Chapter Text
Lan LiYu wakes up, as usual, watching with unblinking eyes at the still-dark sky. Few rays of light are already peaking over to bathe her house in its warm glow to welcome a new day. Lan LiYu sits up on her bed, checking under her pillow for a certain ribbon, heaving a sigh of relief when it is still where she left it last night. It has already been over a week after she had woken up with her memories all but gone, leaving a mist behind in return. All she could remember was her name and the certain white ribbon that she now uses to tie her hair. Though she cannot remember where she had received it from, it is clear that it is important. She’s had numerous dreams of a certain couple, which she assumes are her parents, gifting her with it on one of her birthdays. Young, she was, when she received it, barely past her parents’ knees. She would be about five years old if memory serves her right but Lan LiYu has a feeling that she was considerably older than that, seeing how thin she was in her dreams.
Her stomach grumbles at the thought of food and she chuckles to herself. She washes up and begins preparing her first meal. She spends the morning in peace, listening to the way the birds chirped in greeting and the distant sound of the village nearby rousing from the depths of sleep. She knows how early she wakes up compared to the average villager and has heard fellow villagers comment on how she reminded them of the Gusu Lan sect with her name and daily habits. She had laughed it off then, not thinking much of how her name is coincidentally similar. But she is no cultivator. There is no sword or artefacts within her possession and as far as she knows, she couldn’t feel the flow of qi. Not that she would know what it feels like.
She pushes the thought aside and walks out of her humble abode to greet the rising sun after getting dressed for the day. She brings with her a small silver bell which she ties to her waist, the small ornament donning a lotus carving with detailed precision. It is another item which she is unsure of but knows the importance of it. But unlike the ribbon, she doesn’t remember anything about it. Only a certain man in purple robes flashes in her mind when she tries to. She has long since tried to find the origins of the two items herself. But she daren’t step out of the village for fear of being discovered in possession of these sacred items as she has learnt them to be.
Lan LiYu makes her way downhill towards the village, making her way to a house tucked in the corner of the village. It stands far away from the entrance of the village, following a path that leads, as she hears, to Gusu Lan sect’s territories. As far as she knows, the village sits on its borders and rarely ever welcomes any cultivators, save for wandering or rogue travellers who don’t stay more than a night. She walks up to the door, knocking on the worn-down wood and waits. She is early, as with any other day, but suspiciously, the door stays closed. Frowning to herself, Lan LiYu knocks on it again. This time, the door opens to reveal a very familiar face.
“Elder,” Lan LiYu greets with a small smile.
“Oh, child, you are here. And here this old man was thinking it was another one of those stinking cultivators!” the village elder sighs in relief, stepping aside for Lan LiYu to enter.
“Cultivators? Have they come to stay for a night again?” Lan LiYu questions.
The elder shakes his head. “Not this time, I’m afraid.”
Lan LiYu merely frowns but does not question further. After all, it is not her place to question anyone when she still questions who she is herself. She follows the elder deeper into the house, stopping in front of a room, his study, as he would like to confidently proclaim. Lan LiYu had merely kept her mouth shut, stifling her laughter. The room is small, just like any part of the house and village. But it is packed full of books. The village elder would also argue that this is the only house in the entire village with this extensive number of books, to which Lan LiYu can only agree to. She spends her day here, reading of anything to help her reclaim her memories again. But so far, it has not helped and Lan LiYu fears stepping out of the village to journey to seek help from Gusu Lan sect. She pushes the thought far into the recesses of her mind. It isn’t as if she’s desperate to regain her memories. But the mild discomfort that is brought about from the lack of them does heighten her insecurities.
Lan LiYu begins her search again, picking up from where she had left off the day before. Just before she is able to settle into a chair to read however, knocks from the front door startle both of them out of their peaceful routine. Lan LiYu looks questioningly at the elder. His face is a mixture of annoyance and fear. Lan LiYu thinks it must be those cultivators again. She stands up only to be stopped by a shake of the elder’s head. She hangs back in the room, watching as the elder walks up to the front door to greet the esteemed cultivators.
“This old one greets you, fellow cultivators. How can this humble old man help you?”
