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Standing on the taller half of the hill, Wen Chao looked down at everyone. Looking quite pleased with himself, he waved his hand, “From now on, one by one, hand over your swords!”
A commotion began among the crowd. Someone protested, “Swords should always accompany those who cultivate. Why do you want us to hand over our swords?”
“Who was the one that spoke?” Wen Chao yelled, “From which sect? Stand forward on your own!”
At his words Wei Wuxian began to tremble, sway, Jiang Cheng steadied him with both hands. Concerned Wei Wuxian would otherwise fall over. Only Lan Wangji was paying enough attention to notice. Yet even so close to him, neither Jiang Cheng nor Lan Wangji saw the smokey shadow creeping up on Wei Wuxian until it was too late.
He cried out and hit the ground, drawing Wen Chao’s attention to them. He grinned a twisted grin and began to approach.
“How honourable.” He said, “The Jiang clan offers up their own head disciple for being disrespectful. Clearly you know who’s your better here.”
But Jiang Cheng was hardly paying him attention in return. Crouched at Wei Wuxian’s side trying to get him to respond as his body started to smoke. Wen Chao stopped short when he saw it himself. Fear flashing across his eyes, he stepped back and set a narrow eyed glare on Jiang Cheng.
“What is this? What did you do to him? You’re not in charge of punishment here I am. No matter what you do he still has to earn forgiveness my way.”
“I didn’t do anything to him. He’s getting attacked by resentful energy!”
The smoke settled back into Wei Wuxian’s skin and a laugh chased its way out of his throat in a most unsettling way. Cold, cynical, with an edge of hysteria.
“Ah,” Wei Wuxian said, one hand rubbing at the stone as he pushed himself up, “It’s been so long since I was last here. Yet I still remember these stones, though last I saw they were stained in the blood of the Wen.”
Jiang Cheng tried to help him up but Wei Wuxian shoved him away with a strength he’d never used against him before. Wei Wuxian himself looked shocked at what he’d done, and shocked again when he noticed who he’d done it to.
“Jiang Cheng! It’s been so long.” He said, smiling a smile that couldn’t hide the pain it tried to keep away. It was an ugly expression and Jiang Cheng felt a twinge of self hate for being the apparent cause.
“Wei Ying?”
And now he looked heart broken. Glowing red eyes blinked away devastated tears and he smiled a different smile at Lan Zhan, tender and loving, but one just as ugly that Jiang Cheng could see made Lan Wangji feel the same as Wei Wuxian smile had him. Wei Ying got to his feet and took measured steps towards Lan Wangji, cupping his face in one hand. Caressing it with his thumb and looking like there was no one else in the entire world he’d rather be seeing except a different version of this Lan Zhan.
“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan. Look at you. So beautiful, so young. Not that you aren’t beautiful when you’re older but this, this is the face I remember most well.”
“Wei Yi-“
“Hey you!” Wen Chao had had enough of being ignored. “How dare you disrespect me I-mm, Mmm Mmm!”
Other disciples looked in horror at Lan Wangji, the only Lan at the conference. But it was Wei Wuxian who was smiling mischievously, yet as with all his other smiles it was tinged with something more. This time vicious satisfaction as Wen Chao continued to struggle against the silencing spell. He patted Lan Zhan’s cheek and turned back to Wen Chao, soft edges gone, resentful energy once again seeping out of him.
Wen Chao looked furious, and very stupid gesturing from Wen Zhuliu to Wei Wuxian aggressively, stomping his feet like a toddler. Wei Ying’s smile became nothing but mean. There was not a joke to be seen in his countenance as he approached an increasingly fearful Wen Chao.
“Not to worry Wen dog. This will soon end.”
He flicked the scabbard off of Suibian and the disciples were in uproar again. Wei Wuxian paid them no mind, focused on his new target who had leapt to defend Wen Chao with his life. Wen Zhuliu lunged for him, hand out to grasp him. Jiang Cheng screamed his name in horror but Wei Ying paid it no mind at all.
He spun around Wen Zhuliu’s hand and swung Suibian up severing his arm and used his shock to spin behind him, line Suibian with his neck on the opposite side and cut his throat so deep the remaining flesh could be nothing more than a hinge.
Wen Zhuliu dropped to the floor lifeless and the screams of most present filled the court yard. Wen Chao’s and Wang Lingjiao’s screams the loudest, highest and most pleasing music to Wei Wuxian’s ears.
Jiang Cheng was on him in a second, berating him, pleading with him. Slowing him down. Wen Chao had turned and ran from him. Trying to escape up the stairs and leaving Wang Lingjiao in his dust.
Wei Ying shoved him back again, “Get out of my way Jiang Cheng. They need to die.”
“Wei Wuxian you’ll bring this sect down on our heads for this!”
“They can try, but I can do worse and I can do it faster.”
He eyeballed Wen Chao’s back and pointed Suibian at him, feeling it hum under his hand was what he’d missed the most.
“You know where to go Suibian. Right there, right in the center.”
He pulled back and flung Suibian at the fleeing Wang Lingjiao and Wen Chao. Suibian flew true to Wei Wuxian’s control. She pierced through Wang Lingjiao and was skewering Wen Chao before she could even hit the step ahead of her.
