Deferred Hopes and Midnight Dances [Chapter 4]

 

Chapter 4:

Wuxian went hurtling through the air, pain in his abdomen due to the hard kick he had received from the spiritual mass of stone shaped like a human that he and Wangji had successfully found and summoned forth.

It turned out that it wasn't a possessed bunch of rocks or a naturally formed malicious spirit. It was a curse.

From what the two cultivators had discovered, the young cultivator from Anyang was quite talented. And he wasn't just called to the Wen sect on a whim. Apparently the Grand Master, Wen Ruohan, of the Wen sect had fathered a secret child. The young cultivator was that child. And having discovered that, one of the sons of the Wen sect – either Wen Xu or Wen Chao...maybe both – had placed a curse on the young man because they didn't want anymore competition for the Wen throne.

And the curse was quite cruel.

Apparently the young cultivator's relationship with the Wen Clan didn't end with his future as a student there or as a legitimate heir to the Wen Clan throne. He had also been betrothed to the young Wen Qing, the female doctor who was a distant relative of the main sect of the Wen Clan.

Wuxian and Wangji both remembered the stern young doctor who had attended Wangji's Pairing Ceremony.

It was rumored that she and the cursed cultivator had shared quite a deep young love. So for added cruelty, the two Wen brothers' curse worked in such a way that he was cursed to feel less and less with each passing day. Until eventually the young cultivator could feel nothing at all, leading him to turn to stone. However, it seemed that there was some part of him that knew he had lost something and resented it so he tended to attack anyone who seemed to be young and in love now that he was no longer a living human being.

Wuxian groaned as he pulled himself back up from the hard ground where he landed. Cursed cultivators made entirely of stone packed quite a punch. He was beginning to wonder why he ever wanted to share an outing like this with Lan Zhan in the first place.

Seeing that Wuxian had just taken a hit, Wangji jumped into the air, his blue robes billowing around him and his guqin hovering in front of him. He landed in front of Wuxian, standing between the man he was courting and the imminent danger they were facing. Moonlight reflected off of Lan Zhan's robes, again making him seem like an immortal figure. Wuxian couldn't help but to stare in awe and then he remembered. This was why he wanted to face situations like this with Lan Zhan.

Fighting alongside the well-renowned Second Jade of Lan was an honor. Being protected by him was even better.

Wuxian smiled at Wangji's back as Wangji sent out a powerful note to subdue the agitated stone being. Wuxian snapped out of his admiration long enough to leap forward and subdue the cursed being with some of his talismans as well until the being was frozen where it stood – unable to move.

Wuxian dusted his hands before asking Wangji with a carefree attitude, “What should we do with him? Should we try to reverse the curse?”

“I don't think it's possible,” Wangji responded as he put away his guqin. He looked away when he saw that Wuxian was disappointed by that news. “The Calcifying Curse is difficult to reverse in the first place without permanent damage and he's been turned to stone for years. If he could be revived, it's likely that he would only be a shell of a person. Living dead.”

Wuxian fixed Wangji with a wide-eyed stare. “I'm sure you read that in one of your books, Lan Zhan. But...couldn't we try? There must be something we can do that's not in the books.” Wuxian's mind kept going back to the young woman he had glimpsed at Wangji's Pairing Ceremony. Just the thought of someone out there possibly waiting for her lover to return made him want to do more than just destroy this cursed being. That would solve the problem for the villagers, but it wouldn't solve the problem for that young woman. And if that wrong wasn't righted as well, he would feel as if he failed.

Wuxian didn't have to say all of that out loud for Wangji to know how he felt. He had noticed how sympathetic Wuxian had been when they had discovered the layer of the story that involved the two young lovers. Wangji felt a surge of warmth grow inside him at the thought that Wuxian wasn't just carefree and bright; he had the capacity to feel so strongly and selflessly about such things. He wished he could give Wuxian hope of there being a possibility of bringing the young cultivator back, but he didn't know of such things. If there was a way, it was probably forbidden since it would disrupt natural law.

Before either of them could say anything else, a sudden surge of resentful energy pulsed through the clearing and the talismans Wuxian had set blew away into the wind. It took only a second for the cursed man to rush toward Wangji with killing intent.

