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Chapter Text

“Do you believe that time travel could happen, nainai?”

It was his first question the moment he was finally able to talk to nainai. She laughed.

“There are a lot of unexplainable phenomena that happen in this world, A-Ren.”

“But is it possible?”

“The future is not set on a stone.”

“Nainai.”

“You think you saw him time travel.”

“There is nothing I could think of aside from that… even if studies do not believe that it could happen.”

“One glance at him and I saw that he had an old soul but a young and innocent mind.”

“Nainai…”

“As I have said, there are a lot of unexplainable phenomena – unexplainable things in our lives that sometimes, we just have to live with, A-Ren.”

“What do I do?”

“The future is not set on a stone.”

“I wish – I wish to change what I saw. I – I do not want him to live such a life. I want -- I want to correct myself and I want to change things, Nainai.”

“And you have done it the moment you brought him in Cloud Recesses, A-Ren.”

“I do not know how he ended up in Gusu. He was… he was supposed to stay in Yiling for two years until Jiang-zongzhu found him.”

“Again, there are a lot of unexplainable phenomena. It is up to you what you would like to think of and focus on first.”

Lan Qiren thought of Yu Ziyuan and what she was doing in Yiling at that time. He thought about how Wei Ying saw her in split second and then everything turned dark. In Wei Ying’s past, he stayed in that alley for hours until he could not stand the hunger and started looking for food. There was no Yu Ziyuan that showed up.

“Could it be…”

But Lan Qiren chose to leave that for later. He focused on Wei Ying. He was determined to change things – to change the life that Wei Ying lived. Not just his but the people important in him and in Wei Ying’s life. He does not know why everything was happening but he would live with it… he would try to live with it.

“Your name is Wei Ying. Your mother’s name is Cangse and your father’s name is Wei Changze. They were my friends.”

It was hard to inform a child of what happened to his parents and how he actually lost his memories about them. Wei Ying cried in his embrace.

“Do you like it here, A-Ying?”

When he received a nod, Lan Qiren knew it was time to put his plans to action.

“I will take you as my ward. I will be your guardian and you can call me shushu. I will try my best to honor your parents’ memories by raising you, A-Ying. Thank you… thank you for coming to my life.”

Because Lan Qiren is truly thankful. This – this felt like a second chance and he would not waste it. Not when the chance was given to him this way.

He would treat Wei Ying like his son like he did with his nephews. As much as he wanted to officially adopt him and give him his name like Wangji did to little A-Yuan, the thought of how he will be his future in-law entered his mind. As a Lan, Lan Qiren believes in soulmates . He does not know if he has one but he knows that A-Zhan and A-Ying are soulmates and so one way or another… it will be made possible in this timeline. He does not wish for complications on that.

He’ll take him as a ward but he would not treat him like how Jiang Fengmian did. He saw himself in that memory, in that timeline. He only became nice to him after everything that happened. But A-Ying is just a child who is very sweet and easy to love.

The more that he saw changes in him, he figured out that Wei Ying grew up that way not because he believed that he was Cangse Sanren’s son and so he became free-spirited, unruly, untamed, without self-love and self-preservation, a rule-breaker, and more. It was because of everything he went through with the Jiangs that he grew up that way.

He pledged that A-Ying will never grow up or experience whatever he experienced in his first and second life. Lan Qiren will stand by him and not allow him to reach a point where he will have no other options in life.

He took good care of him and stayed by his bedside each time he relapsed. Lan Qiren felt like a real parent and he could hear Cangse’s voice in his head, teasing him. He could imagine Wei Changze’s thankful gazes and nods. Lan Qiren hoped he could do it well.

He is a master of the six arts and he has a good hand in painting. He created portraits of the two for Wei Ying to know what they look like. He watched as the child softly caressed their faces. Jiang Fengmian never told him how they died aside from they died on a night hunt.

When he found the chance, he went to talk to his brother and he told him about Wei Ying and what he saw in his memories. Lan Qijun was shaken but he was determined to change things as much as Lan Qiren did. If Lan Wangji had Lan Xichen in his life, Lan Qiren had his xiongzhang. They lost their parents at a young age and A-Huan and A-Zhan experienced it in that timeline too. This time, Lan Qiren would not allow that to happen. He also gave them another family member, his precious ward (and their future in-law), Wei Ying.

He also told Liu Meiyue and she offered help for Wei Ying’s recovery too. That was the time he started bringing him to the monthly visits of A-Huan and A-Zhan to the Gentian House.

Then when Liu Meiyue was cleared out of the poison and they worked hard to fix the members of the Council of Elders (Qiren learned a lot from how Wangji did it before), they finally decided to plan on what to do.

The war, it must not happen.

Wen Rouhan must be stopped.

And so their first focus was the Yin Irons.

It was simply too late for the Dancing Fairy Statue. Liu Meiyue left Cloud Recesses in secret and went there as a rogue cultivator who passed by and the devastation that was caused by Wen Rouhan after taking the shard from the heart of the fairy already happened.

But Qiren successfully found Xue Yang. He was still a child, four years old like Wei Ying when he found him. He had a pouch heavily warded and strapped on his waist. He found him in Kuizhou together with other kids who were bullying him and he was not fighting back, simply hugging and retreating to himself. Qiren realized that this child was not molded by hardship in life yet.

Qiren also knew that he had not met the Chang clan yet, his little fingers were still complete.

“Where is your guardian?”

“Dead.”

“Do you know how?”

“Hunger. Gave A-Yang food.”

It did not take much time to convince the child to come with him, a cultivator in white who would give him food and shelter. Lan Qiren was surprised when A-Yang gave him the pouch he had.

“Why?”

“Pay.”

“You do not have to pay. I am helping you willingly, for free.”

“No. Pay. Popo said to give back kindness. Pay.”

Just like that, Qiren got the second shard. The first one was still kept in their cold pond cave.

His brother went to the florist and successfully brought the yin iron shard with him. He could already imagine what kind of sappy poem his brother recited that must be about his wife.

They agreed that the sword inside the Xuanwu could be dealt with later. It would be too suspicious if they killed the Xuanwu residing in Qishan for centuries.

They brought the shards in Lan Yi’s cave and called for Lan Yi’s spirit. As much as he wishes for her to show up and witness the marriage of his nephew and ward, this matter is more important than romance (but could result in a better romance between his nephew and ward if they do things right).

He honestly explained to Lan Yi how they got the shards.

“There is a song… I… I will need to learn it first and teach my brother. It requires a huge amount of energy so it will take time… but as long as we keep them here and warded, no one could take them away.”

Lan Qiren learned some heavy wards from Wei Wuxian by following his life. He warded each pouch that kept the shard and then he warded the cave better. His brother and sister-in-law were impressed but he just huffed.

Lan Yi’s spirit vanished but she left parts of her essence to protect the cave and Cloud Recesses.

“My essence could help withhold sudden attacks. In the timeline that you said… I must have failed to do that before I left because my spirit could have been too weak by the time I met them. We shall protect our home better. I wish you luck and success. Gusu-Lan is lucky to still produce righteous disciples.”

They have done everything behind the elders’ backs. Once they had secured the shards in the cave, that was the only time that Liu Meiyue said that she was ready to talk to the elders.

She told them about what happened and Qiren suggested the Song of Recollection. Everyone was surprised but with Lan Qijun’s insistence and Liu Meiyue’s open agreement, Qiren played the song he learned from nainai and it was their uncle who saw through Liu Meiyue’s memories.

She was cleared and those who attempted to kill Liu Meiyue were submitted to face Gusu-Law outside Cloud Recesses and yes, including Lan Jianhong"s illegitimate child.

Lan Qiren realized that he could see a glimpse while playing but they were mostly blurry patches of memories. He does not know what their uncle saw in Liu Meiyue’s memories but he saw how he changed, how the elders changed their treatment to his sister-in-law. He saw a huge amount of respect and Lan Qiren thinks… his sister-in-law deserves that.

Liu Meiyue finally and officially became Madam Lan. Qinghengjun officially ended his seclusion within the sect.

In between all of these, Lan Qiren tried his best to be there for Wei Ying. He did not allow him to stay in the nursery and instead, asked his things to be moved to his quarters. The room was ready for everything that Wei Ying needed, especially for a recovering child who had poor health, especially immune system because of what happened.

Lan Qiren remembered how Wei Wuxian survived the streets, the Burial Mounds twice, and more. Yet the fever that happened took away his memories, not just of his current self but his past. Lan Qiren often wondered what could have the four-year-old child done if he realized that he traveled back in time.

Somehow… Lan Qiren does not wish to know. He saw how Wei Wuxian was. Even if he has made peace with his past, he was still someone who would want to do things for the greater good. Lan Qiren would still aim for him to grow that way… but he would instill in him self-love and self-preservation. He would teach him of his self-worth. He will grow with love and attention. Not just him but his nephews too. He would not let them grow the way he raised them in the past.

