Chapter Text
Their time in the Cloud Recesses was so nice it almost made Wei Wuxian forget they would have to leave soon. He wished more than anything he didn’t have to leave again, and that he didn’t have to explain to the kids why they had to leave again. But war didn’t wait for anyone, and if he wanted to ensure all of their safety he would need to fight in it. Their original plan had been to leave exactly a week after A-Bao’s birthday but they were delayed another week when Lan Zhan’s rut approached. Unlike Wei Wuxian, who normally had heats around four times a year, though he hadn’t really had any in the past two years with his pregnancies, Lan Zhan only had a rut twice a year. He supposed it was lucky it happened while they were still in the comfort of their home and nest instead of in the middle of some war camp, and Wei Wuxian certainly wasn’t going to protest spending a few more days alone with his husband before returning to reality. Per Lan Minxin’s request, he made extra sure to use some of the contraceptive herbs she had given him.
When the time finally came for them to leave again, they were seen off at the gate by Huaisang, “Make sure to let Da-ge and Xichen-ge know that A-Hui and A-Lian are both doing good. Honestly, A-Hui is going to say his first words anytime, he was so close to saying ‘Mei’ the other day. Oh, I wish they could both be here for it,” he sighed mournfully.
“Nie-xiong,” Wei Wuxian said, placing a hand on his friends shoulder to stop his ranting, “We’ll let them know, don’t worry.”
“Thanks Wei-xiong,” he sighed again, “And I promise to look after all your little ones as well! With the way things are going, I’m going to claim the spot of favorite uncle from A-Cheng and Xichen-ge before they even realize it.”
“I would say don’t let Jiang Cheng hear you say that, but I think you’re the only person other than Shijie who he can’t seem to get mad at,” Wei Wuxian huffed in amusement.
Right before they were about to leave, Lan Qiren appeared at the top of the path, walking towards them. Wei Wuxian stared in surprise, they had already made a formal goodbye to his uncle-in-law, so why was he here now?
“Wangji, Wuxian,” Lan Qiren acknowledged them as he came to a stop in front of them.
“Shufu,” Wei Wuxian lowered his head respectfully, “is there something we’ve forgotten.”
Lan Zhan stood behind him, his eyes averted and a sour look on his face. Despite Wei Wuxian’s insistence that he was fine and they should put the disagreement behind them, his husband had yet to forgive Lan Qiren. He almost wanted to laugh at the borderline petulant gesture.
Lan Qiren noticed his younger nephew's moodiness and sighed deeply, before returning his attention to Wei Wuxian, “I have chosen.”
“Chosen what?” Wei Wuxian tilted his head to the side in confusion, “Oh!” He exclaimed, “a courtesy name for A-Yue?”
Lan Qiren nodded his head in confirmation, “Dongmei.”
Wei Wuxian considered the name. Winter plum. It was cute, and fitting considering she had been born in the middle of winter. And though her eyes were a lighter shade and brighter hue than a typical plum, the second character of her courtesy name seemed to be in honor of them, “I like it!” he grinned, turning to Lan Zhan, “What do you think A-Zhan?”
“Acceptable,” Lan Zhan nodded at his assessment, still refusing to look at his uncle- really, Wei Wuxain was going to have to have a talk with him about this petty streak of his if it kept up.
“Come on now Lan Zhan, it’s our daughter’s courtesy name, surely we can get an opinion more than acceptable,” he teased, “Don’t you think it’s cute? It fits her, Shufu picked well didn’t he?”
Never in his life would Wei Wuxian think he would have to defend Lan Qiren to Lan Zhan of all people. He couldn’t deny his husband’s protectiveness caused a spike of heat to go through his stomach. But as hot as it was, he really didn’t want to stuck between those two being mad at each other, because it was inevitably going to become his problem more than either of theirs.
Lan Zhan sent him a deadpan look as if to say ‘I know what you’re doing’ at the prompting, “It is a good name, it will serve A-Yue well,” he elaborated after a few seconds of silence.
Lan Qiren made a dismissive noise at his nephew's words, clearly annoyed at Lan Zhan’s borderline petulant attitude with him, before returning his attention to Wei Wuxian, “And you,” He raised an eyebrow at the sudden stern address, “The moment I catch wind you lost control for even a moment, I am telling Xichen to order you back to Cloud Recesses. You may be determined to go against everyone who has advised you to stop this heretical path, but Xichen is still your clan leader, and I expect you to obey him.”
“Of course, Shufu,” Wei Wuxian replied, “But there’s no need to worry, I won’t lose control.”
Lan Qiren made a brief noise of disbelief before turning on his heels to return to the Cloud Recesses. Even if something did happen that made Lan Qiren deem that he should return to the Cloud Recesses, he was pretty sure he would be able to convince Xichen-ge not to order him away.
“Would you really return so easily if you were told?” Huaisang asked disbelievingly, a subtly amused expression hidden behind his fan as he spoke.
Wei Wuxian grinned in return, “If Xichen-ge ordered it, I guess I’d have to go. But I’m pretty sure I can convince him not to send me home, if it came to that. I’m very convincing and Xichen-ge wouldn’t have the heart to send me away,” he bragged.
Lan Zhan had a deep frown on his face, his brow furrowed adorably. Wei Wuxian couldn’t resist the urge to poke the concerned wrinkles, grinning when his husband blinked and glanced over at him, “Don’t worry so much, you’ll get wrinkles,” he teased.
His mate didn’t appear at all appeased by his light-hearted tone, if anything he seemed more worried. It had been like for the past few days as their time to leave Gusu slowly approached, Lan Zhan had become more tense and and overprotective, barely leaving his side for even a moment. Wei Wuxian had thought it was the aftereffects of his rut making him more territorial and defensive, but his rut had ended three days ago, it definitely couldn’t be attributed to that anymore.
He sighed, having a feeling what this was going to be about, “Well, thanks for seeing us off Nie-xiong, we’ll let Nie-zongzhu and Xichen-ge know you and the twins are doing well,” he said.
Huaisang got the hint, glancing between the two of them before making a quick exit. Once Huaisang was gone and they were alone, Wei Wuxian turned back to his husband, pouting, “Ok, what’s been up with you lately Lan Zhan. You’ve been pissy and moody for days,” he pointed out. Though his mate had never been cold with him, most of the Lan disciples had been giving him a wide berth in the past few days, seeing his cold expression, even fiercer than usual and deciding they didn’t want to cross his path.
Lan Zhan looked morose as he bowed his head, “Wei Ying, I… must apologize,” he said.
“Don’t apologize,” Wei Wuxian shook his head in bewilderment, “What do you even have to apologize for? And what happened to the whole ‘no thank yous or sorrys between us’ huh?”
Lan Zhan did not raise his head, though Wei Wuxian could see the way his jaw tensed at his words, “I do not deserve such trust from you.”
“What are you talking about?” Wei Wuxian said, feeling nervous all of a sudden as he sidled closer to his mate, leaning against his arm. “There is nothing you could ever do to lose my trust.”
“You would not say such if you knew my thoughts,” he said sadly, finally making eye contact with him again and displaying miserable golden eyes, “I do not deserve Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian tightened his hands around Lan Zhan’s arm, “Please don’t say that,” he replied, pressing his face into the crook of Lan Zhan’s neck, “Please never say that again. Just talk to me, tell me what’s wrong.”
Lan Zhan breathed out an uncharacteristically shaky breath, “I have been having thoughts.”
“So you’ve said,” Wei Wuxian replied, “If it’s your dislike for my new cultivation method, don’t let it bother you so much. I never expected you to embrace demonic cultivation with open arms, the fact you continue to stand by me and defend me to others is more than I could ever ask of you.”
