Chapter Text
Ever since Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang stepped into the Glamour Hall to take their seats, they did not speak to each for half-an-hour.
Once seated, Jiang Cheng immediately crossed his arms and closed his eyes, entering what could be seen as a 'meditative state', except that it seemed neither calm nor tranquil with Jiang Cheng's shut eyes visibly twitching and his finger that held Zidian fidgeting constantly. It seemed that after all the tempers he had flared today, Jiang Cheng just wasn't in any mood to talk, especially towards the person most responsible for triggering him the most today, Nie Huaisang. For now, Jiang Cheng most likely wanted to just stew in his own thoughts until someone more worthwhile to talk to steps into the Glamour Hall.
Nie Huaisang did try to prod at Jiang Cheng with his fan in order to get the other's attention, but after the prods caused Jiang Cheng's whole body to tremble aggressively like boiling water bubbling, Huaisang took the hint and did not push any further. Instead, Nie Huaisang just thoughtfully gazed at his surroundings with gentle yet sharp eyes peeking from behind his open fan. Studying, contemplating, note-taking, memorising.
The two sect leaders' disciples who had followed them were no better off either, as Nie Shewei immediately fell asleep the second he took his seat behind his sect leader, much to Jiang Gouxie's distraught, who seemed rather intent on talking to the Nie disciple. But since that was impossible now, the Jiang disciple could only look around skittishly, before focusing his gaze on his meditatively brooding sect leader. The look Gouxie had for Jiang Cheng was a worried one, one that seemed intent on at least reaching a hand out to tap his sect leader's shoulder and ask if there was something wrong, but just... couldn't. As though there was some unspoken rule established between sect leader Jiang and his disciple that he is not to be bothered when in such a state.
"Has this happened before?" Nie Huaisang inquired as he looked past Jiang Cheng to make eye contact with Jiang Gouxie to let the Jiang disciple that the question was being directed at him. While generally interested about any little bits of information he could dig up about what Jiang Cheng is like from his own disciples, Huaisang was also initiating a conversation with the Gouxie out of pity, as Gouxie looked like a lost puppy when he had no one to talk to.
"Ah... sect leader Nie...." Gouxie's face brightened up quickly in recognition of Nie Huaisang's attempt at having a conversation with him when no one else was available. "Well... yesssss... when Jiang Wanyin doesn't want to talk and has no interest in listening, he makes it extremely clear and visible to-"
BAM!!!
A loud thud sounded echoed across the vast and currently-empty Glamour Hall, catching the attention of both Nie Huaisang and Jiang Gouxie with a jolt that made them immediately turn to the source of the noise.
Jiang Cheng had slammed a fist on his table. While still maintaining the image that he was in his 'meditative state'.
"... everyone present." Jiang Gouxie's voice quickly died down into a mumbled whisper, his eyes nervously flicking back to Nie Huaisang with a look that conveyed his fears that Jiang Cheng wasn't consenting to any conversations his disciple had with Huaisang at the moment. And with the kind of force Jiang Cheng had slammed the table with, he absolutely meant it.
Understanding the wordless message quickly, Nie Huaisang quietly gave the Jiang disciple a small nod of understanding, followed by a small bow to convey thanks and respect. Then Huaisang turned to face the hall again, though his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Cheng, with eyes that expressed grim worry and deep-seated curiosity about what the man he once knew had become.
With no one to talk to for sure now, Jiang Gouxie could only sigh in defeat while taking out a small booklet which he thoughtfully flipped through, before producing a small piece of charcoal from his clothing that he used to write on the booklet.
And thus, the Glamour Hall was engulfed in a deafening silence for half-an-hour.
Silence that would only be broken when the doors to the Glamour Hall opened, heralding the entrance of Jin Ling and his fellow juniors.
"I told you, ten boxes of cakes are a bit too much, Lan Jingyi! I might be a sect leader, but my finances are not infinite!" Jin Ling asserted loudly as he leaned against the doors he had just opened with arms crossed.
"Please!" Lan Jingyi begged with a voice that was just as loud, as though he was trying to compete with Jin Ling over who can be louder. "Lanling cakes are just too good! So good that I want to stockpile them back in Gusu to eat at leisure... but I'm going to share them with Sizhui of course!"
Jin Ling flicks his gaze at a nervously laughing Lan Sizhui, before turning back to Lan Jingyi with a look that said 'oh yeah sure you are'. "Didn't Hanguang-Jun give you a very generous allowance anyways?"
"A generous allowance that I've generously donated to the Lanling economy!" Jingyi retorted in a tone of voice that expressed an attempt in sounding confident, before quickly ending off in a rushed mumble. "Well, mostly in the area of cakes and chicken wings, but a contribution is still a contribution."
Jin Ling merely rolled his eyes at Lan Jingyi's attempt at a defence, an action that made him catch sight of the Jiangs and Nies sitting in the Glamour Hall, quickly prompting Jin Ling to immediately straighten up his posture into a formal one, before gesturing to his fellow juniors to do the same.
"Zizhen, please slap Jingyi for me later. But now, we should attend to our most honoured guests since we have some free time before the event." Jin Ling placed some emphasis on 'most honoured guests', because his uncle Jiang Cheng was here after all, and early too, something that Jin Ling greatly appreciated during such a trying time.
Oh, and Nie Huaisang, who was going to be in the centre of this event, of course.
Making his way straight towards where the Jiangs and Nies were sitting at, Jin Ling coughed a little bit to ready his vocal chords before calling out to the two seated sect leaders with a pleasant tone of voice. "Uncle! And sect leader Nie! I hope the Glamour Hall is to your expectations... I can still make last minute adjustments if you think there's anything that ought to be changed in it."
Nie Huaisang smiled warmly at Jin Ling as he opened his fan to fan himself gracefully, giving himself an air of elegance around him. "No worries, sect leader Jin, I think the Glamour Hall looks the way as I alway recognised it as... splendid. Thank you for your hard work... and I will say this again, the Qinghe Nie sect owes you a favour for this."
Huaisang then tilted his head to look behind Jin Ling in order to address the three juniors behind him. "And thank you too, you three, for supporting sect leader Jin in all of this. You all have helped him achieve great things today."
Jiang Cheng meanwhile, just narrowed his eyes while crossing his arms, looking extremely unimpressed. "While the Glamour Hall is fine, Jin Ling... I think your self-presentation as sect leader and host of this event needs... some refinement."
Jiang Cheng then pointed at Jin Ling with a finger before immediately turning the said finger to point towards the ground, a gesture that made Jin Ling immediately fall to his knees before Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang, with the other juniors following suit whilst looking extremely worried about what would come next.
"First off...." Jiang Cheng begun as he stared down at the kneeling Jin Ling with an extremely intense glare. "... the V.I.P. of this event is him, not me." Jiang Cheng pointed at Nie Huaisang while still crossing his arms. "Don't you think its rude to the V.I.P. if you address him as though he's the second most important person under your care?"
