Archive of Our Own

Snow was falling incessantly in the depth of night when Jiang Cheng finally found a deserted mausoleum in midst of a snowy field. He elbowed the hips of the man whom he was carrying on his back.

“Zewu-jun. Is here alright?”

There was no reply from the man. The brilliant white robes he wore had become soaking wet and heavy from the snow. Jiang Cheng twisted his beautiful face, clicked his tongue, and kicked the decaying door down with his foot.

Against expectations, the inside was not collapsed, but instead was almost like a limestone cave. The snow didn’t seem to reach all the way in, so Jiang Cheng stepped along the rock walls to escape from the wind. The inner part was cold enough to penetrate, and there was a rush mat on the ground, probably because it had served as a hermitage of some mountain ascetic before.

Other than that, there was only a pile of damp-looking firewood. Jiang Cheng rolled the man from his back on top of it. The man's face, which should normally hold a gentle smile, was pale, and his waist was dyed crimson with blood.

“Zewu-jun. I’m going to undress you.”

Jiang Cheng addressed him once again, but there was no reply. Since there was no helping it, Jiang Cheng opened his companion’s lined overcoat, and revealed a large cut on his hipbone.

Fortunately the intestines and bones did not seem damaged. But the bleeding was quite serious.

To disinfect it, Jiang Cheng chewed some rind of the Huang Bo tree, which he carried in his waist bag, and spread the softened pulp on the affected area. The other man’s torn abdominal muscles shrank into themselves with a start; perhaps he felt pain, even though he was not conscious. Thinking it was a good thing that there was a reaction, Jiang Cheng wrapped the wound tightly with a loincloth.

Frowning at the leftover bitterness of the pulp in his mouth, he confirmed the man’s breathing with his fingers. At these temperatures, the viscera may have weakened even more than the wounded flesh. Either way, they would have to make it through the night to call for help.

With a sigh Jiang Cheng burned a paper amulet, and looked deeper into the cave.

“Hm?”

Upon meeting someone’s gaze, his eyes widened reflexively. However, he soon realized that it was some sort of statue.

“That’s…?”

He bent over and crawled a little closer, tracing the detailed ornaments with his finger. It was not a figure one saw frequently, but the faint characters indicated that it was a foreign god.

When they had stepped foot into these mountains, Jiang Cheng had taken note of the overt amount of water qi with surprise, and the deity worshipped around here had been quite a shabby-looking figure as well. Thus, he concluded, it must have originally been a land of strong yin. Those of Gusu Lan, whose yang energy was generally powerful, and especially Lan Xichen, who was yet the strongest among them, were not compatible.

Moreover, it was a night of heavy snow, and today was an even-numbered day, where yin energy was increased in the first place. Because Jiang Cheng was from Yunmeng, a land abundant with sprawling bodies of water, this did not affect him much, however for Lan Xichen, who came here almost in a state of convalescense, this didn’t bode well.

In and of themselves, neither yin nor yang were something bad. The two separated, grew, extinguished, and influenced each other. But when one of them became too strong, that was a bad omen without a doubt.

Jiang Cheng drew back from the statue again, and put some wood onto the fire to warm the air. He had assumed it to be damp, but the sparks flew stronger than expected. Looking at the shimmering tips of the flames, he narrowed his purple eyes.

――After Jin Guangyao’s death, Lan Xichen’s grief had been great, having shared an oeath of brotherhood with him after all. The friendship he had long believed in was broken, and the shock of witnessing Jin Guangyao’s death with his own eyes was probably unbearable.

He had gone into seclusion much like his father before him, and for about a year since, had not shown himself in public.

Jiang Cheng himself had had his hands full with the matter of Jin Ling, who should have been taking over the headship of the Jin sect. Because Jin Ling was still too young, Jiang Cheng had needed to step up as his guardian, and had been living quite a busy life in between the two sects of Jiang and Jin.

In the midst of it all, a rumor had reached his ears. According to hearsay, a man with Jiangzai in his possession had shown up in a mountain range formerly ruled by the Wens.

Jiangzai was the weapon of Xue Yang, a subordinate of Jin Guangyao.

As the name implied, it was a cursed sword, famous for inducing disaster.

Its whereabouts had been unknown for a long time, but now a man had been said to have been manipulating demons with it, leading to the Jin sect sending a few cultivators to the mountain range. However, an atrocious demon had appeared before them, and the cultivators had been slain by it instead.

When Jiang Cheng as Jin Ling’s guardian had announced that he himself would go in the name of the Jin sect, a voice had called him back to wait. It had been Lan Xichen’s voice, announcing that he was going to accompany him. He had probably wanted to ascertain the vestiges of Jin Guangyao as well.

Left with no other choice, Jiang Cheng had departed with a Jin party and Lan Xichen in tow to look for the man commanding Jiangzai. But because of the snowy mountains, and the fact that the abominable land was full of demons, the search had been laborious.

And then, when they had finally caught the man controlling the demons, he had simply said, “I am but an admirer of the Yiling-laozu, and want to study his demonic path”, and not a word of Jiangzai had left his lips.

They had been about to return home, thinking they had gotten the wrong person after all, when the man had stabbed Lan Xichen. This had ignited an avalanche, which had proceeded to swallow a large number of Jin cultivators. Pulling Lan Xichen out of harm’s way, Jiang Cheng had somehow managed to escape with him, and after passing through a nightly road sprawling with demons, they had finally made it to this place.

“That damned…”

One man came to Jiang Cheng’s mind. All of this happened because of the techniques he had created. The man he thought of loved to spread his frustrating charm everywhere. A desire to hit him hard grew inside Jiang Cheng, and he stirred the campfire with a twig. At this point, it probably wouldn’t go out.

Wondering how his companion was, Jiang Cheng looked into the face of Lan Xichen. Illuminated by the light, the ruggedness of the man's beautiful features revealed itself clearly in the darkness.

It was a pretty face, Jiang Cheng thought with admiration. As Lan Xichen had grown older, his manly, well-proportioned features didn’t develop a single flaw.

Jiang Cheng himself closely resembled his mother, with thin eyebrows and bell-shaped eyes, and a delicate jaw. When he had been young, he’d had a hard time reviving the Jiang clan because of his feminine, at first glance seemingly ephemeral facial structure.

In that respect, the fine contours of Lan Xichen’s masculinity were the exact opposite, and the more Jiang Cheng looked at them, the more impressed he became. However at this moment. Lan Xichen wore an anguished expression, and his breathing was rough.

“This is bad…”

Murmuring to himself, Jiang Cheng put a finger on Lan Xichen’s principal meridian. It was the lungs, he thought with a frown. Just like in the common saying, “If the sorrow is strong, it will hurt the lungs”, Lan Xichen’s complexion was horribly pale, and Jiang Cheng realized that his lungs had fallen ill because of the cold. The grief born from the death of Jin Guangyao combined with the yin energy, must have been eroding his body.

The problem was that the lungs were troublesome organs, and for someone who had no practice in it, giving spiritual energy via the meridian was difficult. Unlike other viscera, it was blocked by the sternum, thus it took time to give spiritual energy through this channel.

