Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Indecision Part 14

Wei Wuxian took out a flute and played a segment according to the score. Sure enough, the two segments of the tune were disconnected. The half-score on the previous page and the half-score on the next page didn’t belong to the same piece of music.

There should have been another page between these two, carefully and tracelessly removed by someone.

The person had torn it very carefully, leaving no remnants, making it hard to detect. Wei Wuxian flipped through the booklet and saw three characters on the deep blue cover.

Wei Wuxian said, “*Disturbed Souls Anthology*? What kind of book is this? The tunes inside seem a bit odd.”

Lan Wangji said, “A collection of secret tunes from the Eastern Lands.”

Wei Wuxian said, “From the Eastern Lands? No wonder the tunes are quite different from ours.”

Lan Xichen’s expression grew complicated. “*Disturbed Souls Anthology*, as the legend goes, was compiled by a cultivator from the Gusu Lan Family who drifted overseas and wandered in the lands of the East for many years. This book contains evil tunes that can harm people when played with spiritual power, causing symptoms like gradual weight loss, irritability, rapid blood flow... A strong cultivator can take a life within seven notes.”

Wei Wuxian slammed the table. “This is it!”

He almost knocked over the paper lantern on the desk, but Lan Wangji quickly steadied it. Wei Wuxian asked, “Family Head Lan, is there a tune in *Disturbed Souls Anthology* that can disrupt someone’s mind, stir their spirit and blood, make them irritable, and so on?”

Lan Xichen said, “...There likely is.”

Wei Wuxian continued, “Jin Guangyao didn’t have enough spiritual power to kill someone within seven notes, and such an obvious method wouldn’t fit his style. But if he used the pretense of playing the *Qing Xin Xuan Qu* to help calm Crimson Frost Duke’s mind for three months, could this tune, like a chronic poison, accelerate Crimson Frost Duke’s condition?”

Lan Xichen said, “...It’s possible.”

Wei Wuxian concluded, “Then the speculation is reasonable. The incomplete score that didn’t belong to *Xi Hua* was from a missing page of *Disturbed Souls Anthology*. The complex and difficult-to-learn evil tunes from the East didn’t give him time to copy them in the restricted library, so he tore it away—no, wait, that’s not right. Jin Guangyao has a photographic memory; he didn’t tear away the page because he couldn’t remember it, but to leave no evidence. In case of exposure or being caught, no one could determine the origin of the melody.

“Everything he did was extremely cautious. In front of you, he played the complete *Xi Hua* openly. Crimson Frost Duke isn’t someone who indulges in elegance. He had a general impression of the melody from when you played it, Family Head Lan, so Jin Guangyao didn’t dare play the evil tune directly. Instead, he went to great lengths to blend two vastly different and opposing pieces seamlessly, showcasing his remarkable musical talent. I guess he used very little spiritual power in the *Xi Hua* segments and only exerted effort in the *Disturbed Souls Anthology* segments. Since Crimson Frost Duke wasn’t proficient in this, he couldn’t distinguish that a segment had been tampered with into a deadly tune!”

After a long silence, Lan Xichen said softly, “...He often came to Cloud Recesses, but I never told him about the restricted library.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Family Head Lan, forgive my bluntness, but during the Sunshot Campaign, the Concealing Fragrance Duke was an incredibly successful undercover agent in the Wen family’s Never-Night City. He found and secretly copied all the maps and documents, then sent the intelligence back to Jin Lingtai. Compared to that, the Gusu Lan Family’s restricted library is... insignificant.”

Lan Xichen held the paper with the incomplete score in his hand, staring at it for a while before saying, “I... need to find a way to test this incomplete score.”

Lan Wangji said, “Brother?”

Lan Xichen continued, “After our elder brother died, during the siege of the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian was no longer alive. If the experiment shows that this incomplete score can indeed disturb the mind and isn’t fabricated...”

Wei Wuxian interjected, “Lord Ze Wu, testing an evil tune on a living person would violate the Gusu Lan Family’s principles.”

Lan Xichen said, “I’ll test it on myself.”

For the head of the Gusu Lan Family to suggest something so reckless showed how flustered he was. Lan Wangji raised his voice slightly. “Brother!”

Lan Xichen, supporting his forehead as if enduring something, said in a low voice, “Forget it, Lan Wangji. The Jin Guangyao I know, the one you know, and the one the world knows are completely different people! All these years, in my eyes, he has always been... enduring humiliation, caring for the people, respecting his elders, and pitying his juniors. I’ve always believed that the criticisms against him were misunderstandings, and what I know is the truth. Can you expect me to immediately accept that everything he showed me was a lie, that he plotted to kill his sworn brother, and I unwittingly aided him in his scheme? Can you allow me to be more cautious in making judgments?”

