play with tiger whiskers

part 3

Nie Huaisang begged his brother to let him attend the war council, which was a great opportunity to sketch the subject of his dreams from life and begin a campaign of conquest. He sat down in a corner behind Nie Mingjue and quietly stroked his brush across the paper, outlining his strong-willed features and gaze that burned like an unattended hot coal. No one in the crowd objected to his presence—when necessary, Nie Huaisang easily became inconspicuous and unremarkable, and his existence was soon completely forgotten even by those sitting next to him. Quite satisfied with this circumstance, he did not listen much to serious conversations and calculations, paying attention only to the key details - the next battle will take place tomorrow, many believe it to be the final one, after the final surrender of the Wen underdogs, the orders will go to their residences in a certain order...

However, when Wei Wuxian spoke, Huaisan's ears turned to his ears. He was standing at the cards laid out on the table between Jiang Wanyin (who had also matured, by the way) and the head of Wang, but he kept a low profile and looked at everyone around him in turn.

— ... We are only wasting time with these flights at random! There is a much simpler way - from Shinjian to Linzhou there are at least five village cemeteries, it will be easier for the dead to track down the energetic yang spellcasters!

"We're spellcasters, too!" Head Ouyang retorted indignantly, but Wei Wuxian only waved him off.

"Don't worry about it, I'll have no trouble arranging it so that they'll only be interested in Wen dogs!"

"Wei Wuxian, these are all the bodies of people who are at rest in peace, it would be sacrilege to make them rise as the walking dead!" Nie Mingjue thundered almost immediately, grabbing Bashi's hilt. Huaisang knew this look and unconsciously crumpled the edge of the sketch sheet in his fist, something his brother shouldn't have said at such moments.

However, Wei Wuxian, who had lost his fear somewhere on the battlefield or even in the abyss of Luanzang from where he had returned with a new dark force, only straightened his back more and replied:

"With all due respect, Chifengzun, we must finally put an end to this scum and repair the damage they have caused, and I suggest the quickest way.

"And what will happen to the corpses of the unfortunate and their families after this 'quick way'?" Nie Mingjue asked in a dangerously even tone. "Shall we sacrifice them to the desire to return home as soon as possible?" It's one thing to have an army of cursed Wens who deserve their fate, but it's quite another to have ordinary people!

"Of course, I'll put everyone back in their place right afterwards and put them to rest!" Wei Wuxian looked offended, but then Jiang Wanyin nudged him with his elbow and finally intervened, silencing his subordinate.

"Chifengzun, I apologize for his intemperance. Wei Wuxian spends a lot of time searching for his remaining enemies, and this has affected his judgment. I propose a compromise - some of our people will explore the remote areas from the air, and the remaining dead at Wei Wuxian's disposal will follow the trail of the Weni to the nearest villages and forests. He will not raise new ones, there will be enough existing ones.

The brother sighed heavily, and after a short pause replied:

"Okay, it'll be quicker that way."

Jiang Wanyin nodded, looking extremely tired, and took a step back. Wei Wuxian jumped up indignantly, but didn't say anything. The two always balanced each other, whether it was an argument about military tricks or a secret feast in the Cloud Depths...

And then Nie Huaisan, looking at his friend, who was once again frozen at the table, remembered that hot evening, the weight of someone else's hand on his shoulders and the scent of tangerines, and suddenly the appropriate lines came to his mind.

Stealthily grabbing a blank page, he licked the tip of his brush and began to draw sign after sign, trying to give the lines a subtle elegance.

"I admire thee, O brave and slender youth,
 You're standing—alone—among those around you.
 Thou hast exalted thyself high, and never bending
 You admire people who look like a tangerine tree.

Deep your roots go back to your native land
 And it is almost impossible for us to grasp your aspirations.
 In the midst of the living world, you stand independent and strong
 And, fearing no obstacles, you never go with the flow"!1.

Perhaps this was the point where we should have stopped, for the caution and circumspection that were further praised were not at all characteristic of Wei Wuxian (the conversation with the dage had just clearly demonstrated this), and Nie Huaisang himself was not only looking for his chaste friendship. Satisfied, he drew a tangerine branch with buds ready to open next to it, folded the leaf in half, and hid it in his sleeve for the time being. As soon as the tedious meeting was over, he slipped a note into his friend's black lacquered flute that had been left on the table, while the latter was distracted by an exchange of pleasantries with the newly arrived Zewu-jun. And then he himself began to bow to the good-natured Lan Xichen - not only did Nie Huaisang get used to considering him almost like a second brother after the long years of acquaintance, but he began to say goodbye to the good-natured Lan Xichen.