Chapter Text
Lotus Pier.
Jiang Cheng walked through the open hallway of Lotus Pier, coming into the inner residence.
His face was extremely dark.
Despite he did succeed in bringing Wei Wuxian back, it surely was not in this kind of situation! Definitely not with two unwanted tails tagging along!
Even if Jiang Cheng disagreed with this marriage, not only because it overturned his beliefs, thinking about how could two men marry each other, but also because the most important thing was one of the men actually someone from his corner! This was absolutely unacceptable.
However, he couldn't openly oppose Lan Xichen. Lan Xichen was GusuLan's Sect Leader. Contending against him meant opposing GusuLan Sect.
In addition, Lan Xichen was a sworn brother of Nie Mingjue and they had been friends for many years. If Lan Xichen had a disagreement with him, QingheNie would definitely have a bad opinion of him as well. Jiang Cheng couldn't let Yunmeng Jiang have a fallout with 2 Major Sects at the same time.
After the war, while the Sect who became the biggest winner was LanlingJin, however, the Sect Leaders with the most influence were Zewu-Jun and Chifeng-Zun. Not to mention that Lan Xichen had been nurtured as a Sect Heir since very young. He had been infamous among his generation for many years as well. Reputation-wise, Jiang Cheng knew he couldn't compare with Lan Xichen. In case he insisted on going against him openly, other Sects and Cultivators were more likely to be inclined to Lan Xichen.
Even then, thinking that Wei Wuxian would actually get married to a man, married off to GusuLan, and from then on he would become one of theirs, Jiang Cheng couldn't accept it.
Why? Why did Wei Wuxian have to be taken to GusuLan?! Obviously, Wei Wuxian should be his subordinate, why couldn't he even have the power to say anything when his subordinate was openly snatched to another sect?!
And that Wei Wuxian, he actually agreed so easily to this kind of thing! He, that guy must have forgotten about his promise back then...
Whatever promise to stay with him forever, whatever promise that he would be the Sect Leader and Wei Wuxian would be his subordinate, of all his words must have been fed to a dog's belly!
The more Jiang Cheng thought of this, the more his expression became distorted.
Jiang Yanli heard the commotion from the front and was surprised to find Jiang Cheng coming inside by himself.
"A-Cheng? Didn't you go to meet A-Xian? Where is he?"
"Heh." Jiang Cheng sneered. "Where is he? Of course, working hard to practice his skill as someone else's little wife, flattering his man outside."
Jiang Yanli frowned. "What are you talking about? Who is someone else's wife?"
"Who else could it be? Isn't that his so-called Cultivation Partner who has been in a relationship with him since very young!"
Jiang Yanli, "..."
At this point, almost everyone in the Cultivation World knew that, apparently, Lan Xichen and Wei Wuxian had been in a romantic relationship since they were 15 and 18! Even Jiang Yanli who rarely came out had heard of it.
But to Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng who knew what kind of things Wei Wuxian had been doing during his 15 to 20s, their reaction could only be,
From which crack did this so-called romantic partner jump out from?!
Just yesterday, they received a group of GusuLan's Cultivators, politely informing them that Wei Wuxian had woken up. But the surprise wasn't exactly the news, they also invited Jiang Cheng to Gusu to talk about the upcoming wedding of Lan Xichen and Wei Wuxian.
Despite the bewildering situation, Jiang Yanli obviously could accept things better, and saw them with a broad mind.
She didn't know what happened between Wei Wuxian and Zewu-Jun, but if Wei Wuxian didn't object to the relationship, then, why not let them be?
Since she knew Wei Wuxian would be back today, Jiang Yanli had been preparing some dishes for him.
Sometime before Haishi, the person they had been waiting finally entered the main residence in Lotus Pier without alerting any of the disciples.
Jiang Yanli stood up and greeted him happily, "A-Xian!"
Wei Wuxian saw her and beamed cheerfully in return. "Shijie! I'm home!"
He obediently let Jiang Yanli turn his body back and forth, checking all over him with distress.
