Chapter Text
Up, up in the mountains of Gusu, far above the eyes of the mortal man, veiled by the clouds, was the widely famed ancestral home of the Lan Clan aptly named Cloud Recesses. Even among the five great cultivation clans, the Lan Clan stood out: they were known for being exemplary among their peers, austere and rigid, but ever beheld to a sense of justice that few in this world could lay claim to. With their white robes, pure as the snowclad cultivation they sought after, they always stood out in the crowds, which parted around them.
Their strict adherence to doctrine and scholarship lent them well to an educational background, and many cultivators even in the other great clans, would compare their disciples to that of the Lan Clan, which had led to a tradition of the sending their youths to the Cloud Recesses in hopes of straightening them out and furthering their education within etiquette and history especially. Going to Cloud Recesses meant being taught by the current de facto leader of the clan, Lan Qiren, who was known as being able to turn any slacker into a true gentleman given just six months. With such a reputation, it was little wonder that everybody sought after an invitation to the mysterious clan grounds.
It was only natural though that even within the Lan Clan, there would be differences in cultivation and class, and it was said that the clan had two great treasures in these days: the two Jades of Lan. Such were the nicknames of the two young masters of the clan. The oldest – Lan Huan, courtesy name Lan Xichen -was amicable and kind, his smile as warm as a mild spring sun. As the heir apparent, he was training to take over the clan in the future and was known by his peers as the exemplary gentleman. The youngest was Lan Zhan, courtesy name Lan Wangji, known for his studiousness and stoic manner, exemplary to such a degree it could even be said to be a fault. Where his older brother was mild, Lan Wangji was known to be stern and cold – like the beautiful first frost settled on the cold winter ground. Even as a child, he had never known many friends, nor showed the inclination towards finding any.
He had focused solely on his own cultivation path and study with singular purpose, and now at the tender age of 16 he had been made head of discipline, a fact that only further alienated him from his peers. Where he had previously been a mysterious absence in the day-to-day life of the guest disciples from the other clans, he was now a force to be feared. Known for his extreme adherence to the rules, he dealt out punishment without listening to complaints or excuses.
But where others saw him as a terrifying, solitary presence- perhaps even a lone wolf seeking out prey, whenever it stepped a toe out of line - Lan Wangji merely considered himself content. He had his meditations, his beloved guqin, and his pristine sword, Bichen. His older brother doted on him and his uncle considered him a great pride and joy.
Lan Wangji’s life was in other words peaceful. Maybe not happy exactly, but perfectly content.
As he sat in his room the eve, before the new disciples were scheduled to arrive, gently plucking the strings of his guqin, he thought that maybe life would always continue like this. Forever tranquil.
Deep inside, he wished it to be so.
The arrival of the new disciples went without incident, or so Lan Wangji heard. Overseeing the arrival of the various travel parties was not part of his duties, and the thought of the noise from groups upon groups of potentially rambunctious youths did not appeal to his senses, and so he spent the day in deep meditation instead. He would meet the new disciples in class the following day regardless, and he would rather do so under more restricted and controlled circumstances. It would be the first time that Lan Wangji joined in the classes himself. Until now, he had been following his own studies independently, faring far better studying on his own rather than with other unruly disciples in need of correction.
This year was to be different however. His uncle had requested his presence in his classes for the first time, and Lan Wangji did not find it fitting to turn him down, even though the thought didn’t much appeal to him. Whether he was to deter an especially disruptive set of guest disciples with his presence as head of discipline, or whether his uncle meant for him to begin mingling with other youths at this point in his life, Lan Wangji couldn’t quite figure out. He had tentatively raised the question during tea with his brother, but Lan Xichen had only given him a smile, filled with secret meaning that Lan Wangji wasn’t sure, what to make of.
In the end, he let it lie. It didn’t matter. He would simply proceed as he always had – following the code of the Lan without fault.
After an entire day meditating inside the Jingshi – his own personal quarters – Lan Wangji felt his heart settle into the place of tranquility that he had been taught to cultivate. Slowly unfolding his limbs from the lotus position, he stretched languidly. Though he was able to sit still the entire day, if need be, even he found his body stiff with inactivity if enough hours had passed by.
The room had turned a stark black and white contrast, as the moon had risen to pierce the inkstone night. Lan Wangji realized with a blink that he had been in such deep concentration that he had missed the dinner bell and evening bell both. An unusual miss on his part. He wasn’t truly unsettled though. Practicing regular inedia at his cultivation level was to be expected – after all, cultivators sought towards the life bound by no mortal coil, though none had reached it since the legendary Baoshan Sanren. These days a long-lasting life and a near invincible body was the most that could be realistically achieved. Lan Wangji’s core was strong, however, and his clan had high expectations of him. Behind his and his brother’s backs, there were whispers of hopes for new immortals, though of course, gossip was forbidden in Cloud Recesses, so any mouths caught whispering such tall tales were duly punished.
Lan Wangji thought they were folly. Whether he and his brother had such potential or not wasn’t important to either of them currently. What truly mattered to Lan Wangji was his own cultivation and the strict adherence to rules and decorum that he had cultivated with it. Whether he could stay just and fair to others and himself - that was, what truly mattered to Lan Wangji in the end and served as the ideal that he would like to uphold.
Since the evening bell had already rung, all disciples had to return to their quarters in order to uphold a proper daily sleep schedule. Lan Wangji had followed this schedule to a tee during his entire life, but now, as the head of discipline, he was required to patrol the clan grounds regularly to ensure that order was protected. Especially now that the new guest disciples had arrived. Though all had been faced with the wall depicting the clan rules upon entry, not all felt inclined to follow them to the letter like the Lan.
Lan Wangji was aware that they came from clans with different rule sets and cultures, but in his mind the Wall of Rules was ironclad, especially inside of Cloud Recesses. Since the new disciples had accepted the invitation to study here, they must follow the rules just as well as any Lan disciple. No exceptions.
Having said that, he wasn’t expecting any troublemakers on the very first night.
Walking through Cloud Recesses, Lan Wangji enjoyed the fresh summer night air. Recently he had been spending a fair amount of his time inside focusing on his studies and cultivation, so the fresh mountain air almost felt new on his face. His night-clad home was so different to the usual fair; even more tranquil and serene in the beautiful moonlight, and apart from the various other guards, he encountered on his way, he was alone the entire time. It was quiet. It was… peaceful. Lan Wangji drew a deep breath, feeling the peace settle deep within him.
