I will take care of you, I promise (Between a rock and a hard place 3)

Chapter 17

It took Lan Xichen a while to find the correct house where Lan Wangji was now being kept. There were no guards around and he could tell only because he felt the barrier which had been erected in order to keep his brother from escaping. Such measure was a little exaggerated, he knew, because those who were kept in seclusion by the orders of the elders of the sect would have their golden cores sealed so even a normal locked door would be able to detain them. However, leave it to the Gusu Lan sect to be very thorough in everything they ever did.

Lan Xichen knew that he was bending the rules quite a bit by coming here. In seclusion, Lan Wangji was not supposed to receive any visitors and his meals were brought by servants who would leave them outside of the door. He was already here so there was no helping it anymore, he would still be scolded by his uncle if his little intrusion would be discovered. However, he needed to know what had happened in order to help Wei Wuxian.

He stopped right outside of the barrier surrounding the small one-room house. It spread only a meter or so around the walls so the one being kept inside could go out for food which was left in front of the door or to stretch his legs but they would never be able to take even three steps from the house. It was both a blessing for them and the cruellest thing Lan Xichen could imagine. Being kept always in one room, always seeing the same scenery from the window and still being able to go outside only to be confined to the proximity of their prison. Sometimes, the Gusu Lan sect could be quite cruel indeed.

And it went without a question that the person being imprisoned – because even if it was called euphemistically a house for secluded mediation, it was still a prison – should not have any visitors and should not interact with the servants either. Such a solitary existence. One, that his brother was now condemned to suffer. Lan Xichen actually felt sorry for him.

Perhaps, he perked up a little bit, if it would be proven that Lan Wangji was in fact not the original assailant and that Wei Wuxian had been in the situation they had found him in this morning willingly, the sentence could be lifted. He would have to talk to his uncle about this. Now he needed Lan Wangji's testimony, nothing more and nothing less. He could worry about his brother later. Perhaps a lot later, once he would make sure that Wei Wuxian would not want to leave his side for Lan Wangji anymore.

He stood there for several more seconds, trying to compose himself after his long and frantic search which left him gasping for breath. Then, he called out to his brother: "Wangji, please come out, I wish to speak with you."

For some time, nothing happened and Lan Xichen was starting to doubt that he had got the correct house. Luckily, it was not the case and in the end, Lan Wangji opened the door and stood in between it, squinting his eyes as if even the dim light of the forest was hurting him. After blinking a few times, he seemed to have recognized Lan Xichen and he all but run those three steps which were separating them and reached out his hand to his brother in a pleading gesture.

He could not touch him because of the barrier and his hands got repelled back but he did not give up and continued to try. He looked very desperate and he had a mad glint in his eyes. He was opening and closing his mouth, apparently attempting to say something which he could not voice. He looked nothing like the Lan Wangji Lan Xichen knew, he was no longer collected or expressionless.

He finally succeeded, breathless from his efforts yet his voice full of concern and urgency: "Brother. Where is Wei Ying. Tell me you did not send him back to the Yunmeng Jiang sect."

Somehow, Lan Xichen had a feeling that he should have expected the first thing to come out of his brother's mouth to be Wei Wuxian's name and the expression of concern for him. After all, he knew that Lan Wangji loved the boy so much he would not hesitate to kidnap him and keep him hidden from the outside world. The members of the Gusu Lan clan loved only once in their lifetime and Wei Wuxian seemed to have been that only one for Lan Wangji.

Lan Xichen lifted his hands in a calming gesture, he did not want his brother to continue trying to break through the barrier. Someone could come check on him if that was case.

"Wangji, Young Master Wei is fine, I am taking care of him."

For some reason, instead of the words working as reassurance like Lan Xichen had intended them to, Lan Wangji was now acting even more frantic and if the First Jade was any weaker person, he would have shuddered under the hateful stare that he had received for them. Lan Wangji was clearly not happy with him taking care of his beloved.

Well, he could not do anything about it; his brother could hate him all he wanted or plead him to let him go, it would be for naught. Instead, Lan Xichen continued and finally brought up the topic for which he had come: "Wangji, I came to talk to you about what had happened between you, Young Master Jiang and Young Master Wei. Young Master Wei, he..." Lan Xichen had to take a deep breath to swallow his guilt, "said that his relationship with Young Master Jiang was not good and that you have seen something which would explain your behaviour from this morning."

At those words, Lan Wangji finally calmed down a little bit, the look in his eyes shifted to disappointment and Lan Xichen knew what that meant. He should have listened to his brother earlier. Perhaps things would not have escalated like this if he had. He did not feel guilty though, he had been doing everything he believed had been needed to protect his family and his sect.

His conscience was mostly clear; he could live with himself. Although he had made some mistakes, he was now working towards correcting them. Not so much could be said about his furious looking brother who seemed ready to explode any second.

"Wei Ying was raped."

That was the only explanation Lan Xichen got before Lan Wangji shot him one last murdering glare full of hatred and disappointment. The younger of the Twin Jades then turned on his heel and went back inside the house without so much as looking back. He did not have to say or do anything more really, his point had been already proven. Lan Xichen had been such a fool.