I have never been so happy when I made a mistake

Lan Wangji was walking up the steps to the Cloud Recesses. He was hurrying because he wanted to be back already, his husband was waiting for him he knew. He had been night hunting these past two days and he was supposed to return yesterday evening. However, he had been held up by running into another case of spirits wreaking havoc which he could not not take care of and he thus he had been too late to make it back home before the curfew.

He had been forced to stay in Caiyi town for the night. Although the inn staff was very accommodating and the food and the room were good, he could not help himself but to feel on edge. He always had when he had to leave Wei Ying behind. The fact that it had only happened a handful of times since his resurrection did not help either.

This time, there had been no helping it because his husband had to take part in an academic discussion conference which specialized in talisman creation and use. Lan Wangji watched as Wei Ying had been so excited for the conference that he had even not minded all that much that the Chief cultivator's presence had been requested outside of the Cloud Recesses.

Lan Wangji was happy for Wei Ying, he knew how much the topic of the conference interested him and also that he would be able to give many inputs for discussion himself. He was after all a true master in that field. Lan Wangji was happy that after all this time, the cultivation world had finally stopped watching his husband with suspicion, his name had been cleared and people were starting to see Wei Ying for whom he really was. A brilliant genius and the most selfless and kind person Lan Wangji knew.

It had not been easy and some cultivation sects or individuals still sometimes sneered when Wei Ying came into view, but overall, the situation had improved dramatically. Lan Wangji was doing his best to assure that. It was not that he was abusing his position of the Chief cultivator, of course not, he only made the people understand how brilliant and good his husband truly was.

Despite everything, Lan Wangji still worried. After thirteen years when he had thought he had lost the love of his life for good, it was still hard for him to not see Wei Ying every second of each day. He knew he was perhaps being just a little overprotective, but his husband shared this sentiment so it was fairly easy to accomplish. Except for days like these when he had to leave on an assignment when Wei Ying was busy otherwise.

In the morning, he had mused about flying up the steps to be able to see Wei Ying sooner. It would have however meant going against the rules, at least partially. Everyone was requested to climb the steps with their own power so they could mediate while doing so and clear their mind before stepping a foot inside the Cloud Recesses. Physical labour and activity had been deemed as liberating by the Gusu Lan sect's ancestors. Flying could be only used in case of emergencies, which this situation was only in Lan Wangji's eyes.

And so Lan Wangji was walking up the steps as quickly as he could, taking two at a time. He was just short of actually running. He only showed down when he was approaching the gate. It would not do if the Chief cultivator was breaking the rules by running around because of his desire to see his husband like a lovesick teenager. What kind of example for the Gusu Lan sect disciples he would be?

The disciples guarding the gate greeted him politely and he returned their bow, passing by them as quickly as he possibly could. Finally, he was back in the Cloud Recesses and could go seek his husband.

Since it was still pretty early in the day, the discussion conference should not have started yet. That was good, thought Lan Wangji, he could perhaps still catch Wei Ying in the Jingshi while the other would be preparing for his day. He did not wait for anything and immediately turned his steps towards his residence.

There were a lot of people in the Cloud Recesses at the moment, lot more than usually. At first, it had surprised Lan Wangji and he was asking himself what could have happened until he remembered that this year's conference had a record number of participants. For once, the Cloud Recesses was not only white but bursting with colours and chatter. He knew Wei Ying must have loved this.