The two didn’t even have time to scream before they died, bleeding out on the steps. The other disciples were dead silent as Suibian returned to Wei Wuxian, he sheathed her and tucked her back in his belt where she would be safe. Then he turned and smiled at the group of disciples looking at him as though he’d gone crazy. He’d have laughed at that but they weren’t wholly incorrect.
He clapped and they flinched, “Right, time to go home I think.”
“Home!” Jiang Cheng was so upset his face was bright red, “What the fuck have you done Wei Wuxian! There won’t be a home for anyone to return to after what you’ve done.”
Wei Wuxian shrugged, “At least this time you’ll have reason to blame me for it.”
“This time? What the fuck are you on about, did that little resentful energy drive you mad already?”
“This time, yes. I’ve been here before though this is not how it went last time. Not to worry Jiang Cheng, I’m not the Wei Wuxian you know. At least, not yet.”
“Yet, you’re going to tell me you’re you from the future? That’s the worst excuse you’ve ever come up with.”
“Give or take 25 years.”
“Twenty fi- Shut up Wei Wuxian-“
“Jiang Cheng you shut up and listen for once! I am Wei Wuxian from twenty five years in the future. This, “ He gestured to himself, “was not meant to happen but it did. Before I pass on I must tell you. The Wei Wuxian of now will not remember this. He will wake up and not have a clue I killed someone in our body and you’re never to tell him. We’re not made to hurt people. Keep me far away from the Burial Mounds no matter what happens and Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan look at me, I don’t have much time left.”
Lan Wangji met his gaze and Wei Wuxian gave him the first genuine, in-corrupted smile since he’d possessed his younger self.
“Don’t waste our time together, we don’t know how long we have.”
Black vines crept up Wei Wuxian’s neck and the glow to his eyes started to dim as the resentful energy smoked out of him. Lan Wangji nodded and Wei Wuxian closed his eyes and collapsed.
#
Wei Ying opened his eyes to see the blinding light of a sunny day through the canopy of a forrest. He shut them tight and curled up on his side moaning and hiding his eyes. Had he snuck away from Qishan to go drinking last night? Where was he?
“He’s awake! Young Master Jiang, Young Master Lan, First Disciple Wei Wuxian is awa-“
“We get it, I’m awake!” He started angrily, “Shut up, so noisy, head hurts. Why are you being mean to me?” He finished pathetically whiny.
Thunderous feet approached him, stopped right at his side and suddenly he was being hauled up right and to his feet. His stomach rolled, his head spun and his legs gave out beneath him. Yet, instead of face meeting floor as he expected he fell into a warm embrace.
“Wei Ying, are you well?”
He moaned and leaned into Lan Wangji who pursed his lips and shot Jiang Cheng a look.
“Lan Zhan, M’dizzy and my tummy hurts rub it better for me.”
“Better then.” Lan Zhan said, but didn’t move to get away from him. Wei Ying smiled to himself, then Lan Zhan’s words caught up with him.
“Better than what?”
The silence was one that even Wei Ying, for all he had the thickest of faces, could tell was harbouring a salacious secret ready to ruin them.
“Wei Ying has been ill.”
He was being lied to.
“Yeah, you got real bad fever and collapsed suddenly during the welcoming ceremony at Qishan.”
“Qishan? The Wen sect, why aren’t we there?” Wei Ying asked, having forgotten to play up his sickness so Lan Wangji would stay. He didn’t leave though, and Jiang Cheng had his lying face on.
“When you got sick you.. you vomited every where and made all the other disciples sick. The Wen Sect said they didn’t want dirty, disease ridden cultivators in their sect and kicked us all out.”
“Liar.”
“That’s what happened, right Lan Wangji.”
Wei Ying looked up at Lan Zhan’s impassive face as Lan Zhan stared down Jiang Cheng and Jiang Cheng stared him down right back. He sighed and looked away, then hummed in agreement making Wei Wuxian gasp dramatically.
“You’ve even got Lan Zhan in on this! Something really bad happened didn’t it! Jiang Cheng-“
“It’s nothing you need to worry about. It doesn’t affect us.”
“It so does. What happened, Lan Zhan you’ll tell me right?”
“Hm, no.”
“What!”
“Just drop it Wei Wuxian! It’s none of your business!” Jiang Cheng yelled, drawing eyes from all over their forrest camp, blatantly staring now rather than the doing something but also watching you staring they’d been doing since Wei Wuxian woke up.
Jiang Cheng stormed off in a huff and Wei Wuxian stared after him but made no move to leave Lan Zhan’s arms who made no move to remove him either. He got comfortable instead and hummed happily when Lan Zhan did the same.
“What crawled up his ass today Lan Zhan?”
“Worried for Wei Ying.”
“Why? I’ve been sick before.”
“Slept for a week. Very ill.”
“A week! I could have woken up to Shijie’s soup instead of in a forrest in that time. Lan Zhan, come to Lotus Pier, try my Shijie’s soup. It's the best you’ll ever have I swear.”
“I will.”
Wei Ying yay’d happily and rested back against Lan Zhan’s chest, energy sapping away. He thought he must have been very ill to still be feeling it after a week. Maybe tomorrow he’d bug Jiang Cheng all day to make up for all the missed days in unconsciousness.