Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: I Have Acquaintances in the Heavenly Realm - Chapter 15

It was rare, but the next morning at the Hour of the Rabbit (5:00 AM – 7:00 AM), Wei Wuxian actually got out of bed. After washing up and getting ready with Lan Wangji, the two headed out.

When they arrived at the Hanshi, Lan Qiren was already there, sitting opposite Lan Xichen.

Lan Wangji bowed. “Uncle. Brother.” Wei Wuxian followed suit. “Master Lan. Zewu-jun.”

Lan Qiren turned to look at Wei Wuxian, his brow furrowing with evident displeasure. “Wangji, why did you bring him here as well?”

Before Lan Wangji could reply, Wei Wuxian immediately bowed again. “Master Lan, it has nothing to do with Lan Zhan. I was the one who insisted on coming. Zewu-jun has been kind to me, and I wanted to pay him a visit. Please do not blame Lan Zhan.”

Lan Xichen looked up at the two of them and gave a strained, gentle smile. “Wangji, Young Master Wei, you’ve come.” He then turned to Lan Qiren. “Uncle, I heard yesterday that Young Master Wei had arrived at Cloud Recesses, so I asked Wangji to bring him today for a visit. Please do not blame them.”

Lan Qiren looked at the standing pair, then at the seated Lan Xichen. “Xichen, you should rest well. I will come back another day.”

“Take care, Uncle,” Lan Xichen replied with a bow.

Lan Qiren nodded. As he rose and passed Lan Wangji, he paused. “Wangji, come to the Yashitsu in a moment.”

“Yes, Uncle,” Lan Wangji replied.

Lan Qiren spared one last glance for Wei Wuxian but ultimately said nothing more, swept his sleeves, and departed.

“Take care, Master Lan,” Wei Wuxian called out. Lan Qiren didn’t acknowledge him, walking straight out of the Hanshi.

Lan Xichen smiled and poured tea for the two. “Wangji, Young Master Wei, please sit.”

“Many thanks, Zewu-jun,” Wei Wuxian said.

“Young Master Wei is too polite,” Lan Xichen replied.

It had been several months since the incident at Guanyin Temple. Compared to their last meeting, Lan Xichen had grown much thinner. Though he still carried his trademark warm and gentle smile, it now held a touch of helpless melancholy. Fatigue was etched into his brow, and his eyes lacked their usual spark, as if he were perpetually lost in thought.

Lan Xichen looked at Lan Wangji. “Wangji, do not worry. Uncle will eventually accept things; he just needs some time. Do not be too impatient.”

“Brother,” Lan Wangji started, wanting to offer comfort but finding himself at a loss for words. He understood Lan Xichen as much as Lan Xichen understood him, but the heart’s knot can only be untied by the one who tied it. Jin Guangyao was not a good man; Lan Wangji believed his brother understood this in his heart.

Lan Xichen let out a sigh, looking down at the teacup on the table. “Wangji, I… I truly… A-Yao, he…”

“Brother,” Lan Wangji interrupted. “Jin Guangyao and Wei Ying are different.”

“I know, Wangji,” Lan Xichen murmured. “I just…”

“Brother!” Lan Wangji’s voice rose slightly.

Wei Wuxian patted Lan Wangji’s shoulder and shook his head, signaling him to stop. Lan Zhan really didn’t know how to comfort people; the more he spoke, the more depressing it got.

“Zewu-jun,” Wei Wuxian began. “To you, Jin Guangyao was a supportive friend. But he chose his own path and walked it himself. The final outcome is his own to bear; it has nothing to do with you. You shouldn’t blame yourself for it.”

Lan Xichen slowly lifted his head to look at Wei Wuxian. “If only I had known sooner, if only I could have stopped him… would A-Yao have gone so far down the wrong path?”

Wei Wuxian met his gaze with a firm look. “Though I am not Jin Guangyao, I must tell you, Zewu-jun—I’m afraid the answer is no!”

“Even if you had known and tried to dissuade him, he might not have stopped his plans. You should know what he cared about most and why he did everything he did.”

“It’s just like when I insisted on walking the ‘crooked path’ to save the Wen Qing remnant. Lan Zhan knew and tried to stop me, but I did it anyway for the sake of the justice I believed in.”

“Similarly, the things Jin Guangyao held in his heart, the plans he meticulously crafted for so many years… that was his goal. Do you truly think, Zewu-jun, that he would have given it up so easily?”

Lan Xichen buried his head in his hands, sounding pained. “I… I don’t know…”

“Zewu-jun, this truly is not your fault,” Wei Wuxian said. “You have no reason to feel guilty, nor have you wronged him. His end was a result of his own choices.”

“Then why…” Lan Xichen asked in a broken voice. “A-Yao, he could have killed me. We could have died together… why did he push me away?”

“I truly… even now, I can’t forget his final expression. I don’t know if I was wrong… if I…”

Wei Wuxian sighed softly. “Zewu-jun, you were not wrong. The fault lies with the secular world, and the fault lies with the human heart.”

Lan Xichen stared blankly at the floor, his expression unreadable. He looked utterly despondent, desolate, weary, and helpless.