Archive of Our Own

"I can't believe you," Jiang Cheng complained out loud so an unconscious Wei Wuxian could ignore him. Not that he ever listened even when he was awake.

He sighed in frustration.

"I still can't believe you invited him. And now he's here?!" He stopped and sighed again. 

"Who exactly do you think is going to have to deal with this?" He said, knowing Wei Wuxian wouldn't be able to answer.

Ugh.

"This is all your fault. Now I have to clean up after your mess, again."

He rolled his eyes.

He knew as soon as he saw Lan Wangji arriving asking for Wei Wuxian, and stating that he was visiting, that the person who would have to deal with this would be him. Jiang Cheng. 

There's no way father would make Lan Wangji leave, and he doubted Lan Wangji would leave after probably making preparations for a visit.

Which meant he would have to babysit Lan-er-gongzi. 

He rolled his eyes. Then slumped down, placing his arms on Wei Wuxian's bed, resting his face on his arms. 

Father probably wanted to give him things to do so he stops wandering back to check on Wei Wuxian all the time. 

Ugh.

But now he had to think of what to do with that stiff, law-abiding, Lan Wangji.

Huh.

Hm.

Well, he could do something with that.

Jiang Cheng smiled into his arms.

Lan Zhan had prepared thoroughly for his trip to the Lotus Pier. He made sure that someone would be filling in for him back home while he was away. Brought gifts for Jiang-zongzhu and Wei Ying. Prepared himself mentally for Wei Ying's… everything. And proposed his trip to shufu, trying not to sound too eager, but making it clear enough in the way he made his request that he really truly wanted to visit the Lotus Pier.

The fact that Jiang Wanyin's presence at the Lotus Pier may have been one of the driving forces in his desire to visit was not something anyone needed to know or find out. 

Especially not Wei Ying.

What he did not account for was the fact that while he was prepared, Lotus Pier was not. 

Perhaps he should've sent a letter ahead of time, but he didn't think it was needed. Wei Ying invited him, and he was simply a friend. He wasn't like xiongzhang, a sect heir, representative of their sect.

Jiang-zongzhu looked apologetic even though he was the one to visit without giving any prior notice.

"Wei Ying got injured in a recent night hunt, Lan-er-gongzi," Jiang-zongzhu said.

"He had been unconscious since," Jiang-zongzhu said.

"The healers think it might take him a week to heal properly," Jiang-zongzhu said.

Lan Zhan apologized for causing an inconvenience at such a time.

Jiang-zongzhu smiled.

He reminded him of xiongzhang… but more distant, more removed.

"Since you're already here, why not stay awhile? You must be tired from your travels," Jiang-zongzhu offered.

He thanked him.

"It won't be the same since your intention was to visit A-Ying, but if you'd like, A-Cheng could show you around our sect and Yunmeng," Jiang-zongzhu said. "No one knows more about Yunmeng than my A-Cheng."

If said by anyone else, it might have sounded like bragging. 

But the way Jiang-zongzhu said it, he simply sounded like a proud father.

He prepared himself to be in Jiang Wanyin's presence, but he didn't exactly prepare himself to be around Jiang Wanyin constantly. Especially without Wei Ying around to be Wei Ying around them.

But he had already made plans and preparations. And he was already here. 

He agreed to Jiang-zongzhu's offer and was shown to his guest room by a senior disciple.

He thanked the Jiang disciple and looked around the guest room. He had a view of one of the many ponds the Lotus Pier had to offer. From here he could see the beautiful pink blossoms, and taking a deep breath, he could also smell the faint scent of the lotus blossoms in the air. 

He placed Wangji down at the table.

He had expected to arrive before lunchtime, hoping that he would be able to join Wei Ying and perhaps also Jiang Wanyin at their table. With his arrival being what it was, he didn’t dare to request to be served and further inconvenience Jiang-zongzhu. He had packed provisions for his journey to the Lotus Pier. Those would do. 

Before he could properly look through his pouch, there was knocking at his door. He went to it, opening to find a servant there with a tray of food and a teapot. It smelt wonderful. 

He blinked at the servant.

Who bowed.

“Jiang-gongzi asked me to pass his apologies for not being able to accompany you during your meal, Lan-er-gongzi. He also left a message,” the servant said.

He nodded and took the tray, turning back to his room. 

He took the note left on the tray and read it first. 

Jiang Wanyin was busy training the younger disciples, something he could not avoid since he was covering for Wei Ying. More apologies for not coming to greet him himself, the location of where he was training the disciples, and expressed that he hoped he would enjoy the meal.

Lan Zhan also hoped he would enjoy the meal. 

He should've expected this, of course, he thought to himself as he poured tea. It was light, fragrant. Jiang Wanyin had always been very conscious of his behavior, remarkably well-mannered, and quite considerate. If he deemed you worthy of his consideration, that is.

He was glad Jiang Wanyin had him in his consideration.

He did not recognize a lot of the dishes, and wondered if he was being served a seasonal dish. 

He took a bite of something.

And immediately regretted it.

He brought the teacup to his lips and washed down the vegetable as quickly as he could.

The pain that exploded in his mouth seemed to have followed the vegetable down his throat and left a trail of burning pain. 

He coughed.

That made it worse.

He reached for the bowl of plain rice to take a bite, hoping that it would relieve his mouth of the sensations. 

The heat from the rice did not help, but the rice itself did. He could feel the heat being more tolerable even though his ears were still burning.

He looked at everything else on the tray.

He could visibly see the chilies in at least three of the plates, and peppers in two others.

The plate he tried first did not have any chilies that he could visibly see. 

He took another sip of the tea. 

It might be wiser to go back to finding his provisions and eat those instead, but food was already brought to him. It would be improper for him to simply ignore it. 

He sighed.

Then reached for the most terrifying looking of the plates with plenty of sliced chilies. 

Surprisingly, he was able to finish most of the dishes. Other than the first plate that he did not touch again. The threatening-looking one with a lot of chilies did have a lot of heat, but it was also quite sweet and ended up being the most tolerable dish for him. The other two chili plates were less heated, but without the sweetness, he found them much less tolerable. Painful, even. The pepper dishes were the same, but one was terribly numbing and painful, almost as much as the first dish he tried. 

By the time he finished his rice, he had also finished his entire pot of tea.

If this was the kind of food Yunmeng Jiang Disciples were used to, then he could see why Wei Ying was complaining so much in the Cloud Recesses. He also remembered that Jiang Wanyin had never once voiced a complaint about the food they served guest disciples. He doubted that Jiang Wanyin found the food served in the Cloud Recesses appealing to him if this was the norm. 

He found that quite commendable of him.

After calling for a servant to collect the tray and inquiring about Jiang Wanyin’s location, he settled down in front of the window in his room.

He decided to meditate.

Jiang Wanyin was training the younger disciples and the beginning period of the lessons was always the most important. He did not want to be a distraction to Jiang Wanyin while he teaches, nor did he want to be a distraction for the disciples getting taught.

And he needed to prepare himself. 

If it was Wei Ying, he would not have to worry about being the fool. 

With Jiang Wanyin, it was different.

Even when he was not in Jiang Wanyin’s presence, he could still feel his effects on him. 

