Backlash Part 1

Chapter 198: Banquet "Accidents"

Luo Qingyang followed Jin Guangshan's unfriendly glare to the dark robed figure seated amidst the white and pale blue sea of the GusuLan sect. Wei Wuxian stood with his daughter on his hip. Her tiny hands fisted in Wei Wuxian's robes as she clung to him. Nuan-er's expression was scrunched into an unhappy glare that swept across the room before it settled firmly on Sect Leader Jin.

Nuan-er must have come to the correct conclusion. Anything unpleasant about the banquet could only be Jin Guangshan's fault. Luo Qingyang had been able to spend a little time with Nuan-er. Not as much as Luo Qingyang would like, but enough for Luo Qingyang to decide she absolutely wants to have a daughter some day. Preferably one as brilliant and sassy and Nuan-er. Wei Wuxian bobbed in an awkward approximation of a bow. The little girl in his arms prevented a better one. Nuan-er doesn't seem thrilled with the particular motion and the glare she had levelled at Jin Guangshan intensified.

"I only mean that our YunmengJiang sect has always valued individual freedom. I believe Sect Leader Jiang will agree that, for YunmengJiang sect, no betrothal to my Shijie should be decided without her input." Wei Wuxian said confidently.

Luo Qingyang blinks dumbly in response to those words. In any other sect that sentence would be absurd. Completely absurd. No other sect is going to insist the potential bride alone decide to accept or reject a proposal. A union between families, between clans, between sects.

Not even the Lans would make such a claim. Even with their bizarrely romantic story of the founding of their sect by a monk who left his life in the monastery for the love of his life. That is some serious 'abandoning duty for love' shit which feels like it should run completely counter to the rigid thousands of rules of the GusuLan sect.

With an origin story based on sacrificing everything for love, Luo Qingyang thinks it would be appropriate for the GusuLan sect to insist on love matches chosen by the individual. She has never heard of them doing so, but she feels like the justification is there in the story of the founding of their sect. Luo Qingyang doesn't remember the founding of the YunmengJiang sect quite so well. Either it didn't make as amusing of a story or it's a natural consequence from the fact that the GusuLan sect holds guest lectures.

Luo Qingyang doubts very much that she has been lectured about the founding of the other sects as thoroughly as she has about the GusuLan sect. Only her own sect's history is as clear, but she naturally had to memorize that as part of her studies. Luo Qingyang recalls that the founder of the YunmengJiang sect was a rogue cultivator. Someone who had travelled freely ridding the world of evil. He invented the first spirit net and founded many of the techniques used for dealing with water ghouls to this day.

Luo Qingyang doesn't recall why he settled in Yunmeng specifically, but YunmengJiang cultivators have always been free with their emotions and creative with their problem solving. Young Luo Qingyang got to participate in a joint nighthunt once. It was a blast. Luo Qingyang left the experience convinced that everyone in the YunmengJiang sect must be at least a little bit insane, but in the best ways possible.

When she went to Cloud Recesses Luo Qingyang was disappointed how much more subdued most of the YunmengJiang sect disciples were. She supposes that 'on a nighthunt with no seniors around' is very different from 'attending lectures as a guest to a sect with three thousand rules.' She still found most of them to be pleasant company. Especially Jiang Yanli, less so Jiang Wanyin.

"Wei Wuxian! Have you no manners?" Jin Zixun shouted indignantly across the hall.

Luo Qingyang took a deep breath to hold back a laugh. Jin Zixun accusing anyone of lacking manners is hilarious. The man-child has none.