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Chapter Text

In the role of polarly opposite phenomenons, two coexisting intangible essences of one communal universe whose narrow rotation spells out the inevitable ticking of time, the shift from daylight to nighttime brings incumbent changes upon nature: when basking into the light, the world buzzes with its inhabitants’ life and all-round activities; but once its darker counterpart takes over, every inch of it sinks beneath tight sheets and collapses into a dready silence (when it isn’t flanked by the whispers of scheming men or by the strong noises of conceited conflict— like the crackling fire that burns down wooden walls, the irony and intoxicating smell of blood and the metallic clattering of hostile blades).

For Lotus Pier in particular, the night which that onerous day bowed to was imbued with an hideous uneventfulness— but to whom populated its lands, it wasn’t less scary than being surrounded by the aforementioned roars of war.

Silvery moonlight crept from between the narrow fissures of the wooden shutters and peered from the creases of the adjacent lake. The sun dipped deep below the horizon and daylight dulled to a wistful memory. The temperatures dropped considerably and a thin layer of frost smeared across the earth’s surface. A strong wind picked up, a vigorous breeze which twirled and bowed and thrusted against the wooden doors of its habitants’ houses, disrupting the shallow peacefulness of thousand families in their sleep.

From a side glance, it felt like Heaven had too perceived that shift, and the weather was but a manifestation of their common state of mind and boisterous emotions. From all types of directions, their fate and nearby future did not envisage good surprises for them.

Among all was a relatively private room, one that was purposefully close to the quarters of Yunmeng Clan’s head family, that pullulated with vociferous folks. Anyone with a minimal sense of sensibility could perceive the general lowness of the mood beyond the walls, but if one crossed the threshold, they would experience the pressure on their own skin, as sharp as a zhiter’s chords, so much so they could cut it with a knife. It spoke a lot for itself the fact those people were just so deeply engrossed with whatever was going on inside and so driven in by voracious thoughts not to feel pressured and turn cold-shoulders to the loud noises and thuds of restless gusts of wind outside.

“A’Yuan is safe with Wei Ning.” were the first words pronounced by Jiang Cheng when he walked inside his brother’s chamber with the ever-present scowl and steep anger clinging to the heavily-marked wrinkles of his face. “I hid the fragments of the Tally for the moment, but we will require Wei Wuxian or Lan Wangji to get rid of it for good.”

Sitting beside his lover - desperate to feel his presence and liveliness, even if moderated by his current condition - Lan Wangji looked over from the corner of his eyes. He was a dull copy of his stone-faced usual self, looking composed in every aspect but with a discernible sharp scowl on his gaze— one that barely stressed the wrinkles and furrows around his eyebrows. “What of that man?”

“Dead.” was the unsurprising answer of the young leader. “Looks like the arrogant bastard had low cultivation, the resentment overpowered him completely.” he made a vexed noise from the back of his throat, showing he was neither too displeased by the news of his passing, nor too happy to have lost the only lead they possessed. “Can’t really complain. He had it coming.”

“Did you at least figure where he is from? If he belonged to any Clan at all?” Wei Qing hastily questioned. She listened even as she skillfully worked across Wei Wuxian’s bare chest tattered with cuts and bruises, all medical needles neatly arranged, piercing his skin and meridians with precision to allow the rampant stream of resentment currently channelled inside his body to flow outward and - at least partially - free his system and damaged organs.

“No, he carried nothing along, and looked like a rogue cultivator.”

Lan Wangji’s hand clenched, his furrow sharpening a tad. “Someone hired him.”

Jiang Cheng stared at him for a moment before nodding, sharing the same repulsion as him and having already reached the same conclusion. “Most probably. This person is cunning, they must have figured Wei Wuxian would try something like that if pushed into a corner, that’s why they didn’t come directly.” if they hired a rogue cultivator with the promise of a huge sum of money for this job, it ought to be someone with a good background, or at least someone whose name held some influence or power in the cultivation world. Who else, if not, would act so secretly, rightfully fearing the response of the cultivation world? Who else would target Wei Wuxian specifically, if not someone in power?

Next, Jiang Cheng eyed the woman in the room. “Maiden Wei, did you find anything yet?”

Without slowing down her work, she admonished him patiently, no inflation in her voice.

“Give me a minute.”

And so he did.

Looking awfully flushed, sweating off the high temperatures it had reached, Wei Wuxian was bedded and laid unmoving - outside for the heavy rise and fall of his chest under the blanket, lips parted as he wheezed while his soul caved under a much-too-great oppressive force. His body, weak and parched, broke into a fever as it fought off the heavy resentment now roaming freely, unfettered, caging Wei Ying’s soul in a grasp as tight and narrow as it could muster. As if acting deliberately, with conscientiousness.

As a result of interacting with and disturbing its flow, there was a strong rejection: Wei Qing’s breath sped up violently after she flinched away from the sudden rush of harmful energy under her touch, nullifying her attempt to assess the damage and repair what she could with her medical skills.

“This…” she inhaled sharply, wide-eyed— looking surprised, if not frightened. “This isn’t good.”

The sudden upturn of fear and disarray on her face aggravated that of the other two, the anxiety - barely subjugated until now - multiplied ten-fold at the medic’s unhopeful response.

“What do you mean? What happened!?” Jiang Cheng inquired, tense. Wei Qing shook her head, straightening her facial features into a more or less neutral look.

“At most, I can use acupuncture to cleanse his meridians from all this resentment, but beside this… I can’t do anyhing at all.” she mumbled, voice reaching a level of self-directed frustration they have never heard before. Her gaze was twisted awfully as her uselessness sunk in, the initial confusion fading to anguish, never as conspicuous on the young maiden with a fiery attitude, never as gut-wrenching. “The resentful energy has spirraled out of control, it claimed ownership over his body. My spiritual energy is ineffective as well… it’s like Wei Wuxian fell completely out of reach.”

Whenever one's spiritual energy is depleted and they suffer an assault from resentment or corroding energy, the user can either experience qi deviation (in other words, the unbalanced level of energy going rampage and provoking permanent physical and spiritual damage) or fall into a comatous state, not dead but too close to that edge for comfort.

“What… What can be done?” Lan Wangji asked, voice vibrating with sadness and eyes crescents of hope— one of the rare occasions he exhibited the depth of his feelings for Wei Wuxian.

To their discontent, Wei Qing let out a very discouraging sigh. “Nothing, I’m afraid. We can only hope polishing his meridians from resentment might aid him regain consciousness. The rest, though, is on him and him alone.”

He dared not look optimistic, no slim chance of survival could after all overpower the anxiety lodged and fear in his chest, but Lan Wangji wasn’t quite resigning to despair and hopelessness, either.

The look on Jiang Cheng’s face was much similiar to his, but in his face was the unmistakable print of realism, like his mind was spiraling further in the future, growing mindful of the consequences such outcome would carry.

“The news of a backlash from Yunmeng already spread. The other Clans will never leave us be.” Jiang Cheng murmured, hand grasping the side of his head, veins popping up and showing across his clutched forehead. “They’ll start making demands and throwing accusations until we offer them a satisfying explanation.”

“I can’t say when or even if Wei Wuxian will wake up, so don’t plan on asking him anytime soon. His current state is dire, we need to keep him safe if we want even one chance he regains consciousness.” Wei Qing felt the need to explain after a beat, gaze as minutely sharp as Jiang Cheng’s ever-growing headache, but her hands were gente when she removed the neddles and tucked Wei Wuxian under the cover, showing all the care a doctor should display for their patients. “We can’t act foolishly, and lying would be pointless. Should they inquire about the backlash, tell them someone snuck in Yunmeng and was executed for attempted theft. But no mention on Wei Wuxian’s part.”

“Even more than lying, that would cause an uproar! They will hold Yunmeng Jiang, or him, accountable!” no one could blame him for unleashing his anger there. As a Clan Leader who fought many difficulties to pull his Clan up from the bottom, he was under a very stressful situation, and on top of that, his brother's life was in great danger. “I'm sure Clan Leader Jin and his friends are waiting just for such an opportunity to condemn Wei Wuxian and bad-mouth Yunmeng Jiang, see how easy it would be to get the Tally then!”

He was angry and speaking things out of his mind, but Wei Qing, who was mostly lending a distracted ear as he vented, snapped to focus with the last words he uttered. Lan Wangji seemed to reach the same conclusion as she did, and so Jiang Cheng.

His facial features stretched until the anger left place to a shuffled mist of surprise and disgust.

Realization pierced his skull as sturdy and sharply as the needles did Wei Wuxian’s skin under Wei Qing’s skillful hands. Lan Wangji’s eyes narrowed with the same irritation his did when the villainous plot unrevealed itself in front of them like a roll.

“But of course! Why didn't I see this through sooner?” he looked between the two of them, spotting in their gazes the same realization. “They would have the greed and courage to do so! At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if they are behind the attack!”

“That was the plan all along. If the theft failed, the intention was to gather the Clan Leaders and demand possession over the Tally.” Lan Wangji finished for him with a compelling look. And it resulted quite easy to imagine that power-hungry scumbag of a man as he spoke with his honeyed voice, luring in innocuous men like food with hungry ants, and asked for the item, insisting that it wasn’t Yunmeng Jiang Clan’s fault if they were still rebuilding and recovering from the war, thus weak, maybe such arduous task of guarding the Tally should be given to someone who had the force and stability to provide for it—

They could also hear the ringing echoes of the other attendants as they demanded Wei Wuxian was punished and his properties handed over. It was such a clever, well-structured plan. They would literally score point without breaking a sweat, they'd make the cake and eat it too, completely undisturbed in their castle above the clouds!

Jiang Cheng’s face turned even soarer.

“To use the Yin Metal, someone skilled in demonic cultivation must be involved.” Lan Wangji added, fueling Jiang Cheng’s anger that much more.

“What a friend of my parents! He clearly invited them just to carry on his plan!” Jiang Cheng growled tightly, eyes narrowed and trembling with anger. “Shameless bastards! They dare to accuse us of illicit affairs while using such vile tricks to do exactly what they deter!”

Even if Jiang Cheng’s current state of mind and anger were understandable, Wei Qing didn’t shy away from scowling him. “Jiang Wanyin, lower your voice.”

