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It was never meant to be anything more than a political move.
Lan Qiren had been tasked by the rest of the Sects as a Lan confidant by the Sect Leaders to lead an investigation on Wei Wuxian’s fierce corpse army; it was meant to gather evidence to once and for all condemn him, to paint him as the villain he truly was, but what had initially been a visit to corroborate the claims that the Jins were making, quickly turned into something else and Lan Qiren didn’t know how to feel about it.
It wasn’t surprising that the only ones against his research were the Jins themselves. After the suggestion for the acclaimed teacher of Gusu Lan to visit the Burial Mounds, both Jin Guangshan and his recently claimed bastard son, Jin Guangyao were against the idea, claiming that there was no need for further evidence when Wei Wuxian had proved himself to be a very volatile man, one who would not hesitate to kill someone who stood in his way and one who had already said so himself ‘who would dare stand against me?’ there was no need, there really wasn’t. But the rest of the Sect Leaders from minor sects had been adamant about condemning Wei Wuxian for as many things as they could find about him and with the blessing of two of the biggest sects, Lan and Nie, Qiren had finally travelled to the Burial Mounds.
The houses around the main area inside of the Burial Mounds were made out of cheap and weak materials, if not with materials that had clearly been gathered by the villagers themselves with whatever they could find in that desolate place. The smell was something else, with humidity and dirt being prominent. What Lan Qiren was seeing wasn’t the beginning of an empire of evil, it wasn’t a great and elegant display of power, either. The place was barely inhabitable and it invited an eerie feeling of melancholy, like a place straight out of a recurring nightmare, a place one would read in fantasy stories meant to cause fear, but much more real.
What caught his attention the most, though, was the lack of fierce corpses. One could say Wei Wuxian was trying to rival the Emperor’s army with the way Jin Guangshan talked about his numbers. It was frail old people, women and one child, the ones that, along with Wei Wuxian, shared space in the poorly built refuge with clear financial struggle. It was clear that the Jins were exaggerating in the way they had presented the facts and Lan Qiren began to wonder the true reason for his trip.
Wangji had been all too eager for him to see the reality of the situation and only because it was Qiren the one that raised him, he would have mistaken his eagerness for his unfortunate infatuation with Wei Wuxian, just like Xichen had, yet he knew that no matter Wangji’s stance on the matter, at the end of the day, his nephew remained righteous and he believed in Wei Wuxian’s righteousness as well, one that Lan Qiren could finally witness himself too.
His lack of enthusiasm, putting it lightly, about Wei Wuxian’s way of cultivating didn’t mean that Lan Qiren was willing to condemn the innocent, not when he was aware that fighting back is sometimes not an option available to everyone, much less a child.
As Wei Wuxian walked next to him, weary and ready to defend the people he swore to protect, he looked around as much as he could but his thoughts always circled back to the same conclusion: Jin Guangshan was on a power trip. That was a well-known fact, but the only reason no one stood up against him was because of seniority and wealth and Lan Qiren knew that whatever he did after witnessing the state those people lived in, it wouldn’t be easy.
There was way too much animosity towards the Wen, still, if he could convince everyone that there was no army of fierce corpses there was almost no chance that anyone would allow the Wen dogs to settle anywhere else. If there was something to be done, then the Lan Sect would be the best option out of all to accept refugees, because at the end of the day, there was no way the Jiang Sect would oppose Jin Guangshan and he was aware of the deep hatred Nie Mingjue carried against the Wens. His Sect too carried resentment towards them because of the burning of the Cloud Recesses, but Qiren hoped that they at least could see what he was seeing too and would not condemn the innocent for their inaction during the Sunshot Campaign. After all, what can the common people do against a dictator? Standing up as a child or an old age is an impossible task, these people did not have much choice if they wanted to survive.
Qiren let out a sigh and turned towards Wei Wuxian, who still stood rigid and with his ghost flute in one hand, but without his sword to be seen. It was unfortunate because Qiren had witnessed the boy’s ability with the sword and his intellect and to think he’d rather throw all of that out of the window to follow the ghostly path instead was disappointing.
“I had the understanding you were harbouring war criminals and an army of fierce corpses” he said, with his left hand stroking his goatee in a way to appear familiar to the other man, to show him he meant no harm with his statement.
“Hah… of course that’s what Sect Leader Jin is saying, but as you can see, there’s really not any of that here at all” At that moment before Qiren could reply again, the child he had seen before had run up to them and attached himself to Qiren’s leg, looking up at him with big round eyes and a bit of a dirty face from playing in the mud earlier “A-Yuan, let go of Lan Xiansheng’s leg”
The boy refused to move for a couple of seconds until he was picked up by Wei Wuxian, letting him rest on his hip instead. The boy, A-Yuan, looked no more than three years of age, probably even younger and Qiren couldn’t imagine living in such a place at that age. He believed all children should live somewhere where they could learn and live a good life and the way the kid looked indicated that he was probably not eating well. In fact, the way most villagers looked indicated that they were not eating well, but what surprised him the most was that even Wei Wuxian, who held cultivation high enough to rival his nephew’s, looked sickly and frail. That was really bad and he wondered if maybe Wei Wuxian was not eating correctly either, if perhaps all the food he could gather was going towards A-Yuan instead while he endured the hunger. The thought did not sit well with him.
“I can see that’s the case. My word alone will not sway Jin Guangshan, I must look for a way to convince the rest of the Sect Leaders to understand what’s going on” He said, much to Wei Wuxian’s surprise. He did not blame him, after all, why should the boy trust the very man who condemned the ghostly path when he was only fifteen? Wei Wuxian had a right not to trust him, but Qiren could not just look at what was happening in the Burial Mounds and then pretend he didn’t see anything.
“Why… would you do something like that? You’ve never liked me” Wei Wuxian said and it seemed that he was having a hard time finding his words, Qiren understood the reason for that, but he also knew that, regardless of whatever he thought of Wei Wuxian as a person, the truth was that if he planned on saving those Wen refugees, then he’d have to find a way to save Wei Wuxian as well. One could not condemn him for his actions at Qiongqi Path if one thought the people at the camp were innocent in the first place.
