Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had not been easy. The journey had been a long, rough path, one with all manner of pitfalls and sharp-edged emotional debris. The once somewhat shaded path of brotherhood had been hit by the tsunami of war and tragedy, leaving a mess of hurt, miscommunication, pain, loss, and longing in its wake.

But for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin, at least the truth had let the old festering wounds finally heal. And after a while, one of them had reached out, and the other had reached back. Neither of them wanted the path to stay blocked, and so slowly they started to clean it up. Each awkward conversion and strained meeting might have been hard, but slowly, some ease returned to their interactions.

After all, they were both Jiang at heart. They strove to achieve what others would call impossible.

And so it came, that after a year and a half, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng had mended their brotherhood into something new. It might jet be a far cry from what they had once shared, but it was something.

Their interactions still felt stiff and awkward, but they had progressed to the point where now Wei Wuxian could come and go from Lotus Pier as he pleased.

Though most importantly, they had finalized a plan to go on a night hunt together again.

Alone.

No little Junior disciples to watch their every move. Granted, there was always the possibility of Jin Ling and Fairy showing up out of nowhere since they never ever seemed to be where they were actually supposed to be, but sect leader duties had managed to curb their wanderings at least to a degree. But most importantly, no overbearing cultivation partners breathing down Jiang Cheng’s neck!

Though he would never admit it out loud, Jiang Cheng had been looking forward to this for weeks. He had made sure to pick out an interesting night hunt for them as well. Nothing that promised to be overly dangerous, or Hanguang Jun would find a way to swoop down on them, but something unique that appeared strange in a way that was guaranteed to pique Wei Wuxian's curiosity.

It started out fine. One of the local farmers complained about a whole herd of sheep that had turned into lambs again overnight. He had despaired over not being able to feed them and had already made plans to sell or slaughter them when they had aged enough to get by without milk the next morning.

His exasperation and relief were evident in his vivid retelling, and he also pointed them to a case of a vanished beloved household pet and an ornery old woman up and leaving never to be seen again.

There had been suspicions cast on a young woman passing through, who had seemed quite mad and had not stopped cackling at half the villagers, but Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian had determined that the curse was far more likely to be of Yao origin than human.

The investigation brought them to a stream the herd of sheep that had been affected drank from regularly, and they followed it carefully, looking for clues.

When they did find it, it was very obvious.

They had fallen in step naturally over the last minutes and came to a halt at the same time.

They both stared wide-eyed, and Wei Wuxian let out a soft “Oh.”

The tree was glorious, laden over and over with small white blossoms blooming out of season, and even as they watched a handful of petals floated softly to the ground.

It stood in the middle of a clearing, and sunlight was gently illuminating its soft green leaves, still young and unblemished.

Jiang Wanyin had to swallow, and tears came unbidden to his eyes.

When he spoke, his voice came out in a croak.

“It’s old. It's very, very old.”

“Yes.”

They started circling it, wonder in their eyes.

And indeed it seemed to be ancient, the limbs hanging with lichen and moss, the trunk scarred and cracked.

Not even the smallest twigs were free of growth, and it felt like the branches would crack any moment from the heavy load of blossoms.

The awe and reverence they felt were slowly mingling with sadness and melancholy.

Wei Wuxian's voice trembled with emotion when he spoke.

“It’s not just old. It's dying. I think it's almost there, just a little more and it would have cultivated to godhood. But in the end, time was harsher. This is its last bloom.”

That would explain the overwhelming, careless beauty, and also the feeling of loss that settled so deep in Jiang Wanyin's chest that he felt sure he would never be able to feel happiness again.

He shook his head and sighed.

“Alright. I suppose there is little else to do than warn the villagers not to let anyone close until the last blossoms have fallen. It's not going to be long now, and any effects were temporary as far as we can tell. We should- WEI WUXIAN!!!”

Adrenalin surged through him, and together with the sudden panic cleared out most of the spell lingering on him. But his martial brother had always, always been the more empathic one, and this was exactly the kind of thing that he could never resist.

Jiang Wanyin leaped forward, tackling Wei Wuxian around the middle, and throwing him bodily away from the tree.

“Wei Wuxian! Snap out of it, Wei Wuxian! For fuck's sake, tell me you didn’t touch it! WEI WUXIAN!”

The eyes staring up at him were blank and unseeing.

His pulse was strong.

On his fingertip, fine marks shaped like the age rings of a tree were slowly spreading upward.

Jiang Wanyin had been too late.

He looked around wildly and scooped up his martial brother with gentle hands. The head lolled to the side listlessly, and cold spread through Jiang Wanyin's veins.

“Fuck this, Wei Wuxian! This is ridiculous even for you. You can not be doing this to me! I swear to every damn god out there, if you don’t snap out of this I will drown you in the lake myself!!! “

Again, there was no response.

He snarled at the tree, and considered setting it on fire for a long moment, but decided he had to get Wei Wuxian to safety first. Everything else could be dealt with later.

He carefully stepped onto Sandu, and slung his brother's arm over his shoulder, one hand on his waist. Like this, he could feel the breath on his cheeks and exhaled.

Wei Wuxian was still alive.

“Your fucking Hanguang Jun is going to lock you up for good if we don’t fix this right now. He is finally going to snap, and you are going down in history as the second Madam Lan, never to be seen again. Any you would deserve it too, you asshole.”

The wind whipped in his face as he flew faster and higher, back into the direction of Yunmeng. He could not help clutching his brother tighter and tighter, and if his face grew wet, it was from the moisture of the low-hanging clouds, and nothing else.

The flight back to Lotus Pier felt unbearably long, and when it finally, finally came into view in the gray hours before dawn, he felt the weight on his shoulders lift.

He clenched his arms tighter around his brother's form upon the landing, and with a sinking feeling realized how slim it still felt.

He could hear his heart thundering in his chest and was gripped with the sudden depressing thought that this would be the last time he would ever be left alone with Wei Wuxian for all eternity.

And when he looked down, he saw that it had not been the weight of fear that had lifted at all.

In the cradle of his arms, two innocent and confused gray eyes blinked up at him from the face of a small child.

Chapter Text

After landing, Jiang Wanyin was soon met by his first disciple. Who might be one of maybe three other people old enough to recognize the face of the child in his arms. Jiang Wanyin looked down at him with furrowed eyebrows. How old was Wei Wuxian now anyway? Six or seven years old? Then he turned slowly to the women before him.

Jiang Huifang looked at the child with wide eyes. A young boy wrapped in black and red robes sized for an adult, a dizi ready to fall out of the now loose belt. Most of all, she noticed the bright, silver moonlight eyes.

“Is… Is that Wei Wuxian? What on earth happened to him? And is that...Is he… himself?”

Jiang Wanyin did a double take. Mo Xuanyu might have looked a bit similar to Wei Wuxain but his eyes were never exactly the right color. They were always a darker, more clouded storm gray. Wei Wuxian however, had eyes that always seemed to shine with moonlight when he smiled.
Jiang Cheng could not help staring and was soon met with confused eyes. He received what he knew all too well to be an empty smile. A smile that still haunted him, because he knew now it was only ever for show. It was a smile to look better, a smile his brother had used at one point to fight for them all in the Wen indoctrination camp. And at another time to survive on the streets.

His breath caught, and his whole world stopped. For a long moment, he scrutinized his now too-quiet, too-small bother.
He had seen this particular drawn exhaustion in children before.
He did not like it.
“....Summon a healer. Now.”

—------

Things passed in a blur after that, a far too quiet blur. Now, Jiang Cheng could only sit in the medical pavilion, staring at who had been his elder brother, and who was no longer older physically or mentally!

His first disciple stayed in the room with them, observing with obvious worry. For anyone who truly knew Wei Wuxian, it was disquieting to see him be so still. He had not said much, answering simple questions with short answers in that same quiet voice, each time with that small hollow-feeling smile on his face.

Wei Wuxian was watching him. It was an uncomfortable experience since Wei Wuxian was for all purposes only a little over six years old. A Wei Wuxian who said he had lived in Lotus Pier for about a season. This was the Wei Wuixan who fell out of a tree because of Jiang Cheng's anger at losing his dog mere weeks ago.

Taking in a deep breath he turned to Jiang Huifang “...Until we know more, get everyone on the pier to watch their words about Wei Wuxian. They are not to talk about any events involving him where they could be overheard. Both events he wouldn’t know at this time and current ones we would not want Hanguang Jun to learn about.”

There was no good outcome from letting him learn about the deaths of the late sect leader and his wife. And especially Jiang Yanli. About the burning of the pair, the war, or anything really.

“Yes, of course, S-.” She paused and glanced at Wei Ying before looking back at him. “Um… Jiang Wanyin?”

It was a question, and Jiang Wanyin nodded. It would be safer for everyone to address him by his courtesy name for the time being. If they called him Sect leader, then that would raise questions.
Jiang Huifang nodded back and walked out of the medical pavilion with sure steps.

After she had left, he turned his attention back to his now little brother.
But before either of them could speak, a small growl rang out in the room from Wei Ying’s stomach. The small boy blushed, wrapped his arms around himself, and simply looked to the side, almost guilty.

Right. This little Wei Ying never knew how to ask for food. This is the Wei Ying that Jiang Chang always had to practically drag to his JieJie to make him eat. The one who hadn't even known what food he liked yet or developed his insane tolerance for spice.

But most importantly, this was something Jiang Wanyin knew exactly what to do about.

He quickly helped him dress into new robes (purple! Hah!), scooped him up in his arms the way he had done with Jin Ling thousands of times, and walked out of the healer's clutches with sure steps and a decisive nod.

“And now, it is time for soup.”

—------------

Wei Ying looked better after he had eaten, even if he had not managed his whole bowl,
and when they walked back to the main building, his now little brother was trudging along holding his hand.

The feeling of the small hand in his was strange, and had Jiang Wanyin's stomach flutter with feeling and unease.

The boy had even started chattering tentatively on the way, until they were stopped by a deafening bray and the clacking of hooves on wood to the side.
Jiang Wanyin sighed.
They were near the stables, and he could already see the adoring look on his brother's face again. And indeed, looking down he found Wei Ying had paused for a moment, eyes wide as he stared to the side. Of course, it had to be his own damn donkey.

He narrowed his eyes at the commotion coming closer and closer and cursed.

“I swear, if that donkey kicks in the railing and falls into the water one more time, I am going to let her drown!”

Next to him, little Wei Ying gasped in horror and he winced.

“Not seriously, ok kid? I would fish her out again. I didn’t mean it.”

But the damage had been done, and small lips were trembling plaintively.

Jiang Wanyin groaned helplessly.

“...Did you want to see the donkey?“ Thinking about it now, Wei Wuxian had always enjoyed donkeys, the stubborn prickly menaces that they were. Any time they saw one when they were out on a night hunt he would get a certain look in his eyes.
Fond.
Longing.
And in his second life he clung to Little Apple all the time despite that thing being rude as hell.

His brother froze and quickly shook his head.

Jiang Wanyin raised his eyebrows. He seemed almost… nervous.

“..Don’t you like them?” he tried once more, confused by the reluctance.

Wei Ying just bit his lips and nodded.

Sighing in defeat and even more confused than before, Jiang Wanyin just started to walk towards the donkey still braying in agitation, only to get a look of both shock and…fear?

“...But she said I'm not a proper boy for a noble household. So I should at least try not to bring shame and dishonor…..and … Donkeys are for servants.” His voice is just a whisper.

Jiang Wanyin suddenly felt like he had been doused with freezing water, and cold anger spread through him.

“She?”, he hissed through clenched teeth, although he already knew the answer. It sure as hell had not been his sister, who had been trying her damned best to make the new addition to their family feel welcomed.

Wei Ying nodded, eyes glued longingly at the determinedly approaching Little Apple. Three disciples were tugging at her reigns to no visible effect.

“Madam Yu…she said donkeys are dirty and…it would look bad to have them around. Even worse than dirty servant boys.”

His mother had said WHAT!? Jiang Chane froze as he took in this new information. He always knew his mother had been… unkind, but this? Did she really tell Wei Ying he can’t even go near a donkey when he seemed to enjoy them so much? That he was little better than one himself? What other harm had she caused that he did not know about?

With an angry huff, he quickly picked up his brother. “You are allowed to pet the donkey if you want to pet the fucking Donkey!” His voice was raised as he went over, glaring hard at the creature in question. A warning. The bad-tempered Little Apple better not try anything while Wei Ying was this small.

The boy looked at the donkey, slowly reaching out to gently pet her snout. His smile was growing, eyes lighting up. The fake pretty smile turned into something much more real, and so much brighter. So much joy from a miserable Donkey… What the hell had been wrong with his mother?

After a moment Jiang Wanyin sighed. He had not always been a sucker for kids. At least not this bad. But his brother might not have been able to have the things he wanted before, but nothing was stopping him now. Not with Jiang Wanyin the one in charge. “Want to ride it?”

Wei Ying’s head snapped around so fast, and his grin was even brighter than before. “Yes please!” With all hesitation gone, Jiang Wanyin moved to gently place his brother on Little Apple's back. She held uncommonly still and watched the boy with intelligent eyes. When Wei Ying found a good grip on her mane, he took the rains and slowly led the donkey out.

He really should be researching the curse that had landed them in this predicament in the first place. Keeping this quiet from Hanguang Jun would be difficult enough without wasting time.

And yet, he walked the donkey carefully around the Pier, and listened to childish giggles and unamused braying with no intention of stopping anytime soon.

—------

They only stopped again when Wei Ying’s stomach rumbled, and since it was already approaching evening, Jiang Wanyin took him by the hand and led him back to Lotus Cove.

It was not quite time yet, but no one said anything and they received their meals without delay.

He had already ordered Wei Wuxian's room to be aired out and prepared but was reluctant to part ways just yet.

And perhaps there was one more thing he should do.

“A-Ying. Do you want to go visit your parents’ tablets?” Jiang Wanyin wasn’t sure what Wei Ying would say. As far as he could remember, his brother never really spoke of his birth parents. …No one really did, with the notable but unwelcome exception of his mother. Not even his own father had ever told them much despite claiming to be best friends with Wei Wuxian's father.

Wei Ying looked at him with large eyes. “...I can visit them?” He sounds so unsure.

The answer to that would almost have been no mere weeks ago. There had not been a tablet in the ancestral hall before. Even if Jiang Fengmian had claimed to view them as family himself, he had never bothered to set up tablets for them.
He could understand not having them in the Jiang ancestral hall of course, but nowhere else either?.
It had sometimes felt as if they were no more than ghosts haunting their lives instead of real people. The way they were never talked about, but their presence always laid heavy between his parents. The way Wei Wuxian insisted so vocally on them being real people, as if afraid his last memories might just be wistful thinking and they had never existed at all.

But seeing Wei Wuxian light three incense sticks for Jiang Wanyin's parents and sister but none for his own had been… An uncomfortable reminder. One that made him go back not only to the shrine but study the records as well. He even asked Jiang Huifang about it to see what she might recall. But everything ended up being a dead end.

His brother’s parents, who Jiang Fengmian claimed to be so very close to, close enough to hunt down and take in their child…had recorded nothing.

He could have slapped himself for not noticing it sooner. For having not seen it after the war, Wei Wuxian would always go down to the hall with only two incense sticks instead of four.

Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan were dead. But Jiang Wanyin was not.

And it had long since become clear that if he wanted Wei Wuxian to be his brother, he had better treat him like one. Like a real one, and not that fucked up version where brother was interchangable with servant his parents had taught them. Because the three of them, despite everything, were family. Wei Wuxian was as much his brother as Jiang Yanli was his sister.

And so he nodded his head with a solemn smile.

“It was supposed to be a surprise. But yes. Their tablets are here. I can show you, and we can pray together.”

He watched as his brother’s eyes fill with hope, and gentled his face. Only later, when he was alone, would he let it truly hit him, hard and cold like the Gusu winters. Later, he would let the rage build up inside him. Anger at his parents for never making even such a small concession to his brother, and angry at himself for only just now realizing the problem. Realizing his brother never once had a chance to properly mourn or honor his parents.
But for now, he simply stood and led Wei Ying to the ancestral hall. The main Jiang Ancestral hall. His mother could burn with anger for all he cared.

He knew JieJie would approve. He knew Wei Wuixain would be… something, when he was back to himself. It would hurt. But he hoped in a good way, of a wound slowly healing. His Sibling's opinions were the only ones that really mattered to him now. The only ones that should have ever mattered.

