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Even before Jiang Fengmian had picked him off the streets and made him a disciple of the Jiang sect, Wei Ying had been able to feel the currents.
He remembered little, but he did remember the warm glow of energy that had always surrounded his parents. His mother, in particular, had always had an overwhelming presence.
Later, Wei Ying would learn about cultivation and golden cores. Later, he would understand that what he had felt and seen all along had been spiritual energy, cultivated to form a bright and deep well of qi.
Even later still, he would come to understand that he was different from the other disciples.
Meditation did not come easy to him, but tapping into his reserves of spiritual energy was like breathing.
At the age of nine, barely half a year after Jiang Fengmian had taken him in and a mere three months after joining the lessons, Wei Ying had developed a golden core. He remembered the wide-eyed wonder of the medic that had checked it. He remembered the stunned look on Jiang Fengmian's face and the sneer on Madam Yu's.
Wei Ying had not understood, back then. After all, he had been in time with his peers. In fact, most disciples his age had developed theirs a few months ahead of him.
But most disciples his age had practiced cultivation for three or four years prior to that point. Most disciples had not spent a considerable portion of their young lives on the streets, fighting stray dogs for dirtied scraps of food.
His cultivation advanced quickly, as did his proficiency in the Six Arts. Wei Ying took pleasure in memorizing sword forms and challenging himself to more difficult shots with the bow.
When the lessons bored him, he quietly observed the disciples around him, taking in the spiritual energy that surrounded them. It was fascinating to see how some progressed while others seemed to remain at a near-constant level of cultivation. It was fun to identify his friends by the color and intensity of their glow alone.
When he explained as much to his teacher who caught him being distracted, all he did was put a worried hand to his forehead and send him to the medics.
Wei Wuxian spent a few hours in the infirmary and never mentioned it again.
At the age of thirteen, Wei Wuxian became Head Disciple.
At the age of thirteen, Madam Yu used Zidian on him for the first time, claiming it was to test the strength of his core, to see whether he was truly worthy of that title when Jiang Cheng was right there.
When his golden core had kept him upright for longer than was normal, she had only lashed out harder.
Wei Wuxian never mentioned it to anyone, but he did challenge his shidi to duels more often, made competitions out of their free time activities to awaken Jiang Cheng's ambitions, to push him to his boundaries.
He also took to teaching those younger than him, helping out wherever he could.
Wei Wuxian's golden core grew stronger, the deeply orange glow always at the edges of his vision.
When Madam Yu began punishing him for "showing off" by outdoing Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian learned to hold back.
At first, the phantom pain of the lashes was what had held him back. His golden core had had healed the injuries quickly and thoroughly, but he had remembered the sting, remembered the way his entire body had locked up under the force of the strikes. After all, Yu Ziyuan's purple aura had always glowed strongly and turbulently.
The memories of his punishment had made him limit his movements unconsciously, so much so that he had struggled in duels that would otherwise have come easy to him.
When Jiang Cheng had disarmed him after Wei Wuxian had aborted the motion of raising his sword because he had remembered a particularly powerful strike on his shoulder, Madam Yu had smiled smugly and Jiang Cheng had preened.
The smile had not been one of pride neither had it been directed at him, of course, but Wei Wuxian was not so heartless as to tell his shidi that.
After that, Wei Wuxian always held back on purpose.
In public and under watchful eyes, he aimed his arrows just off to the side, blocked sword attacks just a little too slowly, messed up the tunes on his dizi just a few times too many.
It wasn't bad enough to cost him the position of Head Disciple, but it was enough to always stay just a step behind Jiang Cheng.
Their duels lasted longer than most, but always ended with Jiang Cheng's victory. Their test scores always put Jiang Cheng a few points ahead of him, safe for the times his shidi performed worse than usual.
No one suspected anything, of course. Wei Wuxian never held back with the other disciples. When Wei Wuxian defeated everyone and Jiang Cheng then defeated him, it made the sect heir look even better.
Wei Wuxian still boasted about his accomplishments, still took his studies and responsibilities seriously. Still, he took great care never to outshine Jiang Cheng.
Neither Jiang Cheng nor him deserved the treatment Madam Yu gave them and if this was what it took to avoid her bad temper, this was what Wei Wuxian would do.
It only became a problem when a water ghoul hunting gone wrong had their entire party in the infirmary. Everyone had gotten away with light to moderately serious injuries.
Except for Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian, whose injuries had been light enough that his golden core had healed them all by the time they had arrived back at Lotus Pier.
The medics had looked at him in astonishment. His torn and obviously bloodied robes, though by far not all of the blood had been his own. When one of them had checked his meridians, a gasp had left their lips.
Wei Wuxian - no longer the clueless child he had been upon arrival - had understood right away.
He had suspected it, of course. Had long gotten used to the glow of his own core and how it had shifted from an orange light at the edge of his vision to an increased awareness of his surroundings, a deeper connection with his own senses.
