Chapter Text
The first thing Lan Xichen notices when he reaches Yunmeng lands is that he no longer needs an extra layer of robes to fight the chill that is permanently set in the mountains of Gusu Lan territories. His uncle, who is accompanying him to offer his pleasantries to Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu, furrows his eyebrows at the afternoon sun which, even in winter, makes sure to caress the travellers' cheeks with warmth. Lan Xichen smiles at the same sun, basking in its' kindness. He ushers his horse forward to where the first streams leading to Lotus Pier finally show up in the distance, ridging the ground in pleasant patterns.
"There is no hurry, Xichen," Lan Qiren intones, his eyes following Lan Xichen's restless figure on the back of the horse, his outer robe fluttering in the wind as he slides his arms out of the wide sleeves. "We have left Cloud Recesses behind, but it does not mean you have left your manners and sound mind there as well."
"I know, Uncle, I know," Lan Xichen assures the older man, but he cannot stop the excitement from bubbling inside his chest. "I will be proper at all times during my stay in Lotus Pier, there is no need to worry."
Lan Qiren lets out an undignified puff, knowing that the future leader of Gusu Lan sect will keep his word. However, his interpretation of 'proper' does not always meet Qiren's own definition. He does not comment on that, though.
The road is pleasant onwards as there are only little slopes that go up and down, along with a calming whisper of the water, leading them towards the grand dark wood gates of Lotus Pier. Xichen looks up. He has seen this construction with elaborate cravings twisting into the leaves and petals of lotus flowers before, yet every time it fills him with awe. Surrounded by dark shades of wood and deep purple of the water flowers, he feels somehow artificial in his white robes which stand out a little bit too much. Yet no one gives him glares, and no one whispers behind their cupped hands.
It is calm in Lotus Pier.
The following hours blur together in Xichen's mind; the reception and greetings, the pleasantries and gifts, the final remarks and notices about the studies, and all the details, details, details, are things that Lan Qiren has already drilled into his brain, but still repeats them once more. The only difference is that this time Sect Leader Jiang himself is nodding in agreement after each sentence. And then, Lan Xichen is led to his room in the disciples' dorms, says goodnight to his uncle, and fights the urge to sneak around the new place. He is an ever proper Lan, but it doesn't mean he's not interested in new fascinating places.
"The baths are around the corner, the building closest to the lake, if that's what you're looking for."
Lan Xichen freezes at the deep voice coming from the shadows behind him. He plasters on a tender smile and only then turns around to face a fellow disciple.
"Valuable information, even if it is not what was occupying my mind," he intones, his eyes travelling at the tall, wide-shouldered figure in front of him, dressed in familiar muted green of the moss, pecked with simple golden ornaments. "I am Lan Xichen. Pleased to meet you, martial brother."
"Nie Mingjue. Seems like our quarters are next to each other. Most of the other head disciples are coming tomorrow morning, or so I've heard."
Lan Xichen smiles. The evening is not too cold. It's pleasantly warm even. In the orange light of the lanterns around and the soft melody of the rippling water, the scene is far too inviting to be left forgotten behind the closed doors of Xichen's room. He lets out a hum, barely stopping himself from taking out his flute to join in with the music of nature.
"Say, would you like to accompany me for a walk?"
-
Lan Xichen knows it hasn’t even been a full day, so he shouldn’t make assumptions in such a short period of time. But it’s a good assumption he tells himself, as he decides he loves Lotus Pier.
“How can you make up your mind so fast?” Nie Mingjue furrows his eyebrows when Lan Xichen voices out his thoughts.
“It has double the amount of stars in the night sky,” he says, pointing with his hand to the darkness atop them and then, with a grin, to the reflection of it in the still water of the lakes below, “what else do I need?”
Mingjue laughs, nudging Lan Xichen with his elbow.
“You shouldn’t evaluate a place for studying by its aesthetic beauty. In fact, we could have been doing something more productive than having a stroll .”
“It’s good for your body and mind, it calms you down,” Lan Xichen says. It’s a bit of a dangerous play to shoot this at the head disciple of Qinghe Nie where suffering from qi deviation comes generation after generation, but Lan Xichen only means well, and throughout the years he’s learned that most of the people cannot fight against his gentle smile. “Besides, the locals seem to be enjoying the night view as well, see?”
Nie Mingjue follows Lan Xichen’s golden eyes wandering further to the middle of the lake, where a lone lantern is fighting the darkness surrounding a small rowing boat. There are two figures on it, their purple robes looking nearly reddish pink in the warm light. They are slowly drifting back to the shore, and Xichen grabs grumbling Mingjue’s sleeve to drag him along to one of the old piers.
