'So this actually worked?' Nie Huaisang wasn't sure if he was impressed with himself or just surprised. The fight had ended, though not by the two parties calming down. Lan Qiren came in and ended it in short order. His furious countenance as he commanded both of them to kneel in separate areas had every disciple shrinking back. The looming threat about how Lan Qiren would come back to tell them their punishments and they were not to move until then left no room for argument. The menacing way he mentioned that he would be talking with their parents...

All Nie Huaisang could think was that if Lan Qiren wanted to speak with their parents anyway, there wasn't any harm in directing him towards the location of one particular parent. Lan Qiren being the patient and tolerant person he was probably wouldn't react negatively towards said parent if they happened to be shouting and cursing.

Nie Huaisang didn't actually know if Madam Yu was shouting and cursing. It was more of an educated guess.  Based on the stories of the former disciples he had spoken to and, well, Jiang Wanyin had to learn it from someone didn't he? Nie Huaisang thought it would take some effort to direct Lan Qiren towards Madam Yu. At least some plausible reason for why he was mentioning it. He even had half of an excuse worked out in his head before he opened his mouth. He never ended up needing to use it though. As soon as the words.

"I saw a disciple leading Madam Yu towards the disciple residences," left his mouth, Lan Qiren was already demanding Nei Huaisang show him exactly where the disciple had led her. They weren't even in sight of the courtyard and Nei Huaisang could already hear an enraged female voice shouting like she wanted to murder someone.

"From the moment you wormed your way into our home you've destroyed everything you touch. Everyday my husband sees you he is reminded of the love he lost. He gives his affection to a ghost he sees when he looks at you. Affection you steal from my son. Was everything else not enough for you? Did you have to steal my son's father from him?" The distant shouts held a venomous rage that sent chills down Nie Huaisang's spine. He shivered involuntarily and temporarily froze in his step. Lan Qiren apparently didn't need him to lead anymore and continued walking ahead of him now.

"Of course you don't care about the damage you cause. You make trouble at every turn and bring my family endless suffering. One day you'll bring us a true disaster beyond what we can recover from. We'll be fortunate if Lotus Pier is still standing." Her raging voice was more than scolding. Nie Huaisang was starting to understand why those disciples weren't afraid of Nie Mingjue. He at least was usually scolding them. This was not scolding. This felt more personal, more hostile. It was not directed toward Nie Huaisang at all, but he already felt terrified to ever have this directed at him. The way the words were spoken, and the words that were chosen. All with that sharp bitter tone. It was like everything was chosen to attack where you were weakest. It was truly painful to the ear.

"You never have a thought about remorse or consideration for the people who saved you from the streets. If you did, you wouldn't bring us trouble at every opportunity." Nie Huaisang's gaze landed on Lan Qiren's back. The elder was standing in a rigid way, slightly trembling with rage. Nie Huaisang was well aware that Madam Yu was breaking several rules right now. He didn't know how many exactly. He was pretty sure there were several that all sort of related to how you speak to others. Surely she must have been breaking most of those ones at least.

"Fengmian should have left you where he found you. On the streets like the garbage that you are." Nie Huaisang felt his eyes go wide.

'What did she just say?'  Nie Huaisang could not believe his ears.  Of course he knew Madam Yu's scoldings struck fear into the disciples who had left Lotus Pier, but he still didn't expect such cruel words to be used.

"Madam Yu." Lan Qiren's stern voice pulled Nie Huaisang from his shock immediately. He ducked to the side not wanting to draw any more attention to himself then he already had today. Yu Ziyuan turned to Lan Qiren. Her temper was still flaring and she was not happy about being interrupted. Lan Qiren could not believe her audacity.  He did not recall the last time anyone had given him such a look of contempt. Did she think she was still in Lotus Pier?  Did she think he was some young disciple?  He was an elder of GusuLan Sect, within Cloud Recesses, she should have at least addressed him with respect.  Even if she personally did not wish to, it was the minimum to be expected for the sake of relations between their sects.

"Your son, Jiang Wanyin, was fighting with Jin Zixuan. I have sent them to kneel in temporary punishment for the time being." Lan Qiren said in a stern tone.

"What do you mean he fought with Jin Zixuan?! He wouldn't dare. Jin Zixuan is my daughter's future husband." Lan Qiren was truly losing his patience. Yu Ziyuan's tone was sharp, disrespectful and accusatory.

"Wei Wuxian! What did you do?! Did you instigate them to fight?! Must you ruin my daughter's marriage too?!" Yu Ziyuan's voice climbed to new volumes.  The venom in her tone made Jiang Wanyin's outbursts seem like pleasant conversation.

 Lan Qiren's eyes finally fell on Wei Wuxian. The irritation and anger in his chest was suddenly extinguished under a wave of horror.  Wei Wuxian was kneeling on the ground like he was waiting to receive punishment. There was no impatience in his body or joking in his features. He didn't look annoyed or upset.  He just looked broken.

