Chapter 18 Perfection—Part Eight

Wei WuXian bought many unique gadgets in Caiyi Town and brought them back to the Cloud Recesses. After he arrived, they were all divided among the disciples from the other sects. Because Lan QiRen had gone to Qinghe and there were no classes for a few days, all the boys messed around chaotically, rushing to Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng’s room to sleep there. All night long, they ate, drank, wrestled, gambled, and looked at  picture books  . One night, Wei WuXian lost a game of dice and was sent to sneak down the mountain and buy a jar of Emperor’s Smile. This time, everyone finally had a chance to satisfy their appetites. However, on the second day, before daylight even broke, someone opened the door to the room, revealing the disciples scattered on the floor in a tangled mess, sleeping as if they were a bunch of corpses.

The sound of the door opening startled several people. When they saw the expressionless Lan WangJi at the door through their sleepy eyes, they immediately woke up. Nie HuaiSang angrily pushed Wei WuXian, who ended up sitting with his legs up and his head down, “Wei-xiong! Wei-xiong!”

After being pushed a few times, Wei WuXian spoke sleepily, “Who? Anyone want to join?! Jiang Cheng? The fight is on—it seems I’m afraid of you!”

Jiang Cheng drank too much last night, and his head still hurt as he lay on the floor with his eyes closed. He picked up something at random and threw it towards Wei WuXian’s voice, “Shut up!”

The object landed on Wei WuXian’s chest, its pages flipping open. Nie HuaiSang examined it, only to realize that the object Jiang Cheng had used to hit Wei WuXian was one of his favorite, out-of-print pornographic picture books. When he looked up and saw Lan WangJi’s cold gaze, he nearly died on the spot. Wei WuXian mumbled a few sentences, clutched the book to his chest, and then fell asleep again. Lan WangJi strode into the room. He used one hand to grab Wei WuXian by the back of his collar, lifted him up, and dragged him toward the door.

After a moment of confusion while being carried by Lan WangJi, he finally regained consciousness. He turned around, “Lan Zhan, what are you doing?”

Lan WangJi said nothing, continuing to drag him forward. Wei WuXian regained consciousness a little, as the corpses on the ground began to regain consciousness one by one. Seeing Wei WuXian being caught by Lan WangJi again, he rushed out and asked, “What’s wrong? What are you doing?”

Lan WangJi turned his head, saying one word at a time, “Accept. The punishment.”

Jiang Cheng’s reaction was slow due to sleep and excessive drinking, so he only remembered the mess on his bedroom floor. Remembering that they had broken many of the Cloud Recesses sect’s rules last night, his face immediately froze.

Lan WangJi dragged Wei WuXian to the front of the Lan Sect’s ancestral hall. There were already several older Lan Sect disciples waiting there, eight in total. Four of them carried a very long sandalwood disciplinary ruler, with many square-shaped characters carved on it. The atmosphere was extremely solemn. As Lan WangJi dragged the person, two of them immediately approached, holding Wei WuXian tightly. Wei WuXian half-knelt on the ground, given no room to resist. “Lan Zhan, are you going to punish me?”

Lan WangJi stared at him coldly, remaining silent.

Wei WuXian said, “I will not accept this.”

At this moment, the boys who had woken up also rushed over, but they were blocked outside the ancestral hall and not allowed to enter. They scratched their heads, frightened speechless by the sight of the discipline master. However, then, Lan WangJi lifted the hem of his white robe and knelt down beside Wei WuXian.

Seeing this, Wei WuXian paled in fright. He tried to stand up, but Lan WangJi ordered, “Attack!”

Wei WuXian gaped in shock. He hurriedly said, “Wait, wait, I accept this, I accept this, Lan Zhan. I was wrong… Ouch!”

Their palms and feet both received about a hundred blows from the disciplinary ruler. Lan WangJi didn’t need anyone to hold him down. His back was straight and his kneeling position remained perfectly still throughout. On the other hand, Wei WuXian wailed and howled without restraint at all, making the disciples watching the scene shudder at the thought of his pain. After the beating was over, Lan WangJi quietly stood up and walked out after paying his respects to the disciples in the ancestral hall, showing no signs of being injured. Wei WuXian was the opposite. After he was carried on Jiang Cheng’s back, he groaned the entire way. The young men all surrounded them, asking, “Wei-xiong, what exactly happened?”

