Note: I made chapter summaries, which are posted on archiveofourown. The link is on my profile page. This way, you won't have to reread the whole fanfic to catch up again. Hope it helps. Especially since my updates are irregular and take forever. ○|￣|_
Chapter warning: Teenagers talking awkwardly about erotica and sex.
Wei Wuxian's hand felt warm and steady as he eagerly led Pan Wukun forward.
Pan Wukun wasn't exactly keen on Wei Wuxian holding her hand. But she couldn't pull away now. She needed to show Wei Wuxian that she was willing to befriend him. Become someone he considered an ally. Only an ally, at most.
She couldn't - shouldn't make friends here. She was fine without any. It made leaving this world a lot easier…
Being too close to the canon characters would just put her in danger.
Pan Wukun knew one thing for certain. They absolutely must not be caught by Lan Wangji. The sight of her holding Wei Wuxian's hand would be burnt in Lan Wangji's memory forever. Then he would shish kebab her with Bichen repeatedly with the wrath of a thousand suns.
The CPR session (not a kiss!) was already bad enough. If anymore happened between Pan Wukun and Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji would not even leave her corpse intact.
With their free hands, Pan Wukun held one jar of Emperor's Smile while Wei Wuxian held the other jar.
Up ahead, they saw the multi-meter-high white wall enclosing the Cloud Recesses.
Wei Wuxian looked up at the top of the wall. "You have a jade token, right Chun-ge?"
Pan Wukun pulled a jade object out of her qiankun pouch. "I guess you heard about me working with the GusuLan healers. They gave it to me after I agreed to teach the breath-saving method I used to rescue you."
In the darkness of the night, Pan Wukun couldn't see Wei Wuxian blushing at the mention of the CPR procedure.
"Oh–! Um–! That's nice! We don't have to steal one then!" Wei Wuxian said.
Pan Wukun rolled her eyes. "You've already broken enough rules tonight."
Wei Wuxian snickered.
Just as Wei Wuxian was about to toss his jar of Emperor's Smile over the wall, Pan Wukun held her arm out to stop him. "Wait."
Knowing Lan Wangji, he was keeping a very close eye on Wei Wuxian. He would expect Wei Wuxian to avoid detection by leaping over the wall.
If her plan worked, they didn't even have to sneak in at all.
"Follow my lead. I have an idea."
"Halt! Who goes there!"
Wei Wuxian waved cheerily. "It's Wei Wuxian!"
Pan Wukun simply raised a hand in greeting. "And Pan Wukun…"
Upon seeing Wei Wuxian, a guest disciple, the GusuLan sect cultivators relaxed and sheathed their swords. Then their eyes sharpened. "Wei-gongzi, you are not supposed to be out past curfew!"
"Please pardon Wei-gongzi this time!" Pan Wukun said quickly. "He is assisting me with important research for the sect infirmary's breath-saving procedures at my request!"
Recognition showed in the guards' eyes. "Ah. So you are the one in charge of the sect infirmary's latest project."
"Yes. That's right." Pan Wukun rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Forgive me for Wei Wuxian's lateness. I'm afraid that time passed by faster than I anticipated. You know how us doctor types can be…"
The guards looked at each other knowingly.
Pan Wukun thought, Ah. So the GusuLan healers do get absorbed in their work like med students and doctors.
Pan Wukun wasn't even a med student or a doctor herself but she knew how her medical major cousins studied in college. So many assessment exams…
Wei Wuxian grinned. "Yup! That's right! I'm just helping out good ol' Chun-ge here!"
The guards looked at each other in a silent discussion. Wei Wuxian was notorious for mischief and garnering Lan Qiren's ire. But if he was trying very hard to hide something, he wouldn't have entered right through the entrance of the Cloud Recesses in plain sight.
