“How’s he feeling?”
Fan Yi glanced at the people in his office and finally set down the documents in his hand. “You won’t go see him yourself?”
Situ Hong sighed. “Every time we try to visit, he says he’s tired and turns us away.”
“Besides, shouldn’t you be with him right now?” Xiao Xunrui asked with slight displeasure.
“He’s with the girls,” Fan Yi said. “They’ll keep a close eye on him.”
For the past few days, if Fan Yi had things he needed to do, Li Qing, Xiu Lan, and Xiao Guo would be the ones who watched Wu Lingtian. The others had tried, but the discomfort coming from Wu Lingtian was palpable. His fidgeting would worsen and his hands would end up scratched up by the end of their interaction. Even when it was just Ren Yizhou, someone that Wu Lingtian had been very comfortable with before, there would still be nail marks all along his hands.
“What’s wrong with him?” Situ Hong asked worriedly. He leaned against Fan Yi’s desk. “He wasn’t like this before. It feels like he’s even scared to talk to people. But we never hurt him so—”
“It’s difficult for him to rejoin society after everything that happened,” Fan Yi said. “I’m sure he would have an easier time if he had remembered everything from the beginning, but he relived his trauma all at once that day. He’s still shaken up. And you all saw the way Rong Meihua treated him when she was trying to make him isolated from everyone. If that memory was fresh in your mind, would you be able to approach others easily?”
Situ Hong clenched his jaw. “Is there anyway to help him though? He’s fine around you. Did you do something?”
“He’s fine around me because he kept his sanity through the thought of me,” Fan Yi said. “He essentially brainwashed himself while placing me on a pedestal. He thinks everything will be fine if I’m around. I promise you, if he hadn’t done that, he also wouldn’t let me approach him.”
Fan Yi sighed. “For now, just show that you don’t hate him. His biggest fear right now is that he’ll approach someone and they’ll think he’s a monster. The only reason he doesn’t mind interacting with the children is because he knows the adults wouldn’t say anything around them.”
Xiao Xunrui frowned. He turned to Wuma Qiongling, who had been standing silently in the corner. “Have you tried talking to him?”
“Why should I?” Wuma Qiongling raised a brow. “If everyone close to him can’t approach him, would he care for a stranger?”
Fan Yi stared at Wuma Qiongling for a long while. “He might.”
“What?”
“You two are from the same place. If you try to relate to his experiences, he might open up,” Fan Yi said. “Of course, that’s only if you’re willing. If you don’t want to help, then don’t even try. He’ll be able to sense it.”
Wuma Qiongling glanced at Xiao Xunrui. He looked to Fan Yi and averted his gaze. He let out a sigh. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help. Wu Lingtian had lent him a hand several times too, but Wuma Qiongling just wasn’t sure what he could do.
“Just talk to him. Something will come up,” Fan Yi said. He stood and handed something to Wuma Qiongling. “Also give him this thing while you’re over there.”
Wuma Qiongling looked down. “What’s this?”
“Something I made. Hopefully it’ll prevent him from scratching himself,” Fan Yi said.
Wuma Qiongling tossed the ball in the air a few times and caught it. He nodded. “Alright, I’ll try. If it gets worse though, don’t blame me.”
“I won’t,” Fan Yi agreed.
Wuma Qiongling begrudgingly left the study. He went to the lake that Wu Lingtian and the girls had been left at. When he arrived, he found Wu Lingtian weaving small toys from blades of grass. The girls watched in fascination as Wu Lingtian worked with his bandaged hands. There were already all sorts of trinkets around them and they were only piling up the longer they sat around.
Xiu Lan looked up. Her eyes widened and she immediately stood. “Lord Wuma.”
Li Qing was less alarmed. She glanced at the white-haired man and reluctantly stood. “Lord Wuma.”
Xiao Guo stood and ran over with a smile. “Uncle, are you and Dad done?”
“Um…something like that,” Wuma Qiongling patted Xiao Guo’s head. He glanced at Wu Lingtian. “Actually, I have something to talk to your shishu about. Can I?”
Xiu Lan and Li Qing were immediately on guard. The girls shuffled forward, as if they wanted to hide Wu Lingtian from Wuma Qiongling’s line of sight.
