Chapter 74: Distance—Part One

After the fight, due to Wen Ning’s brutal and terrifying appearance, he was given a rather unlucky nickname. However, that’s a story for later. Despite being stabbed in the stomach by Jiang Cheng, Wei WuXian wasn’t the least bit worried. He stuffed his guts back into his stomach and, as if nothing had happened, even sent Wen Ning to hunt some evil spirits while buying several large bags of potatoes.

When he returned to Burial Mound, Wen Qing bandaged his wounds and scolded him severely, because what he had asked him to buy were radish seeds.

After that, ordinary days began, with everyone living peacefully with one another. At Burial Mound, leading about fifty Wen Sect cultivators, Wei WuXian planted vegetables, repaired houses, refined corpses, and crafted new tools. Every day, when he had free time, he played with the toddler Wen Yuan, Wen Qing’s cousin’s son. He let him hang from trees or buried him in the ground, fooling him that he would grow faster if watered and exposed to the sun. Then, he was scolded again by Wen Qing.

Several months passed like this. Aside from the world’s increasingly negative comments about Wei WuXian, there was no progress.

Wei WuXian couldn’t go down the mountain often. Since he was the one controlling all the dark creatures in Burial Mound, he couldn’t go too far or for too long. However, he was naturally active and couldn’t stay in one place for long. He could only wander around town occasionally, mostly to buy necessities. Considering Wen Yuan’s long stay on the mountain, Wei WuXian felt they couldn’t keep a child locked up in a place like that to play in the mud all the time, so one day, while she was shopping down the mountain, he took her with him.

Having been to the city many times, Wei WuXian was already familiar with it. He found his way to the vegetable vendor. Suddenly, he picked one up and exclaimed, “Your potatoes have started sprouting!”

The salesman seemed to have met a great enemy, “What do you want?!”

Wei WuXian, “How about a little cheaper?”

At first, Wen Yuan was still clinging to his leg. Wei WuXian walked back and forth, selecting potatoes and bargaining. Hanging onto his leg, Wen Yuan felt tired after a while. His short arms ached, so he let go to rest for a while. However, in an instant, the crowd of people on the street made him stagger left and right, losing his bearings. His visibility was quite poor. He wandered around, but he couldn’t find Wei WuXian’s long legs and black boots. All he saw were pants so dirty they were the color of dirt. He became even more frightened. As he spun dizzily, he bumped into someone’s leg.

The man was wearing clean white boots and was walking slowly at first. After being hit, he immediately stopped.

Wen Yuan looked up, trembling. First, he saw the jade pendant hanging from the man’s waist, then the belt embroidered with a pattern of floating clouds, then the neat collar without a single crease, and finally, a pair of eyes as bright as stained glass, as cold as winter frost.

His face was serious, and the stranger was staring at him. Wen Yuan suddenly felt afraid.

On the other hand, Wei WuXian ruminated for a long time before finally deciding against buying these sprouted potatoes. He might get food poisoning if he ate them, but the vendor still refused to lower the price, only snorting sarcastically. However, when he turned around, he realized that Wen Yuan had already left. He was almost deathly pale, searching for the toddler along the street. Suddenly, he heard a child’s wail, and he immediately rushed over. Somewhere not far away, a group of know-it-all pedestrians had gathered in a bustling circle, pointing at something and chatting amongst themselves. He pushed his way through the crowd, and his eyes immediately lit up.

Lan WangJi, dressed in white and carrying Bichen on his back, stood still in the crowd. He even looked a little dazed. When he looked again, Wei WuXian was laughing so hard he nearly tripped. A small child was lying limply at Lan WangJi’s feet, sobbing. Lan WangJi couldn’t stay or leave, couldn’t reach him or talk to him. With a solemn expression on his face, he seemed to be contemplating what to do.

One of the passersby spoke up, nibbling on melon seeds, “What’s going on? That young man was crying so loudly that I was scared to death.”

Someone commented confidently, “He must have been scolded by his father.”

Hiding in the crowd, Wei WuXian nearly burst out laughing when he heard the words ‘father’. Lan WangJi immediately looked up and denied it, “No.”

Wen Yuan didn’t know what they were talking about. When children are scared, they always call for those closest to them. So, sobbing, she called out, “Daddy! Daddy…”

A passerby immediately spoke up, “Listen! I told you he was the father!”

Some thought their eyes were beautiful, “It must be his father. Their noses look like they were carved from the same mold. There’s no doubt about it!”

Some sympathized, “How pitiful. Look at him crying. Did his father scold him?”

Some people were confused, “What’s going on there? Can you move over? My train can’t get through.”

Someone scolded, “He doesn’t even know how to hold the child and make him feel better! So he just left his son crying on the ground? What a shitty father!”

