Chapter Text
Lan WangJi is twenty-three when he is finally allowed to travel from his sect for the abstract purpose of gaining worldly experience. Late-he knows. Most disciples begin as early as sixteen, but he is the head disciple as well as sect heir, so duties had bound him for many years. But he is adamant, even though those of the main family are usually exempt from this tradition.
His brother, also bound by his sect leader responsibilities, cannot accompany him, and Lan WangJi, guilty as though he might be, finds that he doesn't want Xiongzhang's company this time because he believes the unique experience of seeing the world alone to be exciting. Xichen travels all the time, albeit for short periods and on sect business, but Lan WangJi has not yet had neither the opportunity nor the time to do so. Till now.
Being so high up in the mountains has its fair share of advantages and drawbacks. Unlike the others, the Lan sect is fairly isolated. So, some wise ancestors came up with the tradition of non-religious pilgrimage around the country. To get to know what is out there beyond their lands. It is quite effective. The disciples get to travel for however long they want and can return home if they choose to. They somehow always return.
The day he leaves is void of much ostentation; Shufu is there as well as his Xiongzhang and no one else; he prefers it that way. The elders had lectured him for hours on end the day before, stressing how much he needed to keep the honour of his clan. Unnecessary, Lan WangJi doesn't intend to stray.
Xichen looks both sad and enthusiastic, as if on his behalf, as his own face is carefully blank. Uncle's expression also mirrors his own, but WangJi knows he's proud that his nephew chose to follow the sect tradition even when it was not asked of him.
With no specific destination in mind, he walks down the mountain path that leads him away from the only place he's ever known. He takes his sword, his qin, and a couple qiankun pouches of necessary provisions and nothing else, although he is sure that his brother has slipped in more coins than he would actually spend.
Beyond the mountain is Caiyi town, bustling with people going about their daily business. It's crowded and full of life. He had visited sometimes with his brother. Although he is not a fan of all the crowds, he likes to watch from a distance. It is soothing in a way. Now he leaves it behind too.
He travels, night hunts, and helps anyone and everyone that needs help, carefully avoiding major sect bases and anyone who might recognise him. The money is mostly given away to those who need it more than him, but Lan Xichen always finds a way to send him more.
The world outside is different. It's simultaneously new and familiar. It is both kind and brutal, sometimes too much for a man who has spent his entire life sheltered. Yet he manages, is a different person after every day, but still a Lan beneath.
He had travelled all of Lanling, Qinghe, and even Qishan. Mostly by land rather than sword. It is slow and sometimes tiring, but it is soothing to watch everything spread out before him as he travels by. By the time he reaches Yunmeng, his last large sect before returning to Gusu, three years had passed, and he has earned much wisdom and a title.
Hanguang-Jun; they call him. A hero of the people. Although his sect robes were switched for planer ones for obvious reasons, he still preferred the pale colour palette. The common people do not know much about cultivating sects, yet he chooses to hide himself. The Lan forehead ribbon is a dead giveaway, but unable to remove it from his person, he finds a cloaking spell to hide its existence. Gossip spreads fast, but there is not much information about the saviour in white to narrow it down to a name or a sect, so he was correct to assume that nobody really knows who he is.
There is no protocol that insists on traveling cultivators, rogue or otherwise, to report to the sects of the lands they find themselves in. He had heard worried discussions of something going on in the forests near yunmeng’s borders. Strange things were seen, and people had gone missing. The closest sect might not even have had it reported to yet. So, he decides to go and investigate.
He doesn't know much about Yunmeng other than what was written in the books in the Lan library, and so the difference between Qishan and Yunmeng has been striking to witness in real life. From the short amount of sightseeing, he concluded that it is a vibrant place but a bit too humid for his liking. The forest in question is further north, but not too far if he goes by sword.
Night had fallen by the time he arrived at the forest edge. The moon was full and bright, washing the foliage in a milky white glow. The visibility aided by the moonlight fades as he walks further in. It is not much of a bother, as he can emulate some sight using spiritual energy and WangJi stalks in with all the agility of an apex predator. A few li in, the forest goes eerily silent, and he knows something is approaching. He unsheathes Bichen and takes a defensive stance, senses searching for any kind of movement.
Lan WangJi is not surprised when something bursts out from the underbrush and charges straight at him. It is a creature, a Yao, of what animal he cannot say due to its unnatural appendages and limited visibility. He dodges and stabs its side. The Yao stumbles, gives an ear-piercing screech, and lunges for him again. It is a powerful one but not very smart, he thinks, as its attack strategy is to simply come after what hurt it, again and again. It snarls at him with razor-sharp teeth that glint in the moonlight. There is a smell of blood around it, and he realises that the two missing villagers are not coming back.
A few trees fall due to stray sword glares, and soon their battleground turns into a small clearing.
By the time moonlight fully seeps into his surroundings, the grotesque-looking thing lays dead by his feet.
It was over in a matter of minutes; he didn't even have to pull out his qin. He is barely winded but goes alert as soon as he senses another presence near him.
He turns around and blocks the hit. Bichen reverberates with a metallic trill. Another sword, not a Yao. The other person does not stop, so they exchange a few blows. In all his travels or back home, he had never come across anyone who could match him in a dual. So, surprised and a little curious, he jumps back to look at the person who was able to equal him in every move.
Lan WangJi comes face to face with the most beautiful creature he has ever seen. The other man is grinning at him now, eyes shining like polished obsidian and hair swaying in the gentle forest breeze. He wears robes the colour of the midnight sky, but somehow all of his being practically glows in the moonlight.
There is a distinct scent in the air around them: magnolia and bergamot with a unique hint of spice; excited, amused, and undoubtedly omegan. For the first time in years. Lan WangJi remembers that he is Alpha.