Chapter Text
It starts with Lan Wangji holding a whip in the snow.
Of a determination Lan Qiren sees on his face. An expression he knows all too well. Lan Qiren’s threat won't stop him. It’s barely made him pause. The boy doesn't sit in repentance, but in relief. There is a confident, defiant warmth in his eyes which seems to melt the snow around him and set the whip ablaze upon his palms.
He will go back to him again. Of this, Qiren is sure.
That demon which ensnared his youngest nephew; polluted his mind with questions he should never have asked. Answers Qiren would rather stab himself in the heart than hear him utter.
His nephew would disobey him. He would find a way to visit that temptation again. Would defy him. And maybe, just maybe, the next time he goes, he would not get him back. Either that demon kills him, or ensnares him into his wicked ways.
Lan Qiren would not stand for it. Something had to be done...before it was too late. Too late to save Wangji...and himself. Too late to save his clan from the slow encroach of evil which that demon has wrought upon their world.
Lan Qiren could not understand the cultivation world's complacency. Here was a demon made flesh. A creature they had each sworn to protect the world from. It was their jobs to maintain the world's order, and keep all unnatural forces at bay.
What Wei Wuxian was doing went against the natural order of the world! Against everything he taught!
Yet too few seemed interested in putting a stop to his rise. Do they not see the similarities to Wen Ruohan? Do they not see their mistakes? So many payed the toll for their complacency! For tongues kept locked behind teeth and swords sheathed at their sides!
Their own disciples had been amongst those who died in that forsaken pass!
Well, it shall not happen again! Qiren will not allow it! He did not pour every ounce of his soul into rebuilding his home, just to see it crumble to ashes once again!
If no others were brave, or sensible enough to take on the beast, Qiren would have to do it himself! The stories of Wei Wuxian's exploits on the battlefields had long since paved the road Qiren must walk. He had known his blade would seek out the monster's heart sooner or later.
Perhaps this is penance? Penance for not striking the boy down with his sword, rather than a scroll. Penance for not prescribing execution, over written lines. Penance for not recognising the seed of evil sprouting so young. For not rooting it out whilst the boy was in his control. If Qiren could go back, he would correct his mistake in a heartbeat.
But alas, time is linear, even for the 'Yiling Patriarch' and if it falls to Qiren to ensure the demon's time ends quickly? So be it. Qiren would undertake this task. Even if it meant Wangji would hate him. Better that, than watching his nephew slowly succumbing to the darkness which claimed Qiren’s brother.
He activated a talisman, grim determination on his face. A moment later, his aide knocked at the door.
"Enter."
"You wished to see me Grandmaster?"
"Mn. Gather a party of our strongest, though do not have them congregate. Tell each to leave Cloud Recesses and meet the rest at Jiu Tao's inn. My nephews must not be made aware of this operation. Nor any who are overly loyal to them. If they ask questions, tell them to say they had been assigned a night hunt. For it is technically the truth. The hunt is just... more ferocious... than I would like them to know of. I do not wish for them to worry unduly."
His aide nodded, eyes betraying a hint of shock. "Yes Grandmaster. I will be discreet."
"Good... Oh, and when I say strong... I do not only mean their swordplay. They must be strong in mind. Steadfast in the Gusu Lan ways, lacking sympathy for the undeserving, unswayed by temptations or promises... and they must have a strong resistance to resentful energy. Those who had fought on battlefields near to Yiling, Hejian and Jianghu would likely be the best. Lan Fulong, Lan Chu, Lan Songru, Lan Jiuren, Lan Shouming, Lan Manzu… and from the outer disciples, perhaps Du Kanjia, Xiu Zhang, Su Danshi…”
He contemplated that decision. Su Minshan, Su Danshi’s younger brother, had been a consistent problem, but the sins of one was not the sins of another, and Su Danshi has shown himself to be consistently steadfast and talented throughout his life in Cloud Recesses, just as his father had been.
He paused, searching for more names and faces. The best and brightest. Recalling their history and feats with the speed of a schoolmaster’s memory. Though those were the ones which most stood out. But then his mind turned to the question of who might be most supportive of his decision on this, and he recalled that many elders had always been just as vocal and adamant in their concerns about Wei Wuxian’s unorthodoxy.
One voice stood out in particular. Always ready to direct the focus back to the growing threat, having jumped at the chance to accompany Qiren to the meeting held at Koi Tower just after the Qiongqi pass massacre. He would do well to bring him.
“…Please ask Elder Rong as well. I believe his views on the subject of our hunt will serve our purpose well. Tell him to seek me out if he wishes to know more details. The rest I trust you to work out for yourself."
