It's been a while, hasn't it?

by D4nmeiDem0n

Summary:

What if
Mo Xuanyu failed to call upon the Yiling Laozu's soul and instead, Wei Wuxian gets reincarnated almost two hundred years later.

Notes:

Mo Xuanyu failed the summoning ritual and died of blood loss. His body is found by a servant three days later when the stench becomes unbearable.
Nie Mingjue's arm is never dropped at Mo village, the Lan juniors' night hunt is uneventful.

Everybody and their grandma are immortal in this.

(Immortal as in stopped aging thanks to their cultivation.)

The Lans are referenced as 'widows' because in china, people used to wear white to funerals instead of black.

Chapter 1: Hey, babe, I'm back!

Oddly, getting torn apart by thousands of berserk evil spirits wasn't as painful as he thought it would. Perhaps he was already too numb to care.

Wei Wuxian had had many expectations about the afterlife.

Perhaps he would wake in hell, tormented for his wrongdoings?

Or maybe he would meet his loved ones while travelling the yellow springs. 

As a practitioner of death, he was very well acquainted with the process by which creatures deceased, however he had limited knowledge as to what happens to a soul after it depart from it's body.

Once, he had asked Wen Ning about the afterlife, but the timid man had said he did not remember anything between his death to the moment Wei Wuxian had brought him back.

He had expected to spend thousand of years of suffering for what he had done.

He had expected fire and screams.

 

He expected judgment.

 

He hadn't expected nothing. 

He truly hadn't expected to just float around in a void of nothingness, himself but not really.

It was surprisingly peaceful. 

It felt like he'd spent over a thousand years, yet simultaneously under an hour here.

He felt like a drop of water in a lake, like sand in a hourglass.

 

Suddenly, just as Wei Wuxian was existing, head empty, all well-behaved in his cozy void, a bright light flashed, painting the dark nothingness white, blinding him.

He tried closing his eyes and covering his face with his arms, but he didn't have eyes nor arms anymore. 

 

He screamed.

 

 

Even as the blinding light faded somewhat, he didn't stop screaming. 

There were strange sounds all around him. Loud sharp, high-pitched noises and weird humming were filling the background. There were people talking, but Wei Wuxian couldn't understand what they were saying, his hearing all muddled, as if he were underwater. 

Large hand were fondling him, so big they could cover his entire body easily. His shriek turned shriller as his mind tried to process what was happening. Where was he? What was happening? Who were these people?

He was lifted and swaddled. 

 

Wei Wuxian tried to fight back but his limbs were uncoordinated. His body felt weird and weak. Had he been drugged? He was sure he had died that day on the Burial Mounds. How could he still exist?

Being brought back to life as an undead fierce corpse did cross his mind, but his lungs were definitely greedily gulping air. The only corpse that could breathe was Wen Ning, but even him had to force air through his lungs to speak. His body was breathing as a reflex and the air was obviously to sustain his life, not to aliment his screeching. 

He only piped down when he was placed against a warm surface. Against his will, his body relaxed as his wails quietened. it was rising and falling and it smelled really soothing, although the smell of blood still lingered in the room. Wei Wuxian tried to open his eyes, but he could only make out blurry shapes. And gosh, that lighting really hurt his eyes. What kind of lamps were so bright?

There was this warm nub pocking at his lips. He squirmed against it, but a hand the size of his head held him against it. He pinched his lips, stubborn, but his strength was wavering. He was hungry and tired and really didn't want to fight anymore. 
In the end, he gave in and took the nub into his mouth. That's when he made a shocking discovery. 

He had no teeth!

The pieces where starting to fit. 

His body seemed to know what to do and he began sucking the nub, warm liquid gushing into his mouth and filling his empty stomach as the taste of milk spread over his tongue.

 

Was he... a baby?!

Over the course of the next few years, he had made other discoveries.
Yes, he was indeed a baby. His new parents had introduced him to a mirror where he was able to get a good look at himself. 

His mother had sat him down in front of the glass with a large smile while his father held a rectangular box pointed at him. They were both grinning, excited to witness his reaction.
He was met with the reflection of a chubby baby with big black eyes, almost silver in color, and the wildest hair. "Gah!" He said, surprised. He wasn't able to speak properly still, which would embarrass him if he wasn't utterly shameless.

He pulled on his cubby cheeks and raised his arms. The baby in the mirror copied him. He was halfway between mortified and amused when he noticed a red mark on his skin when his ridiculously small shirt tugged up. "Gah?" He babbled confused. Wei Wuxian pulled up his shirt. There was a red sun right above his heart.

The baby startled so hard he fell back, his tiny chubby feet above his head. His parents laughed and babbled about his birthmark.

Birthmark? That was clearly the scar Wen Ruohan had given him in the cave of the Xuanwu of slaughter.

Carefully, he probed his chest and poked the red mark. It was painless and didn't have the texture of  scar either, so it seems his parents were right when they talked about it being a birthmark.

A thought entered his mind and he checked his side, stretching his flabby skin. As expected, the scar left behind by Sandu was still there, from when Jiang Cheng had stabbed him after he defected, in the form of a birthmark.

It calmed a restless part of his mind, to know his body was still his own.

 

Surprisingly, his name was still Wei Ying and his birthday was the same as his previous life, october thirty-first.

He had also figured out that, while they used odd gadgets, his parents weren't cultivators and seemed clueless about their son's true identity.  

Wei Wuxian was more at ease since he most likely hadn't been targeted or anything. His presence was probably just a coincidental reincarnation. 

 

After gaining that knowledge, he had gone and fully embraced the baby lifestyle, babbling and begging to be pampered in a way that would make a grown man cringe if they knew who he was. He would sometime imagine his peers learning of his behavior and laugh his ass off knowing the Lan clan would probably burst a vessel if they knew. 

His parents, bless their hearts, simply assumed their child was a very happy baby.

 

The third thing he had found out was that he could still cultivate. 

He had been curious, since being an adult stuck in a baby's body was sometime quite boring, and tried to meditate. He had been quite surprised to have actually succeeded, a small whisp of clear, pure Qi answering his call. He had burst into tears on the spot.

It had been so long since he last felt spiritual energy in his meridians instead of the dark and gnarly demonic Qi. His parents had noticed the boy crying and had immediately scooped him up, trying to console him. Their baby hardly ever cried, they were so worried.
But, despite the loud wails and the red scrunched up face, there was a smile on the toddler's lips, tiny hiccups and laughs mingling with the cries.

Wei Wuxian grew, learning about modern gadgets, making milestones, like walking for the first time, under the rectangular object his father wielded, which turned out to be a 'camera', an object that captured and recreated events on a tiny glass screen, strengthening his cultivation, until he went from a cuddly, chubby baby to an energetic five-years-old toddler.

He'd bounce in his parent's legs, filled with so much vigor he practically vibrated with it. Not only was he a naturally spirited young man, but his own growing cultivation gave him near limitless stamina. His parents constantly had to run after him and get him out of the trouble he always managed to find. They were exhausted, but fulfilled, happy to have such an amazing child.

They'd have Saturday movie night, with popcorn and gummy worms and the 'fridge', this amazing cold box, always had ice cream for him to eat after dinner.
Wei Wuxian helped his mother cook sometimes, but not even her managed to stop him from pouring the entire container of chili pepper in the food. His father had forfeited first, downing three glasses of soy milk, while his mother had kept eating, her face this angry shade of crimson as she maintained eye contact with her baby boy, unwilling to be beaten, their family dinner turned into a spice eating contest.
She managed to eat the last bite of bright red noodles, her lips red and puffy, before she downed a carton of milk on her own, while Wei Wuxian leisurely ate his meal without breaking a sweat.

However, good things are never meant to last for Wei Wuxian.

 

 

On his seventh birthday, just as they were driving back home from his anniversary dinner at a nice hotpot restaurant, their car got T-boned.
Metal crunched and glass shattered, his parents died on impact.

He was meant to die as well.

His cultivation saved him.

The golden core that didn't belong inside a child's chest thrummed, strengthening his skin and bones, unseen by the doctors during his checkup.

The ride to the hospital was a blur, paramedics talking to each other in hushed tones. He sat alone on an hospital bed, not a scratch on him, staring at the door, waiting for his parents to cross the threshold, knowing it would never happen. 

He had seen the mangled corpses, smelled the blood, heard the bones crack.

There was a cop talking with a woman on the other side of the door. He could hear them thanks to his enhanced hearing. They were saying things like 'drunk driver' and 'car totalled' and 'insurance' and 'poor Kid'.

Wei Wuxian stopped listening, his fists clenched. He had already been an orphan once before, he knew how it went. He was merely waiting for a nurse to kick him out. The boy was already mentally preparing to fend for himself in the streets. This modern world presented new challenges, like cars and new morals, but he was certain he would manage. 
He had survived the Burial Mounds, after all. And without a golden core too. His current cultivation was strong and pure, he clearly had the advantage.

The cop and the lady ended their chat. The woman, this friendly looking auntie, knocked and pushed open the door of his hospital room.
"Hi there, little fella. I'm Auntie Shu" She said gently, sitting down on a chair next to the bed. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

The woman made her presence as gentle and non-threatening as she could, but Wei Wuxian could see the pity in her eyes.
She looked unfazed by his lack of response. "You know, the first responders said it was a miracle. You're a very lucky boy." She said, pulling paper from her manila folder.  

Wei Wuxian hugged his knees. 'Lucky', yeah right.

"Unfortunately, your parents weren't as lucky as you. I'm afraid they're gone." The lady said while maintaining eye contact. She waited for a beat, probably for him to ask questions or start bawling. 

"I'm here to take you to your new home." She said, taking his small hand in hers.

This pulled a reaction from the boy. A new home? Wasn't he just getting kicked out into the street? He raised his head, a surprised expression on his face.

The woman smiled at him. "I've checked earlier, you don't seem to have close family members. Instead, I'll be taking you to an orphanage -it's a very nice place for children like you to live."

 

After getting discharged from the hospital, Auntie Xu took his hand and brought him outside. She guided him to a taxi parked outside. Wei Wuxian paused in front of the car, his breath speeding up.

The woman noticed his rising panic. "Oh dear." She said, concerned. "It's too far to go on foot." She said, at a loss of what to do.

Wei Wuxian bit his lip and charged into the taxi head down. Auntie Shu was taken aback but she got into the car, giving the taxi driver the address to the orphanage.

 

The orphanage was a state-run organisation. 

Luckily, it wasn't the worst, the staff well-intentioned, but severely lacking ressources. 
The boy adapted rather well, masking his pain with his carefree and mischievous personality attracting both awe and dislike from his peers, fellow orphans and caregivers alike.

Wei Wuxian had met a few potential parents, but his endless energy and curiosity scared them away, if he bothered showing up at all. He often missed those meetings because he was meditating or tinkering away with scraps, making new spells or gadgets in his favorite spot. There was a huge pile of formulas and talismans under his bed in the room he shared with three other boys. He often had to tell them to stay away, lest they harm themselves.

He was often praised for his creativity, yet he was never given a second chance, deemed too troublesome, especially after he blew up an old microwave after he had disassembled it and put it back together.

His world was turned on its head again when he was eleven.

At school, during fifth grade history class, something out of this world happened.

Wei Wuxian was bored as the teacher rambled on about the imperial dynasties. He was flipping through the thick history book, looking at the pictures. 

Amongst the many portraits of many important historical figures, the drawing of an ugly looking man with overly demonic traits stood out. Curiously, he looked at the description, hoping to show his friends later and make fun of the guy. His heart stopped when he read a familiar name.
'The Yiling Laozu'. 

"-ing! Wei Ying!" His teacher called him. The boy snapped out of it.
"Yes, Miss?" He said, trying to sound as carefree as usual, but his voice wavered.
"Is something the matter?" She asked. "I've called you multiple time."
"Aya! Yes, of course!" He said with a bright smile. He hesitated. He shouldn't, but... "I'm just wondering when we'll discuss the Sun shot Campaign!" He said cheerfully, but inside he was carefully watching his teacher's reaction.

Unfazed, his teacher answered. "We'll briefly touch the subject at the end of the year, but it will be explored more in sixth grade."

Wei Wuxian smiled again and thanked his teacher but his stomach dropped. 

During lunch, instead of making little snowmen out of the rice of his lunch, he sneaked into the library and logged into the computer. He opened the search engine and typed ' Yiling Laozu'. Multiple results popped up.

The first one read 'historical figure who opposed the Great Sects, deceased.' There were the approximate date of his birth and death, and, most surprising, artwork of him.

Not paintings from when he was alive, but digital art of him that represented him as a sexy demon lord type thing. Amazed, he checked the 'image' section. There were dozens of them. Wei Wuxian chuckled in disbelief and refreshed the page. 

The drawings were gone. That made him pause. 

Had he hallucinated the whole thing? 

He refreshed the page again and there they were, the drawings of a tall man with bone white skin and a six pack, surrounded by crows. Other pieces represented him as a lich, with a crown on his head, waving a staff around with black tentacles coming from his back.

He blinked and they were gone again. He investigated further and what he found was baffling.  

Turns out that, while history painted him as an evil mastermind who desired to rid the world of cultivators, some people nowadays saw the Yiling Laozu as a martyr who stood up against the oppression of the Great Sects. 

Amongst modern edgy people, the Yiling Laozu was a symbol of freedom. The reason behind the artwork clearly glorifying him disappeared from the search engine in because the Yunmeng Jiang Sect hired censors to remove them in a never ending battle.

A few thing to unpack here.

 

The Great Sects still existed, the Sun Shot Campaign was in history books, dating back two hundred years , and so was the Yiling Laozu -and the ghost general. 

Wei Wuxian had taken a deep breath and wrote his courtesy name in the search engine.

Nothing.

He tried again with his first name, 'Wei Ying'.

Nowhere on the internet was his name written.

Which, really, is a good news, but it still makes him feel uneasy.

 

He researched the Great Sects. While he believed he was banned from them, keeping tabs on the cultivation world couldn't hurt, especially if he wanted to keep cultivating.

Wei Wuxian paused, goosebumps breaking out on his skin.

A picture of Jiang Cheng. 

Not a painting, an actual fricking picture taken of him in Sect leader clothes in the city, surrounded by sky scrapers and cars.

His brain short circuited.

Just as he recovered from his initial shock and was about to investigate further, the lunch bell rung and he had to go back to class. 

There were no computers at the orphanage so he had to use the ones at school, which, in between classes and assignments -the ones he actually did, he didn't have much time to use them for personal projects.

Through the following week, he ran to the computer lab every time he had a minute to spare.

Of the Four Great Sects, three were still standing: The Yunmeng Jiang Clan, Gusu Lan Clan and the Qinghe Nie Clan. The Lanling Jin Clan had mysteriously collapsed a century and a half ago.

What had baffled Wei Wuxian were the Clan Leaders. The Gusu Lan were lead by Lan Xichen, the Qinghe Nie by Nie Huaisang and the Yunmeng Jiang By Jiang Cheng.

This information felt like getting bird poop on your favorite jacket. It's supposed to be good luck, but what the heck! My favorite jacket!

He was glad that his friend Nie Huaisang and his Shidi were still alive, but Wei Wuxian looked exactly as he did when he was alive.
He felt cold sweat sliding down his back.

 

Surely Jiang Cheng wouldn't pummel an eleven years old boy, would he?

There were also numerous cultivators from the past who would love to see his head disconnected from his body.

 

 

Should he invest in getting plastic surgery?

 

Chapter 2: Wait, I know you

Summary:

Some familiar faces.

wwx 12
jyl 15
jzx 14

Notes:

Short chapter before a darker one

 

 

On Wei Wuxian's twelfth birthday, he was given some pocket money as a present.

 

It wasn't much, but it was all the orphanage could spare.
The real part of this gift was that he was allowed to go to the mall after school to buy himself something nice.

 

There he was, Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch, the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, the vile monster who'd opposed the Great Sects and slaughtered countless innocents, in a child's body, skipping happily with a hand-me-down backpack slung over one shoulder while humming a bubbly pop song. 
His ponytail bounced behind him as he cheerfully made his way through the city. 

Often, he fought with the caregivers at the orphanage quite a bit about his hair. It was easier for everybody to just shave the boys' hair completely and keep the girls' locks quite short, but Wei Wuxian categorically refused to cut his, running away as soon as someone approached him with the purpose of getting rid of it, with scissors or hair clippers hidden behind their backs.

After being unable to get the boy to behave, they had pleaded. Keeping hair short reduced the risk of catching and spreading lice and they had a limited amount of hair product, it would be ridiculous to keep such hair.
All good arguments, but they fell into deaf ears.

To him, his hair was something given by his parents. In a way, it was to pay his respect to them that he kept it long, even if modern society no longer valued such a thing.  
The only thing he did allow to be trimmed were his bangs that he clumsily cut himself, the perfect copy of the hairstyle he had as a disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan.

The mall was packed and huge, with four floors. There were glass floor to ceiling windows and doors everywhere, numerous fried chicken restaurants sizzled, the smell of grease mixing with the strong perfume the other shops. There were Halloween decorations hanging here and there, only there to please teenagers.

Wei Wuxian eagerly bounced around, looking at everything with big curious eyes, the twenty-five yuans in his pocket felt like in had endless possibilities.  
He had thought about giving in to short term desires, like getting a sweet treat or an interesting trinket he would forget in a week, but he slapped his cheeks, his long ponytail swaying.
No! Bad Wei Ying! 

He had come in here with a goal, he couldn't just give in to temptation.

He wanted to purchase material to make better talismans, like calligraphy brushes, good ink, perhaps cinnabar, and good quality paper. Wei Wuxian also wanted to by some woodcarving tools. He'd seen compasses of ill winds carried by cultivators in the news and was reminded of all the new improvements he wanted to make.

After walking around for half an hour, Wei Wuxian decided to find one of those screens that displayed maps you could interact with to find your path.

The boy whipped around to locate one, squinting. He found one easily. There were already people using it, but it was fine, he could wait.

He patiently waited behind those people, which were actually a teenage couple. He peeked, standing on his tiptoes. The boy looked fourteen and the girl fifteen. They were lovey-dovey, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder. He was about to prank them before he heard the girl speak.

"A-Xuan, let's go to the library, there is a new cookbook I would like to see." The girl gently said, to which her boyfriend hummed in agreement, already checking the location on the screen.

The world faded around Wei Wuxian. That voice-! It was "Jie." He blurted out.

Surprised, the two teenagers turned around.
The girl wore a kind but confused smile before her eyes landed on the boy. Her eyes widened as she gasped. "A-Xian?!" She said in disbelief.  

The girl was, indeed, his older martial sister, Jiang Yanli, wearing a purple butterfly sleeved blouse with and high-waisted long skirt that reached her ankle.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she pulled the boy into her arms, squeezing him tightly. They hugged for a minute before they were pulled from their cocoon by the boyfriend speaking up. "Wei Wuxian?" He said, standing awkwardly next to them, feeling left out.

Wei Ying looked up from his Shijie's shoulder and a squirmy feeling in his stomach. Remorse and guilt. "Jin Zixuan." He greeted.

Jiang Yanli pulled away from the hug reluctantly, wiping her tears away. There was a huge smile on her face. She squeezed his hand. "I'm so happy to see you."

Someone cleared their throat behind them. It was someone else behind them, tapping their foot impatiently. 
There was a shift in Jin Zixuan's face, an arrogant expression on his features. Before he could open his mouth and tell the other person off, Jiang Yanli replied.
"Right! Sorry!" She said with a gentle smile, pulling the boys away, her boyfriend's hand in her right one and Wei Wuxian's in her left hand.

She guided them to a nearby café. They sat at a table, but Jin Zixuan didn't. 
"What do you want?" He asked to his girlfriend, already taking out of his wallet.
Jiang Yanli smiled at him. "Just the usual." She turned to Wei Wuxian. "What do you want?"

"Ah." He pulled out the crumpled bills from his pocket and squinted at the menu.
Jin Zixuan shot a look at the pitiful amount of money and sighed. "My treat."

The boy looked up at him, surprised. "Really? Well, don't mind if I do." He smiled mischievously as he rubbed his hands. "I'll take the strawberry extravaganza whipped cream smoothie."
The girl covered her amused smile with her hand as her boyfriend grumbled and went to the counter.