And then, he heard it. A scratching sound coming from outside the wall surrounding Cloud Recesses.
He warily stepped closer, listening in and trying to decipher the sound that felt so out of place in the quiet night.
The scratching abruptly stopped, and Lan Wangji held his breath.
Then, a hand suddenly reached over the top of the wall, followed by a leg. To Lan Wangji’s utter bafflement, an unknown youth in dark unfamiliar robes swung himself up on the top of the wall, two jars swinging precariously from a rope in his hand.
Lan Wangji must have made a sound, because the intruder suddenly turned towards him, and if he felt intimidated or guilty at all, he certainly did not show it. Instead, he waved at Lan Wangji, his eyes closed and his lips stretched in a jovial smile.
Lan Wangji jumped off the ground in a single step and landed on the wall with his pristine white robes fluttering slightly. The youth looked at him up and down, clearly evaluating him, looking somehow like he was on the verge of clapping, and Lan Wangji felt annoyance settle deep in his gut. He narrowed his eyes and stared the misbehaving intruder down. Seeing that he had been allowed entry by the clan ground wards, he must be one of the new disciples.
“It is past curfew”, Lan Wangji said, enunciating each word clearly and sternly.
The youth blinked and started laughing, “Yeah, yeah, I know”
Waving the matter away with his hand, his manner remained lax and lackadaisical, his smile taking on a near roguish glint. The jars swung from his hand in an almost theatrical manner, as the disciple seemed to always be in motion.
“Returning after curfew is prohibited”, Lan Wangji further stated, feeling like he had to state the obvious to this uncaring person.
The youth seemed to still at that statement, allowing Lan Wangji to finally get a good look at him: though he must be one of the new disciples, he wore his own clothes rather than the robes provided by the Lan Clan, a set of red, grey, and black robes that would have lent him some stealth, had it not been a bright moonlit night. His long hair had been tied in a lively ponytail with a red ribbon that fluttered lightly in the air. His face had a rather handsome shape with a sharp chin and mirthful eyes that crinkled ever so slightly at the corners. And his smile was stunning, something that lit his face up in a bright light, even to Lan Wangji’s eyes. His body was lean and well-built, visible even under his robes, speaking to years of training.
Above all though, there seemed to be something almost unreal about him. Maybe it was the way he looked in the moonlight, but Lan Wangji could almost swear that his eyes shone silver. They didn’t just reflect the light of the moon; it was as if they were emitting the moonlight themselves.
Lan Wangji suppressed a small shudder at the eerie thought, yet found himself somewhat enthralled by it at the same time. Was this guest disciple even human?
Then the moment broke, when the youth began to laugh: a bright peal of laughter, like the sound of a clear bell left his mouth, and Lan Wangji found himself liking the sound more than he probably should. When Lan Wangji looked again, the youth’s eyes no longer shone. They were merely a pleasant grey that complimented his smile in a rather attractive way.
“Here”, the youth said, reaching forward one of the jars in his hand, “It’s Emperor’s Smile. Let me pass, and we’ll share it”
On instinct, Lan Wangji parroted the rules again, “Drinking is prohibited in Cloud Recesses”
The guest disciple immediately countered, “But we are not technically in Cloud Recesses right now, are we?”
He tapped the wall with his foot to make his point.
“So, if I drink it right here, it’s fine, right?”
And with that he proceeded to rip open one jar and pour its contents down, his throat bobbing with every gulp. For a moment, time appeared to stand still, as Lan Wangji’s eyes followed that movement. The picture that slender form made against the night sky, as the wind rustled his hair.
Then Lan Wangji blinked, stupor being washed away by reason, and he drew Bichen. The youth, seeing this, merely wiped his mouth and let out another bright laugh. Lan Wangji attacked, letting his sword guide him in one fluid motion, as he aimed for the forbidden jar. The youth spun around, barely keeping the jar out of Bichen’s reach, before he jumped back and threw the jar in the air. Lan Wangji’s eyes automatically followed the gently curve of the jar’s motion through the air, but kept the troublemaking disciple in his peripheral view, always aware of his movements. Said troublemaker spun around Lan Wangji, exaggerated almost like a street performer showing off his best tricks to a crowd. As he passed, his hand almost graced Lan Wangji, and the latter swung out in reflex, a fast cut that made the opposing youth jump back with a surprised look on his face. Still, he caught the jar of alcohol without looking, his attention solely on Lan Wangji, and his surprise turning to mirth.
Lan Wangji felt irked at the sight. He wasn’t used to being evaded or outmaneuvered like this. He wanted to wipe that smile off his face.
With a quick tap of his foot, he jumped towards the guest disciple, delivering a piercing thrust that could not merely be evaded with a backstep like before. However, much to his surprise, the youth did not even try to evade. He simply crossed his arms and used the rope from the jar to catch Lan Wangji’s sword. The resulting smile on the youth’s face was infuriating, and Lan Wangji flicked the sword up in irritation. The youth’s hold was strong, but his strength was no match for Lan Wangji’s, and as a result the jar went flying through the air.
It hit the ground with a spectacular smash, breaking into pieces and spilling the offending liquid inside.
The youth let out a mournful wail that almost startled Lan Wangji, “My Emperor’s Smile! Aish, Lan-xiong, you are so cruel!”
While the youth continued to berate Lan Wagji’s “cruel” actions with a flood of words that felt completely overwhelming to him, Lan Wangji turned away from the noisemaker, considering, if he should simply use the Lan Clan’s infamous silencing spell on him to get some quiet and peace. Tallying up the youth’s indiscretions, Lan Wangji was trying to figure out the best punishment suited for the situation, when he suddenly noticed a considerable lack of noise around him. When he turned back, the youth had already vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind but two small jars, one rolling empty on the wall, while the other’s content had long seeped into the ground.
Lan Wangji felt indignation rise up into his chest. He tried to temper his irritation with the thought that the troublemaker would get his due eventually. He was clearly residing in Cloud Recesses, and with his light-hearted demeanor and slender profile, he would stand out amongst the temporary guest disciples.
With a sigh, Lan Wangji began picking up the pieces of ceramic along with the empty jar, intending to use them as evidence, when he would see his uncle tomorrow after classes. Being the head of disciple, he did not need his uncle’s permission to punish, as he saw fit – even the visiting guest disciples – however he only felt it right to confer with him in this case, seeing as he did not yet know the identity of this mystery disciple.
