Lan Qiren settled next to his nephews. He didn't understand why Wei Wuxian deserved such fuss. He was a demonic cultivator. If he wasn't guilty of the deaths at Qiongqi Pass, then he was guilty of something. There were no exceptions throughout history. If one fell from the righteous path, they brought death and chaos with them.
This was a lesson to the cultivation world.
The memory jumped to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in the library. The former was begrudgingly making copies, every once in a while shooting a glance at the other, who was writing. He set aside another finished copy, stretched, then rested his head on one hand to stare at his supervisor. Seeming to come to a decision, he got up and approached the other desk.
"What beautiful calligraphy," He complimented, "It's beyond the best." When he didn't get a response he leaned closer, "Wangji-xiong," He tried, then, "Lan Wangji." When that failed his smile fell and he said, "Lan Zhan."
This got his attention. Wei Wuxian withdrew at the glare, "Can you stop looking at me that way? It was you who ignored me first. That's why I called you by your informal name." He then leaned in again, "If you're upset, you can call me the same way."
"It's that easy?" Nie Huaisang pouted.
Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes at him.
"No one calls you by your birth name," His classmate waved his fan, "For that matter, no one calls Wei Wuxian by his birth name either."
"He insisted on being called Wuxian," Jiang Yanli smiled softly, "It was the name Father gave him. Before you, Hanguang-Jun, I don't think anyone used his birth name."
Before Wei Ying, no one called him Lan Zhan.
Lan Wangji wasn't sure what to do with that thought. He allowed Wei Ying to call him Lan Zhan because Wei Ying was different. He felt a connection the moment he saw him, and it strengthened with every interaction, good and bad. Wei Ying was special to him, so he gave him privileges unlike any other.
He glanced at his uncle. He knew his brother was aware of the depths of his feelings, and his uncle suspected, but they didn't know everything. They especially didn't know what he did in the Cold Pond Cave.
"Put down your leg," Lan Wangji responded.
"As you wish," He grinned, bringing his other leg up so he could sit next to him. He put an elbow on the desk, "By the way, Wangji-xiong, I want to ask you a question. Why do you hate me so much?" Once again, he was ignored, "Lan-er-gongzi, how can you ignore me again after a few words? I apologize and admit my fault."
"Yes, that night I should not have climbed the wall, drank alcohol, and fought with you, but I swear, I really knew nothing of your sect rules. Otherwise, I wouldn't have drank the Emperor's Smile in front of you," He almost sounded genuine in his apology, but his thoughts betrayed him, " I would take it back and drink it secretly in my room. "
"And I have to clear things up. It was you who fought me first," He continued, "If you didn't hit me, we could have just talked. As for me, if someone hits me first, I will absolutely hit him back. So I'm not the only one to blame." He paused, "Are you listening, Lan-er-gongzi?"
"He doesn't know how to take a hint," Jin Zixuan snorted.
His wife smiled slightly, "Where would we be if I gave up?"
He flushed, Jiang Wanyin snorted, "Attempt the impossible."
Jin Zixuan glared at him, "Where's your impossible romance?"
His brother-in-law was the least romantic person he knew, and that was saying something given his own hopelessness. If he wasn't thrown out of a matchmaker's place once in his life he'd eat his robes. He wasn't sure what type of person would even catch Jiang Wanyin's interest. He was temperamental on a good day, and downright impossible on bad ones.
To his surprise, Jiang Wanyin blushed. It was always obvious when he was embarrassed, and he turned away with a huff.
His wife blinked, "A-Cheng?"
He didn't look back.
Again, no response, so he leaned further into his line of vision, "May I have the honor of getting a glimpse from you?"
"Transcribe the text one more time," Lan Wangji ordered.
"Come on," Wei Wuxian sighed, "I have apologized."
"Not in a sincere way," Lan Wangji replied.
"I'm absolutely sincere," Wei Wuxian complained, starting to grind more ink, "I'm sorry. I'll apologize continuously to your heart's content. I can even kneel down before you." He laughed at his own teasing, causing Lan Wangji to glare at him again.
