Chapter 64 Tenderness—Part Two

Wei WuXian picked up his flute and played the piece according to the score. As expected, the two melodies didn’t connect. The half of the score on the first page was completely different from the song on the second page.

There should have been another page between these two. It had been torn out, carefully, discreetly.

The person tore out the page very carefully. Not a single trace was left, making it difficult to find. Wei WuXian flipped the book over. On the dark blue cover was a three-character title.

Wei WuXian, “  The Collection of Turmoil  ? What book is this? The songs sound a bit strange.”

Lan WangJi, “Koleksi lagu dari  Dongying  .”

Wei WuXian, “From Dongying? So that’s why the tone sounds a bit different from the one here.”

Lan XiChen’s expression was complicated, “…It is said that  the Collection of Chaos  is a collection of dark songs collected by a GusuLan Sect cultivator during his many years of wandering, when he traveled across the waters and arrived in Dongying. The songs in this book, when played with spiritual energy, can harm others, from weakening the body, disturbing the mind, disturbing the soul, to numbing the senses… Those with great spiritual power can take another’s life with just seven notes.”

Wei WuXian slammed the table, “Here it is!”

He was so happy that when he slammed the table, the paper lantern on it almost fell. Lan WangJi straightened it just in time. Wei WuXian said, “Sect Leader Lan, in  the Chaos Collection  , is there anything that can disturb a person’s peace, making them irritable, restless, rude, and easily angered?”

Lan XiChen, “…There should be.”

Wei WuXian, “Jin GuangYao’s spiritual energy isn’t high. He wouldn’t be able to take someone’s life with just seven notes. And killing them this way would be too obvious. He definitely wouldn’t choose such a powerful song. But, if he could use the excuse of playing the Song of Clarity for ChiFeng-Zun to calm his anger and continue playing it for three months, wouldn’t it act as a slow poison and trigger ChiFeng-Zun’s outburst?”

Lan XiChen, “…Ya.”

Wei WuXian, “Then that speculation makes perfect sense. The torn score, not part of  Cleansing  , came from a lost page of  The Collection of Turmoil  . All the Dongying songs recorded in  The Collection of Turmoil  are complex and difficult to master. He didn’t have time to copy them in the forbidden room and could only tear them—no, that’s not right. Jin GuangYao is capable of seeing something once and never forgetting it again. He tore the page not because he couldn’t memorize it, but so that there would be no evidence after the page was lost. To ensure that, even if one day it was revealed or if he were caught red-handed, no one would be able to find the source of the melody.”

“Everything he did was done with great care. In front of you, he clearly played the   correct  version of ‘Cleansing ’. ChiFeng-Zun isn’t someone who is passionate about art. He has heard you, Sect Leader Lan, play ‘Cleansing’  before and knows the overall melody. So, Jin GuangYao didn’t dare to directly play a dark song for him and instead took the trouble to combine two songs of different styles with opposing uses. And he combined them very well. They sound as if they are the same. His musical talent is indeed extraordinary. I suspect that he used very little spiritual power in the ‘  Cleansing’ section  and only exerted his strength in  the ‘Collection of Turmoil’ section  . After all, ChiFeng-Zun isn’t familiar with this cultivation method, so naturally he wouldn’t notice the fact that Jin GuangYao had turned one of the sections into a dark, life-defeating song!”

After a moment of silence, Lan XiChen whispered, “…Although he frequently visits the Cloud Recesses, I have never told him about the forbidden room in the Lan Sect Library Pavilion.”

Wei WuXian, “Sect Leader Lan, I apologize for being blunt, but during the Sunshot Campaign, Jin GuangYao was a spy in the QishanWen Sect’s Nightless City, and a very skilled one at that. He was even able to find Wen RuoHan’s secret chamber, sneak in without anyone noticing, memorize all the maps and scrolls, and write down all the information from memory before sending it to Koi Tower. Before him, the forbidden chamber in the Lan Sect’s Library Pavilion… was simply nothing.”

Lan XiChen took the piece of paper containing the score. He stared at it for a moment, “I’ll find a way to try this score.”

Lan WangJi, “Brother?”

Lan XiChen, “When Big Brother died, the siege at Burial Mound had already passed, and Young Master Wei was no longer here. If, after the exam, this part of the score is truly mind-blowing and not just made up, I will…”

Wei WuXian, “ZeWu-Jun, trying that song on a living person might be against the rules of the GusuLan sect.”

Lan XiChen, “I’ll try it myself.”

How could he, as the leader of the GusuLan Sect, say such a ridiculous thing? It meant his heart was in turmoil. Lan WangJi raised his voice slightly, “Big Brother!”

Lan XiChen propped his head up with his hand. His voice was low, as if he was holding something back, “WangJi, the version of Jin GuangYao I know is very different from the one you know and the one the world knows! All these years, in my eyes, he has always… endured his suffering, cared for everyone, treated everyone with respect. I have always believed, without a doubt, that the criticism he received from others all stemmed from misunderstandings, that all I knew was the real him. Now, you want me to immediately believe that everything about this person is fake, that he planned to kill one of his sworn brothers, that I was also part of his plan and even helped him… Can you give me some more wisdom before I make my own judgment?”

