Wen Chao stands far above them, looking over the assembling disciples from on top of the pyramid.  

Wei Wuxian looks around for Lan Zhan.  He hopes that the ruckus in the fortress last night didn't make them decide to keep him locked up.  He glares up at Wen Chao after a moment.

Lan Zhan isn't there, but Wei Wuxian will instead be able to see a group of approaching Nies. They shuffle into line beside the Jiang disciples, glancing nervously up at Wen Chao.

The class is nearly all there.  With a proper audience, he takes the time to slowly make his way down to the lowest tier before the ground floor as his presence is announced.  

"Look at yourselves - a bunch of sleepy, mangy dogs.  Is that really the best your clans could send?"  he scoffs, considering the ranks of guest disciples.

Someone is missing.  He calls out orders to a set of distant guards.  "What the hell are you waiting for.  Bring him over!  We're not going to let him miss Indoctrination."

They bring him.

He walks on his own two feet. The pain paired with the concentration necessary to keep his leg from shattering leaves him hardly able to pay attention to anything else in his surroundings. Wangji has had a bad morning; he thinks at least one of his ribs is broken. Fortunately, being functional around this injury does not require nearly as much concentration as the leg. 

He is vaguely aware of Wei Ying on his left as the guards bring him to a halt. Wangji does not look at him. Or at anyone. Or anywhere. He stands alone, because all of the Lan disciples are dead. The guards step away.

Oh good he didn't mess that up.  He waves at Lan Zhan, hoping to catch his attention and ask if he's alright.

He does not look at him or react in any way. Wen Chao is right there and will see it if they act like they care about each other, Wei Ying needs to stop.

He pouts a bit when Lan Zhan ignores him.  This is not suspicious because he did the exact same thing last time when he didn't know the future and wasn't trying to make the Wen's lives as hard as possible from the get-go. 

"Since you are all here in Qishan, you must follow our rules.  The first of these rules is: no carrying weapons during Indoctrination."

"You will each hand your swords over to our keeping."

Everyone processes this with Horror And Disgust. To have their spiritual swords stripped away is a violation beyond merely rendering them defenseless.

"A cultivator stands with his sword, always!" cries one of the disciples. "There's no way we would surrender our swords. I refuse!"

"Never before have we had to surrender our swords. Never before were we told that we would have to surrender our swords here. How can the Wen Clan be like this? We refuse!"

Mumbled agreement from the crowd.

He listens to their objections with a sneer.  

"This is the very reason you need to be unarmed," he mentions, tone shifting to one of haughty superiority.  "It is because you are disobedient and lack any etiquette.  You're rotten to the very core.  This is why you need Indoctrination - to correct your manners and keep you from making any... mistakes.  Mistakes like challenging the authority of the Wen Clan!"

He gestures to a set of guards who are already prepared with a tray for holding blades.  "Confiscate their swords!"

The guards step forwards and collect the swords from each disciple, in some cases needing to yank them free from fierce, reluctant grips.

He gives Bichen up without protest. That they even bothered giving her back to him is a sick joke, but it still burns to have the sword taken away. To watch the guard's grubby hands fondle it. He thinks he can feel Wen Chao sneering down at him without looking.

He does NOT give up his sword without protest! Who does Wen Chao think he is! He will protest and he will protest LOUDLY.

"We are here to be indoctrinated. Do not push it too far, Young Master Wen. The Jin Clan stands with our swords!"

"You dare to challenge our authority?"  Wen Chao asks.  He steps down closer to the assembled disciples, guards following behind him in a formation.  

"See what I was talking about?  Some of you already have bad intentions.  Some of you are trying to stage a coup!  We know how to deal with people like that, however.  Isn't that right, Lan-er gongzi?"  He focuses on Lan Wangji as he says this, smiling the same kind of smile Lan Wangji will recognize from his interrogation the night before.  

Raising a hand towards the guards, then pointing towards Jin Zixuan, "Take that one into custody, if he's so eager to be locked up."

He's half a second away from drawing his sword on the approaching guards, but one of the disciples behind him grabs his arm urgently.

"Please pardon him, Second Young Master Wen," she says quietly, bowing. "Our Young Master did not mean to offend you. We beg your forgiveness."

"Mianmian," Jin Zixuan mutters to her. "There's no need to beg forgiveness from these dogs. We have no cowards here!"

"Young Master, please, remember your father's wishes," Mianmian whispers. "Wen-er-gongzi, our Clan Leader ordered us not to neglect the Wen's commands. Our two clans have always had a good relationship. Of course we will comply with your decree."

Jin Zixuan scowls but doesn't contradict her.

Wen Chao approaches her, leering.  "What a charming young lady," he says.  "Properly obedient, and pretty even in those Jin rags.  For your sake, I will pardon your young master this time."  

He gestures to the guard to take the sword.  

He would like to instead let that guard have Jin Zixuan's FIST in his FACE -

But Mianmian is tugging his sleeve, so fine. The guards can have the swords.

The guards pile all the swords onto their tray and hastily tug it off out of sight. There are more muttered protests, but no one steps out of line.

"This brings me to my next point, before we can begin the Indoctrination.  A number of lowly worms in the prison decided to attempt a riot last night.  They have been dealt with, of course, but we're going to be keeping an especially strict eye on all of you.  This is just the sort of thing that you undisciplined louts might have had a part in.  Know that there will be no further mercy granted." 

He glares at each of them, walking in front of them before turning and climbing back to his preferred vantage point on the steps.  

Lowly worms, huh.  He does not say that he's confident they were all more interesting people then Wen Chao, but he does think it.

"Are you blaming us for your own prison riot? Wen Chao! How could it be our fault that you are so disorganized? We were all under guard in our quarters, do not insult us!"

"If you will not stay quiet, you will join them in their cells."

"These are your books," he says, summoning a number of guards on standby for that order.  "Tales of glory from the most esteemed Wen cultivators of the past.  You will be memorizing them until you can recite them on command.  This will be tested every day, at dawn, noon, and dusk.  Anyone who fails to remember every word will face punishment, in accordance with our clan rules."

The guards pass out the books: compact red scrolls. Some of the disciples hesitantly open their scrolls and begin to read, glancing nervously at each other and up at Wen Chao.