Chapter 114: Extra—Banquet (Part One)

Lan WangJi turned to Wei WuXian, “Wait for me.”

Wei WuXian, “How about I come with you?”

Lan WangJi shook his head, “He will be even angrier if you come in.”

Wei WuXian thought about it and agreed. Every time Lan QiRen saw him, he was like a flickering candle, almost having a heart attack. Even his breathing became heavier than usual. Wei WuXian felt he should help him and save him from his frustration by leaving his presence.

Lan WangJi looked at him, as if wanting to say something. Wei WuXian immediately added, “Okay, I know. Don’t walk too fast, don’t talk too loudly, don’t do this, don’t do that, okay? Don’t worry. Since I’m back with you, I’ll definitely be careful not to break any sect rules within your Wall. Be as careful as possible.”

Lan WangJi didn’t even think about it, “It’s fine. Even if you break it…”

Wei WuXian excitedly picked up, “Hm?”

Lan WangJi seemed as if he finally realized his words were inappropriate. He glanced away for a moment before turning back, his face serious, “…Nothing.”

Wei WuXian looked confused, “What are you saying will happen even if I break it?”

Lan WangJi knew he was asking even though he already knew the answer. He maintained his stern expression, “Wait for me outside.”

Wei WuXian waved his hand, “Then just wait. Don’t be too aggressive. I’ll play with your rabbits.”

And so, Lan WangJi went to face Lan QiRen’s lecture alone, while Wei WuXian was dragged behind Lil’ Apple, running at full speed. Ever since Lil’ Apple entered the Cloud Recesses, she had been incredibly energetic and full of energy. Wei WuXian couldn’t even slow her down as he dragged her through the green grass.

Over a hundred plump little snowballs curled up quietly in the grass. Their pink, three-petaled mouths twitched occasionally, occasionally wiggling their long, reddish ears. With her head held high, Lil’ Apple squeezed through them and found a spot for herself, while Wei WuXian crouched on the ground and randomly grabbed a rabbit, scratching its belly as he thought,  Were there so many the last time I came? Is this one male or female? Oh… Male.

As he thought this, Wei WuXian finally realized that he never cared whether Lil’ Apple was male or female. He couldn’t help but glance at it. However, before he could get a good look, he suddenly heard something and turned around to look.

Holding a small basket, a little girl seemed hesitant to approach. Seeing Wei WuXian suddenly turn his head toward her, she was at a loss for what to do, her entire face flushing red with embarrassment.

The girl was dressed in the GusuLan Sect uniform and also wore a white forehead ribbon without a cloud pattern that flowed formally. Wei WuXian,  this is amazing! I can’t believe I’ve met the real one!

This is a female cultivator. A female cultivator from the GusuLan Sect.

Known for its strictness, the GusuLan Sect had repeatedly preached things like men and women were different and therefore shouldn’t be too intimate with each other to its disciples. The study and rest areas for male and female cultivators were strictly separated so that no one could cross the line. They rarely ventured outside their own territories, and even night hunting was mostly segregated by gender, with either men or women, almost never both. This inflexibility was almost terrifying. Back when Wei WuXian was studying in the Cloud Recess, he had almost never seen any girls there, harboring considerable doubts about whether female cultivators actually existed in the Cloud Recess. Several times, he thought he heard the sound of girls reading from scrolls and wanted to take a look. Soon, some discerning disciples patrolling the courtyard discovered him and called out to Lan WangJi. After a few times, Wei WuXian lost all enthusiasm and never ventured out again.

But now, he had actually met a real female cultivator in the Cloud Recesses. A real female cultivator!

Wei WuXian immediately stood up straight, his eyes sparkling. Just as he was about to approach, Lil’ Apple had already darted over to the girl, nearly running into him.

Wei WuXian, “?”

After approaching the girl, he obediently lowered his head and moved his forehead and ears towards the girl’s hands of his own accord.

Wei WuXian, “???”

Blushing, the girl stared at Wei WuXian and fell silent in shock, not knowing what to say. Wei WuXian squinted, finding her somewhat familiar. A moment later, he remembered—wasn’t this the round-faced girl he had met upon leaving Mo Village and had met several times on Dafan Mountain?

Even though she was a stranger, she could joke around and immediately became friendly. Furthermore, she was a kind girl he had met several times. He immediately waved, “You!”