There were offerings already in place, of course. With steady hands he guided Wei Ying in the motions of lighting the incense sticks.
And while they burnt, he prayed for forgiveness and strength.

~~~~~~~~

Far away, in a plain but elegant study, Hanguang Jun carefully placed down his brush.

It was not yet time for his husband to return, nor had he heard of anything that might hint at a problem.

And yet…

And there was no doubt in his heart.

His Wei Ying was in trouble.

Chapter Text

When Wei Wuxian woke, he knew immediately that someone had been in his room.

He stretched languidly and stealthily surveyed his surroundings.

There seemed to be no one in his room with him, at least.

He rose from his bed and reached for Suibian to examine the changes more closely, and then startled.

Suibian was gone.

Wei Wuxian gaped at the sheer nerve of the unknown intruder and then clenched his teeth in anger.

He would have laughed off just about anything else, and let the culprit get off with a good dunking in the lotus lake.
But this! This meant war.

Truly furious for once, he plastered his usual smile on his face and strolled out to investigate.

The usual suspect, Jiang Cheng, was out for this one. He would never touch Suibian. And his Shidis knew better than to dare.

So it would have been a disciple older than him. His promotion to head disciple had been over a year ago now, and there had been plenty of pushback for it. But he had honestly thought things were settling down considerably.

Very well. He would find out, and make them regret it.

This lost in thought, it took him an embarrassingly long time to notice that he did not recognize the majority of the people he passed.

Not knowing the faces around him, his room missing many of his personal belongings, and his SWORD being gone made the situation suddenly appear very different in his mind.
He quickly turned around on his heel and returned to investigate further. His robes were not quite the right color. The buildings seemed to have a different layout. On one, he could swear the roof should be just a bit lower.

Interesting.

As he paced, he realized a little scrap of purple mostly hidden under his blanket. He pulled it out, but only grew even more confused when it appeared to be a child's sleeping robe.

“Huh.”

As he paced the room Wei Ying started to talk to himself to order his thoughts.

“This is the situation. My sword is missing. My room is set up differently. My robes are the wrong color and a bit big, and a child's sleeping robe is in my bed… Thinking of it, I really don't remember going to sleep in the nude yesterday.“

His pace picked up, eyes still roaming over his clues.

“I don’t know the people at Lotus Pair, and Jiang Cheng or Shijie have yet to come wake me up.
All of this is strange. Not normal. Very different.” He nods along with his words as he looks at his desk, seeing a range of talisman paper with work he has not seen before. New talismans, all in his writing.

“The question is, did I change, or did my location.”

The first theory would be supported by two separate pairs of robes in his room of which neither fit him.

But his shrinking or growing (which was, unfortunately, always a risk in his line of work) would not have changed the people or the buildings outside.

In addition to that, he had woken up in his own room instead of the medical pavilion.

Which left theory two. A shift in time or dimension.
Far less likely, but who knew what was possible with talismanic theory.

No matter what, this would require further investigation. And the first order of business would be looking for his sword.

And after that, he needed to find out the date. That would help him. And while he would like to ask Jiang Cheng, he had no way of knowing where to find him.
No matter, anyone else would do for now.

And he knew from long experience, that even if he found him, his martial brother would either tell him everything or nothing.

This time he ventured out more carefully and made his way to the training grounds as unobtrusively as possible.

And it was a fortunate thing that he had taken pains not to be seen when he could hear angry shouts from far away, causing his chest to tighten.

He was reluctant to get too close, in case Madam Yu noticed him, but her voice sounded strangely deep today, and he was curious.

And then he saw something that made his blood run cold:

The figure moving between the disciples was not who he had expected at all.

Instead of Madam Yu's elegant form, the one yelling was prowling like a tiger, dangerous and on edge. And it was very definitely a male one.

He shivered, cold sweat suddenly covering his whole body, and his heart raced in a panicked beat.

This was the absolute worst possible scenario he had found himself in. There would be no escape for him this time.

He had somehow traveled to a universe where Madam Yu was a male and sect leader Jiang.

He was so, so fucked. She was hard enough on him as just the Madam…but as the sect leader? He didn’t know how he would be able to do just about anything at all. Nothing would be able to stop her when she was angry, no line she could not cross.

He tried to force himself to breathe through the rapidly building panic, and stumbled back. He keeps his face as neutral as he could out of pure habit, but that didn’t stop his skin from paling as more questions and assumptions about this universe started to flood into his mind with reckless abandon.

Would Jiang Shushu be female in this universe then? What about his Shijie and Jiang Cheng?! Would they have switched? Did that mean SHIJIE would be the next sect leader!? Well, that would be a massive plus. Would Cheng-Cheng marry the peacock?! No, he would sooner murder him than marry him, no matter the gender.

Who else?

Was he supposed to be-

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

The voice called out as another person with a pair of strong arms in long white sleeves steadied him when he stumbled after knocking into something. The person had a kind, worried face as he looked down on him.

“Are you alright? Have you had water? Did you train with sect leader Jiang? You should tell him if you cannot keep up. He will not be angry with you if you truly tried your best.” The Lan with the kind face said, and a third boy in green started to question him as he walked around to face him. Wei Wuxian looked between the now four older teens surrounding him.

Wei Wuxian just shook his head, not trusting his voice right now. What were Lan disciples doing here? And with a Jin! And was that… Ouyang green? How peculiar!

The Jin had taken his reaction as an answer at least. He scoffed.

“As if JiuJiu would ever overwork someone like that. This is clearly something else.”

Wait JiuJiu? As in the person standing over there, was the teen's JiuJiu? Did Madam Yu have a sister married to someone in the Jin sect?!

The other Lan sneered at his companion.

“Oh? Are you sure about that? I have heard Jiang Wanyin is a real tyrant on the training grounds.”

Wait! Jiang CHENG!? That was Jiang Cheng leading the training?!

“You! Take that back!!”

“Oh yeah? And who is going to make me? You, little mistress?”

Once again, the floor was removed from underneath Wei Wuxian's feet, and he sagged, desperately relieved.

It was not a male version of Madam Yu fully in charge of his life. Well, in a way it was, but Jiang Cheng was by far the more preferable version of the two. His Shidi was always and in absolutely all situations the better option to Madam Yu.

He had simply traveled to the future. Or at least a version of the future.

Thank the gods.

Then again, the tone of the yelling should have been a big hint now that he thought about it more clearly. The yelling didn’t hold the frustration, rage or venom that Madam Yu always expressed. Madam Yu would never use that tone. Not one with the slightest hints of care that his martial brother always had.

But then suddenly a new thought entered Wei Wuxian's mind, and he traced back the words he had just heard. Connecting them with this new information of being in the future, he startled and whipped around to the Jin.

That boy had just called Jiang Cheng JiuJiu! Would that mean he is now looking at ShiJie’s future child with that stupid peacock??

But before his thoughts could spiral further out of control, the louder Lan took his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. Pulling him back to the moment, or well, the future.

“Kid? Kid? You aren't actually About to pass out or throw up, right?”

Wei Wuxian shook himself and raised his hand to rub at the side of his nose, Though before he could say anything, his wrist was captured. Quickly the louder Lan pulled it close and started inspecting his finger.

“... What is that mark on your index finger?”

Thoughts whirling and as if in a trance, Wei Wuxian pulled his finger away from the Lan to inspect it himself. Shockingly, there were indeed thin lines circling it, all the way down to the second joint. How had he not noticed this sooner?

“I… don't know. This looks like it could be-”

Wie Ying stopped himself from thinking out loud as he realized this could be residue from whatever had placed him in this future. Or- a curse mark.

Both of which were options he was not about to disclose to strangers. Less so when they weren’t even from his own sect! And even if one of them was his future nephew, he would not want to distress him or Shijie.

“Ahaha! This must be the ink-cleaning talisman I have been working on. Look! It's not perfect yet, but I am getting there!”

Unfortunately, this seemed to do nothing but arouse their suspicions further, and his hand was rudely grabbed and pulled back.

Were all Lan this pushy?! If yes, he would have to rethink his plans when he would be sent to stay with them next season.

“This looks a lot more like a curse mark. Where did you really get it?”

The mouthy Lan looked him up and down then, his eyes seemingly filling with worry as his eyebrows rose up and his lips formed a tight line.

“...You don’t have your sword either, could the curse have affected your meridians? Let me-”

Wei Wuxian quickly pulled his hand back, clutching it to his chest before the Lan could do anything else. He didn’t even know this Lan! How dare this stranger who wasn’t even a member of the Jiang get so close as to try and manhandle him like that! He was the first disciple of the Jiang sect, not some random youngster! This man needed a lesson on assumptions.

Wei Ying then leaned in close, and put on his best pout. As he did so, he let his voice shift to a more playful and pouty tone.

“How forward of you!” He gasped, then covered his mouth with his unmarked hand, shifting to turn his body slightly to the side, fluttering his eyelashes at the Lan. “Trying to take my hand against my will!? Don't you know you have to ask my- uh, my brother first about such matters?”

If Jiang Cheng was the sect leader now, and a fully grown adult, he would be the one with the authority, right? And he had so much more amusing reactions than Jiang Fengmian too! He wondered gleefully if he had mellowed out over the years or gotten even more uptight!

The boy squeaked, and flinched back, right into the other Lan, who caught his friend by the shoulder. The kind smile had never left the man’s lips, and he opened his mouth only to get cut off by the louder, now very red-eared, Lan.

“You brat! That is not what I was doing and you know it!”

He wrenched himself out from his friend’s grip, and marched back up to Wei Wuxain, reaching for him. “I was just worried about you, you ungrateful little- Ack-”
Wei Wuxian shifted just as the man's fingertips brushed against his collar, eyes shining with mischief.

He moved quickly and gave him just the lightest little tap on his back to guide him down. There was an enormous splash, and the Lan vanished beneath the surface of the lotus pond.

The Jin, his nephew, waited until the head broke through the surface of the water again and snorted.

“Serves you right, Lan Jingyi. Never underestimate a Jiang cultivator.”

Ah. So that was the name. Wei Wuxian thought about trying to memorize it for a moment, but decided not to bother. If it stuck, it stuck. If not, it did not matter.

Memorizing his nephew being cute and all proud of his mother clan was far more important.

Wei Wuxian instead pouted at the water, and pressed his arms to his chest with theatralic intensity, giving his all to embody an upset maiden.

“Please do not touch me without permission…”

Lan Jingyi gaped like a fish, and then flew out of the water and at him with an indignant squawk.

“Jingyi! Calm down! I am sure the young Jiang disciple meant no harm!” The green one quickly chimed in, shifting himself in front of his now very wet friend.
“Besides, we should not upset sect leader Jiang too much…”

The pacemaker Lan tried as well, patting his friend’s shoulder, but then furrowed his brows in concentration.
“Wait. All of this feels a bit familiar…”

Wei Wuxian then batted his eyelashes, wiggling a bit in his place. “I don’t think Sect Leader Jiang will take kindly to a visitor trying to take advantage of one of his own..” Wei Wuxian knew this much to be true. His brother would never stand for anyone mistreating someone of their sect, even others in their own sect! The Jiang weren't the most loyal sect for nothing!

This seemed to make the Lan snap and lunge once again for his hand. “You!! I am TRYING! To help!”

And so a new dance began, with Wei Wuxian shifting his body ever so subtly to dodge around the lunges. Now, the actions were a bit more violent than before.

“Oi! You can't actually beat up a kid! JiuJiu is going to break your legs!”

“Only if he catches me! And this one is worth it! Keep still, so I can teach you a lesson to respect your elders, you menace! This is like creche duty all over again!”

Wei Wuxian dodged and weaved, skillfully sidestepping fists, elbows, and the occasional grab for his shoulder, all the while wailing about the harsh treatment of bullies, ruined reputations, and stolen innocence. He also made sure to add in how thoughtlessly forward the other clans were, preying on poor innocent Jiang disciples right under the nose of their sect leader!

The one in Ouyang green had started to hyperventilate and look around in a panic, and the other Lan was trying to restrain his fellow with little success, but his nephew was cackling openly at the display.

Wei Wuxian could not help but smile at that. Such a good boy! Then he feigned to the left, and crouched into a ball instead at the last moment when the Lan made a particularly powerful lunge for him.

A sturdy boot caught Wei Ying’s shin, but it was worth it when his pursuer stumbled over him and gracelessly tumbled right back into the water.

Wei Wuxian then rose back up with a graceful hop as he heard his newly found nephew letting out another wheel of laughter. He bowed, grinning down at the water-logged Lan, and reached his hand out to him in a peace offering.

Lan Jingyi gasped and panted as he slid back onto the dock, and did not continue his chase.
Instead, he let himself drop onto his back and glared up balefully.

“I hate you, kid. I really do. Got to admit, you have amazing footwork for someone your age…. How old are you, anyway?”

“Yes Wei Wuxian, how old are you?”

The deeper, but still familiar voice caused Wei Wuxian to spin around, only to be face to face with his Shidi.

And without even thinking about it, he shot Jiang Cheng a playful grin and shouted with a slightly whining voice.

“Xianxian is only three!”

~~~~~~

Back in Gusu:

It had not been an easy time at all for Lan Wangi. All day he has been on edge, working as quickly as he could to wrap up the work he had taken on to aid his sect while his brother was in seclusion. It was only after Lunch that he was finally able to get away.

He was pushing ahead as quickly as his sword could carry him to Lotus Pier. To the last place he had dropped off his husband. He needed to be there. He should already have been half way there if it was not for the paperwork. Now he could only push on and promise himself to arrive tomorrow before noon.

Chapter Text

—------------
Jiang Wanyin Knew he was on a deadline. A deadline known as Hanguang Jun. That man would never stay away for more than two days at most, meaning he had about one left if he was lucky.

And so, after his very small brother had fallen asleep, he had worked long into the night to try and search for a way to cure the curse. There were leads, and one after another he traced them until they unraveled into nothing.

He did not sleep that night.

After another trail dried up just before the sun rose, he stood and stretched.
He needed a distraction, to move, to clear his head.

He needed to shout at something or someone.

Morning training would be ideal.

Little Wei Ying was likely to sleep for several more hours if he remembered correctly. He could use the chance to release some of the tension so that it would not reach the child by accident.

His disciples knew better than to slack off during training, but it was always good to remind them why the whole cultivation world was at the very least wary of him.

Shouting at the sweating, starry eyed trainees did wonders for the tension in his back and neck, and after an hour he felt about ready to wake up Wei Ying and explain as much about the situation as was appropriate for a child.

He was just about to dismiss them for a job well done, when a startled shriek and a splash reached his ears.

He rolled his eyes, and stalked towards the unexpected, but unfortunately familiar noise of Jin Ling's obnoxious friends having another spat.

He had long given up on even wondering how and why Jin Ling managed to turn up where and when he was least expected every single time.

But when he rounded the corner and the group came into view, he stopped dead in his tracks.

There he was, crouched on the planks, smiling carefree and bright.

But most certainly not a small child anymore.

Lan Jingyi was pulled up from the water, and the situation became a bit clearer.

“I hate you, kid. I really do, but I got to admit, you have amazing footwork for someone your age…. How old are you, anyway?”

Jiang Wanyin pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Yes Wei Wuxian, how old are you?”

He had almost forgotten just how much trouble his brother had actually caused at this age. He rarely did so, nowadays, merely waiting for problems to find him instead. But as teens? They had both been such horrible nuisances.

And sure enough, Wei Wuxian whirled around and shot him a blinding grin.

“XianXian is only three!”

Four words. Four simple words stunned the great Sandu Shengshou. Sending his mind into a race, pulling up countless memories of a simple inside joke. He had to swallow thickly when he realized he had not heard his brother say them in front of anyone other than himself or his sister since before the war. That he had not heard them a single time in his brother's new life.

Words that reminded him of happier times.

Words that made the deep gash in his chest that always burnt whenever he thought of their lost innocence ache fiercely.

He stared down at his bright-eyed brother, a face older than last night, but still very young, maybe about the age their nephew was now.

Lan Jingyi’s eyes narrowed at the boy in front of him. “No.”

Lan Sizhui however, felt his eyes slowly going wider as things clicked into place. He at least seemed to have suspected something about the boy was strangely familiar. The way he had danced JUST out of Jingyi’s grip. The playful nature of it, the jokes and teasing…

Squinting his eyes, Sizhui asked in a lower voice that finally broke the tension in the air. “...Senior….Wei?”

This brought out a playful laugh as Wei Wuxian put his hands behind his head and his face burst into a carefree grin. The look of him was so much lighter than any of the juniors had ever seen him. “OH! So you Do know me!”

A laugh so distinct it finally managed to finally snap Jiang Cheng out of his thoughts, and he glared at the four boys, grabbing his brother by his collar. “All of you. My office. Now.”

His eyes then glared down at Wei Wuxian. “And you keep your mouth shut until we get there. I’m not above asking the Lan here to silence you if I have to”

Jiang Wanyin could see Wei Wuxian's eyes go wide when they reached the study his father had once used, or at least the space where it had once been. He had changed much of the layout and look of the room when they rebuilt, unable to stand sitting in it without sorrow and loss crushing him. His mind was still scrambling what to tell this now older-than-expected, but still painfully young version of his brother.

He seated himself, and with a sigh decided to simply let Wei Wuxian start off.

He waved at him vaguely.

“What do you remember?”

Wei Wuxian let out a hum and started to rub his chin as he looked around the room, seeming to take note of all the differences.

“Remember? Going to sleep in the evening. We had no noteworthy night hunts lately, and I really can't pinpoint what might have caused it, but the best explanation would be time travel!” He had an easy tone as he spoke, calm and sure of himself despite everything.

“I mean, it’s not the only explanation, but Lotus Pier looks different and I didn’t recognize any of the faces around.” He held out a finger for each point. “You look older, AND you're a sect leader it seems, which is great!” Wei Ying seemed full of joy at this last fact, so open and happy for his brother.

“Plus this one called you JiuJiu…” He pointed right at Jin Ling and grinned so brightly, so carefully and full of pure adoration as he looked at Jin Ling.

“So that must make him ShiJie’s kid! And he looks about….eh- 16ish?” Wei Wuxian wiggled his hand a bit in front of him.

“Soooooo If I had to guess maybe like…. twenty years into the future sounds about right.”

Jiang Wanyin raised his eyebrows in surprise. Wei Wuxian was smart. And his theories were very rarely wrong.

Except for when they were, it seemed.

He shook his head. At least this all made his job a lot easier. A lot less worry about how to explain things, because at this age Wei Wuxian would easily understand what was happening.

“The other way around. De-aging curse.”

At first, his brother looked skeptical, but then his thoughts started whirling almost visibly. He started nodding his head. His hand came up to tap his chin as he began to pace from wall to wall in the room. Like his feet need to move to keep up with his mind.

“Two sets of robes, both wrong sizes. This must not be my first time changing… Oh and the second robes were WAY smaller…is THAT why I didn’t have my Suibian with me!?” He gave Jiang Wanyin a hard look, but the glare he gets back only makes Wei Wuxian huff.

“I want Suibian back right now.”

He crossed his arms over his chest before getting back on track.

He would pester his brother for his sword later.

“Anyways…Age regression, younger body, no memories. ….Curse mark? Ooohh…”

He trailed off and grinned triumphantly, and lifted the hand that Lan Jingyi had kept trying to grab into the air. His own eyes looked at it closely and he nodded, a smirk growing. With things in place Wei Wuxian was quick to call out his findings.

“This is a tree-related curse!”

Now Jiang Wanyin felt his jaw drop. He had always known his brother was obnoxiously smart. That Wei Wuxian was quick to put things together, and to find every little clue, but this? This seems like a lot, even for Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng’s eyes narrowed. If he had not been a nervous child the night before, he would have thought it was just the body and not the mind that had regressed.

“How on earth could you have known that?! Do you remember something?”

“Remember? No. But look at this, Cheng-Cheng!”

Wei Ying then shoved his finger closer, right into his brother's face. Seeing the small rings made Jiang Wanyin's eyebrows shoot into his hairline.

And together they exclaimed, one in wonder and one in triumph:

“Age rings!” Wei Ying wriggled the finger.

“Finally, a lead! Quick, count them! Do they correlate with your age?” Jiang Cheng started to try and count them but Wei Ying was faster.

“Fifteen! They do! Alright, what kinds of tree curses are there? Was the caster a yao? Monster? Something else entirely? Did I piss off someone dangerous again?”