Jiang Yanli leaned forward and whispered. "He acts cold, but A-Xuan's really happy to see you!"
Wei Wuxian chuckled uncomfortably. His shijie noticed and took both his hands in hers. "A-Xian, hubby told me what happened. Neither of us hold any hard feelings against you."

The boy dropped his head and nodded, too ashamed to make eye contact. "I'm sorry." He hesitated again. "Have you... Seen Jiang Cheng lately?"

A veil of sadness obscured his Shijie's features. She shook her head. "A-Cheng is the Clan Leader. I'm just a civilian." Jiang Yanli chuckled sadly. "There is only a handful of cultivators left from our time, no one recognised me. I wasn't able to get in."
 
Jin Zixuan walked back to the table with a carboard cup holder in hand. He set down this large pink drink overflowing with whipped cream topped with strawberry boba balls and fresh strawberries cut into hearts with a pink syrup drizzled on top in front of the snickering boy.

He much more tenderly placed a cup of milk tea in front of Jiang Yanli and took the remaining cup for himself. The peacock took a sip, discretely cringed before popping off the lid and adding sugar into the brown drink. Just as Wei Wuxian thought that Jin Zixuan looked a bit young to drink coffee, the delicate waft of hot cocoa entered his nose. He smirked knowingly at his martial brother-in-law, which the older boy waved off, annoyed. 

The little prince had also purchased a large chocolate chip muffin and placed it in front of his girlfriend. He sighed as though he was the sole person burdened in this world. "The cashier refused to break a bill for me." He pointed to the 100 CNY bill in his wallet. Jin Zixuan took a sip of his definitely over sweetened hot cocoa. "Had to use my card." 

Wei Wuxian's face fell and he mockingly said "Oh, poor little rich boy, do you need Jie to kiss your bruised ego better?"
The older boy pulled his tongue at him before he replied arrogantly "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

He turned to his amused girlfriend. "Wifey~" He whined before puckering his lips.

Jiang Yanli hid her giggles behind her sleeve before leaning closer and kissing her lover.

Wei Wuxian looked absolutely repulsed and made gagging sounds. 

After the table erupted in laughter at their bickering, the little gremlin waggled his eyebrows with his trademark grin.
"What's with those cringe nicknames?"
The couple's faces turned red and flustered, tripping over themselves to explain, but Wei Wuxian waved them off, shaking his head, still smiling. 
"It doesn't really matter, as long as Jie is happy." He paused long enough for Jiang Yanli to eagerly nod and reassure him she was very happy.
"I'm just glad Mr Peacock finally realised Jie's worth." The boy said, turning to his brother-in-law.

The teenager looked ashamed and took the girl's hand in his and squeezed it. "I-" He hesitated. "I never got to thank you for standing up for Yanli. She didn't deserve what I've said about her." He admitted. He turned his head away. "If I was face to face with my younger self, I'd probably slap him. I used to be such a brat."

Jiang Yanli's eyes shone with unshed tears, looking at her boyfriend with bottomless love. "A-Xuan~" She said, moved.
"A-Li~"
"A-Xuan~"
"A-Li~"

Wei Wuxian loudly slurped his pink drink, hoping it would remind the two love birds of his presence. Jin Zixuan cleared his throat and was about to speak, but his pants started ringing. He excused himself from the table and pulled a cellphone from his pocket and answered the call.

It only took a second before he came back to the table. He took the large muffin and began breaking off pieces and fed them to his girlfriend.
"Who was that?" Wei Wuxian asked.

He casually answered "Oh, just my chauffeur. He wants to know at what time to pick me up." 

The boy coughed into his fist "Rich brat".

Smiling at her younger brother, Jiang Yanli said "A-Xuan's family owns an oil company."

"Ahya~ Of course the rich brat always gets luxury." He grumbled, to which Jin Zixuan simply shrugged. "Guess I have a lot of good Karma."
The teenager suddenly turned serious. "Do you know why we are back to life?"

Wei Wuxian sighed and shook his head. "Not yet, but it doesn't seem deliberate. I'll need to investigate more. Do you know if anything weird happened in the cultivation world?"

Wringing his hands, Jin Zixuan nodded. "The Jin Clan fell quite a while ago and I went to the ruins to see what was left."
The boy cocked an eyebrow. "I'm surprised the place wasn't razed to the ground to build, I don't know, a sweatshop? Or a parking lot." 
The teenager shook his head. "The whole place is cursed land, it's rancid, even more than the Burial Mounds."

This struck Wei Wuxian speechless. He started listening in earnest.  

Jin Zixuan sighed. "I couldn't stay long, there were too many restless spirits and demonic beasts, but there was definitely something shady there."

"I see."

Jiang Yanli piped in. "It's a good thing that you're back, A-Xian. With your demonic cultivation, you'll be able to explore the place!"

"Actually!" He said, half nervous, half proud, and extended his arm towards them. The tip of his fingers started to sparkle, glowing with strong spiritual energy.

His Jie gasped. "A-Xian! Your cultivation! It's back!" She squealed, she bounced happily towards the boy and hugged him tight once again.

Jin Zixuan watched carefully. He nodded along his girlfriends words of praise, but there was still something glum in his eyes.

His chin tucked above Jiang Yanli's shoulder, he struck the nail on the head. "Don't worry, I can still use a bit of demonic cultivation. Once I grow a bit more, it'll be easy peasy to get into Lanling."
The teenager flinched and scratched his head. "Am I that easy to read?"

 

Jin Zixuan turned to his girlfriend. "My chauffeur is coming to pick us up in an hour. We should go to the library before we leave."

"Ah! That's right, we-" She looked at her younger brother with this grimace. She wanted to catch up with her brother more, but she also wanted her cookbook.

Wei Wuxian laughed. "Mind if I tag along?" He said with a cheeky grin.

While they were waiting for Jiang Yanli to chose a book, the two boys chatted. It was still somewhat awkward between the two of them, especially since the last time they saw each other, Jin Zixuan died, but they were both willing to try to get along for the older girl's sake.

 

"So, which grade are you in?" The teenager asked.
" Sixth grade." He answered.
"Ah." Jin Zixuan cringed. "You'll cover the Sun Shot Campaign during history."
"I'm aware."

"Please don't make the same mistake I did and listen to the class."

Curious and sensing embarrassing memories, Wei Wuxian tilted his head. "What mistake?"
"Th-That's private!" The older boy yelped, a red flush creeping up his face.

Jiang Yanli's head popped from behind a bookshelf. "Is there a problem?" She asked when she noticed her boyfriend's discomfort.
"I- It's noth-" The teenager started, but the gremlin cut him off. "He was about to tell me the mistake he made during sixth grade history."

The girl was slightly surprised, then laughed good heartedly. "Tell him, tell him! It's a good story!" She said to the Jin Zixuan.

The teenager looked at his feet. "I skipped the class thinking I had it in the bag, since, you know, I was there." His ears were crimson now. "I got an F." He admitted.

Wei Wuxian had to hold his stomach. He laughed so hard his sides ached. "What the hell happened? Did you hit your head too much?" He asked wiping the corner of his eyes with a huge grin stretching from ear to ear.

"A-Xuan underestimated how much censorship the Great Sects had imposed upon the history of the battle." Jiang Yanli said with a sigh.
The other boy groaned and agreed. "Teacher said I had an overactive imagination. Said that I made up people involved in the battle just because I name-dropped you, my father and Jin Guangyao."

Wei Wuxian snickered. "Wait, you thought name-dropping me would be a good idea?"
"Shaddup"

 

In the end, Wei Wuxian had to go back to the mall another day to buy his supplies to make talismans.

Jin Zixuan bought him a cellphone as a birthday gift when he said he didn't have a personal number. The boy had reasons to believe the teenager had only done so because Jiang Yanli wanted to keep in touch.

 

Notes:

Author is fueled by comments

Chapter 3: Time and time again, I'm my own worse enemy

Summary:

Side kicks aquirred!

Notes:

I am making a lot of stuff up for this chapter, lol, especially since I haven't actually finished the series.

 

The day he turned fourteen, the orphanage told him Wei Wuxian was no longer eligible for adoption.

 

He had a week to find himself a new place to live.

 

Wei Wuxian bit his lip. He had nowhere to stay and barely any money. 

With his parent's inheritance, he was luckily able to rent a small room in the city's outskirts, but it wouldn't last.
The boy applied to multiple jobs with a practically blank resume.

It's not like he could write that he was the mighty Yiling Laozu on it.

After careful consideration, he had kept his shijie and her husband in the dark about his situation. He knew they would try to help him out, but Jin Zixuan was already fighting with his family about Jiang Yanli. They thought she was a gold digger and a pauper, unworthy of their prestigious family. His parents instead insisted he date a minister's daughter.

Having Jin Zixuan financially support him would definitely fuel his parents arguments that Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli were commoners trying to take advantage of him.

 

Carefully, Wei Wuxian walked over overgrown roots and slippery rocks. The air was thick with smoke, blood and death. He whistled the whole time, only taking short breaths when he ran out of air. For his excursion, he wore a wine red sweater with a black jacket and black sweatpants with a red seam. There was a backpack slung over one of his shoulder and his hair was up in a ponytail, whipping in the wind.

 

Lanling laid in ruins before his eyes, bustling with lurking shadows, fierce corpses and demonic beasts. The sky was constantly dark, covered with red clouds, casting an eery crimson light upon the city.

 

The Golden Carp Tower stood in a formerly flourishing part of Lanling, now surrounded by half destroyed buildings and plants mutated by the Demonic Qi in the atmosphere. The main road that led to the tower was cluttered by fallen debris, the murals on either sides of the path were themselves corrupted, covered in black moss, the colours faded. What used to be a glorious representation of the sect's history looked straight out of a horror movie. 

By some sick joke of fate, the only part of the mural that was still somewhat legible was the part dedicated to him. The Yiling Laozu was represented as a dark towering figure with long black hair surrounded by crows and leading an army of undead. Amused, he took a picture with his phone. He'd show it to Jiang Yanli later. To Wei Wuxian, it was quite comical, like a mix of the ghost from Ju-On and a villain from an edgy video game.

The purpose of his visit to Lanling was to find artefacts and pawn them for rent money. Perhaps save up for a house, but he didn't trust his budgeting skills.

Wei Wuxian began climbing the stairs to the main square, still whistling. A few ghosts dragged themselves by him, sniffing, but remained unresponsive to him.

Before him was the ruins of the magnificent palace that once towered over the city. The Jin Clan's grounds were huge and it would take days to pillage search through the entire place, and even more time if he also visited the entire city.

From what he was told during history class and what Jin Zixuan had gathered, a sudden outbreak of demonic creatures started from Jin Guangyao's personal residence and quickly washed the city in blood. Very few cultivators made it out and no civilian escaped either. 
While some people called it the second coming of the Yiling Laozu, there were never any proof that the man had caused this and, for the record, Wei Wuxian would like to say he had nothing to do with it. 
There had been a few people who tried to hunt for treasure, but they were themselves brought to their knees.

Which, luckily for Wei Wuxian, meant the clan was still filled with priceless trinkets. He had waited until he was on holiday break from school to come, so he could spend a few days here without needing to go back to his flat, which was good because he had had to travel three hours on a high-speed train and then walk an hour to get to Lanling. 

After quickly surveying his surroundings, Wei Wuxian set his bag down in the middle of the Pageantry Hall. If his phone's clock was to be trusted, it would soon be night, even if the miasma of demonic Qi clouded the sky and made it hard to tell day from night.

He set about to explore the room first. 

Pageantry Hall was the main hall for banquets, every surface covered with luxury to show off in front of guests. The teenager wiped off a column with his hand. Beneath the layer of brown filth, gold shone. He wiped more of the wall until he found a peony carved into the wall. The sparks amidst snow peony was the Jin Clan's emblem and their likeness could be found on almost every surface of the Golden Carp Tower.

Wei Wuxian had remembered those particular peonies during a banquet in honor of the young heroes behind the victory of the Sun Shot Campaign. There was this ruby bead at the center of each peony. He snickered as he took his pocket knife and wedged it between the jewel and the gilded wall. After a few minutes, he was able to separate the ruby from the wall.

He turned the bead in his hand.

Yes, it would fetch a high price.

 

 

Sure, pillaging the carcass of the Jin clan seemed dishonorable, but he would return any item with sentimental value back to Jin Zixuan. Aka, the worthless stuff.

 

There were stiff black drapes hanging from the corner of the room. Wei Wuxian felt them with his hands. When he tried to pull them back, the teenager found that those drapes were hard as cardboard. They were surely worth a lot of money, as was anything in the Golden Carp Tower, but he wasn't sure if the cleaning bill would make it worth the hassle.

 

When he began feeling his eyes sting of exhaustion, he placed a few talismans around his sleeping mat to form a barrier. This barrier array had been made by the young man for the Lanling exploration. He had incorporated a few demonic cultivation elements in order to turn off the agression demonic creatures inherently held towards anything that contained spiritual energy.

By noon the next day, he'd finished looting the Pageantry Hall and after a quick snack, he went to another part of the Tower.

After a few days of checking the place room by room, Wei Wuxian decided to go to the Fragrant Palace. This particular palace was Jin Guangyao's bedchamber and, according to his brother-in-law, the source of the demonic outbreak that caused Lanling's destruction.

 

There was very little left of the Fragrant Palace.

 

The building looked like an explosion had gone off inside of it: the ceiling and roof were gone and only two walls were left standing. The concentration of demonic Qi was especially strong here. 

The remains of a beast-shaped incense burner littered the ground with large dents on the side that indicated it had been used as a chew toy to some creature. Wei Wuxian stepped over the threshold and into what had been the bedroom. A few misshapen demonic beasts were huddled in a nest of crusted cloth. They hissed at him as soon as they saw the teenager. Wei Wuxian simply changed the tune he whistled into something more soothing, a lullaby his mother had sung to him when he was pretending to be a baby.

While the beasts visibly relaxed, Wei Wuxian kept an eye on them. There were a few pieces of jewelry scattered across the room. His memory wasn't the best, but they looked like something that Jin Guangyao's wife would wear, or at least something that the insufferable man would buy for her. 

Wei Wuxian stuffed them into a Qiankun Bag he had sewn himself. When he had given one such Bag for Jiang Yanli's birthday,  Jin Zixuan had quite amazed the younger man had managed to make one himself, especially since they were well know to be tricky to make, and because the peacock had never been taught how to sew.

 

Something large sparkled on the floor and caught his eye. Wei Wuxian bent down and looked at the long and flat object on the ground. It was an old bronze mirror. There was a crack in the glass that ran over the entire length of it. He hummed, stroking his chin. How much could he sell this for?

 

His thumb ran over the bronze frame. The teenager frowned. There was something carved into it. 
His spiritual energy sparked to life. It travelled from his golden core to his fingers and into the bronze mirror.

The carvings began to flicker, rapidly at first then slowed down gradually until it was constantly lit.
The glass looked different now. It looked almost fluid, like a lake showing your reflection. The large crack was still visible and distorted the glass.

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow as he changed the notes of his whistling. 

 

Looks like he found one of Jin Guangyao's little secrets.

His fingers grazed the mirror. The surface undulated as it gave under his touch. His whole arm went through without resistance. Wei Wuxian flexed the fingers of that hand and felt nothing wrong or life threatening. 

Without much thought, he stepped into the mirror.

The secret room connected to the mirror was dark and dusty. The air was so stale that it made Wei Wuxian cough a little, breaking his tune.

 

When he wasn't immediately pounced by a monster, he took a deep breath and remained quiet. It was a nice break, his mouth was dry from all that whistling.

When his eyes wouldn't adjust to the darkness, he pulled a light talisman from his sleeve and activated it. It began to burn slowly, casting a yellow glow upon the surroundings. 

The place reeked of demonic energy, even worse than outside. Anyone else would have already hit their maximum resistance to dark powers ages ago and gotten sick, but Wei Wuxian's resistance from his past life was thankfully intact. At least the traumatic months he'd spent surviving in the Burials Mounds after he'd lost his golden core weren't for nothing. 

The teenager's eyes roamed the room. There were multiple artifacts and a surprisingly large amount of paper covered in centuries of dust on the numerous shelves.

Wei Wuxian gave in to curiosity and picked up a stack of paper. The papers practically flaked off beneath his fingers. He blew on them to remove the dust. A scrawled and smudged writing sat faded upon the paper. He skimmed over it at first, but his stomach dropped as he kept reading.

He picked up another paper, read it, then another and the next.

They were his old manuscripts. Papers he had written during his time living in the Burial Mounds about demonic cultivation.

What the hell were they doing in Jin Guangyao's belonging!?

He went through every piece of paper there frantically. 

His notes? In the bag they go. 

Some deed, correspondance? Left on the shelf.

 

Wei Wuxian was about to go through another shelf when he heard a growl behind him. The fine hairs on his forearms stood. He dodged just as the furniture he previously stood before was smashed to pieces. The light talisman he was holding fluttered to the ground, flickering.

He whipped his head around to see what had attacked him, but three more blows came his way. The cracking of shattering wood echoed loudly in the room as more hits pulverised Wei Wuxian's surroundings. He grit his teeth.

He couldn't let this puzzle be damaged anymore.

The teenager circulated Qi through his whole body, making himself stronger, faster and more reactive.

He dodged more easily now and was able to get a good look at his opponent. His heart stopped.

This creature looked like the source of the overwhelming demonic energy in the secret room, it was practically dripping off of it.

It was a headless fierce corpse. Its skin was grey and its body was ripped, figuratively and literally. It was bulging with mouth watering muscles, thick powerful arms, an enormous chest and rippling abs. However, his arms and legs looked stitched to the body with clumsy needlework. Also, he was butt naked, a thick manhood flapping around as he swung destructive punches.

What gave Wei Wuxian cold sweat was the Yin Tiger Tally imbedded in the corpse's chest, pulsating and glowing.

He bit his lip. He needed to take it down.

 

His eyes scanned his surroundings and found a few swords laying amidst the broken bits of shelves. 

While keeping the undead in check, he ran towards the weapons and picked one from the lot just in time to use the sheathed sword to block a heavy fist. Channeling power into his biceps and firmly planting his feet on the ground, he pushed back the fierce corpse and sent it flying.

Wei Wuxian winced as his opponent crashed into furniture. His hands were shaking around the hilt and his bones creaked. Blocking that hit had been a bad idea. If he did that again, his arms would surely break.

The corpse flailed about, struggling to get up, like a beetle turned onto it's back.

The teenager didn't hesitate and seized the opportunity to take a stack of talismans cut like stick figures from his sleeves. He light them all and threw them at the undead. They pinned his limbs, the ghosts tied to the talismans had died of gluttony and were quite heavy. 

The fierce corpse grunted and groaned as he tried to rise, the seams that tied his limbs to his torso unraveled, his movements becoming uncoordinated. 

Wei Wuxian unsheathed the sword with one smooth motion and closed the distance between the two of them. Odd, the sword felt right in his hands. He took the tip of his sword and began prying the Yin Tiger Tally from the large chest. 

The corpse managed to free its left hand and was about to crush his skull, the thick fingers curling around his hair.

 

Clunk!

 

The Yin Tiger Tally fell to the ground. The undead stilled but Wei Wuxian reacted quickly.

When he took the Tally and separated the two halves, the cloying demonic energy dispersed. Wei Wuxian caught his breath, feeling as though he was breathing fresh air for the first time in forever.

The fierce corpse slumped to the ground, inanimate. 

 

What an interesting undead, Wei Wuxian thought.

He took a few other talismans and began sealing the corpse to make sure it wouldn't just jump him as soon as his back turned. He would put it in his Qiankun bag soon, but for now, he turned it over, observing it with curious, sparkling eyes.

There were calluses on the fierce corpse's left hand, his shoulders were broad and his waist narrow. If he still had a head, this man would undoubtedly be taller than Wei Wuxian, even if the teenager were to be back to his full height.

He sighed as he was brought back to earth.

