Work Text:
Everything started going downhill after Jingyi accidentally activated one of Wei Wuxian's newest talismans, right in the middle of in his Creativity Room (as Wei Ying liked to call the room in the far back of the Jingshi). To his defense, said talisman sat innocuously above a lot of other things that neither Sizhui nor Jingyi had the knowledge to even begin to understand. To add salt to the injury the pile of extremely dangerous but seemingly safe things was surrounded by balled up talismans and ink filled, probably important, papers. Sizhui was sent there by his A-Niang to retrieve a very specific set of cinnabars that, for some reasons unknown to Sizhui, were used only for drawing defensive arrays. Jingyi was late to the meeting and decided to go with him in order to avoid Lan Qiren's inevitable fury.
The aforementioned state of disarray of the room was what caused the activation of the talisman in first place. A-Niang didn't remember exactly where he put the cinnabars so Sizhui just told Jingyi to start looking around without moving stuff too much (Sizhui didn't want to die because of a defective or unfinished project A-Niang had started and promptly forgot about, thank you very much). Jingyi did just that, but his foot got stuck under something and he ended up tripping when he turned. He fell face down into the low table and his hand smacked the talisman of doom. Nothing would have happened if not for the simple fact that Jingyi's spiritual energy reacted to him falling down by surging forward to help him break the fall. But of course nothing is ever simple if Wei Wuxian's name is put into the mix. Sizhui's hand had grabbed Jingyi's arm to help him regain his balance so when the talisman began to glow in reaction to the newly given energy it engulfed both Jingyi and Sizhui.
§§§§
Jiang Cheng's day started fine and miraculously stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon, which, considering his life, was the best result he could hope for. The Conference in Qinghe was nothing fun, but at least they were temporarily released from the three thousand rules of Gusu. Wei Wuxian had left him alone for the majority of the time, opting for bothering Lan Wangji instead. Not that he was complaining. Right at that very moment however Wei Wuxian was sitting at his left, face into his palm while fighting very hard to stay awake. Jiang Cheng couldn't really blame him, it was a while ago that Sect Leader Yao had started speaking and Jiang Cheng himself had gotten lost once or twice. He would not oppose if someone proposed a little break. Three seconds after he thought that a bright white light began to glow furiously in front of the doors.
The room had a long rectangle shape and the people inside were arranged so that everyone important would be able to see the entire area. So all of them, from Jiang Cheng in the middle to Lan Qiren further down the hall, had a clear view when the light dimmed and two white clothed individuals were left behind. Before the light vanished once and for all Jiang Cheng heard a gasp from the Lan Sect section. Moments after that he realized what had prompted the reaction.
The two individuals were clearly disciples and, judging from the colors of their robes, they both were from Gusu Lan.
The one on Jiang Cheng's left was weirdly bent over but quickly straighten up. He was slightly taller than the other, his long black hair done up in the same way Lan Wangji's were, which Jiang Cheng knew meant that whoever this guy was he had a high rank in the Sect. He had a kind face and mischievous eyes which was a rather strange thing to see in a high ranked Lan disciple or in any Lan disciple, period. His robes were thick and rich, or as rich as the Lans went anyway, jade token dangling from the belt. In his right hand was what Jiang Cheng deduced was a talisman (he didn't really thought about the fact that used talismans usually turned to dust).
The one on the right had a slimmer build than his companion. He had a regal and beautiful face with eyes full of life, his hair were done up like the other one but the ornament was different and Jiang Cheng understood that he held an higher rank. His robes were identical to the ones Lan Xichen was currently wearing and curiously he had a Yunmeng Jiang clarity bell next to the Gusu Lan token hanging from his belt.
What probably caused the most surprise though were the disciples forehead ribbons. Jiang Cheng had stayed in Cloud Recesses long enough to recognize the different kind of ribbons. The taller one's was slightly risen up, which could likely be connected to the bent over way he appeared, but the light blue clouds were clearly visible. It was obvious that he had blood relation to the Lan Clan. The other's was pristine but nearly gave Jiang Cheng a heart attack: because glimmering in the light of the room, right in the middle of his forehead was a cloud shaped peace of metal that continued into a cloud patterned white ribbon. Jiang Cheng had seen that particular forehead ribbon only on three people before: Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji. Which meant that the slimmer disciple was a direct descendant of the main family. As far as Jiang Cheng knew the only heirs were the Twin Jades, so where did this one came from? Apparently it was the question everyone else in the room were asking themselves because Jiang Cheng could see the bewilderment and confusion in the faces of basically every single one of the participants. Even Wei Wuxian was no longer two seconds away from falling asleep and the surprised but curious way he was studying the newcomers usually would have bothered Jiang Cheng a lot since what normally followed was utter chaos and dangerous shenanigans. In that moment however Jiang Cheng couldn't even summon the strength to care.
At least they were not the only ones confused and wide eyed since the two unknown disciples stared at them with mild panic and eyes so big Jiang Cheng was afraid they would fall off their sockets. They looked at each other and then at the talisman in the grasp of the taller one. Jiang Cheng saw partial understanding bleed into their eyes and he was most likely sure the slimmer had said “A-Niang”. Jiang Cheng was not stupid, hot headed and short tempered he could accept (barely) but he surely was smart enough to realize that the talisman was the cause the two of them were there. The taller one spoke before anyone sitting down regained their ability to used their vocal chords.
“Ehm, Sizhui” his voice was hesitant but smooth and easily audible even at the very back of the room. His companion made a non verbal sound that Jiang Cheng was sure he heard somewhere else. The one who spoke continued:
“We aren't dead, are we?” at the words the one named Sizhui took his wrist and touched his own neck, probably searching for a heartbeat or spiritual energy. (Which was pretty useless in Jiang Cheng's future opinion, formulated that night as he rethought of this very event).
“No, we are very much alive, Jingyi” Sizhui answered, his voice had a musical tone to it, like he grew up listening to music, which, Jiang Cheng thought, was most likely the case since he was from the only music orientated sect. After hearing them speak most people had unconsciously relaxed a little, even the warriors like Nie Mingjue: it was clear that whoever they were they were as confused as they felt. But then Jingyi continued.
