Into Your Heart

Chapter 12 - The mysterious boy-I

Final exams were in a month and the tension was already in the air. The few class tests that were being held had some students complaining about how tough the paper was, which meant that the final exam was going to be harder given the fact that the old master himself was devising the question paper.

Jiang Cheng refused to hang out with his brother after their classes had ended. Nie Huaisang joined him with books in one hand and a fan in the other, scared about what his brother would to him if he failed again. He was fanning himself nervously and whining about his terrible memory while an annoyed Jiang Cheng tried to shut him up so that he could study.

Wei Wuxian plopped down on his bed enjoying the drama. He was extremely bored as Lan Wangji focused on his lessons to make up for the time he had lost in the past two weeks after picking up a book for the boy who was always in the mood to enjoy.

Wei Wuxian, "Bro Nie, why are you so worried? Huh? Just carry some cheat papers with you."

Nie Huaisang, "Wei-xiong, are you serious? This is cloud recess. No one can even turn their heads while the examination is going on."

Wei Wuxian," You just don't know the techniques how to."

"Why don't you stop giving out useless advices and sit down to study?" Jiang Cheng snapped.

Wei Wuxian,"Why are you listening to my advices if it's useless?"

Jiang Cheng,"Your voice is loud enough for me to hear...You both either sit down and study or get out of the room. Unlike you two, I don't plan on failing the tests.", he scoffed.

"And who told you that I am going to fail?"

"Did you memorise the three thousand rules of the Gusu Lan sect? Moreover, you didn't even read a single word about the history of the sects, their origin and the names of their important leaders and their contribution to the cultivation world."

"And how did you know that? Don't you have enough of your own business to worry about?"

"Whenever you had history classes, you kept on whining about how boring it was and how much you hated it. Do you think I am deaf?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll ask Lan Zhan to help."

"And you think he will allow you to cheat?"

"Why not?"

"Wei Wuxian, you have already created a bad impression of our sect by falling asleep in the classes. Don't do anything worse."he warned him.

"And who would not fall asleep if classes start at such an early hour!" Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes and deciding that it was better to continue his studies than to argue with his troublesome brother, stopped replying.

When the room felt silent again and Wei Wuxian started peeling some peanuts that he had bought with the wine the other day, Nie Huaisang mumbled hesitantly in a low voice, "Wei-xiong, can I ask for a favour?"

"Eh Huaisang, do I look that kind of a friend to you? I am the most loyal friend you will ever get. Tell me what you want",he lowered his voice to a whisper before continuing with a sly smirk, "Just give me another book of the special edition. I really enjoyed it."

Nie Huaisang opened his fan to cover his face from Jiang Cheng as he replied, "Wei-xiong, I have got the exclusive collections...but, can you please ask Wangji-xiong about the question paper? I heard that he sometimes helps his uncle to deal with the academics of the juniors."

"Don't worry, I'll get you all the questions."he assured confidently.

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Sitting so close to Lan Wangji was not a good idea. Wei Wuxian felt a tingling sensation every time their fingers brushed accidentally. And the fact that there was almost no distance between their bodies was not helping either. A part of him felt the unusual urge to hold Lan Wangi's hands that felt warm, and he had to use all his willpower, that he didn't know existed, to keep himself from creating an awkward atmosphere that could fail their plan. What he didn't know was that the boy beside him was also feeling the same, an unknown feeling creeping up his heart.

They were hiding behind a tombstone, trying to keep their eyes on a certain boy who made his way deeper into the forest.

Wei Wuxian while heading out of the Jingshi was disappointed in not being able to persuade Lan Wangji to reveal the questions. None of his reasoning worked out and he decided to take a long route to his room to be able to come up with some other plans. However, curiosity got the better of him as he decided to explore the unknown parts of the cloud recess.

He veered in a different direction only to find out another figure sneaking out in the dark. Following someone down an unknown path never bothered Wei Wuxian, but he had to stop when his memory played Lan Wangji's concerned warning from the other night. He sprinted towards the Jingshi, almost dragging the boy out of his room as he explained the situation.

After going down the road that Wei Wuxian had directed them to, Lan Wangji came to a sudden halt.

"Are you sure you saw the figure move in this direction?"

"Yes. And I am also sure that he has some motives. No one sneaks out at night without some secret motive, well ofcourse except me. This is not the entrance, so it can't be that he is going out for alcohol. I mean I don't care if anyone breaks the rules to go out for alcohol. But he certainly did not look like he was going to breaking some ordinary rules."

"Wei Ying, if we continue down this road, we will reach the graveyard where all the Lan ancestors were buried. And no one is allowed to visit there without taking permission."

"And why is that so? Your ancestors might be feeling good if they see some people."

"The graveyard leads to the denser parts of the forest which is not completely safe. And there are also no barriers since the souls of the ancestors do not like to be restrained. They wander freely and protect the clan by fighting against the dark spirits."

"Then, it shouldn't be a problem at all."

"Those who have deceased a long time ago are getting weaker. Earlier, they resisted everyone from going into the forest. Uncle used to perform a soul summoning ceremony asking for their permission when he needed to go for yearly exorcism. But now that they are losing energy, any cultivator with a good level of cultivation can pass freely without any hassle."

"Lan Zhan, we might find out the culprit tonight. Let's go." Wei Wuxian declared excitedly, making it seem like a thrilling adventure.

On reaching the end of the graveyard, they saw the silhouette of the boy struggling to make his way into the forest and Wei Wuxian immediately pulled themselves to hide behind a tombstone. It took them some time to perform a brief soul summoning ceremony as Lan Wangji did not want to disgrace his ancestors, and being able to catch up with the boy so easily proved that he did not have a good level of cultivation.

"Lan Zhan, we should follow him before he gets out of our sight." Wei Wuxian suggested when the mysterious boy was at a safer distance.

"It can be dangerous."

"We will deal with it."

Lan Wangji nodded as they got up from their kneeling position, holding onto their swords tightly and silently moving into the woods.