He kept laughing, but when he tried to speak again found himself silenced.
He then started to protest the additional punishment.
A few people choked at the innuendo. He couldn't possibly mean it that way, could he?
There was something about this interaction that seemed more than attention-seeking behavior. It bordered on flirtation. Of course, Hanguang-Jun refuted him at every effort, but if he continued to associate with him afterwards...did he grow used to it?
Did he return it?
"Are they cutsleeves?" Some whispered.
"I guess we'll see."
It cut to Wen Qing walking into her room. Her brother immediately rose, "Jie! Where are you going?" She sat down at the table, her eyes distant and worried. Wen Ning hovered, "JieJie, since you came to Gusu, I haven't seen you often. You...Are you really looking for something?"
She remembered Wen Ruohan's words, and turned to look at her brother, who sat down next to her and began to pour tea, "JieJie, I won't ask. Don't get too tired."
She accepted the cup, but set it down, "A-Ning, since you came to Cloud Recesses, have you felt anything strange?"
He thought about it, then shook his head, "No, JieJie, I have all the medicine you gave me."
She patted his head, "Our family has been doctors for centuries, but I can't cure my own brother." She looked away, her eyes narrowing a little in anger, "If it were not for-"
"A-Jie," Wen Ning interrupted, "Stop it."
She took his hand in both of hers, "A-Ning, I will take you away from Nightless City sooner or later." She squeezed, and he nodded.
"Were they mistreated?" Lan Xichen frowned.
"Yes," Jiang Cheng answered.
Jiang Yanli hid a gasp behind her hand. She hadn't noticed anything between her little brother and Wen Qing, but she had only seen them together once before the war started. Perhaps they met up when she wasn't around. After all, both of them gravitated around A-Xian. It was easy to collide in the same orbit, and she really was amazing.
"You sound certain," Nie Mingjue placed a hand on his table, "Was she not raised by Wen Ruohan?"
"Just because someone raises you doesn't mean they treat you well," Her brother growled, "Wen Ruohan's children were no more than pawns to him. Why would distant cousins be treated better?"
"Wen Qing is a gifted healer," Jin Guangshan pointed out, "More valuable, perhaps, than cultivators as average as Wen Xu and Wen Chao."
"What use is a healer to an army of corpses?" A-Cheng's hand curled into a fist.
"Where was this defense earlier?" Her father-in-law stared at her little brother curiously.
"I had no evidence to prove it," Zidian sparked dangerously.
Now he did, and she wondered if his feelings were more than gratitude for Wen Qing sheltering them after their home was destroyed.
When it went back to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, they were both at their own desks. Wei Wuxian was working on a painting while Lan Wangji read. He smiled to himself as he added more details, glancing up occasionally to check them against the Lan Wangji in front of him. Then he held it up for a comparison.
Satisfied, he approached and handed it out, "Here."
Lan Wangji didn't even glance, "Have you transcribed all the books?"
Wei Wuxian nodded, "Yes. It's done. By the way, I won't come starting tomorrow. This…" He set it down on the desk, "Is your gift." When he still didn't look he continued, "Right. I forgot to add something." He borrowed his brush and added to the portrait, smirked, then declared, "Done!"
Lan Wangji set down his book to pick up the portrait of himself. His eyes widened when he noticed the flower added to his hair.
"He's quite skilled in painting," Nie Mingjue noted.
"Of course he is," His little brother rolled his eyes, "What do you think we did together?"
He didn't expect something so...mundane. Talismans were expected. His swordsmanship was again expected. His jokes and almost annoying personality were unexpected, but not entirely. He'd heard rumors about his friendliness, but painting? It was one of the four gentlemanly arts, but most cultivators never spent time honing such a skill.
Huaisang loved to paint. He avoided saber training specifically to paint fans.
The more he watched, the more he saw how such a person became his brother's friend.
He opened his mouth, but Huaisang hit him with his fan, "Sh. I want to see this."
"Boring," Wei Wuxian commented, "I know you will say boring. Can you use a different word or add some new ones?"
