"What? I didn't do anything to your beard," Wei Wuxian reached up to feel his chin. Indeed, it was smooth. How did that happen? "I swear, I didn't do anything!" He saw Lan Qiren open his mouth but continued, "in any case, beards can grow back. What did you do to my body? If you've damaged my body in any way..."
"Don't yell at Xian-gege!" Wen Yuan had gotten off the bed and now stood with arms stretched in front of his Xian-gege.
Seeing the protective boy calmed him down immediately. Wei Wuxian smiled and knelt down so that he was eye level with the boy, "I do not dare yell at him anymore," he assured, "not with a tough young man like you protecting him!"
At that moment, Wen Qing and Wen Ning ran into the cave. They saw a person who appeared to be a Gusu Lan disciple, but wasn't Lan Wangji.
"What is this ruckus? Who are you? A-Yuan, come here!" Wen Qing ushered Wen Yuan out of the way.
Mild-mannered Gusu Lan disciple or not, any strangers were still considered potential threats. While Wen Yuan made his way to safety by Wen Qing's side, Wen Ning moved towards the intruder menacingly.
"Wait! Wen Ning, it's me! Wei Wuxian!"
Wen Ning stopped mid-reach. He looked at 'Lan Qiren', then looked at 'Wei Wuxian'. 'Wei Wuxian' nodded to confirm the statement.
"That is Wei Wuxian in my body. I am Lan Qiren. I apologise for the deceit, I did not wish to cause alarm." Lan Qiren said from the bed.
Wen Ning frowned. "No wonder you were weird today... weirder than usual."
"Hey!" Wei Wuxian protested.
"Xian-gege?" Wen Yuan was thoroughly confused.
"Ah..." Wei Wuxian remained kneeling to appear unthreatening, "Xian-gege is not weird, and I'm not dangerous, haha..." Was all he could think of to say to the confused child. Wen Qing frowned at that. She must've recognised some of Wei Wuxian's ridiculousness, and instructed Wen Ning to leave with Wen Yuan to avoid further confusing him.
"Xian-gege is really unwell, he'll be back to his normal... weird self soon, then you can play with him again." Wen Ning said as they left.
Wei Wuxian huffed in indignation, but no-one in that cave really cared.
"So, is this a result of one of your experiments? We should've dragged you out of here sooner!" Wen Qing stepped closer to 'Lan Qiren', inspecting his expressions.
"This situation is definitely not my fault! I've been working on those teleportation arrays, and they only transport physical objects." He took out a qiankun pouch and dug inside to reveal the golden tortoise and books. "If anything, it was something from Senior Lan's end that caused this."
He took the objects to the bed and held them out in front of Lan Qiren's face. "I brought this from your room. What is it?"
Lan Qiren said, "I was studying it, but I don't know what it is."
There was an intake of breath behind him. Wei Wuxian and Lan Qiren looked up to see Wen Qing staring at the object. She covered her mouth, shaking. Then, to their surprise, she burst out into raucous laughter, doubling over.
"Wen Qing?"
"Miss Wen?"
The body-swappers could only stare at the crazily laughing girl. When she finally stopped laughing, she straightened and took deep breaths. Finally, with the laughter out of her system, she said, "there is no need for concern, your conditions are not permanent."
"Please explain, Miss Wen," Lan Qiren said.
"That is a Knowledge Tortoise. It is an object used by doctors to understand and diagnose their patients' ailments."
"Yes, I've definitely come to understand Young Master Wei's ailments..." Lan Qiren eyed him, and he gulped.
"Hey, it's my own concern and none of your business," Wei Wuxian said, but couldn't bring himself to be too upset over it. "So, how do we return to our bodies?"
"Simple: sleep. The Tortoise works by switching the spirits while they are loose from the physical form, which occurs during sleep. When you fall asleep tonight, your spirits will return to your own bodies."
"Sounds straight forward enough, but it doesn't explain why this happened in the first place."
Wen Qing smirked at this, "the doctor is required to think about their patient while holding the Tortoise before sleeping. In sleep, the switch occurs."
Wei Wuxian looked at the prone form of his body, and grinned, "aw, so Senior Lan was thinking about his ex-student before sleep? How sweet!"
Lan Qiren harrumphed. "Ridiculous! There was no way I was thinking about you..."
