TFOD Chapter 80

After this fight, Wen Ning also gradually got a rather unpleasant nickname due to his fierce and manic performance, but that’s a story for later. Although Jiang Cheng stabbed him in the abdomen, Wei Wuxian didn’t take it seriously. He stuffed his intestines back into his stomach and nonchalantly directed Wen Ning to hunt a few evil spirits. Then, he bought a few large bags of potatoes to take back.

After returning to the Burial Mounds, Wen Qing wrapped his wound and scolded him fiercely because he was supposed to buy radish seeds.

After that, they spent a peaceful period of uneventful days. Wei Wuxian led fifty Wen clan cultivators to till the land, repair houses, refine corpses, and make props on the Burial Mounds. During his spare time, he would play with Wen Qing’s cousin’s child, Wen Yuan, who was only a year or two old. He would hang him from trees, or bury him in the ground with only his head showing, telling him that basking in the sun and getting some water would make him grow faster. Then, he would be scolded by Wen Qing again.

Several months passed like this. Apart from the increasingly bad comments about Wei Wuxian from the outside world, nothing else developed.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t go down the mountain often because he was the only one suppressing all the yin energy on the entire Burial Mounds. He couldn’t stray too far or be away for too long. Since he was a restless person who couldn’t stay in one place, he often went to the nearest small town under the pretense of shopping, just to wander around. Because Wen Yuan had been on the Burial Mounds for too long, Wei Wuxian felt that a two-year-old child shouldn’t always be stuck playing with mud in such a place. So, one day when he went down the mountain to shop, he brought him along.

Having been to this small town countless times, Wei Wuxian was very familiar with it. He went to the vegetable stalls and after rummaging around, suddenly picked one up and angrily said, “Your potatoes have sprouted!”

The vendor became alarmed, “What are you going to do?!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Make it cheaper.”

At first, Wen Yuan was holding onto his leg. As Wei Wuxian walked around picking potatoes and bargaining, Wen Yuan hung onto his leg. After a while, his short arms became tired and he had to let go for a bit to rest. Who knew, that in that short moment, the crowd on the street pushed him off balance, and he lost his way. His vision was low, and he kept walking around, unable to find Wei Wuxian’s long legs and black boots. All he saw were gray, dusty, and dirty mud-covered legs and black pants. He became increasingly lost and helpless. Just as he was dizzy and disoriented, he bumped into someone’s leg.

The person wore a pair of spotless white boots. They were already walking slowly, but they stopped immediately after he bumped into them.

Wen Yuan tremblingly looked up. First, he saw the jade pendant hanging from their waist, then the belt embroidered with cloud patterns, then the meticulous and neat collar, and finally, a pair of eyes as clear as glass, but as cold as frost.

The stranger was looking down at him with a solemn expression, and Wen Yuan suddenly felt afraid.

On the other side, Wei Wuxian had been picky for a long time and finally decided not to buy the sprouted potatoes. He thought they might be poisonous if eaten, and the vendor refused to lower the price, so he was met with disdain. He turned around, but Wen Yuan was gone. He was shocked and started looking for the child all over the street. Suddenly, he heard a child’s loud crying, and he rushed over. Not far away, a group of nosy onlookers had formed a circle, gossiping and pointing. He pushed through the crowd, and his eyes instantly lit up.

Lan Wangji, dressed in white, with his Bichen sword on his back, was standing stiffly in the middle of the crowd, looking unusually flustered. Seeing this, Wei Wuxian almost fell over laughing. A little child was sitting on the ground in front of Lan Wangji’s feet, crying loudly with tears streaming down his face. Lan Wangji couldn’t walk away, couldn’t stay, couldn’t reach out, and couldn’t speak. His expression was solemn as if he was thinking about what to do.

The onlookers were cracking sunflower seeds while talking, “What’s going on? A little kid is crying like he’s going to die.”

Someone said definitively, “His dad must have scolded him.”

Hearing “his dad,” Wei Wuxian, who was hiding in the crowd, spat out his drink. Lan Wangji immediately looked up and denied, “I am not.”

But Wen Yuan didn’t know what the others were talking about. When kids are scared, they call for people they’re close to. So, he cried, “Daddy! Daddy, waaa…”

The onlookers immediately said, “Listen! I told you, he’s his dad!”

Someone with self-proclaimed sharp eyesight said, “Definitely his dad. Their noses are exactly alike, no doubt!”

Someone else said with sympathy, “So pitiful, crying so hard, did his dad scold him?”

Someone who didn’t understand said, “What’s going on ahead? Can you move aside? I can’t get my cart through.”

Someone scolded, “Why doesn’t he pick up the kid and comfort him! Just letting his son sit on the ground and cry? What kind of dad is that!”

