Chapter Text
As the seasons began to change, rumors of the Silver Moon Herb started to sweep through the cultivation world.
It was a legendary spiritual plant said to take root only once a millennium, hidden deep within the darkest shadows of treacherous mountains where the moonlight pools deepest. Tales claimed that whoever consumed it whole could mend shattered meridians and exponentially expand the golden core within their dantian. This rumor rode the wind, crossing the threshold of every clan. Yet, there were no clues as to which mountain range or valley this mysterious herb had actually bloomed in. While some scoffed and dismissed it as an absurd fairy tale, cultivators thirsty for power secretly dispatched their retainers to scour the deep mountains.
Naturally, these rumors had also reached the quiet Jingshi in the Cloud Recesses.
Lately, Lan Wangji’s desk was no longer covered in the Gusu Lan Sect scriptures he usually read. Instead, topographical maps of various regions and ancient tomes concerning medicinal herbs were piled high. Keeping the candles lit late into the night, he fixed his gaze on the aged pages, chasing after clues. Even the communication butterflies used for gathering outside information tapped against the Jingshi's window frames far more frequently than usual.
However, Wei Wuxian—the intended beneficiary of this spiritual medicine—remained as carefree as ever.
"Lan Zhan, you’ll hurt your eyes. Stop reading and come rest."
Lying sideways across the veranda, Wei Wuxian tossed a peanut into the air, caught it in his mouth, and spoke languidly.
The new golden core formed in his dantian was ridiculously small and frail compared to the magnificent one he had possessed during his days at Lotus Pier. Yet, Wei Wuxian was perfectly satisfied. He had no trouble going on ordinary night hunts and walking in step with Lan Wangji. He saw no reason, nor held any lingering desire, to forcefully cultivate his spiritual power just to stand at the apex of the cultivation world again.
Lan Wangji merely continued to silently turn the pages of his book. To him, restoring Wei Wuxian’s golden core was not a matter of vanity. The strength of that core directly correlated to the lifespan he and Wei Wuxian could share together; naturally, his pursuit of it was relentless.
It was on an afternoon when the rumors were still rampant and the truth remained elusive.
The sound of crunching footsteps approached the open doors of the Jingshi. Two figures appeared, dressed in white and ink-black robes: Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan. Having been notified in advance, Lan Wangji stood to greet them, while Wei Wuxian pushed himself up from the veranda with a welcoming smile.
Freshly brewed tea was set upon the table. Over the thin steam rising from the cups, a few peaceful pleasantries were exchanged.
Setting down his cup, Xiao Xingchen looked between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji with his signature clear, gentle gaze. After a moment, he carefully pulled a worn, thin piece of parchment from his robes and placed it on the table.
"Have you heard the rumors circulating about the Silver Moon Herb?"
"Those baseless rumors?"
Wei Wuxian blinked, looking between the parchment and Xiao Xingchen.
"Our Hanguang-jun has been turning the library upside down for days trying to find it. Do you happen to have proof that the rumor is actually true?"
Xiao Xingchen gave a light nod.
"The rumors are true. And I know the exact location where the herb has bloomed."
He slowly unfolded the parchment on the table. It revealed a concise ink-drawn topographical map of a mountain range, marked with a single small dot of red cinnabar.
"This information did not come from the mortal realm. A few days ago, my master secretly sent this to me along with a message."
Baoshan Sanren. The moment that name was spoken, Wei Wuxian flinched, suddenly tense. If this map was handed down directly by the ancient immortal who saw through the very logic and energy of the world, its authenticity was beyond doubt.
"My master gave me this map, telling me to claim it if I had the desire to do so. However..."
Xiao Xingchen smiled, the corners of his lips curving softly. Beside him, Song Lan gave a silent nod, expressing his agreement.
"With our current cultivation, Zichen and I have more than enough power to wander the world and help the weak. We have no desire to overstep the bounds of the Dao out of greed for more energy. We brought this map to you, Young Master Wei, because we believe it will be far more useful to someone who is newly refining their meridians than it would be to us."
Xiao Xingchen carefully slid the parchment toward Wei Wuxian.
It was a gesture of unconditional goodwill—the yielding of a serendipitous fortune whose value could not be quantified. Wei Wuxian looked down quietly at the map. The cinnabar dot shone vividly in the candlelight. However, instead of reaching out to take it, Wei Wuxian gave a light shrug and pushed the map back.
"I appreciate the thought, Daozhang Xiao, but I must decline. I have no complaints about my current golden core. This is enough for me to live peacefully by Lan Zhan’s side, so I have no reason to forcefully cultivate my spiritual power. It is a precious item, you two should—"
Swoosh.