“Then why are we staring at a room full of dead people?” that caused said room full of dead people to freeze in their seats.
“I have no idea” was Sizhui answer that kind of confirmed the dead status of the room.
“Hanguang-jun is going to kill us” Jingyi said, a spark of fear passing over his eyes. Jiang Cheng had no idea of who Hanguang-jun was, but he surely was powerful if he was called the Light Bringer.
“Strangely that's not who I am worried about” the fear in Jingyi's eyes only grew.
By then Lan Qiren had recovered his speech ability as he stood up. Both Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji looked at their uncle with twin expression of bewilderment (or at least the confusion in Wangji's eyes was so strong it was visible even to Jiang Cheng, who was nowhere near Lan Xichen's, Lan Qiren's or even Wei Wuxian's level of reading the Second Jade of Gusu).
“Who are you?” he asked with a no-nonsense kind of voice. Both Sizhui and Jingyi startled at the voice as if they had forgotten where they were.
“Da... I mean Grandmaster Lan” Sizhui all but yelped. Jingyi smiled at Sizhui apparent mishap then he bowed in Lan Qiren's direction.
“My name is Lan Jingyi, Senior Disciple of Gusu Lan and First Apprentice of Head Healer Lan Yumin” Lan Qiren's eyebrows rose considerably after that. He turned to Sizhui.
“My name is Lan Sizhui, Head Disciple and Current Heir of Gusu Lan” at Sizhui introduction basically all the Lan Sect members nearly had a collective aneurysm. Noticing his Uncle's state of mindlessly gaping Lan Xichen graciously spoke in his stead.
“That's impossible” he used a gentle tone since he was not one to accuse someone without concrete proof. Lan Sizhui rose from his perfect bow and quirked an eyebrow up in a very unlike Lan manner. Something in the back of Jiang Cheng was blaring as he stared at the strangely familiar gesture.
“I know it sounds impossible but one of our most important rules is “do not lie”. I would never lie about anything, especially something so significant” Sizhui voice held respect and politeness but had a hint of steel in it, like he was telling that while he was going to be polite nothing would stop him from stating his opinion.
“This is clearly not working. Why you are not working?” this was said in Jingyi's loud voice, even though it was most likely meant to be a whisper. The boy was staring at the talisman in his hand like it once held all the answers in the world and had just betrayed him. Sizhui turned to look at him, also staring hard at the spent talisman.
“Do you think he actually found a way to travel to the Dead Realm?” Jiang Cheng had no idea who “he” was but he knew that people alive could not travel to the dead world.
“No, I don't think so. Some of them are still alive so, unless they all died in the last twenty minutes I doubt it”
“So why are we still here? I don't need the whole cultivation world from twenty years ago to stare at me like I have gone crazy” Jingyi whined. At that Sizhui froze and very, very slowly turned to look at the Twin Jades. It must have found what he was looking for because his eyes moved to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. Still full on staring at them Sizhui found Jingyi arm and started shaking it.
“Jingyi! Look! Look at them!”
“What?! I am looking”
“NO! Look at them. Don't you see something wrong?” Jingyi rolled his eyes, but did what Sizhui said (Jiang Cheng ignored the fact that it was the first time ever he saw someone from the Lan Sect roll their eyes). Jingyi must have seen what Sizhui wanted him to see because before they could wrap their head into the new strangeness around them he yelled:
“WHAT THE FUCK?” Sizhui did not react in any way apart for a nod, but nearly everyone form the Lan Sect choked on their breath. Hell, even Jiang Cheng struggled to comprehend the extremely un-Lan behaviors exhibited.
“Jingyi, maybe make an effort to not kill half of the Sect, please” Sizhui sounded resigned, like the same thing happened before over and over again. It reminded Jiang Cheng of his own tone when he yelled at Wei Wuxian to stop doing things he knew he will continue to do.
“Sorry” Jingyi said with not a hint of regret in his voice. Sizhui sharply inhaled from his nose.
“May I ask where we are and how old are you, Bo- I mean Lan gongzi” he turned to Lan Xichen half a second before asking the question, nobody seemed to register his mishap (Future Jiang Cheng, the one that laid in his bed that night and re-thought about this for hours, realized that he should have caught the very evident lapses). Lan Xichen looked at them with wide eyes.
“At this year's Conference in Qinghe. And I am currently eighteen” he said after a few moments of consideration. Hearing that Jingyi stared at the talisman then went back to stare at Lan Xichen, he did it for a few times before starting to laugh a little hysterically.
“Well, we are completely and utterly fu...” Sizhui's hand went up as fast as lighting to cover Jingyi's mouth before he finished the sentence and sent half of Gusu into an early grave. Not removing his hand he smiled at Lan Xichen, tight and nervous.
“Then it explains what is wrong here” Sizhui stopped there, not daring to add anything else in fear of doing any kind of damage. If they were really in the past then he did not know what they could safely share without tearing apart their time-line.
“So, what's wrong?” the sharp, impolite question came from Jin Guangshan in an equally impolite tone. Sizhui head turned around to look at him while releasing Jingyi's mouth, but before answering his gaze went back to the Gusu Lan section. He must have seen some kind of approval because he hesitantly continued.
“We came from the future. I believe the time we just left is, as Jingyi said before, more or less twenty-five years from now”
“That should not be possible. How did you manage that?” Nie Mingjue asked in a grave but curious voice. He recognized the risk yet he never saw something like this before. He also did not want whatever the boys had used to finish in Wen hands, or Jin's ones.
“We believe the talisman that I accidentally activated is the reason we are here” Jingyi said while waving around the talisman in question.
“And where did you find such a talisman?” the greed in Jin Guangshan's voice was clearly palpable and both Sizhui and Jingyi stared at him with an unreadable expression. They did not answer, Jiang Cheng was starting to like them. They only broke the eye contact when his Father asked the same thing. At that they turned to him, the scarily dead gaze nowhere to be seen.
“My A-Niang invented that. I believe it's one of his newest ones since it was on top of the others” Sizhui answered with a proud smile, probably meant for his mother.
