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Lan Sizhui carefully repeated the notes for inquiry to Ning Yingying and Ming Fan. He’d gotten official permission to show the two disciples the technique as Shen Jiu had shared at lot of his peak’s techniques as well. Both Ning Yingying and Ming Fan repeated the notes as closely as they could.
“Can you repeat it once more?” Ning Yingying asked. “I’m not sure about the exact rhythm yet.”
“Of course.”
Lan Sizhui dutifully repeated the notes for calling upon a spirit once more.
Ning Yingying’s face lit up. “Ah, I think I…”
Lan Sizhui’s guqin suddenly let out a soft sound and his eyes snapped to his instrument because he hadn’t been the one to play. “It seems like we actually attracted a spirit,” he said surprised.
“Really? That’s great! You can show us in real life! Ask for their name!” Ning Yingying exclaimed while Ming Fan nodded along with interest.
Lan Sizhui proceeded to do just that. However, when the spirit answered, he felt himself freezing.
Luo Binghe was disgusted and confused at the same time as he watched the crybaby and the kind Shizun – Shen Yuan – analyzing one of the fuzzy beasts Liu Qingge had dropped off on Qing Jing Peak. Or to be more accurate, Shen Yuan was analyzing it in an excited ramble while the crybaby kept handing him cookies and watching him with a fond and warm smile. Those two seemed so weirdly happy. It didn’t make sense. They weren’t doing anything. This was just mundanely boring and yet the couple appeared more than content.
“You do know stalking is creepy, right?” someone suddenly said next to him.
Luo Binghe didn’t even deign to glance at the person at his side. “You do know bothering someone who doesn’t want to talk to you is rude, right?” he shot back unimpressed.
A chuckle. “Someone’s feeling grumpy. So, what exactly are you trying to do here?” Wei Wuxian asked curiously.
Luo Binghe gritted his teeth. “If you’re worried about this lord trying to hurt anyone, don’t be. I agreed to being allowed to stay here until Cang Qiong found a way to send me back to my world again under the condition that I don’t hurt anyone, especially either of the Shen Qingqius. This lord doesn’t break his word.”
Besides, as much as Luo Binghe hated to admit it, the odds were currently far from in his favor. The normal inhabitants of this world would’ve already been hard to deal with all at once, but with the addition of the ones from the other world? Luo Binghe would absolutely lose under these circumstances. There were just too many powerful people here at the moment.
“Alright, still doesn’t explain why you’re stalking those two,” Wei Wuxian said and had clearly no intention of letting this go.
“This lord just… wants to observe.” Luo Binghe watched Shen Yuan praise the crybaby for his cooking yet again while continuing to ramble on. “Assuming the love god did have a tiny point somewhere and Shen Yuan won’t ever realize I’m far better than that weakling… I need to know how to get this, too.”
“Ah.” Wei Wuxian tilted his head. “You seem rather confused, though.”
“Because it doesn’t make sense! Why is this what they choose to do all day? Just spending time together on mundane activities? Why doesn’t the crybaby get upset that his oh so precious Shizun keeps on rambling despite the crybaby clearly wanting to initiate something? Why else would he have brought so many snacks?”
Seriously, cooking and serving the food was foreplay. Yet nothing happened!
Wei Wuxian sighed and gave Luo Binghe an infuriatingly pitying look. “Because they just love spending time together. You do know not everything is about sex, right?”
“Says the guy who’s been caught making out with his husband at every available surface and has been poking at every aphrodisiac flower in reach,” Luo Binghe deadpanned.
Wei Wuxian grinned. “Guilty as charged. Still, I love just sitting silently next to my husband when it’s time for our meals and I actually need to follow the rules for once. I love making music with him. I love sparring with him. I love sleeping – and I mean actually just sleeping – with him. I love going on night hunts together. I love complementing him. I love every moment I spend with him no matter what we are doing. You’re married as well, aren’t you? Can you say the same about your wives?”
… “This lord clearly just hasn’t met his Shen Yuan yet.”
“You know, I used to flirt a lot when I was younger too. At least before I realized I only ever wanted to flirt with my husband. But I never actually wanted anything from the girls. I just thought they looked pretty and wanted to tell them. Have you ever told a girl or a woman they looked pretty just because?”
“Your point being?” Luo Binghe gritted out. And no, he had not.
