Righteousness: The thick collection of long lists of the Lan sect's rules, revised by Lan Qiren. The sections on Virtue and Conduct made up four-fifths of the entire book. Conduct was the most complicated of the twelve sections of the rules. It consisted of long, tedious classics and had many rarely used characters.
Xiao Zhan had made five copies of Virtue and an additional ten copies of Conduct.
Geez, that old man Lan! I am going to paste a copy of each page in his office up to the ceiling! Maybe in his bedroom too! Maybe he would wake up from his hypocrisy.
He was not required to attend the boring Lan Qiren's classes for now, but copying the rule book would still take up a lot of his free time. Xiao Zhan's plans for the day were simple. He would spend half a day in the library, make some copies, and read some books in between breaks. In the afternoon, he would drag Lan Wangji to the back hill for their first training session. Practice makes perfect! Or somewhere near that level.
"Over 3000 rules now. In 13 years, there will precisely be 4019 contradictory instructions. No wonder everyone here looks depressed," Xiao Zhan complained to Lan Wangji, who was seated at his usual table across the library. "Lan Zhan."
"What?" Lan Wangji was initially focused on duplicating ancient books. Hearing his name from that person's mouth just squashed his concentration.
"Can you help me?" Skipping the ink and brush, he asked while writing down the characters swiftly with his recently upgraded charcoal pencil. Technically, he simply made the end pointier and created a holder to reduce the staining on his palm.
"What do you need?"
"I am having a huge problem right now." Xiao Zhan pointed at the thick book of Righteousness and puffed out his cheeks, making himself look pitiful. He was a little ashamed to pull on this aegyo-like stuff, but he was a little tired of the repetition of words that were currently swimming in his vision. He was so sick of it that he was willing to act cute. An actor will never stop acting, okay? "Can you help me?" he pleaded.
"...."
Somehow, Xiao Zhan managed to persuade Lan Wangji with his shameless puss-in-boots face to help him with his punishment. Guess Lan Wangji was weak to his face after all.
While both of them were busy replicating the horrendously tedious rules like a copy machine, Xiao Zhan told the story of the modern world without being asked. "You know, where I came from, we have a machine to do the copying."
"Machine?"
"A mechanical device to help with physical tasks. That said, some machines have even replaced humans entirely. It makes life easier so people can focus more on their other jobs." Xiao Zhan explained excitedly, "As for copying, you can get thousands of copies with a few pushes of buttons. An almost perfect imitation of it. Although most people would just use their phones to scan and prefer a paperless version of books."
"A book without paper?" Lan Wangji knitted his brows. It sounded so absurd in his mind that he couldn't imagine that idea in reality.
"Yes."
"How?"
"Well, this is the power of technology," Xiao Zhan said, smiling at the confused Second Jade. "You can get everything in the palm of your hands, thanks to the internet. It is a globally connected network system that facilitates worldwide communication and access to data resources through a vast collection of private, public, business, academic, and government networks. Hence, when you need an answer to a question, you can search for it without having to go to a library." Xiao Zhan explained, his hand moving animatedly as he talked as if he were doing a free advertisement for a phone.
Lan Wangji still looked a little lost even after his extensive elaboration. "How is the connection possible?"
"Satellites. They are something humans launched into space outside Earth itself, and they are like artificial moons, but with the purpose of relaying communication," Xiao Zhan answered easily. He added, "Here's a fact, Lan Zhan: people actually flew to and landed on the moon before, so they confirmed that Earth is shaped like a round ball."
Lan Wangji's eyes shone with curiosity as he listened to the other's informative rambling.
"Through a phone, you can even chat with others, buy things, order food, listen to music, play games, watch videos, etcetera." Xiao Zhan continued his long rant about the handy little mobile device. "Ahhh, life was so easy back then," he lamented. He missed it a lot.
Lan Wangji lifted his face from the paper when he heard Xiao Zhan's deep sigh. He asked, "Wei Ying, what kind of world did you come from?"
"The materialistic and capitalist kind. Money is king. Also, there are over a hundred countries with different languages and races. You can travel from one end of the world to the other in less than a day by air. There are tall buildings everywhere. Oh, I can draw what it looks like for you." Xiao Zhan made a quick sketch in his half-filled notebook. Showing his drawing of buildings when he was done, he stated, "I lived in a building like this. It's thirty stories tall."
"Do you have to climb it daily?" Lan Wangji was genuinely curious.
"Hahaha, luckily not." Xiao Zhan shuddered at the thought. "I would have died if I had to climb the stairs every day. We have an elevator for that. With the press of a button, it will go up and down in just a few minutes."
