When Wangji came back to Gusu to hide Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen didn't exactly stop him.
On the contrary, he encouraged as such, and prevented any of Jin Guangshan's attempts from searching the Cloud Recesses, explaining that it was close to their yearly mourning period.
It's not a lie. It was indeed the yearly mourning period. Ever since the Wens burned down Cloud Recesses, the Lans held a mourning ceremony every year to commemorate the fallen.
During the day, every single person wore plain white.
However, that day had passed during the discussion conference. The thing was, there was a week-long period before and one after that was considered also part of the mourning period, during which Lan disciples could request to mourn privately.
For the guest disciples that came every three years, it was two weeks of free time, but they mostly kept to the guest dormitories, out of respect for the clan.
Otherwise, no guests were allowed during those two weeks.
Lin Xuemi herself chose today to mourn the Min clan. She kept her hair devoid of any trinkets. Even the hairpin that Lan Xichen gave her wasn't in her hair, tucked away in her sleeves. Even the dagger that was the only reminder of her father wasn't ornamenting the black strands. There was just a simple white ribbon.
Contrary to popular belief, the Gusu Lan sect had different robes for everyday wear and for mourning. Mourning robes were much simpler and were lighter, to provide a little comfort to those that would kneel in the ancestral hall for days at a time.
The Lady of White stayed on her knees the whole day, practicing inedia out of respect for her elders. She poured ceremonial tea across the floor, in front of the tablets, and kowtowed.
Stick after stick of incense, and fire talisman after fire talisman to light them. No one dared to enter the ancestral hall and disturb her.
The next day, Xuemi donned her usual robes and put the two hairpins back in her hair. She kept the white ribbon.
A melancholic melody echoed throughout the Cloud Recesses, near the Gentian House.
Xuemi remembered the first time she saw Wangji mourn for his mother. He got up promptly at five, and made his way to the Gentian House, kneeling outside the door.
It puzzled her, at first, but later, Xichen told her.
He told her of a mother who killed her lover's mentor, and how she was to be disciplined by the Lan sect- most likely, killed.
He told her of a father who married that murderer in desperation, and how he locked himself up too. How they loved each other, but only saw each other twice after their marriage.
Once, when they conceived Lan Xichen.
The other time, when they conceived Lan Wangji.
He told her of how they went to visit their mother once a month, and only once a month. He told her of how dear little A-Zhan looked forward to those visits.
He told her of how one day, their uncle told them that their mother was no longer here, that she was gone. He told her of how they didn't know that she would never come back, and how A-Zhan kneeled outside, waiting for the door to open.
It never did.
As she listened to the melody float through her home, Shuanghu found its way to her lips. She started playing in harmony as well.
Some habits never die.
Lan Xichen heard her. He gave way, gave her an opening to take the melody.
She refused, adamantly playing the accompaniment until he took up melody again.
This was his mourning song. This was Lan Xichen and Madam Lan's mourning song, and she had no right to interfere.
Later, she would play another song. It would be her song, but it wasn't a mourning song.
It was a song for the two of them.
When Liebing joined her, she would give him some parts. It would be a true duet, and not a melody with an accompaniment. Wei Wuxian would sit and listen. Wangji would come back, but he would not play along with his guqin.
No, this was a song for the two of them alone.
Up in the sky, the moon would shine. A new moon, with a light cold and bright.
The mourning period was over.
Unfortunately, that meant that the white sheets had to be taken off, and they no longer had an excuse to keep Jin Zixun at bay.
When the Jin Sect Heir strode into the Hanshi without so much of a knock, Lan Xichen made no move to stop him.
Lin Xuemi was not pleased.
"Jin-gongzi, this is Sect Leader Lan's personal chambers. Please knock before entering." She said by the door, before entering herself, walking past the Jin entourage. She did not knock shoulders with Jin Zixun, but she most definitely refrained from bowing to him in favour of sitting down at Lan Xichen's table.
Jin Zixun's face twisted into an unpleasant sneer before he sat down as well.
He did not drink tea when the cup was set down in front of him.
"Lan-zongzhu, if I am not mistaken, your mourning period is over. Please allow us to search the Cloud Recesses."
On the other side of his privacy screen, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji knelt, using spiritual energy to mask the thrum of Wangji's core. Wei Wuxian nearly hitched his breath but aborted it immediately, afraid of drawing attention.
"Jin-gongzi." Xichen's voice was anything but deferential. "You may search the Cloud Recesses, but I ask that you respect the disciples' privacy. Although the official mourning period may be over, the ancestral tablets may still be up."
Jin Zixun's sneer became a fraction more vicious. "I believe that Grieving in excess is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses."
"That does not mean one can't grieve at all, Jin-gongzi." Xuemi replied smoothly.
"Is the Third Jade of Gusu finding loopholes in the rules of the Lan clan?"
"The disciplines of the Gusu Lan clan are for the righteous spirit. Sometimes, they may not be entirely correct, or even wrong. We learn to be flexible."
