The first competition of the Cultivation World's junior disciples ended in a draw.
While Jiang Cheng had placed third and Jin Zixuan second, the Two Jades of Lan shared first place for now, both having performed exactly the same.
Wei Wuxian teased Lan Wangji about it while they followed his amused brother and uncle back towards the guest quarters to take their lunch, hanging off his arm the entire way.
As they arrived to their rooms a Lan disciple approached them with a message from Lan Qingzhao in which the talisman master informed Wei Wuxian that she would pick him up shortly after lunch to attend the researchers' gathering.
Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen had the afternoon free while Lan Qiren would depart a little after Wei Wuxian to attend the first exclusive meeting between the Cultivation World's sect leaders.
The old man seemed slightly tense as he spoke about it with Lan Xichen after they had eaten.
Would Wen Ruohan finally show his face?
Given that he was the host of this entire conference, surely, he would have to, right?
Wei Wuxian soon didn't have time to worry about this anymore though, as Lan Qingzhao arrived punctually to whisk him away from the Lan sect's guest quarters and towards another assembly hall.
It was smaller and a little less glamorous than the hall in which the banquet had been held, located close to what looked to be temporary training fields, and the plaza in front of it was already full of cultivators who were chatting with one another or entering through the doors of the building.
He Yongrui was there with his apprentice, coming towards them with a happy expression as soon as he had spotted them.
And head physician Guo was with him as well, politely greeting Lan Qingzhao.
"Let us go inside. The moderator is already present," he suggested.
Wei Wuxian said an amicable hello to Zhu Ya who seemed very nervous again while the two of them followed their seniors into the assembly hall.
Inside the building many tables had been arranged to form a large semicircle and Wei Wuxian curiously looked around. There was paper and ink prepared on the tabletops instead of refreshments and at the front of the hall an old man in Wen robes was standing by a podium. Wei Wuxian knew from Lan Qingzhao's briefings that he was likely the one who would moderate the entire meeting, inviting the cultivators who had applied to present something into the center between the tables to speak.
He followed Lan Qingzhao towards a seat, head physician Guo and the other two taking a seat to his right.
There were already a few others present, and Lan Qingzhao leaned over to him and quietly pointed out to him who they were while the hall gradually filled with more and more people.
Wei Wuxian felt a little guilty how relieved he was to see that Yunmeng Jiang's talisman master did not appear, though Zhang Jiayi was there, Jiang Fengmian having likely sent his assistant to observe whether anything of interest would be presented. The man nodded in greeting and smiled kindly as Wei Wuxian sent him a small wave.
When almost all seats had been taken the hall abruptly grew a little quieter all at once, many heads turning towards the entrance.
As Wei Wuxian followed their eyes, he saw that there was a young woman in Wen sect robes entering the hall, followed by two men, likely there to guard her.
"There, Zhu Ya, do you see her?" he heard He Yongrui tell his student. "Take care not to draw Wen Qing's ire."
The young woman from the Wen sect, Wen Qing apparently, was beautiful and regal, tanned features proud and hair strictly tied back, the flowing flames on her collars and sleeves clearly indicating her high rank.
Her gait was self-assured and radiated authority, the two guards who followed after her holding their heads subserviently lowered as she walked towards the last free seat.
Wei Wuxian watched her curiously for a moment, until the moderator began to speak on his podium.
"Let this year's researchers' gathering commence!" he called. "If there are questions during a presentation, please raise your hand to ask it. If there is interest in any presented result, as always please make your offers to the speaker after all presentations and not during them."
Murmurs of agreement could be heard from the assembled cultivators.
The moderator cleared his throat.
"Let's not dawdle, then. I ask the first speaker to come forward."
The first speaker turned out to be a stately old man from the Baling Ouyang sect who stepped into the middle of the tables with an assistant.
He did not bother to introduce himself and Wei Wuxian knew from Lan Qingzhao that this particular master studied monsterology and attended every researcher's gathering, and so everybody was acquainted with him already.
He had apparently been researching rare and elusive bestial spirits for almost two decades now and a recent encounter had brought about a breakthrough.
"We spent a month in a remote village near Chongyang where villagers had reported multiple sightings of strange animals while gathering lumber in the forests. Some described a black dog without a tail, a pig or a strange monkey," he said, gruff voice ringing clearly through the hall.
Those cultivators who Lan Qingzhao had pointed out to Wei Wuxian as interested in monsterology were listening with avid concentration, already taking notes.
"These accounts, if you remember, are strikingly similar to those I reported last year and also three and a half years ago as I recounted my visits to a temple in Kuizhou and the coast of Maoming County. I'll remind you that both these places have old and vast forests as well."
He turned to his assistant and the man produced a scroll from his sleeve, promptly letting it unfurl and showing the creature drawn on it to the audience.
"This is only one of the morphologies we could observe in these types of spirits. Their form is subtly translucent and they turn invisible when approached directly. However, there is one distinctive similarity to all spirits we could find—they unfailingly appear only in areas with remarkably ancient trees. If one further compares the appearance of the spirits with the living beasts populating each particular area it becomes clear that there is a connection. As such I can only come to one conclusion."
