“Lan Zhan!”

Huaisang wanders around the library and looks very bored while skimming over the book titles and scroll labels.  More importantly he's paying attention to the sound his footsteps make to see if there's any hidden trap doors in the floor.  He also looks for any places where the walls don't quite match up with the shape of the building, where room for a secret staircase or ladder might be hidden.  This search also includes covert glances at the ceiling - a skilled cultivator can jump quite high, and a room where only they can enter might be best accessed through a disguised hole between rafters or something.  

Jiang Cheng watches for a minute, then rolls his eyes and heads outside.  If they find anything, they'll presumably tell him later.

In the meantime, he wants to take a look at the old Cloud Recesses, and maybe find where Yanli is.  There are more people who died in the future than just Wei Wuxian, and he's busy with his one-sided attempts at flirting.

The edges of this one segment of bookshelf seem a little suspect, set within a larger wall of shelving. The distinction is very subtle.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are currently distracting each other, though obviously they will notice if Huaisang starts hauling heavy bookshelves around right over there.

Jiang Wanyin left, which is a definite improvement, but that sadly does not do as much to help Lan Wangji's mood as usual. He continues to stare into space and feel like he's been set on fire.

Yeah, there's definitely room for some kind of staircase or something in that area. 

He should probably wait until he's alone.  Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng are both very loud, and Lan Wangji is (especially at the current point in history) very rule-abiding and would probably do something if they actually found anything.  Thinking of which, he should probably make sure to do it very soon, before they can add additional wards or guards.  Hopefully they won't do so immediately just because of three kids playing detective.  

Nie Huaisang glances around.  Jiang Cheng has wandered off.  Where did he go?  Time to go outside and look for him.

Jiang Cheng is nowhere in sight, but someone else is.

Meng Yao hovers in the walkways of Cloud Recesses. He wants to bid his farewells to Huaisang and to Zewu Jun, but hasn't seen either of them since the ceremony.

Huaisang had promptly run off with his new cultivator friends the moment the ceremony ended, which was more or less what Meng Yao expected. When he sees him now, Meng Yao brightens his face and bows. "Young Master, I was hoping to see you. I must soon leave to return to our Clan Leader. Do you have everything you need?"

Nie Huaisang wants him to stay!  He needs to keep an eye on him, and keep him away from Da-ge.

"Surely you don't have to leave right away, Meng Yao.  It's such a long trip."

"Clan Leader Nie was expecting me to return promptly. If I delay, he might worry over you."

"He wouldn't expect you to leave immediately."

Normal people don't travel such distances and then leave again.  Admittedly, Meng Yao has never been normal in how much he manages to do.  

"Besides, Da-ge might wonder how I'm doing here and you won't know."

Nie Huaisang also does his best to look lost.  Would Meng Yao really leave him here all alone?  There's no one else from the Unclean Realm, and his classmates have apparently vanished somewhere without him.  

...it's unfortunately tempting.

Meng Yao weighs whether it's more humiliating to have to leave immediately because he's merely a servant, or to stay and take his time but be a servant more visibly, barred from the rest of these cultivators and their classes (and their swords and their titles and all the other things he has never had -)

There are footsteps from down the corridor, and then Lan Xichen is joining them, smiling, his pace slow and serene. He looks delighted to see them both.

"Young Master Nie, Young Master Meng. Good afternoon. Are you both enjoying your first day?"

His eyes brighten and he quickly turns to bow, deep and picture-perfect as always. "Zewu Jun. Truly, I was just about to leave. I had been hoping to find you and wish you farewell."

This is terrible news! Xichen looks clearly disappointed, concerned. "Farewell?"

"But Young Master Meng, why not stay a few days before you depart? We have enough rooms, you could stay here and rest a little..."

His expression at Lan Xichen says 'I know, right?  Help me talk some sense into him.'

He makes a clumsier bow, and in a voice that is much less sophisticated, "Please Zewu Jun, provide your hospitality to him for a short while."

Turning, "Please take a few days rest.  I'd, um, also like you to bring a letter to Da-ge for me when you go, and need time to write it." 

It wouldn't be anything important, of course.  No instruction, no tactical information.  Meng Yao would inevitably read it and not attracting suspicion is important.  But.  It's been years.  Even if it would be unreasonable for him to run back to the Unclean Realm, and even as curtailed as he is with things he could write...  There are things he should have been saying that he hadn't, the first time around.

"You are as generous as is your reputation, Zewu Jun. However, this one is just a guest of the Nie Clan, not a disciple. I do not wish to impose."

"Of course, Nie-gongzi." He dips his head graciously.

"Meng-gongzi, there would be no imposition. A bright mind is never an imposition on the Lan; you are invited to stay by both Young Master Nie here and myself. Stay for just a few days. and give Young Master Nie time to write his letter?"

"Then, if it is the bidding of Young Master and Zewu Jun... of course I could not be impolite enough to leave against both of your wishes."

He bows to Huaisang, and then to Lan Xichen. Very deeply. It's a shame that he has no courtesies less cheaply given to offer the man. "I also wished to thank you, Zewu Jun, for your help during the ceremony this morning. We are all fortunate that you were there."

Xichen catches his arms, gently guiding him back up from his bow.

"You are welcome," he says quickly. "We are peers, you don't need to thank me like this."

Oh.

"Then if Zewu Jun wishes, I will follow your lead to where I might rest."

He turns and half-bows again to Huaisang. "Thank you, Young Master," he says quietly, meaning it more than he finds comfortable.