Chapter Text
Gold.
That was the first thing Wei Ying saw when he woke up. The next was the sound of a baby crying, wails echoing throughout the room.
When he finally rose, Wei Ying noticed immediately the lack of pain in performing such an action, expecting the pain of his last moments from the Burial Mounds to consume him.
It all felt a bit ironic, the first things he encounters after death is the color gold and the sound of a child crying – two things that haunt him the most, for their own reasons. Jin gold covers the room in ornate curtains, golden platters, silk sheets, and a golden canopy covering what Wei Ying can only assume is the crib containing the crying child. Slowly, he rose to his feet and makes his way over to the crib and peering inside.
He gasped, immediately stepping away form he crib as tears pool in his eyes.
“Jin Ling…” he whispered, tears falling down his face as his neph-his shijie’s son continues to cry.
Wei Ying never met Jin Rulan before his death, but he would recognize his shijie’s eyes anywhere.
He took another step towards the bed, watching as Jin Ling stopped crying and looked straight at him, eyes wide. It wasn’t until he slowly raised his hand towards the infant that he realized his hand was transparent – his whole body was transparent. Was he a ghost? Had his soul not been shattered after destroying the seal? Could only Jin Ling see him?
His last question was answered when a maid dashed into the room, stopping by the crib and picking up the infant. She gave Wei Ying no attention – he even waved his hand in front of her face. The only reaction he got was a laugh from Jin Ling as his eyes stayed on him.
“Can you hear me A-Ling?” he said, his eyes widening as he himself couldn’t even hear his own voice.
Wei Ying raised a hand to his neck, letting out various sounds only to not feel any vibrations coming from his throat. It would be the fate he would face, able to be seen by Jin Ling but unable to speak to him – unable to be speak at all. Wei Ying spent so much time running his mouth, of course, after death he would be unable to speak.
He knelt down on the floor, watching the maid – presuming she was Jin Ling’s wet nurse or someone assigned to care for him – as she fed Jin Ling. She looked young, younger than his shijie was before she-
Jin Ling was crying even before Wei Ying had woken up. He didn’t know how long he was laying on the floor before he gained consciousness, so for it to have taken this long for someone to come care for the crying infant made Wei Ying feel even more protective of the child.
Even if he felt he had no right to care for the child, as he was the reason he was now an orphan, Jin Ling was still a child who needed to be cared for, to be loved, cherished. He questioned how vigilant those assigned to him were if it took them so long to even notice the child was crying.
Wei Ying needed to know how much time had passed, how long has it been since the siege, how long has it been since his death, and the open door and chatter in the hallway seemed like the right place to start.
As Wei Ying exited the room, he noticed himself in the large full-length mirror on the wall.
He looked healthier, his skin not as sunken in, bones not jutting out as much as they had, and his face was rounder. Wen Qing would be happy to see how much healthier Wei Ying looked. She always tried to get him to eat more, but how could he? A-Yuan needed as much food as possible, he was only three. Wei Ying would proudly eat less if that meant A-Yuan would be able to eat more and never experience starvation and the yearning for food that Wei Ying himself experienced as a child before being taken in by the Jiangs.
While he would never admit it to anyone other than Wen Qing – and maybe Lan Zhan – after his childhood he often found himself falling between two ends of unhealthy eating habits. Wei Ying would either eat everything placed in front of him, even going as far as hiding food and eating enough to make him sick, or going days without eating, sometimes ending with him passing out. No one ever found him when he passed out, as he was able to sense it coming and would hide in his room. If Jiang Cheng assumed he was taking a nap or sleeping in rather than the truth, then it was another burden that wouldn’t be on someone else’s shoulders.
Lan Zhan had been around him the one time it happened during the three months he spent it the Cloud Recesses. He was in the library, supposed to be writing lines and copying the rules, when he felt the dizziness of an impending unconsciousness coming. Wei Ying looked up to see Lan Zhan’s eyes on him, concern in his gaze. It was one of the only times Wei Ying was able to know exactly what Lan Zhan was thinking just by looking at him.
