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“Ouch!”

The painful yelp of pain burned his entire body. His heart beat too fast he felt it could jump off his chest any moment unnoticed. His legs began to shake, and his fingers began to sweat. His forehead though, was already wet. 

His outfit was damped with water, even his hair was wet. His entire body was wet. It was all because he just took a swim in the pond.

It was a hot summer day, the sun was scorching hot and there was barely any clouds or wind to make things better. For him, it was a perfectly normal excuse to take a swim, to escape this annoyingly hot weather. If people look at him, they wouldn’t raise an eye if they saw him emerged from the water with his entire body wet from head to toes.

At least that was perfectly normal for him.

Not to the boy lying next to him.

“Oh my god, please wake up!” He kneeled down to the other boy, whom was equally wet, “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to.” He pleaded.

Oh god, did he just kill someone? To make it worse it had to be one of his father’s guests-or so he assumed from the attire the other boy was wearing.

Oh god!

“Hey!” He slapped the face of the other boy, trying to wake him up. This was the worst, this was the worst. He just had to go and kill one of his father's guests on the same day of the Discussion Conference. He just had the worst luck.

May be he should get some help. He couldn’t let this person die. How terrible would it be if the news of Young Master of Lotus Pier accidentally killed someone get out? What would happen to him and his family? How could he even become the future Sect Leader? How disappointed his parents would be if they learn of this?

“Um...”

He quickly turned around, hearing the whimpering voice. Had never before he felt so relieved just to hear some whimpering voice coming from the person-that-to his relief-was still alive.

“Hey, are you okay?” He waved his hand in front of the other boy’s face, testing if he was conscious enough to see.

Fortunately, he was.

The boy winced, coughing out a few gulps of water as he slowly sit up after a few minutes. He glanced his golden eyes around, as if trying to register what just happened. He then stopped his gaze on him, crooking his head.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.” The boy shouted, lowering his head out of extreme guilt. Then seeing the other boy winced again, hand reached out to massage his head, he felt extra guilty for his loud voice, “A-are you alright?”

“Ye-yea... I just...what just happened...? I was taking a walk, and then something hit my head...then everything after that was a blur.”

“I’m sorry. It was my fault.” How could he tell him that he was practicing his sword when suddenly it slipped out of his hands and flew straight to the head of the boy and it knocked him off the pier and fell straight into the water. What worse was that, his victim didn’t know how to swim. So he had to jump down the water, saving the other boy from drowning.

Now both of them were wet, and it was one of the most disgraceful thing he ever did-for a Young Master of Lotus Pier.

He lowered his head, closing his eyes, waiting for the other boy to fully register in what just happened, then braced himself for a handful of shouts and complaints.

And yet, all that came was a pat on his shoulder.

He looked up, seeing the other boy smiled at him, brightly. Even though he was wet and drenched like a sewer rat, his smile and gesture was warmer than the sun itself, not blazing hot like the sun above, but warm, and gentle.

He felt like he was staring directly at a fairy, albeit wet ones.

“A-Cheng.”

His body jumped at the source of the voice. Both of them turned around, seeing an older man wearing purple attire along with his servants approached them. The older man was Sect Leader of YunMengJiang and the master of Lotus Pier- Jiang FengMian.

“F-father.” He immediately stood up, trying to fix his dishelved clothes, but to no avail. There was so much he could fix when the clothes was completely drenched, not to mention his hair already fallen out of places.

“Would you care to explain?”

He hated it when his father used this tone with him. It was a tone filled with disappointment. The only thing that he hated to hear. 

Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth, muttering, “I-I-“

“Sect Leader Jiang. Please allow me to explain.” The boy bowed his hands, executing an elegant and a respectful bow, “It was my fault.”

He turned his eyes to the boy standing next to him, scared. The other, however, kept his head straight and looked at the Sect Leader and began to explain, “I took the liberty of walking around Lotus Pier since I heard the lotuses here are out of the world. On the way, I encountered Young Master Jiang, was practicing his swordplay. I couldn’t take my eyes away for I was entranced by how wonderful his skill was. Without knowing, I slipped on my clothes and fell into the pond. I would have drown to my demise if it wasn’t for Young Master Jiang’s assistance. So please Sect Leader Jiang, please don’t blame Young Master Jiang, for what he only did was saving my life.”

Jiang FengMian raised his eyebrows skeptically, then looked back to his son, “Is that right, A-Cheng?”

Jiang Cheng startled, stealing a glance over to the other boy, who quickly turned to him and winked his eye, his lips mouthed something.

“Yes, father.” He finally said, “It was just as he said.”

A bit of silence passed then he heard a sigh from his father. He waved his hand, motioning for a servant to escort the other boy to his quarter for a change of clothes, before addressing his son, telling him to go back and change as well for the dinner banquet was about to start.

“Please behave yourself A-Cheng. There are a lot of prestige guests here today for the Discussion Conference. Please behave as how a Young Master of Lotus Pier should be.” He reminded.

“Yes, father.”

Looking after his father as he walked down the pier and disappeared around the corner. A mixed feeling welled up his chest. His father never seemed to like him one bit. He rarely complimented him, nor believed in him. But what he did today, wasn’t something that he wanted his father to compliment on, since he was clearly at fault and the other boy had to lie in his stead. Speaking of which,

“Young Master Jiang, thank you so much for saving me.” The boy bowed his hands, water droplets trickled down his wet hair. 

“Please, please don’t. It was my fault that you-“ Jiang Cheng closed his mouth, forgot that there was a few servants left behind by his father. He didn’t want them to find out that both of them were liars.

“Then, if you will excuse me, I have to go back to change my attire before the banquet.” The other boy bowed his hands once again, and turned on his feet.

Jiang Cheng too, he needed to change into his formal attire.

Discussion Conference was one of the biggest events of the cultivation world, hosted annually by different sects. Its main purpose was to gather every sects from medium to big to attend and find solutions to any problems that arise. However, beside that purpose, this event was used by other cultivation sects to compare their young disciples’ strength through contests. And of course, there wouldn’t be a formal big scaled event if there wasn’t any fancy banquets and exquisite performances.

This year it was YunMengJiang Sect’s turn to organize the event. Therefore, Lotus Pier became a temporary home to more than two hundreds cultivators who arrived from different regions of the world. Of course for a boy like him wasn’t allowed inside when they have the meetings, but for a welcoming banquet, his presence was required. He after all was the future Sect Leader of YunMengJiang, therefore he had to properly conduct himself in front of all the prestige guests, since for some, it would be their first time seeing the young master of Lotus Pier.

Donning on an elaborate purple attire decorated with nine petals lotus motifs sewn by expensive silver thread, he carefully made his way towards the banquet hall, following behind his sister and brother. He quickly took a seat at the table, while keeping his head up high, showing his pride to be the young master of Lotus Pier as every eyes on the hall were glued to him and his siblings. He kept his head straight, all the while glancing around the hall, until his eyes got caught at a person, whom wasn’t that much older than him sitting at the other opposite of the hall. His long black hair and white as snow attire now completely dry. There was no stray hair or wet droplets covered the golden amber eyes of him. The other boy seemed like he also noticed him, he turned his head, and let out a soft nod and a bright smile.

“They are Lan Sect, from Gusu.” His brother whispered into his ear, “Rumors said that they have three thousands of rules engraved on the mountain’s wall. Three-thousands.”

Compared to only one rule that YunMengJiang had, that was certainly a lot.

“Do they have to remember all three thousands rules?” Jiang Cheng whispered back, asking.

“You know what is scarier than that?” His brother stopped, then pulled a face mimicking a man that had just saw a ghost, “Instead of singing lullaby to sleep, they recite all three thousands rules, before they go to bed. Every-single-night.”

Okay, he had to admit. That sounded pretty scary.

“Imagine getting married to them and having to hear those rules every day for the rest of your life.” He shuddered, feeling coldness spread through his spine, “I’d rather stay singled.”

“Huh, just you wait Wei WuXian. I will open my eyes wide and wait for the day father married you off to the Lan.” Jiang Cheng smirked, “May be their three thousands rules can finally reform and keep you in check.”

His brother’s eyes widened in fake hurt and pretended shock, “Haha, shimei. I will be laughing my ass off if you are the one getting married first, to one of the Lan no less.” Wei WuXian laughed, “They must be quite a boring, tasteless bunch.”

“Boring and tasteless, huh?” Jiang Cheng muttered, while stealing glances at the Lan’s boy.

---

For children like them a banquet filled with drinks and dance weren’t a good place to stay for long. So half way through, they had to excuse themselves. Jiang YanLi, his sister went straight back to her quarter, while his brother Wei WuXian ran off to god knew where. Probably cooking up some mischief to scare off the guests or just straight off to bed after a long day.