For two different reasons, one with a pointed gaze and the other with a silent apologize, they both threw a look behind them, to the bed where Wei Wuxian layed immobile. Seeing no movement at all beside the shy rise and fall of his chest, Jiang Cheng let out a sigh, and pinched his nose between his fingers.

Wei Qing’s eyes then shifted back to him, studying. “I guess there is no point in asking for your parents’ advise.”

He frowned, this time subduing his anger under control. “They have been friends with Clan Leader Jin and his wife for long. My own sister is married to their son.” he shook his head. “How could I do that? Defying them so openly - and without evidences - would paint a target on our back, Yunmeng Jiang would be forever looked down upon! Lately we are not exactly prayed by common opinion.”

The expressive frown on Wei Qing’s face made him stutter a bit, realizing she inferred his thoughts by his words: since Wei Wuxian spoke up for them years ago and Jiang Cheng decided to grant them shelter, some people accused Yunmeng Jiang of siding with evil— forgetting all about the extent of their wounds and damage inflicted upon them by the hands of their Clan of origin.

“He did it on purpose.” Lan Wangji added, eyes interlocked with Wei Wuxian’s closed ones before he glared up at Jiang Cheng. “He knew you would play it safe for your Clan and dared not accuse him recklessly.”

Jiang Cheng’s teeth clacked when he angrily clenched his jaw, feeling the irrepressible need to unleash his fury on something - someone - or at least to take actions and seek for justice. It was his Clan’s honor, his brother’s dignity and his own respectability, tarnished just for someone else’s gain by immoral scheming, couldn’t he take action and rebel against such nefariousness?

As a disciple of Yunmeng, he wanted to go to Carp Tower and slap some sense in the heads of those unrighteous men, but as Clan Leader, just like Lan Wangji pointed out, he was held back by so many responsabilities and expectations. The fact that he had no power despite his title and reputation didn’t help quell his anger, he still felt like shit for his incapacity to throw everything at stake and prepone justice for his brother.

His enemy was smart: it must be someone close to him, someone who knew him personally, and they were simply taking advatange of all that. That’s why the Jin Clan was the main suspect: they fitted the description all too well.

“If the Jin Clan is really behind Wei Ying’s attack and covets the Yin Tiger Tally for selfish purposes, we shall seek the support of other Clan Leaders to unmasker them.” Lan Wangji said, and for as much as his face held a semblance of common, steep indifference, his clenched fists and trembling arms put on show his true feelings. “They are sure to take precautions against Wei Ying.”

Jiang Cheng nodded along, and while Wei Qing mostly agreed…

“Take my words with a pinch of salt, but… I don't think Clan Leader Jin is the head behind this.” she commented, standing up and making space between the two. “The man is vicious and greedy enough to resort to cowardly means, sure; but he isn’t that smart to sneak behind all of us like this. Or behind Wei Wuxian.”

The innuendo caught Jiang Cheng unprepared, his gaze abandoning her to steal a glimpse at Lan Wangji.

“What does Maiden Wei mean?”

“Whoever planned all of this and hired the man who attacked Wuxian is not Jin Guangshan.” it was a conjecture, but she highly believed to be right. “No, there must be more people involved at once. From what we know, the mastermind working for Jin Guangshan might be a different person from the one who hired the assailant. He is not stupid, he wouldn't keep a demonic cultivator so close to himself.”

Hearing the confidence in her voice and the steadfastness of her discours, Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji shared with her a (more or less) pointed look.

“… Does Maiden Wei have someone in mind?”

The doubt which transpired from her expression and posture wasn't related to the information itself, but there was no time for self-pity. “Unfortunately, yes. While I worked under Wen Ruohan, I remember him mentioning twice the same name in his desperate research of the Yin Metal.” she explained, settling her arms on her lap. “There was a boy with no background who rumors said possessed the missing shard, Xue Yang.”

Jiang Cheng pursed his lips, scanning his mind for any sign of recognition, but then shook his head. “Never heard of him.”

“Wen Ruohan lost track of him, but I heard he was later spotted in the East. People never had anything nice to say about him, and I knew he was considered mad by most.”

Lan Wangji nodded slightly, considering. “If this Xue Yang now works under Lanling Jin and is involved with demonic cultivation, he is most probably the one behind the assailant.”

“This means the Yin Metal might have already fallen in their hands with no one realizing it.” Wei Qing hypothesized with a tenor that held no space for blind optimism, just putting things into prospective and searching for a sense of clarity. “But if they were, why send some random cultivator here to recover the Tiger Tally?”

“Because Wei Ying’s Tally is different.”

The duo turned to Lan Wangji, wearing curiosity on plain sight. The man held their gaze, bearing knowledge in his amber eyes. “Wei Ying said to keep it secret. He confessed that his was the most powerful piece of Yin Metal out of five.”

The last piece of information made their eyes burst simultaneously. “Wait, five?”

Lan Wangji nodded wilfully. Jiang Cheng’s wide eyes dared a look toward the bed where his brother layed unconscious, repeating relentlessly in his mind all the conversations they had concerning this matter, as well as the endless accusations thrown his way for stealing and keeping possession of a dangerous relic.

Wei Qing concentrated again, her gaze layered with a sense of curiousity and apprehension. “What's the link between the Tiger Tally and the other pieces of Yin Metal?”

Lan Wangji titled his head and lowered his eyes to the sleeping boy. “The metal of the Tally was satured with resentment, Wei Ying found it inside Xuanhu Cave.”

There was no need for further explanations. If a piece of Yin Metal was inside that cave for an unknown period of time, the amount of anger, fear, hatred and likewise emotions it absorbed over the years was unimagibale. Even worse with the kind of creature that lived within.

“That explains it…” Jiang Cheng noted, but Wei Qing’s eyes gleamed with a different realization.

“So that's why you hesitated to destroy the other half of the Tally.” she reasoned, half-way surprisingly pleased. “Wei Wuxian wanted to keep it intact until you secured the fifth one, otherwise he would be left vulnerable when it’d resurface.”

Not that it mattered in the end, Lan Wangji thought with a bitterness unfit to his character.

“If he possessed the fifth piece, Xue Yang would have known too! That's why he didn't take the risk and sent someone else instead. Now, he's the only one in possession of Yin Metal!” he pointed out, and although these were just speculations, they could see the frame of a well-concealed plan come into view as they chased the fog, something they could barely reassemble through tiny pieces of plot found here and there, but for which they held no evidence whatsoever.

The final question was… if not Jin Guangshan, who was behind all of it?

As the weight of their uselessness and ignorance weighed on them, an heavy silence drifted across the room, blanketing it in a false feeling of quiet and peace, betrayed only by the lost gaze on the faces of the three standing people, and by the body that stubbornly layed atop the bed, unmoving.

*****

Predictably, the eventful night terminated with a mutual obligation between every partecipant. But at the passing of the earliest days, the need of a periodic assembly to share clues and draw lines could not be ignored.

Inevitably they built a routine around each other's schedules: the three of them in particular would reunite in Wei Wuxian’s room, update one another and speculate pertaining things they were yet to find evidences to support. The more this went on, the ticker was the air filtering in through the windows.

That room was but a meeting space of bodies whose hearts sang the same requiem, wishfully tasting the ground to uncover the path of truth concealed in woods tainted by lies and falsehood, hence to find the truth that would solve and close the case.

While they silently hoped for their brother, lover, or relative to regain consciousness soon and return to health, they worked all day long in hope to gather as many pieces of information, leads, evidences and what not they could find.

It was during one of these occasions, days apart from that incident, with a silent but impending doom towering over them, that Jiang Cheng unsurprisingly received a letter. Coming from none else than Lanling Jin.

He brought it along in occasion of their daily reunion in his brother’s chamber, wearing a neatly-concealed anxious look under the face of trouble.

“Bad news?” Wei Qing inferred as soon as she caught sight of him, watching the man walk inside with a quick, sturdy pace and a look of fury on his face. She’d just finished using acupuncture on Wei Wuxian, the resentment in his body still overflowing across his meridians and veins— too obnoxious and violent for her to stop repeating the same quotidian action any time soon.

“It seems that Jin Guangshan got tired of waiting. He - under the pretense of speaking up for everyone, per usual - summoned the other Clans and requested an explanation to be given for the backlash, seeing as its origin was here in Yunmeng.” he reported, unbothered by the unfiltered irritation and upset transpiring from his own voice.

He thought back of that letter and scowled, the angry ink carved in his brain. “’Our only interest is to reassure the martial world there is no impening war, and to confirm the Tiger Tally isn't being secretly employed by its current possessor for reasons of unknown and questionable nature,’” he scowled loudly at the mention, teeth gritting in anger. “The audacity!”

The eyes of Wei Qing iced over with frost, arms tightening around her torso. “The Clans who support him only do so out of ignorance or convenience. If we don’t defend ourselves and let him be, we’ll play right into his cards.”

“I know as much! But I can't attend the reunion and leave my brother and Clan unprotected after what happened last time!” he spat, fists angrily shaking at his side. “Trust them to be using this excuse to finish the job and come kill him while I'm absent.”

His harsh comment drew something unexpected out of Lan Wangji’s lips, something that resembled an hiss.

No attention was paid to the noise as he turned to them, just as the heartfelt fury drawn across the cristalline expanse of his face. “I will stay.” he stated, unyielding. “As you attend the reunion, I will stay here with Maiden Wei, and won't leave Wei Ying’s side.”

Chapter Text

Abiding by their shared thoughts and adhering to the will of others, though inevitable - for his current hollow status wasn’t remotely sufficient to deny a request from the martial world without earning off of it worse consequences -, Jiang Cheng started plans for his diplomatic trip to Carp Tower before the end of the same day.

His best interest was to step foot in Lanling last moment, so to duck past anyone and avoid annoyances and hassles. After a long debate, he set not to bring along his best men except for the special guards assigned by rule to the Clan Leader. He ordered his disciples to keep up the training and remain on high alert in his absence, in case someone tried to sneak inside Lotus Pier to attempt theft again (which was the lame excuse they used to partially cover up the truth, keeping Wei Wuxian's health a guarded information even from the inside).