As his infuriating face appeared in Lan Wangji’s mind, his thoughts slowly grinded to a halt, when he remembered the almost eerie feeling he had had, when he had thought the disciple’s eyes had been shining. He shook off the feeling. It must have been a trick of the moonlight.
And yet, Lan Wangji couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there was something afoot here, a feeling of brushing up against the unknown. Lan Wangji was used to dealing with various spirits and ghouls. He was not someone, who scared easily to begin with, and his rigorous training had led to him developing a hardy constitution against the otherworldly. To him, it was simply part of being a cultivator. This encounter had him feeling ever so slightly off-kilter though. The youth had been no spirit or demon or ghoul that Lan Wangji knew off. He felt entirely too human, and yet with a tinge of something slightly… off. Something almost ethereal. Lan Wangji couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
As he picked up the last pieces of ceramics, Lan Wangji put the encounter aside for now. He had resolved to take the matter into hand tomorrow, but for now he had to resume his guard duties.
But tomorrow… tomorrow, he would find the culprit and then, there would be no running.
This was the first time that the Second Jade of the Lan met the youth he would come to know as Wei Wuxian, and to Lan Wangji’s utter chagrin, it would be far from the last.
Jiang Cheng, curtesy name Jiang Wanyin, heir apparent to Lotus Pier and the entire Jiang Clan and sect, was having a bad day. A headache had been building and building all day in his left temple, and now he could scarcely focus in class because of it. His sect brother (and the major cause to his now major headache) had insisted on fetching some famous wine the night before, and despite Jiang Cheng sourly telling him no, he had simply kept wheedling and needling Jiang Cheng, until the latter kicked him out of their guest quarters with a shout.
His temper flared and cooled in equal measure, and by the time that his so-called brother returned home, he was ready to take him back in, maybe even share a cup of said famous wine he had kept blathering about. He was not ready however for the sight of his sect brother’s exhilarated grin, which sent familiar chills down Jiang Cheng’s back.
“Wei Wuxian! What did you do?”, he managed to grit out through his clenched teeth.
Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian, birth name Wei Ying, merely stood there, smile stretching far up to his eyes. His hands were empty of their sought-after prize, and he appeared ever-so-slightly out of breath.
Jiang Cheng’s bad feeling somehow got worse.
Before Wei Wuxian could open his mouth to explain – or more likely brag – Jiang Cheng covered his mouth and dragged him inside by the arm. He slid the door close with a subtle click, wary of the Lan guards that might be patrolling in the vicinity.
“What did you do?”, he finally hissed.
“Well, if you would let me speak, I would tell you”, Wei Wuxian attempted to say through Jiang Cheng’s fingers, but it came out rather muffled. He seemed in no hurry to make Jiang Cheng let go and didn’t struggle the slightest bit. In fact, he seemed to enjoy his sect sibling’s ire immensely.
With a sigh, Jiang Cheng let go, before Wei Wuxian could do something as obnoxious as licking his fingers purely to gross him out. Wei Wuxian had a mischievous glimmer in his eyes, when he finally spoke, sending Jiang Cheng an infuriating wink:
“I met a guy”
“A bad start to a tale of roguery and rule-breaking. Don’t you dare try to evade it – you saw the giant stone wall of 2000 freaking rules, when we arrived. The Lan are insane to follow them, but you are even more so for breaking them on your first day in their territory!”, Jiang Cheng stated curtly with a raised eyebrow and no tolerance for his older sect brother’s misadventures. Somehow, said brother always ended up roping him into the mess with him.
“Let me talk, you grumpy bear, and I’ll explain it”, Wei Wuxian said, sauntering over to the table in the center of the room, picking up a mandarin and deftly unpeeling the bright protective peel in one single, long strip. Jiang Cheng’s hackles raised at the nickname, but Wei Wuxian simply ignored him and continued.
“This guy is possibly the single most beautiful person I have ever seen”
“A Lan?”
“He was wearing Lan robes certainly with the cloud motif on his headband and carrying a beautifully forged sword to boot. He has to be part of the main clan. Some sort of enforcer maybe or guard. Though he was too pretty to be a mere guard, if you ask me. The Peacock has nothing on this guy”
“Wait”, Jiang Cheng exclaimed, ignoring the last comment directed towards their older sister’s fiancé, “He drew his sword at you?!”
Wei Wuxian grinned with no remorse, “Well, I was breaking the rules right in front of his nose, so maybe I was asking for it.”
“To my defense”, he added, when he saw the colour of Jiang Cheng’s face, “I was not technically inside Cloud Recesses, when I broke the rules, so they shouldn’t apply, right?”
He appealed to Jiang Cheng, as if he expected his younger sect brother’s full support. Instead, he found Jiang Cheng pinching the bridge of his nose, on the verge of throwing him out again to be free from seeing his face for the rest of the night.
When Jiang Cheng had lied down to rest that night, he had expected things to calm down for a few days, or rather for Wei Wuxian to cease his incessant trouble-making for at least at day or two, while they acclimatized themselves to their new surroundings.
But as with all things that Wei Wuxian caused, the previous night’s incident would not come to rest so easily. In fact, when Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng arrived at the building that was to house their future classes, they quickly found out that it might have much broader consequences, than either of them had thought.
Like all Lan architecture, the building was focused on a floating aesthetic, placed near a cold stream of water that cascaded down the cliffs, the building had been erected on. The roof had been tiled in the darker bluish greys of the shade of “livid” with pointed edges and reed screens swaying ever so slightly in the wind, which caused a wind chime to send out a lovely sound that called the disciples inside. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian had fallen into a lively discussion about their new surroundings with another disciple called Nie Huisang – the heir of the infamous Nie Clan, which had their roots in butchery of all things. Despite this, Nie Huisang was not reminiscent of a butcher in the slightest. In fact, he seemed rather removed from the concept of strength entirely. With an elegantly decorated fan in hand, he pointed hither and dither and shared his little nuggets of advice, having been a guest disciple in Cloud Recesses for several years in a row by now. He seemed rather like a young nobleman whiling away his time in luxurious sloth. According to Nie Huisang himself, his older brother – the imposing Nie Mingjue – had hoped to make a proper cultivator out of him this way, but if you asked Jiang Cheng, that boat had long since sailed. Nie Huisang didn’t seem to be interested in that goal in the slightest, but rather how to avoid it. Maybe this inclination was why he immediately fell into a friendship with Wei Wuxian (and a begrudging Jiang Cheng).
Nie Huisang also warned them before entering not to cross a certain person.
