The moon had reached its zenith over the forest by the time Wei Wuxian had managed to successfully regain control of his limbs after….
After.
He was carefully not thinking about the stickiness in the front of his trousers, nor the fact that Lan Wangji was in the same situation. His brain was capable of processing many complex and seemingly impossible things, but the fact that he and Lan Wangji had just gotten off with each other in the middle of a night hunt was not one of them.
Lan Wangji pulled a set of clean robes out from his pouch, setting them on a rock away from the bloody ruins of his former robes. He stood and pulled the inner robe on, the muscles across his broad back flexing with the motion, the silvery moonlight casting shadows over the contours. Wei Wuxian realized he had stopped breathing and looked away. His eyes landed on the remains of the creature, and he forced himself to focus on the work they still had to finish up.
The thickest of the demon's resentful energy had dissipated, but it wasn't gone entirely. There could be other things that had been drawn to the area by the demon's heavy aura.
Wei Wuxian suppressed a wince as he stood, his ribs and back aching.
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji said, his voice concerned.
Evidently Wei Wuxian hadn't suppressed the wince as much as he'd thought.
"It's fine, Lan Zhan! We need to clear the area. I'm going to draw any remaining spirits here while you cleanse the resentful energy that the demon left behind."
"Wei Ying should rest. I will do it."
"You're the one who's bleeding. It's fine. I've fought with way worse injuries than a little bruise. We took care of the main danger."
Lan Wangji radiated disagreement, but Wei Wuxian was already drawing the talisman, and had activated it before Lan Wangji had even finished dressing. The smooth, resonant tones of Cleansing reverberated through the night air as Lan Wangji began to play.
Wei Wuxian had heard Lan Wangji play many times before, and had always found the sound both beautiful and powerful, like the man who played it. Now, however, the heady feel of the music laden with Lan Wangji's qi washed over his skin, making the fine hairs on the back of his arms stand on end as the sound filled the air and pressed in on him. He bit his lip, and his eyes slid half closed, and he nearly swayed at the pleasure the feel of Lan Wangji's qi evoked. If he had been receptive to it in the past, their recent activities had increased that tenfold.
Before he could think about what that meant, much less be embarrassed about it, he sensed the approach of resentful energy. It was a minor spirit, which Lan Wangji handled by smoothly shifting into Rest before Wei Wuxian needed to do anything at all.
Feeling the effects of Lan Wangji's qi moving through him, Wei Wuxian busied himself setting up an array that would suppress the demon's remains and keep others away while Lan Wangji finished cleansing the resentful miasma that the demon had left behind. He felt the heavy weight of Lan Wangji's gaze on him the entire time, which only made it more difficult to keep from shivering in response to the touch of his qi in the air around them.
He wondered if it would always be like this, when they night hunted together. The thought of this being a life he was allowed to have set a craving deep in his core. The level of want was an overpowering, dark need that Wei Wuxian knew he would need to be wary of, just as he knew he would not emerge unscathed if and when reality reasserted itself and his foolish fantasy crashed and burned around him.
When they deem the area sufficiently safe, they mounted their swords and returned to the village.
The return trip took much less time, since they flew rather than walked. They arrived a few hours before dawn, expecting the village to be asleep. But the elder who had sent for them had stationed a youth to keep watch for their return, and the young boy immediately set off to go and fetch his master despite the late hour. The man quickly returned, bowing deeply in gratitude.
"What was it that was plaguing our village? Was it a beast or a human?"
"It was a demon, who was close to ascending into an immortal beast from what we could tell," Wei Wuxian replied.
He described the creature's appearance, including its human-like face and level of resentful energy.
"It was particularly focused on Hanguang-Jun, likely hoping to use his potent spiritual power to get closer to ascension," Wei Wuxian concluded.
The elder looked extremely concerned, given how dangerous it would be to have such a thing so close to his village.
"There had been rumors of a temple up in the mountains two days' walk from here, where the monks were all killed by an unknown creature, including the master. They were not trained in fighting, but focused mostly on meditation and asceticism."
