Chapter Text
“I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve called you all here today.” Sect Leader Jin said, tone serious as death as he looked upon his gathered companions.
“If we questioned every single stupid decision you made we’d be here for years, Little Mistress,” Lan Jingyi scoffed, picking at his food. “I’m more concerned about why you called us out to the middle of nowhere for this very important meeting of yours.”
“I couldn’t risk anyone overhearing us,” Jin Ling said, not even reacting to the very obvious jab. Lan Jingyi blinked, shocked that his ribbing hadn’t gotten the usual hot-headed reaction from the youngest of their group. Sitting up properly, Lan Jingyi trained his eyes on the vermillion mark between Jin Ling’s eyes. “If anyone were to know of this... it could spell disaster for the major sects.”
“That sounds very serious,” Lan Sizhui hummed, placing his cup down gently on the table. “If there’s danger, we will do whatever we can to aid you.”
“Thank you, Sizhui,” Jin Ling nodded to the older boy, some of his usual ire back in his tone, not aimed at Sizhui, of course. “As I was saying, this is a very serious matter that, unfortunately, seems to be one only we can solve.”
“What is it?” Lan Jingyi could feel trepidation building in his stomach. It didn’t suit Jin Ling to be so serious. Even with the young man having been Sect Leader for nearing three years, he always managed to hold on to a note of brattish whimsy through all the mindless meetings and tone deaf shouting from grown ass cultivators.
“It involves my Uncle.”
“Senior Wei?” Jingyi gasped, leaning forward. “Is he alright?”
“Are you stupid?” Jin Ling snapped, crossing his arms. “Do you really think Hanguang-Jun would allow anything to happen to that asshole? No, my other Uncle.”
“Is Sect Leader Jiang in trouble?” Lan Sizhui frowned slightly, his brows furrowing softly. Though in recent years Sect Leader Jiang had all but reinvented himself as a cultivator and as a leader, there were still a few things that hadn’t changed.
Before he was ruthless with his training, pushing disciples to their limits and beyond, much to their detriment. Now he was much more lenient, having brought back many of the training procedures from his own childhood - swimming to train endurance, shooting kites to improve aim. Before, he would hunt down anyone who might even hint that they might be a demonic cultivator and torture them, even kill them.
Now, he was more lenient, even if it seemed to cause him physical pain to do so.
But one thing that hasn’t changed was how strong Jiang Wanyin was - how much pressure the man could take without showing even a whisper of a crack. After everything he had been through, he was a pillar of strength and a role model to young cultivators everywhere.
But now could the unshakable Sect Leader Jiang be in a sort of trouble he couldn’t get himself out of?
“Yes he’s in trouble!” Jin Ling slammed his fists on the table. “And Lotus Pier has turned their backs on him!”
“What’s going on?” Lan Jingyi demanded. He could feel his pulse picking up. Sect Leader Jiang was unbreakable - someone Lan Jingyi had admired for most of his life. Even before his golden core had completely formed he was idolizing the man who seemed to stand so much taller than any real person should be able to.
“I need you both to swear that you won’t speak a word of this to anyone,” Jin Ling whispered, leaning in close. “I mean it. What I’m about to tell you is top secret.”
“We swear!” Lan Jingyi said immediately. When a second promise didn’t follow, two sets of eyes turned to Lan Sizhui.
“It’s against the rules to make promises if you are unsure if you can keep them,” He hummed. After a beat he let a small smile break his faux-seriousness. “Of course I promise, Jin Ling. Something this important to you is important to us as well. Jingyi and I will do whatever we can to help you and your Uncle.”
“Okay...” Jin Ling took a deep breath, closing his eyes and clearly steeling his nerves for whatever horrible news he had to deliver. After a beat he opened his eyes again and fixed his friends with a serious expression. “My Uncle is a virgin and we need to fix that.”
“WHAT?” Lan Jingyi screamed, and not even Lan Sizhui could find it in himself to scold the other for the volume.
“Jin Ling, what-?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”: Jingyi interrupted, looking as though he was just barely restraining himself from grabbing the young Sect Leader by the collar of his robes and shaking some sense into him. “You- you can’t go around spewing shit like that!”
“Aren’t you going to scold him?” Jin Ling snapped at Lan Sizhui. “I know for a fact he just broke at least three rules!”
“Rules don’t apply in dire moments,” Lan Sizhui recited, looking pale. “And I do believe this is dire...”
