Chapter 65 Tenderness—Part Three

Lan WangJi walked over and handed him the jar of Emperor’s Smile. Wei WuXian walked in holding the jar in his hands. Behind him, Lan WangJi shook his head, though his gaze was gentler than before. Lan XiChen glanced at him, “You took it from your room?”

Lan WangJi mengangguk.

Lan XiChen, “You better… not touch alcohol again. Be careful not to let what happened last time happen again.”

His eyes fell on the clothing beside Lan WangJi’s collarbone. Lan WangJi also looked down, to the center of his chest, “It won’t happen again.”

Lan XiChen forced a smile. He sighed afterward.

After Lan XiChen left, Lan WangJi entered and gently closed the door. Wei WuXian opened the jar lid while continuing to think about the story of Lan An, the founder of the GusuLan Sect, and QingHeng-Jun.  The GusuLan Sect was indeed a strange sect. Although its founder was a monk and its style was very orthodox, this sect truly… evoked a lot of romance.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but glance at the other GusuLan Sect descendants in the room.

Lan WangJi was reading a book, his head bowed. A paper lantern sat on the corner of the table. Under the soft light of the campfire, his face looked even more like fine jade. Even his indifferent expression and bright eyes seemed a little warmer. He was so beautiful it felt unreal. Caught in the moment, Wei WuXian was somehow captivated. Unconsciously, he leaned closer.

Lan WangJi looked up and asked, “What?”

Wei WuXian immediately came to his senses, “It’s nothing. Your bookmark looks pretty.”

Lan WangJi’s bookmark was a brightly colored dried flower. It had been meticulously cared for, keeping its vibrant color. The petals and veins were so delicate that they seemed alive. Between the pages, the flower emitted a gentle fragrance. Wei WuXian took the bookmark and asked, “Herbal peony?”

Lan WangJi, “Mn.”

Wei WuXian played with the bookmark in his hand before returning it to him, “Your brother got quite a surprise.”

Carefully, Lan WangJi put the dried peony herb back into the book. He closed the pages, “Since he has found the evidence, he will not tolerate this.”

Wei WuXian, “Of course. After all, he’s your brother.”

No matter how close Lan XiChen and Jin GuangYao were, he was still from the GusuLan Sect and had his own principles.

Wei WuXian opened a jar of liquor.  The last time Lan Zhan got drunk, he had honestly answered that he had never had an Emperor’s Smile in his room before. Then why was he hiding it? He couldn’t have kept it just for me, could he? It was a bit shameless when I thought about it this way. Speaking of which, should I apologize for the whole forehead ribbon thing? I’ve played with it so many times, after all. What if he’s so embarrassed that he gets angry and throws me out of here? After all, I’ve played with it so much, and he hasn’t gotten angry at all; clearly, his self-control has gotten better. I’m sure even if I play with it again, he won’t get angry. No, I shouldn’t ask him. How about I pretend I don’t know what the forehead ribbon means. That way, next time, I’ll be able to pull it out again on purpose. If he gets angry, I’ll just pretend to be innocent and say I didn’t know. Ignorance isn’t a sin… 

Wei WuXian felt quite pleased with himself. Lan WangJi asked, “What’s wrong?”

He turned around with a serious expression, “It’s okay. I’m in a good mood.” Without paying attention, he opened the jar, took it, and took a small sip before suddenly spitting it out with a  “pfft”  .

Lan WangJi immediately put down his book, “What happened this time?”

Wei WuXian waved his hand, “Nothing! Nothing, nothing!”

Without saying anything, he put the jar back where it belonged and picked up another jar with a sad expression on his face.

The last time he stole a bottle of liquor, he deliberately put water in it to surprise Lan WangJi if he drank it. However, he didn’t know his fate was so bad. The two jars Lan WangJi brought happened to contain this pure water, and he drank it himself.

After he returned, every time he wanted to tease Lan WangJi, he ended up hurting himself instead. He really didn’t understand!