For himself, he wasn’t quite ready for bed yet so he decided to take a little walk by the pier, taking in a bit of fresh, cold night air. He had never been anywhere outside of Lotus Pier of course, but he was happy just to grow up here. He enjoyed the soft, gentle scent of that lotuses that bloomed at night. It was the kind of fragrance that brought peace to its surrounding. He believed there were other places that better than Lotus Pier, but none would be able to grant him that feeling of home and peace.

That was way before he learned that not only a place was capable of making him felt that way but a person could too.

“Young Master Jiang.”

He also didn’t know why there was some sort of fascination he newly found within those gentle voice. It wasn’t exactly the same as anyone he heard before in his life, like a lotus flower or something that not of a human being. He found himself fascinated even from way before, even when the person himself was drenched from head to toes.

But now the said person, whose donned on almost exact white attire just now approached him-except it was dry this time, smiling gently. His long black hair flowed softly against each of his footsteps that barely made any sound. His amber eyes reflected the silver light of the moon above him, lit up his well balanced face with features that out of this world.

If he didn’t witness how the other boy struggled with swimming just a few hours ago. He would have believed he was a fairy, descended from heaven with his magical white robe and a face that was special crafted by the most talented sculptors. He couldn’t find anything wrong with that face, that posture, and that voice at all. Everything just seemed perfectly blended together like a harmonious song of heaven and earth.

“Young Master Jiang.” The voice called out for him again this time in a louder voice, afraid that the other boy didn’t make himself heard the first time.

“Ah, I apologize for spacing out.” He quickly stood up and bowed his hands. Manners, manners, he repeated inside his head. He shouldn’t forget all the manners that he was taught just because he was entranced by the appearance of a person that he just met, “How may I help you Young Master Lan?”

“Please, you don’t need to be so formal. It is only just us here.” The Lan boy smiled, putting his fingers on top of Jiang Cheng’s bowed hand, telling him to be at ease.

The boy sat down next to him on the wooden ground of the pier. His golden eyes bored into his violet counterparts, “Please allow me to introduce myself again, I am Lan XiChen, from GusuLan Sect.”

“And I am Jiang WanYin, YunMengJiang.” He replied. Knowing that the other boy would probably learn of his name by now.

“This is only my second time outside of Cloud Recesses- by which is the residence of our GusuLan.” Lan XiChen explained, “I have heard that Lotus Pier is really beautiful when it is the blooming season of lotus. It seems it does live up to the rumor. This,” He reached down to touch a fallen lotus petal drifted close to the pier, and brought it up closer to Jiang Cheng’s big almond eyes, “-is truly a sight to behold.”

Jiang Cheng didn’t know why but he could feel his face heat up with an overwhelming amount of unknown fire. From the base of his neck, up his cheeks and spread evenly to his ears. Lan XiChen obviously meant the sight of the lotuses, must be.

“I heard that YunMeng is a prosperous city. And its citizens are extremely friendly. The food here are also one of a kind.” Lan XiChen said, “At Cloud Recesses, we only have mountain and trees, and a small waterfall. I’m always amazed at the architecture of Lotus Pier and how it was built upon the water

“But it must be cool and pleasant in summer if you live on the mountain. The summer in YunMeng is really hot.” Jiang Cheng raised his eyebrows. It was lucky that Lotus Pier is surrounded by water so it wasn’t too stuffy compared to the city of YunMeng, “You must be really good at wielding the sword.”

“Pardon me, but I do not understand.”

“If it is cooler in summer at your home, then, you must have more time to practice during summer and don’t get exhausted as fast.” His violet eyes lit up.

Lan XiChen widened his eyes in shock, but then it quickly replaced by a soft chuckle, “But it also means in winter, it will be harder for us to train outside due to the cold.”

“Ah, right. Why didn’t i think of that.” Jiang Cheng’s cheek turned red from embarrassment, pouted. Now he felt stupid. How could he portrait such stupidity in front of a guest like that. He didn’t want to lose the face of the young master of Lotus Pier here, “Anyway!”

Lan XiChen closed his eyes, and smiled. He fondled the lotus petal inside his hand, deep in thought.

The younger boy stole a glance at the person next to him. Now that he wasn’t drenched by the water of the lotus pond, he looked extremely neat and may he added-beautiful. He seemed like he was on another different level than Jiang Cheng, and his age wasn’t even the only deciding factor.  

“I heard there is a big school at Cloud Recesses, is that true?” Jiang Cheng asked curiously.

“Yes, that is correct. All young masters are welcomed to study at Cloud Recesses once they are old enough. The study will last around one year. However, for a GusuLan member like myself, I have been studying since I was a child. Although, I am still a child now.” Lan XiChen answered, feeling extremely proud when someone asked him about the school of GusuLan. “My uncle will be in charge of teaching.” He added.

Jiang Cheng nodded his head back and forth. He had decided. Once he came of age, he would ask his father and mother to let him study at the GusuLan. Then he would learn all their secrets, all their sword skills and became better than Lan XiChen. But first, he needed to organize his acts, for looking at Lan XiChen’s manners, he felt a deep cut to his pride. He thought compared to his brother, he was more matured and well-behaved. Until he ran into Lan XiChen. What happened this morning got him hating himself. If it wasn’t for the older boy’s quick thinking, his father would be very disappointed at him. That was the last thing he wanted to happen.

His fingers twisted the fabric of his purple attire, grabbing it in a messy hold. Jiang Cheng bit his lips, then finally muttered words through his thin lips, letting out sounds so small that it was difficult for Lan XiChen to pick up.

“H-How is your head?” He whispered, fingers tightened together as he recalled about what happened. He didn’t properly apologize to him.

Lan XiChen slightly touched his head, “There is no bump, so i think it is fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” He reassured the boy whose eyes filled with guilt and regret.

“Th-that is good.” Jiang Cheng lowered his head, fingers tightened even harder together. At least it wasn’t too serious, but he couldn’t help but felt like a heavy boulder was pressing on him at the back of his mind.

Suddenly, Lan XiChen stood up and started walking closer to the pier, where the wooden bridge met with water. He was too close to the water that only a careless misstep would send him over the edge.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened in fear, he followed suit, stretching out his hand and grabbed hold of the older boy’s white forehead ribbon. He tugged it backwards, holding it tightly inside his small fingers. He shouted a warning, “You want to drown again?”

The knot loosened and the ribbon gracefully fell down the other boy’s forehead. The longer end of it touched the ground of the pier, while the other held up in between Jiang Cheng’s delicate fingers.

A rare breeze of summer wind blew through the lotus pond, tousling the older boy’s jet black hair in to a stream of river. An elegant fragrance of flower rode on the strips of silver moon like white thread, cradling the black velvet of the night, painting the sky with glitter. The fallen petal of lotus rode the wind, getting away from Lan XiChen’s fingers only for it to landed on top of the boy in violet’s head.

Lan XiChen turned around on his feet, his white boots stepped on the wooden plank, light as a feather. His pure white outer robe fluttered, resembling a magnolia flower that bloomed drinking in the silver moonlight. His eyes lit up brighter than the seven northern stars.

“WanYin.” His voice was like the bell that rang at the middle of the night.

“Y-Yes?”

“Please take good care of it.” His golden eyes reflected off Jiang Cheng’s violet ones, “And never let it go.”  

The young boy looked down at the ribbon, admiring how soft it felt against his fingers and how it seemed so perfectly fit inside his small palm, like it belonged there from the beginning.

“Is it true that GusuLan Sect has three thousands of rules?”

“It is three thousands and thirty one rules to be exact.”

Jiang Cheng woke up the next morning. He slowly cracked his eyes opened, taking in the harsh sunlight through the window. He rubbed his eyes to get out the sleepiness, letting out a heavy yawn. When the view became clearer, he found his eyes landed on a soft strip of white fabric with pattern of flowing blue cloud.

White ribbon with blue cloud...Blue...Lan...Lan XiChen!!

He immediately shot up from his bed, looking at how high the sun was right now. He was so gonna be late. He cursed himself. He promised to show Lan XiChen around YunMeng town today, how could he oversleep??

And that Wei WuXian, didn’t wake him up either.

He changed and tied up his head in the fastest speed he ever managed to pull off. The whole process took less than five minutes. He shoved on the boots and dashed off to their agreed meeting spot. He ran past a couple of Jiang servants, almost knocked out a woman carrying a tray of food. He looked back shouting an apologize and quickly resumed his speed. For a future Sect Leader to oversleep and make others waited, it was such a disgrace.