He cleared his throat, waiting for his assistant to return to his side from where he had been busy letting the other monsterology masters study the scroll more closely.
"The spirits appear only in the vicinity of very old trees, especially those around five hundred years or older. Beasts do not have souls as humans but I do not think it impossible that there may still be a capacity for emotion, something akin to gratitude for the shelter these old trees have provided for centuries. As such, I think them to be spirits formed of the lingering attachment of long generations of animals inhabiting these ancient trees."
A woman dressed in Meishan Yu sect robes raised her hand where she had been taking notes and asked, "Have you attempted to damage one of the trees in order to test whether these spirits are capable of turning malevolent?"
The Ouyang sect master shook his head. "I do not think we have enough justification to destroy a tree so incredibly ancient just for the sake of trying to provoke aggression in spirits who seem entirely benign. Since the commoners living in the areas we explored have enough young trees to cut down there is also no actual occasion to risk drawing their ire."
The woman from Meishan Yu seemed slightly dissatisfied while most of the other monsterology scholars nodded in agreement.
"That is all," the master concluded. "I have compiled all my findings, including detailed depictions of each different type of spirit we have encountered so far. Should there be interest I'd be happy to be approached later."
With that he and his assistant moved back towards their seats.
The Wen moderator asked whether there were any other questions and when no one raised their hand he announced the next speaker.
A frowning woman came forward, seeming a little nervous.
"I am Yang Meiling from the Tangxi Yang sect," she introduced herself. "My sect has made a concerning observation a few months ago after we received a call for help from a small place called Guiguan Village located at the edge of our territory. There had been an alarming number of suicides in a matter of only two weeks."
A few people exchanged concerned glances.
Yang Meiling continued, wringing her hands, "After some tribulations, we managed to discover that the reason for it was a fierce corpse which had been stuck in a barricaded old house next to the villagers' temple. Last traces of its consciousness had been retained strangely well and the survivors reported that they had felt watched while they prayed, despite the distance the temple had to the old house."
She blinked a little, as though she saw what she spoke about right before her eyes.
"It was the corpse of a man who had been shunned by everyone in the village due to a sickness which had disfigured his face. The old house belonged to him. We conjectured he had likely died from excessive isolation since his proximity to the temple was somehow influencing the villagers who came to pray, infusing them with crushing feelings of loneliness and self-loathing, hence the suicides. The corpse even managed to influence us cultivators to some degree. Although it was definitely a reanimated fierce corpse it seemed almost capable of detaching its lingering consciousness from its body… more resembling a resentful ghost in its actions, I think."
Concerned murmurs travelled through the audience while Wei Wuxian put his chin in his hand, listening with intrigue. The Cultivation World did not really have a good system to categorize resentful beings and some cases tended to blur the lines between the simple classifications of ghost, demon, corpse or creature. Perhaps someone should attempt to create a more functional categorization system some time?
Yang Meiling pulled forth a booklet. "We developed a sword formation technique for a group of five cultivators which enabled us to minimize the spiritual energy needed for the banishment array we used. In this way we could use our remaining energy more efficiently to fortify our minds against the corpse's influence. We are willing to share it should anybody be interested."
A man wearing Laoling Qin robes raised his hand. "At the end of the day, singular fierce corpses can be caught easily with established methods, abnormal or not. I do not think there is a need to get all up in arms over this."
Yang Meiling shifted uncomfortably, clearly not knowing what to say.
To Wei Wuxian's right Lan Qingzhao raised her hand. "While that might prove true in most cases, it is not a given such methods will be at hand should a fierce corpse of the abnormal variety that cultivator Yang has just described ever be encountered again. And especially to sects who do not have the means to manufacture or purchase things such as Immortal-Binding Nets the method she has spoken of might prove quite valuable."
She nodded to a grateful looking Yang Meiling while the guy from Laoling Qin just huffed quietly.
Wei Wuxian felt admiration for his teacher stir in his chest.
Yang Meiling went to take her seat again while the Wen moderator once more asked whether there were any questions remaining. Some people shook their heads.
The next person to speak was a physician from Lanling Jin.
As he sauntered into the middle of the tables two servants followed after him, carrying golden baskets.
Wei Wuxian noticed how Wen Qing, who had stayed an entirely silent observer until now, shifted slightly in her seat, her eyes sharpening.
The man also didn't bother to introduce himself, likely as much a known face among the Cultivation World's scholars as the master from Baling Ouyang had been.
"I am pleased to share something revolutionary with my fellow medical practitioners this researchers' gathering," he announced proudly. "As you all know, Lanling Jin's physicians have long been the leading masters of cosmetic remedies. Today, I will present to you the result of month-long labor—a salve capable of removing even old scarring."
The servants by his side opened the golden baskets they carried with perfectly rehearsed synchroneity, pulling forth beautiful translucent containers filled with a light green substance.
