Chapter Text
The men around Wei Wuxian were packing up camp. It was early in the morning and the fog was just settling. The civilians had also woken up early to help with whatever they could. Originally, Lan Qiren had proposed that they should leave as soon as possible, but seeing as all the civilians were tired, they’d instead decided to rest for the night, thus having to leave this early before they were spotted.
As the Jiang Sect head disciple walked around, disciples of junior and senior alike avoided him. This was because, once again, the Yiling Patriarch had surfaced to his face. This meant that he had a rather frightening expression on, and no one had the guts to even utter a morning greeting to him.
Wei Wuxian wasn’t in a bad mood for no reason. He was sleep deprived and anxious which gave rise to anger. Earlier that morning, even earlier than five o’clock which was the time that the Lan disciples adhere to, Wei Wuxian was unceremoniously woken up by his dream.
Or should he call it a nightmare?
It started out nicely. Lan Wangji was with him and they were talking—what about, he couldn’t remember—and then Wei Wuxian hugged the other man. It was such a warm and comforting hug, until he felt something slipping in between his fingers.
Belatedly, he’d realised that Lan Wangji’s back was bleeding.
Before he knew it, he was transported into a completely different scene. One where he was in front of a kneeling Lan Wangji and behind him were all the prominent Lan Sect members.
He watched as Lan Qiren’s pale face ordered, ‘Strike!’, and they used the discipline whip on Lan Wanji.
To have woken up with such a recollection of watching that terrible vision, Wei Wuxian definitely could not have been in a good mood.
He’d been very deep in thought, pondering about all these things, but as usual, one of the few things that brought him back to reality was Lan Qiren’s angry voice, and it was so right then at that very moment as well.
Thinking of the devils… Wei Wuxian thought as he peered into the window of the house that Lan Qiren had occupied with his nephew.
“Wangji!” Wei Wuxian was surprised to see Lan Qiren turning his anger on Lan Wangji. This was the first time he’d witnessed such a thing apart from the token visions.
The GusuLan teacher spoke irritably, “You have to return to Gusu. I forbid you to stay with that—that… What reason could you possibly have to want to stay beside Wei Ying? His cultivation methods are blasphemous and it is clear that he is influencing you!”
Lan Wangji still showed defiance in his aura, “Uncle, the Cloud Recesses are stable. Wei Ying is—”
“Wei Ying is not . He is not stable and I will not allow you to be around him longer than this. What was Xichen thinking, leaving you here?” Lan Qiren scowled. He normally never did something as rude as interrupting a person, and on top of that, it was his beloved nephew! This showed how much he disapproved of Wei Wuxian.
The Jiang Sect head disciple pulled away from the window and quickly escaped from it, not wanting to hear anymore.
The image came, unbidden again, of Lan Wangji kneeling, naked from the waist up. His entire clan, his uncle, his brother… all watching as he was whipped into unconsciousness—into a bed ridden state. All because he protected Wei Wuxian.
And now, Lan Wangji seemed to be repeating those actions, much earlier than expected. Some small part of Wei Wuxian wanted to ask him why. But then, he wasn’t prepared for the answer. There were too many responsibilities for both of them. If Lan Wangji said that it wasn’t what Wei Wuxian suspected, then Wei Wuxian could very well be broken-hearted forever. Yet, if he said it was...
Then he would be a traitor to the GusuLan principles. He realised.
Then, as if he wasn’t feeling upset enough from everything that morning, he spotted Mo Xuanyu not too far away from him.
The child who he’d met the day before, was squatting on the ground and drawing various characters in the dirt with a stick.
The rumours that he was a strange child were already circulating among the soldiers, but Wei Wuxian could care less about that. He felt uneasy that he’d even met the boy at all. It was like looking at himself when he wasn’t himself.
On top of that, that was the body which had, in some alternate universe, been the one to receive Lan Wangji’s affections. Even if the one inside the body at the time was himself, Wei Wuxian felt irritated.
While he was lost in his thoughts, he made his way towards Mo Xuanyu, but paused when he saw another figure walking past.
Lan Wangji had presumably finished his talk with his uncle and had walked out of the house, Guqin strapped to his back and Bichen in hand was making his way past the boy.