Lan Qiren is not alone this time. He has his brother, sister-in-law who would help him raise the kids.

Perhaps, it was destiny that he came to Caiyi that day. It was destiny that it was him who found and saved him. He was not an active agent in his first life in the past, but he was there in his second life. That Lan Qiren kept his opinion of him even after they got married until Wei Wuxian wormed himself into his heart.

This time, Lan Qiren will make up for the mistakes and misjudgment of the other version of himself – of the Lan Qiren in Wei Wuxian’s past. He’ll do it for the child, for his parents, and to thank the child’s memories made him try to prevent things from happening in their lives ( in his life and Lan Qiren would accept if he"ll be called selfish because he"ll continue changing things for the better… especially for his family).

His sister-in-law actually asked why he did not adopt Wei Ying officially. He told them of his reason.

“Years were wasted for their pinning and other factors that included me. I won’t allow it to take so long. Being related even just through adoption will make them have inhibitions and I do not want to watch them pin for so long. I spent so much time in A-Ying’s memories watching him and A-Zhan do that. It was tiring.”

Liu Meiyue laughed so hard while his brother huffed fondly as he shook his head.

He also had to explain to him why they could not come to the Gentian House and meet his shimu, Lan Zhan, and Huan-gege. It was during the time Liu Meiyue was getting treated as well as their quest for the Yin iron shards. It was good that he did not have a lot of questions at that time.

“Your shimu needs to do something very important. You need to be patient, A-Ying. If your shimu accomplishes her task successfully, then she could leave the Gentian House. You kept on asking if when can she go out, right?”

“Mn. Then Huan-gege and Lan Zhan?”

“They will need to be patient too. While you cannot meet them, I need you to focus on your studies and health so when Ji-daifu checks your health, she could hopefully allow you to join the other students and meet new friends. Do you want that?”

“Mn! A-Ying will work hard!”

“Not too hard.”

“No, not too hard, shushu!”

“Good.”

Lan Qiren tied Wei Ying’s own ribbon around his forehead when he was finally allowed to join the students his age for the formal studies. The head healer and Lan Ji said his health has improved a lot and could face other people without fearing for his immune system to fail him.

Wei Ying still received the ribbon with a silver cloud in the middle. He was his ward. He could still remember how Wei Wuxian carefully ties Wangji’s ribbon on his wrist and how he cried when he handed him his forehead ribbon right after their official wedding.

“This ribbon represents us, members of Gusu-Lan and our restraint. Only parents, children, and spouse could touch it. As you grow older, you will understand the regulations that come with it. Take good care of it, A-Ying.”

“I will shushu! A-Ying promise!”

Like in the past, little Wei Ying is already a genius at his age. He was a fast learner and active in seeking knowledge.

Lan Qiren taught him the rules and explained to him why they needed each one of them. Wei Ying had his questions and he tried answering them with the wisdom he could impart to a young child. Even if he huffed over his brother’s decision to modify the rules, it also helped in making the child understand.

He realized that Wei Wuxian grew up in a place where there were no rules. Right from the streets up to Lotus Pier -- that punishments were given just because . He could still remember how he had to shoulder the punishments of the other disciples. There is no wonder that he continued breaking rules when he arrived in Cloud Recesses.

This time, Lan Qiren will make sure that he understands why there are rules and punishments. He would not receive unjust punishments like his past self.

“I copied lines today. I made noise in class.” Wei Ying shyly said as he sat beside him. Lan Qiren put down the book he was reading.

“Oh? And why did you make noise?”

“I wanted to ask a question but instead of raising my hand, I said it out loud while Xue-shidi was reciting.”

“Do you know what you did wrong?” Lan Qiren patiently waited as Wei Ying took out his book and brush.

“Mn. I disturb the class and distracted Xue-shidi. I said sorry.”

“That is good. Was your question answered?”

“Mn. Hong-laoshi answered it. I just asked the difference between the imp and monsters.”

“That was a good question, A-Ying.”

The child beside him giggled and Lan Qiren noticed his crooked forehead ribbon. He carefully reached out to fix it. Wei Ying moved forward and leaned to his touch. Qiren felt warmth in his heart.

“How was copying the lines?”

“I messed up a few characters. Huan-gege came to check on me and Lan Zhan since he came with me. He corrected them, look.” He opened the book and pointed at the lines. Qiren nodded approvingly.

“Your calligraphy is improving, A-Ying. Very good,” he patted his head.

“Thank you shushu! Lan Zhan and Huan-gege said that too! I want to have pretty handwriting like shushu!”

Lan Qiren huffed as he shook his head.

“You will do well, it will take time.”

“Shushu took time?”

“Yes. I had to practice a lot and watch over the corrections they taught me so I could improve.”

“Mn! I would do that too!”

“Good. And come to me or your teacher if you need help.”

“Okay, shushu.”

“Should we start?”

“Mn!”

Lan Qiren took out another book to begin his personal lesson with his precious ward.

Lan Qiren felt satisfied to see Wei Ying healthy and happy. He did not need to fight dogs and other kids (and adults) for food, look for sheds to shelter himself from the weather and deal with Jiang Fengmian’s family. He heard that he was looking for the child but after discussing it with his brother and sister-in-law, they agreed that it was better not to inform him.

“If he comes over and asks for A-Ying, it will be hard to hold him back if Jiang-zongzhu uses his sworn brotherhood with Wei Changze. I only heard about what you saw in A-Ying’s memories and I do not wish for him to see Yu Ziyuan as early as this life.”

If there is another good thing that Yu Ziyuan has done aside from bringing Wei Ying to Gusu, it must be her timing of finding him in that alley as early as the time when he was kicked out of the inn. Wei Ying did not get to fight dogs that caused his severe fear of the animals. He could still remember how Wei Wuxian ran away and clung to his nephew at the sight of Jin Rulan’s dog.

And of course, he could still remember how his heart almost dropped when he heard the dogs barking and little A-Ying suddenly ran away while pulling his nephews. He hurriedly followed them as he thought that he was afraid… only to end up finding them petting the dogs and they asked him if they could buy treats to give to the dogs. He carefully watched as little A-Ying petted the dog and when he did not find any traces of fear on his face, Qiren released the breath he was holding.

He nourished Wei Ying and he felt satisfied seeing his full and red cheeks, his healthy body, and height. He used to be lanky and close to being a malnourished boy before. This time, he is eating the right kind and enough food. His brother has modified the rules about eating and the food served. There are special days where meat from Caiyi is served and it will be the disciple’s choice if he eats it or not. Of course, the younger ones indulged themselves with it.

Lan Qiren does not even want to start with how Wei Wuxian ate all those spices before. His eyes watered with just the sight of it.

It all began when he started eating enough food in Lotus Pier. The South is abundant with spices. He was afraid that one day, they would stop giving him food especially when he does badly in training and lessons even if he has been trying his best to catch up with the Jiang disciples. Wei Wuxian figured that if he covered his food with spices, especially chili, no one would take away his food like the dogs and other stray kids did while he was in the streets. No one got concerned with that and Lan Qiren watched him writhe with abdominal pain until one day, he just got used to it.

He could recall how Wen Qing, the female Wen doctor, admonished him with how damaged his digestive organs are especially when he did not have his core to balance and help cure them.

Lan Qiren still introduced him to spices and chili. He eats them moderately but often grimaces when it gets too spicy. The Wei Wuxian than he saw would just munch everything in his mouth without actually caring about the taste (he just knows that it is spicy and it means it is delicious for his taste palette) as long as his stomach is full.

Lan Qiren actually found it adorable how full and healthy the cheeks of Wei Ying, and his nephews are. Lan Zhan’s cheeks are the fullest of the three and always gets attacked by his mother’s fond teasing and pinch that would make his ears blush.

One thing that Lan Qiren made sure of was to make everyone, especially Wei Ying know that there is no competition between them as everything is a process of learning. Some learn fast, some learn moderately while others need focused teachings to learn things. One gets praised when they do well, one gets help when they need it. The presence of the Madam of the Sect is a huge help with this aspect.

While looking at Wei Wuxian’s memories, Lan Qiren made sure not to compare them, especially the three. Lan Qiren had to wince and almost cover his ears each time Yu Ziyuan compared her son with Wei Wuxian and the child had to hold himself back a lot of times. He watched how Wei Wuxian tried to downgrade himself for Jiang Wanyin and Lan Qiren would do everything for that not to happen again.

And he is glad that he does not need to do anything. Since Xichen is older, he is someone that the two look up to. He has set a good example for them. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are equal. They have differences but those differences fulfill what the other lacks and that makes everything fit into place between them. They do not compete, they improve together. They do not need to compare themselves because they both have things they excel in. Liu Meiyue is one of the many people who makes sure that everyone knows that.

Lan Qiren knows the difference is truly huge and his sister-in-law is incomparable especially against Yu Ziyuan (and it is forbidden) but he could not help to do it deep inside. Liu Meiyue is everything Gusu-Lan needs for a furen. He then recalled how Yu Ziyuan was in Lotus Pier and Lan Qiren could only shake his head. He does not even spare her a thought aside from the hopes things could have changed in Lotus Pier now that Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren"s child is not with them.

