When finally Lan WangJi made an appearance alongside Wei Ying, the viewers were still reeling from shock after witnessing the scar of the whips and couldn't help when their eyes tried to rake over his form as if to make sure he was okay. Especially Wen Qing, for even if she was no more than an acquaintance at this point to him, but she was a doctor through and through, and wanted to make sure that the patient was okay.

What was even more surprising was the presence of ZeWu-Jun and Sandu Shengshou in the room, too. And the moment XiChen noticed the future forms on screen, he scrambled up and asked hurriedly, 'Didi, are you okay? How come you got so injured?'

And it might have been for the second time in his life that Qiren interrupted someone (the first being during the Lan Meeting) and asked, 'WangJi, did the Wens do this? Please tell me you were safe and didn't fight the war being this injured.'

'Wens have nothing to do with this. It is the result of my own choice', HanGuang-Jun gave his short and sweet answer and didn't even bother to reply anymore. So ZeWu-Jun explained in his stead, 'WangJi is right. It has nothing to do with Wens. They might be the secondary or tertiary reason, not that important. These whip scars are present from our own sect elders as a punishment.'

That left everyone aghast, especially Qiren and XiChen.

'What? But... but... we all know that Lan Zhan is the most righteous cultivator to ever be there, and if the future that you show us is true, then it says the same too. Lan Zhan is always there where the chaos are. He helps people irrespective of their origin and all. So, how can he be punished so severely? No... no....no.... there must be some misunderstanding, "Wei Ying said just as anxious as the Lans since he couldn't imagine Lan Zhan in so much pain. It just did something to  this insides that he couldn't explain.

The moment his speech was over, the four future people looked more somber, and ZeWu-Jun agreed, 'You are right, Xi- Wei-gongzi.'

Everyone was so busy thinking about the future that they missed his slip of tongue. Younger XiChen couldn't understand just how the hell had he let his baby brother be punished that way and asked, 'ZeWu-Jun, where were you when WangJi was punished. I am sure as a sect leader, you could've intervened or something.'

Zewu on hearing his counterpart asking the same question that has haunted him since forever shivered at the memory of bloody and frail WangJi, on the brink of death, and answers in a small whisper, 'I... I... I... over saw the punishment along with Shufu.'

'WHHATTTT!!!????' The sound echoed through the walls of the room. It might have been the very first time when somebody might have seen Lan XiChen so rattled. His smiling mask slipped for the fist time in public, and he didn't care, for it was terrible for him to even think that his didi was in much more pain and he just stood there doing nothing. And he was damn sure that the punishment was an injustice done to WangJi, just like how he was punished when their mother died. Tears of frustration glistened in his eyes.

HanGuang-Jun, who had some mixed feelings for his sect leader brother, did not feel the same resentment towards his Xiongzhang, who was yet to be marred by wars and sect politics Thus, he intervened, 'Xiongzhang, do not hold yourself responsible. You followed your duty as a sect leader, and I did mine. I followed my beliefs and ended up with this. I am proud of it.'

And it might have been for  the very first time someone had heard Lan WangJi say so many words in a single breath. That brought the Lans family meeting into younger Lan XiChen's mind.

Flashback....

The four Lans filed into a secluded room, which wasn't as ostentatious as those of the Jins, but neither were they as minimalistic as those of their own. They had a comfortable vibe, but the ensemble was not so much peaceful for the undercurrents that were too chaotic to be silent. It was only their sect rules that had kept their emotions from surfacing, and the four of them were stoic, if only superficially.

After a few moments of silence, QinghengJun sighed and then began speaking in a very deep voice, one that reflected its continuous unuse for years. (Oh! What a disaster it would have been, had Wei WuXian known this fact. This might have actually caused his Qi Deviation)

QinghengJun- I.... beg for your forgiveness, for not being a father and brother, that I should have been. I failed you three just the way I failed 'Her' (a wistful look came into his eyes). I know what I did back then seemed to be very irrational, but in my emotional turmoil, I neglected every other scenario. I wanted to protect 'Her', instead, I gave her a new life full of pain. I am sure she must have regretted the day she met me. But... but... I do not. I treasure it, with all my heart.

