy vein-things? The dead Song Lan?!”

“Oh,” said Wei Wuxian brightly. “He’s just so handsome, isn’t he? Hear that, Song Lan, you’re not recognisable now that you’re alive. Isn’t that just so kind of Jingyi to say?”

Song Lan looked at Lan Jingyi. Lan Jingyi looked at Hanguang-Jun, whose golden eyes were as sharp and cold as Bichen. Oops, don’t make your husband jealous, Senior Wei!

“This is really interesting,” said Wei Wuxian, and he was still smiling. “So some of the people who are still alive in our time didn’t come here with the rest of us, and are instead resurrected like they’re dead. Although you’re a fierce corpse, so that may just apply to you. Song Lan, where were you last? Were you close to the Burial Mounds or relatively far away?”

“I… I was investigating a case of fierce corpses far in the south. I would say it would take weeks of travel to reach the Burial Mounds.”

“This begs the question: Was there a certain radius of which people were brought here? You were far away, so you didn’t come here with us. But you are also dead, therefore you’ve been included in the people being brought back to life. How curious… Very curious…”

“I’m alive again,” Song Lan held out his palm and stared at it almost guiltily. “Young Master Wei, I noticed Shuanghua isn’t with me. However, seeing you here, completely at ease, temporarily relieved my worry. I have never been to the Burial Mounds, and my senses had dulled during my time as a fierce corpse. Therefore, I apologise if I am asking too much of you.”

“Look,” said Wei Wuxian, gesturing to Jiang Yanli, who was giggling as she pulled at Jin Ling’s cheeks. Jin Zixuan watched them from the side with a content smile on his face.

Song Lan’s widened. “I believe… that is Maiden Jiang?”

“Correct,” Wei Wuxian softly smiled, wishing to pat the man on the shoulder yet both understanding and respecting Song Lan’s aversion to touch. “No one knows why. I also don’t know why. But some believe it is the work of Immortals.”

“Immortals,” Song Lan’s hand drifted to his eyes before he caught himself and snapped it back to his side. “I understand. Young Master Wei, may I ask one last thing?”

“Ask away.”

“Is this… permanent?”

But before Wei Wuxian could reply, large text appeared on the screen. [Episode Three ( 第三集 )]

“Thank you for speaking with me, Song Lan. It’s great to have you back,”  Wei Wuxian said with a smile. “But you’ll want to sit down for this strange… comedic theatre performance of memories, shall we say.”

The black dissipated like smoke, leaving a burst of colour in its wake: The screen firstly showed Wei Wuxian’s hair, curling and flapping in the wind as if swept along by the breeze. He was running considerably fast, zooming across the large area faster than one could blink, and he took multiple broad steps with every pant exhaled. Jiang Wanyin was attempting to make chase, although was evidently unsuccessful, for Wei Wuxian managed to speed ahead immediately.

“That is…” a junior Lan disciple murmured. “Isn’t that Cloud Recess?”

Many of the disciples seated near them nodded in agreement, murmuring to one another with both intrigue and confusion.

“But… it doesn’t really look like Cloud Recess at the same time.”

“Exactly! Why is the Wall of Discipline so small? It’s a scandal! Simply outrageous!”

‘Xiao-Didi, you call that small?!’ Many thought with no small amount of exasperation. ‘ Are we looking at the same thing here? What part of that wall is ‘small’?!’

“Perhaps,” said Nie Huaisang quietly, gently tapping the closed wood of his fan to his chin in short intervals. “This is showing the past. After all, the only time Wei-Xiong ever visited Cloud Recess in his original body was the guest conference in Gusu. That was decades ago.”

“I always knew he wasn’t dumb,” a young female murmured in what sounded like an ‘i-told-you-so’ tone.

“Who said he was?” said another, gesturing to the Sect Leader. “Look at him. What dumb person would be able to have that calculating look in his eyes?”

“Exactly! I always saw through him!”

Really, Wei Wuxian wanted to say. Really?

“Although…” Nie Huaisang snapped open his fan and nervously glanced at Nie Mingjue. “That makes so much sense, Da-Ge! You’re so smart!” Nie Mingjue merely rolled his eyes fondly.

“Whoever conjured that thought, though, that does make sense. I suppose this really is Wei Wuxian…”

“Wait,” said Ouyang Zizhen suddenly. “If that’s Senior Wei, why is he so handsome? What about those hideous drawings of the… the Yiling Patriarch who would haunt me if I didn’t go to sleep early? Mum, what lies you told me!!”

“Don’t blame your Mum,” said Lan Jingyi. He looked at Lan Sizhui with accusatory eyes. “Instead, blame Sizhui! Remember, he grew up with Senior Wei!”

“Right! Sizhui, how could you keep this from us!”

“Exactly! I thought I was your favourite shidi!”

“Who cares about who knew how he used to look? After all, we’re all getting to see it now,” said a young woman dressed in red. She smirked. “I suppose this means we’ll get to see what kind of person Hanguang-Jun fell in love with as a teenager.”

“… San-Jie, I never took you for the type to like stuff like this…”

“What nonsense are you all spouting?!” exclaimed Jin Zixun, outraged. “Who cares what some stupid cutsleeves have to say? What’s important is revealing all of Wei Wuxian’s evil deeds he committed during the war!”

“Shut up!” exclaimed one of the more bolder girls of the group.

“Exactly! Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s relations are top priority!” said another. “Who cares about the war?!”

At her words, many people were flabbergasted. ' Who cares about the war , she says? Who cares about the war?!'

Once they finally reached the entrance, Wei Wuxian abruptly came to a stop and leaned against a stone arched bridge to catch his breaths. Jiang Wanyin caught up moments later, too out of breath to speak and so he merely sent Wei Wuxian a glare that seemed to say, ‘What did you say before? Sorry, I was still trying to catch up with you to actually hear.’

"If you get up late again tomorrow, I definitely won't wait for you,” he said exasperatedly.

“I was only just late,” said Wei Wuxian petulantly, idly fiddling with the end of his ponytail. “The worst punishment I can get is to stand in the corner!”

“And that, right there, is the exact mindset I advise you to not heed!” admonished Lan Qiren, gently stroking his goatee. He seemed to be sending Lan Jingyi quite a few dirty looks as he said this, and so the disciple cheekily stuck out his tongue in retaliation.

“Really responsible,” snickered Jin Ling.

“Very,” agreed Ouyang Zizhen sarcastically.

Jin Zixuan suddenly entered the view of the screen, two Jin disciples dutifully trailing behind him. Both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin saluted, the latter the only one to verbally announce a greeting. "Zixuan."

Jin Zixuan’s face was placid as he did a mock bow in response, strutting along the path without glancing in their direction even once.

“Little Mistress, I suppose the attitude must be hereditary,” said Lan Jingyi with a mocking raise of his eyebrow.

Jin Ling glowered at him. “Call me that one more time and I’ll… I’ll!”

“You’ll do what?” Lan Jingyi snickered. “You’ll tell Sect Leader Jiang? Sorry to burst your bubble, Little Mistress, but Sect Leader Jiang can’t save you your face.”

“I’ll…” Jin Ling’s cheeks were burning an angry red and he suddenly blurted, “I’ll tell my Dad!” Jin Zixuan’s eyes widened. “You know, my Dad is really strong! He’ll beat you up with just a raise of his hand! See if you’ll ever disrespect me ever again!”

And then, just as he processed his words, his face burned even redder and he slightly sunk into himself. Lan Jingyi’s laughs certainly didn’t help with his embarrassment.

“A-Ling,” said Jin Zixuan softly. Jiang Yanli shared a smile with him and they both reached forward to coax Jin Ling into a hug.

"He's becoming more and more presentable,” Wei Wuxian murmured, sending Jin Zixuan’s back a rude hand gesture as he passed them.

“Stop that,” admonished Jiang Wanyin. “The Jin Clan of Lanling—as rich as the princes. He's the heir of the Jin Clan. He has to be presentable."

“Hm…” said Wei Wuxian, thoughtfully stroking his chin. Then a smile suddenly pulled at his lips.

“Oh dear.”

“Mother Baoshan, dear great Immortals, whatever mischief he’s up to, please stop him.”

As soon as Jiang Wanyin caught sight of his cheeky smile, he quickly nudged Wei Wuxian in the side, sending him toppling forwards. "Stop! Don't get any bad ideas. I'm warning you. No matter what, Jin Zixuan is still my sister's fiancé. He'll be family one day. You will have to bear with it."

“You!” Jin Zixuan lamented. “ Bear with it? I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

“I thought you were a pompous peacock,” said Jiang Wanyin.

“Positively abysmal,” said Wei Wuxian brightly.

“I know, I know!" said Wei Wuxian, quickly patting down his robes.

“You’ll say that,” Jiang Wanyin once again rolled his eyes. “But everything went straight through one ear and out the other, didn't it?"

“You know me so well, Cheng Cheng,” said Wei Wuxian cheekily.

As they both approached the majestic white building, Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. "The Orchid Room?"

“The name's not bad, but the old man who teaches is so stubborn,” commented Jiang Wanyin. “But he's extraordinary indeed. However useless one may be, he can turn them into presentable men."

Seeing this comment aimed at him, Wei Wuxian tutted and turned to face Jiang Wanyin, gesturing to his own robes from head to toe. "Don't I look proper enough right now?"

“You do look it,” said Jin Ling as matter-of-fact. “But you sure don’t act it.”

“Really, you’d think he’d learn a thing or two from Second Young Master Lan,” said Old Liu with a sigh. “I suppose some people really are irredeemable.”

“I don’t know,” said Lan Jingyi thoughtfully. “I like him this way.”

“Only because you’re cut from the same cloth, you little devil!”

Nie Huaisang, who had also been trepidatiously lingering outside the tall, majestic gates, noticed the pair of bickering brothers and eagerly waved them over. “Jiang-Xiong! Wei-Xiong!”

Jiang Wanyin spared the boy a glance before once again admonishing Wei Wuxian, “You are definitely going to be that one spot staining his whole teaching career.”

“More like Lan Wangji’s,” boldly said a young Jiang disciple. At the many looks they received, they curled into themself self consciously. “Sorry.”

“Isn’t that just accurate?” Yu Ziyuan’s lips curled into a sneer. “We ought to have left him at Gusu to burden Lan Qiren with. Maybe, had he stayed until they actually reformed him into a somewhat decent person, he wouldn’t have come back to our home and got our sect massacred.”

“My Lady,” said Jiang Fengmian carefully. “Everything has gone and passed now, I don’t think it’s appropriate to bring such old times to the surface.”

“Exactly, everything has gone and passed, hasn’t it, Fengmian?!” roared Yu Ziyuan. “Everything has gone and passed—you died, I died, our daughter died , Zixuan died ! All because of that mistake sitting over there! He never should have joined the sect!”

Jiang Fengmian opened his mouth to speak, only to notice plenty of nosy, gossiping stares. He shot Yu Ziyuan a look, who glanced around at the crowd disdainfully before sitting back down.

The disciple standing behind Nie Huaisang gasped at the sight of Wei Wuxian. “Isn’t that Wei Wuxian? He’s only a disciple of the Jiang Clan, how come he is able to study here at Gusu?”

"Wei-Xiong's parents were friends of Sect Leader Jiang, who treated him like his own,” explained Nie Huaisang.

"Wei Wuxian's parents were friends with Jiang Fengmian? Why didn't I know about this?"

"But I heard he's Jiang Cheng's bastard brother. After all, Jiang Fengmian never denied Wei Wuxian being his son..."

“But it’s exactly that—he didn’t deny it. How is that confirmation?”

"Maybe we were wrong..."

‘Of course you were wrong!’ Wei Wuxian wanted to say, but he nonetheless held in all of his thoughts, conscious of the ears listening in. ‘As soon as I'm taken in by the Jiang Sect, I'm labelled as Jiang Fengmian's son. What about my parents? Did you all forget about their glory and achievements? Was the praise you gave them just a farce?’

Despite the confusion and uncertainty among the viewers, one thing was certain — Wei Wuxian's past was shrouded in mystery, and only time would reveal its true secrets.

The disciple made a sound of understanding. “Oh, I see. No wonder Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian get along so well. They're like brothers!"

Once the pair had finally caught up with them, Nie Huaisang greeted once again, "Jiang-Xiong! Wuxian-Xiong! You must think Gusu is a boring place."

Lan Qiren’s face contorted into an expression resembling that of a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.

“Wouldn't say it's too boring,” said Wei Wuxian as he pulled his arms above his head and stretched. “We just got up too early."

Nie Huaisang looked at him curiously and he quickly snapped open his bamboo fan. “We awaken at 5AM here, it's not that bad right? When did you two get up?"

“5AM?” murmured a Jiang disciple. “That’s way too early!”

“Exactly! I’d just be going to sleep right about then!”

“Is this why the Lans are so stuck up? Because they don’t sleep?”

“I’m never going to Gusu in this lifetime, that’s for sure!”

Jiang Cheng pointed a finger at Wei Wuxian, who glanced back at him innocently, and then he looked at Nie Huaisang as if confirming the question was aimed at Wei Wuxian. "Him? He rises at nine and sleeps at one. After he wakes up, he doesn't meditate or practise the sword. Instead, he fools around in the water, picks lotus seed pods, and hunts for pheasants."

Wei Wuxian grinned proudly. "I'm the best at hunting pheasants!"

His mind made up, Nie Huaisang determinedly snapped shut his fan. “Next year I'll go to Yunmeng to study! Nobody can stop me!"

“Huaisang,” said Nie Mingjue, prying a whining Nie Huaisang’s fan away. “I’m certain I can stop you–” he swiftly slapped him on the head with it. “—or did you not think I would dare to break your legs?!”

“Da-Ge, be careful with that, it’s really—” Nie Huaisang let out a wild shriek at the sight of the snapped and splintered remains of his fan. “ Delicate! Da-Ge, my fan, you…!”

Nie Mingjue glanced at the fan guiltily.  "...Sorry, Huaisang."

“ Sorry won’t cut it! Da-Ge, do you understand the lengths I went through to get that? No, you don’t because you’re really, really—” he paused as if unsure of what to say next. “Stupid, Da-Ge! You’re stupid and silly!”

“You–” Nie Mingjue was speechless, as were a few others in the crowd. Who knew Nie Huaisang could scold his brother like that? What a new side they’d seen of the Sect Leader today!

The disciple patted Nie Huaisang on the shoulder in pity. "Nobody will stop you. It's just that your brother will break your legs."

Wei Wuxian chuckled, his silver eyes adopting a calculating, mischievous look. “Honestly, you can still have fun in Gusu."

“Wei Wuxian is always so positive even when less… favourable things occur. It is truly admirable!”

“But I dread to think what he finds fun in a place like Gusu. I don’t trust him!”

Many “+1”s immediately followed.

Nie Huaisang sauntered over to him. "Fun? Are you kidding me, Wei-Xiong? A piece of sincere advice for you, Cloud Recess does not tolerate misbehaviour." He idly waved his hand. “During your time in Gusu, you must remember not to provoke a certain person."

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow curiously. “Who? Lan Qiren?"

Lan Qiren scoffed, not appreciating the way they were uncouthly gossiping. "Well he definitely failed."

Nie Huaisang shook his head in response. “Not that old man. The one you should watch out for is his favourite student, one of the Lan brothers. He’s really cold and people are even too scared to speak his courtesy name! It’s—”

“…It’s?” Wei Wuxian prompted.

“It’s—” Nie Huaisang pursed his lips. He discreetly glanced around them and slowly leaned in to whisper into Wei Wuxian’s ear. “Lan…” he swallowed. “Lan Wangji.”

“Haha, he’s so scared to say Hanguang-Jun’s name,” snickered Lan Jingyi. “How ridiculous. It’s just a name!”

“Need I remind you of that time we met that ghost?” drawled Jin Ling, to Lan Jingyi’s horror. “Exactly. A cultivator being scared of ghosts. That’s ridiculous.”

“You did not just go there, Jin Ling!”

“I think I just did,” said Jin Ling challengingly. “And that’s Jin-Zongzhu to you.”

“Hey! I’m your friend! Why do I have to call you such a respectful title?”

“Even more reason, then.”

Wei Wuxian hummed quietly to himself as he followed Nie Huaisang into the Orchid Room. “Lan Wangji?"

Nie Huaisang quickly nodded trepidatiously. "Yes! He's in charge of discipline. Everyone here fears him."

"A social butterfly and a feared ice beauty — how romantic! They are like ice and fire, the sun and the moon; they were made for each other!"

"Yes, yes!" others eagerly agreed.

Nie Huaisang sighed wistfully. "Good thing is, he likes meditating alone, so we don't see him around often-" but as soon as he turned his head, a screech of pure terror abruptly escaped his lips. Wei Wuxian frowned as he followed his gaze.