He cast his mind back to his thoughts the previous evening. Indeed, he had inspected the tortoise and consulted the books. Did he think of his student?
But wasn't there a reason he'd associate Wei Wuxian with the tortoise? There was that one incident when his trouble-making student stuck a painting on his back...
Blood flushed his cheeks at the memory.
There was no use denying it; the current situation was proof of his thoughts.
In truth, now that Wei Wuxian knew the condition was not permanent, he was not overly concerned about their current situation. He contemplated not falling asleep as he wasn't keen on returning to a bed-ridden body. Maybe if he waited until his actual body felt a bit better...
Lan Qiren seemed to guess what he was thinking, and growled, "Wei Wuxian! We are both sleeping tonight. There are urgent tasks that I must complete in my own body! Don't pout, it is unbecoming!"
It would've been threatening rather than pitiful if Lan Qiren wasn't lying inert on the bed. However, Wei Wuxian felt a little sorry for the old man suffering in his weak body, so he stopped pouting. For now.
"Don't worry Senior Lan, I know what to do if he doesn't behave," Wen Qing assured him.
"Wen Qing!"
Lan Qiren thought he was beginning to understand the young man whose body he was occupying. Daresay, he was even beginning to form a good impression of him. But then to see Wei Wuxian repeat his mother's pranks... he'll get a proper explanation out of the boy once they were back in their own bodies.
He watched as Wei Wuxian brought in some wooden planks with Wen Ning to sleep on, Wen Yuan holding onto a corner of the plank that 'Uncle Lan' was carrying. After setting up in front of the rock table, not too far from where Lan Qiren was lying, Wen Ning and Wen Yuan bid them goodnight and left.
The two body-swappers lay in an awkward silence. Suddenly, Wei Wuxian said, "you can ask Lan Zhan about your beard when he gets here, because I swear I don't know anything about it."
"Then he is aware of the situation?" It was a relief to know that his nephews knew why he must've been acting strange that day.
"They figured it out somehow, but wouldn't tell me how!" Lan Qiren couldn't see his face clearly, but imagined the boy must've been pouting in his body.
Again.
"Your acting skills are lacking. It was always obvious when you pulled a prank and tried to act innocent." Wei Wuxian's face was too expressive, and he was too proud of his pranks to hide his glee. "Why did Wangji not teleport here with you?" If anything, Lan Wangji's level of cultivation should have eased the trip.
"He's flying. He should be here some time tomorrow." That did not answer his question. Lan Qiren was too tired to try to pry an answer out of him.
Lying on the bed and looking at his body across the cave, he enquired instead, "how many people can you teleport with your array?"
'Lan Qiren', turned to lie on his side so that he could face 'Wei Wuxian'. "Well, it's limited by the energy required to activate it. The greatest limiting factor is the amount of matter that is being teleported, not the distance. I didn't get a chance to experiment with multiple objects, but with how much spiritual energy you still had after all my experiments, I think you'd be capable of transporting up to five people."
"That sounds useful. For what purpose were you testing these arrays?"
Wei Wuxian went on about how he thought the Wens might need a quick escape, and discussed how he figured out what strokes to use and what size to paint the array. It took all of Lan Qiren's scholarly capabilities to follow his line of reasoning. He'd forgotten how passionate Wei Wuxian could be when he was discussing academia and not deliberately trying to get a rise out of his teachers.
When Lan Qiren exhausted all possible queries about this invention, he asked "why do you plant the child in the fields?"
Wei Wuxian said with a straight face, "he needs to be planted and watered. How else will he grow quickly?"
How ridiculous...
In the lull, Wei Wuxian continued, "surely it's past nine o'clock now. Isn't your body adjusted so that it'd fall asleep straight away?"
"Stop thinking so much and just sleep." He knew that both of them must have had a lot on their minds. Lan Qiren definitely had a lot of questions for Wei Wuxian, but he had to curb his curiosity. Wei Wuxian definitely had no obligation to share his secrets with his ex-teacher. However, there was one issue he had to be certain of.
"The one who caused your condition... are they a danger to the cultivation world?"
"No." The response was quick and definitive. Lan Qiren exhaled in relief.
"Good..." he said awkwardly. Nothing about Wei Wuxian's lack of golden core was good, but there must have been reasons. There was, however, something he could do to help though...
"Wei Wuxian..."