Someone said understandingly, “So young, it must be his first time being a dad. I was the same when I was a first-time dad, didn’t know anything. Once your wife has a few more, you’ll understand. You have to learn slowly…”

Someone was trying to comfort the child, “Don’t cry, where’s your mom?”

“Yeah, where’s the mom? The dad doesn’t care, where’s the mom?”

Amidst the noisy wave of words, Lan Wangji’s expression became increasingly odd.

Poor him, from birth, he had been the pride of the heavens, and every word and action was the most proper of all. He was a model of all models. He had never encountered this kind of situation where everyone was pointing fingers at him. Wei Wuxian was laughing to death, but seeing that Wen Yuan was about to cry himself to death, he had no choice but to step forward. Pretending he had just discovered the two, he said in surprise, “Oh? Lan Zhan?”

Lan Wangji suddenly looked up. Their eyes met, and for some unknown reason, Wei Wuxian looked away. As soon as he heard Wei Wuxian’s voice, Wen Yuan immediately stood up and, dragging his tear-filled face, ran toward him and clung to his leg again. The onlookers cried, “Who is this again? Where’s the mom? Who is the dad?!”

Wei Wuxian waved his hand and said, “Okay, everyone, move along!”

Seeing that there was no more show to watch, the onlookers slowly dispersed. Wei Wuxian turned back, smiled slightly, and said, “What a coincidence. Lan Zhan, why did you come to Yi Ling?”

Lan Wangji said, “Night hunting. Passing by.”

Hearing his tone was the same as usual, with no hatred, disgust, or hostility, Wei Wuxian suddenly felt relieved. Then, Lan Wangji slowly said, “…This child?”

Wei Wuxian’s heart felt lighter, and his mouth couldn’t hold back, “I gave birth to him.”

Lan Wangji’s eyebrows twitched, and Wei Wuxian laughed, “Of course, it’s a joke. He’s someone else’s. I just brought him out to play. What did you do earlier? How did you make him cry?”

Lan Wangji said faintly, “I didn’t do anything.”

Wen Yuan was holding onto Wei Wuxian’s leg and was still hiccuping. Wei Wuxian understood. Although Lan Wangji’s face was beautiful, children this young couldn’t really distinguish beauty from ugliness. They could only tell that this person was not friendly at all and very cold and stern. They would be easily frightened by that serious face. Wei Wuxian picked up Wen Yuan and bounced him around, coaxing him for a while. Then, he suddenly saw a peddler on the side of the road smiling at them with amusement. He pointed at the colorful trinkets in the peddler’s basket and asked, “A-Yuan, look over there, are they pretty?”

Wen Yuan’s attention was drawn over. He sniffed and said, “…Pretty.”

Wei Wuxian asked again, “Do they smell good?”

Wen Yuan said, “Smell good.”

The peddler quickly said, “They’re pretty and smell good. Young master, buy one.”

Wei Wuxian asked, “Do you want one?”

Wen Yuan thought he was going to buy them for him, so he said shyly, “Want.”

Wei Wuxian, however, took a step in the opposite direction and said, “Haha, let’s go.”

Wen Yuan felt like he was struck. Tears welled up in his eyes again. Lan Wangji was watching with a cold eye, and he really couldn’t stand it anymore. He said, “Why aren’t you buying it for him?”

Wei Wuxian said strangely, “Why should I buy it for him?”

Lan Wangji said, “You asked him if he wanted it, isn’t that to buy it for him?”

Wei Wuxian deliberately said, “Asking is asking, buying is buying. Why would asking necessarily mean I will buy it?”

Lan Wangji was speechless to his counter question, glared at him for a while, and turned his gaze toward Wen Yuan. Wen Yuan started trembling again when he was being stared at.

After a moment, Lan Wangji said to Wen Yuan, “You…which one do you want?”

Wen Yuan hadn’t recovered, and Lan Wangji pointed at the items in the peddler’s basket again and said, “Out of these, which one do you want?”

Wen Yuan looked at him in terror, not daring to breathe.

After half an incense stick of time, Wen Yuan finally stopped crying. He kept feeling his pockets, which were stuffed full of the small toys Lan Wangji had bought him. Seeing that he had finally stopped crying, Lan Wangji seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Who knew, that Wen Yuan, with a red face, silently went over and hugged his leg.

Looking down, a body was on his leg, Lan Wangji: “…”

Wei Wuxian laughed wildly, “Hahahaha! Lan Zhan, congratulations, he likes you! He hugs the leg of whoever he likes, and he never lets go.”

Lan Wangji took two steps. Sure enough, Wen Yuan was firmly clinging to his leg, showing no signs of letting go. He was even hugging it quite tightly. Wei Wuxian patted his shoulder and said, “I don’t think you should rush to your night hunt. How about this, let’s go have a meal together?”

Lan Wangji looked up at him and said calmly, “Eat?”

