Chapter 12 Perfection—Part Two

The glare diverted Wei WuXian’s attention, making him doubt that he had seen things correctly. He couldn’t even make out the person’s face, and his breathing hitched several times. Suddenly, a flash of white appeared before his eyes, as if snow had fallen before him. A moment later, a blue flash of a sword pierced through the snow, slashing at him with a gust of cold wind.

Who doesn’t know that it’s HanGuang-Jun’s famous sword—”Bichen”? Damn, it’s Lan WangJi!

Wei WuXian was quite adept at escaping and dodging swords. Rolling on the ground, he narrowly avoided them. He even managed to pull off a leaf stuck in his hair as he rushed out of the cold spring. He ran like a headless fly, right into a few passersby who were staying up late. They caught him and scolded, “Why are you running? Running is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses!”

Wei WuXian, seeing Lan JingYi and the others, was overjoyed, thinking that he could finally be chased down the mountain. He immediately appeared, “I didn’t see! I didn’t see anything! I definitely wasn’t here to peek at HanGuang-Jun’s bath!”

The juniors were shocked and speechless by his audacity. No matter where he was, HanGuang-Jun was a lofty sacred mountain to be looked up to in awe, especially revered among the junior disciples of the sect. He was by the cold springs to watch HanGuang-Jun bathe! Just the thought of such a thing was already the greatest crime, one that would never be forgiven. Lan SiZhui was so frightened that his voice changed, “What? HanGuang-Jun? HanGuang-Jun is inside?!”

Lan JingYi grabbed him angrily, “You damn bastard! I-is he someone you can peep at?!”

Wei WuXian struck the iron while it was still hot and affirmed his conviction, “I don’t see the slightest hint of what HanGuang-Jun looks like without his clothes!”

Lan JingYi grumbled, “You said the three hundred taels weren’t buried here! Well, if they weren’t, why did you sneak in here? Look at you—you don’t have the face to see anyone!”

Wei WuXian covered his face with his hands, “Don’t make any noise… Noise is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses.”

Amidst the commotion, Lan WangJi walked out from behind the eupatorium grass with his hair down, dressed in a white robe. The conversation hadn’t even finished, and he was already dressed neatly, Bichen still drawn. The juniors rushed to greet him. Lan JingYi hurriedly spoke, “HanGuang-Jun, Mo XuanYu is truly terrifying. You only just brought him back after seeing him help us in Mo Village, but he… he…”

Wei WuXian thought that this time, he would overstep his bounds and be expelled from the sect. However, Lan WangJi only glanced at him. After a moment of silence, he sheathed Bichen with his shing and said, “You’re dismissed.”

Just three words, toneless, but powerful enough to leave no second thoughts. The crowd immediately dispersed, while Lan WangJi calmly grabbed Wei WuXian by the collar and dragged him to the jingshi. In his past life, the two were about the same height, both rather slender and tall. Wei WuXian was only slightly shorter than Lan WangJi. When they stood together, the difference of less than a cun between them was barely noticeable. However, after waking up in another body, he was more than two cun shorter than Lan WangJi. When held in his arms, he couldn’t even struggle. Wei WuXian staggered, wanting to scream, but Lan WangJi spoke coldly, “Those who make noise will be silenced.”

He wanted to be thrown off the mountain, but he didn’t want to be silenced. Wei WuXian simply couldn’t understand—since when did the Lan Sect tolerate such a shameless act as peeping at one of the Lan Clan’s most renowned cultivators bathing?!

Lan WangJi carried him onto the jingshi, walked straight into the inner room, and threw him onto the bed with a thud. Wei WuXian screamed in pain. He couldn’t get up at that moment, and finally wriggled upright. He had originally wanted to whine a few times in a flirtatious tone, so that he would hate him. However, when he raised his head, he saw Lan WangJi holding Bichen with one hand, staring at him commandingly.

He was used to seeing Lan WangJi with his forehead ribbon, his long, neat hair, and his attention to detail, but he had never seen him like this, with his hair slightly loose and his clothes thin. Wei WuXian couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times. After he had laboriously carried him and laid him down on the bed, Lan WangJi’s originally closed collar was slightly open, revealing his defined collarbone and the deep red burn scar beneath it.

Seeing the burn, Wei WuXian’s attention was drawn back to it.

When he was not yet the YiLing Patriarch, he also had a mark like this on his body.

And, the burns on Lan WangJi’s body were exactly the same as the ones on his body in his previous life, no matter the position or shape, so it was natural for him to recognize them and be shocked.

Speaking of which, besides these burns, the thirty or so disciplinary whip scars on his back were also shocking.

Lan WangJi rose to fame at a young age. Thanks to his high esteem, he became one of the most acclaimed cultivators in the cultivation world, and also part of the GusuLan Sect’s much-vaunted Jade Two. His every word and action were held up as examples of excellence by the elders of each sect for their disciples. What unforgivable sin had he committed to deserve such a punishment?

Seeing the thirty or so scars from the disciplinary whip, the executioner was as good as dead. Once the disciplinary whip was administered, it would remain in place for the life of the person who carried it, so they would remember it forever and never repeat the same mistake.

