Backlash Part 1

Chapter 105: The Library Array

Lan Wangji felt pain when he looked at the charred remnants of the structure. In many ways the library was the grandest structure in Cloud Recesses. Cloud Recesses was not Koi Tower. The structures and decorations were not gaudy or ostentatious. Instead everything was designed with a certain peacefulness in mind. The architecture was simple and beautiful with modest decorations. The library matched with these designs and values, but there were a few differences.

For one the library itself was an impressive two story stand alone structure. It was centrally located, making it almost impossible for a guest to enter Cloud Recesses without at least seeing the building from a distance. The area around the library was carefully cultivated. Small groupings of flowers and a large magnolia tree decorated the perimeter and pathways surrounding it. On closer inspection you could find unique details. Subtle intricate carvings decorated wooden beams, window frames, and doors.

The once beautiful structure was now a collapsed husk. Piles of ash and charred wood that smelled of smoke rested where once Lan Wangji would spend quiet afternoons reading. A few half burned beams still stood, like a faint echo of the building that had once been. Wei Wuxian had worked so hard to protect the library. Lan Wangji had felt the power and effort Wei Wuxian put into the array. Seven consecutive nights that had left Wei Wuxian exhausted each time. Wei Wuxian had spared no effort in his attempts to protect the iconic structure.

Lan Wangji supposed the QishanWen sect had been too determined. Any barrier or ward could be broken with enough time and effort. That was something Wei Wuxian had told him many times. Lan Wangji's hand grazed over a wooden beam that was still standing like a broken skeleton. His fingers could still trace the carved grooves. He fondly recalled Wei Wuxian complaining about the carving making it more difficult to draw the array. Apparently Wei Wuxian had never noticed the carving was there, until he was trying to trace the array over the beams.

Lan Wangji sighed as he gazed at the wreckage. He didn't have the heart to sift through the debris to see if any texts had survived. The thought of doing so was too painful. Even if some survived it would only remind him of how many scrolls and books were lost. Lan Wangji was a bit surprised none of the elders had been asking him to select a group to try and recover any texts. Then again, he had also seen the pained look in their eyes when they gazed at the library. Perhaps they also found it too painful to bring themselves to assess the damage.

'If anything happens to the library in the future, wait until Cloud Recesses is safe. Then try to reach out to this array with your spiritual energy.' That was what Wei Wuxian had said to him months ago when he finished the array. Lan Wangji let his hand rest against the pillar as he reached out gently toward an array he expected was long since destroyed. It was a sort of foolishly hopeful gesture. Although Lan Wangji completely expected to find no intact array, he still felt compelled to do as Wei Wuxian had instructed him.

'Wei Ying had been so proud of himself. He worked so hard on this array. He must be feeling horrible about not being able to protect the library.' Lan Wangji thought to himself sadly. With this in mind he reached out with his spiritual energy, gently seeking an array that had been brutally destroyed. Lan Wangji suddenly went still. The array... was intact?

With confusion Lan Wangji reached out to the array, probing it gently. If the array was intact why was the library destroyed? Had Wei Wuxian made an error in its construction? That was a horrible possibility. Lan Wangji understood the effort involved in the array's creation. If it failed because of an error Wei Wuxian would blame himself.

Lan Wangji prodded the array gently with his spiritual energy. There was a small spark of energy as the array responded to Lan Wangji's prodding. Suddenly the spiritual energy in the area swelled. It almost felt like an explosion except that it was much more controlled. The Library ruins became hazy, like they were fading. A familiar glow of the complex array traced the ground around the library, climbed up pillars and walls whether said structures that had held them were still there or not. Mist enveloped the library, concealing everything except for the array that glowed with spiritual energy.