Lan Xichen had hoped that Jin Guangyao’s practice of the *Qing Xin Xuan Qu* would reconcile him with Nie Mingjue, but his good intentions had led to Jin Guangyao’s malice. How could one cope with such a situation?

None of the three spoke again. When they left the library, Lan Wangji said, “I’ll go see our uncle.”

After a long silence, Lan Xichen also said, “I’ll take Wei gongzi back. You can come over later.”

He led Wei Wuxian along the white stone paths of Cloud Recesses, returning to the secluded building surrounded by gentian. Standing before the door, Wei Wuxian asked, “Does Elder Lan know about Hanguang Jun’s...”

Lan Xichen replied, “Our uncle just woke up not long ago. I’ve instructed everyone not to say much to him.”

If Lan Qiren found out what Lan Wangji had done at Jin Lingtai, he’d likely be furious enough to faint again. Wei Wuxian said, “I feel for the elder.”

Lan Xichen said, "My uncle has certainly had his share of hardships."

Suddenly, he said, "Wei gongzi, do you know what place this house is?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Why does Ze Wu Jun think I would know?"

Lan Xichen glanced at him and said, "This was where my mother lived in Cloud Recesses."

Lan Xichen's mother was also Lan Wangji's mother. Wei Wuxian found it quite strange. The residence of the successive family heads of the Gusu Lan Family was known as the "Cold Room," which certainly wasn't this small house tucked away in a corner of Cloud Recesses. Could it be that the parents of Lan Wangji, like Jiang Fengmian and Lady Yu, had incompatible personalities and were forced into marriage, thus living separately?

A family head and the family head's wife living apart surely couldn't have a pleasant reason behind it. Moreover, the wife of the previous family head of the Gusu Lan Family was said to be frail and weak, constantly ill, unsuitable for meeting people. There was already very little known about her, and many speculated whether her "illness" was something unsightly, such as disfigurement or disability. Therefore, Wei Wuxian didn't ask further and remained silent, waiting for Lan Xichen to continue.

Lan Xichen said, "Wei gongzi, you should know that my father spent most of his time in seclusion, unconcerned with worldly matters. For many years, the Gusu Lan Family was managed almost single-handedly by my uncle."

Wei Wuxian said, "I know this."

Lan Xichen lowered his hand, the *Lieying* hidden in his white sleeve, and slowly said, "My father's constant seclusion was because of my mother. This place is more of a confinement than a residence."

Wei Wuxian was stunned.

The father of Ze Wu Jun and Hanguang Jun, the young Qingheng Jun, had once been a famous figure, achieving fame at a young age, unrivaled in glory. At the age of twenty, he suddenly retired from the world, announcing his marriage and withdrawal from worldly affairs. His seclusion was more like a retreat, and many speculated about the reasons, but none were confirmed.

Lan Xichen bent down by the cluster of gentian flowers, gently stroking the delicate, thin petals, and said, "When my father was young, on his way back from a night hunt outside Gusu, he met my mother." He smiled slightly and said, "They say he fell in love at first sight."

Wei Wuxian also smiled and said, "Youthful passion."

Lan Xichen, however, said, "But this woman did not return his affection and even killed one of my father's teachers."

This was beyond imagination. Wei Wuxian knew it was impolite to pry, but considering it involved the parents of Lan Wangji, he felt he had to ask, "Why?!"

Lan Xichen said, "I don't know, but it's likely due to the four characters 'enmity and grievances'."

Wei Wuxian, unable to delve further, suppressed his curiosity and said, "Then... what happened next?"

"After that," Lan Xichen said, "after discovering the truth, my father still secretly brought this woman back, against the opposition of the clan, and quietly married her. He declared her to be his lifelong wife, saying that anyone who wanted to harm her would have to go through him first."

Wei Wuxian widened his eyes.

Lan Xichen continued, "After the ceremony, my father found a house to lock her up and another house to lock himself up. It was called seclusion, but it was actually penance."

After a pause, he said, "Wei gongzi, can you understand why he did this?"

After a moment of silence, Wei Wuxian said, "He couldn't forgive the killer of his teacher, but he also couldn't bear to see the woman he loved die. So he married her to protect her life while forcing himself not to see her."

Lan Xichen said, "Do you think what he did was right?"

Wei Wuxian said, "I don't know."

Lan Xichen, with a slightly lost expression, said, "Then what do you think would have been the right thing to do?"

