Wen Ning immediately shut his mouth. Amid the gurgles of the boat being rowed forward, Wei WuXian opened his eyes with a terrible headache.
Leaning completely on Lan WangJi's body, he realized that they weren't in Lotus Pier anymore. For a long while, he couldn't figure out what was happening. Only when he saw the splatters of blood on Lan WangJi's left sleeve, like a string of plum blossoms resting on snow, did he finally recall what happened before he passed out from anger. His expression twisted at once as he suddenly sat upright. Lan WangJi went to help him, but the ringing in Wei WuXian's ears hadn't stopped yet. A heavy scent of blood also felt stuffed in his chest. It was more than uncomfortable.
He was worried that he might cough blood onto the clean-loving Lan WangJi again. Waving his hand, he turned around to one side and tried to hold it back for a while, supporting himself on the rail of the boat. Lan WangJi knew that he wasn't feeling well. Silent, he didn't ask anything. He lay one hand on his back, sending him a warm thread of spiritual energy.
As the iron taste in his throat passed, Wei WuXian finally turned back around, letting Lan WangJi remove his hand. After a while of sitting quietly, he finally tried to ask, "HanGuang-Jun, how did we get out?"
Wen Ning's expression immediately grew nervous. He stopped rowing as well. As expected, Lan WangJi kept his promise and said nothing of the secret. However, he didn't lie and make up an explanation either. His words were simple, "We fought."
Wei WuXian reached out with one hand and massaged his chest, as if trying to break up the pent-up feeling inside his heart. A moment later, he blurted, "I knew Jiang Cheng wouldn't have let us go so easily. That brat... How could this be?!"
Lan WangJi frowned, his voice deep, "Do not mention him."
Hearing how displeased his tone was, Wei WuXian paused in surprise. He immediately replied, "Okay. I won't mention him."
After some thought, he began again, "Um, HanGuang-Jun, don't mind the things he said, alright?"
Lan WangJi, "Which sentence?"
Wei WuXian's eyelids throbbed, "Every one of them. The brat's been like this ever since he was young. He'll say anything when he's angry, no matter how bad it is. He gives up on all grace and discipline whatsoever. As long as it'd annoy whomever he's against, he'd say it no matter what terrible insults he uses. After all these years, he hasn't gotten better at all. Please don't take it to heart."
He spoke as he secretly paid attention to Lan WangJi's expression. Slowly, his heart sunk.
Wei WuXian originally thought-or hoped-that Lan WangJi wouldn't take those words to heart. But unexpectedly, Lan WangJi didn't look too well. He didn't even reply with a 'mn.'
It looked like Lan WangJi was even more displeased at Jiang Cheng's insults than he had thought. Perhaps he simply didn't like Jiang Cheng's character, or perhaps... he was especially intolerant of being called 'shameless,' 'lacking in integrity,' and 'an unwelcome person.' After all, the GusuLan Sect was known for its motto of 'be righteous.' HanGuang-Jun himself had never been associated with such words either.
Although in the past few days, he felt that Lan WangJi probably regarded him highly and differently from other people, he'd never dared to guess just how 'highly' it was or if 'differently' was the kind that he thought. Wei WuXian never thought of being confident as bad, and in fact prided himself on such a thought. Legends often gossipped about the YiLing Patriarch's allegedly amorous life, but in reality, he'd never experienced such hectic feelings before. He used to think that Lan WangJi was too easy of a person to understand, but things were different now. He feared that he was the only one who thought of them that way, that it was all his own wishful thinking, that he was too confident for his own good.