Wei Wuxian nodded grimly. "They wouldn't have been able to defend themselves against a mid-level demonic beast, but their combined spiritual power would have allowed the resentful beast to become a full demon."
"It is lucky that you came when you did, and were able to destroy the demon. On behalf of our village, this one expresses his deep gratitude."
The old man bowed deeply again, which Wei Wuxian was quick to return, though he felt the pull in his ribs as he did. Lan Wangji also bowed.
"It is our duty to help," Lan Wangji said simply, though his eyes had now moved to Wei Wuxian. "But we have sustained some minor injuries and must now take our rest."
"Of course! Please, allow me to escort you to the inn. There will be no charge for your rooms, or any food or services you require during your recovery here. We don't have a doctor, but there is a healer who has some minor skills. I can send him to you if you require."
Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to thank the man, but Lan Wangji was already speaking.
"Thank you. We will inform you if we require your healer."
The man nodded, though he looked somewhat confused at Lan Wangji's refusal of the healer. Wei Wuxian felt similarly, as even a moderately skilled healer would have things for cuts and bruises, even if they couldn't heal more complex spiritual wounds.
They walked to the inn where the elder woke the innkeeper, and he thanked them again and bade them farewell.
The innkeeper blinked the sleep out of his eyes, though showed no annoyance at being woken from his bed at the extremely late hour. The killings were the reason that his inn had no other guests, so he was more than happy to offer them free room and board.
He was deferential as he walked them both up to their rooms. Lan Wangji was, of course, shown to the larger room, which Wei Wuxian noticed had two beds. The innkeeper apologized, saying that they did not have many rooms, but that they would give the double room to Lan Wangji for his private use. Their largest single room would be given to Wei Wuxian.
It was stupid to waste the use of a second room, if the first room had two beds, but Lan Wangji gave Wei Wuxian a look when he drew a breath to say as much, and assured the innkeeper that the arrangement was fine.
The innkeeper breathed a sigh of relief at not having offended the famous and powerful Hanguang-Jun with his lack of appropriate offerings. He assured both of them that he would arrange for the water for their baths to be heated and brought up when it was ready. He left Lan Wangji to his room while he showed Wei Wuxian to his smaller, single room before heading down to ensure the bath preparation was going smoothly.
Wei Wuxian closed the door behind the man, and sat down on the small, wooden chair in the corner of the room. He pulled out his sleeping robes, feeling a mixture of relief that Lan Wangji was not going to be able to see his wounds before he'd had time to heal them somewhat, but also wishing that there had only been one room at the inn.
He was surprised when there was a knock on the door. It would be at least a half an hour before the bath water would be ready. He opened the door to find Lan Wangji.
"I came to check Wei Ying's wounds." Lan Wangji's expression did not give the slightest sign that he was thinking about what had happened just a few hours ago when Wei Wuxin had checked his wounds.
Unfortunately, Wei Wuxian's face was not as thick, and he felt the heat creeping up his neck and along his cheek bones.
"It would have been easier for you to check my wounds if we'd shared your room, instead of taking up two," Wei Wuxian said, allowing Lan Wangji to enter his room and closing the door behind him. The room had felt empty when Wei Wuxian had been alone in it. Being in the small space with Lan Wangji made it feel almost as though there was not even enough space to breathe, every corner filled with an almost tangible tension.
"I promised Jiang Guniang we would procure separate rooms," Lan Wangji replied.
Wei Wuxian brought himself up short. Of course, Lan Wangji would need to be careful of his reputation. A whisper in the back of his head told him that Wei Wuxian was fine for a roll in the dirt, but wasn't someone that Lan Wangji would want to be seen with in public .
Wei Wuxian recognized the Seal's influence, and forced himself to remember all the words that Lan Wangji had actually spoken, to him and also in front of some of the most influential people in the cultivation world. Lan Wangji did not lie. He wasn't hiding from some innkeeper when he'd made his intentions clear to people like Nie Mingjue and Jiang Cheng.
