Archive of Our Own ^beta

A/N - This is for the WangXian Against ICE event, spreading awareness and supporting the legal defense of people being unlawfully arrested and assaulted.

Thank you, humancorn, for participating and for this prompt!  Original prompt: SFW or NSFW, creator's choice, omega!Wei Wuxian & alpha!Lan Wangji get together during the cloud recesses study arc

In the universe, I set it during the canon time period, but made this a ‘no war’ universe, where clans are more concerned about concentrating power by enhancing their bloodlines to produce powerful cultivators rather than killing each other off. Since this universe has different political dynamics, and since Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng did not present in the same designation, this reduced the competitive pressure between them making their relationship better. I also feel like the specificity of scents would make the fact that Wei Wuxian was not blood related to JFM very clear, which would also have helped a lot and changed things significantly. Since Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are 15 here, this story will be SFW (which LWJ will decidedly be displeased about).  I hope you like it!

Thank you to ZazGeek and Charming for beta'ing this monster so quickly for me. Happy Valentine's Day to WangXian! Have a True Mate story to celebrate. LOL

Wei Wuxian slung his arm around his martial brother’s shoulders as they walked up the nearly endless flight of steps carved into the mountain that led to the Cloud Recesses. They would be spending the next three months there, along with the other guest disciples arriving from across the cultivation world. For most of them, it would be the first time they had the chance to meet with disciples outside their own clans.

“Don’t worry, Jiang Cheng! The first two months are all about studying cultivation basics that we already know. Madam Yu made sure to drill us thoroughly over the past year to make sure there was no chance of us embarrassing the Jiang.”

Jiang Cheng grumbled, but bumped his shoulder into Wei Wuxian’s side, which was his version of a hug.

“You wouldn’t have had any problems either way. You’ve got that freaky brain of yours that seems to remember everything you’ve ever read,” Jiang Cheng said, half complimenting and half complaining. “I’ve heard that Lan Qiren likes to target the heirs from the larger clans to use as an example.”

Wei Wuxian grimaced. Madam Yu had made it clear that she expected her son to represent the Jiang Clan well as its heir. The Lectures were where the next generation of leaders in the cultivation world began forming their own alliances and partnerships. 

The Guest Lectures served three purposes. The first (and the reason it was hosted by the Lan) was to provide a shared, baseline understanding of the core cultivation topics that underpinned every sect while not divulging clan-specific approaches. The Lan Clan’s focus on curating knowledge and maintaining it in their impressive library made the Cloud Recesses the logical place for the Lectures to be held.

The second objective was to create a controlled environment to bring disciples together from across clans and create opportunities for friendships and alliances. This led to better cooperation on shared nighthunts and also reduced tensions and misunderstandings between the clans. No one wanted war, and strong inter-clan friendships could help diffuse things before they escalated.

The final purpose, which had slowly become the most critical, was providing newly-presented cultivators with a chance to find compatible mates. 

Maintaining bloodline was incredibly important for cultivation clans. No one fully understood what caused some families to have such powerful cultivation capabilities while others did not. There were some who said that it all came down to training, but there were plenty of examples of cultivators who worked their entire lives and only ever developed mediocre cores. There were others who claimed that it all came down to bloodline, that the most powerful cultivators had perhaps the remnants of a Divine Creature's blood flowing in them. But then there were examples like Wen Rouhan’s second son, Wen Chao, who appeared to be completely useless as a cultivator while his father was arguably the most powerful cultivator in several centuries. 

While people did not agree on the source of cultivation power, it was critical for clans to manage their marriages to ensure their descendants remained strong enough to hold onto their power.  In the distant past, there had been a lot of inbreeding within clans that had been quickly found to be counterproductive. But marrying randomly outside the clan had led to a spate of marriages without regard to cultivation capability that had caused an abrupt dilution in the strength of cultivators. 

Not only was the average cultivation strength declining, but a higher percent of the population had been presenting as beta. In the past, matches between alphas and omegas had been the most effective at producing strong cultivators, though even then, outcomes could be unpredictable. But in recent generations, bloodlines had weakened, with nearly three quarters of the younger disciples presenting as betas.

Some had begun to worry that the ability to cultivate would fade out entirely, if the trend continued. With the survival of the clans at stake, marriage alliances had become critical. 

It had become clear that compatibility was key to passing on cultivation capabilities. A complicated array had been developed to test it, but it only worked when the two potential candidates had spent enough time together that their pheromones and qi had time to react to each other. The Guest Lectures, with their shared classrooms and strict supervision, provided an ideal forum for this.

While the minimum age for marriage was generally twenty, betrothal negotiations between clans were complex and could take years to finalize. The Guest Lectures were held every three years and invited disciples from the ages of fifteen to eighteen, chosen amongst the clans as well as sufficiently strong rogue cultivators. As this was the first time the majority of them were meeting others from outside their clans, it was also the first opportunity to assess compatibility and begin marriage negotiations.

Several centuries ago, the heir of one of the smaller clans had tried to shortcut the process by claiming a powerful omega cultivator in the first week of the Lectures, before a rival from any more powerful sect could do so. After that, strict protocols were put in place whereby disciples were required to wear scent blocking talismans and not reveal their secondary gender designation until after the first two months of the Guest Lectures had passed. 

This allowed all of the clans to get a sense of the cultivation strength and skills of the attending disciples before making their decision regarding which Compatibility Challenges to issue and accept.

Designations were announced as part of the Compatibility Trials in the third and final month of the Lectures. Madam Yu and Madam Jin had discussed their hopes of a betrothal between their children, Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli, but until the Compatibility Trial had been held, nothing could be formalized, no matter how close the former sect sisters were to each other.

Jiang Cheng and, to a lesser extent, Wei Wuxian were equally expected to build friendly connections and at least one potential marriage alliance before all the best candidates were paired off elsewhere.

“Once everyone finds out I’m a beta and not an alpha, they’re going to write me off,” Jiang Cheng said, looking stressed.

It used to be that every clan was headed by an alpha, but as bloodlines thinned, more and more of the population presented as betas. Jiang Fengmian had been the first leader of a Great Clan to present as a beta rather than an alpha. His parents had pushed him to marry a female alpha despite the difficulties of conception to try to strengthen the bloodline, but their first child had been an omega with weak cultivation and their second a beta, though this was not known outside the clan yet.

That had been before the compatibility array had been widely used and its assessment might have spared everyone involved a lot of grief and anger.

“No one’s even going to know for the first two months. You heard what Madam Yu said. The Lan are really strict about having everyone wear scent-blocking talsimans in the beginning so that we’re all on equal footing with each other and people focus on the lessons rather than getting distracted by potential mates,” Wei Wuxian said, nudging their shoulders together as they walked. “It’s not until the Trials that anyone will even know. And, besides, it doesn’t matter. Nie Mingjue is an alpha, but Lan Xichen is a beta, and no one said anything bad about him after the designations for their group came out three years ago. And the Peacock is a beta, too, and he’ll be participating in the Challenges at the same time we’ll be.”

“We’re not supposed to talk about him,” Jiang Cheng said, looking around to make sure no one had overheard them. 

It would be a serious breach of etiquette for someone’s designation to be announced in advance by a disciple not even from their clan. To be safe, they changed the topic as they continued their journey up the mountain.

They finally arrived at the main gate of the Cloud Recesses, and were waiting in the long line of disciples who were showing their personalized invitations to enter. The check-in process took time because the invitees were a highly curated list. ‘Main Branch’ clan cultivators were admitted, regardless of gender, designation, or cultivation power. They were there to match with others from outside their clan who could strengthen their bloodline, and generally were paying the fees to the Lan Clan for the privilege. 

Other attendees were admitted on the basis of their cultivation prowess and designation. Since alphas and omegas now made up such a small percentage of the population, they were admitted regardless of cultivation strength, so long as they had at least managed to form a golden core. Betas who were not bloodline had to be quite powerful in order to be admitted.

Madam Yu had told Wei Wuxian that he would be of interest to many clans both because he was an omega and exceptionally powerful. But in the end, it would all hinge on compatibility. 

There was speculation as to whether the heir to the Nie Clan would also be an alpha, like his brother, as well as what the second heir of the Lan Clan’s designation was. The two Wen heirs were older and had gone through the Lectures in past rounds, but there was at least one cousin who was part of the main branch bloodline who would be attending as well. 

Wei Wuxian had been instructed to get to know all of them and see if he could at least form a friendship with them.

He was excited to meet the other disciples, even if he wasn’t very interested in the whole mating and marriage thing. He’d met plenty of alphas and betas around Lotus Pier but never really felt that spark that was supposed to be the sign of compatibility. After so many failed forced pairings within the recent generations of clan leaders producing weaker heirs, even his power house of a golden core and omega status would not guarantee a marriage offer. 

He was more than fine with that. In an ideal world, he wouldn’t match with anyone at all and he could just continue to serve as Jiang Cheng’s right-hand-man.

He had no sooner finished the thought when he felt a prickle of awareness spread across the back of his neck, causing the fine hairs there to rise. It was the exact same feeling he got when a dangerous night hunt prey had noticed him, and was hiding and watching him from behind. 

He heard a murmur of voices ripple through the line of disciples behind him and turned to see what was causing the disturbance.

He saw a disciple clad in pristine white robes, walking towards the entrance to the Cloud Recesses along one of the side paths.

The late afternoon sun illuminated both the robes and the skin of the cultivator, making him appear to glow in flawless perfection. Wei Wuxian could see the glint of silver thread shimmering in the silk, picking out scent-blocking sigils stitched into the fabric that flowed elegantly around him as he walked with smooth, powerful strides.  

He was the most beautiful person that Wei Wuxian had ever seen in his life.

He felt the breath in his lungs still, and the sounds around him faded as his entire focus locked on the boy walking towards them on the path. He could not look away, a strange thrall coming over him that he did not recognize or understand. 

Wei Wuxian was a powerful enough cultivator that he was able to sense the strength of others, and he could tell immediately that this boy’s golden core was on par with his own, despite the elders of his clan telling him that his was a once-in-a-generation Golden Core. 

He appeared to be about Wei Wuxian’s own age, perhaps a year older, but he held himself with a controlled austerity that made him seem much older. He did not look at any of the disciples as he strode past them towards the guards, his face held in perfectly neutral lines that spoke of complete disinterest in all that surrounded him. Despite the taut perfection of his posture, the cultivator moved with a fluid grace that Wei Wuxian immediately recognized as that of a skilled fighter.

It reminded him of the panther yao that he had only barely managed to kill in his most recent night hunt. The creature had not been heavily muscled the way a boar or an ox was, but had a dangerously sleek strength that was all the more deadly because of its light-footed grace. 

