In Gusu Lan, the Council of Elders was usually the source of wisdom and knowledge that the Sect Leader was willing to listen to. The council consisted of nine senior elders each managing one aspect of Lan's household duties.
Lan Qiren was one of them and he was responsible for the administration of the entire sect. He oversaw the training of disciples at the Cloud Recesses as well as other matters such as sect business. For a few months now, the Council had been in disharmony due to one particular Young Master.
Wei Wuxian. The sixteen-year-old teen was undoubtedly one of the prodigies of his generation if not the whole cultivation world. Everyone in the Gusu Lan sect, whether they liked him or not, had acknowledged that the young man was an exceptional genius at cultivation, both physical and spiritual. He was also a talented musician with exceptional taste in music. He was also very knowledgeable in spells, talismans, array formations, mathematics, mechanics, and other random kinds of stuff that he casually picked up. Even the cooks in Lan's kitchen were infatuated by him and food in Cloud Recess had since become something that everyone looked forward to.
The discord started when the regiment that the duo had come up with was proven effective and Lan Xichen proposed to the council for recruitment of the Young Master Wei as a trainer for their sect. More than half of the senior Elders agreed without hesitation as they believed that it would be beneficial for their sect to have this multitalented person on board. Those who opposed were worried that their sect tradition was being replaced by something entirely different from what they were used to. It was feared that their legacy would be lost due to an influx of a new breed of Cultivator like Wei Wuxian. However, when they saw the look of glee on the Sect Leader's face whenever Wei Wuxian was mentioned, they had to let this new era go unchallenged and just hope for the best.
As for Lan Qiren, he always had a problem with Wei Wuxian. Not that the young man had acted out of line or anything. That teen always had a sense of grace and poise in everything he did, except when he was in the training ground; he was just a pure demon when he was in that mode. He couldn't deny that the youth carried himself well despite his age, however there always seemed to be something more about him. It wasn't necessarily maliciousness, but it was hard to discern. That and the fact that the boy was always in the company of his precious nephew. He hated it, especially since the two seemed to be inseparable. They were practically glued hip to hip when they returned from their trip which annoyed him greatly. He almost coughed up blood when he saw Lan Wangji's hand always on Wei Wuxian as if he were keeping him safe. The duo was just way too close for just friends! In general, he just disliked the descendant of Cangse Sanren regardless. But again, he couldn't say much about it now that his elder brother was around and seemed to favor the boy too much.
******
On the third day after the pair return, Qingheng-Jun convened the senior Elders of the council together in one of the main halls of the Cloud Recesses to discuss their current situation, proposing the plan devised by the Yin and Yang pair to go against Wen Ruohan.
Qishan Wen Clan was the de facto leader of all cultivation sects in this part of the world and the most superior among all. Learning that that very clan was potentially planning to subjugate and take control of every sect under its wing and force them all into submission seemed like a bad omen. It wasn't like they were not aware of the current Sect Leader of Wen Clan's tyrannical way. In some way, all sects had to follow Wen Ruohan's rules to keep their sects alive. But to think that he wanted to fully control every sect under his thumb and force them to submit to his authority in an iron fist was too horrifying to even consider. There was too much risk involved, too many things to lose and most importantly, their lineage might perish, and their entire sect would cease to exist if they decided to rebel against that titan of a clan. That being said, it wasn't surprising that half of them doubted the credibility of the congregated intel by the two teenagers and their knowledge of warfare. Most preferred if they could avoid confrontation altogether.
"We can't afford to provoke the Wen, the information collected by the youngsters must be evaluated and vetted with utmost caution." Third Senior Elder said.
"They are unmistakably geniuses in almost everything but even so, they were still just young children who just stepped into adulthood. What would these youths know about war? Or scouting? Is it reliable information?" Another elder commented.
"I agree with you. We must tread lightly before we make any rash actions against the Wen."
Another elder said, in favor of the couple, "You can't deny the two of them are highly capable and smart. Both of them are skilled warriors in close combat and battle tactics and there is no reason to treat them as untrained children. Surely they know what they're doing."
"I concur. The mock battlefield training regime is a fine example of their knowledge of strategy and tactics. They have proven their abilities over and over again."
"But it was nothing compared to the real battles on the battlegrounds of war. It was more like a game."
"We can't afford to offend the Wen clan based on the claims by two youngsters." Another exclaimed.