Jin Ling's face was downcast as Jiang Cheng was speaking to him, being unable to look at his uncle in the eye out of both shame and fear. "Yes...."
"I actually don't really mind, Wanyin...." Nie Huaisang interjected with a concerned tone of voice, but his words were quickly cut off by Jiang Cheng's harsh reply towards him.
"But others might not be so forgiving or understanding or thick-skinned like you, sect leader Nie!" Jiang Cheng then turned back to the still downcast Jin Ling, his tone of voice becoming more gentler, but still stern. "Do you understand what I'm talking about, Jin Ling? When you are sect leader, you are a representative to your entire sect. Everything you say or do will be judged by everyone, and every judgement will affect the reputation of your sect... and you don't want to potentially drag your sect further down into the ground do you?"
"Of... course not... uncle...." Jin Ling mumbled with a weak nod as his body begun to tremble softly while his hands clutched the fabric of his clothing tightly, looking visibly distressed by Jiang Cheng's lecture. So much so that Lan Sizhui was already stroking Jin Ling's back gently in an attempt to calm the other down.
Jin Ling's distressed state made Jiang Cheng tense up a little, but he clenched his teeth as he continued to maintain his strict front. "I know that what I'm saying is harsh, but this is what the world is like... and I want you to be prepared for it now that you have adult responsibilities placed upon your shoulders. Do you understand, Jin Ling?"
"He's right you know! Jiang Cheng did rebuild the entire Yunmeng Jiang sect all by himself when he was young! So he knows what he's talking about!"
Those words came from a new voice that sounded from the doors of the Glamour Hall, prompting everyone in the hall to turn their eyes towards the voice's direction.
It was Wei Wuxian.
Him.
Ah, there he is.
That Lan Zhan fucker.
What a Yiling Patriach.
"Senior Wei!" Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen cried out as they got up and ran to the newly-arrived guest, while Jin Ling stayed put on his knees with Lan Sizhui by his side to accompany him, as Jin Ling didn't want to come off as rude to Jiang Cheng if he were to just get up and leave whilst still in the midst of a lecture from his uncle.
Jiang Cheng just huffed as he turned his head to look away from Wei Wuxian's general direction, and gestured to Jin Ling with a hand to get up. "Go. Do what you need to do as host now that new guests have arrived... we'll continue this conversation some other time."
Jin Ling nodded softly with a small smile as he got up with Lan Sizhui. But when Jin Ling turned around, Wei Wuxian was already right in front of him, having walked straight to where the Jin sect leader was the moment he stepped past the Glamour Hall's doors. Behind Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji followed with the two juniors who had run up to them in each of his arms.
Although Wei Wuxian's sudden closeness gave Jin Ling a bit of a jump, Jin Ling quickly relaxed and bowed respectfully before Wei Wuxian. But before he could say anything, Wei Wuxian placed both his hands on Jin Ling's shoulders. "Your uncle wasn't being too harsh on you, was he?" Asked Wei Wuxian with a chipper, yet comforting tone of voice.
"Oh, its nothing that bad, senior Wei... uncle is just... telling me things that I think I have to be ready for... sooner or later." Jin Ling muttered softly as he looked up at Wei Wuxian with a rather awkward soft smile.
Wei Wuxian blinked at the smile that Jin Ling before smiling warmly in return, ruffling Jin Ling's hair with a small chuckle before looking behind him to address Jiang Cheng. "You're not getting too stressed are you? Knowing that Jin Ling is having to grow up sooner then expected?"
"That is none of your business." Jiang Cheng huffed as he maintained his eye contact away from Wei Wuxian's general direction.
"Now, if only you had listened to my suggestion on how to make him grow up faster physically...." Wei Wuxian added thoughtfully.
Jiang Cheng slammed a fist on his table, growling his reply very menacingly as he did so. "For the last time... I. Am. Not. Burying. Jin. Ling. Like. A. Radish."
Jiang Cheng's rather aggressive response prompted Lan Wangji to protectively hold onto Wei Wuxian, who was just smiling sillily, from behind, while Jin Ling merely blinked blankly in confusion over what his uncles had just discussed, with Lan Sizhui laughing very awkwardly behind them all.
"Ah... Wei-xiong! Hanguang-Jun!" Nie Huaisang called out to the newly-arrived couple, having decided to stop observing quietly now that the interactions between Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian were going to potentially become more awkward if no one was going cut in. With all eyes turned to him from the interruption he made, Hauisang gestured to the empty table next to him with his fan while also giving Jin Ling a small nod that wordlessly told the younger sect leader to do what needs to be done.
Jin Ling got the message, quickly straightening himself up before directing Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to the empty table. "Ah yes... your seats will be right here, Hanguang-Jun and senior Wei... you two need two separate tables, right?"
Lan Wangji held on tightly to Wei Wuxian while making his way to the empty table, answering Jin Ling's question very bluntly in his usual monotone voice. "No need." Lan Wangji then took his seat at the table, before pulling Wei Wuxian down to sit on his lap.
"You... are you two seriously going to be seated like this throughout the whole gathering?" Jiang Cheng asked with a voice that expressed irritation over how blatantly close Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were in a public space.
"Yes." Lan Wangji replied promptly and flatly without even turning to look at Jiang Cheng, instead focusing his gaze on Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian however did turn to look at Jiang Cheng while giving his own reply in a chipper tone of voice. "Don't worry, Jiang Cheng. You've got Nie Huaisang sitting between us, so we should be out of your line of sight for the most part."
Jiang Cheng visibly tensed up with one of his eyes twitching at the couple's replies. "Number one, Wei Wuxian... that was not the point I was making. Number two...."
There was a brief moment of silence as Jiang Cheng glared directly at Wei Wuxian with eyes that flew right over the upright seated Nie Huaisang.
"... sect leader Nie isn't going to block anything from my sights even if he were to wave his fan in the air above him." Jiang Cheng dryly remarked before turning away his gaze from the couple, not wanting to pursue the matter any further as he knows that there was no way Lan Wangji or Wei Wuxian were going to change their minds about their seating arrangements.
"I'm... sorry about being short...." Nie Huaisang mumbled softly as he bent down awkwardly and covered his face with his fan, not daring to look at Jiang Cheng whilst also hoping that his pathetic apology would somehow lessen the other's sour mood a bit.
"Oh, don't be like that, Nie-xiong~" Wei Wuxian chirped as he bent his head down and tried to peek at the face hidden behind the fan, an action that prompted Nie Huaisang to put down his fan to look at Wei Wuxian with a surprised look.
"Are you not making it official that you are aiming for the position of Chief Cultivator tonight? Cheer up! Look confident!" Wei Wuxian giggled as he straightened up Nie Huaisang's posture with both hands, brushing and dusting the shorter male as well while Lan Wangji watched with narrowed eyes. Once done, Wei Wuxian slapped Nie Huaisang hard on the back, letting out a cheerful laugh as he did so. "Do your best tonight, Nie-xiong! You have me and Lan Zhan's full support in this~"
Nie Huaisang had a wide-eyed look throughout Wei Wuxian's impromptu grooming and encouragement, but his look gradually softened throughout the short session, until he had a calm and pleasant smile on his face by the time Wei Wuxian was done. Once Wei Wuxian had finished, Nie Huaisang turned his smile towards the other before bowing in thanks. "Thank you, Wei-xiong... I am grateful for your support."
