3

Lan Wangji had managed to lure Nie Huaisang's gander into the enclosure with the other three geese by the time Wei Wuxian returned to him.

The manservants were all wiping their foreheads and sprawling around in relief outside the cage, seeming quite happy to leave the second young master of the Lan sect to the job of spreading a bag of what looked like birdfeed around the enclosure. One of the female geese had clearly taken a liking to Lan Wangji's white robes, nibbling on them with dedication as she sat on his foot.

Lan Wangji himself looked quite happy, serenely watching the other three birds bicker over the feed he was throwing them.

Wei Wuxian was almost loath to call out to him and destroy the peaceful picture. He was glad that he had remembered to bring cake from Mu Lijuan's workshop at least—even though Lan Wangji needed to leave his new bird friends behind, he at least got to enjoy something sweet as compensation.

Once the cake had disappeared in Lan Wangji's mouth, they began the flight home without further delay.

Wei Wuxian kept the compass in his hand the entire way back, exclaiming to Lan Wangji every time the needle moved slightly.

Only as they passed the wards of the Cloud Recesses did it abruptly stop moving, not a single twitch left to be seen. Weirdly disappointed, Wei Wuxian closed the lid of the compass and strapped it to his waist next to Suibian.

"Shufu will want to see it," Lan Wangji told him gently.

"Oh, right!" Wei Wuxian was cheered up immediately. "Do you think he has time right now?"

"Mn. Report magistrate Yang's death as well."

"Wait, that sounds like you're not coming with me!" Wei Wuxian pouted and let himself fall against the other, crossing his arms behind his neck. "I wanted to spend more time with you! What do you have to say in your defense, husband!"

Lan Wangji affectionately kissed his forehead. "I must resume my work." Another kiss followed, and the hands resting on Wei Wuxian's waist crept lower. "We will see each other tonight."

Grinning, Wei Wuxian caught the trail of the other's forehead ribbon and twirled it between his fingers. "Naughty Lan Zhan. Where did your mind wander just now, hm?"

Lan Wangji just hummed noncommittally and released him.

"Okay then, keep your secrets. I'll find out soon enough anyway!" Wei Wuxian stuck his tongue out, then couldn't help but smile again immediately. "Lan Zhan, will you make dinner tonight?"

"Mn. Noodles."

"Oh, yes! Okay, then I'll pick you up from the kitchens!"

"All right."

As soon as they had reached the intersection in front of the great eating hall Lan Wangji pressed one last kiss to Wei Wuxian's mouth, then left towards the library pavilion while Wei Wuxian himself continued further into the public grounds.

Only as he was approaching Lan Qiren's office did the anxiety he had firmly ignored until now manage to rear its head.

The old man had been tolerably pleasant to him and Lan Wangji since he'd come to drink tea in the Jingshi and inspect Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren's shrine, he reminded himself.

Everything was fine.

Wei Wuxian passed the bridge onto the small island the office was situated on, briefly nodding at a senior disciple who politely bowed to him as he passed him by.

Not letting himself hesitate, he marched up to the doors and immediately knocked.

"Shufu, it's me!"

"Come in," Lan Qiren's voice grunted.

Wei Wuxian put on a determined smile and pushed the doors open.

The old man was sitting behind his desk and critically appraising what looked like student exams.

Wei Wuxian bowed in greeting then obediently followed Lan Qiren's motioning hand to his knees in front of the latter's desk. "Shufu, Lan Zhan and I just returned from Caiyi Town. Mu-guniang finished the compass."

"Oh?" Lan Qiren's eyes sparked with interest. "Show me."

"It's not doing anything right now since the Cloud Recesses are so void of resentful energy," Wei Wuxian felt the need to warn as he handed the compass over. "But when we were in town and flying over the forest the needle twitched slightly. And Mu-guniang mentioned a spike in activity a few days ago when one of her neighbors died."

The old man let out a rumbling hum that sounded faintly intrigued, stroking his beard and inspecting the compass from all sides. "You will have to test its efficacy and accuracy before it can be used during nighthunts. I expect an extensive report, Wuxian."

Huffing with laughter, Wei Wuxian nodded. "Of course, shufu. I wouldn't accept anything less myself."

"Hmm."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Lan Zhan said you would want to know that the man who died was magistrate Yang. Apparently, he drank too much and fell down some stairs."

Lan Qiren's eyebrows furrowed further. Then he grunted in disapproval. "Overt indulgence is foolhardy. Is his body in need of cleansing?"