Just as he expected, Lan XiChen was already there when he finally arrived. Hands on his knees, bending over to catch his breath, Jiang Cheng apologized, “I’m sorry, i overslept.”

“No worries, WanYin. I have only just been here a moment ago.” Lan XiChen waved his hand, assuring him that he wasn’t late.

But he was definitely late. There was no excuse about it.

“Shall we go?”

Jiang Cheng nodded, regaining his composure as both of them made their way down the boat that was prepared for them. The boat sailor bowed down at the sign of the young master of Lotus Pier and his friend.

“Where are you planning to go today, Young Master?” The older man asked in a cheerful voice.

“It’s my friend first time here in YunMeng, so I’m going to show him around the town.” Jiang Cheng replied quickly.

“Thank you for taking us there.” From besides him, Lan XiChen took an elegant bow with his hands.

The only way to enter and exit Lotus Pier was to use boat. No one besides the member of Jiang’s clan were allowed to fly on the sword, and Jiang Cheng was still too young to fly on one himself. Therefore, for him and his brother, this boat sailor was someone that provided them the transportation they need to go in and out of Lotus Pier. He sometimes covered for them whenever they were back late or sneaked out of Lotus Pier early. So to him, he was somewhat like a family.

“Uncle,” He whispered in a low voice so that the other boy couldn’t hear him, “What should I let him try? Is there some sort of unique YunMeng cuisine that a visitor must try for their first time here?”

The boatman let out a thinking hum, then he said, “Lotus tea, and also lotus sticky rice.”

Jiang Cheng nodded his head, satisfying. It was true. Lotus was one of YunMeng many specialities, and lotuses were in season right now. So any food that made from lotuses would be a perfect choice for a first time visitor to try, “Thank you uncle.”

The town of YunMeng was bustling with people walking back and forth, busying with their own daily tasks. Shops and stalls stretched out along the two sides of the road were overcrowded with people. For kids like them, they were easily blended among the sea of people. Luckily, Lan XiChen was quite tall for a child of his age, so it wasn’t too hard for other people to give way to them when they walked.

In case they got separated due to the crowd, Lan XiChen had suggested that they hold hand to which Jiang Cheng quickly comply even though it was embarrassing for him. But, it would be troublesome if Lan XiChen was to get lost, he would lose his face so he swallowed the embarrassment down and took the older boy’s hand. That day, he found out just how soft and warm Lan XiChen’s hand was. Someone that had a hand this warm, was his sister YanLi.

They mingled through the crowd, with Jiang Cheng taking the lead. He stopped at different dessert stalls, and introduced Lan XiChen to all the delicacies of YunMeng. He bought a big bag of lotus tea and insisted the older boy bringing it back to Cloud Recesses. Lan XiChen promised to give him back some special Gusu tea the next time they met as thanks. He also let him tried different YunMeng’s food and dessert, and Jiang Cheng quickly found out that the older boy couldn’t handle spicy food. Especially after seeing his face flashing between red and white after unknowingly bit into the hidden chilis. He thought Lan XiChen was going to faint right then and there, but he managed to calm down a little bit after chugging down a huge mug of water.

Jiang Cheng made a note to himself, not to let Lan XiChen eat anything spicy next time. Even though the image of a prestige fairy in white attire-who was squatting on the ground, hands clutched tightly to the wooden mug and downed water in big gulps was too funny to not let it happened again. But knowing the three thousands rules that GusuLan had, it probably had some rules about the way one was supposed to drink their water, and this way definitely wasn’t one of them. He probably would get punished if his clan's men saw him like this.

“It is getting late. Shall we head back soon WanYin?” The sunlight was turning red as he spoke.

“Wait, there is one more place I wanted to show you. Come!” Jiang Cheng tugged at the other boy’s white sleeve, making his way through a wooden bridge, crossing the river of XianMeng. Legends once said this river was created from the tears of a goddess that descended from heaven against heaven’s will to find her love, only to find out he had returned to become a part of the earth that she was walking on. Her tears fell down her white like snow cheek for seven days and seven nights, the water travelled down south forming the lotus lake, forming Lotus Pier. Overtime, the rain filled the river with more water and after thousands of year, it turned into a big river running through the territory of YunMeng.

Jiang Cheng used to come here a lot with his adoptive brother. To him, the riverbank was the most beautiful place of YunMeng. From here, the sky was the biggest, and the stars were the brightest. And of course, it was one of the best place to view the sunset as the day met with the night for a short while.

Golden rays of light shone over the mountain range, its tremendous shadow painted over of the river, dying Lan XiChen’s white sleeves in a messy strokes of red and orange, and tainting Jiang Cheng’s purple shirt in a soft color of gold. Scarlet, then amethyst blazed the enormous sky and the perfectly still water beneath it into a painting of warm fire. It was a calling, a prelude for the night to arrive and for the stars to come out. But for Jiang Cheng, it was the entanglement of the two lovers that wasn’t allowed to be together, to finally able to see each other, albeit brief.

“The sunset of YunMeng is beautiful isn’t it?” Jiang Cheng questioned but he knew what the answer was going to be judging from the expression on Lan XiChen’s face.

“Truly a sight to behold.” Lan XiChen said, his eyes glittered like the was small droplet of invisible tears. His eyes casted downwards, his fingers clenched together as he muttered, “I once had this weird dream, a very realistic one. But then I woke up and everything went back to normal. I was so convinced that it wasn’t a dream.” His lips curled up, shaping out words that sounded like a lost elegy of doubt.

“I was so sure at the beginning. But as years came and passed, that dream became nothing but distant past that I could no longer tell whether it was real or just a product of my own imagination.” Lan XiChen’s amber eyes landed on Jiang Cheng. A smile full of affection and gratitude formed on his lips, “But this trip to Lotus Pier, the walk around YunMeng and the sight of this river, reminded me that it was really not a dream.”

“Thank you WanYin, for reminding me of a precious memory that I almost forget.” He looked up at the first stars that appeared at the northern sky glittering like precious stones, “Thank you.”

“I-i didn’t do anything. I dont understand anything about the dream that you said. But...” His cheek tinted with crimson, heat crawled up his face. Under the last sunlight of the day, Lan XiChen was more beautiful than any lotus he had seen in his life. He was too out of this world, probably a person that he could never reach no matter how much he yearned for it.

Jiang Cheng looked down at his feet, the gap between them was simply too big.

By the time they arrived at Lotus Pier, the sun had long gone. Light and torches replaced the brightness of the sun and lit up Lotus Pier like a dancing fire under the moonlight.

He and Lan XiChen walked next to each other, passing through the entrance of YunMengJiang’s main residence. He was about to lead Lan XiChen back to the guest residence when suddenly a glimpse of purple fabric got caught at the corner of their eyes.

Jiang Cheng turned to look to see his father, was standing not too far away from the main hall.

“A-Cheng.” His father finally spoke, there was that deep, disappointed tone inside his voice that Jiang Cheng could easily pick up, simply because he had heard it too many time.

“F-father...”

Jiang FengMian asked, “Do you know what you did wrong?”

Jiang Cheng casted his gaze downwards, shaking his head, “Sorry father, but i do not know.”

Jiang FengMian took a few steps forward, until he was an arm length away from his son. He said in a soft and gently voice, “You know there is a competition between junior disciples among the cultivation sects happening in three days?”

Jiang Cheng nodded his head sharply, “Yes I know father.”

“Being the future sect leader and the young master of YunMengJiang sect, you are required to perform a series of swordplay as part of the opening ceremony. So, instead of spending your day to practice, you were out and play around?” The sect leader frowned, “The last time I checked on you, you haven’t completely familiarize yourself with the performance techniques. Do you want people to look and laugh at you A-Cheng?”

“No, father...” His fingers curled up into tight fist, his teeth clenched together to bit back the frustration that threatened to come out of his mouth.

“Sect Leader Jiang, it was my idea. Please don’t blame Young Master Jiang.“ Lan XiChen stepped forward and spoke up.

However, Sect Leader Jiang only shook his head, “Young Master Lan. This is a private matter of YunMengJiang sect. Besides, he need to own up to his mistake or how else he could ever mature and shoulder this responsibility? You shouldn’t cover for him.” He then turned to Jiang Cheng, lowering his gaze at the boy, “A-Cheng, there is still flaws within your techniques, if you are not going to compensate it with being diligent, then when will you ever improve?” He let out a disheartened sigh, “It seems you have not understand the code of YunMengJiang.”