Jiang Wanyin snorted but answered readily.

“How should I know? Do I look like I keep track of you and all the creatures in Jiang territory at the same time as running a sect?”

The easy and light banter between them made the eyes of the stunned group grow wider. Fifteen. Their SENIOR Wei was only fifteen, and in the confusing and short time had figured out almost exactly what was wrong with him and why he was out of place.

Not only that but the way he was talking to sect leader Jaing was so easy. Comfortable. No hesitation, no worries or doubts. The banter flowed back and forth, bright and carefree. It was a strange sight, heartbreakingly different from their usual slightly stilted chatter.

Jin Ling was the first to break free of his shock. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Don't pretend that you don’t, JiuJiu. You always know where I am.”

The rest of the juniors muttered in assent, but did not seem brave enough to properly speak up.

Jiang Wanyin pursed his lips at them, quickly bringing the conversion back to the actual issue before they could gang up on him.

“And just what exactly were you all doing that ended up with Lan Jingyi in the lake?”

“Twice!”, Jin Ling piped up unrepentantly, unable to keep the grin off his lips.

Lan Sizhui and Ouyang Zizhen traded telling looks, and stepped forward as one.

“That was a misunderstanding. Mostly. Lan Jingyi was concerned over Wei Qianbei, -”

“I’m a Qianbei to two Lans and an Ouyang?? “ He scrunched up his face, seeming completely at a loss as to what to think of that.

With Jiang Cheng sending him a hard look, Ouyang Zizhen picked up the story,

“He was very pale when we found him, and seemed distressed. Looking back, we may have come off as a bit patronizing…” He glances at Jingyi and shrinks a bit, a sheepish look coming to his face. “And…. perhaps a little pushy…. Wei Qianbei is very capable after all.”

This caused Jiang Wanyin to turn, and throw a judging look at Wei Wuxian. Who huffs, muttering something that sounded like ‘ more than a little’

“If you had thrown every idiot who patronized you in the lake, we would be out of idiots. But somehow there are still more than enough to go around. So how come you lost your temper with this one?”

Wei Ying huffed, crossing his arms. “Hey! I did NOT throw him in!”

Lan Jingyi looked over at him, offended, mouth open and threw his arms up. “But you-”

Wei Ying shook his head. “He fell in all on his own.” Wei Ying nods a bit, then turns to look at Lan Jingyi, a wide smirk on his face. “It’s not my fault you got overeager in trying to take my hand. You should be more careful about watching your footing~”

Jiang Wanyin felt the room shift to being on the verge of chaos as Lan Jingyi spluttered, Jin Ling's smile was much too wide, and the other two were looking too overwhelmed to run interference. This left him to bark an annoyed order in order to keep everything in cheek:

“That's it! If you start a fight in my office, I am going to break all of your legs! Wei Wuxian, out! If you want your Suibian back so badly then go get it from my room, or whatever. Just don’t draw it where I can't watch you! Who knows what kind of effect this curse might have on your core!”

He paused and eyed up the other four in his office, ignoring the bright gleaming smile on his brother’s face at the mention of his sword.

“In the meantime, I will have a word with the rest of you.”

The senior disciples froze under his piercing gaze, and Wei Wuxian left them to their fate with a jaunty wave and a happy little hum.

Jiang Wanyin waited for a moment, watching his brother basically skip out of the room, and then when he was out of sight activated the privacy wards with a drop of blood.

Even then he still waited until he was absolutely certain they would not be overheard by curious child geniuses, turned to his nephew with a solemn expression.

“A-Ling. I am sorry. But you cannot mention your mother. Not how- well. Best not to talk of her at all. You know how smart he is.”

Jin Ling had grown pale, his features wrenched with grief. But he straightened his spine and nodded with tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

The others all flinched as well, slow realization dawning on their faces.

“Yes, JiuJiu. I know.”

Jiang Wanyin gripped his shoulders tight, pride and sorrow welling up inside him.

“Brave boy. And the rest of you: Not. A. Single. Word. Not about her…and not about any of the other events that he wouldn’t know about at fifteen.”

There was no need to say anymore; they all knew by now that Jiang Yanli's death had destroyed them both. The rare few times they heard their Senior Wei speak of Jiang Yanli, it was like he was speaking about some goddess. The pure love in his voice had always rang clear as day, along with a sad look in his eyes.

And there was little question that no matter which version of events Wei Wuxian heard, he would blame himself.

They could not allow this to happen to such a young, carefree version of him. It would be cruel beyond belief.

Jiang Wanyin breathed and released the wards.

“Now get out. If you are already here, you might as well keep track of him. He will have a harder time pulling things with you four, and he will try to cause trouble. I have to get some work done and look into this damn course.”

None of them had to be told twice. All four nodded, muttering their agreement before quickly leaving the office to go and find their Senior Wei.

As they walked down the hall though, Lan Jingyi froze. His eyes went wide as the weight of everything hit him, the memory of what happened on the pier……

“…. I’m dead…” His voice was low, filled with fear as his body went stiff as a board.

Jin Ling just gave him a look, and then rolls his eyes, turning back ahead

“ From what? A little water? Or are you really so stupid you're scared of a 15 year old.” He huffed as he kept walking towards his uncle's room.

Lan Jingyi just shook his head, slowly looking at the others as though his whole life was flashing before his eyes. “…Senior Wei… he… he flirted with me…”.

“....Hanguang-Jun is going to kill him.” Ouyang Zizhen broke the silence with a low whisper.

Just like that, something snapped and Jingyi burst into action, his hands finding Lan Sizhui’s shoulders, squeezing tightly as the panic started to truly take a more outward form.

“Sizhui! He is going to kill me!! “ He shook his friend with each word.

And Sizhui, sweet, sweet Sizhui just smiled calmly, speaking in a gentle tone,

“Killing is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses.”

His words seemed to spark the smallest bit of hope in Jingyi’s eyes, but Jin Ling was quick to make it all come crashing down, “ Yeah but we aren’t IN the Cloud Recesses.”

Jingyi dropped his head onto Sizhui’s shoulder as his body shook. Perfect, perfect Sizhui gently started patting his back.

He was doomed. So doomed. Even if Hanguang-Jun didn’t kill him, it would still feel like death. Hanguang-Jun would likely never stop glaring at him! What if Hanguang-Jun never let him night hunt with Senior Wei ever again!! The ideas raced through his mind, spiraling from one horrible scenario to the next, steadily growing worse and worse.

“I think Senior Wei had the right idea after all. I will now go drown myself in the lake.”

As Jingyi all but cried on Sizhui’s shoulder, Jin Ling crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. “You are such a drama queen.”

But while Jingyi came up from Sizhui’s shoulder, and opened his mouth to banter back, Ouyang Zizhen was squinting at a beautifully decorated pavilion surrounded by lotuses in bloom.

That was when he saw it. A purple blur with a red tail, and the sound of a loud bright laugh ringing out. The young man was flying a lap around the lotuses blooms, seeming just a tad shaky before zooming off over the water and toward one of the nearby towns. It was only as the man was flying away that the shock passed and the information clicked into place.

Zizhen looked at his friends, pointing out to the side.“Uh, guys?” He waited for all eyes to be one him. “ I think Senior Wei just took off on his sword.”

Now, Jin Ling and Jingyi could finally agree on what was to be said, “HE WHAT?!?!”
~~~~~~~~~

As Jiang Cheng was walking down Lotus Pier, he couldn’t help but notice the red gleam in the air. His footsteps froze as he looked up, seeing an all too familiar back, ponytail and red ribbon flying off. Then he saw a group of four more swords flying after the first.

He let out a deep sigh, shaking his head.

Nope.

He was NOT getting involved with that now.

His nephew and friends would just have to deal with it. They would learn the hard way that once Wie Wuxian saw something as a challenge, he WOULD make a game or teaching exercise of it. And playing games against a fifteen year old Wei Wuixian was a very scary thing when you were on the other team.

Well, he had already made the resolution to always be on his brother's team from now on.

Chapter Text

The moment Wei Wuxian touched the simple black sheath of his sword, he felt it. A buzzing, electric excitement. Suibian, his amazing Suibian, was basically hugging his meridians, eagerly reaching for his core and winding its power around his own like a purring cat eager to play. Eager to be let free.

Wei Wuxian's cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much, but he could not help it. Curse or no curse, this had to be the best day of his life. He felt like jumping, shouting, flying, anything to let the energy vibrating in his chest run free.

His sword! His beautiful, amazing, Suibian was thrumming with the kind of power he had never felt before. It was calling to him, singing, cajoling, caressing him with affection and jubilation. Like it had been just waiting for a chance like this, itching to get out of its sheath.

Suibian was also breathtakingly strong.

Remembering his Shidi's warning not to draw it fully, he pulled it out just enough to see the name etched into the solid sleek steel. To look at the gleaming polish, happy to see it well cared for, doubtlessly as sharp as ever.

Ah, his Suibian~ It had aged oh so well~

A flood of affection rolled over him, both his own and the sword's, mingling, blurring, rushing through them both in an unending circle, waves pitching each other higher and higher. Suibian’s energy was surging around Wei Wuxian in a way similar to when they flew. Suibian was asking for his trust, asking him to fly.

And who was he to deny his cherished sword? He let Suibian take the lead, and soon he felt weightless, and euphoric, and the only way to express his joy was to move.

And before he even thought about it, Suibian was fully drawn and under him, and they rushed towards the sun with a cry of delight.

—-----

Sizhui was the first to react, taking off on his own sword in a furious whirl of white and pale blue. His body was moving on its own, rushing on instinct to try and track down his Xian-gege, his other father.

He was so used to his parents being invincible, untouchable. But seeing him so young, barely more than a child, and realizing that he must not have been much older at the start of the sunshot campaign where he had first lost his parental figures, then his home, his core, and ultimately his reputation and life cut him deeply.

To see him this vulnerable, this innocent… Sizhui swallowed thickly, and let the wind brush a lone tear from his face while he soared high and picked up his pace.

The others were not much slower and followed closely on his heels.

“What is he doing?!?! Sure Senior Wei is a bit unpredictable, but he is never irresponsible! Sect leader Jiang warned him not to draw his sword! And where is he taking the spiritual energy to fly from anyway?! What if he passes out and falls into the lake?!”

Ouyang Zizhen grit his teeth as his words rush out in frantic worry. Having the weakest golden core, he made sure to push himself harder to keep up with the others. His thoughts were leaving his mouth as fast as they were being created, voice raised for the others to hear him over the rushing wind.

“Senior Wei must have a reason! What if something is really wrong?!”

“We have to catch up with him! If something happened to him while he was younger than any of us, HanguangJun will kill us all, not just Jingyi!” Jin Ling pushed faster, catching up closer to Sizhui as he shouted.

Lan Jingyi whimpered but did not let his attention waver from the black and purple dot in the distance. His frustration and panic only grew as the dot grew smaller and smaller.

“How is he this fast?! We aren’t gaining at all!”

Jin Ling groaned next to him, trying to push faster. However, like most swords, Suihua was made for power, not speed. To find a sword that was made for something other than power was rare. Even then, the alternatives are often for stability, sturdiness or purifying ability like Bichen. Since speed frequently meant losing power, many didn’t put such a focus on it…but then again when had Wie Wuxian ever done anything the normal way?

“JiuJiu said Suibian was the fastest sword of their generation before DaJiu lost his core.”

Letting out another panicked whine, Lan Jingyi sped forward, surpassing even Sizhui as he cried out, “...Damnit. Push yourselves harder! We can’t let him get away! ”

While they all sped up, Zizhen's composure broke as his gut got tighter when the purple dot shrank more and more, and he screamed:

“WEI WUXIAN!!! WAIT FOR US!”

~~~~

Far ahead of them, Wei Wuxian had rarely ever felt himself smile so wide before. The energy in his Suibian was off the charts! It was just vibrating with power, so, so eager to jolt ahead, to go faster! Wei Wuxian could feel the slight trembling of the sword, the anticipation of going so fast. Though he could feel that excitement, he was careful to control his speed. Suibian’s excited shivers were making his footing just a bit unsteady. Not only that, but it would be easy for him to lose control of this power, to move just a bit too sharply if he didn’t watch himself.

But oh, how he wondered how fast he must be when he wasn’t cursed! How quickly he must be able to zip around in the sky and around the pier!

Hearing a distant squak behind him, Wei Wuxian sped up only to rise even higher and do a flip in the air, laughing as he felt the energy from Suibian get warmer, brighter, laughing with him.

In the height of his flip, he remained upside down a tad longer than he normally would. Adding in enough extra qi to hold his feet to the blade, he got a good look at the group from the office behind him, trying to chase him down. Ah, it seemed his little nephew and his friends might have been given a babysitting job. Eh, that DID sound very much like Jiang Cheng. He would still feel the need to send babysitters once he was a century old immortal!

Well, if they were going to follow him around anyway, he might as well have some fun with them~

Completing his flip, he then shifted Suibian into a steep tilt and quickly pivoted on the handle, spinning himself around to face the four by now almost familiar faces without losing speed, righted himself again, and flew towards them.

Once they came properly into view, he gave them a cheerful wave, tauntingly flying over to them only to crouch low and spin himself upside down in a spiral when he went closer.
He touched one hand to Suibian’s blade, grinning like a madman with his hair in wild disarray. “You know~ If you guys wanted to race to town you only had to ask!”

And with that, he zoomed off again at nearly impossible speed.

—--------

Sizhui was more than a bit stunned, seeing Wei Wuixan like this. Seeing Wei-Quianbei look so…so free. Here he was, flying like the sky was his home, like there was no better place for him. His smile was bright, and lighter than Sizhui could remember it ever being. Not just that but he laughed so much more freely. Sure Senior Wei always smiled, and laughed easily, but this just felt different. Less forced, more open. No hesitation, no holding back, just loud, rolling laughter that the wind carried freely.

Even when he had dinner with his Baba and his Xian-gege he never heard him laugh this openly. It was always more bantering and snickers.

Looking at him, watching how he flew with sure pure joy radiating off him…it really started to sink in for Sizhui how much his Xian-gege had truly given up. Maybe this was why he had never dared to take Suibian back? Why he always left it with sect leader Jiang …because no matter how close his sword was, the core within Mo Xuanyu wasn’t able to draw Suibian for more than a moment, let alone fly?

How much had it hurt Senior Wei when he lost this?

Sizhui shook his head to try and push the thoughts off, though it was Jin Ling's cries that pulled him fully out of his spiral. “What is he doing now?!”, Jin Ling yelped as the dot on the horizon rose up into the air and down again, slowly growing larger and larger.

Lan Jingyi shrieked in offended worry. “He is doing loops! Who allowed him to do loops! This is a nightmare!” Lan Jingyi watches with widened eyes, just waiting to see their beloved senior slip from his sword and fall head first into the water.

“No! Wait! He is turning around! He is coming towards us! Thank the gods!” Ouyang Zizhen's voice was filled with short-lived relief, because as soon as Wei Wuxian got to them, He was upside down again, and wearing a challenging grin.

“You know~ If you guys wanted to race to town you only had to ask!”

Then, just like that, their Senior Wei spun back around and zoomed off at breakneck speed.

Jin Ling gaped. “That BRAT!!!” He growled under his breath as he picked up speed, leaving the other behind to try and catch his Uncle.

“Sizhui!” Jingyi pulled ahead next, tapping Sizhui’s shoulder as he did so. “Sizhui come on! We can’t just let him win!”

“This is not about winning! We can't lose track of him! This is all unfamiliar territory to Wei Qianbei, and he doesn't even know that!” Lan Sizhui tried his best, but they both knew it was a losing battle.

Jin Ling and Jingyi were already taking this as a challenge, and poor Lan Sizhui looked more worried than Ouyang Zizhen had ever seen him before.

He made a strangled, worried noise from deep in his throat as he tried his best to keep pace when Sizhui sped off as well. Sometimes, it really sucked being friends with the top cultivators of your generation.

Though they all did their best, Zizhen could already see Senior Wei far, far ahead of the others as he did one last loop to land in the town just ahead.

Knowing what he did about his teacher, Zizhen couldn't help the bad feeling about what they would be facing when they had to hunt him down.

—-------

Wei Wuxian soon descended onto the pier just outside the bustling town, one that felt familiar and different at the same time, much like Lotus Pier had when he had first looked around.

Suibian returned to its sheath with a flourish, glowing with happiness and practically purring in his hand. It seemed content for now, and Wei Wuxian took a long moment to bask in their shared adoration before taking off into the town with a wide grin.

He had a whole new future to explore.

With that in mind, Wei Wuxian started with the market stalls and baskets at the pier, enjoying the hustle and bustle of people content with their lives. He looked at ribbons and wheedled a small bag of lotus seeds out of a blushing maiden, and ambled aimlessly into town. He made sure not to be still or linger too long in any one place, not to risk his pursuers catching up to him.

Overall, it looked different than he remembered, of course. But that was to be expected. A lot of time had passed after all.

Finally recognizing one of the buildings at last, his whole face lit up.

“Wine seller Bao is still around! How lucky!”

And indeed, in the same spot as ever, the now wizened old man was glaring at passersby like they personally offended him.

The young people buying from him had always taken his foul mood in good humor. Many of his junior disciples would issue dares to approach him for a jar of his excellent wine. A not so small test of bravery among the younger ones.

This also meant Wine Seller Bao was more than used to the strange things that came with being a cultivator. Meaning he was Wei Wuxian's best bet! So he rushed forward with a bright smile and cheerful voice.

“Wine seller Bao! Could you perhaps spare a jar for me? I am dying of thirst, and am being hunted by foreign cultivators!”

The old man glared up for a moment before turning white as a sheet.

His hands trembled as he reached for his sleeve with wide eyes. Now that was a surprising sight, he was usually so unshakable, even when Wei Ying came to him with bloody robes and leaning on Jiang Cheng after one of their rougher night hunts.

“Xiao-Ying?” Wine seller Bao’s voice was breathless as he leaned back a bit, eyes locked hard onto Wei Wuxian's face.

Wei Wuxian crouched down, now worried for his health. “Are you alright? You look like you have seen a ghost! Is there anything I can do for you?”

But wine seller Bao shook his head, and a small smile appeared on his face. “This old man is healthy as a horse. Here, take a jar. I will send to Lotus Pier for the money.”

Wei Wuxian looked up in surprise, and gave the old man a blinding grin.