The shock in the aide's eyes had only gained more gravity as Qiren spoke, but he was well trained. He simply nodded and replied "Yes Grandmaster. May this one ask how many you wished to have gathered?"
"Hmm. As many as possible which would not arouse suspicion... The quarry shall be... challenging... Though we also don't want to tip off the...prey... and alert it to our presence too early. Perhaps fifteen will be the best number. Though I understand the difficulty in concealing that number from Xichen... so twelve would be acceptable."
The aide nodded again. "Yes Grandmaster, this one will now take my leave, and will endeavour to act with discretion."
"Mn. Good. You may go."
His aide bowed politely, then slipped through his door, leaving him with a new task to accomplish. He had to find a nighthunt for Wangji. One which would take him several days. Weeks would be preferable… but he knew his nephew’s efficiency and prowess… It would be no easy task to find a challenging nighthunt within the list of unassigned tasks…
He looked through the list, scanning each destination and weighing the distance in his mind. Most were too close. He could reach them by sword in half a day. Most were also too easy. He could vanquish the enemy with two songs of one sword glare. No. It had to be special… Something he would usually send a team to investigate…
Realising this, he leafed through the scrolls in the assignment box, searching for the one he used the least… Ah there.
The paper was rigid with disuse when he unrolled it, so Qiren was careful to unfurl it slowly, reading through each calamity level villain which their clan had ever encountered. The scroll was reserved for dangers which were deemed too monumental to be dealt with quickly, and far enough away from civilians that it meant there was no need to rush into the project, as it would take huge manpower and resources to achieve; something which was scarce these past years, with the war and the rebuilding requiring too much labour and manpower.
This meant, however, that there was a full list for Qiren to choose from, and on the tenth turn of the scroll, he found it. A field of nests, just beyond Yibin Jiao’s borders. A small no-man’s land, unassigned to any sects yet and so it was wild with creatures. There weren’t many who lived in the area, and so cultivators tend to leave it be— due to the distinct lack of a bag of silver waiting at the end of it.
It would be the perfect place to send Wangji. There would be no way he could get there in any less than two days, and being his nephew, he would endeavour to lay to rest any threat he encountered… which could take him a month…
The task would be done by then. Perhaps he would not even need to know. If they could remove the threat without killing the boy… then Wangji would return to a better fated love. Qiren would not necessarily approve… but if the problem turned out to be in the realm of possession or corruption… perhaps he could come to forgive his slip to unorthodoxy… Though he would still have to serve his penance.
That was non-negotiable… Qiren sighed. Wangji would still cause him problems over that. But he was resolved to it.
The worst case scenario however… he was unsure. Qiren knew the likelihood that the boy would simply renounce his new cultivation, allow them to cleanse him of the corruption, prevent him from being able to access such evil again…
He thought back to the boy who had once asked that innocuous question. The curious mind, stubborn spirit, quiet pride… The way that Xichen had described his presence when addressing Jin Guangshan that fateful evening… The way the elders had described him on the battlefield… The memories of Wen soldiers tearing through his home; the ones Wei Wuxian now called ‘friends’.
No. He would not give it up. Not without a fight. One which would result in his death….but perhaps that was unavoidable now…
Maybe if he’d whipped him all those years ago, it would not have come to this… but alas… Qiren had been too soft… and still felt the leash of sect politics.
’No killing in Cloud Recesses’ floated into his mind, spoken emphatically in his brother’s voice a long time ago.
Qiren sighed. Perhaps he should take the boy elsewhere to do what must be done? But no… he could not think of anywhere which would be as safe as the Mingshi… and to ask another sect to do so would be asking them to step into a potentially politically charged situation…
Jiang Wanyin had not shown support of his sect brother in a long time. Word is that they were even at odds during the Sunshot Campaign itself… but since their rebuilding effort, it became even more strained…
Fortunately, the attack on Qiongqi Pass seemed to have been enough to make it snap. He remembered Jiang Wanyin fondly. A fine lad, steadfast, a touch too quick to temper, but sensible. Responsible. He knew the weight of duty… unlike that rake… or perhaps it should be ‘wraith’ now.
Still, he considered whether an attack on his former shixiong might trigger war between their sects. It seemed unlikely. The boy had fought a duel with him himself, even suffered a broken arm for his trouble. It was a shame he wasn’t able to take out the menace, but he made a good go at it… It was by his own words that he proclaimed the boy an enemy of the cultivation world…. If he now became enraged over what Qiren must do… He only has himself to blame for being unable to put an end to things himself. It was sect’s mess, yet he chose to let it go free, rather than to suppress it of eliminate it. Such reckless and self-serving behaviour!