One thing that Lan Qiren did not expect was Nie Yongwu surviving just because Lan Xichen met Nie Mingjue in a hunt (and he knew that it started from there. This time, he would make sure that his nephew does not get a chance to cry himself to sleep for losing the person who holds his heart. He told his brother and sister-in-law this. They were determined to help Xichen this time) and he told the other two. A-Ying asked to see sabers, it caught A-Zhan’s interest as well.

When his brother returned and he learned about what happened, he did not know why he felt so relieved. The Nie Sect Leader is alive, Nie Mingjue gets to continue experiencing his youth (and develop a friendship with his nephew), and Nie Huasiang whom he knew… orchestrated Wei Wuxian’s return would get to experience life with his father and a new mother figure.

He talked to his brother about the qi deviation history of the Nie Sect. He watched Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang discuss it several times but Nie Huaisang has figured a way to solve it, Wei Wuxian respected the sect’s secrecy and did not pry. He only helped ward the Stone Castle to contain the resentful energy and not allow outsiders even to try to penetrate them.

Nie Yongwu told them when they offered help, especially when they felt the effect of Song of Clarity after his brother played it for them.

It was a curse. The sixth Nie Sect Leader greatly offended a centuries-old creature by killing its off-springs. The creature cursed the main bloodline of the Nie clan. The curse focused on their qi and the way they cultivated their sabers.

Lan Qiren does not know how Nie Huaisang resolved it but Gusu-Lan has musical cultivation, they could help. 

Liu Meiyue figured it out. Truly, his sister-in-law is truly skilled at a lot of things. It was a long process but everyone was determined. They did it behind the children’s backs.

They had to offer to play clarity and their cold spring until it was resolved. It took years but they did it.

When everything was over and the great Nie Sect Leader had finished weeping at the thought that he’ll live longer than 40 years old, the stone castle was destroyed without a back clash. The sabers were moved to the main ancestral hall.

The qi of the main bloodline of the Nie clan still needed to be monitored. They could not change the beast living in their sabers but Nie Yongwu with the help of Nie Mingyu has developed a new way to cultivate their sabers for the next generation (Qiren thinks of his grandchild that Mingjue and Xichen will eventually have and he thinks that everything they did was worth it).

Wei Ying was affectionate as a child and even as he grew up. Lan Qiren grew up with rules about propriety and his brother modified these rules. They could now show emotions both through words and actions and not act repressed all the time. Wei Ying liked it. He would often hold his hand when they walked, he would hug him, and when he was younger, he would even ask for a kiss on his forehead and Lan Qiren indulged him with this and he sees his brother and sister-in-law do it to their sons too.

He does not know if he did it to the past versions of little A-Huan and little A-Zhan but he definitely never did it in the present time before he found Wei Ying because of the rules except for holding their hands to guide them. He patted their heads now, he returned their affections and Lan Qiren was surprised that he liked it.

When the naming and sword giving ceremony came, he still gave him the courtesy name Wuxian, Qiren liked its meaning (though Wei Ying insisted for them to call him A-Ying except for Xichen who should call him A-Xian instead. “Shushu is the first one to call me A-Ying. I am thankful for my courtesy name he gave but I would prefer for shushu to call me A-Ying even just in private.” )

He recalled one memory between Jiang Fengmian and Wei Ying. He explained that when he went to have his and Jiang Cheng’s swords forged for their ceremony, the swordsmith said that Wei Changze commissioned him to create a sword for his future child if his child becomes a cultivator.

Lan Qiren went to Yunmeng and tried to find the swordsmith. He informed him about Wei Changze’s son.

“Aiyah! Wei Changze really did it huh? A son who became a cultivator. I still kept the design he wished for his child’s sword. I could have it ready in a week.”

Perhaps, some things will never change as when Wei Ying told him to name it whatever – whatever he likes… Lan Qiren had Suibian engraved on its scabbard. It just fits him so much.

After receiving his courtesy name, Qiren just smiled when Wei Ying named his dizi Chenqing. It does not look like the ghost flute. It was made in Gusu by the same one who created Liebing, Xichen’s xiao. It has a beautiful light blue colored dizi with red highlights to pair with his sword’s design.

When he first learned that little A-Ying wanted to learn musical cultivation through a flute like his Huan-gege but with a dizi instead of a xiao, Qiren took a deep breath to center himself and immediately approved it. Again, some things will never change yet this time, Wei Ying will not practice demonic cultivation because it would not be his last option. Qiren will make sure of that. Besides, he is such a gifted dizi player.

Lan Qiren watched them grow up in front of his eyes like how he watched the past Wei Wuxian grow up. This time, he grew up differently – full of love, happiness, and worth. Lan Qiren was satisfied, he always prayed for Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren’s approval and happiness if they ever see their son now.

Of course, he also watched them fall in love. Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. It was infuriating but he had to be patient. Lan Qiren knew to himself that he would do anything for them not to suffer a lost love and grief. He would make sure of that.

They have made arrangements with the Nies and they have prepared Xichen and Wangji. They will make it work.

Through the years, he heard about the Jiangs of course, but he tried his best to ignore the stories.

Not until A-Ying came home from Qishan and told him of the conversation that transpired between him and Jiang Fengmian. Qiren felt anger rise on his throat but he held it back and focused on A-Ying instead.

The child was afraid that Jiang Fengmian would talk to them and they would agree for him to go to Lotus Pier. He did not want to leave and so Lan Qiren gave him the assurance he needed.

“I would never allow anyone to take you away from here, A-Ying… not unless you leave on your own then I will support you on your decision.”

Lan Qiren should have expected that Jiang Wanyin would probably grow up the same way he did in the past. The only difference is that he got worse, especially without having someone like Wei Wuxian to be his sword and shield (and a stress and anger absorber if needed). He does not want to feel pity but he gives sympathy to Jiang Yanli… for not having someone like Wei Wuxian who would jump headfirst to make her smile, to protect her against anyone, and actually stand for her. Though Qiren thinks that this Jiang Yanli is physically stronger than the Yanli he saw in the past.

Jiang Wanyin’s actions reflect so much of his mother that Lan Qiren wondered how things went in Lotus Pier now that Wei Ying did not grow up there. Bad . That is the only thing that entered his mind.

The waterborne abyss still happened but because he had warned his brother about it and Liu Meiyue loves inventing talismans and arrays as much as Wei Ying does, they were able to put wards around Gusu. The waterborne abyss was pushed back to Qishan and no one from Gusu had to deal with it.

But Qiren remembered someone though. As much as Xue Yang, now courtesy name Chengmei thrives as a Gusu-Lan disciple and a very good shidi to his nephews and Wei Ying, Su Minshan remained the same. He entered Gusu as an outer disciple when he was 13. Lan Qiren immediately recalled everything that he did in Wei Ying’s memories. He tried to observe but the first time he saw the contempt on his expression that was directed to his nephews and Wei Ying, Qiren had to do something.

Yet he did not have to do much. It was his brother who caught Su Minshan trying to sneak in alcohol in the junior disciples’ dorm and put it inside Wei Ying and Xue Yang’s room. Punishment was just supposed to be discipline paddle… but when his things were checked for inspection (something they did not have in the past but his sister-in-law suggested this because some may think they became lenient as the number of rules decreased) they found cheats he used during examinations and he was too nervous to deny it.

He was subject to expulsion.

The last thing that Qiren heard, Su Minshan’s parents pushed him on becoming a monk.

As time passed and Lan Qiren watched Wei Ying grow and fall in love with his nephew who is equally besotted as he saw him in Wei Ying’s memories, Qiren knew he had to do something to ensure this situation stays the same.

And so they need to deal with the biggest issue now. 

They cannot destroy the yin iron shards with spiritual energy alone. He saw them fail when they tried. There had to be a balance . He saw Wei Wuxian had to use resentful energy. The Yin and Yang energy had to be strong and balanced.

“Spiritual energy is energy. Resentful energy is energy.”

Lan Qiren does not know anyone who could do it but it definitely must not be Wei Ying.

He had his qin, he was also skilled with xiao. Qiren has a little memory of his own parents. Their mother died when he was three due to weak health. Their father died on a night hunt where he joined him and his brother. He died protecting them and that made their uncle take over the leadership until his brother was ready.

“Fuqin! Fuqin! Why did you do it?! Why?! Hold on please, help is coming! Please!”

“A-Jun… A-Ren… rem – remember – remember this… a parent… a parent would—“

“Fuqin!”

“A parent… would do anything… everything for their child. Live well, my sons.”

It all started when he went on a solo night hunt. He still goes on night hunt and it is usually with his brother or with his nephews… most of the time it was with Wei Ying until he and his Lan Zhan preferred to go on night hunts alone like his Huan-gege and da-ge.

