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“Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian turns to look at the man to his right, who is staring at him with an inscrutable expression on his face. Lan Wangji has been trying to get his attention for some time, as his cultivation partner has been staring into space for just a little too long. Wei Wuxian gives him a swift, placating smile and pats the hand on his wrist consolingly.
“Ah, I’m sorry Lan Zhan. I was distracted by a memory.”
Lan Wangji has been suspecting so for a few moments now, but whether it is a pleasant or upsetting memory he has not been able to decipher. He squeezes his partner’s wrist gently, looking intently at his face for any clues as to what Wei Wuxian may need from him in this moment. It’s not often anymore that he is unable to read his lover’s face, and the fact that he is having difficulty doing so now sends a gentle wave of worry to settle deep in his gut. They have been through a lot together over the years, but some horrors Wei Wuxian has had to face alone. For this, Lan Wangji has always carried regret and guilt. He has spent the last few years trying to assuage this guilt as much as possible through his actions and care towards his partner. But he knows it can’t truly change the past.
“Lan Zhan, I really am fine. Let’s continue forward, ok?”
Lan Wangji realizes he has started to grip Wei Wuxian’s wrist rather tightly and relaxes his grip with a “Mn” and a nod. They both look forward and start walking down the dank tunnel again. A few days ago, Cloud Recesses had received an urgent call for help from a small clan to the east. Since then, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian had been traveling to the remote mountain where they are currently investigating at the behest of the Wu clan. According to the messenger, spiritual disturbances had apparently been occurring there for the better part of a month. It seems the “attacks” on the local villagers had been brushed off by the leading clan, despite them being a clan of minor cultivators. Only once the number and frequency of events had escalated in the past few days had the Wu clan started investigating and realized they were in over their heads, thus calling in the nearest large sect for assistance.
Privately, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian had discussed their distrust of the information they were given. The Wu clan was most likely to try to save face when sharing information, as they should have been responsible for the welfare of the nearby villagers from the start. If they were willing to own up to their neglect this past month, what information could they be holding back that may be even worse?
From what they were told, the pair were to investigate a string of disappearances that were supposedly connected to what the Wu’s suspected to be the work of an imp or monster (they weren’t sure which) that was hiding in the woods surrounding the village. The creature would wait until a cloud covered night and would snatch anyone who was out of their home before sunrise. Villagers had reported seeing a great shadow sweeping through the streets at night if they dared look out their windows, and if anyone was in its path, they would be sucked into the shadow with barely a whimper and immediately disappeared from sight. This description seemed to be based only on one actual sighting, however, and most of the villagers had grown too scared to go out at night or even look out their windows until dawn.
The pair had discussed possible creatures that would be capable of such a thing and had landed on “we need more information.” Upon arrival at the Wu clan residence, they had been promptly led to a “suspicious cave” in the forest near the village that the Wu’s were certain the creature must be hiding in. When asked why they were so certain, vague answers had been given. The same was supplied when asked why they hadn’t searched the cave themselves before deciding it was something they couldn’t handle on their own.
So now Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were walking side by side into a strange cave, at the behest of somewhat suspicious cultivators and with very little useful information.
As Lan Wangji looks around at the cave walls, he notes that they seem to have been carved out by human hands. He wonders if this is what has caught Wei Wuxian’s attention and brought on the memory. The cave walls at the Burial Mounds were similarly sculpted, especially where Wei Wuxian had made his living quarters and workshop. He gives another small squeeze to his partner’s wrist before letting go and letting his arm drop to his side.
Wei Wuxian turns and gives him another small smile, apparently appreciating the gesture, before continuing to study their surroundings as they walk. The cave is surprisingly deep, and they continue to walk in silence for a considerable amount of time.
__________
The time spent walking is considerable indeed, and finally Wei Wuxian breaks the silence in a voice filled with annoyance.
“How deep into the mountain do they expect us to go? Maybe we should have split up and had one of us stay behind to see what they get up to while we walk forever in this lousy cave.”
