In spite of

      There was a clanking sound of metal, a vile scraping of blades against each other, muffled by the occasional sighs and loud shouts of the crowd:       — Wei Wuxian!       — Kick that bastard’s ass!       — You must win this time!       — Long Ao, you can’t lose, I bet!       The figure in the black and red hanfu was breathing hard, his hands on his knees, and the larger man, gray-haired and bearded, was sprawled on the floor, trying to catch his breath. At the edge of the arena, a huge golden gong rang out deafeningly, and the head of the Jiang clan, smiling broadly, grabbed the youth who was barely able to stand and raised his hand:       — The champion of the annual swordsmanship for sword competition, Yunmeng Jiang’s first disciple, Wei Wuxian!       The crowd erupted in applause, hoots, and loud congratulations. Jiang Yanli was the first to enter the arena, beaming with joy. She snatched the tired Wei Wuxian from his father’s arms and hugged him so tightly that he almost wheezed, but then smiled happily and settled down. He took a deep breath and shouted:       — Yes! Now I won’t let anyone lose this fucking victory for the next five years! Get off your asses and train harder than me! — To the laughter of the crowd, Wei Wuxian released Jiang Yanli and shook hands with his opponent, who congratulated him on his victory.       Jiang Cheng, who was standing at the edge of the arena, snorted, but Wei WuXian knew that he was proud of him, so he grimaced and rushed towards him with a gentle expression:       — Well then, A-Cheng, you will defeat me too… in about five years! — At the end, his voice broke into a deafening squeal, because Jiang Cheng began tickling him and hissing angrily:       — Who are you calling A-Chen, you bastard?!       Watching them with warmth, Jiang FengMian and Jiang YanLi, who smiled gently at her little shidi, looked at them. ***       Madam Yu asked to join her in the Lotus Hall after the competition, and this could only mean one thing — a serious conversation. It was always like this when they ate there instead of together in the Hall of Stems, so Wei Wuxian was a little nervous, but he still managed a wry smile, narrowed his eyes mischievously, poked Jiang Chen in the ribs, broke free from his grip, and ran towards the Lotus Hall, shouting loudly:       — A-Chen, catch up if you dare!       Perhaps it was his imagination, but Wei Wuxian was sure that Jiang Cheng’s eye twitched before he ran after him.       — Shut up! — he barked as he ran.       From behind, he heard Jiang Yanli’s muffled laughter, followed by calm but confident footsteps.

***

      — Wei Wuxian, — Wei Wuxian raised his head, looking straight into the eyes of Lady Yu, whose stern voice he, although wary, was ready to listen to for hours. She, as always, looked at him sternly, but this time, he was sure, she was proud of him. Lady Yu barely nodded to him and continued:       — Your training was very successful, congratulations. — And these words were enough for Wei Wuxian to catch his breath and barely hold back a smile. Jiang Cheng, looking at his brother, snorted good-naturedly.       — Do you have any news, my lady? — Jiang Fengmian asked quietly, sitting at the head of the table. The lady nodded lightly and replied:       — You two will be leaving for Gusu for the next six months in just a week, — she glanced sideways at Wei Wuxian, — when everyone is ready. — He realized that the Lady was referring to his heat, which was about to begin, and smiled gratefully.       Although Wei Wuxian usually did not stop training, helping the clan, and even hunting at night during this time, he still did not want to set out at such a time, because, no matter what, it would weaken him a little, and if something happened, he would not be able to rely on all his strength.       Everyone at the table knew that Wei Wuxian might not go at all, but to suggest something like this to him would be an insult to his face, no matter what his original intentions were, so Lady Yu turned to Jiang Cheng.       — Jiang Cheng, — the son turned to his mother, and she quickly ran her hand through his hair. — For these six months, you will represent the Jiang clan and our disciples, do not let us down. — Jiang Cheng nodded seriously: — I won’t let you down. — Jiang Yanli smiled encouragingly at both brothers as she stood up from the table.       Stepping over the threshold of the hall, they rushed towards the rooms, laughing loudly and pushing each other.