Classes started up in Cloud Recesses, and it all began with the greeting ceremony. Wei Wuxian woke up before his siblings, to follow behind them to the dining hall where all the Lan Disciples and Guest disciples eat in peace.
Wei Wuxian followed this practice, not sparing a glance to his siblings, but to the bowl of congee that was placed in front of him. When the third bell rang throughout the hall, the Guest disciples shuffled to their feet and made their way to the Orchid room where they all held their three greeting bows to the Grandmaster of Lan Gusu, Lan Qiren.
Wei Wuxian never seemed to get along with that old mountain goat nor his nephews. He didn't pay any mind to them, instead, kept to himself. He only spoke when spoken to, something he mastered back in Lotus Pier and something that his siblings had grown used to.
Wei Wuxian watched idly as all the heirs from their sect started to present their gifts to Grandmaster Lan. When it came to Yunmeng Jiang's turn, Wei Wuxian got up, shot up his arm that was holding Suibian, and blocked his brother's path, causing Jiang Cheng to be confused and that confusion quickly turned to anger. It was quickly deflated when the door to the classroom burst open, and the Wens came marching in as if they owned the place. Jiang Cheng's anger rose again. Expecting his brother wanting to do something about this, he turned to Wei Wuxian, opening his mouth but found the male taking his seat again, shocking him.
He knew if his brother had decided to not take matters into his own hands, then it must be for a good reason. He followed Wei Wuxian's lead and Jiang Cheng took his seat, but couldn't help blocking their shijie's view from the Wens in case a fight were to break out. He quickly realized that no fights had broken out, instead, the matter was dealt with great ease after the young Lady, Wen Qing, and her brother, young Master Wen Ning, stopped their cousin from acting like an idiot.
After Wen Qing offered their gift, Lan Xichen asked Second Young Master Wen Chao to leave by morning for causing a ruckus in the room where it was supposed to be quiet and peaceful, before dismissing them all to the Guest rooms.
When they left, Wei Wuxian rose again and motions for Jiang Cheng to do the same, and they offered their gift without any trouble, just a little delayed from the Wens. After the ceremony was performed, they were all excused to enjoy the rest of their day in their room or on the grounds, as it is prohibited to leave Cloud Recesses on their first day. It didn't bother anyone since they were all still tired from the trip the day before. Jiang Yanli decided that the weather was perfect for a picnic, inviting her brothers and Young Master Nie to the forest. She even invited the servant that trailed behind Nie Huaisang, who she later learned that his name was Meng Yao. Though, it was Wei Wuxian who had decided for him, telling the servant that it was best to have a meal before he left for Qinghe Nie.
In the forest, Wei Wuxian picked a spot by the lake where they could see the waterfall. Not far from where he was, he could see Jiang Cheng setting the blanket for their sister. Meng Yao helped Jiang Yanli unpack everything for their picnic. Sitting on a large rock close to the waterfall, Wei Wuxian started to whittle a bamboo stick to make a flute for Young Master Nie. After he finished, Wei Wuxian showed him how to hold the instrument in his hands and played a few notes with the help of Chenqing.
After a few failed and horrible screeching notes, Nie Huaisang huffs and slips the flute in his belt.
Nie Huaisang whines, "My fingers already hurt, Young Master Wei. May you please play a song while I rest my fingers for a moment?"
Wei Wuxian hums, "What song would you like to hear from me, Young Master Nie?"
Nie Huaisang smiles, "Surprise me!"
Nodding, Wei Wuxian lifts Chenqing to his lips, hesitating for a brief second before he starts to play a familiar tune that Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng remember hearing from their brother's room for years. But before he played, Wei Wuxian places the flute on his lap, and surprised them all when he started to sing a verse to the song;
I don't want to be both right and wrong
The flower in the heart is withered, it won't go back in time
I hope to wash away the glitz and go to the dust
Indulge in a pot of sake with you again
Tears sprung into Jiang YanLi's eyes as she listened to the song, even Meng Yao had to stop to watch the two Young Masters on the rock, as the song was casted out by the wind for them to hear. Jiang Cheng, who was practicing his sword work, stopped to hear his brother's song, and the tone that Wei Wuxian sang with was a tone Jiang Cheng never heard from him before. It was heartbreaking.