He staggered as he rose to his feet, leaning his weight on the table in front of him.
“Wei Ying?” He looked up, seeing three Lan Zhan’s – and knew it was too late to hide himself in his room.
“Lan Zhan…I’ll be fine just don’t tell Jiang Che-“ His knees slammed to the floor as he fell to the side, landing in Lan Zhan’s arms as the other dashed around the table when Wei Ying started to fall.
“Wei Ying!”
Leaning his head on Lan Zhan’s chest, trying to keep himself from passing out or throwing up the empty contents of his stomach, he closed his eyes and pressed his face in Lan Zhan’s shoulder.
“Is…is there somewhere you could take me that no one would look?”
“Wei Ying, you need to be taken to the healers.”
“No, I’ll be fine, I just need sleep and something to eat.” He said, finally able to look up at Lan Zhan.
“What would you like to eat?”
“Lan Zhan?”
“I can take you to the Jingshi, no one will bother you there. If…if you know what’s going on and you don’t need to see the healers then I’ll believe you.” he said as he brushed a strand of hair off of Wei Ying’s face.
“The Jingshi? Where’s that?”
“It’s my residence. No one is allowed inside without invitation except Shufu and Xiongzhang.” Wei Ying nodded.
“If you’re sure I won’t be too much of a burden.” Lan Zhan shook his head.
“Wei Ying is never a burden.” Wei Ying scoffed as he slowly stood up.
“Are you sure? I’m always bothering you, not to mention how often Jiang Cheng tells me I’m ‘embarrassing the sect’.” Lan Zhan turned to him, his golden eyes meeting Wei Ying’s own.
“Never a burden. Annoying at times, yes, but never a burden or bothersome.”
It was only a week after that Wei Ying found out no one other than Lan Zhan, Lan Qiren, and Lan Xichen had ever stepped foot inside the Jingshi. Lan Zhan never told anyone about what happened, nor had anyone discovered Wei Ying spent the night inside the Jingshi – everyone assumed Wei Ying had snuck off to Caiyi for the night, only able to come back in the morning as he missed curfew. He would go on later to admit to Wen Qing in a rare drunken confession that the sleep he got that night was the best and most peaceful he had had since his parents died. Wei Ying often found himself dreaming of the calmness of the Jingshi, the scent of sandalwood surrounding him, the distant warmth of Lan Zhan as he slept on the other side of the bed.
Lan Zhan had never asked about what happened that day, but he did always manage to keep a bowl of nuts on his table in the library when Wei Ying was copying. Wei Ying felt eyes on him while he was eating – not an overbearing stare making sure that he ate, but a concerned occasional glance making sure he was still standing.
Wei Ying looked at himself in the mirror, noticing how his entire body was transparent. Just visible enough that one wouldn’t confused him for ‘seeing something that wasn’t there’ but also not visible enough to be confused for a living person.
He was wearing the clothes he was in during the siege – minus the rips and tears from the fight and his death. In fact, he couldn’t find a single rip or stain on his clothes at all. He shook his head, deciding that there was a better time to think more about what had happened to him and why he appeared in Koi Tower.
Wei Ying spotted a group of servants chatting around a cart of empty tea cups and made his way towards them.
“-blew himself up!”
“I thought Jiang-Zongzhu dealt the killing blow?”
“My cousin was there, he said Jiang-Zongzhu walked right over to Wei Wuxian and stabbed him, turning away in triumph as he declared the Yiling Laozu was no more!”
“So then why are they saying he blew himself up?”
“There was some type of explosion, all the corpses stopped fighting the cultivators and went in the direction of the fallen Yiling Laozu. They must’ve consumed him – they say only shreds of his clothing and Chenqing were left behind!”
“Jin-Zongzhu has been recovering from the battle for the past two weeks! I hope he wasn’t too harmed during the siege.”
“I heard Gusu Lan showed up with the smallest group – and Hanguang-jun wasn’t with them.”