Now, they were confused. Didn't their mother commit a crime for which she was punished and their childhood was snatched? Didn't she kill the Lan elder? Then why would Father not regret meeting her? Why wouldn't he regret the so-called 'doom' she brought upon him? Why? Why? Why? What more was there that they didn't know? XiChen and WangJi were so damn confused that it even showed on their faces, and their uncle was fast to notice it and quelled it.

'XiChen, WangJi, I know you have more questions regarding the dynamics of Lan furen and your father. But... I think they can be answered once we are sure that the simulation won't answer them. It seems that these videos are going to open every secret of every sect buried deep inside.'

QinghengJun continued as if he hadn't heard anything at all, 'A-Ren, I am sorry to have saddled you with so much. With the sect duties and my sons...'

But he was interrupted by Lan Qiren who must have done so for the first time in his life for, even he himself was surprised at his own action but still continued, 'Da-ge, I may agree with you about the sect duties but never XiChen and WangJi. You might have sired them, but I am the one who nurtured them and took care of them. They are my sons as well. For me, nothing is more important than them. They aren't mere duties. And if needed, I would lay down my life for them.'

And though he didn't clearly say love yet, his words were enough to signify that he loved his nephews more than anyone or anything else, even above his sect. For the first time, XiChen and WangJi were so emotional after their mother's passing.

Even QinghengJun smiled, 'I know A-Ren, and I am thankful to God for having a Didi like you. It's just that you didn't have to bear with all the responsibilities at such a young age when you had your own goals.'

Qiren- (his voice quite gravelly with emotions) Da-ge, I might not have been ready at that point of time for all the responsibilities but if I am given another chance, I would still choose WangJi and XiChen. Everything might be a mess, but they were the ray of sunlight in those dark moments of my life.

And before they could understand anything, XiChen and WangJi had wrapped themselves lightly around Qiren, startling him, and whispered, 'Thank you, Shufu, for choosing us.'

Qiren just tightened the hug, and tears flowed from the four men's eyes. Their father, though sad at losing out his sons' childhood, was happy that there was someone like Qiren fiercely protecting them.

Flashback ends.

But at this moment, none of these Lans could understand how their precious WangJi could be punished this way. How could he suffer so much when both his elder brother and uncle were still alive? XiChen had no idea what to think anymore and was way too distressed.

But in all this mess, what everyone missed out was the slight peeking out of the Lan sacred ribbon on Wei WuXian’s wrists. Huaisang nearly squealed in excitement before struggling to keep his face straight. Cut him some slack guys. His ship had sailed successfully in the future. So, of course, it was his fanboying moment.

Mingjue, though, noticed the change in his DiDi's emotions, with how bright his eyes were glittering. But he couldn't really find any reason for it. Well, except the fact that the future XiChen and Jiang WanYin seemed to stand very close. Closer than necessary for two sect leaders. But decided to keep his observational skills to himself as his friend was in too much distress right now regarding his own family and sect. He wouldn't be too interested in a probable romance with his own crush in the future.

Noticing the distressed atmosphere, Wei Ying decided to end the meeting short, 'Umm... guys, I just remembered that we had something important to do for the next night hunt. So we should leave. And my dear Radishes, make sure they don't fight. Anyways they won't be able to do much with their spiritual energy, but words are harmful as well. So make sure that they don't end up in a bigger mess than our own timeline.'

'Yes Wei-qianbei ', the juniors spoke together like ducklings answering their mother, and that brought a small smile on everyone’s faces.'

And the screen went black again before the next scene came up.

The sear took away all of Wei WuXian’s attention, making him doubt that he had mislooked. He couldn’t even pay attention to the person’s face, and his breaths also stuttered for a few times.

And everyone thought, 'Its understandable', except Huaisang,  who thought, 'How could someone ignore that face, even if it's a cold beauty, but it was an exquisite one at that? How could an ugly sear divert your attention? The injustice!!!'

Even the present Wei Ying’s breath stuttered at the sight of the sear. He couldn’t think of any situation when Lan Zhan got such a sear, except being in the Wens' captivity. But to think of all the pain Lan Zhan has been in along with that of those from the discipline whip, it's unbearable to even think about it.

Suddenly, a flash of white appeared before his eyes, as if snow had fallen before him.

Quickly afterward, the blue glare of a sword penetrated through the snow, slashing toward him with an arctic blast of wind.

