Chapter 1: Spring Radiance in the Quiet Room
The early morning in the vast cloudless sky is always three parts misty and seven parts tranquil.
Sixteen years is enough time for new green to grow on a battlefield where blood flowed like a river, enough time for unforgettable hatred to settle into ink words in history books, and enough time for a pair of Taoist companions who have experienced hardships to build a stable home in this elegant place.
In the quiet room, the incense burner was burning with sandalwood, which was calming and had a light scent.
Lan Wangji, dressed in an elegant white robe with a cloud pattern, sat by the window, an ancient tome in hand, his gaze focused. Sunlight filtered through the carved wooden window, casting a soft golden hue on him, making him appear even more aloof and detached. Only the lines of his tightly pursed lips seemed a bit softer than in his youth.
The curtain to the inner room was gently lifted, and Wei Wuxian yawned out, still wearing loose pajamas, his hair casually tied back, a stark contrast to Lan Wangji's meticulous attention to detail. He walked straight to Lan Wangji, leaned unceremoniously on his shoulder, and spoke with the languid air of someone who had just woken up: "Lan Zhan, good morning. Where's Sizhui?"
Lan Wangji glanced sideways at him, reached out to straighten his slightly disheveled collar, and said in a cool and steady voice, "I've gone to morning class."
“Tsk, it’s up to you. You’re even here earlier than my uncle.” Wei Wuxian smacked his lips, but didn’t stand up. Instead, he rubbed his lips. “It’s good, though. It’s better than following me and learning some ‘deviant ways’.”
Lan Wangji's eyes flickered as he recalled sixteen years ago, in that shabby little room at the mass grave, the little kid huddled in a corner, timidly watching him and Wei Ying. Now, that little kid had grown into a tall, upright young man, his features infused with the gentleness of the Wen family and the elegance and refinement of the Lan family.
Four years ago, he and Wei Ying officially became Daoist companions. He then requested permission from his brother, Lan Xichen, to register Wen Yuan, who had grown up in the Lan family, in their names, naming him "Lan Sizhui" with the courtesy name "Yuanqing." From then on, the quiet room was no longer just the two of them. With the added presence of the resonant calls of "Father" and "Daddy," it brought a surge of life, but also a surge of care.
"Yesterday, he went down the mountain again." Lan Wangji said lightly.
Wei WuXian sat up straighter and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Are you fetching water for Granny Wang again? Or are you delivering herbs to Uncle Li’s grandson?”
Lan Wangji nodded. "Both. When I returned, my sleeves were torn and my knees were scraped."
Upon hearing this, Wei WuXian's smile faded a little, and he sighed, "This kid is just too kind-hearted. Those farmers down the mountain, every time he sees him, he always grants their requests. Last time, while trying to save a puppy that fell into an ice hole, he caught himself with a fever, and he hid it from you. In the end, you found him while he was delirious with fever, and made him copy the Yazheng Collection three times as punishment. He even got two slaps on the palm of his hand with a ruler. Have you forgotten?"
“I haven’t forgotten.” Lan Wangji’s voice remained calm, but Wei Wuxian could hear a hint of helplessness in it. “He has a kind heart, it’s his nature, and it’s rare. But he needs to know his limits and know how to protect himself.”
“That’s true,” Wei Wuxian agreed. “There’s nothing wrong with being kind, but you can’t take your own safety lightly. I’ll have to talk to him later.” He said “talk to him,” but there was also heartache in his eyes. Sizhui was always like this, putting others’ difficulties before his own. He was very much like his unfortunate father, Wen Ning, and also very much like… certain people in the past.
As he was speaking, he heard light footsteps outside, accompanied by the boy's clear greeting: "Father, Daddy, I'm back from morning class."
The door gently opened, and Lan Sizhui walked in. He was dressed in a fitted Lan school uniform, his hair neatly combed and tied with a white jade hair crown, and he wore a youthful, clean smile. But as he got closer, he could see beads of sweat on his forehead; it was clear he'd been practicing swordplay quite seriously during his morning lessons.
"Si Zhui, come here." Wei Wuxian waved.
Lan Sizhui walked up to the two men and bowed politely, "Father, Daddy."
"How was today's morning class?" Lan Wangji asked, his eyes fixed on him, examining him carefully.
"Father, today I practiced the Wangji sword technique with Jingyi and Jin Ling. The master taught me a few tricks on how to generate power, and I benefited a lot from them." Lan Sizhui answered respectfully with clear eyes.