“I-I...” Words stuck inside his throat, like a fire that burned away the patience in him. It had always been like that. No matter how hard he tried or how much he worked, he could never meet his father’s expectation. All the effort that he spent to improve himself, to shape himself into a person that his father would be proud of and bring no shame to the Jiang clan. And yet...

“A-Cheng, if you can’t perform at the opening ceremony, then i will ask your brother to do it in your stead.”

Brother, brother...it was always his brother. No matter what he did, he was always behind his brother. His cultivation levels, his talent, his look, his behaviors, always one step behind Wei WuXian.

He- didn’t hate his brother, not one bit. But he hated the gap between them, of how unfair it was for him to never be able to catch up with his brother, and how he never got as much love from his father.

“Then let him do it!” The fire inside his chest fuelled by the oil of hatred and disgust. He hated and disgusted at himself for being petty and feeling jealous. But what else could he do, if things like this kept on splashing into his face everyday? It only reminded him at how cold the winter could be, and how much he yearned for the warmth that he never had.

His feet clashed against the dirty mud road. He didn’t stop for anything, but kept going straight. He didn’t care where his feet take him, or how long had he been running. All he wanted to do was to get away from there. He had have enough. The past week was stressful. He practiced from before the sun rose to way after midnight. He wanted to impress the guests that was why he picked a harder routine than the one that his mother picked out for him, the one that harder for his current cultivation level. He wanted to impress all the prestige guests that came for the Discussion Conference, but above all he wanted his father to be proud of him as the future leader of YunMengJiang and as his son.

He felt suffocated, his clothes and hair, wet from the sudden passing rain. The pounding noise of his shoes resonating off the forest space around him, matching painfully with the thumps of his own heart. Leaden feet, heavy legs, and unreasonable coldness that came with the summer rain hindered his movements further. He fell to his knees, hitting the ground in front of him as his heart gave out. Rain fell down his black hair, melting it into a swarm of black ink. He wheezed as his burning lungs gasped for air. His legs shook and felt unsteady, painfully sore. His throat burned, uncomfortably burned. But the sharp, sudden pain on his ankle flared up, keeping him from moving further.

He forced himself to stand up, but the exhaustion from his mind and his body refused to let him move. As the rain drowned him and his thoughts, he felt the coldness spread through his body, the kind of cold that he had always experienced. His father was never gentle with him, and his mother was always harsh on him. Only his sister that showed him the love and gentleness that he always yearned for. But because she was his family. Asides from his family, who would be good to him? Who would run after him and showed him the warmth of spring.

May be someone like Lan XiChen.

It was weird, he only knew him for a day, and yet...

Suddenly a growl of a beast shred the continuous rhythm of the rain open. Then followed it was slow yet somewhat rush footsteps. He didn’t recognize this sound. It wasn’t the sound of an animal. It was incoherent noises of screams that of a human...a dead human...

A dark human sized-shadow appeared from the corner of his eyes. Its head were rotten, its skin degenerated and its hollow eyes dashed around frantically as if it was trying to locate something, someone.

A fierce corpse.

Jiang Cheng swallowed back the fear that raised up inside his throat. He of course had knowledge of fierce corpses and how to defeat them. But no matter how many times he heard about it in his lessons, nothing beat seeing a real one for the first time. What worse, he had no magical tools with him, and he couldn’t run away.

He forced himself to stand up once again, knowing full well he would be in big trouble if he didn’t. He held his breath, slowly moved away from the corpse, trying to not alert the corpse further. He would use the darkness around him, slowly and steadily retreated out of its sight. Fighting it head on right now would be a suicide move, since he had never fought one before, and no tools to help him.

But he wasn’t that lucky. A strike of white lightning flared at the western sky, hitting ground nearby. It didn’t hit him or light the forest on fire, but it was bright and loud enough to light up the area, alerting his presence to the enemy.

The fierce corpse roared in menace when it found its target. With a broken, twisted leg, it lunged itself towards Jiang Cheng at a speed that almost impossible for a human with a broken leg. Its sharp claws spread out, heading its way towards the little Jiang boy. The corpse let out a horrid scream, and suddenly Jiang Cheng couldn’t move. His brain told him to move but his legs refused to do as what the brain wanted them to do.

“WanYin!”

Through the layers of steady, continuous rain, came a shout of the voice that he had became familiar with the past day. Except, this time there wasn’t the gentle edge around it, it was harsh and rush.

Following after was a wave of deafening sounds formed into an invisible vibration. It shook the ground, splashing puddles and mud all over the place. The leaves around them vibrated in a forcefully mad dance. The fierce corpse turned its head towards the source of the sound. It growled in pain and discomfort, before the sound wave blew it away and crashed it against the tree trunk.

Lan XiChen appeared like the sunlight after a rainy day, bringing with him the seven colored rainbow. Even when the night had descended, and the forest leaves blocked the light of the moon, Lan XiChen was like a source of light himself, just standing there. His white clothes fluttered, like he was a forest fairy. Strong like a tree, yet soft like a river. At that moment, Jiang Cheng thought, to him, there was no one better than Lan XiChen. No one as strong, as considerate, as beautiful and as caring like Lan XiChen.

It was weird, he only knew him for barely a day or two.

He unconsciously reached out his hand, for it to quickly be held between a pair of cold yet comforting and soft hands.

“Thanks goodness, you are okay.” Lan XiChen let out a heavy sigh of relief. He didn’t look that much different from the him of yesterday. Dirt, mud, and stain of rain dyed his snow white outfit into a mess of black and brown. He looked even worse than yesterday, actually. But he still looked graceful despite all that mess.

“Don’t just run off like that next time.” There was no smile on his face as he spoke, and Jiang Cheng felt his heart tightened.

“Why are you here?”

“To find you of course.”  

Jiang Cheng titled his wet face to stare at the older boy, his almond eyes drowned with droplets of water that reflected through the darkness of the night. Of all a hundred person that he thought would run after him, Lan XiChen wasn’t one of them.

The older boy quickly moved his eyes towards the injury on his ankle. He inspected it, probably just a sprained ankle, nothing too serious.

“Let’s get you out of the rain first.” Lan XiChen took off his outer jacket and placed it on top of the younger boy’s head. He then turned around, facing his back to Jiang Cheng, telling him to get on.

Understood what Lan XiChen meant, Jiang Cheng let out a small cry of embarrassment, “No, no. I can walk by myself- How can I let someone else-“

He didn’t get to finish his sentence, as a bigger roar than the last time echoed through the forest, signalling more incoming fierce corpses. Judging from the sound, Lan XiChen muttered to himself, must be at least five other incoming fierce corpses.

“We need to go now.” He demanded and Jiang Cheng had no other choice but to climbed on the older boy’s back as they both made the run through the night veil.

Jiang Cheng was amazed at Lan XiChen’s strength. He didn’t look that much bigger than him yet he could easily carry him on his back and ran through the forest like it was nothing. He rested his head on the other boy’s shoulder as he thought about how unfair it was. Why did everything about lan XiChen was better than him. Why was there so many people that better than him out there? How much more effort did he need to put into if he wanted to surpass them all?

“Don’t worry WanYin. You will grow up to be a magnificent person. I’m sure of it.”

Jiang Cheng startled, his fingers slightly shook. But he slowly nodded his head. His eyes were probably still wet from the forest rain, but there were lingering droplets. It was the rain water, he insisted.

Lan XiChen’s rushing footsteps slowly decreased in its speed then came to complete stop. His head turned from left to right, as if he sensed something. Following XiChen’s line of sight, he couldn’t see what Lan XiChen may be seeing. But everything was too eerie. The roars and the footsteps that they heard, was no longer in plain view. Yet, the eerie quietness bothered the older boy. His face turned grim. Lan XiChen turned his head, whispered in a low voice, “Hold on a little more WanYin. I discovered a place that we can temporary hide until morning.”

The way back to Lotus Pier was still a distance away. With the darkness around them, and with Jiang Cheng who couldn’t move freely, rummaging their way to the forest with unknown number of fierce corpses around wasn’t the best option. None of them were equipped with the necessary tools to fight, and their cultivation level weren’t high enough to be able to defeat the corpses on their own.

The hideout that Lan XiChen mentioned about was a small cave hidden behind a thick layer of vines. It was dark and pretty secluded and could be easily missed. The older boy pushed the curtain of vine asides and entered the cave. It was a tiny space but spacious enough for two kids their sizes.

Lan XiChen carefully placed Jiang Cheng down, let him leaned against the wall. He then took another steps back to the entrance, making sure that nothing followed them before going back inside and sat down next to the younger boy.

He gently placed his fingers over the bruised ankle and proceeded to treat it. He took out a white porcelain bottle and poured the powder on the wound and carefully dabbed it with his long and thin fingers.