Wangji tried to leap from the ground to avoid him, but the cursed stone caught his ankle with its large, stone hand and brought him back down to wrap him in a tight bear hug of which Wangji couldn't escape. Wangji's arms were pinned to his side and he was surprised to find that he couldn't move them at all. Due to his training, he knew himself to be very strong so he figured this cursed cultivator must have overwhelming amounts of resentment to be able to restrain him like this. He struggled futilely as he felt the hard arms around his body begin to crush him so hard that he couldn't breathe. He felt that his ribs would crack at any second.

As Wangji struggled to breathe, Wuxian sprang into action and leapt into the air, marking the symbol for a destruction talisman, before coming down and pressing the symbol against the top of the stone's head. It continued to squeeze Wangji even as it cracked down the middle and began to disintegrate until, finally, it became rubble and then dissipated into dust.

The cursed cultivator was destroyed.

Wuxian rushed forward to help Wangji who had fallen onto one knee gasping for air. “Lan Zhan,” he said, his voice filled with concern. “Are you okay?”

Wangji assured him that he was with a nod, but he allowed Wuxian to help him sit back against a tree for a moment to catch his breath. He would probably have a few bruises on his ribs for a couple of hours, but it was nothing serious.

Wuxian forgot all about propriety and moved to pull up the hem of Wangji's robes and his pants leg to take off Wangji's footwear so that he could see his ankle. Wangji protested, but Wuxian paid him no mind as he got rid of everything that was blocking him from seeing the damage that the cursed cultivator had done to Wangji's ankle when he grabbed him.

There was already a large bruise developing that made Wuxian wince but, besides that, it looked okay. Nothing was broken.

“Lan Zhan~” Wuxian whined with his signature pout. Wangji looked on from the side, flattered to see that he was wearing it for him. “You should be more careful,” Wuxian continued. “What would it look like if my suitor died? No one would ever want to marry me again because they'd think I was cursed.” Wuxian carefully placed Wangji's high quality socks and footwear back on his foot, making sure not to cause him anymore pain as he continued to speak. “I wonder why he was so focused on you anyway. Your spell and my talismans should have kept him frozen for about a half hour. But something caused his resentment to spike.”

A sly smile that Wangji was quickly becoming to know meant trouble spread across Wuxian's face. “Could it be that he sensed your love for me, Lan Zhan? That's what he does, right? Sniff out lovers?”

Wangji's eyes widened for a split second before he composed his facial expression in just enough time to avoid Wuxian's teasing glance. He instead fixed Wuxian with a blank and icy stare which cause Wuxian's teasing smile to fall into an affronted frown.

“Fine, fine, fine,” Wuxian said. “I'll stop teasing you, Lan Zhan. Just don't silence me again, okay?”

They sat comfortably under the stars for a moment before Wangji spoke. “I'm sorry.”

“Hm? For what?” Wuxian asked, turning his body to face Wangji.

“You wanted to save him.”

“Ah. Yeah.” Wuxian tried to smile to reassure Wangji but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

“We'll do better next time,” Wangji said, wanting Wuxian's smile to stay bright.

“Mm,” Wuxian agreed. “Next time.”

* * *

Courting Wei Wuxian was exhausting. But it was also the most exhilarating thing Wangji had done in all of his sixteen years of life.

During the week, Wuxian goaded Wangji into sparring with him. It left them both tired out because neither could seem to best the other. The next day, he tried to trick Wangji into drinking alcohol with him in his room. Wangji tried to get his brother to punish the both of them – Wuxian for breaking the Gusu Lan rules and Wangji as a show of taking responsibility for bringing someone as wild as Wuxian onto Gusu Lan property – but Xichen had convinced Wangji to let it slide since they were still partaking in the Pairing Ceremony and it could be counted as an occasion of celebration.

When Wuxian pouted, Wangji bought him gifts. When he smiled, Wangji smiled with him...inwardly.

Wangji's days were buffeted along by Wuxian's whims and he surprisingly didn't mind it. Wuxian didn't seem to mind being courted either. Which was a little surprising to Wangji. He thought Wuxian would immediately rebel against the staunch ritual of the Pairing Ceremony and the boring Gusu Lan sect rules that he readily complained about but the mischievous cultivator seemed to be enjoying his courtship. When bestowed with attention and affection, the Jiang disciple became quite clingy and excitable. Ironically, much like a large puppy. Wangji mused fleetingly that maybe that was another reason why Wuxian and canine pets didn't get along; there wasn't enough time or attention to share.