Wei Wuxian shook his head. "Luo-guniang took care of it while she stayed in Caiyi."

"Luo-guniang? The maiden Xichen met with in the pavilion behind the infirmary?"

"Huh? Oh, um, yeah." Caught off guard, Wei Wuxian chuckled nervously. "I didn't know you knew about that."

"Xichen is a lot less sly than he finds himself," Lan Qiren huffed.

Done with his inspection of the compass he carefully set it down on the table. "Since he wants to start being independent in his leadership now, he should likewise start to watch his own candor, lest it turn into gullibility. Other sect leaders will disregard him if he keeps allowing his emotions to dictate his expressions."

Feeling that he should defend Lan Xichen, Wei Wuxian said, "I think dabo is doing his best."

"Be that as it may," Lan Qiren sighed. "But he has his father's assailable heart. Wangji is steadier in that sense."

Wei Wuxian frowned and lowered his eyes, unsure how to reply.

Seeming to sense his own lapse in composure, the old man cleared his throat, the action abruptly turning him from a worried uncle into the grandmaster of the Gusu Lan sect once again, his eyes losing any soft hue that might have colored them as they returned to their usual strict sharpness.

"I will visit Caiyi Town as soon as the new magistrate is in office. Xichen is not yet used to the peculiarities of worldly politics." Nodding to himself, Lan Qiren motioned for Wei Wuxian to rise. "As soon as you have tested the compass and written an accompanying report, I expect to have it presented to me, Wuxian."

To this, Wei Wuxian knew how to reply perfectly well.

Saluting, he said, "Yes, shufu."

-------

Wei Wuxian had never considered noodles to be a particularly erotic food before, but it appeared his husband begged to differ.

Something about the messiness that was involved in slurping them down made Lan Wangji's eyes darken during dinner and Wei Wuxian was pretty sure not even the spiciest sauce in the world staining his lips would have prevented Lan Wangji from attacking them the moment his chopsticks hit his empty bowl.

There were certain perks to this specific night being one of the nights his husband's appetite was especially insatiable, Wei Wuxian thought to himself as he sat naked in Lan Wangji's lap, hands tied in front of his chest and the bathroom mirror before them, not only forcing him to watch himself cry but also allowing him a perfect view of Lan Wangji diligently marking every single inch of his skin that he could reach with his lips.

Said perks were that Wei Wuxian had no early morning class to teach the next day. He could be lazy and sleep in and the bruises littering his neck could stay at least until noon, something Lan Wangji had undoubtedly taken into account in his diligent efforts.

He had no compassion for the fact that Wei Wuxian had to look Luo Qingyang in the eye most of the late morning!

Their friend seemed to have grown more or less desensitized to the sight of bitemarks and hickeys over the weeks of their acquaintance, though Wei Wuxian still occasionally caught her sending incredulous glances Lan Wangji's way.

"And then Lan Zhan pulled out the snack pouch he carries for me and suddenly that crazy bird was as obedient as a lazy housecat, it was literally eating straight out of his hand!" he narrated yesterday's adventures while he and Luo Qingyang watched Lan Wangji demonstrate an advanced lunge she had requested to see.

"Lan-er-gongzi seems to have a way with animals," Luo Qingyang mused, eyes followed Lan Wangji's movements exactly.

"Mn, I think it's because of how calm and quiet he is." Wei Wuxian pouted. "Lan Zhan says the bunnies would like me more if I sat still and talked less, but no matter how hard I try, they never want me to pet them."

Luo Qingyang's answer was prevented by the bell ringing for lunch. Punctual as always, Zu Zhenzhen appeared by the edge of the training field a mere moment later.

Wei Wuxian expected Luo Qingyang to grow visibly dispirited as she usually did at the end of their meetings.

Instead, he was surprised as she lifted her hand and waved at Zu Zhenzhen as though in greeting.

The latter visibly jumped, then bowed stiffly.

"You spoke with her," Lan Wangji conjectured, having sheathed Bichen and come over to them.

Luo Qingyang grinned. "I haven't yet, actually. But I've noticed that Zu-guniang keeps appearing near the women's training field when I'm there. I think maybe she's just curious. You know, beneath it all. I've started waving to her whenever I see her." She giggled to herself. "I think she doesn't really know what to do with that. She just seems shy now and stopped glaring at me."

