Chapter Text
"The way I see it," Wei Wuxian says, trying to summarize five hours of research in less than ten minutes for the sake of Lan Zhan's sanity, "is that there are three different ways I could do this."
"Mn." His husband is still watching him closely, but at least he's listening.
"First, I could create an array to change my entire body," Wei Wuxian says. "But I'd rather not, because I like my body the way it is."
"Mn," Lan Zhan says, who also likes Wei Wuxian's body.
"Second," Wei Wuxian continues, ticking off the options on his fingers, "I could only change a few parts of my body. But that's a lot more dangerous for everybody involved, and Wen Qing has already said she'll kill me if she has to perform surgery on me again."
That, and he's a little worried what his demonic cultivation would do to a child living inside of him for nine straight months. He's not going to tell anyone that, because then they'll start shouting about what do you think it's doing to you and that's not the point. (He chose this. That's different from inflicting it on someone.)
"Mn," Lan Zhan agrees, nose wrinkled in a way that says option two is right out, even if Wei Wuxian wasn't already hesitant about it.
"Three, I could do it outside of my body."
Lan Zhan blinks.
"Look, watch!" Wei Wuxian grabs a charcoal stick and starts scribbling. "Apart from a genetic material like blood, and an array to organize it, all that's needed is an organic case, right? Given nutrition and care, it'll grow all the same."
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan says. "You are not growing our child inside of a corpse."
"Lan Zhannn," Wei Wuxian complains. "Don't you have any faith in me? Besides, I looked at the theory already. It wouldn't work, the container has to be living."
"You would ask someone else?"
"That doesn't require cultivation!" Wei Wuxian says, tapping his husband on the nose with his charcoal stick. "No, I'd grow a container."
"An organ?" Lan Zhan looks horrified, probably imagining a disembodied liver in the middle of the jingshi.
"No!" Wei Wuxian sighs. Why must everyone jump to the worst conclusion? "We have perfect organic containers in our garden, Lan Zhan! We can grow it in a plant!" He beams at his husband, and waits for the applause.
"A plant," Lan Zhan says flatly, and then, because he is a relentless and merciless adversary, says, "I still do not see how this would help you regain a core."
"The array needs a steady source of spiritual energy to power it," Wei Wuxian explains, pulling another piece of paper over to his side of the table. "But the way it's set up is extremely delicate, because it has to change with the baby! Thus, the source can't be too powerful, it has to grow slowly, with the child. So here's my theory: the same way the plant will act as a container for the body, I can act as a container for most of the spiritual energy! I'm essentially an empty bucket at the moment, so if you provide the spiritual energy for the child in gradual doses, I can be the 'anchor' for the array, the place where it draws its energy from until the array is robust enough for me to transfer the energy over completely." He flourishes the charcoal stick and goes in for the kill. "And if I can find a way to hold spiritual energy for long periods of time, I bet I can find a way to hold it permanently!"
Lan Zhan is quiet for a long time, thinking. "I still do not see why we could not simply attempt the reconnection first," he says.
Wei Wuxian groans. "Then I'd be just like you, with too much spiritual energy of my own! The only way this works is if I am like I am now. If I had a core, it wouldn't be possible!"
Lan Zhan sighs. "You are determined to do this."
"Yes, and I need your help!" Wei Wuxian says. "Don't you want to have another kid, Lan Zhan?"
Lan Zhan does. Wei Wuxian can see it on his face, the way his eyes dart to A-Yuan's toybox, to Wei Wuxian, and to the plans on the table.
"Afterwards, you would be able to hold a golden core," he says.
"Probably!" Wei Wuxian says brightly. Lan Zhan gives him a look, but probably is a big step up from definitely not, in Wei Wuxian's opinion. "I'll do the research, Lan Zhan! You can help me, and we'll ask Xichen-ge and Uncle and A-Qing. They don't even have to know about the baby, if you don't want to tell them."
"You will tell everyone you know as soon as you are sure it will work," Lan Zhan says, which is true.
"Well, yes," Wei Wuxian says. "I want this, Lan Zhan. I really, really, want this." The idea of his parents--of his mother's smile, his father's eyes--living on in the world is too dear a wish to give up. Wei Wuxian has no other blood left in the world. He wants just one person.
The jingshi is silent for a while, the vulnerability of the admission hanging in the air.
"Alright," Lan Zhan says at last. "We will try it."
Wei Wuxian lets out a yelp of joy and throws himself across the table and into his husband's arms.
______
Lan Xichen spends a solid two minutes laughing before he realizes they're serious. "Ah," he says, the last of his chuckles fading. "You mean it."
"Mn," Lan Zhan says, which translates to this was Wei Ying's idea.
Wei Wuxian takes his stack of papers and drops them in front of Xichen. The First Jade of Lan starts reading with a concerned expression, but it changes to something closer to awe as he continues. "You did this in an afternoon?" he asks.
"I got bored," Wei Wuxian says, which is easier than saying I wanted it so badly it hurt.
"This is vaguely heretical, Xiaolian," Xichen chides. "And the only reason it's not forbidden is that it wasn't thought possible." He leafs backwards to find certain pages. "If we modified these arrays, though--we could have the potential to create a new heart, a new lung--" Xichen's eyes lose focus, lost in the healing potential.
"The last pages speak of reconnecting a lost golden core," Lan Zhan says, and Lan Xichen refocuses abruptly, staring at his brother before shuffling to the back of the stack.
"This--" he says, and then stops, overwhelmed. "This is incredible."
"Will you help?" Wei Wuxian says, putting on his best little-sister-in-law face. "Please?"
"Of course I will," Lan Xichen says. He still looks a little in shock from his reading, but he's a healer like Wen Qing and this could change so much. "But we'll have to tell uncle. If he thinks it's too far--" Xichen hesitates, knowing their determination. "Well. I don't think I can know about it, if that's the case."
Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian nod. They've been going through all the arguments the elder Lan could have, and they think they have an answer for every one, but the only way to know for sure is ask.
_______
"Fine," Lan Qiren says, and Wei Wuxian stares at him.
"Uncle?" Lan Zhan says, uncertain.
"You are not disturbing bodies or desecrating graves," Lan Qiren says. "It is an improvement over your usual activities."
Wei Wuxian wants to make absolutely sure he isn't hallucinating this right now. "So we have your permission for this? All of it?"
"Yes," Lan Qiren says. "Perhaps you could try to create a daughter. I have never had a grand-niece before."
"Yeah," Wei Wuxian breathes, hardly daring to believe their luck. "Absolutely."
Two down, one to go.
________
"You're an idiot," Wen Qing says, and then pauses. "Well, you're not doing it in you, so you're less of an idiot than I thought. But still an idiot."
"So will you help?" Wei Wuxian asks. He's gone all the way down to Lotus Pier to ask her, and left Lan Zhan with A-Yuan and Wen Ning by the docks.
"For the sake of core reconnection possibilities, I will," Wen Qing says. "But let me say right now that this is the second stupidest thing you've ever roped me into."
"What's he done now," Jiang Cheng asks, passing the room at the least opportune moment.
"Lan Zhan and I are going to have a baby!" Wei Wuxian says.
Jiang Cheng narrows his eyes at him. "Horseshit," he says.
"No it's not," Wei Wuxian says.
"You don't have the parts," Jiang Cheng says, then rounds on Wen Qing. "Qing-jie, don't you dare help him get those parts."
"Do you take me for a fool?" Wen Qing replies calmly.
"No one's getting new parts," Wei Wuxian says. "We're going to plant it!"
"You're going to what?"
"We're going to plant it in the ground like a radish and water it every day, and at the end of nine months, we'll have a baby!" Wei Wuxian says.
"No you won't," Jiang Cheng says, because he has no imagination.
"Yes we will," Wei Wuxian says. "You're going to meet your niece-sprout and you're going to love her more than anyone else except jiejie and Jin Ling, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"I hate you so much," Jiang Cheng says, which is basically a confirmation of everything Wei Wuxian has just said. This is delightful, but the thought of his sister brings up something else.
"Wait a second. A-Cheng, did you just call Wen Qing 'Qing-jie'?"
Jiang Cheng goes a furious scarlet. "Shut up!"
"You did!" Something is up, and Wei Wuxian has got to know what it is. "A-Cheng--"
"I'm not telling you!" Jiang Cheng whirls around and storms off down the hall.
Wei Wuxian spares a glance to Wen Qing, but she gives him a blank look that tells him he's getting nothing out of her, so he beams at her in gratitude and takes off after his brother. "A-Cheng!"
"No!"
"Chengcheng!"
"NO!"
_______
Wei Wuxian doesn't manage pry it out of him, but he does tackle Jiang Cheng into the lotuses, so he marks it down as a win and files the mystery away as an ongoing puzzle to harangue Lotus Pier about each time he visits, as well as an excuse to visit more often.
Jiang Cheng tells him to fuck off, but he doesn't tell him to stay away, and Wei Wuxian takes that as permission.
_______
"Now all we have to do is choose a squash!" Wei Wuxian says, when they're back in Gusu and A-Yuan is tucked in bed. "What do you think, Lan Zhan?"
"Winter melon," Lan Zhan says.
Wei Wuxian blinks. "That was fast."
"Practical," Lan Zhan says. "Large enough in size. Grows in humid conditions, such as our summers." He looks down at Wei Wuxian. "It made the most sense."
Wei Wuxian feels something catch in his throat. "Lan Zhan," he says. "You've really thought about this, too."
Lan Zhan nods.
"Even though it's untested and slightly demonic and really strange," Wei Wuxian says. "You've thought about it."
"Life around Wei Ying is often untested and strange and slightly demonic," Lan Zhan says. "I enjoy it." He looks at Wei Wuxian with eyes that manage to be soft and serious at the same time. "This, too."
"Well," Wei Wuxian says. "Well."
_______
They'd have no trouble having a baby if Wei Wuxian changed his body, of this he's sure. But then where would the potential for a new golden core be?
Replaced by the fury of Wen Qing, which is not an incidental factor. Winter melon it is.
________
Granny is intrigued by the idea, and more than a little relieved that plant life is the path they've chosen.
"I was afraid your heart would put you in danger again," she admits, petting the rabbit asleep in her arms while they watch Lan Zhan and A-Yuan play with some of the rowdier bunnies.
"I've never regretted it before," Wei Wuxian says softly.
"I would regret it, should something happen to you," she tells him sternly. "You are my only child left, baobei."
"Oh," Wei Wuxian says, and curls up with his head in her lap. He'd like a baby created from him and Lan Zhan--and he knows all too well what tragedies usually have to take place for a child to need adopting in the first place--but if they do end up adopting, well. It'll still be their child.
"You will need to mark your melon garden very clearly," Granny Wen reminds him, bringing him back to the present.
"I will," Wei Wuxian realizes, sitting up with a jolt of horror. "Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan! What if someone tries to eat our baby?"
A young disciple passing the rabbit field trips over his feet at the sentence, dropping the scrolls in his arms all over the pathway.
"Child melon," Lan Zhan says, as if describing a signpost. "Do not eat."
"Melon!" A-Yuan cheers, displaying the remarkably selective hearing of young children.
"What if the rabbits try to eat our baby?" Wei Wuxian asks.
Lan Zhan waits until A-Yuan is out of hearing range before saying, "Then we eat the rabbits."
Wei Wuxian is ninety percent sure he's husband is kidding.
But only ninety.