Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Han Guang Part 17

After the fight, Wen Ning earned an unpleasant nickname for his fierce and terrifying performance, but that’s a story for later. Although Wei Wuxian was stabbed in the abdomen by Jiang Cheng, he didn’t seem to care much. He pushed his intestines back in and, as if nothing had happened, commanded Wen Ning to hunt down a few evil spirits and bought several large bags of potatoes on the way back.

After returning to the Burial Mounds, Wen Qing bandaged his wounds and gave him an earful because he was supposed to buy radish seeds instead.

After that, they lived a peaceful and uneventful life for a while. Wei Wuxian led fifty cultivators from the Wen family to farm, repair houses, refine corpses, and make tools on the Burial Mounds. In his free time, he played with Wen Yuan, Wen Qing’s one- or two-year-old cousin, dangling him from a tree or burying him up to his neck in dirt, teasing him that sunbathing and watering would make him grow faster. Wen Qing would then scold him again.

Months passed like this, and while Wei Wuxian’s reputation worsened, nothing else happened.

Wei Wuxian didn’t have many opportunities to go down the mountain because he was the only one suppressing all the dark and evil entities on the Burial Mounds. He couldn’t go too far or stay away for too long. Being someone who couldn’t stay in one place for long, he often went to the nearest town using shopping as an excuse to wander around. Feeling that Wen Yuan had been stuck on the Burial Mounds for too long, Wei Wuxian decided not to let a two-year-old child play in the mud in such a place all the time. So, one day when he went down the mountain to shop, he took Wen Yuan with him.

Having been to this town too many times, Wei Wuxian was very familiar with it. He went to a vegetable stall and rummaged through the produce. Suddenly, he picked up a potato and angrily said, "This potato has sprouted!"

The vegetable vendor looked as if facing a great enemy, "What are you going to do about it?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Give me a discount."

At first, Wen Yuan clung to his leg like a little koala, but as Wei Wuxian walked around picking potatoes and haggling over prices, Wen Yuan hung on his leg for a while until his short arms got tired, and he let go to rest. However, in that short moment, the crowd on the street pushed him around, and he lost his direction. With his low vantage point, he couldn’t spot Wei Wuxian’s long legs and black boots as he wandered around. All he saw were dusty, grimy legs and black pants, and he became more and more confused. Just as he was disoriented, he bumped into someone’s leg.

The person was wearing a pair of spotless white boots and had been walking very slowly. When Wen Yuan bumped into him, he immediately stopped.

Trembling, Wen Yuan looked up and first saw the jade pendant hanging from the waist, then the belt embroidered with cloud patterns, followed by the meticulously neat collar, and finally, a pair of cold, icy eyes that resembled glass.

The stranger was looking down at him with a stern expression, and Wen Yuan suddenly felt scared.

After haggling and nitpicking for a while, Wei Wuxian finally decided not to buy the sprouted potatoes, as eating them might cause poisoning, and the vendor refused to lower the price, scoffing at him. When he turned around, Wen Yuan was gone. He was horrified and searched the entire street for the child. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a child crying loudly and rushed over. Not far away, a group of curious onlookers had formed a bustling circle, whispering and pointing. He pushed through the crowd and his eyes lit up.

Lan Wangji, dressed in white and carrying Bichen, stood stiffly in the middle of the crowd, looking unusually awkward. Upon closer inspection, Wei Wuxian almost burst out laughing. A little child was sitting at Lan Wangji’s feet, crying and sobbing loudly. Lan Wangji didn’t know whether to leave or stay, to reach out or speak. His face was serious, as if he was thinking about what to do.

The onlookers chattered, munching on melon seeds, "What’s going on here? Such a small child crying so loudly."

Someone confidently said, "He must have been scolded by his father."

Hearing "his father," Wei Wuxian, who was hiding in the crowd, almost choked. Lan Wangji immediately looked up and denied, "I am not."

Wen Yuan, however, didn’t understand what people were talking about. When children are scared, they call out for someone close to them, so he cried out, "Daddy! Daddy, wuwuwu..."

The onlookers immediately said, "Listen! I told you, it’s his father!"

Someone who thought they had sharp eyes said, "Definitely his father, their noses are exactly the same, no doubt about it!"

Someone sympathetic said, "How pitiful, crying so hard. Was he scolded by his father?"

Someone confused said, "What’s going on up there? Can you move aside? My cart can’t get through."

Someone scolded, "Why isn’t he picking up the child to comfort him? Just letting his son sit on the ground crying? What kind of father is he!"

