Chapter Text
Exactly 407 days after Wei Wuxian had been sent back to Yunmeng, each prominent sect prepared their most promising juniors and headed to the Wen sect Discussion Conference.
At this point in the story, before the Sunshot Campaign began and before their eventual downfall, the Wen sect was called a colossus, respected across the land. It was a privilege of the highest honor to be granted the title of guest cultivator by them, which was flaunted with pride by many.
That was to say, no matter the metric — its number of disciples, its power, its claims to land, its spiritual devices — the Wen sect was head and shoulders above the rest, and none could compete.
This time, the Discussion Conference was set to convene at Qishan, more specifically, Nightless Sky, the sect’s cultivation residence and a veritable prosperous metropolis. Also called the Nightless Immortal Capital (AKA Nightless City for the initiated), it was said that night did not fall within its walls, hence the name.
The tallest place in the entire Nightless City was none other than the magnificent Palace of Sun and Flames. A total of twelve ridges made up its roof, and at the end of each ridge were eight heavenly beasts. It was where the discussion part of the Conference would happen. To get to it, one had to walk across a wide plaza, where three tall flags stood skyward at the front. Faced with such grandiose and presumptuous architecture, Lan Wangji couldn’t help but feel he was walking into the Forbidden City instead.
But appreciating the architecture was not the sole reason Lan Wangji had been looking forward to this event. Set to last for seven days, the Wen sect had planned for each of those days to have a different entertainment, ranging from dancing to archery.
And it was precisely because of the archery competition that Wei Wuxian would meet his future Ghost General, his fiercest ally, and the one who would murder Jin Zixuan, Wen Qionglin, Wen Ning.
That was right. If not for this minor event, would Wei Wuxian have even lived to pay a blood debt in blood? Absolutely not!
In sum, the Nightless City was an important location where many key events had taken place, and to be able to freely roam those grounds allowed Lan Wangji to not only better picture those events in his head, but also prepare for them accordingly.
Come to think of it, was Lan Wangji not standing on his potential future grave as well? After all, the last arc of the novel had taken place right at that very plaza, where Wei Wuxian had put together the pieces of the Stygian Tiger Seal and killed his attackers.
Lan Wangji moved his gaze from left to right, down and up, blinking twice to screenshot everything within the System, that had only just notified him, 【Location unlocked: Nightless Immortal Capital. Exploration B-Points +15.】
Lan Qiren, unaware of how far his nephew’s mind had wandered, continued his lecture, “Though we are no longer in Gusu, you must remember our rules. Speak with precision and observe diplomacy. Remain composed and recall restraint.”
Lan Wangji was not only an expert in pretending he didn’t hear something when in fact he had heard, but he was also quite proficient in feigning attention when not a word had been registered. Therefore, when his uncle, who had been laying out directives since they had left the Cloud Recesses, turned to him and called out his name, he calmly nodded in deference.
“Wangji, you must ensure that no rules are broken during our stay.”
Lan Wangji bowed. “Yes, shufu.”
His uncle hummed in satisfaction, caressing his goatee, and finally began walking in silence.
After some moments of blissful peace and quiet, Lan Wangji’s brother sidled up to him. “Wangji, I see you’ve been looking around since he got here. Are you searching for someone in particular? I can help you look for them.”
Lan Wangji gave no outward indication of having heard him despite quickening his pace imperceptibly. Xichen chuckled quietly beside him and Lan Wangji ignored that as well. “What are you running for? Is your brother no longer enough for you or are you just anxious to meet a certain someone—Wangji! Come back!”
Whatever his brother might believe, Lan Wangji was not there to make friends with the most popular protagonist of Zhongdian Literature.
No. He was a man with a mission. That mission had been specially laid out by the System for him:
【One, change the repetitive angsty plot and raise the average IQ and depth of the villains and supporting characters. Two, avoid landmines that break the suspension of disbelief. Three, ensure the main character’s satisfaction points. Four, discover and finish hidden plot events.】
For the purpose of raising Lan Wangji’s IQ and depth, he had entered seclusion for a year, using that time to meditate, read, copy and play the guqin. After he left seclusion, he attended his lessons during the mornings and used his free time in the afternoon to descend the mountain and help the common people. Even on the one “selfish” day he took to taste the famous lotus pods with the stem attached to them, he helped shelter farmers from the rain, later liberating a ghost as well.
Lan Wangji could safely state without an ounce of arrogance that he had, in fact, surpassed the original goods’ martial prowess at this age, not to mention his personal level of nuance. His reputation had also altered from “Righteous” to “Good”, which said something about how much people liked the original Lan Wangji’s propensity to correct others based on his own standards.
For the purpose of raising the average IQ and depth of the villains and supporting characters, Lan Wangji exchanged three (3) sentences with Jiang Wanyin during the remainder of his stay in the Cloud Recesses and practiced active listening when dealing with Jin Zixuan. He also presented young disciples with several ethical dilemmas whenever the opportunity arose.
[Baby Lan (5yo): Er-gongzi, can I pet the baby rabbit, please?
Lan Wangji (16yo): A curse is afflicting an entire village and they will be dead by nightfall. You have the ability to relieve this village of its plight, but in order to do that, you must pass this curse to your cultivation partner. What would you do?
Baby Lan: …]
Such diligence had, of course, a single-minded goal: protect Wei Ying.
Just by protecting him, Lan Wangji could achieve three of the four objectives set by the System. It was decidedly the best course of action and one that required no interaction on his part with Wei Ying.
That was right, the best part of this plan was that Lan Wangji only needed to get stronger and be at the right place at the right time. No need to exchange any words with Wei Ying. If they did not interact, Wei Wuxian, with the terrible memory he had, would certainly forget Lan Wangji’s entire existence and would not mind him even if Lan Wangji didn’t manage to find a way to bypass the System’s guidelines.
Therefore, he had come to this Conference to lay out the foundations of his plan, do some recon, and avoid Wei Wuxian completely.
It was a sound plan, it was the best plan, and it was, as Lan Wangji would later find out, an ill-fated plan.
☠
Because HanguangJun had been so scarcely mentioned throughout the foot-binding length of the novel, Lan Wangji had inadvertently been unconcerned with the portions of the book that “Great Master” Arrogance had consciously left out.
It was, clearly, a mistake.
“Wangji-xiong, you came!” someone called out behind Lan Wangji in an eager tone.
Lan Wangji turned around and responded with a nod. “Jin-gongzi.”
The situation was this, before he entered seclusion, Lan Wangji had unwittingly become one of Jin Zixuan’s best friends and closest confidantes — Lan Wangji knew that because there was simply no way Jin Zixuan would have been spending all his free time with him if he had any other person to hang out with —.
Most of the time Jin Zixuan talked only about two things: monsters, and family. Lan Wangji liked monsters, so he listened to those rants, but he hated Jin family-related drama, so he barely tolerated these bits and chose to practice open-eye meditation active listening instead.
Throughout that time, Lan Wangji had to admit, Jin Zixuan grew on him, similarly to a fungus. His childlike enthusiasm, reckless and sometimes misplaced trust in people, as well as his naivety, were some personality traits Lan Wangji had not anticipated from anyone affiliated with Jin Guangshan, but was pleasantly surprised to find Jin Zixuan had not only done one good thing right before he died, but he was also a good person.
“Did you see the plaza when you came in? I think it’s bigger than Koi Tower’s, though only barely. I believe my father will think of expanding ours when we return,” Jin Zixuan whispered conspiratorially near Lan Wangji’s ear. Or as near as he dared to.
“Mn.”
“There’s not nearly enough gold, though, so that’s good. Father didn’t complain so much.”
“Mn.”
Needless to say, Lan Wangji was not much of a conversationalist himself.
Before Jin Zixuan could open his mouth and comment on Wen Ruohan’s clothing choices, Lan Wangji clocked Jin Zixun drawing closer with a sneer, and immediately cut the conversation short with a bow.
“The discussion is about to start.”
Jin Zixuan followed his look and saw his cousin coming their way. With a look that conveyed he understood Lan Wangji’s qualms with Jin Zixun, he easily wrapped up, “It does seem that way. Good to meet you, Wangji. See you later then?”
Lan Wangji looked between an approaching Jin Zixun and a hopeful Jin Zixuan. In the end, it felt too rude to ignore Zixuan, and Lan Wangji nodded.
Moments later, Jin Zixun caught up to Jin Zixuan, but, by that time, Lan Wangji was already by his seat, and his attention elsewhere. The Jiang delegation had only just arrived and, without quite meaning to, his gaze naturally drifted in that direction.
Wei Wuxian was not a hard person to spot. As the protagonist, he was granted the privilege of standing out. His laughter was contagious, his words were clear, his posture distinctive, and his looks even more so. Standing side by side with the Jiang heir, he was evidently the eye-catching one, as well as the charismatic one. Wei Ying was also the more handsome one. It was only by virtue of his birth that Jiang Wanyin even qualified to stand by his side. And then, only barely.
Regardless, seeing them smiling, complicit in both their actions and words, made Lan Wangji’s stomach churn to think how Jiang Wanyin would treat Wei Ying after.
Between HanguangJun and Jiang Wanyin, hadn’t the latter’s betrayal lodged more deeply between Wei Wuxian’s ribs?
All along his entire slow-motion entrance, not once did Wei Wuxian look in Lan Wangji’s direction. He winked and smiled at many girls, whispering comments in Jiang Wanyin’s ear at every other step, but not once did he look at Lan Wangji.
This was good, right? This was what Lan Wangji wanted. No attention, to live under the radar.
Back when he was only Lan Zhan, he did not mind being another one in the crowd. He never had any aspirations of standing out. He did everything quietly, without much fanfare, grateful for the anonymity granted by the internet. If he had good grades, he never broadcasted it, if he looked good, he never posted pictures showing it, and if something interesting happened in his life, he never shared it. The only instances where he spoke out were either to educate or defend Wei Wuxian.
Then why was he upset over Wei Wuxian not looking at him? Not recognizing him? Not missing him?
Wasn’t the whole point of Lan Wangji’s mission not become Wei Ying’s rival? To help him from the shadows, no thanks needed?
Lan Wangji truly could not understand himself.
Instead of dwelling on it, he turned his attention back to the conference. Wen Ruohan was speaking.
☠
Lan Wangji found out something very peculiar about the original goods during the opening banquet after the first round of discussions.
He had a critical-hit level allergy to smoked meat.
This was not the sort of realization similar to putting one’s hand on a fire, quick to withdraw even before the pain had fully been registered by the brain.
No, it was the slow sinking dread led by a harmless warning.
【System alert! Poisoning Damage -5 points of Health.】
Lan Wangji had a few moments to wonder if the Wen sect would blatantly poison the second heir of GusuLan at their very first banquet before he heard his brother take a sharp intake of breath and ask in a worried tone, “Wangji, did you just eat the smoked meat?”
Lan Wangji, who had only just swallowed said piece of food and was still holding another bite with his chopsticks, carefully deposited the offending goods on the plate and calmly turned to his brother. “Mn. Why?”
Later, Lan Wangji would remember very little of the next half an hour of being quickly ushered out of the banquet by his brother and uncle, made excuses for, and the panicked looks of various disciples and clan leaders, but enough to feel ashamed for the rest of his hopefully very long life.
When he could finally breathe again — his throat had closed up for so long that he had started to believe he would be ended by an allergy, of all things —, the first detail he registered was that he was lying down in a mildly comfortable surface of a room he did not recognize.
Although the blatant use of red on every surface available told him that he hadn’t left Nightless City, neither his brother nor uncle was by his side, which did feel uncharacteristic considering both their reactions when Lan Wangji’s throat seized up. However, he was not immediately on alert.
He knew there was still around a year or two before the Wens made a move against the Lans. Moreover, a few metallic instruments caught his eye, which led him to believe he was in the Wen’s medical ward, and visitors might not be welcomed after certain hours or if the patient was still recuperating.
“You’re awake,” a female voice cut in. Lan Wangji startled, but his body was still sluggish and so he made no outward movement. “Apologies, Lan-er-gongzi, but you will not be able to move for the next few hours,” the woman spoke as she walked into view.
Though she was dressed as a doctor, she was clearly young. Regardless, she still looked like a doctor, with a no-nonsense expression and bright eyes, the sort of calm that inspired confidence and allowed Lan Wangji to relax. At least he did not think he would die on the operation table.
“I have sent your uncle and brother back to the banquet,” she continued to speak in a measured tone. “You will be fit to join them in the morning.”
“Many thanks,” Lan Wangji surprised himself by managing to speak.
The doctor did not seem surprised by this outcome, merely nodding. “You may rest in the meanwhile. I will monitor your condition,” she gestured to somewhere on the left of Lan Wangji’s head, “Should you need anything, I will be at my desk. I hope you will excuse me, Lan-er-gongzi.”
Lan Wangji’s guilt only increased as he agreed with the doctor. Due to his incompetence, he had likely interrupted her studies at a very inconvenient time. Perhaps it was for the best that he could not see her, if only so that he could fool himself into pretending he had deliberately scheduled an acupuncture appointment to relieve his stiff shoulders after spending too much time sitting in front of a computer.
【+1 point of Health. Health at 76%. Estimated time until full recovery: 4 hours.】
Lan Wangji closed his eyes. It was going to be a long night.
☠
Despite being tortured by every embarrassing situation he had been through, Lan Wangji’s innate biological clock managed to win over even that one time he had wished “happy birthday to you too” to a waiter, and he fell into a deep slumber only to rise precisely at 5 a.m. sharp.
By the time he woke up, he could already move, and his piled-up notifications told him he had reached full health two hours prior, but, for some reason, the doctor had not woken him then. Had she not managed to? Did he—
However, when Lan Wangji looked over, he saw the doctor deeply focused on transcribing a tome in front of her, a large neat pile of used sheets by her right side, growing at a steady and quick pace. Surprisingly, there was only a glass of tea by her side, most likely already cold.
Seeing how fast her brush moved and knowing he had already interrupted her once, Lan Wangji decided to wait until she was finished with her notes to call attention to himself and ask to be properly dispatched.
To occupy his time and repay the doctor’s kindness by doing something useful, he began collecting some of the sheets that had fallen on the ground.
Lan Wangji wasn’t a healthcare professional, but he was an experienced wuxia reader, which meant he could understand the meaning of a significant amount of the terms being used. He even managed to identify a couple of obscure procedures he had read about in convoluted and better-written stories.
The majority of the doctor’s notes touched on the topic of golden cores. Their development; effects on physical appearance, muscle growth, health, life expectancy; and other subjects alike. They were very comprehensive.
“Lan-er-gongzi,” the doctor called out. Lan Wangji returned his attention to her. “I see you have recovered.”
She rose from her seat, closing her book with a definite air. “Sorry, I lost track of time. You may leave if you wish.”
Lan Wangji returned the papers to her and bowed. “Many thanks for the doctor’s care. Apologies for interrupting your studies.”
The doctor shook her head. Like this, she just looked like another student cramming before finals. Lan Wangji could relate. “No need, it’s my job. It’s just that sometimes you really feel so close to figuring something out, but it just…”
The doctor seemed to realize she was venting her frustrations to the last person in the jianghu who would want to be caught in a conversation and promptly allowed her voice to die down. Lan Wangji, however, did not mind discussions about study subjects — had engaged in plenty of those in open forums and comment sections —, so he completed, “eludes you?”
“Yes,” the doctor agreed with enthusiasm. She was staring at him like she hadn’t expected that from Lan Wangji, of all people. “There are many studies about golden cores, but… not so many regarding medical procedures on them.”
That was true. When Wen Qing performed the golden core transfer on Wei Wuxian, she had been a pioneer in her field. This had surprised Lan Wangji during his reading, because he had assumed the Wens would want to study the subject more deeply, considering the Core-Melting Hand had long joined their ranks.
Perhaps, Lan Wangji realized now, the Wens had tried to study it, but simply failed. Could this have been one of those hidden plotlines the System had told him to discover?
If it was, Lan Wangji was determined to finish it. He figured he could probably nudge the doctor in the right direction without revealing too much.
“Of what kind?” he asked, referring to the aforementioned medical procedures.
The doctor sighed. “Every kind. It’s even hard to ascertain if there’s any correlation at all between the recovery of injured meridians and a golden core’s performance. Most texts would suggest so with little to no empirical evidence, however, other controversial experiments would hint otherwise.”
“If a healthy core was transplanted to a coreless person who had their meridians injured, would it work?”
The doctor nodded. “Exactly. I believe it’s possible, though it has never been done. Not mentioning that one would have to find two willing subjects, the pain the donor would have to undergo during the procedure would dissuade most people from the idea.”
Lan Wangji agreed. “It is unlikely that, knowing no pain relief would work, and that one would have to remain awake for the entirety of the surgery, many people would be willing.”
There was a moment of silence as the doctor carefully analyzed Lan Wangji, and he wondered if he had given himself away somehow. The moment passed, though, and the doctor touched her temple. “These are just conjectures, of course. I don’t know anyone who would be stupid enough to try.”
Yet, Lan Wangji wanted to say. Under the right circ*mstances, any person could be capable of a number of stupid things. Especially if the person was already prone to idiotic, selfless acts in the first place. “Perhaps there would be more volunteers if there was a chance the core could be split between the two, or if the donor could develop it again after the transplant.”
The doctor nodded, “Of course. If the injured patient could redevelop it in the first place, there would also be no need for a transplant. But this is still too farfetched, I hope Lan-er-gongzi is not thinking of doing anything rash.”
Lan Wangji shook his head. He was not the one thinking it. Still, he couldn’t say anything else and risk discovery.
The doctor took in his reaction and, turning around, began organizing her already neat pile of notes. Lan Wangji understood that as his cue and bowed. “I will be taking my leave, then.”
The doctor nodded and Lan Wangji left without another word.
There was no need to ask why she had been studying such a subject, nor who he should be thankful for his speedy recovery. Since it had come to this, a name and a reason were the last things he needed.
After all, was there anyone smart and driven enough to dare study such a subject at this time besides the famous doctor Wen Qing?
Whether or not Wei Wuxian would have a future in the cultivation world, whether or not he suffered, whether or not he survived, it all depended on her.
Lan Wangji hoped she found the answer.
☠
The passage of time was relentless and after an interminable six hours of watching unimportant sect leaders nit-picking each other’s shortcomings, the discussions came to a halt for the day.
Finally, the event he had been waiting for since he reached Nightless City would begin.
The archery competition.
The rules of the competition were thus. Any disciples younger than twenty could enter the hunting grounds. Out of more than a thousand life-size paper mannequin targets, only a hundred were possessed by fierce spirits. If one shot the wrong target, they were instantly out. One could only stay in the competition if they continuously shot correct paper mannequins that held evil spirits in them. In the end, the disciples were ranked by who shot the most, who shot with the highest accuracy, and so on.
At such an event, Lan Wangji would naturally be participating as one of GusuLan sect’s contestants. He wore a round-collar red robe with sleeves that had tight openings and a belt of nine golden rings. This was the uniform attire of all of the juniors who came to the Qishan Discussion Conference, and though he felt it was a bit too eye-catching, unable to recognize himself in the mirror for a few moments, it was the mandatory clothing, so he wore it and did not think further on how it made him look like he was a husband dressed for the wedding.
That day, he woke up earlier than usual and listened to the sects’ debates with uncharacteristic absentmindedness. As soon as he was discharged, he went to the plaza to train. The original goods had been second only to his brother in the competition and Lan Wangji wanted to show Xichen the taste of his teasing by surpassing the man and finishing first.
It had nothing to do with how he wanted to find out if Wen Ning was as “handsome” as “Great Master” Arrogance had once described him to be. That would be ridiculous.
When he arrived, the plaza was mostly empty and soon Lan Wangji was so focused on his shooting practice that he had completely blocked the clamor going on on the Wen sect sidelines. His attention was only called back when he heard a familiar voice shouting as well.
"Who said that he's never picked up a bow? He has, and his archery is quite good!"
Lan Wangji instantly perked up, eyes being drawn from Wei Wuxian to the shy boy clad in white, shifting in place in the midst of the crowd.
Wen Qionglin.
The second he laid eyes on him, Lan Wangji’s mood became complicated. While he appreciated Wen Qionglin for his loyalty, his sacrifice, and his, well, fierceness, seeing that handsome face be praised by Wei Wuxian was not something that he liked. And he was not even that much more handsome than an ordinary Lan disciple.