“Zewu-jun, don’t wake up, alright?”

Smoothing out the wrinkle between his eyebrows, Jiang Cheng was left with no choice but to bring their faces together.

――Putting their lips together and exchanging their breaths, he could let the spiritual energy flow directly into the lungs.

When Jiang Cheng had first heard about this topic, he had still been in his teens. Fooling around with Wei Wuxian, the two of them had often talked about it, how it would be nice to do something like this with a cultivator maiden someday. But he had never expected his partner for that “someday” to be Lan Xichen, one of the twin jades of all people.

Jiang Cheng firmly grasped the other man’s cheeks in between his hands, and then pressed his lips against Lan Xichen’s. Using his tongue, he slowly pried the tightly closed rows of teeth open to make it easier for air to pass. Even though the man’s lips were soft, his breath was faint.

With a long exhale, Jiang Cheng blew his warm breath into the other’s mouth, and slowly Lan Xichen’s chest expanded. Jiang Cheng released his lips briefly, before pouring more air inside with another lengthy breath. Then, the other man finally exhaled in return. The taste of blood mixed with saliva, having probably dripped from Lan Xichen’s damaged lungs and throat.

Jiang Cheng had no choice but to sip all of the blood into his mouth before spitting it out onto the ground. While he repeated this process a few times, a slight redness returned to Lan Xichen’s face.

But his body had grown completely cold, most likely ecause of the blood loss.

“It’s no use…”

At this rate, Lan Xichen’s body would be frozen stiff like a snow sculpture before the night was over. Jiang Cheng loosened the man's damp clothes. Without pause, he took off his own clothes as well, exposing his naked upper body. The scar engraved on his chest gave a faint throb of pain.

Heaving a large breath, Jiang Cheng slowly stuck his own body against Lan Xichen’s. Skin touched skin, and the other man’s chill passed over to him with a numbing feeling.

He placed his dried overcoat onto the ground, and to avoid spreading the wound further, he pulled Lan Xichen into his arms, wrapping them around the man’s waist. Then, maybe because of the cold, the man nestled closer to him. Even though he was taller than Jiang Cheng, this mannerism made the latter feel a little nostalgic, and he let out a small smile.

Jiang Cheng’s nephew Jin Ling often used to sneak into his bed this way when he’d been small. No matter what, Jiang Cheng had never been able to pull the child off of himself, this child who tightly clung to him and refused to let go due to the loneliness of losing his parents.

Lately, this behavior had become considerably rare, but Jiang Cheng could not resist when Jin Ling came to his room clutching a pillow, announcing, “I will sleep next to jiujiu” in a childish, adorable voice.

Just as he had always done until Jin Ling had fallen asleep, Jiang Cheng pat Lan Xichen’s waist with the hands he still held wrapped around him. The other man cuddled even closer. He’s going to suffocate, Jiang Cheng thought with a start, and wondered whether it wasn’t better to withdraw after all. Gradually he realized that the two of their bodies were warming up at a slow pace.

Tomorrow they would have to get up early and look for the surviving disciples. Biting back a yawn, Jiang Cheng placed his forehead on Lan Xichen's shoulder, and closed his eyes.

The next day Lan Xichen behaved weirdly. Physically he seemed better, but when he saw the naked Jiang Cheng clinging close to himself, he rolled over spectacularly, and furthermore when Jiang Cheng told him how he had healed his lungs, he went completely quiet in surprise, as if he had placed a silencing spell upon himself.

Jiang Cheng brought Lan Xichen back to Gusu, dragging the man along who had become taciturn in a way that resembled Hanguang-jun. A few days later, he returned to Yunmeng.

He had told Lan Xichen not to worry about it, but when it came to the Lan clan, it didn’t seem like they enjoyed touching strangers very much. Even though Jiang Cheng had saved him, it might have made the other uncomfortable as an outcome.

Next thing he heard of Lan Xichen was that the man had left his self-imposed seclusion. Good for him, thought Jiang Cheng, and was about to dedicate himself to his work again, when strange things began to happen.

Letters in Lan Xichen’s elegant script started getting delivered, together with gentian flowers.

Their content was without fail the following; after a greeting that remarked upon the change of seasons, and his current state, Lan Xichen always asked for Jiang Cheng to come to Gusu seeing as he’d like to give his thanks.

Certainly Jiang Cheng had saved his life, and nursed him when he’d been unwell, so it wasn’t that he couldn’t understand why the other would want to thank him. However, because Jiang Cheng’s memories of his youthful days spent in the strict Cloud Recesses weren’t the best, he didn’t really want to go if it could be avoided.

On top of that, the Cloud Recesses were also the home of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, who had already become like a married couple and spent their days closely attached to each other. The moment he encountered them, Jiang Cheng had the feeling that he may start shouting in anger all over the place and break those ceremonious sect rules.

Jiang Cheng didn’t intend to ignore the letters, but while he left them alone due to work, several similar ones were sent in quick succession.

It couldn’t be helped, he thought, and penned a formal answer along the line of, giving thanks is unnecessary, don’t worry about it, if you feel like it, let’s go on a night hunt together some time. But very quickly another letter was delivered. It was written in beautiful handwriting different from the ones before, and this time it came with a rare blue corydalis flower.

――No matter what, I want you to come to Gusu.

This one sentence written in there somehow remained stuck inside Jiang Cheng’s mind. He started to wonder whether it wasn’t some kind of trap, but it was widely known to anyone that Lan Xichen was a sincere person.

Jiang Cheng, who had taken part in the sunshot campaign with him, was well aware of this. Lan Xichen really was a man akin to a thoroughly polished jewel, and he possessed a pure heart that was just as flashy as it looked like from outside.

Reluctantly, Jiang Cheng wrote a simple answer saying only, “Whenever it suits me with work”. This wasn’t a lie, since Jiang Cheng himself rigorously conducted the training routines of his disciples. Apart from that, he often went to Koi Tower for matters of the Jin Clan, thus he barely had time to spare.

With this, Lan Xichen should be satisfied, he thought with relief, but the following time it was a person who arrived. And in addition, it was the man Jiang Cheng didn’t want to see, of all people.

“Jiang Cheng!”

Like an ambush in waiting, Jiang Cheng’s former shixiong, Wei Wuxian, stood at the other end of the corridor leading to his business chambers. His lover, Lan Wangji, was accompanying him. Wei Wuxian let his black roes flutter as he approached, bouncing up and down like a rabbit.

“Get lost!”

“Why? I brought you something I was entrusted with.”

“Something you were entrusted with?”

As Jiang Cheng raised a thin eyebrow to look at Wei Wuxian, the latter turned his beautiful, bright eyes into a smile. His appearance may have changed, but the presence of his smile hadn't changed at all. It was a sweet expression, making those who looked at him unwittingly laugh as well. His bangs, scattered in an unruly and springy manner, swayed as if they were a part of his body.

"That's why gotta let me in. You agree with me, right, Lan Zhan?"