Someone understanding said, "He’s so young, probably a first-time father. I was like that too, didn’t know anything. Once you have a few more kids, you’ll understand. It’s all about learning slowly..."

Someone tried to comfort the child, "Don’t cry, where’s your mom?"

"Yeah, where’s the mom? The dad doesn’t seem to care, where’s the mom?"

Amidst the noisy crowd, Lan Wangji’s expression grew increasingly strange.

Poor Lan Wangji, born a prodigy, with every word and action being the epitome of elegance and righteousness, had never encountered such a situation where he was being judged by everyone. Wei Wuxian was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, but seeing Wen Yuan crying so hard that he might pass out, he finally stepped forward, pretending to have just noticed the two of them, and said in surprise, "Huh? Lan Zhan?"

Lan Wangji looked up sharply, and their eyes met. For some reason, Wei Wuxian avoided his gaze. Upon hearing Wei Wuxian’s voice, Wen Yuan immediately got up and, dragging his tears, ran towards him, clinging to his leg again. The onlookers shouted, "Who’s this now? Where’s the mom? Who’s the father?"

Wei Wuxian waved his hand and said, "Everyone, disperse, disperse!"

Seeing that there was nothing more to see, the idlers slowly dispersed. Wei Wuxian turned around with a slight smile and said, "What a surprise! Lan Zhan, what are you doing in Yiling?"

Lan Wangji replied, "Night Hunting. Passing through."

Hearing his tone as usual, without any hint of disgust or hostility, Wei Wuxian suddenly felt a sense of relief. Then he heard Lan Wangji slowly ask, "...This child?"

Wei Wuxian, feeling at ease, couldn't help but joke, "I had him."

Lan Wangji's eyebrow twitched, and Wei Wuxian laughed heartily, "Of course, I'm joking. He's someone else's child; I just brought him out to play. What did you do just now? How did you make him cry?"

Lan Wangji said indifferently, "I did nothing."

Wen Yuan was still clinging to Wei Wuxian's leg, sniffling. Wei Wuxian understood. Although Lan Wangji's face was handsome, most young children couldn't distinguish beauty from ugliness; they only saw that this person was not at all amiable, cold and stern, and were inevitably frightened by his severe expression. Wei Wuxian picked up Wen Yuan, jiggling him around and coaxing him for a bit. Suddenly, he noticed a peddler by the roadside grinning and watching them with amusement. He pointed to the colorful trinkets in the peddler's basket and asked, "A Yuan, look over here, aren't these nice?"

Wen Yuan's attention was drawn, and he sniffled, saying, "...Nice."

Wei Wuxian then asked, "Do they smell good?"

Wen Yuan said, "Good."

The peddler quickly added, "They're pretty and smell good, young master. Buy one."

Wei Wuxian asked, "Do you want one?"

Wen Yuan, thinking he was going to buy it for him, shyly said, "Yes."

But Wei Wuxian stepped in the opposite direction, saying, "Haha, come on, let's go."

Wen Yuan was devastated, tears welling up in his eyes again. Lan Wangji, watching coldly, finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "Why not buy it for him?"

Wei Wuxian asked curiously, "Why should I buy it for him?"

Lan Wangji said, "You asked if he wanted it; doesn't that mean you're going to buy it for him?"

Wei Wuxian deliberately retorted, "Asking is one thing, buying is another. Why does asking necessarily mean buying?"

With this counter-question, Lan Wangji was left speechless, glaring at him for a while before turning his gaze to Wen Yuan. Wen Yuan, under his stare, began to tremble again.

After a moment, Lan Wangji said to Wen Yuan, "You... which one do you want."

Wen Yuan hadn't yet recovered, and Lan Wangji pointed to the items in the peddler's basket, saying, "Among these, which one do you want."

Wen Yuan looked at him in terror, not daring to breathe.

After a short while, Wen Yuan finally stopped crying. He kept feeling his pockets, which were bulging with the small trinkets Lan Wangji had bought for him. Seeing that he had finally stopped crying, Lan Wangji seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. However, Wen Yuan, with a red face, silently moved over and hugged his leg.

Looking down, Lan Wangji found something extra on his leg, "..."

Wei Wuxian burst out laughing, "Hahahaha! Lan Zhan, congrats, he likes you! He hugs the leg of whoever he likes and never lets go."

Lan Wangji took a couple of steps. Sure enough, Wen Yuan clung tightly to his leg, showing no intention of letting go, holding on quite firmly. Wei Wuxian patted his shoulder and said, "I think you should forget about Night Hunting for now. How about we go get something to eat first?"

