Past is set in stone, only your feelings may change

Ribbon

It happened when they decided to continue their investigation and went to listen to gossip and news in a liquor store. Just as in his last life, Wei Wuxian had assumed that the best place to get the freshest news about any unusual activity would be a tavern or a restaurant which sold wine. The juniors were back in the inn, having dinner after their nerve-wracking adventure in the Yi city.

Truth to be told, Wei Wuxian was pretty shaken himself. He had seen his fair share of death and eerie ghosts during his first life-time, and the second one as well, but this experience had been really unsettling. There was also the point when his own weapon which he had tried so hard to destroy had been used against him. Even when he had been alive, there had been people who had decided to walk the path of demonic cultivation and copied him, but Xue Yang had been simply something else.

Wei Wuxian poured himself another cup of wine to calm his nerves. He was doing his best to forget all those painful memories. He had never wanted anyone, much less barely grown children, to walk the same path he had chosen. Without a golden core, there was no way that he could cultivate in any other way, but it simply was too great of a risk, the consequences on his body and mind were too great.

Lan Zhan must have understood his state of mind, perhaps he had seen right through his half-hearted teasing or he had just the nose for those things. Either way, he was watching Wei Wuxian intently and in the end, ordered two bottles of wine when they went back to their room again.

And the most surprising of all, when Wei Wuxian sighed more to himself than to the Second Jade that it would be nice to have someone to drink with, Lan Zhan actually picked up a cup of his own and drank it in one go!

Wei Wuxian was completely bewildered. He remembered that Lan Zhan had always avoided alcohol and had a low tolerance if that one time during their younger days had was anything to go by. He observed Lan Zhan intently, curious if his companion had become a better drinker since then.

No, he had not. Wei Wuxian had to hide a laughter which was making its way out of his mouth. Just like back in the Cloud Recesses, Lan Zhan had almost immediately fallen asleep and Wei Wuxian had to get him to bed. He sat with him for a minute or two, or perhaps more, he could not tell anymore, Lan Zhan was such an eye candy he could not tear his eyes away.

In the end, he shook his head fondly and tugged him in, in the position prescribed for the Gusu Lan sect disciples. He shot him one last look, suddenly resisting a fleeting urge to kiss those deep red lips and he hurried out of the room. He was berating himself internally, why would he be thinking about kissing Lan Zhan? That was completely out of question!

Luckily, he was saved from his confusing thoughts when he played a few notes on his flute. Wen Ning came heeding his call and Wei Wuxian was glad. He had seen his friend only several times since his resurrection and there had been something very unsettling about him.

Sure enough, after a closer investigation, he was able to remove needles which had been controlling the fierce corpse and his old kind and sweet Wen Ning was back. Now, he had at least one brother back.

He did not have enough time to actually celebrate or have a talk with Wen Ning, because Lan Zhan had suddenly appeared in the street, watching them intently. Wei Wuxian was internally panicking about what he should do, how he should explain what he had just been doing. Lan Zhan came closer and he took a step back, suddenly feeling very unsettled.

Wei Wuxian was however not Lan Zhan's target, it was Wen Ning. Before Wei Wuxian could come to his rescue in case the Second Jade wanted to exterminate the fierce corpse, all Lan Zhan did was shove him away in a very childish way and pout when Wen Ning did not leave immediately. Wei Wuxian gestured for Wen Ning to go, they could talk later.

Lan Zhan seemed content with this development, almost smug if that was possible for a Gusu Lan sect disciple, and he came towards Wei Wuxian. Before the demonic cultivator knew it, there was Lan Zhan's ribbon wrapped tightly around his wrists and he was being dragged back into the inn.