It had been the closest Wei Wuxian had ever come to failing in a night hunt, and he still bore the marks of its claws across his belly where it had ripped into him. The healers had said that—despite his strong golden core—it might leave a scar unlike his other injuries in the past. 

Wei Wuxian didn’t mind. 

It was an honor to bear the mark of a creature so powerful. His mind briefly flickered to what it would be like to bear the mark of the boy that was walking towards him. And to leave his mark in return upon that smooth, glowing skin.

As the Lan cultivator approached, Wei Wuxian instinctively breathed in to try to catch his scent. 

Of course, there was none. All of the disciples had been given the scent-suppressing talismans in advance of their arrival, and he had already noticed the same sigils stitched into the other boy’s robes. But Wei Wuxian did not need his scent to know that the boy was definitely an alpha. He had always been pretty good at guessing designations, but this time he felt it in the marrow of his bones with an absolute certainty that he did not question.

As the Lan disciple passed, the boy shifted his eyes very slightly in Wei Wuxian‘s direction for the briefest of moments. 

For a split second, their eyes locked, and Wei Wuxian felt himself pinned into place by the intensity of the look.

He registered the unusual, dark-golden hue of the other's eyes, but the boy was already walking on without slowing down or breaking stride.  

Wei Wuxian felt himself grin. 

He’d always liked a challenge, and the Lan alpha was a challenge if Wei Wuxian had ever met one.  He had already been looking forward to getting to know disciples from other clans and making new friends. But he now had a very specific person in mind. 

“Jiang Cheng. Do you know who that guy was?” Wei Wuxian asked, still facing where the boy had disappeared inside the walls of the Cloud Recesses without a backwards glance.

“His forehead ribbon had cloud patterns on it, so he must be the Second Heir of Lan, Lan Wangji. Don’t mess with him! Mother said that all the Lans are sticklers for the rules, especially the younger of the two heirs. So don’t piss him off with your usual nonsense!” Jiang Cheng said, shooting Wei Wuxian a glare.

“Aiyo, Jiang Cheng! I’m not going to annoy him. I’m going to be his friend!” Wei Wuxian said. 

If he was right and Lan Wangji was an alpha, he would be facing a lot of pressure to find a compatible mate since his elder brother had not yet been able to find one. The responsibility for carrying on the family line would be fully on Lan Wangji’s shoulders, and a compatible omega would be his best bet. 

What had seemed an irrelevant piece of background information before meeting the boy suddenly became of critical interest to Wei Wuxian. He began to understand what people meant when they spoke of that instant resonance between a compatible alpha and omega. It was becoming increasingly rare, but it often signaled the strongest chance of producing children with powerful cultivation capabilities.

Wei Wuxian still wasn’t entirely sure what he thought about the idea of mating or having children, since he’d never given it much consideration in the past, but maybe—with Lan Wangji—it wouldn’t be so bad.

Luckily, he had the next two months to figure it out and get to know Lan Wangji better. He could sit next to him in class! They always said that compatibility was mutual, so it shouldn’t be too hard to convince the Second Jade to spend time with him over the next two months while they waited for the Trials to be held.

Wei Wuxian bounded into the classroom on the morning of the first lecture, despite the early hour. He had spent the evening before talking Jiang Cheng’s ear off about Lan Wangji and that he was definitely going to be his friend.

It took him a moment to find him in the sea of white-robed disciples. Every guest disciple had been given a set of white silk robes which would serve as their uniform for the duration of the Lectures. They had scent-blocking sigils sewn directly into each layer, ensuring full compliance with the rules for concealing one’s scent at all times.

He recognized the rigidly-straight back and perfectly smooth hair of the disciple seated in the center at the front of the classroom, and immediately went over to talk with Lan Wangji.

When he sat next to the boy, he received only the smallest of glances his way.

“Hi! I am Wei Ying, courtesy Wuxian, First Disciple of Yunmeng Jiang. I saw you when we were having our invitations checked at the gate. You didn’t stop to talk to anyone! Lan Wangji, don’t you know that the whole purpose of the Guest Lectures is to make connections?” Wei Wuxian said, the words stumbling out of him in an excited rush as he grinned.

He knew in his bones that they would be great friends. Maybe… more than that? 

But Lan Wangji did not even look at him when he replied.

“The purpose of the Lectures is to learn. Do not speak unless called upon by the teacher. Do not disrupt the learning of others.” He glanced over at where Wei Wuxian was sprawled in his chair. “Do not sit improperly.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Aiya, Lan Wangji! Are you reciting something at me? You sound like a rulebook. Surely the Second Jade of Lan has more interesting things to speak about when meeting disciples from other clans.”

Lan Wangji glared at him but did not speak further.

Lan Qiren entered the classroom and there was no further chance for conversation as the welcome ceremony began.

After the ceremony, Lan Qiren began reading an endlessly long list of all of the rules of the Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian had never been so bored in his life. He had really hoped that the clan that was known for being the center of cultivation knowledge would be an exciting place to learn new things, but he was beginning to fear that he might have been very much mistaken on that point. 

He tried to get Lan Wangji’s attention to at least entertain himself during the endless recitation of rules, but the other boy did not take his gaze from the instructor, even though he surely must have heard these rules a thousand times before.

By the time Lan Qiren was finished with reading all the rules, it was time for lunch.

As they left the classroom, Wei Wuxian looked around, hoping to find Lan Wangji so he could sit with him for lunch, but saw him leaving with his uncle towards a different part of the campus.

“I can’t believe you sat next to Lan Wangji in class,” a disciple wearing Nie braids said, fanning himself with an elaborately painted silk fan. “He’s so stern and scary! I can’t believe he’s only sixteen.”

“Lan Wangji? I don’t think he’s scary,” Wei Wuxian said with a shrug. “A little bit stuck on the rules. I was hoping to sit by him during lunch and have a real conversation with him, but he left.”

Jiang Cheng grumbled something about, “Didn’t you hear the rule about ‘no talking while eating’?”

The Nie cultivator looked at Wei Wuxian in surprise. “You wanted to talk to him? Why?”

Wei Wuxian tilted his head to the side as he thought about how to respond. He couldn’t exactly explain the pull that he felt towards Lan Wangji without outing himself as an omega and the other as an alpha. 

“He just… seems interesting?” Wei Wuxian said.

The Nie cultivator narrowed his eyes at him, speculatively.

“I see. Well, he almost never eats in the common area with the rest of us. His uncle forces him to for dinner, but the other meals he takes privately. I’m Nie Huaisang, by the way. We should head to the dining hall. If we miss the bell, we won’t be allowed to eat. Even though the food here is terrible, it’s better than nothing.”

Wei Wuxian was disappointed that he would not be able to talk with Lan Wangji, but easily fell into step with Nie Huaisang and a few other guest disciples who joined them. He’d have other chances to get to know the Lan heir, and Nie Huaisang was also interesting. He didn’t seem put off by Jiang Cheng’s prickly temper, which made Wei Wuxian even more curious about why the Nie disciple had found Lan Wangji intimidating. 

He put the Lan heir from his mind, telling himself he’d try talking with him again after lunch.

Except after lunch, Lan Wangji seemed even more determined not to speak with him. He held himself much more stiffly and refused to even look at Wei Wuxian, no matter what he did. 

Wei Wuxian was confused and honestly (though he was careful not to show it) a little hurt. It felt like something had… changed. Lan Wangji had not exactly been friendly before (not even remotely), but Wei Wuxian felt like the other boy had put up an almost physical wall between them.

And he hadn’t even done anything!

He didn’t really know what to do, but he wasn’t going to give up so easily. He would just need to show the Second Jade of Lan that he was worth his time to notice. Starting with acing the initial assessment that Lan Qiren handed out to the group to determine where everyone’s starting point was.

Acing the initial assessment did not help. If anything, Lan Wangji had glared at him even more.

Since the Lan claimed to value learning above all else (Knowledge comes first was one of the many rules Lan Qiren had read at them on the opening day), he had hoped to win Lan Wangji over through his academic prowess as the classes went on. He answered all of Lan Qiren’s questions and asked some of his own. At first, he had done so out of honest excitement and curiosity, but he had quickly learned that Lan Qiren was not interested in having an actual discussion about any of the subjects covered in the course. Rather, he appeared to like reciting things to the disciples and having them recite it back to him. 

It was honestly the worst.

When Wei Wuxian tried to raise a related point or challenge something in the lesson, he was cut off or told he was being disrespectful. At one point, Lan Qiren had muttered something about him being ‘just like his disrespectful mother’. 

Wei Wuxian had gotten actually angry, then. His mother had died when he was too young to even remember her, yet this man was holding a grudge against him because she’d challenged him or something when they were young? 

Cangse Sanren had been a powerful alpha rogue cultivator who had rejected the bloodline cultivation leaders to run off with a beta disciple from the Jiang, one that hadn’t even been bloodline clan. Given the emphasis on keeping powerful cultivators married into the existing clan structure, there had been a lot of sects angry with her over it and his parents had been somewhat ostracized. 

Despite the fact that they had been dead for over a decade, Lan Qiren appeared to still be carrying a grudge, to the point where he was openly trying to prevent Wei Wuxian from even speaking to his nephew, Lan Wangji.

Even worse, Lan Wangji seemed to agree with this, as he went out of his way to avoid any direct interaction with Wei Wuxian whenever possible. Wasn’t the pull of compatibility supposed to be mutual? Wei Wuxian wondered if somehow what he felt was rivalry, and he had just confused it for something else.

Except that he could still feel Lan Wangji’s eyes on him, especially when he was talking with MianMian, a Jin disciple he had made friends with, or Nie Huaisang, which didn’t even make any sense because both MianMian and Nie Huaisang were clearly omegas.

Whenever Wei Wuxian would turn to try to catch Lan Wangji watching him, the boy was always looking in another direction or walking away. It was as confusing as it was frustrating.

But it kept the low itch of… whatever it was between them buzzing under Wei Wuxian’s skin. 

After the first week, Wei Wuxian realized that there was going to be no way to please Lan Qiren. He decided he would at least enjoy himself by needling the man, with the dual purpose of venting his frustration that the clan that was known for priding itself on being the center of knowledge for the cultivation world was so averse to actual thinking, while also potentially provoking the Second Jade of Lan to actually talk to him, even if it was scolding him for the things he said.

Only the first part of his plan was successful. Lan Qiren yelled at him and tried to catch him out with things Wei Wuxian might not know. He found perverse satisfaction in being able to answer all of the man’s questions that he threw at him, even the boring ones asking about detailed minutia of the different clan histories.