“How does one accidentally activate a talisman?” Jiang Cheng asked before even realizing he was the one speaking. At that Jingyi blushed bright red.
“Jingyi tripped and then fell down into the table” Sizhui wore a sardonic smile that surprised just about everyone. Jingyi spluttered, still red.
“It's not my fault that room is the messiest one I ever seen. How does he find anything in that chaos? I can't believe Hanguang-jun doesn't make him clean after himself” Jingyi vehemently defended himself. Sizhui laughed behind his hand.
“A-Die stopped asking A-Niang after he purposely left the room even messier than before. He said to at least store away the more dangerous inventions. But I believe it is that messy because A-Niang will forget he was even doing something if he can't see it”
Jiang Cheng's head was starting to hurt. By the somewhat constipated looks he could see most people wear at least he was not alone in his struggles.
“Sizhui, isn't it?” Lan Qiren called him. He was still standing in between his sitting nephews, a strange calculating expression on his face, like he was trying to solve a particularly difficult riddle.
“Yes” the answer was calm and collected, like Sizhui had done thousand times before. It was probably true.
“You are my grand nephew, aren't you?”
“Yes” Sizhui gave him a quizzical look, like he could not comprehend why he had to ask in first place.
“So, are you Xichen's or Wangji's son?” said aforementioned nephews both choked on their saliva staring up at their uncle with flabbergast surprise. It was Jingyi's turn to look smug and sarcastic now. He patted Sizhui's shoulder with a quiet “good luck”. Jiang Cheng had no idea of why, but he was starting to grasp the fact that those two were possibly even stranger than Wei Wuxian (who, Jiang Cheng just realized, had not spoken a word since the light faded away. Jiang Cheng was mildly concerned).
“Ehm, I don't know what will happen to me if I answer that question. I mean, not me now, but the future me that is yet to be born in your time-line. I don't want to accidentally stop myself from being born” Sizhui awkwardly answered. That actually made sense, at least to Jiang Cheng.
“Sizhui, how long do you think we have to wait before they realize you are not coming back with the cinnabars?” Jingyi butted in the conversation, completely ignoring the ongoing topic. Jiang Cheng was starting to think this was a common occurrence since Sizhui never batted an eye.
“I don't know, not too long but both A-Niang and A-Die know how messy the room is so they will probably think I'm still trying to find them. Someone will go search for you, though”
“Well, we took the talisman with us, so maybe if they look for us in the Creativity Room they will notice this is missing”
“And if A-Niang knows were we are then he and A-Die can come get us!”
§§§§
Lan Xichen's day started as always. He woke up at five, had an uneventful breakfast, meditated til it was time to start the Conference and then sat at said Conference. The only difference from any other days, apart from the Conference itself, was that Wei Wuxian had made it a mission to invade his little brother's personal space as much as Wangji permitted before moving away. That however ended after lunch since Sect Leader Jiang called him over to the Jiang Sect section. He could see Wangji's pout, even though to anyone else he must have had the same, expected blank expression. Xichen was happy that Wangji had found a friend, he just hoped that Wei Wuxian wouldn't break his brother's heart. Wei Wuxian, on the other side of the hall, was quite literally fighting to stop dozing off to the sound of Sect Leader Yao's rant regarding something Xichen could not find the strength to care about. He was about to passively aggressively suggest a change of topic when a bright light near the entrance did it for him.
What followed was the most confusing and terrifying conversation of his entire life. The boys were clearly from his own sect, but they covered roles that were already covered right at that very moment so that was where the confusion started; the terrifying part began when he realized that the one named Sizhui could only be his own or his brother's son. He was too shaken up to notice the way Sizhui fumbled around when he said his name or the way he seemed to gravitate towards his little brother to find answers that would be there only twenty years in the future. And then Jingyi loudly joined the conversation between Sizhui and his Uncle completely off topic. Xichen was starting to understand that Sizhui was the responsible one of the pair. Jingyi's observation though seemed to gave hope to both of them, Xichen could see light dancing in Jingyi's wide eyes and a healthy rosy blush covering Sizhui cheekbones. Only after he made this considerations he realized what exactly they were implying.
“What do you mean they will come to get you?” he asked, the ever present smile on his face in dissonance to the furrows between his eyebrows.
“We actually have no idea on how to go back, I think the only one who can do that is A-Niang, so we have to wait for them to find us”
“Which means not moving from here” with that Jingyi all but fell on the floor. Sizhui followed him with more grace and elegance, sitting in a position that mirrored the Twin Jades' own.
“So we are just going to wait until two random cultivators come pick you up?” Jin Guangshan sneered, cup near his mouth. Xichen knew he was displeased already, he was smart enough to recognize what the hard gazes the two newcomers had given him meant, but still he could not ignore the hidden in plain sight insult the Jin Sect Leader had thrown to the boys. He saw something flash into Wangji's eyes, his jaw contracting before relaxing again. He went to say something but was again anticipated.
“I would refrain from insulting two of the most powerful cultivators of our time, Sect Leader Jin Guangshan. While A-Die has the control to ignore every insult you can throw his way, he will make you pay if you dare to even graze A-Niang. And A-Niang is extremely protective of his family, if you touch anyone he cares about he will attack to kill not to subdue” there was a strange glint in Sizhui's eyes that told Xichen that he would do the same thing if his buttons were pressed wrong. Jingyi's hand pressed hard into Sizhui's leg, but Xichen thought it was more a way to calm himself than to calm Sizhui, his eyes were hard and Xichen suddenly remembered that a healer held a double sword: with the knowledge used to save someone's life they could also end it.
“And I said that we have to not move from this room, I very distinctly remember that I never pronounced a word about your actions” Jingyi stubbornly kept his gaze fixed on Wei Wuxian's full cup. Sect Leader Jin huffed and puffed, probably offended till next century. Xichen couldn't help but feel a little smug inside, he will dutifully copy the rules the second they'll set foot in Cloud Recesses.
“Is this how Gusu Lan would educate its disciples in the future?” he spit out at last. Neither Sizhui nor Jingyi took the bait.