Some expressed their understanding, saying, “Look how young he is. It’s his first time being a father, isn’t it? I was like this too. I didn’t know anything. He’ll understand after his wife has a few more children. We all need to be patient…”

Some people tried to comfort the child, “Good boy, don’t cry. Where is your mother?”

“Yes, where is his mother? His father didn’t do anything, so where is his mother?”

Amidst the noise of the flood, Lan WangJi’s expression grew even stranger.

It was unfortunate that he had been the chosen one since birth. Everything he did was more than just right, more than exemplary. He had never been put in a situation where everyone pointed fingers at him. Wei WuXian was already laughing out loud, but when he saw Wen Yuan crying so hard that she nearly choked, he could only resign himself to it. 

Pretending to have just seen the two of them, he said in a surprised tone, “Huh? Lan Zhan?”

Lan WangJi looked up excitedly. Their gazes met. Wei WuXian himself didn’t know why, but he immediately looked away. Hearing his voice, Wen Yuan immediately stood up. Dragging two long, flowing trails of tears behind him, he held on to Wei WuXian’s legs again. 

The crowd kept asking, “Who is this? Where is his mother? Where is his mother? By the way, who is his father?”

Wei WuXian waved his hand, “It’s over, it’s over.”

Seeing that their fun was over, the pedestrians finally dispersed slowly. Wei WuXian turned around and smiled, “What a coincidence. Lan Zhan, why are you in Yiling?”

Lan WangJi, “Night hunting. I’m passing by.”

Hearing his voice, which was no different from before, devoid of any hatred or hostility, Wei WuXian finally relaxed a little. Suddenly, he heard Lan WangJi speak, “…That child?”

Wei WuXian’s mouth moved on its own once his heart calmed down, lying, “Mine.”

Lan WangJi’s eyebrows twitched. Wei WuXian laughed, “Of course I’m joking. She belongs to someone else. I asked her out to play. What did you do? Why did you make her cry?”

Lan WangJi’s voice sounded indifferent, “I didn’t do anything.”

Wen Yuan hugged Wei WuXian’s leg. He was still sobbing. Wei WuXian understood. Although Lan WangJi’s face looked beautiful, such a young child still couldn’t distinguish between what was beautiful and what wasn’t. He could only see that this person wasn’t friendly at all. Instead, he was cold and seemed very stern. Frightened by that bitter expression, it was only natural that he felt afraid. Wei WuXian picked Wen Yuan up and played with him for a while, turning him over and saying a few words of comfort. 

Suddenly, he saw a street vendor still laughing as he looked at them, so he pointed to the colorful goods in the basket he was carrying on both ends of the handlebars, asking, “A-Yuan, look over here. It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

Wen Yuan’s focus shifted. He snorted, “…Yes.”

Wei WuXian, “Doesn’t it smell nice?”

Wen Yuan, “Ya.”

The vendor quickly added, “It looks beautiful and smells good—Young Master, would you like to buy one?”

Wei WuXian, “Do you want one?”

Wen Yuan thought he would buy her one. He said shyly, “Yes.”

However, Wei WuXian walked in the opposite direction, “Haha, let’s go.”

Wen Yuan looked shocked. Tears welled up in his eyes again. After witnessing the scene, Lan WangJi finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Why didn’t you buy him one?”

Wei WuXian pondered, “Why should I buy him one?”

Lan WangJi, “You asked him whether he wanted one or not. Doesn’t that mean you’re going to buy him one?”

Wei WuXian replied deliberately, “Asking and buying are two different things—why should I buy it if I’m the one asking?”

With such a rhetorical question, Lan WangJi was suddenly at a loss for words. He glared at him for a long moment before turning to Wen Yuan. His gaze made Wen Yuan tremble again.

A moment later, Lan WangJi asked Wen Yuan, “Which one… do you want?”

Wen Yuan didn’t understand what was happening yet. Lan WangJi pointed to the items in the vendor’s basket, “Which of these would you like?”

Wen Yuan stared at him in horror. He didn’t even dare to breathe.

An hour later, Wen Yuan finally stopped crying. She continued to fumble through her pockets, which were filled with toys Lan WangJi had bought for her. Seeing her tears finally stop, Lan WangJi looked relieved. However, with a flushed face, Wen Yuan quietly slipped away and hugged his leg.

Looking down, Lan WangJi saw an extra object at his feet, “…”

Wei WuXian laughed out loud, “Hahahahaha! Lan Zhan, congratulations! He likes you! He hugs the legs of whoever he likes, and he never lets go.”

Lan WangJi took a few steps forward. As Wei WuXian said, Wen Yuan held on tightly to his legs, not intending to let go at all. The hug was also quite tight. 

Wei WuXian patted his shoulder, “I think you can save your night hunting for later. How about we go get something to eat first?”

Lan WangJi looked at him, his tone unwavering, “Want to eat?”