He looked at the blossoming lotuses he could see from where he sat. 

He would review his sect rules as he meditated.

Then, he would look for Jiang Wanyin.

Closing his eyes, he felt the slight breeze carried the scent of lotus blossoms to him.

When he found the training grounds, Jiang Wanyin was walking in the spaces between rows and rows of disciples. Occasionally stopping to poke a disciple into a proper stance, here and there. Sometimes even fully stopping to take the stance that the disciple was supposed to be in but couldn’t do properly no matter how much poking and prodding Jiang Wanyin did.

It looked natural.

He wondered how many times Jiang Wanyin had already done this before today. 

Jiang Wanyin’s command and control was undebatable. Some of the disciples even seemed to have stars in their eyes when they looked at him. 

Lan Zhan might have spotted some disciples discreetly moving into the incorrect position moments before Jiang Wanyin, just so that he would end up correcting them.

Most of them were girls. 

Eventually, Jiang Wanyin noticed his presence at the training field and nodded in his direction, acknowledging him. Before turning back to what he was doing. 

Lan Zhan continued to watch. 

By the time Jiang Wanyin finished training the disciples, the sky had begun to change color. 

He didn’t do much, simply watching the different moves that the disciples performed, noticing differences in some stances. He noticed that Jiang Wanyin kept looking back to where he was. Lan Zhan wondered if he was being a bother, but then Jiang Wanyin moved in the direction he was looking at, finding the disciple who was holding the incorrect stance. It was nice that he could be of use. 

Jiang Wanyin came up to where he was standing. The afternoon light reflected against his face and neck, and Lan Zhan couldn’t help but notice the slight dampness in the strands of hair framing Jiang Wanyin’s face. 

He put that thought aside and refocused himself.

“Hey,” Jiang Wanyin said.

Lan Zhan didn’t speak, as it seemed like Jiang Wanyin wanted to continue speaking. But he didn’t. 

“Um,” Jiang Wanyin spoke again, then looked away. He brought his arm up and wiped his face with the sleeve. It pressed a strand of hair against his face, Lan Zhan noticed as Jiang Wanyin moved his arm away.

His fingers twitched, and he moved them and formed a loose fist. 

He shifted his eyes away from Jiang Wanyin’s face so he wouldn’t have to think about brushing that strand of hair away from Jiang Wanyin’s face and tucking it behind his ear. But that didn’t help. All it did was make him think about how Jiang Wanyin’s neck was still glistening with his sweat and how he wished to offer a cloth so that Jiang Wanyin could use it to wipe that away as well. Or not. 

He refocused himself once more and put that thought away before it could form. Placing his arms behind his back, he tilted his head at Jiang Wanyin. 

Who had his eyes closed, taking in a deep breath before opening his eyes to look resolutely at Lan Zhan. 

“I need a swim. Want to join me?” 

“We should go to my family’s private pier,” Jiang Wanyin said before he began walking away, in the direction that would lead them to said pier, Lan Zhan presumed. 

He followed.

He had agreed to join Jiang Wanyin for a swim, because it seemed like he needed one and he didn’t want to disrupt Jiang Wanyin’s schedule more than he already had. If this was part of Jiang Wanyin’s plans for the day, then he would simply go along with it and join him. 

While he appreciated the privacy, compared to the openness of the lakes that the younger disciples seemed to be jumping in with great enthusiasm, he wasn’t sure why Jiang Wanyin suggested the more private space.

His mind brought up a thought.

His ears reacted.

He shook his head slightly and brushed away the thought.

He was overthinking this. Perhaps the private pier was simply Jiang Wanyin’s preferred spot for a swim.

He quickened his pace to catch up to Jiang Wanyin. Who was already looking back at him. He hoped his ears had gone back to normal by then, he wouldn’t want Jiang Wanyin to notice them. 

“You stand out too much. You’re too different,” Jiang Wanyin began. He was explaining. It seemed that Jiang Wanyin realized that he was puzzled by this decision. 

Lan Zhan frowned.

That always seemed to be his problem.

“Most of those kids haven’t ever seen anyone from a different sect before,” Jiang Wanyin continued, “if we swam over there we’d get swarmed by the kids who’d all want to bother you.” Then he gestured at Lan Zhan. 

He tilted his head at Jiang Wanyin.

“The shiny new thing.” Jiang Wanyin said blandly.

“Mn,” he nodded. 

That made sense.

He realized that he was no longer frowning. Somewhere between Jiang Wanyin’s explanation, he understood that this wasn’t about his ‘otherness’ the same way he was treated back home. It was still related to his ‘otherness’ but in a more curious way. Childish, like the children Jiang Wanyin was distancing him from, to make sure he wouldn’t end up getting overwhelmed.

“Thank you,” he said.

Jiang Wanyin seemed to startle and whipped his head around to look at him, eyes wide. 

They were really, truly, beautiful eyes.

Before his face became neutral looking again, with that slight frown he always seemed to have when he was serious. Then Jiang Wanyin shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Mn.”

The pier was beautiful. It extended out into the lake, with a pavilion at the end of the path. Surrounded on all sides with blooming lotus flowers. The only sounds in the area was that of nature and their movements as they walked, it was nice. Calming. 

It seems like a very nice place to have a swim. 

“Are you good at swimming?” Jiang Wanyin asked suddenly.

Then immediately began fussing with his belts. 

Lan Zhan startled slightly, but they were here for a swim after all, and he began fussing with his own belts.

“Not very,” he answered as he began to disrobe.

The rustling sound stopped. 

The sudden lack of noise was slightly startling and he turned to look at Jiang Wanyin, forcing himself to keep his eyes at his host’s face. 

Jiang Wanyin was staring at him with eyes wide and mouth ajar, blinking widely at Lan Zhan.

“But, you came during that time when we had to investigate the waterborne abyss in Biling Lake!” Jiang Wanyin exclaimed.

He nodded. 

He’s not quite sure why Jiang Wanyin looked and sounded so alarmed.

“And you’re not good at swimming?”

He tilted his head, not understanding what Jiang Wanyin was asking and why it mattered. 

Jiang Wanyin sighed harshly and turned away, bringing up a hand to rub at the back of his neck. 

Lan Zhan got the distinct feeling that there was a problem, although he wasn’t sure what the problem was. 

Jiang Wanyin was still turned away. And he sighed again.

“Listen. So, we have a rule here,” Jiang Wanyin said.

Lan Zhan perked up. 

Unlike his sect, Yunmeng Jiang didn’t exactly have a list of rules out where he could easily access, so he had mostly been following the rules of his own sect for restraint. But he must admit that he was interested to know what rules Yunmeng Jiang may have. 

Jiang Wanyin sighed again.

“You’re not going to like it.” Jiang Wanyin said.

“What is the rule?” he asked, because rules are rules regardless of how anyone feels about them. 

Jiang Wanyin looked at him then sighed again. 

“The more you suck at swimming, the less clothes you wear when you get in the water.” Jiang Wanyin said with a completely straight face with the blandest voice.

Lan Zhan didn’t say anything and thought about what Jiang Wanyin just told him. 

He might have froze at the information. 

He really wasn’t that good at swimming.

