[ At Lan Wangji's words, his own thoughts drift back to those days. The strife between the two of them, the distance. Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji. Anger towards each other that was so woefully misplaced. And then later — But I, Wei Ying, promise you I will never degenerate into demonic cultivation. A promise that could never be kept.

Wei Wuxian sighs and closes his eyes for a moment, before slowly nodding his head. ]

It was easier to be a pariah than have people know the truth. It's not as if I enjoyed it, of course, but I could take it. The rumors, the scorn, the insults. They were nothing if it meant that Jiang Cheng was safe and whole. That my sect could be rebuilt.

[ And then... and Wen Qing happened. Wen Ning. Seeing what was left of the Wens. Knowing his debt to them. Knowing he couldn't abandon them. So, no, he no longer had a clan after that. Then he was the Yiling Patriarch, he had a different family. ]

It was... easier, afterwards, in Yiling. Wen Qing and Wen Ning, they both knew the truth. I didn't have to hide. On the days it was bad — Wen Qing was able to help. If Clarity would have helped, I would have let you play it for me. But it wouldn't and then you would know and I was ... scared. To see your reaction to the truth.