The two walked around the temple some more, an idea already in mind. After they left the temple, Wei WuXian led Lan WangJi into an alleyway, picked up a branch, and drew a few squares on the ground before he tossed it away again, “Jin GuangYao really went out of his way.”
Lan WangJi picked up the branch he tossed away and added a few more strokes onto the squares. The outlines became clearer and clearer—it was an aerial view of the Guanyin Temple.
Wei WuXian took the branch from his hand again, “There’s a big array inside the temple. Something is being suppressed.” He pointed at a certain spot, “The array’s a bit complicated. It’s quite safe. But if the eye of the array right here is destroyed, whatever it’s suppressing will come out.”
Lan WangJi stood up, “We will do it at nighttime, when people are sparse. We should find a place to rest before we strategize.”
They didn’t know how powerful the creature under the Temple was, so of course they couldn’t act rashly in the day, when there were so many passersby. Wei WuXian, “I wonder how long it’d take to finish off the thing in the Temple. Could we make it to Lanling? Would our schedule be delayed?”
Lan WangJi, “The condition of your body is still unclear. You must not force yourself.”
In the fight at Burial Mound, Wei WuXian exerted too much energy and stamina. Both his mind and his body were strained for too long. A few hours earlier, Jiang Cheng angered him so much that he almost bled from his qiqiao. He only recovered after a long time of rest. Although he didn’t feel too bad right now, if there was something he missed and he pushed himself all the way to Lanling, it was hard to tell whether or not an accident would happen at a critical moment. On top of that, he wasn’t the only one straining his mind and body in the past few days. Lan WangJi didn’t rest for a second either.
Thinking even if he didn’t need to rest, Lan WangJi definitely needed to, Wei WuXian replied, “Okay. Then let’s find somewhere to rest first.”
Wei WuXian himself was able to live anywhere, an estate if he had money, and under a tree if he had none. But right now, Lan WangJi was with him. He definitely couldn’t imagine Lan WangJi lying on some tree roots, or cramped with him inside a small, dirty room. And so, after some time of walking, the two finally settled on a neat inn at the other side of Yunping City.
The owner rushed outside enthusiastically, almost dragging them inside. Inside of the inn was both clean and organized, and the first floor was almost full with guests, making it obvious that whomever responsible for the place was quite good at their work. Most of the people working inside were women, from young girls just over ten sweeping the floors to chubby ladies working in the kitchen. When they saw two young men walk in, their eyes lit up in unison. One of the girls pouring water for the guests was staring at Lan WangJi so hard she didn’t even notice that the mouth of her teacup pointed off.
The owner shouted a few things, telling them to do their work properly. She herself led Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi upstairs to look at the rooms, asking as she walked, “Young Masters, how many rooms would you like?”
Hearing this, Wei WuXian’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. He snuck a glance across at Lan WangJi.
If it were two months ago, the question wouldn’t even be necessary. During the time they just returned, in order to escape as soon as possible, he tried everything he had to disgust Lan WangJi. Lan WangJi noticed it as well, so he just decided to get one room ever since then. In any case, no matter how many he got, Wei WuXian would find a way into his bed.
Not only that, because nobody knew whom he was, Wei WuXian dared to do anything, no matter how shameless it was. Just the first night they went down the Cloud Recesses, and he was already the first to slink into Lan WangJi’s bed. Lan WangJi saw him rolling on his bed the moment he opened the door. Expressionless, he stood for a while before he went to the other room next door that he paid for. Wei WuXian, of course, wouldn’t let him go as easy as that. He chased after, yelling that he wanted to sleep with him. Even after he crawled into the bed, he tossed the other pillow out the window, insisting on using the same one as Lan WangJi. He even went as far as to ask why Lan WangJi was sleeping with clothes on, trying to forcefully strip him.
Halfway through the night, he had suddenly stretched his cold feet into Lan WangJi’s blanket, grabbing his hand and laying it on his chest, “Listen to my heartbeat, HanGuang-Jun!” And then he stared innocently yet romantically into his eyes… In the end, Lan WangJi struck him frozen. Unable to move, he finally quieted.
The past was almost unbearable to remember. This was the first time Wei WuXian felt shocked at his own shamelessness.
At the third glance, Lan WangJi was still looking down. He didn’t say anything, and his expression couldn’t be seen either. Noticing how he hadn’t responded even after so long, Wei WuXian’s mind began to wander, In the past, Lan Zhan’s always gotten only one room. Why isn’t he saying anything this time? If he gets two rooms this time, that means he really does mind. But if he only gets one room, it wouldn’t mean he doesn’t mind either. Maybe he’s only making it seem like he doesn’t mind so that I don’t mind either…
After the whole mind-this mind-that business, the owner promptly answered herself, stating, “One room, right? One room is enough! My rooms here are comfy even for two people. The bed won’t feel cramped.”
With no refusal coming from Lan WangJi for quite a while, Wei WuXian’s body and heart finally stopped giving out, temporarily coming to a steady state.
The owner opened one of the doors and led them inside. It was indeed large enough. She asked, “Hey, would you two like dinner? Our cooks have great skill. We’ll bring the dishes up here once we finish?”
Wei WuXian, “Yes, please, but not right now. How about a bit later? Bring them at around seven.”
The owner answered as she walked out the door. Right after she left, just as Wei WuXian was about to close the door, he suddenly chased after her, “Ma’am!”
The owner, “Yes, Young Master?”
Wei WuXian seemed as though he made up his mind, lowering his voice, “When you’re bringing up the meals in the evening, please get some liquor as well… the stronger the better.”
The owner grinned, “Of course!”
After this, he finally went back inside the room, pretending that nothing happened. He shut the door and sat down at the table. Lan WangJi’s hand reached over and pressed onto his veins. Although he knew it was only checking the condition of his body, as the two long fingers swam up his wrist, slowly rubbing, Wei WuXian’s other hand tightened up slightly underneath the table.
After almost an hour of examining his body, Lan WangJi spoke, “There is no imminent danger.”
Wei WuXian stretched and smiled, “Thanks.” Seeing that Lan WangJi’s brows were tight-knit in a serious expression, he added, “HanGuang-Jun, are you worried about ZeWu-Jun? I think Jin GuangYao still holds a certain degree of respect towards ZeWu-Jun. ZeWu-Jun’s cultivation is higher than his, anyway, and he’s already been alerted about him, so he might not necessarily fall into his traps. Let’s figure out the Temple’s array as soon as possible and aim to be on our way again tomorrow.”