Before Wei Wuxian could even finish his sentence, a pale, firm hand reached across the table and clamped down on the parchment. It was Lan Wangji.
There was absolutely no hesitation in his movement. Pulling the map entirely toward himself, Lan Wangji offered a deep, formal bow to Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan.
"I will never forget this grace."
"Lan Zhan!"
Flustered, Wei Wuxian tugged at Lan Wangji’s sleeve. For Hanguang-jun of the Gusu Lan Sect to so readily accept such a heavy debt was entirely unlike him. Yet despite Wei Wuxian’s protests, Lan Wangji did not let go of the map, staring straight ahead at Xiao Xingchen with perfect posture.
Watching their contrasting reactions, Xiao Xingchen let out a soundless laugh.
"Seeing Hanguang-jun accept it puts my mind at ease as well. However, there is one condition you must keep in mind."
His expression turned serious.
"According to my master’s message, the moment the Silver Moon Herb is plucked from the ground, its spiritual energy scatters and melts into water. Meaning, you cannot bring the herb back to brew and consume. One must sit cross-legged in the exact spot where the herb has taken root, right where the moonlight pours down, and directly absorb the herb’s energy into their body."
Wei Wuxian’s brow furrowed slightly. Directly absorbing the energy meant he would be left completely defenseless against outside interference.
"The absorption process takes three full days and nights,"
Xiao Xingchen continued.
"During those three days, the one receiving the energy will have their five senses completely closed off. With the flow of their spiritual energy focused entirely inward, they will be in a state of absolute vulnerability. If they are attacked or their concentration wavers during the process, their golden core could shatter, putting their life in grave peril."
Song Lan added in a heavy voice,
"The location is deep within a treacherous mountain range. Demonic beasts may appear, and cultivators coveting the herb could storm in at any moment. For those three days, an escort who can guard that spot without wavering is absolutely necessary."
It required absolute martial prowess and a blind devotion willing to risk one’s life to hold the line for three days. Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan’s gazes naturally turned toward Lan Wangji.
Lan Wangji carefully folded the parchment and tucked it deep inside his robes.
"I will keep that in mind."
There were no long-winded vows or pledges. Lan Wangji simply turned his gaze to Wei Wuxian, looked straight into his eyes, and gave a single, resolute nod.
Immediately after Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan departed the Jingshi, Lan Wangji led Wei Wuxian out of the Cloud Recesses without a moment’s delay.
The rumor that a legendary spiritual herb had surfaced was already echoing across the entire cultivation world. There was absolutely no guarantee that they were the only ones who possessed the map. Instead of his usual composed, leisurely pace, Lan Wangji’s steps were laced with a tight, anxious tension, deeply fearful that someone might beat them to the prize.
After flying non-stop on their swords for two full days, they arrived at a massive, sprawling desert on the very edge of the Central Plains.
In the middle of a dry, barren sea of sand entirely devoid of life, a rugged expanse of terrain suddenly broke the horizon, with grotesque rocky mountains jutting out like ancient tombstones. Among them, one peak of crimson rock stood out, boasting an overwhelmingly imposing presence as it pierced straight into the sky. That was their destination.
"Lan Zhan. Up there, at the very top."
Wei Wuxian squinted against the harsh wind as he stood on Suibian.
"It looks exactly like a giant pillar shoved straight into the sand. You’re telling me a medicinal herb managed to take root in a place like that?"
Just as Wei Wuxian observed, the rocky mountain was a sheer, vertical cliff that narrowed the higher it climbed. It was nearly impossible to scale on foot, and even if highly skilled cultivators flew up on their swords, the dizzying altitude and fierce air resistance made the ascent incredibly perilous.
The two men sharply increased their altitude and began to scale the vertical cliff face. As they climbed higher, the scorching desert wind gave way to a freezing, razor-sharp gale that violently whipped the hems of their robes.
When they finally broke through the cloud cover and landed safely on the highest peak, Wei Wuxian let out a soft gasp.
The summit was a wide, flat bedrock large enough for dozens of people to stand on. It was a completely exposed expanse, meeting the sky without a single tree, boulder, or crag to offer cover. If someone were to fly in and attack during the three days required to absorb the herb’s energy, it was the absolute worst possible terrain to defend.
Yet, in the dead center of that barren, dangerous bedrock, pushing through a tiny crevice like a miracle of nature, sat a single herb bathed in the moonlight.
"Is that... the Silver Moon Herb?"
As if spellbound, Wei Wuxian slowly approached it. The transparent petals hanging at the ends of its slender, silver stems emitted a cold, mystical glow, looking much like sculpted shards of ice. Every time the wind blew, faint afterimages of spiritual energy rippled around the petals, as if scattering pure silver dust into the air.