“So,” Jiang Wanyin spoke again, “if you’re really bad... then, uh, no clothes allowed,” he finished. 

Lan Zhan blinked and stared blankly at, well, nothing. 

His hands were still holding his robes. 

Jiang Wanyin didn’t say anything. Nor did he continue disrobing. 

They were both just standing there. 

He heard some noise, like feet shuffling against wood. 

Lan Zhan was beginning to regret taking Jiang Wanyin’s offer to go for a swim. He didn’t mean to make things so uncomfortable. 

“Oh!” Jiang Wanyin exclaimed.

Lan Zhan turned to look at him.

“But, you’re a guest. Don’t worry about it,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

That wouldn’t do. 

Jiang Wanyin shouldn’t have to make exceptions for him like this. 

“It’s a rule.” 

Jiang Wanyin blinked at him.

Before he spoke again Lan Zhan turned away and began undoing his pants. 

This was definitely not how he wanted this to go. But rules were rules, and it made sense. Clothes do weigh people down and make it harder to swim. It made sense that Yunmeng Jiang would have such a rule.

Still, he hesitated. All he had to do was remove his pants and get into the water. Simple.

He breathed.

“Uh, well, okay, go without as well too, then. So it’s not just you.” 

Lan Zhan froze.

Wait.

He heard more rustling of clothes.

Did that mean...

“I’ll just get in first. Just let me know when you get in so I can turn back around.” Jiang Wanyin said, offering the small mercy that Lan Zhan needed.

He waited till he could hear the splashing of the water before taking another breath and removing his pants. He quickly folded them and placed them on top of his pile of clothes, before turning his head over his shoulder to look.

Jiang Wanyin was faced away, just as he said he would be. 

Lan Zhan sighed in relief. 

He could feel his ears being very warm. 

Then he slipped into the water. 

Jiang Wanyin was still turned away.

He carefully paddled his way towards Jiang Wanyin.

“Thank you.” 

Jiang Wanyin turned around with a slight smile on his face. 

“No problem. But you know, you really didn’t need to if you’re uncomfortable.” Jiang Wanyin said.

He was still offering Lan Zhan a way out of this embarrassing situation. It was very gracious of him. Lan Zhan appreciated it but shook his head.

“Rules are rules,” he said.

Jiang Wanyin huffed out a quiet breath through his smile. 

It was easier to swim this way. Without clothes dragging every movement he made to keep himself afloat. Jiang Wanyin was right about that. Not that he didn’t already know. But he would’ve never thought to swim without any clothes on. 

It was easier to swim.

It also made him feel very exposed. 

Jiang Wanyin had swam around this way and that, sometimes diving down under the surface (which made him want to freeze in a combination of fear, embarrassment, and shame, but he was pretty sure Jiang Wanyin wouldn’t take a peek after having promised not to do so). Occasionally Jiang Wanyin would cut the stems of some lotus flowers and place them carefully on the dock. 

Lan Zhan mostly stayed at the same spot he was when he paddled up to Jiang Wanyin, occasionally spinning around to look at where the other was and what he was doing. 

That was mostly his fault.

Jiang Wanyin offered to help him practice and improve his swimming, but Lan Zhan had a feeling it would require the boy to actually touch him. Which he did not think was something he could handle right now. 

He could feel the movement of the water on every part of his skin.

He shivered slightly. 

Allowing Jiang Wanyin to touch him right now would definitely be unwise.

Then he heard what he thought might be giggling and looked away from Jiang Wanyin, looking around to find the source.

"It's just the shijies and shimeis." Jiang Wanyin said calmly as he swam past Lan Zhan towards the lotuses. 

"Female disciples?" He said, slightly alarmed, especially in his state of undress. Changing his strokes to turn and rotate his body around to look at Jiang Wanyin’s direction.

Jiang Wanyin remained unphased. He continued to swim through the lotus leaves and flowers. 

"Don’t mind them. They always look." Jiang Wanyin said, shrugging his shoulders. 

Why did he sound so calm...?

"Always…?"

"Well, at least when a-niang’s not around. They wouldn't get the chance to otherwise."

He blinked at Jiang Wanyin in surprise at the shamelessness of such behaviors. And that it was a normal enough occurrence that it did not phase Jiang Wanyin.

Jiang Wanyin noticed his stare and rolled his eyes.

"What, wouldn't you do the same if it was the other way around?"

He blinked at Jiang Wanyin, who seemed to expect him to answer before losing interest and looking away.

Then he simply continued what he was doing and selected another lotus pod and swam back to the deck. But this time, after he placed the lotus seed pod on the deck, he put his hand on the wood floor and began pushing himself up out of the water. 

He tried not to, but his eyes immediately dropped down to look. Look at how the water droplets roll down Jiang Wanyin’s muscles, his back looking very well defined especially with him exerting himself to get out of the water. How his skin shined under the sunlight, even more so now that the lake had wet it. 

And Lan Zhan’s eyes continued their downward path. Down down down until he noticed the dimple at Jiang Wanyin’s lower back and he realized what he was doing and turned away.

He could hear water splashing with how quickly he turned away.

He could also hear the giggling again. 

There was a wet thunking sound, and Lan Zhan assumed that Jiang Wanyin was now sitting on the deck. Naked. On the deck. As the female disciples, apparently, continued to spy on them. 

He did not need things to be the 'other way around' to act as shamelessly as the female Jiang disciples, Lan Zhan thought harshly to himself. Even when he was not looking at Jiang Wanyin, he could not stop thinking about how Jiang Wanyin must look while sitting on the deck right now. Wet from the lake, relaxed from the refreshing swim, doing whatever it is that required Jiang Wanyin to get up and sit on the deck. He imagined that it must’ve made a wonderful view, especially bathed under the golden light of the setting sun. Jiang Wanyin surely must’ve looked quite enticing-

He would have to find a way to properly punish himself, when he was so far away from home. Perhaps he should spend the evening in a handstand. Thought he wasn’t sure if that would be enough punishment.

“This,” he said and Jiang Wanyin turned to look at him. He tried not to look at Jiang Wanyin’s face and ended up seeing how the droplets of water that clung to Jiang Wanyin’s eyelashes glittered in the sunlight. 

He cleared his throat and looked away completely.

“This behavior is permitted?” He asked.

There was no response. Then Jiang Wanyin hummed. 

“Well, hm, how should I say this...” Jiang Wanyin said.

Lan Zhan turned to look at him and tried not to stare at anything. Which was incredibly difficult to do, as his mind wanted to look at anything his eyes could see of Jiang Wanyin.

“It’s not exactly that it’s permitted per se, but, well, we kind of have this uh, well it’s not a rule exactly, but more of an unspoken, uh, agreement? Yeah, agreement. Amongst all of us disciples here, that, well,” Jiang Wanyin paused. A longer pause than all the other pauses he’d already made.

Lan Zhan tilted his head.

“Well, basically, ‘if you don’t get caught, then you can do whatever.’ That’s what it is.” 

Lan Zhan blinked. 

His eyes refocused itself and he stared at Jiang Wanyin, thinking about what he was told just then. 

He tried to think, but his mind kept stuttering and remained blank. 