He did it with full concentration and a clear mind. It was just a few test notes but he felt it immediately. He felt how strong it was. Qiren had to play clarity for himself several times, cold sweat enveloped his body until he was able to return to Cloud Recesses and soak in the cold spring.

“Xiongzhang… if one day – If one day I do something foolish, I will confess it to you and please give me the punishment appropriate for my transgression.”

“A-Ren, what are you talking about?”

“Perhaps… 300 strikes of the disciple ruler.”

“A-REN! What are you-“

“I will forever engrave the sight of Wangji’s back in my mind. You will say that I am young right now and I am talking foolishly but I might do something more foolish. I hope for xiongzhang to understand and I hope for xiongzhang to punish me as he deems fit.”

“You are talking riddles but I feel like I have an idea of what you are talking about. A-Ren, please.”

“I’ll go attend on my duties now, xiongzhang.”

The first time he was able to manipulate resentful energy and raise a corpse as he recalled the songs that Wei Wuxian played, Lan Qiren felt goosebumps all over his body.

He finally understood it now. The whispers that came with the power of the resentful energy. He had a core to cleanse himself, he had the song of clarity, both of which Wei Wuxian did not have when he founded it.

He could also feel it, the power -- the endless power and possibilities that the resentful energy could give. Lan Qiren does not wonder why a lot of people coveted the skills of manipulating it.

He knew that his brother and sister-in-law must have known it but he did not tell them yet.

He became even more determined when Lan Zhan and Wei Ying returned from a hunt with a disciple that turned into a puppet. Lan Qiren knew things were going to happen fast from here. If Wen Rouhan had one shard and could do this, what else if he had the rest? Lan Qiren would not allow that.

The arrival of Wen Qing and Wen Qionglin to "join" the lectures reminded him of the past. They were sent there to look for Gusu-Lan"s shard.

What Yu Ziyuan did woke both of his spiritual energy and the resentful energy that he had cultivated. He was already a strong cultivator and having the resentful energy was able to make him pull Zidian from its master. As far as he knew, no one could take it away from its master but he did. He wanted to do more but he kept on centering himself, not wanting to lash out when he knew that there was a better way to make them pay for their actions.

His brother was still considerate with his decision but Lan Qiren accepted it. He does not know what should happen to Yu Ziyuan for him to be satisfied after how she treated Wei Ying in the past and now, so his brother’s condition was enough. She loved to save face, perhaps, making it in public could have been better. Qiren knows that such thoughts are forbidden but he’s a human too.

But Lan Qiren would rather focus on Wei Ying. He spent his entire life not seeing Zidian and then one moment, he was about to be whipped by it if Qiren was not fast enough. Both Wei Ying and his nephew were stunned when Yu Ziyuan did that. Perhaps, Wangji could have recovered fast to deflect that and protect Wei Ying but Qiren moved first.

Growing up, Qiren made sure to tell Wei Ying stories about his parents. His brother and sister-in-law were able to meet them on random occasions before so they had their own stories to share. The portraits were well preserved too.

Yet this time, he finally talked to him about Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan’s involvement in his parents’ life.

He also told him of the conditions his brother gave the Yunmeng-Jiang Sect. Qiren welcomed him in his embrace when everything was over. He let him cry and vent out his frustrations, bad mouth Jiang Wanyin, talk about his feelings towards Jiang Yanli’s actions for her brother, and more.

His sister-in-law came to bring them food and give Wei Ying a warm and motherly hug.

“I’d burn the world to protect you, A-Huan, and A-Zhan. Your Shifu and shushu would do it with me. She would not get a chance to get close to you anymore. I promise you that.”

When the lectures ended and Wangji formally asked to start a courtship with Wei Ying, Qiren knew they had to do things faster. It was not just because of them but because Qishan-Wen will make their move soon.

When he finally had a better grasp of how to properly manipulate resentful energy, he told his brother and sister-in-law that it was time to destroy the shards. He taught his brother the song.

They decided to do it one at a time. They brought the first shard to a clearing like how Wangji, Wuxian, and Sizhui did in the past. He trusts that his brother’s spiritual energy was enough.

The moment they started to play, his brother almost stopped when he realized what he was doing. Instead of blue spiritual energy, green resentful energy rose the moment Qiren began to play. He focused like how he practiced before. He did not hear anything around him aside from the music.

He saw the shard rattle and how it began to emit smoke as it reacted to the song. He saw it burst and turn into dust. Qiren heard his name being called and he knew no more.

When he woke up, he heard the Song of Clarity being played. His brother and sister-in-law were there. They were inside an inn.

“Thank you for not bringing me back to Cloud Recesses.”

“A-Ren!”

“We have three shards and a sword left.”

“A-Ren, is this the foolish thing you were talking about?!”

“Xiongzhang does not need to ask the thing that he already knows.”

“A-Ren!”

“It affects the mind and the body, temperament even more. There is a price to pay with what I am doing and I am willing to pay. This must be destroyed. No one will do it aside from me. Trust me on this.”

Despite the protests of his brother and sister-in-law, Qiren stood his ground as it was their only way to destroy the Yin Iron. Their predecessors have tried and failed while here is Qiren who learned it from seeing through Wei Ying"s memories. It will take a lot of time, decades, a century even before they could come up with a way to destroy it if they do not do it now. By that time, it may be too late already. 

They destroyed one shard per week even if his sister-in-law insisted that they could try longer intervals. The three of them knew they were working with a limited time. They did not really tell their children what they were doing. He always passed out after and would wake with his brother playing the Song of Clarity. His sister-in-law would be there with an understanding look on her face and would offer him food to eat.

Even if he saw himself in Wei Wuxian’s memory, this Lan Qiren, the present him cannot imagine a life without them.

Finally, they only needed the shard with Wen Rouhan and the sword inside the Xuanwu.

Yet they had to focus on the present first.

Qiren only knew about the attack of Cloud Recesses in Wei Wuxian’s memories so he did not know when but they were ready, very much ready and they had Wen Qionglin to thank for the warning too. Qiren could still remember memories of him with Wei Wuxian and he is glad that they still became friends.

They knew that Qishan-Wen tried to attack parts of Gusu but they could barely do anything because of their wards around the borders. They sent missives as warnings to the sects, even Yunmeng-Jiang. Qiren could still remember the devastation and everything that happened after its fall. Qiren does not wish to see it happen.

Yet it did.

His focus was on Wen Rouhan killing the Xuanwu and that the Sect Leader probably had the sword when he learned about the attack. He knew about how Qinghe-Nie survived the attack led by Wen Chao, he wondered why Yunmeng-Jiang did not.

He heard about Jiang Fengmian’s death, the cores melted, and the attack of Meishan-Yu.

Qiren cannot help but shake his head. If Yu Ziyuan truly time-traveled like Wei Ying did and she thought that getting rid of the child would save her and her sect… then now, she probably knew that she was wrong.

However, what happened in Lotus Pier triggered a memory in Lan Qiren… something that he wished to deal with by himself. It must have woken the resentment inside him that he heard his inner-self… he heard a whisper telling him to do it. He has better control than this -- but the whispers… it kept on coming and he knew… he knew it was his inner desire speaking and so...

He found himself in Lotus Pier, wanting to kill the three persons who caused Wei Wuxian’s already miserable life with Jiangs to become even more miserable.

He only planned to sneak and deliver a killing blow yet he ended up using demonic cultivation. He killed Wang Lingjiao first using a knife from his sleeves. He could remember how she asked for Wei Wuxian to be punished, how she used her brand to Wei Wuxian’s already branded chest. Lan Qiren used the silencing spell on her but perhaps, she was not as foolish as he thought. She broke a jar when she fell and it caused some noise. Wen Chao entered and Lan Qiren used the silencing spell on him as well. He tried running away and Qiren could not reveal himself from his hiding spot and so he played. Wang Lingjiao’s corpse rose and killed Wen Chao using the same knife that killed her.

When Wen Zhuliu arrived, he already raised Wen Chao’s corpse to welcome him. Wen Zhuliu fought back but Qiren learned musical cultivation with spiritual energy first before demonic cultivation. He played an ancient song to keep Wen Zhuliu’s body and spiritual energy still for a few seconds and then he instructed Wen Chao’s corpse to kill him using the same knife and stab it straight to his lower dantian where his core resides. Wang Lingjiao’s long nails pierced through his back.

Lan Qiren took his knife and left the scene without even revealing himself. He was in his white robes the whole time. He made sure to remove the silencing dome around the compound.

He does not know how Wang Lingjiao hanged himself. Perhaps, someone from the Wen army they were with woke up from the sleep-inducing music he played and did that to her. After all, he heard a lot of them gossip about their dislike towards Wen-er-gongzi’s woman.

He did not tell his brother and sister-in-law about it. He played clarity for himself.

Wen Rouhan’s death was a surprise for them.

It was Liu Meiyue who told them what happened after she was able to talk to Wen Yu.