Lan Wangji, who was standing on reserve behind Wei Wuxian like a departed soul, nodded deeply at his words. It was as if he was unable to feel any willpower of his own. There were times when Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but think that Lan Wangji looked much more like a taciturn summoned corpse than Wen Ning.

“When you’ve finished your business here, go home at once.”

“Okay, okay, serve the tea already then.”

“Do you want to get hit?”

From Jiang Cheng’s tightly grasped palm, the crackling sound of Zidian popping to life could be heard. Seeing this, Wei Wuxian laughed, “Scary!”, and quickly walked towards Jiang Cheng’s business chamber.

“Alright, here you go. It’s a letter.”

“A letter?”

When Jiang Cheng sat down, an envelope was slapped onto his desk with vigor. Not only that, but garnishing it was yet a different flower, making it look just like a love letter which one would address to one’s sweetheart.

“It’s from Zewu-jun.”

“Again from that guy…”

At Jiang Cheng’s words, Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes, looking mildly perturbed. For once his facial expression was easy to interpret. Feeling like his cherished older brother had been slighted, the man was probably displeased.

In the first place, Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji hadn’t gotten along well for a long time now. Jiang Cheng wasn’t good at understanding what went on in Lan Wangji’s head, and the other seemed likewise unable to stomach the viewpoint of Wei Wuxian’s childhood friend. Since there was no helping it, Jiang Cheng viewed the contents of the letter, and inside was yet another prayer-like request for him to come to Cloud Recesses.

"I’d like to ask, why does Lan Xichen want me to come to Gusu so badly?"

At Jiang Cheng's words, Wei Wuxian tilted his head to the side.

“Well, according to what I heard he’s in your debt due to those snowy mountains… By which I mean, Jiang Cheng, what did you do to Zewu-jun? Lan Zhan says it’s unusual for him to do things like sending letters with this kind of enthusiasm. Not to speak of inviting someone.”

"I did nothing except to nurse that guy in the snowy mountains. Because of the matter with Jin Guangyao, and due to the fact that he was stabbed, his lungs were in a bad shape, so I had to give him some spiritual energy and…”

“Huh? His lungs?”

Looking at the surprised face of Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened as he became aware of what he’d said. It had been a slip of the tongue.

“Now wait just a moment! Spiritual energy, into his lungs? In other words, Jiang Cheng, you, to Zewu-jun, that ... did you really do that!”

"It was for medical treatment. Zewu-jun didn't say anything about it in particular."

Wei Wuxian raised his voice into loud bellows of laughter, and then rolled over, drumming his fists against the floor.

“Hey, Hanguang-jun, grab this guy and go back to Cloud Recesses with him at once. Don’t show your faces here in Yunmeng again!”

Paying no mind to Jiang Cheng’s irate voice, Wei Wuxian rubbed his eyes, which had filled with tears from laughing too much. Grinning broadly, he poked Lan Wangji.

“Well, Lan Zhan. Is it some kind of family tradition for the Lans, to have this kind of thing happen after you get stranded somewhere with someone? Because it was in that cave that you realized it too, wasn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?”

At Jiang Cheng’s question, Wei Wuxian shook his head with a bounce. The corner’s of his lips quirked upwards, making his sweet face resemble a rabbit even more.

“Nothing in particular~ But Jiang Cheng, if you don’t meet with Zewu-jun at least once, I think you’ll continue to receive letters for quiiite a while. Why don’t you go see him a single time, at least?”

“I don’t want to go to Cloud Recesses.”

At the decisive words, Wei Wuxian stood up, pointing his fingers at him.

“Uh-huh! Jiang Cheng is afraid of the Cloud Recesses! I’m not affected by that place at all anymore, but, well…”

“What!? I’m not affected either! I’ll show you that I can go to Cloud Recesses any time!”

“Then go tomorrow.”

Realizing he’d fallen for the trap, Jiang Cheng reflexively covered his face with his hands.

“Tomorrow…”

“That’s right. How about departing tomorrow?”

"I guess I have no plans for a while starting tomorrow."

Jiang Cheng couldn’t stand being teased like this, getting told, “You probably can’t do it”, and the like. Wei Wuxian had said it on purpose with an intention of instigating him. He exhaled with a sigh, and rubbed the crease between his eyebrows. Smiling innocently, Wei Wuxian brushed his bangs upwards.

“If only you weren’t so sullen, Jiang Cheng. When we met again after ten-something years at that mountain, I thought you had completely changed, you know. That Jiang Cheng, I thought, he holds his nose up proudly, and his eyes sparkle like purple lotus flowers, oh, he has such a pretty face! Well, the most handsome is still Lan Zhan, though.”

“Don’t say thinks like I’m pretty!”

“Well, then I’ll be ahead waiting in Cloud Recesses for you.”

Wei Wuxian stood up, emptying the cup of tea a disciple had brought him, and then promptly abandoned his seat. Gazing at the small flower that had been placed on his desk, Jiang Cheng picked up his brush with a heavy heart.

When Jiang Cheng showed up at Cloud Recesses for the first time in a while, the place hadn’t changed at all. The number of ceremonious sect rules carved in a long line onto the stone walls seemed to increase almost faster than one could notice. Because of the winter, the trees of Gusu had scattered their leaves, but instead the white magnolia was in full bloom. Young Lan disciples fluttered around beneath the tree branches, beautiful and with a fleeting elegance akin to a picture scroll from the west.

“Jiang-zongzhu.”

Without even a single disciple accompanying him, Jiang Cheng stood in front of the gate when Lan Xichen showed up, flanked by a few cultivators. Last Jiang Cheng had seen him had only been a few weeks ago, but unlike his haggard face from that time, he looked as fine as a beautiful general sung about in ancient poetry now. His eyebrows were distinctly dark, and his facial features looked even more masculine, but a gentle smile was spread all over his face.

“Zewu-jun.”

As Jiang Cheng raised his face to look up at the tall man, the latter put his hand on his chest, and bowed.

“I apologize. I made you wait, didn’t I?”

“Not really…”

When Jiang Cheng directed his gaze sideways, a boy with pretty cheeks presented him with a small jade token. Accepting it with a thanks, Jiang Cheng put it inside his breast pocket.

As they walked towards the yashi, a designated chamber used for hosting guests, they passed by several boys clad in spotless white robes. All of them were beautiful in both face and appearance, and when they caught sight of Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng, they stopped in their tracks and gave a bow. They were well disciplined.

"Did you come without any companions today, Jiang-zongzhu?"

At the mild but slightly tense voice, Jiang Cheng gave a nod.

“Yes. I thought about bringing along some young ones, but if I only took one or two, Jin Ling might get jealous and would probably want to come as well.”

“It would have been fine if you had brought him along.”

“You’d probably be in for a surprise if Jin Ling came to Cloud Recesses. That brat can be ill-mannered at times.”

Jin Ling, who had grown up being allowed to be as wilful as he pleased, wasn’t likely to adapt into this strict place by any means. Certainly, he would set his dog after Wei Wuxian, leading to the latter crying loudly and making a lot of ruckus everywhere. If Jiang Cheng, feeling shamed, grew angry and used Zidian, he himself would probably become the laughing stock of not only the Lan clan, but all of Gusu.

