𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 !!
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y/n - your name
w/n - weapon's name
c/n - courtesy name
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LAN Y/N WANDERED AROUND THE GRAND AND LAVISH HALLS OF THE KOI PALACE, WITHOUT ANY IDEA WHAT TO DO TO KILL TIME.
lan y/n sighed as he turned down into another hallway. only servants and the occasional mistresses walked past him, but not before complimenting his looks. his older brother left a few days prior, accompanying jin zixuan to defend the newly retaken langya, because apparently, the wens wasn't going to give up that location despite the manslaughter they had just suffered thanks to lan y/n.
but of course, lan y/n was forced to stay behind and protect the lanling jin clan while they were away. while it was most certainly an important job, to hold down the fort until they returned, lan y/n didn't like it one bit. the battle in langya raged on, and jin zixuan had yet to return from the frontlines with lan y/n's older brother. while the battle was elsewhere, lan y/n remained in jinlintai, far from the bloody battlefield where he knows he truly belongs. he felt trapped amongst the architectural marvels of the lanling jin clan, despite everything being so peaceful, considering how content the servants were, that they were safe in their palace while others were dying in a war for freedom against the oppressing qishan wen clan. just being in the jin clan's home turf was unnerving to lan y/n, who was never really fond of being surrounded by so many jin zixuan wannabe's. he sighed again.
he liked jin zixuan. he liked teasing him, he liked the reactions he got out of teasing him, but when surrounded by so many of jin zixuan's kin, he really couldn't suffer being with them. so, he took a walk, in an attempt to get rid of the suffocation feeling.
he looked out a window, where there was a series of connecting rivers and canals that all joined up into one large body of water in the middle. a golden pavilion floated in the middle, where there was only a single bridge connecting it back into the mainland. there were a few bridges scattered around, looking like a maze on top of the clear water. lan y/n could see, lounging underneath the shade of the pavilion, the clan leader of the lanling jin clan himself, jin guangshan, surrounded by many beauties wearing luxurious yellow robes, that he most likely provided for them to wear. guards were stationed on the other end of the bridge, probably to give him privacy with his mistresses.
"what are you doing here, lan-gongzi? are you lost?" lan y/n turns his head around, and he sees meng yao, standing there with a gentle smile on his face. "no, i was just wandering around." lan y/n replies as he turns his attention towards the connecting canals. his eyes caught the sight of two interesting-looking koi, they were white and black respectively, with spots of the opposite color dotting their slender bodies. "am i not allowed to?" lan y/n added, keeping his gaze on the two koi fishes. "oh, please don't mind me! of course, you're free to go wherever you please, you are a distinguished guest after all." meng yao bows slightly.
lan y/n narrows his eyes and turns his gaze back towards meng yao. "and you? shouldn't you be fighting elsewhere or something?" lan y/n asked. he never really gave much attention to members of other clans, he simply couldn't be bothered with their lives, but there was something about meng yao that just ticked him off.
suspicion, danger, deceit.
lan y/n felt like he shouldn't trust this man, whether it would be something as simple as eating at the same table or fighting on the same battlefield. his innocent face and charming smile were both painfully suspicious, and it frustrated lan y/n that his brother was being all chummy with him. meng yao didn't seem too bothered about his words though. "oh, nie-zongzhu wrote jin-zongzhu a recommendation letter, but he doesn't seem to like me very much, so he placed me here as a guard in order to satisfy nie-zongzhu, albeit temporarily." meng yao replied with a sheepish expression. "a wise decision on his end. it won't do us any good if the clan leaders suddenly start fighting, well, considering nie-zongzhu's attitude and all. you must be quite a big deal if someone like him does you a huge favor like this." lan y/n says, crossing his arms.
his eyes narrowed for a brief moment. he hated how restricting the jin clan's robes were, or maybe it was just him. lan y/n was never one to bother with luxurious robes and accessories. he only wore two pieces of accessories; the pin jiang cheng gave him, and his uncle's forehead ribbon, but as soon as he was out and about of his room, jin guangshan had his servants give him new robes and accessories to wear during his stay. of course, he refused, but the servants were too pushy, so he gave in. lan y/n looked towards meng yao, who replied to his statement, "i feel deeply touched that he would do me a favor such as this, but i'm ashamed to admit that it was all for naught." meng yao says with a deep frown. lan y/n's eyes softened.