His core was brighter than that of his peers, brighter than that of the seniors, even.
It shouldn't be possible. It didn't even make sense, with how he had always lagged behind Jiang Cheng, whose golden core was considerably weaker. The medic even went to check the sect heir's core, as if confused whether his senses were still working.
The image of Madam Yu flashed in his mind. If she found out about this, discovered he had a golden core that was stronger than even hers, that her son would never be able to truly surpass him...
Wei Wuxian - quick-witted in a way life with Madam Yu had taught him to be - had recognized the healer's disbelief as the blessing it had been.
In the privacy of his own quarters and the quiet of places no one ever visited, Wei Wuxian had never stopped working on his cultivation. How could he have, when there were so many things for him to do, so many abilities to discover, such wonder in the way he saw the world? How could he, when it could possibly mean saving someone's life one day?
Wei Wuxian understood his own spiritual power better than most understood their own minds. It wasn't difficult for him to tell his own power to quiet down, to seal half of his meridians. Not as difficult as it should have been.
When the medic had returned to check his core once more and found only an average amount of energy, the frown between his brows had deepened before disappearing. "I thought... Ah, no matter. Wei Wuxian, you're one lucky boy. Do you think you could help me with the other disciples?"
Whatever Wei Wuxian had done, it had been subtle enough that the medic had not caught onto it. Or maybe he hadn't bothered to check, seeing how the head disciple was uninjured.
And that had been it.
When he had attempted to unseal his meridians later that evening, he hadn't been able to. A brief bout of panic, a few more tries and he had figured it out.
Wei Wuxian had kept his powers dampened, his core partially sealed ever since. With it went his ability to see the currents of energy in the world surrounding him.
Sometimes, when he had been certain no one was around to see, he had unsealed it, if only to feel the flow within his body, to see the colors he had long started associating with his peers.
Somehow, impossibly, his core kept growing in strength, even restricted as it was.
Each time he unsealed it, Wei Wuxian became briefly disoriented by the sheer amount of power flooding him. He passed out a few times, overwhelmed with it. Wei Wuxian learned from his mistakes and made an effort to unseal it at least once a week, so the progress wouldn't overwhelm him each time he did.
Madam Yu left him largely alone, though she still badmouthed him at every opportunity. Wei Wuxian didn't pay it any mind. She badmouthed her own husband and children, too. More than once, Wei Wuxian had comforted both his shijie and Jiang Cheng, wiping their tears and fighting to convince them of their own worth.
She still sent him to kneel before the ancestors, still punished him for the wrongdoings of every disciple in the sect. But she kept Zidian away. She spent as little time as possible around him. Wei Wuxian knew to count his blessings.
When they were invited to study at Cloud Recesses, she glared at him in a way he had last seen her do two years prior.
Wei Wuxian would not outshine Jiang Cheng. He would not surpass the future sect leader. Ideally, he wouldn't cause any trouble, either, but Madam Yu knew better than to expect that. If anything, she probably counted on it, eager to have a reason to punish him when he was inevitably kicked out of there.
Wei Wuxian bowed at her and Jiang Fengmian as they left Lotus Pier behind.
In many ways, Cloud Recesses was no different from Lotus Pier.
Wei Wuxian was bored out of his mind during the lessons, kept getting himself and Jiang Cheng (and Nie Huaisang) in trouble, left a seal on his core and always, always stayed just a half-step behind Jiang Cheng.
The behavior was so instinctual that he didn't need to think about it any longer. He just spent a few more minutes on each question than he needed, wrote just a sentence less than was necessary to get full points, was just a second too slow with dodging his shidi's sword attack.
There was one massive problem, however.
At Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian was never alone. Never away from prying eyes.
He shared a room with Jiang Cheng.
He spent half his days in class and the other half supervised while completing one punishment or another. At night, there were too many patrols for him to sneak out unnoticed.
It was driving him crazy.
Wei Wuxian was nothing if not sociable, but even he couldn't stand that little private time. Worse, it left him with virtually no opportunity to unseal his core, to let the energy flood his spiritual veins and assimilate.
More than once, Wei Wuxian wondered what colors he'd see around the other cultivators. He could still sense the strength of their golden cores, but he could no longer see the glow surrounding them.
It only increased his curiosity. At Lotus Pier, he had known all the disciples well and long enough to be familiar with their spiritual signatures. At Cloud Recesses, there were so many new faces.
Jin Zixuan - the peacock - had a pale-yellow glow around him, he knew that much from previous run-ins with him. The others were a guessing game. Nie Huaisang looked like someones whose light would be even and soft. Wen Ning, too. His sister, Wen Qing, surely had a bright one. Lan Zhan's spiritual energy glowed a strong light blue, so surely his aura would, too.
Ah, he was so deeply curious.
Lan Qiren caught him drifting off and promptly assigned him more lines.