Thus, entrusting his brother (with a so heavy heart) to the three people closest to him, the only one who knew of his condition, he leapt on his sword and left, leaving behind the cheers and goodbyes of his fellows. He arrived in the early hours of the day appointed for the reunion.

The members of the Jin Clan welcomed him with open arms, which in his eyes was mere apparence, bearing insincere like jewels from the extremity of their enriched, golden hairpins to the worn out sole of their shoes. Some had the audacity to inquire about Wei Wuxian’s current whereabouts and his assumpted evil doing (and no, Jiang Cheng cared not to distinguish who knew and who did not, his disgust was directed to the heart of stone these people hid behind cheap golden).

Obviously, Jiang Cheng was aware by logic that not everyone was to blame or to be involved in the crimes and lowly scheming committed by (probably) the high-ranked members of the Jin Clan, and that not everyone wearing golden robes was an eccentric, arrogant, selfless shit… but such knowledge did nothing to suppress the frown and scowl which peered from his face whenever he spotted someone striding over in such rich, exorbitant robes.

Everyone except for his sister - whose golden aura only served to stress the candity and light-heartedness of her soul - and Jin Zixuan, whom he had greatly misjudged and understimated.

If nothing else, he was genuinely enthusiast of the chance to see and talk with his sister, even when the thought of having to deceive her about the situation back home brought a tighteness to his chest. But his feelings mattered little: he would never take the risk to hurt his sister with the truth, especially when she was already concerned for the unstable situation in Lotus Pier due to the rumors she most probably overheard and, most importantly, in such precarious state of health, a few weeks away from giving birth.

For the same reason, he did not involve Jin Zixuan either, unable to trust him wholly with an unverified truth which convicted his entire family - Jiang Cheng briefly exploited in his mind the thought of his brother-in-law double-crossing them and acting behind Yanli’s back, but the devotion and fondness he developped and showed toward his wife was unquestionable even to someone like him. He genuinely considered filling him in, but was in the end too afraid to put it into practice, worried that Wei Wuxian’s condition could become public one way of another. The same decision was taken when he met his parents shortly after, to whom he promised he would properly explain everything during the meeting.

“So, Clan Leader Jiang,” clad in the morning light reflecting off the walls of the golden hall crowded with people from all regions and Clans, Clan Leader Jin sat at his throne on the opposite end of the door, looking down on him with a light quirk of lips, “would you please explain to us what has occurred these past few days in your homeland?”

Normally, Jiang Cheng did not care for this man's games, for indulging these families and Clan for the sake of nurturing relationships. But he didn't hold much of a choice this time around, not if he wished to safeguard his own Clan’s reputation.

With such goal in mind, Jiang Cheng straightened his mind and readied himself to begin this copy-and-paste game of formality he was taught to execute since young. In exchange, he kept receiving that oily, ingratiating smile of his.

“Reporting to Clan Leader Jin.” he swallowed down the bitterness swelling his lungs and relaxed his arms at his side. “As anticipated during my sister's wedding week, Wei Wuxian and I have been working on ways to destroy the remaining half of the Yin Tiger Tally.”

At these words, Jin Guangshan had a funny expression on his face, containing various forms of badly concealed anxiety and curiosity. “And?”

Luckily, Jiang Cheng perfectioned the skill of gamble and the due poker face. “In short, it was successfull.”

He allowed incredulous murmurs and unlined voices to grow in the room, studying the expressions his words elicited— as if it would suffice to understand who was trustworthy, who was conconspirating against him, and who was genuinely clueless of what had been going on under their blinded eyes.

“This is controversial!” someone screamed from his left. “How could it cause such disruption across kilometers if it was successfully destroyed!?”

“It did because the circumstances were different. The first piece was throughly cleansed and destroyed by Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's combined effort, which is why the backlash was contained. This one wasn't.” he started explaining, watching him shrink under his intense gaze. “It is even more difficult and dangerous to attempt destroying a piece of Yin Metal satured in resentment, which is why we couldn't contain it as much.”

“But how come you didn't take precautions this time around?”

This question. Jiang Cheng had known from the start how futile and time-consuming it was to wish he could fly over the matter.

“Everything was planned and arranged as scheduled, but we still couldn't accomplish it in time. Not before Lotus Pier was attacked. The culprit suffered from the backlash and died captive before we could confirm his identity. The Tally was destroyed, as I anticipated, but it wasn't painless.”

Silence broke in the hall, realization dawning over each occupant of the hall. Lan Xichen’s eyes narrowed in on him, worry peeing out his usually calm exterior— he must have figured out that Lan Wangji wasn’t present at the moment of the attack, since his brother never lied or kept secrets from him, and always asked for his permission whenever he planned to visit Lotus Pier.

“Yunmeng Jiang has really lost all its former glory. They can’t even stop one cultivator from invading their lands.”

“Yeah, it’s a miracle they survived after the attack of the Wen Clan.”

Voices echoed in the crowded hall. Jiang Cheng - fists clenched tightly and barely hidden by the long sleeves he wore - made no move to answer.

“So, everything is settled then!”

There was a genuine feeling of relief in the voice of the man who spoke - one of the few ones who didn’t partake in illicit matters and had a well-nigh naive, innocent vision of such events -, but the opposite feeling ran through Jiang Cheng’s spine when he squeezed his fists to keep a hold of the burning anger in his core. He had to keep a hold of himself, if not for himself or his Clan, then for his brother.

“Although the Tally doesn't represent a danger anymore, we still have one concern.” a matter Jiang Cheng had debated over again and again and which almost got him into an argument with Wei Qing. Something his brother kept silent for too long, perhaps with good intentions, but that as a secret did more harm than good, less helpful than a tight rope tied around their neck.

“Unlike what we believed, it seems that there is still one intact shard of Yin Metal out there.”

“You're wrong.” the reply was instantaneous, quick as a starved eagle roaming across the sky and screeching in search of preys to haunt. “The fourth and last piece was Wei Wuxian's, and you just claimed it was destroyed.”

“Clan Leader Jiang, what game are you playing?” Someone else, a man in his thirties, backed up.

From the corner of his eyes, Jiang Cheng noticed the tacit weariness in the faces of his parents: however, as of that moment, the expectations they held of him was not one exemplary of the man and woman who gave birth to and raised him, but one that any former leader expected out of their Clan’s new head. This, in his eyes, meant respect and recognition; most importantly, it signified trust.

As was briefly discussed ahead of the reunion, for they knew as much as anyone else in here and wouldn’t be much of help for what Jiang Cheng had planned, his parents wouldn’t interfere unless directly spoken to or if the need arose. But Jiang Cheng had their support no matter what, he was at least aware of this.

“I ask you let me finish explaining before drawing conclusions.” His tone and angrily shaped face held that firmness which perfectly conveyed the difficulty of one such position, but that stressed just as strongly his resolution not to give in. “The Tiger Tally is destroyed, but the problem remains because the pieces of Yin Metal have always been five.”

Much louder noises rose this time as his words inspired controversial thoughts, meeting a stronger resistance. Dissent rose in the hall, loud and clear. He felt himself and saw the shift of different emotions flashing in and out of those faces - surprise, confusion, shock, denial - but knew there was no avoiding it: the sooner they heard and learnt this, the less they’d be blamed for having kept it hidden.

His plan A was to openly declare his genuine good intentions and clarify that all he wanted was to bring peace in the martial world by retrieving the remaining piece and destroying it once and for all. However, they had gathered no clues yet on the whereabouts of the fifth piece, and until they didn't, it was unthinkable to track the mastermind who'd targeted Wei Wuxian. But Jiang Cheng wasn't wielding.

“How can you know so!?”

“Wei Wuxian confessed me so. And everything that happened confirmed the truthfulness of his words.” Because if there existed another piece of Yin Metal out there, while his brother's was destroyed, it meant whoever possessed it could use it to harm Wei Wuxian and silence him for good without any fear, since he wouldn't have equivalent means to counteract.

“How does that prove anything?” Clan Leader Lao shouted, always the voice of reason. “It is simple enough. He, Wei Wuxian, must be lying. He isn't trustworthy in the slightest!”

“What if there really are five and he's keeping one for himself!?” another one added, his loud voice ringing across the meeting hall. “He agreed too easily to destroy his own not to be suspicious!”

“Exactly! The attack was probably his own doing to save face!” it felt like living inside an echo chamber. What followed made Jiang Cheng’s blood boil under his skin, because these people spoke so affermatively and confidently in their own ignorance, accusing Wei Wuxian of scheming and being unjust when they didn't even know that he fell unconscious and was therefore harmless, possibly unable to regain consciousness at all— if only he could tell them that all of this happened in the first place because he'd sacrificed his life after the assailant took A’Yuan hostage, they wouldn’t be so daring.

“Why not bring him here to interrogate him of such course of action? He is the only witnesser, isn’t he?” the arrogance dripped from their words and voice like drops of water from a cascade, continuous and with unmatched speed, hitting Clan Leader Jiang like a punch in the face and irking his skin. His feet ran cold, but he compelled himself to focus.

Inheriting his title of Clan Leader so soon in his life shaped Jiang Cheng’s spirit, as well as his self-control, like a smoothed rock pounded and eroded by water. Right now, in the face of people than never until now looked so much like strangers, Jiang Cheng asserted complete control over his body language, his facial expressions and his verbal responses. He mentally clenched his fists, but otherwise was as solide as a mountain on the outside. “That might not be possible for the moment. Wei Wuxian is currently recovering and is unable to attend any meeting. As for witnessers, I can tell you exactly what happened and in which order, since many members of my Clan saw what occurred.”

No matter what he said, people would never be completely convinced. Many looked skeptic, distrustful, and chattered among themselves not to be heard; others though didn’t care about making a fool of themselves and raise their voices.

“This is too convenient, isn’t it?”

“Wei Wuxian might have acted behind his Clan Leader for all we know. He respects no one but himself!”

Jiang Cheng’s ears attuned to the whispers. It took every ounce of self-control to not respond with something haughty and arrogant.

“Only Heaven knows what he is scheming and what intentions he has!”

“Right!”

“He must surely be planning something evil! He wants to keep the Yin Metal for himself to use it against us, like Wen Ruohan did!”

Lips parted and brows furrowed in a scowl, Jiang Cheng could get nothing out of his mouth before someone else did.

