No person in his life had ever made him this trepidated. At least not someone amid his peers. With an agitated heart, he travelled to the world of mist after covering a gruelling journey of three days without any vehicle of land.

Gusu was as tranquil as ever, like an isolated island immersed in its own world of beauty and serenity. Pleasantly cloudy atmosphere accompanied by a pleasing clean air was enough to put one's heart at ease of comfort and lax, but it was opposite for Wei Wuxian.

It took few hours for the young sect leader to appear and the old grandmaster to greet and invite into a private talk he desperately needs to conduct. Not to mention it was about their own family member this issue is concerned.

"I am really pleased to see you Wei Gongzi but why...do you look agitated? Has anything wrong happened? Is Wangji doing well? " Lan Xichen gingerly advanced the cup of lavender tea towards the Junior and looked at him with a flick of concern and expectancy- for an answer.

"I hope Wangji was able to adapt himself with Lotus Pier." Lan Qiren commented solemnly.

Wei Wuxian took a sip of the tea and finally his jammed brain, which was excruciatingly clogged up for past few days felt a little bit relaxed.

"Laoshi..." Wei Wuxian was interrupted by a steady voice- "Call me Shifu." He was surprised at his surprisingly pleasant offer, but seems like the old man choose a very unfavourable time to exchange this moment of amiability.

Wei Wuxian's face flicked with a pinch of light but no ray crossed his eyes to lit them up. A silent sigh left his lips and he took a deep breathe. A sharp pain began to spear his skull.

"Shifu...sect leader Lan... Lan Zhan has gone missing. Even after incessant toil of ten days, we could find no trace of him." His voice was feeble and exhausted and the pain in his head intensified. The last time he saw Lan Wangji was ten days ago and that calm and unbothered face show no trace of anything going wrong.

What could possibly go wrong?

"What! What are you saying Wuxian?" Lan Qiren snarled and his equally terrified elder nephew held him to give the old man some purchase to bear the shock.

"Wei Wuxian, what are you saying? Wangji is not a child. How could he go missing? How did it happen?" No one ever saw Lan Xichen this agitated in his entire course of life.

The pain began to intensify and Wei Wuxian had to hold his aching forehead between his fingers. He took out the letter that Lan Wangji had left before disappearing and put it on the gawking table.

"We had tried to send you letters, but the sudden floods in the Qiutong river had blocked all passages of communications, so they never reached Gusu. Master Lan, Sect leader Lan, Yunmeng Jiang Sect is in no way responsible for this unsolicited conduct from Lan Zhan...but we are ready to assist in every way possible. And I..." He stopped abruptly and took another deep breathe, his throat was clogging up from the gradually frosting tension and exhaustion.

"This... This is Wangji's handwriting. Mind telling us what else had happened Wei Wuxian?" Lan Xichen was shocked, and Lan Qiren looked furious- at whom, Wei Wuxian was not interested to ponder over.

He told them everything. Everything that took place during the course of Lan Wangji's stay at Lotus Pier.

"... I saw black veins on his neck that day...he was unusually agitated, as if..." He lost words to describe how exactly he felt. He never showed it, but that scene had made him restless, and Lan Wangji, of course was oblivious to it. Wei Wuxian didn't want to scare Lan Wangji away, so he was silent on the matter, waiting for a possible right moment to arrive.

"What do you mean? What kind of marks? Please be articulate Wei Gongzi. We trust you. We request you not to conceal anything. Tell us." At Lan Xichen's desperation, Wei Wuxian felt turmoiled enough to clench his jaw.

"The exact kind of marks that were seen on Taxian Jun's entire body. The marks that are left by the spirit of dark vengeance. Yin." As soon as the words left his lips, his throat went dry, making him realize the heaviness of the words he spoke.

"What?! Yin! How could Wangji yield...yield Yin? His meridians generate pure white Yang. So does his core. How could you be this sure Wuxian?" Lan Qiren sneered. His frown had translated into a deeper version, manifesting the boiling worry and turmoil he was feeling for his nephew at that moment.

Wei Wuxian was silent. He knows, what he has blurted out just now is nothing light or worthy of ignoring. He knows that the Lans will believe him. After all, he is saying the truth.

"Wuxian, can you show me the Summer Lotus for a while? If you don't mind?" Lan Xichen said softly and Wei Wuxian took out the summer lotus at once, not brooding over the fact that Lan Xichen knew about this gift he had received from the younger Jade.

The lotus was blooming in its full gleam and beauty, sparkling like the surface of a river under the buoyant sun. Shedding soft and cool energy from time to time, the lotus proved itself to be quite robust and thriving.

