Maybe his brother was right and the words were what they themselves thought about their own actions. Ye Zun glanced down at the clasped hands as the younger man bowed to him, frowning at the words even as he steps forward to help him up as politeness demands. And while he tries to not be so burdened by the words, Ye Zun's smile wasn't as pleased as normally the case when he speaks with Lan Wangji.

"I feel that the others in this case is being a spoiled child feeling the urge to share our pain without knowing why we keep such parts of ourselves hidden."

The blood was going to be annoying under the mask. Ye Zun could remove it to clean it off, but he also felt that it wouldn't be as annoying as what others may gleam from the words branded on his skin.

"If you have questions, you can ask. Or speak to me, if you feel the urge. I won't judge."