Basking in the sun’s long rays of light, Lan Wangji was seated by the window and idly staring into the wilderness. His long, dark locks of hair fluttered as if being dragged along by the breeze and intertwined with these long strips of ebony was a thin white ribbon of the Lan Clan.

“What a beautiful person,” said a young female cultivator dazedly.

"I'm beginning to question whether I like girls or if I'm a cutsleeve..."

“I need to look away before I'm bewitched."

“Exactly,” said Wei Wuxian, not at all pleased that people were taking an interest in his husband. “He’s beautiful. And he’s my husband.”

“Stop rubbing it in, Yiling Patriarch. That’s just cruel!”

Wei Wuxian pulled a face. "E-Eh?! How is it him ..?!"

Lan Wangji turned around, then, and his piercing golden eyes stared malicious, hateful holes into Wei Wuxian, who violently shuddered at the sheer ferocity in them.

"That glare… It's full of hatred!!"

"Lan Wangji!” scolded another. “Why are you glaring at your husband? What did he do to you?!"

“Sorry Wei Ying,” said Lan Wangji apologetically. “I… I really regret treating you like that in the past. From now on, if only you would allow me to make it up to you…”

“It’s okay, Er-Gege,” Wei Wuxian drawled, drawing small circles on the cloth of Lan Wangji’s chest. He looked up at his husband and blinked innocently. “After all, I rather like that.”

“You!” Jiang Wanyin was on the verge of joining Lan Qiren in the realm of unconsciousness after fainting from Wei Wuxian’s shameless nature!

Nie Huaisang was initially shaking in fear, desperately hiding himself behind his fan. However, as time prolonged and he further observed the pair, his shoulders relaxed as he seemed to come to a conclusion.

He narrowed his eyes at the pair, using his closed fan to draw a line between the staring battle between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji: the former had an unreadable face, save for the fury he seemed to be emitting, while the latter was frozen in shock – and was that recognition?

"Wait,” said Wen Ruohan. “Could this be 'love at first sight? I’ve heard people go into a daze — a trance of sorts. Does this mean they fell for one another so easily? How boring! I enjoy a good slow burn.”

“I doubt that,” said one of the bolder girls. “Lan Wangji looks like he wants to lop Wei Wuxian’s head off right where he’s standing. That’s hardly love at first sight.”

“But he always looks like that, doesn’t he?” Jiang Wanyin murmured.

“Only to you, Uncle,” said Jin Ling as-matter-of-fact.

Wei Wuxian loudly huffed, petulantly turning away from the cold, livid eyes.

Nie Huaisang snapped open his fan and raised it until it covered half of his face. "Wei-Xiong, have you done something wrong?"

"How'd he know?!" Lan Jingyi exclaimed, dumbfounded.

“How could he not?” scoffed Jiang Wanyin. “Wei Wuxian always has a certain attraction for trouble. He always gets the same look when he’s either thinking of causing some sort of trouble or already has. And whenever I see it, it’s usually a bit of both, mind you.”

“You sure know him well, Sect Leader Jiang,” murmured Ouyang Zizhen. “Really well…”

“Haha…” Wei Wuxian nervously chuckled as he recalled and retold what had happened the previous night. "Well..."

The screen switched to a dark night, where Lan Wangji was standing atop a rooftop opposite Wei Wuxian, who was sitting on the pinnacle and looking very displeased. 

"You are not allowed in until 7AM tomorrow. Get out,” said Lan Wangji coldly.

"Emperor's smile!" Wei Wuxian offered a jar to Lan Wangji, the bright full moon shining rays onto both the alcohol container and Wei Wuxian’s bright smile. "I'll give you a jar. In return, you must not tell a soul I was ever here. Deal?”

Upon receiving only silence from the cold man, Wei Wuxian grinned. "Aiyo, Put on a smile, you'll look much cuter!"

“He called Lan Wangji cute,” said Wen Ruohan, majestically stroking a goatee that was not quite there. “Definitely love at first sight. I suppose that other time must have been love at second sight. ”

The girls immediately began to voice their delight at his words. "That's right! That’s exactly it!”

Lan Wangji frowned in disapproval. "Alcohol is forbidden in Cloud Recess."

Wei Wuxian glanced at him, and then down at the jars in his hand with a resigned sigh. "What exactly is not forbidden here?!"

Not wanting to humour Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji coldly turned away. "It is clearly written on the wall of discipline. Go read it yourself."

"Your family rules are more than 3,000," said Wei Wuxian, resting against a tree branch and dismissively waving his hand. "Who'd read all that?"

"Nobody, really."

"Not even the Lans are that insane! Well, I suppose the main family are, judging by Lan Wangji's reaction…”

Lan Wangji continued to glower at him, to which Wei Wuxian was forced to reluctantly yield. "Uh... Alright, alright. I won't go in,” and he then proceeded to tear off the lid of one jar with his teeth, holding the other securely under his arm. "I'm not inside, so I can drink here, right?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"You wouldn't dare –"

“Loopholes,” said Lan Jingyi, grinning at the on-screen Wei Wuxian with a sort of kindred smugness.

Wei Wuxian lifted the jar and leaned back as he gulped down the alcohol. Rivers of it ran down his chin and onto his neck, but he never made an attempt to wipe it away, instead basking in the sight of Lan Wangji’s furious expression.

"I admit, the Yiling Patriarch looked really handsome."

"What idiot spread the rumours around saying that he was ugly?! Whoever said that was clearly just jealous!"

"It's not that Mo Xuanyu's appearance isn't nice… He just looks more… let’s say beautiful rather than handsome. Mo Xuanyu is the kind of person who'd make a girl feel insecure about her looks. But Wei Wuxian is the kind of person who would make them insecure of their looks for the other reason."

As Lan Wangji watched Wei Wuxian carelessly violate numerous rules in just that act alone, his anger flared. Without a moment's hesitation, he unsheathed Bichen and lunged towards Wei Wuxian.

"Noooooo!! Don't attack your husband!!"

"It's dangerous! You might get hurt!"

"Don't aim at his face! I can't bear to see that!"

Wei Wuxian wiped his mouth with a satisfied exhale and jumped back to avoid the blade, throwing the jar of alcohol into the air during the process. The pair danced across the rooftop with light steps, Wei Wuxian avoiding Lan Wangji's blade while trying to protect the jar of liquor, and Lan Wangji performing a series of thrusts and parries, pushing Wei Wuxian into a corner, with nowhere to go for the watchtower was right behind him.

"This is so beautiful!”

“How exciting! We get to watch two incredibly strong cultivators fighting up close!”

“Hey, are there any painters here? Quickly, you need to paint this scene! I’ll give you whatever you want!”

“I want a fan,” said Nie Huaisang, slightly glowering at Nie Mingjue. He sighed. “But I would if I could! I don’t have any of my art supplies with me! What a wasted opportunity!”

Lan Wangji cornered Wei Wuxian to a tree, this time, but Wei Wuxian wasn’t ready to let him win just yet. Instead of yielding, he instead climbed onto the tree and used it as leverage to leap past Lan Wangji, his silver eyes colliding with Lan Wangji’s golden ones in what appeared to be slow motion as he passed him.

Using the fabric binding on his wrists, he trapped the tip of Bichen’s blade in a knot, making Lan Wangji pause for a moment, at a complete loss of what to do. But in only moments, he managed to string together a response and he thrust Bichen in the air, cutting the fabric and sending Wei Wuxian’s jar of wine flying metres away. There was a resounding clash as it fell to the floor amongst their shared silence.

“Lan Zhan, you were really so cruel, destroying my Emperor’s Smile like that!” said Wei Wuxian solemnly, pouting and crossing his arms at the mere memory.

“Will get some more,” said Lan Wangji. 

As if he’d anticipated this from the start, Wei Wuxian leapt up from his slouched position and smiled at Lan Wangji eagerly. “Hm? What was that, Er-Gege?”

“I will get Wei Ying as many jars of Emperor’s Smile as he wants,” corrected Lan Wangji.

“Yay! Lan Zhan, you’re the best!”

The scene switched back to Nie Huaisang’s dumbfounded face, his fan already having slipped from his grip. “In Cloud Recess, it is forbidden to go out at night, drink alcohol, or fight privately!” he wailed in despair, counting Wei Wuxian’s many offences on his fingers. “You’ve already broken three rules!”

Wei Wuxian petulantly kicked a stray rock on the ground and murmured under his breath, “There are more rules here than ants….”

Nie Huaisang smoothly slipped away, his face still half hidden by the wood of his fan. At the same time, Jiang Wanyin placed an encouraging hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. "He's watching you. Good luck." and then he walked away, leaving Wei Wuxian alone to feel the pressure of Lan Wangji’s fearsome gaze.

A chorus of laughter echoed within the room.

"They left him! Haha!"

"Poor Wei Wuxian!"

“Now that’s what I call a dramatic exit!”

Wei Wuxian seated himself at the front row, his desk coincidentally beside Lan Wangji's. But no matter how much he stared or motioned towards the cold teenager, Lan Wangji’s composed demeanour didn’t falter once.

"Ahem," coughed Lan Qiren as he entered the room, holding a rolled-up scroll. "Is everyone here?"

The Lans instinctively straightened their backs at his entrance before abruptly recalling just where they were and exhaling a long sigh of relief.

Lan Qiren held one end of the scroll and let it unravel itself and glide across the room, revealing all of the 3,000 rules of Cloud Recess that were individually inscribed onto a thin piece of parchment paper. It stretched metres long, passing by all of the terrified Guest Disciples.

" WHAT IS THAT ?!" screeched many Jiang disciples at once.

Wei Wuxian felt a tremor of trepidation rush down his spine—he audibly swallowed and glanced at Lan Qiren fearfully, who was stroking his goatee in what Wei Wuxian thought to be smugly. "The 3,000 rules of GusuLan."

To everyone's terror, Lan Qiren began to read them out one by one. "No private fighting, no promiscuity, no killing inside the city-"

Wei Wuxian slouched onto his desk, leaning his face in one hand. He found his gaze wandering to Lan Wangji, who was seated with his back straight-

"I guess he didn't stay straight for long-" Ouyang Zizhen was silenced by his father’s hand which, oddly familiarly, was smacking him squarely on the back of the head.

-and eyes glued to Lan Qiren, listening to each syllable, each word with the utmost attention.

Wei Wuxian could only stare in disbelief. 'How can he listen to something so boring?'

"If you looked up the word 'proper', I’m certain Lan Wangji's face would be right next to it."

“And if you looked up ‘stingy’, I’m sure you’ll see Lan Qiren–” began Ouyang Zizhen, followed by a yelp as his father once again smacked his head. “Actually, you’ll definitely see my dad–” a smack. “Clan Leader Ouyang–” another smack. “ Ouyang-Zongzhu , I tell you! Ouyang-Zongzhu !” another.

"-No smirking," Lan Qiren continued to drawl. "No sitting hunched over. No..."

Wei Wuxian jolted, snapping out of his daze when a loud smack of wood was heard. He glanced at Lan Qiren, who was currently glowering at him from the front of the room. "I am reciting the rules one by one because no one reads them. Since someone is still not paying attention, alright, I'll tell you something else."

"It's so obvious he's speaking about Uncle Wei,” said Jin Ling blankly.

“Totally obvious,” said Nie Huaisang with a slight nod.

"Exceptionally obvious,” agreed Lan Sizhui.

"Immensely obvious,” added Lan Jingyi.

“Totally… Exceptionally… immensely…” Ouyang Zizhen murmured to himself, counting the synonymous words on his fingers. "Ah, I know! Tremendously obv-"

They were, rather unfortunately, silenced by Jiang Wanyin’s sharp words, "Stop! I don't care how wide your range of vocabulary is, just shut up for once! How many times must I tell you?!"

Wei Wuxian smirked into his palm, eyes sparkling with amusement. 'Is he talking about me?'

Sure enough, Lan Qiren’s eyes sped to Wei Wuxian. “Wei Wuxian.”

“Here!” Wei Wuxian raised his hand and dutifully waved at Lan Qiren, giggling at the tight expression on the old man’s wrinkled face.

"What was the profession of the QingheNie Clan's ancestors?"

"Butcher,” Wei Wuxian answered without pause.

"The heraldry of the LanlingJin Sect is a white peony; Which type of white peony is it?"

"Sparks Amidst Snow."

"Who was the first in the cultivation world to focus on the rise of their Clan rather than their Sect?"

"The founder of the QishanWen Sect, Wen Mao."

"How intelligent,” said a Junior cultivator, their eyes sparkling in admiration. "It's no wonder he used to be the Jiang Sect's head disciple!”

“I even heard, once, that the Yiling Patriarch used to be fourth in the list of the most eligible bachelors! But no one talks about that these days. They’re all for the ‘evil, fearsome demon’ hiding beneath one’s bed.”

"Eh? That's quite the accomplishment. Why haven’t I heard of this?”

Lan Qiren’s face seemed to pale, but his stern expression didn’t waver once. “As a disciple of the YunmengJiang Sect, you should have long since been able to recall these things like the back of your hand. It is nothing to take pride in even if you answered them correctly."

"Nothing to take pride in? Knowing just that and able to answer it when put on the spot like that is quite amazing. Lan Qiren really expects too much!”

“Exactly!” said a young maiden. “Excuses, excuses! What’s with people treating Wei Wuxian differently just because of his parents? First Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Fengmian, and now Lan Qiren! It’s really too much! Whatever did Wei Wuxian do to you old cranky people to make you despise him like that?!"

Lan Qiren stroked his goatee in a slow, elegant manner. "Let me ask you again. There lived an executioner who lacked neither parents, wife, nor children. Before he died, he had executed over a hundred people. His death happened in public and, to punish him for his deeds, he was left on the streets for seven days. His resentful energy accumulated and he began to haunt the living. What should be done?"

Wei Wuxian paused this time, seemingly pondering over the answer in a great contrast to the quick, spit-fire way he’d been throwing Lan Qiren’s questions back at him before.

Lan Qiren glanced at Nie Huaisang, who was hidden behind a book while chanting, "Don't pick me, don't pick me, don't pick me, don't pick me, don't pick me!!" He looked up from under the book but immediately darted back down after meeting Lan Qiren's eyes.

Lan Qiren smoothly turned to Lan Wangji, his expression smug in a way that told the viewers he had done this many times before. "Wangji, tell him what should be done."

Lan Wangji swiftly left his seat and politely cupped his hands into a bow. “First, liberate; Second, suppress; Third, obliterate. The initial approach is to utilise the gratitude of his relatives and grant his dying wish, setting free what he could not let go of. If this fails, suppress it. If the crimes committed were extreme and its energy of resentment does not dissipate, exterminate it completely. The cultivation world should precisely keep to this order of measure. No errors should be allowed."

"That's the most I've heard Second Young Master Lan speak, even though he's repeating something you'd read in texts."

"You're right. The only time he says such long sentences is when talking to Wei Wuxian."

“Why just Wei Wuxian? I like his voice! He should talk more!”

Lan Qiren stroked his goatee and was quick to praise his nephew, "Not a single word was mistaken."

Wei Wuxian raised his hand. "I have a question.”

"Speak."

"'Liberation' is supposed to come first but it's often impossible. 'Grant his dying wish' — But what if his dying wish is murder for revenge?"

"Hence suppression assists liberation. If necessary, obliteration follows," said Lan Wangji calmly.

"Such a waste." Wei Wuxian sighed. "It's not that I didn't know the answer, but I was thinking about a fourth path."

"Fourth path?"

‘Oh dear ’ Wei Wuxian thought. ‘Well, there’s no stopping my younger self’s loud mouth now.’

“Is he foreshadowing Mo Manor?” said Lan Sizhui, ever so observant. “The wish for revenge through murder… It's almost like he was preparing for the future. How curious.”

"Because the executioner died in such a way, it's only natural that he turned into a fierce corpse. Since he executed one hundred people before he died—”

"I don't like where this is going…"

“Wei Wuxian, kindly shut up now. I dread to hear the rest.”

Wei Wuxian blinked innocently. "—Why not dig up the graves of these people, excite their resentful energy, collect the one hundred heads, and use them to fight the ferocious corpse?"

Sect Leader Yao shot up from where he sat and pointed a furious, accusatory finger at Wei Wuxian. "You see! He truly is a demon! Even at such a young age, he's been thinking of killing us all and walking the dark path!"

"He's right!"

"Demon!"

"Monster!"

“You don’t belong here!”

“Fiend!”

“Shame on you!”

And then silence.

“Why is it suddenly so silent?” Lan Jingyi murmured in bewilderment. Many people shifted their eyes to Lan Wangji, who had all but silenced tens of people in a matter of a second! How extraordinary!

