Part 2

A Jade and a Lycoris

Lan Wangji had finally finished teaching the morning class and he had opted to stay to answer any queries his young students had for him, gladly answering their questions with proficiency and tenderness. He was surprised and overall pleased to hear the students were eager to learn and he got the sense they greatly admired him and valued his opinions, which is why many of them came to him with issues, reports and news.

With the final few students filing out of the Orchid Room, Lan Wangji finally had the classroom to himself and he went about doing some cleaning, ready for the afternoon lessons. His uncle had decided to take the afternoon lessons for himself to free up Lan Wangji's schedule, yet they still have their family tea session to look forward to. 

He always enjoyed those precious afternoons with his family - although they were a small family - it was the perfect time and occasion to enjoy each others' presence and speak of any news that they had heard. 

Currently his brother was attending to his duties as clan leader and his uncle was also busy, so Lan Wangji was here alone in the Orchid Room, dusting the tables and the walls so everything was free of dust and dirt. Cleaning was quite meditative to him and he hummed softly to himself as he worked and he went over to the head desk where his uncle would usually be during class to rearrange and sort through documents, reports and lesson material. He wanted everything to be neat and tidy.

"Wangji?" a familiar voice, laced with silken warmth like the sun, alerted Lan Wangji and he turned to see his brother walk into the Orchid Room, his robes tailing behind him as he lighty waltzed over. His expression was calm and serene - as it usually was.

"Xiongzhang." Lan Wangji greeted with a bow extending his hands outward, his palms facing inward. Lan Xichen dismissed the gesture with a tender smile and a laugh. "There's no need for that Wangji. I believe that you have finished the morning lessons then?" He queried, glancing around the clean and empty Orchid Room. Lan Wangji nodded.

"Mn." 

"That's wonderful. I did speak with some of the students, including Jingyi, and they all spoke highly of you and your teachings." 

Lan Wangji turned his head sideways to hide the faint pink that was now adorning his cheeks and the tips of his ears, his bangs shielding his face just partially. Lan Xichen laughed heartily, his voice melodious.

"Oh Wangji, there's no need to get all shy. I speak the truth and the Lans cannot lie." 

Lan Wangji cleared his throat awkwardly and readjusted himself. He couldn't let his emotions run wild. He needed to remain calm and composed, as a Lan should always be.

"Of course. I take great pride in my teachings. The next generation of cultivators within our clan deserve to be taught such important knowledge to aid them in their growth." Lan Wangji answered assuredly and honestly. Lan Xichen ended up surprised. 

"You're quite talkative this morning. I haven't heard you speak so much in one go in quite a long time." he mused. This made Lan Wangji once again go pink in the face.

"Xiongzhang…please don't tease me." He quietly pleaded. Lan Xichen waved his hand nonchalantly.

"I jest dearest brother, I know that communicating for long periods of time tires you out, but I'm merely expressing my surprise audibly. There's no need to feel shy about this. It just shows that you have grown more confident over the years and you're longer avoiding things. Shufu and I are both proud of how far you've come as a person." Lan Xichen gave his brother the sunniest grin, his whole lighting up with warmth and affection which made Lan Wangji go quiet.

"T-thank you…." he softly trailed off his own sentence, unable to get another word out. 

He had been so used to receiving praise and compliments for so many years that he had simply ignored most of them as they didn't seem "sincere" to him. But his own brother, the man he looked up to hoped to become one day, praising him like this - gentle, honest and kind - was too much for his heart, to hear that honest sincerity and kindness flow out of Lan Xichen's mouth as he spoke his words made Lan Wangji's heart thump wildly.

He let loose a wisp of a smile, mirroring his brother as he relaxed again. "Thank you." he repeated, bowing. Lan Xichen sighed.

"You really don't need to bow to me. You're my brother."

"I'm sorry…family obligations….force me." Lan Wangji replied quietly. Lan Xichen knew what that meant.

Lan Wangji, although the third highest ranked member of the main Lan family (fifth if he counted both his still living maternal aunt who trained the female cultivators on the other side of the mountain and his elderly great-uncle from his deceased father and uncle's side), but he was still only the Second Master meaning that those younger than the elder of the clan had to show their respect. It was simply the way that society had conditioned those to show respect and to also maintain the gap in social propriety.

Lan Wangji let out a sigh under his breath and satisfied with his work, walked off out of the Orchid Room, his brother's light footsteps following him.

