𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓━━━J. Cheng

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻

014—Wen Bastards

When Lan Xichen came home, the first place he went was [First Name]'s quarters. He promised to tell her everything that happened during the conference before they left after all. After two continuous knocks, a weak voice inside gave permission to enter and the door opened. She heard the same light, gentle footsteps from her older cousin outside so she eased up and didn't hesitate to allow him to enter.

After he asked a few questions about her own well-being, her injuries, and how she felt, Lan Xichen proceeded to explain what exactly happened during the conference while [First Name] listened attentively. 

[First Name] chuckled softly, "Ah... Wuxian and Wanyin. It's really too bad I couldn't go..." Her eyes showed a hint of loneliness, and Lan Xichen couldn't help but pity her. The wounds on her back are so severe that doing ordinary things such as walking and moving are difficult tasks for her. It's been a while since she last saw her three friends and because of the injuries, she missed the opportunity to meet them. And except for the frequent visits from him and his brother, as well as the occasional stopping by Lan Qiren, nobody really had come and visited her. He sighed, "After the conference ended, they told me that they'll visit you when they got permission from their sect. Both of them were really worried."

She looked at him and smiled, "There's nothing to worry though. The wounds are just in my legs and my back, nothing dangerous." Hearing her words, Lan Xichen couldn't help but frown and shake his head disapprovingly, "Nothing dangerous you say, you couldn't even get up from your bed for a week." [First Name] smiled reassuringly, "I'm really fine, I can walk around Cloud Recesses properly now. It's just my back since the wound is deeper than the one in my legs."

"It's still dangerous, then. Since your room is near the training field, you can visit the cold spring if you can. But don't push yourself too much, if it's hard for you to walk, then don't. You'll recover eventually. Take care of yourself, alright?" only worry and concern were in his eyes as he looked at her solemnly. [First Name] obediently nodded. "I know, I know. I'll be fine." Lan Xichen stood up from the chair and looked at her reluctantly, "Mhm, that's good. Since it's getting late, I'll excuse myself now. Should I put out the candle before I leave?" She shook her head gently. 

"I still want to read so please leave it."

Lan Xichen sighed, he wanted to pat her but seeing that her hair was already nice and tidy, he refrained himself, he didn't want to ruin it. He nods, "Alright. But don't stay up too late." [First Name] smiled, "Yes, yes. Goodnight, Xichen-xiong." Lan Xichen turned and went towards the door. And now, she's finally all alone in her room. It was so silent.

Her mouth finally released a small exhale as she slowly and lazily tucked herself into the bed, grabbing the thin book she previously placed underneath her pillow. But she didn't open it and simply placed it on her bosom while she silently glanced outside through the wide-open window. The sky glowed from the moonlight that shone, it was a cloudless sky and the stars could be seen with bare eyes. It was a tranquil scene but [First Name] who had been gazing at the sight had her mind and heart all messed up. 

Even an inch of movement would bring her terrible pain, so obviously, she couldn't even walk. With a frown on her face, [First Name] closed her eyes. "... I miss those two... I want to talk to them again," she mumbled softly. Their faces flashed through her mind and the memories she had with them resurfaced. It calmed her but she also felt a sense of longing.

"Wuxian... Wanyin... Sigh... I wish I could move around now, I promised them that I'd visit their sect after a year after all. Huaisang didn't attend the conference, haha, he probably didn't want to." she chuckled silently, opening her eyes and staring at the moon with an unexplainable expression on her face. She lowered her head and slowly curled up in the bed. The bedding creased and the pillow moved. 

Her breathing slowly, and gradually became hurried, her back felt hot, burning from the large wound that made her unable to move for days.

"... So silent... I'm tired... It hurts..."

Her countless mutterings echo throughout the room, but there was nobody inside. Nobody to comfort her or help her. Her voice reached nobody and she was all alone. [First Name] never experienced something like this before. Finally, she laughed. "That Wen cultivator really hit me hard, haha. He looked old but to think that he'd have that much strength, of course, he's a cultivator too." Once again there was silence. She felt helpless, she couldn't even help herself. Hah...

[First Name] sighed and shook her head, "... Wen bastards..."

Well... There won't be any interactions between [First Name] and Wanyin for the next two, chapters, I guess. More Wangji time tho (he's my favorite character here, Jiang Cheng's only my second, so of course I gotta do more Wangji scenes.  I wanna write a Lan Zhan x Reader fanfic but we all know he only loves Wei Ying, hah... I dont like writing fanfics about taken/married characters...) 

Anyways, Cloud Recesses being burned down, then Xuanwu Cave then Lotus Pier, then Sunshot Campaign, auh... Still a lot of stuff to write before going back to the current timeline. There are only a few romantic scenes, wait, are there even any during the Cloud Recesses Study Arc?

Published: February 20, 2022