Lan Wangji turned to Wei Wuxian, disbelief clearly visible in his expression. Jiang Wanyin facepalmed. The guest disciples gawked at his audacity, while Lan Qiren's face distorted in anger.

Lan Qiren slammed his hand on the desk. “How dare you! The essence of exorcising ghosts and annihilating demons is to liberate! Rather than thinking of ways to liberate, you intend on exciting their resentful energy! You reverse the natural order, ignore ethics and morality!"

"Yes! He's exactly right!"

"Listen to your elders!"

Wei Wuxian boredly picked up a lock of his hair and began to twirl it between his fingers listlessly. "Since when have any of you 'elders' truly acted like a teacher and have given us proper guidance?" His speech was lazy, but firm, as if it was a thought he’d held for a long time yet not one he’d ever said aloud.

The Juniors exchanged glances at once before they immediately erupted with a barrage of complaints and yells:

"Senior Wei is right! Shut up!"

"Stop talking about Senior Wei like that!"

"You hypocrites!"

"I'll-" Lan Jingyi paused. It wouldn't be good if he threw a number of threats at people in this situation, would it?

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. "There are some things that can't be liberated no matter what, so why not make use of them? When Yu The Great tamed the flood, obstruction was the inferior method, while redirection was the superior. Suppression is the same as obstruction, so it isn't inferior-"

But despite his attempt at reasoning with the old man, Lan Qiren interjected him by throwing a book in his direction. Wei Wuxian quickly dodged it, but instead of flying past him and into the wall, it threw itself into an unsuspecting Nie Huaisang, hitting him squarely in the face. He stumbled back, half out of pain and half out of shock as he wailed and clutched his face, his fan lost somewhere on the floor.

“Poor Nie Huaisang,” said the maiden who had been previously defending Wei Wuxian. In a stroke of irony, now she was defending Nie Huaisang. “How cruel of Lan Qiren, to throw a book at him at such a time! Is he just comedic relief or what?! He’s next in line for the Nie Clan, spare him some face!”

“Hey, it’s Sect Leader Nie to you,” said another female cultivator who was seated beside her. “A-Yu, don’t be so dramatic. Besides, I’m sure this is the reason why Sect Leader Nie always looks like he’s got a book flattened on his face. I mean, look at him!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nie Huaisang murmured solemnly, absentmindedly rubbing his forehead.

Despite Lan Qiren’s rebuttals, Wei Wuxian did not falter. "Spiritual energy is energy, Resentful energy is energy as well! Spiritual energy is stored in the dantian and its power is available for our use, so why can't we make use of it?!"

“ So why can’t we make use of it? ” Jin Zixun repeated in a mocking tone. “I wonder why that is, Wei Wuxian. Aren’t you supposed to be smart? Didn’t you invent it? You even said it yourself! Spiritual energy is energy that we already harness. And what is resentful energy? Energy yes, but it’s arguably the most harmful thing a cultivator could ever come in contact with! Of course we don’t make use of it! Are you just thick or do I need to spell it out for you?”

“It’s all a load of nonsense, but,” said an older woman. “He has a point. I used to think this-” she looked at Jin Zixun unsurely. “- Jin disciple was about as smart as Wen Chao, but… he really does have a point, doesn’t he?”

“I suppose if you could control it, the effects wouldn’t be damaging,” added another. “After all, Wei Wuxian harnessed this power so flawlessly and wielded it like it was another limb! Of course it wasn’t harming him! Controlling it must stop that!”

Lan Qiren was so furious that his pale and wrinkly face was becoming a startling angry red and he seemed to be visibly shaking. "Then let me ask you again! How can you ensure that the resentful energy follows your command and does not harm others?!"

"Hmm," Wei Wuxian put a hand to his chin thoughtfully before innocently tilting his head to the side. “I haven't thought of it yet."

"…”

“But you do,” said Ouyang Zizhen to the silence. “You do find a way, Senior Wei. You make it follow your command and don’t allow it to harm others. Therefore… I think you shouldn’t listen to him! Actually, I really admire you— ow— Dad!! What was that for?! You’re not allowed to hit your child!!”

“Oh I think I am, Zizhen! What son are you?!”

"Don’t speak against your elders,” said Lan Jingyi, always the pristine example of a Lan. “However, Lying is forbidden. Therefore, I must agree with him! Senior Wei, you’re so amazing! Never change!”

"Kids,” Wei Wuxian murmured with a large smile that was trepidatiously breaking through. “Thank you.”

Alas, Lan Qiren was not done. Steam seemed to be leaving his ears as he threw yet another book at Wei Wuxian. "If you thought of it, the cultivation world would not allow your existence! Get out!"

"Okay, let’s be fair here: that book was well deserved."

"Yes."

"It was certainly well deserved."

Wei Wuxian happily chuckled before respectfully cupping his hands together in a bow, in a great juxtaposition to his previously disrespectful attitude. “Goodbye!”

He seemed so joyous to be leaving the Orchid Room that some of the disciples sort of envied him — well, at least until Lan Qiren shouted for their attention (“don’t look at him! Do you want to join him in his punishment?!”). 

‘Wei Wuxian… he has really lost it…’ they all thought.

"You.. You.." Lan Qiren pointed a trembling finger at him. "From now on, Wei Wuxian shall be reflecting on his faults for one month!"

All he got in response was a cheerful laugh.

“Wei Wuxian… he is really so carefree,” said a Jin disciple. “Sometimes I wonder if this is even the Yiling Patriarch we’re seeing. It’s like he’s possessed.”

"You're right, he could have been possessed! And we must have just never noticed!”

"Did Lan Wangji know? Do you think that's why he protected the Yiling Patriarch in the past? He did not want an innocent—in terms of the mind—man to be killed? But he also didn’t say anything because he would be accused of protecting an evil entity?”

“Wow! Hanguang-Jun is really so admirable!”

"Then.. That explains why Wei Wuxian gave up the sword. No cultivator would give up the sword for the dark arts. But it’s much easier for an entity to give up something they never had in the first place than to quit it entirely after years of practice.”

“He was so quick to stop using it too!”

"Yes, yes."

"So is the feared Yiling Patriarch actually Wei Wuxian or an evil entity?"

Chapter Text

The screen faded into a new scene, where Wei Wuxian was sitting by a riverside, his face resting on a palm. He absentmindedly poked a large branch into the water and made sharp swirling motions that attracted a pair of koi fish.

"Wei-Xiong!" A call from Nie Huaisang broke him out of his daze. The two koi fish that had appeared were no longer there, and they had already swam into the depths of the water, having been startled by the loud voice. Wei Wuxian turned his head around and sent a small smile to the pair approaching him.

"We already know who it is before we even see them."

“This boy really admires Wei Wuxian, doesn’t he?”

Unexpectedly, the scene switched to show Lan Wangji, who was standing a distance away from the trio, and he appeared to be quietly observing them.

"What's this?" said Lan Xichen, making a sound of interest. “Wangji, you…?”

Lan Qiren loudly cleared his throat, his eyes flitting to and fro between Lan Wangji and the screen. He looked thankful, in a way, when Wei Wuxian smiled at his nephew, who returned the expression almost immediately. As Wangji’s Uncle, it eased something in his heart to see his nephew find happiness—

"I can smell the vinegar from here!"

“Look, Hanguang-Jun is kissing the Yiling Patriarch! He’s totally jealous now as well!”

—but when they acted so shameless like that, it made his carefully cultivated facade of calmness melt like ice.

“Wangji!”

Upon catching a glimpse of white robes, Wei Wuxian’s lips instantly spread into a broad grin. “Wangji-Xiong!” he called, waving the branch in the air.

“I’ll never get used to hearing Wei Wuxian being so informal to Lan Wangji,” said Jiang Wanyin, shaking his head in astonishment.

“Right?” agreed Lan Jingyi, wildly nodding his head in agreement. The girls (and when had Jingyi started including Wen Ruohan with the group?) murmured amongst themselves, and if the crowd didn’t know what they were like, they would have assumed they were conspiring.

Lan Wangji didn’t acknowledge Wei Wuxian, however, and he simply turned and walked away.

"Oh. Is that it? No blushing of the ears? No angry gaze?”

"Maybe he's shy?"

"That makes sense."

"Or maybe he just hates Wei Wuxian,” suggested Jiang Cheng, always the positive one.

In response to his words, Wen Ruohan simply laughed, as though his statement deeply amused him. Aiya, youngsters these days. They’re all too scared to talk to one another — come now, Xian-er, I’m sure Lan Wangji won’t bite. Back in my day, I was quite a handsome lad; everyone flocked to me, girl or boy, like rats to a block of cheese.”

“Lovely,” said Lan Xichen politely.

"...Rats?" murmured a few of the younger disciples sadly.

“Is that how Hua-Jie really thinks of me?”

“Maybe I should have listened to my Mum when she said I stood no chance.”

“What kind of mother says that to their child? She sounds horrible.”

Wei Wuxian turned to face Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang, and he laughed. "He ignored me, bleh.”

"Why does he sound happy about that?"

"I got it! It's a challenge! Wei Wuxian wants to become Lan Wangji's lover so he's happy that there's been some progress!"

"Friend," Jiang Cheng corrected automatically, but a frown soon followed. “Wait… friend? Could it be that Wei Wuxian– to Lan Wangji—?!”

Upon seeing his Uncle’s face turn from pale, to green, and to the colour of his robes, Jin Ling felt a bit of sympathy — and perhaps a small amount of understanding.

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes. "What did you expect? Remember what you said in class last time? You're impossible!" He turned around to face the direction in which Lan Wangji had just left. "He's probably just like Lan Qiren, who thinks you're evil and bad to the guts."

“Thinks?” Lan Qiren scoffed. He looked quite disturbed by the events on the screen, but his face soon morphed into something akin to regret. “Well… maybe a bit of a troublemaker… but not evil.”

“I knew you’d get there in the end, Uncle,” said Lan Xichen, who seemed to be radiating happiness. “I’m sure Wangji would be very pleased to hear that. And Wuxian, for that matter.”

On the other hand, Lan Wangji had lowered his head in shame, no longer able to be coddled by Wei Wuxian, who kept insisting everything was all right.

“I have no excuse,” said Lan Wangji miserably.

“Sure you do,” Wei Wuxian coddled. “Lan Zhan~ Husband, look at me! Look at you, so handsome! Actually, it makes me a bit happy to know I was able to marry you, when we used to be pretty much enemies. It makes for a cute love story, right?”

“Right… Very cute…” said a girl amongst the group sitting nearby Wen Ruohan, her hand scribbling as though the rate she was taking notes surpassed that of how quickly she could think.

Nie Huaisang stepped forwards, smiling behind his fan. "Yeah, Lan Wangji usually-" he began, before suddenly stopping, as though remembering something. "..No, he has never been that rude."

“Come to think of it, Hanguang-Jun gives you the impression he is really unapproachable and mean,” said Ouyang Zizhen. “But he is really very polite. If he just smiled, then we’d pretty much have another Clan Leader Lan!”

Nie Huaisang quickly turned around to face Wei Wuxian with a wide smile. "But to be honest, I think what Wei-Xiong said makes sense! I don't know how many years it will take people like me to cultivate step by step as they instruct us to. The wrath and resentment of vengeful ghosts can be readily used! That sounds exciting, doesn't it?!"

Nie Mingjue sighed, patting his leg as though habitually wishing to grasp the hilt of his blade Baxia. "Huaisang... I understand how you feel about your talent for cultivation but please don't think of messing with resentful energy ever again. It is not right. And you know full well how things ended for Wei Wuxian."

“Da-Ge, I really am ashamed, I promise!” Nie Huaisang exclaimed, his face stark red in embarrassment. “I only said that then as a joke! I never even considered doing it myself, I swear, Da-Ge!”

Upon seeing his brother looking so dejected and piteous, Nie Mingjue raised his hand and gently patted Nie Huaisang on the head. “Da-Ge knows, so don’t pull that face.”

"You reverse the natural order, ignore ethics and morality!" exclaimed an aged, dry voice as though they hadn’t the strength to shout.

"Huh? I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before."

"You're right, it sounds so familiar."

"Wait, isn't that what Lan Qiren said to Wei Wuxian after he brought up the idea of messing with resentful energy?"

"You're right!"

"Lan Qiren, where's the originality?!"

"Yeah! Saying the same line twice is a bit lame!"

Wei Wuxian laid down on a log, and once again poked the long stick into the water. "That's exactly what I meant. If we can make use of them, then many places that gather resentment won't be forbidden places anymore," he turned onto his back with a sigh, "Even the Burial Mounds in Yiling will become a treasure trove."

At the mention of the corpse mountain, the already dark room turned blacker, and the frigid temperature appeared to drop by tens of degrees.

"He’s thinking of controlling resentful energy and inhabiting the Burial mounds already, even at such a young age... So he planned this for a few years, I see."

“Obviously! How could one get all of that power in a matter of three months? It’s simply ludicrous, I tell you!”

Wei Wuxian’s nose wrinkled when he looked at the group of gossiping old men huddled in a corner of the cave. "My word, what is it with you old men? I'm surprised you don't have grey hairs from being too strict like Lan Qiren yet."

Lan Wangji, who was also offended on Wei Wuxian’s behalf, made a firm sound of agreement, “Mn.”

Snickering could be heard from a group of rebellious gossiping Lan disciples, all of whom were surrounding Lan Jingyi.

"Hey! Did you hear? Second Young Master Lan said Lan Qiren is old!"

"Yeah! I never thought I'd hear him say that!"

“Aiyo, you youngsters don’t hear half of it,” said Lan Jingyi, flicking his nose with a confident smirk. “Hanguang-Jun says all sorts in the inner part of the sect. Aiyo, it’s such a shame no one but I and Sizhui ever hear it.”

"What the hell?” said Jiang Cheng, looking at Lan Xichen and making a motion that was certainly him trying to convey the concept of ‘punishment’. “Wei Wuxian was clearly the one who said that. Zewu-Jun, why are you the only sane person in your sect? I feel like it’s just you and I who haven’t been brainwashed by our brothers."

Lan Xichen’s smile was dark, and he looked amused as though Jiang Wanyin didn’t understand an inside joke. “Mhm… Certainly, Clan Leader Jiang.”

"Enough," Jiang Cheng scolded firmly. "This is getting ridiculous. You can say whatever, but you can't go down that path.

“A-Cheng, don’t take that too seriously,” said Wei Wuxian, laughing as though just the thought was ridiculous. "I'm not stupid enough to do that. I'll follow the right path like the others do."

A loud dry cough erupted from a single person — but in a matter of seconds, it seemed like the majority of the population of cultivators had all caught a cold, as everyone began to cough in unison.

“Definitely, Yiling Patriarch, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Lone survivor of the Burial Mounds.”

"A promise is a promise, after all! Wei Wuxian is a man who honours his promises!"

Wei Ying's lips thinned into a line. "You don't need to rub salt on my wounds."

“I admire his resolve, though it may seem a bit far-fetched,” The boy coughed. “Grandmaster – Demonic Cultivation – Evil guy I grew up thinking he was under my bed.”

“ You’ve been told that story too?” gasped another.

“Yes, many times,” the boy sighed. “My Mum used to say that if I stayed up when it was dark, he would curse me to be unlucky for the rest of my life.”

“My Mum said that too!” The other person yelped. “Oh my— do you think we have the same Mum?”

"If it were that easy, someone would have tried already," said Wei Wuxian, concluding the conversation. He jerked up from where he sat and swiftly snaked an arm around Jiang Cheng's shoulders. "It's still early. Let's go hunt some pheasants!"

Jiang Cheng shook him off, and stepped away from him for good measure. "Forget about the pheasants! Lan Qiren ordered you to copy The Book Of Discipline three times, and reflect on your wrongdoings."

Wei Wuxian dramatically held out a hand, gasping. "Three times?! I'd rather kill myself! No way!”

Lan Wangji looked momentarily struck by the words, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on Wei Wuxian’s hand. Upon seeing his husband so disturbed, Wei Wuxian guiltily squeezed his back.

“I’m sorry, Lan Zhan, that was really stupid for me to say,” he said apologetically.

“Now isn’t that sweet?” said Wen Ruohan happily.

"Overprotective husband is always a bonus!"

"This is what my parents should be like. Instead, there's one screaming and another chasing them with a fan."

Nie Huaisang tapped Wei Wuxian on the shoulder and smiled widely. "I'll do it for you! I'll do it!"

Wei Wuxian paused thoughtfully. "Hm? But you won't do it for free, will you? Say it. What do you want?"

