Wei Wuxian Observes from Baoshan Sanren's Mountain

What if Wei Wuxian was able to observe the cultivation world remotely from Baoshan Sanren's mountain?

Wei Wuxian is found and adopted by Baoshan Sanren as a disciple as a child from Yiling.  Growing up away from the cultivation world, his natural curiosity and spark for adventure leads him to feeling confined on the mountain as he grows older.  Baoshan Sanren shows him an invention of hers - either a mirror or pool of water - where she is able to observe the cultivation world remotely.  She periodically checks on events in order to keep abreast of Sect activity, both major and minor.  

How this invention works could go a couple ways:

• Speak or think strongly of what you desire to see.
• Place your hand on it and it induces a live "dream" for you to experience mentally through meditation. 
• Whether audio or not is included with visuals could be debated. 
• Does it allow you to interact with people you view?  Maybe this is something that inventor!WWX augments it to do?

Using the invention, Wei Wuxian is able to make "friends" with young people in different Sects.  Either just by observing and enjoying their activities:

• Laughing at Jin Zixuan's visit to Lotus Pier where Jiang Cheng pushes him into a lake.
• Wondering about a young Lan Zhan who looks at the moon with a lonely air.
• Curious to learn from Wen Qing who creates medicines at home for her family.
• Wanting to taste Jiang Yanli's soup
• Listening the Lan Qiren's questions and answering them faster than the other students. 
• Learning "Rest" or "Inquiry" from watching the Lans or Lan Zhan's night hunts. 

After several years of watching, he decides to descend the mountain and interact with the people he's watched.  He feels like he knows them well, but they wonder who he is and how he knows about certain things that were perhaps very private, or no one else was present.  He needs to learn discretion and how to interact in the cultivation society, since life on Baoshan Mountain does not stand on ritual nor have so many restrictions. 

Lan Zhan admires the unrestrained air of Wei Wuxian who travels freely and in high spirits.  Perhaps they become traveling partners? 

Where the story goes from there is up to you.  How many people or events would differ had Wei Wuxian not been part of the cultivation world until later on?  Does he even go to the Cloud Recesses Lectures?  Perhaps not or perhaps so; that is a fun arc to write character interactions.  Either follow the Yin Iron plot or go a new direction, I'm interested to read this story!