“It should not be,” Lan Zhan replied mulishly, “You could demand anything of me, I would give it.”
“Anything?” Wei Wuxian asked with a mischievous smile. Lan Zhan nodded earnestly in reply and Wei Wuxian pretended to think on it for a moment before answering, “I want Lan Zhan to tell me what thoughts he’s been having that have made him so sad,” because this surely couldn’t be solely about his cultivation method, there had to be something he was missing here.
Lan Zhan glanced away, an almost embarrassed look on his face, his ears tinged pink, “...I am not not sad, but rather angry.”
“Angry?” Wei Wuxian questioned with a frown.
“Angry with myself,” Lan Zhan clarified, “For thinking it. For… enjoying the thought of it.”
Wei Wuxian stayed quiet as he waited for his mate to elaborate, wondering what his ever so righteous husband could possibly have plaguing his thoughts he was so embarrassed to admit to even Wei Wuxian, “...I want to keep you here, hide you away from the world. Keep you still and in one place, where I always know where you are and can protect you.”
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian said softly at his husband’s confession, “You know if I don’t fight in this war so many people will needlessly die. I have the power to make a difference, if I don’t use it then it will weigh on me for the rest of my life. You know I cannot stay in Gusu, especially knowing that you will be out there fighting without me to watch your back,” he said in a gentle voice, not wanting Lan Zhan to think he was mad at him. Sure it was a little surprising to hear the lengths he wanted to go to to keep him safe, but he had always known Lan Zhan could be a little overprotective. He didn’t mind it, liked it even, he was the same way when it came to his mate. But the fact Lan Zhan hadn’t acted on those desires because he knew it would not be what he wanted was proof enough to Wei Wuxian that his husband wasn’t overbearing or controlling.
“I am aware,” Lan Zhan replied, moving an arm to wrap around Wei Wuxian’s waist when he realized Wei Wuxian wasn’t mad at him.
“But you aren’t happy with it?” Wei Wuxian surmised for him based on the tightness to his voice, “Theres nothing wrong with that. You just want to protect me, I know that,” he reassured his husband, “But I don’t need you to protect me right now, I need you to stand at my side.”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan rumbled, the noise reluctant but accepting. Wei Wuxian grinned, leaning up to press a kiss to his husbands cheek, “My Lan Zhan,” he crooned happily, nuzzling closer, “Never think I would be mad at you over something so trivial. If anything the sentiment is sweet, it just shows you care for me. And the fact you didn’t act on the desire shows you care about me even more.”
Lan Zhan seemed much more relaxed now that he had told Wei Wuxian of the thoughts that had been troubling him and not had them met with disgust, “Besides,” Wei Wuxian added, unable to miss the opportunity to tease, “It’s kind of hot. After the war is over, I wouldn’t be against the fearsome Lan-er-gongzi capturing this lowly demonic cultivator and locking him up in his quarters for nefarious purposes.”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan scolded in a strained voice as the arm around his waist tightened, “Do not tease,” he said through grit teeth.
Wei Wuxian just laughed brightly at his husbands ears flushed bright red in embarrassment.
————
They traveled quickly, their destination was not far from Gusu. Apparently, the main force of the sunshot campaign was currently located in Langya, right outside of Lanling. The Wen clan had seen Jin Guangshan’s inaction and marked the Jin as the easiest target to eliminate. Predictably, Jin Guangshan had pretended he’d always been on the alliance’s side when he saw the Wen troops at his doorstep and needed to call for help.
It grated on his nerves. The man could spend months sitting on his ass and not lifting a finger to help, yet the moment he was in trouble they were forced to go to his aid. But the Jin clan was more than their leader. It was Jin Zixuan’s clan too and the sect his Shijie would marry into in the future. And to let them fall to the Wen would only come back to hurt them. At least now Jin Guangshan had been made quite aware of the threat to himself if he continued to stay out of the conflict. He couldn’t refuse to send aid anymore, not when he owed his life to the sunshot campaign alliance dropping everything to come to aid him.
They were met at the gates by Meng Yao the moment they touched down from their swords. He looked different, gone were the simple, worn robes he’d worn when they had met him in the unclean realm. In the months he had gone from a slightly underfed bookkeeper to a promising cultivator. He was dressed in dark green and brown robes that looked far finer of a quality than ones belonging to a mere disciple. His hair was done in Nie braids and decorated with a silver hair piece engraved with swirling cloud motifs. The white sword gifted to him by Xichen-ge strapped to his waist.
Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow as he took in Meng Yao’s appearance, glancing over to Lan Zhan subtly to see what he thought, and meeting a blank expression. He looked back to Meng Yao with a grin, “long time no see Meng-xiong, you certainly look nice.”
Lan Zhan made an annoyed noise and Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but snort in amusement, glancing over at the borderline pout on his husband’s face, “don’t get jealous,” he teased, noticing his reaction to his previous words, “it’s true, he does look good, doesn’t he?”
“Ah, there’s no need, Wei-gongzi,” Meng Yao assured him, casting a slightly nervous smile towards Lan Zhan’s dark expression, “but the compliment is appreciated.”
Wei Wuxian snickered as Meng Yao hurried to change the subject, “Er-ge instructed me to bring you to him the moment you arrive. If you’ll please follow me,” he bowed, so demure and graceful with the gesture you would think he was raised as a young lord of a cultivation sect his entire life and not just the few months since Xichen-ge found him.
Meng Yao led them through the camp, receiving and giving greetings to the various disciples they passed. Most of them bowed their heads respectfully at him and Lan Zhan, trying to hide their obvious curiosity as they snuck peeks at him. No doubt most of them had heard of him going missing, it was natural they were curious now that he had returned. Lan Zhan’s expression soured at each pair of eyes that tracked his movement, much to Wei Wuxian’s amusement.
They were brought to a tent in the center of the camp, guarded by two Lan disciples who bowed respectfully at their arrival, “Lan-er-gongzi, Wei-gongzi, this disciple greets you,” they both said.
Lan Zhan accepted the greeting with a brief nod before walking into the tent after Meng Yao, Wei Wuxian at his side.
Inside the tent, the air was thick with tension. Xichen-ge was seated on one side of the table with a carefully blank expression on his face, a far cry from his normally serene smile. Nie-zongzhu was standing at his side with a borderline furious look in his eyes as he stared down Jin Guangshan at the other end of the table.
“Da-ge, Er-ge,” Meng Yao addressed Xichen-ge and Nie-zongzhu much to Wei Wuxian’s surprise. Da-ge? Er-ge? He mouthed to Lan Zhan, wondering if his husband knew something about the sudden familial address.
Lan Zhan’s eyebrows knit together ever so slightly, clearly he was just as unaware of what had happened between the three of them as Wei Wuxian was, “A-Xian, Wangji,” Xichen-ge said their names with a sigh of relief, standing up in order to walk over to them. He took in their confused expressions and Wei Wuxian’s subtle glances towards a slightly embarrassed Meng Yao, “Oh, you wouldn’t have heard yet,” he shook his head, “recently, A-Yao swore brotherhood with me and A-Jue,” he explained.
That certainly explained why Meng Yao was dressed in such fine robes and wearing both Lan and Nie symbols with such ease and confidence. Wei Wuxian grinned, “oh, does that make him somewhat of my brother-in-law as well then!” Wei Wuxian asked, directing his attention to Meng Yao, “how old are you? I wanna know if I’m getting a new little brother or a new older one?”
“I turn twenty-two four days from now,” Meng Yao replied, his wide eyes showing his bewilderment at the course of the conversation.
Wei Wuxian pouted, “I’m twenty-one, I suppose that makes you older. What a shame, I wanted another younger brother,” he sighed mournfully.
