Moonlit Hearts

Chapter 72: Lantern Light

It had been hours since the elders' summons, yet the Jingshi still carried its echo — a low, lingering hum, as though the words spoken there had sunk into the wood and refused to leave.

Night had claimed the Cloud Recesses. The veranda stretched silver in the moonlight, its polished boards cold beneath bare feet. The air was sharp with the scent of mountain pines, and the shared blanket wrapped around Wei Ying and Wangji was less a comfort than an anchor — a reminder that here, at least, they sat together.

Wei Ying had been uncharacteristically quiet. He sprawled with his legs stretched out, tapping the tips of his toes against the boards, restless energy simmering under the surface. His eyes flicked sideways again and again, measuring Wangji against thoughts he hadn't spoken aloud. At last he let out a short, humorless laugh, breaking the silence.

"You know," he said, voice low, "I was ready to start a proper fight in there. Might've even flipped one of those stiff old tables, just to see their faces." He tilted his head, studying Wangji in the pale light. "But you—" his smile tugged faintly, ruefully, "—you didn't need to burn the place down. You went straight to the heart of it. And they listened."

Wangji's gaze remained fixed on the moon. "You spoke what I could not."

Wei Ying frowned. "Lan Zhan, I've never known you to hold back when something matters this much."

Silence stretched. Then, slowly, Wangji said, "I have stood against my uncle before. When they sought to deny me the right to keep Sizhui, I did not yield. I took him into my care regardless, though it meant defying rules that had shaped me all my life." His voice was calm, but a tautness lived beneath it, an old scar reopening. "But he is my family. I do not wish every truth I speak to be another battle against them."

Wei Ying's voice gentled, though it carried an unshakable strength. "And yet you fought tonight anyway."

"I had to." Wangji's eyes lowered, moonlight catching on the hard line of his jaw. "With Sizhui, I knew my uncle's mind was closed, but once the boy was in my care, I could protect him. This... is different. This is knowing they acted out of fear, and that fear was directed at someone I should have defended long ago. Xuanyu bore it alone. That—" his breath caught, almost too soft to hear, "—that is harder to bear."

Wei Ying leaned in until their shoulders touched, grounding him. "You did protect him today. You stood there, in front of all of them, and you said the truth they didn't want to hear. That's not nothing, Lan Zhan. That's everything."

Wangji's hand shifted beneath the blanket, brushing against Wei Ying's until their fingers found each other and locked, steady and certain.

"I'm proud of you," Wei Ying said at last, the words slipping out with a quiet conviction.

Something flickered in Wangji's expression — not dramatic, but sharp enough that Wei Ying noticed. His brows drew faintly together, his voice edged with disbelief. "Proud?"

Wei Ying let out a breath that was half laugh, half sigh. "Yes. Proud. Do you think I'd say that lightly? I've always admired the way you stand your ground, Lan Zhan. But tonight... you didn't just defend Xuanyu. You stood up for yourself, too. You faced your uncle, knowing exactly what it would cost, and you didn't waver. You spoke for someone who couldn't speak for himself. That's courage, Lan Zhan. That's something to be proud of."

He squeezed Wangji's hand, his eyes bright in the moonlight. "And I'm thankful too. Thankful that you fought for Sizhui when the whole world said you shouldn't. That you gave him a home, a name, and love without condition. You raised him into someone kind and strong, someone proud of who he is. That's you. You did that. And I will never stop being grateful for it."