The madam killed Wen Rouhan after she was imprisoned for trying to question him about what he was doing when she saw the puppets in his throne room. She escaped and found out he wanted to kill Wen Qionglin after he learned of his transgression. She used the Yin Iron sword. It pierced through Wen Rouhan and it was followed by qi deviation that sealed his death.

Wen Yu asked for Liu Meiyue’s help as she kept on hearing voices in her head. She had both the sword and the shard sealed in the throne room.

They helped her and asked for the shard and the sword.

“I know it is dangerous. I could feel it, that is why I had it sealed. If giving it to you will give me assurance that it will be destroyed, then I will hand it to you before you leave.”

“You have my world, Wen-zongzhu.”

“Thank you, Lan-furen.”

Qiren and his brother sealed them and brought them back to the cold pond cave.

The sword took months before it finally got destroyed. Qiren felt the toll in his body but he tried his best to conceal it when they were back in Cloud Recesses.

“This is the last time you are using it, A-Ren. Enough. You have done enough.”

“I know xiongzhang. You have my word.”

He meditated in the cold spring, he listened to his brother play Song of Clarity, he attended to his duties, and he continued to be Wei Ying’s shushu who would listen to his antics. He made sure to conceal what he was going through perfectly so Wei Ying would not notice anything and he is glad that he didn’t.

“Shushu! Xue-shidi and I found a way to easily clear the path from snow during winter.”

“You invented it?”

“Yes! We’ll tell Shimu about it later but I wanted to tell you first. Xue-shidi is such a genius shidi! I showed him what I was working on and he figured out where I went wrong and how to make it work!”

He has not thought of Jin Guangshan yet but his death and Meng Yao’s involvement honestly surprised him. He thought that Meng Yao was in a good place in Qinghe-Nie already. There are really some things that one cannot change.

But Qiren realized something. It was an early death. Mo Xuanyu has not been conceived yet. If he counted it right, he was born towards the end of the war.

Could it be that his soul was really shattered that he was not conceived and born in this timeline?

Still, Lan Qiren burned joss money for him and prayed for his soul. If his mother gets to still give birth to him in this world, he prays for him to have a better life… a life without Jin Guangshan as his father.

Lan Qiren has observed since Wei Ying was young. He tried to see if he remembers anything -- something… but it seems like the fever, despite how deadly it was… could still be considered a blessing in disguise. Wei Ying does not remember anything from the past. There are times he would randomly say things that had reference to the past like:

  “Lan Zhan said he’ll take me back to Gusu after I drank and did not tell him but he still accompanied me to Lanling to meet Jin-xiong!” 

“Single plank bridge? Aiyah, Xue-shidi, I just said that because of the song but I would never exchange what I have now!”

And of course, the idea and questions about resentful energy came but his sister-in-law was there to welcome and discuss the ideas with Wei Ying that made him understand compared to how everything was just a theory that became his last resort in his past life.

Yet as he grew older, Wei Ying never showed any signs that remember anything concrete -- anything about the past Wei Wuxian and truly, Lan Qiren is okay (and thankful) with that. He knows that if the past Lan Wangji -- his dearest nephew -- sees how his Wei Ying grew up as the person he is today, he would be very happy, not just for Wei Ying but for himself as well. 

When he went to talk to Yu Ziyuan, he knew that the conversation would not turn out anywhere pleasant but he did not expect himself to say those words to her.

Yet he meant his parting words.

He hoped for her to live well. This is her second chance in life. She survived the attack. It was time for her to think things through. He wished both Jiang Yanli and Jiang Wanyin well. He hopes for Jiang Fengmian’s death not to go in vain.

 *

Lan Qiren could hear Wei Wuxian’s cry and he could hear disciples restraining him, perhaps not just him but Lan Wangji too.

Qiren just gripped his knuckles as the punishment was almost done. He opened his eyes to meet his brother’s eyes. He could see that he was close to tears. Qiren shook his head as he gritted his teeth. He could barely feel his lower body as he continued to kneel.

When the punishment ended, Lan Qiren could hardly stand up but he found his balance. He saw his blood on the ground as he picked up his robes and covered his back. He then focused on his brother.

He bowed his head to the zongzhu and furen who stood frozen in front of him.

The moment he turned around and the discipline committee parted a path for him to pass, Wei Wuxian and Wangji were released and they approached him immediately.

 “Shushu! Shushu what happened?! Why?! Why?!” tears were streaming down on his face as he helped him walk.

“Silly child, why are you crying?”

“Shushu!”

Qiren turned to look at his nephew. Wangji could not conceal all the expressions and emotions he was feeling.

“Wangji, could you bring Ji-daifu to my quarters? I got the sect leader’s permission to have her help me after my punishment.”

It looked like Wangji did not want to leave but after looking at his back one more time, he nodded and immediately left.

He turned his head to look at Wei Wuxian.

“Do you remember the 50th rule?”

“Reject the crooked path but shushu! You are the most righteous person-“

The corners of Lan Qiren’s lips lifted as he shook his head with gritted teeth, the pain seeping through his bones. He cannot imagine how his nephew, barely an adult, survived this.

“What I did was wrong and I am taking my punishment. I asked xiongzhang and saozi for punishment.”

“What did you do?”

“Something that you do not need to know.”

“But why?”

“I’ll tell you one day,” his knees buckled but Wei Wuxian was quick to pull him up. 

“Shushu!”

“Take care of me, A-Ying?”

“Always, shushu! Always”

Later he’ll tell him that he tried the crooked path.

But that was not the only reason.

He also wanted to punish himself for what his old self did: his mistakes, his blindness, his misjudgment -- everything. His back will form scars and people usually labels these scars as a mark of shame but Lan Qiren does not care. 

This is his repentance.

And from here on, they’ll move forward.

Later, his brother will fuss and take good care of him and would even say he regretted it but Qiren will laugh and ask him to apply salve on his back. His sister-in-law would frown but make sure that he was fed and would stay alive. Nainai would surely come, shake her head, laugh, and call him a fool.

He’ll reject their spiritual energy and will only accept Lan Ji’s medicine to ease the pain. He’ll go to seclusion in the cold pond cave to recuperate fast and reflect on everything that happened since he found the fevered child.

He needs to heal and attend the wedding of Wangji and A-Ying. He’ll receive their tea and bless their marriage and this time, he will have his brother and sister-in-law beside him.

Later, he’ll hear more stories from A-Ying about how he met Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan whom he frequently meets now that they are currently staying in Gusu territory. They are with a child with white pupils but could clearly see. Her name is A-Qing and A-Ying told him that the two esteemed cultivators were considering adopting her.

Lan Qiren is happy to know that they both have their eyes intact and they are still making their name and reputation in the Cultivation World. Xue Yang is an accomplished Gusu-Lan disciple who is doted by his shixiongs and shijies while he doted on his shidis and shimeis. He is known as ‘Candy shixiong’ by the kids as he brings candies everywhere. He’ll give them some when they meet.

If one day these four people cross their paths, then Lan Qiren believes that it is their fate’s doing.

But that is all for later.

For now, he’ll listen to A-Ying and his nephew play a duet of healing songs for him.

Tomorrow, his elder nephew will come with his husband and they’ll fuss over him too.

This is the family that they built all thanks to what Yu Ziyuan did. He does not thank her for what she did to the fevered child, but he thanks her for bringing him to Gusu which greatly changed the course of things in their lives.

He wonders if Yu Ziyuan realized that.

Yu Ziyuan crossed her arms as she watched the disciples train under her son’s leadership. She still corrects and commands them when she sees something wrong. 

“Yu-furen, a messenger came with this letter,” one of the disciples approached her and handed her the expensive-looking paper with a Gusu-Lan seal. She huffed as she dismissed the disciple.

She opened it and her brows furrowed upon reading it.

It was an announcement.

Betrothal between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

“That brat…”

She gritted her teeth as she crumpled the paper and threw it to the side, her lips pursed as she glared at nowhere.

"It was not just you, Yu Ziyuan."

Did Lan Qiren have visions of his alternate life too? Is it why he was able to save Wei Wuxian from Gusu? Is it why the people who were supposed to be dead are alive?

How about her husband then?

The thought of Jiang Fengmian’s death made her grip her knuckles. He pushed their son in her direction who just had her core melted. She could still hear his shout, the first time he shouted a command to her.

“GO!”

And they were pulled to the docks and pushed to the boat. She saw how Wen Zhuliu’s hand touched Jiang Fengnmian’s lower dantian and melted his core, she saw how his sword pierced through Jiang Fengmian’s chest. He saw Jiang Fengmian still deliver a blow to Wen Zhuliu’s gut before he fell. Wen Zhuliu still survived that attack while her husband died. 

They did not find his body when they returned to Lotus Pier because Wen Chao burned the bodies of everyone they killed. 

Until now, no one knows who orchestrated the death of Wen Chao, Wen Zhuliu, and Wang Lingjiao. The current Wen-zongzhu – Wen Yu did not want to conduct an investigation anymore. She just retrieved the bodies for proper burial.

