Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Lan-er-gongzi? May I have the honor of a glimpse from you?” Wei Ying teased in a high pitched voice — the same words he had used a lifetime ago, vying for Lan Zhan’s attention while copying his Sect rules.

It wasn’t such a different situation now: they were in the same office, and Lan Zhan was focused on his work.. Wei Ying was focused on something else entirely, as usual.

A few days prior, Wei Ying had seen a Lan Junior with elaborately braided hair, and had immediately decided that he would learn the skill, envisioning braiding Lan Zhan’s hair, perhaps making it curly once it was taken out—

He had attentively listened as the Junior explained simple braiding patterns to him, an odd reversal of teacher and student. Wei Ying remembered that Shijie was excellent at braiding hair, but he had been too shy when she had first offered, when he was a kid, and eventually she stopped asking.

He wished that she was here to teach him, but she was back in Yunmeng. After Wei Ying had been reincarnated, he had mostly stayed away from Lotus Cove out of guilt; plus, Jiang Cheng was practically her guard dog.

So while Lan Zhan worked, he had been trying to braid a small section of his own hair. He had restarted several times until he was satisfied, his hands getting used to the motions. He had to admit, it was quite therapeutic.

Lan Zhan nodded, hearing Wei Ying’s request for attention, but didn’t look up — he wasn’t ignoring Wei Ying, just intensely focused on his work. 

“Lan-er-gongzi?” Wei Ying whined. “Wangji-Xiong? Lan Wangji? Lan Zhan!” 

Lan Zhan looked up with a cocked eyebrow, successfully distracted. Wei Ying held up the long braid.

“What do you think? Good enough for Hanguang-Jun?”

Lan Zhan took in the braid with fond eyes, amused at Wei Ying’s newfound skill.

“Mn.” He hummed. “Wei Ying is talented.”

Wei Ying smiled brightly, heart blooming at Lan Zhan’s affection. “If you like it, I could braid yours.” He offered.

Lan Zhan hummed in agreement, eyes dropping back to his work, and Wei Ying smiled victoriously. Mission success.  

Wei Ying started another braid on the other side of his head to balance the first one, hands moving quickly now. 

He was about halfway through it when a Lan Junior burst into the office.

“Hanguang-Jun?” He bowed quickly, but it was clear that he was nervous about telling them something. 

“Yes?” 

The Junior spoke quickly. “There’s someone at the gate requesting entry — a messenger from Yiling, he says he needs to talk to you both.”

Lan Zhan clearly didn’t understand what was so urgent about that. “What’s his purpose?” 

The Junior eyed Wei Ying before turning back to Lan Zhan. “He said it has to do with Senior Wei. And— ” he hesitated, “and the Burial Mounds.”

Lan Zhan was immediately intrigued, standing from his desk. “Take me to him.”

The Junior nodded, leading Lan Zhan out — Wei Ying scrambled up to follow, his braid left half-done in his hair.

“Hey, wait up! Didn’t he ask for me?” He huffed, catching up to their quick strides — not running, never running, just as close as they could possibly get. 

“Did he say anything else?” Lan Zhan asks the Junior as they walk.

“He refused to share more, requesting Senior Wei’s presence.”

“And you were gonna leave without me!” Wei Ying teased Lan Zhan.

They approached the gate in record time, noticing the outsider immediately — his ragged, dirty robes stuck out like a sore thumb next to the Lan guards. He had been fidgeting with his hands, but visibly relaxed when he met Wei Ying’s eyes.

The two guards blocking his path bowed to Lan Zhan, greeting him with a “Hanguang-Jun.” The messenger bowed too, but returned his attention to Wei Ying quickly.

“Wei-gongzi, you have to help—“ the man approached Wei Ying, but was stopped before the threshold by the guard’s sheathed swords.

“Let him in.” Wei Ying commanded. They turned to Lan Zhan, waiting for his nod of approval to back off. Wei Ying tried to ignore the subtle disregard.

Once their swords were moved, the man lunged forwards, grabbing Wei Ying’s shoulders. His movements were frantic, eyes panicked. 

“Wei-gongzi, you have to help us!“ He gripped Wei Ying’s shoulders, almost shaking him, “You can tame the Burial Mounds, can’t you? Yiling needs your help, gongzi!”

Lan Zhan seemed ready to pry the man off of Wei Ying, but Wei Ying shook his head. “What’s happening in Yiling? Please calm down, I’m sure whatever it is, these Lan cultivators can help you—“

“No!” The man cried. “It has to be you— it’s calling for you, it made that very clear— I’m supposed to ask for you!”

Upon closer inspection, Wei Ying noticed something peculiar on the man’s face — small black veins, almost imperceptible, crawling over his temples towards his eyes.

Curious, Wei Ying grabbed the man’s hand, pulling it from his shoulder; he felt the meridian point, searching for anything unusual—

Resentful energy. Only a small amount, but it quickly noticed Wei Ying, calling out to him:

“Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian !” Came the screams of seemingly hundreds of voices.

Wei Ying closed his eyes, focusing on drawing the energy out of the man, but in doing so bringing it closer to himself—

“Wei Wuxian, you thought you could forget us? Yiling Laozuo — you’re ours, after all!”

“What do you want?” Wei Ying asked the energy mentally.

“Come and find us, and no one in Yiling has to die.” 

“Who are you?” Wei Ying asked, trying to get more information out of the voices.