“Nah, this is me. Sizhui is the result of what happen when ice and fire raise a baby” Jingyi loudly remarked, eyes still on Wei Wuxian's now empty cup.
“Jingyi”
“What?”
Sizhui just shook his head.
“You know, Jin Ling will kill us when we go back” Jingyi abruptly said. Xichen had just wrapped his head on the idea that the boy (man really, he looked no younger than twenty, but for some reason calling him a boy helped) in front of him could either be his or his brother's, he did not want another unknown name throw in.
“He won't if we describe in great detail how he resemble his father when he is surprised” was Sizhui answer, which was clearly meant to be only for Jingyi to hear if not for the fact that he was speaking in a room full of top cultivators.
“I thought he already knew that”
“He loves when people speak about his parents even if he says otherwise, don't worry he will appreciate the comparison”
“Even if he kinds of resemble a startled baby deer? Because I'm pretty sure he will send Fairy after everyone who dares to say that”
“Yeah, maybe try not to say he resembles a cute animal. Sometimes your self-preservation instincts are severely lacking, Jingyi”
Xichen was nearly certain that his Uncle was as close to Qi Deviation as a Nie cultivator was after years of intense cultivation. For what he gathered this Jin Ling person's father must have been in that very room. Xichen had the loud and terrible suspect that the boy's father was Jin Zixuan who at that moment fitted the description of a startled baby deer. Before anyone could ask who Jin Ling and Fairy (Xichen really hoped she wasn't a person) were a loud yell broke the pregnant silence.
“A-YUAN!! A-YI!!” at the voice both Sizhui and Jingyi perked up. They stood up quickly and knowingly stepped away of the doors. Said doors were violently thrown open one minute later and a man dramatically entered the room immediately after. The newcomer was around Jingyi's height, he had a quite handsome youngish face that clashed with the sorrow hidden deep in his mercurial eyes. His dark hair was pulled up in a high ponytail that was currently really messy. His under robe was white and probably too big for his body since it spilled over his black and red outer robe. Hanging from his red belt were a Gusu Lan jade token, a Yunmeng Jiang clarity bell and a glossy black flute adorned with a blue and red tassel. His colors were all over the place and mildly confusing, but the metal cloud patterned forehead ribbon he wore spoke for itself. Sizhui eyes danced in the light and he surged forward.
“A-NIANG!” Sizhui did not yell, yelling was not allowed, shut up Jingyi. Sizhui did, however, jump into his mother's open arms.
“A-Yuan. You're fine. I was so worried when you didn't come back with the cinnabars. We thought something horrible must have happened. And you, A-Yi!” at that he stopped fussing over Sizhui and turned over Jingyi “Do you have the slightest idea of the scare you gave me? Nobody could find you anywhere! Oh, you're both grounded, for at least a month!”
“Sorry, Xian-ge. I was late and went to help Sizhui” Jingyi said into the man's shoulder. Distracted by the commotion the three were making nobody noticed when a white clad man entered the room, nobody but Sizhui who smiled up at his father.
“A-Die” the call attracted the attention of the room. The last one to enter was a tall man, taller than the others, his face looked like it was carved in jade, beautiful and expressionless like a statue. His eyes though were warm with affection. His inky black hair was pulled up into an intricate bun topped by an even more intricate ornament, which was mildly shocking. He wore white and blue Gusu Lan robes with a Gusu Lan jade token next to a Yunmeng Jiang clarity bell and the forehead ribbon of the main family. Just by that everyone who knew Lan Wangji would probably recognize him. The identity of the man was confirmed by the sword at his waist: Bichen gleamed in the fair light, far too famous to be ignored. The man, the older Lan Wangji, stopped next to the man in black. He lightly patted Sizhui and Jingyi's heads before nodding.
Lan Xichen knew he was gaping, but he was pretty sure everybody in the room was too. He was extremely confused, which added to absolute surprise was astonishingly not a good mix. His eyes went to Wangji for a second and found his brother face full of bright surprise, strong confusion, mild longing and possibly heartbreak.
In front of him the man in black continued to lecture Jingyi and Sizhui, oblivious to the stares he was receiving.
“I can't believe you would do something so dangerous” Jingyi, Sizhui and Older Lan Wangji all watched him with a look that to Xichen spoke of long hours spent worrying over whether or not the man would do something potentially dangerous to himself.
“Do you have any idea of the things that are buried there? So many unsafe talismans and inventions, I should have never sent you there. I will most definitely...” he was interrupted by Older Lan Wangji hand on his shoulder. Confused he looked up, eyes still filled with parental concern.
Then the man wearing the too big under robe seemed to realize that the room was full of people.
“Uh, Lan Zhan?” he said the name with the intonation of a question. Older Lan Wangji must have understood because he did not move a muscle before answering.
“Conference in Qinghe” he said it with absolute certainty as if it was the only possible option. Lan Xichen knew it was indeed the only possible option, but he was also very much present during the whole Conference. For Older Lan Wangji this particular event was twenty-five years in the past, if Sizhui was to be trusted. Somehow Xichen was not surprised by the formidable memory of his little brother.
“Ugh. When? I don't remember any Conference in Qinghe nowa...” while talking the man had let his gaze travel all over the room taking in the people inside it. He glazed over the Jin Sect quickly but stayed a little longer on the Lans and Nies. He cut himself off when his eyes landed on the Jiang Sect. Xichen was starting to get a little concerned as the man had yet to blink after nearly two minutes of staring.
As it turned out it should have worried more about Older Lan Wangji reaction at his apparent companion's (Xichen was not sure about their relationship, but Lan Sizhui had called them his parents) distress than at the distress in first place. Because what happened next was in all probability the most surprising thing of the day and what Xichen was sure would send Uncle straight into Qi Deviation. The moment the still unblinking man started to hyperventilate one of Older Lan Wangji's arms shot up, grabbed the other man's forehead ribbon and yanked it towards himself (Xichen ignored the several thumps he heard from behind him, he was not ready to see half of his Sect passed out on the floor). The black clad body fell into Older Lan Wangji's broad chest with a quiet thud (Xichen could still not grasp the fact that he was staring right at the older version of his little brother, who apparently had a son and had just grabbed the forehead ribbon of another man who said son called mother. Xichen would have liked the option to go to sleep and the mental faculties to stop stating the same thing over and over again). The still unnamed man, no Xichen would not call him Sizhui's A-Niang even in his head, tensed for half a second before relaxing completely into what probably was a comforting embrace. Which was still puzzling to Lan Xichen, Wangji usually went the extra mile to avoid physical contact, but here it was initiating said contact. And the person in his arms was acting as the hug was a common feature to their dynamic.