Wuma Qiongling looked between the two girls. He awkwardly held up the ball like object Fan Yi gave him. “Sect Leader Fan had something he wanted me to deliver too.”
“It’s okay,” Wu Lingtian said. He stood and handed the last grass grasshopper to Xiu Lan. He patted her head. “You girls can go play. I’ll talk to Lord Wuma for a moment.”
Xiu Lan hesitated, but after seeing Wu Lingtian’s gaze, she backed off. She took Li Qing’s hand and walked out of earshot with Xiao Guo.
The two men remained by the lake. Wu Lingtian was the first to sit back down. Seeing him like this, Wuma Qiongling awkwardly sat down as well. He left a space between them that was large enough to fit two more full-grown men.
“Oh, here,” Wuma Qiongling rolled the ball over to Wu Lingtian.
It was a metal ball with some rings lying in grooves. There were also some small knobs sticking out that could be pressed down. If spiritual energy was poured into it, a faint glow would light up its surroundings.
Wu Lingtian fiddled with it silently.
“So you…feel bad?” Wuma Qiongling asked awkwardly.
“…Mn.”
Progress. It was progress, Wuma Qiongling felt. When had Wu Lingtian admitted that he felt bad to anyone other than Fan Yi?
“Uh,” Wuma Qiongling looked out across the lake. “Do you want to talk about it?”
The sound of metal clinking filled their surroundings. It seemed to get faster.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Your shizun wasn’t a good person either, was he?”
“Ktja ues? Rbqf. Lf’r qgbyjyis gbaalcu lc atf jysrr rbwfktfgf,” Qewj Hlbcuilcu rjlv. “P uefrr P’w cba ojg boo ogbw tlw. Po P vlf, P kbeiv qgbyjyis yf cfza ab tlw lc ilcf.”
“…Dea sbe rffw ilxf j ubbv qfgrbc.”
“Qfii, atja’r yfmjerf sbe tjnfc’a aglfv ab ajxf Dijmx Vmjifr Ujijmf. Zs fcfwlfr atlcx P’w atf vfnli lcmjgcjaf,” Qewj Hlbcuilcu rjlv. “Lbk firf kbeiv P tjnf yfmbwf atf vfwbc ibgv?”
“I suppose.”
Wuma Qiongling’s brows furrowed. He glanced at Wu Lingtian. “Is that what you’re worried about?”
“About what?”
“Being a good person or whatever,” Wuma Qiongling said.
Wu Lingtian lowered his head, a small smile on his face. “Or whatever.”
Wuma Qiongling clicked his tongue. He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a long hum. “Can I be honest?”
“Go ahead.”
“Like, honest?”
Wu Lingtian glanced at Wuma Qiongling. “Lord Wuma, do you know that when you’re around me, you speak like a Fengya native?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wuma Qiongling raised a brow. He sprawled out on the soft grass and sighed. “Can you? Do you remember how?”
“Not really,” Wu Lingtian said. “I haven’t visited again after I left when I was a child. I only have very loose memories of that place.”
“What you remember is Heixue Town, but not Fengya. The Fengya I know has nothing worth remembering. But Heixue Town’s different. I actually quite like that little place. Everyone does what they want to do and they don’t care about what other people think about them. They understand that there are those who hate them, but that the rare few who understand them will become their family,” Wuma Qiongling said. “I miss that place.”
Wu Lingtian hummed. “I also miss that place.”
“You?” Wuma Qiongling raised a brow.
“Mn. When I left, I thought for sure I found the way back to the human world,” Wu Lingtian said, “but I think I would have been better off in purgatory.”
Wuma Qiongling remained silent as he waited for Wu Lingtian to continue.
“I left so I didn’t have to kill to survive,” Wu Lingtian said. “But my body count is much higher than if I had just stayed there.”
“So, you feel bad because you couldn’t be a saint?” Wuma Qiongling asked.
Wu Lingtian glanced at him.
“You said I seemed like a good person,” Wuma Qiongling said. “You know I kill people all the time. Do you still think I am?”
“…Yes.”
“Then, how come the same logic doesn’t apply to you?”
“Because you do it to prot—”
“Didn’t you?”