“The people here are no fighters, they’re not cultivators and they’re mostly elderly, women and...” He took a quick look at A-Yuan, who still rested on Wei Wuxian’s arms “...one child. The actions of the ones in power most of the time do not translate to the wishes of the people. Even if they wanted to condemn Wen Ruohan’s actions, their voices were too low and powerless to do so. I will not look the other way when I know that everything Wangji told me about the people here was true”
At the mention of his nephew, Wei Wuxian’s eyes acquired a certain shine that he was all too familiar with. They shone the same way Wei Changze’s did whenever he looked at Cangse Sanren. It was a weird moment when he remembered those times he spent with long-gone friends and he felt a pinch of guilt at not being able to protect the kid of those two. Even with his strong dislike of Cangse Sanren, she was a respectable cultivator and he had done her wrong by allowing her son to suffer in such a way. But he would mend his mistakes and he would try his hardest to change things this time.
“Lan Zhan told you about us?” He asked, but it didn’t seem like he was expecting an answer. Rather, he looked shocked and a little happy. Qiren ignored the continued use of his nephew's birth name and instead pulled out a small money pouch he carried with him.
“He did. Now, take this and give the people here more food. I will go back to Jinlintai and inform everyone of the truth” Even when the Lan rules stated one should not be arrogant, Lan Qiren was aware that his reputation was almost too perfect. He had taught a lot of the current Sect Leaders and everyone held him in a high level of respect. He told no lies and was known as the embodiment of the Lan Clan rules, he knew that although he’d be met with scepticism at least more than one person would believe him.
“Lan Xiansheng, do you… think that they will trust you?” Wei Wuxian asked, with the money pouch in one hand and the child in the other. He sounded scared and unsure and Qiren was once again reminded of how young the boy was, how he was just barely an adult and was now the most hated man in existence. He did not deserve that, not when he was so young and only protecting the innocent.
“I am unsure, but lying is against the Lan rules and I always talk the truth, they know that” Even with his reputation backing him, he simply hoped that the rest of the sects too could see what he saw when he stepped foot inside the Burial Mounds. The matter regarding Wei Wuxian’s sickly form, however, he’d have to ask about that at a later time “I must go and write the report. I will inform you of any changes”
With that, he turned around and left, without giving or receiving a goodbye, after all, the fact that he wanted to help the remaining Wens did not mean that now him and Wei Wuxian were close and he was sure that even if he could manage to help at all, that his relationship with Wei Wuxian was too broken for too many informalities and if Wangji was brave enough to court the other man, then he would have some improving to do as well.
…
The trip back to Jinlintai was faster than he thought it would be and maybe it was the anticipation for what he was about to do that made it feel that way, but he did not feel ready to fight back against all the sects that way. There wasn’t much time to devise a plan that would help his case and there also wasn’t any time left for him to discuss things with Xichen and Nie Mingjue, two of whom he knew would be willing to listen to him and most likely believe him. Regardless, he had been the acting Sect Leader of the Lan Sect for a long, long time and he was a strict, authoritarian type of teacher, he wasn’t shy about confrontations and he knew how to demand respect.
No matter what happened at the conference, he would speak the truth of what he had seen.
…
As was expected, the conferences organised by the Jin Sect were ostentatious; Qiren could only wonder what that blatant display of wealth was supposed to mean and what the implications of the Jin Sect trying to hoard the conferences hosting responsibilities were, but whatever the reason, the truth was that because they were the ones joining the Sunshot Campaign as late as they did that they did not suffer financially as much as the rest of them and if they wanted to host, then so be it.
Lan Qiren had to watch his every move and word, to not let anyone make any claims against him and for once he wished he had his brother’s gift for diplomacy. After he had gone into seclusion all of the sect’s matters had fallen onto him and Qiren had never been one to ease into diplomacy and mediation the same way his brother had.
The way all of the Sect Leader’s faces changed as he read the report out loud followed by his explanation of the situation he witnessed, he noticed that most of them believed him but were too afraid to stand against Jin Guangshan. Qiren, however, had been classmates with him and he wasn’t afraid of him, not really, if anything, he simply didn’t want to complicate things for his nephew.
Once he had finished his speech, his eyes caught that of his youngest nephew, who looked at him with an expression that meant he was in support of his words. Lan Qiren knew that regardless of Wangji’s feelings, what he was doing was the right thing to do. His oldest nephew, on the other hand, looked rather conflicted.
“What Wei Wuxian was saying back then about the Wen prisoners was true, then?” One of the braver disciples asked in a somewhat loud voice that was enough to be heard all around the room.
“Seems like so… you know, Lan Xiansheng is not one to lie about these things, especially when he hates Wei Wuxian”
“It’s very honourable of him to leave his hatred aside to speak up about what’s right”
“Are you guys out of your mind? Regardless of the innocence of these Wens, Wei Wuxian killed innocent guards, how can we trust him?”
“Well, would you not kill one who was abusing a child?”
“Silence!” Jin Guangshan exploded, his face red with anger. Qiren couldn’t help but sigh, it was clear that whatever plan Jin Guangshan had with that defamation campaign had to do with the Yin Tiger Tally and he was sure that he had just ruined that for him. He hoped this didn’t cause much trouble for Xichen “Whether Wei Wuxian is hiding common people or elderly people, the fact remains that they are Wens. How are we sure they won’t seek revenge later?”
“Is letting a child die a better solution in your opinion, Sect Leader Jin?” The voice of a minor Sect Leader was heard, one who was affiliated with the Lan Sect and held similar values as them and one whom he had taught as a young kid.
“All I’m saying is, if that child grows up to be a cultivator and is told about his roots and what happened to his sect, we can’t guarantee he won’t go on a killing spree just like Wei Wuxian did, after all, the kid has been influenced by him enough already” He spoke, once again, and his words were confident enough to convince a few of the older Sect Leaders whom Qiren had not taught in their childhood. Luckily, a lot of the Sect Leaders were young enough that they had attended his lectures and the respect they had for him seemed to be higher than their will to back Jin Guangshan up in his claims.