"do you know your way around here?" lan y/n asked, looking at him with a minuscule smile. he still couldn't trust meng yao, but he needed to show meng yao that he could be trusted, so he could learn who he truly was and know if he could trust this man with his brother. "huh? oh! yes, of course. do you need me to escort you somewhere?" meng yao asked. lan y/n glanced over his shoulder, his golden eyes barely catching sight of the charming smile jin guangshan gave him from the pavilion. it was definitely for him, as their eyes met and everything.
lan y/n shuddered.
he turned his attention back to meng yao and pulled a charming smile to his lips. "all right then." lan y/n walked over to meng yao and hooked their arms together. meng yao blushed a bright red at the physical contact. "l-lan-gongzi, what are you doing?" meng yao asked, panicking slightly. "what's with that reaction? i need you to escort me back to my room. i might get distracted and run off elsewhere, so you better hold me tight." lan y/n said, a strict look on his face.
'to think that of all the places they would cage me in, it had to be jinlintai. this place is even worse than the maze at qishan.' lan y/n looked down, glaring at his feet. meng yao noticed the frustrated expression on his face. he cleared his throat and properly propped up his arm. "all right then, lan-gongzi, come on, this way." meng yao urged professionally, taking one confident step forward. lan y/n followed, still keeping their arms hooked.
meng yao seemed to really know his way around jinlintai, lan y/n noticed that every hallway they walked through was completely devoid of any servants, except during the times when a servant was about to walk past them, they would turn down another hallway, avoiding the servant.
lan y/n noticed this. "and of course, this is-" before meng yao could finish speaking, lan y/n cut him off. "the glamour hall, where all the main banquets happen, right?" lan y/n looked up at meng yao, as he was shorter than him. "oh, yes." meng yao replied with a bright smile. "have you ever eaten in here before, lan-gongzi?" meng yao asked, the two of them not moving from their position at the entrance of the hall. "no. i hate grand banquets. so many people, so many noise, so many lies, and false flattery. it's annoying." lan y/n glared at the highest seat in the room, probably where jin guangshan would sit. but he noticed there were three tables on the lower seats. he probably sat there with his wife and son, jin zixuan. meng yao tugged on lan y/n's arm, "come, lan-gongzi, there is still plenty i would love to show you."
"aren't we going to enter?" lan y/n asked, keeping his feet planted on the floor. he looked towards the reluctant meng yao. "oh, no, i... mustn't." he whimpers. "my father doesn't even accept me as his own. i am only here because of your older brother and nie-zongzhu, and when they return, i will return to the battlefield with them." he looks down in dismay, but then he raises his head, a determined look on his face. "but still, i will have my father acknowledge me." meng yao says, his voice sounding strong and determined. lan y/n frowned. while his instincts, or rather, the qiong qi, told him that his words couldn't be trusted, lan y/n felt like the words meng yao had just spoken to him now were a reflection of his true feelings.
he wished to be accepted by his family, just like lan y/n once did.
except, meng yao wasn't viewed upon as a monster or the biggest disappointment in the entire world.
lan y/n sighed before a smile made its way across his lips. "come on." a yelp escaped meng yao's lips as he was suddenly pulled inside the immaculate hall. there were no servants around, and the guards were probably off doing their rounds. "lan-gongzi, i can't-" meng yao tries to say, but lan y/n had already pulled him inside. "come on!" he urged, pulling him to the center of the room, not caring if their shoes dirtied the well-polished floors. meng yao took reluctant steps forward, but he immediately began to stumble around when lan y/n twirled them both across the hall.
