Jiang Yanli strode through the rows of decorations lining the entrance of Lotus Cove, scrutinizing everything, smiling in her charming manner. Suddenly, she stopped and frowned delicately.
The men who were busy hanging up the flower garland paused and looked at her in anxiety.
"Please change this garland," she touched the flowers with her fingertips gently. "These petals are wilting already."
She nodded politely and was on her way before the men could react. Only long moments later, they realized, a single flower did have some of its petals starting to wilt.
It was a beautiful day. Clear, blue sky reflecting on the waters of Lotus Pier. A perfect day for the grand event she had organized. She rounded up her final inspection, went back to her room to refresh and change into clean robes.
Mid-morning, the guests started arriving. Boats of all sizes soon filled up the pier. Clan leaders and families from all over were welcomed warmly and showed the way to the massive arena which had been erected.
While the elders looked around admiringly, the young boys and girls, all decked in their finest attire, different colors and styles,looked nervous yet hopeful. Their eyes gleamed with excitement.
Wei Wuxian refused to play his part as had been instructed to him. He was to sit at the lavender colored golden throne prominently displayed on the stage inside the arena. But, no! Instead, he ran around like the brat he was, grinning shamelessly as he greeted guests and helped his Shijie direct flow of traffic.
After tea and refreshments started flowing like the waters of Lotus Pier, Jiang Fengmian got up on the stage, welcomed everyone and declared the tournament open.
"Shijie," Wei Wuxian leaned towards her, finally seated in the majestic throne, overlooking the huge crowd and asked mischievously, "tell me which one do you like best?"
"A-xian," Jiang Yanli fondly rebuked him. "Be serious."
"I am, shijie!"
One by one the young boys and girls came up to the archery competition area and tried to hit the bullseye on the target. They had never seen such a complicated setup before.
On a dial, in the shape of a lotus, set inside a small pond, was a chicken made of hay. It had only one eye. Bright red. This eye was the target. However, this wasn't all. The dial on which the grumpy looking chicken was affixed, was rotating continuously such that the one bright eye could only be seen once per revolution. The reflection on the crystal clear surrounding water of the pond, made it even more difficult for the archers to focus. It felt like everything was moving at a dizzying speed.
As the morning wore on and the endless supply of tea and snacks filled up the bottomless stomachs of the guests, Wei Wuxian started fidgeting.
"Shijie," he whined.
"You promised me," she reminded him, "now keep your word!"
"Aaaaaah!" he groaned.
"Sit straight!" Jiang Cheng who had finally found time to take a break rolled his eyes at him and sat down heavily on the chair on the other side of his elder sister. "Do you even care about how our sect - "
"Aiiyyaa, fine, fine," Wei Wuxian pulled his body back into an elegant posture. "If it will make you shut up, I will even stand on one leg the whole day."
Their bickering continued while the rotating chicken happily kept going round and round with its eye intact. The sun had risen high up in the sky. Almost everyone had tried by now and walked back with dejected faces.
"Shijie, looks like you'll have to put up with me for the rest of your life!," Wei Wuxian brightened up. "See there's no one who is my match!"
Jiang Yanli was starting to look worried indeed. She regretted letting a-xian have his way. The target was too challenging. But her ridiculously talented brother has insisted.
A sudden hush fell around the crowd. Even the wailing infants became quiet. Wei Wuxian immediately perked up and looked with curiosity.
White robes, reflecting the bright sunlight, fluttered in the wind. A tall, slim archer slowly walked forward. His piercing, glass like eyes could be seen even from the distance Wei Wuxian was sitting at. He stared at this vision in white as the young man glided past the rows and rows of the assembled crowd and finally came to stand at the archery spot.
Wei Wuxian stopped blinking as the young man held up his beautiful bow in one hand and with another steady hand plucked a single arrow from his quiver.
There was a low murmur which ran through the crowd. Just one arrow! Everyone else had used up their whole quiver.
The young man stilled in focus, watching the grumpy chicken for a few long seconds, the bowstring pulled taut as everyone held their breath. Then, he turned his head slightly, looked at Wei Wuxian straight in the eye, and while still locking eyes with him, the young man let the arrow fly.
The arrow shot out like lightning and struck the chicken's single red eye square in the middle. A roar erupted from the onlookers. However, the poor hay chicken had far worse in store. The arrow not only hit its target but uprooted the entire chicken with its force and both the arrow and chicken went flying past everyone's heads.
Wei Wuxian had long forgotten to keep sitting. He stood with a pounding heart on the stage, his robes and hair flying in the gentle breeze. With a thud, the chicken landed right by Wei Wuxian's feet.
The young man calmly lowered his arm and stood gazing at Wei Wuxian with an expressionless face. The crowd had gone insane, people cheering, booing, crying, dancing, clapping all at once.
Jiang Yanli didn't have to ask her brother. She had never seen him so stunned. Her heart burst with joy! Finally! After all these years of continuous marriage proposals and Wei Wuxian's complete rejection of each one, she had finally found the perfect match for her darling brother.
"Do you want to know his name?" she whispered teasingly to the still wide eyed Wei Wuxian.
He nodded numbly unable to take his eyes off the figure in white.
"Or should I just send him back like all the rest?" she continued.
"Shijie!" Wei Wuxian croaked, having found his voice at last. He turned red, unable to meet her eyes but he held onto her hands tightly. "Please," he whispered.
"His name is Lan Wangji," she smiled. Jiang Cheng had already left the stage to welcome the winner and his future brother-in-law.
"Lan Wangji," Wei Wuxian repeated in awe turning his head back to look at the small group of white robed cultivators approaching the stage accompanied by Jiang Cheng and Jiang Fengmian.
"Thank you, Shijie," he remembered to say before he lost his bearing again as the stone faced, gorgeous man, with eyes trained only at him, climbed onto the stage.
Up closer he was taller than Wei Wuxian and even more impossibly flawless.
"Uhhh...that was great!" he blurted before anyone could even introduce properly.
He picked up the chicken from his feet and held it as if it was a priceless piece of jade.
"You're really good," he couldn't stop himself. Somewhere in the periphery Jiang Cheng's groan could be heard.
"Hm," the man called Lan Wangji replied and stepped away from his family to go and stand next to Wei Wuxian.
And just like that Wei Wuxian's life changed forever since then.