Who didn’t know that it was HanGuang-Jun’s famous sword— “Bichen”? Crap, it’s Lan WangJi!

Jiang Cheng had to breathe in and out twice to control the urge of hitting his brother's one track mind. Even Wen Qing shared the same thoughts, for she sighed audibly, 'Seriously, you realize it now. No, I mean, tell me honestly, you are not that oblivious.'

'Wen- guniang, sorry to disappoint you, but Dajiu is even more oblivious than this. Wait for the further simulation. You might even want to go inside the simulation just to hit him on the head.' Jin Ling spoke with straight face before dissolving into laughter with JingYi. Even Jiang Cheng and the Nie Brothers joined them.

And the indignant screech of 'Hey, you braaattsss...' went unheard.

Wei WuXian was quite adept at running away and dodging swords. With a roll on the ground, he closely avoided the sword. He even had the time to pull off a leaf that stuck to his hair when he rushed out of the cold spring. He ran like a headless fly, right into a few people who were passing by from nightwatching. They grabbed him and scolded, “What are you running around for? Running is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses!”

'Now this is getting exciting. Let's see what type of showdown these both have in front of the juniors', Huaisang was literally vibrating on his seat with all the build-up.
Mingjue wanted to smack him but could not stop his own chuckle, spilling out. Even XiChen joined him.

Imagine the horror, MingJue would feel if he realized that Wen Ruohan was also laughing internally. It might have actually sent him into an early qi-deviation.

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, on the other hand, were too immersed in the simulation to watch out for anything else.

Wei WuXian, seeing that it was Lan JingYi and the others, were ecstatic, thinking that he could finally be chased down the mountain. He presented himself at once, “I didn’t see! I didn’t see anything! I’m definitely not here to peep at HanGuang-Jun bathing!”

Lan Qiren had seen everything and understood Wei Ying’s inner thoughts, too, yet he really wanted to Qi deviate. At least that way, he would not have to witness the menace this boy was making in his sect....

The juniors were shocked speechless by his impudence. No matter where he was, HanGuang-Jun was a high, holy mountain to behold in awe, especially respected among the junior disciples in the sect. He was near the cold spring to watch HanGuang-Jun bathe!

Jin Ling and ZiZhen looked ahead with disbelief. They didn't know about this. JingYi took that moment to speak in despair, 'Now do you realize what all we had to witness with Qianbei at the beginning. Huh...'

SiZhui, though, kept quiet religiously. Madam Jin really wanted to pick apart Wei Ying’s brain and check whether his wiring was okay or not, as in, which man of gentry would behave like a lunatic on their own, even though he had his reason and had just got back from dead.

Just thinking about such a thing would be the greatest crime, never to be forgiven. Lan SiZhui was frightened to the point that his voice even changed, “What? HanGuang-Jun? HanGuang-Jun is inside?!”

Lan JingYi seized him furiously, “You damn cut-sleeve! I-i-is he someone you could peek at?!”

Wei WuXian struck the iron when it was still hot and confirmed his conviction, “I didn’t see a single peek of how HanGuang-Jun looks like without his clothes!”

Lan JingYi fumed, “You are saying that three hundred taels are not buried here! Well, if you did not, why are you sneaking around here? Look at you—you have no face to see anyone!”

Wei WuXian covered his face with his hands, “Don’t be so loud…" Noise is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses.”

And everyone fell apart, laughing. The scene was truly hilarious. Even Qiren had to admit that it was a bit amusing to see the juniors reactions. But it was mortifying as it was about his precious little cabbage.

And though Lan Zhan steadfastly ignored everyone's gazes, Wei Ying had no such problems and was openly giggling. He was so incensed that he wanted to shut him up with the Lan Silencing Spell. But then he liked him laughing like this too. Arrrgghhh.... he so wanted to smack his own head somewhere.

Huaisang, as usual, had to put in at least one comment, like he did now, 'Lan-xiong, what do you think you are going to do?'

Lan Zhan looked at him in confusion, for even he didn't know what his future self would do, as he was quite a bit different from him.

But Huaisang continued, 'I am so excited to see this lovestory unfold. I mean, it's already exciting enough, but....'

He was oblivious to what chaos he unfolded just by his mere mention of the word 'love' and that too in Second Jade's context who was perceived as a 'block of ice' by almost everyone, with just a few exceptions.