Following his gaze, Lan WangJi lowered his gaze. He pulled his collar up to cover his collarbone and his pale face, returning to his usual indifferent HanGuang-Jun. At that moment, the crisp chime of a bell rang out from afar.

The Lan Sect had strict sect rules, including a bedtime of nine at night and a wake-up time of five in the morning. The bell served as a reminder of that. Lan WangJi listened intently to the chimes and said to Wei WuXian, “You will sleep here.”

Without giving Wei WuXian a chance to answer, he turned to another room in the jingshi, leaving Wei WuXian alone, lying on the bed alone and feeling confused.

He did doubt that Lan WangJi might have guessed who he was. However, that doubt was not unfounded and made sense. Since body sacrifice was a forbidden practice, there probably weren’t many people who knew about it. The scrolls passed down from generation to generation were most likely just fragments of the entire work, unable to reach their full potential. Things continued like this, and fewer and fewer people believed him. Mo XuanYu only summoned Wei WuXian by looking at a secret scroll, which he had found somewhere. After all, Lan WangJi couldn’t possibly recognize him just from the terrible melody of his flute.

He asked himself if he had a genuine relationship with Lan WangJi in his past. Although they had studied together, adventured together, and fought together, these experiences were like falling petals and flowing water—coming and going. Lan WangJi was a disciple of the GusuLan Sect, which meant he had to be “virtuous,” a stark contrast to Wei WuXian’s personality. Wei WuXian thought their relationship wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t too good either. Most likely, Lan WangJi’s opinion of him was the same as everyone else’s—being too depraved and not virtuous enough, it was only a matter of time before he caused a disaster. After Wei WuXian betrayed the YunmengJiang Sect and became the YiLing Patriarch, he had several significant disputes with the Lan Sect, especially during the few months before his death. If Lan WangJi had believed him to be Wei WuXian, they would have already engaged in a full-scale battle.

However, he wasn’t sure what to do in the current situation—in the past, no matter what he did, Lan WangJi wouldn’t tolerate anything, but now, even if he used all the means at his disposal, Lan WangJi could still tolerate it. Should he be congratulated on his progress?!

After a moment of staring into emptiness, Wei WuXian turned over and got out of bed. He slowly walked to the next room.

Lan WangJi lay on his side in bed, seemingly asleep. Silently, Wei WuXian approached him.

He still hadn’t given up, hoping to lure the jade token out. However, just as he reached out, Lan WangJi’s long eyelashes trembled, and he opened his eyes.

Wei WuXian immediately made a decision. He threw himself onto the bed.

He remembered that Lan Wangji hated physical contact with others. In the past, just a single touch would have sent the perpetrator flying. If, even like this, he still persisted, then that person definitely wasn’t Lan Wangji. He even doubted that Lan Wangji’s body had been taken!

Wei WuXian’s entire body was on top of Lan WangJi, his legs spread, kneeling with one knee on either side of his waist. His hands rested on the wooden bed, pinning Lan WangJi between them. He slowly lowered his head. The distance between their faces grew closer. Closer and closer. At the point where Wei WuXian was struggling to breathe, Lan WangJi finally opened his mouth.

He was silent for a moment, “Get down.”

Wei WuXian thickened his face, “No.”

A pair of pale eyes stared at Wei WuXian from a very close distance. Lan WangJi stared at him intently, and repeated, “…Get down.”

Wei WuXian said, “No. If you let me sleep here, you should have known something like this would happen.”

Lan WangJi said, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“…” For some reason, Wei WuXian felt that he had to consider his answer carefully.

Just as he was about to curl his lips into a smile, his waist suddenly went numb, and his legs went limp. With a thud, he fell onto Lan WangJi’s body.

A half-smile curled up on his lips. His head was resting on the right side of Lan WangJi’s chest, completely immobile. Lan WangJi’s voice came from above.

His voice was low and deep, his chest heaving slightly as he pronounced each word.

“Then, stay like this all night.”

Wei WuXian hadn’t expected it to end like this. He stirred, trying to get up, but his waist continued to ache and feel weak. He could only cling to another man in such an awkward situation, feeling a little lost.

What exactly happened to Lan Zhan in the past few years, that turned him into this kind of person?

Is this the same Lan Zhan as before?!

Shouldn’t he be the one whose body was confiscated?!?!

Suddenly, as his thoughts were in turmoil like a storm, Lan WangJi shifted slightly. Wei WuXian’s spirits flared again, feeling like he could finally take it no longer. However, Lan WangJi simply waved his hand.

The lights went out.
Translator’s Note:
Three hundred taels are not buried here: This is a very famous saying in China. It tells the story of a man who buried his money underground and added a sign that read, “Three hundred taels are not buried here.” This is an example of someone who blatantly protects his innocence and lies horribly.

Cun: This is pronounced like tswun, not kahn. Don’t confuse the n with the m, or you’ll get confused.

Wooden beds: In the past (and in traditional households today), beds were hard and made of wood.

Thickening one’s face: As most of you probably already know, losing face means embarrassing oneself. Conversely, thickening one’s face means not being afraid of losing face, which means one’s face is too thick to remove any layers.