For a few days, Wei Wuxian contemplated being on his best behavior. Following all the rules. What else was the use of having memorized them? He really needed an extended time of period alone, unwatched. The punishments were getting in the way of that. With how long he hadn't unsealed his core, the next attempt was bound to overwhelm him and send him into an extended, unintended nap.
Wei Wuxian attempted to sneak out, once, patrols be damned.
As luck would have it, Lan Zhan was on patrol that night and caught him before he could get very far. Seriously, why did the other have to report him the next morning? Every line assigned to Wei Wuxian equaled more time assigned to Lan Zhan as a supervisor.
"Lan Zhan, do you like spending time with me? Is that it? Why else would you sell me out each time?"
Lan Zhan simply muttered a "Ridiculous" and returned to his book. Since ridiculous was his standard response to just about everything Wei Wuxian did, he didn't take it as disagreement.
So, being on his best behavior it was.
Wei Wuxian followed every single one of the 3000 rules for a full two days before a worried shijie and a disgruntled Jiang Cheng dragged him to the infirmary, insisting there had to be something wrong with him.
So much for not drawing any suspicion.
The medic had checked his meridians and frowned in a very un-Lan-like way, saying something about his qi being unbalanced and there being a general restlessness within his spiritual veins.
Of course, there was! Wei Wuxian had to renew the seal every evening to keep his core from breaking it!
As it was, the Lan healer couldn't pinpoint the cause, either. Wei Wuxian gave himself a mental pat on the back. He was good.
Later that day, Zewu-jun approached him with the offer to visit the Cold Springs. The medic had shared his observations with him and Lan Xichen would rest more easily if his guest was well. The Cold Springs would surely help him rebalance his qi.
Well, who was Wei Wuxian to decline such an offer?
The Cold Springs were a restricted area. If he could get any free, unsupervised, undisturbed time anywhere, it would be there.
Unfortunately, Lan Zhan had thought along similar lines. He was already there when Wei Wuxian arrived. Ah, no matter, time to pester the other, instead.
Two months passed like that.
Wei Wuxian found new friends in Nie Huaisang and Wen Ning. He found more reluctant friends in Wen Qing and Lan Zhan. The two of them would never admit it, but Wei Wuxian had most definitely grown on them.
Lan Zhan actually showed emotions besides forced indifference and subtle irritation around him! He called him Wei Ying!
Wen Qing even listened to his theories! She no longer complained when he called her by her name!
Unfortunately, by gaining their affection, Wei Wuxian had also gained their scrutinizing attention.
"Wei Ying.", Lan Zhan said one day, a truly uncharacteristic frown on his face.
Wei Wuxian grinned up at him from where he was laying on the ground, not having bothered to rise after Jiang Cheng had disarmed him. There was a pressure in his golden core that felt not good. It made him feel heavy and sleepy and he really did not want to get up.
Unless he managed to expel a large amount of spiritual energy sometime very soon, it would break through the seal. He already had to renew it thrice in two days instead of every evening.
Holding back against Jiang Cheng had not helped, either. He'd had to make a conscious effort not to overdo it. Another opponent would be good.
Lan Zhan was still frowning. Whatever he was thinking, he had not yet found the words to voice it. Wei Wuxian was faster.
"Spar with me?", he asked.
They did spar. It was a massive relief. He still had to hold back, of course, or it would be highly suspicious that he had just lost to Jiang Cheng, who had lost to Lan Zhan in every spar like every other disciple had.
But their spar lasted long and Lan Zhan didn't hold back in the slightest. It gave Wei Wuxian the opportunity to use up a good portion of spiritual energy and he felt a little lighter after it all, even as he was sticky with sweat and actually struggling to catch his breath.
Lan Zhan offered Suibian to him, the sword having landed not far from him. The frown was back on his face, though subtler than before. Wei Wuxian smiled at him and bowed. "Thank you for the challenge, Lan-er-gongzi."
Lan Zhan's frown disappeared with the teasing and that was that.
Or so he had thought.
Wei Wuxian was no idiot. Years in Madam Yu's presence had taught him vigilance. Life as a cultivator had, really. As Head Disciple, he was responsible for the safety of the other disciples.
He, of course, noticed the looks Lan Zhan kept sending him.
They lacked any expression, really, but the fact that Lan Wangji was staring at him was telling enough. Wei Wuxian was being suspected of something.
Or maybe he was just that handsome.
Ah, well, Lan Zhan wasn't the type to get hung up on such things and they have known each other some time now, so that couldn't be it.
Suspicion it was.
As long as nothing more grew from it, Wei Wuxian was fine.
He was fine.
Perfectly fine. Peachy. No concerns at all.
There wasn't a persistent headache that messed with his ability to focus.
No phantom pains on his back.
No weird spells of hot and cold.
Shijie was definitely imagining the fever.
It was nearing the three-month-mark since he had last unsealed his core.
He sealed it every morning and every evening.