Wei WuXian looked at him, his face deliberately stern. “As long as you benefited greatly from it, that’s good. So what did you ‘benefit greatly from’ when you came down the mountain yesterday?”
Lan Sizhui's smile froze for a moment, his eyes evasive. He lowered his head and whispered, "My son... I just helped a little."
"A little favor?" Wei WuXian raised an eyebrow. "How could a little favor hurt yourself? Don't you know how to mend your sleeve when it's torn? Don't you know how to apply medicine when your knee is scraped? Or do you plan to hide it from us like you did last time when you had a fever?"
"I didn't mean to..." Lan Sizhui's voice lowered, a hint of grievance. "Grandma Wang's water jar was too heavy, and I wasn't paying attention when I moved it, so it rubbed against the corner of the wall. Uncle Li's grandson had a bad cough, so I went to the back mountain to pick some loquat leaves, and on the way back I accidentally fell..."
"So, you're hurting yourself again in order to help others." Lan Wangji's voice grew colder. "Si Zhui, your father and I taught you to be kind and helpful. But did we ever teach you to take care of yourself first?"
“I’ve taught you…”
"I've been taught, so why do you keep doing it?" Lan Wangji's eyes grew sharp. "You are a member of the Lan family, the son of your father and I. Your safety is not solely your responsibility. To act rashly and put yourself in danger is unfilial and irresponsible to yourself and others."
Lan Sizhui was so shocked that he couldn't even lift his head. He clutched the corner of his clothes tightly with both hands, his eyes slightly reddened. "I know I was wrong, father."
"Do you admit your mistake?" Wei Wuxian sighed, standing up and walking in front of him. He squatted down and looked him in the eye. "Sizhui, Daddy knows you have a good heart, and that's a good thing. Daddy and your father are both proud of you. However, kindness must have a sharp edge, and helping others must have a limit. If you can't even protect yourself, how can you protect those you want to protect in the future? This time it's just a scratch, but what about next time? What will you do if you encounter a more dangerous situation?"
He paused, his tone slowing down. "It's not that we don't allow you to help others, but we want you to do things within your capabilities and learn to protect yourself. If you encounter something you can't solve, you can tell us, you can tell Jingyi, Jin Ling, or even Uncle Xiandu and Uncle Jiang Cheng. There is always a way. You don't have to carry everything on your own, and you mustn't get hurt and make us worry. Do you understand?"
Lan Sizhui nodded vigorously, tears welling up in his eyes. "I understand... Daddy, Father, I'm sorry for making you worry."
Lan Wangji looked into his red eyes, his heart softening, but his face remained serious: "If you know you're wrong, you must be punished so you can remember it."
Lan Sizhui's body stiffened, but he didn't resist at all. He just lowered his head respectfully and said, "Yes, I am willing to accept the punishment."
Wei Wuxian stood up and glanced at Lan Wangji, his eyes filled with reluctance, but he also knew it was necessary. Sizhui was a gentle child, but not decisive enough, sometimes even a little weak. This punishment was to teach him a lesson.
Lan Wangji stood up and took out a ruler from a drawer beside the bookshelf. The ruler was made of fine purple bamboo, polished to a smooth and round shape, yet still felt heavy.
"Stretch out your hand." Lan Wangji's voice was calm.
Lan Sizhui took a deep breath and slowly raised his hands, palms facing upward, fingers slightly curled. His hands already had the shape of a young man, with distinct joints, but from often doing laborious tasks, the fingertips were covered with calluses.
“Bang!”
The ruler fell, and the crisp sound was particularly clear in the quiet room.
Lan Sizhui shuddered all over, a look of pain instantly appearing on his face, but he bit his lips tightly and didn't make a sound.
"One." Lan Wangji counted in a deep voice, "Remember, to help others you must protect yourself first."
“Bang!”
"two."
Another blow, neither too strong nor too weak, but enough to cause a distinct pain. A red mark quickly appeared on Lan Sizhui's palm.
“Bang!”
"three."
When the third blow came, Lan Sizhui's fingers suddenly curled up, and he couldn't help but let his tears fall, hitting the ground.
Wei Wuxian looked at his red eyes and tightly pursed lips, his heart aching, but he simply walked forward, gently pressed his slightly trembling shoulders, and silently conveyed comfort.
Lan Wangji put down the ruler, looked at his red palms and tearful eyes, and said in a slightly softer tone: "Do you know where you went wrong?"
