Work Text:
Wei Wuxian's soul has been dormant for years, no cultivator has been able to summon his soul.
Wei Wuxian has never answered to Lan Wangji’s inquiry.
*****
The cultivation world was in turmoil as the Yin Hu Fu had appeared once again.
The Jin had announced to have found Wei Wuxian's weapon, Jin Guangshan -the Chief cultivator- vowed to seal it.
However, small clans in Jin territories had started to get higher taxes, threatened with being swept to dust if they dared not to pay. How could the Jin be doubted, they had the Yin Hu Fu after all.
Many of the small cultivators and civilians turned to the Lan and Nie for help. Zewu-jun was close to Jin Guangyao -Jin Guangshan's son and advisor-, he’ll surely be able to make them see reason, see the injustice in their demands. If not, Chifeng-zun would never cow in front of the Chief Cultivator.
After failing to sway Jin Guangshan, Lan Xichen raised the concern to his uncle that Jin Guangshan may not be trusted as chief cultivator, too much power in a greedy person. Lan Qiren sees that now with the Yin Hu Fu in his possession, Jin Guangshan has started to resemble Wen Rohan. With no one to oppose him and a great source of power as the Seal is, the Jin are slowly becoming the new Wen.
More and more rumors filled with fear and dread are heard, rumors of the Jin using the Seal to torment people, to stand above the rest. More and more pleas for help reach the Nie, the Lan and now the Jiang as well, but Jin Guangshan is not likely to stop. No one could stop him.
Four were the sects that had fought a single man in the past. That man alone had killed more than 3000 of their men. Him alone, he by himself with the help of his creation the Yin Hu Fu.
Now, were history to repeat, they would be three decimated sects against the unscathed and numerous Jin who now had the -somehow restored- Yin Hu Fu in their hands.
They could not allow the bloodshed to be re-lived. They had to convince the Chief Cultivator to separate and hand over the Seal. For the sake of peace, they could not allow the Yin Hu Fu to be used. They could not allow the Yin Hu Fu to exist. They had to destroy it.
—--
Jin Guangshan's was growing bold, with the Seal in his hands there was no one who could go against him, no one would dare.
He had shoved off all suggestions, complaints and demands from the Lan, Nie and Jiang about his ways of governing, about his new resource, his new weapon. They were starting to get annoying, they were leaving him no choice but to start silencing them.
One by one the sects started to get visits from the Jin, little subtle comments, suggestions… warnings.
The Jin had shown their true colors. No, the sects realized that they had been blind, the Jin have always been like that, they just didn't want to fuss about it. But years before a man had told them, had warned them. They had killed that man.
—--
The sects had called a meeting to discuss Jin Guangshan and the Jin Sect.
It was known that Zewu-jun had tried to address the situation through Jin Guangyao, only to realize his sworn brother stood by his father's side. Understanding that he had not stopped his father from attacking his sworn brother's sect.
With pain in his heart, Lan Xichen knew at that moment that the solution would not come peacefully.
Plans and strategies were laid out, but everytime all came down to the Yin Hu Fu. Without removing it from the equation, they were doomed. They needed to obtain the Seal and find a way to destroy it or render it useless. But they did not know how. The only person with such knowledge was no longer there. They had killed him. They had pushed him to the point of being consumed by his only army, and after years his soul had not answered to anyone.
There must be a way, a way to contact the creator. A way to ask how to destroy his weapon. Maybe if a powerful cultivator were to try…
Wei Wuxian's soul has been dormant for years, no cultivator was able to summon his soul.
Wei Wuxian has never answered to Lan Waingji's inquiry, not to Lan Qiren’s.
*****
Rumors that a second cultivation war approaches run rampant among the villages, fear seeping after news were spread of the Yin Hu Fu reappearance. People believe the Yiling Patriarch is back. The cultivators fear him, scared of the untamed demon. The civilians expect him, awaiting the unstoppable protector.
The clock ticks and the sects feel the time running out to stop Jin Guangshan. The Lan had tried many ways of Inquiry, all to fail.
With one last effort the Lan prepare a new formation, a last resort to try to awaken the Yiling Patriarch's soul.
Wei Wuxian's soul was dormant for years, no cultivator was able to summon his soul.
Wei Wuxian has never answered to Lan Wangji’s inquiry, not to Lan Qiren's.