"You-!"
"Jin-gongzi." Lan Xichen interrupted. "I said that you may search the Cloud Recesses."
"Does that include the Hanshi?"
"It does not."
Jin Zixun glared at Xichen. Xichen returned it with a pacifying stare.
He was not being disrespectful, nor impolite, but his sentiment was.
"Does Jin-gongzi believe that Lan-zongzhu cannot sufficiently go through his own chambers?" Xuemi questioned. "Or is this an accusation that Lan-zongzhu is harboring the Yiling Patriarch in the Hanshi?"
Silence.
Jin Zixun scowled. "It won't be necessary to search the Cloud Recesses. We have information that the Yiling Patriarch is in Burial Mounds."
Xichen raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Zixun smirked. "Yes. Corpses have been raised and all of them have been headed to Burial Mounds."
"I see."
"Jin-zongzhu does hope that Lan-zongzhu will come to Carp Tower to participate in a discussion to organize the second siege of the Burial Mounds."
The Second Siege.
Still smirking, Jin Zixun stood up and left, not even throwing a look over his shoulder.
Once he was adequately out of earshot, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji emerged from their hiding spot.
Wei Wuxian spoke first. "I will go check on Burial Mounds with Lan Zhan."
Xichen nodded. "To make sure that we do not attract suspicion, Xuemi and I will go to the meeting at Carp Tower. Wangji, Wuxian, be careful."
The pair nodded.
Sizhui was not happy.
He rarely admitted that to himself. As the first young master of his generation, he was the role model for all his age. But he thinks that he's definitely earned a few complaints at this point.
It's been days since he and the dozens of other junior disciples were captured and brought here, in the Demon-Slaughtering Cave. Disciples from many sects were here: Jin, Nie, Jiang, Lan, obviously, but also Ouyang, Su, Zhou, and other small sects that Lan Sizhui could not care to remember at the moment. Their swords (and fans, in Wenxin's case) were tied together and thrown in a corner.
It was a miracle that they haven't argued yet. During the previous days, all of them were quite tired. Qingxue (bound close to him) had tried to trace characters onto his palm, but Sizhui didn't manage to interpret them properly. He assumed that she knew something, but Qingxue was definitely not comfortable speaking in the presence of all these strangers.
Speaking of arguing…
"Say, Jin Ling, why didn't you just cut his throat, instead of stabbing him in the gut?" A Jin disciple- Jin Chan, he believed, he didn't know, he really was tired, so what if he sounded like Nie Huaisang- complained.
Wenxin immediately talked back. "How are you so sure that it was Senior Wei that captured us?"
"Who else could it be?!" A different disciple- Yao, by the looks of their clothes- shot back.
"It couldn't have been him." Wushan asserted. "He saved us once. If he really wanted to use us, it could've been just at Yi City."
The juniors that were present winced at the reminder of the exhausting trip.
"Don't try to convince me with those." An Ouyang disciple said. "He was probably tricking you, just to get your respect, and brainwash you!"
"He saved us at Mo manor as well, though." One of the Lan disciples piped up. "If he had malicious intent, he could've left us for the dead."
"As if." Someone snorted.
Jingyi lamented. "It's been days since they left. What do they want? Torture or death, just give it to us. I would rather be killed during a night-hunt, rather than starving to death here."
"What else could they want?" Jin Chan spat. "Obviously, he wants to turn us into puppets and pit us against our families. That bastard Wei, he has no humanity."
"Shut up!"
Surprisingly, it was Jin Ling that reacted to Jin Chan's jab at Wei Wuxian. Jin Chan was thrown off a bit. "'Shut up?' What's your meaning?"
"My meaning? Are you deaf or stupid? Can't you understand the human language? 'Shut up' means 'stop talking.'"
"How dare you order me to shut up?" Behind Jin Chan, Jingyi grumbled as he was jerked. He would much rather be bound to the Young Mistress, thank you very much. (Or maybe not, considering the impending fight.)
"What's the use if you keep talking? Can the ropes be untied if you talk? It can only make noise."
"You-!"
"Are you done?"
Sizhui's authoritative voice cut through the air. He rarely raised his voice, but right now he was irritated, hungry, tired, and that stupid taunting of his memories was back, more intense than ever. "We're trapped here, and we don't know if the puppets will barge into the cave. Do you really need to bicker at this point?"
Jin Chan really didn't know when to stop. "He's the one that started it! Why can't I tell anyone off while you can? Do you really think that because you're the Chief Cultivator's grandson, you will become the Excellency?"
Unbeknownst to all of them, three of their seniors were standing outside, listening to their argument with amusement.
"I won't shut up. What can you do to me? You want to fight? Alright, come at me! You bastard without maternal love!"
That was the last straw; Jin Ling immediately began engaging in a fight with Jin Chan. The brawl escalated, and Jingyi was pulled in. Unfortunately, Sizhui was stuck in the middle, and after a few hits, he joined in as well.