I don't want to be both right and wrong
The flower in the heart is withered, it won't go back in time
Memories go back and forth in time, but this heart hurts
May I only wish the rest of my life with no regrets, to fly away with the fragrance of the flowers that blooms
A pot of sake and dust of ash
Have no regrets for the rest of my life
A spring and autumn, birth and death, glitzy and glory
Get drunk again when the flowers that blooms with you again
Further down the path, that was a bit of a distance was Lan Wangji, the pristine Second Jade of Lan Gusu. He was on his way back to Hanshi to meet with his brother but stopped in the middle of his tracks when he heard a familiar flute and a beautiful voice carry about with the wind that blew through these mountains. Not able to help himself, Lan Wangji followed the voice to the lake from the day before, and he looked to the outline of the trees to find other onlookers of Lan disciples and even Wen Qing and Wen Ning who were all gathered to see into the clearing. All of the disciples bow to Lan Wangji before making room for him to see into the clearing to find Wei Wuxian on the rock again and sing a song no one has ever heard before. With every lyric Lan Wangji found his heart shattering like glass wanting nothing more than to run to him and gather Wei Wuxian into his arms. Something wet falls onto his check and Lan Wangji wipes at it to find it was a tear. He was crying, and when he looks around him he finds that he isn't the only one shedding tears.
Wen Qing offers him a handkerchief and places a finger to her lips before turning her attention back to the song, as Wei Wuxian was about to sing another verse.
May this time of my life no longer wither, to wait for the flowers to bloom again
願這生生的時光不再枯萎 待花開之時再醉一回
May this time of my life no longer wither, then to go back to taste the aftertaste of that wine again
願這生生的時光不再枯萎 再回首淺嘗心酒餘味
A pot of sake and dust of ash
一壶清酒 一身尘灰
Have no regrets for the rest of my life
一念来回度余生无悔
A spring and autumn, birth and death, glitzy and glory
一场春秋 生生灭灭 浮华是非
Get drunk again when the flowers that blooms with you again
待花开之时再醉一回
Everyone was stunned into silence as Wei Wuxian played the ending notes on his dizi before he reopened his eyes and stared at Nie Huaisang who was crying behind his fan. Nie Huaisang couldn't help but to throw his fan into the lake below and jump into Wei Wuxian's arms sobbing like a newborn baby, crying the words, "I'm sorry Brother Wei! I am so sorry!"
Not sure if he should laugh or cry, Wei Wuxian let out a shaky laugh while patting Nie Huaisang's back, Wei Wuxian, "What are you sorry for Young Master Nie?" he asks.
Nie Huaisang, "I'm not sure but I just am. That song, it sounded like you went through such hardship! Whatever happened to them? The one in your song, what happened to them?"
Wei Wuxian, "It wasn't just about one person Young Master Nie, but no one will ever truly know the true meaning behind that song unless they truly know me and my full life story."
Nie Huaisang, "So Young Master Jiang and Young Lady Jiang are the only ones who know what that song means?"
Wei Wuxian, "No." he said out flatly, which caused his brother and sister to look away feeling ashamed even though it was not their fault that he wouldn't open up to them, "No, not even Jiang Cheng and my Shijie know what that song means to me."
Nie Huaisang, "Oh," he looked embarrassed before he brought it up again, "Then I am going to be the first to figure out what it means to you Brother Wei!"
Wei Wuxian couldn't help but to laugh out loud full-heartedly that stopped everyone's hearts, as it was their first time, even for his sibling, to hear such a laughter from him. Wei Wuxian was laughing and was giving off the most beautiful smile that was ever seen from a boy. Everything about him is beautiful and no one wanted to move afraid if they break the silence he would go back to the boy who was closed off and hid behind a smile that was never his to show. This seems more fitting for him to be able to laugh and joke freely, but not even his own siblings were sure why he chose to be cold.
...
