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Wei Wuxian was hiding in the shadow of a young tree that clung to the imposing outer wall of Cloud Recesses. The moon was floating behind the clouds, blurring the sharp outlines of tiled roofs into vague looming shapes. A gong sounded from a far-off tower, signalling the start of yin shi. He had to move: the whole crazy sect would be awake at the ungodly hour of mao shi, and Wei Wuxian had no wish to be caught by Old Man Lan or his minions.
“Climbing is easy enough,” Wei Wuxian said to himself, “the tree will help. But if they spot me, I am in trouble. I need to throw them off the scent somehow…”
Suddenly, he had an idea. He rummaged inside his robes and fished out a couple of unfinished talismans and a cinnabar stick. Back in Lotus Pier, he had spent a lot of time trying to figure out a talisman that could change one’s appearance. If he had succeeded, he would have endless opportunities for fun and mischief, not to mention the priceless chances of escaping Madam Yu’s eagle eye. Wei Wuxian had never managed to make the illusion stable enough though. But now, he had an inspiration.
“If I make myself look twenty years older, I'd be what? Thirty-five? Nobody will ever recognise me! Jiang Cheng, Nie-xiong and I will get to drink Old Man Lan’s health tonight after all, however long his list of rules is!”
It was hard to see his own scribbles in the dark, but adding more light would be too risky, so Wei Wuxian did the best he could. He activated the talisman with a flicker of qi before tucking it safely inside his robes again.
***
When Wei Wuxian came to, he was lying flat on his back. Branches were swinging above his head: from his prone position the tree seemed much bigger somehow. The moon was gone, and the outlines of the wall and roofs were hardly visible in the twilight. Wei Wuxian gingerly picked up the three jars of Emperor’s Smile he had brought from Caiyi, still tied together with a string. He hung them over his neck to keep them safe and began to climb.
The sprawling tree branches allowed him to scale the wall without any trouble. When he was nearly at the top, Wei Wuxian pulled out the jade token he had been given as a guest disciple. The jade glowed faintly as it sensed the protective wards that surrounded Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian felt a flow of qi which tickled his lower dantian in a weird way. He had no memory of crossing the barrier earlier, when he had entered Cloud Recesses with the other Yunmeng Jiang disciples or when he had snuck out to Caiyi. But now it felt like an invisible spark travelling through all of his meridians.
“They probably open the barriers at the gates but keep the wards up on the walls,” Wei Wuxian thought. The qi emanating from the barrier felt strange, but he had no time to think about it.
Wei Wuxian stepped over the wall and breathed out. Everything was still and silent. He was about to jump down and melt into the mist when he heard a quiet but resolute voice calling after him:
“Master… Jiang?”
A tall white-clad figure stepped out of the mist. It was hard to make out the face in the dim light, but the expression of the inquisitive eyes under the forehead ribbon was clearly one of bafflement.
Wei Wuxian could not figure out if his talisman had worked or not. The unknown Lan guard had spotted his purple robes even in the dark, but it was unclear if he was seeing a fifteen-year-old disciple or a grown-up cultivator. Wei Wuxian decided to bluff and pretend he was someone important.
“Yes, I have an urgent message for Jiang Ch… Wanyin. Can you show me the way to the guest quarters?”
The young Lan cultivator gave him a look of extreme suspicion, and Wei Wuxian’s spirits sank.
“It is forbidden to enter Cloud Recesses during nighttime. You will have to climb back down and enter through the main gate at mao shi. Then it will be my pleasure to escort you to see Jiang Wanyin.”
Wei Wuxian did not like the subtle undertone of… gloating? in the man’s voice. The Lan guard took another look at him and asked:
“What have you got there?”
Wei Wuxian decided he had nothing more to lose, so he gave the cultivator his cheekiest grin and replied:
“This is Emperor’s Smile! I can share it with you if you pretend you never saw me!”
