Beautiful (Between a rock and a hard place 2)

Chapter 8

To Lan Wangji's immense disappointment, he did not find Lan Xichen anywhere in the Cloud Recesses. Even worse, when he asked around, he leaned that his brother had gone on an urgent trip to Qinghe Nie sect and would only be back in three weeks. Those were the worst news he could get. He did not want to wait for almost a month before he would be hopefully able to help Wei Ying.

However, he had little choice in the matter. He at least wrote Lan Xichen a letter detailing his concerns and was now impatiently waiting for a reply. He had sent it with the fastest messenger he could find. Hopefully, his brother would send a reply shortly and advise him how to proceed. He was completely at a loss and he hated it.

While waiting, he at least made sure to spend as much time with Wei Ying as he possibly could. Since the Yunmeng Jiang sect head disciple was still bound to copy rules, that was the easy part. However, things were not the same as before. Wei Ying closed off completely and he was doing his best to be diligently copying. He would not let Lan Wangji come close anymore and it hurt. It hurt so badly that the Second Jade started to question if he had ever been allowed near his beloved at all, if it had not all been just a wishful dream of his.

At least one thing improved. Wei Ying was once again not looking sickly and Jiang Wanyin also seemed to have calmed down some if Lan Wangji could be the one to judge it. He did keep an eye on his brother at all times, he even made it a point to come to the Library pavilion at the same time and pretend he was studying while staring at Wei Ying the whole time. But at least it seemed that the tension between them and Jiang Wanyin's abusive behaviour lessened. As if he was appeased by the fact he had Wei Ying always in his line of sight.

This was unfortunately very inconvenient for Lan Wangji. He wanted to make sure his beloved was alright. He wanted to kiss him and be alone with him, he wanted to have his beauty all to himself, he did not want to share, and especially not with the Yunmeng Jiang sect heir. When Jiang Wanyin was in the Library pavilion with them however, he could do nothing, much less start a conversation with Wei Ying.

Not that he did not try, of course he did. But it had ended up in a failure as the Yunmeng Jiang sect head disciple completely brushed him off with politeness which was very unusual for him. He was cold and glanced at his brother ever so often. So it was most probable that it was his brother's presence which was sealing his lips and scared him off from seeking comfort in Lan Wangji's arms as he had done countless times before.

And still, the Second Jade could do nothing as there was even less proof of any abusive behaviour than ever. He would not go talk to his uncle again, that was a lost cause and he would only remind him that he wanted to punish Wei Ying for something. In his despair, he had also considered seeking aid from one of the Gusu Lan sect elders. He abstained from that after a thorough musing; the elders would not believe him, just as Lan Qiren had not and he had no proof to present to them, he would surely only end up punished himself for breaking the rules. That left him with the last possibility, waiting for his brother's reply to his letter.

Finally, it arrived. Almost a week later and it had pushed Lan Wangji to new depths of despair unknown to him before. It was short and he had not found any advice in it as he had hoped:

Wangji,

I am sorry to hear that you are worried. You should try to calm you mind and relax, I think a visit to the Cold spring will make you much good. Of course combined with mediation and scrupulous routine.

I know I have been the one to recommend you to try and make friends, Young Master Wei is a good start. However, you should not become overly invested. After all, he is from another sect and he will have to leave one day. You can stay in touch, but it would not be the same, please be aware of that. I do not want you to suffer once it is time to say your goodbyes.

As for your concerns. I cannot tell that I have noticed anything unusual in the relationship between Young Laster Jiang and Young Master Wei. They are brothers, just like us, that is true, but their habits and customs are different. We cannot claim to understand how close or not they are. You wrote that you have noticed odd behaviours but I cannot judge from your words only. I am sure your friend is just fine. Perhaps he is still under the weather from his illness.

All I can allow you to do is report to uncle once you will have a solid proof of wrongdoing. We cannot start an intersect conflict based just on your bad feeling. I know you mean it well, but we need more than your word only. Yunmeng Jiang sect is after all one of the great sects and also our long-time ally. We cannot go accusing their heir blindly.

Please be safe and do not act recklessly.

Your Xichen

Needless to say, Lan Wangji was beyond disappointed in his brother. He knew Lan Xichen had been learning about sect business and politics, he was after all the Gusu Lan sect heir. His behaviour however seemed to him way too careful and not considerate enough of Wei Ying's hardships and pain. What kind of a sect leader would Lan Xichen become if he would not be able to protect innocents against abuse? He understood it was necessary to try and keep relations between sects harmonious but surely not at the cost of someone's happiness.

Once again, Lan Wangji could only wait for his brother to come back and to prompt him again to watch Wei Ying closely. Lan Xichen was no fool, not like their uncle, he would surely be able to see that there was something wrong if he tried to look without prejudice. Just two more weeks and then he would have his last try at helping Wei Ying by proper means. If it would not help, he would act on his own judgment immediately.

With a heavy heart, Lan Wangji resigned himself to waiting once again. He protected Wei Ying from the shadows by keeping him in his presence and waited. Luckily, Jiang Wanyin had not tried to do anything with Lan Wangji around. It was a very fragile and precarious balance with Wei Ying as the middle piece. It was however the best the Second Jade could do right now while still keeping in line.