TFOD Chapter 47

For some reason, Wei Wuxian felt inexplicably guilty tonight. He didn’t dare to sleep on the bed with Lan Wangji like he usually did. He just sat on the ground and dealt with the night haphazardly. He didn’t know when his head tilted and he fell asleep leaning against the wooden bed. In a daze, he vaguely felt someone gently pick him up and lay him flat on the bed. Wei Wuxian forced his eyes open, and Lan Wangji’s still-cold face came into view.

He immediately woke up five or six parts of the way and called out, “Lan Zhan.”

Lan Wangji responded with an “Mm.” Wei Wuxian then asked, “Are you awake or still drunk now?”

Lan Wangji said, “Awake.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Oh… It’s dawn.”

Lan Wangji woke up at this exact time every day, so Wei Wuxian could tell the time without looking outside at the sky. He picked up Wei Wuxian’s wrist, both of which were marked with several blood-red welts. Lan Wangji took out a small, light-blue porcelain bottle from his sleeve and lowered his head to apply medicine to him. The delicate ointment immediately brought a cool sensation wherever it was applied. Wei Wuxian squinted his eyes and said, “It hurts so much… Hanguang-Jun, you’re really impolite when you’re drunk.”

Lan Wangji didn’t even lift his eyes, saying, “You brought it on yourself.”

Wei Wuxian’s heart skipped a beat. “Lan Zhan, what did you do after you got drunk? You really don’t remember, do you?”

Lan Wangji said, “I don’t remember.”

Wei Wuxian thought, “He probably doesn’t remember. Otherwise, he’d be so ashamed and angry that he’d tear me apart.”

He was both relieved that Lan Wangji didn’t remember and a little regretful that he didn’t. It was like he had secretly done something bad, like stealing some food. He secretly hid in a corner, delighted and secretly smiling because no one had found out, yet also regretting that there was no one to share his unspeakable joy with. Uncontrollably, his eyes once again locked onto Lan Wangji’s lips.

Although his lips never curved into a smile, they looked soft, and indeed they were very soft.

Wei Wuxian unconsciously bit his lip and began to daydream again: “The Gusu Lan Sect is so strict, and Lan Zhan is so completely clueless about romance. He definitely hasn’t kissed a girl before. What should I do now? I’ve gotten there first. Should I tell him? Would he cry from anger if he found out? Sigh, he might have cried when he was a kid, but he probably wouldn’t now. And he’s like a wooden monk. Maybe he’s never even thought about those things… No! Last time when he was drunk, I asked him, ‘Do you have someone you like?’ and he replied ‘Yes.’ Maybe he’s kissed someone before? But given Lan Zhan’s nature of self-restraint, it must have been just a polite kiss, probably didn’t even do that, he surely hasn’t even held hands before. Speaking of which, maybe he didn’t even understand what kind of ‘like’ I was asking about…”

After Lan Wangji finished applying the medicine to Wei Wuxian, someone gently knocked on the door, three times. Lan Sizhui’s voice came, “Hanguang-Jun, everyone’s awake. Are we leaving?”

Lan Wangji said, “Wait downstairs.”

The group left the city, and they were about to go their separate ways at the foot of the city tower. The disciples of the various prominent families had initially only been familiar faces, just visiting each other’s sect during discussion conferences. However, these past few days, they had first experienced the cat corpse incident together, then spent a thrilling day and night together in a misty ghost city. They had also burned paper money together, secretly drank alcohol together, quarreled together, and cursed at people together. They had become very familiar with each other. At the time of departure, they were all reluctant to part and lingered at the city gate, making promises to visit each other’s discussion conferences and hunting grounds. Lan Wangji didn’t urge them, letting them talk about this and that. He stood silently under a tree. Fairy, being watched by him, dared not bark or run around, only cowered under the tree, gazing longingly towards Jin Ling with its tail wagging excitedly.

While Lan Wangji was preoccupied with Fairy, Wei Wuxian put his arm around Jin Ling’s shoulder and walked some distance away.

Mo Xuanyu was one of Jin Guangshan’s illegitimate sons, the half-brother of Jin Zixuan and Jin Guangyao. So, in terms of blood relations, he was also considered Jin Ling’s uncle. He could naturally use the tone of an elder to give him instructions. As they walked, he said, “After you get back, don’t argue or talk back to your uncle. Listen to him. Be careful in the future, and don’t go out hunting alone and running around again.”