Night falls over Cloud Recesses, after dinner, all the disciples retire to their rooms, closing the doors and lighting candles to do their homework that was given to them from their classes. Wei Wuxian was slumped over his desk, on his side of the room laid his homework done and written neatly and stacked in a neat pile on the edge of his desk while he was mumbling over something that he thought of that day and wanted to make plans for new inventions. No matter the life he was in, his mind is always in a rele, never stopping on thinking up new ideas for tools for the cultivation world.
Jiang Cheng finally finishes his homework and sets down his brush, not caring that all of his papers were sprawled all over his desk. He stretches out his back before turning his attention to Wei Wuxian who didn't pay him any mind. Getting up, Jiang Cheng flung his arms over his brother's shoulder leaning against Wei Wuxian and looking over his shoulder to see what Wei Wuxian was making. Reading the runes, Jiang Cheng made out teleportation. Jiang Cheng, "Aren't there a talisman for this one?" he asked.
"Yes, but the one I am trying to make won't cripple you for a couple of days and will be able to teleport more than one thing or person at a time." Wei Wuxian explains.
Jiang Cheng, "Didn't the other one allowed more than one before?"
Wei Wuxian, "Yes, but like I said before, you were crippled after using it." he turns to look at his brother who was studying his handy work, "This one will allow even the lowest of cultivators to use them and have enough energy to care on the task they needed to be done with."
Jiang Cheng, "So, in other words, you're going to allow more people to get away with crimes than there were before." he huffs, annoyed with Wei Wuxian's ideas.
Wei Wuxian, "There is always the possibility that there would be thought to use anything for the wrong means, no matter what you put out there brother. Even the ones that were created before these could be used for the wrong reasons if it were in the wrong hands."
Jiang Cheng, "Aren't you afraid that this might come back to bite you in the ass if a huge crime was committed with these talismans?"
"I've made upon thousands of inventions before this, and with every single one there is always the possibility that it might come back and bite me in the ass, but I must have faith in something, or how can I go on living like this?" Wei Wuxian let out a humorless laugh, that could fool most, but it didn't fool Jiang Cheng, This laugh only made more questions rise to him. Jiang Cheng is aware his brother doesn't trust easily.
Though he knew better and knows he isn't going to get anything out of him and decided to leave the topic there. Leaving his brother alone once again, Jiang Cheng moved along to his bed and started to dress down to his inner robes and let his hair down. Crawling into his bed, Jiang Cheng blew out the candle from his bedside table before glancing at his brother once more before turning around to face the wall and let sleep take him under.
Morning came quicker than it felt like it should be, and Jiang Cheng woke up to the first morning bell. Stretching from his sitting right up position, Jiang Cheng looks over to see his brother who once again got an early start before him. Sighing at himself knowing no one could hear him, Jiang Cheng got dressed and picked Sandu, his sword, before going to the place he always found his brother meditating at. Like normal, he finds Wei Wuxian on a rock, floating in mid-air and red spiritual energy floating all about him. Leaning against the tree, Jiang Cheng kept guard to make sure no one were to disturb his brother's time to meditate, even though he knows he should be using this time as well to be doing the same, but Jiang Cheng could never take it as seriously as Wei Wuxian could, for the reasons, were... well he just didn't want to do it! Jiang Cheng felt that it was useless, but knew better to say it out loud.
When the second bell rang, that told them it was breakfast time. Wei Wuxian broke from his training and jumped off the rock to join his brother on the ground, away from the water. Jiang Cheng led the way back to the guest quarter but headed to the woman's side to retrieve their sister, who was already waiting for them by the front door to her rooms. Smiling once she spots her brothers, she skips to their side and slings an arm into Jiang Cheng and lets him lead the three of them to the dining house. Inside, Nie Huaisang, along with other Nie disciples, were already taking their seats. Nie Huaisang waved at Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian when he took notice of them. Jiang Cheng waves back while Wei Wuxian bows. Sitting down at the head of the Jiang disciples table, Jiang Cheng watched Wei Wuxian help their sister to take a seat before claiming the other spot on Jiang's Cheng's other side.