Wei Wuxian huffed in amusement. "I guess that's one way to deal with the situation."

"I'm still planning to speak to her though." Luo Qingyang tied Fuxiao back to her sash. "Maybe I'll get her to spar with me."

"Fighting outside of training hours is prohibited," Lan Wangji reminded, looking slightly apologetic.

"Oh right," she sighed, wilting. "She will definitely not agree, then." Smile returning, she shook herself. "Well, I suppose I could still ask the headmistress for permission to join the female disciples' sword training and become Zu-guniang's training partner."

Frowning, Lan Wangji inclined his head in agreement.

Wei Wuxian sent Zu Zhenzhen a doubtful glance. "You think fighting with her will improve your relationship?"

Something mischievous sparked in their friend's eyes. "No way to know for sure but to try."

With that she saluted in farewell and left to approach Zu Zhenzhen with determined steps.

"You think that's going to go well?" Wei Wuxian wondered to Lan Wangji, watching the two girls disappear behind the training hall.

"Hmn," Lan Wangji replied.

-------

Just three days after Wei Wuxian had told Lan Qiren of magistrate Yang's passing, an elegant young man in lavish robes arrived at the Cloud Recesses, introducing himself as the secretary of Caiyi Town's new magistrate and officially inviting Gusu Lan's sect leader to become acquainted with the man.

Lan Xichen seemed relieved as his uncle declared he would be going.

The afternoon brought other developments.

While Wei Wuxian was teaching a class inside the training hall—since the early morning a slight drizzle had been hanging over the sect grounds and it had forced them to give up on training outside—a disciple arrived with a message for him.

Wei Wuxian was first surprised, then ecstatic as he read through what was unmistakably a note written in Lan Qingzhao's handwriting.

After long weeks, the anchor stones of the new ward she'd been feverishly working to complete were finally ready for testing, and Gusu Lan's talisman master wished for her students to come into the forest dividing the Cloud Recesses from Caiyi Town and bear witness to her first attempt at activating the maze array that was supposed to protect the sect grounds in the future.

Bursting with excitement, Wei Wuxian could hardly concentrate on his students through the remaining half of class but forced himself to be patient.

Nothing could stop him from breaking out into a full sprint the moment he had dismissed the kids though.

He'd just run through the entrance gate and started down the stairs, about to jump on Suibian, as the familiar sound of Lan Chuanli's voice calling his name stopped him. Whirling around, Wei Wuxian saw his friend jogging towards him with a huge grin on his face.

"Wuxian! Are you going to check out the maze array?"

"You bet I am! You too?"

"Nothing could stop me from seeing our master's own work in action!" Lan Chuanli declared, unsheathing his sword. "Let's hurry, we shouldn't make her wait! I heard everyone from talisman class is going!"

"Yeah!"

They mounted their swords side by side and quickly began speeding down the mountain.

Lan Qingzhao had called them to a small clearing about a li removed from the sect walls, a place that was located well within the planned circumference of the maze array.

Since they had both left the Cloud Recesses a little late—Wei Wuxian had needed to finish teaching his class while Lan Chuanli told him he had not wanted to leave Yuan Xiang alone and so had organized for her to stay with an uncle of his before he'd allowed himself to leave—the two of them were the last to arrive.

Wei Wuxian felt a hollow pang echo through his chest as he realized that Xie Juan was the only one of Lan Qingzhao's students who was absent today.

The other disciples from talisman class were already listening to Lan Qingzhao in the middle of the small clearing. She was explaining the functionality behind the maze array in her lecturing voice, a serene expression on her face while a senior disciple was standing at her shoulder.

And, strangely, He Yongrui was also present, positioned at Lan Qingzhao's right, a slight concerned frown on his face.

What business did the head physician of the Tingshan He sect have being here?

Wei Wuxian shook himself out of those thoughts and quickly followed Lan Chuanli to silently join the group. Lan Qingzhao just briefly sent them a genial look but did not interrupt her lecture.

It was strange how giddy Wei Wuxian felt just listening to her. He had already read most of what there was to know about his teacher's work, but simply standing among his old classmates and hearing her talk about advanced talismanry made him feel warm down to his toes.

After Lan Qingzhao had at last finished explaining the functionality of the maze array, she nodded to the senior disciple. The guy stepped forward and released a flare into the sky.

It was a signal to the disciples who were positioned around the sect wall and waiting to activate the new anchor stones.