Lan Zhan still called him ridiculous and Wen Qing still denied having any affection for him. Yet still, both of them looked his way much more often than was necessary or proper.
Wei Wuxian did his very best to act normal. He riled Jiang Cheng up only to lose to him. He whined for his shijie's attention. He bothered Lan Zhan. Painted fans with Nie Huaisang. Worked on Wen Ning's self-esteem. Bickered with Wen Qing.
It was going remarkably well.
He exhausted himself by appearing as normal as possible and thus had little energy for additional mischief. Fewer punishments came his way. Wei Wuxian actually had something like free time!
Except when he wasn't spending it with his friends in order to convince everyone he was perfectly fine, Wei Wuxian was passed out in his bed.
Keeping up the act during the day meant he had virtually no energy left in the evenings. By dinner, Wei Wuxian fought to keep himself upright.
The pressure inside his golden core was making it hard to breathe.
Could someone send him on a complicated night-hunt, pretty please?
Maybe he could convince Zewu-jun to let him and a few others go. Learning opportunities and all that.
Ah, but he'd have to do that tomorrow...
That evening, too, Wei Wuxian drifted off to sleep even before curfew.
He woke with a desperate gasp.
His robes were damp with sweat and he was hothothot.
"Wei Wuxian.", Jiang Cheng whispered into the darkness.
Wei Wuxian sucked in a breath and fought to keep the waver out of his voice.
"Sorry for waking you, A-Cheng. Just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep."
In the darkness, Jiang Cheng hummed. Sheets rustled. "Sleep well, idiot.", he replied.
"Will do.", Wei Wuxian croaked.
He flung the sheets off as silently as possible. It was much too warm.
Waiting until Jiang Cheng was asleep was difficult. There was a horrible pressure all over his body. It felt the worst in his chest. As if he had swallowed too much water and was waiting for someone to pump it back out of his lungs.
As soon as his shidi's breaths turned deep and even, Wei Wuxian jumped out of his bed. He almost slipped on the outer robe he had carelessly left on the floor the evening before.
It was dark, deep night. Past curfew without a doubt.
Wei Wuxian did not have the energy or space of mind to worry about that.
He needed to get out and away from here. He needed to expel spiritual energy. Most of all, he needed to unseal his core.
It had never given him such trouble. But he'd never kept it sealed for so long.
Wei Wuxian stumbled and caught himself on a wall. He was walking into the wrong direction, dammit. The back hills were on the other side.
He didn't even have the energy to groan. Wei Wuxian turned around and lifted himself up in the air, hoping to jump some of the distance.
He overshot. Drastically.
The jump had been meant to transport him back the distance he had come. He had intended to stay below the roofs.
Wei Wuxian jumped over several roofs, cleared the guest quarters with that one jump and lost his balance mid-air. He went sprawling into the dirt just beyond the guest quarters, grunting with the impact.
So much for subtlety.
Any injuries he sustained were promptly healed. It offered some relief.
He rolled over onto his back to catch his breath and caught sight of a patrol flying towards him instead.
Rotten luck.
The patrol was Lan Zhan.
Was the universe doing this to spite him?
Returning to his quarters was not an option. Ah, he needed to come up with an excuse.
Lan Zhan landed in front of him, Bichen in his hand but still sheathed. He raised one perfect eyebrow.
"Lan Zhan.", Wei Wuxian breathed, attempting a grin. It turned into a grimace.
"Wei Ying. It is past curfew."
Wei Wuxian gave a violent shiver. Why was he shivering when he felt like bursting into flames? "I know."
He sat up and instantly wished he hadn't. His vision blurred briefly but violently.
"Lan Zhan.", he pleaded, "Lan Zhan, please, let me go just this once. Punish me all you want tomorrow, but let me leave. Please."
So much for coming up with an excuse.
Something in Lan Zhan's expression shifted. He kneeled next to Wei Wuxian and put a hand to his forehead, flinching away a second later.
"Wei Ying.", he breathed, something like terror entering his voice, "You're burning up."
"Literally.", Wei Wuxian grit out.
"Infirmary.", Lan Zhan announced, rising and dragging Wei Wuxian up with him.
"Infirmary...", Wei Wuxian mumbled, then realized what it meant. "Wait, no! Not the infirmary! Lan Zhan, no!"
He fully expected for his protest to go ignored, but Lan Zhan paused and turned, a question in his eyes.
Wei Wuxian really had neither time nor energy for this, but Lan Wangji would never let him go without an explanation.
"Core.", he said, which made no sense at all to poor Lan Zhan. "Won't help. I need to... Ugh."
A shiver racked his body, violent enough to make his knees go weak. There was a glow at the edge of his vision that he hadn't seen in a long time.
Wait.
Wait.
Why was he seeing his own spiritual signature?
Horrified, Wei Wuxian looked down at himself.
"Lan Zhan.", he whispered, "Are you seeing this?"