"We have labored hard and long and finally perfected a herbal mixture made from valuable oils and only the freshest leaves of comfrey, capable of ridding a person of scarring up to five years old—even the deepest and most damaged skin tissue can be restored!"
Admiring murmurs travelled through the audience and some of the present physicians put their heads together, muttering while they eyed the salve containers with speculative eyes.
"But that is not all!" the physician from Lanling Jin continued, gesticulating wildly. "Extensive and careful experimentation has revealed that not only can this salve remove regular scarring, it even promotes the healing of heavy burns and accelerates the closing of wounds!"
Most physicians seemed admiring now.
Wei Wuxian didn't know much about medicinal herbs and he curiously eyed the salve containers before he leaned towards head physician Guo and He Yongrui, whispering, "Is that actually possible?"
While the former had put a hand to his long beard and was frowning slightly, the latter nodded slowly, quietly answering, "I think it must be."
The physician from Lanling Jin looked around the hall with satisfied eyes, seeming like he wanted to say more as the admiring murmurings suddenly ceased all at once, everybody abruptly falling silent.
Wen Qing had stood from her seat.
"You said you used comfrey to make this salve?" she asked.
The Jin physician nodded, an appeasing expression on his face. "Wen-guniang, I feel truly honored to receive interest from a young woman as skilled as you are. We did, as I've already mentioned, indeed use a paste made from dried comfrey leaves as the base for this revolutionary salve. As accomplished as Wen-guniang is, I am sure you know all about that particular herb's valuable properties."
"I do not see how my accomplishments are at all relevant to the matter at hand," Wen Qing replied. "What is however relevant is that comfrey is a herb which requires a very skilled pharmacist to calculate its dosage. Might we all be informed about the amount of comfrey you have used making this salve, especially in proportion to its other ingredients?"
The Jin physician laughed. "Ah, Wen-guniang can hardly ask me to disclose a secret recipe of the Lanling Jin sect? As a fellow practitioner of medicine, surely you understand that some mystery must be retained, or there would be no market left for us physicians to sell our medicines!"
The other cultivators all turned to look at Wen Qing expectantly.
Wei Wuxian gained the impression that it probably wasn't the first time she had publicly started to criticize someone.
Wen Qing's eyebrow had risen as she regarded the physician from the Jin sect coldly.
"That may be true for medicines made from unquestionable ingredients. In this case however, I can very well demand that you reveal exactly how this supposed revolutionary salve has been produced since any patient it gets used on might suffer fatal consequences."
"What—fatal consequences?" the Jin physician repeated incredulously. "Wen-guniang, surely there must be a misunderstanding!"
Wen Qing huffed and turned away from the man to address the entire hall.
"Comfrey has long been well-established in the making of poultices for the dressing of wounds, but newest research has shown that this herb has as many valuable properties as it has dangerous ones. While the liquid contained in its leaves indeed promotes the softening and even the regeneration of skin tissue, it also contains a toxin which is directly connected to gradual liver failure the more it is ingested."
A shocked murmur ran through the audience.
The Jin physician's smile had turned pinched. "Wen-guniang, I am by no means unaware of these risks," he said quickly.
Wei Wuxian thought that it sounded quite a bit like a lie to save face.
"But these symptoms are surely only a concern when the herb is consumed? Our salve is applied exclusively on the skin and so I can assure everyone that it's completely safe to use! We conducted extensive and careful tests and there was never any problem!"
Wen Qing crossed her arms disapprovingly. "I assume these extensive tests you claim to have made have not been conducted on cultivators, then?" she asked.
The man seemed caught off guard.
It was obvious that Wen Qing was right.
"I… fail to see why that would be important, Wen-guniang?" he asked, still trying to smile placatingly.
Wen Qing huffed. "I am beginning to doubt whether you are qualified to call yourself a physician," she said sharply.
The man paled, his smile finally slipping off his face.
Before he could attempt to defend himself, Wen Qing was already speaking once more.
"Let me remind you about one of the most basic lessons a physician who works with cultivators learns. A golden core heightens the efficiency of many processes of the human body—among them the circulation of blood. As such a cultivator needs less medicine than a commoner to access the same amount of that medicine's healing properties. And most dangerous substances usually run their course through the body more quickly as well."
Her eyes narrowed.
"In this particular case however, I must assume that the dosage of comfrey you have used to create that salve is particularly high, considering the extreme effect you claim to have accomplished. And, albeit a smaller amount, the toxins inherent to the herb's liquid will still enter the body, even if solely applied externally. As such they will also find their way into a patient's liver, accumulating at a pace that the body of an average cultivator cannot handle."
Head physician Guo hummed next to Wei Wuxian, nodding in approval.
Wen Qing had turned back to the scowling physician from the Jin sect by now, returning his glare unflinchingly while she continued to make her point.
"During operations on patients who had been treated with medicines containing even just small dosages of comfrey three stages of symptoms were discovered. First, an enlarged liver, often on those patients who reported sharp stomach pain before their death. Second, an accumulation of sinister, yin-heavy fluid within the inner walls of the abdominal cavity. And third, malevolent growths within the liver which at last caused the organ to cease all activity and decompose, unfailingly leading to the patient's death."