Despite the confusion happening not too far away, somehow a quiet nearby polite laugh managed to catch his attention and Lan Wangji turned to find his brother looking at him with a knowing look. Before Xichen could suggest for them to go and see what the commotion was about, though, Lan Wangji schooled back his expression and paid only half a mind to the proceedings around him.
Although he was adamant about ignoring the plot event happening on the other side of the plaza, Lan Wangji still caught sight of Wei Wuxian’s hand gently patting Wen Qionglin’s shoulder. “Relax. Just do as you did before."
Even if Lan Wangji had not known how this scene played out, by Wen Qionglin’s form alone he would have been able to guess.
He closed his eyes and went back to his own practice.
It took some effort to regain the near-meditative state he had been shooting in, but the repetitions helped. He was in the middle of trying out his bow, carrying a bundle of arrows with white-feathered fletchings when he felt a particularly intense gaze on him.
This in itself was not uncommon and he felt no need to acknowledge every onlooker. His commitment to disregarding this sort of attention only increased when his arrow hit the center and he heard a familiar shout, “Hey! Wangji-xiong, it's you!”
Lan Wangji, for the life of him, could not remember Wei Wuxian seeking the original goods as much as he sought him. After taking deliberately longer than necessary to test his bow — and to allow his heartbeat to return to a normal rate —, he walked away at a brisk pace.
There were more than twenty entrances to the shooting range, and Lan Wangji ignored them all in favor of reaching GusuLan’s as fast as he could. It appeared that he and Wei Wuxian were of one mind, however, because before he could reach the flags that marked his sect’s gate, YunmengJiang’s head-disciple was already there, blocking the way.
Lan Wanji shifted to one side, and he shifted to the side as well; Lan Wangji moved to the other side, and he moved to the other side as well. In short, he simply refused to let Lan Wangji pass.
What was worse, Wei Wuxian still had this winning smile on his face that was, against all logic, still attractive after this perfect display of childish behavior. As a reader, Lan Wangji had found it funny when it had been directed at Jiang Wanyin and most sect leaders.
He did not find it funny now.
In the end, standing where he was, Lan Wangji raised his chin slightly and spoke in a serious tone, "Excuse me."
Wei Wuxian’s smile widened. How was it even possible? “You're finally gonna talk to me? Were you pretending that you didn't know me or that you didn't hear me?”
Lan Wangji’s mind blanked. How could someone be so—shameless!
Not far away, the boys from other sects all stared at them. Some laughed, and some exclaimed. Lan Wangji’s ears were burning as he managed to muster the patience and presence of mind to repeat, "Excuse me."
Now with a faint smile on his lips, Wei Wuxian raised his brows and turned to the side. Lan Wangji took a moment to breathe out his instinctual violent response to being made fun of in this way. He reminded himself of his mission here, and that throttling Wei Wuxian would defeat the entire purpose of unlocking the OOC function to save him.
But it was hard. Wei Wuxian made it especially hard.
The arch door of the entrance was rather narrow. With Wei Ying positioned the way he was, Lan Wangji could only brush by him as he walked in. The contact sent shivers down his spine, but Lan Wangji resisted the urge to press Wei Wuxian against the wooden beam and slowly watch his ever-present smile fade to something different.
After he entered, Wei Wuxian shouted from behind him, "Lan Zhan, your forehead ribbon is crooked!"
Could it be—, Lan Wangji reached to adjust it without a second thought. Yet, the forehead ribbon was clearly as proper as always.
Infantile.
Turning around, he cast an annoyed look at Wei Wuxian. The latter only laughed. The sound was infuriatingly nice, as was the rest of him.
The mandatory competition garment suited him especially well, clinging to all the right places. The golden rings highlighted how narrow his waist was, and, combined with how fast Wei Wuxian had walked to GusuLan’s entrance, he was reminded just how agile Wei Wuxian could be when he wanted. How, no matter the force he applied to hold him down, pin him in place, he would not break.
Wei Ying guileless smile morphed into something smaller, softer, as he asked, “Lan Zhan, you gave us such a scare during the opening banquet! Are you feeling better? Has the doctor released you to participate in the competition?”
Lan Wangji’s grip on his bow tightened. “Mn.”
“I still haven’t properly thanked you for helping shijie out back at Cloud Recesses, but don’t think I’ll let you off easy today because of that!”
“Mn.”
Wei Wuxian’s eyes raked Lan Wangji’s figure one last time. “You look especially dashing today, Lan Zhan. I almost didn’t recognize you. I’m sure many girls are fawning over you right at this moment.”
Before Lan Wangji could reply with a curt “Nonsense”, the System pinged him.
【Protagonist satisfaction points +50.】
“Please stop attributing points without a reason,” Lan Wangji responded to the System. He had no intention of being accused of farming points later on.
Wei Wuxian, knowing how Lan Wangji would respond, did not wait for those unkind words and turned to the YunmengJiang sect's entrance, rushing over there looking every bit like he was running away after harassing someone important.
With one last look at Wei Wuxian greeting his sect brother and being scolded by him in turn, Lan Wangji closed his eyes and attempted to restore the damage Wei Ying had dealt on his concentration.
Only by what was certainly muscle memory at this point was Lan Wangji able to regain his footing and enter the competition with a single-minded focus. Though his shots were not as fast-paced as others, they were accurate, and, more importantly, faster than Lan Xichen’s.
That was, perhaps, why he failed to notice it then. He was too caught up in the competition, on his target.
There were many excuses that he would come up with in the future for why this event had happened. Why it was unavoidable and not anyone’s — especially his own — fault.
For instance, how it was not his fault that Wei Ying was literally the boy who cried wolf.
(The author had confessed that this was the case in the forum once, though Lan Zhan had disagreed at the time, the fool he was.)
How, of all places, of all times it had to happen then.
Regardless of the reason, the truth was that while Lan Wangji was facing a paper mannequin, in the process of drawing his bow, he heard Wei Ying exclaim behind him, “Wangji-xiong!”
His tone sounded rather urgent, and Lan Wangji could not help responding after a moment of hesitation, bow already in the shape of a full moon, “What?”
“Your forehead ribbon is crooked.”
See, future Lan Wangji wanted to say. That is precisely why one must speak the truth at all times.
The Lan Wangji of the present, having already suffered this particular brand of teasing, merely released his arrow and replied without even turning around, “Ridiculous.”
Wei Wuxian continued, "It's true this time! It really is crooked. Just watch if you don't believe me. Let me straighten it up for you."
Lan Wangji had not been given any time to react before he felt a piece of fabric slide down his face and the unexpectedness of a cold gust of wind on his forehead.
Lan Zhan had not, throughout the majority of his life, worn any type of forehead garments, not even when he had played sports. However, after slightly over a year of taking it off exclusively for sleeping and bathing, Lan Wangji had gotten used to the forehead ribbon. It was, perhaps, why he felt so naked without it at that moment. Why he was so sluggish to react.
Well, that and the blazing sirens on his head announcing a System notification.
【System alert! Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation genre has been revised from COLD-BLOODED REVENGE to BL. The novel migrated from Zhongdian Literature to Jinjiang Literature.】
【Congratulations! For changing the storyline, Lan Wangji IQ +250. Please continue to work hard!】
【Genre feature unlocked: Spider-senses© (BETA).】
What.
Lan Wangji slowly turned to face Wei Wuxian, who was staring at him with equal shock, as if he had heard what the System had only now announced.
Had he? Did he even know the meaning of his actions? What they had caused?
Wei Wuxian was still holding the forehead ribbon in his hand. "I'm sorry. It wasn't on purpose. Here, you can tie it up again."
Ha. As if that would change anything.
“System, is this sort of plot acceptable? Can it not be reversed?”
【The standard is subjectively determined; it depends on the readers’ reactions. Currently, “Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation” is trending TOP #1 in China in the BL category. Please continue to work hard!】
Lan Wangji was in denial. He knew that he dealt as well with change as a cat enjoyed cold baths. Though he could objectively see how he was overreacting, how the way his body was shaking and veins jumping on the back of his hand as he clenched his bow was scaring Wei Ying, he couldn’t help it.
And then Wei Ying squeezed the forehead ribbon.
Shocked that he dared to squeeze it, Lan Wangji snatched the forehead ribbon from his hands as fast as he could.
Wei Wuxian let go the moment he snatched it.
Lan Wangji had half a mind to notice the rest of the Lan sect’s disciples ceasing their attacks and coming over at once, fuming as he was by having his choice taken away from him in such a rude manner.
His brother came over as well and slung an arm around him that was more holding him back than comforting. Lan Wangji felt this was rather unnecessary, he was pissed, not murderous. “Please quell your anger, Wangji, it was an accident,” his brother was saying, “Even though he is a man, there’s no need to worry, according to our sect rules, there must be meaning when sharing the forehead ribbon with one’s spouse-”
Lan Wangji’s face blanched, the blood coursing through his veins colder than the Cold Spring.
The Lan forehead ribbon had that sort of meaning?!
His brother was still speaking, but Lan Wangji could no longer pay him any attention.
Lan Zhan was the sort of person that was unable to do things halfway. Whether it was studying for his classes or reading a third-rate revenge novel, he devoted his all to it. That was why, no matter how minor, how undeveloped the plot point, he did his best to commit it to memory.
That was why he was certain that, at no point in the novel, had the meaning of the forehead ribbon been disclosed. Not only that, he had read the same rules Wei Wuxian had, by virtue of overseeing his punishment, and in none of them was the symbolism stated. He had stopped watching his uncle’s classes even before Wei Ying, so there was no way he would know if this content had popped up after he was dismissed.
The System confirmed these suspicions by ringing so many bells that, rather than congratulatory, they felt like the desperate warning of an invasion.
【Activated plot hole-filling event “The Meaning of the Forehead Ribbon”: B-Points +100.】
In other words, be it because of his perfect memory or through the System’s confirmation, until this very moment, Lan Wangji had no idea that, by letting Wei Ying touch his ribbon, he would trigger a sequence of events that made his original plan of ignoring Wei Ying completely impossible to keep!
Quite the opposite! Now that the genre had changed, Lan Wangji was certain he would not be able to avoid Wei Ying any more than Jiang Wanyin was.
It was, surprisingly, a comforting thought.
Concentration effectively destroyed, Lan Wangji glowered at Wei Wuxian one last time, and turned around, walking alone toward the exit of the shooting range.
For all effects and purposes, at least Wei Wuxian seemed apologetic. The last glimpse Lan Wangji had of his face showed a mix of shock and remorse. Lan Wangji was certain that Wei Ying had not meant to pull, how could he? A womanizer such as him would never pull what was basically a love token from a man, such as himself.
It did not matter that, of all the people Wei Wuxian would meet in this life, no one would care for his well-being more than Lan Wangji did. It did not matter that, of all the people Wei Wuxian would open himself up to in this life, no one would understand him better than Lan Wangji did.
It did not matter, because, even though this was apparently a danmei novel now, this story was fated to have a sad ending. It was the way it was written. Either Lan Wangji died, or he lived with a broken heart, forever pushed into interacting with the unsuspecting protagonist, never to have his feelings returned.
In the end, the four with the best results were Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen, Jin Zixuan, and Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji wished he would be more upset about losing to his brother again, but he did not regret leaving early. In a single instant, his priorities had shifted, and he just wished to be alone for as long as he could manage.
☠
Like the System knew of his feelings — which it probably did —, his time of peace, quiet, and reflection was rudely interrupted by shy, though insistent, knocking at his door.
“Lan Wangji, are you there?”
Jin Zixuan?!
“Actually, I know you’re there. I heard you playing. Listen, I know you probably want to be alone right now, but I know you’d do the same for me.”
Where did Jin Zixuan get this notion from? Lan Wangji had — begrudgingly, might he add — endured Jin Zixuan’s endless talking back when they were at the Cloud Recesses, but that was solely because he needed the man to be a better fiancé and have some character development. He would never voluntarily interrupt Jin Zixuan’s mopping.
“Come on, I’m not leaving until you open it up.”
Lan Wangji had no qualms about letting Jin Zixuan stay out there for as long as he pleased, but just as the thought struck, it was suddenly accompanied by images of a curious crowd forming, which would only serve to attract unneeded attention to what had transpired earlier.
Lan Wangji opened the door.
Jin Zixuan was caught with his arm half raised, ready to knock again. “You really opened…” then, realizing Lan Wangji could close the door again just as quickly, he rushed inside. “Excuse me.”
Lan Wangji closed the door behind him, making sure there were no witnesses outside who could claim Lan Wangji had a conscience. Satisfied, he stared at Jin Zixuan, who was now standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.
“So, how are you doing?”
It was clear Jin Zixuan had come with no real purpose and with absolutely no plan of action. How this man had found himself in a loving marriage in the most unfortunate of plots was beyond even Lan Wangji’s capacity for abstraction. Though, since he had found happiness, he could no longer live long.
“Well,” Lan Wangji eventually replied.
“Good. That’s good.” Another moment of silence. “I’m worried about you.”
Lan Wangji knew from experience that when people started like that, the conversation would stretch over long periods of time. He should gesture for them to sit for it.
He didn’t.
“That Wei Wuxian, he-” Jin Zixuan cut himself at Lan Wangji’s look. “I mean, he acts quite impulsively sometimes, though I didn’t think he would reach this level of disrespect. And you didn’t even do anything to deserve it!”
He knew Jin Zixuan was trying to make him feel better, but it did not sit right with Lan Wangji to hear Wei Ying be bad-mouthed like that. “The ignorant are innocent.”
“Innocent?!” Jin Zixuan took a step closer. “He touched your forehead ribbon! I am sorry, but I don’t believe that, for someone who cares so much about tradition, you don’t have any feelings about that!”
Lan Wangji never said he didn’t have feelings about it. He did not know what said feelings were, but he had those. He was not made of stone, after all.
Jin Zixuan seemed to have realized what he had said and quickly changed tactics. “Though it won’t really affect your reputation, of course. No need to worry about it. It’s not like people think you are cut-sleeve or anything!”
Lan Wangji’s face remained blank and that only spurred Jin Zixuan on to dig his grave, apparently.
“It’s true! And you know how Wei Wuxian is with women, nobody would claim that this wasn’t an accident! People must have already forgotten all about it!”
Except you, Lan Wangji wanted to say. Instead, he very calmly opened his mouth and said, “Many thanks for Jin-gongzi’s concern. I am well. If that is all,” Lan Wangji gestured to the door.
Jin Zixuan followed his movement with his eyes, but turned back to Lan Wangji as soon as he saw their final destination. It seemed he would not take the hint, opening his mouth to say something else, but after a few seconds when no words came, he let out a heavy exhale and an expression akin to disappointment flashed on his face.
He shook his head, then bowed. “This Jin Zixuan apologizes for disturbing Lan-er-gongzi’s playing.”
Before Jin Zixuan closed the door behind himself on the way out, however, he spoke one last time. “You know it’s okay to act on your feelings from time to time, right? If you don’t want to talk about them to me, that’s fine, but you shouldn’t wait until it’s too late to do something about the things that displease you. I almost did that and if it weren’t for you, who knows what sort of diplomatic incident I would have started.”
Lan Wangji ignored the System alert awarding him B-Points for Jin Zixuan’s character depth and emotional maturity development and, as soon as the door was shut again, turned back to resume his music composition.
Whatever his feelings were, it did not change the fact that soon there would be a war, and then they would not matter anymore.
Jin Zixuan was, of course, oblivious to the fate of the future. The only things he understood were the sad notes from Lan Wangji’s nameless song, coming from Lan Wangji’s closed door.
He didn’t dare act behind his friend’s back, but he also hadn’t sworn secrecy to him, and sort of disagreed with how Lan Wangji was conducting himself. In short, Jin Zixuan felt that he should take matters into his own hands and give that stubborn second master the push he refused to, though only if such matters sought him first.
And, what a coincidence! That very night, he crossed paths with the matter himself.
☠
The war came to Lan Wangji’s doorstep quicker than he thought.
It had barely been a year since the archery competition, the Waterborne Abyss still hadn’t been purified, there were texts that needed copying that hadn’t been copied, and a piece of music that, though composed, had yet to be named. The Wen sect did not take any of these into consideration, however, and just as Lan Wangji was standing upside-down at the Lanshi, chastising Yingying for nipping an end of Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon, his uncle’s figure appeared at the edge of the wooden hall and told him in no uncertain terms, “They’re here.”
Thanks to Lan Wangji’s knowledge of the plot, GusuLan was already expecting the invasion and had set several specific alarms that would trigger in case anyone with ill intent entered Caiyi, granting them, albeit little, at least some warning to prepare.
Most books had already been evacuated from the library to a secret hideout known only by him, his brother, and some of the elders. The ones that remained were either copies, made exclusively for the purpose of fooling the Wens, or common tomes, easy to buy if lost.
The timing, of course, was not ideal. Xichen was away, taking the remainder of the rare and forbidden books to their secret hideout. Shufu had yet to convince Lan Wangji’s father, QinghengJun, to leave seclusion and move to a secure location.
Still, the plot waited for no one, least of all support characters and cannon fodder like them.
Lan Wangji unsheathed Bichen and speed-walked outside just in time to watch Wen Xu’s grand entrance.
Though the man had never taken center stage in the novel, because of context clues, Lan Wangji knew it was him at once.
【New Character Unlocked! Wen Xu, Wen Ruohan’s first son. Congratulations! B-Points + 50.】
… “Many thanks.”
Wen Xu jumped down from his sword with a flourish. “I come on official business from the Wen Sect and demand to speak to your sect leader.”
Lan Wangji felt his uncle prepare himself beside him and did the same. They positioned themselves between the Library Pavilion and the Wen army, holding their swords between them.
He could feel Wen Xu’s cold, watchful gaze fall over their drawn swords, and more and more Wen cultivators arrived by the second, postures equally threatening.
“I am asking nicely,” Wen Xu drawled on. “I won’t ask so nicely soon.”
“I am here,” Lan Wangji heard an unfamiliar voice speak right behind him.
【New Character Unlocked! QinghengJun, Lan Wangji’s father and Gusu Lan’s Sect Leader. Congratulations! B-Points + 50.】
Once QinghengJun stepped closer to him, Lan Wangji felt that introduction to be quite unnecessary. The man was a carbon copy of Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji. Same height, same face, you could only tell him apart from Lan Wangji by the color of his eyes, and from Lan Xichen by the absence of a smile on his face.
Lan Wangji was beginning to suspect “Great Master” Arrogance was truly behind in the creativity department.
“System, is there-”
The System interrupted him, 【Commands are currently frozen. The System will reactivate once the villain's monologue has ended. Thank you.】
An unskippable cutscene?!
Lan Wangji had heard that cutscenes were used as a hidden loading time, but this was a bit ridiculous. He was the captive audience for a man going on and on about the vague “misdeeds” of the Lan Sect without even once giving a concrete example. There were not even that many words in the dictionary.
Eventually, Wen Xu tired himself out and said, “You leave yourselves no choice but to cleanse the Cloud Recesses with the Sun’s holy fire and allow it to be reborn from the ashes! You may begin with your most corrupt and flawed Library Pavilion.”
As Wen Xu gestured to the side for someone to bring a torch and hand it to QinghengJun, Lan Wangji saw two snowy white heads hopping in his direction. His blood grew cold in an instant.
“Go back,” he whispered to the two rabbits chasing each other around his legs.
And yet, the snowballs didn’t listen. Lan Wangji grew more impatient. “Go back,” he repeated with more force.
His voice must have drawn Wen Xu’s attention because instead of motioning to the Library, when he handed QinghengJun the lit torch, he gestured towards the two rabbits lying by Lan Wangji’s feet. “Actually, you may start with your son’s pets, QinghengJun.”
Lan Wangji took a step forward, covering the rabbits’ bodies with his robes. “This will not be possible.”
The System immediately rewarded this intervention.
【Character depth level +10. Lan Wangji’s relatability +45.】
The way to reader’s hearts really was pets… Lan Wangji should have predicted this, though, truth be told, Jiang Wanyin, known dog-lover, was one of the most hated characters of the novel. This route wasn’t that obvious.
