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@Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji had not been expecting any visitors. Except for Wei Wuxian, who spent his every waking (and sleeping) moment by the older’s side, he had yet to see anyone else. This was not an issue to the white-robed male though, as the solitude proved beneficial to his recovery. Therefore, receiving a visit after so long, and by Lan Sizhui of all people, was quite a surprise to Lan Wangji. Obviously, Wei Wuxian was in control of the room here, so when there came a knocking at the door, Lan Wangji left it to his partner to talk.


His piercing gaze slowly shifted to the sliding door, seeing the young disciple step in and offer his quiet greetings. Lan Wangji simply nodded his head once, but he did not remove his attention from Lan Sizhui, immediately taking in how tired the child looked and wondering what had transpired since he was injured. Lan Wangji was injured and all, but he was certainly not blind. Just as obvious as Sizhui’s haggard look was to him, so was Wei Wuxian’s tensed up reactions, apparently distrusting of even this young boy who he so obviously cherished as his own.

The air in the room was tense, but Lan Wangji did not rush the silence, encouraging it as he waited for both males in front of him to collect themselves. It seemed Wei Wuxian did so first, his tense shoulders slouching slightly as he offered Sizhui his seat.

"I was worried," Sizhui said, his voice quivering as he tried to present his elegant, disciplined self to the two elders, “Hanguang Jun was always a father figure to me even after I lost my parents, and I was thinking I don't- I don't want to lose him, too. Physician Wang wouldn't tell us anything, Jingyi and I were really worried- I-"

Once again, words failed him and Lan Wangji simply parted his lips, nothing coming beyond them. He would like to assure the disciple that he would be fine, and that Sizhui should not cry for petty reasons like this. But knowing himself, Lan Wangji reserved this words for himself, knowing that he always sounded insensitive when he responded in such a manner. He cared for Lan Sizhui. He simply didn’t want his disciple to cry, because watching him cry would almost be as heartbreaking as watching Wei Wuxian cry. In the end, Lan Wangji had always seen Sizhui to be an extension of Wei Wuxian, and just recently, a further extension of himself.

"You mean Hanguang Jun is your dad? I mean... you know, I think he'd be really happy if you called him that." Wei Wuxian suddenly suggested, and Lan Wangji’s gaze flickered back to the younger male. He held Wei Wuxian’s gaze for a moment, then shifted back to Lan Sizhui, a sense of anticipation about him.

Seeing that his revered Hanguang Jun, who Sizhui had long ago considered his father, was not opposing this suggestion, and with a little more gentle encouragement from Wei Wuxian, the young disciple seemed shy, maybe even embarrassed as he quietly uttered, “Father.” While it was not exactly “dad” in the sense that Wei Wuxian had expected, this was the most intimate Lan Sizhui had ever felt with anyone.

“En.” Lan Wangji accepted.

A smile then spread over Lan Sizhui’s tired features, his eyes shifting upwards to look at his father with genuine happiness behind them.

Of course, it was known throughout the cultivation world that Lan Wangji’s cultivation partner was Wei Wuxian. And of course, the righteous and elegant Hanguang Jun would never have a child with someone random, much less be the single-parent of one. Therefore, he looked from Sizhui to Wei Wuxian, then back to Sizhui, “Call him mother.”

Like father, like son, Lan Wangji felt awkward to use overly intimate terms such as “mom and dad”, only the word “mother” managing to come out.

As if taken back a second time, Sizhui’s neck and cheeks flushed the same shade of pink Lan Wangji’s would as he took a moment, turning to his Senior Wei, and then allowing a smile to spread across his face as he greeted properly, “Mother.”

@Lan Wangji Wei Wuxian was happy to see and let Lan Wangji offer him some of his own water, which he took without a fuss. Lan Wangji moving about meant he was recovering. Unless it was just Lan Wangji pretending he was recovering - in that case, Wei Wuxian took the cup from Lan Wangji immediately so the older would not have the strain of holding the (very light) cup.

"Are you tired? Does it hurt?" Wei Wuxian asked, setting the cup aside and shifting to kneel on the bed so he could brush Lan Wangji's long hair out and fuss over him like a mother hen, or just a very concerned lover. "I will ask the physician for something for the pain. Last time, he told me no, but I'll threaten him this time," Wei Wuxian said with resolute, because /of course/ Lan Wangji was in pain. Seeing the older's pale white face and sallow skin tone pained Wei Wuxian physically. It was as if there was something sharp lodged in his heart, and it wouldn't go unless Lan Wangji was 100% the man he was just last week.

A knock on the door sounded before sliding open with Wei Wuxian's soft (for once) call of approval. Lan Sizhui stepped into the room with silent steps, as if afraid the smallest noise would be too sensitive for Lan Wangji. "Hanguang Jun," he greeted, bowing his head. "Senior Wei. I've brought some fruits," he said. Indeed, clutched in front of him modestly, was a basket of fresh fruits.

Wei Wuxian felt himself tense up beside Lan Wangji, and his hand began to instinctively reach for Chenqing at his waist before he stopped it. It was just Sizhui, he reasoned with himself. He would never harm Lan Wangji, who raised him from as good as birth. "Thank you," Wei Wuxian said warily, his mistrust transferring from the child he thought of as his own to the fruits. Maybe Lan Sizhui had good intentions, but what if someone had poisoned the fruits, and-

Lan Sizhui's expression caught Wei Wuxian's eye. The younger boy looked rather worn out. There were slight circles beneath his eyes, the tip of his nose was red, and his lips trembled in uncertainty. How silly it was of Wei Wuxian to think that he would be the only one devastated by Lan Wangji's injury. He beckoned Lan Sizhui to come closer, until the young disciple stood by the bed.

"Hanguang Jun," Lan Sizhui began, his voice just as hoarse and worn as Wei Wuxian's. He kept his head low, and his Adam's apple bobbed obviously when he swallowed through his pause. "I... I'm glad you're feeling better, and... I was really..."

Taking pity on the younger, Wei Wuxian sat beside Lan Wangji again, making space for Lan Sizhui. "Sizhui," he interrupted. "Come here."

What a pity that his Lan Sizhui, who was more passionate and emotional than most of the Lans Wei Wuxian had seen, was raised in such a stuffy family. Memories of little Ah-Yuan flashed before Wei Wuxian's eyes - how much Ah-Yuan loved to be carried, love to cling to legs and sit in laps. Loved to hug and touch and give clumsy kisses on everyone's cheeks. Wei Wuxian opened an arm to bring Lan Sizhui close, his arm sliding behind Lan Sizhui's back. He still sat in a way that gave Lan Wangji his space away from Lan Sizhui, yet if he felt that he was well enough to join their embrace, he could. "It's okay," Wei Wuxian said. "Lan Zhan is fine."

"I was worried," Lan Sizhui said, his voice muffled in the most obvious way as he held back tears. "Hanguang Jun was always a father figure to me even after I lost my parents, and I was thinking I don't- I don't want to lose him, too. Physician Wang wouldn't tell us anything, Jingyi and I were really worried- I-"

Wei Wuxian rubbed circles into Lan Sizhui's back, as if soothing a baby, a child. He kept his other hand on the small of Lan Wangji's back, though, feeling rather overwhelmed all of a sudden. He had been foolish to neglect Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi's feelings for the past couple days, too, but rather than a well deserved apology to the younger, he found himself saying, "You mean Hanguang Jun is your dad? I mean... you know, I think he'd be really happy if you called him that." Rather, Wei Wuxian would be really happy if Lan Sizhui did - as much as Lan Wangji never expressed the desire for a family, complete with children, before, Wei Wuxian would not deprive /himself/ of this opportunity for Lan Sizhui to realize he wasn't an orphan at all anymore, not one bit.

@Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji was not Wei Wuxian's cultivation partner, his soul-mate for no reason. When he sensed that the younger male's demeanor changing, it only further confirmed his suspicions that Wei Wuxian had managed to control and quell the resentful energy with Chenqing. He didn't have the specifics about how that was possible, as Lan Wangji was not an expert in the dark arts, but he figured that the pieces would connect when the other would be willing to talk. But since that was not the case now, Lan Wangji dropped the matter, turning his head to accept the water - which happened to be replaced with Wei Wuxian's lips.

Lan Wangji's heartbeat raced, adrenaline coursing through his weakened body when he felt their lips touch. His eyelids naturally fluttered shut when this sensation flooded through his body, taking over the rest of his senses. He didn't pull away, in fact, leaning in for more but only able to move to a certain extent. Wei Wuxian's lips were somewhat dry, maybe a little cracked. This was reminiscent of the time when they had been travelling to find the sword spirit just over half a year ago. The younger male had only recently gotten rid of his cracked lips after Lan Wangji made him drink more water every day. Since he felt that sensation again, the older suddenly felt another wave of guilt settling over him - Wei Wuxian was worried, and Lan Wangji was not only not by his side to care for him, but also the source of the worry.

Once Wei Wuxian pulled away, Lan Wangji reached a hand out, taking the cup from the smaller's hand. He stretched his left arm, holding the porcelain to Wei Wuxian's lips instead of his own, "Drink." he murmured, coaxing the male. The gesture served as another form of nonverbal apology. Lan Wangji wanted his lover to know that he'd be fine - he would never let Wei Wuxian go on without him by the other's side to protect him, to love him.

"I love you, Lan Zhan. I want to tell you I love you every day. So can you just promise me you'll never do something like that again? How about it? I'll let you do anything you want, but you can't jump in front of things for me. Promise me, and mean it." Wei Wuxian bargained, the first traces of a relieved smile on his lips.

"En." Lan Wangji replied, returning the smile as he held the cup back up to Wei Wuxian's lips, compelling the younger male to drink the rest of the contents inside.

Just from down the hall, Jiang Cheng had been witnessing it all. His pride was still much to big for him to deign himself to actually stop by and check on the injured Hanguang Jun and Wei Wuxian, but his worrying conscience made it so that he would purposely take a detour through Lotus Cove, passing by Wei Wuxian's room when he could, in hopes to catch a sneak peek of what was going on inside and ensuring that both people inside were okay. Wei Wuxian had refused to open the door the first few days, when Lan Er was still unconscious. However, when the older male woke up, Wei Wuxian naturally opened the door, knowing that there had to air circulation in the room if they didn't want to feel stuffy inside.

It just so happened that Jiang Cheng had witnessed the kiss. He didn't immediately hide himself as if he'd be embarrassed from catching the two in the act - this was his domain, for goodness' sake! However, he quieted his footsteps, gazing inside as he saw how tenderly the two treated each other. There was no way in heavens that Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian could have ever gotten along in this manner. To this day, it was still baffling to the sharp-tongued sect leader about how Wei Wuxian could fall for the likes of Lan Wangji, and even more inexplicable vice versa.

After seeing the injured Lan Wangji hold a cup of water meant for him to Wei Wuxian's mouth, Jiang Cheng sighed softly. It was Lan Er's gentle actions like this one that probably moved his brother. Yes, his brother. Jiang Cheng felt guilty at the recent happenings also, though he would never entertain this thought in his own head for too long, much less tell anyone about it. The Sect Leader had turned and stalked away, heading off to the training grounds and deciding to leave those two to their private business.

Maybe it was something about the way Lan Er had so altruistically jumped in front of Wei Wuxian to protect him like it was second nature...but Jiang Cheng was grateful. He wouldn't have words to describe his gratitude. Whatever it was, he was simply grateful that it wasn't Wei Wuxian lying in that bed. "Wei Wuxian...weakling, you wouldn't have been able to survive from that..." Jiang Cheng murmured to himself as he began to oversee the sword practice.

@FluffYIBOi "Don't try to talk," Wei Wuxian cried, slipping his hand over Lan Wangji's mouth when the older began to struggle again. No matter how much he wanted to hear Lan Wangji talk in that nice, baritone voice of his, now wasn't the time. Wei Wuxian just wanted Lan Wangji to heal, then to hide him from the world, safe from harm. He didn't have to go deep into the recess of his heart and mind, though, to know that the world wasn't what Lan Wangji needed to be hidden from, but himself. Wei Wuxian.

"I'm sorry for scaring you."

"What am I going to do without you?" Wei Wuxian demanded through his swollen throat, his gaze blurring with unshed tears. "Don't be selfish, Lan Zhan." With that, he covered Lan Wangji's eyes with his palm again, urging him to go to sleep and get some more rest. Wei Wuxian met Lan Sizhui outside of his room when he went to fetch a clean basin of water for his partner. There was still a bit of a fever, the physician explained, but it would resolve itself within a few days.