Wei Wuxian said, “Yes, let’s eat. Don’t be so cold. It’s not easy for you to come to Yi Ling, and it was a coincidence that I bumped into you. Let’s catch up. Come on, my treat.”

With Wei Wuxian half-pulling and half-dragging, plus Wen Yuan still clinging to Lan Wangji’s leg, they dragged him into a restaurant. Wei Wuxian sat down in a private room and said, “Order the food.”

Lan Wangji was pressed down onto the seat by him. He glanced at the menu and said, “You order.”

Wei Wuxian said, “I’m treating you to a meal, so of course, you should order. Order whatever you want, don’t be shy.” He was also glad he hadn’t bought the sprouted poisonous potatoes. Now, he had money to pay. Lan Wangji wasn’t the type of person to go back and forth with formalities, so he pondered for a moment and ordered. Wei Wuxian heard him list a few dishes in a nonchalant tone and said with a laugh, “Not bad, Lan Zhan. I thought that people from Gusu didn’t eat spicy food. You have a rather heavy taste. Do you want to drink alcohol?”

Lan Wangji shook his head, and Wei Wuxian said, “You’re still following the rules so much, even when you’re out. No wonder you’re Hanguang-Jun. Then I won’t have your share.”

Wen Yuan sat by Lan Wangji’s leg, putting all the small wooden knives, small wooden swords, mud figures, grass-woven butterflies, etc., that were in his pocket, in a row on the table. He was delighted as he counted them. Wei Wuxian saw him constantly rubbing up against Lan Wangji, making it difficult for him to even drink tea. He whistled and said, “A-Yuan, come here.”

Wen Yuan looked at Wei Wuxian, who had buried him in the ground as a radish seed the day before, and then looked at Lan Wangji, who had just bought him a whole bunch of toys. He didn’t move his butt, and his face clearly showed the words, “No way.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Come here. You’re in his way sitting there.”

Lan Wangji said, “It’s fine. Let him sit.”

Wen Yuan happily hugged his leg again. This time, it was his thigh. Wei Wuxian twirled his chopsticks in his hand and said with a laugh, “He who gives milk is a mother, he who gives money is a father. This is ridiculous.”

Soon the food and wine were served, a lively table full of dishes. There was also a bowl of sweet soup that Lan Wangji had ordered for Wen Yuan. Wei Wuxian knocked on his bowl several times, but Wen Yuan was still looking down, holding two butterflies, mumbling to himself. He would act like the one on the left and shyly say, “I… I like you very much,” and then act like the one on the right and happily say, “I like you too!” He was playing with the two butterflies, enjoying himself immensely. Wei Wuxian laughed until he couldn’t breathe. He leaned back and said, “Oh my god, A-Yuan, who did you learn this from at such a young age? What ‘I like you’ ‘You like me’? Do you even know what ‘like’ means? Stop playing and come eat. Your new dad ordered this for you. Good stuff.”

Only then did Wen Yuan put the little butterflies away in his pocket. He picked up his bowl, took a small spoon, and sat next to Lan Wangji to eat the sweet soup. Previously, Wen Yuan had been in confinement in Qishan, and then moved to the Burial Mounds. The food in both places was terrible. So, this bowl of sweet soup was a novel delicacy for him. He couldn’t stop eating after two bites, but he still knew to hand the bowl to Wei Wuxian, offering it like a treasure, “…Wei…Brother…Brother eat.”

Wei Wuxian said, enjoying the gesture, “Mm, not bad. You even know to show filial piety to me.”

Lan Wangji said, “Do not speak while eating.”

In order to make Wen Yuan understand, he repeated it in plain language, “Don’t talk while eating.”

Wen Yuan immediately nodded and buried his head in eating, not speaking anymore. Wei Wuxian said repeatedly, “How ridiculous, he listens to me only after I say it many times, but he does what you say immediately. It’s really ridiculous.”

Lan Wangji said faintly, “Do not speak while eating. You as well.”

Wei Wuxian smiled as he raised his head and took a cup of wine. He held the wine cup in his hand and played with it, saying, “You really… haven’t changed at all after all these years. Hey, Lan Zhan, what did you come to Yi Ling to hunt this time? I know this place well. Do you want me to give you directions?”

Lan Wangji said, “No need.”

The noble families often had secret missions that were not convenient to talk about with outsiders, so Wei Wuxian didn’t press him. He said, “It’s rare to meet an old acquaintance, and one who isn’t avoiding me. I’ve been so bored these past few months. Has anything big happened recently?”

Lan Wangji said, “What constitutes a big event?”

Wei Wuxian said, “For example, did a new family appear somewhere, did any family expand their immortal manor, did some families form an alliance or something? Just chatting, anything will do.”

Since his fake break-up with Jiang Cheng, he hadn’t heard any new developments or news from the outside world. The most he would hear was just some random chats from the town.

Lan Wangji said, “A marriage alliance.”