“Wangji? Is that you?” Lan Qiren's voice was as incredulous as the rules permitted. Older Lan Wangji bowed toward him, the man still in his arms. Somehow he managed to lower himself into a perfect bow, so Xichen was pretty sure that this was not the first time he'd done that.
“Uncle” that answered the question.
“What is happening?” so even Uncle gave up on trying to make sense to this.
At that the man in Older Lan Wangji's arms blinked and his eyes stopped being so dead.
“Sizhui and Jingyi used a new talisman prototype, Uncle. I'm sorry for the trouble” Xichen could at least rely on the fact that Older Lan Wangji was still the same polite person who would never use three words if one would suffice. Still, there were way too many questions bouncing in his head.
§§§§
Wei Wuxian's day started amazingly and progressively got worse by the hour. He was elated by the opportunity to pester Lan Zhan in every way possible, even the ones he usually couldn't use because Lan Zhan was such a rule freak. But, they weren't in Gusu anymore, so no Lan Rule could stop him. And the best part of it was that Lan Zhan let him closer that he allowed in Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian was ecstatic. Then Uncle Jiang had to ruin everything by calling him back to the Jiang Section and now he was utterly and completely bored. Bored out of his mind, so bored he was literally falling asleep at his seat. Then a light disrupetd his beauty sleep and the events immediatly after kidnapped any trace of tiredness left in his body. And then a strangely familiar man appreared with an older version of Lan Zhan. An older version of Lan Zhan!! Wei Wuxian was dumbfounded, astonished, in complete dismay. Apparently Older Lan Zhan was married to the strangely familiar man. Wei Ying ignored the fist that was crushing his heart. And his Lan Zhan voice saying “Only family and spouses can touch a Lan's ribbon” after he refused his help surely did not help the weight on his chest.
At that very moment, Lan Qiren was struggling to hold back the Qi Deviation Wei Wuxian was sure the events caused. He stayed silent since the beginning, his mind processing the new information (after Older Lan Zhan appeared he stayed silent for a whole different reason because, holy gods, he surely grew up nicely).
“Sizhui and Jingyi used a new talisman prototype, Uncle. I'm sorry for the trouble” Older Lan Zhan's voice was even deeper than his Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian was going to pass out. And he didn't even know why! Still the conversation was interesting. A time travelling talisman was in no way an easy thing to make, especially a time travelling talisman that worked perfectly fine more than once and for multiple people (one of those times by accident, he may add). Wei Wuxian was intrigued and at the same time discouraged. He did not forget that Sizhui and Jingyi had said the talisman was an invention of Sizhui's mother and Sizhui had called the man in Older Lan Zhan's arms A-Niang. So the talisman must have been one of the man's creations.
“Wangji” Lan Xichen spoke with a strange tone, as if he didn't know how to call the person in front of him. Wei Wuxian could give him that, he personally would be confused if his younger brother suddenly appeared in front of his eyes more than twenty years older that he expected him to be. To Older Lan Zhan the sole use of his name must have been enough to understand the question Lan Xichen was asking. Wei Wuxian was grateful for that since he had no idea of what the Lan Sect Heir was trying to convey.
“Brother” Older Lan Zhan answered with the same 'I mean more than I say' tone his Lan Zhan was very fond of. At this Wei Wuxian realized that maybe it was better if he called the older version Older Lan Wangji instead of Lan Zhan, to get less confused. Before anyone could ask anything else the still unnamed man hijacked the conversation.
“Right. A-Yuan, A-Yi, how exactly did you activated my talisman? I didn't even know if it worked!” he did not free himself from the cage of Older Lan Wangji arms opting to turn his head around to look at the boys. At the question both Sizhui and Jingyi blushed. Sizhui looked at his joined hands while Jingyi scratched his nape, eyes down. The man in black waited a while before raising his fingers and lightly shook them back and forth. Likely catching the movement at the very edge of their sights Sizhui and Jingyi took a step back.
“No, wait! It was an accident!” Jingyi all but screamed. The man stopped moving and Older Lan Wangji let him go.
“Accident?” the man repeated confused. Jingyi furiously nodded.
“Yeah! I tripped and the talisman suddenly activated by itself”
“You tripped over thin air?”
“Of course not. I tripped over something in that very much not tidy room of yours” Jingyi replied in a shocking display of disrespect that went, even more shockingly, ignored.
“This is why I asked you to at least better organize your work” Older Lan Wangji butted in the conversation.
“My work is perfect the way it is, thank you very much”
“This is the third accident this week. And by far the safest” Wei Wuxian's mind started conjuring any possible disaster classifiable as worse than accidental time travel as soon as the last word left Older Lan Wangji's mouth.
“This time is not my fault!” now the man (still unnamed, Wei Wuxian was a little bit annoyed by that) and Older Lan Wangji were face to face immersed into a most likely very old discussion.
“Lan Zhan” the man dragged the final 'a' with a pouty tone
“Wei Ying” Older Lan Wangji didn't move a millimeter at the pout.
At that Wei Wuxian actually answered, but his “Eh?!” was totally ignored. And then he realized that Older Lan Wangji was still speaking to the strange man.
“WAIT! WEI YING?” that was most definitely not his voice even though the question was the same that his mind was screaming full volume. At Jiang Cheng's yell both Older Lan Wangji and Presumably Older Wei Wuxian turned to face him.
“Oops” was all Presumably Older Wei Ying said.