“Your old friend!” It laughed. “ We saved you — how could you forget?”

“I don’t—“

“Wei Ying?” Lan Zhan’s voice sounded far away, whatever depth he had slipped into. He tried to pull himself out of the darkness, following Lan Zhan’s voice—

“Come and find us, or we’ll kill them all—“  the voice faded away.

“Wei Ying?” Lan Zhan was worried now.

Wei Ying finally resurfaced, the voices still ringing in his ears. He watched as the dark veins on the man’s face retreated, and he dropped Wei Ying’s shoulders.

He seemed extremely confused, taking in his surroundings. “I’m sorry, where—“

Wei Ying gave him a reassuring smile, despite being quite shaken himself. “You’re in the Cloud Recesses.”

He looked to Wei Ying with bewilderment. “I don’t remember coming here…”

“I know, and I’m sorry about that. Don’t worry, we’ll get you home soon.” Wei Ying’s words carried an assuredness that visibly relaxed the man. “It has something to do with what’s been going on in Yiling— could you tell me more about that?”

The man nodded. “It’s been horrible! All of these monsters, harassing us constantly. Asking…” He trailed off sheepishly.

“Asking for what?” Wei Ying pushed.

“Asking for, well, you. ” 

Wei Ying nodded; it sounded remarkably similar to the voices he had heard from the resentment that had been possessing the man. He could connect the dots, and he didn’t like where this was going: resentment from Yiling, asking for him, their “old friend.” 

It seemed that the Burial Mounds were growing restless.

Wei Ying tried to remain unfazed by this realization, although the thought terrified him. “Okay. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it for you, alright?” 

The man relaxed, trusting Wei Ying. “Okay.”

Wei Ying turned to one of the Lan guards. “Can you please escort this man down the mountain?” 

The guard turned to Lan Zhan once again, awaiting his approval; Wei Ying tried to contain his annoyance at being ignored. 

Lan Zhan’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you waiting?” Lan Zhan asked through gritted teeth. The fact that he was also frustrated made Wei Ying’s heart soar.

The guard’s eyes widened, but he complied, leading the man away. 

Wei Ying sighed, turning to Lan Zhan. “We need to get to Yiling as soon as possible.” He started off towards the Jingshi, Lan Zhan following behind him quickly.

“What possessed him?” He asked.

“The Burial Mounds.” 

Lan Zhan grabbed Wei Ying’s shoulder, stopping him. “The Burial Mounds?” Wei Ying nodded. 

Lan Zhan’s expression hardened. “You’re not going.”

Wei Ying smiled, Lan Zhan’s stubborn protectiveness simultaneously adorable and annoying. “Who can deal with the Burial Mounds better than I?”

Lan Zhan shook his head. “You’re not going.”

“I have to.” Wei Ying’s smile fell. “It said— it said if I didn’t go, it would start killing in Yiling.”

Lan Zhan furrowed his eyebrows. “You’re not going alone.”

“Of course not!” Wei Ying beamed. “I need my brave Lans to protect me!” 

Lan Zhan still seemed on edge; Wei Ying grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. “Don’t worry. The Burial Mounds’ bark is much worse than its bite, okay?”

“But Wei Ying is afraid of dogs.” Lan Zhan said softly. 

Wei Ying snorted. “You know what I mean; I’m not worried about it.” His eyes brightened with an idea. “What if we take the Lan ducklings for extra protection? This will be good practice for them.”

Lan Zhan’s eyebrows raised slightly — that said a lot about how confident Wei Ying was about this, that he wanted to take the Juniors. 

“Mn.” Lan Zhan finally agreed.

Wei Ying felt strangely at ease, knowing that this time he would be able to beat the Burial Mounds. He wasn’t alone, and they knew what they were up against. Wei Ying could control resentment, the Lans could clear it; this would be a piece of cake. 

(If Wei Ying was just trying to redeem himself in his past failure to control resentment, that was something to unpack later.)

—————

Arriving in Yiling several days later, Wei Ying realized that they didn’t really have a plan. He guessed that he would just try to convince the Burial Mounds to back off; if that didn’t work, they would have to put it in its place.

Entering the streets of Yiling, familiar and somewhat nostalgic to Wei Ying, he felt the gazes of several people on him. 

The streets were strangely empty, only shopkeepers tending their stands and a handful of people shopping; a stark contrast to the bustling market street he remembered. 

“Is this really Yiling?” Sizhui asked. Wei Ying wondered if he was trying to recall any memories of being here; it looked so unfamiliar, he doubted it would spark a memory.

“More like a ghost town.” Jingyi grumbled.

Wei Ying was about to joke with the Juniors when he saw a stand that he recognized, more by smell than by sight: strong spices that could almost burn your tongue even from a distance.

He remembered buying from this stand when he was staying in the Burial Mounds; although they didn’t have much money, he was practically having withdrawals from his previously spicy diet. A spicy pork bun from this stand every once in a while was cheaper than a bottle of chili oil, and tided him over.

When he walked up to the stand, unable to resist the smell, he even recognized the woman working there, although she was much older than the last time he saw her. 

“A spicy pork bun, please!” He asked with a smile. “And four mild ones, for the weaker among us.” He gestured to the Lans behind him, making their way over to the stand.

“Of course.” The woman smiled, grabbing the buns. Wei Ying pulled out his pouch of money.