Wei Wuxian said, "I don't know."

After a while, Lan Xichen said softly, "My father, in doing this, could be said to have been utterly reckless. The clan elders were furious, but since they had watched him grow up, they were helpless. They had to keep the secret, hinting to outsiders that the wife of the family head of the Gusu Lan Family had an incurable illness and was unsuitable to meet people. When Wangji and I were born, we were immediately taken away to be cared for by others. As we grew older, we were entrusted to our uncle for our education.

"My uncle, who was already straightforward by nature, became even stricter because of my mother's situation, which led my father to ruin his own life. Therefore, he educated Wangji and me with extra diligence and severity. We could only see our mother once a month, in this small building."

The two young children, facing only a strict uncle, rigorous teachings, and piles of books, had to keep their young backs straight even when tired. They had to be the most outstanding children of the clan, models in the eyes of others. They couldn't see their closest relatives for long periods, couldn't roll around in their father's arms, and couldn't cuddle up to their mother.

But they hadn't done anything wrong.

Lan Xichen said, "Every time Wangji and I went to see her, she never complained about how stifling it was to be confined here, nor did she inquire about our studies. She especially loved to tease Wangji, but the more she teased him, the less he spoke, and the worse his expression became. He's been like that since childhood. However," he smiled, "although Wangji never said it, I know that he waited for the day he could meet our mother every month. He did, and so did I, every month."

Wei Wuxian imagined the young Lan Wangji being held by his mother, his snow-white cheeks flushing pink, and couldn't help but laugh along with the image. But before the laughter could fade, Lan Xichen continued, "But one day, our uncle suddenly told us that we didn’t need to go anymore.

"Mother was gone."

Wei Wuxian asked softly, "How old was Lan Zhan then?"

Lan Xichen said, "Six years old."

He continued, "At that age, he didn’t understand what 'gone' really meant. No matter how much others tried to comfort him or how harshly our uncle scolded him, he would still come here every month, sitting under the corridor, waiting for someone to open the door for him. Even when he grew older and realized that Mother wouldn't return and no one would open the door for him, he still came."

Lan Xichen stood up, his dark eyes meeting Wei Wuxian's gaze. "Wangji has always been incredibly stubborn, even as a child."

The rustling of leaves could be heard, and the clusters of gentian flowers by the house swayed gently in the night breeze, their movements filled with lingering affection. Wei Wuxian's eyes fell on the wooden corridor of the small building, and he could almost see a small child, wearing a forehead ribbon, sitting properly at the entrance, silently waiting for the door to open.

Wei Wuxian remarked, "Lady Lan must have been such a gentle woman."

Lan Xichen said, "In my memory, our mother was indeed like that. I don’t know why she did what she did back then, and honestly, I..."

He took a deep breath and admitted, "I don’t want to know."

After a moment of silence, Lan Xichen lowered his eyes and took out the Liefeng (his flute). A sudden night breeze carried a faint, mournful tune from the flute. The tune was low, like a sigh.

Wei Wuxian had heard Lan Xichen play the Liefeng before; the music was as refined as Lan Xichen himself, gentle and graceful like a spring breeze. But now, despite the music remaining exquisite, it felt bittersweet to the listener.

The night breeze gently ruffled Lan Xichen's black hair and forehead ribbon, yet the usually meticulous Gusu Lan Family head paid no attention to his appearance. Only when the piece ended did he put down the Liefeng and say, "In the Cloud Recesses, playing music late at night is not allowed. Tonight, I’ve repeatedly broken the rules, allowing Wei gongzi to see this side of me."

Wei Wuxian said, "What’s the big deal? Lord Ze Wu, don’t forget that the person standing in front of you is the biggest rule-breaker..."

Lan Xichen smiled and said, "The backgrounds of Wangji and I have never been revealed outside the Gusu Lan Family. I shouldn’t have told you all this. Tonight, I suddenly felt like confiding in someone, on a whim."

Wei Wuxian said, "I, Wei, am not a gossip. Lord Ze Wu can rest assured."

Lan Xichen said, "But Wangji wouldn’t hide anything from you."

Wei Wuxian said, "If he doesn’t want to talk, I won’t ask."

Lan Xichen said, "With Wangji's personality, if you don’t ask, how would he ever say anything? There are some things he wouldn’t tell you even if you asked."

Wei Wuxian was about to respond when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Lan Wangji walking under the moonlight, carrying two round wine jugs in his right hand, their tops sealed with bright red covers. Wei Wuxian's eyes lit up, and he said, "Hanguang Jun, you're truly thoughtful!"