After the disaster between Huaisang, Wei Wuxian, and himself, everyone had been even more hostile toward Jiang Cheng lately. Even Jin Ling had seemed frustrated with him for having picked a fight with Wei Wuxian.
Everyone kept their distance. Everyone except one.
"Sect Leader Jiang," Lan Xichen called from behind him.
"What is it?" Jiang Cheng asked without turning around.
He heard hurried footsteps and soon, Lan Xichen was beside him.
"May I walk with you?" he asked.
"It's not good for you to waste your energy like that," Jiang Cheng said.
"I've been sleeping well enough with my medicine. May I walk with you?"
"I'm not going to fight with anyone," Jiang Cheng said. "You don't have to stay with me."
He was feeling irritated, not necessarily with Lan Xichen, but with the situation in general. Lan Xichen's offer to keep him company felt like it must also be some sort of slight toward him.
"That's very nice of you not to fight with anyone," Lan Xichen said teasingly. "And I know that I'm under no obligation to stay with you. So, may I walk with you?"
Jiang Cheng sighed. "I'm not going to stop you."
"Lovely."
He expected him to start asking questions again, but he didn't. Lan Xichen strolled beside him quietly, looking around at the very last of the forest as they stepped out into a field.
It was a pretty area. There were rolling hills all around them and fluffy white clouds that dotted the sky. In the distance were jagged black mountains that reached toward the heavens. And, most importantly, the path was small and almost nonexistent in certain parts, which meant that they were unlikely to run into any more people.
Jiang Cheng was familiar with the general area. After all, they'd had to come battle in Qishan multiple times before the Sunshot Campaign was finally won. But he began to wonder how much farther they had to go to escape the never-ending millet field they were in.
He was growing very hungry and stumbled every so often. It was bad enough that he'd been sleeping even more poorly than usual. Adding hunger on top of it was pushing him to his limit.
Before all of this, Jiang Cheng could sleep about four to six hours each night. That had been his normal for the past decade or so. After Xue Yang's recent appearance, he'd more consistently slept at the lower end of his normal. But ever since they'd entered the region of Qishan, he was lucky to sleep consecutively for more than a couple of hours.
He knew Lan Xichen would give him some suan zao ren if he asked, but he'd used that in the past and knew it was better to go without. Although it would ensure that he would rest, it didn't stop him from dreaming. And with his dreams, not sleeping at all was preferable to being locked into those nightmares.
Lan Xichen looked over at him as Jiang Cheng caught his foot on a clearly visible rut in the ground.
"We'll rest for the night at the first inn we see," Lan Xichen called back to the rest of the group.
"Thank goodness!" Huaisang cried.
Jiang Cheng flushed with embarrassment, but Lan Xichen gave no indication that he'd called for a stop on his account. He was polite enough to keep walking with him in silence.
"Perfect timing," Yu Qingqi said.
They had paused at the top of a hill. Below them was a sprawling town. Some of the town's lanterns were already lit for the evening even though the sun had not yet set. From what Jiang Cheng could see from where they stood, there wasn't much activity down there.
"Strange," commented Wei Wuxian, keeping a respectable distance from him. "It's going to be a lovely night with almost no one out to enjoy it."
Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Cheng saw Jin Ling's hand move toward Suihua.
"Stay alert," Lan Xichen said, directing his statement toward the Lan boys who both nodded.
The party of eleven set off down the hill. Jiang Cheng had shifted to be closer to Jin Ling. He noticed that Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji had both moved closer to their juniors too. Everyone was tense and gazing around as if they expected the townspeople to charge them.
But they reached the town without issue. Wen Ning bade farewell to Wei Wuxian and Lan Sizhui before breaking away from the rest of them to do whatever it was that he did at night.
As they walked down the main street, Jiang Cheng noticed that most of the townspeople would cast quick glances at their group before scuttling away.
When he watched one young couple, he saw them turn down a side street. As he passed that road, they darted into a building that was presumably their home and shut the door hurriedly behind them.
It wasn't an odd time to retire for the day. The sun was indeed low in the sky and there wouldn't be much work left to be done. But it was strange that it seemed like everyone was turning in for the night – the young and the old, the rich and the poor. No one wanted to get together for the evening.
This town seemed frightened of something.
Unfortunately for them, the watchtowers in this region had fallen into disrepair as Jin Ling had partially cut funding to the project that Jin Guangyao had started. He had done so in order to quell the rumors that the whole thing was designed to line Jin pockets. Many people had been pleased with the tax relief, but there were trade offs for everything.
This town was too far away to be under Jiang Cheng's direct protection and none of the other clans would venture the distance for work unless specifically requested and paid well to do so.
Though it wasn't as tiny as the village at the foot of the mountain in Gusu, these people didn't look like they had the means to request help from any of the big clans.
"Ooo yes!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed, pointing excitedly at a rather nice-looking building a few meters away. "Look at the sign, Lan Zhan! That inn is known for their liquor! We have to stay there tonight!"
"Mn," was Lan Wangji's answer.
They started to walk toward it when the hair on Jiang Cheng's arms stood on end. Next to him, Jin Ling and one of the Lan boys shivered.
"There's something very wrong with this place," Lan Xichen said. "Perhaps no one should stay alone in a room tonight."
"There are ten of us," Luo Qingyang said. "It should be an easy split. Qingqing and I will be staying together, obviously."
"And we-" began the louder of the two Lan boys, motioning toward himself, his fellow Lan, and Jin Ling, "will stay-"
"Actually, three will make splitting more difficult," Jin Ling interrupted him. "I'll stay with my uncle."
Jiang Cheng didn't object. Jin Ling had a point. There would have been no good way to combine the remaining five – Lan Wangji, Lan Xichen, Huaisang, Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng – into a group of two and a group of three safely.
"I'll be with Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian announced, wrapping both of his arms around one of Lan Wangji's.