An Elder gave his thoughts, "We should consider the possibility. If this is true, we should prepare ourselves. The Wen have been trying to conquer us for decades now. "
The elder council discussed amongst themselves. Their opinions ranged from trusting the duo to being completely opposed to the whole matter. Their most common argument was the pair were still greenhorns regardless of their level of cultivation. Qingheng Jun remained impassive through the ordeal while Lan Xichen gave the pair encouraging looks when he thought it wouldn't be noticed. Nie Mingjue stayed silent through the debate, listening with a rigid expression on his features but he remained quiet as it was not his place to interfere. Meanwhile, the pair sat in their respective places as they listened to the discussion with unfazed expressions plastered across their faces.
Xiao Zhan tried his best to swallow the yawn that escaped him. He knew this meeting was going to drag on for quite a while. Some of the elders were being particularly difficult today and they kept bringing up some nonsense that seemed to have no bearing whatsoever. The ones who supported them were either trying their best to calm things down or they were trying to make peace with the rest of the group by convincing everyone to back off their stance. Either way, none of the elders had listened to what the couple had to say and continued arguing. And it was only getting worse.
What a waste of time. I did not wake up early for this. How pointless...
He glanced sideways to look at Lan Wangji who paid no heed to the elders' words any longer and was busy staring at him. The golden gaze was warm and gentle as always and it warmed his heart. He felt the corners of his lips curve into a smile as he turned his head to meet the gaze of his partner.
Ah, this is a nice view. I definitely wake up to see this immaculate being.
Lan Wangji's eyes lit up when they caught Xiao Zhan smiling and averted his gaze just as quickly. Xiao Zhan tried his hardest to hide the laugh that threatened to escape from him at how adorable Lan Wangji looked. He could not wait until they could be alone again. He sighed. This wasn't going anywhere and very likely turned into an hour-long argument with nothing accomplished.
When are these people ever going to realize we're not just some kids?
Seeing that the useless debate over their aptness in the field had no signs to stop soon, Xiao Zhan interrupted the chatters, "Esteemed elders, forgive me for being impudent, but may I say something?"
All eyes turned towards him. There were some mumbles of disagreement among them, but Qingheng-Jun decided to step up this time. The argument had been dragged out for too long and he could no longer allow this kind of disrespect towards both his son and Young Master Wei to go on any longer. He spoke up in a firm manner, "Everyone, it is against our sect's rules to disregard the younger and jump to unfounded conclusions. Give the young ones a chance to speak and prove themselves."
The elders quieted down before their leader and they settled down with a unanimous agreement to let Xiao Zhan have his way. Lan Qiren's knitted close together as he urged, "Speak."
"Thank you for your permission. Then, if I may ask," Xiao Zhan smiled warmly as his eyes shone brighter than ever, as he posed his question as politely as he could be, "With all due respect, anyone among senior elders had been to the actual battlefield before?"
The sound of silence was deafening.
It was clear that there had never been any one of them who had fought in any war since it had been pretty peaceful for hundreds of years in the world of cultivation.
The twin Jade of Gusu Lan shared a secret smile at his wittiness as they witnessed the scene playing. That bright and innocent expression on the young man's face was like sunlight on fresh snow in spring and he never failed to make things interesting.
Qingheng-Jun too suppressed the chuckle that almost escaped his mouth. The ability of the young man to shut people up by simply asking the right question was astounding. He spoke up, "I suppose none of us can truly say we have, Young Master Wei."
"Ah, I see." Xiao Zhan rubbed his chin, as he put out his deduction, "Forgive me if I overstep my boundaries here and please correct me if I am wrong in this. Essentially, every one of us in this hall has no real experience in war, which means, age holds no significance in this matter. Thereupon, the validity of your opinion on the matter is unfortunately nullified."
There was a collective gasp that rippled through the entire chamber at Xiao Zhan's pragmatic statement.
"What are you trying to say?" One of the elders asked impatiently, exasperated at the sheer audacity of the kid to say something like that in front of the whole gathering of elders.
Xiao Zhan continued calmly, not fazed in the slightest, "It is true that we are no expert ourselves and our knowledge in this regard stems only from the theories. But that is not what we should be focusing on right now. This is a matter of life and death, and thousands of lives are at stakes. So, in the name of righteousness, please allow us to share some knowledge of the situation before you judge whether our findings hold any worth."
Qingheng-Jun was pleased with the teen who was far smarter and sharper than most of the elders who had gathered this day. The charismatic young man had always been capable in everything he put his heart into and had proven his skills and talents over and over again. But alas, some of his fellow sect members were stuck with their old and rigid ways. He cleared his throat and nodded in encouragement, "Please continue, Young Master Wei."