“But we also can’t guarantee he will do that and then we would be responsible for the death of an innocent child, we would be no better than Wen Ruohan if we kill the innocent simply because we can” The same Sect Leader spoke and this time, a lot of support for his words was heard “Besides, if the conflict we have is against Wei Wuxian’s crimes, then he should have a trial differently to them. Wei Wuxian’s actions are not theirs and that weapon of his must be destroyed, not kept by any of us here, including the Jin Sect”
After his words, there were many more whispers in support of his idea. It wasn’t a secret that the Jins wanted the Yin Tiger Tally for themselves and if it was destroyed then that meant that there wouldn’t be such a big power imbalance in the cultivation society at that point. That was of great benefit for most of the smaller sects who didn’t have as much influence as the four big sects.
“But where would we put them? Those Wens are not to be trusted blindly either and I’m going to be honest and say it, I don’t want them in my Sect’s territory” Another Sect Leader spoke and this, too, was followed by words of agreement from a lot of people.
As no one volunteered to take them in, Jin Guangshan’s face lit up once again “Seems no one here can completely trust those Wens, even if they are as innocent as Lan-Xiong claims them to be, they cannot roam free around the land, we have to keep an eye on them. They can come back to work under our Sect as they had been doing beforehand”
“Sect Leader Jin, if what Lan Xiansheng is saying is true, then Wei Wuxian’s actions at Qiongqi path, regardless of your stance on it, indicate that these people were being abused and forced to work as slaves. We shouldn’t allow them under your rule if we cannot guarantee that something like that won’t happen again” The previous Sect Leader spoke up, but his point lacked support as no one wanted to take any refugees into their territory.
Silently, Qiren looked over at his oldest nephew, wondering if he would be willing to let them stay in a territory near Gusu and compromise himself to oversee the refugee camp that they would set up and it seemed that Wangji had the same idea, as he was close to his brother, having a silent conversation with him. In the end, Lan Xichen sighed and turned his head back towards Lan Qiren, about to speak up and take in the Wens when Nie Mingjue beat him to it.
“If they are truly criminals, then I will enact justice as I see fit, but if they’re innocent, they will be free to continue to practise their healing techniques in Nie territory” He spoke, but his eyes remained fixated on Lan Xichen, with an expression Lan Qiren knew all too well. He wasn’t going to get himself involved in that, but if it meant that someone was willing to take the refugees, then he’d let them. Lan Xichen, for the looks of it, had stars in his eyes, but other than that he didn’t say anything other than a thank-you nod in Nie Mingjue’s direction.
“Does that mean we will hold trials for each individual?” Another Sect Leader asked and this time the discussion seemed to move towards Lan Qiren’s side now that someone was willing to accept the Wen civilians in their territory and the fact that it was Nie Mingjue, who not only had lost his father to the hands of Wen Ruohan himself and whose sect despised those of Wen blood but who was also known as a just and rightful person, filled everyone with relief. He was sure that his willingness to accept the Wens into his territory despite his hatred and the opposition he would surely face within his clan had to do with siding with his closest friend’s uncle and his desire to mess with Jin Guangshan’s plans after the other abused his influence and power to assign himself as Chief Cultivator.
“That would probably work, that way, we can know if there is any dangerous person amongst them” After that, most of the minor Sect Leaders began throwing out ideas and suggestions for Nie Mingjue, while Jin Guangyao tried to calm down the chatting, but it didn’t seem like things were going to go the way Jin Guangshan had planned them to go and that, honestly, put Lan Qiren at ease.
He sighed, relieved. He had to inform Wei Wuxian of what had happened and that he would most likely face trial for the murder of the Jin guards at Qiongqi Path, but that the Wens and most importantly, the child, would be forgiven. He was sure Wei Wuxian would have no problem with that when his priority was saving the child. Qiren hoped that for his nephew’s happiness even if selfishly so, Wei Wuxian would be spared from any major punishment.
However, there was something that wasn’t letting him rest appropriately that night. Even if Jin Guangshan’s opinion had been drowned out by everyone else, that didn’t mean the man would give up so easily and the faster Qiren informed Wei Wuxian, the better. He’d have to travel early the next day and prepare. He hoped to get guards to accompany the Wen refugees into Qinghe so that Jin Guangshan wouldn’t pull any of his tricks.
There was also the matter of the Yin Tiger Tally and that was something Qiren wanted to discuss with his nephew before Wei Wuxian’s trial. Now that he convinced the rest of the Sect Leaders to destroy it then there wouldn’t be so much uproar about Wei Wuxian’s disproportionate power and the cultivation’s world system of power would balance again once the Yiling Lazou was no more. He’d hoped that whatever plans Jin Guangshan had regarding it he would leave the innocent out of it, even if he knew that would most likely not be the case.
It was hard to sleep that night and the next day, Qiren woke up at mao shi and made his way towards the Burial Mounds with his youngest nephew in tow. Travelling around Yiling on a sword wasn’t as difficult these days due to Wei Wuxian’s cleansing of the Burial Mounds and the air didn’t feel as thick and filled with resentment as it was before.
Once both had arrived they descended and made their way on foot towards the wards that Wei Wuxian had set up and waited to be let in. It didn’t take long for the man to appear with Wen Qionglin just behind him. Immediately, he could sense the difference in his welcoming when his eyes landed on his nephew and whatever Wei Wuxian had seen in his demeanour was enough to make him lower his guard.
They walked through the barrier and he followed them with Wen Qionglin by his side while Wangji and Wei Wuxian walked next to each other. He wanted to sigh, knowing that it was futile to wish that Wangji would seek another, more suitable partner for himself and that all he could do was help Wei Wuxian as much as he could to not end up with a brokenhearted man like his brother had been.