“It’s natural for Lan Zhan to punish you, but why is he the one being beaten?”

Wei WuXian sighed, leaning against Jiang Cheng’s back, “Miscalculation! It’s a long story!”

Jiang Cheng said, “Stop your nonsense! What are you really doing?!”

Wei WuXian replied, “I didn’t do anything! Last night, didn’t I lose at dice and go buy the Emperor’s Smile?”

Jiang Cheng, “… Don’t tell me you met him again.”

Wei WuXian, “That’s true. I don’t know what’s wrong with my luck—when I brought the jars of Emperor’s Smile and got here, he stopped right in front of me again. I doubt he actually pays attention to me every day.”

Jiang Cheng, “Not everyone has a lot of free time. What happens next?”

Wei WuXian, “Then I greeted him again. I said, ‘Lan Zhan! What a coincidence—it’s you again!’ Of course, he ignored me again. He reached out without a word. I said, ‘Hey, what’s the point of doing this?’ He said that if a guest disciple breaks curfew too many times, they have to go to the Lan Sect’s ancestral hall to receive punishment. And I said, ‘It’s just the two of us here. If you don’t tell me, and I don’t tell you, no one will know whether I broke curfew or not, right? I promise there won’t be any more. We’re already close, so would you mind doing me a little favor?’”

Everyone seemed unable to stand listening to it any longer.

Wei WuXian continued, “Finally, he said we didn’t know that gloomy face, then took his sword, and charged. He didn’t care about our friendship or anything, so I could only unleash my Emperor’s Smile and start throwing a few attacks. His attacks were fast and came so close that I couldn’t dodge them! Eventually, I got really annoyed with him chasing me. I asked, ‘Are you really not going to let me go? Huh?!’”

“He still said, ‘Accept your punishment.’”

The boys were filled with the thrill of the story, and Wei WuXian was captivated as he spoke. He forgot that he was still on Jiang Cheng’s back and hit Jiang Cheng hard on the shoulder, “I said, ‘Okay!’ Then, I stopped dodging, dropped down, held onto him, and free-falled out of the wall of the Cloud Recess!”

“…”

Wei WuXian, “So, we both fell outside the Cloud Recesses area together! It was such a bad fall that I saw stars before my eyes.”

Nie HuaiSang was stunned, “… He didn’t escape?”

Wei WuXian replied, “Oh, he did try. But because I locked him in my arms and legs, he couldn’t break free even if he wanted to, couldn’t even get up from my body. He was as hard as a board. I said, ‘How about this, Lan Zhan? Right now, you’re also outside the Cloud Recesses. We’re both breaking curfew, and you shouldn’t be harsh on others and lenient on yourself. If you punish me, you should also punish yourself. Equal treatment. What do you think?’”

Wei WuXian, “After he woke up, he seemed really unwell. I sat beside him and told him not to worry, that I wouldn’t tell anyone, and that only the heavens, the earth, and the two of us knew about this. Then, he left without a word. Who would have thought he would do something like this tomorrow morning… Jiang Cheng, slow down. You almost gave me a shock.”

Jiang Cheng not only wanted to shake her, but, more than that, make several human-shaped indentations in the ground by banging his head down, “Is simply carrying you not up to your standards?!”

Wei WuXian, “I never asked you to carry me, in the first place.”

Jiang Cheng was furious, “If I didn’t carry you, you would probably stay in their ancestral hall and roll around on the ground all day. I don’t have that much of a thick skin! Lan WangJi even took fifty more punches than you, and he even walks by himself. Yet, you still dare to pretend to be paralyzed. I’m not carrying you anymore. Get down now!”

Wei WuXian, “No, I’m hurt.”

The group joked along the narrow white stone path. As they passed, they encountered a white-robed figure holding a book. Lan XiChen stopped in surprise and smiled, “What’s going on?”

Jiang Cheng felt extremely awkward, not knowing how to respond. Nie Huaisang answered before him, “  XiChen-ge  , Wei-xiong was punished with over a hundred strokes of the ruler. Is there a cure?!”