Hearing no further objections, he held out his left hand towards Lan Wangji who tacitly passed him the long scroll of map from his robes.
Xiao Zhan unrolled it, showing the details on the map with his hands, explaining what the disposition of Wen Ruohan's troops and the movements of each army as well as the terrain where the most vital areas were located. He gave examples of how they might be used strategically. He already memorized everything after repeating it numerous times now and as usual, Lan Wangji backed up his findings with the facts himself, adding his own observations and interpretations. The elders were now not making any disgruntled noises or dissatisfied faces, even Lan Qiren started to look at Xiao Zhan with the intention of actually listening.
When they finally finished, Xiao Zhan ended his speech with a cheeky grin, quoting the 'Art of War' excerpt, "One wise man once said, 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
Of course, Xiao Zhan consciously chose that particular quote as a very subtle dig at those elders who questioned his credibility earlier.
In other words, you should know better not to pick me as your opponent.
There was silence as the elders considered his words and the meaning behind it. Only a few got the gist of it, but none spoke up against it. It would be foolish to do so as they knew it was not a fight that they could win.
As expected, Lan Xichen with his special ability to read between the lines, did not miss the hidden layer of sarcasm in his final statement. He stifled a small chuckle with a cough, before addressing Xiao Zhan, "Well said, Young Master Wei. Very insightful."
"Good speech indeed. A fine example of a tactical perspective, Young Master Wei." Qingheng-Jun also nodded sagely at the notion, before turning back to Lan Qiren and the other elders, "I think the young man has proven himself to be right once again, don't you all agree?"
Comprehending that there was still nothing more they could argue about, all of the elders presented in the hall concurred with a murmur of agreement that sounded very tired.
"I take it as a sign that we're all in agreement now," Qingheng Jun concluded as he stood up from his seat. His voice echoed through the room as he declared, "That settles it. From this day forth, we will work with both our good allies, Yunmeng Jiang and Qinghe Nie in this endeavor."
"Sect Leader, have the other two sects agree on this?" One Elder questioned the sudden declaration.
"Our sect had agreed. In this regard, my youngest brother here is going to be the official delegate for Nie sect. As such, he will be acting on behalf of my father in this liaison," Nie Mingjue broke his silence and made his presence known. He tagged along with Xiao Zhan for, well, silent moral support as the latter was now his youngest brother after all and he was quite protective over him in that respect. Not that the crazy strong brat needed any of that, really. But still, he wanted to make that fact known to these people. Why? Of course, because he was fucking proud to have such a monstrous little brother.
Xiao Zhan could see what Nie Mingjue was trying to do, and he appreciated his gesture somehow. He gave him a grateful smile.
"Youngest brother? You mean, Young Master Wei?" Another elder spoke up, looking towards Xiao Zhan with a questioning stare.
Nie Mingjue looked a little proud as he avowed, "That's correct. Wei Ying is my brother."
The elders looked surprised at this revelation. Their eyes immediately went to Lan Wangji for validation of this plot twist.
"It's true. Sect Leader Nie had adopted Wei Ying and he is officially the Youngest Master of the Nie family." Lan Wangji said in confirmation.
The hall was filled with murmurs as everyone tried to piece together the situation.
Qingheng-Jun smiled fondly as he looked at the pair and added, "Also, the Yunmeng Jiang sect had already notified their accord. That being said, Young Master Wei as the head disciple of Jiang sect and the delegate from the Nie Sect, is the sole envoy for the two sects to facilitate with this cooperation. Henceforth, please treat him as a guest official who will be staying in our sect."
With that title, Xiao Zhan could already feel the weight of the responsibilities that weighed heavy on his shoulders. Despite that, he kept his expression calm and his emotions hidden behind an easygoing smile. He only agreed to play that role for the time being for two reasons. Firstly, he is a proactive perfectionist. He wants the plans that had been formulated to be executed perfectly with all possible aspects accounted for. Secondly, he got to stay in Cloud Recesses and never be apart from Lan Wangji. Those two things were very important for Xiao Zhan. For him, staying away from Lan Wangji for even a single day was unbearable. After all, the two had been inseparable from the beginning of time.
The elders that opposed the idea earlier were left with no choice but to nod in acceptance of the arrangement. The youth's new status as the youngest son of a prominent clan certainly elevated his social standing. Their sect would need to keep a good diplomatic relationship with these two sects regardless.
