Chapter Text
Lan Xichen stared at the shadows that seemed to creep along the hem of Wei Wuxian's robes, appearing as if they were clawing their way up his frame. The flickering interplay of light and shadow made it appear as if the person before him were struggling not to be swallowed by the darkness.
Lan Xichen abruptly rose to his feet.
“Let me light the lamp for you,” he said.
The sudden brightness of the lamp illuminated every corner of the residence. Lan Xichen glanced once more at the hem of Wei Wuxian’s robes and saw that the shadows had dispersed. Only then did the tension on his brows loosen.
Wei Wuxian had been staring at Lan Xichen’s back the whole time. When the person turned around to walk back to the table, unwilling to see what expression he might be wearing, he quickly lowered his gaze to the rim of his cup.
His focus, however, was disrupted by a subtle noise from his side. When he looked up, he found that the other man had somehow come to stand before him. Instead of returning to his previous seat, Lan Xichen moved to Wei Wuxian’s side and quietly sat down beside the man in black.
“Zewu-Jun—,” Wei Wuxian called, turning his head to look at him.
And yet, when he met Lan Xichen’s eyes, calmly gazing at him, he swallowed the rest of his words. There was an emotion Wei Wuxian could not quite describe. Those dark eyes seemed to ripple with unreadable sentiments, but when they met his own, they were filled with unmistakable tenderness.
There's always something exceptionally soothing about listening to Lan Xichen speak. When their heads were pressed close, and his voice sounded right beside him, the low timbre seemed to settle Wei Wuxian’s nerves. The tension that had been wound tightly around his heart gradually loosened.
He felt Lan Xichen’s hand slip beneath the folds of his robe. The warm palm pressed against his skin, kneading it deftly as his fingers traveled over his body, easing the stiffness from his muscles while Spiritual Energy flowed gently through his entire figure. Unbeknownst to him, over the past year of companionship, this person had quietly become a source of calm and stability for his turbulent mind, an anchor amid the overwhelming pressures Wei Wuxian had once been forced to endure.
Wei Wuxian's fingers, still holding the Dizi, trembled faintly. He could picture the feeling of Lan Xichen's hand on his body, the roughness of his fingertips, the softness of his palm, even the occasional scrape of his nails. He couldn't prevent a soft moan from escaping his lips.
He felt good.
Lan Xichen had always made him feel good.
Realizing that he was about to be swept away by the tide of desire once again, Wei Wuxian tried to pull himself back.
Yet from the corner of his eye, he caught Lan Xichen’s expression, his lips pressed tightly, a trace of dismay lingering there. When he noticed Wei Wuxian looking at him, however, his gaze was still filled with tenderness.
“Wei-Gongzi… A-Xian…”
Aside from the late Jiang Fengmian, or his Shijie, who had loved him like her own younger brother, no one had ever called him by that name.
Those two had been his elders.
Now, when Lan Xichen called him “A-Xian,” it felt as if the Lan Sect Leader regarded him as someone younger, someone he could not bear to be stern with, yet also someone he hoped would listen obediently to him.
There was no way around it.
Wei Wuxian understood that he really wouldn't be able to get away by just saying, “I owe them gratitude for helping me.”
Besides, if Lan Xichen, his spouse, were to be asked for an explanation later, Wei Wuxian would rather he hear the truth directly from him than learn fragments from others. He wanted Lan Xichen to understand his perspective firsthand.
Therefore, Wei Wuxian told him everything.
He spoke of how Wen Ning had helped him sneak the captured Jiang Cheng out of Lotus Pier.
How he had done them a favor in cremating Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan, preserving their ashes so they could later be enshrined in the rebuilt ancestral hall.
How the originally timid young man had even dared to smuggle Zidian away from Wen Chao’s possession.
The meeting with Wen Qing,
and how she had treated Jiang Cheng’s wounds, later sheltering them for days in her residence, regardless of the risks.
—Therefore, when an obscure acupoint along his Meridians was struck at lightning speed, Wei Wuxian had no time to react.
His eyes widened. Before he could even make a sound, consciousness slipped away from him, and his body slumped forward, nearly hitting the table below, if not for Lan Xichen pulling him back into his embrace.
The last thing Wei Wuxian heard was,
“…Wei-Gongzi… apologize… I…”
The words that followed grew increasingly distant.
Wei Wuxian's lips parted slightly. In his mind, he wanted to roar,
LAN XICHEN!!!
—However, he was soon enveloped by pitch-black darkness.
The man strode in from the entrance. His white boots made no sound as they stepped across the wooden floor. He wore a forehead ribbon embroidered with cloud patterns, and his pristine white robes moved gently as they enveloped his figure. From head to toe, there was not a speck of dust nor a single crease upon him. His skin was fair, his features refined and elegant like jade.
Those who had long lived in Caiyi Town would likely have seen him at least once.
It was Lan Xichen.
However, instead of the warm, spring-breeze smile he was known for, his expression was now solemn, carrying a faint trace of frost. His gaze was faint as he spoke, “Wei-Gongzi has been here before.”
It was not a question, but a statement.
“Bring me to the cubicle he reserved here.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned toward the stairs leading to the second floor. After a brief pause, as though remembering courtesy, he added quietly,
“…Please.”
