𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐚 ⚣︎ mo dao zu shi x male reader

thirty-three.

"what are you doing here, lan-gongzi? are you lost?" lan y/n turns his head around, and he sees meng yao, standing there with a gentle smile on his face. "no, i was just wandering around." lan y/n replies as he turns his attention towards the connecting canals. his eyes caught the sight of two interesting-looking koi, they were white and black respectively, with spots of the opposite color dotting their slender bodies. "am i not allowed to?" lan y/n added, keeping his gaze on the two koi fishes. "oh, please don't mind me! of course, you're free to go wherever you please, you are a distinguished guest after all." meng yao bows slightly.

lan y/n narrows his eyes and turns his gaze back towards meng yao. "and you? shouldn't you be fighting elsewhere or something?" lan y/n asked. he never really gave much attention to members of other clans, he simply couldn't be bothered with their lives, but there was something about meng yao that just ticked him off.

suspicion, danger, deceit.

lan y/n felt like he shouldn't trust this man, whether it would be something as simple as eating at the same table or fighting on the same battlefield. his innocent face and charming smile were both painfully suspicious, and it frustrated lan y/n that his brother was being all chummy with him. meng yao didn't seem too bothered about his words though. "oh, nie-zongzhu wrote jin-zongzhu a recommendation letter, but he doesn't seem to like me very much, so he placed me here as a guard in order to satisfy nie-zongzhu, albeit temporarily." meng yao replied with a sheepish expression. "a wise decision on his end. it won't do us any good if the clan leaders suddenly start fighting, well, considering nie-zongzhu's attitude and all. you must be quite a big deal if someone like him does you a huge favor like this." lan y/n says, crossing his arms.

his eyes narrowed for a brief moment. he hated how restricting the jin clan's robes were, or maybe it was just him. lan y/n was never one to bother with luxurious robes and accessories. he only wore two pieces of accessories; the pin jiang cheng gave him, and his uncle's forehead ribbon, but as soon as he was out and about of his room, jin guangshan had his servants give him new robes and accessories to wear during his stay. of course, he refused, but the servants were too pushy, so he gave in. lan y/n looked towards meng yao, who replied to his statement, "i feel deeply touched that he would do me a favor such as this, but i'm ashamed to admit that it was all for naught." meng yao says with a deep frown. lan y/n's eyes softened.

"do you know your way around here?" lan y/n asked, looking at him with a minuscule smile. he still couldn't trust meng yao, but he needed to show meng yao that he could be trusted, so he could learn who he truly was and know if he could trust this man with his brother. "huh? oh! yes, of course. do you need me to escort you somewhere?" meng yao asked. lan y/n glanced over his shoulder, his golden eyes barely catching sight of the charming smile jin guangshan gave him from the pavilion. it was definitely for him, as their eyes met and everything.

lan y/n shuddered.

he turned his attention back to meng yao and pulled a charming smile to his lips. "all right then." lan y/n walked over to meng yao and hooked their arms together. meng yao blushed a bright red at the physical contact. "l-lan-gongzi, what are you doing?" meng yao asked, panicking slightly. "what's with that reaction? i need you to escort me back to my room. i might get distracted and run off elsewhere, so you better hold me tight." lan y/n said, a strict look on his face.

'to think that of all the places they would cage me in, it had to be jinlintai. this place is even worse than the maze at qishan.' lan y/n looked down, glaring at his feet. meng yao noticed the frustrated expression on his face. he cleared his throat and properly propped up his arm. "all right then, lan-gongzi, come on, this way." meng yao urged professionally, taking one confident step forward. lan y/n followed, still keeping their arms hooked.