The Night is Still Young

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lost Control

'Have I gone mad? Have I gone mad? Have I gone mad?!'

Lan Wangji's lips twitched. His face was expressionless. That has always been the case. Nonetheless, he managed to continue the sentence he couldn't finish:

"A-Ying..."

His body leaned forward, involuntarily.

"...is still..."

With a 'thud!', Lan Wangji falls on the ground.

"...waiting for you."

Didn't you say you knew what you were doing?

"What a powerful silver bell." Wen Ning was impressed by the amount of power contained within such a small bell. "Lan Yuan-gongzi would definitely like this gift a lot."

A tassel pendant hung from a piece of white, translucent jade. Soft light flowed through it as if it were alive. The intricate structure of its craftsmanship, despite the pristine quality of its silver and the remarkably vibrant nine-petaled lotus engraved onto its body, may have seemed like the pinnacle of perfection in their craft.

"Of course." Jiang Cheng attached the tassel pendant to the silver bell. When combined, the two looked extremely appealing.

"You can tell who made it."

He was more than pleased.

"Not even you are immune to it, so don't touch it."

On their way, the two passed Qiongqi Path.

"I didn't expect Lan-er-gongzi would invite you over for Lan Yuan-gongzi's banquet..."

'Three times at that.'

Though unspoken, it was nonetheless not unheard.

"Please refrain from getting into an argument with him."

Jiang Cheng humphed, still casting a slightly scornful doubt on Lan Wangji. "Since he invited me, I won't speak ill of him for the next year."

Or three, for extending him three invitations (while turning down the first two).

Why did he even refuse the first two if he'd eventually attend the banquet?

What's wrong with his head, exactly?

Busy.

Busy.

Busy!

That was his (pathetic) excuse.

He only thought that the hatred everyone felt about him was still too raw. Too fresh. So, he shouldn't come to his nephew's banquets, or there might be a raise in commotion (A-Jie also invited him to A-Ling's own birthday banquets, but declined for the same reason).

But today, it's been four or five years since he took in the Wen Remnants and lived in the Burial Mounds, so he had thought, maybe their hatred had faded somewhat?

How wrong he is.

Didn't you say you could control everything?

At Qiongqi Path, neither of them noticed anything out of the ordinary. However, as they approached the center of the valley, Jiang Cheng began to suspect that...

Something was wrong.

Wen Ning asked, "What's wrong, gongzi?" his tone concerned at having seen Jiang Cheng's change of expression.

There shouldn't be so few people passing by.

Jiang Cheng noted, brows furrowed with apprehension, "Something's odd."