The girl clearly had a strong impression of him, whether his face was clean or not. After a moment of embarrassment, her fingers twirling the basket, she replied quietly, “It’s me…”

Wei WuXian tossed the rabbit he was petting aside and confirmed its gender. With his hands behind his back, he took a few steps closer. Seeing the carrots and cabbage in her basket, he smiled, “Here to feed the rabbit?”

The girl nodded. After Lan WangJi left, Wei WuXian was left with nothing to do, his curiosity growing. “Want me to help?”

The girl was at a loss for what to do. Finally, she nodded, and Wei WuXian took out a carrot. The two of them crouched down on the grass. Little Apple poked her head into the basket and searched around. Finding no apple, she managed to catch a carrot with her teeth and took a bite.

The carrots in the basket were very fresh. Wei WuXian took a bite of his own carrot before placing it near the rabbit’s mouth. “Have you fed these rabbits yet?”

The girl, “No… I just started… When HanGuang-Jun was here, he took care of them. When he wasn’t, it was Young Master Lan SiZhui and the others. Only when they were gone did we come and help…”

Wei WuXian,  how does Lan Zhan feed the rabbits? When did he start taking care of them? Did he also come here carrying a small basket?

Shaking some of the humor-laden scenes out of his head, Wei WuXian asked again, “You’re a disciple of the GusuLan Sect now?”

The girl answered softly, “Yes.”

Wei WuXian, “The GusuLan Sect is quite good. When are you coming?”

The girl stroked a fluffy rabbit while saying, “Soon after the incident at Dafan Mountain…”

At this moment, the two of them heard the soft sound of boots stepping on grass. Wei WuXian turned to look. As expected, Lan WangJi was walking toward them.

In a hurry, the girl immediately stood up and saluted, “HanGuang-Jun.”

Lan WangJi nodded, while Wei WuXian still sat on the grass, grinning at him. The girl seemed quite afraid of Lan WangJi—which was understandable, since no junior her age wouldn’t be afraid of him. Nervously, she lifted the hem of her dress and ran. Wei WuXian called from behind, “Miss, Meimei*! Your basket! Hey, Little Apple! Come back, Little Apple! What are you running for?! Little Apple!”

*TN: Gege’s female counterpart.

No one, not even a donkey, could stop him. Wei WuXian could only put the remaining carrots back into the basket and then turn to Lan WangJi, “Lan Zhan, you scared him.”

If Lan WangJi didn’t want his footsteps to be heard, how could he let the two of them hear them?

Wei WuXian grinned as he held out a carrot to her, “Want one? Feed the rabbits, and I’ll feed you.”

“…” Lan WangJi looked at him, “Get up.”

Wei WuXian threw the carrot back, stretching out his hand lazily, “Pull me up.”

With a pause, Lan WangJi reached out to pull him up, but Wei WuXian suddenly exerted force and pulled him down instead.

Their territory had been invaded by strange humans, making the rabbits appear as if they were facing a great enemy, running aimlessly around the two people sprawled on the ground. Some people who knew Lan WangJi well even stood and clung to his side, as if worried about why their master had suddenly fainted. Lan WangJi gently dismissed them, his voice calm, “The seventh sect rule of the Cloud Recess Rule Wall—disturbing female cultivators is prohibited.”

Wei WuXian, “You said it was okay even if I broke it.”

Lan WangJi, “I didn’t do it.”

Wei WuXian, “Why are you like this? Just because you didn’t finish your sentence doesn’t mean you never said it? What happened to HanGuang-Jun who always kept his promises?”

Lan WangJi, “’Every Day’.”

Wei WuXian caressed her face, his tone gentle, “Did your uncle scold you? Tell me. Let him 

Gege spoils you so much.”

Even with such a sudden change of topic, Lan WangJi didn’t reveal it, “No.”

Wei WuXian, “Really? Then what did he say to you?”

Lan Wangji hugged him silently, “It’s okay. It’s rare for us all to be together, and there’s a banquet tomorrow.”

Wei WuXian grinned, “A banquet? Alright, alright, I’ll definitely be nice and won’t embarrass you.” Suddenly, he remembered Lan XiChen and asked, “What about your brother?”

After a moment of silence, Lan WangJi replied, “I will see him later.”