"you know, meng yao," lan y/n begins as he guides meng yao's hands to his waist. "you and i, we're both quite similar. at one point in my life, i did want my clan's attention and my family's acceptance, and because of that, i did a lot of stupid things to get them." lan y/n says, his other hand intertwining with meng yao's. "don't be like me." he says and twirls them around in a waltz-like manner.
meng yao, entranced by lan y/n's skills in dancing and charms, finally gives in to lan y/n's charms and allows himself to be twirled around by the shorter. "you truly are an enigma, lan-gongzi." meng yao says with a soft chuckle. "and you know some pretty big words." lan y/n chuckled. "but in some cases, you're pretty weird too. why would you seek approval from a man who clearly doesn't want you?" lan y/n asked, eyebrow raised. "my mother believed in him, so i want to believe in him as well." meng yao carefully replies before he dips lan y/n's upper body backward. "i guess we're both pretty weird." meng yao chuckles. lan y/n pulls himself back up, the tip of his nose lightly hitting meng yao's. "then let's be weird together, who the hell cares about what people say anyway?" lan y/n grinned, exposing his pearly white teeth to him. "life's too short to worry about what others think about you! let's just dance now, and leave tomorrow's problems to the us of tomorrow."
'us...' meng yao's face exploded in a brilliant shade of red when lan y/n leaned his forehead against his.
lan y/n made plans that very same day to leave jinlintai under the cover of night with some help from meng yao. he was now wearing his original robes, as they had been returned to him by meng yao. "i'm sorry to drag you into this stupid plan." lan y/n apologized to the soldier as they both snuck past the guards to get to the horse stables. meng yao only shook his head. the two of them made it to the stables without a hitch, since the two guards that were stationed there were in a deep slumber... "no, i'm more than happy to help you, lan-gongzi." meng yao whispers with a smile as he helps lan y/n mount his horse. "thanks." lan y/n smiled, grabbing the reins of the horse. "y/n is fine, you know?" lan y/n grinned, making meng yao's face glow with a bright red color.
lan y/n laughed. "i will see you again soon." he said. "be careful out there." meng yao says to the young lan. "after this war is over, come live with us in gusu. i'm sure my brother would love to have you around." meng yao's face reddens again, whether it was from lan y/n's offer to make him stay with him in gusu, or what he said about his older brother wanting to have him around, lan y/n will never know.
before meng yao could give an answer though, lan y/n dashed away on his horse. even with the loud neigh his horse released, the two guards on duty still hadn't woken up. meng yao looks down at his right hand, the hand which lan y/n tenderly held earlier when they were dancing in the glamour hall. he closes his hand into a fist and pulls it close to his heart.
have a safe journey, lan-gongzi.
"why the hell did you offer him that?!" the qiong qi angrily asks his vessel as they travelled through the night on the back of his midnight steed. "because dear qiong qi, have you ever heard the saying, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?" lan y/n asked as he guided his horse into a forest. "no. where'd you read that crap?" the temperamental spirit asked. "dunno. but if meng yao does choose to stay in gusu after the war, i'll be powerless, because by then, you would've already had your revenge. and knowing my older brother, he won't keep his eyes off of meng yao. still, that's all just a theory though. considering how meng yao sounded earlier, he really seems determined to stay in jinlintai." lan y/n says. "still, if he ends up doing something stupid, it's not like we'll get dragged into his mess. if we do somehow, get dragged into his mess, we can just kill him." lan y/n's eyebrows furrowed in determination as he heard the loud laughs of the qiong qi echoing in his head.
"cold and ruthless. i like it." the qiong qi says. lan y/n could practically hear the qiong qi smirking from those words alone. "once you've killed a man, there's no going back. i'll be coming for wen chao's head, and then, we'll kill those savage brutes, every single one of them!" a loud neigh echoed in the night. lan y/n's horse bucked up as it was probably surprised by something in its path, or it sensed lan y/n's bloodlust. "woah!" the horse eventually calmed down. "how did you get to that conclusion, lan y/n?" the qiong qi asked. lan y/n urged the horse forward, and it obeyed. "once i get my kids back, i want them to be as safe as they possibly can. in order to do that, the wens have to die. all of them. i have to kill them, because after the war..." lan y/n gripped the reins. "i'll be reduced to a normal human being. i'll be powerless, i won't be able to protect them."
"besides, that's your goal too, isn't it? to kill all the wens?" lan y/n asked. he jumped down from his horse when they reached the edge of the forest where he could overlook a vast plain.
"you're not killing for the sake of revenge?" the qiong qi asked.
"call it what you want. we'll still kill them all." lan y/n says.
"so where are you going again? surely you're not actually thinking of going to yunmeng." the qiong qi asked.