Although Jin Ling was born into a prominent family, rumors never spared anyone. He was an orphan, so he was inevitably eager to succeed and prove himself. Wei Wuxian added, “You’re only a teenager, you know? The other disciples of the same age as you haven’t hunted any powerful monsters, so why are you in such a hurry? Why must you be the first?”

Jin Ling said sullenly, “My uncle and my other uncle were famous when they were teenagers.”

Wei Wuxian thought, “How can that be the same? Back then, the Qishan Wen Sect was pressing down on everyone, and people were panicking. If they didn’t cultivate and fight desperately, nobody knew if they’d be next. During the Sunshot Campaign, people were dragged onto the battlefield regardless of whether they were teenagers or how old they were. But now the situation is stable, and each family is at peace, so naturally the atmosphere isn’t as tense. Of course, everyone isn’t cultivating as desperately, because there’s no need.”

Jin Ling then said, “Even Wei Ying, that Wei dog, was in his teens when he killed the Xuanwu of Slaughter. If he could do it, why can’t I?”

When Wei Wuxian heard his surname and the word “dog” put together, a chill ran down his spine. After finally shaking off the goosebumps, he said, “Was it him who killed it? Wasn’t it Hanguang-Jun who killed it?”

Hearing him mention Lan Wangji, Jin Ling gave him a meaningful look, wanting to say something but forcefully held back. He said, “You and Hanguang-Jun… never mind. That’s your own business. Anyway, I don’t want to get involved in your affairs. You can go and be a cut-sleeve if you want. There’s no cure for that.”

Wei Wuxian chuckled and said, “How can that be called a disease?” In his heart, he was doubled over with laughter: “Does he think I’m shamelessly clinging to Lan Zhan?!”

Jin Ling continued, “I already know the meaning of the Gusu Lan Sect’s headband. Since it’s like this, then you’d better stay by Hanguang-Jun’s side. Even as a cut-sleeve, you should keep a clean slate. Don’t go provoking other men, especially people from our family! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude to you.”

When he said “our family,” he meant both the Lanling Jin Sect and the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. It seemed that his tolerance for same-sex relationships had increased, as long as he didn’t see it happening with his family, he could pretend it wasn’t happening. Wei Wuxian said, “You kid! What do you mean by ‘provoking other men’? You make me sound like… What? The headband? Does the Gusu Lan Sect’s headband have some meaning?”

Jin Ling said, “Stop pretending! You got what you wanted and you’re still acting innocent. Don’t get carried away. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Are you Wei Ying?”

At the end of these three sentences, he suddenly threw out a question, direct and unexpected. Wei Wuxian calmly replied, “Do you think I look like him?”

Jin Ling was silent for a while, then suddenly blew a short whistle and said, “Fairy!”

Hearing its name called by its master, Fairy stuck out its tongue and ran over, all four legs moving at top speed. Wei Wuxian turned and ran like the wind, “Talk properly! Why are you releasing your dog?!”

Jin Ling said, “Hmph! Goodbye!”

After saying goodbye, he proudly strode towards the Lanling direction. It seemed he still didn’t dare return to Lotus Pier in Yunmeng to face Jiang Cheng. The disciples of the other families also went home in twos and threes in different directions. In the end, only Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and a few younger disciples of the Lan family were left.

As they walked, the younger disciples couldn’t help themselves from turning back frequently. Lan Jingyi didn’t say anything but his face was filled with visible reluctance. He asked, “Where are we going next?”

Lan Sizhui said, “Zewu-Jun is night-hunting around Tanzhou now. Should we go directly back to Cloud Recesses, or meet up with him there?”

Lan Wangji said, “Tanzhou, meet up.”

Wei Wuxian said, “That’s good. Maybe we can help out with something. Anyway, I don’t know where to go next to find my good brother’s head.”

The two of them walked ahead while the other youngsters followed far behind. After walking for a while, Lan Wangji said, “Jiang Cheng knows who you are.”

Wei Wuxian, sitting on the donkey, let Little Apple walk slowly and said, “Yes, he knows. But what if he knows? He can’t produce any evidence.”