“It’s the rabbits or your son’s life, I believe the choice is quite obvious,” Wen Xu spoke to QinghengJun, but his eyes remained fixed on Lan Wangji. There was nothing but hatefulness in them.
“Killing is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Qiren spoke up, moving to block Lan Wangji from view.
Shufu?!
Wen Xu laughed. It contained none of the brightness and amusem*nt of Wei Ying’s laugh, nor the diplomacy of Xichen’s. No, if “Great Master” Arrogance could believably portray it, then Wen Xu’s laugh would drip contempt.
The fight that ensued was not pretty.
Though Lan Wangji had read several descriptions of war, seen graphic images, and watched documentaries of real battles and their aftermath, nothing had prepared him for the reality of it.
The blood and death he could ignore, but the sounds and smells were the worst. Friends and foes alike bumped into him, fell by his feet, but he kept fighting. There were those that shouted orders, those that mourned their burning homes, and those that whispered their final words. But Lan Wangji kept on fighting.
QinghengJun had Wen Xu and eleven Wen disciples caught in a deadlock, all battling for their lives. Lan Qiren was protecting, alone, a group of injured disciples against a whole horde of enemies. And Lan Wangji stood immovable in front of the burning Library, fighting anyone and everyone who was reckless enough to attempt to move against Lan Wangji’s rabbits.
The situation changed like it was bound to: with time.
GusuLan, though known and respected, could never face QishanWen in a direct conflict and hope to win. It was only a matter of time before someone important was gravely injured.
The first to fall was no one else than GusuLan’s Sect Leader, QinghengJun, who had also been the most important casualty for GusuLan in the novel.
After tiring himself of being in a deadlock, Wen Xu decided to put an end to this whole situation by grabbing a nameless cannon fodder and pushing him in the direction of QinghengJun’s blade.
Unwilling to hurt an ally, QinghengJun quickly changed the direction of his strike, but the damage was already dealt.
That millisecond opening was exactly what Wen Xu had been waiting for and, together with the remaining Wen disciples, they coordinated an all-around attack, stabbing through the nameless GusuLan disciple in order to reach their Sect Leader.
QinghengJun received deep cuts on his front and back, in addition to those he had already gained during the battle. With another slash on his right heel and two on his wrists, he fell to the ground, unmoving.
In the midst of the battle, who could hear a single person’s fall? If it wasn’t because every single GusuLan member had been following their Sect Leader from the corner of their eyes, no one would have noticed what had transpired.
As it was, once QinghengJun fell, the fighting came to a halt and all GusuLan disciples slowly lowered their weapons in submission. A nameless QishanWen disciple had a sword pointed at their Sect Leader’s neck.
“Now, now,” Wen Xu cleaned his bloodied sword on QinghengJun’s already bloodied robes and sheathed it. From his waist, he retrieved a wooden fan and hit it across his palm in time with his words and steps. “The Cloud Recesses has already burned down. Consider this our Clan’s mercy. There’s only one remaining matter.”
With each word, Wen Xu walked towards Lan Wangji, until he stood face to face with him, staring him down. “Step aside.”
Lan Wangji looked straight ahead and remained rooted where he was.
“You just saw what I did with your father. You think I don’t dare to do the same to you, Lan Wangji?”
Upon Lan Wangji’s silent answer, Wen Xu ordered, “Break his leg.”
Though Lan Wangji was still armed — and could technically react —, he was still mindful of the blade against QinghengJun’s neck, and didn’t risk raising a single finger as the bones of his right leg were smashed to pieces.
After a full day's battle, this was the last blow needed to get Lan Wangji on his knees. He fell without making a single sound.
Wen Xu drew his sword again in a flash and pointed to Lan Wangji’s neck, raising his chin with the tip.
【Lan Wangji’s attractiveness level +60.】
?!
“Hand in the rabbits.”
Even though Lan Wangji no longer had a reliable functioning leg, he refused to let Wen Xu get his hands on them. Wen Xu could sneer at him all he wanted, Lan Wangji would kill him before he even touched their pure white fur.
Rightly sensing his authority was in question, Wen Xu rose to the challenge. In a single sweep, he raised his sword and brought it down with both speed and precision—
To cut QinghengJun’s chest with a deep slash.
When had he gotten there?!
“Lan zongzhu!” several disciples cried out.
This time, QinghengJun fell back against Lan Wangji, who caught him by his shoulders. In the moments before he lost consciousness, QinghengJun’s eyes raked Lan Wangji’s face, as if in search of something that Lan Wangji didn’t know how to give. Whether he found it or not, Lan Wangji never found out, as QinghengJun closed his eyes without uttering a single word, leaving Lan Wangji to cradle his father’s lifeless body in his arms.
“What a lovely family reunion scene,” Wen Xu spoke from above him. “I’ve heard you haven’t seen each other in many years, isn’t that right, Lan-er-gongzi? You may accompany someone for more than 500 li, but eventually friends must part. The Lan sect is in dire need of learning some lessons about humility and subservience, and our sect is kind enough to provide guidance. We only require an heir for our Indoctrination and, unfortunately, your brother is nowhere to be found. Don’t worry, though, we’ll find him for you. In the meantime, I must ask Lan-er-gongzi to accompany us back to Qishan”
His smile was bone-chilling and, despite the heat coming from the fire on all sides, Lan Wangji couldn’t suppress a shiver, thankfully imperceptible and hidden by the several layers he wore.
Wen Xu took a step closer. Taking advantage of the fact that Lan Wangji had a whole person in his arms and a useless leg, thus incapacitated and unable to fight back, he used his sword to raise Lan Wangji’s skirt. “Now, let’s see those rabbits…”
【Lan Wangji’s bloodied-but-deadly attractiveness level +75.】
“Please stop,” Lan Wangji begged the System. Though this had become a BL novel purely by accident, the revenge plot still hadn’t been fixed, and this debasem*nt of Lan Wangji’s character was absolutely unwarranted.
“What—,” Wen Xu opened Lan Wangji’s skirt wider.
【Lan Wangji’s defenseless-but-deadly attractiveness level +15.】
Defenseless-but-deadly?!
What nonsense.
Wen Xu allowed Lan Wangji’s skirt to fall back. “No matter. They can run if they want, but they can’t escape. It’s windy today, I’m afraid tomorrow there’ll no longer be as many trees as there were yesterday.”
Lan Wangji vowed right then and there that if those rabbits so much as dirtied their fur, forget Wei Wuxian, he would command the spirits of the dead himself to choke Wen Xu with the leg of the longest chair he could find.
“We’ll be waiting for you and your accompanying outer disciples at the foot of the mountain. Don’t take too long.” With that last warning, Wen Xu turned his back to them and left the Cloud Recesses on a calm stroll.
【Congratulations! You have successfully completed the quest, “The Burning of the Cloud Recesses”. Stats: 17 kills and 25 injured. Time fighting: +3 hours. Reward: B-Points +300.】
【Increased degree of storyline completion and filled in hidden character list: B-Points +200. Please continue to work hard!】
Lan Wangji’s uncle was by his side in an instant. “How is he?”
Lan Wangji furrowed his brows. “Alive.”
Lan Qiren visibly deflated at the prognosis, but remained outwardly composed in front of the watching disciples. “That’s good enough. Pass him to me, then we’ll both go to the infirmary and have your wounds checked as well.”
But Lan Wangji shook his head. “No time. Will depart now.”
His uncle knew better than to insist. Only when Lan Wangji left would the Wen army truly follow suit.
He got up somewhat unsteadily and slowly made his way to the Jingshi, trying not to take notice of how far the fire had spread. All the smoke made this attempt both easier and not.
The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by two white balls, one running around him, and the other running after the first. Lan Wangji inwardly let out a sigh of relief. Outwardly, he reached to pet both bunnies before steeling himself and hobbling towards his drawers.
He changed into a clean set of robes and took the items he had prepared beforehand, leaving as fast as he’d come—which wasn’t fast at all considering the state of his leg.
Lan Wangji could not believe what he had just witnessed. For some reason, he had always assumed the Lan Sect Leader was a man who cared about nothing but his cultivation, living in seclusion and dying for his books. There were no books to die for now, but for the focus to change so suddenly to his child was something a reader who prided himself on reading between the lines like Lan Wangji did not expect.
He thought that, if he saved the library, QinghengJun would live. If QinghengJun was alive, not only could he help rescue Wei Wuxian from Dusk-Creek Mountain, but it also wouldn’t be useless to hope for GusuLan’s help in preventing Lotus Pier from burning down.
Yet, who could have envisioned that QinghengJun would be self-sacrificial to this degree?! And Lan Wangji was not even the guy’s real son! He suddenly felt guilty for his deception, even though this was not something that he consciously chose.
And never mind QinghengJun, now Lan Wangji didn’t have any hopes of helping Lotus Pier out himself!
Whether or not the original goods had been injured in this manner as well, Lan Wangji couldn’t tell. Wei Wuxian didn’t know, and, by extension, neither did Lan Zhan.
Originally, he had wanted to help others out. Now, he had to make every effort not to drag anyone down. Overall, this event had been a major fail, worthy of “Great Master” Arrogance's trashy angsty narrative.
“System, how long until the Burial Mounds scenario?”
【The Burial Mounds arc will begin in two months. Once the story reaches this stage, the System will automatically update itself. Please prepare accordingly. Thank you for your continued patronage!】
☠
The appointed sector of indoctrination located in Qishan was a good walk from Gusu. By the time they reached the place one month later, the other GusuLan juniors all had a pale complexion, exhaustion apparent.
Lan Wangji knew he must not be this well himself, but he refused to let it show. He was only still moving forward through steadfast determination and the System’s updates:
【3 li left until you reach your destination. Estimated time of arrival: wu shi.】
【2 li left until you reach your destination. Estimated time of arrival: wu shi.】
【1 li left until you reach your destination. Estimated time of arrival: wei shi.】
【You have reached your destination. Please evaluate your level of satisfaction with the System’s NAV gadget (BETA).】
Lan Wangji thought for a moment before replying. “Four.”
【Thank you for your feedback!】
“Wangji!”
Jin Zixuan ran up to him when he saw Lan Wangji enter the grounds. He didn’t seem to notice Lan Wangji’s faltering steps. “I heard about your sect, how are you doing? Your family?”
For a sect that forbade gossip, news sure traveled fast…
Instead of verbally giving Jin Zixuan a reply, Lan Wangji shook his head. It could either mean that they were well or that Lan Wangji didn’t wish to speak about it. Jin Zixuan couldn’t read him so well yet, so he decided to not push. In any manner, he had already heard GusuLan’s Sect Leader had been in a serious state when they left, and might not live long enough to see his sons again.
“This Wen sect… They really would dare do something like this! If I knew-” Lan Wangji gave Jin Zixuan a look and he stopped speaking mid-sentence, sheepishly lowering his tone, volume, and threats. “What I mean is, LanlingJin should have been there for you.”
“It wasn’t your duty,” Lan Wangji countered. And, perhaps recklessly, added, “There will be other opportunities.”
“What do you-”
A small commotion interrupted Jin Zixuan. However, it wasn’t any small commotion.
The YunmengJiang delegation had arrived.
That was to say, the protagonist had entered the grounds.
There was a quality to the environment when Wei Ying was present that was not there when he wasn’t, almost as if a director had walked in on set and told the cameras to roll.
Lan Wangji subtly adjusted the fall of his robes to obscure his injured leg, making his face as expressionless as possible while looking straight ahead. Wei Ying should still be in the dark about what happened at Cloud Recesses, so he shouldn't think about approaching—
Wei Ying’s eyes were on him for only a second before he began to march his way toward Lan Wangji. Jiang Wanyin tried to hold him back, but Wei Wuxian was already out of his arm’s reach, and he could only whisper-shout, “Don’t cause any trouble!”
Lan Wangji closed his eyes. Jiang Wanyin, please stop being sensible!
“Hey, Lan Zhan!”
Lan Wangji faked deafness by staring at a fixed point on the horizon even when Wei Wuxian got right in his face. “Are you okay?”
It was the tone of the question that threw Lan Wangji out of his selective hearing, and he caught Wei Wuxian’s eyes before he could think better of it. Had he really been so obvious? To the point where Wei Wuxian’s voice — though still extremely annoying — was soft with concern?
Suddenly, a person shouted commands from in front of them, ordering all of the disciples to gather into formation before a tall platform. A few of the Wen sect's disciples came and chided, "Silence, all of you! Don't talk!"
Wei Ying sent him an apologetic look and Lan Wangji nodded in return, motioning to where Jiang Wanyin was fuming and drilling them with his gaze. Wei Ying shot him a quick grin, “Talk to you later, Lan Zhan!” He touched Lan Wangji’s shoulder briefly before quickly making his way to where his sect’s people were standing.
Lan Wangji averted his gaze from the obvious display of brotherly violence to the person on the platform shouting orders.
That person was, of course, Wen Chao. Next to him were a woman dressed in inappropriately few layers and a serious-looking man, which were probably Wang Lingjiao and Wen Zhuliu. Together, they made the “most gruesome deaths” trio. “Great Master” Arrogance had not wasted a single idiom that he had learned in secondary education to describe the horror which afflicted their hearts months, days, and hours before their demise. It was the ultimate satisfying revenge.
And by ultimate, Lan Wangji meant “the last”.
Everything that happened after was just a money-grubbing attempt to pander to the novel’s sadomasoch*st readers.
Lan Wangji already knew how this story went, so when Wen Chao waved his hand, looking quite pleased with himself, he went ahead and began unstrapping Bichen from his back. "From now on, one by one, hand over your swords!"
A commotion began among the crowd and some cannon fodder protested, "A sword never leaves a cultivator’s side! Why must we surrender ours?!"
“Who said that?” Wen Chao demanded. “Which clan are you from? Step forward!”
The person who spoke was immediately too afraid to speak. Quiet returned once more below the platform, and Wen Chao was finally satisfied, "It's exactly because there are still disciples like you, who know nothing of conduct, of subordination, of humility, that I'm here to indoctrinate you so that your cores don't rot away. You're already so ignorantly audacious. If your customs aren't straightened up now, in the future, there'd naturally be those who attempt to challenge authority and climb above the Wen sect's head!"
If Wei Ying was even more annoying in person than in written text, then the disgust Wen Chao provoked could rival lying in a bed of bugs. It was clear “Great Master” Remember Kindness, Cut Down Arrogance's excessive use of flowery wording had done a great deal to obfuscate the true nature of the characters. Lan Zhan was beginning to suspect that, had he met the original Lan Wangji, he would have also found him unbelievably boring and stuck-up.
When a Wen sect servant approached to take his sword, he easily handed it over, seeing, from the corner of his eye, Wei Wuxian do the same. Right as he was about to avert his gaze, Lan Wangji meet his eyes by chance as Wei Ying also sneaked a peek at him.
Wei Ying winked at him, then proceeded to try to touch his nose with the tip of his tongue. Lan Wangji was the first to break eye contact, feeling his ears heat as he did so.
He had already forgiven Wei Ying, and himself, for the ribbon incident. If anything, it was the System’s and — mostly — the author’s fault for failing to disclose crucial information. Had the book been better written, instead of pandering to the masses who loved a gruesome description, perhaps Lan Wangji would have been able to avoid a change in genre. Perhaps he wouldn’t. It was really hard to tell with Wei Ying, actually.
But things were not so bad at the Wen sect for the Lans.
The bland food suited the original good’s frail taste buds, and Lan Wangji had been especially strict over the past few years in training every disciple over the age of ten on inedia so they could retain their energy for longer. Even though Lan Wangji himself had been unused to practicing it when he had transmigrated, teaching others proved to be a good opportunity to learn as well.
Jin Zixuan, on the other hand, was used to receiving things without having to ask for them, and was having a little bit more difficulty adapting to this ascetic lifestyle of a hostage. Despite that, he only ever complained about injustice and not about himself, so Lan Wangji could find it in himself to be more lenient in his judgment of him.
The so-called "indoctrination" of the QishanWen sect, like their sustenance, was also lacking.
It only included handing out copies of "Quintessence of the Wen Sect", booklets full of the stories and quotes of the Wen sect's past leaders and best cultivators. Everyone had one. They were demanded to memorize them well and keep them in mind at all times.
Wen Chao would also stand above them every single day. He'd give a speech to everyone and request that they cheer for him, make him the role model in every word, every action. During nighthunts, he would bring the disciples with him and make them run at the very front. They'd scout the path, distract the demons and beasts, and battle with all their effort, while he'd appear at the last moment and easily knock down the prey that had already been beaten to a pulp by others. After he cut off its head, he'd go around boasting that it came from the victory he had achieved alone. If there were anyone who he found especially displeasing, he'd pull them out and scold them in front of everyone, as though said person was even lower than a swine.
Because of the results of the archery competition that took place during the Discussion Conference of the QishanWen sect, Wei Wuxian, Jin Zixuan, and Lan Wangji were the main targets of Wen Chao’s mercurial anger.
But Jin Zixuan, of the three of them, was the one that suffered from this public humiliation the most. Because he had grown up having been cupped within the palms of his parents, he had never undergone such humiliation before. Even though he had become a more conscientious person as of late, that did not automatically erase those privileged habits and instincts.
If not for how the other disciples of the LanlingJin sect stopped him and the fact that Wen Zhuliu wasn't easy to deal with, he would have willingly killed himself along with Wen Chao on the first day.
As for himself, Lan Wangji couldn't care less. He had (1) heard and read worse on the internet; (2) a very vivid description of Wen Chao’s untimely and awful death replaying on repeat in his brain at all times; (3) somehow a very high tolerance for unqualified people addressing themes that far exceeded their mental capability, i.e. idiots with a platform.
And, Wei Wuxian, as Lan Wangji was intimately aware, had been through years of Madam Yu's diverse methods of scolding when he was at Lotus Pier. He began to laugh whenever he stepped off the stage, hardly batting an eye at such moments.
That day, as usual, the group was hustled awake by Wen sect's disciples again. Like a group of livestock, they were driven toward the next destination of their nighthunts. However, the place that they were going to this time was unlike all the other previous ones in importance.
Exactly, this time they were headed to Dusk-Creek Mountain.
For those unfamiliar with the plot of Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation, let this experienced reader comprehensively describe the events that would soon unfold.
Wen Chao would lead them deep into a forest, where the thicker the branches over their heads became, the larger the shadows below them would grow. There would be no sounds at all surrounding them. By virtue of being necessary for the plot alone, the group would miraculously find the hidden entrance to a cave, where a monster would be rumored to live.
Who would expect, however, for this monster to be the 400-year-old monster of the myths, the Tortoise of Slaughter (AKA Tulu Xuanwu)?
Wei Wuxian would help everyone get away after they were stranded by Wen Chao, but he would be stuck when his time came to leave. He would spend days practicing inedia, a reminder of his early childhood, and would also fight alone the Xuanwu of Slaughter, emerging victorious, though severely injured.
He would later be rescued by the Jiang Clan to persevere on his path to misery and destruction, dictated by “Great Master” Arrogance. It was, all in all, a deeply satisfying monster-fighting arc to read. It also added up to the list of reasons why Wei Wuxian had to enact revenge on Wen Chao.
Based on the previous descriptions, Lan Wangji had been expecting the place to be the stuff nightmares were made of, but the calls of birds and beetles were unusually perceivable amidst the silence. That, paired with the sight of a creek where maple leaves were scattered about, floating along the gurgling water, made quite a peaceful scenario.
It was the calm before the storm. The resting area before the main boss in a video game. Lan Wangji was not one to linger in those places longer than needed to restock, change his weapons, and check his potions. However, his leg had currently been making a very compelling argument on the benefits of a buffer zone.
Because of his injury, he had been lagging behind for the past few days. More than once had he caught Wei Wuxian looking at him and meaning to approach.
Lan Wangji usually shook his head and pointed towards one or another Wen servant patrolling the place. Wei Wuxian had, wisely, understood and left him alone.
This time, though, there were no Wens nearby, and most disciples were out of earshot as well, since they were so far back. When his and Wei Wuxian’s eyes met, there was no avoiding him any longer.
He saw Wei Wuxian take in his gait and allowed to be caught up with, walking shoulder to shoulder. “What happened to your leg?”
Lan Wangji thought about what to say for a moment, but in the end still chose to deny, “Nothing.”