"Hanguang Jun is okay, Senior Wei...?" Lan Sizhui asked, his voice timid and uncertain all of a sudden, as if there was a possibility that Lan Wangji would not make a full recovery despite what the physician and he had been telling Wei Wuxian.

For the first time since the incident, Wei Wuxian managed to quirk a corner corner of his mouth up. He was in no smiling or laughing mood still, of course, but Lan Sizhui's lower lip trembled as though he were about to cry as well. "He woke," Wei Wuxian confirmed. "He's sleeping now. You can come by tomorrow." Wei Wuxian, as much as he wanted to keep Lan Wangji locked away in his room forever, would not deprive the boy he and (mostly) Lan Wangji raised like their own son.

A week passed before Lan Wangji could finally sit up. Wei Wuxian fretted and worried as he helped the older up, eyeing the clean white under-robes he wore, as if they would suddenly start staining red from Lan Wangji opening up his wound again. Wei Wuxian wasn't sure if he could bear looking at the older's bare chest again, knowing that the wound there would forever be imposing and /ugly/, all because of him. In fact, the whip lashes that scarred Lan Wangji's back, the brand mark of the Wen's on his chest... all because of Wei Wuxian. Before Wei Wuxian could throw himself onto his knees and start begging for forgiveness, he shook his head to clear the thoughts, sitting beside Lan Wangji on the bed so he could catch him if Lan Wangji felt too tired to remain sitting upright.

"You're very dumb for such a renowned cultivator, Hanguang Jun," Wei Wuxian would say as he spent time with Lan Wangji through his healing. As each day passed from Lan Wangji's waking, Wei Wuxian found himself in better and better spirits (though marginally) as he realized the danger had passed. There was only a regretful sadness left - regretting that he didn't stay behind whilst the proper cultivators went out fo the hunt. Lan Wangji was doing fine, and he would be doing fine if Wei Wuxian hadn't been there. Wei Wuxian sniffled. "Promise me you won't do something so stupid again. T-There's no more 'every day' for you if you do-"

"Those puppets...how did they get controlled in the end? How did we..."

Wei Wuxian stiffened beside the older, and he sat up straighter so Lan Wangji wouldn't feel his muscles bunching together like it was a fight-or-flight response of some sort. "Haha..." he began unconvincingly, unable to decide where to lay his gaze. "I- I'm not so sure myself. They just kind of left, so maybe whoever... whatever was controlling them called them back. I don't know. I was looking at you," he finished vaguely, his tone wavering. "It doesn't matter."

Wanting to quickly move on from the subject, Wei Wuxian offered Lan Wangji another cup of water to turn the older's head his way. Before the older could accept it, Wei Wuxian leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to Lan Wangji's warm lips. They were still a bit too hot, remnants of the fever, but it was the first time Wei Wuxian had touched him romantically since Chengguan. He was careful not to push or shove Lan Wangji in any way, his mouth gentle before he pulled back and held up the cup of water, a trembling smile playing on his lips. "I love you, Lan Zhan. I want to tell you I love you every day. So can you just promise me you'll never do something like that again? How about it? I'll let you do anything you want, but you can't jump in front of things for me. Promise me, and mean it."

@Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji's lips parted, a little gasp escaping from them when he heard the impact of Wei Wuxian's knees banging against the bedframe. He reached a hand out in concern, calling for the smaller, "Wei Ying." His voice was hoarse, even deeper than what his natural speaking tone already was. Lan Wangji sighed softly, a smile appearing on his face albeit the stabbing pain that coursed through his body anytime he shifted in the slightest. Having Wei Wuxian talk to him, yell at him, fuss over him - it was all welcome, all music to Lan Wangji's otherwise silent world. He had to give a nod of his head in affirmation at the questions that the smaller bombarded him with, giving Wei Wuxian's hand a weak squeeze.

Wei Wuxian was not really giving him any room to input even a word, and Lan Wangji's pale eyes simply watched as the younger fussed around, so visibly shaken by the turn of events that a pang of apology took the younger Lan over. He didn't sit up, simply raising his head and hand to receive the cup of water from his partner, sipping it to quench his parched throat.

"Don't choke. Stupid man. You stupid, /stupid/ man. Why did you do that?" Wei Wuxian asked for the nth time since Lan Wangji's eyes opened.

Never in his life had the adjective 'stupid' ever been used so many times in succession in front of him. And on top of that, not once had that word ever been directed /at/ him. But when Wei Wuxian used it, Lan Wangji didn't hear any insulting tone behind those words, he simply heard the frustration and helplessness and fear that the younger held in his heart. He d his thumb over the other's hand, trying to calm the younger male down. "I'm sorry." he said, "For scaring you." For this, Lan Wangji had to make himself clear. He would never be sorry for protecting Wei Wuxian, much less being sorry for getting injured while in the process. The main thing was that he had frightened his partner, and having Wei Wuxian experience such inner turmoil caused another pang of pain to weigh down his already heavy heart.

Word had spread that Hanguang Jun had woken up. The disciples knew that he would, but hearing this news so soon was beyond them - only a renowned cultivator like Hanguang Jun could so easily awaken from such a brutal attack. And despite knowing this, no one dared step close to the room that the younger Lan was staying in. Everyone had come to learn that this was once the room of their Senior Wei, and now that Lan Wangji was awake, there was no doubt that they had even less of a reason to step foot inside, lest they irritate Wei Wuxian, who seemed to have lost a bit of his mentality when seeing his cultivation partner, his soulmate, is such a disheveled state.

Jiang Cheng had temporarily called off the ongoing investigation in Chengguan. He had gone over the following morning to place a portal barrier between the burial mounds and the main entrance into the city, in hopes of buying them time to properly investigate the matter. No matter what, Lan Wangji had come and gotten injured in Yumeng, and as Sect Leader, Jiang Cheng had no choice but to feel and accept the responsibility that came with this occurrence.

The Sect Leader did not enter Wei Wuxian's personal quarters for the following few days, instead busying himself with training his disciples and attending to Sect Leader matters. He had tried various methods to keep his attention off the important /guests/ staying in Lotus Cove. Disciples would only go near Wei Wuxian's room to deliver meals thrice a day, and otherwise, left the vicinity alone.

Lan Wangji had been recovering for almost a week now, at least able to sit up in bed and meditate to cultivate his core. He relied completely on Wei Wuxian to help him with the most miniscule of tasks, and the changing of the bandages around his chest was a task that could only be entrusted to his partner. It was Gusu custom that such intimate matters be left to the special partner of a cultivator, no one else.

Even after a week, Lan Wangji was still hearing Wei Wuxian droning on and on about him being so foolish as to have taken the hit. True, had his moved a little quicker, paid closer attention to Wei Wuxian, they would have been able to avoid the situation all together. However, Lan Wangji only ever sulked about the past for one particular reason regarding one particular person. An injury like this, he would not dwell upon.

"Wei Ying." he called his partner, opening his eyes from meditation, "Those puppets...how did they get controlled in the end? How did we...(escape)?" he asked after a week had passed. Finally, he was in his right mind to start thinking again, Obviously, Lan Wangji was the strongest of the cultivators there. The hoards of corpses attacking them didn't show any signs of slowing when he passed out either. So now, all that was left was a blank that he needed to be filled in. He had suspected the black-robed male might have something to do with it, but when Wei Wuxian had been playing Chenqing earlier, it didn't appear to have much of an effect.

@Lan Wangji Wei Wuxian did not remember much once they got back to Lotus Cove. It was mainly because Jin Ling hurried back with the physician just as they were settling Lan Wangji onto a bed, and the physician (in a very urgent voice) commanded everyone out of the room except for an able-minded person to assist him (Jiang Cheng was picked, for obvious reasons). Wei Wuxian reacted with violence, yelling at the physician through the blur that gathered in his eyes. When he moved his wrist to wipe at his eyes, he paused in his fit to look at the back of wrist. Something clear glinted in the low light. Crying? Wei Wuxian was crying. He touched his cheek again, his fingertips breaking the streams of tears that he never noticed was running down his face.

Lan Sizhui took his opportunity where his senior had quieted, looped his arm around Wei Wuxian's to guide him out of the room. The older's eyes were no longer a bloody red, and the black mist that shrouded him before seemed to have just evaporated into thin air. "The physician knows what he's doing," he said quietly, jerking his head for Lan Jingyi to flank Wei Wuxian's other side in case the older man began to thrash again. "And he said Hanguang Jun will be fine." Wei Wuxian seemed to have slipped into a catatonic stupor as they led him out, sitting him outside on the bedroom's stairs. Wei Wuxian's stare at the ground was blank, unresponsive when Lan Sizhui offered to get him something warm to drink. When Wei Wuxian did not answer after a second time, Lan Sizhui figured he would see if Jin Ling could arrange for some tea to be prepared - his own nerves were still shot with adrenaline, blood rushing about in his head. As he and Lan Jingyi backed away from Wei Wuxian to give the older man a moment, the sound of wood clattering to the floor. Chenqing lay at Wei Wuxian's feet when Lan Sizhui turned back to look. The older man had pulled his knees up to his chest. His forearms folded overtop them, his face buried into his arm. Wei Wuxian's hair was slipping out of his top-knot, and the blood that stained his robes and skin had browned. It was the most pitiful sight Lan Sizhui thought he had seen.

It was then that Wei Wuxian allowed himself to cry openly, heart-wrenching sobs accompanying the first weak rays of sunrise.

During the next day or so, Wei Wuxian managed to pull himself together enough to clean himself up. The physician had not allowed Wei Wuxian specifically into the room was he was clean. He did not need the young man 'contaminating' the patient's area, he insisted. So Wei Wuxian bathed as quickly as he good, scrubbing dried blood off his skin and from beneath his nails. His spare robes came into use then, and as soon as he'd put his hair up in a presentable knot, he rushed over to where Lan Wangji was being kept.

It was then that he noticed these were not the guest suites of Lotus Cove. It was... his room. There was no doubt about it. Even after over a decade spent in the afterlife, Wei Wuxian would have to be /thick/ to not recognize his own room. Books were piled haphazardly over a desk. Toys and trinkets scattered all over the room. It was as if he'd never even left, as if he'd been living here all along. Wei Wuxian had always thought Jiang Cheng would just demolish any trace of him that existed in Lotus Cove due to the absolutely /disrespect/ his existence was for Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu.

So if this were all still here, Jiang Cheng never touched it.

Wei Wuxian thumped his fist over his chest when he felt himself choking up again. Jiang Cheng just had better things to do than demolish a part of Lotus Cove, he reasoned with himself as he approached the bed Lan Wangji lay on. /His/ bed. Wei Wuxian couldn't help himself but laugh as he knelt before the bed, taking Lan Wangji's hand in his own. "I always said I was going to get you in my bed one day, Hanguang Jun," he said, his voice raspy and his throat pulsing when he spoke. Lan Wangji's skin was warm and soft to touch, relaxing Wei Wuxian immensely. The older's face was cleaned and serene. He was just sleeping, for real this time. Lan Wangji was not in danger.

Wei Wuxian couldn't tell how long he waited. He sat by Lan Wangji's side, his legs sprawled beneath him against the sleek wooden tiles, his robes splaying out around him like a skirt. He held Lan Wangji's hand, kissed his fingers once in a while, and hummed tunes for the older to listen too. Maybe, just maybe, he would be more motivated to open his eyes if he had to judge Wei Wuxian's scratchy and broken humming.

Suddenly Wei Wuxian was /waking/. He didn't even recall falling asleep, but when he opened his eyes again, he was met with the sight of Lan Wangji's smiling face, his golden eyes bright in the dimmed night sky. Wei Wuxian lifted his head, staring back for a moment. He was in a dream, he thought. Lan Wangji looked like a deity. "Lan Zhan," he croaked, and when the older blinked, Wei Wuxian sat up so fast he banged his knees into the side of the bed. "Lan Zhan!" he cried, rising to kneel beside the other man, his hands cupping Lan Wangji's face as if it were made of fine porcelain.