He wasn’t that much older than him, but he was prepared for everything, even carrying a medicine bottle inside his sleeve like that.

Jiang Cheng wasn’t sure if he should laugh or cry at himself for even at this moment, he couldn’t help but compare himself with XiChen.

The thing was, this man had too many things that he didn’t have, and he felt inferior because of it. But then, it felt assured to have someone like Lan XiChen around.

Jiang Cheng shook his head, shouting at himself for wandering with his thoughts. Today seemed like a bad day, for his thoughts kept on wondering around non stop. Rain and melancholy he blamed. 

After finished bandaging his bruised ankle, Lan XiChen let out a small smile of relief. He put away the bottle of medicine and proceeded sit back down next to the younger boy.

“Thank you.”

“You are very welcomed.” Lan XiChen replied with a bright smile.

The sound of rain from behind the veil of vines sounded smaller, but still continuously fell in a steady rhythm. As if they were the only two people in the world.

He stole a few glances at the older boy, appreciated his well-balanced features. Under the little light, he still gleamed up like a wonderful marble statue. Were all the Lan looked like this? Or it was just XiChen?

“Sect Leader Jiang is worried you know.” The older boy said, “You shouldn’t have run away like that.”

“What do you know about him? He never worries about me.” Jiang Cheng looked away, pain dyed his violet pupils, “He doesn’t like my mother, so he doesn’t like me either.”

A long and silent sigh escaped the other boy’s lips, then he began in a low voice, “I rarely see my father. May be once a year.”

“Once a year?”

“Yea. He is practicing secluded mediation.” Lan XiChen answered, “He never comes out from his room for as long as I can remember. The only time that I get to see him is my birthday. And that is once every year.”  

Lan XiChen leaned against the wall, hands on his knees as he sat with a proper posture, “I don’t know why he has to do that. As I used to think that he hates me and doesn’t want to see me. But I know it is not true.”

“How can you be so sure?” Jiang Cheng asked, crooking his eyebrows.

“You just know.” He looked back at him with the golden eyes that brighter than stars, “Deep down you know how much Sect Leader Jiang loves and cares for you. May be not right now, but you will one day realize it for sure.”

Jiang Cheng lowered his head, fingers tightened together. Things went through his mind as he contemplating, “You talk as if you know how the future is going to look like.”

“Only to a certain extent.” Lan XiChen smiled cheekily. One that of similar smiles that he often saw his brother wore. Then he felt like he was being toyed with.

Jiang Cheng opened his mouth, about to protest. But he only just had enough time for the violet almond eyes to widen up and felt himself being pulled inside a broad chest by a pair of strong arms. A sweet scent of sandalwood mixed with the scent of passing rain invaded his nose, rendering him motionless. He could feel an unknown wave of heat crept up his cheek. His face must had been redder than the tomato he ate yesterday for lunch.

“Lan-Lan XiChen, what are you doing??” He gritted his teeth in embarrassment, trying to pry himself away from the sudden grasp that he wasn’t used to. His siblings did hug him from times to times, but from a stranger that he barely knew, then it was the first. And for some odd reason, it felt completely foreign from what he normally felt being hugged by others.

“Shh!” Lan XiChen lowered his voice, his whisper rang deep inside Jiang Cheng’s ears as the younger boy caught a missing breath, before looking over the other’s shoulder.

Multiple sounds of incoherent speeches and approaching footsteps became louder and closer than before. Large and big shadows reflected on the vine curtain. The shadows were that similar of human, but the way it swayed back and forth like a dancing madman indicated otherwise.

Jiang Cheng found himself unable to control the welling fear that unconsciously shook up his spine. The image of the fierce corpse’s sharp claws that almost dig into his eyes came back vividly. He blinked, his vision got blurred. The thumping of his heart raced erratically. His stomach churned and arched in tense cramps. Fear-he never thought he would fear a dead corpse, until he was forced to face with multiple of them. He after all, was still a child, easily faltered at just the sight of such creatures. He gripped the white fabric in front of him tightly and twisted it, trying to hid the trembling of his hands. Frozen fear engulfed his conscience, knocking all other thoughts aside. Fear made him exhausted.

Then came the voice that he never thought would be able to pull him back from the void of helplessness. It was a calm, rushing but gentle like a morning wind in spring. The voice was of slight tremble, but it gave him all the courage and assurance that he needed to pull himself out from his dark thoughts.

“Don’t worry WanYin. I’m here.” Lan XiChen’s arms around him tightened, bringing him closer to his chest, and that sandalwood scent grew stronger as the distance between them shortened.

“I will protect you.” Lan XiChen muttered, “I won’t let anything happen to you.” He said.

“I promised you.”

There was determination in his soft voice, filled with a distant pain that only the older boy understood.

Even when Jiang Cheng’s body stopped shaking, his breathes even out, and his eyes closed falling deeper into slumber due to the exhaustion. The warmth around him never disappeared. It was like a soft and melodic lullaby, assuring him that there was tomorrow, and with this older boy by his side, he would be ready to face anything, be it raging storms or erupting volcanoes.

The creatures from outside no longer scared him. The growls, the rushing stomping steps no longer made him feel fear.

‘I promised you.’

The young master of Jiang curled up his lips, as he leaned against the comforting embrace of the strange boy of Lan-whom he only knew for two days, and felt his consciousness vanished into the world of dreams.

The morning came with the chirping noises of early birds. Jiang Cheng stirred in his sleep, slowly crackling his eyes open. Little rays of sunlight went through the gaps between the vines, light up the dark cavern in soft glow of gold and white.

He slowly turned his body, feeling his head was rested against something soft, until he realized it was Lan XiChen’s lap that he was sleeping on the entire time.

“Good morning WanYin.”

The expression that he was greeted with got his cheek a bit flushed. It was too radiant, yet the dark circles under the other boy’s eyes was evident enough to tell Jiang Cheng that he had been awake the entire night.

A wave of guilt washed through him. How could he sleep so soundly when Lan XiChen had to keep watch.

“M-Morning...” He muttered, shot himself up quickly and away from Lan XiChen’s lap, all the while trying not to meet the other boy by the eyes.

After checking the wound on Jiang Cheng’s leg, Lan XiChen offered to help him stand up. Despite the slight pain, Jiang Cheng was able to at least stand and walk a little bit by himself. The medicine did work.

“Let’s head back.” Lan XiChen said, facing his back at him, and at this point, Jiang Cheng didn’t see any point in refusing the other boy’s kind gesture, so he hopped on his back and let the Lan boy carried him through the woods and back to Lotus Pier.

His sister cried when she saw him. His brother slapped him hard on the back, saying he thought he eloped with his newfound boyfriend-to which earned Wei WuXian a hit right on top of the head by Madame Yu, who yelled at both of them and made sure they would get their due punishment after his leg healed. Lan XiChen’s uncle shook his head at how terrible Lan XiChen’s outfit and attire looked, but couldn’t hide the happiness inside his eyes upon learning of their safe return.

Sect Leader Jiang, however, didn’t say much. Although, he was the first to rush out and meet them at the gate after receiving the news. He didn’t say anything, just bowed to Lan XiChen, thanking him for keeping his son safe. He then turned to Jiang Cheng and gave his head a soft pat, with eyes full of complicated emotions that Jiang Cheng was too young to understand. He picked Jiang Cheng up and carrying him back to his room. It was the very first time in a very long time that he was carried by his father. It felt nostalgic.

Jiang Cheng looked over his father’s shoulder to see the Lan boy smiling at him. His hand placed on top of his own heart and his mouth shaped out soundless words.

Deep down, he knew it was true.

“So shidi, what are you going to do with that opening ceremony with your leg like this?”

Wei WuXian pointed at Jiang Cheng’s injury and teased, “Guess you won’t be able to make your debut this time then.”

“Then how about, you do it instead?”

“No no way. I wouldn’t be able to remember the routine within such short notice.” Wei WuXian said, hands behind his head.

He was lying and of course Jiang Cheng realized it. There was no way he wouldn’t be able to remember, he was just lazy.

“Then I will do it. It is very unsightly if the event is cancelled. Where do we put YunMengJiang’s face if it was the case.” Jiang Cheng declared, “My ankle is getting better, I have no problem walking by myself.”

“No way shidi. It will be too much on your wound. How do you expect to swing around on the stage with a leg like that.” Wei WuXian tapped him on the shoulder, “It would only bring shame to the sect if you can’t perform well you know.”  

From next to them, Jiang YanLi gently put back the empty bowls of lotus rib soup back to the tray. She had to agree that even though Jiang Cheng’s ankle showed sign of getting better, but to have him perform it would only put more strain on his wound, “A-Xian is right. I will talk to father and see what are other alternatives.”