"Mn," said Lan Wangji.
Lan Xichen turned to Huaisang who was still fanning himself nervously.
"Huaisang," he said, "do you agree with these arrangements?"
Huaisang snapped his fan closed and smiled what looked like a true, heartfelt smile.
"Of course, Er-ge."
Looking satisfied, Lan Xichen faced Jiang Cheng. "I can make the arrangements," he said.
"We can do that, Zewu-jun," the loud Lan boy offered. "That way the rest of you can start getting something to eat."
The quieter Lan boy nodded.
Jin Ling began to fumble around in his coin purse and drew out payment for them.
"Use this for my and Advisor Luo's rooms," he said authoritatively, dropping several coins into the quiet Lan's hands.
"Jin Ling, this is more than-"
"The extra can go toward someone else," Jin Ling said.
Huaisang stepped forward then and also offered payment. Lan Xichen put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, but Huaisang shrugged him off.
"I may not be able to help you much in a fight," he said. "But I can at the very least support you in this way."
Having settled the matter of payment, the group filed into the inn. The Lan boys went to pay while Wei Wuxian made his way straight to the counter to ask for a drink.
Jiang Cheng stood awkwardly off to the side while he waited for the key to his room. He told Jin Ling to get food for both of them and gave him money for it since he'd paid for the room.
There were only three other people in the dining area and they all appeared to be travelers as well. They wore bemused looks on their faces when they saw Luo Qingyang and Yu Qingqi exchange a kiss. Jin Ling seemed to notice this reaction too and his hand drifted to Suihua again, ready to defend the honor of his advisor.
"We're set!" the loud Lan boy called.
He and the other Lan walked around distributing keys to the group.
As soon as Jiang Cheng had received theirs, Jin Ling finished his meal and got up to help carry their things upstairs.
The room was similar to the inn they'd stayed at before… and the inn before that. The two of them dumped their things unceremoniously on the ground and turned around to head back downstairs.
However, they ran into the Lan boys in the hallway.
"Oh, Jin Ling!" said the quieter one brightly. "We were thinking of going on a night hunt to see if we can find out more about what's going on here. Would you like to come?"
"Might as well," Jin Ling said. "It's too early to go to bed."
Jiang Cheng frowned. "Zewu-jun is concerned about what he's sensed in this town. It's a bad idea for you three to wander off on your own."
"That's a losing battle you're fighting there, Sect Leader," came Luo Qingyang's voice from behind him.
He turned around to find her standing with one hand on her hip. She didn't avert her eyes when he stared her down. In fact, she even lifted her chin a little to make herself taller.
"Jin Ling has made up his mind," she said. "It's better to support him than to fight him."
"I don't recall making you my advisor," Jiang Cheng said coldly.
Luo Qingyang set her jaw, still refusing to back down. "As if I would agree to work for someone like you."
"That's enough!" Jin Ling exclaimed, pushing himself between the two of them. "But Luo Qingyang is right. I will be going on the night hunt. I would appreciate it if you two didn't tear each other apart while I'm gone."
"Don't be dramatic," Jiang Cheng said.
"Stop worrying," Luo Qingyang huffed.
Jin Ling narrowed his eyes at both of them before turning and leading the Lan juniors down the stairs.
Jiang Cheng and Luo Qingyang were left alone in the dim hallway.
"I will respect you insomuch as you continue to care for Jin Ling's well-being," said Luo Qingyang.
She'd spoken matter-of-factly. She wasn't trying to instigate another fight. But that didn't stop Zidian from sparking weakly on Jiang Cheng's finger.
"What would you know of it?" he hissed. "You question my dedication to my family?"
Luo Qingyang raised her eyebrows. "I question your dedication to any person besides yourself."
"Because I didn't protect you on Muxi Mountain?"
"Because you didn't protect a lot of people."
Jiang Cheng could think of no response for her before she'd walked away. The soft swish of her hanfu echoed in his ears as he stood rooted to the spot and seething.
When Lan Wangji emerged from a room down the hall, however, he found the ability to move again and made his way to the staircase. He wasn't a man of many words, but Jiang Cheng couldn't be sure that Lan Wangji wouldn't have something to say to him too. He was too hungry to argue with him right now and he had food waiting for him downstairs. So, Jiang Cheng descended quickly.
Wei Wuxian had already started betting the patrons at the bar that he could outdrink them. Huaisang sat beside him, encouraging the behavior. Why Wei Wuxian acted as though Huaisang hadn't just tricked them into going out to the woods for no reason, Jiang Cheng didn't know. They acted like nothing had happened when it came to one another. But whenever Jiang Cheng came too near, their memories seemed to return to them.
It was beyond ridiculous.
Looking around more, he spotted Luo Qingyang and Yu Qingqi seated at a table near the door. Lan Wangji was still upstairs and Lan Xichen likely was as well since Jiang Cheng didn't see him anywhere.
Regrettably, Jiang Cheng was going to have to sit at the bar. He knew Wei Wuxian liked to get people drinking before he asked them questions. And Jiang Cheng wanted to hear the answers. Especially since Wei Wuxian was probably going to investigate why the very air around them reeked of fear and malice.
It wasn't to the point of causing illness, but Jiang Cheng was glad for his clarity bell. He could only imagine how much worse he would have felt without it.
He carried his food over and sat down to listen to Wei Wuxian harass the three other travelers at the inn.
"We got into town too late!" Wei Wuxian explained to the man that had asked why he hadn't gone out to the tavern earlier to make more money on drinking bets. "I may stop in tomorrow. Will you three still be here?"
"No," said the woman in their group. "We need to move out of this place as quickly as possible."
"Oh ho! In trouble are we?"
"No," said the man next to Wei Wuxian. "There's something wrong with this region, haven't you noticed?"
"This region?" Wei Wuxian repeated. "I noticed the town seemed odd but… you mean to tell me that all of Qishan feels like this?!"