"Will we see the hidden side of you tonight too? The side capable of long, complicated plots that would surprise even the most cunning of foxes?" Wei Wuxian asked with a cheeky tone of voice.
Nie Huaisang just straightened himself up from his bow while still maintaining his smile, before whisking his fan open smoothly to cover the lover half of his face and replying to Wei Wuxian's question calmly and pleasantly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Wei Wuxian just laughed in amusement at Nie Huaisang's reply, snapping his fingers on one hand before pointing at Huaisang with the index of the fingers he snapped, winking at the other as he did so. "Now that's the Nie Huaisang I know~"
Jiang Cheng just watched the interactions between Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian silently from his seat with furrowed brows, a feeling of paranoia brewing in his gut that he was missing out on some joke known only to his two old friends. A feeling that he disliked having, yet felt the need to keep fuelling by pondering about the question Wei Wuxian had asked Nie Huaisang... as much as he hated to admit it, Jiang Cheng would agree that Wei Wuxian definitely was on to something... that there definitely has to be more to Nie Huaisang then he was letting on....
"... uncle?"
Jiang Cheng's train of thought was abruptly cut by the concerned voice of his nephew, prompting him to turn his head towards the direction of the voice, and his eyes met the worried-looking eyes of Jin Ling, who was standing in front of his table with his fellow juniors behind him. "What?"
"Uncle... is everything alright? You've been glaring at Wei Wuxian for a good minute or so with an intensity that I couldn't call you out of... is he really bothering you that badly?" Jin Ling asked with concern as he elbowed Lan Jingyi, who had been softly snickering at the situation, right in the stomach.
Jiang Cheng blinked blankly at what Jin Ling had told him, before groaning and sinking his face into his hand. Argh... so many things were making him so restless right now, so much so that he could get a stress-induced headache right now... and the gathering that he had come for hasn't even started yet. "... that is none of your business, Jin Ling. Just leave me be."
His face still buried in his hand, Jiang Cheng gestured to Jin Ling and the juniors to go away with his free hand. "Its only a few minutes to the start of the event, is it not? As host, you ought to be standing at the door, ushering the guests in. More will definitely be arriving at this time now, so don't waste anymore time will you?" Jiang Cheng then peeked an eye out from under his hand to direct a glare at the juniors accompanying Jin Ling. "... and you three brats better not give my nephew any more trouble right now... or else."
The glare from Jiang Cheng made the juniors that it was directed at tense up a lot and break out in cold sweat, but Jin Ling quickly intervened. "My uncle is just in a bad mood, so don't think too much about it... anyways... Jingyi and Zizhen, I need you two to go to the kitchens to ask my attendant if tonight's banquet is ready. Sizhui... I need to tell you something in the gardens real quick."
"Oh, you're going to give Sizhui a...." Lan Jingyi asked cheekily, only to be cut off abruptly by Jin Ling grabbing his face with a hand.
"Out. Now. We have work to do." Jin Ling grumbled with a bright red face as he dragged Jingyi through the Glamour Hall and out its doors while still grabbing onto his face, with Sizhui and Zizhen following behind them at a quick and hurried pace in other to stop Jin Ling from slamming Jingyi's head into a pillar outside.
"Ah, its always nice to see the young ones being mature~" Wei Wuxian sighed in content as he relaxed and leaned his back against Lan Wangji's chest, before nuzzling into it affectionately. Lan Wangji just replied with his usual "Mm" as he patted Wei Wuxian's head just as affectionately.
Jiang Cheng peeked at the couple's interactions from under his hand, before burying his face completely under his hand.
Dammit, you two. GET A ROOM FOR GOODNESS SAKE.
Wanting to get the image of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji being close and intimate out of his mind, Jiang Cheng sought to distract his thoughts by using his free hand to flick at Jiang Gouxie's hair bun, who was still silently scribbling away on his booklet. "Oi. Gouxie. Stop writing your dumb romantics and get up. The gathering is going to start soon, and I want you to be standing behind me properly before that."
"Ah, of course, sect leader!" Jiang Gouxie replied before getting up promptly while tucking his booklet away in his clothing, doing his best to keep his eyes straight in front of him and not at everything else around him even if he wanted to take a peek at least. Not with the mood Jiang Cheng was in currently.
Nie Huaisang curiously scanned his eyes around his surroundings, finding some mild amusement from Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji openness about their relationship, and feeling extremely concerned about Jiang Cheng's current mental state. But Jiang Cheng's actions of getting his attendant to properly stand up behind him did remind Huaisang that he should be waking his currently napping attendant right now.
Turning behind him, Nie Huaisang thoughtfully examined the napping Nie Shewei, before raising a hand to tap on his attendant's head at strategic points, making the other wake up quickly, yet calmly.
"Oh... event starting soon, young master?" Nie Shewei inquired in a audible mumble as he rubbed his tired eyes.
"Yeah... going to need you to be standing up properly soon... are your stamina levels fully replenished yet?" Nie Huaisang replied as he gently dusted his disciple's clothing.
"Sufficiently Workable." Shewei answered as he got up slowly and steadily, but still slouching even while standing up.
"Good. We're going to have a long night ahead of us." Nie Huaisang stated with a small nod before moving back into his seat.
..........
More and more of the expected guests arrived at the Glamour Hall as the scheduled time of 7pm reached closer and closer. Sect leaders from all across China traded formal greetings with Jin Ling at the hall's doors before being ushered in by the young sect leader.
Baling Ouyang, Laoling Qin, Meishan Yu, Yaobu Yao, Dishi Hu, Mandi Paidan....
Every time a newly-arrived sect leader walked into the Glamour Hall, they would walk up to Nie Huaisang's table to formally greet him as well as tell him how much he has surprised them, how much support they would give him, and how much they were expecting of him tonight. Huaisang would always just thank them and say that he'll do his best in a humble, yet confident manner that was a far cry from his once timid, head-shaking identity. If anything, the only thing that stuck with the current Nie Huaisang from his previous self was his trait of being soft-spoken in general.
Once their pleasantries with Nie Huaisang have been traded, the sect leaders will proceed to greet Jiang Cheng next, who had been able to get himself to sit upright and formally, as well as being able to muster the strength to speak as calmly and politely as possible, just for the occasion. And Jiang Cheng pulled it off quite well too, as none of the sect leaders could guess or even suspect that he was an angry, stressed wreck just a few minutes ago... even if he still is on the inside.