§§§§
Jiang Cheng was this close to having a seizure or worse, an aneurysm. He was already feeling his brain get all mushy and confused. He had so many questions that he probably forgot some somewhere in all the screaming fog. But the main thought that occupied the majority of his mind was: “he called him Wei Ying”. The little innocuous sentence was written in bold, heavy and wide strokes like a giant sign in the middle of a plaza. Apparently the same giant sign was in front of everybody else too. Realizing the situation Older Lan Wangji and Presumably Older Wei Ying fully faced them. Presumably Older Wei Ying was swinging his arms a little, most likely to find the correct words while Older Lan Wangji was expressionless.
“Ehm... Yeah... A lot of things happened and now this is it?” he eventually said, his tone going up.
“What exactly where these things? The loud one said something about a room full of dead people” Jiang Cheng asked. He wanted to know if the person in front of him was really the same brother he was currently seated with. At that both older versions seemed to hesitated.
“Well, you were really handsome when you were younger, A-Niang” Lan Sizhui broke the tension.
“Oh my. Thank you, little A-Yuan” Presumably Older Wei Ying said turning to look at his son, without turning back again he continued:
“There was a war. Bad things happened in that war. Bad, terrible, horrifying things. Then other bad things happened because of the bad things that happened before. Other bad, terrible, horrifying things. All because of some power hungry people who, even though they were at the very top of the world, wanted more and more.” at that he turned around, his eyes cold with grief and fury.
“Jingyi was right when he said that he was staring at a room full of dead people. Of everyone in this room only a handful will survive to see our future. And still they will be so deeply scarred their very soul will bleed forever. Again all because of greed for power and hatred for innocent people who didn't do any of the things they were accused of having done” his eyes went even colder.
“You let hatred and fear cloud your judgment. You blindly followed the mass without stopping to think if what you were doing was the right thing to do, using the feeble defense the people you were hunting down like beasts were trying to put up to live just a little longer as an act of offense. You ignored the single voice that told you that maybe listening to the reasons of those people who were doing their best to survive in a world who wanted them dead for something they didn't commit would solve the conflict that was supposed to have ended months, if not years, before” at the last sentence Jiang Cheng saw a little change in Older Lan Wangji's face, his jaw contracted for half a second before he put a steady hand on Presumably Older Wei Ying's shoulder (Jiang Cheng didn't know how to interpret the jaw contraction, but something told him the single voice was the furious man speaking). The hand worked like magic, Presumably Older Wei Ying's expression relaxed a bit, becoming slightly less terrifying.
“I could tell you all about what happened. How Wen Ruohan declared war against the other Sects. How he sent Wen Xu to burn Cloud Recesses, how Qinghe-Jun died in that attack and Lan Xichen went missing. How he took prisoner the Heirs and most promising disciples of all surviving Sects with the excuse of an Indoctrination Camp. How Wen Chao closed us all in the lair of the Xuanwu of Slaughterer. How Lan Zhan and I were forced to kill it after sending away all the other disciples. How Wen Chao used what we did to justify the massacre of the Jiang Sect, massacre that only Shijie, Jiang Cheng and I survived.
How that very event was the catalyst to me becoming a Demonic Cultivator. How we won the war thanks to my power and how all the Sects decided that I was too dangerous now that I wasn't useful anymore. How the Jin Sect wanted the “source” of my power for themselves and how horribly they treated the innocent Wens whose only fault was to be born with the wrong surname at the wrong time without regards of the fact that they were non-Cultivators. How they condemned me when I freed those Wens from being worked to their death. How Jin Guangshan followed Wen Ruohan's steps in greed for power. How he declared that I was training an army when the only thing I had were fifty malnourished and overworked people and a child no older than three. How nobody let Lan Zhan talk in name of our supposed closeness, saying his judgment was clouded when he was the only one with a clear view. How one of Jin Guangshan's bastard son decided to frame me for the murders of Jin Zixuan and Jin Zixun. How you all organised a meeting in Nightless City to decide how to take me down and how in that very unnecessary battle Shijie lost her life after Jin Guangyao sabotaged me again, leaving behind a month old baby. How Lan Zhan tried to protect me only to be taken away and heavily punished by the same people who were supposed to shield him form danger. How all the Sects marched on my little falling apart village in Burial Mounds in what was supposed to be a Siege but ended up being just as a massacre as Lotus Pier's was. How the people there didn't even stop to look twice at the ones they were oh so easily killing. How I died in the aftermath of destroying the cause of the Cultivation World hatred towards me. How the only one left alive was my little three years old son I previously hid in a trunk and how Lan Zhan found him even though he was supposed to stay in bed after the thirty-three lashes that crisscrossed his back.
How Jin Guangyao killed Jin Guangshan to become the Jin Sect Leader and Chief Cultivator. How he induced Nie Mingjue's death and how he made sure nobody could stop him. How I stayed dead for thirteen years and suddenly was alive again after Mo Xuanyu, another of Jin Guangshan's bastards, offered his body to my soul. How Lan Zhan and I solved the mystery of Nie Mingjue's murder and took down the reign of Jin Guangyao. How Lan Xichen went into seclusion after everything that happened with his Sworn Brothers. How everything finally settled and we had our happy ending. I could tell you all of this, but what would it change?” at every sentence Older Wei Ying (Jiang Cheng couldn't deny it anymore) got closer to Older Lan Wangji until his body was flushed against him. For the listeners every sentence was more horrifying than the previous.
Jiang Cheng was terrified. Not only for the story (no, not story, the future, the future that will inevitably happen if they didn't do anything) but for Older Wei Ying's eyes. Eyes so cold he felt his blood freeze when he stopped his gaze on him. His instinct told him that Older Wei Ying omitted a lot of parts, important and even more scaring parts. He didn't know how to react to that. Or the even colder gaze that Older Lan Wangji was sending his way, if Older Wei Ying's froze his blood, his was slowly turning his soul to a block of ice. He shivered, not liking this one bit. He wanted to get up, run to his room and sleep for a century. For some reason the only thing he could think of was the fact that only he had survived. Future he had lost his parents and his sect in the middle of a war then lost his sister and his brother shortly after. The gaze Older Lan Wangji (and Older Wei Ying, but he was trying to forget that) sent him added to his gut feeling that Older Wei Ying deliberately left out some details, very important ones that would probably shock them even more than they already were, told him he played a central role in the events. And that role was most definitely not the hero. Jiang Cheng was going to throw up.