Next thing he knew, Wei Wuxian was being manhandled until he was on Lan Zhan's back. Moments later, they were back at the guest quarters and Lan Zhan was depositing him on the floor.
"Wait here."
He was gone before Wei Wuxian could ask what or who for.
Ha. Not like he could move, anyway.
He grit his teeth at the intense discomfort that came with his core trying to break the seal. Sweat was running down his face. The night air felt bitingly cold against his skin and he could feel the heat his body was emitting. His own golden core was waging war against him, trying to burn itself free.
He focused on breathing through it.
Lan Zhan appeared in his field of vision soon after, a second person standing beside him.
Wei Wuxian blinked at her. "Wen Qing."
"Correctly observed.", she told him and stuck a needle into his neck unceremoniously. Miraculously, it helped, offering a brief reprieve from the onslaught of energy.
Wen Qing grabbed his wrist and Wei Wuxian noticed it only when she glared at him sharply. "Half your meridians are blocked. Why is there a seal on your core?"
Wei Wuxian attempted to tug his wrist free, but her grip was steel. "Don't be ridiculous. How can it be sealed?"
His voice fell too flat. Wen Qing narrowed her eyes. "I'm unsealing it."
Panic flooded him, icy and biting. "No!", he exclaimed, freeing himself with a burst of spiritual energy he had not intended to send out.
Wen Qing dropped his wrist. "You knew, then.", she observed.
"Wen-guniang.", Lan Zhan said, urgency in his voice.
Wen Qing shook her head. "It makes no sense. I don't know what exactly is wrong with him." She fixed Wei Wuxian with a stare. "Where should we go?"
Wei Wuxian was so, so grateful for her.
"Back hills.", he gritted out, "Somewhere no one will see us."
To their credit, both Wen Qing and Lan Zhan didn't question it. Lan Zhan lifted him up and they fell into a hurried walk until they reached the edge of Cloud Recesses, where they mounted their swords and headed for the back hills.
Throughout it all, Wei Wuxian fought to keep the seal intact and the overflowing spiritual energy contained, trusting his friends to keep him safe and not let him fall.
He hardly noticed when they landed in a clearing somewhere and he was lowered onto the soft grass. It felt like countless needles. He swallowed a cry.
"Wen Qing. Lan Zhan.", he breathed, "Core. Too much energy. Need to- Unseal."
Wen Qing's eyes widened in understanding as she put the pieces together. "You put the seal there? You're containing your own spiritual energy?"
Wei Wuxian nodded jerkily. He fisted his hands around some grass, but it tugged loose.
"How much?", Wen Qing asked, slipping seamlessly into her healer role.
"Don't know. Twice as much minimum. Probably more."
Truthfully, he'd had to seal one additional meridian about a month in. Who knew how that had influenced the whole thing? His estimation was really only that.
"Don't know? How long since you last unsealed it?"
"Three months.", Wei Wuxian admitted, still trying to find a grip on the slippery grass.
Lan Zhan offered him a hand and he gripped it, squeezing to distract himself from the agony burning through him. He just hoped he wasn't hurting Lan Zhan with it. He sent a wave of spiritual energy as apology, help to stave off the pain in case he was.
Lan Zhan flinched, but didn't jerk away. "Wei Ying. Too much energy.", he informed him.
Wei Wuxian cursed and stopped the transfer. "Sorry. No control."
Wen Qing furrowed her brows. "Not good." She pressed her fingers against his wrist and shook her head. "Your qi is quaking. What do we need to know before you unseal it?"
Wei Wuxian's mind was hazy. He spoke and hoped he wasn't mixing up his words.
"Ah? Will pass out. Energy needs to assimilate. Uh... Volatile?"
He cried out as one of his meridians forcefully unblocked itself. Lan Zhan tightened his grip and Wen Qing reached for her needles.
"Unseal it."
Wei Wuxian shook his head. "Back away. Might be dangerous."
"No.", Wen Qing said at the same time as Lan Zhan said, "Will not leave Wei Ying."
Before he could protest, Wen Qing clarified. "I need to be here in case it overwhelms your body. Lan Wangji can protect us from spiritual attacks. Do it."
Her tone left no room for argument and Wei Wuxian really couldn't stand it any longer. He broke the seal.
For a few seconds, the world became incredibly sharp. He could feel every straw of grass beneath him, could smell Lan Zhan's sandalwood scent and Wen Qing's various herbs. Colors flooded his vision. The agony increased and made him cry out.
Then, darkness.
Wei Wuxian woke softly and seamlessly.
Birds chirped in the distance. A light breeze caressed his face. He could still smell Lan Zhan and Wen Qing. Sunlight was shining past his eyelids.
Pause.
Sunlight?
Wei Wuxian blinked his eyes open and drew a deep breath, elated at how easy it was.
His vision needed a few seconds to focus. Surely enough, the horizon was tinged pink. Sunrise was upon them.