Thinking of his nephew, Jiang Cheng stroked his ring. Since he’d been a baby, Jin Ling had been a child who liked to make himself useful as well. Just as Lan Xichen had said, it might have been good to bring him along.

On that note, the conversation trailed off, and Jiang Cheng glanced briefly into Lan Xichen’s direction. The other man was making an unusually serious face.

Looking at his expression, Jiang Cheng couldn’t understand just why Lan Xichen had so fervently asked for him to come to Cloud Recesses. Considering the welcome Jiang Cheng had received, he couldn’t feel any camaraderie from him, and Lan Xichen’s anxious face didn’t convey a bright ambience either.

Unlike Jin Guangyao, whom Lan Xichen had completely opened his heart for, it wasn’t the case that Jiang Cheng was talented at observing the subtleties of people’s minds, or holding an amiable conversation for that matter. He could do it if he were to set his mind to it, of course, but usually he thought it too bothersome, and came off strongly in result.

For that reason he tended to be the subject of malicious gossip behind his back, much like his mother had been before him, who had often been given the nickname, “the purple spider”, or “enchantress”. Even when he was called haughty, he had no choice but to live with it.

If this wasn’t for deepening their friendship, maybe Lan Xichen wanted to reveal something behind close doors. Stroking his lips with his fingers, Jiang Cheng let out a breath.

“Being with me isn’t tedious for you?”

“Huh!?”

At the words Jiang Cheng had suddenly spoken, Lan Xichen’s eyes became round in surprise. Instead of his usual calm, his expression completely transformed into a rare, perplexed one. In such a situation, Jiang Cheng thought it best to express himself clearly, and turned towards him.

“Zewu-jun, what business did you call me for? Someone with my nature doesnt’t fit in well with the Cloud Recesses in the first place. And apart from the location, you don’t like a twisted person like me either, isn’t it so?”

At this, Lan Xichen stopped walking abruptly.

“That’s not the case at all, I…”

“Jiang Cheng!”

Together with the ill-mannered, noisy pattering of footsteps, a man’s voice could be heard. There was only one man this rude in all of Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian.

“You finally came!”

Wei Wuxian’s crimson hairband floated through the air like a mirage. Just as last time, the suddenly appearing man wore a smile that covered all of his face.

"You’re still running around? What are you, trying to break the sect rules to the point where it won’t end with just the whip?”

"I'm rarely running these days. And also, I learned how to run without getting caught by anyone!"

At Wei Wuxian’s calm and boldly-stated words, Jiang Cheng made a display of his ring.

"Try and say such a shameless thing! I'll hit you with Zidian this time!"

While Jiang Cheng scolded him relentlessly, Wei Wuxian turned his stance toward the man next to him.

“Zewu-jun, I’ve called Jiang Cheng here. If me and Lan Zhan say so, he’ll come.”

"Thank you very much. Without you and Wangji I wouldn't have had such an opportunity."

"That's right! I heard that you’re going play the qin today with Lan Zhan."

Giving Wei Wuxian a delighted Laugh, Lan Xichen now carried a much softer air about him compared to before, when he’d been talking to Jiang Cheng in a rigid voice. Feeling like a bit of a kill-joy, Jiang Cheng cleared his throat with a huff.

"If it’s alright with Jiang-zongzhu, this one was wondering how you’d like a small performance."

Being asked whether it was alright with him, Jiang Cheng couldn’t really say no. This was what he’d come for in the first place, after all. He was going to let Lan Xichen entertain him, listen to a song or two, and then he could go home again.

“I don’t mind.”

At Jiang Cheng’s answer, Lan Xichen closed his eyes as if in relief. Jiang Cheng couldn’t understand why the eldest brother of the Lan clan of all people was making such a stiff face.

"Well then, please follow me to my chambers."

“Yours?”

Lan Xichen gave a weighty nod in response to the question.

"Yes. Unlike Wangji’s, others aren’t forbidden from entering my own room in particular."

"Hey, it's my first time seeing Zewu-jun’s room, too. Jiang Cheng, you’re lucky!"

Ignoring Wei Wuxian’s voice, Jiang Cheng looked around the garden. It had started to snow just lightly. By tonight, the snowfall might grow heavy. How bothersome, he thought, and then raised his head to the grey sky, which was attempting to dye the Lan residence in a pale color.

“If there’s no liquor, it’s dull.”

With this proclamation, Wei Wuxian made to enter the room, carrying some jugs of wine just as he pleased. Jiang Cheng stepped inside as well, feeling repugnance at the other’s behavior. Against all expectations that the interior would be plain, there were folding screens with ink paintings of plum flowers and the like, making it appear rich with elegance. The scent of aloes-wood hung in the air around them, setting adrift a tranquil atmosphere.

"Wow, just as expected of Zewu-jun’s chambers. It’s so neat!"

“Yeah…”

“I mean, Lan Zhan’s room is also neat. But inside Zewu-jun’s, his personality really comes to light.”

Even thinking that one shouldn’t look around other people’s rooms too closely, Jiang Cheng stealthily inspected his surroundings, guided by Wei Wuxian’s words.

Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji had already prepared their qins, and when they sat down side by side, they carried a charm that demanded admiration, befitting of the twin jades of Lan.

In particular, there was a window behind their backs from which one had a view of the ceaselessly falling snow. The silhouettes of birds which swept across it, together with the steadily darkening room, bestowed the twin jades’ white robes with a picturesque color scheme.

Wei Wuxian sat down silently with his knees pointing upward, poured some of the liquor he’d brought into two cups, and handed one over. Jiang Cheng could have turned it down, but he reconsidered it, thinking that just for today it should be fine. After all, he wasn’t a child anymore.

“Please make yourself at home as well, Jiang-zongzhu.”

Lan Xichen directed a smile towards him. Holding the other man’s gaze, Jiang Cheng brought the vermillion-lacquered cup to his mouth. It was a little big and too fancy, maybe the kind of thing that would be used at a wedding ceremony, and he wondered just where on earth Wei Wuxian had procured these cups from.

The brothers' ensemble was magnificent.

Even though Jiang Cheng didn’t feel like he had drunk enough to get tipsy, his body grew hot soon enough. It was probably due to the liquor, he supposed, and dazedly continued to stare at Lan Xichen’s face while listening to the music. Lan Xichen’s fingers plucked fervently at the strings, and each time a note made the air vibrate, Jiang Cheng’s consciousness became a bit more drowsy.

Suddenly their eyes met. Lan Xichen fixed him directly with a heated gaze. In that moment, Jiang Cheng felt a loud thump resound inside his chest, and pat his own cheek.

Keeping their gazes locked, Lan Xichen continued to let the music reverberate loudly, so that each sound could be heard one-by-one. At the sweet melody, which made Jiang Cheng feel like someone was placing heated whispers right by his ear, he inadvertently lowered his eyes.

His body felt feverish from the alcohol. He was about to press Wei Wuxian for answers regarding just what kind of strong stuff he’d brought, but the other man also appeared droopy-eyed, seeminly about ready to drop his cup.

