Lan Zhan's POV
Lan Zhan wanted to twist away but he felt the sharpness of the blade at his throat and the burn on his wrist, a blinding white flame, causing his attention to split in two directions.
Something was happening to Wei Ying...but then, just as soon as the pain of intense heat flared into life, it disappeared moments later....what did that mean?
Was Wei Ying alright? Was that a momentary danger?
But he didn't have time to dwell on that, because there were two men standing in front of him.
Two strangers.
In that brief flash of white light, Lan Zhan had seen this:
One dressed all in white, his face unique in its almost feminine features and yet he was definitely a man. There was a softness about him, one which Lan Zhan hoped to capitalise on, if he was given the chance to save himself.
The one dressed like the shadows of the night, all in black held a sword with the characters that read Fuxue, meaning to brush away snow. That same blade was pressed up against his throat and the man holding it there, looked back at him with the coldest glare in his black eyes. They looked like endless pools of darkness staring back at him.
"Who are you?" The one in white asked.
"Lan WangJi of Gusu." Lan Zhan answered without thinking.
He should have lied! Why did he tell the truth? Lan Zhan berated himself internally, wishing for once that those precious rules had not sunken so deeply into his consciousness.
"A Lan? From Cloud Recesses?" the paler of the two continued. "Prove it."
"I already have." Lan Zhan could not help his snarky tone.
"How so?" The man in black sounded too skeptical and Lan Zhan realised he'd have to convince both of them of the truth, otherwise it would be detrimental to his health.
"Lans do not lie." He insisted and then he had another idea. "You must have heard of my sword...Bichen...it was owned by another in our clan...a long time ago."
"That proves nothing if you have stolen it." The one in black said urgently, "I am of the opinion that we dispose of him before he gives us away. He is a liability we do not need." he told his friend.
"Wait...my dear. Let us make sure first, whether he is telling the truth or not." the paler one said. "Just now...what was that on your wrist? Why did it glow like that? What is the significance of it?"
Lan Zhan was desperate now. His life may be in danger, but so was Wei Ying's and he needed to save him. Yet he could see no way out of this situation without telling them everything...or maybe...maybe he could tell them just enough to save his skin. He was no good to anyone dead, he reminded himself.
Years of training made him breathe slowly, calming his body and mind.
"This is a bracelet given to me by the aid of the Celestial Immortal, Baoshan Sanren. I am betrothed to her last living relation, Wei WuXian of Yiling. He wears its twin, and his life is in danger as we speak...that was what the light was. Please, let me go to him. He has been taken to Nightless City against his will and I must save him."
The two cultivators, for now it was clear that that's what they were, stared at one another briefly, communicating something silently before turning to him again.
"Baoshan Sanren?" the one in white asked him, sounding...different?
"Yes. Do you know her?" Lan Zhan asked, urgently.
"Yes." Another strange look passed between them.
"How? She does not leave her mountain." Lan Zhan insisted. "She gave me a tonic which allowed me to fly here from her home via Lotus Cove. And if you let me go now, I promise I shall tell no one about you. You have to believe me." He knew he sounded desperate but Lan Zhan wasn't used to people not believing him; usually his clothes, his manner, they all spoke for him.
People believed him because he wore the white robes of the Lan Sect.
"Baoshan Sanren is my Master." the one in white finally said, with reverence.
"Your Master?" Lan Zhan repeated, not at all believing him.
"Our swords speak for us." the one in black said, sounded affronted.
"How can I believe that?" Lan Zhan said, adding sarcastically, "you might have stolen them from someone."
"Song Lan...I believe him." the one in white said softly to his counterpart, quickly interrupting a possibly physical altercation.
"I am going to remove my sword from your neck. Don't try anything." the one called Song Lan told Lan Zhan, glaring harder as if to strengthen his point.
"Oh, please. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't be standing there still." Lan Zhan told him the truth.
The one in white laughed gently.
"You are forgetting yourself, young Lan. There are two of us and Shuanghua is ever thirsty to mark new flesh."
And then, Lan Zhan realised who they were.
Baoshan Sanren did not take on disciples just like that...she was very particular indeed. And in these hundreds of years, she had only taken a handful. One of them was Xiao XingChen. The only disciple whose blade was famed throughout the land, a sword so powerful, it could detect corpse energy. That sword was more than famous for the Frost Fall technique, a cryogenesis of leaving the mark of frost on its victims.
Moreover, the sword was talked about in wide circles of the Cultivation world, hushed whispers of longing and envy.
All cultivators knew of its beauty because there was no other like it to compare. Forged in the depths of the Celestial's mountain, this famous sword lived in a bronze scabbard with patterns of frost decorating it; however the silver of the sword shone through. Such was the rarity of this treasure and the excellence of its craftsmanship.
"Xiao XingChen." Lan Zhan bowed low respectfully. "And so then, you must be Song ZiChen. Pleased to meet you."
"That remains to be seen." Song Lan murmured under his breath.
"I cannot think that such a detailed story is fabricated." Xiao XingChen said to his partner.
"If we were anywhere else...I would also believe him...but here, under the shadow of Nightless City...we cannot trust anyone." Song Lan insisted.
He was beginning to get on Lan Zhan's nerves.
"You can let me go. We can walk our separate paths after that, and no one will hear about you from me." Lan Zhan told them, meaning every word.