So far, Wei Wuxian’s biggest crime remained to be his murder of the Jin guards at Qiongqi Path but based on the events of the day before, he was sure he could get him out of that one as long as he didn’t get himself into any more trouble. If he had to chaperone him for an indefinite amount of time to ensure that was the case then so be it. He didn’t trust Jin Guangshan not to do anything to acquire the Yin Tiger Tally and they had to be careful.
…
The settlement had not changed much from the last time he visited and he didn’t expect it to, after all, the money he had left Wei Wuxian would be better used for food instead of building materials; as winter approached, if they did not have food saved for the cold where crops wouldn’t grow then there was no chance for survival. Luckily, that fate now seemed far away as the refugees would be able to stay somewhere full of food with their acceptance into Qinghe.
They were led to the same cave Wei Wuxian used as his lair and sat around a slab made out of dark stone and were served water with a couple of leaves that could barely be called tea, yet Lan Qiren found himself unable to voice his criticism about the tea when he was aware of the financial struggle the villagers were facing.
“Let us not talk around the bush, I have come with both bad and good news” He began speaking, startling the man who seemed to be having a staring conversation with his nephew, yet he redirected all of his attention to him the moment he mentioned good news “The sects have agreed about the innocence of all the refugees here and Sect Leader Nie is willing to accept them into his territory”
His words seemed to light up Wei Wuxian’s expression as if he hadn’t been expecting any bit of kindness towards the people he was protecting and Lan Qiren couldn’t blame him for that.
“The bad news is that the sects don’t trust you. They want to hold a trial for you and most likely Wen Qing as the only cultivators in this camp” He explained, remembering how the individual trials would be set up. Most people were elderly and common, but both Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing had a bigger role at play in the situation “Due to Wen Qing aiding Wen Ruohan medically during the Sunshot Campaign and your alleged crimes at Qiongqi path”
That seemed to entirely change Wei Wuxian’s bright expression and replaced it with a grim one instead. He looked deep in thought and he wondered if he was perhaps considering going through with that. Wangji, on the other hand, looked upset and as if he wanted to protest but he was aware that the sects probably wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Unfortunately, the distrust is strong enough against you that I can’t promise you will get out of that unscathed” He said. He had tried thinking of different solutions on the way to the Burial Mounds but aside from a political marriage that kept Wei Wuxian tied down for good, he’d probably be sent to the Jin Sect’s dungeons for heaven’s know how long. Lan Qiren could try and play the matchmaker by tying down Wei Wuxian to his nephew and use the Lan Sect’s rejection of the crooked path and their special cleansing techniques as an excuse to keep him there and under their ‘control’. He knew his nephew would most likely accept yet he didn’t want to just say that and have Wei Wuxian break his nephew’s heart by saying he’d rather be locked up in a Jin dungeon than be married to him and he also knew that if their marriage was anything like his brother’s that Wangji would suffer a lot.
He didn’t have a lot of options and time was running out. The rest of the Sect Leaders would be on their way soon to escort the refugees to Qinghe and to take a look and verify that Lan Qiren had told the truth.
When no one said anything, Lan Qiren quietly cleared his throat before speaking again. His voice was low so that he could pretend he never said what he said “There’s… another solution” He began, catching Wei Wuxian’s attention again, but he seemed rather lost. Lan Qiren had to remind himself that the boy had just turned twenty “If there’s any way we can have you join the Lan Sect, we can use that as an excuse to have you controlled and away from the crooked path”
“Why would you want that? You hate me, Lan Xiansheng. Why would you accept me into your sect just like that?” The boy asked, his voice shaky but trying to sound confident. It was clear that he had not been shown much kindness as of recently and Qiren couldn’t blame him for not trusting him.
“I failed you, Wei Ying. You were my student and instead of helping you, I let you get to this point. You have saved all these people at your reputation’s expense and once again, you’re putting everyone’s safety over your freedom and happiness” He talked, feeling his hands get sweaty despite the cold as he felt a bit embarrassed at having to apologise to Wei Wuxian, but he knew there were mistakes that needed to be fixed “The least I can do is help you avoid the Jin dungeons, where you will be heading to if we don’t find a solution. You have a right not to trust me, but if it’s not my word, then I hope Wangji’s is enough for you to trust”
After that, he looked towards his nephew, who nodded in support of his words.
“I will do my best to protect you” he said, with a sincerity and confidence that reminded Qiren of Qingheng-Jun. He couldn’t help but sigh, knowing he would be leaving his nephew to a similar fate if the marriage was a failure.
“Lan Zhan…” He whispered, almost in disbelief of the support he was getting and as if he didn’t know Wangji would react that way “Alright, I’ll trust you, Lan Zhan. You’ve told me countless times to go back to Gusu with you and I hope this won’t be for punishment like before”
At Wei Wuxian’s words, Qiren couldn’t help but be confused as he knew Wangji would never punish him, but before he could talk, his nephew beat him to it “I never wanted to punish you” He said, quickly “I wanted to hide you and protect you”
His words made Wei Wuxian look even more surprised than before and Qiren wondered if he should leave and let them talk things out before he brought up the marriage suggestion, but there was no time left and he needed to act. Cutting the moment short, he once again cleared his throat.
“Wei Ying, we don’t have much time left. You decide to join the Lan Sect for cleansing and surveillance, yes?” He asked, and Wei Wuxian’s expression confirmed it.
“You make me sound like I’m a cursed artefact, Xiansheng” He joked, letting out a chuckle “But yes, that’s my decision. If that guarantees me that the Wen remnants will be taken care of then… I will leave my fate in your hands. How will you make me join the sect?”
After that question, Qiren sighed and looked to the side, hoping that things would go alright after he said what he had to say “The easiest way is marriage” Suddenly, Wei Wuxian’s expression dropped again and his nephew looked at him shocked “There aren’t many available bachelors in the sect right now and still not just anyone can do. It would have to be either of my two nephews. Marrying someone of high rank can prevent anyone from harming you if they fear the consequences”
Once more, silence reigned in the cave, with Wei Wuxian now looking at the floor and his nephew looking at Wei Wuxian with a longing expression, he seemed to want to say something too yet he remained silent; maybe he’d have to be more direct than before.
