The day after they met Luo QingYang and her husband, the two arrived at a small town in Guangling.
Wei WuXian put his hand above his brows, peering at the flapping flags promising good wine, "Let's take a rest over there."
Lan WangJi nodded, and the two walked over, side-by-side.
After the night at Yunmeng's Guanyin Temple, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi roamed around night-hunting along with Lil' Apple, being 'wherever the chaos was' as before. They'd visit wherever they heard was haunted by the creatures of the dark and deal with the disturbances, touring the region and getting to know the local customs while they were at it. Three months passed as such, with blissful freedom and no regard to matters of the cultivation world.
They went in the wine shop and sat down at a table in a plain little corner. A servant in the shop approached them. Seeing their appearance and bearing, along with the sword at Lan WangJi's waist and the flute at Wei WuXian's, he couldn't help but connect them with the two figures whose stories had been spread far and wide these days. But after he scrutinized them for quite a while, he still couldn't be sure, seeing that the white-clothed customer wasn't wearing the GusuLan Sect's forehead ribbon.
Wei WuXian asked for wine, and Lan WangJi ordered a few plates. Wei WuXian listened to his deep voice state the names of the dishes, with one hand propping up his cheek and another underneath the table, fingers wrapped around a snowy white ribbon. He had a big grin on his face. Only after the servant was gone did he begin, "So many of them are spicy. Can you eat them?"
Lan WangJi picked up a teacup from the table and took a sip, his voice calm, "Sit properly."
Wei WuXian, "There's no tea in the cup."
"…" Lan WangJi filled the teacup and took it to his lips again. A while later, he repeated, "… Sit properly?"
Wei WuXian, "I'm still not sitting properly? It's not like I'm putting my legs on the table like before."
After a moment of endurance, Lan WangJi spoke, "Do not put them elsewhere either."
Wei WuXian's expression looked confused, "Where did I put them?"
Lan WangJi, "…"
Wei WuXian, "You've got so many demands, Second Young Master Lan. How about you tell me how to do it?"
Lan WangJi put down the teacup and glanced at him. Smoothing out his sleeves, just as he was about to stand up and teach him properly, roars of laughter suddenly exploded from the table in the center.
One of the few sitting at the table gloated, "I knew Jin GuangYao had to plummet sooner or later with the things he did! I've been waiting for this day for so long, and now he's finally exposed, hah! One's deeds will be paid, one way or another—what goes around always comes around!"
Hearing this, Wei WuXian felt quite reminiscent. Both the tone and content of the criticism felt quite familiar, and only the target was changed. He couldn't help but pay attention. Another cultivator picked up his chopsticks and pointed, "As expected, there's no fault in those past sayings! Of the ones above, the cleaner they looked, the dirtier they were behind their backs!"
"That's right. There's not a single good one. No matter what 'venerated gentlemen' they are, is there a single one of them who's not wearing a second outer skin?"
Drinking large gulps of wine and swallowing large chunks of meat, another person spat, "Speaking of it, that SiSi used to be quite the well-known prostitute back in the days. With how old she is, I couldn't even recognize her. What a fucking hag. It was quite the torturous death for Jin GuangShan too, hahahahaha…"
"Props to Jin GuangYao for thinking of such a way to kill his dad. A perfect match. Absolutely perfect!"
"It's quite a mystery—why didn't Jin GuangYao kill that old prostitute? Witnesses should be silenced. Is he an idiot?"
"Why should he be an idiot? He's the seed of Jin GuangShan, after all. Maybe he's a lover of affairs too. Maybe he's got special tastes and has… haha, an unspeakable relationship with SiSi?"
"Hah, I think so too, but don't the stories say? Because he engaged in incest with his sister-by-blood, Jin GuangYao was so shocked he somehow fell ill in an unspeakable way, so even if he wanted to, he couldn't, hahaha…"
These stories and rumors were indeed familiar. Wei WuXian recalled how back then countless people told stories of him kidnapping a thousand virgins to his demonic cave at Burial Mound, ravishing them day and night to cultivate the dark path. He found it somewhat funny, Fine. No matter what, the things they said about me were definitely better than what they're saying about Jin GuangYao.
