Chapter 46 Homecoming
It was already evening three days later when I returned to Cloud Recesses. The bluestone pavement was stained a warm golden hue by the setting sun. From afar, the sound of reading could be heard, exuding a sense of tranquility. As Si Zhui stepped onto the stone steps, he was bumped by a hurried figure, causing him to stumble.
"Si Zhui! You're finally back!" Lan Jingyi was still holding the scroll in his hand, his face full of excitement, "Let me tell you, I learned a new spell..." Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a cold voice.
"Lan Jingyi."
Lan Jingyi froze, slowly turning around to see Lan Qiren standing in the corridor not far away, ruler in hand, his face serious. "Uncle, uncle..." He subconsciously took a half step back, "I, I didn't do anything."
"The Clouds are so deep, I don't know where it is. No hurrying." Lan Qiren's eyes swept over his hurried steps. "Go and copy the Yazheng Collection thirty times. Hand it in by dawn tomorrow."
"Ah? Thirty times?" Lan Jingyi's face fell. "Uncle, I just haven't seen Si Zhui in so long, I'm a little excited..."
"Ten more times." Lan Qiren said calmly.
"...Yes." Lan Jingyi replied listlessly, giving Sizhui a resentful look before turning around and walking towards the library. After taking a few steps, he turned back and called out, "Sizhui, I'll come play with you after I finish copying the books!"
Wei WuXian was so amused by what he saw that he patted SiZhui on the shoulder: "See, our SiZhui is still the most obedient one and never gets punished."
Lan Wangji looked at Lan Qiren and nodded slightly: "Uncle, we have something to report."
Entering the elegant room, Wei Wuxian briefly recounted his experiences at Jun Wushan, then placed the fully assembled jade pendant with the Chinese character "Jun" on the table. Lan Qiren picked up the pendant and examined it for a long moment, his brow furrowed. "The Jun family... I seem to have heard of them once when I was young. They were said to be an ancient, hidden family, skilled in formations and medicine. Later, they fell into decline due to their involvement in the Wuyong Kingdom Rebellion. I didn't expect their relics to survive."
“Uncle, do you know anything about the white-robed divine soldier and the saying ‘the time has not yet come’?” Wei Wuxian asked.
Lan Qiren shook his head. "The matter of ascending to heaven is inherently illusory. Perhaps, as that person said, when the time comes, the answer will naturally come." He returned the jade pendant to Wei Wuxian. "Since this jade pendant is a relic of your mother, keep it well. There are some past events that don't require urgent exploration."
Wei Wuxian nodded and carefully put the jade pendant away. He knew what Lan Qiren meant. Some secrets have been hidden for too long, and revealing them hastily might not be a good thing.
What Lan Qiren didn't tell Wei Wuxian was that his mother, Cangse Sanren, always possessed inexplicable abilities. Her cultivation was also unfathomable. Of course, his mother had mentioned that she was a princess herself. However, Lan Qiren didn't intend to share this with Wei Wuxian; he understood his temperament.
After dinner, Sizhui went to the library to deliver some snacks and happened to see Lan Jingyi hunched over the table, writing furiously, with a pile of books beside him. "Jingyi, are you still copying?"
"What else?" Lan Jingyi looked up, a faint dark shadow already appearing under his eyes. "Do you think I'm unlucky? My uncle caught me right after I saw you." He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "By the way, did you encounter any interesting things when you went to Junwu Mountain? Tell me about it!"
Si Zhui thought of the mysterious puppet and the white-robed divine soldier and shook his head. "It's not fun at all. It's quite dangerous." He placed the snacks on the table and said, "Hurry up and copy them. Don't let the master find out."
Lan Jingyi sighed and picked up the pen: "Okay, after I finish copying, you have to tell me everything."
Si Zhui smiled and nodded, then turned and left the library. Moonlight streamed in through the window lattice, illuminating Lan Jingyi's serious profile and the scattered scrolls, bringing a strange sense of peace. He suddenly felt that the punishment of copying in the Cloud Recesses, while tedious, was also a kind of security—at least here, there was no need to worry about sudden danger or the secrets hidden in the mist.
Just like Daddy said, no matter how stormy it is outside, when they come back here, there will always be a light on for them and a hot meal waiting for them, and that's great.
The jade pendant lying quietly in Wei Wuxian's brocade bag seemed to have retracted all its light and fell into a deep sleep in this gentle night.
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