Huaisang's fan was fluttering at high speed.
The woman shook her head. "No, not like this," she said. "It feels worse in certain places. We've asked around and it sounds like the closer you get to Nightless City, the more oppressive this is. Whatever this is."
Wei Wuxian and Huaisang exchanged a look. Jiang Cheng realized he'd frozen with his next bite of food half-raised. He went back to eating and continued to listen in, taking care not to make it so obvious what he was doing.
"Have you three been to Nightless City?"
"What?" the woman scoffed. "Nightless City is for the ghosts now. It's been years since the Jins used it as their theatre. No one goes there."
"Well someone must have wanted to investigate what's going on," Wei Wuxian insisted. "Surely someone has gone up there."
The man next to him shook his head solemnly. "There aren't a lot of cultivators that visit this region anymore and the clans we have are small," he said. "For months we heard the stories of people disappearing. The three of us finally pooled our resources to be able to leave. So far, we haven't found anywhere that isn't plagued by this horrible miasma."
"You three are from Qishan?" Huaisang put in.
"Yes," said the man closest to Jiang Cheng. "We've lived here our whole lives. It's a shame to have to leave, but there's just no life for us here. Whole villages have been wiped out by whatever has taken over here."
"And none of you thought to call for any of the bigger clans?" Wei Wuxian asked. "The Jiangs aren't far from here."
"Many would rather not trouble the Jiangs," said the woman. "But there have been some who have ventured to call them to no avail."
Jiang Cheng frowned. Either her information was incorrect or those messages had never escaped from Qishan. No one from this region had asked for his help.
A silence had settled over the group, which Wei Wuxian promptly broke.
"Ready to drink against me?" he asked the man next to him.
Jiang Cheng saw the woman elbow him discreetly.
"Uh, maybe not," the man said. "We have to wake early tomorrow. But if you're ever in Yunmeng, I'd be happy to take you up on your challenge!"
"Yunmeng, huh?"
Wei Wuxian grew quiet again. It almost seemed like he was going to turn toward Jiang Cheng.
But he didn't.
He threw his arm over Huaisang's shoulders and leaned on him as if he were already drunk. Huaisang's narrow frame nearly toppled over from his weight.
"Well then," Wei Wuxian said loudly, "should you and I take some back to our rooms? It's been a long time since I've had someone to drink with and I don't know when we'll have the chance for it again!"
Huaisang seemed excited by the prospect, but he also seemed puzzled.
"Really?" he said. "You want to drink with me? Even after what happened the other day?"
"Like I told you," Wei Wuxian said, "your heart was in the right place, but don't do it again. Come on! This can be just like old times!"
A grin lit up his face. He snapped his fan closed and leaned forward against the bar to get the server's attention.
While Wei Wuxian was ordering, Huaisang's gaze wandered over to Jiang Cheng. He looked at him almost expectantly until Jiang Cheng finally succeeded in glaring at him hard enough to make him stop.
Together, Huaisang and Wei Wuxian bought eleven jars of the innkeeper's specialty liquor (one for each of their group), and worked as a team to lug them up the stairs. Miraculously, they didn't drop any of them.
Alone with the strangers, it would have been a good idea for Jiang Cheng to ask them if they knew anything about who or what was causing the disappearances.
However, he didn't want to draw attention to himself after the travelers had already mentioned that his clan hadn't come to help in the Qishan region. They probably didn't know who he was, but there was no reason to test that fact.
So he sat on his own, two chairs away from the man closest to him. Now that Huaisang had brought up what had happened again, Jiang Cheng's annoyance levels were at an all-time high.
A group of four burly men walked in and sat down. Jiang Cheng watched Luo Qingyang and Yu Qingqi rise and exit the inn as the men began to leer at them.
Jiang Cheng was both happy and disappointed that they'd left. Part of him wanted a fight, so he could get out some of his pent up frustration toward Huaisang. But the other part of him wanted nothing to do with protecting Luo Qingyang after the way she'd spoken to him.
Minutes turned to hours, and Jiang Cheng continued to sit at the bar, listening to the conversations of the patrons to try to gather information about whether or not anyone had seen Xue Yang. However, questions buzzed around in his head, making it difficult to hear the people around him.
Why hadn't Wei Wuxian interrogated the travelers more? Why didn't he stay long enough to query the newcomers? Why did he always choose to goof off rather than finish the work he'd started?
Wei Wuxian, Nie Huaisang, Lan Wangji, and even Lan Xichen were upstairs, probably chatting away and possibly drinking, if the Lans would allow it.
He understood that Wei Wuxian thought himself invincible (despite blatant evidence to the contrary). So, it wasn't shocking to him that their own run-in with the huli jing hadn't enticed him to work harder on the Xue Yang case.
However, Jiang Cheng couldn't believe that after he'd heard what had happened to Jin Ling and the Lan disciples in Jinlintai and after learning Xue Yang was somehow behind it all, Wei Wuxian was still willing to sit around wasting time like this. Huaisang had even looked like he might try to convince Jiang Cheng to join them. Absolutely ridiculous.
Though, of course, since he was the only one sitting out, it would be he who seemed unreasonable. That was always how things played out with Wei Wuxian around.
Once upon a time, Jiang Cheng would have raised hell with Wei Wuxian. But things were different now. And Huaisang should have known that.
He hadn't learned much more from listening to the patrons' conversations. The travelers at the bar were making idle conversation and the men at the table were gossiping about the attack on Jinlintai.
Jiang Cheng might have gotten more information if he'd been willing to strike up a conversation with the newcomers at the table. But, he didn't have a strong desire to speak with such distasteful men and he wasn't one for chatting up strangers anyway. That had always been Wei Wuxian's area of expertise, not his.
The travelers got up and made their way to the stairs. They had remained at the bar a lot longer than Jiang Cheng would have expected since they'd said they needed to wake early.