Fortunately, Pan Wukun and Wei Wuxian had hidden the Emperor's Smile jars away in her qiankun pouch. Since Pan Wukun wasn't a guest disciple, the GusuLan sect was a lot laxer with her. She didn't have to follow the rules and didn't have to offer up her qiankun pouch for a thorough security inspection. After all, with the many times she's frequented Gusu City, the guards learned to trust her by now.
The guards stepped aside. "Very well. You may enter."
Wei Wuxian strode through the entrance with an easygoing hum while Pan Wukun breathed a little easier.
Good thing the guards took her bluff.
She and Wei Wuxian managed to enter the Cloud Recesses without a fuss.
She successfully avoided incurring the wrath of Lan Wangji and Bichen!
Yes! She was safe!
Pan Wukun and Wei Wuxian stopped before one of the guest disciple residences.
Wei Wuxian knocked on the door with a special rhythm.
The door opened a crack.
"It's me," Wei Wuxian whispered.
Jiang Cheng poked his head out. "It's about time you came back."
At Pan Wukun's presence, Jiang Cheng did not even blink in surprise.
He pulled Wei Wuxian and Pan Wukun in by their arms and quickly shut the door.
"Look! Wei-xiong's back!"
The other guest disciples gathered around Wei Wuxian and Pan Wukun.
"Whoa. Is this the 'Chun-ge' guy you keep talking about, Wei-xiong?"
Pan Wukun was met by the curious stares of teenage boys circling around her. - Oh, look, Nie Huaisang was here too.
Wei Wuxian nodded with a big smile. "Yup! This is my good friend, Chun-ge!"
Over the past few nights of partying, he had told the boys the story of how he and Jiang Cheng helped Pan Wukun fight off some unruly cultivators from a minor sect.
"Do you remember which sect they were from, Wei-xiong?"
Wei Wuxian had tilted his head in thought. "Hmmm…" Then he grinned. "Nope! I don't, at all!"
When the boys asked Jiang Cheng, he said that he didn't remember either.
Now, the central figure of those stories, Pan Wukun, was finally here for the boys to see for themselves just who Wei Wuxian couldn't shut up about.
To the boys, Pan Wukun was one of the shortest seventeen-year-olds they had ever seen. For someone who was the same age as Lan Xichen, this rogue cultivator sure was small.
Wei Wuxian nudged Pan Wukun. "Chun-ge! Tell us what it's like to be a rogue cultivator!"
"Oh…ok then." Pan Wukun talked about her most memorable cases as a rogue cultivator: the shanxiao, the kuishou, and the wutou gui.
Everyone made noises of disgust, fear, and awe at the most pivotal moments. "Whoa, Pan-xiong. That's so cool. We wish our families would let us go out on night hunts more."
Pan Wukun sighed. These youngsters totally missed the "I nearly got mauled to death" parts.
Wei Wuxian leaned towards Nie Huaisang with a sly smile. "Nie-xiong. Do you have the goods?"
Nie Huaisang sent him a sly smile back. "Why yes, Wei-xiong, I've brought the perfect reading material for tonight," he said pridefully. He pulled out a collection of erotica books from his robes.
The boys whooped and cheered. "We can always count on you, Nie-xiong!"
As the boys passed the books around and ogled at the explicit illustrations with glee, something caught Pan Wukun's eye.
Pan Wukun blinked. Was that…gay erotica?!
Nie Huaisang noticed Pan Wukun staring intently at the gay erotica books. "Something catch your interest, Pan-xiong?"
"Your family is actually fine with us reading…" Pan Wukun waved a hand over the gay erotica. "...this?"
Nie Huaisang shrugged. "Da-ge doesn't know about my erotica books but he doesn't really mind cut-sleeves."
Good on Nie Mingjue for being open-minded, Pan Wukun thought. "I'm wondering…how exactly did you even get your hands on these books, Nie-gongzi?" she asked.
The other boys who were listening in on the conversation leaned closer to Nie Huaisang.
