Chapter Text
The candle light is flickering, the dancing flame emits a soft light onto the person's face. The person seems to be looking at something with his eyes reflecting the emotion of love and sadness. Eventually, the candle meets the end and the flame burns out. The room returns to its original silence.
—
Lan Wangji is slightly annoyed at the fact that he has forgotten his umbrella as he picks up his pace, his speed just under the limit of the family rules. Walking along these streets he has known for all his life, he suddenly stops at a turn. As he turned his head towards the light, it felt as if time had stopped at that very moment.
An unfamiliar shop appears in front of his eyes, yet it bares a weird sense of comfort, as if he had known this place for a long time. The warm light this place is emitting is very obvious here due to the heavy rain, causing some other shops to close as there are not a lot of people who are willing to waste electricity or any other resources to wait for any customers who are willing to walk under this pouring rain. With confusion that would not leave him be, he headed towards the shop.
With each step, the sense of comfort increases. It is like destiny has brought him to this place, where he should belong. Now he stands before the door, only one push he had to do to enter this strange shop that he has never seen on this street. Looking up to the sky, sensing that the rain has no intention of stopping, Lan Wangji steps into the store.
“Ding~”, the bell above the door chimes, signifying the owner of this shop that a customer has arrived.
At first sight, the shop is massive, a lot larger than most of the shops nearby. It is filled with endless rows of books, under the softly playing songs and the sweet scent of magnolia fills his senses.
Slowly walking towards the middle where the light shines the brightest, across the rows of books, everything seems familiar yet so different. Unlike the age where technology thrives, this place has sets that are as old as time, not only do they have paper screens, lanterns, candles. But they also have sculptures on windows, small items placed around for decoration, even the windows are made of waxed paper. Walking within the shop feels like a step into the river of time.
“Oh! Hello, how may I help you today?”, a voice suddenly appeared which caught Lan Wangji off guard.
As he turns to meet the stranger, he sees a handsome and flamboyant man. With eyes like obsidian that shines like a star, silently staring at him. A familiar sense once again appears from the bottom of his heart, slightly beating faster.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Am I that good looking?”, joked the man. Lan Wangji now realising how impolite his action was, apologised to the stranger.
“Ah, no worries. The way you looked made me want to tease you a bit, there is no need for an apology!” The man laughed it off as the blinding smile took Lan Wangji’s breath away.
After the stranger stopped laughing, he kindly offered to get a towel and some hot tea for Lan Wangji since he was still wet from the rain.
“So, what type of tea would you like?”, asked the stranger.
“Magnolia tea, please.” Lan Wangji replied, then immediately regretted what he said. Why would he think this person has magnolia tea? Magnolia tea is mainly produced by his family and good ones are very expensive. So Lan Wangji was told to expect no one else to have magnolia tea. Nor that he should think a stranger would provide him with such expensive tea. But to his surprise, the stranger replied with an “okay.” Then left.
Shortly, he returned with a towel and a cup of magnolia tea. He handed the towel to Lan Wangji and set the cup of tea to the nearest table, then he raised his hand towards Lan Wangji to signify him to sit onto the chair next to that table.
Lan Wangji doesn’t feel like himself, ‘Why am I being so impolite? Why does my heart beat faster when I see this person? Did I get a cold due to the rain outside?’, these three questions kept on running through his mind. Lan Wangji’s gaze never left the chattering man, as if he would disappear if he was to look away.
“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself haven’t I?” The man released after some time: “My name is Wei Wuxian, I am the librarian of this place. Although we also sell books here. If you have a book you like, feel free to tell me. I can sell it to you for a lower price if we do have that book, since you do look quite handsome! Ah right, so what’s your name?”
“Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji.” Lan Wangji didn’t even think when he gave out his name. Although a bit confused, his senses tell him that this person is reliable.
“Lan Zhan! What a great name!” Wei Wuxian smiled and said: “I believe you must be from a pretty old family. Since a lot of people nowadays don't give their children a ‘given name’.”
Not going to lie, this person is rather smart. In ancient times, people would have a surname, a given name and an initials, or said coursey name. For example, his xiong zhang. His surname is Lan, given name is Huan, and his initials is Xichen. The only people that are keeping these traditions can be counted within two hands. It is a bit surprising for one to accurately guess that he belonged to a very ancient and traditional family.
Lan Wangji only replied with a hum.
