"Xiao-Hua, can you come over here? I have a surprise for you."

I look up from the floor as I'm finishing the last of the exercises I've been instructed to do to help re-strengthen my body after getting injured. Lan Wangji takes his hands off of my shoulders and helps me stand up carefully while handing me my cane. There's a light sheen of sweat that's formed on my forehead and my muscles ache from the session I've just wrapped up. My cane makes a clunking noise along the hardwood floor as I hobble over to Wei Wuxian is. There's some white and light blue fabric in one arm as well as a small red box in his hand. My heart skips with excitement when I realize what's going on

"I asked some of the elders if they had any spare uniforms in storage. We think you're ready to join the Lan Sect." he says with a smile. "If it's too long or loose, we can take it to the seamstress in Caiyi town to get it altered. Do you want to try it on?"

I nod as I take a seat on their bed and lean my cane against a wall. It doesn't take him too long to help me into my robes, though I take note of how to properly put them on for future reference as soon as my injuries heal. The robes are made of cotton, which is light enough to move around in and soft to the touch. These robes feel sturdier than the clothes that I received from the villagers in Bai Lian village. The clothes I got then were a mixture of plain and simple clothing made for playing in the mud and fancier clothing made from the finest silks and embroidered with beautiful designs. These robes, however, seem to be made more for combat and training, even if white seemed to be an odd and impractical choice of colour.

The first layer I wear over my sleeping robes is a simple white tunic that ties off to the side with hidden strings. The second is a short sleeved white outer robe trimmed with light blue that reaches my ankles. There are slits on both sides that stop at my hips for easier mobility. I almost feel like this robe is radiating strong spiritual energy. In the sunlight, I could make out a barely noticeable pattern of swirling clouds embossed into the fabric. A light blue sash and belt is tied around my waist from behind, adding a pop of colour and contrast to an otherwise plain and simple look. Finally, I'm given a pair of fingerless gloves with a single loop that hooks over my middle fingers.

"Well, look at you…" Wei Wuxian chuckles as he eyes me up and down, admiring his handiwork. "You look like you're just about to take on the cultivation world in those robes. But we're not quite done yet! Lan Zhan, will you do the honors?"

Lan Wangji hums in agreement as he hands the small red box that's sitting on the bed. With a pop of the lid, he reveals a long, thin white ribbon with light blue swirling clouds embroidered into it sitting on a cushion made of blue silk. I've seen ribbons like these tied onto the foreheads of all of the disciples living here, but to receive one of my own forehead ribbons makes this feel even more surreal, like I'm living in a dream. Wei Wuxian helps me off the bed and sits me on the floor with my legs neatly tucked underneath my body while he helps me put my sling back on. Lan Wangji sits behind me on the bed and takes the ribbon out of the box.

"As of today, you are officially one of our disciples," He says as he pushes my fringe to the side and loops the fabric around my head. "This forehead ribbon is not just something used for decoration; it represents a person's restraint and self regulation. Therefore, you must never let anyone else touch it without permission."

"Then who's allowed to touch it?" I ask as I feel him tying a bow behind my head to secure it in place.

"The only people who are allowed to touch your ribbon are either you, your parents, or your spouse. But if you're otherwise injured or occupied in an emergency, you can give someone else permission to help you adjust or put it back on."

"Because we're your masters, you can also ask us to help you with your ribbon," says Wei Wuxian as he comes back with a medium sized bronze mirror. "But we can't touch it indiscriminately unless you let us do so."

He sets the mirror down in front of me, and my hand flies to my mouth as I let out a small gasp. Just a mere 2 weeks ago, I was this tiny and sickly looking child with thin and shortly cropped black hair wandering around in a dark spooky forest out in the countryside in a thin, filthy and tattered hospital gown a few sizes too large for me and a pair of thin panties. Looking at my reflection, I almost can't believe that this is the same person.

My cheeks are no longer as sunken in as they were and have filled back out, making my face look softer and rounder. The circles under my eyes aren't as prominent as before, though sometimes they come back whenever I have the occasional nightmare. And even though my hair was still on the shorter end, it's been slowly growing back longer and thicker thanks to Wei Wuxian rubbing an experimental hair growth potion he's been developing into my scalp during bath time. I am still quite pale, making the freckles dotting my face very prominent, but I don't look like I am mere moments away from death's door anymore. Though this uniform and headband were hand-me-downs passed from generation to generation, I can't help but be amazed by how much they changed my appearance. I really do look like I am going to take on whatever this world is going to throw at me, even if I haven't quite gotten to that level yet.

"I-is this really me?" I ask in amazement as I reach out and gently place my hand on the mirror.

"OF COURSE IT'S YOU, WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE?" says Meng Yao with a hint of amusement in his voice. "I DO SAY THAT YOU CLEAN UP QUITE NICELY."

Lan Wangji gets up from his place on the bed as Wei Wuxian takes the mirror away from me. They help me up from off the floor and lead me to the dining table where they both sit across from me.

"Now that you're a disciple of the Cloud Recesses, you must remember that you are a member of the cultivation world," says Wei Wuxian "it's not always fun and games; It'll be dangerous and terrifying at times, where the stakes are high and you don't know if you'll be able to make it home alive or in one piece."

I gulp nervously. I knew it wasn't going to be a completely free ride from here on out. I wasn't just going to be a civilian anymore, but a warrior going out on missions to slay monsters and ghosts. To be a cultivator meant constantly putting your life on the line for the sake of other people and asking for nothing in return.

