Chapter Text
Nightless City of the Wen clan always lived up to its name. Even during the middle of night, torches were lit in all the streets, even the remotest alleys. If one would look from the above, they would notice a luminous glow covering the whole city. And true to its name, the city gates were kept open all the time, no matter the time of the day or night, and never turned its guests away. Thus, the night market was well established and flourishing, with beautiful sights to see.
But, the family of four did not have the patience to enjoy the scenery. All they wanted was to get into an inn, have a bath, eat a sumptuous dinner, and go to sleep.
“Errgh! Those swamp yao’s are horrible. I will never fight with them.” Thirteen year old Wei Qingyang complained. She was standing behind her mother, on the flying sword.
“Mianmian, this is all part of training. It builds character.” Her mother, Cangse Sanren said with a teasing glint in her eyes.
Twelve year Wei Wuxian looked at his and his sister’s muddy robes, his parents' pristine clean robes with nary a dust in sight, and pouted behind his father's back. “Ha! Character building you said! And yet I did not see you and baba lift even a single finger to help us.” He said. If they were on the ground, Wei Wuxian would have thrown his hands in the air. But, because he was holding on to his father, all he could do was roll his eyes.
“Son, our characters are already built. It is your turn now. You both fought bravely. We are very proud.” Wei Changze smiled.
“Okay. We have reached the city entrance. We have to get down and walk from here.” Cangse Sanren landed on the ground and took her daughter's arm to steady her. Wei Changze did the same.
Because it was already late, the queue was short and they were able to get inside within a few minutes.
The guard at the gate, who was collecting the toll, looked curiously at the family of four. The parents were fine, but the children were not. There was mud all over their robes, twigs and leaves stuck to their hair, and there were scratches on their arms.
“Night hunt training. They fought swamp yaos today.” Wei Changze explained.
“Ah! I remember. We received a report yesterday from Zhu village. Is that where you are coming from?” The guard asked.
“Yes. We were on the way to Nightless city and saw there was a problem at the Zhu village. Since we knew there was an issue we could not leave it unattended with good conscience.” Cangse Sanren replied with a gentle smile.
“Good on you for doing that. If it is not a problem, please inform our magistrate. He will take care of the rest.” The guards requested.
“We will do that first thing in the morning tomorrow.” Wei Changze promised.
“Thank you. Sir.” The guard collected the entrance fee and let the family inside.
By the time they found a good inn and settled into their rooms, Wei Wuxian and Wei Qingyang were almost asleep on their feet. However, they were woken up by their parents once the bathtubs were ready and they could clean up themselves. Wei Qingyang was sharing a room with her mother and Wei Wuxian stayed with his father.
After the children were clean, they were asked to go down and order something to eat, while the parents took their bath. Since it was beyond dinner time, they hoped the inn would provide some late night snacks.
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“Baba, we have ordered your favourite braised pork and rice,“ Wei Qingyang said as soon as Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren came down to the dining hall and sat down at their table. There were four steaming bowls filled to the brim with rice and stew on the table. There was also a wine jug and a pot of Saffron tea to quench the thirst.
Cangse Sanren faked her cry. “My children are so unfilial. They forgot their mother. They only care about their father.” She wiped her imaginary tears.
“Mother. stop being so dramatic. Here, take this. I ordered the best wine for you to enjoy.” Wei Wuxian grinned as he handed over a wine jug into his mother's hand.
“Ha! Didi, you are asking our mother not to be dramatic! It is quite ironic coming from you.” Wei Qingyang mocked her brother.
Wei Wuxian took a deep breath. “No! What has the world come to. My very own jiejie is saying this to me! I thought I was your beloved didi. But alas, fate plays a cruel game and family ties do not mean anything!” He sighed and sighed into his tea cup.
Wei Qingyang rolled her eyes and swatted at the back of his head.
“Mother, Baba, look at your daughter! Look how she is abusing me.” Wei Wuxian covered his eyes in false despair.
“Mother, are you sure a-xian is twelve years old now? Five years more like it,” Wei Qingyang said in exasperation.