The person in charge of the punishment in the Cloud Recesses was Lan WangJi. With Wei WuXian’s heartbreaking cries amidst the surrounding crowd, it seemed as if his condition was extremely serious. Lan XiChen immediately approached them, “Was this WangJi’s doing? Is Young Master Wei still able to walk? What exactly happened?”

Of course, Jiang Cheng didn’t dare say that Wei WuXian was in the wrong. Thinking back, they were the ones who had pressured Wei WuXian into buying alcohol. They should all be punished. He could only say vaguely, “It’s okay, it’s okay; it’s not that serious! He can walk. Wei WuXian, why are you still there?!”

Wei WuXian said, “I can’t walk.” He raised his red palm, which had swollen several sizes larger, and complained to Lan XiChen, “ZeWu-Jun, your little brother is so cruel.”

Lan XiChen examined his palm, “Yes, the punishment is indeed quite severe. The swelling will probably only subside after three or four days.”

Jiang Cheng truly had no idea the beating was so severe. He exclaimed, “What? Not after three or four days? His legs and back were also beaten by the discipline rulers. How could Lan WangJi do this?!” He said the last sentence in annoyance, though he didn’t really want to, and only realized it after Wei WuXian had secretly hit him. However, Lan XiChen didn’t mind at all. He smiled, “Even so, the wound isn’t severe enough to require treatment. Young Master Wei, let me tell you how you can have your wound heal in just a few hours.”

It was nighttime, in the cold springs of Cloud Recesses.

Lan Wangji closed his eyes as he relaxed in the icy water. Suddenly, a voice rang in his ears, “Lan Zhan.”

“…”

Lan WangJi’s eyes widened. Sure enough, Wei WuXian was lying on his stomach, on a bluestone beside the cold spring, tilting his head and smiling at him.

Lan WangJi exclaimed, “How did you get in?!”

Wei WuXian slowly crawled up, and spoke while unbuckling his belt, “ZeWu-Jun told me to come in.”

Lan WangJi, “What are you doing?”

Wei WuXian took off his shoes, leaving a pile of clothes on the ground. “I’m already naked, so what do you think I’m doing here? I heard that your sect’s cold springs can heal wounds and aid cultivation. So, your big brother told me to come here and bathe with you. But it’s really not good for you to come here to heal yourself. Eep! It’s so cold. Brr…”

He dove into the water, rolling around in the freezing spring water. Lan WangJi immediately moved a few meters away from Wei WuXian, “I came here to cultivate, not to heal… Don’t jump around!”

Wei WuXian said, “But it’s so cold, it’s so cold…”

This time, he didn’t mean to stand out or cause trouble. It was true that most people wouldn’t get used to the GusuLan Sect’s cold spring water in a short time, feeling as if their bodies and blood would freeze if they stayed still for even a moment. So, he could only jump up and down, intending to warm himself up from the movement. Lan WangJi had originally been meditating quietly, but because Wei WuXian was jumping up and down, some water splashed onto his face. A few drops of water dripped onto his long eyelashes and jet-black hair. He couldn’t hold back any longer, “Don’t move!”

As he spoke, he stretched out his arm and placed his hand on Wei WuXian’s shoulder.

Wei WuXian immediately felt a surge of warmth from where their bodies met. Feeling better, he couldn’t help but lean closer. Lan WangJi was wary of this, “What?”

Wei WuXian replied in a plain tone, “Nothing. It seems like your side is warmer.”

Lan WangJi tightly held his arm between the two of them, keeping his distance. He firmly stated, “No.”

Wei WuXian wanted to get closer to Lan WangJi so that it would be easier for him to flatter him. Although he couldn’t get close and was treated coldly, he wasn’t angry at all. He glanced at Lan WangJi’s palms and shoulders. The bruises were still there, which meant Lan WangJi wasn’t actually here to heal. Wei WuXian said sincerely, “Lan Zhan, I really admire you. You’re really punishing yourself, without treating yourself any better. I have nothing more to say.”

Lan WangJi closed his eyes again, saying nothing.