Lan LiYu walks closer to the doorway, making sure to be silent and not be noticed.
“Greetings to you, village elder. We have come again to request as we have done last night, if you are willing to hear us out again,” said a soft and mellow voice.
They, or at least the boy who had spoken, are definitely not rogue cultivators. They carry themselves an air of elegance and pride, one that they carry for their sect from which they have hailed from. And there is only one sect that comes to mind that would bother venturing out to a village that sits on its borders—the Gusu Lan sect. Immediately, the bells in Lan LiYu’s head starts going off. What would one of the big four sects come to this humble village? As far as she knows, there hasn’t been any trouble that is reported nearby the village that would prompt cultivators to journey this far out. Her thoughts run amok as she listens in to the conversation.
“Unfortunately, this old man really has no idea as to who you esteemed cultivators are looking for,” the elder says, a hint of annoyance in his polite voice. “I wish for you to leave this village as soon as possible. We have absolutely no connection to this lady, much less a cultivator.”
“Forgive us, village elder,” the young man says again. “But I am sure we are not mistaken. HanGuang-Jun—”
“Your HanGuang-Jun must be mistaken, then!” the elder cries out. “We have no connection—nor do we foresee one—with the cultivation world!”
“HanGuang-Jun has never made a mistake! Apologise!” another young man’s voice rings out in rage.
Lan LiYu debates helping the elder. If the cultivators would hurt an old, innocent and unarmed man, better hurt her than the village elder.
“I will not apologise! I ask you to retreat and relay your HanGuang-Jun of your failures or I will deem it necessary to proclaim you as terrorising an innocent village!”
“But—!”
“JingYi,” the first man admonishes. “We apologise, village elder, but we are tasked to find the very maiden who lives in the very outskirts of this village.”
“And I have assured you that there is no such maiden!”
“Elder, I don’t wish to use other means,” the man says. Lan LiYu can hear the impatience in his voice. “The cabin is well-maintained and there are even signs of fresh footsteps leaving the cabin from this morning. If you remain stubborn, I will have to ask HanGuang-Jun to personally see to the matter himself.”
“Bring your HanGuang-Jun then! This is my village and I will—”
“Elder.”
The three men turn to look at Lan LiYu emerging from the study. She approaches the front door with as much courtesy as she can.
“Greetings to you, esteemed cultivators. This one is Lan LiYu,” she bows to them. “I ask you to forgive our elder. He is quite protective of this small village after having grown up here for his whole life.”
The two cultivators share a look before bowing to her in return.
“This one is named Lan SiZhui and my friend, Lan JingYi,” the first young man states.
The three of them rise from their bow and Lan LiYu can finally observe the cultivators. Both had the same white headband as hers, except they wear it on their foreheads. They have similar attires, one that she has long associated with the Gusu Lan sect. And seeing their swords on their hips, her suspicions are confirmed.
“I apologise for eavesdropping on the conversation,” Lan LiYu says first. “However, I can confirm that there is a maiden living in the very cabin you speak of.”
“Might the maiden be you?” Lan SiZhui asks, a hopeful tilt in his voice.
“Indeed. Can I ask why HanGuang-Jun is asking for this lowly one?”
Lan SiZhui shoots a look at Lan JingYi who merely shrugs.
“We are merely asked to bring you to the Cloud Recesses as soon as possible, Maiden Lan. If you wouldn’t be opposed, we will leave before lunch.”
Lan LiYu nods and the two cultivators bid goodbye to wait. The elder turns to her and is about to open his mouth to reprimand her. She speaks first.
“Elder, there is no use hiding me. They would have found me sooner or later,” she tries to convince. “For now, I’ll see what they want with me. I’ll return soon.”
The elder falls silent in contemplation before finally nodding resignedly.
“Be careful, child. You never know what kind of dangers lurk in the corners with these cultivators,” he sighs. “I will see you off.”
“Thank you, elder,” Lan LiYu says.
She won’t say goodbye. She’ll see what the Gusu Lan sect wants with her and then come back immediately. She doesn’t know why but a sense of foreboding overcomes her and all she can do is powerlessly follow these two young Lans to their home.
And just as the Cloud Recesses come into view, she remembers.