"My child... I shouldn't have disregarded my own safety and rashly helped others, causing my father and daddy to worry..." Lan Sizhui answered with a choked voice, his voice tinged with tears, but still clear.
"Yes." Lan Wangji nodded. "Go get the medicine and apply it yourself. Then copy the relevant items on 'Caution' and 'Self-Protection' from the 'Lan Family Rules' fifty times each and give them to me before dinner."
"Yes, father." Lan Sizhui wiped his tears with his left hand that was not hit and responded respectfully.
"Go ahead."
Lan Sizhui bowed, turned around and walked out. His back was still straight, but his steps were a little stiff. His left hand holding his injured right hand revealed his pain.
Watching him leave, Wei WuXian sighed, "This kid is just too well behaved. Punishing him is more painful than punishing me."
Lan Wangji put the ruler back in the drawer, walked to the window, and looked out at the lush bamboo forest. "It's precisely because he's well-behaved that I need to be stricter. He's the orphan of the Wen family, and he has a kind and compassionate nature. If he's not taught strictly and doesn't learn to protect himself, he'll have trouble finding a place among the hundreds of immortal families in the future."
Wei WuXian walked over to him and stood shoulder to shoulder with him: "I know. It's just..."
"He'll understand." Lan Wangji turned his head to look at him, a hint of subtle tenderness flashing in his eyes, "We will stay with him."
Wei WuXian smiled and reached out to hold his hand: "Yes, we will accompany him."
The sun was shining brightly, casting dappled light through the gaps between the bamboo leaves, landing on their clasped hands, a warmth and firmness. Outside the quiet room, Lan Sizhui sat in the corridor, carefully applying medicine to his palms. Tears continued to fall, but he didn't cry out loud. He simply stared silently at the Lan family's cloud-shaped mark on the medicine bottle, his eyes filled with more than grievance, and even more with guilt.
He knew that his father and daddy were doing this for his own good.
But, the next time he encountered someone in need, could he really just stand by and watch? Lan Sizhui himself didn't know. He only knew that the heart he had brought back from the mass grave, longing for warmth and kindness, always made him reach out involuntarily.
And this kindness is destined to be interwoven with the Lan family's rules, his father's strictness, and his father's worries in his future years, leaving countless marks that are sweet, sour, or painful.
Chapter 2 Night Hunting
The house rules that he was punished to copy were handed to Lan Wangji on time before dinner.
Lan Sizhui's handwriting was neat and elegant, and every stroke showed his seriousness. However, if you looked closely, you could detect a slight tremor caused by the pain in the palm of his right hand, which was especially obvious on the characters with more strokes.
Lan Wangji read it word for word, confirming that there were no omissions or mistakes, and then nodded: "Well, put it away."
"Yes, father." Lan Sizhui breathed a sigh of relief and took the manuscript respectfully.
Wei Wuxian felt distressed watching from the side, and quickly picked up a piece of his favorite steamed fish for Sizhui: "Eat it quickly, you must be starving after copying all afternoon."
Lan Sizhui thanked him and picked up his chopsticks, but because of the injury on his palm, his grip was a little unnatural. He tried his best to hide it, eating slowly, not daring to worry his father and daddy any further.
After dinner, Lan Xichen sent someone to deliver a message saying that there were unusual movements in the nearby Liyang area. Some villagers reported hearing strange noises at night and two oxen were missing. They suspected that it was caused by evil spirits and hoped that the Lan family could send someone to check it out.
"Wei Ying and I will go there tomorrow." Lan Wangji said to the disciple who came to deliver the message.
"Father, Daddy, I want to go with you too!" Lan Sizhui said immediately, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
He is now fourteen years old. Although his cultivation is not the best among his peers, he has already established a foundation. He has also participated in ordinary night hunts several times and always wants more opportunities to gain experience.
Lan Wangji glanced at him and said, "The situation is unclear this time. You should stay in the Cloud Recesses and practice well."
"Father!" Lan Sizhui said anxiously, "I've already established my foundation and won't be a drag! Besides, I also want to do my part to help the people eliminate evil spirits!"
Wei Wuxian thought for a moment and said, "Lan Zhan, let him go. Liyang isn't far from the Cloud Recesses, and with us here, nothing serious will happen. It would be good for him to see more."
Lan Wangji pondered for a moment and nodded, "Yes. But remember, everything is subject to the arrangements between me and your father. You are not allowed to act on your own."