His stomach was filled with a nervous energy, a jittery feeling that he must move now, go now and save Wei Ying if he could. This nasty separation was hurting him on the inside and out, and he wanted to snuff it out like a wayward candle. Dig it out of his skin like the sting of a wasp.
What these strangers did, or why they were here did not concern him.
"Where would you go?" Song Lan asked him.
Out of the two of them, he seemed like the talkative one.
"I told you, my Wei Ying is in there. I need to find him and bring him back." Lan Zhan looked towards the height of the mountain towering far above them in the night, hiding a mass of stars in the sky.
"You cannot just walk into Nightless City!" Song Lan declared.
Watch me, Lan Zhan thought, but refrained from saying it aloud.
"I can see from your eyes that you do not believe us, Young Lan." Xiao XingChen said quietly. "But you see, Nightless City is a fortress. There's only one way in and one way out. That way, the only door into that place is heavily guarded during the day, and closed during the night."
"The only place you'll end up in is their cells." Song Lan said, laughing quietly to himself.
"That's not a bad idea." Lan Zhan considered it. "They might be holding my Wei Ying inside a cell...it might in fact be the easiest thing to do."
"You're mad...crazy." Song Lan suggested, his dark eyes glinting in the velvety night.
"I will do anything to get him back." Lan Zhan told them firmly.
He did not care if they believed him or not. But it made him feel better to say it out loud, to reinforce his mind and throw that wish, that desire into the great void of the Universe and pray that it listened.
If intentions were what fueled action, then Lan Zhan hoped the Universe was fully aware that his was rock solid. One way or another, he was getting inside Nightless City and getting Wei Ying out. There was no room for doubt.
"Well...it's late...and there's nothing we can do now." Xiao XingChen said.
His words floated into the magic of the air around them until they disappeared.
"You may as well rest with us tonight. Tomorrow, we can decide what we are going to do." Song Lan began taking off his cape and gesturing for Xiao XingChen to lie upon it. "We'll take it in turns to watch over us." With that, he clearly meant not Lan Zhan, since he still suspected him of lying.
Lan Zhan wanted to roll his eyes at the absurdity of that; anyone who knew him or of the Twin Jades of Gusu, would know that he never lied.
A trait which up until now, Lan Zhan had thought was good and virtuous. But times were changing far too rapidly for him to hang onto old beliefs and rules. Here he was, lamenting the truth that he couldn't lie to save his life.
Uncle Qiren would have changed colours faster than an octopus if he knew.
"Rest now, young Lan." Xiao XingChen told him as well, closing his eyes as soon as he lay down. "We are men of our word too, and I promise you, you are safe with us. Besides, if what you said is true about the Grandmaster and your betrothal, she will not be pleased if we accidentally killed you. So sleep in peace."
Song Lan snorted, but he sat down next to the man in white, crossed his legs and began meditating.
Even in this dim light, Lan Zhan did not miss how their hands drifted towards each other.
So...they were together?
Now their protective stance made even more sense.
Lan Zhan decided that since they knew more than he did about Nightless City, and because he had recognised them as the heroes they were, rogue cultivators renowned across the land...he could trust them...at least for one night.
Maybe this chance meeting was fated, maybe they would be able to help him enter that foreboding place...who knew the secrets of tomorrow?
For now, they were right. Rest would fortify his efforts tomorrow.
Once more, Lan Zhan looked up into a sky full of stars and prayed that Wei Ying was looking up at them, the same as he was. Although they were separated for now, they were connected through what they both could see.
And soon, they could be together.
****************
He must have been more tired than he realized, Lan Zhan thought as he woke feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, in spite of sleeping on the hard ground. These brownish robes of his had no cape, nor the many layers of his Sect robes, so they offered little protection against the morning chill and the natural environment.
But as he changed his position to meditate, he could feel the benefits of his rest.
Dawn was breaking when he was offered some water from a gourd. He looked up to see Xiao XingChen holding it in front of his face.
"Thank you." Lan Zhan told him, before pouring some into his mouth.
This action caused a stab of mental pain...how many times had he watched Wei Ying with a jar of wine, pouring it down his throat without a care? How many times had he seen it and not appreciated him? The memory was too sharp not to hurt him, and Lan Zhan choked on the water going in.
He coughed, until Song Lan was thumping on his back, a little too hard.
Still, he could explain away the tears in his eyes now, as the result of water going down the wrong way and not...not the rabid fear in his heart at what he was going to find once he passed through those walls.
Once his vision cleared, he stared at the huge fortress that was Nightless City.
They were still quite far, but it towered over them like a huge beast from a Night hunt, kind of terrifying and undefeatable.
Black volcanic rock, jagged teeth of a structure so roughly hewn out of the hardest rock, permeated with coppery red metallic bits. It looked fiery and hot, and not exactly a place he wanted to enter.
If Wei Ying was here, he'd be making jokes about the top ten holiday destinations in the Cultivation world and how Nightless City had missed them all.
Lan Zhan forced himself to concentrate and again, his eyes strained to see the entrance.
"You can't see it from here." Song Lan told him, in that no nonsense way of his.
In this first morning light, Lan Zhan could properly see them now and he felt a little ashamed of his cocky attitude of last night. Maybe Wei Ying had rubbed off on him far more than he was willing to admit...
He stood up and bowed to them both.
"I apologise for last night. I was tired and weary. It is no excuse, I know."
They were both surprised but pleased.
Xiao XingChen waved his hand as if it did not matter.
He tossed a bag of peanuts to Lan Zhan, a soft smile on his serene face.
