A few days passed by in the infirmary.
And Pan Wukun was still being subjected to the chatterbox that was Wei Wuxian.
"So I took the junior disciples out to get some watermelons. Then we put some dogs to sleep and stole chickens and-"
"Wei-gongzi! Pan-xiushi! You have visitors!" the GusuLan healers announced.
Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli entered the infirmary.
"Jiang Cheng! Shijie!" Wei Wuxian called joyfully.
"A-Xian!" Jiang Yanli came over to Wei Wuxian's side with a smile. "Are your bones feeling better?"
Wei Wuxian grinned. "Never felt better!" He stretched his arms up high and punched his hands in the air. "Look! I can move around again!"
Jiang Yanli giggled, patting Wei Wuxian on the head. "Such a relief that A-Xian is well again!"
Wei Wuxian hummed in contentment.
Jiang Yanli moved over to Pan Wukun's side. "Ah. Pan-xiushi. We are finally able to properly meet."
"Yes. Wei-gongzi has told me much about you, Jiang-guniang. Much praise about your exquisite cooking." Pan Wukun rubbed her stomach. "And he was right. I enjoyed the gift basket very much, Jiang-guniang."
Jiang Yanli beamed. "I am glad to know that you enjoyed it."
"Hm. Hm." Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng nodded in agreement and approval.
"Pan-xiushi, I never got to properly thank you in person. But now..." Jiang Yanli bowed down from her waist. "Thank you for saving A-Xian." She sent Jiang Cheng an encouraging smile.
Jiang Cheng cleared his throat and bowed too. "Yes. Thank you, Pan-xiushi."
Pan Wukun sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Of course. It was nothing, really."
"Zewu-jun!" The healers greeted Lan Xichen as he entered the infirmary.
"Wei-gongzi, Pan-xiushi. Good afternoon. How are your injuries faring?" Lan Xichen asked.
Wei Wuxian and Pan Wukun both confirmed that they felt much better.
"Good! Thanks to a job well done by the healers." Lan Xichen commended the healers.
"Your praise is too kind, Zewu-jun. We are merely fulfilling our duties." Although the healers acted in a calm and collected manner, they were most definitely pleased with Lan Xichen's compliments.
"Pan-xiushi, you must have had many years to acquire such expertise on battling a Waterborne Abyss." Lan Xichen regarded Pan Wukun curiously. "How long have you been a rogue cultivator, Pan-xiushi?"
"Two years." Pan Wukun wondered why Lan Xichen was questioning her all of a sudden. He must be gathering info on her for the GusuLan sect's assessment of the Waterborne Abyss situation.
"I see. And how old are you, Pan-xiushi?"
"Seventeen."
"Eh?" Jiang Cheng uttered.
Surprised expressions appeared on Lan Xichen and Jiang Yanli's faces.
"Huh?!" Wei Wuxian's eyes bulged. "You're older than me?!" He pointed a trembling finger at Pan Wukun. "But-but you're shorter than me!"
Pan Wukun crossed her arms. "So sorry, Wei-gongzi, that I got my shortness from both of my parents. I was not lucky enough to be the sprout that outgrew its predecessors."
Jiang Yanli placed her hand on top of Wei Wuxian's, stopping his sputtering and calming him down.
Lan Xichen chuckled. "So we're the same age, Pan-xiushi. No wonder you managed to take charge so well when we dealt with the Waterborne Abyss."
"...Right." There wasn't much more Pan Wukun had to say.
The GusuLan healers gave Wei Wuxian and Pan Wukun their health inspections. "Wei-gongzi, Pan-xiushi, your bodies have fully recovered."
Wei Wuxian whooped, leaping out of his bed with unrestrained joy.
Jiang Yanli giggled while Jiang Cheng shouted, "Hey, Wei Wuxian! Don't break anything!"
But even as Jiang Cheng scolded Wei Wuxian, there was no denying the small smile on his face.
Pan Wukun heaved a massive sigh of relief. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms out.
She was no longer confined to a bed and can escape from being trapped in the same room as Wei Wuxian.
Finally!
After Pan Wukun had walked quite a distance from the infirmary, someone called out to her.
"Chun-ge! Chun-ge!"
Pan Wukun turned around to see Wei Wuxian rushing up to her. - Oh. So it's Chun-ge now?
Wei Wuxian panted. "Now that I'm fully healed, I can finally express my gratitude properly!"
Pan Wukun felt exasperation. - Oh no. Is he going to try to invite me out somewhere again?
To Pan Wukun's surprise, Wei Wuxian raised his arms out, clasping his hands together.
"You saved me back at Biling Lake. I owe you a life debt, Chun-ge." Wei Wuxian's expression was serious, with no display of his usual cheerfulness.
Before Wei Wuxian could complete his bow, Pan Wukun grabbed hold of his arms.
Wei Wuxian turned his head back up to her in shock.
"No, you don't. You got dragged into the water and almost drowned because you saved my life first. We're even now," Pan Wukun said firmly.
"But-"
"I mean it, Wei-gongzi."
For a moment, Wei Wuxian stared strangely at Pan Wukun with an expression that she couldn't read.
Then a wide grin spread across Wei Wuxian's face. "All right. If you say so, Chun-ge."
He chuckled. "If you ever come by and visit Lotus Pier, I'll show you around! We can eat good food, hunt pheasants together,-" He winked. "-and admire all kinds of pretty girls. Trust me, the girls in Yunmeng are something else."
"Mm." Pan Wukun simply made a noncommittal noise.
Wei Wuxian started running back up the path. He turned around and waved, shouting, "Let's see each other again sometime, Chun-ge!"
As Pan Wukun raised a hand in farewell to Wei Wuxian, deep from within herself, she begged very strongly, Please never again!
Pan Wukun walked down a path, marveling at the beauty of the Cloud Recesses.
It was so nice and quiet here.
It was a truly magnificent and tranquil place.
If Pan Wukun wasn't at risk of danger with the canon characters and had the important mission of returning to her world, she would've liked to stay for an extensive look around. A full grand tour.
Up ahead of Pan Wukun, she spotted a large building with a room containing stacks of books and scrolls tucked away into shelves.
That must be the Library Pavilion.
Pan Wukun paused, a brilliant idea forming in her head.
Wait…The Library Pavilion…A treasure trove of knowledge that was not accessible anywhere else. This could be a good opportunity.
Change of plans. She and Meng Xingyao should stick around Gusu a little longer.
Within the Library Pavilion, Pan Wukun just might find a way to return to her world.
But there was one problem.
The GusuLan sect wouldn't grant access to their books to some rogue cultivator who wasn't even a guest disciple.
So Pan Wukun's best bet was to have one of the guest disciples lend the books to her.
…But who could she turn to?
Jiang Cheng was too grumpy and not big enough of a rule breaker to sneak some books to Pan Wukun. He was a sect heir and couldn't risk any severe infractions.
Nie Huaisang was too jittery to comply with Pan Wukun's request. He would not risk failing another year at the Cloud Recesses and facing Nie Mingjue's disappointment again.
Lan Xichen was friendly but wouldn't likely budge for Pan Wukun to gain access to the library. He was the future sect leader of GusuLan and couldn't just hand his sect's books over to some rogue cultivator he just met.
Lan Wangji didn't like interacting with anyone and he was a massive rule-abider. So he was not a viable option either.
Even if Pan Wukun accepted the GusuLan healers' offer to be paid for teaching CPR, they wouldn't dare disobey their own sect either.
There was only one person Pan Wukun possibly even had a chance of befriending.
The expert rule breaker of the Cloud Recesses and the bane of Lan Qiren's existence.
Who else could it be but Wei Wuxian?