He was interrupted by the appearance of Wen Qing at the entrance of the cave.
"Why are you still talking? Go to sleep!"
Against protests, she had her needles in their necks at lightning speed.
Before unconsciousness, Lan Qiren thought about how invaluable her expertise was. And how rude it was of her to knock him out.
Wei Wuxian knew that exhaustion was a constant without a golden core, and sleeping on a hard surface often resulted in aches in his limbs that took half a day to ease. However, the new day brought a new level of pain.
"Ow..." he tried to roll over to sit up, but his back protested the movement. He groaned in pain.
"Good morning, Young Master Wei," Lan Qiren was standing beside his bed.
"Ah, good morning Senior Lan," he tried to smile up at his ex-teacher, "I'd get up to properly greet you, but, you know..."
Lan Qiren looked genuinely repentant. "I tried to assist in the fields yesterday. I had not expected your back would seize in such a way."
Wei Wuxian waved him off. "That's okay. I have the best doctor in the lands looking after me, I'll be back on my feet in no time." He tried not to laugh at how strange a clean-shaven Lan Qiren looked. He looked much younger, and he could see some resemblance to his nephews. "Have any others come by yet?"
"Miss Wen came by briefly, but left so that you could rest more. I shall call her."
Lan Qiren suddenly left him all alone. Wei Wuxian was active by nature, this lying-around was going to drive him up a wall. A golden core would've helped mend his body much more quickly. Even spiritual energy from another cultivator could only do so much for him. He was not lying when he said he had the best doctor to look after him, he was sure if anyone could get him back on his feet in record time, it'd be Wen Qing.
And thinking of the devil, Lan Qiren came back with Wen Qing and Wen Ning.
"Good morning!" Wei Wuxian said brightly.
"Good morning Young Master Wei," Wen Ning placed a tray of food on the table. Then he went to stand by Wen Qing, who sat down on the edge of his bed.
"I can't even be angry at you for being unwell this time," Wen Qing seemed to sulk. Wei Wuxian saw Lan Qiren shifting uncomfortably behind her. He could only grin up at Wen Qing as she checked his pulse and meridians.
"I'll apply some acupuncture and moxibustion, this should significantly reduce the pain. Once you can move, you will be doing absolutely no physical work until I say so."
"Yes, ma'am." He just wanted to get back on his feet.
He grit his teeth in pain as Lan Qiren and Wen Ning helped him out of his robes while Wen Qing gathered some materials. With his top off and lying on his front again, Wen Qing returned some dried mugwort and began placing little mounds of the herb on his back.
"Wei Ying!"
At the entrance of the cave stood Lan Wangji, hair dishevelled and face flushed. He had two swords strapped to his waist, and paper scrunched up in his fist. When he saw Wei Wuxian on the bed getting prepared for moxibustion, his cheeks flushed further.
"Lan Zhan, you made it! I wasn't expecting you until later in the day."
Wen Qing frowned. "How did he get past the wards?"
"Don't worry, I tweaked the wards to allow him in after the last time he was here."
"Last time?" Lan Qiren questioned.
"A night hunt," Lan Wangji offered in explanation. He walked up to Lan Qiren and bowed. He then greeted the Wen siblings, and turned back to his uncle.
"Uncle, nephew greets you good morning. Are you well?"
Lan Qiren nodded his head, and noted his appearance. "Wangji, I am well. Did you fly all night?"
"Mn."
Wei Wuxian watched warily as Lan Wangji approached his bed and all but threw the pieces of paper on the bed in front of his face, clearly upset.
"That was dangerous."
"You worry too much, Lan Zhan! I knew exactly what I was doing. Speaking of dangerous, isn't flying past your bedtime dangerous? You could have fallen off your sword!"
"Your actions were dangerous." Lan Wangji stubbornly ignored him.
Wen Qing picked up the pieces of paper. One was an array, and the other was a messily scrawled note which she read aloud, "I'm off! Grab my array. Sorry you had to pay for two rooms!"
Everyone frowned at Wei Wuxian in disappointment, even Wen Ning and Lan Wangji's blank expressions screamed disappointment.
"It sounds worse when you read it out loud..."
"Are you saying he did something dangerous while in my body?" Lan Qiren's voice began to rise.
"No!" Wei Wuxian said.
Lan Wangji pointed at his chin.
"What?"
"An explosion. You burnt it off."