Sacrifice of the body is different from possession. There are no traces left. Jiang Cheng was merely basing his judgment on his reaction to dogs. Firstly, Jiang Cheng had never told anyone about Wei Wuxian’s fear of dogs. Secondly, expressions and reactions were not things that people who weren’t very familiar could make a firm conclusion on, and certainly wouldn’t be solid proof. Even if Jiang Cheng plastered notices everywhere claiming that the Yi Ling Patriarch Wei Wuxian was a coward around dogs, everyone would probably just think the San Du Sheng Shou, after years of hunting the Yi Ling Patriarch yet always catching the wrong person, had finally gone crazy.

Wei Wuxian said, “So I’m really curious. How exactly did you recognize me?”

Lan Wangji said calmly, “I’m also very curious why your memory is so bad.”

Before long, they arrived in Tanzhou. Not yet meeting up with Lan Xichen, the group passed through a garden. The young disciples saw that the garden was very large and magnificent, but unattended. Unable to resist their curiosity, they entered to explore. As long as it didn’t violate the family rules, Lan Wangji never stopped them, so he let them in. The garden was equipped with stone pavilions, stone railings, stone tables, and stone stools for enjoying the flowers and the moon. However, after years of wind and rain, one corner of the pavilion was missing, and two of the stone stools had toppled over. There were no flowers in the garden, only withered branches and fallen leaves. This garden had been abandoned for many years.

After the young disciples had excitedly explored for a while, Lan Sizhui said, “This was the garden of the ‘Shi Hua Nu,’ right?”

Lan Jingyi blankly asked, “Shi Hua Nu? Who’s that? Does this garden have an owner? Why does it look so dilapidated? It looks like it hasn’t been maintained for a long time.”

Flowers that bloomed in a short period were called ‘Shi Hua’ (seasonal flowers). There were many varieties and colors, and the garden would be filled with fragrance when they bloomed. Hearing this name, something stirred in Wei Wuxian’s heart, and he remembered something. Lan Sizhui stroked the pillar of the stone pavilion and thought for a moment, “If I remember correctly, it should be. This garden used to be very famous. I read about it in a book, in ‘Shi Nu Hua Hun’, it says that there was a flower garden in Tanzhou, and there was a woman in the garden. She would recite poems under the moon. If the poem was good, she would give a seasonal flower that would not wither for three years and its fragrance would linger. If the poem was not good, or recited incorrectly, the woman would suddenly appear, throw a flower at the person’s face, and then disappear.”

Lan Jingyi said, “She’d throw a flower in your face if you recited a poem wrong? The flower shouldn’t have thorns, or if I tried it, I’d definitely get a face full of blood. What kind of monster is this?”

Lan Sizhui said, “It probably wouldn’t be considered a monster. It should be a spirit. Legend has it that the earliest owner of the flower garden was a poet. He personally planted these flowers and made friends with them. He’d recite poems here every day. The flowers in the garden were influenced by the scholarly spirit and formed a wisp of essence that turned into a flower spirit. If an outsider came here and recited a poem well, and it reminded her of the person who planted her, she would happily give them a flower. If they recited it badly or incorrectly, she would jump out of the flowers and use the flower to hit their face. The person who was hit would pass out, and when they woke up, they’d find they were thrown out of the garden. More than a decade ago, there were countless people who visited this garden.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Elegant, elegant. But the Gusu Lan Sect’s library wouldn’t have books recording such things. Sizhui, be honest, what kind of books have you been reading? Who allowed you to read them?”

Lan Sizhui’s face turned red. He secretly looked at Lan Wangji, worried that he would be punished. Lan Jingyi said, “Is the Shi Hua Nu very beautiful? Otherwise, why would so many people want to come?”

Seeing that Lan Wangji didn’t seem to reprimand him, Lan Sizhui secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “She should be very beautiful. After all, she is such an elegant spirit and was formed from such a beautiful thing. But in fact, nobody ever clearly saw the Shi Hua Nu’s face. After all, even if they couldn’t compose poems themselves, it wouldn’t be difficult to recite a poem or two. So most people received a flower from the Shi Hua Nu. Even if they accidentally recited incorrectly and were hit, they would immediately pass out and wouldn’t get the chance to see her. But… there was one exception.”

Another young disciple asked, “Who was it?”

Wei Wuxian coughed lightly.

Lan Sizhui said, “The Yi Ling Patriarch Wei Wuxian.”