Not until the Lan clan played Inquiry in combined effort with their most powerful members.
After hours of playing, moments from plucking the last string, instants before Lan Wangji's heart gives up, a soul lets itself be found.
With Nie Mingjue, Jiang Wanyin, and a few clan heads as witnesses, Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji -seating at the center, leading the formation inside the Mingshi-, stare at the figure of the man who finally answered, Wei Wuxian had been summoned.
*****
Lan Wangji does not know what to do. Frozen as if his breath would disperse Wei Ying's soul, afraid that his ethereal form would disappear.
Wei Wuxian appears to be sleeping. His eyes closed, his hair loose falling at his back, partially held up by a crimson ribbon. His black robes did not reflect the last stages of his life, they were unsoiled and well fitted. His face clean and, while not as sickly as he was during his last years, pale. A combination of his healthy young self and the porte of his last years. A handsome sight.
Lan Wanji wonders if this is how he would have looked had there not been a war.
Jiang Wanyin fares no better. Seeing at who one time was as close as a brother, grudges for Wei Wuxian being the cause of his sister's death cloud his eyes, feelings of betrayal when he seceded to protect the Wens, and guilt for having been the one to end his brother's life. He could do nothing but stare in silence at the vision.
The silence was broken when Lan Qiren cleared his throat, bringing everyone back to reality. Lan Xichen could not help but to turn at his brother, only to see Lan Wangji’s glassed eyes full of sorrow and hope. Only he could understand the impact this had been to his little brother, but he could not comfort him, not right now. They had a task to complete, they needed answers from the Yiling Patriarch.
Wei Wuxian had been summoned through Inquiry, a technique that revealed the truth. He will not be able to lie, all present will attest the truth behind the Yiling Patriarch. His word will not be questioned, his emotions will be unmasked, he could not hide.
And so, Lan Qiren started conducting questions.
“State your name.”
Silence fell again. The room flooded in anxiety and expectation, all the cultivators present awaiting for response. But nothing came.
“Are you Wei Wuxian?” The Lan Grandmaster probed.
Wei Wuxian remained silent, static, as if he hadn't noticed he was now in front of an audience, as if he was asleep.
After a few more tries from the Lan Master they were starting to feel the summoning had been a failure again.
This time Jiang Wanyin had stepped forward.
“Hey! Wei Wuxian, stop pretending and respond!” His voice with a hint of irritation, however not a single hair of Wei Wuxian's frame moved.
Wei Wuxian would not respond. Not to them, to anyone but one person.
“Wei Ying?” Only Lan Xichen could hear his brother's quiet plea, the tremor in his voice.
It was only then that the being in the center took a breath in to finally open his eyes.
Eyes clear as silver pearls, void however, of any emotion. Eyes dull and confused, looking at the horizon wherever it may be.
“Wei Ying!” Lan Zhan said after a sharp inhale. He could not contain himself, doing the most to not lose control and break the formation that was holding the soul of his beloved. He was too close, yet so far at the same time.
It was then when Wei Wuxian focused on the source of that voice. The beautiful voice that was his tether when lost in the Burial Mounds. The sound that had awakened him finally.
Lan Wangji could see in those eyes the pain and disappointment, the sadness of Wei Ying. It broke Lan Wangji to see his Wei Ying's eyes empty, the once bright, innocent and ambitious youth turned into a lonely carcass. He was not prepared to see the raw emotions in those eyes, now dimmed with shadows, with emptiness and longing.
Wei Wuxian knew he was bound to show himself naked, all his life would be exposed to the extent of his interrogator. But the one thing he did not want, he didn't want Lan Zhan to see him. So he tore his eyes from the golden ones and turned to look at everyone and no one in particular. He had died, why couldn't they let him be at peace?
“Why am I here?”
“We seek answers, Wei Wuxian.” Lan Qiren stated.
“You seek answers.”
“Do you agree to cooperate during this meeting?” Lan Qiren prompted after a brief silence.
“Meeting? This one has been summoned, I am bound to your demands. I cannot stop you from taking even when I have nothing left, even when I have given you everything I could, and you have taken the rest I had. Ask away, Master Lan.”
An awkward silence sat among the audience, no one daring to make the soul of Yiling Patric to leash out, they had after all disturbed his slumber. Even with his detached demeanor it was clear he was not pleased.