Wei Wuxian wanted to call out to him, but at that moment, Mo Xuanyu, who had been doodling on the ground, lost control of the stick he held. The mud splattered onto Lan Wangji’s robes, causing the pristine white colour to stain brown.
Wei Wuxian watched feeling complicated. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to laugh or not at how lost Lan Wangji seemed to be at that very moment.
All his humour vanished though, when Mo Xuanyu stood up, apparently panicked at having ruined a cultivator’s clean robes. He threw himself to Lan Wangji’s feet and tried to dust off the mud, but only succeeded in dirtying it further.
Before he knew it, Wei Wuxian had already strode up to the pair and yanked Mo Xuanyu away from Lan Wangji.
“What are you doing?!” He demanded
Mo Xuanyu looked up at him in fear, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” And then he burst into tears.
Wei Wuxian was at an absolute loss now.
When he’d met Mo Xuanyu yesterday, the boy was quiet and looked rather lifeless, having no reaction to anything, but now he was scared out of his wits.
“A-Yu?” Mo Fang’s voice suddenly came from behind Wei Wuxian. Her eyes widened at his tears. “A-Yu!”
Wei Wuxian let go of Mo Xuanyu as his mother came to collect him into her arms. She stroked her son’s face, murmuring soothingly. Then, she looked up at a baffled Wei Wuxian, nervously.
“Young Master Wei, I’m so sorry. He’s really just an awkward child. Please forgive him.” She said, her eyes watering. “Here, A-Yu. Apologise too.”
Mo Xuanyu looked at Wei Wuxian and then at Lan Wangji, bowing at both of them, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
The Jiang Sect head disciple felt so bad by this point that he stopped the boy from bowing before he hit his head on the ground, “Stop! Stop! I understand! It was just a mistake right? Look, even Lan Zhan isn’t angry, his face is just like that!”
Mo Xuanyu looked at him in confusion but nodded. This was because the reason he got scared in the first place wasn’t because of Lan Wangji but actually because of Wei Wuxian’s furious face which was akin to that of a demon prepared to kill.
Wei Wuxian himself knew that he’d made an ugly face like that but was too ashamed to admit it.
“I need to go,” He told Mo Fang, after a moment. “Please make sure you sit in the women’s carriage as we travel.”
With that he walked away.
After a while though, he realised that he’d been followed and stopped in his tracks, turning his head only slightly to give the person behind a glance.
“What is it, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji came closer, “Wei Ying. You are still not healed.”
Wei Wuxian closed his eyes, feeling tired, “Why does that matter?”
Lan Wangji, “You should be.”
And Wei Wuxian froze, terror seeping into him. He was too careless. He forgot that small injuries like this should be nothing for even low level cultivators—if you have a golden core, you heal fast. This is a fact.
But Wei Wuxian had no golden core so his back was still a little sore. And Lan Wangji had noticed.
“That’s why I said you should stop carrying me,” Wei Wuxian said, voice low. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Lan Wangji was not convinced, “It does.”
Wei Wuxian shot an irritated look at him, “Let’s say it does, then what are you trying to say?”
Lan Wangji, “You’re spiritual energy…”
Wei Wuxian grit his teeth.
Lan Wangji is stubborn. If he finds out, then what? Madam Yu still hasn’t woken up. Jiang Fengmian is sick. If the cultivation was to find out about this as well… it would ruin the reputation of the YunmengJiang Sect. They would start saying worse things about their leaders than they already are.
I heard Madam Yu has been unconscious for a year!
I heard that Sect Leader Jiang had pushed all his duties onto his teenage son.
They had another child, you know? The servants are raising her.
Selfish parents.
Irresponsible leaders.
Wei Wuxian was tired of it. He wanted to scream at everyone who talked like that—like they knew one goddamn thing about what the leaders of YunmengJiang were like.
But Lan Wangji wouldn’t speak like that. Wei Wuxian knew he wouldn’t. Yet, he still couldn’t bring himself to tell him. Lan Wangji felt responsible towards Wei Wuxian for some reason—and he couldn’t allow the other man to turn against his family again.
Wei Wuxian didn’t want to burden him any longer.
He glanced at the second jade, “It has nothing to do with you.”
Lan Wangji stood still, “It does.”