Nie Huaisang nervously chuckled, and he squeezed his closed fan more tightly. "Here's the thing, Wei-Xiong,” he said, timidly scratching his cheek. "Lan Qiren has a bad habit. He likes to quiz us unexpectedly-"

"Hold on!" Wei Wuxian interjected, holding out a hand to stop his rambling. "You want me to take the exam for you?!"

“Huaisang?!” thundered Nie Mingjue, immediately looking down at his trembling brother, who was hiding his face with his hands.

Nie Huaisang tutted as he grabbed Wei Wuxian's hand and passed him a scroll. "No, telling me the answers is enough! I've got everything prepared."

"HUAISANG!!"

Nie Huaisang ran away.

Wei Wuxian opened the small scroll and observed the contents with a frown, "Lan Qiren already hates me. If he finds out.."

"Please, Wei-Xiong!" Nie Huaisang pleaded. "It's okay, nothing will go wrong."

“I never thought there’d be a day where Wei Wuxian was afraid of getting in trouble,” said Lan Xichen fondly.

“Well, his punishment was already bad enough, I’m sure he knew that acting up again would just result in even more,” said Jiang Wanyin.

The screen suddenly switched to Nie Huaisang, who was hanging his head as he trailed behind Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin.

"Well... Sorry, Wei-Xiong,” he said dejectedly.

Lan Xichen’s kindling admiration crumbled as soon as it sprouted, "...Nevermind."

“Did they really think Lan Qiren wouldn’t find out?” Jiang Wanyin huffed. “Such idiots.”

"Didn't you say it'd be okay?!" exclaimed Wei Wuxian.

Nie Huaisang looked up at him, and he looked genuinely bewildered. "I didn't expect Lan Zhan to suddenly appear..."

"Anyways, you're on your own,” said Jiang Wanyin, motioning to the building they had arrived at. "There, the library is right ahead."

"It's only copying a book,” said Wei Wuxian happily, skipping across the bridge. “Huaisang~"

"Lan Qiren said no one is allowed to help you," Nie Huaisang reminded him.

"How would he know that?" said Wei Wuxian, quickly opening the door. "Unless… Does he have someone watching me?"

"Exactly,” said Jiang Wanyin.

"Seriously?!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed as he looked inside the room, where Lan Wangji was already seated, copying down various scriptures. As though acknowledging Wei Wuxian’s presence, Lan Wangji slowly looked up at him.

"Yes! Lan Qiren said he's to copy The Book Of Discipline three times! They'll have plenty of time to bond!"

"Lan Qiren, you genius!"

"You're so amazing! I respect you so much!"

Lan Qiren, while he had always wanted respect from the younger generation, felt as though he had only gained more grey hairs in those few seconds.

Wei Wuxian stared in astonishment, "Lan Zhan..."

After seeing Lan Wangji, Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng once again smoothly slipped away, not wanting to get themselves in any sort of trouble.

"These two never fail to make me laugh. Who knew Sect Leader Jiang used to be so fun?"

Jiang Cheng cleared his throat loudly. "Used to be?"

"Yeah that's right!"

"He's so scary now!"

Jiang Cheng began to mutter curses under his breath, such as: 'These idiots’ and ‘They don't know how to appreciate humour.’

Wei Wuxian turned around, only to see that they had both slipped away when he wasn’t looking. "Hey! You little-" he suddenly remembered who was behind him, and he let out a heavy sigh, "This guy is dead boring. And I'll have to sit with him for an entire month? This is torture."

“There is no way he didn’t say that loudly on purpose,” said Jin Zixuan. He looked at Wei Wuxian, who was quietly giggling into a hand, to his husband's exasperation.

"Wei Wuxian, be sure to thank Lan Qiren next time."

"An entire month with him means an entire month of improving your relationship–”

"Lan Wangji still hates him, remember. Perhaps they use it to flirt? Is this the ‘Love Arc’ where they grow strong feelings for one another, but unfortunately have to hide it from the world?”

“Flirting? I don’t think so, considering how Lan Wangji is now. Maybe they just bond, who knows?”

“That’s more likely! Besides, I do like my bromance — you know, platonic love between brothers?”

"No, no, no! They're lovers , not brothers! Say that one more time and I'll break your legs!"

The crowd’s eyes immediately whipped to Jiang Wanyin, before they all double-took when they realised it was a woman who had spoken.

‘So a woman like Sect Leader Jiang really exists?’

The Library Pavilion, a place accustomed to silence and peace, was now filled with Wei Wuxian's cheerful laughter, dramatic sobs, and intrigued questions. "Wangji-Xiong, a question for you. Do you really hate me?"

"No," came an immediate reply from Lan Wangji.

“You’re still ignoring me,” Wei Wuxian whined, and Lan Wangji simply continued to remain silent.

“Well done, Wangji,” said Lan Qiren, nodding in approval.

"..."

"..."

"At first, it looked like he was just annoying Lan Wangji, but I'm beginning to think he's one of those little boys who tease the girl they like."

Jiang Cheng looked as though people were only just coming to their senses after a long dream, "It was exactly like that. Lan Wangji this, Lan Wangji that. Wei Wuxian didn't shut up for even a second!"

Wei Wuxian chuckled and used two fingers to tap on the table, and they slowly crept closer and closer to Lan Wangji with every word he spoke. "Hey, hey. What should I call you to get a response?"

"Honestly, who pesters someone this much?!"

"How did it take thirteen years for them to get together? It looks like they were both interested at the start."

“Really? Because Lan Wangji looks so in love,” said Jiang Wanyin sarcastically.

Wei Wuxian tried leaping into his personal space when he least expected it, but Lan Wangji didn’t get shocked or speak a single word to him. "Wangji?"

After receiving no reply, he continued, "Lan Wangji?"

"So this is when Wei Wuxian began to call him so intimately," commented a middle-aged woman. "I remember those days like they were yesterday — no one dared to even call him Lan Wangji in his presence.”

“No wonder… he looks like the type to bite your head off if you get too close. Too scary!”

Wei Wuxian slumped onto the table, ready to give up, when he looked as though he was struck by a brilliant idea. "Lan Zhan!"

Lan Wangji didn’t look up at him, for he was busy trying to tug his sleeve away from where Wei Wuxian was sitting on it.

Jin Ling rolled his eyes, but he immediately closed them after realising his mistake, "Uncle, who knew you were even more annoying when you were younger? Poor Hanguang-Jun for putting up with it!”

“A-Ling, manners,” said Jiang Yanli sternly. Jin Ling looked at her, nodded, and was silent for a long while after.

Lan Jingyi rubbed his eyes in confusion, and then he tapped his ear as though he couldn’t believe what was happening right before him. “What? Jin Ling actually shut up when he was told to, for once? Madam Jiang is so amazing!”

Ouyang Zizhen was just as astonished. "He's an arrogant peacock with the temper of a young mistress! I never knew someone would be capable of shutting him up!"

Jiang Yanli softly smiled at them. "Call me auntie, you two. You're A-Xian's beloved juniors, after all.”

Meanwhile, many of the Jin disciples began to whisper among themselves, some with surprise, and others with admiration.

"Madam Jiang is a good mother to her son."

"I wish my mum was like that. All she ever does is scold me."

"I'm so envious."

“I’m so glad we have someone like her teaching our Sect Leader. The previous Madam Jin was a right nutjob!”

Jin Zixuan’s neck stretched and his head was so high that he started to look like a peacock. 'That's right! Praise my wife! She's amazing!'

Wei Wuxian continued to murmur nicknames to himself before he jerked up, as though struck by an epiphany. "Oh, I got it! Second brother Lan!"

His rambling came to a halt when both of his lips were shut together, silencing him.

"The Lan Clan's silencing spell,” concluded many at once, who had all witnessed it in person many times already.

“The number of times Lan Wangji uses that spell never fails to amaze me,” said Nie Huaisang quietly. “You’d think it was an abuse of power…”

Wei Wuxian's face turned red and he began to frantically claw at his throat. He hurriedly sat down, grabbed a piece of paper and an inked brush, and began to speedily write.

Lan Wangji watched with a neutral expression, even as the paper was shoved in his face. "..."

It read: Sorry, please remove the spell.

"Of course now he's sorry,” sneered Madam Yu. “Only punishments work on that boy.”

Lan Wangji lifted his book to cover half of his face, and indifferently watched as Wei Wuxian slumped over in defeat.

"...Is he laughing?"

"He's actually laughing at Wei Wuxian! What other reason would he cover half of his face?!"

"That's right! I see his shoulders shaking!"

Wei Wuxian glanced at his husband with a wronged expression, "Lan Zhan, were you really—?!"

Both Lan Wangji’s refusal to meet his eyes and his odd silence was answer enough.

“Wait, so it's true?!” Wei Wuxian cried. “You actually were laughing at me?!"

Despite Wei Wuxian’s many attempts at garnering Lan Wangji’s attention, nothing could break his cold, frigid exterior. After laying down for a while, pondering over what to do, Wei Wuxian conjured yet another drawing and presented it to Lan Wangji: A fox and a chicken facing one another.

Lan Wangji took the sheet of paper, ignoring the hopeful glance in Wei Wuxian’s eyes, and neatly folded it into a square before chucking it into a box adjacent to the desk.

"Boring," Lan Wangji murmured. He appeared indifferent, yet there was a hint of fondness in his eyes and he released the spell.

"Fondness... FONDness... FONDNESS!!" A girl squealed, excitedly clapping hands with Wen Ruohan, who was just as energetic. It took a moment for her to realise what she had done, and she quietly retreated into the crowd, her face red and ashamed.

When the spell was finally lifted, Wei Wuxian exhaled deeply. "Oh god, I thought I was gonna die!” When he finally caught his breath, he turned to face Lan Wangji. "Hey! Lan Zhan, I wanted to apologise to you! How could you treat me like that?!"

"Apologise?"

"Someone please explain to me how that held some semblance of an apology."

Lan Wangji didn’t spare him a glance, and he continued looking at his book.  "One more word, it will be four times."

At a complete loss, Wei Wuxian eventually gave up and left Lan Wangji to his devices.

Diligence, Morality, Harmony, Perseverance

---

"What's this?"

"It's a select few of the 4000 GusuLan rules," explained one of the Lan disciples.

“Wasn’t it 3000?”

"Oh, that sounds boring. Why are we seeing this? Someone skip to the cute parts."

"...We can't skip it, and how is it unimportant? Don’t attack the entire Lan Clan like that, Shidi."

The screen switched to Wei Wuxian’s exhausted face, lying on the floor after having completed a long day of writing lines. Lan Wangji was sitting at the very same desk, and he was turning the pages of a thin book.

Faith, Respect, Modesty, Loyalty

The drawings eventually piled up until the box was full with the small folded papers.

“Did you notice how Lan Wangji hasn’t thrown them out?” said Wen Ruohan, grinning widely. “I’m sure it would have been easy for him to burn them, even — but he’s kept every one.”

Be honest and sincere, Trust is the coin of the realm

One Month later.

"The month is over? That quick?"

"I wanted to see more sweet moments, such as Wei Wuxian teasing Lan Wangji. It’s just too funny!"

The screen switched to Wei Wuxian diligently writing, his brows furrowed and eyes concentrated as though he was very determined. Lan Wangji was busy reading another book when Wei Wuxian appeared in front of him. He looked up, not at all amused, like he half-expected Wei Wuxian to prank him again.

"Young Master Lan, it's been a month. I won't come in tomorrow," said Wei Wuxian, whipping out a large sheet of paper and thrusting it in Lan Wangji’s face. "Here's a parting gift for you. You can have it."

The image was a very detailed drawing of Lan Wangji elegantly sitting at his desk, turning the page of a book. Lan Wangji’s eyes widened, and he looked up at Wei Wuxian like he was seeing him for the first time.

“Wei-Xiong, I forgot you were good at drawing,” said Nie Huaisang thoughtfully. “I should get you to help me paint my fans – we would totally be such good fan friends!”

“Hold on a minute,” said Lan Sizhui slowly, tilting his head in confusion. “Isn’t that… Isn’t that the picture A-Die has framed in the Jingshi?”

Wen Ruohan’s ear twitched. “What? Framed?”

“So Hanguang-Jun really kept it?!” Even Lan Jingyi looked surprised. “I never would have guessed…”

Lan Wangji sighed, as though acquiescing, and he placed down his book for the first time, taking the sheet of paper from Wei Wuxian’s hand.

"He's not folding it,” squealed a girl excitedly. “Oh my days, HE'S NOT FOLDING IT! AHH! NIE HUAISANG LOOK AT THIS!" she said, grabbing the Sect Leader by the arm and shaking him wildly.

Nie Huaisang, who was being shaken like a ragdoll, groaned, "I can see it! I can see it! Can you let go, please?!"

But as soon as Lan Wangji saw the entire whole picture, his face contorted in anger instantaneously.

"What? Why is he angry?"

Standing out in the drawing was a large flower atop his head that he hadn't noticed before — most likely because Wei Wuxian's hand had been covering it purposely.

"Oh."

"Oh."

"Oh."

"Well that's certainly one way to get him to notice you."

Wei Wuxian burst into explosive laughter and he was so hysterical he started to slap his side with a hand. "How do you like the gift, Young Master Lan?! Ahaha!"

"Bo-"

Before Lan Wangji could continue, Wei Wuxian interjected, "It's 'boring' again, isn't it? Can't you say anything new?"

He cast a short and brief glance at the book Lan Wangji had been reading, and a small mischievous smile crept up his face.

"Wei-Xiong, don't tell me this is–" gasped Nie Huaisang.

Wei Wuxian grinned. "That's right!"

"Extremely boring."

"Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Great things must be said thrice! Lan Wangji has broadened his vocabulary!"

"Wei Wuxian, you're amazing!"

Lan Wangji placed down the drawing and grabbed the book he was just reading. When he opened it, his eyes widened in shock and terror. Mostly terror, though.

Lan Wangji silently placed down the drawing and picked up the book he had just been reading. When he opened it, however, his eyes widened in indisputable shock. He immediately threw the book to the floor, which fluttered open and revealed many inappropriate drawings.

“Shame…less…” Lan Qiren choked out before he once again spat out an alarming amount of blood. Lan Xichen was fortunate enough to catch him in time before he slumped to the hard floor upon having fallen unconscious.

The Lan disciples who witnessed it happen jerked up at once and broke into a panic.

"Grandmaster Lan! Don't die!"

"Ahh! He's dead! What do we do?!"

"Uncle! Stay with me!"

"He's lost too much blood! He's dying!!!"

“Hey, everyone move out of the way!” said Wen Qing, gently pushing the crowd of Lans to the side. “I’m a Doctor, let me through. This is happening way too much for it to be safe on his body.”

Wei Wuxian had already anticipated Lan Wangji’s rage and he had hid himself discreetly behind a bookshelf. When Lan Wangji looked at him furiously, he once again burst into a fit of laughter.

Lan Wangji was so furious that he was trembling. “ Wei Ying!”

“Ah, Lan Wangji finally said his name,” said Wen Ruohan joyfully. The crowd could just imagine him sitting back with a cup of tea as he leisurely watched a fierce battle take place. “He skipped from the Gongzi straight to birth name… I can’t say I’m complaining, though.”

Wei Wuxian let himself flop onto the floor, still chuckling. It seemed like he hadn’t had this much amusement for days. "I'm here! I'm here!"

"You-" Lan Wangji subtly glanced to Bichen that was stationed on the wall behind him. Upon seeing this, Wei Wuxian instantaneously grabbed the book and rushed for the exit to the Library Pavilion.

"Smart decision."

“I’ll light some incense for you, Wei Wuxian, because I don’t see you coming out of this alive.”

‘Do not fight privately,’ Lan Xichen thought of a rule Lan Wangji himself had punished disciples for breaking, and he laughed. ‘It looks like Wuxian has already affected him this much. Though I must say, I never did know the extent of Wei Wuxian’s trouble-making.’

He was just glad his Uncle was in the care of a renowned doctor. If he had been awake, he would already be in a pool of blood.

"Ai- Don't fight!” called out the bold maiden who had previously been manhandling Nie Huaisang. “Why does it always end with you two fighting? —  Aiyo, I'm so angry — Lan Wangji, don't injure Wei Wuxian, you'll regret it — I could die because of these two idiots — They’re just so frustrating!" When she finished, she was breathing so heavily that a few had grown concerned.

Nie Huaisang silently stepped away, afraid of her latching onto his arm once more.

Lan Wangji had unsheathed Bichen and he was chasing Wei Wuxian around the library, murderous intent extremely vivid in his eyes. Wei Wuxian grabbed Suibian from where he had placed it on the table, and he held it up to Lan Wangji. "Manners! Second Young Master Lan, mind your manners! If you fight me, your library will be destroyed!"