Mingjue had already seen Master Lan red with rage and thus interrupted his DiDi's tirade, 'What the hell are you rambling on about, Huaisang?'

Huaisang whined as his musings were interuppted rudely, 'Da-ge, don't you understand? This is an epic love story unfolding in front of you. What have you been watching since the beginning, if you don't even understand such a simple thing?'

Madam Yu was already caressing the  ring of Zidian, fully in intention to use it on the brat, when she was reminded that she had no spiritual energy flowing inside her right now. Even Jiang Fengmian felt that it was going a bit overboard to even think that way about A-Xian. After all, he was meant to A-Cheng's right-hand man. But then, the simulation... well, he would see what he could do about that. A-Cheng needed the shield that was Wei Ying. He would correct his mistakes after seeing the simulation. That way, Wei Ying wouldn't defect from the Jiang sect and would remain as A-Cheng's right-hand man like his father was meant to be.

'And what makes you think so? I mean, we haven't seen much of Lan-er-gongzi to understand that he is suddenly in love with my shixiong.' This time, Jiang Cheng asked, though a bit frostily.

'Oh, come on, Jiang-xiong, how could you miss the obvious signs? (Looking around, he saw the same expressions on everyone's face except the juniors. But then, they already knew the future. So he sighed at the oblivious attitude of everyone, including the protagonists) My dear ladies and gentleman, look closely at Wei-xiong's behavior. He behaves like a pretty yet mischievous maiden having a crush on the handsome yet cold cultivator. And he keeps vying for Lan-xiong's attention. And Lan-xiong, though cold in appearance, tolerates him as he wouldn’t do for anyone else. What more evidence do you need before realizing that this is definitely an epic lovestory. And anyways, just wait and watch, you will surely understand me.'

And even though everyone's attention went back to the simulation, they heard him mutter under his breath, 'And that is why I recommend everyone not to be so stuck up and at least spend some leisure time on literature and romance novels. Huh....'

'You know what, Lan Zhan, I have to admit that, even though you are yet to be perfectly dressed, you look still so impeccable as always in that state. I am sure you flutter the young maiden’s heart without even doing anything. Hehe.' Wei Ying said while still eyeing the older Lan Zhan on the screen, making everyone smack their heads at the oblivious crush he seemed to have.

Lan Zhan's ears had reddened with all the praise up until the last few words, when his expression turned into that of a glare, as if, even the thought of maidens swooning over him was something unacceptable and a taboo. Even the juniors, especially Jin Ling, wanted to smack himself before he went into a Qi Deviation, for he had been the sole witness to their shameless confession, right now present in that room And he, for the love of God, just couldn't understand as to why was his Da-jiu so oblivious.

Lan JingYi rushed to speak, “HanGuang-Jun, Mo XuanYu really is awful. You only brought him back, seeing that he assisted us at Mo Village, yet he… he…”

JingYi curled into himself, getting embarrassed while his idiotic friends were giggling, especially ZiZhen and that Young Mistress.

'Just you all wait up. I will take my revenge when your time comes. Huh.' He muttered while those two unaffected souls kept laughing.

Wei WuXian thought that, this time, it would be beyond his endurance and kicked out of the sect. However, Lan WangJi only lightly glimpsed at him. After a moment of silence, he sheathed Bichen with a shing and spoke,“You are dismissed.”

Now, even the juniors were interested, for they had no idea what exactly happened after that.

Huaisang was almost jumping on his seat, for according to him, he was going to have a nice show with the lovers. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan ignored him. They still had no more idea on their future selves than anyone else in the room. So it was difficult to predict anything. 

It was only three toneless words, but it was powerful enough for no second option to be allowed.

Under the circumstances, Lan Qiren couldn't show much, but internally, he was giggling in excitement seeing his nephew growing into such an amazing cultivator. But then he sobers up thinking, "At what cost?"

The crowd dispersed immediately, while Lan WangJi calmly held Wei WuXian by the back of his collar and dragged him toward the jingshi. In his past life, the two were of similar height, both somewhat slender and tall. Wei WuXian was only shorter than Lan WangJi by a tiny bit.

When they stood together, the difference of less than one cun between them were almost unnoticeable. However, after waking up in another body, he was more than two cun shorter than Lan WangJi. While being held in his hand, he couldn’t even struggle against him. Wei WuXian staggered, wanting to shout, but Lan WangJi spoke coldly, “Those who make noise will be silenced.”