Wu Lingtian fell silent.
“I can’t tell you what to feel,” Wuma Qiongling said. “But I think the two of us are very similar, so I’ll offer you a few words of comfort. Sure, in the end, you killed for, what you think, is nothing. You’re upset that the ones you killed were innocent people. But does being upset do anything? Will they come back from the dead? Can you go back in time and change all of that?
“You can’t. Trust me, I tried,” Wuma Qiongling laughed. “Forget about innocent people, I even killed people who saved me. I’d be lying if I said that doesn’t haunt me. There were so many people I wanted to protect, but they all died. There were so many people who I shouldn’t have killed, but I still killed them. Do the ends justify the means? I would say they don’t. But when I see the way children aren’t scared of running around in the middle of the day and when I see mothers and grandparents cherish their family in a way I couldn’t even imagine when I was younger, I suddenly feel better.
“Of course, my means yielded results so I can pretend that everything was worth it. But there’s a difference between you and me,” Wuma Qiongling said. He turned to look at Wu Lingtian. “I chose all of this. I killed because I wanted something. I did it of my own free-will. You did it because you thought if you didn’t, everyone you cared about die and you would follow right after them. You did it, not because you wanted to or you felt excited when you did it, but because you were told to. You were brainwashed. If I can be honest, the fact that you didn’t completely lose your mind is commendable. If I had to watch myself kill and I had no control over it, I would have lost my mind ages ago.”
Wu Lingtian averted his gaze. “I suppose.”
“You did what you could. You feel guilt and remorse,” Wuma Qiongling said. “That’s the most respect you can give to the ones you killed. That’s not to say you’re not allowed to be happy or to live a fulfilling life, but you shouldn’t forget them.”
Wuma Qiongling sighed and looked up to the sky. “They don’t understand that. They think, just because you were a victim, you should forgive yourself and you should move on. But you and I both know that’s not how it works. Something like this shouldn’t be forgiven.”
A bitter laugh left his lips. “We’re cultivators, we understand that things like karma and Heaven’s Laws exists. We’re constantly defying them every day.”
Wu Lingtian’s clicking had slowed down. The metallic sounds now followed the beat of his heart. Once. Twice. Three times.
“When we die, we’ll be punished,” Wuma Qiongling said. “You could choose to accept your punishment right away, or you could choose to stay on this godforsaken earth and try to help people so that bloodshed isn’t the only thing you left behind.”
Wuma Qiongling rolled his head to the side and looked at Wu Lingtian. “Which option do you think is better?”
“…Helping people.”
“That’s what I think too.” Wuma Qiongling sat up. He pointed at Wu Lingtian’s bandaged hands, “But in order to help people, you have to help yourself first. That means remaining healthy. This little habit of yours needs to change. How are you supposed to wield a sword when your hands are always full of gashes?”
“I know.”
“You know?” Wuma Qiongling raised a brow. He poked the ball in Wu Lingtian’s hands. “Keep this thing on you. I can see that it’s helpful.”
Wu Lingtian glanced at Wuma Qiongling. “Remember when you said we might have been martial siblings if I had stayed?”
“Hm? Did I say that?” Wuma Qiongling asked. “That’s a scary thought.”
“…Mn. But…”
“What?”
“You do remind me of an older boy that used to take care of me. You two talk similarly. Very straightforward,” Wu Lingtian said.
Wuma Qiongling raised a brow. “What? Are you trying to establish relationships with me right now? Forget it, I can’t afford to have a younger brother like you.”
Wu Lingtian looked at Wuma Qiongling silently. Wuma Qiongling shifted.
“Stop, I don’t want to be your older brother,” Wuma Qiongling mumbled. He glanced at Wu Lingtian. “If you keep staring at me, I’ll smack you.”
“You won’t though,” Wu Lingtian mumbled softly.
“…I have a lot of issues,” Wuma Qiongling said. He stood and smoothed out his robes. “If you want an older sibling, go find Xiao Rui.”
Wu Lingtian watched Wuma Qiongling beginning to walk off. There was a slight tug in his chest. He stood and swiftly followed. “Qiong-ge.”
Wuma Qiongling tripped. He stumbled forward and glared at Wu Lingtian. “I already said don’t call me that. It’s creepy.”
