Chapter Text
Year of Sun Xiu's reign, Yong'an era, 258-264 CE
His own thoughts were so loud that they burst his skull from the inside out. It was painful and annoying. He woke up feeling unfulfilled and hating the world. To all the people who walk on it. How could he not feel hostility towards them after what had happened. He only remembered hearing the words of two students who had come to his quarters with the medic to check if the wounds on his back were not life threatening. "Wei Wuxian is dead," they whispered. "It's better not to tell Hanguang-Jun," said the second voice. Too late. Wangji that evening broke like the thinnest stick. All of Wei Ying's things that Wei Ying left behind were in his room, so he took the opportunity. He wanted to do something that would teach the rest of the world a lesson once and for all. And he did. He destroyed the entire timeline. He saw everything around him disappear in black smoke, people panicked. He himself sank into the dead darkness, where he no longer felt the pain in his back and the dullness of his mind. When he opened his eyes again, it was bright. Really bright and blissful. His old room, which had been burned by the Wens, was intact, and Wangji was lying on the bed. It was before five, the bell was to ring after a quarter of incense that was burning on a low table against the wall. It was burning from dusk to dawn.
He wasn't sure what talisman he had used, but he knew his alcohol-drenched mind wasn't working clearly. That night he got drunk on the Emperor's Smile kept in the floor cupboard and went completely insane. Subconsciously, he must have known what he was doing, because his own hands added a few brushstrokes in the missing places and set fire to the talisman, which destroyed everything around him. Either he was dreaming or traveled back in time. Wangji sprang to a sitting position without the precision with which he moves every day, and stood up, looking around. Light streamed in through the open window and a light breeze blew, and the smell of gentian planted in the garden filled his nostrils. He remembered how he cried as the fires burned them along with his quarters. Everything was in its place now, neatly organized and clean. Not a fracture or streak of ash. Wangji now had the opportunity to remedy all this.
Meeting his uncle was his first point to make. He was supposed to go on Night Hunting because of people's concern about the surrounding forests. He knew what was waiting for him and what he had done wrong before. This time he didn't let anyone in his group get hurt. The marionettes gathered in herds of no more than a dozen and scared people away by being aggressive and dangerous. Just how strong they were, should have made Wangji realize that they weren't the normal walking corpses he thought before the time travel. The resentment energy was too high in them. When they returned, they dragged three puppets to Cloud Recesses to confirm to the rest of Gusu what Wangji was going to tell them. The elders had to examine them for themselves to believe him, or anything the younger Lan would tell them would have been meaningless fanciful theories. That alone was irritating, and Lan Wangji intended to see to it that the elders were barred from any power or contribution to the cult. He knew how this would end in the future, and he was determined to avoid it as soon as possible.
He was away for two days on hunting, which made him total three days in the past. The invited disciples were due to arrive at any moment, and the first of them was the Baling Ouyang sect. They arrived the next day carrying gift boxes for Lan Qiren, filled with seedlings of rare plants and silver coins. The Yao were next, praising Gusu Lan's power, giving them the famous lava figurines they had been trading for generations. These were enchanted and were supposed to always give warmth, and in case of danger burn as weapons. Tingshan He appeared in the following days ahead, carrying the best weapons materials for which their sect was famous. Another twenty-four hours passed, and Qinghe Nie's successor wept at the door, covering himself with a new fan painted with blue waterfalls. Lan Xichen greeted him with a big smile for the third year in a row. The Nie's heir cling to his robes and went wherever First Jade Lan went, to convince the leader to send him back home. "Da-ge wouldn't be pleased, Huaisang," Xichen would say each time. Wangji was always around his brother, watching his interactions with each successive sect heir. Most of it was just a fake show on their part to get into Gusu Lan's good graces for the next year, when the teachings were going to be on. They couldn't expect it to be of no use when any rule was broken or come to sending monthly letters to other leaders describing the behavior of their followers and disciples.
That same evening, an incident broke out at the gate, and Wangji knew what it was. The Yunmeng Jiang sect has finally arrived. It was just before curfew, a cool wind was blowing and the sky was gray. Wangji this time had an idea why they were so annoyed. Lanling Jin occupied all the inns, escorting his heir to Caiya City itself, from where they would then return to their sect after making sure that Jin Zixuan had reached his assigned quarters in Cloud Recesses. Wangji in this timeline would do better by not giving Wei Ying a second to think he was unwanted in his home, so he immediately went to his brother, asking for a small favor.
