In order to defend himself if ol' fuddy-duddy and lil' fuddy-duddy came to drag him out of his bed in the middle of the night, Wei WuXian slept while clinging on to his sword. Yet, the night went smoothly. On the second day, Nie HuaiSang came to him with an overjoyed expression, "Wei-xiong, you really struck it lucky. The old man went to our sect's Discussion Conference last night, so we don't have classes for a few days!"
Now that the old one is gone, the young one can be easily taken care of! Wei WuXian quickly climbed up, beaming as he put on his boots, "A lucky strike, indeed, almost as if Heaven is blessing me with its clouds."
Jiang Cheng stood on the side, carefully cleaning his sword, and threw cold water on this notion, "When he comes back, you're still gonna get your punishment."
Wei WuXian responded, "Why would a living person worry about what happens after they die? I'll just live freely as long as possible. Let's go. I refuse to believe that I can't find any pheasants on this mountain of the Lan Sect."
The three walked together, passing through the reception room of the Cloud Recesses. Suddenly, Wei WuXian stopped in his tracks and exclaimed, "There are two lil' fuddy... Lan Zhan-s!"
A few people walked out of the room. Of the two youths at the front, both looked as if they were carved out of ice and jade, both wore the same snow-white robes, and both had sword tassels which swayed in the breeze, alongside ribbons on their clothes. The only differences were their ambiences and facial expressions. Wei WuXian could tell at once that, if the one with a stern face was Lan WangJi, the gentle one must be the other Jade of the Lan Sect-ZeWu-Jun, Lan XiChen.
As Lan WangJi saw Wei WuXian, he scrunched his brows, giving him a glare in an almost "glowering" fashion. As if he would be tainted if he looked a moment longer, he moved his gaze away and stared into the distance. On the other hand, Lan XiChen smiled, "And you are...?"
Jiang Cheng showed his respect with a salute, "Jiang WanYin of Yunmeng."
Wei WuXian followed, "Wei WuXian of Yunmeng."
Lan XiChen returned the salute. Nie HuaiSang whispered in the volume of a gnat, "Brother XiChen."
Lan XiChen turned to him, "HuaiSang, a while ago, as I returned from Qinghe, your brother asked of your studies. How is it? This year, will you be able to pass?"
Nie HuaiSang replied, "Generally speaking, yes..." He seemed like a wilted cucumber, looking at Wei WuXian in a helpless way. Wei WuXian grinned, "ZeWu-Jun, what are you two going out for?"
Lan XiChen, "To exterminate a water ghoul. We were short of hands, so I came back to find WangJi."
Lan WangJi spoke coldly, "Brother, we do not need to engage in small talk. This matter permits no delay; it is time for us to depart."
Wei WuXian hurried, "Wait, wait, wait. I know how to catch water ghouls. ZeWu-Jun, why don't you take us along?"
Lan XiChen smiled without words. Lan WangJi declared, "It is against the rules."
Wei WuXian, "How is it against the rules? We used to catch water ghouls all the time in Yunmeng. Besides, we don't have classes these days anyways."
Yunmeng was abundant in lakes and water, so it teemed with water ghouls. It was true that people of the Jiang Sect were adept at this, and Jiang Cheng also wanted to make up for the face which the YunmengJiang Sect lost during this stay at the Lan Sect, "That's right. ZeWu-Jun, we'd definitely be of help."
"It is not necessary. The GusuLan Sect is also..." Before Lan WangJi finished talking, Lan XiChen spoke while smiling, "Sure, then. Many thanks for your help. Do some preparations, and we can depart together. HuaiSang, are you coming as well?"