Lan Wangji responds with a “Mn”, and Wei Wuxian continues “It’s bad enough that they practically shoved us in here before we asked too many questions, but now my feet are starting to hurt! If they were trying ambush us or something, they could at least have the courtesy of hurrying up.”
Lan Wangji does not betray any outward signs of annoyance, but inwardly agrees with Wei Wuxian’s assessment. They both know there is something suspicious about the behavior of the Wu clan members, but he had hoped it would be something they could resolve with minimal discomfort to his partner. He knows his overprotective attention towards Wei Wuxian has affected their night hunts in the past, but he cannot shake his need to keep Wei Wuxian as physically and emotionally safe as possible. The long walk and the flashback from earlier are already being added to his mental list of grievances with the Wu family.
Finally, the tunnel starts to widen and the two find themselves walking towards an ornately carved archway that seems to lead to a larger room beyond. Wei Wuxian lets out a loud sigh as they both sense the ward closing off the entryway and muddling their perception of the space behind it.
Wei Wuxian tilts his head back with his fingers rubbing his temples as he loudly whines “Lan Zhannn, how many bottles of Emperor’s Smile will you bet me that the missing villagers are behind that ward, and we’re about to be accosted by Wu cultivators at the end of their knowledge of demonic cultivation?”
Lan Wangji inwardly sighs as well, as this is indeed the most likely explanation. This has happened to the pair before, lured out of Cloud Recesses with a request for assistance in a night hunt only to find cultivators hoping for a chance at access to the most famous demonic cultivator in recent history. It has happened enough times that the whole process now feels tedious and annoying. The cultivators can’t possibly hope to contend with the abilities of Wei Wuxian, and even in the rare instances where they can, Lan Wangji is never far from his lover’s side. Lan Wangji’s well-known fury at the audacity of these types of cultivators should be enough by now to deter any similar attempts. However, the allure of demonic power, especially to those who are unable to advance their own golden cores through traditional routes of cultivation, seems to outweigh the fear of the famous Hanguang-Jun.
Outwardly, Lan Wangji simply sweeps his arm out towards the archway and a flash of blue light streaks from his hand. The ward immediately dissipates, and Wei Wuxian visibly winces as a wave of resentful energy rushes into him from the room beyond. Lan Wangji glances at him with a concerned expression, but Wei Wuxian just waves him on. Lan Wangji turns back to the archway and strides forward sword drawn. He had already been expecting his partner to react to what was beyond, so he’s not too concerned, but it never hurts to check. Wei Wuxian follows behind, cursing under his breath and pulling Chenqing from his waist in anticipation of what’s to come. He barely has it in his hand, however, when Lan Wangji’s sword flashes ahead of him and forces back the three men who had rushed forward to attack.
They both step into the room and immediately notice the twenty or so villagers penned into the right corner of the room. On the left side of the room are a series of desks and bookshelves on a small dais, and in the center is an open space with an intricately drawn array surrounding a single chair with chains hanging from it. There are only ten cultivators in the room, including the three Lan Wangji had just forced back. They are all wearing the colors of the Wu clan, and quickly move to attack the pair in the archway.
Lan Wangji enters the fray with an effortless grace that leaves a small smile on Wei Wuxian’s face before he turns his mind back to the task at hand. He takes advantage of the time his partner has so graciously awarded him to give a sharp whistle to the villagers in the corner. A small part of his heart deflates as he ascertains that they are all already dead and are now partially turned into living corpses. He guesses the first few taken were not successfully reanimated, and that’s why some of the corpses are completely unresponsive to his command. A few are able to turn to look at him, while only three are able to actually start to shuffle towards him and try to push open the pen. He shakes his head and almost growls in anger. These lives were wasted for a few cultivators to practice on, and they were barely able to create something useful. How many more innocent lives were the Wu clan planning on taking to perfect their method?
His thoughts are briefly interrupted as one of the attackers slips past Lan Wangji’s guard to rush at him. He deftly deflects the man’s blade with Chenqing and slaps an immobilization talisman on the unfortunate man’s back as he spins around him. The man drops immediately, and Wei Wuxian finally puts Chenqing to his lips and play a command to the three living corpses that are able to listen to him. He gives them enough resentful energy to force open the pen and come at the Wu cultivators from behind. At this point only five are left attacking Lan Wangji, but at the sight of the corpses free and turning on them, they quickly attempt to flee to the other side of the room. Lan Wangji leaps through the air towards them, but before he can strike Wei Wuxian stops playing and shouts to him.