***
The road was arduous and tiring, and the sun shining brightly in the sky didn't make it any easier. Violet-colored robes rustled in the wind, at the very bottom being slightly dirty from falling sand and dust. They passed a city full of people, fun and laughter. The stalls were colorful and the food smelled delicious. An unpleasant incident with the Lanling Jin sect forced them to resume their journey. They landed among the trees, green and overgrown with ripe fruit, seeing only meadows all around, undisturbed by a human foot, as if life in this place ceased to exist. The teenagers gossiped among themselves, shocked at the sight of such beautiful landscapes and dizzy from the ubiquitous silence to which they were not accustomed. There was something so different about Gusu Lan that drew all cultivators to the place.
Wei Wuxian sighed for the hundredth time in the last four hours. He got tired of counting it, so he cunningly began to look at his younger brother, who, walking at the very front, straightened his back with his head proudly raised up. His gait, however, remained firm, and his expression was stubborn with furrowed brows in annoyance. Despite the hint of terror emanating from him, he looked like a puffed up peacock. Wuxian laughed out loud at the sight and shared the observation with his Shidis. There was a burst of laughter. Cheerful conversations echoed off the mossy trees that carried them farther into the mountain.
Already from a distance, they were delighted with the sight of white clouds, which thickened and shimmered in their eyes with each step they took, like ocean waves, which hid literally everything under them. The boy wouldn't be surprised if they were about to step on some corpse without noticing it before. It was practically white a few inches above the ground. It was supposed to be even better in the Cloud Recesses itself. A sect completely invisible to the eye from the outside. Hidden like the greatest treasure, the most besieged in all of China. They impatiently began to climb the flat steps, which easily accommodated the largest shoe size that a tall man could reach. Wei Wuxian counted, being sure that half of his companions would be on their knees at the top.
First.
Second.
One hundred fifty-ninth.
And a few hundred before them.
The stone wall to their left contained the entire rules script, the greatest torture of Yunmeng Jiang's young generation. A whole three thousand small prints, containing the most ridiculous prohibitions Wei Wuxian could ever think of. Prohibition of alcohol consumption - unethical. No gossip, running, shouting. "They could add a ban on breathing and blinking," he thought, rolling his eyes again. They finally made it to the gate. Just plain stone, engraved with Gusu Lan sect signs. Two guards stood by it, their faces as smooth as if they did not belong to living people. Milky skin, flawless, and eyes bright and piercing. They radiated seriousness and composure, which the sweaty, exhausted representatives of Yunmeng Jiang could not boast of. Their robes were snow-white and impossibly clean, looking as if they had just been washed, though they might have had a long day of training, charging, and standing constantly under the very sun, which only now kindly hid behind drifting clouds.
Jiang Cheng bowed humbly, as did everyone else. Then he reached into his sleeve for the invitation they had received a few days earlier. Without it, there was no way to enter the sect's territory. It wasn't there. Jiang Wanyin began to sweat as he rummaged through another sleeve and Qiankun's bag, thinking maybe there was a piece of paper in there. Still nothing. He turned to Wei Wuxian with a questioning look. The boy checked himself, although he was sure that he did not get the invitation in his hands. They must have lost them. Wuxian shrugged, shaking his head. Jiang Cheng sighed.
"Is it possible to get inside without an invitation?" he asked humbly, receiving an immediate refusal. There was no such possibility. Heir Yunmeng cursed mentally.
"Can't you make that one exception?" Wei Wuxian chimed in, "It's not like you don't know who we are. We probably wouldn't have come here without being invited first."
“We can't let anyone in without an invitation,” the student on the right answered mechanically.
"Great!" Wei Wuxian muttered under his breath, "you can't leave us here, it's about to get dark, and it's a long way back to the city, we would have frozen to death," he argued. The guards remained adamant, sending them only apologies for the difficulties.
"Can you summon your leader? He can confirm our origins and let us in," Jiang Cheng suggested.
"We can, at five o'clock, when the change takes place," said the one on the left.
"At five?" Wuxian exclaimed, "It's too late!"
"Please return with the invitation," the guard ended the call. The group from Yunmeng Jiang was nervous, cold and hungry. In addition, long hours of flying on swords, cruising in boats and many kilometers of infantry gave them a hard time.