 

In his left hand, the Yin Tiger Tally sat heavy, digging into his palm. Wei Wuxian was certain he had destroyed it before his death, two hundred years ago. He activated a new light talisman and carefully observed the Tally.  He could use his phone's flashlight, but he'd rather conserve the battery as the ruins of Lanling city did not have a single power outlet.

The yellow light caught oddly at one of the halves, like someone had glued it back together. He hummed. So it had been fixed. No wonder it felt weaker than he last remembered.

Wei Wuxian unfortunately did not have the necessary talismans to seal it, but he would work on that back at his flat. He slipped the Yin Tiger Tally into his jacket's pocket, which he zipped shut. 

 

He looked down at his right hand. He was still holding the sword he had found. It was a gleaming blade, obviously of the highest quality. The sword pulsed and shivered, ecstatic to finally be held by its rightful owner after so long. 

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes, feeling wetness gather under his lashes. 

 

Suibian, the blade given to him by Jiang Fengmian so, so long ago.

 

After his death, he had always hoped that Suibian would return to its home, in Yunmeng. For Jin Guangyao to have it in his secret stash of treasures, the man must have been quite a fan of the Yiling Laozu.

 

Sheathing the blade with a clink, Wei Wuxian rose to his feet.

He kept exploring the room, more carefully this time. Pieces were starting to fit.

 

The Jin clan, save for Jin Zixuan was obsessed with demonic cultivation and Wei Wuxian's control over the undead. It looks like after The Burial Mounds' siege, Jin Guangyao had taken the Yiling Laozu's manuscripts and experimented with fierce corpses himself. 

His foot nudged something. He looked down.

 

There was a skeleton slumped on the ground. Wei Wuxian had no problem identifying it as Jin Guangyao, since the bones were wearing rich golden robes and a tall hat rested atop it's skull.

He crouched down, bringing the light closer. The teenager had stopped being disturbed by death hundreds of years ago, simply analysing the cadaver like a teacher would an essay. There were a few bones of the cervical spine that were broken. It looked like the cause of death.

Wei Wuxian hummed and followed the gaze of the corpse's hollow sockets. 

 

There was another skeleton there. This one he didn't recognise. 

These remains wore black robes and there was a dagger sticking from it's chest.

Wei Wuxian frowned.

This dagger looked familiar.

 

He wrapped his hand around the hilt and pulled the blade free, the bones creaking. Turning it over his palm, he finally placed the weapon: Wen Ruohan's assassin dagger. 

The teenager rummaged through the black clad skeleton's remains. From the tools he pulled out of the pockets, it looks like they had been an assassin and a demonic cultivator. He looked back at Jin Guangyao's body, his eyes narrowing.

 

He turned over the unidentified remains' belongings, pulling into his bag what he thought was interesting. He found two Qiankun pouches hidden inside the corpse's sleeves. Nimble fingers already opening the drawstrings, Wei Wuxian peered inside. 

The first pouch contained two swords, one radiating with evil energy, the other cool and pure. The second pouch made the teenager's sparkling curiosity fall, replaced with a solemn expression. The shivering fragments of a soul trembled inside the bag. He closed it quickly. From a glance, he felt simply breathing on the soul would disperse it, too frail to stay together.

Hesitating for a second, Wei Wuxian, uncharacteristically gentle, slipped the second Qiankun pouch into a separate compartment of his backpack. He didn't want to think right now. His enthusiasm was dampened by the discovery. The pouch that contained the two swords went into his bag. Since swords were intimately tied to their owners, Wei Wuxian believed that they could be an important clue in figuring out the black-clad skeleton's identity.

He dug through the thread bare pockets of the unidentified remains, extracting a small bag filled with a dark grey powder and a few long iron nail.

The powder stuck to his fingertips when he manipulated the pouch. Wei Wuxian brought the bag to his nose, which wrinkled in disgust.

Corpse toxin.

 

This powder, if ingested could turn a healthy living person into an hopping corpse.

Sparks erupted from his fingertips, consuming the powder.

He coldly watched the toxin burn into nothingness. Wei Wuxian abhorred this type of demonic cultivation because it was so easy for it to be used on wide areas and hurt innocent people.  He had created this type of cultivation as a last resort to defeat the might of the Wen Clan's army, not to harm civilians.

As the flames burned the poison, smoke curling to the ceiling, pained whines cut through the silence. Alarmed, Wei Wuxian rose to his feet. 

He found the source of the whimpering nearby. It came from what looked like a metal bird cage made of thick, rusted iron. However, it was not a bird inside.

There was a grey severed head on a nest of long matted hair inside the cage. The head's eyes were rolled back and there were whimpers slipping from his mouth. Spent forbiddance talismans laid near the cage, so old the inscriptions on them were almost fully erased.

Nie Mingjue.

What the hell was Nie Mingjue's severed head doing in a cage? -In Jin Guangyao's secret room.

Wei Wuxian grabbed the cage.

 

Disoriented, the head started to snap his teeth and snarl. He stepped away from the bodies and back towards the headless fierce corpse. Crouching in front of the undead, Wei Wuxian put down the head in front of it. 

Surprised, the head stopped fussing and dazedly looked at the bound body.

 

As he thought. 

 

He left the head there and turned back to continue his search.

His eyes had started to sting, feeling the weight of fatigue. He had covered a lot of ground in this secret room, but there was still a bit more to see.

Rubbing his eyes, he turned on his phone. Yikes, school was starting in two days.

Wei Wuxian walked towards the last of the uncharted corner of the room.

A large table stood. There was another body strapped to it, thick heavy chains restraining every limb.

 

As he grew closer, the formerly still corpse began to move, the restrains rattling loudly.

The energy of this undead was so familiar, Wei Wuxian had no need to see its face.

"Wen Ning." Wei Wuxian called out, his throat dry. 

The fierce corpse jerked, turning his head towards the teenager, grunting.

The chains were made of a special metal and couldn't be cut so easily, even with a spiritual blade like Suibian. From what Wei Wuxian could see, there were no obvious weak points to them. His jaw clenched.

Wen Ning was his friend, no way he would leave the man behind.

The chains were connected to the floor with thick nails, rusted from centuries of neglect.

Humming, the teenager stroked his chin.

If he couldn't cut through this metal, perhaps the chains could be pulled out?

"Wen Ning, Wen Ning." He called out to the corpse. When he was answered with garbled gibberish, he frowned.

Could he no longer speak?

 

Wei Wuxian took a deep breath and began whistling. Upon hearing the gentle tune, Wen Ning stilled and the teenager managed to connect with the ghost general.

Wen Ning's mind was blurry, his consciousness sealed within his skull. Whenever Wei Wuxian would connect to his deceased friend, they would partially share sense. He had chosen to do so to help him during his attempts to make him aware. Currently, he felt piercing pain at his temples, like he was being stabbed right through his brain, a pounding throb making his eyes burn and his teeth grind.

Unable to reach Wen Ning's conciousness, the teenager changed his whistling's tune, the melody shifting from mellow to more agitated. The fierce corpse fought back against the restrains, pulling hard at the chains.

After a cacophony of metal clanking, Wen Ning's right arm ripped the chain from the ground, allowing him to partially sit up. His hand freed, he used it to help his left.
The second chain was pulled off the ground, the thick nails anchoring the restrain were sent flying through the room, narrowly missing Wei Wuxian's right eye. 

Wen Ning's feet were freed in a similar fashion, except the chain tied to his left ankle's cuff broke at the weakest link, whipping at breakneck speed.

Once the fierce corpse stood before him, chains still hanging from his limbs, Wei Wuxian stopped whistling.

 

He shot another glance on the empty table, a few scattered pieces of chains remained on the bloodied table. He pinched his lips. 

Corpses don't bleed. 

Wei Wuxian walked back to Jin Guangyao's skeletal remains and kicked him straight in the chest, the ribcage shattering upon impact. What a sick bastard.

Chains clanked behind him. The teenager whipped around in panic, thinking wen Ning had also gone berserk, only to be faced with the undead obediently following him. When the fierce corpse noticed that his master had turned around, he walked, awkwardly hindered by the long chains, around him to stand a step behind Wei Wuxian.

The adrenaline simmered down in his body as he sighed in relief. He turned to face the undead. Wei Wuxian stopped him from positioning himself behind his master again and scratched behind Wen Ning's ear, a small nostalgic smile on his lips. The corpse let out a pleased coo.
It looks like he still retained some sensation of physical touch, which was good.

 

His eyes caught a glint of metal peeking from Jin Guangyao's lapels, now slightly open thanks to his kick. He bent down and picked it up.

 

It was a heavy, rusted keychain. There were dozens of keys hanging from it. 

 

Wei Wuxian pocketed it and made his way to Nie Mingjue's body. The head was still wordlessly staring at the decapitated body. "Hey there, buddy." He called out, ontly to be met with silence. Bending down, the teenager grabbed Nie Mingjue's head with both hands. 
"Sorry, pal, gotta put you in my bag." He said, opening the zipper to his backpack's main compartment. "Can't walk around with a head in my hands."

He carefully dumped the head, cage and all, into his bag. Next, he took his Qiankun bag and made it swallow up Nie Mingjue's body.

 

Heading towards the exit, Wei Wuxian slung his backpack over his shoulder. He  looked over his shoulder to make sure Wen Ning was following him, which he was. 

The bronze mirror's surface quivered before spitting them out.

 

In the days that Wei Wuxian had spent inside of the secret room, Lanling had dramatically changed.

The omnipresent stale demonic energy that was hanging in the air had shifted, thinner now, and had sent the demonic creatures who had made their home there go berserk. Ghosts and walking corpses tore into each other, demonic snakes bore their teeth, locked into battle with demonic bulls, shaking the earth with their hooves.

Wei Wuxian cursed under his breath as he sprinted back to the Pageantry Hall, where he left the rest of his belongings. Wen Ning followed him obediently, his footsteps clumsy, as though he was unused to walking. A tall primate looking creature with huge arms and fists spotted him and tried to bring down its fists upon him. In a panic, Wei Wuxian whistled a high note, feeling his demonic Qi pull at the man behind him.

Wen Ning sprung into action, threw his arm out, the chain followed, whipping around and wrapping the demonic beast's wrist. He pulled his arm back, the chain getting taunt and throwing the creature off balance. As it fell, the fierce corpse jumped up and clawed its eyes out, the two wet jiggly balls splattering against the grown. 

Reaching Pageantry Hall, Wei Wuxian grabbed his sleeping mat and the few talismans he had laid down to create a safe zone.

 

Just as he was stuffing his belongings into his backpack, his eye caught something green peeking through the cracks of the marble floor.

A dandelion had began sprouting from the earth.

 

Not the corrupt kind either, a genuine, healthy sprout, green and full of vitality.

 

With the Yin Tiger Tally split in halves and tucked into his jacket, it seems like nature would be able to finally be able to reign supreme.

 

 

A crashing sound brought him out of his reverie. Wen Ning had pushed a giant devil bird into the wall, the structure weakened by the passage of time gave under the weight of the beast, crumbling to pieces. The bird cried out, the black mist surrounding it spiking.

Wei Wuxian made a sword seal with his fingers, Suibian flew out of its scabbard and hovered over the ground. The teenager stepped upon his sword and flew quickly towards the brawl. He grabbed Wen Ning and flew off towards the sky. The fierce corpse tried throwing himself back at the bird, but Wei Wuxian whistled anew, calling off the attack. At the command, the undead obediently settled behind his master.

High up in the air, the teenager looked back down at the ruins of the city below him. The thick, red miasma was mostly gone.

 

He wondered how long it would take for the rest of the cultivation world to notice and reclaim Lanling. He also considered that the three great sects might be too busy, since there had been a large increase in demonic creatures appearing in cities and towns lately.

 

The wind was harsh and cold at the altitude they were flying at but Wei Wuxian was burning with passion and curiosity. 

He had uncovered an odd secret linked to his past. The Yin Tiger Tally, Suibian, his manuscripts, Wen Ning and Nie Mingjue, there was no way Jin Guangyao had an innocent explanation for owning them.

 

 

 

Luckily, Wei Wuxian wore dark colours and hopefully wasn't that noticeable when he flew on Suibian. He touched down on his apartment building's rooftop. His cellphone got internet again and began pinging loudly and repeatedly. Wincing, he pulled out his phone as Suibian sheathed itself, holding the scabbard in his left hand. 

There were twelve missed calls and thirty unread texts on his phone. Wei Wuxian scratched his head and read the caller ids. Most of the calls had been from his shijie, then from the peacock. Jiang Yanli had also sent most of the texts. At first, she'd ask if he wanted to come over to their shared flat, then when he didn't answer immediately, she sent a string of worried texts and voicemails. After, she seemed to have tried to get a hold of him through Jin Zixuan's phone. There were also some from his classmates asking to hang out, but they were few.

Under Wen Ning's blank stare, Wei Wuxian dialed his Jie's number, slightly guilty for worrying his martial sister.
"-llo, hello?" Jiang Yanli answered, worry and relief evident in her voice. "A-Xian? Are you alright?"
"Ayah, I am, I am, I didn't have reception for a while." He said, a smile on his lips.

"Oh, thank goodness! Where have you been, you didn't answer your door!" She said. The teenager could hear her walking through her apartment and sitting on her couch.

"I went on a trip to get a surprise!" He said playfully. "I should have warned you I was going to be out for a few days. After living for so long in this world, I forgot there wasn't internet everywhere." He said, laughing.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Jiang Yanli asked again. "You know you can tell your Jie anything."

"I am, Jie. It's just been an eventful break." He laughed. "I haven't slept in sixty-three hours and I really need a nap."

He heard the woman sigh. "Alright, but call me back when you wake up."

"I'll do better than that and visit you tomorrow, yeah?" Wei Wuxian said with a grin.
"Sure" She said.

They small talked but hung up soon after.

The chains rustled behind him. Wei Wuxian turned to look at Wen Ning, still obediently standing behind him.
"Now what am I supposed to do with you?"

He slid his black jacket off of his shoulders and instructed Wen Ning to put it on. If the hood was pulled up, the fierce corpse's ashen complexion could hardly be seen, the matted greasy hair spilling from the cowl, obscuring his face. 

Wen Ning held the four chains tight to his chest as he followed the teenager through the hall of the building. It was late at night, so hopefully, nobody would see them.

The trip from the rooftop to Wei Wuxian's flat was uneventful and soon, the teenager closed the door of his flat behind the undead. He made the fierce corpse remove his jacket to put it with the rest of the laundry.

Under his apartment's LED lights, he could see the holes in Wen Ning's tattered rags and how the grime stuck to his skin. Wei Wuxian pulled two of his flat's folding chairs and sat the undead in front of him. He spent the next half-an-hour trying every key from Jin Guangyao's keychain on Wen Ning's cuffs.

At last, the heavy metal restrains unlocked. Wei Wuxian unclasped them and laid them on the floor. He'd pick them up later.

 

Guiding the fierce corpse to his tiny bathroom, the teenager spoke again. "Alright, NingNing, last chance to wake up, or else I'll undress you." He was obviously met with silence.

Slightly disheartened, Wei Wuxian rubbed his face. He wasn't feeling good about baring the other man without consent, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice right now. 
When they were in the Burial Mounds and Wei Wuxian was attempting to bring him back, he also had to divest the corpse of his clothing.

Removing his clothes didn't take long, mainly because he was wearing pieces of clothing barely held together by threads. The teenager made Wen Ning sit down on the shower's floor and began washing him.

 

When he rubbed the third shampoo in the corpse's hair, his fingers found a hard spot at the man's temple. 

After further manipulation, Wei Wuxian realised that the unidentified spots were actually made of metal. That wasn't there before, he thought, frowning.

Because of the slippery soap, his finger slipped under the metal spot. Surprised, he tried sliding another finger beneath the object. The metal slid further up, making Wen Ning moan in pain. He pulled more and managed to extract the object from the corpse's skull.

It was a long nail, just like the ones that the black clad skeleton had in its pocket.  Wei Wuxian let go of the nail, startled. It rolled on the shower's floor in the brown water that streamed down of Wen Ning's body. He checked the other side of the man's skull and found another nail sticking out of his head.

Who in their right mind would do such a thing?!

In his mind, he felt the link between the two of them stutter, then connect. Wei Wuxian stared at the nails, even more disgusted. 

Had those been put there to remove Wen Ning's consciousness?

 

Their bond still felt sluggish. It would probably take a few days for the fierce corpse to regain clarity. 

In the meantime, Wei Wuxian would make sure his friend woke up squeaky clean. He doubled down on his efforts to salvage the matted strands of hair.

After laboring in the shower for hours, Wen Ning was finally clean. As he blow-dried the corpse's hair, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but admire the results of his hard work.

The Ashen skin almost glowed after he had applied the skin moisturiser that Jiang Yanli had given the teenager for his birthday, faint black veins could be seen from under the skin. It looked like Kintsugi, the japanese art of repairing pots with gold. 

The conditionner had also worked miracles, if the glossy black hair was any indication. The comb went in smoothly now, no longer painfully tugging at the roots. If it were anyone else, Wei Wuxian would have rather just shaved the matted mess, but since Wen Ning was dead, his hair wouldn't grow back. It was one thing waking up naked in a different century, but it was an entirely other to wake up bald.

Once the fierce corpse was dry, Wei Wuxian wrestled a white t-shirt, tidy whities and black shorts upon Wen Ning's body. He instructed the undead to lay down on the messed up couch he had found on a side walk and brought into his flat.

"Stay." He ordered before checking his phone. He had told his Jie he would have lunch with her and it was now four in the morning. He would be able to sleep for a bit until then.

Ignoring his growling stomach, Wei Wuxian collapsed on his bed.

 

 

A phone buzzed on the nightstand, the ringtone of Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie' rang loudly, stirring the teenager from his sleep.
Bleary-eyed, Wei Wuxian answered the call. "Hello?"
"A-Xian? Where are you?" Jiang Yanli asked from the other side of the phone. "I'm at the park and I don't see you."

He flinched and tumbled out of bed, crashing on the floor in a ball of limb and blanked, any hint of fatigue stripped from him.
"A-Xian?" The woman asked again, concerned after hearing the fall.

"Hahaha" He mechanically laughed. "I'm not far, just a few blocks away! Traffic is crazy today!" He said, panic rising in him as he jumped out of his wrinkled clothes and into fresher ones. "I'll be there in five!"

The park they had decided to meet at for lunch wasn't far from Wei Wuxian's flat, a mere twenty minute walk away. The teenager did suspect Jiang Yanli had decided to meet there instead of a restaurant was because she knew he didn't have much pocket money. Also, it was ten minutes away from his former orphanage and his sister and her boytoy weren't aware that he didn't live there anymore.

In his rush, he didn't even take the time to tie his tennis shoes before leaping out of the window with Suibian in hand. 
Truly, finding his sword was a blessing.

The sword unsheathed mid-air and Wei Wuxian landed on the flat of the blade, flying at breakneck speed towards the park.  He touched down at the edge of the park behind a tree with a minute to spare.

Out of breath, he jogged toward a woman wearing a purple sundress, sitting on a picnic blanket.

Jiang Yanli looked up from her book and smiled at him. "A-Xian! You're here!" 
"Jie!" He chirped before he sat down next to her. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's alright, I wasn't waiting long."
Wei Wuxian shook his head. "No way, no way! Making Jiejie wait is a capital offense! I should be thrown in jail!"

The woman laughed. "I should be thanking you, I haven't had much me time lately."  
"Oh. Really?" He asked, tilting his head. "The peacock or cooking school?"
"both." She replied with a smile. "It's a lot more homework than I thought." Jiang Yanli frowned, her eyes catching what the younger man held. "Is that... Suibian?"

"Mhn?" He looked down at the sword in his hand. "Ah- Haha." He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
The young woman stared back up at him. "Where did you find it?"

"I found it in Lanling." He admitted.
A gasp fell from her lips. "You went there! Wasn't it cursed land?"
"Well, not anymore!" Wei Wuxian said with a cheeky grin.
"Oh, A-Xian, What have you done?"

"That's something you should ask Jin Guangyao, really!" 
"Ah." She sighed, holding her face in her hands. "What am I supposed to do with you?"
Pouting, Wei Wuxian spoke with a childish tone. "Praise me!"