Wei WuXian spoke again, “Really, I’ve never seen anyone as polite and courteous as you. It’s impossible for me to do something like this. You’re so cool.”

Lan WangJi still didn’t pay attention to him.

After Wei WuXian stopped feeling cold, he began swimming around the cold spring. He swam for a while, but still approached Lan WangJi, “Lan Zhan, didn’t you notice what I was doing when I was talking to you?”

Lan WangJi, “I don’t know.”

Wei WuXian, “You don’t even know about this? I was just complimenting you, trying to be more casual with you.”

Lan WangJi glanced at him, “What do you want to do?”

Wei WuXian, “Lan Zhan, why don’t we just be friends? We’re already close.”

Lan WangJi, “We don’t.”

Wei WuXian patted the surface of the water, “Well, you’re starting to get boring again. Seriously. There are many benefits to being friends with me.”

Lan WangJi, “For example?”

Wei WuXian swam near the edge of the spring, then leaned with his arms on the blue rocks, “I’ve always been very loyal to my friends. For example, I’ll definitely let you be the first to see any new porn I get… Hey, hey, come back! It’s okay if you don’t see it. Have you been to Yunmeng? Yunmeng is very fun. The food in Yunmeng is also delicious. I don’t know if it’s a problem with Gusu or Cloud Recess, but the food in your sect is really bad. If you come to Lotus Pier, you can eat lots of delicious food. I can take you to pick lotus seed pods and water chestnuts. Lan Zhan, do you want to come?”

Lan WangJi, “No.”

Wei WuXian, “Don’t answer everything in the negative. You sound so indifferent; the girls won’t like it. Let me tell you—the girls in Yunmeng are very pretty, unlike the pretty girls in Gusu.” He winked his left eye at Lan proudly, “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Lan WangJi hesitated, but still answered, “No…”

Wei WuXian, “Rejecting me without any respect—aren’t you afraid that I’ll easily take your clothes when I leave?”

And WangJi, “Eat it!!!”

After Lan QiRen left Qinghe and returned to Gusu, he didn’t order Wei WuXian to go to the Library Pavilion to copy the Lan Sect’s sect rules again, but instead, he simply scolded him harshly in front of everyone. Without the part where he quoted ancient scriptures, it all boiled down to how he had never seen someone so wild and shameless before, so please leave, as quickly and as far away as possible. Please don’t approach the other disciples, and especially don’t sully his beloved disciple—Lan WangJi.

While scolding him, Wei WuXian only grinned as he listened, not feeling the slightest bit insulted or angry. As soon as Lan QiRen left, Wei WuXian sat down and said to Jiang Cheng, “Don’t you think it’s a bit late, telling me to leave now? She only told me to leave after I finished defiling her. It’s too late!”

The water-logged ravine in Caiyi Town created many problems for the GusuLan Sect. It was impossible to completely destroy it, and the Lan Sect couldn’t pursue it elsewhere like the Wen Sect had. Sect Leader Lan was in seclusion most of the time, so Lan QiRen devoted all his energy to this matter. As his study time became shorter, Wei WuXian’s time with his friends in the mountains grew longer.

Today, Wei WuXian planned to go out again with seven or eight people. As they passed the Lan Sect Library Pavilion, he peeked through the curtain of magnolia branches, and he could almost see Lan WangJi sitting alone by the window.

Nie HuaiSang asked in a confused tone, “Is he looking at us? That’s strange. We weren’t making much noise, so why is he still looking at us like that?”

Wei WuXian, “He might be thinking of ways to find fault with us.”

Jiang Cheng interrupted, “Wrong. It’s not ‘we,’ but ‘me.’ I think the only person he’s keeping an eye on is you.”

Wei WuXian, “Heh. Just let him wait. I’ll take care of it when I get back.”

Jiang Cheng, “Don’t you find her boring and unpleasant? Then stop teasing her. It’s like plucking whiskers from a tiger’s mouth—stop courting your own death.”

Wei WuXian replied, “No. It was very pleasant, precisely because how could a living person be so unpleasant.”

They only returned to the Cloud Recesses when it was almost noon. Lan WangJi sat at his desk, tidying up the stack of papers he was about to write on, when he heard a creaking sound from the window. He looked up and saw someone jump in.