What neither of them expects to see is the never-separating pair of Yunmeng Jiang’s young masters. Jiang Wanyin is trying to take the bamboo pole away from Wei Wuxian, who nearly falls in the water, struggling to keep the pole in his hands. Their laughter fills the air, and Lan Xichen feels his own smile widen.
It takes only a few moments for the boat to hit the edge of the bridge and both Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian to hop off it with grace that only those who grew up surrounded by water possess. Lan Xichen waits until they come closer to proceed with a polite bow, which Nie Mingjue only half-heartedly follows.
"Young masters of Yunmeng Jiang," Lan Xichen calls, getting a swift response from the brothers, both of who bow back at them.
"Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue," they say in unison, proper where they've been mischievous moments before, yet a smile still lingers on Wei Wuxian's face.
"Is there anything we can help you with?" Jiang Wanyin asks, his clear eyes settling on Xichen for a moment before he blinks and the gaze shifts, something invisible to Lan Xichen catching his interest.
"Please tell this brother, can anyone take a boat out in this lake?"
"Of course!" Wei Wuxian beams, but Jiang Wanyin frowns by his side, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Allegedly so," he says, giving his brother a stern look, but when he glances back at Lan Xichen, his eyes are softened. "During the day everyone can use boats, but after the dusk it is dangerous. We do not promote this idea, yet you have seen us now…" he takes a deep breath, dropping his arms by his sides, "please at least take one of the elder disciples of Yunmeng Jiang to accompany you."
Wei Wuxian points at himself.
"The best option is right here."
Lan Xichen has to cover his mouth as a sudden laugh escapes his lips. Everything in Lotus Pier seems very different from Cloud Recesses, and his inner, a bit too enthusiastic, child is getting more and more excited at all the possibilities presented right in front of his eyes.
"Noted," he says. He gives a look to Nie Mingjue by his side, who is obviously not too joyous about the idea. "We will consider this, thank you."
He clasps his hands in front for the bow and both youngsters mirror his gesture, their purple robes getting caught in the wind, like dark waves which have just escaped the deep lake.
And with that, just like the same waves, they both ripple away, disappearing into the night.
"We will not consider that," Nie Mingjue mutters to Lan Xichen, yet it does nothing but put a wider smile on his companion's face.
The water, silently, starts whispering its' invitations.
-
The next morning Lan Qiren is giving Lan Xichen a side eye when his nephew politely moves his sleeved hand to cover the lower half of his face. Yawning is not accepted at all; the rigid sleeping schedule is made to ensure complete rest, yet the drowsiness in Lan Xichen's eyes tells his uncle that someone has not gone to bed early enough.
"Do not make this into a bad habit, Xichen," Lan Qiren warns him, and Xichen nods understandably, an apology falling like soft feathers from his lips.
"Do not worry, Uncle," he says, his eyes skimming through a crowd of newly arrived guests. All three Jiang siblings are greeting the disciples of visiting sects the same way they did yesterday, with Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu at the very center of the reception. Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen notices, is trying not to yawn as well.
They wait until the morning assembly is over before Lan Qiren makes a few passes around to catch up with some old friends and acquaintances, and only then gets ready to leave Lotus Pier. Lan Xichen feels both upset and strangely relieved at his uncle's early departure; it feels strange to know that from now on, their daily chatters will become weekly exchanges of letters, and the next time he sees him again will be months later, when Lan Xichen's current self will be altered in ways unknown to either of them. Yet at the same time it is freeing in a certain way to be left to his own devices, without constant supervision of his family or clan members. Lan Xichen makes sure not to show the vortex of emotions inside him, however, toning it all down with a gentle reassuring smile which he knows to be liked the most by his uncle.
One moment Lan Qiren is still whispering the last of instructions to Lan Xichen, and then next his white-clothed back is slowly disappearing into the horizon until it's only a white dot in the scenery of earthy colours, much like the first snowflake of the autumn, or perhaps the last one at the beginning of spring.
"Ah, so you're the emotional type."
The familiar voice of Nie Mingjue reaches Lan Xichen's ears, making him let out a half-hearted laugh.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"I'm not sure," Mingjue shrugs, his voice serious, "never had to experience it myself."
He's smirking though, and the amusement which is written all over his face draws Xichen in.
"How manly ," he comments, teasingly, and receives a roar of laughter in reply.
"Indeed so!" Mingjue slaps his back with a little bit too much strength, yet Xichen does not budge at it. "Come on, Xichen. We can ride a boat today."
This, Lan Xichen eagerly starts walking for.