He laughed quietly to himself. They'd lied to Wei Wuxian.
Just then, there was the sound of rapid thudding on the staircase. The travelers stopped in their tracks, looking up the steps with amusement.
Jiang Cheng hoped briefly that it might be Wei Wuxian falling down the stairs.
When Lan Xichen appeared instead, Jiang Cheng's hope turned to concern. He looked unwell, stumbling around, eyes unfocused. It didn't seem like he'd hurt himself on the stairs, but that didn't mean he couldn't hurt himself on the ground floor. Already he'd bumped into two of the very large and very mean-looking men at the table.
He wasn't dressed in his typical Lan garb, aside from his headband, which meant that others might not know him as 'Zewu-jun'. It certainly seemed that those two men didn't as they both began to rise from their seats threateningly.
Jiang Cheng considered calling to Lan Xichen and using his title to address him. That way he might indirectly convince his aggressors to sit back down.
But, it seemed likely that his odd behavior was due to alcohol, and Lans weren't supposed to drink. Lan Xichen might be displeased if Jiang Cheng revealed his identity in such a situation.
Making his decision, Jiang Cheng rose from his seat and walked over to Lan Xichen, whose face lit up as he approached.
"Sect Leader!" Lan Xichen exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that he'd ever been in danger as the two burly men sat back down, looking disgruntled.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Cheng hissed, leading him back over to where he'd been sitting before. The smell wasn't strong, but he could tell that Lan Xichen had indeed been drinking. "Lans don't drink."
"Lans aren't supposed to drink," Lan Xichen corrected with a cheeky smile. "My brother and I do what we want."
"Lan Wangji is drinking up there too?!"
"Well… no," Lan Xichen said flatly. "Wangji wanted to be able to watch over the rest of us and keep us out of trouble."
"If that's the case, why did you fall down the stairs just now?"
Lan Xichen laughed. "I didn't fall," he said. "I stumbled… a few times," he added at Jiang Cheng's skeptical look.
"My question stands."
Lan Xichen smiled again and waved him off dismissively.
"Different question then," Jiang Cheng said tersely. "Why were you drinking?"
Lan Xichen suddenly grabbed either one of Jiang Cheng's shoulders, causing him to jump. He leaned close to him as he were sharing a secret.
"I made a mistake," he said.
"A mistake? That doesn't explain anything," Jiang Cheng said, trying and failing to pull away from his grasp without setting Lan Xichen off balance.
"I shouldn't have done it just because Wei Wuxian suggested it."
Jiang Cheng stiffened. "Wei Wuxian put you up to this?!"
"Not exactly," Lan Xichen said. "I've tried the suan zao ren. I sleep, but it… I hate it. Wei Wuxian said he could fix that."
Jiang Cheng's fingernails bit into his palms. "He didn't convince you to try to outdrink him, did he?!"
Lan Xichen swayed and smiled. "I wouldn't be foolish enough for anything like that."
He hiccupped. Jiang Cheng was not convinced. He looked like everyone else who'd made the mistake of trying to outdrink Wei Wuxian. As such, there was a reasonable chance that the good Zewu-jun wouldn't remember anything tomorrow.
"I thought the wine might make me feel better," Lan Xichen said, "but it didn't. It made everything worse. I feel terrible."
"Are you going to be sick?" Jiang Cheng asked, looking around to see if there was a good place to take him.
"No," Lan Xichen said, patting Jiang Cheng's chest a couple of times as he finally released him. "It's a different sort of terrible."
"Oh."
There was a sadness in his eyes that hadn't been there when he'd first come downstairs.
Jiang Cheng didn't know how this might affect Lan Xichen's reputation, but he knew whatever might come of it, it wouldn't be good. If things could turn out badly, they would.
Luckily, it seemed no one was paying any attention to them.
He would have to tell Wei Wuxian off tomorrow. Assuming, of course, that Wei Wuxian wouldn't just run away from him again.
In the meantime, Jiang Cheng flagged down the server and requested tea for Lan Xichen.
"You'll have to take it outside or upstairs," the owner said. His gaze lingered on Lan Xichen like he was trying to place where he knew him from.
"Why?" Jiang Cheng asked, irritated.
"You see," the inn keeper said, giving him a smile that was probably supposed to be pleasant but Jiang Cheng took to be condescending, "it's getting to be very late. I'm trying to close up here. It's easier for me to start cleaning with fewer people around."
"What about them?" Jiang Cheng demanded, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder at the four men at the table.
"To be frank, sir, they look like they'll be less of a problem than your… friend."
Jiang Cheng glared at the man, wrestling with the side of himself that couldn't turn away from a challenge and the side that begged him not to cause too much undue trouble.
"Ooo! Out! Yes!" Lan Xichen said as if he'd just heard the suggestion that the server had made. He grabbed Jiang Cheng's arm, causing him to jump again and recoil.
When Lan Xichen looked at him, it was with utmost puzzlement.
"Do you not wish to sit outside with me?" he asked. "I can go by myself! It's all right!"
He smiled, again flashing that same broken façade that he'd worn that night in the Cloud Recesses, the same one that made Jiang Cheng feel equal parts anger, pity, and something else that he just couldn't quite put his finger on.
Regardless, it irked him to no end.
"Stop. That." Jiang Cheng said.
"Stop what?"
"Smiling like that."
"Oh. Right."
Lan Xichen screwed up his face, most likely trying to be more serious. The result was something very different – somewhere between discomfort and disgust.
Jiang Cheng snorted and Lan Xichen smiled again. This time it was genuine.
"Would you two like me to bring the tea out to you?" the server interjected.
Jiang Cheng bristled and said crossly, "Fine."
The server nodded and headed back into the kitchen.
With a boisterous laugh, Lan Xichen ran off toward the door. He was almost child-like in the way he acted. It was kind of endearing.