“How dare you!” the Lan cultivator's voice was full of righteous anger. “Alcohol is prohibited in Cloud Recesses!”
“Why don’t you tell me what your sect doesn’t prohibit?” Wei Wuxian asked waspishly.
“Everything that is allowed is recorded on the Wall of Discipline, the other cultivator retorted. “Young master still has a whole sichen to read through the rules. Then he will know what is allowed and what is prohibited and what punishments are prescribed for breaking the rules.”
“I can’t be bothered to read it all in the dark! How about having a drink together instead? As a sign of friendship between our sects?”
“Friendship between our sects?” young master Lan repeated. “Friends should at least introduce themselves first.”
“Of course, the young masters of Gusu Lan are so polite that they won’t drink with just anyone!”
Wei Wuxian unstoppered one jar and passed it on to the other youth. He grabbed it automatically without bringing it to his lips.
“Well, let me introduce myself! I am Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian, first disciple…”
“Hilarious!”
Wei Wuxian stared. The Lan cultivator’s face was now red, and his hand was inching towards the hilt of his sword.
“You know what, I think I’ll do exactly as you ask. I’ll take you to Sect Leader Jiang. Then you won’t have to worry about the punishments of our sect any more.”
The Lan disciple was definitely gloating now. In Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian had spent endless hours listening to how impeccably civil and serene the young masters of Gusu Lan were. Clearly, either Madam Yu was prone to wishful thinking or he had the luck to meet the only exception to the rule.
“Wait, did you say ‘Sect Leader Jiang’? When did he get here? Did something happen?”
“You can tell him yourself since you have an urgent message for him apparently. That is, if you are really quick and manage to speak before he gets Zidian out.”
“Zidian?! Do you mean that Madam Yu is here too? Did she come with Uncle Jiang? Young Master, please, slow down and tell me everything! Jiang Cheng and I have only just arrived…”
Wei Wuxian clutched at Suibian, not drawing the sword but holding it in front of him in a protective gesture.
Young Master Lan drew back as if stung. His face went deadly pale. He gave Wei Wuxian a wild look and then stared at the wine jar, as if only just remembering that he was still holding it in his hand. Suddenly he threw his head back and took a long swig of the wine.
Wei Wuxian burst out laughing.
“Now we are talking! Looks like these rules are a pain in the backside for you Lans as well! I think we’ll be really good friends, Lan-xiong!”
Young Master Lan wobbled, waved his arms comically, and tumbled down from the wall like a kite shot through with an arrow. Wei Wuxian had to dart after him to try to cushion his fall.
Unfortunately, the hapless Lan disciple chose to fall down the side of the wall that was outside Cloud Recesses. For an instant, Wei Wuxian felt that strange tingling again when they went over the protective ward, and then the two young men landed in a heap under the same tree where Wei Wuxian had just attempted to fix his useless talisman.
Wei Wuxian was afraid that Young Master Lan had been injured by the fall, but when he placed him carefully on the grass under the tree, his companion was fast asleep and snoring gently. He could not believe Gusu Lan disciples were such lightweights!
Wei Wuxian sat still for a bit, trying to figure out what to do next and how to avoid the inevitable punishment if Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu had in fact come to Cloud Recesses. He decided he had no choice but to make for the main gate and call for help, when his arm was caught in a tight grip.
“D-don’t move!” It looked like Young Master Lan had woken up. “I have to defe… refer… report you! How did you cross the barrier?”
“What do you mean how? I have a token, see!” Wei Wuxian tried to talk some sense into his unfortunate drinking companion. “We’ve all been issued with them. And by the way, what’s the deal with your wards? They got me all tingly.”
“They are g-great wards! They were set up by Ha…Hanguang-jun himself, and Teacher Lan, and… well… (Master Lan giggled and poked Wei Wuxian's arm) you-know-who! But hush, it’s meant to be a secret! But there’s something else: how did you manage to impersonate Sect Leader Jiang? What are you playing at?”
