The Tamed

Bows and arrows

"Wen Ning might be a naïve boy, but I am not." Wen Qing said, still slightly wary at the two men.

Xiao Zhan flashed his sunflower smile,  "I knew you would say that. I got something you might find interesting enough for your study in medicines." He offered his wrist to the doctor, urging her to examine it. 

 Wen Qing was hesitant but her curiosity got the best of her. She had a suspicion about the aura surrounding the head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang since earlier and it intrigued her scholarly instinct. She took Xiao Zhan's wrist anyway and ran a quick check on his core's condition. Her scrunched her eyebrows and retracted her hands not long after that. "That is strange. It's like a two opposing powers flowing in you. One feels like... almost too dark. But the other is light. How do you even manage to balance it out?"

Xiao Zhan simply shrugged and said, "Isn't it interesting?"

Wen Qing chuckled slightly, "Well, I have to admit, you must have some sort of special power hidden."

Xiao Zhan smiled at this, and he wasn't exactly lying when he said he brought an interesting piece of information to show her. "Yes. Ah, that  reminds me. About the golden core transplant. In that future, you are the first person who will successfully perform the transfer of the core from a person to another. So, your theories on the subject are valid."

"Is it?" Wen Qing tilted her head, intrigued with his statement, "But this procedure is too risky."

"I know. The success rate is only fifty percent, am I right?"

"Hmm... Yes, that is right." Wen Qing nodded her head. She couldn't help but to ask further, " So, if you say it would be a success,  to whom and from who?"

"It's going to be a long story." With that opening, Xiao Zhan told them a run through on the Lotus pier massacres and the core melting incident that led to the procedure. The Wen siblings listened to his story intently and their faces showed how they were horrified to learn the mass murders. They both knew that their clan were capable of doing such things and they were deeply ashamed of the misdeeds and the bloodbath their clan caused (in that future). 

Xiao Zhan also described explicitly on all details of steps and process of the procedure for the transplant, Wen Qing was fascinated at how detailed his words were that she could not doubt that it was not indeed the truth. He did not mean to make it a sad and tragic incident, but his audiences thought otherwise. The sacrifices Wei Wuxian made for Jiang Cheng moved them to teary eyes. 

Lan Wangji clutched his sword that was covered with black cloth tightly as he listened to the story, feeling some sort of pain in his heart as he imagined how much hurt that Wei Wuxian had to endure during the two days.

Silence fell into the area for a while before Wen Qing eventually broke it and declared firmly, "That's it. I will never perform this procedure. Not to you or anyone ever."

Xiao Zhan smiled wryly, "I don't think it will be necessary this time around." He did not fail to notice the solemn mood of Lan Wangji, he patted the knuckles that turned white. He gave him a reassuring smile and murmured "It won't happen, Lan Zhan. No need to worry."

Lan Wangji relaxed his grip, feeling slightly assured. "Mn."

Wen Qing stared at their close interactions, her lips played a knowing smile. She could tell that the two cared for each other deeply but it was not her business to mind. She then said, her tone was lighter now , "Second Young Master Lan, you are well-known for being a righteous and honest person. That said, I believe that you would not try to deceive us. So, I will give this alliance or friendship, whatever you want to call it, a try."