Helpless to her Shidi's puppy eyes, Jiang Yanli pet his head.
After a beat, she asked "Did you find anything interesting?"

 

Notes:

Please comment your thoughts on how to make the story better!

Chapter 4: Last time I saw you, your were thiiis small!

Summary:

New family member

Notes:

Between the first part and JL's pov, there is a three-year timeskip.

Disclaimer, this is my first mdzs fic, so some characters might be acting ooc.

Crouched on the kitchen floor in front of the sink, Wei Wuxian was checking over his loot when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

 

He tore his eyes away from the wash bassin where he was cleaning the jewels he'd found in Lanling to see Wen Ning standing behind him, blank faced but disoriented.
A happy grin split on Wei Wuxian's face. "You're up!"
His shy eyes darting away, the fierce corpse took a breath and rasped out "Wei-Gongzi- What-where?"

Rising to his feet, the teenager gave him a big hug. "I'm so glad you're conscious again!"
Unsure where to put his hands, Wen Ning patted Wei Wuxian's back awkwardly, his touch feathery light.
"What- happened?" He asked, looking lost and afraid.

"Ayah~ That's complicated, really!" Wei Wuxian said, scratching his head. "Long story short, I was reborn fourteen years ago, two hundred years after my death, and I found you in Jin Guangyao's secret treasure room last week."

Wen Ning held his head in his hands, trying to piece together his memory. "I- two hundred years? I remember surrendering to the Jin Clan, then -then my sister was killed." He said, his expression falling. "There was this demonic cultivator who messed me up, and then -then, nothing." He fell silent, searching for the right words. "I think Jin Guangshan was in on it. He plotted with his illegitimate son."

After thinking for a second, Wei Wuxian hummed. "Well, Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao are dead and the Jin Clan was destroyed centuries ago. There is not much else we can do to punish them."

Wen Ning bowed his head. "Is... anyone from our time still alive?"
"Yeah!" The teenager casually said. "The Gusu Lan twin jades and their uncle, Nie Huaisang, Jiang Cheng and a few other people I don't remember." 

The fierce corpse rubbed his hands nervously. "So it's best if I remain locked." He said as though he was reaching a logical conclusion.
Wei Wuxian simply looked at him as though he had grown a second head. 
"Are you dumb?"

Sputtering, Wen Ning tried supporting his argument.

Hearing none of it, the teenager clapped the fierce corpse's shoulder playfully. "Come on! There are so many things for you to enjoy! No way I'm letting you miss all of that."

He walked to his backpack and extracted the iron cage containing Nie Mingjue's head. Grinning at his friend, he said in a cheerful tone "You can start by prying this open! I would've done it myself, but I don't want to get tetanus."

Tied between mortification and confusion, Wen Ning's quiet voice stumped the teenager. "Is that Sect Leader Nie?-What's...tetanus."

 

While the fierce corpse destroyed the cage, Wei Wuxian pulled the rest of Nie Mingjue's body out of his Qiankun pouch. He cursed when a leg fell on the floor, the stiches having fully given out. Throwing the corpse over his shoulder, he bent down and picked up the leg.
"Are you done?" He asked Wen Ning. 
"Almost."
"Okay, I'll be in the shower washing this guy." He said, smacking a grey butt cheek. "Bring the head over when it's free."

Before the timid man could answer, Wei Wuxian had already entered the bathroom. He deposited the man on the floor. The dismembered leg started squirming since it was no longer bound by the sealing talismans.

With a shout, he ran after it, the large grey leg jumping all over the bathroom until the teenager finally caught it. The rest of the shower was just as rowdy, wrestling the body under the shower until they were both soaked.

When Wen Ning finally knocked on the door with Nie Mingjue head in his hands, he found his master sitting atop the corpse's lower back as it's limbs flailed about, trying to claw at the boy pining him down.
"Ah! There you are! Come, come, help me out here!" Wei Wuxian waved him over.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the fierce corpse walked over and assisted the teenager. 

With the head in the same room as the rest of his body, Nie Mingjue was much tamer, but it still took a lot of time and effort for the both of them to clean the restless body.

 

"Ah!" Wen Ning shouted, alarmed. The seam on the arm he was cleaning frayed, barely holding the limb to the torso. Wei Wuxian looked over.
"It's alright! Just remove the thread, it'll be easier to clean! I need to re-do the stitches all over sooner or later." He reassured the other man. 

After the shower, Nie Mingjue was in five pieces, squirming on Wei Wuxian's kitchen counter. The teenager in question took a rubber band and tied the head's now-clean hair up in a bun so it was out of the way.

He was rummaging through his drawers, Wen Ning still keeping an eye on the jigsaw corpse. Wei Wuxian tsked, a displeased expression on his face. 
"What's the matter, Wei-Gongzi?" The undead asked.
"I don't have needles nor thread, I'll need to go buy that." 

"An errand? Please let me do it!" Wen Ning said, determined.

Wei Wuxian shook his head. "Let's go together. The world has changed too much for you to go alone."
"But we can't let Nie-Zhangmen alone here." The fierce corpse argued.

In response, the teenager slapped a couple of sealing talismans on the corpse. "Well, that's good enough." He announced, cracked his knuckles and brought the undead to his bedroom, where he helped the man change into jeans and a black hoodie. 

As the other man changed, he noted that the fierce corpse had a hard time raising his arms above his head, a result of joint stiffness caused by rigor mortis. Wei Wuxian'd need to address that soon. He had a ton of new improvements he wanted to give to Wen Ning.  

The teenager gave him a facemask and pulled the hood up.

Now people wouldn't be able to tell he was dead at a first glance.

 

"Alright, Nie Mingjue!" Wei Wuxian said, his voice cheerful. "We'll be back soon, take care!"

He led Wen Ning Outside of his apartment after grabbing Suibian. During his picnic with Jiang Yanli, he had bought a sword bag to carry the blade more easily and to keep from drawing attention especially since, except the three Great Sects, it was no longer allowed to carry a weapon in public.

He slung the strap over his shoulder and walked down the hallway after locking the door to his flat. Wen Ning followed him, hunched over himself, looking at everything in awe.

 

Wei Wuxian laughed his ass off at the fierce corpse's reaction to an elevator, the way he had startled and raised his fists when the door had opened. Wen Ning already looked nauseous when he got off.

Before they exited the building, the teenager turned to his friend. "Outside is... a lot, so be chill." He warned.
The man steeled himself before following his master out on the streets.

 

No amount of preparation could have readied him for how overwhelming everything would be. The metal beasts on the streets, the glowing signs, the people on the streets, it was too loud, too bright, too smelly.

Wen Ning clung to Wei Wuxian for dear life, trembling like a newborn fawn in a tiger's den. Unbothered, the teenager walked into a store and had no problem locating the supplies they needed. The cashier rang up his items and counted the cash he handed her.

 

The trip lasted no more than twenty-five minutes, but to Wen Ning, it felt so much longer than that.
"So, how was your first trip outside?" Wei Wuxian jested once the door to his flat was closed behind them.
The fierce corpse unclenched his fingers from the teenager's biceps, unaware of the bruises he had left behind, and stared at the floor. "It will take some time to get used to." He whispered, ashamed of himself.
Wei Wuxian smiled apologetically at him. It had also taken him a while to adjust, but he had the advantage of being a baby then.

It took a few weeks for Wei Wuxian to stitch Nie Mingjue back together and after three months, the former sect leader of the Qinghe Nie clan was back.

 

 

--
On an humid night, a golden clad young man stomped on the sidewalk.
Jin Ling grumbled, forcing his way through the crowd.

Why the hell was everybody still hellbent on treating him like a kid?! He was a almost two-hundred years old cultivator, for heaven's sake!

Earlier today, he had accompanied his uncle to a meeting called by the Nie Clan.

 

Nie Huaisang was frantically fanning himself, obviously distressed. "Ah! Clan Leader Jiang, you're finally here!" He pulled a handkerchief out of his black and gold sleeves and patted his cheeks dry of tears. "It's horrible, horrendous! My family's tomb was rob-"
"Clan Leader Nie." Lan Xichen cool voice interrupted. The white clad man turned to Jin Ling, then faced Jiang Cheng. "Sensitive information is going to be discussed, it would be best if any... unqualified individuals left." 

Not even looking at his nephew, Jiang Cheng sighed heavily, a crease forming between his brows. "Jin Ling, step out." 
Bullshit! 

Jin Ling was the Jiang Clan's leader's nephew and if the Jin Clan still stood today, he would be at its head! He was more than qualified to assist that meeting.
Those pricks who called him immature were obviously blind!

 

If he had stormed out in blind rage like a petulant toddler, it was nobody's business!

 

He had gone out in the streets hoping that the night's air would cool him off, but the universe was obviously mocking him. The temperature was sweltering, sweat beading off of his brow.

Jin Ling clutched his sword, Suihua, tighter. The golden weapon had often been his only anchor during his existence. Sure, he relied on and loved his uncle, but they had grown more and more distant over the years.

Suihua was the only thing he had left of his father, even their Clan had been swallowed by demonic Qi.

 

Speaking of demonic Qi, the man felt a surge of it in a nearby alley. 

Over the past few decades, these impurities had increased drastically. For some reason, the more people gathered in cities, the more beasts showed up and disrupted daily life.

It had reached a point where the Clan Leaders had to meet every months to discuss incidents and try to find solutions. Many bodies of water had been condemned because they were infested with water ghosts and drowned ghouls. Undead lurked in the streets, urban legends were no longer legends, both inside and outside was no longer safe. There was at least one independent new incident a day. 

Some people didn't consider that a threat, since there was much more man-made crime than demonic related incidents, but cultivators who have been there for a considerable amount of time have noticed this wasn't natural activity. 

Something big was coming.

 

Currently, Jin Ling had no intention to act. He had hardly ever gone on successful night hunts and even then, he favored the use of traps and ambushes. The man was currently out of golden nets and was in no mood to deal with the demonic being.

 

Suddenly, he felt a blow at his side. Clutching his ribs, Jin Ling cursed. He leaped back and unsheathed Suihua, holding it up with both hands. The passers-by around him ran away, screaming.

A puddle of demonic sludge was on the ground, looking up at him with yellow, beady eyes. A hand surged from the puddle, then another, until half a disfigured person crawled on the ground. 

Yuck! This person looked like they had been in a car crash, their lower half crushed, intestines and giblets melding into a demonic slop on the ground.

Truly, the universe was out to get him.

 

As he exchanged blows with this crawling lowlife, a youth walked by, wholly unbothered by the sludge, squirming and screeching, attacking Jin Ling.

The youth, this seventeen years old boy, was quite handsome and tall, the tip of his eyes and lips slightly upturned, carrying the hint of a smile. His hair was long, perhaps even longer than Jin Ling's, held in a high ponytail, bangs framing his face. The teenager's skin was slightly tanned, giving him a sunny glow. He wore a black sweater and matching sweatpants. He looked over at the man fighting and paused.

He came to a halt, his eyes roaming over the cultivator.

 

The youth found this man quite interesting.

The cultivator wore traditional robes, with the gold and white peonies of the Lanling Jin, as well as the red dot between his brows, yet he used Yunmeng Jiang's swordsmanship. A silver clarity bell chimed from where it was hanging at the man's belt.

The scowl on the cultivator's face indicated that he had not desired this fight.

Readjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder, the teenager stepped closer to the cultivator with a smile on his lips.
As they say, curiosity gave the cat a very long and fulfilling life.

Jin Ling gave the disgusting creature a finishing blow and was about to walk away. When he turned, he almost bumped into the youth, who was still watching him with those sparkling silver eyes.

The youth grinned. "You know, demonic beasts are going to attack you if you wear clothes like that." 
Incensed, Jin Ling tried stepping around the young man, who simply followed him, his long hair wagging around like a puppy's tail.
"What's wrong with my clothes!?" He hissed, fed up.

"well~" He started with a half lecturing, half playful tone, like a teacher who flunked high school because homework wasn't worth the hassle. "Demonic creatures aren't as dumb as you give them credit for. After so long, they figured out the only ones who were a threat to them wore traditional clothing!" The youth said, taking bouncing steps next to the stomping Jin Ling.

"If you want to be left alone, you should wear civilian clothes!" He laughed, poking the tip of the cultivator's nose with his finger.

 

Stunned by this boy's utter lack of boundaries, Jin Ling thought this man, although handsome, was a nutjob. He sped up, hoping to loose this madman, but the youth effortlessly followed along.

"I know a nice place if you want new clothes!" He pestered, undeterred.
"Is that so?" Jin Ling said, menacingly. 

Seemingly unable to read the room, the teenager grabbed the cultivator's arm and pulled him along.
At first, Jin Ling had planted his feet in the ground, but this young man had an incredible amount of strength. Despite his resistance, the youth effortlessly pulled him towards a small shop nestled between a hot pot restaurant and a private clinic.

 

Fine.

 

If this kid was trying to sell him something, he's play along and leave as soon as he had his back turned.

 

The teenager pushed the door open, the bell chiming. Jin Ling looked around, yet no attendant came to greet him. He sulked. What kind of shitty service was this?

As though reading his mind, the youth turned back to him. "The auntie who owns the shop is hard of hearing." He explained as he went to the counter.

The shop was cozy, every surface had at least an article of clothing on it. It looked like a family owned clothing business. 

There was this little old lady stocking scarves behind the counter, her back turned to them. The young man stepped closer and raised his voice.
"Hi, Granny Wen!" He cheerfully yelled. The little grandmother startled and turned back to him. Her withered face lifted with a smiled when she recognised him. "Ayah! Little saviour!" She greeted. "What can this Auntie do for you?"  

She took his hand in hers and stared at him, an eternally grateful expression on her wrinkled face. The elderly woman then noticed the golden clad man behind him and her face fell. Confusion and worry marred her features. "Gongzi," She said, her voice shaking as she looked back and forth between the youth and Jin Ling. "Did you get in trouble again?"

The teenager shook his head, a smile still playfully tugging at his lips. "No, Auntie, he's here for clothes."
That did little to ease the woman's wary expression. "Is that so?"

Jin Ling neither confirmed nor denied it, simply observing the exchange. Why did this grandma look like she thought he would hurt them. As a cultivator, he was the good guy here! He didn't even want to come here to begin with!

 

After a beat, Granny Wen nodded and guided the two men to a section of the store. The youth finally let go of Jin Ling's arm to go fetch a few outfits for him to try on. About to seize the opportunity, the cultivator turned to leave, but his feet stopped when he noticed the elderly woman giving him the stink eye.

What the hell was her problem?

He turned back to the teenager just as he bounced back to him with his arms full of clothes.
"Here!" He said gleefully. "Try these on!"

Jin Ling sighed in defeat and grabbed the armful of cloth the youth held. He went into the cramped fitting room and looked over the options the boy had picked out.

As upset as he had been, these outfits were actually quite nice. He especially liked the white wide-legged jogging pants, who were so comfortable, and the tight jeans who made his legs look like they were longer than they actually were. There had also been an array of tops, t-shirts, dress shirts, hoodies, jackets, turtlenecks, but it was a sweater that he especially liked. It was a bright yellow sweater made of cotton that fit him like a glove.
"Well? Come on out and show us!" The irritating but tasteful youth asked from the other side of the door.

The cultivator did consider complying, but he just couldn't stop looking at himself in the mirror, posing in different manners to see which pants fit him best.  

However, he just looked too good and wasn't able to decide. Jin Ling pushed the door open and faced the youth.
"Which of these should I get." He asked, wearing the joggings and holding up the jeans.
"Ooh! Turn around!" He said, excited, making a circle motion with his fingers. Jin Ling did as instructed. "Can you squat?"
The cultivator crouched down and the teenager nodded with the seriousness of a judge. "Now show me the other one."

When Jing Ling came out in the white jeans, the youth made him do the same exercise, after which he gave his solemn verdict.
"Why not buy both?" He said with a grin.

Indeed, why not both. Jin Ling facepalmed, why hadn't he thought of this before. The youth helped the elderly shopkeeper put away the clothes the cultivator hadn't liked as he changed back into his traditional attire.

After Jin Ling handed the womana handful of cash for his purchase, the two men went into a cafe where they sat down.

 

In front of the cultivator, the youth sipped his mango explosion drink, then looked at Jin Ling with a grin.
"I think this was a pretty successful date!"

Jin Ling almost choked. He scoffed at the teenager. "You're far too young for me!" To which the boy snorted.
"For all you know, I am a lot older than you!" He said with a mischievous smile. "I could be your dad!"

"Yeah, right."

"Really!" The youth laughed. "Why don't you try calling me A-Die?" He said, wagging his finger at him.

The cultivator sneered. "Didn't you just say we were on a date?"
The teenager's grin stretched further. "Who knows, maybe you're into that?"

"Creep! Hasn't your mother thought you common sense!" Jin Ling slammed his fist against the table, his coffee mug shaking on the table.

The youth snickered. "Nope! She's dead!"  This rendered the man speechless, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. He stammered for a bit, unsure if he needed to apologise or stay silent.
In the end, he settled for a quiet "My mother... also died when I was young." He said, clenching his palm in his fist.

 

Putting his chin atop his fist, the teenager gave a knowing smile. "Yeah figured, since you don't respect your elders."
"What!" 
"Yeah, with Fourth Auntie! If my mom saw me doing that, she would have beaten my ass."  
"I'm older than her too!"

"Ayah!" The teenager shook his head. "Don't talk back to your father!"
"You're not my dad!"

"Sport, I know spending the summer with me instead of your mom wasn't what you wanted, but we're going to make it work." He said, placing his hand over Jin Ling's.

The man tried to rip his hand away, but the youth's grip was to strong. "Gross!"
The teenager let go and pretended to wipe tears. "They grow up so fast."

"I'm leaving-" Jin Ling announced, grabbing his bag of clothes. "-Dad."

The two men paused, frozen. The cultivator's face grew flushed in shame and anger.
"It's because you kept saying weird things!" He yelled, headless to the people who had turned to watch them.

The youth simply gave him a fond smile and pet his head. "It's alright, your old man doesn't mind."

Jing Ling got out of the cafe in a hurry.

 

What the hell happened back there?!
He shook his headm attempting to regain his senses, his ears burning in humiliation.

Forget it, he'd never see that boy again, no need to have these events keep him up at night.

Even though... 
This was the most fun he'd had since Fairy died over a century ago.

 

Notes:

Please comment!

Chapter 5: It's time to meet your makers!

Summary:

wwx 17 yo
jzx 19 yo
jyl 20 yo
jl 197 yo
jc 223 yo

The second time that Jin Ling met the youth had been a coincidence. 

As a noble cultivator, Jin Ling had kept modern life at an arm's length and disapproved of those who indulged in it. However, the youth had fearlessly grabbed him and made him cross that line.

From the yellowed light of the clothing store to the whistle of the coffee machine at the cafe, their meeting had been full of new experiences. He simply couldn't get them out of his head, the intrusive thoughts snaking their way into his mind the entire trip back.

Once back in Yunmeng, he had sneaked into his quarters in the Lotus Pier. The bag of clothes he had bought felt like a shameful secret and, as such, he had hidden it at the bottom of his wardrobe.

Yet, everyday when he opened it, Jin Ling felt the paper bag staring at him, mocking him. In all his two hundred years of life, he had never strayed from the life he thought would please his uncle. For some reason, this blunder, these clothes, felt like they could offer him the freedom he so desperately wished.

After a month of beating himself up for having these thoughts, Jin Ling finally yielded. He made sure Jiang Cheng was away when he pulled the bag from its hiding place. Putting on the yellow sweater and white jeans felt like shedding this stuffy, too big skin.

When he wore Lanling Jin's attire, he always felt as though he had to be both his mother and his father, to fill by himself the two holes they left behind. Now clad in this blasphemous streetwear, Jin Ling felt like... Jin Ling, no more, no less.

A clean slate.

With a shaking hand, he had stuffed a few rolls of money into his pocket and had wrapped Suihua in cloth before tying it to his back. The youth had told him so confidently he wouldn't encounter trouble when wearing civilian clothes, but he didn't want to take chances.

Moving cautiously, Jin Ling had sneaked out of the Lotus Pier. 