Lan Wangji was still trembling in fury. "You.. What on earth are you?!"

Wei Wuxian seemed to think about a response before he simply laughed. "I'm a man."

“If I had said that, it would have been straight to the streets with me, I can assure you.”

"Have you no shame?!" exclaimed Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. "So this is something I should be ashamed of? It's just erotic art. Every man has seen something like that. Don't tell me you've never seen it."

"Of course he hasn't! Did you forget he was raised in the GusuLan Sect?!"

“Yeah, but—” a young disciple began.

"Let me repeat myself,” The Lan repeated firmly. "He was raised in the GusuLan Sect."

"...Okay."

After a few moments of not receiving any response, Wei Wuxian glanced at Lan Wangji and he gasped. "Have you actually never-"

"Get out. We will fight," said Lan Wangji coldly.

"Fight?! Fighting without permission is forbidden!" spluttered Lan Jingyi, who had never seen Hanguang-Jun himself break the rules so effortlessly.

Wei Wuxian looked at him and tutted. "No, no, didn't you know, Second Young Master Lan, fighting without permission is forbidden in Cloud Recess."

" Now he decides to follow the rules?"

"He's even scolding Second Young Master Lan!"

“What a bold young man!”

Lan Wangji paused for a few seconds before swiftly grabbing the book from Wei Wuxian's hands. Wei Wuxian chuckled, "Why are you fighting for it? You don't need to fight for it even if you want to read it. I borrowed it only for you, anyway.” He quickly added with a smirk, "Now that you've seen my kind of fiction , you're my friend!"

Lan Wangji clenched the rolled-up book in his fist, gradually infusing more and more spiritual energy into his palm. "I. Will not. Read it."

Wei Wuxian sighed as he watched the remains of the book fall to the floor. "Tsk, what a waste."

“A waste indeed,” said Nie Huaisang solemnly.

Lan Wangji sent him a warning glare. "Get lost."

The Lans broke into scandalised gasps.

"Second Young Master Lan, language!"

"How could you say that to your Zhiji- I mean Young Master Wei?!"

The slip-up didn't go unnoticed to Wen Ruohan, who sent the group of Lans a smirk. His expression looked as though he was plotting or conspiring something very intensely.

Wei Wuxian leapt to his feet and looked at Lan Wangji with a wronged expression. "Look at you, Lan Zhan. Everyone says that you're a gentleman of excellence, the pearl of the world, carrying yourself with unparalleled courtesy--So it turns out this is it."

"I'm pretty sure that you're the only one who thinks he's 'the pearl of the world' . How oblivious can you get?"

"Didn't you know that noise is forbidden in Cloud Recess?" Wei Wuxian continued, "And you even told me to 'get lost'. Was it the first time you said such a thing to someone-"

He was interrupted when Lan Wangji thrust Bichen just centimetres away from his throat. Wei Wuxian swiftly dodged it, and they continued the fight on equal footing.

“They fight so much! Do you think this is just their way of communicating?”

Wei Wuxian began to climb out of the window, one leg hanging inside, one leg outside. He held two fingers together and saluted to Lan Wangji, who glared back at him. "Then get lost it is! I'm the best at getting lost. No need to see me off!"

He leaped out, landed firmly on the ground, and was greeted by a group of disciples, as well as Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang.

"He's here, he's here!" they said at once, quickly shuffling forward to talk to him.

Lan Wangji paused. 'They were waiting outside?'

Wei Wuxian seemingly caught on to his confusion and smiled, "Lan-er-gege, I'm really sneaky aren't I? There’s loads of rules I’ve broken that you never caught on to.”

Lan Wangji didn’t look at all bothered. “Mn.”

Nie Huaisang's eyes sparkled in admiration and reverence. "Wei-Xiong, this is the first time I've heard Lan Wangji tell someone to 'get lost'! How did you do it?!"

Wei Wuxian shrugged, and he didn’t look at all put-off by the attention. "What an occasion today that I helped him receive his first. Nie-Xiong, what happened to your yellow-book was truly a pity. I haven't finished reading it yet. It was incredible!"

Nie Mingjue's lips twitched, "What?"

Nie Huaisang shook his head enthusiastically. "Not a pity at all! I have as many as you need!"

Nie Mingjue thundered, "HUAISANG! GET HERE RIGHT NOW!!"

But Nie Huaisang was nowhere to be seen, for he had seen this coming and had already run away before his Da-Ge could catch up.

Wei Wuxian snaked an arm over Jiang Cheng's shoulders, who didn't make any move to shake it off, and instead focused on scolding him. "What are you gloating over?! You've seriously offended Lan Wangji and Lan Qiren. Just wait for your death tomorrow! Nobody's gonna bury your corpse for you."

Wei Wuxian grinned, "Who cares as long as I've teased him? You've already buried my corpse so many times. There's nothing wrong with once more."

"Shoo, shoo! Don't let me know next time when you're doing such a thing! Don't ask me to watch, either!"

In moments, the screen gradually transitioned into darkness.

" Jian is so cute!" exclaimed one of the girls.

" Jian ? What's that?" asked another.

"It's a ship name for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji! 'Ji' from 'Wangji' and 'An' from 'Wuxian!'

"No offence, but that sounds really bad."

"What about Wuji?" suggested a third party. "The 'Wu' from 'Wuxian' and 'Ji' from 'Wangji'? Their ship name describes them, unrestrained! Their love is-"

"Stop. That's really cheesy."

"How about Xianyun?"

Wen Ruohan laughed very loudly, and gathered everyone’s attention at once. "Girlies, Wuji and Xianyun are really nice ship names, but what about Wangxian ? Forgetting Envies. "

"Oh my word, Grandmaster— I mean– Wen Ruohan, you're a genius!"

"Wangxian it is!"

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian hummed, "That one felt quite short. Why did we need to see that anyway? Lan Zhan already knows how cheeky I am."

"Mn." Lan Wangji agreed. He paused for a moment before adding, "Sorry.." 'For what I did to you in the past 'was heard but not said.

Wei Wuxian beamed, "Lan-er-gege, it's fine. Anyways, aren't I really handsome?! I was so handsome back then, right? Right?!!"

"Mn."

Wei Wuxian gasped, "Lan Zhan, your ears are red! So do you prefer that body to the one I'm in now?!"

"Wei Ying is Wei Ying."

"Lan Zhan, you're so good~"

Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng choked on his saliva.

Still lying unconscious and in Wen Qing's care, Lan Qiren paled. (Seriously, was it a sixth sense?)

Wei Wuxian pried off his husband's arm from his waist (after much resistance) and walked to the platform, Jingyi trailing behind.

Wei Ying scrolled through the list of names, "Hmm. Resurrecting someone is a big deal, Jingyi, leave it to the adults."

Jin Ling snorted, "So Uncle is doing it too."

Lan Jingyi pouted, "B-But! A-Niang!"

Wei Wuxian began to turn around, "Ai! Don't disobey your parents. How disrespectful- AH!" he startled when an expressionless face appeared instead of the youth's. He clutched his chest, "Song Lan, don't scare me like that!"

Song Lan bowed, "My apologies, Young Master Wei. It's just.." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "This can resurrect people, yes?.."

Wei Wuxian nodded.

"Then..." Song Lan Continued.

"It's possible." Wei Wuxian assured, knowing what the other wanted, "Xiao Xingchen might be one of the people from the same category you came from. There's only a few people who fit the 'Yi Quartet' section and what-not."

"En."

Wei Wuxian turned around, pressed the buttons like a pro, and the screen eventually showed the four character buttons. [Character Two] was no longer lit up like the rest.

He gestured to Song Lan to choose one, in which he pressed [Character Three]

A while light engulfed the room for a brief moment.

When the brightness finally lessened, a petite figure holding a bamboo walking stick timidly glanced around. As soon as they saw Song Lan, tears cascaded down their face like a broken stream and they ran up to him, itching to jump into his arms, "Daozhang! You're alive!"

Song Lan nodded, a hint of a smile in his eyes, "Miss, I'm glad you're alright."

A-Qing rubbed at her wet eyes, "I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry..."

After a moment, she paused, "..Wait. My voice?!" She glanced up, "My eyes?! ...Daozhang, I can see! I can speak!"

He let a small smile creep up his face, "En."

A-Qing glanced around for the familiar figure of Xiao Xingchen, "Does that mean..?"

Song Lan shook his head, much to her despair.

On the screen, large text appeared. [Episode Four ( 第四集 )]

Wei Wuxian walked away with a smile, not before giving them both an assuring nod.

He once again seated himself, ready to watch.

The screen showed the following morning, where Nie Huaisang excitedly ran down the halls of Cloud Recess with a joyous smile. "Wei-Xiong! Wei-Xiong!"

As soon as he reached Wei Wuxian's room, he slammed the doors open, "Today really is your lucky day!"

Wei Wuxian sat up from his bed, "Really? What's up?"

"Last night the old man went to Qinghe to attend our sect's discussion conference! No school for the next few days!" Nie Huaisang merrily informed.

 Wei Wuxian's eyes lit up, "Wow!"

"Wow!" The juniors repeated in unison.

He jumped off the bed and began to pull on his shoes, "This day really is my lucky day--Even the heavens are helping me! Ahaha!"

Jiang Cheng was seated on his own bed, calmly polishing Sandu's blade, "When he comes back, you're still gonna get your punishment."

Wei Wuxian flashed him a bright smile and a thumbs up, "Why should the living care about their death? I'll keep up the carpe diem till then!"

Some of the younger disciples paused, as if actually considering his words.

Though, it didn't last for very long. They were soon sent warning glares.

He lightly kicked Jiang Cheng in the leg, "Come on! Let's go do some carpe diem !"

Yu Ziyuan huffed, "Always dragging A-Cheng into trouble. You're a disgrace to our sect!"

Nobody decided to mention how he defected long after her death. (It'd be amusing to watch her reaction when she finds out.)

When they finally left the room, the trio walked along the silent hallways, Wei Wuxian in the centre, "I refuse to believe that I can't even find a few little pheasants on this mountain of the Lan Sect's. Haha!"

"He's always thinking of ways to break the rules. Is there ever a time where he isn't, or at least isn't thinking of breaking a rule?"

"Tone it down a bit!" Jiang Cheng warned.

All three disciples paused when they found themselves standing in front of a pair of Lans: Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian blinked, "Huh? There are two.." 

The crowd burst into a chorus of laughter.

"There are two Lan Wangjis?! That's clearly Lan Xichen!"

"This little idiot, oh my god!"

Wei Wuxian pouted, "It's not my fault they looked so similar.."

Lan Wangji couldn't stop the snicker that escaped his lips.

Wei Wuxian sent an accusing glare, "Lan Zhan, you're laughing too?! It wasn't my fault!"

"Mn.. Sorry *cough* Wei Ying."

"Hey! Was that another laugh?! Don't think I didn't hear that!"

His gaze locked upon the younger of the Twin Jades, "Lan Zhan!"

"At Least he knew which one of them was his husband." Wen Ruohan snickered.

Lan Xichen smiled, "You two are?"

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng both saluted, "Wei Wuxian of YunmengJiang." "Jiang Wanyin of YunmengJiang."

"Brother Xichen.." Nie Huaisang timidly whispered from behind.

"When did he get there?!"

"If he didn't speak, I wouldn't have noticed him!"

"This act of his is quite amazing.."

The juniors paused.

"Wait- Act?!"

"Oh god, I forgot! This was just an act, wasn't it?!"

"He's too good! Too good!"

Nie Huaisang let a smile creep its way up his face, "I am quite amazing, right Da-Ge?"

Nie Mingjue nodded, "Quite."

As soon as the smile came, it faded, becoming a timid frown, "D-Da-ge.. Don't give me extra fencing lessons.. It's too exhausting.."

"He's too believable!" A Nie disciple commented.

"Sect Leader Nie, teach me how to do that! I can finally avoid the demon called my father-" Ouyang Zizhen was dutifully slapped on the back of his head.

Lan Xichen glanced to Nie Huaisang, "Huaisang, sometime ago, before I returned from Qinghe, your brother asked about your studies. How have you been? Will you be able to pass this year?"

"Probably.."

Since two years ago when he first came to study in Cloud Recess, Nie Huaisang's grades have never passed a 'B', thus his brother has always forced him to retake the course.

"I guess it doesn't work against Nie Mingjue."

"Sadly it doesn't.." Nie Huaisang whined.

"You've got it rough," Lan Jingyi patted him on the back, "Fighting!"

"Zewu-Jun, what are you two planning on doing?" Wei Wuxian smoothly changed the subject upon noticing Nie Huaisang's discomfort.

Nie Huaisang gaped, "Wei-Xiong?! You're so considerate! I wasn't facing you so I wouldn't have known!"

Wei Wuxian beamed, "I'm so considerate, right? Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, tell me I'm considerate!"

Lan Wangji nodded, "Mn. Wei Ying is considerate."

Wei Wuxian practically glowed in happiness at the response.

Jiang Cheng shook his head, "He's becoming more and more childish. Seriously, how does Lan Wangji live with that?"

"To exterminate a few water ghouls. We are short of hands, so I returned to fetch Wangji." Lan Xichen informed.

Lan Wangji grabbed Lan Xichen's hand and tried to pull him away, "Brother, there is no need for small talk. The matter permits no delay. Let us depart immediately."

"He's just shy~" The girls teased, "Don't be shy, court Wei Wuxian and tell the world how he's yours!"

"Yes!"

"Have some passion, Lan Wangji!"

"You need to feel the passion!"

"Wait, wait! I know how to catch Water Ghouls!" Wei Wuxian interjected.

"Well done, Wuxian! Two points for you!" A girl squealed.

"Change that to three! He's setting himself up!"

Lan Wangji clenched his fists at his sides, "That is not necessary. The GusuLan Sect is also-"

"In Yunmeng, we catch Water Ghouls all the time." Wei Wuxian smoothly cut him off, "And we have no lessons for the next few days anyways. Zewu-Jun, could you take us along?"

Lan Xichen smiled, "Sure, then, many thanks for the help. You can go prepare. We will depart together. Would Huaisang like to come as well?"

Nie Huaisang was jolted out of his daze, "I'll pass. I need to review for my lessons.."

Nie Mingjue exhaled a fond sigh, "Huaisang.. So you can actually revise for your lessons? I'm proud of you."

Nie Huaisang felt a wave of delight and warmth wash over him, "Da-Ge.."

"Let's go!" Wei Wuxian beamed as he snaked an arm around Jiang Cheng's shoulders, "Time to get ready for catching Water Ghouls!"

"Good going, my son!" Wen Ruohan decided to ignore the glares he was sent, "We just need them to be left alone and get lost in the middle of a forest! Then they fall in a river! Soon after, they will take off their shirts to let them dry in a fire. Secretly, they'd both take peeks at one another when suddenly, they notice that the other was staring too! Both of them will turn bright red and hastily look away!"

Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow, "That's quite the story.. Where'd you hear that? Kind of lame."

Wen Ruohan laughed, "It's a cliche scene in the romance novels I read! My personal favourite is Love is Magic ! It was written a couple years before the war."

Lan Xichen gasped, "You have that book too?!"

Nie Huaisang jumped between them, "I have it too!"

"Haha! That's good!" Wen Ruohan chuckled, "We're like little girlies who discuss their favourite things with each other!"

"That's right! That's right!"

As he watched them leave, Lan Wangji sent Lan Xichen a betrayed look, "Brother, why did you bring them? Exorcism is no laughing matter!"

"Haha! He really was betrayed! Sect Leader Lan, you little schemer!"

Lan Xichen grinned with pride, "I was just doing my job."

Lan Xichen's expression never faltered for even a second, "The head disciple and son of Sect Leader Jiang are quite well-known in Yunmeng. They should know more than laughing."

"Xichen-ge! You understand us so well!" Wei Wuxian beamed.

Lan Xichen grinned knowingly at Lan Wangji, "And, you wish for him to go as well, do you not?"

"What?"

"He does?!"

"How can Sect Leader Lan tell?!"

The girls rolled their eyes, "Seriously? You can't tell? What are your eyes even for?"

After receiving no response, he elaborated, "I only agreed because you looked as though you wanted the Head Disciple of the Jiang Sect to come along."

Wen Ruohan lightly shook his head with a wide grin, "Sect Leader Lan, you sure do know your stuff! Setting them up like this, you have earnt my respect!"

Lan Xichen smiled, "It was my pleasure. You also have a good eye, as well."

Wen Ruohan held out a hand, in which Lan Xichen shook gratefully. The former sighed, "We would be great sworn brothers, wouldn't we? Your little brother and my son-" A glare from Jiang Fengmian. "-I mean Wei Wuxian. Although they are married, there's still plenty of ways we can set them up aha!" He's actually my soon to be son' went unsaid wasn't unheard.