Yu Ziyuan resents the world. 

Her sworn sister who helped them when they went to Lanling for refuge was not able to reinstate the betrothal between her daughter and Jin Zixuan. Meishan-Yu was greatly attacked and some of her sisters were gravely injured. Her son’s core was half-melted, damaged and so he could barely do things to the maximum. Yanli still has her core but the injury on her right hand almost resulted in amputation. Her hand was saved but it would spasm when used for a long time. 

She could remember her visions of her alternate life.

That bitch , Wang Lingjiao asked her to cut the brat’s sword hand. Yet now, it is her daughter who could not use her sword hand anymore. Yanli even had to learn how to hold the brush using her left hand. It is just now that Yu Ziyuan realized that her daughter has beautiful calligraphy. Now, she was learning how to write again.

She could remember Lan Qiren’s words.

“Your son lost his core and Wei Wuxian gave him his.”

Yu Ziyuan does not even know if that is even possible. She wanted to accuse Lan Qiren of lying but she knows that Lan Qiren would rather cut his tongue than lie, that pedantic man.

“Your daughter married Jin Zixuan. You have a grandson named Jin Ling, courtesy name Rulan.”

If what he was saying is true, then it won’t be happening now. Yanli is unfortunately betrothed to Sect Leader Ouyang’s brother. It was mainly for an alliance with Baling. 

Yu Ziyuan felt like her blood was rising to her head each time she recalled the words in the conversation she had with Lan Qiren.

His words… he spoke them with so much conviction as if he saw it happen in front of his eyes like how Yu Ziyuan felt after she woke up a day after her son’s birth. All the visions she saw felt so real.

“Wei Wuxian lived a happy life with my nephew and their son and he’ll probably live a much better and happier life now… without fighting a war, without losing his core, and without having to grow up under someone like you.”

Yu Ziyuan began to tremble as range started to build up inside her. 

“ Your son became the sect leader and he wielded Zidian. Your son brought your sect up from the ashes.”

If Yu Ziyuan looked around, she would only feel great disappointment. Zidian could no longer serve a master, it was buried somewhere and will never be used anymore. Her son could barely fly on his sword. Lotus Pier may be rebuilt with the help of Qishan-Wen led by Wen Yu but it will never be the same again.

She shut her eyes close only to see the face of the brat in his black and red robes because she never allowed him to wear any of their sect colors. She could hear his annoying laughter in his head, she could imagine him running around with his sword, and doing all the useless things he does best.

As she swallowed hard, feeling pain on her palm with how tight she was gripping her fists, Yu Ziyuan saw the face of the brat in his Gusu-Lan robes with the main clan’s ribbon on his forehead. 

Lan Qiren’s prized ward.

Third Jade of Lan.

Fourth among the Young Masters.

And just recently, earned his title together with Lan Wangji. The light bearer and his light source. Hanguangjun and Guangyuanjun.

Him?! The light source? Guangyuanjun ?! How could a brat become a light source?! He is a brat! A son of a servant and he does not deserve to receive any titles!

Yu Ziyuan could feel blood dripping to the ground from her palms.

She recalled the words in the letter she just read. Betrothal… which means… in the future, he will be leading the Lan Sect with Lan Wangji once Qinghengjun abdicates the position.

“NO!”

“…-niang! A-niang!”

Yu Ziyuan opened her eyes and she was seeing red. Beside her was her son. She saw Sandu in his hand and she grabbed it from him.

“A-niang! What are you-“

“NO! NO! THAT BRAT – NO!”

Yu Ziyuan ran towards the training field and started slashing on the dummies using Sandu as she held it with both hands. 

The disciples scampered away in fear.

“A-niang stop! A-niang what are you-“

“NO! IT CANNOT BE! HE CANNOT BE BETTER THAN ME! HE CANNOT! I MADE SURE OF IT! HE CANNOT! HE SHOULD HAVE DIED! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM!”

She was thrashing around, thrusting and striking Sandu in all directions. She does not stop screaming.

About the son of a servant.

About the brat.

About the child who brings trouble wherever he goes.

About the urchin who should have died.

About the --

Yu Ziyuan felt a strong hit on her nape… the same thing she did to the child in Yiling all those years ago.

“You gave him a favor when you brought him to Gusu.”

And everything turned black.

“Did you hear? They said that Yu Ziyuan lost her mind!”

“I know! I heard it too! She lost her wits! Deserve if you ask me.”

“I saw it! I saw it! She was screaming – shouting about a brat and how she should have killed him. I was there to deliver crops for their kitchen. It was so scary!”

“It was like she was possessed and her son and daughter could barely do anything.”

“I heard that some parents pulled out their children from Yunmeng-Jiang after what happened. They were afraid that Yu Ziyuan does it again and hit their children instead of the dummies.”

“Well, if all these tragedies happened to me, I would have lost my mind too. Imagine losing everything in a blink of an eye? From Zidian to her core, to her husband, even her natal sect barely survived that Wen attack. Yunmeng-Jiang is obviously trying to rise again but well…”

“From everything I heard about Yu Ziyuan all these years, I think this is karma. Jiang Fengmian’s death must be his rest from how his wife treated him before.”

“Oh, how the mighty has fallen.”

“But who do you think is that brat she was talking about?”

“Who knows? No one is good enough in her eyes. Everyone’s a brat and useless except for her children.”

“Tsk tsk.”

The wedding of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian – Hanguangjun and Guangyuanjun – the Light-bearer and his Light Source was the talk of the Cultivation World. 

Yunmeng-Jiang is still banned from coming to Cloud Recesses. An invitation arrived and was addressed to the Sect Leader only.

“DAMN CUT SLEEVES!”

Jiang Wanyin’s scream made the messenger scurry away… but not without starting the gossip about how the Jiang Sect Leader reacted with the wedding invitation.

The Yunmeng-Jiang Sect Leader did not show up at the wedding.

While a huge celebration was happening in Gusu, there was a big incident that happened in Yunmeng.

Yu Ziyuan who was starting to lose her grasp of reality was announced to have gone missing from Lotus Pier.

She was walking aimlessly and lost in trance. She was found in an alley in Yiling just beside one of Yiling’s inn that used to be close to bankruptcy but in a blink of an eye, they began thriving.

“A-niang,” Jiang Wanyin had tears in his eyes as he removed the grime on his mother’s face after he wrapped a cloak around her body. She was missing for two weeks even if Jiang Wanyin had deployed the entire Yunmeng-Jiang disciples to look for her.

“It was here,” she said, eyes lost but had a glint of furry. “I should have killed him where he stood. Here!” she pointed her finger at the spot where her son was standing. “Mercy?! I should have not given him mercy!”

“A-niang, let’s go home.”

“No. I need to-“

“A-niang, please do not let me do this again.”

“NO! Zidian?! Where is Zidian?! I need to – I need to -“

And for the nth time, Jiang Wanyin locked his mother’s acupoints on her neck that rendered her unconscious. He carried him in his arms.

“Find a carriage. We are going home,” he instructed one of his disciples. 

These lines are all too familiar to Jiang Wanyin by now. Ever since the scene his mother caused in their training grounds where a lot of people witnessed it: disciples, servants, merchants, carpenters, and even passers-by… his mother seemed to have detached herself from reality.

She began talking to herself. She kept on cursing about a brat and how she should have killed him. Jiang Wanyin had to say that she was unwell during his sister’s wedding. She was not able to receive their bows and tea.

When his sister got pregnant and came to Lotus Pier to visit, his mother pushed her away and said that she did not want a grandchild that is not named Jin Rulan. They do not even know where she got the name but they know that she must still be thinking about the broken engagement.

Jin Zixuan already announced his marriage with Nie Ningning and his sister is now married to Ouyang Chen, Sect Leader Ouyang’s brother. His sister went through so much stress that day that she was advised not to come over to Lotus Pier as she almost lost the baby.

Now, Jiang Wanyin is left to take good care of their mother while he tries to make both ends meet as he runs the sect. 

Jiang Wanyin does not know the reasons behind his mother’s words.

She sometimes talks about visions. 

About alternate life. 

About her not being alone.

She even mentioned Lan Qiren and he does not know why.

Though Jiang Wanyin knew one thing.

The brat that his mother hoped to kill is none other than Wei Wuxian. 

It just developed his hatred towards the man even more. 

He is the reason why his mother became like this. 

“One day, I’ll see you again Wei Wuxian and you’ll see… you’ll see and feel what revenge of a Jiang is like. You’ll see.”

Will Jiang Wanyin ever have the chance to do such revenge he is talking about? Only time could tell.

Lan Qiren walked out of the Lanshi after his class. It has been a year since the wedding and his brother is still the Sect Leader. Wei Wuxian and Wangji are busy traveling, enjoying the world while they still can . Liu Meiyue has the same parting line to the couple each time she walks them out when they leave Cloud Recesses for their travel.