The sect leaders would then turn to greet Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji next, and as expected, every one of them asked if the pair were seriously going to seated the way they were currently for the whole event, which was always answered by Lan Wangji with a blunt "yes", with each "yes" making Jiang Cheng take a long, deep, and audible breath from his table.
Once the sect leaders were done addressing the heads, or the representatives, of the Four Great Clans, they will proceed to take their seat in the Glamour Hall that has been assigned to them by Jin Ling.
After all the expected guests have arrived and taken their seats, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi and Ouyang Zizhen walked into the hall, each of them giving Jin Ling a pat on the shoulder and a word of good luck as they did so. The three juniors then moved to stand in their rightful positions in the hall, with Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi standing behind Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, while Ouyang Zizhen stood behind his father, leader of the Baling Ouyang sect.
Now it was Jin Ling's turn to step into the hall, now that his presence at the doors was no longer needed. Closing the Glamour Hall's doors behind him, Jin Ling moved to the centre of the hall, where many tables, and the sect leaders seated at them, encircled him. Jin Ling did his best to not look nervous, though every now and then, he would shoot a glance at Jiang Cheng just to see if his uncle was disapproving of any of his moves. Thankfully though, everything was fine so far, with Jiang Cheng even giving his nephew a small nod every time he saw Jin Ling's eyes flick towards his direction, a simple action that gave Jin Ling a huge boost in confidence whenever he saw it.
Sometimes Jin Ling would turn to look at where the Lans, and Wei Wuxian, were positioned at instead, with Lan Sizhui giving Jin Ling a small wink, and Wei Wuxian a thumbs up, every time he did so in response. A response that made Jin Ling smile a bit brighter.
After taking a deep breath, Jin Ling straightened his posture and turned to where Nie Huaisang was seated at before speaking up in a loud, clear voice. "Sect leader Nie! I want to thank you for giving me this chance to host this occasion that will mark a very significant point in your history as a cultivator! I hope you will be satisfied with what I have prepared, future Chief Cultivator!"
Jin Ling then spun around slowly to address everyone else in the hall. "And to all other sect leaders attending this gathering! Thank you for coming! While the Lanling Jin sect may be at its lowest point currently, we still have the manpower and wealth to host a grand event! I, Jin Rulan, will show you that this sect I lead still deserves to earn all of your respect! Starting with... the dinner banquet!"
With that speech, Jin Ling clapped his hands loudly, signalling to his disciples and servants to begin bringing in the meals for tonight's dinner, a whole course of rich delicacies that was the finest of Lanling cuisine. Shark fin soup, spicy congee, stewed vegetables, roast duck, braised pork, steamed fish, assorted fruits, Emperor's Smile wine... a prepared and served in a way that was appealing to all the senses. Suffice to say, many were extremely impressed even before they could begin eating, and to those who weren't impressed... they were quickly convinced to agree once everyone begun eating.
Sighing softly to himself in relief that everything was going smoothly so far, Jin Ling moved to take his seat in the Glamour Hall, which was at a table next to Jiang Cheng's.
"Well done, Jin Ling. You deserve my word of praise... this dinner actually impressed me." Jiang Cheng stated as he examined the meal served to him, before turning to look at the seated Jin Ling next to him, whose face had brightened up a lot from his uncle's compliment.
"How much was all of this approximately?" Jiang Cheng asked with genuine curiosity.
Upon hearing that question, Jin Ling's bright face quickly darkened into a thousand-yard stare, and he awkwardly averted his eyes from Jiang Cheng's. "I... don't really want to think about that right now, uncle... sorry."
Jiang Cheng furrowed his brows before sighing softly and patting Jin Ling's back. "Understood. Just enjoy the meal you have served for everyone for now, and relax... we still have a long night ahead of us."
Jiang Cheng's words calmed down Jin Ling a lot, enough to make Jin Ling be able to look up at his uncle again with a soft smile and nod, before he turned to his table to begin eating.
"Oi, A-Yuan... you were in charge of the cooking of this congee wasn't it?" Wei Wuxian asked softly, twisting his position in Lan Wangji's lap to address Lan Sizhui who was standing behind the pair. "This kinda tastes like my personal favourite recipe."
"Ah yes, senior Wei, I did use your recipe for the congee." Lan Sizhui replied softly in return. "I only used ten scoops of spices for it though."
"That certainly explains why it tastes a bit bland." Wei Wuxian pouted childishly. "Next time, follow as my recipe says... twenty scoops of spices at least, twenty-five if you want the real kick, and thirty if you actually want to cook it the way I personally enjoy."
Lan Sizhui just chuckled softly under a raised sleeve. "Note taken, senior Wei... I hope the other food items will make up for the congee for now."
The reply made Wei Wuxian chuckle softly in return, before turning back to continue his meal that he shared with Lan Wangji.
Nie Huaisang just quietly ate at his table, eating rather slowly to savour the exquisite taste of each meal, other then the congee that he quickly gulped down. Though when he got to the braised pork, he stared at the dish thoughtfully before picking up the plate and discreetly turning around in his seat to address his attendant Shewei behind him in a hushed tone of voice. "Hey, hey! A-She! Braised pork is your favourite isn't it? Come, come... for you."
Nie Shewei slightly raised a palm up. "This meal is for you to take, young master... it is not right for your attendant to eat a meal served for you."
Nie Huaisang just smiled sweetly as he picked up a piece of pork with his chopsticks as offered it to Shewei. "Then just take one piece for now, but I'll leave some leftovers for you to eat once this event is over... your sect leader orders it~"
Shewei rolled his eyes at his sect leader's 'order', but regardless, he discreetly bent down to eat the piece of pork offered to him, before quickly standing back up with a sleeve covering his mouth to hide the fact that it was stuffed. Despite half his face being hidden, Shewei's normally deadpan eyes softened visibly with the meat in his mouth, an indication that he was enjoying the taste of the braised pork.
Seeing his attendant content made Nie Huaisang a warm smile as he turned back with the dish in hand to continue his meal, though he deliberately kept the plate of braised pork untouched, using a plate of a finished dish to cover it in order to keep it warm, as well as to hide it from the view of others.
While Jiang Gouxie, who was standing behind Jiang Cheng's seat as his attendant, kept his eyes in front of him for the most part, he would occasionally flick his eyes around to scan his surroundings out of curiosity, and a bit out of boredom. But when his eyes fell upon the secretive interaction between Nie Huaisang and Nie Shewei, he kept his eyes on them, wondering what they were up to.
Then he saw Shewei bending down to eat the pork that Huaisang had offered him, followed by standing back up while discreetly chewing the meat in a... oddly cute way. Gouxie promptly turned back to look in front on him, feeling his face heat up a bit as he stifled a chuckle with a hand to his mouth... now his curiosity and boredom has been satisfied enough for him continue standing still for the rest of the event.
..........
An hour went by, and all the sect leaders had more or less finished their meals, so now they were all just passing the time by conversing with the person closest to their table, filling the Glamour Hall with small talk about the latest issues, like rogue cultivators, unchecked demonic cultivation sects, a supposed sanctuary from all troubles, and of course, the idea of Nie Huaisang becoming the Chief Cultivator.