“I’m serious,” Jin Ling crossed his arms again and glared at the two across from him - mostly Lan Jingyi, but Sizhui wasn’t completely free of the inherited ire. “Uncle has been banned from all the matchmakers in Yunmeng. This blacklist has even stretched out to Yiling and the fringes of GusuLan’s territory. He never seems to care but most people don’t know him as well as I do and... well...”
“He always seems to take rumors in stride,” Lan Sizhui started carefully. “But from what I’m gathering, is there a chance that Sect Leader Jiang internalizes the whispers more than he would like the general public to know.”
“Exactly,” Jin Ling slumped a little. “He’s so used to-to needing to be strong all the time. He’s only been weak in front of me a handful of times and each time it was... some of the scariest moments of my life. The first time he broke down I was only three years old. I don’t have many memories from when I was really little but... but I remember that night because I thought I was going to lose him. I had already lost everyone... and in my three year old mind, I thought I was going to lose the last person I had in my life.”
“Jin Ling...” Lan Jingyi breathed out in horror. He teased and ribbed the younger man viciously, but they had an unspoken agreement to butt heads at any opportunity but always have each other’s backs when the situation called for it.
Hearing the way Jin Ling’s voice wavered made Jingyi’s heart ache.
“He tries to pretend he’s untouchable,” Jin Ling continued. “That-that nothing can shake him... but I can see the truth. He’s strong, but he’s broken. He acts like he doesn’t need anyone - like attaching himself to others will make him weak - but I can see the cracks in his facade. I just want my Uncle to be happy and I can see how the isolation is beginning to really affect him.”
“So.... what’re the details of Operation Get Sect Leader Jiang Laid?” Lan Jingyi asked after a beat.
“Please don’t say it like that...” Lan Sizhui sighed, smacking a palm against his forehead.
“Fine,” He huffed. “Operation Get Sect Leader Jiang a Hot Spouse Worthy of His Majesty.”
“That’s even worse, actually,” Jin Ling’s forehead met the tabletop. “Go back to the first one.”
“Okay, everyone remember the plan?” Jin Ling whispered quite loudly as they touched down outside the front gates of Lotus Pier.
“It’s not as much a plan as a battle attack.” Lan Jingyi remarked as he sheathed his sword.
“Try to find out what Sect Leader Jiang wants in a partner and do reconnaissance throughout the five major sects,” Lan Sizhui recited dutifully. “If no one turns up there, we’ll turn to the smaller outlying sects. If we still can’t find anyone, turn to Sect Leader Nie.”
“I still can’t believe people still think he’s some sort of useless head shaker,” Lan Jingyi scoffed as they walked through the front gates. “Anyone with eyes can see the look he gets when he hears gossip. They’re the eyes of a predator-”
“A-Ling! Jingyi! A-Yuan! What a coincidence!” A familiar voice cried.
“Senior Wei?” Lan Jingyi reacted first. “What are you doing here?”
“Is something wrong?” Jin Ling’s brow furrowed as he took in the slightly panicked look on Wei Wuxian’s face.
“Wrong?” Wei Wuxian squawked. “Wh-why would anything be wrong? You three are too much sometimes!”
“Baba...” Lan Sizhui trailed off, raising a single eyebrow at his father. Wei Wuxian instantly folded, holding his hands out in front of him in a pleading manner.
“Forgive this one,” He lamented, glancing over his shoulder. “I just- why don’t we go find some lotus pods! I’m sure there should be a bunch of ripe ones this time of year!”
“What’re you hiding?” Lan Jingyi accused, causing Wei Wuxian’s ears to burn red.
“Hiding? I’m not hiding anything!” His voice was getting louder. “There’s no reason for me to be stalling Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui, and Lan Jingyi from entering Lotus Pier!”
“How was he feared?” Jingyi muttered under his breath.
“Wei Wuxian, you bastard! Get back here!” A familiar voice called out, but Lan Jingyi couldn’t quite place why it was so familiar. It was light, sounding like it was coming from someone slightly younger than he was. Despite that, there was a layer of ire over the words that seemed... familiar somehow.
“Wait no don’t-” Wei Wuxian whirled around but it was too late. The person he was trying to keep away came storming forward and the three juniors were shocked into complete silence.
“Is that...” Lan Jingyi trailed off, trying to convince himself he was simply experiencing a very realistic, very loud hallucination.
