With almost insatiable energy, Wei WuXian picked as many lotus seeds as he could. With barely any space left on the boat for their feet, the three of them sat amidst a pile of green lotus seed pods. When the husks were torn off, the creamy green seeds were revealed hidden just beneath the brown, fluffy layer of the lotus seed pods. Dig in, peel away the layer of husk, and there they were, soft and snow-white. They tasted refreshingly sweet. Even the center was made of green liquid, not at all bitter.
Wen Ning continued peeling the seed pods, sitting at the front of the boat. Lan WangJi stopped after peeling two pods. Seeing Wen Ning hand over the peeled seeds, he shook his head and let him pass them to Wei WuXian. Wei WuXian finished the entire boat by himself. They finally arrived at the docks of Yunping City after floating for three or four hours.
The shallow part of the pier was filled with small fishing boats. Groups of women gathered on the stone steps in front of the water, washing clothes. Bare-chested, tanned boys dived and swam along the riverbank.
Suddenly, a ferry slowly drifted by. One person was at the end of the boat, his head bowed, but the two young men inside were equally striking. The man sitting in front was dressed in snow-white, exuding a refined aura, while the grinning young man beside him also had quite a handsome face. People rarely saw such figures every day, so everyone widened their eyes and stared as hard as they could. Several boys swimming in the river gathered towards them like fish. About seven or eight heads bobbed beside the ferry.
Wei WuXian, “If I may ask, is Yunping City here?”
A girl who was washing clothes by the river blushed, “Yeah, right.”
Wei WuXian, “We’re here. Let’s go.”
The ferry docked. Lan WangJi stood up first. After reaching the shore, he turned and helped Wei WuXian up. The two had already disembarked, but Wen Ning remained on the ferry, unmoving. The swimmers watched him lower his head and say nothing, strange marks creeping up his neck and onto his pale cheeks. They found it strange, but amused rather than afraid. More than ten pairs of hands gripped the ferry and shook incessantly, so tightly that Wen Ning could barely keep his balance.
Wei WuXian turned around, “Hey! What are you doing? Don’t bother him.”
Wen Ning hurriedly replied, “Young Master, I can’t get down.”
As he screamed for help, the two boys slapped the surface of the river to splash him. Wen Ning smiled helplessly, at a loss for what to do. If only the boys knew the ‘person’ they were messing with could tear their bodies, even their bones, to pieces, how could they have made fun of him like this?
Wei WuXian threw the remaining lotus seed pods, “Catch!” The boys immediately scattered, fighting over the seed pods. Wen Ning finally managed to jump ashore. Embarrassed, he patted the edges of his soaked robes.
Even among all of Yunmeng, Yunping City wasn’t just a small place, but a bustling one. The three of them entered the city. Along the way, they were greeted by numerous vendors and pedestrians. Wen Ning disliked crowded places; he quietly disappeared shortly after. Wei WuXian inquired about the address memorized in his memory as they walked, but when they finally arrived at their destination and confirmed what they saw, both of them were somewhat surprised.
Wei WuXian looked at the magnificent building, filled with incense, “This is… Guanyin Temple?”
*God of Mercy
Lan WangJi, “Mn.”
Jin GuangYao didn’t seem to be the religious type. The two exchanged glances. Together, they pushed through the flood of visitors, over the high threshold, and entered the temple. The temple had three courtyards. Smoke could be seen everywhere, and the sound of wooden prayer blocks could be heard. It didn’t take long to complete a full circle around the temple. The final courtyard was Guanyin Palace. Before the two had stood at the entrance for long, a monk came to greet them with palms joined. The two returned the salute.
Wei WuXian chatted with him for a while, asking casually, “Most temples are built in the mountains. Temples in cities are very rare.”
The monk smiled, “People in the city often work hard all day. Don’t they also need the Guanyin Temple to pray and seek inner peace?”
Wei WuXian smiled, “Won’t that sound disturb Guanyin?”
The monk said, “Guanyin frees everyone from torment. How could they be bullied by humans?”
Wei WuXian, “Is Guanyin the only one worshipped in this temple?”
The monk said, “That’s right.”
The two of them walked around the temple again, an idea already forming in their minds. After they left the temple, Wei WuXian led Lan WangJi to an alley, picked up a twig, and drew a few squares on the ground before throwing it back, “Jin GuangYao is really too much.”
Lan WangJi picked up the discarded twig and added a few more strokes to the squares. The lines became clearer—it was an aerial view of Guanyin Temple.
Wei WuXian took the branch from her hand again, “There’s a large array inside the temple. Something is being suppressed.” He pointed to a spot, “The array is rather complicated. It’s quite secure. But if the eye of the array here is destroyed, whatever it’s suppressing will come out.”
Lan WangJi stood up, “We’ll do it at night, when there are fewer people. We should find a place to rest before we strategize.”
They didn’t know how powerful the creature beneath the Temple was, so naturally they couldn’t act rashly during the day, when there were so many people passing by. Wei WuXian, “I wonder how long it will take to finish off the creature in the Temple. Can we make it to Lanling? Will our schedule be delayed?”
Lan WangJi, “Your physical condition is still unclear. Don’t force yourself.”
In the battle at Burial Mound, Wei WuXian had overexerted himself. Both his mind and body had been strained for too long. A few hours earlier, Jiang Cheng had angered him so much that his qi qiao was almost bleeding. He only recovered after a long rest. Although he didn’t feel too bad at the moment, if he missed something and forced himself all the way to Lanling, it was hard to guarantee whether an accident would occur at a critical moment. Furthermore, he wasn’t the only one who had strained his mind and body these past few days. Lan WangJi hadn’t rested a single moment either.