ZeWu-Jun had been in closed-door mediation for days. Lan WangJi would definitely have a long and sincere talk with him. Wei WuXian hugged Lan WangJi back and patted his back gently. After a while, he began again, “Speaking of which, why didn’t I meet SiZhui and the team this time?”

In the past, these juniors would crowd around them and start chirping from the mountain entrance. Hearing him mention SiZhui and the juniors, Lan WangJi’s brows relaxed slightly. “I can take you to see them.”

After he led Wei WuXian to find Lan SiZhui, Lan JingYi, and the others, the juniors simply screamed in excitement. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to do anything, but rather that they simply couldn’t.

About a dozen people stood with their hands clasped together in the veranda. They had all shed their outer robes and were wearing thin, snow-white striped garments. With their heads down and their feet up, they faced several sheets of blank paper and a pile of ink. They propped themselves up with their left hands and held brushes with their right, writing laboriously on the paper.

Because their forehead ribbons couldn’t touch the ground, they clasped the ends of the ribbons over their mouths, sweat pouring down their faces. As a result, they couldn’t say anything. The so-called ‘calling’ was just a muffled sound accompanied by sparkling eyes. Looking at their swaying, trembling bodies, Wei WuXian asked, “Why do they have to do handstands?”

Lan WangJi, “As punishment.”

Wei WuXian, “I know it’s punishment. I can see them following the Lan Sect’s rules—I’ve memorized  The Truth  . What did they do to deserve this punishment?”

Lan WangJi’s voice was cold, “They returned to the Cloud Recesses after the specified time limit.”

Wei WuXian, “Oh.”

Lan WangJi, “They accompanied the Ghost General on his night hunt.”

Wei WuXian, “Hah! You really have guts.”

Lan WangJi, “For the third time.”

Wei WuXian touched his chin, thinking it was only natural that Lan QiRen, who hated all evil, would punish him like this. Just imitating the sect rules while doing a handstand was easy enough.

He crouched down in front of Lan SiZhui, “Oh SiZhui, why is the pile in front of you so thick? Am I imagining it?”

Lan SiZhui, “No…”

Lan WangJi, “He leads the rest.”

Wei WuXian wanted to pat Lan SiZhui’s shoulder a few times, but there was nowhere for him to put his hand. After a pause, he put his hand down and patted from bottom to top, confident, “I knew it.”

Lan WangJi walked in front of the boys, glancing at their papers to examine them briefly. He said to Lan JingYi, “The script is inappropriate.”

Biting his forehead ribbon, Lan JingYi answered tearfully, “Yes. HanGuang-Jun. I will recopy this one.”

The rest of the undisturbed had passed the test. They all breathed a sigh of relief. As the two left the hallway, Wei WuXian recalled the suffering he had endured when he himself received the punishment back then, feeling quite regretful, “Just maintaining this position is hard enough. I probably can’t write when I’m upside down. And I probably can’t write well even when I’m sitting.”

Lan WangJi glanced at him, “Indeed.”

Wei WuXian knew she also remembered the times when she watched him as they copied the sect rules, “Was it the same when you were young?”

Lan WangJi, “Never.”

Of course. Lan WangJi had been the students’ role model since he was young. His every word and action seemed to be measured by a ruler. How could he possibly do anything wrong? And if he hadn’t done anything wrong, how could he possibly be punished?

Wei WuXian grinned, “I thought your surprising arm strength was trained with this.”

Lan WangJi, “No punishment. But still, I’ll train with this.”

Wei WuXian wondered, “Why did you do a handstand if you weren’t being punished?”

Lan WangJi stared straight ahead, “It calms the mind.”

Wei WuXian was right beside Lan WangJi’s ear, his voice almost like a hook, “Then what exactly is making that cold HanGuang-Jun feel so uneasy?”

Lan WangJi stared at him without saying anything. Wei WuXian boasted, “By your words, if you’ve been training your arm strength since you were young, you should be able to do anything upside down, right?”

Lan WangJi, “Mn.”

Seeing her eyelids droop, as if she were a little embarrassed, Wei WuXian became even bolder in his words, “You can even turn me over?”

Lan WangJi, “I can try.”

Wei WuXian, “Hahahahahaha… What did you say?”

Lan WangJi, “I can try it tonight.”

Wei WuXian, “…”