Wei WuXian fell asleep a while later. He slept until the early hours of the morning when he suddenly woke up. Shivering, he crawled forward and looked up. Lan WangJi was still dressed, his sword slung across his back. Pulling back his hand from Wei WuXian’s shoulder, he stared at the white object in his palm. “We have an uninvited guest.”

Wei WuXian squinted his eyes to see. It was a jade token for entering the GusuLan Sect. He remembered that Lan WangJi’s token was extremely high-level, capable of alerting him if anyone breached the GusuLan Sect’s barrier.

However, no one had dared to infiltrate the Cloud Recesses for decades. Wei WuXian jumped out of bed. He found that his outer robe had been removed while he was sleeping. He put it on while saying, “Who is it?”

Lan WangJi shook his head, motioning for Wei WuXian to follow him. The two walked silently until they arrived at a house amidst a grove of bamboo. Light seeped in through the paper windows. Wei WuXian glanced at the wooden plaque in front of the courtyard. “Hanshi?”

As expected, Lan XiChen sat upright in the room. Seeing the two enter, he didn’t seem surprised at all. He exchanged a glance with Lan WangJi, and both men understood. Lan WangJi led Wei WuXian to sit behind the screen.

A moment later, the Hanshi bamboo curtain lifted. A series of soft footsteps entered the room. The person appeared to have sat down opposite Lan XiChen.

Moments later, the sound of jade stones clashing against each other was heard. It sounded like someone had placed something on the table and pushed it.

The first person to speak was Lan XiChen, “What is the meaning of this?”

Someone said, “To come back to you, Brother.”

It was Jin GuangYao.

Lan XiChen, “I already gave this to you.”

Jin GuangYao, “This travel token has never failed before. Now that it has, it’s time to return it to its rightful owner.”

Wei WuXian now understood. Because ZeWu-Jun and LianFang-Zun had a good relationship, Lan XiChen had also given Jin GuangYao a travel token so he could visit freely. However, he had most likely altered the restrictions on the Cloud Recess barrier or revoked Jin GuangYao’s travel token in the past few days. When Jin GuangYao came to visit, he was refused entry, so he voluntarily returned the token.

Like Lan WangJi, Lan XiChen also didn’t know how to pretend to be obedient. Jin GuangYao backed away, while Lan XiChen said nothing. A moment later, he asked, “What did you come for?”

Jin GuangYao, “We still have no news of HanGuang-Jun and the YiLing Patriarch. I haven’t allowed anyone to search the Cloud Recesses, and many sects are already hesitating with many reservations. Brother, if possible, you should keep the door open for two hours. After that, I’ll be able to bring people to handle the situation.”

Wei WuXian thought he was here to request a search. He didn’t expect Jin GuangYao to say something like that, as if he had no interest in finding out where the YiLing Patriarch had gone. He felt a little surprised. On the other side of the screen, Jin GuangYao continued, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Lan XiChen, “Nothing.”

Jin GuangYao, “If you’re worried about WangJi, don’t worry. HanGuang-Jun is honest and open. The entire sect has seen this for years. He must have done this because he was lied to. Besides, he hasn’t done anything unforgivable. Everything will be fine as long as he explains it later. I won’t let anyone take the opportunity to spread rumors.”

Lan XiChen, “When will the time come? When will it be?”

Jin GuangYao, “After we clear the Burial Mound.”

Wei WuXian paused in surprise. Lan XiChen, “Burial Mound?”

Jin GuangYao, “Ever since the battle at Koi Tower, strange things have been happening around Moling, Lanling, and Yunmeng. Graveyards have been destroyed, and corpses have disappeared. Some signs indicate that a large group of corpses is moving towards Yiling. They may have gone to the Burial Mounds.”

Lan XiChen, “What is this for?”

Jin GuangYao, “I don’t know. The speculation is that Wei WuXian triggered some kind of dark array or used the Tiger Seal.”