He was more disappointed in the fact that Lan Wangji seemed to be of the same mind as his uncle, though the Second Jade never said anything directly to Wei Wuxian other than ‘ridiculous’ or ‘boring’. It was frustrating, because Wei Wuxian felt in his bones that Lan Wangji could do more than just recite everything perfectly. But no matter how many times he tried to provoke the boy into having an actual discussion, the alpha just shut him down and reverted back to reciting rules or other dogma.

He could see that some of his points were sticking in the other boy's mind, though. There were several questions that Wei Wuxian asked or points that he made that caused Lan Wangji to pause and blink. Of course, those were usually the moments where he would turn and stalk off angrily, or where Lan Qiren would intervene and send Wei Wuxian to go and copy lines.

Any hopes he’d had of catching Lan Wangji’s approval by or acknowledgment by excelling on Lan Qiren’s test or questions were dashed. In fact, it seemed like the more that Wei Wuxian proved himself in terms of knowledge and intelligence, the more angry glares Lan Wangji sent his way and the more Lan Qiren seemed to intervene to force them apart.

While it was true that he failed to win Lan Wangji’s approval, his questions did earn him the friendship of Wen Qing, who was a bloodline alpha from the Wen Clan. Though she was not close in the line of succession, her brilliance in medical cultivation had earned her Wen Ruohan’s favor. He spent time talking with her about some of his ideas on core development. They were careful not to discuss any of his thoughts on resentful energy being just another source of energy, if wielded properly, after Wei Wuxian had been kicked out of Lan Qiren’s classroom for bringing it up.

Wei Wuxian didn’t feel the same sort of pull towards Wen Qing as he did Lan Wangji, but he did feel a sort of comfort with her that he didn’t always feel with others, and they definitely had an intellectual compatibility if nothing else. If it turned out that his odd fixation on Lan Wangji was one-sided and they failed the compatibility Trial, his time in Cloud Recesses wouldn’t be without at least some friends.

He had also become friends with Nie Huaisang and MianMian. He found it odd that Lan Wangji seemed to glare the hardest when he was with his omega friends, but he only looked mildly disapproving when he was with Wen Qing, a potential rival alpha. 

It further fed the doubts that Lan Wangji was interested in him as a potential mate.

He told himself that there was still time, but after more than one person came up and asked him why Lan Wangji disliked him so much, he started to lose hope.

When the lectures pivoted to practical expertise including sparring with swords, Wei Wuxian had renewed hope that he might be able to earn some acknowledgement from Lan Wangji. The Second Jade of Lan was reputed to be an exceptional swordsman. On the first day of practicing, Lan Wangji and his elder brother, Lan Xichen, demonstrated sparring and showed that his reputation was not undeserved. 

Wei Wuxian desperately wanted to try his sword against Lan Wangji to see who would win. There was something about the idea of using the strength, speed, and skill of his own body to put the alpha to the test that was almost irresistible in the strength of its compulsion. As two of the strongest martial cultivators in the Lectures, they should be paired together even if Lan Wangji didn’t like Wei Wuxian much as a person. But the way that Lan Qiren kept forcing them apart made Wei Wuxian wonder if they would.

It was announced that they would be divided into groups, and Wei Wuxian’s hopes lifted. If they ended up truly being matched by skill, then he and Lan Wangji would be together for this part of the lessons. 

Each disciple was asked to do a short demonstration of the sword forms that they had mastered as an assessment of their skill level. As the First Disciple for the Jiang, Wei Wuxian had already mastered even the advanced forms. He moved quickly through the basics, and then put his full level of skill, power, and speed into demonstrating the advanced forms. He excelled with the sword. He’d had to in order to be designated as First Disciple at such a young age, especially not being bloodline, himself. 

He could feel eyes boring into him and—when he finished— looked over to find Lan Wangji glaring at him from the sidelines, with Lan Qiren looking grim.

He wondered what he had done to so personally offend him. They had been asked to demonstrate their skill level. Surely it couldn’t be considered to be showing off when he was simply doing what was asked? Particularly when part of the entire process was for clans to be able to assess the cultivation process of non-bloodline participants, such as himself.

Even Jiang Cheng wasn’t annoyed with him, and if anyone was going to accuse Wei Wuxian of being a showoff, it would be his martial brother. Jiang Cheng just gave him a terse nod and then stepped up to do his own demonstration. Despite designations not being announced, Wei Wuxian noticed that almost all of the omegas were paired with each other, as were alphas and betas. There were some exceptions made for particularly strong betas, but they divided the group roughly along gender lines. He was glad that an exception seemed to have been made for him, and he was put in the group with the alphas. MianMian had been placed into the group with the betas, but they were the only two exceptions. 

Omegas tended to be slightly smaller in stature and less physically strong than alphas, but the division still seemed excessive. Wei Wuxian was a bit of an outlier for an omega given his height, and he had trained himself ruthlessly to build his strength, despite his body’s natural tendency to be leaner. The results had left him still on the leaner side of the group, but his speed and dexterity were at the very top.

He had hoped that he would be paired against Lan Wangji, but the instructors seemed to be making an effort to keep them separated. Whenever Wei Wuxian called out to get Lan Wangji’s attention and ask if they were finally going to get a chance to spar, Lan Wangji would either ignore him or say that it was not the students’ place to tell the instructors how to run their class.

After two months, Wei Wuxian felt no closer to actually getting to spend time with Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian had made it more than clear that he was interested, so he supposed either Lan Wangji felt it would be inappropriate for an alpha and omega who were interested each other to interact before the Trials, or he was simply not interested in Wei Wuxian at all, and everyone was wrong when they had told him that the pull between mates was always mutual.

The fact that he did not know which of these were true made his nerves stretch taut as the first day of the Trials arrived. Jiang Cheng had been less conflicted when Wei Wuxian had talked to him about it.

“The guy obviously hates you,” Jiang Cheng said in his usual brutally-honest way. 

Wei Wuxian usually appreciated it, but he couldn’t help the flinch.

“He avoids you whenever possible. And when he does talk to you, it’s to tell you off.”

Wei Wuxian sighed. Madam Yu had agreed to let him challenge Lan Wangji at the Trials, despite everything. If it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out. The only other option for a connection between the Jiang and Lan was for Jiang Cheng to match with an absolutely insufferable omega, Su Minshan, who was one of the Lan outer disciples, and Jiang Cheng would rather be single and childless for the rest of his life than mate with that guy.

So it had been decided that—however unlikely it seemed—Wei Wuxian would be allowed to issue his Challenge to Lan Wangji.

The Compatability Trials were held in the largest training field in the Cloud Recesses. In the center of the field, an array had been drawn which would assess the degree of compatibility between potential mates. At the focal point of the array was a circle set with eight flawless sticks of jade, carved with sigils and threaded with cinnabar, one at each of the Cardinal points. Each piece of jade was the length of Wei Wuxian’s forearm and the thickness of his wrist. At the center of the circle was a large white jade orb, the purity and size of which made it worth more than several of the smaller clans combined.

Disciples who were participating in a Compatibility Trial had two options for how to get sufficient mixing of their qi for the array to assess them. They could either spar with spiritual weapons long enough to create a sufficient exchange of qi through the meeting of their blades, or they could take one of the jade sticks and pass the qi back-and-forth through for an hour, cultivating to provide sufficient exposure to test their compatibility. 

In the end, whichever path they took, the disciples would come back and touch the jade orb in the middle to assess their level of compatibility. If compatibility was low, the orb would remain dark, indicating that any children of the pair would be unlikely to be strong cultivators. The brighter the crystal glowed, the higher chance of compatibility. 

The atmosphere was full of anticipation as the disciples gathered around the array. The future of many of them would be determined by the outcome of the Trials.

Wei Wuxian stood with Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli amidst the other guest disciples as Lan Qiren laid out the rules for this final stage of the Guest Lectures. Rather than the sea of white that he had grown accustomed to over the past two months, the disciples were now wearing their own robes in their clan’s colors.

It was the first time that they were gathered without scent blocking talismans. After going two months without the presence of others’ scents, Wei Wuxian found the flood of them somewhat overwhelming. He was disappointed that he had arrived on the opposite side of the field as Lan Wangji. He’d been wondering about the boy’s scent since the very first moment he’d seen him.

He consoled himself that during the Challenge, he’d have the chance to find out.

“It is time to begin the first of our Compatibility Trials. Omegas will stand on the eastern side of the sparring fields and alphas on the west and betas to the north. Senior members of the clans may observe from the seating area to the south of the field. 

“Omegas are allowed to confer with their families and senior clan members in advance of issuing their Challenges. The recipient of a Challenge may discuss their response with their clan as well. Outside of this, spectators are asked not to interfere with the proceedings,” he continued. 

“As a final reminder of the rules, once a family rejects a Challenge, it may not be reissued and the challenger must either pass on this round or select another potential match. Whomever is ready first may step into the main field and state their Challenge.”

The disciples headed to their respective sides of the field as the formal stage of revealing their secondary gender designations. 

Jiang Cheng stiffed as he walked over to the designated area for betas. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli had already been standing at the eastern side of the field, so they simply stood and watched the others as the group sorted themselves into their assigned spots, acting as the first formal reveal of their secondary genders. 

There were no surprises as far as Wei Wuxian was concerned, and he inwardly rolled his eyes at all of the secrecy and ceremony. It seemed to him as though the scent blocking talsimans should have been enough to keep people from losing their heads, but he just filed that away with the dozens of other prissy, seemingly pointless rules that the Lan had for everything.

He put a supportive hand on his martial sister’s shoulder, able to scent her nerves as she braced herself to issue her first Challenge. It would, of course, be to Jin Zixuan, and the outcome would make or break the betrothal that both of their mothers had been hoping for since their births.

Everyone looked around, trying to get a sense for who the alphas and omegas would be before the group was officially separated. Before the group had even finished sorting itself, Lan Qiren was continuing.

“There will be multiple rounds of Challenges so we ask that there is no interference with an active Challenge. The initial three rounds can be initiated by omegas only. There will be additional opportunities for Compatibility Trials issued by any participants after the first rounds close. Omegas who are ready to issue their Challenge may take their place on the field and call out the name of the person they wish to challenge, as well as the type of challenge they are issuing.”

Wei Wuxian turned to Jiang Yanli. Her hands were twisted into the fabric of her robes as she looked over at where Jin Zixuan was studiously not looking at her, a tense and displeased expression on his face.

He felt his chest tighten in anger at the Jin Heir’s clear disregard for her, but there was nothing he could do.

Most omegas were conferring with their sect leaders or first disciples as they decided which of the newly identified alphas they were going to challenge for first. It surprised him, somewhat. He had expected most of them to be like him, with a clear potential partner that he already felt drawn to.

Didn’t all the stories always talk about how mates felt an almost overwhelming pull towards each other? Didn’t everyone already pretty much know what the designations of their fellow disciples were? 