Lan Wangji set it down gently, "Extremely boring."
"You did add something," The other stretched an arm out, grinning, "Thank you so much."
The other picked up his book again, but found it replaced by pornography. He threw it to the side and stood while the other laughed, "Wei Ying."
Again, people were stuck between horror and humor.
It was an excellent prank, and it took Wei Wuxian a lot of effort to pull it off. Not many could draw such an enchanting portrait, or had deft enough hands to quickly swap the books. None of them could manage such with Hanguang-Jun, nor would any of them dare.
Eyes darted to Lan Qiren, who was quickly turning red with rage.
Others noted the use of the informal name. Yes, Wei Wuxian gave him permission, but he didn't have to use it.
"Are you sure they're not cutsleeves?"
"Here!" He raised a hand jokingly.
Lan Wangji grabbed his sword, and the other's laughter cut off, "Lan Zhan! Behave yourself." The other trembled in rage, "I brought my sword too. Don't you like your library?"
"How shameless," Lan Wangji muttered.
"Why are you ashamed of this?" Wei Wuxian pouted, "Don't tell me you've never read a book like this. I don't believe it."
Lan Wangji continued glaring, "Go outside. Let's have a duel."
"How can you be friends?" Su She wondered.
He tried to make the question sound condescending, but he was genuinely curious. Hanguang-Jun was the picture of arrogance. He held himself above everyone around him, and never thought twice about how he only could do so with the advantages granted to him by his birth. He wouldn't be Hanguang-Jun if he hadn't been born to the main Lan family.
Yet Wei Wuxian wasn't born into such luxury. He was the son of a servant and a rogue cultivator. He was treated poorly by the other narcissistic assholes who made up the elite.
He was like himself, and Jin Guangyao. He was just lucky to have been found by the Jiang Sect that didn't care if he was irreverent.
Wei Wuxian held up a hand, "No. Fighting is prohibited, don't you know?" He looked away for a moment, but when he looked back Lan Wangji had moved to pick up the offending book and began destroying it, "Lan Zhan! No!"
He threw the scattered remains of the book into the air, and the other looked sad, "Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan. What a waste! You-"
"Piss off," Lan Wangji stated.
There were murmurs of shock at his statement, scattered amongst the laughter at the physical destruction of the porn.
Yes, Wei Wuxian was infuriating, but they never expected such language or aggression from the unflappable Second Jade.
Lan Xichen turned away from his brother to hide his amusement, sharing a smile with Nie Mingjue. Everyone needed to be messed with from time to time. It was certainly a goal of his fellow Sect Leader whenever he visited Cloud Recesses to get a reaction from Wangji. He was never successful.
Then again, who would trick Wangji into looking at porn other than Wei Wuxian? Who could possibly get close enough to him to pull this off?
Wei Wuxian was no longer sad. He placed his hands on his hips, "Lan Zhan, people say you're a noble gentleman, like you're the rarest pearl, and no one can be more courteous than you. But you are just so-so. Cloud Recesses prohibits making noise, but you dare to tell me to piss off."
Lan Wangji's only response was to begin unsheathing his blade.
Wei Wuxian sighed, "Okay, I'll piss off. I'm good at this anyway." He stepped over the divider, "You don't need to walk me out."
People laughed at the way he just wandered out as though he hadn't been threatened with bodily harm for his prank.
"How shameless."
Madame Jin tilted her head. The more she saw of Wei Wuxian, the more she feared his return to Lotus Pier. He was shameless, attention-seeking, and unruly, but he was also well-humored and light hearted. There didn't seem to be a malicious bone in him. And it was starting to look like everyone favored Wei Wuxian over Jiang Cheng.
If Jiang Fengmian did so as well...it would almost be expected.
It skipped ahead to Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, and Nie Huaisang sitting on some rocks in a stream.
"He asked you to piss off?" Nie Huaisang wondered as the other laughed, "Wei-xiong, you are unbelievable." He waggled his fan at him, "It's the first time I've heard Lan Wangji say piss off. How can you make it happen, Wei-xiong?"