“Thank you so much, I-”

He was interrupted by the clattering of footsteps running through the crowded street, and the shouted curses as someone pushed their way through the crowd none too gently.

Instead of uncorking the wine, Wei Wuxian quickly hid it up his sleeve and bowed to wine seller Bao.

“I will surely return here as soon as I can, but for now I must not let my pursuers catch me!”

And with that, he vanished around the corner just as the group of sweating disciples appeared.

The old man simply huffed in disapproval.

—------------

As they pushed through the crowd, they were finally able to spot the tail end of a red ribbon and black ponytail. Something Ouyang Zizhen felt extremely grateful for since it meant they hadn't fully lost this much younger Wei Wuixan.

Though that didn’t mean this was over, oh far from it. Catching sight of his teacher was just the start! This had always been a game of cat and mouse, and he was uncomfortably aware that they were the group of mice chasing down a cat.

“Pull yourself together. This Wei Qianbei is only fifteen. If we stop underestimating him, we can take him. I hope.”

So he put all he had learned into practice, and with it he was able to burst around the corner just along with the rest of the group, but once again, they had been too late.

The hem of a purple robe was just disappearing into another alley with the echo of laughter.

Zizhen clamped down hard on the curse threatening to spill from his lips. He had become extra careful with those ever since he had started studying under Wei Wuxian and spending more time in the Cloud Recesses.

“He was just here! This way!”

He called out as the others followed at a rapid pace, and only paused for a moment to apologize to an old man hurling insults for disturbing the peace like that.

“Quick! He went over the wall!”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sizhui was the one to question it as he looked up at the wall with weary eyes, somehow getting a strange foreboding feeling in his gut.

Ouyang Zizhen was, in fact, perfectly convinced it was a terrible idea. But he also had no better ones. So he took the lead and scrambled up the wall, letting himself drop into a calm courtyard with a flock of chickens milling about peacefully together with the others.

They instantly stilled when they saw Wei Wuxian stand there with a mischievous grin on his and his hands cupped in the shape of a bowl.

His eyes widened, and he took a step back. He felt like he was staring down the ghost king, Crimson Rain Sought Flower, himself at that moment. The look in Wei-Shizun’s eye made his stomach drop.

But neither the Lans nor Jin Ling seemed to realize the potential danger.

“Oh, no.” Zizhen breathed out in a low whisper, not daring to take his eyes off Wei Wuxian.

The Lan kept no livestock, and no pets were allowed.

“Back away slowly.” Zizhen brought up his arm, to keep the others back. The poor, clueless fools.

Unfortunately, Jin Ling had not had many encounters with farm animals either.

“What are you talking about? It just looks like a handful of rice and corn! It's not going to stop us!”

Jin Ling started walking forward again.

It was a mistake.

First, there was a clucking noise from Wei Wuxian, as he met Zizhen’s widening eyes. Watching the face of the one man who knew exactly the kind of trouble they were in.

At least two dozen small feathered heads zeroed in on it immediately. Watching the man with the feed.

Then he threw his handful of seeds at the Juniors, no remorse whatsoever as he bolted in the other direction, leaving them to their fate.

“Get hi- arrgh!” Lan Jingyi tried to call out, but it was already far too late.

The moment the chicken feed had been thrown, mayhem broke out around them.

In an instant, they were enveloped in a cacophony of noise and wingbeats, several previously hidden creatures descending on them from elevated nooks and crannies. They started pecking and chattering furiously, hopping and fluttering all around and above them, settling on their shoes and shoulders in agitated alarm if one of their compatriots hacked at them instead of the seeds.

The frantic cries of all four of them could be heard, with even Sizhui breaking and squealing under the sudden assault of live animals. This was nothing at all like the secret bunnies! Not at all.

“What is wrong with them!?!? Is THIS why pets are banned?!” Lan Jingyi cried out, moving frantically to try and get free, but each move ran the risk of stepping onto one of the enthusiastic chickens flitting around to reach every last morsel.

And then, almost as suddenly as the mayhem had begun, it was over again.

Once the last pieces of seeds were devoured, the flock calmed and returned to milling around innocently as if nothing had happened.

Jin Ling gaped, and then spluttered as a single feather drifted down in front of his face.

“WHAT is WRONG with those animals?!”

Both Lans looked shell shocked. Their usually pristine white robes were now in a complete disarray with feathers and muddy chicken claw prints. Both had messy disheveled hair.
Lan Jingyi's left eye was twitching.

This was enough. They had to change tactics.

Jin Ling gave a shudder, and then his face shifted into the same look Seat Leader Jaing had when giving orders.

“We take to the roofs. I don’t care about complaints, JiuJiu will just have to deal. We follow him, distract him by any means necessary, and then we jump him. Let's go!”

It spoke of their exhaustion that all three of them obeyed Jin Ling without a word.

They clambered up and quickly started hopping from roof to roof, trailing the now easily visible red ribbon with grim determination.

Again and again they jumped, until they were finally just within reach. Now, they just need a plan. Something, anything to make Senior Wei slow down or hesitate JUST enough for them to grab him. Jin Ling looked at his companions with wild eyes, and hissed: “Quick! A distraction! Now!”

And before anyone had a chance to think, Lan Jingyi acted. He jumped over to Jin Ling and without a single word, and utterly unrepentantly, he shoved Jin Ling off the roof.

The action made the other two call out his name, scolding him as their eyes went wide, watching their youngest friend lose his footing and start to go down.

This created a surprised squeal from Jin Ling. And it worked.

Hearing his nephew's genuine shout of panic caused Wei Wuxian to whirl around instantly, and in a blinding flash of movement he was right there, arms outstretched and catching Jin Ling before he could even hit the ground.

Ah…of course… No matter the age, this was still their Senior Wei at his core. Still the man who would never allow any of them to truly get hurt. Though that was a thought for later, now they must act on this opening.

All three remaining Juniors launched themselves at him from the roof. Lan Sizhui leaped down and pulled Jin Ling from Wei Wuxian’s arms. Getting him out of the way for the other two to tackle the boy.

“Caught you! Finally!” Lan Jingyi called out in pure triumph, his smile taking over his whole face.

Jing Ling turned to them with an affronted scowl.

“You! How could you just push me off a roof like that!”

Lan Jingyi shrugged apologetically.

“I panicked. Sorry. But it's not like you could have actually hurt yourself, little mistress. Are you a trained cultivator or not?”

Wei Wuxian cackled brightly from where he had been tackled to the ground, limbs unresisting under the weight of both Ouyang Zizhen and Lan Jingyi.

“Alright, alright, you got me!” He forced out his words between laughter. “ I never thought I would see a couple of dignified Lan behave like that! This is just too good!” His hand hit the ground as best it could to go along with his full body laughter.

Lan Sizhui let his head drop into his hands, his whole face flushed with embarrassment. Words evaded him as he took full stock of his state of disarray.

“Please, Senior Wei. You have to stop! Your core cannot handle this much spiritual energy.” Zizhen called out in worry.

It was then Wei Wuxian stopped fidgeting, so deeming it safe they slowly moved off him. As he and Jingyi got up, Wei Wuxian shot him a fond smile while he shook his head, sitting with his legs crossed on the ground by their feet.

“Don't worry! My core is really strong. I can take much more than a little chase. I did not get the head disciple position for just my good looks!” Senior Wei thumped his hand to his chest as he gave them a bright grin.

All four Juniors stilled, and after a moment of heavy silence and pointed looks, Then turned to Jin Ling. He was their best bet.

Jin Ling cleared his throat and crouched down to where Wei Wuxian was still sitting in the dirt.

“Are you sure, DaJiu? Can I check?”

Wei Wuxian blinked, and then beamed at the form of address, looking like he had just received some priceless gift.

“Aw, you really can be as sweet as ShiJie! If my very own nephew asks like this, how could I ever deny him anything! Here, check for yourself!” His hand shot out right away to Jin Ling.

The other three crowded in anxiously, and Jin Ling took the offered wrist with a tight expression.

After a moment, he flinched back as if stung.“Fuck!”

“Jin Ling!” Ouyang Zizhen hissed, and then Lan Sizhui chimed in as well: “Language.”

“What is it?! Do we need to get sect leader Jiang?!” Jingyi called out in worry as his eyes went from Senior Wei to Jin Ling.

Jin Ling shook out his wrist and stared at Wei Wuxian with wide eyes.

“His core- He feels almost as strong as JiuJiu.”