“Because Sect Leader Nie seems to have an interest in Xichen and he has done us a great favour by willingly taking in the refugees then it cannot be him. The only option left is Wangji” At his words, Wangji seemed to have gained some more confidence as his expression showed that he was willing to marry Wei Wuxian if that meant keeping him out of harm’s way.
“But… How could I ruin Lan Zhan’s reputation and future just to save myself?” After a couple of minutes of silence, Wei Wuxian finally spoke, but he was still resistant to the idea if only so that he didn’t tie Wangji down. Qiren found this to be quite honourable, not taking the easy way if that meant unhappiness for someone else, but he was sure Wangji was more than willing to marry him.
“Wei Ying, I want to marry you” Before he could say anything, Wangji spoke again and this time, he didn’t stay in his place, choosing to move closer to Wei Wuxian so that he was blocking him from view, probably looking to have some privacy when talking about these things to him.
Qiren chose that moment to stand up and walk away. Now that the seed was planted, he hoped that everything else went according to plan and if his nephew's marriage could be out of love instead of a political strategy, that would be for the best.
Just as he walked out of the cave he came face to face with Wen Qing, the only other person he was concerned about and who he knew, based on Wei Wuxian’s side of events, would do anything to protect her family. She looked at him with something akin to gratitude but her demeanour still showed her weariness against a cultivator from a sect that had until recently been considered an enemy.
She seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she only walked away with no words towards him. He didn’t know her well enough to judge her character other than his knowledge of her medical abilities, but that was irrelevant in a trial.
In the end, things with Wangji and Wei Wuxian had come out alright and the man had excused himself to go speak with all the Wens about what could become their destiny and what he and Wen Qing had to face. Qiren was not privy to the details of the conversation, but it seemed that both of them had convinced everyone to just follow through with his instructions to ensure their safety no matter what happened to them both. Regarding Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing, the man had initially refused to let himself be saved if Wen Qing would not follow the same fate but the woman refused his protests, for her to become the reason her family was denied a second chance if all she had to do was attend trial and accept the consequences was unacceptable. There was no talking her out of it and Wei Wuxian didn’t bring it up again. Their conversation had been mostly private, but Qiren knew some things because Wangji told him about it.
In all honesty, Qiren knew there was way more to the conversation they had that Wangji also didn’t know and he could see it in his nephew’s eyes, that there was something Wei Wuxian was hiding that made him reluctant to accept the marriage completely. After confessing his feelings, there was much more back and forth than what Qiren imagined there would be and Wangji had told him that Wei Wuxian felt the same way, there had to be something holding him back and whatever it was, it was bad enough that the man would risk his safety to keep it hidden. After everything, he agreed to get married to Wangji so that the rest of the Wens could be saved, but the secret was still there.
There wasn’t much time left and he decided to leave it to his nephew to get closer to Wei Wuxian if only so that their marriage would be a success, but what he did have to do was get Wei Wuxian to inform him of whatever secret he had just so that Jin Guangshan could not take him by surprise in the trial if it came to it. He knew he was probably one of the people the boy had the least trust in but he hoped that his opinion had changed a little in the past few days at least.
…
That night, Lan Qiren exited the cave once more but with a newfound respect for the boy that he never thought he’d ever have. After chatting with him about wedding preparations and what he had to expect once he married, he went directly to the questions he had prepared for him, one of which was about his demonic cultivation and the reasons behind it. It took him a while to get Wei Wuxian to open up about it but he ended up learning about the golden core transplant that Wen Qing had performed on him and why. It certainly explained his use of the crooked path and even though Qiren was still not a fan of it, he could no longer find it in his heart to berate the boy.
Still, he wished to not disclose that in the trial not only because Wei Wuxian asked him not to disclose it in front of Jiang Wanyin, but because it could put him at risk of even more criticism and Wen Qing as a danger to modern cultivation; after all, Wen Zhuliu was feared because of his ability to destroy golden cores, it would make sense that could be an argument made against her, as her ability to take someone’s core out of them while alive could be a concern. Instead, Wei Wuxian agreed to say it had been the Core Melting Hand the one responsible for his fate in case it was brought up in the trial against him, but only if it was necessary to add.
He went to sleep after some difficulty trying to organise his thoughts and preparing himself mentally for the exhausting day that awaited him.
…
The first Sect Leader to arrive was, of course, Xichen, who looked like he too had not gotten any sleep whatsoever. He could imagine that Jin Guangshan was still trying to convince everyone to go back to demonising Wei Wuxian, but he knew that Nie Mingjue most likely stood up against him to support Qiren and Xichen.
He also came with his most trusted disciples if only because Qiren knew that Jin Guangshan’s antics were not over and he had to watch out for any plan they tried to keep painting Wei Wuxian in a bad light. Now that Qiren knew of the things the boy went through, he couldn’t help but get angry on his behalf. Not only had he lost his golden core for a very selfless action but he also picked up on a cultivation method that he knew would get him despised, yet he still went to war against the Wens -unlike Sect Leader Jin- and even now, he lost his reputation just to do the right thing and protect the innocent.
They spent some time catching up on the things that had happened since Lan Qiren left Jinlintai. Just as he expected, Jin Guangshan tried to switch the opinion back in his favour and against Wei Wuxian, but most young Sect Leaders were more willing to follow Nie Mingjue’s words as he was one of the most important figures during the war. Yet his nephew warned him that Jin Zixun was claiming that he had been cursed by Wei Wuxian and that there could be an ambush on their way to Qinghe. All that information had been found out through trusted sources that were nearby Jin Zixun at all times and Xichen had even admitted that he had a fight with Jin Guangyao over his lack of disclosure of such a thing.