Wei Wuxian coughed again, “Uh, why is it him again? Can we talk about something else?”

No one paid attention to him. Lan Jingyi waved his hand and worriedly said, “Don’t interrupt! What about Wei Wuxian? What did this big devil do again? Did he force the Shi Hua Nu out?”

Lan Sizhui said, “He didn’t do that. But, in order to see the Shi Hua Nu’s face, he came to Tanzhou from Yunmeng and went to this garden. Every time, he’d deliberately recite the poem wrong, causing the Shi Hua Nu to get angry and hit him with flowers, then throw him out. After waking up, he’d climb back in and continue loudly reciting the wrong poem. After repeating this more than twenty times, he finally saw the Shi Hua Nu’s face and went around praising her to everyone. But the Shi Hua Nu was angered by him. For a long time, she never came out again. As soon as she saw him enter, she’d cause a shower of flowers to rain down and hit him, which was even more spectacular than a rare sight…”

All the young disciples laughed together, saying, “Wei Wuxian is such an annoying person!”

“How boring can you be!”

Wei Wuxian rubbed his chin and said, “What’s so boring about that! Who hasn’t done one or two things like this when they were young? Speaking of which, why does anyone even know about this? And why was it even seriously recorded in a book? That’s the truly boring thing.”

Lan Wangji looked at him. Although his face was expressionless, his eyes contained a strange gleam, as if he were making fun of him. Wei Wuxian thought, “Heh, Lan Zhan actually dares to laugh at me. I know at least eight or ten embarrassing things from your youth. One day I’ll tell these kids to ruin their perception of Hanguang-Jun’s pure and untouchable image. Just you wait.”

He said, “You little kids are restless and impure. You must be looking at all sorts of miscellaneous books instead of focusing on your cultivation. When you get back, I’m going to tell Hanguang-Jun to punish you to copy the clan rules ten times.”

The young disciples were shocked, “Ten times while standing on our heads?!”

Wei Wuxian was also shocked and looked at Lan Wangji, “You guys make them copy while standing on their heads? That’s too harsh.”

Lan Wangji said calmly, “Just punishing with copying, some people never learn their lesson. Standing on their heads makes them remember it more deeply, and it also cultivates them.”

Wei Wuxian was naturally the type of person who never learned their lesson. He pretended not to understand and secretly rejoiced that he had never been made to copy like that.

A group of young disciples were very excited after hearing the story. They decided to camp in the Shi Hua garden tonight. Camping was a common occurrence during night hunts, so everyone gathered withered branches and leaves and made a campfire. Lan Wangji went out to patrol, ensure that the surrounding was safe, and also set up a protective array in case of a nighttime attack. Wei Wuxian stretched out his legs and sat by the fire. Seeing that Lan Wangji had finally left, and he now had a chance to get some answers, he said, “Right, let me ask you a question. What’s the meaning of your family’s headband, exactly?”

Hearing this, the young disciples’ faces suddenly changed and they all started to stammer. Wei Wuxian’s heart immediately thumped, and his heart beat faster.

Lan Sizhui said cautiously, “Senior, don’t you know?”

Wei Wuxian said, “If I knew, would I still be asking? Do I look like someone who’s so bored?”

Lan Jingyi muttered, “You do… After all, you could even trick us into lining up to see that kind of thing…” Wei Wuxian used a tree branch to stir the fire, sending sparks flying. “I did that so you guys could exercise properly and break through yourselves, okay? It was clearly very useful. Remember what I said, it’ll benefit you all greatly in the future.”

Lan Sizhui seemed to be considering his words, and after thinking for a while, he said, “It’s like this. The Gusu Lan Sect’s headband signifies ‘self-restraint,’ you know that, right?”

Wei Wuxian said, “I know. And then?”

Lan Sizhui continued, “And the founder of the Gusu Lan Sect, Lan An, said that only in front of the destined person, the person you wholeheartedly love, can you not have any restraints. So, the lesson that has been passed down through the generations is that… um, our family’s headband is a very, very private and sensitive, precious item. No one else can touch it, cannot take it off carelessly, and certainly cannot tie it around someone else’s body. That is forbidden. Um, only, only…”

There was no need to say what “only” meant.

Next to the campfire, the young, innocent faces all flushed red. Lan Sizhui couldn’t even continue.

Wei Wuxian felt more than half the blood in his body rush to his head.