As Lan Zhan caught it, he saw the fond, affectionate smile on Song Lan's face as again, they held hands while they sat close together.
Much like himself and Wei Ying, it appeared that these two also needed to be touching if they could.
It made Lan Zhan feel better too because then, they would know what he was going through now.
"We have decided to help you." Song Lan spoke first.
Breaking the silence of dawn.
This place was strange like that; no birds called out greetings of the morning, no little animals scurried here and there, even though they were surrounded by trees. The only sound was of rustling leaves as the wind danced among the branches.
There was a secret hush all around them, a pregnant silence waiting for something terrible to happen...and Lan Zhan did not like it at all.
He missed Cloud Recesses more than anything now, missed the breakfast meal, missed the cheerful robins and larks welcoming the new day...missed everything. More than that, he missed the solid presence of his beloved Wei Ying, the softness of his breathing and the regular beating of his heart next to him.
Lan Zhan sighed wistfully.
He turned his attention back to them, thoughtfully chewing on the snack.
"Thank you." He said, simply.
Mostly because he had no idea how he was going to get into that place.
"What were you going to do?" Xiao XingChen asked him.
Lan Zhan shrugged, not willing to admit that he had no plan whatsoever so far. If there was one thing Wei Ying had taught him, it was trusting his instincts and going with the flow.
Though that may or may not work here.
Song Lan let out a noise of disbelief, and only because Xiao XingChen placed his hand on the other's knee, did he remain quiet.
"I'm in disguise." he ventured, looking at his own robes first before pointedly staring at their vibrant and definitely standing out robes instead.
"So what? You were just going to march up to the guards and hope for the best?" Song Lan couldn't contain himself.
Lan Zhan wisely stayed silent. His mind had been in turmoil on the way here and he hadn't been able to think of anything past the pain of losing his Soulmate.
"Those guards...they're not stupid." Song Lan added, implying that Lan Zhan was.
"Dearest...please." Xiao XingChen murmured, a little stronger now. "Imagine if it was us in his position now..."
He did not have to add anything more for Song Lan to grow paler, his eyes widening at the terrible thought. He wore an apologetic expression even if he did not say the words.
"Betrothed." Xiao XingChen reminded him.
Song Lan nodded, repentant.
"We need to go there too." Xiao XingChen turned to Lan Zhan.
"Why?"
"We are looking for an indiscriminate killer, who goes by the name of Xue Yang. We think he may be hiding there until it's safe for him to leave." Xiao XingChen explained.
"There is no need to let evil like that exist." Song Lan added, his features set in a hard, angry line.
Lan Zhan watched as Xiao XingChen stroked his knuckles on their joint hands, soothing and reassuring the other.
"Wen Rouhan has been collecting criminals across the land...it's no secret that he's collecting forces." Xiao XingChen continued, going back to their original conversation. "But that one in particular has to be brought to justice."
"Then you think we should go in together?" Lan Zhan asked. That too, was a good idea.
"Yes. Singular travellers will attract more unwanted attention than groups of say, merchants and friends. Despite its reputation, Nightless City is a fairground for those straying from the straight path. It is a popular destination for tourists with an agenda, if you know what I mean." Xiao XingChen remarked.
Wei Ying would have giggled at that.
Lan Zhan missed him sorely.
"When does the gate open?" He asked.
"About an hour after daybreak. Every "guest" is questioned." Song Lan had recovered enough to join in.
"Then should we leave now?" Lan Zhan stood up.
He did not initially want to phrase it like a question but at the last minute, he changed it before they could be offended. He did not mean to disrespect them in any way, but he had a sense of urgency that would not go away. It dictated his every action, and if these new friends had not insisted on sleeping last night, Lan Zhan was pretty sure he would have tried to enter Nightless City then instead of now.
"Just a moment." Song Lan told him.
He had an air of excitement now as he stripped off his outer robes.
Lan Zhan turned around so they would have some privacy, just as Xiao XingChen did the same.
"How do we look?" Xiao XingChen asked him, after a few moments.
Lan Zhan turned around.
Standing in front of him were two men, ordinary looking and dressed in drab robes, much like himself. Their swords had disappeared, no doubt stashed inside a qiankun pouch safely, because if anything would have given them away, it was their spiritual weapons. Lan Zhan learned from that and stowed Bichen away quickly.
Gone was the powerful presence of two famously strong cultivators and in their place were two men who could have been merchants or farmers or cooks. It was hard to say because their attire let them blend in with common folk.
Their hair was devoid of their guans too, instead a simple top knot held their hair back.
"This way, they won't pay attention to us. We look like men who just want to have a good time." Xiao XingChen said, smiling at the grimace on Song Lan's face.
"What shall we do once we get inside?" Lan Zhan asked. He had a good idea of what they needed to do, but schematics of the actual deed was something he thought they should have at least a vague idea about.
"Perhaps we should split up naturally, not straight away in case they're watching us." Song Lan glanced at Xiao XingChen before saying that.
"We will see if we can find out any information about Xue Yang, and you should do the same about Wei WuXian. Alternatively we can keep our ears open for both. If we pick a place to meet up tonight, that should give us a chance to swap information." Xiao XingChen decided.
"Lastly, what about our names?" Song Lan remembered. "It won't do to use our real ones."
"You're right as always, my dear." They both smiled knowingly at Lan Zhan because he had given up his real name immediately.
Lan Zhan sighed internally, because he knew he was never going to live that one down.
