The White Phoenix

Chapter 9 - Teasing

Annchi and Yīnuò were roomed with Jiang Yanli, as she was roomed with Mian Mian and had two beds open in their guest quarters. Their quarters were right next to Wei Wuxian's and Jiang Cheng's.

"Just what do those girls want with you?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"They are Valkyries," Wei Wuxian told him, "they are wanting to help me somehow...with what, they didn't say."

Wei Wuxian didn't want to tell him the real reason why the girls were there. Telling him they were Valkyries were enough. Wei Wuxian was still trying to figure those girls out. They wanted to help him with his fire and to protect him. He didn't know why they wanted to protect him. There was so much he didn't understand.

"They want to help you, but they said nothing as to why? And how are they Valkyries? Where did father find them?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"I don't know...I think they know something about my birth parents," Wei Wuxian told him.

"How do you know?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"Why else would they just randomly show up?" Wei Wuxian asked, "why do they want to protect me? I'm nothing special. Your mother makes sure I know that every single day."

"Don't listen to my mother," Jiang Cheng told him, "she knows nothing of what you do for Jie and me."

"Are you admitting you care about me?" Wei Wuxian teased.

"You wish!" Jiang Cheng barked, "say something like that again and I'll break your legs."

"Oh no, not my legs," Wei Wuxian joked holding his legs, "I can't lose my legs."

"Then shut your mouth," Jiang Cheng told him.

"Impossible," Wei Wuxian told him.

"Our sect is to attempt the impossible," Jiang Cheng told him, "so do it."

"Don't want to," Wei Wuxian told him, "also, Although the Sect's motto is 'attempt the impossible,' a more literal translation would be "knowingly do what you know you cannot do'."

"You think you're so smart," Jiang Cheng told him.

"Yes," Wei Wuxian told him.

"By the way, you have been out for a couple days. You better catch up with the lectures you've missed," Jiang Cheng told him and tossed him a couple scrolls, "read them. We may get quizzed on them tomorrow."

"This will take me hours to finish!" Wei Wuxian whined, "plus I know most of this stuff already. All that Lan Qiren lectures us about is the principles of the sect and etiquette. They barely teach anything else. And when they do, it's things we were already taught."

"I don't care. It is still to be read," Jiang Cheng told him, "I am going to go meet up with someone, get it done!"

Wei Wuxian sighed, "fine." Jiang Cheng stepped out but it didn't take long for someone else to interrupt Wei Wuxian's studying by knocking on the door, "because I'm busy reading and lazy to move, just enter!" Wei Wuxian hollered.

"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji said entering the room.

"Lan Zhan, saving me from my boredom," Wei Wuxian said sitting up on the bed and set the scroll down.

"Studying isn't boring," Lan Wangji told him.

"Maybe to you," Wei Wuxian said standing up, "but to me, it's a waste of time. I don't live here, like I should care about the rules or principles. I know about Yao, ghosts, monsters and demons. There are actually very little things that I care about."

"And what is it that you care about?" Lan Wangji asked.

"Justice, and family," Wei Wuxian answered, "but, within the Jiang Sect, ShiJie is the only one I'd consider as close family. Jiang Cheng, barely there, but I would still take an arrow to the heart for him. He is a sect heir, he needs his life. My life, I do not care for. Life and death have no value to me."

"Why?" Lan Wangji asked.

"Because I don't care for gains and losses," Wei Wuxian answered, "I care for doing what is right even if others think it's wrong. I stand for justice and live with no regrets. That has always been me."

"I admire that," Lan Wangji told him, "standing for justice."

"Starting to feel smitten for me?" Wei Wuxian teased, "why would Lan Wangji want to come visit me? Am I just too good looking for you to stay away?"

"Why are you so shameless?" Wangji asked, "can't we just have a calm conversation like we've been having?"

"What, can't handle my flirting?" Wei Wuxian asked slowly walking up to him.

Lan Wangji slowly started to step backwards and was stopped at the corner wall. He was trapped between the corner of the room and Wei Wuxian who was now one step in front of him.

"Wei Ying!" Lan Wangji said loudly trying to get him to back off.

"What is it? Are you afraid I'll do something to you?" Wei Wuxian asked, "Why would I? I'm not interested in men...Especially uptight ones like you."

Lan Wangji looked offended but was also confused, 'If Wei Ying was not into men, then why was he always hitting on me?'

Wei Wuxian stepped back and let Lan Wangji out of his corner. Flustered, Lan Wangji sat down at the table in the room and took a couple deep breaths to calm himself down. Wei Wuxian chuckled at his work. He managed to get a prominent cultivator to sweat and flustered over a small exchange of flirting and teasing. He liked getting these reactions from Lan Wangji and wanted to get more out of him.

"Lan Zhan, care for a drink?" Wei Wuxian asked.

Lan Wangji glared up at Wei Wuxian, "What kind of drink?"

"Wine of course," Wei Wuxian answered.

"Alcohol is forbidden in Cloud Recesses. If you read the rules, you would know that," Lan Wangji told him.

"I have read your stupid rules," Wei Wuxian told him, "And I don't have Wine here. It can't be served in Cloud Recesses, but it says nothing about outside of Cloud Recesses."

"You have studying to do, You shouldn't be drinking and studying," Lan Wangji stated.

"Oh? I drink and study all the time back in Yunmeng," Wei Wuxian said, "You don't allow alcohol, your lectures are long and boring, and your food tastes like cardboard. Your Cloud Recesses is by far, the most boring sect I have been in. How have you survived living here? And you wonder why I am starving all the time."

The last sentence Wei Wuxian said caught Lan Wangji's attention, 'He isn't used to our food. So he has a hard time eating it. Why doesn't he say something to my uncle or my brother? He shouldn't have to starve himself because he has a hard time eating our food.'

Wei Wuxian sighed, "Whatever you came here for, just tell me. I'm getting tired of talking to you," he said sitting on the bed.

"Would you like me to bring you something else to eat? Something that satisfies to your taste better?" Lan Wangji asked.

"Why bother?" Wei Wuxian asked picking up the scroll he was reading.

"You shouldn't have to starve yourself because you don't like our food," Lan Wangji told him.

Wei Wuxian chuckled, "I've gone hungry before, Lan Zhan. Plus, I am not the only one here who dislikes your sect's food. Why treat me differently than them because I don't eat it? I can go into town and eat something later."

"Wei Ying-"

"Lan Zhan," he interrupted, "I would like to finish this before class tomorrow. So would you please leave?"

Lan Wangji sighed and nodded with a bow. He then stepped out of Wei Wuxian's room. Lan Wangji walked straight to Hanshi where his brother lived to talk to him about what Lan Wangji had discovered about Wei Wuxian. He didn't want to let the man suffer from being stubborn, so his last resort, his brother will make him do something about it since he will not listen to Lan Wangji.