This headband, this headband, this this this…

The meaning of this headband is extremely weighty!

He suddenly felt a strong need for fresh air. He stood up abruptly, darted out, and leaned against a withered tree to steady himself, thinking, “Oh my god! What have I done!”

Back in Qishan, the Wen Sect had held a Hundred Clans Discussion Conference. The conference lasted for seven days, and the entertainment for each day was different. One of those days was an archery competition.

The rules of the competition were that the young disciples of the various clans who hadn’t yet reached adulthood would enter the field to hunt. Among the thousand or so paper targets, which were lifelike and could move around quickly, only a hundred of them contained fierce spirits. If anyone shot at the wrong target, they would have to immediately leave the field. Only those who continually shot at the targets containing fierce spirits could remain in the field, and in the end, the rankings would be determined by the number of hits and their accuracy.

Of course, Wei Wuxian would participate in this type of event as one of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect’s contestants. Before the competition, he’d already listened to the various clan’s debates for the whole morning, which made his head spin. It was only when he shouldered his bow and arrows that he could finally gather a little bit of energy. While yawning and walking towards the hunting grounds, he took a casual glance around, and suddenly saw a handsome, fair-skinned youth as cold as frost. He was wearing a formal red robe, with a nine-ring belt. His sleeves were narrow. This was the uniform for all the young disciples at the Qishan Hundred Clans Discussion Conference, but it looked especially good on him. There was both elegance and heroism, a combination that made him seem exceptionally handsome.

This young man had a bundle of arrows with white feather fletching on his back, and was lowering his head to test his bow. His fingers were long and slender. As he plucked the bowstring, it made a sound like a zither, both pleasant and powerful.

Wei Wuxian found this young man looked familiar. After thinking for a while, he slapped his thigh and called out excitedly, “Hey! Isn’t that Brother Wangji?”

At that time, it had been over a year since Wei Wuxian had attended lessons in Cloud Recesses and been sent back to Yunmeng. After returning to Yunmeng, he had talked about his experiences in Gusu, including many comments about how handsome Lan Wangji was but how rigid and boring he was. Before long, he had forgotten about this period, and went back to frolicking on the lake and running wild in the mountains. He had only ever seen Lan Wangji in the simple, plain clothes of the Gusu Lan Sect. He had never seen him in such a striking, attention-grabbing outfit. And paired with Lan Wangji’s excessively handsome face, the sudden reunion had actually made him unable to recognize him immediately.

Over there, Lan Wangji finished testing his bow and turned to leave. Wei Wuxian was dismissed and said to Jiang Cheng, “He’s ignoring me again. Sigh.”

Jiang Cheng gave him a cold stare, also planning to ignore him. There were over twenty entrances into the shooting range, each one for a different sect. Lan Wangji walked to the entrance for the Gusu Lan Sect, and Wei Wuxian cut in front of him. Lan Wangji moved to the side, so did he; Lan Wangji took a step, so did he. In short, he was blocking him.

Finally, Lan Wangji stopped in place, slightly raised his head, and said in a serious tone, “Excuse me.”

Wei Wuxian said, “You’re willing to acknowledge me? Were you pretending you didn’t know me earlier, or pretending you didn’t hear me?”

Not far away, the other clans’ young disciples were all watching this. Some were curious, some were laughing. Jiang Cheng impatiently clicked his tongue, and, shouldering his arrows, went to another entrance.

Lan Wangji coldly raised his eyes and repeated, “Excuse me.”

Wei Wuxian had a smile on his face, raising his eyebrows and stepping aside. The archway of the entrance was narrow, so Lan Wangji had no choice but to brush closely past him. After he had entered, Wei Wuxian called out behind him, “Lan Zhan, your headband is crooked.”

The disciples of the prominent clans paid great attention to their appearance, especially the Gusu Lan Sect. Upon hearing this, Lan Wangji instinctively raised his hand to adjust his headband. But the headband was obviously perfectly straight. He turned around and cast an unfriendly gaze at Wei Wuxian, who had already turned around laughing and headed towards the entrance of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect.

After the competition officially began, more and more young disciples were eliminated for accidentally shooting ordinary paper targets. Wei Wuxian took aim slowly, but each arrow hit its mark. Before long, he had already used up seventeen or eighteen arrows in his quiver. He was just thinking about trying a backhanded shot, when something suddenly floated onto his face.