Ah, his senses were enhanced again. It wasn't even bright enough for actual sunlight.
He shifted his gaze. Both Lan Zhan and Wen Qing were looking down at him in apparent concern. Something drastic must have happened if his two 'in denial about their affection for Wei Wuxian' friends were showing their concern so openly.
"How long was I out?", he asked nonsensically.
Wen Qing scrunched her nose. "Long. Your core calmed down not too long ago."
Wei Wuxian hummed, realizing only now that both his hands were occupied. He lifted them up and made an inquisitive noise.
"Huh. Didn't think I'd see the day."
Two hands were grasping his own. Lan Zhan's hand was larger than his. Wen Qing's seemed almost dwarfed by the direct comparison. She made him regret that thought by squeezing so tightly that Wei Wuxian cried out.
"Hey!"
"Focus. How are you feeling?"
Her clinical gaze raked over his body. She pressed a hand to his forehead and nodded, seemingly satisfied with whatever she had found.
"Good, actually.", Wei Wuxian replied after some contemplation, "But why do the two of you look so rumpled? Even Lan Zhan's ribbon is crooked." He narrowed his eyes at the two of them. "What did you get up to while I was out?"
Wen Qing gave him a sharp slap to the chest. It made him choke.
"Wen Qing! Be gentle with your patient!"
"I could pierce my patient with a sword and he'd walk away just fine.", she replied dryly, "He has that much spiritual energy at his disposal."
"Ah.", Wei Wuxian said, grimacing. "What did I do?"
Lan Zhan shook his head. "Wei Ying did nothing. The spiritual energy overflowed."
Wei Wuxian looked at the two of them once more and it was then that he realized, "Your cores are sealed. Why are they sealed?"
Wen Qing and Lan Zhan exchanged a surprised look. "You can tell?"
"Mhm. I can sense spiritual energy. And see spiritual signatures. They're very colorful. Ah, but no one's ever believed that."
Lan Zhan did his version of a frown. "Can sense spiritual energy, too. Not see it. No colors."
"Ah, but you can. When you give someone spiritual energy, for example. That color. It's usually the color of your spiritual signature. Very fascinating."
He paused, remembering something. "Wait. Did you not see my signature? When I asked whether you were seeing what I was seeing?"
Lan Zhan shook his head. "Only sensed it growing stronger." Reluctantly, he added, "Wei Ying was glowing."
Wei Wuxian blinked at him. "Say what?" He looked at Wen Qing for confirmation. She nodded.
"Faintly, but it was there. We were lucky your robes were blocking most of it." She shifted her weight, letting go of Wei Wuxian's hand to fold hers together. "Your spiritual pathways were overwhelmed by the amount of spiritual energy flooding them. It began leaking out of your body."
Wei Wuxian frowned, moderately concerned. "I qi deviated?"
Wen Qing pursed her lips. "Not quite. It was more like your body attempted what you had wanted to do - to use up some of its reserves of spiritual energy. You were sending it out in waves. We had to seal our cores so they wouldn't become unbalanced by it."
Wei Wuxian grimaced. "Sorry. Didn't mean to do that. Did... most of it remain?"
Wen Qing huffed. "Not most of it. All of it. Wei Wuxian, you were born with a natural attunement to spiritual energy. Are you aware?"
Well, wasn't that a question? Wei Wuxian breathed out slowly. "I suspected there was something. I had no one to discuss that theory with nor did I ever dig deep enough to discover it was a thing."
"It's exceedingly rare.", Wen Qing confirmed, "Generations may pass between people born that with it."
"So... What does that mean?" Wei Wuxian sat up, intent on receiving answers to questions he had long stopped daring to ask.
"I can't say for sure. Like I said, it's rare enough that I have never met anyone with the same condition. All I can say for certain is that your cultivation level is and always will be far above average. I suspect your core will stop accumulating it quite this desperately once it has reached a saturation it is comfortable with."
Wei Wuxian blinked at her. "What does that even mean."
"It means", Wen Qing sighed, "That your core is attracting spiritual energy like tragedy attracts resentful energy. By practicing cultivation, you have opened up your pathways to it and promoted the accumulation. At this point, your core is practically building itself. In a way, your core formation is not yet complete."
Wei Wuxian chuckled somewhat hysterically. "Not complete? You're kidding. Lan Zhan, tell me she's kidding."
Lan Zhan, the traitor, bowed his head and declared, "Wen-guniang is far more knowledgeable in that matter than I will ever be."
"Fantastic.", Wei Wuxian groaned, "You're saying my core was forming itself all along? I didn't even need to do anything?"
Wen Qing was shaking her head even before he had finished his sentence. "Without cultivation practice, it would never have formed. It needed a foundation to latch onto, otherwise the energy would have continued flowing through you like it flows through non-cultivators. Even then..."
She directed a look at Wei Wuxian that was almost amused. "You practiced very hard, didn't you? Judging by your meridians, you'd have a powerful core even it you had not been born with a natural attunement."