She looked around the hall again but no one contradicted her, most other physicians having started taking notes long ago.
Wen Qing turned to the Jin physician one last time to add, "Comfrey is very easy to grow, compared to herbs with similar attributes. Considering the price I suspect Lanling Jin planned to charge for this salve I suggest you invest in herbs of higher quality instead of daring to sell a cheap and dangerous product for a tall sum. And you should administer yang-heavy nutrimental tonics to those who served as test subjects to prevent any negative effects your careless treatment of them may otherwise cause in the long term."
With that she sat down again, evidently done speaking with him.
During the short silence that ensued Wei Wuxian felt tempted to whistle.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had raised his hand.
"Wen-guniang, is there any known method to extract this toxin from the liquid contained in the comfrey leaves?" he asked.
The others in the hall all turned towards him, most seeming confused.
Wen Qing fixed him with narrowed eyes.
"There is not," she said curtly.
Wei Wuxian nodded. "Has it never been attempted or is it simply not possible?"
Wen Qing huffed, while the physician from the Jin sect used this chance to steal back to his seat.
"How is this line of questioning at all helpful?" Wen Qing wanted to know skeptically.
Wei Wuxian grinned.
"Wen-guniang mentioned that comfrey has many valuable properties. So, I am wondering whether it might be possible to access them while avoiding the toxin in some way?"
Wen Qing raised her eyebrow, studying him critically. "You are wondering?" she repeated coldly. "If you do not have knowledge of medicine then do not interfere in a discussion you have no authorization to partake in."
Out of the corner of his eye, Wei Wuxian noticed how head physician He made an aborted motion in his direction that seemed a little like he had wanted to make him stop talking.
He laughed. "Ah, now that's a little harsh, isn't it?" he asked. "You see, though I do not know much about medicine, I clearly remember once reading a publication during my own studies which spoke about the possible extraction of poisonous substances from wounds, especially those that had been caused by arrowheads coated in the poisonous juice of wolfsbane."
The others in the hall were so silent one might have been able to hear a pin drop.
"Are you talking about the Recipes for Fifty-Two Ailments? That is a text written for physicians and not easily understood by the ignorant," Wen Qing stated, still seeming highly skeptical.
"Ah, no, I'm actually talking about the work of an old talisman master," Wei Wuxian explained. "I think his name was something like Ren… he came from some sect in Jiangnan, though I might have remembered that incorrectly. More importantly though, he developed an array capable of purging wolfsbane juices from an arrow wound."
Wen Qing's eyebrows furrowed.
Wei Wuxian nodded to himself. "I remember that part clearly. The array was constructed by using a powerful balancing incantation directed at yin heavy fluids as the main vocal point which was connected to two sections—the first made from interwoven Xi radicals for suction and Cuiqu spells for extraction—the second stabilizing the body through incantations based on shen which assured that bodily fluids would not be affected. And so, I wondered whether it might be possible to adapt such an array and use it on, for example, a paste made from comfrey in order to extract the toxin Wen-guniang has spoken about."
There was a short moment of tense silence as everybody waited for Wen Qing to react.
Wen Qing was blinking, eyebrows heavily furrowed.
Then she said, "If I have followed your logic correctly then the wolfsbane juice was possible to be extracted due to its yin heavy attributes which are foreign to the human body," she said. "However, both toxin and valuable attributes of the comfrey herb are contained in the same liquid. It will not be possible to remove one without also removing the other."
Wei Wuxian hummed. "Wen-guniang makes a good point. The liquid itself is also yin in nature, you said? Still, I believe there might be a way to specify which substance to purge and which to retain within the liquid. After all, as you have explained just now, the human body is capable of dividing them as well, isn't it—since the valuable parts stay in one place to mend things like scarred skin while the toxin gets flushed into the liver. All we'd have to do is to emulate this process through talismanry."
Many of the others traded confused glances with each other.
Lan Qingzhao began smiling mildly.
Wen Qing huffed. "More often than not interdepended relationships between processes of the human body are so highly complex that even the most educated physicians still cannot comprehend them clearly. How are you going to manage something scholars have failed to do for centuries, especially considering your lacking knowledge in the field?"
The other present cultivators turned their heads towards Wei Wuxian.
He laughed at Wen Qing's snide tone. "Ah, Wen-guniang, while I admit my knowledge of medicine is indeed lacking, that is also true for you when it comes to talismanry, is it not? Since what I suggested has never been attempted before how can we just say it is impossible?"
He leaned back in his seat. "Though I do concede that I likely wouldn't be able to manage something like this without the help of someone very well versed in medicine."
Next to Wei Wuxian, Lan Qingzhao was still smiling. "Perhaps it is something to keep in mind for the future," she suggested, amusement in her voice.
Wei Wuxian grinned at her, nodding. "Yes, master. Ah, I'm sorry, I disrupted the meeting, didn't I? I'll hold my tongue now."
Wen Qing however was still staring at him, something almost mystified in her eyes.