“He is the head of discipline, Lan Qiren’s most treasured student – Lan Wangji. You shouldn’t worry too much though. He never mingles with the guest disciples”
Wei Wuxian cocked his head, “Lan Wangji… is he particularly good-looking?”
“Is he ever? He is on the top three most sought-after bachelors in the entire cultivation world!”, Nie Huisang exclaimed and snapped his fan shut. He tapped it lightly on in his open palm, “But he is equally strict. He lets no rule-break pass without punishment, be warned”
“Is it that guy sitting over there?”, Wei Wuxian suddenly said, stopping in his tracks. Nie Huisang turned to look in that direction, and what he saw, made him freeze too.
Staring at them, or rather at Wei Wuxian, was a stern-looking youth with a face of jade – beautiful and stony in equal measure – and lightly golden eyes that seemed cold on the verge of frigid. His handsome features were mired by his slight frown and unsmiling mouth however, giving the overall impression of something pretty that could be much more beautiful, if only it would soften its edges. Even Jiang Cheng could admit as much (though only inside his head and certainly never to Wei Wuxian, especially not after last night). After giving them a glare that might as well have cursed the very ground they stood on, Lan Wangji looked back to the front of the class, where the teacher’s desk still remained empty. His back was just as straight, as if it had been carved out of the wood they used for pillars in the great temples. His cold manner gave off an air of superiority, and Jiang Cheng instantly felt his hackles rise. No matter, how much Wei Wuxian had offended him last night, how dare he simply ignore them all like that. Nie Huisang and Jiang Cheng were both heirs to their respective clans, and even Wei Wuxian was the head disciple of the Jiang Clan, nothing to turn his nose at. And this was supposed to be the guy that his mother had told him over and over to be more like, because he was “the perfect, well-mannered cultivator”?
While Jiang Cheng had been making note of Lan Wangji’s rudeness, Wei Wuxian and Nie Huisang had recovered from their frozen states and continued their chatter. Looking at Nie Huisang’s increasingly outraged face, Jiang Cheng gathered that Wei Wuxian had recounted last night’s escapades again, looking somehow all the prouder for having an intently listening audience this time.
“Breaking curfew, drinking alcohol, and having a personal fight”, Nie Huisang counted on his fingers, appearing more flustered than the instigator himself, “You have barely been here a day, and you have already broken three rules!”
He held his fingers up in front of Wei Wuxian, who waved them away with a light cackle, “Hey, I’ll have you know that he was the one, who drew his sword, not me!”
Nie Huisang looked almost ready to faint, clutching Wei Wuxian’s shoulder tightly, “Wei-xiong, though our acquaintance may have been brief, it was nice knowing you”
Suddenly there was a degrading snort behind them, and the trio turned around to face a youth sitting behind his desk. He wore the white Lan garbs that all guest disciples had been given, however the red mark that adorned his forehead clearly marked him as a Jin. He wasn’t directly facing them, but even his profile made for a handsome sight, though the impact was somewhat lessened by the haughty expression he was wearing: his eyebrows were raised and furrowed at the same time in a clear display of disgust.
He was surrounded by other youths similarly marked as disciples from the Jin Clan, and they all mirrored his expression as if they were all part of one organism.
Wei Wuxian’s hackles instantly began to rise at the sight of him, but as he was about to open his mouth, when Jiang Cheng grabbed his arm and forced him into a polite albeit very unwilling bow. Meanwhile, Nie Huisang slid away from the confrontation happening in full view of everybody.
“The Jiang heir, Jiang Cheng, greets the Jin heir, Jin Zixuan”, Jiang Cheng formally greeted as was part of tradition, though this was far from their first meeting. Jin Zixuan had visited the Lotus Pier plenty of times from childhood as part of his arranged engagement with the oldest Jiang child, Jiang Yanli. His presence had always been cold, if not downright sour, but his mother had a great relationship with the Jiang Clan’s first lady, and so he dutifully showed up with her, every time they visited.
Jin Zixuan didn’t return the greeting though; he merely scoffed and turned his head. The other Jin disciples began to whisper among themselves. The other people in the class watched with clear fascination at this showdown between great clans.
At the obvious and very public slight, Wei Wuxian clenched his fists.
But Jiang Cheng dug his nails into his skin and hissed at him in a nearly inaudible voice, “Don’t. Think of A-Li”
The thought of his older sect sister seemed like a punch to Wei Wuxian’s gut and his anger deflated.
Jiang Cheng was not entirely unaffected either however, and he couldn’t help but insert a snide remark, “My mother sends her regards to Jin-furen”
At this mention of his mother, Jin Zixuan visibly clenched his teeth, but he wasn’t prepared to insult both the madam of the Jiang Clan and his own mother in one fell swoop by denying their friendship in a public setting.
“The regard is mutual”, the Jin heir answered unwillingly, his voice strained to the breaking point.
At this the tension in the room somewhat abated. Jiang Cheng decided that the struggle with his future brother-in-law in the view of everybody was beyond pointless and went to find his seat instead. He dragged a stiff Wei Wuxian with him, who still seemed intent to fight for his sect sister’s honour.
“Get over here”, Jiang Cheng hissed at him.
Before Wei Wuxian could retort, Lan Qiren opened the door to the classroom. Though his arrival was without much fanfare, the imposing silence that descended on the room upon him entering was a force to be felt. All the disciples hurried to stand behind their desks and bow to Lan Qiren, as he walked through the lines of disciples in an unhurried pace and came to a halt behind his desk.
“The guest disciples greet Lan-xiansheng”, their voices rang out in unison.
“Rise”, Lan Qiren said in a voice of a person that was clearly used to respect, “Be seated”
Jiang Cheng looked at the older man that was to be their teacher for the next year: he was a stately man with a back that was just as ramrod straight as his nephew’s, pointedly arched eyebrows, and most notably, a long, thin beard that reached a good few inches down his neck. Despite his age, his strong cultivation shone through, and his features were still fine and his hair and beard a deep black. Lan Qiren was stroking said beard, appearing in deep contemplation, before he reached into his sleeve and produced a thick scroll, which he opened up and let roll along the top of the desk, down the front and across the floor of the classroom, before it finally came to an end.
The disciples collectively gaped at the length of the scroll, while Lan Qiren began to talk. After just a few sentences, it became clear that he was reciting the 2000 rules of the Lan Clan, and there was a silent groan hanging in the air from the disciples listening.
