A Ghost of Snow

31. Questions With No Answers

"Very well then. This makes it clear, then I have the right to ask what I am about to.", Lan Qiren had thought about it long and hard, Wei Wuxian might have refused to answer his questions if he had probed with the title of Grandmaster Lan, but now the one questioning him was not the Grandmaster of the Sect but Wangji's Uncle which made it somewhat obligatory for Wei Wuxian to be answerable to him.

Baixue almost smiled in her corner, who would've thought that the rigid and strict Grandmaster of the Lan Clan could be this sly. The other three men however, had astonishment written all over their faces which Lan Qiren meticulously ignored.

"Why did you give up spiritual cultivation for something else?", Lan Qiren's question left Wei Wuxian staring at the floor with his eyebrows furrowed as he kept scratching his nose thinking of a believable excuse but came up with none. He brooded in his mind at how he, the fearsome Patriarch had ended up in such a situation. Even before he came to be the Yiling Patriarch, he had never truly been at a loss of words to answer appropriately or inappropriately to anything and everything. He wanted to run away until he was out of sight and never look back, he even deliberated if he could just act like passing-out, he had fainted so many times since coming to Cloud Recesses that no one would doubt him right?

He sighed, it wasn't like he could just tell the truth, "Grandmaster Lan, I....that is a secret.", he smiled from ear-to-ear, before Lan Qiren could reprimand or scream at him, he quickly added, "But if you want, I can give it up this instant, this,", he put Chenqing on the floor, "It's not even a resentful tool, just a normal flute, I haven't used resentful energy for so long, it is not affected by resentment anymore. You can check if you want, you can even lock it up somewhere if you are still not satisfied."

Lan Qiren frowned, what was it that this man was hiding, "A secret you say, fine.", he stroked his goatee as he continued, "The resentment in your body. Get rid of it. It's not supposed to be there. Unlike spiritual energy, it is supposed to be harboured from the surroundings not within."

Wei Wuxian was already pale and yet his face still visibly paled at the demand. Wasn't it supposed to be a question-answer? How had it turned into Grandmaster Lan making demands, if he stuck to asking questions, Wei Wuxian could still make his way out finding loopholes. He clenched his fists, for the first time in his life, he was at a complete loss. It wasn't that he didn't want to get rid of the resentful energy, it was just that it was the only thing he could use as a shield to keep people from reaching his vitals and spiritual pathways and find out how vulnerable his body was, that there was in fact a lack of spiritual energy in his body and that his body was slowly failing. That he was dying.

If he agreed to this, wouldn't it mean they would have an answer to the previous questions, even the ones that were still unasked. His train of thought broke when he heard Lan Qiren's disapproving voice again, "You don't want to do that either? Then answer this, what is wrong with your heart, the only thing our healers could tell us was that your heartbeat wasn't normal, what is it?"

The room was filled with deafening silence and the distress on Wei Wuxian's face was visible clearly but Lan Qiren wanted answers and he would have them even if it meant, he had to probe the parts that were the most hurtful to the boy. Lan Xichen and Wangji were about to protest but he only had to raise his hand for them to quiet down.

He looked at the boy who sat wearing his own cloak, Wei Wuxian was already small and the big piece of cloth made him look even smaller, even if this boy answered one of his questions, he would surely figure out the test.

"Wei Wuxian!", he called this time with an even intimidating voice, "Why did you insist on helping Wen Qing when you knew that the entire world would go against you?"

This was easy to answer, Wei Wuxian quickly spoke, "She saved Jaing Cheng's life once. It is only fair to repay what I have been given."

"Then shouldn't it have been the Sect Leader of the Yunmeng Jaing who made the repayment? It was his life that was saved anyway?", he questioned further.

Wei Wuxian's answer and the following questions peaked the youngsters' curiosity as well, since Jaing Wanyin was the one whose life had been saved, he should definitely be the one making repayments not Wei Wuxian.

He was quick to answer again, "He doesn't know to what extent she had risked her life to shelter us, besides providing a hiding place, she also did something more, that is my own debt to repay. Besides, what difference does it make? Following the order of seniority, I was stationed above him at that point, it was my responsibility. I promised his mother to protect him with my life, I couldn't just let him stand against the world. It wouldn't be appropriate."

"And somehow, to him, it was appropriate to let you stand against the world all on your own?", this question wasn't really directed at Wei Wuxian, Lan Qiren wondered how two people who were raised together could feel so differently towards each other. Jaing Wanyin had a strange relationship with Wei Wuxian, a slight dislike and jealousy that was sometimes evident.

Deep down Wei Wuxian did want Jaing Cheng to stand beside him, after all, even though he didn't know about the golden core, he did know how Wen Ning had risked his life to retrieve his parents' remains from the Lotus Pier and how Wen Qing had put herself in danger letting them escape from right under the nose of the Wen gaurds stationed in Yiling. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't a little disappointed that Jaing Cheng did not stand to protect them but he also understood that the Sect Leader Jaing who was trying to rebuild his sect from scratch wasn't really in a position to offer help and fight against other sects.

"There is a scar in the middle of your abdomen, what happened?", Lan Qiren knew that he might not get a clear answer to this as well but he wanted to hold on a little longer and have one last go at understanding his former disciple and probably his future nephew-in-law.

Lan Qiren had already used up every last drop of pateince in him, when a hot minute passed in utter silence, he looked at Wei Wuxian only to find him staring at him opening and closing his mouth but saying nothing.

"I-", Wei Wuxian struggled to keep his calm, he was horrified at the thought of people finding out his secrets. "It must be from an old injury. I don't know.", he lied through his teeth.

"You-", Lan Qiren really wanted to know how this boy was so good at lying and why did he think that his teacher wouldn't notice, "You really think you can lie here? Wei Wuxian, you really are something. Get out before I change my mind."

Wei Wuxian didn't have to be told twice, as soon as the words left Lan Qiren's mouth, he bowed and was out of the room within seconds. He sighed in relief and gratitude that some diety in the heavens had heard his prayers and let him escape Lan Qiren's questioning without having to answer.