“What!?”
“The Gusu Lan group was led by Lan-Zongzhu, and Gusu Lan did not participate in the direct fight with the Wens! They stayed toward the back and fought the corpses.”
“Zewu-jun didn’t participate in killing the Wen-dogs?”
“No, I think my cousin said he was the only Gusu Lan member that even entered the Burial Mounds settlement, the rest stayed down the mountain. Zewu-jun didn’t get much of a chance to cut any of the Wens down, but surely he managed to kill a few of them!”
“Such a shame that it led to this.”
“What do you mean A-Ping?”
“Wei Wuxian. He was such a bright and brilliant young master. For his life to have ended in such a tragic way-“
“He protected Wen-dogs! Who knows how many of our people those Wens killed during the war!”
“I think it’s not right to assume all Wens are bad-“
“A-Ping, I know you were just a child during the Sunshot Campaign, but all Wens are guilty of what happened – whether it be by inaction or action. Wei Wuxian protected them, he protected murderers, the end he faced was fitting to his crimes.”
“But wasn’t Wei Wuxian the reason the Great Sects even won the war?”
“No! Lianfeng-zun was the one who killed Wen Ruohan!”
“But-“
“A-Ping, listen, you were a child during the war. Everyone lost someone close to them. And then at Nightless City when the Sects gathered to celebrate the deaths of Wen Qing and the Ghost General, they also decided Wei Wuxian was next – and then he attacked! He killed five thousand cultivators and then vanished! No one knows how he got out of Nightless City alive.”
“What do you think happened A-Mei?”
“Some say he acted like a corpse and simply walked out, I’ve heard someone say he used resentful energy to simply teleport away!”
“I heard someone say they saw Hanguang-jun carrying him away from the fight.” Someone in Jin robes said as they walked past.
“A-Bao?!”
“Jin Bao how could you even suggest Hanguang-jun would do something like that?!”
“What? I think it makes the most sense. Hanguang-jun and the Yiling Laozu were never hostile, they were friends before the war. I was there, Hanguang-jun could’ve easily attacked Wei Wuxian – yet he never did, he tried speaking to him and was even still calling him ‘Wei Ying’.”
“You’re shaming Hanguang-jun’s name by suggesting he had anything to do with protecting Wei Wuxian!”
“How dare you!”
If Wei Ying could breathe, he’s sure he would be hyperventilating. He didn’t remember how he got out of Nightless City, he just woke up at the base off the Burial Mounds and assumed he had managed to escape. To think…to think that Lan Zhan had saved him, taken him away from the fight, risk his own reputation to keep someone like him safe? And then to not show up at the siege?
He held his head, flashes of distant memories flickered across his mind.
A cave? A flash of white below him? Soft spoken words directed at him, but a frustrating inability to make out what was being said. It had to be Lan Zhan. Did he really hide him away after Nightless City? How did he end up at the Burial Mounds then?
Wei Ying staggered back, leaning fully against the wall as the sound of swords clashing invaded his mind. He saw a bloodied figure standing before a sea of white. Said figure fighting off every sword and person that even came a fraction of an inch too close to Wei Ying.
Then he heard a voice.
“Lan Wangji! Stop protecting that murderer!”
He would never forget who that voice belonged to, he’s heard enough shouting directed towards him in that exact tone.
It was Lan Qiren – Lan Zhan was fighting his own clan.
He watched as Lan Zhan fell to his knees, exhaustion finally pushing the great Hanguang-jun to a point where he could not continue to fight. He watched as Lan Xichen walked towards him, kneeling down and sheathing Bichen before depositing the sword on his own waist.
He heard Lan Zhan plead with his brother to not harm Wei Ying, to let him return back to the Burial Mounds, that Wei Ying was only defending himself and his two friends who had sacrificed themselves for the safety of Wei Ying and the remaining Wens. He pleaded to Lan-Zongzhu that if Gusu Lan was as righteous as they claim, then they will realize that Wei Ying was attacked first, that all those who gathered at Nightless City were their because of their desire to kill the Yiling Laozu, that a deal was made for Wen Qing and Wen Qionglin to surrender themselves and the rest of the Wens and Wei Ying would be left alone.
