Wen Ning wasn’t in a state as easily angered as when he flipped out in the past, but his temper wasn’t too good either. During the night at Dafan Mountain, nobody could lay a sword on him before everyone was knocked down—he even held someone by his neck. If Wei WuXian didn’t stop him, he would’ve strangled every single one of the people at the scene. Yet, although Lan WangJi smacked him once, his head was still lowered, appearing as if he didn’t dare to resist. Wei WuXian thought that this was a bit strange, but he nevertheless felt relieved. If Wen Ning returned the strike and the two started fighting, it’d be even harder to intervene.
As if he didn’t think one smack was enough to express his rage, Lan WangJi pushed Wen Ning to about thirty feet away.
He spoke to Wen Ning in an annoyed voice, “Go away.”
Wei WuXian finally noticed that something was wrong.
Both the smack and the push, both his speech and actions were unusually… childish.
After he pushed Wen Ning so that he was far away enough, Lan WangJi seemed as if he was finally satisfied. He turned around walked over to Wei WuXian.
Wei WuXian looked at him scrutinizingly.
There wasn’t anything wrong with Lan WangJi’s face and expression.. He was even more serious, proper, flawless than usual. His face wasn’t flushed, his breathing wasn’t short. He walked around steadily with confidence. It looked like that he was still the calm, righteous cultivator, HanGuang-Jun.
But, as he looked down, he found that Lan WangJi’s boots were put on the wrong feet.
Before he left, he took Lan WangJi’s boots off and tossed them beside the bed. And, now, Lan WangJi’s left boot was on his right foot, while his right boot was on his left foot.
HanGuang-Ju, the prominent cultivator who valued manners greatly, would never have went outside with his clothes like this.
Wei WuXian asked tentatively, “HanGuang-Jun, what number is this?”
He made the number two with his fingers. Lan WangJi didn’t answer and reached his hands out. With one on the left and one on the right, he solemnly wrapped his hands around both of Wei WuXian’s fingers.
With a clang, Bichen fell to the ground due to its master’s negligence.
Wei WuXian, “…”
This definitely wasn’t the normal Lan Zhan!
Wei WuXian, “HanGuang-Jun, are you drunk?”
Lan WangJi, “No.”
Drunk people usually didn’t admit that they were drunk. Wei WuXian took his fingers back. Lan WangJi attentively maintained his gesture of how he grasped Wei WuXian’s fingers, with both of his hands in loose fists. Wei WuXian was utterly speechless. Standing amid the chilly night breeze, he removed his gaze from Lan WangJi, and looked up at the moon.
Most people became drunk before they slept, while Lan WangJi slept before he became drunk. And, when he was drunk, he looked no different from how he usually was, which was why it was hard to tell.
In the past, Wei WuXian had countless friends to drink with. He had seen hundreds and thousands of ways people acted when they were drunk. Some wailed loudly, others giggled idiotically, some flounced about, others collapsed immediately, some were determined in taking their own lives, others whimpered, “Why are you leaving me?” However, this was his first time seeing someone like Lan WangJi, who didn’t make any noise, looked decent, yet acted strangely.
The corners of his lips twitched. Trying not to laugh, he picked up Bichen from the ground and carried into onto his back, “Okay. Let’s go back.”
He definitely couldn’t let Lan WangJi roam around outside like this. Who knew what else he could do.
Luckily, it seemed that Lan WangJi was also quite easy-going when he was drunk. With an elegant nod, they went off. If someone passed by, they would’ve thought that these were two good friends strolling in the night and praised the refined act.
Behind them, Wen Ning silently followed. Just as Wei WuXian was about to speak to him, Lan WangJi whirled around and angrily smacked him once more. This time, it was on Wen Ning’s head.
Wen Ning’s head was even more lowered due to the smack. Even though his facial muscles were rigid and couldn’t make any sort of expressions, even though his eye whites couldn’t make any sort of gazes, for some reason, he still looked as if he had been wronged. Not knowing whether to frown or laugh, Wei WuXian grabbed Lan WangJi’s arm, “What are you hitting him for?”
Lan WangJi spoke to Wen Ning in a threatening tone that he definitely wouldn’t have used if he was awake, “Go away!”
Wei WuXian knew that he shouldn’t disobey someone who was drunk. He hurried, “Okay, okay. It’s up to you. I’ll make him go away if that’s what you want.” As he spoke, he took out his bamboo flute. But, before he even placed the flute to his lips, Lan WangJi quickly grabbed it, “Do not play for him.”
Wei WuXian teased, “Why are you so pushy?”
Lan WangJi repeated angrily, “Do not play for him!”
Wei WuXian discovered that, although people who were drunk often had a lot of things to say, as Lan WangJi usually didn’t like to speak, he would repeatedly say the same words after he drank. Seeing that Lan WangJi had never been too fond of demonic techniques, he might have not liked how he used his flute to control Wen Ning. Anyway, he had to pet him in the direction of his fur, of course, “Alright. I’m only going to play for you, okay?”
Lan WangJi announced his satisfaction with a mnn, but continued to play with the flute in his hands, unwilling to return it.
Wei WuXian could only whistle. He spoke to Wen Ning, “Keep on hiding. Make sure nobody finds you.”
Wen Ning seemed as if he really wanted to follow, but having received his commands and being scared that Lan WangJi would hit him a few more times, he slowly turned around. Dragging the chains behind him, he walked away dejectedly.
Wei WuXian turned to Lan WangJi, “Lan Zhan, now that you’re drunk, why doesn’t your face flush at all?”
Since Lan WangJi looked too normal, almost even more normal than Wei WuXian, he couldn’t help but to talk to him as if he was talking to an ordinary person. Yet, unexpectedly, after Lan WangJi heard this, he reached out, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him into his arms.
Caught off guard, Wei WuXian’s head was slammed right into his chest.
As he recovered from the dizziness, Lan WangJi’s voice came from above, “The heartbeats.”
“What?”
Lan WangJi, “The face doesn’t show anything. Listen to the heartbeats.”
As he spoke, his chest vibrated from the low voice. A heart pulsated steadily and continuously. Thump, thump. It was a bit fast. Wei WuXian understood and looked up again, “I won’t be able to tell from your face, only if I listen to your heartbeat?”
Lan WangJi answered sincerely, “Mnn.”
Wei WuXian bent over in laughter.
Was Lan WangJi’s face so thick that the blush couldn’t even be seen? He wasn’t this sort of person, was he?
And, Lan WangJi was so honest after he was drunk. His actions and comments were also… bolder!
Since this was a rare occasion to see such an honest, open Lan WangJi, it would’ve been impossible for Wei WuXian to treat him with respect and not play any tricks.
He hurried Lan WangJi back to the inn. Entering the room, he held him down on the bed and took off the boots that were put on wrong. Guessing that he probably didn’t know how to wash his own face in such a state, he took off Lan WangJi’s forehead ribbon, and brought in a basin of hot water along with a towel. Wringing the towel out, he folded it into a square and gently rubbed Lan WangJi’s face.