Aha! That's what happened with the beard!
"I was surprised! That beast appeared out of nowhere!" Considering the pile of burnt twigs that resulted from his experimentations, a burnt off beard was a small price to pay for a failed attempt.
Lan Qiren was scowling down his nose at him, so he backpedalled. "I'm sorry... I guess the beard was my fault after all. If you want, you can cut off some of my hair and stick it on your face..."
He stopped talking when he saw Lan Qiren's eyebrow twitch. He was fortunately saved from further scolding by a sprinting toddler.
"Rich-gege!" Wen Yuan ran at Lan Wangji, hugging his leg. Lan Qiren looked at his nephew, perplexed.
"Lan Zhan spoilt him the last time he was here," Wei Wuxian explained.
Speaking of spoiling, Lan Wangji pulled out two qiankun pouches. From one of them he pulled out an assortment of foods to show them: fruits, buns, potatoes...
"Yay, you brought potatoes!" Wei Wuxian said eagerly from the bed.
"A-Yuan, these are for your family," he said to the boy, who jumped with cheer. He nodded at Wen Ning, who collected the pouch full of food.
Lan Qiren nodded approvingly at Lan Wangji's offering
Wen Qing was a proud woman, but she was in no place to turn down food for her family. Not to mention, Wen Yuan looked so excited. So she said, "thank you, Young Master Lan."
"Thank you Young Master Lan. A-jie, I will prepare breakfast." He left with the pouch in one hand, and Wen Yuan's little hand in the other..
"I've wanted to eat potatoes for such a long time! I'm so sick of radishes! Thanks, Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian said, shuddering when there was a sudden gust of wind. Wen Qing went back to applying the moxibustion, lighting up the herbs.
Lan Wangji held onto the other qiankun pouch, as though unsure of what to do with it, and avoiding eye contact with him for some reason.
"Miss Wen, if you do not need any further assistance, I will take my leave." Lan Qiren said.
"It is fine, I'll look after him," Wen Qing said.
Wei Wuxian had shut his eyes at the comforting heat of the moxa, and couldn't bring himself to object them talking over him
"Wangji, walk with me."
He drifted off to sleep while Wen Qing continued treating him.
"Wangji, I will return to Cloud Recesses to prepare the sect for fifty new members. You are to remain here. Recuperate, and assist the Wens."
Lan Wangji's tired eyes widened. "Yes, uncle."
Lan Wangji seemed surprised at his announcement, but not displeased. Was he anxious? Was he happy? He was never able to read his younger nephew as well as Lan Xichen could.
"How did you discover Wei Wuxian's spirit in my body?"
"His manners."
That seemed to be all he would get out of Lan Wangji about that. He'd have to satiate his curiosity with Lan Xichen.
"... So my missing beard really was the result of an accident?"
"Yes. I shaved the remains."
Lan Qiren only sighed, "that boy..."
"How did the swap occur?"
He took out the golden tortoise to explain, and looked down when he heard the light patter of small footsteps. Wen Yuan held onto Lan Wangji's leg.
"Good morning, Rich-gege." A-Yuan smiled up at Lan Wangji, who hummed in acknowledgement, then looked at Lan Qiren uncertainly.
"Good morning, A-Yuan. My name is Lan Qiren. You can call me Uncle Lan," he smiled at the toddler.
Wen Yuan bowed. "Good morning, Uncle Lan."
Wen Ning suddenly appeared and invited them to breakfast.
"I appreciate you trying not to worry us and helping with the work," Wen Ning said as he showed them to some empty seats.
"I would like to apologise, my efforts seemed to have made the situation more complicated for you."
Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji sat down among the Wens, who all looked at them with interest. They exchanged nods in greeting.
"Young Master Wei always makes things complicated. Last month an experiment exploded in his cave. The cleanup was horrendous..."
Lan Qiren could easily imagine the older Wens shaking their heads and smiling fondly at Wei Wuxian's antics. Wen Qing would have yelled his ear off for the mess and any potential injuries, while Wen Ning would have calmly helped with the cleanup.
Wen Ning passed him a bowl of vegetable broth with a look he interpreted as a smile. The Wens conversed while they ate. At least his nephew ate silently beside him.
Wen Yuan was a little wary of Lan Qiren, but adhered to Lan Wangji. Adorable though Wen Yuan was, he was glad he would not have to endure breakfast with a lap full of squirming toddler.