It wasn't long before someone came down the stairs. A figure in expensive white robes with fine silk embroidery with a pattern of clouds. The young man had long black hair pulled back halfway into a tight bun at the top of his head, which held up a Hanfu, indicating his origin and rank in the sect. On his forehead shone the famous Gusu Lan ribbon, adorned with a silver ancestral mark for the main family itself. Wei Wuxian stood spellbound, staring at the teenager in front of them, who seemed to sense this as he set his golden eyes on Wuxian himself in the aftermath.
“My brother will be here soon, and he is the only one who has the right to let you in uninvited. Please wait," a cold, flat voice came from the newcomer's throat. Wei Wuxian's head lit up. Since his brother was the leader, he himself had to be Lan Wangji, the Second Jade of Lan, known for his aloofness and icy disposition.
Lan Wangji was popular with women, and Wei Wuxian in that moment, standing right in front of the other teenager, had no reason to blame them or doubt the rumors. He was enchanted by its beauty. Light complexion and unusual eye color. Lan Wangji was ethereal and never left his eyes for a moment, which began to bother Wuxian. He felt his cheeks begin to warm up, and the heat soon spread to his face, ears, and neck. Jiang Cheng was the one who did not fail to bring him back to the ground, hitting him directly on the back of the head. Wei Ying massaged the sore spot while looking meaningfully at his Shidi. Wanyin already knew what had been going through his stupid brother's head for days. A desire to spread chaos and create pranks wherever he goes. He was afraid of what awaited him in Cloud Recesses, where Wuxian was to be restricted by rules totaling three thousand. The more prohibitions, the more room for him to show off in breaking them and causing problems for their sect. He already felt the headache that would result from this.
"Excuse our manners, this one is Jiang Cheng, courtesy name Jiang Wanyin of the Yunmeng Jiang sect," their leader said solemnly and bowed low. Wei Wuxian wanted to roll his eyes.
“Wei Ying, also Wei Wuxian, Yunmeng Jiang's chief disciple, salutes the respected Second Jade of Gusu,” Wuxian added after a while, much more briskly and bowed vigorously. Wangji also bowed back.
"Lan Zhan, courtesy of Lan Wangji," he replied shortly. The students also began to greet each other and kept throwing glances at Lan's second heir. The boy was dignified and seemed much older, thanks to his stoic face and impeccable demeanor, despite being the same age as them. They felt more and more uncomfortable with the fact that Lan Wangji did not take his eyes off their main student, as if clinging to him, unable to turn his head to any other direction. He was known as the guardian of the law of the Gusu Lan sect and he was the one who set the penalties for breaking the rules and was the leader of the group that guarded the entire mansion. Wei Wuxian naturally had to get his attention, as he was known as a troublemaker in the cultivation world. According to Yunmeng Jiang's students, Lan Wangji sought out every little mistake their Da Shixiong made in order to punish him. They felt sorry for him because they would be staying here for the next year, and Wei Wuxian couldn't go even a few hours without doing something the seniors thought deserved punishment.
Finally, Lan Xichen appeared with his blissful smile and impeccable appearance. The atmosphere seemed to brighten suddenly as soon as the leader stood right in front of them, greeting each other with a bow, to which they quickly responded. Lan Wangji did not have the ability to carry light behind him like the sun itself and lighten people's moods, on the contrary, he often made others run away from him.
"Please forgive me for this unpleasant situation," he spoke at the start, "I heard from my brother that you lost the invitation and you have no way to get inside. It's really unfortunate." He turned to the two guarding students and nodded. They lowered the barrier with small chips in their hands, "please follow me, I will ask someone to escort you to the prepared quarters. You'll be able to refresh yourself, but unfortunately it's too late to eat. I'll have a small snack prepared if you're really hungry. Will it be okay?"
"This master is really kind, thank you for all the facilities. The journey has been long and exhausting, if you understand," Jiang Cheng said. Xichen gave him a reassuring smile.
They were led to quarters for students from outside the sect, where they had double and triple rooms to accommodate. Along the way, they did not fail to look around the Cloud Recesses, drawing from all the beauty, peace and order that surrounded them. Outside, they passed only a few students, who moved in pairs, at regular intervals. Probably scouts getting ready for night watch. In the background was a breathtaking view. The clouds were indeed visible from where they were standing, and they did not even go deep into the sect. Shimmering in the setting sun like liquid brocade, they aesthetically illuminated all the immaculate whiteness in which the local buildings revolved. An enchanted land came to mind.