“No, it doesn’t. You want to know why?” Wei Wuxian’s heart pounded as he spoke, but he pushed on. “It’s because you really didn’t do anything to me. You must’ve thought we slept together, but that’s because I mislead you. My back was only sprained, contrary to what you think.”
He kept eye contact with Lan Wangji as he said all of this and watched as his poker face cracked, lips parting and eyebrows curving. The expression was almost shocked.
“But you said I—”
“It was a lie.” Wei Wuxian interrupted, a bitter smile on his lips, “You did nothing to me. It was I that did something to you. I kissed you.”
Lan Wangji moved imperceptibly backwards, “You—”
Wei Wuxian continuously spoke, his tone more and more condescending, “I took advantage of your inebriated state. Don’t be too angry with me, these things happen to the best of us. How about we both just forget the past few days and go our separate ways? Just treat it like an insect bite and forget it. I won’t do it again.”
“...Forget it?”
Wei Wuxian, “Why? Are you very angry? Ah… you were pretty angry at the archery competition too, weren’t you? Well, in that case you can hit me. Come, I won’t move.”
Lan Wangji’s jaw tightened, “Wei Ying, why are you being like this?”
Wei Wuxian answered nonchalantly, “I think it’s about time we go our separate ways. Nobody said anything about it while you were here, but your GusuLan Clan will definitely not be able to tolerate my presence around you and I as well, can’t tolerate them. We should return to where we belong.”
“That is not the reason.”
Wei Wuxian was surprised at this reply. He was unsure of what to say because by now, Lan Wangji would’ve usually already agreed to leave. Instead, he only stepped closer.
“You do not need to come back to Gusu with me.” He said as he came so close to Wei Wuxian now that the other man could smell the faint scent of sandalwood. “I’ll go with you.”
Being under Lan Wangji’s gaze, Wei Wuxian’s facade cracked, “You… you can’t.”
Lan Wangji’s voice was deep but soft, “Why?”
“I didn’t lie to you, Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian dropped his gaze as he spoke, “You’re Clan really won’t tolerate me. Your intentions are good towards me and they don’t believe I deserve it—even I don’t believe it.”
“You do.”
Wei Wuxian was startled into looking at him, not expecting this answer. His eyes moistened with tears and his heart trembled.
“I cannot do anything for you as I am now.” He said, lips quivering, “Do you know how many things I am not telling you? I can’t even tell you the truth. Right now, I can’t do anything.”
Lan Wangji listened to Wei Wuxian patiently, and after he was done speaking, asked him gently, “Then when can you?”
“When?” Wei Wuxian thought for a moment, “Once the Sunshot Campaign is over… I will not hide anything from you.”
“I will wait.” Lan Wangji said without hesitation, and the further this conversation progressed, the more it surprised Wei Wuxian, “I also… have many things to say.”
Hearing this Wei Wuxian felt it sounded somewhat ridiculous. He couldn’t help but tease the other man, “Do you? Can you even say three sentences in one go? Will your throat be okay after talking that much ?”
“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji warned.
Wei Wuxian laughed.
At that moment, a voice started calling out for Lan Wangji, “Hanguang-Jun? Second Young Master Lan?”
At once, Wei Wuxian created some distance between them, “I’ll go now.”
Afraid that they were going to part on uncertain terms again, Lan Wangji called out, “Wei Ying!”
“What is it? I already said I’ll tell you everything after the war.”
Lan Wangji curled his fingers under his sleeve, as if wanting to clench them, “Mark your words.”
Wei Wuxian smiled at this and nodded, “Thanks for everything these past few days.”
By the time the disciple had reached Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian had already left, leaving Lan Wangji to stare after his memory.
They had divided the civilians into two groups, depending on where they wanted to go; The ones Lan Wangji escorted would go with him into Qinghe territory, while the ones that went with Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang, would be accompanying them into Lanling.
“Ah, it’s too boring over here.” Wei Wuxian said, as he leaned back in the carriage which only he and Nie Huaisang occupied. A few civilian men were sitting in the front, taking the reins of the horses. The women and children were all crammed into another carriage while the men rode horses beside the carriages.
“What a thing to complain about.” Nie Huaisang fanned himself, exasperatedly. “We’ve had so few peaceful days. Let’s hope we can reach without any major problems. Boring is the best we can afford. Besides, I thought for sure that you would be crying while leaving Lan Wangji. What happened?”