The whisperings in Wei Wuxian's head died down, but the jitteriness remained behind. Lan Wangji was watching him carefully, in a way that made Wei Wuxian feel uncomfortably seen.
"I think we sort of defeated the purpose of separate rooms out in the woods, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian joked, though something of his thoughts must have been written on his face.
Lan Wangji was crossing the room, sliding his hands along the sharp line of Wei Wuxian's jaw, tilting it up before threading his long fingers into Wei Wuxian's hair.
"Jiang Guniang is concerned about the optics of us procuring only one room, to protect your reputation. She did not ask me to stop courting Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian couldn't stop the slightly bitter twist to his lips.
"I'm pretty sure that the only one whose reputation could get worse is yours. If anything, being associated even in a cut-sleeve rumor with the great Hanguang-Jun would only improve mine."
"They are wrong. Wei Ying is good." The words were so simple, but the intensity of the sincerity with which they were spoken was devastating.
"Lan Zhan! You can't just say things like that!" Wei Wuxian felt a very dangerous rush of emotion flood through him, overflowing with everything he knew better than to allow himself to want. The sort of things that were never meant for someone like him.
Wei Wuxian had spent his life carefully not wanting anything other than what he could build with his own hands and his own determination. He had never been greedy, until now.
But Lan Wangji had given him a taste of what it could be like to belong to him. Night hunting with a cultivation partner that was truly his equal. Someone who cared about him, despite all his flaws and unworthiness. Despite all his darkness.
And now, Wei Wuxian wanted , and the depths of it unsettled him. Lan Wangji was willing to give him something, but Wei Wuxian wanted so much more. He wanted everything. He wanted to crawl inside Lan Wangji's bones and live there. He wanted to have Lan Wangji never even look at another person. He wanted to be consumed by him, and consume him in return, like a deadly undertow that would pull Lan Wangji away from everything he knew and drag him down into the dark depths that was Wei Wuxian.
Lan Wangji reached out and brushed a thumb along Wei Wuxian's plush lower lip, his eyes heavy lidded and dark.
"Wei Ying said I needed to convince him that I desired him. And that I was amenable to the physical acts of dual cultivation."
Wei Wuxian had raised an undead army and taken down the most powerful cultivation sect in the world, but he was about to go into qi deviation over the unflinching intent inLan Wangji's words.
Wei Wuxian shuddered, leaning forward slightly so Lan Wangji's thumb slid into the hot, wet heat of Wei Wuxian's mouth. Lan Wangji's eyes darkened further, and the air ran thick between them.
Lan Wangji drew a slow breath, then pulled back.
"I will check your injuries first."
Wei Wuxian knew that the mood was going to be totally killed when he pulled off his robes and Lan Wangji saw the bruising that was hidden beneath them. But he also recognized the determined set to Lan Wangji's jaw, and knew he would not be dissuaded.
"Ah, Lan Zhan. If you wanted me to take my clothes off, you should have just asked." Wei Wuxian titled his head to the side, expecting Lan Wangji to call him shameless, or to blush at his words, the way he always had in the past.
Instead, Lan Wangji pinned him with a heavy-lidded gaze.
"Mm. Mark your words, Wei Ying."
And… holy shit . Wei Wuxian would likely have been blushing more, except the majority of his blood seemed to be rushing due south.
"Lan Zhan! So bold now. You would have been so angry at me if I'd said this back when we were at Cloud Recesses together. You hated even standing next to me, much less the idea of touching me. "
Wei Wuxian's brain was still processing the fact that Lan Wangji had managed to be more shameless than him, and was barely registering that Lan Wangji had begun undoing the ties of Wei Wuxian's robes.
"Mn. I never hated the idea of touching you."
Wei Wuxian would have called Lan Wangji a liar, except that he knew that the Second Jade never lied. Wei Wuxian gaped at him, feeling shocked and flustered and darkly possessive all at the same time. He laughed, because he didn't really know what else to do, and tried to make a joke about it while his entire grasp on the reality of Lan Wangji seemed to tilt on its axis.