“He wouldn’t be capable of something like that.“ a young woman in her twenties, Luo Qingyang, spoke from her seat, her feminine, stuttering voice cutting through the whispers of the room and interrupting the negative flow of the wind. “W-What I mean is, Young Master Wei never does anything for his own gain, he acts when someone is in danger. Many are witnessers of it, I believe it is improper to blame him without evidences.” she squeezed her fists, her chest tightening at the glares she received, but keeping her chin high as she knew her conscience and heart were in the right path. “Moreover, no one said anything when he was using the Tally in the war, why complain now? I think you are twisting the facts and right and wrong.”

But she would have never expected for the wind to raise up against her from just this.

“Heard from a woman who has ulterior motives is indeed...”

At the first comment, she almost couldn’t believe her ears. “Who has ulterior motives?”

A younger man in dark robes who she had scarce familiary with answered back just as vehemently. “Everyone knows. He flirted with you back inside the Xuanwu Cave, and here you are defending him and twisting the facts!”

“It's her. I think her name was…”

“Mian Mian!”

“No wonder she keeps speaking up for Wei Wuxian.”

“What did you expect? Women will be women.”

Luo Qingyang snapped, her voice rising and growing frantic. “I'm only telling the truth! What does that have to do with me being a woman!?”

“I can't believe she's one of ours.”

“Shameless.”

“She's actually speaking up for Wei Wuxian.”

“She has been corrupted by him, all right.”

“All of you…” Different voices rose in unison with homogenous thoughts; she was being targeted by everyone for swimming upstream, while all they did was justify with falsehood her protectiveness toward Wei Wuxian, mistaking justice for affection or subjugation, when really it was neither. They were the ones blinded by their own selfishness and desires, unable to see the truth or speak with honesty— and where they accused her of taking his side for a stupid reason such as him having saved her life and flirted with her just once, it was exactly what they were doing, speaking with greed instead of reason.

Tears stung the young lady's eyes, but they didn’t suffice to dull the light of repulsion in her eyes. “All right! Your voices are loud and clear. That’s how you do it, isn’t it?”

With an harsh motion of her wrist, she stripped off her outer robe and slammed it on the table, her chest rising and falling as anger and sadness washed over like a train truck. Her intention was unequivocal, as clear as the anger and aversion she carried on her face. Someone behind her had the guts to snicker, but she didn’t give them the satisfaction to see her turn around.

“Who does she think she is!?”

“She took off her robe and withdrew from her clan?”

“Who does she think she's bluffing? Who cares!?”

She let the voices ring past her, now with resignation and disappointment. Turning away from that cluster, on the opposite side of the meeting hall, Jiang Cheng met her stare and then bowed purposefully in her direction, a silent apologize but loud appreciation for her siding against the unfairness and unjustice made to his brother.

Moved by the reverent gesture, she relaxed and reciprocated, then finally heading outside with a steady pace.

As she did so, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue hummed weightily. “This woman has much more backbone than the mob of her clan. Too many are good at twisting words to get what they want. It makes those who are willing to speak out in the name of justice all the more valuable.”

Lan Xichen could only agree noiselessly and follow the fading frame in acknowledgment.

Following her departure, more attempts at causing ruckus were swiftly shut off by the landlords. Inside the room, a dready sharpness persisted.

“Dear guests, there is no need to raise and point fingers against ourselves.” Jin Guangyao said, waving his hands dismissively - if elegantly - to summon silence. “If Clan Leader Jiang wishes to personally investigate this matter, then we shall consent him so.”

Straightening on his golden throne of lies, Jin Guangshan seemed relatively pleased by the result of this meeting— it transpired in the pinch between his eyebrows, in the haughty but condescending tilt of his head, in his lofy posture.

“Clan Leader Jiang, trust my words, we don’t mean to make it difficult for you.” he smiled lopsided, sickly calm. “Let’s proceed like this. You shall be allowed to return to your investigations, and one of us will join you so that we can reassure everyone present.” and control you, went unsaid, but it echoed in Jiang Cheng’s brain as loudly as though it was screamed in his ears.

The longer the meeting ran, the more he felt like a mere puppet in their eyes, an expendable, useful pawn in a previously-arranged game of chess. He couldn’t say anything, couldn’t do anything. He was constantly backed into a corner and could not for Heaven wander free without risking getting bit by poisoned snakes.

“Then allow me to advance a suggestion.”

Purple robes poured around him and swayed with his movements when he rose to his feet; bearing the promise of a solution, Jiang Fengmian’s voice cut through the hall with a steady beat. Funny enough, though the man didn’t benefit from half the notoriety and wealth as the Jin did, he was very well-known and respected across the martial world. Him, and his wife - who’s staring ahead with daggers-sharp eyes.

Crossing hands in traditional courtesy, Jiang Fengmian bowed in Lan Xichen’s direction. “If everyone present insists, I shall request the aid of Gusu Lan.”

If the young Clan Leader Lan experienced surprise or curiosity, he did not show any. Instead, he mantained a straight face, took a moment as if to read in between lines, and reciprocated the older man’s courtesy.

Before this, someone expressed their doubts. “Old Clan Leader Jiang, don’t you fear mingling in this matter might haul speculations about you?”

The man smiled, a smile as sharp as the glare Yu Ziyuan sent toward the man who dared say such a thing.

“I appreciate your concern, but I have no reason to fear so. All in all, I was invited in Carp Tower by Clan Leader Jin and Madam Jin to celebrate my nephew’s birth…” his gaze travelled to his old-dated friends, and Jiang Cheng caught the slight tension that rose between Jin Guangshan’s creases. “If anyone implicated me, people would also speculate my dear friends, Madam Jin and Clan Leader Jin, held other intentions behind this invite.”

Whispers rose from the hall, but no courageous one could deny the logic behind his reasoning. While Jin Guangshan also remained silent, Madam Jin reacted strongly in adversion. “Absolutely not! We should take his advice.” She whipped her head to where her husband sat, admonishing him with a sharp glare that shook his bones. “Moreover, Gusu Lan’s reputation precedes them. No Clan is more upright and honest, there is no risk they might be misled or speak falsely.”

“But Gusu Lan does not mingle in mundanity.” a disciple of said Clan rebuked, but receded when Lan Xichen interposed his arm.

“It is true that we refrain from walking the mundane path, but this matter touches us all. If we wish to put an end to the war many of us did not survive, it is in our best interest to find answers and estabilish peace once and for all.” needless to say, he worried about Wangji’s own involvement on the matter. Though he trusted his brother’s judgement, he did not wish to see him targetted by others’ conjectures and speculations.

Jiang Fengmian supported Madam Jin and Lan Xichen with a strong nod. “If we strive for peace, I believe this is the right way to proceed. This way, the conditions of both parties will be met, and my son will soon be able to give us a satisfying explanation.”

No matter how reluctant and unwilling he was to let this go, if he wished to save face, Jin Guangshan couldn’t wield to that. Indeed, when he realized he didn’t have a choice in the matter, and that others found the solution quite fitting to resolve the case, sweat broke through his skin and between his furrowed brows, but he hid his jitters under a practiced smile. In the end, he could do nothing but consent, and Jiang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief when the Clan meeting was formally terminated.

*****

Once hurriedly - and just as rudely - dismissed by a waving golden hand and steep eyes of lords with words half as opulent, the crowdedness ensued by the incident in Yunmeng’s lands poured out of Golden Carp Tower. Leaving behind a trail of unsatisfied curosity and unresolved controversy Jiang Cheng could not afford wasting his time with, he sped right past them — desirous to rush back home, hitching to settle this matter.

The meeting had gone no better than previously speculated. Showing no sympathy for him, no respect for his parents or the nicked reputation of the fellow Clan, they put a squeeze on him, weighing him down with speculations and a final verdict that put Yunmeng Jiang to its knees with a justification as lame as “preventing pointless rumors”, as Jin Guangshan brazenly put it.

Fairly so, Jiang Cheng rushed home with heightened fury, but tried - for the sake of his Clan and his brother - to brush aside the feeling of being played with. And focused on the advantage they got thanks to his father’s interposition and following suggestion.

To host Gusu Lan instead of any other Clan was but a blessing: even superficially, the benefits were too many to count, starting from the rigorous discipline and upright behaviour imparted in Gusu Lan, all the way to the thin connection the two Clans secretly shared through Lan Wangji’s yet unestabilished relationship with his brother. And yet, Jiang Cheng knew from his mother’s teaching that such reasons weren’t nearly enough to allow him to lower his guard.

(It is incorrect to call him ungrateful: Gusu Lan’s aid was nonetheless more welcomed than anyone else’s, especially in a position as unfavourable as the their current one, to spare their Clan from further ridicule.)

Though, unsurprisingly, red flags were hoisted. The discussion raised a whole new level of awareness in the two parents’ head, ringing several bells to the notes of a dreadful melody playing in the background of their thoughts. What emerged in the shape of doubts and speculations was later corroborated by the words of their son, in the privacy of their room - boosted with a silencing spell.

Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan did not hold back from voicing their desire to flank their son and share with him the unavoidable, numbing load, refusing to submit to no-matter-whose falses mannerisms and ill will— especially not when he was called out for something he had no fault of, berated in public when actively schemed against, and accused of being unsincere and taking sides by ones guilty of both.

After urging their son to abandon secrecy and share with them the entire situation - with an extra hand of cautiousness - the two simultaneously made an important realization. Regardless of its justification as part of a nefarious plan or a genuine invitation, they visited Lanling in occasion of Jin Ling’s due birth, which had yet to occur. Yunmeng Jiang would not stand to face the consequences it’d bring if they abruptly changed mind and returned to Lotus Pier; it would but fuel the widespread rumors and whispers the Clan could not shake off. And honestly, as cherished and welcomed as his parents’ support was, Jiang Cheng believed it better if they remained here to keep Lanling under watch, as well as to keep an eye out for Yanli until the situation was solved and every doubt cleared. As for Yanli herself, they didn’t have the heart to tell her anything, not in a state as precarious and fragile as hers.

At this point there was no doubt that, whether to clean the honor of their family or in order to re-establish everything that scattered after Lotus Pier was burned to the ground by the Wen Clan, there was no other viable option beside confronting and corralling these powers hissing in the shadows with their mobilization.