She asked worriedly, "Shijie heard that you were in a coma for a month. What happens to you? Have you fully recovered?"
Wei Wuxian smiled comfortingly at her. "I did. But I'm okay now. I've been recuperating well and my appetite has gone back. I think I can even devour a bucket of rice now!"
Jiang Yanli giggled at his exaggerated joke and ushered him gently to the dining table. "A-Cheng said he will pick you up today. So Shijie has been simmering Pork Ribs soup for hours."
Smelling the fragrant stew, Wei Wuxian had already become hungry all over again. As he saw the meat inside, they looked so juicy completely absorbing the broth, coupled with the long simmered time causing the meat to easily fall off the bone. He felt his mouth water and couldn't wait to swallow them right after Jiang Yanli poured a portion for him into the bowl.
"Slow down. There are still a lot more." Jiang Yanli carefully reminded.
Jiang Cheng who sat on the other side, ate the portion given by his sister, and snorted loudly.
"You still look like a Hungry Ghost, why, your man didn't feed you properly?"
Wei Wuxian frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Jiang Yanli called him softly, "A-Cheng."
Jiang Cheng scowled even more. "Jie, have I said anything wrong? Have you heard what people outside said about this brat!"
Wei Wuxian, "What's wrong? What are they telling again? It's like I haven't been talked about before. Why do you have to listen to people's words every time?"
Jiang Cheng mocked, "Oh? You don't care about them talking, right? Do you even know what are they talking about you now? They said, how capable you are in climbing someone else's bed! Do you still dare to say you won't care?! Look at how much dignity you've lost!"
Wei Wuxian still replied nonchalantly, "What's the matter? I thought there was going to be a more outrageous rumor, it turns out to be this. Why, people must have been so jealous of me right? From a son of a servant to climb into the bed of a Major Sect's Leader. What an inspirational story!"
Jiang Cheng was incensed by his response, "You still dare to treat it lightly! "
Wei Wuxian raised his brow and smiled carelessly instead. "After all, Wei Wuxian has always been a capable person, no? If I want to do something, I will always excel at it. If I'm going to make a job of bed-climbing, I will make the best career of it. Let alone Lan Xichen, I will even climb on both Lan DoubleJade's beds! Others may only see and die in jealousy. No need to thank me."
Jiang Cheng and even Jiang Yanli were speechless.
For a while, they couldn't even find themselves to react upon such a brazen declaration.
It was Jiang Cheng who broke the silence once again by standing up, infuriated.
"Wei Wuxian! Are you really so eager to enter into GusuLan Clan? How much have they fed you, and how much have YunmengJiang raised you? You can't wait to leave Lotus Pier for a man, right?!"
Wei Wuxian also stood up and confronted him.
Before, while in GusuLan, he had been holding back since it was another's home ground, now that they're here he didn't have any scruples to mind.
"Jiang Cheng, pay attention to your words. It's okay to say this in front of me, if you speak like that in front of others, you will offend them."
Jiang Cheng strode to his side and laughed. "Why can't I say it? You don't want to hear it, do you? You hate how people say you're abandoning your sect for a man, do you?"
Wei Wuxian's eyes became colder. "Speak properly! Have I ever said that I will abandon YunmengJiang? Does being married out is the same as quitting one's sect? If someday Shijie marries outside, are you going to say that she's no longer a member of YunmengJiang?"
Jiang Cheng arrived in front of him, his expression was dark and twisted in acrimony.
"Heh. Wei Wuxian, you really say words like farts! Who said he would stay here forever?! Who said that when I become a Sect Leader he will be my subordinate, others have ShuangBi and Yunmeng has ShuangJie. Who said it? Did you eat your own words?! Why now, just for the sake of a man, do you want to marry outside? Don't tell me that after being married off you won't be required to stay in that Sect! Don't you know it yourself!?"
Wei Wuxian was dazed and taken aback for a while, remembering the words he said after he went back from killing Xuanwu of Slaughter.