“What the fuck?!.” Zizhen and Jingyi spoke in unison and this time, not even Lan Sizhui could bring himself to scold anyone. His own eyes wide with shock as he looks at the younger Wei Wuxian.

~~~~~~~

That night at Lotus Pier:

It had not been an easy battle, but Jiang Wanyin had done it. He had wrestled Suibian back from his 15 year old brother’s hand. He had not liked it one bit, but unfortunately it wasn’t like he could leave the sword with Wei Wuxian when he had no idea how old he would be in the morning.

This time, he also took precautions. He left a note on the table of his brother's room, so that when he woke up he would know not to wander off. Or at least if he did, he would likely come right for Jiang Cheng for his sword.

He also left a few different sized robes in the room so his brother will have something to wear. The very last thing he wanted was Wei Wuxian using the excuse to run around half-dressed.

And now it was finally time to sleep. So he set Suibian down on the sword stand next to his own blade. His eyes darted to Chenqing (which he had confiscated too), back in the stand it had sat in for sixteen years, right next to his bed with the sword.

The moment his head hit the bed, he fell into a deep, exhausted slumber.

Chapter Text

When Jiang Wanyin woke the next morning, he felt much better. He stretched languidly, pulling at the ache in his shoulders until it disappeared. Though he couldn’t shake the strange feeling of being watched…and so with his hand slowly shifting to the blade he kept hidden under his pillow, he sleepily opened his eyes.

Only to look right up at the stormy face of HanguangJun, a sight much scarier than any assassin.

“GAH!!!”

Jiang Wanyin flinched violently and scrambled up into a sitting position, blade forgotten, and blanket pulled up to his chin.

“WHAT are you DOING?!?!” There was no sleepiness in his voice, only frustration and no small amount of rage. Also,

HOW did HANGUNGJUN get into his BEDROOM!?!?!

Instead of answering, Lan Wangji narrowed his eyes further.

“Where is Wei Ying.”

Four words, and all the blood draining from his purple face left it splotchy as the full scope of the situation came flooding back to him in an instant. Jiang Wanyin coughed awkwardly.

“Ah…”

Thankfully, he was spared from having to scramble for an answer right away by his guards finally bursting into the room. He wasted no time taking the opportunity and laid into them instead to buy himself a bit of time to figure out the best way to explain… everything without getting visitation rights for his brother revoked again.

“You idiots! What took you so long?! If this had been an asassination attempt, I would have had to kill the attacker myself! I am going to put you down for extra awareness training! And I am going to make A-Ling do it!”

They blanched appropriately and quickly stammered out apologies, but he showed them no mercy. They had failed him, and they knew it.

Being woken in the middle of the night for weeks by the sneakiest Jin to ever exist, and who also knew all the ins and outs of Louts Pier would do them good after failing to notice the blinding white form of HanguangJun walking right by them and into his bedchamber of all places!

If anything they should be happy he didn’t pull Wei Wuxian into it!!…speaking of…he still needed to figure out the best way to go about this.

How much should he tell HanguangJun? What would give him the best chance of this clingy asshole leaving him alone with his brother (ever) again?

More than anything, he needed time.

“It’s early, Wei Wuxian is probably still asleep. Better go eat now. ”

He returned his attention to the guard. “Go and get some breakfast served out in my lotus viewing pavilion.”

The guards then shuffled awkwardly for a moment, but it was Lan Wangji who answered him with a disdainful wrinkle of his nose.

“It is already noon.”

Jiang Wanyin blinked.

“Fuck. FINE! LUNCH! Have them get lunch ready!” He would Also need to pull one aside and make them pass a message to Jin Ling and his friends. To make sure the they kept a very close eye on Wei Wuxian and keep him out of sight until Jiang Wanyin is ready to bring Lan Wangji over to see a who fucking knows how old Wei Wuxian. A repeat of yesterday's shenanigans was really the last thing he needed right now.

Wait… HanguangJun had come HERE. Into HIS room… HanguangJun was looking for Wei Wuxian, so why would the man come to HIS room when he had stayed in Wei Wuxian’s room before?

FUCK!!

His stupid brother just could not listen, could he!?!? Gods above the little gremlin must have ran out of his room already.

So as Jiang Wanyin stomped out of the room, he sent one of the older guards a pointed look.

“Tell Jin Ling to continue with the task I gave him yesterday.” Vague, but it would be enough for his people to understand. They were good at picking up what he actually meant. Plus he needed someone to find and round up the little menace.

As soon as the guards left, Jiang Chang went around to quickly toss on some outer robs. Yunmeng was hot in the summer, so he ended up sleeping without much on most nights. As he did this, HanguangJun gave Jiang Chang a hard look, his voice coming out stern and without any room for augment this time.

“Where is Wei Ying? Why do you have his weapons in your room?”

Jaing Chang looked back at him, his own eyes narrowing into an almost glare. He made a small huff, and chose his words carefully and used the same stern tone. He couldn't help but feel a bit offended that this man thought he would be able to sleep so soundly in his own bed if something was really wrong. He would either be killing the thing that hurt his brother, or making sure the fool didn’t try to escape the healing pavilion by himself.

“If Wei Wuixan was hurt I wouldn’t be here.”

He couldn’t fully try to hide what happened. Not now that the little Lans knew about it.
No, but he needed to ease HanguangJun into this. Give up enough for the man to prepare himself, but not too much. Knowing how stupidly gross they were, he could be sure HanguangJun would be at least somewhat distracted once he saw a younger Wei Wuxian, even more so a Wei Wuxian with his original appearance.

Hell, if his brother had woken up at age 16 when they were studying at the Cloud Recesses today, then Jiang Cheng was sure HanguangJun would get too distracted to act on any bans of solo visits.

—-----

Jin Ling and his friends were at least already dressed when the message reached them, though they were all bleary eyed from exhaustion and uncommonly rumpled. Even after catching Wei Wuxian they had one hell of a day keeping track of him. The only saving grace was that once Jin Ling called him DaJiu, he was more then happy to pull his nephew along in any antics. Said antics ended up happening until late at night. Plus it included a long argument between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian about turning his sword over again until they knew how old he would be the next morning.

So none of them could hold back theatrical groans at the instruction to go and ride herd on Wei Wuxian again, and Jin Ling was muttering mutinously under his breath all the way to senior Wei's room.

“We should be quick about getting him up and ready. HanguangJun will be anxious to see him.”, Sizhui said as he knocked softly on his door. He was also rather thankful it was late enough in the day that Wei Wuxian should get out of bed without much protest.

Jin Ling huffed.

“Didn’t you hear JiuJiu? We have to stall, not bring him right over. He needs a bit of time to break the news gently.”

Both Ouyang Zizhen and Lan Jingyi snorted in disbelief. Neither could imagine Sect leader Jiang be ‘gentle’ with his words. Plus, this was Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji! No news about something bad happening to Wei Wuxian would be taken well by HanguangJun.

“Senior Wei! We are coming in!”

Lan Jingyi pushed the door open, and all four piled inside while they traded good natured bickering.

“Are you seriously still asleep, Shifu? Come on, we can- oh, no.” Zizhen felt his great drop.

The four Juniors stood over an empty bed, the covers thrown aside and long gone cold.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Lan Jingyi groaned out.

Lan Sizhui took in a slow, deep breath as he turned and quickly went to look at the dresser. Senior Wei Always told them to gather as much information as they could before a hunt. He looked over the robes and felt his stomach grow heavy. “..I think he is even younger today…”

At his words, all three heads snapped over to him. Sizhui pointed to the many different sized robes that were placed in the dresser the night before. “The missing robes are smaller than the ones he had yesterday…”
Zizhen’s eyes went wide, with at least some hope. “If he is so much younger he needed smaller robes, he might not be able to use his sword yet! He HAS to still be on the pier somewhere!”

And with that small bit of hope, they rushed out to start the search.

—------

“This is all your fault. Go to Lotus Pier, you said. Take a look at the chaos Wei Qianbei and sect leader Jiang might get into, you said. We are not looking from the sidelines! We are right in the middle of it! It is not funny!”

Lan Jingyi was stomping ahead, worry lines creasing his brow. There had been no sign of Wei Qianbei so far.

Ouyang Zizhen peered down another alley and shook his head. He was really starting to wish they knew more about Wei Shifu's habits when he was younger. Though the harder he tried to think about it, the more he realized how little he knew about his Shifu. Their Wei Qianbei who was always chatting never really shared much about himself or his past.

Now that fact meant they had no clue where to even start looking. No idea of his favorite spots at the pier.

Lan Jingyi started to whine, “Why did he ignore the note? That is not like him at all! Is he old enough to read yet?”

Sizhui shook his head slowly, but even his steady calm was fractured. “He probably didn't see it. There was a robe tossed over it, after all.”

Jin Ling yawned and rubbed at his eyes while he trudged along.

“This would be so much easier with Fairy. Why can't DaJiu be afraid of…. Of birds or something.”

They all shuddered at the memory wingbeats and claws against their faces.

Jin Ling pouted a bit looking at the others. “Are you SURE I can’t just use Fairy?”

As soon as he said it, all three called back together without a moment's hesitation. “Yes.”

Sizhui looked over at him, trying his best to hide the worry in his voice. “If Wei Qianbei is younger, his fear might be worse. Also we need him to trust us. Sending his greatest fear after him will be counterproductive to our goal.”

Zizhen nods, then huffs. “Plus, we will never get him to stay around us if he knows we have a dog.”

As they continued, it seemed that Wei Wuxian was nowhere to be found inside Lotus Pier.

They all gazed despondently out over the water to the town they had chased him through yesterday.

Doubt starting to fester in Ouyang Zizhen, he felt a lump form in his throat. “He wouldn’t, right?”

Sizhui sighed and shook his head. “Unlikely. It will be something new…And he still does not have his sword….”

Jin Ling hummed a bit. “JiuJiu told everyone to be on watch with him…I can’t see anyone giving him a boat to get across that easily. At least not without us hearing about it.”

“There the four of you are! Where is Wei Wuxian?” All four of their backs turned ramrod straight as they heard the voice and quickly swiveled around to face the two men coming their way, voices speaking over each other.

“JiuJiu!”
“HanguangJun!”

They shared a few looks and in the end it was Lan Jingyi who spoke up. “Uh… technically speaking, we don’t know.”

They watched sect leader Jiang massage his temples with a weary expression.

“Have you tried the landbound training grounds?”

All four perked up, none of them thought of the inland training grounds yet.

“Not yet! We will check there right away!” Lan Jingyi bowed with his words and then all four of them quickly turned to do just that.

Though Sizhui lingered a moment, watching HanguangJun. He waited for his father to nod, and took one extra moment to study his face.

HanguangJun nodded with a seemingly expressionless face.

The worry that had been pooling in Sizhui’s chest lessened when he saw no anger or disappointment directed at them for losing sight of Senior Wei. He let out a small sigh, bowing and then rushing off to catch up with the others.

Lan Wangji then swept forward himself, not willing to wait for another moment. “I will see for myself.”

“Just remember what I told you. Be careful.” Jiang Cheng chided him, walking at a strong pace alongside him.

“I am always careful with Wei Ying.”

“Now wait just a moment, Lan Wangji. What is that supposed to mean?!” What seemed like anger and indignation filled Jiang Chang’s voice. But by now they knew there was some worry, and frustration there as well.

—---------------

The four Juniors traded looks, and then decided to pick up their pace to reach the other training ground and leave the adults to sort out their own arguments.

They watched Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji go into the archery clearing, before they headed up the path to the kite shooting plateau. There was a constant breeze rustling the leaves of bushes and trees, small shrubs growing next to the well worn path.

The kites were a cherished tradition in the younger Yunmeng Jiang disciples by now, and the trail's frequent use had kept it fresh.

When they were almost there, they could finally hear voices over the wind.

Shizui was the first to realize what was happening, and gestured for the others to remain quiet with a smile.

Carefully, they rounded the corner, and found…

Six of the younger disciples, no more than nine or ten, surrounded a teen with a bright smile.

They were all sitting on the ground, a worn but lovingly mended kite in each of their laps.

The teen was patiently showing them how to draw a small, easy array for a bit of extra protection onto their kites, and encouraging them gently. The whole thing looked so natural. As soon as he finished drawing the array, they saw him shift over to watch and aid the other younger disciples repeat it while he guided them gently.

Then again they knew better than anyone how amazing of a teacher Senor Wei was.

Apparently even when he was a twelve year old child well before his final growth spurt.

Chapter Text

This time, it was Ouyang Zizhen that gave them away.

“Awwww…. Senior Wei is so cute! He must be around twelve today!”

The teen, Wei Wuxian, looked up and startled at the sight of a group of foreign adults.

He quickly sent the children on their way, who bowed and called him Ying-Ge, and then came to look at them with open curiosity. Though younger, his silver eyes still held a sharpness as he studied all four of them.

“Have you lost your way, honored guests? May Wei Ying help you?” He offered a small bow as courtesy dictated.

Lan Jingyi cooed and reached down to pinch his cheeks.

“You are such a sweet little boy! How did you ever grow up into such a menace?!”

The teen's eyes narrowed, but Lan Jingyi was too enchanted to see the warning signs. Wei Ying shifted his footing just slightly, reading himself.

“Look at those little hands and short legs! How old are you, ten?” Jingyi kept going as Wei Ying’s eyes narrowed even more, studying the men before him closer, sizing them up.

Jin Ling pinched the bridge of his nose in a move uncomfortably similar to his uncle.

“Do you have to, Jingyi? Let's just get him down onto the archery clearing. JiuJiu can deal with him there.”

But Wei Ying's smile had grown very stiff already, and it fell entirely at the mention of an unknown relative of the strange Jin disciple waiting for him. Strangers who had yet to give him either their names or purpose. He quickly stepped back, out of Lan Jingyi’s reach and now his tone shifted, becoming harder as he stood tall and proud. Or as tall and proud as a twelve year old could manage.

“I am twelve, and a Yunmeng Jiang disciple.” He watched Jin Ling the most now, already seeming suspicious of the Jin gold more than anyone else. “If you have official business to discuss with uncle Jiang, I will show you there.”

Jin Ling just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. He huffed, taking up the same annoyed affectionate tone his JiuJiu used. “You are missing a few facts, kid. Come on, your brother is down in the clearing. You got cursed, and are a bit younger than usual.” He paused, narrowing his eyes more. “It’s not time travel, in case you were wondering.

Wei Ying’s eyes widened in surprise. His thoughts seemed to be racing.

“What?! How?! But, oh! I did wonder why I couldn’t recognize any of the little disciples. A curse? Are you sure? Time travel would be so much more exciting. I wonder what A-Cheng looks like now! Is he still so grumpy all the time?”

He trailed off for a moment and stared into the distance in concentration before he gasped.

“Wait! OHhh!! So that's why!”

And much to their surprise, he shoved his arm into his left sleeve, and pulled out a bottle of wine.

“So that's why I had this in my room!” His grin was bright again as he looked at the bottle of wine.

Lan Jingyi squeaked in alarm. “Alcohol?! Where did you even get that?! Pour that out right now!”

Wei Ying looked up at the now flustered Lan disciple and smirked. The cheek pinching had hurt, and cheek pinching was a right only his Shijie had.

He would have his revenge.

“Come on. It's not a big deal. I can share if you want?” He cracked the seal as he spoke, shifting another step back to give himself just a bit more room to work with.

Alcohol absolutely was a big deal. Or would be. But only if Madam Yu caught him. But she wasn't here right now, and so he locked eyes with the red-faced disciple and brought the jar to his lips.

“You wouldn't dare.” The Lan narrowed his eyes, slowly lifting a finger to point at Wei Ying.

Wei Ying grinned cockily and swallowed.

The disciple shrieked in offense. The other three however just seemed resigned. All of them gave in and left their friend to his fate at the hands of a young Wei Ying. He perked up. Perhaps they really did know him!

“You little brat! I can't believe I thought you were cute!”

The loud Lan rushed forward and tried to put Wei Ying in a headlock, but he dodged under the outstretched arm with a cackle and twirled around to set the jar on top of the sputtering disciple's head.

For a moment, no one moved as the wine jar balanced precariously on Lan Jingyi's head. Wei Ying smiled innocently from behind him, standing all propper now with his hands behind his back. It slowly tilted, and then tipped its contents all over his hair and clothes.

After a long, utterly flabbergasted silence, Lan Shizui snorted.

This finally broke the spell of silence, and Lan Jingyi turned purple in his rage.

“You- You- Argh!”

In the meantime, Wei Ying started cackling like a madman, breaking his perfect posture as he was barely able to draw in a breath until he tapered off into wheezing coughs.

This made all eyes shift back to him, and Lan Jingyi's own anger quickly shifted to worry. He clapped him on the back none too gently until Wei Ying was able to calm himself enough to properly breathe again.

“Hey now, you little monster! Don't die on me or your husband really will kill me with a severe and disappointed look.”
This, of course, caused Wei Ying to inhale his own spit and return right back to suffocating.

He was almost as vibrantly purple as Jiang Cheng at his best when he finally managed to blurt out: “Yeah, sure. Like I'd ever marry another boy. No way you are telling the truth. Weak comeback. Really weak.”

Lan Jingyi, who had evidently had enough after two days of this, simply narrowed his eyes. He took a firm grip on Wei Ying's arm and pulled him along as he marched their whole group to the edge of the plateau where Jiang Cheng was visible from above, and still locked in a standoff with the older Lan disciple.

Once they had a good angle, he simply narrowed his eyes and pointed at the tall Lan.
This was the exact moment when he looked over at them, and Wei Ying swallowed.

Lan Jingyi nodded, and then pointed to each of them in turn. “Sect Leader Jiang Wanyin. HanguangJun, your husband.”

“Oh. OH!”

After he was able to do more than gape again, (which took a not inconsiderable amount of time) he freed himself from Lan Jingyi's grip and quickly bustled down the trail. Once in the larger training ground, he greeted the tall handsome man who was evidently his husband a shy bow, and took Jiang Cheng's arms into his hands. He studied him intensely for a long moment, making sure this was indeed his now all grown up Shidi. When the man shot him the same impatient look Jiang Cheng often gave him, Wei Ying nodded, relieved.

With this confirmation he turned to the very tall, very handsome Lan with a charming smile.

“If you would please excuse us for a moment, I need a word with my Shidi. Very urgently.”

Without waiting for an answer, he started dragging his (also ridiculously tall) martial brother, and how DARE his little Shidi become taller than him! He better become even taller when he reached that age!!

He pulled him to the edge of the clearing and started whispering furiously.

“A-Cheng?” He paused, hesitant about this much older version of his brother, but still certain it really was him. “A-Cheng! How did I marry such a handsome man!?”

He could see Jiang Cheng's whole face darken, which was practically a confirmation.

“You are not married! You are too young to be married!”

Wei Ying’s eyes went as wide as the moon, his head turning fast enough to crack just to steal another glance at the tall, elegant, stoic Lan.

“....A-Cheeeeeng…….” He dragged out the name in something bordering a whine, head full of endless questions that couldn't seem to agree on which one should get to come out of his mouth first. A rare sight indeed.

Then something seemed to snap back into place, and Wei Ying turned to his brother. Grabbing both of his arms and shaking him, his tone dropped to a whispering yell that was perhaps not at all as quiet as he meant it to be.

“A-Cheng! Shidi! Chengcheng! What the heck!!! Why would he even notice me!? What did I do? Did I become chief cultivator or something?!”

Before his brother could let out any of his building frustration, Wei Ying shot another long glance at the older Lan, and forced his face to shift into a slightly more composed look.

“But yes, alright, assuming he would notice me… I can see it.” He nodded to himself, taking his arms back to cross them over his chest. “ Alright. Fine. I am a very handsome Lan's wife. A Lan! I bet not even Madam Yu could have objected to that match.”

Jiang Cheng finally let out a pained groan this time, and Wei Ying absentmindedly patted his… elbow. Seriously, little Shidis had no right to grow this much! The heads of little Shidis should remain at a comfortable height to pet, no matter their age. Truly outrageous.

“You are not a fucking wife! Stop talking nonsense and tell me who put you up to that particular bullshit so I can break their legs!”

There was a squeak from the direction of the hovering Lan disciples, but Wei Ying paid it no mind, thoughts completely consumed by this revelation.

“How can you say I am not a wife! I could be a wife. I would make a wonderful wife if I wanted to.”

“Stop. Talking!”

But the thought had snagged at something in Wei Ying's mind, and his eyes widened in sudden panic.

“A-Cheng! I don't know anything about being a wife! You have to help me! I am only trained in the gentlemanly arts, not in the womanly! Quick, what do I need to learn? Painting was one of them, right?! I can paint! There was something about obedience, I think, but that can't have been very important. What else?! I think Shijie has a book in- humpf!”

A large hand was placed firmly over his mouth, shutting him up and cutting his train of thought short. He looked up at his martial brother with surprise written all over his face. He could not believe his little Shidi would use his utterly unfair height advantage like this! So, of course, he narrowed his eyes and gave the hand a lick.

“Ugh! Wei Wu- Wei Ying! That's disgusting!”

“Serves you right. Now stop being such an old man and help me get the future man of my dreams.”

“No! Stay the fuck away from him!”

Well, if his brother was going to act like this and be so stubborn about Wei Ying staying away from his OWN husband, then he would just have to go say hello himself! Honestly, his little Shidi! If Jiang Cheng couldn’t see the importance of him meeting his very good looking future husband then Jiang Cheng could just watch!

And so, Wei Ying put on his best smile, the one that always worked to get him small treats from the sisters and aunties in town. Then he clasped his hands behind his back, and promptly spun around to saunter over to his future husband.

His husband to be didn’t react much as he walked right up to him and tilted his head back and to the side to look up at him. Wei Ying’s smile gentled then, so his eyes stopped squinting from the force of it, and-

“Hello! I'm-”

Now that he had a better view, Wei Ying could definitely see how he would fall for such a handsome and elegant man. So tall, propper, pristine… and his face so set in place. Oh Wei Ying could already imagine how much fun it must be to crack that steel set face.

He was utterly- “gorgeous.”

He clapped a hand over his mouth in embarrassment, and “Meep!”ed at the bright golden eyes watching him with such a deep interest. A small light breath, maybe a sigh slipped out of the man’s lips. Oh no, did he upset-

“Hello, gorgeous. I am Lan Zhan. Lan Wangji.”

Oh….oh no…did…did his handsome and stoic husband just tell a JOKE!?!?

“EHP.” His voice squeaked a bit as he shifted, going a little stiff under the powerful gaze. His whole face was slowly but surely turning red.

His husband, Lan Zhan, was gazing at him with such a nonchalant face after just telling a joke. Watching him, waiting for his reaction.

“Ahaha…” Wei Ying’s smile cracked a bit, and he tried to get his words back, but his voice simply would not cooperate.

He was completely, utterly screwed.

Chapter Text

Wei Ying was a small boy.

Jiang Wanyin had explained in broad strokes what had happened, but seeing it with his own two eyes was something else entirely.

Wei Ying was one of the most adorable things he had ever seen.

From his size, he would have to be around ten and had not hit the growth spurt yet that had put Wei Ying to a height on par with his own at the age of sixteen.

Lan Wangji contemplated moving closer, invisible strings forever pulling him into Wei Ying’s direction.

But he soon realized he would not have to bother. The two Yunmeng brothers were loud.

“You are not a fucking wife! Stop talking nonsense and tell me who put you up to that particular bullshit so I can break their legs!”

Lan Wangji felt his ears heat.

Wei Ying was far too young for marital activities right now, of course, but the image of Wei Ying offering him a home-cooked meal, one with far too much spice but still made with love. That bright, innocent, sweet smile, and pure shining eyes. Just the thought was enough to make him melt.

He wanted nothing more than to gather his young and innocent husband into his arms and offer him the world. To get to know a version of Wei Ying he never had the pleasure of meeting before. The opportunity to learn about what his husband was like as a child.

Wei Ying was always so tight-lipped about his youth. Of course, those times were harder to remember now that his sister had passed, and his relationship with his so called brother was only just starting to mend.

But now, now Lan Wangji had a chance to see it all firsthand.

So caught up was he in his own emotions, he almost missed the next part.

“How can you say I am not a wife! I could be a wife. I would make a wonderful wife if I wanted to.”

The words made his ears burn even more. Wei Wuxian could accomplish anything he set his mind to, that much was fact. But he did not need to try and do anything. He was perfect the way he was.

“A-Cheng! I don't know anything about being a wife! You have to help me! I am only trained in the gentlemanly arts, not in the womanly! Quick, what do I need to learn? Painting was one of them, right?! I can paint! There was something about obedience, I think, but that can't have been very important. What else?! I think Shijie has a book in- humpf!”

Lan Wangji sighed, certain he looked utterly besotted even to the most casual observer (he did not). Wei Ying need not worry. Wei Ying might not fulfill the letter of the three obediences, but he had never encountered a soul more caring, more loyal to those he considered family. He would tell him not to worry if he had the chance. No matter how precocious he might behave, at his core there could be no better wife, husband, or cultivation partner in the whole world, no matter what it was he wished to be called.

“Ugh! Wei Wu- Wei Ying! That's disgusting!”

“Serves you right. Now stop being such an old man and help me get the future man of my dreams.”

“No! Stay the fuck away from him!”

Lan Wangji frowned. Jiang Wanyin was, as usual, posing a problem. Wei Ying had grown close to his foster brother once again and valued his opinion much more than he admitted. At this age, Jiagn Wanyin was likely the person closest to Wei Ying. The only person who could hold more sway over this younger Wei Ying would have been Jiang Yanli. Though this meant that If Jiang Wanyin stayed adamant in this matter, it would be very difficult for Wei Ying and himself to spend any time together.

Perhaps an engagement with a long courtship? It would be no hardship to shower him with appropriate gifts, or go on short walks under the heavy scrutiny of a relative. They had never had this part, and while he had certainly enjoyed jumping straight to sex, now that it was out of the question anyway, and a traditional courtship sounded terribly romantic.

Perhaps at this age his husband might speak more freely of his desires? To be able to know exactly what to gift his husband, to hear him directly ask for something instead of eking it out of throwaway joking words or a lack of comments. To be able to have his beloved hand him something and say ‘I want this!’ for items that might truly hold value to him instead of random trinkets.

Yes, that sounded like a very nice thing to try for. Perhaps he might even convince Jiang Wanyin to such a respectable arrangement as a courtship. Then he could take his Wei Ying into town and spend time with him. Put his hopes to the test to see what his husband, or wife as Wei Ying seems to want to go by, would like to be spoiled with.

He was so lost in thought, that he would not have noticed Wei Ying approach him confidently, had not all his attention been focused on him and nothing else.

What truly ripped him back to reality was the smile, though.

It was not the smile Wei Ying reserved for him, or their son, his favorite students, or his ‘ducklings’ as he liked to call them.

It was his smile for strangers.

But then Wei Ying reached him, looked up, and- oh. That was much better.

“Hello! I'm-” And then he stopped, and his eyes went wide. Lan Zhan could basically see the shifting thoughts in his Wei Ying’s eyes as the now much younger man fully took him in. It was similar to the way his face shifted before he commented about his ‘heart’ being weak. Not the exact same, but similar.

A small squeak escaped his tiny soulmate, and a feeling of deep contentment and adoration spread inside him.

His red face was simply precious.

His Wei Ying was very, very cute. Despite everything, he couldn’t help but feel blessed to be able to see Wei Ying at this age with his own eyes. To take in the flustered looks and renewed playfulness.

“Gorgeous.”

Lan Wangji blinked in confusion for a moment, and then felt his own ears heat with almost shy giddiness.

He was used to compliments from his husband, of course, but to see this version of him, who had none of their history yet, think the same, was… gratifying. His Wei Ying, for once so completely flustered by him, that the now boy lost track of his own words. Letting the compliment slip right past his lips.

It was an opening he simply could not let pass.

“Hello, Gorgeous. I am Lan Zhan, Courtesy Lan Wangji.”

