I tried to get up painfully. I was lying on a part of the icy rock that served as a bed. A blanket was laid over me. On the right side, there was a stone carved in the shape of a table. I was in the 2nd cavity of the cave of the cold basin. The one where Lan Yi had resided for a hundred years.

This place would become my home for the next 3 years. I heard a noise in the main cavity. Uncle appeared.

"Good, I see you're awake," he said as he walked in with his hands behind his back, looking stern.

"Your reclusion begins today. Out of respect for our ancestors, the elders have agreed to keep your actions quiet. Officially, you have decided to go on a meditation retreat because of the betrayal of Wei Wuxian, whom you considered your friend. "My jaw tightened. He must have seen it, but he continued.

"I had the books of the Lan Clan's rules and our history and teachings transferred. Lan Yi's Qin cannot be moved, so it will remain in the main cave. If its guardian spirit wants it, perhaps it will let you play it. Do you have any questions? "

"How long have I been unconscious? "

"2 weeks, it was your brother who insisted on taking care of you, despite all the work he had, in order to stabilize the chaos left by Wei Wuxian! "

Once again my jaws and fists clenched, but I said nothing. Whatever I said, I would be wrong! Wei Ying had been found guilty without a trial!

"One meal will be brought to you per day. It will be left at the entrance of the Cave in the morning. Your wounds are on the mend. Even with the use of the cold pool, it will take you several months to heal them completely. Use your time to meditate on the rightness of your actions and the harm they have caused. We will meet again in three years and I hope you will have come to your senses by then! "Uncle turned and left the cave. I was alone and would be for some time.

I managed to drag myself to the main cave by clinging to the walls. I took off my robes and slipped into the icy water of the pool. I began to meditate. As soon as I was better, I would explore my new domain. Lan Yi had lived within these walls for a century, but what was three years? I heard a light noise on the right... in fact I might not be totally alone! A white fur ball was pointing its little muzzle towards me, soon joined by a second one! After all, these companions were not likely to disturb me.

Time passed. My wounds began to close. The more I pondered the rules of our clan, the more I found some of them inappropriate.

The Qin of Lan Yi had finally accepted me and every night I played to heal. Then before going to bed I would play the few chords of a question to the spirits.

"Can you hear me? "but no spirit answered me. Then I returned to my bed.

My nights were made of dreams and nightmares. I saw you falling into that fiery abyss. I still didn't understand why you had let me go. I imagined you torn apart by the rocks, burned by the lava. I didn't even know if your body had been found and if you had had a decent burial. I doubted it. Considering the fury of the sects during the battle and their hatred for you. I imagined them hanging your battered body for all to see, as an example.

And then some nights I imagined that you had survived and were waiting for me. You stood at the edge of the cliffs of Guzu. You would turn your back to me in your black dress, the red ribbon of your hair floating in the wind. You were playing our tune on Chenqing. I approached you in silence and said your name. You stopped playing and slowly lowered your flute. Then you turned to me with a bright smile. I took you in my arms and kissed you passionately. I took you to the Jingshi and we spent the night loving each other. In my dream I could feel your caresses and kisses. Your naked skin against mine... and then the morning came and there was only the memory of a dream that would never come true!

All my days were the same. One day, Brother brought me my meal and crossed the threshold of the cave of the cold pool. I was kneeling before the rule book. He placed the tray on the edge of the stone and ice table. I raised my head and stared at him. He smiled sadly at me.

"Wangji, how are you? You've been here for about six months. How are your injuries? "

"Healed."

"How about you? Wangji, I've been thinking. I know that Wei Wuxian was your friend and that you were worried about him. But you know that his practice of demonic cultivation condemned him from the beginning. From the moment he revealed the existence of Yin Hufu to everyone, he sealed his fate. Even if his intentions were good, he was a danger. He was unpredictable..."

"Has his body been found?".

"No, when Jiang Sheng descended into the abyss he found nothing but Chenqing. "

"And Siubian?"

"Recovered as a war trophy by the Jin Clan. It is said to have been sealed a few days after its arrival in Lanling."

My fists clenched to the point that the knuckles of my fingers turned white.

"Wangji, I know you were friends... " I turned to him abruptly.

"He was my soul mate, the one I could confide everything to. The only one I could take off my blindfold! ".

My brother's eyes widened and his mouth opened... but no sound came out. He stared at me. My eyes then landed on our Clan's rule book.

"Rule 83 of the Lan Clan: you will remain faithful in your actions to the person you have chosen as your cultivation partner.

The discussion was over. My brother must have understood that I would not apologize or deny what I had done or why I had done it.

He continued to look at me for a long time, and then left the cold pool cave without saying a word.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)