A Means to an End (WangXian)

Two Days

Wei Wuxian surrounded himself with talismans, books, and maps. The library looked more of a mess than usual. The other disciples would step into the library and quickly turn around to exit upon seeing the mess and the hunched over figure sat in the far corner of the room, scribbling madly on parchments of paper.

A few disciples went looking for Lan Xichen, wanting to warn him of what they have observed. Lan Xichen only frowned slightly when he heard the news. It had only been a day since the meeting with everyone about the indoctrination. The two have not spoken since. 

Wei Wuxian had been avoiding him, though Lan Xichen admits he hasn't really tried speaking with the other either. He asked Nie Huaisang what Wei Wuxian had meant, but even the Nie seemed at a loss for words.

So, Lan Xichen wanted to give him time before approaching him on the subject. He thought over the plan with Wen Qing and Wen Ning, but the only way they could gain proper information on the Wen's movements is to have someone on the inside. If not Wen Qing and Wen Ning, then they need to find someone who can secretly enter the sect.

Lan Xichen thought of Meng Yao. Afterall, he learned from Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang that he had infiltrated the Wen Clan before, but the tone Nie Huaisang had when he mentioned it left him concerned. Not to mention the parts he saw in empathy. Perhaps there was something off about it.

So, his only option at the moment was to enlist the help of the Wen siblings, unless they find another person that could do the job, but indoctrination is only a couple months away, meaning there is not enough time to find someone and gain the trust of Wen Rouhan.

Lan Xichen continued to ponder on this, but found no alternatives. So instead, he went searching for Lan Wangji, who he knew was spending the afternoon at the cold springs. Lan Wangji confessed to him that he has been struggling maintaining his composure after everything that has happened. He decided it had been quite some time since he did some proper meditating at the cold springs.

Lan Wangji had been there for a few hours now, so Lan Xichen wasn't too worried about disturbing him. Besides, he knew he would want to know if anything strange was going on with Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji was worried. He had left Wei Wuxian in the library, but he made sure that he was not alone before he left. Wen Ning said he would stay beside Wei Wuxian as he continued to work on a few things in the library, while Lan Wangji focused on his meditation for a little while.

Lan Wangji had no intention of being gone for long. In fact, he knew it hasn't even been two hours since the two departed. So to hear from his brother that some of the Lan disciples have approached him concerned for the Jiang disciple, it immediately sent off alarms inside of Lan Wangji's head.

He quickly left for the library, leaving his brother behind. Lan Xichen could only sigh before pinching his lips and walking back to the Hanshi.

When Lan Wangji entered the library, he found exactly what had been described. A hunched over figure, writing madly on paper with books and scrolls strewn about. Lan Wangji also noticed the strange fan sat in Wei Wuxian's lap.

"Wei Ying," he called and approached him slowly.

Wei Wuxian's eyes slowly drifted up. A small smile graced his lips as he stared at the Lan. "Lan Zhan," he replied.

Lan Wangji took a seat beside Wei Wuxian at the cluttered table. "What happened?"

Wei Wuxian's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Wen Ning is gone."

His eyes widened. "Oh! Yeah, I told him he could go get some other work done. I think he's back in the infirmary helping Wen Qing."