Wei Wuxian must have sensed his hesitation, by now somewhat versed in reading the quality of his silences, and turned around, walking facing the back. "Don't force yourself if it's not fine. Is your leg hurt or broken? When did it happen? Do you want me to carry you?"
Just as Lan Wangji was about to reply with an emphatic “No need,” a fragrant breeze suddenly wafted around his nose. Wei Wuxian turned around and looked to the side. His eyes immediately lit up.
Lan Wangji did not need to follow his gaze — although he did — to know what had caught it.
Not far away were about half a dozen girls walking together. The one in the center wore a layer of chiffon over her coat of pale scarlet. Her figure was, like all women who caught Wei Wuxian’s interest — which were, frankly, most of them —, exceptionally good, even from the back.
That was no one other than Mianmian.
Mianmian was, simply put, the most popular woman in the book after Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing. She was, possibly, the one most fans believed was written to be Wei Wuxian’s from the start, but the genre of the book hadn’t allowed for this sort of happy ending, and trying to defend her was another big nail on Wei Wuxian’s coffin.
Voice soft and sweet, her trademark, Mianmian was explaining to her curious friends, "Inside of the sachet is filled with minced medicinal plants. It can be useful in quite a lot of ways. I've still got a few here. Do any of you want one?"
Wei Wuxian swept over like a foreboding gust of wind. "Mianmian, save me one too."
The girl was surprised. It was obvious she didn't expect to hear a stranger's voice barge in so suddenly. Turning around, she revealed a fair face, which frowned slightly as she asked, "Who are you? Why do you call me Mianmian as well?"
Lan Wangji had been sure, as a reader, that there was more to her character than what meets the eye. However, standing face-to-face with her now, he felt she was woefully inadequate for any role as the protagonist’s main woman. Not only was she ill-equipped to deal with Wei Ying’s teasing, but she also lacked the strength to stand by Wei Ying’s side and do what needed to be done when the time came for it.
Lan Wangji was not sure she could stomach even reading the overview of what Wei Ying had done to his victims, much less witness it in person.
“You can’t call me that!”
"Why not? How about this, if you tell me your name, I won't call you Mianmian anymore. What do you think?"
It was like watching a seven-year-old write romance. Lan Wangji felt the urge to call his endocrinologist and schedule a check-up to make sure he had not developed diabetes in the two minutes he was forced to witness this interaction.
Mianmian appeared utterly uninterested in Wei Wuxian's tactics, replying, "Why do I have to tell you just because you asked? Before you ask for somebody else's name, you should tell them your name first, shouldn't you?"
Wei Wuxian smirked. “Sure, if you want my name. Remember, my name is 'Yuandao'.”
He thought he was so funny.
Both Lan Wangji’s chest and stomach seemed to be revolting against each other inside his body. He was not naive enough to think this was merely a result of the genre of the novel having changed, or even a side-effect of the transmigration in the first place. Reading this scene back then had caused him the same conflicting emotions, minus the detachment allowed by removing himself from the picture.
This time, he was very much in the picture, and he decided to highlight this fact by pointing out the meaning to a lost Mianmian. "A play on words."
Lan Wangji ignored the System alert, 【Protagonist satisfaction points +50.】
Illogical point system aside, he had to say, it was very satisfying being able to interact in this poorly written novel. Mianmian had never discovered the meaning of Yuandao before, at least not on scene, so it was his first time seeing her reaction to the name, which was to immediately become angry.
She stomped her feet in spite, "Who's yearning for you? You have no face!" Then, before her friends could disclose her real name, which was something Lan Wangji had only ever been minorly interested in knowing, she dragged them away and turned to leave. “Let’s go, let’s go! You can’t tell it to him.”
Wei Wuxian shouted from behind, "You can go, but give me a sachet, won't you?! You're ignoring me? You don't want to? If you don't, I'll find other people and ask for your name. There must be someone out there who's willing to tell me..."
Before he finished, a perfume sachet flew over from in front of him. It landed right in the middle of his chest. With an 'ouch', Wei Wuxian pretended as though his heart hurt, spinning the sachet around his hand with its ribbons around his finger. Even as he walked back to Lan Wangji, he was still spinning it around, grinning.
It wasn’t anything that Lan Wangji did not know, but it still hurt to see it. Certainly any book only needed a single gay character to be considered BL, but wasn’t it too cruel to have him transmigrate into the only one where such an unfair ratio would matter to him?
"Why are you looking at me like that again?” Wei Wuxian interjected once he saw Lan Wangji’s cold expression. “Right, where were we again? Let's continue. How about I carry you on my back?"
Lan Wangji willed his heart to catch up to his general sour mood. “No.”
“No? Lan Zhan, aren’t we both past this? We’re already so intimate. There’s no need to be embarrassed. Let me carry you.”
Lan Wangji would very much like to disagree that they were intimate. Without looking at Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji asked quietly, “Why not offer to carry her instead?”
It took Wei Wuxian a while to understand who this “her” was supposed to be, but even after he did, he remained unable to decipher Lan Wangji’s meaning, letting out a burst of incredulous laughter. “What? Why would I do that? It’s not like she can’t walk by herself. Are you secretly drinking vinegar, er-gege?”
Noticing that Wei Ying was purposefully being obtuse, Lan Wangji strained to speed up and walk faster. Seeing that he was forcing himself again, Wei Wuxian hurried, "Fine. You don't have to walk this fast. I'll just go."
Combining three strides into two, Wei Wuxian quickly caught up to Jiang Wanyin.
Not long after, a small crowd had formed around the two of them. No doubt they were discussing what had happened in the Cloud Recesses. Lan Wangji knew it was around this point in the story that Wei Wuxian found out, though there was not much information to be given. This was, after all, only a small stone in the Wen’s sky-high wall of misdeeds.
The small group reached a point in their retelling where Wei Wuxian started to become agitated. They were still discussing in low tones, but Lan Wangji could see how much Wei Ying was affected. Though he knew of Wei Ying’s sincere nature and hero complex, he could not fathom what had set him off so, to the point where Jiang Wanyin had begun to visibly hold him back.
From the corner of his eyes, Lan Wangji saw Wei Wuxian looking at him. His expression was one that he did not recognize. More determined than he had ever seen him. Jiang Wanyin didn’t look at Lan Wangji, whisper-shouting in Wei Wuxian’s ear with his signature angry expression.
As the two argued with lowered voices, one of the Wen sect's disciples came over and scolded, "Don't talk amongst yourselves. Watch what you do!"
After the disciple came and went, Wang Lingjiao also approached brandishing a branding iron. Lan Wangji immediately wanted to dispose of the wretched thing. If it wasn’t because of his broken leg, his absent sword, and the uselessness of taking the iron from Wang Lingjiao when many others were at her disposal, Lan Wangji would have given it a shot.
As it was, his leg prevented him from walking at a normal pace, his sword was currently at a Wen safety vault, and there were around thirty of those irons near Wen Chao’s mistress at any given moment.
Holding it in her hand, Wang Lingjiao scolded pompously, "Wen-gongzi told you to search for the entrance, so what are you doing, whispering to each other?"
As if on cue, Lan Wangji heard a cannon fodder proclaim, “Found it!”
Wang Lingjiao hastily rushed over to confirm and, having taken only a look at it, beamed, "Wen-gongzi! They found it! The entrance!"
Lan Wangji immediately prepared himself. From that point on, the story would continue at a relentless, breakneck pace, with no time to rest properly. The weapons he had on his body would be all the weapons he would have for a long time. He had known this and had prepared for it, but it had been too risky to involve anyone else in his plans. If he was later found out and punished, he wouldn’t be dragging other people to an early grave, though the downside was that he was no better equipped than the original goods at this point.
Because of this, when he heard the cave entrance was found, he couldn’t help looking around for anything else he might later use.
Wen Chao, for his part, was ecstatic at the discovery of this well-hidden, impossible-to-find entrance. “This must be it! Quick, everyone, get down there!"
Jin Zixuan, who Lan Wangji had taken the care to keep at an arm's length this entire time, lest he did something inadvisable or drew unwanted attention to Lan Wangji, could not hold his suicidal instinct any longer.
He spoke coldly, "You brought us here, saying that we'll be hunting a beast. Then, if I may ask, what sort of a beast is it? Informing us beforehand would allow us to cooperate more efficiently so that we wouldn't be as confused as last time."
Wen Chao turned to face with a twisted expression. “Inform you?”
He walked closer to Jin Zixuan pointing a finger right at his face as he spoke. "Just how many times do I have to make myself clear for you to remember? Don't get it wrong. You are only the cultivators who serve me. I'm the one who gives the orders. I don't need others to tell me their suggestions. I am the only one who directs the battle and commands the troops. I am also the only one who can conquer the beast!"
Wang Lingjiao, after some moments of silence and absence of movement, scolded, "Didn't you hear what Wen-gongzi said? Get down there, quick!"
Despite Lan Wangji’s clear warning in the first few days to not draw attention to himself, Jin Zixuan had managed to be standing at the forefront at this moment. Holding back his anger, he lifted the hem of his robe, grabbed one of the thickest vines, and jumped without any hesitation into the endless hole.
One by one, the people following Jin Zixuan entered the hole.
Lan Wangji was secretly glad he was expected to crawl down with the support of the vines. Thanks to the Lan’s arm strength, he did not have to put any more weight on his injured leg than was absolutely necessary for movement. It was only when his feet touched the ground again that he remembered his plight.
Wen Chao, on the other hand, easily flew down when he ascertained it was safe enough to do so. He leaped down off his sword. “What are you doing just standing there? Do you need me to teach you what to do? Go!"
Since they needed to scout the path at the front, they were provided with a few torches. The entire scene had originally read like something out of a horror movie. Ceilings so high the light could not reach them, atmosphere so eerie and quiet, any small gasp or sound was the cause for a fright. Knowing an unknown monster might jump them at any time and, without any significant means to defend themselves, fear was palpable and contagious in the air.
Lan Wangji, however, had no such issue now. He limped with tranquility knowing well that the only monsters apt to attack them were positioned behind and down below them. Wen Chao wouldn’t do anything yet as long as they moved, and the Xuanwu of Slaughter was still a good walk from where they were.
This scenario changed, of course, once they reached a deep dark pool of water the size of a vast lake. Lan Wangji could already see part of the Xuanwu protruding from the surface, only able to differentiate its shell from islets because of prior knowledge.
Before Wen Chao could lose his patience, Lan Wangji took advantage of the general unease of the other sect disciples and sidled up to Wei Wuxian, whispering behind him near his ear. “Do not trust the islets.”
Wei Wuxian startled slightly and turned around so fast their lips almost brushed. “What?”
There was no time to clarify and neither did Lan Wangji want to remain there any further. Before Wei Wuxian could ask again, Wen Chao was already cussing and ordering, "Find somebody, hang them up, and let out some blood to lure the thing out."
Wang Lingjiao immediately pointed to Mianmian, "How about her?"
Mianmian’s terror was palpable. Though Lan Wangji had certainly just held animosity against her, it was a fleeting sentiment, and he couldn’t help feeling bad for her again given Wen Chao’s tone of voice, "This one? How about someone else?"
Wang Lingjiao looked as though she'd been wronged, "Why someone else? I choose this one. Don't tell me that you'll miss her?"
"Nonsense. Why would you think that I'll miss her? Do whatever you want. Everything is up to Jiaojiao!"
Mianmian was quite smart, and she knew that if she were ever to be hung up, only her corpse would come down afterwards, so she ran to find some cover. However, wherever she ran to, the crowd quickly dispersed. There were only two immovable people amongst them.
They were, of course, Jin Zixuan and Lan Wangji, who had drifted together during the confusion.
【Protagonist satisfaction points +20. Character depth level +10.】
Was it Lan Wangji’s impression or did he only earn those arbitrary character depth points when he was about to be beaten into a pulp?
Regardless, it was clear how much Wei Wuxian cared about Mianmian if he was this satisfied with merely watching her hide behind someone’s back — by Lan Wangji providing cover for her —.
As the Wen Sect's disciples that were about to tie Mianmian up saw that the two didn't intend on moving, they shouted, "Move to the side!"
Lan Wangji was silent as he stared the disciples down.
【Lan Wangji’s deadly-icy-stare level +10.】
Seeing that the situation wasn't good, Wen Chao warned, "Why are you standing there? You can't understand human speech? Or do you want to save the damsel in distress?"
Jin Zixuan was a firm presence on Lan Wangji’s side. In him was already the spirit of the man who would defy common sense to try and talk Wei Wuxian down killing his cousin. He lifted his brows. "Is that enough? It wasn't enough for people to be flesh shields for you, and now you want live humans to bleed for you to use as bait?!"
Wen Chao pointed at them, "Are you rebelling against me? Let me warn you, I've been tolerating you for a very long time. Right now, hang the brat up with your own hands! Or else none of the people from sects can expect to return!"
Jin Zixuan sneered and refused to budge. Lan Wangji also did not outwardly react. There was no need, he knew that, no matter how much Wen Chao bellowed, no one would dare surrender Mianmian.
In fact, not only did Lan Wangji appear as though he had heard nothing, he truly was no longer listening to Wen Chao’s screaming. So far, things had played similarly to canon, so he took the reprieve and retreated to the recesses of his mind to investigate further within the System any useful hidden ability of each character trapped with them. He was currently stuck with the suspicious absence of information on Nie Huaisang when he felt a gust of wind on his back.
In spite of Lan Wangji’s ease, one of the GusuLan Sect's disciples on the side had been trembling as he listened to Wen Chao’s threatening words. He finally couldn't hold it any longer as he rushed over, grabbed Mianmian, and prepared to tie her up. Lan Wangji's brows stiffened. Though he had been brooding, and certainly surprised at the unforeseen change of events, he was still mostly alert. He immediately struck the disciple to the side.
What caught Lan Wangji’s eye, however, and the primary source of his shock, was this:
First: That disciple was the same one Wei Wuxian had saved during the Biling Lake quest all those years ago.
Talk about betrayal! Lan Wangji could only stare in disbelief and anger.
Second: When Lan Wangji had struck him, hadn’t that GusuLan disciple let out an unmistakable squeal of “WTF!” in English?!
The System’s issued notification only amounted to his growing confusion.
【Protagonist satisfaction points +5.】
???
The disciple's shoulders quivered as he backed off slowly, unable to face the others' eyes. Wen Chao, in response, was enraged. "How dare you! Kill them!"
A few of the Wen Sect’s disciples unsheathed their swords and rushed towards them. Lan Wangji no longer had any time to ponder over any other matter as his field of vision narrowed to his attackers. He wanted to watch Wei Wuxian cite Wen Mao back at Wen Chao, had planned for it even, thought he would be able to enjoy this moment fully, but, like moments of happiness in “Great Master” Arrogance's books, it was not meant to be. If Lan Wangji did not devote his all to this fight, without plot armor, he would be the first to perish in that cave.
There was only unbridled laughter, that somehow rose even higher than the sound of swords clashing and Jin Zixuan screaming at him to watch out, before all the Wen Sect disciples paused their attacks.
When Lan Wangji turned to look, Wei Wuxian was already on top of one of those “islets”. “Core-Melting Hand, you're not moving either! You know how the temper of the Wen sect's leader is. Your master is in my hands. If he loses just one drop of blood, then not one of the people here should hope to live on, including you!"
Wen Zhuliu lowered his arms, and, in that instant, Lan Wangji saw Wei Wuxian’s figure tremble.
“Get out of there!” he shouted.
Wei Wuxian, who had opened his mouth twice now and been interrupted — first by the tremor and then by Lan Wangji —, remembered Lan Wangji’s ominous unexplained advice from before and, making a choice, leaped back to shore right before the “islet” he had been standing on rose even higher in height.
He made a snap decision and tossed a thrashing-about Wen Chao to the side during one of those leaps, taking his sword with him back to the shore. He barely made it in time to see the head of what appeared to be a snake—no, tortoise(?) shoot up. Its eyes were golden, and the pupil was merely a slit. It was good that Wei Wuxian had let Wen Chao go when he did, because the man’s screams for Wen Zhuliu, who had rushed over the second Wei Wuxian took the first leap, drew the tortoise’s undivided attention.
“Do not throw the sword,” Lan Wangji spoke up behind him, holding down Wei Wuxian’s raised arm. Wei Wuxian was thrown off balance, not having expected anyone, much less Lan Wangji, to be able to anticipate his line of thinking with such accuracy. Despite the circ*mstances, he trusted his judgment and lowered his arm.
Meanwhile, all the Wen sect's disciples took down the bows that had been on their backs and retreated as they aimed at the beast. All their shots were ineffective. After watching for some time, Wei Wuxian could no longer tolerate it and took the bow from an exhausted Wen sect disciple, kicking him to the side. There were only three arrows in the quiver and Wei Wuxian nocked them all at once, positioning them on the bow and drawing the string to its fullest.
Lan Wangji had been so enraptured by the scene, finally seeing the protagonist in action with his unparalleled halo and undeniable ability, that he completely forgot his surroundings, only remembering himself when a sudden cry of fear interrupted Wei Wuxian’s aim.
Lan Wangji could only berate himself as he rushed to the scene as fast as he could, which, because of his leg, wasn’t fast enough.
Wang Lingjiao was giving orders to three disciples. Two of them brutishly held Mianmian in place, while the other raised the branding iron in his hand and thrust it towards her face!
Suddenly, the three disciples fell to the ground and Lan Wangji tracked the movement to Wei Wuxian’s arrows, which he had changed the aim of with such a speed to be an absurd display of skill.
Yet, before the bowstring even ceased to vibrate, Wang Lingjiao had grabbed the iron that had fallen as well. Gripping Mianmian's hair, she again shoved it towards her cheek.
Lan Wangji looked around. Most quivers and bows were already employed against the monster, and, even if he managed to take hold of one, there was no guarantee he would be able to shoot against Wang Lingjiao in time to prevent Wei Wuxian from doing something very, very stupid.
Due to Lan Wangji’s warning, Wei Wuxian still had Wen Chao’s sword in his possession. He had wanted to avoid its use, knowing the consequences such action might elicit, but there was truly no other path.
Under the urgency of these circ*mstances, Lan Wangji saw Wei Wuxian raise his hand and direct Wen Chao’s sword to pierce Wang Lingjiao, though expertly missing any vital regions. Maybe because of that, or by virtue of her cruel nature, Wang Lingjiao did not cease her attack. In a last-ditch effort, she put all her remaining strength behind this single strike.
Ping!, a sound similar to a notification rang out. Lan Wangji ignored it.
Despite his attempts to block Wang Lingjiao’s attacks, Wei Wuxian had never stopped rushing over, arriving just in time to strike away the arm that she grabbed Mianmian's hair with using one hand and the other to land forcefully at her chest.
Lan Wangji, having read countless pages of Wei Wuxian’s incredibly foolish altruistic acts, had already predicted this. Knowing his speed and the time it might take for him to act, he did not dare waste it on potentially useless plans, like finding a bow and an arrow, or hopeful idealizations, like getting to Mianmian before Wei Wuxian.
His goal was, and had been for quite some time now, only one thing: to protect Wei Wuxian at all costs.
Therefore, before Wang Lingjiao was sent flying by Wei Wuxian’s strike, even before Wei Wuxian had fully hit Mianmian’s chest, he was forcefully shoved to the side, and the iron was pressed onto Lan Wangji’s chest.
It hadn’t pressed against his skin as hard as it could if Wang Lingjiao hadn’t been pushed away by Wei Ying. However, even though the iron had merely grazed him, Lan Wangji still caught the odor of clothing and skin being scorched, along with the horrifying scent of cooked meat, which he was, unfortunately, sufficiently acquainted with now. Below his collarbone, near his heart, came a pain that drowned out everything else. Though his expression remained as impassive as ever, he gritted his teeth, unable to hold back an aching roar, finally letting it out of his throat.
Combining the pain of his leg with the pain of his chest, it suddenly become too unbearable for Lan Wangji’s teenage body to endure. Lan Wangji suspected he might have passed out for a few moments, because when he came to, he was already being propped by Wei Wuxian and Jin Zixuan, with a hovering Jiang Wanyin, who was holding Wen Chao’s blood-stained sword.
Lan Wangji regain consciousness as Jin Zixuan was cursing, "Those cheaters really went and did it!"