Wei WuXian, “Okay, let’s go get some food. Don’t get cold, okay? You finally came to Yiling for once, and I happened to run into you. Let’s reminisce about old times together. Come on, it’s my treat.”

With Wei WuXian dragging him and Wen Yuan clinging to his leg, Lan WangJi was finally pushed into a restaurant. Wei WuXian sat down in a private room, “Please, order.”

Lan WangJi was pushed onto the mat. Glancing at the menu, he replied, “You may order.”

Wei WuXian, “It’s my treat, so of course you order. Just order whatever you like. Don’t be so polite.” Luckily, he hadn’t bought the poisoned potatoes, so he now had the money to pay. Lan WangJi wasn’t the type to refuse too often, either. After a moment of thought, he ordered. 

Wei WuXian heard him monotonously name a few dishes and laughed, “Not bad, Lan Zhan. I thought you Gusu people didn’t eat spicy food. You have quite a strong appetite, huh? Want a drink?”

Lan WangJi shook his head. Wei WuXian, “Staying true to the rules even when outside—just as expected of HanGuang-Jun. In that case, I won’t order food for you.”

Wen Yuan sat down beside Lan WangJi’s feet. He took out a wooden sword, a wooden sword, a clay doll, a grass butterfly, and other toys from his pocket, then placed them on the mat, counting them happily. Seeing him clinging to Lan WangJi and rubbing against him until Lan WangJi couldn’t even sip his tea properly, Wei WuXian whistled and called, “A-Yuan, come here.”

A-Yuan stared at Wei WuXian, who had just planted him in the ground like a radish two days ago. Then, he looked at Lan WangJi, who had just bought him a large pile of toys. He didn’t move at all, and a big, “No” word was written across his face.

Wei WuXian, “Come here. If you sit there, you’ll be in the way.”

However, Lan WangJi said, “It’s okay. Let him sit.”

Thankfully, Wen Yuan clung to his leg again. This time, it was his thigh. Wei WuXian spun the chopsticks in his hand, laughing, “The one with the milk is Mother, the one with the gold is Father—how is that possible?”

Soon, the wine and dishes arrived. A sea of ​​fiery red, along with a bowl of sweet soup that Lan WangJi had ordered for Wen Yuan. Tapping his bowl, Wei WuXian called out a few times, but Wen Yuan still lowered his head, holding two butterflies and muttering. Sometimes he pretended to be the one on the left, shyly saying, “I… I really like you”; sometimes he pretended to be the one on the right, cheerfully saying, “I really like you too!” Being two butterflies at once, he seemed to be enjoying it immensely. 

Hearing this, Wei WuXian almost choked with laughter, convulsing, “Gosh, A-Yuan, where did a young man like you learn such things? You like me, I like you, and so on—do you even know what liking someone means? Stop messing around. Let’s eat. Your new dad bought this for you. It’s delicious.”

A-Yuan finally put the butterfly back into his pocket. With a bowl and spoon, he sipped the soup mouthfully, still sitting beside Lan WangJi. Wen Yuan had been in the Qishan detention camp before, and then he had moved to Burial Mound. The food in both places was so bad it was hard to describe. So, for him, this bowl of sweet soup had become a new delicacy. 

Wen Yuan couldn’t stop after a few mouthfuls, but he still knew to give the bowl to Wei WuXian, speaking as if he were giving him a treasure, “…Brother Xian… Xian eat.”

Wei WuXian seemed to really like it, “Yes, very good. So, you know what filial piety means.”

Lan WangJi, “Talking is prohibited while eating.”

To make Wen Yuan understand, he repeated it again in simpler language, “Don’t talk while eating.”

Wen Yuan immediately nodded and doused himself in the soup, saying nothing more. Wei WuXian exclaimed, “How is that possible? He only listened to me after I repeated it several times, but he only followed everything you said once. Really, how is that possible?”

Lan WangJi’s voice was indifferent, “Talking is prohibited while eating. You too.”

With a grin, Wei WuXian took a sip of liquor and played with it, “You really… haven’t changed even after so many years. Hey, Lan Zhan, why did you come to Yiling? I’m already used to it. Do you want me to show you the way?”

Lan WangJi, “No need.”

Cultivation sects often had secret missions they didn’t want anyone to know about. Therefore, Wei WuXian didn’t press for an answer. “I finally met someone I knew before, someone who didn’t try to avoid me. The atmosphere has been very tense these past few days. Did something big happen outside?”

Lan WangJi, “What constitutes something big?”

Wei WuXian, “Like if a new sect appears somewhere, if a sect expands its territory, if sects form alliances with each other, and so on. Just chat, you know? Anything is fine.”

She hadn’t heard anything from outside since her and Jiang Cheng’s falling out. The most she heard were random conversations in the city.

Lan WangJi, “Arranged marriage.”

Wei WuXian, “Sekte yang mana?”