“Once we retire, it is your turn to run the sect, and my laogong and I will go and travel! You’ll send us communication talismans non-stop just to see our shadows. You’ll see!”

A lot of things happened after he received his punishment. One thing is for sure, he did not spend three years in seclusion like his nephew did in the past. He only did it to recuperate and he had a wedding to prepare… although Nie Huaisang was too excited to lead them on what to do. He and Liu Meiyue have done it after all.

He even had Madam Ni Chang’s troupe perform a script made by Qian Siuyou. Wei Wuxian cried his heart out to finally watch them live. Madam Ni Chang also gave him a special letter from Qian Siuyou for his special fan.

“He said in the letter that he was interested in our love story and I could send him a letter back. He would consider making a script or other literary work about us! He even said that perhaps, one day, he and his bounty hunter could meet Hanguangjun and Guangyuanjun! Isn’t that great?!”

Lan Qiren cannot help but smile thinking about the beautiful title that Wei Wuxian received from the people. It was simply fitting for the two of them. The light bearer and his light source. The light source and his light bearer. It is beautiful.

No one would ever hear about the Yiling Patriarch, no one even know who that is. Yiling is still the same, Burial Mounds is still there but Sect Leader Wen proposed a joint project to cleanse it since its location falls between the territory of Qishan and Yunmeng. 

They do not have a Chief Cultivator anymore. It was abolished as rumors even came out that the position was cursed. Wen Rouhan died. Jin Guangshan who was next-in-line died. They would just host discussion conferences quarterly. It was taxing but it was working for everyone. All sects get to host it and not just the great sects. Minor sects get to exhibit what is best in their sect and territory. It helped their trade and economy too.

Lan Qiren does not dwell on this though. He is a teacher and not a sect leader. He’ll leave that to his brother.

He does not leave Cloud Recesses unless needed and he does not feel any flicker of resentful energy inside him anymore. He does not regret what he did, he already paid for it too.

Lan Qiren also heard things. News travels fast and even if gossip is forbidden, people just cannot stop talking.

He heard about what happened to Yu Ziyuan. He asked him to live well, the words were said with the same intention. He did not expect this turn of events.

Lan Qiren heard that this must be her karma. He does not say anything.

“Lan-laoshi, Hanguangjun and Guangyuanjun are back. They have entered the first layer of the wards,” one of the patrols said. 

Lan Qiren found himself smiling. It has been six weeks since the two left.

“I’ll wait for them at the entrance arc,” he replied.

He patiently waited and was surprised when Wei Wuxian was cradling something in his arms while Wangji was holding a basket.

“Shushu!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed and then he winced when whatever he was cradling squirmed.

“Shufu,” his nephew greeted in a more sedate way.

“Wangji, A-Ying… what…” 

Wei Wuxian moved closer and Qiren felt his breathing hitch. 

A baby.

Just one look and he knows who it is. He will never go wrong with that cute buttoned nose and puffy cheeks. He knew he would look like this as a baby.

“How-“ he looked at the two and then he returned his eyes to look at the baby.

“We passed by Qishan before coming home as we were supposed to visit Wen-xiong, Wen-guniang and meet up with Nie-xiong in Nightless City but… a devastating landslide happened in Dafan. We went to help,” Wei Wuxian pursed his lips as he looked at the baby who was busy munching on the ends of his ribbon. 

Qiren glanced at his nephew who was looking at his husband and their child softly. He felt warmth in his heart.

“This is Lan Xun-xiong’s baby. He and his wife… they… they both died in the landslide and they – they left the baby inside the Dancing Fairy’s cave… the basket –“ Wei Wuxian glanced at the basket on Wangji’s hand. “It was hanging on one of the arms of the statue, shushu! Lan Zhan went there to check if anyone was stuck or was hiding there and he called for me when he found him!”

Qiren watched as Wei Wuxian pulled the baby closer to his arms. 

“His grandmother, Wen Jian’s mother died as well. Survivors recognized the baby but because there were a lot of people, children even... who were affected by the landslide, they will have no choice but to bring the baby to the orphanage with the rest of the children though Wen-xiong and Wen-guniang were trying to find families to keep them,” Wei Wuxian pouted.

“I know that Lan Zhan and I talked about adopting and this may be too early but… we just got too attached to this little one. He cried when someone from the orphanage took him away from Lan Zhan and I… and I just – we just… we just couldn’t leave him there, shushu.”

“We asked if we could adopt him and Wen-zongzhu agreed. Lan Xun-xiong’s family must be informed of what happened too,” Wangji supplied.

Lan Qiren nodded in understanding.

In the past, they never knew where A-Yuan came from but the child was a Lan as much as he was a Wen and a Wei the moment he was brought by Wangji in Cloud Recesses. Who would have thought that he was a son of a member of the Lan clan too? Lan Xun is one of their disciples who married out of Gusu. In the past, with all the deaths that happened during the war, Lan Qiren could only guess what happened to him if his son and wife (or only his son) ended up in the prison camp.

But that will not happen now.

A-Yuan will live in Cloud Recesses once more but now, he was brought in as a baby and not a three-year-old fevered child according to Wangji’s story to Wei Wuxian.

He’ll grow up under his parents’ care. Some things truly remain the same. He’ll get Wangji’s sense of rules, calm, and ways. He’ll get Wuxian’s charm, intelligence, and warmth. It will be a perfect combination and Lan Qiren is looking forward to seeing it.

He heard that Lan Gan who will become Lan Jingyi was born with Lan Weimin and Lan Xiang as his parents still. Jin Ling was born to Jin Zixuan and Nie Ningning. To his surprise, the name of Jiang Yanli’s son with Ouyang Chen was named Ouyang Zizhen. He is not sure if it is the same Zizhen but according to the stories of Ouyang Lian in the past, his mother kept on giving birth to girls. It would not be a surprise if Sect Leader Ouyang actually adopted his brother’s son and named him his heir. 

Their births happened not in the same order as before. The older ones became younger while the younger ones were born first. 

He will need to add to the list, Nie Xuanyu, the baby that Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen adopted from birth and has recently turned one. Is the name coincidence or is it the same Xuanyu? Lan Qiren could only guess.

Though that does not really matter as of now, Qiren just looks forward to how the future will unfold, and of course, he looks forward to having them as his students once they grow up.

“His name is A-Yuan but we never got to know the characters though.”

“The characters for to hope for.” He replied.

The two looked surprised.

“That’s beautiful, shushu.”

“Mn. Thank you, shufu.”

"Tell your father that you have your heir."

This surprised the two and then Wei Wuxian snickered while Lan Wangji"s ears turned red.

"I will, shufu."

"Now give me my grandnephew."

Lan Yuan courtesy name Sizhui. He"ll not be a memory of a lover, of a father that died for saving the innocents.

Yet he"ll ask (insist in the most Lan Qiren way) to bestow the courtesy name and he knows that his son and nephew would allow him to do so. He"ll still name him Sizhui, to remember his parents, Lan Xun, a relative who married out to join his wife, Wen Jian, and those who died in the landslide.

“Qiren! Give me my grandson! Hey! Lan Qiren where are you going?!”

“Laopo-“

“No, laogong! He cannot run away with A-Yuan. Qiren!”

“A-Ren, why don’t you-”

“You’ll have your time later, xiongzhang, saozi. It is my turn now. I was not able to play with A-Yu when they visited because of the additional classes saozi assigned to me.”

“You told me you love teaching! Qiren give me A-Yuan!”

“Later, saozi.”

And he heard Wei Wuxian’s laughter echoing and he turned to see Lan Wangji following behind. A-Yuan is excitedly squealing in his arms while tugging the ends of his forehead ribbon.

Lan Qiren found himself smiling. For now, he’ll coddle his grandnephew whom he doted on the memories of Wei Wuxian. He saw how Wei Wuxian teased him when they were having their tea for giving Sizhui candies even if he was old enough. He does not care, he’ll still do it this time… and it is not just him but his brother and sister-in-law are there too. They also have a bigger family now.

If one day, Wei Ying remembers, he’ll tell him.

If he does not, he’ll let him live his life and continue to carve his way.

He does not know what will happen to Yu Ziyuan, or Jiang Wanyin, or Yunmeng-Jiang.

Perhaps, it is karma for what she did years ago which she paid for her death.

This time, Lan Qiren thought that Yu Ziyuan would get to witness the result of her own actions but it seems like she would not be able to do so.

Still, he wishes for her safety and wellness. 

Lan Qiren did not dare to know what happened to Yu Ziyuan and Wei Wuxian and how they time traveled… how it happened and what could be the reason behind it. As nainai said, there are a lot of unexplainable phenomena that happen in the world and so he’ll let it be.

Now that the present has changed, he does not know what the future will hold.

But Lan Qiren is sure of one thing though, all will be well when the day is done.

 "Airen, it is late, we have tucked A-Yue to sleep. Are we not calling it a day yet?"