They returned to the Demon-Slaughtering Cave to see Wei Wuxian sleeping, his robes draped over him.
Lan Wangji pulled out his other qiankun pouch, and from within produced cloaks and blankets.
"They were for uncle," he said. He placed the items on the table, on top of Wei Wuxian's various experiments. Holding a blanket, he made his way to Wei Wuxian's bed and covered him with it.
Lan Qiren gave the sleeping Wei Wuxian a final, long look, then turned to his nephew.
"Farewell Wangj."
"Goodbye, uncle."
Wei Wuxian woke up to the soothing tones of a guqin. Why would someone be playing the guqin? Ah yes, there was a lot of resentful energy in the Demon-Slaughtering Cave.
He cracked his eye open, and saw Lan Wangji seated at one of the rock tables, back straight, strumming the guqin elegantly. He admired the visage of the beautiful man in front of him.
He felt a warm weight on his shoulders, and turning his head as much as he could, he saw a thick blanket on him.
Lan Wangji looked up at the movement, and saw Wei Wuxian staring back at him. The two locked eyes for a moment, then Lan Wangji suddenly looked down at his hands while finishing the song. He glanced at the blanket and explained, "it was for uncle. Now it's for you."
"Thank you. It's very comfortable." Wei Wuxian felt inexplicably touched by the gesture. He tried moving. The pain was much more bearable. He rolled over and sat up slowly.
"This is what old people must feel like..." he said, stretching experimentally. "Speaking of old, what happened to Old Man Lan?"
There was a slight downturn to Lan Wangji's lips. A reaction! Wei Wuxian counted that as a minor victory.
"He has returned. I'm staying." He said.
Wei Wuxian looked perplexed. "For how long?"
"As long as needed."
The next day, Lan Qiren arrived back home. On alighting his sword, he made his way to look for Lan Xichen. He knew how to pace himself, and had taken necessary rests. So despite the long flight, he felt energetic with purpose.
He walked with his back straight, no sneaking around, greeting the disciples and ignoring the gazes that lingered. There was nothing to hide, and the rules forbade making assumptions and gossiping.
It appeared Lan Qiren was in luck; Nie Mingjue was visiting Lan Xichen. If they were to house the Wens, then they would be going against the Jin Sect. The support of another major sect was indispensable.
If the Jiang Sect were to join forces with the Jin Sect though... in any case, the combined presences of the powerhouses that were Nie Mingjie, the Twin Jades of Lan, the Yiling Patriarch and the Ghost General would make anyone else think twice before trying to stir up trouble.
He understood his nephew, Lan Xichen would certainly support the Wens. As for Nie Mingjue, he would no doubt huff about them housing the Wens. However, he was ultimately a righteous man, and would not argue them taking in those in need. In any case, he'd be more furious with Jin Guangshan for lying about the harmless prisoners.
Lan Qiren joined the sworn brothers in the Hanshi. The three exchanged greetings, Nie Mingjue failing to hide his interest in Lan Qiren's appearance.
"Sect Leader Nie, if you are not in any rush, I would like for you to go to the Burial Mounds." Lan Qiren said the moment they finished the greetings.
Nie Mingjue was surprised. He had never interacted much with Lan Qiren, and to suddenly get such a request was unexpected.
"My sect is aware I would be away for a while," Nie Mingjue said, "I can make the time to go. But why?"
"There is something there I'd like for you to see. You too, Xichen." He knew that his nephew did not have any urgent business to tend to for another month.
"What has the Yiling Patriarch done now?" Nie Mingjue asked.
"Nothing, but I would like you to observe the army of cultivators that he has collected. There will be no danger, Wangji is there." He pulled out a sheet of paper from his sleeve, a set of instructions he had noted during his rest stops, and gave them to Lan Xichen. "Once you have seen what Wei Wuxian has done, read this."
He then practically shooed off the two Sect Leaders. He vaguely heard Nie Mingjue ask Lan Xichen, "what happened to his beard?" as they took to the skies.
The two flew into the distance, and he spun around to search for the Lan Elders. He had compiled a mental list of facts and arguments to convince them to let the Wens join their community.
He wondered if they'd take him more seriously if he had his beard.