"It was my pleasure to help him break the rules," Wei Wuxian declared, "I'll tell everyone that I am the first one."
"Why are you so proud?" Jiang Cheng interjected, "What are you proud of? Is it great to be asked to piss off? Our clan is disgraced because of you."
Wei Wuxian pointed a finger, "I did apologize to him. He not only refused it, but he also punished me with the Silencing spell. Why can't I play a trick on him?" Nie Huaisang nodded as he fanned himself, "It's a pity that I lost the Rare Beauty Collection I got from Nie-xiong."
"Huaisang!"
Nie Huaisang flinched away from his brother, his snickering abruptly dying at the revelation that he had a hand in the prank against Lan Wangji. He held up his hands pleadingly, "Hey! It was unfair for Wei-xiong to be punished. Why shouldn't I help mess with the head of discipline?"
"Is that why you did it?" Nie Mingjue narrowed his eyes, "Or did you just want to secretly cause chaos?"
"Da-ge!" Nie Huaisang complained, "This is in the past. Besides, Wei-xiong wasn't even punished for this."
"Only because I never heard of this!" Lan Qiren thundered, "Wangji!"
Lan Wangji straightened, despite his already perfect posture, "You will see why I forgot."
With that ominous statement, the laughter died completely.
"I didn't get time to have a look." Wei Wuxian continued, "I gave it to him, but he received it with malice. Good for him. It's a waste of his face."
"Never mind, never mind," Nie Huaisang dismissed, "I've got plenty of those." He seemed to consider the story, "Right. Did you say my name?"
"Am I the type to be a traitor?" Wei Wuxian asked.
No, those who knew him best thought privately.
Maybe, many in the room contemplated, not seeing the Yiling Patriarch in the boy who just wanted to have fun. This was all before the demonic cultivation, but all those who sought to use resentful energy before already harbored evil in their hearts. Wen Ruohan was a tyrant long before he got the Yin Iron.
Very few were certain the answer was yes.
Nie Huaisang smiled, but Jiang Cheng curled up, "You offended both Lan Wangji and Lan Qiren. You are dead. Nobody will save you."
Wei Wuxian sighed, then went to his brother's side, grabbing his arm, "Jiang Cheng, why do you think so much? Play tricks first. Besides, you've helped me so many times. Just do it for me one more time."
Jiang Cheng wasn't impressed, "If it happens again, don't tell me and don't let me see it." He shoved his brother away, "Piss off."
"He's really good at infuriating people, isn't he?" Nie Huaisang sighed.
He missed that.
Wei Wuxian didn't care about rank or power. He only cared for the heart of the people around him. It didn't matter if Wen Ning or himself were cowards and weaklings, he considered them friends because they were nice.
He didn't need any more reason than that.
Wei Wuxian leaned back, but before anymore teasing could commence they noticed something in the trees. Wei Wuxian shushed them, then aimed a talisman at it. A bird emerged, and they watched it take flight, "Isn't that the owl of the QishanWen?" Nie Huaisang asked, "Why is it here?"
"The QishanWen?" Wei Wuxian repeated, "How do you know it is their owl?"
"Qinghe is at the foot of Qishan," Nie Huaisang answered, "We see this kind of owl very often." He leaned closer, "It is said that the owls are the spies of the Wen Sect."
Jiang Cheng frowned, "Then why is the owl flying around Cloud Recesses?"
"I don't know," Nie Huaisang frowned as well, "Can the Wen Sect control everything, even cultivators like us?"
"They certainly tried," Nie Mingjue growled, his annoyance with his brother forgotten with the reminder of his hatred of Wens.
Hanguang-Jun's statement made sense. What concern were childish pranks when the Wen Sect was making moves? What were petty feuds in the face of a war?
It cut to Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji walking through Cloud Recesses. The younger spoke, "Xiongzhang. Recently, something strange happened inside the wards of the back hill. Though the wards have not been broken yet, they have been disrupted."
"Did you find out who had gotten into the back hill?" Lan Xichen asked.
There was a pause, then Lan Wangji answered, "Wei Ying."
