Revised 25/06/23
I'm so sorry this chapter is, like, almost 9K words long. I got a bit carried away, as you have probably already guessed.
***
Amongst the murmurs of discussion and curious exclamations of surprise, in a certain corner of the room stood everyone's favourite villain: Jin Guangyao. He had his arms crossed in a relaxed manner, his chin was raised in a show of the utmost confidence and his demeanour was poised; there wasn't a single tell-tale sign of distress or nervousness emitted from him.
It was this noble sight that had Su Minshan's lips curling into a smirk, his faithfulness for the man not yet deserted, for Jin Guangyao was someone he could confidently say he respected over any cultivator. "Clan Leader, are you waiting for them to let down their guards before you finally act? So smart! As expected of Clan Leader! Nie Huaisang, that cunning little fool—he dared to brazenly scheme against you! He deserves to die a thousand deaths!"
"Minshan, Da-Ge is back. And this time, he is even more guarded, for he knows of my schemes," said Jin Guangyao, and he sounded amused. "I won't be able to do anything to them. Not now that I have been villainised by the world."
He uncrossed his arms and gently placed a hand on Su Minshan's arm, looking distantly somewhere above his shoulder. "All I wanted was to unite the cultivation world and to prove myself... to prove that even a bastard like me could flourish with success. And how is it my fault there were so many obstacles blocking my path? How is it my fault that I was born out of wealth? How is it my fault that Da-Ge persisted to stand in my way?!"
The sympathetic speech had Su Minshan's lips trembling in both fury for the cultivation world's injustices and sympathy for Jin Guangyao's pitiful history. "Don't worry, Clan Leader. I will definitely find a way for us to regain our former glory!"
"Thank you Minshan," said Jin Guangyao softly. He smiled. "You really are the only one on my side."
"Of course, Clan Leader," Su Minshan stuttered, his cheeks embarrassedly flushing red at the praise.
At the same time, Lan Jingyi had somehow pushed past the masses of people (who had respectfully parted for him to make way for a path) and had once again reached the platform. The stone steps were intricately carved, and looked far more pristine and stable than any part of the cave. He idly scratched his head in confusion, not quite sure what to do next to get everything to continue. Did he even want to? Although, unless they got through all of these trials, he couldn't quite picture anyone managing to ever escape this mysterious place.
"You know," he said idly. "It's kinda surreal knowing I resurrected these people, an accident though it may have been. I sort of feel like a great immortal."
"An Immortal? You?" came a not-quite-yelling yet certainly chastising voice. Jin Ling joined Lan Jingyi on the platform and pulled at his ear, erupting a yelp of pain from the Lan's chest. "Keep dreaming. If you ever became an immortal, you'd be cast out of heaven within a stick of incense!" [1]
Ouyang Zizhen huffed in exasperation. "A stick of incense?" he said incredulously. "That's extraordinary! Knowing him, it wouldn't have even burnt out half way!"
"Haha, very funny, you guys," said Lan Jingyi, and he wasn't amused. "I am a very responsible adult, thank you very much. What do you mean within a stick of incense? Matter of fact, that's how long it would take them to fall-absolutely-in love with me!" he nodded in Wei Wuxian's direction. "Right, Senior Wei?"
Wei Wuxian tilted his head in confusion, not quite hearing what the boy was saying. But he nonetheless smiled and even sent Lan Jingyi an encouraging nod, for the junior was being very responsible, taking it upon himself to control the tricky-looking platform! What a good child!
"Yes, you're just so responsible that you've just left Sizhui depressed and crying by himself over there!" exclaimed Ouyang Zizhen. Jin Ling sent him a look of confusion.
"What?!" Lan Jingyi gasped, glancing around for any sign of Lan Sizhui. "He's crying? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" And he zoomed off in a matter of minutes, yelling, "Sizhui!" as he rushed past the throng of cultivators.
"Crying? What was that about?" Jin Ling murmured, peering at the platform curiously. "Why'd you say that? I was just with Sizhui and he was completely fine."
"Of course I was lying," said Ouyang Zizhen with a small smirk. "But since Jingyi isn't here anymore, I suppose the only one suitable for controlling this thing is me."
"You–" Jin Ling spluttered. "So you sent him away just so you could control everything? So childish!"
"Well, say what you want," Ouyang Zizhen curiously looked at the options, humming a song to himself to decide which one to pick. The last note he sang ended on [Yi Quartet], and so he decisively selected it, which opened up another window of options.
[Character one] [Character two] [Character three] [Character four]
"Wei-Wu-Xian," he said, his finger hovering over one of the numbers at each syllable. "Lan-Wang-Ji." His finger ended on [Character two], and so he quickly selected it. Suddenly, a blinding white light erupted from the platform, clouding his vision in its entirety.
When it finally faded, a tall figure in dressed black adornments stepped forwards. They carried a sword on their back and from amongst the dark silhouette of elegant, drifting sleeves, Ouyang Zizhen could make out the shape of a horsetail whisk carried in the crease of their arm.
The man stepped out of the shadows, and Ouyang Zizhen could finally commit his features to detail: he was very handsome, indeed, with a perfect jawline and thin, night-like eyes. He also undoubtedly had some deep trauma beneath that handsome façade! How intriguing!
"Where am I?" said the man curiously as he glanced around. Even more strangely, the moment his eyes drifted to a certain place on his sash (Zizhen found that funny, after all, nothing was there!) his lips tightened and he seemed more guarded. And then he looked at Zizhen. "It's you."
"Er, what?" Ouyang Zizhen must have been hearing things. After all—he had never met this man! And being so handsome, there was no way he would have forgotten! But then again, did so many people in the world look like Zizhen?
"Do you know where we are?" The handsome man glanced around once more, his hands unconsciously tracing the fine hairs of his horsetail whip. "I recall wandering... I still haven't found any answers. But with this, I was able to pay some respect to him."
Ouyang Zizhen short-circulated. Just what nonsense was this man spouting? Why was he talking to Zizhen so coldly, yet with a short dismissal like they were tied acquaintances? Was he just mental?
