Chapter Text
It is still raining very heavily when Lan WangJi reaches Lotus Pier.
The weather had forced him to travel the last part of the way by boat, and it has been a slow haul up the river in the rain, the downpour so heavy he can barely see anything. As a consequence he has been deep in thought for most of the way, remembering different times. It has been long enough that he no longer feels anguish when he thinks of Wei Ying, instead it is more of a dull radiating sadness that permeates his bones and makes them ache. What if. What if he had not gone back towards Gusu, after they were rescued from the cave of the Slaughter Turtle? What if he had accompanied a feverish Wei Ying to Lotus Pier then, as he had wanted to? What if, what if, what if?
When he falls into such thoughts at home, his brother tells him that nothing would have changed. Wei Ying would still have died, and Lan WangJi would probably have died too. Lan WangJi feels, deep in his bones, that his brother is wrong.
Before docking at Lotus Pier the crew pause to make offerings- to some local river spirit, Lan WangJi presumes. They have trouble getting the paper money to burn, though they link hands over it to try to get it to dry. Lan WangJi hums, and puts up a temporary shield against the rain to keep the little altar dry, and the flames fly up immediately. The paper curls in the brass bowl, and the crew bows their head in respect. Most of the passengers do too, without question, so Lan WangJi joins them. it never hurts to be respectful.
He comes off the boat and is immediately covered by umbrellas. The disciples of Lotus Pier have been waiting for the boat, and he is shielded on all sides by purple and silver. The taller disciples are carrying two umbrellas, one in each hand, to keep Huangang Jun, the Second Jade of Lan dry. They shepherd him towards the compound of buildings, every gate opening like magic before them, every sentry bowing until their face nearly hits their knees. He is an esteemed guest, here at the express invitation of Jiang Wanyin and Jiang Yanli.
He had heard when he boarded the boat that Jiang Fengmian is not at home, gone to discuss Sect Politics with Jin Guangshan, and that his wife for once accompanied him to Koi Tower to visit her old school friend. He had wondered then, and he still wonders now, why he had been invited with such urgency to Yunmeng in their absence.
Wei Ying used to boast of how beautiful his home was, and Lan WangJi regrets he cannot see more of it. The rain leaches the colour from everything, and Lan WangJi has to concentrate on his feet, anyway, rather than the buildings around him. It is very slippery underfoot, and he does not want to land tail up in front of the Lotus Pier disciples.
Once they get inside it is a different matter, Inside is bright, and warm, burnished wood, bright colours, and most importantly, towels, and a mat to wipe his boots on. He fends off the helping hands gently but firmly. He can dry himself. The disciples stand back respectfully, waiting for him clasped hands until he is satisfied with his appearance. Then he is led through a short maze of corridors, not into a reception hall, but into a long room that looks more like a family space. It is scattered with informal furniture and belongings, and it looks out over the river. The constant rain is a quiet noise in the background, and the air is scented faintly by oil diffusers. This is Wei Ying’s home, and it is very lovely, as he promised.
And here are Wei Ying’s siblings. Lan WangJi has not seen Jiang Yanli since she attended lectures at Cloud Recesses, but he always liked her then, and Wei Ying loved her, which means Lan WangJi is bound to love and protect her also. This is not difficult. She greets him with a smile of pure warmth and sunshine, and he is puzzled, not for the first time, as to why people disparage her looks. She has such a beautiful soul.
Wei Ying also loved his brother, but Lan WangJi finds that a more difficult legacy to uphold. Jiang Wanyin is like a porcupine, determined to be spiky and unapproachable. Lan WangJi has met him more often but likes him far less than his sister. Still, for Wei Ying’s sake, he will try.
“Welcome, Lan WangJi! It is so nice to see you again, after so long! Welcome to Lotus Pier. You honour us with your visit!” exclaims Jiang Yanli. For a moment, startled, Lan WangJi thinks that she is going to embrace him, and he steels himself, but instead she makes an emotional and expressive bow. Beside her, Jiang Wanyin copies her, but in a far more reserved manner
He bows in return to them both.
“Young Master Jiang, Young Mistress Jiang, you honour me with your invitation.” he says.
“Tea! You must be tired and famished after travelling in such weather! Please, sit, and take tea to warm up! Dinner will be no time at all, and you need not worry, I have not made it spicy! I remember how Gusulan takes their meals!”
“Wei Ying said that no one was a better cook than his shiije.” Lan WangJi says gravely, inclining his head.
Jiang Yanli makes a little gasp. The smile does not leave her face, but it wobbles, and she closes her eyes briefly, opening them again to show a sheen of tears. Her brother pats her back in a clumsy display of affection.
“A-Xian talked about you all the time.” she says, her voice a little husky.
“All the time.” Jiang Wanyin agrees, gloomily.
“He was very fond of you, Huangang Jun, which is why we ventured to ask…. but let us have tea first.” Jiang Yanli indicates the tea table, ushers him into taking his seat.
The tea is excellent, and Lan WangJi hums in appreciation. He sips it, allowing the warmth to fill him, to drive out the chill and the melancholy of the voyage. Wei Ying’s shiije has a favour to ask of him, it seems, and Lan WangJi will do his best to assist her. It is no time to be regretting the past. Lan WngJi has work to do.
“Lan WangJi, might I ask, were you able to bring your guqin, at all? I know it was impolite of us to ask, without giving you more explanation…” Jiang Yanli seems unusually anxious as to his answer.. He can remedy that.
Lan WangJi places his cup carefully, then turns, produces his guqin from the pouch in his sleeve. Both the Jiang siblings relax and Jiang Yanli lets out an audible sigh.
“That’s good, that’s good, although we could probably buy one, in town, if you had not brought your own… but yours is so beautiful, I’m sure it will be much more effective with your own instrument…” Jiang Yanli is chattering nervously now, twisting her hands in her lap and darting looks between Lan WangJi and her brother.
“Young Mistress Jiang, do you need me to play something in particular?” asks Lan WangJi, cautiously.
She takes a deep breath.
“The Lan Clan can communicate with spirits, can they not?”
Lan WangJi nods.
“Inquiry. And other songs to settle them, to help them to pass on.”
“No! We don’t want… that is… this spirit is not a problem, really. We don’t need to dispel it.” she shakes her head vigorously.
“We just need to ask it some questions.”
“Who did you need to speak to?” asks Lan WangJi. His fingers rest on the strings, move without thought to pluck a note even as he asks. The note hangs in the air, clear as a raindrops, and he feels … something… shift in the air. Something stirs. Something pays attention.
“Wei Wuxian.” said Jiang Wanyin.
“We need to talk to Wei Wuxian.”