Nie Mingjue stood up, "Xichen! Why are you making friends with that degenerate?!"

Jin Guangyao had the urge to step in as well but paused when he realized that he was still in hiding.

Lan Xichen beckoned a snarling Nie Mingjue over with a hand and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

Not even a moment later, Nie Mingjue and Wen Ruohan shook hands, while the former sent small glances to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. (The girls suspected Lan Xichen coaxed Nie Mingjue into joining their little fanclub. They didn't mind. The more the merrier, right?)

Lan Wangji glanced down, not wanting to meet his brother's omniscient gaze. "There is no such thing." He would appear to be unfazed if not for the slight redness at the tips of his ears.

"Denial is unhealthy." Wen Ruohan tutted.

"Mn." Lan Wangji agreed.

"His ears are red again!" A girl commented.

"Too cute! I might just die!"

"Yes! I'll die too!"

The screen switched to the bustling streets of Caiyi Town. Some ran their stalls whereas others peacefully conversed and friends merrily laughed with one another. 

"Small streams and bridges. People living next to the water. Caiyi town is truly wonderful!" One of the Lan disciples commented.

"That sounds like something Huaisang would say." Nie Mingjue chuckled.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian's bright laughter echoed within the streets, lightening up the atmosphere, "We're so fortunate to be here! Thank god! Lan Zhan is busy hunting Water Ghouls. Lan Qiren went to attend the meeting held by the Nie Clan."

The screen showed Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng sitting at a table, eating frozen dessert.

"Good luck has come!" Wei Wuxian continued, "And there's no way to stop it!" He scooped up a spoonful of the food and happily moaned as it melted on his tongue.

"How positive!"

"He's right! Always look at the bright side of things!"

"When you have good luck, don't let anyone spoil it!"

"Good luck?" Jiang Cheng scoffed, his head lazily rested onto a palm, "You have offended the Lan Clan. When Lan Qiren comes back, he'll make you pay for it."

Wei Wuxian clicked his tongue with a grin, "Since you've covered for me so many times, this one time isn't a big deal.-"

Yu Ziyuan sneered, "That's exactly right. A-Cheng, why are you always the one clearing up that brat's mess? You're the master, he's the servant-"

Her lips were slammed shut once again.

She sent a glare to the Lans, specifically Lan Wangji.

"-And who cares what'll happen in the future? Let's enjoy things while we can! We're in the thick of spring, and we have this delicious milky frozen dessert. Why not just enjoy it?"

"Now that he mentions it, that frozen dessert looks delicious!"

"I want some!"

"Father, take me to Gusu!"

Jiang Cheng watched as he took another bite, "You're acting like you've never eaten frozen desserts before."

"Well.. Cloud Recess always starves people!" Wei Wuxian refuted, "If I could eat these amazing desserts every day, I wouldn't mind staying in Gusu. I really envy people who grow up with these frozen desserts."

Lan Wangji's ears perked at their conversation, "Will buy frozen desserts for Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian cooed, "Lan Zhan, you're so precious. Thank you for doing that, husband!~"

Nie Mingjue stared holes into the couple. His eyes, however, had a strange glint to them.

"Come on," Jiang Cheng huffed, "If he made you copy books for another month, you would disappear faster than a rabbit."

Wei Wuxian simply stuck his tongue out in response.

"I bet shijie would love this!" He chirped, "We can come back here and bring some home with us!"

Jiang Cheng hummed in agreement.

Jiang Yanli smiled, "A-Cheng, A-Xian, you're so considerate."

Suddenly, an alluring scent wafted past Wei Wuxian's nose. He sniffed the air, trying to deduce the smell's origin. After a few moments passed, he spun around with a smile, "That smells like rice wine!"

"Truly one of us!" Wen Ruohan praised, "He can smell Rice Wine from that distance away! I really want to drink with him! Maybe we can on the day I adopt him."

"You mean 'Truly an alcoholic '." Jiang Cheng corrected, "He's too obsessed. Although we're cultivators and we can cleanse it out of our systems, it's still unhealthy."

He ran towards the docking, jumped into a boat and began to push forwards using the bamboo stick provided.

"Don't run so fast. You'll fall in the water." Jiang Cheng scolded.

Wei Wuxian grinned as he drifted further away, "Thanks for your concern!"

"Cheng-cheng is so adorable!" Wei Ying cooed, "He pretends to scold me but is actually just worried!"

"Worried?! Who said I was worried?" Jiang Cheng scoffed, incurring soft laughter from Jiang Yanli.

She fondly smiled, "I'm glad they're on good terms again. The scene I caused earlier didn't particularly help.."

Jin Zixuan shook his head, "You were just worried for A-Xian. Though, when you slapped A-Cheng, you looked really amazing!"

Jiang Yanli chuckled, "That wasn't really the response I was expecting but thank you anyways."

She got up from her seat and pulled Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian into a hug, "A-Cheng, sorry about earlier. A-Xian, keep teasing A-Cheng, his reactions are cute."

Wei Ying beamed, "See! Even Shijie agrees!"

Jiang Cheng gaped, "A-Jie!"

Jiang Yanli chuckled.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fengmian sent a triumphant smirk to Wen Ruohan that screamed: Ha! Look at that! Whose son is he now?!

Wen Ruohan yawned, "What's with that look Jiang Fengmian is sending me?--Anyways, my son is so cute, isn't he Huaisang?"

Nie Huaisang eagerly nodded, "A heartwarming family reunion! So precious! I need to paint this scene when everything is over!"

The screen switched to Wei Wuxian as he ran up to Lan Xichen and pointed to the river, "So it happened in this river path?"

"Finally getting serious?"

"He's been joking around so much that I forgot why they were even there."

"This water path leads to a large lake ahead, called Biling Lake." Lan Xichen answered, "Water ghouls have not haunted Caiyi Town in over ten years, but in the past few months, people often drowned in this river path and Biling Lake. Boats carrying goods have also been sinking."

"Damn."

"That's bad."

"That's really bad."

"I miss fairy."

Jin Ling received various unamused stares, "What?"

"Were arrays set up to catch the water ghouls?" Wei Wuxian questioned.

"Yes. A few days ago, I set up net arrays here. I thought that I could catch one or two, but there were more than a dozen Water Ghouls." Lan Xichen informed.

"A dozen?"

"Isn't that concerning? Shouldn't you like--get a big group of big boys and destroy them all in one go?"

"Big boys?"

"Strong cultivators, you know what I mean?"

"They're all turned from the people living here?" Jiang Cheng asked.

Lan Xichen shook his head, "I am afraid not. We cleaned the corpses, brought them to the town, and asked around. There were many corpses that nobody claimed. Yesterday, arrays were set up again. Even more of them were caught."

"Water ghouls become accustomed to specific regions of water. It's usually a single region, the region where they drowned. They never really leave it. Which is why the chance that they floated here from somewhere else isn't big." Wei Wuxian added.

The juniors quickly pulled out a blank talisman to jot down notes.

"That is correct. Thus, I felt that this was no simple matter and brought Wangji along, in preparation for mishaps."

Wen Ruohan nodded with approval, "Good choice, brother. Good choice."

The girls had an inkling that he wasn't talking about how Lan Xichen dealt with the Water Ghouls, but was saying that due to the fact he brought Lan Wangji along.

Lan Wangji watched them converse with an indecipherable expression.

"Why is he glaring at Wei Wuxian--No--Isn't he glaring at his brother?! Haha, he's drinking vinegar! Do you smell it?!"

"I smell it! It's so strong I think I might pass out!"

"+1" The girls added.

"+1"

"+1"

"+1"

The boats travelled across the water path and eventually entered Biling Lake.

"Woah, that's kind of pretty-"

Wei Wuxian put his hand into the water, letting a few strands of the Water Ghouls' remains coil  around his palm.

He lifted it and narrowed his eyes in thought, "So we can't catch it by nets alone. If only there was something like a compass that can point out where the ghouls are."

"A compass.. That sounds familiar- OH GOD IT'S THE COMPASS OF EVIL!"

"Haha you fools! I now know the origin of the Compass of Evil!"

"So he'd been thinking of inventing it for quite a while?"

"It's a genius idea, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, we can let him off. It's useful in nighthunts."

"Hey!" Jiang Cheng used his bamboo stick and splashed him with the water, "Focus on the water and look out for Water Ghouls. Don't start daydreaming."

"Sect Leader Jiang, so responsible. He's even able to stop the Yiling Patriarch from thinking of his evil business. I have a newfound respect for him."

Wei Wuxian chuckled, "Cultivation and controlling swords used to be lunatic ideas." He purposely moved his boat, letting it float towards Jiang Cheng's as he whispered, "I think the Water Ghouls appeared because Biling Lake is so full of resentment. Instead of catching a few Water Ghouls, why not address the resentment and then thoroughly solve this problem?"

"..."

"..."

"You reverse the natural order, ignore ethics and morality!" Lan Qiren was quickly sedated by Wen Qing before he spat out blood again.

Jiang Cheng shoved his boat away with a foot, "You're not getting enough from copying The Book of Discipline three times."

As if realizing what he'd just said, Wei Wuxian hastily covered his mouth with a hand and began to laugh awkwardly.

"He's been running his mouth to everyone about becoming a demonic cultivator, and it is only now that he realizes?"

It was then when he turned around to stare at Lan Wangji, that an abnormality was noticed. 

"Of course he's staring at Lan Wangji. Of course!"

"An appropriate distraction!" Wen Ruohan approved.

Wei Wuxian waved, "Hey! Lan Zhan!" he broke into a series of jumping and splashing the water, "Look at me! Look at me!"

"Lan Wangji, oh Lan Wangji. Just give your wife a glance, he's husband starved!"

"How can you be so cold?!"

"So unattentive!"

Jiang Cheng looked like someone had just stolen the piece of food he'd saved for last, "Hey! Wei Wuxian, can't you be serious for once?!"

"I know that look! It's the look my father gave me when I said I wanted to buy the Special Edition Cutsleeve Romantic Adventure book three!!"

Ignoring Jiang Cheng's calls, Wei Wuxian lunged his bamboo stick towards the jade, resulting in a large wave erupting from the lake.

"Why are you doing that, Wei Wuxian?! Attacking your husband simply because he wasn't paying any attention is... Actually quite reasonable..."

Lan Wangji skillfully avoided the upcoming water and jumped onto Lan Xichen's boat, "How ridiculous!"

"Woah! Lan Wangji broadened his vocabulary once again! Wei Wuxian, you're simply too amazing!"

"He's right! First it was 'boring', then 'extremely boring', and now ' how ridiculous'! He isn't even using 'boring'! Such improvement!"

Wei Wuxian simply smiled and used the bamboo stick to turn the boat over, revealing three Water Ghouls that had clung onto the bottom.

"Water Ghouls." Lan Wangji stated.

"I take everything I had said back! He saved his husband! Lan Wangji, you better grovel at his feet and say thank you before I come there and smack some sense into you!"

The Lans were quick to get net arrays and had already begun to apprehend the Water Ghouls.

Lan Xichen bowed in thanks, "Young Master Wei, how did you know that they were under the boat?"

Wei Wuxian grinned, "Simple! The draft was different. He was the only one standing on the boat, yet the draft was larger than those of boats with two people on them. Something was definitely clinging to the bottom."

"I never would have thought of that! Wei Wuxian, you genius!"

"An expert indeed, Young Master Wei." Lan Xichen praised.

"The day is bright, the night is dark, and I don't know what's happening anymore."

"Were you not paying attention?"

"Idiot, you should have been. Now you won't understand a thing."

"Who's the idiot?! I just got distracted by.. Well.." The girl sent a few glances to where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were too busy in their own world to notice anything.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian pushed his boat further ahead until he was in line with the one inhabited by the Twin Jades, "Lan Zhan, I didn't mean to splash water on you. Water Spirits are crafty. If I said anything, they'd hear me and run away."

"That's quite smart. I would have just yelled. He really thinks things through, doesn't he?"

Jiang Cheng snorted when he heard the last statement.

After receiving no response, he continued, "Hey, can you hear me? Lan Zhan? Lan-"

"He really just wants Lan Wangji to notice him, doesn't he?" Someone giggled.

A girl sighed, "These two are hopeless."

Wei Ying sighed into Lan Wangji's sleeve, "Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, you were so beautiful I couldn't help myself. You were so fun to tease."

"Wei Ying is more beautiful."

"Lan Zhan is."

"Wei Ying."

"Lan Zhan."

"Wei Ying."

"Lan Zhan."

"Wei Ying."

"Go get a room!" Jiang Cheng yelled, "We're trying to watch something here!"

Lan Wangji held up a hand to silence him, focusing on the figures swimming underwater.

"There are more Water Ghouls underneath!" A Lan disciple shrieked.

"Oh god, are they going to be okay?"

"I hope they get through this!"

"Fighting!"

Water Ghouls climbed up onto their boats, trying to haul themselves on. Others were unfortunate enough to have their boat tipped over.

Jin Ling pulled a face, "The Water Ghouls look really disgusting. I wouldn't want to go near them."

Jingyi grimaced, "I'm glad I was born in this generation." 

Nie Huaisang fanned himself with a hand, "I heard about what happened, but now seeing what it was like for myself, I can only praise past me for refusing their invitation to come."

Lan Wangji eyed the creature that persistently clung to the edge of his boat. He unsheathed bichen, pushed himself into the air, and sliced it in two. 

"So elegant! So beautiful!" Wei Wuxian praised, "My husband is an immortal!"

The girls nodded in agreement.

"So attractive!"

"So cold!"

"So unapproachable!"

Multiple Water Ghouls climbed up onto the boat, their weight slightly tipping it over.

Before Lan Wangji could think to force them off with bichen, they were all eradicated in one fell swoop.

"They are so fast!" A familiar voice spoke in awe.

Lan Wangji turned around, only to see Wei Wuxian sheathing his sword with a click .

"Usually the husband protects the wife but I can live with this! A strong wife and strong husband sounds interesting!"

"A Power couple!" Wen Ruohan added.

There was an uncanny silence.

"What is the name of this sword?" Lan Wangji asked, staring at said sword.

"Whatever." Wei Wuxian replied, placing it on his back.

Those who understood stifled a laugh.

Others simply watched, gawking at the disrespectfulness.

"..." Lan Wangji stared with an indecipherable expression.

Wei Wuxian frowned, 'Did he not hear me?'

"Whatever." He repeated.

Lan Wangji pursed his lips, "The sword is spiritual. It is disrespectful to name it as one pleases."

"Exactly!"

"It's disrespectful!"

"Extremely disrespectful!"

"As much as I love you Wei Wuxian, I have to be on Lan Wangji's side this time."

"Ugh." Wei Wuxian sighed, "You don't get the joke? I didn't mean that you could call it whatever you wanted to. It's just that my sword's name really is 'Suibian'--'Whatever'.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Jingyi snorted, "Sorry to disrupt the silence, but that is so A-Niang."

Jin Ling huffed, "You're right, it sounds like something he'd do."

He took the sword and held it out to show Lan Wangji, "Here, take a look."

Lan Wangji held the sword and stared at the sheath with a blank expression. "..."

Many mirrored his expression. "..."

"So it really wasn't a joke?"

"I assumed the Yiling Patriarch would have a cooler name for his sword like Sect Leader Jiang's Sandu."

"I suppose it's unique.."

Taking it that he understood, Wei Wuxian retrieved the sword, "You want to ask me why it's called this, don't you? Everyone asks if there's a special meaning behind it. In reality, there's no special meaning at all."

"-When uncle Jiang gave me the sword and asked me what I was calling it, I came up with more than twenty names, but I wasn't pleased with any of them."

A chuckle, "Of course he rambles on about the backstory without asking Lan Wangji."

"He's leaving him no room to reply!"

"I decided that I could let Uncle Jiang name it for me, so I answered 'Whatever'.

"..."

Wen Ruohan chuckled, "Lan Wangji looks really unamused."

"But who could've known that after the sword was casted, these were the two characters engraved on it."

"I really don't know how to feel about this."

"Should I congratulate him?"

Wei Wuxian smiled, reminiscing at the memory, "Uncle Jiang said 'If this is the case, why not let the sword be called Suibian?'"

"So Jiang Fengmian was in on it as well.."

"Actually, the name's kind of neat, isn't it?"

"It's a fine name, I suppose."

"Uniqueness can be beautiful."

"How absurd!" Lan Wangji berated.

"You really are too boring." Wei Wuxian sighed. 

A girl rolled her eyes, "Yet you still follow him around like a little duckling."

"What a fun name this is. It's especially great for tripping up you serious ones. Works every time, ahaha!" 