Lan Qiren could not deny that he tried to appease the Yiling Patriarch with empty words of politeness, only to have shoved them back with blunt honesty. Wasn't that what Inquiry did after all, show all naked truths?
“We want to know how to destroy the Yin Hu Fu. None alive has the knowledge, and only you, its creator could destroy it. If Master Wei could enlighten us.” Lan Xichen started after seeing his uncle debating with himself.
“Destroy the Yin Hu Fu? At least half of the Seal should have been destroyed when I left.” Wei Wuxian said looking now at Lan Xichen, not noticing when Lan Wanji and Jiang Wanyin flinched at the easiness of his words. “The remainder of the pieces, if any, were rendered useless after that. Why should you need to destroy an already useless artifact?”
“During Mater Wei's… absence the Yin Hu Fu was restored, and is being used as a weapon of oppression.” Lan Xichen explained.
“Ah. Was it Jin Guangshan?"
No one had face to confirm this and accept that Wei Wuxian had been in the right to deny Sect Leader Jin the Seal, to denounce him.
However, bound to answer the initial request, Wei Wuxian continued. “The Seal is like any other container of spiritual energy. To destroy it, it needs to be purged of -in this case, resentful- energy. Purge it, or overwhelm it.”
Such a simple way could not be possible, if the solution was this straight forward the item should not be this powerful nor should it be that difficult to seal it. A murmur extended in the room, clearly all cultivators present thinking the same way.
Lan Xichen was confused, wondering if Wei Wuxian could lie even when under Inquiry.
“Master Wei, if the solution is that simple, then the Seal could not be that powerful”. But this was not a question, and this was not a conversation. Lan Xichen understood that if he wanted to know, he would need to push through questions. He knew that Wei Wuxian was not there voluntarily and he would not offer more information than what was demanded.
“Why if so simple, the Yin Hu Fu is so powerful?” Lan Xichen rephrased.
Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen and Lan Wanji could see the hint of exasperation in Wei Wuxian's dull gaze.
“It's impressive that you ask that, Zewu-jun”, all could see the small frown in Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen faces. But it was Lan Wanji who responded.
“Complex structures are fragile. The simpler the array the stronger". Looking at Wei Wuxian, but only getting a passing glance in return.
“Indeed,” concurred Wei Wuxian, “in addition, the Yin Hu Fu is not only about the simplicity of its structure, it is about capacity. The Yin hifu stores an immeasurable amount of energy. It only happened to be resentful energy”.
“If that was the case Master Wei, you would have needed the same amount of spiritual energy and more to be able to cleanse it”. Wei Wuxian did not respond, it was not a question. But the implication in Lan Xichen words was not lost to anyone, Wei Wuxian had been immensely powerful. Strong enough to control the Seal, and strong enough to destroy it.
“Master Wei, how did you destroy the Yin Hu Fu?” Lan Xichen couldn't help to ask, besides wasn't this question the reason for this session?
“With energy. Isn't it obvious? That is the only way, you can only use energy to fight energy. Whether it is spiritual or resentful does not matter, energy is energy”.
Lan Wanji, Lan Qiren and Jiang Wanyin were once more transported to that day years ago, when Wei Wuxian had suggested this same theory. Lan Qiren had a scowl in his face after remembering and now knowing that the man had successfully conquered the resentful energy.
Then a comment was spoken from the back of the lines in the Mingshi.
“You can't expect us to believe Wei Wuxian, that you had a strong enough core to destroy the Seal!” a head of a small clan exclaimed, “It would be ridiculous to believe that self imploding only your core was enough to break the Seal!”
The sole mention of self imploding one’s core made everyone look at the Yiling Patriarch.
Everyone in the room awaited for the Patriarch's rebuttal or confirmation, but it was not a question, and so Wei Wuxian did not respond.
It was not unknown that Wei Wuxian had one of the strongest cores of his generation, only comparable to that of Hanguang-jun. Yet not even the Second Jade of the Lan could fight alone against the Yin Hu Fu. And their strengths were still on pair after the war. How could then Wei Wuxian have destroyed the Seal?
“Master Wei,” Lan Xichen carefully continued, “Did you use your core to destroy the Seal?”
“No.” Was the only response that Wei Wuxian was willing to give, if not elaborated questions were asked, he would not offer extended replies in regards of his core.