Lan XiChen had taught Jin GuangYao the Chant of Clarity, remembering the grudge between Jin GuangYao and Nie MingJue, hoping they could go back to the way they were. He asked Jin GuangYao to help appease Nie MingJue in his place. Who would have thought that his kindness would actually enable Jin GuangYao’s cruelty? How would he face himself now?

None of the three of them said anything. After they left the Library Pavilion, Lan WangJi finally said, “I’m going to see Uncle.”

After a long silence, Lan XiChen spoke up, “I’ll take Young Master Wei home. You can come later.”

Leading Wei WuXian, he walked along the white gravel path in the Cloud Recesses for a while before returning to a secluded cottage filled with gentian flowers deep in the mountains. Wei WuXian stood in front of the door, “Does Master Lan know that HanGuang-Jun…”

Lan XiChen, “Uncle just woke up. I already told everyone not to tell him unnecessary things.”

If Lan QiRen knew what Lan WangJi did to him under Koi Tower, he would definitely be so angry that he fainted right after waking up. Wei WuXian, “Thank you so much, Senior Lan, for all your hard work.”

Lan XiChen, “Uncle has indeed done a lot of work.”

Suddenly he said, “Young Master Wei, do you know what this house is for?”

Wei WuXian, “ZeWu-Jun, why do you think I know?”

Lan XiChen glanced at him, “This is where my mother lived back then in the Cloud Recesses.”

Lan XiChen’s mother was Lan WangJi’s mother. Wei WuXian found this a bit odd. The residence of all the GusuLan Sect leaders used to be the ‘Hanshi’, which was definitely not a small house hidden in the corner of the Cloud Recesses. Could it be that Lan WangJi’s parents were in an improper but pre-arranged marriage like Jiang FengMian and Lady Yu, so they lived apart?

No matter how you think about it, there couldn’t be a positive reason for a sect leader not to live with his wife. It was said that the previous sect leader’s wife, QingHeng-Jun, was quite weak physically. She mostly rested and wasn’t suited to meeting others. Initially, people didn’t know much about her. Behind the scenes, the entire sect was speculating whether her ‘illness’ was something embarrassing, like a scar on her face or a disfigurement. Therefore, Wei WuXian didn’t ask much and remained silent, waiting for Lan XiChen to explain.

Lan XiChen, “Young Master Wei, you should know that my father usually meditates in seclusion and never interacts with the outside world much. All these years, the GusuLan Sect has been managed by Uncle almost single-handedly.”

Wei WuXian, “I know that.”

Lan XiChen lowered his hand. The hand he had been holding Liebing with was hidden within his sleeve. He spoke slowly, “The reason my father often meditates in seclusion is because of my mother. This place, compared to a residence… is more like a place of detention.”

Wei WuXian terkejut.

ZeWu-Jun and HanGuang-Jun’s father, QingHeng-Jun, was once a renowned cultivator. He had achieved success at a young age and had much to offer in the future. However, at the age of twenty, he suddenly retired and announced his marriage. He also no longer cared about the world. Although it was called solitary meditation, it felt more like retirement. Many people have suggested various possible reasons, but none have been proven to be true.

Lan XiChen bent down among the clusters of gentian flowers. He gently stroked the thin, delicate petals, “When my father was young, after returning from a night hunt, he saw my mother outside Gusu City.” He smiled, “I heard it was love at first sight.”

Wei WuXian also grinned, “Young people are often sentimental.”

Lan XiChen continued, “However, that woman didn’t care much for him. Moreover, she killed one of my father’s teachers.”

This was beyond imagination. Although Wei WuXian knew that asking too many questions would be extremely rude, whenever he remembered that they were Lan WangJi’s parents, he felt compelled to ask. “Why?!”

Lan XiChen, “I don’t know. But, I assume it’s some kind of ‘complaint’.”

Wei WuXian didn’t ask any further and suppressed his curiosity, “And… what happened next?”

“Then,” Lan XiChen explained, “when my father heard this, he was naturally in great pain. However, no matter how much he struggled, he still secretly brought the woman to his sect. Ignoring the objections of his clan, he knelt down with her  silently  , without a word, and told everyone in the clan that she would be his wife for life, and anyone who wanted to harm her would have to go through him first.”

Wei WuXian widened his eyes.

Lan XiChen continued, “After the ceremony was over, my father found a house and locked my mother inside. He found another house and locked himself inside. It was called solitary meditation, but it was actually repentance.”

He paused for a moment before speaking again, “Young Master Wei, can you understand why he did such a thing?”

Wei WuXian replied after a moment of silence, “He couldn’t forgive the person who killed his teacher, nor could he watch the death of the woman he loved. He could only marry her to protect her life and force himself not to see her.”

