#wi3

Lan Wangji was the jade pillar of the Lan Sect’s three thousand disciplines. With quick succession, he found himself breaking the rules one instance after another, but this rule he breaks more than willingly.

Lying is forbidden, but he will tell this lie again and again.

Or, Lan Wangji will do anything for Lan Sizhui. This includes convincing everyone else to do anything for Lan Sizhui.

happy almost birthday!

Lan Wangji spent three years recovering from the most painful physical experience he could imagine.

Lan Yuan didn’t know that, though.

“All that to say, I never saw Lan Wangji with friends in Cloud Recesses. No one ever seemed to go out of their way to acknowledge or include him in anything… until Wei Wuxian.”

Lan Sizhui felt his heart thump uncomfortably in his chest. His father was excluded, left alone? Was that of his own volition, or was it inflicted upon him, like the other junior disciples had done to Lan Sizhui when he was still young? Lan Sizhui had always known that if it weren’t for Lan Jingyi’s stubborn companionship, he likely wouldn’t have many friends in Cloud Recesses either. He was reminded of the time Lan Wangji had called Lan Jingyi his faithful companion, and a fresh wave of sorrow danced through his heart. Perhaps that was why Lan Wangji was always so lenient when it came to Lan Jingyi’s antics—he was scared to push Lan Jingyi away from Lan Sizhui.

“I don’t think your a-die really knew what to do with that. I mean, dealing with Wei Wuxian breaking the rules was easy enough, but dealing with his affection?” Nie Huaisang laughed, leaning back on both hands. “He was woefully unprepared for someone as unrelenting as Wei Wuxian.”

Lan Sizhui politely cleared his throat and from his sleeve produced a letter. “Sect Leader Jiang,” he said, drawing the man’s gaze back to him. “Could I possibly trouble you to have this delivered to Hanguang-jun in Cloud Recesses? I promised updates, but we’ve yet to find an inn where I could hire a courier to have it delivered.”

Sect Leader Jiang seemed unimpressed, but he took the letter and pulled a talisman from his sleeve. As they watched, he activated the talisman on top of the letter and it shifted, folding itself into the shape of a crane before it flew off in the direction of Gusu.

“What,” Lan Jingyi started, voice thick with awe, “was that?”

“We’re back,” Song Zichen called, everyone’s attention immediately snapping to the five of them as he dropped Xue Yang to his knees, facing Nie Huaisang.

Nie Huaisang looked up, his tired gaze landing on the junior disciples first. His expression, which had been cold and hard with fury and despair, suddenly shifted to relief upon seeing them. He scrambled to his feet and stumbled forward before he caught sight of Xue Yang and faltered. His eyes widened as he recognized the man in front of him, and then his brows furrowed, his lips pursed, and that surprising undercurrent of fury steeled his gaze once more.

Lan Sizhui thought to himself at that moment that he had never seen Nie Huaisang look so terrifying before.