"It is..." He waves a hand, thankfully the one not occupied by a glass, to gather his swimming thoughts. "It is peaceful. Harsh. Not like Qinghe Nie is harsh, all militaristic and fierce, but... like a mountain top is harsh, all of the soft undergrowth lashed away, everything neat and in its place. The city below, Caiyu Town, that is less rigid, but it is still... it is calmer than Yunmeng. So much more peaceful than Yiling."

Wei Wuxian sighs, rubbing his face.

"I didn't appreciate it when I was there. There are rules... there are so many rules, three thousand rules, all etched into the rock. They're why I can't go back. I've broken so many, permanently breaking so many. I'd have to face judgement - with that many rules broken, it just might kill me. Or they might just start with that." He notes mournfully, rubbing at his side. Below his hand, his Golden Core should spin, but now there's just an empty, rotten space, full of echoing darkness. If Lan Zhan found out...

Well.

He just can't. He can't. Wei Wuxian is a weak man, he cannot bear to face that. He'd rather elicit anger than horror.