Lan XiChen, “Back at Koi Tower, he was injured by Jin Ling. Could he still do something like that?”

Jin GuangYao, “Brother, when we fought with Sect Leader Jiang, when Wei WuXian betrayed the YunmengJiang Sect, how badly were he injured? Didn’t he still come back to lead the corpses? Is there anything in this world that is difficult for the YiLing Patriarch?”

Wei WuXian stroked his chin,  You think too highly of me… 

Jin GuangYao, “So, sooner or later, there will probably be a second siege on Burial Mound. I’ve already notified several other sects to discuss this matter at Koi Tower. Brother, are you coming?”

A moment later, Lan XiChen finally replied, “Yes. Wait for me at Yashi. I’ll go with you soon.”

After Jin GuangYao left, Lan XiChen walked behind the screen and looked at Lan WangJi, “I’ll go to Koi Tower, and you two to Burial Mound. We’ll go our separate ways.”

Lan WangJi nodded slowly, “Yes.”

Lan XiChen, “If he really has other intentions, I definitely won’t tolerate it.”

Lan WangJi, “I know.”

The two of them followed the Cloud Recess along a small path. Along the way, the grass beside the white gravel rustled before suddenly parting, revealing a small, snowball-like head and a pair of long ears.

The rabbit’s pink nose snorted. Upon seeing Lan WangJi, its drooping ears suddenly perked up. With a kick of its hooves, it leaped toward them. They arrived at a patch of green grass. Lil’ Apple was lying under a tree while dozens of round white rabbits surrounded it, most of their eyes closed, sound asleep. A few were still curled up. 

Wei WuXian walked to a tree and scratched Lil’ Apple’s head. With a shiver, Lil’ Apple woke up, air escaping from her nostrils. Seeing Wei WuXian, just as she was about to moo, the rabbits woke up as well. Their long ears quivered, and they all jumped toward Lan WangJi. The white fur on their snow-white boots clung to them, running around him again and again, seemingly excited.

Holding Lil’ Apple’s reins, Wei WuXian tugged and threatened to get her to move. The rabbits stood on their hind legs and clung to Lan WangJi’s legs one by one. They all wanted to climb up. Lan WangJi was as still as a mountain. As the two of them began walking, the rabbits stumbled as they followed the pair of white boots. They refused to leave, no matter how much Wei WuXian tried to shoo them away.

Bending down, Lan WangJi picked up a rabbit and held it in his arms. Although his face was still cold, his touch was gentle. His slender fingers scratched the chin of one of the rabbits. The rabbit wiggled its long ears. It turned around and closed its red eyes until only two slits remained, as if enjoying the scratch immensely. 

Wei WuXian wanted to scratch him, but he turned his face away. Wei WuXian, “He hates me. He only loves you. He really knows who his master is, right?”

Lan WangJi glanced at him before handing the rabbit into his arms. Wei WuXian accepted it with a grin. The rabbit wriggled and twisted in his arms, struggling with all its might. Wei WuXian tugged at its ears, “You don’t like me? You hate me? Then run. You can’t run away, no matter how much you want to. Why don’t you just be obedient and like me?”

Wei WuXian pinched the rabbit and played with it for a while. When they were almost out of the gates of the Cloud Recesses, he finally released the rabbit, whose white fur had been matted by his actions. Since the rabbits couldn’t follow them anymore, their ears drooped low and they sat where they were, watching their master leave.

Wei WuXian turned his head, “They absolutely won’t let you go. HanGuang-Jun, I can’t believe you’re so doted on by such small things. You must have been so gentle with them when you were raising them. I could never do that.”

Lan WangJi, “No?”

Wei WuXian cheered happily, “Yes! Those who fly, those who walk, those who swim—they all turn and run away as soon as they see me.”

Lan WangJi shook his head. What he meant was more than obvious: it must have been Wei WuXian who teased them first that he was never liked by them.