Never Let You Go, Again

24: White Lotus

Laughter chorused throughout the Dining Hall of the Cloud Recesses, as the feared Yiling Patriarch turned into the most comical GusuLan Senior ever. For of course, though he was now an official GusuLan senior disciple through marriage, he still was a light-hearted YunmengJiang on the inside. The Prides of Yunmeng boasted and retold ancient tales from their heroic youth, making every Junior stare in awe and occasionally burst into laughter.

Lan Qiren stroked his beard, listening to the story of how Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang set off to find the Yin Iron. How they visited the soul-eating Goddess Statue. How they were pranked by stern-voice-Jiang Cheng — well, almost. Wei Wuxian had rescued them from that humiliation! And then of how the Great Duo, now cultivation partners, fought and killed the Wen's scouting owl. And of course, Wei Wuxian didn't forget to emphasise on Wen Qing and the help she gave, making sure that her famous name was engraved into the juniors' minds beside the words 'respect' and 'awe'.

Wen Ning listened to all this with joy, while occasionally asking a question or two along with the juniors. Neither Lan Qiren nor the elders had prohibited him from entering this time. He saved Wei Wuxian again; and this time, it was considered as him saving a Lan disciple. How much longer could they deny him?

While the entire hall was raucous with laughter for once, the Twin Jades of the sect didn't utter a word. Silently, they watched their friends storytelling, reminiscing the few good times of the bloody past.

Lan Xichen was amazed. It was lovely how Wei Wuxian could still remember such wonderful times despite all the tragedy and chaos that followed. Not to mention, how the Twin Prides seemed to be as casual as ever, despite having separated right after those memories. And to make the cold Lan Shifu's lips turn up at the edges, even if it was slightly so? Amazing, Lan Huan thought, Wuxian-di is really amazing. He looked at his brother with awe-filled eyes.

Wei Ying is amazing, was all Lan Wangji's eyes spoke.

Nie Huaisang, on the other hand, waved his fan and hid himself behind it, for shelter from the humiliation of his more useless times. Back then, he wasn't Director Nie, just clueless and helpless little Nie-xiong. Oh, the shame... he thought, smacking his forehead with the fan.

All of them talked through the lunch hours and into the evening, unaware of the passage of time. Time will fly by, these tales were enough to prove that. What was important was to know how to be happy with the time at hand. So, instead of stopping, the Jiangs continued to uphold the cheer. Wei Wuxian recounted the stories of his childhood. Long ago, back in Yunmeng, back in Lotus Pier, back when it was his home, back when Shijie was there, back when Madam Yu still punished him.

"I miss those punishments, you know," Wei Wuxian sighed.

"Yeah, right. Here I am trying to save you with A-Jie, and there you are missing all that kneeling down."

"But I really do! The Ancestral Hall, Madam Yu... She was good! She never did hit me with Zidian!"

"Then what do you call what she did when that bitch came to our sect?"

"That was... wait who are you talking about?"

Jiang Cheng smacked his face with his palm. "A-Xian, are you that forgetful? That whore, called Jing-something!"

Lan Qiren cleared his throat, though in truth he was almost choking.

"Wanyin, language! The kids are here," Lan Xichen nudged him.

"Oh, sorry, but I don't know what else to call her!" The Angry Lotus retaliated back.

"A-Cheng, enough. Don't talk of those times," Wei Wuxian spoke with a grieving face. He turned with a plastered smile to the children and shouted, "Alright! That's all the tale-telling for today!"