Part 26 – The Cut-Sleeve Conundrum

Now it was Wei Wuxian’s turn to blink in surprise. “You—you do?!”

Nie Huaisang nodded.

“Since when?!”

“Since always,” Nie Huaisang replied, looking abashed. “I’m surprised you didn’t know. We were quite close as boys. Not that I…toward you, that is, I never…”

“I know, I know!” Wei Wuxian waved his hands. “Still, no…no, I had no idea. So,” he said, his smile turning sly, “does that mean there’s a guy you like as well?”

Nie Huaisang glanced away, a faint blush tingeing the high bones of his cheeks. Wei Wuxian laughed.

“Never mind! That’s none of my business—forget that I asked. I’m just in a fluster, that’s all. I thought cut-sleeves like me and Hanguang-Jun were a rare breed.”

“Not at all,” Nie Huaisang said, glancing back. “Not among cultivators, at least. History suggests such preferences may be hereditary. Between the lines, there are plenty of accounts. It’s a bit of a well-known secret, it seems. Of course, there’s a stigma attached to same-sex attraction, so most clans keep the matter close to the chest. At least while the clan members in question are alive, anyway. Generally speaking, it doesn’t present too much of a problem. Members of prominent cultivation sects have always married politically to keep their bloodlines strong. But as far as their passions go…”

“I see,” Wei Wuxian said, though in truth his mind was still reeling to process it all. “I never knew.”

Nie Huaisang shook his head. “You really should read more, Wei-xiong.”

Wei Wuxian had never been the bookish type, it was true. “Why go to all that trouble when I can just ask you?” he said with a grin. “You seem to be an expert on the subject of cut-sleeve lore, Nie Huaisang. Another one of your hobbies?” Wei Wuxian chuckled. “And here I just thought you liked collecting birds and painting fans!”

Nie Huaisang’s cheeks reddened. “…I guess I rambled on quite a bit, didn’t I? Forgive me, Wei-xiong. I don’t often get the chance to discuss it.”

“Don’t worry, you haven’t annoyed me,” Wei Wuxian said with a wave. A devious thought rose to mind. “Say, Nie Huaisang, did you always know Hanguang-Jun had the hots for me?”

“Oh yes,” Nie Huaisang replied brightly, “it was quite clear to me, even back then. I felt bad for Hanguang-Jun because, well…”

“Because why?” Wei Wuxian prompted.

“Well,” Nie Huaisang said with a half-shrug, “because you didn’t seem to be interested in men to me at all, Wei-xiong.”

Wei Wuxian laughed loudly. “That’s because I wasn’t! Or I didn’t think I was, anyway. The thought of being intimate with another man had never crossed my mind. I thought that I liked girls. I still do think I like girls. Some of them are very pretty. Maybe I like both?”

“Maybe so. You’re a bit of a mystery, Wei-xiong.”

Wei Wuxian smiled broadly. “All I know for certain is that I love Hanguang-Jun. Even if he were a girl, my feelings would be the same. Nothing would be different. Well,” he amended naughtily, “one thing would be different. Hahaha!”

Nie Huaisang smiled back. “I’m happy for you, Wei-xiong. Truly.”

“I’d say ‘thank you’, Nie Huaisang, but I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. Part of me is still resentful toward you.”

“That can’t be helped, I suppose.” Nie Huaisang’s smile chilled at a slant. “There was no love lost between Mo Xuanyu and I.”

Sheathing his saber, the sect leader inclined his head to Wei Wuxian as he set off from the training ground. Despite his short stature, his shadow stretched long before him. Wei Wuxian stared after him, a phantom shiver tingling in his spine.

Mo Dao Zu Shi © Mo Xiang Tong Xiu