With the newfound information, Lan Qiren decided that the best course of action was to move the Wens in small groups of people rather than a large group at once. He’d considered a transportation talisman, but considering that there were a lot of people in that place and he’d need their disciples’ strength to fight in case there was an altercation it was better to save that for an emergency in case something happened near the child. However, he did discuss with Wangji the need to get Wei Wuxian to Qinghe as fast as possible and without the risk of someone ambushing him on the way there. Wangji agreed to use the transportation talisman himself to get them both there safely.
Qiren knew it was a risk to have Wangji, one who had never used a transportation technique before, do it, but he didn’t have any other options with such a high cultivation level that was able to transport two breathing people at the same time and he wasn’t going to risk anything considering Jin Guangshan’s ambitions.
When Nie Mingjue and Jiang Wanyin arrived, Nie Mingjue was tasked with getting Wen Qing and Wen Qionglin back to Qinghe as they were both the only cultivators in the camp and to also make sure Wei Wuxian arrived there safely and to have him under his gaze just in case something were to happen. He didn’t seem too happy to have to leave Xichen right after he arrived but he also knew that it was a time-sensitive mission. Xichen, on the other hand, would accompany the first group of Wens on foot all the way to Qinghe while Jiang Wanyin would stay behind and make sure nothing happened in the camp.
As he expected, Jin Guangshan didn’t show up to the Burial Mounds himself, choosing to send both of his sons instead. Jin Zixuan seemed horrified at the situation the innocent remnants were experiencing and agreed to accompany the next group of Wens by himself. Jin Guangyao opposed that but Qiren knew better and stopped him from accompanying the Jin heir just in case anything happened.
Qiren himself would set foot with the third and last group, with Jiang Wanyin and Jin Guangyao trailing behind him. That was the plan they had agreed on and one Wei Wuxian seemed to be comfortable with.
Once Nie Mingjue had signalled through a communication talisman that Wen Qing, Wen Qionglin and Wei Wuxian were in the Unclean Realm, the rest of the Wens began their journey with little to no problem. It seemed that whatever Qiren had suspected about Jin Guangyao’s motives to not let Jin Zixuan go by himself proved to be the correct call, as the boy looked nervously to his sides the whole way to Qinghe. He assumed that whatever plan had been crafted had to be discarded due to Wei Wuxian’s obvious absence on the road.
…
After a few days of travelling, Lan Qiren and his group -along with the child- finally arrived at Qinghe, where the rest of the Sect Leaders were already waiting for them. It was no surprise when a lot of the younger Sect Leaders looked horrified at the state the women, old people and one child were in. Seeing them with their own eyes probably solidified the idea Lan Qiren had described to them during his report.
Two people, however, stood up from the rest of the people attending the trials and it was Jin Guangshan, who looked way angrier than he should’ve been if he still wanted to sell the idea that he was just looking out for the safety of the clans by getting rid of all of the Wen dogs and the other one was Jin Zixun, who looked kinda sick and with so much anger and disgust that Qiren made a note to watch out for weird behaviour coming from him.
Only when the rest of the Wens were taken to temporary residence did the actual trials begin. The first one to be on trial was Wen Qing, who was found guilty by the rest of the Sect Leaders but was granted a lighter sentence than anything Jin Guangshan would have come up with had he been the one in charge of the punishments. She had to stay in the Unclean Realm under surveillance with her spiritual power sealed for a few years until she proved that she wasn’t a danger. A lot of people were dissatisfied with that, but Nie Mingjue did not sway. The next one was Wen Qionglin, who was dismissed quite quickly as most believed he had already endured enough punishment by being killed at Qiongqi path doing forced manual labour and would only need to be under surveillance in case he went out of control.
The last one, as expected, was Wei Wuxian. This time, there was a lot more support than the last time Wei Wuxian had appeared in public and it helped that most people now understood that he had a real reason for his actions. They were still weary, but not as much as last time. Qiren took this to his advantage once he explained that Wei Wuxian would marry his nephew as a way of imprisonment. The Lan Clan was known for their cleansing techniques and they would be updating the cultivation world about their goal of purging all of the resentful energy out of Wei Wuxian and anyone was free to check that they were actually doing it.
Jin Guangshan opposed it, but when Lan Qiren clarified that every single Sect Leader would be expected to attend the ceremony for the destruction of the Yin Tiger Tally was when his words of opposition were drowned out by more commentary in support of the idea. No one really wanted Wei Wuxian to be running around free and no one wanted him to be at the mercy of the Jin Sect either and they trusted Lan Qiren and Hanguang-Jun enough to believe they would truly work on getting Wei Wuxian back on the right path and away from demonic cultivation. Qiren knew getting Wei Wuxian back on the right path would be a difficult thing to achieve due to the boy's lack of golden core, but the Lan forbidden library was extensive and he was certain there could be a way to help him.
Once again, there was opposition on Jin Guangshan and his allies’ side but it wasn’t until Jin Zixun stood up and revealed that he had been cursed with the Thousand Sores and Hundred Holes curse that an uproar began.
“Do you have any proof it was me?” Wei Wuxian defended himself, still standing in the middle of the meeting hall with two cultivators at his side and Wangji behind him.
“Who else would it be but you?!” He yelled at the boy, who did not shy away from confrontation and defending himself, but Qiren knew that he had to step in before the public opinion got changed.
“I don’t even know who you are!”
“Enough!” Qiren said, walking forward and towards Wei Wuxian, who looked defiantly at Jin Zixun with barely hidden annoyance “If Wei Wuxian is the culprit, he must have backlash scars from the curse on his chest too”
“That makes sense, not even a cultivator as strong as Wei Wuxian could hide something like that, right?” someone whispered and Jin Zixun screeched at that.
Without waiting any longer, Wei Wuxian opened his robes to show his chest to everyone in the hall, showing that he did have a completely clean chest save from the mark of the sun caused to him by Wang Lingjiao.
“Hah! Do you seriously think someone like him doesn’t have the means to hide it? He practises the crooked path!” Jin Zixun continued to yell at everyone in the room, trying to have someone on his side who wasn’t a Jin but most people weren’t willing to believe him as he had demonstrated before that he was a very dislikable person and that anyone could have done that.
