TFOD Chapter 94

Saying that, he grabbed two tree branches and began to climb up the trunk. He was very skilled and swiftly climbed to the top. He stopped near the top of the tree and said, “Well, this position should be about right.”

He buried his face in a dense cluster of branches and leaves. After a while, he looked down. His voice was high, and seemed to carry a smile, “Back then I thought it was frighteningly high, now that I look at it, it’s really not that tall.”

When he hugged the tree, Wei Wuxian’s eyes instantly grew warm. When he looked down, his vision had already blurred.

Lan Wangji stood under the tree, looking up at him. He was also dressed in white, and carried no lantern. However, the moonlight seemed to be flowing over him, making him seem so pure and bright, as if shrouded in a faint halo. He tilted his head slightly, his expression focused, watching the top of the tree. He took a few steps closer to the tree, as if wanting to reach out his hands.

Suddenly, a very strong impulse surged in Wei Wuxian’s mind.

He imagined falling down like he did back then, one more time.

A voice in his heart said, “If he catches me, then I will…”

When he thought of the words “then I will”, Wei Wuxian let go. Seeing him fall from the tree without warning, Lan Wangji’s eyes suddenly widened. He rushed forward, and caught Wei Wuxian. Or rather, Wei Wuxian threw himself into his arms.

Lan Wangji had a slender frame and looked like a refined gentleman, but his strength was not to be underestimated. Not only was his arm strength amazing, his lower body was even more stable. However, this was still an adult man jumping down from a tree. Although he caught Wei Wuxian, he stumbled slightly, taking a step back. But he immediately stood firm. Just as he was about to release Wei Wuxian, he realized that Wei Wuxian’s arms were tightly wrapped around his neck, preventing him from moving.

He could not see Wei Wuxian’s face, and Wei Wuxian could not see his face. However, there was no need to look. With his eyes closed, his breath was filled with Lan Wangji’s cool sandalwood scent.

He said hoarsely, “Thank you.”

He was not afraid of falling. Over the years, he had fallen many times. But falling to the ground would still hurt.

If there was someone who could catch him, that would be wonderful.

Hearing him say thank you, Lan Wangji’s body seemed to stiffen slightly. His hand, which had been about to move to Wei Wuxian’s back, paused, and ultimately retracted.

After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji said, “No need.”

After hugging for a while, Wei Wuxian separated from him, stood up straight, and was once again a good man, as if nothing had happened. He said, “Let’s go back!”

Lan Wangji said, “Aren’t you going to look anymore?”

Wei Wuxian said, “I’ll look! But there’s nothing else good to see out there. If we keep going forward, it’s just wilderness, and we’ve seen enough of that these past few days. Let’s go back to Lotus Pier. I’ll take you to the last place.”

The two turned back towards the dock, and re-entered the main gate of Lotus Pier. As they walked past the training grounds and a magnificent small building, Wei Wuxian paused, taking a few more looks. His expression was strange. Lan Wangji said, “What’s wrong?”

Wei Wuxian shook his head, and said, “Nothing much. The house I used to live in was here, but it’s gone now. It really was torn down. These are all new buildings.”

They went around the many buildings and arrived at a quiet area in the depths of Lotus Pier, in front of a black octagonal hall. As if afraid of disturbing someone, Wei Wuxian gently pushed open the door and went in. In front of the hall, there were rows and rows of spirit tablets, neatly arranged.

It was the ancestral hall of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect.

He found a futon and knelt down, took three incense sticks from the offering table, lit them on a candle, and inserted them into the copper incense burner in front of the spirit tablets. He knelt three times before two of the spirit tablets, and said to Lan Wangji, “I used to be a regular here.”

Lan Wangji looked knowing, and said, “Punishment kneeling?”

Wei Wuxian was surprised and said, “How did you know? That’s right, Madam Yu punished me every other day.”

Lan Wangji nodded, and said, “I’ve heard a little bit.”

Wei Wuxian said, “It’s spread from Yunmeng all the way to your Gusu, so it couldn’t have been just ‘a little bit’. But to be honest, in all these years, I’ve never seen a woman with a temper as bad as Madam Yu’s. She’d make me go kneel in the ancestral hall over any little thing. Hahaha…”

But, other than that, Madam Yu had never done anything that would truly harm him.

He suddenly remembered that this was the ancestral hall, and Madam Yu’s spirit tablet was right in front of him. He quickly said, “Forgive me, forgive me.” In order to make up for his earlier unguarded words, he lit three more incense sticks. He held them high above his head, while apologizing in his heart. Suddenly, the space beside him darkened. He turned his head to look, and saw that Lan Wangji was also kneeling down beside him.