"I have some free time on my hands at the moment so why don't we take a walk down to the training grounds together?" he suggested lightly. Lan Wangji was hoping to decline, since he had his duties to attend to, yet his older brother's serene smile made him rethink his plans. And in all honesty, it had been a while since he did some training other than physical workouts.

"I don't mind." he answered vaguely, closing his eyes and his expression neutral. He held his head high and walked forward in the direction of the training grounds, and Lan Xichen trailed behind, quietly chatting to him.

They reached the training grounds and all was peaceful - as it should be - with some of the disciples diligently training whilst others were on patrol, keeping the peace between the groups of teenagers and young adults that were present. Lan Wangji let slip a faint smile of pride as he watched the Lan juniors and seniors working hard and growing as individuals. It had taken quite a lot of effort from both brothers to ensure that the next generation of Gusu cultivators did not live their lives restrained and trapped as they did when they grew up. Lan Wangji had been the most affected by the the abundant rules that the clan had added over the centuries and unfortunately, coupled with his frosty exterior and social avoidance which made it difficult to resonate with others, Lan Wangji - high on his pedestal of superior social status - had experienced the difficulties and restrictions that came and affected his life. All throughout his teens, he had been trained to become the most outstanding cultivator of his generation, to overcome all manner of sin and chaos to achieve true enlightenment and he had even planned to become a hermit and live in meditative seclusion like his ancestors did to escape the mediocrity of society.

All of his carefully laid out plans came crashing down when he met him.

Someone who was bright-eyed, inquisitive, reliable, cheerful and chaotic who threw all of the rules out the proverbial window and caused Lan Wangji a lot of emotional panic.

It was through this single interaction, that Lan Wangji had become inexplicably drawn to this young man, whom he had first laid his eyes upon as he was on top of the roof, illuminated by moonlight as he guzzled down liquor like a thirsty animal. In that single moment, Lan Wangji had come to the conclusion that this young master dressed in red and black, his hair tied high in a flowing, cascading ponytail drenched in silver light amidst those long strands of ebony, skin tanned and face filled with youthful vigour, would be the death of him. Every day, for those short three months he had known this young master, he would be teased relentlessly, that jovial laughter ringing in his pink-tipped ears and causing his heart to wobble and quake with each passing beat.

They met again a year and a half later, for the Qishan Wen archery contest, where Lan Wangji experienced the most embarrassing moment of his young life which involved his scared forehead ribbon. He was far too embarrassed to speak about such a event and even through a series of hilariously unfortunate events (which included a big wet cave with an very big angry creature), Lan Wangji could never admit out loud how much this crazy teenager had changed him.

His brother probably saw through him. But that was his brother. 

Through a long five years of turmoil that plagued many clans and once chaos had finally subsided to make way for peace and prosperity, Lan Wangji was the one who had decided to finally break the long-standing generational cycle that had been the forefront of every Lan that came before him. It had been difficult to even convince the elders, much less his own uncle, to lessen the emotional burden the juniors would face, yet Lan Wangji had a goal to achieve and much like his father, he was very stubborn about achieving said goal.

He was afraid that the younger generation would be forced to pay for the mistakes the elders and his generation had created through hate and misunderstandings, through greed and through bloodshed. Although punished for his mistakes, Lan Wangji vowed to never allow the children to suffer.

And as he lay bedridden, isolated and in solitude for three long, lonely years, he silently hoped that his heart's desire - the very essence of revolution and rebellion who stirred up so many unspoken emotions inside his icy heart - would finally be able to see him again, so that they could talk through this invisible barrier that had been erected out of fear and for self-preservation.

But three years turned to five, then turned to seven and then ten and by the time the thirteenth year passed, Lan Wanji had resigned himself to just.....silently hoping that his beloved was still around....physically or spiritually.

The Twin Jades passed by a trio of juniors all conversing quietly between each other but as soon as they spotted the flowing white robes patterned with the signature blue clouds, those long ebony strands of silken hair, the gleam of silver and those white ribbons, the trio stopped in their tracks and bowed, gushing their greetings.

"Hanguang-Jun. Hanguang-Jun. Hanguang-Jun." They parroted each other, all eagerly jumping on the balls of their boots, starry eyed in the presence of their most admired person, much to the amusement of the older Jade who had been hilariously ignored, making him smirk with amusement and mock offence. 