Nie Huaisang was to be the one who will start the actual event as the Chief Cultivator-to-be and the centre of tonight's discussion that everyone is gathered here for, but he deliberately bided his time to listen in on the small talk going around the hall. After all, getting involved in small talk, be it directly or indirectly, was always the easiest way to learn about what's going on... when taken with a grain of salt of course.
When the subject of the small talk begun to be about him, Nie Huaisang deliberately hid the lower half of his face behind his open fan to give off an air of mystery as he observed how everyone in the Glamour Hall gradually turned to look at him with looks of curious anticipation, or in Jiang Cheng's case, a look of irritated impatience.
Nie Huaisang chuckled softly under his fan, before standing up slowly and addressing everyone in the room in a clear, yet gentle tone of voice. "Good evening, fellow cultivators. I hope you have all eaten well... I certainly did. I am grateful for sect leader Jin's hospitality that led us to be all together under this splendid hall for a exquisite dinner tonight, and I hope you will all express the same feelings towards the Lanling Jin sect as well."
Nie Huaisang turned towards Jin Ling's direction to give the junior a warm smile before clapping his hands gently, yet audibly. This resulted in everyone else in the hall following Huaisang's lead to give an applause to Jin Ling, an act that made Jin Ling blush lightly in pride, but he was able to maintain his composure enough to return a grateful bow to everyone.
Nie Huaisang then continued his speech. "And now it is time we all begun discussing about what we are all here for... me. Now I will admit that for many years, I've not been the best sect leader... perhaps even now, you all would still remember me as the good-for-nothing 'head-shaker', and I can't blame you all for that. I've spent my time as sect leader doing nothing productive and knowing nothing of worth... but that was just how it was. Back then, I was supported by the noble Lan Wangji, and the... intelligent Jin Guangyao in running the Qinghe Nie sect ever since my brother's untimely death, and honestly? They did a really good job with it, something that I'm still grateful for even if... things turned out the way they did in the end."
Nie Huaisang paused for a bit to take a deep breath. Having to bring up Jin Guangyao... having to bring the thought of that man across his mind... always made Huaisang feel tight in the chest and heavy in the head.
Nevertheless, Nie Huaisang kept his cool, and he continued on. "I never wanted to be useless, but back then, I was unqualified and inexperienced in running a sect, and when I had the support of two very capable people, it was so easy to be overshadowed... so easy to become negligent. But now that both these capable men are gone from my life, I realised that I couldn't stay impassive forever... I knew that it was time to change. And so I did... I studied hard in my sect's well-kept library, I practised and honed my cultivation skills with my loyal disciples whom I am forever grateful for... and the result? Well, I leave that to you all to decide how much I've been doing, and how much I've accomplished, in the last few months."
Jiang Cheng blinked blankly when Nie Huaisang posed the challenge to let everyone in the hall decide how much he had been doing for the last few months. Not that Jiang Cheng thought that Nie Huaisang did nothing... but rather, he had not been keeping track or even taking notice of Huaisang's activities ever since the incident at the Guanyin Temple. So now that Jiang Cheng had been made to think about it... his mind could only draw a blank... and that made him feel extremely irritated with himself.
Jiang Cheng crossed his arms as he frowned and looked around his surroundings, watching his fellow sect leaders talk amongst themselves, most likely due to actually having things to say about Nie Huaisang's activities. Jiang Cheng softly, yet heavily, sighed to himself as he excused his own ignorance in his thoughts by telling himself that he had been busy with handling matters within his own sect and territory for the past few months to be concerned about what others were doing. So its not his fault, or his problem, that he has nothing to contribute in the current discussion.
Other sect leaders however, did begin to speak up one-by-one.
"I was there when sect leader Nie hosted the sealing ceremony of that cursed coffin that I shall not elaborate on... but I will say that I was very impressed by how good a job Nie Huaisang did." Said sect leader Yao.
"I hear sect leader Nie took care of every single problem within his territory in a single month!" Cried out sect leader Paidan.
"Aye, he did. In fact, his territory has been so peaceful for the past two months that he has been graciously offering his help to other sects in his free time." Stated sect leader Ouyang.
"I can vouch for that. Just last week, Nie Huaisang and his disciples helped cure my wife of an ailment that had been troubling her since last year." Elaborated sect leader Hu.
"I don't actually have anything to add regarding Nie-xiong's activities for the past few months...." Wei Wuxian said as he cuts in, giving Nie Huaisang a big, cheeky smile as he did so. "... but as his friend during our time as guest disciples in the Gusu Lan sect, I have always known Nie-xiong to be a surprisingly intelligent individual when he wants to be. So much so that I believe that, even now, if Nie Huaisang here wants to get something done, he'll always find a way to achieve it no matter what it takes~"
"Why thank you for your kind words, Wei-xiong~" Nie Huaisang responded as he returned a pleasant smile to Wei Wuxian.
"Then you were friends with sect leader Nie when you were young too, right, uncle? Do you have anything to say about him?" Asked Jin Ling loudly as he looked at Jiang Cheng, as Jin Ling's question was directed to his uncle, mostly out of innocent curiosity on Jin Ling's part. And partly because Jin Ling didn't want his uncle to stand out from the crowd by having nothing to say.
The question however made Jiang Cheng freeze up on the spot when he registered that Jin Ling's question was meant for him, mainly because of all the memories that came flooding back into his mind when he digested the question. Memories of Nie Huaisang... all of them fond ones... memories of the time they spent together, memories of the fun they had together, memories of... no, not those thoughts... then memories of that dream... that dream last night... that dream of that memory where Nie Huaisang fulfilled all of-NOT THAT EITHER-
"HE'S OKAY!!!" Jiang Cheng yelled out in a mix of rage, frustration and irritation as he slammed a fist hard on his table, turning the then noisy Glamour Hall dead silent in an instant, with all eyes staring at Jiang Cheng in shock... other then Lan Wangji, who hardly flinched at almost everything, and Wei Wuxian, who was trying hard to stifle a laugh behind both his hands.
Jiang Cheng took deep, heavy breaths as he stared at the table underneath him, being very aware that he's being stared at right now, which only made him feel more aggravated inside. But Jiang Cheng did his best to calm down quickly... at least, calmed down enough for him to slowly turn to look at Nie Huaisang, who was also staring at him with an extremely worried look, and grumble out some words to the other behind gritted teeth. "Please... continue...."
Nie Huaisang responded with a soft nod before turning back to face the crowd, speaking up again when he did so. "So... yes, in the past few months, I am confident enough to say that I have made many accomplishments... so much so that I have been inspired to try aiming for new heights... heights that would allow me to help and support others while further improving myself... and that is why I have decided to aim for the Chief Cultivator position. Everyone! Will you allow me this opportunity?"
