Jin sect girl very cheerfully bubbles away about said fiance! He's really shy about the engagement, it's honestly adorable. He's sort of bad at talking in general, even though he's a really good disciple actually! And she thinks he's a good person. He's just -- sort of a little bad at not being obnoxious to people sometimes! She doesn't think he's doing it on purpose!

Actually Mianmian thinks, in a conspiratorial whisper, that Jin Zixuan is a lot nicer than either of his parents. His parents are just a lot better at the outside part of being nice to people, but she thinks he's better at the inside part! He does actually like Jiang Yanli. At least, Mianmian assumes he does? I mean, look at Jiang Yanli. The odds of anyone not wanting to be engaged to her appear incredibly small. Also he was all flustered when they ran into each other in Caiyi Town, she could tell, it was pretty cute.

"Oh. That's good. I thought he was--well, I didn't know, really, it was sort of hard to tell. There was a lot of room for hope but also for fear." 

"I really do think he likes you, Jiang-guniang! I think maybe it will just take him a while to remember that words are a thing you can use to express your feelings to other people instead of, uh, just bossing them around."

"Oh no. Well, I can be patient, it's not like I'm in a hurry to get married or anything." 

"Everything you say makes me concerned about Sect Leader Jin. Not that I have room to talk." 

"Sect Leader Jin isn't - a bad person, really, I think? He's a really good sect leader and he's made a lot of people prosperous and happy. Having a sect leader who can do that is pretty important, I think, in general. But he's -- just -- also. You know. A Way. I think you'll still be happy living in Lanling, Jiang-guniang, it's nice there!"

"That's good..."

"What way is he, exactly, I haven't exactly--Wen Ruohan doesn't care much about what the other sects are doing unless it's directly relevant to something he wants, I've had to spend a lot of time keeping him happy, I'm not up on all the gossip." 

Ahahahaha Mianmian you were really not supposed to talk about this stuff to other sects oops!!!

But also, like, Jiang Yanli completely has a right to know? She doesn't really regret bringing this up, even if she's a little sheepish about it.

"Ah, well. Like -- when I first went to Koi Tower to continue my studies, my sister told me not to, uh, get alone in a room with him? And that's generally pretty good advice for your reputation?"

"Ohhhhhhhh, that kind of way. Okay, that's so much less worrying than Sect Leader Wen, yeah." 

"Yeahhh, he doesn't, like, randomly kill people. Uh, no offense. What's Sect Leader Wen like in person?"

"Well, he doesn't randomly kill people, he kills people who displease him. In person he's--uh, I don't know if intimidating is the right word, but it might be for someone who wasn't me? It's like being on a night-hunt, but with different kinds of weapons and you can't actually kill him." 

"Wow. That sounds very intense! You're really cool, Wen-guniang, I feel like you must have done so many interesting things already!"

"Enh, don't look at me admiringly for being able to handle Wen Ruohan. Keeping him happy isn't always compatible with doing the right thing. Like, I can apologize as much as I want, but I still came in with Wen Chao like that, you know?" 

She shrugs. "I think it still means you're a strong person, and I think it still makes you interesting. You seem like you want to be a good person anyway, don't you?"

"I mean--I do. But I can't expect people to just believe that, the way our sect has been acting." 

"Well, I believe you! I think I'm a pretty good judge of character."

"I believe you too." 

"Aaaaaaaah you guuuuys." She presses her hands to her cheeks. "I really appreciate it."  

Friendly shoulder-pat. 

Wen Ying... sounds like she may actually care about being a good person. And may actually choose to be aware of the moral weight of evil actions that she takes, even under duress?

This is objectively a good thing.

This is also objectively terrible. Lan Zhan considers it an important responsibility to monitor Wen Ying and make sure she doesn't go around breaking any more wards, but also - following Wen Ying around is so bad for her health, probably, her head hurts.

Maybe she should check in on other Wens instead. Are the other Wens doing anything interesting or suspicious if she vaguely follows them for the rest of the day?

Nope! She can follow them around on their walk - they go on lots of walks, but never do anything improper or destructive on them.

Lan Zhan can watch Wen Ning practice archery, and then practice his swordwork, and then get scolded for imperfections in his form by Wen Qing. Wen Ning displays talent for his age, but nothing seems menacing about the practice. Wen Qing's scolding sounds a lot more like an exasperated older sister than a commanding officer.

Part of her wants them to start sabotaging her sect already so that they can drive them out and she never has to think about Wen Ying again. (Or about her long fluffy hair, or about her laugh, or about the very cute way she blushed and touched her cheeks when Jiang Yanli complimented her, or about the way her eyes sparkle, or --)

Wen Ying continues to excel in class and to follow the rules even when it makes her physically twitch and to be outgoing and friendly with the rest of their class. Lan Zhan is not the only one who rebuffs her overtures and apologies, and she is politely respectful of their rejection. 

She also attracts a handful of would-be cronies who want to get in with the Wen sect, but after the third time she makes it clear she's not interested in that 

("Wow, if everyone in your sect is like you, Wen-er-guniang, it's no wonder they're considered the highest!" 

"No, I'm a fluke, Wen Ruohan is a madman, don't you have anything better to be doing?")

most of them learn to be at least a little bit subtle about it. She consistently prefers the company of people who actually just like her, anyway. 

She goes on walks too, sometimes with her siblings and sometimes by herself. Jiang Wanyin asks her about it at one point, in a clumsy attempt to change the subject from her interrogating him about his intentions towards Wen Qing, and she says that Cloud Recesses is beautiful and completely unlike Qishan and who knows when or if they'll ever get a chance to visit again, after classes are over. 

Cloud Recesses is indeed very beautiful! Pretty mountainside, pretty waterfalls, pretty forest. Except -- whoops, looks like this part of pretty forest and mountainside in the backhills is behind another ward. Mysterious.