Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Jiaoliao IX - 3

For some reason, Wei Wuxian felt an inexplicable guilt tonight and didn’t dare to squeeze onto the bed with Lan Wangji like he usually would. He made do sitting on the floor and ended up spending the night in a restless haze. At some point, his head tilted, and he fell asleep leaning against the wooden bed. He dozed off until morning, when he felt someone gently pick him up and lay him flat on the bed. With great effort, Wei Wuxian opened his eyes, and Lan Wangji's cold, familiar face came into view.

Still half-asleep, he called out, “Lan Zhan.”

Lan Wangji responded with a soft “Hmm.” Wei Wuxian asked again, “Are you awake or still drunk now?”

Lan Wangji said, “Awake.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Oh... It's dawn.”

Lan Wangji always woke up at this hour without fail, so Wei Wuxian could judge the time without even looking out the window. Lan Wangji took Wei Wuxian’s wrist—both of which had several bright red marks from being tied. Lan Wangji took out a small, light-green porcelain bottle from his sleeve and applied ointment to the wounds. The cool, soothing ointment brought immediate relief, but Wei Wuxian squinted and said, “Ouch... You’re really rough when you’re drunk, Hanguang Jun.”

Lan Wangji didn’t even look up and said, “You got what you deserved.”

Wei Wuxian’s heart skipped a beat. “Lan Zhan, when you were drunk, do you really not remember what you did?”

Lan Wangji said, “I don’t remember.”

Wei Wuxian thought to himself, “He really doesn’t seem to remember. Otherwise, he would have been furious and tried to kill me by now.”

He felt both relieved that Lan Wangji didn’t remember and a little regretful at the same time, as if he had secretly done something naughty or eaten something forbidden. He couldn’t help but feel a secret joy, hiding in a corner and giggling to himself, yet also feeling a pity that no one could share in his untellable delight. His gaze drifted back to Lan Wangji’s lips.

Although the corners of his mouth never curved up, they looked very soft, and indeed they were soft.

Wei Wuxian unconsciously bit his own lip and drifted into thought again: “The Gusu Lan Family’s discipline is so strict, and Lan Wangji is completely clueless about romance. He’s probably never kissed a girl before. So what should I do now that I’ve taken the lead? Should I tell him? Will he cry out of anger when he finds out? Well, he might have when he was younger, but he probably won’t now. Besides, he’s like a wooden monk; maybe he’s never even had any romantic thoughts... No! Last time when he was drunk, I asked him, ‘Do you have someone you like?’ and he answered ‘Yes.’ Maybe he’s already kissed that person? But knowing Lan Wangji’s restrained nature, it was probably just ‘affection that never crosses the line of propriety.’ He probably hasn’t even held hands with anyone...”

After Lan Wangji finished applying the ointment, there was a soft knock on the door. It was a knock of three taps, and Lan Sizhui’s voice came through: “Hanguang Jun, are we leaving now?”

Lan Wangji said, “Wait downstairs.”

After leaving the city, they were about to part ways at the city gate. The young nobles, who were only familiar with each other from various family-hosted cultivation gatherings, had gone through a lot together over the past few days—first the cat corpse incident, then surviving a terrifying day and night in a foggy ghost city, and even burning paper money, secretly drinking alcohol, quarreling, and cursing together. They had grown quite close, and at this parting moment, they lingered at the city gate, reluctant to leave. They made plans to visit each other’s family cultivation grounds for night hunting and cultivation talks. Lan Wangji didn’t urge them on but stood quietly under a tree, saying nothing. Xianzi, under his watchful gaze, didn’t dare to run around and could only huddle under the tree, her tail wagging eagerly as she looked longingly at Jin Ling.

While Lan Wangji kept Xianzi in check, Wei Wuxian put his arm around Jin Ling and walked a long distance away.