§§§§
Wei Ying's day started out great and stayed that way, which is why he should have know something was going to happen. He woke up early enough to still feel Lan Zhan's arms around him and then his husband had spoiled him so much he did not even lift a finger before leaving the Jingshi. His students were exceptionally bright and he had the time of his life in teaching little Lans that rules where most definitely not absolute.
He had a very spicy, very delicious lunch with Lan Zhan and A-Yuan in the Jingshi where he was allowed to talk to his heart content even during meal time. Then he dedicated his time to renew some of the defensive arrays in Cloud Recesses (the permission to do so came some years ago and surprised him so much he did not talk for the rest of the day. The news came at eight in the morning. Needless to say, he scared even the non-existent pet cats).
Of course his cinnabars were missing and of course he sent A-Yuan to get them for him. Of course Jingyi was late and of course he should have know better than to sent his son to his rather dangerous Creativity Room. So when neither A-Yuan nor Jingyi showed up after nearly two hours (he actually didn't realize that so much time had passed and he knew that neither had Lan Zhan since his guqin had been a nice background to his questionable doings, which were possible only because Lan Qiren had to leave with Lan Xichen for something Wei Ying had already forgotten about) he promptly panicked, but he was not surprised. Since the air was devoid of explosions or distant Lans yelling-but-not-yelling, he was not worried about the possibility of them having set themselves on fire. No, he was worried because the remaining half of his unfinished inventions had far more terrifying consequences he really did not want to explore.
His stomach fell all the way to the ground as he threw the door of his Creativity Room and found no one inside. Beside him Lan Zhan made a strange choking sound he interpreted as surprise mixed with dread. They looked at each other and without another word started searching for a missing something, whatever could help them find what happened to their son and his best friend. And when he found what they were looking for, almost half an hour later, he newly returned stomach went for another trip to the floor.
The next ten minutes saw Wei Ying having a full blown panic attack and Lan Zhan frantically trying to calm him down. As he battled the waves of terror Wei Ying could only stutter out broken peaces of phrases. Lan Zhan, able to pick up and put together things from even less, realized that Wei Ying had found out what happened to the boys and did not have a solution to bring them back from where they currently were. Which apparently was a not specified time and place in the past fifty years. Lan Zhan hoped he did not hear correctly but he knew that Wei Ying wouldn't have reacted the way he had if Sizhui and Jingyi had simply activated a teleportation talisman.
After finally calming down, Wei Ying didn't waste any time and explained in great detail everything he could remember about the talisman that was now missing from the top of his table. They dived headfirst in the work necessary to find a counter talisman. Both of them prayed that the boys had landed somewhere, and some time, safe. They stayed silent, working seamlessly and in tandem, no need for words.
Their work ethic payed off and not even two hours later Wei Ying was able to draw the last stroke of the return talisman. He actually drew more than what was required, just to be safe. They didn't know if they would land in the same time and place as the others so they were prepared to make more than one trip. Which was exactly what happened. It took four jumps before they found them.
(The first one delivered them in the middle of a forest, a non-descriptive one with human population counting zero. The second they were successful in finding human life and scare said life out of their mind, they were gone before the farmers could recover enough to make good use of their tools. The third jump they were catapulted right in the heart of a battle with some sort of evil spirit, Lan Zhan had to duck at the speed of light in order to keep his head attached to his body; they were out of there before they even fully landed. The forth they got luckier and found themselves in the middle of busy town they didn't recognize; they yelled the boys names, well Wei Ying did Lan Zhan's part of the screaming and screeching, and asked people in the plaza. They left only when he clear no one had seen them. The fifth jump was the winner)
They were greeted by the halls of the Unclear Realm and Wei Ying immediately started screaming, giving no qualms about the possible reactions of the inhabitants, as per usual. They walked around for about five minutes before finding the doors to what Lan Zhan knew was the room the Nies used to hold the Conferences in. Judging from the guards outside the room was used at the moment. Wei Ying completely disregarded said guards, to their immense astonishment, and proceed to throw open the heavy doors.
(if Lan Zhan had been just a little less of a Lan he would've laugh at the guards expressions, but since he was a Lan and the stoic one of the Twin Jades Lan Zhan merely offered a nod, remembering the one and only time someone from his sect tried to keep Wei Ying away from his goal and the entire Cloud Recesses woke up to find all of their clothes dyed either an hideous bright pink or a gleaming loquat orange. Nobody tried to stop him the next time he asked to access the Forbidden Library).
The scream that followed the doors banging made their hearts soar in their chests. We found them.
Wei Ying was so happy to have them back into his arms, even as he lectured them and grounded both for a month. Being able to ground them meant they were in front of him. He was so happy he forgot to look around and when he did finally look up he wished he didn't. Every nightmare, every sense of guilt, every memory he tried so hard to shove at the very back of his mind surged forward. The only thing that kept him from having a mental breakdown right there were Lan Zhan's arms around him, his voice in his ear and his heat, oh so familiar, warming up his back. He was able to escape from the painful memories just in time to hear Lan Qiren and his Lan Zhan talking. He butted in the conversation when he turned to how the hell A-Yuan and Jingyi activated the talisman in first place, trying his damn best to avoid looking at anyone and by extension remembering unnecessary things. Until he couldn't anymore and he was forced to open the door he kept stubbornly closed.
§§§§
Lan Xichen loved his brother, he really did, no matter the version. But right now he wished like never before that it was in Wangji's character to butt in conversations and add something to what Older Wei Wuxian (of course he was Wei Wuxian, the Lans were notorious for their loyalty to their first true love) said. Because it was truly terrifying and Lan Xichen was starting to panic even more than he did when he realized his baby brother was in front of him all grown up. But then again Wangji was not known for his talent with words, so maybe it was better that he stayed silent, for the sake of the few tendrils of sanity Xichen still had.
“What.. what do you mean by that?” he forced himself to ask. He didn't want to know, he really didn't, but his mind was conjuring really unpleasant scenarios.