The conversation grew in an even more revolting direction. Lan WangJi began to frown as well. Fortunately, the more normal people on the table could also no longer take it. One of them whispered, "Quiet down a bit… It's not music to the ears or anything."
The laughing few couldn't care less, "What's there to be scared of? Nobody knows us here."
"That's right! And what if someone heard it? Do they really have so many fucks to give?"
"You think the LanlingJin Sect right now is same as before? Could they really shut anyone up? Could they really play the tyrant again? You don't wanna hear it? Then suck it up!"
Someone switched the subject, "Enough, enough. Why talk about these things? Eat up, eat up No matter how powerful that Jin GuangYao used to be, right now he could be stuck in a coffin brawling with Nie MingJue."
"I don't think so. They loathe each other to the core, after all. I bet his bones have already been torn apart by Nie MingJue."
"Indeed! I went to the sealing ceremony. The resentful energy in that coffin was so strong that no life grew within five hundred feet of it. I'm doubting it, really—could the coffin really seal them for a hundred years?"
"No matter what, it's none of your business. It's all a matter of those few sects. Anyways, the LanlingJin Sect is over now. The skies have completely changed, haven't they?"
"Still, during the ceremony, ZeWu-Jun looked absolutely terrible."
"What would you expect? In the coffin were his two sworn brothers, while his sect's juniors kept on running around with a fierce corpse—they even need its assistance on night-hunts! No wonder he's in secluded cultivation so often. If Lan WangJi still doesn't go back, I bet Lan QiRen's gonna start cursing…"
Lan WangJi, "…"
Wei WuXian into laughter.
The discussion continued, "Speaking of it, the ceremony impressed me indeed. Nie HuaiSang did quite a good job, didn't he? When he volunteered in the first place, I thought he was definitely gonna mess things up. He's the head-shaker, after all."
"Me too! Who would've known he hosted it no worse than Lan QiRen did?"
Hearing their astonishment, Wei WuXian commented in silence, What's so special about this? After all, in the next few decades, perhaps this leader of the QingheNie Sect's would gradually begin to show his edges, bringing the world even more surprises.
Both the food and the wine had arrived. Wei WuXian filled a cup to the brim and downed it slowly.
Suddenly, he heard a young man's voice, "Then is the Tiger Seal really inside the coffin?"
A cloud of silence fell over the wine shop. A moment later, someone answered, "Who knows? Perhaps. What could Jin GuangYao have done with the Tiger Seal except for carrying it on him?"
"But there's no way of telling. Didn't they say the Seal's become just a piece of scrap iron? There's no use for it anymore."
The boy sat alone at a table, holding a sword in his arms, "Is the coffin really firm enough? What would happen if someone wants to see if the Tiger Seal is inside or not?"
Immediately, someone raised his voice, "Who'd dare?"
"The QingheNie Sect, the GusuLan Sect, and the YunmengJiang Sect all sent people to guard the cemetery. Who in the world would have the guts to do it?"
Everyone expressed their agreement. The boy didn't speak up again. He took the teacup from his table and sipped, as though he gave up on his idea. Yet, his eyes hadn't changed at all.
Wei WuXian had seen those types of eyes on many faces. And he knew that this definitely wouldn't be the last time he saw them.
After they left the shop, Wei WuXian still sat on Lil' Apple while Lan WangJi held the reins in front.
Swaying left and right atop the donkey, Wei WuXian took the flute from his waist and placed it by his lips. The limpid notes flew across the sky like birds. Lan WangJi halted and listened quietly.
It was the song he sang for Wei WuXian when they were stuck in the Xuanwu cave. It was also the song that Wei WuXian just so happened to have played at Dafan Mountain, the song that enabled Lan WangJi to confirm his identity.
When he finished, Wei WuXian winked his left eye towards Lan WangJi, "How was it? Beautiful, huh?"
Lan WangJi slowly nodded, "For once."
Wei WuXian knew that 'for once' referred to how his memory was good for once. He couldn't help but smile, "Don't always be so angry about it. It was my fault in the past, alright? Besides, my terrible memory should be accredited to my mom."
Wei WuXian propped his arm on Lil' Apple's head, spinning Chenqing in his hand, "My mom said you have to remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don't hold so much in their hearts would they finally feel free."
This was one of the only things he remembered about his parents.