Lan XiChen, “Do you think this is true?”

Wei WuXian, “I don’t know.”

Lan XiChen looked a little confused, “Then, what do you think is right?”

Wei WuXian, “I don’t know.”

A moment later, Lan XiChen whispered, “You could say my father did this without a care in the world. All the clan leaders were furious, but they had all watched her grow up. They could do nothing but keep it a secret, telling the outside world that the GusuLan Sect leader’s wife was suffering from an unspeakable illness and couldn’t see anyone else. After WangJi and I were born, we were immediately taken out to be cared for by others. When we grew up, we were brought to Uncle to be taught.”

“My uncle… had a straightforward personality from the start. Because my mother had caused my father to ruin his own life, he grew to hate people who behaved inappropriately. Therefore, he poured his whole heart into teaching WangJi and me. He was also very strict. Every month, we could only see Mother once, in this cottage.”

They were two little children, faced daily only by their stern uncle, strict teachings, and mountains of books. No matter how tired they were, they had to straighten their soft backs to become the most outstanding students in the clan, model students in the eyes of others. They rarely saw their closest relatives. They couldn’t play in their father’s arms, they couldn’t act spoiled in front of their mother.

But they clearly did nothing wrong.

Lan XiChen, “Every time WangJi and I visit him, he never complains about how boring it is to be locked in here, unable to take a single step out. He also never asks about our studies. He loves to tease WangJi, but WangJi, the more you tease him, the less willing he is to talk, the uglier his expression. He’s been like this since he was little. However,” he chuckled, “although WangJi never says it, I know that every month he looks forward to the day he can see Mother. He’s like this, and I’m the same.”

Wei WuXian imagined the young Lan WangJi cradled in his mother’s arms, his snow-white cheeks flushed pink. He laughed. However, before his smile could fade, Lan XiChen continued, “One day, Uncle suddenly said we didn’t need to go anymore.

“Mom is gone.”

Wei WuXian’s voice was soft, “How old was Lan Zhan then?”

Lan XiChen, “Enam.”

He continued, “She was still too young to understand the meaning of ‘leaving.’ No matter how much others comforted her, no matter how much Uncle scolded her, she would still come here every month, sit in the hallway, and wait for someone to open the door for her. When she grew up, she understood that Mommy wouldn’t come back again, that no one would open the door for her, but she kept coming here.”

Lan XiChen stood up. His dark eyes stared at Wei WuXian, “WangJi has been stubborn since he was little.”

The leaves rustled and the gentian flowers swayed in the breeze, their fragrance lingering. Wei WuXian’s eyes fell on the wooden hallway of the cottage. He could almost imagine a small child wearing a forehead ribbon sitting in perfect posture in front of the house, waiting quietly for the door to open.

He said, “Mrs. Lan must be a very gentle woman.”

Lan XiChen, “In my memory, Mother was like that. I don’t know why she did something like that back then. And, actually, I…”

He took a deep breath before admitting, “I don’t want to know either.”

After a moment of silence, Lan XiChen closed his eyes. He let out a Liebing. The night breeze suddenly brought out the sound of Xiao’s sobs. The sound was deep, like a sigh.

Wei WuXian had heard Lan XiChen play Liebing before. The timbre of his voice was exactly like Lan XiChen himself, as warm and graceful as the spring wind and rain. However, now, although his technique was as good as ever, his tone evoked a strange mixture of emotions.

The night wind blew hard. Lan XiChen’s hair and forehead ribbon were already somewhat disheveled. However, the GusuLan Sect leader, who always prioritized appearances, paid no attention to it. He only put Liebing down after the song ended, saying, “Music is prohibited at night in the Cloud Recesses. I’ve gone too far today. If you’ll excuse me, Young Master Wei.”

Wei WuXian, “How could that be? ZeWu-Jun, have you forgotten that the person in front of you is the one who breaks the rules the most…”

Lan XiChen smiled, “The GusuLan Sect has never revealed WangJi and my past to the outside world. I shouldn’t have told you. Tonight was a sudden impulse to unburden myself, a momentary impulse.”

Wei WuXian, “I’m not the type of person who talks much. Don’t worry, ZeWu-Jun.”

Lan XiChen, “In any case, I assume WangJi won’t hide anything from you.”

Wei WuXian, “If he doesn’t want to talk about something, then I won’t ask.”

Lan XiChen, “But, with WangJi’s personality, how could he possibly talk if you don’t ask? There are some things that even if you ask, he won’t say.”

Wei WuXian was about to speak again when he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around and saw Lan WangJi approaching, bathed in moonlight. His right hand held two round, red-capped liquor jars. Wei WuXian’s eyes lit up. “HanGuang-Jun, you’re so considerate!”

Translator’s Notes

Dongying  : This refers to Japan, although I decided to use pinyin to make it sound like wuxia.

Heaven and Earth  : Kneeling to Heaven and Earth is the last of three kneels performed during a Chinese wedding ceremony.