The Glamour Hall was initially silent at Nie Huaisang's words, but when Wei Wuxian begun clapping, everyone else followed suit, and the hall was quickly filled with the sound of a thunderous applause.
Jiang Cheng however, just kept his arms crossed as he continued trying to simmer his anger down quietly, whilst wondering how much more longer this event was going to go for.
Nie Huaisang bowed respectfully out of gratefulness to the crowd's applause, before speaking up again. "Of course, the position of Chief Cultivator is not one that can be achieved so easily... I'd have to prove myself, and that is why, tonight... we will all decide upon the tasks that I will have to accomplish in order to be worthy of this position. Sect leaders... please offer me your suggestions! And do make it reasonable."
The Glamour Hall was quickly filled with the chatter of sect leaders talking amongst themselves, many of them speaking in tones of voices that indicated anxiety, curiosity, and uncertainty. The leaders and representatives of the Four Great Clans however, just kept to themselves and watched the discussion going on around them instead.
Eventually, sect leader Yao spoke up in a loud voice to get everyone's attention. "The problems we have on our side are surely ones that someone as capable as sect leader Nie would consider to be trivial. If he can easily go around offering other sects his help, then it won't be much of a challenge to him even if we gave him all of our problems."
Sect leader Ouyang spoke up next. "How about we get Nie Huaisang to handle one major problem that has been plaguing each of the Four Great Clans? If there is a problem that plagues even a major sect, then it surely is one worthy to be called a true challenge for him."
The sect leaders all nodded in agreement over that suggestion, before turning to look at where the Four Great Clans were seated at.
"You want me to tackle a problem that each of the Four Great Clans might have?" Nie Huaisang asked, having found the results of the discussion to be... interesting.
All the sect leaders voiced their approval over the idea, and Nie Huaisang turned to where Jin Ling was seated at. "Sect leader Jin... mind if you can start first by giving me one of your most serious problems that you have currently? Then sect leader Jiang would be next, then... me I guess... then Hanguang-Jun."
Jin Ling pondered over his problems with a thoughtful look that had subtle hints of stress. The Lanling Jin sect obviously had a lot of problems at the moments, but asking Nie Huaisang for something as mundane as helping to handle all the paperwork or even asking him to pay for tonight's banquet weren't things suitable for the context of the question given to him.
Eventually, Jin Ling had to take out a long piece of paper from his clothing that had a messily-written list scribbled on it, giving it a few glances before giving Nie Huaisang his problem. "There is a rogue, dangerous cultivator known as the 'Mayhem of Maike Bay' who is of great interest to the Lanling Jin sect at the moment. I would need you to capture him and bring him back here... alive, please."
Nie Huaisang looked at the crowd of sect leaders in front of him, who all discussed the task that Jin Ling had given, before turning back to Huaisang to nod in unison, an indication that they accepted this task as one that Nie Huaisang will take.
Jiang Cheng huffed grumpily before raising his hand and holding it open behind him, at where Jiang Gouxie was standing. "Gouxie. The book of records. Now."
Gouxie nodded quickly and swiftly pulled out a medium-sized book from his clothing, placing it in the hand that Jiang Cheng had held up.
With the book of records in hand, Jiang Cheng proceeded to open it up and flip through it briskly, looking through the book's contents with a furrowed brow before deciding on his task for Nie Huaisang. "There's a small demonic cultivation sect that has recently revealed itself in my territory and is causing a bit of a commotion. I personally would like to get rid of it myself... but I suppose you can be the one to do it instead, sect leader Nie."
The sect leaders approved of Jiang Cheng's task in the same way that they did with Jin Ling's, and Jiang Cheng proceeded to pass the book of records back to his attendant.
"... and for the last time, Jiang Gouxie... the book of records is not for you to write your idiotic poetry in." Jiang Cheng growled menacingly at Gouxie, who nodded vigorously in fright as he tucked the book back into his clothing.
"And then its... me next." Nie Huaisang stated in a confused tone of voice before addressing the sect leaders before him. "Are you sure you want me to pick a task for myself? The Qinghe Nie sect doesn't have any serious problems at the moment... just a couple of relatively minor ones...."
"A minor problem for someone like you would most likely be considered a major problem for us if we had it." Sect leader Ouyang stated. "But please, do pick a problem that is fitting for a task for the Chief Cultivator title."
Nodding a little to indicate that he understood, Nie Huaisang turned to his attendant behind him. "Shewei, do we have...."
Nie Shewei briefly lowered the sleeve that was covering his mouth, revealing his mouth to still be chewing on the braised pork that Huaisang had given him during dinner.
"... no need to talk." Nie Huaisang said quickly. "Just give me that letter."
Shewei nodded as he recovered his mouth with his sleeve, before taking out a small, folded piece of paper from his clothing and giving it to Nie Huaisang, which Huaisang unfolded to read.
"Well... recently, a remote village within the Qinghe region has been terrorised by an elusive beast that hides in the forests, aggressively attacking people on sight and damaging the village's property at night. The village wants me to hunt the beast down... is this worthy enough to be considered a task?" Nie Huaiang stated as he continued to scan through the letter.
The sect leaders looked skeptical about the task Nie Huaisang had offered for himself. "What other available problems do you have? Surely that issue you've described can't be the only one on that piece of paper that you're holding." Asked sect leader Yao.
Nie Huaisang's brows furrowed a little before he reads his other problems off the letter he held. "Still in the same village... an elderly woman has recently fallen sick and wishes for me to come cure her... there's also a dispute between two neighbours over some property that they'd like me to come help resolve... and, erm, the village's children just want to see me and my disciples... because they think we are 'amusing'."
Shewei rolled his eyes upon hearing the last bit of the letter from Huaisang.
"Your offered task has been approved." Shouted the sect leaders in unison, before turning to groan amongst themselves.
Nie Huaisang just chuckled awkwardly behind his fan as he stretched his free arm behind him to return the letter to his attendant for safekeeping, before turning to address the representatives for the Gusu Lan sect. "Speaking of which... how is Lan Xichen? Is he... doing well? I mean... in terms of his health...."
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian looked at Nie Huaisang, before looking at each other, before looking back at Nie Huaisang again, a course of actions that made Huaisang tense up a little.
"My brother... is well." Lan Wangji answered stoically. "The Gusu Lan sect has made sure that all his basic needs are met, and we've instructed some of our best disciples to keep watch over him during both day and night."
"A hardy attendant to stay as close to him as possible, a brilliant herbalist to tend to his health, and a skilled warrior protect him." Elaborated Wei Wuxian.
"My brother has... been a bit more open to communicating lately, but only to me." Continued Lan Wangji. "Even then, we don't really talk much, and we don't talk about anything personal either... just business, and nothing more."
Nie Huaisang nodded softly at Lan Wangji's reply as he averted his eyes away from Wanji's to stare at the wall. "I'm... sorry to hear about that...."
"You went to talk to Lan Huan this morning, right?" Wei Wuxian asked as he leaned back into Lan Wanji's chest while looking up at him. "Was he already aware of tonight's event when you did?"
