As Wei WuXian spoke, he grabbed two branches and started to climb up the trunk of the tree. With great ease, he leaped up until he reached an area near the top. Wei WuXian finally stopped, "Hm, it should be about here."
He buried his face inside a cluster of thick leaves and only looked down after a long while. His voice was high, tinged with laughter, "Back then, it felt so scarily high, but looking at it now, it really wasn't that high."
The instant he wrapped his arms around the tree, Wei WuXian's eyes had warmed. When he looked down, his sight was already blurred.
Lan WangJi was standing right beneath the tree, looking at him with his chin raised. He was clothed in white as well. He didn't hold a lantern, but moonlight glided down his body, almost enveloping him in a soft halo, making him seem so bright. He looked up at the top of the tree with a dedicated expression. He seemed to have walked a few steps closer, almost as if to stretch his arms out.
All of a sudden, an abnormally strong impulse surged into Wei WuXian's mind.
He wanted to fall down again, just like back then.
A voice inside of him said, If he catches me, I'll...
At this point where he thought 'I'll', Wei WuXian let go. Seeing that he fell out of the tree without any warning, Lan WangJi's eyes immediately widened. He shot forward just in time to catch Wei WuXian, or one might say, be caught by Wei WuXian.
Lan WangJi's figure was slender. He seemed to be quite the scholarly young master, but his power wasn't to be disregarded. Not only was his arm strength shocking, his lower body was steady too. But, after all, it was a grown man who jumped from the tree, so although he caught Wei WuXian, he staggered slightly, walking a step backward. Immediately, however, he steadied himself. Just as he was about to let go of Wei WuXian, he realized that Wei WuXian's arms were tightly wrapped around his neck, preventing him from moving in the slightest.
He couldn't see Wei WuXian's face. Wei WuXian couldn't see his face either, but he didn't need to. When he closed his eyes, all he breathed in was the cold sandalwood on Lan WangJi's body.
His voice was hoarse, "Thank you."
He wasn't scared of falling. All these years, he'd fallen many times. But falling on the ground still hurt, after all. If someone was there to catch him, it'd be more than wonderful.
Hearing Wei WuXian thank him, Lan WangJi's body seemed to freeze for a second. The hand that was about to be laid on Wei WuXian's back paused before it returned.
After a moment of silence, Lan WangJi responded, "You are welcome."
With a long time of hugging, Wei WuXian finally parted with him. Standing with his back straight as ever, he spoke as though nothing happened, "Let's go back!"
Lan WangJi, "No more reminiscing?"
Wei WuXian, "Yes, more reminiscing! But there's nothing to see if we walk farther out. It'd be the wilderness there, and we've seen enough of that in the past few days. Let's go back to Lotus Pier. I'll take you to see the last place."
The two returned to the dock and entered the gates of Lotus Pier once again. They walked across the training field. As they passed by an ornate little building, Wei WuXian stopped and took a few more looks. His expression seemed different. Lan WangJi asked, "What is wrong?"
Wei WuXian shook his head, "Nothing. The place I lived in used to be here. Now it's gone. It really was torn down. All of these are new."
They passed by the layers of buildings and arrived at a quiet place in the depths of Lotus Pier, in front of a black eight-cornered palace. As if scared that he'd startle someone, Wei WuXian gently pushed the doors open and walked inside. Before the palace neatly lay rows and rows of tablets.