"Oh, really? Lan Zhan was so enamored of me and my rule breaking ways that all his anger was really just a front for him wanting to pin me down and have his wicked way with me?"
Lan Wangji leaned in, his large hands sliding under Wei Wuxian's inner robe, which was somehow already undone.
"Mn. Wei Ying is very smart."
"Wait. What?! Lan Zhan ! I was joking ! I mean, you never thought about things like… we never even…" Wei Wuxian sputtered, while Lan Wangji ran his hands soothingly along Wei Wuxian's sides, as though trying to calm a nervous animal.
"Wei Ying did not think about such things. Jiang Guniang explained to me. I will give you time to adjust to such thoughts."
Wei Wuxian was quite sure that his brain was not going to be able to 'adjust to such thoughts', because his brain had ceased to function at the sheer impossibility of Lan Wangji having lustful thoughts about him since they were teenagers. That was just not… Lan Wangji was meant to think about poetry and nature and… and… advanced cultivation techniques!
He looked up to find Lan Wangji watching him, his expression managing to look both fond and exasperated all without even moving any of his perfectly moulded features.
Before Wei Wuxian could think of something to say in response, Lan Wangji's gaze dropped to his chest as the last of his robes were pushed aside. The softness that had been on his face was instantly replaced with a frown.
"Wei Ying!" Lan Wangji said, looking at the mottled, blue-black bruising that covered much of Wei Wuxian's chest.
"It's fine, Lan Zhan! It's just a bruise. It will be mostly healed by morning."
Lan Wangji shot him a scathing glare.
"Wei Ying was not fully healed. Your ribs could be cracked."
He gently pulled Wei Wuxian forward so he could see his back, and gave another noise of displeasure.
"You should have told me you were injured after the battle."
Lan Wangji seemed more distressed than the degree of injury would warrant.
"It's no big deal. It's not like I was bleeding out or anything. I've had way worse."
"I was… not careful. With Wei Ying. After." Lan Wangji sounded truly distraught.
It took Wei Wuxian a moment to realize what Lan Wangji seemed to be so upset about. When he realized what it was, he laughed.
"Ah, Lan Zhan. I'm not some gentle maiden you need to handle with care."
"I care about you. I want to take care of Wei Ying." Lan Wangji looked distressed, which was unacceptable. "I should have had more control."
"Ahaha, I'm fine! You don't need to worry. You didn't hurt me. Hanguang-Jun is the most controlled man in all the cultivation world!"
"Not when it comes to Wei Ying," Lan Wangji said, the words spoken with a hard, angry tone that Wei Wuxian could tell Lan Wangji was directing at himself.
"Lan Zhan. I liked it . I like it when you're not gentle. I'm not… I like it when it hurts."
Lan Wangji's golden eyes snapped to Wei Wuxian's, seeing him in a way that Wei Wuxian was not entirely comfortable with. But if Lan Wangji could reveal how he'd felt about Wei Wuxian, then Wei Wuxian could return the favor.
"Explain," Lan Wangji said, his eyes dark and intense.
Wei Wuxian licked his suddenly dry lips, feeling the weight of Lan Wangji's gaze as he clocked the movement. Having Lan Wangji all up in his space, watching him with a burning, heavy-lidded gaze, made it hard for Wei Wuxian to gather his thoughts. But he owed Lan Wangji an answer.
"I like it. When you lose control. When you take, instead of making me have to give."
Lan Wangji's lips parted, his eyes darkening, encouraging Wei Wuxian to continue.
"I'm not always in control," Wei Wuxian said. "The power I wield, some of it… it's hard. There are times, during the war when.. But if my control slipped, who could stop me? I like it when you pin me down, when I don't have to think. When I don't have to choose. I trust Lan Zhan more than I trust Wei Ying."