"Yes! I obey your command!" Lan Sizhui was overjoyed and responded quickly. The grievance and pain from being punished before seemed to have disappeared.
The next morning, the three of them set off for Liyang.
It was already afternoon when they arrived in Liyang. They first met with the local headman and inquired in detail about the time, location, and characteristics of the demonic presence. According to the headman, the strange noises often occurred around midnight, resembling the roar of a wild animal, with a strange, sharp, and chilling quality. The two missing cows were both tied up in a cowshed and had vanished the next morning. The barn railings were intact, with only a strange, slimy substance on the ground.
"It sounds like some kind of ferocious beast, but it's a little strange." Wei Wuxian touched his chin. "Ordinary ferocious beasts don't just steal cattle and leave slime behind."
Lan Wangji nodded: "Let's go to the scene first."
The three of them went to the farmer's house where the oxen had gone missing. As the village head had said, there were no obvious signs of a fight in the cowshed. There were only a few patches of dark, half-dried mucus on the ground in a corner, emitting a faint fishy odor.
Lan Wangji squatted down, dipped his fingertip in a little of the mucus, and sniffed it before carefully observing it for a moment. "It's not an ordinary beast. It seems to be a hybrid of an evil spirit and a demon beast. It's ferocious and likes to eat live animals. It should have cultivated for about a hundred years."
"A hundred-year-old alien species, just the right opportunity for Sizhui to practice." Wei Wuxian said with a smile, looking at Lan Sizhui, "When we go out at night later, you must follow us closely and make your move only after you have seen clearly, understand?"
"Yes!" Lan Sizhui nodded vigorously and tightened his grip on the sword.
As night fell, Luyang was shrouded in silence. Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Lan Sizhui hid on a high ground outside the village, waiting for the evil spirit to appear.
At midnight, as expected, a teeth-grinding roar came from the west end of the village, followed by the screams of cows.
“Here they come!” Wei Wuxian’s eyes flashed, “Lan Zhan, should we split up and surround them?”
"No need." Lan Wangji said, "Let's go together and fight quickly and decisively." He was worried that if they divided their forces, they would not be able to take care of Si Zhui.
The three of them immediately used their lightness skills to fly towards the source of the sound.
Outside a cowshed at the west end of the village, a massive, winged, lizard-like creature was seen using its sharp claws to tear apart the wooden fence, attempting to drag the oxen out. The creature, covered in dark green scales and dripping with sticky saliva from its mouth, was the demonic creature Lan Wangji had described.
“Evil beast! Stop!” Wei Wuxian took the lead and threw out a talisman, which turned into a flame and flew straight into the monster’s face.
The monster was forced back by the flames, let out an angry roar, turned around, and stared at the three people with its scarlet eyes.
"Si Zhui, watch out!" Lan Wangji shouted softly, unsheathed his sword, and the sharp light of the sword pierced the monster's vitals.
Wei Wuxian also drew his Suibian, and he and Lan Wangji attacked the monster from either side. The two men coordinated perfectly, their swords flashing and spells intertwining, and they quickly subdued the monster.
Lan Sizhui stood aside, watching intently. He knew his father and father were giving him a chance to observe, and he felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement. He gripped his sword tightly, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Although the monster was ferocious, it gradually lost its strength under the joint attack of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. Several scales on its body were cut off by the sword energy, and it let out a painful roar.
At this moment, it suddenly turned around, gave up fighting with Lan and Wei, spread its wings, and rushed towards a thatched hut not far away! There seemed to be farmers living there!
"Not good!" Wei Wuxian cried out and hurriedly chased after him.
Lan Wangji immediately changed his tactics and tried to intercept.
But the monster was so fast that it was about to break through the wall of the thatched hut!
Lan Sizhui was anxious, and without thinking, he immediately rushed forward with his sword, chanting the sword formula, and a blue spiritual power slashed towards the monster's wings!
"Si Zhui, come back!" Lan Wangji shouted, but it was too late to stop him.
Lan Sizhui's spiritual energy did indeed strike the monster's wings, causing it to pause, but it also thoroughly enraged it. The monster gave up on attacking the thatched hut and turned its head, its crimson eyes fixed on Lan Sizhui as it violently spewed a mouthful of dark green venom!
"Be careful!" Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji exclaimed at the same time.