Lan Wangji looked up at him, his tone flat, "Eat?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Yes, eat. Don't be so cold. It's rare for you to come to Yiling and for us to meet so coincidentally. Let's catch up. Come on, my treat."

With Wei Wuxian half dragging him and Wen Yuan still clinging to Lan Wangji's leg, they pulled him into a restaurant. Wei Wuxian sat down in a private room and said, "Order some dishes."

Lan Wangji was pushed onto the seat by him, glanced at the menu, and said, "You order."

Wei Wuxian said, "I'm treating you, so of course you should order. Order whatever you like, no need to hold back." Just now, he hadn't bought the sprouted poisonous potatoes, so he had money to pay the bill. Lan Wangji wasn't one to refuse repeatedly, so after a moment's thought, he ordered. Wei Wuxian listened to him list a few dishes in a neutral tone and laughed, "You're full of surprises, Lan Zhan. I thought people from Gusu didn't eat spicy food. You have quite a heavy palate. Do you drink?"

Lan Wangji shook his head, and Wei Wuxian said, "Still so disciplined even when traveling, truly worthy of being Hanguang Jun. Then I won't get you a drink."

Wen Yuan sat beside Lan Wangji's legs, arranging the small wooden knives, swords, clay figures, and grass-woven butterflies from his pocket on the seat, fondly counting them. Wei Wuxian watched him cling to Lan Wangji, making it inconvenient for him to even drink tea, and whistled, "A Yuan, come here."

Wen Yuan looked at Wei Wuxian, who had buried him in the ground like a radish just two days ago, and then at Lan Wangji, who had just bought him a pile of toys. He didn't budge, and his face clearly showed his refusal.

Wei Wuxian said, "Come here. You're in the way sitting there."

Lan Wangji, however, said, "It's fine. Let him sit."

Wen Yuan happily hugged his leg again, this time his thigh. Wei Wuxian twirled his chopsticks in his hand and laughed, "Milk is mother, money is father. What nonsense."

Soon, the food and wine arrived, a lively spread on the table, along with a bowl of sweet soup Lan Wangji had specially ordered for Wen Yuan. Wei Wuxian tapped his bowl several times, but Wen Yuan was still bent over, holding two butterflies, muttering to himself, sometimes pretending to be the shy one on the left saying, "I... I really like you," and sometimes pretending to be the happy one on the right saying, "I like you too!" He was thoroughly enjoying playing both roles. Wei Wuxian, hearing this, laughed so hard he nearly choked, "Goodness, A Yuan, who taught you this so young? What's all this 'I like you, you like me'? Do you even know what liking means? Stop playing and come eat. Your new father ordered this for you, it's good stuff."

Only then did Wen Yuan put the little butterflies back in his pocket, pick up the bowl, and sit next to Lan Wangji with a small spoon to eat the sweet soup. Previously, Wen Yuan had been detained in Qishan and then moved to the Burial Mounds, where the food was less than ideal. So, this bowl of sweet soup was a novel delicacy for him. After a few bites, he couldn't stop eating, but he still remembered to offer the bowl to Wei Wuxian, presenting it like a treasure, "...Brother Xian... Brother, eat."

Wei Wuxian, looking pleased, said, "Hmm, not bad, you still remember to honor me."

Lan Wangji said, "No talking while eating."

To make sure Wen Yuan understood, he repeated in plain language, "Don't talk while eating."

Wen Yuan quickly nodded, buried his head in the soup, and stopped talking. Wei Wuxian repeatedly said, "How absurd, it takes him several times to listen to me, but he obeys you immediately. Truly absurd."

Lan Wangji said calmly, "No talking while eating. You too."

Wei Wuxian smiled, tilted his head back, and drank a cup of wine, then played with the wine cup in his hand, saying, "You really... never change, do you? Hey, Lan Zhan, what are you hunting in Yiling this time? I know this place well, want me to show you around?"

Lan Wangji said, "No need."

Noble families often had secret missions they couldn't discuss with outsiders, so Wei Wuxian didn't press further, saying, "It's rare to meet someone I know from before who doesn't avoid me. I've been so bored these past few months. Anything big happening outside recently?"

Lan Wangji asked, "What counts as big?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Like where a new family has emerged, which family has expanded their immortal residence, or which families have formed an alliance. Just casual chat, let's talk."

After his fake fallout with Jiang Cheng, he hadn't heard much about the outside world's new developments, at most some miscellaneous gossip from the town.

Lan Wangji said, "Marriage alliance."

Wei Wuxian asked, "Which families?"

Lan Wangji said, "The Jin family of Lanling, the Yunmeng Jiang family."