And for the whole half day, Lan Wangji never once stopped Xiao Zhan from prattling on about the world he once lived in. It was an interesting tale, and he was curious about it too. He listened, sometimes asked brief questions, and sometimes just nodded. In between the talks and copying, Wei Ying would take occasional breaks by reading, or more accurately, scanning a few books on the shelves. A soft, melodious humming or singing would always escape his vocal cords, which the Second Young Master of Lan always pleasantly appreciated.
"Lan Zhan, maybe I need to teach you some English, too. No one would know what we are talking about even if they overheard us." Xiao Zhan suggested.
"Mn." Lan Wangji just accepted mindlessly. He did not need to ask what the foreign word was; Wei Ying would follow with an elaborative speech afterward.
"Lan Zhan, do you want me to teach you the ABCs? We can use them as our secret code."
Lan Wangji would agree to anything he suggested. "Anything you want, Wei Ying."
"Lan Zhan, do you know..." It went on and on.
Xiao Zhan was just glad that at least there was someone he could talk freely with, and he felt less lonely in this cultivation world. He had someone who trusted him and his crazy talks, accompanied him throughout the days, let him off with his shenanigans, and most of all, he felt at ease and blissful being around him.
Lan Wangji did not say a word or question him when he literally just grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him somewhere. He was just like a willing little puppy.
The sun had just set.
Somewhere near the waterfall area at the back hill, the two of them stood in front of each other six feet apart, pointing swords at each other. They had just finished a casual spar as a warm-up.
Xiao Zhan enjoyed himself this time. He sheathed Suibian and grinned, "You didn't hold back, huh?"
"You asked for it." Lan Wangji said bluntly. He had just done what he was requested to do, without any malice or other hidden agendas.
"Hmm... You make a great semi-tank fighter, Lan Zhan." Xiao Zhan concluded, stating it in his gaming terms. "Meanwhile, I could be the ADC. The damage dealer."
Lan Wangji frowned slightly, "Wei Ying, I don't understand. "
"Yes, yes. I am about to explain." Xiao Zhan said placatingly before he continued, "Basically, you have a great mix of offensive and defensive fighting styles. Judging by your swordplay and attack patterns, every strike is heavy and can deal substantial damage to your opponent. Your swift mobility makes it hard to dodge your assaults in close-range combat. At the same time, your reaction speed and brute strength make you durable. In conclusion, you are a semi-tank fighter. Got it?"
"Yet, you managed to neutralize my attacks." Lan Wangji stated, making his analysis of the duel as well.
Xiao Zhan smirked, "Well, I only outmaneuvered you because I am slightly faster and lighter than you. It's going to be a whole different story if you manage to catch me."
"You are a slippery opponent," Lan Wangji admitted. "I have never encountered someone like you."
"That is exactly why I wanted us to train together. You and I can learn how to counter each other efficiently. Through that, we can fill each other's gaps and offset our flaws. We make a good team, you know," Xiao Zhan reasoned, his grin never fading. "A deadly team."
"Mn."
Both of them knew that when they stood against each other, they were on equal footing. When they stood side by side, their work dynamic compensated for each other's flaws. Teaming up like this, they made a dangerous duo.
"For now, if we want to save those thousands of lives, we have to get stronger within this one year. We will need to learn more about our enemies' fighting skills and simulate them through these sparrings. Are you with me?"
"I'm with you," Lan Wangji answered immediately.
"Good! Good!" Xiao Zhan smiled broadly. "Then, we're a team."
"Yes," Lan Wangji nodded, his eyes earnest.
Looking at how sincere Lan Wangji is, Xiao Zhan could feel something warm blossom in his heart as he gazed into the pool of light gold on Lan Wangji's face. He almost got lost in it for a second before he snapped himself back to more of his analysis of their sparring session earlier.
Lan Wangji paused for a second before he posed a question. "Wei Ying, in your world, do you need to fight too?"
"No." Xiao Zhan shook his head.
"Then how do you know so much?"
"This is all thanks to a strategy mobile game. It's a virtual simulation of battle." Xiao Zhan proceeded with his elaborate definitions of games and examples of them. He didn't forget to talk about the game he once endorsed; he was faithful like that.
After a while, Lan Wangji stopped him for the first time. "Wei Ying, continue with that later. It is getting dark now."
"Ah, you are right. It is time to start." Nighttime was when the dark creatures usually appeared.
Xiao Zhan was pretty nervous about this part of his plan. Lan Wangji was reluctant to let him do this hands-on practice with his new demonic abilities but still agreed to supervise and step in when necessary.
