Chapter Text
Putting the joke aside about the shy Daughter-in-law surnamed Lan, Wei Wuxian understood that being in a coma for 1 month was by no means, a trivial matter.
"Did something else happen to me?" He asked Lan Xichen seriously.
He didn't think it was GusuLan who had done some discreet action to him. They were not people who would do something behind someone's back. Just look at Lan Wangji, even if his objection to his Cultivation Path caused him to repeatedly want to drag Wei Wuxian to Gusu, but that was it. Hanguang-Jun never forcefully seized him at all costs.
His first guess was it must have been the strange medicine he got in Jinlintai back then that was causing trouble.
Lan Xichen, however, shook his head, looking uncertain. "I do not know why exactly. However, your condition did appear genuinely strange. Your fever was up and down. Sometimes your body is freezing cold, sometimes it's boiling hot. From my and GusuLan's Head Healer examination, we could only detect that there's some kind of turmoil in your meridians...and your Dantian area. It must have been the after-effect of you exhausting your energy to suppress the medicine before."
Thinking back to what had happened during this 1 month, Lan Xichen recollected the consternation he felt throughout. He had cleaned Wei Wuxian inside and out, but his fever failed to subside on the next day. Dozens of days afterward, looking at Wei Wuxian still unconscious and his condition looking uncertain, dreads couldn't help but engulf his whole being.
He was afraid that his impulsive offense toward Wei Wuxian that night would lead to a grave consequence.
But perhaps it was such a blessing in disguise. The focus of his Uncle and other Elders was also distracted by the Sleeping Beauty's uncertain situation. The guilty conscience of causing someone else's child to fall into such a predicament made the marriage talk smoother.
After all, what else do you want to do after inflicting such harm on the good child of another family? In the end, they could only pinch their nose and close one eye, accepting the outrageous result that the Sect Leader had become a Cut-Sleeve and formed a union with another man.
"Oh..." Wei Wuxian's response was mild, however.
He knew his own body and could distinguish between things he's unqualified for and those he's capable of. Hearing Lan Xichen's explanation, he quickly made an inference based on his personal situation. True to Lan Xichen's assumptions, his 1 month comatose did relate to severe energy exertion. But it's not solely due to suppressing the Jin Clan's medicine.
It's just a few months after the war ended. In other words, it's only been months since the fall of Nightless City. During that one battle, Wei Wuxian used Yin Tiger Tally for the first time since the Tally was made.
The Tally's powers were considerably greater than what he had imagined. He originally wanted to use it to assist him, but its powers were almost exceeding him, its creator. Moreover, it didn't settle on one single master. This meant that if someone got hold of it, no matter who they were, whether good or bad, friend or foe, they were able to use it.
But the Tally had been forged either way, with much difficulty no less. If he were to destroy it again, he'd have to spare a lot of time and drain his power in exchange. Besides, even after the war had just ended, Wei Wuxian had already vaguely understood that he wasn't in a good situation and would be hated by everyone sooner or later. With a weapon as appalling as the Yin Tiger Tally, others wouldn't dare to act rashly, so he temporarily kept it.
Not long ago, Wei Wuxian separated the Tally into two halves, making it so that they could only be of use when they were put together. In this way, the Tally should never be used without careful consideration.
Wei Wuxian seemed carefree, but in reality, he put a lot of thought into his actions. He understood his weapon, realized the nature of his Cultivation Path, and made a decision to set a restraint on himself.
——However, Men Plans Heaven Ordains.
He could make a careful plan for himself, but he couldn't prevent other people from arranging a suprise plan for him!
Just after he drained his energy to modify the Tally, the accident in Flower Banquet happened to add more to his plate.
It's no wonder that his body was wrecked to the point of passing out for 1 month.
No matter how good his medical ability was, Lan Xichen didn't know this, and so did the Head Healer. For things like health reasons for Cultivator, sometimes only the body owner understood their predicament perfectly. Because what you cultivated, what you had experienced, left distinct traces in their system, and only the owner of the body understood.
Lan Xichen suddenly opened his mouth once again and said, "Wei-Gongzi, there's also another thing that I haven't told you about..."
Wei Wuxian, "What else?"
"You know what happened that night was because both of us fell into a trap. But that's not the end. The next morning, Sect Leader Jin barged into the guest quarter bringing many Cultivators with him. At that time, to preserve both of our reputations I had to directly announce that we were already a Cultivation Partner, only that we haven't had a formal ceremony yet..."
"Jin Guangshan! LanlingJin! It's them again!" Wei Wuxian hit the bed mattress with his fist.
It's as if they really were fire and water, their existence was meant to be against each other's throats.
Lan Xichen continued, "——That's why, today, almost everyone in the Cultivation World should have known about my statement in Jinlintai back then."
Even if they had no ceremony after, they would still be tied to each other in other people's eyes.
"It's really bad luck..." Wei Wuxian murmured.
He reiterated once again, "——It must have been, you must have felt really unlucky, Zewu-Jun..." He sighed, regretting Lan Xichen's misfortune, for having nowhere else to go but to grit his teeth and marry a man.
Wherever he chose to go, neither of the paths led to a bright future. Not admitting Wei Wuxian's relationship with him would inevitably besmirch the Lan Clan's hundreds of years reputation. No matter what kind of excuse, people would still see him with impure thoughts, as they realized Lan Xichen had committed promiscuity with a man outside of marriage.
But acknowledging it led to no good either. What was good about a Sect Leader openly admitting as a Cut-Sleeve? The partner he chose was Wei Wuxian no less.
Either way was a dead end.