His nerves prickled again at the chance that, somehow, his feeling of ‘rightness’ with Lan Wangji was going to turn out to be one-sided.

Since Wei Wuxian had already discussed his desire to challenge for Lan Wangji with Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu, he decided he might as well break the ice and go first. He gave Jiang Yanli an encouraging smile, then straightened his back and stepped into the field.

It was time to find out whether Lan Wangji felt the same connection that he did. He ignored the sudden sweat that broke out on his palms and the quickening of his breath as he spoke, projecting as much steady confidence as he could into his Challenge.

“Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian, First Disciple of the Jiang issues a Combat Challenge to Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji, Second Heir of the Lan.”

A ripple of shocked murmurs raced around the challenge field. Lan Wangji‘s eyes narrowed angrily at him. 

Oh. 

Wei Wuxian’s heart sank. Okay, then. He had his answer.

He had told himself that he had been prepared for the idea that Lan Wangji was signaling his rejection when he didn’t respond to any of his overtures of friendship over the past two months, but evidently some part of him had been convinced that the Lan boy was just being overly proper.

The expression on Lan Wangji’s face was definitely not that of someone who felt anything favorable towards Wei Wuxian. He tried to tell himself that he wasn’t hurt by the clearly unwelcome nature of his challenge. But it stung more than just his pride. 

He didn’t understand why his pursuit of Lan Wangji so displeasing. Wasn’t the whole point to improve a clan's bloodline with strong cultivators that were not close relatives? Wei Wuxian was Lan Wangji‘s equal in all things other than pedigree. Had he not proven both in the classroom and on the hunts and in sparring practice?

Evidently Lan Wangji disliked him as a person so intensely that none of these things mattered, despite the importance of strengthening the bloodline of his clan.  It was a lowering thought.

Before Lan Wangji could even open his mouth to give his response to the Challenge, Lan Qiren was already shouting.

“Wei Wuxian! How dare you make a mockery of these proceedings,” he spluttered, angrily. “Have you no shame?”

Wei Wuxian felt his face heat with embarrassment. It was true that he did not have the dowry or the pedigree that Lan Wangji had, but he was still the First Disciple of Yungmeng Jiang. What right did Lan Qiren have to say that his Challenge was making a mockery of the ceremony?

“Forgive this disciple,” Wei Wuxian said, trying to force his voice to remain even. “But is not the purpose of the session for a mixing of bloodlines to strengthen a clan? Did teacher Lan not just announce that it was time for challenges to be issued?”

Lan Qiren’s face was red with anger.

“This is the time for omegas to challenge potentially compatible alphas. It is not your place to issue a challenge to Lan Wangji. Sect Leader Jiang, control your disciple!”

Wei Wuxian looked over at Lan Wangji to see if he was going to object or speak up for him, but the alpha looked as stonily angry as his uncle. 

Wei Wuxian forced himself not to blink against the burning in his eyes. He would not bring shame to his clan any more than he already had.

Jiang Fengmian frowned in confusion and Madam Yu glared at the proceedings before shooting an annoyed look at Wei Wuxian. She would have words with him later. She had told him that he and Lan Wangji were not likely to be a good match, given the differences in their temperaments, but Wei Wuxian had insisted that he should be allowed to at least try and Jiang Fengmian had acquiesced. 

He had thought the worst that could happen was that they would end up not being compatible at the end of the Trial. He hadn’t thought that Lan Qiren would say that his challenge was an insult to his clan. 

Wei Wuxian breathed through the tightness in his throat. 

Fine. Whatever.

If the Lan wanted to pass him up because he talked too much or asked actual questions instead of just regurgitating whatever they’d been told to memorize, then there was nothing Wei Wuxian could do about it. He was by far the most powerful omega in the ceremony. He had other options. While it was true that Lan Wangji was the only one that he was interested in in that way, he had enjoyed his conversations with Wen Qing. She had clocked him as an omega almost immediately, though they had both agreed that there was no attraction between them. 

They had made up a sort of plan that—if neither one found anyone compatible—they would be okay with being paired with each other rather than paired with someone they had nothing at all in common with. 

Wei Wuxian met her gaze across the field, and she gave him a small nod with a wry smile.

“Is the Lan Clan formally rejecting the Challenge?” Madam Yu asked.

“Of course we are!” Lan Qiren said angrily. “I’m shocked that the Jiang are supportive of such blatant disrespect between our clans.”

Madam Yu bristled. She might not be Wei Wuxian’s biggest supporter, but she did not take slights against her clan lightly. Standing across the field, Jiang Cheng looked like he was barely holding onto his temper as he glared daggers alternately at Lan Wangji and Lan Qiren.

“Fine. If the Second Heir of Lan is unable to meet our First Disciple’s Challenge…,” she drew the words out, making it seem as though Lan Wangji had been afraid of being beaten by an omega rather than Wei Wuxian being actually unworthy. “...then he will issue a new one, as he is entitled to by the rules.”

Wei Wuxian straightened his back and swallowed to ensure his voice was clear and unshaking as all eyes turned back to him.

“Then I issue a cultivation challenge to Wen Qing of the Wen Clan.”

“Ridiculous!” Lan Qiren said. “Wei Wuxian, if you continue on this path you will be expelled from the proceedings.”

“I believe that the rules Sect Leader Lan informed us of in the opening ceremony stated that others were not supposed to interfere in an active Challenge,” Wen Ruohan drawled calmly from the sidelines. “The Wen have no objection to the Challenge by the Jiang First Disciple.”

From the corner of his eye, Wei Wuxian saw Lan Wangji stiffen, his gaze snapping between Wen Qing and Wei Wuxian.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lan Qiren asked, though his voice was shifting from anger to something slightly more cautious now that Wen Ruohan has spoken. “The first rounds of Challenges may only be issued by omegas. Alphas and betas may issue their Challenges at the designated time.”

“Wei Wuxian is an omega,” Madam Yu snapped out. “We had already discussed the Challenges he would issue on behalf of the Jiang in these Trials. If Sect Leader Wen has no objections, then we request that the Challenge proceed.”

Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji both seemed frozen, with Lan Qiren’s expression one of open shock. Wei Wuxian did not look at Lan Wangji as he went forward to meet Wen Qing. He was holding onto his composure by a thread, and he would not disgrace either himself nor the Jiang by showing how much the harsh rejection had hurt.

So what if he was bigger and stronger than most omegas? Why should that matter? Wen Qing was small for an alpha but no one snubbed her when she went and positioned herself on the alpha side of the training field. 

Wei Wuxian kept his jaw tight and his eyes wide enough that the breeze dried any excess water that might be threatening to humiliate him by falling.

There was complete silence from the audience as Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing walked towards the middle of the training field. Wen Qing looked at him with concern in her eyes, but said nothing as they picked up one of the ritual jade sticks, held jointly between their hands, and began walking towards one of the pavilions set aside for cultivation challenges. They were both extremely conscious of the eyes following them after the extremely unusual event of having a clan oppose a Challenge with no clear grounds for doing so. 

It was a huge blow to the relations between the Jiang and Lan clans, but Wei Wuxian could not think about that right now. He knew that Madam Yu would ensure that their clan was not the one that came out on the losing end of this. 

When they reached the pavilion and stepped inside, the sounds from the training field abruptly cut off. The pavilions were fully open with a roof and four pillars holding them up, but no walls. They were designed to allow full visibility to ensure that no inappropriate physical contact was made between the two parties, but a talisman allowed for privacy of conversation.

“Are you all right?” Wen Qing asked.

Wei Wuxian swallowed and took several breaths before he was able to force his voice past the lump in his throat.

“I thought he just didn’t want to discuss the potential of mating before the ceremony. I hadn’t thought he disliked me that much,” Wei Wuxian admitted.

Wen Qing's eyes flashed with anger. 

“The only times I’ve heard of a Challenge being rejected outright by a clan was when the Challenger had committed some crime or assault against the clan,” Wen Qing said. “There will be fallout for the Lan over this. It’s one thing to reject a match after the Challenge ceremony, if the compatibility level was too low, or if the marriage contract negotiations fail along some critical element. Many clans have used either of these as an excuse to reject offers that were not desired. They showed extreme prejudice against the Jiang in refusing to give you face on this. If they did this to a Wen disciple, Wen Ruohan would sever all ties with them.”

Wei Wuxian grimaced. He had been thinking the same, but he was relieved to hear her give voice to the same thoughts. 

“They seemed to be surprised that you were an omega,” Wen Qing said after a moment of consideration.

Wei Wuxian scoffed.

“I know that there are stereotypes about omega’s being small and alphas being large, but there’ve been a lot of exceptions. Surely even the Lan are not as close-minded as that.”

Wen Qing hummed in agreement, then poured the tea that sat between them on the low table, one cup for her and one for Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled out at him at the act, another blatant slap in the face of traditional alpha-omega roles. He didn’t need to look back towards the training fields to feel the number of eyes still watching them. 

He grinned at her as he toasted her. What the fuck. They might as well give them a show.

“Let’s hope Lan Qiren doesn’t run in here and demand to test whether or not you’re actually an alpha, since you deigned to pour tea for this lowly omega,” Wei Wuxian said, feeling the last bit of tightness release from his throat.

Wen Qing gave him a dry smile that delighted him.

Lan Wangji had rejected him. It was a disappointment, but life would go on.

“So. Since we need to be actively channeling qi in each other’s presence for the next hour, we might as well talk. How serious do you think your clan is about marrying you out?”

Wei Wuxian gave a slight grimace. 

“Madam Yu doesn’t want to run the risk of me finding a compatible mate with one of the branch families in Lotus Pier,” Wei Wuxian said.

The Wen sect had gone through more than one power struggle when a branch of the clan grew powerful enough in their cultivation to overthrow the main line. She also had a good read on the overall strength of Wei Wuxian’s core from where they were currently passing qi back and forth.

“I see. Well, we’re above the baseline in qi compatibility,” she said, glancing down at their hands. He was curious how she could tell, but didn’t doubt her. “It won’t be enough for anyone to force a marriage, but it would be enough for the Wen to accept your clan’s offer, if they make one.”

Wei Wuxian tensed. He liked Wen Qing. He liked talking to her about medical cultivation and theory. But, when it came to the thought of mating…

“I’m not any more interested in it than you are. My family only sent me here to meet with the Lan medical cultivators. They have zero expectation that I’ll find a mate. But if you need to marry into another clan, the Wen would be an option.”

Wei Wuxian felt himself relax. “Okay. That’s… that’s okay, then. I don’t know what Madam Yu is going to say about what just happened, but at least if she decides to kick me out over the situation with the Lan, I’ve got options.”