Jiang Cheng did his best to listen intently, he really did, but soon his attention began to waver. As always, it wandered to Wei Wuxian, who was busy drawing on the empty scroll in front of him, not even attempting to listen. Jiang Cheng tried to ignore him, his mother’s words ringing clear in his head:
It’s not enough, Jiang Cheng. You must do better than that scoundrel, always and ever and at all that he does. You are the heir, and he is your subordinate. A mere disciple. The son of a servant and… that.
Jiang Cheng glanced at Wei Wuxian again. He could still feel his mother’s fingers dig into his shoulders just as much as her words.
Mark my words, someday he will drag you and this entire clan down. That boy brings disaster wherever he goes.
It was hard to connect his mother’s words of doom with the bright youth that sat in class with seemingly no care in the world. His long ponytail swayed with the force of his motions, and Jiang Cheng chanced a glance at the drawing, he was putting so much care into, and almost choked.
It appeared to be a rather well-made caricature of Lan Qiren – Lan Qiren with a beard so long that it draped along the ground along with the scroll and a tiny Wei Wuxian with a pair of oversized scissors. Further down in the corner appeared to be a tiny drawing of a youth with a stick tied to his back… The size and angle made it difficult for Jiang Cheng to see it clearly, but he glanced around, and only one disciple could be said to sit that straight.
Jiang Cheng was still damning his sect sibling for his newfound fascination with Lan Wangji, when Lan Qiren suddenly stopped talking with a light cough and began to roll the scroll up again.
“I see that I do not have your full attention. If so, you do not deserve mine either.”
Jiang Cheng sat up as straight as he could, and cursed himself for letting his mind wander.
Lan Qiren cast a glance around the class and appeared to settle on one person in particular.
“I only recited the rules, because it reached my ears that some of you do not know them”
Jiang Cheng felt the sweat begin to gather down his back.
“Wei Ying!”
“Here! Here!”, Wei Wuxian reached a hand into the air and waved it around with an unwelcome excitement.
Something in Lan Qiren’s face twitched, and he began to walk around the class, keeping his steely gaze on Wei Wuxian at all times, like a tiger stalking its prey.
“What is the difference between yao, demons, ghosts, and monsters?”
“Yao are formed from non-human living beings, while demons are formed from living humans. Ghost come from deceased humans, and monsters from non-human deceased beings”
The questions hailed down over Wei Wuxian without mercy, but Wei Wuxian only smiled, almost arrogantly, and answered each without falter, his hands behind his straight back – a gesture of respect, which he somehow managed to turn into one of mockery.
“What was the profession of the progenitor of the Nie Clan?”
“Butcher”
“Which variant of peony is the Jin clan insignia flower?”
“Sparks Amidst Snow”
“Who was the first to emphasize the strength of the clan over the sect?”
“Wen Mao”
If Lan Qiren was at all impressed by his repertoire of knowledge, he did not let it show: “As the Jiang head disciple, such knowledge is a given. Do not let it go to your head”
As Lan Qiren passed by him, Jiang Cheng heard an almost imperceptible click from his teeth. He felt thankful that the teacher’s ire was not on him, but at the same time he could feel Wei Wuxian digging his grave ever deeper and wearing his welcome thinner by the moment. Whatever problem Lan Wangji had with Wei Wuxian, it was clear that his uncle carried a much deeper grudge.
Finally, Lan Qiren turned around, staring straight at Wei Wuxian with narrowed eyes.
“An executioner, who has killed over 100 people, dies and becomes a wrathful spirit. How do you appease him?”
At this, Wei Wuxian finally fell silent.
Lan Qiren looked over the class, “Anyone else?”
Jiang Cheng gulped and hoped to be avoided. He wasn’t sure in his answer either and didn’t want to dishonour his sect.
“Wangji, tell them”
Lan Wangji stood up and bowed to his uncle in a slow and measured motion, before answering: “First deliverance, second suppression, third obliteration. First, we talk to his family and attempt to appease his spirit by fulfilling any lingering regrets he may have. Should this not work, there is suppression. If his crimes are especially heinous and his resentment too deep, we vanquish his spirit. All cultivators must abide by this rule of order.”
Jiang Cheng hoped that would be the end of it, but to his utter chagrin he heard a familiar laughter peal through the classroom and felt a headache building in his temples. This was going to be a bad day.
Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian was regarding Lan Wangji with something akin to fascinated exasperation, “It’s not that I didn’t know the answer, rather I just found it to be unsatisfying. Wasteful, one might say”
“And how, pray tell, would you answer in a less ‘wasteful’ way?”, Lan Qiren asked in a measured way that belied a quiet anger simmering just beneath the surface.
Jiang Cheng was doing his best to signal to Wei Wuxian to sit down and shut up, before it was too late, but Wei Wuxian’s focus was solely on the two Lan members, his tone cocky and self-assured: “Appeasement is the best way forward, but it rarely works”
“Hence, why we have suppression and obliteration”, Lan Wangji inserted pointedly.
“Yeah, but as I said, that’s just wasteful!”, Wei Wuxian exclaimed excitedly, “Yu the Great found that redirection was the way forward rather than suppression, when he changed the path of the Yellow River. Why can’t resentful energy be controlled the same way? No, I say we dig up the corpses of the executioner’s victims and use that resentful energy against him. Fight resentment with resentment!”
He splayed his arms in a wide arc, finishing off his grand tale of heresy. Jiang Cheng was gaping at the gall of his sect brother. Wei Wuxian’s ideas were radical to say the least, but never had he dared voice them in such an open forum and in front of such esteemed company. Speaking of the present rule keepers… Jiang Cheng peeked towards Lan Qiren and his nephew and both appeared to be in shock – Lan Qiren openly, while Lan Wangji… well, Jiang Cheng couldn’t tell, if he felt one way or another, but he’d wager good money on the head of disciplinary being anything but happy to hear this proposed break of conventions.
Lan Qiren was shaking with anger, when he asked Wei Wuxian again, “And how are you going to control the resentful energy?”
Wei Wuxian tilted his head for a short moment, before answering without any shame in the world: “I haven’t thought that far yet!”
He then immediately ducked, as Lan Qiren threw a scroll at him, and it hit a rather unfortunate Nie Huisang square in the face. He had been following the proceedings with his jaw on the floor from the safe place behind Wei Wuxian until now, and sadly his reflexes were much slower than Wei Wuxian’s.
Seething with anger, Lan Qiren spat through his teeth: “If you had, the entirety of the cultivation world would never let you be”
With a sigh, he fixed his gaze on the offending youth and yelled: “Scram!”