Other disciples immediately followed, some hopeful at first, but all slowly descending in despair as their situation truly sank in.
“My father and mother will come find me.”
“They still think we’re being educated in Qishan. Why would they come look for us?”
“Are you awake?” Wei Wuxian asked beside him, his voice tinged with worry.
Lan Wangji decided he did not like that tone, much less for his sake. He was perfectly all right. “Mn.”
He tried to rid himself of Wei Wuxian’s firm grip on his body, but if he took the hint, he refused to let it show. Even Jin Zixuan had let him go after the second push.
“Let go.”
“No.”
Lan Wangji gritted his teeth. “Let. Go.”
“No~,” Wei Wuxian singsonged. As Lan Wangji kept staring him down, Wei Wuxian explained. “It’s not because your chest is burned. Your leg is also injured. If you won’t let me carry you on my back, at least let me support you in this way, all right?”
Lan Wangji wanted to stubbornly reply ‘No’, but he was interrupted by Mianmian’s sobbing litany of ‘I’m sorry’s. Seeing Lan Wangji’s discomfort, Wei Wuxian moved in such a way that he was positioned in front of him. "Hey, stop crying, alright? He is the one who was burned, not you. Don't tell me that you want him to cheer you up? How about you cheer him up?"
Before Wei Wuxian could say another word more, Lan Wangji gave him a look and Wei Wuxian shut up right away. He did not seem at all bothered that he had just hurt his potential pairing so much that a group of girls had now surrounded her, all crying.
Having had enough of socializing, Lan Wangji turned around, dragging Wei Wuxian with him, who had not released him yet, despite the unexpected movement.
"Lan-er-gongzi, where are you going? The beast is still waiting in the pool," Jiang Wanyin interjected.
"Return to the pool. There's a way to leave."
The crying stopped so abruptly that Lan Wangji almost checked to see if he hadn’t accidentally silenced everyone. But Wei Wuxian could still speak, “What is it?”
"There are leaves within the pool."
This was something that Lan Zhan had taken no time at all to find out when he was reading the novel for the first time. Though “Great Master” Arrogance liked to keep his mysteries and the suspense, Lan Zhan was an avid thriller and horror reader. He could tell the second the leaves were described to be floating on the pond outside that this would later come into play.
And come into play they had. Thanks to them, the party could escape.
The readers, not unlike the cannon fodder characters, had been apprehensive, but the solution to this problem was quite straightforward and Lan Zhan lost no nights of sleep wondering how they might leave this situation.
Jiang Wanyin, having understood Lan Wangji’s meaning after thinking for a bit, proceeded with the obligatory exposition for less-bright readers, "At the bottom of the pool, it's likely that there's a hole connected with water from the outside. That would've brought in the maple leaves in the forest creek."
Following this remark, the disciples began the back-and-forth of negotiating with each other about what would be done. Lan Wangji used this opportunity to shake a distracted Wei Wuxian off and walk over to the side.
There, in the back of the cave, away from prying eyes, was a boy around his age with his head lowered.
His robes were white.
“Su Minshan,” Lan Wangji called out.
The head rose in surprise. “Lan—Lan Wangji?!”
It was true, Lan Wangji had never sought Su Minshan out for a conversation, but why did he have to sound so surprised? Besides, he was the one in the wrong, what right did he have to sound angry?!
“Do you acknowledge your mistake?”
Su Minshan appeared as if he was going to argue with Lan Wangji, but, once he looked at Lan Wangji’s charred robes, gave up on it and quietly acquiesced.
Su She thought that, after having admitted his fault, Lan Wangji would leave. Instead, he was still standing, looking down on him. What does he want now?! Does he want me to personally apologize to Mianmian? Dream on!
But the longer Lan Wangji stood there, the more Su She grew restless until he could no longer stand it and said, “Alright, fine, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?! What else does Lan-er-gongzi require of me?!”
Lan Wangji opened his mouth to answer, but before he could get a word out, he felt a heavy presence behind him. When that person spoke, it sent shivers down his spine, “Lan Zhan, is this guy bothering you?”
Su Minshan cowered in fear. How am I the one who’s bothering him?! He’s clearly the one who came looking for me in the first place! Besides, weren’t you supposed to hate each other’s guts?! How come now you’re now all chummy with him?
Lan Wangji calmly turned his head slightly to the side and replied, “I’ll deal with it.”
Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Wangji’s back for a while. He didn’t doubt Lan Zhan could deal with it, it was only that he was injured, and this guy was starting to get on Wei Wuxian’s nerves. Still, he was one of GusuLan’s people, and it was only right for Lan Zhan to properly discipline him, so Wei Wuxian had no choice but to shoot him a death glare before leaving. The guy looked properly scared by it, so he shouldn’t give Lan Wangji any more trouble.
Lan Wangji, with his back to Wei Ying, did not see the murderous glance Su Minshan had been subjected to, only that Wei Ying had lingered and that Su Minshan was breaking a sweat.
Good.
He waited until he could feel they were alone again to continue, “Remember Kindness, Cut Down Arrogance.”
He said only these two words, but, in that instant, it was like a bolt of lightning from the heavens had struck Su Minshan in the head, rendering him unable to speak.
After a long time, he managed to stammer out, “You… How do you know my ID?”
In that moment, it was like Lan Wangji had also been burnt to a crisp by the aforementioned bolt of lightning.
He’d only wanted to study Su Minshan’s reaction to this name to determine if he had also read Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation—but given his reaction…he wasn’t a mere reader, was he?!
With more composure than he thought he possessed prior to this conversation, Lan Wangji responded, “How could I be unacquainted with your name after reading ‘Great Master’s entire novel?”
The two stared at each other, speechless, competing for most stunned.
“Digging plot holes and not filling them,” after a few seconds, Lan Wangji began listing out the things that had been lodged in his heart the longest. “Foreshadowing gone to waste. Landmines all over the place. The writing style of an elementary schooler. If one sets their heart to write a revenge novel, then write a proper revenge novel—do not fool around writing whump.”
Su Minshan quickly jumped on him. “Fooling around?! What do you mean by that? Like you said, it’s a revenge novel. If the protagonist doesn’t suffer, why would he even think to enact revenge on anyone?! Everything I wrote was necessary for the plot.”
Lan Wangji was unyielding. “Then may I ask, when has he actualized his revenge?”
“If you missed out on the Courier Station chapter, I suggest you give it a read before criticizing my work,” Su Minshan replied in a haughty tone.
“And?”
Su Minshan raised an eyebrow. “And what?”
“The other people who harmed Wei Ying.”
Su Minshan feigned ignorance. “The Wen sect, those three thousand cultivators at Nightless City, were they not killed as well?”
“Not for revenge. One was for war, the other was for survival. How are they the same?”
Backed into a corner, Su Minshan truly had no leeway. He could only shrug before he was beaten into a pulp by this anti-fan. “So what? It’s just a novel. Don’t like, don’t read.”
Lan Wangji looked around them as if it point out how “just a novel” this whole situation was.
“I’m also a victim here,” Su Minshan said slowly. “At the end of the day, I’m still the author. Even if I didn’t transmigrate into the protagonist, I should at least have transmigrated into the role of a System in itself, right? But all of a sudden, I try to plug in a cord, I get electrocuted, and the System assigns me a character at random—and I end up cannon fodder.”
Lan Wangji’s unamused stare made Su Minshan’s blood boil. “You only transmigrated here how many years ago?” he continued. “Right upon rebirth, you already had the rank of a second master, right? I transmigrated into an infant. A childhood where I was destitute and miserable, and years as a disrespected outer disciple—have you really gone through more than I have?”
Su Minshan couldn’t tell for sure if what Lan Wangji was feeling was schadenfreude or if he simply did not care — damn that poker face character design — so he decided to be the bigger person and change the course of this conversation with a sigh.
“Whatever, let bygones be bygones. I’ve actually met a reader. Must be fate, must be fate. What was your Zhongdian ID? Maybe we were old acquaintances.”
“Orchid Floating in the Wind.”
Su She thought the name was familiar for a bit, testing it in his mind, Orchid, Lan… To sway in the wind, Zhan… Wait a minute! “Wait, you actually gave Wei Wuxian your ID?!”
Lan Wangji shook his head but didn’t clarify.
Su She was about to inquire further when he recalled something else. “I vaguely remember you. Weren’t you especially vicious in one of those threads that were demanding I whipped HanguangJun? It was when you, ahem, when the original Lan Wangji wanted to take the Yiling Patriarch to the Cloud Recesses.”
Lan Wangji didn’t reply and Su Minshan, already expecting that, shrugged. “I guess you have it hard too, right? Though that does explain some things.”
Su Minshan expected Lan Wangji to be at least a little bit curious about that ominous statement, and yet, his blank expression betrayed no interest. If it was any other situation, Su Minshan wouldn’t have insisted, preferring to die mute than try to make conversation with that brick wall, but, as it was, Lan Wangji was, unfortunately, the only person he knew from before. He couldn’t help wanting to talk to someone who understood.
“Since you were, you know,” Su Minshan made a crude gesture near his chest, “a girl.”
If Lan Wangji had been, in fact, a girl, he would have been very unkind to Su Minshan at that moment. As it was, he merely frowned.
Taking Lan Wangji’s confusion as interest, Su She warmed up to the topic. “I knew because of the handle,” he explained. “There’s no way a man would have chosen that sort of feminine flower for their ID, so you don’t have to feel so bad your cover was blown. I even thought some of your comments were cute.”
Lan Wangji decided to ignore that last part and focus on what was bothering him the most. After a pause, he said, “You think I was a girl.”
Su Minshan nodded with a smirk on his face. “Yeah, but like I said, there’s no need to be ashamed or anything. We all know some girls like these gory stuff, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. And you bought so much Yiling Laozu merch too! Besides, the way you defended Wei Wuxian in the comment section was a dead giveaway. For a woman like you to be transmigrated into the body of a man… No wonder the genre changed.”
Lan Wangji stood silent for a few moments, unsure about what Su Minshan had meant with his last sentence. “I was not.”
Su She put a hand on Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “No need to deny it, Lan Wangji. We all saw your comments.”
Lan Wangji, who disliked repeating himself and rarely said two words if one could get his meaning across, took a deep breath and enunciated each word clearly, “I was not a girl.”
“Hm?”
Lan Wangji, with great restraint, clarified, “Orchid is the prince of flowers. I was not a girl.”
Su Minshan scratched the back of his head. “Orchid Floating in the Wind was a guy?! No way! Men hit on you all the time under your comments! What a waste…” The more Su Minshan thought about it, the more he couldn’t help feeling like he was overlooking something.
After a few seconds in contemplation, he remembered Lan Wangji had explained that he hadn’t given his ID to Wei Wuxian. If that hadn’t been the case, then— “You actually used your real name online?! Are you crazy?!”
Lan Wangji felt it was really funny of Su Minshan to judge. “It’s written with different characters.”
“Sure.” Su Minshan rolled his eyes.
Su Minshan would never know how close Lan Wangji was to violence at that moment. Restraining himself, he turned around and limped towards where Wei Ying was talking to Jiang Wanyin. He could deal with Su She later.
Su Minshan, seeing that he was leaving, called out, “Wait!”
Lan Wangji paused. “What?”
“Why did the genre change?”
“Think for yourself,” he responded before walking away.
Lan Wangji didn’t have to get too close to the Twin Prides of Yunmeng to hear their discussion.
“You stay here, I’ll go find the passage,” Wei Wuxian was saying.
“Haven’t you heard anything I said?! You stay here and distract the beast. I can swim just fine,” Jiang Wanyin replied in an angry tone.
Wei Wuxian just shrugged. The water didn’t look so inviting and the only reason he volunteered was because he knew Jiang Cheng would want to one-up him. “Your words, not mine.”
By this point in their conversation, Lan Wangji had reached them and stood by Wei Wuxian’s side.
Jiang Wanyin raised Wen Chao’s sword as if to hit Wei Wuxian, but changed his mind midway and shoved it at his chest. “Quit being useless then and do me a favor and stab that beast with it.”
Putting his hand over the hilt, Wei Wuxian laughed. “Who do you take me for? Of course, I’ll—Lan Zhan?”
As Wei Wuxian was speaking, Lan Wangji came up from behind and took the sword from his hold, throwing it back to Jiang Wanyin, who caught it on instinct.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he asked with a beffundled expression.
“Keep it.”
Jiang Wanyin frowned—more than he had been frowning before. “Why?”
Lan Wangji couldn’t exactly say ‘To get help faster’ or hope for Jiang Wanyin to suddenly develop a brain, so he chose the generic NPC line.
“It's dangerous to go alone. Take it.”
Lan Wangji did not think too much about what he said. It was such an overused line that to say it bordered on insulting. However, with Lan Wangji’s natural seriousness, and the fact Jiang Cheng had never been exposed to the internet, he couldn’t help thinking this was the first time anyone outside of his family had cared about his safety. Actually cared, not only worried that he wouldn’t be able to face whatever dangers lied ahead, as well as trusted him enough to clear the way. To say Jiang Cheng was surprised that it was Lan Wangji who was worried for him, that trusted him with this of all people would be an understatement.
In his heart, at that moment, his respect for Lan Wangji grew tenfold.
Lan Wangji, admittedly, zoned out a bit after that. Even though he had broken bones before and he was healing faster than he had ever healed in his previous life, his leg hurt in a way that made him think he would never be able to walk again.
Not only that, his chest burn still burned, his robes chafed his skin, and made the itching and the heat impossible to bear. His golden core, split between two different injuries, healed neither fast enough. He clenched his teeth. At some point during that, Wei Wuxian left his side, but he barely noticed. Had he said anything? He couldn’t remember.
Jiang Wanyin’s shout brought Lan Wangji’s attention back to their current plight. From the looks of it, he had already found the exit. Burning mad from the flames Wei Ying had generated with his palm, the beast waved its limbs and climbed towards the fire, dragging above it its mountain of a body.
Jiang Wanyin raged, “What are you doing?!”
Wei Wuxian maintained his hand pressed on the floor. “What are you doing?! Get them down there!"
Wei Wuxian had already successfully lured the beast onto the shore. If they didn't leave now, what were they waiting for? Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth. "Everyone, come here. Those who can swim alone, stand on the left; those who can't, stand on the right!"
Jin Zixuan appeared by Lan Wangji’s side, urging him, “Let’s go, I can help you swim.”
Despite this, Lan Wangji hesitated. “Go first, I’ll be right behind you.”
The second those words slipped past his lips, Lan Wangji knew there was just no way he would be following Jin Zixuan outside of that cave.
Jin Zixuan also didn’t seem to buy that halfhearted promise, but seeing Wei Wuxian enjulfed in a circle of fire as the beast chased him around, he realize there would only be one person Lan Wangji would leave this cave with, and it would be futile to waste everyone’s time by trying to convince him otherwise.
Just as Lan Wangji watched Jin Zixuan dive in with two other Jin disciples who looked like they thought they would melt if their skin so much as came in contact with the water, he heard Wei Wuxian curse, voice tinged with anger and annoyance, “Back off!! Don't cause me any trouble!"
He turned to see no one other than Su Minshan, that incompetent author, the one Wei Wuxian himself had saved, scurrying away. There was an arrow stuck on the arm Wei Wuxian had propped on the floor.
Lan Wangji snapped his head towards Su Minshan, catching a brief glimpse of him before he dove head-first in the water.
In this millisecond of eye-contact, he mentally shoot daggers at him with a stare that could only say, You’ve grown tired of living.
Su She seemed to mentally reply with, The world is vast and friends must eventually part. Let us not meet again!!
It took Lan Wangji all of one moment of profound anger and distraction to miss Wei Wuxian pulling out the arrow in his arm.
The beast immediately scented blood.
Ping!
Lan Wangji didn’t have time to shout, didn’t have time to do anything to stop the inevitable. He could only run and trust his leg wouldn’t give out on him then.
He had a single second of relief as he felt his hands connect to Wei Wuxian’s body as he shoved him away. It was as pleasant as it was brief. His fingertips were still brushing Wei Wuxian’s robes when a lacerating pain shot up from his right leg to his entire body.
Lan Wangji was lucky the Xuanwu of Slaughter did not seem to enjoy eating broken bones, because with any more pressure, his leg would be severed.
Adding this injury to the many others he was still recovering from, Lan Wangji couldn’t help but frown slightly from the pain.
Moments later he was dragged away by the beast.
Even before Lan Wangji had processed the pain, Wei Wuxian had already broken into a sprint. Knowing that if Lan Wangji was dragged inside the beast’s shell, he would never come out alive, Wei Wuxian felt a surge of superhuman strength explode within him.
Not only did he manage to reach Lan Wangji before the beast’s head shrunk inside, but he also began to slowly pry open the beast’s mouth!
Lan Wangji, though well aware of Wei Wuxian’s many talents and his protagonist halo, had not expected that he could catch up even under such circ*mstances. He was utterly shocked.
He could only watch in silent awe as Wei Wuxian used his feet to prevent the beast’s head from retreating back inside its shell. With his hands, he held the beast’s teeth, preventing Lan Wangji’s leg from being chopped off in a single bite. His effort was nearly palpable, from the groans that escaped his mouth to the vein at his forehead protruding so much that it seemed to be on the verge of bursting. His face was blood-red and sweat dripped down his cheeks.
Lan Wangji’s heart was beating wildly. How could this be possible?! He had been certain he was going to die a second time!
Against all evidence to the contrary, the Xuanwu of Slaughter’s jaws were indeed being slowly forced open. Unable to clench its prey, Lan Wangji fell into the pool. Right after, he heard a sound similar to the fissure of a boulder that drowned everything else, including a quieter sound of someone also falling into the water.
Wei Wuxian’s arm quickly enveloped his middle and Lan Wangji almost felt his heart stop a third time in less than five minutes. Wei Wuxian used his free arm to swim and, within an instant, he had traveled a few meters forward, creating a long, sweeping wave within the pool.
As soon as they reached the shore, Wei Wuxian did not waste any time and promptly threw Lan Wangji on his back and broke into a sprint.
This time, Lan Wangji could not claim he was unaffected. “You?!”
Wei Wuxian was looking straight ahead as he ran, so Lan Wangji could not see what type of expression he had on his face, only that his voice, albeit ostensibly exhausted, carried a smile. "It's me! Are you pleasantly surprised?"
To avoid Lan Wangji from sliding down and falling from his back, Wei Wuxian’s grip was firm on Lan Wangji’s tight. However, he was still bumping along Wei Wuxian’s back, and the boy’s hand soon had slid upwards, to the point where Lan Wangji’s thigh met his backside.
That was without even considering the matter of Lan Wangji’s front constantly rubbing against Wei Wuxian’s back.
Lan Wangji squeezed his eyes shut and let out a command between gritted teeth that was severely undermined by his quavering voice, “Let me down.”
Wei Wuxian's mind refused to rest even as he was running for his life, "If I let you down just because you say so, doesn't that really make me lose face?"
The roar of the beast that came from behind them vibrated within their ears and their chests, making both of them feel their blood rush up their throats. Wei Wuxian hurried to shut his mouth so that he could focus on running away and Lan Wangji did not press the matter further.
To prevent the beast from catching up and mauling them alive, Wei Wuxian chose to duck into thin holes that the turtle shell couldn't pass through. It was specially taxing to do this alone, nevermind while carrying another grown man on his back. Without having any rest, Lan Wangji didn't even know how long he had run, only able to feel Wei Wuxian’s pulse beating fast against where his arms had hugged his neck, Wei Wuxian’s sweat dripping down from his face on Lan Wangji’s hands, and uneven breaths from exhaustion that moved his entire chest.
Only when they were no longer able to hear any more sounds did Wei Wuxian finally slow his pace.
With his guard lowering as soon as his speed decreased, Wei Wuxian could finally smell the scent of blood. Feeling behind him backhandedly, his right hand was covered in a wet crimson.
Lan Wangji was, of course, long past the point of noticing this.
Not to mention that in his previous life he had never suffered a hardship such as this, while his adrenaline was high, no matter if it was a burn or a broken bone, he could withstand whichever if it meant ensuring the safety of those precious to him. However, now that they were no longer in imminent danger, just staying awake was already too difficult.
