Chapter Text
"——chen? Lan Xichen?"
"Hmm?" Lan Xichen rubbed his forehead slightly. "My apologies. I didn't quite hear you just now, DaGe."
Nie Mingjue glanced at his side. Lan Xichen was the only one left seated in the area reserved for the Gusu Lan Clan. Lan Wangji had excused himself earlier.
The three newly formed Sworn Brothers had been discussing the possibility of holding a Hunt or a conference among the cultivation sects. It had been quite some time since the last such gathering. However, as the discussion went on, Lan Xichen grew increasingly quiet. His replies became sparse, scattered between long pauses. At some point, Nie Mingjue realized he had been speaking for quite a while without receiving any response.
When he finally took a look at the other party, Nie Mingjue was surprised when he caught a glimpse of his furrowed eyebrows. “What’s wrong with you? Are you unwell? Did you go on a night-hunt recently and suffer an injury?”
For a cultivator of Lan Xichen’s caliber, falling ill from mortal ailments would be a joke. With such high cultivation, discomfort usually meant only one thing—serious injury.
Jin Guangyao, seated among the hosts of the banquet, also noticed something amiss.
"ErGe?" He cast a concerned look at Lan Xichen.
Lan Xichen shook his head to appease the other two. “It is nothing. Perhaps I have merely been occupied with clan affairs and have not had proper rest.”
After the war came to an end, the winning Sects had divided the spoils of war. Territory, treasures, artifacts, weaponry, land, shops, businesses, and other various properties of QishanWen were distributed, fairly or not. The fortune and accumulation of an aristocratic clan that had existed prosperously for nearly 600 years since Wen Mao established the Clan order, it's definitely not something people could casually imagine.
The Major Sects that contributed the most during the war naturally had the most gains. Afterward, they were not only busy restoring order within their own sects, but also occupied with digesting their spoils after overthrowing the behemoth-QishanWen.
It's no surprise that Lan Xichen might not have a good rest for these few months.
"It is nearly Haishi, I shall take my leave first." Lan Xichen rose, brushing his robes lightly. He smiled and bid farewell to his sworn brothers. "DaGe, A-Yao, let us speak more tomorrow."
Nie Mingjue nodded and hummed in agreement.
"Wait a minute, ErGe, let me show you to your quarters." Jin Guangyao was about to stand, but Lan Xichen hurriedly waved his hand to refuse.
“There is no need to trouble yourself. You are assisting Sect Leader Jin in hosting the banquet, naturally, you should remain to attend to more important matters.”
Hearing this, Jin Guangyao inadvertently remembered that one "important plan" his cheap father had arranged for tonight. Upon reflection, he truly did need to supervise it. Thus, he did not insist on escorting Lan Xichen.
In this way, Lan Xichen left the banquet hall and hurried to his supposed guest room.
Previously, he had spoken with ease and walked with his usual composure. In truth, however, his condition was far from well.
His head spun unpleasantly. A strange sensation coursed through his body, accompanied by an unnameable yearning that wreaked havoc within him. Beads of sweat soaked through his inner robes as he fiercely suppressed the unfamiliar discomfort. Fortunately, his mind remained clear.
Therefore, he was still able to respond appropriately when one of the Jin maidservants approached him and informed him of a change to his quarters. The maid appeared sincere and apologetic, repeatedly expressing regret for the inconvenience.
Lan Xichen was not one to judge others by status. Seeing her honest, pitiful demeanor, he neither made things difficult nor harbored suspicion.
To say it nicely— he's indeed too kind.
To put it bluntly— young man, you're too gullible.
The maid did not follow him closely, instead maintaining a polite distance after showing the way. Another reason why Lan Xichen remained unsuspecting. After all, the maid was remarkably courteous. It's difficult to associate such an honest and hardworking person with any kind of sordid intention.
Upon entering the guest quarters, Lan Xichen visibly relaxed, finally afforded some privacy.
He first set his sword upon the empty sword stance provided in the room, then sat cross-legged before the low table. Closing his eyes, he began regulating the spiritual energy flowing through his meridians. Something was clearly amiss, and he hoped meditation would resolve it.
Halfway through, however, he realized that instead of improving, the dry heat within him had intensified into a raging inferno. The meditation failed!
Lan Xichen opened his eyes, his gaze shifting restlessly, unable to calm himself.
At that moment, he faintly heard heavy breathing and soft whimpers from the other side of the room. To be precise, the sound was heard from behind the partitions. The corner where the bed in the guest room was supposed to be placed.