“Jin Zixun, your claims hold no proof. You believe that it was Wei Wuxian who cursed you, but when all your arguments revolve around your quarrel during the hunting competition, then I’m sorry but that doesn’t prove it was him who did it, especially when he holds no backlash scars” Qiren said, gaining some hums in support of his words. He felt a headache coming and knew he wanted everything to be over with, yet he knew Jin Guangshan would drag it out as much as he could if there was even a possibility of getting something out of it.
“We’re not here to trial Wei Wuxian with crimes that he might have committed or not, but to trial him about crimes he did commit” Nie Mingjue said, getting all the attention back to him. Baxia was in his hand and he seemed to be annoyed at the interruption “So far, everyone here agrees that although guilty of murdering the guards at the labour camp in Qiongqi Path, Wei Wuxian ultimately had a reason for his actions. The best thing to do, of course, is to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally with every single Sect Leader required in attendance as witnesses that the artefact was indeed destroyed and Wei Wuxian will marry Hanguang-Jun as a way to keep him under control and to have the Lan Sect purge all the resentment out of him”
The meeting lasted way longer than Lan Qiren hoped for but in the end, he managed to convince everyone that the lives taken by the Jin guards -among them, children- somewhat justified Wei Wuxian’s outburst at the labour camp. Not completely, of course, but no one could argue they wouldn’t try to save children being worked to death without looking like assholes themselves.
He also made sure to keep Wangji near Wei Wuxian at all times, not trusting that the Jins and allies wouldn’t do something when no one was expecting it and he knew his nephew had a strong reputation for being righteous just like him. Not only did he not trust Wei Wuxian to not cause trouble in some way, but he also had been extremely vigilant of Jin Guangyao, something Nie Mingjue was quick to agree with him on.
“Your wedding vows will be next week. It’s fast, but we cannot keep you unprotected for long” He said the moment that they had all returned to their quarters. Wei Wuxian was to stay with him as he was his primary custodian before Wangji took over and because, political or not, they were betrothed and couldn’t spend time alone without a chaperone “Will you tell Wangji about your secret?”
The boy seemed to be deep in thought but eventually nodded. Qiren figured that now that there wasn’t any immediate trouble for him or the Wens he would have to be honest with his soon-to-be husband but he still didn’t want to pressure him.
Without saying anything else, he turned around and went to his bed so that he could rest after such a long meeting. He knew that the matter was far from over and that the following days would be the same, completely energy-consuming and headache-inducing. He had to prepare the wedding logistics as well as prepare for the destruction of the Yin Tiger Tally. Even though Wei Wuxian had admitted to him that he wanted it destroyed, he couldn’t help but feel unprotected without it, because he wasn’t stupid and he knew that he was a feared man and having Lan Qiren’s support at the moment helped incredibly, but were he to commit a mistake or say something the Sect Leaders deemed dangerous, then he would be unarmed against the entirety of the cultivation world.
There wasn’t any argument he could make against that other than relying on the other Sects’ morals in that they wouldn’t attack Hanguang-Jun’s husband but even he knew that sometimes that was a lot to wish for and he hoped that with the destruction of the Yin Tiger Tally, the attention moved from Wei Wuxian and onto other things instead, since that was the main argument against the boy.
Deciding not to think about the future too deeply for now, he went right to sleep, being relieved that he could hear Wei Wuxian’s soft breathing somewhere in the room too.
…
The following days were just as stressful as Qiren thought they would be and as the wedding was approaching, he also noticed certain behaviours from a few Jin disciples sometimes, Jin Guangshan would hold meetings that he claimed were just tea times with other Sect Leaders, but he knew what the man was doing and he had entrusted Xichen to try and find out as much as he could, which proved to cause an even bigger rift between him and that one Jin Guangyao, something that made Nie Mingjue seem quite delighted in even if he wasn’t happy that Xichen was unhappy.
For his part, Qiren made sure to not let Wei Wuxian, Wen Qing or Wen Qionglin without any trusted disciples if only to make sure that nothing was going on and that they weren’t being targeted in any way. Twice now, Qiren had found a couple of Jin disciples trying to sneak into where Wen Qionglin was staying. He raised his concerns with Nie Mingjue, who promptly increased the security inside of the Unclean Realm so that no one would be lurking where they were not supposed to and due to the animosity between his disciples and Jin Guangyao, it seemed all of them were willing to immediately inform both of them of any weird shenanigans happening around.
The day before the wedding, Wangji had left with Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen through the transportation technique while a few of the other Lan disciples travelled by sword. The Sect Leaders decided to set off by sword as well and Qiren accompanied them, while Nie Mingjue stayed behind to make sure nothing funny happened while the wedding took place.
The journey was not long, but Qiren did notice that his idea of using a transportation technique had once again been correct as he could notice a few weird things around the path that they took and Jin Guangshan’s mood had soured in comparison to the previous days. Keeping that in mind, he made sure to remember to keep up the protection around Wei Wuxian even when he was married. He wouldn’t let his guard down until the Yin Tiger Tally had been destroyed because until then no one would be completely safe.
…
The wedding was something that could barely be called one, with the rush of it and the clear dislike most of the Jin cultivators still carried with them. Wei Wuxian and Wangji gave their three bows, dressed in very extravagant red wedding robes and then, right after the ceremony had ended, Wei Wuxian was escorted to the Jingshi, where he would remain locked up until the destruction of the Yin Tiger Tally was completed. In all honesty, Qiren didn’t want to keep him there for too long as he didn’t want the boy to be a prisoner in the Cloud Recesses, not when he had witnessed just how truly selfless he was and how much he had suffered to not only help them against Wen Ruohan but to protect the innocent as well.
A-Yuan had come to the wedding as well, Lan Qiren taking care of him while the ceremony took place and he knew how his presence would pose as a sign of peace because there was just no way anyone would dare do something that would incriminate them before the Cultivation world.