Wen Qing snorted. “Based on the way she was glaring fire at Lan Qiren, I seriously doubt she will blame you for this. If anything, you just gave your clan a leg up on the Lan.”

Wei Wuxian hoped she was right.

After they had completed the required time, they returned to the Challenge field. When they stepped into the array and touched the large jade orb at the center, it began to glow. While the light wasn’t exceptionally bright, it was steady and strong, a clear indicator of sufficient compatibility that a match was viable.

Murmurs ripple around the arena at the glow. Even if it did not result in an eventual mating, positive compatibility assessments also frequently ended with strong friendships or other partnerships. 

Wen Ruohan, Jiang Fengmian, and Madam Yu exchanged short nods showing their acceptance of the results. The Trials were far from over, but at least one potential match had been found.

More than half of the challenges would result in no signs of compatibility. And of those who were compatible, the jade would usually only produce a relatively small glow. There were stories in the past of times when the orb would glow like a beacon, but that had not happened in at least three generations.

Wei Wuxian did not look around at which to see which disciples were still undergoing their compatibility trials in the surrounding pavilions. He did not want to see who Lan Wangji had chosen to accept after rejecting Wei Wuxian so harshly. He could feel eyes boring into him as he and Wen Qing bowed to each other before returning to their respective clan leaders.

He kept his eyes locked on Madam Yu, ignoring everything else.

She had her chin held high from where she sat on the sidelines with the other clan leaders, her eyes flashing with equal measures of anger and pride. Of all the clans, the Wen were the most powerful. Having a compatibility match with one of the blood relatives of Wen Ruohan was a feat that would definitely improve the standing of the Jiang, even if all that ever came of it was a strong friendship.

“Well done, Wei Wuxian,” she said when he’d reached her side. “A-Li will be issuing her Challenge shortly. And A-Cheng needs to stay until the Trials are over, in case he is Challenged. In the meantime, you can return to our quarters and rest.”

Wei Wuxian appreciated it. He could still feel too many eyes locked on him, and wanted to be able to go somewhere private where he could process everything that had just happened. He supposed this was part of the reason that the rules said that participants who had completed the Trials should leave the Challenge area.

For once, he found the Lan rules merciful.

During this stage of the Guest Lectures, the disciples would spend much more time with their families than mingling with their peers. Now that the designations had been revealed and the scnt talismans had been removed, everyone was on high alert to ensure that no clandestine meetings took place. There would be chaperones present at all times.

Wei Wuxian was escorted by two Jiang disciples back to the quarters that had been issued to the Jiang for the Trials. The Jiang disciples glared at every single Lan disciple that they passed. 

Word must have spread about what had happened because the expressions on the Lan disciples' faces were even stonier than usual. A few of them even dropped their eyes when Wei Wuxian and his escorts walked past.

He felt nothing but relief when he was safely inside their quarters and he could let his guard down enough to face the disappointment and emptiness he felt at how thoroughly Lan Wangji had rejected him.

“Mating bonds are bullshit,” he said, accepting the drink that one of his clansmen had smuggled into Cloud Recesses.

“You would have been miserable here, anyway,” the disciple said. “You’re too committed to Attempting the Impossible to live in a clan that is married to three thousand rules.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t disagree.

It didn’t make the rejection hurt any less.

When Jiang Yanli returned with Jiang Cheng and Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu later that day, she was in tears and Madam Yu was enraged.

“How dare that boy! What gives these arrogant clans the right to treat the Jiang with such disrespect!” Madam Yu stormed.

Jiang Fengmian grimaced, looking displeased, if not quite so enraged as his wife.

“And you!” she said, spinning on her husband and jabbing a finger in his chest. “How can you just sit there calmly when your daughter and your First Disciple are disrespected! Where is your spine, Fengmian? As the leader of the Jiang, you should be defending your heirs and your disciples! It’s no wonder they feel like they can walk allover us.”

“Madam…” Jiang Fengmian began.

Jiang Cheng looked as though he was about to set the walls of the Cloud Recesses on fire where he was holding Jiang Yanli, whose face was covered by her hands as she cried quietly. There was a shallow scrape along her forearm and dirt all down the side of her robes, as though she had fallen to the ground.

Or been thrown. 

Wei Wuxian felt his anger surge at the thought.

“What happened?” he demanded, his voice turning dangerous. “Who hurt Shijie?”

If it was a Lan, if it had been Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian would challenge the entire fucking clan.

“That peacock,” Jiang Cheng spat.

Wei Wuxian felt a small amount of control reassert itself at the knowledge that it hadn't been Lan Wangji. Jin Zixuan was a known entity. And entity made up of being a spoiled, self-absorbed prig, but one that Wei Wuxian was fully confident he could handle.

“What did he do,” Wei Wuxian asked, his voice hard. “I shouldn’t have left. I should’ve stayed until Shijie’s match was done.”

“No. You have caused quite enough drama already on your own, Wei Wuxian. The rules required you to leave after your first Trial was done. We must remain above reproach. Besides, you would have interfered in the match had you stayed,” Madam Yu said, though her voice actually sounded more proud at the surity of her claim than angry. 

Which was definitely a first. 

“That bastard requested a combat Challenge. Jie had issued a cultivation Challenge, but he changed it to combat as a condition of accepting,” Jiang Cheng snarled.

Wei Wuxian’s hand went instinctively to the hilt of his sword as anger poured through him. Jiang Yanli was not a strong cultivator, due to health issues that had plagued her her entire life. Something that Jin Zixuan likely knew. Her weak cultivation was one of the main reasons that he had scoffed at having her as his mate, despite himself being only a beta.

Jin Zixuan was a fairly strong cultivator, so a sword match between them would have been humiliatingly lopsided. Which seemd to have been entirely the point he had wanted to make.

“The spar didn’t last long enough for the compatibility test to be effective,” Jiang Cheng said. “So at least she isn’t going to have to marry that asshole.”

Jiang Yanli looked up, her face red with embarrassment as well as from crying. “He didn’t strike me that hard. The sword just came from an angle I wasn’t used to, and I fell. It was more embarrassing than anything else.”

Wei Wuxian smiled darkly. 

“If the Peacock wants a Trial by Combat, then I will give him one.”

Madam Yu looked over at him, a vindictively pleased smirk forming on her face at his words. Jiang Cheng grinned.

While Jin Zixuan was a good swordsman, Wei Wuxian was an absolutely devastating one. Everyone in the room knew that if Wei Wuxian really wanted to, he could utterly humiliate Jin Zixuan in the same way that the boy had done to Jiang Yanli.

And Wei Wuxian really, really wanted to.

Jiang Cheng might sometimes grumbled about how Wei Wuxian liked to show off his swordsmanship, but they were both fully united in taking down anyone who made Jiang Yanli cry.

“Excellent,” Madam Yu said, briskly. “Because under no circumstances will you be offering any Challenges to the Lan in the remainder of the Trials.”

Wei Wuxian had known this. Of course, he had known that after Lan Qiren had formally rejected his challenge and Lan Wangji had shown equal disgust at it, there would be no second issuance. It still twisted inside of him to hear the words said out loud.

But there was a grimly smug expression on Madam Yu’s face that surprised Wei Wuxian.

“What happened? “Wei Wuxian asked.

Jiang Fengmian shifted, glancing at his wife and Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to speak, but Madam Yu cut them off.

“Nothing that you need to be concerned about. You have made a surprising and extremely advantageous potential match today. Your next challenge will be to Jin Zixuan, as discussed. There is no need to think on anything involving the Lan at this time. They are not worthy of our consideration.”

Wei Wuxian was not sure what to make of that. Something had definitely happened after he’d left. Maybe Lan Qiren had realized that he had miscalculated in how impolitic he had been in the way he’d gone about rejecting the Challenge, but Wei Wuxian didn’t have any interest in helping smooth that over for him. He decided to take Madam Yu’s advice and focus on comforting his sister instead.

There were three days between rounds of Challenges, which allowed the families to strategize their next move based on the outcomes of the first set of Trials. Over the course of those three days, Wei Wuxian heard voices multiple times from just outside their guest house, but no one entered and he was not called to go out. Madam Yu insisted that they take their meals inside, as many of the clans were doing, since omegas were often sought out by others to try to influence who their next Challenge would be.

Wei Wuxian spent his time in the courtyard, meditating and training, wanting to make sure he would be in top form for when he avenged his Shijie. He kept all thoughts of Lan Wangji from his mind.

Mostly.

When the second set of Trials came, Wei Wuxian was once again the first to step into the field. He wanted to ensure that no one claimed Jin Zixuan before he did.

His eyes had drifted to Lan Wangji before he realized what he was doing, and he quickly wrenched his gaze away from the boy, but not before he saw the way the alpha had gone rigidly straight at the sight of him. Wei Wuxian felt a surge of anger. Did Lan Wangji actually think Wei Wuxian was stupid enough to ask him a second time? Wei Wuxian had much more important business.

“I, Wei Ying, courtesy, Wei Wuxian, First, disciple of Yungmeng Jiang, Challenge Jin Zixuan, heir to the Jin Clan, to a Compatibility Trial by Combat,” Wei Wuxian said leveling a deadly glare at Jin Zixuan. “As that appears to be his preference.”

Once again, there was a stir that rippled around the practice field.

Jin Zixuan glanced over at where his parents sat, likely looking for some sort of reprieve. His mother only glared at him, while his father appeared to be ogling one of the female omega disciples who was waiting her turn to issue a challenge.

Wei Wuxian found himself viscerally hoping that his martial sister did not marry into a clan that was run by a lecher, especially not to an asshole husband who didn’t care about her.

The silence stretched as Jin Zixuan shifted, looking both nervous and embarrassed. If he refused Wei Wuxian’s challenge after what he had done to Jiang Yanli, he would lose significant face. He could not claim that he preferred combat challenges if he only accepted them from much weaker opponents.

Finally, he inclined his head in acceptance of the Challenge, and they both stepped into the center of the field into the array.

Wei Wuxian gave the boy the bare minimum of a bow before drawing his sword. Jin Zixuan responded in kind. 

They had never liked each other, and no longer needed to pretend to be polite about it. Wei Wuxian had been itching for years to put his fist in the boy’s face. Now that he finally had the opportunity, he was absolutely not going to hold back. He sent Jin Zixuan sprawling into the dirt in under three moves.

“Get up,” Wei Wuxian bit out.

Jin Zixuan stood, his face flushed with embarrassment.

They continued. Wei Wuxian counted down the seconds until he was sure that the array would have enough of their combined qi—produced by the clashing of their blades—to perform a compatibility assessment.

He made it very clear that he was holding back just enough to allow the fight to continue to its requisite length, but that it was completely within his control to end it at any point. 