"It should be a name not associated with the Cultivation world, perhaps someone who has already passed away?" Song Lan suggested.
"My incognito name is Mu Qing, and Song Lan is Feng Xin." Xiao XingChen told Lan Zhan, as they prepared to leave the sanctuary of the forest. "What is yours going to be?"
Lan Zhan thought quickly.
There was someone who used to really annoy him. The chances of him ever coming here to Nightless City were slim to none, plus if he used his name, Lan Zhan thought it would be alright.
"Su MinShan." He quickly said.
"So, A-Qing, A-Xin and A-Shan. Got it?" Song Lan repeated out loud.
"Mn."
"Then let's go."
*********************
There was a queue to get inside Nightless City. It stretched almost half way down the mountain and as soon as they joined it, more people came to stand behind them.
Lan Zhan disliked the noise, the general energy of the crowd, and the smell of horses and sweat and leather. People chatted amicably amongst themselves to pass the time as the line moved ever so slowly.
"It wasn't like this the last time we came over to have a good time." Xiao XingChen said in a voice loud enough to attract attention but not obviously. "What's the delay?"
"Hush...!" A round-faced man in front of them, turned partially towards them to say. "It's because of the show. More than half of these people are here for the new line up." He spoke in a quiet whisper. "Just keep yer voices down because if they think you're a troublemaker, you'll be out on your ear faster than you can say Demonic Cultivation."
Lan Zhan had only been half listening in the first place, but the moment that man said his two last words, his head snapped up, eagerly listening for news.
"What show?" He demanded, a little too forcefully, earning disapproving looks from the seasoned travellers with him.
But he had to know.
"Don't know much about it myself, just crows making a lot of noise, if you get my drift." He shuffled closer to Lan Zhan, and the stench of stale sweat and body odour hit his nose with the force of a hurricane.
Lan Zhan tried not to breathe, full stop.
To make matters worse, the late autumn season was mild and there was no breeze to save his olfactory senses. The odour hung like a cloud around them both now, and Lan Zhan saw the other two take a step back as if that could help.
The stranger lowered his voice even more and to Lan Zhan's horror, he had to lean towards him to hear. Not even the strongest perfume was going to cure his poor nose from this unexpected attack.
"Word on the street is, the Sect Leader has got himself some new entertainment. That's all I know!" He held his hands up and smiled as if he had given them priceless information.
Lan Zhan was filled with an inexplicable need to push his happy round face into the ground, smoosh it into the dust.
All the while, cold fingers of fear grew in the pit of his stomach, reaching out with icy claws to scrape at his heart. He could well guess what the entertainment was...or rather, who it was.
Wei Changze had told him that Wen Rouhan wanted Wei Ying for some reason...he wouldn't kill him outright...and that could be their window in trying to get him out.
"Are you going to the Arena then, as well? Have I managed to convince you...three?" The smelly man had the gall to try and nudge Lan Zhan, who quickly side-stepped out of the way.
He had to draw the line somewhere.
"Well, now that you've piqued our interest, we'll be sure to check it out." Song Lan stepped in verbally, maintaining his position next to Xiao XingChen.
He threw an irritated look at Lan Zhan to not get distracted again, which Lan Zhan acknowledged with the slightest tilting of his head.
The line had moved along slowly while they had been talking and now they were about a quarter of the way up.
"It's good the Sect Leader has time to distract himself like that." Xiao XingChen encouraged the smelly man, who was just waiting for eager ears.
"You didn't hear this from me but, the word on the street is he's building an elite force, or something. Not much information gets out, if you get my meaning. But there's been an influx of new faces...not common folk, you understand." The smelly man rubbed his stomach, pausing to scratch it.
"You seem to know a lot about the goings on around here." Song Lan buttered him up. "As we are travellers from far, we wouldn't mind some information...I bet you know everything there is to know about Nightless City." He smiled back as the man preened, the size of his head expanding with unexpected praise.
"Well now, I wouldn't say that..." he blushed. "My friend keeps me up to date. Times are a-changing and it's best to keep abreast of what's happening. He keeps me in the loop so to speak. And," He leaned closer again.
Lan Zhan wished he wouldn't, because he was first in line to be assaulted by the man's vile stench. The sun wasn't doing them any favours either.
"We can talk about it here...but I shall be noticeably quiet once we get close enough. Don't want to piss off the wrong people." He stepped away with a knowing grin.
"Where's the best place for a nice cup of tea?" Song Lan asked him.
"Depends on what you're looking for, my friends." He guffawed under his breath. "When I come around here, I like to visit the Blue Mountain Tea house. The owner is my friend, the one I was telling you about. He knows everything there is to know. If you're looking for a good time, that is. His tea house is right in the centre of Nightless City and he gets a lot of footfall, passing customers and the like. He hears a lot..." the smelly man winked. "If you're planning on going there, tell him that Qi Rong sent you. He'll look after you."
Now there were only five more people in front of them.
The smelly man turned around to face the gates of Nightless City rather pointedly, signifying that he was going to speak less now.
Lan Zhan had been too absorbed in what they were being told to fully appreciate where they were standing now.
And he understood why Song Lan had said there was only one way in to Nightless City and one way out.
They were standing along a wide path that served as a bridge to the main gates, made from thick granite. Some mechanism allowed the great and heavy doors to slide across and open during the day and roll closed at night. But what was truly frightening was the sheer drop on either side of the dark bridge. A chasm that gaped hungrily at every pedestrian that walked along these ancient stones, evidence of its volcanic history. Vapours rose up from a ground that no one could see, the air heavy with sulphur.
