Chapter Text
The ancients said, "If it didn't happen to you, you wouldn't understand the pain."
Lan Xichen thought this phrase fitted his predicament quite well at this point.
If it weren't him who fell into the pit dug out by LanlingJin, he wouldn't know how it feels like to be the recipient of their schemes!
For who knew how many times in just one morning — Lan Xichen breathed out heavily.
He was currently sitting in front of a low table inside a guest quarter in Jinlintai. The way he dressed right now, if Lan Qiren were here, he would have yelled at him: "What kind of decency is this!"
Fortunately, the old man wasn't here. But that didn't make Lan Xichen feel less heavy either. He knew his current situation was frankly, really bad. And he also knew that he ought to think of something, about how things in the future should be laid out.
Despite all the pressure weighing on his mind, Lan Xichen still spared his time to boil some water. Or actually, he needed this tranquil sequence of tea brewing to calm down. The state of his psyche was revealed nonetheless, by how unsteady his hand was while bringing the teacup to his mouth. After he took some sips of the newly brewed tea, the cup even clumsily slipped out of his grip.
It had to be known that GusuLan's Cultivator's hand strength was indisputable. Such a gaffe would never have happened if Lan Xichen's state of mind was not so chaotic.
The half-drunk tea splashed messily, staining both the floor mats and the pristine white robes of the Lan Sect. But Lan Xichen couldn't care less about it. After all, his garments had been stained way more with other unknown liquids.
The newly boiled tea also poured directly onto his lap, but it was even less of a bother. To him, the burning pain was not as palpable as the scratching marks on his shoulder and back. Those parts of his skin tingled, constantly reminding him of what had happened for him to warrant those wounds.
Lan Xichen sighed deeply.
His gaze inadvertently trailed back to the person lying on the messy bed inside the room: Wei Wuxian.
From his point of view, the young man's slender leg peeked out shyly from under the blanket. There, red marks in manifold shapes could be seen at various places. The most noticeable mark was a clear shape of tooth marks. The outline was ostensibly intricate, displaying the neat rows of the teeth owner. Even Lan Xichen had to praise the well-made imprint.
'Perhaps the carving tools were so excellent...And the mould is even more delicate. That's why...' he gave such an evaluation — in his attempt to distract himself from the real implication.
He couldn't help but stare closely, following the marks — starting from the nicely-shaped foot, to the fair calves, and even denser at the base of the owner's leg. The moment his eyes hit the inner side of that person's thigh, Lan Xichen felt his face heated up, and an unknown fire once again stirred restlessly in his stomach.
As a cultivator who's also dabbling in medic, Lan Xichen had seen countless men with their chest bare, or their trousers rolled up to their thighs when he helped them treat their wounds during the war.
Besides, as someone from GusuLan Sect, both male and female descendants in the clan were each more good-looking than the next, with stunning features. Even when looking at the mirror, Lan Xichen could see an exceptionally beautiful man in the reflection. In conclusion, Lan Xichen had seen more than enough exquisite things for him not to be dazzled by worldly temptation.
It's just that——
Once upon a time in his still carefree teenage days, Wei Wuxian had complained about the injustice he had to bear, mournfully wondered why the owner of Lotus Lake kept choosing to spank him with the oar despite — clearly, Jiang Cheng and his other martial siblings were also the ones who ate the Lotus pods in the lake.
Back then, his other Shidi didn't hesitate to reply, because among them;
"You are the most handsome."
Another said, "You have the highest Cultivation."
Another said, "With no clothes on, you look the best."
That was it.
It's because Wei Wuxian unbelievably was — until this time, Lan Xichen would never have expected that a man's body could look so,
dangerously enticing.
He quickly directed his gaze to somewhere else, hoping to see a non-hazardous territory — hence, to the person's face.
