Chapter 80
Chapter Summary: Wei Wuxian broke free from Lan Wangji's arm and plunged into the water, Lan Wangji following suit. They searched frantically, but still couldn't find him…
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Wei Wuxian broke free from Lan Wangji's arm and plunged into the water, Lan Wangji following suit. They searched frantically, but still couldn't find a single opening. Not even one large enough for one person to pass through.
Wei Wuxian asked, "What should we do?"
After a moment of silence, Lan Wangji said, "Let's go up first."
Wei Wuxian waved his hand and said, "...Go on up."
Both were exhausted and slowly swam to shore, emerging from the water covered in a purplish-red blood. Wei Wuxian took off his clothes, wrung them out, and shook them vigorously, unable to help but curse, "Is this some kind of joke? We were thinking that if no one came to rescue us soon, we wouldn't even have the strength to kill it, so we came to fight it. And after finally managing to kill it, this bastard collapsed the cave. Damn it!"
Upon hearing the word "fuck," Lan Wangji's brow twitched. He wanted to say something, but held back.
Wei Wuxian cursed as he flung his clothes around, when suddenly his legs gave way. Lan Wangji rushed forward to catch him. Wei Wuxian, supporting his hand, said, "It's alright, it's alright. I just ran out of strength. By the way, Lan Zhan, did you see the sword I was holding in its mouth? Where's the sword?"
Jiang Cheng, who had just recovered from the stench and was worried about the two of them, couldn't help but turn around and yell at the last sentence: "Is your brain different from everyone else's? You can't even get out of here, and you still have the mind to care about that broken sword?!"
Wei Wuxian: ...
What's wrong with Jiang Cheng? Why is he acting like he's swallowed a bomb?
But... why am I thinking about that sword...?
If he hadn't thought of that sword, he wouldn't have been able to help Jiang Cheng establish his authority among the various clans, and he might not even have survived.
Lan Wangji said, "It sank to the bottom of the water. What happened?"
Wei Wuxian said, "It sank? Then forget it."
As he gripped the sword tightly, he heard a deafening roar of screams, felt a chill run through him, and his head spin. That iron sword must be something extraordinary. This demonic beast that slaughtered Xuanwu had devoured at least five thousand people, and many of them must have been still alive when it dragged them whole into its shell. This heavy sword might be the relic of one of the cultivators it devoured. It had been hidden in the pile of corpses within the shell for at least four hundred years, imbued with the deep resentment and pain of countless living and dead, and had heard their screams.
Wei Wuxian had intended to put the sword away and examine the piece of iron properly, but since it was already heavy and they were currently trapped here with no way out, he decided to leave it at that for the time being. If he brought it up too much, Lan Wangji might overhear something amiss, needlessly sparking another argument. Wei Wuxian waved his hand, thinking to himself, "Nothing ever seems to go right!"
Everyone: ...
You certainly have self-awareness.
He dragged his feet forward, with Lan Wangji quietly following behind. After only a few steps, Wei Wuxian collapsed again.
Lan Wangji supported him again, this time pressing his hand on his forehead. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Wei Ying, you... are so hot."
Wei Wuxian placed his hand on his forehead and said, "You're hot too."
Lan Wangji removed his hand and said calmly, "That's because your hands are cold."
Wei Wuxian said, "I feel a little dizzy."
Four or five days ago, he threw all the crushed herbs from the sachet onto Lan Wangji's legs. He had just rubbed the branded wound on his chest. He hadn't rested well these past few days, and then he went back into the pool of corpses, which finally made it worse.
Wei Wuxian has a fever.
After struggling to walk for a while, Wei Wuxian became increasingly dizzy and could no longer move. He simply sat down on the spot and asked in confusion, "How could I get a fever so easily? I haven't had a fever for years."
Jiang Yanli tenderly patted Wei Wuxian's head.
Since arriving at the Jiang family, Wei Wuxian has been going up the mountain to hunt birds and going down the river to catch fish every day. Although his clothes are never clean, the most serious injury he has ever suffered is being whipped a few times by Yu Ziyuan with Zidian. The superficial wounds healed in a few days.
A person who is usually in good health developed a fever without realizing it, which shows how difficult and arduous this trip was.
Jiang Cheng wasn't as subtle as Jiang Yanli: "Easy? Hmph, first there was the branding iron and the Wen dog, then the Xuanwu, and you were even soaking in water, with Lan Wangji throwing a tantrum in between. Do you really think you're made of iron?!"
After saying that, he glanced at Lan Wangji.
Wei Wuxian: ...
Can I borrow someone's fire extinguisher?
Lan Wangji didn't want to comment on his "so easy" comment, and said, "Lie down."
Wei Wuxian lay down as instructed, and Lan Wangji held his hand, channeling spiritual energy into him.
After lying down for a while, Wei Wuxian sat up again. Lan Wangji said, "Lie down properly."
