Never Let You Go, Again

25: A Familiar Face

Father and daughter had left for Lotus Pier by sunset. Xichen sat with his brothers outside his mother's home, now the couple's. The sweet, calming harmony of Liebing drifted through the air, soothing the minds of all that heard it. Wangji was being played alongside it. The elder Jade soothed the minds of all listeners, while the younger Jade calmed any restless heart. As the feather-white flute and silver strings conjured such relaxing music, another flute, black with a red tassel at its end, played the same melody but with a different effect.

While the Jades played to calm all the rest of the world, the Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian, played to calm himself.

Cleansing. That's what it was called. One of many mind-calming musical techniques in the GusuLan Clan. Capable of putting one at rest, but also capable of destroying one's temperament if altered, as the long gone Jin Sect Leader did. Everything has its own black and white, Wei Wuxian thought.

The trio played and played on into the evening. The sun was reluctant to go to bed today; hours passed and it still remained an adamant amber. Wei Wuxian's core had calmed and he put Chenqing to a side. Propping himself up on his palms, he laid back and spread his legs, groaning.

"Wei Ying, what's wrong?"

"Lan Zhan, can't we find a new song? Maybe another melody in the same book? This Cleansing is boring me to death!" He whined.

"Wei Ying, behave." Lan Zhan raised an eyebrow, directing his pupils to his brother and back at his husband.

"Ge, you don't mind me asking?" Wei Wuxian asked.

Xichen placed Liebing on his lap and nodded, requesting the youngest to go on.

"Ge, could you teach me another tune? My core's used to this now! I'm much better than before, you know! How about you introduce a new core-stabilising melody?"

For that's what the song did. Cleansing was mainly used to stabilise one's core, especially one filled with demonic energy like Wei Wuxian's, because the temperament and aura depended on the stability of the core. Lan Huan and Lan Zhan played incessantly every day to help calm down this one man's raging demonic energy.

And now here he was, pouting like a baby, saying the song is boring. Lan Zhan could only shake his head with a hopeless sigh. 

Xichen laughed. "Didi, if that's what you want, fine! I'll bring you the sheet tomorrow, there is this other song pretty much like Cleansing. What was it called again..."

"Pure Heart."

"Right! Wangji, not bad!" Xichen tapped his brother's shoulder.

"He spends hours in that boring library of his, no wonder he'd know that! Won't even spend as much time with me," Wei Wuxian pouted. Lan Wangji gulped.

"Didi, don't say that, he spends more than half the day with didi! The bunnies, the waterfall, the Jingshi, night hunts, all of it!" Lan Xichen counted, amazed at the younger's words.

"I know, I know, but I never said it's enough! Ah, I'll just have to wait till he's done with every last book like Gege. Lan Zhan, I'll torture you afterwards!" Wei Wuxian tossed his head back and laughed. Lan Zhan shook his head. Lan Huan laughed along at the thought of his poor brother being 'tortured' by his didi.

Comically engaged in light conversation, neither did they notice the 'poof' sound from somewhere near the archway between the Jingshi and the forest, nor did they hear the rapid footsteps and flapping robes of a sprinting woman.

"MASTER!"

"Xiangxiang? What–"

"Master! Master..." she stopped by Wei Wuxian and slumped onto the ground, panting.