Wei WuXian appeared, climbing a magnolia tree outside the Library Pavilion. His face beamed with joy, “Lan Zhan, I’m back! Did you miss me? Huh? Without me copying texts for the past few days?”

Lan WangJi looked like an old monk meditating, viewing everything as nothing. He even continued to tidy up the pile of books with a blank expression. Wei WuXian deliberately misinterpreted his silence, “I know, even if you don’t say it, you must miss me. Or else, why were you looking at me through the window earlier?”

Lan WangJi immediately glanced at him, his eyes filled with silent accusation. Wei WuXian sat on the windowsill. “Look at you, getting provoked after just a few sentences. You’re so easily provoked. At this rate, you’ll never be able to calm down.”

Lan WangJi, “You, go.”

Wei WuXian, “If I don’t go, will you throw me down?”

Seeing Lan WangJi’s face, Wei WuXian suspected that if he said one more word, Lan WangJi would completely lose his remaining self-control and nail him to the window. Wei WuXian quickly added, “Don’t be so scary! I’m here to apologize with a gift.”

Lan WangJi immediately refused without a second thought, “No.”

Wei WuXian, “Are you sure?” Seeing the wary look in Lan WangJi’s eyes, he took out two rabbits from his hands, as if performing a magic trick. When he held them by their ears, he looked like he was holding two round, plump snowballs. They were even kicking their legs. He held them up before Lan WangJi’s eyes, “It’s actually quite strange here. There are no pheasants, but there are plenty of wild rabbits. They’re not even afraid of humans. What do you think? Aren’t they plump? Do you want them?”

Lan WangJi looked at him indifferently.

Wei WuXian, “Fine. If you don’t want it, I’ll give it to someone else. We don’t have much of a taste in our mouths anyway.”

After hearing the last sentence, Lan WangJi said, “Stop.”

Wei WuXian stretched out his hand, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Lan WangJi, “Who did you give it to?”

Wei WuXian replied, “I will give it to whoever is good at roasting rabbit meat.”

Lan WangJi, “Killing is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses. That is the third rule on the Wall of Rules.”

Wei WuXian, “Alright then. I’ll go down the mountain, kill him outside, and then bring him back to roast. You don’t want him anyway, so why do you care so much?”

“…” Lan WangJi said one word at a time, “Give. It. to me.”

Wei WuXian grinned at the windowsill, “Now you want it? Look at you—you’re always like this.”

These two rabbits were plump and round, looking like two soft snowballs. One  had droopy eyes  and lay on its stomach, motionless even after a long time. As it chewed on a piece of lettuce, its pink mouth moved leisurely. The other looked like a real cricket, constantly hopping about. It played around with its friend, wriggling and jumping nonstop. Wei WuXian threw a few pieces of lettuce he had grabbed from who knows where. Suddenly, he called out, “Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan!”

The energetic rabbit had stepped on Lan WangJi’s inkstone, leaving black footprints on the table. Lan WangJi, unsure of what to do, held the piece of paper and considered various ways to erase it. He didn’t want to pay attention to Wei WuXian, but hearing his exaggerated tone, he thought there might be a problem, “What?”

Wei WuXian, “Look how one is on top of the other… Are they…?”

Lan WangJi, “They’re both boys!”

Wei WuXian, “Men? How strange.” He lifted their ears, examined them, and confirmed, “They really are men. Then, I haven’t even finished my sentence. Why are you so assertive? What are you thinking? Come to think of it, I was the one who caught them, and I didn’t even notice whether they were men or women, but you even saw…”

Lan WangJi finally threw him into the Library Pavilion.

Wei WuXian laughed into the air, “Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

With  a loud bang  , Lan WangJi slammed the window shut, and stumbled backwards to the table.

Glancing at the messy pile of rice paper and the inked footprints on the ground, as well as at the two white rabbits rolling around dragging pieces of lettuce, he closed his eyes and covered his ears.

A cluster of trembling magnolia branches was held up outside the window. But no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t stop Wei WuXian’s joyous, uncontrollable laughter.

On the second day, Lan WangJi finally stopped being in their class.