Oh and that little squeak. The way his small husband was going red, but was too stunned to whine or try to hide his face. Simply frozen in place because of Lan Zhan’s words. The frustrated look growing more and more adorable with each passing moment.

Lan Zhan couldn’t help but feel the smallest of tugs at the corner of his lips, a difference he knew only his husband or son would truly notice.

Wei Ying always did lose his composure when he told a joke, something he knew his husband was very fond of. Now he got to watch this smaller husband look at him with such wide, starlight silver eyes.

Ah, he really missed these eyes. By some twist of fate, Mo Xuanyu also had gray eyes, but they were not the same. He would love His Wei Ying in any form of course, but there was something heartwarming about seeing these eyes sparkle with life and innocence again.

Eyes that shone like stars, full of light and mischief. So full of hope and untroubled by the heavy burdens of war, loss, and death.

Though the lovely silver eyes did not stay on him for as long as he would like. He noticed Wei Ying shifting them to look back, back at Jiang Wanyin. His husband’s face seemed to plead as he looked at his… ‘brother’, as if asking for aid.

Jiang Wanyin looked murderous. He stalked over to them, and hissed dangerously while he shoved Wei Ying behind his back.

“You will keep your hands off my brother! Shameless! Don’t think I will leave you alone with him for even a moment!”

Lan Wangji was quite offended at both the implications and Jiang Wanyin in general, but Wei Ying scolding his brother drew his attention back to him immediately.

“A-Cheng!

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes as he turned back to glare at Wei Ying. His face seemed rather harsh, yet Lan Wangji couldn’t seem to find true malice in it.

“Don’t you A-Cheng me!” The sect leader tisked a bit, eyes darling to Wei Ying’s fingers, as if looking for something. Lan Zhan followed the gaze to find small, thin rings around the finger.

Jaing Wanyin looked back at Wei Ying’s face before going on. “You are what? Twelve? “ He scoffed, crossing his arms. “There is no way that I am leaving you alone with someone over thirty, who has no doubt taken your adult body over every- you know what, never mind. Because I said so and that is final.”

Wei Ying glared at his brother mulishly.

“I would not mind if my husband took a kiss from me.”

But even as he said it, he blushed furiously, belying his confident demeanor.

Jiang Wanyin grimaced, face screwed up at whatever was running through his mind. The sect leader’s hand started to wave about as he searched for words.

“And THAT attitude is exactly the reason you are not allowed anywhere near him! You can not just go blatantly being a shameless flirt with this guy!” He shoves a finger at Lan Wangji, only to be met with an icy glare.
“He WILL indulge your every stupid whim, and where will your false bravado be then, huh?!”

Lan Zhan took offense to that. He would never dare do anything Wei Ying was not ready to do. He would never hurt his Wei Ying, unlike some others here.

As though feeling the heated gaze, Jiang Wanyin turned to him, glaring back. “Don’t you fucking dare give me that look.” His voice is flater now, more even. “He is a shameless flirt who means next to nothing by it most of the time. He will have no clue what the hell he is getting himself into and I know for a fact you give into him way too much for any of that to be safe or proper.“

Lan Wangji pursed his lips, and decided to leave talk of a formal engagement for later, when the Jiang sect leader had unwound from his tight knot of worry and anger a bit.

Instead, he gazed intently at his soulmate. His much younger, and very, extremely cute and flustered soulmate. He could worry about the nuisance that was Sect Leader Jiang later, right now he needed to make sure all is truly well with his Wei Ying.

“Wei Ying. Come here. Give me your hand.” He extended his own hand as he asked, reaching past Jiang Wanyin, and paying the sect leader absolutely no mind.

His Wei Ying came as if in a trance, completely ignoring his own brother's indignant growling, and raised his right hand obediently, placing it into Lan Zhan’s.

Lan Wangji took it, and concentrated on the spiritual energy coursing through the veins right under his fingertips.

He reopened his eyes, only now realizing he had closed them in the first place, and took a steadying breath. This particular energy was not Mo Xuanyu's. The energy was stronger than what they had worked Wei Ying’s new core up to. Not only that, but it was so much brighter, and more lively. It…it was exactly how Wei Ying’s original core felt when it was within his own body.

“Wei Ying…… is very powerful. Your golden core shines as bright as the sun.”

Once again, the boy flushed red and squeaked. His sudden shyness was utterly adorable.

Though Lan Wangji could not afford to get distracted by his extra cute husband right now. Instead he inspected the curse mark next, and his frown grew deeper and deeper. Twelve rings. The same number of rings the age Jiang Wanyin had guessed Wei Ying to currently be.

Not just that but Lan Wangji could not recall ever hearing or reading of a curse that could affect a golden core in such a way that it becomes stronger. In just about every way, it was like Wei Ying was truly back to how he was at the age of twelve. His mind, body, and core. Physically it was baffing, since Wei Ying had not even been IN his original body at the time the curse had struck him.

“...I do not recognize this curse. We will need to study it in the library of Cloud Recesses.”

Wei Ying opened and closed his mouth several times before he managed to force out a slightly high-pitched answer. At the same time he believed he heard Jiang Wanyin making a deep growl, but that is not important.

“I- yes? We will?”

Lan Wangji gazed at him serenely. His husband was so sweet when he was unsure.

“Perhaps Wei Ying will be more comfortable staying in his own home for a time.”

There was a flustered:” Ahahah…” from the boy, and then Jiang Wanyin appeared right in between them and growled. He pulled Wei Ying back to him, glaring daggers at Lan Wangji.

“Over my dead body.” He hissed the words out with the venom of a snake. His grip tight on Wei Ying, the boy still a bit too stunned to say anything as his lovely silver eyes were wide as the moon.

“His HOME right now is Lotus Pier.” As much as Lan Wangji did not like it, he could not argue that right now, in Wei Ying’s mind, Lotus Pier would be the place he considered home. The thought made his lips press into a a thin line.

Jiang Wanyin seemed to sense that he was winning. “Plus we are not taking an overnight trip with him like this! Each day he wakes up a new age, with only the memories he had at that point in life. We are not dealing with that on top of traveling. We have no way of knowing what he will do. At least we know that no matter what age he wakes up at Lotus Pier he will stay here long enough for us to talk some sense into him.”

Behind him, one of the Juniors coughed, and Lan Wangji looked at him curiously.

Jiang Wanyin flushed, and turned an irate look to whoever had interrupted him.

“Anything you want to add?”, he snarled dangerously, but Lan Jingyi just shook his head with his hand clapped over his mouth. The boy took a small step back, and half hid behind Lan Sizhui who's ever present smile did look slightly strained.

Jin Ling had, unfortunately, no such qualms or fear.

“Come on, JiuJiu. It's not like we could keep tabs on him here either! We look away FOR a moment, and he's gone!”

Jiang Wanyin pinched the bridge of his nose, but Lan Wangji felt his eyebrows rise.

It was quite brave? Outrageous? Of Jin Ling of all people to complain about someone disappearing from where they were supposed to be.

”Oh? And whose fault is that?” He sends a sharp look at all four of them. “And you think it will somehow be easier to keep track of him while traveling? Or better yet, letting him loose in the rule filled Cloud Recesses like this?!” He lifted Wei Ying’s arm sharply, which made Lan Zhan’s eyebrows pinch a bit at how rough the man was being. Wei Ying however, just wriggled his fingers as if waving, his smile still bright.

“How do you think that will turn out? Him waking up in a place he knows nothing about huh?” Jaing Wanyin’s voice rose in all the ways that got on Lan Wangji's nerves.

Wei Ying then hmmed, tapping his chin with his single free hand, the other still held up by his ‘brother’. “Yeah.. yeah.. I would definitely try to escape….probably tie some people up. Oh! And start a few fires if I thought they had kidnapped me.”

His words made all four of the boys, including Sizhui, pale. Lan Wangji could see the tension built on the side of their son’s face, the way his hand clenched a bit at the hems of his sleeves. The action only makes him have more questions as to what exactly had transpired before his arrival.

But before he had the chance to look pointedly at his son to get him to tell the story, Ouyang Zizhen cleared his throat.

It did nothing to hide the squeakiness in his voice.

“Actually, at least for the travel we might have a solution. Senior Wei has completed the anchored travel array he was working on, and has set one up in a clearing just out of the wards of Cloud Recesses. “

Lan Wangji felt a thrill of pride and excitement, and turned to his husband's student. His Wei Ying had been talking about this new talisman for about a week, blurting out all the different ideas he came up with to lessen the energy cost to activate it.

“It is finished already? Wei Ying is very fast.”

He could see Jiang Wanyin's jaws clench, and could not help the smugness. Seem That Wei Ying never told Jiang Wanyin.

But Ouyang Zizhen, sensing the danger, quickly turned to the sect leader (who was slowly turning purple), and held up his hands. Eyes wide, and hastened to speak.

“Senior Wei also brought the materials for an anchor point in Lotus Pier! He was going to ask you for permission to set it up after your nighthunt! He was very excited about it…”

Jiang Wanyin scoffed and looked to the side, but there was a pleased smile playing around the edges of his lips. Lan Wangji refused to fully acknowledge that one of the reasons Wei Ying had been so excited for this invention was because of how much easier it would be for him to go visit Lotus Pier.
He would never begrudge his husband whatever brought him happiness. That did not mean he had to like the source of it.

“Yes, well, he should have said something. That idiot.”

It seemed Jiang Wanyin forgot that said ‘idiot’ was right there because between them, Wei Ying perked up with interest. He waved one hand and gently tugged the other free of the sect leader’s grip.

“A travel array? Can I see?” His smile was bright as he broke away from them and went right up to his student.

Ouyang Zizhen instead looks at them, at Lan Wangji and Jiang Wanyin. His eyes searched for permission before he agreed to anything. Lan Zhan finds this very wise. After all, the work of their current Wei Ying might not be something appropriate for this younger one.
Wei Ying’s work was unfailingly brilliant, but it could also be… explosive.

However, in this case Lan Wangji couldn’t see any reason against it. The talisman and anchor had nothing to do with the ghost path. He gave a small nod of agreement. This younger Wei Ying would very much enjoy seeing the works of his future self.

Zizhen nodded. “Right um..” He fidgeted a bit, looking at the basically housing Wei Ying and then Jaing Wanyin. “The supplies should be in his qiankun pouch … I uh..I know enough to set it up so long as everything is in there… and how to make a talisman for both Gusu and the temportly anchor he brought. ”

Wei Ying nodded along enthusiastically, but then suddenly seemed to freeze.

“Ah… will Madam Yu let us install something as big as a travel array in Lotus Pier?”

Lan Wangji's eyes narrowed at the unsure tone in his voice, and subtly turned to glare at Jiang Wanyin.

But for once the Jiang sect leader seemed to have the right idea and squeezed Wei Ying’s shoulder.

“I am the head of the Jiang clan now. There is nothing she can do if I say it's alright.”

Sagging with relief, Wei Ying returned to watch the array take shape.
—-‐—---

It took several hours of work, but in the end a highly nervous Ouyang Zizhen managed to set the anchoring array for the single use prototype.

The whole time he worked, Wei Ying was right next to him asking countless questions of his future student. Studying his own work with wonder, speaking out loud as he traced his own thought process to understand it all better.

Truly, this Wei Ying looked so completely happy and content. Like he had been yearning for a chance like this, to study something so different.

However, Lan Wangji particularly enjoyed how every so often, Wei Ying would turn back to him and smile. Checking to see that Lan Wangji was still there, and calling him ‘husband’ as he asked some random questions about their life and his talisman work.

Truly, it was a joyful day for Lan Wangji, despite how troublesome it started out. Now though, the sun was slowly setting on the great river, turning the water into hues of orange and red.

The younger Lan disciples had been tasked with packing theirs and Wei Wuxian's possessions as well as the different sized robes, and both Jiang Wanyin and Jin Ling had returned to the Lotus Cove to prepare for their possibly extended absences.

And for the first time during this turbulent day, Lan Wangji found himself alone with Wei Ying as his young husband wandered back over to him. Ouyang Zizhen was too busy fretting over the completed array in the background to pay any ture attention to them.

Lan Wangji felt his heart swell with affection and contentment at the sight of the soft expression, and reached out his hand, palm up.

And just as the sun set in the distance, Wei Ying turned to him with a blinding smile, and it was as if the sun had returned to the sky.

As he took a step, the gentle evening breeze played around them, and the sweet smell of flowers wafted over the water.

Wei Ying met him halfway, and laid his much smaller hand into his without any further prompting or need for words.

“May I escort you back to your room?” Lan Wangji just about held his breath as he asked, the whole thing feeling very familiar.

Another star filled grin, and a soft, warm arm wrapped itself around his, shoulder nudging him gently in the side.

“Don't you mean our room, husband?” Wei Ying looked up at him, his smile wide and his tone holding just the lightest hints of teasing.

Lan Wangji's lips quirked into a small, soft smile full of wonder.

“When you are a bit older. We shall see tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

After a long, LONG bath, and a LOT of scented hair oil, Lan Jingyi FINALLY got the smell of alcohol out of his hair. Exhausted but still feeling wound up, he sat in the usual room that he and his companions had been given each time they had come to Lotus Pier. It was a room big enough for four to comfortably sit and mingle, despite only three of them sleeping in there.

With his comb in hand, Jingyi couldn’t help but complain. “ I can not believe Senior Wei poured WINE on me! “ He huffed, getting a strange feeling of betrayal in his chest, even though he knew that his favorite senior had no way to remember them right now.

“It’s so…soo….so NOT Wei Qianbei! He always does that stuff WITH us! Never TO us!”

Wei Qianbei had ALWAYS been on their side! He was the only person who never tried to tell Jingyi to lower his voice, or watch his expression, or ‘tone it down’. Instead he would laugh with Jingyi and encourage him to keep going. He would tell him he was a good Lan, no matter his volume or abundance of energy. So having his Senior Wei turn against them…

Ouyang Zizhen offered a small, tired smile of his own, reaching over to gently pat Lan Jingyi’s shoulder. “....I know…but, right now Wei-Shizun has no way to know who we are. So we have to be the ones supporting him. We can be the strong ones too.”

The very thought made Zizhen’s chest feel heavy. He had been studying under Wei-Shizun for some time now, and he loved it. He LOVED his teacher so much. Unlike his parents, Shizun never once tried to tell him HOW to think or feel. Never tried to make him feel any partial way about anything or anyone.

He always asked Zizhen how he felt, what he thought, and to explain his thoughts. He explained his OWN thoughts, feelings and how he used them but that was it. He never made Zizhen feel stupid, or lesser. Never ever commented on how his core could be stronger, or how to make it stronger. His Shizun would just teach him. Teach him what he was interested in and help him with anything he asked for help on.

It was what made him love his teacher so much, Shizun never pushed, unlike his parents.

Now, though…how his amazing, caring, considerate teacher was a child who had them running around like mad men for TWO days and the only thing he wanted to do was run to his teacher and ask for help, but he COULDN’T! He couldn't ask his teacher for help WITH HIS TEACHER!

Sizhui on the other hand coughed with a small smile.

“Actually, do you remember when he came to the Cloud Recesses the first time? When we still thought he was young master Mo?
He tricked us into believing he had spied on HanguangJun in the cold spring. And made a fairly convincing play at having been… ravished against his will.”

Lan Jingyi blanched.

“Nope! That never happened! I refuse!”

Jin Ling just grimaced and crossed his arms. “I don’t even want to know. It also really doesn't help that none of us are from the Jiang Sect….” He leaned back in his seat as he thought about the things his JiuJiu had told him. “.....Before the war, I don’t think sects as a whole interacted as much or visited each other as much as they do now…at least not the main sects…So Wei Wuxian wouldn’t be used to outsiders at Lotus Pier.”

Jingyi sent a look at the young sect leader. “That is easy for you to say! The moment it was pointed out that you're his nephew, he was fawning over you both days!”

Jin Ling looked away with a scoff. He would never admit it, but deep down he did truly enjoy spending time with his DaJiu. Wei Wuxian was always so…so easy to be around once he got past….stuff.

Unlike others, Wei Wuxian saw him as a person, as JIN LING. Not a sect leader, or an ophen, or a child.

Sizhui sighed and held up a hand with a very strained smile. “Now now... .I know we are all a bit stressed from all of this….” He closed his eyes to keep his own voice in check, “We are all used to having Senior Wei being there for us. But right now he is likely the most unsettled of us all. It can’t be easy to wake up each day in a place you should know, but where everything is also different.”

Sizhui was very careful to hide the slight hurt in his heart when it was brought up that Senior Wei was so easily able to recognize Jin Ling as his family. Unlike how when brought back to life, Sinor Wei only seemed to know who he was when told.

“Well, I think this version of Senior Wei is just as amazing as the one we are used to. Simply different.”, Ouyang Zizhen declared loyally. He smiles a bit more. “I mean…how many fifteen year olds can figure out they are cused all on their own so quickly AND fly on a sword like that?!” Maybe he couldn’t talk to his teacher, but he could still be proud of the man!
“I mean even at eleven he was able to understand and principles of something he invtened as an adult!“

Lan Jingyi rolled his eyes, but did not protest. “So, what age would you all prefer Senior Wei wake up at tomorrow?”

There were cringes and harried glances all around. Even Zizhen stoped his proud rant

Only Jin Ling was brave enough what they were all thinking, and muttered darkly:

“Definitely at an age where he can just be picked up and carried around.”

The others sighed longingly.

“Yeah. That would be really nice.” Lan Jingyi muttered back as he looked at his still drying robes and wet hair.

Chapter Text

When Wei Wuxian next woke, he did not even need to open his eyes to know something had gone horribly wrong. For one, he feels more rested than he has in years. For another, there are no small hands tugging at his robes,...or….did he even have any robes on!? Also wherever he was lying was far too soft.

Because of those worries, he kept his eyes shut and strained to hear something, anything that might give him a clue to what had happened. There were few sounds, all of them muffled by wood, and good, sturdy walls.

Which only proved further that something was very wrong. Completely wrong. There were no echos, no dripping, and no whispers of the undead.

In the end, the clue he needed came not in the form of noise, but a familiar scent slowly creeping into the room.

The honeyed, heady scent of lotus flowers in bloom.

The scent of his home.

As soon as the scent registered, Wei Wuxian’s muscles tensed, and he pressed his mouth shut to keep the growls in. (And to keep back that split-second feeling of relief, even if he felt it for just a moment, it made guilt bloom deep in his chest.)

It was only when his fingers twitched for his flute that he finally noticed that he had not a single weapon left on his body. He was very nearly naked under the soft covers of the bed.

What on earth had Jiang Cheng done?!

What were the chances this had even been Jiang Cheng's doing? He would not put it past his… whatever, to go to desperate lengths if he was pushed too far, but he never would have expected him to be quiet and subtle about it!

Sure, the wards would have let him or Shejie in without question, but they still would have let Wei Wuxian know of their arrival! Plus, Jiang Chang would have ranted and raved all while dragging him along. So what could have possibly-

The door slid open, and with the speed and grace of a great cat, Wei Wuxian leaped across the room. And with a quick turn, he pinned the surprised intruder to the wall with far more force than Wei Wuxian had accounted for. More force than he had thought himself capable of.

Yet the moment he recognized his likely kidnapper a flash of betrayal flooded his heart. A feeling that hurt like his chest was pried open from the inside out. Had they not recovered some of their friendship again during their last meeting? Had Lan Zhan not seen his new home and at least somewhat accepted what he was doing?

Instead of focusing on the pain, he let his anger spike instead. Anger is easier.

Wei Wuxian growled, fine tendrils of resentment creeping out and wrapping themselves around arms and legs, hugging his body as his eyes burned, flashing red.

Yet in the back of his mind, he noticed how they felt lighter, his mind as a whole felt much quieter than it normally would when he called them out. The voices were no longer yelling or screaming, or as mushed together. Instead, it was more of a gentle feeling, like a sway of emotions instead of the mesh of too many, too garbled words.

“HanguangJun. Have you finally grown tired of asking nicely?” His voice had an icy bite as he stared down Lan Zhan’s bright golden eyes. Eyes that were wider than Wei Wuxian had ever seen. His face looked truly stunned. The type of reactions Wei Wuxian used to live for. Though this time he didn’t get much time to enjoy it, or hear Lan Zhan say a single word, or well, make any ‘hm’ sounds.

“WEI WUXIAN!!! “ Jiang Cheng’s voice roared out at them from the door, his face already changing colors. Wei Wuxian glared at him, opening his mouth only to be cut off. “Stop fucking flirting with HanguangJun and get some proper fucking clothes on!”

“You are in on this too?! And WHY THE FUCK did you take my robes!?!”, he snarled, and pressed his forearm against Lan Wangji's throat, glaring at his own br…at Jiang Cheng. He would never actually hurt Lan Zhan, of course, but by kidnapping him, the two had gone too far. Was kidnapping him away from the Yiling Burial Mounds really the only thing that could get them to work together!?

Despite all the shouting, Lan Zhan slowly brought his hand up, gently placing it on top of Wei Wuxian’s. The gentle contact, skin-to-skin touch, was unexpected, startling. Any touch with the great second Jade of Lan had always been initiated by himself, and even then Lan Zhan was quick to brush it off.

“Wei Ying….” Lan Zhan’s voice was soft, almost a gasp, and his pupils were dilated. They held a hint of something hiding in the back of it that Wei Ying had, never seen or heard before. “...Please…Be calm.”

Wei Wuxian growled again, and he heard Lan Zhan inhale sharply. Suddenly regretful, he released his throat as the tentacle of resentment dissipated. The last thing Wei Ying would ever want was to actually scare his best friend. The rest of the world may fear him for all he cared… but… but if Lan Wangji of all people was scared of him too?... Well that just, he wouldn’t be able to handle that.

But the movement caused him to shift where his body was still pressing Lan Zhan into the wall, and-

“OH!” There was no possible mistaking what that particular… thing pressing into his stomach was. Well, there was at least one possible reason for the missing robes, he thought hysterically.

Wei Wuxian flushed bright red and his mind went utterly blank as he gaped at the also slowly reddening Lan Zhan in shock. His thoughts came to a full stop for a moment, and before he could do so much as jump back, an agonized shout from Jiang Cheng pulled him back to reality with a harsh tug at his shoulders.

“OH HELL NO!” Jiang Cheng had marched right up to them and without missing a beat, he quickly yanked Wei Wuxian back from Lan Wangji.

“NO! I am NOT watching you to fucking go at it right in front of me!” He was practically snarling as he tugged the back of the collar of Wei Wuxian's robe, letting it gape open even more. Even while he was being pulled away from Lan Wangji, he caught a glimpse of deep golden eyes fixed intently on his naked chest with a kind of hunger that made him want to squirm, and was almost relieved to be shoved behind a privacy screen with, wait, wait wait WAIT!!!!

“Hey! What did you do to A-Yuan?! To the Wens!”

Jiang Cheng shoved him again, closer to the (very purple, was someone feeling possessive? Aw how cute of his Shidi~) robes.
“The kid is FINE! Now get fucking dressed!”

Wei Wuxian huffed, but obeyed. Not that that actually stopped him from interrogating his kidnappers.

“So why did you even drag me here? You know I will have to be back in Yiling soon. Seceding from the sect only works if I am actually out of the sect!” He pulled out a random robe, only to notice how each set was a different size, and sighed in annoyance. They were also all different from the ones he had left behind. Though the room still seemed to be HIS room.

As Wei Wuxian started to put on the light under robes he paused, and rubbed them between his fingers thoughtfully. The robes were light, and he was basically naked, and yet he didn’t feel cold?

Was Lotus Pier really so much warmer than Yiling?

Behind the screen, Jiang Cheng scoffed. “And while that doesn't even reach your top ten stupidest things ever done, it’s competing for a place in the worst three for me! We should never have done that.”

“You can't just decide things like that for yourself! You are running hot and cold again! It was a necessary political move and you know it! Don't you go making everything even worse by taking it back now!” Wei Wuxian didn’t care if Lan Zhan overheard them. Honestly, Lan Zhan was too good to go and blab to the world that their whole show of Wei Wuxian leaving the sect was staged.

“Political move my ass!!” Jiang Cheng spat back at him, and Wei Wuxian could all but HEAR his eyes roll. “Since when have you known shit about political moves!?!? I should have never listened to anything you said about that! Every single plan you have ever had hinges on you sacrificing yourself! It's literally the only trick you have!”

Wei Wuxian took a deep breath as he tied the belt closed with a glower. He then placed his hand over his abdomen, where…

He felt the powerful throbbing of spiritual energy.

Just like that, the world froze in place as cold dread ran through his veins, battling with guilty relief and the rush of exhilaration, but- nothing could ever be worse than the price of his core returned.

“JIANG CHENG!” His voice held new, panicked anger as he quickly turned, sprinting around the screen and right to his foster brother's side.

Jiang Cheng flinched back, surprise written all over his face.

“Wei Wuxian! What has gotten into you now?!”

But he did not stop, barreling into Jiang Cheng who let out a startled “Oof”, and quickly snatched his wrist to grip it tight.

If he had HIS core then…Did that mean Jiang Cheng had somehow convinced Wen Qing to transfer it back?! How the hell did he even know about the switch to begin with!

For a few, rapid heartbeats he listened, but there it was. His core still nestled comfortably within his foster brother's lower dantian. Relief and confusion swept through him, and he stumbled back, ready to fall back onto his bed or the floor, whichever.

Instead, Lan Wangji was there to catch him, strong hands securely holding his upper arms, and he saw the worry and confusion in his face.

“Wei Ying, what is it? What is wrong?”

Everything. Nothing. He needed to think. Needed to alleviate any suspicions Jiang Cheng might now have because of his rash, thoughtless behavior. He needed-

Resentful energy gathered to him without conscious thought. On reflex, he braced himself to bat it back down again, forever fearful that one day he might slip, that one day it would control him instead of the other way around, and-

It went willingly, weak, and docile. Not even a proper echo of the gaping maw threatening to swallow him whole with every move.

He blinked his eyes back open and looked up at the concerned eyes of both Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan.

The room was quieter than the dead.

He was sitting down.

When had he sat down?

“It’s nothing.“, he lied.

His foster brother glared suspiciously.

“Why did you check my meridians? What is going on with- wait.”

Jiang Cheng struck like a wide-eyed snake, startling not only Wei Wuxian, but also Lan Wangji, and before they could react, he had Wei Wuxian's wrist in his grip in turn.

Panic exploded out of him, gathering in black tendrils, trying to push him off, but it was too late.

Jiang Cheng was startled in surprise.

“Your golden core! It's still there!”

Wei Wuxian deflated, suddenly feeling stupid. He chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the side of his nose, however, Lan Zhan soon snatched that hand as well, catching it for himself. Golden eyes widened when he confirmed Jaing Cheng’s words for himself.

“Ahaha… of course! Where else would it be?”

His martial brother pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand and then shared a long look with the equally long-suffering Lan Wangji.

“I am not going to touch that one right now, you asshole. But we are going to have a long talk about stupid, self-sacrificial consent violations later.”

Wei Wuxian clenched his jaws and his voice turned flat. “There is nothing to discuss.”

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, but in that moment the door burst open again and four disciples a bit younger than him burst in.

“We heard the yelling! What ha- oh!”

They stopped, wide-eyed and gaping at him as if he were the strangest Yao they had ever encountered.

Wei Wuxian quickly turned to look at them, his eyes flashing a red glare as he caught the Lan whites and started to mutter to himself,

“Well, there goes all possible deniability, what are-”

His words stopped dead as he caught the face of the longer-haired Lan, wide silver eyes staring back at him. He KNEW that look. These eyes, those cheeks, the stunned curve of the lip.

“..A-Yuan?” His voice was quiet, if not confused. Because….

Snapping back to look at Lan Zhan, he points to the ‘Lan’ in question. “Is…is that my radish?... Wait HOW is that my radish??”

Wei Ying knew he was often bad with faces and names, and his memory could be full of all kinds of holes. But even He would never forget the kind of time it would take for his little radish to grow up!

Before Lan Wangji managed to work up any words, his thoughts shifted again and he looked at Jiang Cheng. There was only one explanation to this whole convoluted mess he could think of.

“...did I time travel?”