But a moment later, his expression turned similarly ugly as he shouted back, "You ask me why I have to leave YunmengJiang, then let me ask you, do you think if I don't marry Lan Xichen, I won't leave YunmenJiang!?"
Wei Wuxian laughed coldly. "Then, why don't you ask LanlingJin? Why don't you ask them why they have to frame me in the first place? Even if don't have any accident with Lan Xichen, I will still be framed with others! I will still have to marry outside! I will still have to leave YunmengJiang. Tell me, what's the difference, married off to Lanling or married off to Gusu?"
Jiang Cheng had a slight moment of realization. Thinking that indeed, it would be the case. Wei Wuxian would still be married out.
Deep down inside his heart Jiang Cheng understood. But he thought the trouble shouldn't have been this big as when Lan Xichen was involved. He still couldn't accept it either way.
He berated, "So you think marrying a man is better? Do you think being a joke to others is reasonable? You have no complaint even if others will see you with disgust, knowing you can only lie under a man and discard your own pride?!"
"You think it is ludicrous, but did you expect me to be pleased with it!" Wei Wuxian's expression worsened.
But shortly after, his face turned calmer, yet even more creepy.
"That's right. Since you're so opposed to it, why don't we make it clear and solve it from the root? Let's go to Jinlintai right now and beat everyone there. No one will get married in that case. Let's just hang them on the City Gate and teach them a lesson to warn others. Tell the world this is the consequence of those who dared to frame me. No one will gossip or has the guts to talk about this accident anymore."
He sneered and took off ChenQing from his waist, twirling it threateningly in his hand, conveying exactly what he meant.
Jiang Cheng, "You!"
Wei Wuxian, "Now is just right, it's night, a good timing for violence. Let's go already, do you dare to do it?"
Looking at the situation became even more tense, with the two people going at each other's throats, Jiang Yanli hurriedly stood up and held their arms. "A-Cheng. A-Xian. If you have something to say, speak slowly, don't fight."
Wei Wuxian was startled as his hand was grabbed by someone.
When he saw Jiang Yanli, he immediately felt guilty for raising his voice and showing his wrath.
"Sorry, Shijie...I must have scared you..." He apologized with a low voice.
Jiang Yanli smiled and shook her head. "A-Xian, you must have been tired. Why don't you go back to sleep for now?"
Wei Wuxian hesitated for a moment, realizing that Jiang Yanli should have urged him to go so that she could talk with Jiang Cheng instead.
He nodded and gave her a smile in return before walking out from the dining hall, back to the wing where his bedroom was located.
After Wei Wuxian left, the dining hall was engulfed in silence for a few minutes.
Jiang Yanli didn't directly say anything, but let Jiang Cheng sit back down first. She busied herself with cleaning the leftover dishes as well as the used utensils, and putting them back on the tray. She didn't forget to wipe the table clean afterward.
When she looked up to Jiang Cheng once again, she finally spoke, "A-Cheng, if you're worried about A-Xian and unwilling to accept that he won't stay here anymore, that is not how to say it."
Jiang Cheng opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but Jiang Yanli had intercepted him,
"You're always like this. Obviously you care about him, but why can't you say something nice? Why do you have to twist your words into those that will hurt others instead?"
She heaved a deep sigh, suddenly feeling tired. Her brows were already shaped mildly, giving a vibe of melancholy in her expression. Tonight they became even more noticeable. She couldn't help but think about the relationship between their deceased parents.
It was obvious that her mother harbored some feelings for her father, but she couldn't say anything nice and stuck with twisting her words into those that hurt him. In the end, their relationship never got better. Until death, perhaps her father's impression of her mother would always be a bitter and unreasonable woman.
She said, "If you keep being like this, you will push A-Xian away. Now is not too late yet, Jie hopes the relationship between the two of you won't be shattered because of outsiders."
Jiang Cheng finally replied in a low voice, "Then, what do you expect me to do?"
