WangXian Untamed

Chapter 17 - Father Wei

Lan XiChen and Wei WuXian walked peaceably together through the landscape of Cloud Recesses.

The path left the woods and wound along the side of the Back Mountain, growing slowly steeper and rockier. At least halfway up the mountain, Lan XiChen halted. There was an area here where the bedrock was exposed, creating a natural terrace, bound on one side by the sparkling waters of a stream in full Spring spate. The water tumbled and danced down the side of the mountain, lending a sweet natural song to the day. The sun played hide and seek within the depths, where fish could be seen darting from rock to rock. The other sides of the open area were bound by the path and a young wood, with the final enclosure being the granite bulk of the mountain itself. The clearing was strangely free of vegetation, although the ground beyond was verdant. Lan XiChen approached the solid rock and with a flick of his fingers, the entrance was revealed.

"We have a strong ward on this entrance. Only Lan Clan may enter. Others must be accompanied, or the entrance will not reveal itself."

Wei WuXian tried to lift his jaw back up and save a little face. "You mean we didn't fall out by pure luck? There was a proper entrance we could have used?

"WangJi was still young back when you had your misadventure. He had never been shown the entrance. It is revealed when a Lan comes of age. I was simply glad he remembered hearing of it at all, rather than attempting to return by the whirlpool." Lan XiChen had a reminiscent look on his face. "You were both just kids, and you could easily have succumbed to the intense cold and been swept away before we knew to look for you. It can be quite dangerous here – most places of natural power have their own means of protection."

Lan XiChen pulled a jade token from his sash and handed it to Wei WuXian. It was a small item, a lovely carved jade with the curling clouds of the Lan Clan on a silk lanyard with bead and tassel. He turned it carefully in his hands, admiring the beauty of the piece and the silken tassel slipped pleasantly through Wei WuXian's fingers.

"I can come and go quite safely with my Lan headband," continued Lan XiChen. "The mountain wards and all Cloud Recesses recognizes the emblem on my forehead, as it does all other members of the Lan Clan. You are married to my brother, but haven't yet been received into the Clan, so you have no band for passage. This token is given only to those who are permitted free passage in and around Cloud Recesses. Since it is my own, you will be able to pass any wards or protected areas without harm, including into the Cold Cavern. I'd like this to be my wedding gift for you."

Wei WuXian was deeply touched by the trust Lan XiChen was placing in him. Wei WuXian had seldom felt so accepted as himself, and certainly had never felt so trusted. All his youth had been spent under the extreme and biased discipline of Madam Yu, trying to hide his own capabilities so as not to overshadow his brother, Jiang Cheng, and thus call down further punishment with Madam Yu's Zidian. His adulthood... well, best left unsaid and even unthought. Tears threatened to overflow before he winked them back and swallowed the lump in his throat. 

 "Thank you, XiChen-Ge," he said softly. "I will keep it safely and treasure it." Wei WuXian tied the token to his belt, where once the silver Clarity bell of Lotus Pier had danced. I won't let you down, he silently vowed to himself.

The two men passed into the mountain. As they entered, torches began to light on the walls, and the entrance sealed behind them. Moving down the passage, at the very end they entered the Cold Cavern itself. A very large natural chamber, fully three quarters or more housed the reservoir itself. The water was so cold it was very nearly frozen and moved only sluggishly, thick with ice. The air was clear and sharply crisp, leaving breath hanging in the air. To one end was a platform, bare excepting for a natural formation on which rested a pure white guqin. This was the instrument of the only female Grandmaster, Lan Yi. The third Leader since Gusu Lan was established and the granddaughter of the founder, it was her spiritual strength that had revealed the terrible possibilities of the Yin Iron, before she sacrificed herself to maintaining it in concealment in the Cold Spring for centuries. A few steps were carved into the rock at the edge of the platform, leading into the Cold Spring.