"Yes." Lan Wanji replied while looking down at Wei Wuxian, before turning to look back up at Nie Huaisang. "But he did not say anything about what he thought or felt about it... he only gave me a task to offer to you should it ever be required of the Gusu Lan sect to do so, sect leader Nie."
Nie Huaisang's eyes flicked back to look at Lan Wangji, a sign that he was interested in hearing about the task Lan Xichen had to offer.
Lan Wangji closed his eyes gently as he recalled the memory, speaking it out as he did so. "Deep in the mountains of the Niyou region, there is... or was... a sect named the Niyou Kong sect. My brother used to keep in touch with that sect's leader Kong Qi via letters, but one day, about three years ago, the letters from Kong Qi stopped coming. As a matter of fact, the Niyou Kong sect just seemed to stop existing all of a sudden. All communications with the sect were suddenly cut off, and none of its disciples were ever seen or heard from again. My brother had been meaning to investigate what had happened to the sect... but he couldn't. The Niyou Kong sect had always kept itself well-hidden, their residence having been built in a region deep in the mountains that is shrouded with fog, with only one way in and out. Only its leader and disciples know the route through the mountains and fog, its directions only given to disciples when they've been officially initiated into the sect... thus, my brother had no way of finding the sect's residence on his own."
Small talk and hushed whispers begin to fill the Glamour Hall, as it seemed that the very mention of the Niyou Kong sect brought out memories from the sect leaders.
"Niyou Kong sect? Thats a name I've not heard of for a long time."
"I hear its run by crazy people... I mean, why do they want to shroud themselves in so much secrecy to begin with?"
"I think they are hiding something... some big secret... a new cultivation technique perhaps?"
"How selfish of them if that were the case!"
But when Lan Wangji opened his eyes to coldly glare at the sect leaders, the Glamour Hall quickly fell silent again.
Lan Wangji then turned his eyes to look at Nie Huaisang before continuing. "However, near the end of last year... my brother came across rumours of a lone Kong disciple making short, random appearances in a small village that is located near the mountains where the sect resided at. He dug a bit into it, and said that the rumours originated from an old lady who sold vegetables in that village... but that was all he could find. Now that my brother is... preoccupied at the moment, he wants to ask you to go make your own investigation about what had happened to the Niyou Kong sect. Find their residence, find any surviving disciples that might still be around, and most importantly, find out what had happened to them that made the Niyou Kong sect disappear three years ago... are you up for that, sect leader Nie?"
Nie Huaisang was silent for a short moment, but he quickly gave Lan Wangji a nod in response. "I will definitely be up for that, Hanguang-Jun. Even if this request wasn't one of my tasks... I would still take it up regardless."
Nie Huaisang then turned to face the sect leaders before him, who were all nodding in agreement at the task Lan Xichen had given Huaisang through Lan Wangji.
Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian poked Lan Wangji's cheek while looking up at him and speaking to him in a hushed tone of voice. "Lan Zhaaaan~ I've never seen you talk so much before, so its honestly refreshing to see you do so~"
Lan Wangji poked Wei Wuxian's cheek back while replying in a hushed tone of voice as well. "I was merely reciting what my brother told me. Nothing more."
"Heeeeeh~? Is that so~?" We Wuxian mused cheekily. "Then I should make you recite some long poetry for me some time... maybe we can start tonight~"
"Mm." Was all Lan Wangji said in response to Wei Wuxian's suggestion.
"Capture the 'Mayhem of Maike Bay' for the Jin sect, take down a demonic cultivation sect for the Jiang sect, hunt down a dangerous beast for the Nie sect, and investigate the disappeared Kong sect for the Lan sect...." Nie Huaisang stated audibly for everyone in the Glamour Hall to hear as he wrote down his list of tasks onto his fan. "Will this be the finalised list of tasks that I have to achieve in order to be qualified for the Chief Cultivator position?"
"So long as you don't cheat on any them." Sect leader Yao spoke up.
"Speaking of which, there also needs to be someone appointed to check your progress, sect leader Nie... an observer who will ensure that you complete your tasks thoroughly and fairly." Sect leader Ouyang stated next, before looking around at the hall's occupants. "Should we get a volunteer, or shall we place a vote on someone for this essential role?"
The Glamour Hall was quickly filled with chatter as the sect leaders begun to discuss amongst themselves about who would be qualified for the job... as well as why they themselves won't be qualified for the job, for various reasons, ranging from simply being busy to having a 'heavily enforced sect rule' that 'disallows one from snooping into other people's business, unless its scandalous'.
At that point, Nie Huaisang flicks his eyes nervously towards Jiang Cheng from behind his fan, wondering when Jiang Cheng was planning on announcing what they've discussed in the morning, or if Jiang Cheng was even in the mood to do so right now....
... if Jiang Cheng was going to be very honest, he just wasn't in the mood right now to announce what he had discussed with Nie Huaisang in the morning. Listening to the sect leaders making a fuss by trying to shift responsibilities of an important task to someone else... really just left a bad taste in his mouth.
Jiang Cheng had only allowed the discussion to occur in the first place just to see whether anyone else in the Glamour Hall tonight would be interested or at least willing enough to volunteer themselves for the very important role of being in charge of Nie Huaisang during his tasks to attain the Chief Cultivator title, but it seemed like everyone was more interested in volunteering someone else instead.
Jiang Cheng then flicked his eyes towards Jin Ling, who was obviously too young and busy for the task. Then he next flicked his gaze towards Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, who were too busy cuddling and obviously too caught up with each other to be of any capacity to take charge of such an important responsibility. That, and Jiang Cheng just couldn't feel right if Wei Wuxian was handling anything of such importance in the first place.
Then Jiang Cheng's eyes flicked downwards, and focused his gaze on Nie Huaisang, his eyes meeting with the other's. As he stared into Nie Huaisang's eyes that enigmatically peeked from behind a fan, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but wonder if Huaisang had thought through all of this since the beginning. From anticipating that no one else could or would be able to take up the responsibility of moderating Huaisang in his tasks, to seeking out Jiang Cheng to make him voluntarily accept the role so that Jiang Cheng would be obliged to not make any last minute decisions about backing out.
... whatever. Nie Huaisang can have this one if that was the case, thought Jiang Cheng to himself. He's doing this for his own sect anyways, so Jiang Cheng can assure himself that taking up this responsibility was for the best in the long run... and the opportunity to keep a close on Huaisang and his activities is something that Jiang Cheng would only trust himself with anyways.
Jiang Cheng let out a heavy, audible sigh before standing up from his table, looking at Nie Huaisang one more time with a brief glance before turning to loudly address the occupants in the hall, which had turned silent the second he stood up. "For such a vital role of monitoring sect leader Nie as he does his tasks so as to ensure that he completes them with integrity... I, Jiang Wanyin, will volunteer myself for such a responsibility!"