It was quite weird yet satisfying, seeing the chemistry between the two. And no one could deny that they were excited to see these two developing their relationship. Only the juniors passed on a haggard look to each other, mostly Jin Ling, who was reminded of their epically shameless confession at the Guanyin Temple.

He would love to be thrown off the mountain but wouldn’t want to be silenced.

Wen Qing couldn’t help commenting, 'Your priorities are amazing Wei-gongzi.... just as idiotic as you. (Muttering the last part Under her breath)'

Wei Ying did the most mature thing in reply- poking his tongue out.

Wei WuXian couldn’t understand it at all—since when did the Lan Sect tolerate something as shameless as peeking at one of the Lan Clan’s most distinguished cultivators bathing?!

'Yeah, even I want to know that. I don't think that the rules became lenient, seeing the disciples' reactions. So it clearly means that....' XiChen did not have to go any further as he took his moment teasing his Didi and enjoyed seeing the tip of his ears turning red.

The insinuation unsettled Wei Ying, and even the red tint on the stone faced Jade. He would have to talk to Lan Zhan clearly at some point in time. But now was not it. He still wasn't clear about the intentions of this future, Lan Zhan. So he waited... for the right moment. For the first time in his life, he tried to actively understand his own heart.

Lan WangJi carried him to the jingshi, walked straight toward the inner room, and threw him down onto the bed with a thump. Wei WuXian yelped from the pain. He couldn’t get up at the moment, wriggling upright after a while. He originally wanted to whine a few times in a flirtatious manner so that he would detest him. However, as he raised his head, he saw that Lan WangJi was holding Bichen with one hand, looking down at him commandingly.

He was used to seeing Lan WangJi with his forehead ribbon, neat, long hair, scrupulous to every detail, but had never seen him like this, with his hair a bit loose and wearing thin clothing. Wei WuXian couldn’t help to glance a few more times. After the effort of carrying and throwing him on the bed, Lan WangJi’s collars, which were closed in the beginning, came slightly apart, showing his distinct collarbones and the deep red sear under them.

The present Wei Ying gulped, and his eyes stuck at the scene unfolding in front of him. All through their time in Cloud Recess, he had never seen Lan WangJi like this. Whatever may be the situation, he always found him prim and proper. So seeing him like this left him speechless and surprised. He had always found Lan Zhan beautiful, but right now looking at the adult Lan Zhan, he could announce it to the whole world that Lan Zhan was the sexiest man he had ever seen which included looking at himself in the mirror.

Lan Zhan himself was a bit ashamed looking at his own state, though nothing in his demeanor pointed at the fact except may be the red tips of his ears. But it was all worth it when he saw Wei Ying’s reaction whose gaze was stuck at the screen 'him'. And for the first time, he felt jealous of his older self.

And what could be said about others? Yanli, Madam Yu, and Jin had all looked elsewhere, but it didn't phase Wen Qing as she was used to seeing so many naked bodies in her line of profession. Jin Guangshan, as usual, was drooling at the scene, which hinted at the way he had lived his life. And this time, ZiXuan and Meng Yao both caught him, leering at the screen even at a man. When their eyes met, they felt resignation settling in them. Meng Yao, who hadn't yet been humiliated at JinlinTai, couldn't see what his mother found in this man to even trust him.

Huaisang and the others whistled, which included Wen Ruohan too, who seemed to be enjoying the simulation far too much to other's confusion. While the Chief Cultivator himself was just thankful for the moment of relaxation.

Wei Ying’s own attention had soon moved to the  partially visible sear yet again, just like his simulation version.

As he saw the sear, Wei WuXian’s attention was captured again.

When he hadn’t become the YiLing Patriarch yet, he also had a sear like this on his body.

And, the sear on Lan WangJi’s body was exactly the same as the one on his body in his past life, no matter the position or the shape, so it was only natural for him to recognize it and become surprised.

Speaking of it, aside from this sear, the thirty-or-so scars of the discipline whip on his back were also surprising.

And that revelation actually left everyone shocked, including the Juniors, for this was a new fact even to them. No one even wanted to ask anymore because it seemed clear what must have happened.