“Da-ge,” Wu Lingtian said, his pace picking up.
“Oh, please don’t. That burden is too heavy for me,” Wuma Qiongling said, his speed picking up.
“You really do feel like my real brother,” Wu Lingtian insisted, a small smirk at his lips.
“You’re creeping me out,” Wuma Qiongling protested.
“I’m being sincere. Don’t run, Da-ge, let’s become sworn brothers,” Wu Lingtian said, his pace equally matching Wuma Qiongling.
Wuma Qiongling shook his head repeatedly. “Don’t make me run.”
“Why would you run from me? I just want to be your little brother.”
Wuma Qiongling shuddered and swiftly walked back to the center of the sect. Wu Lingtian followed him closely like a little tail until they ran into Fan Yi and the others again.
Wuma Qiongling hurriedly dodged behind Xiao Xunrui. “Wu Lingtian, stay there.”
Wu Lingtian pouted. “You were being so kind to me earlier. Why are you acting distant now?”
“I was giving you advice,” Wuma Qiongling squeezed Xiao Xunrui’s shoulders.
“Da-ge, don’t be so formal now,” Wu Lingtian said cheekily as he tried to move around Xiao Xunrui. “Look, you’re making Xiao-xiong dizzy.”
Xiao Xunrui looked between the two of them. He didn’t bother moving, but he noticed the mischievous light playing in Wu Lingtian’s eyes. He felt a slight pang of jealousy. Wu Lingtian was willing to play with Wuma Qiongling, but not him?
The jealousy was soon overcome with a sense of relief. He sighed and patted Wuma Qiongling on the hand. “What does he want? To be your sworn brother? Just do it. A-Hong’s been begging him for years, but he still refuses to.”
“That’s right,” Situ Hong mumbled from beside Fan Yi. “I guess I’m not good enough.”
Fan Yi glanced at Situ Hong and gave him a half-hearted pat. “My condolences.”
The farce continued until Wuma Qiongling reluctantly agreed nearly ten minutes later. The smile on Wu Lingtian’s face was much more sincere than it had been in the last few days.
When the sun had already set and Fan Yi returned from his bath, he found Wu Lingtian still sitting at the tea table. His head lifted when he heard the sound of the door. His eyes contained a lively sparkle and, in his hand, was the spherical object Fan Yi had given him earlier in the day.
“Yishan,” Wu Lingtian held out his arms. “Come here.”
Fan Yi puffed out a laugh. He walked into Wu Lingtian’s arms and rested his arms over his shoulder. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be sleeping already.”
“I wanted to wait for you,” Wu Lingtian said, his arms snaking around Fan Yi’s waist. “I didn’t get to thank you earlier.”
“What are you thanking me for? I haven’t exactly done anything,” Fan Yi said. He brushed his fingers through Wu Lingtian’s hair. “Have you tried braiding your hair?”
“I think your hair would look better in a braid,” Wu Lingtian said.
“Let’s try it then,” Fan Yi pulled away from Wu Lingtian and went to the vanity for a ribbon and a comb. He placed them into Wu Lingtian’s hand. “Here.”
Wu Lingtian glanced at them and then back at Fan Yi. “I’ve never braided hair before.”
“You should get used to it. What’s going to happen if Li Qing asks you to do her hair? Are you going to say no?”
Wu Lingtian pursed his lips and shifted so that Fan Yi could shift a chair between his legs. Once Fan Yi sat down, Wu Lingtian began to carefully comb through his hair.
“If you hadn’t sent Lord Wuma my way, would he have even tried to talk to me?”
“He would have eventually. I could tell he was itching to,” Fan Yi said. “I might have influenced him a little, but in the end I really did nothing. It was all him.”
Wu Lingtian glanced at Fan Yi. “Your hair is really soft.”
“I get it from my mom,” Fan Yi said. He tilted his head back and knocked into Wu Lingtian’s chin. “Are you going to ignore me?”
“I didn’t ignore you,” Wu Lingtian murmured. “I just think you’re wrong.”
Fan Yi laughed. “You and your choice of words.”
“How do I braid?” Wu Lingtian stood and shifted to Fan Yi’s side.