Mo Xuan Yu was one of Jin Guangshan’s illegitimate sons, the half-brother of Jin Zixuan and Jin Guangyao, so by blood, he was also Jin Ling’s uncle. This gave Wei Wuxian the right to speak to Jin Ling as an elder. As they walked, he said, “When you go back, don’t argue or talk back to your uncle. Listen to him, and be careful in the future. Don’t go night hunting by yourself anymore.”

Though Jin Ling came from a prestigious family, rumors never spared anyone. Having lost both his parents, he was eager to prove himself. Wei Wuxian continued, “You’re only a teenager. The other young nobles your age haven’t hunted any remarkable demons or monsters yet. Why are you in such a hurry to be the first?”

Jin Ling sulked and said, “My uncle and my younger uncle became famous when they were teenagers too.”

Wei Wuxian thought, “Is it the same situation? Back then, the Wen family of Qishan loomed over everyone, causing panic. People didn’t know if they would be the next to fall if they didn’t train and fight desperately. In the Sunshot Campaign, they dragged people onto the battlefield regardless of age. But now, the situation is stable, and the atmosphere is more relaxed. Everyone trains, but not as desperately. There’s no need to rush.”

Jin Ling added, “Even Wei Ying killed the Tortoise of Slaughter when he was a teenager. If he could do it, why can’t I?”

Wei Wuxian felt a shiver run down his spine at hearing his surname and the following word. Shaking off the creepy feeling, he said, “Did he kill it? Wasn’t it Hanguang Jun who killed it?”

Hearing Lan Wangji’s name, Jin Ling gave him a meaningful look but forced himself to hold back and said, “You and Hanguang Jun... Never mind. It’s your own business. Anyway, I don’t want to get involved. You can flirt with whoever you want, but just don’t mess around with people from my family! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude.”

The “my family” he referred to included both the Jin family of Lanling and the Jiang family of Yunmeng, indicating that his tolerance for homosexuality had increased somewhat. As long as Wei Wuxian didn’t get involved with his family members, Jin Ling could pretend not to see. Wei Wuxian said, “What are you getting at, kid? What do you mean by ‘mess around with other men’? What’s this about the Gusu Lan Family’s forehead ribbon?”

Jin Ling said, “Don’t play dumb! You’re already benefiting from it, so don’t act smug. Don’t get carried away: I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Is it really you, Wei Ying?”

At the end of the third sentence, he suddenly threw out a direct question, catching Wei Wuxian off guard. Wei Wuxian calmly responded, “Does it look like me to you?”

Jin Ling was silent for a moment, then suddenly whistled and called, "Hey, Xianzi!"

Hearing her name, Xianzi came bounding over with her tongue hanging out. Wei Wuxian took off running. "Can you keep your dog under control? We're trying to have a conversation!"

Jin Ling snorted. "Hmph! See you later!"

After saying his goodbyes, he headed towards Lanling with great strides, seemingly still too afraid to return to Lotus Pier in Yunmeng to face Jiang Cheng. The other clan youngsters also headed in different directions back to their respective homes. Eventually, only Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and a few younger members of the Lan family were left.

As they walked, the younger Lan members couldn't help but look back frequently. Lan Jingyi, though silent, had a look of emptiness on his face, and asked, "Where are we heading next?"

Lan Sizhui said, "Ze Wu Jun is currently night hunting in the Tan Prefecture area. Should we head back to Cloud Recesses directly or meet up with him there?"

Lan Wangji replied, "Tan Prefecture, meet up."

Wei Wuxian said, "Good. Maybe we can help with something. I don't know where to look for our friend's head next."

The two of them walked ahead, while the younger boys followed from a distance. After walking for a while, Lan Wangji said, "Jiang Cheng knows who you are."

Wei Wuxian, sitting on Little Apple, let the spotted donkey walk slowly and said, "Yes, he knows. But knowing doesn't mean he has any proof."