Lan Wangji made a sound low in his throat, his lips crashing down over Wei Wuxian's, moving harshly as his thumbs dug into the hinge of Wei Wuxian's jaw, forcing it to open for him.
"Trust Wei Ying," Lan Wangji breathed into his mouth. "I always trust Wei Ying."
Down the hall, they could hear a knock on the door to Lan Wangji's room. It was one of the servants at the inn, bringing them their bath water.
Wei Wuxian cursed the bad timing, but Lan Wangji was already pulling away, straightening his immaculate robes, then doing the same for Wei Wuxian.
By the time there was a knock on their door, they were both looking reasonably presentable, especially considering they'd just returned from a difficult night hunt.
Lan Wangji asked the servants about the skills of the healer in terms of dealing with things like possibly broken ribs, but they said that they usually called for a doctor from a neighboring village for more serious injuries. Lan Wangji thanked them as they left.
"Aiya, Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian said after the door had closed, leaving them alone in the room once more. "You're still worried about my ribs?"
Lan Wangji arched an eyebrow. "Does Wei Ying wish to face Wen Daifu and Jiang Guniang and explain our carelessness to them, if we make your injury worse?"
Wei Wuxian paused. It was an extremely valid point. He had no fear about taking on a demon, but Wen Qing's fury was something else entirely. Much less his own sister's gentle disappointment and worry.
"Ugh. Fine. Go take your bath and I'll take mine." Wei Wuxian knew he was sulking, but he felt like he deserved it.
Lan Wangji's lips curve slightly into the hint of a smile.
Wei Wuxian settled into the tub, letting the heat from the water seep into his sore muscles. His mind was still processing everything that happened between him and Lan Wangji in the past two days. Marriage was never something he'd really thought about in the past, but now it was almost consuming him, like a door in his mind had been opened that could never be closed again.
He desired Lan Wangji. Of course he did. Who wouldn't?
But what he felt was so much more than simple desire, or even admiration for the man's skills. Wei Wuxian knew he was not the same person he had been before the war. Before the Burial Mounds. The resentful energy that gave Wei Wuxian nearly unlimited power also ate away at his control, and left whispers in his mind that he had to constantly be on guard for. He craved Lan Wangji's strength in a different way than he might have in the past. He didn't need Lan Zhan to protect him from the monsters that they hunted. He needed Lan Zhan to protect him from the monster that Wei Wuxian knew that he was at risk of becoming.
Wei Wuxian could let go with Lan Wangji. The notion of that level of trust was terrifying on many levels, but Wei Wuxian knew it in his bones. There could be no one else for him but Lan Zhan. Not in that way.
He thought about Lan Wangji, likely finishing his bath and preparing for bed just down the hall. He could go to him. He could knock on his door and there was almost zero chance that Lan Wangji would not allow him in. The thought was a heady one. But he also respected that Lan Wangji wanted to win the approval of the Lan elders as well as Wei Wuxian's make-shift family. Their night hunt here was likely to cause talk, given the demon that they had taken down. It would be best to wait until they were out of so many public eyes. They would be back in the Unclean Realm in less than a day. He would make himself wait until then.
Lan Wangji knocked on Wei Wuxian's door early the next morning. Wei Wuxian would have been annoyed about being woken up so early, but Lan Wangji's hungry gaze on his sleep-rumpled robes made the annoyance dry up.
"We should return to the Unclean Realm as soon as possible. I have already ordered breakfast for us."
The words were perfectly proper, as expected of Hanguang-Jun. But the heat that simmered in his eyes made it clear that there was a reason that Lan Wangji wanted to leave the inn, and it was only partly due to concern about Wei Wuxian's bruising.
Wei Wuxian was in full agreement, so after a rapidly eaten breakfast, they began their journey back to the Unclean Realm.
When they arrived, there was already a message waiting for Lan Wangji from Cloud Recesses that a delegation would be arriving the following day, much sooner than anticipated. Nie Huaisang Meng Yao, and Jiang Yanli were there to greet them, bringing news of the response.