Wei Wuxian said, “Which family and which family?”

Lan Wangji said, “The Lanling Jin Sect, the Yunmeng Jiang Sect.”

The hand that was playing with the wine cup froze.

He asked in shock, “My si… Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan?”

Lan Wangji nodded slightly. Wei Wuxian said, “When did this happen? When is the wedding ceremony?!”

Lan Wangji said, “Three days later.”

Wei Wuxian’s hand, which was slightly trembling, brought the wine cup to his lips, but he didn’t realize that it was already empty. His heart suddenly felt empty, not knowing if it was anger, shock, displeasure, or helplessness.

Although he had anticipated this before leaving the Jiang family, hearing the news so suddenly, he had a thousand thoughts and words blocking his chest. He wanted to let them all out, but couldn’t. Why did Jiang Cheng not try to find a way to tell him about such a big thing? If he hadn’t met Lan Wangji today, he might have known even later!

But then he thought, what would be the point of telling him? On the surface, Jiang Cheng had told the world, and everyone now believed his story: that Wei Wuxian had betrayed the family, and that he was no longer related to the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. Even if he knew, he couldn’t go to the wedding to celebrate. Jiang Cheng was right not to tell him. If Jiang Cheng had told him, he might have acted impulsively.

After a while, Wei Wuxian muttered, “That bastard Jin Zixuan got lucky.”

He poured himself another cup of wine and said, “Lan Zhan, what do you think of this marriage?”

Lan Wangji remained silent. Wei Wuxian said, “Oh, right, what am I asking you for? How could you know? You never think about such things.”

He drank the cup of wine in one go and said, “I know, a lot of people behind my back say that my shijie isn’t worthy of Jin Zixuan. Ha. In my eyes, Jin Zixuan isn’t worthy of my shijie. But yet…”

But yet, Jiang Yanli just happened to like Jin Zixuan.

Wei Wuxian slammed the wine cup onto the table and said, “Lan Zhan! You know what? My shijie, she’s worthy of the best person in the world.”

He slapped the table, his eyebrows slightly tipsy, but with a hint of arrogance, and said, “We’ll make this wedding such a grand event that in a hundred years, everyone will talk about it with astonishment, praising it without end. No one will be able to compare. I will see my shijie get married in style.”

Lan Wangji said, “Mm.”

Wei Wuxian scoffed, “What ‘Mm’? I won’t be able to see it.”

At this moment, after finishing his sweet soup, Wen Yuan was sitting at the table and playing with the grass-woven butterflies again. The long whiskers of the two butterflies were tangled together, and he couldn’t untie them even after a long time. Seeing his anxious look, Lan Wangji took the butterflies from his hands and, with two quick motions, untied the four tangled whiskers, then returned them to him.

Seeing this, Wei Wuxian focused some of his attention on them, smiled slightly, and said, “A-Yuan, don’t rub your face over there. You have sweet soup on the corner of your mouth. You’ll get his clothes dirty.”

Lan Wangji took out a plain white handkerchief and, without changing his expression, wiped the sweet soup off of the corner of Wen Yuan’s mouth. Wei Wuxian said with a soft whistle, “Lan Zhan, not bad. I didn’t realize you were good at coaxing kids. If you’re any nicer to him, he won’t want to come back with me…”

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian’s expression changed. He took out a talisman from his chest, which was already burning. After Wei Wuxian took it out, it turned to ashes within moments. Lan Wangji’s eyes narrowed. Wei Wuxian stood up abruptly and said, “Crap.”

This talisman was the core of a warning formation he had set up on the Burial Mounds. If anything happened on the Burial Mounds while he was away, if the formation was broken, or the blood energy was too strong, the talisman would automatically burn, alerting him that something was wrong. Wei Wuxian tucked Wen Yuan under his arm and said, “Excuse me, Lan Zhan, I have to go back!”

The things in Wen Yuan’s pocket fell out, and he cried, “But… butterfly!” Wei Wuxian had already rushed out of the restaurant with him. Shortly after, a white shadow passed by, and Lan Wangji followed, running alongside him. Wei Wuxian said, “Lan Zhan? Why are you following?”

Lan Wangji put the butterfly that Wen Yuan had dropped into his hand. Without directly answering him, he asked instead, “Why not fly with your sword?”

Wei Wuxian said, “I forgot to bring it!”

Without saying a word, Lan Wangji swept him up by the waist, put him on Bichen, and soared into the air. Wen Yuan was too small and had never ridden a flying sword before. He should have been very scared, but because Bichen flew so stably, he didn’t feel any shaking at all. Plus, all of the townspeople were stunned as they watched the three of them fly away, so he only felt excitement and cheered loudly. Wei Wuxian heaved a sigh of relief and said, “Thank you!”

Lan Wangji said, “Where to?”

Wei Wuxian pointed the way, “This way!”