"You're awake! You are, aren't you? I'm sorry," he cried, his words tumbling out of his mouth like a waterfall. "I'm sorry, it's my fault! Why did you do that? You're so stupid, Lan Zhan!" He pressed the back of his hand against Lan Wangji's forehead, though he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be feeling for. "Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere. Don't try to sit up yet, Lan Zhan. Just tell me what you need. Do you need water? I have water." Wei Wuxian scrambled for the desk he passed earlier in the day, where he'd noted a jar of water and a ceramic cup. He poured a cup with trembling hands, shaking so much water spilled over the side of the cup as he rushed back to Lan Wangji's side. "Don't choke. Stupid man. You stupid, /stupid/ man. Why did you do that?" He finally asked, his lips trembling as tears threatened to fall from the corners of his eyes again. "I don't care how tired you are, you /have/ to promise me you'll never do something so ing stupid again!"

@Wei Wuxian While slipping in and out of consciousness, Lan Wangji could still latch onto the sound of Wei Wuxian's voice. His body may have staggered as the younger male tried to heft him over his shoulder, moving them towards their docked ferries. Lan Wangji felt like he was experiencing another bout of drunkenness, though the pain that tore at his chest was an addition to the headache pounding from inside. He could hear Wei Wuxian's voice, was doing his best to hold on and obey the other's pleads. But as soon as Lan Wangji's gut feelings suggested that Wei Wuxian had calmed down, he closed his eyes, ultimately losing consciousness.

Upon arriving back to Lotus Cove, Jiang Cheng had immediately sent out for a physician. He helped Wei Wuxian bring Lan Wangji back to the black-robed male's very own room, despite Wei Wuxian fretting that Jian g Cheng was being much too rough and that his movements would disturb Lan Wangji. However, Jiang Cheng had let go as soon as they got to the entrance of the other's room. He only looked inside, his gaze flickering to Wei Wuxian's face once before he barked, "You take care of him! I'll be back when the physician comes." and he his heels, stalking away as if he had been hiding something that was sitting on his heart. But despite his harsh words, Jiang Cheng was the epitome of all bark, not bit, for Wei Wuxian's room, after all these years, it had been unaltered, practically untouched.

A Yunmeng physician came to handle the urgent situation. Though not a cultivator, he could see that Lan Wangji's spirit and inner energy had been carefully cultivated, hardened with years upon years of meditation, physical practice, and self-discipline. The wounds, which could have been life threatening if the patient were not this strong and had lost any more blood, were cleaned and treated with an herbal ointment, bandaged when the physician completed. He had assured Wei Wuxian first, then secretly the Jiang Sect Leader afterwards, that Hanguang Jun, would survive.

The next thing he knew, Lan Wangji had woken to a very heavy sensation, as if he were being weighed down by his own body. He blinked his eyes open, vision blurry as he moved his head, the rest of his body still seemingly immobilized as he tried to make out where he was, what had happened.

This new room that he was in felt unfamiliar, and he could only tell from this first glance that he was not in the Cloud Recesses. Lan Wangji tried to sit up, his breath getting cut off as a sharp pain coursed through his body, and the little distance that his back had made from the bed closed once more as he collapsed back down. He had only started to pay more attention to his surroundings when he saw a figure from the corner of his eyes. It was a black-robed male, his hands latched onto Lan Wangji's and his head resting over them, shoulders rising and falling steadily to indicate that he was asleep.

It was his Wei Ying.

And suddenly, the memories came flooding back to Lan Wangji. They weren't perfectly clear, as the last moment before he fell had been a blur to him. However, he realized that he was laying here after receiving an injury, which explained the bandages around his chest and his inability to even sit up on his own. Lan Wangji's eyes scanned the room once more and he finally came to the conclusion that this was the Lotus Cove, as it looked very similar to the detailed stories Wei Wuxian had told him about before, during their days back in Gusu. Lan Wangji saw how the floors and the ceilings were all made of a bright brown shade of wood. There were pendants hanging from the top of the room, little chimes that sounded when the wind from outside paid them a visit.

Dizzy as his head was, Lan Wangji could make out this much. Then, beside him, he felt Wei Wuxian's figure shift, and he turned his head to look at his partner, an apologetic look on his solemn face. He didn't feel right to be lying in bed and making his partner sit beside him like so. As the smaller male seemed to stir from his slumber, Lan Wangji's deepset eyes followed his movements silently, waiting for Wei Wuxian to wake up so as to not startle him.

@Lan Wangji Wei Wuxian was able to pick up Jiang Cheng's yelling through the ringing in his ears, of all things. It did the opposite of bring him to his senses, however. He snarled at the younger when he tried to approach, like an injured beast as his knees slipped in the mud when he tried to pull Lan Wangji away from the others. The torrent of wind and rain mated strands of hair against his cheeks and pelted harshly against his face, but he could only scream for Jiang Cheng to stay back, move, /get lost/. He pushed out when the purple figure neared, his fist clutching Chenqing slamming into Jiang Cheng's shoulder. "Go away!" he cried, sobs wracking his body. "You'll hurt him!"

"He'll die in your hands, you idiot!"

Wei Wuxian barely got a word in before Jiang Cheng was shoving back. He lost his balance easily, Lan Wangji sliding off his thigh and back onto the cold, hard ground. "Jiang Cheng," Wei Wuxian seethed with half a mind to raise Chenqing to his lips again and quite possibly /obliterate/ Jiang Cheng off the face of this planet. In the storm, he wasn't able to catch Jiang Cheng's next attack. He was hauled to his feet by the neck of his robes, Jiang Cheng yelling something in his face before he was shoved backwards. Wei Wuxian stumbled, and someone caught him.

"Senior Wei!"

"Get off!" Wei Wuxian shouted, black columns swirling around his flute again as he righted himself, ready to give Jiang Cheng a piece of his mind. The purple robed male was hovering over Lan Wangji's still motionless body, his figure blocking what he was doing to the older. "What are you /doing/?" Wei Wuxian stormed back over, his boots squelching in the mud as he dug his heels in, clasped a hand over Jiang Cheng's shoulder, wrenching him off with enough force to send the other flying backwards.

As if Lan Wangji would succumb to his injuries if Wei Wuxian was not holding him, the younger pulled Lan Wangji into his arms again, hefting his body to sit up so he could press his cheek against the top of Lan Wangji's head, sharp diadem be damned.

"Senior Wei..." Lan Sizhui approached cautiously. Wei Wuxian's resentful energy seemed to have died down a bit, though there was definitely an aura that still surrounded his senior and Hanguang Jun. "Sect Leader Jiang has temporarily stopped the bleeding, but we..." The younger Lan's voice broke upon seeing Lan Wangji lay in Wei Wuxian's arms, his face as white as a sheet, his body as still as the sea. Lan Wangji had always been invincible to him. /Always/. Lan Sizhui could not seem to recall a time where Lan Wangji was vulnerable, exposed. He tried again, ignoring the pelting rain as he tried to stop tears from gathering in his eyes. "H-Hanguang Jun will be alright... but we need to go back to Lotus Cove. There will be a physician to treat him."

Ah. The bleeding had indeed stopped, but Lan Wangji's breathing was much too shallow. Wei Wuxian's stare hardened, his eyes completely dry in his silence, but his expression still contorted into one of fury. "There will be a physician in Chengguan," he managed through gritted teeth.

"Wei Wuxian!" Jiang Cheng barked. Despite the chaos that embroiled the Lan disciples, he remained steady and level-headed, commanding and authoritative, just as a sect leader should be. "Get Lan Er on the boat! Do you want him to die?"

How dare Jiang Cheng even insinuate Wei Wuxian would want to hurt Lan Wangji, /ever/? Grounding his teeth so hard together it hurt his jaw, Wei Wuxian hauled Lan Wangji to his feet the best he could. He was smaller in stature, and could not bear to carry Lan Wangji delicately in his arms, so he slung the older over his shoulder. Blood trickled over his shoulder and down his front.

Once they had set off, Wei Wuxian spent the better portion of their time stroking Lan Wangji's face. The other disciples sat as far away as they could, terrified by the sight of the Yiling Patriarch with his eyes glowing bright red and their Hanguang Jun, looking very much like a dead body with his head in Wei Wuxian's lap.

Only Jiang Cheng did not give in to this nonsense. "Stop doing that," Jiang Cheng snapped, breaking the silence effectively. "I pity Lan Er. Taking a blow for you only for you to start acting like an idiot. He should've just let you get hit, spare us all this sight."

"Shut up!" Wei Wuxian snapped, his palm resting over Lan Wangji's ear so he would not disturb the slumbering man. Yes, slumbering. Lan Wangji was only resting, wasn't he? "You don't understand! You don't have anyone-"

"I had Ah-jie!" Jiang Cheng bit back, effectively silencing Wei Wuxian. "You helped me understand very well, Wei Wuxian!"

The latter's lower lip trembled, and he bit down over it to stop it. His heart pumped restlessly in his chest, blood pounding in his head. The mention of his shijie unsettled him even more, and a thin layer of black shrouded the air around him again. Lan Sizhui, daringly, shifted closer to sit beside Wei Wuxian. "Senior Wei," he said gently. "Don't worry."

Wei Wuxian drew back, only slightly. He needed to focus on holding Lan Wangji comfortably, never wanting the older to experience discomfort. "He can't die," he finally said, his voice breaking in the middle. "He can't."

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@Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji could hear what Wei Wuxian was saying. Processing and responding to what he heard were two completely different matters though. The injured man lay weakly on the ground, not even having the energy to raise his arm to lock his meridian points, the blood flowing out of the gash on his chest like a stream. His breathing was shallow, but even then, each intake of breath seemed to pierce his flesh harder, the wound only seeming to stretch further apart when he tried to exhale. His eyes closed, lips draining of color as the blood seemed to all gush towards the opening.

Whatever was happening around him, Lan Wangji didn't know. The noises that were the sounds of Wei Wuxian's pleas and angry howls of suffering soon became a long even sound of ringing in his eardrums. He wanted to open his eyes, to tell the younger male that he'd be fine. But Lan Wangji couldn't. The pain, mixed with the frustration at himself for hurting his Wei Ying like so, all but squeezed a teardrop from his closed eyes, invisible to everyone else, and slid down his right cheek, dripping onto the dry dirt beside him.

Wei Wuxian was not the only one to witness Lan Wangji's grave injury. From a short distance away, Jiang Cheng had seen it all too. In fact, he had called for Wei Wuxian the same time Lan Wangji called for Wei Ying. But before he could even make a move in that direction, his line of sight was blocked by another corpse. By the time Jiang Cheng slashed the figure down, his eyes could do nothing but stare, wide and in complete shock as the biggest corpse landed what looked like a fatal blow on Hanguang Jun's body, sending him spiraling back and onto the ground at Wei Wuxian's feet.

At this time, Jiang Cheng had to force himself to snap back into reality, his Purple Electricity flashing angrily as it whipped through the air, taking down a line of puppets in his way while he worked his way over to the fallen Lan Wangji. In moments, the sound of Wei Wuxian's flute filled the air with its dissonant sound, sending chills down the sect leader's spine. This sounded vaguely familiar, but it was different than what Wei Wuxian had been playing earlier. And it appeared that this new set of chords he was hearing had become effective, as the same puffs of black smoke began to emerge around Wei Wuxian again, doing their job to attack the corpses and take down waves upon waves such that the disciples could gather around once more.

Lan Sizhui approached, showing utmost concern for the man who was nothing less of a father figure to him, the pale color of his face demonstrating his unease. He was met with an angry roar from Wei Wuxian who looked and sounded ready to murder anyone who got within five paces of them. Sizhui could only do as he was told, never having experienced this temperament to his Senior Wei before. Naturally, Jin Ling came up to Jiang Cheng's side, his nephew also filled with worry and regret as he shook his head in regret for asking the Gusu Lan to help them.

"Oh, now you know!" Jiang Cheng shot back in great annoyance, waving his nephew off, who consequently went to comfort a terrified Lan Sizhui.

Seeing how there was still an ever-growing pool of blood around Lan Wangji's body, Jiang Cheng shook his head, steeling his nerves as he paced up to Wei Wuxian, "Wei Wuxian!" he barked, "Stop your yelling! This won't help anyone!"

Jiang Cheng was also met with the black-robed male's angry rebuke about Lan Wangji being fine, though this was obviously not the case. Had Wei Wuxian finally gone insane? Jiang Cheng did not like to entertain the idea, thus he tsked and bent down, trying to help cut off the blood flow since it was obvious the other was not in his right state of mind to do so.