“Lan Zhan! Stop! I want to talk to them.”
Lan Wangji leaves his sword pointed at the nearest Wu cultivator but stands utterly still and ominous. The cultivator visibly trembles as he drops his sword to the ground. The other four follow suit, but the last one suddenly reaches into his robe and pulls out a talisman. Bichen flies forward and stabs through his wrist, but not before the talisman burns away.
“It must be a signal talisman.” Wei Wuxian says as Bichen returns to its master’s hand. The cultivator slumps to the ground crying out and cradling his wrist, but none of the other cultivators have dared to move. The corpses have stopped in their tracks, awkwardly standing near Wei Wuxian as he lowers Chenqing to his side.
“You won’t have much time to speak to them Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji warns as he stares daggers into the man in front of him, who is still trembling at the end of his sword.
“How long until the rest of you arrive?” is the first question Wei Wuxian asks. He directs it toward the cultivator with the bleeding wrist. The man lifts his head and resentment darts from his eyes as he looks Wei Wuxian in the face and replies “Soon enough.”
Wei Wuxian sighs again and closes his eyes for a moment, as if asking for patience before he asks his next question.
“How many have you killed?”
The man doesn’t look away as he replies matter-of-factly, “Thirty-seven.”
Lan Wangji can sense the rage in his partner spike from across the room. In fact, everyone seems to sense it, as black smoke starts to curl around the man and the corpses move in agitation. The cultivators shudder slightly in response. The one on the ground, however, stares defiantly at Wei Wuxian and a glint of what could be admiration grows in his gaze.
“Only these last few have been truly responsive, but I have never been able to get them to perform as spectacularly as you just did!” The man leans eagerly towards Wei Wuxian, as if getting closer will allow him to soak up some of the dark energy visibly rolling off of the other man as he seethes in rage. Lan Wangji glances towards his partner and gently says
“Wei Ying.”
Wei Wuxian takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and visibly relaxes his body. The dark tendrils slowly recede back into him, and when he opens his eyes, he gives Lan Wangji a quick wink and saunters towards the crouching Wu cultivator with a half-smile on his face. It comes off looking a little cruel, though his eyes no longer betray the anger inside him. His hands clasp Chenqing behind his back and his hips sway almost lazily as he moves forward. He stops just a few feet from the dais and gestures towards the bookshelves and desks.
“What is all this for?” He asks the question as if he is casually engaging in conversation with a new acquaintance. His eyes turn back to the cultivator, and he crosses his arms expectantly.
The cultivator eagerly replies. “Our records. We’ve been taking extensive notes as we experiment. We want to be able to replicate our results, and train as many of our disciples as possible. Thus far, we’ve been able to acquire a good amount of information and many of our disciples have been able to study here and assist with the experiments. There is much excitement in the clan for our endeavors.”
“Ah, I see. And are all the members of the Wu family aware of these experiments?”
“Of course! My father has made sure everyone knows of the importance of our endeavor, and almost no one has objected. Those that did have been… encouraged to rethink their positions.”
The way the man says “encouraged” sends a chill down both Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian’s spines. Lan Wangji looks at Wei Wuxian and tilts his head forward in a way that seems to say, “this is enough, now we should move quickly.”
Wei Wuxian smiles back at him and steps back swiftly, his hands drawing a red talisman in the air before him then pushing it toward the dais. Lan Wangji leaps away as the entire dais bursts into flames and the “notes” kept by the Wu clan are destroyed. The other cultivators cry out and run toward the exit. The pair make no move to stop them as they rush through the archway and down the tunnel.