She placed them on the counter, pausing slightly. “Wei-gongzi, if I may ask… are you here about the monsters?” 

Wei Ying nodded, a touch of guilt tugging his heart that the people of Yiling had been fearful of monsters from the Burial Mounds. No wonder the streets were so empty; it was probably ruining their business. 

“Yes— they shouldn’t be a problem for much longer, I promise!” 

Wei Ying noticed that most of the vendors were watching, listening for his answer. He couldn’t help but apologize. “I’m sorry for all the trouble it’s caused.”

He reached forwards to give the vendor his money, but she pushed it back towards him; Wei Ying’s heart warmed. 

“You have to be careful, okay?” She said, voice filled with concern. He looked around to see her expression mirrored on the others in the street. Their worry for him made his heart swell in a way he had never felt.

“Don’t worry, we’ll put them back in their place.” He said to all of them with assured confidence. He saw them relax, some even smiling proudly.

“You can do it,” the woman assured him, “you’re our Yiling Patriarch!”

Wei Ying paused, surprised by her words. He had only ever heard people use that name with hatred — so it had become something he hated about himself. But to hear it used fondly — our Yiling Patriarch — was almost too much to bear.

“That’s right!” He smiled, trying to keep his voice even. 

He put the pouch of money down, deciding to leave all of it with her, and picked up the food. He turned to his Lans with a newfound confidence — they were going to fix this. And they were going to do it now; no more waiting.

—————

When they reached the edge of town, on the trail to the Burial Mounds, Wei Ying was hit with a strange feeling, making him pause. It wasn’t the voices — in fact, it was strangely silent on that front — but this overwhelming feeling of urgency. Almost like the Burial Mounds were pulling him in, reaching out for him like it did when he was first thrown in.

“Wei Ying?” Lan Zhan noticed that something was off; of course he did. 

He shook his head. “It’s nothing; at least, not yet.”

They continued forward until the resentment was visible — out in front of them was a mass of thick smoke, which they were unable to see through. Wei Ying remembered clearing this path for the Wens, and wondered if he would have to clear it again.

Wei Ying had begun hearing the screams earlier on the trail, but now he could hear them clearly. 

He looked to Lan Zhan, whose expression was strained — he saw some of the Juniors flinch at the sound.

“You guys can hear them too?” Wei Ying asked, practically shouting so they could hear him. There was a flurry of nods.

“You can usually hear this, Senior Wei?” Sizhui asked gently, wincing as there was a particularly loud screech.

“Usually it’s quieter, but this much can be heard by anyone.” Wei Ying explained loudly.

“Why’re you shouting? It’s not that loud!” Jingyi teased, receiving an elbow in the ribs from Zizhen.

Wei Ying was glad that it wasn’t as loud for them; he could barely make out their words, but as he got used to it it started to fade slightly.

Up ahead, they could make out a few figures emerging from the resentment. Wei Ying clenched Chenqing in his fist.

It was too dark to see at first, but as they came closer, Wei Ying recognized them as reanimated corpses. It wasn’t unlike what he used to do, although he wasn’t controlling them this time.

As they got closer, the Juniors drew their swords; they could make out their mangled bodies clearly now. 

“ Wei Wuxian,” They hissed, almost simultaneously. “ You’ve finally arrived. ”

They approached the group. “ Come with us .” They beckoned, “ We’ll only ask nicely once. ”

They were getting close to the Lan Juniors, who looked ready to cut them down, just waiting for Wei Ying’s word.

“Stay away from us, stay away from Yiling,” his expression darkened, “or I’ll make you.”

He was in control now; the corpses could sense that, stopping their advance but not backing down.

“ We could be so powerful together. You could finally get revenge, we would help you!”

“I don’t need your power anymore.” Wei Ying said firmly.

“ Don’t forget that you belong to us, Yiling Patriarch. We created you, and we can take you back whenever we want. ”

Wei Ying felt an instinctual dread, and knew that something was off; he reached for Chenqing—

And was swept off his feet from behind.

They had been distracting him, he realized suddenly, while resentment was creeping up from behind. 

But it was too late; he was being pulled backwards into the cloud of resentment, the voices becoming so loud he could barely hear himself think.

They were screaming his name, spouting the same nonsense about him being theirs — then, the message changed.

“Wei Wuxian, don’t you deserve to be with us? You try to stop it, but you’re just like us! You can’t control yourself either!”

“Shut up!” Wei Ying screamed.

“Look at how much pain you’ve caused— your Wens, all dead because you failed to protect them. Your Lan Zhan, whipped to shreds for associating with you. Your Shijie, scarred because you couldn’t control yourself!”

Wei Ying cried at the words, thrashing against their hold.

“ Don’t you get it? Everyone would be happier if you were gone! Your resurrection was a mistake, but you can fix things again! Join us, and you won’t have to hurt those around you!”

“Fine!” Wei Ying sobbed, the words finally getting to him. “Kill me, then!”

“Wei Wuxian, we won’t take the satisfaction of your death! Don’t you want him to do it? Then he could finally redeem his name, and you could join us!”

He tried to pull himself free, but the resentment held him down, reminded him that the Burial Mounds could keep him as long as they wanted. They’d done it before.

These words continued for what seemed like hours; telling Wei Ying how much pain he had caused, how much he deserved to die.

Slowly, he started to believe them.

