The Untamed Fanfic Chapter 3

Instructions

______ LAN WANGJI The sun is beginning to rise over the horizon as Lan Zhan gets up for the day, remembering his conversation with Sizhui from the night before. Lan Zhan folds the sheets to his bed and puts on his robe, tying the sash around his waist, running his fingers over the soft fabric. ---- “What do you mean, it’s about Wei Ying?” Lan Wangji asked Sizhui while pouring him a cup of tea. Sizhui hesitated. “....I mean, I wanted to ask you some things about him.” They sat on either side of the wood desk in Hanguang-Jun’s room. Outside the rain drummed softly against the roof. Lan Wangji lit the candles at the table to illuminate the room. “What would you like to know?” Hanguang-Jun asked quietly. He looked at Sizhui, wondering if he just wanted to know more about the man that was his father figure when he was young, or if something happened to bring this up. “Well,” Sizhui began, “since my memories have been coming back, I’ve been remembering more and more about my childhood. I remember playing with Senor Wei, us running around the Burial Mounds….” Sizhui paused in consideration, “But, I want to know…. Why was he in the Burial Mounds? I mean, I’ve heard it was to protect the innocents of the Wen clan, but why did he give up so much for it?” Lan Zhan took a deep breath, setting his tea cup down. The faint scent of rain lingered in the air and he watched the rain drops sliding down the windows. “He made the decision to break ties from the cultivation world,” Lan Wangji said, his voice steady, “because he could not stand those who were innocent being punished for the wrongdoings of their clan.” Lan Wangji’s gaze shifted towards the outside. “When the Wen Clan fell, everyone was supposed to be wiped out. The other clans didn’t care to step in, but Wei Ying did. He knew it wasn’t right for the elderly, children, sick, and innocents to be killed.” Lan Zhan remembered all the pain and criticism Wei Ying received for standing up for the Wen Clan. “So,” Sizhui said slowly, “Senior Wei chose to protect the innocent Wens because it was right, even though the whole world turned against him for it.” “Yes,” Lan Wangji replied, nodding, “Many were already turning against him because of his dark cultivation and unorthodox ideas, so they didn’t think twice before labeling him as the villain, and directing their anger his way.” Lan Wangji took a deep breath, his voice slightly shaking. Sizhui, being one of the few that could tell when something was troubling Hanguang-Jun, asked, “What’s wrong?” Lan Wangji looked down, shaking his head. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.” Sizhui frowned, skeptical. Lan Wangji hesitated, Why not tell him? He thought, Wei Ying is okay now, and it’s only Sizhui. “I feel sorry,” he explained to Sizhui, “I regret not standing by him sooner. If I had….” Sizhui looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish. Lan Wangji shifted his gaze, not meeting his eyes. “....If I had, maybe he wouldn’t have suffered as much. I should have been there with him, standing by his side.” Lan Wangji slowly looked up to see Sizhui’s expression. It was thoughtful, but caring. “Hanguang-Jun,” Sizhui began, “if you don’t mind me asking, I notice you seem to care a lot about Senior Wei. So why did you decide to separate and take different paths?” Why? Lan Wangji thought, Because I’m too much of a rule follower. I chose to stay in Gusu to take care of my duties as Chief Cultivator, and Wei Ying decided to wander…. But before he could organize his thoughts to share with Sizhui, Sizhui said “It’s alright Hanguang-Jun, you don’t need to answer that.” He looked at the window, “It seems that the rain has stopped, so I’ll head back to sleep. Thank you for answering my questions and for the tea.” Sizhui bowed and slipped outside, the humid air creeping in before the door closed softly behind. Lan Wangji had sat there for a while before preparing himself for sleep. ______