Jiang Cheng choked, "You suspected Wei Wuxian?"
Lan Wangji met his gaze easily, "I was wrong."
"Ah, don't be so mean, Jiang-xiong," Nie Huaisang interjected, "Wei-xiong already showed he's good at breaking wards, and he always scared Wen Qing away before anyone else saw her." He paused, "Not to mention personal prejudice makes suspicion easier."
He snorted, but agreed.
If Wei Wuxian had remained the bright, cheerful person who made friends wherever he went, even with the demonic cultivation he wouldn't be accused of such crimes. It was because he became angry, darker, more dangerous, that people began to fear him. The fear turned into suspicion, and suspicion into accusations which forced him into exile.
For some reason, he didn't feel like Nie Huaisang was talking about just Wei Wuxian.
Lan Xichen glanced at his brother, then smiled. His brother glanced back, "Zewu-Jun, do we need to reinforce the wards?"
Lan Xichen shook his head, "The ward was set by the ancestors. As long as she doesn't go inside, the ward will not break."
"She?" Lan Wangji noticed.
The present Lan Wangji tensed. There were few secrets between him and his brother, but this was one of them. His brother feared the Wen's presence. His brother feared the Yin Iron's discovery. Yet he chose to share those fears with Uncle, not him.
Though maybe he should have paid attention to politics more. Then he too would have kept a watchful eye on the Wen siblings.
And on the Jin.
Lan Xichen stopped walking, "Forget about this." He turned to full face his brother, "Wangji-"
They were interrupted, "Zongzhu." It was Su She, when he was a Lan disciple. He greeted them.
A few shot looks at the Su Sect Leader.
Rumors about him were split. Some admired the hard work and dedication it took to create a new Sect. Others heard that he'd been kicked out of the Lan Sect in disgrace, and the Su Sect was a bad imitation of the prestigious Sect he'd been thrown out of. As the Lan Sect wasn't one to deal in rumors, there was never a confirmation or denial of either.
Lan Xichen asked, "What's the matter?"
"The villagers came to report that Caiyi Town is being haunted by water ghosts these days. There are lots of victims," Su She reported as the brothers shared a look, "The villagers are petitioning for the help of the Lan Sect."
"Water ghosts?" He asked, "The people in Caiyi Town are good at swimming, drowning rarely happens. Where did the water ghosts come from?"
"Well…" Su She trailed off, "I don't know." There was silence, then he offered, "Zongzhu, do you need me to perform the exorcism?"
Lan Xichen shook his head, "Reply to the villagers for me. I will go there tomorrow morning to do the exorcism."
Many of them had heard about an incident in Caiyi Town.
Not in detail, of course. So much happened so soon after it for the stories of whatever killed the merchants to gain much traction. They wondered what tragedy could have occured that created the water ghosts.
If the people all knew how to swim...it was suspicious indeed.
It cut back to Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng approaching their sister's guest quarters. Before they could open the doors, someone else did. It was Wen Qing.
"Wen-guniang." Wei Wuxian said.
"Wen-guniang," Jiang Cheng beamed, then saluted.
She bowed back, "Jiang-gongzi."
"Wen-guniang," He repeated, "Why are you here?"
How could she have missed this?
Jiang Yanli hid a small smile at how adorable A-Cheng was. There was none of his surliness when he saw Wen Qing. Instead, there was a bright smile, almost nervous as he repeated her address and spoke to her. It only appeared to be a crush at this moment, but her youngest brother never took a romantic interest in others.
Her husband shot her a strange look, but she didn't dare say anything where other ears could hear.
After all, not everyone knew Wen Qing as well as her. Until she showed she was worthy of A-Cheng's affections, she would not make them known.
"Wen-guniang," Wei Wuxian complained, "Why do you ignore me?"
Before she could answer either, Jiang Yanli called, "A-Xian, here you are."
"I'm here," He called back, then awkwardly slid around Wen Qing and into the room. He sat on the bed next to his sister, "Shijie, why are you here?"