"Aiyah! Xingan, 10 more minutes!"

Sizhui paused from removing his hair ornaments as he turned around to face her. 

After returning from the Jingshi where they shared dinner with his parents who prepared the meal and some gifts for their daughter, they tucked their daughter to sleep and his wife went directly to the table to resume whatever she was doing before Sizhui fetched her for dinner.

"Airen," Sizhui approached her table as she seemed so busy that she had not lifted her head to check what he was doing.

"What is that?" He sat beside her and finally, his wife looked up with a silly grin on her face.

"I came from Tanzhou this morning."

"Yes. You accompanied some of the juniors on their night hunt yesterday. Is there something wrong?" Sizhui tilted his head and then he glanced at the table where he finally saw some parchments with scribbles and some talismans he did not recognize.

"We met a rogue cultivator."

Sizhui patiently waited for her to continue talking. His wife has a lot of similarities with his dearest baba, Wei Wuxian but if there is one thing that they are truly similar with, it would have to be the way they would tell stories. It would always sound interesting and as a doting husband that he is (something he learned from his a-die, Lan Wangji) he always gives her the reaction that she hopes for. Sizhui loves to see the smile on her face when he does it.

“She was selling these weird talismans that called the attention of the juniors.”

“You allowed them to buy some?”

“Of course not.” And then she sheepishly smiled which made Sizhui raise his brow.

“I swear, I did not intend to but she was so good at sales talking and I was curious so I approached her stall! Besides, a few silver pieces could help any rogue cultivators who are trying to earn money.”

“Airen…”

“Aiyah! Here me out, xingan!”

Sizhui hummed and reached out to check the talisman. It was made with an expert hand. The strokes were smooth, the one who made it was sure of what they were doing even if Sizhui does not understand any of the characters.

“I do not recognize this talisman, even the characters are –“

“Weird, right?”

“Mn. Perhaps, baba knows them but –“

“But I will show it to him tomorrow.”

“Because you know that a-die wouldn’t like you experimenting on strange things if you mentioned it during dinner earlier.”

His wife giggled and took another talisman to inspect it.

“She said that the one you are holding is a talisman that could grant a wish.”

“Airen, is there even such a thing?” Sizhui raised his brow as his wife grabbed the talisman from his hand.

“I don’t know but the rogue cultivator seemed trustworthy.”

“You do not even know her.”

“No, I don’t but I trust my intuition.”

Sizhui pursed his lips and hummed. The determined look on his wife’s face tells him that she is ready to defend the talismans she purchased even if it means spending another hour in front of the table instead of resting on their bed.

“She said that these talismans are special and that without having a pure intention, it will not activate.”

“Pure intention?”

“En! Something like… a wish made with a sincere heart and pure intention. It may be from the simplest one like getting dumplings for dinner because you have not tasted it for so long... or it could be odd like wishing for someone to heal from a certain sickness. The rogue cultivator said that there are no limits in coming up with your wish.”

Sizhui reached out and his wife handed it to him and he inspected it again. He does not even know if selling such bizarre talismans is allowed in Qinghe because he is sure that it is not allowed in Gusu. Nothing in the talisman looked familiar to his eyes. It will even look like scribbles in layman’s eyes.

“How could it be used by civilians since it is obviously sold to them?”

Seeing that she got his interest, his wife adjusted her position to face him even more.

“That’s the thing, activating it does not need a qi. Just this one,” his wife placed her palm on her chest where her heart is.

The more that his wife talks, the more that he thinks that it is a hoax and it will probably be confirmed by his baba tomorrow.

“I went through the research books of Wei-gonggong and I know that his books are more academic ones but I wanted to check.”

“And?”

“And if the greatest talisman maker -- inventor of his generation has not come up with something like this… what could have the rogue cultivator done to make something like this?”

“Did she have any customers who said it worked?”

The way his wife’s lips pursed as she is obviously thinking about defending the talisman again was the answer to Sizhui’s question. He could not help but smile as looked down at the talisman once more. His wife moved closer to his side.

“But think about it xingan… if this actually works… what would you wish for?”

And a lot of wishes came into Sizhui’s mind and it involves a lot of things from the past.

Even if he has long moved on from everything, he still has some what-ifs in his head. Of course, he would want to make a wish for his family… but then if there is someone whom he would use one wish for – it would be for his baba. Their protector, their savior, his a-die’s one true love. His baba deserves only good things in this world and if Sizhui could give him that, he’ll be the happiest.

“It will probably be for baba.”

Ouyang Lian smiled and nodded.

“What for Wei-gonggong?”

“I wish for him to have the best things in life… away from the pain, the suffering that he went through.”

A solemn expression passed through Lian’s face as she reached out to hold her husband’s free hand.

His baba is different now. He is happy, healthy, and loved… but Sizhui is also aware of his life in the past. His baba does not say much but Wei Wuxian became a household name and so people talk about him and Sizhui has learned to discern which of them is true and not. He is aware of what he had to go through in order to reach his current state and it is all with the help of his a-die and the important people in their lives. His baba’s past may have had some happy times but it was mostly filled with sadness, with tears, with pain and Sizhui’s heart always breaks when he hears them. 

His a-die may not have grown up in the best environment but it was truly different from the environment his baba grew up with.

“You mean away from the Jiangs?”

“Airen…”

“Am I wrong though, xingan? You wouldn’t know this since you are from the north but there came a time in the south that people talked about the late Yu-furen. I grew up hearing her name. People created myths that unruly, brat children will be taken by her and they’ll turn into – into –“ she obviously regretted saying that as she did not want to continue but Sizhui knew what’s next.

“Turn into someone like the Yiling Patriarch.”

“Xingan…”

Sizhui took a deep breath. He was probably too young at that time and truly, such myths never reached the south. The south had their own stories about the Yiling Patriarch in the 16 years that his baba was dead. His a-die made sure that he’ll learn about the Yiling Patriarch when he was older and could understand and weigh things properly.

“Jiang-zongzhu was so angry when he heard about it and lashed out -- getting angry with how people besmirch his mother’s name and connecting it to… someone like the Yiling Patriarch.”

“Baba does not say a lot about his life as a Jiang but… with all the stories that people, especially the older ones could still tell about him, about the Jiangs and the life in Lotus Pier before the war… I just – I just cannot imagine how he suffered and survived that. The verbal, physical…. Emotional abuse… I just – I just cannot imagine.”

“Oh, xingan.”

“So if I could make a wish, it would be for him not to experience such pain any more. I’d wish the same for a-die, for Ning-shushu and the family that I never got to meet.”

“Oh, xingan, come here.” Ouyang Lian pulled her husband in her embrace and hugged him like the way she hugs their little A-Yue to comfort her when their three-year-old daughter gets upset.

Ouyang Lian did not expect that a talk over a bizarre talisman made by a rogue cultivator would turn out this way. She is aware of how life was not kind to his in-laws, especially his Wei-gonggong. She is also aware of how much her husband loves his two fathers the most, Wen Qionglin, and his Wen family. Her heart broke and she loved him more the moment the esteemed Lan Sizhui bore his heart out to her and told her about his past.

She looked down at the talisman that her husband was holding and she carefully took it from him.

“Such a wish with a sincere heart and pure intention, I hope it comes true.”

Sizhui chuckled as he lifted his head from his wife’s shoulder and moved to fix her hair.

“Baba is living his best life with a-die now. What I said is just wishful thinking.”

“And there is nothing wrong with wishful thinking.”

Sizhui watched as his wife used the talismans as a bookmark on the research book by his baba and she closed it.

“Come, let us call it a day. I’ll go through that talisman tomorrow with Wei-gonggong. If it is unsafe, it is only right to inform Nie-zongzhu about this.”

Sizhui helped his wife stand up and they headed to their bed as his wife helped him remove his remaining hair ornaments.

Later that night, the couple turned off the lights with a wave of their hand after they checked their daughter who had successfully removed the blanket they tucked her in. The couple then exchanged a short kiss, sweet I love yous, and a promise of bringing A-Yue to Caiyi the next day as their daughter requested for it with a cute pout on her face.

In the silence of the night, one of the talismans stuck between the pages of the research book lit up. Wisps of light in different colors danced with the wind that colored the inside of the Hanshi, the current Sect Leader’s residence. It lasted for a few seconds before finally, the wisps dissipated and the peaceful night of the Hanshi continued once more.

Time will continue in this world while a new world was created… bringing back two souls that would fulfill the wish made with a sincere heart and pure intention. As they say, there are a lot of unexplainable phenomena – unexplainable things in our lives that sometimes, we just have to live with it.

Miles away from Cloud Recesses, a rogue cultivator in white smiled as the talisman burned in her hand.

“All will be well, all will be well.” She raised her hand as the ashes from the burned talisman flew in the air.

Adjusting the weimao on her head, she continued walking, trudging to where her feet would take her. Another wish was made and it will probably take some time before another wish made with a sincere heart and pure intention will be made.

“All will be well now.”