Watching his regretful look, Lan Xichen chuckled instead. "How could you say it that way? Actually, It is not as precarious as you think, Wei-Gongzi. Look, I gain myself a Cultivation Partner who is not only good-looking but also exceptionally talented." He joked, "I don't think that is a bad deal?"
"Haha..." Wei Wuxian laughed dryly.
Speaking about being good-looking, who could be more attractive than GusuLan DoubleJade? Each of them was incredibly pretty and precious. Talking about talent, who could have more knowledge and skills compared to the Lan descendants who were specifically trained since childhood? Of course, Wei Wuxian wouldn't take Lan Xichen's compliment seriously. The older man was just being considerate and tried to console him while also convincing himself along the way.
"Zewu-Jun, actually, there's another way."
"What other way?"
Wei Wuxian said, "You must really have no choice back then, and have to tie yourself to me. I don't mind you taking such measure that day, and I don't mind being known as your Cultivation Partner, it's not like I have a plan to marry others."
Lan Xichen smiled. "That's a relief to hear."
Wei Wuxian nodded but continued to speak his mind, "That being said, actually, you don't have to truthfully tie the knot. I'll go back to Lotus Pier, and let people think we are just another couple who live separately. Besides, everyone knows Wei Wuxian is incompatible with GusuLan's Wall of Rules, there's no surprise for me to act so wilful, is there?"
The expression on Lan Xichen's face became strange. He politely interrupted, "What do you mean by not tying the knot truthfully? Do you mean to say, it's simply a known relationship but no real union?"
Wei Wuxian told him, "Exactly! Let our relationship be known for as long as it's necessary. When someday you find a maiden you like and want to marry, I'll figure out some way. At that time, let's make a fake argument. You can later tell the world that I one-sidedly betray your trust, hence our relationship has to be severed. A few years later, you will have all the legitimate reasons to marry your chosen bride."
The more Wei Wuxian laid out his plan, the more reasonable he felt. His eyes couldn't help but brighten up and he eagerly asked for praise,
"How, how is it? Don't you think that is a brilliant idea?"
Lan Xichen didn't reply.
The more Lan Xichen heard Wei Wuxian's plan, the more his expression turned worse. In the end, even the slight smile on his face disappeared completely from his expression. For a second, it's almost giving Wei Wuxian the illusion that the person he's facing right now was the stern-faced Lan Wangji.
"...Uh, what do you think? You——" Why do you look like you want to beat me up instead?
"What do I think, huh..." Lan Xichen spoke slowly. "Let me ask you instead, Wei-Gongzi, what do you exactly think about? The plan you proposed earlier is indeed focused entirely on my benefit, but none of them put consideration on your side. Why is that, I wonder?"
Wei Wuxian looked at him in confusion. "Isn't that obvious? Between you and me, who needs to be considered the most, it should be you. What's so important about me? I told you I have no plan to marry someone, or thinking about getting married at all. It's like putting a rein in my nose."
"Then...what about faking a fight and letting people see you as a renegade?"
Wei Wuxian lowered his gaze slightly, "...Isn't that thinking about you? If you have no convincing reason to cast me out, how are you going to give a clean status and spotless reputation to your future wife?"
Lan Xichen, "Then what about yours?"
"Me? My reputation isn't that important. It's not like I care about what people think about me. Their opinion does not affect my life either. At most, I will only lose my female suitors."
Lan Xichen pursued more, "What about you as a person? After you were...after I've done what I did to you, are you just going to brush it off?"
Wei Wuxian avoided his glance sideways. "It's not brushing it off. But, after all, we're both men. There's no consequence or significant loss. Just treat it like friends helping each other out. Isn't that quite common, for friends to curb each other's fire? Maybe, we're slightly overdone, but, that's still essentially the same..."
Lan Xichen fell silent.
Wei Wuxian was also left speechless.
He thought, Lan Xichen had no choice but to sacrifice his entire future because of one night's passion with him.
But Wei Wuxian couldn't bear to let someone else live a life with no future, and put their life in disarray as a result.
If having his own reputation ruined could be exchanged to prevent such a bad fate, Wei Wuxian wouldn't mind doing that.
Enough resentful couples were living in bitter marriages in this world.
No need to make another one.
The silence suffocated the entire room for a while.
At some point, Lan Xichen finally spoke, "I see."
Wei Wuxian looked at him. "You mean...?"
Lan Xichen stared back at him faintly. "If that's really what you wish, I have no right to force you otherwise, Wei-Gongzi."
"Then, you agree to...?" Wei Wuxian carefully asked him to make sure.
"That's what I mean." Lan Xichen smiled. "But, just as you do what you wish, I will also do what I think is right."
He stood up, glancing slightly downward at Wei Wuxian who was still sitting on the bedside, he was still smiling, but what he said afterward,
"Fear not, Wei-Gongzi, you can go back to Lotus Pier as you wish. You don't have to worry about this affair anymore. Let me take care of everything. I will notify all the other Sects and Cultivators."
Wei Wuxian frowned. "What kind of notification?"
Lan Xichen had already whirled around and made his way outside, but he paused for a while and answered kindly, "Naturally, it's to reveal the truth. It's my fault for taking advantage of your insensibility and deciding your lifelong matter one-sidedly. I can not wrong you more than I already have."
Wei Wuxian's eyes widened and he leaped directly to the entrance, wanting to chase Lan Xichen, unfortunately, the man had slipped out from the courtyard.
"Zewu-Jun! Wait, you, listen to-, Ughhh!"
Wei Wuxian banged his nose first to the sliding door.
"??"
He tried to pry open the door, but he found out the door couldn't budge.
"Lan Xichen!!!"
The roar resounded throughout the tranquil mountainside, startling the little birds to fly from the branches.