Wei WuXian’s seat changed three times. Initially, he sat beside Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Cheng was paying attention to the lesson and sat in the front row to look good in the eyes of the YunmengJiang Sect. This position was too conspicuous, leaving Wei WuXian no room to fool around, so he left Jiang Cheng and sat behind Lan WangJi. When Lan QiRen was teaching in the front, Lan WangJi sat as straight as an iron wall. Behind him, Wei WuXian would sleep like a log or draw as he pleased. Except for Lan WangJi occasionally blocking the crumpled paper he threw at others, it was very comfortable. However, Lan QiRen soon realized this trick, so he switched seats. From then on, whenever Wei WuXian sat slightly askew, he could feel a cold, sharp gaze staring at his back. Lan QiRen would also stare intently at him. It was very uncomfortable for him to be watched by both the old and the young all the time. Moreover, after the Pornography Case and the Rabbit Case, Lan QiRen was convinced that Wei WuXian was a basin full of jet-black dye, and was afraid that his beloved student would be tarnished, so he immediately ordered Lan WangJi to stop tutoring. Thus, Wei WuXian sat back down in his original place, and half a month passed peacefully.

Unfortunately, good things don’t last long for someone like Wei WuXian.

In the Cloud Recess, there was a long wall. Every seven steps were  hollow windows  with intricate designs. Each of the designs was different—playing musical instruments amidst high mountains, flying through the air on swords, fighting monsters and beasts, and so on. Lan QiRen explained that the design of each hollow window on this wall told the story of the life of each ancestor of the GusuLan Clan. The four oldest and most famous windows told the life of the Lan Sect’s founder, Lan An.

This founder was born in a temple. He grew up listening to sutra chanting, and thus became a renowned monk at a very young age. At the age of twenty, he adopted the “Lan” from ”  qielan  ” as his surname and resumed worldly life, becoming a musician. During his cultivation journey, he met the “destined person” he was searching for in Gusu, became  his cultivation partner  , and founded the Lan Sect. After his cultivation partner died, he returned to the temple and ended his life there. The four windows are “qielan,” ”  xiyue  ,” ”  daolu  ,” and ”  guiji  .”

For the past few days, lessons had rarely covered such an interesting topic. Although Lan QiRen introduced him with a boring timeline, Wei WuXian absorbed the knowledge for the first time. After class, he laughed, “So, the founder of the Lan Sect was a monk—no wonder! He traveled to the mortal world to meet someone, and, with his departure, he too was gone, leaving nothing behind on this Earth. But why would someone like him produce such unromantic descendants?”

Since no one expected the Lan Sect, renowned for its orthodoxy, to have such a founder, they began chatting. As they chatted, the topic shifted to “cultivation partners,” and they began discussing their ideal cultivation partners, evaluating the famous girls in the various sects. At this point, someone asked, “ZiXuan-xiong, who do you think is the best girl?”

When Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng heard this, they both looked towards a boy in the front row of the classroom.

The boy had a handsome and dignified face, with a bright red mark on his forehead. His collar, cuffs, and belt were all embroidered with white peonies named Sparks Amidst Snow. This was the young master sent to study in Gusu by the LanlingJin Sect—Jin ZiXuan.

Someone else said, “You better not ask ZiXuan-xiong about this. He already has a fiancée, so the answer must be his fiancée.”

Hearing the word “fiancée,” Jin ZiXuan’s lips twitched, revealing a hint of displeasure. The disciple who had asked the question was completely oblivious to what was happening, and continued with a cheerful expression, “Really? Which sect is she from? She must be very talented!”

Jian ZiXuan raised his eyebrows, “Forget it.”

Wei WuXian suddenly spoke, “What do you mean by ‘forget it’?”

Everyone in the room stared at him in surprise. Normally, Wei WuXian always wore a grin. He never truly got angry, even when scolded or punished. However, there was a clear hint of hostility on his face right now. Jiang Cheng didn’t criticize Wei WuXian for causing trouble without reason, as he usually did. He simply sat beside him with a grim expression.

Jin ZiXuan spoke in an arrogant tone, “Is the phrase ‘forget it’ too difficult to understand?”