“Jiang Cheng, I told you to stay with Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian scolded.
“I’m not staying anywhere with that asshole,” Jiang Wanyin snapped, not yet noticing the gobsmacked looks on their unexpected visitors’ faces. “You didn’t explain shit before you were running away!”
“Look, I really don’t know what happened,” Wei Wuxian put his hands up in a placating motion. “But you were right to call for us... whatever’s going on, Lan Zhan and I are the best to figure it out.”
“What-what happened?” Jin Ling finally found his voice, gasping quietly.
“Who the fuck are you?” Jiang Wanyin glared at them, only it wasn’t the glare of the Sect Leader they had all grown so familiar with over the years of being friends with Jin Ling. No, this was a glare from someone...
Much younger.
“Jiang Cheng, remember I was telling you about my son?” Wei Wuxian said gently, a touch of pride coloring his words. “Sizhui, come say hello.”
“H-hello, Sect Leader Jiang...” Lan Sizhui bowed awkwardly.
“And that’s their friend Lan Jingyi,” Wei Wuxian gestured for Lan Jingyi to do the same, which he did. “And this is...”
“Why does this kid look so familiar?” Jiang Wanyin snapped, eyeing Jin Ling distrustfully.
“Jiang Cheng... this is Jin Ling.” Wei Wuxian said carefully, watching his brother’s face for any sign of emotion.
“Jin? Why the fuck are the Lans hanging around some Jin brat?” Jiang Wanyin scoffed, crossing his arms.
“Do not speak about him like that-” Wei Wuxian’s eyes flashed red but before he could say anything else, Jin Ling was stepping forward.
“Uncle... what happened?” He asked, turning his attention to Wei Wuxian.
“We don’t know,” The man sighed, the tension leaving his shoulders. “We received a frantic Jiang disciple at Cloud Recesses this morning and we came over as fast as we could. The disciple couldn’t really tell us much - they just said something happened to Jiang Cheng and that he needed help immediately.”
“I’m fine,” Jiang Wanyin snapped, not seeming to realize the dire situation he was in. “I didn’t need to break down my front door.”
“Lan Zhan and I think he stumbled into some sort of curse or array but he doesn’t recall anything,” Wei Wuxian said, tone almost sheepish. “We’ve been trying to pinpoint the source so we can start figuring out how to get him back to normal.”
“Normal? I’m perfectly fine!”
“Sect Leader Jiang...” Lan Sizhui trailed off, as if trying to imply that he was not, in fact, fine at all. By the way Jiang Wanyin flinched, it was clear he was simply putting up a mask of strength and anger.
“And stop-stop calling me that!” Jiang Wanyin snapped, his eyes suspiciously glassy. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on but- but this is a shitty fucking prank, Wei Wuxian!”
“I wish it was just a prank,” Wei Wuxian said softly. There was something too serious about his words that even Jiang Wanyin could hear. “But-but we’re going to figure this out, okay?”
“I-” Jiang Wanyin scowled before turning on his heel and storming away from them,
“What the hell happened?” Jin Ling whispered in horror as he watched his younger uncle turn a corner and disappear from sight.
“Like I said, he must have activated some sort of curse or array that deaged him somehow but we don’t know how, or why,” Wei Wuxian explained, mindlessly messing with the tassel on his dizi. “From what we can guess he’s about eighteen physically but doesn’t remember much past the reeducation in Qishan so we can’t know exactly how old he is for the time being.”
“Eighteen? He’s younger than us!” Lan Jingyi said without thinking. He and Sizhui had just turned twenty six, Jin Ling twenty three. To think that Sect Leader Jiang was eighteen now was... insane to even consider!
“Wait, if he doesn’t remember anything past the reeducation,” Lan Sizhui’s brow furrowed before slackening in horror. “He doesn’t know about the war... about Lotus Pier Burning... about anything.”
“Exactly,” Wei Wuxian said and for once he actually sounded as old and tired as he actually was. “Lan Zhan and I have been trying to keep him from finding out the wrong way but it’s been difficult with everyone calling him Sect Leader... plus he instantly noticed that Lotus Pier looked different. We’ve tried to keep him contained in his rooms but I forgot how feisty he was when he was younger.”
“And now he’s run off on his own,” Lan Jingyi realized with horror. “We have to find him!”
“A-Yuan, check the training fields,” Wei Wuxian ordered. “Jingyi, the swimming lakes. A-Ling, check the pavilions.”