The Wen moderator cleared his throat, hesitantly asking whether there were any remaining questions.
A man in Yao sect robes raised his hand. "You," he said in Wei Wuxian's direction. "You are Wei-gongzi, are you not? The young master who managed to defeat a waterborne abyss?"
The others began murmuring in surprise, eying him speculatively.
Wen Qing crossed her arms, squinting at him.
Wei Wuxian tilted his head. "Ah, yes, I am Wei Wuxian. Though I did not defeat the waterborne abyss so much as I helped the Lan sect defeat it. It was a group effort!"
The man from the Yao sect looked at him with fascination. "Why don't we finally hear more about it from you right now, Wei-gongzi?"
Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Qingzhao. "Isn't there a predetermined order for speakers? I do not want to jump the queue."
Lan Qingzhao nodded. "Let us first listen to those who have also been waiting to present their results," she agreed.
The guy from the Yao sect seemed a little disappointed but still settled again.
The Wen moderator cleared his throat once more, seeming slightly hoarse. "May I ask the speaker of the Zhoushan Zhao sect to come forward, then?"
-------
The speakers of the three minor sects who presented next were all physicians as well.
Zhoushan Zhao had adapted an acupuncture technique against convulsive seizures.
Next was a small sect from Wuzhou who thought they had discovered a priorly unknow herb against indigestion, but were proven wrong by Wen Qing who pointed out that accounts of that rare herb already existed, although they weren't extensive and so the Wuzhou Li's results were still valuable.
Meishan Yu followed with a discussion of the health benefits and improved stamina-development that came with training in high altitudes.
During all three presentations Wei Wuxian felt people curiously look in his direction again and again.
Finally, it was Wen Qing's turn to present.
As she made her way into the middle of the tables most watching physicians readied a new page.
Wei Wuxian was equally interested.
It was clear by now, that the admiring accounts he had heard about her were definitely justified—even though some of the obvious respect that she was treated with could probably also be accredited to people not wanted to offend her and Wen Ruohan by proxy, her genius was undeniable.
He curiously listened as she began speaking about a decoction that she had developed to counter extreme mental stress and listlessness.
"I have used five ingredients for this decoction. Mixed with most types of incense it has an uplifting and strength-giving effect on the human mind," she said. "The ingredients in question are compressed crow-dipper blossoms, dried poria mushroom, magnolia bark, dried perilla leaves and fresh ginger. I am willing to share my recipe."
The Lanling Jin physician from earlier huffed, having crossed his arms.
"What's a little fatigue to cultivators?" he grumbled. "Are we to treat common laziness as an illness too now?"
Head physician Guo disapprovingly shook his head next to Wei Wuxian.
Wen Qing had turned towards the man, her eyes sparkling with annoyance.
She did not let herself be provoked however, instead calmly answering, "It is a wide-spread mistake among cultivators to believe oneself superior to the common man in all things. And while some aspects of that assumption are not completely unjustified regarding the physical body, when it comes to the mind any cultivator is as fallible to illness as a person without a golden core. Beyond that, one might even argue that health of mind is a cultivator's greatest weakness. Qi deviations induced by overwhelming mental strain can after all not only cause death but also harm bystanders which makes this matter highly relevant."
Her eyes narrowed. "I would ask everyone present to not make comments which serve no purpose but to mend a bruised ego during what should be purely scholarly discussions."
The physician from the Jin sect had turned purple but did not make any more attempts to speak.
Most others were looking at him disapprovingly.
Wei Wuxian raised his hand. "Wen-guniang, may I ask why the decoction you produced must be added to incense?" he asked.
Wen Qing's narrowed eyes travelled over to him. "Wei-gongzi, if you have any more far-fetched suggestions, I would hope you have thought them through properly."
Wei Wuxian grinned. "Ah, you mistake me, Wen-guniang, I did not mean to criticize anything you said. I was merely wondering whether making a patient inhale smoke is truly the most efficient way to administer medicine. Wouldn't it be better to create a brew or a pill or something? I mean, from a perspective of making the most of the ingredients and their healing attributes?"
Wen Qing raised her chin. "The process of burning enables these healing attributes you speak of to be released from the ingredients in the first place while others which may prove harmful to the human body remain behind."
"Ohh, I see," Wei Wuxian conceded.
Wen Qing's eyebrow twitched. "You see," she repeated.
Wei Wuxian smiled at her. "Yeah, what you said makes perfect sense!"
Somehow, Wen Qing seemed like she was even more vexed by him admitting defeat so easily than she would have been had he continued arguing.
She shook herself with a huff. "Are there any other questions?" she asked sharply.
When nobody took the initiative to raise their hand she stalked back to her seat, throwing Wei Wuxian another irritated glance on her way that he happily answered with a smile.
The man from Pingyang Yao cleared his throat. "Now, I think it must finally be time for Wei-gongzi to present his own results, right?" he asked, looking at the moderator.
The man in question looked at his list and nodded. "Ah, yes. May I ask Wei Wuxian of the Gusu Lan sect to come forward?"