As soon as Wei Wuxian gently laid him down and let go of him, Lan Wangji fell to the ground. Indeed, lying down was a better position. Though his leg and chest still hurt like they were each competing to override his brain in pain, he no longer had to worry about Wei Ying.
An unknown amount of time later, he heard Wei Ying say from somewhere far away or right by his side, "You have a rope or a ribbon?"
He did not say anything else and rather waited for Lan Wangji’s reply. Thinking that uncharacteristic even through the pain haze, Lan Wangji forced himself to pry his eyes open.
Wei Ying was staring at him unabashedly, forehead scrunched in concern, but still prudent. Lan Wangji was already suffering too much from blood loss — and perhaps running a fever — to carefully determine why that might be so.
“Forehead ribbon,” his voice still sounded steady. What a robotic, unfeeling character built… No wonder people did not even consider HanguangJun to be human.
Wei Wuxian’s steady expression visibly faltered, then went hard with determination in the span of a second. Lan Wangji saw this change, but still could not figure out the cause at that moment. It seemed respectful, almost reverent, the manner in which Wei Ying removed his forehead ribbon. If his chest had not been hurting so much at the time, Lan Wangji might have understood the pang in his heart for what it truly was.
With a flick of his wrist, Wei Wuxian used the forehead ribbon as a bandage, straightened up Lan Wangji's leg, and fixed it firmly onto a branch that he must have foraged when Lan Wangji briefly lost consciousness. Another second later, Wei Wuxian had already finished tying the knot with nimble hands.
Unable to keep his eyes open, Lan Wangji surrendered himself to the darkness, but soon he was shaken awake, "Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, stop sleeping. Sit up for one second. There's a perfume sachet here. See if there are any herbs that we can use."
Dragging and tugging and refusing to give up, he eventually made Lan Wangji sit up, however exhausted he was. There was indeed a wet sachet that hung from its tassels, delicate yet somewhat pitiful. Recalling how it was Mianmian who had gifted it to Wei Ying, Lan Wangji’s mood instantly soured. However, he was in no position to refuse medicine. The ones he had brought from Cloud Recesses had all already been used on other disciples after the previous reckless nighthunts headed by Wen Chao.
The sachet was indeed filled with herbs, along with a few small flowers, half-dried and cleanly chopped up. Seeing that Lan Zhan had spent half a day scanning the contents with attention, but still not uttering a word, Wei Ying urged him again, “Come on, Lan Zhan, you understand the use of these herbs better than me, you have to tell me what we can use before you pass out for real!”
It was not that Lan Wangji didn’t want to tell him, it was that he couldn’t tell him.
It was true that the original goods had been quite knowledgeable regarding this particular matter, so it was rather unfortunate that he no longer occupied this body, since the current Lan Wangji had always shopped online for ready-made products, and never concerned himself with the contents besides if it was tested or not on animals and their procedence.
The System appeared to have taken notice of this small conundrum he had walked himself into and offered, unprompted, a suggestion:
【We have noticed the user seems to have encountered some difficulties. Activate Small Scenario Pusher?】
Lan Wangji did not have the presence of mind to feel grateful for this function, nor angry that it had not been offered before. He simply stared at the “YES” button until the dialogue screen closed and content descriptions popped up beside every variety of herbs and flowers.
After looking through the herbs’ stats, Lan Wangji really did find a few that could stop blood or remove poison. Wei Wuxian spoke as he picked them out, "I can't believe that the girl's perfume sachet ended up so useful. I'll have to thank her properly when we go back."
The constant background pain made Lan Wangji irritable, and he responded coldly, "Are you sure you do not mean to harass her properly?"
Wei Wuxian's nervous laughter echoed on the cave walls, "What are you talking about?” and, changing the subject before Lan Wangji could reply, he pressed on, “Go on, strip."
It must have been because Lan Wangji’s brain was still sluggish, so it was hard for him to grasp the meaning behind those nonsensical words. He frowned slightly and asked for clarification, "What?"
Wei Wuxian motioned to his robes. "What do you think? Strip your clothes!"
Lan Wangji inwardly shook his head. Surely Wei Ying couldn’t mean—
Wei Wuxian followed words with action. Hands grabbing each of Lan Wangji's lapels, he peeled them to the side, revealing a chest and shoulders the color of snow, except for that single spot of blistered skin the shape of a sun.
Lan Wangji had suddenly been pushed onto the ground, shirt forcibly stripped. His face was almost green, "Wei Ying! What do you want to do?!"
Lan Wangji watched Wei Wuxian take off all of his clothes and tear them to shreds, "What do I want to do? Right now, we two are the only ones here. I'm already making it so obvious… What do you think I want to do?"
Lan Wangji was speechless. He could only shout in his mind, “System, what’s the meaning this?!”
【The Small Scenario Pusher has been activated by the user. Please enjoy a smooth progression of the plot.】
This was the Small Scenario Pusher?! And what did the System mean by smooth?!
As Wei Wuxian finished, he stood up and drew away his belt sash. As though reciprocating out of courtesy, he revealed his own chest as well. With deep-set collarbones, the lines of his torso flowed smoothly. Although it almost flaunted its adolescence, it was full of youthful energy and strength.
Watching his movements, Lan Wangji's complexion switched between pale, dark, and flustered. His blood seemed to boil to the point of having to burst out from between his lips. His heart was beating so wildly that he feared it would erupt from his ribcage at a moment’s notice.
Wei Wuxian smiled and walked one step closer. Right in front of Lan Wangji's face, he took off his own drenched coat. He raised it up with one hand before releasing his grip, letting it fall to the ground. Wei Wuxian shrugged, palms facing out, "Now that the shirts are gone, it's time for the trousers."
It was as if Lan Wangji’s neurons had chosen to wake up from their slumber right at that time. He suddenly remembered the genre change, he remembered the forehead ribbon’s meaning, the way Wei Ying’s hands had lingered, how he had understood. What extenuating circ*mstances?! What Small Scenario Pusher?! Could Lan Wangji truly misunderstand Wei Ying’s intent?!
Lan Wangji wanted to get up, but his leg was injured. Due to the fight that they had gone through and the mixed feelings within him, the more anxious he was, the more he couldn't do it. His entire body felt worn out. With an intense rage, he really did cough up a mouthful of blood.
Seeing this, Wei Wuxian immediately squatted down and tapped a few of the acupoints on his chest. "Alright, the bad blood is out." He let out a sigh.
After the mouthful of blackish blood had been spat out, Lan Wangji immediately felt some of the pain and irritation within his chest lift away. Looking back on what Wei Wuxian did, he finally realized.
Although he knew that this had been done out of goodwill, Lan Wangji was still a bit annoyed, "... Can you not make this kind of joke again?!”
Wei Wuxian protested, "It's very unhealthy for blood like this to be held in. It gets out with just a scare, though. Don't worry—I don't like-"
Wei Wuxian cut himself in the middle of the sentence, face suddenly growing redder as he avoided direct eye contact with Lan Wangji.
Though the latter had noticed this, he still had not completely forgiven Wei Wuxian, nor had his heartbeat returned to a normal rate, so he ended up lettting out a quiet, “Ridiculous.”
Lan Wangji had just insulted him, but Wei Wuxian seemed to hold it like a lifeline, and readily agreed, “Okay, okay. Ridiculous it is. I'm ridiculous. I'm the most ridiculous there is."
Wei Ying had agreed with him, yet Lan Wangji was far from satisfied. Before he could complain further, though, Wei Wuxian stood up, gathered a pile of dead leaves and branches, and drew the fire talisman on his palm again.
The leaves and branches crunched into flames, letting off a few sparks once in a while. Lan Wangji silently watched as Wei Wuxian ground up the herbs that he had picked out. Without a warning, Wei Wuxian ripped Lan Wangji’s trouser leg open and sprinkled the herbs evenly over the three hideous holes that had just barely ceased to bleed.
Unable to take a second longer of this, Lan Wangji raised his arm and stopped him. Wei Wuxian asked, "What's wrong?"
Without uttering a single word, Lan Wangji took out some of the herbs from his palm and pressed them onto Wei Wuxian's bleeding arm. Wei Wuxian's entire body trembled as he exclaimed, "Ah!"
Despite recoiling from the pain, the System issued a notification that betrayed Wei Wuxian’s internal feelings,
【Protagonist satisfaction points +5.】
It seemed that Wei Ying had forgotten that there was a fresh wound on himself as well, created by that useless author's arrow. It was still bleeding and had also been soaked in water.
Lan Wangji slowly took his hand away. Wei Wuxian hissed a few times, then peeled away, bit by bit, the herbs that had been pressed onto his arm, tossing them onto Lan Wangji's chest, this time. Lan Wangji's eyebrows twitched, but he refused to make a sound.
"Don't mind me. I get hurt a lot, and I play in Lotus Lake as usual even when I'm hurt. I got used to it a long time ago. How many herbs can there be inside a small perfume sachet? There isn't enough, to begin with. I think that those wounds of yours need them more... Ah!"
Lan Wangji knew that the dark feeling coiling around his heart this time had nothing to do with excessive blood on his chest. Though his hands itched to grab the medicine he had brought from Cloud Recesses, he restrained himself. Instead, he replied, face dark, “If you know that it hurts, do not be so rash next time."
Surprisingly, it was Wei Wuxian who had a burst of anger. “I am rash?! Was it not you who pushed me to the side only to throw yourself in front of Mianmian and be burned on her behalf? How is it that I am suddenly the one with a scar that will never come out in this lifetime now?!"
Lan Wangji spoke in a thin voice, “Was this not your plan when you rushed toward her?”
“That’s different,” Wei Wuxian immediately refuted. “I wasn’t already injured. What were you running for? Do you truly care for her to that degree? You really are something, Lan Wangji, now she won’t be able to forget you for the rest of her life…”
Was Wei Ying angry because… he had stolen his main woman?!
Wei Wuxian kept talking as he stood up, “I wonder what Mianmian has done to deserve you liking her to such a degree…” Picking up the white clothes that had been torn into strips, Wei Wuxian tossed them towards Lan Wangji using his right hand, "You can bind it yourself."
Lan Wangji only caught the strips thanks to his reflexes. Wei Ying, he—was genuinely angry because of that.
“Please do not speak nonsense.”
After moving the clothes that he had taken off to the fire to dry them up, Wei Wuxian sat down again by Lan Wangji’s side. His torso was still bare, but not enough heat emanated from him anymore. “Alright, then, I'll speak one-sense."
Just who was drinking vinegar now?!
Lan Wangji caught himself before he could reply to this taunt asking if Wei Ying found it amusing, trifling with empty words. It was useless. He knew very well Wei Ying loved it. It was in the Top #3 Wei Wuxian’s favorite pastimes.
Instead, Lan Wangji muttered to himself, “Why am I sitting here having such a useless conversation with you?"
Wei Wuxian spoke without a care for the consequences, "Because there's no other choice. We're the only two unfortunate souls left here, aren't we? If you don't have useless conversations with me, then who will you have them with?"
Lan Wangji glanced at him, who seemed to forget all past pain as soon as the wounds had healed, and thought about using the only part of his body that could move and biting his arm off. Thoughts unbeknownst to Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji found himself on the receiving end of a large grin.
Initially, Lan Wangji had only thought about biting Wei Wuxian and didn’t really plan on acting on it. However, seeing that smile, it was suddenly too hard to bear, and he lowered his head, sinking his teeth in the wide expanse of Wei Ying’s forearm.
Wei Wuxian immediately began wailing, "Ahhhhhhhhhhh, stop!!! Stop, stop, stop!!!!!"
Hearing Wei Wuxian protest, not only did Lan Wangji not stop, his teeth sunk deeper inside.
"Are you gonna stop?!?! I'll kick you if you don't! Don't think that I won't kick you just because you're injured!!!!!" Wei Wuxian began to shove at him. "Stop biting! Stop biting!"
Little did Wei Wuxian expect that Lan Wangji was powerless to remain sitting, much less to resist Wei Wuxian’s pushes, and so, once Lan Wangji fell, he ended up falling on top of him. Still, Lan Wangji did not let go, and was ostensibly channeling every last bit of his strength into that bite.
"Lan Zhan, you're mad today!!!! You're a dog!!! You're a dog!!!!!! Stop biting!!!!"
If this had happened under any other circ*mstance, Wei Wuxian would have promised to go away until Lan Wangji let him go, but as matters were, he was now genuinely angry at Lan Zhan. Angry that he had taken the hit for Wei Wuxian twice already, even though he was badly injured. Angry that he had let Wei Wuxian touch his forehead ribbon just like that and not said anything afterwards. Angry that despite Wei Wuxian’s best efforts, Lan Wangji still—
Instead of screaming even louder, Wei Wuxian took one of Lan Wangji’s arms and buried his teeth in the crescent of his elbow.
Lan Wangji did not let go immediately after, but soon he allowed the pressure to ease, until his lips were no longer touching the soft skin of Wei Wuxian’s arm. A beat later, Wei Wuxian also let him go. His expression was of someone who had been utterly wronged, and he cradled his bitten arm even as he made no move to get up from where he was straddling Lan Wangji. "Lan Zhan, you really are so strange today. You aren't talking nor acting like yourself either."
Lan Wangji rested his head on the floor beneath him and hummed in reply. After a few uncharacteristic seconds of peace, Lan Wangji decided to break the quiet himself. “Thank you.”
Wei Wuxian kept looking at him as if he had grown a third head, and Lan Wangji suddenly remembered that, of all the self-sacrificing acts that Wei Wuxian had pulled in his life, the Wens had been the only ones who had actually thanked him for it.
That was to say, at this point in the story, Wei Wuxian had been injured, scolded, punished, and cast aside for his help, but had never been thanked for it.
In all seriousness, he repeated himself, "Thank you."
Wei Wuxian’s expression grew increasingly vulnerable as the seconds passed. Lan Wangji’s heartbeat also started to pick up the pace, and he had to lower his gaze, lest he did something truly stupid.
Wei Wuxian, probably mistaking this for a sign of discomfort, quickly got off Lan Wangji and helped him sit again, scanning with his fingertips the back of Lan Wangji’s head for any extra injuries.
As if Lan Wangji didn’t have enough reasons to care for Wei Ying more, for all those people that didn’t appreciate him enough, the System issued another notification,
【Protagonist satisfaction points +5.】
Allied with the congratulatory bells, he felt an urgent, searing touch pushing his elbows upwards. He raised his head to find Wei Ying’s face centimeters away from his, wearing a troubled expression. "There's no need, there's no need. There's a problem with me that I'm unable to stand it when others thank me, especially when people like you thank me so seriously. It's so creepy that I'm even getting goosebumps. Kneeling worship is, of course, even more unnecessary."
Lan Wangji, who had only meant to find a more comfortable position to sit, was able to reply with indifference, "You are thinking too much. Even if I wanted to worship you, I would not be able to move."
Though it could be said those words had been uttered in a rather cold, distant tone, they only seemed to delight Wei Wuxian, who squeezed Lan Wangji’s elbows before letting go. The searing pain in his left arm served as a reminder that Lan Wangji hadn’t been the only one to lose his composure there, though he couldn’t begin to imagine why Wei Ying would have been so affected as well.
Apparently unwilling to part completely, Wei Wuxian moved closer to Lan Wangji until they were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, their bare skin touching. "Now that Jiang Cheng and the others escaped, it'd take them one or two days to go down the mountain. After they get down, they'd definitely—What are you doing?"
Lan Wangji finished ripping his trouser knee-high, discarding whichever part was too bloodied or otherwise dirty, moving to take Wei Wuxian’s left arm, who, in his confusion, allowed him. “Stay still.”
Following Lan Wangji’s gaze, Wei Wuxian saw the poor state of his left arm. Left like this, it was not unlikely that it would develop into an infection. Still, he couldn’t help but protest, “It’s fine, it really is. I can do it. Just let me—Ow!”
“Stay. Still.” Lan Wangji ordered him between gritted teeth.
Wei Wuxian couldn’t understand. Didn’t Lan Zhan hate touching people? Hadn’t he just sacrificed his skin for Mianmian? If not for her, for whom?
If Lan Wangji’s bite hadn’t been because he was beyond livid with Wei Wuxian, then why?
Just how did Lan Zhan see him?
【Protagonist satisfaction points +15.】
Lan Wangji ignored the System’s notification. “You were saying?”
“Huh? Ah! Right, the rescue. I believe we'll still have to stay here underground for quite a while, since that monster—Ow, gentler, gentler. You don’t have to squeeze it so tight—is guarding the hole under the pool.”
Lan Wangji pondered, “It might not be a monster. What does it look like, to you?"
Lan Wangji saw the moment Wei Wuxian made the connection. "A tortoise!"
"There is one divine creature that takes on such a form," he hinted.
Wei Wuxian was watching him intently, and though Lan Wangji pretended to be aloof, from the corner of his eye, he was also observing every minute twitch of Wei Ying’s eyebrows. "The divine beast Xuanwu?"
Lan Wangji nodded and was rewarded with a dazzling smile. Wei Wuxian continued, “How can a divine beast look like this? It's got a mouthful of fangs and eats human flesh. It seems a bit too different from the legends.”
Thankful that he was able to offer this small bit of knowledge he had gathered from dutiful hours spent analyzing Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation’s lore, Lan Wangji clarified, “Naturally, it is not a proper Divine Xuanwu. Rather, it is a semi-completed result of failing to rise to divinity and being transformed into a monster. In other words, it is a deformed Divine Xuanwu."
Wei Wuxian did not question where Lan Wangji had gotten that information from — which was good, considering a “heated forum discussion” was not a proper answer —, simply asking, “Deformed?”
"Four hundred years ago, a 'fake Xuanwu' appeared and rampaged amid Qishan. It was large in size and consumed live humans. One cultivator named it the 'Xuanwu of Slaughter'," Lan Wangji recited the introduction paragraph of the FandomWiki page of the Tortoise of Slaughter.
Wei Wuxian stared disbelieving at the small opening where he had earlier run through while carrying Lan Wangji. "The creature that Wen Chao led us to hunt is a four-hundred-year-old beast—the Tortoise of Slaughter?"
“Mn.”
"Hadn't the Tortoise of Slaughter been killed back then?"
Lan Wangji shook his head, “No. A few cultivators had joined and made an alliance to kill it, but on one winter day that year, there happened to be a heavy snowfall, and the weather was unusually cold. Then, the Tortoise of Slaughter disappeared and was never seen again."
Wei Wuxian immediately connected the dots. “It was hibernating.”
After a pause, he added, “But even if it was hibernating, it didn't need to sleep for four hundred years, did it? Just how many humans has it eaten?”
Lan Wangji thought for a while before replying, “At least five thousand alive.”
“Oh, so it overate.” Wei Wuxian nodded as if he personally understood that reason. "Speaking of eating, have you practiced inedia? We could probably last three to four days without eating or drinking before we start to lose energy, strength, and spiritual power.”
Wei Wuxian picked up a branch from the floor and started to sketch out a map on the ground, linking a few places together. "From Dusk-Creek Mountain to Gusu is a bit shorter than from here to Yunmeng. It's probably your sect's people who will come first. Let's just be patient. Even if they don't come, the most that we'll have to wait is one or two days before Jiang Cheng arrives at Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng is quite clever and he has Wen Chao’s sword with him. The Wen sect's people won't be able to stop him. There's nothing to worry about."
Although Wei Wuxian said there was nothing to worry about, Lan Wangji remembered quite clearly how many times he had contemplated death before the rescue arrived.
With no way to tell the time, no reliable source of food or water, and no company, Wei Wuxian had almost been driven to madness. It was actually thanks to the fever he had developed that he managed to survive.
Though this time around he had Lan Wangji to keep him company and sane, and Lan Wangji’s internal clock to tell the time, he did not want Wei Wuxian to think, even for a single second, that he would die there. Lan Wangji would not allow it.
“Although Jiang Wanyin has Wen Chao’s sword, it will take at least seven days.”
“Hm?”
“The Cloud Recesses has been burnt down already. Counting the time it takes to reach Yunmeng and return, by the best estimates, it will still take seven days minimum.”
A week was still a long wait, but this event was one that, no matter how certain Lan Wangji was that it would happen, he had no way to convince anyone beforehand that he was speaking the truth. Even if they believed him and help was waiting right outside the cave, explaining how he knew would be more difficult.