With that huge burden stripped off his shoulders - Yanli was safe and his parents were looking out for him -, it was with unconcealed immense relief that Jiang Cheng made his way back home. As soon as Lotus Pier’s shore came in sight between the waves of the surrounding water, his eyes warmed at the plainness and candidness of Yunmeng’s ground, offering a breath-taking view on the landscape— immensely different from Lanling Jin’s artificial, boring, painfully bright city.

Greeted by the disciples guarding the harbor, Lotus Pier was surrounded by an unnatural quietness, a deadly silent crowdedness. Jiang Cheng was glad to be back, but the tension in his bones, though alleviated, was vivid. Even with the temporary relief floating in his chest, he knew he’d better abandon delusive wishes of peace, get to work and pry to get any sleep in the days to follow…

Still, he would have hoped not to be reached out by trouble as soon as he stepped foot home. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened, and troubles flowed in his direction in the shape of a young disciple, naked distress anywhere from the expression on his face to the torsion of his body.

“Clan Leader! Thank Heaven you are back!”

The tall boy clad in purple halted in front of Jiang Cheng and braced on his thighs to breath out before suddenly wielding away, jerking his chin down and bending forward, acknowledging his rude unpoliteness toward his Clan Leader. Much like his mother, Jiang Cheng always payed close attention to people’s misbehaviours and to all-round mistakes; but this one went easily overlooked, for he was too focused on this boy’s panic and in whatever caused it. He eyed him with a controlled look of seriousness before rushing him to explain his haste with a tone of voice that betrayed his easiness.

“Young Master Wei woke up.” they watched as the words clicked in his brain, his pupils dilating, anxiety successfully heightened. “M-Maiden Wei’s already there and…”

Shelving his sword, Jiang Cheng quickly passed him over, shouting his commands to the disciples still lined up in the harbor before dashing away with an hurried step, heart trashing in its cage and sweating, one destination and one face in mind.

Chapter Text

As the newborn dawn set about, woven strands of honeyed light traversed black heavens, flowing indiscriminately and bolstering wind-flattened grass, hitching to solidify the slothful day. Sunlight cruised across gusty fields of water and dusted off the screens of locked chambers, where it cast a measured glow across the confined pavement.

Where pearly snow flowers bloomed in a white summer, leaving the air imbued of frozen ashes and icy breath and the land buried under a cloak of frost, the nascent warmth was more than a welcomed gift to each and every house, barded to chase off the sharp chill of a late Fall’s night. Beds were loaded with sheets and padded quilts, but - on the sole exception of cultivators who could feed warmth to themselves by channelling their spiritual energy - frizzy body hair and skin were left to shiver nonetheless.

Amid many was a singular one - as peculiar as the maelstrom which uncoiled from his core, merely restrained by skin, and fastened its tentacles along every artery and vein in its path, like bugs feeding on a supply of highly nutritious aliments. His qi energy rattled, unstable and disturbed, yielding completely under a more prominent entity, an untrammelled miasma of rottenness and corruption.

When consciousness dawned upon him, it was solely physical - no real remedy to his still-dormant nervous system.

In such state of reduced-mobility, the prime signal of an upcoming awakening was the abrupt quickening of Wei Wuxian’s dead-still breathing. Once plunged in nothingness, his eyes snapped open at once, but his face bathed in a layer of sorrow and pain, the creases of his skin exhibiting altogether the resentment nestled inside his body, where the darkeness it had nourished and nurtured within him indwelled, enticed by the warmth and blood of a living being.

The rush of steps and the noise of wooden cracks echoed briefly in the surrounding space.

“Wei Ying!”

“Do not come close!” Wei Qing reprimanded hastily, her arm outstretched. “We don’t know if he is counscious enough to recognize you.”

But she might as well have said nothing, for his mind and heart registrated nothing at all: without wavering, Wangji hopped on the bed next to him and carefully wrapped Wei Wuxian in his arms, allowing him to rest his head against his shoulder and sink into him as much as needed. When his body was maneuvred around, Wei Wuxian let out an hoarse growl in response; his hands flared up to take a handful of pristine white robes, pulling close the tempting source of warmth as though climbing to the only way out he had from wherever the resentment had dragged his conscious into.

“I’m here, Wei Ying.” Wangji reassured, and when Wei Wuxian’s eyes flared red, he lifted his hand to cover them, letting him lean on his voice alone. “I’m here.”

Gradually, Wei Wuxian’s feverish body began to shrink onto itself until it fell limply against the older’s, his head resting on his shoulder, eyes staring vacant before they dropped, half-closed. That’s the scene Jiang Cheng walked up to when he arrived inside Wei Wuxian’s chamber. Wei Qing and Lan Wangji’s eyes snapped in his direction, but they couldn’t dawdle in formalities, barely acknowledging his presence at all.

Luckily, he didn’t mind. Jiang Cheng’s first thought went to his brother, whose condition didn’t seem improved at all even when he regained consciousness.

“Why is he like this?”

“I think it’s the manifestation of the effects of the backlash.” she theorized, watching him carefully through narrowed eyes. “In the past he could hardly handle all that resentment inside his body. This time he was overpowered by it when he destroyed the last piece of the Yin Tiger Tally.”

“This is the second time he suffers from a backlash of resentful energy, is it not? But the first time he did recover, he didn’t become like this.” Jiang Cheng countered, unable to completely figure it out.

“It’s different from the first backlash.” Wei Qing stated, locking eyes with him and offering an explanation to his furrowed expression.

“Give ear to me: we know the resentment in his body is harmful and clouds his mind whenever he feels intense negative emotions, right?” she didn’t need a verbal assertion from him, she knew just from the look in his eyes that he had witnessed that outcome once too many times by now. “When there is a large explosion of resentment, strong cultivators are normally protected by their golden core, while weak ones risk qi deviation because of the strong spiritual backlash, but Wuxian’s case is different: he doesn’t have a golden core, and the energy in his body is ‘evil’. Because resentment takes advantage of situations which are hostile to its host to surge up, you can imagine what is the consequential reaction to a backlash of that intensity.”

Jiang Cheng hummed quietly under his breath, lowering his chin in understanding.

“So, while the first backlash was contained - the Yin Tiger Tally was also cleansed - and its harmful effects were smothered by Lan Wangji’s intervening, thus resulting in minor injuries, this second one wasn’t. Destroying a piece of Yin Metal takes a lot of energy out of Wei Wuxian: if he succeeds, he becomes too weak to protect himself from the inside, and if he doesn’t have any help from the outside either, he is left vulnerable and the resentment unhindered.”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes were crinkled with tiredness, his responsibilities of Clan Leader, the worry toward his brother and the journey to Lanling and back exhausting him in his body and mind, but he wouldn’t be content until he understood the severity of Wei Wuxian’s condition. “Will he recover?”

Wei Qing pursed her lips, uncertain. “I can’t say for certain. This situation is too peculiar and, as I said, too different for comparison from the first backlash - which I have to remind you took him a few weeks to fully recover from. I can’t really tell from outside how quickly he’ll recover, or if he will at all. Moreover, our main concern with him right now relates to his soul, rather than his body.”

“…What do you mean?”

Wei Qing quietly approached Wei Wuxian, carefully cupping his head between her hands and moving it slowly side to side, studying his eyes.

“You can have a guess just by looking at his eyes.” she pinpointed, gaze drifting from his glassy, unfocused irides to Jiang Cheng. “What we are dealing with is much more severe than a misere case of shock. Most likely, the resentment locked his consciousness and shut him down, causing this comatose state he has fallen into.” she let out a deep sigh, remorseful and beaten. “Unfortunately, there is little I can do about that. And if we don’t find a way to make him recover fast… I am afraid there’s a high chance he might never wake up from this state.”

Were it not for the dire situation they were in, she would have laughed at the comical way Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened at her revelation - but she would never, nor when she could clearly make out the bright gleam in them from unshed tears; Lan Wangji’s hand squeezed Wei Wuxian’s limp one, lip wobbling.

“No… there must be a way to make wake up.”

Wen Qing sighed, completing to re-organise the medical supplies in her bag. Her movements were as precise as ever, her face a carbon copy of Lan Wangji’s usual expression, only the tense set of her shoulders gave away what the calm tone of her voice did not. “I don’t know, I need time to understand the exact extent of his condition. Only then can I start looking for something, whatever it may be. But…”

“But?”

She closed her eyes with abandon. “If the issue truly lays in the resentment inside of him, which is most likely the case, I’m afraid there would hardly be a cure. If he possessed a golden core of his own, he could slowly fend off resentful energy and we could help him with transfusion...” she trailed off and shook her head with a sigh— it was useless to wonder on ‘what if’s and unfeasible cures. “Right now, he is like a puppet of resentful energy. If he doesn’t wake up from this state… eventually, his soul will be given for dead, his muscles and organs will rot and his body will crumble.”

“T-This…”

Lan Wangji fisted the hand resting on his knee, eyes narrowing in on her— trying to fight the energy-consuming desperation and hopelessness with hope, no matter how slim. “What can we do?”

Wen Qing grasped her chin in a thoughtful manner, giving both courage for there was something that could be done, “It would certainly be beneficial if someone could provide for him daily since he won’t be able to do anything on his own anymore, which means helping him eat, bath, walk, dress and assist him while he sleeps. It will also help him mantain a direct connection with reality. We must not let him lay in bed, which means keeping him as active and moving as possible.”

Lan Wangji nodded, and his eyes were unsurprisingly albeit remarkably devoid of hesitation when he spun to face Jiang Cheng. He tilted his head downward and joined hands in a formal bow before the younger man. “I demand Clan Leader Jiang’s permission to stay in Lotus Pier and care daily for Wei Ying.”

Round eyes squared him, studying. “Are you serious? Won’t your uncle oppose to this?”

Jiang Cheng wasn’t doubting his words, his request was but a formality: the determination and resolution within solitary amber irides spoke louder than words, together with the uncharacteristic scowl of determination set on his face. Lan Zhan was determined to stick to Wei Wuxian’s side until he exhaled his last breath regardless of who approved and who did not.

“I will stay, if you permit.”