But despite his internal conflict and long scriptures of screaming monologue, Ouyang Zizhen politely (and coolly) coughed into his palm. "I am not sure myself, Xiansheng, although I— Hey!" But the mysterious, handsome (and mental?) man was already walking into the crowd of cultivators! How could he just dismiss Zizhen like that? How rude!
Meanwhile, in another part of the room, Wei Wuxian was quietly murmuring to Lan Wangji with their sweet A-Yuan seated comfortably beside them. With it being so comfortable and familial, he decided he liked it and they should therefore cuddle up more!
"Sizhui!" came an exasperated yell. Lan Jingyi was rushing to them, his clothes unruffled and hair in disarray like he'd just been flying his sword. He looked at Sizhui with no small amount of distress. "Sizhui! Zizhen, he- he said you were crying! Are you okay?!"
Lan Sizhui tilted his head curiously, wondering what his best friend was talking about. "I'm fine," he said, and in a matter of seconds the bewilderment shifted to amusement. "He really said that to you? He must have been dishonest. Thank you for your concern though, Jingyi."
"That little cockroach really tricked me," Lan Jingyi murmured darkly. "The next time I see him, see if I'll tolerate such cheek from him again—"
"Young Master Wei. Second Young Master Lan."
Lan Jingyi looked up in confusion at the newcomer. "Who are you?"
"Song Lan!" exclaimed Wei Wuxian happily, standing to formally greet the man. "It's good to see you! And you're back to normal, that's great!"
"It appears so," said the man (apparently Song Lan?!) with a resting coldness rivalling the great Hanguang-Jun. "Do you know why we're here? I figured since this place reeks of Resentful Energy, you would know."
"WAIT!" Lan Jingyi screeched. "That's Song Lan?!"
"That's right. Haven't you met him?" said Wei Wuxian. "Jingyi, not even my memory is that bad."
"Yeah, I met his corpse!" Lan Jingyi exclaimed incredulously. "Remember? The pale, lifeless skin? The weird creepy vein-things? The dead Song Lan?!"
"Oh," said Wei Wuxian brightly. "He's just so handsome, isn't he? Hear that, Song Lan, you're not recognisable now that you're alive. Isn't that just so kind of Jingyi to say?"
Song Lan looked at Lan Jingyi. Lan Jingyi looked at Hanguang-Jun, whose golden eyes were as sharp and cold as Bichen. Oops, don't make your husband jealous, Senior Wei!
"This is really interesting," said Wei Wuxian, and he was still smiling. "So some of the people who are still alive in our time didn't come here with the rest of us, and are instead resurrected like they're dead. Although you're a fierce corpse, so that may just apply to you. Song Lan, where were you last? Were you close to the Burial Mounds or relatively far away?"
"I... I was investigating a case of fierce corpses far in the south. I would say it would take weeks of travel to reach the Burial Mounds."
"This begs the question: Was there a certain radius of which people were brought here? You were far away, so you didn't come here with us. But you are also dead, therefore you've been included in the people being brought back to life. How curious... Very curious..."
"I'm alive again," Song Lan held out his palm and stared at it almost guiltily. "Young Master Wei, I noticed Shuanghua isn't with me. However, seeing you here, completely at ease, temporarily relieved my worry. I have never been to the Burial Mounds, and my senses had dulled during my time as a fierce corpse. Therefore, I apologise if I am asking too much of you."
"Look," said Wei Wuxian, gesturing to Jiang Yanli, who was giggling as she pulled at Jin Ling's cheeks. Jin Zixuan watched them from the side with a content smile on his face.
Song Lan's widened. "I believe... that is Maiden Jiang?"
"Correct," Wei Wuxian softly smiled, wishing to pat the man on the shoulder yet both understanding and respecting Song Lan's aversion to touch. "No one knows why. I also don't know why. But some believe it is the work of Immortals."
"Immortals," Song Lan's hand drifted to his eyes before he caught himself and snapped it back to his side. "I understand. Young Master Wei, may I ask one last thing?"
"Ask away."
"Is this... permanent?"
But before Wei Wuxian could reply, large text appeared on the screen. [Episode Three ( 第三集 )]
"Thank you for speaking with me, Song Lan. It's great to have you back," Wei Wuxian said with a smile. "But you'll want to sit down for this strange... comedic theatre performance of memories, shall we say."
The black dissipated like smoke, leaving a burst of colour in its wake: The screen firstly showed Wei Wuxian's hair, curling and flapping in the wind as if swept along by the breeze. He was running considerably fast, zooming across the large area faster than one could blink, and he took multiple broad steps with every pant exhaled. Jiang Wanyin was attempting to make chase, although was evidently unsuccessful, for Wei Wuxian managed to speed ahead immediately.
"That is..." a junior Lan disciple murmured. "Isn't that Cloud Recess?"
Many of the disciples seated near them nodded in agreement, murmuring to one another with both intrigue and confusion.
"But... it doesn't really look like Cloud Recess at the same time."
"Exactly! Why is the Wall of Discipline so small? It's a scandal! Simply outrageous!"
'Xiao-Didi, you call that small?!' Many thought with no small amount of exasperation. 'Are we looking at the same thing here? What part of that wall is 'small'?!'
"Perhaps," said Nie Huaisang quietly, gently tapping the closed wood of his fan to his chin in short intervals. "This is showing the past. After all, the only time Wei-Xiong ever visited Cloud Recess in his original body was the guest conference in Gusu. That was decades ago."
"I always knew he wasn't dumb," a young female murmured in what sounded like an 'i-told-you-so' tone.
"Who said he was?" said another, gesturing to the Sect Leader. "Look at him. What dumb person would be able to have that calculating look in his eyes?"
"Exactly! I always saw through him!"
Really, Wei Wuxian wanted to say. Really?
"Although..." Nie Huaisang snapped open his fan and nervously glanced at Nie Mingjue. "That makes so much sense, Da-Ge! You're so smart!" Nie Mingjue merely rolled his eyes fondly.