But Wei Ying was back to his clueless self and had to ask, 'Wow, what a coincidence, Lan Zhan. See, now we even share the same tattoo at the same place.'

And everyone so wanted to smack their own heads into the wall, and that included our villains, too. Now they could see what a stupid dumb genius this so-called YiLing Patriarch was.

Lan WangJi became famous at a young age. With his high appraisal, he was one of the most acknowledged cultivators in the cultivation world and also part of the Two Jades of which the GusuLan Sect was so proud of. Every word and action of his was set as examples of excellence by the elders of each sect for their disciples. Just what unforgivable mistake did he make for him to be punished like this?

'Must have raised his weapons to save the accursed YiLing Patriarch ', commented Wen Ruohan and the Juniors jerked their heads towards him. They were shocked that a villain and tyrant like him could guess it so easily. Their action wasn't left unnoticed by Nie Huaisang, who smirked behind his fan, imagining about the probable wedding that might take place in this timeline if everything went well.

Wei Ying looked surprised, though he was gazing at Lan WangJi stealthily, thinking about what the Chief Cultivator said. And as much as it warmed his heart, it also was unimaginable for him as well as the others to think of such a scenario. Lan Zhan himself was doubtful, for he did not know Wei Ying’s motivation behind taking up Democic Cutltivation. But then, he noticed the junior's reaction to Wen Ruohan's words, and he was even more confused.

Seeing from the thirty-or-so scars of the discipline whip, the executor might as well have killed him. As soon as the discipline whip had been delivered, it wouldn’t disappear for the rest of the bearer’s life so that they would remember it forever and never make the same mistake again.

At this point, the Lans, with the exception of Lan Zhan himself, were on the verge of tearing their own hair out. It was frustrating not to know how their precious WangJi ended up like that. Even though QinghengJun had his doubts, he didn't want to say anything and make their sect lose face. Though, he had known perfectly well that none of those present would have any face left to save, by the time they leave this time bubble.

Hearing about all this, Meng Yao, who had yet to enter the cultivation world, now had doubts on the choice itself.

Following his gaze, Lan WangJi lowered his eyes. He pulled his collar so that it covered his collarbones and sear, becoming the indifferent HanGuang-Jun once again. At the moment, the deep toll of the bell came from far away.

The Lan Sect had strict sect rules, including a precise schedule of sleeping at nine in the evening and rising at five in the morning.

And while those who had experienced it in Cloud Recess shuddered with Nie Huaisand being the most dramatic one by falling straight into his Da-ge's lap, Wen Chao scoffed at the notion. And his father did nothing to berate him. He, himself, thought it was ridiculous.

The bell was a reminder for that. Lan WangJi listened attentively to the tolls and spoke to Wei WuXian, “You will be sleeping here.”

Without giving Wei WuXian a chance to reply, he turned to another compartment of the jingshi, leaving Wei WuXian alone, sprawled on the bed alone and feeling confused.

And the others stunned. JingYi and SiZhui, who had mild idea of that day, still were just as confused as the others. The present day, WangJi and WuXian looked at each other for a moment before they looked away, feeling embarrassed.  Lan Zhan had no idea what was going on with his future self. And that's when Huaisang opened his accursed mouth to tease them, 'Oooooo... Lan-xiong wants to keep Wei-xiong as close to him as possible.'

'A-sang....' MingJue half heartedly glared at his brother. And WangXian literally wanted to run away from the room. Both of them shared the same thoughts, 'What the hell is their future self thinking?'

Well.... they had no idea. Leaving off Jin Guangshan's leering, Qiren's borderline qi-deviation, everyone else was having a relaxed time. And they were in for a ride, even if only for a few moments.

He did doubt that Lan WangJi might have guessed who he was. However, the doubt was lacking in both sense and reason. As sacrificing one’s body was a prohibited practice, there were probably not a lot of people who knew about it.

The scrolls passed down the generations were most likely partial pieces of the entire work, unable to reach their full potential. Things continued like this, and so there were fewer and fewer people who believed in it. Mo XuanYu only summoned Wei WuXian by looking at a secret scroll, wherever he found it in the first place.

At the mention of his name, everyone looked at the little creature who was curled peacefully in ZiXuan's arms, unaware of the greedy looks on his own father's face. ZiXuan, though, could feel it and hugged his Didi even closer. The action didn't go unnoticed by Yanli or Jin-furen, and none of them could begrudge him.

