[ His arm, in the midst of sliding off Lan Wangji's shoulders, clamps down, heavy and weighty, pulling him in closer. Obstinance rises in him, the stubbornness that kept him alive all these years and that made him a scourge of the cultivation world at the forefront now. ]

A friend, to get you into these halls. Is that how you treat everyone who assists you? Do you think you would have gotten in here with that haughty, dismissive look?

[ Why, he couldn't even pass as one of the priests with that dour look on his face.

Abruptly, as though reconsidering, he jerks his arm away and takes a step back. ] Not like I wanted to touch you. Old and dour, who would want you?