“Meng?” an inquisitive hum came from the other end of the tent, reminding Wei Wuxian of the unwelcome company. Meng Yao tensed minutely, “Where have I heard that name before,” Jin Guangshan mused thoughtfully to himself, “Boy, look at me,” he suddenly commanded.
Meng Yao froze for a moment, before looking up and turning to Jin Guangshan. There was a hopeful look in his eyes, an almost desperate yearning barely hidden behind his expression as Jin Guangshan stared at him with narrowed eyes. There was a moment where the Jin leader’s eyes flashed with recognition, his mouth quirking up slightly in amusement. Meng Yao opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but before he could, Nie-zongzhu spoke in a low voice, “A-Yao, you’re dismissed for now. Go back to your quarters.”
“Da-ge?” Meng Yao stuttered slightly in surprise, “But-”
“That wasn’t a suggestion San-di, go,” he said firmly, his eyes narrowed in anger never straying from Jin Guangshan as he spoke to his new sworn brother.
Meng Yao’s friendly demeanor dropped for a minute as he looked at Nie-zongzhu in betrayal. When his eldest sworn brother didn’t relent he glanced at Xichen-ge with a pleading look. Xichen-ge gave him an apologetic smile, eyes wary as he observed Jin Guangshan, “Listen to A-Jue, I will come see you after everything is handled here,” he promised. Jin Guangshan didn’t even hide the fact he was watching the proceedings with amused interest, Wei Wuxian wondered what the story here was.
Meng Yao looked even more dismayed at Xichen-ge’s dismissal. He looked like he wanted to argue, but instead he screwed up his mouth into a forced polite expression, bowed stiffly to his eldest sworn brother and made a quick exit from the tent. The moment the flap shut behind him, Jin Guangshan finally spoke again, “I had heard you and your mate had taken on a shared sworn brother, but I did not expect it would be one of my bastards,” he snorted in amusement. Wei Wuxian tensed at the lack of respect in his address towards Xichen-ge, merely reducing him to only Nie-zongzhu’s mate, but Xichen-ge seemed unbothered, no doubt used to it from the man.
“I fail to see how matters pertaining to my sworn brother are any of your business,” Nie-zongzhu retorted sharply.
“Doesn’t pertain to me? The boy is my son, can I not be a little suspicious what your motivations in elevating him to such a high status and hiding him from me are?” Jin Guangshan replied.
“There are no ulterior motives,” Xichen-ge calmly interjected, “A-Yao saved my life, and has since proven to be a promising cultivator and talented strategist. There is no other motive for me and my mate to swear brotherhood with him other than fondness.”
Jin Guangshan looked skeptical, though Wei Wuxian doubted the man had ever done anything that didn’t directly benefit him ever before in his life, “the boy clearly wished to speak with me, why send him away, like some dirty secret you don’t wish me to know about? To deprive a son from meeting his father, how cruel of you Nie-zongzhu. I have more of a right to him than you do after all,” he asked smugly.
“A-Yao is not a toy to be tugged in in whatever direction amuses you,” Xichen-ge said darkly, his voice harsher than he was used to hearing from his kind brother-in-law, “You lost the right to claim him when you had your men throw him out of Koi tower when he was fifteen for the simple ‘crime’ of wishing to meet his father.”
Wei Wuxian did his best to hide his reactions to the new information, feeling as if he was invading on a private conversation right now. Meng Yao being a Jin bastard was new information, but not too much of a surprise. He clearly had cultivators in his ancestry based on how he’d managed to pick up the art even starting this late in life, and Jin Guangshan certainly had enough bastards running around.
“No need to get so temperamental,” Jin Guangshan rolled his eyes, “I swear all you omegas are the same, so emotional, not even the precious first jade of the Lan clan is free from the hysterics of his secondary gender.”
“Speak about my mate again and I will cut your heart out with Baxia,” Nie-zongzhu snapped, his sword vibrating on his back with the desire to be freed from it’s sheath to seek the blood of the one who had insulted Xichen-ge. Lan Zhan looked similarly furious, but Xichen-ge subtly reached out a hand to grip his upper arm for a moment, a small shake of his head telling his brother to stand down. Wei Wuxian was itching to draw Suibian, but Xichen-ge shot him a pointed look.
“A-Jue,” Xichen-ge said, “relax, it is fine,” Wei Wuxian seethed where he stood. It was in no way ‘fine’, Xichen-ge should not have to bear insults from other clan leaders just because of his secondary gender, “Jin-zongzhu, I am only recently reunited with my brother and his husband, if it is ok with you, I would request we suspend these talks until tomorrow.”
Jin Guangshan shot Nie-zongzhu an amused look before looking back towards Xichen-ge, “How could I deny such a polite request. And of course family is important to me as well, I understand your desire to catch up with Lan-er-gongzi. We can reconvene and finish this discussion tomorrow,” he said the last part as if it had been his idea from the start. Jin Guangshan didn’t seem bothered by the fact Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan, and Nie-zongzhu were staring him down with barely restrained fury as he leisurely made his way out of the tent.
Once he was gone, Nie-zongzhu stormed to the entrance of the tent, “Nie Zhonghui,” he said in a commanding voice, “Go to A-Yao’s quarters and keep and eye on him, if Jin guangshan tries to speak with him you have my permission to deny him.”
Nie Zonghui bowed and hurried to follow his irate clan leaders instructions. Wei Wuxian frowned as Nie-zongzhu walked back inside, “Do you really think Jin Guangshan would try something. I mean, even if he is an asshole, Meng-xiong is his son.”
“I don’t worry he will hurt him, but Meng Yao is eager to please. I’m not even giving that asshole a chance to manipulate him with the promise of an acknowledgment he’ll never even get,” Nie-zongzhu hissed furiously.
Xichen-ge had a guilty look on his face, “I do not wish to order A-Yao around, but he has always wished for his father’s recognition. I fear Jin-zongzhu will use that against him. If that were to come to pass it would not only hurt A-Yao a lot, it is unlikely Jin-zongzhu would recognize him as a legitimate child. And even if he did, it would not be the life A-Yao wishes for. He would be looked down on in Koi tower,” Xichen-ge said with a concerned furrow to his brow.
“He has respect in Qinghe, the disciples love him and he has already proven he fits in well, Huaisang loves him, and he’s already proven to be an invaluable advisor” Nie-zongzhu added, “With Jin Guangshan’s less than respectful view of omegas, I’m not letting him ruin his life chasing approval of a man who will never respect or care for him. Theres a reason I rejected Jin Guangshan’s proposal to marry Huaisang to one of his nephews, I would never marry my brother off into that pit of snakes.”
“A-Yao will be a little upset, but I’m sure he will come to understand we’re trying to look out for him,” Xichen-ge said hopefully.
Wei Wuxian wasn’t so sure though. If Meng Yao was truly determined to speak to his father, then he would do it whether Xichen-ge and Nie-zongzhu wanted him to or not, he would just do it behind their back. Wei Wuxian would know, he had been told more times than he could count not to something, it only ever made him want to do it even more, “He’s going to do it anyway, you know that right? Now that he thinks his father wants to talk to him, he’ll just do it behind your backs,” Wei Wuxian commented idly.
Three pairs of confused eyes turned to him, and Wei Wuxian almost snorted at the aghast expression on Xichen-ge’s face, “Sorry Xichen-ge, not everyone is raised like you Lans to obey and follow the rules,” he snickered, “I’ve caused enough trouble and broken enough rules in my life to know Meng-xiong isn’t going to let this go just because you said so.”
“Talk to him,” Lan Zhan finally spoke up, “Address your concerns,” he added, glancing over at Wei Wuxian, clearly remembering their own conversation from before they left.