Jiang Cheng was going to follow him when he heard something that caught his attention.
One of the male travelers from before and the woman had returned downstairs for something and were talking among themselves as they waited for the server to return from the kitchen.
"…some kind of weird fox," said the man. "I heard it promises to give you things in exchange for blood or something. But if you refuse, it'll turn your body inside out!"
"Yes, I heard it too," the woman said. "But I heard that it was a huli jing and it visits people in all sorts of different shapes."
"A demon?" the man scoffed. "In these parts?"
"I swear that's what I heard!"
The pair started to bicker. Jiang Cheng's interest died down. Since it seemed neither of them had met the huli jing, they probably didn't have much more useful information anyway.
He wondered, though, whether Xue Yang could be the cause of the ill feeling in the air. Depending on how many people he'd killed here and stolen yang energy from, he could easily create a yin miasma. And, assuming he killed more people closer to Nightless City, they could only expect that miasma to get worse.
Jiang Cheng turned his attention back to the door to find that Lan Xichen had gone without him. Heaving a sigh, he picked his way over to the exit, noticing as he did so that one of the big men that Lan Xichen had bumped into earlier was also missing.
Jiang Cheng quickened his pace. He knew that Lan Xichen could handle a fight, but he didn't know how he would fare in his current state.
The first thing to greet him when he stepped outside was the crisp night air. The second was the back of the tall man bearing down on Lan Xichen, who neither cowered nor braced himself to fight.
"People like you always think they can do what they want," the big man spat. "I know who you are Zewu-jun. So much for that prestigious title! You think you can just walk all over us like you did?!"
Jiang Cheng was dumbstruck. He'd figured the people in this small town might not have recognized Lan Xichen nor the rest of their party. After all, their reputations did generally precede them. Most didn't actually know what they looked like.
However, he'd never ever heard someone talk to Lan Xichen like that when they knew who they were talking to!
"Are you going to answer me?" the man asked, taking another threatening step toward Lan Xichen. "You don't seem like you're here to investigate the area. You don't seem like you're here to help any of us. So why do you think you can step all over me?"
"It was a mistake," Lan Xichen said calmly. "I didn't mean to knock into you before. I hope you can accept my sincere apology."
He maintained such composure and grace that Jiang Cheng almost thought he'd sobered up in the span of a few minutes… until he saw him lurch forward and stumble into the big man again.
The man didn't take kindly to this. He probably thought Lan Xichen was messing with him.
But for some reason, when Jiang Cheng saw him advance on Lan Xichen and seize him by the wrist, a sick feeling welled inside him.
Seconds later, that feeling was swallowed by a blind and burning rage.
Without thinking, he drew his sword and swung.
"No, don't!" Lan Xichen cried.
He'd already easily freed himself from his aggressor by the time Jiang Cheng had reached for his sword. But that didn't mean that Jiang Cheng wasn't going to finish what he'd started.
Sandu bounced cleanly off of what appeared to be nothing more than a flash of white light. The reverberations from the impact jolted all the way up Jiang Cheng's arms.
As quickly as he'd drawn it, Lan Xichen had returned Shuoyue to its sheath.
Jiang Cheng barely noticed. He was honed in entirely on the big man, who had spun around with eyes as wide as saucers.
"All right!" the man exclaimed, taking a hesitant step back from both of them. "I'm not looking for a fight to the death or anything. Apologies to Zewu-jun. I was out of line. Satisfied?"
Jiang Cheng's grip tightened around Sandu's hilt.
… I'm not going to let you go. Beg me to show you mercy.
"You're not getting away," Jiang Cheng snarled.
"I said I'm sorry," the big man said. "What more do you want from me?"
Jiang Cheng could barely hear him over the vulgar echoes of Wen Chao's voice.
Before he had the chance to swing again, a hand lightly touched his shoulder. He jumped and looked over, surprised to see that Lan Xichen was now standing beside him. He hadn't even seen him move.
"It's all right," Lan Xichen said in a tone that made Jiang Cheng feel even angrier. "There is no need to hurt him. Please let him go back inside."
Furious as he was, Jiang Cheng found himself unable to move while Lan Xichen's hand remained in contact with him. Whether it was subtle qi influence or something else that stopped him, he didn't know.
Either way, he was forced to simply watch as the big man gave a sheepish half-bow to Lan Xichen before ducking back inside.
"Are you all right?" Lan Xichen asked when they were alone again.
Jiang Cheng couldn't answer. He didn't know why he couldn't answer, he just couldn't. It was as if the volatile fury he'd experienced before had stolen his voice.
Lan Xichen slid his hand off of Jiang Cheng, and suddenly, he was able to move again. He took a few steps to the side and tried to lean against one of the wooden posts of the awning without looking like he needed its support.
He still couldn't speak. There was a quiet ringing in his ears. He wasn't sure whether it had just started or if he had failed to notice it earlier.
The rage was dying down, leaving him with nothing but that horrible sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and a deep wild fear that was bound to nothing.
There wasn't anything to be afraid of here. Yet his heart hammered away as if hoping to slowly chip out an escape through his ribs.
"Did you hear me?" Lan Xichen asked, not unkindly, as he came to stand in front of him.
Still unable to make a sound, Jiang Cheng nodded. This only served to make him dizzy, however, and he teetered in his precarious spot against the wooden beam.
Lan Xichen reached out to help keep him from falling. Jiang Cheng jerked away from him.
A look of understanding… and pity dawned on Lan Xichen's face. Humiliation filled every part of Jiang Cheng's being. He couldn't stand this.
Anywhere but here, Jiang Cheng thought. I need to be anywhere but here.
His eyes darted around, seeking an easy escape, but there was none. Not without being even stranger than he was already being.
He briefly considered hitting Lan Xichen. Maybe if he hit him hard enough, he could knock that pitying look off his face.