"While we wait for the array to trigger, I will explain how we will proceed once it has. This is the only jade token that has hitherto been modified," Lan Qingzhao went on after the cloud flare had exploded above their heads, holding what looked to be a regular Gusu Lan entrance token. Only a close look would reveal the change that had been made to the pattern that turned it from a simple piece of jade into a key to the sect ward. "We will be using it to attempt a return into the sect grounds now."

Right on cue, the forest around them suddenly began to move.

It was as though a strange fog was permeating through the trees and sloughing away their tangibility, creating a mirage right before their shocked eyes.

"Whoa! This is weird," Lan Chuanli chuckled, shuddering and stepping closer to Wei Wuxian, eyes darting around nervously.

Wei Wuxian agreed wholeheartedly.

Where he had been sure he'd seen a fallen tree a heartbeat ago, there was now a huge wall of thorny brambles.

Before he'd managed to trace their gnarled vines to their roots, they had already disappeared again, and a wiry willow had taken their place, long branches swaying in a nonexistent breeze.

He was certain he was facing north, but somehow the sun was straight ahead of him.

"The path back up the mountain's gone," one of the other students whispered.

"Focus your minds," Lan Qingzhao warned, smiling widely, her eyes glowing. "You cannot rely on your eyesight any longer. The more you try to find the familiar the more you fall prey to the array's mechanism."

Right.

Quite impressed, Wei Wuxian focused on his teacher's face and determined to ignore his surroundings, Lan Chuanli next to him clearly attempting the same.

"I am the only person unaffected by the array, as I am holding the jade token," Lan Qingzhao went on, voice brimming with energy. "As such, I will be leading us back to the sect gates now. Don't look away from me for even a moment—stay with the group or you will lose your way."

What followed was the weirdest experience Wei Wuxian had ever had walking through a forest.

Usually, he was comfortable among trees—his sense of direction had never failed him before and he had a good memory for landmarks. All this was now working against him. Wei Wuxian would have never expected how hard it was to convince his head that none of the visual information it was frantically trying to gather could be relied on.

Still, he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the back of Lan Qingzhao's head and tried to ignore how his body screamed at him every other moment that he was about to stumble over a root that had appeared out of nowhere or run straight into a tree.

Lan Chuanli next to him seemed to have even more trouble. The hundredth time he stumbled over nothing, he cursed, then huffed, grabbed Wei Wuxian by the shoulder and, closing his eyes, declared, "This friend's life is now in your hands, Wuxian. Lead me back home!"

"Don't be so sure of my abilities, Chuanli-xiong!" Wei Wuxian laughed and almost glanced at his friend, only remembering at the last moment not to look away from Lan Qingzhao. "If we get lost, I'm snitching to Yuan-jiejie that you never even tried while I failed honestly!"

In the end nothing quite so drastic was necessary.

Wei Wuxian felt slightly sick with whiplash from the constant overload of visual misinformation by the time the last of the fog lifted, and then he was abruptly leading Lan Chuanli through the gates into the Cloud Recesses.

He hadn't even noticed going up the stairs!

Lan Qingzhao was smiling brightly as they all called out in surprise.

Wei Wuxian couldn't decide if he was more dazzled or disconcerted by the experience. He had read plenty about maze arrays before, and he'd studied the array Lan Qingzhao had decided to work with and so he'd known that it was supposed to be potent, but actually living what he'd until now merely read about was something else entirely.

He was brimming with questions.

Once Lan Qingzhao had dismissed them, there was no other option but to quickly say goodbye to Lan Chuanli and then run after her.

His teacher didn't seem very surprised to find herself pursued by him.

She allowed Wei Wuxian to fall into step with her with a mild smile, though He Yongrui next to her seemed slightly displeased for some reason.

Wei Wuxian paid him no mind, wholly focused on his teacher.

"Master, is it possible to mount your sword, fly up and escape the array? How far does it reach into the sky?"

"Its reach is as high as it is wide. But it is impossible to differentiate up from down flying on a sword while within the array's grasp. There is as good as no chance to reorient oneself using one's sword."

"Is it possible to dispel the illusions with a blast of spiritual energy?"

"The illusions are anchored in spiritual energy. As such it is not."

"So, it doesn't matter if someone has cultivated to immortality, they'd be screwed just the same?"

"Certainly, the more experienced a cultivator is at controlling their senses, the higher are their chances of making it through without their eyesight. But it is a question of training, not of spiritual resources."

"Are other creatures also affected?"