Wei Wuxian, “Nothing happened. It is as it should be. We are in the middle of war. Should I hang off him the entire time? We have responsibilities.”
Nie Huaisang shot him a dark look. He had a good hunch about what could’ve happened between these two and wanted to meddle, but it was much more difficult when the parties involved were so stubborn. Lan Wangji hardly speaks and Wei Wuxian only speaks nonsense! Even for Nie Huaisang, this seemed to be a big hurdle when there were so many things going on.
If only the two of them were as simple-minded as Jin Zixuan.
Wei Wuxian whined for a while longer before he seemed to brighten up with an idea. Nie Huaisang instantly had a bad feeling.
“Hey,” His sworn brother leaned forward, “How about we go into the women’s carriage? I think we’ll have a lot of fun there.”
The Nie Sect Young Master thought this was a very bad idea, but certainly an entertaining one. Just as he was pondering on his answer, the carriage door swung open.
“You will do no such thing!”
Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang turned to the new voice, and their faces paled.
Lan Qiren entered the carriage and looked down on them imposingly, face irritated, “If you even think about disturbing the women’s transport, I will personally be silencing your voices for your entire lifetime!”
The Jiang Sect head disciple’s eyebrow twitched, “Teacher Lan… why are you here? Lan Zhan must’ve left long ago…”
Hearing Wei Wuxian call his nephew by his birth name, Lan Qiren was very displeased. He gave a warning look to the younger man, “My nephew stated that it would be a good idea to accompany you. After that, I need to go to Koi tower either way.”
Wei Wuxian immediately knew that Lan Qiren came on behalf of Lan Wangji since he didn’t want his well-nurtured cabbage* exposed to the son of Cangse Sanren. He said nothing but grimaced, as he watched the GusuLan Teacher sit down next to a nervously sweating Nie Huaisang who looked like he would faint soon.
This was definitely not going to be a comfortable journey.
(A/N: * well-nurtured cabbage signifies a metaphor referring to the story of a pig digging up cabbage used in Chinese reference. This alludes to parents who feel like their daughter is being snatched away by someone unworthy. In this case, the cabbage is Lan Wangji and the pig is Wei Wuxian.)
Jiang Cheng was reading a letter when a few Jiang Sect disciples barged into his room. This was very improper, but he could make out by the bright looks on their faces that not only was it urgent news, but it was good urgent.
He placed down the papers on his desk, “What is it?”
The disciples shoved at each other, wanting to be the first to deliver the news.
One shouted, “It’s Young master Wei and Young Master Nie…!”
Another continued, “They’ve returned!”
Jiang Cheng ignored their bickering and immediately left his hut, rushing to the entrance of the camp.
As expected, the carriages had already made it past the gates and the passengers were getting down. There were a wide variety of civilians mixed in with these people. Among them, his brothers were seen as well, helping the women and children down from the carriage.
Jiang Cheng controlled his face, careful not to smile, “About time you two are back. Did you have that much trouble fighting on the borders?”
This was said just as Wei Wuxian helped the last woman out of the carriage, and the Jiang Sect head disciple turned around, face brightening, “Jiang Cheng!”
Nie Huaisang smiled, “Wanyin.”
Jiang Cheng walked towards them, “If you didn’t come back, I’d have returned to Yunmeng without you.”
Wei Wuxian pounced on Jiang Cheng, wrapping an arm around him, “Like you really would! I know you’ve been impatiently waiting for us to come back.”
Jiang Cheng said seriously, “No, I really would. I received a letter this morning.”
Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian sobered. The latter spoke first, “What did the letter say?”
“Let’s not talk about this out here.” Jiang Cheng replied, pursing his lips. “Follow me.”
At that moment, Wei Wuxian exclaimed, “Ah! About that…”
Jiang Cheng paused, “What?”
“Jiang Wanyin.”
That deep, familiar, fear-inducing voice made the hair at the back of Jiang Cheng’s neck stand straight. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a white figure enter his range of sight, the first thing his eyes drawing to was the conspicuous beard on the man’s chin.
“Teacher—Lan…” Jiang Cheng almost choked, shooting a questioning glance at Wei Wuxian, who also seemed to be grimacing.
