𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓━━━J. Cheng

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻

017-Cloud Recesses, III

Right after [First Name] finished tending to her wounds and wrapping herself with bandages, there was a knock that came to the door. A bit startled, the roll of white cloth fell from her hand. 'Ah...'

"[First Name]."

But hearing the voice on the other side of the door, she calmed down and immediately tidied up her clothing and went to open the door for him. She smiled at the boy, "Wangji-xiong, come here." Seeing the long strips of bandages on her hand, Lan Wangji shook his head, knowing her intentions. "I can take care of my own injuries." But it's not like she'll back down so easily.

She grabbed his arm and dragged him inside the room and made him sit on the bed. "It's fine, I finished my work early today so I'm free for a while. I had already tended to my wounds too so I don't really have anything to do."

Lan Wangji stared at her back as she took care of the things on the table. And with a low voice, he mumbled, "Your back..."

[First Name] looked over her shoulders with a smile, "Hm? Ah, it's fine. It hasn't completely recovered yet but in a few days or so, it will completely heal up." she turned and faced him, a basin of water on one hand and a new roll of bandage on the other. She kneeled in front of him and placed the objects on the ground. "It's been a month anyway, I'm more worried about your leg. It's been a month but the wound is still bad."

Lan Wangji frowned, seeming to guess what she wanted to do but she suddenly placed her knee on top of his foot, preventing him from moving.

"..."

She looked at him in the eye, and raised her voice a little bit with a scolding tone, "Don't tell me you've been exerting yourself too much that it's slowing down the time of your recovery?"

"..."

She let out an exasperated sigh, "Wangji-xiong! If something happens to you, I don't know how to face Xichen-xiong! I'll take your share of the work so please rest!" But with the sudden mention of his brother, Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes solemnly, "I can work just fine. Building Cloud Recesses is our top priority right now, so that brother can finally come back." Her eyebrows knitted, frustration building up within her. "Xichen-xiong will be fine, we can always build Cloud Recesses anytime. Your life is much more important than anything, alright?"

"If Xichen-xiong sees you overworking yourself like this, he'll also scold you!" she wanted to say more but there was a sudden knock on the door once again. She glanced at the entrance and then back at Lan Wangji, full of complicated emotions. Once more, she sighed and finally stood up. Lan Wangji also followed her to the door.

There was a younger disciple standing in front of her room, his eyes were full of worry and helplessness. [First Name] realized that this boy was the one she helped back then. "Wangji-shixiong! [First Name]-shijie! W-Wen Sect sent an announcement! Elder Qiren said to come to the Ancestral Hall immediately!"

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Standing in front of the memorial tablets of the former sect leaders was Lan Qiren. Face solemn and calm. Hearing the footsteps at the entrance of the hall, he finally turned to face both of his disciples, as well as his blood relatives. "Wangji, [First Name]."

The disciple who had told them to come had more or less told them what happened and what the Wen sect wanted. "Father..."

Lan Qiren didn't say anything else and simply, and directly repeated what the boy had told both of them on the way here, "Wen Sect demanded every sect to dispatch disciples to Qishan." [First Name] frowned, clenching her fists, hidden underneath her long white sleeves, " It's only been a month since our Cloud Recesses have been burned... I had heard from the people in town that a lot of smaller sects have been put down by Wen as well... They are seriously going so far this time!" Lan Wangji wasn't exactly so pleased about this as well.

"... We still haven't heard from brother..."

The elder looked at both of them before he stroked his goatee with closed eyes. "We could only wait for Xichen to come back. Wen Sect is indeed pushing their authority to everyone right now, but the condition of our Cloud Recesses is the result of our powerlessness." he looked normal as if nothing heavy had happened recently but if one takes a closer look, one could see the result of the unfathomable amount of stress he had experienced.

After a long and deep pause, Lan Qiren finally opened his eyes with a grave expression. "... [First Name], Wangji. One of you has to go to Qishan."

Lan Wangji seemed to have guessed what he wanted to say already and answered immediately, leaving [First Name] no chance to answer first. "I'll go."

[First Name] turned her head to him with a bewildered expression. But she looked at her father immediately, stepping closer to him with a firm expression. "Father, aren't I in a much better condition than Wangji-xiong right now? Please let me go." but she stopped for a moment to think. Then she exhaled helplessly, "But since I am aware that he'll stubbornly insist on going, please let us both go there. I can't leave him there when he's like this right now."

The other frowned and stood on his ground unmoving, "I alone will be fine. Stay here and help out around the sect."

"Wangji-xiong, I'm not backing down this time."

Lan Qiren looked at the two bickering pair of cousins but his expression didn't change much. But one could say there was a sign of relief in his eyes as he looked at his own daughter, "[First Name], do you really want to go?"

She gave a firm and sincere nod, "Mn."

"What about you, Wangji?"

"I'm going alone, please dissuade [First Name] from tagging along, uncle."

The three were silent for a while. Both [First Name] and Lan Wangji waited for the decision of the elder silently. When Lan Qiren finally opened his lips to speak, both of them unconsciously leaned a bit closer. "Both of you, help out each other in Qishan. It's best not to provoke Wen Sect too much however prioritize your, and the other disciples' lives. Always remember to follow the teachings of our sect, no matter how powerful Wen Sect is, you are still part of Lan cultivators. Remember that."

Hearing that, [First Name] got what she wanted and beamed, "Yes!"

Lan Wangji only shook his head dejectedly. "..."

Alright, the trio's (JC, WWX, NHS) gonna show up next chapter!

the annoying wen chao and wang lingjao's gonna show up too tho, eugh ew-

Published: March 10, 2022