He could hear movement and blinked again. Jiang Wanyin was laughing, quietly, but he was. With a hand brought up to slightly cover his mouth but not fully. 

Lan Zhan couldn’t help but notice how his eyes crinkled and formed crescents. And how that made the light in Jiang Wanyin’s eyes glimmered and shined.

“I think this is the most distressed I’ve ever seen you, Lan-er-gongzi,” Jiang Wanyin said and Lan Zhan did not think he had ever heard Jiang Wanyin speak in this tone before in all of their interactions. 

He blinked at Jiang Wanyin.

“Don’t think too much about it, Lan-er-gongzi. That’s just how we do things here,” Jiang Wanyin spoke in that same tone. His smile seemed to grow wider as he spoke, shoulders still shaking from the laughter he managed to keep out of his voice. It was teasing , Lan Zhan realized. That’s what the tone was.

He was being laughed at. And teased.

Lan Zhan didn’t mind it

As long as Jiang Wanyin was the one to do it, he found he didn’t mind it at all. 

“You disregard the rules...?” he still pondered, not truly understanding. 

If everyone agreed not to follow the rules, then why have them. 

“We think of it as training,” Jiang Wanyin said, shrugging his shoulders. His voice, back to his normal tone. 

“Training.”

“Yes. Who do you think is the best at it, Lan-er-gongzi?” 

The tone was back again. So was the smile. 

Lan Zhan appreciated them, then pushed that thought aside.

He thought about Jiang Wanyin’s question, and almost answered with Wei Ying, but felt like that was the incorrect answer somehow. Jiang Wanyin’s eyes twinkled at him while he waited for Lan Zhan to answer. 

Wei Ying felt like the obvious answer. Too obvious. Certainly obvious enough to get caught on multiple occasions. On the other hand...

“You?”

Jiang Wanyin’s smile grew. 

His eyes continued to twinkle at Lan Zhan as the sun set. 

After the swim, Jiang Wanyin told him to wash up and get dressed for going out and to meet him at the gates. 

He was embarrassed to admit that he had been too distracted to even ask as to why Jiang Wanyin asked him to do so. Distracted by the fact that he had been completely bare in Jiang Wanyin’s presence for an extended period of time. Distracted by the very fact that Jiang Wanyin was also bare, and was beside him, and had to get dressed again, like him.

Jiang Wanyin was waiting for him by the gates.

Then he led him out into the markets.

Jiang Wanyin pointed different stalls to him as he let Lan Zhan through the streets. Telling him what each stall sells, which Jiang Wanyin prefers, and for what reasons. There were so many things to take in, and Jiang Wanyin was speaking so fast. Lan Zhan felt like he didn’t really know much about the markets than he did before.

“Are you hungry? I’m hungry.”

Jiang Wanyin said, before walking decisively in a specific direction. 

Lan Zhan picked up his pace to keep up, not having a chance to even answer the non-question Jiang Wanyin asked.

“Since you’re in Yunmeng, might as well introduce you to local specialties.”

Jiang Wanyin said, before turning towards a specific shop and walking towards it. 

Lan Zhan kept up with the brisk walking pace Jiang Wanyin had decided on without consulting him.

Part of him wondered how hungry Jiang Wanyin must be to be walking around with such impatience. 

“You should be okay here. I know the owners, they used to travel all over before settling down here, so the food they serve is a mix of everything. We’ll just order something you’re familiar with in case you don’t like anything.”

Jiang Wanyin said as he sat down at a table, deciding everything by himself. 

Not that Lan Zhan had anything insightful to say nor any objections.

Still, he was not expecting the table to be completely filled with so many different dishes. Almost all that he was unfamiliar with, except maybe two. Which must be the ones Jiang Wanyin ordered for his sake. 

He was grateful for the consideration Jiang Wanyin had for him.

Before they began to eat, Jiang Wanyin kept placing food from different dishes onto his bowl. 

At first he didn’t mind. 

And then he was in pain. 

“These are my favorites, you should try them. I know these are definitely good.”

Jiang Wanyin had said, as he placed more food on Lan Zhan’s bowl.

Lan Zhan trusted that.

Then he regretted that he trusted Jiang Wanyin after the third piece he tried made him desperately reach for tea for relief. 

Then he moved his bowl closer to himself, moving his bowl away when Jiang Wanyin reached over with food between his chopsticks. And kept moving when Jiang Wanyin chased Lan Zhan’s bowl with his chopsticks. 

“Will you stop moving? I like this. You should try it.” Jiang Wanyin said with a scowl on his face.

“No, thank you,” he replied. 

Jiang Wanyin frowned at him, still holding his chopstick threateningly in Lan Zhan’s direction. Then rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t tell me you plan to visit Yunmeng and plan to not try any regional specialties?” Jiang Wanyin asked with an overly judgemental tone.

One which Lan Zhan didn’t think he deserved.

He opened his mouth to protest when something was shoved ungracefully into his mouth. He blinked. Then turned to look at Jiang Wanyin.

Who was already picking something out from their plates to put on his own bowl of rice before he suddenly froze. Possibly because he finally realized what he had just done. Then Jiang Wanyin turned to him, and blinked, lips slightly parted.

“Uh, that,” Jiang Wanyin began, “sorry, force of habit.”

He nodded. Though he did not understand why Jiang Wanyin did that. Especially when they were out in the public.

“Blame Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Wanyin grumbled, rolling his eyes.

He tried not to think of the implications of what Jiang Wanyin just said. 

He couldn’t imagine how Wei Ying would be at fault for Jiang Wanyin’s apparent habit of hand-feeding people. 

“You know how he is. Always talking, never thinking.”

“Mn.” He nodded. 

“The only time he’s ever stopped talking is when his mouth’s already busy doing something else.”

He blinked and stopped chewing. 

He did not turn to look at Jiang Wanyin. 

Jiang Wanyin did not seem to realize that Wei Ying was not the only person who spoke without thinking first, considering the things Jiang Wanyin himself said. Especially in the past few days.

He did his best not to think about what kind of things Jiang Wanyin would be doing to keep Wei Ying’s mouth busy. 

It would be incredibly ill-mannered of him to think of Jiang Wanyin in such a way, especially right now, when they were out, in the public. 

Jiang Wanyin really did not make it easy for him and kept placing more food onto his bowl.

Half the things looked very dangerously red and did not taste like it was meant to be eaten with how painful it tasted. Some hurt his tongue, some burnt his throat, all heated up his face. The other half was more pleasant, something closer to what he was used to at home, and some interestingly sweet, which went very well with all the painful dishes Jiang Wanyin kept giving him. 

Jiang Wanyin seemed to favor the ones that caused him pain, but he also saw Jiang Wanyin mix some of the sweet dishes with the painful ones.

“See?” Jiang Wanyin suddenly spoke.

He reminded himself that they were not in the Cloud Recesses and speaking during meals was in fact not prohibited here, and turned to look at Jiang Wanyin.

He was smiling. 

If anything, Lan Zhan was glad that this visit had given him more opportunities to be witness to Jiang Wanyin’s smiles. Especially one like this, that crinkled his eyes, even if it was just very very slight. Barely noticeable unless one looked for it. 