—————

When Lan Zhan saw Wei Ying pulled away from him, he immediately pulled out Wangji and cursed himself for letting this happen. He started to clear the energy, but knew that it would be almost impossible to find Wei Ying if he was dragged deeper. 

The Juniors seemed to share his sense of helplessness, trying to clear some of the energy themselves. 

“Wei Ying!” He called.

“Senior Wei!”

They heard a loud crack, their hearts dropping, imagining the possibilities. They continued to clear the resentful energy, trying to find Wei Ying — they were terrified that the next scream they would hear would be his.

What seemed like an eternity later, an object was thrown out of the resentment.

Wei Ying landed limply, unconscious.

The Lans rushed towards him, Lan Zhan’s hand immediately went to his pulse point—

He was alive. Lan Zhan allowed himself the slight relief, before looking him over more.

There was blood on Wei Ying’s neck, but not from an open wound — it was coming from his ears , Lan Zhan realized, feeling sick.

On his face, there were black veins extending from his temples towards his eyes — he remembered the man from Yiling, possessed by the Burial Mounds.

Lan Zhan’s heart sped, worry for Wei Ying overwhelming him. He shook him, crying his name, trying to wake him. “Wei Ying!”

When Wei Ying’s eyes opened, they were red.

“Senior Wei!” Sizhui shouted, startled.

Lan Zhan started to pull Wei Ying into his arms, trying to comfort him.

Wei Ying sent Lan Zhan flying backwards with a pulse of resentful energy. 

Lan Zhan, shocked as he was, hoped that Wei Ying was just overwhelmed — maybe he had touched him too soon, and overwhelmed him? But he felt that something was wrong.

He was missing something.

When he looked up, Wei Ying was holding Bichen.

He was holding Bichen to his throat.

Chapter Text

“ Wei Ying !” Lan Zhan cried.

Wei Ying looked haunted, eyes slightly glazed over as he brought the blade to rest on his neck. Blood started dripping, making Lan Zhan’s heart jolt.

Wei Ying’s blood, on his blade; the sight made him sick. He started to scramble towards Wei Ying—

“Stop!” Wei Ying commanded, and Lan Zhan and the Juniors all stopped moving. The threat was clear.

His eyes were red.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan started gently, “you don’t want to do this.”

The words felt too familiar, reminding Lan Zhan of that fateful day on the edge of a cliff. Wei Ying, come back , he had practically whispered then. This time, he would be firm.

“I have to.” Wei Ying choked out, eyes flooding with tears. “I have to do this.” He said with a firm determination.

“Senior Wei, you’re scaring us!” Sizhui called.

Wei Ying’s hand started to tremble, Bichen shaking in his grip. He wouldn’t be able to wield Bichen for long with his low spiritual energy.

Lan Zhan realized that they had to stall.

He tried to think of what he would have said to Wei Ying that day on the cliff, something that he had pondered often during the sixteen years he mourned.

“Wei Ying, you’re not evil.” Lan Zhan tried to keep his voice steady. 

Wei Ying’s voice wavered, thick with his tears.. “I can’t control it anymore, Lan Zhan. I’ve hurt too many people. Just— just let me fix it.” His voice turned desperate. “ Please .”

Lan Zhan’s heart ached. “Wei Ying, this isn’t you. Whatever the Burial Mounds did, I promise we can figure it out.”

Wei Ying shook his head. “Not this time.” He was trying to keep his voice steady.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan poured all of his affection into his words. “My love, put the sword down. Please .”

Wei Ying’s spiritual energy finally gave out, and Bichen fell from his grip — Wei Ying fell back on his hands.

Lan Zhan hoped that maybe he would snap out of it once he wasn’t holding the sword, but that wasn’t the case; his eyes still seemed hollow somehow.

He laughed wetly, without a trace of humor. “I’m too weak to even kill myself!”

His dark expression took in all of the Lans, who were trying not to run over and smother him with their affection for fear of making things worse. Just because he didn’t have a sword in his hands didn’t make him any less of a threat to himself.

Wei Ying’s expression turned frustrated. “I thought you Lans were supposed to get rid of evil. What gives?” 

“You’re not evil, Wei Ying—“ Lan Zhan protested.

Wei Ying raised a hand, and the resentment came to him. It swarmed and nuzzled close to him, curling into a ball in his open hand. Tendrils creeped up his neck, towards his eyes.

“ Look at me! ” He shouted. His eyes were open wide, blood red; not angry, Lan Zhan realized. Desperate . Crazed. “Is this not evil?!”

“Senior Wei!” Jingyi cried. “Stop it!”

“Weren’t you taught how to dispose of monsters?” His eyes were lit with some kind of sick amusement. “Let me remind you of the steps.” 

“First: liberate.”

The resentful energy reached towards Bichen, curling around its handle.

“Second: suppress.”

The resentment carried Bichen towards Lan Zhan, beckoning him to take it, blade facing Wei Ying.

“Third: eliminate .”

“Wei Ying, that— that’s for monsters .” Lan Zhan’s heart ached. “You’re not a monster.”

“No? Everyone else seems to think so.” 

He leaned closer, and Lan Zhan could see the trace of an idea in his eyes. “If you don’t kill me, I’ll do it myself. But don’t you want to fix your reputation? You’d be a hero; Lan Qiren would certainly think so.”

Lan Zhan shook his head, breath hitching. He had to get close to Wei Ying, he realized. Stalling wasn’t going to work anymore. 

