THE YILING MATRIARCH

Chapter 9 : Time Immemorial - Part 2 : A Moon's gentle Hand

Sorry for the one day dely. Had to write a paper for Philosophy and the topic was murder!! This is arguably one of my favorite chapters out of the ones I've written so far, and you'll see why!

Already having lived in Gusu Lan Sect for only a few days now, Wei Meifeng wanted nothing more than time to hurry itself so that she may go home and relax by the wet heat of the lake that would fill her head with the scent of lilies.

Cages were, no matter how beautiful like the soft lull Gusu Lan provided, no place for a wild and free spirited soul like her that were made to be untamable.

The Lan Clan also lived by a strict code of rules that she would never be able to learn even in one-hundred years: wake up at five with the sun, go about the day not running or shouting, train your mind and body in the art of Cultivation, and be courteous to all you meet. Everything about the clan felt like a heavy chain around her neck, leaving Meifeng breathless for something to do.

Even her lessons had been boring, but she had quickly found her presence not welcomed by the Lan Elder teaching their class and had all but dismissed her from class one day. Granted, she had spoken out about a new cultivation method that would combat ferocious spirits with ferocious spirits under a summoner's control. It had made perfect sense in her mind to fight fire with fire, but once the instructor's face had returned from its parlour color at her idea, Meifeng had spent the rest of that afternoon wandering the grounds before returning to her room, though even that she had found tiring.

Everything in Gusu Lan was so white and pristine... and without the simple joys in life that Meifeng was used to. Back in Yunmeng, Meifeng faced no issue being able to sip from a small bottle of purchased wine, but one of the many three hundred rules of Gusu was that alcohol was prohibited inside the sect...

Yet she had found no mentioning of drinking being against the rules if she were not truly inside the sect walls. Feeling a plan form in her mind, Meifeng smiled so beautifully that even a devil would've shivered at her deviousness. 

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With the colder months not long behind the year, the night still ran with a hint of chill that disturbed the trees that were steadily growing back their protection from such icy breaths. It was, however, the perfect night for a certain shadow clad figure as they sat completely without care on the roof of a building under the moon's glowing light, enjoying the liquid courage from a bright red jar at her lips.

There was no alcohol better in this world than Emperor's Smile Wine, which was famously popular in the cities who knew its name as its contents left a warming buzz down their throats as they consumed it, and Wei Meifeng was no different. Since she was not technically within Gusu Lan, and not breaking any rules for which she could be punished.

"It is against the rules to partake in alcohol inside of Gusu."

The suddenness of a voice surprised her as she had tipped her cup once again, choking to catch her breath and see who had snuck up behind her, for the feat was previously only the accomplishment of her family and those that had the countenance of a cat.

Looking at who the speaker was, she spotted none other than Lan Wangji, the boy she had seen on the first day of classes. Standing on a roof piece across from her, he peered down at her with the same stern expression she had seen on his mantle several times.

It looked to be his usual expression, which could only darken further whenever he saw something that did not align with the strict guidelines of his clan's rules.

Hoping to avoid any further issues, Meifeng prayed that maybe she could leave this scenario the same way she would if her brother had caught her instead.

Picking up a second wine jar at her side, she motioned it towards him while bringing her brightest smile to her face; it was her best weapon for situations like this. "Why be so harsh, Lan Wangji? Would you like some? The Emperor's Smile always seems to taste better drinking with a friend."

To emphasize this, Meifeng took another sip from her own jar while motioning for him to take a seat beside her, yet he did not do this, and his gaze sharpened further than before, if that were possible. Meifeng could not see how a young man like Lan Wangji could be so set in the restrictive ways of his clan.

Normally, it was the elders she would have problems like this with as they would continually tell her to act as a lady should. That is, until most had given up on the girl actually heeding their words and just gave her a dirty look whenever their paths crossed.

Leaning against the slant of the roofing, Meifeng and Lan Wangji talked, paying no attention to where they were or who they were supposed to be... at least she didn't.

Lan Wangji, on the other hand, could not let it escape his awareness that Wei Meifeng was shamelessly breaking several Clan disciplines... and was for some reason very beautiful in the moonlight, its glow illuminating around her like a star. Quickly shaking his mind of though, Why had his mind pondered that thought? It was not true, as she was a disruptive person that was very annoying.

Whatever the reason for Lan Wangji's silence, Meifeng attempted to leave with her wine unavoided, yet Wangji did notice, and proceeded to follow after her with force until both jars of alcohol were destroyed as Meifeng dodged his attacks. If any passerby had walked past this scene, they would have seen two figures in the darkness of a full-moon's light moving as if listening to unheard music around the other like a dance, perfectly in sync with the other's movements.

Perhaps they would have thought to be figures of imagination, made up in their minds by the late hour of the night, or perhaps were the apparitions of dead lovers from a tragic legend that could only chase one another as the sun chases the moon with the passing days and never touch.

Drink long forgotten, their deadly trance weaving back and forth on the clay tiles continued without any witness to be found surprisingly as Lan Wangji chased down Wei Meifeng for the only reason of seeing her float beyond his reach. It reminded him once more of his unusual feeling from before as wisps of black curls almost glowed under the moonlight like a heavenly creature from a story; the back of Wangji's consciousness was constantly reminding him that if Wei Meifeng truly was an holy being, she would be the laughing imp beckoning unsuspecting men into their deeper desires that the world provided for such purposes.

Wei Meifeng, on a similar plain of thought, saw Lan Wangji's following as morality incarnate chasing her down into redemption's light.

Whatever reason they had, the two beings of existence danced in a constant state of unbalance, unknowingly finding solace in each other...

But it be another few years before either one found this before it would rip itself out of their hands to Fate's unknown plans.