Wei Wuxian started to laugh, looking like he understood. His smile was so wide that his eyes curved at the corners. “You haven’t, have you? I knew it. I was just asking, no need to be so angry.”
“How would you know?”
“Well, it’s pretty obvious?” Wei Wuxian explained. “You’re always stiff as a board, who’d dare kiss you? And of course, I don’t expect you to ever take the initiative to kiss anyone. I bet you’ll be hanging on to your first kiss for the rest of your life, ha ha ha ha…”
He seemed very pleased with himself. Lan Wangji remained expressionless, but his face seemed to relax a bit.
He spoke only after Wei Wuxian was done laughing. “What about you?”
“Me?” Wei Wuxian arched an eyebrow. “Do you even need to ask? Of course I’m experienced.”
Lan Wangji’s expression, which had only just eased, was now once again covered by a bitter blanket of frost and snow.
Wei Wuxian suddenly fell quiet. “Shh!”
He listened for a moment with rapt attention, then dragged Lan Wangji behind some shrubbery.
Lan Wangji, not knowing what this was about, was going to ask when he noticed Wei Wuxian fixedly staring at something. Following his line of sight, he saw two figures: one white and one purple, one in front and one behind. They walked slowly, emerging from beneath the blue skies.
The one in front was tall in build and handsome in appearance, but imperious in bearing. Cinnabar was dotted between his brows. His white robes were lined with flowing golden hems and his fine accessories gleamed bright. What was particularly notable was his stride: he paraded about with his head held high, his expression and demeanor were both steeped in arrogance. It was none other than Jin Zixuan.
The one following behind him, however, was petite. Her steps were small and hurried, and she held her head low in stark contrast to Jin Zixuan’s flouncing. It was Jiang Yanli.
I just knew Madam Jin was gonna get shijie and the golden peacock to take an unaccompanied stroll together, Wei Wuxian thought.
Next to him, Lan Wangji noticed his scornful expression and asked in a whisper, “What quarrel do you have with Jin Zixuan?”
Wei Wuxian humphed.
Why did he hate Jin Zixuan so much? This conflict of theirs had a long history.
Ever since they were maidens, Madam Yu and Jin Zixuan’s mother, Madam Jin, had been exceedingly close friends. They had sworn an oath to each other long ago: if their future children were both sons, then the boys were to become sworn brothers. If the children were girls, then they should be sworn sisters. And if they were one boy and one girl, then they would be husband and wife.
The two clan mistresses shared an intimate friendship. They knew each other inside and out, and were well matched in social standing. The marriage should have been more than perfect. Everyone called it a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, the pair in question didn’t agree.
The world had revolved around Jin Zixuan ever since he was young. He was born fair and tender of skin, and the cinnabar dotted between his brows was like the cherry atop of his prestigious background and his naturally keen intellect. He was loved by practically all who met him, and his pride knew no bounds.
Madam Jin had brought him to visit Lotus Pier a few times. Neither Wei Wuxian nor Jiang Cheng liked playing with him; but Jiang Yanli was always there, wanting to feed him whatever she’d made that day. However, Jin Zixuan didn’t really pay any attention to her, which frequently made Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng squawk in ire.
The months that Wei Wuxian had spent wreaking havoc in the Cloud Recesses made the arranged marriage between the Jin and the Jiang fall through. After he returned to Lotus Pier, he apologized to Jiang Yanli, but she said nothing in response. She only stroked his head. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng both thought the matter ended there and that the dissolution of the arranged marriage satisfied everyone. They only found out some time later that Jiang Yanli must’ve been quite heartbroken.
In the middle of the Sunshot Campaign, the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng’s forces traveled to the Langye region to provide reinforcements for the Jin Clan of Lanling. Since they were urgently lacking personnel, Jiang Yanli traveled with them to the battlefield.
She was aware her cultivation was weak, so she instead did what she actually excelled at: fixing everyone’s meals. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng objected at first, but she’d always been an expert cook and was happy to do it. She got along well with others and didn’t overwork herself, not to mention her duties kept her away from danger. Eventually, the two determined it wasn’t a bad plan.
Because conditions in the area were tough, the meals were generally fairly wretched. Jiang Yanli, worried that her picky little brothers wouldn’t eat well, privately made extra soup for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng every day. Unbeknownst to anyone but Jiang Yanli herself, she would also make a third serving of soup. This serving was given to Jin Zixuan, who was also at Langye at the time.
Jin Zixuan didn’t know about it either. Although he greatly enjoyed the soup and was very thankful to whoever was thoughtful enough to give it to him, Jiang Yanli never left her name behind. Furthermore, no one knew that all of this had been witnessed by a low-ranking female cultivator.
The female cultivator in question was a servant of the Jin Clan of Lanling. Because her cultivation was weak, she had the same duties as Jiang Yanli. She was fairly good-looking and knew an exploitable opportunity when she saw one. After following Jiang Yanli a few times out of curiosity, she quickly guessed what was going on, and, her acting immaculate, seized the chance. After Jiang Yanli delivered the soup, she idled outside Jin Zixuan’s room and purposely allowed him to catch a glimpse of her.
Having finally caught the mysterious chef, Jin Zixuan naturally had the mind to ask questions. The girl very cleverly did not admit to anything but denied it all with vague words and flushed cheeks. Such a performance made it seem like she had indeed been the one leaving the soup but didn’t want Jin Zixuan to know of her painstaking efforts. And so, naturally, Jin Zixuan didn’t force her to admit anything.
However, he began to show that female cultivator favor. He looked after her, even promoting her from servant to guest cultivator. This went on for a long time without Jiang Yanli suspecting anything was amiss…until one day after dropping off the soup, she ran into Jin Zixuan as he returned briefly to his room to retrieve a letter.
Naturally, Jin Zixuan had the mind to ask what Jiang Yanli was doing in his room. She didn’t dare say at first, but Jin Zixuan began to sound increasingly suspicious of her. Naturally, this left her no choice but to tell the truth with great trepidation.
But someone else had already used the same excuse.
So, naturally, it was easy to imagine Jin Zixuan’s reaction.
He “exposed” Jiang Yanli’s “lies” on the spot. Jiang Yanli had never imagined something like this could happen. She had never been the type to flaunt anything about herself; in fact, barely anyone even knew she was the daughter of the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng. She could provide no strong evidence on such short notice, and the more she tried to defend herself, the more disheartened she became.
In the end, Jin Zixuan stiffly tossed this comment at her: “Don’t think you can steal credit for and trample all over the kindness of others just because you come from a prominent clan. A vulgar birth can sometimes breed a character more noble than any of the prominent clans. Please mind your conduct.”
Jiang Yanli finally understood the implications of Jin Zixuan’s lecture.
He had never believed that someone like her—a daughter of a prominent clan, but one with such weak cultivation—could do anything substantial on the battlefield, or help with anything at all. Bluntly put, he thought she was just trying to find an excuse to get close to him. That she was only there to add to the chaos.
Jin Zixuan had never known her, never even thought to try and get to know her. So, naturally, he would never believe her words.
Having been rebuked so harshly by him, Jiang Yanli burst into tears on the spot. This happened to be the part of the scene Wei Wuxian witnessed when he returned.
Although his shijie was good-tempered, other than during their reunion after the destruction of Lotus Pier—during which the three of them huddled together, bawling their eyes out—she rarely shed a single tear in front of anyone, never mind crying so loudly, pitifully, and in front of so many people! Utterly panicked, Wei Wuxian asked her what had happened, but Jiang Yanli was crying too hard to speak coherently.