Chapter 1

It was a calm and slightly warm early morning where all the clan leaders are seated in the Yashi (Elegant room/room for guests) in Cloud Recesses. Unexpectedly, everyone got a letter from the Lan Clan leader, Lan Xichen.

It said in the letter:

___________________________________________

Greetings.

I write this letter to you to ask if you could please reunite with me at Cloud Recesses as soon as possible, where I would like to introduce you to someone of extreme importance. If you wish to do so, you can bring a gift that symbolizes your clan as a sign of peace for them.

Sincerely

Lan Xichen, leader of Lan Clan

____________________________________________

And so, all of the Clan Leaders are seated here, waiting patiently yet slightly excitedly on who they might meet. The Clans that came were from: Jiang Clan, Jin Clan, Nie Clan, Yao Clan, and Ouyang Clan.

Nie Huisang (curiously): "Jiang-xiong (Jiang bro). Do you think the person we might meet could be Gēgē's love interest?"

Jiang Cheng (grudgingly): "If it were, we would've already known by now; now shut up."

Jiang Cheng eye-rolled from Huisang's impatience while Nie Huisang pouted from the given answer and sat back down, trying to cool himself off with his trusty fan. Gusu is normally a bit cold or cool, but since summer is coming up, it's starting to get a bit warm. Not even a minute passed by when Lan Xichen, the Grand Master Lan Qiren, and Lan Wangji entered the room. The Grand Master seating down infront of everyone while Lan Xichen stayed up, facing the other Clan Leaders, Lan Wangji stayed up infront of his seat that is close to the Grand Master's (but not literally next to him). Everyone stood up and bowed in respect, followed by Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji bowing to them as well. Everyone then sat down except Lan Xichen, who cleared his throat and smiled.

Lan Xichen (smiling): "Friends. I thank you kindly for coming, and I apologise greatly for the sudden convenience."

Nie Huisang: "Gēgē, I don't want to sound impatient but, who are we meeting exactly?"

Clan Leader Yao: "Hmp! Isn't it obvious? I'm sure it's a love interest. Am I not correct? After all, Clan Leader Lan is such a notorious, attractive, and powerful leader! I wouldn't even be surprised if he already had someone."

Lan Xichen (laugh/smiled): "Thank you for your words Clan Leader Yao, but I'm afraid you've mistaken. Yes, the person you will be meeting is very special and means the world to me, but it's no love interest, much for my Uncle's dismay that is." (Smirk)

Lan Qiren 'huffed' while slightly shaking his head, but he couldn't help but smile since it's unfortunately true.

Lan Xichen: "I hid this person away from not only you, but from Gusu and the newest disciples of the clan. Only most of the people withing the clan knows of their existence. On why I hid them away, I will explain right now."

But before Lan Xichen could continue, Lan Shizui came, standing at the door frame and respectfully bowed to the leaders with a smile.

Lan Shizui (smiling): "The Princess (her nickname) has arrived."

Everyone looked at eachother and back to Lan Xichen confused, but they didn't waste time and immediately stood up. Shizui moved and stood outside the door frame, stopped to the side and bowed to the person that was coming. A few seconds later, a beautiful young girl appeared at their sight; she looked fragile, her long hair as white as snow, gentle looking eyes, dressed in the colors of the Clan, the aura she emitted was soothing yet with a sense of authority in it. Everyone was in awe, especially one particular Clan Leader who was the only one that immediately understood over why Xichen hid her away from society in the first place.

They were so surprised that they didn't realized how Wen Ning was following close behind her, looking alert with every step taken, which they thought it was a bit suspicious but kept silent.

The girl slightly bowed to Lan Xichen while Wen Ning bowed respectfully to him, both of them then turned and bowed respectfully to the baffled Clan Leaders, them bowing back immediately. Lan Xichen neared towards the young girl and extended his hand for her to take, she smiled and took it, letting him lead her to the seat next to Lan Qiren where she then sat and smiled at the Grand Master, the Grand Master responding her with a nod and a smile; Wen Ning also sat near her, yet a bit far back in the shadows behind her so he wouldn't grab much attention.

Lan Xichen then returned to everyone and smiled.