He felt guilty towards Lady Ruwan because he always had to struggle to give her proper attention when his mind simply wanted to fast forward the afternoons to Wei Ying. He suspected she knew his mind wasn't with her because she would always fix him with an indulgent smile and offer to end their dates early. He was both grateful and sorry.

“Lan Zhan.”

Wangji and Wuxian were at one of Wangji's favorite places at Cloud Recesses, his place for healing and meditation – the cold springs. A waterfall rushed behind them in the distance while Wangji sat in the main lake area with his inner robes on. Wuxian sat on the banks having stated, “It's too cold in there. A spring is supposed to be warm. The Lan Clan is so weird; everything is backwards.”

To that, Wangji had responded that Wuxian could just as easily go back to his rooms. Wangji hadn't invited him out. They had already had their date earlier. Wuxian had simply chosen to follow an unsuspecting Wangji down here when he noticed the Gusu disciple walking somewhere when he had expected him to already be in bed going to sleep. He had tried to startle Wangji into making an expression but all he had earned was a few extra blinks from Wangji's eyes. He feared Wangji was becoming too used to his antics.

So seeing as he was already intruding, Wuxian had become quiet after Wangji's threat.

Until now.

“Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan!”

Wangji opened his eyes slowly. “Mm?”

“Have you ever kissed anyone?”

Wangji's eyes widened and his breath stuttered on a soft gasp. He wondered why Wuxian would ask something like that so suddenly and unprompted. He could only once again think that Wuxian was shameless. He, on the other hand, was not. So his ears burned a fiery red. “Intimacy before marriage is forbidden,” he stated curtly, not letting his sudden jump in heart rate show anywhere besides his ears.

Wuxian spluttered in indignation.

Wangji slid his eyes to look over at him. He was so noisy. Wangji wondered why irritation didn't come along with that thought.

“A kiss, Lan Zhan?!” Wuxian yelled. “A kiss is not intimacy! Intimacy is...the other stuff!”

Wangji didn't know what Wuxian meant by “other stuff” and he did not want to know. His mind stuttered at that when he realized he would be getting married soon and maybe he probably should start wanting to know. He didn't want to fail in his role of a husband when the time came. 'Should I start reading books about intimacy?' he wondered. He decided that he would ask his brother if they had any educational material about intimacy and the... “other stuff”...in their Gusu Lan library. He was sure they did. The Gusu Lan library was the most extensive and well-stocked among all of the clans.

“Lan Zhan!” Wuxian's voice continued to ring out around the mountainous clearing that was the cold springs. “You at least have to know how to kiss before you get married! Everyone does it! Come here. Let's kiss. I'll show you how.”

Wangji could no longer stop the shock he felt from flowing into the expression of his face. His eyes widened and he reflexively stood to get away when Wuxian entered the water with a loud splash. 'I thought the water was too cold for him,' he thought.

Wuxian emerged from the water with a wide grin and moved toward Wangji with a purpose even as he shivered and had his arms wrapped around himself to keep warm.

For the first time in his life, Wangji was terrified. No ghost, ghoul, or monster had ever struck fear into Wangji quite like this. So he did the only thing he could think to do...

He ran.

It was the most undignified and undisciplined the Second Twin Jade of Lan had ever looked. But he couldn't bring himself to care.

He tripped in the water, dousing himself from head to toe. Before he knew it, Wuxian was on him and pulling him up. And then there was laughter. Wild, bright laughter. And what was most surprising to both Wangji and Wuxian was that some of it was coming from Wangji's own mouth.

Laughter wasn't forbidden at Cloud Recesses but loudness and unnecessary noise was. So Wangji had trained himself long ago to keep all outwardly displayed emotions inside. That way, he wouldn't risk punishment.

But that night, under the moon, Wangji couldn't control the light, rolling chuckle that bubbled from deep within.

And his brother, Xichen, who had followed the sounds of Wuxian's loud voice to the cold springs and decided to place a muting spell around their general vicinity for privacy of the two smiled to himself in delight. He hadn't heard his younger brother laugh since their mother had died. It was nice to hear it again.

* * *

Wangji escorted Wuxian back to Wuxian's guest quarters after having used spiritual energy to warm up and dry themselves off.

They stopped in front of Wuxian's room and he lingered, waiting for Wangji to bid him goodnight and walk away. When Wangji turned to face him, he smiled, anticipating Wangji's words.