It was soft and light, like silk, scratching Wei Wuxian’s cheek. He looked back and saw that without him noticing, Lan Wangji was near him, with his back turned to him. He was pulling his bow towards a paper target.

The ribbons of his headband floated in the wind, gently brushing Wei Wuxian’s face.

He narrowed his eyes and said, “Brother Wangji!”

Lan Wangji pulled the bow taut like a full moon. After pausing for a moment, he still said, “What is it?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Your headband is crooked.”

This time, Lan Wangji refused to believe him. He released the arrow and said without turning around, “Boring.”

Wei Wuxian said, “It’s true this time! It’s really crooked, look, I’ll fix it for you.”

As he said that, he moved. He grabbed the end of the headband that was floating around near his face. But he had a bad habit, he was used to pulling the braids of young girls from Yunmeng, so whenever he got his hands on something ribbon-like, he would subconsciously pull it. So without giving it any thought, he pulled. Who knew, the headband, which was already slightly crooked and loose, was pulled directly from Lan Wangji’s forehead.

The hand Lan Wangji used to hold the bow suddenly shuddered.

After a long while, he stiffly turned around. His gaze slowly, very slowly, turned towards Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian was still holding the soft headband in his hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. Here, you can tie it back on.”

Lan Wangji’s face was very pale.

There was a dark cloud hanging between his eyebrows. The veins on the back of his hand holding the bow were bulging, as if he was shaking with anger. Wei Wuxian saw that it seemed like bloodshot veins were appearing in his eyes, so he couldn’t help but squeeze the headband and thought, “The thing I pulled off was indeed a headband, right? Not some part of his body?”

Seeing that he dared to squeeze it, Lan Wangji snatched the headband out of his hand.

As soon as he snatched it, Wei Wuxian let go. The other Lan disciples stopped shooting as well, and crowded around. Lan Xichen put his arm around his brother’s shoulder and whispered something to the silent Lan Wangji. The others also had solemn expressions, as if facing a great enemy. As they spoke, they shook their heads, and then looked at Wei Wuxian with strange expressions.

Wei Wuxian could only hear vague words like “accident,” “no need to be angry,” “don’t mind it,” “man,” “clan rules,” and the like. He became increasingly bewildered. Lan Wangji glared at him angrily, then turned and walked off the field.

Jiang Cheng walked over and said, “What did you do now? Didn’t I tell you not to flirt with him? You’re not happy if you’re not trying to die.”

Wei Wuxian spread his hands and said, “I told him his headband was crooked. The first time, I was lying, but the second time was true. He didn’t believe me, and he even got angry. I didn’t mean to pull off his headband, why was he so angry? He didn’t even participate in the competition anymore.”

Jiang Cheng scoffed, “Is that even something to ask? Of course it’s because he particularly hates you!”

The arrows on his back were almost gone, so upon seeing this, Wei Wuxian began to exert himself.

He had never thought about this in detail all these years. Originally, he wasn’t suspicious that the headband might have some special meaning for the Lan family, but after the competition, he’d forgotten about it. Now that he thought about it, what kind of expressions did the other Lan disciples have when they looked at him back then—

Being forcefully stripped of his headband in front of everyone, yet Lan Zhan didn’t shoot him dead on the spot– his self-restraint was truly terrifying! He truly was Hanguang-Jun!!!

And now that he thought carefully, he seemed to have touched Lan Wangji’s headband more than once!!!

Lan Jingyi asked suspiciously, “What’s he doing wandering around by himself? Is he restless from eating too much?”

Another young disciple said, “His face is also turning red and green… Is he not feeling well…”

“But we didn’t eat anything weird… is it because of the meaning of the headband? There’s no need to get so worked up, right? It seems like he’s really infatuated with Hanguang-Jun. Look how happy he is…”

Wei Wuxian walked fifty or so circles around a cluster of withered flowers before finally calming down. He was both laughing and crying when he heard the last sentence. Just at this moment, he suddenly heard the sound of dry leaves being crushed behind him.

Judging from the footsteps, it wasn’t a child. It must be Lan Wangji returning. Wei Wuxian quickly adjusted his expression, and turned around. He saw a black figure standing in the shadows of a dead tree not far away.

This figure was tall, upright, and powerful.

It was just missing a head.