Chapter Six

Thirteen Years Ago

Wei Yingyue was walking along the mountain's path, her breathing calm as she took in the environment around her. She stopped when her eyes landed on the Cloud Recesses, the place that would be her home for the next year as she studied under the watchful eye of Lan Qiren.

Today was the day disciples from the other clans outside of the GusuLan Sect would be starting classes at the Recesses, though Wei Yue had arrived days before after leaving for a long study voyage. After returning, she had always retreated away from the Recesses every morning to have a secluded meditation for hours on the mountain top. When she returned to the Recesses, the girl would always go to the Library Pavilion, the Cold Springs, or the Waterfalls where no one ventured to, seeking alone time before classes started. She smiled lightly as she looked over the place that was calm, secluded, and brought joy to her heart.

"Lady Wei." The girl turned and saw Lan Xichen, the man she was said to be married to due to an arrangement between the Lan and Jiang Clans. She straightened immediately, placing her hands together before bowing deeply to show the man before her, who was both her fiance and host, respect.

"Zewu-Jun." She straightened when he returned her gesture. "What can I do for you, Zewu-Jun?" She asked lightly.

"Lady Wei, if you would please call me anything else but Zewu-Jun." He smiled widely, she felt the corners of her mouth twitch as she looked away.

"Only if Zewu-Jun stops calling me Lady Wei." She retorted, walking passed him. He chuckled as he followed, his posture mirroring hers with his hands behind his back, holding his sword like the woman in front of him, both of them carrying jade xiaos in their belts.

"How was your traveling?" He asked, walking beside her as they made their way down the path. This was the first time he had seen her since her return, having come to escort her back to the Recesses for classes.

"My traveling was refreshing. But I am happy that I am back." She smiled, looking around them as she welcomed the familiar area.

"I am glad you're back for the lessons as well, my meditation schedule has been rather lonely since you stopped accompanying me." He sighed, his dark eyes watching the sky as she shot him a smirk. "Your brother, Wei Xuxian, and the children of Sect Leader Jiang have come as well." He stated, looking into her eyes. Her eyes that were a mix of blue, gray, and purple hues always amazed him when he saw her, causing his heart to flutter whenever their eyes met.

"I know, Uncle Jiang sent me a letter telling me when Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yanli were coming. I also saw them arrive, though I am sorry for Wei Ying. I am rather excited, though. I haven't seen them in three and a half years." She sighed, shaking her head slightly as she faced forwards.

"Why do you study so much, why not just return home. It is obvious that you miss Lotus Pier." Lan Xichen sighed, his fist tightening around his sword as he thought about her longing.

"Lan Xichen." He froze when she said his common name, his eyes fell to meet her serious ones. "Don't ask questions that you don't want to know the answer to." She whispered, her eyes cold as she turned. He frowned as she walked away, her posture more tense then it had been before. He followed behind her silently, letting her lead the way back to the Recesses.

In the classroom, Wei Yue sat sitting up straight, her eyes looking forwards as she sat beside Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji and Wei Yue were the same age, though Lan Wangji was older than the girl as she was born in the second half of the year and he the first half. Despite being from different clans, the two have known each other ever since they were young. Wei Yingyue was Lan Wangji's first acquaintance outside of his clan. At first, Lan Wangji had only stayed around the girl due to the fact that Lan Qiren could not let Lan Xichen and this girl walk around alone. Then, after her second visit, Wangji was incharge of teaching her how to play the guqin.

Wei Yingyue looked up the Twin Jades of Lan. It always amazed her that someone as young as herself, someone like Lan Wangji, could reach that level of cultivation. When it was announced that she was engaged to Lan Xichen, Sect Leader Jiang made the girl spend as much time at the Recesses as Lan Qiren would allow. Almost every time she was there, she was placed with someone she admired the most, other than her twin brother; Lan Wangji. She listened to everything he said, she did everything he ordered, and she was one of the only ones who was not afraid of his cold aura. After her fourth visit to the Cloud Recesses, which was her longest one, Lan Wangji had grown used to the girls presence. Once, when they were walking up the mountain to do a session of secluded meditation, Wei Yue slipped and almost fell over a rock on the side of the Waterfalls. When she was about to shout for help, she heard a deep, worried call of her birth name before a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She straightened after a moment, her heart beating fast as she looked at Lan Wangji as he watched her with slightly wide eyes.

After that day, Wei Yingyue and Lan Wangji would call each other by their birth names, Wei Yue more so than Lan Zhan. He would only call her by her birth name when he was worried, scolding her, or they were in private. In the setting of the classroom, like what they were in now, he would either call her Lady Wei or Wei Yingyue. She, however, would call his birth name no matter who was around. This caused his ears to redden at the tips at first, but he soon got used to it after many failed attempts to silence her without the silence spell.

"You're gonna die, Wei-xiong! Lan Zhan had never been at such a loss before. He's probably after you. You should be careful. Although Lan Zhan doesn't go to classes with us, he's in charge of punishments in the Lan Sect!"

Wei Yue's ear seemed to twitch as these students entered the room, disturbing the silence that had been surrounding her and Lan Zhan.

"What's there to be scared of? Didn't everyone say that Lan Zhan had been a prodigy since he was very young? If he's so smart from such an early age, then he probably finished learning everything his uncle taught and does secluded meditation all the time. How would he have time to come after me? I-"

The sound of her brother's voice caused Wei Yingyue to look over, her eyes landing on her twin, Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli, and the young master Nie Huaisang. Wei Ying had only looked at Lan Zhan as the cold statue beside her shot the small group a cold stare, though the Jiang siblings walked away and sat diagonally from the two early pupils. Jiang Yanli smiled and bowed her head to Wei Yue, both girls happy to see each other. When Wei Yue turned her head towards her brother again, he was staring straight at her with wide eyes as he sat behind Jiang Cheng and Yanli. He moved his lips as though to start speaking when Lan Qiren walked in, causing Wei Yue to straighten and turn forwards just like Lan Zhan, not moving a muscle out of line as the lesson began.