Way too untamed, way too wild

Where is Wei Ying?

Lan Wangji was almost sad when he had to manoeuvre the sword down, just outside of the city. It was getting late and they still had to pick up all the commissions and get back to the Burial Mounds before dark, he had promised Wen Ning they would return by then. He also did not want to leave the children starving for any longer, they had to deliver more food as soon as possible.

He however slightly regretted not being able to show the boy more. It had been clear that Wei Ying was over the moon with happiness and excitement as they were flying over the Burial Mounds and then a bit around the town. Lan Wangji remembered just how excited he had been when he first learned how to fly a sword. Over the years, it had become only a means of travelling for him but for Wei Ying, it was still new and held all the magic it once had for everyone.

The boy's eyes were still wide and excited when Lan Wangji let go of him and he jumped down onto the solid ground. Some disciples had been getting sick after their first few tries, but it did not seem to be the case for Wei Ying, he looked perfectly fine and ready to go to the town. He was still chatting and marvelling at what he had just went through, Lan Wangji smiling at his words and nodding where required.

He was not getting into the conversation with Wei Ying as his mind was fully occupied by something else. He had promised the boy that the town's people would not recognize him but he had all but forgotten at that point that the new robe he had wanted to have Wei Ying wear was one of his commissions and he would first need to go pick it up.

Wei Ying was now standing in front of the first houses of the town and he visibly could not wait to go inside. He was bouncing up and down in place and watching Lan Wangji expectantly. It was clear that he did not want to go inside alone.

Lan Wangji sighed internally, he had to go pick the robe himself while the boy would wait for him here. He would have taken Wei Ying with him without a second thought if he believed that the boy would not be recognized and that the town's people would not turn on him; Unfortunately, he was not convinced that would be the case so Wei Ying would just have to wait here. He could only hope that he would be patient enough to do so.

He turned to the boy and looked at him with a serious expression: "Wei Ying, please wait here for a moment, I will go pick up a new robe for you."

The boy observed him for a second, all serious as well. Then he nodded, understanding blooming in his eyes when he asked, a little unsure: "You will come back for me?"

"Mn," Lan Wangji nodded solemnly.

"Alright, I will wait for you."

Lan Wangji squinted his eyes a little bit, still somewhat doubtful that this was actually a good idea. Perhaps he could take the boy with him after all? The town's people had been nothing but respectful towards him, surely if the boy was walking by his side, they would not try to chase him away. It was however too risky to rely only on his reputation. If this visit would not go well, Lan Wangji was afraid that Wei Ying would not be this amendable to come outside of the Burial Mounds in the future, not even talking about taking the children with him.

To prove his words, the boy smiled at him and plopped down on the ground where he stood, sitting there as if it was the most natural thing to do. Lan Wangji gave him one last look and promised solemnly: "I will be right back." Wei Ying nodded and made himself more comfortable.

Lan Wangji did not lose another second and he hurried into the town. He had found the stall where he had commissioned the robes for the children easily enough, it was still in the same place as this morning; not that he had actually expected it to be anywhere else. The only difference was that there were several people there now, all unpacking bundles of fabric from a cart and positioning them next to the stall under the seller's watchful eyes.

The woman immediately recognized Lan Wangji, and of course she would when he had placed a large commission just a few hours prior and even left half of the payment up front. She bowed respectfully and he nodded in response.

"Honourable Hanguang-Jun, we have prepared everything you have asked for. Would you like to check the merchandise? They are our finest pieces, durable and warm."

Lan Wangji stopped listening to her after those words as she continued to praise the clothes one of the other men was now showing him. He did not want to appear rude but he did not have too much time to humour the seller and listen to her business talk, he had to get back to Wei Ying. He was afraid that if the boy would lose his patience, he could do something foolish out of pure boredom.

He gestured towards the woman for her to stop speaking. He knew that he should have probably started bargaining, she was expecting him to do so, that was why she was praising the merchandise so much. However, Lan Wangji did not care too much about the prize. The robes looked of a high enough quality to be able to last a while, even in the Burial Mounds. He did not mind paying a little extra for the seller's services.

He took out his money pouch and gave the woman the rest of the previously agreed sum. The woman's eyes grew wide and she quickly bowed to him, just as all the other helpers did. He then told them to put all the robes in one place and stuffed them away in his qiakun pouch, aside for one. The last one was red and black and he assumed that it was close enough to Wei Ying's size so he would be able to wear it. He thanked the seller and with the robe in his arms, he made his way back to where the boy was waiting for him.

Or more like was supposed to be waiting for him really, because when he stepped out of the town, Wei Ying was nowhere to be seen.

He immediately panicked, afraid of the worst. What if someone had discovered the boy and had chased him away? Or what if the town's people had finally had enough and decided to not try to discourage Wei Ying from coming to the town but imprison him instead? What if they realized that he was a demonic cultivator and wanted to sell him to one of the cultivation sects?

Lan Wangji took a deep breath to calm himself down. Despite his mind offering the worst scenarios, those were unlikely. He could not see any signs of struggle nor had he heard any shouting. It was more probable that Wei Ying had just gotten bored as he had feared and either went back to the Burial Mounds or decided to go into the town alone, possibly looking for him.

Lan Wangji gave in to his instincts which were telling him that the boy, as excited for the visit as he had been, would have not gone back on his own. That left only the other option. Lan Wangji turned on his heel, the robes still in his arms, and dove back into the ruckus of the town, looking all around him for the familiar black clothed figure or Wei Ying's red ribbon fluttering in the wind.