"Hello." Lan Wangji's voice rumbled quietly, like a rainstorm. His voice was quite deep and had a regal baritone, commanding yet gentle all the same. His voice would be lovingly likened to a snow-capped mountain or even a glacier with its deep tone, which certainly, in some odd way, soothed the hearts of those in fear. Lan Xichen supposed it was a quality that all of the beautiful, polished gentlemen of Gusu Lan all possessed. 

The young white robed cultivators all began chatting to their esteemed Second Jade, revelling in his presence and regaling him with their talk of swordsmanship and brilliant deeds all woven expertly together to create a fascinating tale, fit for the ears of Hanguang-Jun. Lan Wangji nodded and hummed along with each detailed description given, his golden eyes faintly glimmering with a fatherly affection as he listened intently. The junior disciples had just finished their story of revelry and bravery in the face of danger (the Drill Master who was in charge of the daily training schedules of the disciples), when Lan Wangji felt a familiar presence flit about behind him and he turned his head to look over his shoulder to find his older brother peeking over his shoulder, grinning.

"Sounds like fun. Perhaps you would like to show me what you have learnt today?" the Clan Leader asked, his smile a little menacing in the eyes of the young students who all let out a quiet yelp in shock. Lan Wangji poked his brother's nose in admonishment. "Xiongzhang? Why did you scare them?" He questioned, his voice low. Lan Xichen chuckled.

"I'm only kidding Wangji."

Lan Wangji sighed and poked his brother's nose again, feeling a little light in his heart. The juniors that he had been conversing with had stilled their fright and scarpered over to Lan Xichen, their eyes filled with stars of awe as they greeted their clan leader and First Jade.

"Zewu-Jun. Zewu-Jun. Zewu-Jun." they chorused joyfully, their voices ringing out like bells, their faces lit up like stars. Lan Wangji smiled inwardly, warmth spreading across his chest. This was what he had envisioned. These children had only known peace throughout their lives and Lan Wangji was intending to keep it that way. The only way for these disciples to know of the past is through their history lessons. 

To think that three major conflicts that resulted in numerous casualties and deaths happened a mere two decades ago was a frightening thought. Some of these young cultivators had barely known the outside world or had just taken their first steps. Many of the current generation - cultivators within his age range - had been so young at the time, some even younger. They had been bright eyed and filled with hope, dreams and wishes of a grand and fulfilling future yet naive to the bloodshed that would eventually leave a scar upon both the land and on the people that had witnessed and experienced such tragedy.

Lan Wangji couldn't help but sigh. There was no point dwelling on the past. 

"Wangji." He heard his brother speak and he turned fully to face him.

"Mn?" He hummed in question. Lan Xichen was still surrounded by the trio and several others had spotted them and had stopped their activities to rush over in excitement.

"Why don't you go on ahead and do some training? Practise some sword techniques and play some music? I am now surrounded." Lan Xichen chuckled as he was being pulled away by his excited students.

"He's here!" One of them cried out. 

"Mmm? Who?" Lan Wangji was curious. The students all looked at him, blinking.

Lan Xichen peeled one of the student's hands off his sleeve and brushed himself down.

"I will see to whatever it is that disciples are excited about. You can go and do your own thing if you want."

Lan Wangji nodded and bowed before trudging off, his robes trailing behind. 

He figured he would go and train with Bichen for a while, then head to the Cold Springs to do his spiritual meditation before he meets up with his uncle in the afternoon.

Spotting an untouched, unmarred training dummy, Lan Wangji wandered over and unsheathed Bichen. The icy-cool blade of the saber was razor sharp and reflected the rays of sunlight making the silvery blue steel shine like northern glacial ice, the light creating a sky-blue sheen across the length of the sharp weapon. He twirled the saber in between his fingers and with a single, perfect slash, the dummy was cleanly in half, the top half of the dummy sliding off the bottom and hitting the ground with a thud. Lan Wangji grunted in annoyance, huffing a little. 

An overestimation of his strength he concluded. 

He sported another unmarred training dummy and in the blink of an eye, Lan Wangji had surged forward in a haze of blue energy, twirling Bichen as he slashed the dummy. This one, like the previous one, also succumbed to the almighty Lan strength and shattered, wooden shards falling to the ground. Several other dummies - some already sporting sword marks - had now become Hanguang-Jun's targets.

An hour had passed by and Lan Wangji breathed a little, his stamina a little spent. He had just about enough training and decided to take another stroll. Though his mind wondered back to the conversation the juniors were having with his brother.