"Whoever conjured that thought, though, that does make sense. I suppose this really is Wei Wuxian..."
"Wait," said Ouyang Zizhen suddenly. "If that's Senior Wei, why is he so handsome? What about those hideous drawings of the... the Yiling Patriarch who would haunt me if I didn't go to sleep early? Mum, what lies you told me!!"
"Don't blame your Mum," said Lan Jingyi. He looked at Lan Sizhui with accusatory eyes. "Instead, blame Sizhui! Remember, he grew up with Senior Wei!"
"Right! Sizhui, how could you keep this from us!"
"Exactly! I thought I was your favourite shidi!"
"Who cares about who knew how he used to look? After all, we're all getting to see it now," said a young woman dressed in red. She smirked. "I suppose this means we'll get to see what kind of person Hanguang-Jun fell in love with as a teenager."
"... San-Jie, I never took you for the type to like stuff like this..."
"What nonsense are you all spouting?!" exclaimed Jin Zixun, outraged. "Who cares what some stupid cutsleeves have to say? What's important is revealing all of Wei Wuxian's evil deeds he committed during the war!"
"Shut up!" exclaimed one of the more bolder girls of the group.
"Exactly! Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's relations are top priority!" said another. "Who cares about the war?!"
At her words, many people were flabbergasted. 'Who cares about the war, she says? Who cares about the war?!'
Once they finally reached the entrance, Wei Wuxian abruptly came to a stop and leaned against a stone arched bridge to catch his breaths. Jiang Wanyin caught up moments later, too out of breath to speak and so he merely sent Wei Wuxian a glare that seemed to say, 'What did you say before? Sorry, I was still trying to catch up with you to actually hear.'
"If you get up late again tomorrow, I definitely won't wait for you," he said exasperatedly.
"I was only just late," said Wei Wuxian petulantly, idly fiddling with the end of his ponytail. "The worst punishment I can get is to stand in the corner!"
"And that, right there, is the exact mindset I advise you to not heed!" admonished Lan Qiren, gently stroking his goatee. He seemed to be sending Lan Jingyi quite a few dirty looks as he said this, and so the disciple cheekily stuck out his tongue in retaliation.
"Really responsible," snickered Jin Ling.
"Very," agreed Ouyang Zizhen sarcastically
Jin Zixuan suddenly entered the view of the screen, two Jin disciples dutifully trailing behind him. Both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin saluted, the latter the only one to verbally announce a greeting. "Zixuan."
Jin Zixuan's face was placid as he did a mock bow in response, strutting along the path without glancing in their direction even once.
"Little Mistress, I suppose the attitude must be hereditary," said Lan Jingyi with a mocking raise of his eyebrow.
Jin Ling glowered at him. "Call me that one more time and I'll... I'll!"
"You'll do what?" Lan Jingyi snickered. "You'll tell Sect Leader Jiang? Sorry to burst your bubble, Little Mistress, but Sect Leader Jiang can't save you your face."
"I'll..." Jin Ling's cheeks were burning an angry red and he suddenly blurted, "I'll tell my Dad!" Jin Zixuan's eyes widened. "You know, my Dad is really strong! He'll beat you up with just a raise of his hand! See if you'll ever disrespect me ever again!"
And then, just as he processed his words, his face burned even redder and he slightly sunk into himself. Lan Jingyi's laughs certainly didn't help with his embarrassment.
"A-Ling," said Jin Zixuan softly. Jiang Yanli shared a smile with him and they both reached forward to coax Jin Ling into a hug.
"He's becoming more and more presentable," Wei Wuxian murmured, sending Jin Zixuan's back a rude hand gesture as he passed them.
"Stop that," admonished Jiang Wanyin. "The Jin Clan of Lanling—as rich as the princes. He's the heir of the Jin Clan. He has to be presentable."
"Hm..." said Wei Wuxian, thoughtfully stroking his chin. Then a smile suddenly pulled at his lips.
"Oh dear."
"Mother Baoshan, dear great Immortals, whatever mischief he's up to, please stop him."
As soon as Jiang Wanyin caught sight of his cheeky smile, he quickly nudged Wei Wuxian in the side, sending him toppling forwards. "Stop! Don't get any bad ideas. I'm warning you. No matter what, Jin Zixuan is still my sister's fiancé. He'll be family one day. You will have to bear with it."
"You!" Jin Zixuan lamented. "Bear with it? I wasn't that bad, was I?"
"I thought you were a pompous peacock," said Jiang Wanyin.
"Positively abysmal," said Wei Wuxian brightly.
"I know, I know!" said Wei Wuxian, quickly patting down his robes.
"You'll say that," Jiang Wanyin once again rolled his eyes. "But everything went straight through one ear and out the other, didn't it?"
"You know me so well, Cheng Cheng," said Wei Wuxian cheekily.
As they both approached the majestic white building, Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. "The Orchid Room?"
"The name's not bad, but the old man who teaches is so stubborn," commented Jiang Wanyin. "But he's extraordinary indeed. However useless one may be, he can turn them into presentable men."
Seeing this comment aimed at him, Wei Wuxian tutted and turned to face Jiang Wanyin, gesturing to his own robes from head to toe. "Don't I look proper enough right now?"
"You do look it," said Jin Ling as matter-of-fact. "But you sure don't act it."
"Really, you'd think he'd learn a thing or two from Second Young Master Lan," said Old Liu with a sigh. "I suppose some people really are irredeemable."
"I don't know," said Lan Jingyi thoughtfully. "I like him this way."
"Only because you're cut from the same cloth, you little devil!"
Nie Huaisang, who had also been trepidatiously lingering outside the tall, majestic gates, noticed the pair of bickering brothers and eagerly waved them over. "Jiang-Xiong! Wei-Xiong!"
Jiang Wanyin spared the boy a glance before once again admonishing Wei Wuxian, "You are definitely going to be that one spot staining his whole teaching career."