Lan Xichen (smiling): "Everyone, I would like you to meet Lan Zhēn (珍), my daughter."

Everyone gasps, murmurs, and just stays in shock.

Clan Leader Yao (serious): "I can't help but feel offended with the fact that you didn't invite me to your wedding, Clan Leader. Nor invite any of us, seeing how everyone is just as confused as I am."

Lan Xichen (laugh/smiled): "That's because I didn't marry anyone, Clan Leader Yao. Zhēn is adopted, but I've loved her and nurtured her as if she were my own."

Jiang Cheng (curious/confused): "Nurtured? As in, with all due respect. You raised her on your own?"

Lan Xichen: "Yes, I did Clan Leader Jiang. But before I enter into details, I think it's best if we introduce ourselves to Zhēn. I've already lined you up in case any of you wished to bring a gift; if you didn't please don't feel bad, it was optional either way. The important thing is to know each other better since she will be meeting you more in the future."

Lan Xichen nodded at the disciple nearby that carried a rolled scroll, and the disciple nodded back. Opening the scroll, the disciple started calling the Leaders one by one.

Lan Disciple: "Clan Leader Nie Huisang of Qinghe Nie Sect!"

Nie Huisang quickly stood up along with a disciple and walked towards the center, they bowed respectfully and Huisang smiled.

Nie Huisang: "Good morning to you all. I bring to Lady Lan a gift I made myself, I made sure it would represent the Lan Clan and it's beauty."

The Nie disciple then took the fan out of it's pouch and handed it to his Leader, in which Huisang then opened it revealing a painted mountains of Gusu and a rabbit on one side while the back side contained words. Everyone, including Lan Xichen and Lan Zhēn were impressed.

Nie Huisang: "I've also written a poem on the other side of the fan." (Clears throat)

~

Into the crying mountains of Gusu that are consoled by the gentle mists,

Where the Rabbit strolls in it's woods,

Admiring the glimmering streams and following the 4,000 rules made by man of blue and white robes,

Placing order for our youth;

Oh when one leaves, the tranquil sounds of the Guqin will forever be missed.

~

Everyone 'wows', even the Grand Master was impressed, this made Nie Huisang proud. The smile went away after a certain someone spoke.

Lan Qiren: "Who knew that such great poem would come from a student with such bad grades."

Nie Huisang laughs nervously at that remark, closing the fan at the process.

Lan Xichen (smiling): "Thank you Huisang for such a great gift, I'm sure my daughter will use it often, especially when summer is a corner away."

Nie Huisang smiled and gave the fan (which he placed inside the bag again) to his Gēgē. Afterwards, him and his disciple bowed and sat back down.

Lan Zhēn (calm): "Father? I hope you don't mind if I start using Clan Leader Nie's gift now. Like you said, despite summer still being right around the corner, it's still getting rather warm.

Lan Xichen (smiling): "Of course."

Lan Xichen then gave his daughter the fan, and she immidiately put it to use. This made Nie Huisang smile and feel proud of his choice for a gift.

Lan Disciple: "Clan Leader Jiang Cheng from Yunmeng Jiang Sect!"

Jiang Cheng then stood up along with a disciple and walked towards the center, they bowed respectfully and Jiang Cheng cleared his throat before speaking.

Jiang Cheng: "Greetings from me and my people of Yunmeng. I've brought for Lady Lan a gift that symbolizes my clan, and that I'm sure one day she will put it to use." (Disciple hands his leader the small box) "I give the Lady Lan a silver bell for her to wear, to help soothe her mind and help her focus if she were to need it."

Jiang Cheng then gently sways the bell making it chime, Lan Xichen smiles, looking pleased with the gift. Jiang Cheng then hands the bell inserted in it's small box to Lan Xichen, him and his disciple bows and leaves to sit back down.

Lan Disciple: "Childe Jin Ling of Landling Jin Sect!"

Jin Ling takes a small breath to calm the nerves that he didn't even know he had and stands up. Him and his disciples walks to the center and bowed. Before Jin Ling could speak, Jiang Cheng prayed in his mind for Jin Ling so the young boy wouldn't embarrass the both of them.