Wei WuXian smiled sarcastically, “That sentence isn’t hard to understand. In fact, it’s hard to understand why you’re dissatisfied with my shijie.”

Everyone whispered to each other. After exchanging a few words, they realized that they had accidentally stirred up a hornet’s nest—Jin ZiXuan’s fiancée happened to be Jiang YanLi of the YunmengJiang Sect.

Jiang YanLi was the eldest daughter of Jiang FengMian and Jiang Cheng’s older sister. Her personality was gentle, without anything particularly striking; her voice was soft, without anything particularly memorable. Her looks were only above average, and her talent was not particularly outstanding. Among the girls from other prominent clans, it was natural that she would appear rather ordinary. On the other hand, her fiancé, Jin ZiXuan, was the exact opposite. He was the only legitimate son of Jin GuangShan, with stunning looks and extraordinary talent. Common sense dictated that with Jiang YanLi’s circumstances, they were indeed incompatible. She wasn’t even qualified enough to compete with the other girls. The only reason Jiang YanLi was able to be engaged to Jin ZiXuan was because her mother was from the MeishanYu Sect, and the MeishanYu Sect was on friendly terms with Jin ZiXuan’s mother’s sect. The two mistresses had grown up together, and they shared a close relationship.

The Jin Sect was a proud one, and Jin ZiXuan inherited every bit of it. With his high standards, he had long been dissatisfied with this engagement. He was not only dissatisfied with the candidate, but also with his mother taking the liberty of deciding for him, making him even more rebellious. Today, he seized the opportunity to break free. Jin ZiXuan asked, “Why don’t you ask me how I can satisfy her?”

Jiang Cheng immediately stood up.

Pushing him aside, Wei WuXian walked in front of him and sneered, “You think you’re good enough, huh? Where do you get the guts to be so picky here?”

Because of this engagement, Jin ZiXuan didn’t have a positive impression of the YunmengJiang Sect, and had disliked Wei WuXian’s behavior for some time. Furthermore, he prided himself on being unrivaled among his juniors, never having been looked down upon like this. His blood boiled, and he exclaimed, “If he’s dissatisfied, just tell him to break off the engagement! The point is, I don’t care about your shijie. If you care about him, just ask his father! Doesn’t he treat you better than he treats his own son or something?”

Hearing the last sentence, Jiang Cheng’s eyes tightened. With uncontrollable rage, Wei WuXian rushed over and threw a punch. Although Jin ZiXuan was prepared, he didn’t expect Wei WuXian to attack so quickly, even before he finished his sentence. After taking one punch, half his face went numb. He immediately retaliated without saying a word.

This battle shocked both leading sects. On the same day, Jiang FengMian and Jin GuangShan rushed to Gusu from Yunmeng and Lanling.

After the two sect leaders went to meet the two who had been punished and received a stern reprimand from Lan QiRen, they wiped the sweat from their foreheads and began to chat lightly. Jiang FengMian immediately proposed the idea of ​​canceling the engagement.

He told Jin GuangShan, “It was A-Li’s mother who initially insisted on the engagement, and I didn’t agree. Thinking about it now, since neither of them are interested, we shouldn’t force it.”

Jin GuangShan was taken aback. He felt a little hesitant, as ending relations with another prominent sect wasn’t a good thing, no matter how one looked at it. He replied, “What do those kids know? They’re free to play as they please. FengMian-xiong, you and I don’t need to pay any attention to them.”

Jiang FengMian, “Jin-xiong, even though we can arrange an engagement for them, we can’t hold the wedding in their place. After all, they’re the ones who will be spending the rest of their lives together.”

This engagement had never been Jin GuangShan’s intention. If he wanted to strengthen his sect’s power by marrying into another sect, the YunmengJiang Sect wasn’t the only or best option. It was just that he never dared to oppose Madam Jin. After all, this matter had originally been proposed by the Jiang Sect. Since the Jin Sect was the husband’s side, they didn’t have as many concerns as the wife’s side, so what was the point of worrying about it? Besides, he knew that Jin ZiXuan had always resented Jiang YanLi’s status as his fiancée. After some deliberation, Jin GuangShan plucked up the courage and agreed to this.