Speculative murmurs erupted in the hall, many eyeing Wei Wuxian with interest.
Wen Qing was still glaring at him.
Wei Wuxian took a discreet breath, then rose from his seat with one last glance at Lan Qingzhao, who nodded encouragingly.
They had spoken in detail about what Wei Wuxian should present and he felt pretty calm as he walked to the spot Wen Qing had just vacated.
"First, as Yao-xiansheng has already alluded to, I would like to relay Gusu Lan's experiences with the waterborne abyss that appeared in Biling Lake last year in autumn," he began.
He smiled and nodded at the corner of the hall where the monsterology masters sat. "The honored masters' input is hereby very welcome, since some questions remain unanswered."
Remembering past discussions with Lan Qingzhao and Lan Qiren, Wei Wuxian began to animatedly explain his speculations about what waterborne abysses might actually be, pointing out the outdated literature on such a guai, then proceeding to describe his theory about robbing it of its foundation by purging all water ghouls.
The old master from Baling Ouyang raised his hand multiple times to ask him to go into further detail about how exactly he had come to his conclusions, seeming pretty on board with Wei Wuxian's thoughts in the end as he nodded to some of his neighbors.
When Wei Wuxian began to recount the Gusu Lan sect's successful attempt at using his method, most others in the hall were whispering with each other, looking at him with astonishment.
"I have named this method the Spirit-Attraction Flag," Wei Wuxian finished at last.
"Wei-gongzi, it was said that you have already sold this method to other sects! Are you willing to sell it today as well?" the Yao sect cultivator loudly asked, even having forgotten to raise his hand. He looked a little like he was already calculating how much he should offer to convince Wei Wuxian to sell it to him.
"Ah, yeah," Wei Wuxian agreed, a little startled to be suddenly asked something about money after talking about talismanry for so long. "Sure, if there is interest?"
Loud discussions erupted in the hall, many talking with the cultivators sitting next to them, many of them eyeing Wei Wuxian with barely concealed eagerness.
It was Wen Qing's voice that finally interrupted them.
"Wei-gongzi, you said you have created a method to attract resentful beings by using your own blood to lure them towards you? How can you assure that there are no negative repercussions a user might suffer from such a dubious connection?"
Somewhere in the hall someone quietly groaned.
Wei Wuxian beamed at her. "Wen-guniang, what an excellent question!"
-------
The researchers' gathering if this year's discussion conference at last ended in the late afternoon.
While Lan Qingzhao had told him many times that people would be eager to get their hands on his inventions, Wei Wuxian was still a little startled as almost everyone who had been attending came to approach him after all presentations were finally over, the man from the Yao sect definitely among the loudest of them all.
Much to Wei Wuxian's exasperation, he began to loudly brag about the expensive goods Pingyang Yao had apparently brought to Qishan with the express purpose of buying his luring method, which unfortunately seemed to serve as enough occasion for everyone else to try and one up each other with promises of grand payments.
He was endlessly grateful as Lan Qingzhao stepped in and asked that any applications to purchase her student's method had to be send to the Cloud Recesses and should contain the payment offer each applicant thought he or she should make, assuring the pushy man from the Yao sect that Gusu Lan disciples would take a look at the goods his sect had brought to evaluate them which at last pacified him.
While Wei Wuxian didn't really look forward to having to look through those applications, he guessed this was probably the most convenient outcome for himself.
When some cultivators proceeded to ask him after the communication offices which they had heard rumors about however, he was very glad that he could say that he was not authorized to reveal anything about them.
They were, after all, something Qinghe Nie and Gusu Lan had tasked him with creating for their particular use.
All in all though, Wei Wuxian concluded that the researchers' gathering had been pretty great and he was already looking forward to attending the next one.
He was just stepping out of the doors with Lan Qingzhao as hurried footsteps sounded to their right.
"Wei-gongzi!" Wen Qing's voice called out to him and Wei Wuxian turned around to see her stalking towards him from where she must have been waiting for him to leave the hall.
"Ah, I'll leave you to it. Don't come back too late," Lan Qingzhao said to Wei Wuxian, smiling at him and promptly continuing on her way across the plaza, leaving him to the mercies of a pretty enraged looking Wen Qing.
"Wen-guniang, can I help you?" Wei Wuxian asked, curiously looking at her.
Wen Qing sniffed, raising her chin. "Your blasé attitude towards the human body's complexity is more than a little concerning," she said promptly. "Different disciplines should not be mixed carelessly—no matter how well you have mastered talismanry, to assume you should tamper with medicine and thus a person's health in ways highly intellectual medical scholars could not is highly arrogant!"
Wei Wuxian grinned. "Ah, Wen-guniang, I have the highest respect for any intellectual medical scholars, I swear!" he proclaimed. "My earlier point was merely that discussions between practitioners of different disciplines hold great potential. Why not profit from one another? I for one firmly believe Wen-guniang might be able to learn as much from talismanry as I could from medicine!"
"Both disciplines differ substantially from one another—this great potential you claim to see is greatly overshadowed by the risk that comes with carelessly tampering with human life," Wen Qing argued sharply.