"But even with what's at stake, you must remember that as a cultivator, it is our sworn duty to help those who can't save themselves and to protect the innocent from outside forces beyond our reach," Says Lan Wangji when he notices how scared I look. " We can't always save everyone as there are as many people and villages in China as there are stars in the sky, but the ones we can save make our jobs all the more worthwhile. That's what it means to be a cultivator."

Wei Wuxian reaches across the table and prompts me to take my hand out from where I've placed it on my lap. He curls four of my fingers into a fist, leaving only my pinky sticking up. I know what they're planning to do as he and Lan Wangji loop their own pinkies over my own.

"Lan Lihua, as a member of the Lan sect, do you promise us to study hard?"

"Yes."

"Do you vow to stand up for the weak and protect those who can't protect themselves?"

"Yes."

"To live with honor, dignity and respect?"

"Yes."

"To uphold justice and differentiate between right and wrong?"

"Yes."

"To take responsibility for your actions and do the right thing?"

"Yes."

I bend my pinkie inwards, curling them around both of theirs. With a shake of our hands, I complete the vows. In my head, they almost sound more like wedding vows being said out loud rather than promises a child would be making with a guardian. An all too familiar feeling of guilt gnaws at my stomach, but I push it back down. It was no use dwelling on the past. All I could do in the present was do my best as a disciple of theirs was and become someone worthy of carrying on their legacy and name. They took in a scared and confused girl without hesitation, so now it was my turn to pay them back in tenfold.

"Now that that's been settled, we need to discuss the matter of what you'll be calling us. From this day forward, you will be referring to Wei Ying as Shifu and me as Hanguang-jun."

I blink at them both with wide eyes. To call them both gege sounded more personal and intimate. To now switch to calling them both Shifu put distance between us.

"But why?" I ask in a small voice. "You said I could call you anything I was comfortable with… I liked calling you both gege…"

"I know, Xiao-Hua…" says Wei Wuxian as he places his hand over mine. "You're part of a sect now, and as such, there are rules to be followed. We're your elders, and you need to call us by our proper titles. Otherwise, people are going to think you're being disrespectful."

"HE IS RIGHT YOU KNOW," pipes up Meng Yao. "YOU CAN'T INDISCRIMINATELY CALL THEM GEGE WHEN YOU'RE WANDERING AROUND THE CLOUD RECESSES."

"Do you understand, Lihua?" asks Lan Wangji as he places his hand over my own hand as well.

"…Yes sir…" I mumble. "Does this mean that I can't call Sizhui and Jingyi gege anymore?"

"Normally, you'd be referring to your shixiongs as xiong and your shijies as Jie," says Lan Wangji. "but if you become close enough with someone, you can refer to them as gege or jiejie. If they're a sect heir, it'd either gonzi for men or guniang for women. If you're really close with each other like Sizhui and Jingyi, then you can drop the honorifics all together."

My head spins with all these terms to remember. I was comfortable with learning the basics like mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, etc. But, being part of a sect was totally different from life as a normal civilian.

"I know it's confusing to understand at first, but you'll get the hang of it," Wei Wuxian says with a smile. "If you don't know what to call someone, you can always ask them. Why don't you try calling us by our titles first to get the hang of it?"

I swallow and wet my lips with my tongue. I then clear my throat with a cough.

"H-Hanguang-jun-shifu and Wei-shifu."

Wei Wuxian nearly bursts out laughing while Lan Wangji just cleared his throat. I feel my cheeks burn red with embarrassment and I want to pound my face into the table.

"Just Hanguang-jun will be fine, or just shifu. I'm glad that you're taking the initiative to be respectful, but you don't need to add shifu to the end of my title Xiao-Hua…"

I clear my throat again, cheeks still burning from embarrassment.

"Umm okay… H-Hanguang-jun and…W-Wei-shifu…"

Even with a tutor helping me with enunciation and intonation, the way I spoke Mandarin still indicated how much of a foreigner I was in this strange new world. But they didn't seem to care as both of their faces lit up with a smile once I said their titles out loud, even if Lan Wangji was the type of man who didn't outwardly show much as emotion on his face.

"That's our girl…" says Wei Wuxian as he reaches over and ruffles my hair affectionately with his hand.

He then turns to Lan Wangji and places an arm around his shoulder.

"To be called shifu like this… it has a nice ring doesn't it, Lan Zhan?"

"En."

"Perhaps we should bring more children into the Cloud Recesses. Then we'll have a house filled with little radishes~"

He then turns his head towards him and gently kisses him on the lips. By this point, I've gotten used to witnessing their displays of affection for each other. Even still, I wonder where this sort of pure and simple love was in my household while I was still alive. It didn't have to be anything grand or fancy, just even something as innocent as a good morning kiss or a hug said more than enough. They break their intimate little kiss as my stomach gurgling cuts through the silence of the Jingshi, reminding those two that I haven't quite eaten any breakfast yet. My cheeks flush red and I bury my face in my hand in embarrassment. This time, Wei Wuxian really does laugh out loud as he ties his sleeves back and then puts his hair up in a messy bun.

"Well then, Xiao-Hua. Let's get some food in you shall we? All this excitement must have made you very hungry."

That day marked the end of my life of being a lost and confused civilian from another world. I would now be training to become not only a cultivator, but also become someone worthy enough to carry the legacy of the Lan name. It would be the beginning of many hardships and trials ahead as well as beginning to question my worth as a human being. But I didn't have to face this wide and frightening world by myself.

Notes:

I wrote this chapter as something a bit more light hearted and happy to make up for writing something so heavy, sad and intense. Thank you for your supportive messages everyone!