“Yes!” The three took their commands and sprinted away. Lan Jingyi knew he shouldn’t be running - if not because it broke a GusuLan rule, but because he learned first hand how dangerous it could be to run around the Lotus Pier docks. He had slipped one too many times to not have learned that lesson - but he didn’t care of the risks.
“Sect Leader- um, Jiang Wanyin? Are you there?” he called out, wincing when the title slipped out. Given how Jiang Wanyin reacted before running away, calling him Sect Leader was a sure way to have the boy avoid him. “It’s Jingyi... um... are you alright?”
“Go away...” A watery voice snapped with no fire behind it. Lan Jingyi rounded the corner and saw a large tree on the shore of one of the lakes, its roots snaking into the water as if it were trying to escape its earthen prison. The branches hung low, long leaves heavy and weighing the arms down. Through the leaves, Lan Jingyi was able to spot purple shifting around in the shadows.
“Mind if I join you?” He asked, not moving from his spot on the dock. As a child that often ran and hid after being punished, Lan Jingyi knew how badly it would be taken if he tried to force himself into Jiang Wanyin’s space.
“Why?”
“Because this sun is absolutely oppressive,” Lan Jingyi let a bit of whine leak into his voice. “And my robes are so heavy... I’ll pass out from heat stroke if I don’t find some shade soon!”
“You’re so annoying,” Jiang Wanyin snapped but after a moment he pulled some of the leaves aside and shot Lan Jingyi a glare. “Well? Get your ass in here before I change my mind.”
“Ah, thank you!” Lan Jingyi grinned as he ducked under the branches. Jiang Wanyin was seated in a grove made from the bowing branches, soft grass cushioning the ground where the roots weren’t poking out. “It’s already so much better. Young Master Jiang, you’ve saved this one’s life!”
“You’re a Lan?” Jiang Wanyin raised an unamused eyebrow. “Never though I’d see the day where a Lan was so annoying.”
“Hey, it’s part of my charm,” Lan Jingyi chuckled as he settled between some roots, his robes padding the bark that otherwise would have dug into his shoulders. He kept the twinge in his chest from showing on his face. “Someone’s gotta keep Grandmaster Qiren on his toes in his old age!”
“Ppft-” Jiang Wanyin couldn’t bite back the laugh. “That old goat will never die, I’m sure of it. He’s going to outlive all of us out of spite alone.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Lan Jingyi agreed easily. “Especially now that Senior Wei moved into the Cloud Recesses. It’s like Grandmaster thinks he’ll reduce the entire mountain to rubble if he left.”
“Senior Wei?” Jiang Wanyin spat, but it was clearly not phrased as a genuine question. Realising his mistake, Lan Jingyi winced and fiddled with the hem of his outer robes. They sat in silence for a few moments before Jiang Wanyin cleared his throat. “Hey.”
“Mhm?” Lan Jingyi jumped at the sudden sound.
“I know Wei Wuxian is hiding shit from me,” He grumbled, pulling his legs up to his chest. He looked so painfully young that Lan Jingyi felt his throat closing. He realized this was about the age Wanyin had been when Lotus Pier had burned... he had been so young when his family had been murdered, his home reduced to ashes. He had been so young when he had been thrust into his father’s position as Sect Leader. So fucking young when he was forced to fight the front lines of a war too dangerous to survive in one piece. “But... if I ask you some stuff can you be honest with me?”
“Huh? Sure but... why me?”
“You’re a Lan, right?” Jiang Wanyin shot him an unamused look. Lan Jingyi always thought Sect Leader Jiang was ethereal, but seeing him without the slight lines of ageing was too surreal to comprehend. “Lans are forbidden to lie, so if I ask you questions you have to answer me honestly, right?”
“I suppose...” Lan Jingyi felt as though he was being led into a corner of his own making. “I can do my best.”
“Clearly something happened,” Jiang Wanyin picked at the ground. Lan Jingyi couldn’t help but notice how his hands were free of the scars that told of his pain. There were still some small marks, but otherwise they were the hands of a young man with his whole life ahead of him. “Wei Wuxian looks completely different. Lotus Pier looks completely different. Even Lan Wangji looks older...”
“Um... Senior Wei said you were probably hit by a deaging curse,” Lan Jingyi didn’t know what would be safe to reveal. “Before you were...”
