One of the voices belongs to Wen Chao.

"Even though you've been granted the privilege of taking lessons here, you're still refusing to give us this information?  I can't imagine how the Gusu Lan sect managed to get a reputation of respectability when you are so obviously lowly and rude."

He is currently pretending at poise, looking down his nose at the captive.  

"What, nothing to say?" 

Perhaps it will provoke a reaction if he kicks his wounded leg?  

That will get him a pained hiss and even a facial expression a few shades away from 'indifferent.'

Lan Wangji glares at Wen Chao once he has recaptured enough composure to do so, breathing unsteadily.

Oh how fun.  He laughs as he watches the reaction.  But it is Wen Chao who is capturing things today.  Including this uppity Lan who doesn't know his place.

"Where is the other Yin Iron piece?"

"I have never seen it."

"Well of course you wouldn't be competent enough to actually have it.  I just want to know where it is."

This is at least not the worst way Wen Chao could be using his time. It's preferable to him going out into the world and actually searching for the Yin Iron piece, or trying to extract this information from anyone else. Wangji is glad that Wei Ying has not yet arrived.

He thinks about all the different ways he would kill Wen Chao if he had his hands free and does his best to look bored.

Who does Lan Wangji think he is?  Lan Wangji can be kicked again. 

"Perhaps you can at least tell me who does know?  Should I bring in some of the other students?  Or drag in a few more people from what remains of Cloud Recesses?  I don't think we've bothered to wipe them all out yet."

Another stifled sound of pain, an even less indifferent facial expression.

The fear hurts as much as the broken leg, panic crushing in on his rib cage until he worries he'll black out. Wangji is not accustomed to fear like this; he cannot remember ever being as afraid as he has been this entire week since his capture. It sharpens to the point of pain whenever he considers his clan, his clan's vulnerability.

"None of them know," he grits out. "Do not touch them."

"Do you or any of them know where Lan Xichen went?"

He has no idea if anyone knows where his brother went. He hopes someone from their clan does and will find him in time to help him if he's injured. Wangji certainly doesn't know himself. Brother could already be dead.

"No."

Wen Chao leans up close, examining the face of his captive for its elusive and subtle expressions.  He seems satisfied enough that it's the truth.  

"You can stay in here for tonight.  Tell the guards if you happen to think of anything you forgot to tell me earlier, and they can take you to the house set aside for you for some proper rest."  Wen Chao can't quite make his expression caring, though he seems to be trying.  It is too obviously false.  

"Either way, I'll be seeing you at Indoctrination tomorrow."

Oh no.  He knew that Lan Zhan had been taken captive, and that they interrogated him about the location of the Yin Iron, but this is different.  He needs to help Lan Zhan.  Does he still have any slicing talismans?  Yes, he's got two left.  He doesn't have his sword with him, he shouldn't get into a fight with Wen Chao even though he really wants to.  He runs back up the stairs and ducks into one of the cells in the hopes that this will keep Wen Chao from seeing him, since he left his sword behind and can't fight Wen Chao. 

Wen Chao exits the room.  His bodyguard follows behind him, barring the door behind them and then quickly catching up.  Neither seem concerned with the cells lining the hall.

As soon as they leave the hallway he's in, Wei Wuxian unbars the door and heads down towards the lower level.

There's a long row of cells much like the one above it, only colder and darker and altogether more miserable. Resentful energy lingering around the metal chains in each cell.

Lan Wangji is in a cell near the end of the hallway.

He hears the bar slide open, and then footsteps. Either Wen Chao forgot something or Wen Xu was outside waiting for him to finish.

It's only one set of footsteps, which suggests Wen Xu. Fear is an additional ache in Wangji's body moreso than it is any kind of emotion.

He doesn't look up.

He walks up to the cell Lan Zhan is locked in, and grabs the bars as he looks in.

"Lan Zhan..."

- fear turns out to still be an emotion after all.

what is he doing here how did he get here they're going to find him -

"Leave."

He starts working on getting the bars open.

"I'm getting you out."

He hasn't ever let his friends talk him out of saving them before and he doesn't plan to start now.

PANIC

"Wei Ying, no."

He manages to get the latch open at this point.

"I'm not going to be talked out of this."

He needs to go find Wen Qing, after this.  Lan Zhan probably already has a broken leg at this point.