Nie Huaisang took out his fan. He kept it closed, tapping it against his hand. "It all started many years ago when the newest volume of the Legend of Evil Spirits novel series was released. With its immense popularity, it was selling out fast. Although Da-ge had reserved a copy for me, the bookseller had to give the last copy away to someone else."
Nie Huaisang placed the fan to his chin in thought. "Apparently, a rogue cultivator in a black cloak approached the bookseller and fulfilled a special favor for him so he could get the last copy for his little brother's birthday."
Pan Wukun mulled over this. That sounded awfully familiar…
"Da-ge didn't get mad at the bookseller and conceded the victory to the rogue cultivator. Da-ge said, 'He risked his life to make his younger sibling happy. As an older brother myself, I could understand'. Then while Da-ge talked to the bookseller, I wandered around and spotted the seller's stash of erotica books hidden away in a corner! So later, when Da-ge went away to important meetings, I secretly bought some of the erotica books, even those of the cut-sleeve and orchid genres."
The boys made sounds of awe. "Nie-xiong! You're so clever!"
Nie Huaisang flipped his fan open, hiding a smug smile behind it.
"Wait, Nie-gongzi. What exactly was the special favor this rogue cultivator fulfilled for the bookseller?" Pan Wukun asked.
"The bookseller said that it was something about retrieving a special mystical artifact deep in the forest. With all kinds of entities lurking around in the forest near the artifact, it was a most dangerous task. But the rogue cultivator must've been quite powerful. He managed to survive and bring the artifact back alive!"
"...I see." Pan Wukun had no doubts now. The rogue cultivator Nie Huaisang mentioned was none other than Pan Heng.
Years ago, Pan Wukun was feeling particularly bored. Yes, she had cultivation training to occupy her. But there wasn't much to do for entertainment.
She made known her boredom to Pan Heng and he got her the first volume of the popular book series, Legend of Evil Spirits, which was said to be very entertaining and addicting.
It was true. Pan Wukun flipped through the first volume in a single night and hunted down the next few volumes.
Then her birthday came, along with the release of the newest book in the series. Sadly, it was sold out and Pan Wukun had to resign herself to a long wait for it to restock.
But Pan Heng put on his black cloak to leave Xuhou, telling Pan Wukun to wait for him.
Later that night, Pan Heng came back home especially disheveled. He shakily handed her the newest volume of Legend of Evil Spirits before collapsing on his bed.
The next day, with enough curious prodding from Pan Wukun, Pan Heng told her about having to fight some fierce entities in a forest to retrieve some mystical artifact for a bookseller.
After listening to Nie Huaisang's story, Pan Wukun couldn't believe how something so insignificant could've affected his reading taste.
Nie Huaisang got his hands on gay erotica all because she wanted the next book in a series?!
The availability of gay erotica was no surprise to Pan Wukun.
Lan Wangji must've gotten gay erotica from somewhere. How else would he have known how to have penetrative sex with Wei Wuxian?
Besides, Pan Wukun did buy some sapphic erotica, orchid books as they were called, from a bookseller herself. She had to support her fellow sapphics.
It turned out that the bookseller Pan Wukun met was happily married to her cultivator wife. They explained to her about relationships in general society and how they differed in cultivation society.
Male-attracted men were called cut-sleeves while female-attracted women were called orchids.
Outside of cultivation society, Regular and Mundane China functioned just fine in the background.
Some non-cultivators and cultivators alike held distaste for same-sex relations while others did not.
Cultivators were expected to birth children to pass on their cultivation abilities and family name, placing an emphasis on bloodlines. Many sect leaders were adamant about passing their sects on to legitimate heirs.
But with Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang, it seemed that this was not the case with all notable cultivators.
Since Nie Huaisang and the other boys were secretly reading erotica at the Cloud Recesses, they got curious about relationships that weren't heterosexual. Over the past few nights of partying, the boys had learned how two men and two women had sex with each other.
Nie Huaisang even secretly lent orchid books to female disciples of the Cloud Recesses at their request.