But Jiang Cheng couldn't bring himself to do it.
"If you don't want me to touch you, I won't," Lan Xichen said softly. "I swear it."
Was he still drunk? He didn't seem like it. Could Lans miraculously sober up if the occasion demanded it?
"Can you talk?"
Jiang Cheng's stomach still hurt. He felt feverish and shaky. His mind was racing, thoughts passing by him so quickly that he couldn't process any of it.
He needed to find a place to be alone. If he could just have solitude, he could recover like he'd always done.
It had been such a long time since he'd had this problem to such a degree. Why did it have to resurface when he was around so many people? He didn't often keep company. He didn't have any friends. So why did this have to happen now?
He was making a fool of himself.
Just. Speak.
"Sect Leader Jiang?"
He curled his hands into fists. He couldn't take this. He really couldn't.
Jiang Cheng squared his shoulders and turned on his heel to stalk back into the inn.
"No, don't go. I'm sorry!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lan Xichen reach out. But before ever making contact with him, he froze, seemingly remembering his promise. Jiang Cheng paused without looking at him.
"I don't mean to belittle or humiliate you," Lan Xichen said. "If you don't want to talk – or can't – that's fine. We don't have to. But would you stay and have some tea with me?"
The pleading note in his voice made Jiang Cheng turn around. He was shocked to see Lan Xichen's perfect face twisted with such pain.
"I don't want to be alone," he murmured.
Jiang Cheng wanted to scream. If only he could.
All he wanted – all he needed – was to be alone for a little while. Then he could calm himself and the tightness in his chest would go away.
But he couldn't leave Lan Xichen alone. Not after he'd looked at him like that. Not after Lan Qiren had asked him to watch him.
So, stiffly, he led the way under the awning to a simple set of weather beaten table and chairs and took a seat. His heart was still thudding away behind his ribs and his thoughts were as muddled as ever.
Lan Xichen smiled in appreciation before following him. Jiang Cheng noticed that he swayed a lot as he aligned himself with his chair and sat down.
He was indeed still drunk.
They sat in silence, just as Lan Xichen had said they would. They received their tea, and then they drank in silence, staring out at the landscape and the stars.
With the quiet, the cool air, and quite possibly the company as well, Jiang Cheng began to feel the tension leave his muscles and his thoughts returned to something closer to normal.
"I would like to thank you, though," Lan Xichen said as the tightness in his chest also started to finally recede. "I'm not sure if Huaisang thanked you for staying with him in the forest after you and Wei Wuxian fought. You don't have to answer, but please allow me to thank you in his stead."
"He didn't thank me because there's nothing to thank me for," Jiang Cheng snapped. "I didn't stay because I care about him."
Lan Xichen at first looked pleasantly surprised that he'd spoken up. But then, as quickly as candlelight snuffed by wind, that brilliance left him and he once more looked hollow and detached.
Lan Xichen's smile didn't touch his eyes as he asked, "Why did you stay, then?"
Jiang Cheng knew he was going to ask that. And yet, he didn't have a great answer for it.
So, he said, "I figured it would distract from the mission if one of us died."
Lan Xichen tilted his head to the side and studied him. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Act like you only do things for the worst reasons."
Jiang Cheng laughed wryly. "You think I stayed with Huaisang because I like him?"
"No," Lan Xichen said quietly. "I know you're not close to him like you used to be."
"Then I'm afraid I don't understand your point."
"I think you still care."
There he went again. As much as he enjoyed being praised by Zewu-jun, Jiang Cheng couldn't allow him to keep thinking of him the way he was. The guilt was eating him alive.
"I think your perception is skewed because of what happened in Jinlintai," Jiang Cheng muttered. "What I did there wasn't-"
"I know what you're going to say," Lan Xichen interrupted calmly. "I know the main reason you riled me up was to make yourself feel better."
"No, it was the only reason I did it."
"I disagree."
"Oh, so you know my motivations better than I do? Is that it?"
Lan Xichen sighed. "I only mean to say that I think you're a better person than you allow yourself to be."
Jiang Cheng scoffed. "Sure, tell that to my father," he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?"
"I think you're deluding yourself," Jiang Cheng said firmly. "Even when I tell you the truth, you dress it up to look nicer than it is."
"Well I'm good at that, aren't I?" Lan Xichen said in an uncharacteristically fiery tone. "Leave it to me to imagine the best in people."
Jiang Cheng's stomach twisted uncomfortably. "That isn't – I didn't – I-"
"It doesn't matter," Lan Xichen said. "I only wanted to thank you for looking after Huaisang, no matter your motivation. He means a great deal to me."
Jiang Cheng didn't know what to say, so he said nothing.
They sat without talking for a time. The distant sound of laughter from inside carried out to the night air. Jiang Cheng wondered if those men were making fun of their companion for fleeing from the confrontation he'd started.
"They asked me to drink with them," Lan Xichen said quietly. "Wei Wuxian and Huaisang."
"Haven't we established this? Could you not have declined?" Jiang Cheng said, annoyed. "You couldn't possibly have thought it would help you if the medicine didn't."
"He told me I wouldn't dream."
Jiang Cheng sighed, relieved that he seemed to have moved on from their prior conversation. "Wei Wuxian has always said that, and yet, I've never found it to be true."
"What a shame," Lan Xichen said sadly.
"I hope it will be true for you."
Lan Xichen smiled sweetly at him. Jiang Cheng looked away.
"I still can't believe that you were pressured into drinking by an idiot and a fool."
Lan Xichen chuckled. "Which is the idiot and which the fool?"
"It doesn't matter."
"No, I suppose it doesn't."
Silence fell between them again for a beat, and then Lan Xichen said very quietly, "Really I did it because I wanted to feel something else for a change."
Jiang Cheng felt a pang of sympathy for him. He'd tried that himself in the past, but drinking never helped. It only made him feel vulnerable.