In other words, he had to get through this plot point the same way “Great Master” Arrogance had idealized.
By fighting it.
Wei Wuxian absentmindedly drew two stick figures on the ground. “... Is everyone still there? Your father, your brother?”
Lost in his thoughts as he was, Lan Wangji failed to notice the moment Wei Wuxian went quiet and the quality of his silence, so when he asked, Lan Wangji answered honestly and unguarded, “Father was heavily injured. Brother is missing.”
Lan Wangji only noticed that what he said might have been too loaded when the branch that Wei Wuxian was scribbling on the ground with froze.
Before Lan Wangji could clarify that his brother was “missing”, but there was no danger of discovery and capture, he was interrupted by a sudden drop on his face.
When he looked upwards, he noticed that, because of the humidity of the cave and the heat of the fire, the water on the ceiling had condensed and was now dripping down the stalactites. And, by chance of fate, Lan Wangji had been sitting just below one.
【Character depth level +10.】
Hm?
Lan Wangji searched the System’s notification history, but nothing indicated that the thing was broken. It was when he chanced a look at Wei Wuxian and found him deliberately avoiding eye contact that Lan Wangji truly understood what had happened.
A while later, Wei Wuxian spoke, "Um, Lan Zhan.”
Lan Wangji still didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent.
The fire cracked. Another ill-timed water droplet fell on his face.
Lan Wangji closed his eyes. “We must set up a system to collect the water from the ceiling.”
“Ah?” Wei Wuxian looked up for a moment before understanding. “Right, it’s like it’s raining.”
Lan Wangji closed his eyes harder. This misunderstanding was not one he could clear by himself.
Now that the silence had been broken by Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian no longer seemed so afraid to speak. “Are you cold? The clothes have dried. You can have the undergarments. I'll keep the robe."
It was hardly proper that Lan Wangji should wear Wei Ying’s undergarments, but he had also seen the state of Wei Wuxian’s robe and appreciated the sentiment. Also, he was unsure how he would fare watching Wei Wuxian walking around only in undergarments for the next few days, so he raised no opposition.
As soon as Wei Ying donned the robe, he left in silence, allowing Lan Wangji some breathing space.
Lan Wangji didn’t know how long it took before he fell asleep.
The second day, Wei Wuxian, with a thick face that only he possessed, acted like he didn’t think Lan Wangji had cried in front of him the previous day. After he walked around the cave and checked on the Xuanwu of Slaughter, he starfished on the floor with a groan. Not long later, he began complaining.
"Ugh. It's so boring."
"It really is so boring."
"It's too quiet."
"Ahhh."
Lan Wangji could take no more of this. “Do not talk. Conserve your strength.”
"I'm so bored. Lan Zhan, let's chat. You can start."
Lan Wangji asked the first thing that came to mind, “Did you finish the Compass of III Winds?”
Wei Wuxian immediately perked up. “How did you know what I named it?!”
Lan Wangji froze. “You said,” he lied with confidence.
Wei Wuxian quirked an eyebrow, but lay again on the floor. “I did? Jiang Cheng’s right, my memory really is bad… I thought I had come up with it last month. No matter. I’m glad you asked! I’ve finished the prototype, but it needs some improvements. Right now, it can only detect the approximate direction of low-level soul-consuming beasts and spirits. I didn’t want to bring it with me from Lotus Pier in case Wen Chao got his hands on it and claimed all credit, but it would have been really useful these past few days.”
Lan Wangji hummed. “Your turn.”
Wei Wuxian thought for a bit. “Do you like rabbits?”
“Yes. Favorite color?”
“Pur–actually, no, I don’t think I like it as much as Jiang Cheng does. I’d say black, but black is not a color. Red, probably. Have you ever violated the rules?”
“Yes. Jin or Wen?”
Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to reply but quickly close it. After some time pondering, he finally said, “Ugh, this is a hard one! I–Aiya, Lan Zhan, how could you do this to me! But Jin Zixuan just defended Mianmian, so I’m going to go with Jin, but only in this situation!”
Lan Wangji did not say anything, returning Wei Wuxian’s betrayed look with a neutral one. Fine, if it’s like this, Wei Wuxian thought, then don’t blame me for being discourteous. “Do you have someone you like?”
Wei Wuxian watched Lan Wangji’s fingers spasm and, very deliberately, relax. Wei Wuxian pressed, “You can’t lie.”
“Mn.”
“Good, then do you have someone you like?”
When Lan Wangji didn’t reply, Wei Wuxian thought back to what he said and realized Lan Wangji had already answered him.
Ah, must be Mianmian…
“Do you?”
Suddenly asked this question, Wei Wuxian’s mind blanked. “What?”
Lan Wangji hesitated for a bit, but ended up repeating the question. “Do you have someone you like?”
Wei Wuxian didn’t really have a hearing problem. He had understood Lan Wangji perfectly well the first time. It was just that, put on the wall like that, not a single person came to mind. Instinct overtook him and he answered with laughter, “Hahahahaha, what sort of question is that, naturally I do! They are the best, what is there not to like?”
But the more Wei Wuxian spoke, the more he realized there was, in fact, some truth behind his words. Did he seriously like someone?! But if he didn’t, then why was his heart beating so fast?
But if he did, then who?!
Neither appeared happy with the replies they received, and Wei Wuxian only continued the game because ending at that point would be too sad. “What do you think of Jiang Cheng?”
Lan Wangji frowned. “Humph.”
Wei Wuxian responded with a laugh that wasn’t as humored as it would have been in another circ*mstance. When it died down, Lan Wangji continued, “Xiongzhang?”
“He’s very nice! Polite, diplomatic, and good looking too. I like him.”
Lan Wangji’s mood soured further and further.
Wei Wuxian casually asked, “Mianmian?”
Lan Wangji didn’t reply, choosing instead to stare into Wei Wuxian’s soul.
“Right, right, I get it, don’t want to talk about her. No need to look at me like that! I’ll shut up.”
Surprisingly, after this, Wei Ying did indeed shut up.
It was, somehow, not better.
The third day, Lan Wangji raised a white flag.
After Wei Wuxian returned from wherever it was that he went when he left the small space the both of them were staying, it was Lan Wangji who broke the ice. “Lotus Pier will be targeted after this. What is your plan?”
Wei Wuxian didn’t seem to think very highly of this “ice-breaker” and replied with a sarcastic laugh. “What can I do besides fighting? Do you really think so little of my sword skills, Lan Wangji?”
Lan Wangji didn’t like that tone, replying with reproach, “You would rather die than flee?”
The second those words left his mouth, he realized what a dumb question it was. Of course Wei Wuxian would. Wei Wuxian replied as much himself, “Yeah. Wouldn’t you? It’s not like I don’t know how you broke your leg. Besides, Jiang Cheng would never leave. Should I just give up because it’s impossible?”
Yes, Lan Wangji wanted to reply, but a nagging metallic voice in his brain made him reconsider.
Wasn’t this his exact plan? To achieve the impossible task of eliminating Wei Ying’s suffering?
In the end, the question was left unanswered.
With the past three days of conserving energy, the injury on Lan Wangji's leg didn't worsen and was slowly healing. He was able to sit in the lotus position to meditate soon afterward.
Wei Wuxian would accompany Lan Wangji in meditation only for a brief period of time before he got bored, choosing instead to scout the pool, dive in to look for the hole in the wall, try to lure out the beast, and gather whichever weapon they could find.
They gathered all of the arrows, bows, and iron rods that lay scattered on the shore and took them back to count. There were over a hundred arrows, around thirty bows, and a little over ten iron rods.
By then, it was already the fourth day.
Lan Wangji picked up a bow with his left hand, attentively examining the material. His right hand strummed across the bowstring. It somehow managed to create the sonorous clang of metal.
Just as he had thought.
This was a weapon used by the cultivational world to hunt down beasts and demons. The material used for the bows and arrows was nothing of the norm. Just like he had trained and practiced these last few years, Lan Wangji broke off all of the bowstrings from the bows and tied them from top to bottom into a long chord. With both hands, he stretched that single long chord taut and flicked his wrists. The chord shot out as though it was lightning. A flash of white light flared across the cave and a rock ten meters away was smashed into pieces.
Lan Wangji retracted the bowstring, and it whistled sharply as it cut through the air.
Wei Wuxian looked between the broken stone and Lan Wangji. "Chord Assassination?"
Lan Wangji nodded. "Breach through within."
The turtle shell was as solid as a fortress. Wei Wuxian had originally defeated the Xuanwu of Slaughter by using the resentment-fueled sword and the corpses inside it in a battle that had lasted a full day — and fifty chapters —. It had been, undeniably, one of the most interesting parts of the novel to read.
However, the current Lan Wangji had no desire to reenact the bloodied scene.
He believed he could do it better, faster, and with significantly less resentful energy involved.
Wei Wuxian’s whole demeanor was serious, for once. “I agree as well. We should attack from the inside. But from what I've heard of your sect's Chord Assassination technique, it wouldn't be the most useful it can be if it's inside the cramped environment inside the shell. And your leg injury still hasn't healed yet. It probably wouldn't be as put to good use as usual, would it?"
This, Lan Wangji also understood. Though he knew this battle to be inevitable and had prepared accordingly for it, Lan Wangji couldn’t have at all predicted that he would get his leg broken and his chest burned. Thankfully, Wei Ying’s arm wound was mostly healed. Their chances were slim, but not zero.
Wei Wuxian put a hand on Lan Wangji’s arm, “Listen to me.”
☠
A small half of the Xuanwu's shell was still above the surface of the water.
Without making a noise, carrying on his back a bundle of arrows and iron rods, Wei Wuxian dove into the area before the head-hole of the Tortoise of Slaughter as though he was a thin, silver fish.
Lan Wangji could only watch from the outside, seated as he was in front of the chord, positioned right before the hole of the beast’s head, just as they had agreed. Right then, he felt impotent. Wei Ying’s pain, he couldn’t suffer in his stead. Where Wei Ying went, he couldn’t follow.
He knew what Wei Ying would go through, and yet, he couldn’t do anything to stop it.
Only after a long while did the Xuanwu stir and, after an internal struggle that only increased in intensity, with terrifying roars and crashing waves, did its body squeeze out of the front hole, revealing the delicate flesh that had been hidden under its armor.
As soon as the Xuanwu rushed outside, Lan Wangji pulled the chord tight and strummed across it. The bowstring vibrated and cut into its flesh.
Feeling the blow connect, Lan Wangji could only pull the bowstring tighter, his attacks growing each time more vicious.
Suppressed by his and Wei Ying's combined attacks, the beast had gone completely insane under the pain, waving its head and its tail as it rampaged within the dark water. It tumbled inside a large whirlpool, stirring up crashing waves. Lan Wangji couldn’t see Wei Ying from where he sat, so he could only trust that he hadn’t been severely injured yet.
That he was still holding on.
Lan Wangji kept the string yanked tight and taut, not loosening his grip for a single second.
He held for six hours.
After six hours, the Xuanwu of Slaughter finally slowed. And then, its movements stopped completely.
The beast’s vital region had almost been parted from the rest of its body due to the Lan’s Assassination technique. Having overexerted his strength, Lan Wangji’s own palms were also covered in blood and gashes. The System’s congratulatory bells and trumpets were still ringing in his head:
【Congratulations! You have defeated the TORTOISE OF SLAUGHTER. Yao level: Hard. B-Points +350. Please continue to work hard!】
However, Lan Wangji didn’t dare to take a moment to breathe or rejoice. Ignoring the pain shooting up from his leg the second he put weight on it, Lan Wangji quickly got up and ran to the water, leaping into it without a second thought to the purple-red quality of it and its correspondent odor, and swam to the head.
The Xuanwu's eyes were wide open. Its pupils had already dimmed, yet its mouth still bit down tightly.
Despite knowing this was exactly how Wei Wuxian was found — with life — in the novel, Lan Wangji’s heart stopped and raced for no particular reason. “Wei Ying!”
No sound came from within the beast's mouth.
Lan Wangji reached out at once, grabbing the two rows of fangs and forcing them apart. Swimming in water without anything that he could use to support himself, he could only open the Xuanwu’s mouth after straining for quite a while. Inside, he saw a black iron sword stuck within the mouth of the beast. Both the tip and the handle had pierced deep into its flesh. The blade had already been forced into a curvature.
Wei Wuxian's entire body was curled up in the shape of a shrimp. Head facing down, his hands still clenched onto the not-so-sharp blade of the black iron sword. He had almost slid into the throat of the Xuanwu. Before he did, Lan Wangji grabbed his lapels and pulled him out.
As soon as the Xuanwu's jaws loosened, the iron sword slipped into the water. Seeing that it would sink to the bottom in a moment, Lan Wangji hesitated and, in a moment of indecision, grabbed hold of it.
The second that he grabbed it, shrill screams sounded in Lan Wangji's ears.
It was as if hundreds of thousands of people were wailing their lungs out in desperation right into his ears. Immediately, cold air traveled up his arm through his entire body. Though he had thought he had been prepared for it, Lan Wangji instantly realized how naive this conclusion was, and tossed the sword in the direction of the shore with a shiver.
Wei Ying had been tightly holding it for a quarter of a day…
Eyes squeezed shut, Wei Wuxian lay limp over Lan Wangji's body, one arm around his shoulder. Holding his waist, Lan Wangji floated over the bloody water with him. "Wei Ying!"
No response.
His hands trembled slightly. Gently, he touched Wei Wuxian’s cheek. It was burning.
Wei Wuxian suddenly shivered and woke up. "What's happening? What's happening? Is it dead? Is it dead?!"
He fumbled slightly, causing both of their bodies to sink deeper into the water. Lan Wangji's arm tightened around his waist, his other hand slipped down from Wei Wuxian’s cheek to support his head by holding firmly the back of his neck. Wei Wuxian did not seem to have noticed it.
Didn’t even seem to have heard when Lan Wangji looked deep into his eyes and exclaimed, "It is!"
Wei Wuxian's gaze was blank, as though he had trouble realizing what was going on. He only replied after thinking for a while, "It's dead? It's dead... Great! It's dead. Earlier on it kept on screaming, screaming as it rolled around, and then I fainted. Oh right, the hole! The hole underwater. Quick, let's go. Let's get out through the hole."
Lan Wangji sensed that his behavior was strange. “You have a fever.”
Wei Wuxian shook his head. “I don’t. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Let’s get out as soon as possible. There's no time to lose."
There was indeed no time to lose. Lan Wangji nodded. "I will take you."
Wei Wuxian did not shake his head again, possibly because it made him feel dizzy the first time. "There's no need..."
Yet, with Lan Wangji's right arm still wrapped like an iron belt around his waist, there was no way Wei Wuxian could refuse. He stated in an irrefutable tone, "Breathe in."
Wei Wuxian slowly acquiesced. The two took in a deep breath and dove into the water.
After some time searching around, Lan Wangji brought them back to the surface again. Wei Wuxian spat out a mouthful of the bloody water and wiped his face, covering it with purplish-red streaks. He looked like the special edition of the gore merch “Great Master” Arrogance had put on sale back then. All bloody and covered by the remains of heavens knew what.
It had been very popular. Lan Wangji was not ashamed to say he had contributed a small amount to that.
"What's wrong?! Why isn't there a hole?!"
Water dripped down Lan Wangji's wet hair. He didn't answer. The two looked at each other. Both thought of a daunting possibility.
Since Wei Wuxian had been rescued unconscious from the beast’s mouth, and later woken up at Lotus Pier, there was no official explanation regarding how he had been saved, as it had happened off-screen. It was likely that… Even if he had managed to escape the beast’s fangs, Wei Ying would have been stumped by another of “Great Master” Arrogance's blockages, unable to leave if not rescued.
Lan Wangji was going to throttle Su Minshan when he saw him again.
Wei Wuxian struggled out of Lan Wangji's embrace and plunged into the water. Lan Wangji followed. Yet, after searching for a long while, they still couldn't find any holes. Not even one that could let a single person through.
Wei Wuxian swam back into Lan Wangji's personal space. Lan Wangji’s hand instinctively moved to hold Wei Wuxian’s waist. "What do we do now?"
There was a period of silence during which neither of them moved away, though their legs were still working ceaselessly to keep them afloat. Lan Wangji did not know what Wei Wuxian was thinking, and he himself didn’t know what to think. He absentmidedly ran his thumb up and down through Wei Wuxian’s waist, “Let us go up first.”
Wei Wuxian waved his hand and purposefully did not look down, "... Let's go."
Both were drained of all energy. They swam slowly toward the shore. When they rose out of the water, both were covered in a bloody shade of purple. Lan Wangji was still watching Wei Ying when he began angrily disrobing and couldn't make himself avert his eyes.
Wringing his clothes dry and flinging them around in the air, Wei Wuxian cursed, "Are we being toyed with or what?! I was thinking that if nobody came to help us, we wouldn't be able to kill it even if we wanted to, and that was why I went for it. And now, we finally have it dead, and the son-of-a-bitch made the hole collapse. f*ck!"
Though Lan Wangji could be said to be a chronically online person, his household was still traditional and there were rarely curses, old-fashioned or not. Now, after years of living under the strict rules of GusuLan, it could be said he was terribly out-of-shape if Wei Ying’s tame “f*ck” made him feel so worked up. His uptight upbringing was certainly the problem here, and not a wet, shirtless and mad Wei Ying who was close to figuring out he was in a Truman Show of misfortune.
Wei Wuxian flung his clothes around as he cursed. Suddenly, his legs gave out. Lan Wangji lunged forward in time to catch him. Leaning against his chest, Wei Wuxian spoke, "It's fine, it's fine. Used up all my energy. Oh, right, Lan Zhan, did you see that I was holding a sword when I was in the beast's mouth? Where did the sword go?"
With his hand on Wei Wuxian’s bare back, Lan Wangji only hesitated for a moment. “There.”
Wei Wuxian immediately moved to take the sword in hand, but he had not walked even two steps before he froze, turning around to analyze Lan Wangji, “I wasn’t holding it before. Were you the one that brought it here?”
Lan Wangji had no intention to hide or lie to Wei Ying. “Mn.”
“Did you touch it then?”
“I did.”
Wei Wuxian appeared deep in thought as he mumbled, almost to himself, “Weird, you didn’t hear the screaming…”
“I heard,” Lan Wangji replied.
Wei Wuxian’s head shoot up in a move that was so sudden, his legs gave out again. Lan Wangji caught him once more. Putting a hand on his forehead, Lan Wangji’s expression was troubled, but his voice was stern, “Wei Ying, you… are so warm.”
Wei Wuxian put his hand on Lan Wangji’s forehead as well. "Lan Zhan, you're also really warm."
Lan Wangji took his hand away, speaking in a tepid tone, "That is because your hand is cold."
Wei Wuxian shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. Lan Zhan, you haven’t been taking proper care of your burn injury. We used up all the herbs in the perfume sachet onto your leg, but only wiped that brand mark on your chest a few times. Even though these past few days you have been resting, you already had a serious previous injury and today you overexerted yourself. It’s only natural that you would get a fever.”
As Wei Wuxian spoke, Lan Wangji slowly noticed how weak he truly was, but he refused to concede that he had a fever. Wasn’t Wei Wuxian the one who was supposed to be worse off after this battle?! How come Lan Wangji was the one dragging both of them down again?!
Unable to reconcile with this fact, Lan Wangji carefully got up and began to peel away several layers of his clothing. Wei Wuxian, uncertain if his legs would support him or if he would fall down again, remained seated, watching as each layer was removed with practical efficiency.
Wei Wuxian was thankful, then, that his face was already tainted red. “What are you doing?”
Lan Wangji replied while looking at him, “We’ve already reached this point. What do you think I am doing?”
Wei Wuxian’s heart stuttered and started again with renewed vigor. He—What—, Wei Wuxian couldn’t finish a single thought. With a burst of energy, Wei Wuxian rose to his feet.
And fell on top of Lan Wangji immediately after.
The two tumbled down, with Wei Wuxian found himself kissing Lan Wangji’s bare chest as Lan Wangji held back a hiss of pain.
The burn mark!
And then it all came back to Wei Wuxian. How he had moved to save Mianmian, how Lan Wangji had not pushed her away, but him instead, and the words Wei Wuxian had said to make Lan Wangji spit out the bad blood.
Stupid.
