Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Indecision XIV.3

Lan Wangji approached and handed Wei Wuxian the jar of Tianzi Lao. Wei Wuxian carried the jar inside, and Lan Wangji shook his head as he watched him go, his gaze nonetheless exceptionally gentle. Lan Xichen looked at him and said, "Did you take this from your room?"

Lan Wangji nodded.

Lan Xichen said, "You... better not touch alcohol. Be careful, just like last time."

His eyes lingered on the spot near Lan Wangji's collarbone. Lan Wangji also looked down at his chest and said, "It won't be like that again."

Lan Xichen forced a smile and sighed again.

After Lan Xichen left, Lan Wangji entered the room and gently closed the door. Wei Wuxian, while unsealing the alcohol, was still pondering the story of the Gusu Lan Family's founding ancestor, Lan An, and Qingheng Jun. He thought to himself, "The Gusu Lan Family is truly a mysterious clan. Although their ancestor was a monk and their family rules are rigid, they certainly produce men of great passion."

Lost in thought, he couldn't help but glance at the other Lan family member in the room.

Lan Wangji was reading a book with a pale paper lantern at the corner of the desk. The soft glow made his already striking features appear even more ethereal. His cold expression and light-colored eyes were bathed in a warm glow, making him look elegant and noble beyond reality. For a moment, Wei Wuxian was mesmerized, unconsciously leaning closer.

Lan Wangji lifted his gaze and asked, "What is it?"

Wei Wuxian quickly snapped out of it and said, "Nothing. I just noticed your bookmark is really pretty."

Lan Wangji's bookmark was a light-colored dried flower, well-preserved, still vibrant in color, with delicate veins as if it were alive, exuding a faint fragrance. Wei Wuxian plucked the bookmark out and said, "Peony?"

Lan Wangji said, "Yes."

Wei Wuxian fiddled with it for a moment before handing the bookmark back and said, "Your brother has taken this hard."

Lan Wangji carefully placed the peony flower between the pages and closed the book. "If there’s evidence, he won’t show any mercy," he said.

Wei Wuxian nodded. "Of course. After all, he's your brother."

Even though Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao were close, he was still part of the Gusu Lan Family and had his principles.

Wei Wuxian opened one of the alcohol jars, thinking, "The last time Lan Wangji got drunk, he truthfully told me that he hadn't stolen any of the Tianzi Lao from the room, so why is he hiding these? It can't be that he's keeping them specifically for me to drink—that would be quite shameless of me to assume. But speaking of the forehead ribbon, should I apologize for playing with it so many times? What if he gets angry and kicks me out? Still, he hasn’t gotten angry all this time, so his patience must have grown. I guess even if I mess around a bit more, he won’t get mad. No, I shouldn’t ask him. I’ll just pretend I don’t know the significance of the forehead ribbon, that way I can deliberately pull on it again next time. If he gets mad, I’ll innocently say I didn’t know; ignorance is bliss, after all."

Lost in his thoughts, Lan Wangji said, "What's wrong?"

Wei Wuxian turned back and said seriously, "Nothing. I'm just happy." Absentmindedly, he opened a small jar, lifted it, and immediately spit it out, exclaiming, "Ptoo!"

Lan Wangji immediately put down the book and said, "What's wrong again?"

Wei Wuxian waved his hands and said, "Nothing! Nothing at all!"

While saying nothing was wrong, he put the jar back, looking frustrated, and switched to another one.

The last time he stole a drink, he deliberately diluted it with plain water, planning to scare Lan Wangji when he drank it. Who knew his luck would be so bad that one of the two jars Lan Wangji picked would be this watered-down one, and he drank it himself.

Ever since he returned, every time he tried to play a prank on Lan Wangji, it backfired, which was truly baffling!

Wei Wuxian didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but in the early hours of the morning, he suddenly woke up. Startled, he sat up to see Lan Wangji fully dressed, holding the Qin Sword, retracting the hand that had been on his shoulder, and concentrating on something in his palm. "There are uninvited guests," Lan Wangji said.

Wei Wuxian squinted and saw that it was indeed the Gusu Lan Family's pass token. He remembered that Lan Wangji's was of high rank and would give a warning if any outsiders breached the barrier of Cloud Recesses.

But no one had dared to casually invade Cloud Recesses for over a decade. Wei Wuxian jumped out of bed, realizing his outer clothes had been removed. As he dressed, he said, "Who is it?"

Lan Wangji shook his head, signaling Wei Wuxian to follow him. The two stealthily moved to a residence hidden by green bamboo, where light seeped through the paper windows. Wei Wuxian glanced at the wooden plaque in front of the courtyard and said, "The Cold Chamber?"

Indeed, inside, Lan Xichen sat upright and composed. Upon seeing the two enter, he was not surprised and exchanged a knowing look with Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji guided Wei Wuxian to sit behind the screen.

After a while, someone lifted the bamboo curtain of the Cold Room, and a light footstep entered, seemingly sitting down opposite Lan Xichen.

Moments later, the sound of jade clinking was heard, as if someone had placed something on the table and pushed it across.

Lan Xichen was the first to speak. "What does this mean?"

A voice said, "Returning it to Second Brother."

It was Jin Guangyao.

Lan Xichen said, "I have already given this item to you."

Jin Guangyao replied, "This access jade token has not failed for many years, but now that it has, it should be returned to its original owner."

Wei Wuxian realized that due to the close friendship between Lord Ze Wu and Concealing Fragrance Duke, Lan Xichen had given Jin Guangyao an access jade token to Cloud Recesses, granting him unrestricted entry. However, he probably modified the boundary protections of Cloud Recesses these past few days or revoked Jin Guangyao's access rights, which was why Jin Guangyao had visited and was denied entry. Thus, he took the initiative to return the jade token.