After Nie Huaisang finished telling his story of how he first got erotica, Wei Wuxian exclaimed, "Nie-xiong actually lent me some cut-sleeve books. I showed them to Lan Zhan!"
The boys laughed. "Yes! We remember! You managed to make Lan Wangji shout 'Get Lost!'. You're so daring, Wei-xiong!"
Pan Wukun was shocked. - Wei Wuxian actually showed Lan Wangji gay erotica?! Wait…did this mean that Wei Wuxian was already aware of his bisexuality?
But before Pan Wukun could ponder more on Wei Wuxian's sexuality, Wei Wuxian leaned into her from behind. His arms reached over her shoulders. "Look, Chun-ge! Look!" He held open an erotica book in front of her, its pages fully spread out to give her a nice view of a sex scene between a man and a woman.
Pan Wukun was exasperated. Did Wei Wuxian have to lean forward so close into her? He was such a touchy-feely guy. "Were you expecting shock, Wei-gongzi? I am two years your senior. You think I haven't seen erotica by now?"
Wei Wuxian chuckled. "You've probably done it yourself, haven't you, Chun-ge?"
Everyone leaned in close to Pan Wukun. "Tell us what it's like, Pan-xiong!"
"No." Pan Wukun crossed her arms. "I don't have anything to tell you because I've never actually done it before."
Wei Wuxian blinked in surprise. "What? Really?"
The other boys had the same reaction.
Wei Wuxian said, "But you're two years my senior, Chun-ge! And with your handsome looks, surely you must have a pretty maiden of your own by now!"
Pan Wukun shook her head. "No. Not yet. I'm not seeking love right now. I have too much on my mind."
I have to get home. I don't have the room in my heart to fall in love here.
Pan Wukun, being demisexual, didn't feel the desire to have casual sex with strangers. She had to make an emotional bond with someone first before even possibly having any sexual desire for them.
Nie Huaisang sighed. "Pan-xiong. The oldest of all of us and yet you've never gotten intimate with anyone!"
"I won't be doing any of that until I meet the right person I could trust and love," Pan Wukun said.
Wei Wuxian grinned. "So you're the romantic type, Chun-ge!"
The other boys were skeptical. "You've seriously never taken a woman to bed? As a rogue cultivator, you didn't go to any brothels?"
"I did."
"Aha!"
"But I was merely a bodyguard-for-hire."
Nie Huaisang remembered how Pan Wukun was so interested in the cut-sleeve erotica he brought. "Pan-xiong…are you…" He gestured to the cut-sleeve erotica books.
Pan Wukun understood what he was asking. It didn't hurt to answer him. She wouldn't be lying about her attraction to the same sex anyway.
"Yes. I am a cut-sleeve."
Everyone gasped.
"Wait…you said that you've never slept with a woman. Does that mean you only want men?"
Pan Wukun breathed in deeply. Once again, she must explain the existence of bisexuality to people. "No. I can be attracted to anyone."
The boys blinked, looking at each other. Then they turned to Pan Wukun with thoughtful expressions. "So…which of us do you think is attractive?"
"None of you." - (The boys uttered offended squawks.) - "You are all too young for me."
"What? Not even Wei-xiong or Jiang-xiong? They're ranked the 4th and 5th most handsome men in the cultivation world!" Nie Huaisang exclaimed.
"Nope. Not even them," Pan Wukun said simply.
Wei Wuxian pouted while Jiang Cheng frowned.
Wei Wuxian made fake sobbing noises and pretended to wipe his eyes. "So cruel, Chun-ge!"
Pan Wukun shrugged. "Sorry. Can't help who I get attracted to."
At that, Wei Wuxian stopped his fake crying act and his pout morphed into a devious smile. He leaned in close to Pan Wukun. "Oh? Then what kind of person are you attracted to, Chun-ge?"
Pan Wukun blinked at Wei Wuxian in astonishment. She really didn't expect him to ask her of all people that kind of question. Shouldn't he be saving that for Lan Wangji?