Jin Ling (nervously tensed/straight): "Good evening. I did not know what gift would be more suitable for the person I would meet, so I'm here to give Miss Lan high quality fabric with the colors that symbolizes the Lan Clan (the disciples opens the trunk), fabrics of every kind such as Cotton, Silk, Velvet, Wool, Satin, and many others in which she can order to be used into making any kind of clothing she desires."

Lan Xichen warmly smiles and nods in reassurance to Jin Ling, which helped calm the poor young man's nerves. Lan Xichen nods to his disciples nearby to take the trunk away, in which they respectfully obeyed. Jin Ling and his disciples bowed and left to sit back down. Jiang Cheng nodded at Jin Ling letting the boy know he did good, in which Jin Ling tried his hardest to contain his proud smile.

Lan Disciple: "Childe Ouyang Zizhen of Baling Ouyang Sect!"

The Ouyang boy also took a breath to calm down his nerves, but unlike Jin Ling, he had them ever since he laid eyes on the beautiful Princess. Jin Ling eyed him and wished him 'good luck' seeing how much of a nervous wreck Zizhen was, in which the nervous boy thanked for but admitted that 'he would need more than luck for this'. Not wanting to make anyone wait, he stood up with his disciple and walked towards the center, they bowed respectfully and cleared his now dry throat.

Ouyang Zizhen (nervous): "G-good evening. I'm here in my father's place because he's been a bit busy recently, but he'll be coming to Gusu very soon, he told me he'll be done by tomorrow."

Lan Xichen nodded with a smile, Ouyang Zizhen took a breath and continued.

Ouyang Zizhen: "I give to Miss Lan a special gift (disciple hands his Childe the gift). The gift is a bracelet, but not just a simple bracelet (opens small box), but a 4k gold and Opal stone bracelet."

Everyone 'wows' at his gift. Zizhen then receives a sudden boost of confidence after seeing Lady Lan's eyes filled with wonder at the gift. So he continued, but this time, with confidence.

Ouyang Zizhen: "My father ordered some miners to break through a small mountain as to make more room for the clan and they found many stones when they mined. Of course, my father payed them generously after their hard work, but we kept the stones that were found. When we got the letter from Zewu Jun, I told my father that we can give them one of the stones found; father then decided for an Opal bracelet. Why a bracelet and not something else you may ask? My father thought that the person we'll be meeting would most likely be a female. Trusting his theory, he ordered for the bracelet to be made immediately and was done right before my leave."

Lan Zhēn: "The Opal is one of those rare stones that can barely be found and are sold on high prices. Are you sure you and Clan Leader Ouyang are willing to give it to me instead of selling it?"

Ouyang Zizhen (confident): "Yes. Besides, it would look better on you than on someone else."

Flattered and embarrassed, Lan Zhēn stuttered a bit and covered half of her semi-blushing face with the fan while looking at the floor. Wen Ning tried to stop himself from smiling (in which he failed), Lan Qiren looked a bit offended (eyes widened), Lan Wangji tensed (clenched his jaw), and everyone else got a bit shocked by the Childe's sudden bravery; Jin Ling 'pfft' a bit but immediately regrets it after being elbowed by his Uncle soon after snorting. Noticing everyone's reactions, Ouyang Zizhen panicked.

Ouyang Zizhen (panicked): "W-wait! I-i didn't!-"

Lan Xichen (calm/Dad mode): "Thank you Childe Ouyang for your gift. I'm sure Zhēn will use it one day." (Emphasis on the 'one day')

Ouyang Zizhen looked down and nodded while closing the box in which he gave to Xichen. Both him and his disciple bowed and quickly went back to their seats, the poor boy was now traumatized and with little hope.

Lan Disciple: "Clan Leader Yao (A/N: I couldn't find his name.) of Pingyang Yao Sect!"

Clan Leader Yao stood along with a disciple of his and walked towards the center, they bowed respectfully and he spoke.

Clan Leader Yao: "Good evening to you all! (Eyes at Lan Zhēn and nods) Lady Lan. (She nods back and he returned to the three men) I bring a gift to Miss Lan in which I'm sure she will put to use. (Disciple hands him a scroll) I here by give to the dear Lan Princess 50 acres of land in which I won on a bet. It's a bit close to Gusu, and I'm sure Miss Lan will have many ideas on what to do with it. Who knows? Maybe turn it into a beautiful garden perhaps?"

