Chapter Text
Wei Ying was confined to bedrest for the rest of the day, waking up the next morning feeling better than he ever had in his life. Wei Wuxian was in way better physical shape than Wei Ying had ever been.
Oh, and the whole Golden Core thing didn’t hurt either.
Wei Ying would catch himself clutching at the place underneath his belly button where he knew Wei Wuxian’s Core spun, the spot feeling impossibly warm. If he went off the book, he knew he’d lose it eventually, but that didn’t mean he wouldn't enjoy it while it lasted!
He went out of his way to use his new Xianxia powers whenever possible, leaping from one side of the room to the other while gathering his things for the trip to Gusu. It also had the added bonus of irritating the hell out of Jiang Cheng.
“Slow down you idiot, you’re going to fall overboard!”
“Don’t worry, Jiang Cheng, you know I’m a good swimmer!”
Jiang Cheng let out an exasperated sigh and Wei Ying laughed, excitedly leaning over the railing to watch the rapidly approaching shore. He could see why Wei Wuxian had always riled his adopted brother up, it was just too damn easy. He’d spent the trip pushing so many of Jiang Cheng’s buttons that it was a wonder that he didn’t get murdered in his sleep before arriving in Gusu.
Their ship docked and they offboarded, Jiang Cheng with all the dignified grace of a sect heir while Wei Ying practically cartwheeled down the gangplank.
Wei Ying didn’t know much about Wei Wuxian’s experience in the Cloud Recesses. Pitching a Tent in the Woods had mostly glossed over everything before the war, more interested in describing (in harrowing detail) the horrors that came after the Wens took over.
Wei Ying had been looking forward to arriving in Gusu for one reason and one reason only: He would finally have an excuse to fly on a fucking sword. How metal was that?
He unsheathed Suibian eagerly and threw it out in front of him. He grinned as it floated a few inches off the ground, not unlike the hoverboards from Back to the Future. He hopped on and they were off, Wei Ying watching as the ground rapidly got farther and farther away. He whooped as he shot forward, feeling the warm evening air whipping his face.
“Will you calm down,” Jiang Cheng shouted over the rushing wind, pulling up next to him with some difficulty. “You act like you’ve never flown before!”
Wei Ying just laughed.
They made their way towards the Cloud Recesses, the rapidly setting sun painting the sky in brilliant hues. Just as they were passing a sleepy looking little town, a loud chime suddenly reverberated in Wei Ying’s head followed by the System’s cool female voice, nearly causing him to tumble off of Suibian.
【Beginner-level quest issued. Location: Caiyi Town. Quest: Obtain Emperor’s Smile. Please click to accept.】
Wei Ying blinked as a clear light screen suddenly popped in front of his eyes. Heart leaping into his throat, he snapped his head over to Jiang Cheng, desperately racking his brain for a suitable explanation. However, Jiang Cheng just flew on next to him, seemingly oblivious to the screen still firmly fixed in front of Wei Ying’s rapidly moving profile.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Wei Ying focused on the content of the light screen. It seemed to be a synopsis of the quest along with two options at the bottom, one on the left reading “Accept” and one on the right reading “Reject.”
Wei Ying stared at the options in front of him. Emperor’s Smile, he recalled, was Wei Wuxian’s favorite wine that apparently could only be found in Caiyi Town. The town looked relatively small so finding the Emperor’s Smile shouldn’t be too difficult. With a shrug, he mentally pressed the “Accept” button.
【Quest successfully accepted. Please thoroughly read the provided files and make your preparations. We wish you a swift success.】
He wobbled slightly on Suibian as a map of Caiyi Town suddenly came rushing into his head, a red arrow pointing down at one building in particular.
“Where do you think you’re going!” Jiang Cheng called as Wei Ying started descending sharply.
“Just go on without me,” Wei Ying called over his shoulder at Jiang Cheng, “I’ll meet you at Cloud Recesses!”
He zoomed off before Jiang Cheng could argue, grinning from ear to ear.
Fifteen minutes later saw Wei Ying walking out of a shop holding two jars full of Emperor’s Smile.
【Obtained item: Jar of Emperor’s Smile x2. Mischief +20.】
【Completed beginner-level quest, B-Points +50.】
Woah, fifty for a fetch quest? This might be easier than he’d originally thought!
【Current B-Points: 150. B-Points needed for OOC feature unlock: 10,000. Currently 1.5% to goal. Please continue to work hard!】
The smug grin slid off of Wei Ying’s face. 10,000? How was that even fair?
Still grumbling mutinously, Wei Ying turned his attention back to the jars in his hands. Curious, he lifted the lid on one and took a sniff. He blinked when a pleasant scent greeted him. Intrigued, he took a swig.
Wei Ying wasn’t usually one for fancy liquors, preferring to just pick the cheapest thing that’d fuck him up the fastest.
However, even he knew that Emperor’s Smile was good shit.
He could tell that it wasn’t that strong, but the rich and spicy flavor more than made up for it. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a satisfied sigh. If nothing else, Wei Wuxian at least had good taste.
As he rose the jar for a second drink, a familiar chime reverberated in his head. 【Intermediate-level quest issued. Location: Cloud Recesses. Quest: Sneak Emperor’s Smile into Cloud Recesses without getting caught. Please click to accept.】
Wei Ying raised an eyebrow. He knew that Wei Wuxian was a Chaos Gremlin, but sneaking liquor into the Land of the Repressed and Uptight? Was it even worth it?
【B-Points awarded upon quest success: 500.】
“To Cloud Recesses!”
Wei Ying peeked over the wall bordering Cloud Recesses, casting a look around. When the coast seemed to be clear, he hopped up with his jars of Emperor's Smile in hand. The map of Gusu in his head told him that the Guest Disciple housing wasn't too far from there.
So this was a 500 B-Point mission, huh? Piece of cake.
Grinning widely, Wei Ying went to take one last congratulatory swig of Emperor's Smile.
"Night outings are prohibited."
Nearly leaping out of his skin, he whipped around and gaped.
Woah, this guy was like pretty, pretty.
Dude looked like he just walked off the set of a big budget Xianxia production, his flowing white robes almost glowing in the moonlight. Paired with his chiseled features, sharp amber eyes, and imposing aura, it was enough for even a straight guy like Wei Ying to stare.
"You are not allowed in until 7am tomorrow," said the guy in a low, cool voice, "Get out."
Wei Ying was just about to apologize and hop back over the wall on reflex when he heard the System chime in.
【Quicktime Event triggered! Choose an option to proceed:
Persuasion. Likelihood to succeed: 33%
Evasion. Likelihood to succeed: 14%
Abandon mission. Likelihood to succeed: 100% [Note: will lead to no gain in B-Points]】
Ah shit, for real? What kind of options even were these? Well, he sure as shit wasn't going to give up on all of those B-Points. Wei Ying was a lot of things, but a quitter wasn't one of ‘em. Persuasion it was.
He put on his most winning smile and held up one of the jars in his hands. “Emperor's Smile, I'll give you some if you pretend you never saw me!”