Sheathing Bichen, Lan Wangji also stepped toward the herb. Profound relief, mingled with a fierce, burning desire, flashed through his golden eyes.
"Wei Ying. We have no time to delay. Begin absorbing the energy immediately. I will block the surroundings, so focus solely on the flow of your spiritual energy."
Just as Wei Wuxian nodded, adjusted his robes, and was about to sit cross-legged on the stone—
Swoosh—!
From far below, the sharp, piercing sound of air splitting cut through the wind. Wei Wuxian stopped and turned his head. Lan Wangji’s gaze also snapped fiercely in the direction of the sound.
Beyond the horizon of the desert, a faint dot was hurtling toward the mountain peak at a terrifying speed. Judging by the thick spiritual energy rippling around the sword’s trajectory, it was no ordinary cultivator.
Stepping squarely in front of Wei Wuxian and the Silver Moon Herb, Lan Wangji drew Bichen. Wei Wuxian also pulled Chenqing from his waist, gripping it tightly as he honed his senses toward the approaching presence.
Soon, the sword glare that had surged toward the peak halted in the air, revealing the figure riding the blade.
Robes of the Lanling Jin Sect heavily embroidered with peonies, beautiful features adorned with thick makeup, and lavish gold jewelry. But beneath all that extravagance lay a heavy, worn-out layer of pure venom and fatigue.
Recognizing the woman’s face, Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes. During the Sunshot Campaign, she was the woman who had tried to seduce him in a pathetic attempt to drag him into the Lanling Jin Sect, and upon failing, had shamelessly tried to frame him for molesting her. The woman whose lies had ultimately been exposed and shattered by Lan Wangji’s unyielding testimony—Jin Jiaoyue.
Having been thoroughly cast out from the Jin clan for tarnishing the family’s honor after that incident, she had somehow managed to claw her way all the way out here.
"Well, well. Look who we have here."
Stepping off her sword onto the rocky peak, Jin Jiaoyue let out a sickeningly sweet, sneering laugh.
"To think I dragged myself all the way out to this miserable desert in search of the legendary Silver Moon Herb, only to run into the very person who ruined my life so perfectly."
Her gaze unpleasantly raked up and down Wei Wuxian’s body.
"If I had known from the start that the Young Master favored men, I wouldn’t have wasted my efforts. Going around smiling like a gigolo, I assumed you were quite the womanizer, but I never imagined you were the type who enjoyed groaning beneath another man."
It was a blatant, vulgar insult. However, Wei Wuxian’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Lightly twirling Chenqing in his hand, he simply scoffed.
"I am truly sorry about that, Maiden Jin. But you see, my tastes are quite picky, making it rather difficult to accept such clumsy seduction. Besides, seeing as my husband is the most handsome man in the entire cultivation world, my standards have been raised astronomically high. So what can be done, even if you feel wronged?"
As Wei Wuxian smiled and shot back, Jin Jiaoyue’s eyes slanted up viciously.
"That mouth of yours is as glib as ever. Because of you, Young Master Wei, my path to success was completely blocked, and I have been forced to survive while being treated as discarded trash by my own clan. I must swallow this herb and grow my power so I can get my revenge on those rotten Jin bastards."
Drawing the sword at her waist, she cast her eyes greedily toward the Silver Moon Herb.
"So yield that herb to me, Young Master Wei. I will give you the chance to repay the debt you owe me."
Desperation heavily laced her voice. Displeased by the pathetic sight of her thrashing about with nothing but venom left amidst the persecution of the cultivation world, Wei Wuxian let out a thoughtful "Hmm."
He hadn’t harbored much greed for the Silver Moon Herb to begin with. Seeing how utterly desperate she looked, he was just debating what to do when—
"Step back."
Lan Wangji leveled the tip of Bichen squarely at Jin Jiaoyue's throat. There was not a single sliver of sympathy or hesitation in his light eyes.
Jin Jiaoyue stared intently at Lan Wangji’s striking face blocking her path. Soon, a seductive, sickening smile spread across her red lips.
"Oh my. Hanguang-jun, you still wear such a scary face."
Raising the pitch of her voice and curving her eyes flirtatiously, Jin Jiaoyue took a slow, deliberate step toward him.
"But Hanguang-jun. Aren’t you sick of the hard body of a man by now? It seems you’re only hung up on that guy because you’ve never truly tasted a woman’s body."
Lightly loosening the collar of her robes, she exposed her pale collarbones.
"Why don’t you take this opportunity to experience the true pleasure and sweetness unique to a woman—something a man could never compare to—with me? If you give me the Silver Moon Herb, I will give Hanguang-jun the greatest night the cultivation world has ever—"
Smack—!