“Has Wei Ying ever kissed anyone?”

Those weren't the words Wuxian had been expecting. He hurriedly pushed aside his surprise and pasted on a falsely confident smile as hope surged through his veins. “Of course!” he said loudly. “I've kissed plenty of Yunmeng beauties. It's a very natural thing!”

What he had hoped, after that declaration, was for Wangji to realize kissing was no big deal. That it was something that was normal and expected – marriage or no marriage. But the result he got was much different.

What Wuxian had thought to be an expressionless face somehow shifted into something shuttered and closed. It must have been the eyes. Wangji's eyes had been warm and inviting all day; now they were cold.

Was Wangji...angry?

He didn't get a chance to ask because Wangji clipped off a quick “goodnight” before walking away, leaving a confused and pouting Wuxian behind.

* * *

“You idiot!”

Wuxian ducked a book that came flying from Mianmian's hand towards his head.

“What?” Wuxian asked, looking betrayed. He was ready to go back to Yunmeng. His sister was gentle. She never chucked things at his head. And, in Yunmeng, he had things to distract him from thinking about a certain expressionless cultivator who was also simultaneously surprisingly moody.

Mianmian sighed, exasperated. She knelt in front of Wuxian and snatched away the paper he was folding into origami so that she could have his full attention. “Lan Wangji is the peerless jade of Gusu. One of the Twin Jades! Pure, disciplined, untouched by basic worldly desires like the rest of us mere mortals. He is one of the most sought after eligible bachelors in the cultivation world!”

“Yeah, so?” Wuxian asked. It's not like Mianmian was telling him things that he didn't already know.

Mianmian pushed his forehead causing Wuxian to exclaim and whine at the rough treatment again.

“The respected Hanguang-jun does not want someone who's so careless with his affections! He wouldn't want the person he marries to have been kissing every beauty in Yunmeng and doing whatever else!”

Wuxian's eyes widened as he realized what Mianmian was trying to tell him.

“You probably just ruined your chances with him,” Mianmian continued.

Wuxian's face fell and the rest of his body followed until he was lying across the table in despair. That would explain Wangji's reaction. Wuxian kicked his feet. How could he have been so stupid? Of course Lan Zhan would want someone chaste. “I just wanted a kiss~” he moaned.

Mianmian sighed, wondering why she stayed on at Cloud Recesses just to take on a hopeless charge. “Okay, well...We'll think of something,” she said, rubbing her headache away. “We'll make Wangji feel guilty for judging you for your choices. Romantic curiosity is normal for guys your age and not everyone is as disciplined and restrictive as the Lan Sect.” She nodded. “Yeah. We'll go with something like that. He's a good guy; we can definitely get him with something like that. And I'm sure not judging is somewhere in those 3,000 rules of theirs so we can throw that in too. He'll forgive you in no time. It's not like you can change your past.”

“I have no past,” Wuxian said, pouting and casually running his finger along a swirl in the wood grain of the table beneath his head.

“What?” Mianmian asked.

“I have no past,” Wuxian repeated. “I've never kissed anyone before. I lied.”

Mianmian's mouth dropped open. And then she was mightily and irrevocably livid. Her charge was so idiotic that he had created a problem for no reason! Before either of them knew it, she leapt across the table to strangle Wei Wuxian.

As he coughed and fought for breath, Wuxian wished once again for home and his sister. Even Jiang Cheng was better than this.

* * *

Wangji stood under the falling leaves of a blue wisteria tree and contemplated what had happened the night before. The thought of other people embracing and kissing Wei Wuxian didn't make him feel good. He wanted to be the only one to experience what that was like.

What Wuxian's lips felt like...if they were as soft as they looked. Whether he let out little sighs and sounds while kissed. How tightly he held someone and how vigorously he kissed back. Was he as energetic with kissing as he was with everything else he did?

Wangji felt heat rise to his ears and he was glad he was alone.

“Wangji.”

Xichen's voice floated across the peaceful setting and Wangji panicked. He attempted to hide any evidence of what he had been thinking about from his face and he turned around.

“What's wrong?” Xichen asked. “You look flustered.”

Wangji pinched his lips into a thin line. His brother was annoying.

Having been caught feeling something besides the calmness desired of a Lan disciple, Wangji decided to unburden his mind of his honest thoughts. But it was a bit embarrassing so he chose to look downward instead of into his brother's eyes. “...How is it to kiss someone?” he asked.