Jiang Yanli huffed and smiled slightly, patting his shoulder. "A-Xian is not a child anymore. Since he wants to do this, he must have already contemplated it properly. A-Xian has always been capable, if GusuLan has a bad intention, he can still protect himself."
Jiang Cheng was still furrowing his eyebrows tightly.
Seeing that it's still difficult for him to accept, Jiang Yanli continued, "What A-Xian said before is true. Just because he marries into another Clan, that doesn't mean he no longer belongs to YunmengJiang. If anything happens to YunmengJiang, do you think he will stay silent? It doesn't mean that he will never return here anymore."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng also began to reflect properly.
Jiang Yanli thought of something and suddenly added once more, "Oh, besides, Zewu-Jun is infamous for being kind and gentle. He should treat A-Xian with courtesy. We don't have to worry about his well-being."
Jiang Cheng was still very reluctant. "But a man with another man...Jie, you know how repugnant those Cut-sleeves are." He shuddered.
In this era, Cut-sleeves were commonly seen as taboo. Those who were openly coming out as Cut-sleeves often put girly makeup on their face, with high-pitched voices while shaking their hips like a woman. To typical men in this era, these kinds of people were like an embarrassment to their dignity, and often were seen as a joke.
It was really inevitable for Jiang Cheng, as he thought Wei Wuxian would be in the same category as those people, he couldn't stop himself from having a strong revulsion and disapproval.
Jiang Yanli understood what he was thinking and tried to say, "What's wrong with two men being together? It's not like A-Xian or Zewu-Jun will like every man in this world. If you think you will be embarrassed by him, you don't have to worry about that. A-Xian won't suddenly be putting on makeup or dressing like a woman just because he marries Zewu-Jun."
What Jiang Yanli said indeed made sense. After thinking about it more, Jiang Cheng started to calm down. Besides, just like Wei Wuxian said earlier, just because he didn't get married off to Gusu, he would still be married off to Lanling. He was angry about it, but did Wei Wuxian feel happy about being framed?
The more he reflected, the calmer his mood became.
At this time, seeing that Jiang Cheng had calmed down, Jiang Yanli suddenly joked,
"——Besides, even if A-Xian puts on makeup and wears a women's dress, Jie thinks he will appear very beautiful instead, don't you think so?"
Jiang Cheng, "..."
The image of an 8-foot-tall man wearing makeup and a women's dress would be too damaging to the eye!
It's just slightly past Haishi.
Wei Wuxian tossed and turned on the bed with his eyes wide open.
No matter which posture he used, he still couldn't bring himself to sleep.
'How strange.' He thought.
These past few weeks in Gusu he had been going to sleep exactly around this time. And there was no problem with sleeping early. He could immediately fall asleep in a moment. But why now when in Yunmeng he couldn't fall asleep?
'Is it because I am used to sleeping past midnight in Yunmeng?'
Pondering was useless, and Wei Wuxian wasn't the type of person who could stay bored for a long time.
In the end, he got up and simply draped a black outer robe he found in the cabinet, on top of the white inner robes he was currently wearing. Just like that, he sneaked outside once again.
Lan Xichen heard a subtle noise from the window of his room and instantly woke up.
Someone actually climbed into his room from the window!
But on a second look, the silhouette was familiar.
"Wei-Gongzi?" He called out, uncertain.
"It's me!" The other person replied with a hush.
Lan Xichen waved his hand and lit up the lanterns in the room. He was about to get up from the bed, when Wei Wuxian suddenly stopped him, "Don't move!"
Hearing Wei Wuxian's urgent tone, Lan Xichen stopped his movement immediately and asked vigilantly, "What's the matter?"
The next moment, Wei Wuxian actually clambered to the other side of the bed, parting the blanket, and quickly nestled inside.
He grinned toward the other person and patted the mattress, "Now you can move."
Lan Xichen, "..."
Slowly, he collapsed back to the mattress, lying in a rigid posture.
After a while, he couldn't stop his curiosity and turned his head to the side, asking Wei Wuxian,
"Why are you here? Did you get kicked out from Lotus Pier"
Wei Wuxian laughed. "How is that possible?"