But it didn't help. Even if the owner of the face was currently unconscious, his complexion was still flushed pink from the previous "activities" last night. The corners of his eyes were red from crying. The most conspicuous thing however was, the swollen red lip that had been chewed raw.
'It's over!' Lan Xichen finally surrendered despairingly, no longer trying to run away from the main issue.
At this point, there's really no turning back.
No matter how much he wanted to excuse himself, there's no way he could shirk away from the "offense" he had forced upon the young man. Not when the evidence was glaring, poking right into his eyes. The silent proof that he'd lost control, and had done indescribable things to someone.
Looking back to what happened several hours earlier:
It was the day when LanlingJin had, yet again, arranged a banquet in Jinlintai. A Flower Banquet this time, attended by both Major and Minor Sects.
Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji walked up side by side and saluted Nie Mingjue, getting a similar gesture in response.
At this time, Lan Wangji had just hit his 20s. His entire being had yet matured. The expression on his face was frigid and solemn. The whole aura exuded "Don't come near me" and "Don't talk to me" — almost written directly all over his face.
Lan Wangji stood with Lan Xichen. One of them had a gentle demeanor, while the other was frosty. One was holding a Flute, and the other was carrying a Guqin. Both are beautiful in appearance and graceful in style. It's simply 1-Color-2-Tones. It's no wonder that every time the brothers appeared, others couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
"Sect Leader Nie. Sect Leader Lan."
Hearing the greeting, the three people turned around. There, Jiang Wanyin wearing his purple apparel and holding a sword, was standing side by side with Wei Wuxian who was dressed in a black outfit.
Wei Wuxian nodded at the 3 people as a greeting. His whole aura looked enigmatic, giving the vibes of majesty from someone who's in the position to look down on all living beings.
Lan Wangji's eyebrows imperceptibly twitched at the sight of Wei Wuxian standing next to Jiang Wanyin. His light-colored eyes soon flickered back, looking straight ahead, appearing extremely dignified.
Jiang Wanyin and Nie Mingjue simply exchanged a nod at each other with serious faces. Neither of them had much to say. After a cursory greeting, the 2 groups of people soon parted ways.
The person in the black robe, however, spared his glances left and right as he walked. At some point, he caught a glimpse of Lan Wangji once again. His eyes lit up, and he looked like he was about to say something. But at this time, Jiang Wanyin walked over and stood beside him. The two of them lowered their heads, talking to each other with serious faces.
It was unknown what they were saying, but Wei Wuxian suddenly laughed out loud. In the end, he continued to walk side by side in the other direction with Jiang Wanyin. Pedestrians around them also automatically gave up a large space for their path.
Nie Mingjue frowned. "Why didn't Wei Ying bring his sword?"
It's quite rude to attend a Flower Banquet held by one prominent Clan without bringing one's sword. As it was seen as a sign of courtesy.
"He probably forgot about it." Lan Wangji said quietly.
"Forgotten?" Nie Mingjue raised his eyebrow. "How could he ever forget?"
Lan Wangji continued to speak, "It's not surprising."
At the side, Lan Xichen smiled and finally said, "This Wei-Gongzi once said that he doesn't want to pay attention to any red tape. Let alone not wearing a sword, even if he doesn't wear clothes, what can others do to him? How youthful."
Lan Wangji huffed, and reacted with a whisper, softly, as if speaking to himself, "...Frivolous."
"Hmm?" Lan Xichen turned his head and asked with a smile, "Why are you still here?"
Lan Wangji looked back in confusion. "Xiongzhang is here. Where should I go?"
"Don't you want to talk to him?" Lan Xichen shifted his gaze to the black-robed young man on the other side, hinting exactly who the person they were talking about. "If you don't quickly go over there, you can't catch up. Look, he's going farther."
It was easy for Lan Xichen to know what his younger brother was thinking. Noticing that Lan Wangji kept glancing at Wei Wuxian now and then, looking like he wanted to say something but held back, Lan Xichen thus understood what he wanted to do.