Wei Wuxian's hand, playing with the wine cup, froze.

He was stunned, "My shijie... Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan?"

Lan Wangji nodded slightly, and Wei Wuxian asked, "When did this happen? When is the ceremony?!"

Lan Wangji said, "In three days."

Wei Wuxian's slightly trembling hand brought the wine cup to his lips, but he didn't realize it was already empty. His heart suddenly felt hollow, unsure whether it was anger, shock, displeasure, or helplessness.

Although he had anticipated this before leaving the Jiang family, hearing the news suddenly, a thousand thoughts and words clogged his chest, wishing to pour out but having no outlet. Such a big matter, and Jiang Cheng didn't even think of a way to tell him. If he hadn't run into Lan Wangji today, he might have found out even later!

But then again, what could he do even if he knew? Publicly, Jiang Cheng had already announced to the world, and all the families now believed his story: Wei Wuxian had defected from the family, and this person had nothing to do with the Yunmeng Jiang family from now on. Even if he knew, he couldn't attend this wedding banquet. Jiang Cheng was right not to tell him; if Jiang Cheng had told him, he might have impulsively done something.

After a while, Wei Wuxian muttered, "Jin Zixuan is getting a steal."

He poured another cup of wine and said, "Lan Zhan, what do you think of this marriage?"

Lan Zhan remained silent. Wei Wuxian said, "Oh, right, why am I asking you? What could you think? You never think about such things."

He drained the cup of wine in one go and said, "I know, many people behind my back say my shijie isn't good enough for Jin Zixuan, ha. In my eyes, it's Jin Zixuan who is not worthy of my shijie. But just..."

But just, Jiang Yanli likes Jin Zixuan.

Wei Wuxian slammed the wine cup down on the table and said, "Lan Zhan! Do you know? My shijie, she deserves the best person in the world."

He slapped the table, his brows slightly intoxicated with pride, and said, "We will make this grand ceremony something that people will talk about with awe and admiration for a hundred years, unmatched by anyone. I want to see my shijie's ceremony done in grand style."

Lan Zhan said, "Hmm."

Wei Wuxian scoffed, "What are you 'hmm'-ing about? I can't see it anymore."

At this moment, Wen Yuan, who had finished his sweet dessert, sat on the mat and started playing with grass-woven butterflies again. The long antennae of the two butterflies got tangled together and couldn't be untangled for a long time. Seeing his worried look, Lan Zhan took the butterflies from his hands, quickly untangled the four knotted antennae, and returned them to him.

Seeing this, Wei Wuxian was slightly distracted and forced a smile, saying, "A Yuan, don't rub your face over there, you still have sweet dessert on your mouth, you'll dirty his clothes."

Lan Zhan took out a plain white handkerchief and expressionlessly wiped the sweet dessert from Wen Yuan's mouth. Wei Wuxian teased, "Lan Zhan, really, I didn't expect you to be so good with kids. If you treat him any better, he won't want to go back with me..."

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian's expression changed, and he pulled out a talisman from his chest, which was already burning fiercely. After he took it out, it turned to ashes in no time. Lan Zhan's gaze sharpened, and Wei Wuxian suddenly stood up, saying, "Damn it."

This talisman was the key to a warning array he had set up at the Burial Mounds. If something changed at the Burial Mounds after he left, the array was broken, or there was a surge of blood energy, the talisman would automatically burn to alert him that something was wrong. Wei Wuxian scooped Wen Yuan up under his arm and said, "Excuse me, Lan Zhan, I have to go back!"

Wen Yuan's things fell out of his pocket, and he said, "But... butterfly!" Wei Wuxian had already rushed out of the restaurant with him. Not long after, a white figure flashed by, and Lan Zhan actually followed, running alongside them. Wei Wuxian said, "Lan Zhan? Why are you following?"

Lan Zhan placed the butterfly Wen Yuan had dropped into his palm and didn't answer directly, instead asking, "Why not ride the sword?"

Wei Wuxian said, "I forgot to bring it!"

Lan Zhan said nothing, grabbed him by the waist, and hoisted him onto Bichen, soaring into the air. Wen Yuan was too young and had never ridden a flying sword before, so he should have been very scared. But because Bichen flew so steadily, he didn't feel any bumps at all. Plus, the townspeople were all shocked by the sight of the three of them flying and looked up in awe, making him feel excited and novel, shouting with joy. Wei Wuxian sighed in relief and said, "Thank you!"

Lan Zhan said, "Where to."

Wei Wuxian pointed the way, "This way!"