“No. Xian Xian is only three years old.” Wei Wuxian pouted. Cangse Sanren laughed at her children's banter.
“Okay. Settle down. Let's eat.” Wei Changze tapped on the table. For a while no one spoke as they were busy filling their stomachs.
Once the meal was cleared from the table, the family of four relaxed in their chairs and enjoyed their drinks - wine for Cangse Sanren, and the rest had their tea.
“A-ying, is the heat control device ready? Your mother told me you had some issues with it last week.” Wei Changze asked.
“Yes, baba. The material I used for the conductor to measure the temperature was not optimal. The copper wires were good, but the results were not as satisfactory. I had to spend time looking for a better option. Jiejie also helped with the experiments. Otherwise, it would not have been ready by now.” Wei Wuxian smiled as he explained.
“Mianmian, well done.” Wei Changze patted his daughter’s head. Wei Qingyang blushed with her father’s praise, “It is nothing, baba. I did not do much.”
“Well, which material did you use in the end?” Cangse Sanren asked curiously.
Wei Wuxian laughed. “Silver. It was so obvious and I overlooked it completely,” he said.
“Good. It is the perfect gift for your uncle and aunt.” Wei Changze said with a smile.
“Well, Baba never told me how and when you became friends with the Wen sect leader and Madam Wen.” Wei Wuxian looked at his father intently. He always knew his parents hid something, and their relationship with the leaders of a mighty sect like Wen was the most curious mystery. There was a huge status gap between their family and the ruling family of the Wen. He vaguely remembered having seen Madam Wen at their home near the mountains, when he was young. That was when the Wei family had just moved to their new home. However, he never saw Madam Wen again after that. And his parents only mentioned them occasionally, with no clue as to how this friendship came to be.
“Well, it is a long story. Maybe we will tell you when you grow up or maybe not.” Cangse Sanren pinched her son’s nose.
“Mother!” Wei Wuxian looked at his mischievous mother helplessly.
“I wonder how Uncle Xingchen is doing now. Will the grandmaster ever allow him to come down the mountains, just like she did with mother?” Wei Qingyang’s question diverted everyone’s attention. Wei Wuxian could only stop his line of thinking and pay attention to the conversation happening at present.
“Master said she will allow a-chen to leave once he is twenty years old and not a day earlier.” Cangse Sanren said about her junior martial brother.
“Well, a-chen is too inexperienced right now.” Wei Changze replied, “He joined the immortal as a disciple only last year and there is still a lot to learn.”
“I am glad I could travel around, Baba. I want to help as many people as possible, and I would never be able to do that by staying in one place.” Wei Wuxian said. His eyes were filled with the anticipation of the future, “it is my dream to travel….”.
“....around the world. Yes. You have told us many times.” Wei Qingyang teased her brother.
“Well, yes. And it would be great if….” Wei Wuxian was again cut off in the middle.
“.....if your cultivation partner travelled with you. You spoke of this many times too.” Wei Qingyang added. Everyone laughed as Wei Wuxian pouted.
“Okay. Let’s go back to our rooms and sleep. Tomorrow we have to get up early to visit the weaponsmith.” Cangse Sanren suggested.
Wei Wuxian and Wei Qingyang visibly brightened at the mention of the weaponsmith. They had been dreaming of this for many years now. Which young cultivator did not dream of his own spiritual sword and taking to the skies!
“Baba, are you sure we have enough money to buy two swords?” Wei Qingyang asked after a few seconds. She looked worried.
Cangse Sanren patted her head, “Aiya! Little daughter, do not worry. Even though we are not rich, we have enough finances to buy two spiritual swords. Don’t worry. Choose what you want.”
“Yes. And have you thought of the name?” Wei Changze asked his daughter. That brought back the cheer to her face.
“Yes, Baba. I already have a name. Liliang, meaning strength. I want the strength of my character to speak for itself.” Wei Qingyang replied.
“How wonderful! It suits you the best, my Mianmian. You are indeed turning out to be a strong woman. I believe in you.” Cangse Sanren hugged her daughter.
“Thank you, mother.” Wei Qingyang beamed in happiness.
“What about you, a-ying?” Cangse Sanren asked her son.