Unlike soul transfer, possession leaves no trace. Jiang Cheng could only guess based on Wei Wuxian's reaction to seeing the dog. But first, Wei Wuxian's fear of dogs was something Jiang Cheng had never told anyone. Second, expressions and reactions alone couldn't serve as solid evidence. Even if Jiang Cheng announced that the Yiling Patriarch Wei Wuxian was afraid of dogs, people would probably think the Three Poisons Saint had finally lost it after years of chasing the wrong person.

Wei Wuxian said, "So I'm really curious. How exactly did you recognize me?"

Lan Wangji replied coolly, "I'm also curious why your memory is so poor."

Before long, they reached Tan Prefecture. Before meeting up with Lan Xichen, they passed by a garden. The garden was vast and imposing, and no one was tending to it. The younger members of the Lan family, unable to contain their curiosity, entered to take a look. As long as they weren't violating any family rules, Lan Wangji didn't stop them, so they went in. Inside the garden, there were stone pavilions, stone benches, and stone tables for admiring flowers and the moon. However, after years of exposure to wind and rain, one corner of the pavilion was missing, and two stone benches had fallen over. There were no flowers in sight, only withered branches and dead leaves. The garden had been abandoned for many years.

After exploring a small part of the garden, Lan Sizhui said, "Isn't this the garden of the Flower-Tending Maiden?"

Lan Jingyi, looking confused, asked, "Flower-Tending Maiden? Who's that? Does this garden have an owner? Why does it look so run-down, like no one's taken care of it for a long time?"

Flowers that bloom in their respective seasons are known as 'seasonal flowers' or 'shi flowers.' Upon hearing the name, Wei Wuxian felt a stir in his memory. Lan Sizhui ran his hand along the pillar of the stone pavilion and said after a moment of thought, "If I remember correctly, this should be the place. This garden was once very famous. I read about it in a book. The chapter 'Spirit of the Flower-Tending Maiden' mentions a flower bed in Tan Prefecture. A poet, the original owner of the garden, planted these flowers and treated them as friends. He recited poems here daily, and the flowers, influenced by his poetry, formed a spirit known as the Flower-Tending Maiden. Visitors who recited good poems would be rewarded with a shi flower that wouldn't wither for three years and would remain fragrant. If the poem was bad or had mistakes, the maiden would suddenly appear and throw a flower at the person's face before disappearing.

Lan Jingyi said, "So if you recite a poem wrong, she throws flowers at you? What if the flowers have thorns? If I tried, I'd probably end up with scratches all over my face. What kind of spirit is this?"

Lan Sizhui replied, "She's probably not a demon, more like a spirit. It's said that the earliest owner of the garden was a poet who planted these flowers and treated them as friends. The spirit of the flowers, influenced by the poet's literary talent, formed a soul and became the Flower-Tending Maiden. If a visitor recited a good poem, she would be reminded of the person who planted her, and in a good mood, she would give a flower as a reward. If the poem was poorly recited, she would emerge from the flowers and hit the person's face with a flower. The person would then faint and wake up outside the garden. More than a decade ago, many people visited this garden."

Wei Wuxian said, "Elegant, truly elegant. But the Lan family's library wouldn't have books recording such things. Sizhui, tell the truth, what book did you read, and who showed it to you?"

Lan Sizhui blushed slightly and glanced nervously at Lan Wangji, worried about being punished. Seeing that Lan Wangji didn't seem to mind, he secretly sighed in relief and then smiled as he answered, "She must have been very beautiful, given that she was a spirit formed from such elegant things. But actually, no one ever clearly saw the Flower-Tending Maiden's face. Even if you couldn't compose a poem, it wasn't hard to recite one you had memorized, so most people received flowers from her. Even those who were hit would faint immediately and wouldn't get a chance to see her. Except for one person."

Another young boy asked, "Who was that?"

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat.

Lan Sizhui said, "The Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian."

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat again and said, "Uh, why is it always him? Can't we talk about something else?"

No one paid him any attention. Lan Jingyi waved his hand and said worriedly, "Don't interrupt! What did Wei Wuxian do? Did this big demon lord force the Flower-Tending Maiden out?"

