No Doubt In Us - Xuanli ver.

Chapter 1 - The Fall: Part One

She was laying in bed awake for longer than she would have liked (she really needed her sleep!), but eventually got tired, and found rest.

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Such rest was interrupted far too early, and she blearily lifted her head at the sound of the gong's ringing.

"Huh..?'' She looked at her dorm mate getting out of bed, sitting cross-legged to meditate. "Ughhh," Jiang Yanli's head flung back to the pillow for more sleep, though it took a moment for it to come as her head rang from not only the gongs, but the bang her head made on her hard pillow.

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It felt like only a minute had passed when the gong's were banged again, but when she opened her eyes again, Jiang Yanli saw Luo Bin getting up from her seat on the floor and putting on robes. Without any particular haste, but with surprising speed nonetheless.

Jiang Yanli quickly sat up, flinging her blanket off of herself just as Luo Bin gathers her hair up, using a simple jade hairpin to keep it in place, before slipping out of the room.

Jiang Yanli registered the cold air hitting her a moment after the door shut, blinking and resisting the urge to pull the covers back up.

She moved through her tiredness, as quick as she could will herself, washing her face with only a few splashes, fumbling as she tied her inner robes closed, and struggling as she tried to put her hairpin in straight. She barely remembered to put on her shoes before going out.

As she walked into the lecture hall, her drowsiness hit her again, and she ended up standing still in the doorway until an outer disciple tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me Jiang-Guniang, would you mind to walk in?" The boy asked her.

Lan Qiren was spreading in the lecture hall, and he turned to look towards the door, brows furrowing at the line gathering.

"O-oh yeah- yes. Ah- pardon me." Jiang Yanli embarrassed herself stammering like this, as she usually held quite a bit of poise, but she was nearly falling over in tiredness, and moved in.

As she found her seat, A-Xian waved over at her. As female and male disciples were separated in the Cloud Recesses, she was unable to see them after the opening ceremony yesterday, and would usually be unable to see them during lectures, but the separation of the sexes did not pertain to the guest disciples during the lectures.

She could also interact with them in the library, given that they were her brothers, but she doubted that they would go anywhere near the library if given the choice. Although she wouldn't be surprised if she came across them fulfilling punishments there, as her father had told her that, when he was a guest disciple, writing out the sect rules was a common punishment.

How awful! She should consider herself lucky that she isn't a trouble maker, as every year, the Lans tend to add more rules. When her father had attended the guest lectures, there had been just over two thousand, now there were over three!

She sighed and waved back, blinking away the tiredness and smiling. A-Cheng looked up and smiled at her, before reprimanding A-Xian.

Then, Jin Zixuan walked in.

An air of dignity entered the room at the same time, making Jiang Yanli want to sigh, but sit up straighter at the same time.

She felt this often, lucky that she has been his betrothed since birth. Nobody else has a claim to him. His eyes seem to just gloss over everyone in the room, until he finds a spot in the first row that is to the farthest corner away from her. He sits next to A-Cheng, gaze remaining forward and steady as Luo Qingyang settles down behind Jiang Yanli, a row to the left. Jiang Yanli quietly huffs, refusing to do anything other than turn back and smile towards her. Even though the girl had done nothing to offend her, the mere fact that Jin Zixuan had a nickname for her made something in her heart sour. 

Still, having good relations with others was a virtue, and with a close friend of her betrothed, Luo Qingyang was a good choice of friendship. 

Luo Qingyang smiles back at her, stepping above her station to smile at her. Thats always okay with Jiang Yanli though, the nature of Lotus Pier is much more open, but it makes Jiang Yanli wonder how comfortable she has gotten with Jin Zixuan to feel comfortable doing it with her.

Jiang Yanli turns back around and straightens her shoulders. She has heard that Lan-xiansheng recites the sect rules before every lecture, so she might be able to rest then.

There is a loud tap-tap-tap of at the desk Lan-xiansheng is sitting at, and everyone in the room looked on with full attention. 

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After the lectures, Jiang Yanli was able to wake up more. She originally wanted to meet up with her brothers to ask how they were settling in, but after a-Xian was kicked out, she wanted to take a walk around, maybe visit a waterfall. 

She had walked a fair distance from the lecture hall, and down an uphill path. She could see a pond further up; was this one of Gusu's cold springs?

She hurried up the path, but slowed down as the upwards slant made her feel tired.

When she reached the pond, she stepped on a couple rocks and bent down to touch the water. Cold, but is it so cold that it could be used by the disciples? It wasn't too far from the main Cloud Recesses, it has a trail near it and was probably still property of the Lan clan, but there was only dirt and grass around it, not even a bench to leave your robes on while you were in it. It was very clean however, and if it were warmer, she might have been tempted to go for a swim if it wasn't a bit too shallow for that.

She could hear a group's footsteps behind her, and lifted back up to turn around, but she realized, the rock below her was unstable, and she was going to fall in the pond!

She didn't have time to stabilize herself before an arm came around her waist, holding her.

She fell back, turning to see the the man who caught her- was Jin Zixuan!

Suddenly, after years of yearning from a distance so heavily that poets would show concern, she was being held to his chest!

Jiang Yanli was so enamoured with this close-up sight, his eyelashes, long but uncurled, his nose, the perfect cure upward, his brows were even furrowed in concern! His lips were slightly parted, an addictive light pink, and he had quite the warm chest.

Jiang Yanli suddenly felt as though her body was calling out to Jin Zixuan's, that there was this connection, that pulled them together. 

However, they seemed to be wobbling slightly.

Increasingly so.

What she thought was a save from a cold pond, seemed to be her bringing down someone else with her! 

Panic seized her, and she tried to find her footing, but when she put her foot down, she slipped back on a muddy rock.

And Jin Zixuan wouldn't let go of her!

Before she could register it, she fell into the cold water, clinging closer to Jin Zixuan, even though she was sure he didn't know how to swim.

Another head hit hers, and, darkness.

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This hasn't been fully edited, and idk when the updates will come, but I'll try

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/45162742/chapters/113612575