Everything is normal through the morning, all the way through their morning classes, but Jiang Cheng couldn't help but feel something is wrong. He turns to look at Wei Wuxian who was writing down notes but he could tell, Jiang Cheng knows Wei Wuxian isn't all that interested in this. He knows that Wei Wuxian was on guard and it was disturbing, to say the least, because it meant something was happening, maybe not right away but something was going to unfold. There wasn't anything he could do about it, but just pray his family and his Sect will come out okay in the end. Though Jiang Cheng is positive that Wei Wuxian wouldn't let anything happen to them if he had a saying in it.
…
Wei Wuxian feels as if he is losing his mind over everything. Who could blame him, when he has to act like a stupid teen without the stupid decisions he used to make back then. It's almost too painful to where he thought about erasing his memories, about what he knows about the future, but decided that it would be a bad idea, and something could go horribly wrong because he has already changed too much of the past for the future to go unknown every single time. He still regrets letting his guard down in the last life, to where he never noticed it was Lan Wangji who ended up hating him in the end. Taking his life right in front of Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng. Though Wei Wuxian doesn't hate him for it, maybe a little bit for killing him in front of his sibling but not for taking his life when Wei Wuxian knows he deserves death.
In this time around, Wei Wuxian doesn't bother with "friends." Even though he keeps to himself, for the most part, he always found himself in the back hill with Jiang Cheng, watching the two of them splashing around in the bodies of water, trying to catch fish or frogs, whichever catches their interest. Wen Ning even somehow decided on his own to start to follow Wei Wuxian, but Wei Wuxian could never hate the company of his closest friends in every single life he ever had.
Occasionally, Wei Wuxian would find Lan Wangji following them, probably trying to catch them in the act of breaking the rules, though every time Jiang Cheng or Nie Huaisang were breaking them, Wei Wuxian would quickly put a stop to them before Lan Wangji could even get a whiff of them from miles away. Though, thanks to a dare one day, a stupid bet between Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang, Jiang Cheng left Cloud Recesses one night to sneak in alcohol for them to drink while Wei Wuxian was meditating.
When he came back to their rooms, he found them drunk off their asses with over fifteen jars of Emperor Smiles around them. Wei Wuxian, "Why in the world would you even need THIS many?!?!" he asked them but all he got in response was an encore of hiccups. There was no cleaning up this mess. There was no TIME to clean up this mess, and of course, who fricken smelt trouble miles away like a fucking hellhound, it was Lan Wangji himself. Who he only know once to let them know, he was there before he came in to find what Wei Wuxian found. But of course, Wei Wuxian had to pick a jar up right before he came in, and Lan Wangji zoomed in on that, glaring daggers at him, not even caring that there was no sign of alcohol on him, that he wasn't even an ounce of tipsy, but holding that jar was more than enough to condemn him in Lan Wangji's eyes.
It was apparently enough to condemn him in Lan Qiren's and Lan Xichen's eyes too, once Lan Wangji dragged Wei Wuxian to be disciplined. Well, more like Wei Wuxian allowed him to drag him there. Wei Wuxian didn't want to cause more trouble than what his brother and Young master Nie did already.
He was being made to bow in front of Lan Qiren while Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang came in from behind him, the three of them looked up to a world of hurt when they saw the anger raging in Lan Qiren's eyes. Lan Qiren, "I thought you were different, you showed so much promise Wei Wuxian, but it seems that I was mistaken. You are just like your mother,"
Wei Wuxian, "Don't speak ill of others, Grandmaster Lan, when they aren't even here."
Lan Qiren, "YOU..." he pointed down at Wei Wuxian but stopped, realizing that the boy was right. Lan Qiren just broke one of their own rules. Taking a deep breath, he turns to the boys again, "For sneaking alcohol into Cloud Recesses and getting your peers drunk, all three of you will be struck with the discipline paddle, one hundred and fifty times each."
"Grandmaster Lan, Young Master Nie, and my Shidi didn't want to drink. I forced their hand by casting a spell over them forcing them to drink with me." Wei Wuxian lied with ease.
Lan Qiren's anger rose even high, Lan Qiren. "Is this true?" he asked.
