Wangxian - Retrouvaille Book II (Sequel to Unrestrained)

Eight. Jiang Wanyin

Wei Wuxian really put details on Lan Wangji's face that it felt so alive, that the Lan Wangji in this drawing really lived in the era that the painting was supposed to be in.

"I haven't drawn in a long time, stop staring at it intently," Wei Wuxian grabbed the drawing, his face is becoming redder, "Besides, your face is so hard to draw. Here, look at me."

Lan Wangji quickly looked straight back at Wei Wuxian as told.

Wei Wuxian almost gasped. Even after having to see Lan Wangji closely so often during the past month, he still couldn't get used to the fact that this young man is so handsome, it is almost impossible to think he is real. Wei Wuxian looked away, "Too handsome." He mumbled dejectedly.

Lan Wangji mused a smile but hoped to hide it behind his stoic face.

"Professor Wei," One of the Jin Clan students raised his hand in the air amid the heated discussion.

Everyone is talking all at once. It has become a chaotic lecture, with everyone's opinion divided. Now, the second years have always been more forward with their opinion, but all the while still being courteous. But this particular topic of discussion had made quite a debate among the students.

The Yiling Patriarch.

Wei Wuxian nodded his head at the said student.

The Jin Clan student stood up, "I get that this Yiling Patriarch had helped during the Sunshot Campaign. I don't really care whether what method he used—"

"Demonic Cultivation ruins one temperament, not only it is uncontrollable, it also hinders one to form their core. Isn't cultivation all about developing the golden core? If he was that brilliant, shouldn't he just stayed on the right path?"

"But the Yiling Patriarch was able to control his temperament just fine. He is the only person who was able to go on about successfully using the Demonic cultivation. So, as long as he was in control, then shouldn't it be considered just a normal method as everything else?"

Cultivation, cultivation. Golden Core, demonic cultivation – ugh! my head is dizzy. Half of the time, Wei Wuxian just pretends to listen. He doesn't fully understand the system of this fictional cultivational culture, whether what is considered right or wrong.

He first thought that the Yiling Patriarch is your typical bad-ass hero from any fantasy novel that everyone misunderstood because he used a method everyone considered questionable or plain wrong, but he alone managed to.

But having to hear his students going at each other's throats arguing about the method this hero used to win a war, this might not be as simple as he first thought.

"Professor Wei?" One student from Lan Clan stood up timidly and asked, "This is the third day we discussed about the Yiling Patriarch, but you never covered this person's origin. Perhaps, it might explain more about his motivation why he turned to demonic cultivation?"

I'm a dead man. Wei Wuxian mumbled to himself. It's not that he didn't purposely, but no matter where he looked for the said character's origin, there is simply no written passage about this person prior to the events of the Sunshot Campaign.

Even he himself found it strange. This character appeared out of nowhere, saved the day, disappeared again for more than a decade, and once again appeared to uncover the lies behind the Chief Cultivator, Jin Guangyao and then he disappeared and years later appeared to counter a villain from the bigger sect from the South.

The guy is basically a God who appeared only during the chaos to save the day, then he is out again.

That, or, he is living a different person whose identity remained a mystery. And this alone made Wei Wuxian himself immersed in finding the truth about this mysterious hero.