Only when everyone had gone to their sleeping quarters did Qiren let himself relax a little bit. The hardest part had been done and the only thing left was to destroy the amulet, which would guarantee Wei Wuxian a life different to that of Madam Lan. He, too, would be restricted to the Cloud Recesses for a while, but because Wei Wuxian’s crimes did not outweigh his contributions to the Sunshot Campaign and his protection of the common and children, he was positive that in a couple of years, as long as Jin Guangshan calmed the fuck down , he would be free to come and go as he pleased.
Of course, the next week would be filled with days full of playing the diplomat alongside his nephew and trying hard to utilise the Lan Sect’s soft power to influence the general idea of the cultivation world that Wei Wuxian couldn't and wouldn't be a danger even without the Yin Tiger Tally. Even with their reputation, it would be tedious work as the hunger for power proved to blind people to the reality of situations sometimes.
It worked in his favour that three out of the four Sect Leaders of the four major Sects leaned positively toward Wei Wuxian, with Nie Mingjue being the strongest pillar out of them due to his relatively debt-free relation with the other sects and his incredibly high reputation originated from way before the Sunshot Campaign, but also due to having it increased because of it. He was sure that, as long as Lan Qiren supported Wei Wuxian and the Wen refugees the Nie Sect would back them up, even if it wasn’t out of the goodness of Nie Mingjue’s heart and somewhat selfish reasons layered beyond it, in the end, the alliance helped greatly to achieve his goals.
Xichen, on his part, seemed almost starry-eyed at having the Nie Sect Leader so involved in helping not only his little brother with his feelings for the boy but also for his support in Lan Qiren’s actions. Not only had he put aside his personal feelings for the Wens, he had even taken them in.
Lastly, Jiang Wanyin, although heavily indebted to the Jin Sect, still retained heavy connections to Wei Wuxian through Jiang Yanli -and in turn, Jin Zixuan- because of their sibling bond that he knew would come out to be very helpful.
In the end, he had scheduled the destruction of the Yin Tiger Tally as early as possible and he hoped that whatever Wei Wuxian did worked without any type of backlash.
…
The moment Nie Mingjue arrived at the Cloud Recesses was the moment when Lan Qiren knew that it was now or never. He had heavily inspected the area that they would use to destroy the Yin Tiger Tally and he had restricted access to cultivators he had deemed suspicious as well as only letting in the Sect Leaders, along with their right-hand disciples. Among those he had not let in were Jin Guangyao and Jin Zixun, and no matter what protests Jin Guangshan had raised, it would stay that way.
Wei Wuxian had dressed up formally, with his newly acquired Lan-white robes to demonstrate to everyone that he really was under Lan surveillance and Qiren had even informed them that cleansing sessions had already begun.
The boy had stood in front of everyone with Wangji by his side “We are ready” he said, Wangji pulling out his guqin right beside him and without waiting any longer, they both started to work.
Qiren could see the strong display of energy that was required to do any damage to the amulet and in the corner of his eye he also could see how Jin Guangshan looked at the prospect of the seal being destroyed for real, but he knew not to comment on it, as long as things finally ended, then whatever it was that the Jin Sect Leader felt was irrelevant.
It took hours. Standing in the middle of the clearing, both his nephew and Wei Wuxian had finally managed to destroy the amulet, leaving nothing behind that could be claimed by anyone. Wei Wuxian had seemed exhausted, too, and Qiren indicated to Wangji to take him back to rest, while he and Xichen would deal with the Sect Leaders assuring them that the work was completely done.
It really would be a long week.
…
“It seems the Lan Sect truly has everything under control”
Qiren turned his head around and noticed a few of the disciples from the Ouyang Sect talking among themselves and he couldn’t help but feel a little relieved that in the past half year, the general opinion about Wei Wuxian had shifted positively. There was still some opposition, especially within the Jin Sect but among the normal disciples that had to do more with the boy’s servant origins rather than how dangerous he was.
He was sure of one thing, though, and that was Jin Guangshan’s pure interest in the Yin Tiger Tally. Things had become ugly after its destruction and from what he had heard, the one that ended up getting the worst of it was Jin Guangyao, whom Jin Guangshan wanted around if purely to reap rewards he did not deserve from his son’s achievement of being the one to give Wen Ruohan the fatal blow. Now that Jin Guangshan could not milk more rewards from Wen’s slave labour or Wei Wuxian’s amulet, his treatment towards him worsened tenfold, but even Jin Guangshan had calmed down now that he could not get anything more from Wei Wuxian and he seemed to focus on other things too. Only when it was found out that Su Minshan, someone who was allied with Jin Guangyao had been the one who cursed Jin Zixun was when any somewhat-good treatment by Jin Guangshan stalled. Lan Qiren was not privy to the consequences, but he did know that they would not have to worry about the man for a long, long time.
For his part, Qiren thought that things were going alright, with Wei Wuxian and Wangji’s marriage being as good as it could be. Just as they promised the other Sects, they did their best at helping Wei Wuxian from the resentment, but aside from the incredibly high amounts of stress the boy had been subject to during his time at the Burial Mounds, it seemed he could control it pretty well. On the other hand, the Wen refugees were thriving in their little refugee village, Wen Qing even aiding Nie Mingjue with his temperament issues. He knew that the Nie Sect Leader would never truly favour any Wen, but this amount of effort on his part was admirable.
There were still a lot of things to get done, but for now, he sat down to enjoy tea with his nephews and his newly added nephew-in-law. He wondered just how things could have gone had he not gone to visit the Burial Mounds that day, but thinking about that was useless now, because in the end, he had managed to avoid another mistake in his life and in return, he gained not only another nephew, but also a very cute grandnephew who brightened his days to no end.
Had anyone told him when he still had Wei Wuxian under his tutelage all those years ago that he would come to consider him family, and not only that, but that he would give him a grandnephew, he’d call them crazy, but here he was. The glint in Wei Wuxian’s eye had returned after all and he was as happy as he could get, even if there was still a long road ahead, he knew that at least Wei Wuxian would have his support.