Lan Sizhui replied, "No, he didn't. But Wei Wuxian wanted to see the Flower-Tending Maiden's face, so he deliberately recited poems wrong, provoking her to throw flowers at him and throw him out of the garden. He would wake up, crawl back in, and loudly recite another wrong poem. He repeated this more than twenty times before finally catching a glimpse of the Flower-Tending Maiden's face. After that, he went around praising her to everyone. But the Flower-Tending Maiden was so angry that she didn't appear for a long time. As soon as she saw him, she would shower him with flowers and throw him out again before he could even see her... It was a sight like no other."

All the young boys laughed together and said, "Wei Wuxian is really annoying!"

"How ridiculous!"

Wei Wuxian stroked his chin and said, "What's so boring about it? Who hasn't done one or two things like that when they were young? But come to think of it, why does anyone even know about this kind of thing? And to have it seriously recorded in a book, that's what I call truly boring."

Lan Wangji looked at him, his face remaining impassive, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes, as if he was secretly mocking him. Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "Hey, how dare Lan Zhan laugh at me? I know at least eight to ten embarrassing things from your younger days. Sooner or later, I'll tell these kids and ruin their image of the pure and untouchable Hanguang Jun. Just you wait."

He said, "You kids, with your distracted minds and wandering thoughts, must be reading all sorts of miscellaneous books instead of focusing on your cultivation. Go back and ask Hanguang Jun to punish you by making you copy the family rules ten times."

The group of youngsters turned pale with shock. "Ten times while doing handstands?!"

Wei Wuxian was also startled and looked at Lan Wangji. "Your family punishes by making you copy texts while doing handstands? That's too harsh."

Lan Wangji said calmly, "If we just punish by copying, some people won't remember the lesson. Copying while doing a handstand helps you remember better and also aids in cultivation."

Wei Wuxian, naturally the one who never remembered his lessons, pretended not to understand and secretly felt relieved that he hadn't been made to copy texts while doing handstands back in the day.

The group of youngsters, excited by the story, decided to camp in the garden of the flower-planting lady for the night. Camping during night hunts was common, so they gathered some dead branches and leaves and lit a bonfire. Lan Wangji went out to patrol, ensuring the area was safe and set up some protective arrays to prevent any night-time attacks. Wei Wuxian stretched his legs out by the fire and, seeing that Lan Wangji had finally left, took the opportunity to ask, "By the way, a question. What exactly is the meaning of your family's forehead ribbon?"

At this mention, the youngsters' faces changed dramatically, and they all started to stammer. Wei Wuxian's heart skipped a beat.

Lan Sizhui cautiously said, "Senior, you don't know?"

Wei Wuxian said, "If I knew, why would I ask? Do I look like someone so bored?"

Lan Jingyi muttered, "You do look like it... especially since you even tricked us into lining up to watch that kind of thing..." Wei Wuxian stirred the fire with a stick, sending sparks flying, and said, "I did that to help you all push your limits and grow. It's actually very useful, and if you remember what I said, you'll benefit from it in the future."

Lan Sizhui, carefully choosing his words, pondered for a moment before saying, "It's like this. The forehead ribbon of the Gusu Lan Family symbolizes self-discipline. You know that, senior?"

Wei Wuxian said, "I know. And?"

Lan Sizhui continued, "And the founding ancestor of the Gusu Lan Family, Lan An, said that only in front of one's soulmate or someone they deeply love is there no need for any restraint. Therefore, the family's teachings have always been that the forehead ribbon is a very private and sensitive precious item. No one else besides oneself is allowed to touch or take it off, and it cannot be placed on another person. This is a taboo. Well, only, only..."

The rest didn't need to be said.

By the bonfire, the young faces turned red, and Lan Sizhui couldn't continue.

Wei Wuxian felt his face flush with embarrassment.

This forehead ribbon, this forehead ribbon, this this this—

The meaning of this forehead ribbon is quite heavy!