Inside Jiang Cheng’s fuzzy mind, the thought occured to him that for Wei Wuxian, who could handle alcohol well, this was unusual. In the meanwhile, the song was nearly approaching its end.

By the time the last note echoed, Wei Wuxian was suddenly lying on the floor face-down. The cup rolled out of his palm, forming a stain of liquor on his black robes. Lan Xichen let out a quiet chuckle at the sight of him.

"Wangji. Please take Wei-gongzi back to your chambers."

“Xiongzhang.”

“I will take care of Jiang-zongzhu. Both of them seem quite drunk.”

“…Mn.”

Even though he looked like he really wanted to say something, Lan Wangji still obeyed his older brother. He came towards them, and quickly gathered Wei Wuxian into his arms. Jiang Cheng’s former shixiong fit dead-limp into Lan Wangji’s hold.

Looking at the black sleeves which swayed like a pendulum, Jiang Cheng addressed the approaching Lan Xichen with a hoarse voice.

“Apologies for the unsightly state, Zewu-jun. Can also you show me somewhere to rest…”

"If you move too much, it will harm your body. Let's take a small rest in this room."

“But…”

With Wei Wuxian held in Lan Wangji’s arms, the couple left the room. How damn awkward, Jiang Cheng thought, starting to sink into a self-deprecating mood. Surely he couldn’t have fallen into a state of almost-unconsciousness just because of Wei Wuxian’s messing around with liquor.

He stood up supported by Lan Xichen’s shoulder, and was taken to a bed at the back of the chambers. It wasn’t that the room was warm, but yet he found his body becoming damp with sweat.

“It’s hot…”

Relaxing the front of his narrow sleeves, Jiang Cheng let out a weighted breath on top of Lan Xichen’s bed.

For some reason, he felt like his body was gradually turning numb. It was the first time he experienced this. With dread, he wondered just what it was that he’d been given to drink.

Jiang Cheng looked up at Lan Xichen, who had seated himself onto the bed and was peering into his face with worry. Maybe he was just imagining things, but the other man’s gaze also seemed somehow feverish. His face appeared excessively beautiful, and once more Jiang Cheng felt a mysterious throbbing inside his chest. From Lan Xichen’s robes, which were perfumed with the incense of aloes-wood, a translucent fragrance drifted over.

“Zewu-jun, that…”

“Why don’t we stop standing on formality? Let’s speak to each other like Wangji and Wei-gongzi do.”

“Um.”

At the suddenly earnest voice, Jiang Cheng was taken aback. However Lan Xichen appeared exceptionally serious, and thus Jiang Cheng couldn’t help responding in a more familiar tone.

“Alright then. Lan Xichen, why did you call me here?”

“I wanted to express my gratitude to you, Jiang-zongzhu.”

“Jiang Cheng is fine.”

Lan Xichen let out a happy laugh at his words.

“Well, Jiang Cheng.”

His eyes, much darker than Lan Wangji’s, watched Jiang Cheng intently. Somehow unable to bear the full weight of it, Jiang Cheng let out an audible gulp. The air around them was utterly silent, as if the snow had absorbed every sound.

At the same time, Jiang Cheng felt more and more like his head was being invaded. Just what kind of situation was this? His head was throbbing from the tight bun he wore, prompting him to lay it down flat. Maybe Lan Xichen had taken notice, because he his hand brushed against Jiang Cheng’s hair.

“Lan Xichen?”

“Jiang Cheng, shall I unfasten your hair?”

The words made Jiang Cheng’s throat close up at once. He always compiled his hair in a minute fashion, and when he appeared in public, he rather preferred to not show up wearing it loose.

“My hair…”

“Yes. Doesn’t it hurt?”

Somehow, Jiang Cheng was a little embarrassed to reveal his secret. Yet, thinking that it couldn’t be helped, he nodded at the other man’s suggestion.

“’Scuse me.”

“Please don’t worry yourself about it.”

The man’s angular fingers slowly laid themselves across Jiang Cheng’s head. Lan Xichen pulled out the hairpin, and as soon as he removed the ornaments, improbably enough all the weight was lifted off of Jiang Cheng’s shoulders.

His hair was straight, but to make it easier to pull up, he wore braids on the sides of his head. In order to loosen those as well, Lan Xichen began carefully combing through them with his fingers.

“Ah…”

Ticklish from the gentle movements, Jiang Cheng twisted his body, a hot breath spilling from his lips. It was as if a reversal of the event at the snowy mountains was taking place.

“After letting your hair down, you give quite a different impression.”

“That’s why I wear it in a bun.”

With features like his, it was Jiang Cheng’s concern that letting his hair down would lead to him appearing immature in some respects, like Wei Wuxian did. Because he hadn’t been able to help wearing it loose without regard to his appearance during the sunshot campaign, people had frequently spoken ill of him then.

――Can someone with such a childish face really kill the Wen dogs?

The eyes directed at Jiang Cheng at that time had been unforgiving, especially because of Wei Wuxian’s activities. For the remainder of his life, Jiang Cheng would never forget the days where he’d lived at rock bottom. Therefore, he made it a rule to rarely untie his hair.

Falling asleep like this would have been good, but his body was much too hot to even think of it. Even though his heart was thumping more painfully than before, his limbs had become numb and heavy to the point of being utterly useless. As he kept wondering what to do, Lan Xichen suddenly sat up.

“I’ll go and get some water.”

“Please.”

Lan Xichen went to pick up the jug from the neighboring room, and returned again. Pouring water into a small bowl, he handed it over to Jiang Cheng. Yet, no matter how much Jiang Cheng tried to put the water into his mouth, he couldn’t swallow properly. His tongue as well as his articulation was becoming increasingly slow, and he realized that tipsiness continued to grow a tighter and tighter grip over his body.

“Can you not swallow it?”

Jiang Cheng gave a small nod. Lan Xichen took some water into his own mouth with an unreadable expression. Dimly, Jiang Cheng wondered what he intended to do, when suddenly the other man’s face came closer. At the same time, water began slipping into Jiang Cheng’s mouth.

He’s made me drink mouth-to-mouth, Jiang Cheng realized. Like a parent bird, Lan Xichen brought their lips together time after time, pouring lukewarm water inside.

Jiang Cheng couldn’t even be bothered to resist, and instead just accepted it silently. Lan Xichen’s pitch black hair fell down next to his face, making him feel like all the rest of the world was blocked out.

After taking the last gulp, Lan Xichen put down the empty jug, and then slowly came close again. Jiang Cheng swallowed down the lukewarm water mixed with saliva, but even afterwards the other’s lips remained connected, making no motion of withdrawing. The other man’s tongue leisurely crept in between the rows of Jiang Cheng’s teeth. Before he knew it, Lan Xichen had pushed him down onto the bed.

An exhale tickled his skin, so damp that it was hard to tell which of them it belonged to. Not understanding what was being done to him, Jiang Cheng accepted the man relentlessly entwining their tongues. The ends of Lan Xichen’s forehead ribbon swayed in his line of sight with a flicker.