When exactly enough time had passed, Wei Wuxian sent a brutal barrage of strikes directed at Jin Zixuan before the other disciple landed in the dirt once again, this time with Wei Wuxian’s boot on his chest and sword at his throat.

No one was surprised when they went over to the crystal and found that it did not provide even the tiniest spark of compatibility. If anything, it seemed to grow even darker. Wei Wuxian smirked at Jin Zixuan, then turned on his heel and walked away without even giving the courtesy bow that was customary to show respect at the close of the ritual.

Madam Yu gave him a smile that was more pleased and affectionate than he had ever imagined she would direct at him. Her goal had been to ensure that everyone knew that there would be penalties for disrespecting the Jiang, and Wei Wuxian had delivered.

“Good boy,” she said, brusquely. “You may return to our quarters and rest. Though it does not look like you tired yourself out significantly.”

She said this loud enough to carry, earning her an exasperated look from Madam Jin and an annoyed one from Jin Guangshan.

That evening after the second round of Trials were done, they discussed what to do next. None of the challenges issued to Jiang Cheng had shown any compatibility. Jiang Yanli had issued a challenge to one of the Nie disciples who was a close cousin to Nie Mingjue, and it had shown a moderate level of compatibility. 

It was not the option that Madam Yu had preferred, but it would at least allow for further discussions with the Nie. Nie Mingjue had not yet found a mate, and compatibility with one of his cousins could indicate the potential for compatibility with the man himself. He was a year too old to be participating in the current Guest Lectures, but it was not unusual for subsequent compatibility assessments to be attempted after the Lectures ended.

Wei Wuxian felt slightly annoyed with himself as the third set of Trials approached. Before coming to the Cloud Recesses and meeting Lan Wangji, he had been content with the idea of using his time at the Guest Lectures to make friends and build connections for the Jiang with other clans. He hadn’t been interested in marriage at all.

He knew that Madam Yu worried about him marrying into a branch family of the Jiang and putting Jiang Cheng’s line at risk, but—in the back of his mind—he had always thought that he would be able to sign some sort of a contract promising not to marry, and she might let him stay. 

It hadn’t seemed like much to give up, because he hadn’t ever been even remotely interested in someone as a potential mate. If anything, the prospect of mating had made him feel vaguely queasy. 

So he had been blindsided by the strange level of compulsion he felt to be near Lan Wangji: to seek him out, to talk with him, to spar with him… anything to get his attention. He had never felt like that before and hadn’t known how to handle it. After he had utterly failed in his attempts—culminating in his disasterous compatibility Challenge—he found himself remembering that he had never really been interested in marrying in the first place. 

Why should he be so upset that Lan Wangji had rejected him?

If he didn’t marry, he could stay with Jiang Cheng, which was what he’d always wanted. That had been his original plan in the first place. He was just going back to that after a brief deviation from that course.

Wei Wuxian didn’t need to issue a third Challenge. He was pretty sure that the heir to the Tingshan He Clan was interested in him, and would be more than happy to have a tie to one of the Great Clans. But even though Wei Wuxian liked him and thought that they would get along just fine as friends, the thought of mating with him made Wei Wuxian’s stomach feel slightly queasy. And not in the fun, anticipatory butterflies kind of way.

Issuing a Challenge to him would be leading him on, which Wei Wuxian did not want to do. At least with Wen Qing, he knew that she was just as disinterested in that part of a marriage as he was.

“Have you decided?” Madam Yu asked on the night before the final Challenge.

“I don’t think I want to issue any more Challenges. If that’s okay,” Wei Wuxian said.

Madam Yu nodded without even glancing over at her husband to see if he agreed. They both knew Wei Wuxian’s feelings on the whole thing and had honestly been surprised that he had been interested in an alpha at all. His compatibility with Wen Qing was good enough to stand on its own. There was no rush to find him a mate since it would be at least five years before he would even be eligible to get married, even if he wanted to. 

Which he most emphatically did not.

If he ended up being married to Wen Qing they would work something out. The other omega that had challenged her had not had any compatibility, so she was still an option.

Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian actually seemed somewhat relieved that Wei Wuxian was not planning to issue another compatibility challenge. Wei Wuxian chalked it up to clan politics and decided not to think about it.

That night, Wei Wuxian found himself unable to sleep. There was a restlessness in his blood, which made no sense since he had made the decision he would not be issuing any additional Challenges. 

After an hour of being unable to sleep, he quietly slipped out of bed and padded on bare feet out to the rear courtyard. The soft grass was cool and wet with dew against his bare feet. With a silent leap, he landed lightly on the sharply angled, tile rooftop over the residence.

As was his practice in Lotus Cove when his mind was racing too much to sleep, he had planned to lay down and watch the stars overhead and hope that their vastness would soothe some of the turmoil inside of him. It always gave him perspective that the whatever challenge he was facing at the moment weren’t so large and overwhelming as they seemed in comparison to the heavens.

As he landed, he caught sight of a flash of white on the other side of the building, glowing in the moonlight. Without even thinking, he made his way to the peak of the roof to look down on the other side. He was shocked to find Lan Wangji was kneeling at the gate near the main entrance to the dwelling.

It was well past curfew, so the boy must have been kneeling there already for hours or he would have been intercepted on his way there. He looked like a statue, his posture perfect where he knelt silent and still, with only the slightest tremor indicating the number of hours he must have already spent kneeling. 

There were two guards observing him. One from the Lan and one from the Jiang.

Wei Wuxian had no idea what to make of the situation.

“Lan Zhan!” he called out, moving to the edge of the roof. 

Lan Wangji’s eyes snapped to him, widening in an expression Wei Wuxian could not see clearly enough in the moonlight to discern. He was about to jump down when Madam Yu’s voice stopped him.

“Wei Wuxian. Return to your quarters.”

Wei Wuxian looked to where Madam Yu emerged from the building. She barely glanced in his direction, her gaze fixed on where Lan Wangji was kneeling penitently before them.

“But…” Wei Wuxian trailed off, feeling distressed.

He didn't understand what was happening. Why was Lan Wangji kneeling? Why were they allowing him to?

Lan Wangji's eyes had not left him, even after Madam Yu’s appearance.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said, his voice sounding as urgent and distressed as Wei Wuxian was feeling.

“Do not call him so familiarly,” Madam Yu snapped, though it did not hold the level of anger that she had shown on the first day of the Trials.

Lan Wangji lifted his hands forward before bending low, touching his forehead to the ground in a deep kowtow.

“This one apologizes for his mistakes,” Lan Wangji began.

Wei Wuxian did not even realize he intended to move before he found himself leaping down to grab Lan Wangji by the elbows and bring him out of the obeisance.

“Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan, what are you doing? I don’t under –”

He only caught the faintest trace of pine and sandalwood in the air before Madam Yu’s hands gripped him firmly, though not cruelly, as she pulled him back sharply, breaking the contact between them

“Wei Wuxian. Return to your quarters. This is a matter between the clans,” Madam Yu ordered.

Wei Wuxian knew he needed to obey his elder, but it felt like a physical impossibility to be torn from Lan Wangji—still kneeling in front of him—even though he was no longer in kowtow.

A sound of distress left Wei Wuxian’s throat that he barely recognized.

Lan Wangji’s face changed immediately and he leaned forward, reaching out as though to touch Wei Wuxian, but both guards stepped in between them.

“Enough!” Madam Yu bit out. “Lan Wangji. You have made your point. Return to your quarters immediately or this will escalate further. You are distressing him.”

Lan Wangji clearly did not wish to leave. He stared at Wei Wuxian a moment before reluctantly inclining his head

He stood slowly, his usual elegance absent due to the stiffness from kneeling for so long, but he did not stumble. He gave a deep bow to Wei Wuxian and Madam Yu, while the guards stood on either side of him. He held the position until Wei Wuxian was escorted back inside.

“I don’t understand. Why was Lan Zhan kneeling? What is happening?” Wei Wuxian asked, feeling shaken and confused.

Madam Yu looked at him sternly.

“It is not something for you to worry about at this point. Return to your room and rest. We will go to the fields tomorrow morning. You will not issue any Challenges, as we discussed. Nothing has changed.”

Wei Wuxian hesitated, torn between knowing he needed to obey her, but also deeply upset about what was happening.

“It will all work out, A-Xian,” Jiang Fengmian said, gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. Wei Wuxian did not know if he had been there the whole time or had just entered. “There are formalities that need to be followed.”

Wei Wuxian returned to his bed, but sleep eluded him.

The morning of the third Trial dawned clear and bright. Madam Yu had her maids dress Wei Wuxian in new, extremely formal Jiang robes (which he had never seen before, and wondered how Madam Yu had been able to procure them, or if she had brought them with from the start). They combed and styled his hair much more elaborately than he knew how to do himself. Jiang Yanli was also in formal robes with her hair looking beautiful when Yinzhu and Jinzhu finally released him from their terrifyingly ruthless efforts. 

There was no sign of Lan Wangji outside of their gate when they left, so Wei Wuxian assumed that the Second Jade had eventually returned to his own quarters after their meeting.

When they arrived at the training field, the Lan clan was already there. Lan Wangji was stationed at the western side with the other alphas, but his eyes immediately fixed on Wei Wuxian. Lan Qiren looked expectantly at Wei Wuxian and Madam Yu, but Madam Yu did not even glance his way as she walked beside Jiang Fengmian to the edge of the field.

After Lan Qiren announced that the fields were open for challenges, Madam Yu stepped forward.

“The Jiang will be issuing no further Challenges. My daughter and First Disciple will be returning to their quarters,” she announced.

While not every omega chose to issue challenges all three days, it was somewhat unusual not to stay and observe. Given the tense way Jiang Yanli was carefully not looking at the Jin Sect Heir, and given how little Wei Wuxian wanted to watch Lan Wangji accept challenges from another omega, he was grateful for the reprieve

He could feel the weight of Lan Wangji’s gaze on him as they turned and headed back to their quarters.

When they were far enough away to avoid being overheard, Wei Wuxian finally gave voice to the question he’d had ever since Jinzhu and Yinzhu had appeared in his room wielding their deadly sharp combs and glittering silk.

“If we weren’t going to issue Challenges today, why did we bother dressing up?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Madam Yu didn’t bother to reply, but she looked smug as they continued walking in silence.

The morning after the third day of Trials, Nie Huaisang arrived at the Jiang residences. 

With the first three Trials complete, the forum would be opened up to allow challenges from alphas and betas for the final week of the Guest Lectures. During this period, many of the clans would negotiate with each other to align on which Challenges to issue, as well as discuss which potential matches to pursue depending on the outcome of the completed Compatibility Trials.

But Nie Huaisang was not there to negotiate on behalf of his clan. He was there to gossip.