And now, they were at the gates.
"State your business!" The guard barked at them.
Song Lan pushed Lan Zhan out of the way and stood in front of him.
"We've heard a lot about Nightless City." He drawled. "So my friends and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about." He stepped closer to the guard and slunk an arm around his broad shoulders. "So....what's new?"
"Get inside and find out for yourself! What do we look like, an information station?" The guard pushed Song Lan off himself and shoved him through the huge orange and black pillars.
Genius move, Lan Zhan couldn't help thinking as they were also allowed to pass via their connection to the tactile man. He hadn't thought it would be that easy, and if he was honest with himself, he knew without a single doubt that he would have messed it up.
Outside of Cloud Recesses, those three thousand rules were detrimental to his survival and Lan Zhan was just beginning to realise the extent of this.
If he wanted to succeed at this mission, and it was imperative that he did, then he had to start by putting aside everything he had already learned so well, and clean his slate. Forget his previous life and the way he had spent his time trying to be perfect...when the world outside Gusu was far from being that.
"I think our friend Qi Rong did us a handsome favour by telling us about that famous tea house." Song Lan said in a loud voice, linking arms with Xiao XingChen. "I feel as if a soothing drink will ease my tiredness away so let's go and make it our first stop."
They sauntered unhurried through the town, aware all the time of a buzzing excitement in the air. The outskirts to the main city was alive with a different kind of energy, one that promised change.
A revolution, a new way to progress, to move forward.
It was on the faces of everyone they met, deep within their excited eyes, a promise of greatness.
They passed by many a brothel and gambling dens with tables for playing Go, boards already waiting for players. As they neared the City centre, the variety of goods on sale also increased.
Stalls with different kinds of meat grilling in the open air popped up amongst little shops of hidden wonders. There were shops selling weapons and making them in front of a crowd of people, there were confectioners selling sweet haws and tanghulu. The Mid-Autumn festival was on its way and vendors were already selling pretty purses full of herbs and flowers, perfume sachets to give to your loved ones, and one stall was already selling moon cakes.
The fragrance in the air was a mix of all these and the constant hitting of the blacksmith against his anvil was giving Lan Zhan a healthy headache, one he had not asked for.
They found the tea house.
Qi Rong was correct in telling them that it was at the centre of town; there was nowhere for them to sit and enjoy a cup of refreshing tea because business was simply thriving.
Waiters shouted at one another, while a fair lady sat on one side and played an erhu, its music far from soothing. There was a constant hum of conversation and by now, Lan Zhan longed for blessed relief, silence that he needed like his next breath.
Song Lan found the proprietor and told him that Qi Rong had sent them.
Suddenly a table was waiting for them with a selection of snacks.
"Any friend of Qi Rong is a friend of mine!" Bellowed the happy and cheerful owner, patting Song Lan on his back and sending for a waiter to take their order.
"I'll have whatever you are having." Lan Zhan told them.
He used this chance to look around and check out this place.
It was a large shop and catered to many customers, filled to the brim. Since they had run out of seating and tables, many customers were standing around and talking. A talented artist had decorated the walls with painted mountains and wise men in various poses, singular and groups of them. Trees were painted with immaculate attention to detail and the colours used were bright but not jarring. This place had a good vibe.
One such conversation caught Lan Zhan's attention and he tried not to make it look obvious that he was listening in.
Two men who had been somewhere were discussing their experiences.
"I heard the Sect Leader had the Arena built in a month." One was saying.
"That's just crazy...but you're right, I heard something similar. They say it's a circular bagua. There are eight entrances and the crowd capacity is forty thousand."
"It certainly seemed that way today. I had a great time...but it was over too quickly, in my opinion."
"It's not as if they have loads of cultivators who can manipulate dark energy like that fellow can!" Another man joined their conversation, animatedly.
"But didn't he look amazing? So beautiful while he stood there...and then-"
"The way he sucked that dark energy right out of the ground! My body was shaking, and I was still that far away!"
"I must admit, I never expected anyone to be able to do that. The shows they used to put on were kind of lame but...today? They made up for all those disappointments!"
"Did you see the size of that snake though? I've never seen one that big before!"
"I heard the Sect Leader finds them and changes them."
"Changes them? How?"
Their voices were lost to the crowd making louder noises.
Lan Zhan looked up when hot, fragrant tea was placed in front of him.
"You need to pay more attention to your surroundings." Song Lan gently admonished him.
"They were talking about the show they had seen today. In the Arena." Lan Zhan said, carefully. "Maybe we should check that out."
What he meant by that was, I'm going there next.
They saw the determination in his eyes and nodded.
If Wei Ying was being put on show...Lan Zhan clenched his fists under the table, feeling angrier than he ever had in his short life. The Wens were doing things to him, making him fight creatures which had been modified...like that scorpion which had attacked him in Cloud Recesses, on that stupid night hunt to test Wei Ying's loyalty.
Perhaps Lan Zhan should not be surprised that the Wens were sinking so low, but he felt terrible that Wei Ying had to go through it at all, and worse, by himself. Lan Zhan wished more than anything that he was next to his beloved right now.
Wei Ying must be feeling so alone and maybe frightened? They were making him do things he might not want to, and Wei Ying was a powerful cultivator...which made Lan Zhan wonder why he had not escaped yet.