Lan Qiren stroked his beard, “Who is in charge of this camp? I request his audience.”
Jiang Cheng's eyes twitched as he answered, “I am, Teacher Lan. I will gladly grant you your audience.”
Lan Qiren was visibly surprised at this answer, but he schooled his expression, nodding, “You were always more responsible than your shixiong. Very well then, let’s not delay. I would like to leave for Koi Tower by dawn.”
Jiang Cheng gave a bow to the older man, “It is just as well. I was about to discuss the contents of a letter I received with my brothers. I would be honoured for your presence while we do so.”
The Jiang Young Master then gestured for Lan Qiren towards a nearby hut which was being guarded by two Jiang Sect disciples. The GusuLan teacher nodded gratefully and walked towards it with such grace,you wouldn’t think twice of him being the Twin Jades father himself.
Wei Wuxian pulled Jiang Cheng close, whispering hurriedly, “This is not a good idea, Jiang Cheng. That stubborn old man hates me.”
“Behave yourself and we won’t have problems.” Answered his brother, “Listen, you don’t have to deal with him long—only until dawn. In fact, please just go hide somewhere after we’re done with this conference.”
Nie Huaisang cut in mildly, “It’s best if we don’t keep him waiting. I’ve asked someone to have a maid deliver some tea. Let’s not give him reasons to criticise us, at the very least, Wanyin. If we garner Lan Qiren’s trust, he won’t be able to point his finger at Wuxian.”
Jiang Cheng nodded, “Okay. Let’s go then.”
Wei Wuxian, for his part, was just as touched by his brothers as he was insulted by them.
He scowled and walked along with them, following Lan Qiren.
Sisi was practising her writing when a Nie Sect disciple called out to her.
“Miss Sisi, we have an honoured guest in Young Master Jiang’s quarters. Young Master Nie requested some tea to be delivered.” The disciples eyes flitted to the brush in her hand and the paper she was writing on.
Sisi knew that he probably thought it was laughable for her to be educating herself at this point in life. She knew that a lot of the cultivators around made fun of her for it. But every time, she simply set down her brush and nodded as she did now.
“Alright,” She stood up, hand on her hip, “I’ll be there. You can go.”
She was also the only servant who spoke to cultivators this way. However, since she was so close with her masters, no one dared say anything about her cheeky attitude.
She just brushed her hair over her shoulder. The soldier flushed as this movement exposed more of her neck. Sisi rolled her eyes and turned away, making for the kitchen where someone would be to prepare the beverage.
“Siege on the Nightless City?” Nie Huaisang squeaked.
“It’s already been sanctioned by all the Sect leaders. My father as well has stamped the seal.” Jiang Cheng explained. “It’s time we end this war. We’ve already lost too many lives.”
Lan Qiren’s lips thinned, “So my brother signed the agreement. It seems we are to move faster than we thought. We have another week at most till all the Sects will move into Qishan.”
“Uncle Jiang isn’t planning on coming is he?” Wei Wuxian asked, some anxiousness seeping into his voice.
“Not on my watch.” Jiang Cheng said with finality, then his voice became weaker. “And he can’t anyway; he’s too sick. On top of that, mom…”
Yu Ziyuan wouldn’t last a day without his spiritual energy as a supply. This, all three sworn brothers knew already.
“We need to get Wen Qing faster.” Wei Wuxian grated.
Lan Qiren’s eyes narrowed, “The prominent Wen doctor? Wei Ying, what do you want with such a close ally of Wen Ruohan?”
Jiang Cheng interfered as fast as he could, “Teacher Lan, Wen Qing’s people are peaceful. She has helped the Jiang Sect before and may be the only one who can help my mother. There is no ulterior motive here.”
“You cannot simply trust the Wen Clan.” Lan Qiren icily remarked, “How many people, how many lives have been destroyed because we thought that there were a few that can be trusted?”
Wei Wuxian felt his blood boil, “So for the sins of the many, you will condemn the few? These are innocent people who have no choice on which side of the battle they fight! Where is the righteousness of the GusuLan Sect?”
“Do not speak about righteousness to me, you arrogant boy!” Lan Qiren fumed, his face reddening, “You have no right.”