Wei Wuxian frowned. "How can you tell?"
"Like you can look at a muscular person and recognize that they must have trained those muscles for them to be so strong. Your spiritual muscles are well-trained." She sighed. "I don't know whether that's good or bad, but your diligence only amplified the attunement. You might very well achieve immortality."
And damn, Wei Wuxian knew this was something like every cultivator's ultimate goal. But really? The only known immortal was Baoshan Sanren. Wei Wuxian did not currently feel like Baoshan Sanren.
"Why does it hurt me, then?", he mumbled.
Lan Zhan's expression softened. "It is not the spiritual energy that is hurting Wei Ying."
"What do you mean?"
"It's you hurting yourself, idiot. Forcefully sealing your core and meridians while continuing to practice cultivation with a core that is not yet fully formed? It's a miracle you didn't qi deviate long ago."
Wen Qing was studying him with a gaze Wei Wuxian knew too well. His condition had captured her academic interest.
"Well, is it safe to unseal your cores now?", he changed the topic.
Wen Qing nodded and Wei Wuxian quickly unsealed them. The monochromatic colors surrounding his friends burst into colors.
Lan Zhan's aura glowed a vibrant light blue, the edges of it moving like waves on a shore.
Wen Qing's aura wasn't bright red like he had expected it to be. It was crimson, interspersed with gold at the very edges. Quite the sight.
"Wow, Wen Qing. I'm jealous."
"What?"
"Your spiritual signature. It's very pretty."
Wen Qing furrowed her brows, which definitely meant she appreciated the compliment.
Lan Zhan asked the question Wei Wuxian had dreaded all along. "Why did Wei Ying seal his core?"
Wei Wuxian huffed. "Isn't it obvious? It's more powerful than it should be."
"And yet you wouldn't have suffered any side effects from it had you not forcefully locked it away.", Wen Qing argued.
His golden core grumbled at that. What, was it agreeing with Wen Qing? Was it sentient? A horrifying thought if he had ever had one.
Lan Zhan made a small noise out of nowhere. It was something like a sharp inhale, tinged with realization. Wei Wuxian did not like where this was going.
"Wei Ying was holding back. During our spars. I wondered why." He glanced at Wen Qing, then back at Wei Wuxian. "Wei Ying's scores have always remained below Jiang Wanyin's."
Wen Qing's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed to fix Wei Wuxian with stare full of accusation. Ah, why did he have to have such observant friends?
"Don't tell him.", he said immediately, "Whatever you do, don't tell anyone."
He half expected Lan Zhan to say something Lan-typical like "Lying is forbidden" and Wen Qing to say something logical like "This is detrimental to your health".
He was only half right.
"This is detrimental to your health.", Wen Qing said, tone biting.
Wei Wuxian sighed. "I knew you would say that."
Wen Qing glared at him sharply. "We won't reveal your secrets, Wei Wuxian. But you need to stop whatever you have been doing the past three months. It's damaging your spirit and body. You are begging for a qi deviation to happen." Her eyes narrowed once more. "It wasn't just the past three months."
It was an observation, not a question. Wei Wuxian looked between her sharp glare and Lan Zhan, who has still clutching his hand. They wouldn't let him walk away without answering their questions. And really, after tonight, he owed it to them to explain.
Wei Wuxian took a deep breath and recounted the story of his entire life. His parents. Their death. The streets of Yiling. The Jiang Sect. Madam Yu. Sealing his core. Practicing in secret. Unsealing it frequently. Arriving at Cloud Recesses and not getting any opportunities to do so. Everything that had led them to this point.
By the end of it, Wen Qing and Lan Zhan looked furious. Wei Wuxian was only glad the fury wasn't directed at him.
"You cannot go back to Lotus Pier.", Lan Zhan decided.
Wei Wuxian had trouble processing the words. Out of everything he had expected to hear, that had not been it.
"What do you- Lotus Pier is my home! I'm Head Disciple! What are you even talking about!?"
Wen Qing shook her head. "He's not wrong."
"Hey!"
"No, Wei Wuxian, hear me out. It is less about the location and more about the circumstances. You can return to Lotus Pier, but you absolutely cannot let this happen again."
She brandished her needles, twirling them between her fingers. Was that a threat?
"Do not seal your core nor your meridians. Do not stifle yourself. Don't let Madam Yu hurt you."
Wei Wuxian slumped, burying his face in his hands with a groan. "You don't understand."
"Of course, I don't.", Wen Qing replied evenly, "Because it's ridiculous."
"Lan Zhan already calls me that plenty, you needn't join.", Wei Wuxian complained half-heartedly.
"I do, if hearing it from one person is not enough." She gripped him by the shoulders, prompting him to look up. Concern was evident in her features, even with the fury still there. "I understand what you're worried about. A core this powerful is bound to make others nervous. I am not asking you to boast to the world about it. I am merely saying hiding it this way is not the safer option."