At that moment, Wei WuXian still didn’t know what had happened after the fight, and he knelt on the stone path that Lan QiRen had pointed to. From a distance, Jiang Cheng approached with a smirk on his face, “Look at how polite you are, kneeling politely.”

Wei WuXian boasted, “Of course, I always kneel. But Jin ZiXuan is a spoiled brat, so he’s obviously never knelt before. If I don’t make him kneel until he cries for his parents,  my last name won’t be Wei anymore  .”

Jiang Cheng lowered his head, paused for a moment, then spoke in a soft voice, “Father is coming.”

Wei WuXian, “Shijie tidak datang, kan?”

Jiang Cheng, “Why did he come? To see how you lose face with him? If he came, wouldn’t he come to your side and bring you medicine?”

Wei WuXian sighed, “…It’s good that shijie came. It’s a good thing you didn’t hit her.”

Jiang Cheng, “I already intended to do it. If you hadn’t pushed me away, the other side of Jin ZiXuan’s face would have been ruined too.”

Wei WuXian, “Well. He looks even uglier now, with his asymmetrical face. I heard he values ​​his face a lot, like a peacock. I wonder what he’ll think after looking in the mirror! Hahahaha…” After rolling on the ground laughing, Wei WuXian spoke again, “Actually, I should have let you hit him, and I should have watched from the sidelines. That way, maybe Uncle Jiang wouldn’t have come. But there was no choice. I couldn’t help it!”

Jiang Cheng snorted softly, “You wish.”

Even though it was just Wei WuXian’s casual words, he was filled with mixed feelings, because he knew it wasn’t a lie.

Jiang FengMian never rushed to another sect in a single day for any matter related to him, no matter whether the matter was good or bad, big or small.

Never.

Seeing his melancholy face, Wei WuXian felt still annoyed by Jin ZiXuan’s words, “You should go. You don’t need to stay with me. If Lan WangJi comes again, you’ll be caught by him. If you have time, go find Jin ZiXuan and see how foolish he is on his knees.”

Jiang Cheng was a little surprised, “Lan WangJi? Why did he come? He still dares to see you?”

Wei WuXian replied, “Yes, I also think he deserves praise for daring to come see me. He was probably ordered by his uncle to come check if I was kneeling properly.”

Jiang Cheng instinctively had a bad feeling, “Are you kneeling properly?”

Wei WuXian, “I knelt properly. After he was a little further away, I found a piece of wood and started digging. It was piled up beside your feet. There was an ant hole there that I had trouble finding. When he turned around, he saw my shoulders trembling, and he must have thought I was crying. He even came back to ask. You should have seen his expression when he saw the ant hole.”

“…” Jiang Cheng said, “You’d better leave and return to Yunmeng as soon as possible! I don’t think she wants to see you again.”

So, that night, Wei WuXian packed his things and returned to Yunmeng with Jiang FengMian.

Translator’s Note :
Picture books  : This most likely refers to erotic illustrated books. Since this has appeared several times in the story, it might be worth looking at what the illustrations actually look like. Here’s an example of a severed arm illustration:

Note: Ancient Chinese people had a strange art style.

XiChen-ge  : Ini sama dengan “xxx-xiong”.

Blurry eyes  : The literal translation is “dead fish eyes.” One famous example is Captain Levi’s eyes, from Attack on Titan.

Hollow windows  : Hollow windows are made by carving sections of the wall into designs. There is no glass because this is Ancient China.

Qielan  : This word comes from the Sanskrit word for “temple.” It has not been translated because the last three words (xiyue, daolu, and guiji) have also not been translated.

Cultivation partners  : When two cultivators become a couple, marry, and cultivate together, they become cultivation partners. Some people call them “cultivation buddies” because it sounds fun.

xiyue  : Learn music.

daolu  : Become a cultivation partner.

guiji  : Return to nothingness.

My last name is no longer Wei  : In Mandarin, this is a popular saying often said after a bet on something. For example, “If that person isn’t a villain, my last name won’t be Jia anymore,” or “If I can’t do this, my last name won’t be Yi anymore.”

Editor’s note:

K and I laughed out loud imagining two gay male rabbits making love. It seemed like it lasted over an hour. Now we have tons of rabbit photos.