“Then you must be from the Lan family,” Wei Wuxian said, then he asked: “Are you Lan Xichen’s didi?”
Lan Wangji is a little surprised that he knew his older brother, but still let out an affirmative hum.
“So you are Xichen ge’s little brother! Did you know that they guys look very similar? If I couldn’t guess your relationship with him then I would be an idiot!” Wei Wuxian laughed.
Hearing Wei Wuxian calling his own brother in such an informal way suddenly made Lan Wangji a bit unhappy. He doesn’t know why, but it just feels a bit stiff in his chest. Lan Wangji now thinks that he really must be sick, and blames everything that he feels weird for the sickness.
“Since you gave me your given name, it is only polite to also give you mine. My given name is Ying, you can call me Wei Ying if you would like to. In return, may I call you Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian asked.
Before Lan Wangji replied, the bell on top of the entrance ringed, interrupting Lan Wangji and leading their gaze to the door.
At the door, another person who looked almost identical to Lan Wangji entered the door, the only difference between them is their eyes.
As Lan Xichan lifted up his head, he saw Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian together. They were both very confused by why he was here and the conversation fell into silence as they gazed at each other.
The awkward silence was only broken when Wei Wuxian spoke up.
“Xichen ge! Welcome back.” Wei Wuxian said, walking towards the entrance, showing a welcoming pose.
“Ah, Wuxian. So Wangji was with you.” Lan Xichen exclaimed: “Wangji didn’t come back within the normal time after school and he didn’t give any signs or notifications, you had us worried sick Wangji. Come on, Fu Qin and Shu Fu are looking for you.”
“Sorry.” replied Lan Wangji.
“There is no need to apologise as long as you are fine.” Lan Xichen replied: “Let’s head back, Mu Qin is waiting for us.”
Lan Wangji looked at Wei Wuxian who was stationed in front of Lan Xichen, seeing no signs of him trying to stop him from leaving since the rain had stopped. So he replied to Lan Xichen with a hum.
As Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen walked out of the store together, as Lan Wangji looked back to the store, seeing the words ‘Library Pavilion’ imprinted above the entrance.
‘Library Pavilion?’ Lan Wangji thought to himself, ‘what a suitable name.’
Lan Wangji’s reluctant leave of the library didn’t escape the eyes of Lan Xichen as he teasingly asked Lan Wangji: ”Do you like Wuxian?”
“No!” Lan Wangji immediately replied, as the tip of his ears slightly turned red. Lan Xichen silently laughed, but he didn't say anything.
—
Behind their backs when they had left the library, there was a drop of tear that dripped onto the floor, the sound of the drop disappeared into the soft music that was still playing in the background.
“Finally, you’re finally back.” Wei Wuxian silently muttered with a darkened gaze. He picks up the cup of tea that Lan Wangji hasn't finished and finishes it for him.
When they had left far enough that Wei Wuxian couldn't see them anymore, Wei Wuxian used his spiritual powers to turn off the light and changed the sign that was hanging on the door to ‘Closed’. Wei Wuxian slowly submerged into the darkness of the library.
When Wei Wuxian heard the door bell ring, he had already let his senses out which was strong enough to sense the entire Library Pavilion. Since the people who are qualified to come to the Library Pavilion must either be the people that Wei Wuxian knows or reincarnations of people who left huge marks in history.
When he realised who was the person who entered the library, he was shocked. That same person that he yearned for thousands of years, multiple millions of days, as he finally waited long enough to meet him again.
The second when Wei Wuxian felt his presence, he almost cried. But Wei Wuxian knows, since Lan Wangji is here, he should be of age to start to remember his past lives. Holding his tears back, he slowly walked towards Lan Wangji’s place.
Although Lan Xichen had been here at the library before. Lan Xichen’s appearance was enough of an indicator that Lan Wangji has also reincarnated, but seeing Lan Wangji being alive with his own eyes is still different. The emotion of missing swells up in his chest. He wants to cry, he wants to let out all his emotions, he wants to kiss him, but he knows if he had done that, Lan Wangji would be scared and confused. There might also be a chance that he would not return anymore.
‘Slowly, Wei Wuxian, we need to do this slowly.’ Wei Wuxian thought to himself and corrected his emotions, as he walked towards the back of his husband’s reincarnation.