As for her ideal type, Pan Wukun wasn't entirely sure herself. She never really thought about it. She supposed the closest she had was having crushes on fictional characters, all of various different personalities. She never really knew where life would take her so she shouldn't be too closed off to different types of people. But that didn't mean she didn't set some standards for her potential partner.
"I just want someone who will love and accept me for who I am, flaws, strange habits, and all. Someone who will hug me when I'm happy or sad. Someone who will give me space and solitude when I ask for it. Someone who I'll hold tight and never let go."
The boys stared at Pan Wukun in stunned awe.
A soft smile appeared on Wei Wuxian's face. "Whoever becomes your lover will be lucky, Chun-ge."
The other boys laughed. "You're so sappy, Pan-xiong!"
All the boys began talking about their ideal types of romantic partners. - Someone who could cook well. Someone who was bubbly and affectionate. Someone who was diligent and responsible.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Wei Wuxian called for the boys' attention. As all the boys' eyes landed on him, he smirked. "Jiang Cheng's ideal type is…"
Jiang Cheng glared at him. "Wei Wuxian! Don't you dare!"
Wei Wuxian dashed around the room, evading Jiang Cheng and teasing him relentlessly. "Naturally beautiful! Graceful and obedient! Hard-working and thrifty! Should come from a respected family! Cultivation level not too high! Personality not too strong! Not too talkative! And voice not too loud!"
As the boys had a good laugh at Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's antics, Pan Wukun watched on in amusement. "If I didn't know any better, it sounds a lot like you're describing Jiang-guniang," she remarked.
Jiang Cheng stiffened and Wei Wuxian turned his attention to Pan Wukun.
"Oh? You fancy my shijie, Chun-ge?"
Pan Wukun shook her head and raised her hands up in denial. "What? N-No! I don't have such feelings for Jiang-guniang!"
Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng scowled.
Wei Wuxian looked upset with Pan Wukun for the first time. "Huh? And just why don't you harbor feelings for my shijie, Chun-ge? Does she not meet your standards?"
Pan Wukun swore she could feel the beginnings of killing intent emitting from Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. "No! It's just that…I am too unworthy for Jiang-guniang! A beautiful maiden like her deserves someone better than me!"
What she said was true. Jiang Yanli was too good for her and this world.
The killing intent dissipated. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng were appeased.
Wei Wuxian laughed and gave Pan Wukun friendly pats on the shoulder. "No need to be ashamed, Chun-ge! Should you ever reconsider, I'll help put in a good word for you with my shijie!"
Pan Wukun meekly nodded.
"Hey. Should we have another arm-wrestling contest?" one of the boys asked.
"We've already competed against each other last night though!"
Then everyone's heads turned in the same direction. "Wait. We haven't arm-wrestled with Pan-xiong yet."
Pan Wukun's lips curled up. "You boys really want to try testing your strength against me? You fancy sect cultivators don't stand a chance against an experienced rogue cultivator like me."
Flames seemed to blaze in the boys' eyes. "Oh yeah? We'll show you!"
One by one, the boys were defeated as Pan Wukun brought their arms down flat on the table.
Pan Wukun beat Jiang Cheng, much to his frustration.
Nie Huaisang had wisely chosen to stay out of the arm wrestling competition and watch the show from the sidelines.
Finally, the last boy left was Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian smirked. "Better get ready to lose, Chun-ge. I'm going to win!"
"We're counting on you, Wei-xiong! Avenge us!" the boys cried.
Pan Wukun and Wei Wuxian clasped their hands together. They gritted their teeth as they tightened their grip on each other's hands.
Pan Wukun grunted as she held her arm steady. Wei Wuxian was definitely the strongest out of all the boys she faced. But that didn't mean she was going to give up so easily. She really wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face.
Exerting all their strength into their arms, neither Pan Wukun nor Wei Wuxian was willing to lose.
But the match couldn't last forever.