The bright intelligent eyes, that Lan Qiren recalled being full of defiance and mirth, seemed lifeless.  Those dark hollow eyes stared vaguely ahead, almost unseeing.  The excessively expressive face of Lan Qiren's memory had been wiped clean.  Now Wei Wuxian's face was blank, as empty as the void in his eyes.  Lan Qiren remembered his conversation with Lan Xichen when his nephew first told him about Wei Wuxian's suicide attempt.

'I understand your concern, but I doubt you need to take such extreme precautions. Wei Wuxian has been causing mischief since he stepped foot into Cloud Recesses. He has not even been remorseful enough to correct his behaviour, let alone being unhappy enough to seek his own death. More than likely this is just some new ploy of his to garner attention or evade lessons.'  Lan Qiren felt ashamed for his words.  It was clear to him now that Wei Wuxian was suffering.  Before, even when told of the suicide attempt, Lan Qiren had immediately assumed it to be a mischievous trick.  He had not given it serious consideration.

'Regardless of the reason he tried to kill himself, I am deeply concerned.  If he tried to kill himself because he desires death, it means he is in so much pain that death sounds like a good option. How ignored and overlooked do you have to feel, for a suicide attempt to become a reasonable option for trying to get people to notice? How much do people have to dismiss your feelings for suicide to feel like the only way people will actually notice something is wrong?  And if one of our students attempts suicide to try and get out of class, there must be something horribly wrong with how we are teaching.'  Lan Xichen's words had felt like a slap in the face back then.  Now all Lan Qiren could think was that his nephew was much wiser than him.  Lan Xichen had responded to the situation with the appropriate seriousness and consideration.  

Lan Qiren wondered whether Wei Wuxian hurt so much that he wished to die, or if he had been dismissed so many times that suicide seemed like the only way anyone would notice how much he was suffering?  Lan Qiren could not help but feel partially responsible.  He had after all dismissed the boy many times.  Any question that seemed too outrageous had been an act of deliberate rebellion in Lan Qiren's eyes.  Had Lan Qiren's responses felt like just another example of being dismissed and ignored to Wei Wuxian?  Lan Qiren supposed it was rather likely, and with that in mind the boys casual and defiant responses to punishment made quite a lot of sense. 

The way Wei Wuxian was now blankly remaining in such a perfect kneeling position while he was belittled and ridiculed so personally.  Clearly this was something Wei Wuxian was used to.  Lan Qiren supposed that in comparison the punishments of Cloud Recesses probably seemed rather quaint.  Uncomfortable and frustration, an example of him being dismissed, but not of them had the same energy of personal attack that Yu Ziyuan's words did.  That thought brought Lan Qiren back to the current situation.  He had almost forgotten Yu Ziyuan was still present.  Lan Qiren had become lost in his own thoughts until he saw her approaching Wei Wuxian menacingly.  No matter how threatening the energy she radiated was Wei Wuxian remained unresponsive.  He didn't flinch at her approach.  It was as though Wei Wuxian had lost any will to defend himself.  It filled Lan Qiren with a horrible sickening feeling to see the always defiant Wei Wuxian behave in such a defenceless and compliant manner.

"Wei Wuxian had nothing to do with their fight. Please follow me and we can discuss this in more detail." Getting those words out in a tone that resembled respectful was physically painful for Lan Qiren. He had been aware Yu Ziyuan had a temper, but he never expected what he had just seen. Lan Qiren swallowed back the storm of guilt and recollection of things he had previously said to Wei Wuxian. For now he could get this woman away from Wei Wuxian. Later Lan Qiren could reflect on his past behaviour, and determine if he needed to add some extensions to the punishment Lan Xichen had assigned him.  Lan Qiren could not help but feel that perhaps his nephew had been too lenient with him.

Madam Yu followed Lan Qiren.  She was still fuming enough that Nie Huaisang pressed himself further into the corner he had tucked himself in. Only once they were out of sight did Nie Huaisang feel comfortable enough to breathe normally again. Nie Huaisang slowly stepped out from where he had successfully made himself forgotten. He felt something sad and painful settle in his stomach as he looked at Wei Wuxian.

'Not pregnant then.' Nie Huaisang thought with disappointment. So much for his favourite theory, and his only theory that would have cause for Wei Wuxian to be happy. This quiet broken person in front of him was not the Wei Wuxian of last week. This Wei Wuxian seemed shattered.

"Wei-xiong?" Nie Huaisang tried to rouse Wei Wuxian with the gentle prompt. Wei Wuxian didn't answer. Nie Huaisang moved closer. Even at his approach Wei Wuxian didn't twitch.  It was as though his friend had become a statue, unresponsive to anything that happened in the world around him.  Ever since becoming friend with Wei Wuxian Nie Huaisang had never forgotten what the former YunmengJiang disciples told him.  The concern in the back of Nie Huaisang's head that Wei Wuxian might go too far to protect others.  Wei Wuxian had seemed happy.  Nie Huaisang had hoped that perhaps he was just letting his imagination get ahead of him.  Today had unfortunately confirmed that things were actually much worse than he had thought.

'Wei-xiong. How much did you risk for others to end up like this?'