Both owners of Tianzi Xiao Tavern stood dumbfounded outside the private booths on the second floor.
After hurriedly guiding Lan Xichen upstairs, they exchanged a glance, both at a loss for what to do.
In the end, they decided not to pry into someone else’s affairs, or rather, they no longer dared to, and retreated downstairs.
Back at the counter, the wife hesitantly mouthed at him, “…Will he… could this be a scene of a rightful husband catching a mistress?”
The proprietor replied, “…How about, you go upstairs and deliver your specialty, spicy meat-filled Baozi?”
This time, his wife slapped him on the head and scolded, “If you want to die, go by yourself!”
—Who in Caiyi Town did not know that Lan Xichen, Sect Leader of the Lan Clan, when it came to matters concerning his Cultivation Partner, had once become famous in one battle—swatting a full-grown young man surnamed Jin to bedrest that lasted until now.
Thus, they could not help but feel a tinge of pity for that “shameless female beggar,” who had apparently coveted someone she should never have even thought of.
When Wen Qing heard the door to the private room slide open, she shot up anxiously. Her head was no longer as dizzy as before, but the sudden movement still made her sway and stumble from her seat. She lost her balance and fell heavily to the floor, her gaze briefly catching the sight of the snow-white boots.
She looked up and saw the person standing quietly before her, hands resting behind his back. She froze. Her expression clearly revealed the shock in her heart.
As if confirming that Wen Qing did not require immediate treatment, the man calmly brushed his sleeve and took a seat opposite her.
“Did you not expect me to come here, Maiden-Wen?”
Wen Qing felt her mind go blank. She remained seated on the floor, her lips trembling, looking like she could not decide what to say. “…Sect, Sect Leader Lan…” she finally managed to utter.
Lan Xichen gave a soft hum in response.
His fingers tapped lightly against the surface of the table as he looked at her.“Did you not expect me to be here, Maiden Wen?” He repeated.
“…Or were you expecting someone else?” His voice lowered slightly.
After waiting for a while, Lan Xichen received no response. He saw Wen Qing’s gaze remain unfocused. She seemed as if she were struggling to decide what to do next, or was carefully weighing what she should and should not say, considering another person’s perspective. Lan Xichen knew exactly whose it was.
It was, somehow, perplexing.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He parted his lips to speak, but in the end, he stood up. “Forget it. I should know where your family is probably being held. Let’s go there first. I will help you retrieve them.”
The moment Wen Qing heard that he was willing to help find her younger brother, she immediately set aside all other thoughts and hurriedly struggled to her feet. “Sect Leader Lan, thank you! Thank you for your help!”
Lan Xichen shook his head. “There is no need to thank me. But Maiden Wen, there are many things I would like to ask of you.” He smiled faintly. “I hope you will answer truthfully later.”
“What is the meaning of this?”
When that question was directed at him, the only thing Jin Guangyao wanted to do was hold his forehead and ask the heavens—Again?!
Laid out before him was a collection of tools engraved with the Peony Crest of the Lanling Jin Clan. Truthfully speaking, there was nothing wrong with engraving one’s Clan insignia upon certain instruments.
…Provided those instruments were not torture devices in the likes of a branding iron.
Jin Guangyao sighed. “Da-Ge, Er-Ge, allow me to explain.”
“You’d better explain properly!” Nie Mingjue snorted from the other side of the room.
The corners of Jin Guangyao’s lips twitched faintly.
“I can swear this matter has nothing to do with me. I did not create such… such devices, nor have I ever personally involved myself in their use.” Jin Guangyao spoke calmly. “Every word is true. I can swear it upon the names of my ancestors.”
Lan Xichen smiled gently.
“I believe you.”
“—I also, uh… hm?”
Jin Guangyao was caught entirely off guard.
He had already prepared a long series of truthful explanations, only for Lan Xichen to lightly utter a single sentence: I believe you. And suddenly, none of those carefully prepared truths could be spoken anymore. After all, once the other party had already declared his trust, any further explanation would only sound like an excuse.
“I believe you did not personally create these devices.”
Jin Guangyao immediately said, “That is—”
“I also believe you never directly participated in their use.”
“Er-Ge, please listen, I—”
“And naturally,” Lan Xichen continued warmly, his smile never once wavering, “I also believe you have never explicitly commanded or acquiesced to others to use such things to oppress people either.”
From the side, Nie Mingjue snickered.
Lan Xichen still wore the same gentle expression as he continued speaking.
“So there is no need to be anxious. No matter what you wish to say, I trust you. After all, you have always been someone who silently endures hardship, who cares for others, and who treats everyone with courtesy and respect. There is no way someone like you would knowingly witness injustice and remain silent. Am I wrong? A-Yao, I have always trusted you completely. I know very well that many of the criticisms directed at you stem only from misunderstanding. I know what kind of person you truly are.”
Jin Guangyao, “……”
Outside, Nie Huaisang, who had been secretly peeping, was about to suffer internal injury from suppressing his laughter.
In the end, all traces of helplessness disappeared from Jin Guangyao’s face.
He lifted his eyes and went straight to the point.
“…What does Sect Leader Lan want?”