“Lan Qiren, you—”
Never in his life had Wei Wuxian treated Lan Qiren so disrespectfully. Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang paled when they saw that his resentful energy was spiking.
“Wuxian!” The Nie Sect young master threw himself in Wei Wuxian’s way, “Wuxian, calm down.”
But Wei Wuxian didn’t seem like he could listen. He was still glaring at Lan Qiren who was now looking at him with eyes that suggested he expected this behaviour from the Jiang Sect’s head disciple.
Before any further argument could happen, the door slid open and a silken voice called, “I’ve brought some tea.”
The Inviolable Triumvirate immediately calmed as Sisi saunter in, a tray in hand, but she stopped when she noticed the man in white.
Her large eyes narrowed in recognition, “That beard… you’re that Gusu man. The goat uncle of those Jade boys.”
The tension that had filled the room earlier now dissipated as Wei Wuxian burst into laughter. Nie Huaisang hid amused snicker behind his fan and Jiang Cheng’s mouth twitched, trying to restrain his smile.
“Goat—What insolence!” Lan Qiren’s eyes also narrowed. “I see your behaviour is just as unrefined. I didn’t realise I’d have the pleasure of meeting you again so soon.”
‘So soon’ was very clearly an insult as these two had not met since the discussion conference over three years ago. To have him say ‘so soon’ meant that he’d been hoping for a ‘never again’ and Sisi understood this very well.
“Pleasure indeed.” She smiled sweetly, “What did I interrupt anyway? You weren’t bullying my boys, were you?”
The three young men in the room almost saw the sparks flying as the two glared at each other and exchanged worried looks. It was clear that Lan Qiren barely tolerated Sisi’s presence and Sisi herself seemed to absolutely loathe him in return.
“ ‘Bullying’ is not tolerated within my Sect. That is an insult to our principles.”
“Then I’m glad to hear that.” Her smile lifted at one corner of her alluring, red-stained lips, and it could almost be a sneer, “Tea?”
“No, thank you.” And if the Lan Sect didn’t have some kind of rule against it, he’d probably be snorting at that moment. He carefully moved past her, trying his best to not accidentally brush his robes against hers, as if the tiniest contact would kill him.
Then, like the heavens deemed it unacceptable for Lan Qiren to leave, Jiang Yanli decided to arrive at that very moment.
She blinked when she saw the scene in front of her but bowed to the guest, “Master Lan.”
Having been effectively blocked, Lan Qiren could only respond, “Young Mistress Jiang.”
“I’d heard my brothers were here with you. I do hope the tea will be to your liking.”
Lan Qiren pursed his lips and somewhat helplessly said, “I have to reach Koi Tower.”
Jiang Yanli blinked at this, “Must you leave now? I’ve already prepared a room for you and I’m sure you’re tired as well.”
Lan Qiren was frozen.
He had not seen Jiang Yanli since the Wen sect’s discussion conference as well and he remembered very well about her fondness for Wei Wuxian. He knew that he was planning to leave on a petty dislike towards the company he’d have to bear for a few more hours but he certainly couldn’t say that.
On top of that, the young mistress Jiang was too courteous for Lan Qiren to refuse her kind offer.
Feeling the beginnings of a headache, he nodded.
Jiang Yanli beamed, “Please do try the tea. I made it myself.”
She moved past him to sit next to her brothers who were smiling and talking to her brightly.
As Lan Qiren retraced his steps, he saw Sisi smirking at him. She lifted the tray towards him and raised an eyebrow, repeating her previous question more mockingly, “Tea?”
Lan Qiren took a deep breath and calmed himself, his headache intensifying as he forced some civility into his voice, “Thank you for your hospitality.”
After all the pleasantries had been made, Lan Qiren was escorted to his room by a maid. It was in a silent area away from the rambunctious group of youths providing relief. The room as well, was beyond the expectations of something one could expect during war time.
He had thought of penning a letter to his brother but abandoned that idea when he realised he’d be seeing Lan Qiqiu soon enough, whether he liked it or not.
Having never missed a day in his schedule of perfect sleep hours, he could not bring himself to do so now either, when it was only seven o’clock.
Therefore, the reason he was outside, taking a walk.
The night air in Lanling was warmer than that in Gusu, thus making a pleasant walk. Lan Qiren felt so pleased that he’d lost himself in the breeze when suddenly, obnoxious laughter started filling his ears.