"No. As you know the array is tailored to affect only humans. Beasts are not affected."

"What about corpses and ghosts? Would the array count them as human or is it able to differentiate the living from the dead? And what about demons, who are counted among the living?"

Lan Qingzhao hesitated.

By now they had passed the Mingshi and He Yongrui had started to straight up glare at Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian briefly wondered what the hell the man's problem was, but then his brain registered that his teacher had stopped walking.

"Master?" he asked, looking back at her.

Lan Qingzhao was frowning at the ground below her feet. "Your last question, Wei Wuxian... what was it you asked?"

"Qingzhao," He Yongrui addressed her, voice urgent somehow. He stepped closer to her, hands hovering.

Wei Wuxian blinked in confusion. "I... asked if the array would count corpses and ghosts as..."

"Ah." Lan Qingzhao nodded.

She opened her mouth as though she was intending to answer, but what actually left her lips was a pained groan.

"Qingzhao!" He Yongrui exclaimed, just barely managing to catch Lan Qingzhao as her knees abruptly buckled beneath her and she collapsed right where she was standing.

-------

Wei Wuxian was beside himself with worry.

The infirmary staff hadn't let him into Lan Qingzhao's sickroom, had blabbered some nonsense about decency and privacy that he hadn't had the mind to pay attention to, no thought in his head beyond that they weren't letting him in!

He Yongrui had been allowed to go with her!

And Lan Xichen had been there earlier, had gone inside and shortly afterwards come back out, and yet still Wei Wuxian hadn't been let in himself!

Now, pacing outside closed doors, he tried to hear what was going on inside. It had been almost half a shichen already. Absently his mind acknowledged that the sickroom must have been outfitted with silencing talismans. Since he could not hear anything no matter how hard he listened, his mind filled the silence with dreadful speculations and horrible ideas.

Had she been negatively affected by the maze array somehow? How could that be if she had been the only one carrying a modified entrance token?

Finally, after ages and ages and ages, the doors opened.

Before the physician's assistant who'd appeared could do more than report that master Lan Qingzhao had been stabilized, Wei Wuxian had already brushed past him.

There was a single occupied bed in the entire room.

He Yongrui was sitting on its edge, carefully placing a cloth on Lan Qingzhao's bare forehead. Head physician Guo was there too, and then he was leaving, walking past Wei Wuxian with a look of something like mild disapproval, but Wei Wuxian didn't really take notice of him.

His teacher was clearly still unconscious.

Suddenly apprehensive, Wei Wuxian slowed his approach, eyes glued to her face.

Lan Qingzhao looked weird lying in a bed.

The thought was a strange one, but Wei Wuxian had only ever seen her upright, whether she was holding lectures or working at her desk.

Even when he'd found her behind the Lanshi, bloody and struck down, when she'd lost her eye, she had made the effort to prop herself up against a fence.

It was unsettling to see her now, head level with her feet. Her remaining eye was scrunched up in obvious discomfort and her mouth was a tight unguarded line.

She looked vulnerable.

"Wei-gongzi," He Yongrui sighed.

"What is wrong with her?" Wei Wuxian asked, still staring at his teacher. "What happened earlier? Will she be okay?"

"Yes, she will recover. Qingzhao is strong," the man said, with obvious tenderness adjusting a strand of Lan Qingzhao's hair that had spilled untidily down the bed.

The action should have seemed inappropriate, even invasive, yet somehow it didn't. Perhaps it was the strange confidence with which He Yongrui performed it that made it seem not at all noteworthy. As though there was nothing remarkable about him touching Lan Qingzhao's hair, adjusting it as he saw fit.

Wei Wuxian was unsettled.

"But she must be more careful from now on. Her injury is more severe than she likes and she has been pushing herself since the attack. She cannot afford to overwork herself anymore, or her cultivation might suffer."

"Her cultivation?" Wei Wuxian whispered, horrified.

That someone like Lan Qingzhao could overwork herself to the point of fainting was inconceivable to him. When he thought of her she was like an old tree, braving any storm, an ancient guardian lion in front of an ancient temple made from indestructible stone, like Lan Qiren.

Yet here she was lying, sweat pearling on her brow.

"It is my fault," Wei Wuxian realized. "I left Gusu when I was supposed to help her with her work. This is my fault."