Everyone were convinced with Clan Leader Yao's gift... sadly though, his words made Lan Zhēn stiff.

Lan Zhēn (slightly offended/calm): "Clan Leader Yao. I'm truly honored that you'd give me so much land, but instead of turning it into a garden, why not turn it into something more useful? Perhaps a training field where I can train your strongest disciples in the future?"

Everyone got surprised by the answer, Clan Leader Yao looking at the Lan superiors in confusion and then back at Lan Zhēn.

Clan Leader Yao (confused/suprised): "What do you mean? You don't want to turn it into a garden? It's a big land after all."

Lan Zhēn: "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I already have a garden. Thanks to you, once I become Leader of Lan Clan, I'll turn those gifted acres into a special training camp. Where, according to what clan the disciples belong to, they'll be trained according to their clan's element and even traditional weapons."

Everyone looked at each other in pure confusion from her words. Before Clan Leader Yao could speak again, Lan Xichen stepped forward.

Lan Xichen (smiling): "Thank you Clan Leader Yao for your gift, further explanation of her plans will be explained later on."

Clan Leader Yao hesitantly bowed in respect and left to sit back down on his seat, his disciple following close behind him.

Lan Xichen: "I thank you all for your gifts, they were all very wonderful. Now, can anyone guess why I hid her away?"

Everyone stayed silent with nothing but confusion on their faces, trying to think of anything; but Nie Huisang raised his fan, his features showing a concern look, his fan/hand shaking a little because of what he had in mind.

Nie Huisang (concerned): "U-um, I'm having a hard time believing it but... I-is she... W-what I think she is Gēgē?"

Lan Xichen: "Yes Huisang, I'm sure you're correct."

Everyone then sees how Lan Xichen's confirmation panicked Huisang greatly, making everyone more confused.

Nie Huisang: "T-then! S-she has a-a... a..."

Lan Xichen: "Yes. She has a diamond core."

Everyone gasps, utter shock on everyone's features.

Clan Leader Yao (shocked): "That's impossible! The people with diamond cores were extinct for more than 100 years!"

Ouyang Zizhen (whisper): "What's a diamond core?"

Jin Ling (whisper/annoyed): "How should I know?! I wasn't born 100 years ago!"

Ouyang Zizhen (whisper): "Ask your Uncle then! He's older, isn't he? He might know."

Jin Ling tensed, but just like Zizhen, he was also curious to know.

Jin Ling (whisper): "Uncle? (captures his attention) What's a diamond core?"

Zizhen neared a little to hear, Jiang Cheng didn't mind Childe Ouyang butting in since he heard their whispering to begin with.

Jiang Cheng (spoke normally): "The diamond cored people are people with unlimited power and were always one with nature; but despite their overwhelming strength, they are very pacific beings that were always looking for peace, never violence." (The two childes 'oh' in response)

Lan Xichen: "You are correct Clan Leader Jiang, but not quite. The people with diamond cores don't have unlimited power, more like they have, in a way we can understand, power to spare. An example could be that someone with a diamond core consist of 3 or more golden cores united into one singular core, the power or 'amount of cores' depends on either their bloodline or over how much they've trained. Unlike us, these people not only physically train, they also train through meditation; as for how, I'm not quite sure myself. Zhēn told me to think of it as if she were training between the worlds of the living and dead, which means that she was not only one with nature, she could also see and communicate with the lost spirits and help them be at peace. Unfortunately, just like she is able to communicate with gentle lost beings, she has also encountered dangerous ones where she was forced to fight them off."

Nie Huisang: "Since she trains through meditation, how long was her training exactly?"

Lan Xichen: "She admitted she could've stayed to train longer, but she was getting homesick. She's been training for 8 years straight through meditation."

~Gasps~

Ouyang Zizhen (screach): "8 years?!"

Everyone looks at him.

Ouyang Zizhen (stutter): "*Ahem* 8 years?"