“What do you want to do, Hanguang-Jun? I'm not waiting any longer.” He smiled. “Just kill me already; there was a time you wouldn’t have hesitated.”

Lan Zhan wanted to protest, because he was so wrong , but he forced it down. Wei Ying wouldn’t listen to him now.

With a trembling hand, Lan Zhan reached for Bichen, feeling the cold resentment surrounding it. He took the sword from its grasp.

“Hanguang-Jun, what are you—!” Jingyi yelled at him, but Sizhui put a hand over his mouth.

“He would never.” Sizhui whispered. 

Lan Zhan was glad that Sizhui understood he wouldn’t hurt Wei Ying, but Wei Ying himself completely believed it. 

He smiled warmly as Lan Zhan approached him, looking relieved. At peace. 

“I knew you’d save me, Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying was trembling, tears sliding down his cheeks. Lan Zhan looked for any sign of fear in his eyes, but there was none.

Lan Zhan kneeled in front of him, sword bared in front of him. Hoping that he would protest this, realize how wrong he was being. “Wei Ying.”

“Make it stop .” Wei Ying begged. “Lan Zhan, it hurts ! Just make it stop!” 

“I will.” Lan Zhan whispered. “I promise. Just trust me, okay?” 

Wei Ying nodded, shutting his eyes. Lan Zhan hated the way he sat, obediently waiting for Lan Zhan to kill him. Thinking that he deserved it.

Lan Zhan reached forward with one hand, flicking Wei Ying’s temple with a forceful amount of spiritual energy.

Wei Ying went limp, and Lan Zhan threw Bichen to the side, catching Wei Ying and holding him close to his chest.

He couldn’t feel the slightest bit relieved; now he had to figure out what the fuck just happened . Clearly the Burial Mounds were manipulating him somehow, evident in the black veins on his face. 

But how were they to free him? Wei Ying was the one who could control resentment, who knew the most about it. It felt strangely lonely to face such a task without Wei Ying by his side.

“I’ll find a way to fix this.” He whispered with determination. “Just hold on.”

—————

Lan Zhan imagined that it was quite the sigh: him flying into Yunmeng, carrying an unconscious Wei Ying in his arms. He had instructed the Juniors to return to the Cloud Recesses and bring their healers, more experienced with Wei Ying’s use of resentment.

As he waited to be let into Lotus Cove, he almost regretted his decision; but Yunmeng was closer to Yiling than Gusu, and although Sect Leaser Jiang didn’t like Wei Ying, Jiang Yanli wouldn’t let him be denied entry.

When Jiang Cheng arrived at the gate, seeing his unconscious brother looking battered in Lan Zhan’s arms, he simply huffed, “What’d he do this time?”

He gestured for the guards to let them in, and started leading Lan Zhan towards the healers. 

Lan Zhan explained as they walked, how they had heard of trouble in Yiling, how the Burial Mounds had taken Wei Ying, how he seemed to be possessed now. It was more talking than he was used to; if Wei Ying was awake, he would have explained with a storyteller’s flourish, but he wasn’t.

Lan Zhan gently laid Wei Ying onto a bed in the healers’ wing, noting that the black veins on his temples were still there. Luckily, they hadn’t grown; Lan Zhan didn’t know what that would mean, but it couldn’t be good.

He explained what had happened once again to the healer, who went to examine his meridians, eyes closed in concentration. Lan Zhan grabbed Wei Ying’s hand unconsciously, as he usually did when they were at the healers; Wei Ying had always been uncomfortable with someone else examining or caring for him.

“Strange.” The healer commented, opening her eyes. Lan Zhan’s heart raced at her words; was it possible that Wei Ying had lost his golden core again ?

“His core is there, but something is smothering it— resentful energy. Let me try clearing it.” She sent a burst of spiritual energy into his meridians, trying to dispel the resentment.

“Hm.” Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “My spiritual energy isn’t cleansing it.” She met Lan Zhan’s eyes. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m afraid I can’t advise what to do.” She bowed her head.

Lan Zhan nodded; of course it wasn’t that simple. Just their luck. 

“Does he have any other injuries?” 

Jiang Cheng turned to him as well.

“His neck, and… well, I’m not sure.” Lan Zhan admitted. “I couldn’t see what the Burial Mounds did.”

She nodded. “I’ll make sure to look him over, then. Please give me some room.”

Lan Zhan nodded, giving Wei Ying’s hand one last squeeze, reluctant to leave him. The Lan healers knew better than to ask Lan Zhan to leave, but he didn’t want to be rude.

“Don’t worry, I’ll do as much as I can.” The healer said with an encouraging smile.

With that, Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng left. They stood outside for a moment, a certain tension between them. Thankfully, Jiang Yanli was rushing towards them, concern written on her face.

“I heard— I heard you two had arrived, but I didn’t..” She stopped to catch her breath. “Lan-er-gongzi, what’s going on?”

Lan Zhan prepared to tell the story for the third time today, but thankfully Jiang Cheng jumped in to explain first. By the end, Jiang Yanli looked pale.

“Can I see him?”

“The healer requested space—“ Jiang Cheng was cut off by a shout from inside the room.

“Hanguang-Jun, Sect Leader Jiang — he’s waking!”

They didn’t need to be told twice; they rushed in, but Wei Ying wasn’t completely awake yet. “Would you like me to sedate him, or would you like to try talking to him?”