"Wei-gongzi." He Yongrui sounded tired. "If there is anyone to blame, let it be me." His expressive eyes were overflowing with some emotion Wei Wuxian had a hard time naming. "I knew her condition was worse than she wanted to show. She refused to see her sect's physicians and instead asked me for something to secretly relieve the pain. As a physician I cannot go behind my patient's back, but as a friend I am ashamed that I complied so easily."

A knot twisting in his stomach, Wei Wuxian silently watched the man fill a bowl with fresh water.

He Yongrui's voice had wavered with emotion as he'd spoken but his fingers were completely steady as he set the bowl on the table next to Lan Qingzhao's pillow. As though roused by the soft click of ceramic against wood, Lan Qingzhao suddenly groaned, shifting slightly with the first signs of awareness.

"Qingzhao? Qingzhao, can you hear me?" He Yongrui asked calmly, leaning even closer to her.

Lan Qingzhao's eyelid fluttered open.

For a moment she frowned in disorientation, the movement of her eye somewhat frantic.

"You are in the infirmary of your sect. You fainted and were brought here. Half a shichen has passed since then." He Yongrui spoke soothingly.

Her gaze settled on him.

All tension left her neck, and her head sank back into her pillow.

"You're here," she sighed, voice rich with affection.

Wei Wuxian instinctively shifted backwards, suddenly feeling viscerally like he shouldn't be where he was.

It was a mistake.

His teacher's head shot up at the noise of his shoe scraping against the wood of the sickroom's flooring.

Her sharp gaze found him unerringly, making a mockery of his attempt at unobtrusiveness.

"Wei Wuxian!" she hissed.

She sat up so quickly that Wei Wuxian took another startled step towards the door.

"Master, are you—how are you?" he managed. Then he quickly bowed. "Please, let me apologize."

Any hint of the vulnerability he had detected in Lan Qingzhao mere moments ago had now vanished—she sat in her sickbed upright and as regal as an empress presiding over court, her eyes hard as steel. There was no weakness to be found. Wei Wuxian must have imagined it.

"Do not waste your breath," she snapped coldly. "I do not desire a mere student's vapid pity! Leave."

Wei Wuxian flinched.

Abruptly heat was stinging in his eyes. He could not see Lan Qingzhao clearly anymore through the blurriness that was filling them.

Bowing again, as deeply as he could, he quietly mumbled, "This student has crossed a line," then turned and quickly left the room.

You're running away, his mind supplied.

I'm not , he fired back.

It was ridiculous that he would need to run away from Lan Qingzhao—hadn't she always been there for him when he'd needed her advice? Never once had she turned him away. How ungrateful was Wei Wuxian to even think of fleeing from his master?

He exited the infirmary.

A single tear hadn't let itself be bullied back into his eyes quickly enough. Wiping it away, Wei Wuxian broke out into a run, head whirling with confusion.

He had done something wrong.

Overstepped. Clearly.

He didn't know how exactly, what he had done specifically, but it must have been something horrible.

Lan Qingzhao had never been cold with him—he must have gravely offended her unknowingly, foolishly.

Wei Wuxian didn't know what to do. He wanted to make her not angry anymore, but she had ordered him to leave.

He wanted to see Lan Qiren.

The old man would tell him what he'd done wrong, would explain it clearly and without embellishments. He would give him the sect rules to copy and then maybe Lan Qingzhao would forgive him.

But Lan Qiren was in Caiyi greeting magistrate Hua.

"Wei-gongzi! Wait!"

Wei Wuxian didn't feel the wetness on his cheeks until his feet had slowed and the wind stopped making his skin cold.

He Yongrui was hurrying after him.

Mortified, Wei Wuxian quickly scrubbed at his cheeks.

"Wei-gongzi, ah, you sure run fast," He Yongrui wheezed with a smile, holding his sides.

He had a small stature—Wei Wuxian was at least half a head taller than him—and gauged by how the short run from the infirmary to just past the Lanshi had winded him he was also not very trained. In a fight as cultivators, He Yongrui would stand no chance against him.

Yet, Wei Wuxian felt strangely like he should be on his guard, felt small as He Yongrui approached him, the difference of their bodies entirely inconsequential.

He didn't know what the man could possibly want from him.

"Please, would you sit down with me?" He Yongrui asked. "There must be somewhere close by to sit and have a conversation?"

"A conversation?" Wei Wuxian echoed suspiciously.

"Aiya, Qingzhao never mentioned how fiercely her favorite student could glare. Though perhaps I should not be surprised." He laughed. "Come, Wei-gongzi, indulge this old man, will you? Just for a moment or two."