Wei Ying couldn’t see Lan Zhan’s face, but he could imagine the tears falling down his face – he was afraid, so afraid that his sect would kill Wei Ying right there and then, not even giving him a chance to defend himself.
“Do not make assumptions about others. Arrogance is forbidden. Do not succumb to rage. Do not praise yourself and slander others. Do not take advantage of your position to oppress others. Do not act impulsively. Do not take your own words lightly. Do not hold grudges. Uphold the value of justice. Be just. Be ethical. Do not criticize other people. Do not sow discord among people. Do not be a follower of the rich and powerful.”
“WANGJI!”
“Do not bully the weak. Do not look down on the poor. Embrace the entirety of the world. Help the underprivileged. Care for the weak. Lend a hand to those in need. Rescue those in danger. Do not speak ill of others-“
“Wangji, we aren’t going to hurt Wei-gongzi.” Lan Xichen had knelt down in front of his brother, putting both of his hands on his shoulders. “You are allowed to take him back to the Burial Mounds, but you are not allowed to go with him.”
“You must return with us. You will receive punishment for what has occurred.” Lan Qiren interjected.
“Yes Xiongzhang. Yes Shufu.”
Wei Ying remembered being picked up, swatting at whoever was holding him – “Get lost!” – then he was in the air then back on the ground, Chenqing being placed in his hands as he was gently lowered to the ground.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect you, Wei Ying. I will try to find a way to get you, A-Yuan, and the others safe from the sects. I love you. I will keep you safe, just stay alive long enough for me to be able to.”
And then he was left alone, bloodied white robes disappearing into the sky as his vision faded to black.
Wei Ying fell to his knees, soundless sobs wracking his body as he remembered how determined Lan Zhan looked, how terrified he looked. The three months between Nightless City and the siege, Lan Zhan presumably spent that time trying to find a way to keep everyone safe.
His lack of appearance at the siege was worrying. Lan Zhan wouldn’t not show up to the siege, even if it meant he had to fight the entire cultivation world to keep innocent people safe. Wei Ying didn’t like what that implied.
Either Lan Zhan didn’t know the siege was happening, he was prohibited from going and physically restrained in Cloud Recesses, or he physically could not stop the siege from happening. The last possibility made Wei Ying nauseous.
He knows that Lan Zhan was to be punished – Lan Qiren said as much – but Wei Ying could only imagine the worst. Would they be lenient and just force Lan Zhan into seclusion for a certain length of time? Would he be hit with the discipline paddle like they both had been during the lectures? Would…would Gusu Lan use the discipline whip on their heir? How many times would he be whipped? Five? Ten? Gusu Lan would make an example out of Lan Zhan, showing all the other disciples that not even the sect heir, the Second Jade, Hanguang-jun himself was immune from being punished.
Would the rest of the sect know what happened? Would Lan Zhan’s punishment be a required attendance for everyone in the sect, or would they try and cover it up? Would the fact that a punishment even occurred be on a need-to-know basis?
“I love you.”
No. They wouldn’t let anyone outside of those who saw Lan Zhan protecting him in the cave know that he had been punished. If he was forced into seclusion, it was voluntary. If he was punished and needed time to recover, he was in seclusion by his own choice. For as righteous as Gusu Lan claimed to be, he knows they have a long history of covering up unsavory things. Everyone knows the story of Qingheng-jun and Madam Lan, but no one knows anything more than Gusu Lan wants them to know.
