Lan Xichen's Pov

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The man in black must have been Wen Ning. I had never met him, but Meng Yao, who until now had remained at the back of the room, nodded to me. He had known him.

His discreet nature, combined with his spy instinct, had made him keep a low profile in order to observe everyone and determine who among all the people present was likely to be dangerous or... the traitor we were looking for!

I looked a little closer at the young man standing between Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning. He had the mark of the Bindi on his forehead. He looked a bit scowling and haughty, and he was greedily looking at Jin GuangShan, or more precisely Jin ZiXuan. The similarity of their swords left no doubt about his identity. He was the son of ZiXuan and Jiang Yanli: Jin Ling...

The young SiZhui turned to us.

"Clan leaders, with your permission, I will guide Wen Ning to examine my fathers.

Like Wei Wuxian earlier, he grabbed Wen Ning by the arm and left without waiting for our answer!

I couldn't help but notice the similarity in the behavior of father and son!

"I feel as if I have seen this scene before," I said.

Jiang Cheng looked exasperated again!

"Lan Xichen, like father, like son! Even the Lan clan's education can't make him control his nature so similar to my brother's. When they are worried about someone they love, their hearts guide their actions and not always their minds.

MingJue frowned and looked disturbed! He turned to Jiang Cheng.

"Jiang Gongzi, your nephew said "his fathers" for the second time, does he have more than one?

I looked worriedly at Jiang Cheng.

Did he know how we view same-sex relationships? He should not reveal to MingJue that his brother and Wangji were lovers and married.

"SiZhui is my brother's son. When he died, Lan Wangji raised him as his own child.

"Didn't you?"

"At that time my brother and I were at odds and I didn't know about A-Yuan. Does that answer your question?

"Yes."

However, I noticed MingJue's skeptical look.

"Clan Chief Lan Xichen, may I ask you to guide us to my Brother and our Chief Patriarch?

"Just a moment, Jiang Gongzi" Jin GuangShan wore an affable air that did not bode well.

"I'm listening".

"This young man is wearing Suihua, if I'm not mistaken! My son ZiXuan told me that your brother revealed to him that in your world he had a son. Is this young man my grandson?

Young Jin Ling surreptitiously looked in the direction of his uncle, who nodded.

He then turned to Jin GuangShan and Jin ZiXuan.

"Clan Chief Jin, it is true that in our world, Jin ZiXuan was my father, but he is dead . The same goes for my grandfather Jin GuangShan, and I prefer him to stay for me .

Was it just an impression or did this young man not seem to carry his grandfather in his heart? In any case, he had just put Jin GuangShan in his place, as it should be. It was clear that he had tried to get the sympathy of the young man by putting forward their so-called relationship! But as young as he was, he had not been taken in by his game. How could someone so young be so perceptive?

I stood up and addressed my "two brothers."

"Da-gé, I will lead them to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji and if you wish, I can also arrange for them to be installed in the nearby rooms. Meng Yao will help me."

I noticed that at the mention of Meng Yao, young Jin Ling's face became animated.

"So do my brother. Meng Yao?".

"I'm here, Master Nie."

Meng Yao approached and came to bow before us. The young Jin Ling did not take his eyes off him. He had a slight smile and a strange glint, like sadness, in his eyes .

I went down to join them and after a final bow, we left the great hall. Meng Yao guided us through the maze of corridors and passages. I suddenly wondered how Wei Wuxian and then his son SiZhui could have found their way in. Unless they were regulars of the place!

When we arrived at our destination, we could hear a soft melody coming from inside the room. We knocked and Wen Ning came to open the door.

"Come in, come in, Master Wei has just gone back to sleep".

After passing through the door, my eyes were drawn to young SiZhui playing Qin in the alcove. He had taken off the gray over-dress he was wearing when he arrived. He was dressed entirely in white. You could see protective patterns embroidered on the edges of the sides of his robe. He also wore the ribbon with the Lan emblem on it.

He was dressed in the complete outfit of the Lan clan disciples.

It had been a long time since I had seen it worn by someone. Since the destruction of YunShen Buzhi and my clan so many years ago, I myself had not worn our traditional headband! Had I so lost faith in the precepts of our sect? I had broken many of the rules that had governed my childhood, then my teenage years, and finally my early adult life. I turned my head toward the bed.

Wen Ning was finishing bandaging Wei Wuxian's right side. When he finished, he came back to us. Jiang Cheng asked him.

"Is he badly hurt?

"Less than Master Lan," replied the fierce corpse.

"Master Wei is lucky to have a thousand-year-old golden core, so he slowed down the spread of the poison used. His wound itself is not very serious. With proper care, he will be fully recovered in 2 or 3 days!"

"And Lan Wangji"

"His case is more complicated! His back injury is the most worrying. It's having trouble healing.

I thought I should intervene.

"Song Chang said that it could be caused by the old wound underneath. When it was done to her, a product was used to delay the healing.

The music suddenly stopped. SiZhui stood up and joined us, looking worried.

"You mean the injuries caused by the discipline whip?

"Yes, that's right!" SiZhui turned to the bed.

"Then what's happening is because of me.

"Come on, SiZhui, what are you talking about? !!!!" said his cousin.

"The truth is that my father was whipped and locked up by the clan in the cold cave to protect me! Jiang Cheng put a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"SiZhui is the past. Let's focus on the present. Wen Ning, how long do you think it will take for SiZhui to regain consciousness?

The musician and the doctor looked at each other.

"Master Lan is waking up from his sleep. He is reacting and seems to hear us. I would say tonight or tomorrow at the latest. His spiritual flow is steady and back to its highest level.

"Perfect. It's good to know that!

"Jiang Gongzi, are we going to go back as soon as Master Lan is with us again?

"I'd like to think so, but knowing my brother, I doubt he'll give up so easily! There was too much worry in his eyes. You all know his sense of justice!

There was silence in the room. I spoke up.

"If you allow it, we will guide you to your rooms! We will move you to the two adjacent rooms. If you need anything, please ask Meng Yao!

"I am honored to make your acquaintance," he said, bowing.

One could feel the awkwardness. The atmosphere was heavy. Our 4 guests had to wonder what attitude to adopt with Meng Yao. This one decided to speak frankly.

"I know that my other self has probably caused you harm, but as Wei Gongzi said, our story is different and I hope to prove to you that I am not like the one you knew.

"Uncle Jiang..." began Jin Ling.

"Jin Ling! You know as well as I do, that he couldn't be trusted! I know he raised you, but until I have my own opinion about him, I forbid you to go near him without one of us! And that goes for you too SiZhui! I don't even want to imagine how A-Xian would react if anything happened to either of you!

The young Jin Ling grimaced and looked stubborn.

This young man must have been too spoiled as a child!

I led Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling into one room while Meng Yao led Wen Ning and SiZhui into the other.

We let them settle in and told them that they would find everything they needed in the dressers.

I joined Meng Yao outside. He motioned for me to follow him. He had to talk to me.

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