“Delicious, right?”

He considered the pain. 

He noticed that Jiang Wanyin’s smile would grow a little wilder when he spoke. 

“Mn.” He agreed. 

While he didn’t think that Jiang Wanyin was lying about it being commonplace for the female Jiang disciples to... watch... the male Jiang disciples swim, he also didn’t truly believe it. 

And yet, this was the fifth time this morning he had been stopped by a female Jiang disciple to be smiled at, giggled at, blushed at, before a flower was offered to him. 

He bowed and accepted the flower wordlessly.

When he was first offered a flower, Jiang Wanyin quietly told him of a rule. Jiang Wanyin informed him that while it was not exactly an official rule, it was one of the unspoken rules in Yunmeng Jiang that one must always accept a gift being offered. ‘As a way to acknowledge and appreciate the courage within the giver’s attempt to reach for their goals,’ Jiang Wanyin explained. He also explained that it was just ‘a thing they do here’ and that he, a guest, didn’t need to do the same. 

He nodded and took the flower then, as he did now.

Though he was simply visiting, he should still respect the rules of the sect currently hosting him. 

And he understood the sentiment. 

It was nice, to be acknowledged, even if the feeling was not returned. 

He wondered if Jiang Wanyin would accept his gift if he was to give him something.

He turned to Jiang Wanyin who had been silent while they were interrupted by the disciple only to find him turned away, shoulders shaking slightly. 

Jiang Wanyin turned to him after the disciple left, shoulders still shaking, with a hand covering his mouth. 

His laughter might be silent, but he could see it in the light of Jiang Wanyin’s eyes, how they creased in amusement. 

He looked at Jiang Wanyin and waited for an explanation.

Instead he got...

“The shimeis must have really liked what they saw yesterday for you to become so popular so quickly,” Jiang Wanyin said, the silent laughter no longer so silent as it shook the words that came out of Jiang Wanyin’s mouth with an extra breath.

He took a sharp inhale, ears flushing red.

He frowned at Jiang Wanyin. 

“Shameless!” 

He turned away. 

He put the flower away in his sleeve as quickly as he could so he would no longer have to think about what Jiang Wanyin had just implied.

The silent laughter was no longer silent, though Jiang Wanyin was trying to disguise it by coughing.

He was glad to have had the opportunity to hear Jiang Wanyin’s laugh. 

What a happy sound.

He would like to remember this.

But, this was neither the place nor time that he wanted to hear it. 

He did not turn back to look at Jiang Wanyin. 

The laugh-cough eventually stopped.

“Okay, okay. Why don’t we continue? I haven’t finished showing you around yet.” 

He could still hear the amusement in Jiang Wanyin’s voice.

He nodded and waited for Jiang Wanyin to lead the way. 

As long as Jiang Wanyin does not bring this up again, he will accept this non-apology.

As much as he tried to avoid it, they were stopped several more times while Jiang Wanyin gave the tour. The amount of flowers in his sleeves grew. Thankfully, Jiang Wanyin remained silent every single time and did not speak of the ridiculous hypothesis of why the female Jiang disciples suddenly took interest in him. 

He did not join Jiang Wanyin in swimming every other time after the first day. 

Once was enough embarrassment for a lifetime. 

He did not want to think of what habits the female Jiang disciples have when it came to male Jiang disciples swimming. The growing pile of flowers in his guest room was enough reminder. 

Jiang Wanyin, on the other hand, seemed to need a swim just as much as one needed air to breathe. 

So on some days, Lan Zhan sat on a dock, watching as Jiang Wanyin took off his shoes and robes, leaving only his pants, before diving gracefully into the water without a splash. While Jiang Wanyin swam around to cool himself from the afternoon heat, he watched and appreciated the beauty of the Lotus Pier. And tried very hard not to stare too long at Jiang Wanyin.

Jiang Wanyin was so graciously showing him around and hosting him when it was Wei Ying who made the promise. He should not be behaving so disrespectfully around him.

He pushed that thought aside.

It did not help that Jiang Wanyin would often swim up to him with a relaxed smile on his face, holding up lotus pods and flowers to Lan Zhan. Waiting for him to accept the offering before diving down to keep swimming around again. 

Wei Ying was right.

The seeds do taste sweeter when it’s freshly picked from the pods.

Eventually, Jiang Wanyin would stop swimming and join him on the docks with more lotus pods, that he began to pick for seeds for himself. 

It was both harder and easier not to stare at Jiang Wanyin like this. 

Knowing he was right there. That the view was not blocked or hidden away by the water. But the action of turning would make it much too obvious and draw Jiang Wanyin’s attention. 

It was nice.

He wouldn’t mind spending all of his afternoons this way.

For every meal other than breakfast, Jiang Wanyin would bring him out of the gates of the Lotus Pier into the bustle of Yunmeng. So far, they have not had meals in a place they’ve previously visited the days before. There were many varieties of food, some seeming to come from different regions. There was even a restaurant serving foods that reminded him a little of home. 

He has had the chance to try many of the foods Yunmeng had to offer. 

He did not like a lot of them. 

Lan Zhan had begun to notice, after tasting and seeing one too many dishes with peppers and chilies, that Yunmeng’s preferred taste was pain. 

But, he did like a surprising amount. 

And after trying so many horribly painful dishes, he seemed to have unfortunately formed a slight tolerance to this pain. Not enough to actually enjoy most of the dishes Jiang Wanyin seemed to prefer, of course. Especially not with Jiang Wanyin’s preference for sourness. But enough that he began to enjoy some dishes, especially if there was sweetness to help him through the pain. 

The pile of gifts in his room continued to grow.

He asked Jiang Wanyin for other rules that Yunmeng Jiang has, but his question was simply brushed aside with a careless wave. 

“I’ll let you know if it comes up.”

He argued that he wouldn’t be able to follow the rules if he didn’t know what they were .

Jiang Wanyin simply rolled his eyes.

“Well I told them to you when it’s relevant didn’t I?”

He opened his mouth, ready to insist but Jiang Wanyin was still speaking.

“A lot of them are outdated or way too specific anyways. Besides, you’re a guest, I don’t really expect you to be following the rules all the time or whatever. Just relax.”

And with that Jiang Wanyin picked up his pace.

He huffed. 

Well, Yunmeng Jiang certainly didn’t have any rules against running, he was quite sure about that. He wasn’t sure he could agree with Jiang Wanyin’s statement about guests not needing to follow rules as strictly, especially when Jiang Wanyin studied Gusu’s rules and followed them almost perfectly. But his host was unwilling to tell him, and he wasn’t sure there was anything he could say or do to convince him to tell him. If he did break any rules, it didn’t seem like Jiang Wanyin minded. So perhaps, it was alright. 

It almost felt like courtship sometimes. Jiang Wanyin would show Lan Zhan to different stalls and shops, buy him whatever he found interesting, then he would later feel the need to repay Jiang Wanyin’s generosity with a gift of his own to give to Jiang Wanyin. 

He tried not to think too much about that.

Jiang Wanyin was buying something from the stalls again.

"Ah, no chillies for that one." He said, pointing at one of the bags the merchant was filling.

She paused, but did what he asked, handing the bags over, accepting the money.