They were perfectly capable of covering up the “misdeeds” of their Second Jade if it meant that revealing such information would make them look bad. Any potential positive association with the Yiling Laozu meant shame on the sect – and if people found out it was Hanguang-jun who whisked the Yiling Laozu away from Nightless City? Not only would it harm Lan Zhan’s reputation, but it would put Gusu Lan in a tough spot. They would either have to admit the rumors were true – their heir had protected the thorn in the cultivation world’s back – or they would have to say Lan Zhan’s actions were not approved by the sect. There was no way for them to deny those types of rumors if they started to exist – luckily for them, it seems so outrageous that no one would believe the noble Hanguang-jun would protect him.
This entire time, Wei Ying assumed Lan Zhan hated him, despised him for following the crooked path. But remembering that look in his eyes as he promised to do everything he could to keep him and A-Yuan and the Wens safe – how could he possibly think Lan Zhan harbored any hatred for him? Why did he even think Lan Zhan hated him in the first place? Lan Zhan is the type of person to completely ignore what bothers him – and Wei Ying has seen how he reacted during war meetings. He has watched Lan Zhan completely walk around buildings just to avoid the chance of speaking to someone. If you’re on Lan Zhan’s hate list, you’d know, he’d make it hard to think otherwise.
But he never acted that way around Wei Ying. He never avoided him – he actively sought him out. The few times they were alone in the same room together Wei Ying knew he had Lan Zhan’s full attention, even if he wasn’t looking at him or if he barely spoke.
He let out a laugh, splaying out onto the hallway, tears falling from his eyes.
“Of course it would take dying to realize I’ve always had someone on my side.” He turned his head, looking down the hallway and watching as the servants and maids all rushed back to work. “And now Lan Zhan can’t even see me. He spent all that time and effort protecting me, only for me to end up dead.” He sighed, standing up and making his way down the corridor.
Wei Ying only managed to get four doors away from Jin Ling’s room before he hit a wall – an invisible one, not a physical one. He ran his hands along the invisible wall, unable to sense any type of energy.
“I wonder…”
Wei Ying counted his steps back to Jin Ling’s room – 40 – and then started walking down the other end of the corridor, being stopped after his 40th step.
“So I can’t stray far away from either this area or Jin Ling himself. Am I bound to him? I don’t even know how this could’ve happened, why Jin Ling of all people and not Lan Zhan or Jiang Cheng?” He froze. “Can Jiang Cheng see me? Can Lan Zhan see me?”
There was no way to test those theories. Lan Zhan was presumably in Cloud Recesses – and if his terrifying guesses were anywhere near correct then Lan Zhan would not be leaving Gusu for a while. Jiang Cheng, well he could be in Koi Tower, but likely he was back at Lotus Pier.
If Jiang Cheng wasn’t here, then he would be at some point. Jin Ling is his nephew, shijie’s son, of course as an uncle Jiang Cheng would visit his sister’s son.
Theories he could test, however, included the amount of interactions he could have with the world around him. Could he walk through walls? Through people? Could he pick things up? Throw them? Was he bound by human capabilities or was he able to act the way spirits act?
Well, he’s already tried lying on the floor and didn’t pass through so he has some type of physical constitution. Holding his breath, Wei Ying shoves his hand through the floor, watching his hand disappear into the ground below. He let out an almost hysterical laugh as he pulled his hand out of the ground and shoved his head through the floor, eyes being met with the room below the corridor.
Wei Ying stood up, habitually brushing dust and dirt off his clothes before walking back into Jin Ling’s room – laughing as he walked through the door. Jin Ling has been placed back into his crib, his nurse throwing soiled clothing into a basket before walking out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Hesitantly, Wei Ying walked towards the crib and peered inside. Jin Ling immediately met his gaze – even following his finger as Wei Ying waved it around.
The infant reached his hand up to grab it, only to be met with an inability to grasp the finger. Wei Ying sighed.
“Sorry A-Ling, it looks like I’m unable to touch you – or anything around you, or anything at all.” He soundlessly apologized, knowing the infant wouldn’t be able to hear him.
Wei Ying leaned against the crib, making faces at the child below. If he couldn’t speak to him or interact with him, Jin Ling could still see him so he’ll just have to make this work.