~~~~~

In Lan Zhan POV:

When Lan Wangji opened the door to Wei Ying’s childhood bedroom, he had little time to do anything but gasp before he found himself slammed into the wall.

Wei Ying was- Wei Ying was Wei Ying. In his original body, his fully grown body. With the face, Lan Wangji had held tight in his dreams and memories for years. The face that still snuck into his fantasies from time to time, and that he only saw when they used their special incense burner….

He could only stare at Wei Ying, the coiled muscles, the dangerous expression. He was…..strong.

Lan Wangji worked his jaw, preparing to open his mouth to explain the situation when he heard the growl.

It sent electricity through his veins, all thoughts flying out of his mind, and there was nothing left but Wei Ying pinning him, pressing close. And then there was a question, and he would do anything Wei Ying asked, of course, if only he could hear the words over the rushing in his ears. But he could not concentrate on them, and he was starting to feel light-headed, and simply sinking to his knees and letting Wei Ying take charge of the situation seemed like a better and better idea, and-

-With what had to be the absolute worst timing in the world, Jiang Wanyin's face appeared in his field of vision and dragged Wei Ying off him.

He was going to pay.

Chapter Text

Lan Sizhui heard his friends’ footsteps clatter on the ground right after him as he rounded the corner of the small but beautiful housing. They had been so certain that this time, they would manage to keep Wei Wuxian from running off. They did not need another reminder that Senior Wei was as slippery as he was powerful.

However, sect leader Jiang shouting was not a comforting sign at all.

What he did not expect when he threw open the door, was to see a face that felt like it was pulled right out of his most faded dreams.

He didn’t fully understand it himself, but the moment Sizhui laid eyes on this man, his mind caught itself in a feverish loop of:

‘Ah, that’s him! That’s Xian-gege!’

The voice sounded like an excited child, jumping up and down as they were filled with joy. It all felt like it was the most natural thing in the whole world.

Sizhui felt his chest constrict as he couldn't take his eyes away from the face that felt so familiar, so deeply embedded into the deepest parts of his mind, so far back that it was hard to bring it into focus.

Like something out of his dreams. Dreams he had had all his life, ones that he would wake up form with this feeling of longing, of sadness, and loss. Dreams he could never fully recall, ones that were just a bit too fuzzy by the time he woke up but always left tears in his eyes for some unknown reason.

Even after regaining some early memories, it was all still out of focus. He could never fully recall what his Xian-gege had looked like. Seeing him now, alive and whole… It made him feel as safe and warm as his father.

It made him feel like….like he was home?

“A-Yuan?“

Oh. Somehow, Wei Wuxian recognized him.

“Is…is that my radish?...Wait HOW is that my radish??”

A heavy feeling started to well up in Sizhui’s chest.

Wei Wuxian knew it was him.

Just one look and the man knew.

Before, it took until HE remembered and for Senior Wei to be told directly before he knew who Sizhui was, who A-Yuan was.

But now? Now he just KNEW.

It all felt like too much. Too many emotions to be contained in one body. So it all traveled up and into his eyes. Tears welled up for reasons he could not fully understand, and without conscious realization, they started to fall.

Even Wei Wuxian’s voice brought out something that lingered deep within. A voice that sounded different, perhaps deeper than what any of them should be used to, and yet for Sizhui it felt so normal, so right..

The voice was soothing, bringing out a sense of safety that felt so familiar and yet so far away like a distant echo of something he had never truly believed he had.

The voice was one that scratched at some hidden part of him that had always been there to guide him. He often heard it in his mind when things got scary, telling him to calm down, that it would be okay. One that popped up after he had particularly bad nightmares, or when nighthunts went dangerous and scary.

A voice that he had never been able to place before, because it never sounded anything like his Baba. It had too much energy, spoke too many words all at once. Yet despite the difference, it made him feel just as calm and safe as his Baba’s.

Even when he first got that same safe feeling from Senior Wei that he would get from his father, it didn’t quite fit. Senior Wei Always made him feel calm, alway brought a sense of ease to him.

But this face, this voice, it did so on an even deeper, instinctual level. They both just slotted into place like a piece of a puzzle.

This. This was his Xian-gege.

“...did I time travel?”

As the thought hit him, the tears started to slowly slip down his cheek.

Then with no hesitation, strong arms closed around him and he couldn't help a little squeak of surprise. Sizhui was enveloped in warmth, and purple, and comfort, and he let himself slump. He nuzzled into the warm fabric, and well…Xian-gege always did give the best hugs.

“I remember you, Xian-gege… I remember you.”

There were no other words forthcoming between the quiet sobs. But there was no need for them anyway. His voice was just a gentle whisper as they slipped out with his tears. Sizhui’s hand came up to grip at his Xian-gege’s robes, giving them a light tug as he leaned against the man who was now much, much taller. A man with a wider frame that he was able to tuck himself into just right.

Slowly, a soft hum rose, a song that Sizhui knew, one that he had heard being played in the Jingshi many times. One that lingered in his mind. That familiar song along with a gentle rocking motion helped the tears dry up quickly. And as his tears and ragged gasps slowed down, words of gentle comfort were whispered into his ear.

“I remember you too, A-Yuan. I am here.” Each reassurance was accompanied by a gentle pat or stroke at his back.

This, of course, was the moment when Jin Ling tried to whisper to Lan Jingyi at a volume that could only stem from being raised by Sandu Shengshou.

“What is wrong with him?!”

The moment was broken, as reality came crashing back down on them. Lan Sizhui slowly straightened and extracted himself from the embrace. His cheeks colored with a gentle pink from both the tears and the embarrassment of his break down in front of everybody.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lan Jingyi give Jin Ling a gentle swat over the head, who protested immediately. Ouyang Zizhen was trying to shush them both.

Sadly, Jin Ling did not seem to be able to read the mood of the room or pick up on what his friends were trying to convey to him. “What?! Why did you hit me?!”

Lan Sizhui felt his cheeks burn even hotter as he quickly straightened his back and returned to his place at his father's side. He didn’t dare meet anyone's eyes.

Wei Wuxian looks between them with both fondness and shrewd calculation. His eyes were darting between the two Lans before him. After a moment he nodded slowly, his brain seeming to have come to some type of conclusion.

“So, this is the future, huh?
Lan Jingyi gave a very undignified snort. Sect Leader Jaing pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, and closed the sliding door with a bit too much force.

It revealed a large sheet of paper with neat characters on it.
It read:

‘You did NOT time travel! You were hit by an age-changing curse! Stay THE FUCK where you are!’

Wei Wuxian tilted his head to the side and nodded to himself.

“Ah. Those are tricky. I assume this is not the first time I changed? What other ages have I been? How old should I be now? Like…” He stopped and looked over to HanguangJun, then Sect Leader Jiang and lastly to Lan Sizhui himself, studying him intently. Xian-gege then hummed. “Hummm…30 something?”

Lan Sizhui quietly worried for the Jiang sect leader’s teeth. Grinding them this hard could not possibly be healthy. But after two days of chasing after Senior Wei, he could not deny that he understood the impulse.

“No. It is not. You were cursed four days ago. I have had to deal with a toddler who just got to Lotus Pier,”

Sizhui could feel the way his father's body stiffened at the thought, looking up in time to see his eyes go just a bit wider. Ah…Baba would have wanted to see a very young Xian-gege.

Sect Leader Jiang just kept going on though. “Then you were a fifteen year old, and took your sword for a joy ride into town after I told you NOT TO DRAW IT! You led them on a wild goose chase trying to find you.” He pointed at the four of them. Jingyi shivered and Sizhui thought he could hear him mutter ‘chickens….’

Stepping closer to Wei Wuxian, sect leader Jiang poked his chest. “And yesterday you where twelve and making a fool of yourself as you mooned over your own fucking husband!”

This made Wei Wuxian pause. “My what now?”

Jiang Cheng just rolled his eyes and waved a hand to HanguangJun. This made Wei Wuxian pause, his eyes going wide as his body tensed up, “My WH-”The tone was rough, stunned, and almost hurt, but he paused and his eyes flickered to Sizhui, still standing next to HanguangJun.

Slowly, his body relaxed as some realization passed over his face. “Ah…….” He nodded to himself as gentle eyes watched Sizhui, eyes that were flashing a whirlwind of thoughts and emotion that Sizhui couldn't seem to decipher at all.

Instead Xian-gege just flashed him a smile before looking back at sect leader Jiang. “Eh, well I can see how a twelve year old me would be happy with a husband as handsome as Lan Zhan.” He played off whatever small realization he had come to.

The comment only made a wounded sound come from the back to Sect Leader Jiang’s throat as he shoves his finger at Wei Wuxian again. “NO! I am NOT dealing with that again!” Wei Wuxian just grinned provocatively, enjoying the outrage.

Perhaps feeling a sudden surge of self preservation instincts, sect leader Jaing let it drop there. “Worst of all, we have just about dried up any sources of information about fucking trees and their damned curses.”

Wei Wuxian immediately brought up his arms to inspect them and grimaced at the sight of the age rings. “It just had to be a tree. You didn’t try to kill it, right?”