Wei Wuxian shifted his arm and put even more strength into it. His eyes lit up as he pulled Pan Wukun's arm lower and lower to the table.
Pan Wukun's eye twitched. - Oh hell no! She was not giving him the satisfaction!
She took a deep breath.
"Aaaargggggh!" Pan Wukun roared as she poured her remaining strength into pulling Wei Wuxian's arm down.
The table toppled over.
Pan Wukun and Wei Wuxian ended up falling to the ground.
The boys clamored around them.
"Who won? Who won?"
The boys looked at the position of Pan Wukun's and Wei Wuxian's hands.
"Oh! Wei Wuxian's hand has hit the ground! Pan Wukun's the winner!"
Eyes shut and panting from exhaustion, Pan Wukun managed to smile in satisfaction.
Then she opened her eyes and noticed something strange.
The ground underneath her ear was warm and it rose and fell.
Pan Wukun frowned. Was there about to be an earthquake?
But none of the other boys were in panic.
Wait. Just why was Wei Wuxian's arm in such close proximity to her body?
As her eyes trailed down the length of Wei Wuxian's arm, her heart pounded faster and faster.
It was then that she realized that she was lying on top of Wei Wuxian's chest.
Pan Wukun turned her head up.
Wei Wuxian blinked down at her, just as stunned as she was.
She hastily pushed herself off of him. "Apologies, Wei-gongzi! I got too carried away!"
Upon sitting up, Wei Wuxian reached out and grabbed Pan Wukun's right arm with both of his hands.
This startled Pan Wukun. "Hey! What-!"
Wei Wuxian's eyes sparkled as he touched and felt the muscles in Pan Wukun's arm. "Wow! You're really strong, Chun-ge!" He smiled. "But I'm not surprised. You carried me to safety while fighting off the Waterborne Abyss underwater with your sword at the same time. Quite impressive!"
Pan Wukun turned her head away from Wei Wuxian. She could only remain silent, not knowing how to respond to his praise.
Wei Wuxian grinned, giving Pan Wukun one last friendly pat on the arm. He left her side to open the jars of Emperor's Smile they smuggled. "Now let's get drinking!"
The boys cheered and passed the wine bowls around.
Pan Wukun refused to take a single sip.
"Aw. No sex and no alcohol? You are so prim and proper, Pan-xiong!"
As the night went on, the boys drank themselves silly and sprawled out all over the floor asleep.
Pan Wukun, still sober and awake, shook her head in amusement. - Ah. Youth.
It was too bad they didn't think to bring water to drink. They were going to get such bad hangovers in the morning. Oh well, they'll learn.
The party was over. It was time she returned to her guest room.
Pan Wukun rose to stand, only to get tugged back down by her arm. She tried to pull away, but no matter how much strength she used, she couldn't budge. It didn't help that her arm was still worn out from the arm-wrestling competition. She looked back.
Wei Wuxian had wrapped himself around her arm, laying his head against it.
Oh no! Wei Wuxian had latched onto her!
Pan Wukun turned her head rapidly around the room, searching for someone else for Wei Wuxian to hug. Closest to her and Wei Wuxian was Nie Huaisang, who was sleeping right below them.
Pan Wukun tried to move towards Nie Huaisang so Wei Wuxian could cling to him instead.
But eyes still closed in sleep, Wei Wuxian pouted and uttered an upset "mmph". He yanked Pan Wukun down to the floor. He pulled her closer, laying his head against her shoulder and wrapping his arm around her stomach. A smile returned to his face.
Pan Wukun internally screamed.
There was no way for her to get Wei Wuxian off safely. If she gave him a qi-powered push, she could seriously hurt his newly recovered ribs. He could also fall on top of one of the other boys in the room, causing injury.
Unfortunately, Pan Wukun was very much stuck.
She could only stare at the ceiling helplessly. With nothing else to do, she simply listened to the sounds around her.
It really was quite quiet in the Cloud Recesses. Following the sect rules, everyone was asleep by now.