"Here," Jiang Wanyin said, turning around, holding a bag out towards him. The one without chillies.

He took it, raising his brow at Jiang Wanyin.

"You like sweet stuff, right? This shop has the best candied fruits, try it. These are in season right now"

His ears flushed.

He didn't think Jiang Wanyin would notice.

He does have a preference for sweet flavors.

He took one of the fruit pieces out and took a bite. He couldn't tell what the fruit was, but it was very sweet. He liked it.

"Mn. Good."

The merchant thanked him for his comment and he nodded. Then followed Jiang Wanyin who had already begun to move away.

He looked at Jiang Wanyin’s bag.

It was very red from the chillies, but he could tell they were the same candied fruits that he had. Jiang Wanyin seemed to be satisfied with his bag of sweet spicy snacks. 

He wondered how it tasted.

He remembered enjoying his many meals with Jiang Wanyin, tasting spicy dishes that hurt him before washing it all away with a sweeter dish.

Jiang Wanyin held his own bag towards him.

Ah, he noticed.

"You want to try?"

He nodded and took a piece.

It was certainly more painful tasting than his own bag of candied fruit. But somehow very satisfying. He could understand the appeal.

"Delicious."

"You're just saying that because it came from my bag" Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes.

He looked down at his own bag, then held it out to Jiang Wanyin.

Jiang Wanyin startled, looking at his bag, then up at him. Before shaking his head.

"No thanks, those are too sweet for me"

This trip was enjoyable, as much as the other days they went out into the markets to explore. But perhaps it was too enjoyable for him today. Considering the many times he caught himself staring at Jiang Wanyin. Watching Jiang Wanyin sucked and licked his own fingers clean from the chillies that clung on to his fingers.

Definitely too enjoyable.

It seemed that even though Jiang Wanyin was tasked to show him around, that did not mean that his previously assigned tasks were distributed to someone else. 

On days that Jiang Wanyin had to train the younger disciples, he would come to find Lan Zhan first thing in the morning, even joining him for breakfast, to inform him that he would be occupied for the morning or afternoon. Sometimes even arriving early enough to catch him unprepared.

Unfortunately, his body has gotten used to Yunmeng Jiang’s schedule already, and had adjusted to waking up much later than he normally would have at home. 

Sometimes, on those days, he meditated, even though he knew Jiang Wanyin would’ve preferred that he went out to explore Yunmeng on his own. 

Personally, he didn’t see the point.

But most times, he simply nodded and followed Jiang Wanyin to where he was training the younger disciples. 

Jiang Wanyin didn’t seem to see the point of that.

Which seemed to be the reason why he often called him to spar in front of the disciples.

It fit right in with how Jiang Wanyin normally trained the disciples and it made him wonder if this was what would’ve happened if Wei Ying was not unwell. 

They did not spar for long, or very intensely. The main purpose was to instruct. He focused on keeping his form as clean as possible, perhaps one of the more talented ones will remember and use this knowledge in the future. After their demonstration, Jiang Wanyin would call out to the disciples, asking if anyone recognized all the forms he used during the spar. 

He noticed that a different disciple would answer every time. None seem to have been able to answer perfectly correctly yet. At which, Jiang Wanyin would begin to perform the sword forms he used during their spar again, while calling out the names of each form. 

Lan Zhan could see from where he stood how every single discipled stared with great intensity as Jiang Wanyin went the sword forms of their sect. 

He had observed, during their many sparring sessions, of how fluidly Jiang Wanyin moved from one stance to another. From offense to defense to dodging to charging. All in very fluid movements, constantly in motion. Not a single move was wasted. 

Without a sparring partner, his demonstration looked more like a graceful dance.

It was mesmerizing to watch.

Jiang Wanyin was supposed to be training the disciples this afternoon today, except that Jiang Wanyin had decided to change his mind. 

They had just returned from their tour of the different lakes when Jiang Wanyin had suddenly decided that he would find someone to take over the afternoon training session in his stead, walking decisively off. 

Lan Zhan almost stumbled to catch up to the change of speed in Jiang Wanyin’s steps.

Before he knew it, Jiang Wanyin was already talking to a female disciple. 

An ugly feeling grew inside him as he watched their relaxed posture while they talked.

“Are you sure? My cultivation level isn’t exactly-”

“You’re teaching them sword forms. You don’t need to have whatever level of cultivation you think you should be at right now to do that,” Jiang Wanyin said, rolling his eyes. “Besides, your sword forms are the cleanest besides mine and Wei Wuxian’s.” 

The female disciple laughed in response.

Jiang Wanyin smiled at her.

He looked away and waited for all of this to be over. 

“Okay, sure, fine! But you owe me!”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, thanks for covering me.”

He could hear steps, and turned to look.

Jiang Wanyin began to walk away from the female disciple and headed toward him.

“I want Aunty Luo’s candies! The spicy ones! Get me the extra large bag!”

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes and made waving gestures without looking back.

When Jiang Wanyin finally reached where he was waiting, a small smile flashed briefly across Jiang Wanyin’s face before disappearing.

“Okay, let’s go.”

There was something different about Jiang Wanyin here, in Yunmeng. He watched as Jiang Wanyin was pulled into a conversation with yet another merchant.

Jiang Wanyin behaved differently from how he remembered him. From his time in the Cloud Recesses.

His smiles came more freely, with an air of surety. His arms were crossed, as they usually always were. It should make him seem closed off, unapproachable. Yet, they had been stopped at almost every stall by either the merchants themselves or the customers standing by the stall. And every time, Jiang Wanyin would stop. He would converse with them, his body leaning ever so slightly towards whoever he was speaking to.

He seemed much more relaxed, and confident...

He turned away as he felt his ears heating up.

It's best that he stopped his pondering before it formed into a disgraceful thought.

That night, he sat by Wangji, plucking absent-mindedly at the strings as he thought about his time here in Yunmeng. 

Jiang Wanyin was… charming.

Upsettingly so.

He tried not to notice.

It was much easier when Wei Ying was providing much needed distractions.

Less easy when Wei Ying left, but even then, Jiang Wanyin mostly kept to himself or stuck to nhs. It was easier to avoid noticing Jiang Wanyin. Even if such a thing was impossible to do.

It was most certainly impossible to not notice how charming Jiang Wanyin was now that he was spending most of his time with him. Being guided around Yunmeng by him, getting introduced to local delicacies and traditions, seeing Jiang Wanyin interact with the people of Yunmeng.

Upsettingly charming.

Distressingly handsome.

Wonderfully surprising.

He let his hand brushed against his ribbon as he tucked his hair behind his ear.

'Self-restraint'

He reminded himself.

He did not find sleep until the very early hours of the next morning. 

“You know, to be honest, I feel like it’s a good thing that Lan-er-gongzi came to visit right now.” one disciple said

Lan Zhan was currently standing knee deep in mud, regretting not changing to the offered guest robes Jiang Wanyin handed to him this morning when he informed Lan Zhan that he would be busy working with Jiang-zongzhu today.

“Oh, oh, I know, right?” another eagerly answered.

“Right, right?” a third joined in.

Despite the fact that he was mentioned, he did not understand what the Jiang disciples were talking about. 