They all piled into Jiang Cheng‘s room as Nie Huaisang fanned himself excitedly.

“Everyone is still talking about what happened on the first day of the Trials! Neither Lan Wangji nor Jin Zixuan have had a succesful match,” Nie Huaisang said, his eyes going between Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli.

Wei Wuxian was torn between feeling bad that Lan Wangji had not found a match when he knew how critical it was for his clan, but also feeling oddly relieved that he hadn’t.

“Who did they test with?” Wei Wuxian asked, feeling curious despite himself.

Nie Huaisang shifted his posture into what Wei Wuxian recognized immediately as his full storytelling mode.

“Oh, Jin Zixuan didn’t even have any challenges on the final day. After what he did to Jiang Yanli, none of the omegas dared to challenge him. And of course, his second challenge had gone to you, which anyone with half a brain knew would go nowhere.”

Jiang Cheng snorted out a laugh.

“Serves that asshole right,” Jiang Cheng said.

Nie Huaisang raised an eyebrow, though he looked amused.

“That seems to be the general consensus. Though I heard that he hadn’t meant to injure Mistress Jiang. After the match, I saw one of the Jin omegas yelling at him about it. He told her that he had just wanted a chance to be able to show his strength since he was a beta, and hadn’t realized that it is more dangerous to spar with someone from a different style. He had tried to use just the standard beginner Jin moves and forgot that Jiang Yanli would not have been trained in them and would not have known the standard blocks and counters. He was evidently upset and embarrassed that he had actually knocked her to the ground.” 

Wei Wuxian scoffed.

“Anyone with any sort of proper martial training would know better. Even if you don’t know the exact move the other person is going to try, it’s simple enough to read their body language and pull your own strike before you knock them down if you aren’t intending to,” he said. “Of course, I absolutely meant it when I knocked Jin Zixuan down in our match. Each and every time.”

Jiang Cheng laughed. “And he deserved it. Each and every time.”

Nie Huaisang shrugged, not disagreeing. “I think you demonstrated very fully that you are better at martial cultivation than the Jin Clan Heir. But he really did feel bad about it. He’d never sparred with anyone outside of his Clan. He just didn’t know how to apologize when it happened, and before he could, the Trial had been ended.”

Jiang Yanli looked slightly conflicted, but seemed appeased at the news that it had been more a show of Jin Zixuan’s inexperience in sparring with people from other styles rather than him intentionally harming or humiliating her.

“It figures that the Peacock was more thinking about how to show off his own skills rather than worrying about how it would reflect on anyone else,” Wei Wuxian said, still not over his anger at the Jin Heir.

“So what about that Lan bastard? What’s his excuse?” Jiang Cheng asked.

Wei Wuxian bit back a grimace at the clear anger in his martial brother’s voice. Jiang Cheng hadn’t seen Lan Wangji kneeling outside their house, and hadn’t seemed mollified by it when he’d heard about it the following day.

“Oh, everyone is talking about Lan Wangji, too! I heard from Da-ge that he had been interested in Wei-xiong in the beginning, but their uncle told him Wei-xiong was an alpha. Since his brother hasn’t been able to find a strong match, Lan Wangji knows he will only be allowed to marry either a female beta or an omega. He thought that Wei-xiong had sensed his interest and was making fun of him about it.”

Wei Wuxian blanched at the thought.

“What?! I’m not that much of an asshole. I’d never make fun of someone for something like that!” he said, feeling thrown. 

If Lan Wangji really believed that, then it would explain how angry he had been every time Wei Wuxian tried to get his attention. 

“But why was he so convinced that I wasn’t an omega in the first place? I was standing on the side of the field with the other omegas when I issued the Challenge. Plus, I feel like it’s pretty easy to tell someone’s designation. There were only a couple of betas that I wasn’t really sure about but pretty much everyone else I had figured out within the first day or two of the Lectures,” Wei Wuxian said.

Nie Huaisang laughed. “Oh, Wei-Xiong. You had almost everyone fooled. Why do you think they put you in the alpha group for sparring? And the Lan keep their disciples separated by gender. Being the heirs, neither of the Lan brothers had much exposure to other disciples. But ever since Lan Wangji presented as an alpha he’s only been training with the older alpha instructors.”

Wei Wuxian hadn’t really thought much about it. At Lotus Cove, everyone trained with everyone. They also spent a lot of time mixing with the non-cultivators in Lotus Pier, so he had met plenty of people across all designations. He supposed that it would be harder to tell if you had never been exposed to different types of people.

“I thought they put me in the alpha group because I was one of the strongest swordsmen,” Wei Wuxian said, frowning.

Nie Huaisang shook his head. “Didn’t you notice that some of the alphas in the group were weaker than some of the omegas that stayed in the omega group? Even with the scent blocking talismans, they were worried about inappropriate contact between alphas and omegas, so they kept people separated by gender as much as possible. At most, they would’ve put you in the group with the betas.” 

Wei Wuxian scoffed. “Just because I’m tall doesn’t mean they should make assumptions. Don’t they have a whole rule about that? It’s not like I’m the first omega ever to be tall. If they wanted to keep the genders separate, then they should have asked the clans to inform them of the genders in advance.”

Nie Huaisang hummed. “There are too many clans who would accuse the Lan of having an unfair advantage to secure the best matches, if they knew. That’s why there’s so much secrecy about it until the Trials.”

Wei Wuxian knew this, but it still seemed silly. Surely there had to be a better way.

“Besides, it wasn’t just because you were tall,” Nie Huaisang continued. “Your whole demeanor is more alpha than omega. You challenge people and don’t back down. You’re much more interested in night hunting and sword fighting than learning medical cultivation or painting."

“I paint! I’m actually pretty good at it!” Wei Wuxian said tartly. “Besides, there are other omegas who are good at sword fighting. And Lan Wangji is an alpha, and his calligraphy is perfect!”

Nie Huaisang shrugged.

“True. But I think the thing that really clinched it was that Sect Leader Jiang had evidently mentioned to Lan Qiren at some point that you were just like your mother. And your mother was the strongest alpha in their class back in the day. He assumed that Sect Leader Jiang meant gender, not just your cultivation strength and looks.”

Wei Wuxian blinked. He had heard both Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian talk about how similar he was to his mother. In several of Lan Qiren’s tirades against him, he’d said the same.

“Aren’t there entire rules about ‘do not make assumptions’ carved in that wall of theirs?” Wei Wuxian asked, feeling his anger rise at how often he’d had to listen to Lan Qiren recite rules at them, or been forced to copy them out as punishment for breaking one of them.

None of his own violations of the rules had led to a major inter-clan incident like Lan Qiren’s own did.

“Yes. And Lan Wangji has been furious with his clan ever since he found out about it. According to Da-ge, he nearly refused to take any other offers, but his uncle said that the only way he would be allowed to Challenge for you in the final phase would be if he participated in any of the offers in the first parts. Of course, none of the matches passed. The more powerful the alpha, the more specific the match has to be in order for it to be fruitful. All three Challenges that he accepted left the stone blank.”

“Wait. Lan Wangji is planning to Challenge Wei Wuxian?” Jiang Cheng asked sharply, looking displeased at the prospect.

“Of course! Didn’t you know? I hear he’s been coming to your residence every day since the big reveal that Wei Wuxian was an omega.”

Wei Wuxian didn’t have a chance to respond to that, because Madam Yu stalked into the room, took one look at Nie Huaisang, and ordered him out.

When Nie Huaisang had left, Madam Yu demanded to know what he had told them.

“Does Lan Zhan really want to do a Compatibility Trial with me?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Madam Yu looked decidedly irritated at his question.

“That boy had no business coming in talking to you about matters between the Lan and the Jiang. But at least he had the sense to wait until the first set of trials were over.”

Wei Wuxian looked at her. 

“Why didn’t you want me to know?” he asked, feeling upset.

“Because you forgive too easily,” she replied.

Wei Wuxian tilted his head as he considered her words. If anything, he was known for being a hothead. But he supposed he did try very hard to not hold grudges, and was mostly successful.

“If Lan Zhan thought I was an alpha and making fun of him, then why would I be mad at him?” Wei Wuxian asked.

“It’s not about whether or not you are mad,” Madam Yu said. “It is about the fact that the Lan felt comfortable causing the Jiang to lose face in front of everyone. If Lan Qiren thinks he is going to be able to manipulate you into offering for his nephew to let them sweep their mistake under the rug, then he has another thing coming.”

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth to say that he wouldn’t have offered, but Madam Yu’s sharp look stopped him in his tracks. If he had known that it had been some sort of a miscommunication, he probably would have offered a Challenge to him on the third day. It suddenly explained why Madam Yu had wanted him to be all dressed up and then immediately turned and left.

“Are you… Are you going to let me accept his Challenge if he makes one?” Wei Wuxian asked.

Madam Yu gave him a hard stare.

“If the Lan wants to offer for you, then they will have to compensate us for their initial discourtesy. If they are sincere enough to do so, then I will consider it. Assuming, of course, that you actually prove to be as compatible with that Lan brat as you said. Given the number of hours that he has spent kneeling in our courtyard, I should certainly hope so. A man’s knees are worth more than gold, and a clan heir’s are worth even more.” 

For the first time since the Lan’s rejection of his Challenge, Wei Wuxian felt a spark of hope.

On the first day of the open Challenges, Wei Wuxian dressed in the robes he had worn to his first Trial. The sleeves were slightly narrower and more suited to combat, though they were still made of a fine purple silk, as befitting the First Disciple of the Jiang.

Madam Yu ensured that they were the last clan to arrive at the fields. Lan Qiren gave her a scathing look, but said nothing as he glanced over to where his nephew stood already in the center of the field.

They had not even separated to go to their respective sides of the field before Lan Wangji spoke his Challenge.

“Lan Zhan, courtesy, Lan Wangji, Second Heir to GusuLan, Challenges Wei Ying, courtesy, Wei Wuxian, First Disciple of Yungmeng Jiang, to a Trial of Compatibility by Combat.”

Because Madam Yu was still standing right next to Wei Wuxian, she was able to pinch his elbow when he opened his mouth to accept.

“The Lan rejected my disciple’s challenge for the Second Heir. How can they now claim the right to request a challenge that they, themselves, had rejected out of hand?”

Lan Wangji looked at Wei Wuxian beseechingly, and he wanted to respond, but Madam Yu did not release her fierce grip on his elbow.

Lan Qiren looked as though he had bitten into something sour, but he acknowledged Madam Yu’s words with a bow that Lan Wangji immediately followed, even more deeply.

“It has come to our attention that there were some mistaken beliefs on our part regarding Wei Wuxian’s designation,” Lan Qiren said, tightly. “In light of this, the Lan rescind our earlier objection to a Trial between the pair.”