There was nothing but the sounds of nature and Wei Wuxian's soft breathing as he clung to her.
Exhausted by the night's activities, Pan Wukun's eyelids grew heavy.
Lulled by the crickets' chirping and the tinkling of wind chimes, she drifted off to sleep.
Pan Wukun shivered.
Why was the room suddenly so cold?
She lifted her head, seeing a figure standing at the doorway.
As her vision cleared, she could make out white robes and a forehead ribbon.
Pan Wukun's blood ran cold.
It was Lan Wangji.
Lan Wangji's eyes focused on Wei Wuxian sleeping against Pan Wukun's shoulder.
"..."
"..."
Pan Wukun could feel Bichen piercing through her abdomen already.
She gently shook Wei Wuxian. "Wake up, Wei-gongzi…"
In response, Wei Wuxian remained asleep and nuzzled closer to Pan Wukun.
Pan Wukun internally screamed. Did Wei Wuxian want her to die by Lan Wangji's hand?!
Pan Wukun repeatedly patted Wei Wuxian's cheek. "Wake up, Wei-gongzi! Wake the fuck up now!"
Wei Wuxian's eyes fluttered open. "Eh? What? What's happening?"
The other boys grumbled as they awakened, their heads pounding from drinking too much last night. Upon noticing Lan Wangji's presence, they froze and went dead silent.
Lan Wangji stomped into the room and grabbed Wei Wuxian's back collar, pulling him off of Pan Wukun. He dragged Wei Wuxian out of the room.
Pan Wukun and the other boys scrambled to get up and follow after them.
Lan Wangji stopped at the Lan Clan's ancestral hall, where some of the older GusuLan sect disciples forced Wei Wuxian down to the ground.
Pan Wukun and the other boys were blocked from entering the ancestral hall. They stood outside, watching on nervously.
Pan Wukun's eyes shifted over to Lan Wangji.
Lan Wangji did not kneel next to Wei Wuxian.
Wait. Lan Wangji was supposed to take his punishment along with Wei Wuxian. What was he doing just standing there?
"Pan-xiushi?"
Pan Wukun turned. She recognized the faces of the guards from last night as well as some of the healers from the infirmary.
"Pan-xiushi…You lied to us?"
The GusuLan sect cultivators expected that Pan Wukun, being the eldest, should've taken control of the situation and get the younger boys to follow the rules and behave. The disappointment was clear in their eyes.
Pan Wukun's lips tightened. She was downcast.
Before Pan Wukun could say anything, Wei Wuxian shouted, "No! Chun-ge didn't do anything wrong!" He struggled against the GusuLan sect disciples' grip. "It was me! It was all me! I slipped the Emperor's Smile into his qiankun pouch when he wasn't looking! I blackmailed him, saying that I wouldn't help him anymore with the infirmary's research if he didn't let me drink and have a party!"
Pan Wukun was stunned that Wei Wuxian defended her. "Wei Wuxian…" She cast a pleading look at the GusuLan sect cultivators. "Wait! I-!"
"Strike!" Lan Wangji ordered.
Wei Wuxian cried out as his palms and the back of his legs were beaten by ferules over a hundred times.
Pan Wukun winced and she looked away in shame.
After the beating ended, Lan Wangji bowed to the sect disciples and left without another word.
Jiang Cheng hurried over to Wei Wuxian's side. "Wei Wuxian!"
Wei Wuxian groaned in pain.
Jiang Cheng lifted Wei Wuxian onto his back.
As Jiang Cheng carried Wei Wuxian out, Pan Wukun rushed after Lan Wangji.
"Lan-er-gongzi! Lan-er-gongzi! Don't you think you were a little too harsh on Wei-gongzi?"
Lan Wangji turned and regarded her coldly. "He broke the rules. He had to collect punishment." Then he asked, "What were you doing, drinking with the guest disciples?"