Young Master Lan gripped Wei Wuxian’s wrist with renewed force. His mind was clearly confused by the wine, and now he was approaching the angry phase. Wei Wuxian believed himself to be the expert on different stages of drunkenness, and he was proud of his ability to calm down even the wildest drunks in Lotus Pier.
“All right, all right, I’ll tell you everything! I am really from the Jiang clan, I swear! Just look at my robes!” Wei Wuxian waved his purple-clad arm in front of Master Lan’s bloodshot eyes. “I have a clarity bell here, see. You can call me Young Master Jiang, as long as Madam Yu doesn't hear! And here’s my sword, it was a gift from Sect Leader Jiang. Do you know what it’s called?”
“Whatever…” muttered Young Master Lan.
Wei Wuxian was just about to launch into telling the story of his sword: he knew it always made a great impression on new listeners. But his companion’s eyes had fallen shut again. He fell back and began to snore.
***
Wei Wuxian gazed on the increasingly visible wall in desperation. It was getting close to mao shi. Wei Wuxian decided to wing it.
“If I fail, I’ll just drag him to the gates and hand myself over, come what may.”
He hid the two miraculously surviving jars of Emperor’s Smile under the roots of the tree, unsheathed Suibian, hoisted the unresponsive body of the young Lan over his shoulders, held the jade token fast between his teeth and sent his sword up.
This time, oddly enough, things seemed to go well. He felt the familiar jolt of qi when he crossed the barrier, but no more unpleasant surprises followed. He glid over the wall and landed gently on the other side. Flying on swords inside Cloud Recesses was strictly prohibited. He needed to drag the hapless Master Lan back to the guest quarters and hope for the best.
Unfortunately, he did not quite achieve the Yunmeng Jiang motto this time. Wei Wuxian thought he remembered the way to the part of Cloud Recesses where guest disciples were housed, but his memory was playing tricks on him again. The well-maintained paths seemed to criss-cross and meander around buildings he had no recollection of. Young Master Lan began to stir on Wei Wuxian’s back, making it harder to walk.
“Young Master, have you lost your way?”
Wei Wuxian swore under his breath. Before him stood another young cultivator from the Lan clan, impeccable in his white robes, entirely sober and brimming with good intentions.
“I… Yes, I am sorry, I am new here. Could you show me the way to guest disciple quarters, please?”
The young Lan was about to answer when he noticed the burden that Wei Wuxian was carrying. His expression immediately shifted from polite to alarmed.
“Jingyi! What happened?”
Lan… Jingyi (Wei Wuxian had finally learned his name!) slid down from Wei Wuxian’s shoulders and swayed a little, as if trying to fight off nausea, and still holding on to him with one hand.
“Sizhui!” There was a note of delight in Lan Jingyi’s voice that only truly drunk people could achieve. “This is Master… Jiang. My token flared up but something was wrong. I went to investigate and found him on the wall.”
“Yes, mine lit up as well, but I was busy with the discussion conference preparations and had no time to check. Looks like something’s wrong with the barrier. We have to remember to tell Senior Wei when he and Hanguang-jun get back.”
Senior What?! Wei Wuxian opened his mouth but didn’t get a chance to speak. Lan Jingyi went limp again and slumped against him. It was time to come clean.
“Young Master Lan. This unworthy disciple brought liquor into Cloud Recesses without permission and offered some to Lan Jingyi when we met on the wall. He only took one sip though…”
Lan Sizhui frowned.
“Lan Sect disciples are not accustomed to alcohol. I would have thought everyone in Yunmeng Jiang was aware of this. Young Master, I have never seen you in Lotus Pier before and I don’t have the pleasure of knowing your name.”
“I haven’t seen you in Lotus Pier either, Lan… Sizhui? My name is Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian. I am First Disciple of the Jiang Sect and I would definitely have remembered such a perfect little Lan!”
At these words, Lan Sizhui’s open and kindly face shuttered, his polite smile giving way to a cold and inscrutable mask.