Wei Wuxian gave himself a slap across the face.
“Wei Ying!”
It was as if this last outburst had drained the rest of his energy. Though he hadn’t really done anything during the fight, merely holding on and refusing to die, Wei Wuxian no longer had any power left to get up. “Don’t mind me, Lan Zhan. Aren’t you the one who keeps saying I only spout nonsense? Why do you still listen to me? You’re such a fuddy-duddy.”
“I’m tired. I can’t move. Just push me away, won’t you?”
Ear on top of Lan Wangji’s chest, he could hear his heart’s thundering throbs. “Are you still tired from the fight? Your heartbeat hasn’t returned to normal—Quick, let me go and lie down to recover.”
Lan Wangji had only been paying half a mind to what Wei Wuxian was saying. It seemed his body’s condition was finally catching up to him, making everything feel muffled. It was only when Wei Wuxian began to struggle on top of him that he finally remembered his predicament.
“Stop moving.”
“I’m just trying to get up. It’s not proper for two men—I mean, if you pushed me to the side—”
“No.”
That made Wei Wuxian stop. His whole body was pressed against Lan Wangji’s, one leg between his and chests pressed together. The only part of Wei Wuxian’s body that wasn’t touching Lan Zhan were his hands, which were bracketing Lan Zhan’s face in a poor attempt to prop himself up. It’s the fever. It can only be the fever, otherwise, why would Lan Zhan change so suddenly in such a short span of time?! He must be delirious!!!
Out loud, Wei Wuxian said, “No? What do you mean ‘no’?”
Lan Wangji didn’t explain himself and Wei Wuxian didn’t insist. He tried once again to put weight on his arms, but they only quavered, not resisting any pressure.
Wei Wuxian finally gave up. “How could I get exhausted so easily? I haven't been this tired in years."
Lan Wangji didn't feel like expressing his opinion on the 'so easily' part of his words. "Rest."
Wei Wuxian shook his head. Lan Wangji felt the drag of his hair and skin on his bare chest. “I’m not like you Lan sect people, who sleep on command every hai shi. Though my body’s physically tired, I can’t just fall asleep like that.”
When Lan Wangji didn’t respond, Wei Wuxian chanced a look at his face. Lan Wangji, who had been observing that person sprawled across his chest as if it was his home despite all earlier protests, had his jaw suddenly smacked shut. If he had at all planned on replying to Wei Wuxian at that moment, his tongue would now be just a severed piece of meat in his mouth.
They both grunted.
Wei Wuxian felt his head with one hand while his other rubbed Lan Wangji’s chin. “Oops! Sorry. Are you okay, Lan Zhan?”
After letting him rub a few more times, Lan Wangji gently moved his hand away and shook his head. “Sleep.”
After this, Wei Wuxian didn’t dare argue, though he truly could not sleep at that time. In silence, he waited until Lan Wangji’s breathing and heartbeat settled into a normal rate, until strength returned to his muscles, and waited a little longer after that, before slowly extricating himself from Lan Wangji’s embrace.
Lan Zhan really is something. Not only can he sleep like the dead in such a place, but he still maintains a proper Lan position even if there’s someone else on top of him!, Wei Wuxian grinned to himself, thinking of how Lan Zhan had “hugged” him earlier, folding his hands on top of Wei Wuxian’s back.
When Lan Wangji woke up again, he found his head pillowed in a pile of leaves and a dark head resting on the uninjured side of his chest. The rest of that person’s body was lying on the floor, but since it was probably too cold, it had, in its slumber, unconsciously sought the warmth of another’s body.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji called out.
No response.
“Wei Ying.”
After the fifth time he called, that tuff of unbound black hair stirred slightly and went still again.
“Wei Ying.”
“Lan Zhaaaaan,” his speech was slurred. “Can you not call me so early? I’ve finally managed to rest and you…”
His words broke off with a yawn and Lan Wangji waited a few more seconds before calling out again, “Wei Ying.”
“Noooo,” a hand flew on Lan Wangji’s face, almost hitting his eyes. After some exploratory touches, Wei Wuxian managed to find Lan Wangji’s mouth and pressed his hand over it. “Be a good boy and let me sleep, won’t you? It’s so early.”
Lan Wangji closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and got up, jostling Wei Wuxian from what he thought was a very comfortable position, and several times better than the lap he had been thinking about laying his head on previously.
“So mean…” Wei Wuxian mumbled before going back to sleep.
Lan Wangji watched his sleeping figure for an uncountable period of time before taking one layer of his clothes from where they had been drying close to the fire, bundling it, and sliding it under Wei Wuxian’s head.
As he was rising, he noticed the perfume sachet Mianmian had given Wei Ying hanging around his waist. An inexplicable emotion took over Lan Wangji, and in a moment of selfishness, he reached out and took the pouch, quickly hiding it in the folds of his robes. As soon as he hid it, an announcement popped up on his screen:
【Obtained high-level sentimental item: Mianmian’s perfume sachet (empty). Character depth level +30.】
Lan Wangji felt a bit guilty, but still did not return the pouch.
After he ascertained Wei Ying was still asleep, that he was comfortable, and had only minimal risk of falling off the bundle, Lan Wangji took a look around the cave.
“System, how long have I been unconscious?”
【Time unknown. Please find a natural source of light to ascertain the time of day.】
“You are a program,” Lan Wangji said, uncomprehending.
【Access to extra information about the plot requires the System’s VIP access.】
Lan Wangji sat by the fire. “How much B-Points does it cost to acquire VIP access?”
Even as he asked, Lan Wangji mentally shook his head. How naive of him to believe this sort of a System wouldn’t have microtransactions inputted in it.
【Operation currently unnavailable. Please advance on the plot to unlock the command.】
Lan Wangji thought for a bit before asking, “Does the author have VIP access?”
【VIP access is locked for all users before the System’s update. Please advance on the plot to unlock the command.】
Lan Wangji hummed. As expected, not even Su Minshan could bypass the System’s guidelines.
Good.
Extending his hand, he took the remaining layers of his robes from the floor and began putting them on.
When Lan Wangji passed out, he hadn’t had the energy to do this, so it was obvious who had to have laid them to dry in his stead. Wei Ying probably thought Lan Wangji would be bothered should his robes not be cleaned, folded, and dried once he got up. So he had dragged his tired body over to make sure Lan Wangji was not even minorly inconvenienced by this.
Ridiculous.
Tying the sash, Lan Wangji decided to have a quick look around. Wei Ying had some clothes on, which was better than nothing, but it was clear whose robes he thought were drying-priority, and Lan Wangji had to move Wei Ying’s closer to the fire.
As he took a bundle that was on the floor, a heavy object fell on the ground, emitting a sharp clang.
It was—!
【Congratulations! Obtained key item: 400-year-old rusty black iron sword (resentful) x1. For changing the storyline, Lan Wangji IQ +10.000.】
What?!
“I do not want this,” Lan Wangji quickly told the System.
The System appeared to be lagging,
【The sword is a key item, capable of altering the plot for whoever has it in their possession. Do you wish to confirm the discard of the sword? Warning: if the sword is discarded, 10.000 B-Points will be deducted.】
Lan Wangji did not think twice. “Discard.”
It was true that, by holding the sword, he might avoid the “Burial Mounds” scenario and save Wei Ying, but it was also risky. Who could tell with certainty that Lan Wangji wouldn’t be overcome by resentful energy himself and end up hurting Wei Ying instead?
Who could predict whether the Sunshot Campaign would be successful at all should Lan Wangji choose to destroy the sword?
In short, there was no way Lan Wangji wanted such a cursed object for himself!
Not that Wei Ying having it would be better, but if he lost his core and had to fend for himself at the Burial Mounds, then it would later be needed if he wanted to take part in the war and survive.
Lan Wangji would fight the people he had to fight to protect those he wanted to protect, but he wouldn’t make Wei Ying’s choices for himself. Even if they were objectively bad choices.
If there was something he learned while reading the novel was that there was no way he could predict how he would react should he be in Wei Ying’s shoes, so he was simply in no position to judge.
Wei Ying woke up with an empty hand. He had a faint memory of holding someone else’s sleeve, of a firm chest, of another body’s heat, but now all that was left of it was a hard floor and a makeshift pillow. Alarmed, he turned around and found Lan Wangji kneeling by the fire, not far away. The firelight reflected against his cheeks as though he was jade, warm and gentle.
He was attentively examining something on the floor.
What’s so interesting about—sh*t!
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian called out louder than necessary. Lan Wangji startled slightly and turned to face him, the sound of his name still echoing in the walls. “You’re up already! Why didn’t you wake me? How are you feeling?”
Lan Wangji gave him a look and Wei Wuxian faintly recalled someone’s warm hands shaking him, but nothing beyond that. He smiled to himself, a weird soft of feeling bubbling in his chest. Ignoring it the same way he had during the past few days, he got up and walked towards Lan Wangji.
Lan Wangji ignored the first question, standing up to respond, “Better.”
“Better how?” Wei Wuxian asked again, putting himself between Lan Wangji and the sword. There wasn’t much space, so it was a bit of a squeeze that left him mostly pressed against the wall and Lan Wangji’s firm chest. “Fevers are serious, Lan Zhan. You shouldn’t treat these matters lightly. Go on, go lie down and meditate like a good little Lan, won’t you? I’ll take over here.”
Lan Wangji could tell he was being dismissed. Could tell Wei Ying didn’t want him anywhere near that black iron sword, even though he had been the one who recovered it because he knew Wei Ying had wanted to examine the iron properly.
He was angry, but it wasn’t like he wanted to force Wei Ying. Not in this sort of situation, anyway.
Making a decision, Lan Wangji took a step back. He walked around the fire and, lifting the hem of his robes, sat on the ground in front of Wei Wuxian. Closing his eyes, he really began to meditate.
Wei Wuxian was dumbstruck. Lan Wangji was usually so stubborn, he hadn’t expected him to comply at all!
Could it be that Lan Zhan retrieved the sword for him?
It didn’t make sense, but since they had entered that cave, not one of Lan Wangji’s actions did. And if this truly was the case, then Wei Wuxian had just been incredibly rude to him!
He wanted to apologize, to explain himself, to ask Lan Wangji, Do you understand?
Wei Wuxian wanted many things and was used to doing them without a second thought, but with this, with resentful energy, he hesitated.
In the end, he also sat on the ground, in front of Lan Wangji, and began to meditate, using the same technique he had read in one of the texts he had helped Lan Wangji copy.
Ha, if Lan Zhan knew the texts he had shown me are being used for this purpose, I wonder how he would react! Probably run me through with a sword before his uncle qi deviates, hahaha!
Only after a long time had passed did Lan Wangji open his eyes again.
The fire had died down and Wei Ying and the sword were nowhere to be found.
Lan Wangji slowly rose to his feet and stretched his limbs. He already felt much better than before. He could stand and walk with minimal difficulty and pain, his chest also didn’t hurt as much, and his fever had been mostly controlled. If he didn’t strain himself, there would be no reason why he couldn’t make an almost complete recovery by the time he left the cave, which should be soon considering Jiang Wanyin had left with a sword.
With nothing better to do, Lan Wangji decided to exercise the upper part of his body. He had already finished his push-ups and just moved to a headstand when a Ping! echoed in his mind.
The sound reminded him of a pop-up notification or the quick reminder he’d put on his phone for when he exceeded the day’s hours on electronics. In fact, now that he was not in imminent danger, he realized he had heard that same sound twice before.
“System, what’s the meaning of this sound?”
【Built-in Genre Feature: Spider-Sense© (BETA). Allows the main love interest to know when the protagonist is in danger and show up in the nick of time. Earn +50 points to unlock the next Genre Feature.】
Main love—In danger?!
Lan Wangji was standing upside down in one second and in the next, he had already pushed his legs to the floor and frantically began searching for Wei Ying in the nearby chambers.
There was no sign of him in the first three, but, as he drew closer to the fourth, he felt a strong surge of qi mixed with resentful energy.
Instead of turning around and getting as further away from it as possible, which was what any rational person would do, Lan Wangji quickly rushed towards the evil intent repelling all living things in the vicinity—Wei Wuxian.
When he finally managed to cross the threshold, he found Wei Ying sitting on the floor, eyes closed, holding tight to the iron sword.
The only source of light in the room, a small fire in the far corner of the small chamber, was snuffed out by an unnatural air current as soon as Lan Wangji took a step closer. All that he managed to see before the darkness took over was blood dripping from Wei Ying’s qiqiao and his unbound hair flying in all directions, whipping his face without Wei Ying so much as flinching.
“Wei Ying!”
Lan Wangji rushed to his side just as Wei Ying fell limp in his arms. “Wei Ying!”
Wei Ying was unresponsive.
It was only thanks to Lan Wangji’s superior force and Wei Ying’s unconsciousness that he managed to pry open Wei Ying’s fingers from the sword. It screamed in Lan Wangji’s head, but there was nothing he could do as he didn’t have his guqin with him to cleanse the resentful energy.
Wei Ying shivered in Lan Wangji’s arms and Lan Wangji, ignoring the damage being dealt to his cultivation, quickly threw the sword away in order to hold Wei Ying closer.
Cradling him with one arm, Lan Wangji began passing him spiritual energy with the other. He didn’t have much, but he would give every little bit left for him.
After some time of this, color began to return to Wei Wuxian’s face. Conscience returned slowly for him and he took stock of his body. Though he had never experienced this before, he could tell he had nearly qi deviated, maybe was still qi deviating, though something seemed to be delaying it. Sensing that it was because somebody was passing spiritual energy to him, he forced his eyes open and found a familiar silhouette watching him closely. “Lan—Lan Zhan?”
“I am here.”
【Protagonist satisfaction points +50. New Genre Feature Unlocked: Couple’s Love Song. Please continue to work hard!】
Lan Wangji was so worried that the System’s words did not register in his mind.
“It’s so loud,” Wei Wuxian mumbled.
Lan Wangji transferred more energy. “Do not talk. Conserve energy.”
Wei Wuxian shook his head, sliding down with the movement. Lan Wangji caught him and arranged Wei Wuxian’s head so that it was propped on Lan Wangji’s shoulder instead of his chest. Wei Wuxian took a deep breath, drawing closer to Lan Wangji’s neck, and whined, “Get lost…”
Get lost.
Lan Wangji’s blood froze.
As a VIP reader of Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation, how could he not recognize those two words?
If he hadn’t been sure before, he was certain now. Wei Ying was undergoing a qi deviation.
“Wei Ying!!!”
“Get lost!” he repeated with glassy eyes, not looking at anything specific. “Get lost!”
Lan Wangji took deep, even breaths and pushed more and more energy into Wei Ying.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally stopped shivering.
After another long stretch of time, his breaths also evened out.
And, some indefinite amount of time after that, Wei Wuxian spoke again, his voice raspy from disuse, “You’re burning up again.”
“Be quiet,” Lan Wangji ordered.
Wei Wuxian could hear the softness in his tone and drew his hand back, pressing on, "You don't need to give me any. You don't have much left yourself.”
Lan Wangji grabbed his hand again and repeated, “Be quiet.”
Wei Wuxian did spend some minutes quiet, lazily blinking up at Lan Wangji as he allowed him to do whatever he wanted.
Out of nowhere, he complained, “It’s boring, it’s so boring.”
Lan Wangji turned his head slightly to the side to properly look at him. Like this, their lips were almost touching, and Lan Wangji could feel a slight gust of wind on them every time Wei Ying breathed. “What do you want?”
Wei Wuxian was unused to this version of Lan Wangji. This version that touched, that indulged him. That didn’t immediately berate him after he did something wrong.
He thought he was delirious. That it must be the qi deviation, that’s why he was dreaming all of this up. That this must be the reason behind all of Lan Wangji’s inexplicacle actions, because there was no way that the real Lan Wangji, the Lan Wangji that everyone knew, would be willing to breathe the same air as him. That the real Lan Wangji would look at his lips with such tenderness, not pushing him away, and ask him what he wanted.
What did he want?
Wei Wuxian lost track of time, of how many minutes he spent looking at Lan Wangji’s face, of how many breaths he timed exactly to Lan Wangji’s exhales.
Eventually, he said, “How about you sing a song?”
It had originally been an offhand remark. He was not thinking about what he was saying and didn’t at all expect Lan Wangji to agree. Yet, after a few moments of silence, a low yet mild voice echoed softly through the hollow cave.
Lan Wangji really did begin to sing.
【Protagonist satisfaction points +50.】
Wei Wuxian closed his eyes and settled more comfortably on Lan Wangji’s shoulder, hiding his head against Lan Wangji’s neck. “It sounds nice. What’s it called?”
Lan Wangji looked at where Wei Ying was holding his forehead ribbon, unconsciously or not, rubbing on it. In the span of a moment, he made a decision.
Lan Wangji seemed to murmur something. Wei Wuxian opened his eyes. "What was it called again?"
He still didn't hear clearly what the name was. Blood rushed up to his face. Both his head and the joints of his limbs ached from the heat. The ringing noise within his ears went on and on.
Lan Wangji felt the change at once. “Wei Ying!!!”
But this time, no matter how much he called, and how much energy he transferred, Wei Wuxian remained unresponsive.
And soon, he felt too dizzy to continue. His fever had returned at some point, and even opening his eyes was too difficult. He barely had the strength to drag that burning body of his to where he had thrown the sword and, divesting himself of one of his layers, cover the blade and hilt with the cloth before passing out.
When he woke up again, as Lan Wangji opened his eyes, what he saw was neither the black ceiling of the underground cave nor Wei Wuxian's bloodied yet handsome face, but rather a wooden board. Drawn on the board was an amusing series of kissing heads.
Lan Wangji was still recuperating, so his reasoning was slower than normal. His limbs had stopped burning, but they still felt weak. His throat was a bit dry as well.
The first thing he thought was, Hm. Just like Wei Ying’s drawing.
His second thought, much somber and alarmed, was, Just like Wei Ying’s drawing.
These… These were the sketches that Wei Wuxian had drawn on his own bed at Lotus Pier!!
Lan Wangji… was lying on Wei Wuxian's bed!!!
And, next to Wei Wuxian’s bed, was no one other than Wei Wuxian himself, fiddling with the ends of Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon.
Seeing that he woke up, Wei Wuxian tossed the ribbon away quickly, opening a big smile that made the tired and pensive lines on his face smooth out completely. “Lan Zhan! You’re finally—Wait, shijie said no moving, you can’t sit up just yet! You—!!”
Ignoring his body, Lan Wangji got up. Wei Wuxian looked him up and down apprehensively, but seeing that he could stand without help, he gave a slight nod. “As if a complete qi depletion could keep GusuLan’s Second Master down. Impressive, truly impressive.”
Lan Wangji had other worries besides himself. “Your qi—”
Wei Wuxian quickly shut his mouth with his hand, motioning with the other for Lan Wangji to speak quieter, even though he hadn’t been loud to begin with. “What? That small—Ouch! Don’t bite me, Lan Zhan!! What a dog!”
Wei Wuxian quickly removed his hand and began to soothe it. Why is it that every time Lan Zhan is angry, he resorts to biting?! Where are his world-famous manners?!
“Do you have any right to call others dogs? Be a little more self-aware, won’t you?” a voice shouted from the door.
Lan Wangji turned to see Jiang Wanyin entering with what seemed to be two steaming bowls of soup.
“A-Cheng, A-Xian is recovering, don’t fight,” a woman with a soft expression dressed in light shades of purple replied. Seeing that Lan Wangji was awake and standing, her mild brows immediately lifted, laying the bowl of soup she was carrying on a table, "Lan-er-gongzi."
Lan Wangji bowed. “Jiang-guniang.”
Jiang Yanli gave him a small smile and turned to Wei Wuxian, “Lan-er-gongzi, please forgive these two brothers of mine. I have been incompetent and haven’t raised them well.”
Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian immediately protested.
“A-Jie, how can you say that! You’re not incompetent!”
“Shijie, you’re the best! It’s not your fault Jiang Cheng turned out like that!”
Jiang Wanyin immediately turned to him. “What did you say?! Do you want to die?!”
“Boys…”
Jang Wanyin… Jiang Yanli…
“Sorry, shijie.”
“Sorry, a-jie.”
There was no mistaking it.
Lan Wangji was in Lotus Pier.
F【beep.】.