Madam Yu snorted under her breath. Wei Wuxian was fairly sure he heard her mutter something to the effect of “Qiren thinks I’ll let him off that easy? He must’ve mistaken me for Fengmian.”

“While the Jiang are somewhat appeased by the knowledge that the objection has been rescinded, we do not find such a statement sufficient to make up for the things said about our First Disciple and our clan. You went so far as to call his challenge ‘a mockery of these proceedings’ and said that it was a ‘blatant disrespect between our clans’.”

Lan Qiren harrumphed, but a look at his nephew—who was still bent low in a deep bow—seemed to change his mind. Wei Wuxian had a feeling that Lan Qiren was afraid his nephew would drop to his knees and kowtow if he dragged things out too much longer.

“The Lan formally apologize for our mistake,” Lan Qiren said finally, conscious of the many judging eyes of the cultivation world upon them. 

On the one hand, Wei Wuxian understood Madam Yu’s desire for the apology to be made just as publicly as the defamation had been. But on the other hand, he worried that Lan Qiren would decide that—particularly for an unproven match with a disciple that he seemed to not even like—it would not be worth the trouble if she pushed further. 

Fortunately, Madam Yu appeared to agree and she nodded her head sharply.

“Very well,” she said. “If the match proves compatible, we can discuss specific compensation at that point.”

Lan Qiren did not look pleased at her words, but there was nothing he could really say. 

If the match showed them to be incompatible, then nothing further would come of it other than the public apology that had already been issued. But Madam Yu was putting Lan Qiren on notice that if they wanted to have Wei Wuxian marry into the Lan, there would have to be more material compensation. 

He had a feeling that these were the type of situations that required the full five years of marriage negotiations before finalizing. It was a good thing he was only fifteen and the marriageable age was twenty.

But all of those thoughts were pushed to the side when permission was given for them to begin their Trial. Lan Wangji straightened from his bow and stood to face Wei Wuxian. 

As Wei Wuxian walked to the center of the field to meet him, he had time to take in Lan Wangji‘s appearance. While Lan Wangji always looked beautiful, the pale blue and white robes he was wearing were more elaborate than any Wei Wuxian had seen before. The multiple layers of ultra-fine silk flowed about him like water, the subtle sheen of them catching the morning sunlight in the same way that Lan Wangji’s beautiful blue-black hair did. 

Despite the tenseness of the conversation preceding their challenge, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. Lan Wangji blinked at him, seemingly frozen for a moment to such an extent that Wei Wuxian wasn’t entirely sure that the other boy was even breathing.

“I’ll count us down, okay, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asked, when Lan Wangji remained silent.

Normally, it would be the one who had issued the challenge who would do the count, but Lan Zhan only nodded mutely.

“Three, two, one!”

The words had no sooner left his lips then they both were in motion. 

Wei Wuxian had been wanting to spar with Lan Wangji from the first moment he saw him. Even though it was not a fight to the death or even a fight where they wanted to injure each other, neither boy was holding back. 

Their blades danced in the sunlight.

The pale blue glow of Bichen and the deeper red of Suibian met again and again as they lunged and spun around the yard. 

Lan Wangji was good. He was so good. 

He moved his blade like an extension of his body, his sword as much a part of him as the hand that held it was. He was graceful and fluid, but had such strength with each strike that Wei Wuxian would have been in trouble if it weren’t for his own speed and skill. 

He couldn’t help the joyful laughter that bubbled out of him at the thrill of finally being able to test himself against Lan Wangji, to have the full focus of the boy he had been chasing for nearly three months. He felt like he was flying, even when his feet were firmly on the ground.

The intensity of Lan Wangji’s gaze on him felt like a physical touch, and the combination of it with the scent of icy pine and warm sandalwood had Wei Wuxian’s head spinning. The way he could hear the deep breaths Lan Wangji took whenever their spar brought them close made him hope that Lan Wangji found Wei Wuxian’s scent just as addictive.

Even though they had never had the chance to spar against each other even once (evidently because Lan Qiren was afraid of encouraging Lan Wangji‘s infatuation with another alpha), they seem to instinctively know what move the other would make before they had even performed it. 

Wei Wuxian spun and leapt, using more and more advanced techniques, pushing harder and further and faster to see if Lan Wangji would be able to keep up with him. At every turn, he found the silvery white blade was exactly where it should be to block or counter his own. Their spar went well past the required time for their qi to be sufficiently exchanged for the test, but neither of them slowed down. 

Wei Wuxian wondered who would be the winner, how far could they take it? But abruptly, Lan Wangji stepped back and lowered his sword, bringing an end to their spar.

Wei Wuxian understood the reasoning. They were not the only ones who needed to use the field that day. But he couldn’t help the tiniest flicker of disappointment that the match was over without a clear winner being decided.

“That was amazing, Lan Zhan! Next time, we have to fight until one of us disarms the other,” he said with a laugh.

“Mm,” Lan Wangji responded, his eyes dark and intense on Wei Wuxian.

While they were sparring, it had made sense for Lan Wangji to be looking at him so intently, but somehow, even though the match was over, the intensity of Lan Wangji’s gaze did not lessen at all. It made a shiver ripple beneath Wei Wuxian’s skin, though he didn’t really know why. 

He also became aware that Lan Wangji’s scent was much clearer to him now. He wasn’t sure if it was just that they were spending so much time in close proximity, or if the exertion of their fight had caused it to increase, but he found himself breathing it in more deeply. The cold, clean scent of pine and the warm, comforting scent of sandalwood was not a scent he had encountered before meeting Lan Wangji, but suddenly one he did not want to go without it.

The abrupt clearing of a throat drew their attention to where Lan Qiren was standing by the central stone, looking at them impatiently.

“A-hem! There has been more than sufficient exchange to fulfill the requirement. It is time to complete the ritual,” Lan Qiren said.

“Come on, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian said, grabbing Lan Wangji’s hand. “Let’s go see how we did.“

“Wei Wuxian! Release Wangji’s hand immediately!” Lan Qiren snapped impatiently.

It was certainly not the harshest thing the man had ever said to Wei Wuxian, nor was it said in the angriest tone that man had ever taken with him. Yet Lan Wangji‘s lips drew back in a slight, barely controled snarl, and the low sound of a growl rumbled deep in his chest. 

Wei Wuxian dropped his hand in surprise, moving to step away, unsure what was happening, but Lan Wangji’s large hand shot out, capturing his back in a firm grip.

“Do not bear grudges. Do not come between mates,” Lan Wangji recited to Lan Qiren, his voice low with a clear note of warning rather than the usual calm and deferential tone Wei Wuxian was used to hearing him use with his elders.

Lan Qiren looked like he was going to object, but then looked more closely at Lan Wangji’s expression and chose to remain silent, stepping back to allow them access to the central stone.

Wei Wuxian glanced over nervously to find Madam Yu looking at him from acros the field with an arched eyebrow that spoke more of amusement than shock. While Lan Qiren seemed taken aback at the aggression of his normally extremely obedient nephew, Madam Yu did not appear surprised at all.

When they approached the stone and laid their hands upon its surface, it began to glow almost instantly. The light grew brighter and brighter until it shone like a beacon. Wei Wuxian could feel the jade actually heat beneath his fingers. It was completely different from how it had been when he had touched the stone with Wen Qing. It had glowed, but there had been no warmth. With Lan Wangji, the stone turned bright enough that he had to squint to look at it directly. 

Lan Wangji's grip on Wei Wuxian’s hand tightened as the light continued to increase. After several moments, they withdrew their hands from the crystal and the light dimmed until it returned to its fully dormant, dark state.

Lan Wangji turned to look over at his uncle with an expression that Wei Wuxian could only describe as intensely smug.

Lan Qiren looked displeased, but resigned.

“Very well, Wangji,” he said. “We will commence the negotiations.”

“I will look forward to receiving your initial offer,” Madam Yu said with an almost predatory smile where she stood behind them. 

Wei Wuxian had been so focused on the light of the stone and the feel of Lan Wangji holding his hand that he had not even noticed her approach, nor Jiang Fengmian following behind her.

“We will escort our disciple back to our quarters now,” she said, her tone calmer than what Wei Wuxian was used to hearing from her.

It struck him that it was not usual for the clan leadership to enter the fields at the end of a Trial, either.

But at her words about returning him to their quarters, Lan Wangji’s grip increased even further as he pulled Wei Wuxian closer to his side and slightly behind him, as though shielding him from the others. While Lan Wangji did not bear his teeth or growl at Madam Yu, it was clear from the rigid way he held himself that he was fighting the urge to do so.

As another alpha, Madam Yu seemed to understand what was going on better than Lan Qiren, who was a beta.

“Lan Qiren, please instruct your nephew that we are not objecting to the match, and will not accept any other Challenges for him. But Wei Wuxian is too young for claiming. Doing so now would bring dishonor to him.”

Wei Wuxian vaguely realized that Madam Yu was avoiding directly ordering Lan Wangji, as it would likely be taken as a challenge between alphas. 

Which was… completely crazy? Wei Wuxian turned to look up at Lan Wangji.

“Lan Zhan! Don’t worry. Don’t you remember what they told us? The brighter the stone, the better the match. No one will want to interfere with us, given how bright it was. We won’t be required to do any more Trials, either one of us, okay?”

Lan Wangji looked down at him, the aggressive expression melting away like snow on a sun-warmed rock.

“Mm,” he replied.

“Okay, great,” Wei Wuxian said, squeezing Lan Wangji’s hand reassuringly for a moment before slowly releasing it, and gradually extracting his own.“We need to let other people complete their trials. But I’m not leaving Cloud Recesses right now. I’m just going to go and have lunch. I was so nervous yesterday that I could hardly eat.“ 

Lan Wangji’s eyes immediately sharpened. “Wei Ying must eat. I will bring food for you.”

“Thanks, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian said happily, even though he had a feeling that the boy’s version of food would be plain white rice. But it was the thought that counted, and he was too happy that they were going to be allowed to match to complain about it. “Now that you’re not trying to avoid me, does that mean you’ll actually talk to me?”

“Mn. Whenever Wei Ying wants,” Lan Wangji replied, looking earnest and defiant as he slanted a glance at his uncle, who only sighed again.

Madam Yu smirked and sent a sidelong glance at Lan Qiren who appeared to have aged a hundred years in the last five minutes.

As they walked back towards their quarters, he heard Madam Yu laugh for the first time he could remember. 

“I’m going to rake him over the coals in this wedding contract. But at least he knows it’s coming,” she said, mostly to herself, as they walked back together.

The end.

A/N - I couldn’t write this from Lan Wangji’s pov because I don’t like to write explicit things for underage LOL.