She sighed, "It's been rainy these days. I felt dizzy when I went to the riverbank this morning. I was lucky that I met Wen-guniang. Not only did she come back with me, but she also gave me some medicine. I've gotten better now."
"A-Jie," Jiang Cheng complained, "Why didn't you tell us you were sick?"
"That conservative Lan Zhan is to blame," Wei Wuxian grumbled, "He put me in confinement for three days. Shijie must have been sick because she missed me."
She smiled, and tapped the tip of his nose. Wen Qing stilled as she packed away her medical supplies, thinking back to her and her own brother. She looked down sadly.
"Oh," Nie Huaisang whispered.
"What?" His brother snapped.
He shook his head, refusing to answer. It was sad, really. Wen Qing desperately tried to shield her brother from Wen Ruohan. No wonder she took such a liking to the Jiang siblings, who were also just desperately trying to save each other from their enemies. Wen Qing saw Wei Wuxian as someone similar to Wen Ning, a beloved little brother.
It stood to reason that Wei Wuxian saw Wen Qing as someone like Jiang Yanli.
In the end, this was about family, not politics. Love, not power.
Jiang Cheng approached her, "Wen-guniang. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, Jiang-gongzi," She replied, "I'm a doctor. It's my duty to cure people."
A suspicion stirred in Jin Zixuan's mind.
Jiang Wanyin was never like this with anyone. At least, not where he could see. A-Li promised he was different in private with the people he trusted, but for Wen Qing to be treated like this?
No, he couldn't have a more tragic love story than Wei Wuxian. Fate couldn't be so cruel to the Jiang Sect to give them such obstacles to happiness. But Jiang Wanyin hadn't so much as looked at any of the eligible ladies put before him. He bent to the other Sects when it came to casting out his brother, but not on the matter of marriage.
Then again, neither of their parents married for love. If the only woman he loved was impossible for him to marry...then he very well might stay a bachelor for the rest of his life.
Which would make A-Li sad.
"Shijie," Wei Wuxian continued smiling at his sister, "I've heard that Grandmaster Lan is going to Qinghe for the cultivation conference, so we don't have classes these days and I've heard that Zewu-Jun is going to the town to hunt and exorcise some water ghosts." Wen Qing looked up, "If we set off now, we can catch up with them."
"Must he always involve himself in others' business?" Nie Mingjue muttered.
"If you can help someone, shouldn't you?" His little brother murmured back.
Yes and no.
Yes, because they hunted demonic beings to save people, not for glory.
No because there was a reason they were in Sects. Each Sect was responsible for hunting in certain areas and protecting those they promised to protect. To encroach upon their territory was to imply they were incapable. It was a great insult.
But what was an insult if lives were saved?
"Water ghosts?" Wen Qing asked.
"Yes," Jiang Cheng confirmed, "It is said that Caiyi Town is being haunted by water ghosts these days. It's really strange."
The three of them travelled together to catch up to Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji. They saluted.
"Zewu-Jun," Jiang Cheng started, "It's said that there are water ghosts near Biling Lake." Wei Wuxian nodded, "And we don't have lectures these days so we want to go practice with you."
"Yes," Wei Wuxian added, "Let us go with you."
"It's against the rules," Lan Wangji said.
"Such dislike."
Lan Wangji's ears burned. It did look like he hated Wei Ying. Only he and his brother knew his heart. He hoped Wei Ying knew the truth as well…
"Who would want to nighthunt with Wei Wuxian?"
"Why would Hanguang-Jun trust him?"
His brother glanced at him, but he took the whispers in stride. He should not have been so harsh with Wei Ying. If he'd responded to him in a more positive manner...would events have unfolded the same way? Would Wei Ying have trusted him to help him? Could he have convinced him to go back to Cloud Recesses?
"Why?" Wei Wuxian asked, "Yunmeng has a lot of brooks. Jiang Cheng and I played near water during our childhood. Taking on water ghosts is easy for us." He tapped his brother's chest with his sword, "Besides, we don't have courses these days."
"Right, Zewu-Jun," Jiang Cheng repeated, "Yunmeng has so many rivers. We can help you for sure."