Jiang Cheng turned his head, feeling frustrated. He hated himself now. If he didn’t get angry and ran off, then he wouldn’t twist his ankle and the performance could still happen as planned. He let out a heavy sigh, and couldn’t stop blaming himself for his childish tantrum.

Then a knock on the door was heard and the voice that followed successfully dragged him out of his depression.

“This is Lan XiChen. May I come in?”

Wei WuXian patted his brother on the shoulder, flashing a huge grin as he teased, “It seems your prince is here. Right on cue.”

Jiang YanLi chuckled and opened the door, bowing her hands gracefully, “Young Master Lan.”

“Young Mistress Jiang.” Lan XiChen quickly returned her bow.

“Thank you for helping my brother,” Jiang YanLi said, “And to always drop by to check on him.”

“Please don’t mention it, Young Mistress Jiang.” He looked over YanLi’s shoulder and smiled, “We are friends after all.”

Wei WuXian left his seat and jumped right in front of Lan XiChen, “Lan-gege, can you talk some sense to Jiang Cheng? He insisted on performing at the opening ceremony tomorrow with that leg.”

Lan XiChen’s reaction to that was exactly like how Jiang Cheng anticipated. He shook his head profusely, his eyebrows knitted together, completely objected to that idea.

“You are still recovering. Don’t strain yourself.”

“But-“

“No but.”

Jiang YanLi and Wei WuXian stood aside, and was completely amazed at how speechless their youngest brother-who never seemed to listen to anyone except Madame Yu could actually showed this type of helpless expression in front of an acquaintance.

Jiang Cheng knew the older boy was right. But in the end, he felt like he shouldn’t give up. But he had no one else to blame but himself.

He heard Lan XiChen let out a sigh, then he looked at him with a beautiful and understand smile.

“If you insisting on performing no matter what...then, please allow me to be your legs.”

The faces of the Jiang children at that time were quite lively. Jiang YanLi hid her shocked face between her sleeve, Wei WuXian grinned from side to side, anticipating something fun that was about to take place, and Jiang Cheng, just suddenly felt like Lan XiChen was the fairy that descended from heaven just to help him.

Jiang FengMian and Lan QiRen were slightly shocked upon hearing the proposal that Lan XiChen came up with. They weren’t quite convinced that it was going to work. But the determination inside both the boy’s eyes told them otherwise.

In the end, both adults had to nod their heads, anticipating on what they would be able to pull off. Lan QiRen was quite excited at it, but even if he was beaten to death, he would never admit it. 

On the day, hundreds of cultivators and their juniors who were there to attend the Discussion Conference arrived at the training hall of Lotus Pier where the competition was going to be held. Each sect would pick out a team of five as representatives and compete against other teams for the highest honor of ranking first. The battle was one on one and who won would advance to the next round. One day Jiang Cheng and his brother would have to take part in this competition, but for now they were too young so they had to sit back and be spectators like others. At the highest spectator spot, which were also the most quiet was where elder cultivators, sect leaders and their families sat. Everyone was here to demonstrate their sects’ strength and how skilled their disciples were. A good opportunity to boost their faces and values.

And it wasn’t part of the main event, but people were looking forward to the opening ceremony where the son of YunMengJiang’s sect leader would perform a series of demonstration of YunMengJiang’s sword style. It was a performance that introduced the young master of YunMengJiang to the cultivation world. However, a few days ago a news spread throughout Lotus Pier that the young master unfortunately injured his leg and there were talks about cancelling the performance. Some people genuinely believed it was an accident and only wished for the speedy recovery of the young master. Those who were a little more vicious with their tongues, spread rumors that he actually was not up to the standard of YunMengJiang so he decided to hide. They were rather surprised that the performance didn’t get cancel. It was going to be an eye-opening performance. For if the young master was really injured and had a below average performance, or if the boy was just a poor practitioner of sword. Either way, it would bring shame to the Jiang’s clan, whom were the host of this year Discussion Conference.

So when the time came, everyone was excited and couldn’t contain their anticipation. What sort of move would the young master going to show, or what sort of performance would he put on. People imagined different type of scenarios in their mind, but having a young boy with a white attire and a flowing blue cloud head ribbon rested neatly against his forehead stepped up the fighting stage with a white jade xiao inside his hand was not some thing that people expected.

The boy bowed his hands elegantly and gracefully, showing the perfect discipline and etiquette that was molded by three thousands of rules of GusuLan.

He didn’t wait for the chatter to die down but instead put the xiao close to his lips. Clear and divine sound came from the instrument like a river that flowed through the border between day and night. A bit of melancholy like a chant in the night, and then followed by high and clear notes that sounded like the bird chirping at the raise of the sun. Chatters died down as everyone focused their senses on the beautiful sound of the xiao that one didn’t believe was coming from a young boy. Rumors said all the Lan were gifted with an excellent sense of music that beyond that of the world, at least today, they learned that those rumors weren’t just baseless talks. If a young boy of this age could move one’s heart at the sound of his xiao, then how capable was the GusuLan’s senior cultivators. One could only gasped in amazement at how prestige the Lan’s clan was.

Just then, Wei WuXian, who sat among the crowd with his YunMengJiang’s shidis and shixiongs let out a loud, excited cheer, while pointing at the rooftop behind the audience’s seat. His loud, intentional cheer attracted people’s attention on where he pointed as hundreds of eyes turned towards the roof.

A purple silhouette descended from the sky, his violet dress spread and fluttered against the wind, creating a lotus with the shape of his landing shadow-the very symbol of YunMengJiang sect.

The melody that Lan XiChen was playing came a stop when hundreds of eyes were on the violet figure that just jumped down from the roof. Like a swift lightning, Lan XiChen let down the xiao from his lips and pulled out his sword with his other free hand. He extended his sword holding hand just in time for Jiang Cheng to land on it.

Jiang Cheng was beyond shock when Lan XiChen said he wanted to be his legs. But after hearing his explanation, his raging heart calmed down and nodded his head at such a plan. To explain it shortly, Lan XiChen would be joining the performance with him as a support to give him a foothold to lean against without putting too much strain on his injured ankle.

He had witnessed it first hand during practice, but even now he couldn’t believe in Lan XiChen’s strength, for he could hold him up with just one hand. He shook his head, telling himself to focus since now wasn’t the time to be distracted. He looked down at Lan XiChen and nodded and the older boy mirrored his gesture.

Jiang Cheng steadied himself, taking in a deep breath and shot himself upwards with the help of Lan XiChen. He twisted himself around in midair, drawing circles of purple light with his sword. His hand’s movements weaved through the layers thin air like violet threads flexibly like a spider weaving its web, or like a butterfly fluttered its wing as it flew towards the night sky.

And Lan XiChen, despite only practicing with him for only a day managed to catch up with all of his movements. Lan XiChen extended his hand to grab onto Jiang Cheng long sleeve and pulled him closer for him to lean on when he descended after the end of his mid-air strikes. The boy of Lan’s white robes entangled with the Jiang boy’s violet in a perfect picture of the water embraced its lotus. A wonderfully drawn picture by the two young boys coming from two different families.

Wei WuXian had seen them practiced and he was amazed at how the differences between YunMengJiang and GusuLan sword styles could miraculously compliment each other. In order to support and became a foundation for Jiang Cheng, who couldn’t fully rely on his leg, it needed to be a sword style similar to the GusuLan- where a portion of their movements and skills could be use to cover for other’s weaknesses.

From the spectator pavilion, chatters of discussions and compliments were heard among the sect leaders. Lan QiRen could be seen with a heightened spirit on his face. He repeatedly brushed his beard while trying hard to keep himself from smiling. Madame Yu still retained a stern face, but she didn’t seem to be unpleased.

“Sect Leader Jiang. Your son is truly exceptional.” Sect Leader Nie said, “For him to keep up with Young Master Lan at such a young age, is truly exceptional. The future of YunMengJiang will be in good hands.”  

“Right right.” LanLingJin Sect Leader agreed, “I didn’t know that Jiang clan and Lan Clan are this close to each other. Do I see a new alliance forming?” He waved his fan back and forth as he smiled.

“It seems the two of them are really close, just from the way Young Master Lan supports the younger Jiang boy like that. The YunMengJiang and GusuLan must have no worries for the growth of their next generation.” From besides them, the cold and sarcastic voice of Wen RuoHan- the Sect Leader of QishanWen echoed through the pavilion, rendering all the chatters slowly died down.