The entire class winced.
Not Wei Wuxian though. He merely laughed and left, waving goodbye for good measure. The rest of the class giggled at the sheer audacity.
Jiang Cheng sighed, his headache now in full bloom at the thought of what this was going to do to Wei Wuxian’s, and not to mention the Jiang Clan’s, reputation.
Looking up again, he noticed that Lan Qiren signaled for him and Lan Wangji to stay after class.
These six months were going to be long.
Jiang Cheng looked skyward and silently begged his older sister for patience with their rambunctious sect sibling.
As the disciples began to file out, Lan Wangji and the Jiang heir stayed behind, waiting for the classroom to empty out completely, before walking up to stand next to each other in front of Lan Qiren’s desk. The older man was busy checking reports and filing away papers, so they were left standing for the time being.
Lan Wangji watched the young Jiang heir out the periphery of his vision, and the impression he ended up making was a sourly and serious youth with a permanent wrinkle in the middle of his forehead. Despite the chaos that this other disciple, the Jiang clan’s head disciple, Wei Wuxian, had caused, he held himself proudly, as if he was already carrying the weight of his entire clan on his shoulders. Lan Wangji couldn’t reconcile the impressions that the two disciples made with each other. Wei Wuxian seemed prone to trouble, wherever he went, a cocky grin constantly plastered on his handsome face, while his younger sect sibling seemed to carry his irritation on his sleeve, a thunderous aura clinging to his every move. Lan Wangji felt the urge to take a step further away from the Jiang heir, but he couldn’t quite put the finger on why. The youth had done nothing wrong so far, but Lan Wangji felt ever so slightly irked by his presence. Maybe it was the irritated energy he exuded or the way he expressed it with every almost imperceptible tap of his feet, curling and uncurling his fists behind his back and the clench of his teeth. On the surface, the Jiang heir made a show of respect and propriety, but just under the surface, he seemed like a spark of emotions about to ignite. Lan Wangji filed his observations away and forced himself to stand still. Contrary to the Jiang heir, he stood as if rooted in place, his body betraying no emotion or discomfort at the current situation.
Lan Qiren finally finished his work and looked up at the two youths. A deep sigh built up in his chest and exited through his nose, and the Jiang heir finally stood properly still at receiving his attention. Lan Wangji saw the fatigue etched in his uncle’s features. He appeared on the verge of giving them a grave mission, and Lan Wangji felt an unsettling sensation building in his stomach.
“Wei Wuxian is a menace. A great problem in the making, who skorts on the rules, as if they were a challenge. An arrogant, foolhardy boy with no respect for hierarchy nor his elders. I can only imagine the way he acts at home.”
The youth next to Lan Wangji winced ever so slightly at the picture that Lan Qiren was painting of his older sect sibling. A smidge of shame painted his features even darker than they were before.
Meanwhile, Lan Qiren carried on unabated: “He needs to be corrected now, before it’s too late. He is to copy the Rules of Conduct. Three times. Hopefully, that will make him remember the rules a little better”
The older man rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
“Jiang Wanyin”, the Jiang heir managed to stand just a bit taller at being called on, “Inform Wei Wuxian of his punishment. I expect that you might know, where he has run off to. Keep him from further trouble. At least for today.”
Jiang Chen nodded and bowed respectfully, but Lan Wangji caught a glance of his sour expression, as he bowed. It made him think back to Wei Wuxian’s brilliant smiles and wonder, how two so different people could stand each other’s company.
“Wangji”
Lan Wangji met his uncle’s gaze undaunted, “Shufu”
“Wei Wuxian cannot be trusted to complete his task by himself. Watch over him and make sure he finishes it, from the first brushstroke to the last.”
He bowed respectfully to his uncle, but felt a pinch of annoyance at the thought of having to spend more time with this menace, than he absolutely had to.
“You may leave”, Lan Qiren said, but as they both got up from their bows, he gestured for Lan Wangji to stay. As Jiang Cheng left the building, an expectant air settled over the two Lans. Lan Wangji felt somewhat curious to hear, what Lan Qiren would not say in front of the Jiang heir.
Lan Qiren gathered his hands in front of him and let his head rest on them. He then looked his nephew straight in the eyes and began:
“Wangji, how much do you know about the background of this boy, Wei Wuxian?”
Feeling confused at this sudden line of question, Lan Wangji merely shook his head.
Another sigh left Lan Qiren and he got up, walked to the nearest window and gazed outside. Lan Wangji followed his line of sight to the receding back of Jiang Cheng.
“You may as well hear this from me, before the gossip of the other disciples reaches your ears”
Lan Wangji was tempted to recite that gossiping in Cloud Recesses was forbidden, but he kept his tongue, waiting patiently for his uncle to continue.
“Wei Wuxian was raised by the Jiang Clan together with their other two children, and serves as their head disciple, that is true. You haven’t interacted much with the other disciples your age, so you may not know this, but Wei Wuxian has long been lauded for his skills and wit, and I cannot deny them no matter his disrespect”
Hearing his uncle praise another disciple to such a degree, regardless of his other disparaging remarks, surprised Lan Wangji enough that he clenched his fists behind his back ever so slightly.
“But before he was taken in by the Jiang Clan, Wei Wuxian was the son the Jiang Clan’s leader, Jiang Fengmian’s, servant Wei Changze and a rogue cultivator by the name of Cangse Sanren. No matter, what you may hear about them, know this: Cangse Sanren was a free spirit, more light-hearted than most, but she was not one to stray. I pray that Wei Wuxian has inherited this trait too, amidst his penchant for trouble and disregard for rules. He truly is the son of his mother in that regard”
Lan Qiren ran his fingers through his beard, seemingly stuck in memories that Lan Wangji knew nothing of.
“Aish, I shouldn’t say anymore”, Lan Qiren sighed and shook his head, turning his back to the sunny view outside, before returning to his desk.
“Just know this Wangji: if Wei Wuxian is anything like his mother, he will become even more trouble in the future, if we don’t act now. Handle his case with care”
Lan Wangji bowed to his uncle, his heart filled with the steadfast trust being shown him, but also a feeling of uncertainty. He thought back to the feeling he had had after his first encounter with Wei Wuxian.
What exactly was going on with the Jiang Clan’s mysterious head disciple?
