Chapter Text
Putting the joke about the shy Daughter-in-law surnamed Lan aside, Wei Wuxian understood that being in a coma for 1 month was by no means trivial.
"Did something else happen to me?" He asked Lan Xichen seriously.
He did not think the Gusu Lan Clan had done anything underhanded to him. They were not people who would act behind someone’s back. Just look at Lan Wangji—even though he objected to Wei Wuxian’s cultivation path and repeatedly tried to bring him to Gusu, that was all. Hanguang-jun had never forcefully seized him at any cost.
His first guess was that it must have been the strange medicine he'd been drugged with in Jinlintai back then that was causing trouble.
However, Lan Xichen shook his head, looking uncertain. “I do not know the exact reason. But your condition did appear rather strange. Your fever fluctuated constantly—sometimes your body was freezing cold, sometimes burning hot. From both my examination and that of the Gusu Lan Clan’s Head Healer, we could only detect turmoil in your meridians… and around your dantian. It must have been the aftereffects of exhausting your energy to suppress the medicine.”
Thinking back to what had happened over the past 1 month, Lan Xichen recalled the consternation he had felt throughout. He had cleaned Wei Wuxian inside and out, but his fever failed to subside on the next day. As the days passed and Wei Wuxian remained unconscious, his condition uncertain, dread slowly engulfed him.
He was afraid that his impulsive offense against Wei Wuxian that night would lead to grave consequences.
Yet perhaps it had been a blessing in disguise. The focus of his uncle and the other elders shifted to the “Sleeping Beauty’s” uncertain state. Their guilty conscience over the possibility that the Sect Leader had harmed another clan’s child made discussions of marriage proceed more smoothly. The guilty conscience over having caused someone else's child to fall into such a predicament made discussions of marriage proceed more smoothly.
After all, what else could they do after causing such harm to the good child of another family? In the end, they could only pinch their nose and close one eye, reluctantly accepting the outrageous outcome—that their 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 well and could distinguish between what he was unqualified for and what he was capable of. Hearing Lan Xichen’s explanation, he quickly formed his own conclusion. True enough, his month-long coma was related to severe energy depletion—but it was not solely from suppressing the Jin Clan’s drug.
It had only been a few months since the end of the war. In other words, it's only been months since the fall of Nightless City. During that final battle, Wei Wuxian used Yin Tiger Tally for the first time since the artifact 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 split the Tally into two halves, so they could only be of use when 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 decided to impose a restraint on himself.
——However, Men Plans Heaven Ordains.
He could carefully plan for himself, but he couldn’t prevent others from arranging a surprise for him!
Just after draining his energy to modify the Tally, the incident at the Flower Banquet piled even more onto his already heavy burden.
No wonder his body had been wrecked to the point of leaving him unconscious for a full month.
No matter how good his medical ability was, Lan Xichen didn't know this, and neither did the Head Healer. When it came to a cultivator’s physical condition, sometimes only the owner of the body truly understood their predicament. What one cultivated and what one experienced left unique traces within their system, comprehensible only to themselves.
Lan Xichen suddenly spoke again, "Wei-Gongzi, there is also another thing that I have not yet told you about..."
Wei Wuxian, "What else?"
“You know what happened that night was because both of us fell into a trap. But that was not the end. The next morning, Sect Leader Jin barged into the guest quarters with many cultivators in tow. At that time, to preserve both of our reputations, I had to announce directly that we were already cultivation partners, only that we had not yet held a formal ceremony…”
“Jin Guangshan! Lanling Jin! It’s them again!” Wei Wuxian slammed his fist into the mattress.
It was as if they were truly fire and water, destined to stand at each other’s throats.
Lan Xichen continued, “—That is why, by now, almost everyone in the cultivation world should know of my statement at Jinlintai.”
Even if they had no ceremony after, they would still be tied to each other in other people's eyes.
"What bad luck..." Wei Wuxian murmured.
He reiterated, "——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.
Whichever path he chose, neither of the paths led to a bright future. If he denied the relationship, it would inevitably tarnish the Lan Clan’s centuries-old reputation. No matter the 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 to being a Cut-Sleeve? The partner he chose was Wei Wuxian, no less.
