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The splash of water takes him completely by surprise. It's perfectly aimed — not a single one of the disciples to either side of him gets so much as a drop — and a moment later the wooden bucket lands on his head as well, throwing him into a humid darkness.
"Wei Wuxian, you—!" Jiang Cheng tears the bucket off his head, throwing it after the cackling blur speeding away above the walkways. He's unsheathing Sandu with his spiritual energy and leaping on it in the next motion, for all the world as if he's not sect leader, as if he's got nothing better to do than chase after his wayward shixiong. He comforts himself with the knowledge that he heard Wei Wuxian yelp as the bucket connected.
Jiang Cheng races after Wei Wuxian above walkways and waterways alike, shouting imprecations about his ancestors nigh unto the tenth generation and dire predictions about his lifespan in this second life. Wei Wuxian is obviously focusing too hard on guiding Suibian to respond in kind, but breathless laughter rings forth from the sword in front of Jiang Cheng at every sharp turn and sudden dive.
It's no contest, really. Jiang Cheng has worked with Sandu longer than Mo Xuanyu was alive. Plus, he's the one who rebuilt Lotus Pier — Wei Wuxian doesn't know the twists and turns of the compound as well as he did in their youth. Jiang Cheng catches up to Wei Wuxian outside the pitch storeroom and throws his sodden overrobe over his head. Wei Wuxian yelps and Suibian wobbles and Jiang Cheng tackles him off the sword. He twists at the last minute to cushion the landing — it would be just like Mo Xuanyu's frail body to break something vital after spending his spiritual energy on a sword chase.
There's a short, vicious scuffle as Wei Wuxian wrestles his way out of Jiang Cheng's voluminous robe, with judicious application of elbows on both sides. The violence is punctuated with grunts and swears; somehow one of the sleeves ends up tangled around Jiang Cheng's leg. Eventually, they settle against the wall of the storehouse, panting, the outer robe a soggy clump of silk in the middle of the walkway.
"There, Jiang Cheng," Wei Wuxian laughs between gulps of air, "see how I've improved?"
Jiang Cheng has to swallow around the tightness in his throat all of a sudden. He never thought he'd have this again. Especially after the revelation about his golden core five years ago. "If this is what you use your improvement for," he growls, "I'd rather have you coreless. Disrespecting your sect leader. Is this what they teach in your Gusu Lan sect?"
Wei Wuxian gapes at him for a second and then bursts out laughing, nearly falling over onto Jiang Cheng. His shoulder presses into Jiang Cheng's, warm and solid. Jiang Cheng doesn't sigh in relief. It's been five years, or twenty — if he can't joke about Wei Wuxian's fucking golden core, then no one can. "You can't have it both ways, Jiang Cheng!" he crows. "Either you're my sect leader or it's my Gusu Lan sect. Can't be both."
Jiang Cheng raises an eyebrow at him. "Can't it? Isn't it?"
Wei Wuxian blinks and tilts his head consideringly. "I suppose it is," he concedes.
"Good," Jiang Cheng says, and then grabs Wei Wuxian by the ear.
Wei Wuxian yelps in surprise, and then howls as Jiang Cheng rises and begins to drag him back toward the training field. "Then, if I'm your sect leader, you're going to apologize to your sect niblings for interrupting their lesson."
"Jiang Cheng!" Wei Wuxian wails, trying to twist away from Jiang Cheng's iron grip on his ear. "It hurts, damn you!" He writhes like an eel, but his golden core, improved as it is, is still weak, and the chase has tired him out, so Jiang Cheng holds on easily.
Jiang Cheng spots a servant and jerks his chin at the discarded outer robe on the ground, widening his eyes in what he hopes is taken for the apology it is. The servant bows deeply, but Jiang Cheng catches the edge of their smile.
"It better be a good apology, too, Wei Wuxian," he says over the dramatic protests, pulling his fiercest scowl. His heart sings in his chest; for the first time in five years, his golden core rests easy in his dantian.