What was going on?
If forty thousand spectators had seen his Wei Ying fight against a modified snake...surely more people were talking about it.
He listened again, cocking his head and trying to pick out specific words in all the conversations going on around him within the steady hum.
Actually, that show was all anyone could talk about.
"Did you see? He didn't want to kill that Bashe?"
"Yeah and the Sect Leader made him! That was just amazing."
Raucous laughter, sudden and loud followed that comment, jolting Lan Zhan's concentration.
"But our Wen Rouhan? He made that kid kill it. I heard he threatened the little guy...something about killing his family."
As if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water at Lan Zhan, he started shaking.
That's why Wei Ying was cooperating.
That's why he was doing what they said...because Wen Rouhan was a cruel man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. And now he had Wei Ying, he was using lies to manipulate him. All because Wei Ying had no idea that his parents were in the safest place they could be, that nothing could touch them under the care of the Grandmaster.
"He cried! Did you see that?"
Another voice said, breaking Lan Zhan away from his concentration.
"He's gonna have to toughen up much more than that if a silly snake had him crying his guts out." Another one scoffed.
Lan Zhan stood up immediately, his chair scraping the floor with a loud screech.
It was enough to have the room go completely silent and a hundred pairs of eyes stare at him.
All the attention was on their little table, everyone focused on them.
"A cockroach!" Song Lan suddenly shouted, injecting a load of disgust into his tone.
There were cries and people began scattering away as if they were what Song Lan had named.
The owner hurried over to their table.
"Ah...sorry, sorry...would the young masters like to leave now? Your order is on the house!" He added as Song Lan was about to pay. "Before I lose more customers..."
Lan Zhan realised that he had to better control himself from now on. People were bound to talk and not all of it would be flattering, especially if Wei Ying was on show like something in a zoo.
But Wei Ying had cried?
That hurt him the most.
This pain slid inside his heart and like the sharpest knife, cut him from the inside out. He did not even realise he was bleeding...
This was the hardest part to bear.
But it was swiftly overtaken by a primordial rage.
Who had dared to make his Wei Ying suffer like that?
Wen Rouhan and his minions, that's who.
Wen Zhuliu too.
Slowly in his mind, Lan Zhan began compiling a list of people who were going to die very soon, by his hand.
Anyone who had so much as looked at his Wei Ying wrong.
He was vaguely aware of being taken out of the tea house and suddenly they were outside in the brilliant sunshine.
Both of his friends were gazing at him with a mixture of sympathy and rueful chiding.
"Perhaps it might be better if we all split up now. We'll cover more ground and reap greater information if we split up." Song Lan was saying, though it was clear from the way he was holding tightly onto Xiao XingChen's hand that he did mean them.
Lan Zhan remembered his opinion of last night, that he thought of Lan Zhan as a liability...and what had he done? Proven them right.
He bowed low now, repentant of his hasty reaction to the gossiping individuals.
"I am sorry. I could not contain my emotions in there." He genuinely felt remorse.
"No matter. It is a strong person who knows when apologies are in order. But let us separate now, and since we have complicated matters with that establishment, we can meet back..." Xiao XingChen looked around and saw what he was looking for. "There."
Lan Zhan glanced at where he was looking.
It was an oldish looking inn.
"We will go there now and book two rooms for all of us. Let's meet back there at sunset. That way, even if anyone is late, we can still meet. The names will be the ones we previously discussed, so don't make a mistake." Song Lan warned him.
"And don't get angry." Xiao XingChen added.
"Or hurt anyone." Song Lan also added, but he was grinning.
Lan Zhan hadn't realised but he was getting more and more annoyed with their advice which had quickly turned into teasing.
But it was clear that they did not expect much from him.
That made him even more determined to prove himself to them now.
For better or worse, they were friends and had come together to help each other. Lan Zhan was certain that he had been far more successful with this mission with their help than if he had not met them in the first place.
Their assistance merited some kind of payback on his part, and Lan Zhan could not quell the fairness part of himself, the one that was pushing him to find out something about Xue Yang for them, the criminal that they were hunting.
So now what?
Where should he go?
He was earning stares from people as he stood in the middle of the road and thought about this, so he drifted over to a stall where pretty hairclips and accessories for enhancing beauty were being sold.
But it was the vibrant red ribbon fluttering overhead that did it for him.
Lan Zhan clutched the table edge so tightly, gripped with a sudden and fierce pain. His heart thundered in his chest, blood roaring, pounding in his ears as he thought of the man he loved so much.
WeiYing, WeiYing, WeiYing...
His soul was crying out for his counterpart, this other half of his soul.
Unconsciously, Lan Zhan began to move, and in his mind's eye, all he could see was his magical dancer. Soul capturing, bright and vivacious, Wei Ying was the light inside his heart. Graceful and lithe, his obvious joy of dancing made music in his mind.
The way he had first seen Wei Ying on that stage in Gusu, wearing that mysterious mask, their fiery attraction to each other, obliterating everything else until only they existed together.
Like two stars colliding, they fell into such a brilliant love that it drowned out every other light in the Universe.
Lan Zhan was suddenly pushed out of the way by soldiers.
He stumbled but it was enough to bring him to his senses. He kept his head down this time, muttering apologies and stepping aside quickly, rounding the corner.
It was a battalion moving past, marching to their barracks, where somehow Lan Zhan had ended up.