 

The city was loud and bustling, cars honking and people yelling. Despite being the host of the Jiang Clan, Yunmeng hadn't rejected modernity. Motor boats roared by on the nearby lakes. While the numerous bodies of water as well as the muddy terrain had stunted industrial growth and large scale building of real estate, it was still a lively city trying to attract a younger population with its new university.

On the weekends, the main street was closed off to cars, lined with numerous outdoor stands selling handmade goods. 

 

Jin Ling walked around, nervous that someone would recognise him, tugging at the hood to cover his face more. On the left side of the street, a certain shop caught his eye. It was a table with a purple tablecloth under an awning. The auntie behind it was leisurely waving a fan to relieve herself from the humid heat that plagued Yunmeng all summer.
"Ayah! Pretty boy!" She called him over when she noticed him staring. "Come see my jewelry!"

Said jewelry was made of silver and represented mostly lotuses. There was a spread of bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings. 

Hesitantly approaching, Jin Ling took a closer look at the gorgeous craftmanship. It had been bugging him that he was missing some bling on his new outfits 

He reached for a delicate sterling silver lotus necklace only for his fingers to collide with someone else's. 

Startled, Jin Ling turned around to look at the other customer.

 

The youth stood next to him, looking delightfully surprised. 
"Son! It's you!" He said with a large grin. 

Feeling his face burn, Jin Ling shot a glance at the shopkeeper, who was pretending not to eavesdrop, and asked "what are you doing here?"
"Hmn? Oh, my sister's birthday is soon and I want to get her a nice gift. How about you?"   
"I didn't have any jewelry that fit my new clothes." He mumbled.

"Ah!" The teenager laughed, his silver eyes bright. His long tanned fingers plucked a bracelet made of a thin silver chain. A small white lotus was encrusted into it. He dangled the jewelry in front of the cultivator.
"What about that?" He asked the man, his eyes curving into crescents.

Jin Ling hummed. "It's nice." He couldn't help but say.

While the cultivator was busy admiring the bracelet, the youth swiped the lotus necklace and paid for it. 
"Hey!" The man yelled, in disbelief the distraction worked. The teenager threw his head back and laughed as the auntie gave them a curious smile, counting the money. Gossiping was Yunmeng's national sport, after all.

He punched Jin Ling's shoulder. "Don't worry, sport, I'll make it up to you! How about ice cream.?" He said with a twinkle in his eyes.  
"I'm not a kid." The cultivator grumbled, handing a few bills to the shopkeeper.
"Ah, let me get that for you!" The youth said, grabbing the bracelet anew and clasping the jewelry around Jin Ling's wrist. 

Surprised at the overly intimate gesture, Jin Ling let him, feeling warm. It was nice, no one had ever gone out of their way to dress him. Sure, he'd once had servants to help dress him, but that was their job, they weren't doing it because they cared about him. "You'd look good with earrings on." The youth remarked, looking at the wide silver earrings laying on the purple cloth. 

 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He waved the boy off like he was swatting a fly, but in his mind, a seed had been planted.

Despite his grumpy expression, Jin Ling followed the teenager to a quaint shop.

"Hello!" He burst through the front door with a smile. An employee greeted them with a smile and showed them to a table. The youth turned back to him. "This shop has been making their own soy milk for centuries. I used to go there all the time when I was young. With my sister-" His bright smile dimmed, a hint of sadness creeping behind his eyes. "-and my brother."
He shook his head and donned back his happy demeanour. "Anyway, it's really good!"

The employee brought them their order, a pitcher of soy milk and two cups of soy ice cream, with honey and nuts sprinkled on it. The teenager immediately went to town, pouring the both of them a large cup of milk and eagerly pushing an ice cream towards Jin Ling. 

Taking a spoonful, the cultivator's eyes widened. This was good. Maybe he could even bring his uncle to this shop.  
"It's nice." Jing Ling said, licking the spoon clean. In a short matter of time, most of his bowl was empty. A prickly feeling tingled against his flesh, like he was being looked at. The cultivator looked up and saw the teenager staring at him with a fond grin.
"What?!" He said, crossing his arms over his chest as though to cover himself.

The youth's smile grew bigger. "I just like seeing you being happy, son."

Jin Ling scoffed and turned his head to the side. Something still bugged him. "Who the hell even are you?"

Seemingly surprised that he asked, the youth's smile widened. "I'm your dad."
Frustrated, the cultivator asked again. "Stop messing around, I'm serious! What's your name?"

Humming, the teenager seemed to weigh his options. "Depends." He said, stroking his chin. "How old are you?"
"Too old to be your son!" Jin Ling replied. At the lack of an answer, he saw that the boy before him was wearing an serious expression that he had never seen on the youth. He hesitated before speaking again. "I'm turning two-hundred soon."

His friend kept his serious expression for a second more before brushing it off and smirking. "Yet you still act like a fourteen years old little princess."

A gasp left Jin Ling's mouth before he could reign it in. He felt his face redden, his days of youth filled with the teasing of his peers from other clans. "Shut up!" He hissed.

 

In a huff, he stormed out of the restaurant, leaving the youth behind to settle the bill.

 

 

The third time they had met had been a stroke of luck. Jin Ling hadn't known where the bold teenager would be, but had hoped to meet him.

 

The cultivator was sneaking out of Lotus Pier when he felt a heavy pressure behind him. 
"Jin Ling." An angry voice called him. "Where do you think you're going, young man." The yellow clad man felt cold sweat gather on his back, betraying his fear. "Uncle." He bowed, hiding the silver bracelet on his wrist with his fist.

His uncle, Jiang Cheng, the mighty Sandu Shengshou, Leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, stood before him. His thin brows furrowed in an angry, arrogant way, his almond eyes like two bolts of lightning, vicious and merciless. Despite his age, he looked not a day over thirty. Zidian sparkled around Jiang Cheng's finger, announcing its owner's already foul mood.

Currently, the purple clad man looked at his nephew with an unreadable expression, a slight hint of disgust on his sneering lips as he took in the modern clothes Jin Ling wore.
"What even are these?" He asked derisively, gesturing the outfit. "They're not proper to you standing. Get rid of them." He announced, his words final, as he turned around to walk away.

Yet, Jin Ling remained rooted in spot. "No."
Jiang Cheng paused. "What did you just say." He said, his voice threateningly cold.

Clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white, Jin Ling stared back at his uncle, resolve written on his eyes. "I'm not a child. I can dress however I want and go wherever I want, that is not up to you to police."

The Clan leader walked to his nephew until they were standing face to face, barely a meter between the two of them. It was the closer Jin Ling had been physically to his uncle in years. The younger man had to fight the impulse to lower his head, stubbornly keeping his eyes up.
"Say that again." Jiang Cheng spat out, veins bulging from his forehead.
Jin Ling gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing, but nevertheless uttered "I will wear my new clothes and I will go out and hang with my friends. You obviously don't want me to be around you, so I'm going out to make a life of my ow-"

He was interrupted by his head whipping to the side, his cheek stinging from where his uncle had struck him. They both stared at each other in shock, but Jiang Cheng recovered faster, masking his emotions behind a cold mask of indifference.
"Leave." His uncle hissed.

Tears clinging to his eyelashes, Jin Ling didn't need to be asked twice. He ran out of the Lotus Pier's gates and hopped on Suihua, soaring high in the sky. 

Up there, with no witnesses, Jin Ling let himself break down, his tears rolling down his cheeks as he hiccupped, clumsily wiping his face with his sweater's sleeve. His right sleeve hiked up, revealing the bracelet that the youth had given him. The bright smiling face flashed in his head and he felt his chest ache.

Jin Ling directed his sword towards the city where he had first encountered the teenager, near Gusu Lan's territory.
For hours, he paced around the city, checking every face in the hope of finding his friend. The more time went on, the worst he felt, his throat growing stuffy and his heart clenching.

He angrily kicked a pebble, which ricocheted off a nearby surface, which let out a "Ahyo!" in pain. The man who had been struck stood up from his crouching position and looked around, rubbing his head with a pouting mouth.

"Dad!" Jin Ling felt relief when he saw the youth.
"Oh, hi." The teenager smiled at him, waving slightly. 

The cultivator jogged over to him. "What are you doing?" He asked.

There was a bucket of soapy water at the boy's feet and a wet rag in his hand. With a grimacing smile, the young man pointed at the nearby wall.

 

The was a mural on the wall made from spray paint. A red-eyed figure in black surrounded by crows held up a purple accented head, a purple clad decapitated body laying nearby, next to fallen bodies of cultivators wearing white. It was obvious what the mural depicted. 

His nails digging into his palms, Jin Ling felt anger rise into his body. "What kind of immature bastards could venerate the Yiling Laozu!" He looked back at his friend for approval, but the teenager was simply staring at him with a concerned look in his eyes.
"What?"

The youth raised his hand towards Jin Ling's bruised cheek. "Are you alright?"
"I- I'm fine! It's nothing, don't worry." He said, turning away, covering the bruise with his hand. 
"I am worried." The teenager simply said, tilting his head to the side, his bangs slightly obscuring his face. "You know... Nobody's going to help you if you keep saying you're fine. Even if you really aren't."

His 'dad' gently circled his arms around him, hugging the cultivator. "So don't keep me out, alright?"

"I-" Jin Ling started. He took a deep breath. "My uncle hit me." The man admitted. "It was the first time, so it's no big deal."
"It is a big deal. Don't miniminise violence. Your uncle has crossed that line, what stops him from crossing it again?"

Still trying to protect his uncle, the cultivator spoke. "It's how he was raised! My grandmother was notoriously aggressive."

The youth sighed as he picked up his rag anew and started to wash off the paint, starting with the blurred features of the Yiling Laozu's face. "Is that guy really your uncle? Like, older than you? Man, your family must be pretty talented cultivators if many of you reached immortality."

The cultivator huffed. "Yeah, I suppose for mortals like you, encountering an ageless being must be pretty amazing." His chest puffed up in pride. "My uncle is my mother's bother, the Jiang clan's leader."

A blank expression settled on the teenager's face. "Your uncle is... Jiang Cheng?" He stared at the man. "Then... you're Jin Ling?" He backed away, fear creeping behind his eyes. 

Jin Ling felt like ice was being poured down his back. "Are you -afraid of me?" He asked, his eyes burning.

Taking a few deep breaths, the youth closed his eyes. He opened his mouth and closed it, repeating a few times, unsure what to say.

 

Finally, he settled for " There is someone I want you to meet."

"Dad?"
The boy raised his hand. "Don't- Don't call me dad. It's- I'm your uncle now."

He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Jie?"

 

 

The apartment was nice and cool despite the heat wave outside. The air conditionner blew in the corner of the neat and tidy flat, making the curtains flutter. It smelled like fresh tea and ginger inside. The decor was white and modern, touchscreens on every appliances.

It made Jin Ling feel incredibly out of place in here, standing stiffly behind the teenager. The boy was currently talking with a woman of soft but plain countenance. She was wearing a lilac summer dress and her black hair was braided atop her head. There was something about her that was very familiar and despite his discomfort from the new environment, Jin Ling felt as though he could trust this woman with his life. She looked like she was in her early twenties.

In a hushed tone, the youth and the young woman spoke. "A-Xian? What's the emergency?" The lady asked, her tone soft.
Licking his lips nervously, the teenager said "Where is the peacock, this concerns the both of you."
"He's at work- A-Xian, are you injured or in danger?" She replied, expression filled with worry.

"I'm not, I'm not." He said, waving his hands in front of him. "Ah, let's wait for him." The youth gestured them to sit on the couch.

The woman frowned, but sat down. Still standing awkwardly in the entrance, Jin Ling observed the scene, completely lost. The youth noticed and pat the space next to the woman on the couch a few times. The cultivator complied, sitting next to her. 

The couch was made of white leather and could seat at least three, yet the teenager sat on am armchair on the opposite side of the room.
The gesture also seemed to puzzle the woman, whose eyebrows raised. "A-Xian? What are you doing?"

Startled, the youth shot to his feet. "Hahahahaha- I'm gonna go make food! Jie, do you have the ingredients for your pork rib and lotus root soup?"
"I do, but A-Xian-" She barely had time to utter those words that he had sprinted to the kitchen. "Get along, the two of you!" He's said before he exited the room.

Wei Wuxian had messed up big time. How the hell had he managed, between all the population of China, to single out Jin Ling and make the boy call him dad. He's the one who fricking made him an orphan to begin with!

The pot boiled as he added various ingredients. Wei Wuxian knew by heart how to make his Shijie's famous soup, the only recipe he never over spiced. He was currently making it to distract himself from the blunder he had made and while waiting for Jin Zixuan.

Once, he had robbed them of their right to be parents and he was about to do it again, claiming the peacock's role in Jin Ling's life.

No more.

 

It was close to dinner time when the soup was finished. He ladled the soup into bowls and put them on a tray next to some rice and store-bought side dishes. When Wei Wuxian walked back into the living room with the food, Jin Ling and Jiang Yanli were having a lively conversation.

There was a smile on both their faces. 

 

The front door opened just as he set down the plates on the living room's low table.
"A-Xuan!" Jiang Yanli greeted. She got up and gave the young man a welcome home kiss. Jin Zixuan reciprocated with a smile and looked around his flat where Wei Wuxian was nervously wringing his hands and the stranger who was sitting on the couch, who looked more at ease now.

"Hi there, I don't believe we've been introduced before." Jin Zixuan said, extending a hand to the cultivator.
"Ah, hello, your home is very nice. I'm sorry for the intrusion." He said, shaking his father's hand.
"It's alright, we're used to having him-" He gestured to Wei Wuxian. "-bring all sorts of characters here. I'd say you're the most normal one of the bunch!"

"Well, still, it's nice to meet you, my name is Jin Ling." The cultivator's smile mirrored Jin Zixuan's. They looked like two peas in a pod. 

Both Jiang Yanli and her boyfriend's faces paled. "Did he just say what I think he did?" She asked Wei Wuxian, her bottom lip trembling. Looking at the floor, he nodded.

Clenching his fists, Jin Ling flushed. "What is up with you, people-" He was interrupted by two pairs of arms hugging him.

Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli hugged him, tears rolling down their cheeks.  
"You big, strong boy, you've been through so much!" The woman said, squeezing tighter.
"Hush now, mommy and daddy are here." Her boyfriend added.

Surprised the embrace, Jin Ling wanted to protest, but he somehow felt his face heat and tears well up in his eyes. He returned the hug, overwhelmed by this feeling that churned the inside of his belly. This instinctual feeling of home.

 

From the corner of his eye, the cultivator saw Wei Wuxian standing to the side, this sad smile on his lips. He extended an arm. "Come, you're family too."

His eyes widened as he heard those words and the youth surged forth and hugged the three of them. "I'm so sorry." He whispered.
"Don't be, it wasn't your fault. You needed help and we weren't there with you." Jin Zixuan responded.

The four of them parted, still close. Jiang Yanli was wiping her eyes with a chuckle mixed with a sob. "Can we exchange numbers?" She asked her son.

"Number?" Jin Ling said, tilting his head to the side. "Like birth details?"

His eyes still red and puffy, Jin Zixuan shook his head. "No, a phone number, silly child. To keep in touch." He walked to the kitchen isle and opened the top drawer, where a bunch of stationaries, business cards, and calendars lay in disarray. Out of the mess, he fished out a cellphone in pristine condition.
"It's last year's model." He explained. "It still works, but my aunt got me a new one for Christmas." Jin Zixuan handed it to his son. "Here, I'll show you how to set it up."   

While father and son bonded over technology, Jiang Yanli took Wei Wuxian to the side. "A-Xian... How did you know?" She said, looking at the two yellow clad men.
The teenager scratched his head. "I've met him a few times, but I didn't know he was Jiejie's son. I learned that today." He admitted.
She hummed, this shadow lurking in her eyes. "Have you seen A-Cheng?" She whispered.
Wei Wuxian lowered his head. "No, I haven't." 
"I see." The woman said. "Jie, well be able to see him one day." the younger man said, squeezing his Shijie's hand in his.

Wiping her eyes, Jiang Yanli whispered "I sure hope so..." She walked back to the couch where her two boys were talking. "What's up?" She chirped, putting on a cheery front.

"Oh! What's your name and number?" Jin Ling said, excited, presenting his phone to Jiang Yanli. She took it with a smile and sat down on his other side so he was sandwiched between his parents.

With fair fingers, she typed in her information and handed the phone back to her son. He took it and looked at the new contact on his device. "Mom?" He said, surprised.

Next to him, Jiang Yanli beamed. He stared at the three other people in the room, wondering if they were crazy. "You're all the same, aren't you?" On his phone were Jin Zixuan's number, listed as 'Best Dad' and Jiang Yanli's as 'Mom <3'.

Wei Wuxian eagerly swiped the smartphone and held it out of Jin Ling's reach, already taller than the man despite not being his full height yet. With a mischievous grin, he added three other numbers. "Here!" He showed the cultivator. "This one is mine. You can call me for anything." He said, pointing to the one under the name 'the One Cool uncle'. 

"If you're in trouble and I don't answer, this one will work." He showed the number labelled 'Shy bunny bun'. "He's a shy guy, but he'll help you anyway he can."

"This one is muscle!" Wei Wuxian said, flexing his own impressive biceps, bringing Jin Ling's attention to the last contact, "Big daddy Bear'. "Call him as a last resort if me and the other guy are double dead. He's strong, but stubborn. And he doesn't owe me anything, so he's a bit of a wild card!"

"Ew! What's with those names!" Jin Ling raged. "These are gross, change them!"

His uncle simply laughed and dodged him when he tried to catch the troublemaker.

"Seriously, what the hell are your names!!!"

 

 

 

Notes:

Please comment!

Chapter 6: In a minute, we'll meet the Lans

Summary:

Lans are referred to as 'widows' since white used to represent death in ancient China.

Also, Jin Ling doesn't know what his friends' indentities are.

wwx 19
jzx 21
jyl 22
jl 199
jc 225
lsz 204

Notes:

The exact date of the first siege of the burial mounds (and in this case, the only one), is unclear, but after reflexion, it should happen somewhere in december, aka one month after jl is born. However, reflexion happened after I'd written the draft so, yeah, pretend it makes sense.

At nineteen, Wei Wuxian had managed to get into a nice university on a full scholarship, which, quite honestly, pissed off quite a few of his classmates and teachers. 
The reason was simple: despite being a obnoxious rascal, always teasing and pushing boundaries, his grades were flawless. 

He hadn't yet made a teacher quit, but there were two factions in regards to his behaviour. Those who rolled with it and replied with a smile loved him and found him energetic and bright. Those who want to break him to fit the mold of a 'good student' resent him, thinking him rebellious and dangerous, inciting people to misbehave. 

 

Unfortunately, he needed to be on guard now more than ever since his university was near Gusu and in Lan territory. Wei Wuxian had tried applying elsewhere, but of all the schools that accepted him, this one was the only university where most of his expenses were covered by his scholarship. 

Truly, he should consider himself lucky that the Lan Clan didn't personally supervise this school since his legal name was Wei Ying. He could hardly imagine Lan Qiren looking over the list of students, reading his name, then going 'yup, seems legit!'.

That would be hilarious if that were the case, though.

 

Before applying, he'd checked and the old coot was still alive, so was Lan Wangji. On the school's website was a brief history of the Lan Clan along with a list of the most important members of the Clan, most of them centuries old, even if, before he died, it was tradition for the Lan to enter seclusion after the hundred year mark.

 

It was quite surprising that the stuck up Lan Qiren and the twin jades didn't follow suit. Although Wei Wuxian supposed he didn't really have the luxury of pondering over the question.

 

"This place is nice." Jiang Yanli said, following her Shidi to his new dorm. Jin Zixuan hummed in agreement, carrying a box filled with Wei Wuxian's belongings. "You must be glad to finally move out of the orphanage. I'm surprised they've let you stay for so long." He eyed the woodworking tools sticking out of the box. "And let you keep this much stuff."

The tan man laughed as he unlocked the door, an underlying awkward edge beneath it. Even after all this time, he hadn't told them he'd been living in a flat for five years. At least Wen Ning and Nie Mingjue worked while he was at school and thanks to their salary, they had managed to find a better place that the shoddy apartment he had first rented. 