He might have been clueless about what had transpired within his body earlier, but as the physical reactions started to be more obvious, he was finally struck with realization.
Goodness...for Heaven's sake, wasn't this feeling similar to what he once felt during the surge of his teenage hormones years ago!?
The sensation was the same, only far more intense. Even if he were to drown himself in his family's Cold Spring right now, there was no guarantee it would help.
And now—— knowing he was not the sole occupant of the room—— how could Lan Xichen fail to imagine the worst??
He might be innocent, having rarely witnessed the ugliness of human nature.
But he was not stupid!
With a swift movement, he rushed toward the door, intending to leave immediately.
What foolishness. In this situation, of course, the right choice was to immediately escape and never, ever, try to take a look at the source of the voice! Because even if he didn't do anything, he would have to bear responsibility just by seeing.
Just look at how many couples in the world started from: a girl fell into the water, and a man saw her being drenched. In order to preserve the girl's reputation, the 2 people had to be wedded.
This was an era where even touching a girl's hand was seen as a scandalous act!
Lan Xichen was resolute, but to his horror, the door couldn't be opened.
Adding more to his panic, it's unknown how it started, but his spiritual energy seemed to be obstructed out of nowhere.
To put it even worse, even when he attempted to force the door open with brute strength—it did not budge.
What's the matter with this heavy enchantment!
It's as if the room had been specifically prepared to contain someone with both high cultivation and formidable strength.
After making several attempts to smash the door or even the walls, to no avail, Lan Xichen had to stop for a break. His breathing was erratic. Panic muddled his thoughts further.
The sound from his desperate trials to escape was by no chance quiet. The whimpers from the bed ceased, replaced by a vigilant shout, "Who's there?!"
Lan Xichen turned his head in surprise.
The other occupant was unexpectedly a man, dispelling his worst assumption about falling into someone else's scheme.
But more importantly, he recognized the man's voice!
'Why, if it isn't Wei-Gongzi!' Lan Xichen couldn't help but rejoice at stumbling upon a familiar acquaintance in this kind of situation.
Knowing the other occupant of the room was Wei Wuxian had also relieved most of his anxiety from finding out that he couldn't get out of the room.
For a second there, he almost suspected that LanlingJin might have been deliberately framing him. However, when he knew there was Wei Wuxian in the room, his previous suspicions were automatically dispelled. With him here, all kinds of doubt were self-evident.
Surely, this was merely a coincidence. Perhaps the maid had not known the room was occupied. After all, Wei Wuxian’s presence could be extraordinarily subtle. Even Lan Xichen himself didn't notice someone was in the vicinity until he heard a voice.
The reason why there's no trace of the other person's belongings in the guest room is that, aside from his flute and his own self, Wei Wuxian rarely brought anything. Needless to say, the most obvious sign of the accommodation being taken, with the sword stance being occupied, was a fallacy when it came to Wei Wuxian.
And finally, the abnormally unbreakable enchantment in the room must have also been set by Wei Wuxian himself. Perhaps due to the conflict between him and Jin Zixuan, the young fellow became too cautious as he stayed in the other Sect's home ground.
As for how Wei Wuxian could even manage to set up a strong enchantment in the guest room he'd hastily acquired no more than a few hours, Lan Xichen wasn't surprised. After all, at this point, as people feared Wei Wuxian for his power, they had to acknowledge that for him to possess such ability was a testament to another fact—that the young man was a bizarre genius.
Therefore, even if it's said that Wei Wuxian could call the wind and summon the rain, Lan Xichen would believe he might even be able to achieve such a feat. Not to mention, setting up a mere enchantment.
…As for why the enchantment prevented people from leaving rather than entering—
His increasingly dazed mind couldn't contemplate this far.
“Excuse me, Wei-Gongzi, it is me.” Lan Xichen finally dared to walk around the partition and approached the inner chamber where the bed was placed.
Wei Wuxian was half-reclining, propping himself up on one forearm. His robes were disheveled, as though he had just woken from sleep. ChenQing was clutched tightly in his hand.
He squinted his eyes slightly, studying the intruder, as if sorting through the familiar figures in pristine white robes to determine which one stood before him.
"It's you." He reacted afterward.
He dropped back softly onto the mattress, his grip on ChenQing loosening.
Lan Xichen smiled gently. “My apologies for the disturbance. I did not realize the room was occupied. I am sorry to trouble you, but Wei-gongzi—could you let me out?”
Wei Wuxian waved his hand weakly. “Just go. Why ask me?”
“Thank you for your understanding, Wei-Gongzi. I shall not disturb your rest further. Then, I will take my leave.”