He suddenly felt a great need for fresh air, jumped up, and dashed out, barely stabilizing himself by holding onto a dead tree. He thought, "Oh my God! What have I done!"

Back in the day, at Qishan, the Wen family had hosted a grand gathering of the clans that lasted seven days, with different activities each day. One day, it was an archery competition.

The rules were that the young initiates who hadn't yet come of age from each family would enter the hunting grounds, where over a thousand paper figures as lifelike and nimble as real people were scattered. Only a hundred of these contained evil spirits inside. If you shot the wrong one, you had to leave the field immediately. Only by continuously hitting the targets with evil spirits could you stay in the game, and in the end, the rankings were determined by who hit the most and the most accurately.

Naturally, Wei Wuxian participated as one of the representatives of the Yunmeng Jiang Family. Before the competition, he had listened to debates from various families for a whole morning, which left him feeling dizzy. He only perked up a bit after slinging his bow over his shoulder. On the way to the hunting grounds, yawning, he casually glanced around and saw a handsome young man beside him with a face as if powdered, cold as ice. The young man wore a bright red robe with a nine-ring belt, his sleeves fitted narrowly. This was the uniform for the younger generation at the Qishan gathering, but he wore it exceptionally well—three parts elegance, three parts heroism, and ten parts altogether stunning, making people do a double-take.

The young man carried a bundle of arrows with snow-white fletchings and was testing his bow, head lowered. His fingers were long and delicate, plucking the bowstring to produce a sound like a musical instrument, both beautiful and powerful.

Wei Wuxian found the young man familiar and, after a moment of thought, smacked his thigh in excitement, hailing him cheerfully, "Hey! Isn't this Brother Lan Wang?"

At that time, more than a year had passed since Wei Wuxian had been sent back to Yunmeng from Cloud Recesses after his studies. After returning to Yunmeng, he had told people about his experiences in Gusu, including how Lan Wangji, despite his handsome face, was rigid and boring. He soon forgot about that period, returning to his usual antics of sailing on the lake and running wild in the mountains. He had only seen Lan Wangji in the plain and pristine robes of the Gusu Lan Family before, and now, seeing him in such striking attire, combined with Lan Wangji's extraordinarily beautiful face, Wei Wuxian was momentarily blinded and failed to recognize him at first.

Lan Wangji finished testing his bow, turned, and walked away. Wei Wuxian, having been snubbed, said to Jiang Cheng, "He's not paying attention to me. Hey."

Jiang Cheng shot him a cold glance, also not intending to pay him any mind. There were over twenty entrances to the hunting grounds, each designated for different families. As Lan Wangji approached the entrance for the Gusu Lan Family, Wei Wuxian slipped ahead and blocked his path. Wherever Lan Wangji moved, Wei Wuxian moved to block him. In short, he was determined not to let him pass.

Finally, Lan Wangji stopped, slightly raised his head, and solemnly said, "Move aside."

Wei Wuxian said, "Oh, so you're talking to me now? Were you pretending not to know me, or did you not hear me?"

In the distance, the young aristocrats from other families were watching, some with curious expressions, others laughing. Jiang Cheng tutted and, slinging his arrows over his back, headed to another entrance.

Lan Wangji coldly lifted his gaze and repeated, "Excuse me."

With a smile and a raised eyebrow, Wei Wuxian shifted his body. The entrance arch was narrow, forcing Lan Wangji to brush past him. Once he had entered, Wei Wuxian called out, "Lan Wangji, your headband is crooked."

The young nobles were all very particular about their appearance, especially those from the Gusu Lan Family. Hearing this, Lan Wangji instinctively raised his hand to adjust it, but the headband was perfectly straight. He shot Wei Wuxian a cold glare when he turned back. Wei Wuxian had already laughed and headed off toward the Yunmeng Jiang family's entrance.

