"Mianmian you're a genius." 

Disguising her handwriting is tricky but doable. Composing the letter itself is harder. It ends up with a lot of flowery language, comparing her beauty to the moon, something something Chang'e the moon goddess, something something Tuyu the jade rabbit who helps her create the elixir of immortality, something something Twin Jades, something something strong cultivation immortality etcetera. 

Sneaking it into the Jingshi without actually breaking any rules is the hardest part for sure though. 

Lan Zhan is completely flustered by the note! It -- irritates her, to receive something so touching and flattering and nicely written in not Wen Ying's handwriting. It infuriates her that anyone else -- no, that anyone might have crept into the Jingshi to leave the letter there. This is not what she wanted from the universe.

But she must appreciate well-crafted poetry. The words of that letter could be woven into a gorgeous song, Lan Zhan decides, but only in Wen Ying's voice. She has no interest in hearing from any other admirers. 

Still, she can't bring herself to discard the silly note. She tucks it neatly inside the wooden box beneath her bed and lays above it to swoon and mope over the actual object of her desires.

Fighting is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses. Sparring is not, and in fact sometimes is actively required in training students; they're supposed to be learning to be cultivators, after all, and cultivators night-hunt. 

Not long before the end of term, Xichen arranges for Wen Ying and A-Zhan to be assigned as sparring partners. 

Ooh!

Aaaaaaaa the betrayals never END.

Okay. That's fine. Lan Zhan is excellent at sparring. All she needs to do is beat Wen Ying very quickly and then she can go dunk her head under cold water and be fine.

She bows neatly to Wen Ying and then dives at her with Bichen, graceful and lightning-quick.

Wen Ying is, it turns out, just as good at this as at classwork. Duck, dodge, parry, strike--

Oh no.

This is a horrible and INFURIATING development. Lan Zhan dodges, whirls on her feet and strikes again from a different angle, eyes flashing. Wen Ying is smiling, which is unfair and incomprehensible, how can she be so calm about this -- spin, sweep, stab -- 

--Dodge, stab, slice--

Calm is maybe not the best word for this. Euphoric might be better. 

That's worse. Lan Zhan is burning, burning, burning --

This is good, is the problem, this is the most she's ever enjoyed or hated a sparring match in her life and it is perfect, Wen Ying is perfect and that is the problem. This makes her want too much.

The way they match each other and move so perfectly against each other. The perfect slender angle of Wen Ying's wrist as she wields the sword. The fire consuming Lan Zhan's body to its core, burning hotter every time their eyes touch. It is too much and it is too little and it is going to kill her. She wants, she wants, she wants.

The match goes on for a long time. 

Eventually, though, Wen Ying pulls a trick involving reflecting the setting sun off the shiny edge of her blade, and in the fraction of a second that Lan Zhan is blinded, Wen Ying has her disarmed and on her butt. 

"Yield," she says, breathing hard enough to do interesting things to her breasts, robes plastered to her body with sweat, the tip of her blade millimeters from Lan Zhan's nose. 

She panics and snaps her eyes shut the moment she notices that she's staring. (Where she's staring.) She can't breathe enough to speak. 

She waits patiently.

Lan Zhan wrestles herself under control enough to open her eyes without fainting. "I yield." Her voice comes out unusually rough.

She lowers her sword immediately and bounces back on her heels. 

"That was awesome," she enthuses. 

"Hhwh??"

She bends over and offers a hand to help Lan Zhan up.

She accepts the help to her feet. Touching Wen Ying's bare hand feels like being electrocuted; she lets go the moment she can.

"That was really good. I hope we have the chance to do that again sometime. Uh. In similarly friendly circumstances." 

"Mm.

You demonstrated merit. It was engaging." Way way too much merit.

!!!!!!

"Thank you!" 

Okay that's enough pleasantries time to go shove her head in a waterfall. Lan Zhan sweeps away.

That night there is a lanterns event. Students construct and paint lanterns in pairs. Wen Ying successfully schemes with Mianmian to pair up Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan and is about to suggest that they do theirs together when Mianmian almost physically throws her at Lan Zhan, who doesn't have a partner yet. 

Eep.

Sure. Lan Zhan can handle that. Calmly.

She kneels down on the rock and hands Wen Ying some lantern paper.

Wen Ying works carefully on the lantern's construction, occasionally glancing up at Lan Zhan and blushing before re-focusing her attention on the lantern.