Wei Wuxian was able to move about slowly in the following days. Wen Qing was adamant he was to do nothing more physical than walking outside to get some sunshine. He wasn't even allowed to lift up adorable A-Yuan when the boy was looking at him with those puppy-dog eyes. Lan Wangji had that honour instead. That boy really liked his Rich-gege.
Two days after Lan Qiren left, an alarm sounded loudly, indicating a presence at the entrance of the Burial Mound. The occupants of the Burial Mound have come to expect visitors and hopeful demonic cultivator fanatics, and usually ignored the alarm. However, the volume of the alarm indicated the high cultivation levels of the visitors, and Wei Wuxian insisted he and Wen Ning be the ones to see who was at their doorstep, while Lan Wangji stay behind. Just in case. Besides, Wen Yuan was clinging happily to Lan Wangji's leg.
"Come on, if there's any danger, I'll be playing my flute, not running around. If there's no danger, I can let them in."
Wen Qing conceded his point, and allowed them to see who the visitors were. Wei Wuxian scowled. As if he needed her permission to roam his own turf!
"Young Master Wei, are you really feeling alright?" Wen Ning asked on the way down the Burial Mounds. It was not the first time he'd asked that day.
Wei Wuxian sighed. "I am fine, and the answer won't change just because you keep asking."
A strange sound came out of the fierce corpse. Wei Wuxian looked quizzically at his friend. "Was that a laugh? Why are you laughing at me?"
"That was exactly what Senior Lan said the other day when he was pretending to be you."
Wei Wuxian burst into a surprised laughter.
They reached the foot of the Burial Mounds and were taken aback at the identity of their visitors.
"Sect Leader Nie, Sect Leader Lan," Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning greeted.
The two sect leaders returned their greeting. "Young Master Wei, it is good to see you again." Lan Xichen smiled, as though he was here by invitation. Nie Mingjue, on the other hand, looked a little baffled about his own presence there.
"Ah, yeah," Wei Wuxian scratched his head abashedly. He trusted the Lan Xichen at least, so in an attempt to be a good host to Lan Wangji's brother, he adjusted the defence barrier "uh, please, enter."
As Wei Wuxian lead the way up, he queried about their sudden appearance at the Burial Mounds.
"Uncle wanted us to come," Lan Xichen said.
Hmm. Well, Old Man Lan wasn't hostile towards the Wens.
Nie Mingjue stared piercingly at him. Suddenly, he blurted, "was it really you who took off Senior Lan's beard?"
"Hey! I had a mishap, but Lan Zhan was the one who shaved it off!" Lan Wangji had divulged that bit of information after Wei Wuxian had wondered whether fire was a quick alternative to shaving.
The elder sect leader guffawed.
Upon seeing the Yiling Patriarch's army, the Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen agreed that the Wens could not continue living in the current conditions. Lan Qiren's note was instructions on how to transport all of the Wens back to the Cloud Recesses with the use of Wei Wuxian's teleportation arrays.
And so, after some weak protests (we are doing fine we don't want to trouble you...), and after a few days of preparations, the Wens left the Burial Mounds for good.
Wei Wuxian stood across from Lan Qiren in Lan Qiren's study. He saw that Lan Qiren was standing somewhat stiffly. Although gossiping was forbidden, he had heard something about Lan Qiren offering himself up for some punishment, which he could only assume had something to do with him.
"I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for us." He bowed deeply, then lowered onto his knees. Lan Qiren reached out to lift him by his elbows.
"Young Master Wei, there is no need for that. In fact, the circumstances are greatly advantageous to the Gusu Lan Sect."
Wei Wuxian could not deny that. Some of the Wens decided to start anew in Caiyi town, while others agreed to stay at the Cloud Recesses, supporting with menial tasks in the Lan household.
Wen Ning, after being deemed safe, accompanied junior Lan disciples on night hunts. When he wasn't doing so, he was helping out in the physicians quarters with Wen Qing, who was assisting and teaching the Gusu Lan physicians.
Wen Yuan was accepted as a Gusu Lan disciple, and Wei Wuxian could no longer bury him in the dirt in his spotless robes.
One of the conditions for the Gusu Lan's shelter was the destruction of the Stygian Tiger Seal, which he was more than happy to comply with.
With the dangerous artefact destroyed, he was allowed to continue with his research and experiments.