Once the formal competition began, noble youths continued to be eliminated for mistakenly shooting the ordinary paper targets. Wei Wuxian shot slowly but hit his mark every time, quickly using seventeen or eighteen arrows from his quiver. Just as he was considering trying to shoot with his other hand, something light and soft drifted onto his face, like a silk wisp, tickling his cheek.

He turned to look and saw that Lan Wangji had come near, drawing his bow toward a paper target. The tail of his headband fluttered in the wind and gently brushed Wei Wuxian's face.

Narrowing his eyes, Wei Wuxian called out, "Lan Wangji!"

Lan Wangji had drawn his bow fully, rounding it like a full moon. After a pause, he asked, "What is it?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Your headband is crooked."

This time, Lan Wangji didn't believe him and, without looking back, shot out two words, "Pointless."

Wei Wuxian said, "This time it's real! It really is crooked. If you don't believe me, I'll fix it for you."

Without waiting, he grabbed the tail of the headband that was floating before his eyes. Unfortunately, Wei Wuxian had a bad habit—he used to pull the braids of little girls in Yunmeng, so whenever he grabbed something long and thin, he couldn't help but give it a tug. Without thinking, he gave it a pull. The headband, already slightly loose, slipped right off Lan Wangji's forehead.

Lan Wangji's hand holding the bow trembled.

After a long while, he stiffly turned his head, his gaze slowly and menacingly shifting toward Wei Wuxian. His face darkened, and the knuckles on his hand, which was holding the bow, turned white.

Wei Wuxian still held the soft headband and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to. Here, tie it again."

Lan Wangji's face was extremely dark. Seeing that Wei Wuxian was still pinching it, Lan Wangji snatched the headband from him.

The moment Lan Wangji took it, Wei Wuxian let go. The other members of the Lan family stopped shooting and gathered around. Lan Xichen put his arm around his brother's shoulder and spoke softly to the silent Lan Wangji, while the others looked serious, as if facing a great enemy. They shook their heads and cast strange glances at Wei Wuxian as they spoke about "accidents," "no need to be angry," "no need to worry," "manhood," and "house rules."

Wei Wuxian only caught fragments of what they were saying and grew even more confused. Lan Wangji glared fiercely at him, swept his sleeve, and turned to leave the field.

Jiang Cheng walked over and said, "What did you do again? I told you not to provoke him. You can't go a day without courting death."

Wei Wuxian spread his hands and said, "I told him his headband was crooked. The first time, I was lying, but the second time it was true. He didn't believe me and got angry. I didn't mean to pull off his headband. Why was he so furious? He even quit the competition."

Jiang Cheng sneered, "Need you even ask? Of course, it's because you're exceptionally annoying to him!"

With his arrows almost finished, Wei Wuxian began to pick up his pace.

Over the years, Wei Wuxian had never given much thought to this incident. He had briefly wondered if the headband had some special significance for the Lan family, but after the competition, he had forgotten about it. Now, thinking back, he remembered the looks the other Lan family members had given him—

For someone to yank off the headband of a Lan family member in public, and for Lan Wangji not to have shot him on the spot—his self-restraint was terrifyingly admirable! Truly worthy of being Hanguang Jun!!!

And now that he thought about it, he had touched Lan Wangji's headband more than once after that!!!

Lan Jingyi asked in confusion, "Why is he walking back and forth? Did he eat too much and can't sit still?"

Another teenager said, "His face is turning from red to green. Is he sick from something he ate?"

"We didn’t eat anything unusual. Could it be because of the significance of the forehead ribbon? He doesn’t need to be this worked up over it. Looks like he’s really into Hanguang Jun... See how happy that makes him..."

Wei Wuxian paced around a patch of withered flowers over fifty times before he finally managed to calm down. At the last comment, he couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. Just then, suddenly, he heard the crunch of dried leaves behind him.

The footsteps didn’t belong to a child. It had to be Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian quickly adjusted his expression and turned around, only to see a dark figure standing in the shadow of a dead tree nearby.

The figure was tall, broad-shouldered, and exuded an imposing presence.

But the figure was headless.