Wei Wuxian hummed. "Do our respective disciplines really differ so much? Both of us carefully manipulate systems by adding or removing certain elements, be it radicals, spiritual veins, medical ingredients or needles in a person's meridians—I think it is certainly possible to compare the two."
Wen Qing's eyes sparked and while she once again began to insist that Wei Wuxian was unjustified in his opinion since combining medicine with talismanry would do more harm than good, Wei Wuxian couldn't help grinning, vaguely noticing that he was having a lot of fun.
When had he last had an opportunity to fight with someone about such abstract theory?
Had he ever?
Wen Qing on her part seemed greatly irritated by him, though Wei Wuxian suspected that what irritated her the most was probably the fact that she could not find a good way to outargue him completely.
He was just about to retort to the point she had just made, as he suddenly noticed the upper part of a bow sticking out from some bushes some paces behind Wen Qing, white and red Qishan Wen sect robes peeking out below the leaves.
"Hey, I think there is someone from your sect spying on us," he said, curiously rising to his toes to better see.
Wen Qing seemed like she was about to snap at him for trying to distract her from their argument as what Wei Wuxian had said actually seemed to register.
Wei Wuxian watched with fascination as her cold demeanor softened a little after she had turned around to follow his gaze, greatly contrasting the harshness of her voice as she ordered, "A-Ning! Come here, what are you doing!"
The visible part of the bow jerked as though from shock.
Then a meek face appeared from behind the shrubbery. The bow was attached to a young man about Wei Wuxian's own age who looked impressively similar to a small, kicked animal.
Wen Qing turned towards her two guards who had patiently waited for her to finish fighting with Wei Wuxian and ordered, "Go, I'll be fine."
The two Wen disciples immediately bowed obediently and left them alone.
The young man who had appeared seemed a little more at ease as soon as they were gone, though he was still eyeing Wei Wuxian like he expected him to attack him or something.
Wei Wuxian tilted his head, looking at him curiously.
"Jiejie…" he began. "I was… y-you are still b-busy?"
Wen Qing sighed. "A-Ning, what were you doing behind those bushes! Your bow was sticking out, is that your idea of hiding?"
The young man flinched, lowering his head. "S-Sorry, jiejie."
"Ah, don't tell me you're Wen Qing's younger brother!" Wei Wuxian loudly exclaimed in realization. "May I learn this young master's name?"
"Ah, er…" the other boy replied, looking a little pale. "I'm… Wen Ning."
"Introduce yourself properly!" Wen Qing scolded immediately. "Did you forget your courtesy name?"
Her little brother looked close to tears. "Qi-Qionglin," he quickly added.
Wei Wuxian grinned. "Nice to meet you! I'm Wei Wuxian." Seeing Wen Qionglin's mortification, he winked and added, "I've become an avid fan of your big sister during the course of this afternoon!"
As Wen Qing incredulously raised an eyebrow, he couldn't stop himself from laughing loudly.
Wen Qionglin watched them with wide eyes. He probably didn't often get to see someone teasing his scary sister.
Wei Wuxian turned back to him and, eyeing his beautiful bow he asked, "Hey, I don't think I saw you during the target archery competition today. Will you be competing in the great field archery contest tomorrow, Wen-gongzi?"
Wen Qing's eyes hardened and she glared at Wei Wuxian for some reason.
Her brother had lowered his head. "I… no, I will n-not," he confessed.
Wei Wuxian hummed. Given that he was carrying around a bow with him, the reason for that was likely not that he didn't want to.
He smiled.
"Hey, you know what? I'm actually not allowed to compete in any competitions either, even though I love archery! And I'm pretty good at it too, if I say so myself."
Wen Qionglin raised his head, looking at him with troubled eyes.
Wei Wuxian grinned. "But just because neither of us will compete doesn't have to stop us from having fun, right? Why don't we go and exchange pointers right now while we have the chance? What do you say?"
Wen Qing's wary expression turned slightly constipated.
Wen Qionglin's eyes had turned huge and hopeful. "You… Wei-gongzi wouldn't m-mind?"
Wei Wuxian laughed. "On the contrary! I've just been released from a stuffy scholars' meeting, Wen-gongzi, I can't think of anything I would rather do at the moment than stretch my limbs a little. The practice fields aren't that far from here, are they? I think I remember seeing them earlier while coming here."
Wen Qionglin nodded. "Yes, they are c-close by."
Wei Wuxian grinned at him. "Well, lead the way then!"
The archery fields were truly only a few zhang away from the assembly hall.
Wen Qionglin seemed a little like he expected Wei Wuxian to change his mind about wanting to train together every other heartbeat on the way there, while Wen Qing followed the two of them wordlessly, arms crossed and eyes wary once more.
Wei Wuxian thought that even though they were siblings, they really had quite different tempers.
Once they had reached the training field it became clear that they weren't the only ones who wanted to use the late afternoon to train—most of the ranges were already taken by different junior disciples, some heads curiously turning towards them upon their arrival.