Pan Wukun waved her hands up in a placating manner. "Wei-gongzi just brought me along to entertain the others, that's all. And I didn't drink anything! I stayed sober!"
Right...like saying that was going to make things any better.
Lan Wangji kept his steely gaze on Pan Wukun. "The guards told me how you accompanied Wei Wuxian into the Cloud Recesses last night. The healers of the infirmary provided you with accommodations in exchange for your guidance. Is this how you repay their hospitality?"
In Lan Wangji's eyes, Pan Wukun saw the same disappointment from the GusuLan sect disciples in the ancestral hall.
Pan Wukun turned her head away, unable to look at Lan Wangji any longer.
This wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to happen.
What? What had changed?
Didn't Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian have a fight over Emperor's Smile and end up getting punished together?
Pan Wukun froze.
That was it, wasn't it? Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were supposed to fight each other last night. Wei Wuxian was supposed to tackle Lan Wangji so they could both fall outside the boundaries of the Cloud Recesses and break the rules.
Oh no.
Lan Wangji said nothing more, continuing to give Pan Wukun an icy silent stare.
"…I'll just be going now, Lan-er-gongzi." Pan Wukun bowed and walked away, still feeling Lan Wangji's eyes on her back.
Pan Wukun entered the guest room, collapsing on her bed.
She sighed and rubbed her forehead.
Shit. She was so focused on not getting caught with Wei Wuxian by Lan Wangji that she prevented them from having their fateful rooftop fight.
Lan Wangji was supposed to let himself be punished alongside Wei Wuxian and gain Wei Wuxian's respect by showing such integrity.
But Pan Wukun just had to appear and screw things up.
How were Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji going to grow closer to each other now?
What have I done?
A/N: Since "cut-sleeve" is derived from the historical story of Emperor Ai and Dong Xian, I decided to use "orchid", derived from the historical story of the Ten Sisters, a group founded by a Buddhist nun, to describe sapphics. So to follow historical sources, I used "orchid" instead of the "lily", which is derived from "Baihe", the modern term for Chinese GL.
["The term mojingzi (rubbing mirrors or mirror grinding) is one of the traditional terms used to describe lesbian sexual behavior. Ruan (1991) reported that some formal associations of lesbians were found in the early period of the modern China. One of them, Mojing Dang ("Rubbing-mirrors Party"), was active in Shanghai in the late 19th century. "It was said to be a descendant of the 'Ten Sisters,' which a Buddhist nun had founded several hundred years earlier in Chaozhou, Guangdong (Canton) province. Members of the 'Ten Sisters' lived together as couples. They refused to marry, and some even avoided marriage by committing suicide" (p. 136). There were other names for relationships similar to the "ten sisters," including "jin lan hui" (golden orchid association), "jin lan qi" (golden orchid contact), "shou pa jiao" (handkerchief relationship), etc. Samshasha (1997) gives detailed accounts of "jin lan hui" between unmarried women who would raise silkworms to support themselves. Some of these women turned their plait (the hairdo of an unmarried maid) into a bun (the hairdo of a married woman) and performed some ritual in the temple to formally announce their decision not to marry. Upon doing so, a woman's fiancee was not allowed to force the woman to marry, although his family could request her family to return the dowry. The two women would then share the cost for reimbursing the dowry. It might be presumptuous to assume that all of these women were lesbians, but some of them might have been."]
From "Long Yang" and "Dui Shi" to Tongzhi: Homosexuality in China. Jing Wu. Journal of Gay Lesbian Psychotherapy. Volume 7, Issue 1-2. 2003.
The term for Chinese GL, "Baihe" is an orthographic reborrowing from the term for Japanese GL, "Yuri". It's possible there's a historical term for female-female relationships in China that I'm unaware of. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I think Nie Huaisang should totally help spread the gay agenda. :D
The Legend of Evil Spirits novel series was actually named in MDZS Q Episode 6. Like us, Wei Wuxian has to suffer waiting for the next chapter to know what happens next.