'I wonder who the youngsters were getting excited about? Most likely Nie Mingjue or Jin Guangyao since they frequently visit Xiongzhang - Jin Guangyao visits more often then Nie Mingjue due their different roles and Xiongzhang really likes Jin Guangyao. Not to think that Xiongzhang and Nie Mingjue don't like each other like that - they're childhood friends - but Xiongzhang seems more at ease with the Chief Cultivator. Though, I still don't like the idea of them courting. And I don't like the way Jin Guangyao always looks at Xiongzhang with the most puppy-whipped lovestruck look I have ever seen. It's worse than the lovestruck expressions Jin Zixuan gives to his own wife…..wow I sound like Jiang Cheng…. Oh no I must not think about that anymore. Perhaps I should go to the Cold Springs now for a spot of meditation.'

After sheathing Bichen, Lan Wangji trudged off in the direction of the Cold Springs, muttering under his breath as he went and in need of a detox from his training.

Lan Wangji had arrived at the Cold Springs, the pool a tranquil, iridescent blue sheen that glimmered under the sunlight that peeked through the gaping hole in the roof of the cavern.

Lan Wangji would never admit it out loud, but he loved the Cold Springs. Much like the rest of the Cloud Recesses, it was a peaceful area that allowed him to regulate his spiritual energy and speed up the healing process. The Lans were not just expert martial artists and musicians, they also specialised in spiritual healing and the healers within their clan were some of the best in their craft. Doctors and physicians were usually sought after by the common folk due to their knowledge and practical methods in healing a sick or injured body, but cultivators and taoist priests rather preferred the spiritual healers - shamans, apothecaries and divine blessings from shrine keepers. 

He was once the type of person who preferred solitude and peace over rowdy crowds and chaos, always staying behind behind classes to assist his uncle or brother, studying for hours to hone his skills so that he could make his family proud. 

He was a cold person, icy and frosty on the exterior, yet there was a hidden warmth to him that only showed itself when alone. 

He was never really the best at showing his emotions or communicating with other people - he was better at communicating with spirits through Inquiry. Because of his exterior personality, he was simply seen as an ice prince, a lord of light that sought out chaos to eradicate its source, all without complaint and emotions. He was simply more used to keeping quiet, only talking in short bursts. He found it simply easier. People respected him either way, whether he was loud and foreboding or silent and deadly.

Yet deep down, he was really just shy. And these communication problems were the result of misinterpretations made by others whilst they placed him on a high pedestal. 

He would be lying if he didn't admit it to himself that he just wanted a friend. 

He had felt lonely, the feeling of loneliness was a piercing ache that froze him in place, imprisoning him in an unbreakable shell.

Lan Wangji was used to this empty feeling as it had followed him around like a shadow, clutching at his heart and squeezing every last drop of hope and any other positive emotion he could feel out of him until he was just a husk of a human.

He surmised this loneliness would only continue to haunt him for many days or even years to come.

And he was perfectly fine with that.

Without even looking around since he was positive there was no one else here, Lan Wangji proceeded to strip naked, peeling off his many layers of white and blue robes and folding them neatly onto a nearby rock. He even took off his white boots and breeches and placed them on the pile. He kept his ribbons in his hair and the silver guan hairpiece he wore as he found it unnecessary to remove and without a second thought, plunged right into the icy waters.

Lan Wangji was used to the Cold Springs, as he found the pool to be relaxing. He didn't even flinch as he waded through the freezing water, his fingertips caressing the ripples gently. He hummed a slow melody, his throat vibrating and thrumming with the notes of the song. It was a song he had composed and it was etched into his very soul, much like the person that had inspired the song. 

His humming was abruptly halted as he caught sight of a flash of black out of the corner of his field of vision and with curiosity welling up inside his chest, he turned to see who had entered the Cold Springs and was awestruck by the sight before him.

In a single moment, a moment where the wheels of time slowed down just for him, he saw the most breathtaking sight he had ever laid his eyes on, a vision of pure beauty that none could compare to. It was a sight that poets could spend their whole lifetime trying in vain to capture through words or artists slaving away over easels to replicate to no avail. It was something only Gods could be able to recreate but even then, in Lan Wangji's eyes, it wouldn't be the same.

