Wei WuXian called out, “… Lan Zhan.”
Lan WangJi’s breathing wasn’t as placid as usual, feeling somewhat rushed. It was probably from carrying Wei WuXian while fending off attacks and being on the run for too long.
The tone in which he replied, however, was still the single syllable, as steady as ever, “Mnn.”
After the “mnn”, he added, “I am here.”
Hearing the words, something that Wei WuXian had never felt before sprouted within his heart. It was like sorrow. His chest hurt a bit, but also felt a bit warm.
He could still remember how, back in Jiangling, Lan WangJi came all the way to assist him, yet he didn’t appreciate the kindness at all. With all kinds of disputes, the two of them often parted with disapproval.
But what he hadn’t expected was that when everyone feared him and flattered him, Lan WangJi scolded him right in his face; when everyone spurned him and loathed him, Lan WangJi stood by his side.
Suddenly, Wei WuXian spoke, “Ah, I remember now.”
Lan WangJi, “What do you remember?”
Wei WuXian, “I remember now, Lan Zhan. Just like this. I… really have carried you before.”
Chapter 51 Courage—Part One
Yunmeng was abundant in lakes. The YunmengJiang Sect’s “Lotus Pier”, the residence of the greatest sect here, was built near a lake as well.
Starting from the end of Lotus Pier, after just a while of paddling, one would see a large lotus lake, more than a hundred miles in length. The wide, verdant leaves and the smooth, pink blossoms brushed shoulders against one another. As a breeze blew over, the petals and the leaves swayed as if they nodded their heads. Amid the purity and grace, one could also feel a naive sense of clumsiness.
Lotus Pier wasn’t as other-worldly as the other sects’ residences, shutting their doors and refusing to let commoners come within a boundary miles away. The docks right in front of Lotus Pier’s entrance often bustled with vendors selling seed pods, water chestnuts and all kinds of pastries. Runny-nosed children from households nearby could also sneak into Lotus Pier’s fields to watch the cultivators practice their swords. They wouldn’t be scolded even if they got caught, either. They could sometimes even play around with the Jiang Sect’s disciples.
When Wei WuXian was young, he often shot kites at the bank of Lotus Lake.
Jiang Cheng stared fixedly at his own kite, glancing at Wei WuXian’s once in a while. Wei WuXian’s kite had already flown high up in the sky, but he still had no intention of drawing his bow. With his right hand at his brows, he grinned as he looked up, as though he still felt that it wasn’t far enough.
Seeing that the kite had almost drifted out of the area where he was certain he’d succeed in shooting it down, Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth. He positioned his arrow and drew the bow. The white-feathered arrow shot out. The kite painted like a one-eyed monster was pierced right through the eye and fell downward. Jiang Cheng’s brows lifted, “It hit!”
Right after, he asked, “Yours has flown so far already. You sure you can hit it?”
Wei WuXian, “Wanna guess?”
He finally pulled out an arrow and aimed. As the bow was drawn to the utmost, he swiftly let go.
A hit!
Jiang Cheng’s brows scrunched up again. A humph came through his nose. All of the boys put away their bows and went to pick up their kites so that they could rank the distances. The closest kite would receive the lowest ranking. Every time, the last one was the shidi who was the sixth eldest. As usual, they’d spend some time laughing at him. His face was quite thick, though, so he didn’t care at all. Wei WuXian’s was the farthest. The closest one to him, the one ranked second, was Jiang Cheng’s kite. Both Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng felt too lazy to go fetch the kites. The boys rushed into the winding hallway built over the water’s surface. They were playing around, jumping up and down, as two young, slender women appeared before them.
Both of them were dressed as armed maids, carrying with them short swords. The taller maid, holding a kite and an arrow, blocked their path. She asked coldly, “Whose are these?”
All of the boys silently cursed their luck as they saw the two women. Wei WuXian touched his chin and stepped forward, “They’re mine.”
The other maid snorted, “You’re an honest one, aren’t you?”
They parted and revealed between them a purple-clothed woman, also carrying a sword.
The woman had creamy skin and was rather beautiful, though her delicate features displayed some fierceness. The corners of her lips lay between a frown and a smile—she was a natural at sneering, just like Jiang Cheng. Her flowing purple robes wrapped around her thin waist. Both her face and her right hand, which rested on the hilt of her sword, were as cold as jade stone. A ring embellished with amethyst was worn on the index finger of her right hand.
Jiang Cheng smiled as he saw her, “Mom!”
Meanwhile, the rest of the boys greeted her with respect, “Madam Yu.”
Madam Yu was Jiang Cheng’s mother, Yu ZiYuan. Of course, she was Jiang FengMian’s wife, and used to cultivate with him as well. Naturally, she should be called Madam Jiang. But, for some reason, everyone had always called her Madam Yu. Some people guessed that it was because she didn’t want to take on her husband’s surname due to her assertive personality. On this matter, neither the husband nor the wife in question had ever argued either.
Madam Yu came from the prominent MeishanYu Sect. She was ranked third in her clan, so was also called Third Lady Yu. In the cultivation world, she went by the name “Violet Spider”. Just bringing up the name could scare quite a few away. Ever since she was young, she’d had a cold personality and never came off as likeable when conversing with others. Even after she married Jiang FengMian, she had always been out on night-hunts, not overly fond of staying at the Jiang Sect’s Lotus Pier. On top of that, where she lived at Lotus Pier was different from where Jiang FengMian did. She had her own area, where only she and a few of the family members she’d brought from the Yu Sect lived. The two young women, JinZhu and YinZhu, were both her trusted maids. They never left her side.
Madam Yu gave Jiang Cheng a sideways glance, “Fiddling about again? Come, let me see you.”
Jiang Cheng went to her side. Madam Yu squeezed his arm with her slender fingers, then slapped his shoulder loudly, scolding, “There’s isn’t any improvement in your cultivation at all. You’re seventeen already, yet you’re still like an ignorant child, fooling around with others all the time. Are you the same as others? Who knows which sewers other people will be splashing in, but you’re going to be the leader of the Jiang Sect!”
Jiang Cheng stumbled from the slap, head lowered, not daring to protest. Wei WuXian understood—it went without saying that she was scolding him again, whether obvious or not. On the side, one of his shidi secretly stuck out his tongue toward him. Wei WuXian raised a brow at the shidi. Madam Yu, “Wei Ying, what trouble are you stirring up this time?”
Wei WuXian stood forward, accustomed to it. Madam Yu scolded, “You’re like this again! If you yourself don’t seek progress, then don’t drag Jiang Cheng along to fool around with you. You’re going to be a bad influence to him.”