-
The fate, Lan Xichen thinks, is one of the most interesting concepts in the whole world, more mysterious than both spiritual and resentful energy. It might exist, yet it might not, you might believe it, yet you might not; whichever opinion you choose to follow, you will never be proven right, yet you will never be proven wrong either.
Being arranged to ride on the same boat as Nie Mingjue makes this sudden friendship with the head disciple of Qinghe Nie sect fall exactly into Lan Xichen's personal list of fated things. As it follows, having another person lumped together with the two of them must mean Jin Guangyao is supposed to join in with the impromptu brotherhood as well.
"How come I never heard of you before?" Nie Mingjue asks the newly arrived cultivator donned in golden robes that shine a tiny bit too brightly in the sunlight, especially compared to the dark green robe which Mingjue himself is wearing and a blue one that Lan Xichen has decided on for today.
"For I am an illegitimate son of Sect Leader Jin," Guangyao explains, albeit a bit reluctantly, with no tenderness in his smile. "Jin Zixuan could not come himself as there is an arrangement of Lady Jiang visiting Lanling and studying there throughout the warm months. Jin Zixuan is welcoming her there, thus I am taking his place here."
Nie Mingjue hums thoughtfully.
"You're doing great. Don't let things weigh you down," he says, putting a reassuring hand on Jin Guangyao's narrow shoulder. "You know, you remind me of my little half-brother."
"Huaisang?" Xichen asks, and Nie Mingjue nods, his expression visibly softening.
"One and only."
A sliver of honesty appears on Guangyao's face at this. It does, quite nicely, reflect in his smile as well.
-
Lan Xichen beams, satisfied with his own guesses on fate when Jin Guangyao gets assigned to the quarters next to his and Mingjue's. He knows Nie Mingjue doesn't share the habit of trusting your gut and deciding quickly how much you like a place or a person (he does decide rather fast if he doesn't like someone, though), but Xichen himself is fairly positive this little trio of them is going to stick together. It's a nice mixture of all things essential, after all, taking in the colours they prefer, the skills they have, and the values they keep.
Once the lessons begin, Lan Xichen is more than glad to have both of his new friends around. The training he went through in Cloud Recesses was rigid, but Lotus Pier is completely different from it in all ways possible. There are less rules and less specific instructions. The teachers throw them from one class to the other quickly, giving a lot of different types of information which applies both to the class that gave them that information, and all the other classes too. It feels very much like they are fish fighting the currents and waves of a river and the weeds and the hands trying to catch it, yet Lan Xichen knows all the rivers lead to open waters, to the seas or lakes, which every single one of them will be completely ready for. In the end, there's only calmness awaiting them.
For now, however, Lan Xichen trusts Jin Guangyao to retell him and Nie Mingjue the history of Yunmeng Jiang, pointing out the most important parts which explain certain sets of values and techniques which are engraved into the disciples from the young age.
"This will definitely come up in the exam," Guangyao says, taking a deep breath before another passage pours out from his mouth, this time about the ancestors learning that they don't have to fight against the waves, but need to fight together with them to reach the harmony which settles down both the waters and human emotions. He's lying down with his eyes closed, fingers pressed to his temples as he tries to recall all which was taught. Mingjue is cleaning his saber while he listens and Lan Xichen is gently plucking the strings of his guqin in the melody which enhances the senses, making it easier to let all the information sink in.
"Is this where the training in the water comes from?" Mingjue asks after a while. His saber is put away now, and his eyes are fixed on incense burner on the table. The pleasant scent of sandalwood has been filling the air since they've all gathered at Lan Xichen's quarters, but Mingjue, only now, gets interested in the thick smoke escaping the holes of the ceramic burner shaped as a magnolia blossom, rolling just above the surface of the wooden table before drifting upwards.
"Yes. Using different stances to accumulate spiritual energy and various techniques for sword fighting while being neck deep in the water." Guangyao opens his eyes, glancing at Mingjue and then at Xichen, "I wonder if we will be made to go through it as well."
"It sounds exhilarating," Lan Xichen comments, his fingers stilling for a second before he resumes playing, "I would love to experience it."
Mingjue sighs.
"Your excitement is a little worrying sometimes," he says, standing up and stretching. "Enough of talks. Who wants to spar?"
Jin Guangyao lets out a little whine at the idea of stepping out of the warm room and into the chilly night. Perhaps like the smoke of incense itself he wants to slowly float around in the room.
Lan Xichen smiles at them both.
"Let's go through one more lesson before that?"
Mingjue sighs again.
Slowly but steadily, they're moving forward.