“I don’t know what gave Young Master the idea to pick that particular name, but I assure you it was an ill-advised decision.”
“What’s wrong with you people! Your Lan Jingyi stared at me like I was a fierce corpse when I introduced myself! Your own Old… Teacher Lan greeted us all here just yesterday! Please take me to Jiang Wanyin, and he will confirm that I am exactly who I say I am!”
“Jiang Wanyin?” repeated Lan Sizhui, as if in a trance.
He drew a talisman from his sleeve and placed it atop the unconscious Lan Jingyi’s chest. His body immediately floated up and away towards the neighbouring buildings, as if supported by invisible hands.
“How did you do it? Show me!..” Wei Wuxian was cut short; Lan Sizhui touched his waist lightly, and his arms immediately hung limp and useless along his sides. He had heard of the silencing spell the Lan used, but he did not know they were able to immobilise the top half of one’s body like that.
“Please follow me,” Lan Sizhui said in a perfectly calm voice.
Wei Wuxian realised that resistance was futile and trailed after him like a captive.
***
They walked past many elegant buildings until they finally reached the doors of the library, which the guest disciples had been shown the day before. Wei Wuxian was glad to finally see a familiar building, but something was wrong.
“There was a magnolia tree here yesterday, a great big one! Did you cut it down overnight? Or have you got more than one library?”
Lan Sizhui said nothing but shot him a very unsettled look.
Suddenly, they were stopped by a young man wearing rich golden robes, with a very familiar haughty expression on his pale face. Without any preamble, he stuck his finger into Wei Wuxian’s chest.
“Who the fuck are you? Why are you wearing these robes? Sizhui, who is that?”
Wei Wuxian’s patience snapped. He had not had any Emperor’s Smile, and instead of a pleasant evening with his friends, he had to spend half the night wrangling Lan Jingyi and dealing with his uncooperative clan brother. This arrogant prick from Lanling Jin was too much.
“Hands off, peacock! I can’t say I remember you either, but I know exactly who you are. It’s pathetic how much you try to copy your precious Jin Zixuan - even your sword looks like his! Learn some manners before you approach anyone from the Jiang Sect!”
Wei Wuxian was cut short again. All at once, he felt his lips being sealed by that silencing spell of the Lan, and his cheekbone exploded with pain as Young Master Jin’s unexpectedly heavy fist connected with his face. If he hadn’t spent his childhood in scraps with Jiang Cheng and other Jiang disciples, it would have really hurt.
Lan Sizhui quickly inserted himself between Wei Wuxian and the Lanling peacock.
“Jin Ling, please control yourself. I am taking this young master to see Sect Leader Jiang, but I think you should come along as well. Do you know where he is?”
The peacock - Jin Ling - clearly made a huge effort to stop himself from punching Wei Wuxian again.
“You! You!!!... Yes, all right, I saw him entering the Lanshi.”
***
In a sullen group, they continued to walk towards Old Man Lan’s residence. Wei Wuxian’s cheekbone was throbbing. He had hoped that Jiang Fengmian would take pity on him and would not punish him too severely, but he was not holding his breath if Madam Yu and the Jins were involved. He had spotted the tall figure outside the Lanshi from afar, but something about Uncle Jiang was not quite right…
The fragile silence shattered.
“WEI WUXIAN!!! What the hell…”
Lan Sizhui moved as fast as he could without actually running towards Sect Leader Jiang, who stood still as a statue. Was that… Jiang Cheng? Yes, it was definitely Jiang Cheng, although he looked like an older man wearing the Sect Leader robes. His face was dark-red, and he was fiddling with a sparkly purple ring on his finger.
“Playing your dirty tricks again, are you?! Young Master Lan, you have one chance to tell me what the hell is going on here, before I start making my own inquiries. Be brief!”