Near a babbling stream, Wei Wuxian was lying on a hefty branch, no idea that he was being talked about in such a disparaging, yet positive manner. He had pinched a straw between his teeth and was content with watching the fish swim by carelessly, while he wondered, which one of them would make for a tastier meal. He had only been in Cloud Recesses one day, but he wasn’t impressed with the food at all so far. The Lan Clan was as austere with their eating practices, as they were with everything else. The food was based on the monastic traditions and contained a variety of bitter herbs, plain vegetables and rice without a hint of spice or condiments. There might have been a pinch of salt added, but Wei Wuxian could barely even tell. Coming from Yunmeng, his tongue must be drying up from the sheer lack of spice, and he heaved a mighty sigh. How was he going to survive six months with food like this.
Maybe, if he could fashion a fishing rod, some of these fat fish could fill his stomach instead of swimming around idly like this.
A carp seemed to look up at him, opening and closing its mouth, as if mocking him.
Wei Wuxian burst out laughing at the sheer indignity of being mocked by a fish.
“Stop laughing, you idiot!”, came a sour voice, and Wei Wuxian looked up at the two newcomers.
Jiang Cheng stood behind him with crossed arms and a pinch in his forehead that signaled his ire. Behind him, Nie Huisang peeked out, hiding half of his mouth behind his ornamental fan.
“Wei-xiong, Wei-xiong”, Nie Huisang called for his attention: “You managed to escape a dreadful class, I must tell you. But the manner in which you did it was truly astounding.”
Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow, “Well, Old Man Lan yelled at me to get out”
“And you really did!”, Nie Huaisang giggled, unable to hide his delight, “Your conjecture about resentful energy was really interesting though! With that even one with poor cultivation such as myself could obtain power in short time”
“Exactly”, Wei Wuxian threw a stone into the brook, contemplating the way it quickly sunk down into the running waters, “but Old Man Lan does have a point. If regular cultivation is a lake of energy, then resentful energy is a river. It would be easy to be swept along, I imagine. Hmm”
Jiang Cheng angrily interjected himself into the heretical conversation his companions were having, “Stop talking about it. Such discussions are taboo for a reason. Do you want to be exiled from the entire cultivation world?”
Wei Wuxian quickly shut his mouth, but still gave the idea some thought, “Naturally, I won’t go down that path, Jiang Cheng. Why would I pick the narrow one-plank bridge, when I can go the bright, broad road? That would mean leaving you and Shijie behind. I could never do that”
Jiang Cheng crossed his arms and snorted, “As long as you know”
A tense quiet settled between the three, but it was thankfully short-lived.
“Ah, but Wei-xiong, you truly outdid yourself this time”, Nie Huisang closed his fan and lightly tapped his cheek as of in contemplation.
This piqued Wei Wuxian’s interest, “Oh?”
“Your punishment, you idiot”, Jiang Cheng sighed. “It’s not only your face that you are losing doing all this shit. Why can’t you just sit still for once and listen?”
“What can I say”, Wei Wuxian threw a rock in the river, watching it sink and scaring the fish away, “I just don’t find the guest lectures all that inspiring”
“Don’t you start”, Jiang Cheng warned him with thunder lurking behind his tight-lipped smile: “Not here”
The mood shifted ever so slightly, as if a cloud had passed by the sun and kept away the summer heat. Nie Huisang looked uncomfortably between the two sect siblings, seeming far more affected by the frigidity in the air than either of they were. Wei Wuxian, by now far too used to his young sibling’s ire to truly care, merely shrugged and jumped off the branch.
“So, what am I in for this time?”
The shift in topic seemed to shake the ice off of Jiang Cheng’s demeanor, and he returned to simply grumbling, “You have to copy the Rules of Conduct three times”
Wei Wuxian sputtered: “Three times?! That’s going to take weeks or a month even!”
Catching a whiff of Wei Wuxian’s despair, Nie Huisang leaned in and hastily covered his mouth with his fan, whispering: “Wei-xiong, one could be persuaded to help, if someone of a certain wit could help a poor young man in need of passing his exams”
“Aiyo, Nie-xiong, this is the third time you are taking the exam; shouldn’t you know the contents by heart?”, Wei Wuxian said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Please, Wei-xiong. Da-ge will kill me, if I don’t pass this time. You wouldn’t leave a fellow comrade in need like this, would you?”, Nie Huisang whined, fan fluttering coquettishly in front of his lips like an actor at the theater.
Wei Wuxian cocked his head, as if thinking it over, painfully dragging it out. Nie Huaisang looked close to tears, but Wei Wuxian didn’t think he could truly trust them. Even having known the youth for such a short time, he got the feeling that Nie Huisang got away with far more, than he let on.
After dragging it out long enough for Jiang Cheng to start shaking his head, Wei Wuxian finally said, “Alright, we have a deal”
Nie Huisang grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically. Wei Wuxian let him, before noticing the small scroll that he had placed in them. He opened it, letting it roll out into its full length, showcasing an amazingly long list of subjects and questions to memorize. He sighed internally at the tedious extra workload.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of white. He whipped his head around to catch a glimpse of Lan Wangj staring at the trio with blank expression on his face that Wei Wuxian thought might be distaste.
Feeling a sudden urge bobble up inside of him to break that expression, he waved with both arms and called out, “Lan-xiong! Lan-xiong!”
Hearing that Lan Wangji’s face shifted an increment, darkening almost so imperceptively, that Wei Wuxian was unsure, if it had happened at all. Before he could get a closer look, the dour, but handsome Lan youth turned away, his white sleeves fluttering, as he began walking away from them as fast as the rules would allow.
“I wonder, if he just didn’t hear me,” Wei Wuxian mused out loud, cocking his head to the side.
He then immediately winced, when he felt Jiang Cheng slapping the back of his head.
“He hates you, you idiot. And no wonder, after the stunt you pulled last night”
“I sincerely hope he didn’t hear us, “Nie Huisang nervously twisted his hands around his fan. He motioned towards the scroll in Wei Wuxian’s hand, that was still hanging freely and for everybody to see. Wei Wuxian quickly rolled it back up and stuffed it inside his sleeve.
“He probably didn’t, and besides, don’t underestimate my cheating skills! Even if he knows, I’d like to see him stop me”, Wei Wuxian exclaimed with a cocky smirk.
Jiang Cheng rubbed his forehead, looking like he was seriously reconsidering his present company.