It's almost like deja Vu, when the first time Lan Xichen first met the high-spirited teen in the Cloud Recesses. Back then, facing the exuberant boy, the expression on his younger brother was exactly the same. He looked like he's tempted by the idea of hunting the Water Ghoul together with the boy, but unwilling to be honest.
After his thought was mercilessly pierced and disclosed by his older brother, Lan Wangji could no longer pretend. He was about to take a step forward when suddenly a burst of angry shouting came from the other corner of the field.
"Jin Zixuan! Are you sick?! Who was dissatisfied with this and that, and made many complaints back then, but now you're pestering my Shijie, do you still have a face?!"
On the other end, Jin Zixuan also said angrily, "I'm asking Sect Leader Jiang, and I didn't ask you! The person I'm asking is also Maiden Jiang, what does it have to do with you!"
Wei Wuxian, "Well said! What does my Shijie have to do with you? What are you even asking about? Don’t forget the words you've said, do you want to eat them back!?"
Jin Zixuan, "Sect Leader Jiang - this is my clan’s Flower Banquet, and this person is from yours. Please, take care of it yourself!"
Lan Xichen noticed the commotion, and couldn’t figure out the situation, wondering, “Huh? Why are they arguing again?”
During the war, YunmengJiang came to Langya to aid LanlingJin Sect. Due to the shortage of manpower, Jiang Yanli also came along with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. She couldn't be of any help on the battlefield, so she could only do what she's capable of, helping to provide the food for the Cultivators in the camp.
Worried that the 2 younger brothers couldn't eat well, she also prepared 2 extra bowls of soups for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. Little did they know, another bowl was also sent to Jin Zixuan. No one knew, and Jiang Yanli never announced it either. But Jin Zixuan who felt grateful for the anonymous person who'd sent him extra soups, mistakenly recognized a low-level female cultivator as the sender. He immediately favored the woman, took care of her, and promoted her from a servant to a Guest Cultivator of LanlingJin.
One day he accidentally caught Jiang Yanli loitering near his tent, and when she used the same "excuse" of sending soup, he accused her ruthlessly;
"Don't think that just because you come from a wealthy family, you can steal and trample on other people's efforts. Even if some people come from a humble background, their character is much nobler. Please respect yourself."
Based on his words, Jiang Yanli finally realized what Jin Zixuan had been deeming her as.
From the beginning, Jin Zixuan didn't believe that a daughter from a famous Clan with low cultivation like Jiang Yanli could actually do anything. He's skeptical at how much help she could offer when she comes to a battlefront. To put it bluntly, he felt that she was just looking for a reason to get close to him and was here being a burden.
Jin Zixuan never understood her, nor did he want to understand her. No matter what Jiang Yanli said, it was futile.
At that time, Jiang Yanli stood there and suddenly burst into tears.
When Wei Wuxian came back to the camp, he saw exactly this scene.
Except for the day the 3 of them reunited after the destruction of Lotus Pier and cried loudly while hugging each other, Jiang Yanli had never shed a few tears in front of anyone.
Let alone, crying so loudly in front of many people - looking extremely aggrieved.
When Wei Wuxian saw Jin Zixuan at the side, he understood at once, 'It's this bitch again!'
After figuring out the situation, Wei Wuxian asked someone to drag the female cultivator out. The truth finally came to light. But Wei Wuxian became even more furious, beating Jin Zixuan severely.
If Jiang Yanli hadn't held his hand later, and Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangshan had also come to pull Wei Wuxian away, Jin Zixuan would never have had the chance to participate in any victory banquets, or even in the future Baifeng Mountain hunt.
Back then, their fight had caused quite a big turmoil that all the cultivators in the area came out to see.
Therefore, Lan Xichen knew the conflict between the two people in Langya. As a result, when he saw Wei Wuxian and Jin Zixuan arguing again, he began to wonder, what else could happen this time.