The last cultivator, still bleeding and clutching his wrist pauses before exiting and hisses “There’s no way you’ll escape this. Our reinforcements should be in the tunnel by now, and we can rebuild what we’ve lost. If the Yiling Patriarch is unwilling to join us, then we will just have to force him.” He smiles manically and turns to follow the rest. Before he makes it out of the archway however, a blue flash of light illuminates the room as Bichen strikes him through the heart. The man falls, and over the crackling of the fire Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji hear the distant sound of many footsteps coming down the tunnel towards them.
The two look at each other and as one move swiftly towards the archway. Lan Wangji slides his sword from the dead man as they stride past, only giving a quick disgusted glance down as he steps over him. Wei Wuxian already has Chenqing at his lips as they march forward, and the black tendrils reach back towards the twenty corpses behind them. The sound of the flute flows ominously towards the oncoming clan members, and they hear many footsteps falter. Filled with enough resentful energy, the corpses are all able to move out of the room, following Wei Wuxian like some pied piper.
Lan Wangji spares a worried glance at his partner as they rush forward. He is allowing a lot of resentful energy to flow through his body right now, and there will be consequences later. Lan Wangji knows it is useless to ask him to leave the corpses behind, Wei Wuxian would only argue that they deserved a proper burial and leaving them was NOT an option. It would also most likely have a startling effect on their approaching enemies if they had a seemingly menacing army of corpses with them. He has spent enough time with Wei Wuxian to know that in reality, only the three responsive corpses would be useful in a fight, but he’ll take what they can get. He seriously doubts there are enough Wu clan members of any caliber to pose a real risk to them, and they have limited their advantage of numbers by choosing to confront them in a narrow tunnel.
They turn a corner and are suddenly faced with swords and determined gazes. The gazes begin to falter and the swords tremble as the corpses start to filter into the space behind Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. There is a moment of stillness once the last corpse shuffles into place, and no one is willing to make the first move. Finally, a commanding voice from the back makes an almost desperate-sounding shout to the others to attack, and the tunnel descends into chaos. The fight itself is actually quite short and unremarkable by Lan Wangji’s standards. Bichen flashes as cultivators are struck down in a wide arc in front of him, and he watches the three fierce corpses push past him and start beating the next closest batch to the ground. He doesn’t even bother to continue fighting as the cultivators start to scramble against each other in horror as they realize their attacks mean nothing to the already-dead corpses hunting them down. Eventually he does leap forward when the few remaining idiots turn and start to flee back down the tunnel, their apparent commander included.
Chenqing’s tune slows, calming the corpses as Lan Wangji quickly incapacitates the fleeing cultivators. The flute stops playing altogether, and Lan Wangji looks back to see Wei Wuxian placing talismans on the bodies of any cultivators still alive, effectively trapping them until something can be done with them. The two partners make eye contact and Lan Wangji nods before continuing down the tunnel to make his way to the Wu clan home. They no longer need words for many of their night hunts, and he knows his partner will see to the corpses and make his way to the village to reunite them with their loved ones and be given a proper burial. Lan Wangji gets the task of sending word to the Lan sect for assistance in rounding up the rest of the Wu clan and transporting them to Cloud Recesses to answer for their transgressions. After exiting the cave, he sends the butterfly messenger and moves quickly towards the Wu manor. He pushes forcefully through the front doors and summons his guqin to quickly incapacitate the few disciples left in the manor. He strides forward to push Bichen to the throat of the clan leader who had been standing in shock at the back of the courtyard throughout the whole affair. The man drops to his knees and sobs, unable to speak for fear.
“You will be brought to Cloud Recesses to stand in front of the Lan elders” Lan Wangji says simply.
The man only nods frantically in his fear, still unable to speak. Lan Wangji nods towards the doorway into the main hall and allows the man to get to his feet and stumble towards it. He uses talismans to lock the man inside. He then turns and uses more talismans to hold the downed disciples. His partner’s expertise in talismans has greatly improved the Gusu Lan sect’s cultivation, and he feels a sweep of pride flow through him at the thought.
Satisfied that his job here is complete, he makes his way to the village to meet Wei Wuxian and assist there. It’ll be several hours before his fellow disciples will arrive and there is still work to be done.