"More like Lan Wangji's," boldly said a young Jiang disciple. At the many looks they received, they curled into themself self consciously. "Sorry."
"Isn't that just accurate?" Yu Ziyuan's lips curled into a sneer. "We ought to have left him at Gusu to burden Lan Qiren with. Maybe, had he stayed until they actually reformed him into a somewhat decent person, he wouldn't have come back to our home and got our sect massacred."
"My Lady," said Jiang Fengmian carefully. "Everything has gone and passed now, I don't think it's appropriate to bring such old times to the surface."
"Exactly, everything has gone and passed, hasn't it, Fengmian?!" roared Yu Ziyuan. "Everything has gone and passed—you died, I died, our daughter died, Zixuan died! All because of that mistake sitting over there! He never should have joined the sect!"
Jiang Fengmian opened his mouth to speak, only to notice plenty of nosy, gossiping stares. He shot Yu Ziyuan a look, who glanced around at the crowd disdainfully before sitting back down.
The disciple standing behind Nie Huaisang gasped at the sight of Wei Wuxian. "Isn't that Wei Wuxian? He's only a disciple of the Jiang Clan, how come he is able to study here at Gusu?"
"Wei-Xiong's parents were friends of Sect Leader Jiang, who treated him like his own," explained Nie Huaisang.
"Wei Wuxian's parents were friends with Jiang Fengmian? Why didn't I know about this?"
"But I heard he's Jiang Cheng's bastard brother. After all, Jiang Fengmian never denied Wei Wuxian being his son..."
"But it's exactly that—he didn't deny it. How is that confirmation?"
"Maybe we were wrong..."
'Of course you were wrong!' Wei Wuxian wanted to say, but he nonetheless held in all of his thoughts, conscious of the ears listening in. 'As soon as I'm taken in by the Jiang Sect, I'm labelled as Jiang Fengmian's son. What about my parents? Did you all forget about their glory and achievements? Was the praise you gave them just a farce?'
Despite the confusion and uncertainty among the viewers, one thing was certain — Wei Wuxian's past was shrouded in mystery, and only time would reveal its true secrets.
The disciple made a sound of understanding. "Oh, I see. No wonder Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian get along so well. They're like brothers!"
Once the pair had finally caught up with them, Nie Huaisang greeted once again, "Jiang-Xiong! Wuxian-Xiong! You must think Gusu is a boring place."
Lan Qiren's face contorted into an expression resembling that of a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.
"Wouldn't say it's too boring," said Wei Wuxian as he pulled his arms above his head and stretched. "We just got up too early."
Nie Huaisang looked at him curiously and he quickly snapped open his bamboo fan. "We awaken at 5AM here, it's not that bad right? When did you two get up?"
"5AM?" murmured a Jiang disciple. "That's way too early!"
"Exactly! I'd just be going to sleep right about then!"
"Is this why the Lans are so stuck up? Because they don't sleep?"
"I'm never going to Gusu in this lifetime, that's for sure!"
Jiang Cheng pointed a finger at Wei Wuxian, who glanced back at him innocently, and then he looked at Nie Huaisang as if confirming the question was aimed at Wei Wuxian. "Him? He rises at nine and sleeps at one. After he wakes up, he doesn't meditate or practise the sword. Instead, he fools around in the water, picks lotus seed pods, and hunts for pheasants."
Wei Wuxian grinned proudly. "I'm the best at hunting pheasants!"
His mind made up, Nie Huaisang determinedly snapped shut his fan. "Next year I'll go to Yunmeng to study! Nobody can stop me!"
"Huaisang," said Nie Mingjue, prying a whining Nie Huaisang's fan away. "I'm certain I can stop you–" he swiftly slapped him on the head with it. "—or did you not think I would dare to break your legs?!"
"Da-Ge, be careful with that, it's really—" Nie Huaisang let out a wild shriek at the sight of the snapped and splintered remains of his fan. "Delicate! Da-Ge, my fan, you...!"
Nie Mingjue glanced at the fan guiltily. "...Sorry, Huaisang."
"Sorry won't cut it! Da-Ge, do you understand the lengths I went through to get that? No, you don't because you're really, really—" he paused as if unsure of what to say next. "Stupid, Da-Ge! You're stupid and silly!"
"You–" Nie Mingjue was speechless, as were a few others in the crowd. Who knew Nie Huaisang could scold his brother like that? What a new side they'd seen of the Sect Leader today!
The disciple patted Nie Huaisang on the shoulder in pity. "Nobody will stop you. It's just that your brother will break your legs."
Wei Wuxian chuckled, his silver eyes adopting a calculating, mischievous look. "Honestly, you can still have fun in Gusu."
"Wei Wuxian is always so positive even when less... favourable things occur. It is truly admirable!"
"But I dread to think what he finds fun in a place like Gusu. I don't trust him!"
Many "+1"s immediately followed.
Nie Huaisang sauntered over to him. "Fun? Are you kidding me, Wei-Xiong? A piece of sincere advice for you, Cloud Recess does not tolerate misbehaviour." He idly waved his hand. "During your time in Gusu, you must remember not to provoke a certain person."
Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow curiously. "Who? Lan Qiren?"
Lan Qiren scoffed, not appreciating the way they were uncouthly gossiping. "Well he definitely failed."
Nie Huaisang shook his head in response. "Not that old man. The one you should watch out for is his favourite student, one of the Lan brothers. He's really cold and people are even too scared to speak his courtesy name! It's—"
"...It's?" Wei Wuxian prompted.
"It's—" Nie Huaisang pursed his lips. He discreetly glanced around them and slowly leaned in to whisper into Wei Wuxian's ear. "Lan..." he swallowed. "Lan Wangji."
"Haha, he's so scared to say Hanguang-Jun's name," snickered Lan Jingyi. "How ridiculous. It's just a name!"
"Need I remind you of that time we met that ghost?" drawled Jin Ling, to Lan Jingyi's horror. "Exactly. A cultivator being scared of ghosts. That's ridiculous."
