“What signs?”
“A loss of control.”
“You mean when I almost got into it with Jin Zixuan?” Wei Wuxian scoffed. “I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I’ve always had the urge to fight him every time I see him.”
“And the things you said afterward,” Lan Wangji added.
“What things?” Wei Wuxian asked. “I say so many things every day. I’ve long since forgotten what I said two months ago.”
Lan Wangji regarded him, like he knew the latter wasn’t taking his concerns seriously. He drew in a breath.
“Wei Ying,” he stubbornly continued. “The demonic path injures the body. And more so, one’s nature.”
Looking as if he had a headache, Wei Wuxian sighed resignedly. “Lan Zhan, you… I’m done listening to this. Haven’t you said enough? You said it’s harmful to my body, but I’m totally fine right now. You also said it’s harmful to my nature, but I’ve never been that deranged, have I?
“It is still not too late. But if you come to regret it in the future, it will be far…”
Wei Wuxian’s expression changed. Without waiting for him to finish, he sprang to his feet.
“Lan Zhan!”
Behind him, the girls’ eyes glinted with red light.
“Don’t move,” Wei Wuxian ordered them curtly.
At his command, they lowered their heads and stepped back, but their steely glaring did not cease.
“How do I say this?” Wei Wuxian mused to Lan Wangji. “Although I don’t think I’ll ever regret it, I also don’t like it when others idly predict what’ll happen to me in the future.”
After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji replied, “I was out of line.”
“It’s fine,” Wei Wuxian said. “But it seems I really shouldn’t have invited you up here. I’m the one who was too presumptuous today.”
“You were not.”
Wei Wuxian smiled politely. “Really? That’s good, then.” He downed the remaining contents of his cup, then waved his hand dismissively. “But thank you anyway. I’ll take your comments as a sign of your concern and not bother Hanguang-jun any further. We’ll meet again if fate decrees.”
When Wei Wuxian returned to Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng was wiping his sword. He looked up for a moment.
“Back?”
“Yeah.”
“You look gloomy,” Jiang Cheng observed. “Don’t tell me you ran into Jin Zixuan?”
“Worse than encountering Jin Zixuan,” Wei Wuxian said. “Guess who?”
“Give me a hint.”
“He wants to lock me up.”
Jiang Cheng frowned. “Lan Wangji? Why is he here in Yunmeng?”
“No idea,” Wei Wuxian said. “He was hanging out on the street. Probably here looking for someone. He hasn’t gone on about that for a long time, not since the Sunshot Campaign. And now he’s at it again.”
“You’re the one who called out to him first, though,” Jiang Cheng pointed out.
“How do you know?”
“Do you even need to ask?” Jiang Cheng scoffed. “When have you ever not been the one calling out to him first? You’re a strange one. You always part on bad terms, so why do you work tirelessly to annoy him?”
Wei Wuxian thought for a moment. “Because I have nothing better to do?”
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, clearly thinking, so you know it too. He shifted his attention back to his sword.
“How many times a day do you need to wipe that thing down?” Wei Wuxian asked.
“Thrice,” Jiang Cheng answered. “Where’s your sword? How long has it been since you last polished it?”
Wei Wuxian grabbed a pear and took a bite. “In my room somewhere. Once a month is good enough.”
“From now on, don’t leave your sword behind during major events like hunts or symposiums,” Jiang Cheng instructed. “Carry it with you, or you’ll just keep giving people opportunities to ridicule you for your lack of etiquette.”
“I hate it when people force me to do things, you know that,” Wei Wuxian said. “The more you force me, the more I don’t want to do it. I’m not taking my sword with me, and what can anyone do about it?”
Jiang Cheng shot him a glare.
“And I have no desire to spar with a bunch of people I don’t know,” Wei Wuxian continued. “My sword must see blood whenever it leaves its sheath. Unless they plan to give me a few people to kill, they can get off my back. I might as well not take it with me, so I don’t have to deal with that. Get me some peace and quiet.”
“Didn’t you use to love showing off your swordplay in front of people?” Jiang Cheng asked.
“I was a kid,” Wei Wuxian said. “Who can stay a kid forever?”
Jiang Cheng snorted a laugh. “If you won’t carry a sword, that’s fine. It doesn’t matter. But stop messing with Jin Zixuan. He’s Jin Guangshan’s only son, after all, and he’ll be the head of the Jin Clan of Lanling in the future. If you pick fights with him, what would you have me do, as the head of the family? Fight him with you? Or punish you?”
“Isn’t there another son kicking around the place now? Jin Guangyao is so much easier on the eyes than him,” Wei Wuxian commented.
After Jiang Cheng was done polishing his sword, he scrutinized it closely for a moment before finally putting Sandu back into its sheath. “What good is it, being easier on the eyes? No matter how agreeable or quick-witted he is, he’ll never be more than a family retainer who welcomes and sees off guests. He’ll get no further than that in this lifetime, and he can’t compare to Jin Zixuan.”
Judging by his tone, he actually seemed to hold Jin Zixuan in high esteem.
“Jiang Cheng, answer me honestly,” Wei Wuxian began. “What are you trying to say? Last time, you made a special point of bringing shijie along. Don’t tell me you really want shijie to—”
“It’s not entirely out of the question.”
“Not entirely out of the question?” Wei Wuxian repeated. “Did you forget what he did back in Langye? And you’re telling me it’s ‘not entirely out of the question’?!”
“He probably regrets it now.”
“Who cares if he regrets it?” Wei Wuxian said. “Must we forgive him just because he realizes the error of his ways? Look at how his dad behaves. Who knows if he’ll turn out just the same in the future—traveling far and wide to hunt for women to screw around with! Shijie and him? Can you stand it?!”
“He wouldn’t dare!” Jiang Cheng stated grimly. After a pause, he glanced at Wei Wuxian. “But it’s not up to you to forgive him or not. Jiejie likes him. What more can we do?”
Wei Wuxian was promptly rendered speechless. After a moment, he squeezed out a reply.
“Of all the people out there to like, why him…” He chucked the pear. “Where’s shijie?”
“No idea,” Jiang Cheng answered. “Probably in one of her usual spots. If not the kitchen, then her chambers, or else the Ancestral Hall. Where else can she go?”
Wei Wuxian left the Sword Hall and headed to the kitchen first. Half a pot of steaming soup was simmering on the fire, but she wasn’t there. He went to Jiang Yanli’s chambers next, and she wasn’t there either. Finally, he went to the Ancestral Hall.
And sure enough, there she was.
Jiang Yanli sat on her heels in the Ancestral Hall, whispering as she wiped down her parents’ memorial tablets.
Wei Wuxian poked his head in. “Shijie? Are you chatting with Jiang-shushu and Madam Yu again?”
“Neither of you visit, so I have to,” Jiang Yanli answered softly.
Wei Wuxian entered, sat down beside her, and wiped the tablets together with her.
Jiang Yanli glanced at him. “A-Xian, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something you want to tell me?”
Wei Wuxian only smiled. “Nothing. I’m just here to roll around,” he said, and then really did so.
“Xianxian, how old are you now?” Jiang Yanli teased.
“Three!” Wei Wuxian said as he continued to roll around.
Seeing that he’d managed to make Jiang Yanli laugh, he sat up. He contemplated for a moment, then went ahead with what he’d wanted to talk about.