Jiang Cheng finally came to himself and realized what his brother was about to do and tried to speak up to yell at his idiot self-sacrificing brother, but was stopped when a silent spell was cast onto him. When did Wei Wuxian learn this secret Lan technique? No one noticed his struggling, however, just brushed it off as him being drunk.
Wei Wuxian, "Lying is forbidden to Grandmaster Lan. I can demonstrate this spell that I created to prove it." he says, looking over to Lan Wangji and muttering something under his breath and all of a sudden Lan Wangji wasn't like himself. He walked closer to Wei Wuxian and was mimicking his movements as if they were the same.
Lan Qiren was furious, Lan Qiren, "Release my Nephew, Wei Wuxian! NOW!"
Wei Wuxian, "No excessive noise allowed in Cloud Recesses, Grandmaster Lan." Wei Wuxian says before snapping his fingers and releasing the spell. "It's nothing evil Grandmaster, it's only a harmless spell from an old talisman that you can find in books. I just, however, didn't use it the way it was meant to."
Lan Qiren, "I was wrong, so very wrong about you! You are worse than your mother!" he spits out, "She should be ashamed of you!"
Anger started to rise in Wei Wuxian, "I wouldn't know, I don't even remember my mother, Grandmaster Lan. She and my father died when I was very young. Do not speak of her again."
Something about the way Wei Wuxian spoke to him made Lan Qiren heed his words, Lan Qiren, "None the less the other two still had alcohol and will be punished accordingly!"
Wei Wuxian's eyes harden and his strucker stiffen before he walks over to Lan Wangji, and before anyone could act, Wei Wuxian rips off his headband and holds it out in front of him as if he was presenting it to Lan Qiren. Everything was silent, everything was in out most shock, even Lan Wangji didn't know what to do, but all he could think about was how much he was angry, how much he wanted to snatch it back, how much he wanted to destroy Wei Wuxian for breaking one of the utmost sacred rules for a Lan, which was to never, EVER touch a Lan ribbon unless you were a family or their significant other, and Lan Wangji would rather DIE than to think Wei Wuxian as either of those options.
Wei Wuxian, "Is this enough to condemn me Grandmaster Lan?"
Lan Qiren's face turned all sorts of shades of red and purple to where he choked up blood. Lan Qiren, "Hold him down!" he orders his disciples all around him. Two of them come and take Wei Wuxian by his arms and pin them behind his back and make him kneel, Lan Wangji takes his ribbon from Wei Wuxian and ties it back down before moving off to the side.
Nie Huaisang finally came to and he looked over to Jiang Cheng who was struggling against the person who had him pinned. He couldn't speak but his eyes were burning on something up ahead. Nie Huaisang looks to see Wei Wuxian being held down like the two of them and ready to be punished, and it hits him like a bag of rocks, Wei Wuxian was going to take their punishment for what they did.
Nie Huaisang, "Brother Wei? What's going on? What are you doing?"
Wei Wuxian looks over his shoulder to look at Nie Huaisang, and before he could ask about something else, Wei Wuxian silenced him, and Nie Huaisang tried to struggle, and soon realized it was pointless, and just sat there and watched what happened. A disciple came back with the discipline paddle.
Lan Qiren, "Wei Wuxian for forcing alcohol on your peer and brother and ripping Lan Wangji's ribbon off, which are both highly forbidden in Cloud Recesses, you are to receive two thousand wacks to the back with the discipline paddle, Do you accept your punishment?"
Wei Wuxian, "I accept Grandmaster Lan."
Lan Qiren looks over to Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang, Lan Qiren, "Young Master Jiang and Second Master Nie are to never be around Wei Wuxian again. Wei Wuxian will be moved to a different room away from all of his peers, where he won't be a bad influence again, and even after class, Wei Wuxian will copy every single rule scroll in the library until he graduates. Lan Wangji will be by your side at times of the day to make sure of your punishment to be paid to the fullest."
Jiang Cheng tried to fight even harder, but Wei Wuxian glared back at his brother and snapped, "JIANG CHENG!" which caught his brother's attention, "Be there for Shijie, I'll see you both when this year is over."