"You did not just go there, Jin Ling!"
"I think I just did," said Jin Ling challengingly. "And that's Jin-Zongzhu to you."
"Hey! I'm your friend! Why do I have to call you such a respectful title?"
"Even more reason, then."
Wei Wuxian hummed quietly to himself as he followed Nie Huaisang into the Orchid Room. "Lan Wangji?"
Nie Huaisang quickly nodded trepidatiously. "Yes! He's in charge of discipline. Everyone here fears him."
"A social butterfly and a feared ice beauty — how romantic! They are like ice and fire, the sun and the moon; they were made for each other!"
"Yes, yes!" others eagerly agreed.
Nie Huaisang sighed wistfully. "Good thing is, he likes meditating alone, so we don't see him around often-" but as soon as he turned his head, a screech of pure terror abruptly escaped his lips. Wei Wuxian frowned as he followed his gaze.
Basking in the sun's long rays of light, Lan Wangji was seated by the window and idly staring into the wilderness. His long, dark locks of hair fluttered as if being dragged along by the breeze and intertwined with these long strips of ebony was a thin white ribbon of the Lan Clan.
"What a beautiful person," said a young female cultivator dazedly.
"I'm beginning to question whether I like girls or if I'm a cutsleeve..."
"I need to look away before I'm bewitched."
"Exactly," said Wei Wuxian, not at all pleased that people were taking an interest in his husband. "He's beautiful. And he's my husband."
"Stop rubbing it in, Yiling Patriarch. That's just cruel!"
Wei Wuxian pulled a face. "E-Eh?! How is it him..?!"
Lan Wangji turned around, then, and his piercing golden eyes stared malicious, hateful holes into Wei Wuxian, who violently shuddered at the sheer ferocity in them.
"That glare... It's full of hatred!!"
"Lan Wangji!" scolded another. "Why are you glaring at your husband? What did he do to you?!"
"Sorry Wei Ying," said Lan Wangji apologetically. "I... I really regret treating you like that in the past. From now on, if only you would allow me to make it up to you..."
"It's okay, Er-Gege," Wei Wuxian drawled, drawing small circles on the cloth of Lan Wangji's chest. He looked up at his husband and blinked innocently. "After all, I rather like that."
"You!" Jiang Wanyin was on the verge of joining Lan Qiren in the realm of unconsciousness after fainting from Wei Wuxian's shameless nature!
Nie Huaisang was initially shaking in fear, desperately hiding himself behind his fan. However, as time prolonged and he further observed the pair, his shoulders relaxed as he seemed to come to a conclusion.
He narrowed his eyes at the pair, using his closed fan to draw a line between the staring battle between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji: the former had an unreadable face, save for the fury he seemed to be emitting, while the latter was frozen in shock – and was that recognition?
"Wait," said Wen Ruohan. "Could this be 'love at first sight? I've heard people go into a daze — a trance of sorts. Does this mean they fell for one another so easily? How boring! I enjoy a good slow burn."
"I doubt that," said one of the bolder girls. "Lan Wangji looks like he wants to lop Wei Wuxian's head off right where he's standing. That's hardly love at first sight."
"But he always looks like that, doesn't he?" Jiang Wanyin murmured.
"Only to you, Uncle," said Jin Ling as-matter-of-fact.
Wei Wuxian loudly huffed, petulantly turning away from the cold, livid eyes.
Nie Huaisang snapped open his fan and raised it until it covered half of his face. "Wei-Xiong, have you done something wrong?"
"How'd he know?!" Lan Jingyi exclaimed, dumbfounded.
"How could he not?" scoffed Jiang Wanyin. "Wei Wuxian always has a certain attraction for trouble. He always gets the same look when he's either thinking of causing some sort of trouble or already has. And whenever I see it, it's usually a bit of both, mind you."
"You sure know him well, Sect Leader Jiang," murmured Ouyang Zizhen. "Really well..."
"Haha..." Wei Wuxian nervously chuckled as he recalled and retold what had happened the previous night. "Well..."
The screen switched to a dark night, where Lan Wangji was standing atop a rooftop opposite Wei Wuxian, who was sitting on the pinnacle and looking very displeased.
"You are not allowed in until 7AM tomorrow. Get out," said Lan Wangji coldly.
"Emperor's smile!" Wei Wuxian offered a jar to Lan Wangji, the bright full moon shining rays onto both the alcohol container and Wei Wuxian's bright smile. "I'll give you a jar. In return, you must not tell a soul I was ever here. Deal?"
Upon receiving only silence from the cold man, Wei Wuxian grinned. "Aiyo, Put on a smile, you'll look much cuter!"
"He called Lan Wangji cute," said Wen Ruohan, majestically stroking a goatee that was not quite there. "Definitely love at first sight. I suppose that other time must have been love at second sight."
The girls immediately began to voice their delight at his words. "That's right! That's exactly it!"
Lan Wangji frowned in disapproval. "Alcohol is forbidden in Cloud Recess."
Wei Wuxian glanced at him, and then down at the jars in his hand with a resigned sigh. "What exactly is not forbidden here?!"
Not wanting to humour Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji coldly turned away. "It is clearly written on the wall of discipline. Go read it yourself."
"Your family rules are more than 3,000," said Wei Wuxian, resting against a tree branch and dismissively waving his hand. "Who'd read all that?"
"Nobody, really."
"Not even the Lans are that insane! Well, I suppose the main family are, judging by Lan Wangji's reaction..."
Lan Wangji continued to glower at him, to which Wei Wuxian was forced to reluctantly yield. "Uh... Alright, alright. I won't go in," and he then proceeded to tear off the lid of one jar with his teeth, holding the other securely under his arm. "I'm not inside, so I can drink here, right?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"You wouldn't dare–"
"Loopholes," said Lan Jingyi, grinning at the on-screen Wei Wuxian with a sort of kindred smugness.