Jiang Wanyin had introduced him to an elder disciple who offered to stand in for him today as guide. Unfortunately the elder disciple was supposed to be taking some of the younger disciples out to practice their talisman work by refreshing the protection array at a nearby area. 

Which, unfortunately, required Lan Zhan to be standing knee deep in mud. 

“Are you guys just going to keep talking cryptically about Lan-er-gongzi while he’s literally right here in the mud with us?” the elder Jiang disciple said

A chorus of “sorry, Su-shixiong!” rang out.

Lan Zhan looked at him.

The elder Jiang disciple was leading their group [blah blah]

“Don’t mind them, Lan-er-gongzi. They’re always talking about at least three different things at a time, all of which either don’t make any sense or just don’t matter at all.”

He could agree with that statement. It seemed to be a trait of Yunmeng Jiang considering how Wei Ying and Jiang Wanyin often spoke in such a way as well. 

But still, he was curious.

“Why is it good that I visited now?” He asked. 

Right away, the three disciples that started the conversation immediately turned their heads towards him, with about four others stopping to look from the side of their eyes.

The elder Jiang disciple rolled his eyes. 

“Well! It’s so weird to see shixiong all alone all the time now!” one eagerly explained

He stared at the disciple. 

“Oh, he’s not like, alone alone, and it’s not like all the time, all the time.” another added, and two others nodded.

“Yeah! It’s just so weird to see shixiong without da-shixiong around!” a third added.

Ah. 

Because of Wei Ying’s injuries.

He nodded, agreeing with them.

They all nodded along with him.

“See? You get it! So it’s so much better when you visited! Now shixiong’s not talking to thin air because he forgot da-shixiong was injured anymore!” a disciple said.

Then someone poked roughly at that disciple’s ribs

“Mn.” he nodded.

He remembered Jiang Wanyin doing something similar after Wei Ying left the Cloud Recesses. He did seem unused to being alone. 

“Jiang Wanyin and Wei Ying are close,” he said.

“Right?”

“Right, right?”

“Sometimes they’re so close I wonder if there’s something more going on between them.” one disciple spoke up

He turned to look at that disciple.

Another disciple laughed.

“Right? Like there’s being close and there’s being close .”

“I swear if you guys don’t start talking less and doing more I am going to leave all of you to finish this up by yourselves.” the elder Jiang disciple said.

“Oh, come on! You think so too! There’s no way you don’t!” one argued

“Whether I think so too or not is my business, the point is that I don't go around yelling it out for everyone to hear.”

Suddenly everyone was quiet. All feeling reprimanded by their shixiong.

But now he had no choice but to think about what the disciples said.

He agreed that Jiang Wanyin and Wei Ying were very close, but it didn’t seem like anything unusual for him. There was deep trust between them and there was something comforting in that. Especially to be able to witness it. 

But the way these disciples spoke, implied of another kind of closeness.

He frowned at the unease he felt, gripping and squeezing at his chest. 

He would like to think if there was something to suspect, that Wei Ying would’ve told him. Considering that Wei Ying seemed to enjoy telling him everything about himself.

‘But what if this was something personal?’

Maybe there were things that Wei Ying wouldn’t want to share. With anyone. Except perhaps, Jiang Wanyin.

The Jiang disciples had seen and known both Jiang Wanyin and Wei Ying for much longer than he had, perhaps they did know something. 

He did not want to think about it. 

He did not like the implications. 

‘Do not make assumptions of others.’

He grazed at his ribbon as he tucked his hair behind his ear. 

He would not think about it. 

By the time they were all finished with the array, it was late afternoon and he had definitely spent too much time thinking about it . He was also completely covered in mud, head to toe, due to the fact that one of the younger disciples’ legs got stuck in the mud as they tried to move which made them stumble and grab on to him. Taking him down with them as they fell.

Perhaps the bath would clear his mind.

It did not.

Shixiong! Shixiongggg!” 

Jiang Wanyin turned around, looking for the source of the shouting. He turned too, to see a Jiang disciple running up towards them. 

“What is it?” Jiang Wanyin asked, his voice serious. 

He was glad that he had had the chance to spend enough time around Jiang Wanyin to notice the minute difference in the tone of his voice. Before, he would’ve thought that Jiang Wanyin was an impatient person, or an easily irritable one, to have sounded such a way when someone came running for his help.

The disciple stopped before them and breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. 

Jiang Wanyin waited silently.

Eventually, the disciple spoke.

There were water ghouls. Found in a village pretty distant from the Lotus Pier and far enough from the Yunmeng area to take a couple of days if traveled by horse. The village was about to send a request to the sect when the disciple passed by, on his way back from visiting his family. 

Jiang Wanyin nodded. 

“Gather the shidis. Might as well make this a practical lesson.” Jiang Wanyin ordered.

The disciple bowed and turned away, running off, presumably to find said younger disciples. 

Then Jiang Wanyin turned to him.

“I’ll go find Su-xiong and ask him to accompany you again.”

He blinked. 

Was Jiang Wanyin telling him that he was not allowed to come along with him?

Silence prompted Jiang Wanyin to continue.

“Since you’re not a good swimmer, and I’ll be dealing with the water ghouls while teaching my shidis how to deal with them, I’m not going to be able to watch out for you. In case anything bad happens.” Jiang Wanyin explained.

He frowned.

“I’ve dealt with water ghouls before,” he replied simply. 

Jiang Wanyin stared at him. 

It looked a little bit like how Jiang Wanyin would normally look at Wei Ying. 

Especially moments before Wei Ying did something humiliating.

He did not like the implication and frowned at Jiang Wanyin. 

“Lan Wangji,” Jiang Wanyiin said very slowly as if he was a particularly slow child, “I’ll be dealing with water ghouls the way we do it here. In the water. Where I will be swimming. Doing the thing you’re not very good at.”

He blinked.

Ah.

His ears heated up.

“And remember the rule I mentioned?” Jiang Wanyin asked.

He did not need to be reminded. 

But he also did not want to be left behind either. 

“I would like to watch,” he said. 

This time, Jiang Wanyin blinked. And blinked again. 

“Well, okay, fine. Don’t blame me if you get bored.”

And with that, Jiang Wanyin turned and walked away. 

He followed.

He had to admit that he did not expect Jiang Wanyin to dive right into the water as soon as they caught signs of the ghouls. He also hadn’t expected the other disciples to jump in as well. Some remained on the boats, holding the nets steady, like he was. Others had talismans ready in one hand, and a sword in another. 

He also had not expected Jiang Wanyin to suddenly surge up out of the water while throwing a water ghoul onto a boat with one arm, before quickly diving back down after seeing the disciple on the boat dealt with the ghoul.

He heard the disciples whooping and laughing. 

It seemed that Yunmeng Jiang disciples would always find ways to laugh even in a serious situation. Witnessing this really helped him understand both Wei Ying and Jiang Wanyin much better. 

He wondered if Jiang Wanyin would also be hooting and laughing along with the other disciples if he wasn’t in the water.

Jiang Wanyin came out of the water again, and threw two more ghouls into another boat.

Then he dove back down again.

“God, it’s so satisfying to see him do that.” 