“Mm…”

At the comfortable feeling, and the warmth of their touching skin, Jiang Cheng grew light-headed and dazed. Lan Xichen’s tongue was thick. Due to its heaviness, Jiang Cheng’s smaller one was gulped up entirely, unable to move whenever captured. Lan Xichen continued to ravage his mouth in order to rub the slippery appendages together, making doubts rise to surface inside Jiang Cheng’s head. He grabbed Lan Xichen’s sleeve with a shaking hand.

Finally their lips separated. As if to say it was a shame for their saliva to be spilled, Lan Xichen calmly lapped it up from Jiang Cheng’s jaw. At the mannerism so perfectly reminiscent of a predator’s, Jiang Cheng’s body gave a small shiver.

“What are…?”

“I’m sorry, Jiang Cheng.”

Jiang Cheng had not the slightest clue what Lan Xichen was apologizing for. When he gazed into proximity of the man’s nose, exquisite, just as if it had been artificially carved, Lan Xichen made a face like he was about to cry.

“Will you receive me?”

His expression was just like a child. Jiang Cheng, not understanding anything, gave a small nod.

While Jiang Cheng was skillfully undressed, Lan Xichen pressed his lips onto him as if he wanted to touch every part of his body. He licked Jiang Cheng’s collarbone, suckled at his scars, and pushed his nose against each of his ribs one by one. Like a large, tamed dog, Jiang Cheng somehow managed to gather his strength, and twisted his body.

“Zewu-jun, that’s…”

His swollen areolae were gently swallowed, prompting him to turn his head away in embarrassment. Angular fingers pinched a pale nub, and a set of teeth tenderly provoked the other one, making a flash of sparks alight inside Jiang Cheng’s head, wrought by a kind of pleasure he’d never felt before.

Tongue dripping with ample amounts of saliva, Lan Xichen teased the notch at the tip of Jiang Cheng’s nipples. Jiang Cheng could do nothing but bite his lower lip.

The pleasure didn’t stop rising gradually from his loins with a tingling sensation. The tip of his cock, hard as if he’d stroked himself with his hand, was pinched tightly between Lan Xichen’s fingers, making Jiang Cheng bend his hips and moan. The wooden bed let out a creaking sound.

“Aah, ah…”

Lan Xichen was going to fuck him. The realization hit Jiang Cheng suddenly, making him squirm with trembling legs. Up until now, he’d never even had any sexual relations with women, not to speak of men. He was aware of what was going to happen next, but he was absolutely not going to be able to take Lan Xichen.

“Please don’t struggle.”

Two hands gently stroked his thighs. Then, as if his legs had become entirely numb, Jiang Cheng could no longer move them. He couldn’t help feeling that the man in front of him was not the “upright and just” Lan Xichen that everyone knew.

Mingling with the scent of aloes-wood, an unfamiliar fragrance hung in the air. The moment Jiang Cheng realized that it belonged to Lan Xichen’s cock, his body burned with heat.

“Lan-Lan Xichen. Are you going to, with that—”

“I’m going to take you.”

The whisper resounded right next to his ears. Jiang Cheng felt the blood slowly gather all across his face. No matter what he did, he was convinced that this man was not going to stop. Once again he was kissed firmly. His neck fixed tightly into place, Jiang Cheng somehow managed to accept the other’s relentless kisses. The sound of their tongues intertwining echoed in his ears, making him grow so embarrassed that he squeezed his eyes shut.

"There you go, swallow all of it until the last drop."

A two person’s load of saliva poured into his mouth from above. In order to coerce him to swallow, Lan Xichen held him tightly to the point of drowning. Jiang Cheng felt like his heart was going to stop.

He wanted to scream that this sort of touch was unfamiliar to him. Only once had he kissed a sweet cultivator maiden, near Lotus Pier at the embankment, long ago. At that time they had only touched lightly, and hadn’t entangled their tongues with each other like this.

When he swallowed the saliva with a gurgle, a set of fingers made him open his mouth to confirm. Probably delighted that Jiang Cheng hadn’t spilled anything, Lan Xichen stroked his cheek.

“Jiang Cheng, have you done something like this before?”

“O-only once.”

At his answer Lan Xichen squinted his eyes a little, as if displeased, and laid his hands onto Jiang Cheng’s clothes in silence. As one would expect, having his undergarments peeled off was embarassing, but in the state he was in there was no way for Jiang Cheng to resist.

Lan Xichen stared at Jiang Cheng’s length, firmly erect by now, and then grabbed it without any hesitation.

“Huh, wha…”

It wasn’t the case that Jiang Cheng’s cock was either particularly small or large. Yet strange enough, when covered by the other man’s large palm, he grew a little uneasy.

“Ah, wait, that’s—”

“It’s alright.”

What the heck do you mean, alright, Jiang Cheng wanted to ask, but then a large hand stroked him thoroughly up to the tip, and stars danced beneath his eyelids. He realized that he hadn’t done this in quite a long time. He’d been busy raising Jin Ling, amongst other things, and in the first place he was an indifferent person anyway.

When the hand started stroking messily across his skin to toy with his soft undergrowth, Jiang Cheng’s hips began to stutter. Pre-come leaked incessantly from his slippery tip, with sticky fluid spilling all over Lan Xichen’s beautiful hand.

“No, ah, d-don’t—”

Jiang Cheng’s shaft was rubbed tightly. He could no longer hold back his cries.

“There you go, show me please.”

Lips whispering sweetly into his ear, the other man’s thumb suddenly squashed the head of Jiang Cheng’s cock. He came while clinging onto Lan Xichen’s arm.

“Uh, a— don’t…!”

Small amounts of semen began to stain Lan Xichen’s palm white with little squirts. Jiang Cheng cried tears in large droplets, mortified enough to die, and covered his face with trembling hands. He sunk his head to hide his shame.

“Jiang Cheng, raise your head.”

“I don’t want anymore…”

“Have I tormented you too much?”

Urged to move his palm out of the way, Jiang Cheng looked up at Lan Xichen with watering eyes. He could absolutely not understand why the other would do something like this.

However, Lan Xichen was making a happy face, one that Jiang Cheng had never seen him wear before. The man's eyes were burning, and his expression was oozing with the unmistakable nature of a beast.

Horror, and the agonizing feeling of being unable to escape, slowly began to take over his mind. He noticed that something hard was hitting his thigh.

“Lan Xichen, you…”

From their sole point of touch Jiang Cheng could already conclude that the thing was considerably large. Once more, a tear escaped his eyes.

“I want to enter you.”

Understood, Jiang Cheng shakily replied, his voice carrying a pleading note. The other man excitedly rubbed against him.

“I’ll be gentle.”

“I got it, understood…”

Not knowing what was going to be done to him, Jiang Cheng watched while Lan Xichen parted his sluggish legs. Embarrassment made his face grow pale, but since he could do nothing but bear it, he somehow made himself calm down. Beneath his cock, which had lost all strength after ejaculation, Lan Xichen’s fingers stealthily made their way to the ring of flesh that no one had touched before.

“What…?”

“I will make use of this.”