Wei Wuxian looked at his parents and thought for a while. He carefully told them the name he had selected for his sword. He only hoped they were not too disappointed with him.
“ Wuming.”
There was silence at the table as the rest of them tried to digest the name.
“Ha! You thought for more than a month and you decided to name your sword, well, Nameless ?” Wei Qingyang looked on in disbelief.
Cangse Sanren was not surprised. She had not yet forgotten the name of his beloved sword in the other timeline, Subian . Although it was named by Jiang Fengmian, it also suited her son’s deposition, who was always irreverent towards fame.
Wei Changze looked thoughtful. He did not say anything and waited for his son to explain further.
“Mother, father, I thought a lot and did not know what to name my sword. It was all too confusing. I started to learn sword forms when I was only five years old. It has been seven years and I have gone through many ordinary swords - to practise, to night hunt. It did not matter what kind of sword I was holding, it got the work done.” At first Wei Wuxian’s voice was weak. But as he showed his true thoughts, he looked more determined.
“You were excited about the sword just now.” Wei Changze cut in sharply.
“Father, if you are worried that this is a form of hubris, then rest assured, it is not. I truly believe this from the bottom of my heart. Yes, I was excited to get a new sword. That is because I was curious to understand how spiritual swords work differently than ordinary swords. It is the same kind of curiosity that let me study the growth of our donkey, Apple’s foal from birth to youth. That is all. I know spiritual swords are different. They are more powerful and with time it could cultivate a spiritual conscience. Even then, it is still just a tool, a piece of iron and steel. If at all, I am the sword. ” Wei Wuxian declared with confidence, looking into his father’s eyes. “So, in the end, the name really does not matter to me.” He concluded.
“Son, self-righteousness is also a form of arrogance. I do not want you to feel a sense of superiority because of this. Remember that,” Wei Changze advised Wei Wuxian.
“I will remember this, father.” Wei Wuxian understood his father’s warning and decided to follow his teachings.
No one spoke for a while.
“Wow!” Wei Qingyang broke the silence.
Cangse Sanren laughed and ruffled her son’s hair, “A-ying, we are proud of you.”
“Well, are you sure about this? The name is permanent.” Wei Changze had to ask to make sure.
“Yes, Baba.” Wei Wuxian nodded, "Besides, it would make for a great conversation, don’t you think?” He grinned.
Wei Qingyang giggled, “Yes. I cannot wait to see people’s faces when they learn the name of your sword.”
Wei Changze sighed, “So be it.” And that was the end of discussion.
The family of four soon went to their room and had a good night’s sleep.
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The next morning, with an impatient Wei Qingyang urging them to leave quickly, the Wei family finished their breakfast as fast as possible and hurried towards the sword shop. Before that, Wei Changze had to make a quick stop at the magistrate’s office to hand in the night hunting report of the swamp yaos. With the assurance from the head magistrate that a team would be immediately sent to the village to check the completion of the task and by evening, the payment for the same would be made to them, Wei Changze walked his family towards their destination.
It was a huge shop, with a wide array of swords displayed on the walls. There was a small door at the back of the shop, which probably led to their in-house forge. There was another small door on the left side of the shop which led to the storage. At the front was the place where the shopkeeper and many assistants would stand waiting for the customers.
By the time the Wei family entered the shop, there were already many customers. Most of them were there to buy spiritual swords for their children. There was also one customer who wanted a pair of knives for his daughter. The Wei family waited patiently for their turn as the two pairs of curious eyes looked at the swords on the walls. Wei Wuxian and Wei Qingyang roamed around the shop, just like the other children who came with their parents, looking and analysing the efficiency of those swords.
When it was their time to purchase, Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze negotiated the commission with the shopkeeper. Once the price was settled, it was time to choose the material itself.
“Well, come on then. Go ahead and look at these blocks of raw materials. Select the one that feels right to you.” The shopkeeper urged the two children into the storage room. It took more than half an hour to select the material. In the end, Wei Qingyang chose white steel for the sword and Wei Wuxian chose black iron.