He suddenly paused and stared at the water beside the boat, "Lan Zhan, your boat!"

"Well done for staying alert, A-Xian ." Jiang Fengmian praised, sending a smirk to Wen Ruohan.

Yu Ziyuan clicked her tongue, "At least tell A-Cheng he did well. He's your son."

Lan Wangji swiftly unsheathed bichen and launched his sword into the lake, creating a large splash. "It missed?"

He beckoned bichen to come back while contemplating the lake.

"It came again!" Su She yelled.

"SU SHE?!" A disciple unsheathed their sword on instinct but startled at the cold blood flowing from their nose.

Wen Qing glared, "Everyone's being such idiots. I don't want an entire army of patients, thank you very much."

"..Sorry."

Su She sent his sword diving into the lake with a single command. When he was ready to call it back up, all he was met with was silence. "Where did the sword go?"

Su She paled, 'I can't summon it!'

Everyone burst into laughter.

"It backfired! It actually backfired! He tried to imitate Lan Wangji but failed!"

"Such an idiot!"

A few stifled snorts erupted from the Lans.

A nearby disciple scoffed, "Su She, we have not even confirmed what the underwater creatures are. Why did you drive your sword into the water on your own?"

"I saw that Second Young Master also sent his sword.." He bit his lip, "I... I was too full of myself.."

"Indeed you were!"

"Die!"

"Idiot!"

"Su Shit, I hate you!"

Su She clenched his fists, "Su Shit? SU SHIT?! HOW DARE THEY!"

Jin Guangyao suppressed a chuckle.

With a timid expression, he glanced to Lan Wangji, who was standing as elegantly as usual.

"Imagine being so stupid that you compare yourself to Lan Wangji."

"Imagine!"

"Nobody can rival him, except from Wei Wuxian of course. But for us normal people, comparing yourself to him is like an insect comparing themselves to an animal. Don't do it or your self esteem will be as insignificant as Su She's existence."

"Agreed."

"Well spoken."

Suddenly, the water in their area darkened. Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes, "Head back, right now!"

"Why is that?" Lan Xichen questioned.

"The creatures of the waters led the boats to the center of Biling Lake on purpose."

"How does he know that?"

"I didn't get any signs."

The waves were no longer settled, causing the boats to sway and rattle.

"Damn."

"It's as rocky as my parents' relationship."

"What is happening?!" A disciple panicked.

Wei Wuxian frowned, "Why did the water change colour?"

"Someone drank too much water and couldn't hold it in-" Ouyang Zizhen was slapped on the head by his father, "What? Can't I make a joke?!"

"What is that?!" A disciple shrieked, pointing to the whirlpool.

"A whirlpool?!" Another panicked, "We are being sucked inside!"

"So many questions. Calm down, youngsters." Wen Ruohan tutted.

Lan Xichen eyed the boats that slowly sunk underneath the water's surface. "Mount your swords!" He ordered, jumping onto his own.

The Lan disciples followed suit, rising into the air and distancing themselves from the water.

It wasn't long after that Wei Wuxian noticed Su She struggling from where he stood on his boat.

Jiang Cheng pursed his lips, "I see where this is going."

Su She panicked and sent waves of Qi into his sword but to no avail.

Wei Wuxian lowered suibian so he was level with Su She and held out a hand, "Hold on!"

"NO!" Someone screamed, "Let him die!"

"Yeah! Let him die!" Another added.

Everyone in the room began chanting a series of either "Let go!" or "Die!" or "Scum!"

Su She clicked his tongue, "Bastards. If I weren't in hiding, I'd kill them all."

Jin Guangyao stiffly smiled. 'I love his enthusiasm but whether or not he has the ability is a different matter entirely.'

Su She swiftly spun his head around and immediately grabbed the hand offered without a moment's hesitation.

Struggling to withhold the extra weight, Suibian wavered.

"Drop him!"

"What is your husband supposed to do if you get hurt?!"

Wei Wuxian, as well as Su She, were both yanked down. Despite the danger, Wei Wuxian persistently held onto the Lan.

Jiang Cheng scoffed, "Wei Wuxian's hero complex is always getting the better of him."

'Just what in the world is this?!'

"Who cares?! Let the man go!"

Suibian lowered and lowered, causing the water to rise high above Su She's chest as he sank.

'I can't anymore..' Wei Wuxian felt his grip loosen as both arms felt like they were being forcefully yanked out of their sockets.

"You'll get hurt!"

"Wei Wuxian!"

Just before Su She was fully sucked in, a hand grabbed Wei Wuxian by his collar. "Huh?"

He spun his head around, only for his eyes to collide with two piercing gold ones, "Lan Zhan?!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" The girls screamed.

"Thank goodness!"

"The husband to the rescue!"

"Lan Wangji saved him!"

"Wei Wuxian, you're so lucky! If your husband was a second later, you'd be drowning already!"

"Well done Lan Wangji!"

"Congratulations!"

"You saved your wife! +8 points!"

Lan Xichen turned to the Lans, "Retreat as soon as possible!"

"Yes!"

"It is a Waterborne Abyss." Lan Wangji deduced.

Wen Ruohan frowned, "It shouldn't be able to grow in Caiyi Town. The people there are known for being good with water. Just what on Earth..?"

"That would make things difficult." Lan Xichen sighed.

"A Waterborne Abyss is extremely powerful. I feel bad for Sect Leader Lan. So young yet he has so many responsibilities."

When they were far away from the lake, everyone dismounted their swords.

Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji shared a glance.

"A Waterborne Abyss?" A Lan disciple questioned.

"Most of the people around Caiyi Town are good with water," Another added, "A Waterborne Abyss cannot possibly grow from this area!"

Many nodded in agreement.

"It should be impossible."

"Why did one grow all of a sudden?"

"This happened years ago, don't fret about it."

"I agree. The past is the past. It's probably already been dealt with since this happened decades ago."

"But the suspense is fun!"

"It's like a mystery that we need to uncover!"

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, "Because a Waterborne Abyss appeared here, there's only one possibility.."

"It was chased here from somewhere else." Wei Wuxian added, "Once a Waterborne Abyss grows, it means that the whole body of water is turned into a monster, and is extremely difficult to exterminate."

"Unless every single drop of water is taken out, all of the people and goods that sank are fished up, and the riverbed is exposed to strong sunlight for quite a few years. But these tasks are near impossible to do."

Lan Jingyi pulled a face, "Every single drop of water?! How on Earth would you manage that?!"

"However, there is one method that can solve the immediate problem at the expense of others--Chase it to another river or lake and let it wreck somewhere else."

"Who would think of doing such a thing?!"

"No honorable cultivator would do that! They'd die trying to exterminate it!"

Lan Wangji spun his head around to Lan Xichen, "Has anywhere suffered from a Waterborne Abyss lately?"

Lan Xichen stayed silent and simply pointed to the sky.

Everyone instantly understood.

'The QishanWen Sect.'

Wen Ruohan was sent many glares.

He raised an eyebrow, "What? Why are you looking at me? I didn't do anything."

After the glares didn't subside, he continued, "It wasn't by my orders, at least."

"Too bad for Caiyi Town that they chased the Waterborne Abyss here." A Lan disciple sighed.

"Why didn't we know about this? We weren't informed that the Wen Sect had done that."

Lan Xichen sighed, "At the time, their influence on the cultivation world was far too great for us to oppose. Accusing them of such a thing would be the same as digging your own grave."

"If the Waterborne Abyss grows larger and expands to the town's river paths, all those people's lives would be in the monster's hands. This really is.."

"That's quite dangerous.."

A sigh, "This is the responsibility us cultivators carry--Lives."

Wei Wuxian crossed his arms, "Since their Sect is the one that did it, no matter how much we accuse them, it's going to be useless."

"First, they won't admit it. Second, there won't be any compensation anyways." Jiang Cheng pointed out.

"That's a good point. Back then, the Wen Sect were so arrogant to the point that no one dared to oppose them. Anyone who did, well, had their life ended much sooner."

Lan Xichen shook his head, "Let it be, let it be. We should head back first. Let us deal with this after your teacher returns."

"He ended the conversation so smoothly. That's admirable."

The screen switched to Cloud Recess, where Wei Wuxian once again strolled around while being followed by Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang, and a few disciples.

“They’re like little fans, following Wei Wuxian around like that.”

“It’s kind of cute!”

"A Waterborne Abyss grew in Caiyi Town?! Now things are gonna be difficult.." Nie Huaisang tutted.

"You can't exterminate something like this, but the Lan Sect can't chase it somewhere else like the Wen Sect did either." Wei Wuxian reminded, clearly not pointing out the information he got incorrect.

"It's an extreme difficulty." Jiang Cheng added, though was unjustly ignored.

Nie Huaisang beamed, "But because of this, now we're free!"

Wei Wuxian shrugged, "You're absolutely right. The Lan Sect's leader is practicing secluded meditation most of the time, and the old man is drained of energy because of this."

The two jades seemed to deflate at the mention of the previous Sect Leader.

Wei Wuxian whispered a silent 'sorry'.

"The time he spends teaching us is getting shorter and shorter too. Now he's got no time to watch over us!"

Lan Wangji lightly sighed, "Uncle worked hard raising me and XiongZhang. He didn't have to take the responsibility and yet he did."

Wei Wuxian smiled, "I feel bad for putting him through all of that trouble. But he's quite the man for raising my husband and making him so adorable."

Wei Wuxian patted Nie Huaisang's back, "Let's go, let's go! Today let's wander around the mountain again."

As they walked past the Library Pavilion, Wei Wuxian glanced up and stared at the figure in white reading a book.

"Even Wei Wuxian can't resist his beauty!"

"I understand why he's known as boring, though. Who reads a book in their spare time when they could be doing other things?!"

Lan Wangji turned his head, only to be met with Wei Wuxian's blinding smile. It wasn't the same one he had after fooling around, however, but was instead a much calmer, softer smile.

Jiang Cheng choked, "You look like a lovestruck maiden."

Wei Wuxian grinned, "Am I not?"

Lan Wangji let himself drink in the sight.

"He's watching Wei Wuxian with those eyes again! So beautiful!"

"They are officially soulmates! You can't change my mind!"

Wen Ruohan nodded, "I agree. Maybe instead of a war, we could have worked on shoving these two together."

"There'd most certainly still be a war against YunmengJiang if you keep your claws near A-Xian." Jiang Fengmian muttered under his breath.

Yu Ziyuan glared, "Don't joke about things like that Fengmian. That's our Sect you're talking about! ..And to think you used to be Sect Leader."

"A-Cheng's Sect." Jiang Fengmian corrected, "Besides, it wasn't much of a joke--"

"--FENGMIAN!"

Jiang Fengmian seemed to cower at her fury, "..Okay, okay. Calm down, my lady. I didn't mean it."

"Oh. My. Goodness." A girl clutched at her chest, "I might die."

Her friend shook her head, "A-Yu, I won't be able to light incense for you, sorry. Though, I can ask to be buried in the same grave!"

'A-Yu' hugged her friend, "Bestie, let's die together!"

"Yes!"

Lan Wangji wrapped Wei Wuxian in a tight embrace, "Wei Ying put himself in danger again."

Wei Ying let himself bathe in the love of his husband, "Sorry, Lan-er-gege. Thank you for saving me, my handsome knight."

Lan Wangji smiled, "Always."

Jiang Cheng scowled, "Wei Wuxian and his hero complex. He's always putting himself in danger while trying to save someone else."

'A-Yu' gaped, "You-"

Nie Huaisang quickly shushed her, "Jiang-Xiong is just worried for Wei-Xiong. It is a special condition called Jiang-Xiong's aggressive affection for Wei-Xiong . JXAAFWX for short."

'A-Yu' sighed in understanding, "I see. So he is just angry externally..." She grabbed out a piece of paper and began to scribble notes onto it.

Nie Huaisang paused, "Miss, what are you doing?"

She looked up, "Taking notes."

"..What for?" Nie Huaisang asked. Oh , how he desperately wanted his fan.

She smiled, "He reminds me of my dog called Xiao Putao."

"...Who names their dog Xiao Putao?" Nie Huaisang was definitely sure this woman was a gender-bend of Jiang-Xiong. (He'd read books like that, okay?!) First it was the 'I'll break your legs' and now it's the weird naming (Who names their dog Little Grape?!). 

They're a match made in heaven!

"What's your name?" He asked. If he was going to set Jiang-Xiong up, he needed a name at least.

"Li Daiyu." She answered.

Nie Huaisang blinked, "Is there a reason you don't take your Sect's surname?"

She shrugged, "I'm not in any Sect."

"Then why are you--"

"I was with my brother." She cut him out, grinning, "I jumped onto his back to annoy him but we were suddenly taken here. I suppose it was because I was touching him at the time."

Nie Huaisang began to fan himself with his hand, "I see, I see. Are you married?"

"No."

Nie Huaisang seriously would knock some sense into this girl if he had his fan. Why was she answering such private questions so easily? Where's the sense of security? First she was weeping on his shoulder, a man's shoulder , and now this..

"So.. What are the notes for?" He asked. If this girl was really interested in Jiang-Xiong, then it could work! Taking notes on a boy means they like him, right?

Li Daiyu smiled, "I'm thinking of a nickname. Xiao Putao has JXAAFWX like Sect Leader Jiang. I'm thinking of naming him Angry Grape."

Nie Huaisang pulled a face, "How did you remember that--Anyways, why isn't it something like 'Handsome Jiang' or 'Purple Sect Leader'--"

He paused.

Okay, that sounded quite lame.

"Tell me what name you have come up with later, okay?" Nie Huaisang internally patted himself on the back. He could first become friends with her and then matchmake her with Jiang-Xiong.

Things would go great. (Nothing ever does for Nie Huaisang.)

Chapter Text

Wei WuXian was shown as he climbed up a tree and grabbed onto the balcony. On the other side, of course, was Lan Wangji.

Wei WuXian cheerfully waved, even as he hung off of the balcony, "Lan Zhan, I'm back! How have you been without me copying scriptures with you? Miss me?"

"Mn." Lan Wangji hummed.

Wei Wuxian giggled, "Lan-er-gege, I missed you too!"

Jiang Cheng made a choking sound.

Lan Wangji remained indifferent, not sparing Wei Wuxian even a glance, "Leave."

Wei WuXian grinned, "If I don't, will you throw me down?"

Lan Wangji slammed his book shut.

"Lan Wangji has had enough."

"He's definitely had enough."

"His patience wears thin, yet Wei Wuxian insisted on fanning the flames. This is simply the consequence; being shunned by your man."

"Don't be so scary!" Wei WuXian chuckled, "I'm here to apologize by giving you presents."

Jiang Cheng scoffed, "Apologize? Wei Wuxian, I never knew that word existed in your dictionary."

Wei Wuxian shook his head and rubbed his heart, "Jiang Cheng, I have a big heart. I apologize for my mistakes all the time."

Lan WangJi sternly replied, "No need."

"You really don't want them?" There was a hint of disappointment in Wei WuXian's tone.

"Hmm.." The girls seemed to be staring at his face, trying to find something.

"Now now girlies, let's not be too hasty. We can say that Lan Wangji is an easy person, but Wei Wuxian has yet to recognise him as his soulmate." Wen Ruohan tutted.

"You're as smart as ever, Senior Wen!"

"How could we not have realised? Wei Wuxian isn't slow to fall in love, but Lan Wangji is simply too easy!"

Lan Wangji's ears flushed as he mumbled under his breath, "Not easy.."

"..." Lan WangJi decided to remain silent.

Despite Lan Wangji's refusal, Wei WuXian began to shuffle a hand through his robes, grabbing at something hidden within them. He pulled out two large rabbits, one black and one white, and presented them with a smile.

“They’re black and white! Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s colours! Truly a match made in heaven!”

The juniors paused, a flash of realization flickering through their eyes.

Ouyang Zizhen's jaw dropped, "Hanguang-Jun's rabbits in the back mountain... Are they..."

Sizhui nodded, face still mid-gasp, "A-Niang must have given him them.."

Wei WuXian climbed onto the ledge and sat down on it, getting himself comfortable. He cradled the two rabbits in his arms, "It's really quite weird here. There are no pheasants, but there's a lot of wild rabbits. They aren't even scared of people."

"So how about it?!" He shoved them both into Lan Wangji's face, holding them by the ears, "Fat, aren't they? You want them?"

Lan WangJi blankly stared at the two rabbits with an indecipherable expression.

Wei WuXian shrugged, "Fine. If you don't want them, then I'll give them to someone else. The food here has been too mild, anyways."

The juniors broke into gasps.

"Senior Wei, how could you think of doing such a thing?!"

"Those poor, innocent rabbits!"

"Killing is forbidden in Cloud Recess!"