Seeing the ambered coloured eyes painted with shock, Wei Wuxian’s mind wandered back to the years he had spent with every reincarnations of Lan Wangji together, get to know each other, get acquainted with each other, stay together. Every little scene of them being together made Wei Wuxian almost cry.
—
Swiftly shifting through the now darkened Library. The path that Wei Wuxian has walked too many times to the point that he also doesn't remember.
Pushing the door in front of him lays the same jingshi that he knew. The same room where he lived with Lan Wangji. Since Lan Wangji sacrificed in one of the night hunts, time cannot be reversed. Wei Wuxian broke down here in this room too many times. Smelling the scent of sandalwood, imagining that he was still here. If it wasn’t for BaoShan Sanren who told Wei Wuxian that Lan Wangji would eventually reincarnate, Wei Wuxian suspected himself to never continue living till this day.
Wei Wuxian is Xiandu's wife, and he has already cultivated till immortality, so everyone in this world listened to him. He also bore the same feeling to the idea to not waste Lan Wangji’s work when he was the Xiandu, so he carried on the work that Lan Wangji had left behind him and became the next Xiandu.
After centuries, they all realised that the spiritual energy and the resentful energy is slowly disappearing. So all of them reached an agreement, they shall not cultivate anymore and give their cultivation methods to Wei Wuxian for him to keep. In return, Wei Wuxian swore that if the energies come back in the future, he would hand the cultivation methods back to their corresponding bloodline and teach them how to cultivate.
When all the energies disappeared, so did the monsters and species that relied on spiritual energy and resentful energy. But Wei Wuxian and BaoShan Sanren were still alive due to them reaching immortality. As immortal beings, they do not want connections with humans, they are both afraid of getting attached to other human beings. Of course, this only applies when the others are not planning to destroy the world. They both wandered the world during these times, learnt a lot and understood a lot.
When leaving Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian sealed the Library Pavilion in case of people accidentally trespassing. If anyone was to pass, they would not remember anything about this place, nor would they be able to take anything out of the Library.
One day, BaoShan Sanren thinks that she has experienced enough of this world and wishes to reincarnate. Knowing that thought would have been carefully considered, Wei Wuxian could only respect her choice and bless her leaving. At the same time, he wiped the story of her existence off this world for easier reincarnation, now there is no evidence that she has ever existed.
At the end, Wei Wuxian returned to the Library Pavillion and stayed there. Running this place as a so-called ‘book store’. He invented a contract, that if a customer spoke of the Library Pavillion’s existence, their memory of this place would be wiped and could never step into this place again.
Every single time, Lan Wangji and the others would come to the Library. Become their common customer, let Wei Wuxian awaken to their memories of other reincarnations, have a rather happy life, then back to their death.
This process has been replaying time and time again, a never ending loop.
Now is the year of 2007, Lan Wangji’s 51th reincarnation. Although Wei Wuxian knows that when this Lan Wangji dies, it would leave him another scar. But like how the sun rises and sets each day, Wei Wuxian cannot stop himself from falling for Lan Wangji over and over again.
—
After returning home, Lan Wangji’s mother Ling Shuang came to welcome them home.
“Zhan Er! You’re finally back. We were worried sick!” Ling Shuang exclaimed.
“Sorry for making you worried,” said Lan Wangji.
“It’s fine as long as you’re safely back,” said Lan Qiren, “Xichen, where did you find Wangji?”
“Replying to Shufu, I found him at the Library. The one that is located just three blocks away from our home, I’ve mentioned it to you before.” Replied Lan Xichen.
At the same time, Lan Shiheng walked out of the room saying, “What Library?”
“Fu Qin” Both Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji greeted.
After some explanation about the Library and Lan Wangji’s location during the missing hours, Lan Shiheng found interest in this Library that is mentioned as he also never noticed this place.
“Xichen, could you take me with you the next time you go to this Library? I would like to meet the Librarian that Wangji seems to take interest in.” Lan Shiheng said in a teasing tone.
“I DON’T!” Lan Wangji refused this feeling within him about Wei Wuxian, but his reaction was only just his stubbornness of his feelings. It wasn't the first time anyways.
Ling Shuang burst out laughing mercilessly, and even Lan Xichen couldn't help but give out a small laugh. Lan Wangji felt helpless and looked at his father who was trying to hold back his laughter while his uncle who was looking up at the ceiling. He could only put his hands over his eyes, hoping that they couldn't see his reaction.