He pretended to look at ...bowls and other ceramics displayed on a table, ignoring the vendor who was giving him a detailed and thorough lecture on the process of manufacturing these vessels.
But all of his attention was kidnapped by the group of soldiers surrounding one cocky young fellow playing with a knife. He was unnecessarily carving up an apple and discarding the pieces on the floor, and for some unfathomable reason, not letting the poor stray puppy eat the fruit on the ground, going so far as to kick its tiny body. It howled but hunger made it come back. Lan Zhan was impossibly happy when it managed to snag a piece and run for its life.
"So...is it true our Leader hand picked you?" One of the Wen soldiers asked him, laughing at the puppy.
"I came to him." The fellow boasted, a sly grin on his face. He pointed at himself with the knife.
"Why?" Another one asked him, as he plucked another apple out of someone's hands and began the whole process of mutilation again.
"Opportunities." He bragged, a sly gleam in his cold eyes.
Lan Zhan didn't dare to keep looking at them for fear of raising their attention onto him, but he strained his ears to hear better. He lifted the bowl to his ear as if it was a seashell, pretending to examine it in their direction.
"What do you mean, opportunities?" The one closest to him scoffed. "You kill people, we kill people...there's no difference, Xue Yang."
Lan Zhan's hand froze in mid-air.
Excitement made him jittery with relief...this was the man his friends were looking for!
He moved a little closer.
The vendor was losing patience with him, so Lan Zhan moved onto the next one.
"Spoons are so important, don't you think?" The young lady told him, eager for his attention.
Lan Zhan couldn't give a rat's ass about them, but he nodded sagely.
This new position brought him closer to the group and he listened intently.
With the knife, Xue Yang jabbed it into that soldier's chest. Not very hard, but enough to show that he was insulted by the question and the comparison between himself and the soldier.
"The difference, Pal, is that you're wearing a uniform. You belong to a master, someone has to tell you what to do." His words were chilling.
Lan Zhan clutched the spoon tightly, knowing something was going to happen.
One did not engage a man like that unless they lacked the common sense of valuing their life.
Xue Yang smiled.
Cold and devoid of any feeling, it was worse than if he had verbally threatened the man.
The other soldiers sensing a conflict, stepped back from the two of them.
"For example, I can do this." Quick as a flash, Xue Yang pierced the man's eye so fast, he didn't even have time to cry out. "And no one will bat an eyelid. But you...if any one of you did that...your senior would dance up a storm." Xue Yang pulled out the knife with a ghastly squelching sound and wiped it on the clothes of the body on the ground now. "And that, my friends, is the difference between me and you." He continued as if he hadn't just casually killed someone right in front of them all.
"XUE YANG!" A voice called out.
This time Lan Zhan recognised it.
Wen Zhuliu walked up to the group and glared at the soldiers.
"Clean that up! Where's your captain?"
He said other things too, but Lan Zhan quickly made his getaway.
Wen Zhuliu had seen him before and there was no way he would not recognise Lan Zhan, even in disguise. And Lan Zhan would not jeopardise this mission for anything.
Right now, they had the advantage of surprise.
Lan Zhan could not take on that many Wens and in all honesty, in spite of his hatred and rage against the man solely responsible for separating him from Wei Ying, Lan Zhan was conscious enough to know better.
But that didn't mean he was happy about it.
He wondered where Wei Ying was.
He could be behind those walls, separated from Lan Zhan by mere cement and bricks...or they could be keeping him elsewhere.
That was the trouble: they needed more information before they could take any steps.
******************************
Lan Zhan had no appetite so lunchtime came and went, but he wandered ever further. He found himself in the herbal market, and the strong scents of garlic and onion, mixed with cloves and cinnamon hung in the air.
Lan Zhan wasn't used to the pungent aromas and strove to walk past with an urgency but just then, a woman stumbled into his arms. Immediately, he was surrounded by drawn swords as Wen soldiers detained him.
And then he saw who the woman was.
Wen Qing.
She discreetly shook her head at him, and called off her dogs.
"It was my fault, I should look where I'm going." She said, marching away.
They backed off with Lan Zhan looking down and making no effort to defend himself, so they were satisfied that he posed no threat. Only he knew how hard it was not to call upon Bichen and fight them.
He was feeling antsy, and angry too, and it was a deadly combination. As the soldiers turned their backs and walked after Wen Qing, Lan Zhan felt the crinkle of a piece of paper in his hands.
She had left him a note.
There were directions on it, and a crudely drawn map, so Lan Zhan ducked into the correct alley and climbed over a low wall.
He waited, hoping he had the right place and just when he thought he hadn't, her sharp voice reached his ears.
"Just listen carefully to me." She spoke quickly, her eyes on the door whence she had come.
She looked rattled and on edge but determined.
"They've got my brother, so I must do what they demand. But they have your man too, and it's not looking good. They'll send me at some point to treat him. I thought they were going to summon me last night but I wasn't called. However, I've been thinking about how to get him out. Now that you're here, it will be easier for me." She handed him a piece of parchment. "Write a message on this, I'll get it to him as soon as I can."
There was too much information in her short clipped sentences but Lan Zhan understood with the parchment and quickly wrote out a message.
"How is he?"
She pursed her lips.
"As well as can be expected. They're keeping him healthy but in the long run..." she shook her head.
There was a commotion in the shop; they were speaking in the backyard of it.
"Tomorrow, find me at the exit of the West Gate in the Arena. I have a team of helpers, and I can bring you in as one of them. You have to keep your head down at all times. Understand?"