“If what you say is true, he may not believe me,” Xichen-ge sighed fretfully.
Wei Wuxian shrugged, “He’ll realize in his own time then. But if you try to control him it will only anger him and make him want to do the opposite of what you ask.”
Xichen-ge considered their words, before nodding hesitantly, “I will speak to him about it later, for now, catch us up on everything that has happened since you’ve gone missing. I received a letter from saying you’ve had another child? Is it true?”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan hummed with a pleased expression on his face, “Lan Yue.”
Xichen-ge’s face softened, “Congratulations you two, I know the timing isn’t optimal, but with the Cloud Recesses back under Lan control and relatively far away from most of the fighting, your new little one and the other kids should be safe there.”
“Ah, speaking of that,” Wei Wuxian said, “Nie-xiong wanted me to let you know that A-Lian and A-Hui are doing well. They’re getting quite big, Nie-xiong thinks A-Hui will say his first word any day now.”
Xichen-ge’s eyes shined slightly at the news, a sad smile on his face, “Thank you for telling us, Huaisang keeps us updated with letters, but they sometimes take a while to get to us while the army is moving.”
Nie-zongzhu placed a hand on Xichen-ge’s shoulder, rubbing his thumb in circles idly as he comforted his mate, “We will see them again soon, A-Huan,” he said in a low rumbling voice. Xichen-ge smiled gratefully at his mate, placing his own hand over Nie-zongzhu’s in return before he looked back at them and gestured for them to continue, “So, I have a new niece then, Lan Yue, you said?”
Wei Wuxian nodded proudly, “Lan Yue, courtesy Dongmei, shufu picked the courtesy name,” he added, “There is something you should know, and it cannot be shared outside of this tent.”
Nie-zongzhu raised an eyebrow, a curious gleam in his eyes, “The period I was missing was because I was trapped in the burial mounds,” he admitted, watching as Xichen-ge’s face fell, “Wen Chao captured me while I was on my way back to Qinghe and threw me in there.”
“What?” Xichen-ge breathed, his face paling significantly. Even Nie-zongzhu looked surprised, “I managed to get out after a few months, obviously, but in order to do so I had to take up demonic cultivation.”
He watched Xichen-ge process the new information, a conflicted look on his face, “Well, that’s…. All that matter is you survived,” Xichen-ge eventually said carefully, “Theres no need for anyone else to know what means you had to resort to, and I’m sure Shufu and Wangji have already informed you the Lan clan doesn’t punish people for breaking the rules when it’s a requirement for their survival.”
Wei Wuxian made an awkward clicking sound behind his teeth, not eager to explain this again, “I’m aware, but I’m not going to stop using it now that I’ve learned how to control it. You have to see how useful it could be during this war,” he pointed out.
Xichen-ge glanced over him with a worried expression, as if he expected to see some visible injuries or signs of resentment, “A-Xian, there’s no need to resort to such unorthodox methods to win this war. We can defeat the Wen without it, to use it is an unnecessary risk.”
“You don’t know that, and either way, this power could save the lives of countless of our soldiers. The Wen will not be expecting it, they’ll have no way to defend against it, I can take out waves of them all on my own,” he explained passionately.
Xichen-ge looked a little bewildered, his eyes flickering over to Lan Zhan as if he expected his brother to say something about this, to protest like he was. Lan Zhan had the same contemplative frown on his face he got everytime Wei Wuxian’s demonic cultivation was brought up, but he didn’t say anything to back up his brothers worries.
At his brothers lack of words, Xichen-ge shook his head in disbelief, “And Wangji and Shufu both agreed to this?” he asked, an almost hint of worry in his tone, as if he felt like he was going insane that his far stricter brother and uncle had nothing to say about Wei Wuxian’s demonic cultivation.
“I wouldn’t say Shufu allowed it, he lectured me for quite a while on why I shouldn’t use it, Lan Zhan was the same. But I told both of them, and I’ll tell you now, I’m going to do this. I’m not asking for permission, the only way Lan Zhan or Shufu could have stopped me was if they locked me up or something,” he said resolutely.
He watched Xichen-ge’s worry flicker to horror for a moment, and too late, Wei Wuxian realized what he must be thinking about hearing those words. No doubt, Xichen-ge, was remembering how his father had locked up his mother. God, Wei Wuxian felt like a jerk now, he hadn’t meant it like that at all, it was a completely different situation.
“Very well,” Xichen-ge agreed quickly after that, “but please recognize you are doing this against the advice of many people who care about you A-Xian,” he pleaded.
“Don’t worry Xichen-ge, I know what I’m doing,” he assured his brother-in-law. With Xichen-ge’s agreement, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but wonder what Nie-zongzhu would say. He had stayed mostly quiet as he watched the proceedings with a critical eye, not commenting on Wei Wuxian’s new cultivation at all, “And you, Nie-zongzhu?” he asked out loud, “Are you in agreement about me using demonic cultivation for the duration of this war?”
The man scoffed to himself, “You’re A-Huan’s disciple, his decision on this is all that matters. If he agrees to it, then that’s the end of it. But if you’re asking for my personal opinion, I think you’re overconfident and don’t know when to quit kid.”
Wei Wuxian couldn’t help feeling a little affronted by that. Overconfident? Maybe, but didn’t he have a right to be after inventing an entire new form of cultivation, something that people have tried and failed to do for generations in the past, and which he had achieved in only a few months. Couldn’t he be proud of that, and shouldn’t he know the limits of his new cultivation better than anybody? And calling him kid, as if he wasn’t twenty-one years old and a parent on top of that.
“I can assure you Nie-zongzhu, I know how to handle it, I’m not going to lose control,” he said with a sour expression on his face. Nie-zongzhu huffed, clearly not convinced.
“Ah,” Xichen-ge coughed politely to stop the growing tension in the room, “You two are probably tired after your journey, I can show you to your tent. You can tell me more about my new niece.”
“Thank you Xiongzhang,” Lan Zhan finally spoke, giving his brother a respectful nod. As they walked through the camp, for once, Lan Zhan did most of the talking as he told Xichen-ge more about A-Yue. All things considered, his conversation with Xichen-ge and Nie-zongzhu had gone very well, far better than the one with Lan Qiren, though that had been expected. He hadn’t been lying when he told them he would set off on his own if they tried to stop him, but he was glad it hadn’t come to that point to begin with.
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A few days after reuniting with Xichen-ge and Nie-zongzhu, he and Lan Zhan were sent to Jiangling to meet up with Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan’s forces. They had reclaimed much of the region, but Lotus Pier was still under Wen control. From the report they’d heard from Xichen-ge, the two forces were at somewhat of a stalemate. The Wens were holed up in Lotus Pier, and Jiang Cheng didn’t have the numbers to do a frontal assault to reclaim. Attacking by water was out of the question since of the great clans, the Jiang and the Jin were the two with the naval forces. Obviously all the boats belonging to Lotus Pier were now under Wen control, and Jin Guangshan was having to be needled by Xichen-ge and Nie-zongzhu to send his ships as help. According to the Jin leader, with Lanling so close to being attacked he couldn’t possibly send all his ships away to help Lotus Pier. It sounded like a load of bullshit to Wei Wuxian, why were they even letting this man call the shots still. Were the Jin really important enough that they were just supposed to let Jin Guangshan walk all over them?
The resentment curled unhappily in his gut every time he thought of that man. He knew it wasn’t the most smart political move, but often he found himself wondering why they didn’t just kill him and let Jin Zixuan take over. Realistically he knew that would be a disaster, but he wouldn’t lie and say the thought wasn’t tempting. It was a testament to Xichen-ge’s patience that he could deal with that asshole at all. Wei Wuxian had only sat in on two meetings with him before his brother-in-law had kindly informed him that it might be better for him not to come to negotiations. In his defense he’d only made like three snide comments and Jin Guangshan had deserved all of them.