"There's no need," Lan Wangji denied again, getting frustrated looks from the other two boys.
"Then the two young masters, please follow me," Lan Xichen contradicted his younger brother.
Jin Guangyao never thought Lan Xichen could be manipulative, but there he was, using someone for his own interests.
Yes, he was using Wei Wuxian to draw Lan Wangji out of his self-imposed isolation, but it was the principle of the action. Some of the worst things were done with the best intentions. He glanced at his sworn brother, who was keeping his expression carefully controlled. Did he regret pushing the two of them together?
Did he regret bringing Wei Wuxian in close enough to discover the Yin Iron? He wasn't certain of how events would have happened if Wei Wuxian remained ignorant of the true beginning of the Sunshot Campaign? Would he have become a demonic cultivator at all if he'd never gone to Gusu?
"Lan-zongzhu," Wen Qing spoke up, "I want to hone my skills too."
"Zewu-Jun, Wen-guniang is well versed in medicine," Wei Wuxian said, "Although the water ghosts are easy to deal with, some ordinary villager may be hurt during the exorcism and she can do the job of curing them."
"Then, Wen-guniang, please go with us," Lan Xichen allowed.
"Keeping your enemies close," Jin Zixuan noted.
Except they weren't really enemies, were they? They were Wen, Jiang, and Lan, but half the group knew nothing of what was going to come. Wei Wuxian was being the suspiciously eager person he always was, and Wen Qing was just doing what she was threatened to do.
Were they enemies now?
He took his son back from his mother, cradling the peaceful child and letting him play with Suihua. He'd been behaving so far, but what did he have to cry over? In a few days he would have another doting uncle, one who could protect him from anything. He'd never shared his wife's confidence in Wei Wuxian.
But he was starting to.
The trio exchanged pleased looks, and then Wen Ning came running towards them, "A-Jie! Wait for me!" He caught up.
"Wen Ning," Wei Wuxian peered at him.
"Why did you come?" Wen Qing demanded, "I've told you, I…" She trailed off and glanced at those who could hear her.
"A-Jie," Wen Ning said, "I heard that you are going to do the exorcism of water ghosts. I want to go with you to see the ghosts."
"A-Ning," She patted his head, then placed her hand on his shoulder, "It might be very dangerous. I asked you to stay there, why don't you listen?"
Nie Mingjue felt a stab of something.
It made him distinctly uncomfortable. Wen Qing's little brother was a nervous weakling. It was something he didn't expect them to have in common. Xichen could always depend on Lan Wangji to take care of himself, but he would forever worry about Huaisang.
Huaisang, who would definitely be the Sect Leader one day, who would be left to fend for himself when Qi deviation eventually ripped him away.
What would he do to find Huaisang, if he went missing? Would he ask a demonic cultivator to resurrect him if he found him dead?
Wen Ning didn't look like he knew what to say to that. He didn't have to, as Wei Wuxian spoke up, "Wen-guniang, your brother is very talented and is a vastly superior archer. I don't think anything will go wrong. And I'll protect him. It will be alright. A simple exorcism of water ghosts won't be that dangerous."
Jiang Cheng hid his clenched fists. There it was again. Wei Wuxian went and promised his protection to Wen Ning, after only having known him a few weeks.
What about him was so special?
She turned, "Lan-zongzhu, my brother is young and impolite, he came here because of his curiosity for water ghosts as Qishan is dry and mountainous. But, Lan-zongzhu, don't worry, A-Ning and I won't interrupt the exorcism." Wen Ning nodded, "Forgive us and allow my brother to go with us, please."
"Never mind, Wen-guniang," Lan Xichen said, "Since he came, let him go with us."
"You didn't go, Zixuan?" Jin Guangshan frowned.
"I did not hear the same rumors," His son answered stiffly.
He hummed, disappointed in his own son. Wei Wuxian was powerful, but he hadn't realized how much more useful he could be alive rather than dead. He also underestimated how kind the demonic cultivator was. Perhaps the way to control him wasn't through threats. Perhaps it was through appearing weak.
His bastard would be perfect for such a task.