“Well, it will take a week for the swords to be ready. You will have to pay some amount in advance and pay the remaining amount at the time of purchase. If you want a scabbard to go with the swords, that would cost an additional amount. Because you are ordering two at a time, I am willing to offer you a thirty percent discount on the price of the scabbards.” The shopkeeper explained.
Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze decided to order the scabbards as well. They paid half the amount in advance and received the invoice.
The shopkeepers then pushed two papers towards Wei Changze, “Please write down the sword names. I will engrave it on the hilt.”
Cangse Sanren wrote Liliang in one of the papers and handed it to the shopkeeper, “This is for the girl.”
The shopkeeper looked at the name and nodded in appreciation, “Good name. May the girl live up to this name,” he blessed.
“Thank you, uncle,” Wei Qingyang bowed.
Wei Changze handed the paper which contained the name of his son’s sword - Wuming .
The shopkeeper took one look at the name and he was flabbergasted.
“Are you sure?” He asked Wei Changze and looked at Wei Wuxian with concern. Wei Qingyang and Cangse Sanren giggled.
“Didi’s first victim of the prank,” she whispered to her mother, who replied immediately, “Shh…don’t be loud.”
Wei Changze sighed and replied, “Yes. My son has his own ideas. This is the name he chose.”
“Yes, uncle. Please make sure the engraved name is very clear.” Wei Wuxian requested.
The shopkeeper speechlessly put the paper into his pocket. He then handled the remaining procedures and sent the family away.
Wei Qingyang was still giggling as they left the shop, with the shopkeeper still in shock.
—----------------
The morning after they went to the sword shop, the Wei family decided to visit their Wen friends. As early as during breakfast, Cangse Sanren sent a message to her friend. They were invited into the Nightless Palace with warm regards.
Thus, the family of four rented a carriage to the main palace. Once they got down and presented their calling cards to the guards, they were immediately welcomed.
“Madam, sir, please this way. Madam Wen has already informed us of your arrival. She is waiting for you at the inner palace.” A steward who came running towards the entrance led the family inside with a polite bow.
They had to walk for about ten minutes before they reached the inner section of the palace meant for the resident Wen families and their guests.
When they reached the hallway leading towards the private area, “Welcome Sister Feng, Brother Wei.” The gentle voice of Madam Wen reached Wei Wuxian’s ears. He looked at the petite woman who walked towards them with open arms and a gentle smile on her face.
“Sister An!” His own mother exclaimed and hugged her friend.
“My husband was supposed to be here. But he was waylaid by his assistant for some urgent sect matters. He has asked to share his regrets and has promised that he would join us during the evening tea.” Madam Wen linked her arms with Cangse Sanren and led the way into the inner rooms.
“Sister An, it does not matter. It was us who interrupted your daily life. Moreover, this is a personal visit and there is no need to stand in ceremonies. This is just a meeting of friends and nothing more.” Wei Changze smiled.
“You are right, of course.” Madam Wen agreed readily.
Soon, the family was led to a small meeting room, overlooking a beautiful garden. There were already two children waiting inside the room. As soon as they entered the room, the girl, who looked to be around fifteen years old, stood up and bowed to Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze, “Wen Qing welcomes uncle and aunt.” She was followed by her brother who was only ten years old, “Wen Ning welcomes uncle and aunt”.
“Look at these dear children, a-ze. When we last saw them, Wen Ning was only a babe. Now they both have grown so well.” Cangse Sanren exclaimed and touched Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s head.
“Yes. And these are our children. Wei Wuxian and Wei Qingyang,” Wei Changze pointed towards his own children.
“Greetings Madam Wen, Wen Qing-jiejie, Wen Ning,” Wei Wuxian and Wei Qingyang chorused.
“Good. Good. I am happy you are finally here.” Madam Wen said. She did look delighted to meet her friends after many years.
As the oldest child present, Wen Qing prepared tea for everyone and served it hot. Wen Ning made sure to pass on the various snacks to everyone. Soon, the parents were busy exchanging pleasantries and the children were left alone to talk among themselves.
“Shall we walk in the garden?” Wen Qing suggested and everyone agreed. She led the other three children into the flower garden outside the room.