Wei Wuxian lifted the jar and leaned back as he gulped down the alcohol. Rivers of it ran down his chin and onto his neck, but he never made an attempt to wipe it away, instead basking in the sight of Lan Wangji's furious expression.
"I admit, the Yiling Patriarch looked really handsome."
"What idiot spread the rumours around saying that he was ugly?! Whoever said that was clearly just jealous!"
"It's not that Mo Xuanyu's appearance isn't nice... He just looks more... let's say beautiful rather than handsome. Mo Xuanyu is the kind of person who'd make a girl feel insecure about her looks. But Wei Wuxian is the kind of person who would make them insecure of their looks for the other reason."
As Lan Wangji watched Wei Wuxian carelessly violate numerous rules in just that act alone, his anger flared. Without a moment's hesitation, he unsheathed Bichen and lunged towards Wei Wuxian.
"Noooooo!! Don't attack your husband!!"
"It's dangerous! You might get hurt!"
"Don't aim at his face! I can't bear to see that!"
Wei Wuxian wiped his mouth with a satisfied exhale and jumped back to avoid the blade, throwing the jar of alcohol into the air during the process. The pair danced across the rooftop with light steps, Wei Wuxian avoiding Lan Wangji's blade while trying to protect the jar of liquor, and Lan Wangji performing a series of thrusts and parries, pushing Wei Wuxian into a corner, with nowhere to go for the watchtower was right behind him.
"This is so beautiful!"
"How exciting! We get to watch two incredibly strong cultivators fighting up close!"
"Hey, are there any painters here? Quickly, you need to paint this scene! I'll give you whatever you want!"
"I want a fan," said Nie Huaisang, slightly glowering at Nie Mingjue. He sighed. "But I would if I could! I don't have any of my art supplies with me! What a wasted opportunity!"
Lan Wangji cornered Wei Wuxian to a tree, this time, but Wei Wuxian wasn't ready to let him win just yet. Instead of yielding, he instead climbed onto the tree and used it as leverage to leap past Lan Wangji, his silver eyes colliding with Lan Wangji's golden ones in what appeared to be slow motion as he passed him.
Using the fabric binding on his wrists, he trapped the tip of Bichen's blade in a knot, making Lan Wangji pause for a moment, at a complete loss of what to do. But in only moments, he managed to string together a response and he thrust Bichen in the air, cutting the fabric and sending Wei Wuxian's jar of wine flying metres away. There was a resounding clash as it fell to the floor amongst their shared silence.
"Lan Zhan, you were really so cruel, destroying my Emperor's Smile like that!" said Wei Wuxian solemnly, pouting and crossing his arms at the mere memory.
"Will get some more," said Lan Wangji.
As if he'd anticipated this from the start, Wei Wuxian leapt up from his slouched position and smiled at Lan Wangji eagerly. "Hm? What was that, Er-Gege?"
"I will get Wei Ying as many jars of Emperor's Smile as he wants," corrected Lan Wangji.
"Yay! Lan Zhan, you're the best!"
The scene switched back to Nie Huaisang's dumbfounded face, his fan already having slipped from his grip. "In Cloud Recess, it is forbidden to go out at night, drink alcohol, or fight privately!" he wailed in despair, counting Wei Wuxian's many offences on his fingers. "You've already broken three rules!"
Wei Wuxian petulantly kicked a stray rock on the ground and murmured under his breath, "There are more rules here than ants...."
Nie Huaisang smoothly slipped away, his face still half hidden by the wood of his fan. At the same time, Jiang Wanyin placed an encouraging hand on Wei Wuxian's shoulder. "He's watching you. Good luck." and then he walked away, leaving Wei Wuxian alone to feel the pressure of Lan Wangji's fearsome gaze.
A chorus of laughter echoed within the room.
"They left him! Haha!"
"Poor Wei Wuxian!"
"Now that's what I call a dramatic exit!"
Wei Wuxian seated himself at the front row, his desk coincidentally beside Lan Wangji's. But no matter how much he stared or motioned towards the cold teenager, Lan Wangji's composed demeanour didn't falter once.
"Ahem," coughed Lan Qiren as he entered the room, holding a rolled-up scroll. "Is everyone here?"
The Lans instinctively straightened their backs at his entrance before abruptly recalling just where they were and exhaling a long sigh of relief.
Lan Qiren held one end of the scroll and let it unravel itself and glide across the room, revealing all of the 3,000 rules of Cloud Recess that were individually inscribed onto a thin piece of parchment paper. It stretched metres long, passing by all of the terrified Guest Disciples.
"WHAT IS THAT?!" screeched many Jiang disciples at once.
Wei Wuxian felt a tremor of trepidation rush down his spine—he audibly swallowed and glanced at Lan Qiren fearfully, who was stroking his goatee in what Wei Wuxian thought to be smugly. "The 3,000 rules of GusuLan."
To everyone's terror, Lan Qiren began to read them out one by one. "No private fighting, no promiscuity, no killing inside the city-"
Wei Wuxian slouched onto his desk, leaning his face in one hand. He found his gaze wandering to Lan Wangji, who was seated with his back straight-
"I guess he didn't stay straight for long-" Ouyang Zizhen was silenced by his father's hand which, oddly familiarly, was smacking him squarely on the back of the head.
-and eyes glued to Lan Qiren, listening to each syllable, each word with the utmost attention.
Wei Wuxian could only stare in disbelief. 'How can he listen to something so boring?'
"If you looked up the word 'proper', I'm certain Lan Wangji's face would be right next to it."
"And if you looked up 'stingy', I'm sure you'll see Lan Qiren–" began Ouyang Zizhen, followed by a yelp as his father once again smacked his head. "Actually, you'll definitely see my dad–" a smack. "Clan Leader Ouyang–" another smack. "Ouyang-Zongzhu, I tell you! Ouyang-Zongzhu!" another.
"-No smirking," Lan Qiren continued to drawl. "No sitting hunched over. No..."