Though he was still wary, Wei Wuxian nodded. He supposed he should be polite to a close friend of his teacher's.

They sat down beneath a magnolia tree that overlooked Lan Qiren's office and the close by stream and ponds.

"You know, Wei-gongzi, I have known Qingzhao for many years," He Yongrui began, looking out at the water calmly, as though he had all the time in the world. "And I have known her sect for many years as well. Qingzhao worked harder than most to have the position she has."

With a frown, Wei Wuxian wondered if the man expected him to act surprised over something that was obvious. From the moment he'd met her, he had known that Lan Qingzhao was very dedicated to her craft.

"She is proud," He Yongrui continued, interrupting Wei Wuxian's petulant thoughts. "And certainly, she earned the right to be. So, do not take what she said to heart." His eyes were painfully kind as they regarded him. "A master never likes it when a student looks at them and finds someone weak."

"I would never do that," Wei Wuxian protested, offended that He Yongrui would insinuate anything of the kind just as he was trying to tune out his own guilty conscience whispering to him how he had indeed looked at his teacher with such thoughts.

He Yongrui sighed and gazed out over the water again.

The early evening had begun and with it the early signs of sunset slowly started to color the reflection of the sky a soft gold.

"I asked to marry her once," He Yongrui said suddenly.

What.

Wei Wuxian stared at him, eyes as huge as they would go.

He Yongrui laughed at his expression. "I was young and immature. Why Qingzhao ever wanted to befriend a brat like me, I cannot even fathom today."

"Were you rejected?" Wei Wuxian blurted out before he could stop himself.

The man's eyes crinkled in merriment. "I was not."

He laughed more, seeming to draw great delight from Wei Wuxian's baffled face. "But it was still not meant to be."

"Why? What wasn't meant to be?" Wei Wuxian was suddenly upset for an entirely new reason. The idea of Lan Qingzhao wanting to marry someone but not getting to was terrible.

A sigh passed He Yongrui's lips. "Qingzhao was determined to earn the title of master and teach students in her sect. Moving to Tingshan would have meant giving up on that dream. For a time, I fully intended to leave my family and come to Gusu for her." His smile was wistful. "But then I was chosen to become head physician. Tingshan He is not a clan like Gusu Lan, had I refused there would have been no one to take my place. We decided it was best to go our separate paths."

Wei Wuxian felt his eyebrows furrow. "That's stupid."

He Yongrui burst out laughing.

He didn't seem the slightest bit affected as Wei Wuxian glared at him for it.

"You're still young," the man chuckled. "Though I suppose it's not completely wrong what you're thinking. I've certainly had my fair share of regret over the years." He shook his head. "But seeing Qingzhao with her head held high at discussion conferences makes it all worth it. She was always a lot more ambitious than me."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Wei Wuxian asked. He felt tempted to sulk at the man's unflappability, but tried to compose himself, not willing to seem even more like a complete child.

"I suppose if there is one thing that has always come easier to me than it has to Qingzhao it is expressing my feelings," He Yongrui mused, regarding Wei Wuxian with twinkling eyes. "Wei-gongzi, I knew much about you even before I first met you during Qishan's discussion conference, just from letters Qingzhao had sent. Since you were introduced to her the old flame that she carried in her youth has returned. I hope you will respect that your master needs time alone while she is vulnerable and that you will not take it as her denying all familiarity between you."

Feeling his heart squeeze with painful hope, Wei Wuxian averted his eyes from the man's kind face, uncomfortable with the way he seemed able to look right through him.

Exhaling, He Yongrui stood.

Wei Wuxian begrudgingly followed him to his feet.

"That is all I wanted to say. Since you are Qingzhao's student and not mine, I'll leave it up to you whether you'll follow my advice or not, Wei-gongzi." He Yongrui inclined his head. "I bid you a good evening."

Wei Wuxian made himself salute. "Good evening, He-yishi."

The Cloud Recesses were very calm just before dinnertime.

Wei Wuxian stared at the soft puffy clouds that were travelling their merry paths across the evening sky as he slowly walked to the Jingshi. A nightingale had started to sing somewhere close by.

Somehow the peace of the whole scene put him on edge, as though there could be no silence without the promise of trouble lurking just around the next corner.