Jiang FengMian bowed his hands, “I am deeply appreciated your high thinkings of my son. But he is still young and there is so much more that he needs to improve on.” He looked at Wen RuoHan, and smiled, “Thank you for your compliment, Sect Leader Wen.” He then turned his eyes towards his son, with a complicated expression embedded inside his eyes.

“To put it simply, the YunMengJiang’s style mainly focuses on individuality. Where the practitioner overwhelms their opponent by its sheer force and flexible movements, which is like a lotus, soft yet stand straight in the face of adversity and grow beautifully. While the GusuLan’s sword style is adaptive, and focuses on teamwork. The type of sword style that could adapt to any other styles and support them by giving them the boost that they need, like the water that the lotus grows on.”  Wei WuXian explained to his shidis. It was such an eye-opener for him. Though, that was easier said than done. What amazed him the most, was how harmonious Jiang Cheng and Lan XiChen were. It seemed like they had been friends for years and understood each other for more than decades.

Just seeing the flutter of their clothes and the touches of their swords as they flew through the air, cutting open the space around with swift and colorful strikes of spiritual energy. Wei WuXian grinned, looking at his brother’s eyes gleamed up with light brighter than the sun whenever the Lan boy caught him as they both danced to a smooth, and delicate dance of blue and purple.

He knew that kind of eyes and what feelings that it carried. He had seen it in his sister’s eyes once after all.

He leaned back against his seat, closing his eyes and smiled knowingly. This was no longer a performance, but more like a dance between two people that in love with each other. He should keep this secret to himself or else his brother would unleash the dogs at him if he was to hear about this.

The performance went off without a problem. Even after he stepped off the stage and went to the back, he could still feel his heart raced like no tomorrow. Lan XiChen on the other hand, was as calm as ever. He even managed to keep his smile on the entire time like it was a walk in the garden for him, especially for someone who had to learn about the style of YunMengJiang and how to adapt to it all within a day.

Lan XiChen was really impossible. Yet, it seemed he couldn’t take his eyes away from him. He was always there whenever he needed, always lent him a helping hand and made he feel better, and made his heart raced, uncontrollably.

“How is your leg? Does it hurt?” It was the first thing that he asked after the performance was done. Sometimes, he wondered if they were just acquaintances from the way Lan XiChen treated him.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to check on it every hour.” Jiang Cheng pouted. Thanks to Lan XiChen’s support, he almost forgot that he sprained his ankle, “More importantly, how did you think I do? I didn’t make any mistakes right?”

The older boy widened his eyes and his lips curled into a heavenly smile, “No you didn’t.” He placed his hand on top of Jiang Cheng’s head and gave it a soft caress, “Good job, WanYin. You really did your best.”

You really did your best.

How he had been longing to hear that. He had always wanted to hear it, to be acknowledged for as long as he could remember. Now, being able to hear it from Lan XiChen and had him told him that he did his best, he did a good job, all the pain that he felt and all the effort that he spent were worth it.

“Thank you, Lan-“

“What’s wrong?” Lan XiChen questioned the sudden silence.

“Um...it doesn’t seem appropriate to address you with your name straight. Since you are older than me... So um...” Jiang Cheng said hesitatingly.

“I see...then...” Lan XiChen thought for awhile, “How about XiChen-gege? That would do right?” said Lan XiChen.

“XiChen-gege...” A tint of foreign feeling burned his tongue, but Jiang Cheng didn’t hate the sound of it. He sharply nodded his head, “Then, many thanks, XiChen-gege!” He exclaimed with hint of crimson dyed both his cheek and corners of his eyes.

“You are very welcomed!”

The two of them spent most of their times together during the remaining time that Lan XiChen had at Lotus Pier. Once the Discussion Conference ended, Lan XiChen had to leave with his clans men. Jiang Cheng didn’t want to admit, but he had gotten used to the presence of the Lan boy. And he was going to be rather lonely without him.

“WanYin, next time please come to Cloud Recesses. I will show you around Gusu and let you try all the delicacies of my hometown.”

“Sure! I’m looking forward to it.” Jiang Cheng made Lan XiChen pinky promise him before hesitantly let the older boy go.

Even after the white figure of Lan XiChen disappeared among the blue horizon, Jiang Cheng still found himself unmoving. His violet eyes stared off into the distant, thinking about the next time they met. He was sad, but he was hopeful for the first friend that he made, despite only for a few days, and he couldn’t wait to see him again soon.

Even after few months passed, the both of them managed to keep contact via letters. The amount of letters Lan XiChen received from Lotus Pier got his uncle amazed at how close the two of them managed to become after just a few short days.

“It seems you are rather fond of the second young master of Jiang.” Lan QiRen commented one day after their usual lessons.

“Yes uncle. He is a wonderful person who I believe will grow up to become a magnificent leader.” Lan XiChen put down the cup of lotus tea that he got as a parting gift from the very said person and smiled fondly, “It is my honor to become a friend with him.”

Lan QiRen brushed his beard, nodding his head, “Recently, there are some unsightly activities conducted by the QishanWen sect. Their power is growing rather fast and in an extreme way. I am rather afraid of what they are going to become in the future. It may not be immediate, but we should always plan ahead.”

“I understand uncle. For the sake of our sect, please let me know if there is something that I can do to help.” The boy bowed his hands and lowered his head as he said.

Lan QiRen’s eyebrows raised, “XiChen, you know to me you and WangJi’s happinesses are the most important.”

Letting out the same vibrant smile, Lan XiChen nodded his head, “I know uncle.”

“Married to the Lan? Are you out of your mind Jiang FengMian?” Madame Yu shouted over from her adjacent desk, “Why is this my first time hearing about it?”

Hearing his parents argued over meals wasn’t something unusual. But this time, Jiang Cheng couldn’t let himself sat quietly when the person in the topic was none other than him.

Married to the Lan? Him?

“My lady, please hear me out.” Jiang FengMian lowered his voice, “This is for the good of Jiang Cheng.”

“For him? More like for the Jiang’s clan.” Madame Yu slammed her chopsticks on the table, she was furious to know that her son would be sold for the benefit of the clan, just like any other mothers would.

Jiang FengMian let out a heavy sigh, “My lady, Jiang’s clan is also your clan.” He brought his fingers up and massaged his temple, “QishanWen is slowly expanding their power, we fear that in the near future they will try to dictate the cultivation world. A-Li is betrothed to ZiXuan of LanLingJin, if anything happened, the LanLingJin can protect her in our stead.” He then turned his gaze to Jiang Cheng, “A-Cheng and the young master of Lan are both going to be the sect leaders of YunMengJiang and GusuLan. Creating an alliance with them now is helping him in the future.” He added, “GusuLan sect’s reputation is the top of the top, considering their background, their way of living, I can’t think of a better suitor for A-Cheng. Besides, it is already agreed that both of them can break off the engagement anytime they wanted, and they will not get into each other way in term of managing their own sects.”

“Of course, if you don’t want to. I will pretend this conversation never happen.” He nodded his head, looking straight at Jiang Cheng’s eyes, “The decision is entirely up to you A-Cheng.”

Madame Yu clenched her fists. She didn’t like it when her son was used for political ploy. But she had to admit that it was one of many better ways to give Jiang Cheng a better foothold in this dog ate dog world. And that young boy of Lan seemed like a really good kid.

“Fine, he can decide for himself. It is his life after all.” She stood up and left the dining hall, just like every time they argued.

Jiang Cheng suddenly didn’t want to eat, despite being extremely hungry earlier.

He found himself taking a stroll around the lotus pond. He stopped and sat down near the pier, letting his bare feet dangled from the edge. He did think about growing up, and baring the responsibility that came with the title of YunMengJiang sect leader. He had imagined different sorts of situations and scenarios of how he would become a sect leader in the future. But to get engaged and would one day married a stranger that he never knew of? It was unexpected.

He was still too young to understand the world and it worked. But he was smart enough to understand the importance of playing allies. To have a strong ally to support him and his sect in the future would only prove beneficial. They were going to have one with LanLingJin, so forming another alliance with GusuLan would place YunMengJiang at the center of the top five biggest sects. QingHeNie was also in a good relationship with GusuLan too, wasn’t it? The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that he should agree to this engagement. For the sake of his clan and for himself in the future.

For himself...?

Would he be able to live with a complete stranger for the rest of his life just for the sake of his clan? What if he didn’t like his future husband? What would happen to YunMengJiang if he was to call off the engagement?

Jiang Cheng kicked the water angrily. He was confused and didn’t know what to do.

“Xichen-gege, what would you do if it was you?”