"I thought it would take them a while to come!" Wei Wuxian said, not sure what the suddenness of the response might mean.
"Mn," Lan Wangji inclined his head in acknowledgment. "Uncle and Brother must have realized the degree of my intent."
Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Wangji. "What, exactly , did you say in your letter?"
"I was clear in my request," was all that Lan Wangji replied.
Meng Yao looked nonplussed, but Nie Huaisang looked thoughtful as he looked at the response.
"It's not just Zewu-Jun and Lan Qiren. They are also bringing three other members of the Lan council."
Lan Wangji's expression didn't change, but somehow it seemed to harden. He clearly recognized the names on the note and was not pleased with them.
"Did you threaten to leave the sect if they don't reverse their ruling?" Meng Yao asked, a small frown appearing on his face. Wei Wuxian had a feeling he understood the meaning of the specific names on the list as well as Lan Wangji did.
"No," Lan Wangji replied. "It will not matter. They will decide what they decide, and I will make my own decisions, accordingly."
"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian began, the familiar guilt filling his stomach at the thought of Lan Wangji needing to give up anything for his sake. "You don't need to-"
"There is every need," Lan Wangji said firmly.
Jiang Yanli had been quiet throughout the entire exchange after greeting them both, carefully observing their interactions. She gave Lan Wangji a small, approving smile.
"A-Xian. You have to trust Lan Wangji to make the right decision for himself."
Wei Wuxian could never win an argument that was based on his level of trust in Lan Wangji, but he didn't have to like it.
"Wei Ying was injured by the demon. Where is Wen Guniang?"
Lan Wangji's question put a stop to any further discussion about the upcoming delegation's arrival as Wei Wuxian was immediately shepherded to Wen Qing's medical room. After a few scathing remarks about Wei Wuxian's self preservation abilities, she determined that his ribs were not broken, only bruised. She also examined Lan Wangji's injury and deemed it healing well.
Wen Yuan arrived at the end of the exam, and was filled with excitement to hear about the demon as well as to tell them all about his experience in the children's dormitory. Wei Wuxian watched as A-Yuan chattered happily with Lan Wangji, bringing the quiet man into his conversation as naturally as breathing.
It made Wei Wuxian ache.
As much as Lan Wangji had said he was steadfast in his desire to be with Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian was dreading what might happen the following day when the Lan Sect delegation arrived. In his deepest depths, he could not really believe that Lan Wangji would choose him over his home, family, and entire life. He was torn between desperately hoping Lan Wangji would come to his senses and stay with his sect (because Lan Wangji deserved to be praised and accepted, not cast out and disowned), and equally desperately hoping Lan Wangji would stay by his side forever and disappear from the world of sect politics and expectations.
But Jiang Yanli was right. It was not Wei Wuxian's choice to make. It had to be Lan Wangji's. And Wei Wuxian knew himself well enough that he would try to push Lan Wangji one way or the other if they talked now. He didn't trust himself. He was barely holding on to his own turbulent emotions, his mind careening wildly from one extreme imagined outcome to another. So he stayed around Lan Wangji, but always in the presence of others. A-Yuan had missed him, and it was easy to use the child's presence as a shield to keep Wei Wuxian from saying things he shouldn't.
They sat beside each other during dinner, and conversation flowed around them. He could feel Lan Wangji's concerned gaze on him but couldn't make himself meet it. When dinner was done, he made the excuse of needing to put A-Yuan to bed to excuse himself early.
Wei Wuxian knew that Lan Wangji wanted to speak with him. Wanted to probably do more than speak with him. But until he knew what was going to happen when Lan Wangji faced down his family, he couldn't handle getting in any more over his head than he already was.
Not that it mattered. He was already drowning.
Wei Wuxian woke to the mid-morning sun streaming in his window, A-Yuan curled tightly against his chest. They had both slept late and someone was knocking on the door.
"A-Xian," Jiang Yanli's voice came from outside the door. "The Lan delegation arrived early. I've come to help you get ready. You need to hurry. They are serving them tea, but the meeting will begin in under an hour."