Wei Wuxian withdrew his hand and said, "You don't need to lose to me. You don't have much left."
Lan Wangji grabbed his hand again and repeated, "Lie down."
A few days ago, Lan Wangji was weak and was frightened and tormented by Wei Wuxian. Today, it was finally Wei Wuxian's turn to be weak and could only let Wei Wuxian do as he pleased.
But Wei Wuxian couldn't stand being alone, even while lying down. After a while, he complained, "It's uncomfortable. It's uncomfortable."
Lan Wangji asked, "What do you want?"
Wei Wuxian said, "Let's lie down somewhere else."
Lan Wangji said, "Where do you think you'd lie down at a time like this?"
Wei Wuxian said, "Can I borrow your legs to lie down?"
Lan Wangji said expressionlessly, "Stop fooling around."
Wei Wuxian said, "I'm serious. I'm so dizzy. You're not a girl, what's wrong with borrowing my bed?"
Lan Wangji said, "Even though you're not a young lady, you can't just lie down like that."
Seeing him frown, Wei Wuxian said, "I'm not making a fuss, so don't be. I'm not convinced, Lan Zhan, tell me, why?"
Lan Wangji asked, "What do you mean, why?"
Wei Wuxian struggled to turn over and lay on the ground, saying, "Everyone else says they hate me but secretly likes me. Why is it that when it comes to you, you're always so mean to me? We've been through thick and thin together, and you won't even lend me your legs to lie down, yet you want to lecture me. Are you seventy or eighty years old?"
Lan Wangji said calmly, "You're delirious from the fever."
He was probably delirious from the fever; Wei Wuxian fell asleep shortly afterward.
Everyone: ...
The only person in the world who dared to make such a demand of Lan Wangji and escape being silenced was Wei Wuxian.
Jiang Cheng's brows, which had been furrowed since earlier, remained furrowed. He glanced at Wei Wuxian with disdain: "Why didn't I notice how much trouble you caused when you were sick before? You turn into a peacock in front of Lan Wangji?"
Wei Wuxian: ...
He couldn't hold back any longer: "Jiang Cheng, what's wrong with you? Why have you been acting like you're on fire since just now? Lan Zhan hasn't said anything to me, why are you so anxious?"
Jiang Cheng: "I..."
In other words, why should I be in such a hurry? I'm not the one who's being taken advantage of.
But seeing Wei Wuxian's shameful and obnoxious appearance, I just couldn't help myself.
When he fell asleep, he felt quite comfortable, as if he were really resting his head on someone's lap. A cool hand rested on his forehead, which felt very comfortable. He was happy and rolled around happily without anyone scolding him. When he rolled onto the floor, he was gently patted on the head, picked up, and continued to rest his head on someone's lap.
But when he woke up, he was still lying on the ground, with a pile of leaves propping up the back of his head, making it slightly more comfortable. Lan Wangji sat far away from him, lit a fire, and the firelight made his face look like beautiful jade, warm and gentle.
Wei Wuxian thought to himself, "It really was a dream."
In Wei Wuxian's mind, there were only a few vague memories, which he regarded as a dream, but Tianying released them all.
Wei Wuxian then saw Lan Wangji appear in the celestial shadow, a figure he had never seen before at that time—
Lan Wangji first found an open space nearby and started a warm fire. Then, with extremely gentle movements, he gently picked up the still-sleepy Lan Wangji and placed his head on his lap.
A pair of cool, slender hands tore off a relatively clean piece of his inner garment and wiped his face clean. As if sensing his body's excessively high temperature, Lan Wangji hesitated for a moment, then gently placed his hand on his forehead to cool him down.
Looking at Wei Wuxian's pale lips against his flushed face, Lan Wangji's light eyes revealed a hint of tenderness and heartache.
Feeling the temperature under his hands drop slightly, Lan Wangji leaned back against the stone wall and closed his eyes to rest.
Unfortunately, Wei Wuxian's quiet period didn't last long before he started causing trouble again. Feeling happy in his sleep, he suddenly rolled over.
Lan Wangji wasn't paying attention and let him roll down, getting mud all over his face again. A hint of helplessness flashed in Lan Wangji's eyes, but there was nothing he could do. He could only gently pick him up and comfort him, telling him to continue resting.
Only when he sensed that the person in his arms was showing signs of waking up did Lan Wangji gently lift Wei Wuxian's body, place straw under his neck, and walk to the other side to quietly warm himself by the fire.
—So this wasn't a dream after all.
Wei Wuxian was filled with mixed feelings. He realized that he, who prided himself on being a master of emotions, was actually so oblivious in front of Lan Zhan. If he had taken things seriously back then, perhaps his beginning with Lan Zhan would have been different, and many things would have been different.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life.
Under the shadow of the heavens, where everything is laid bare, he admitted that nothing he could do could repay Lan Zhan's unwavering affection over the decades.
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