Thinking that even if Lan WangJi didn’t need to rest, he definitely did, Wei WuXian replied, “Alright. Then, let’s find a place to rest first.”
Wei WuXian himself could live anywhere—at home if he had money, and under a tree if he didn’t. But right now, Lan WangJi was with him. He couldn’t bear the thought of Lan WangJi lying on a tree root, or crammed with him in a dirty little room. So, after walking for a while, the two finally settled on a tidy inn across from Yunping Town.
The innkeeper rushed out enthusiastically, almost dragging them inside. The interior of the inn was clean and tidy, and the first floor was almost full of guests, indicating that whoever was in charge of the place was quite skilled at their job. Most of the people working inside were women, from the young girls aged ten and up who swept the floor to the plump women who worked in the kitchen. When they saw the two young men enter, their eyes lit up in unison. One of the girls pouring water for the guests stared at Lan WangJi so intently that she didn’t even realize the rim of her teacup was pointed at her.
The owner shouted a few things, telling them to do their jobs properly. He himself led Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi upstairs to see the rooms, asking as he went, “Young Master, how many rooms would you like?”
Hearing this, Wei WuXian’s heart suddenly pounded. He glanced at Lan WangJi.
If it had been two months ago, that question wouldn’t have even been necessary. When they first returned, in order to escape as quickly as possible, he had tried everything to disgust Lan WangJi. Lan WangJi had noticed this, too, so he had decided to rent only one room from then on. After all, no matter how many rooms he got, Wei WuXian would definitely find a way to get into his bed.
Not only that, because no one knew who he was, Wei WuXian dared to do anything, no matter how shameless. Just their first night exploring the Cloud Recesses, he was already the first to sneak into Lan WangJi’s bed. Lan WangJi saw him rolling around on his bed as soon as he opened the door. Expressionless, he stood for a moment before going to the next room he had paid for. Wei WuXian, of course, wouldn’t let him get away that easily. He chased after him, screaming that he wanted to sleep with him. Even after crawling into bed, he threw the other pillow out the window, insisting on using the same one as Lan WangJi. He even asked why Lan WangJi slept with his clothes on, trying to forcefully strip him naked.
In the middle of the night, he suddenly stretched his cold feet into Lan WangJi’s blanket, grabbed his hand and placed it on his chest, “Listen to my heartbeat, HanGuang-Jun!” Then he stared innocently yet romantically into Lan WangJi’s eyes… Finally, Lan WangJi froze him. Unable to move, he finally fell silent.
The past was almost unbearable to recall. This was the first time Wei WuXian felt shocked by his own powerlessness.
At the third glance, Lan WangJi still had his head lowered. He didn’t say anything, and his expression was unreadable. Realizing he hadn’t responded even after so long, Wei WuXian’s thoughts began to wander. In the past, Lan Zhan had always only gotten one room. Why hadn’t he said anything this time? If he got two rooms this time, it meant he really did mind. But if he only got one room, it didn’t mean he didn’t mind either. Maybe he was just pretending to be okay with it so I wouldn’t mind either…
After all the fuss, the owner immediately answered, “One room, right? One room is enough! My room here is comfortable even for two people. The bed won’t feel cramped.”
Because Lan WangJi didn’t reject him for quite a long time, Wei WuXian’s body and heart finally stopped giving in, and temporarily stabilized.
The owner opened one of the doors and invited them in. It was quite large. He asked, “Hey, you two want to have dinner? Our chef is very skilled. We’ll bring the dishes over here when they’re done.”
Wei WuXian, “Yes, please, but not now. How about later? Bring them over around seven.”
The owner replied as she walked out. Just as she left, just as Wei WuXian was about to close the door, she suddenly chased after him, “Madam!”
The owner, “Yes, Young Master?”
Wei WuXian seemed to have made up his mind, lowering his voice, “When you prepare the meal tonight, please get some liquor too… the stronger the better.”
The owner grinned, “Of course!”
After that, he finally returned to the room, pretending nothing had happened. He closed the door and sat down at the table. Lan WangJi’s hand reached out and pressed against his vein. Although he knew it was just to check his condition, as those two long fingers crept up his wrist, rubbing gently, Wei WuXian’s other hand tensed slightly under the table.
After nearly an hour of examining his body, Lan WangJi said, “There is no imminent danger.”
Wei WuXian stretched and smiled, “Thank you.” Seeing Lan WangJi’s furrowed brows with a serious expression, he added, “HanGuang-Jun, are you worried about ZeWu-Jun? I think Jin GuangYao still respects ZeWu-Jun somewhat. After all, ZeWu-Jun’s cultivation is higher than his, and he’s already been informed about it, so he won’t necessarily fall into his trap. Let’s figure out the Temple’s layout as soon as possible and try to continue our journey tomorrow.”
Lan WangJi, “Something is strange.”
Wei WuXian, “What?”
Lan WangJi, “Brother has known Jin GuangYao for many years. Jin GuangYao is not an impulsive and bloodthirsty person. He never acts rashly.”
Wei WuXian, “Yeah, that’s my impression of him too. It’s not that Jin GuangYao has any heart, but he tries to offend as few people as possible.”
Lan WangJi, “The incident at the Burial Mound was rushed and exaggerated. It wasn’t in his style.”
Wei WuXian thought for a moment before saying, “The Battle of Burial Mound, if successful, would be a success; if exposed, it would force the entire cultivation world to oppose him. The risks are indeed high.”
Lan WangJi, “Further investigation may be necessary.”