The Path In-Between

Chapter 17: The Sect in the Clouds; The Lectures Begin!

During his younger years, the Lan's presence quelled disastrous and never-ending thoughts that his own head conjured up. That was one of the reasons he pursued a relationship with the esteemed young man so persistently.

Tonight, the silence between them was peaceful. He felt as though they had lived an entire lifetime together. Not ready to start the new one but...willing to try anyways.

Before Wei Wuxian was able to regain conscious awareness of his surroundings, Lan Wangji had taken them to the inner regions of Cloud Recesses where only inner disciples were admitted. During his life, he had never had the pleasure of viewing the true beauty of Cloud Recesses. The only real instance would have been his short time in the Gentian House where he was imprisoned for a few hours. Before that, he came close when he was directed by Lan Xichen to soak in the Cold Spring. However, the cold spring was near the border for the guest quarters and lecture halls where the young cultivators of their generation had resided during the Gusu Lan indoctrination.

The path Lan Wangji took was entirely unfamiliar to him.

"Lan Zhan, this is the inner sect quarters, isn't it? Am I allowed to be here?"

Normally he wouldn't care about rules of propriety as was his personality. However, even during his youth, he knew that there were some rules he had to abide by to survive.

"Mn. Clan homes."

Wei Wuxian startled in Lan Wangji's arms. Trespassing inner disciple regions were punishable by eviction and revocation of any rights as guests from that point forward. Invading Clan regions were a whole another set of crimes and punishments.

As Jiang Fengmian's prized ward, Wei Wuxian was allowed to be in the clan members only permitted regions of the main household. Even still, he had chosen to live in one of the inner disciple quarters due to Madam Yu's extreme dislike of him. This had been a topic of dissonance between Madam Yu and Jiang Shushu as had been anything related to him. It had been frequently brought up during uncomfortable family dinners that Wei Wuxian was consistently dissuaded from attending by the sect Madam and encouraged to be a part of by the Sect Leader until, one day, Wei Wuxian explained to Jiang Shushu that he found it more convenient to maintain a friendly relationship with the sect disciples near their quarters.

Yet here he was, illegally entering a region inaccessible to him. With Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian slapped the back of the hand not hooked around Lan Wangji's shoulders onto the Jade's forehead.

"Are you well, Lan-er-gongzi?"

Lan Wangji looked down at Wei Wuxian with dead fish eyes and Wei Wuxian chuckled sheepishly, looking away.

"If someone catches me here, I'll be in big trouble, Lan Zhan. It won't be the usual punishments you Lan like to dish out, you know?" Of course he knew that, Lan Wangji was the disciplinarian after all. "As a matter of fact, where are we Lan Zhan?"

Lan Wangji's cool gaze meet Wei Wuxian once more,

"Jingshi."

Wei Wuxian paused, "Jingshi? Where is that?"

"My quarters."

"Oh, your quarters... WAIT WHAT?! Your quarters?! As in your bedroom, Lan Zhan?" Wei Wuxian was appalled.

"Mn. My home."

Well that's great. Wei Wuxian may not live long in this life either. This time, Lan Wangji seemed intent on giving him heart attacks.

Lan Wangji opened the door, flicking his sleeves to light a few candles with his spiritual energy. Wei Wuxian found himself relaxing as the same sandalwood incense he smelled on Lan Wangji perforated the house.