Wei Wuxian had shoved him off, refusing to let him get close to the younger Lan. "Wei Wuxian!" Jiang Cheng finally roared back in return, "He'll die in your hands, you idiot!" he said, and without harboring any ill intentions, used all his might to pull Wei Wuxian back, shoving Wei Wuxian until he had to let go of Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian had attempted to put up a tussle with him, leaving the disciples behind them in shock and worry as the elders were having a bout amongst themselves while another was injured. After getting a few jabs and punches to his faces, Jiang Cheng had picked Wei Wuxian up by the collar of his robe, giving a mighty push and sending the male flying back towards the disciples, "GET YOUR MIND STRAIGHT, WEI WUXIAN. If you care about him, then let me save him!" Quickly, the sect leader felt around, finding the pulse and the meridian points, using a few accurate jabs at the right spot to quell the blood loss. He only had enough time for this one action before he was shoved off by Wei Wuxian once more, who hurried back to cradle Lan Wangji as if the entire world (everyone around him) had suddenly forsaken him.

"Enough!" Jiang Cheng said as he got up from the dirt, brushing his robes off. For once, he did not sound harsh. He was simply giving out instruction, "We've identified the issue for now. Let's head back. Everyone back on the same boats we came on. Jin Ling, you help prepare rooms...for the Lan Sect disciples." he said.

In the angst that followed the grave injury Lan Wangji suffered, everyone had been so focused on the renowned Hanguang Jun, their intermittent sect leader, one of the top five cultivators of his time, that no one had recognized or acknowledged a mysterious black figure in the far, far distance turning and flying off without any explanation. An naturally, no one gave chase.

@Lan Wangji Wei Wuxian only noticed the larger corpse charging at him when it was much too late to do anything but screw his eyes shut and hope he was having a terrible nightmare. It happened so fast. He did try to move, he remembered, but as he was stumbling back, a white-robed figure appeared between him and the corpse. Wei Wuxian cried out before he could visually process it, even. Before he saw blood spurt out and bloody pristine cloth and before he saw the figure fall. He could just /feel/ it.

"Lan Zhan!" But the older lay on the ground, motionless. No. No, it wasn't supposed to be this way. Lan Zhan's robes were too white for the older to be laying down in dirt like that. What was he doing? A hidden technique? No, there was blood. Lan Wangji's blood. Wei Wuxian's fist closed around Chenqing. He raised it to his lips, scowling so hard the space between his brows scrunched up tight enough to /hurt/. He played the melody, the same one, but the energy the song gave off was different this time. Tendrils of black swirled around Wei Wuxian, gathering around him like a storm. The last of the corpses were drawn to it, staggering blindly towards Wei Wuxian. He paid no attention to them, no attention to the disciples that backed away in either fear of awe. His glare, irises gleaming a blood red, was focused on the large corpse before him. It stood frozen, drawn by the melody, before Wei Wuxian unleashed all the anger and resentment he'd managed to gather within mere /seconds/. The swirling black storm around him pushed outwards throwing the corpses back with enough energy to shred them apart, limb by limb.

In the half a second after his completely uncontrolled outburst, Wei Wuxian saw Lan Wangji through the mist and swirls of black. He stumbled forward, collapsing into the dirt beside Lan Wangji. His knees drove into the ground rather painfully, but he didn't notice it at all as he rolled Lan Wangji onto his back.

The sight that met him shocked Wei Wuxian so much the murderous glint in his eyes dimmed for a moment. There was a large gash running from Lan Wangji's shoulder diagonal to his opposite hip bone. It was hard to tell how deep it was since the blood-soaked robes matted over the wound, but Lan Wangji's delicate, jade-like face was even whiter than it usually was, sending Wei Wuxian into another state of panic completely. "Lan Zhan-" he barely managed to choke out. Impossible. He knelt with his shins flat against the ground so he could cradle Lan Wangji's motionless body over his thigh. "Lan Zhan! Open your eyes," he heard himself pleading, though it felt as though he were hearing himself from a universe away. "This isn't funny. Lan Zhan!"

A steady rain began to pour from the skies, though it shouldn't have been a surprise with how many clouds there were when they arrived. Wei Wuxian bent over Lan Wangji, wanting to shield him from the onslaught of freezing cold rain. He dropped Chenqing in the muddying ground, freeing his hand to cup Lan Wangji's face. It was so /cold/, eliciting a pained cry from Wei Wuxian. Each time he moved, scarlet spilled down the front of Lan Wangji's robes and smeared over Wei Wuxian's skin. "Stop joking!" he cried, his words tearing from his throat. "You don't even like to joke! Get up!"

"Senior Wei!"

Wei Wuxian clutched Lan Wangji tighter, his hands slipping against the silk material of his robes, slick with blood. Wei Wuxian was forced to choke out another sob before his heart burst in his chest. It was a nightmare, so why did it feel so real? Lan Wangji's dead weight in his arms, his perfect face relaxed as if he were only sleeping. The metallic tang that filled the air. The wetness from the rain and Lan Wangji's blood. So much of it, running down in rivets like an untamed current. It was a dream. It felt so real.

"Senior Wei, let me-"

"Get lost!" Wei Wuxian roared, his hand leaving Lan Wangji's face to swing wildly at the source of the voice. It might've been Lan Sizhui. It might be something pretending: here to hurt Lan Zhan, take Lan Zhan away from him. Wei Wuxian's arm, pained as it was, hugging Lan Wangji impossibly close against his chest. He could only see Lan Wangji, perfect, so perfect beneath him. Wei Wuxian thought that Lan Wangji was so beautiful no matter what, but he just wanted, needed, to see those molten-gold eyes right now.

"Senior Wei, we need to-"

Wei Wuxian snatched up Chenqing, gathering a fistful of mud as he did so. He held it out in defence, columns of black twisting up his arm and around himself and Lan Wangji. "He's fine!" he yelled, his eyes gleaming a bright red in the darkness. "Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan, enough, no more playing around, /please/!" His voice cracked at the end of his plea, raw and full of more pain he'd ever felt. Shijie was like this, he suddenly remembered, as she lay dying in his arms. Her face drained white, too, but she smiled. Then she was gone. Wei Wuxian couldn't bear to lose the other light in his life, not him - not Lan Zhan. "I'm begging you, just stop this, Lan Zhan!"

@Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji felt no need to deign himself to having conversation with the likes of Jiang Wanyin. He ignored the other's taunting, turning away slightly to signal that this non-existent conversation, was over. However, Wei Wuxian began to reproach Jiang Cheng for his hostile words, and it almost appeared that this would lead into a long argument had it not been for the corpses that began to appear out of the shroud of darkness. Lan Wangji held up Bichen, taking down the first two that had lunged at Lan Sizhui. Thus ended the conversation and began the fighting through the night.

Lan Wangji had intended to re-sheathe Bichen and use his Wangji zither to take down the waves upon waves of puppets headed in their direction, but seeing the disciples dispersed throughout the field made it hard for him to guarantee landing an attack without injuring the innocent that were in his path. He could only rely on Bichen, intentionally keeping himself close to Wei Wuxian and taking down any of the corpses that were headed in a straight beeline for the smaller male. He knew where to land his attacks, aiming for the neck and ing the tip of his blade through the hearts. Lan Wangji had been well-versed in this kind of battle long ago, and seeing that these corpses were of the same manner and power, he took the ones around him down rather easily.

But it was still unsettling, that there was no end in the waves and waves that followed. Even for Lan Wangji, who always managed to keep his white robes clean in the dirtiest of situations, had blood staining the ends of his robes. Luckily for him, none of it was his. He could hear Wei Wuxian playing Chenqing from just a distance away, and this gave Lan Wangji peripherals a lead, knowing where to look to make sure the other male was doing okay. Around him, he heard the clashing of swords and blades and the horrifying screams of corpses as the Lan and Jiang disciples took them down.

Just when it seemed everything was holding out well, Lan Wangji had turned in time to see Wei Wuxian turning nimbly to escape a corpse headed in his direction. The younger male was still playing Chenqing, his head turned away from a much bigger figure that was nearing in on him. "Wei Ying!" Lan Wangji called in a desperate attempt to get his partner's attention, having no second thoughts about lunging himself in Wei Wuxian's direction as he drove his blade into the incoming corpse.

Of course, this came at a price. What had just been dots and spots of red earlier began to develop into pools and splotches of deep red, staining Lan Wangji's robes from inside out. The puppet he had momentarily drive away was different than the ones that he had been fighting off earlier. It was armed, with a big metal like weapon that had scratched Lan Wangji from his right shoulder in a diagonal motion down to his abdomen. The younger Lan fell to the dry dirt, Bichen dropping by his side.

In this moment, he could only feel pain settling in, and even then, only a slow groan managed to get past his whitening lips. Lan Wangji could hear Wei Wuxian calling his name, but in between gasps of painful breaths and trying to keep his eyes open in consciousness, he could only mouth his partner's name, relieved at nothing else but the fact that Wei Ying had survived the surprise attack to even be calling for Lan Wangji's name.

He did not notice that the same corpse from earlier had gotten up from his previous attack. It was not a life-threatening one after all. But even if he did notice, Lan Wangji could do nothing about it.

@Lan Wangji "I know it's the same," Jiang Cheng's glare turned even more sinister when he snapped back at Lan Wangji, the atmosphere between the two men tensing disproportionately. "You're telling me someone made puppets out of /my/ disciples?" he growled, as if he blamed his own men for being too weak to stand against the mystery force. Purple electricity crackled vividly against the black night around Jiang Cheng's hand and around his wrist, and the Lan disciples stepped backwards uneasily. "Lan Er, you think because you have so much experience that /that/ lot-" Even in the darkness, Wei Wuxian saw Jiang Cheng's angry gaze flash towards him. "You can insert yourself into /Yunmeng's/ situation and speak to me like that?!"

Wei Wuxian couldn't believe Jiang Cheng. Well, he could, actually, having grown up with the younger, but it seemed impossible that someone would go through almost three decades and remain the /exact/ same, stubborn, hard-headed /idiot/. "Have you had enough yet?" Wei Wuxian snapped back, his temper flaring. Jiang Cheng could insult him all he wanted, but to start speaking so disrespectfully to Lan Wangji was a different story altogether. "Lan Zhan didn't even need to come. Jin Ling said all the cultivators you've sent for the past month haven't turned up, and you come charging here like always! Look at your disciple yourself!"

"Wei Wuxian, I haven't even /started/ with you!"

"Uncle!"

"Jin Ling, be quiet!"

A rustling behind Wei Wuxian caught his attention before he could start yelling at Jiang Cheng again. He dodged to the right on instinct, landing neatly and turning to see what it had been. Another corpse, eyes blank, roared as it lunged towards Lan Sizhui. The disciples were quick to scatter into action this time, prepared for a third corpse after seeing the first two. However, the moment the Lan Sizhui had dispatched it, another came charging out of the tall grass. Then another, then another, then another. They were swarming in from too many directions with too many corpses to count. Wei Wuxian tried to stay close to Lan Wangji or a disciple as he ducked and twisted around oncoming corpses, powerless to defeat them. Out of the corner of his eyes, Zidian crackled in the night, wrapping lethally around the corpses and flinging them aside. The younger disciples seemed to be holding up, last Wei Wuxian really checked, but it also appeared there was an /unending/ stream of them. As Wei Wuxian slammed a tasliman into the shoulder of another's, he realized they were slowly being overwhelmed.

Without wasting another moment, Chenqing spun in his hand as he oriented the mouth-piece over his lips. It took an awful lot of concentration to duck and dodge as he fluted out the melody he'd gone through so many times in his head, trying to dispel the corpses, get them to slow or stop, anything. His heart skipped a beat when he watched Lan Sizhui's sword arm tremble as he blocked an attack, his footing unsteady in the uneven terrain. Wei Wuxian wanted to call out to the younger Lan, warn him of every oncoming danger, but he couldn't without stopping his melody.

It wasn't working. Wei Wuxian channeled everything he had into his fluting, but the corpses were death to his song, relentless in their numbers and their assault on the disciples, Jiang Cheng, Lan Wangji. Lan Zhan! Was he okay? Wei Wuxian spun frantically, trying to spot the taller in a sea of flashing robes and swords. His heart calmed ever so slightly when he saw how calm and collected Lan Wangji managed to look even as he took one corpse after another, graceful and fluid in his motions. Wei Wuxian, in his distraction, only just noticed another Jiang corpse charging towards him. He jumped backwards clumsily, not noticing another much larger and more vicious corpse stampeding up behind him as he focused his energy into his flute, a glimmer of hope in his chest when he saw that the numbers of puppets were dwindling.

@Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji did not sheath his sword after taking down the cultivator, the edges of the blade dripping with dark red blood, freshly drawn. While it was true that he'd also like to keep the sheath clean of blood stains, his sword was raised mainly in defense, carefully scanning the area in case there was another surprise attack. Having witnessed how waves of puppets could close in upon them back at the Second Siege of the Burial Mounds, Lan Wangji was concerned that this might happen again here. But since there was nowhere for the disciples to hide, and Wei Wuxian had stopped practicing the Demonic arts with his Chenqing flute for so many months already, they would be under-prepared and easily overwhelmed if Lan Wangji did not stay on guard.

What came into view though, were not more puppets. Rather, it was Jiang Cheng. The youngest in the group looked down at the fallen cultivator at Lan Wangji's feet, realizing that it was his own sect disciple, and immediately demanded an answer from Wei Wuxian, whom he probably accredited all the blame despite the sword serving as evidence in the white-robed male's hand.

"Sect Leader Jiang!" Lan Sizhui quickly stepped up to answer, greeting Jiang Cheng with a quick, respectful bow, "This cultivator attacked us as we approached. Hanguang Jun and Senior Wei seemed to have noticed something wrong with the person, thus they only attacked in defense to protect us!" he said, though he himself was not too clear of the details. Sizhui could swear chills ran down their spines they heard the word "Stygian Tiger Seal" after having dealt with it not even a year ago. In such a short amount of time, its mysterious reappearance had sent everyone into shock and undoubtedly, reasonable fear. Still, he willed himself to clarify to Jiang Cheng, "It's the...Stygian Tiger Seal."

"That's right, Uncle! We only attacked because we got attacked first!" Jin Ling piped in, examining the figure on the floor and trying to figure out who it was, "Isn't this Jiang Shu?" he asked, eyes widening as he was able to identify the corpse, "He was one of the ones who came out with you three days ago and didn't return!"

"Shut your mouth!" Jiang Cheng snapped at his nephew, "Why are you here with them? Didn't I tell you to behave and stay at Lotus Cove, did I not?"

"I just wanted to see what all the ruckus is about!" Jin Ling argued back, being hushed by Lan Sizhui and flinching when Jiang Cheng raised an arm. Even from a distance, his nephew was reacting as if scared he'd actually be hit.

Lan Wangji sighed softly when the situation was explained clearly and he still had yet to say a word. He raised his gaze, looking at Jiang Cheng and meeting the Sect Leader's gaze under the gleam of the moonlight. "Sect Leader Jiang." he addressed the other, his gaze flickering to the disciple on the floor, "White pupils, black markings. It's the same as before." he reminded the other, then falling silent again. Whether Jiang Cheng would believe it or not, Lan Wangji had figured out the cause of the resentful energy collecting on the burial grounds. However, who was behind this was still a blank slate with no clues pointing them anywhere.

He stepped back, letting Jiang Cheng look over the standing disciple to see the signs of the Seal on the man himself. Jiang Cheng had once fought against these puppets. He should recognize the signs as well. If they were to figure this out together, then Lan Wangji was willing to temporarily set aside his distaste for Wei Wuxian's brother. It would be just like the time they they went looking for his missing Wei Ying. The only other issue was whether Jiang Wanyin would be willing or not to reciprocate his actions.

@Lan Wangji "Stygian Tiger Seal."

"It was sealed..." Wei Wuxian murmured to himself, trying to organize the thoughts in his head. Lan Wangji was right, though. Upon closer examination of the frozen body, Wei Wuxian could see the telltale threads of black tracing up the immobile disciple's neck and the blank white replacing pupils and irises when he peered around his face. It was definitely a reanimated body, a fierce corpse filled with all the resentment of the burial mound. Whatever had happened here before, it was not a regular graveyard. Many people had died here, or nearby, their bodies scattered beneath the dirt.

As much as Wei Wuxian didn't want to admit it, a puppet only meant the work of the Seal, which made no sense. Even if /somehow/, through the impossibly slim chances, that someone managed to get their hands on it, chances are it would be difficult for them to learn how to use it in the first place. No one controlled the Stygian Tiger Seal, it controlled /you/. Even when Wei Wuxian held on to it, the seal was speaking to him more often than he wished it would. It was truly damaging, though he knew the temptation of power was too great for many to resist. The thing was it wasn't the user wielding the power. Not at all.

Before Wei Wuxian could wave the younger disciples over to have a look at the frozen corpse (he was a big believer in on-hands learning experience), a strangled roar cut through the night and interrupted Wei Wuxian's words. He jumped back instinctively as the juniors unsheathed their swords, but Lan Wangji was quicker. Wei Wuxian only caught the white flash of Bichen reflecting the moon's light before the corpse slumped to the ground, motionless.

A rustling came from the tall grass and their right, and Wei Wuxian whirled towards the source of the noise, his feet digging into the soil as he prepared to stand his ground. It was only Jiang Cheng crashing through the underbrush, his sword raised in preparation to slash down at whatever he first encountered. Wei Wuxian managed to dodge the first attack, nearly backing into Lan Sizhui when he did. "Jiang Cheng!"

The sect leader stopped, only just realizing he had almost cut Wei Wuxian down (though Wei Wuxian was sure Jiang Cheng wouldn't have minded at all). His eyes were filled with shock for what seemed like less than half a second before they steeled and hardened. "What are you /doing/ here?" he demanded. "You have no idea what-" The purple robed man's gaze fell behind Wei Wuxian, where one of his disciples lay dead on the ground, the other immobilized mid-attack. "Wei Wuxian!" he roared. "What have you done?!"

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@Wei Wuxian Reminiscent of their explorations in the past, Lan Wangji stayed in the back, absorbing information while Wei Wuxian used his skillful tongue to gather it. As he had guessed earlier, there were burial grounds nearby, evidently the base of the growing turmoil. Lan Wangji gripped Bichen loosely in his hand as he followed the younger male, heading east and making their way towards their destination. It was quiet, only the sound of dried leaves crackling under their footsteps filled the air. The disciples were tense. Though they were all experienced with night hunts to some degree, this was an unknown force they would reckon with, thus no one could say they were being alert enough.

His hold on Bichen naturally tightened when Wei Wuxian stopped him in his tracks, motioning at a sight in the distance. Lan Wangji's brows were creased as he made out what was going on in front of them. He noticed the same trembling figure that Wei Wuxian did, holding a hand up to stop the disciples from coming any closer. But while that figure had momentarily occupied their attention, the sound of something whizzing through air snapped Lan Wangji's eyes in the opposite direction. While Wei Wuxian dodged left, Lan Wangji dodged right, unsheathing Bichen and letting his silvery sword shoot off to counter the sword that had tried to attack Wei Wuxian. Bichen returned to him moments after, as Wei Wuxian had easily sidestepped the issue.

On edge, Lan Wangji stepped forwad, gripping onto the smaller male's arms when they collided into each other. "En." he nodded in agreement, remembering the distinct figures of the few disciples Jiang Cheng had gone off on a boat with earlier. Lan Wangji summoned the fallen sword of said cultivator into his hands, sheathing Bichen within his robes as he gripped the purple sword in his left hand, pointing his index and middle finger out in a mudra as he ran them along the flat sided blade of the sword, testing for the source of energy that controlled it. Lan Wangji's eyes widened as he got a reading of the sword. Of all the things that he might find, this was the most unlikely, and quite frankly the most unsettling. He doubted himself and repeated the action, looking at Wei Wuxian with furrowed brows as he announced his finds very solemnly, "Stygian Tiger Seal."

Just as he said this, the figure that they had been watching in the distance lunged in their direction, letting out a most horrendous howl that was both frightening and irritating. The disciples drew their swords in defense naturally, but before the figure could even get close enough to breach the barrier that was Lan Wangji, the white robed cultivator had already pulled out Bichen again, jumping into battle with the crazed man.

Their swords clashed together, Lan Wangji first drawing even with his opponent as he tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness. Eventually, in their close combat, Lan Wangji also noticed the white pupils and black markings down this person's neck. It was like the puppets that they had seen created before. This was only more concrete evidence that the Stygian Tiger Seal had resurfaced again, and Lan Wangji did not hesitate in removing a puppet if it meant the cultivator itself was a lost cause already. The glimmer of his silver sword guided him and through familiar ing motions, he eventually slit the man's throat, making the figure collapse in front of him.

@Lan Wangji Wei Wuxian squealed in delight when Lan Wangji picked him up, his feet beating the air in his anticipation as he kicked lightly. It seemed as though it had been much too long since he kissed Lan Wangji, and now that he had his chance, he wasn't going to let it go. As Wei Wuxian's fingers began to skim the sash of Lan Wangji's robes, he was pressed down and immobilized easily. His cries and protests were futile - Lan Wangji needed to sleep, too. Reluctantly, Wei Wuxian began to quiet down, settling against Lan Wangji to sleep.

He woke up a full second before he heard Lan Wangji call his name, the aromatic scent of spicy cooked meat wafting into the air. "Already?" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes, throwing his legs over the bed and stumbling to seat himself for their evening meal. He'd forgotten how hungry he was between the blatant issue Chengguan had and trying to get Lan Wangji to kiss him a few more times. Forgetting his manners easily, Wei Wuxian wolfed his food down as if he'd been starved for weeks, avoiding the vegetables half out of hate (and some for concern over Lan Wangji's diet).

Wei Wuxian took the extra time between his meal and nightfall to clean himself up, tying his hair in the half-up hairstyle he was most comfortable with. He wrapped and unwrapped his wrist bindings in his nervousness, watching the last of the sun's rays disappear over the horizon. it was still cloudy, and the streets were barely lit. The villagers had all returned to their homes, obviously fearful of whatever lurked outside at night.

The Lan disciples were all gathered at the restaurant floor of the inn, discussing in hushed tones. It seemed that Jiang Cheng had already set off. Wei Wuxian held up a hand in greeting, stopping by where the innkeeper sat so Lan Wangji could settle the price of their rooms. "Say, mister," Wei Wuxian said casually, leaning against the counter. "Where's Sect Leader Jiang headed off to? Do you know?"

The innkeeper seemed a bit reluctant to say at first. "Young Master, it is much too dangerous for you to go."

"If you aren't going to tell me, I'll find out another way. Besides, have you never head of the great and benevolent Hanguang Jun?" Wei Wuxian boasted proudly, his chest puffing out. "He is here, anyway, so the sooner we send him there, the sooner this problem is fixed. I hear it's been going on for quite a while now."

The innkeeper took a breath, his frail figure shaking before he sighed. "There are burial grounds east of the docks. That's where all the other cultivators have gone, and that's where they have failed to return from."

Wei Wuxian grinned. "See you," he told the innkeeper, beckoning for Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian hadn't even heard the door of Jiang Cheng's room open, nor his footsteps down the hallway, and he suspected the sect leader may have already left while he and Lan Wangji were resting. With Wei Wuxian leading the group, his black robes billowing behind him ominously to the blowing of the night wind, they made haste for the burial grounds.

It was impossibly dark out there. Wei Wuxian ventured a bit more cautiously, slowing his pace to match Lan Wangji's as they ventured further into the grounds. If Chengguan seemed devoid of life, these grounds were /haunted/. Wei Wuxian could easily sense the insanely disproportionate amount of resentment, active and rising all around them. There seemed to be whispers, too, though Wei Wuxian wasn't sure if he was the only one hearing them or not.

"Lan Zhan," he said suddenly, holding his arm out over Lan Wangji's chest to stop him in his tracks. He gestured with his free hand, at a figure in the distance. It was hard to tell who as Wei Wuxian squinted at the silhouette, but it was definitely a Jiang disciple. The figure was hunched over, obviously trembling and twitching in some sort of bizarre dance. Just as Wei Wuxian took another step towards it, something came hurtling towards them. He leapt towards the side without taking the half a second to check, landing lightly on his toes. A flash of purple material glinted in the moonlight, and Wei Wuxian swung Chenqing up to block the oncoming sword slashing from above. It was another Jiang disciple! The man's eyes were white, teeth bared as he struck again. Wei Wuxian was vaguely aware of the Lan disciples exclamations of surprise, but he blocked them out, twisting nimbly out of reach beneath the disciple whilst he drew up a talisman with his free hand, slamming his palm into the disciple's back and effectively freezing him in place.