It wasn’t long before Lan Qiren’s worries about the rumour mill came true, and Cloud Recesses was abuzz with the imaginative theories about Wei Wuxian and his heritage, loud enough to reach even Lan Wangji’s ears. And though he punished every rumour-monger as per the Lan Clan’s rules, he could not brush off their many fantastical words entirely:
“Hey, did you hear, did you hear? About the Jiang clan’s head disciple, Wei Wuxian”
“I heard he’s the bastard son of the clan leader, Jiang Fengmian”
“No way! With a wife like his, I wouldn’t dare stray!”
“With a wife like his, no wonder he did!”
“Isn’t Wei Wuxian the son of a servant though?”
“Would the son of a servant be sent here to study with the rest of the gentry? Obviously, it’s a cover story, you idiot”
“But what about the mother? Who was she?”
“You won’t believe me, but I heard that she was from the mountain, where the legendary spirits of the arts live”
“What a load of hogwash”
“Don’t dismiss it! I heard she was a Xi Quyue or – more scandalously - a Yu Li!”
“Pff, no wonder the Jiang leader strayed faced with such a temptation!”
“And no wonder, their son is gifted with such good looks! That wicked smile that catches the sun and the eyes of all around, his slender built, an archer’s built. Good thing that men and women cultivate separately here, or he would have already seduced them all!”
“Careful, or he might seduce you too!”
“Stop it!”
The laughter was always quick to stop though, when faced with Lan Wangji’s stony countenance and unyielding principles.
Despite looking through the library, Lan Wangji wasn’t able to find much on either term. He did manage to find a few mentions of a Xi Quyue in relation to poems, but only a singular mention of a Yu Li: a book on different emperors of the past made mention of an entire dynasty falling to ruin due to the influence of one woman “with the countenance of a Yu Li”. This apparently caused the emperor to neglect his duties and lock himself up inside his chambers with only said woman for company for “endless nights of debauchery”. When Lan Wangji’s eyes passed those words, he had closed the book with excessive force, feeling his ears warm up in embarrassment. He sighed in frustration.
Ridiculous.
But over the coming days, Lan Wangji couldn’t shake the words from his head, much as he tried.
Wei Wuxian’s smiles really did seem to shine with an infectious quality that affected all around him, and his laughter carried far and wide, never dispirited no matter how much he was scolded. Lan Wangji found himself looking more than once upon hearing it, only to huff and walk away, once Wei Wuxian noticed him and waved in his direction.
Wei Wuxian seemed to draw everybody’s eye, no matter what light they viewed him in. And if he heard about the rumours being whispered indiscreetly behind his back, he never seemed to pay them any heed. As he seemed to do with many troubles in life, he merely laughed them off, a pleasant sound to the ear that reminded Lan Wangji of a babbling brook.
Wei Wuxian was distracting.
No, Wei Wuxian was a menace.
He disrupted classes with his pranks, dragging other students into his schemes, and he argued with his masters seemingly just to make a discussion. Lan Wangji caught him sending paper notes to others during class again and again in various increasingly imaginative ways, but he deftly caught every single note and mentally added Wei Wuxian’s discrepancies to his already significant punishment. Whenever Lan Wangji would intercept a note, Wei Wuxian’s eyes would light up with slight irritation, but also something that Lan Wangji couldn’t entirely decipher. Something akin to admiration, or maybe fascination.
Lan Wangji did not care either way. As the day came, where he gathered the materials for Wei Wuxian’s punishment and headed to the library to set up in preparation, he merely hoped for a swift end to their forced meetings. He hoped for Wei Wuxian to somehow find it in himself to adhere to the rules even if just for that short period of time they would spend together.
He hoped in vain.
As it turned out, Wei Wuxian was worse than a menace.
The first day of punishment was immediately disrupted, when upon arrival Wei Wuxian took one short glance at the papers that Lan Wangji had neatly gathered in front of him and the book from which to copy and immediately disregarded them. He sat down at the desk they would share for the time being and faced Lan Wangji with an excited glint in his eyes.
“Wangji-xiong, Wangji-xiong”, he teasingly called out, his body slouched improperly over the table.
“Sit properly”, Lan Wangji corrected without even looking up from the book of poetry he was copying himself.
It scarcely had an effect, if anything Wei Wuxian only seemed to sprawl out even more and leaned in over the table to intrude on Lan Wangji’s space.
“Wangji-xiong, do you really hate me?”
Lan Wangji did not think that question worthy of answering, though partly it was because he didn’t quite know himself. Before he could ponder the nature of his feelings regarding the rowdy youth, Wei Wuxian interrupted his thoughts yet again:
“Aish, you keep ignoring me, what do I have to call you to get an answer, eh?”, a devilish smile had spread over Wei Wuxian’s face, but Lan Wangji pretended not to see it. Instead, he kept dutifully copying old books, hoping in vain that Wei Wuxian would get bored and get back to work. Wei Wuxian had no such intentions though, and like the menace he was, he stood up and began to circle Lan Wangji.
“How about… Wangji? Or Lan Wangji?”
Now he stood right behind Lan Wangji, and the latter felt an unbearable itch in the back of his neck at the weight of his stare.
“Lan Zhan? Lan-gongzi?”
For some reason, it was becoming harder and harder to focus on the poem right in front of him.
“Now I know! Lan-er-ge!”
Lan Wangji’s hand immediately stilled, shaking almost imperceptively, and his eyes flickered towards the menace in question. Wei Wuxian’s face had split in a deeply satisfied grin, seeming so utterly proud of himself that Lan Wangji’s anger flared. He cast the Silencing Spell on him, immediately sealing Wei Wuxian’s misbehaving lips. With a hint of satisfaction, Lan Wangji watched him flail around and grumble, as best he could with his lips shut tight. After steeping ever so slightly in that satisfaction, Lan Wangji simply motioned towards the book of rules lying across from him.
“Behave”
Wei Wuxian’s face turned bright red, but whether it was from the humiliation or the lack of being able to ramble all his thoughts out loud, Lan Wangji did not know, nor did he care. When it became clear that Wei Wuxian had stopped moving entirely, Lan Wangji once again motioned to the book, blank paper, and freshly ground ink.
“Begin”
Wei Wuxian sat down with a fuss and viciously started writing on the paper. He then held it up in front of Lan Wangji – a written plea to be let go – but Lan Wangji dismissed it with a huff and crumbled the paper up in front of Wei Wuxian’s crestfallen face. This was followed by drawing after drawing sent Lan Wangji’s way, each and every one crumbled and thrown away. Wei Wuxian did all he could, except his actual punishment.
Lan Wangji sighed.
As he watched Wei Wuxian waste his talents on yet another drawing, he steeled himself for the month ahead.
This was going to be a long punishment.