Chapter One

"Lady Wei!" Wei Yingyue turned her head when she heard her name being called, a smile illuminating her face for the first time all day when she saw Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi running towards her where she sat near the waterfall.

"Running is not allowed, you know this." She chuckled as they stopped beside her, bowing before dropping down next to her.

"But Jiejie, we have something to tell you." Sizhui murmured, poking her shoulder as he smiled widely.

"What is it?" She asked, setting the guqin she had been playing down on the opposite side of her, setting it gently on the wrap. She turned her body and placed her hands on her thighs, looking at the boys.

"Clan Leader Lan is letting us go out on a Night Hunt by ourselves this time." Lan Jingyi sat beside Ah-Yuan as he mirrored their senior's position, a smile on both of their faces. She nodded before straightening.

"When will you be leaving?"

"The others are getting ready right now, Jiejie." Jingyi replied in a serious tone, knowing how serious Wei Yingyue was about the Night Hunts when she was not with them.

"You all must be very careful, do you understand? You must look after one another." The boys stood silently, though they bowed as she watched them.

"Yes, Senior Sister." They replied in unison, straightening as she stood. She straightened her Hanfu and held out her arms, smiling widely as Sizhui's arms wrapped around her before Jingyi followed soon after.

"Make sure that you boys come home safe." She murmured as she rubbed their shoulders, giving them one last squeeze before they separated. The two boys bowed before turning, walking down the path and disappearing to where the others were waiting.

"The disciples love having you around." Wei Yingyue turned and she saw Lan Xichen standing behind her, a smile across his face as he looked at her.

"Clan Leader." She bowed deeply, the sound of her white robes fluttering before a hand grabbed her elbow as Lan Xichen straightened her.

"Please, there's no need. I've told you this." He said softly, she gave a nod before turning to her guqin.

"What is it you need, Lan Huan?" She asked as she wrapped the instrument that she treasured, the instrument that was gifted to her by her Uncle, Jiang Fengmian. Lan Xichen knelt beside her and wrapped the opposite side of the instrument, grabbing her guqin and nodding for her to lead the way down the path.

"I was wondering if you were busy this evening." He murmured beside her, she looked at him and smiled.

"Why? What are your plans, Lan Huan?"

"I was thinking maybe I would have dinner at the restaurant with your favorite spicy food, then go do some Cleansing. Would you like to come?" He asked her, she looked at the path in front of them before nodding.

"I am free, and I have been wanting some meat lately." She smirked, giving him a playful glare. "I have been on a strict vegetarian diet for too long." She muttered, shaking her head as she thought about her favorite foods. Lotus Root and Pork soup crossed her mind, causing a dull pain to shoot through her heart. As she remembered the food, Lan Xichen noticed how she seemed to sadden.

"What is it?" He asked, stopping as he watched her. She looked up at him and smiled, shaking her head.

"Nothing, just remembered someone." Was her response.

"Wei Ying?" He asked gently.

"No, Jiang Yanli." He made a sound of understanding as he looked forwards, leading the girl further down the trail. "She used to make a soup whenever my brother was in trouble, when he was sad, when he was sick. I loved it." She whispered, clenching her hands together.

"What is it?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Lotus Root and Pork soup."

"Ah, of course." He chuckled, handing her the instrument before bowing. "This is your room, meet me at the entrance in an hour." He bowed his head and waited for her to walk inside before leaving, a small frown on his face as he walked towards his rooms.

The walk to his room was not long, but his thoughts made it seem like his journey took forever to complete. When he was greeted by his incense, the familiar smell of the flowers of a Linden Tree that was gifted to him by Wei Yingyue when they were still engaged, he sat at his table and allowed it to calm him. As he sat, the sound of the guqin rolled through the quiet Recesses. The song was something Wei Yue had created after the death of her brother, a song that gave off sorrow to the listener.

"Brother." Lan Xichen looked up and saw Lan Wangji standing in the doorway.

"Wangji, what is it?" The older man asked, placing a smile in his lips as his brother walked into the room.

"Is everything alright?" He asked once he bowed, sitting down across from his brother after he had offered. Lan Xichen poured the younger cultivator a cup of tea, pouring one for himself as well before glancing at the window as the song continued.

"She's having a hard time. We were walking and I offered to take her out to Caiyi Town, it triggered memories of her old Clan and Wei-" Lan Xichen cut himself off before looking at his brother, though the younger boy nodded.

"She hasn't been the same ever since." He murmured, looking down at his clenched fist. "Neither of us have."

"Wangji, maybe you should talk to her." Lan Xichen suggested. This caused his brother to look at him, his lips parting in protest but he stopped himself when he saw worry in his brother's eyes. "Just be there for each other, I know you two have gotten closer but she is all alone and she won't let me in as much since we cut off the engagement." He whispered, looking down at his tea.

"Why did you cut off the engagement?" Lan Zhan asked.

"She came to me with some concerns about certain people, and we also concluded that we would not benefit from the marriage. We talked to Uncle and he agreed, though I think he wanted to cut it off after everything happened with her brother." Lan Xichen murmured. Lan Zhan gave a nod before finishing his tea.

"I will talk to her within the next couple of days. Maybe, if you will allow it, we can go on a hunt to lighten the mood. She tends to open up after a hunt." Wangji informed his brother. The older man smiled and nodded, watching as his brother bowed before leaving the room.