"it's most likely that my kids have been moved elsewhere. i'd say one of the smaller towns in the area. now that they have my golden core, they don't need those kids anymore, so if i were them, it'd be a pain to keep those kids behind bars when they could just die somewhere." lan y/n says. "how cruel~" the qiong qi chuckles.
"the wens are the cruelest, most disgusting wretches to have ever existed in this world. the only way to be rid of those vermin is if they were overwhelmed by something more dangerous and cruel." lan y/n tightened his hand into a fist, a brief flash of red lightning formed into his closed fist. he exhaled sharply.
i'm coming to get you, kids. just wait for me.
lan y/n traveled only during the night, where he and his horse blended perfectly with the eerie atmosphere and the dark forests they traveled. he heard rumors from a town he had passed by on, that the yunmeng jiang clan was holing up somewhere near the lotus pier, gradually building up strength while watching the wens movement from afar. with every town lan y/n passed by on that was under the oppression of the wens, he would free them. he committed acts of mass murder during the darkest of nights, where only the brave would dare venture into the quiet streets. everywhere he went, he would leave a trail of blood as he headed for the towns near yunmeng.
the moon revealed itself, the clouds parting way for it like curtains that allowed light to shine down onto the earth below. a bloody massacre had occurred again. and lan y/n fled the scene without anyone knowing. he couldn't be bothered with the cleanup, right now, he only had two goals in mind; retrieve his children, and kill all the wens. his horse skidded to a halt just before it could fall down the cliff. lan y/n jumped down from the back of his horse, overlooking a small town below the cliff. they had reached a town decorated with the sun-bearing flags of the qishan wen clan. lan y/n huffed, deciding to take the longer path towards the village so he could hide his horse there. "you seem to be doing just fine without me." the qiong qi said.
lan y/n tied a knot around the tree. "i'm sorry. should i be more considerate of you having your fun then?" lan y/n asked as he finished tying the knot. he turned to the horse and patted its snout.
"did the wens drive you that deep into madness that you've begun to talk to a horse, a-y/n?" in the distance, lan y/n heard the crowing of a raven, echoing all over the dark forest. "or are you just lonely?" lan y/n couldn't believe his eyes. there, standing in front of him, was his best friend during his school days.
wei wuxian.
jiang cheng and lan y/n never had the chance to talk about him, probably because the two were too busy with each other and the war to remember, but here he was. he had assumed that wei wuxian perished some time ago, due to jiang cheng's reluctance to reply when he did remember to ask. always considerate of his feelings, lan y/n never forced the subject, and he would just drop it. yet he was standing before him. he wore robes that were as dark as the night sky and carried along a flute that matched the color of his robes, adorned with tassels that were reminiscent of the color of blood.
lan y/n couldn't do anything. he was frozen in surprise. he didn't even know if the person standing before him was truly wei wuxian, his best friend, and partner-in-crime, as he wore a cold expression instead of his always bright and cheerful demeanor. his complexion was paler, a stark contrast to his normal, healthy skin. "it looks like i wasn't the only one who changed." wei wuxian said, a deep frown finding its way to his lips. lan y/n frowned as well and looked away. he heard an exasperated sigh come from wei wuxian. "this wasn't how i imagined our reunion would go." he groaned. lan y/n sighed in relief. it seems he hasn't completely changed.
and that was truly a relief.
"wei ying." lan y/n stepped forward and opened his arms. wei wuxian jumped into his chest, sharing the warmth of his body with his friend. "you ventured down that path too, didn't you?" lan y/n whispered sadly into wei wuxian's ear. slowly, almost reluctantly, wei wuxian hugged him tightly. "yeah... i did." he said, his voice quiet and muffled as he hid his face between lan y/n's shoulder and neck. "wait..." wei wuxian pulled away, but only slightly. his arms were loosely wrapped around lan y/n's waist, which he noted, was thinner than before.
"wait do you mean, too?" lan y/n hung his head low in shame. "i wanted to fight..." he whispered. "oh, a-y/n." wei wuxian whispered sadly, tears pricking the corners of his lips. he wrapped lan y/n tightly in his arms.
the two just remained there, wrapped in each other's embrace. no words were needed to be spoken as they shared in each other's pain and sorrow.
( 𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 | ✓ )
( words: 3000+ )