Just from a look of his eyes, it was easy to admit the futility of any attempt to sniff out any ounce of hesitation in the man’s face, for nothing could extinguish the fire in his eyes as it burned and consumed everything it touched.

“Fine, I will arrange a closer room for you.”

“No need.” he said, ears flushing the slightest tad as he turned to lock eyes with Wei Ying. “I will pay company to Wei Ying. Day and night.”

Had it not been such a dire moment, Jiang Cheng would have blushed. The shock went to his face, but he somehow managed to keep it in check. “I know you and my brother are close, but… are you sure I won’t have to deal with Lan Qiren trying to take you back by force?”

But every ounce of doubt seemed to vanish - or at least tame down for the greater part - at the firm nod of his head. Even if it meant going against his cherished three thousands rules and his own uncle, Lan Wangji was unshakable in his decision.

“Don’t bother. Stubbornness is one common trait among idiots in love.” it sounded like a mock, but the light-hearted tone and happily resigned smile said the contrary: Wei Qing was happy that Wei Wuxian, whom she and her family all owed their lives to, had found someone who loved him so deeply.

Jiang Cheng wore a similiar expression, but held a note of uncertainity in the furrow between his eyes: was Lan Wangji, Gusu Lan’s esteemed Hanguang Jun and second in comand, really willing to spend so much time and effort on someone whose condition was as severe and unidentified as Wei Wuxian’s? Was he so deeply in love with him that he could only see the gains, the closeness, and not what will cost him?

Though he himself would do whatever it took to have his brother back, Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but wonder and seek the answer to his questions. Later, he would certainly learn them. Pulling himself back together, he let out a sigh and allowed his sojourn. He wouldn’t have sent him away no matter what, but this time he was accepting his help with a new hope burning hot inside his core: if someone was able to bring his brother back, that was Lan Wangji.

He sighed, grapping his nose bridge between his fingers. “I will deploy more guards around the head quarters and make sure Wei Wuxian doesn’t get exposed. We can only hope to get to the end of this.”

Wei Qing nodded in agreeance. “It won’t do him any good to be confined, but until we clear this up, he can’t go anywhere.”

He stole a look toward where his brother laid down, unmoving, the constant rise and fall of his chest the only reassurance he was still alive, despite the unfortunate state he was in.

“I will handle it now, for sure. Those bastards waited for the best moment to attack, this was all planned.” Jiang Cheng scowled, angered by this upturn of events just as he was tired. “Wei Wuxian had even warned me that something felt wrong. If only I had gotten there sooner—”

Lan Zhan tightened his fists, clenching his jaw.

If someone was at fault here, it was him.

He promised Wei Wuxian he would visit often and should have been quicker, should have come sooner. No, he should have never in the first place left Wei Ying for past a month and delayed his weekly visits. As important as his duties were, nothing mattered in his life like Wei Ying.

“Do not blame yourself.” Wei Qing promptly answered, scolding them, both, with her look, a knowing look appearing in her eyes. “Right now, we need to take care of his body so it doesn’t collapse and his soul doesn’t cave under the resentment.”

“I will do it.” Lan Zhan insisted once more, catching their eye. “Everyday.”

Wen Qing’s face softened.

“I will make sure things stay between us and no one else.” Jiang Cheng nodded to the two of them. “I have already told my most trusted men to contain all news concerning Wei Wuxian.”

Wen Qing mulled over it before nodding in brief recognition. “That might be for the best. Even if we have a lead, we have yet to confirm where that person came from, and if people knew of Wei Wuxian’s current state, I’m afraid the situation would only complicate.” Jiang Cheng nodded.

“The same goes for your sister. I hope you didn’t tell her anything.” Wen Qing suddenly added, catching him by surprise. “She is at the last trimestre of her pregnancy, stress is severely forbidden. You more than anyone know how she would react to something like this.”

Once again, oddly taciturn and compliant - never one to take orders from anyone in normal situations - Jiang Cheng nodded.

As much as he hated keeping secrets from his Jiejie, Jiang Cheng could only agree. He would never intentionally do something that could bring harm to her or her precious baby, his nephew-to-be— Wei Wuxian’s as well. He would never let him live with it. He and his brother bickered a lot throughout their childhood, but if there was one thing they absolutely, effortlessly agreed on, it was that Jiang Yanli’s well-being always came first in their thoughts and hearts.

“It is for the best. We must contain this information and tell no one else. We don’t know who is involved yet, after all.” With one last, lingering glance at his sleeping brother, Jiang Cheng finally set to work.

*****

Time slowed down, unbearably. From days of repeating the very same actions came a routine, a mush of instinctual habits carried out by sole muscle memory while the mind wandered to ghostly scenes. Every action was mechanic, a functional application of joints and muscles, but the resulting soreness in their bones was never neglectable. It almost felt as though they’d been born like this: exhausted, flustered, unquiet.

From the day he woke up onwards, Wei Wuxian started having frequent nightmares, but not the kind that would result in him screaming himself awake— his mind didn’t hold nor the strength or consciousness for that. His body would stay still, limp, and his eyes would blink open to chase the haziness of the sleep away, before another kind of dullness would take over.

Sitting down on the mat before the table, Lan Wangji would lay down his guqin and, with a troubled breath of focus, start pinching the seven strings. His fingers were especially tense whenever he played the most famous and difficult piece of the Purification Tone, Cleansing, a soothing melody capable of suppressing hostile energy and clearing the mind.

He did so every day, three or four times a day, relentlessly.

Because of it, his fingers hurt and his hand were numb most of the time. When Wen Qing heard him wince while eating and caught a glimpse of reddened fingers, she passed him an herbal cream, but not without making sure to lecture him - she lectured him, the esteemed, flawless Hanguang-jun, what a sight to behold - to take better care of himself. She told him everyday not to overdo it, since most of the work was to be done from the inside, from Wei Wuxian himself.

“He won’t wake up sooner if your hands bleed.” she warned with the firm tone of a professional doctor which made a good job at concealing her worry and pitiful glances. “Heaven! You are as stubborn as him!”

Ultimately, he still kept playing every day, punctual and on point, but settled for playing only early in the morning and before night fell, effectively chasing away his nightmares. Just like he promised, Lan Wangji never left his side ever since Wei Wuxian lost to the resentment inside his body, and cared for him from dawn to sunset.

Now that Wei Wuxian woke up but exhibited no sign of improvement, their nightmares bore the voice of Wen Qing as she gave her diagnosis, of Wei Wuxian being unable to recover completely.

*****

Shoving down on the desk the umpteenth letter of report sent by his nephew, Lan Qiren felt the veins in his forehead pop up and press against his old and wrinkled skin, face fraught with anger. Lan Xichen stood silently by his side, staring at his uncle with a convicted expression after reading through the same letter the man had crumpled between his fingers.

“This nephew of mine…” he scowled, anger loud in his very tired eyes. This story had been going on for quite some months— it began with Wangji asking for their permission to pay occasional, short visits to Lotus Pier once the debriefing of his duties was reported to the elders, and no matter how many times Qiren doubled or tripled his obligations, it would barely postpone the visit to Yunmeng Jiang of a few weeks. He wouldn’t complain, either.

But now? He had clearly assessed - and was mindful of - the critical situation Yunmeng Jiang was in, but where reason and morality should have guided him right out of Lotus Pier, he instead decided to get mingled in its problems, despite the clear abhorrence of the Lan’s law for mundane affairs. Even beyond, because of Wei Wuxian he was staining Gusu Lan’s life-long reputation as a righteous Clan and risked the accusation of partaking.

Lan Xichen knew where his uncle’s worries and thoughts went, but as an older brother, he wasn’t blind to what was going on in his brother’s heart and couldn’t, for the love of his Clan, sacrifice it, either. “Uncle, do not scold Wangji for this. If he insists that Young Master Wei requires his help, it needs to be serious. He doesn’t know to lie.”

“I know as much, Xichen!” Logically, he knew his upright nephew had serious, very understandable reasons to do what he was doing. It just didn’t suffice to appease his anger. “But it doesn’t change that he is still being deceived by Wei Wuxian from upholding his duties!”

“The same goes for you, Xichen! How could you let Yunmeng Jiang involve you in this matter!? What I teached you for all these years, was it for nothing?” he didn’t sound angry, but Lan Qiren’s voice was inflated with upset, face growing visibly redder. Lan Xichen couldn’t afford to risk his elder’s health over something like this, and he couldn’t even argue with his uncle— it wasn’t just about right and wrong or Clan’s rules, he actually had a point, Gusu Lan was very rigorous about rules pertaining one’s moral and filial conduct.

“Old Clan Leader Jiang personally apologized to me for implicating our people, but I understand his reason. And since Wangji got involved, we are already responsible.” although it wouldn’t dismiss Lan Wangji from his liability, Xichen could only follow this route to dwindle his uncle. “We should not engage in mundane affairs and mix public and private interests, but we must also embrace the entirety of the world to uphold the value of justice. Young Master Wei might be too unrestrained and spirited to fit our measure of behaviour and comportment, but in terms of morality and personal values he isn’t far from our forefathers’ portrayal.”

Not surprisingly, Lan Xichen’s words seemed to appease Lan Qiren’s anger and frustration toward his nephews and simultaneously sooth his unhealthily taut nerves. He might have believed it was his Uncle’s leniancy toward him… but his elder was actually losing track of reality, for the span of a moment, to navigate among old, dusty memories. A wild-looking girl with wide marvelling eyes and an even brighter smile.

Lan Qiren had Wei Wuxian figured out the moment he confirmed his identity upon laying eyes on him: incorrect posture when sitting, disattention in class, easy laugh spilling from his lips, untamed character and mouth that ran wilder than his feet - but it was undeniable the kindness and selflessness of his heart of gold, and the strong, cheerful personality that grazed the edge of arrogance only when heavily provoked.

Honestly speaking, Lan Qiren never stood people like him, children who were not taught to behave and young boys who didn’t know boundaries, but it didn’t mean he hated his guts or despised his esistence— the rules of proper comportament wouldn’t allow that. But it was still easy to say Wei Wuxian’s mind, or at least his heart, were in the right path, hence why it was so surprising to see him build so many walls around himself and turn into a living corpse filled with resentment.