However when Lan Xichen touched it, its petals curled away from his soft touch viciously and shook lightly. The elder Jade's expression softened for a moment.

"I can feel him. He is alright. Just... lonely." Wei Wuxian's wistful voice made the Lans' eyes go soft and expressions melted.

"We will start searching for him from this very moment." Lan Qiren asserted and exited the room to order the disciples to prepare the best team to go and find his nephew.

"Sect leader Lan..." Wei Wuxian was cut off when Lan Xichen looked at him with placating eyes.

Lan Xichen shook his head. "You don't have to worry, Wei Gongzi,you are at no fault. We know you are distressed, but we will find out Wangji soon. I don't understand why he did this. But I trust my brother's conscience. I just want to secure his safety."

Me too. Wei Wuxian wanted to utter.

Even though he noticed the way the Lans ignored the matter of Lan Wangji using Yin, he did not lay fingers on it. He doesn't want the other to fall in danger.

"Sect leader Lan, may I..." Lan Xichen raised his eyesbrows, urging him to continue. Wei Wuxian gulped. "May I have something that belongs to Lan Zhan? I promise you it's not for any evil purpose. I just want to keep a record of his smell."

His throat again went dry at his own acts of foolishness and shamelessness. His heart was thrumming loudly, apprehending a funny or loathesome reaction from the honorable sect leader. He hopes his face at that moment is not transparent enough to make the blatant lie visible to the senior.

"Sure Wei Gongzi. I hope a robe and a paint brush would do fine?" Wei Wuxian was so startled by the nonchalant response of Lan Xichen that he almost tipped down on the floor of his imagination. "Yes. That would be enough. Thank you."

Despite his reluctance, the Lans forced him to take lodge at Cloud Recess for the night and he had no choice but to acquiesce. He felt gleeful and wistful at the same time when Lan Xichen gave him Lan Wangji's robe and paint brush during the evening tea and he was overcome by a wrenching longing when he snuggled up against the robe. Smelling the calm and cold sandalwood scent of Lan Wangji's essence.

What is wrong with you Lan Zhan?

-❖-

"Are you sure? Won't that be a problem Wei Gongzi?" Lan Xichen sounded unsure and indecisive but Wei Wuxian's decided face wiped out his doubt.

"I am sure. Yunmeng and Lan sects have been friends for quite a long time. Lan sect has been backing us for ages. No advance of help is enough to reimburse the Lans' kindness, Lan Gongzi. Also... I want to... I mean, Lan Zhan is my classmate and I was with him before he disappeared. It's my duty to assist you in finding him out. My presence will assist you in having clues I suppose."

Lan Xichen nodded, pleased. He gazed at Wei Wuxian's expressionless and wooden, yet exhausted face for a few moments, his eyes contemplating and sedated. Something flickered across his soft eyes and Wei Wuxian was unable to figure out the enigmatic look.

"Thank you A-Xian..." He sounded tender and grateful.

Wei Wuxian was taken aback at the sudden tenderness. "Lan Gongzi doesn't need to be so formal. It's also my duty. He was under Yunmeng's promise after all." He added quickly.

Lan Xichen shook his head. "Not for that Wei Ying. You will know soon. I am just glad that it's you..."

Wei Wuxian was befuddled. "Me what? Xichen Ge?"

Lan Xichen only smiled lightly and held his shoulder. "As I said...you will know soon."

Wei Wuxian's heart was throbbing with an unknown feeling, and excitement was overwhelming his heart almost blasphemously. He doesn't know what this feeling is, but the unforeseen future seemed to waft across him with a pleasing promise.

Lan Xichen looked so much like Lan Wangji. One could take him easily for Lan Wangji if the two were not so different in their manners and auras. Wei Wuxian felt the urge to embrace the man before him. But before his heart could refill with overflowing thoughts of Lan Wangji and those unleashed urges, he kicked himself in his mind.

"Wangji won't to anything morally depriving. I can assure you that A-Xian."

Wei Wuxian, " Xichen ge, I might have not been close to Lan Zhan as much as I am to you since childhood. But trust me, I would never harbour any ill intentions of aggravating feelings against him. I am just worried about him. I don't care whether he yields Yin Or not. I just want to make sure he is not pushing himself towards the unwanted."

Lan Xichen smiled.

The group embarked on a journey to find out the most promising young cultivator who seemed to have disappeared in the thin air.

A/N

° Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen have met each multiple times because of sect matters, so they are quite close. Since Lan Wangji remained secluded most of the time, Wei Wuxian never met him since childhood.

° Taxian Jun in this chapter is the title of a person who turned into a monster after yielding Yin.
(If you know where the name is taken from, then give me a hug)