No way, Jiang Cheng wanted to say, but the other man’s voice had sounded honest. The tip of Lan Xichen's finger slowly pushed into the creases hidden between his spread legs. Just when he realized that Lan Xichen had covered his finger in some sort of oil without his notice, it smoothly slipped inside. At the dread of being groped in a place he had never touched before, Jiang Cheng took a deep breath.

The foreign body feeling inside him outweighed even the shock. He started growing anxious, wondering whether such a thing could really feel good, and yet another finger joined the first one. Lan Xichen took his time to open him up slowly, as if exploring his insides.

“Ah!”

“Does it hurt?”

Jiang Cheng shook his head. When he imagined how Lan Xichen’s beautiful fingers would move, gently tracing his folds which undulated into a crease-like shape, the excitement slowly but thoroughly agitated his mind.

“Zewu-jun…”

Feeling a little lonesome, he stroked the man’s cheek, which prompted Lan Xichen to smile and nuzzle their foreheads together. They were so close that their fluttering eyelashes touched. Because the other man’s forehead ribbon was slightly askew, Jiang Cheng made to untie it, and Lan Xichen murmured something in a quiet voice. Unable to catch the contents, Jiang Cheng blinked.

“I’m just going to feel around inside you a little more.”

“Inside me?”

“Yes. It’ll be fine, Jiang Cheng.”

Lan Xichen spoke in a whisper, and then dropped another kiss onto his lips, just touching them together. With that, his fingers began rubbing into Jiang Cheng’s hole once more. When the finger pads bumped against the inside of his navel beyond the unfurling entrance, Jiang Cheng’s toes inadvertently curled up. The pleasure reverberated like the ring of a bell throughout his body, making his hips stutter. Jiang Cheng’s eyes unconsciously widened at the sudden feeling.

“Ah, huh?”

“It’s alright, just breathe in. It feels good there, does it not?”

Jiang Cheng was unable to make sense of the words seeking his confirmation. Each time the tip of Lan Xichen’s fingers massaged and scratched their nails below Jiang Cheng’s navel, a pleasure of the likes he’d never experienced before burned through the nerves of his previously immature organ. Realizing with dread how the other man’s fingers were completely changing this inexperienced part of him, a part which no one had ever touched, Jiang Cheng opened and closed his mouth widely.

“Ah, huh, what—”

In the midst of his turmoil, yet another finger was suddenly pushed inside. The moment his rings of muscle were forcibly impaled, a pleasure that left him weak in the knees spread throughout his loins. No way, he thought, feeling his entire body break out into sweat. At the pleasure of his hole being exposed to its first sexual excitement, teased without reprieve, his lower abdomen ached and throbbed.

“Everything’s fine, please calm yourself.”

“N-no, I can’t.”

He wasn’t familiar with this, Jiang Cheng wanted to say with trembling lips. Ever since he’d been born, he had only ever chased pleasure in simple ways such as rubbing his member. And yet here he was being prepared to receive a man in such a humiliating position, just like a woman would be, with fingers dominating him by tormenting the spot beneath his navel.

This was the worst, he thought. All of it felt so good that he was unable to bear it.

Just how much time had passed? When the fingers pulled out of him again, his hole was already pleading for the next sensation, heat gathering inside with a painful tingle.

“Jiang Cheng…”

He could only breath roughly while being watched by Lan Xichen, and then the other man abruptly laid his own lower body bare. His large cock was straining hard all the way up against his belly button. It was heavy, and possessed a bulky texture, incomparable to Jiang Cheng’s in every way. Jiang Cheng stared at the blood vessels popping out faintly, and thought, no way. He feebly shook his head, feeling like he was going to cry.

“No, don’t put it in.”

“I’m sorry, Jiang Cheng. I’ll make you feel as good as possible.”

“It won’t fit inside, that thing, I can’t…”

Lan Xichen didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed Jiang Cheng’s hips with one hand, and propped the other against his own cock, aligning it with Jiang Cheng’s plump and thick rim. The gooey tip rubbed his entrance. It was going inside. It was going to enter him. Just thinking about it, Jiang Cheng’s heart began to quake like it was going to rupture.

“Lan Xichen, what are we going to do? I, I…”

“Everything’s fine.”

Lan Xichen linked his palm with Jiang Cheng’s own, just like a lover would. While Jiang Cheng let out a little sigh of relief, the masculine organ slowly began forcing its way past his soft folds. With a gradually increasing burn, Lan Xichen’s cock, massive to the point it took his breath away, spread Jiang Cheng’s rim, and then snugly fit itself into his boypussy, which had only just gotten to know its first experience of pleasure.

“Ah, ah—”

Deliberately taking his time, Lan Xichen slowly ploughed Jiang Cheng’s insides. The fat head pushed the inner walls of his hole apart, up until now completely unfamiliar with cock, and took over all of Jiang Cheng.

“…Is it inside?”

His slim lower belly had expanded to form a slight protrusion. Crying large droplets of tears, Jiang Cheng looked up at Lan Xichen.

“Yes.”

“Ah…”

Although he did feel some sense of accomplishment, he wasn’t sure whether it would be correct to say that he was glad. Releasing the breath he’d been holding, he stroked his stomach. To think about just how big the thing inside of him was was nothing but frightening.

“It’s a bit like I’ve gotten pregnant.”

At the words that had slipped from his lips, his hole suddenly expanded more even without moving.

“Huh, ah?”

“Jiang Cheng, you…”

"B-but it’s true, the way it's swollen so much, ah—"

Getting jolted abruptly, Jiang Cheng let out a moan. As if to mark him from the inside, Lan Xichen thrust into him in short, repeated intervals. All on their own, the rings of muscle inside Jiang Cheng twisted tightly and coquettishly around the intruding member, as if they wanted to make themselves known as a womb. Jiang Cheng’s cheeks blushed red due to his body’s lewdness.

“Please, please go more slowly.”

“I’m sorry, Jiang Cheng.”

While Jiang Cheng gazed up at Lan Xichen, the latter pulled out his cock to the very edge of Jiang Cheng’s rim. The moment his hole so became unexpectedly empty, it started to twitch, and then Lan Xichen buried himself all the way inside of him again.

As the huge cock began to pillage and violate his previously untouched flesh, Jiang Cheng could do nothing but receive it with wide purple eyes. Disheveling his loose hair, he cried out a short no.

“Don’t, stop, I’m going to break, from that—”

“I want to break you.”

Jiang Cheng had no answer to those plainly muttered words. Whenever his hips were forcefully jolted, the head of Lan Xichen’s cock slammed against the deepest part inside him, right beneath his navel.

Jiang Cheng jerked his hips, an attempt to somehow escape the mixture of pain and pleasure descending upon his body. However, he was no match for the sturdy arms that pulled him back.

His hole was spread apart wide enough to twinge with pain, but his insides only trembled at the overwhelming stimuli. Clinging indecently to Lan Xichen’s length, his body did nothing but plead for ejaculation with a slurping noise.

“Why, why are you…”

Unconsciously begging for semen, Jiang Cheng was in a trance of his body being nothing but a toy to wrap around Lan Xichen’s cock. His mind was in disorder. He felt like he was going to faint.