But Wei Wuxian's response did not answer their question, and they were in need of this specific piece of information. There was no other way but to press.
It was now Lan Qiren who took the lead.
“Wei Wuxian, if you used energy to break the Yin Hu Fu but not your core’s. How did you destroy the Seal?”, but Lan Qiren knew this question had already been answered, they needed to be more specific, “What energy, what means Wei Wuxian?!”
“Resentful energy, Master Lan”. was his response.
Dumbfounded, “Explain,” Lan Qiren demanded.
“Resonance”.
Silence, the audience in the Mingshi was attentive to the conversation happening between Lan Qiren and the Patriarch.
“Elaborate.”
“Is truly amazing that Master Lan is asking me to explain Resonance.” Not caring about the frown in Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen faces, Wei Wuxian continued. “As masters of musical techniques, you should know that resonating waves can make the attack stronger, or nullify it. But it could also happen that if the objects are under a certain frequency, both strong and unyielding, both are bound to damage or destroy each other.”
Destroy each other. During the siege in Burial Mounds, both the Seal and Wei Wuxian’s body had been damaged if not destroyed. That could only mean one thing.
“I used the Yin Hu Fu as one of the resonating objects, the second object was I.”
Every cultivator in the room was driven silent. Wasn’t the Yiling Patriarch killed by his shidi? Wasn’t his body eaten by this army of undead?
“That cannot be true!” another anonymous cultivator yelled. “Sect Leader Jiang killed you! Are you saying now that you sacrificed yourself to destroy the Seal? We know you died when you tried to send your army at us and it backlashed on you, did it not?!”
Jian Wanyin, Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren and Nie Mingjue could only realize now of what actually had happened that day during the siege.
Wei Wuxian turned to look in the direction where the voice had come from, and with an unnerving glance and cold voice responded, it was a question after all. “You disturbed my peace, you awoke me from my eternal slumber to force your questions on me. Bounded to show my true self and unable to lie, yet you dare accuse me of deceiving? It is bold of you to doubt the Lan Inquiry.”
“No, there was no backlash that day.”
“Yes, I destroyed my body in order to rid the world of the Yin Hu Fu.”
The spirits summoned by Lan Inquiry could not lie, less possible when the three strongest of the Lan were playing in conjunction.
Wei Wuxian was telling the truth.
Shock was the only way to describe the emotion in the faces of all cultivators, guilt in Lan Xichen’s, regret in that of Jiang Wanyin’s. Pain in Lan Wanji’s. Lan Qiren and Nie Mingjue could only contemplate in incredulity.
“How,” it was Nie Mingjue this time, “how were you able to resonate without going into qi deviation?” Nie Mingjue was familiar with this conundrum; too much resentful energy would corrupt one’s core and trigger a qi deviation. “How could your core withstand that amount of resentful energy? How could you separate both energies so they wouldn’t collide?”
“Ah, Chifeng-zun making the important questions. Your clan is after all, very familiar with resentful energy, is it not? Color me surprised when you accused me of demonic cultivation when you yourself are steeped in it. The hypocrisy. Why was your cultivation accepted while mine was defied if the two use the same resource?” Wei Wuxian said with a lopsided smirk, yet devoid even of contempt, as if he was just reflecting on a tale and not arguing his defense.
“The same resource?” They could hear at the other side of the room. “How could that be? wouldn’t that mean that the Nie are demonic cultivators? If that were to be the case, then why the Lan have not said anything about it? This is surely slander”.
But Wei Wuxian could not lie. He was under the Lan Inquiry.
The Yiling Patriarch, the Nie and the Lan were the only ones that knew the truth. And all three were aware that the Lan had turned a blind eye on the Nie matter, but never stopped to condemn Wei Wuxian.
“The answer is,” Wei Wuxian interrupting everyone’s thoughts, “I didn’t have a chance to fully learn to separate both energies by myself. There were no energies for me to separate, no other energy for the resentful energy to collide with, no conflict to drive a qi deviation”.
During the exchange, no one noticed the pale face of Lan Wangji, drained of all blood. Lan Wangji will never forget that night when he took Wei Wuxian from Nightless City back to the Burial Mounds. He could never forget the dreadful feeling of not being able to feed spiritual energy to Wei Ying. The feeling of his energy dissipating in Wei Ying’s meridians, as if his core was not there to take it. He could only continue to listen.