Lan Xichen: "*huff/smile* Yes Childe Ouyang, but the people with diamond cores can meditate for much longer. Thanks to their focus and both their mental and emotional strength, they meditate calmly for many years; and depending where they meditate, they may even live longer than the ordinary human can; but the place where they meditate needs to be filled with good energy. Otherwise, instead of getting stronger, they'll just grow weaker, or worse, they'll brake just like a diamond."

Jiang Cheng: "They break? What do you mean by that?"

Lan Xichen: "Somewhere in the old scrolls I've found years back was that their cores are as clear and bright as a diamond, making them look like an actual diamond; and just like a diamond, they are fragile and may shatter. If one with a diamond core becomes emotionally unstable, their shattering could be caused by an intense emotional trauma or meditating in a room with dark energy. Because of this, they are either killed before they get to be shattered, or they commit suicide so they wouldn't hurt anyone around them; and when their cores are in risk of being stolen, they decide to commit suicide so their cores die out with them. If neither of these get to happen, they either way don't get to live long since it's not in their nature to being bloodthirsty or vengeful, their cores will just auto-destroy itself, giving the person a sudden death. The cause of death being close to a heart attack."

Lan Xichen continued.

Lan Xichen: "Sadly, since their cores have such a great resemblance to a diamond, they would constantly be hunted down, rarely leaving one behind. They weren't murdering them out of fear from them overpowering the ordinary people, that was always a simple excuse to do it freely; the real reason was because of how valuable a diamond core is. I found out that a single diamond core was expensive enough to the point where you would need to sell your entire clan just to get that one single diamond core, (everyone gasps) but that would also depend if your clan is big enough to fit within the price range."

Jiang Cheng (furious): "Are you kidding me?! Aren't they considered humans too? How dare they humiliate them! How can they continue their training without a core or help train their young ones?!"

Lan Xichen (sad): "They don't, Clan Leader Jiang... They don't survive without their core. Our bodies can get use to being mediocre, because we only have a golden core; but unlike us, their bodies are use to having excess energy. So when their core is removed, the body doesn't have the sufficient energy to keep their heart pumping. So, they die."

This shocked everyone immensely. Jiang Cheng fist his hands knowing well how it feels to not have a core, but the thought that these people literally die without it... It angers him, yet he's ashamed he felt miserable enough to the point where he wanted to just die, instead of being grateful he got to live another day. An opportunity these people would wish to have, and he ungratefully spent it being forcefully put to sleep so he could properly rest and not commit suicide from depression. He lowered his head with these thoughts, Jin Ling watched his Uncle with slight worry as Jiang Cheng was lost in his thoughts.

Lan Xichen: "Unfortunately, those aren't the only reasons why they were, and still are hunted down. There are others more, (gets tense) some worse than the others."

Nie Huisang, seeing that the atmosphere was getting denser than before, he thought of an idea.

Nie Huisang: "Gēgē? How did you find Lady Lan? You haven't told us yet."

Lan Xichen (slight relieve/smile): "Of course, my apologies."

Everyone straightened, some sipped their tea/water to be a bit at ease.

Lan Xichen: "It happened 17 years ago (A/N: I added a year) after the terrible night at Nevernight when Childe Wei supposedly died...

Holo everyone! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! The next chapter will be of how Lan Xichen found his now daughter and, depending on how long the story is, I'll continue their conversation as well. In case you're wondering where I got the picture above... I drew... Yeah, I tried drawing in a realistic form, but I stopped drawing it for a while and then continued when Photoshop (I draw in Photoshop) eliminated the brushes I used. It wasn't quite easy, that's why the inner dress looks a bit intense. Who knows? Maybe I'll try to draw her again one day!

A good reminder that "The Untamed" series as well as their characters belong to their rightful owner. The only things I own are a few made up characters and the plot of this story. Thanks for reading!❤

> Words and it's meanings (may or may not used Google translate):

- Zhēn (珍) = meaning "precious, rare".

- Gēgē = meaning "elder brother".

- Zewu Jun/Lord Zewu = meaning "Brilliance Overgrowth Lord"

- Hanguang Jun = meaning "Light-bearing Lord"

- A/N = meaning "Author's Note"

Edit: If you see me updating in this book, it means I'm correcting a few grammar errors.