The Lan Disciples let him go again. Though this time he didn't fight again, He got up to his feet and walked over to his sister, who was watching all of this unfold. When she noticed Jiang Cheng making his way to her, she quickly hugged him and hid her face into his robes, not wanting to see what comes next.
Wei Wuxian looks up at Lan Qiren as a Lan Disciple positioned behind him with the paddle in hand and Wei Wuxian and Lan Qiren made eye contact. Lan Qiren motions for the disciples who were holding Wei Wuxian down to move aside so they weren't hit, and he ordered them to start.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Wei Wuxian didn't flinch, he kept still even once it began, he continued to look at Lan Qiren dead in the eye, never breaking contact, but Lan Qiren took this as being arrogance from a trouble-making teen.
Lan Wangji watched on, knowing it was against the rules, but he couldn't help but feel smug, as finally, Wei Wuxian was about to be recorded. He was wrong, Lan Wangji knew he was wrong, and now he is facing judgment day, and Lan Wangji feels nothing but pleased to finally be doing something right.
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Lan Wangji won't feel remorse, he won't feel anything for this man to be corrected.
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Twenty-four
Twenty-five
Lan Wangji won't feel bad for a man who is wrong.
Forty-eight
Forty-nine
Fifty
Fifty-one
Fifty-two
Fifty-three
The Lan Disciple was growing tired and had to change out with another, who continued the punishment, and everyone thought Wei Wuxian might just be strong-willed since not even once had the boy ever flinched as the beating continued.
One Hundred- forty-three
Something is wrong.
Two hundred- thirty-eight
Something is horribly wrong.
Three Hundred-ninety two
They were on their sixth Lan Disciple taking place, letting the other take a break with the seat drenching them in their robes.
Wei Wuxian never flinched once, even though the blood was pooling down his back, staining his white guest robes. Falling to his legs, he never flinched, he never broke eye contact with Lan Qiren. He never reacted. Something is terribly wrong.
Nine hundred- ninety-nine
He's been hurt.
One thousand- four hundred- ninety-six
Or been abused.
One thousand- six hundred- fifty-eight
The twentieth Lan Disciple takes the paddle.
Lan Wangji never felt being this wrong in his entire life. He learned to respect the rules, to justify what is right from wrong, which made him come back to the song he heard Wei Wuxian sang that day. That look as he spoke that first verse: 'I don't want to be right and wrong,' and now it made sense, Lan Wangji told him he is wrong, he kept thinking behind this man's back, that he doesn't even truly know that he is wrong. Lan Wangji could bet on all the money in the world that it wouldn't be the first time that Wei Wuxian had been faced with that word. Maybe at home or told when his back is turned. Though once Lan Wangji looks to his siblings, to them, Wei Wuxian is right. Wei Wuxian is everything good in their life. Wei Wuxian was just about everything to them because he was right for them. Nie Huaisang and Wen Ning, maybe even Wen Qing thought him to be right as well. Different sides are being told about him. He is being told he is both right and wrong, black and white.
One thousand-eight hundred-ninety seven
Wei Wuxian started to stage. The color in his face was already gone, sweat and blood already drenched him from head to toe. But he never yelled, whimpered or flinched, but kept his posture straight and NEVER. BROKE. EYE CONTACT. WITH LAN QIREN. This being disturbing was a long time, past before the sun even dropped from the sky. Not even Lan Xichen could continue to watch as he looked away with his eyes closed. Lan Qiren's hateful look turned on to being a concerned one, but he also continued to keep Wei Wuxian's gaze. He felt that he owed this boy this much.
One Thousand-nine hundred- ninety-eight
One Thousand-nine hundred- ninety-nine
Two Thousand
Out of breath, the thirtieth-second Lan Disciple backs up and sets the paddle down. Another disciple was ready to help Wei Wuxian up to his feet, but Wei Wuxian raised a hand to stop them and in a wobbly stance, Wei Wuxian rises to his feet on his own, bows to Lan Qiren before limping away out of the Ancestors hall. Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli wanted to follow him but the Lan Disciples blocked their path, leaving Wei Wuxian to leave all on his own.