There were a few, young Nie Sect cultivators by the stables!
“That handmaiden practices her writing everyday. She doesn’t even try to hide it.” One disciple said.
A female disciple who was next to him scoffed, “Do you see how everyone goes around calling her ‘Miss Sisi’?? How absurd! She’s only a prostitute that the Jiang Sect took pity on.”
The second male disciple shushed her at once, “Don’t let anyone hear you say that! The Young masters and mistress Jiang think very highly of her! On top of that, there's that child that’s always with her. He’s dangerous.”
“That heathen, Xue Yang? He’s off to bother Wei Wuxian.” The female disciple sneered. “And why shouldn’t I say she’s a prostitute? She is! But look at how ridiculous she is, trying to learn how to write and read . The other day, she was practising writing on the ground and I saw it. She mixed up the characters for ‘good morning ‘and ‘good evening’. As a handmaiden, it’s not even necessary to write! I’m sure she’s planning for some prominent cultivator to take a liking to her.”
The male cultivators paused at this, “But… if it’s Miss Sisi… she could—”
“You’re also calling her that!” The girl crossed her arms, “Beauty does not matter that much! Do you know how many men have held her? Would you think of marrying her?”
“True. She’s very audacious for all that she is!” The first disciple agreed, “But how many ugly, old men did she have to sleep with just to get a meal a day?”
The three laughed again and Lan Qiren felt his face heat at this vulgar talk.
It was then that he noticed the very woman whom they were talking about was within their optical range, using the lantern hanging on the eaves to light up the ground that she practiced writing characters on.
Looking at this sincerity for learning, Lan Qiren felt even more disgusted at the ones who were mocking it.
He immediately walked up to the three who were still laughing at her, “What is going on here? Is this how the Nie Sect acts?!”
The cultivators froze, hearing this voice. They turned, faces pacing as they caught sight of a fuming Lan Qiren, “Master Lan…”
“What is this talk I’ve been forced to digest? Mocking someone who is trying to educate themselves… never have I seen such deplorable behaviour! Get out of my sight before I give an account of this disgusting behaviour to Sect Leader Nie!”
The three shivered from head-to-toe at the mention of their Sect Leader. Nie Mingjue was not one to let this kind of behaviour go easily. They would definitely have to undergo some outrageous training regimen as punishment. And if Nie Huaisang heard about it… no doubt it would reach the Young Masters of Lotus Pier as well! Then they would truly be doomed!
“Please don’t, Master Lan! We won’t do it again!” They begged.
Lan Qiren’s face reddened, seeing that they were still in front of him and planned to plead with him. He swung his arm at them, “Leave!”
As they ran away, Lan Qiren took deep breaths, calming himself. He could not allow his pulse to become any harder or else he’d have to let out some blood*.
(A/N:*Bloodletting was a treatment for high blood pressure back in those days.)
When he turned to look at the woman who was under the eaves, he almost grimaced. Big, black eyes were staring right back at him in surprise, and Lan Qiren realised that the Jiang Sect handmaiden must’ve heard everything.
Just as he was going to turn around and walk away, Sisi stood up and made her way towards him.
He stood still, looking at her impassively as she stopped in front of him, hand resting on her hip.
Then, she grinned at him, “What do you know? You’re not so bad.”
Lan Qiren tutted, “Hearing that from you does not bring me any satisfaction.”
“I just complimented you. Are you going to make me regret that?” Sisi scowled. “Why did you defend me? Was it because of your principles?”
For a moment, Lan Qiren considered just leaving without saying anything, but he found himself asking back, “Then why didn’t you defend yourself? You have no qualms about arguing with me, yet you stayed quiet as those arrogant children insulted you so openly. Didn’t you hear them?”
“I did,” Sisi shrugged. “But I always hear those things. If you’ve been in my line of business before, your heart grows tough. I want to learn how to read, so I can’t stop just because of those brats.”
Lan Qiren said nothing. He couldn’t, because he found these words too admirable to refute.
Then, something unthinkable happened.
Lan Qiren, veteran cultivator, master swordsman and renowned mentor of the Twin Jades, was caught off-guard by a handmaiden as she grabbed hold of his arm. He wasn’t even fast enough to react to it and only realised she pulled him under the eaves once they reached there.