Xichen's usual genteel expression gave way to surprise for a second before he recovered. This was a subject he never thought he would have the chance to talk about with his fililal, stoic, lovably uptight brother. It seemed that hearing his brother's laughter last night wouldn't be the last of his surprises. His lips lifted into a small smile and he clasped his hands behind his back. “Well...” he said. “It's pleasant when you're sharing it with someone you admire. Why? Is there someone you would like to kiss?”

Wangji took a short step back. He was mortified. He didn't respond to his brother's query because he didn't know how to.

Xichen couldn't resist the urge to tease. “Has Lady Ruwan asked you for a kiss?”

“No,” Wangji responded. He was sure his fingers would leave red imprints on his skin due to how hard he was clenching his fists.

Xichen held back a chuckle. Barely.

“Ah. I see,” he said. “Young Master Wei then.”

Wangji looked as if he was made of stone. It was almost as if he believed if he stood still enough his emotions and thoughts would still as well.

“...Wei Ying tends to make light of things,” Wangji said. “He was surely teasing.”

Xichen knew that, in his cautious way, Wangji was looking for reassurance. He offered it.

“Young Master Wei is quite playful,” Xichen said. “But I would think he's testing your boundaries rather than teasing you just for amusement. He seems a bit...chaotic. But he's quite purposeful. Don't you think?”

Wangji blinked slowly, considering his brother's words.

“Intimacy before marriage is forbidden,” he spoke again, cautiously.

“At Cloud Recesses,” Xichen stated. “Yes...it is.”

* * *

Wuxian rubbed at his sore neck as he walked along the trail towards the Jingshi. Mianmian had ordered him to go find Wangji immediately to try to salvage the damage he had done.

He rubbed his nose and thought about how he would do that. Mianmian's suggestion had been telling the truth. Of course, Wuxian could admit to himself that that would be the most direct solution. But if he admitted to lying, then he would have to tell Wangji why he lied. And he wasn't sure he could handle the embarrassment of telling Wangji he lied simply because he was desperate for a kiss.

He didn't even know why he was desperate for a kiss. All he knew was that he found himself glancing at Wangji's lips lately and wondering how they felt. And last night, Wangji had been under the moonlight, his long, black tresses trailing into the water and his white robes shimmering with an almost ethereal glow. Could Wuxian be blamed for wanting a kiss – his first kiss – to be from someone such as Lan Zhan?

Wuxian didn't think so. Anyone would have tried it. He had always bragged to Jiang Cheng that his lips were reserved for the greatest beauty in the land and well...

His eyes fell on Wangji standing under the falling flower petals of a wisteria tree.

Wangji was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

“Lan Zhan!” he called, unable to contain his enthusiasm whenever he saw Lan Wangji. He bounded forward and stopped in front of him.

“Running is forbidden in Cloud Recesses,” Wangji stated.

“Mm,” Wuxian hummed dismissively. “Lan Zhan~ You left kind of sudden last night so I-”

“You shouldn't seek me out.”

Wuxian stopped speaking as his stomach fell to his feet. Had Wangji given up on him? Was he out of the running for being his husband? He hadn't really been expecting it in the first place, but this was all so sudden. And Lan Zhan was so pretty. Had he really messed it all up?

“Huh?” he asked, unable to get past his confused thoughts to speak more than that.

“It's against the rules for you to visit me. I should be the one to seek you out. I'm the suitor.”

Understanding clicked in Wuxian's brains. Wangji was just reciting more of those ridiculous rules of his. “How am I supposed to know that?” Wuxian asked. Did they expect everyone who stepped through the gates of Cloud Recesses to absorb the rules all at once simply by breathing the air? “You didn't say anything last night.”

Wangji shifted and cleared his throat. He was embarrassed. Wuxian logged that in his brain under “Minute Tells of Lan Wangji”.

“What do you want?” Wangji asked, avoiding his eyes.

“I just wanted to apologize for last night,” Wuxian said. “If I said anything to upset you...”

Silence fell between the two of them as they looked at every object in the vicinity besides the other's face. Eventually, Wuxian spoke again.

“You know, I bet Lady Chan has kissed a few people herself. It's always the nice, quiet, gentle ones that surprise you.”