It was a relief when they finally left the camp to head to Jiangling. Xichen-ge saw them off, accompanied by Meng Yao. He seemed to be in a better mood, so Wei Wuxian assumed that Xichen-ge had followed their advice and tried to talk to him. He doubted the other man would just give up on his hope to be acknowledged by his father, but for his sake, Wei Wuxian hoped he came to his senses about the Jin leader soon. Nie-zongzhu and Xichen-ge had absolutely gone about it the wrong way by trying to hide Meng Yao and keep him away from Jin Guangshan, but their reasoning had still been sound. Meng Yao would never get any respect in Koi tower, maybe he would if Jin Zixuan was leader, but while his father was in charge it held true. Right now he had two sect leaders not only in his debt, but also immensely fond of him, enough to make him their sworn brother. If he was smart he’d realize where he should throw his lot in.
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Returning to Yunmeng came with a slew of emotions for Wei Wuxian. The cool, spring air, only just beginning to carry the humidity that he was used to growing up felt so nice. It was different than the air in Gusu, which was always sharp and clear from being high up in the mountains. He was home.
Yet, any relief he felt at being in Yunmeng again, was tinged with bitterness, remembering all that happened here. He still regretted not being here during the initial attack. If he’d only left a few days earlier from Qinghe he would have been there to help defend Lotus Pier. He knew that ‘what if’ would haunt him forever. All he could do about it now was find Wen Chao and make him pay for what he’d done. He wouldn’t rest into Lotus Pier was in Jiang Cheng’s hands again.
They arrived at Jiangling mid-afternoon, opting to fly straight there from Langya instead of stopping. The sooner they arrived, the closer he was to his revenge. And as he got closer to Lotus Pier that desire for vengeance only grew stronger, the spirits that followed him whispered in glee as they realized how close they were to the revenge that Wei Wuxian had promised them they could enact. All the resentful ghosts under his command wanted revenge for something, it was a main reason they couldn’t pass on. Some of them were more aware than others, but a majority of them had devolved so far they didn’t even recognize the original object of their hatred anymore. Those ones were easy to control, he simply made his own desire for vengeance theirs. He gave them a target to direct their hate towards, and even if it wasn’t the person they originally desired revenge against, it was enough to fulfill their desire and send them off into the reincarnation cycle. The ones who were more aware of themselves, or who had died more recently, were harder. They had to be cajoled into helping him, often fighting against him to try and push him to follow their will and seek out whatever they wanted revenge against. Wei Wuxian was very persuasive though, he could lead the more difficult ghosts with enough convincing and a few songs from his flute.
Swarms of resentment were even better. Countless resentful spirits coming together in the same place until there was no distinguishing them from another and they merged into a cloud of resentment that could be easily controlled and shaped to his will. There had been plenty of those in the burial mounds, it was shame he couldn’t bring them with him, to use and control at his will. Though he supposed Lan Zhan would be worried if he saw a cloud of resentment following him at all times.
As morbid as it was to think about, there were plenty of spirits to control in times of war. As they made their way to Jiangling, he could feel so many of them, freshly dead, practically reaching out to him to beg him to let them get their vengeance. Some of them clung to him, invisible to the eye, but he could feel their presence trailing him, like scavengers waiting for a scrap to be thrown to him. He had no problem with the new company, it would only give him more to work with when it finally came to a battle. And Lan Zhan couldn't see them so he wouldn’t worry.
By the time they made it to the outskirts of the Jiang-Jin camp in Jiangling, Wei Wuxian had a few dozen spirits clambering for his attention. He hadn’t even had to summon them, it was almost laughably easy, a few notes on Chenqing and they would be rushing to follow orders. Nothing like some of the more difficult spirits who had fought against his hold in the burial mounds.
The moment they stepped foot into the camp, dozens of eyes went to him. Everyone’s expressions frozen in shock as if they had seen a dead man come back to life. It remained like that until a loud wail interrupted the sudden lull into silence. A small form blurred through the crowd and tackled his middle in a hug, “Da-shixiong, you’re alive!” Shuang Yun, one of his old shidi’s, sniffled.
“I’m alive,” he guaranteed, “I’m more happy to see you’re alive after what happened to Lotus Pier,” he said with a sad smile, patting the boys head gently.
The kid sniffled and pulled back, “A-Jie and I were visiting Zufu, we were about to head back to Lotus Pier when we got the news.”
“A-Yun, what are you doing,” Snapped another familiar voice, as if summoned by her younger brother’s comment. Shuang Minxiu stomped over and grabbed her brother by the arm to pull away, “Do you have no manners all of a sudden, did I not teach you anything,” she scolded harshly, before releasing her hold on her brother in order to give a proper bow to him and Lan Zhan, “Da-shixiong, Lan-er-gongzi, forgive my brother for his impertinence.”
Wei Wuxian huffed in amusement, “You’re still calling me Da-shixiong? Last I heard, the position of head disciple was passed onto you when I married out of the clan. I’m sure everyone’s calling you Da-shijie now.”
Shuang Minxiu straightened from her bow, her eyes glimmering in amusement, “I’m glad you’re back Da-shixiong, and you’ll always be Da-shixiong to me and my brother. I don’t care that you married out, no offense Lan-er-gongzi,” she added with a grin.
It warmed his heart and felt like a stab to the gut all at the same time. It was just another reminder most of his old sect siblings were dead now, the new disciples that would join the clan would not know him the same way the old ones had. In the near future very few people at Lotus Pier would remember a time when he was the head disciple there.
Wei Wuxian swallowed heavily against the bitter feeling growing in his chest and the lump in his throat. It’s not like he wouldn’t visit Lotus Pier all the time in the future, there was no reason to mourn never returning to a place that would always be open for him, even if that place is different than the one he grew up in.
“I can take you both to Yanli-shijie, if you wish?” Shuang Minxiu offered.
Shijie, Wei Wuxian thought excitedly. He had missed her so much. She had always been his safe space when he was younger and first came to Lotus Pier. Jiang-shushu had been the first person he trusted after his parents death, he had been the one to rescue him from the streets. But he was a sect leader, and he was busy. Shijie and Jiang Cheng had become his family, even when their mother had told them to stay away from him. Jiang Cheng had been his age, they had slipped into a brotherly dynamic easily. But with Shijie, she hadn’t just been a sister, she was a friend, caretaker, almost motherly figure throughout his childhood years. When Yu-furen yelled at him or had him caned for disobedience, Shijie would take him to the kitchens, where Yu-furen wasn’t likely to be, tend to any injuries and make him a bowl of soup. When he had been nervous to meet the other disciples at first she had promised to stay within sight so if he felt like he couldn’t handle it he could run back to her. She mediated between the inevitable arguments that came up between him and Jiang Cheng. When he had his first heat and he’d been in excruciating pain, she had sat at his bedside the entire time and held his hand through the worst of the pain, running a cool rag across his forehead when sweat gathered there. She was the most perfect person in the Jianghu, and Wei Wuxian had never been able to see how others didn’t think the same as him. There was no one kinder or more selfless than his Shijie, and he refused to let anyone think otherwise.