Lan WangJi, “Sekte LanlingJin dan Sekte YunmengJiang.”

Wei WuXian’s hand that was playing with the cup of liquor froze in midair.

Dia tertegun, “Shi-… Gadis Jiang dan Jin ZiXuan?”

Lan WangJi nodded slowly. Wei WuXian asked, “When? When is the ceremony?!”

Lan WangJi, “In seven days.”

With trembling hands, Wei WuXian brought the cup to his lips, but he didn’t realize he had already finished it. He felt a bit empty, whether it was anger, surprise, displeasure, or helplessness.

Although he had expected this to happen long before leaving the Jiang Sect, upon hearing the news so suddenly, countless words were stuck in his chest, ready to be blurted out at once, but he didn’t know how. Jiang Cheng couldn’t even find a way to tell him such an important matter. If it weren’t for meeting Lan WangJi today, he likely wouldn’t have known this until later!

However, when he thought about it, he asked himself—what would have happened if he had known about it? On the surface, Jiang Cheng had announced to the world what all the sects already believed—that Wei WuXian had defected from the sect and that he would no longer be affiliated with the YunmengJiang Sect. Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have been able to attend their wedding. It was true that Jiang Cheng hadn’t told him. If Jiang Cheng had told him, he didn’t even know what impulsive thing he would have done.

Wei WuXian finally muttered, a moment later, “Jin ZiXuan got off too easily.” He poured another glass of liquor, “Lan Zhan, what do you think about this marriage?”

Lan WangJi didn’t say anything. Wei WuXian, “Oh, right. Why am I asking you? What are your thoughts on this matter? You never think about things like this.”

He gulped down the liquor in one gulp, “I know behind their backs, many people say my shijie doesn’t deserve Jin ZiXuan, ha. But in my eyes, it’s Jin ZiXuan who doesn’t deserve my shijie. But he has to…”

But Jiang YanLi had to fall in love with Jin ZiXuan.

Wei WuXian slammed his cup onto the table, “Lan Zhan! Did you know? My Shijie, she deserves the best man in the world.”

He slammed the table. His slightly drunken face radiated pride. “We will make this grand banquet one that everyone will admire and praise, even after a hundred years. No one will be able to match it. I will watch my shijie marry with great pomp.”

Lan WangJi, “Mn.”

Wei WuXian laughed bitterly, “Why did you answer? I won’t be able to watch it anymore.”

At this point, after finishing the soup, while sitting on the mat, Wen Yuan started playing with the grass butterfly again. The long antennae of the two butterflies were entangled and could not be separated no matter what. Seeing how anxious Wen Yuan was, Lan WangJi took the butterfly from his hand and released the four antennae of the butterfly in just a few moments. He returned it to Wen Yuan.

Seeing this, Wei WuXian finally turned his attention away, trying to smile, “A-Yuan, don’t rub your face. There’s still soup in your mouth. It’ll get your clothes dirty.”

Lan WangJi took out a white handkerchief and expressionlessly wiped the soup from the corner of Wen Yuan’s mouth. Wei WuXian joked, “Lan Zhan, what a surprise. I never knew you were so good with children. If you treated her a little better, I doubt she would want to come back with me…”

Suddenly, Wei WuXian’s expression changed. He took out a talisman from his collar, but it was already burning. It turned to ash shortly after Wei WuXian took it out. Lan WangJi’s gaze hardened. 

Wei WuXian immediately stood up, “Oh no.”

The talisman was the core of the warning array he had set up at Burial Mound. If anything happened at Burial Mound after he left, such as the array being damaged or blood being spilled, the talisman would ignite on its own to warn him of the incident. 

Wei WuXian sandwiched Wen Yuan between his arms and his body, “Sorry, Lan Zhan, I have to go back!”

Something fell out of Wen Yuan’s pocket. He shouted, “Butter… Butterfly!” 

With Lan WangJi in his arms, Wei WuXian had already rushed out of the restaurant. A moment later, a white shadow flashed before him. Lan WangJi seemed to have followed them out as well, walking beside them. Wei WuXian asked, “Lan Zhan? Why are you following us?”

Lan WangJi placed the butterfly Wen Yuan had dropped into his palm. He didn’t answer the question, but instead asked, “Why haven’t you put away your sword?”

Wei WuXian, “Forgot to bring it!”

Without a word, Lan WangJi held his waist and led him to Bichen as they flew. Wen Yuan was still too young to have ridden a flying sword before. Although he would have been extremely scared, because Bichen was so stable, he didn’t feel the shaking at all. The people on the streets were surprised to see the three of them decide to take to the air without a second’s hesitation, staring at their figures. Thus, Wen Yuan felt only curiosity and excitement, cheering loudly. 

Wei WuXian let out a sigh of relief, “Thank you!”

Lan WangJi, “Which way?”

Wei WuXian signaled, “There!”