Before Jin Jiaoyue could even finish her cheap seduction.
Her body flew straight into the air. The result of a ruthless, vicious kick from Wei Wuxian.
"Kyahhh!"
Letting out a piercing scream, Jin Jiaoyue was launched clean off the summit of the sheer rocky mountain.
"...Wei Ying."
At the abrupt turn of events, Lan Wangji narrowed his brow and stepped toward the edge of the cliff. It was a sheer drop of hundreds of feet. A height that would result in instant, messy death for any cultivator, no matter their spiritual power, if they fell without defense. For a fleeting second, genuine bewilderment colored Lan Wangji’s eyes.
However, casually tapping Chenqing against his shoulder, Wei Wuxian let out a cold, sharp snort.
"How dare she casually reach her filthy hands toward my husband. She should consider herself lucky I didn’t just kill her right then and there."
Looking deeply displeased, his brow furrowed, Wei Wuxian looked down the terrifying cliff.
"Don’t worry, Lan Zhan. She probably didn’t even break a bone. When I saw her move just now, the spiritual energy in her lower body was quite solid. Despite being cast out by her clan, it seems she trained ruthlessly, fueled by pure spite alone. She’s not unskilled enough to fall and die just from taking one kick."
As soon as Wei Wuxian finished speaking, a red sword glare shot up from the dizzying depths of the cliff at a ferocious speed.
Barely clinging to her sword, Jin Jiaoyue glared at the two men, her face deathly pale as she clutched her stomach. Her lavish makeup was a complete, humiliating mess of sweat and dirt.
"Y-You... you vulgar, crazy sodomite! I will never forget the humiliation of today! Mark my words, one day I will definitely end you along with your precious cultivation partner! Just you wait!"
Spitting out a venomous curse, Jin Jiaoyue immediately turned her sword and scrambled away frantically beyond the horizon of the desert, clearly terrified of another attack.
Clicking his tongue at her retreating figure, Wei Wuxian soon returned to his peaceful expression and lightly brushed the dust off Lan Wangji’s pristine sleeve.
The moon rising in the middle of the sky was exceptionally round and brilliant. Bathed fully in the pouring moonlight, the Silver Moon Herb emitted an even more mystical, radiant silver glow, as if physically pushing back the surrounding darkness. Now was the most perfect time to absorb its energy.
"Lan Zhan."
Sitting cross-legged on the flat stone right in front of the Silver Moon Herb, Wei Wuxian looked up at Lan Wangji.
"From this moment on, it’s three days and nights. I have to circulate the energy in my dantian without even thinking about breathing. Even if someone puts a knife to my throat, I won’t be able to open my eyes."
Wei Wuxian’s voice was calm, but the weight it carried was by no means light. Completely shutting off all five senses and focusing solely on the internal flow of spiritual energy—this act of surviving for three days in an utterly defenseless state was impossible without absolute, blind trust in his protector.
Lan Wangji took his position exactly three paces away from Wei Wuxian’s front.
"Trust only me."
Lan Wangji’s golden eyes shone quietly in the moonlight. Meeting his unwavering gaze, a comfortable, deep smile graced Wei Wuxian’s lips. Without a shred of anxiety or hesitation, he closed his eyes.
Simultaneously, the silver spiritual energy flowing from the Silver Moon Herb rose into the air like fine, glowing threads, slowly beginning to seep into Wei Wuxian’s dantian.
Tearing his gaze away from the meditating Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji gripped Bichen and sharpened all his senses, extending them in every direction.
And so, the first night fell.
The rumor that a legendary spiritual medicine had revealed itself traveled faster than a desert sandstorm. As midnight passed, groups of cultivators riding their swords began swarming toward the rocky mountain from beyond the barren horizon, drawn like moths to a flame. They were rogue cultivators seeking a sudden rise to power, and retainers of prestigious clans moving secretly under their masters’ orders.
"There! The Yiling Patriarch is taking the medicine! Kill him and steal the herb!"
Dozens of sword glares sliced through the moonlight, pouring down upon the summit of the rocky peak.
However, not a single one of those greedy blades managed to touch even the hem of Wei Wuxian’s robes.
Clang—! Kaang!
Lan Wangji’s Bichen moved faster than the naked eye could follow. He shattered the sword paths of the charging cultivators in a single clash, accurately striking their solar plexuses or shoulders, ruthlessly sending them plummeting down the sheer cliff face.
Even amidst the chaotic, violent dance of swinging swords, screams, and slicing air, Lan Wangji’s feet never once stepped outside a three-pace radius around Wei Wuxian. He was a fortress of solid ice, existing solely to protect Wei Wuxian’s peaceful breathing.