Lan Sizhui panicked upon seeing this and quickly dodged to the side, but the venom still splashed onto his left arm. A sharp burning pain instantly came over him, as if his skin and flesh were corroded!
"Hiss—" Lan Sizhui gasped in pain, his left arm immediately losing strength, and his sword fell to the ground.
At this critical moment, Lan Wangji's Bichen Sword had pierced the monster's head, and Wei Wuxian's talisman followed closely, completely burning the monster's body.
The crisis was resolved, and the two immediately rushed to Lan Sizhui's side.
“Si Zhui! How’s he?” Wei Wuxian supported him. Seeing the wound on his left arm corroded by the venom, his face instantly darkened. “You kid! Who told you to act on your own?!”
Lan Sizhui's face turned pale with pain, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat. When he heard Wei Wuxian's question, his lips trembled and he was unable to speak.
Lan Wangji's expression was frighteningly cold. He quickly pulled out the detoxification pill and healing ointment from his Qiankun bag, squatted down, and carefully examined Lan Sizhui's wound. The venom was extremely corrosive, having already eaten away his outer layer of clothing and ulcerated his skin, looking horrific.
"Bear with it." Lan Wangji's voice was filled with suppressed anger. He crushed the detoxification pill, carefully applied it to the wound, and then applied ointment.
The cool ointment temporarily soothed the burning sensation, but the pain from the wound itself remained intense. Lan Sizhui gritted his teeth and let his father tend to the wound, not daring to make a sound, his heart filled with regret and fear.
He knew he had made another mistake. Moreover, he had violated his father's order not to act without permission during a night hunt.
After treating the wound, Lan Wangji lifted Lan Sizhui up and said to Wei Wuxian, "Return to Yunshen."
There was no warmth in his voice. Lan Sizhui leaned in his arms and could clearly feel his father's stiff body and suppressed anger. He was so scared that he dared not breathe.
Wei Wuxian looked at the backs of the two men, sighed helplessly, picked up the sword on the ground, and quickly followed them.
On the way back, we were silent all the way.
The atmosphere in the quiet room was so oppressive that it was suffocating.
Lan Wangji placed Lan Sizhui on the couch and did not attack immediately. He just stood beside the couch and looked at him with his cold eyes, as if he wanted to see through him from inside out.
Wei Wuxian stood aside, his face looking unhappy, but he didn't say anything, just looked at Sizhui silently.
Lan Sizhui lay on the couch, the pain in his left arm making it difficult for him to move, and the fear and regret in his heart made him feel even more uneasy. He knew that this punishment would not be as simple as last time.
"Father..." He mustered up his courage, his voice trembling, "My child... My child was wrong..."
Lan Wangji did not respond, but turned and walked to the torture rack in the corner of the wall. There, hung a rattan stick that was longer and thicker than a ruler. It was used by the Lan family to punish inner disciples or family members who had committed serious mistakes.
Seeing the cane, Lan Sizhui's face instantly turned pale and his body trembled uncontrollably. He had never been beaten with a cane before, but he had heard that it was far more painful than a ruler.
"Father..." His voice was filled with pleading.
Wei Wuxian also frowned and took a step forward: "Lan Zhan, Sizhui is injured..."
"He deserves punishment precisely because he's injured," Lan Wangji interrupted him, his voice cold and hard. "If he hadn't acted on his own, how could he have ended up like this? Acting on one's own during a night hunt not only harms oneself, but also potentially implicates one's companions! If you and I weren't here today, he would have been killed by the evil spirit! Such a grave mistake, if not severely punished, how can it be remembered?!"
Wei Wuxian was speechless. He knew Lan Wangji was right. The rules of a night hunt were a matter of life and death; there was no room for luck or laxity. Sizhui's mistake this time was indeed serious.
Lan Wangji took down the cane and walked to the edge of the couch. The tip of the cane tapped gently on the ground, making a "tapping" sound, and each sound seemed to be knocking on Lan Sizhui's heart.
"Get down." Lan Wangji's voice left no room for doubt.
Lan Sizhui's tears welled up instantly. He knew begging for mercy was useless, so he could only struggle, trying to get up from the couch and lie on the edge. But the pain in his left arm made it difficult for him to move.
Wei WuXian couldn't bear to watch this, so he stepped forward and gently supported him, helping him adjust to a suitable position. He whispered in his ear, "Be patient. If you know you're wrong, don't do it again."