After his thoughts wandered for a bit, Wei WuXian pulled them back together again. Seeing how devoted Lan WangJi's gaze was, he continued, "My mom also said…"
Hearing how he refused to continue, Lan WangJi asked, "Said what?"
Wei WuXian curled his finger at him, his expression solemn. Lan Wang walked closer. Wei WuXian bent down and spoke beside his ears, "… that you're mine now." The tip of Lan WangJi's brows twitched. Just as his lips were about to part, Wei WuXian interrupted, "Shameless, impudent, frivolous, ridiculous, spouting nonsense again—right? Alright, I've said it for you. Back and forth it's always the same words. You really haven't changed at all. I'm also yours. We're even, yeah?"
With words, Lan WangJi could never beat Wei WuXian. His voice was cool, "If you say so."
Wei WuXian tugged the donkey's reins, "But really, I've come up with almost ten names for this song. And there's not a single one of them you like?"
Lan WangJi stated firmly, "No."
Wei WuXian, "Why not? I think it'd be great if it's called Love Song of Lan Zhan and Wei Ying."
Lan WangJi said nothing. Wei WuXian blathered on, "Or Everyday Song of HanGuang and YiLing also sounds great. You just know it's got a story behind it…"
Lan WangJi seemed like he didn't want to hear another name, "There is."
Wei WuXian, "There is what?"
Lan WangJi, "A name."
Wei WuXian was surprised, "There is? Then you should've said its name earlier. Why didn't you tell me for so long? You made me try for so long to come up with a name, wasting my wisdom."
After a moment of silence, Lan WangJi answered, "WangXian."
Wei WuXian, "Huh?"
Lan WangJi, "The song is named WangXian."
Wei WuXian widened his eyes.
Soon, he exploded into laughter, "Hahahahahahahahahaha, no wonder you never told me. So you gave it a name like this all on your own. The reason behind it is just so obvious. Good for you, Lan Zhan! When did you come up with it? Hahahahahahahahahaha…"
Lan WangJi seemed like he'd long since expected Wei WuXian to react like this. Watching him convulse in laughter on Lil' Apple's back, he could only softly shake his head. His expression seemed to be of surrender, yet a light curve had already bloomed soundlessly at the corners of his lips. Something hazy drifted through his eyes as well.
He raised his arm to hold Wei WuXian's waist so that he didn't plunge from the donkey's back. When he finally laughed enough, Wei WuXian spoke in all seriousness, "WangXian, good, wonderful! I like it. Yes, that's what it should be called."
Lan WangJi was expressionless, "I like it too."
Wei WuXian, "It sounds very righteous, very GusuLan-esque. In my opinion it should be straight-up recorded into the song collections and made a required piece for all of the GusuLan Sect's disciples to study. If they ask, HanGuangJun, how should we interpret the name of the song? You can then tell them how the song came to be."
Listening to his nonsense, Lan WangJi only grasped the reins of Lil' Donkey with Wei WuXian on it and clenched the thin rope in his palm, continuing on their way. Wei WuXian was still talking, "Where are we going next? I haven't had Emperor's Smile in a long time. How about we go back to Gusu and first play around for a bit in Caiyi Town?"
Lan WangJi, "Sure."
Wei WuXian, "It's been so many years. The waterborn abyss there should be completely cleaned up, right? If your uncle can bear looking at me, then hide me along with those jars of wine in your room; if he can't, then let's go tour some other place. I heard SiZhui and the others are having loads of fun night-hunting with Wen Ning.
Lan WangJi, "Mn."
Wei WuXian, "But I heard there's a renewed version of the GusuLan Sect's rules? Hey, is there even more room on that Wall of Rules in front of the mountain to your sect…"
A gentle breeze came, and both their robes rippled like spring water.
Facing the wind, Wei WuXian squinted at Lan WangJi's silhouette. As he criss-crossed his legs, he shockingly found that he could somehow manage to balance himself in such an odd position on the back of Lil' Apple.
It was only something trivial, yet he looked as if he just discovered a new and interesting occurrence. He couldn't hold himself back from sharing this with Lan WangJi, calling, "Lan Zhan, look at me, look at me now!"
Just like before, Wei WuXian called his name with a grin, and he looked over as well.
From then on, he could never move his eyes away again.