The juniors, though, were looking at the little angel in wonder, thinking that one day, he gave up his soul and body to revive the YiLing Patriarch, for whatever reasons. But he inadvertently gave them their Wei-qianbei, and they were damn grateful for it. Jin Ling, though, had weird feelings. He wasn't only a host of the body given to revive his Da-jiu, but also his shushu. Looking at this unmarred and innocent version of him gave him some very wierd feeling, that were inexplicable.

Anyhow, Lan WangJi couldn’t have recognized him just from the awful flute melodies that he played.

And Lan Zhan knew it was from those half-assed melodies only that he recognized Wei Ying. And even though that melody hadn't yet materialized in this timeline yet, he would know his creation anyhow.

He asked himself whether or not he had a heartfelt relationship with Lan WangJi in his past life. Although they had studied with each other, went on adventures, and fought together, all of these experiences were like falling petals and flowing water—coming and going. Lan WangJi was a disciple of the GusuLan Sect, which meant that he had to be “righteous,” quite incompatible with Wei WuXian’s personality. Wei WuXian thought that their relationship wasn’t exactly bad, but it wasn’t that good either. The chances were that Lan WangJi’s opinion of him was the same as everyone else’s—being overly wanton and not virtuous enough. It would have been only a matter of time before he caused a disaster. After Wei WuXian betrayed the YunmengJiang Sect and became the YiLing Patriarch, he had a few significant disputes with the Lan Sect, especially during the few months before his death. If Lan WangJi was sure that he was Wei WuXian, they should have already been engaged in a large-scale fight.

'Huh.... now it sure seems like a tragic love story..' Huaisang muttered. And even though the others didn't vocalize it, they were most probably of the same opinion.

'See, now even Nie-zonghzu agrees with me. I had told you. Wei-qianbei and HanGuang-Jun have a tragic love tale. But none of you agree with me. Think about all their actions up until now. And fo you remember the look on Qianbei's face, when....' Ouyang Zizhen went on an excited tirade after finding an ally.

But I was soon interrupted...

'ZiZhen, we don't need details about their love life.' Jin Ling.

'ZiZhen, do you want to be killed.' Lan JingYi.

'When did I agree with you?' Nie Mingjue.

And everyone turned to MingJue because of his booming voice. ZiZhen looked at him guiltily, 'Oh, I am sorry. It's just that we are used to calling Nie er gongzi as Nie-zonghzu, so...'

'Oh, that's fine then. Anyway, it's going to be true one day. So you might as well keep up with that practice. ' MingJue tried to joke. But it fell flat when A-sang and XiChen gave him a deadpanned look.

The moment had turned a bit sombre, and the Juniors were pushing and hassling with each other a bit, trying to blame the situation on each other. Looking at SiZhui's face was worthwhile, though, as it had a look of pure frustration and the urge to smack down each of his friends before they turned the room into a mess. Not finding any other way, he used the Lan Silencing Spell on them, effectively shutting them all off. And though JingYi could have easily lifted it off,  he kept quiet as the sight of HanGuang-Jun. At one glance, no one would be able to differentiate between the past and future ones so easily. You would have to look for the specific signs, if you knew.

Yet, he wasn’t sure what to make of the current situation—in the past, no matter what he did, Lan WangJi didn’t tolerate anything, but now, even though he used whatever methods he had up his sleeve, Lan WangJi could still tolerate him. Should he be congratulated because of his progress?!

After a while of staring at nothing, Wei WuXian turned around and went off the bed. He lightly moved to the other chamber.

Lan WangJi lay sideways on the bed, appearing to be already asleep. Without making a sound, Wei WuXian approached him.

And at this moment, without even looking at him, Jiang Cheng smacked him on the back of his head.

Wei Ying whined, 'A-Cheng, why did you hit me? It's not like I am the one doing it. I mean, it's me only, but... it's also not me. But then....'

'A-xian, shut up.' Jiang Cheng deadpanned, 'Be it past or present or future, given a chance, you would be doing the same thing only. So it was for that. You just have no sense for propriety.'