The rows of rooms were on a wooden platform. Not far away there was a low tree with a beautiful flowery-sweet scent, flowing perfectly through the open window into the temporary place of the brothers. The interior was padded with dark wood in a simple aesthetic, and all everyday items were neatly arranged and did not take up much space. A table in the center of the quarters with four cushions to sit on, two beds on opposite sides and desks at their disposal. There were practically no ornaments, except for incense, which was often used to measure time. White satin curtains flowed down from the ceiling in some places, and there was a soft carpet on the floor. It didn't look like an animal, and it probably wasn't, because the Lans didn't kill animals, it was one of the rules. The sterility of this room was jaw-dropping, everything looked perfect and evenly arranged, as if someone had spent most of the time over the details, such as candles or books.
They separated themselves from the outside world and the few students of euphoric conversations by a sliding door.
"It's different here, Jiang Cheng!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed. The brother looked at him annoyed, "they even have mini swords!" he marveled as he saw a miniature replica of the Lans type of weapon that was hanging on the wall, "and look here! This quilt is fluffy, not what like yours. It was impossible to sleep, it scratched like thorns. In fact, no, even on thorns you sleep more pleasantly, much more comfortably," he continued to chirp cheerfully, moving everywhere at an alarming pace.
"Did you sleep in my bed?" growled the younger. He narrowed his eyes sternly, and Wei Wuxian chuckled.
"Of course, Cheng-cheng. But when was it? I don't remember, so it might as well not have happened," he whistled under his breath. Playing with his brother was his favorite activity, which worked very well against boredom and improving his mood. Wanyin had weak nerves. Laughter and a sigh of indignation were the only sounds that came from this one room.
"Wei Wuxian! You..."
"Jiang Cheng, we are not at home. What kind of leader shouts like that?" he asked as if nothing had happened. The younger one turned slightly red in the face, "let's go have a drink. I heard they have good liquor in Gusu."
"Frivolous, stupid... Alcohol is forbidden here," Jiang Cheng pointed out aptly. However, this did not dampen Wei Ying's enthusiasm, but rather intensified it. His eagerness to play pranks and rebellious nature inclined to evil intentions. His plans were to upset not only the future leader Yunemng Jiang, but also to elicit some emotion from Lan Wangji, about whom he had heard rumors that he was a person suffering from an inability to express them. Wonder which one would be easier for him? He assumed in advance that Jiang Cheng could be his win.
"But not in the city," Wei had an unusually good ability to remember many details. This one could not be omitted, he clearly saw that only the Lans manor itself was covered by the ban on alcohol.
"Going outside the sect's walls is also forbidden," Jiang Cheng argued. Irritation rose on his face. "A little more and the smoke will start to come out of his ears," Wei Wuxian thought. It was a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Only after curfew!" eldest stuck to his point.
"Shameless! It's not Yumeng Jiang!" exclaimed the future leader in full anger, "there are different rules here, which you saw yourself. I swear you read them with as much fervor as all the stories you bring in from the city."
"But rules are made to be broken!" he threw his hands up, throwing himself backwards onto the bed of his choice. It was uncomfortable, as he found out as soon as he touched the piece of furniture. It's possible they didn't use soft mattresses in Gusu, unlike the bedding, "besides, it doesn't suit you, that grimace of anger, Jiang Cheng. You'll scare away all the girls you meet on the road."
"Wei Wuxian!"
The argument would have continued if not for the sudden sound of the gong signaling curfew and bedtime. The two boys exchanged glances, one side annoyed, the other teasing. They both fell asleep moments later, though Wei Wuxian had plans to visit Cloud Recesses under the cloak of night. However, fatigue turned out to be so strong that sleep overcame him in a second. He didn't know when it happened when he woke up the next day to more bells ringing feeling disoriented.
***
Two days later, after the arrival of the last sects from outside, the disciples began to gather at Lanshi, as the sign above the wide door said. Already from this place, at the very end of the room, the view of a decorative screen with a motif of cherry blossoms flying among the clouds was striking. It was like a rarity in such a homogeneous and sterile room. Everything was made of durable, yet flexible wood, which did not undermine the refinement of the entire Gusu Lan sect. The phrase "rich, but not expansive" suited the decor just right. Wei Wuxian felt strange looking at the shelves unyielding under the weight of things piled on them. Everything had its place here, while in Yunmeng things were rearranged a few times a day, if not more, so that often no one could find what they were looking for at the moment. Wei Wuxian took his assigned seat, with Jiang Cheng in front of him, and next to the student from Qinghe Nie, the heir - Nie Huaisang, a boy he had become acquainted with as a child, less than two years after being admitted to the sect.
