A Ghost of Snow

31. Questions With No Answers

The room was locked and filled with silence, it was suffocating, it wasn't like she couldn't just break open the door and run away but Baixue wanted to know what Grandmaster Lan was going to do. More than that she wanted to know how her brother was going to handle it. Brother, the word still felt foreign to her. Since he had already referred to her as his sister a number of times, she only thought it appropriate to reciprocate. She didn't know whether she really meant it or not but she was willing to give this newfound brother of hers a chance because to her, this man radiated warmth, he made her want to protect him whilst also being protected by him. She wondered if this was what being a family felt like.

In her time with her previous master, she had never felt a need to associate with anyone and then she had to step into the cultivation world where she met these people who were slowly shattering the thick ice lens through which she had always viewed the world. She remembered her conversation with Hanguang-Jun that morning, thinking of which she inferred that she might have come off as a hypocrite. Wasn't she the same as all of these people hiding behind a mask? One brother behind indifference, another politeness, her own brother behind smiles and the Grandmaster behind severity, as for herself, she speculated whether she really didn't know how to understand and express her emotions or was it just something ingrained in her mind since she was young.

She took to sitting in a corner not interfering with what was about to go down, only watching from a distance, observing. Another white figure landed on her side, she didn't have to look to know who it was, the person smelled like lilies and a warm cup of tea.

"Care to tell what you have been thinking?", he whispered in a soft tone.

She looked up at him and heat instantly spread across her face, "Too close", she thought to herself. Up close his eyes looked darker than they actually were, his skin looked softer, the cloud pattern on his forehead looked more defined and his lips looked like the color of cherries.

"Do you like what you are seeing?", he said using the tone he often used with his own brother leaving Hanguang-Jun all flustered and red-eared.

She looked away instantly, not gracing his question with an answer and turning her focus towards the three figures in the middle of the room. Whatever the Grandmaster had to ask, she wanted to know the answer too. She wondered if this was what being nosy meant, but quickly sent that thought to the back of her head, she could think about morals at a later time. Only one thing mattered at that point, what secrets was this brother of hers hiding and how much would he be willing to tell?

Her thoughts were cut off when Lan Qiren finally spoke assertively, looking straight at Wei Wuxian, "Do you love my nephew?"

"I...", Wei Wuxian contemplated whether he should just lie and make his way out, but he knew, in his condition he couldn't just break the ward that the Old Master had created around the room.

"What? Didn't you say you were good at answering questions? It's just the first one and you don't want to answer it? And it is only the truth I want.", Lan Qiren's voice thundered across the room.

"Uncle!", and as soon as he spoke, he was silenced, "Stay out of it! Wangji, this is between me and him.", Lan Qiren said giving him the look that said, "Shut up before I kick you out."

"I do.", Wei Wuxian said in a small voice, there was no use in lying anyway, Lan Zhan had already made it clear that even if Wei Wuxian refused to be his partner, there would never be another.

Lan Wangji's ears perked and turned a bit red at Wei Ying's confession. He would have liked it if he had been the one to tell Wei Ying that he loved him but this was good enough at least he didn't have to hold himself back anymore.