At their side, Jiang Cheng finally interrupted the quarrel, "Wei Wuxian, shut up! Jin-Gongzi, thank you for your concern. My sister is fine. We can talk more about it later."
Maybe it's because Jiang Cheng had only seen the scene of Wei Wuxian beating Jin Zixuan unanimously, and didn't see how miserable Jiang Yanli was back then being ruthlessly shamed in public — in this case, unlike Wei Wuxian's undisguised displeasure to Jin Zixuan's past humiliation to Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng still had the idea of matchmaking his sister and was receptive to the hints.
Wei Wuxian's mood was ruined, and he no longer had any desire to partake in this kind of ostentatious banquet.
He spun around and walked away.
Jiang Cheng shouted, "Come back! Where are you going?"
Wei Wuxian waved his hand and said, "Anywhere is fine! Just don't let me see that face of his. I didn't want to come in the first place, so you can deal with it by yourself here."
Jiang Cheng was left behind by him, and his face turned darker.
Nie Mingjue snorted. Witnessing how Wei Wuxian quarreled openly with the Banquet's host, coupled with the fact that he didn't bring any sword - he commented, "Wei Ying really acts too casually and has abandoned his dignity."
On the other side of the field, Jin Guangyao was smiling and talking at everyone and doing whatever he had to do.
When he saw something was going on here, he came and called out, "Wei-Gongzi, Wei-Gongzi, please stay for a while!"
In another world, Jin Guangyao couldn't catch up with him. Wei Wuxian would not have participated in this banquet. His departure didn't have much effect on the banquet either. Ultimately, nothing would have happened.
But even a slight deviation in trivial occasions, a small ripple in the river of time, could start another set of butterfly effects. Those diminutive alterations entwining one after another, eventually would lead to a bigger divergence.
It would be better if he hadn't heard Jin Guangyao's calling. But now that Wei Wuxian had heard it, he couldn't pretend to be deaf and mute thus giving no response. Even if he felt terribly disgusted at Jin Zixuan, he couldn't let other people accept the burnt of his anger and embarrass unrelated parties for no reason.
He had no enmity with Jin Guangyao. Besides, personally, Wei Wuxian even thought the newly admitted Young Master Jin was more capable than Jin Zixuan.
Just like how he'd never regarded Nie Huaisang as a waste but understood that his intelligence just lay somewhere else other than cultivation, Wei Wuxian always gave respect to truly competent people.
Slowing down his pace, he gave a slight nod to Jin Guangyao. At this time, his line of sight had also fallen onto the other 3 people nearby; Nie Mingjue, Lan Xichen, and Lan Wangji.
To be fair, Wei Wuxian in this era was rather pretentious. He couldn't wait to spread the aura of "You all can't do anything to me"-look.
However, he still felt somehow embarrassed when his outburst earlier had been seen by the other 3 people. Coupled with Jin Guangyao's eloquence as he smiled and talked to him, even if it's just for the sake of giving him some face, Wei Wuxian couldn't just storm outside leaving the banquet before it even started.
In the end, Wei Wuxian had to relent and continue to stay.
"Did he agree to stay?" Jin Guangshan eagerly inquired.
Replying to his question was his newly acquired son, Jin Guangyao, who'd just finished his task in organizing the opening of the banquet, "Yes, he did say that he'll continue to stay. I have also arranged a guest quarter for him, as Father has specified earlier."
Needless to say, the object of their conversation was — Wei Wuxian.
"Alright, that's good! Now things can proceed as intended." Jin Guangshan smiled widely.
Thinking about the plan he'd designed specifically for Wei Wuxian in today's banquet, Jin Guangshan couldn't help but rub his hands in anticipation.
It's not long after the end of Sunshot Campaign. LanlingJin had been organizing this kind of banquet several times to "celebrate their victory", or to be precise, to assert dominance in the new era of the Cultivation World. LanlingJin Sect had been quite bold with its ambition. Starting from accepting the small sects who were once under QishanWen to its rank, or arranging a banquet every once in a while, subtly building up the momentum for LanlingJin to casually become the lead among the other Sects.