The boy on the right, dressed in green, covered his face with a beautiful fan. Wuxian heard a faint chirp. Intrigued, he shot a curious glance at the teenager, who only glanced at Wei Ying for less than a second out of the corner of his eye, being too stressed. He stared passionately ahead again. The wooden wall was a nice object, even more so when the parchments with beautiful print were painted against it, with successive prohibitions that were valid only in the classroom itself.
When all but one of the seats were occupied, three Lans stepped inside. Master with twin Jade. Wei Wuxian didn't have to wonder to whom the emptiness belonged. Lan Wangji, without even bending his back or straining his muscles unnecessarily, he sat stiffly in the lotus seat. The boy had a perfect view of him as he twisted his torso at a strange angle, feeling something in his ribs crackle unpleasantly. The younger of the Lan brothers stared straight ahead, listening to Master Qiren's chatter. He didn't even look like he needed to focus on all of this. Compared to his peers, he seemed even more attractive. Wei Ying tilted his head and smirked. He was bored and didn't know what to do. It's been over a week since he last pranked a passerby in Yunmeng. Mrs. Yu, Jiang Fengmian's wife and Jiang Cheng's mother, was angry about everything, so Wuxian had to hold back sometimes. Now she wasn't here, and Wei Ying was going to enjoy it.
He continued to watch the Second Heir of Lan, not paying attention to the rules the teacher mentioned. He had already memorized all those that he thought were useful and had any meaning in use. Lan Wangji was more curious, and as if sensing his gaze, turned around. Wei Wuxian froze for a few seconds. Where the rest of the teenagers had chubby cheeks and ridiculously pink faces, Lan Wangji had a sharp jawline and tight, angry brows. It gave him seriousness and did not diminish his appearance. According to rumors, people were crazy about this young man, but they were repelled by his impassive face and eternal silence. It seemed doubly interesting to Wuxian how quickly he could break through that facade of ice and thorns.
He took a pair of scissors from a drawer under the table and cut the paper in several places. He didn't pay attention to the strange looks the students gave him. As long as Lan Qiren didn't notice, Wuxian was uninterested. The little paper man rested on his palm, and in the next second, moved by Wei Ying's spiritual power, he flew towards Lan Wangji. It landed on the teenager's shoulder, who unfazed grabbed it with two fingers, gently so as not to tear the paper, and laid it lifeless on his desk. Wuxian just blinked.
"Wei Wuxian, is there a problem?" all eyes fixed on him. He liked being in the center, it was his element. Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, did not share his thinking, clenching his jaw in anger, and with his finger pointed to the sign of a severed head, so that the teacher could not see. Lan Wangji, whereas, pinned his gaze at Jiang Wanyin, who seemed not to notice it, absorbed in his stepbrother's disapproval.
Lan Qiren grabbed his beard. It was still there. The resemblance of this young Yunmeng Jiang student to his real mother was striking, and Lan Qiren sensed that it wasn't just his appearance that gave him a bad feeling about the boy. Uncouth and shameless Wei.
"Master Lan! No, no, it's fine! Even better than good, we're having such a nice day," he chuckled. The elder frowned in anger. Steam in the ears again. Wei might start to worry that people would turn into teapots soon. They got red hot even faster than those tinplates.
"Wei Ying!" thundered ominously from Jiang Cheng, who clenched his fists in stress. It was quiet enough that only a few of the closest young cultivators looked at him. Wei Wuxian gave his brother a beaming smile that rivaled the sun itself.
"If so, I'd like to get back to my lesson," the elder said, "in relative silence," his hard eyes resting on only one person.
Wei Wuxian was no less pleased.
Classes are over. They had pushed through more than half of the rules of the Lan sect, and more awaited them the next day. Wei couldn't wait to finish teaching the Lan sect and return to the colorful Yunmeng. They left the hall, right at the front with Wei Wuxian rushing like it was on fire. Fresh air caressed his face and tore his outer robes in a short dance. A red ribbon from his hair unluckily blew over his eyes, hitting with considerable force. That brief moment of distraction was enough to bump into someone. He was glaringly white.