Lan Qiren was clearly displeased with the development, but even he could not deny that that adolescent was endowed by divine favor with talents, skills and intelligence. Pushing his personal vendetta aside, he decided to spoke up after much deliberation in his head, "Is there any reason why we won't get the Jin clan in this plan. Their involvement would be helpful, wouldn't it?"
Xiao Zhan had expected this question to come since he had been asked the same one a few times. He answered without pause or hesitation, "It's a matter of trust, Shifu. Sect Leader Jin is not a trustworthy person and there is no guarantee that he will side with us. We should not take any risk on someone who might just betray us."
Lan Qiren frowned but did not argue the point. He had no doubt that Xiao Zhan's words were truthful. There was a lot of rumors surrounding Sect Leader Jin and most of them were about his infidelity. If a man couldn't be loyal to one woman, there was no guarantee that he would be loyal to anyone else. It was reasonable to be cautious and cogitate on the possibility of betrayal from this kind of individual.
The discussion went smoothly after that with no further objections. At the end of the day, Qingheng Jun made sure to remind everyone that the joint cooperation must remain as confidential.
The day concluded and the hard part of bringing the Gusu Lan Sect into the campaign was definitely a done deal.
Unfortunately for Xiao Zhan, he never really got to have the quality time he wished to have with Lan Wangji for over a week now. The two of them hadn't gotten much of a chance to be alone with each other as he spent the majority of their time at the Cloud Recesses with the most mundane thing in the world; meeting. In fact, he barely got to spend any time alone with his partner which annoyed him greatly. He was so used to seeing his beloved Lan Wangji 24/7 during the night hunt trip that he felt empty if the other man was not by his side.
Nie Mingjue also contributed to this great turmoil as the tall brawny guy had yet to stop following him around. Not that he dislikes his Da Ge, but that man was determined to watch over him like a hawk. It was impossible to catch even half an hour of time to spend with his Lan Wangji without interruption. Not only that, Lan Wangji was also swamped with other sect duties which his uncle assigned to him. He couldn't help but to think that the Lan Qiren was trying to keep Lan Wangji away from him.
It was approaching midnight and Xiao Zhan couldn't sleep at all. He was feeling too restless as pent-up thoughts kept plaguing his mind. He felt worse today as he hadn't seen his lover since yesterday since the Old Man Lan dragged his youngest nephew to accompany him to the city for some business affair the previous day. This morning, he had to attend the discussion, feeling like a demotivated Snow White surrounded by the seven dwarves. He was the Snow White of course. The only difference was, that he wasn't singing happily to nature and his prince charming was kidnapped by the evil uncle. He tossed around to force himself to sleep but he couldn't. His heart ached with a feeling that could easily be called longing.
After a while, he somehow ended up in the training ground, slashing the innocent wind with his sword until he lost all semblance of sense. He eventually fell on his knee onto the grassy floor gasping for breath, laughing at his foolishness as he looked up to the sky.
Hah... I'm losing my shit...
The moon was full tonight. Its gentle light illuminated the beautiful landscape of the forest that was covered by a layer of clouds. It was as if the whole place had been blessed by the heavens itself. He didn't know what came over him as he closed his eyes, put his hands together, and bowed in prayer.
Gods or demons or beings up there... or below? Whoever you are who brought me here... Have you forsaken me? Can't you grant us a break? Damn it. Why do we have to have a meeting every freaking day? Is this the corporate world or the cultivation world? If yes, make me the CEO! I shall fire everyone except one, of course. Or should I just start a revolution and overthrow everything with a zombie army? Yes, that sounds good! Or not...I'm totally joking. Anyway, as you can see, I'm going nuts because... I haven't even got to see my boyfriend for more than 24 hours. Yes. How immature of me. Haha. I have a physiology of a teenager; can you blame me? You're the one who put me in this body so please take responsibility and let me be with my handsome lover for a few hours at least. I appreciate it if you could extend the hours more, but I don't want to sound like an ungrateful bastard. I promise that I shall pray more if you grant my wish.
"Wei Ying?" Lan Wangji called out. He was put on patrolling duty for the night, and he too had been missing Xiao Zhan's presence all day long. When he returned from the city with his uncle, it was already almost 9 pm. As much as he wanted to see Xiao Zhan, he didn't want to disturb his partner as he knew how exhausted the latter was these days. Besides, he was sure his partner already retired for the night. It didn't even cross his mind that he would find him kneeling in the middle ofthe training ground with both hands clasped in the middle of the night.