He backed away, his footing suddenly unsteady. Though he had been training lightly for the past couple months, being thrown into a hunt after half a year of idyllic life startled him greatly. He bumped into Lan Wangji before he stopped. "That's not a cultivator Jiang Cheng brought today," Wei Wuxian finally said, breaking the silence of the night. "We need to find him- or warn him-"

@Wei Wuxian Jiang Cheng's biting and overused remarks about Lan Wangji's reputation never got a rise from the white-robed male. It was simply for the reason that he didn't take what the other male said to heart. As long as Jiang Cheng was not speaking badly or overly rudely to Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji was lazy to quarrel with him. The door across them slammed loudly in his face as the sect leader retreated to his own room. Lan Wangji wasted no time in taking the room across, giving Wei Wuxian a little shove so he wouldn't stare at the opposing door for too long.

It was undeniable that since the time of Wei Wuxian's return, Lan Wangji had undergone a great deal of change. On their first trip together to take care of the Water Ghouls in Caiyi town during their schooling days, Lan Wangji had been assigned a room with the younger male, who was quick to analyze his findings about the situation, even trying to bet with the solemn male about what the cause could be. Where he had listened without intending to respond before, Lan Wangji listened with great attention now, nodding his head once to show Wei Wuxian that he agreed with his partner's observations.

While they waited in their room for the meals Wei Wuxian ordered to be brought up, Lan Wangji had placed Bichen down at the edge of the small table in the middle of the room. He had taken his place by Wei Wuxian's side, looking out the window too, making the same observations the other did. "This town, what areas surround it?" he asked Wei Wuxian, trying to guess at what might cause this changes to the scenery. If they were close to burial grounds, Lan Wangji would suggest they investigate there. If there were cultivating sects nearby, then he'd need Wei Wuxian's skillful tongue to dig out information for them.

As Wei Wuxian suddenly pressed close to him, the younger Lan took a step back, looking down at his partner without making any attempt to reach for him and provide intimacy just yet. It was not that he didn't want to touch Wei Wuxian, but Lan Wangji knew the smaller male had been plagued with worries since Jin Ling came to share the information with them. When Wei Wuxian did not sleep well, it showed. He was simply concerned that overexertion (usually caused by Lan Wangji himself) would tire the smaller male even more than he already was, leaving him unprepared for later.

Still, Wei Wuxian was persistent, his face eventually closing in on Lan Wangji's, weakening the older male's resolve. His hands reached out, pulling Wei Wuxian in by the waist. They kissed. Lan Wangji was more than happy to indulge in this delightful sensation, connecting himself with Wei Wuxian feverishly. He picked his partner up, carrying the smaller over to the bed. Carefully, Lan Wangji placed the other down, only breaking their kiss then. He caught the glint in Wei Wuxian's eyes, the same one that the other had shared with him on the boat earlier. He took a deep breath, controlling himself and practicing what was left of his resolve that deteriorated easily when tested by Wei Wuxian.

"Sleep." he said, pressing his partner down. "I will wake you later." he said, helping to remove Wei Wuxian's shoes despite the protests. He also got in bed to make sure his restless partner stayed, "We're here now. We will investigate further later." he said, pulling Wei Wuxian to him and refusing to let go.

Lan Wangji had spent the last night meditating, thus he allowed himself to fall unconscious. Since they would need to be on alert that night, he had a right to follow his Sect rules flexibly. When a knock at the door came, the young girl announcing the delivery of their meal, Lan Wangji got up to open the door and collect the basket from her hands. Out of habit, he handed over a small tael of silver, as gratitude. He laid the dishes out on the table, noting that these were indeed items suited to Wei Wuxian's tastebuds, he then proceeded to wake the sleeping male up. "We'll head out afterwards." Lan Wangji reminded the younger, "Eat now, replenish your energy."

@Lan Wangji Lan Wangji tried his best, Wei Wuxian thought as he accepted the apple from the other, pulling his knees up to his chest as he leaned against the wall of the boat. Now that he had seen Jiang Cheng and the younger sect leader seemed fine (as in well enough to yell and insult Wei Wuxian), he was feeling much better. Letting out a complaining whine, Wei Wuxian pressed his lips to the waxy skin of the apple, gnawing without actually trying to bite. "So hungry still," he droned, taking small, flaking bites out of the apple. "I want meat, Hanguang Jun." His expression became sly, suggestive. Of course, he wasn't /really/ in the mood to bare himself for Lan Wangji on the boat, but it was just something to fill up the day. Jiang Cheng was alright, Wei Wuxian reasoned. He continued to smile sleazily at Lan Wangji, elbowing him gently as if to make sure Lan Wangji got the message.

Wei Wuxian ate the rest of his apple, offering Lan Wangji one bite out of his fifty and tossing the core overboard once he finished. He entertained himself, and possibly the other disciples, for the rest of the day by playing melodies on Chenqing. Some made up, some well-known tunes. Lan Wangji's song for him. The burning midday sun was high in the sky by the time they docked. Wei Wuxian had been to Chengguan once or twice, but seeing it again after over a decade was like seeing it anew. He marvelled in silence at the quaint and quiet village, understanding why they would require their sect leader to travel all the way form Lotus Cove to deal with their little issue. In such a small town of farmers and merchants, it was highly unlikely they'd ever even seen a cultivator in their lives before.

As the Lan disciples dispersed, Wei Wuxian tagged after Lan Wangji, their robes brushing into each other's as they walked side by side. Jiang Cheng headed straight for the town's inn. It was still rather shabby, but the most impressive thing in the rather sad-looking town. The streets were nearly empty, and a menacing breeze blew through town.

"The disciples have not returned?" Jiang Cheng's voice was urgent as he spoke to an older man, who was trembling as he confirmed the negative. The Yunmeng disciples were still missing. "I will go see for myself tonight, then."

"Sect Leader, might I offer you a place to rest for now?"

"Ay! Innkeeper, we'll take a room, too," Wei Wuxian called out, dragging Lan Wangji along by his elbow.

"You!" Jiang Cheng growled. "Again?!"

"What?" Wei Wuxian replied with an air of innocence. "Lan Zhan and I were just passing by. We need a place to rest too, right Lan Zhan? Master Inkeeper, please send meals up." The innkeeper balked, but gestured for one of the pretty girls working at the inn to take the sect leader and the young masters up to their rooms, respectively. Wei Wuxian could feel the anger radiate off Jiang Cheng's back as he ascended the inn behind the younger.

Jiang Cheng stopped before he entered his assigned room. "You and Lan Er," he sneered as he turned slightly to glare at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. "You two are still as shameless as ever, aren't you? It's not enough that you let yourself be the laughing stock of the cultivation world, but you have to tarnish the second young master's, too." With that, the door slid shut with a /bang/ behind Jiang Cheng before Wei Wuxian could counter with something biting, like how Jiang Cheng still hadn't learned manners for Lan Wangji.

Once they were settled in their own room, Wei Wuxian checked the windows, peering down out into the desolate street. "There's a strong resentment in this town," he commented, his hands held behind his back. "Nothing observable in the day. We will have to wait. I doubt Sizhui and the others will find anything right now." Wei Wuxian leaned out the window, looking up at the sky, then down. He could feel the energy of the spirits that resided in Chengguan everywhere, but something else a little darker, a little more dangerous in the mix. "The sun was bright and the sky was clear when we docked, but suddenly the clouds are so dark it's like a layer of ash has settled here. Whatever it is, the situation is strange."

Wei Wuxian shut the window and turned suddenly, smiling at Lan Wangji. "Well, since we have some time, Lan Zhan..." He closed the distance between them, his chest pressed right up to the older's his lips a hair's width away from Lan Wangji's pink, unmarked ones.

@Wei Wuxian "We're just going for a little boat trip in the same direction. Right, Lan Zhan?"

It was uncertain whether Jiang Wanyin would notice that Lan Wangji was giving a slight nod of his head, the Sect Leader having hastily turned away when Wei Wuxian threw a ridiculous reply back at him. As their ferry followed after the other's boat, Lan Wangji reached an arm out, holding onto Wei Wuxian, whose body was leaning so far over the edge, the older was concerned he might fall over if the river currents suddenly decided to get rough on them.

Lan Wangji had met many hardships in life, but he'd have to admit that the most difficult was when he was unable to provide for Wei Wuxian - for example right now. As the younger gave him a pitiful look, Lan Wangji realized he did not come as fully prepared as he should have. In their knapsack, he had only prepared one change of clothes for them both and two apples. Had Jiang Wanyin not rejected them last night, Lan Wangji had planned to go on shore, bringing enough silver in his money pouch for Wei Wuxian to enjoy all the food that Yunmeng had to offer. But now, all he could do was hold out one apple apologetically, "Eat this for now. When we alight, I will find a way." he said. The other apple would serve as a last resort, just in case Wei Wuxian couldn't handle the hunger any longer.

Their ferry seemed to follow Jiang Cheng's boat for quite a period of time, continuing in a straight path in what seemed like an endless river stream. Lan Wangji had gone back to meditating, leaving the steering to the ferry master. He did not get sea sick, but the breeze was a bit insufferable. There was more and more fog as they went deeper down the river too, blurring the distance.

It must have been an incense stick's worth of time or so by the time they reached their destination. It was no wonder that Jiang Wanyin had to set off before the sun was out. If they were to make the best use of their time, it was best that they set off early in the morning and arrive when the weather would supposedly be at its prime of the day. Lan Wangji could understand that easily. He sighed softly, standing from his seat as they docked near the shore. He paid for this fare first, not knowing if they'd be coming back soon. Making sure to help Wei Wuxian off the boat, he then waited for his disciples and Jin Ling to gather around him.

His face was gentle but his tone was serious, giving instructions to the youth when he noticed the Jiang Sect disciples heading off into the surrounding areas. "Follow them and aid as necessary. Do not force anything. Report back immediately if there are any signs. Release an emergency signal if need be. Go now."

He then turned to face Wei Wuxian as the disciples took off under his instructions. He could tell his partner had half a mind to follow Jiang Cheng and make sure he was safe. "Let's go." Lan Wangji said, walking off in the direction he saw the purple-robed male heading in earlier.

@Lan Wangji "Jiang Cheng-" Wei Wuxian started, but the sect leader whirled and stalked off, leaving them in the dark as he said he would. Jin Ling was uncharacteristically silent, but he made no move to follow Jiang Cheng back into Lotus Cove.

At Lan Wangji's instructions, they returned to their chartered ferries to spend the night. It was cold, Wei Wuxian thought as he crossed his arms over his chest, his muscles tightening to stop his shiver. He peered out to the other boat, wondering if he should offer the extra outfits he'd brought along to them for warmth, before realizing he was probably the only one who's core was weak enough to be affected by even the slightest breeze.

"My mind is calm," Wei Wuxian argued in his usual words, albeit losing the bite. He laid himself horizontally across the ferry bench, his head resting on Lan Wangji's lap. He twisted and turned in the cramped space he had until his face was pressed firmly to Lan Wangji's stomach. Each time he inhaled, his senses were easily filled with the familiar sandalwood scent of Lan Wangji. Whether Jiang Cheng was going to accept it or not, the Gusu Lans would help, he realized. Knowing this, the younger drifted off easily, the last thing on his mind being how much he loved the man who held him every night like he was something so precious.

The dawn had barely broken when Wei Wuxian was shaken awake. His left arm, pinned beneath his body to the hard wooden bench, ached as he used it to support himself sitting up. As he rubbed and stretched it out, he watched as Jiang Cheng loaded up his boats with his men, barking out orders to disturb the still tranquility of the morning. His shouting seemed to have woken the younger Lan disciples too, Wei Wuxian noticed, the heads of the little ones poking up from the floor of their boat.

What an expensive fare Lan Wangji would have to deal with once the ordeal was over. Wei Wuxian prodded their ferry master awake, quietly instructing him to follow the fleet of boats leaving Lotus Cove.

Jiang Cheng noticed, of course, but Wei Wuxian was prepared to counter.

"Why are you following me?" Jiang Cheng barked, his aggressive voice bouncing and echoing in the bay. "Get lost!"

"Who said I'm following you?" Wei Wuxian yelled back, clutching the edge of the boat as he leaned out. "We're just going for a little boat trip in the same direction. Right, Lan Zhan?" he asked, turning back to look at Lan Wangji for his support. "What? We can't take our disciples out for a trip?"