Through their bond, Wei Wuxian could feel the two fierce corpses nearby, waiting for the coast to be clear for them to sneak in. He considered himself lucky that neither of them demanded a room of their own and they agreed share Wei Wuxian's bedroom. 

Behind them, Jin Ling disagreed. "Humph! This place is smaller than my guest bathroom!." The cultivator set down the cardboard box he was carrying and crossed his arms. "Why are you even staying here? I could get you a much nicer place."

Shaking his head, Wei Wuxian smiled. "That's very nice, A-Ling, but I don't want you to have to support this old man. I wouldn't want to take advantage of you just because we're family."

"Wha-! If you feel that's too much, come live with me at the Lotus Pier! My residence is pretty empty and you can even attend university there! No need to stay with these prissy widows!" Jin Ling shouted, his face reddening. 

"Ayah! So bold, offering to sugar daddy your uncle." He jested, grinning from ear to ear.

His martial nephew sputtered and turned away, pouting. Both Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli found this adorable and hilarious. After bringing all of Wei Wuxian's boxes up to new residence, the four of them went out into town and held a small celebration at a small hot pot restaurant.  

 

His dorm was quite simple and he shared it with three other boys, Zhang Wei, Wang Zhiyu and Li Runchu. 

Zhang Wei was a boy from Gusu, quiet and soft spoken like everyone who grew up there. Wang Zhiyu was more rowdy and liked to throw surprise parties in their cramped flat. Because they were so spontanious, Wei Wuxian had to lock his bedroom door lest someone wandered in and found Wen Ning and Nie Mingjue standing in a corner, resting. Li Runchu was the leader type, orderly and responsible.

Both Wei Wuxian and Li Runchu were in the engineering course while Zhang Wei was in agronomy and Wang Zhiyu in literature.  

So far, the semester was going well and he liked his classes.

However, an unexpected event happened before summer break.

There was a weird atmosphere hanging around school that morning. Students were huddled together and excitedly speaking to each other.
"Li-Xiong!" Wei Wuxian waved at Li Runchu on the way to class. He caught up to the young man. "Is something going on?" He asked, puzzled.

"You haven't heard?" His friend said, an eyebrow raised. Li Runchu's saw the bags under the taller man's eyes and scoffed. "You were up all night playing with your trinkets again?"

Scratching his head, Wei Wuxian gave him a lopsided smile. He was both proud of his work and slightly bashful of the pointed looks his roommates gave him whenever the mess in his room overflowed to the common living area, bits and pieces from his latest inventions littering every surface, from the floor to the ceiling.  

 

After beginning his studies, he had figured out how to integrate modern knowledge to his creations. Two hundred years ago, he had already wanted to improve the Compass of Ill Winds, the 2.0 version, but thanks to years of work and the knowledge he got from his engineering classes, he'd managed to complete the brand new, amazing 3.0 version of it. Wei Wuxian had spent all night adding finishing touches, too pumped to sleep, and couldn't wait for Jin Ling to try it out. He'd love to go with his martial nephew on a night hunt, but he needed to keep a low profile.

Li Runchu sighed, shaking his head. "Incorrigible." He muttered. "The Lan clan is visiting the university this week."

The smile the taller man always carried on his lips froze and his footsteps faltered. "They're coming?" He asked, panicked. "Wh-whatever for?"

His roommate shrugged and entered their advanced mathematics classroom. "I heard they're looking to recruit new members for their sect." 

"Isn't it best to get younger people." Wei Wuxian asked, taking a seat next to Li Runchu. 
"Guess it's not socially acceptable anymore to take children away from their home to train them to be soldiers fighting against the supernatural." He mocked, pulling out his notebook.

 

The chatter in the classroom died down when the teacher rose to her feet. "AS you've heard, we'll be getting specials guests during the week. A member of the Lan clan will be meeting with each of you individually to test your spiritual talent and will be making an offer if they deem you qualified for it. You can, of course, refuse, which will not impact your status at school." She explained.

Nervous, Wei Wuxian licked his lip and sank further into his seat. He had seen the corner of a white robe flutter in the doorway. It was obvious that a Lan cultivator was standing outside the room, and, depending on the person, they could recognise him. 

"We're very lucky, an elder of the Lan clan came to visit us today." The teacher said cheerfully, gesturing the cultivator to come in. 

As he heard the word 'elder', he covered his face with his hands, groaning. Wei Wuxian could already see his lives flashing before his eyes.

A fair and refined young man crossed the threshold and walked to the front of the class in a dignified manner. He wore the white robes of the Gusu Lan Clan as well as the cloud patterned forehead ribbon. 

At the sight of the young man, the Yiling Laozu felt his stomach drop. The lad wore the forehead ribbon reserved for members of the Lan family, a direct relative of either Lan Xichen or his younger brother. All things considered, Wei Wuxian supposed it was a good thing he couldn't recognise the man, but he knew his memory wasn't the best. Furthermore, this Lan Elder most likely knew of his name, even if it was lost to history.

Under Li Runchu's curious eyes, Wei Wuxian slid down his chair until only the top of his eyes peeked from his table.
"Hello." The cultivator bowed his head. "My name is Lan Sizhui. I'll be conducting the examination today."

"Alright, let's start from the back of the class to the front. Elder Lan will be it the infirmary, please go there in an orderly fashion-" The teacher's eyes honed onto the class clown attempting to crawl to the door.

"Wei Ying!" She hissed. "Mind telling me what you think you're doing?"
Both Lan Sizhui and Wei Wuxian startled when the teacher called out the troublemaker's name. The two men's eyes met and the younger one knew he was fucked. The cultivator had reacted to his name, obviously he knew about him. 

Cursing under his breath, Wei Wuxian shot to his feet and squeezed his arms to his body. "Oh- Oooh, nooo, Miss Xue, I have a headache -and stomach ache -and diarrhea. I'll just-" He sprinted out of the room and into the hallway, ignoring the teacher's calls.

Indignant, Miss Xue stared at where her student had left and huffed. She turned to the cultivator, who was frozen in place. "I'm so sorry, Mr Lan. He's just a bad seed, I'll get him to write you a proper letter of apology."

Jolting out of it, Lan Sizhui shook his head. "Please don't be too hard on him." He said quietly, still looking at the door the young man had escaped from. 

 

After leaving class, Wei Wuxian hid in the library. Might as well read book on human biology and think of new ways to improve his fierce corpses. As he was muttering to himself while scribbling down notes, someone laid their palm upon his shoulder.

He turned around and saw Lan Sizhui standing behind him.
"Oh! What a coincidence, seeing you here! This isn't the infirmary, is it?" Wei Wuxian said with a shaky grin, feeling sweat roll down his back.

The cultivator looks troubled, with wide eyes looking at him with an hopeful nervousness. "Xian-Gege." He says, just above a whisper.

The nickname surprised him and the reborn man feelt as though the ground beneath him give under and swallowed him up. There was only one child who had called him this, so, so long ago, on the Burial Mounds. Wei Wuxian rose to his feet and looked at the man before him, searching for any similarities he'd share with the boy of his memory.
"A-Yuan." He responds. "Little radish, is that you?"

Lan Sizhui covered his mouth with his hand, then gave the taller man a big hug. 

After a second, the cultivator remembered his manners and let go with a gasp. He took proper distance with the other man and subtly wipes his eyes, where tears still clung onto his lashes.
"This Sizhui apologies, Senior Wei. This one wishes Wei-Qianbei has been well since- since we've last seen each other."

Wei Wuxian set a palm over his heart, feeling the organ beat wildly. "I'm glad you're alright, little radish." He said with a nostalgic smile. "May I ask, how did you become a member of the Lan Clan?"

"Lan Er-Gongzi found me after the siege and brought me to Gusu." Sizhui explained.

"ehh, really? That's-" Wei Wuxian was interrupted by a good looking young man wearing Gusu whites and a forehead ribbon with cloud motif. "Sizhui!" The cultivator shouted, only to be shushed by the librarian.

"Jingyi?" Lan Sizhui said, startled.
"What are you doing here? We're looking for you! We gotta start the examination!" The young man, Lan Jingyi, says, strutting into the library. He halted when he noticed his life-long friend's red-rimmed eyes. He stared back and forth between the black clad man and Lan Sizhui.

The young-looking man seemed to have reached some type of conclusion in his head because he grinned. "Sizhui, you rascal, have tried to ask out a university student? Tsk, tsk, you sly old fox, what would Hanguang-Jun say if he learned of this." Lan Jingyi scolded, shaking his head.

"Jingyi! It's not like that!" The fair young man said, attempting to defend himself.

Wei Wuxian observed their interaction for a minute before grinning happily and pat Lan sizhui's shoulder. "Let's get lunch!"
This wiped the smirk off of Lan Jingyi's face.
"Isn't it too early for lunch?" Sizhui asked.

"Nonsense! I skipped breakfast anyway, so it's fine!" The young man said as he pulled his little radish away.
The oddly rowdy Lan stared at them helplessly before he realised something. "Hey! Wait! what about the examination?!" Unfortunately, the two other men were already gone.

 

High up in the sky, Wei Wuxian and Lan Sizhui were flying on their swords. The Lan let himself be guided to an old neighbourhood. The street had many houses and apartment buildings. The only shops there were a clothing store, a medical clinic and a hot pot restaurant. The taller man entered the latter, holding the door open for Sizhui. 

It was barely past eleven and the place was empty but for the group eating in the corner booth. They were mostly Aunties and Uncles, with a granny and a woman in her thirties wearing a green hospital uniform.
"Hello!" Wei Wuxian cheerfully greeted.

The group turned to face them and returned the young man's greetings, but Lan sizhui audibly gasped. The cultivator's vision blurred with tears again.

Granny Wen, the owner of the clothing store next door, sat next to the woman in hospital scrubs. "Is something the matter with your friend, Little saviour?" She asked. 

A sob crept up Lan Sizhui's throat. He threw himself at the startled elderly woman. "Grandma!" As Sizhui hugged and cried, Granny Wen gave Wei Wuxian a concerned look.  

A step behind, the young man looked at the wailing cultivator with a soft smile. "A-Yuan." 

Everybody else's faces dropped. "A-Yuan? You mean my grandson?" Granny wen asked, a little bit lost. She stared at the grown man sobbing in her lap. Those soft kind eyes and pouty lips, they were quite familiar, but then again, her eyes had never been good.

"Is that really A-Yuan?" The woman in her thirties asked. 

After putting a hand on Lan Sizhui's back, Wei Wuxian smiled. "Yup! There is no doubt about it, Wen Qing. That's our little A-Yuan."

She hummed. "Is my brother coming?"

"He's on his way." He said as he took a seat in the corner booth. "I called him earlier." 
"Did you whistle him like a dog?" Wen Qing asked, an eyebrow raised.
Tilting his head to the side in confusion, Wei Wuxian raised his hand, which held his phone. "Your brother got my old one when I upgraded." 

As if on cue, Wen Ning entered the restaurent, wearing a grey turtleneck with a small sun logo on his chest. 
After timidly greeting everyone, he asked Wei Wuxian. "Wei-Gongzi, what's the matter?"

"Family reunion."He simply said, pointing to Lan Sizhui, who had moved from his grandmother to fourth uncle, clinging and crying.

The fierce corpse blinked.

With a sigh, Wen Qing explained. "A-Yuan."

That made him react. If he were still alive, he might have gasped, but Wei Wuxian was still working on making breathing a reflex again.

Instead, his eyes widened. "Our cousin?" He asked his sister, to which she nodded.

 

After a second of hesitation, Wen Ning took a step forward. "Do you... still remember me?" He asked Sizhui.

The white clad man turns and doesn't hesitate for a second. "Ning-Ge!" He cries out, launching himself at the ghost general.

Between Wen Ning's natural awkward stiffness and the sobbing mess formerly known as Lan Sizhui, the hug looks painful, yet neither of them made any indication of it.

It took a while for the Wens to calm down and dry their tears. In the meantime, Wei Wuxian brought three more chairs to the cramped table.

After so many emotions, Sizhui was exhausted. Both Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian helped him onto one of the chairs. 

Fourth uncle and his wife owned the restaurent and often hosted meals for the fifty or so Wens that Wei Wuxian had managed to save and guide to the burial mounds, which had all been reborn within a few years of each other . For some reason, none of the other Wens had reincarnated, but they kept watch, just in case.

After Sizhui was seated, Fourth Uncle brought additional plates and silverware for the three new guests. Excitedly, he also brought a bottle of liquor. "Look, look, Wei-Gongzi!"

With his chopsticks plunged into a spicy red hot pot, Wei-Wuxian turned his head to look. "Ayah! Is that Emperor's smile?" With a large grin, Fourth Uncle nodded. "I've been saving it for a special occasion." He eyed Lan sizhui. "It think today is pretty special." He said, his eyes twinkling.

Before the young man could agree cheerfully, he felt Wen Qing's prickling Glare of Doom™. The smile falling from is face, he shrunk on himself. "I'll have to pass, I don't exactly like the person I am when I drink."

"Ah, that's a shame." Fourth uncle turned to Lan Sizhui. "What about you?"

His eyes still red and puffy, the Lan cultivator perked up. "Hum, alcohol is forbidden in Gusu."
"We're not in Gusu." Wei Wuxian grins, slinging an arm over his shoulder.

 

Two cups later, Lan Sizhui is slightly red in the face and much looser. He clings to Wen Ning, who doesn't even try to untangle himself from the Lan octopus. "Xian-Gege, Xian-Gege!" He giggles, trying to catch the young man's attention.

There were few people left in the restaurant now. Most of the Wens had gone back to their jobs, like Granny Wen and Wen Qing and Fourth Uncle had been dragged off somewhere by his wife to sober up before the dinner rush.

At the table, there was now Wen Ning, Wei Wuxian and Sizhui.
"What is it, A-Yuan?" The black clad man asks, holding back laughter and taking many pictures with his phone.

With bleary eyes, the mighty Lan Elder pouts. "Next month will be the two-hundred years anniversary of the Siege of the Burial mound."

Nostalgic, Wei Wuxian lowers his eyes. "Is that so." He says, suddenly unable to face Wen Ning.

The drunk nodded energetically. "The three Great Clans will be hosting a celebration to commemorate."
"Will they be burning an effigy of me?" He asked, half-joking, but deep down, he felt depressed.
Sizhui shook his head. "The Clan Leaders will be there and will say a few words. There is also supposed to be a parade and a presentation of cultivators' showmanship."

A hiccup. The White clad man continued. "There has been a really large increase of demonic activity in the large cities lately. The other Elders think that something big will happen during the celebration. Those who idolise you, Xian-Gege, have also been more active."

Under Sizhui's unwavering gaze, Wei Wuxian understands the unsaid. "I don't have anything to do with this." He says, shaking his head. "But I'll look into it."

 

Holding a glass of water, Fourth Uncle's wife approaches them. "Here." She sets down the glass. "For him." She gestures the drunk cultivator with her chin.

Taking the glass, Wei Wuxian flashes her a smile. "Thanks. We'll drop him off at home after he drinks it."
She nods and returns to her work.

Carefully, the young man holds the water to Lan Sizhui's lips. Slowly, he tilts it back to keep up with the parched man. Once the glass is empty, he brings it back to the counter and helps to settle the Lan upon Wen Ning's back.

The back door of the restaurent leads to a small alley where there are dumpsters. It is quite hidden from view and ideal for taking off on a sword unseen.

After making a sword seal with his dominant hand, Suibian flies from its sheath to hover slightly above ground.
Extending a hand, Wei Wuxian helped Wen Ning upon the sword and climbs on just behind on him, in case Sizhui slides off of the fierce corpse's back.

Take off is smooth and practised, Suibian takes a lot of altitude in a short amount of time. Wind whips the men's cheeks and helps the drunk sobber up.

 

When Wei Wuxian notices Sizhui recovering, he grins at him. "Morning, little radish!"

The white clad man blinks, before remembering his embarrassing state. Ashamed, he covers his face with his hands and internally screams.

A few hours later, Lan Sizhui removes his hands and looks around. The scenery is oddly familiar. "Where are we going?" He asks.

Thankfully, both he and Wei Wuxian have enhanced hearing, or else the howling of the wind would have drowned out their voices.

"We're headed to Gusu!" 

"Gusu?! What for?" Sizhui asks.

"To bring you back to your residence." Wei Wuxian simply answers. "I can't let you drink and fly now, young man! Besides, Wen Qing says I need to be more responsable, so she better give me a gold star on that grade!"

Panicked, the Lan starts to struggle against Wen Ning's hold. "You can't sneak in the Clan! That's reckless!"
In answer, Wei Wuxian simply laughs. "You just happen to be talking to the master at sneaking into the Cloud Recess! Don't worry, it'll be fine!" He says, but stops and ponders for a second. "Unless security or the layout as changed in the last two hundred years." He adds.

Incredulous, Lan Sizhui stares at him. Then he cringes and turns his head away. "I guess you'll be fine, then."  

It's Wei Wuxian's turn to be taken aback. After a second, he threw his head back and cackled. "No way?! It hasn't changed at all?"

Embarrassed, sizhui bites his lip. "Lan Qiren always says not to fix something unless it is broken, so not much as been added to the Clan grounds. One of the reasons the Lan Clan is in peril is because there is not internet there. And also the ten thousand rules the clan enforces."

Feeling the hair on his head stand up, Wei Wuxian's face paled, devoid of colour. "Ten thousand!?!! There were only three thousand when I went there!"

"I think a thousand were added just for you, Wei-Qianbei."

...

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Another hour later, the Cloud Recess appeared beneath them, nestled in a tall mountain, surrounded by clouds, looking ethereal bathed in the golden hue of the sunset.
Obviously, Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian looked out of place in the sky of Gusu, clad in dark colours, so Suibian was maneuvered to hide in the cottony clouds.

They landed in the forest bordering the walls of the Lan clan. Once on the ground, Sizhui hopped off of Wen Ning's back.
"I can take it from here." He said.
With a dignified expression, he took a step forward, only to sway dangerously. His facade crumbled as the two other men steadied him.

...

"Just let us give you a hand." Wen Ning said.

After Sizhui gave a tiny nod, Wei Wuxian bent down in front of him. "Get on!"

"What do I need to do, Wei-Gongzi?" The fierce corpse asked, eager to help.

"Humn? Oh, I don't really need help infiltrating, so you could hide?." The young man says as he adjusts to Sizhui's weight on his back.
"Oh!, you could give me a push! I'm not sure I can leap all that well with extra baggage." He said, pointing to the large white wall in front of them.
"Hey!" The Lan cultivator felt offended, his cheek resting against the other man's shoulder. With a smirk, Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. "I was talking about the trauma of killing my brother-in-law, but sure, make this about yourself."

"... Sorry." 

"... Little radish, that was a joke." 

After Wen Ning gave them a leg up, Wei Wuxian landed atop the wall, crouched, and observed the surroundings. He quickly spotted the three cultivators in charge of patrolling the Cloud Recess.
With ease, he leaped along the walls and rooftops, just outside the line of sight of all the guards, the night falling slowly.

"Where do you live?" Wei Wuxian asked in a hushed tone. Feeling slightly sick from all the jumping around, Lan Sizhui struggled to give him directions, but luckily, the other man understood.

They landed soundlessly on the rooftop of the Elders' quarters.
"Will you be able to get to your room?"

"Shush!" Sizhui said, begging him to lower his volume. "Lan Qiren lives near here!"

Faster than the human eye could see, Wei Wuxian brought his hands over his mouth, practically slapping himself. He helped the now less drunk Sizhui down and waited for him to get inside before leaving.

It was easier on his own to parkour around the Cloud Recess. Running around the roofs, he couldn't help but to look around, marvelling. He hadn't expected that this place would truly remain unchanged, despite how different the world had grown in his absence. Nostalgia washed over him, leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste.

His feet came to a halt on the wall next to the library. Despite it being fifteen minutes before twenty-one o'clock, there was still a lone light lit inside. Curious, Wei Wuxian leaped on top of it. He lifted a terracotta tile to peek at who it was.

A tall man was kneeling at a low table, reading. This man was quite familiar. Feeling his mischievous side return, Wei Wuxian smirked as he recognised Lan Wangji.