Standing on the rocky edge of the pool was a singular person who was in the process of taking off one of their robes over their head and revealed they possessed the most gorgeous abdomen Lan Wangji had ever seen in his life. He once had the opportunity to see the godly upper body of the very famous human war god, Chifang-Zun when he once visited the Nie clan holdings, even Chifang-Zun's sculpted torso and thick tree-trunk sized biceps paled in comparison to what was before Lan Wangji.

Their skin was lightly tanned as if the sun itself had passionately, yet every-so-gently kissed every inch, tightly sculpted muscles and round, sturdy pectorals that gleamed with sweat that was begging to be traced with his fingers, a narrow waist curved with the barest of dips whilst simultaneously holding up the figure's black breeches, there was the faintest line of hair that trailed downward into "the forbidden zone" to which Lan Wangji's cheeks reddened at the thought. He trailed his golden gaze to those thick upper biceps that stretched and bulged with every arm movement and it made Lan Wangji swallow thickly, his brain foggy and conjuring images of those arms lifting his weight up so effortlessly, wrapping him in a tight and warm embrace. He couldn't tear his eyes away from this tantalising sight, his breath quickened, trapping itself in his throat. He froze in terror as the owner of that godly body finally took off their robe and Lan Wangji quickly rushed away, averting his lovestruck gaze to focus on himself. He didn't want the owner of such a perfect body to see him stare so blatantly at them. 

Once he was safely out of sight, he turned his back and stood still, breathing in the crisp air. He could feel the waters cleansing him, that cold, cool touch of water flowing into his body and the spirit energy coursing through his meridians and spiritual channels. He let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes to meditate, focusing on allowing his body to breathe in the spiritual energy to rejuvenate him. He hasn't really been aware of how much he needed this moment until he could feel both his body and his golden core strengthen and thrum to life with power, his fingertips letting off a faint blue glow as he gently rippled the waters.

He was lost in the feeling of this new surge of energy, closing his eyes to soak it all up and letting out a breath of cold air, exhaling softly and calmly. He suddenly felt the waters around his bare waist slosh and waver, as if there was someone else here within the Cold Springs, but Lan Wangji shrugged it off. It could have been an unsuspecting disciple who had decided to bathe here for a while. He continued his quiet meditation, focusing on channeling his meridians when he heard another splash of water. He grunted in slight annoyance, yet paid them no heed. There was no point in paying attention to someone not worth his time or effort.

That was when he felt something lightly brush against his hair. It felt like a hand or a finger and he could literally feel the faint whispering of silk. That was the low-hanging ribbons of his head band being touched and suddenly he became more alert, jerking to move away. His sudden actions caused someone to yelp and he heard whoever it was swear very loudly and they fell into the freezing waters, splashing him. Droplets of water cascaded down his front torso, back and his hair and he scowled.

"Vulgar language is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses." He grunted loudly enough for the intruder to hear, to which he was greeted with sight of a sopping wet man with his long black hair all in his face, coughing, spluttering and swearing.

"No shit, Sherlock!!!! You think I didn't know!!!??? I'm allowed to swear, I'm an adult! I studied here when I was fifteen! That damned dead-panned twink-ass fuddy-duddy who was always scowling at me would make me copy those damned rules over and over again! I think he secretly enjoyed making me suffer hand cramps I swear! Not my fault you moved and I tripped over and now I'm fully soaking wet, freezing my tits off and you have the audacity to tell ME, the Yiling Laozu, the most feared and admired ghost cultivator in all of cultivation society, to not…swear..."

Lan Wangji felt his entire throat squeeze tightly around his vocal chords, rendering his breath trapped. His eyes widened fully, glimmering with faint hope and the sudden realisation of who that voice - and body as he could clearly see more up close - belonged and his heart was not ready.

In front of him, a pair of beautiful silver eyes were wide open at the sight of Lan Wangji and the man was stunned to silence, his pink lips opening to form an 'o' shape. The man in front of Lan Wangji was in complete astonishment and even they both stared at each other, silver meeting gold. His breathing was shallow and Lan Wangji could feel his darting gaze track across the whole length of his upper body, thankful that he wasn't glancing anymore downward past his hips.

Lan Wangji also took that incredibly long silent moment to secretly check out the man in front of him and noted the gorgeous muscles, toned abs, sun-kissed skin, the way those black breeches clung onto the man's slender hips and he even spotted a very familiar-looking sun-flamed shaped mark on the left side of the man's chest, above where his heart was. Lan Wangji remembered clearly where this mark came from and he too sported the exact same burn in the exact same place on his own body - but they had each received this scar for completely different reasons - Lan Wangji's reason was a little more embarrassing than the other man's.