Lan Sizhui whispered urgently to one of the Lan disciples flanking Jiang Cheng, and they went back to the Lanshi. A few moments later, Lan Qiren strode out. He at least looked exactly the same as the day before, when he had greeted the newly-arrived guest disciples and explained their responsibilities to them.
Lan Qiren’s gimlet eyes were boring into Wei Wuxian. A vein was pulsing in his temple. It seemed like the venerable teacher had temporarily lost his famous gift of speech.
“Wei Wuxian! Why…” Lan Qiren looked around, taking in all the assembled cultivators until his eyes stopped on Lan Sizhui. “Sizhui! The discussion conference starts in less than a sichen. It’s no time for pranks. I thought… he and Wangji were away on a night hunt. Where is he?”
“Who's Wangji?” Wei Wuxian asked suddenly. He did not get a response, but everyone looked even less friendly than before.
Lan Sizhui stepped out into the middle of the courtyard and bowed deeply towards Lan Qiren, Jiang Cheng and, for some reason, the Jin peacock.
“Teacher, Sect Leader Jiang, Sect Leader Jin. Please let me tell you what happened: this seems to be a sensitive case. This young master (he pointed at Wei Wuxian) attempted to get into Cloud Recesses by using one of the jade tokens given out to guest disciples. Lan Jingyi confronted him, and he said his name was… (Lan Sizhui faltered but bit his lip and went on) Wei Ying, courtesy name Wuxian, and that he was First Disciple of the Jiang. He asked to be taken to Jiang Wanyin.”
“What the fuck!” Jin Ling blurted out.
“Where is Jingyi?” Lan Qiren cut in, shooting him a baleful look.
“I sent him home,” replied Lan Sizhui sheepishly. “The young master… offered him some liquor, and Jingyi got inebriated. The young master helped him get back into Cloud Recesses, and I found them near the library. He just needs to sleep it off.”
“Right, shall we try Zidian first?” Jiang Cheng was smirking, but his eyes were cold. “If it’s some imposter, the disguise will break, and if it’s his own idea of a prank, he won’t be any worse off for a little lesson. Shall I give it a go now?”
“Sect Leader Jiang,” asked Lan Sizhui earnestly, “please forgive this disciple his impudent question, but have you crossed the boundaries of Cloud Recessess this night?”
“Of course not!” barked Jiang Cheng. “We only just got here, where would I go? Did you think I’d run off to Caiyi for some wine, like twenty years ago?”
Twenty years ago! Twenty years ago!!! Wei Wuxian’s heart was caught in an icy grip. Jiang Cheng wearing the robes of a sect leader… The unknown peacock who Lan Sizhui addressed as Sect Leader Jin… And that magnolia tree…
Lan Sizhui was silent, then seemed to find his resolve and looked Jiang Cheng straight in the eye.
“The protective barriers around Cloud Recesses give a signal when they are crossed by any of the sect leaders. Senior W… the Yiling Patriarch helped to design them so that they react to the qi of individual cultivators. Early this morning, we got an alert that Sect Leader Jiang crossed the barrier… three times.
“What’s Uncle got to do with it?!” Jin Ling blurted out, but then he seemed to remember something, flushed bright red and fell silent. All the people present stood with their eyes downcast, not saying a word. Only a couple of Lan disciples were following the proceedings with unbecoming curiosity. Zidian in Jiang Cheng’s hand flared up brightly and went dim again.
Lan Qiren was the first to recover. He cracked his knuckles, grimaced with a corner of his mouth and turned to Wei Wuxian.
“Are you… Wei Ying?”
Wei Wuxian nodded. He had no idea what was going on.
“Please tell us everything you remember, starting from last night,” Lan Qiren asked in an unexpectedly soft tone. “And don’t forget that lying is forbidden in Cloud Recesses.”
Wei Wuxian sighed and scowled. There was nothing for it.