“I was what?” He snapped, but there was a waver of insecurity behind the venom.
“Um, you were forty five,” Lan Jingyi winced when he saw Jiang Wanyin’s head snap to look at him incredulously. “But now you’re around eighteen?”
“Well fuck...”
“Fuck indeed.” Lan Jingyi parrotted without thinking. There was a beat of silence before Jiang Wanyin threw his head back and laughed loudly. Lan Jingyi couldn’t help but stare in awe.
He had heard Sect Leader Jiang laugh before, but it was mostly the amused chuckle he would let out when Jin Ling did something annoyingly endearing. He had seen Sect Leader Jiang smile before, but it was always tinged with something heavy.
Now, Jiang Wanyin was laughing the way Senior Wei did - light and filled with mirth. It lit up his entire face, his eyes turning up and his cheeks squishing as he tried to calm the cackles.
“You’re strange for a Lan.” He said as he finally quelled the laughter.
“I’ve been told that before...” Lan Jingyi didn’t mean for the remark to come out so dry, and Jiang Wanyin seemed to pick up on the tone change immediately.
“It’s not a bad thing,” He said softly. “If anything, it’s refreshing. The Lan clan has always held my respect, despite how much of their practices I disagree with... but knowing they have disciples like you makes them feel more... well, real. Like the members of GusuLan are actual people, like the rest of us... not these untouchable gods they try to make themselves out to be.”
“We’re not gods,” Lan Jingyi couldn’t help but chuckle. “But I can see why you’d think that... before Senior Wei came back it was impossible to live up to their standards. Even after it’s still... hard. Sizhui is a model Lan and even he got punished so much though...I suppose a lot of his punishments were my fault, when we were kids.”
“What do you mean?”
“I never meant to be a bad kid,” Jingyi pulled his legs up to his chest, resting his chin on his knees. It was a very unLan-like position but he didn’t care. He wasn’t a Lan under this tree - he was just Jingyi. “I really tried to follow the rules, but even when I was a child so many of them didn’t make sense to me. Our motto is to always uphold righteousness, but I would be punished if what I thought was righteous went against the rules. Sizhui always had my back, though. He believed in me, and did what he could to lighten my punishments, and if he couldn’t lighten them, he would find a way to be blamed as well, so we’d at least be punished together. Hanguang-Jun tried to intervene but even he couldn’t go against the Elders... not again.”
“What do you mean ‘again’?” Jiang Wanyin was looking at him fully, his eyes shining with interest and concern.
“That’s... a long story,” Lan Jingyi closed his eyes for a moment. “He... went against the Clan Elders and received thirty-three lashes from the disciple whip.”
Given the way Wanyin sucked in a sharp breath, it seemed the reputation of the disciple whip was known across the sects.
“Sizhui and I were only three... it was right when he was brought into Cloud Recesses. We spent a lot of time together because Hanguang-Jun was healing, then he was placed into seclusion for three years. I would help Sizhui sneak in to see him, but we got caught and were forbidden... that didn’t stop us for long though! We just found another way.”
“Brought in?” Wanyin tasted the words. “Wei Wuxian introduced Lan Sizhui as his son... even if I’m supposed to be forty five, there’s no way he could have a son that age, right? And who is the mother? Wei Wuxian was always a flirt but he always claimed he would never settle down...”
“Ah, he’s adopted,” Lan Jingyi felt safe saying that much. “Senior Wei raised Sizhui for a short while before Hanguang-Jun brought him to Cloud Recess. It was a not-so-hidden secret among the Elders because Sizhui always acted like the perfect little Lan but he was still ostracized. It wasn’t until we were nine or ten that I realized he wasn’t actually Hanguang-Jun’s biological son but that didn’t stop him from loving Sizhui as if he were.”
“Wei Wuxian sounded so... proud of the kid,” Jiang Wanyin’s voice dropped. “Like a real father...”
“Did-did your father- was he not proud of you?” Lan Jingyi couldn’t fathom it. When Jiang Wanyin curled in more on himself, Jingyi felt like smacking himself. “I’m sorry! That was rude I just- how could he not be proud of you? Sect Leader- Young Master Jiang, you’re an incredible cultivator. Even the history books speak so highly of you from a young age. I just can’t wrap my head around your father not realizing that.”
“What?” The question was so broken.
“Well, even if he was stupid and wasn’t proud of you, the rest of the cultivation world is.”
“What-what happened to him?”