___________
When Lan Wangji arrives at the village, he sees that most of the resentful energy has been removed from the corpses with various talismans and they have been laid gently in the main square of the town. The villagers are reluctantly trickling from their homes as Wei Wuxian knocks on doors and gently explains the situation over and over again to each suspicious villager. The grief and outrage becomes palpable as more and more people gather on the square and start to recognize their loved ones. Lan Wangji is struck for the hundredth time by the amount of empathy and strength in his partner to do this work. He has watched him time and again assist and comfort grieving families on night hunts, and he knows that this is part of why he could never love anyone else as fiercely as he loves this man.
Lan Wangji calmly sits at the edge of the square, attempting to be unobtrusive but failing miserably in his bright white robes and elegant movement. A collective sigh seems to move through the growing crowd as he starts to play the opening lines of Cleansing on his guqin. It simultaneously starts to release the resentful energy from the corpses and seems to settle the crowd. By the time he has moved on to play Rest, the family members are slowly moving through the bodies and weeping silently by their loved ones. When he finally stops playing and sweeps his arm to dispel the guqin, he looks up to see many sad but grateful smiles sent his way. He nods in acknowledgement and sweeps his eyes around the crowd looking for a familiar red ribbon and black robes.
He finally finds them sitting on a doorstep to his right, a wary distance between the man and the crowd around him. Lan Wangji stands and moves towards his weary partner who manages to look up and smile at him.
“Should you go back to the manor and wait for others to arrive? They may need help sorting through the rubbish we left behind.”
Lan Wangji gives a quick shake of his head, “You are tired. They will not need our help.”
Without allowing any time for protest, Lan Wangji reaches down and sweeps the man into his arms and starts to carry him away. The protest still comes almost immediately.
“Aiya Lan Zhan! You know I have perfectly good legs, I don’t need you to carry me.”
Lan Wangji ignores this statement and continues to carry his beloved away from the town. Only a few steps away, however, he is stopped by a young woman who has stepped into his path.
“I wanted to say thank you” the woman says softly, making sure to look them both in the eye through the tears she has clearly been crying for some time now.
“My husband was one of those taken. Thank you for bringing him back to me, it means so much to be able to honor him properly.” Her voice cracks towards the end, but her face is very determined through her grief. She presses something into Wei Wuxian’s palm and quickly bows and starts to back away. Wei Wuxian makes as if to reach out and stop her, and she seems to recognize something in his eye and cuts him off before he can speak.
“You have done enough masters, we can see to the burials ourselves.” She bows again and smiles faintly. Gratitude fills Lan Wangji and he nods at her before she walks back to the group behind them. Lan Wangji squeezes his partner lightly and then moves forward again. Wei Wuxian relaxes into his arms and nestles his head against his lover’s shoulder as he is carried away from the village and into the forest beyond.
__________
Lan Wangji cradles Wei Wuxian in his arms as he gently places him on the ground, leaning him up against a tree. Wei Wuxian makes a small noise of protest at the action, but a quick caress on his arm is enough to reassure him. Lan Wangji hurriedly constructs a small fire and pushes a small hunk of bread into Wei Wuxian’s hand. He then sweeps his sleeves aside as he elegantly sits on the ground a few feet from the limp Wei Wuxian, simultaneously summoning his guqin. He begins to play Cleansing once more, and Wei Wuxian visibly relaxes under the calming notes of his lover’s spiritual music.
This is a ritual they have completed many times, but it still tugs at the part of Lan Wangji that is always worried about his partner and the physical consequences of his chosen method of cultivation. He wonders how many times they can do this before Wei Wuxian’s body gives out completely. Thankfully, only a few minutes into his playing, the rest of the dark energy permeating his partner’s body starts to dissipate. The tension in both of their bodies begins to abate as well, and Wei Wuxian is able to open his eyes and give Lan Wangji a crooked smile. It manages to convey all of the unspoken things between them, their gratefulness for each other and the love and warmth between them. A request also seems to peek through in his gaze, confirmed by the arms he raises in supplication followed by the “Lan Zhan, why are you so far away?”
“Wei Ying needs to finish the Cleansing, then I will hold him.” Is Lan Wangji’s reply.