Either way, it seemed like a dead end.
Yet upon seeing Wei Wuxian’s regretful expression, Lan Xichen chuckled softly. “How can you put it that way? It is not as precarious as you think, Wei-Gongzi. Look, I have gained a cultivation partner who is not only good-looking but also exceptionally talented.” He added lightly, “I do not think that is such a bad deal.”
"Haha..." Wei Wuxian laughed dryly.
When it came to being good-looking, who could be more attractive than GusuLan DoubleJade? Each of them was incredibly stunning and refined. As for talent, who could have more knowledge and skills compared to the Lan descendants, who were rigorously trained since childhood?
Of course, Wei Wuxian wouldn't take Lan Xichen's compliment seriously. The older man was merely being considerate. Perhaps he's trying to comfort Wei Wuxian while convincing himself at the same time.
"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 measures 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 return to Lotus Pier, and we can let people think we’re just another couple living separately. Besides, everyone knows Wei Wuxian is incompatible with Gusu Lan’s Wall of Rules. It wouldn’t be surprising for me to act willfully, would it?"
The expression on Lan Xichen’s face turned odd. He politely interrupted, “What do you mean by not going through with the marriage? Do you mean having the relationship acknowledged, but no real union?”
"Exactly!" Wei Wuxian replied. "Let our relationship be known for as long as it's necessary. Then, someday, when you find a maiden you like and want to marry, I'll figure out some way. At that time, we can stage a quarrel, make it look convincing. You can later tell the world that I betrayed your trust one-sidedly, and hence, our relationship has to be severed. After a few years, you’ll have perfectly legitimate reasons to marry your chosen bride."
The more Wei Wuxian laid out his plan, the more reasonable the plan sounded to him.
His eyes brightened, and he eagerly sought approval.
"Well, 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 worse his expression turned. 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 exactly do you think about? The plan you proposed earlier is indeed focused entirely on my benefit, but none of them considers your side. Why is that, I wonder?"
Wei Wuxian looked puzzled. "Isn't that obvious? Between the two of us, who needs to be considered the most? It should be you. It's not like I have an important status to preserve. I told you that I also don't have any plans to marry anyone right now. Rather, it's like putting a rein in my nose."
“Then...what about staging a quarrel and letting people see you as a renegade?”
Wei Wuxian lowered his gaze slightly. “…Isn’t that also for your sake? If you don’t have a convincing reason to cast me out, how will you give your future wife a clean status and spotless reputation?”
Lan Xichen, "Then what about yours?"
"Mine? My reputation isn't that important. It's not like I care about what people think about me. Their opinions don’t affect my life. At most… I’d just lose a few female admirers."
Lan Xichen pressed more, "What about you as a person? After you were...After what I have 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 went a bit overboard, but essentially, it’s the same…"
Lan Xichen fell silent.
Wei Wuxian was also left speechless.
He thought that 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 to anticipate, and put their life in disarray as a result.
If having his own reputation ruined could be exchanged for preventing such a bad fate, Wei Wuxian wouldn't mind doing so.
There were already enough resentful couples trapped in bitter marriages in this world.
No need to create another.
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 met his gaze calmly. “If that is truly what you wish, I have no right to force you otherwise, Wei-Gongzi.”
"Then, you agree...?" Wei Wuxian carefully asked him to make sure.
"That is 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 may return to Lotus Pier as you wish. You need not worry about this matter anymore. I will take care of everything and notify 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 is to reveal the truth. It is my fault for taking advantage of your insensibility and unilaterally deciding your lifelong matter. I can not wrong you more than I already have."
Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened. He leapt straight toward the entrance to chase after him—unfortunately, the man had already slipped out of the courtyard.
"Zewu-Jun! Wait, you, listen to-, Ugh!"
Wei Wuxian ran straight into the sliding door, nose first.
"??"
He tried to pry open the door, but he found out the door wouldn't budge.
"Lan Xichen!!!"
The roar echoed through the tranquil mountainside, startling the little birds into flying from the branches.