Everyone in the room turned to Lan Zhan, who felt the pressure of the decision. He didn’t want to see Wei Ying like he had been in the Burial Mounds ever again, but… maybe Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng could convince him in a way he couldn’t? 

It was worth a try.

“Let him wake; perhaps being away from the Burial Mounds will have solved the problem.”

Doubtful, since there were still black veins curled towards Wei Ying’s eyes, but he wanted to see what his temperament was like.

Lan Zhan approached the bed, watching Wei Ying’s eyes moving behind his eyelids.

“Wei Ying.” He whispered.

Wei Ying’s eyebrows scrunched together. “ Go away .” He hissed.

Lan Zhan’s hope was killed by the words. 

“A-Xian!” Jiang Yanli knelt at Wei Ying’s other side, grabbing his hand. Lan Zhan leaned away, figuring that she would trigger Wei Ying less. 

Wei Ying opened his eyes, meeting hers first. Lan Zhan pushed down his jealousy; Wei Ying looked at her with love, while he had looked at Lan Zhan with desperation. He ignored the twinge of jealousy.

“Shijie.” His eyes flooded with tears quickly, voice becoming thick. “I’m sorry.” 

“A-Xian, you don’t have anything to be sorry for.” 

Wei Ying shook his head. “I should’ve never been able to come back. I wish,” his voice wavered, “I just wish I was still dead.”

Jiang Yanli’s face fell. “A-Xian, don’t say that…” 

Lan Zhan watched as Wei Ying moved his hand towards his other wrist, realizing what he was doing as he started to scratch, drawing blood.

Lan Zhan pulled his hand away, but Wei Ying struggled against him. “Let go!” 

“Wei Ying, you can’t—“

“What do you care?” He snapped. “You promised— you tricked me!” 

Lan Zhan saw Wei Ying’s eyes dart to Bichen at his side a second before he lunged for the blade.

He only managed to pull it halfway out of the sheath before Lan Zhan was forcing his hand open and grabbing his wrists. 

“Wei Ying!”

He tried to pull his hands away, but Lan Zhan didn’t let him. Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan with a hatred that he’d only seen in a past life. 

Lan Zhan had no doubt; Wei Ying would try to hurt himself as soon as he let go. Lan Zhan realized that he needed to be restrained for his own safety, feeling sick.

He held Wei Ying’s wrists with one hand, taking off his headband with the other. He heard Jiang Yanli gasp, but she did not protest.

He tied Wei Ying’s wrists as he struggled, trying to make it as comfortable as possible. He felt like he was committing a betrayal; Wei Ying certainly seemed to think so, shouting at him to let go.

Lan Zhan pulled his arms above his head and secured them to the bed, feeling disgusted with himself.

“Let me go!” Wei Ying shouted, sounding pained.

His wild eyes met Jiang Cheng’s.

“Jiang Cheng! You did the right thing that day — can’t you do it again?” His voice was desperate. “You hate me, don’t you?! Come on !”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes were wide. “I don’t—“ he struggled to get the words out, “I don’t hate you, Wei Wuxian.”

Lan Zhan turned to the healer, who seemed to know what he was asking for; she approached quickly with her sedative needles, sticking Wei Ying from behind.

He made a strangled noise, trying to pull away, struggling to keep his eyes open.

“Jiang Cheng—“ He groaned, before finally falling unconscious.

The room was silent.

Lan Zhan heard Jiang Yanli cry and Jiang Cheng swear under his breath, but he couldn’t move his eyes from Wei Ying’s face.

“Well,” the nurse started, possibly the calmest person in the room. “I suggest we keep him sedated until we find a solution.”

A solution , Lan Zhan echoed. He needed to find a solution. He needed to fix this.

But where to start?

—————

Lan Zhan was running out of options.

He hadn’t rested since arriving in Yunmeng, unable to accept Jiang Yanli’s offers of dinner or retiring to the guest bedroom. 

Every minute he didn’t find a solution to Wei Ying’s predicament was another minute his husband was stuck. And who knew what horrors he was confronting in his consciousness? 

Lan Zhan had started in the Lotus Cove library, but was quickly disappointed. They didn’t have the largest collection to begin with, but they had lost even that resource during the fall of Lotus Pier.

He wished that he had access to Wei Ying’s journals on resentful energy, but those were back in the Cloud Recesses, and unfortunately the Juniors didn’t think to bring them.

They had arrived later in the evening, with a Lan nurse who knew Wei Ying. Lan Zhan told them that their Senior Wei was being sedated for his own safety, omitting what had happened when he woke.

The Lan nurse was only able to tell them that the Burial Mounds’ resentful energy was smothering Wei Ying’s core and meridians, preventing him from using his core. He suggested that they play cleansing music for him, and see if his condition improved.

So that’s what they had done; for a couple hours that night, they played until their fingers ached. Lan Zhan sent the Juniors to bed at haishi, but continued to play until his fingers bled. He knew that even with his training, he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

The black veins on Wei Ying’s face hadn’t retreated; Lan Zhan stood to check his meridians, and found the resentful energy just as strong as it had been when they began.

He returned to his guqin, ready to play for the rest of the night if it would help. His fingers hovered over the strings; there was something else he could try.

It had been in the back of his mind the whole night, but he wasn’t sure if it would work, or if he was even capable of doing it.

