Legend has it that the white Phoenix was the most legendary Devine creature to ever exist. Not only that, but only one was to exist. The only one to exist was also a supreme god, and known to be son of the realms. His name, Wei Ying, courtesy name W...
Lan Wangji and Wei Ying both separately took a bath before they started the rest of their day. After dressing into fresh robes, the two casually made their way to the dining hall for breakfast. They decided to meet up with Lan Xichen on the way as his Hanshi was close by. Since he began to live in Cloud Recesses Wei Ying has not actually stepped foot in Hanshi. Lan Xichen spent all of his time in the Jingshi as Wei Ying grew up. Wei Ying now had a chance to see his GeGe's place. It had a similar comfortable feeling as the Jingshi did, but it seemed more lively at the same time. The Jingshi was always clean and tidy.
The Hanshi was homely, and had many paintings on the wall, and so many bookshelves with books and scrolls. Lan Xichen looked very literary. There was a bookshelf dedicated to Xiao and Guqin music only. Wei Ying's curiosity grew so he began to look through the music collection that Lan Xichen had. Lan Xichen looked at Wei Ying, seeing him all interested in music, made Lan Xichen feel happy.
"How has your skills on the Dizi and Guqin been since you ascended?" Xichen asked.
"You'd be surprised, I can play more than just those two instruments. As I have learned a lot growing up from my parents and many other mentors I've had," Wei Ying answered as he sat down.
"Like what?" Xichen asked.
"I can play a GuZheng, Dizi, Guqin, and a Xun," Wei Ying answered. "I play the Xun quite more often than any of those that I mentioned. The GuZheng and the Xun was the first two that I learned."
A Guzheng is a type of zither that originated from the Qin Dynasty. The resonator (with three holes cut into the bottom) is made of hardwood, with the arched soundboard made from softer wood. The 16 to 21 strings span the length of the soundboard with a bridge at either end. The additional bridges are used to tune each string accordingly. The player sits and plucks the strings, using their right hand's fingernails, while the left hand applies pressure to the opposite side of the strings, creating different string tensions and pitches.
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((GuZheng))
The Guqin of course is similar. Guqins are a type of wooden string instrument that is very unique. It is comprised of a resonator below (with two different-sized holes in it) and a soundboard above. They have seven silk strings (since the Han dynasty) spanning the soundboard. Interestingly, Guqins have a lot of symbolism tied into their design. For example, it is 3.65 Chinese feet long which represents the 365 days of the year.
The thirteen soundboard studs represent the thirteen lunar cycles in a year, and parts of it are named after dragons and phoenixes with the resonator shape representing Heaven and Earth. It's played by laying it horizontally on a table with the right thumb, first, second, and third fingers used to pluck the strings. The left thumb and index finger are used to depress the string at different points along its length which creates different pitches or harmonics.
A Xiao and a Dizi are types of bamboo flutes. The Xiao is just a vertical flute while a Dizi is a horizontal one.
Dating back to over seven thousand years and thought to be one of the oldest instruments in China, the Xun is a type of flute or whistle that is very similar to an Ocarina. It is egg-shaped, made from pottery, and has three finger holes in front and two thumb holes at the back. Xuns are played by blowing air across the top hole while blocking or releasing holes as needed to produce various notes.
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((Xun/ Similar to an ocarina// what Wei Ying's Xun looks like))
Wei Ying took out his Xun, "see," he said and handed it over to Xichen.
"Well versed you are," Xichen told him.
"When I was little, with my real parents, when ever I was sad or scared, my father would take out his Xun and play for me. I remember falling asleep to his playing. He taught me the Xun. My mother plays the GuZheng, which is normally what goddesses would play, but she taught me anyway. She thought it would suit me to play," Wei Ying explained, "there were some kids my age that were not aware of my background and would often pick on me because of me being slightly different. Being a man and having more feminine characteristics and likes. My mother eventually told me that being male and more feminine as a god was more normal that I may think. Gods and goddesses are more free when it comes to their love life, and are free to explore that side of them. If you were to be picked on for that, it is actually a crime. My mother found out about the kids and they got punished for bullying."
"I have to ask, were the gods always open to same sex couples?" Xichen asked.
"Several centuries before I was born they were against it, but it changed after the story of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng," Wei Ying answered, "which, Xie Lian is actually my second cousin."
((Some of you I'm sure will know who they are. I'm not spoiling anything either.))
"Really?" Wangji asked, "I remember reading about them a long time ago. It was a story that had many people asking questions."
"Tian Jun made it a ruling that we are allowed to love who we want," Wei Ying said, "I grew up not really wanting to accept that I was different, that I may be into men...and that I was more of a delicate type of person, as some people would say I would be. Now...having actually met someone and falling in love, I am starting to understand."
Lan Wangji smiled as he lifted tea cup and took a sip. Wei Ying could see that smirk before it hid behind the cup, "A'Zhan, speaking of, can we do what we did this morning again sometime?" He asked teasingly.
Lan Wangji set the cup down and saw that Wei Ying was picking up on his smirks. Lan Wangji knew that Wei Ying before he ascended was playful, but now, this version of him, was very, very mischievous. He liked it of course but bringing up so casually that they had done something right in front of Xichen, Wei Ying was asking for trouble.
"Wei Ying, since you asked in front of GeGe, I will say, no. You will have to wait until we are further into our relationship," Wangji teased back.
Lan Xichen automatically picked up on what was going on, "so, you two were a bit playful this morning? How did it go?" Xichen asked only adding fuel to the flames.
"It was so nice," Wei Ying said happily, "A'Zhan really knows have to make me feel good."
Lan Xichen laughed as he saw his brother's face turn three different shades of red, "wow Didi, I did not know you were so talented," Xichen teased.
"Wei Ying, you will be punished later," Wangji told him.
"Until we marry, you can't really punish a prince without getting permission from the parents," Wei Ying told him, "so nice try."
"Then I will speak with them when they arrive later today," Wangji said, "they can then also know what we have been up to."
"They will not care. My parents were very handsy before they married," Wei Ying said, "but I wish you luck."
Lan Wangji sighed and took another drink of his tea hoping it would help him calm down. It helped but only by a small amount. Lan Wangji was already anxious about meeting Wei Ying's parents again, but with Wei Ying's teasing, Lan Wangji really did not know how long he could hold back before he snaps. He did not want to hurt Wei Ying in any way. That was his biggest worry.