Everyone in the Glamour Hall stared at Jiang Cheng in an awkward silence, before the hall quickly became filled with the sounds of hushed whispers and murmurs that came from the mouths of the incredulous-looking sect leaders.
"Sect leader Jiang? I know he's powerful and such... but does he have what it takes for such a sensitive task?"
"All he does is lose his temper all day long. I doubt he's capable to ever thinking straight."
"I hear even his own people in Yunmeng don't think very highly of him."
"If I personally were to pick someone for this role we've been discussing, Jiang Wanyin would be my last choice to be honest."
As Jiang Cheng listened to every whisper and murmur that spoke badly of him, he felt his body tense up and his blood rush faster as he grew more and more agitated by what was said about him. Has he really lost that much respect amongst his fellow cultivators that makes them think its fine to speak ill of him so loosely and freely? Do they seriously want to incur his wrath now, Jiang Cheng thought to himself as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, the urge to lose his temper that he's been trying to restrain for the sake of this formal occasion growing the more aggravated he felt. If all they think of Jiang Cheng is anger, then anger he'll show them....
Nie Huaisang looked at Jiang Cheng with a very nervous and concerned look as he could tell that Jiang Cheng was going to lose it at any moment if something was not done quickly. Actually, the signs were really very obvious as even Jin Ling, Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Gouxie were all giving Jiang Cheng a similar nervous and concerned look. But what can be done exactly that isn't too abrupt a change from the current topic of discussion?
Nie Huaisang's brows furrowed behind his fan before he swiftly closed his fan, and then slapping his closed fan hard on his hand to signal the hall to be silent so that he may speak, calling out as loud as he could as he did so. "Sect leaders! I can see that sect leader Jiang is a controversial figure for you all, but let us not be quick judge one by your own personal experiences or rumours alone!"
Everyone in the Glamour Hall fell silent again as they turned to look at Nie Huaisang. Jiang Cheng meanwhile was too busy trying to keep himself calm by taking long, deep breaths to look at Huaisang... but he was listening nevertheless.
Nie Huaisang continued. "Listen to what I have to say... I've been a close friend with sect leader Jiang since young, so I know him very well. It might not seem obvious to most, but Jiang Wanyin is intelligent and capable. Did he not rebuild the Yunmeng Jiang sect and the Lotus Pier all by himself when the Wens destroyed it? Did he not lead the sect he rebuilt all by himself? He is also nurturing and well-disciplined... ask his disciples that he has trained when he rebuilt his sect, ask his nephew Jin Rulan, whom he helped support and raise when Jin Rulan was orphaned. Are they all not fine, capable people in the present? And sect leader Jiang... is also a good person and caring friend deep down inside his rough front... ask Wei Wuxian, who was his close friend and sworn brother since young... ask me... and I will answer with great certainty, that that side of Jiang Wanyin still exists within him."
"I can vouch for that~" Wei Wuxian stated loudly as he cuts in with a raised arm. "We might have had our differences, but Jiang Cheng is undeniably a good man with good intentions nonetheless~"
"Yes!" Jin Ling spoke up next in a firm tone of voice. "Uncle might lose his temper a lot, but that is because he cares so much that it pains him when someone he cares about might have gone out of line in some way!"
"Sect leader is a capable sect leader." Said Jiang Gouxie next confidently and proudly. "He is only here today thanks to all the work that he has done with his own two hands... and that is not something that should be taken lightly or forgotten so easily. So I will proclaim with all my heart, that I am proud to be Jiang Wanyin's disciple."
Jiang Cheng's once narrowed eyes quickly widened as he felt his anger simmer down considerably from Nie Huaisang's words of praise towards him, along with the words of support from the people he knew. Even if Jiang Cheng felt like wanting to point out all of what he perceived to be discrepancies and missing details in Huaisang's statement, as well as the fact that everyone seemed to roll with it without question... he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Not while being showered with many sincerely nice words regarding himself from the people he knew or was close to. And Wei Wuxian.
"Thus, I ask you all now to give Jiang Wanyin a chance. He has taken up a very huge role tonight when no one else could or would, and we should be thankful to him for that. So let us not judge him based on his flaws or his failings now, but rather, we must be optimistic based on his strengths and capabilities." Nie Huaisang continued, before turning to Jiang Cheng with a soft, sly smile that he hid from everyone else with his fan, speaking to the other with a audible, cheeky tone of voice. "And so... I'll be under your care, Jiang Wanyin. Please be nice to me."
Due to having calmed down a lot from the aggravated state that he had been maintaining throughout the whole day, Jiang Cheng was able to think and register what others were saying to him with a lot more clarity for the first time today.
Which incidentally was also what made him extremely troubled when he felt his heart skip a beat at Nie Huaisang's words towards him. Saying such nice words about him towards others before following it up with cheeky words directed towards him... somehow Jiang Cheng couldn't help but feel that he should be cautious about how capable and how smooth Huaisang seemed to be at making others follow his line of thinking. But he can't let himself get caught in Nie Huaisang's flow, Jiang Cheng told himself sternly, as it is not right or healthy after all if a sect leader becomes too easily manipulated by another.
"Hmph." Jiang Cheng huffed as he crossed his arms, before responding to Nie Huaisang with a strict tone of voice. "Don't expect me to turn soft or go easy on you, sect leader Nie. As it is my job in this role I've taken to assess your credibility, moderate your actions, and ultimately decide on whether you've legitimately accomplished the tasks given to you, I will be closely monitoring your every move with great scrutiny. You better be prepared for that."
"Oh?" Nie Huaisang blinked at Jiang Cheng's response before smiling sweetly at the other. "That is just like you, Jiang Wanyin... straightforward, honest, upright and unbiased regardless of who or what you are dealing with. You truly are the man fit for this role. Thank you."
Nie Huaisang's response made Jiang Cheng feel at a loss for words, due to his sudden feelings of ease at Huaisang's sweet smile towards him, while still being on edge over how Huaisang seemed to have anticipated Jiang Cheng's threat, and then turned it into something that would feel more agreeable to both parties.
Jiang Cheng's thoughts were cut short however when Jin Ling begun clapping for both him and Nie Huaisang, followed by Wei Wuxian, who nudged Lan Wangji to clap next, and the other sect leaders followed suit, quickly filling the Glamour Hall with the sounds of applause.
Chuckling softly in satisfaction behind his fan, Nie Huaisang turned back to address the crowd. "And with all that said and done, I, Nie Huaisang, with Jiang Wanyin as my witness and observer, declare this gathering to be over, so that I can begin my trials for the Chief Cultivator tonight."
Everyone in the Glamour Hall stood up at Nie Huaisang's words to give him a round of applause of cheer and support, while Jiang Cheng just fell back into his seat slowly as he felt his energy levels dropping now that the gathering was over... and his feelings of fatigue rising as he came to a sudden realisation that the end of the gathering meant that his own trials of dealing with Nie Huaisang have officially begun.
Dammit. He should have decided to start Nie Huaisang's tasks tomorrow when they were discussing it this morning.