Since they were in the ancestral hall, naturally some respect had to be shown, as a matter of etiquette. Lan Wangji also took three incense sticks, rolled up his sleeve, lit them on the red candle, his movements were precise, and his expression was solemn. Wei Wuxian tilted his head and looked at him, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly. Lan Wangji glanced at him, and reminded him, “Ashes.”

The three incense sticks Wei Wuxian held had been burning for a while and had already accumulated a small amount of ash, which was about to fall. But he was in no hurry to put them into the incense burner. Instead, he said seriously, “Let’s do it together.”

Lan Wangji had no objections. So, they each held three incense sticks and knelt in front of the rows of spirit tablets. Together, they bowed down to the names of Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan.

Once, twice, their bowing motions were perfectly synchronized. Wei Wuxian said, “Alright.” Only then did he solemnly place the incense sticks in the copper incense burner.

Finally, Wei Wuxian took a look at Lan Wangji beside him, whose kneeling posture was exceedingly proper. He put his palms together and prayed silently in his heart, “Uncle Jiang, Madam Yu, it’s me again. I’ve come to bother your peace again.

“But I really wanted to bring this person for you to see. Just now these two bows could count as bowing to heaven and earth and to parents. You two can help me decide on this person beside me first. I will owe the final bow for now, and will find an opportunity to make it up to you later…”

Just then, a cold laugh suddenly came from behind them.

Wei Wuxian was praying silently when he heard it. He jolted, and suddenly opened his eyes. Turning back, he saw Jiang Cheng standing with his arms crossed, in an open space outside of the ancestral hall.

He said coldly, “Wei Wuxian, you really don’t consider yourself an outsider, coming and going as you please, bringing people with you as you please. Do you still remember whose home this is, and who the master is?”

Wei Wuxian had wanted to do this without him knowing in the first place. Now that he had been discovered by Jiang Cheng, he knew that he would be in for a verbal lashing. He didn’t want to argue, and said, “I didn’t take Hanguang-Jun to any of the secret places of Lotus Pier. I just came to offer some incense and pay respects to Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu. Now that we’ve finished, we’re leaving.”

Jiang Cheng said, “If you’re going to leave, please go as far away as possible. Don’t let me hear or see you two messing around in Lotus Pier again.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows twitched. He saw Lan Wangji’s right hand press against his sword hilt and hurriedly pressed on the back of his hand.

Lan Wangji said to Jiang Cheng, “Be mindful of your words.”

Jiang Cheng said impolitely, “I think you two should pay more attention to your actions.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows twitched even more, his ominous premonition grew stronger. He said to Lan Wangji, “Hanguang-Jun, let’s go.”

He turned and seriously kowtowed a few times in front of the spirit tablets of Jiang Fengmian and his wife. Only then did he and Lan Wangji stand up together. Jiang Cheng did not stop him from kowtowing, but he also did not hide his sarcasm: “You really should kneel down to them properly, for defiling their eyes, and desecrating their peace in vain.”

Wei Wuxian glanced at him and said calmly, “It’s just offering incense. Can you please stop it?”

Jiang Cheng said, “Offering incense? Wei Wuxian, do you not have any self-awareness? You were long ago kicked out of our family. What kind of rubbish person do you bring to offer incense to my parents?”

Wei Wuxian had already been about to pass him and leave, but hearing this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, and said in a deep voice, “You should make it clear, who is the rubbish person?”

If it had just been him alone, he could have pretended not to hear anything Jiang Cheng said. But now that Lan Wangji was also with him, he did not want Lan Wangji to endure the increasingly harsh words and the overwhelming malice from Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng said mockingly, “You have a very short memory. What do you mean by ‘rubbish person’? I’ll remind you. It was because you acted like a hero and saved this Second Young Master Lan beside you that the entire Lotus Pier and my parents were killed. And that wasn’t enough. After the first time, you had to come back for a second time, even the Wen dogs you have to save. Dragging my sister and others down with you. You’re truly great. And what is even greater, is that you are so generous, that you bring these two to Lotus Pier. Letting Wen dogs wander around in front of our house, letting Second Young Master Lan come in to offer incense. You’re intentionally making it uncomfortable for me and for them.”

He said, “Wei Wuxian, who do you think you are? Who gave you the gall, to bring people into our family’s ancestral hall as you please?”

Wei Wuxian had long known that Jiang Cheng would never forget, and would always want to settle these accounts with him.

Regarding the destruction of Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng felt that not only was Wei Wuxian responsible, but Wen Ning and Lan Wangji were also not free of blame. He would never give a pleasant look to any of these three people. What’s more, they were clustered in front of him, and all of them had come to Lotus Pier. He was probably already in a rage.