He understands the difficulty in dispatching one which you grew up with… and the Yiling Patriarch was feared far and wide… but from where Qiren was standing, the Jiang sect had not done nearly enough to attempt to control the problem. It seemed they barely tried at all.
Every day more news reached them of heinous acts done by his former student. Such barbarism and evil! Even infants were not spared! Qiren could not understand why more was not being done to help the people fight against such an atrocity! He assumed it was because the demon was targeting the poor and helpless. Those without the means to ask the sects for help. Dastardly, despicable, disgusting! He fisted the scroll in rage, only realising just in time that the pressure was becoming too much for the fragile paper.
Qiren breathed deep breaths to calm himself once more, reminding himself that he was finally acting. That those people would be safe once more, and once the threat was neutralised, he would send out disciples to aid the victims as best they can, and offer what they could…
But first, he must deliver the orders to Wangji… and decide how much he would tell Xichen…
The boy had a good heart… knew that sometimes a price must be payed for righteousness… but he also loved his brother…. If it were any other demon… Or if the boy held sway over any other relative… Xichen would not hesitate. Qiren would trust his decisions and discretion in a heartbeat…
But this was not any demon. This was not any relative. This was Wangji.
As such… Qiren did not fully trust his nephew’s judgement… He was not confidant he would not tell Wangji… He may also insist on going with them; which could become… challenging… Depending on Wei Wuxian’s level of resistance, there was a chance they would not even bring him back to Cloud Recesses. There was a chance they would not to perform the act there, in Yiling, under the watchful eyes of others.
There was also an almost certainty that Wei Wuxian would be harmed during the exchange…
If he imagined his nephew there, watching them maiming Wangji’s… object of temptation… he could not imagine his nephew standing there calmly and allowing it to happen… But a single moment of hesitation, a single opportunity, and that’s all it would take for the Yiling Patriarch’s cunning to turn the situation around. The boy would make use of Xichen’s kindness and play them… Qiren couldn’t take that chance.
So it would seem he would have to lie to both his nephews… He resolved to copy the rules when he returned and the problem was dealt with. He would copy the rules until his dying day, if it meant the scourge was wiped from the planet, and Wangji was free. Free to find another… or free to… free.
So he will tell Xichen that he must attend a meeting with Elder Rong and a few disciples, and that he sent a few on missions prior to his leaving. That will account for the numbers. The meeting would have to be with a sect Xichen would avoid actively seeking out…
Qiren smirked. A meeting with Sect Leader Yao would be the perfect cover, and the Yao sect was close enough to Yiling that if Xichen becomes aware of their actions upon their return, the detour into Yiling would not appear completely unwarranted… Yes. Perfect.
And he would tell Wangji that the request is pressing, yet not large. He will say there is a single nest… not ten. It was not fully a lie… They could well have formed into one large colony by this time… That will ensure that his nephew is not suspicious of why he is being send alone. He will likely know why he is being sent so far… Though he may be confused about why it is in the same direction as Yiling… He vaguely wonders if he should send him North instead…
He thought about what his nephew may think, being sent on such a mission, and realised he would think it a test. As such, he will obey it this time. Next time… maybe not. But this time he will choose to keep his head down, thinking he will forget if enough time passes.
But really… Qiren will no longer care where in the world his nephew chooses to wander, as the greatest evil will have been eliminated… one way or another.
Intrusive thoughts began to plague his mind. Of Wangji's inevitable pain, Qiren’s regret that he had chosen such a careless, callous being to give his heart to; the regret that it must fall to Qiren to slay the beast which has it in its clutches, and attempt to place it back into his nephew's chest…
Memories of his brother overlaid with the face of the boy he had raised, casting a projection of how his grief might form. His hate. His malice… How it may break him, if that Lan curse had already taken root too deeply…
He hoped that he caught it in time. That the infatuation was skin-deep and yielding. Easy to wipe away with summer rain…
Else he risked shattering that bird-like, fluttering heart, beneath the broken ribcage of the creature who ensnared him. A shattering Qiren had once failed to mend. He hoped he would be up to the task a second time.
Though if not… At least if Wangji ends his days in seclusion, he does not end them skewered on clawed hands, hunted down by a mob or caught in the act of depravity and unorthodoxy. He ends his days pure.
He could still cultivate to immortality. Could resurface from seclusion to a world which would not hate or fear him. The damage to his reputation not yet damning. His energy untainted. His life still promising… even if he may not think so at the time….
He will come to see it in time. Qiren can wait.
But the evil cannot. It must be stopped.
He would not stand by again and let another Wen sect rise up and claim the lives of the ones he loved. He would not repeat his mistake again.
This time, it will be he who acts first.