Her words were a bucket of ice water. Normally, Wei Wuxian didn't really care about what he wore or how he looked. But today, Lan Wangji's family was going to be judging him, and - while 'be tidy in appearance' was not nearly as important a rule as 'do not associate with evil' - Wei Wuxian was not going to push it.
He immediately let Jiang Yanli in, and gently roused A-Yuan. Jiang Yanli got A-Yuan ready while Wei Wuxian quickly bathed and dressed. Jiang Yanli had brought food for them, which they ate while she combed out their hair.
By the time that they had finished eating, they were as presentable as they were going to get.
"A-Xian is looking very handsome for his future in-laws," Jiang Yanli teased, though her eyes at a worried tension that he knew was reflected in his own.
It was extremely unlikely that the Lan elders, Lan Qiren in particular, would change their minds on the banishment of Wei Wuxian, much less give Lan Wangji their blessing for courtship and marriage.
Wei Wuxian looked at himself in the mirror. Whatever else was going to happen, at least he would make a good first impression on the three elders who would be involved in deciding his fate.
Wei Wuxian absolutely did not make a good first impression.
Wen Yuan was met by Wen Ning and taken outside to play while Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli walked quickly to the room where the Lan delegation had been taken. If things went well, then A-Yuan would be brought in and introduced to Lan Wangji's elders. But if it went as Wei Wuxian expected it to go, then the little boy did not need to witness it.
Wei Wuxian felt his stomach tense as they neared the room at the end of the hall. The door was partially ajar, likely because their presence was expected. Voices were coming from the room. Wei Wuxian could recognize the low timbre of Lan Wangji's voice, though he could not quite hear the words he spoke.
Another voice spoke, sharp with imperious anger. It wasn't quite a shout, but it was about as close as a Lan would get. By the sounds of things, the conversation had been going for some time. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli slowed and exchanged a glance, uncertain if they should interrupt or wait until there was a lull in the conversation to enter.
"Lan Wangji. You have said enough. It is not our duty to listen to you. It is your duty to listen to us , as your elders. A duty which you have been remiss in doing for quite some time! The elders ordered you to return home weeks ago. You have violated our orders once again! We forbade you to contact Wei Wuxian, and you continue to flout our edict. Not to mention violate some of our most sacred rules! Reject the crooked path. Do not associate with evil. Be loyal. Be filial. Be dutiful! "
This time, Lan Zhan's words were said more forcefully, with an edge that Wei Wuxian had never heard him use in the presence of his elders before. " Believe sincerely. Uphold the value of justice. Shoulder the weight of morality. Be fair, and others will follow. Do not judge without understanding. Do not hold grudges. Do not take advantage of your position to oppress others ."
"Wangji!" Lan Qiren's voice snapped out.
Evidently the last rule that Lan Wangji had laid down was viewed as a low blow. Wei Wuxian would have almost found it funny if he could not feel the raw emotion vibrating in Lan Wangji's words. Lan Wangji had been dutiful his entire life. He did not take his words lightly.
The other sect leader who had been speaking earlier resumed, his voice now firmly crossing the line into shouting.
"You have the audacity to have us summoned here, and show us this sort of disrespect! We will not hear your arguments. We will not meet with this demonic cultivator. You will return with us to Cloud Recesses and face punishment. Given the seriousness of your violations, you will be lucky if you are not punished with the discipline whip. You will leave with us immediately!"
As soon as the words 'discipline whip' left the elder's mouth, Wei Wuxian stopped listening to him. They would dare to harm Lan Zhan? His own sect , to which he'd dedicated his entire life? Rage filled Wei Wuxian. The hall seemed to darken as he strode forward to the door, his eyes hazing red. He vaguely heard Jiang Yanli call out to him, but it was a distant sound.
The discipline whip was known to be a crippling spiritual weapon, a hundred times worse than Zidian . It was not unusual for cultivators to die from its application, which is why it was so rarely used. If the Lan dared to use it on Lan Wangji, then Wei Wuxian would burn Cloud Recesses to the fucking ground.