It was around the time dozens of cultivators had been knocked off the cliff, and the first wave of attacks had finally reached a lull.
A single dark figure—who had stubbornly held out until the end, aiming solely for Lan Wangji’s blind spot—ultimately failed to dodge Bichen’s sword aura and rolled across the ground.
"Urgh..."
His mask fell away, revealing his face. Looking down at the man kneeling on the ground, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes, Lan Wangji narrowed his brow ever so slightly.
It was Su She.
A former cultivator of the Gusu Lan Sect who had betrayed his clan, consumed by a deeply rooted inferiority complex. After Wen Ruohan’s death, when his life was hanging by a thread, the one who took him in and saved him was Jin Guangyao. Su She had become Jin Guangyao’s loyal dog, handling all his secret, dirty work. In the end, to aid Jin Guangyao, he had incited a riot at the Gusu Lan Sect’s stronghold, incapacitated Lan Ming and Lan Qiren, and stolen the Stygian Tiger Amulet before fleeing.
Following that incident, the Gusu Lan Sect had turned the cultivation world upside down hunting Jin Guangyao’s remnants. They had caught them all, yet the whereabouts of the prime culprit, Su She, had remained a mystery.
And here he was, having crawled all the way out to this barren desert for revenge.
"Hanguang-jun..."
Wiping the blood from his mouth roughly, Su She growled in a voice dripping with venom.
"Still wearing that lofty, disgusting face of yours. Born with a silver spoon in your mouth, effortlessly monopolizing the praises of the cultivation world—do you have any idea how unfair it is for people like us, struggling at the very bottom?!"
Supporting himself on the ground, Su She glared at Lan Wangji with manic, bloodshot eyes.
"Do you know how I was treated in the Gusu Lan Sect? I was ignored every single day, looked at like a bug just because I lacked talent and had a lowly bloodline! Sect Leader Jin was the only one who gave me worth and reached out his hand to me. You bastards drove him out and ruined my life all over again! Even if I have to chew up this Silver Moon Herb, I will have your heads...!"
Su She’s long, tedious curse, riddled with inferiority and resentment, dragged on. Lan Wangji simply looked down at him impassively, waiting silently until Su She’s hysterical screaming finally came to an end.
Eventually, when Su She stopped speaking to catch his breath, Lan Wangji spoke quietly.
"You cannot change the bloodline you are born with, nor the starting line you are given."
There was no agitation or anger in Lan Wangji’s voice.
"However, you can choose what you do afterward. When Jin Guangyao held out a rotten rope to you, choosing to grab it was your choice. Betraying your clan was your choice."
Su She’s eyes twitched, as if in a spasm.
"After Jin Guangyao’s downfall, the world gave you a chance to run away and start a new life. You certainly had the chance to hide, wash away your sins, and live quietly. And yet, why did you choose not to use that chance, and instead come here to hasten your own death?"
"W-What..."
Su She’s jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. To a man who had spent his entire life resenting others for his own misery, Lan Wangji’s cold, piercing truth—that the cause of all his ruin ultimately lay in his own foolish choices—was a blade that struck right at his core.
Lan Wangji did not wait for the fleeting moment Su She froze, unable to even find an excuse.
"Gah!"
A deep gash was carved into Su She’s chest as his body was launched violently off the cliff. Thrown off the summit of the rocky mountain, Su She’s body plummeted rapidly into the darkness below, unable to even let out a proper scream.
Whether he crashed into the ground and died, or barely managed to save his life by mounting his sword, Lan Wangji didn’t care. There was only one thing that mattered to him.
Instead of checking down the cliff, he immediately turned around and faced Wei Wuxian.
Even amidst the chaos of countless cultivators attacking and the storm of biting sword winds, Wei Wuxian sat cross-legged, his eyes closed, without having wavered a single time. The pure energy of the Silver Moon Herb rode the moonlight, gently wrapping around his body.
The moment Lan Wangji’s frost-like gaze took in Wei Wuxian’s serene face, it melted softly like spring snow. Gripping the hilt of Bichen firmly once more, he stood facing the cold night wind of the desert, silently preparing to meet the second day.
On the second night, as the spiritual energy emitted by the Silver Moon Herb reached its absolute peak, the air around the rocky mountain began to warp bizarrely.
The presence of the greedy cultivators who had swarmed the mountain on the first night was gone. Instead, demonic beasts that had slumbered beneath the barren desert sands, along with formless, dense resentful energies, began to crawl their way up the cliff face, hungrily coveting both the energy of the Silver Moon Herb and Wei Wuxian’s defenseless body.
Adjusting his grip on Bichen, Lan Wangji stood firmly in front of Wei Wuxian, who was deeply immersed in his meditation with his eyes closed.
"Hand him over..."