Wei Wuxian pouts for a moment, then grimaces when he has moved his head too quickly away. Lan Wangji allows himself an amused smile before returning his concentration to the instrument he is pouring his spiritual energy into.
When the Cleansing is complete, Wei Wuxian looks at him again and Lan Wangji sweeps his arms again to return the instrument to its qiankun pouch. He stands and goes over to sit with Wei Wuxian, who immediately leans into him. It is only then that Wei Wuxian opens his right hand to look at the item the young widow had pressed into him. They both stare silently at the small wooden pendant in his hand. Its significance is unknown, but it must have been important to her to be given in such a way.
“Thirty seven.”
The simple statement leaves a grief hanging in the air over their small space, one that neither of them is able to quite contend with yet. Wei Wuxian lets this knowledge sink into his bones, adding to the horrors he already carries with him. He already knows what Lan Wangji will say, but they both have learned that the grief must be allowed to permeate them before they can do anything to keep it from consuming them. Wei Wuxian vowed many years ago that he would not allow himself to follow the mistakes of his previous life. Holding an immeasurable grief and guilt inside only leads to tragic consequences, and he cannot afford to lose those that are left in his life. He has only just started to mend his relationship with his brother and it had taken a lot to convince the elders of the Lan Sect to allow him to stay with Lan Wangji as his partner. Lan Wangji also deserves as much peace in his life as Wei Wuxian can give him, after everything he has suffered. Wei Wuxian is eternally grateful for the second chance he’s been given and has no intention of repeating past mistakes.
After a few moments they begin to talk. It helps to say it out loud, to acknowledge the atrocities they witnessed and the fact that such things must exist in the world. That the worst monsters can in fact be human, and the worst tragedies the consequences of their own actions. At least this time they were able to give proper burial and rites to the victims of the Wu clan, and the clan itself will be facing the consequences they deserve. Soon the conversation turns to the remaining villagers, and how they now have the chance to understand what happened to their missing loved ones and move forward without fearing a similar fate.
Soon Wei Wuxian is starting to feel his energy return, and Lan Wangji mirrors him. Wei Wuxian stands, claiming he should hunt them some rabbits to cook and eat which results in the expected stern look from his partner. Wei Wuxian laughs, and a smile quirks up on Lan Wangji’s face as he also stands.
“I will collect more firewood, and Wei Ying will hunt for anything but rabbits” he states as he affectionately brushes his shoulder against Wei Wuxian’s.
Wei Wuxian laughs again and saunters off into the woods with a wink. Lan Wangji allows himself to watch him for a moment before turning towards his own tasks. His breath still catches a bit at every suggestive movement his partner makes, and he hopes that never changes. He sometimes forgets that he actually gets to touch this precious man and share moments like these. He also hopes he never has to lose this person again, and vows to stand with him from every moment onward. He will not repeat the mistakes of his own past either.
A few hours later finds them both contentedly leaning against each other as Wei Wuxian finishes off the roasted meat he managed to catch, and Lan Wangji finishes his decidedly vegetarian version of the meal. Lan Wangji gently wipes the grease dripping from Wei Wuxian’s lips, before placing a gentle kiss where his fingers just touched. He is tempted to deepen the kiss, but he knows better than to awaken that beast after so painful a day. Wei Wuxian smiles and strokes a hand through his beloved’s hair. They continue to sit in silence, content just to be near each other.
A few minutes before nine, Lan Wangji moves to prepare the ground behind them with the sleeping pad they had packed in anticipation of nights spent outside. Wei Wuxian banks the fire and then they both lay together, Lan Wangji in his usual sleeping position with Wei Wuxian draped over him. Lan Wangji places a gentle kiss on his soulmate’s forehead and whispers “I love you, Wei Ying.”
While it’s not something they really need to voice aloud anymore, they both enjoy saying it so much that it has become a nightly ritual.
“I love you too Lan Zhan. Make sure you dream of me.”
Lan Wangji lets out a long breath as Wei Wuxian snuggles closer, and their bodies relax into each other as they fall asleep together in complete contentment.