Wei Wuxian happily grabbed a practice bow and some arrows and hurried towards one of the last free archery ranges, expectantly turning around towards his new acquaintances.
Wen Qionglin seemed a little pale in the face.
"Do you want to go first?" Wei Wuxian asked him. "Let's see what you're made of!"
Wen Qing narrowed her eyes at him.
"Ah—y-yes!" Wen Qionglin agreed, eyes nervously shifting around the field. His hands were trembling slightly as he took his bow from his shoulder and prepared to shoot.
Wei Wuxian carefully watched him choose an arrow. His fingers were now trembling so much that he barely managed to nock it properly.
Somewhere close to them, some junior disciples had stopped their own training to watch them and as the sound of their whispers carried over to them Wen Qionglin jumped and released his arrow seemingly on accident.
It flew past the target, missing it completely.
Someone snickered in their vicinity.
Wen Qionglin lowered his head, seeming too ashamed to even look in Wei Wuxian's direction.
Wei Wuxian felt Wen Qing's critical eyes burning into the back of his neck.
He picked out an arrow from his own quiver and held it out in Wen Qionglin's direction.
After a short moment the other boy finally hesitantly raised his eyes again to look at him.
Wei Wuxian smiled. "I suppose I should apologize for making all these people gawk at us," he chuckled. "People really don't know when to mind their own business!"
Wen Qionglin untensed slightly in his confusion. "You… why w-would they be g-gawking at you, Wei-gongzi? It was me who m-missed," he protested meekly.
Wei Wuxian smirked and promptly turned to glance at some near disciples. "Ah, really, just because I'm a cutsleeve doesn't mean you have a free invitation to stare!" he said loudly.
The disciples flushed and turned away immediately.
Wei Wuxian grinned, satisfied. "There! Now they'll be so busy gossiping about me and trying to avoid my eyes that you can try shooting again without being pestered by their staring, Wen-gongzi!"
Wen Qionglin blinked in astonishment. Then his eyes turned concerned. "They sh-should not gossip about you, f-for that," he insisted sincerely.
Wei Wuxian stared at him, feeling some astonishment of his own. Then he burst out laughing. "Ah, true, you're absolutely right," he agreed mirthfully while the other boy looked a little helpless.
Wei Wuxian held the arrow he had grabbed in the other's direction once more. "Here, why don't you still try again? I'll correct your stance if you want."
Perhaps they should also try walking a little bit further towards the target to make things easier, but for now it was important that Wen Qionglin managed to shoot again at all, Wei Wuxian thought.
The other boy hesitantly prepared his bow once more.
"Here, lower your elbow a little bit," Wei Wuxian advised as soon as Wen Qionglin had managed to nock the arrow.
He still seemed quite nervous, though perhaps a little less than before.
Wei Wuxian observed his stance exactly.
"Hm, actually, apart from that I have nothing to criticize. Your posture is excellent."
"Uh-huh?" Wen Qionglin let out, accidentally releasing his arrow again.
It hit the edge of the target's golden center.
Wei Wuxian stared at it.
Then he laughed loudly, holding his stomach. "Ah, Wen-gongzi, that was brilliant!" he chuckled, greatly amused. "I think you actually have some real talent! I've never seen someone almost accidentally make a bull's eye!"
Wen Qionglin's face turned a funny red.
Wei Wuxian could not help teasing a little. "I should have known, really, considering who your sister is!"
"Spare me your cheap flattery," Wen Qing snapped immediately from behind them.
Despite her words she seemed a little more relaxed too by now. Wei Wuxian suspected she had likely accompanied them in the first place in case Wei Wuxian dared to belittle her younger brother for his nerves.
"Wen-guniang, you're so hard to please," Wei Wuxian sighed. "Could it be that my charms have left me?"
Wen Qing huffed, demonstratively averting her head.
Wei Wuxian turned back to her brother with a smile.
"I really mean it though, Wen-gongzi. Here, try again. This time I won't distract you."
"Ah—yes!"
During his third shot Wen Qionglin's fingers had finally stopped shaking completely.
After nocking his arrow he briefly paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them, he seemed completely focused.
Wei Wuxian wasn't at all surprised to see his arrow finally hit the center of the target perfectly, the force of its impact clearly betraying the power it held. His posture truly was excellent.
"There aren't many people who could pull that off from this distance," he remarked, nodding in approval. "If you did compete tomorrow, I think you'd have a real chance of placing high, Wen-gongzi."
Wen Qionglin seemed flustered. "Please, j-just call me Wen Ning," he requested meekly.
Wei Wuxian didn't need to be told twice. "Alright! Just call me Wei Ying, then!"
He laughed loudly as the other's eyes turned huge with shock.
After he had calmed down there was a small smile on the other boy's face.
"I… I can't compete," he admitted. "I'm… I always get too nervous."
Wei Wuxian hummed. "Well, regardless of that you're really talented, Wen Ning." He grinned. "If you did compete, I'd definitely root for you, too."
The huff Wen Qing let out behind them held a little less bite than any of her prior ones.