When he heard Shuang Minxiu mention her, his heart leaped with glee at first. He could finally see her again, hear her tell him everything would be alright, and that she would always protect him. But then the doubt tinged his excitement. Would she be disappointed in him for his new cultivation method? No, Shijie had always promised him that no matter what he did or what happened she would be on his side. But that might be more of a detriment to her than she expected when she made that promise. Now that he was a demonic cultivator, there would be many in the Jianghu disgusted by him. Her reputation could be hurt if she associated with him too much, and she surely wouldn’t care about her own good in favor of helping him. What if he was just dragging her down. It was the same things he thought when thinking of how his new cultivation method could reflect badly on Lan Zhan and the Lan clan. But they could always say they didn’t endorse his methods and make some lie up about him getting in trouble for it after the war was over. It wouldn’t be a lie, none of them truly endorsed it. And though Lan Zhan might protest a punishment, Xichen-ge could find something small, that would barely register as a punishment in his mind once this was over so the Lan clan could save face. Lan Zhan and Xichen-ge might not like it, but it would be for the good of the clan, and the children.
Shijie wouldn’t do that, she would never publicly denounce his cultivation method, because she would never denounce anything he did. She would be more likely to defend him to others if she heard them speaking ill to him. He was filled with horror at the very thought. If she ever did that, others would talk about her, there would be rumors, and her reputation would take a bad hit for supporting a demonic cultivator. Maybe he shouldn’t see her, or Jiang Cheng for that matter. Him and Lan Zhan could go off on their own, they could take out the supervisory offices the Wen had built and eventually meet up with the army again when they finally attacked Nightless city. After that the war would be over, and he could stop using demonic cultivation. If Shijie defended him, then others would excuse it as her being naively trusting of her former shidi, unaware of the scale of his deviance from the rest of the Jianghu, since she had never see him or his methods in person.
“Wei Ying,” his head snapped up, and he realized he had completely zoned out. It was something he was trying to stop doing recently. In the burial mounds, some days were so bad the only way he felt like he could get through them was if he retreated deep into his own mind until he was barely aware of the world passing around him. He would summon some ghosts to guard him and hide away in a cave to forget about everything for a little bit. He’d done it a few times since leaving, when he was really stressed or the nightmares got particularly bad, his mind fell back on it like a defense mechanism.
He realized how bad it must look to others though. Him standing still with a dead stare as they tried and failed to get his attention. He shook his head, fixing a smile on his face as he made eye contact with a very concerned Shuang Miinxiu, “take me to Shijie then! I can barely wait to see her,” at the end of the day he wasn’t as selfless as his Shijie, all he wanted was her comfort right now. He was incapable of keeping himself away from her and Jiang Cheng for their own good, just as he’d been incapable of keeping himself away from Lan Zhan.
Shuang Minxiu and her brother still looked concerned, and the other soldiers nearby did their best not to stare too much at him, “well, are we going or not?” He asked, that seemed to snap the two siblings out of their confusion. Shuang Minxiu nodded, glancing at Lan Zhan out of the corner of her eye trying to gauge wether his mate was worried to see if she herself should be concerned.
Wei Wuxian winced internally as he directed his own eyes to his mate. Lan Zhan looked very concerned, he was no doubt going to bring this up later and ask him about what had happened, Wei Wuxian was not looking forward to that conversation at all.
Not many people were blessed with the ability to read his husband’s small expressions though, and after a glance, Lan Minxiu seemed to deduce nothing was wrong, “ok,” she nodded, “come this way, Yanli-shijie will be so happy to see you! She’s barely been able to rest since you went missing. When we received a missive from Zewu-Jun that he had received word from Gusu that you were alive, she nearly broke down in tears out of relief.”
She had likely been trying to make him feel better. Any normal person would be happy to hear there had been people who missed them when they were gone. But the words only made the ugly feeling of guilt in his heart even worse.
Whispers followed them through camp as they followed Shuang Minxiu past the rows of tents. But their guide paid them no mind as she forged a path to a tent near the center of camp.
“Jiang-guniang,” she announced after they arrived at the tent she had been leading them to. There was a small affirmative reply from inside, and the sound of his Shijie’s voice nearly made him collapse in relief, “you have some visitors,” Shuang Minxiu announced with barely restrained excitement in her voice.
There was a bit of rustling and the noise of movement from inside before Mianmian ducked out of the tent, “Shuang-guniang, who-”
She froze in her tracks, the question dying in her throat as she caught sight of him and Lan Zhan.
“Long time no see, Yang-jie, I hope-” he started to say, only for his words to get cut off as Mianmian tackled him in a hug, forcing an oomph from his mouth, “-you didn’t miss me too much,” he finished, his voice strained slightly from how tight she was hugging him.
“Wei Wuixian!” she exclaimed in a choked voice, pulling back to glare at him. The gesture lacked any heat due to the fact there was a smile on her face and she was wiping tears off her face at the same time, “Never do that again, do you know how worried A-Li was? How worried I was?”
Her exclamation was loud enough for Shijie to hear inside the tent, and a few seconds later she came rushing out of the tent to see for herself whether he was really there or not. When she caught sight of him, she broke into tears too, “Come on now you two,” he said, “Don’t cry, I was only gone a few months, you barely had time to notice I’m gone.”
Shijie shook her head, laughing wetly as she strode forward the last few steps to pull him into her arms. Mianmian’s cheeks puffed up in anger as she punched his shoulder, making extra sure not to hit Shijie in the process, “Never say that again! A few months? More like seven!” she scolded, “You had everyone so worried and now you come back here and tell us we shouldn't have been concerned.”
“It’s ok A-Yang, when A-Xian gets nervous he makes a joke out of whatever situation he’s in,” she shook her head fondly, still holding him tightly in her embrace, “Xianxian is only three after all.”
Wei Wuxian felt heavy with relief as he collapsed into his sister’s gentle hug, pressing his face against her shoulder and inhaling her sot Lotus and honey scent, “Xianxian isn’t that big,” he pouted.
Shijie smiled at him, “Xianxian is right, three is far too big. Xianxian must only be one.”
Falling into the comfort of the familiar exchange with Shijie felt like coming home. Ever since leaving the burial mounds, the only times he ever felt truly ‘safe’ were when he was in Lan Zhan’s arms. Nothing else had managed to convince his mind to relax and let his guard down, no amount of times telling himself he was safe made him actually feel like it.
He felt it now though. Shijie always had a way of making him feel safe just with her presence. To others it might seem strange, she was no great cultivator and she had very limited martial training. But Wei Wuxian had always associated her with safety, she had always been there for him.
Shijie pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes, “Why don’t you come inside, tell me and A-Yang everything that happened.”
Shuang Minxiu gave a small bow, “I’ll let Jiang-zongzhu know you’re here. He’s in a meeting, but I’m sure he’ll want to know of your arrival immediately,” she told them.
Mianmian angrily swiped the tear tracks from her cheeks as they walked inside the tent. Shijie led him to sit down and then hurried to search for something. When she finally returned, it was with a pot in her hands. Her hands were shaking so much she almost dropped it, if it weren’t for Lan Zhan’s gentle intervention, taking the pot from her hands and placing it on the table, she likely would have dropped it.
“Is that…?” he asked hopefully.
Shijie nodded, her eyes still teary as she beamed at him, “I make a pot for A-Cheng and Zixuan everyday, I was going to bring it to them after their meeting, it’s still warm,” she explained, already moving to serve him a bowl.
“I would hate to steal Jiang Cheng’s portion,” Wei Wuxian said, already taking a bite despite his lackluster protest, “So make sure you take away the serving from the peacock today and not Jiang Cheng, kay Shijie?” he continued with a grin.
Shijie laughed wetly, hiding her mouth behind her sleeve as she shook her head fondly, “I’m so glad you’re back A-Xian, I was so worried something had happened to you while you were missing,” she clutched her hands in front of her, a radiant smile on her face as she moved to sit next to him.
Wei Wuxian swallowed his next bite quickly, he could already see Lan Zhan’s forehead furrowing. No doubt he was about to mention something to Shijie about his time in the burial mounds. But Wei Wuxian didn’t want to made his Shijie worried again so quickly. He would have to tell the whole story to Jiang Cheng anyway, he may as well wait until his brother got here so he wouldn’t have to explain it twice. That way he could spend a little more time with his Shijie, happy and free of worry over him.