He then started talking nonsense, "Am I not worried about you? It must be the first time you're in Yunmeng. You must not be familiar with its climate and may feel uncomfortable. So I think I'll help you get through it."
Lan Xichen wanted to say, 'No, it's not the first time I come to Yunmeng.'
He had been here once or twice during the war, to the war front in Jiangling. Additionally, he had also been nighthunting in some areas near here and thus had been passing by quite some times.
But thinking about it, Wei Wuxian should have known about it as well. Yet, here he was. So he decided to follow along.
Wei Wuxian himself was lying on the bed and thinking in his heart.
'Now I have really climbed on Zewu-Jun's bed!'
He recalled Jiang Cheng's words, about how Lan Xichen had nowhere else to find someone with a decent look to relieve himself and took advantage of him. Somehow it made him crack up instead. Didn't that mean he was so decent-looking, enough to entice the Jade of Lan?
Lan Xichen heard his stifled laughter and turned his head once again toward him. "What's the matter?"
Wei Wuxian flipped his body to fully face him. "Nothing. I just suddenly recollect something funny."
After saying this, he habitually draped his arm, wrapping it on top of Lan Xichen's torso.
The moment his hand fell to the other person, Wei Wuxian froze on the spot.
He had been hugging Lan Xichen like this while sleeping, but that's when he was already falling asleep. Now that he's still completely awake, doing this...
When Wei Wuxian was about to draw his hand back, on second thought, he suddenly noticed that Lan Xichen didn't seem surprised at his action and didn't have any averse reaction at all.
Therefore, Wei Wuxian became braver. Not only draping his arms, he even lifted his leg and put it on top of Lan Xichen's. He shifted his body closer and finally put his head on the other person's shoulder, completely embracing him. His breathing was rather warm, softly brushing Lan Xichen's exposed neck. It was at this time that the other party finally stiffened slightly.
Wei Wuxian didn't notice it and was already closing his eyes in satisfaction.
When the breathing of the person beside him became stable and slower, Lan Xichen finally loosened his tensed muscles.
He shifted his body slightly, facing Wei Wuxian. His other arm quietly reached out to the back of the young man's head, carefully unclasping the ribbon that hadn't been taken off. After putting the ribbon away, his fingers combed the hair on the back softly, massaging his head skillfully without waking up the person.
He loosened the girdle on Wei Wuxian's waist as well and put them aside. After doing all of these, Lan Xichen finally closed his eyes and began to sleep as well.
The next day, when Lan Wangji came down to get breakfast at the dining hall near the inn entrance, he saw Wei Wuxian already sitting with Lan Xichen at the table.
Wei Wuxian noticed him coming in and waved his hand, "Lan Zhan! Here, here! We've ordered some for you."
Lan Wangji glanced outside. It was still early. Usually, Wei Wuxian wouldn't have woken up yet.
But the young man in front of him looked like he had been freshened up, meaning he should have woken up an hour earlier at the very least.
Did he come from Lotus Pier?
Or...
Lan Wangji shut his eyes for a second and when he opened them once again, his eyes stared ahead calmly, coming to the two people's side.
Afterward, they ended up visiting Lotus Pier together.
When Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji made their formal visit, Wei Wuxian was surprised to find that Jiang Cheng no longer spoke any nonsense.
He couldn't help but wonder what did he and Jiang Yanli were talking about for him to finally be able to settle his mind, slightly.
Yes , just slightly.
Because even if he no longer insisted on opposing the already prepared marriage, he still had a constipated look on his face.
When later he saw Wei Wuxian coming together and interacting with the two Jades, sometimes talking with Lan Xichen and sometimes turning on the side to tease Lan Wangji, his expression became even more strange.
The more he looked the more he felt weird.
Wei Wuxian's careless words last night inadvertently echoed once again from the back of his mind.
His whole body convulsed in response.
God Forbid! It should be impossible!