'It's him. It's really him. After all these years…..it's him. My love, you finally came back to Gusu.'

Those same silver eyes suddenly spotted the ribbon tied around Lan Wangji's head and he stammered, pointing upwards.

"H-H-H-Han…" the man looked incredibly panicky, his voice rising in pitch. Lan Wangji had finally managed to gain the ability to speak some words but he too stammered, still at a loss and tongue-tied.

W-W-Wei…." he began to speak, hoping for confirmation. His heart was thundering in his chest, repeating that one name over and over again like a mantra or a chant, that one name fit so snuggly into each heartbeat, as if his heart was speaking that name aloud in Lan Wangji's stead.

The man, his beloved, the one he yearned for, didn't allow him to speak for another second as he was hastily retreating, stumbling to get away. Lan Wangji panicked in an instant, his breath quickening. He couldn't let him slip through his fingers again. Not this time. It had already been thirteen years since they last spoke or even saw each other and Lan Wangji craved to touch him, to hear his voice, to see his smile. He knew what he had to do to stop this beautiful human from getting away.

Lan Wangji shot forward and grabbed the man's wrist, his skin cold beneath Lan Wangji's equally cold hands. The man froze suddenly, not expecting to be grabbed like like and Lan Wangji watched with bated breath as the man slowly turned back to face him, an expression of flabbergasted questioning written clear as day on his face. He had to suppress some sort of loud noise when Lan Wangji surged forward and was now merely centimetres away from the man's face, his golden eyes narrowed and boring into the man's skull. 

"Wei Ying?" Lan Wangji asked in his usually deep, crisp voice, hope wedged deeply in his heart and soul. Wei Ying looked very different to what he was used to seeing. He once knew Wei Ying as a spritely, cheeky, chaotic loudmouth, an inquisitive genius who would play pranks on him in class and bold enough to show him erotic drawings in the library. The man before him shared his face and hair and the same silvery-brown eyes that he adored, yet there was something different about him. Something older. Something more mature. If this was the same Wei Ying from his youth - when he was a shy, disciplined and righteous teenager who hated loud noises, large crowds and disruption, then why did this Wei Ying have a panicked expression on his face? Why was he reacting like this in front of him? Was there something that he did to offend Wei Ying? 

"Hahaha…hi….it's me….suuuupppp." The man awkwardly greeted, trying to wriggle his wrist out of Lan Wangji's admittedly tight grip. Lan Wangji squinted hard at the man, his eyes glowing a golden hue before he came to the realisation that this was Wei Ying. His Wei Ying. The Wei Ying he was in love with. the Wei Ying people feared. The Yiling Laozu. The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. The Yiling Wei clan leader. Wei Ying may look different to Lan Wangji now because Wei Ying had only grown up. He had matured and grown in height and he was more beautiful than anything else in this world. He had missed him greatly and he had spent countless hours and years yearning for him. 

Lan Wangji's heart cried out in joy and he let out a surprised gasp. Lan Wangji found himself swooning at how deep Wei Ying's voice was and he found it very sexy. That deep lilt was causing his heart to quake and his shoulders shivered ever so slightly.

"Wei Ying? That's really you?" Lan Wangji knew deep down it was Wei Ying, but he just wanted Wei Ying to confirm his identity. Wei Ying looked very panicky still but nodded a fraction, his face getting redder by the second. He had opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out. Was Wei Ying okay? Did something happen to his voice? Why was his face red? He wasn't getting sick was he? He thought that the cold waters were the reason why Wei Ying's face had bloomed red so brightly like spicy chilli peppers, but he was worried nonetheless. He didn't want Wei Ying to catch a cold since he wasn't so used to the freezing waters.

"It's you. It really is you. After all these years." he gasped, on the verge of tears. He couldn't have been any more euphoric than what he was in that moment. Wei Ying was really here. He was not an illusion or hallucination. He was real. He was flesh and blood and bone and muscles. He was here. Right in front of Lan Wangji and his soul soared above the clouds.

"I'm sorry….I need to go…." Wei Ying murmured, still trying to break free from Lan Wangji's grip. Wei Ying's voice snatched Lan Wangji from his stupor and gravity pushed him, causing him plummet back down to reality.

Wei Ying…..needed to leave?

That didn't sound good. 

"Why?" Lan Wangji was confused. Why did he need to leave? Had he done something?