Wei Wuxian jolted, snapping out of his daze when a loud smack of wood was heard. He glanced at Lan Qiren, who was currently glowering at him from the front of the room. "I am reciting the rules one by one because no one reads them. Since someone is still not paying attention, alright, I'll tell you something else."
"It's so obvious he's speaking about Uncle Wei," said Jin Ling blankly.
"Totally obvious," said Nie Huaisang with a slight nod.
"Exceptionally obvious," agreed Lan Sizhui.
"Immensely obvious," added Lan Jingyi.
"Totally... Exceptionally... immensely..." Ouyang Zizhen murmured to himself, counting the synonymous words on his fingers. "Ah, I know! Tremendously obv-"
They were, rather unfortunately, silenced by Jiang Wanyin's sharp words, "Stop! I don't care how wide your range of vocabulary is, just shut up for once! How many times must I tell you?!"
Wei Wuxian smirked into his palm, eyes sparkling with amusement. 'Is he talking about me?'
Sure enough, Lan Qiren's eyes sped to Wei Wuxian. "Wei Wuxian."
"Here!" Wei Wuxian raised his hand and dutifully waved at Lan Qiren, giggling at the tight expression on the old man's wrinkled face.
"What was the profession of the QingheNie Clan's ancestors?"
"Butcher," Wei Wuxian answered without pause.
"The heraldry of the LanlingJin Sect is a white peony; Which type of white peony is it?"
"Sparks Amidst Snow."
"Who was the first in the cultivation world to focus on the rise of their Clan rather than their Sect?"
"The founder of the QishanWen Sect, Wen Mao."
"How intelligent," said a Junior cultivator, their eyes sparkling in admiration. "It's no wonder he used to be the Jiang Sect's head disciple!"
"I even heard, once, that the Yiling Patriarch used to be fourth in the list of the most eligible bachelors! But no one talks about that these days. They're all for the 'evil, fearsome demon' hiding beneath one's bed."
"Eh? That's quite the accomplishment. Why haven't I heard of this?"
Lan Qiren's face seemed to pale, but his stern expression didn't waver once. "As a disciple of the YunmengJiang Sect, you should have long since been able to recall these things like the back of your hand. It is nothing to take pride in even if you answered them correctly."
"Nothing to take pride in? Knowing just that and able to answer it when put on the spot like that is quite amazing. Lan Qiren really expects too much!"
"Exactly!" said a young maiden. "Excuses, excuses! What's with people treating Wei Wuxian differently just because of his parents? First Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Fengmian, and now Lan Qiren! It's really too much! Whatever did Wei Wuxian do to you old cranky people to make you despise him like that?!"
Lan Qiren stroked his goatee in a slow, elegant manner. "Let me ask you again. There lived an executioner who lacked neither parents, wife, nor children. Before he died, he had executed over a hundred people. His death happened in public and, to punish him for his deeds, he was left on the streets for seven days. His resentful energy accumulated and he began to haunt the living. What should be done?"
Wei Wuxian paused this time, seemingly pondering over the answer in a great contrast to the quick, spit-fire way he'd been throwing Lan Qiren's questions back at him before.
Lan Qiren glanced at Nie Huaisang, who was hidden behind a book while chanting, "Don't pick me, don't pick me, don't pick me, don't pick me, don't pick me!!" He looked up from under the book but immediately darted back down after meeting Lan Qiren's eyes.
Lan Qiren smoothly turned to Lan Wangji, his expression smug in a way that told the viewers he had done this many times before. "Wangji, tell him what should be done."
Lan Wangji swiftly left his seat and politely cupped his hands into a bow. "First, liberate; Second, suppress; Third, obliterate. The initial approach is to utilise the gratitude of his relatives and grant his dying wish, setting free what he could not let go of. If this fails, suppress it. If the crimes committed were extreme and its energy of resentment does not dissipate, exterminate it completely. The cultivation world should precisely keep to this order of measure. No errors should be allowed."
"That's the most I've heard Second Young Master Lan speak, even though he's repeating something you'd read in texts."
"You're right. The only time he says such long sentences is when talking to Wei Wuxian."
"Why just Wei Wuxian? I like his voice! He should talk more!"
Lan Qiren stroked his goatee and was quick to praise his nephew, "Not a single word was mistaken."
Wei Wuxian raised his hand. "I have a question."
"Speak."
"'Liberation' is supposed to come first but it's often impossible. 'Grant his dying wish' — But what if his dying wish is murder for revenge?"
"Hence suppression assists liberation. If necessary, obliteration follows," said Lan Wangji calmly.
"Such a waste." Wei Wuxian sighed. "It's not that I didn't know the answer, but I was thinking about a fourth path."
"Fourth path?"
'Oh dear' Wei Wuxian thought. 'Well, there's no stopping my younger self's loud mouth now.'
"Is he foreshadowing Mo Manor?" said Lan Sizhui, ever so observant. "The wish for revenge through murder... It's almost like he was preparing for the future. How curious."
"Because the executioner died in such a way, it's only natural that he turned into a fierce corpse. Since he executed one hundred people before he died—"
"I don't like where this is going..."
"Wei Wuxian, kindly shut up now. I dread to hear the rest."
Wei Wuxian blinked innocently. "—Why not dig up the graves of these people, excite their resentful energy, collect the one hundred heads, and use them to fight the ferocious corpse?"
Sect Leader Yao shot up from where he sat and pointed a furious, accusatory finger at Wei Wuxian. "You see! He truly is a demon! Even at such a young age, he's been thinking of killing us all and walking the dark path!"
"He's right!"
"Demon!"
"Monster!"
"You don't belong here!"
"Fiend!"
"Shame on you!"
And then silence.
"Why is it suddenly so silent?" Lan Jingyi murmured in bewilderment. Many people shifted their eyes to Lan Wangji, who had all but silenced tens of people in a matter of a second! How extraordinary!
Lan Wangji turned to Wei Wuxian, disbelief clearly visible in his expression. Jiang Wanyin facepalmed. The guest disciples gawked at his audacity, while Lan Qiren's face distorted in anger.