The same moment he was about to hurry to reassure his Shijie he truly was fine, he swallowed a chunk of pork from the stew. All at once his stomach tightened in protest and he hunched over, holding a hand over his mouth in a desperate attempt to not throw up, “A-Xian?” his Shijie and Mianmian both exclaimed at the same time, along with a frantic, “Wei Ying!” from Lan Zhan. It seemed no matter how many times his husband witnessed him throw up he got overly worried each time it happened, as if Wei Wuxian was about to die on the spot.
As he felt Shijie’s hand gently rub his back, he weakly shook his head, furrowing his eyes shut and forcing himself not to think or taste what he was swallowing. Ever since the burial mounds he’d found himself unable to eat meat. No matter how fine the cut of meat was, or how perfectly it was cooked, everytime he tried to eat meat his mind could only think of the things he had to eat in the burial mounds. The rich flavors always seemed to vanish in his mouth to be replaced by the memory of… of- he forced himself to stop thinking about it otherwise the piece of meat he’d managed to force down would definitely come back up.
He had thought nothing in the world could change his love for his Shijie’s lotus and pork rib soup. He had assumed it would be different, not even stopping to consider that his mind the simple act of the soup being made by his Shijie would do nothing to change the fact meat was aversive to him, “I’m sorry Shijie,” he whispered with a raw voice.
“A-Xian, please do not apologize,” Shijie said fearfully, “Tell me what’s wrong, your Shijie is here, I’ll make whatever it is all better ok?” she said in a soothing voice.
He took a heavy breath, straightening his back, “I’m ok now,” he said, staring at Lan Zhan, who still looked incredibly concerned, “It’s just the meat. I haven’t been able to eat meat without throwing up for months. I- I just thought it would be different with your soup Shijie.”
Lan Zhan seemed to relax minutely when he realized the source of Wei Wuxian’s distress. In the past few months, he had seen plenty of examples of Wei Wuxian’s new dietary restraints. He had tried dozens of times to eat meat, different types, cooked differently every time to try to find a way to eat meat that didn’t make him hunch over in disgust. But no matter what he tried, it never worked, it always ended with him keeled over with Lan Zhan rubbing a soothing hand down his back as he emptied the contents of his stomach. It was just a frustrating as it was and uncomfortable and distressing experience. He had loved eating meat in the past, all forms of it and in all dishes. It seemed unfair that his few months in the burial mounds had taken even that small joy away from his life now. Lan Minxin had promised him that over time the aversion to meat would likely fade, he would be able to eat it again eventually, but he had no range of what ‘eventually’ meant. What if it was years before he could stomach choking down meat again?
“Meat?” Shijie’s blinked, repeating the word in confusion, “You always adored it in the past, every dish you ate had to include some kind of meat or spice, otherwise you would whine and complain about how it was bland and plain?”
At the very least he hadn’t grown as averse to spice as he had meat, on the contrary, he was even more fond of spice on his food these days. The sharp, overwhelming, burning flavor was the opposite of anything he’d eaten in the burial mounds. And it almost seemed to burn the memory of the taste of what he’d eaten in the past away from his body, “Did something happen while you were gone all those months?” Mianmian asked hesitantly after watching the exchange with worried eyes.
“Please,” he sighed, “wait until Jiang Cheng gets here, I’ve had to explain this to enough people already, I would rather explain to all of you in one go rather than separately.”
Mianmian and Shijie exchanged a concerned glance over his head, before Shijie looked back to him with a soft, comforting smile, “Of course A-Xian, and I’ll make you a new bowl of soup later, without pork ribs in it,” she promised.
After her promise, Shijie proceeded to tell him about what had been new with her and Jiang Cheng since he had gone missing. Filling the air with conversation so he wouldn’t have to say anything himself. He was happy to hear the peacock had turned out to be a half decent guy after all, it seemed he had begun to speak to her more often. Though Wei Wuxian didn’t claim to be happy about that, Shijie seemed over the moon with happiness about it, and that really was all that mattered. He hadn’t forgotten how unnecessarily cruel he had been towards his Shijie before this though, the peacock had a lot of work left to do if he really wanted to make himself worthy of Shijie’s forgiveness and affection.
A short while later, a commotion outside signified Jiang Cheng’s arrival. Unlike Shuang Minxiu, who had politely announced her presence when they arrived at the tent, Jiang Cheng threw the flap of the tent open and stormed inside without so much as a single word of greeting, “Wei Wuxian,” he snapped.
“Jiang Cheng,” he replied wryly, “you would think you were never taught manners. Do you know how rude it is to just stomp into someones tent without announcing yourself first,” he gasped, pretending to act scandalized.
Jiang Cheng huffed, punching him in the shoulder, “Says you, I can’t even count how many times you would waltz into my room without knocking when we were kids,” he snorted.
Wei Wuxian laughed, rubbing his shoulder where Jiang Cheng had hit him. His brother’s gaze went behind his shoulder briefly before he rolled his eyes, “Oh fuck off Lan Wangji, he may have married you but he was my brother first, I’ll hit the idiot if I want to, he made us all worry for months!”
He glanced behind him to see his mate was glaring at Jiang Cheng with an ice cold fury, he giggled despite himself, “Don’t worry Lan Zhan, this is just how Jiang Cheng shows affection!”
“Affection?” Jiang Cheng scoffed, “ridiculous, I’m angry with you asshole, where were you for the past seven fucking months! Do you know how worried A-Jie was? How worried I was?”
“Do not speak on what you know nothing of,” Lan Zhan said in a low, angry tone.
Wei Wuxian sighed, Lan Zhan had a nice intent trying to defend him. But Jiang Cheng couldn't possibly know what had happened to Wei Wuxian while he had been missing. As much as he denied it, this really was how Jiang Cheng showed affection, the rough way he cared for him and even Shijie when he wanted to comfort them was familiar and a relief for Wei Wuxian to experience again. Lan Zhan and Xichen-ge probably never experienced the same sibling relationship growing up as him and Jiang Cheng. He highly doubted they would be allowed to roughhouse or tease each other under the Lan principles, nor could he even imagine them acting like that if it hadn’t been against the rules.
“I thought you two were starting to come around to one another, don’t go back to hating each other again now,” he groaned, “Jiang Cheng lay off Lan Zhan, and Lan Zhan stop glaring at my brother,” he addressed them both in turn.
“Whatever,” Jiang Cheng dismissed the complaint, “How you see anything in that block of ice, I will never know, but that’s your bad taste in a mate, it’s not my issue.”
“Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian whined, drawing out his brother’s name, “can you not start a fight with Lan Zhan right now,” he pouted, “Don’t you want to hear about your new niece?”
“Niece?” Shijie gasped the same moment Jiang Cheng made a surprised choking noise in the back of his throat. Wei Wuxian grinned at the shocked faces filling the tent, especially the slack-jawed look on Jiang Cheng’s face, it really was so fun surprising his brother.
“Yep, turns out I was pregnant, I gave birth to a girl named Lan Yue, courtesy Dongmei, about a month ago,” he told them.
“You-” Jiang Cheng sputtered in surprise, “So what? You bothered Wen Qing and her brother again instead of coming to me and A-Jie for help like you should have?” he accused, “When I got the message from A-Sang telling me where you were, I thought you were injured or something. What were you doing for seven months that you couldn’t even send a letter!”
“Ah, well-” Wei Wuxian laughed awkwardly, Lan Zhan’s glare only intensified, “Jiang Wanyin!”