"I was so sure it would work," Lan Xichen went on, staring out at the darkened land around them. "I'm usually so happy when I do it, but this time it just made me feel more of everything I was already feeling."
Usually happy when he drank? Exactly how often was Lan Xichen getting drunk?
On top of that, Lan Xichen had seemed perfectly happy when he'd nearly fallen down the stairs. Even when he'd told Jiang Cheng that he felt terrible, he'd still looked happy. What was he talking about?
A tear slid down Lan Xichen's flawless face, like sparkling silver on marble. Jiang Cheng began to fidget in his seat. He was unprepared for this situation and was at a loss for what to say.
"Where is your guardian?" Jiang Cheng asked awkwardly. "I thought you said Lan Wangji was watching over the three of you?"
Lan Xichen shrugged. "Wangji wanted to go to bed. Huaisang told him that was fine, so he and Wei Wuxian retired. Huaisang fell asleep after they'd left."
"They left you? Your brother left you like this?"
Jiang Cheng wanted to march straight upstairs and defenestrate Lan Wangji, even though he knew the odds of successfully doing so were slim to none.
Lan Xichen shrugged again. "I seemed fine to them. It got worse after they were gone. It's okay."
"No, it's not!"
"He thought I was okay. Please don't be angry. This is not your problem. There is no problem."
"I'm – but – it's-"
He couldn't argue though. This really did have nothing to do with him.
Jiang Cheng bit his tongue and stared off into the distance, rethinking what to say.
"That means it's up to me to keep an eye on you then, hm Zewu-jun?"
Lan Xichen shrugged. "You don't have to do anything," he said. "I already owe you for Jinlintai. I got myself into this mess. It's not your responsibility to get me out."
Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue. "We can't afford to be losing group members with a demon on the loose. I'll look after you tonight, Zewu-jun. But tomorrow, your brother had better do a better job."
Lan Xichen's eyes widened. Jiang Cheng felt heat creep up his neck. Why was he looking at him like that?
"I don't want you to call me that," he said.
"Uh, right. Sorry, Lan Xichen."
Lan Xichen put a finger on his chin thoughtfully. "Hm," he said. "Please call me Xichen."
"No."
Jiang Cheng had blurted out his answer before thinking. Lan Xichen did nothing at first except smile, mystified.
"No?" Lan Xichen repeated.
"I mean – um –" Jiang Cheng stammered, "- I'm not sure about that. I can do a better job of not calling you Zewu-jun if that's really what you mean."
"It is not. I want you to call me 'Xichen', nothing more," Lan Xichen said, his gaze intense. "I consider you my friend and would like for you to address me in a way that reflects that."
Jiang Cheng was stunned. A sharp, short-lived pain lanced his heart.
"Uh, all right," he muttered, heat creeping further up his face.
Xichen laughed. Instantly, his entire demeanor shifted. The shadow of melancholy lifted and his face lit up like it had before.
"Don't worry!" he said. Xichen sat straight up in his seat, suddenly excited. "I won't call you by anything else unless you tell me to!"
"Uh, okay," Jiang Cheng said, shifting away a little.
He had no idea why Xichen had suddenly reverted to the happy state he'd been in before, but Jiang Cheng was certain he couldn't keep up with it. He wanted to go to bed and forget that this whole night had ever happened.
If only Xichen could pass out.
"Let's go on a night hunt!" Xichen said, as if purposely trying to make Jiang Cheng more tired. "Or… we should race the rest of the way to Nightless City!"
"No, we shouldn't!"
But Lan Xichen was already on his feet. He sprinted off down the path, giggling.
Jiang Cheng sprang up. "Lan Xi-! I mean, Xichen! Now is not the time! It's dangerous!"
"Race me, Sect Leader!" Xichen called over his shoulder. He was already halfway along the path.
"Your mood is as ever-changing as the sky," Jiang Cheng muttered to himself as he reluctantly stood. "I already have Jin Ling to contend with. How can you expect me to keep up with this too?"
There was nothing for it. He had to keep watch over him. He'd said he would.
Jiang Cheng took off down the dirt path, smiling a little in spite of himself as the cool wind raked his hair and the cheerful laughter of Xichen drew nearer. Annoyed as he was that Xichen was making his watch over him difficult, something about their chase felt nostalgic. He'd certainly never in his life chased Xichen, but his spirits soared in a way they hadn't for ages.
For a moment, he felt alive again.
"This is not the way to Nightless City," Jiang Cheng said when he caught up to him.
"You warned me not to go that way," Xichen replied, slowing down a little. "You sounded worried. I didn't want to worry you."
Well, at least he had some respect for the promise of protection that Jiang Cheng had made.
"I also told you not to take off in the first place, yet here we are."
Lan Xichen looked over and beamed at him. "I'm glad you're here."
Jiang Cheng's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't heard anyone say that to him in a very long time.
"Don't be too glad," he said. "I've caught you. Time to stop this game."
When he reached out to tap Xichen on the shoulder, however, Xichen ducked away, giggling again.
"You haven't caught me," he teased. "Try again, Sect Leader!"
Jiang Cheng was tiring quickly. He needed to finish this soon and convince Xichen to settle down.
He reached for him again. Xichen danced away.
"How long will you keep this up?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Xichen paused and looked back at him, seeming concerned. "Are you tired?"
Jiang Cheng seized his opportunity. He tapped him twice on the shoulder with a laugh.
"Surely you'll count that as having caught you?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Xichen smiled. "Of course."
"Great. Now would you please sit down and stop running around?"
Jiang Cheng lowered himself to the ground, legs tremoring with the effort. Xichen watched him.
"Are you all right?" he asked very gently.
"Fine. I'm fine," Jiang Cheng said.
When he didn't rise again, though, Xichen crouched down in front of him. "May I touch you?"