Lan Qiren slammed his hand on the desk. "How dare you! The essence of exorcising ghosts and annihilating demons is to liberate! Rather than thinking of ways to liberate, you intend on exciting their resentful energy! You reverse the natural order, ignore ethics and morality!"
"Yes! He's exactly right!"
"Listen to your elders!"
Wei Wuxian boredly picked up a lock of his hair and began to twirl it between his fingers listlessly. "Since when have any of you 'elders' truly acted like a teacher and have given us proper guidance?" His speech was lazy, but firm, as if it was a thought he'd held for a long time yet not one he'd ever said aloud.
The Juniors exchanged glances at once before they immediately erupted with a barrage of complaints and yells:
"Senior Wei is right! Shut up!"
"Stop talking about Senior Wei like that!"
"You hypocrites!"
"I'll-" Lan Jingyi paused. It wouldn't be good if he threw a number of threats at people in this situation, would it?
Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. "There are some things that can't be liberated no matter what, so why not make use of them? When Yu The Great tamed the flood, obstruction was the inferior method, while redirection was the superior. Suppression is the same as obstruction, so it isn't inferior-"
But despite his attempt at reasoning with the old man, Lan Qiren interjected him by throwing a book in his direction. Wei Wuxian quickly dodged it, but instead of flying past him and into the wall, it threw itself into an unsuspecting Nie Huaisang, hitting him squarely in the face. He stumbled back, half out of pain and half out of shock as he wailed and clutched his face, his fan lost somewhere on the floor.
"Poor Nie Huaisang," said the maiden who had been previously defending Wei Wuxian. In a stroke of irony, now she was defending Nie Huaisang. "How cruel of Lan Qiren, to throw a book at him at such a time! Is he just comedic relief or what?! He's next in line for the Nie Clan, spare him some face!"
"Hey, it's Sect Leader Nie to you," said another female cultivator who was seated beside her. "A-Yu, don't be so dramatic. Besides, I'm sure this is the reason why Sect Leader Nie always looks like he's got a book flattened on his face. I mean, look at him!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nie Huaisang murmured solemnly, absentmindedly rubbing his forehead.
Despite Lan Qiren's rebuttals, Wei Wuxian did not falter. "Spiritual energy is energy, Resentful energy is energy as well! Spiritual energy is stored in the dantian and its power is available for our use, so why can't we make use of it?!"
"So why can't we make use of it?" Jin Zixun repeated in a mocking tone. "I wonder why that is, Wei Wuxian. Aren't you supposed to be smart? Didn't you invent it? You even said it yourself! Spiritual energy is energy that we already harness. And what is resentful energy? Energy yes, but it's arguably the most harmful thing a cultivator could ever come in contact with! Of course we don't make use of it! Are you just thick or do I need to spell it out for you?"
"It's all a load of nonsense, but," said an older woman. "He has a point. I used to think this-" she looked at Jin Zixun unsurely. "-Jin disciple was about as smart as Wen Chao, but... he really does have a point, doesn't he?"
"I suppose if you could control it, the effects wouldn't be damaging," added another. "After all, Wei Wuxian harnessed this power so flawlessly and wielded it like it was another limb! Of course it wasn't harming him! Controlling it must stop that!"
Lan Qiren was so furious that his pale and wrinkly face was becoming a startling angry red and he seemed to be visibly shaking. "Then let me ask you again! How can you ensure that the resentful energy follows your command and does not harm others?!"
"Hmm," Wei Wuxian put a hand to his chin thoughtfully before innocently tilting his head to the side. "I haven't thought of it yet."
"..."
"But you do," said Ouyang Zizhen to the silence. "You do find a way, Senior Wei. You make it follow your command and don't allow it to harm others. Therefore... I think you shouldn't listen to him! Actually, I really admire you— ow— Dad!! What was that for?! You're not allowed to hit your child!!"
"Oh I think I am, Zizhen! What son are you?!"
"Don't speak against your elders," said Lan Jingyi, always the pristine example of a Lan. "However, Lying is forbidden. Therefore, I must agree with him! Senior Wei, you're so amazing! Never change!"
"Kids," Wei Wuxian murmured with a large smile that was trepidatiously breaking through. "Thank you."
Alas, Lan Qiren was not done. Steam seemed to be leaving his ears as he threw yet another book at Wei Wuxian. "If you thought of it, the cultivation world would not allow your existence! Get out!"
"Okay, let's be fair here: that book was well deserved."
"Yes."
"It was certainly well deserved."
Wei Wuxian happily chuckled before respectfully cupping his hands together in a bow, in a great juxtaposition to his previously disrespectful attitude. "Goodbye!"
He seemed so joyous to be leaving the Orchid Room that some of the disciples sort of envied him — well, at least until Lan Qiren shouted for their attention ("don't look at him! Do you want to join him in his punishment?!").
'Wei Wuxian... he has really lost it...' they all thought.
"You.. You.." Lan Qiren pointed a trembling finger at him. "From now on, Wei Wuxian shall be reflecting on his faults for one month!"
All he got in response was a cheerful laugh.
"Wei Wuxian... he is really so carefree," said a Jin disciple. "Sometimes I wonder if this is even the Yiling Patriarch we're seeing. It's like he's possessed."
"You're right, he could have been possessed! And we must have just never noticed!"
"Did Lan Wangji know? Do you think that's why he protected the Yiling Patriarch in the past? He did not want an innocent—in terms of the mind—man to be killed? But he also didn't say anything because he would be accused of protecting an evil entity?"
"Wow! Hanguang-Jun is really so admirable!"
"Then.. That explains why Wei Wuxian gave up the sword. No cultivator would give up the sword for the dark arts. But it's much easier for an entity to give up something they never had in the first place than to quit it entirely after years of practice."
"He was so quick to stop using it too!"
"Yes, yes."
"So is the feared Yiling Patriarch actually Wei Wuxian or an evil entity?"
[1] A stick of incense time is generally about five to sixty minutes. In this case, Jin Ling is referring to ten minutes.