This could only mean one thing. “I had no core in my body to worry about, it was only my will to withstand the pressure of the resentment.” Wei Wuxian concluded.
Lan Wanji could only stare at his beloved, his sight blurry from tears that started to run down his cheeks.
The pain in his heart was growing sharp every time a truth was taken from his Wei Ying.
“No core in your body?” Lan Wanji asked with a trembling voice, no louder than a whisper, but a question nonetheless.
Seeing the turmoil in his brother’s demeanor, Lan Xichen expanded in a soft voice, “Master Wei, how did you lose your core? Was it because of the resentful energy? Did Wen Zhuliu take it?” If that were to be the case, then Wei Wuxian had been coreless from before the war, that would explain the vicious way he had eliminated the Core Melting Hand.
Wei Wuxian directed his gaze to the horizon once again, avoiding Lan Wanji’s pained eyes.
Jian Wanying could do nothing but stare in disbelief at his former shi-xiong. Waiting for the dreadful response.
“Master Lan,” Wei Wuxian redirected his response to Lan Qiren instead of Lan Xichen, “This one did not lose his core to demonic cultivation, this one cultivated resentful energy because he had lost his core.”
During the time of the war, and the years before his death, Wei Wuxian had been judged and marked as an unethical cultivator that had preferred to give up the path of the sword to seek more powerful means in the corrupted path. It was only now that the Lan understood how they had wronged Wei Wuxian.
“My core… yes, it was indirectly taken by Wen Zhuliu” Jiang Wanyin looked at his shi-xiong, unable to speak, remembering only the sensation of emptiness in his meridians when Wen Zhuliu had crushed his core.
“Indirectly?” Jian Wanying could not stop himself asking. “What do you mean? Why didn’t you say? We could’ve taken you to Baoshan Sanren!”
Not ignoring the question but unwilling to look at his shidi, Wei Wuxian responded, “When Wen Zhuliu crushed Jian Cheng’s core, as to prevent him to waste away and fulfill the last order from Madam Yu and the late Sect Leader Jiang, I gave my core up to save my shidi.” It was now Jiang Wanyin’s turn to lose the color in his face, there was only one of Wei Wuxian’s shidis left in between the fall of Lotus Pier and when he came back using resentment. He, Jiang Wanyin himself. “I had saved Jiang Cheng even at the cost of my life.”
“How could I have said that I had given my core to my shidi if he was to feel belittled, better be silent and see him willing to live than gaining his scorn again.”
Jian Wanyin leg’s gave up, collapsing in the floor of the Mingshi, his eyes could only stare at his brother.
Lan Wangji quietly cried, how could Wei Ying be so selfless and yet all judge him a devil.
One could hear a pin drop in the Minshi after such a confession.
The sobs of the Sect Leader Jiang resounded in the walls of the room, “You said you took me to Baoshan Sanren’s Mountain! Was it a lie?”
“Yes, it was a lie.”
“Master Wei, surely you cannot expect us to believe that such a feat can be achieved, to transfer one’s core is unheard of. Who could perform the procedure? How could it be done?” Lan Xichen inquired while everyone was still in shock.
“Zewu-jun seems to forget that you also had killed the most extraordinary medic in the cultivation world,” Of course Lan Xichen thought to himself, Wen Qing the gifted doctor. Of course it would have been her who could come up with this. “It’s a painful experience to have one’s core cut from one’s meridians. This one had to be awake and feel every cut during the two days and a night that the procedure lasted.”
The secret of his power was being coreless.
How could the most powerful cultivator, feared among all cultivation sects, be coreless. The Yiling Patriarch had no core, yet he had survived war and battled thousands of cultivators.
The power was his will.
“It was Wei Ying’s debt to the Wen, was it not?” some could hear the murmur of Lan Wangji breaking the heavy silence that had surrounded the Mingshi.
“It was. While paying my debt to the Jiang, this one incurred a debt to the Wen siblings. They had helped us to flee Lotus Pier and retrieve the Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan remains. Wen Qing and Wen Ning both nursed Jiang Cheng to health, accepted my request to perform the surgery and successfully performed it.”