When Lan Zhan nodded, she snatched the paper from his hands and ran back into the shop.
Lan Zhan hopped over the wall and waited, giving her time to go on ahead before rejoining the main road.
Crowds had thinned as evening approached and Lan Zhan hurried back to their designated meeting place. He was the first one to arrive, so he sat outside the inn and waited for Song Lan and Xiao XingChen, thinking about that afternoon.
It was a fortunate chance that Wen Qing had run into him, literally.
Now he had a plan and at least some idea of what he was going to do. But there was a pain in his chest which would not dissipate. Like trapped wind, this ache dwelled in his throat and Lan Zhan knew that he wouldn't feel any better until Wei Ying was safe and secure in his arms once more.
He wanted to be strong for Wei Ying...but it was hard. Maybe the hardest thing he had to do.
It made him feel better that now he had some solid information to present to his friends and perchance, recover his damaged reputation.
As the sun finally set, he saw his friends returning. Lan Zhan wanted to tell them everything straight away, but Song Lan gently shook his head. They made a brief show of pretending to have lost him, and Lan Zhan pretended to laugh but he was uncomfortable.
The landlord showed them to their rooms which were adjacent to each other. As soon as the landlord left, Lan Zhan went to their room.
Xiao XingChen planted silencing talismans all around the room before they nodded to Lan Zhan.
He told them everything that had happened to him, including the part of Wen Qing, but while he was recounting his spoon adventures and mentioned Xue Yang....that's when they sat up straighter.
"You saw him? You saw him?" Song Lan asked, disbelieving him.
"He said he was part of an elite force..." Lan Zhan remembered.
"That's what we heard too." Xiao XingChen said.
They hadn't been as successful as he was, and were only able to learn the time for the next show at the Arena tomorrow.
"I must get there on time." Lan Zhan told them.
"We will make sure of it." Song Lan promised. "Who would have thought that the most novice one would be the most successful in getting to the truth?" He was reluctantly in awe.
Lan Zhan shrugged but his ears were red with pride.
"Whether it was beginner's luck or not, well done." Xiao XingChen praised him, smiling kindly at Lan Zhan. "Tomorrow we shall accompany you. We can go after Xue Yang and you can meet Wen Qing at the West Gate. It is a large building," He mused. "So it will take time to find the right gate.
"I heard those people in the tea house say it is in the form of a traditional Bagua...do you think that helps in containing whatever they're putting on show?" Lan Zhan asked.
It hurt too much to say whoever, instead of whatever.
"We can find out tomorrow. Let's send for dinner." Song Lan smiled at him for the first time since they'd met. "Join us, Young Lan. We need to celebrate your success in not getting arrested on your first mission inside enemy lines." He actually winked, too.
And for the first time, Lan Zhan did not mind so much being teased like this.
He felt part of a team...and it felt good.
*****************************
Lan Zhan woke as normal at five in the morning.
Sticking to a routine helped calm his mind from chaotic thoughts, and fears which plagued him as his brain found it helpful to think up every single scenario where something went wrong. Meditation alleviated the rolling activities in his head and he was able to find an oasis of peace.
Lan Zhan bathed and got dressed, ready to meet with his friends for breakfast.
As they sat in the dining room after placing their order, the innkeeper came to see them.
"Ah...young Masters, it's good to see you up and about. I just wanted to let you know that we'll be closing around ten o'clock today." He beamed at them, happy to converse with strangers.
"Why?" Song Lan asked him.
"Oh, you don't know?" He looked surprised when they shook their heads. "There's a special show tomorrow, at the Arena. Wen Rouhan has demanded attendance from everyone able to walk. It's compulsory but...dare I say it? I would have gone anyway." He tapped his nose.
Like Wei Ying was prone to do, now and again.
Lan Zhan forced himself to concentrate.
"I take it, you've never been, right?" the innkeeper continued, eyeing them brightly.
"No...that's why we're visiting....see what all the fuss is about." Xiao XingChen told him.
"Then...why don't you come with me? I love showing new people around." He encouraged them.
"It would save time." Lan Zhan said enthusiastically.
The earlier they got there, the earlier he would feel better.
His friends glanced at him before answering.
"Indeed. We are new to the city and would appreciate your help in saving us from getting lost." Song Lan told him.
"Then meet me outside at a quarter to ten later." He hurried off.
"If we're going there..." Xiao XingChen started saying, and then he lowered his voice and leaned closer. "Young Lan, I have a feeling you are going to be tested today. You must promise to control yourself. This is of the utmost importance."
"You have to control yourself. No matter what you see, you have to show no reactions...it really will be a life or death situation, make no mistake." Song Lan warned him.
"You must understand this, if you give us away, you'll be doing us no favours and worst of all, you'll be giving Wen Rouhan ammunition to use against the rest of the Cultivation world." Xiao XingChen added.
They were utterly serious.
Lan Zhan nodded slowly.
He was going to need extra help then.
He pulled out a special qiankun pouch and reverently withdrew Wei Ying's red ribbon, the one he always tied in his ponytail. As he wrapped it around his own wrist, with each turn of the silk resting on his pale skin, Lan Zhan said a prayer to the Universe that Wei Ying would be alright.
He used his teeth to secure a knot making sure it wouldn't fall off.
Every single time he felt out of control, he would touch this ribbon.
"I am ready." He said finally, determination shining in those golden eyes.