Xiao Zhan's body stiffened for an instant at hearing Lan Wangji call his name and his lips instantly stretched into a wide smile.
Oh wow! That was fast! Thank you!!
"What are you doing?" Lan Wangji asked softly, his eyes roaming over Xiao Zhan's figure trying to determine if something was off. As much as he was happy to see the love of his life, he was a little confused by his strange behavior.
"I am praying." Xiao Zhan replied, opening one eye slightly so he could see Lan Wangji better from the corner of his eye. The moonlight reflecting off his lover's white robes gave a faint sheen of luminosity that made the second Jade look like he just descended from the moon itself.
"Praying?" Lan Wangji raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Yup." Xiao Zhan replied in a beat.
"Why?" Lan Wangji inquired curiously.
Xiao Zhan opened both eyes and straightened up a little, looking at Lan Wangji. He said, in a serious tone, "Come. Join me. I have to express my gratitude for granting my wish this fast. You too. Say, thank you."
"..." Lan Wangji stood there dumbfounded as he stared at Xiao Zhan like he had gone mad from being burned out.
"Just do as I say." Xiao Zhan pulled him down together with him and when he was satisfied with Lan Wangji mirroring his pose, he began chanting ludicrously, "Thank you, Gods or Goddesses, whose names I have yet to know. Thank you, Old Man or Young Man. Thanks, Big Bro or Sis who saves lives every day. My gratitude to you, King of the netherworld or Queen, whichever title you prefer. Father or Mother in heaven, forgive our sins, for we definitely have sinned. We are about to commit a few more sins after this but sorry in advance. May you bless us with prosperity and more time to date... and other stuff...Amen."
"..." Lan Wangji blinked at him blankly, utterly bewildered by the strange prayer his lover just recited aloud. His expression was probably similar as if he was witnessing some crazy scene. It was a full moon tonight; he couldn't help but think that maybe it was the cause of this lunacy. There was no way that the lover of his to be possessed given that he could command the dead.
"Say something, Lan Zhan." Xiao Zhan demanded, keeping his face as serious as possible as he continued to troll his flabbergasted lover. He urged, "Just say thank you."
"...Thank you." Lan Wangji muttered, still trying to process what had happened. He had no idea who he had given his thanks to but if that's what his lover wanted him to say... he guessed he should just go along with it.
"Aren't you the most adorable thing in the world?" Xiao Zhan laughed as he hugged Lan Wangji tightly, burying his face in the taller man's chest.
"..." Lan Wangji breathed out his relief as realization dawned upon him. "I almost believed that you went insane."
"I almost did." Xiao Zhan mumbled through giggles, "What are you doing out here in the dead of night anyway?"
"Patrolling." Lan Wangji replied simply, returning Xiao Zhan's hug tightly.
"Oh, I forgot that you are still the head of the disciplinary committee. So... Have you found anyone breaking rules tonight?" Xiao Zhan asked cheekily.
Lan Wangji looked down at him as the corners of his mouth curled upward. "Yes."
"Who? Who is this unlucky person?" Xiao Zhan asked eagerly.
Lan Wangji shook his head smiling fondly at him before replying, "You."
"Me?" Xiao Zhan gasped dramatically, "What did I do wrong?"
"Loitering outside your room at such a late hour." Lan Wangji answered matter of factly. He then added another offense, "Pulling a ridiculous prank as well."
"Ah, right. I see." Xiao Zhan sighed. He tried to sound upset but he failed miserably because of the way his laughter escaped him despite himself. "So, should I be ready for the punishment coming my way?"
"Mn." Lan Wangji nodded earnestly.
Xiao Zhan burst into peals of merry laughter before pulling back a bit to stare up at Lan Wangji. "Hmm... How about I help you with the patrol so you can deliver the punishment personally?"
"How?" Lan Wangji asked with a slight frown creasing his forehead.
"Don't worry. I take efficiency very seriously. All you need is a bunch of CCTVS in the air." Xiao Zhan assured him with a smirk before summoning the owls and the birds went flying towards in different directions, leaving no corners of Cloud Recesses without surveillance. "There. They will do the job of four people. Are we good?"
"..." Lan Wangji didn't know how to respond to that.
"Oh, come on. You haven't even ki-" His words were abruptly cut off as Lan Wangji leaned down to capture his lips with his own in a chaste kiss.
"Let's go." Lan Wangji whispered against his lips as he held Xiao Zhan close and walked swiftly, making their way to Jingshi before disappearing inside where they spent the rest of the night together making their love known.