The "Hey!" from Senior Wei was most definitely welcome.
A grin spread on Sizhui's face as he recognized the figure in white beside him. "Hanguang-jun!"
"Hanguang-jun!" Jingyi repeated, smiling equally as wide.
"What are you delighted for? They're on the same side!" Jin Chan yelled, to which Jingyi only 'pshed' in response.
Senior Wei drew Suibian, and gave it to Wen Ning.
In hindsight, Jin Ling and Sizhui will both be very ashamed of their cowardly behavior, but they couldn't deny that the Ghost general walking up to them ominously was terrifying. However, when Suibian came down in a wide arc, the only damage it did was to the deity-binding ropes.
The next arcs were smaller, no longer for intimidation, as ropes were cut. Jingyi pursed his lips, similarly shamed, as he shot Wen Ning a look of apology.
Sizhui stood up and retrieved his sword, as the others took back their weapons. The Lan disciples bowed to Hanguang-jun, then Sizhui turned to the other. "Mo… Wei-qianbei." he corrected himself. "You're here to rescue us, right? You didn't send the people to capture us, right?"
"Me?" Senior Wei asked incredulously. "It's not like you don't know how poor I am. Where would I find such a large sum of money to hire these people?"
Sizhui smiled, and couldn't resist the next tease. "I am aware that Wei-qianbei was tragically poor."
Wei Wuxian blinked a few times, as Jingyi stifled a giggle. Senior Wei nodded, a smile coming back to his lips. "Good boy." His smile faded as they moved on to more important matters. "How many are the enemy? Was there an ambush?"
Wushan stepped forward, frowning. "There were many people with a ghost-face mask, so we couldn't see their faces."
"There were many puppets as well, the whole time we were here." Jingyi added. "They just left us here, as if they wanted to leave us to fate."
Qingxue started signing.
One of them is the same one we encountered in Yi City, with the Lan swordsmanship, but also Jin.
Sizhui was impressed that Qingxue could tell that, but she had always been a superior swordswoman.
Hanguang-jun seemed to understand. "Well done."
The Lan disciples ducked their heads bashfully.
Senior Wei came forward and patted Sizhui. "It really is 'well done.' Even Sizhui knows how to fight, now." A hint of admonishment made its way into his tone.
Sizhui looked at the ground, unsure of how to respond. "Before…" He looked up. "I was seized with an impulse."
At this moment, Jin Ling came forward.
Immediately, the twins approached him. Wenxin put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something to him. The four Lans encircled Senior Wei protectively.
"Jin-gongzi." Sizhui said warily.
Wei Wuxian seemed unbothered. "What are you guys doing?" He gently pushed them away, and the last one only budged with a whisper of "Lan Zhan."
"You don't want to stab him again, do you?" Jingyi blurted before he could stop himself.
"Jingyi!"
"I-"
"Okay." Wei Wuxian stopped them. "Can we get out of here, first?"
The three juniors involved nodded.
No one moved.
Wushan eyed them. "What, you all want to stay here?"
"There are so many puppets outside." Jin Chan rubbed his wrist. "You want us to go outside, to what? Walk to our deaths?"
Wen Ning realized this too. "Gongzi, I'll disperse them."
Wei Wuxian nodded and tossed him Suibian, unsheathed.
The other disciples, especially the Yao, took a bit more convincing, but eventually, Sizhui managed to get them to leave with them with logic and reasoning.
It was all worth it, for that spark of pride in Qingxue-jie's eyes.
Suddenly, Wen Ning flew back into the cave and landed heavily on his back, Suibian still in his hand.
Wei Wuxian rushed over. "Wen Ning?"
The Ghost general shook his head. "I'm fine."
"A-Ling, come here!"
The new voice wasn't exactly new. Jin Ling's eyes widened. "Jiujiu?"
The junior disciples cautiously stepped out of the cave. The Jiang delegation was there first, but the others were coming. Lan, Jin, Nie, and countless other small clans appeared from the trees. The disciples rushed out, running to their family members.
Except for the Lans.
The eight Lan disciples waited for Hanguang-jun to step out, and they bowed in unison to Sect Leader Lan and Bai-guniang. The eight disciples walked over to the rest of the Lans, but Hanguang-jun stood, unwavering.
He didn't move when Wei Wuxian joined him at his side.
Sizhui wasn't surprised. He supposed that Wei Wuxian was a very good friend of Hanguang-jun.
He was surprised when Bai-guniang broke from their ranks.
The Lady of White squeezed Lan-zongzhu's hand reassuringly, and she calmly walked over, and stood by her shidi.
This was a side she had long ago wished to take; defending the Burial Mounds, the home of her last blood relatives.
She ignored the gasps, particularly from Lan Qiren's direction. She noticed how Wangji stood firm, even when Qiren called for him to go over.
The three of them were alone, facing a multitude of cultivators.
But all three of them thought it was worth it.