But he remembered the man from Yiling had the same black veins on his face as Wei Ying, and was possessed in a similar way. Wei Ying had been able to make them disappear, but Lan Zhan wasn’t quite sure how.

He had seen Wei Ying touch the man’s meridians, and close his eyes — then, he seemed to be transported somewhere, or hear some kind of voice. After that, the man had been freed from resentment.

But what had Wei Ying done? Lan Zhan wished that he had asked.

He sat next to Wei Ying, taking a steadying breath. He reached for Wei Ying’s wrist, feeling along his meridians and closing his eyes. 

He felt stupid, waiting idly for something to happen. What would Wei Ying do ?

Wei Ying would embrace the resentment, he realized. He would speak to it.

Lan Zhan noticed that he was almost staying away from the resentment — he recognized that it was there, but wasn’t trying to engage with it.

He reached out, feeling into the resentful energy in a way he had never done before.

He was rewarded with the sound of screaming.

Seemingly thousands of voices screaming; Lan Zhan couldn’t help but pull back at the shock of it. He took a moment to recollect his wits before prodding it again.

The screaming filled his ears again; this time, he called out mentally, “ Wei Ying! ”

Silence. Lan Zhan feared that he had done something wrong, but the voices returned. This time, their voices were all combined into one, all saying the same thing.

“ Oh? Hanguang-Jun has arrived!”

Lan Zhan opened his eyes, and he was surrounded by darkness.

His feet were on the ground, but it was almost too dark to see. He whipped around, trying to find the source of the voice.

“Wei Ying?!” He called again.

“ Are you here to finally finish the job? We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Where is he?!” Lan Zhan shouted, growing furious.

“ Where he deserves to be: with us . ”

“He’s not yours!” Lan Zhan growled. “You didn’t create him, and you sure as hell didn’t save him! You have to let him go !!”

“ You got to have him for long enough; now we want him back.”

Lan Zhan paused. Was that really why the Burial Mounds wanted him? They missed him?

He supposed it made sense; Wei Ying was the one person who stayed in the Burial Mounds, the one person who could talk to them.

Lan Zhan decided to try a different tactic; if yelling wouldn’t work, he would try to sympathize. Or at least pretend to.

“I understand.” Lan Zhan conceded. “But this isn’t right— he will hate you! He will fight back!” Lan Zhan allowed himself a sense of pride. “You and I both know he won’t stop fighting; he never did.”

“ Shut up! He will accept us one way or another!” The voices sounded different this time; scared.

In the midst of the voices, Lan Zhan almost heard a sharp whistling. He saw the darkness start to break in the distance.

“Wei Ying, I’m here!!” He screamed.

“Stop!! ”

“ Lan Zhan !”

Lan Zhan’s heart lifted hearing his husband’s voice. He sounded scared, sparking a protective anger in Lan Zhan.

“You can’t contain him, you never could!” Lan Zhan threatened. “Let him go!”

Lan Zhan felt the realm shake, the darkness receding. He felt his consciousness being pulled away, but had to leave one final message for the Burial Mounds.

“Leave us alone.” Lan Zhan’s voice grew dark. “And stay the fuck away from my husband.”

Lan Zhan’s eyes snapped open, and he was back in the infirmary, heart racing.

He turned to Wei Ying, hopeful for a change— and saw the black tentacles retreating from his face.

Lan Zhan smiled, relieved that he had found a way to fix it. But his eyes were starting to feel heavy; now that the threat was gone, the day’s events caught up to him.

He was exhausted, and the danger had passed. As an afterthought, he remembered the needle in Wei Ying’s neck, pulling out the ugly thing and tossing it away.

Lan Zhan allowed himself to finally rest, in bed next to Wei Ying, head on his chest.

He drifted into unconsciousness.

—————

When Wei Ying finally had the strength to wake, he was relieved. He couldn’t remember what had happened, only how he had felt— trapped in his own mind, the screaming of the Burial Mounds the only thing he could hear.

And then, Lan Zhan.

His voice had given him something to hold onto; the strength to fight against the resentful energy. 

Now, Wei Ying’s head was still pounding; he had over exerted himself to get rid of the resentful energy, pulling it forcefully off of his core. 

He heard Lan Zhan’s voice again, but it was quiet.

“Wei Ying…” 

Wei Ying opened his eyes to see Lan Zhan asleep next to him, eyes scrunched in his dream.

“Don’t go… come back… Wei Ying…” His voice was panicked, and Wei Ying recognized that he was trapped in a nightmare.

He realized his hands were tied when he tried to reach out and comfort him.

Wei Ying was confused; why had they tied him to the bed? He recognized the cool, silky headband that held his wrists, and he grew nervous thinking of what he could have possibly done.

“ Wei Ying !…” Lan Zhan called in his sleep, becoming frantic. “Don't go, don’t…”

Wei Ying recognized the words as ones Lan Zhan commonly called during his nightmares, often about losing Wei Ying. He tried to pull himself free, ignoring the way the headband cut into his wrists, but he couldn’t.

“Lan Zhan, I’m here.” He said firmly. “I’m here, my love.”

In a makeshift attempt at comforting him, Wei Ying wrapped his legs around Lan Zhan, holding him tightly.

“ Come back !…”

“I’m not going anywhere, Airen .” Wei Ying said soothingly. “Please wake up.”