Everyone knew that Wei Wuxian had defected Yumeng Jiang to defend a small Wen clan. Always arguing that the clan was not part of the main Qishan Wen and never supported Wen Ruohan, and that all its members were civilians and medical cultivators. But blinded by pride and hate, the cultivation world was unwilling to listen. Relying on Jin Guangshan, Jin Guangyao and Jin Zixun’s tellings, without making effort to investigate the matter further.
“They were all innocent.” Lan Wanji claimed. “We all betrayed the sense of honor to indulge in the comforts of indifference.” His voice full of guilt, shame and self disappointment.
No one could counter the Second Jade.
“Wei Ying said there was no backlash that day, you…” Lan Wangji had to gather courage just to say the word, “the day Wei Ying died. You… How did Wei Ying die?”
It was said that his army turned on the Yiling Patriarch, but Wei Wuxian had implied that he never lost control of the Seal during the siege of Burial Mounds.
Though Wei Wuxian avoided looking at Lan Wangji, he could still see how the silver eyes grew even emptier if possible.
The atmosphere grew heavier as the silence stretched. Jiang Wanyin raised his head to see Wei Wuxian’s face. Lan Xichen with a grim face at his brother’s question.
“How could I not die, when there was nothing for this one in this world. Why would I have wanted to stay here? I had lost everything, and the rest was taken from me.”
“Lost everything?” Lan Wangji could not hide the pain in his voice. To think that Wei Ying felt he had lost everything only made Lan Wangji hurt more. He should have fought harder for Wei Ying, he should have stood by his side.
“Lost everything?” Jiang Wanying repeated, “You left me! Now you're playing victim?!” Still feeling hurt by Wei Wuxian's previous confession, yet he could not stop demanding.
“I lost my parents at a young age. I was raised, abused and groomed in the Jian Sect to serve the young master.” Wei Wuxian could no longer hide the truth of his treatment in the Jiang Sect. He had loved them, but he knew the injustice he had been under. Inquiry had him show his deepest secrets to everyone present, to himself.
“When the Jiang Sect was diminished, I lost my core to save the young master, but he wouldn’t be grateful.
“I had lost my cultivation, my reputation, this one had lost his sword. I was useful during the war, we had defeated Wen Ruohan with the use of my cultivation. Only to be feared because of unfunded rumors from the Jin, I had lost the trust of my peers.
“Sect Leader Jiang would betray those who helped him to recover and accuse me of disloyalty instead when I honored the debt we both had.
“Maiden Jiang would marry the sect that had a hunt on my head. Though I loved my shijie, her dismissal hurt nonetheless. I had lost the only mother I remembered.”
Jiang Wanyin in disbelief could only listen to his shi-xiong. Was this how Wei Wuxian had felt all those years?
“You took from me the family I finally felt part of. You killed the Wens. You took my A-Yuan. My innocent son.
“I had lost the trust and love of my zhiji, the only person I would confide in. The person who held my heart in their hands.”
At the sounds of these words Lan Wangji froze. He always believed that Wei Ying refused to listen to him because of pride. The truth was that Wei Ying was hurting, believing that Lan Wangji doubted his righteousness.
Afraid to see the disappointment in his golden eyes. Lan Wangji had done nothing to make Wei Wuxian see it had been a misunderstanding.
Lan Wangji was hurting and drowning in guilt.
“I had lost Lan Zhan. I had lost everything.” Wei Wuxian finally raised his eyes to look back at those golden eyes. To look at the face of his zhiji, he had been afraid and ashamed of having disappointed him.
All could see the sole tear running from those empty silver eyes.
Lan Zhan could only see Wei Ying in shock, at his zhiji exposing his most guarded feelings. Wei Ying had always loved him and he had never allowed himself to see deep in Wei Ying’s actions. If he had, he would have noticed the pain Wei Ying hid.
“What was there for me to continue here? Death is a bliss, eternal peace. So I went willingly, embracing it. I ordered my army to set me free, to give me peace. So this one left.”
There was no Yiling Patriarch in the Mingshi, all they could see was a broken man. An innocent man they had killed.
No person in the Mingshi could make a noise. Every cultivator present was rendered speechless, from the top ranked Lan Qiren to the lower clans.
There was nothing else to ask. All their questions had been answered.
The only way to destroy the Yin Hu Fu was to destroy themselves. To give up your cultivation and your life.