“He-” Lan Jingyi knew he was treading into dangerous territory. “He gave his life to save yours... he and the Violet Spider both. They sacrificed themselves to save you and Senior Wei...”
“I had a feeling they were gone,” Jiang Wanyin sounded choked. “Mother never would have allowed the disciples to shoot down kites in the middle of the day...”
“If it’s any comfort, you’ve brought YunmengJiang to extreme prestige, all on your own,” Lan Jingyi didn’t know how to comfort the younger man. “You... you’re a hero, and a legend. You undid all the years of toxic mindsets and rewrote your sect’s place in history.”
“On... my own?” Jiang Wanyin looked as though Lan Jingyi had struck him. “What about Wei Wuxian? I know we fight sometimes but- but he’s my brother! Surely he- he was there to help me, right?”
“I... I don’t know how to answer that without hurting you, young master Jiang,” Lan Jingyi answered honestly. He hated the way Wanyin’s face crumbled. “There’s... so much that has happened since you were eighteen. I was too young to remember any of it, but we learn about it in classes.”
“Learn about what?”
“The Sunshot campaign,” Now Jingyi felt like crying. “The war that-that brought down the Wen Clan.”
“Those damn Wen-dogs,” Jiang Wanyin snarled. “I should have known-”
“Don’t say that,” Lan Jingyi snapped. The sudden chill in his tone made Wanyin freeze, eyes wide and trained on the Lan disciple. Lan Jingyi took a calming breath, trying to remember what he had been taught growing up. Once he was sure he wouldn’t snap again, he tried again. “The Wen clan committed... unspeakable atrocities, yes. They killed so many people... but the crimes of a few do not reflect on the morals of the whole.”
“What-what do you mean?”
“It was a lesson the cultivation world learned far too late,” Lan Jingyi scrubbed his eyes with his sleeve, trying to prevent the tears he could feel clinging to his lashes from falling. “After the war... the Wens were hunted like animals to near extinction... only a few remain, publically at least. If anyone else survived, they’ve kept their birth names hidden.”
“Wait... that would mean every Wen was killed,” Jiang Wanyin’s tone begged him to deny the claims. “Even... the women... the children...”
Lan Jingyi couldn’t answer, even if he had a response. The truth sunk deep into Jiang Wanyin’s bones, carving deep, oozing marks into his very soul.
“How did we let it get that bad?” He asked softly.
“Anger,” Lan Jingyi replied, equally as soft. “Resentment. Fear. Grief. The war killed... so many people, from every sect. People were devastated and demanded retribution. Power corrupts, and even though they brought down Wen Rouhan, the power just shifted hands.”
“Tell me about myself.” Jiang Wanyin said suddenly.
“About yourself?” Jingyi blinked before humming. “You’re an incredible cultivator. Like I said, you rebuilt YunmengJiang from the ground up and reminded people why you were one of the five major sects... You’re prickly, but I can tell it’s because you’ve been through so much. You try to act like nothing phases you, but the first time I saw you storm into a night hunt that Jin Ling was on, you were.... Ethereal. Zidian was crackling and Sandu was gleaming in the moonlight and the look on your face was terrifying but also breathtaking. I was so scared of you for a second, but when you saw Jin Ling bleeding I saw the horror in your eyes and knew in that moment that you were a good person under your reputation.”
“Jin Ling... he’s that kid from earlier, right? The one who looked familiar? Why is he so important to me?” Jiang Wanyin asked, and if Jingyi didn’t know any better he might have thought the young Sect Leader was...
Blushing?
“He’s...” Lan Jingyi trailed off, realizing he was once again wading through treacherous waters. “Your nephew.”
“My- a nephew? From Wei Wuxian? No, that idiot wouldn’t have a kid so prickly... the A-Jie? But he’s a Jin! Which means... A-Jie ended up with that damn Peacock after all!” He steamed, moving as if to stand. “I’ll break his nose-”
“Sit down,” Jingyi grabbed onto Jiang Wanyin’s sleeve and pulled him back down. “It’s another long story.”
“It seems that’s all you have for me,” Jiang Wanyin huffed, leaning back against the tree. “It’s just one long story after another. Isn’t anything simple?”
“If only,” Lan Jingyi chuckled before falling silent. “The war... it took many lives...”
“You’ve said that already.”
“Um... out of the Jiang family,” Lan Jingyi felt his skin crawling. How did he find himself in this situation!? Sizhui would have been a thousand times better at handling such dangerous topics!