Even from his boat, Wei Wuxian could see Jiang Cheng's fingers twitch and form a fist, purple sparks and electricity crackling around his fingers. But he had nothing to counter Wei Wuxian with, simply turning away with his brows drawn in his permanent scowl. Wei Wuxian settled back down on his bench, crossing his feet beneath him. "Lan Zhan, I'm hungry," he drawled, his stomach tightening as he did so. It would be almost another day's trip to the other end of Yunmeng. "Do you have anything to eat?" he tried to say as pitifully as he could (so even if they didn't, Lan Wangji might try to fish for him or something, at least).

@Wei Wuxian Jiang Wanyin, that prideful man. Lan Wangji couldn't understand what the Jiang Sect Leader expected to do with his pride, when everyone who tried to give him an easy way out of having to ask for help had their efforts thrown to the wind. What the purple-robed male thought to be protecting his pride was easily destroying his reputation. Wei Wuxian had already suggested that they only happened to be passing by and out of their own concern, stopped by to help. Jiang Cheng did not accept this. His nephew had then thrown his own pride away to admit that he /begged/ for help from Gusu. Jiang Cheng could not accept this even further.

Throughout the verbal brawl between the three males, Lan Wangji did not utter a single word. Even when the other sect leader rejected their stay at the Lotus Cove and threw harsh words in Lan Wangji's direction, the younger Lan simply returned those words with an ice cold stare. It was the same kind of piercing stare he had given Jiang Cheng the last time they were confronted in Lotus Cove.

No matter what Jiang Cheng said to him or said to Jin Ling, Lan Wangji did not interfere. Quite frankly, if it weren't for his understanding of Wei Wuxian's concern towards his prideful and sharp tongued brother, Lan Wangji would have already accepted the other's rejection and have been on his way back to the Cloud Recesses. The Gusu Lan Sect was not one to reject help when those in need requested for it, but they were also not meant to be undermined in such a worthless manner either.

However, it was only when Jiang Wanyin began directing his words at his Wei Ying did Lan Wangji step out and interrupt. "Sect Leader Jiang, mind your words." he stated firmly.

"Mind my words? I've never been the type to do that!" Jiang Cheng retorted. He and Lan Wangji stood off, facing each others with unchanging, equally unfriendly expressions for a while. Seeing that JIn Ling would not budge, Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, finally turning on his heels as he took off, "Do as you wish, excuse my absence!" he declared as he led a few Jiang disciples back into the Lotus Cove.

It would have been more convenient for everyone had they gone ashore and looked for an inn to rest for the night, but ultimately under Lan Wangji's orders, they took rest in their respective ferries. Jiang Cheng had never specified where he would be heading for and when he'd be heading out, thus to have a better chance of catching him tomorrow, they kept the Lotus Cove entrance in sight.

Lan Wangji sat upright that night, meditating. He offered his lap to Wei Wuxian, wanting the smaller male to lie down on the small benches attached to the side of the ferry and rest properly, "Wei Ying." he comforted his partner, looking down at him, "I will wake you if need be. Calm your mind." he gently ordered.

It was good that they had not left the docks, as Lan Wangji eventually woke to see Jiang Wanyin preparing his own ferries to head off again the next morning. It was barely dawn, the sun not even threatening to rise yet. As much as he wanted to let Wei Wuxian continue to sleep, Lan Wangji upheld his promise, gently shaking his partner awake, simply giving a flick of his chin in the direction that Jiang Cheng was preparing his boats to take off in.

@Lan Wangji "Believe in him. He can handle it."

What if he couldn't? And what if they couldn't either? Lan Wangji was not invincible, and Wei Wuxian even less so. He had already died once, and there was nothing stopping him from dying another time. All the thoughts in Wei Wuxian's mind jumbled together, their voices mashing into a blurred and incoherent mess. Wei Wuxian shut his eyes tightly, unable to discern them from one another. It was literally splitting his head, all the noise. He couldn't filter out what he needed to be thinking of-

Lan Wangji's hands closed around his own, and the buzzing thoughts stopped. Wei Wuxian released the breath he had been holding, his fingers twisting around Lan Wangji's just as tight. Grateful for the comforting touch, Wei Wuxian moved to stand closer to Lan Wangji, their arms pressing together. "You're right," he said, wanting to convince himself badly. "Thanks, Lan Zhan." And then he flashed Lan Wangji one of his bright, enamoured smiles before pulling away and settling at the side of the boat again.

The scenery changed gradually as they left Gusu and entered Yunmeng, but to something more familiar to Wei Wuxian. Something that seemed more like home and welcomed Wei Wuxian with open arms, even if the current homeowner didn't want Wei Wuxian run towards that embrace.

Night had fallen by the time the ferries bumped up against the docks of Yunmeng. The entrance to Lotus Cove was a short walk away, and everyone was well rested enough to make the trek, though the quiet from the morning still persisted. Wei Wuxian tried to hold himself a little higher as he led the group towards Lotus Cove, Chenqing's tassel bouncing against his thigh as he walked.

Sect Leader Jiang, as it turned out, was just returning too as Wei Wuxian started arguing with the Jiang disciple standing at the entrance. Wei Wuxian could tell before Jiang Cheng even started shouting - the hair on the back of his neck stood as the air took on a chill. He whirled to come face to face with his brother, stifling a surprised jump. Jin Ling, as it appeared, was much too afraid of his uncle to start explaining. The young master Jin came forward, but kept his presence quiet and behind Wei Wuxian.

"What," Jiang Cheng finally seethed, breathing the silence. "Are you doing here?" His stormy eyes raked the group behind Wei Wuxian, settling first on Lan Wangji, then the rest of the Lan disciples. "In what world did I extend an invitation to /you/, Wei Wuxian, to bring you and your-" Jiang Cheng stopped abruptly. It was clear the sect leader was struggling to control his frustration. "To bring yourself and Lan Er here, unannounced," he finished coolly, his hard gaze turning to Lan Wangji. He had never been fond of the man, and even less so ever since Wei Wuxian ran off with him after the fiasco at Guanyin temple without a word. "Leave."

"Jin Ling said there were disturbances in Chengguan," Wei Wuxian said, the hard edge in his voice almost matching Jiang Cheng's as he threw Jin Ling out as his scapegoat. He didn't know why he expected anything other than Jiang Cheng telling them to scram, but he couldn't show that he did. Jiang Cheng was like a beast when he was in one of his moods, looking for the slightest hint of weakness before pouncing. "Lan Zhan and I were just passing by. It sounded pretty bad."

"Nothing that concerns you," Jiang Cheng pressed, the vein in his forehead more prominent now. "Second Young Master Lan, I'm afraid there's no vacancy in Lotus Cove for you and your disciples tonight. Take them, take /Wei Wuxian/, and go."

"Uncle!" Jin Ling finally burst out. "I begged them to come from Gusu to help!" He looked helplessly to Lan Sizhui and the Lan disciples in a silent plea for help, knowing he was powerless against his uncle himself (even with Wei Wuxian, who's words Jin Ling knew meant nothing to Jiang Cheng).

"Who taught you to beg?" Jiang Cheng snapped back. "If you have a shred of decency left, show them on their way and get back over here!"

@Wei Wuxian Even without inquiry, Lan Wangji had a good idea of what Wei Wuxian was feeling after that briefing from Jin Ling. He had gone to speak with his Uncle about leaving for a few days to help take care of things in Yunmeng. The Elder, used to having the Two Jades of Lan leaving for periods of time to handle affairs outside, so this did not come as a major surprise to him. Though there was still obvious tension between Lan Wangji and his Uncle, the majority seemed to have subsided for the time being. With Wei Wuxian not causing any ruckus, and seeing Lan Wangji visibly happier around the Cloud Recesses despite the abundance of responsibilities on his shoulders, Lan Qiren had to ignore that discomfort he initially felt about Lan Wangji having a permanent guest in his private quarters.

Based on his intuition earlier, Lan Wangji also ended up rewriting a new letter to the Ouyang sect, apologizing for his absence for their banquet that was coming up soon. He had entrusted the letter to a disciple, who would make sure it would be delivered in a timely manner. That night, Lan Wangji retired to bed early. It was like the days of journeying with Wei Wuxian, trying to find the owner of the blade spirit. Of course back then, there were no overhanging concerns for them back them, simply trying to solve the issues that arose as they went. Precisely because he understood Wei Wuxian's concern for the Jiang Sect Leader, Lan Wangji simply offered an embrace, pulling the smaller male against him in bed, letting the night slip by silently.

The next morning, they departed by boat. Though it would have made more sense to travel by riding their swords, Wei Wuxian's nonexistent golden core would mean Lan Wangji would have to take them both. While Bichen could handle them, and Lan Wangji had enough spiritual prowess to do so, he didn't need the disciples who didn't know this about Wei Wuxian to raise unnecessary questions. Thus, route by ferries were chosen.

As the only two seniors on the trip, Lan Wangji occupied a ferry with Wei Wuxian. His eyes had been glued to Wei Wuxian for the majority of their trip, watching out the younger male shifted relentlessly, twitching uncomfortably as he tried to control the uneasiness in his mind. Though the older wanted to offer a few words to ease Wei Wuxian, he knew that words alone (especially when he was inept with them to begin with) would do little to quell his partner's worries about his brother.

"I'm afraid." Wei Wuxian finally admitted.

Hearing this, Lan Wangji sighed softly, setting Bichen down beside him and standing from his spot, going over to Wei Wuxian at the head of the ferry. "Believe in him. He can handle it." Lan Wangji offered. He spoke truthfully, as coveting his words and telling white lies were not within his capabilities to do so. His hand extended into the thin air, wanting to take hold of his Wei Ying's hand to comfort him for a moment, but Lan Wangji had a moment of hesitation. He hoped Wei Wuxian was not irritated by his inability to say anything more. In the end, he sighed, taking Wei Wuxian's hand anyways, giving it a squeeze.

Over in the other boat, when there seemed to be a little dispute going on, Lan Sizhui was doing his best to mediate between the one feisty Jin Gongzi and the rest of his sect disciples. As one of the older ones in their group, Sizhui had been trying to guide them away from the sensitive conversation, but his soft-spoken mannerisms (almost as though inherited from his teacher, Lan Wangji) ultimately left room for others to ask Jin Ling sensitive questions. Seeing his friend in such a disheveled state, Sizhui did not have the heart to ask Jin Ling to calm down. Rather, he turned to his fellow disciples and sternly asked, "Why must you be like this? Every one will have to help when we get there. Let's not make a big situation out of something that we don't know much about!"

@Lan Wangji Wei Wuxian was barely able to sit through Lan Wangji's instructions for his disciples. Jiang Cheng, that stupid man. All these years had passed, and Wei Wuxian still had to worry like this. He paced behind Lan Wangji as the older set up his disciples for the journey, his head bowed and hands clasped behind his back.

"Wei Ying."

Wei Wuxian stopped, his expression almost defensive. "What?"

"You should rest well tonight."

"...Yes," Wei Wuxian said after a beat of silence. "I'll go prepare now." His gaze barely met Lan Wangji's, his robes flourishing and billowing out before him as he spun on the spot, striding for the exit. He brushed past Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui on the path, but without sparing them a glance, Wei Wuxian sped past them, making a beeline for the Silent Chamber. He broke into a sprint halfway there, bursting into the Silent Chamber. After spending half a year in there, he had become rather well acquainted with the methodological way Lan Wangji stored his things. Rifling through the boxes tucked away in a corner of the room, Wei Wuxian dug up an empty qiankun bag to pack in. He had no idea how long they would be gone for, and while Wei Wuxian himself did not mind hanging around whilst he waited for his clothes to dry, he was sure Lan Wangji would. To distract himself from the thoughts that ran wild in his head, Wei Wuxian folded Lan Wangji's robes up too, sliding them with roughly into the bag.

That night Wei Wuxian retired to bed even earlier than Lan Wangji, knowing would have trouble falling asleep. Even after Lan Wangji had extinguished the candles and laid down beside Wei Wuxian, the latter wide awake despite his eyes tightly shut. When he did manage to slip into slumber, it was fitful and shallow as he tossed and turned all night.

