[♪♫♬]

[one_note]

[after Yi City and the second time Wei Wuxian gets Lan Wangji drunk, it takes about a day for them to reach the Garden of Annual blossoms. this curious incident takes place in the space of that day.

outside of appeasing the corpse pieces they've been collecting each night, it's not uncommon for Lan Wangji to take the time to practice on the guqin. he doesn't play entire songs, since he's not trying to interact with any spirits at the moment, but safely broken-up sections of Inquiry and Empathy (was Empathy always a musical technique? it is in this timeline, shut up) and the other songs he uses for battle hum through the walls of the rest stop they've paused at on the road.

it's partway through a passage of Empathy that there's a notable shriek of strings, and then silence; when Wei Wuxian goes to check, he'll find Lan Wangji half-collapsed over the instrument, his breathing harsh and a strange fluctuation of energy around him.

a qi deviation...? oh no.]

Comments

[weiyingdown]

Hmm. I'll have to ask him to make flower crowns with me sometime, in that case.

[glancing towards the east again]

Are you staying put too? All of you have a perfectly good Jingshi that's empty, you know.

[one_note]

...it is not empty.

[weiyingdown]

It's not? There weren't any Lan Zhan's in there when I was there...Maybe I just missed him. I'll go back and check. Does that mean you're staying here?

[one_note]

...it is...our place.

[weiyingdown]

Alright. I won't push it anymore then. Make sure to listen to your elders!

Except your uncle, you don't have to listen to him.

[one_note]

[he makes a tiny discontented sound.]

[weiyingdown]

[tilting his head]

What?

[one_note]

...backtalking elders...is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses.

[weiyingdown]

It shouldn't be if they deserve it!

[one_note]

[FROWNS AT HIM]

[weiyingdown]

See? I'm your elder right now, and you're frowning at me like that.

[one_note]

Wei Ying...not here.

[weiyingdown]

[startles at being called that by tiny Lan Zhan. it's enough to make him relent.]

You knew what you were getting into when you let me in here. But I'll stop, okay? I'll go before I give you any more trouble.

[giving Lan Zhan one last fond pat on the head and glancing around for his rabbit guide]

[one_note]

[it's occupied itself eating some of the nearby foliage, but it's still close!]

[weiyingdown]

[goes over to scruff it and heads off east without another look at little Lan Wangji. if he looks back...he'll just want to stay longer...but he promised he'd fix this qi deviation, so he has to keep going.]

[one_note]

[it's not long before the white roads appear again -- one back the way he came in Grief and one leading back up, as promised]

[weiyingdown]

[sets the bunny down]

Do you think there's anything worth worrying about if we go up?

[if down was bad, up is probably?? good?? he's curious enough that he'll probably check it out anyways, but, the rabbit's opinion counts for something.]

[one_note]

[it stares at you, grass sticking out the side of its mouth, then hops on the path, then hops off it again

it is only a small creature. it is doing its best.]

[weiyingdown]

I didn't need your opinion anyways.

[HE TAKES THE HIGH ROAD. the uh, literal high road.]

[one_note]

[back to the Jingshi level, or further up past it...?]

[weiyingdown]

[further up past it! he was told* that the Jingshi wasn't empty so he needs to go back there later to find another Lan Zhan. but that's later. right now he's looking for something new.

*he assumed]

[one_note]

[up, up, and the mist slowly clears. up, up, and he's walking in sunlight. up, up, and he reaches a plateau on top of a mountain, brilliant with flowers and replete with rabbits. there is a stream, bright and winding, that spills over the edge. only peace, here.]

[weiyingdown]

[it's hard to think that there's anything wrong here that deserves his attention. and there might not be. it doesn't stop him from wandering over to the rabbits]

Don't tell me it's just rabbits up here.

[laughitoff]

[from behind him]

Well, wouldn’t that be just like our dear Hangguang-Jun?

/4

[weiyingdown]

[YELLS]