Dozens of pale, ghastly hands reached out toward Wei Wuxian from within the black fog. However, Lan Wangji’s sword did not allow even the slightest opening.
Clang—! Slash!
Bichen’s blue sword glare sliced through the darkness, accurately severing the necks of the lunging demonic beasts. Lan Wangji’s movements were ruthless and unyielding. However, the more he cut them down, the more the remaining resentful energy maliciously coalesced, beginning to take on new forms.
The newly formed shapes were not mere monsters. The resentful energies began to take on the faces of Lan Wangji’s deepest, darkest abyss—the heavy karma he had to carry for the rest of his life.
"Hanguang-jun... acting so noble, yet in the end, you too walk the path of a slaughterer."
From the black fog, the faces of the Qishan Wen Sect cultivators whose heads had been severed by Lan Wangji’s sword during the Sunshot Campaign surfaced like phantoms. Blood-soaked faces surrounded him, spitting out their endless resentment.
"Because of your precious justice, we bled. Because of that Yiling Patriarch you are trying so hard to protect, our innocent brothers were gruesomely torn apart and killed in Nightless City!"
The phantoms shifted by the second. They morphed into the faces of the allied cultivators who had been sacrificed when Wei Wuxian was brainwashed during the Sunshot Campaign, and the faces of the innocent commoners Lan Wangji had failed to save, who had died right before his eyes, pouring out their bitter blame.
"Hand over Wei Wuxian! Because of that demonic overlord, we died! So why do you embrace a murderous demon and turn a blind eye to us?!"
The screams the phantoms let out were not merely noise piercing the eardrums; they were psychological attacks clawing directly at Lan Wangji’s mind. Had it been an ordinary cultivator, they would have had no choice but to crumble under the sheer weight of those voices.
However, Lan Wangji’s calm golden eyes did not waver a single inch.
He stared straight into the faces of the horrific, vengeful spirits swarming him. He did not make excuses, nor did he cover his ears.
"I know that your blood stains my hands."
Lan Wangji’s low, heavy voice pierced through the shrieks of the resentful energy, ringing out clearly.
"The lives I failed to save, the lives I cut down. That karma will never lighten or be erased. I will carry it with me for the rest of my life."
Enraged by Lan Wangji’s unwavering demeanor, the phantoms let out even sharper, more vicious shrieks. Lowering the tip of Bichen toward the ground, Lan Wangji cast a deep, heavy gaze toward the vengeful spirits.
"However, I will not fulfill my responsibility by crumbling beneath your resentment. To build a better world upon the ground where I swung my sword, so that no one else will ever shed unjust blood again. That is the true atonement those who survive must uphold."
"What about Wei Wuxian! What of the sins committed by that evil ghost!" one vengeful spirit pointed a rotting finger at Wei Wuxian and screamed with pure venom.
Lan Wangji slowly turned his head, taking in the sight of Wei Wuxian breathing peacefully beneath the moonlight, before turning back.
"All the sins and karma he has committed, I will embrace them as well."
His quiet declaration echoed over the rocky mountain.
"If you harbor resentment toward him, direct it all to me. If there is a price he must pay, I will pay it by cutting my own flesh. However... I will not allow even a single sliver of darkness to touch Wei Ying."
The spiritual energy erupting from Lan Wangji’s body mixed with Bichen’s blue sword glare, creating a massive, blinding pillar of light.
"Leave."
Before Lan Wangji’s absolute, unbreakable resolve, the screams of the vengeful spirits lost their way in the void. Realizing that their curses could not shake the heart of this man of ice in the slightest, the resentful spirits let out agonizing groans and scattered into ash.
Only the clear moonlight and profound silence remained on the summit of the rocky mountain. Lan Wangji offered a quiet bow toward the last wisp of resentful energy fading into the void, then sheathed Bichen.
He returned to his spot exactly three steps away from Wei Wuxian, looking down at the serene face of his cultivation partner, who remained completely motionless, deeply immersed in his meditation. In Wei Wuxian’s dantian, the energy of the Silver Moon Herb was taking root even deeper, blooming with pure, potent vitality.
Neatly smoothing the hem of his robes that had been ruffled by the night wind, Lan Wangji became an impenetrable fortress that no ghost could dare approach, silently waiting to meet the third night.
On the final night, not even the presence of a sandstorm reached the summit of the rocky mountain. The cloudless, clear night sky was densely packed with the Milky Way, as if it were pouring down from the heavens, and the Silver Moon Herb was slowly turning completely transparent as it poured the last remaining essence of its spiritual energy into Wei Wuxian’s dantian.
Keeping Bichen resting on his lap, Lan Wangji sat rigidly upright, looking up at the night sky.