Jin Guangshan wanted to be the leader of Hundreds of Cultivation Clans. They were already a wealthy clan in the first place. Now that they'd become the biggest winner of Sunshot Campaign, they also got a reputation. One thing missing would be: Power.
To firmly sit on the head of other Sects, LanlingJin needed power. And the thing equated with "power" in today's world was, the recent infamous Yin Tiger Tally.
They said, the most beautiful woman was a perfect embellishment for a Hero.
And the perfect embellishment for a Chief Cultivator was naturally, should be the most powerful weapon.
This was the very reason why Jin Guangshan had to get this weapon from Wei Wuxian, no matter what. Because it's a crucial piece to his great cause.
Jin Guangyao smiled slightly.
He was just an executant. He had no animosity with Wei Wuxian. He didn't hate the young man either. But if his cheap father had a whim to do something, as a filial son, naturally he could only comply and carry out his task according to his father's specifications.
'Wei-Gongzi, please don't blame me, but I have to wrong you a little. You see, I have no choice here but to obey.' He thought in his heart, closing his eyes briefly.
As he opened them once again, there's no trace of hidden emotion that could be seen. He politely invited his father to come and begin the flower banquet as the host.
It wasn't like Jin Guangshan hadn't tried to secretly recruit cultivators who might have some talent in GuiDao. Among these, Xue Yang whom his cheap son had recommended demonstrated the most progress. The boy was soon given a rank as a Guest Cultivator of LanlingJin. But still, even with resources backed by one Major Sect, Xue Yang's research gain was not up to Jin Guangshan's satisfaction.
For this reason, Jin Guangshan not only wanted to get the Yin Tiger Tally, but also Wei Wuxian's various techniques in the Ghost Path (GuiDao). Preferably, if Wei Wuxian himself could be taken under, it'd be even better.
If Wei Wuxian could be self-aware and obediently handing over both his weapon and himself, of course, they wouldn't have the need to rob it forcefully, right?
LanlingJin was, after all, very open-minded and peace-loving.
So during this time when no heavy grievance had yet to happen between the two parties, Jin Guangshan still hoped to get Wei Wuxian in a cordial manner. The plan he'd designed for the young man was also one that could be said very well-intended. To put it simply: it's a Beauty trap.
To explain more, the plan (should have) gone like this:
#Wei Wuxian's drink or food would be tampered with odorless and tasteless, LanlingJin's secret recipe from the Ancestor: Aphrodisiac.
#Later, when he went back to his guest room, the room would also be tampered with both, secret arrays and incense, still courtesy of their Ancestor.
#A Beauty would be sent to "check" on Wei Wuxian in the room.
#The lonely young man and the vulnerable maiden who met in the middle of the night would inevitably have a ride to the blissful paradise.
#In the morning, Jin Guangshan would use some reason to catch the adultery.
#Wei Wuxian would have no choice but to be responsible for the girl and marry her.
#And LanlingJin would gain a weakness (his wife) they could grasp to dictate Wei Wuxian in the future.
~Happy ending for both parties.
Don't get them wrong, the Beauty that they'd arranged for him was also well-prepared. It's the daughter of the closest relation with the Jin clan's main branch. Look, if Wei Wuxian and the maiden successfully "achieved the good thing" later, he would have the honor to marry a lady from a respectable family.
Even Jin Guangyao, the plan enforcer, thought this was not a bad deal.
The maiden was a Beauty. The family was wealthy. The in-laws were very much enthusiastic to welcome Wei Wuxian as their son-in-law.
So what if Wei Wuxian had to be wronged a little in the process by being framed?
Xiao-Tao was one of the newly recruited maidservants in Jinlintai.