Wuxian glanced at Wangji only to see his eyes flash with an unknown emotion. Whatever emotion it was, it wasn't pleasant. It was cold. Wuxian pouted. Great. Now he had badmouthed Lady Chan Ruwan in front of Lan Zhan. The person who would probably end up being his wife. The person Lan Zhan probably cared most about.

“Wei Ying.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Wei Ying.”

“Yes.”

“Would you like to take a walk with me?”

* * *

The walk became a longer journey than Wuxian had been expecting. They rode their swords to the outskirts of Caiyi. And they now stood on a grassy mountaintop that overlooked the sea. Stars shone down on their heads. Wuxian tried hard not to think of how glowing Wangji looked in his white dress robes under the moonlight.

Ahh...Screw that. “Lan Zhan!” Wuxian's voice rang through the quiet mountains. He quickly adjusted his volume to a loud whisper. “Lan Zhan...You look so handsome in your robes. I'm going to have a lot of stories to tell the girls in Yunmeng when I go back. They're going to be jealous.”

Wangji abruptly stopped walking. Wuxian bumped into him and stumbled back as Wangji turned to look at him. Wuxian welcomed his stare with a bright smile.

“You're going to talk to girls?” Wangji asked, his stare frosty.

Wuxian hesitated with the ghost of a smile lingering on his face. Women were half of the population, so he had been planning to talk to girls when he got back to Yunmeng, yes. But from the way that Wangji asked him the question and stared at him with a slightly intimidating look, he wasn't sure if saying that was the best course to take. “Uhh...Am I not supposed to?” he asked. Maybe there was some Gusu rule that he wasn't supposed to talk to girls in Yunmeng while being courted by handsome Gusu clan disciples or something. He didn't know.

Lan Zhan's lips drew into a tight line. He looked away before saying, “It's almost time for you to go back.”

Wuxian nodded. “Mm.”

He was scheduled to go back home to Yunmeng in a couple of days. He was excited. He couldn't wait to see Yanli and Jiang Cheng again and tell them about everything that had been happening over here. He couldn't wait to tell them about Lan Zhan.

He stared at Lan Zhan, memorizing the way he looked underneath the moonlight. He was so upright and reputable that it was frustrating...So why did Wuxian feel like he wanted to wrap him up in a Qiankun pouch and take him back with him?

There was a high chance that Lan Zhan would marry Lady Chan Ruwan and then he'd become busy with the responsibilities and duties of a married diplomat in the Lan Clan. He would not have time to indulge Wuxian and his childish whims anymore.

Wuxian opened his mouth. The words “I'm going to miss you” were in his heart, but he couldn't bring himself to say them. It was a little embarrassing. He was shameless, but he wasn't that shameless. Not when it came to sentimental things.

Instead, he laughed. “You have to come visit,” he said. “I'm going to tell everyone that you said you're going to come visit, so if you don't, they'll all think you're a liar. You can't muddy your reputation like that, Lan Zhan.”

Lan Zhan nodded seriously. “Mm.”

“Is that an agreement?” Wuxian asked happily. “Are you coming to visit Lotus Pier?”

Lan Zhan nodded again. “Mm.” He would have to visit Lotus Pier in order to ask the Jiang Clan leaders for Wuxian's hand in marriage.

Wuxian started rambling excitedly about all of the things he would show Wangji when he got there. Wangji wasn't listening. He was too busy looking at Wuxian's lips.

He stepped forward.

“Huh? Lan Zhan, what are you doing?”

He watched the smile slip off of Wuxian's face as he took two more steps closer. They were almost chest to chest.

Lan Zhan raised his gaze to meet Wuxian's eyes.

“Intimacy is forbidden at the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Zhan said. Wuxian's brows furrowed in slight confusion. “We aren't at the Cloud Recesses.”

Wuxian's mouth fell open into the shape of a small 'o'. Wangji's ears burned red, but he continued to hold eye contact. Wuxian was impressed. Who knew the peerless Second Jade of Lan could be so forward? And Wuxian was supposed to be the shameless one!

Lan Zhan's directness caused Wuxian to feel shy. He was about to step back and laugh the whole thing away, but Lan Zhan leaned forward. And before he knew it...Lan Zhan was kissing him.

It was a chaste kiss under the moonlight, but Wuxian's heart pounded in his chest as if he had just run 100 miles with no golden core.

To be Continued...