Lan Sizhui choked back a sob and nodded, burying his face in his arms, his thin shoulders shaking slightly. He knew that his father was comforting him, but also telling him that this punishment was unavoidable.
Lan Wangji looked at his back, which was trembling slightly due to pain and fear as he lay on the couch. He took a deep breath and suppressed the complex emotions in his heart - anger, fear, and more of an anxious feeling of being disappointed in his friends.
He raised the cane.
“Bang!”
The cane fell with a sharp sound, hitting Lan Sizhui's buttocks hard.
Unlike the crisp sound of a ruler, the cane brought a dull and intense pain, as if it could penetrate the clothes and reach the bone marrow.
"Hmm!" Lan Sizhui groaned, his body suddenly tensed, and tears instantly burst out.
“One,” Lan Wangji counted in a deep voice, “Remember, the rules of night hunting are more important than your life.”
“Bang!”
"two."
“Bang!”
"three."
The cane fell again and again with even and heavy force, each time landing precisely on the buttocks and thighs, where the skin and flesh were relatively tender and the pain was more pronounced.
Lan Sizhui's sobs went from suppressed groans to uncontrollable sobs, and finally to full-throated tears. The intense pain made him tremble all over, and sweat soaked his clothes, mixing with his tears.
Wei Wuxian stood aside, listening to the thud of the cane whipping his flesh and Sizhui's cries. His heart ached like a knife, but he held it in and didn't plead for mercy. He knew this was Lan Wangji's way of teaching him, and it was a lesson Sizhui must remember.
“Bang!”
"ten."
After the tenth blow, Lan Wangji stopped.
The cane was thrown aside with a dull sound.
Lan Sizhui lay sprawled on the couch, weeping until he was exhausted. His buttocks were already red and swollen, and the marks of the cane were clearly visible. He sobbed and spoke intermittently, "My child... my child was wrong... I won't dare to do it again... Father... Daddy..."
Lan Wangji looked at his red, tearful eyes and trembling body. The coldness in his eyes finally faded a little, replaced by fatigue and a subtle hint of heartache. He waved his hand, "Wei Ying, apply the medicine to him."
After saying this, he turned and walked out of the quiet room, his back looking a little desolate. He needed a moment to calm his surging emotions. Every blow he had just received felt like a blow to his heart.
Wei WuXian quickly fetched the finest blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing ointment, walked to the bedside, and said softly, "SiZhui, Daddy is applying the ointment for you. Just bear with it."
He carefully lifted up Lan Sizhui's clothes and saw the red and swollen scar. He couldn't help but frown and gently applied the ointment.
The cool ointment brought a slight relief to his burning skin. Under the effects of the medicine and his father's gentle movements, Lan Sizhui's crying gradually subsided, leaving only sobs.
"Does it hurt?" Wei Wuxian asked softly.
Lan Sizhui nodded, then shook his head, looking at Wei Wuxian with tears in his eyes: "Daddy... am I... really stupid... I always... always do the wrong things..."
"Silly child." Wei Wuxian patted his head and sighed, "Everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to admit your mistakes and correct them. Your father beat you, not because you are stupid, but because he was afraid... afraid that something would happen to you. You are our only child, and we cannot lose you."
Lan Sizhui's tears welled up again: "I know... From now on... I will never act on my own again... and I will never make you worry again..."
“Yes, Daddy believes in you.” Wei Wuxian helped him tidy up his clothes and helped him lie down. “Rest well, your wound will heal soon.”
Lan Sizhui nodded, and with deep fatigue and pain, he gradually closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. However, even in his sleep, his brows were still tightly furrowed, as if he was still enduring the dual pain of body and mind.
Wei Wuxian looked at his sleeping face and sighed softly. He walked to the window and saw Lan Wangji standing in the courtyard, gazing at the bright moon in the sky, his back lonely.
He walked out and hugged him gently from behind: "Don't be angry, he already knows he was wrong."
Lan Wangji was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I'm not angry, I'm just scared."
Wei Wuxian leaned against his back and whispered, "I know. But Sizhui is just like that by nature: kind, impulsive, and loyal. All we can do is teach him to protect himself and learn to weigh the pros and cons. This road is still long."
“Yeah.” Lan Wangji responded and took Wei Wuxian’s hand in his. “No matter how long the road is, we will walk it together.”
The moonlight fell on the two of them, on the couch in the quiet room, and on the young man's tear-stained face.
The price of growing up is sometimes pain, and the love of parents sometimes carries a sharp edge.
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