Lan Xichen was in a hurry, he simply bid goodbye and ran to the exit.
However, he soon returned, anxiously calling out to Wei Wuxian, who had already closed his eyes.
"Wei-Gongzi, Wei-Gongzi, I am still unable to leave!"
"...Why can't you?"
Lan Xichen, "I am not sure why. Otherwise, Wei-Gongzi, how about you take a look?"
Wei Wuxian replied in a low voice, "Too bad. I can't get up."
"You can not get up...?" Lan Xichen looked at him in surprise. Now that he observed carefully, Wei Wuxian indeed appeared boneless, almost lying pliant on the bed. Even his flute, ChenQing, was no longer held properly, merely resting in his palm.
“You…did something happen to you?” He eventually asked, feeling concerned for the young man. "Did you exhaust yourself after setting up your enchantment?"
“Enchantment? What enchan— mm…” Wei Wuxian replied in a daze.
Lan Xichen frowned. “Then… Did you not feel weak due to insufficient spiritual energy? Did something else happen?”
"Spiritual energy depletion?" Wei Wuxian was stunned for a moment.
Afterward, as if hearing something amusing, he let out a weak laugh. "Pfft, hahaha....Zewu-Jun, lend me your ear for a while. I'll tell you something."
Lan Xichen stepped closer, bending his body to loom over the bed and turning his head to the side slightly, ready to listen to what the other person wanted to say.
"...You see, I——" Wei Wuxian was about to tell his predicament, but his words halted for an unknown reason.
He had never been in close proximity to Lan Xichen. Whenever Double-Jade appeared, his attention had always drifted to the younger Jade. Likewise, it's the first time he finally took a proper look at this Senior of his.
Blinking slowly, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but examine closer, dazedly admiring the other party's extremely beautiful visage.
Currently, similar to Lan Xichen's condition, Wei Wuxian also wasn't in the right state. His mind buzzed, clouded by restless desires. He was able to suppress his burning lust as he's used to suppressing the tumultuous Resentful Energy—however, he couldn't quite control his impulse.
Under normal circumstances, he saw Lan Xichen as an elder, and he'd always respected him as his senior. Even if he were to be granted a hundred courtesies, Wei Wuxian wouldn't have dared to be discourteous to him.
Yet, driven by impulse, he suddenly felt like teasing the person in front of him.
His eyes glinting with mischief, he leaned closer and whispered scandalously, “—I can’t get up because I am - so - terribly - ar - ous-ed! The kind of where I just want to please myself…” He laughed softly beside his ear. “So, Zewu-Jun… won't you do me a favor~?”
Lan Xichen withdrew instantly, retreating several steps in a flash. The expression on his face was so colorful. A mix of astonishment, shock, shame, and other complex emotions.
It took him a moment to realize that he had just been harassed. In over twenty years, no one had dared to speak so brazenly to Sect Leader Lan!
"Wei Wuxian!" He snapped, infuriated.
Heat flooded his face. Even his right ear burned fiercely—whether from humiliation or the warmth of the other’s breath, he could not tell. Meanwhile, the culprit was convulsing with laughter on the bed.
Lan Xichen gritted his teeth and scolded, “Frivolous! Do you have no idea how promiscuous your joke is!? Have you had no shame! Wei-Gongzi, you, who excelled in the Six-Arts, you of all people should have understood propriety and conduct, knowing how to treat your elder! Yet you actually, you...How could you…” His lips quivered, unable to form any more words to chastise.
Deep down, Lan Xichen knew to whom this admonishment was actually given to, or what was the source of his fury. Most of it was directed at himself. Because, to his mortification, he felt his manhood actually spring up just from Wei Wuxian's breath brushing softly at his ear from his laughter earlier.
Wei Wuxian was unaware of what kind of struggle between Heaven and Men was being commenced in Lan Xichen's heart.
But he still retorted in between his wheeze, “Frivolous? You asked, I answered. Zewu-Jun, you've accused me wrongly. Am I not just being honest? What is so shameful about that? Don't tell me you've never had this kind of moment. I don't believe it.”
“You—! This kind of joke, Wei-Gongzi, no matter how carefree you are, please do not speak of it so lightly!”
Wei Wuxian sighed. "I apologize. But, Zewu-Jun, it wasn't entirely a joke. I really need you to lend me some help, can you—,"
“What kind of help!” Lan Xichen interjected severely, his voice rather hoarse.
"——help me leave? Anywhere but here. Even a nearby inn would do."
Lan Xichen was caught off-guard, "..."
'Hmm??'