A cluster of stars was slowly revolving along the massive dome of the sky, drawing their eternal trajectories. Compared to those stars holding their places unchangingly through eons of time, the blood-soaked battles of the cultivation world or the fleeting life and death of humans must seem like nothing more than a speck of dust.
Yet, to Lan Wangji, the single, small body of Wei Wuxian breathing evenly before his eyes felt tens of thousands of times larger and heavier than that vast universe filling his vision.
Taking in Wei Wuxian’s serene face, he slowly chewed over the heavy, profound emotions swelling from deep within his chest. The fact that after going round and round through those horrific times of the past, he was finally able to stand in this place and watch Wei Wuxian breathe whole. That he had managed to embrace the man whom the entire world had pointed fingers at, and actually earned the chance to breathe warmth back into his scarred soul.
Lan Wangji sincerely thanked and thanked again the incomprehensible logic of the world that had allowed him the chance to keep Wei Wuxian by his side, and the mercy of the gods that might have granted them this miracle.
As the night deepened and the pale blue light of dawn began to spread faintly over the pitch-black eastern horizon—
Whoosh—
The air on the summit of the rocky mountain rippled.
Lan Wangji immediately gripped the hilt of Bichen and raised his guard. However, there was no killing intent in what approached.
Through the breaking dawn, a single stream of clear light fluttered down, landing softly in the air just in front of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. As the light slowly dissipated, the figure revealed was a woman with rich, ink-black hair, a crimson ribbon fluttering freely in the wind, and clear, cheerful eyes that mirrored Wei Wuxian’s signature smile exactly.
It was Cangse Sanren.
For a vengeful spirit of the dead, her energy was far too pure, far too holy. Lan Wangji withdrew Bichen and bowed deeply from the waist.
"Have you ascended to the ranks of immortals? Or... is this, too, a hallucination born of the desert’s spiritual energy?"
Cangse Sanren neither confirmed nor denied his question. Wearing a peculiar yet incredibly gentle smile, she simply gazed at the face of her son, who remained deep in meditation with his eyes closed. She looked at him as if tenderly stroking his face with her eyes alone.
"Why does that matter?"
Her voice was as light and clear as the sound of the wind.
"I am merely a mother who has come to express her deepest gratitude to the reliable bodyguard who kept watch until the very end of this long night."
She tore her gaze away from Wei Wuxian and looked straight at Lan Wangji’s cool, striking face.
"My child is a stubborn fool who seems to have mixed the bloodline and temperaments of myself and my husband half and half. A fool who isn’t afraid to carve away his own flesh for the sake of others. When I think of the sheer hardships that boy must have endured all these years, it tears my heart apart as a mother, but..."
A profound sense of relief settled into her clear eyes.
"Since he ultimately has a man like you by his side at the end of that arduous road, I have no lingering regrets or laments left to hold onto."
Cangse Sanren bowed very deeply toward Lan Wangji.
"Thank you, Hanguang-jun. Thank you for holding his hand so tightly that my child wouldn’t break. Please... continue to look after our A-Ying."
Standing rigidly straight, Lan Wangji bowed from the waist, offering an absolute, sincere bow of respect.
"I swear it."
Lan Wangji’s voice was harder than the rocky mountain beneath them and clearer than the breaking dawn.
"So that Wei Ying may live a peaceful and radiant life, envying no one else in the world... I will dedicate my everything to protect him."
At that unwavering vow, a bright, dazzling smile bloomed on Cangse Sanren’s face, looking as though she had gained the entire world.
"You truly are a reliable one."
Her ethereal body slowly began to assimilate with the clear morning light. Lightly sweeping a hand over the sleeping Wei Wuxian’s crown from the air, Cangse Sanren offered one last, incredibly warm eye-smile toward Lan Wangji.
"Thank you."
With that clear voice scattering in the wind as her final words, the form of Cangse Sanren seeped perfectly into the morning sunlight and vanished without a trace.
For a long time, Lan Wangji could not tear his gaze away from the empty space where she had disappeared. Soon, the morning sun broke fully over the eastern horizon, pouring brilliant, golden light onto the summit of the rocky mountain.
The final trace of silver energy from the Silver Moon Herb that had been seeping into Wei Wuxian’s dantian was completely absorbed, and the dried remains of the herb crumbled in the morning wind, scattering without a trace.
Having completed three full days and nights of deep meditation, Wei Wuxian’s long eyelashes began to flutter rapidly as they caught the harsh sunlight.
Eventually, slowly lifting his heavy eyelids, the very first thing Wei Wuxian took in was Lan Wangji—sitting motionless exactly three paces in front of him, having kept watch through the long night.
"Lan Zhan..."
