Here For You | Lan Xichen

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Mo Dao Zu Shi and The Untamed do not belong to me. The settings, characters, and plot belong, respectively, to Mo Xiang Tong Xiu and the screenwriters of The Untamed. Here, only the plot of this fanfiction and my four OCs, Huang Minghui / Lan Minghui, Lan Biyun, Li Xingsi / Wei Xingsi, and Bai Yilian / Nie Yilian, are my creations. And an important reminder that this ISN'T REAL; please value your lives and do not try to get hit by a car to get this sort of adventure.

Nie Yilian relaxed; it was only Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian. Nothing to worry about!

At the sight of Wei Xingsi, a whoops-I-got-caught-doing-something expression appeared on Wei Wuxian's face. "A-Jie? Why are you here?"

Wei Xingsi, knowing that he was up to no good, glared at him suspiciously. "A-Ying, what are you up to this time?"

"Uh, nothing, of course!" Wei Wuxian laughed. It was obvious that he was lying.

Wei-gongzi, lying is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, you know...

"Wei Wuxian, you better tell me what you're up to, or else!" Wei Xingsi barked.

Nie Huaisang stepped back slightly, intimidated. Wei Wuxian, who wasn't scared, just scoffed, "Or else what?"

Displeased that her brother wasn't listening, Wei Xingsi screamed, "Or I'm making Jiang Cheng set the dogs on you when we get back to Lotus Pier! So tell me, what are you up to?"

"Wei-xiong got the idea to catch fish in the stream," Nie Huaisang explained, saving Wei Wuxian from the trouble.

"Anyway, Jie, you still haven't answered my question. Why are you here with Nie-guniang, Lan-xiaojie, and Lan-er-xiaojie?" Wei Wuxian asked.

"Making friends," Wei Xingsi answered. "You better behave yourself! I know what you're thinking right now!"

Completely ignoring her, Wei Wuxian, smiling stupidly, asked carelessly, "Lan-xiaojie, Lan-er-xiaojie, Nie-guniang, did it hurt when the three of you fell from heaven?"

Wei-gongzi... Um...

"WEI WUXIAN! WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!" Wei Xingsi yelled, furious.

"Wei-xiong, imagine the consequences when Hanguang-Jun and Zewu-Jun hear you talking about their sisters like that!" Nie Huaisang groaned. Switching to a more serious tone, he added, "And Wei-xiong, don't talk to my sister like that! Da-ge's going to have your head if he hears about this."

"Huaisang, you worry too much," Nie Yilian reassured light-heartedly. "I'm sure Wei-gongzi isn't serious about what he said. Relax!"

Lan Minghui, seeming to be thinking something along the same lines, said, "Wei-gongzi, don't say what you don't mean."

"Aw, you're just like your brother after all. So boring," Wei Wuxian sighed.

"Don't make assumptions of others," Lan Minghui berated. "Wangji is not boring."

"Spend more time with him. You'll see that he isn't boring," Lan Biyun decided, fixating her piercing, cold gaze on him.

Nie Huaisang wasn't going to be convinced easily. "Being in the presence of THE Hanguang-Jun is already terrifying enough... Being his friend..."

Her patience giving way quickly, Lan Biyun snarled, "Don't judge a book by its cover!"

Wei Wuxian winced slightly. "Lan-guniang, calm down!"

Still the same, prickly Biyun that I remember...

"Biyun is frustrated that you're assuming what Wangji's like when you barely know him at all," Lan Minghui jumped in, impatience and frustration seeping through her voice slightly. "I'm starting to sympathize with her by the second, too. There's lots you don't know about him, for example-"

Wei Wuxian was curious to find out what Lan Minghui had nearly said about Lan Wangji, but she told Wei Wuxian himself to go ask. Though he seemed rather dejected, he immediately cheered up when Nie Huaisang reminded him about catching fish. As they ran off, Wei Xingsi asked, "Can we get Wangxian together?"

"Don't rush them. They'll get together eventually," Nie Yilian said. Well, hopefully.

Sitting beneath a tree, Wei Xingsi and Nie Yilian let their minds settle into a meditative state as the two Lans started playing their instruments. The gentle melody cleared Nie Yilian's mind, eradicating all her worry for the time being.

***************

"Jie, I caught some fish for us to eat with Jiang Cheng and Shijie!" Wei Wuxian announced, bounding back from the river with three fish in his hands.

"Careful, A-Ying! Don't drop the fish!" Wei Xingsi cried, seeing as her brother waved the fish around carelessly.

"Right, Lan-xiaojie and Lan-er-xiaojie, I'm sorry for saying what I said about Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian apologized, bowing to the Lans. The two of them nodded, accepting his apology, though they still looked slightly sour.

Just as they were about to leave, they sensed someone nearby. Turning around to find Wen Qing, who was wearing flame-hued robes and a haughty, unbothered expression, Nie Yilian nodded to her politely. They'd met a few times as healers before.

Wei Wuxian, who felt like causing trouble (when didn't he feel like it?), grinned and approached Wen Qing mischievously. "Wen-guniang, what are you doing back here?"

As he reached for the needles Wen Qing held in her hands, Nie Yilian shouted, "Wei-gongzi, don't touch them!"

At the same time, Wen Qing also stopped his actions, though paired with much unfriendlier words. Wei Xingsi, who was about done with Wei Wuxian, bellowed, "Wei Wuxian! Stop making me feel like Jiang Cheng today! I told you to behave yourself!"

With an incredibly Jiang Cheng-like eye-roll, Wei Xingsi glared at her brother before turning back to Wen Qing and apologizing for Wei Wuxian's actions.

As they left, Nie Huaisang, who hadn't said much since he came back from fishing, murmured, "I never thought I'd find someone as intimidating as Hanguang-Jun! Wen-guniang really... She's quite scary..."

***************

Nie Yilian was aroused from her sleep at the crack of dawn when she heard coughing and sneezing coming from somewhere beside her. Blinking out the sleep that remained in her eyes, she yawned as she mumbled, "Meiyun? Everything okay with you?"

"Yes! I think I've-" Nie Meiyun paused to clear her raspy throat before continuing, "I think I might be sick."

Instantly feeling completely awake, Nie Yilian slid out of bed, dressing quickly before hurrying to her friend's side to treat her. Concerned for her, Nie Yilian didn't notice the time ticking away.

"Yilian, why bother yourself?" Nie Meiyun's voice still had a pinched quality to it due to her stuffy nose, though her throat felt better. "It's not like I've never been sick."

"Better to stay healthy," Nie Yilian pointed out, smiling optimistically. "Nie-zongzhu didn't send us here to study for nothing!"

"It's just a cold! Sometimes, you're too kind for your own good, you know!"

The bells signifying the start of class rang out, causing Nie Yilian to panic slightly. Just how much time did she spend doing this?

"Yilian, you should go to class. Grandmaster Lan won't be pleased if you turn up late," Nie Meiyun urged.

"But Meiyun, you..."

Starting to get impatient, Nie Meiyun sat herself up a little higher, pushing Nie Yilian in the direction of the door. "I'll live! It's just a cold!"

Knowing that Nie Meiyun was unlikely to lose the debate, Nie Yilian sighed. "Okay. I'll trust you to take care of yourself. Don't hesitate to go seek treatment if you feel bad, okay?"

Quickly leaving the room, Nie Yilian rushed to get to the Lanshi, only to find out... that she was going in the wrong direction. Groaning in frustration, Nie Yilian spun around, trying to figure out where she was right now.

"Nie-guniang?"

Why is Zewu-Jun here?