MDZS, But if Lan Qiren Were Chill

Chapter 2: Lan Xichen Makes a Friend and Lan Qiren is Delighted About It

Lan Xichen is thirteen when Lan Qiren sees him laugh like a child for the first time, and he feels a heavy burden lift off his shoulders at the sight of it.

The source of his nephew's innocent laughter was the visiting heir of the Nie Sect during a Discussion Conference held at Gusu Lan that spring. All the heads of the sects visited the Cloud Recesses, but only Sect Leader Nie brought his own heir with him.

It wasn't unusual for a sect leader to bring their heir. Rather, it made sense since Nie Mingjue was already fifteen and at the age when heirs began learning how to take over the leadership position of their sects. It was the age Lan Qiren's own brother had begun taking on Gusu Lan's responsibilities. No, the fact that Nie Mingjue had tagged along for the conference did not surprise Lan Qiren. Rather, it was the size of the young man that surprised him so much.

The young cultivators of Gusu were known for being slender and delicate, beautiful in their features and slight in their statures, though they could grow pretty tall. Lan Qiren himself was quite tall, after all.

However, Nie Mingjue was one of the tallest people Lan Qiren had ever met, and he was still an adolescent. He stood a good half-head taller than the head of Lan sect, and a good two heads taller than Xichen who was growing splendidly. He had gangly limbs, but there was a strength in them that rivalled older and wiser cultivators in other sects who had studied in the Cloud Recesses years previous.

Lan Qiren was quite impressed with the young man, and he could tell that his own nephews were also impressed with the Nie heir.

During their conference, both Xichen and Wangji sat at Lan Qiren's sides as they listened to Jin Guangshan drone on and on about having problems on his lands with night hunts. He could see the expressions on his nephews in his peripheral vision, and Lan Qiren almost smiled at the childish energy emanating from Xichen.

Lan Xichen normally was placid and calm, but he was fidgeting in his seat, stealing glances at the young Nie heir who glanced back at him every once and a while, shooting him friendly glances. Lan Wangji looked completely expressionless, even as an eleven-year old boy, but he cast glances at his brother, interested. It was the most emotion Lan Qiren had ever seen on his nephew's face, and it brought him so much happiness.

"Do we have any other topics of discussion?" Wen Ruohan interrupted as Jin Guangshan took a breath in the middle of his monologue.

Lan Qiren would've run over to kiss the man for finally getting the pompous head of Jin to stop speaking, but he restrained himself for several reasons: one: propriety; two: as attractive as the head of the Wen sect was, Wen Ruohan was the one of the least trustworthy men Lan Qiren had ever met (next to Jin Guangshan, naturally); and three, he didn't really want to.

"I see fit to discuss holding a lecture here in the Cloud Recesses," Lan Qiren spoke up, stroking the beard he had grown to look old enough to be a sect leader and so that younger cultivators from other sects would stop flirting with him.

"Ah, yes, Gusu Lan's famous annual lectures," Jin Guangshan smiled, and Lan Qiren felt a shuddering sensation of discomfort and irritation crawl up his spine at the sight of that man's smile. "I'm afraid my heir is too young to send, but I would love to send several other disciples, if you don't mind, Master Lan."

"Of course," Lan Qiren answered coolly.

"I'm afraid my heirs are also too young, Master Lan," Jiang Fengmian spoke up gently, and the prickly sensation in Lan Qiren's spine soothed away. "I would like to send other disciples as well."

Lan Qiren agreed to the other leaders who all declared the same, though the leader of the Nie sect offered that his own heir and two other disciples to attend the conference. Nie Mingjue straightened at the mention of his own name, and he bowed politely.