The feeling reminded him a little of when he'd first come to Gusu as a guest disciple, looking for trouble as much as he'd been trying to run away from it. Back then he'd been a lot more careless. Looking back at those days, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but cringe slightly, remembering how obnoxious he'd acted at times.

Not sure where this train of thought was trying to lead him, Wei Wuxian was kind of relieved as the appearance of a beloved white figure on the path before him put an end to it.

Lan Wangji had clearly just left the Jingshi. He was walking with measured steps, one hand behind his back, posture perfect and his face effortlessly handsome.

Despite Wei Wuxian's current sullen mood, his lips lifted on their own accord.

He waited for the moment Lan Wangji would notice him in return and was not disappointed—it was always a rush when those golden eyes locked onto him.

"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji said.

"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian returned, just because he could.

His heart still felt strangely tender, and his feet moved before he'd even made the conscious decision to throw himself into Lan Wangji's arms.

Lan Wangji caught him with a soft concerned noise that immediately chased the sting back into Wei Wuxian's eyes. He hid his face in the other's shoulder. "Lan Zhan, I missed you. Don't ever leave me again."

"Wei Ying?" Lan Wangji's voice had gained in urgency.

Abruptly, Wei Wuxian realized that he couldn't talk. It was not that he didn't want Lan Wangji to know what he was thinking, it was just that he didn't even know how to begin explaining his own thoughts to himself.

"I'm hungry," he whispered into Lan Wangji's neck instead.

Lan Wangji had started to stroke his hair. "I was about to make fried rice."

A wet sniffle escaped Wei Wuxian. "How do you always know exactly what I want to eat, Lan Zhan? Are you secretly a fortune teller?"

"I am not."

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but smile. Lan Wangji's habit of taking him at his word even when he was spouting nonsense was like a balm to his heart. Stepping away slightly, he roughly wiped at his eyes.

Lan Wangji hummed in disapproval and caught him by the wrists. He moved Wei Wuxian's hands down so that they rested safely between their bodies, then tenderly cupped his face and began to wipe away the wetness beneath his eyes with his thumbs, a thousand times more gently than Wei Wuxian had treated himself.

"Who made you cry?" Lan Wangji wanted to know.

Wei Wuxian shook his head, closing his eyes and leaning into Lan Wangji's palm.

"No one."

"Hm." The callused pad of Lan Wangji's thumb tenderly traced the line of Wei Wuxian's eyebrow.

"Xiongzhang told me tanggu was brought to the infirmary," he tried next—a supposition as much as it was an opening to speak if Wei Wuxian felt like taking it.

But Wei Wuxian was tired. "I'll... tell you tomorrow, okay?"

"Mn." Lan Wangji agreed, just like that.

He took Wei Wuxian by the hand and pulled him to the Jingshi.

Wei Wuxian felt a little like he was floating as he let himself be maneuvered through the door, out of his boots, into the soft slippers he only ever wore when Lan Wangji was there to put them on his feet for him, out of his outer robe and over to their bed.

By the time he had been pushed to sit on the soft mattress and Lan Wangji had taken down his hair for him, every single thought had faded away.

Lan Wangji kissed his forehead as soon as he seemed satisfied with the placement of Wei Wuxian's hair. "I will go and make fried rice. Rest."

"Mn, okay," Wei Wuxian agreed, leaning up in hopes of getting another kiss.

Lan Wangji smiled and obliged him, briefly connecting their lips, soft and familiar.

Then he turned and walked to the door.

Wei Wuxian watched him go with drowsy eyes. He felt like burying his head in their pillows, finding Lan Wangji's scent and spending the entire time until he came back inhaling it.

A sudden fluctuation of spiritual energy came from their nightstand just as he'd been about to make his dream reality.

"Lan Zhan, I think I got a message," Wei Wuxian mumbled, reaching out to take his qiankun pouch from the nightstand.

Lan Wangji stopped where he had just opened the door. "Who is it from?"

"Mmn... let me see," pushing his hand into the pouch, Wei Wuxian tried to wake his head—what if his shijie had written? He definitely needed to be awake to read a letter from his shijie.

Lan Wangji had returned to him by the time Wei Wuxian had finally determined that it wasn't Jiang Yanli who had sent him a message.

"It's from Huaisang," Wei Wuxian realized, pushing himself up to sit properly before he unfolded the note and began reading.

The moment he had registered the first sentence on the paper, any tiredness that had remained had vanished.

A fleet donning the sun crest of Qishan Wen has been spotted sailing towards Lotus Pier.