“Enough,” Mianmian hissed, her voice thick with frustration, “I swear, it’s always the same with you two, can you quit posturing for one moment. A-Xian just got back and you’re acting like this!” she scolded, fixing both alphas with a furious glare.
He expected Jiang Cheng to react to her anger with escalated anger of his own, but to his surprise, his brother as well as his mate both looked rather cowed by Mianmian’s scathing remark towards them. Taking note of their quiet guilt, Mianmian seemed satisfied as she sighed deeply and turned back to him with a soft smile, “Now, A-Xian, tell me and A-Li what happened. Ignore those two,” she scoffed.
“Ah, well it’s really not a fun story,” he started awkwardly, aware of the expectant stares of his siblings on him as he began to explain, “after we separated, I had the misfortune of running into Wen Chao on the way back to Qinghe.”
“No,” Shijie gasped in a small voice, her tone careful and gentle as she continued, “did he hurt you A-Xian?”
“He didn’t hurt me himself, but he certainly intended for me to have a slow painful death in the place he left me,” Wei Wuxian felt the familiar anger in his chest that he got everytime he thought of Wen Chao.
“Why would the Wen’s not mention they had you,” Jiang Cheng hissed, more to himself than to anyone else in the tent, “they could have forced our hand not to act with your life as collateral. So why didn’t we hear anything?”
“That would be because I wasn’t with the Wen’s,” he answered, “well I was with some Wen’s for the later months, but they’re Wen Qing’s family, we know them. I wasn’t the Wen’s prisoner would be a better description.”
“If you weren’t their prisoner, then where were you?” Mianmian asked, her forehead furrowed in a mix of confusion and worry, “where did Wen Chao leave you?”
“The burial mounds, he kind of threw me in there after he captured me,” Wei Wuxian replied, seeing no reason to skirt around the truth at all when it would just come out eventually.
“A-Xian,” Shijie gasped out, reaching out to clutch one of his hands in a white knuckled grip. There were tears in her eyes again, oh how he hated seeing his Shijie cry.
“Don’t cry Shijie,” he continued hurriedly, “I’m fine now, so it doesn’t matter. Don’t you want to hear more about your new niece?” He tried to distract her.
It didn’t work, she shook her head miserably, “A-Xian, you’re clearly not ok, otherwise you wouldn’t be avoiding talking about your time there,” she sniffled.
“Ah, my Shijie knows me so well,” he tried to joke lightly, “you got me, it was awful. But I’m not there anymore, so there’s no need to dreg up bad memories.”
Jiang Cheng had been silent since Wei Wuxian’s confession. As he looked over at his brother he could see his jaw clenched tightly, “Jiang Cheng?”
“Sorry,” he said eventually, the words looking like they made his skin crawl to say, “for what I said earlier. It’s my fault you got captured in the first place, I should have never fucking suggested we split up,” he hissed in a self-deprecating tone.
“None of that,” Wei Wuxian sighed, “it’s weird when you apologize to me, it wasn’t even your fault. I shouldn’t have stopped in a village for the night, Wen Chao might have never found me if I hadn’t been so careless,” he shrugged.
“Not careless,” Lan Zhan interjected stubbornly, “you could not have known,” he continued, shooting Jiang Cheng an annoyed look out of the corner of his eye, clearly his mate had not forgiven Jiang Cheng for his perceived part to play in Wei Wuxian getting caught.
“In that case it isn’t Jiang Cheng’s fault, since he couldn’t have known either,” he grinned.
His words only seemed to make Jiang Cheng more guilty, which was not his intent. Shijie’s hand tightened in his own, “Oh, A-Xian, I’m so sorry. If you ever want to talk about it, just know your Shijie is here,” she whispered. He nodded, though he doubted he would ever take her up on that. He didn’t want to talk about some of the things that happened there with anyone, much less his Shijie, who would only drive herself sick with worry over something she couldn’t change. Hell, he hadn’t even told Lan Zhan everything that had happened to him in the burial mounds yet. His husband clearly wished to know everything he went through, but the thought of explaining it, and dredging those memories to the front of his mind again made him feel ill.
Mianmian was looking at him with pity in her big brown eyes, “How long were you there? How did you get out? God, you must have been pregnant at the time, please tell me your child wasn’t born in that place?”
“No,” he quickly assured her, “I was only there for around three or four months,” he said, “After I got out Wen Qing and her brother sheltered us in their village and I stayed there until A-Yue was born.”
“It looks like we are even more in debt to Wen-guniang and Wen-gongzi than we were before,” Jiang Cheng commented with a sigh, before giving Wei Wuxian a subdued, awkward look, “I’m glad you’re back Wei Wuxian, and I am sorry.”
Hearing Jiang Cheng so apologetic seemed wrong. It was out of pity and Wei Wuxian didn’t want his brothers pity right now, he just wanted everything to go back to normal. He’d already made his siblings worry for over half a year, all he wanted to do was reassure them that he was ok, as much as the opposite held true in actuality, “Please go back to making fun of me A-Cheng, seeing you all subdued and apologetic is weird, I already said it wasn’t your fault.”
“You’re such an idiot,” Jiang Cheng scoffed, before striding forward and crushing him in a hug. He jumped slightly at the sudden contact, forcing his heart to calm down from the shock of the sudden touch as his brother crushed him in a tight embrace. Wei Wuxian hesitantly raised an arm to hug him back, but he was too slow and Jiang Cheng had already pulled away by the time he went to return the gesture, “So how did you get out, it figures you’d manage to escape the one place deemed inescapable.”
“Well, if there’s one thing the burial mounds has an abundance of, it’s resentful energy,” he said, giving Jiang Cheng a pointed look, “So I just figured out how to control it. Once I could do that, I was able to just stroll out of the burial mounds.”
Jiang Cheng just stared for a moment, before he scoffed and shook his head, “Figures, escaping from the burial mounds wasn’t enough, you also had to invent a whole new method of cultivation in the process.”
He had taken that surprisingly well, Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. He knew Yunmeng was a lot more open-minded and lax on rules than Gusu was, but he had still expected some kind of disgust or push back from his brother, “And I’m still using it,” he continued, “It’s powerful, and it can help us win this war.”
That didn’t seem to make Jiang Cheng react any more negatively, “What?” he snorted, “You expecting me to drop to my knees in shock at your genius. If your powers help us kill the Wen, then I have no issue with them, and given the fact the Lan’s didn’t lock you up in the Cloud Recesses or something, it seems they think the same. Just don’t be an idiot,” he rolled his eyes.
It was his turn to be shocked. He knew Jiang Cheng was running on almost nothing but his desire for revenge right now, but for his brother to be so quick to accept his new form of cultivation was not something he had been prepared for. And to be honest it was kind of nice…
“A-Xian, is this new cultivation of yours safe?” Shijie spoke up. He knew better than to lie to her about this, there was no way to promise his safety to her, “It’s war Shijie, no one can ever truly be safe,” he shrugged awkwardly, “But I can control this. And I have Lan Zhan to play cleansing for me and to keep an eye on me in case something goes wrong. Don’t worry, I can handle it.”
Shijie’s eyes searched his gaze, looking for any lies in his words. When she deemed that he had been telling the truth to her, she sighed and offered him a smile, “As long as you’ll be safe that’s all that matters. My Xianxian is so smart, inventing a whole new form of cultivation,” she praised.
“Wangji please keep an eye on him,” Shijie added with a respectful nod towards his mate, “I have no doubt that there is still certain dangers to this that A-Xian is not mentioning, but I know you would not be ok with anything that would hurt A-Xian, so I trust the two of you can manage this.”
Lan Zhan bowed his head to her, “I will always protect Wei Ying,” he swore to her solemnly. She sent him a grateful smile at the response.