“My name is Wei Ying, courtesy Wuxian, First Disciple of Yunmeng Jiang. Jiang Cheng - my Jiang Cheng and I, and our other disciples came here to Cloud Recesses for the lectures a day ago. Last night, I tossed and turned and couldn’t sleep anymore, so I went down the mountain to town and bought three jugs of Emperor’s Smile. It’s the best wine, they don’t make it in Lotus Pier.”
He grinned half-heartedly and was surprised to see an answering smile on Lan Sizhui’s face.
“I wanted to disguise myself so I wouldn’t get caught. I had an unfinished talisman, and I thought if I made myself look twenty years older then I wouldn’t be recognised…”
“Heavens, what an idiot!” Jiang Cheng muttered, his voice entirely recognisable now. “You had a talisman to make yourself twenty years older?”
“I did,” Wei Wuxian agreed, “only it didn’t work. I don’t think it would have worked anyway, since I recognised you at once! But I climbed up on the wall and was about to cross over when I was stopped by Lan Jingyi.”
“How many times did you cross the barrier with the talisman activated?” Lan Qiren asked.
“I think it was three times all in all. I climbed up first, and then I had to go back and forth with Lan Jingyi when he fell off the wall. I felt it every time I crossed - your barriers are so weird! It almost seemed like there was some resentful energy mixed up with the qi there! I wonder how it was done…”
Once again, his words were met with a stony silence.
“If the talisman didn’t work but I got here instead, and Jiang Cheng is all grown up, then does this mean I travelled twenty years forward? Into the future?” Wei Wuxian’s legs were about to give out.
“Precisely when Hanguang-jun and you-know-who are out night-hunting!” Jin Ling said with an unreadable emotion in his voice.
“Do not call them back under any circumstances!” Lan Qiren said urgently.
Lan Sizhui was staring at Wei Wuxian, as if committing every aspect of his appearance to memory.
“When you made these talismans,” Jiang Cheng asked with a knowing look on his face, “did you add a time limit by any chance? To make sure the illusion would go away?”
“So I did!” We Wuxian agreed, suddenly perking up. “Or I tried to, but I don’t remember which ones I’ve kept. I made lots but none of them worked.”
The hopeful feeling inside him grew. Only about a sichen had passed since he had activated the talisman. Wei Wuxian fumbled inside his robes, but when he drew the talisman out, he could no longer read what it said. The cinnabar characters had faded, and the talisman began to shrink in his hands and slowly crumbled into dust.
Wei Wuxian realised he could see Jiang Cheng’s purple robes through his own hands, which were becoming more and more transparent.
“Look, he is fading!” Jin Ling shouted.
“The effect of the talisman is running out,” Lan Qiren confirmed.
“Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng called hoarsely.
“Xian-gege…” whispered Lan Sizhui.
***
Wei Wuxian woke up among the roots of a young tree under the high wall of Cloud Recesses. The moon was about to disappear behind the clouds. This was no time to sleep - everyone in this sect of madmen will be up at mao shi! Wei Wuxian picked up his jugs of Emperor’s Smile and began to climb.
***
In the elegantly furnished Hanshi, two cultivators sat still in deep meditation. Suddenly, two little papermen slipped inside the open window and flew towards the silent figures. The cultivators stirred and opened their eyes.
“Well, Xichen-ge, will you still try to persuade me that there is nothing interesting happening in Cloud Recesses?”
“The Chief Cultivator is perspicacious as usual. It would never have occurred to me to use this method to find out how the discussion conference preparations were proceeding.”
“I don’t know about that, you have to thank Wei-xiong and his inventions! I hope he is safely back to his own time and busy driving your brother up the wall!”
Lan Xichen chuckled softly.
“Seclusion has its perks. I won’t have to be the one to tell Wangji and Wuxian what happened here while they were away.”
“Oh, I would give a lot to watch that! But what can you do, business cannot wait! I am sure Lan Jingyi will be delighted to be the bearer of such news. If he is able to walk by then, of course!”
“Most certainly. He will finish copying the rules by the time they are back.”
The cultivators smiled at each other and continued to enjoy their tea in peace.