Seeing he had softened, or at least that the veins of his face weren’t as visible and he wasn’t on the verge of qi deviation, Lan Xichen decided to end this conversation with a pledge.

Hands joined in front and body shaped like a promise, firm and strong but effortlessly elegant, everything anyone should aspire to resemble, he stated, “Worry not, Uncle, I will offer you a clear explanation once I go to Yunmeng Jiang to resolve the case. I am sure Wangji will hold nothing back from us.”

Eyes closed, Lan Qiren’s brows furrowed in a mist of annoyance, distress and bewilderment, what Lan Xichen easily pieced together as a rejection of his proposal.

“You think I’m unaware that you always take his defence?” he scowled, snapping his arms back and crossing his hand haughty behind his back. “I shall come with you to Lotus Pier and see that rascal for myself!”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t much later that, with an apologetic short letter of notice from Lan Xichen and a tight-lipped spoken apologize from Lan Qiren, Gusu Lan eventually made their entrance into the harbour lands of Yunmeng Jiang, welcomed by its leader. Despite having been already notified of the latter’s presence, Jiang Cheng was quite surprised to receive his elder that day, while having long suspected that the guests from Gusu Lan would be accompanied by Lan Xichen himself; they would at minimum have to sit down for a long conversation pertaining this matter where he could minutely share with the newcomer the unspoiled details of what really transpired that afternoon of ten days ago and what was gathered by him and his men until then— with an ancillary side talk about their problematic brothers.

Considering that the younger nephew regularly updated his brother and uncle about the progress of Yunmeng Jiang - Wei Wuxian - in the annihilation of the Yin Tiger Tally, Jiang Cheng could easily guess the reason behind his bodily visit. He has indeed insistently inquired with Lan Wangji about his uncle’s level of patience and stubbornness, so his visit to Lotus Pier wasn’t that unforeseeable. Neither were the pinched veins and prominent wrinkles at the top of his forehead and between his scanty eyebrows, fingers twitching and eyes shrunk with upset.

(A storm loomed over him, and Jiang Cheng knew with the crystal clarity of a soothsayer that his resilience and ruggedness answered to Wei Wuxian’s safety.)

After welcoming them in - Lan Wangji's absence adding a thorn in Lan Qiren’s side, the man looking too close to experience a fatal qi deviation for comfort -, Jiang Cheng invited both to get some tea in the main hall and find somewhere quiet to discuss, but Lan Qiren insisted he wished to see Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian first. Before Jiang Cheng could start to explain the current state of his brother, Wei Qing joined them.

She was the same as usual, chin up and eyes narrow, boldness and temerity written on her face and carried along by every word she uttered… except for the deep bags under her eyes and the tiredness clinging to every pore of her skin. Lan Xichen would have inquired about her health out of concern if they weren’t so invested in his brother and his friend.

What the two of them didn’t expect though, was for Wei Qing to have any determining influence in this field, taking decisions that not even Clan Leader Jiang could defy (whether out of respect or fear, they did not know. Jiang Wangyin was never this tamed and complacent when others tried to give him instructions or tell him what to do).

This woman, Wei Qing, seemed an exception - and Lan Xichen figured out his behaviour toward her must be driven by respect since she was actively taking care of a poorly ill-fallen Wei Wuxian, which would also explain the girl’s lines of tiredness.

“We will allow you to see the two of them as long as you promise not to cause a ruckus in front of Wei Wuxian.” Wei Qing instructed, arms crossed around her chest, keeping up a face that clearly said she did not give a shit about whoever she was talking to as long as it pertained the health of the patient she was taking care of day and night, and whom couldn't risk another dangerous experience.

Lan Qiren hastily swallowed down the fuming annoyance elicited by this girl’s unpunished presumption and held it still. “And why is that, if I may ask? Is he truly as injured as you say that he can not care for himself but has to be babysitted by my nephew!?”

Jiang Cheng’s face tensed at his words, hands squeezing for a moment at each side. Lan Xichen almost winced at his words. “Uncle…”

But Wei Qing didn’t mind the mock; her eyes narrowed with a lurking threat as she defiantly held her ground. “Master Lan, I only care about my patients and have no problem removing whoever tries to bring them harm. Give me your word or I won’t allow you to meet him.”

Jiang Cheng was almost shocked to hear Wei Qing speak in such an harsh manner to an elder, but this was the upteenth proof of how serious she felt for Wei Wuxian, and how strongly protective of her newly acquired brother she has become. Lan Qiren’s sharp-edged eyes retreated as he spoke through his teeth, angered but trying to not show it too obviously. “…Fine.”

Finally, they were brought to a deeper, concealed area of Lotus Pier, one that was heavily guarded and surrounded by artificial walls and dense woods as if it preserved secrets no one could access, Yunmeng Jiang’s real core. Lan Qiren’s single thought was that this was most probably the same place his nephew spent his days in now, wasting his time over a man who ultimately could not fend for himself. Or at least, that was Lan Qiren’s unquestioned belief before he met reality, and his own belief clashed with the truth.

Upon stepping on the large but cornered yard of the heavily-guarded pavillon, Lan Qiren’s eyes instantaneously spotted his nephew, but at that moment he halted in his steps, eyes round with building anger and disappointment.

Lan Wangji was not one for loud and strong emotions, and he did not express them as loudly as others did, but there was no mistaking the unfiltered look of grief and fondness mingled and pinned on his face, the tenderness of his hand clasping the other’s, the tiredness seeped in his every movement. His white figure was unmistakeable, so elegant and graceful, so tall and toned, but his shoulders beared more emotiveness than they should have. He was half-hidden behind another man clad in purple, his waist and arm supported by Wangji’s own arms as they walked across open ground.

From afar, nothing looked as preoccupying as everyone here claimed it was, except for the intimate proximity between two men hidden away within the privacy of a place the head family of the Jiang Clan seemed adamant to supervise for… reasons he wasn’t so kin to learn. But then, when Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen strode over with respectively annoyance and confusion, they clearly noticed that something was wrong.

If it was true that one's eyes are the window to their soul… then Wei Wuxian's must have been missing, flied off, or maybe was stolen. If not… it was pitch black.

As soon as Wei Wuxian’s dull eyes noticed the two quickly approaching figures, his body flinched and he shrunk back, crouching closer to the white arm he had been offered and seeking comfort from the one person who he has been around the most in the past two months and who his body has grown to trust like a scaredy cat.

He acted like he was shy, but shy wasn’t the right word for it. He looked afraid, confused, but impassibly so. Such emotions didn’t look like they surfaced from his heart or brain, but from an instinctiveness he could not control nor tame. Lan Wangji quietly and sympathetically dismissed this action and held him gently and patiently while he clung to his white robes.

Before coming to greet them, Lan Wangji whispered a few words to his ear, and finally, resembling the curiosity of a young child, the boy turned around and peered at them. But there was no gleam, no shimmering light, no hidden mirth like they were used to; instead, they met with the grim and cold eyes of a lifeless being, the resemblance to a ghost impossible to ignore.

Lan Qiren was too astounded to speak or look accusing anymore. Similiarly, the unexpected and unwelcoming sight cut Lan Xichen’s breath short, too.

“Wangji, what… what happened?”

Raising from his greeting bow, he answered. “It is a long story.”

Anything they wished to ask and planned to say was swept off their brain without an ounce of consistency, their visual sense seized in all dimensions by the plain-spoken endearment and candidness marking every action Lan Wangji exerted toward Wei Wuxian: the sinful skin contact and closure the two shared, the care he guided and manhandled him with, the affection which heavily marked the way he directed him to Wei Qing and followed his silhouette with his eyes until the two slipped behind a corner and disappeared from immediate sight…

Lan Xichen was concerned for his uncle’s health, but it wasn’t Lan Qiren’s priority: he felt a growing headache threaten not just his dwendling health, but most importantly his sanity, feeling the pent up stress and anger of the last few days as it grew on him and pressed urgently against his skull. His face, though severe, exhibited nothing of such, as he mantained his straight, sturdy composure worthy of a Clan Elder— and so did his nephews, except that his eyes couldn’t quite turn blind to the tilted shoulders and sulking posture of the younger, and to the tiredness in it. Something that could escape anyone’s sight but the one of masters of good posture and upstanding comportment such as Gusu Lan’s.

They were thus guided by Jiang Wangyin to Lotus Pier’s throne hall and invited to take a seat, as there was much to talk about. At this point, it was unthinkable for neither Lan to demand they interrogated Wei Wuxian— if not confirmed it, that scene had been enough to make them realize Wangji wasn’t mispresenting things, and something appalling had indeed happened to Wei Wuxian, to the point the young prodigy was now incapacitated and mentally paralysed.

While Clan Leader Jiang made sweet talk with Lan Xichen, demanding how their journey was and warming up his voice for the explanation that would inevitably come, servants of Yunmeng walked in to serve an herbal infusion from a fuming teapot before exiting the hall as quietly as they came.

In his head, Lan Qiren hummed appreciatively at this, gladly accepting the offered tisane. To his surprise, Clan Leader Jiang didn’t hesitate to bring the filled-up cup to his lips and take a long sip of it— the elder almost gave for granted that he’d served everyone tea to respect Gusu’s reject of alcohol without making a show out of it, which spoke a lot for him. Instead, his unwavering acceptance of it gave Lan Qiren the impression that the young leader was experiencing quite a stressful moment.

It gave off a completely different image of the once arrogant boy who often spoke without mincing words, much like Wei Wuxian, but also hesitated and never took action— unlike his reckless, heedless brother.

They allowed silence to wash between them as they sipped the warm tea, the room going so quiet they could hear the wind howling outside, the wooden doors shaking gently at autumn’s approaching steps.

“Clan Leader Jiang, I believe it is time we set to work.” Lan Xichen suggested with a smile and an easiness that characterized him most. Leaning his gaze more in his direction, Jiang Wangyin nodded.

“You’re in for quite a story.” he breathed, resting his empty cup down on the desk. “Since we are bound hand and foot, and my brother trusts Second Young Master Lan completely, I will disclose everything I know with you.” he paused, sparing them a sharper glint. “I hope this will count as a display of trust from me to you.”

While Lan Qiren decided to stick to silence until his commentary was needed, Lan Xichen carried on the exchange. “Forgive my frankness. I can not help but wonder… is there another version of it you wish to keep secret?”

