Wei Zian's lips pressed into a thin line. Wei Zian was sure the last reason was what it all came down to in the end, and all the other arguments were just excuses and attempts to flatter him. Even with his brother on the other side of the continent, Wei Zian still couldn't escape his shadow.
"You don't like being compared to him," she guessed.
"No," Wei Zian admitted in a clipped tone.
"Why is that?" she asked curiously.
Wei Zian considered avoiding the question, his family was a sore subject for him, but uncharacteristically decided to be honest. He knew it wouldn't change anything, but he felt like venting at the moment.
"Everything I do is always compared to Wei Dai and, to a slightly lesser extent, Wei Fu. It has been that way since I was a child, before Wei Dai ever became famous. My parents have never been shy about playing favorites, and since they've always been primarily concerned with social status, I was always found lacking. My family has no use for a withdrawn scholar, and made that abundantly clear over the years. Until recently, they ignored me completely, treating me more like I was Qin Ling's caretaker than their son."
"But something happened recently that caused them to take notice of you?" Senior Sister Yun surmised.
"Wei Fu happened," Wei Zian growled out. "He failed several breakthrough attempts, had to be rescued by father's connections. He has shown himself to be generally unreliable, which is a problem because he was supposed to be the backup heir for the family business, just in case Wei Dai dies during one of his spirit beast hunts. So now I am suddenly taken out of the metaphorical storage room so they can groom me for the role."
"But you don't want to be the backup?" she guessed.
"I don't want to be involved in Wei family politics, period. I'm not a true part of that family anyway. Never was. At best, I was only ever a loosely connected associate. I appreciate them feeding me and funding my cultivation, and I'm willing to reimburse them when I secure a position, but they have no right to ask something like that of me. I won't hear it. I have my own path and my own plans, none of which involve playing second position to my older brother and wasting time on meaningless social gatherings where people pretend to respect each other while scheming behind smiles."
He decided to stop there, because he was just making himself angrier. Plus, he suspected Senior Sister Yun didn't truly understand his situation. Most people thought he was simply being dramatic about his family. They weren't the ones who had to live with them.
When she realized he wasn't going to say anything more, Senior Sister Yun leaned back and took a deep breath. "I empathize with you, Wei Zian, but I'm afraid such comparisons are unavoidable. For what it's worth, I think you're developing into a fine cultivator. Not everyone can be a genius like Wei Dai."
"Right," said Wei Zian, refusing to look at her.
She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "You make me feel like the villain here. Family issues aside, why are you so bothered by this? It's a ceremony. I thought all young disciples enjoyed such events. Are you concerned about finding a partner for the paired formations? Just ask some first-tier disciples and they'll be eager for the opportunity, they can't attend unless invited by a senior disciple, you know?"
Wei Zian released a sigh of his own. He wasn't looking for a way to find a partner, he had no doubt that simply mentioning his family name would attract some impressionable first-year disciple for the evening, he was looking for a way out. Something that Senior Sister Yun wasn't willing to provide him with, it seemed.
"I'm not getting a partner," Wei Zian told her, rising from his seat. "I may have to attend the ceremony, but I'm quite certain that securing a partner is not mandatory. Have a pleasant day, Senior Sister."
He was surprised that Senior Sister Yun didn't try to contradict him as he left. Maybe this whole ceremony wouldn't be such a trial after all.
⋆⋆⋆
Wei Zian trudged through the corridors of his residence building wearily, not in any real hurry to get to his quarters. The instructors had refrained from giving them any substantial homework over the weekend, knowing that everyone would be too preoccupied with the Phoenix Renewal Festival to get any work done. Normally all that free time would be a blessing to Wei Zian, but just thinking about what he would have to endure tomorrow was enough to make Wei Zian lose the will to do anything productive, so he fully intended to go to sleep the moment he reached his room.
As he entered his residence building, he noticed that someone was already in a celebratory mood, because the walls of the corridor he was passing through were covered with colorful banners in vivid crimson, azure, and emerald.
"Wei Zian! Just the disciple I was looking for!"
Wei Zian jerked in shock at the loud voice behind him and whirled around to face the person who had invaded his personal space. He scowled at the grinning idiot in front of him.
"Why are you here, Wei Fu?" he asked.
"What, I can't visit my little brother?" he protested. "You think you're too good for your older brother's company now?"
"Stop the act, Wei Fu. You never come to me when you just want to spend time with someone. What do you need help with this time?"
"That's completely untrue," he huffed. "You're my favorite brother, you know?"
Wei Zian stared at him impassively for a few seconds. "Wei Dai isn't here so you'll settle for me, is that it?"
"Wei Dai is an arrogant bastard," Wei Fu snapped. "Ever since he became famous, he's always too busy to help out his younger brother. I swear, that guy only thinks about himself."