“Only... only you and Senior Wei survived, and even then it was only you, for a while...”
“W-what?”
“You’re the sole survivor of-”
“Do you mean A-Jie is-” Jiang Wanyin lashed out, knocking Lan Jingyi to the ground, his trembling fists clutching the front of the older boy’s white robes tightly. His face was red with anger but it did nothing to hide the tears brimming his eyes. “A-Jie is-is dead?”
“I’m-I’m so sorry, young master Jiang...” Lan Jingyi closed his eyes, bracing himself for... he wasn’t sure. He knew of Sect Leader Jiang’s infamous temper, so he probably wouldn’t be too surprised if he was punched, but when no blow hit he risked opening a single eye.
“What the fuck did you mean it was only me for a while?” Jiang Wanyin didn’t release his hold of Jingyi’s robes, but he didn’t sound murderous anymore.
“Senior Wei... also died,” Lan Jingyi’s throat felt like it was being filled with sand. “He was dead for-for thirteen years, and was brought back by a body offering array almost eight years ago...”
“So that’s why Lan Wangji took that kid in? Because Wei Wuxian got himself killed?”
“In a sense...”
“I’m sick of this cryptic bullshit!” Wanyin snapped, shaking Lan Jingyi by the robes harshly. “Just give me a straight answer damnit! What. Happened?”
“From what we’re taught the Yilling Patriarch used the last of his life force to destroy the seal and-and as soon as it was gone, the corpses he was controlling turned on him!” Lan Jingyi hated this part of the story. Even before he knew Senior Wei - before Jin Guangyao’s schemes had been revealed and Wei Wuxian had been cleared of his crimes - it was the hardest part of the whole story to hear about but now that he had the chance to meet Wei Wuxian? To be trained and mentored and praised by the feared Yilling Patriarch? It made the story even more painful. “He-he willingly died, to stop anyone else from using the seal’s power!”
“A-Yi, that’s enough,” A soft voice made them both freeze. Wei Wuxian let himself into the little grove, his ageless face looking so exhausted as he gently removed Jiang Wanyin’s hands from Lan Jingyi’s robes. “It’s good I found you two. Lan Zhan was getting worried when you didn’t return.”
“Senior Wei!” Lan Jingyi didn’t know why, but he felt like he had been caught committing an unspeakable crime. “I-”
“You did well finding him, Jingyi,” Wei Wuxian reached out and ruffled the younger man’s hair fondly. “I’m sure A-Ling and A-Yuan are anxiously awaiting your return. I heard them say something about waiting to eat until you got back.”
“Yes, Senior Wei.” Lan Jingyi bowed but he couldn’t stop himself from glancing over at Wanyin, who was looking blankly at his boots.
“Don’t worry,” Wei Wuxian ruffled his hair again. “Jiang Cheng’s a strong boy. He’ll be alright... you could both use some sleep after today, yeah?”
“But-” Lan Jingyi began to argue, but seeing the look in Wei Wuxian’s eye he shut his mouth as if he had been hit by the Lan silencing charm.
“Jiang Cheng, you’ll catch a cold if you keep sitting in the damp grass like this,” Wei Wuxian continued in his soft tone. He helped his brother to his feet, smiling sadly as he brushed some leaves from Jiang Wanyin’s hair. “I had them heat up some bath water for you, and Lan Zhan is getting our dinners. Why don’t we go wash up and eat something?”
“Okay...” Jiang Wanyin grumbled, eyes still glued to his boots.
Lan Jingyi followed behind the two out of the tree. He hadn’t realized how late it had gotten but he could see the sky beginning to turn rainbow with the impending sunset. They walked in silence until they came to a fork in the docks. He knew he would have to go left to meet up with his friends, and that Wei Wuxian would take Jiang Wanyin right, towards the Sect Leader’s chambers.
He bowed, hands clasped in front of him, without a word but just as they were about to walk away, he gave way to impulse. It had always been the worst habit he had, being so impulsive. It went against so many rules, and labeled him a trouble maker, but it was something that Hanguang-Jun had praised him for, when he was young,
“You act impulsively because you know what is right and wrong to you, yes?” Hanguang-Jun’s voice had been so soft. So gentle. It made little Lan Jingyi’s eyes immediately water. When was the last time someone spoke so kindly to him, other than A-Yuan?