Jiang Cheng furrowed his brow. "Why?"
"Normally, I would check your meridians for injury," Xichen said. "But I don't trust my abilities right now."
"I'm not injured anyway. Why do you need to touch me?"
"So that I can carry you back."
Jiang Cheng waved him away immediately. "No, I said I was fine!"
Xichen cocked his head to one side. "Should we go back to the inn?"
"No," Jiang Cheng said, thinking about the man he'd drawn his sword on. Though he probably wouldn't engage them again, he didn't feel like running into him in any capacity. "Would you please just sit down?"
"Here on the ground?"
"Yes."
"All right!"
He plopped down in the dirt. Jiang Cheng's back was to the moon, which meant he could easily see Xichen's eager expression across from him.
"What?" he asked in annoyance. "What is that look about?"
"If you're tired, I can carry you!"
"No. You're not carrying me. Stop it."
Xichen's face fell… for only a moment. "All right, talk to me!" he said.
"About what?"
"Anything! I won't remember it anyway! You claim I don't understand your motivations. Explain them to me!"
Jiang Cheng snorted. This seemed to encourage Xichen. He scooted closer.
"I owe you for Jinlintai," he said. "Tell me anything! It stays here! I promise!"
"You don't owe me. And you can't promise to forget."
"I can promise not to tell! That's just as good, isn't it?"
"No. No it's not."
Xichen frowned. He traced his finger through the dirt, drawing something that Jiang Cheng couldn't see.
When he stopped and looked up again, he was back to his odd chipper self.
"Talk to me!" he said brightly. "Tell me why you keep pretending to hate Wei Wuxian!"
Jiang Cheng couldn't believe his ears. Xichen couldn't have asked him that. He just couldn't have.
And yet, he continued to rattle off a slew of questions – or rather, demands – as if the one he'd just said was perfectly reasonable.
"Tell me about your sister! Tell me about your parents! Tell me why you couldn't speak earlier tonight! Tell me your favorite animal! Tell me-!"
"Stop!" Jiang Cheng shouted. Xichen scooted back a little bit. "You don't need to know those things. When are you going to get tired?"
"I don't know," Xichen said. "Maybe soon."
They sat there quietly for a time. Xichen had gone back to drawing in the dirt.
Then, he looked up at him again and softly said, "And it's killing you."
Jiang Cheng was bewildered. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
"In Jinlintai," Xichen said, "I had stopped myself from finishing what I was going to say."
He thought hard but it had been a while. Jiang Cheng couldn't figure out what he was referring to.
"And what had you said before that?"
Xichen yawned and stretched.
"No, no," Jiang Cheng said. "You're not going to sleep before you tell me."
"I'd said that anger is a poison. Anger is a poison, and it's killing you."
As quickly as he'd gone from sad to happy, Xichen went from awake to fast asleep on the ground. He keeled over on his side so suddenly that Jiang Cheng leaned forward to check his meridians.
"Xichen?" he whispered. "Lan Xichen?"
There was no answer except his gentle breathing.
"Finally," Jiang Cheng said. "You could have had the decency to walk back inside yourself, though."
Jiang Cheng stood and was delighted to find that some of his strength had returned.
Taking care not to jostle him too much, he hoisted Xichen onto his back and began the trek back to the inn. He hoped it would be late enough to avoid seeing anyone else.
"Mingjue?" Xichen murmured, wrapping his arms around Jiang Cheng. His long hair tickled his ear.
"No," Jiang Cheng answered. "I'm not him."
"…A-Yao?"
"Tch. Definitely not."
When he stepped inside, all the tables were empty and clean. The wooden door to the kitchen was shut tight and the area was lit by only the lanterns on the stairwell.
Xichen didn't wake the entire time. It was only as Jiang Cheng began to lower him onto the empty bed across from Huaisang that he suddenly startled awake and seized the front of Jiang Cheng's robes to stop himself from falling. Ironically, this caused Jiang Cheng to drop him the rest of the way.
"Where am I?" Xichen asked.
"Your room in Qishan."
"Huaisang? Huaisang should be here too."
He started looking around, but Jiang Cheng put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from getting up.
"Huaisang is here," he said. "He's already asleep."
"Oh."
"I'm going to leave you to sleep now."
"How did you get in?"
"Huaisang failed to lock the door," Jiang Cheng said.
"I will lock it when you go," Xichen said, moving as if he intended to do it right then.
"No, no," Jiang Cheng insisted, pushing him back down. "Go to sleep. I'm in the next room over. I'll hear if anything tries to get in here."
"Not if you're asleep."
"I won't be."
"Mn."
He wasn't sure if he'd heard him. Xichen was already starting to lie back against the mat.
The way he was looking at him, he half-expected him to start asking questions again. But Jiang Cheng wasn't about to let that happen.
"Were you in love with Jin Guangyao?"
Jiang Cheng hadn't really meant to ask it. It had just slipped out as a defense to keep Xichen from asking questions of his own.
The effect was immediate. Xichen's dark eyes flashed briefly with anger and then dulled just as quickly. He slumped down a little more.
"That's quite a personal thing to ask, don't you think?" he said quietly.
"And your inquiries weren't?" Jiang Cheng snapped.
Though Xichen didn't argue with him, Jiang Cheng was beginning to feel badly about it anyway.
Xichen couldn't be held entirely responsible for the things he said or did. What was Jiang Cheng's excuse?
With a long sigh, Xichen laid down on his bed and turned away to face the window on the opposite wall.
Assuming he was going back to sleep, Jiang Cheng stood up and started back toward the hallway.
"No," he heard Xichen murmur before he'd gone far. Jiang Cheng froze. "If you must know, I loved him, but I was not in love with him."
"I see."
"Goodnight, Sect Leader."
"Goodnight," Jiang Cheng replied, praying desperately that Lan Xichen wouldn't remember any of this tomorrow.