But then Lan Xichen bit his neck hard enough to draw blood, abruptly pulling him back into consciousness. As if to remind him of just who was fucking him right now, the other man fixed him with a powerful gaze, and Jiang Cheng could do nothing but sob.

“Ah, so deep, don’t…”

Each time Lan Xichen ground into him like one would into a toy, pre-come dribbled in thick droplets from Jiang Cheng’s member. His body was already in a state of continuous climax, and he was no longer capable of thought.

“Jiang Cheng, pleace receive all of me.”

Jiang Cheng only nodded at the words whispered into his ear like a spell. He dug his fingernails deep into Lan Xichen’s back.

In that moment, Lan Xichen plunged his so cock deeply into him that he squashed against his slender buttocks. With a terrifying force, semen expelled inside Jiang Cheng.

Both the deepest place inside him, and his passage, flushed bright red from being constantly impaled, were painted with thick splashes of come. Jiang Cheng climaxed without a noise leaving his lips.

“Jiang Cheng…!”

After pouring ample amounts of spent into him a few times, Lan Xichen slowly pulled out again. Thick and viscous droplets of come spilled from Jiang Cheng's gaping hole, which was completely unable to close up again. The fluid spilled down along his thighs.

“Please forgive me.”

Before losing consciousness, Jiang Cheng felt the warmth of Lan Xichen’s arms surround him, embracing him firmly as if to say, I won’t let you get away.

When Jiang Cheng awoke the following morning, the handsome first young master of their generation stood at his bedside. In his hands he was holding a tray with tea utensils. Sunlight shone inside the room along the window, the brightness making Jiang Cheng instinctively squint his eyes.

“Good morning, Jiang Cheng.”

“Zewu-jun…?”

With a sluggish mind Jiang Cheng wondered what he wanted, but then his memory gradually returned. Yesterday, he had drunken the suspicious liquor Wei Wuxian had brought while they had listened to the qin ensemble together. They had gotten completely wasted.

And then, of all things to happen, hadn’t Lan Xichen fucked him or something?

Yes, he had.

The moment the startling truth flitted through his mind, Jiang Cheng froze briefly. He absolutely couldn’t remember why that had happened. All he knew was the fact that it hadn’t been against his will, and that he had lain like a pair of lovers together with Lan Xichen. At the sudden thought, he paled, and covered the lower half of his face with his hands.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine, but…”

He glanced up at Lan Xichen, who was wearing a wide smile on his face as if he had attained perfect harmony. The gloomy atmosphere that had hung in the air only a short time ago had now vanished completely, and Jiang Cheng couldn’t help thinking that Lan Xichen had become an even better and more polished man.

Certainly, he was so fair that even the loveliest maidens of the Jianghu seemed nothing in comparison, and at this moment his beauty was dizzying. He carried a divinity resembling that of the auspicious beast, the white stag.

"That… After getting wasted due to that guy’s liquor yesterday, I was…"

“You don’t need to say anything.”

Lan Xichen sent him a comfortable smile. Before Jiang Cheng knew it, he was clad into Lan Xichen’s white robes, and it was as if his body had been purified up until the tips of his toes. But his hair was still falling down freely. Just what had he… Whenever his foolishness from the previous day surfaced inside his mind, it quickly vanished again. Considering the heaviness of his hangover, he had overdone it.

“Jiang Cheng.”

Once again, Lan Xichen called him by his name instead of the title of Jiang-zongzhu. Jiang Cheng looked at the other man's face with a confused expression.

“Did you dislike it?”

“No, that should be my line.”

“I’m glad.”

Relief befell Lan Xichen’s face, and nonetheless he also looked a little childish like this.

“If I told you I’ve been yearning for you for a long time… would you laugh?”

“Huh?”

"I don't need an answer yet, but please let me hear your reply eventually."

He handed a cup of warm tea to a flabberghasted Jiang Cheng, and then left the room. It was all a little too much for Jiang Cheng. Without feeling an inclination to think about anything, he brought the teacup to his lips, and looked down at the white robe he was wearing. When realized that it had been warmed with the same incense as Lan Xichen’s own, he became unbearably embarrassed.

“It’s probably too late to say it…”

“Xiongzhang.”

“Wangji.”

Being called by his younger brother, Lan Xichen stopped walking in midst of the corridor. Lan Wangji’s face held the same indifference as always, but as his older brother, Lan Xichen alone was able to read the feelings hidden inside his expression.

“Are you angry at me?”

“Wasn’t yesterday’s ensemble a bit much?”

“Indeed.”

There was no one else around. Letting out a little breath of laughter, Lan Xichen squinted his eyes.

“Did Wei-gongzi notice?”

“He said that the liquor he brought wasn’t supposed to be that strong…”

“In that case it’s only a matter of time before Jiang-zongzhu notices as well.”

It hadn’t been because of the alcohol brought by Wei Wuxian that Jiang Cheng had gotten drunk to the point of unsconsciousness yesterday. It had been the song they had played, which Lan Xichen had done a little work on.

Even to Lan Xichen, who had tested it before, it had been amazingly effective. Of course Lan Wangji had distinctly taken note of the change in sound. Most likely, he’d called his older brother to inquire his true intentions.

“Are you wondering why I did such a thing?”

At Lan Xichen’s question, Lan Wangji nodded firmly. There was no doubt that he had never imagine the older brother he relied on to use underhanded means and violate Jiang Cheng.

"Isn't it hard to come by a person who will forgive you no matter what you do?"

“What do you mean?”

“I’m thinking that I want him to forgive me.”

Probably not following his reasoning, Lan Wangji stayed silent.

“I won’t do such a thing again. It’s alright.”

Lan Xichen gazed at the snow piled up in the gardens. It made him recall that day in the snowy mountains.

――Barely conscious, he had dimly been looking at the ceiling of a cave. His body had been cold to the point of freezing, and pain had spread throughout his lungs. Lan Xichen had thought that he was about to die.

But he hadn’t thought that to be a terrible thing. In some respects, he had even felt relief. The reassurance of finally being able to die had calmed his mind like a tranquil sea.

For a long time, he’d been carrying the weight of guilt regarding his sworn brothers who had passed before him. If he could be saved from that by dying, it might be just fine.

“Zewu-jun, don’t wake up, alright?”

Within his blurred field of vision, a man wearing a serious expression had touched his lips. His exhale had been warm, and Lan Xichen had felt spiritual energy flowing into his body. Suddenly, he had become ashamed of himself for thinking it might be good to die.

He felt like something had found its way into his heart, a heart which he had kept locked up for a long time. Beautiful purple eyes were staring right at him. More than anything else, the body of the man above him was overflowing with life.

To him and him alone Lan Xichen wanted to show his entire self. At that time, he had strongly become aware of his own foolishness. Little by little, his mind had grown drowsy.

That day Lan Xichen dreamt of a lake with beautiful, blooming lotuses, where he stood seeing off a pair of martial brothers. The two of them were smiling as they climbed into a boat.

The boat became smaller, and eventually disappeared. Lan Xichen waved his hand the entire time.