Chenqing was in his hand before he even realized it as he slammed the door fully open. Conversation ceased and all eyes snapped to Wei Wuxian as he walked slowly into the room. Everyone in the room was already on their feet, the tea ignored between them. Clearly, the welcome discussions had not been going well. Nie Mingjue stood at the head of the table, looking angry. Wei Wuxian had the sense that the anger was not directed at him, but rather towards the Lan delegation. Lan Wangji stood to Nie MIngjue's right, his face carefully blank in the way that Wei Wuxian knew meant he was upset.
Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren and three other elderly men in Lan robes were standing across the table from Lan Wangji, Nie Huaisang, and Meng Yao. Wei Wuxian barely saw any of them, his eyes narrowing at the Lan elder who had been speaking when he walked in.
The man looked angry, arrogant, and unrepentant. Any thoughts of trying to appease someone like this vaporized in a dark curl of anger. This man was putting his pride and arrogance ahead of Lan Wangji's life. Memories of being under the lash of Zidian , kneeling down as it struck his fled over and over twisted inside him. He would not allow someone to make Lan Zhan feel that way. Wei Wuxian might have deserved it, but Lan Wangji did not .
"If you want to whip Lan Zhan without even hearing his words, you will have to go through me, first." Wei Wuxian's voice was cold and deadly, even to his own ears.
He had been worried about what Lan Wangji was giving up if he left the Lan Sect. But if his sect leaders were willing to use the discipline whip on him for this, without even letting Lan Wangji explain his piece, then they did not deserve him.
The elder who had been speaking just seconds before was staring at him, fear warring with anger on his face. Wei Wuxian's grip on Chenqing tightened, as he tried to keep his temper in check. His effort appeared to be wasted as the elder's face shifted more firmly towards anger.
"Nie Mingjue! Will you allow such a show of disrespect?" The senior elder turned to glare at Nie Mingjue. His lack of use of the proper title in addressing the man did not go unnoticed by the Nie sect leader.
"I invited you to the Unclean Realm for a discussion. You are the one who is refusing to allow others to speak," Nie Mingjue said.
The elder scoffed, but evidently knew better than to directly disparage the leader of an allied sect any more than he already had. He turned, instead, to face Wei Wuxian. "You have no business interfering with Lan sect matters. You are not and will never be a member of our sect."
"Anything involving Lan Zhan's safety is my business," Wei Wuxian said. He could feel Lan Wangji's gaze on him, but he could not read his thoughts.
The senior elder looked, if anything, even angrier at the words. "Lan Wangji is a member of the Lan sect. We will discipline him as we see fit. He has desecrated the reputation of our sect through his association with you."
Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes at the words, true anger flashing in them that further spurred Wei Wuxian's own.
"Do not praise yourself and slander others. Be careful with your words. Be aware of the potential consequences of your actions ." Wei Wuxian had copied the rules enough to remember them now. He smiled cold and deadly at the now sputtering Lan elder. The darkness that always lived just below Wei Wuxian's skin was surging out, casting the room in shadow despite the numerous lanterns. "Harming Lan Zhan will most definitely have consequences. And as for me daring to interrupt, you will find there is not much I wouldn't dare for Lan Zhan. Do not test me."
The room itself seemed to hold its breath as the moment stretched taut.
In under two minutes, Wei Wuxian's goals for this meeting had gone from 'make a good impression on Lan Zhan's elders' to 'don't kill Lan Zhan's elders unless you really, really have to.'
Whether or not the elder in question remained breathing depended entirely on what the man decided to do next. Wei Wuxian would find out if the Lan's reputation for intelligence was, in fact, earned.
Wei Wuxian's gaze was so focused on the senior elder that he missed the way Lan Xichen's face shifted from frozen to relieved. He also missed the way Lan Qiren was watching Wei Wuxian as though trying to solve an unexpected puzzle.