“I don’t mean to be a bad Lan,” He had whimpered, tears still streaming down chubby cheeks. “I really don’t!”
“I know,” Hanguang-Jun hadn’t smiled at him, but there was something warm in the man’s golden eyes that made his tears slow. “It takes a lot of bravery to act on what you believe is right.
Too many stand by and watch injustice occur because they’re too scared to speak out... others may judge you for your actions, but as long as you do what you believe is just, you will never do the Lan name a disservice.”
“What-” Jiang Wanyin yelped as he was pulled into a tight hug. Lan Jingyi hadn’t thought before moving, but something told him it was the right thing to do. After a beat of standing still as stone in his arms, Wanyin relaxed into the embrace, even going as far as to lat a single hand rest on the small of Jingyi’s back in return.
“You’re okay,” Jingyi promised vehemently. “You’re going to be okay, yeah? We’re going to figure out what happened and you’ll be back to normal soon. Just... trust us.”
Jiang Wanyin didn’t say anything, but neither did he pull away from the embrace. They stayed like that for a few more moments before Jiang Wanyin finally stepped away. He refused to look Lan Jingyi in the eye, but his ears were burning red and his lashes were suspiciously damp.
“Go eat something,” He snapped, no fire behind his words whatsoever. “I hope they put extra chili in your bowl.”
“Jokes on you,” Lan Jingyi grinned wide. “I’ve gotten used to chili oil! Jin Ling loves the stuff so Sizhui and I both forced ourselves to tolerate it to make him happy.”
“Oh...” Jiang Wanyin’s face softened a fraction. “I’m glad he... had friends like you, then.”
“He had a good man to raise him,” Lan Jingyi hoped his smile was reassuring. “Goodnight, Senior Wei, Young Master Jiang.”
Before he could do anything else embarrassing, Lan Jingyi all but flew down the pier, away from where the two cultivators stood. He stormed into the dining hall where Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui were already waiting for him. A few Jiang disciples were milling about, but at that hour most had finished eating and left ages ago.
“There you are!” Jin Ling shot to his feet. “We were starting to think you drowned in the lake!”
“Did you find Sect Leader Jiang?” Lan Sizhui asked as Jingyi joined them at the table.
“Mhm,” Lan Jingyi hummed, accepting a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. As expected, the food had an ominous layer of red, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. “He was hiding under a tree by the lake... we talked for a while.”
“What did you talk about?” Sizhui asked, placing a piece of lotus into Jingyi’s bowl without missing a beat.
“Uh... he asked me questions about what he doesn’t know,” Jingyi felt the back of his neck burn in shame. He placed his bowl down just in time to bury his face in his hands and scream into his palms. “I’m such an idiot! Why did I have to be the one to find him!? I probably ruined everything!”
“What sort of things did he ask you about?” Sizhui asked, rubbing a comforting hand along Lan Jingyi’s arm.
“About... why everything looked different, and how old he was supposed to be. I tried to steer away from anything too intense but he seemed to read between every line and asked the worst questions! I ended up telling him a brief history of the Sunshot campaign... I tried so hard to soften the blows but I have no idea if I made everything worse...”
He trailed off, sniffling back tears. Now that the whole situation had passed, he felt so much shame about how he handled it all. Gods above, he did everything wrong, just as he always did! He just wanted to comfort Wanyin somehow and in the end he made everything worse!
“Don’t cry,” Sizhui hummed softly. “You did what you thought was right... there’s no shame in that and I’m sure Sect Leader Jiang is smart enough to realize how hard you were trying, if he was smart enough to see through all your attempts at softening the information...”
“Yeah,” Jin Ling joined in. He moved to the side of the table where the other two were sitting, pressing himself against Jingyi’s open side. “My Uncle is a hot headed asshole sometimes, but he really does care. If you really tried to comfort him, I can guarantee he noticed. He just sucks at expressing himself, so don’t take it the wrong way if he avoids you for a bit. He’s probably just embarrassed about how he reacted to everything.”
“If anything I’m the one who’s embarrassed.” Lan Jingyi hid his face in his hands.
“Did you at least get any insight into what we came here for?” Jin Ling asked, trying to lighten the mood a little. Lan Jingyi’s head shot up before his whole face crumbled again.
“I’m such an idiot!” He screamed into his hands, barely registering the comforting hands on his arm and back and completely missing the snickers his friends were sharing at his expense.