and sings the tune without the words
by Rose Thorne
Disclaimer: MDZS/The Untamed are not mine.
Chapter Eighteen
Dear Xichen,
Your advice was helpful—I wrote to Lotus Pier and they have sent Wen Qing, accompanied by Yu-furen, Jiang Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and a retainer of senior disciples. Apparently she didn't feel comfortable leaving the boys at Lotus Pier with ongoing threats to Jiang Wuxian, and you know by now Wangji won't leave his side.
Fuqin is stabilized, for now, but Wen Qing says it's our cultivation style, the use of sabers, that accrues resentful energy and leads to qi deviations. Jiang Wuxian reacted to the resentful energy in Baxia, and fell unconscious, but he's okay. I'm not sure what to do with this information. Fuqin said he'll explain later.
Mostly Jiang Wuxian and Lan Wangji have spent their time with Huaisang, who is happy to have friends about his age to run around with. His idea of running around is painting and enjoying the arts, but the two have been happy to do what he wants after Yu-furen runs them through drills.
As you know, this means participating in shenanigans—Jiang Wuxian is a prankster and he is seducing Wangji to his ways. Huaisang was already a lost cause when it comes to pranks, but they take it to a new level. Yu-furen just smiled indulgently and patted the boy on the head when he changed her tea to purple with a talisman. She called him a clever boy and reminded him to thoroughly test talismans before using them. One of our water features turned green temporarily, as well.
Huaisang loves the chaos, because Jiang Wuxian can be convinced to do just about anything, though thankfully Wangji is the voice of reason. Not enough of one, but he is one.
Honestly, though, the kid is alright—he's keeping Huaisang distracted while Fuqin recovers, and that's the important thing.
Wen Qing is very no-nonsense, as she was in Lotus Pier, and she insists Fuqin keep resting. She's a force to be reckoned with, because she's managed to make him stay in bed when he'd normally just disregard the advice and gallivant around night hunting. He's already asked when he'll be allowed to night hunt, of course, and wasn't pleased with the answer. He's feeling better because of her treatment and it makes him restless.
Overall things are going well. I hope you can come visit the Unclean Realm at some point.
Nie Mingjue
Dear Mingjue,
I am so happy to hear that Lotus Pier responded to your letter so favorably, and that your father is recovering well. I'm uncertain why Jiang Wuxian and Wangji would accompany the visiting party, given it places them closer to Qishan, but I'm glad they did, if only because it was good for Huaisang.
Your cultivation style causes qi deviations? That is indeed troubling, and sounds like something perhaps your father knew about. I confess to being a bit upset with him allowing you to train when it could hurt you like that. Hopefully Wen Qing can help find a solution so it never impacts you.
It sounds like Jiang Wuxian has made his mark in Qinghe, as he has in Gusu. After a while, he'll feel like he belongs. He just has this way about him. I'm glad he's distracting Huaisang from everything. I can't imagine he's been handling the qi deviation well, which is a big thing to distract from, but Jiang Wuxian is quite good at distraction.
Yu-furen dotes on the boy, so her praise at his skill is understandable. But his skill is commendable. He seems to understand talismans on a genius level. He thinks nothing of it, and it's good he gets validation that it is indeed a wonderful skill.
After all Wen Qing has been through, I'm not surprised she's no-nonsense and a force to be reckoned with. She has had to grow up too young, and so has a maturity beyond her years. I find her very admirable.
The Cloud Recesses are as they ever were, tranquil and serene. Sometimes too much so, thus I know my time outside of it has led me to crave something more. I find myself waiting for something to happen, even minor, that is different. I never thought of serenity as monotonous before meeting Jiang Wuxian, but I can understand how guest students might have difficulty acclimating to the Cloud Recesses.
I'm not the only one. Wangji's cohort has expressed looking forward to his return with Jiang Wuxian, who has helped Wangji befriend them. He's treated more like a person now, where before no one seemed to know how to approach him. All have benefited. Jiang Wuxian has made a huge difference in all our lives, and I'm glad he's doing the same for you.
I miss you as well, my friend, but Shufu has confirmed there are no planned trips to Qinghe coming up. Unfortunately, we must make do with letters.
Lan Xichen
You may have noticed that the talisman prank here is the same one that got him nearly whipped to death in the "rain falls and soaks into the earth" series. I do this to show the dichotomy, what has changed so much.
Being disabled is weird. I feel like sometimes the only thing holding me in reality is watching the political situation in this country right now, but it's also so ridiculous I feel high just trying to pay attention.
fuqin - father
furen - madam
shufu - uncle