Lan Qiren determined that he could use resentful energies, provided he took steps to mitigate the harmful effects of excessive use. In full teacher mode, he insisted on teaching him meditation methods to help with purifying resentful energies.
Additionally, he ordered Lan Wangji to play Cleansing for him daily to help heal his mind. Wei Wuxian had been thrilled at that news; Lan Wangji was such a fun person to tease! The Second Jade of Lan had stared at him with that blank expression, looking neither pleased nor displeased.
Nie Mingjue had offered full support in the face of Jin Guangshan's disapproval. Even Jiang Cheng publicly sanctioned them, despite his hatred of Wens. There was nothing the Jin Sect could do to the Wen remnants without inciting the ire of the other major sects.
This meant that Jin Guangshan could only swallow his dissatisfaction when Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli wished to continue their association with him.
The other condition for Gusu Lan's protection was answering Lan Qiren's questions in this meeting.
The two knelt across from each other, a table between them. Lan Qiren began, " what you tell me today remains between us, and you are under no obligation to share all of your secrets. However, the knowledge of golden core removal is dangerous. You may believe that there is no danger to the cultivation world, but I need to be certain."
Wei Wuxian was eternally grateful for everything that Lan Qiren had done for the Wens and himself, and felt he owed his ex-teacher an explanation for what he suffered during the body swap. So, despite his discomfort at recalling the painful memories of the ordeal, he told him everything.
He stared down at the table when he completed his tale. The silence was palpable. What did his ex-teacher think? Were his actions foolish?
Lan Qiren did not comment on what he thought about Wei Wuxian's decision to transfer his golden core. Instead, he said, "Miss Wen is indeed amazing. It was the right decision to have her here sharing her knowledge."
Huh?
"She is almost certainly the foremost doctor in current times, and we house one of the largest collections of resources on cultivation. With research, we may find a way of forming a golden core again, or cultivating without the use of resentful energies, or... are you in pain? Why are you crying?"
Wei Wuxian did not answer. Instead, he leapt across the table and hugged the older man tightly.
"Young Master Wei..."
"Thank you! Thank you! I promise to not run around here anymore! Of course, unless there's an emergency! And I promise to not yell here! And to never eat more than three bowls of rice! And..."
Wei Wuxian did not let go of the uncomfortable man, and made many more promises.
He did not mention alcohol at all.
If Lan Qiren noticed, he didn't say anything about it.
"A-Qing-jie?" A-Yuan went looking for his cousin in the physicians quarters. There was no-one in sight. He'd never been alone in this room before. It was a chance to explore!
He looked around the beds and the cabinets. On the table there was a huge pile of books and wooden boxes piled on top of each other. But what caught his eye was the golden object next to the books. So shiny!
He toddled over to the table and picked up the object. It was a gold tortoise. He had a feeling he'd seen this before...
Oh, yes! He saw Uncle Lan holding it before. Satisfied that he remembered who it belonged to, he placed it back on the table and left the room.
Little did he know that he would embark on an exciting adventure the next day.
THE END
BONUS SCENE
When his uncle first began acting strangely, both his brother and himself were sure it was not an evil spirit; there were barriers at Cloud Recesses that repelled evil spirits. But then he saw the way his 'uncle' ate, the way he tried to swallow the vegetables as quickly as possible, like he was avoiding the taste. The way his knees shook, the way he slightly chewed on the end of his chopsticks, the way he placed the chopsticks on the finished bowl of rice, angled slightly towards his right, the way he tapped his knees in thought...
They were all actions he'd seen in another before.
And when Lan Xichen and he decided he should follow his 'uncle', he saw the way his 'uncle' laughed and skipped around and drew those familiar-looking arrays. His suspicions were all but confirmed.
Then that puppy appeared, and his 'uncle' was caught in that explosion which burnt off part of his beard. Lan Wangji had gathered his 'uncle' and the arrays, flying them back to Cloud Recesses.
Uncle's beard had been half burnt off and could not be salvaged. He regrettably shaved it for him.
The body swap mess was sorted out in short order, and now Lan Wangji was beyond happy. Their sect took in the Wens, upholding justice. The innocent people now had a safe haven.
More importantly, with the Wens moving into the Cloud Recesses, he could bask in Wei Wuxian's brightness everyday. His uncle even ordered him to accompany Wei Wuxian!
His uncle, who was acting strangely again and was attempting to hug Wei Wuxian's leg...