“What do I mean by what?” Older Wei Wuxian eyes were piercing cold, but softened a little when his gaze met Xichen's.
“Everything. What does everything mean?”
“It means you now have the possibility to avoid many many innocent deaths and pointless wars. Do not waste the chance given to you”
“How are we supposed to do that? It's not like we can stomp in Wen Ruohan's palace and arrest him” Sect Leader Jiang said, raising a good point. They had too little information to do anything but waiting for things to happen. At the mention of marching on Wen Ruohan's place Older Wei Wuxian's eyes lit up.
“No” at the single word Older Wei Wuxian slumped a bit.
“But Lan Zhan! Think about it, if we kill the Wen main family everything bad will simply not happen!” Older Wei Wuxian whined at Older Wangji.
“No”
“Tch. I know the Lans prefer few strategic death to pointless massacres. I should know, I saw it. So why can't we kill those three and prevent the war? We're still on time” Xichen was surprised Older Wei Wuxian had such deep knowledge of his clan preferred way of dealing with conflicts, but then again the forehead ribbon he wore and the very evident relationship he shared with his brother were enough of a proof to deduce he had the same access privileges the Main Family had. Also, Xichen couldn't ignore the fact the Older Wei Wuxian and Older Wangji fought a war together.
“Because if we do something we could tear the time flux apart” Xichen kind of expected an answer like that from his brother.
“I hate when you're right...” Older Wei Wuxian grumbled under his breath before turning towards his younger self.
“... Since we can't do anything. Please kill Wen Ruohan and his sons” he said that way too cheerfully, like he didn't just ask his fifteen year old self to kill the Chief Cultivator and his heirs. Wei Wuxian chocked on his saliva, eyes wide in disbelief.
Xichen heard indignant spluttering coming from his left and twisted to see his Uncle's face turn a shockingly shade of purple. As if predicting the reactions his statement was going to draw Older Wei Wuxian continued to talk without even looking around.
“Listen, I know this is shocking and pretty unbelievable, but unfortunately it is the truth. Leave Wen Ruohan and his loyal dogs alive and you'll either die or survive to see everything you love turn to dust. Not all Wens follow Wen Ruohan by choice or because they share his views, make sure you know who is truly loyal to him and who is there to protect their family”
“Wen Ruohan may be mad as you said, but he is powerful. How are we supposed to bring him down?” his Uncle said, face still purple.
“Next year conference is in Qishan, isn't it? There you will see exactly how the power he has went to his head. He will put himself above you and the lack of victories his Sect will have at the organised games will speed his plan to take over the other major Sects. This plan is already in motion, he started with the smaller Sects in Qishan and he will soon move to small Sects in other territories before diverging his attention to the Jiang and the Lan Sects. He will leave the Jins for last since Jin Guangshang” he pronounced the name with a barely contained disgust “will lick his boots if that means saving his pathetic life. Once the Jiangs and the Lans are down he will march on the Unclear Realm. If you don't believe me, then go check the situation in Qishan” his tone was final, like that couldn't be nothing but the truth.
And then Xichen realized that he most likely lived through this plan and saw it happen without the power to stop it. If Xichen was honest to himself, which he was since the Lans had a rule for that, he was actually really frightened of this outcome. He didn't want it to be true, but the lack of intervention from Older Wangji was a statement on his own. Older Wei Wuxian was telling the truth. And that scared him more than everything else, he knew he will survive, but he also knew that something bad enough to make him choose seclusion will happen.
§§§§
Wei Ying was feeling so many things at once that he himself had no idea of what to call his emotions. He was both relived to see his old family alive and shattered by it. He was angry with this younger versions of everyone but still understood that they couldn't be blamed for things that they hadn't done yet. He was frustrated to not be able to do something concrete to stop history from repeating itself but he was a teeny tiny bit hopeful that words would be enough to make them move. He was so so happy that Lan Zhan was there at his side to keep his temper in check and offer his never wavering support. He was also very ready to go back home, curl up in their bed and lay in Lan Zhan's arms free to do as he pleased. Without Lan Zhan his mind would have broke into pieces before he could utter a single word about the future they were coming from. However not even his state of barely controlled panic and hurt prevented him from enjoying the look of absolute horror and fear painted on everyone's faces.
He opened his mouth to add something to his previous statement when he felt an invisible hand yank an invisible cord knotted around his mid-section. The words died in his throat and instead he produced a chocked sound. He turned to Lan Zhan so fast that he heard his neck crack. The look on his face told him that he felt that too.
“What is happening?” Jingyi's voice did not waver but Wei Ying heard the fear in it.
“I think we overstayed our welcome” was the only answer he could think of.
“What do you mean?” the question was asked by Jiang Fengmian who still looked at him the same way he always did when he was younger. That hurt and filled him with warmth at the same time.
“Our presence here is not exactly natural. I invented this talisman to go back in time, yes, but my intention was to use it to retrieve books or similar things which are no longer available in our own time, never to meet other people. Us meeting you and giving you information about the future we came from must have upset the time flux that is now trying to send us back. I have no idea of what will happen if we stayed more or if we continue to talk about future events, so in order for us to safely return we have to leave now” it was one of the hypothesis that he came up when he was thinking about this specific talisman. It was the only reason he never thought of using it to warn their past selves, he was deadly afraid that he would lose the happy ending he desperately fought to have.
At that Sizhui and Jingyi came closer to were he and Lan Zhan were. Wei Ying signaled to Lan Zhan to pull out the return talisman, which he did like the good husband he was. With a nod in the general direction of their audience he took Lan Zhan's hand, intertwining their finger. He snaked his free arm around Sizhui's shoulders and his son grabbed Jingyi's elbow without prompting. Silently Lan Zhan poured spiritual energy into the talisman he held between two slim fingers. Few seconds before the talisman did its job he remembered something.
“I'm gonna need to tell Jiang Cheng how ridiculous his face looks when he is truly shocked”
“You are not going to tell Jiujiu anything about this”
“Oh, come on, little radish. Let me have some fun”
And with that they disappeared.