Jiang Cheng squared them up and down guardedly but with a light-heartedness that betrayed any ill-intentioned will, as if scrutinizing and analysing their behaviour before deciding where his trust should stop or extend to before releasing his answer. “Not quite. The truth is what you already heard, but it’s missing certain key elements.”

Xichen hummed positively with a satisfactory gleam in his eyes. “Is Young Master Wei one of them?”

What else was left unsaid but the dire state of the man who had front-row witnessed the backlash of strong resentment they all had somehow caught the feeling of and that now bore the evidences of it in his mind, flesh and bones? His speculative mind wasn’t far off the complete truth.

“Wei Wuxian is a big part of it.” Jiang Cheng confirmed with a firm gesture of his head before his eyes drifted to Lan Wangji in a pointing manner. “I believe you have already been filled up about the destruction of the first half of the Yin Tiger Tally about one year ago.” at this statement, they answered positively with their head.

“Yes, we were informed.” Lan Xichen stated, but his eyes held a grimace of insecurity. “It seemed to me like the first time went quite evenly. Why would preparations take so long?” he inquired, shifting between him and his own brother as the two shared a look.

“Because it wasn’t as evenly as we made it out to be.” Jiang Cheng confessed. “Wei Wuxian was heavily injured that time, but Second Young Master Lan’s assistance made it possible to avoid heavy repercussions on his health. Since then, the two of them have been working on ways to destroy the other half without setting off another backlash that could cause harm to my brother.”

Qiren’s eyes furrowed, but it was his nephew who inquired. “Heavily injured?”

Lan Wangji gently nodded his head. “The backlash was intense, I too was hurt. But it took several months for Wei Ying to recover and settle down the resentment residing inside his body, hence the delay.”

“Wangji, is it what you discussed about everytime you visited Yunmeng?” Lan Xichen inquired, and Wangji scrunched his nose a bit and averted his eyes from him with an expression that screamed of shiness. Jiang Cheng didn’t need any explanation to understand the man had yet to reveal the relationship he had estabilished with his brother.

“… Indeed.” his fists trapped a handful of white robes. “Until four months ago, I was playing Purification Tones for Wei Ying everyday; we agreed to utilize up to the last month of our deadline to proceed with caution and avoid mistakes. Recently, we started playing Cleansing on the other half of Yin Metal to purify it.”

“Evidently, it didn’t work out.” Lan Qiren commented blankly, no whiff of humor. “So, what happened?”

Jiang Cheng huffed, but made it so no one would notice. “They were just about to do the deed when we received an unwelcomed visit from a rough cultivator. He kidnapped the child of the Wei and forced Wei Wuxian to give up the shard as compensation. Of course, Wei Wuxian is always too reckless and stubborn: all alone and without protection, he went and destroyed the last piece, which was only half-cleansed and still reeked of resentment. He only protected the child, but not himself.”

Lan Qiren absorbed the new in silence before he asked the question that was lingering in his mind since he first caught sight of the young boy with his nephew. “Then tell me, what’s the connection between that backlash and his current state? How could Wei Wuxian, as a young and skilled cultivator nonetheless, be so reckless to leave himself completely unprotected?”

Lan Xichen stole a quick glimpse at his uncle before his eyes drifted to Jiang Cheng, his expression lenient and strangely relaxed. From his reaction, it seemed he had already known about Wei Wuxian’s core, or lack thereof. So, Jiang Cheng deduced, it wouldn’t make sense for him to keep the secret from the elder, not when he had decided to show sincerity and openness to both representatives of Gusu Lan.

“For the same reason why he commenced practicing demonic cultivation. Because he couldn’t protect himself, not in the way we can.” he stated deliberately, watching his eyes grow briefly before realization slowly sunk in those tired irides.

Still, he completed. “Wei Wuxian has long lost his golden core.”

Since he unfailingly pinned down Wei Wuxian’s character on the basis of his unbridled quirks and ambitions - which in the past he had admittedly understimated, no over-the-top vivacity and straightforwardness could anticipate such radical change and unforseeable outcome - and saw what became of the intemperate young prodigy, how times of bloodshed and heavy losses marked his body like scar-tissue carved in the shape of memories, Lan Qiren honestly abandoned his thoughts to a superficial analysis of the boy.

Yes, in his mind - not like he would ever admit it out loud, especially in front of the interested party - he highly respected Wei Wuxian for the unique steadfastness and lack of hesitation showed in the face of chaos and harm coming to his family - things that would peel rationality off the strongest souls -, as well as his willingness to sacrifice for them and fight for their homeland when Lotus Pier was but a pile of ashes. But to a man of high morality such as himself, an untitled leader who guided his Clan out of his strong sense of allegiance when it lacked direction, an act which Gusu’s best-taught disciples would consider as normal as breathing - as well as a rare occasion to showcase their gratitude and patriotism for the Lan Clan - was insufficient to justify the capsizing and fall-astray of one person, resulting in the practice of heretical cultivation and loss of self-consciousness. Nothing could have prepared him in advance for this.

It changed things, put them into perspective: it meant Wei Wuxian didn’t skid to the wrong path because of short insight or greed, but out of a sense of survival— if the rumor about Wen Chao throwing him and the traitor cousins inside the Burial Mounds was true, speculations could even reach deeper. Following his example, many copied his ways and fell off the wrong path to achieve better result and sooner— but Wei Wuxian, no less than the grandmaster and creater of demonic cultivation, didn’t.

He still fell on the dark path and followed its root, he was to be held accountable for it to a high degree, but at least now there was a hostile, pushing force behind his cognizance, another previously concealed element to it that shifted the blame from the half-responsible subject to the inimical context and circumstances.

After a series of wild thoughts that caught himself off guard, he noticed with little surprise on showcase that his nephew didn’t look taken aback in the slightest. “Xichen, you knew of this?”

“I did, Uncle. I found out accidentally during the Sunshot Campaign.” he smiled weakly and apologetically, noticing his brother’s sudden change of humor at the discovery, and imaging he hadn’t known until recently. Lan Qiren’s eyes widened comically.

“Since that long!?”

Jiang Cheng answered with a positive nod. “We found out around the same time. He wanted no one to know, but we coerced him to tell us the truth.”

Sigh barely stifled and eyes closed to stress the little pinch between thin brows, he held an unsettled look that didn’t quite escalate in anger… yet. In the short silence that followed, his head might have been buzzing relentlessly with thoughts and reconsiderations centered around Wei Wuxian and sparked by the discoveries made during that conversation.

When Lan Qiren pressed to end the conversation and resume the following morning in favour of a good meal and a night of restful sleep, Jiang Cheng ordered his servants to bring them dinner. When later Lan Wangji stood up and excused himself out of the hall after courteously demanding his brother and uncle for a leave, Lan Qiren’s eyes held less of a grimace and more of an inquisitive gaze, which was honestly more than Xichen had hoped for when they first stepped feet on the wooden pier just across the lake.

The elder was questioning the reason behind their actions with less speculations on his part and wondering about his nephew’s genuine intentions without feeding into the urge to bring him to his senses, and it was a huge progress— despite the ever-lasting frown and pinched brows he carried on his face. While Clan Leader Lan tried to be the more rational, professional one out of them and to build a bridge between the two families, Lan Zhan was just too obviously concerned about Wei Wuxian to attempt subduing his urges and acting like he wasn’t his priority.

Which was how they arrived to this moment, cleaning their unctuous lips with a clean cloth in good posture while a dreadful silence swallowed them like steep waves across a turbolent ocean and almighty storms… before the mermaids’ chant clashed with this overbearing hush.

“Xichen, do you hear it?” Lan Qiren asked with a wobbling tone coated with suspicion that Jiang Cheng mentally addressed as rethorical, for no one was more perceptive and attuned to spirtually-infused music than Gusu Lan’s elders. The other nodded anyway.

Meanwhile, a gentle tune rose tentatively from the background.

Though he wasn’t half as prepared on the subject as the Lan or his own brother, Jiang Cheng was by now accustomed to the nightly occurrence. He knew exactly where the sound came from, from whose fingers, and had by now memorized the tune by heart. Inevitably, the sight of him - so relaxed, albeit irresolutely annoyed - drove in their head the idea that this event was not a one-time thing.

With a nod, he confirmed their suspicion. “It is Lan Wangji.”

“Is Wangji playing for Wei Wuxian?” Lan Xichen insisted, as concerned for his brother as he was curious of the elevated intensity of the dazzling, balsamic feeling he was experiencing— perhaps for the first time in his life.

Jiang Cheng offered a nod, temporarily putting off the inevitable explanation as he let them bask in the soothing sensation: worries and responsibilities have lately made of his body a bundle of nerves, hence why he couldn’t hide that he too benefitted from Lan Wangji’s exaggerated display of affection toward his brother. He would rather die than admit it, but his body found peace at the melody of his hands (he would usually make sure to be alone and in his own company by the time Lan Wangji usually played for his brother).

Only decency kept him from releasing the accumulated tension in his joints, repressing a sigh that could be considered rude before two esteemed guests such as Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren. Luckily, he was quite used to this feeling and knew how to settle his tense body from taking too much advantage of it.

Finally, he said, “Ever since Wei Wuxian shut down, Lan Wangji has been playing his guqin day and night using a substantial amount of spiritual energy as fuel.” he held back a mocking chuckle, only settling for a grimace. “So much so I had to scold the guards of the Pavillion for slacking off.”

Lan Xichen’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Clan Leader Jiang, you said he plays ‘day and night’?” he asked, moving on when he received a nod. ”And with such intensity?”

“Exactly. You can’t know, but weeks ago he played up to four times a day and repeated the song two times in a row. Healer Qing was forced to interfere more than once, but nothing worked until she threatened him out of Wei Wuxian’s chamber.”

Lan Qiren made a face of absolute disgust, one that forced Jiang Cheng to fist a handful of his robes behind his table in a less exposing manner. Lan Xichen was quick to cut the tense atmosphere with his genuine concern for the younger member of the family.

“Playing so much and so storngly is energy-consuming as it is, but repeating a song like Cleansing is even more draining.” Still, Wangji did so anyway, and without being asked to.

His brother was truly, desperately in love with Wei Wuxian.