"A-Niang, don't say that in front of A-Die!"

"Hanguang-Jun will skin you alive!"

"Stop!" Lan WangJi interfered, "To whom are you giving them?!"

"I'm not sure if he's just jealous, or if he's more worried about Senior Wei roasting them.."

Wei Wuxian let himself present a grin, "Whoever's the best at roasting rabbits."

"Killing is forbidden in Cloud Recess. It is the third rule on the wall." Lan WangJi reasoned.

"Yes! Hanguang-Jun, you must stop him!"

"Fighting!"

Wei WuXian clearly didn't mind, because he found a way to bend the rule anyway, "Fine. I'll go down the mountain, kill them outside, and then bring them back to roast it."

The Lans despaired, "Noooooooo!"

They'd grown fond of Hanguang-Jun's rabbits. The cute things were too adorable to kill!

"It's not like you want them, so why do you care so much about them?"

"You really don't know anything, do you, Wei Wuxian?"

"How can someone be so smart yet so dumb at the same time?"

Jiang Cheng snorted, "Trust me, I wonder that too."

Lan Wangji clenched his hands into fists, tightly gripping his robes, "Give them to me."

Wei Wuxian cocked his head to the side, "Hm? You want them now? Look at you, you're always like this."

He gently (?) set the rabbits down onto Lan WangJi's paperwork (!!) and watched as they tred muddy footprints (!?!) all over the white sheet (!!!). After a while, they settled down and began eating their lettuce.

"That's Lan Wangji's work!"

"It's ruined!"

Wei Wuxian giggled, "Lan Zhan!"

"What's with the sudden enthusiasm? I'm getting a bad premonition.."

Lan Wangji, "What?"

Wei WuXian watched the rabbits in interest, "Look at them; one is on top of the other. Are they..."

"WEI WUXIAN!" Jiang Cheng hysterically yelled.

Wei Ying innocently shrugged, "What? They're just bunnies, what's the problem?"

"You're so shameless!"

Wei Wuxian grinned, "I thought you already knew that, Jiang Cheng!"

"You- Get here right now!"

Wei Wuxian helplessly clung to his husband and squealed, "Lan Zhan, save me! A scary man is trying to take me away! He's trying to separate us!"

Lan Wangji hugged Wei Wuxian tightly, "Will save Wei Ying."

Jiang Cheng pointed a trembling finger at the couple, "You've corrupted Lan Wangji, you've corrupted Nie Huaisang, and you've even corrupted Wen Ruohan of all people!"

Wen Ruohan turned his head at the mention of his name, "What was that, Angry Purple Lotus?"

Jiang Cheng seemed to turn even redder in anger. (And yes, that shade of red indeed existed).

"Angry Purple Lotus?! What idiot came up with that name?! You- You've all been corrupted!"

Li Daiyu decided to join in the conversation, "Ay? I'm the genius who made the name, for your information. Did you need something, Angry Purple Lotus?"

Nie Huaisang peeked over from behind Li Daiyu, whom he was hiding behind, "Jiang-Xiong! You look a bit red, did you need some water?"

Jiang Cheng clenched his fists, deciding to remain silent. "..."

Lan Xichen watched with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, "Young Master Jiang, would you like to sit back down?"

Wei WuXian frowned, "I was having so much fun teasing- I mean talking to Jiang Cheng that I forgot what just happened."

"We were at the-'They look like me and you! One of them is on top of the other. Are they doing the forbidden loquat?" Nie Huaisang said, making sure to use emphasis on the last two words.

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, "He didn't say that, don't change it how you like."

"Both of these are male!" Lan Wangji quickly reasoned.

Wen Ruohan chuckled, "These rabbits describe wangxian in every way. Lan Wangji, denial is unhealthy."

The girls nodded in agreement, "Senior Wen, your wisdom is truly unrivaled!"

"Male?" Wei Wuxian hummed, "How befuddling."

"Wei Wuxian, you need to broaden your world views. Girls aren't everything, you know! And don't think I do not know about how you flirted with girls all the time back then! Rumors are powerful!" Li Daiyu said.

Nie Huaisang frowned, "Girls aren’t everything? Aren't you a girl too? Wait. Then...Then are you actually a ma-"

His mouth was quickly covered by a hand.

Wei Wuxian held the two rabbits by the ears and examined them, "They really are male!"

"You didn't need to look at their...Uh....things to know that, Wei Wuxian.."

"So shameless..."

Wei WuXian leaned over into Lan Wangji, an arm resting over the latter's shoulder, "Males then, males. Why are you so serious? Speaking of, I'm the one who caught them, and I haven't even noticed whether they're male or female.."

A smirk crept its way up his face, "Just where are you looking at?"

The crowd burst into laughter.

"Lan Wangji, try to deny that!"

Wen Ruohan chuckled, "Haha! He got you this time, Lan Wangji."

Still unconscious, Lan Qiren somehow managed to lift a finger, "Sh..Shameless."

Lan Wangji glared at the rabbits as if they stole his kidneys and ran away with them.

Everyone felt a cold breeze blow up their skin.

"Scary." Nie Huaisang squeaked.

Sensing that Lan WangJi was about to snap, Wei WuXian jumped out of the window with bright laughter.

Lan WangJi slammed his hand onto the desk, "GET LOST!"

"Lan Wangji loses his composure the more he stays with Wei Wuxian. Haha, it proves how much Wei Wuxian has had an impact on him!"

He sat down and facepalmed, his face bright red.

“Is he just angry or embarrassed?”

"Hmm.. I think it's a bit of both."

The next day, Lan WangJi stopped going to class with them.

"What!? Why?! When?! How?!"

"Calm down, it doesn't mean he's in seclusion or anything. He just won't be attending classes."

Nie Huaisang beamed, "Speaking of, Senior W- I mean Wen Ruohan! Have you heard of the famous bunnies in Cloud Recess?"

Wen Ruohan raised an eyebrow, "Hm?"

The girls leaned closer, "What?"

Nie Huaisang happily beckoned them over and whispered as if it were a secret, "Pets are forbidden in Cloud Recess. However, Lan Wangji owns a large Colony of them!"

Everyone broke into scandalous gasps.

"Oh my!"

"Lan Wangji broke the rules?!"

"Why would he do such a thing?!"

"I could tell that he loved rabbits from the way he stared at them, but I never would have guessed!"

"That's not the best part," Nie Huaisang grinned, "And they originated from the two bunnies Wei Wuxian gave him!"

"No way!"

"That's so romantic!"

"Doesn't that mean they have an entire colony of children?!"

"Amazing!"

"As expected of Wangxian!"

In Cloud Recess, there was a long wall of hollowed-out windows. On every window of the wall is carved the life of each ancestor of the GusuLan Clan. And the oldest and most famous four windows told the life of the founder of the Lan Sect, Lan An.

The founder of the GusuLan Clan grew up in the temple as a devoted buddhist. He was clever, gifted, dedicated and extraordinary. His sermons attracted many people far and wide, many admired his wisdom and piety. At the age of 20, he resumed secular life, changed his surname to "Lan" and became a musician who wrote and played music. He traversed the world, cultivating. When he arrived in Gusu, he met the "Fated Person" and got married. Together they established the Lan Clan. After his wife died, he went back to the temple and died within its walls.

"So much information."

"My head hurts."

"It just shows how smart the Sect Heirs were to understand it!"

“Or maybe you’re just idiots.”

Wei Wuxian exhaled a breath in understanding, "So the founder of the GusuLan Sect was a monk--No wonder.. He ventured into the mortal world to meet one person, and she went, he went as well, leaving nothing behind in this world. But why would a person like him produce such unromantic descendants?"

"Unromantic?" A girl scoffed.

"Wei Wuxian, you dense idiot. I wish I could go back in time and slap some sense into you."

"I'm more interested in the 'fated person' he became cultivation partners with." A nearby disciple added.

"What kind of person could move the heart of the Lan Sect's founder?"

"Speaking of which, from all of the cultivator girls, which one do you think is the best?"

The girls watching glared, "Typical boys; only interested in girls. Maybe you should focus on your studies for once so you won't be so stupid."

"..."

"Didn't the subject of this conversation change a bit too much?"

"I agree. How on earth did discussing GusuLan ancestors turn into courting girls?!"

A disciple turned to Jin Zixuan, who was standing idly beside the window, staring outside, "Zixuan-Xiong, which girl do you think is the best?"

Madam Jin sighed. She knew her son well enough to confidently say that he would speak bad about Jiang Yanli without batting an eye.

"You shouldn't have asked Zixuan-Xiong about something like this. He's already got a fiance, so his answer has to be his fiance."

"Really? Which sect is she from? She must be extremely beautiful!"

Jin Zixuan scoffed, "Forget it."

Both Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng felt their blood rush to their heads, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'FORGET IT'?!"

Both Jin Zixuan and Wei Wuxian paled. They knew where this was going.

The disciples in the corner stepped back timidly, intimidated by the two.

"Is the phrase 'forget it' too difficult to understand?" Jin Zixuan sneered.

Wei Wuxian clenched his fists, "The phrase itself isn't hard to understand. Rather, it's hard to understand why in the world you're so unsatisfied with my Shijie."

"What? Jin Zixuan's fiance is Jiang Yanli of the YunmengJiang Sect?" A disciple asked, disappointed.

"With Jin Zixuan's circumstances, it's true that she's a bit unsuitable." Another added.

Wei Wuxian glared at the disciples on the screen.

"It's all because her mother and Jin Zixuan's mother come from sects that were close to each other. The two madams played together ever since they were young. They had a good relationship.."

Jiang Cheng stepped forward to berate them, but was stopped by Wei WuXian's interfering arm.

Yu Ziyuan muttered, 'At least the brat did something right for once', in which everyone heard. It was followed by a small 'Thank You', though no one could hear due to the quiet voice.

Jin Zixuan raised an eyebrow, "Why don't you ask me how in the world  could  I be satisfied with her?"

Jiang Yanli seemed to deflate as she held her head down.

Jin Zixuan hugged her tighter.

Jin Ling froze, recalling the taunts of the children years ago.

"Orphan! Orphan!"

"You had a mom to give birth to you, but not one to raise you!"

"Your mother was no good, even your father didn't like her!"

"They abandoned you!"

Jin Ling broke out of his daze when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He glanced up, only to meet the familiar eyes of his mother, "A-Ling, we love you. Back then, things between your father and I were.. Complicated."

Jin Zixuan smiled, "I love your mother more than anything. At this point in time, I was just unaware of how amazing she was."

Jiang Yanli sent her husband a warm smile.

Wei Wuxian felt his blood boil in fury as he stepped forward to be face to face with Jin Zixuan, "You sure think that you're pretty satisfying, don't you? Where did you get the guts to be all choosy here?!"

Jin Zixuan cockily raised his head, "What? Am I wrong? If she's unsatisfied, then tell her to get rid of this engagement! If you like her so much, then why don't you talk to her father about it? If you want her, I don't think he'd object."

Jin Ling bit his lip.

Jin Zixuan felt his stomach churn. Back then, he thought he had the world under his feet, and deserved only the best. It's only now that he realizes how lucky he was, and is. "A-Xian, A-Li, I apologise for being so insensitive.."

Li Diayu stood up from where she sat and began to storm over to Jin Zixuan.

Before she could get any closer, Nie Huaisang shamelessly clung onto her leg, "Ai!! Li-Guniang, calm down! Jin-Xiong and Jiang-Guniang are best friends now! I mean- They're a happily married couple! Jin-Xiong apologized to her already!"

Unaware of the two, Jin Zixuan paused, "...A-Li, I'm sorry about before. I never had the chance to apologize."

Jiang Yanli smiled, "It's alright, I've already forgiven you."

"See?!" Nie Huaisang was now clinging onto Li Daiyu's leg for dear life, "He's already apologized! Let's sit back down!"

Li Daiyu pursed her lips, "The stupid peacock apologized literally just this moment."

Seeing that he could not stop her advances, Nie Huaisang threw all of his pride out of the window and began sobbing onto her leg, "Jin-Xiong has a child now! You can't kill him! What will the little mistress do without his father?"

Li Daiyu paused.

She huffed, "Fine. But if he pulls a stunt like that again.." She signalled a hand to her neck.

Nie Huaisang paled, before hastily nodding, "Yes! Yes, I understand!" He internally noted to warn Jin-Xiong in the future.

Wei Wuxian felt his self-restraint snap.

"It's known how much Maiden Jiang cared for the Yiling Patriarch. I suppose the feeling was mutual."

"It's understandable why he killed Jin Zixuan. He's such a bastard. Probably takes after his father."

Obviously, those people hadn't met Jin Zixuan nor his father.

"But then.. Why did Wei Wuixan kill Maiden Jiang?"

"Doesn't he treat you better than his own child, or-?" Before Jin Zixuan could finish, Wei Wuxian's fist was launched into his face, sending him stumbling back.

Jin Zixuan instinctively clutched a hand to his face, the phantom pain too frightening.

"Oh no! They're fighting!" A disciple panicked.

Wei Wuxian grabbed him by the collar, uncaring for the onlookers, and repeatedly punched him black and blue.

Jiang Yanli gasped, "A-Xian! A-Xuan!" She had heard about what happened, but seeing it for herself was a bit disturbing.

Wei Wuxian pouted, "Sorry, shijie..."

He then glanced to Jin Zixuan, "Sorry about that.."

Jin Zixuan smiled, about to reply with an 'It's fine, I deserved it' but was immediately cut out, "You deserved it though, how dare you insult my shijie!"

Jin Zixuan deflated. It sounded much worse when someone else said it. "I was a jerk, no need to point it out.."

"Outrageous!" Lan Qiren yelled, despite it being one of the rules, "Cloud Recess is not a place for you to fight!"

Wen Ruohan snorted, "That old fart has always been so stiff. He's somehow everywhere yet nowhere at the same time. If there's a fight, or if someone is breaking the rules of Cloud Recess, he'd appear. Or one of his nephews.."

The fight was a shock to both of the two prominent sects. Jiang Fengmian and Jin Guangshan hastened to Gusu from Yunmeng and Lanling on the day. They cancelled the engagement between Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan.

Jin Ling gasped, "What-"

Jiang Yanli quickly shushed him, "Don't worry, it was only temporary.."

Jiang Fengmian's voice was heard, "A-Li's mother was the one who insisted on having this engagement in the first place. Looking at it now, as either of them are keen, it's best if we don't force it."

Jiang Fengmian sent a smirk to Wen Ruohan, 'Do you see now?! I'm an amazing father!'

Wen Ruohan was too busy watching the screen to pay him a glance.

Jin Guangshan, "Jiang-Xiong, If you think so, then..."

"Eww! Is that Jin Guangshan I see?"

"Disgusting! I need to clean my eyes!"

Madam Jin's atmosphere darkened at the mention of her husband.

The screen switched to the ancestral shrine, where Wei WuXian was kneeling on the floor, repenting for the previous fight.

Jiang Cheng approached with a sneer, "Look who's being so well-behaved."

Yu Ziyuan raised an eyebrow, "So he's wild when he's with us, but obedient for them? When he came back to Lotus Pier, he didn't seem so disciplined."

Wei WuXian grinned, "Of course. I kneel all the time. But Jin Zixuan is a spoiled brat, so he's definitely never kneeled before. If I don't make him kneel so long that he cries for his parents, my last name won't be Wei anymore."

“-I heard that he values his face as much as a peacock does. I wonder what he'll think after he looks in the mirror. Ahaha!"

Jin Zixuan shivered at the memory.

He paused for a brief moment, "So that's why they started calling me peacock.."

Jiang Cheng held one wrist with the other hand, showing how his palm was clenched into a fist, "I wanted to hit him as well. If you never stopped me, the other side of Jin Zixuan's face would also be ruined."

Yu Ziyuan glared at Jiang Cheng, "A-Cheng! Do not speak so improperly in public!"

Jiang Cheng sighed, "A-Niang, that was years ago. I'm a Sect Leader now, of course I know that."

Briefly, Yu Ziyuan seemed to appear a bit saddened. As quick as the flash of emotion appeared, it dissipated into nothing. (If she was sad about how much time she missed watching her children grow up, she denied it.)

Meanwhile, Jin Zixuan blinked, "Uh.. I don't really know how to feel about my brother-in-law wanting to punch me in the face when my other brother-in-law had already done so."

"Aren't you supposed to be scared? It was clearly a threat!"

Wei WuXian waved his hand in a dismissive manner, "If you have time, go visit Jin Zixuan and look at how idiotic he looks kneeling. No need to stay with me. If Lan WangJi comes again, you'll be caught by him."

"Again?"

"So he means Lan Wangji has come there before?"

"Why didn't we see it?! I want to see that!"