There is one reason, among many, that Lotus Pier was targeted with such crushing force, but that would take even longer to explain, and involve the existence of a gargantuan demigodly beast in the shape of a tortoise, which would no doubt be distracting. Lan Wangji is entirely committed to not lying to Claudius again, but surely these details can wait.

Instead, he gives Claudius a grim little look, a yes, precisely. "Wei Ying was devoted to his shidi." He does admirably, for this part of the story, at cloaking his own feelings about the man. "He has always been brilliant, daring, and unconcerned with his own wellbeing."

Claudius may have begun to guess where this is going, but Lan Wangji has to look away again, focusing his gaze on his own hands. "It had never been done before, and it should not have been. The procedure was lengthy, and no anesthesia was permitted. Wei Ying was awake for days enduring the pain of having his own core removed so that Jiang Wanyin could continue to cultivate."