He needed to do something.

You don't understand.

If he doesn't prank the stern man right now, he will literally die.

Oh, he was very aware that revealing his presence/return would spell certain doom, but he just couldn't let this opportunity pass without seizing it.

Quickly, he extracted a piece of paper and a black marker. Deftly, the troublemaker sketched a doodle. Once he was satisfied, he stuffed the marker back into his pocket, dropped the drawing into the room, placed the tile back in place and fled.

As he made his way back to the wall where Wen Ning was waiting, Wei Wuxian couldn't help but giggle the whole time. Even as he was flying back to the university, he kept grinning. 

A day well spent!

 

Notes:

What did Wei Wuxian doodle? Please comment your thoughts!

Chapter 7: Should we start the countdown?

Summary:

Jin Ling doesn't know that jzx and jyl are his parents. To Jin Ling, 'mom', 'dad' and 'uncle' are just his friends' nicknames.

wwx 19 going on 20
jzx 21
jyl 22
jl 200
jc 225
lsz 204

 

"A-Ling, it's your uncle's birthday tomorrow. A-Xuan and I are throwing him a surprise party, are you coming?" 
Holding his phone, the call on speaker, Jin Ling hummed. 

After knowing them for two years, he'd grown tremendously close to his 'mother', 'father' and 'uncle'.

It was the first time since he was born that he felt that home was people and not simply a place. Seeing them made his stomach flutter and his body warm, and he honestly would die for them. And they would do the same for him, without hesitation. 

It felt as though they had known each other forever.

When his mother told him about the party, he grew excited.
"How about I be the one to host it this year?"

Surprised, she asked "You want to? Where?"

He puffed up his chest in pride. "At the Lotus Pier! My uncle -ah, Jiang Cheng, I mean. He's out for the next two weeks to prepare the celebration of the Burial Mound Siege. -It just a stupid thing, utterly meaningless nowadays. I mean, it was two-hundred years ago, get over it!"

The call fell silent, so much so that Jin Ling thought the connection had broken up. "Mom?"
"A-Ling," His mother said, her words careful. "As much as we'd love to go to the Lotus Pier, I'm afraid we can't do that. Another time, maybe. It's complicated." A pause. "I also don't think your uncle would be happy if you threw a party while he was out of town. A-Xian wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of him."

"Oh." The cultivator said, his mood soured. "Forget it, we'll just do it at your place, then."

"Sorry." His mother said, barely above a whisper.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He said before hanging up.

Despite the bitterness he felt, Jin Ling still needed to prepare for his uncle's birthday. For his own birthday, his friends had gone above and beyond to celebrate his two hundredth birthday. Amongst the ridiculously thoughtful celebration, the youth had given him some type of compass of ill winds. While at first he had been reticent, since everybody knew only the ones made by the Yiling Laozu were actually useful, even if they were flawed, Jin Ling had quickly noticed that the contraption his uncle had given him was much better than the old ones. 

Unlike the ones made by that homicidal maniac who murdered his parents, this compass of ill winds had three needles to more accurately pinpoint the evil's location, allowing for much smoother night hunts. This amazing device made tracking a piece of cake, even detecting creatures that the original compasses couldn't even pick up on.

After gaining this tool, Jin Ling had quickly gone from one of the least performing hunters to the best of the Clan, even beating his uncle, Jiang Cheng, by catching more ghouls than him. Ever since, he'd been on cloud nine as he was beginning to gain the respect he was owed for so long.

Obviously, he had to get a gift equally as good as that for his uncle. After racking his brain to find an appropriate present, he decided to give him one of the artifacts that were in the Jiang Clan's vault.

The Clan's vault contained numerous spiritual weapons and magical tools of all kind, even ancient books. While his uncle wasn't a cultivator, he had been able to create an amazing invention that was sure to revolutionise the great Clans if it was manufactured at a large scale. Hopefully, an artifact would greatly please his uncle.

Usually, Jin Ling isn't allowed in the vault because his uncle believes he's still a little kid, however he knew how to get past the security talismans used to keep it locked.
 
After getting past the door, he looked around the room, where shelves after shelves were filled with various objects, all surrounded by a mystical aura. Despite going through the whole vault three times, Jin Ling was unable to find the thing. None of it felt like it was made for the energetic and cheerful youth.

There was an overabundance of swords kept here, and the cultivator had briefly entertained the thought giving one to his friend, but he reconsidered. 

The world would never know peace if his uncle got his hand on a sword. 

 

Upset at his inability to find a suitable present, Jin Ling kicked the bottom of a shelf. He froze when he heard a loud crunch.  Sweat beaded down the cultivator's back, thinking he'd broken something. He leaned down to inspect the bottom of the bookshelf and evaluate the damage. Against all expectations, a secret staircase was revealed when he moved the shelf, leading downwards.

 

Huh? Did his uncle know that was there?

 

Throwing caution to the wind, Jin Ling took the stairs, entering the basement of the vault. 

The room was small, with only a single shelf and a desk. A melted candle was on top of the latter, extinguished. When he ran his hand over the furniture, the cultivator couldn't find a single speck of dust.

Jin Ling's eyes caught sight of an object on a stand. A flute, black as ink with a red tassel, was displayed. He was immediately drawn to the instrument. It stood out amongst the piles of paper and yellowed talismans surrounding it on the shelf. 

That was it! The perfect gift! Jin Ling had often heard his friend play the dizi and he was a true virtuose, so getting a probably magical ancient flute would obviously amaze him!

Gleefully, Jin Ling took the flute from its stand and brought it up to get a closer look. From the size, weight and smooth texture, every aspect indicated that this was a top quality dizi. Grinning, he stuffed the flute into his clothes and left the vault, making sure to push the shelf back into place to conceal the stairs.

Excited, the yellow clad man practically skipped to his room. Once in the privacy of his quarters, Jin Ling took the instrument from his sleeve and turned it over his palm, admiring it in the sunlight.

With a frown, he noticed some odd texture on the flute. There were these dents on either ends of the dizi, like someone had chewed on it. Jeez, what kind of dog would would do this? What a waste!

What the hell, his perfect gift was ruined!

Jin Ling grumbled, but in the end didn't find a better gift and he felt like getting a brand new flute for his uncle just didn't have the same worth.

 

The next day, Jin Ling was given the task of luring the birthday boy to his parent's apartment.
His uncle's classes finished at seventeen on the dot, so the cultivator waited by the front gate for the mischievous young man to exit the university. 

He was quite proud of himself since the outfit he wore, a white long sleeved shirt, yellow jacket and bleached jeans, had been picket out by yours truly. It was during the first time he'd gone clothes shopping with his parents and, even though he'd found their fussing slightly embarrassing, he'd never trade the experience for anything in the world.

All of his uncle's classmates exited, trickling out of the campus, excited to go to a costume party.

Even if society in China as a whole didn't celebrate Halloween, kids still liked to have an excuse to cosplay and get drunk with their friends.

 

When his watch (a gift from his father) showed it was eighteen o'clock, Jin Ling was beginning to tap his foot, impatient. Half an hour later, his uncle finally emerged from the building. Just as he was about to go and pick him up so they could get going already, he noticed that the youth was talking to somebody, grinning and laughing. A Lan cultivator, one of those guys dressed like a widow 365 days a year.

When he noticed his martial nephew, Wei Wuxian was surprised to see Jin Ling waiting for him. He stopped his conversation with Lan Sizhui to wave at the man. "LingLing!" He cheerfully greeted. "What's up?"

At his side, Sizhui stiffened. "Jin Ling." He greeted politely with a bow, cupping his hand in his fist.
However, the Jiang Clan's young master was much more hostile.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Lan Sizhui?" He said, clearly speaking with venom in his voice.

"My friend's birthday is today. This one simply wanted to spend the day with people I like and who like me back. Not that you'd know what it feels like." The usually tranquil man said with a respectful tone.

"You-!" Jin Ling said, his face flushing and his fists clenching. Before he could throw the first punch, Wei Wuxian interjected. "So wait." He said, putting himself in between the two men. "You two have beef?"

His gaze softening, Lan Sizhui shook his head. "It's nothing important." He said simply. "Let's go watch a movie."

Upset, Jin Ling grabbed his uncle's arm. "Oh, that's too bad, I actually have something to talk about to uncle, so we best be on our way."

Wei Wuxian blinked, but smiled. "How about Sizhui tags along. Then I'll be able to help you," He says to his nephew before turning to the Lan. "Then we'll be able to hang after."

Pouting, Jin Ling reluctantly agrees, helping his uncle onto his sword. The little widow gives the youth a look, eyebrow raised, to which the man places a finger to his lips, his eyes curving into crescents.

When Suihua took off, Lan Sizhui lowered his own spiritual sword and stepped on it, following the two other men into the sky.

An hour or so later, they landed on the rooftop of a tall apartment complex.
"Why are we at your parents' place?" Wei Wuxian asks.
Raising an eyebrow, Sizhui turns to the youth. "Jin Ling's parents?"
"yeah!" The man grins. "Remember the nice soup NingNing gave you when you were a kid? The lady who made it is LingLing's mom!"
"Oh!" The Lan says. "That was so long ago, but I think I remember. It was delicious, wasn't it?"

With more force than necessary, Jin Ling opens the rooftop's door to head inside. The noise of the door slamming makes the two other men's head turn to him. 
"Let's just go inside." Wei Wuxian said with an easy smile, following his nephew.

In front of the apartment unit's door, Jin Ling knocks, then turns to his uncle. "Open the door."
Adjusting the strap of his sword bag over his shoulder, the young man jokes as he turns the doorknob. "Is something going to jump out at me?"

 

"SURPRISE!!!" Simultaneously, Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli shout out, party poppers in hand, giving the stunned Wei Wuxian a confetti shower.

Blinking, he looks around at the decorated flat, an odd mix of birthday decoration and halloween decor.

After he's dragged inside, he sits on the couch next to a plastic bat wearing a party hat.

As per usual, Jiang Yanli notices that something wrong with her shidi. "Are you alright? You're awfully quiet." She says, worried.
Jolting out of it, he looks quite vulnerable when he smiles at his shijie. "Ah, it's nothing, I just forgot it was my birthday!" He lied. 

He'd purposefully not mentioned his birthday, because he believed that if he didn't remind anyone, then everybody else would forget the date. Because Wei Wuxian believed he didn't deserve to have his birth celebrated.

"Oh, A-Xian." His Jie says, placing a palm on his shoulder. "I'll go get snacks and then we can start playing games!" As she turns around, Jiang Yanli notices Lan Sizhui standing in the hall, unsure if he was meant to come in or leave.  
"Hello." He politely greets. 

Peeking in the flat, he waved at Wei Wuxian. "I better leave you to your party, then."

Jin Zixuan raises an eyebrow. "You're friends with a Lan? According to your behaviour at Cloud Recess when we were young, I would have thought you'd be a forbidden person to talk to." He says to his brother-in-law.

Puffing up his chest, the young man proudly declares "I am! It's just that Sizhui is the best Lan you've ever seen!"

Chuckling, Jin Ling's father turns to the white clad cultivator. "Welp, looks like you've got his seal of approval." He says, pointing to Wei Wuxian with his thumb. "My condolences. Feel free to come in! We've got more than enough food to feed an army." He smiles.

From the kitchen, Jiang Yanli yells back. "It's not my fault I got carried away! I was just so excited to put my cooking major to use!"   

 

After the woman brought plate after plate of fancy finger foods, Jin Zixuan gave Wei Wuxian a controller for his gaming console. 

On the couch, Lan Sizhui sat at Wei Wuxian's right while Jin Ling sat at his father's left, the two brothers in law next to each other. Father and son fiercely dueled the mighty Yiling Laozu at Kario Mart under the Lan's curious eyes, each and every crushing defeat endured at the hands of the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation making the yellow duo cry out in frustration.

Maniacally laughing, Wei Wuxian taunted. "You're a thousand years too early to challenge me, foolish mortal! Squirm before my amazing genius!"

At wit's ends, Jin Zixuan called for the big guns. "Wifey! Please! Save me!" 
The smile fell off of the other young man fell so fast. "Nope! No, Jie, everything is alright, no need to come here!" He nervously said.

Truly, only a fool would challenge Jiang Yanli. Surprisingly, she was excellent at the racing game, pulling moves that made even the most seasoned player shake in their boots. For fun, the two lovebirds had actually travelled to Japan last year and one of the scheduled activity they partook in was the world championship held by Mintendo.

So turns out Jiang Yanli is the second woman to be recognised as a Kario Mart world champion, which is quite honestly amazing, but now Jin Zixuan is slightly afraid of his wife, and, not that he would admit it out loud, it genuinely turns him on.

"Is it time to open gifts?" Jin Ling asks after dessert. Jiang Yanli had made a three tier rum cake with dulce de leche frosting that should honestly be on the front page of a cooking magazine. After tasting it, Wei Wuxian had almost cried since it was the first time that he had been able to have alcohol in forever. The young man was willingly sober, but that didn't mean he didn't miss the taste of booze!

With a gaze full of affection, his mother smiled. "I think it is!" She said, fetching a small rectangular gift in purple wrapping paper. "Here, this is from me!" She also gave him an unwrapped spa kit. "And this is from A-Xuan."

Inside of the box sat a set of woodcarving tools with a leather tool roll. After seeing his gift, he happily bounced to his Jie and gave her a big hug. "Thank you so much! It's perfect!"

When he went back to sit down, Wei Wuxian gave Jin Zixuan a playful punch on his shoulder. "Thanks, peacock!"
Without missing a beat, he replied "You're welcome, twink."

 

In front of them, Jin Ling was almost vibrating with excitement. When his uncle finally turned his eyes to him, he felt incredibly giddy. "My gift is pretty special!" He said, feeling a boost because clearly, his gift was superior to the ones the youth had just received.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the box he'd managed to find that the instrument could actually fit in. "Here!" He slid the present across the table.

With a grin, Wei Wuxian looked at the box and made a show of shaking it, hearing the wood object rattle inside.
The smile on his face froze when the youth opened the gift, the black dizi with a red tassel staring back at him. Taken off guard by the reaction, Jin Ling felt as though the rug was pulled from under his feet. "W-What's wrong?" He asked.

Finally reacting, Wei Wuxian stammered. "Jin Ling, that's a very nice gift, but may I ask where you found it?" Confused, Lan Sizhui, Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan looked over the young man's shoulder and paled.

"I found it in my family's treasure vault." The cultivator grumbled.
Suddenly feeling his throat dry, Wei Wuxian swallowed. "Is Jiang Cheng aware that you took Chenq- This flute?"

On the defensive, Jin Ling said "No. Our vault is filled to the brim with stuff, why should he care? Besides, he should thank me for clearing up space!"

Closing the box, the young man shook his head and tried to hand it back to his nephew. "I appreciate it, I really do, but Jiang Cheng might not be happy if it went missing."

At that Jin Ling scoffed. He could feel there was something deeper about his uncle's refusal, but right now he felt embarrassed that his gift, which he'd thought was the best, was refused. "What does it change?! He's never happy to begin with!"

"A-Ling!" His mother called for him as he stormed off.

Heedless to their calls, he ran to the rooftop and took off on Suihua, flying higher and higher, until Oxygen thinned and he started to feel lightheaded.

Closing his eyes, letting the tears run freely, Jin Ling let himself drop for a few dozen meters before pulling his sword to his feet and riding off towards one of the tallest skyscraper of the city.

Sitting on a ledge, he pulled his knees to his chest, simply listening to the wind howl. 

 

A few minutes earlier, he felt someone sit next to him, just short of touching, but not breaching his personal space.
"Why are you here?" Jin Ling said, his voice rough after he'd cried so much.
His 'uncle' simply hummed. "Ahh- I asked Sizhui to give me a lift. -But he's gone now. There is just the two of us here."

"Aren't you scared?" The cultivator asked. "I could just push you down and you'd have no way of saving yourself." He said grimly, looking up at the other man.

His uncle was wearing nothing but a black t-shirt and matching sweatpants, his long ponytail whipping in the wind. He also had his sword bag on his back, the strap crossing his chest. "I'm not scared. Because you're the one hurting." The young man said.

Bringing his gaze back to the city beneath them, Jin Ling sighed. He scooted closer to his uncle so that they shared body heat. Mortals would no doubt freeze at this altitude. Surprisingly, the other man was running very hot. For some reason, the cultivator rested his head against his uncle's shoulder, seeking comfort.

Wordlessly, the youth raised the black dizi he had been given to his lips and began blowing a tune, the notes blending in the wind, a concert for Jin Ling's ears only.

 

The cultivator doesn't remember falling asleep, but he awoke the next day in his parent's flat, sleeping on the couch.
It was almost noon and the apartment was empty. There was a note on the coffee table next to the couch. When he sat up to take a look at it, a bag of half-melted ice fell off his forehead.
It read that his parents were out at school and would be back later in the afternoon. There were leftovers in the fridge and painkillers next to the sink if he awoke with an headache.

Jin Ling realised he had never been in here without either of his parents or his uncle. Without them around, the apartment felt incredibly empty and big. Slowly, he made his way to the bathroom and cleaned himself up.

When he was about to leave, Jin Ling noticed a yellow post it note on the door to remind him to lock up before heading out.

'Have a good day, Lingling <3' was written on the note.

 

Despite his headache, Jin Ling mustered a smile.

 

His friend was such an idiot.

 

 

Notes:

Please comment!

Next chapter is pretty heavy, stay tuned ;)

Chapter 8: 3

Notes:

CW: Violence, minor character death.

I'm trying to insert a drawing, so there might be weirdness in the text.

A few days before the Burial Mounds' siege memorial, Jiang Cheng returned to Lotus Pier to finish preparations.

As per usual, Jin Ling hadn't gone to greet his uncle and hadn't expected to see him at all, yet, in the evening, someone angrily knocked at his door.
Pissed off, he opened the door, only to see Jiang Cheng on the other side.
"Uncle, what brings your here?" He asked, surprised.
"Cut the crap, brat, where the hell is it?!" The older man snapped.

Caught off guard by the sudden verbal assault, Jin Ling was stunned. "What? What are you talking about?" He asked, confused.

His frown deepening, Jiang Cheng shoved his nephew aside and stormed in. "Don't mess with me! You're the only one who's been in the treasure vault aside from me." 

Still lost, but now angry at his uncle who had started going through his stuff, the gold clad man raised his voice. "What the fuck are you even looking for?!"

 

In response, the Clan Leader yelled louder from beneath grit teeth. "Chenqing! Where the hell did you put it!?"

"Chenqing?" Jin Ling asked, wracking his brain. Where had he heard that name before? Wait. "You mean the Yiling Laozu's weapon?"

"Yes!" His uncle said, exasperated. "It's a black dizi with a red tassel."

Huh? A black- 

Jin Ling felt his legs give under his weight, only catching himself on his bed. He stammered, unable to form sentences. Chenqing was a legendary weapon, and most of all, having once belonged to the Yiling Laozu, it was obviously cursed.

 

He had given his cheerful and kind friend a cursed flute for his birthday.

 

Horrified, he fished his phone out of his pocket and was about to dial the youth's number, but his uncle had grabbed it already out of his clammy hands.

"What is that?" He asked, furious. "Is that a cheap modern mumbo jumbo?!" Jiang Cheng glared at his nephew. "You are in big trouble, young man."

"You don't understand!" Jin Ling pleaded. "I need to go get Chenqing back!"
Heedless to his worries, Jiang Cheng pushed him back down. "You're under house arrest! Now, tell me who has the damn flute, I'll go get it myself!"

 

If Jiang Cheng got to his friend, there was no telling what kind of injuries the young man might suffer. Gritting his teeth, Jin Ling said "No, I will not tell you. I will get it back, but you have to let me go."

His uncle glared at him. "Are you blackmailing me?"  

Standing up once more, the last Jin tried to look fearless, but his hands trembled. "I will not let you hurt my friend. Let me go and I will fetch that wretched flute!"

Sneering, Jiang Cheng left the room and slammed the door. 

 

Deflating, Jin Ling's legs couldn't support him anymore. He'd been walking on eggshells around his uncle since he was born, this was the first time that he had actually stood up for himself. The whole time, he had been terrified. His uncle was his only support, what would happen if he decided to kick Jin Ling out?