Another month passed by, and he wasn’t able to make up his mind. Luckily, the GusuLan was willing to wait for his answer, no matter how long it might take. He begged his father to let him visit Cloud Recesses and see what it was like there. To get to know them, and to see whether he wanted to go through with the engagement or not. His father thought it was a good idea, so after sending a message to the GusuLan, they rode the sword and flew towards the direction of Cloud Recesses.

Needless to say, the young Jiang Cheng was amazed at how different Cloud Recesses was compared to Lotus Pier. It was definitely different, but was equally beautiful.

Walking the hundreds of stone stairs, leading him to the gate with a wooden plague that spelt Cloud Recesses decorated with flowing blue cloud patterns. Jiang Cheng’s eyes shot open when he saw a young boy that was taller than him waited at the entrance. The boy’s face was something that he missed very much. Temporarily forgetting all the courtesy, he ran up and faced the other boy with a bright smile, “XiChen-gege. Long time no see.”

“Long time no see, WanYin.” The Lan boy nodded his head, “You seem well.” He then turned to Jiang Cheng’s father and bowed his hands, “Greetings Sect Leader Jiang, my uncle is waiting for you. Please follow me.”

He led the two of them through the gate and through another stone path. Jiang Cheng didn’t know where they were going for he was busy admiring the view around him. Magnolia and cherry trees were planted along the road, and green, so much green was in sight. He had heard Lan XiChen described what Cloud Recesses looked like, but it was nothing compared to seeing it with his own eyes.

Lan XiChen led them to the main hall of Cloud Recesses where his uncle was waiting to greet Jiang sect leader and his son. After exchanging a few greetings, Jiang FengMian asked the young master of Lan to show Jiang Cheng around Cloud Recesses while the adults had a talk.

Jiang Cheng couldn’t be any happier hearing that. It had been awhile since he was last alone with Lan XiChen, and he had so many things to tell him about, and asked for his advice.

Lan XiChen guided them around Cloud Recesses, showing him around places and the Library Pavilion was their last stop.

The Library Pavilion was the biggest pride of Cloud Recesses and GusuLan. Rows and rows of books and scores that were collected by generations of Lan were stored here. They consisted of a various topics from music scores, history books to even diary of previous heads. Jiang Cheng wasn’t a book reader, but even for him, just being surrounded by thousands of books overwhelmed him with a sense of amazement.

“I gotta admit, Cloud Recesses seems like a really cool place to live.” Jiang Cheng said as he flipped through some random books that he found.

“Then, do you want to live here?” Lan XiChen’s voice was small, but the atmosphere around them was silent enough for him to hear clearly. There were the sounds of rustling leaves and flying curtains, but Jiang Cheng could hear a small sort of uncertainty and pain inside the older boy’s voice. His smile was somewhat different from the usual ones he had. It seemed to lack that radiant light of the morning sun.

He looked down at his feet, wasn’t sure how to reply. He didn’t dislike Cloud Recesses. If he had to give it a rank, it would rank just behind Lotus Pier, taking his bias into consideration.

“I do, but I don’t want to be away from Lotus Pier.”

“You don’t have to always be here. You can go back to Lotus Pier anytime you want and stay however long you want” said Lan XiChen.

“Actually about that, can I ask for your advice?” He walked closer to the older boy and sat down opposite of him, “What would you do if you have to marry a stranger for the sake of your sect?”

Tightening his fingers, Jiang Cheng continued, “My father and mother told me that it is entirely up to me. And I knew the alliance between our two clans is a great deal and is beneficial for both. But, i kept on asking myself if this was really what I wanted, to be married to a stranger and live the rest of my life with him. What if it was a mistake and I wanted to annul the engagement? Would he think badly of me and be displeased with YunMengJiang?”

Lan XiChen listened to him and spoke out words of comfort, “I assure you no one in GusuLan will ever think badly about you if you decided to cancel the engagement. That I can guarantee. Since you asked for my advice,” The older boy’s eyes glanced over to the window.

Jiang Cheng followed the boy’s gaze and his eyes landed on a big white magnolia tree just right in front of it.

“My father married my mother out of love. But due to circumstances, they couldn’t be together.” Darkness casted shadow over the glittering golden gems that of his eyes, “Looking at them, I made a wish and promise to my mother, that- one day when I find someone who is important to me just like how my mother is to my father, I could stay by that person’s side and bring that person’s everlasting happiness. I wish that we will be able to stay together and be happy for the rest of our lives. Forever not separated.”

“I can’t go against that promise, even if it was for the sake of GusuLan. After all, I just want that important person to be happy. Even if their happiness meant I couldn’t be together with them or if it meant putting the well-being of my sect after that person.” Lan XiChen smiled, a bitter and dark curl appeared on his lips. But it was the truest smile that he ever showed, “My father is rather stubborn, and unfortunately, I inherited that trait from him.”

“I-I see.” Jiang Cheng took in what the older boy said. He too, thought that political marriage didn’t always work out, taking his parents for example.

“You are strong WanYin. I know you will grow up to be a magnificent leader that doesn’t need any alliance to support you. You are plenty strong enough to protect yourself and your sect.”

His heart arched, out of happiness. Lan XiChen had so much faith in him. If another person could put so much faith on him, why couldn’t he do that for himself? He nodded his head, clenching his teeth. His eyes lit up with determination, “Thank you XiChen-gege.”

“Although, I am actually relieved to hear this. I thought you were hesitant towards this engagement because you didn’t like me.” Lan XiChen chuckled softly as he let out a relief sigh that he had been holding in.

“No no, there is no way I didn’t like you. You are my...” Jiang Cheng stopped, his eyes widened, “Wait, what did you just say?”

Now it was Lan XiChen’s turn to be confused, he repeated his words for the second time, “I thought it took you so long to give an answer was because you didn’t want to be engaged to me.”

“E-engaged to you??? I thought I was going to marry the son of the current Lan sect leader and the future sect leader of GusuLan??” Jiang Cheng shot up from his seat, bewildered.

A small silence passed through between them, then a small laugh escaped Lan XiChen’s lips, “Please allow me to introduce myself again. I am Lan XiChen, the oldest son of GusuLan sect leader and am the future sect leader of GusuLan.”

Another silence floated by following with a big shout of surprise and an incoherent stammer from the Jiang boy. Cloud Recesses forbid loud noises, but Lan XiChen would overlook it this time.

“So all this time, I have been wrecking my brain thinking about whether should I marry a stranger that I barely knew. But then as it turned out, this stranger that I was supposed to marry was you all along??” Jiang Cheng stomped his feet angrily, “If I had known it was you then I would-“

“Then you would what?”

“I-I-I-“ Recognizing the cheeky grin and the teasing inside the older boy’s golden eyes, Jiang Cheng’s face turned rigid, and blood rushed all the way to his face, flashing it with different ranges of red. He swore his face was redder than a bag of chilis about now.

“I’m going home!!” He shouted, turning his head and ran off.

Lan XiChen flustered and quickly ran after him, “WanYin, WanYin! I’m sorry for teasing you. Forgive me, WanYin!” He knew he would be punished for running, but he didn't care anyway.

At that time when stomping away from the Library Pavilion, Jiang Cheng was extremely embarrassed and felt angry at how stupid he was. But deep down inside, he couldn’t deny a wave of unknown happiness slowly making its way inside his heart, little by little.

Even when he ran into his father and Lan QiRen, whom were taking a stroll around Cloud Recesses, with his flushed face made his father thought that he was sick. He was never so sure of anything else in his entire life up till now, especially the moment when he loudly and clearly told both the adults that he would very much happy to accept the engagement proposal.

“Bwahahahaha, see shidi. What did I tell you? You are freaking engaged to a Lan now.” Wei WuXian let out an enormous laugh that shook the entire Lotus Pier after he heard the news.

“Wait until it is your turn Wei WuXian! Then see who will have the last laugh.” Jiang Cheng smirked.

“No I assure you. I won’t ever marry to any of those boring people.”

A few decades later, Jiang Cheng would think about what his brother exclaimed that day and got a good laugh at it. But that would be the story of twenty years later.

Jiang YanLi was rather thrilled to hear the news. She had been there from the start and had seen the development of friendship between them, “I think it may have been fate that brought you two together.”

“You think so?” Jiang Cheng asked.

“Yea. You know when you were one year old, there was a big party at Lotus Pier to celebrate your birthday? And one of the main events was to placed a number amount of items in a silver tray for you to pick, to see what would you be like in the future?” *

“What did I pick??”

Jiang YanLi put a finger under her chin and said in a cheerful tone, “You actually didn’t pick anything. You just kept on looking at the sky and reach out your hand towards it. Now that I think about it, you probably were pointing and trying to grab at the cloud.”

“...”