Wei Wuxian shrugged. “Look, every relationship is different, but if you want what your counterpart and Shen Yuan have, which you clearly seem to, then that is something you need to keep in mind.”
“This lord doesn’t want to keep idling his days away!” Luo Binghe exclaimed annoyed. “I just…” His mouth snapped shut.
“You just?” Wei Wuxian prodded.
Oh, whatever, Luo Binghe had entertained this ridiculous conversation long enough already, what was the point of keeping it up? “I just want to be happy,” he admitted quietly. “Like them.”
And the infuriatingly pitying look was back. “You do know you can be happy without a partner, right?”
“You’re clearly only really happy with your husband!”
“No, I’m happiest with my husband,” Wei Wuxian corrected. “Doesn’t mean I’m not really happy with other people, too. I’m happy with my son. I’m happy with my parents. With my siblings, my other relatives, my demonic disciples, my ducklings, my friends. I’m happy with a lot of people. I’m also happy on my own if I want to be. Maybe you’ll be happiest once you have your Shen Yuan, too. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy with someone else. Have you ever really tried just spending time with your wives? Doing something other than sleeping with them or working up to it? Being in a relationship also means being friends with your partner. Are you friends with your wives?”
…Ning Yingying used to be his friend. Maybe. Aside from that… There were some wives Luo Binghe could maybe see himself enjoying spending time together in the way Wei Wuxian described. It still sounded ludicrous doing stupid nothings like that, but what would be more stupid? Ignoring what clearly worked for the crybaby and Shen Yuan, for Wei Wuxian and his husband no matter how lunatic it seemed or keep going like Luo Binghe had?
“And if friendship is not the thing for you, maybe just go and adopt a kid,” Wei Wuxian teased. “This world also seems to have a crazy number of ways to acquire your own aside from the standard one. A family can make you really happy. For some it’s enough. And if it’s not for you, you can still be happy this way while you’re searching for the person who makes you happiest.”
Luo Binghe smiled bitterly. “My only family is long dead.”
Before anyone could say anything else, Lan Sizhui suddenly came flying on his sword, Ning Yingying and Ming Fan hot on his heels. Which meant it was really important as this was the loophole Wei Wuxian had apparently suggested once for this weird no-running rule. Just fly. That was faster anyway. (As far as Luo Binghe had been told, it still didn’t work in their home as not even a day later the rule no-flying-in-Cloud-Recesses had been created. Luo Binghe hadn’t cared to hear the rest of the story, but Wei Wuxian had gleefully pointed out every problem with that rule, leading to the creation of seventeen additional rules to clarify the situation. Whatever, this wasn’t Cloud Recesses.)
“Xiao-Shizun! A-Luo! Oh, other A-Luo, good, you’re here, too!” Ning Yingying shouted. “Quick, something happened!”
Shen Yuan and the crybaby looked rather annoyed at being interrupted and even more annoyed at Luo Binghe’s presence, but they didn’t make a fuss when Luo Binghe and Wei Wuxian joined them as Lan Sizhui, Ning Yingying and Ming Fan landed.
“What’s going on?” Shen Yuan asked concerned.
“I’ve been teaching them inquiry when I accidentally attracted a spirit who’s been staying on Qing Jing Peak,” Lan Sizhui explained hurriedly.
“A spirit’s on our peak?” Shen Yuan repeated. “Is it dangerous?”
Ning Yingying frantically shook her head. “No, and that’s not the point! When Lan Sizhui asked for their name, they said…” She seemingly didn’t know how to continue while her eyes kept darting between the crybaby and Luo Binghe.
“She said she’s the adoptive mother of Luo Binghe,” Ming Fan answered.
Dead silence.
Then the crybaby croaked, “What? My… my mother?”
…how the hell was this fair? The crybaby already had basically everything! Why this as well? Why did he get to…
“No! I mean yes, it’s…” Ning Yingying clearly didn’t know how to continue again.
Lan Sizhui took over. “The spirit clearly stated she’s not the woman who raised Luo Binghe in this world. She followed her son here.”
It was dead silent again.
“Wait, you’re saying Bingge’s mother stuck around as a ghost and followed him here?” Shen Yuan asked baffled.
A thousand thoughts were rampaging through Luo Binghe’s mind and a thunderstorm of emotions swept through him, but in the end he only had one question. “She said. You said she said. You can talk to her?”