 

No. 

He was no longer alone.

 

If Jiang Cheng didn't want to be his family anymore, then his parents and his friend would gladly help him.

Speaking of his friend, he needed to get Chenqing back before it cursed the man.

 

When he opened his bedroom's door, Jin Ling was met with a disciple guarding it. Said disciple gave him an apologetic look. "Clan Leader's orders. Can't let you leave."

Slamming the door shut, he ran to the window, where two other disciples stood watch. It would be hard to get past them guards and even if he did, someone would alert Jiang Cheng.

Burying his face in his hands, Jin Ling sat back down on his bed. His phone was taken away and he wasn't allowed to leave, how the hell was he supposed to get Chenqing back?

 

Suddenly, it struck him. He was reminded of the look of dismay on the youth's face when he first saw the dizi. Had he known that it was cursed?

Is that why he had refused to take it? How did he know it would upset Jiang Cheng so much?

Yet, something bugged Jin Ling. Chenqing was one of the Yiling Laozu's weapons, obviously it would be nefarious, but for some reason, when his friend had played it to soothe the cultivator, it hadn't emitted a smidge of demonic energy.

How could that be?
  
He hoped that his uncle would cool down and he would be able to leave soon so he could save his friend.

 

A week passed.

During Jin Ling's time in house arrest, Jiang Cheng visited once a day, his face set in stone, only saying one thing: "Where is Chenqing?" He'd say menacingly.

Each time, the younger man would answer, even stomping his feet for effect "Let me out and I'll get it for you." To which his uncle would frown and leave until the next day.

By the time he had to leave for the celebration, Jiang Cheng was fed up with his nephew. That brat was so stubborn! He hadn't carefully preserved Chenqing for all of these years just for that runt to get rid of it!

His fingers already bloody, Jiang Cheng bit his nails. For two centuries, he'd kept the dizi in the hope its owner would show up again, or, at least, have a keepsake. 

Speaking of two centuries, it was his Shixiong's death's anniversary. The three Great Sects were throwing a celebration to commemorate the Burial Mounds' Siege and the lives lost to it, even if the only casualties were on the Wen's side. Through the passage of time, history had warped it into some great battle, crediting the bloodbath of the nightless city as events of the siege. 

For some reason, neither of the other two Clan Leaders said anything to correct those uncultured punks. Lan Xichen probably didn't care and Nie Huaisang was obviously too scared to speak up. 

The event had been in the making for a few months. They had done something similar for the hundredth year mark, not that Jiang Cheng liked it. It was extremely boring, with Lan Qiren and his eldest nephew speaking for hours, making grand speeches about righteousness and perseverance. In order to intertain the crowd, the Lan clan presented their music and the Nie CLan dueled in front of the crowd.  

As for the Jiang Clan, they had held a small archery competition amongst themselves in front of the crowd.

 

Jiang Cheng hated every bit of that ceremony. If Wei Wuxian was in charge of his own death anniversary, it would chaotic and loud, but it would be fun. His Shixiong wouldn't want to be remembered through this boring ceremony presided by Lan Qiren. He probably also wouldn't like being remembered as a mass murderer.

-He missed his shixiong.

 

At the head of a delegation of his disciples, Jiang Cheng soared through the sky atop Sandu. The flight from Yunmeng to Yiling took less than three hours. Once Yiling was in sight, they landed near the center of the city where a stage had been built.

Nowadays, Yiling was the home of a bit more than a million inhabitants, a far cry from the small country town it had been during the siege.

His disciples joined the other Clans' to help with the last minute preparations while Jiang Cheng climbed on the stage.

On the plateform, three widows and the headshaker were already there. Since Gusu and Qinghe were quite far, they had probably arrived a few days earlier.
"Ah, Clan Leader Jiang! There you are! The show was about to begin!" The headshaker, Nie Huaisang, greets him, waving his fan.

Barely acknowledging his presence, Jiang Cheng sat on his reserved seat, a high chair with the Jiang's nine petaled lotus.

"Clan Leader Jiang." Lan Xichen greeted as he sat down at his own chair with the clouds on it. Both his uncle and his brother stood on either side of him.

For some reason, the Lan Clan Leader's younger sibling, Lan Wangji glanced at Jiang Cheng before silently staring ahead, expressionless. This action didn't go unnoticed by his brother.
"Wangji, is something the matter? You seem troubled." Despite being asked a question, Lan Wangji didn't react, as expressive as a stone.

 

An hour later, the crowd is let on the premises of the event. The venue is large and outdoors, with a row of stands where people can buy food and drinks or little cultivation themed trinkets. There are steel barriers to contain the spectators, lined with cultivators of all three Clans to act as security. Around the stage, there is a large circle of free space for the spectators to occupy.

As people trickled steadily Lan Xichen seemed pleased with the crowd.
"Who booked the vendors?" Jiang Cheng asks. Something was bugging him. There was an odd shift in the atmosphere as people began gathering around the stage but he couldn't put his finger on it. Oddly, there was a large amount of people wearing exclusively black, moving as a group of hundreds of individuals.
"Hmn? I did." Nie Huaisang says, waving his fan as he glanced at his Yunmeng counterpart. 

"Well, it's of no matter." The Lan Clan Leader intervened. "If it's about the profit, the Nie Clan has contributed most of the costs required to host such an event."

With a sweep of his white sleeves, Lan Xichen rose to his feet exactly at the scheduled time and began his speech.

"I, the Clan Leader of the Gusu Lan Clan, welcome you all here-" He started, using his cultivation enhanced voice to be heard by all.

However, he was interrupted by a man with a megaphone. This man, who looked in his thirties, wore an all black suit. Standing atop a few boxes, he was in the middle of the group of people in black.

"The three Great Clans are corrupt!" He yelled in the megaphone. "I am the mighty Yiling Laozu's reincarnation and I will rain punishment upon you, who are oppressing the common people for your selfish benefit!"

Rolling his eyes, Jiang Cheng muttered. "Another nut job." Sitting at his right, Nie Huaisang nervously chuckled. "They kind of look serious." He said, fanning himself faster.

On the Nie clan Leader's other side, Lan Xichen frowned. "Just ignore that delusional man." Lan Qiren adviced. Next to him, his brother stiffened.
Choosing to take his uncle's advice, the Clan Leader continued. "Today, we are gathered to remember the tragic events of the Burial Mounds' Siege that happened this day, two hundred years ago-"

Undeterred, the madman in the crowd kept yelling. "That's right! You can't just ignore your disgusting past anymore! Bow down to me, the Yiling Laozu, or face a death so painful your soul will never recover!"

Subtly, Lan Qiren motioned two disciples near the stage. After nodding, they made their way to the troublemaker. In the crowd of black clad people, the white uniforms of the Lan Clan stood out and were easily spotted.

 

Smirking, the apparent leader of these people lowered his megaphone and gestured at his followers. A first flag is raised, then a second, a third, until ten flags flickered in the wind, held firm by two sturdy followers each.

 

Spirit attraction flags.

Written in pig's blood.

 

Using the tens of thousands of people who had gathered here as bait.

The air stilled for a second as the cultivators understood the severity of the situation.

"TAKE DOWN THE FLAGS!" Lan Xichen yelled at his men, horrified. "TAKE THE CIVILIANS TO SAFETY!" Behind him, his uncle and brother had already taken action, leaping from the stage to slice the spirit attraction flags.

Bichen, Lan Wangji's renowned sword, fell short of the flags, intercepted by three skeletal birds the size of a horse. The first one is destroyed by the strike while the other two send Lan Qiren and his nephew flying.

The two men landed on the stage, unharmed.

 

After the first failed attempt at destroying the flags, more and more demonic and evil creatures appeared, surrounding the cultivators and crowd alike, their goulish countenance frightening the crowd.

At first, seeing these hundreds of beasts and ghouls gather 'under his command', the ringleader is overjoyed, cackling like a madman. "See, see! This is the might of the Yiling Laozu!"

Presented with a feast before them, the entities didn't hesitate and began chowing down on the helpless humans before them.

 

With chills down their spines, the men on stage witnessed innocent bystanders get devoured, guts and gore splattering over the asphalt as maws filled with sharp fangs ripped into the people that were attempting to flee.

Aghast, Lan Xichen turned to the two other Clan Leaders. "How many cultivators did you bring!" He shouted, his usually composure nowhere to be found.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Nie Huaisang yelled out of habit. "About eighty, I think!"
"I brought a hundred and fifty." Jiang Cheng answers, Zidian sparking around his finger.
Eyes wide, the Lan Leader looks at his uncle, who shakes his head and announces. "Fifty-six."

 

Less than three hundred.

 

There were at least a thousand demonic creatures and the number kept increasing with every second that those flags were kept up.

Bodies fell to the ground and civilians shrieked.

Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji entered the fray as one, watching each others' back as they began slaying the demonic beasts.
Now wanting to be shown up, Jiang Cheng unleashed Zidian, the powerful whip decimating dozens of foes with each swing.

Still cowering behind his chair, Nie Huaisang tried shouting instructions to his subordinates, but they'd all already joined the fight, fighting like wild beasts with their sabers drawn. Quickly realising it would be futile, he instead shifted his focus to direct the few rational Lans attempting to guide the civilians to safety.

Whithin the firt ten minutes of the battle, the gang wearing black began to get attacked by the beasts they summoned, ox headed tigers charging the crowd indiscriminately, trampling those next to the ringleader.
"Don't falter!" The man yelled, frantically jumping around, shouting orders at his followers, unaware of the ghoul lurking behind him. "Keep the flags up!" An inhuman screech left his lips when a walking corpse bit his shoulder, sending blood spraying in the air.
" AAH!!! FUCK! GET OFF, GET OFF!!" He squealed in pain until only a gurgle left his throat and his eyes bulged from his skull.

When his body thumped to the ground, the lines broke, the gang members dispersed and screamed, flags falling to the ground. However, a few kept theirs up, either because they were stubborn, frozen in fear or in denial.

Suddenly, amidst the blood and chaos, a note flew through the air.

A sharp, shrill note, agressive and filled with demonic energy.

The rampaging creatures stilled and looked up at the sky, dazed. Slowly, they rose from the ground, gathering into a massive vortex, all blending into a large column of demonic energy, much alike a hurricane in appearance, if not for its slow rotation speed.

Taking advantage of the standstill, the younger cultivators caught their breaths, looking up at the black vortex in the sky. "What- What's going on?"

However, the seasoned cultivators, namely the twin Lan Jades, their uncle, Jiang Cheng, Nie Huaisang and a handful of their elders, felt their stomachs drop. These notes, that tune, they would have never forgotten it.

Chenqing  

"Fuck! Are they fusing into one?" An old Jiang disciple said. He looked absolutely terrified. After all, he'd survived both the Sunshot campaign and the bloodbath of the Nightless city. He'd seen what Chenqing could do.

His gaze turned to the sky, Lan Qiren bit his lip until it bled. "Boys." He said, not looking away from the mass of demonic energy. His nephews managed to tear their eyes away from the black whirlpool and look at him, equally as pale.
"Run away." He whispered.

There was this shared feeling of doom amongst the older cultivators. They were preparing for a last hurrah.
It was hopeless, the calm before the storm, but they nevertheless raised their swords, unwilling to go down without a fight.

Since the onslaught had cessed, the rest of the civilians had been evacuated and told to run away as far as possible.

The dizi kept playing, adding a morbid note to the whole situation, Chenqing's melody echoing through the entire city.

The black whirlpool finally reached the clouds and ascended no further.

On the ground, the cultivators braced for impact with whatever creature would be born as a result of the merging of thousands of demonic entities into one.

 

A large red circle appeared at the top, ominous. Amongst the line of defense from the three Clans, swords shook from the unsteady hands holding them.

Jiang Cheng glared at the hurricane, Zidian drawn. If he died here, he was going to kick Wei Wuxian's ass into next week. 

 

At least Jin Ling was safe in the Lotus Pier.

There was a loud bang, like the sky was being torn in two and a blinding light forced the cultivators to cover their eyes.

When it cleared, the red circle had turned golden, Chenqing still playing, a softer tune now. The dark and heavy demonic energy that passed through the circle became light and pure, turned into rich spiritual energy, scattering amongst the clouds in a dainty gold dust.

The sight stunned everyone who laid eyes upon it, countless people stood frozen, watching the menacing black whirlpool at the center of the city get cleansed slowly, over the course of hours.

After a few minutes, Jiang Cheng snapped out of it. The Yiling Laozu's famous dizi still sung, mellow and soothing. 
After making a quick sword seal, Sandu flew from its scabbard and to his feet. Before he could get more than a few meters in the air, Nie Huaisang called for him.
"Where are you going?!" The ground was littered with the dead and injured, some of them Jiang cultivators. Leaving right now was unreasonable.

Bothered to be wasting precious seconds, Jiang Cheng yelled back "The Yiling Laozu is here somewhere!"

In a flash, he was gone, rising in the sky, flying around the whirlpool slowly getting purified by the large circle at its top.

Next to the circle, Jiang Cheng looked at the surrounding buildings, trying to locate the source of the music.

 

A few kilometers away, on the top of a skyscraper, Wei Wuxian sat, Chenqing to his lips. At his left, Nie Mingjue stood, tall and imposing, his skin grey. He was watching the other man blow a tune. At Wei Wuxian's right, Wen Ning also stood guard over the man.

Nervously looking at the other fierce corpse, Wen Ning wrung his hands. "Wei-Gongzi won't harm anyone, we both know it."

Glancing back at the smaller man, Nie Mingjue frowned. He was well aware of it. Since Wei Wuxian had fixed his broken body, their souls had a deep connections. Through this bond, Nie Mingjue could feel the younger man's emotions and vice versa. 
Surprisingly, to the former Clan Leader, at least, the bond was consensual. If he so wished, he could stop sharing his feelings with Wei Wuxian and the other way around as well. However, neither of them had had a proper talk about it, so they both kept their bond open.

 

Currently, Nie Mingjue could feel that the flautist was clearheaded and determined, feeling positive. There was no hint of malice in him, so it was unlikely that Wei Wuxian would attempt anything nefarious.

Despite that, the taller fierce corpse simply looked back ahead, the large whirlpool of dark demonic energy slowly moving in the horizon. "He has a track record of losing control of himself." He simply answered.

A few years ago, when Wei Wuxian had attempted to restore Nie Mingjue's soul from the mess that Jin Guangyao had made of him. During one of the most critical moment, they had shared fragments of memory, a side effect from their soul-bonding. 

While the demonic cultivator had witnessed his complicated relationship with the former leader of the Jin Clan and his murder by said Jin, Nie Mingjue had seen what actually happened when Wei Wuxian defected, the hardship he and the Wens faced as well as the soul crushing torment he'd endured when Wen Qing, Wen Ning, his sister and brother-in-law died because of him.

One of the biggest victim of the Yiling Laozu was the man himself. 

After seeing his memories, Nie Mingjue swore to himself that he would stop Wei Wuxian from hurting others and himself. Even if that meant assisting Wen Qing in keeping the troublesome man healthy.

 

Pulsating with evil, the Yin Tiger Tally floated in front of the flautist's forehead, rotating slowly as he played.

In order to manipulate so many creatures from so far away, Wei Wuxian had had no way but to draw power from the  legendary weapon.

("Why don't you just do it closer, then?" Nie Mingjue had asked as he carried the living man to a tall building far from the battle, Wen Ning following a bit behind.

With an awkward grin, Wei Wuxian had assembled the two halves of the Yin Tiger Tally. "I could do it on my own if I were a few meters from it, but it'd take me a long time. I wouldn't want a cultivator to see me, assume the wrong thing and stop me from purifying the whole thing. It's best I use the Tally so I'll be done before they can find me.")

"Nie-Zhangmen!" Wen Ning gasped, pulling the older man out of his thoughts.
Frowning, Nie Mingjue looked to where the Wen was pointing.

There was a purple dot making laps in the air around the last few remnants of the mass of demonic creature. With every turn, the dot grew closer, the laps growing bigger with the black hurricane as an epicenter. 

Someone was searching the surroundings, looking for the people responsible for the phenomenon. 

Looking for the Yiling Laozu.

Without a warning, Nie Mingjue grabbed Wei Wuxian from where he was sitting and swung him over his shoulder.
Being so rudely lifted from the ground, the man pouted and whined. "Heyyy~ What gives?" He said, annoyed, swinging like a rice bag thrown carelessly over one's back.

Heedless to his complaints, the fierce corpse jumped from the top of the skyscraper. In mid-air, Nie Mingjue pulled out Baxia with his free hand, his mighty saber that they'd retrieved from its grave, and poured his energy to make it fly. Firmly planting his feet onto the blade, he set off in direction of Wei Wuxian's shared student flat, near Gusu.

The flight would normally last eleven hours, but since Baxia was a slow flyer, they would have to touch down at the outskirts of Yiling, retrieve Wen Ning and set off on Suibian, which was much faster. 

It was a miracle that Wei Wuxian had managed to preserve Nie Mingjue's cultivation, although he was oddly humble in that aspect. ("The Nie Clan's cultivation is based on absorbing the resentful energy made by wild beasts, instead of humans', which is used in the demonic cultivation I've created. Getting you to utilise your own cultivation is a piece of cake, I only have to unblock your meridians, which have been damaged during your dismemberment." He had explained. "Your body will not reject your cultivation method since the demonic Qi of a beast and of a human isn't incompatible!")

 

Aware that Nie Mingjue wouldn't budge, Wei Wuxian simply put Chenqing against his lips again and kept playing, the last dregs of the numerous demonic beasts turning into golden spiritual energy. Once the exorcism was over, he split the Yin Tiger Tally in two halves again and put it into the red fanny pack tied to his waist.

Afterwards, he kept using his dizi. Since the tune was soft and playful, almost airy, Nie Mingjue guessed he was keeping track of Wen Ning and guiding him towards the pair through his music.

 

When Nie Mingjue had first awoken, it had been a surprise to him, his new strength. It was well known back when he was alive that the ghost general had the power of ten men, but he had brushed it off, thinking it paltry tales from the common people looking to spice up their stories.

After Jin Guangyao had royally screwed up his body, Nie Mingjue had had no more expectation in regards to his body, especially since it was in pieces. 

When he'd woken up on Wei Wuxian's kitchen table, he'd been incredibly disoriented and if he hadn't been pinned down by talismans, he'd have probably destroyed the man's flat. It was weird, to suddenly feel his limbs after centuries of being nothing but a head sealed in a dusty closet.

At first, Wei Wuxian had made sure that Nie Mingjue was totally aware and clear minded before allowing him to move. The first few months of is return, he'd crushed countless doorknobs and trashed numerous rooms. It had taken weeks of work with Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning to measure his strength -and to repair the damages.

Now, he was at a much better place and was ten times stronger than he'd been when he was alive, making him one of the strongest creatures to have ever existed.

Nie Mingjue flew closer to the ground and finally landed near a convenience store at the edge of the city. After returning Baxia to its scabbard, he took Wei Wuxian and put him down. The man twirled Chenqing between his fingers and returned it to his fanny pack. "Wen Ning will catch up soon. He should be here in twenty or so minutes." He announced.

With his thumb, Nie Mingjue pointed to the convenience store. "Do you want to grab something to eat before we return to the university?" 

"Nah, Wen Ning has my backpack, my wallet is in it." Wei Wuxian replied, waving him off. 

With a sigh, Nie Mingjue shot a glance to the center of the city, where heavy dark clouds dispersed and the sun shone anew in the blue sky as though nothing had happened. "Still, that's one hell of a way to introduce yourself to the world again." He grumbled.

Under his breath, Wei Wuxian mumbled. "I can think of a few worse ways."

 

Notes:

what are the worse ways u can think off?

Ex- When I first drafted this story, wwx was meant to be the owner/bartender/DJ of a clandestine bar to pay for his studies and was supposed to get filmed while twerking drunk, which JC was meant to see. Obviously, since I made wwx sober, that wouldn't be logical.

Notes:

I'm trying a new workskin, tell me if it's weird.

Author is fueled by comments, pls feed.