Similar to Lan Wangji, Lan Xichen wasn’t one for empty pleasantries. After a moment of silence, Lan Xichen asked, "Why are you here?"

Jin Guangyao replied, "We still haven’t heard anything about Hanguang Jun or the Yiling Patriarch. Several families are growing suspicious and raising objections since I haven’t permitted a search of Cloud Recesses. If you’re available, Second Brother, maybe you could open the gates for an hour. I will come with people to handle the situation then."

Wei Wuxian initially thought that Jin Guangyao had come to demand a search, so he was slightly surprised by his words. It seemed that Jin Guangyao was not interested in searching for the Yiling Patriarch. Outside the screen, Jin Guangyao continued, "Second Brother, what’s wrong?"

Lan Xichen said, "Nothing."

Jin Guangyao said, "There’s no need to worry about Wangji. Hanguang Jun is known for his righteousness and integrity. If he has been deceived, he hasn’t done anything irreparable yet. Everything will be cleared up when the time comes. I won’t give others a chance to gossip."

Lan Xichen asked, "When exactly?"

Jin Guangyao replied, "After the purging of the Burial Mounds."

Wei Wuxian was startled. Lan Xichen said, "The Burial Mounds?"

Jin Guangyao explained, "Ever since the chaos at Jin Lingtai, strange occurrences have been reported in places like Muzeling, Lanling, and Yunmeng. Graves have been desecrated, and bodies have vanished. There are indications that large groups of corpses are heading towards Yiling. It’s likely they’re going to the Burial Mounds."

Lan Xichen asked, "What exactly is the purpose?"

Jin Guangyao replied, "It’s unknown. Some speculate that Wei Wuxian may have activated an evil formation or used the Yin Tiger Tally."

Lan Xichen said, "At Jin Lingtai, after being stabbed by Jin Ling, could he still activate such things?"

Jin Guangyao replied, "Second Brother, back when Wei Wuxian rebelled against the Yunmeng Jiang family and fought with the Jiang family head, no matter how injured he was, he still returned to command the corpses and wield power. What difficulty is there for the Yiling Patriarch?"

Wei Wuxian rubbed his chin and thought, "He thinks too highly of me..."

Jin Guangyao continued, "So, there will likely be a second siege of the Burial Mounds soon. I have already informed other families to gather at Jin Lingtai to discuss this matter. Second Brother, will you come?"

After a moment, Lan Xichen said, "I will. Go to the Elegant Room and wait for a while. I’ll join you shortly."

After Jin Guangyao left, Lan Xichen went behind the screen and, after a moment facing Lan Wangji, said, "I’ll go to Jin Lingtai. You go to the Burial Mounds. We’ll act separately."

Lan Wangji slowly nodded and said, "Good."

Lan Xichen added, "If he truly has rebellious intentions, I will not tolerate it."

Lan Wangji replied, "I understand."

The two of them descended from Cloud Recesses via a small path. Along the way, the grass near the white stone path rustled and parted, revealing a small, snowball-like figure with long ears.

The rabbit’s pink nose twitched, and when it saw Lan Wangji, its drooping ears perked up. It kicked its legs and bounced toward him. They arrived at a grassy field where Little Apple lay beside a tree. Dozens of round, white rabbits were nestled around it, most with their eyes closed, sleeping soundly. A few were still wriggling. Wei Wuxian walked to the tree, scratched Little Apple’s head, and the donkey jerked awake, snorting. As it was about to shout, the clustered rabbits were also startled awake. They shook their long ears and hopped toward Lan Wangji, gathering around his snow-white boots, running excitedly around him. It was unclear what they were so excited about.

Wei Wuxian tugged at Little Apple's reins, half-dragging and half-threatening it to move forward. The rabbits reared up on their hind legs, scrambling onto Lan Wangji’s legs one after another, all trying to climb up. Lan Wangji stood still, unperturbed. As the two of them started walking, the white rabbits stumbled along beside Lan Wangji's white boots, and no matter how Wei Wuxian shooed them away, they wouldn't leave. Lan Wangji bent down and picked up one of the rabbits, holding it in his arm. His face was impassive, yet his fingers gently scratched the rabbit’s chin. The rabbit shook its long ears and turned its head away, its ruby-like eyes narrowing into a slit, clearly relishing the scratch. When Wei Wuxian attempted to scratch it, the rabbit turned its head away. Wei Wuxian said, "So disdainful of me, loyal only to you, truly a loyal pet."

Lan Wangji looked at him and placed the white rabbit into his arms. Wei Wuxian chuckled and accepted it, the rabbit wriggling and struggling in his arms. Wei Wuxian playfully tugged at its ears, saying, "Don’t like me? Hate me? Go ahead and try to escape, but there’s no getting away from me."

Wei Wuxian teased the rabbit for a while, and as they neared the gates of Cloud Recesses, he released the now disheveled rabbit. The rabbits, unable to follow any further, drooped their ears and sat dejectedly, watching their master depart.

Wei Wuxian looked back and said, "They're all reluctant to part with you, Hanguang Jun. I didn’t expect you to be so liked by these little creatures. You must have been very gentle and attentive when you raised them, unlike me."

Lan Wangji said, "Unlike you?"

Wei Wuxian boasted, "Absolutely! Whether they fly, walk, or swim, every creature turns tail and runs when they see me."

Lan Wangji shook his head, the message unmistakable: They must dislike Wei Wuxian because he had provoked them first.