The Rise of the Divine Oracle

Chapter 24 - Lady Lan

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Wuxian returned to the Quiet Room to find Wangji waiting for him: "It's past 9, why are you still awake?" Wangji moved to help Wuxian take off his hair ornament when he smelled the wine on him: "Did you go out to drink?" Wuxian smiles lazily at him: "Nope! Had it right here. Father gave it to me. He's the best! He took me to a secret place and told me I can drink there if I wanted to." Wuxian sits in the middle of the room to take off his shoes and continues: "You're mother is a lovely lady. How come you never talk about her?" Wangji's eyes widened: "... mother?" Wuxian was clearly drunk: "Yeah! Madam Lan sat with me while I drank and told me stories about you while you were young. Is it true.. *hiccup*.. Is it true that you used to grab her dress whenever she sits next to you? She said you were fun to tease because your reactions were so cute.. I bet you were an adorable child..."

Wuxian continues to mumble on, oblivious to the shocked status of Wangji, who was looking at Wuxian with total disbelief. A few minutes of drunken one-sided conversation resulted in a passed out Wuxian and a statue like frozen Wangji, trying to digest what just transpired. Wangji gave up after an hour of contemplating and decided that it's an issue he can solve in the morning. He picks up Wuxian and lays him in bed and joins him in sleep after a few minutes.

Wuxian wakes up with a slight headache: "Urg, I used to be the king of wine. One day into being a Lan member and I already lost the ability to handle my liquor." He opens his eyes when he feels someone place a cup of water in his hand: "Lan Zhan, what time is it?" Wangji looks worried: "It's 10 past morning." Wuxian sighs in relief: "Good. Father would have whipped me if I was late on my first day as Treasure." He looks at Wangji again and asks: "Why do you look like I've killed one of our bunnies? Oh no! Don't tell me the meat I ate yesterday was one of them?" Wangji frowns and shakes his head. Wuxian lets out a breath of relief then asks while getting up: "Then what is it?"

Wangji was not sure how to approach the subject: "Do you remember what happened yesterday?" Wuxian washes his face: "Which part?" Wangji hands him a cloth: "When you returned, you said something about my mother."

Wuxian stops brushing his hair and looks at Wangji: "Yeah.. I think I met your mother?"

Wangji takes the comb from Wuxian and methodically starts to brush and place the jade ornament on his head: "Where? How?"

Wuxian looks confused: "I don't remember clearly but Wen Ning was with me at the time. Maybe you can ask him?" Wuxian looks suspiciously at Wangji: "Lan Zhan, why are you still here? Don't you have a clan to run?"

Wangji brushes his comment aside and grabs his robes and quickly dresses him and pushes him out to go to the Orchid Room. On the way, he asks a disciple to go summon Wen Ning and Zewu Jun. Wuxian complains while being dragged: "Lan Zhan! Why are you being like this? I swear Father gave me permission to drink. I didn't leave Cloud Recesses."

Wen Ning and Zewu Jun walked into the Orchid room to find a stoic Wangji sitting next to a pouting Wuxian. Zewu Jun looks at his brother: "Wangji, why did you summon me in such a hurry?" Wangji looks at Wuxian and says: "He said he met our mother last night."

Zewu Jun takes a seat in shock and whispers: ".. our mother?"

Wangji gestures for Wen Ning to join them and when he's seated addresses him: "What happened last night?" Wen Ning tells them about Qiren's request, the brief stay in Shadow Bamboo Pavilion and the promise between Wuxian and the grandmaster. Zewu Jun asks him: "When happened after he drank the wine?"

Wuxian huffed in annoyance: "You know I'm right here, right?"

They ignored him and Wen Ning continued: "He walked around talking about how he misses Lotus Pier, expressed his new found love of the purple flower in the gardens then went inside the Silent Room and started talking to himself. Honestly, when Master Wei drinks heavily, he normally sobs silently and it's heartbreaking to watch but this time he was laughing and bantering by himself. It was fun to watch."