Who was willing to make the sacrifice? Only those with the sense of honor and will stronger than the fear of death. Only Wei Wuxian.
They were doomed to live again under the foot of an oppressor, not anymore of Wen Ruohan’s but in the golden shape of the Jin.
Wei Wuxian had warned them, but no one heeded his words. Not until today, they had finally listened.
It was too late.
“Wei Wuxian.” Lan Qiren could only start with a heavy sigh.
“Master Lan.” Wei Wuxian looked at the elder,
“We thank you for the knowledge you have given us today. This Elder apologizes for the misjudgement he had of you and the pain he inflicted on your person.” Lan Qiren said while bowing in full respect.
“We now release you from this Inquiry, there is no more for us to take from you.”
“Indeed Master Lan. There is nothing left.” Wei Wuxian said, but this time with a touch of relief. After leaving his feelings and life bare, there was nothing there hidden. He felt light.
“Please, if this one could be bold to ask for mercy, could you grant a parting gift.” Wei Wuxian softly asked, Lan Xichen nodded. “This one does not want to return to the world of the living, to a world full of corruption. Please, dissipate this one’s soul.” Only then Wei Wuixian bowed to the three Lan cultivators leading the seance.
All three stopped in shock.
Lan Wangji could not articulate, this voice taken from the pain of hearing Wei Wuxian's request. the dread of not seeing Wei Wuxian even in the next life, he could not take it.
“Wei Ying! You cannot!” It didn’t matter to him that all the cultivators could hear the anguish in his voice. The streaks of tears running down his face.
“Lan Zhan, please live fully. Enjoy life for me. Grant me that last wish.” Wei Ying looked at him with some light in his eyes. Finally after avoiding those loved golden eyes of his zhiji. Finally talking to him, only to say his farewell.
Lan Wangji stood up and rushed to where Wei Wuxian’s soul had been remaining during the Inquiry session, breaking the formation and weakening the link. Wei Wuxian’s soul started to fade.
“Wei Ying!” Lan Wangji fretting as he could not hold his Wei Ying, despairing in his inability to let his beloved the feeling he had guarded for so many years.
“Lan Zhan, you can’t do this.”
“Wei Ying, please come back! Do not leave! Do not abandon me!” Lan Wangji was now in his knees, crying and trying in vain to hold the incorporeal shape of Wei Wuxian. “No! Wei Ying, you cannot!” Lan Wangji sobbed.
“Lan Zhan, I am sorry and Thank you.” These words did nothing but hit Lan Wanji with devastation.
“No! Not those words Wei Ying! Please!”
“Lan Zhan, I will always love you.” Wei Ying said with a soft smile. Wei Ying could not lie.
It would be the last time Lan Wangji would hear his name called by his Wei Ying. The last time in many years.
His Wei Ying had faded once again.
Lan Wangji was a bundle of sobs and tears. Not even his brother could help him compose himself.
After this, the seance ended on a grim note. There was a way to destroy the Seal, but no one had the courage to do what the Yiling Patriarch had done. No man was as righteous as the one named Wei Wuxian.
They were left with the only option of fighting a war once again. The last war was won because they had the resentment on their side, this time they will fight against it. There will be losses, but they had to fight oppression and injustice, one more time.
*****
The Second Cultivation War lasted a few years and they had lost many, but after Chifeng-zun had killed his sworn brother - Jin Guangyao, Jin Guangshan was easily defeated.
The now Jin head being Jin Rulan, had been educated by his uncle -Sect Leader Jiang, to be a honest cultivator and honor his principles. To be critical of the rules and the morals imposed by cultivation society. The Jin Sect had a brighter future.
The Lan Sect had dedicated themselves to help all civilians of the Jin Clan and provide refuge to those that were innocent and did not stand by Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao.
During the years that the war was ongoing and even after, Lan Wangji had performed Inquiry non-stop with the only hope to see his zhiji again.
Wei Wuxian would never answer Lan Wangji’s inquiry again after that day.
Everyone knew that the Second Master Lan never stopped mourning. He never will.
He will continue walking the path his zhiji once set for himself, he will live through his beloved’s wish.
*****
With chubby cheeks and a toothless smile, “Lan Zhan.” were the first words of a baby donned with silver eyes. A child that had been born to a couple of rogue cultivators somewhere not too far from Caiyi Town.
Soulmates are fated to find each other.