Way too untamed, way too wild

I want to show you the world

Once they went out of the cave, Wei Ying finally broke his silence, excited and energetically bouncing around again: "So, Lan Zhan, what do you think? A-Yuan is the cutest, right? And so well behaved too!"

Before Lan Wangji thought through what he wanted to say, he all but blurted out: "Is A-Yuan the first baby you are taking care of?"

There was no change in Wei Ying's behaviour, he was still grinning like a mad man, when he replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world: "Of course not! There were Yanli and Jin Ling who came here as babies and before that there had been also A-Li, but she is no longer with us." The boy's smile fell at the last sentence slightly but he picked himself up quickly and continued fondly again: "But A-Yuan is for sure the most well behaved one. He hardly ever cries for long and he also sleeps well. The others did not."

Lan Wangji was suddenly horrified at the image which popped inside his head. He remembered the child called Yanli, it was one of the few names he could associate with a face, and she was now somewhere around eight years old, Wei Ying must have rescued her and taken her in when he was still a young child himself. It was truly a miracle that he had been able to take care of a baby in these harsh conditions. He shook his head slightly to get rid of the image of a starving child trying to fend not only for himself but for a baby as well.

On a spur of the moment decision, he proposed: "Wei Ying, do you want to go to the town together with me? I have commissions to pick up."

He really wanted the boy to see that life was not always harsh and that the world had much to offer. Hopefully it would help in persuading Wei Ying to come out of the Burial Mounds together with the children and to agree to seek refuge somewhere else, in a much less hostile place where they would not have to struggle to survive, almost starving to death every single day. He had yet to ask Wei Ying, but he already had a distinct impression that he would not take it too well, he would surely worry about the children too much.

Upon asking his question, Lan Wangji saw how the boy's eyes widened in utter surprise, luckily there was no immediate rejection. Then his expression saddened and he looked almost apologetic. "Lan Zhan, I cannot go to the town, the people there would recognize me and it would cause you trouble."

At first, Lan Wangji did not understand what Wei Ying meant. It must have shown on his face because the boy added the next moment: "People there know me, from before, when I would go there during the day. They never liked me. They always tell their dogs to chase me away, it had always been that way..."

Wei Ying's voice trailed into distance and for a brief moment, his eyes became hazy, as if he was remembering something. Apparently nothing too good as his expression became a grimace in no time. Lan Wangji wondered what Wei Ying had meant when he had said 'like always' but he was afraid that he knew; he must have been chased away ever since he came to live in the Burial Mounds, perhaps it was even because of it that the boy had found himself struggling to survive in this hostile place.

To snap Wei Ying's mind from remembering too much, Lan Wangji quickly stepped in to reassure him: "It will be fine. I will get you a new robe. They will not know it is you."

The boy seemed to be considering the option, however still not fully convinced. So Lan Wangji pressed on: "I will protect you." And then, when Wei Ying's expression was seriously wavering between refusal and excitement, he pulled out his trump card: "You can help me pick up things for the children."

Just as he had expected, Wei Ying's face immediately brightened and his eyes sparkled. Of course it had been the argument that he could help the children which got to him agree, mused Lan Wangji not even all that surprised.

Suddenly, the boy launched towards the path which led down the mountain, visibly overexcited by the prospects of having something for the children. He did not even inform anyone and Lan Wangji had to take it upon himself to reassure Wen Ning who had just come out of the cave with inquiring expression: "I will take Wei Ying to the town. I will protect him and bring him back in one peace. We will be back before the dark."

He did not wait for Wen Ning's reaction and he quickly went after Wei Ying, taking long steps in order to catch up to him while still not running as per say. He saw the boy skipping down the path and had to smile at just how exited he was. His hair was bouncing from side to side, his ponytail becoming even more of a mess as he was jumping over a few00 rocks on the way.

Finally, Lan Wangji caught up to him due to his larger stature and had called after him: "Wei Ying, would you like to fly to the town? We will be there sooner."

It was true that it would take them less time but Lan Wangji had also another hidden agenda, two in reality. First, he did not want the boy to tire himself out too much, it was clear that although he seemed energetic enough now, his body would probably burn through what he had gotten from the previous meal in no time and Wei Ying would once again be tired and hungry. And second, he wanted the boy to be able to see that the Burial Mounds were not the only place in the world. While Wei Ying had probably never been farther than the town of Yiling, if he saw that there were fields and prospering forests all around, he would surely be tempted to leave the dead land in order to be able to make a living easier in a more prosperous place.

Wei Ying immediately turned around, even more excited than before, if that was even possible. Lan Wangji had to really smile this time as the boy exclaimed: "Yes, yes, let us fly! I have seen the other cultivators and it looked so cool!"

A little amused, Lan Wangji pulled out his sword, mounted it and extended his hand towards Wei Ying. He almost fell over when the boy, instead of taking his hand, had jumped onto the sword in front of Lan Wangji on his own, almost knocking him down in the process. Once again, Lan Wangji had to remind himself that Wei Ying did not mean anything by it, he was just an excited child who knew next to nothing about the cultivation world.

Once he had steadied himself and took hold of the boy's waist, securing him in place, he warned: "Do not move around, you can fall."

It reassured him when the boy nodded just as they were starting to gain height. Lan Wangji could not see Wei Ying's face but it was clear that the boy had been amazed from his small cries and how he immediately started pointing out for him everything around them and on the ground. Luckily, he took Lan Wangji's warning seriously and did not move too much. What he could not accomplish with his body however, he was more than making up for by excitedly shouting and chatting all the way to the outskirts of Yiling.