Lan Zhan nodded in agreement. "Wei Ying is making himself vulnerable. Hardly anyone can hurt him with a core this powerful."
"You did it to protect yourself, mostly from Yu Ziyuan's fury. But your strength exceeds hers. She cannot harm you unless you let her.", Wen Qing added.
Wei Wuxian had to admit that this were all good arguments. Fair points, really. But...
"The Jiangs took me in. How can I betray Jiang Cheng by outshining him? Knowing very well how his mother will react? He will be Sect Leader. I am merely a servant."
Wen Qing did not curse, but she looked like she really wanted to. "There is so much wrong with those sentences that even I refuse to dissect them."
"Every sect would be honored to have such a disciple in their ranks.", Lan Zhan said with conviction, "The Jiang family is foolish to punish excellence."
"Yu Ziyuan had no right.", Wen Qing spit out.
Wei Wuxian was not used to so much anger and concern on his account. He waved his hands in the air. "Alright, alright, I get it. But I'd really prefer not to let anyone else know. At least not until my core is fully formed? Maybe things will get better after that?"
He was grasping at straws, really, but it sounded like a reasonable conclusion to come to.
"I can't risk any healers looking at me, either. Wen Qing is the only one who could see the seal, but any cultivator could take a look at my core. Some can sense them. Lan Zhan can!"
Lan Zhan shook his head. "Requires high cultivation level. They will wonder, be impressed, but it is unlikely anyone will suspect anything. They lack the knowledge."
There was no arguing with the two most stubborn people he had ever met. Wei Wuxian accepted defeat.
"Fine. Okay. I will not seal my core again." He looked at them intently. "And you will keep my secret."
It wasn't a request. It was a condition.
"You will let us help when necessary.", Wen Qing replied, also a condition.
"Wei Ying will not stifle himself.", Lan Zhan added.
Wei Wuxian pondered it, then nodded. "Okay. Pleasure doing business with you."
Wen Qing snorted in amusement. "I was wondering where you had gone."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Wei Ying had been acting strangely."
Wen Qing rolled her eyes, shooting an amused look in Lan Zhan's direction. "You give him too much credit. He's always acting strangely. But he's right. There was something obviously wrong with you."
Wei Wuxian winced. "And here I thought I had you fooled."
"You're a horrible actor. Even Nie Huaisang asked us whether there was something wrong with you."
"Hah.", Wei Wuxian sighed, "Well, I tried. The-" He gestured down at himself. "Made it difficult."
Wen Qing assessed him with that clinical gaze. "Later, we will sit down and you will tell me everything. Every symptom and side effect. I want it all documented for future reference."
Wei Wuxian raised three fingers to his temple. "Will do."
"We should return. It is time for breakfast. Our absence will be noted.", Lan Zhan interrupted.
They helped Wei Wuxian to his feet and he dusted himself off, shooting a pointed look when the two of them just stood there, watching.
"You know, if anyone sees you looking like you spent the night doing literally anything but sleeping in your beds like you're supposed to, they will have questions."
His two friends finally remembered to fix their own appearances. As much as they could, that was.
"Perhaps shufu and xiongzhang will allow us to form a night-hunting party. To strengthen intersect relations and promote safety within the borders.", Lan Zhan said out of nowhere.
Wei Wuxian blinked at him owlishly. "You're... suggesting the three of us go on an extended night-hunt? Venture where the trouble is?"
"Mn. Will give Wei Ying freedom to practice cultivation and fully form his core. Wen-guniang and I will be happy to accompany him on his adventures."
Wen Qing turned to him, something like exasperation coloring her features. "I told you to address me comfortably, Lan Wangji. The three of us are beyond the need for such formalities."
Lan Zhan hummed, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Apologies. Wen Qing." He turned to face Wei Wuxian once more, something unfamiliar dancing in his eyes. "Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian looked back and forth between the two of them. "Wow, remind me to never pass out again. I hate missing out on all the fun! You have talked about this. When?"
Wen Qing shrugged. "We came to our own conclusions while you were out. We just needed you to confirm. Besides, we're all wasting away within the boundaries of our sects. Our abilities are best put to use in the real world. There is little holding Wen Ning and me in Qishan."
Lan Zhan inclined his head. "Want to go where the trouble is."
"Wow.", Wei Wuxian replied, genuinely awestruck, "Never thought I'd see the day. I can't say I'm opposed. Though how feasible that is..."
"We can discuss this later. For now, we should return before Lan Qiren catches us breaking the rules and takes away all our chances of making this plan reality."
"Wen Qing, ah, Wen Qing.", Wei Wuxian chuckled, throwing his arms around both his friends' shoulders, "I always knew you were the wisest among us."
Later, there would be a lot to discuss. A great many problems remained unsolved. For now, though, they headed back to Cloud Recesses, the sun rising behind them.