Wei Wuxian called out to him in a husky, dry voice. Yet, unexpectedly, teardrops were pooling and shining at the corners of his smiling eyes.
Startled, Lan Wangji closed the distance in a single breath and cupped Wei Wuxian’s cheeks. Urgent, sharp worry colored his golden eyes, fearing that because he had closed off his five senses for three days, his spiritual energy might have tangled or he might be showing early signs of qi deviation.
"Wei Ying, are you alright? Are you in pain anywhere?"
Shaking his head gently, Wei Wuxian leaned his face deeply into the warmth of Lan Wangji’s palms. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks, but a warm, overwhelming smile was spreading across his lips.
"No, Lan Zhan. I’m not hurt anywhere. It’s just... I think I had a dream."
Wei Wuxian reached up, pulling Lan Wangji’s wrists to draw him closer to his side.
"While I was in deep meditation, drawing the energy of the Silver Moon Herb into my dantian, on the last night... I felt someone hugging me in a very warm place."
His voice trembled faintly.
"My mother patted me. She thanked me for enduring so well, and she told me to be happy to my heart’s content from now on with the wonderful man by my side. She smiled like that, kissed my forehead... and disappeared."
It might have simply been a hallucination born of deep meditation. Or, it could have been the final blessing left for her son by Cangse Sanren, who had revealed herself to Lan Wangji at dawn. With his thumbs, Lan Wangji gently wiped away Wei Wuxian's tears.
"And as my mother was leaving... it seems she left one last gift for me."
Sniffling away the remaining tears, Wei Wuxian pulled down Lan Wangji’s hand that had been cupping his cheek, carefully pressing his palm flat over his lower abdomen, right above his dantian.
Through the skin of Lan Wangji’s palm, the powerful pulsation surging from Wei Wuxian’s dantian was transmitted flawlessly.
It was no longer the tiny, fragile golden core, the size of an apple seed, that had formed just a few days ago. The newly forged meridians—born from a blend of the Silver Moon Herb’s pure energy and a mother’s dying blessing—were ceaselessly pumping out vast, powerful spiritual energy like an endless, deep well.
With spiritual energy this pure and solid, it was more than enough for him to cultivate by Lan Wangji’s side, remaining unaging for hundreds of years.
"Lan Zhan. Now you don’t ever have to worry about me leaving you alone and passing away early."
Smiling playfully, Wei Wuxian wrapped both his arms tightly around Lan Wangji’s neck.
"Now we can be together for a very, very long time. Even if you get annoyed and try to push me away, I’ll be stuck right by your side for a hundred, two hundred years, so you better prepare yourself."
In the face of those words, the last threads of Lan Wangji’s formidable reason could hold out no longer, crumbling completely.
Wrapping his arms fiercely around Wei Wuxian’s waist, Lan Wangji pulled him into his chest as if to crush him into his very bones. And without a second of hesitation, he lowered his head and swallowed Wei Wuxian’s lips deeply.
The suffocating tension of the past three days and nights, and the bone-deep terror of eventual separation that he had anxiously harbored in his heart for a very long time—it all melted away completely into that unhesitating, scorching kiss.
Closing his eyes, Wei Wuxian swept his hands over Lan Wangji’s broad back, sweetly and eagerly accepting his overwhelming warmth until he was entirely breathless.
A long while later, fully bathed in the brilliant morning sunlight, the two men left the summit of the rocky mountain behind, mounting Suibian and Bichen.
Below their feet, the endlessly vast, golden desert sprawled out, and above their heads, the cloudless, eye-achingly blue sky opened wide into infinity.
"Lan Zhan, where should we go now? The weather’s far too nice to just head straight back to Gusu."
Pulling Suibian up close beside Bichen, Wei Wuxian asked with a grin.
"Anywhere. Wherever you wish to go."
Lan Wangji answered without a single shred of hesitation, his golden eyes gazing affectionately at the bright red hair ribbon fluttering wildly in the wind.
"Hmm, should we stop by Yunmeng and turn Jiang Cheng’s insides upside down one more time? Or should we go down south and see the ocean? Well... I suppose there’s no rush."
Laughing heartily, Wei Wuxian stretched his arms wide toward the open sky.
"Because we have a whole lot of time left. Wherever our feet take us, let’s just take it slow and write our new stories together."
Wei Wuxian’s clear, unburdened laughter rang out refreshingly toward the endless blue sky. Answering that joyous sound with a faint, impossibly tender smile, Lan Wangji matched Bichen’s speed perfectly to Wei Wuxian’s.
Flying across the vast expanse, the two swords drew a solid, radiant trajectory that would never be shaken by any harsh wind, melting seamlessly into the breathtaking new scenery of the world.