She was originally an ignorant young lady from a rather affluent family in the north. She'd been pampered at home, so much so that she dared to run away from her arranged marriage to pursue her true love.
Alas, reality had brutally taught humans how to behave. Without money, the young lovers' elopement soon faced a crisis. In the end, the couple could only seek a job temporarily, to be the Jin Clan's little maid and little servant.
During this period when LanlingJin kept holding banquets one after another, the servant's job was one of the busiest. Xiao-Tao was responsible for preparing and delivering the countless drinks and delicacies to the banquet hall. She also had to be ready to entertain and respond to the guests' requests.
In tonight's feast, finally, she shouldered the most important mission in her whole career.
"Listen, stay calm. Don't let any kind of nervousness appear on your expression." the Head maid reminded her for the last time.
Xiao-Tao nodded solemnly. "This little one understands."
The Head Maid smiled. "I know that I can count on you. Among the other maids, you're the most good-looking, quick wit, and the one who can quickly adapt to unpredictable situations the most."
"Aunt Zhang, thank you for giving me this responsibility!" Xiao-Tao didn't forget to reciprocate the gesture and hurriedly thanked her for her kindness.
The Head Maid, Aunt Zhang, shook her head and smiled at her fondly.
"After this, you will be rewarded handsomely. Using this money, you can quit this job. I don't know where you're from, but you can go back and make your family proud with your salary." Aunt Zhang squeezed her hand in encouragement.
Xiao-Tao once again thanked her earnestly.
Her conversation earlier sounded like she was about to embark on a life-or-death assignment.
To be honest, Xiao Tao didn't think so. She simply reacted appropriately to a response that Aunt Zhang might have expected her to give. But truthfully speaking, she felt Aunt Zhang was just way too exaggerated.
Look, her task was simple. She just needed to serve this "specifically prepared" food and drink to a specific person at the banquet: Wei Wuxian. Afterward, she needed to watch closely when the man came out from the hall, and escorted him to the "specifically set" guest quarter.
Xiao-Tao was a new recruit. She'd been taught common sense in the Cultivation World today, but at that time her head was filled with pink bubbles, stealing some glances with her elopement partner. In other words: she didn't pay any attention!
But who would care? It's not like she would join any Cultivation Clan, so it's no use for her to learn about those Cultivators.
Now, the problem arose. She didn't know which one of them was Wei Wuxian.
The only thing she learnt about Wei Wuxian was: He was a young cultivator. A bright and charming handsome man. Lately, though, he's menacing toward men, but fear not, he's known to be a romantic person who's gentle and kind to women.
The most important thing was: Wei Wuxian was known far and wide for his flute, ChenQing!
Nowadays, the trademark of carrying a flute in their waist as a weapon could only be correlated with one person, everyone knew, it's Wei Wuxian.
Looking around in the brightly lit hall, attentively scanning, especially at the main seatings where Cultivators from the Major Sects gathered, Xiao-Tao finally found her target.
There he was, the only male Cultivator in the hall with a flute hanging from his waist.
As Xiao-Tao walked closer and began to serve him, she couldn't help but marvelled in her heart.
'As expected. The rumor is true. Wei Wuxian is really gentle toward a woman.'
However, some rumors were proven to be wrong. For example, it's said that Wei Wuxian liked to wear black robes. But in this banquet, 'Wei Wuxian' actually wore spotless white robes instead. They also said that Wei Wuxian liked to drink wine, but when Xiao-Tao wanted to pour him a cup, 'Wei Wuxian' gently refused, and politely asked for tea instead.
Fortunately, as Aunt Zhang said prior, Xiao-Tao was a quick-witted girl. She didn't just bring wine mixed with certain medicine, but just in case, she'd also brought (similarly tampered) tea with her. So she could adapt to the change swiftly.
Afterward, she walked out of the hall with her back straight, and her chest pushed upward.
She'd successfully accomplished half of her task!