'But... but... no one said anything to Lan Zhan when he dragged me into his private bedrooms. Why am I being reprimanded, right....' Wei Ying whined. But before he could complete his sentence, his voice stopped coming out, and his lips were sealed, just like the juniors, and this time, he knew who had done it. So he turned to WangJi, whose ears had turned slightly red, and he tried to ask with his sealed lips to remove the spell.

Everyone was enjoying the chaos, except Qiren. XiChen, who was giggling internally and only had a mild smile plastered on his face, finally spoke up, 'Didi, you can't use the Silencing Spell whenever Wei-gongzi teases you or you feel embarrassed of him. Come on now, remove it.'

Being berated like a small kid, he pouted a little and removed it. Wei Ying took a sigh of relief and slouched on his seat, 'Lan-er-gege, you are so bad. Huh...'

And if it was possible, Lan Zhan's ears turned even more red at hearing his title. His feelings and urges were almost shutting his brain down, that he tried so hard to hold onto.

He was still not giving up, hoping to fish the jade token for passage out of him. However, as he just extended his hand, Lan WangJi’s long lashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes.

Wei WuXian quickly made up his mind. He threw himself onto the bed.

He remembered that Lan WangJi hated physical contact with other people. In the past, just with one touch and the offender would have been hurled out. If, even like this, he endured it, then the person was definitely not Lan WangJi. He would even doubt that Lan WangJi’s body was taken!

And though he didn't voice out, the present Lan Zhan felt the same, though he had doubts on this future version of him, who didn't at all seem like him.

Wei WuXian’s entire body was above Lan WangJi’s, with legs separated, kneeling with one on each side of his waist. His hands were against the wooden bed, trapping Lan WangJi in between his arms. He gradually lowered his head. The distance between the two faces became closer and closer. Closer and closer.

'Shit' came a voice, and no one knew who said that. But the entire situation was turning a bit like eavesdropping on a private moment. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying were damn confused yet. They couldn't move their eyes away from the screen.

At the point where it became hard for Wei WuXian to breathe, Lan WangJi finally opened his mouth.
He stayed silent for a few moments, “Get off.”

Wei WuXian thickened his face, “No.”

A pair of pale-colored eyes looked at Wei WuXian at a very close distance. Lan WangJi stared fixedly at him and repeated, “... Get off.”

Wei WuXian spoke, “No. If you allowed me to sleep here, you should have known that something like this would happen.”

Everyone was looking at both of them with clear anticipation. Huaisang nearly came to the edge of the seat, not wanting to miss even a single second.

Lan WangJi spoke, “Are you sure that this is what you want?”

“...”

For some reason, Wei WuXian felt that he should carefully consider his reply.

As he was about to curl his lips into a smile, a numbness suddenly came from his waist, and his legs gave out. With a thump, he fell onto Lan WangJi’s body.

The curvature of a half-smile was frozen on his lips. His head was at the right side of Lan WangJi chest and he couldn’t move at all. Lan WangJi’s voice came from above him.

His voice was low and deep. His chest vibrated slightly as he spoke each word. “Then stay like this for the whole night.”

Everyone was left gaping at the scene, including the Juniors who had no idea that this kind of thing had happened that day. Wen Qing started giggling at Wei Ying’s predicament, while Huaisang finally fell off his seat.

'This is not me.' Lan Zhan declared and resolutely did not look at screen and neither at Wei Ying, who himself had become a stuttering mess.

Wei WuXian didn’t expect it to end up like this at all. He shifted around, wanting to get up, but his waist continued to ache and felt limp. He could only be attached to another man in such an awkward situation, feeling a bit befuddled.

Just what in the world happened to Lan Zhan in the past few years, turning him into a person like this?

Was this the same Lan Zhan as before?!

Shouldn’t he have been the person whose body was seized?!?!

Suddenly, as his thoughts were as jumbled as a hurricane, Lan WangJi slightly shifted. Wei WuXian’s spirits lifted, assuming that he finally couldn’t bear it anymore. However, Lan WangJi simply waived his hand.

The lights went out.

In the same way, everyone was left feeling stunned at the way things turned out in the end. Wei Ying didn't even have the face to tease Lan Zhan anymore.

But before they could discuss something more, a golden light blinded them all suddenly and went out just as suddenly as it came. Once they were all used to the normal visibility, they saw 4 new members standing in the middle of the room. Two teenagers and two street kids, one of whom was most probably blind.
        *************************

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