"I overstayed my visit here, I need to go and leave you in peace." Wei Ying answered, still struggling to break free, wriggling and trying to avoid eye contact.

'No. No. No. No. Don't leave. Wei Ying don't leave. Please stay a little longer.'

Lan Wangji, without even realising it, had wrapped his fingers tighter around Wei Ying's wrist, which caused him to wince in pain.

"Ow. Please let go, I'm not staying here with you." he retorted. Lan Wangji's heart cracked even more, pained shards of agony bleeding into his body.

"Why not?" Lan Wangji's voice rumbled, he was displeased over the idea of Wei Ying leaving so soon after they had reunited. He was struggling to understand why Wei Ying would be so desperate to leave.

"Because my brother is waiting." Wei Ying bit back quite forcefully, the echo of harshness cracking Lan Wangji's heart even more. Wei Ying is here with his brother? Wait….wasn't he and Sect Leader Jiang still not on good terms with each other? Lan Wangji had a funny thought and wondered why Wei Ying was even making an effort with that grumpy sourpuss of a human. He surmised that something was going on between the two and guessed that perhaps they were patching up their strained relationship. It had been thirteen-odd years since the Siege of the Burial Mounds so something must have happened. Wei Ying had publicly defected from Yunmeng Jiang over clashing views and his brotherhood with Jiang Wanyin had continued to sour and friction only increased. 

So why on earth was Wei Ying; curious, sunny, beautiful, inquisitive Wei Ying interacting and possibly even talking to and being around Sect Leader Jiang after all these years? Sect Leader Jiang was an unstable, emotionally exhausting, sour faced douchebag and Lan Wangji couldn't fathom the reason why Wei Ying would waste his efforts on that guy.

It didn't seem plausible yet Lan Wangji kept his thoughts to himself.

Despite the joyous exhilaration Lan Wangji was feeling from finally seeing Wei Ying in the flesh, there was one very glaringly obvious detail he had missed and that now needed to be addressed. He needed to know how Wei Ying managed to even enter the Cloud Recesses.

"Why are you here? How did you get into the Cloud Recesses without a jade travel token?" Lan Wangji asked his question in a soft, demanding manner, getting even closer. Wei Ying's face grew even redder and he bit his lower lip quite hard to suppress any odd noises.

"Your brother invited me and my brother to stay here for a few days after being on a six-day night hunt." he answered. 

Lan Wangji froze a little, surprised. His grip around Wei Wuxian's wrist did not lax. 

'A-Huan invited them both here? For what? And even if he did invite them here, that still doesn't explain much about how Wei Ying is here in the Cold Springs.'

"Then….why are you here in the Cold Springs?" Lan Wangji asked, confused. He really needed to know.

"Also your brother. He told me I could. I was in the training grounds and he told me I could bathe he- wait why am I telling you this? Did you put some sort of honesty charm on me? Seriously, I thought you were above such tricks?"

'I did not put an honesty spell on you Wei Ying why would you think that?'

Lan Wangji went still, his grip laxing, eyes wide in shock. His face was unreadable as he processed this information - Lan Xichen had been the mastermind behind all of this and he was confused. On the one hand, he wanted to hug his brother for allowing him and Wei Ying to see each other again, on the other hand he wanted to scream.

But Wei Ying didn't seem interested in the slightest. As soon as he felt Lan Wangji's hand slacken, he bolted right out of there, awkwardly paddle-wading through the freezing cold waters to dry land, ignoring Lan Wangji's pleas as he cried out behind him.

"Wei Ying, wait, please, stay, talk to me, Wei Ying." Lan Wangji chased after him, trying so desperately to catch up and make him stay, but it looked like Wei Ying was faster and he could only watch on helplessly as Wei Ying hastily grabbed his belongings, throwing on his robes haphazardly as he scurried away, briefly looking back over his shoulder before rushing off.

Lan Wangji slapped himself across the face, punishing himself for his lackluster stupidity. He shouldn't have been so slow. He had done it again. He had let his soulmate slip through his fingers once more and forced himself to watch him leave, powerless to stop him and keep him by his side. Now alone again in the Cold Springs, Lan Wangji couldn't help but let a quiet sob seep past his lips and a few tear drops fell down his cheeks, sliding off his jawline and plopping into the freezing waters below.

Why did he let Wei Ying leave him again?

Why couldn't he have stayed?

Part 2 complete