The next morning, Wei Wuxian was quiet as they group headed down the mountain, their path lit by the weak morning sun. In fact, they were all silent, rather uncharacteristically so. Wei Wuxian wished someone would speak and distract from the foreboding atmosphere, but no one managed to. He couldn't blame them - Wei Wuxian could barely manage to hold himself up as he stumbled and slipped down the mossy steps. They hired a two ferries: one for the disciples, the other for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

Grateful for the privacy, Wei Wuxian rested his chin on the rail of their boat once they had taken off. He did not want Lan Sizhui or even Jin Ling to see him in such a state. His mood would pass, he hoped. He was only worrying because... well, there was really no reason to worry. Jiang Cheng was a grown man, a sect leader. But on the other hand, he was impulsive, brash, and much too proud of his own good. Wei Wuxian was vaguely aware of Lan Wangji's presence seated beside him, and he wondered if it would be appropriate for him to curl up on the older's lap right at that moment.

"Lan Zhan," he called as he sat up, his legs folding before him so his knee brushed with Lan Wangji's. "I'm afraid," he admitted. He hated how the words came from his mouth, because he wasn't supposed to be the one who was /afraid/. But now, even though he'd uselessly brought Suibian along (stored in his pouch, thank you very much), Wei Wuxian knew he would be next to useless if things were as bad as or worse than Jin Ling made them out to be. Chenqing was heavy at his waist, almost taunting that Wei Wuxian only had it to rely on.

"I'm not worried!" Jin Ling's voice carried over the bay at the /accusation/ from one of the junior Lan disciples. His eyes were puffy, evidently from the lack of sleep, and his defensive scowl told the other disciples exactly what they needed to know: he was scared for his uncle, the only family member he had left. Well, there were more distant relatives, but his mother's brother raised him, even if he hadn't been all that gentle about it. They had their quarrels. Jin Ling didn't want to lose him, but he didn't want to admit it either.

@Wei Wuxian "Jin Ling?" the younger asked for confirmation. Lan Wangji nodded his head.

Though he finished the letter, Lan Wangji had a feeling he might need to write it. Without knowing what situation may be coming up, it was better to send a refusal the first time than taking back his words a second one. Setting the placard to a side, he stood, taking Bichen with him. Wei Wuxian was jumpy as he was, but having urgency instilled into him made the younger's steps seem to just graze at the floor. To Lan Wangji, it looked as though his partner was somewhat walking on thin air, with how swift he was walking. Though he could understand Wei Wuxian's sense of urgency, Lan Wangji did not let go of his composure, following suite in his usual leisurely pace.

Upon entering, Jin Ling greeted them both. The youth had a look on his face semblance of the one back at the Second Siege of the Burial Mounds. Taking this into consideration, Lan Wangji took his place, accepted the brief greeting and proceeded to listen for what the cause of disturbance was.

Despite the peace that had taken over the cultivation world since the fall of Jin Guangyao and his half-restored Stygian Tiger Seal, it appeared that the situation Jin Ling described seemed to be resembling past events. The Stygian Tiger Seal that Wei Wuxian had created had been ultimately destroyed by now, thus the cause was unclear, but the case rendering a sense of deja vu.

It was more Wei Wuxian reacting than Lan Wangji throughout Jin Ling's briefing, and though the younger male probably feared that the animosity Lan Wangji once held towards Jiang Wanyin would somehow deter him from offering to help, Lan Wangji turned and gave a nod of his head, reassuring Wei Wuxian that they'd go to help. "En, we'll go." he stated, just in case Wei Wuxian needed the verbal confirmation as well. Turning back to the young disciple, Lan Wangji stated, "We will head back together. We leave tomorrow." he said. As acting Sect Leader, the younger Lan still had the responsibility to hand things over to his Uncle for the time being, also needing time to prepare and alert a few disciples that would be going on the trip with them.

Knowing that Wei Wuxian would be worried for Jin Ling, he called in another disciple, instructing, "Prepare a guest room for young Jin Gongzi." he said, "And have Sizhui come see me." Lan Wangji said, sending the disciple off. He had a few more things to tell Jin Ling, some of it to assure him but more of it to assure his antsy partner. "We will bring a few disciples with us. Rest well tonight. Sizhui will assist you if necessary." Knowing that the two youths had developed a friendship from their past journey together, Lan Wangji knew that assigning a familiar face to help Jin Ling through the night would ease Wei Wuxian.

As if on cue, Sizhui showed up, greeting his Hanguang Jun, Senior Wei, and bowing his head respectfully at Jin Ling. Lan Wangji looked up at the young male, speaking curtly, "Tomorrow we will head to Yunmeng. Inform Jingyi and the others. Be ready to head out by dawn." he said, then excusing both Sizhui and Jin Ling together, leaving the details for Jin Ling to fill in to the younger.

"Sizhui understands. Hanguang Jun, be rest assured." Lan Sizhui answered, bowing once more before escorting Jin Ling out.

At this point, the white robed male turned to his partner, deep eyes offering the best comfort he could, "Wei Ying. You should rest well tonight." he said. It would be ridiculous to ask Wei Wuxian to stay back while his younger brother was facing with unknown hardships, this much Lan Wangji understood. Yet the person he worried for most, was Wei Wuxian himself.

@Lan Wangji Wei Wuxian spent the next few days bothering Lan Sizhui between the young disciple's studies and training. Even if Lan Sizhui was annoyed, he never showed it, only giving Wei Wuxian a welcoming smile as he invited the older to anything he and Lan Jingyi were up to. Lan Jingyi also seemed to have moved past the embarrassing ordeal he'd caught them in a couple months ago, to Wei Wuxian's great relief. He even tagged along for their night hunts, though he was relatively useless in them, attending under the guise of "supervising".

Since he'd been spending nearly all his waking hours with Lan Sizhui, Wei Wuxian chose to stay with Lan Wangji on a lazy morning, nearly a week after Lan Sizhui's return. He rested beside his partner, his head rested over Lan Wangji's shoulder. Though Lan Wangji was doing actual work, Wei Wuxian bothered him shamelessly and incessantly, his hand creeping over Lan Wangji's thighs and over his more private regions, trying to get a rise out of the older. Of course, he wasn't planning on letting Lan Wangji try anything: he had work to do, after all. But that didn't mean Wei Wuxian had to behave. He would lean up and kiss the older once in a while on his cheek, his lips, his eyelids.

It was a good day.

As Wei Wuxian was retracting his hand from another , the door to the Silent Chamber slid open, prompting Wei Wuxian to sit up straight and proper, though he was still glued to Lan Wangji's side, his hand casually laid over the other's knee.

"Jin Gongzi, from Jin Sect is here. He's asking to speak with you. It's about Sect Leader Jiang."

That caught Wei Wuxian's full attention. He met Lan Wangji's gaze, standing immediately. "Jin Ling?" he repeated for clarification, though there was really no other Young Master Jin who would come to talk about Jiang Cheng. The Lan disciple confirmed before backing out to see Jin Ling to the Frost Chamber. Wei Wuxian waited for Lan Wangji to finish his letter, though he was burning with impatience.

They made their way out together, though Wei Wuxian's steps were quicker, swifter. He pushed open the doors to the Frost Chamber with with a grandiose move, startling Jin Ling who was seated and being offered tea already. "Jin Ling. What's wrong? Is Jiang Cheng okay?"

"Senior Wei!" Jin Ling gasped. He stood when Lan Wangji appeared, hands extending into a bow. "Hanguang Jun." Impolite and impulsive as he was, Lan Wangji was once his teacher, and still a prominent and respected figure. Jin Ling would be a fool to disrespect the second young master and that cut-sleeve partner of his while he was here to beg for help. "I'm sorry to have come without earlier notice. It was urgent, so I rushed here myself." He swallowed, taking a breath. Wei Wuxian would offer for him to catch his breath and take a drink first, but he needed to know what, pertaining Jiang Cheng, had exactly happened.

"Near Chengguan, there's been disturbances lately. The townsfolk went to Uncle since being started disappearing. Uncle sent people to investigate, but none of them ever returned!" Jin Ling, ever the emotional child, took a quavering breath. "It's been going on for a month now, and all the cultivators Uncle sends haven't been heard from. Uncle won't accept any help, and he wants to go see for himself soon, but I- I can't let him. He won't ask the other sects for help, and I didn't know who else to go to. Please, Hanguang Jun, Wei Wuxian, you have to help. Even YunmengJiang's finest cultivators haven't returned, what if Uncle..."

Wei Wuxian didn't need Jin Ling to complete that sentence. Jiang Cheng, that prideful bastard. His chest tightened painfully. Of course Jiang Cheng would rather charge headfirst into battle alone than ask anyone else for help. Wei Wuxian did not need to hear any more. He spun towards Lan Wangji, robes whirling from the sudden movement, his eyes holding his silent plea. He knew Lan Wangji held animosity towards Jiang Cheng and vice-versa, but if Wei Wuxian had to beg on his knees, he would. If he could go alone, he would, but with his spiritual power barely there, it was left up to Lan Wangji. Of course, none of Yunmeng's cultivators were even close to Lan Wangji's level of prowess. Wei Wuxian had the utmost faith in his partner's skill, but to extend a helping hand to Jiang Cheng was another question. As gracious and saintly Lan Wangji was, Wei Wuxian was worried their rivalry would make Jiang Cheng an exception. "Lan Zhan," he said, his voice tight. "We'll go, right?"

@Wei Wuxian Lan Wangji had specifically reserved this time for Wei Wuxian to talk to the younger disciple without any interruptions, as he was sure that Lan Sizhui had many people to catch up with. However, now that the opportunity was clearly laid out for his partner, Wei Wuxian's words seemed to have failed him. Instead, there was just a wide smile on the younger's face, one that showed Lan Wangji how placated Wei Wuxian was just to see the disciple again. He nodded his head as Sizhui gave a recount of what happened on his trip. Six months, it went by quickly, but it also went by slowly - really, it depended on what perspective they were approaching this from.

Lan Wangji accepted the youth's words of gratitude, nodding his head once, "En. Take some rest for the next few days. Wei Ying has missed you greatly." he spoke for the black robed male, "And when you are ready, you may resume your duties and lessons as usual." It had been the case that Sizhui took private inquiry lessons from Lan Wangji, ironic as it was that this was a Gusu-specific skill set that was passed down to select individuals from generation to generation. "We will review your inquiry abilities after." Lan Wangji murmured, the look in his eyes also indicating what could be described as affection for the young disciple. Essentially, choosing to teach Inquiry language to Sizhui meant that Lan Wangji saw the youth as his own, accepted him as part of the Lan Sect. He was a long way from expressing the emotions that Wei Wuxian naturally had - motherly, if Lan Wangji had to say - this was closest he could get to welcoming the youngest back fervently.

Wei Wuxian was missing Wen Ning too, Lan Wangji observed. While the Ghost General had been one of many sources for annoyance in Lan Wangji previously, this was before Wei Wuxian had confessed to him and before Lan Wangji brought the younger back to the Cloud Recesses. He had to admit he harbored some ill thoughts towards Wen Ning before, but knowing that he was well, and knowing that Wen Ning had protected Sizhui all the way throughout their time together, Lan Wangji chose to set those feelings aside, content with the peace and reunion. He would invite Wen Ning to the Cloud Recesses soon, so Wei Wuxian could reunite with his old friend too.

After a while longer, Lan Wangji excused both Wei Wuxian and Lan Sizhui, letting them go catch up without him for the time being. He had a few things to finish business-wise, and intended to personally cook for Wei Wuxian tonight. Though he himself did not eat meat, Lan Wangji was getting used to preparing it more often for the younger now. It was now commonplace for their kitchen to have a small amount of meat prepared daily, just enough for Wei Wuxian, and peppers and spices that would be replenished on a weekly basis. Lan Wangji was no Jiang Yanli, he could not prepare dishes exactly the way she had done for Wei Wuxian in the past, first being that he was not a Yunmeng native and second was that he had never actually tried those dishes for himself. In the end, it was completely dependent on Wei Wuxian's tastebuds to decide whether Lan Wangji's cooking was qualified or not.

And while those next few days were intended for Lan Sizhui to recover, yet another surprise came two days later. Lan Wangji was inside the Silent Chamber, writing a letter to answer the Ouyang Sect that he would attend their banquet in the coming month, Wei Ying surprisingly by his side and not in town that morning, when a disciple came knocking at the door.

"Hanguang Jun." the disciple greeted, bowing respectfully.

"En." Lan Wangji replied, looking up, "What is it?"

"Jin Gongzi, from Jin Sect is here. He's asking to speak with you. It's about Sect Leader Jiang." the disciple explained.

Knowing this would perk Wei Wuxian's curiosity and concern if Lan Wangji did not include him, the older looked from his partner to his disciple, then nodding, "En. I will see him in the Frost Chamber. See him in there."