Fan Yi took his hair from Wu Lingtian and separated it into three pieces. “You have to do it like this.”
Wu Lingtian frowned. He squatted down and watched Fan Yi’s hands with an intense concentration.
Fan Yi glanced at him. “Did you get it?”
“Your hands are pretty,” Wu Lingtian said, taking Fan Yi’s hands into his. He looked at the other man. “I got distracted.”
Fan Yi rolled his eyes to the heavens. He pulled his hand away and undid the braid in his hair. “Watch closely, okay?”
“Alright.”
Wu Lingtian watched in silence until Fan Yi handed his hair back to him again.
After fumbling for a minute, Wu Lingtian finally got the rhythm down.
“You did my hair when I was younger,” Wu Lingtian said.
“Only for a few days,” Fan Yi said. “You always said I tied it too tightly.”
“It looked nice though,” Wu Lingtian said. “It wouldn’t fall out no matter how much I jumped around.”
Fan Yi chuckled. “You were like a little monkey. Nothing could hold you down.”
Wu Lingtian slowly sat back down on the stool. His hand ran over the lumpy braid and he glanced at Fan Yi. “It looks a bit bad.”
“Bring me the mirror.”
Wu Lingtian stood and headed for the vanity. He returned with the mirror and handed it to Fan Yi.
Fan Yi tilted his head to look at the braid. A smile curled on his lips but he cleared his throat and looked at Wu Lingtian seriously. “It doesn’t look that bad.”
“You’re lying.”
“For your first time, it’s not bad,” Fan Yi said, setting the mirror aside. He took Wu Lingtian’s hand into his and lightly swung it. “It has its own charm.”
Wu Lingtian scoffed. “You’re so good at comforting me.”
“I’m being sincere though,” Fan Yi said.
Wu Lingtian bent down and gently captured Fan Yi’s lips with his. He pulled back only when Fan Yi’s grip on his arm tightened. He smiled at the way Fan Yi’s lips had reddened under his teasing. His thumb gently rubbed at his lower lip.
“I’m all better. I don’t have a fever anymore either and I don’t feel nauseous.”
“What about your hands?”
“You could just do it tonight,” Wu Lingtian said, shifting closer, his arms resting on Fan Yi’s shoulders. “That way, I won’t have to touch anything.”
“Just wait a few more days,” Fan Yi said. “You should apply the ointment now.”
“If you don’t want to do it, I can always use my mouth,” Wu Lingtian said, his tongue sticking out as he finished his sentence. “You like it when I use this, don’t you?”
Fan Yi’s face flushed. He stood and nudged Wu Lingtian aside. “You’re so dirty.”
Wu Lingtian smirked. “If you really don’t want to then you have to say it now. Otherwise, my hands might wander tonight.”
Fan Yi scoffed. He kicked off his shoes and laid down in bed. Wu Lingtian’s smile widened. He blew out some of the candles, grabbed the lubrication from the drawer beside the bed, and got into bed with Fan Yi.
A/N: helloooooo. Since Yu Lan is coming to a close, I decided to put out the overview for my upcoming story. You can read the summary and the pilot chapter over on my personal webite: https://glowingreverie.wordpress.com/a-dream-within-water/
The image of Wu Lingtian following after Wuma Qiongling and calling him ge is so vivid in my mind, I really couldn’t stop laughing. Thanks for another amazing chapter!
just a little puppy wlt 😭 thank you for reading!!!!!
I can’t believe I didn’t think of having all three girls keep an eye on Wu Lingtian – it’s so perfect! And when they stood between him and the freaking demon lord(!), I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry 😅. And now Wu Lingtian is provoking demon lords and seducing sect leaders, so we know he’s ok. Awesome chapter 🤤
it’s a good strategy tho. what’re you gonna do? smack three innocent little girls? 🥺 LOL thanks for readinnnggg!!
Sometimes it is so difficult to take care of one’s self. The Demon Lord could open a counseling room !
I forget: Thank you for this chapter. One of my favorite !
i feel like Wuma Qiongling and Wu Lingtian may like Vinland Saga. similar messages and all that.
also i’m so glad Wu Lingtian is up to teasing people again ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ hurting my heart, this guy;;;;