Wei Ying squeezed Lan Zhan with his legs, an idea coming to mind. “Maoshi, Lan Zhan, time to get up.”

That did the trick; Lan Zhan bolted awake, seeming lost for a moment. When his eyes landed on Wei Ying, he could see him become relieved.

“Good morning,” Wei Ying said brightly. 

Lan Zhan’s expression softened. “Wei Ying, you— how do you feel?”

“Well, I’m fine now! But,” Wei Ying paused, wondering if he should bring this up just yet. “What happened?”

Lan Zhan seemed to remember that Wei Ying’s wrists were tied then, quickly undoing the tie and wrapping the headband around his palm instead. He rubbed Wei Ying’s wrists, a guilty look on his face at the red marks.

“What’d I do, Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying asked, his own sense of guilt kicking in. “Did I hurt anyone?”

Lan Zhan shook his head quickly. “I’ll tell you later. For now, you’re fine, that’s all that matters. You didn’t do anything bad.”

Wei Ying sighed with relief; he finally took in his surroundings. The Lotus Cove nurse wing was familiar to him, but came with a sense of panic. He was in Yunmeng .

“Did Jiang Cheng give you a hard time?” 

Lan Zhan shook his head once again. “He was worried about you.” Wei Ying winced.

“What about Shijie? Did I worry her?”

“Relax.” Lan Zhan said soothingly. “She’ll be happy to hear you’re awake. The Juniors, too.” 

Wei Ying groaned; how many people had he managed to scare this time?

“I’m sorry.” He breathed. “I thought I could control it. I guess I was wrong about that again, huh?”

 Wei Ying tried to make it sound like a joke, but the truth of it stung. He hadn’t been able to control the Burial Mounds; once again, he had been too weak.

“Wei Ying did control it.” Lan Zhan said firmly. “You got rid of the resentful energy; I didn’t save you, you did.”

Wei Ying huffed, feeling his face become red. He was about to refute the words when the door opened.

The sight of his Shijie made Wei Ying feel warm. He hadn’t seen her in so long, although he wanted to; he had convinced himself that it was better for him to stay away, writing frequent letters instead. But he missed her.

Then, he saw the nervous expression on her face. She seemed unsure, hesitating in the doorway. “A-Xian?”

“Shijie, I… it’s me.” He offered a smile.

She seemed relieved, stepping into the room quickly. “A-Xian, you’re awake!” 

He hummed. “Yep, thanks to my knight in shining armor over here.” He nudged Lan Zhan. “But we won’t stay long, I promise.”

She frowned. “A-Xian, I’ve missed you. Why don’t you want to stay? We’d be more than happy to have you.”

His heart warmed, but he gave a sad smile. “I doubt Jiang Cheng wants me here.”

“He’s just stubborn and protective. You know that, A-Xian. Besides, it’s about time you two made up.”

Her face softened. “I… I’ve missed having my brothers.”

And how could Wei Ying say no? 

He remembered a promise he made so long ago: “ You, Jiang Cheng, and me… we’ll never separate again .” 

He had broken so many promises; maybe it wasn’t too late for him to make this promise right.

“Okay.” Wei Ying breathed. “Then, we can stay…?” He looked to Lan Zhan, who nodded encouragingly. “Yeah, we can stay.”

A silence fell between the three, before Shijie was breaking it.

“A-Xian, your hair’s a mess!” She teased.

Wei Ying recognized the phrase, one so nostalgic for him— when he was young, after a day of training, Shijie would often point out his hair being in disarray. 

It was one of the first things she had pointed out after meeting him; he had just been on the streets, so his hair was truly a rat’s nest. Madam Yu suggested they cut it all off, but Shijie took the time to untangle and brush through it.

Since then, it had become a routine he loved, until he grew out of it, feeling guilty for wasting her time on something he could do.

But he had missed her so much, so he allowed himself to accept. Just this once.

“Lan Zhan, why don’t you get the Lan ducklings, while Shijie makes me presentable? Make sure they’re not sleeping in.”

Wei Ying assumed they would be; they usually took the chance whenever they were away from the Cloud Recesses. 

“Mn.” Lan Zhan hummed, getting up to go.

And then Shijie was at his side, and it took all of his self control not to wrap her in a hug. It had been so long; he had convinced himself that he had to stay away from her, so as not to hurt her again, but now that he was here it felt as though nothing had changed.

She undid the ribbon holding up his hair, and pulled a jade comb from her robes. Clearly, she had been expecting to do this for him; the thought made his heart warm.

She started to pull the comb through his hair gently, then applied pressure to massage his scalp. Wei Ying melted into the touch, closing his eyes.

“What’s this?”

He opened his eyes to see Shijie holding up the braid that he had done several days ago; he hadn’t thought to take it out. Now it was frayed, barely holding.

“I was trying to learn how to braid, so that I could do Lan Zhan’s hair, but it’s not that great, huh?” He laughed. “Yours are much better.”

“Would you like me to teach you?”

.

.

.

As soon as the Lan Juniors had entered, they were tasked with helping Wei Ying learn to braid.

He sat next to Yanli, mirroring what she did with Sizhui’s hair on Jingyi’s hair.

“You’re pulling it, Senior Wei! Ow! Ow!”

Wei Ying smacked Jingyi upside the head. “Quit whining!”

Jiang Yanli’s laugh was light, and Wei Ying decided to make it his mission to hear it more often.