According to his knowledge, demonic cultivation was a very powerful cultivation method even with the most basic spells, but what allowed Wei Wuxian to manipulate resentful energy to an extremely destructive scale during the Sunshot Campaign and the Nightless Immortal Capital bloodbath was his hatred and anger toward anyone who wronged him and those he held dear. His degree of control over his powers partially depended on his mental and emotional state.
Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Zhan cracked his neck and took a deep breath. He recalled the exact moment during his encounter with the waterborne abyss in the lake, taking in all the emotions and resentments he had felt during that time. To increase the intensity, he tried to emulate those terrible feelings he had when he acted as the heartbroken, despairing, and murderous "Yiling Patriarch" during the Nightless City scene.
It worked. He heard some voices, faint at first before they turned into high-pitched shrills. Due to his abilities in necromancy, he managed to establish a connection with the dead and lingering spirits, and he could hear their voices. He then put all his focus on the one that was the loudest. At that instant, the temperature around him felt like it had dropped below zero for a moment before soon, he felt like his blood was rushing rapidly, hot and boiling. It was leaking to the surface and as he fluttered his eyes open, the color was no longer the usual shade of silver but instead, it was the same shade of ruby that Lan Wangji had seen. He was almost in a trance as he slowly lifted his left hand. A sinister energy accumulated in the air, gathering at the tips of his fingers. A dense black fog seeped through the ground beneath him. He whispered a wake-up command in a deep, hushed voice and just like that, he felt the anger and anguish of the phantasm that was taking a visible form right in front of him.
"Wei Ying." Lan Wangji's voice entered his ears, a warning.
Xiao Zhan woke from his daze and immediately threw himself backward to get away from the dark creature. He hadn't expected the eerie-looking face just a few inches from his own. "Fuck!!"
He always thought the ghost of Ju-On (from The Ring) was terrifying. The real-life long-haired manifestation, dressed in damp, dirty, formerly white, ragged cloth with nasty, dark brown liquid running from all its orifices, was beyond horrific. And the smell... It was so horrible that an intense wave of nausea hit him like a bullet train. He clasped his hand over his pale lips, dry heaving. Amidst it all, he could hear his heartbeat competing with the wailing of the very thing he had summoned.
A blue sword's glare slashed through the ghostly being, and it dissipated at once. Lan Wangji went down to his side and wrapped his arm around Xiao Zhan's shoulder, supporting him to a more comfortable sitting position. He murmured, "It's okay. It's gone."
Feeling safe with Lan Wangji's protection, Xiao Zhan calmed down and composed himself, clearing his mind of all the strong, negative emotions. His breath soon returned to a slow, rhythmic pace, and his eyes no longer glowed with an unnatural shade.
"That's enough for today," Lan Wangji said with finality.
Xiao Zhan was more than happy to agree, "Yep, definitely no more for today. That was... horrific."
In truth, he was not frightened by the ghost per se. Rather, he was shaken to his core due to the jump scare-like appearance and seeing it zoomed in, up close and personal, and in 4K high definition. It was too outrageous. The ghastly and gory face was a mere finger flick away from his face. It was a normal reaction that would apply to anyone who woke up to a horrible face at that extremely close distance.
"Thank you, Lan Zhan," Xiao Zhan said as Lan Wangji pulled him up from the ground.
Lan Wangji simply nodded. He was quiet for a minute before speaking again. "Are you truly able to control all this?" he asked in concern.
"To answer your question, even the 'real' genius took three months to actually master the arts." Xiao Zhan answered him. "Whether or not I can control it, we need to give more time for evaluation. Besides, you are here to make sure I won't lose control, right?"
"Mn." Lan Wangji hummed his acknowledgment. "But I want you to be careful."
"Are you that worried about me?" Xiao Zhan took a glance at the graceful face beside him.
"I am." Lan Wangji answered without any hesitation.
"Oh, you. How sweet!" Xiao Zhan slung his arm around his shoulder, to which Lan Wangji made no effort to brush it off.
Xiao Zhan paid no mind to his affectionate gesture, as he had grown far too comfortable with their closeness these days. He had grown up in a place where interactions like this were acceptable among family and friends, and he did this frequently with others as well. He mumbled as he rested his chin on the firm muscle beside him, "I probably need a flute."
Although I am not good at it, Wei Wuxian is a musical prodigy, surely I can play it right? I could probably just sing or whistle, but I don't want to summon anything by accident. Also, they don't have a violin here. Although, that would be pretty cool. Haha... Xiao Zhan! Focus! Considering all the facts, a flute is the most practical and portable instrument for this. At least I had basic training from the filming days. Do I have to make it myself?
Lan Wangji's steps came to a halt as he looked intently at Xiao Zhan. His expression was deadly serious as he spoke, "Come to Jingshi with me."
"...Huh?" Xiao Zhan blinked rapidly.