Searching for Perfection

9. Thirty-three

Wei WuXian's first thought upon waking up was I thought Purgatory would be more waiting in line and less bedroom-y. "Wei Ying is not dead," coming from somewhere near his feet scared him into sitting up even though his aching body protested the whole time.

"Lan Zhan! You should let a person know you're there!" Wei WuXian protested, hand pressed against his racing heart. "You nearly scared me to death!" Lan WangJi didn't say anything, but that single crease in the middle of his eyebrows answered for him. Wei WuXian sighed and let his hand fall to the covers. "I'm fine, Lan Zhan," he said, answering the unspoken question. "I'm a bit hungry and sore. But I think I'm going to be alright."

"I brought your letters," Lan WangJi placed a small packet tied with a ribbon on the bed.

Wei WuXian could feel his face heating up a bit. "Thanks, I really don't want Jiang Cheng or ShiJie to see them now."

Lan WangJi stood up and half bowed. "I will go now. There is a disciplinary meeting."

Wei WuXian hid the letters in his qiankun pouch and sank back down onto the pillow. "Ow. Everything hurts. I think even my hair hurts!"

Jiang Cheng blustered his way into the room. "That's because you're an idiot! What the Hell were you thinking? You almost died, you know! If... if Lan WangJi hadn't...."

"What did Lan Zhan do?" Wei WuXian really had no idea. He'd managed to first wrest the puppets from Wen RuoHan's control and then steal control of the Yin iron itself. And then something went POP in his head, and everything went dark.

"That... man abandoned his position with the Lan to stand over your worthless carcass and play Cleansing instead of fighting!"

"He what?"

"Nie ZongZhu and I have managed to talk the Lan Elders out of executing him. I'm glad you're better, but I need to go back. Jin ZongZhu is demanding a public demonstration of."

"Execution?" Wei WuXian flung the covers back and attempted to get out of bed. "Help me, ShiDi. They can't execute him for protecting me!"

Jiang WanYin helped his brother put on his outer robes and walked him to the Sect leaders' chamber. "He's not going to be executed. Jin ZongZhu and some of the Lan elders are asking for a public whipping. Nie ZongZhu and Lan ZongZhu and I are voting for seclusion. The idiot won't even say a word in his own defense! Won't even say why he thought you were more important than obeying orders."

Wei WuXian arrived at the chamber just in time to hear Jin GuangShan gleefully pronounce, "Thirty-three lashes. One for each cultivator you left behind."

"No!" Wei WuXian ran as fast as he could, legs still shaking, so it wasn't fast at all. "You can't punish him for this. I told him to. I told him to make sure I didn't die of qi deviation or I'd expose a shameful secret. It's my fault."

"Wei Ying, no," Lan WangJi's voice was calm. "Lan WangJi did this. Wei Ying is innocent."

"I can't let you take the blame for protecting me," Wei WuXian hissed as he knelt down next to his friend. "Just let me do this, okay?" To Lan XiChen, he bowed his head, "ZeWu-Jun. If Lan WangJi acted against orders, it was because of my influence. I am too irreverent and dislike..."

Lan XiChen smiled. "Wei WuXian. I know my brother. I know exactly why he did what he did." The younger man's head popped up, the word 'why' forming on his lips. "I don't disagree with his reasons; order on a battlefield must be kept. Orders from a superior must be obeyed. Lan WangJi knew this and made his choice."

"I demand to share his punishment, then," Wei WuXian insisted.

"Fine." Lan XiChen spoke over his younger brother's "No."