His blood pressure increased and his face heated, feeling mortified. Never in his life had he allowed someone to touch him like this, let alone a woman .
“I usually practice writing in the kitchens, but because I don’t want to waste our lanterns, I do it here at night.” Sisi’s voice snapped him back into reality, “Take a look at this! Is this right?”
Lan Qiren looked at where she pointed to the ground. Across it were the characters written for the numbers ranging from one to ten. These were the basics. Once she knew how to write these, she’d be able to master the entire number system.
But… there were so many mistakes that Lan Qiren’s head was burning just looking at it! He snatched a bamboo cane that was resting on a nearby fence, and started furiously writing over it.
“Wrong!” He shouted, startling the woman next to him, “This line is not drawn so low! The sizes are uneven! This stroke is too long!”
Within a matter of seconds, he had corrected everything and thrust the cane into Sisi’s hands, “Write it like I have!”
Sisi nodded seriously and did as he said, not flinching even as he scolded her when she made the wrong strokes every second moment. It took almost quarter of a shichen long for her to write them properly with the guidance.
Lan Qiren scrutinised the letters carefully, before giving a begrudging nod, “Acceptable.”
Sisi looked up at him with a wide smile, “Really?”
Being asked like this when he’d already said his thoughts, made Lan Qiren feel uncomfortable and he could only stiffly nod again.
Sisi laughed, “I did it! Aiya, I should have written this on paper… This will not remain for long.”
“Bring some paper and copy it in the early morning.” Lan Qiren advised her, “Then continue to copy it again. Practice will not betray you.”
Sisi smiled, “You’re a good teacher. A-Ying told me your classes were boring.”
Lan Qiren made an enraged sound, “That boy cannot be taught! He won’t stay still long enough for it. He takes no advice and heeds no warnings whatsoever!”
“He’s really a good boy.” Sisi insisted, “Just vivacious and untamed. Master Lan, please don’t keep judging him for what you see on the surface. You must know for how intelligent you are that not everything is as it seems? He’s not what you think.”
She gave him a pointed look, “For example, I thought you were a prissy, uptight, conformist, but here you are, taking the time to teach a mere prostitute.”
At first, hefelt enraged at the words she described him with, but when he heard the term ‘prostitute’ his mood soured even more, “Are you not a handmaiden?”
“See?” Sisi grinned, “I am a handmaiden, but hardly anyone thinks of me as one. I’m sorry I thought so badly of you.”
“It is of no consequence to me whatever you may think.”
“I’m apologising anyway. I think, like me, if you allowed yourself to look deeper, you’d see that A-Ying is a great boy. He’s loyal, kind, moral…”
“ Moral? ”
“Yes, moral!” Sisi flashed her eyes at him, “He really is! I don’t know why you hate him so much, but trust me.”
Lan Qiren sniffed, “Baseless! I will establish my judgments after I have seen his virtues myself.”
Sisi grew more irritated, “You’ve already made your judgement! Oh, why can’t you last even an evening without ruining my impression of you?!”
It was only after she’d said these words that Lan Qiren realised that he had indeed spent an evening , with an unmarried woman whom he barely knows.
Not only that, but he had been standing so close to her! He was influenced by her carefree attitude and lost himself. It was so improper that the shock of his own behaviour attacked him mercilessly.
Flushing, he made some distance between them at once.
“What? What happened?” Sisi asked, looking around when she noticed his sudden alarm.
Without saying another word back, Lan Qiren stormed away, walking only as fast as was acceptable and keeping his back straight as he did so, the words ‘improper’ and ‘indecent’ continuously repeating in his head.
Sisi stared after him in confusion, clenching the bamboo cane in her hands.
Early next morning, Sisi had copied the characters onto paper as she was instructed then went to the entrance of the camp.
As all the civilians mounted their own carriages that would take them to the Lanling shelter, Sisi scoured the crowd for Lan Qiren, hoping to thank him for helping her the previous evening.
When he finally arrived, she called out to him, and when he didn't look at her, she increased her voice enough to gain the attention of every person around. Still, he didn't look.
At last, she stopped trying to call out to him and simply watched as he disappeared into the carriage before turning around and walking away.