As he said nothing, he put the jar back where it had been and picked up another one with a dejected look on his face.
The last time he snuck a jar of liquor, he purposely put water inside to surprise Lan WangJi if he ever drank it. However, he didn’t know that his luck was so bad. The two jars that Lan WangJi had brought just happened to include this jar of pure water, and he drank it himself.
Ever after he came back, whenever he wanted to tease Lan WangJi, he ended up shooting himself in the foot. He just couldn’t understand it!
Wei WuXian slept sometime later. He was asleep until early morning when he suddenly woke up. With a shiver, he crawled forward and looked up. Lan WangJi’s was still dressed, sword was on his back. As he took back the hand that he had put on Wei WuXian’s shoulder, he stared at a white object within his palm, “We have an uninvited guest.”
Wei WuXian squinted to see. The object was the GusuLan Sect’s jade token of passage. He could recall that Lan WangJi’s token was a very high level, able to alert him if others intruded over the barrier of the GusuLan Sect.
But nobody had dared intrude the Cloud Recesses in dozens of years. Wei WuXian hopped off the bed. He discovered that his outer robe had been taken off sometime during his sleep. He put it on as he spoke, “Who is it?”
Lan WangJi shook his head, gesturing for Wei WuXian to follow him. The two had walked stealthily until they arrived at at a residence amid lush bamboos. Light seeped from the paper windows. Wei WuXian glanced at the wooden plaques in front of the courtyard, “The Hanshi?”
As expected, Lan XiChen sat back-straight within the room. Seeing the two enter, he didn’t seem surprised at all. He exchanged a look with Lan WangJi, and both of them understood. Lan WangJi led Wei WuXian to sit behind the screen.
A while later, the bamboo curtains of the Hanshi were lifted. A series of soft footsteps entered the room. The person seemed to have sat down before Lan XiChen.
A few moments later came the sound of jade knocking against each other. It sounded as if somebody had put something onto the table and pushed it over.
The first to speak was Lan XiChen, “What does this mean?”
Somebody spoke, “To return to you, Brother.”
It was Jin GuangYao.
Lan XiChen, “I have already given this to you.”
Jin GuangYao, “The token of passage has never failed before. Now that it has failed, it’s time for it to be returned to its rightful owner.”
Wei WuXian understood now. Since ZeWu-Jun and LianFang-Zun had quite a good relationship, Lan XiChen had given Jin GuangYao a token of passage as well so that he could visit freely. However, it was likely that within the past few days he had either edited the prohibitions of the Cloud Recesses’ barrier or retracted the permission of Jin GuangYao’s token of passage. When Jin GuangYao came to visit, he was refused permission to enter, and thus he voluntarily returned the token.
Like Lan WangJi, Lan XiChen didn’t know how to feign compliance either. Jin GuangYao backed off his advance, while Lan XiChen said nothing. A moment later, he spoke, “What did you come for?”
Jin GuangYao, “We still don’t have any news on HanGuang-Jun and the YiLing Patriarch. I didn’t let anyone search the Cloud Recesses, and many sects are already in doubt with many objections. Brother, whenever it works for you, it’d still be best for you to open the doors for two hours. Then I’ll be able to take people over and deal with the situation.”
Wei WuXian had thought that he was here to demand a search. He didn’t expect at all that Jin GuangYao would say such a thing, as though not at all interested in searching where the YiLing Patriarch had gone. He couldn’t help but feel somewhat surprised. On the other side of the screen, Jin GuangYao continued, “Brother, what’s wrong?”
Lan XiChen, “Nothing.”
Jin GuangYao, “If you’re worried about WangJi, then please relax. HanGuang-Jun’s character is upright and honest. All of the sects have seen this throughout the years. He must be only doing this because he’s been lied to in some way. Besides, he hasn’t done anything unforgivable yet. It’ll be fine as long as he explains when the time comes. I won’t let anyone take the chance to spread rumors.”
Lan XiChen, “When the time comes? When would that be?”
Jin GuangYao, “After we clean out Burial Mound.”
Wei WuXian paused in surprise. Lan XiChen, “Burial Mound?”
Jin GuangYao, “Ever since the day of the fight at Koi Tower, strange things have been happening around the areas Moling, Lanling, and Yunmeng. Graves have been destroyed and the corpses have disappeared. Certain signs are showing that large groups of corpses are travelling toward the direction of Yiling. They’ve probably gone to Burial Mound.”
Lan XiChen, “Just what could this be for?”
Jin GuangYao, “I don’t know. The speculation is that Wei WuXian initiated some dark array or used the Tiger Seal.”
Lan XiChen, “Back in Koi Tower, he had been wounded by Jin Ling. Can he still initiate such things?”
Jin GuangYao, “Brother, during the fight with Sect Leader Jiang, when Wei WuXian betrayed the YunmengJiang Sect, how badly wounded was he? Didn’t he still return to command the corpses? Would anything in this world prove to be difficult to the YiLing Patriarch?”
Wei WuXian stroked his chin, You think too highly of me…
Jin GuangYao, “So, sooner or later, there might be the second siege of Burial Mound. I’ve already notified a few other sects to discuss the matter at Koi Tower. Brother, are you coming?”
A few moments later, Lan XiChen finally replied, “I am. Wait for me in the Yashi. I will go with you soon afterwards.”
After Jin GuangYao left, Lan XiChen walked behind the screen and looked at Lan WangJi, “I will go to Koi Tower, and you two go to Burial Mound. Let us move separately.”
Lan WangJi nodded slowly, “Yes.”
Lan XiChen, “If he really holds other intentions, I will definitely not tolerate it.”
Lan WangJi, “I know.”
The two went down the Cloud Recesses on a small path. On their way, the grass beside the white pebbles rustled before parting suddenly, revealing a small, snowball-like head and a pair of long ears.
The rabbit’s pink nose sniffled. As it saw Lan WangJi, its dangling ears suddenly perked up. With a kick of its leg, it sprang toward them. They came to the patch of green grass. Lil’ Apple was lying under a tree while dozens of round white rabbits circled around it, most of their eyes shut, sleeping tightly. A few of them were still snuggling.
Wei WuXian walked to the tree and scratched Lil’ Apple’s head. With a shiver, Lil’ Apple woke up at once, air coming out of its nostrils. As it saw Wei WuXian, just as it was about to bellow, the pile of rabbits were startled awake as well. Long ears trembling, all of them hopped toward Lan WangJi. Fluffs of white at his snowy boots, they ran around him again and again, whatever they were excited about.
Holding Lil’ Apple’s rein, Wei WuXian pulled and threatened for it to move. The rabbits stood on the ground on their hind legs and clung to Lan WangJi’s leg one by one. All of them wanted to climb up. Lan WangJi was as still as a mountain. As the two began to walk, the rabbits stumbled as they followed the pair of white boots. They refused to leave no matter how many times Wei WuXian tried to shoo them away.