Another disciple laughed.

“Right? He pops out and throws water ghouls at you like it’s no big deal,” the disciple said joyously.

“How does he even move like that?” A disciple said, sounding astonished.

“Unlike someone , shixiong doesn’t avoid getting in the water.” Another disciple said from a different boat.

It caused laughter to break out from several different boats.

Then a wet thumping sound, and another in quick succession.

“I did not bring you here for you to be laughing around,” Jiang Wanyin spoke and Lan Zhan could feel the strictness. 

He almost felt scolded too, even though he was not laughing. 

The scolding brought silence, and several “sorry, shixiong”s.

There were more wet thumping sounds from other boats, signaling that the other disciples that had joined Jiang Wanyin had also managed to capture water ghouls as well.

He looked to where Jiang Wanyin was. He seemed to be holding another disciple. 

He wondered if something had happened. 

If Jiang Wanyin carried both the disciple and a water ghoul up together. Two. Two water ghouls and a disciple. 

His ears heated up and he looked away. 

He checked to make sure if the barrier they had set up still remained strong, and it was.

And did not think about how the light reflected on the water droplets that clung onto Jiang Wanyin’s wet eyelashes. 

It would later occur to him that the disciple did not inform Jiang-zongzhu, only Jiang Wanyin. And how Jiang Wanyin easily arranged for the excursion and handled it while also managing the younger disciples. Then again, it only seemed natural that Jiang Wanyin was capable of such task and that the disciples here trusted his capabilities. 

Lan Zhan planned to leave Yunmeng tomorrow.

Fortunately, Wei Ying had fully recovered from his injuries. 

Wei Ying jumped into the lake with enthusiasm and splashed back up with just as much energy. 

Unfortunately, he also asked Lan Zhan to join him in the lake with the same amount of enthusiasm.

Lan Zhan refused.

He wouldn’t do it (again) with Jiang Wanyin, who have already seen , in the private area of the Lotus Pier. He most certainly wouldn’t do it here . Out in plain sight, under the bright afternoon sun, for everyone to see.

Wei Ying insisted. 

Lan Zhan told him that he was not very good at swimming.

“So? I’m good at swimming. If anything happens, I’ll be here! C’mon! Join me!”

He frowned down at Wei Ying. 

Wei Ying who knew how much he valued privacy.

“Wei Ying!” he whispered, “the rules!” 

“What rules? It’s just swimming! There’s no rules! Lan Zhan, just because you love rules and Gusu has three thousand rules doesn’t mean that you can just come here and make up a bunch of new rules. Are you homesick?”

Wei Ying, head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang sect who would definitely know the rules of the sect, both the written and unwritten ones. 

So if he said there are no rules...

“Ah! Jiang Cheng!” Wei Ying said, suddenly waving his hand very quickly while launching up out of the water before falling back down, only to launch back up again. 

Lan Zhan turned to look behind him. 

There Jiang Wanyin was, looking up and frowning fiercely in their direction. 

Presumably due to Wei Ying calling out for him.

He could still hear Wei Ying splashing in the water behind him when Jiang Wanyin seemed to have made a decision and began walking towards them.

“Jiang Cheng! Join me! Lan Zhan’s being a stick in the mud! At least help me convince him to join me?” 

Oh no.

“ Why exactly are you in the water? Didn’t you just get better? Did you want to get sick again? Stop slacking off! I’ve been covering for you this entire week!”

Oh, this was fine. Jiang Wanyin was focused on Wei Ying’s health and not the part about the invitation to swim. This was good. Lan Zhan would be fine as long as the two focused on that.

“Covering for what? Lan Zhan visited. I heard you’re the one that showed him around? What did you cover for me? In slacking off?”

“You!” 

“Me! In the water! C’mon, join me! Or at least push Lan Zhan in.”

He stepped away from the edge and turned to frown at Wei Ying.

Beside him, Jiang Wanyin scoffed.

“I’m not going to push him into the lake,” Lan Zhan could tell that Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes and he said that, “he’s a guest! Did you want a-niang to kill me!?” 

He heard rustling of clothes and turned to see that Jiang Wanyin was taking off his outer robes. 

He blinked. 

The two continued to bicker as they always seem to do, but all he could focus on was Jiang Wanyin, removing another layer until his top half was bare.

He blinked again. 

Jiang Wanyin bent down to put his robes next to Wei Ying’s before he turned. And looked at Lan Zhan.

He blinked at Jiang Wanyin. 

“Well?” Jiang Wanyin raised his eyebrow.

He blinked. 

“You know he’ll never stop complaining until you get in the water with him, right?” 

Yes, but you told me that Yunmeng Jiang has a rule in which the less good one is at swimming, the less clothes they’re allowed to wear in the water, but that rule clearly does not exist as Wei Ying did not seem to know of it and now you’re acting like that rule also does not exist despite you telling me such a rule exist. 

He said. With his eyes. As he stared at Jiang Wanyin. In the eyes, because he refused to make even more of a fool of himself in front of Jiang Wanyin.

It was probably too late for that anyways.

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes.

“Well at least take off your outer robes before you get in.”

And with that, Jiang Wanyin turned away and dove gracefully into the lake, without making a single splash. Just like he always did. 

He stared at the spot in the water where Jiang Wanyin disappeared under. 

“C’mon Lan Zhan! Even Jiang Cheng joined in!”

He sighed. 

Resigned himself to the fact that Jiang Wanyin was correct, and that Wei Ying most definitely would not stop asking him to join and most definitely would continue to complain if he did not. And began taking off his outer robes. Then another layer, and another, until his top half was bare, just like Wei Ying and Jiang Wanyin. Before joining them in the water.

Jiang Wanyin and Wei Ying splashed around playfully. Well, playfully by their standards. Lan Zhan hadn’t once seen a time when their playfulness wasn’t shown in such an aggressively touchy way. 

He chose to stay out of it. Observing the two Yunmeng boys in their native element. 

He’d also had too much to think about to join. 

Like the fact that Jiang Wanyin was clearly obviously making up rules to make him do things he normally wouldn’t be doing. 

Like swimming in a lake without any clothes. 

He should be upset that he's been made a fool of. But he wasn't.

He looked at Jiang Wanyin, who was still looking at him with a slight smile and what he recognized now as a shine of mischief in his eyes.

Then Jiang Wanyin splashed water at him. 

He blinked and flinched away. Bringing up a hand to inefficiently wipe the water out of his eyes, before turning to look at Jiang Wanyin again. Who was now being attacked by Wei Ying once more. 

Jiang Wanyin ducked and dodged smoothly out of the way as if he was meant to be in the water, lips stretched wide with his barking laughter at Wei Ying’s attempts. 

Distressingly handsome was most definitely an accurate description of Jiang Wanyin.

Because despite all that Jiang Wanyin did to tease and embarrass him, Lan Zhan found himself not minding it at all. Jiang Wanyin continued to laugh and Lan Zhan continued to watch him. If Jiang Wanyin wanted to make a fool out of him then a fool he would be. He did not mind being one if it resulted in such a smile and laughter. Let him be Jiang Wanyin’s entertainment. If it meant that he had Jiang Wanyin’s attention.