Jiang Wanyin scoffed, rolling his eyes at the same time as he crossed his arms back over his chest. Just like that he seemed…calmer? Lan Sizhui might never understand the way that this Sect leader’s volume and moods constantly fluctuated.

“And risk you running around like that for the rest of your life?! Of course not. I'm not an amateur.”

Wei Wuxian nodded absentmindedly, and carefully inspected the breadth and width of the curse markings, turning his finger over and over to see each angle.

“At least it's not on the torso. If worst comes to worst we can just cut the finger off.”

“NO!!!” The same word came from six different sources, all in varying tones and volumes. The sheer force of it seemed to make Wei Wuxian pause, blinking at the others in the room with him.

“What did I tell you about SACRIFICING YOURSELF?!?!”

“DaJiu! That is not funny!”

Lan Sizhui felt icy fear grip his heart, and he inhaled sharply while most of the other people in the room started shouting, and his Xian-gege's easy expression vanished more and more behind a cold, cornered mask.

HanguangJun seemed to realize the same, and quickly stepped forward, exuding the same calm he would in the rabbit clearing. He slowly held his arm out, a motion that quieted both Zizhen and Jingyi completely, along with shifting Jin Ling to just grumbling under his breath.

“Wei Ying. There will be no need for such drastic measures…..” He paused, looking closely at Wei Wuxian’s face, studying it before he began again, choosing his words carefully.

“Many things have changed in the last years, and we have all options the cultivation world can offer open to us……” He took a deep breath, seeming almost hesitant. “We are all about to head to Gusu today, and will make use of the library to-”

“No.”

The word was quiet, almost inaudible.

There was a defeated slump in his posture, and Wei Wuxian's confident demeanor vanished, replaced by weariness. His eyes locked onto HanguangJun’s with…with something in them, something indescribably sad.

It had not been so obvious before, but now with all the initial shock gone, it was easier to see. Taking a closer look at Xian-gege, in his tighter Jiang robes, he seemed thin.

Diminished.

Broken…..Tired.

“Lan Zhan. I can’t.”

And with that, the Yiling Laozu turned on his heels and left them all standing in his childhood room.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian did not glance back at the future he had so dearly hoped for in his weakest moments, but still it assaulted him from every direction.

Lotus Pier was bustling. Jiang Cheng looked happy. Or, well, he looked stressed and irritated, but that was about as happy as he ever looked. It was about the details with him.

But most of all, A-Yuan was thriving. How else would his tiny radish be so big! And the thought of all he had missed, as illogical as the sentiment may be, made him think of Lan Wangji.

‘Lan Zhan! Did you kidnap my little radish from me?’

He had to gasp, and tried to play it off, at least in the safety of his mind. But honestly, he knew better. He knew if Lan Zhan had offered to take A-Yuan, to protect the boy and make sure he had a good life… well it would hurt as bad as losing his core a second time, but he would do it. He would give up his baby radish so that A-Yuan could live a better life. A safer life.

He was alive, well-fed, healthy-looking, and clearly an educated and competent cultivator with all the backing of a prestigious sect.

The Lan Sect.
Lan Zhan’s sect.

It all felt surreal and confusing, and like a deep-rooted hurt. A feeling that made his chest both want to swell with pride over how well his little radish had grown up, but also a feeling worse than a sinking ship being dragged down by the ghost king Black Water. A feeling stemming from the fact that he did not think he had been there for any of it. That he didn’t get to play an active part in A-Yuan’s life.

It was the little things that gave it away. The way A-Yuan had looked at him in disbelief and wonder. How the boy clung to him saying: ‘I remember you’

The way the gazes of the people milling about his home slid over him without recognition.

The confusion in the young Jin's eyes, a kid that might as well have been Jiang Cheng's love child with the peacock. All the looks of the peacock, with the personality and prickly edges of Jiang Cheng.

He shuddered, and quickly cast that particular thought into the burning pits of denial.

But it was the same, in a way, was it not?

There were traces of Jiang Yanli in his features, but other than that, nothing in his mannerisms was linking her son to her. None of her softness, of gentleness. None of her watchfulness and gentle nudging. Instead, it was more like looking at a miniature Jiang Cheng.

And it was the same with his own little radish.

During his time with A-Yuan in the Yiling Burial Mounds, he had found the little boy adopting his own quirks with fondness and bittersweet pride. The way his little Radish smiled, bright and with his whole face. How A-Yuan would tap his cheek when he was thinking, or even the little way he titled his head when he was watching the world around him. Even the way he spoke at times had been starting to sound a small bit of Wei Ying’s own cadence and word choices.

Those were all gone.

He was all Lan Wangji's son now.

Lan Zhan looked… He shied away from the thought, the memory, the image, but…

He had never really been able to escape Lan Zhan. He had managed to close himself off from his family, his future, his hopes…. But never had he let go of Lan Wangji.

Lan Zhan was the one thing, one person, who always made something inside of him cave in. He always seemed to look for the man. As strange as it was, Lan Zhan just had this way of creeping into his thoughts when he least expected it. Something that only got worse after Lan Zhan’s one and only visit to the Yiling Burial Mounds. He was their ONLY visitor. The only one who took the time to look and see for himself what was going on instead of just believing the rumors. (Except Jiang Cheng, of course. But he did not count.)

Truly, Lan Zhan was too good in that way. Always so bright, and just.

Even now, apparently years later, and as a father no less, Lan Zhan looked as beautiful and serene as ever.

Time had barely touched him, but it was still visible.
In his confident steadiness.
In the way he commanded his surroundings with his mere, overwhelming presence.
In the broadening of his shoulders and hips.
In the way his height was just a bit taller.
How his eyes seemed to have seen that much more of the world.
In the length of his-

Wei Wuxian squeaked and quickly slapped his cheeks. What Had that reaction been about anyways!?

Was it commonplace to feel like that when pinned to something?

It had certainly worked for him, back during the phoenix mountain hunt. SO it was probably perfectly natural and meant nothing special right? After all, this was HanguangJun they were talking about! If the ever propper second Jade of Lan had such a reaction then it must be!

That reaction must not be anything special at all, and have nothing to do with who was doing the pinning….

And he found his mood soured even worse at this particular thought for some unfathomable reason. His chest felt tight once again.

It was clear that he had not touched the lives of his most important people for a long, long time. That much could be seen from how A-Yuan, his little radish, the baby he had helped raise, ran to him saying ‘I remember you”

That was not the type of thing you say to someone who was part of your life, whose presence was a simple matter of fact.

Each of them, his adoptive brother, his nephew, his little radish, and hi- no, just Lan Zhan. They all had grown, matured and found their paths in life without him. Just as his ShiJie’s son likely did without her…meaning something must have happened to his Shijie.

That…that was NOT something he could allow himself to think about now.

Instead, Wei Wuxian sighed as he let himself drop down onto the wooden planks in a secluded spot by the lake. In their spot. The spot where he and his siblings would always sneak off to to just be, a place for just the three of them. A place rebuilt the exact same.

He might as well have been dead. It probably would have been better for everyone.

As he got lost in his own mind, soft, quiet footsteps approached. The slow steps that Wei Wuxian knew had to belong to a Lan, but were hesitant enough that it could not be HanguangJun.

He glanced up to see A-Yuan come and settle down next to him. Slowly scooting just a bit closer.

“Wei Qianbei?”

Wei Wuxian flinched at the strange address. He really Had lost that too, had ee not?

But still, he swallowed down the knot in his throat and forced a smile to his face.

“So polite! You can still call me Xian-gege, little radish. The Lan rules certainly seem to agree with you in a way they never did with me!”

Even admitting it like this hurt. He was so, so relieved that everything he had fought for had not been for nothing, and seeing his A-Yuan prosper like this was a balm to his heart, and yet…

A-Yuan smiled up at him gently and his little radish looked like ZewuJun. Or rather, like Wen Ning. None of the full-cheeked smiles he used to give in what was just yesterday in Wei Wuxian’s mind.

“I would really like that, Xian-gege. I- I did not remember much from that time. Or anything at all really. There was- Well. I was still very young.”

Wei Wuxian's chest ached. Yes. That would have been for the best. Get at least the little one out when there was still a chance. Lan Wangji must have orchestrated it. He really was the best of the best.

He nodded, feeling his tongue lay leaden in his mouth.

He could feel A-Yuan looking him over, watching him. Then, the body slowly moved just a tad closer, close enough that their shoulders touched.

There was a comfortable quiet between them for a moment, he could feel A-Yuan watching him, studying his face. The body shifted a little more, leaning just a bit into Wei Wuxian. The action just made Wei Wuxian want to snicker, and he quickly wrapped an arm around the boy.

“Yea-ha little radish! Really! WHAT has Lan Zhan been feeding you!” He teased as he gave him a little squeeze. “ You're such a big strong cultivator now!”

Yuan gave him a small smile, but the joke did make the boy relax into his side a bit more, even resting his head on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder.

“Baba-” He stopped, cheeks heating up some as he fumbled to correct himself. “ I mean, HanguangJun raised me there. He adopted me and took me in as his own. And...I know the Cloud Recesses haven’t always agreed with you..”

Wei Wuxian scoffed, lightly rolling his eyes. “Well, I have never been that good with rules… Besides, how can a place have such amazing wine and bann drinking! The best wine there is and no one ever tries it! It’s such a waste!” He tried to lighten the mood. Anything to keep from talking about going back to Gusu and being locked up.

A-Yuan just smiled more though, shaking his head a little. “...I don’t think I have ever seen HanguangJun stop you from having a cup of Emperor’s smile. He always keeps some under the floorboards for you.”

Now that made Wei WUxian freeze. “Wait wait wait!” He shifted to get a better look at A-Yuan, but was careful not to disturb the boy from resting on his shoulder. He just HAD to see if the boy was lying… but if he was raised as a good little Lan by Lan Zhan, …well Lan’s didn't lie!

“...Lan Zhan wouldn’t break the rules…”

But another realization finally brought Wei Wuxian's meandering thoughts to a halt, and he looked up sharply.

“How did I come to the Cloud Recesses? I can't have gone there willingly.”

A-Yuan frowned and nodded reluctantly.

“I suppose you were not exactly willing at first….Though bringing you back home to the Cloud Recesses was the best course of action to keep you safe at the time….So HanguangJun more less dragged you back”

A-Yuan let out a small sigh, but overall seemed…relieved? Happy? Over what had happened to bring Wei Wuxian back to the Cloud Recesses.

Wei Wuxian blinked in confusion

.“I… was not part of your life until then?...I’m guessing this was some time after Lan Zhan took you in?”

Lan Sizhui smiled sadly.

“Yes…but.. You are now. “ He turned his head, almost nuzzling into Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. The action caused Wei Wuxian to give him a little squeeze, pulling his Radish in. It seemed to relax A-Yuan as the boy's shoulders sagged, his smile brightening up just a bit. “..You are now and that is all that matters.”

He had left A-Yuan….He had left his little Radish behind. The thought alone, despite seeing positive results, made his whole body ache.

What must have happened for him to abandon A-Yuan so completely? Of course it could have been necessary, or a condition for Lan Wangi to be allowed to take him in the first place, but still. He would like to think they would have found a way. A way to at least make it so his Radish wouldn’t cry saying ‘I remember you‘ when he saw him…

Wei Wuxian cleared his throat, the lump thick and unlikely to vanish soon. He couldn't keep thinking about this.

“SO, I am allowed in the Cloud Recesses now? I cannot imagine Lan Qiren ever agreeing to that!” He attempted to joke, making sure to smile and put some cheer into his voice.

To that, the boy only sniffed primly. A-Yuan then gave a gentle shake of his head. “It’s not like they could have kept you out. You are married to HanguangJun after all.”

Ah. His ears must have stopped working. Was he hallucinating again?

“Wait.. Jiang Cheng DIDN’T just say that to mess with me???” His eyes widened as the weight of the words sunk in. He, The grandmaster of demonic cultivation, the feared Yiling Laozu, married to the good and pure HanguangJun!??!?
A-Yuan let out a long suffering sigh, but at the same time, a genial smile graced his lips. His head turned enough to catch a glimpse of Wei Wuxians face without lifting his head from his shoulder.

“Yes you are. And you are very happy together….. And far too loud.”

That only caused him to tilt his head in confusion, but slowly, a dreadful suspicion drowned out the incoherent screeching of ‘Married?!?! To Lan Zhan?!?!’ in the back of his mind.

Where HAD he been? What… what had been the price for his radish's safety? (Though Wei Wuxian already knew he would have paid any price to keep A-Yuan safe. Anything for the little boy who clung to his robes and looked at him with such pure, complete trust.)

Lan Zhan would have tried to shield him as much as he could, he knew that. Lan Zhan was just too good like that. He saw what life at the Burial Mounds was really like, he watched Wei Wuxian pull the Wen out of the camp, and saw the state they were in.

Lan Zhan knew what happened to the Wen wasn’t right…and the great light bearing lord would always do what was right. Even for a demonic cultivator.

But not even the second Jade of Lan would have been able to completely protect him from the consequences of the crimes he did commit. …And especially the crimes he didn't commit, but the world thought he did.

Some form of punishment would have been inevitable. What if… Lan Wangji had shifted it to something a person without a golden core could survive?

There had been… rumors. About the late Lan furen. Had he met a similar fate in secret?

A-Yuan had made it sound like they had met outside of the Cloud Recesses, like it was an event he personally remembered. Meaning A-Yuan would have had to have been a little older. It also sounded like he was already adopted by Lan Zhan when it happened…. And that Lan Wangji had returned Wei Wuxian there against his will.

Had he been on the run? Or had he escaped, then? Maybe having been held prisoner and then married off after escaping to tie him down more firmly? But why? He would not have endangered his boy's safety and future without very good reason!

None of this made sense!

He shook himself out of his spiraling thoughts, but a bitter aftertaste remained. None of this was something he could burden A-Yuan with.

“Ah-haha… I must be a horrible catch. What was Lan Zhan thinking? There are lots of better options, both for a political or a love match.”

“False.” The deep, hard tones of Lan Zhan’s voice startled them both, causing A-Yuan to lift his head from Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. Wei Wuxian still caught the little blush dusting his cheeks as they both turned to see Lan Zhan standing behind them.

Lan Zhan’s face was set into stern lines as he looked down at them both. “....Wei Ying is good. Wei Wing is kind and righteous… there is no better choice than Wei Ying.”

The words made Wei Wuxian’s jaw drop, stunned.

Had Lan Zhan just called him of all people righteous!? That had to be wrong.

“Yeah! DaJiu is a perfectly acceptable match! He-”

The shout came from behind one of the crates stacked on the pier. Wei Wuxian snapped his head around to see, only to find the Jin, his nephew, standing, red faced, as the other Lan was trying to tug him back down, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Jin Ling!! Shhh!!!”

Jin Ling however was not having it, swatting the hand away as he turned to the Lan with the same look Jiang Cheng often got. It looked adorable on him.

“What?! DaJiu is powerful, smart and well-connected! Not to mention that they are completely shameless! Are you trying to imply he is not?!”

“I am trying to imply that you are too loud! They know we're here now!” The Lan throws his hands up in the air and then to where Wei Wuxian is sitting with a now extremely red A-Yuan.

The two mystery disciples and what really does appear to be Jin Rulan wave as he places his face in his hands. “Guys……please calm down…”

Jin Rulan crosses his arms and puffs out his chest. “Look, I’m just saying! DaJiu has just as much standing as HanguangJun!” He then starts to hold up his fingers as he counts, “He is connected to both the Jiang AND Jin! Invented way too many crazy things and still is.” His eyes jump for just a moment to the mystery Ouyang boy. “ Plus he was a war hero to!”

The bickering raised in volume, and Wei Wuxian could practically see Lan Zhan’s patience slowly thinning. On top of that a third young one chimes in as well, trying to deescalate the whole thing.

A-Yaun let out a deep sigh, shaking his head softly at who Wei Wuxian can only assume are his friends. (Yea! His Radish is friends with ShiJie’s son!)

He very nearly snickered. Thankfully he was able to hold it back as he got to admire Lan Zhan when he finally snapped with a reproachful: “Disciples.”

All three of them froze, and then scampered off with hasty apologies and a very impertinent: “Just don’t let him out of your sight! He's slippery!”

A-Yuan stood as well, giving him such a sweet, soft smile. He bowed lightly to Wei Wuxian and then Lan Zhan before excusing himself. “I really should make sure they stay out of trouble”

And then it was just the two of them.

Just Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

Slowly, Wei Yuxian turned to check on Lan Zhan, only to find that Lan Zhan had turned his full attention back to him. Suddenly Jiang Cheng's words: ‘Your husband’ were rattling around in his brain, drowning out all else.

It was in turn exhilarating and terrifying, and he did not know what to think.
Wei Wuxian sighed and patted the spot next to himself on the wooden planks.

“I suppose we need to talk.”

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian sighed and patted the spot next to himself on the wooden planks.

“I suppose we need to talk.”

Lan Wangji obeyed, and all the while, his heart was thundering in his chest.

He had dreamt of this moment for years. He had longed beyond anything to be given just one more chance, one more opportunity to make things right.

He did not dare close his eyes or take them off Wei Ying, lest he vanish like all the dreams before him.

And eventually, he had even managed to say everything he wanted to when faced with those mirages. But now, sitting in front of the real, living, breathing thing, his words deserted him as they had so often before.

His hands clenched into fists in his lap. He needed to find his words this time, to use this once-in-a-lifetime chance to tell this younger, battered Wei Ying all that he held back so many years ago.

However, like always, Wei Ying was faster with his words.

“Thank you.” Wei Ying’s voice was gentle and still. The words made Lan Wangji flinch.

“No….I…. “ He kept pausing, his mind always seeming to lag when it came to spoken words.

It should-” He took a deep, shuddering breath and could feel his voice crack. His chest was growing heavy with the weight of all the years he had been forced to leave the words unsaid, and the scars on his back almost seemed to tighten at the ever-present reminder of his failure.

Finally, Lan Zhan shut his eyes, and somehow that made it just a little easier to push the five words he had held onto out.

“Wei Ying. I failed you.”

“Oh, Lan Zhan. You did not. You could not.” He turned to face Wei Ying, just in time to see the hand reaching out to him, pausing just outside of what most would consider personal space. A space that his husband had taken to being in as easily as his own since they had been reunited.

However, this Wei Ying did not retain the memories of being husbands. This Wei Ying was unaware of just how welcome, how needed his touch truly was.

As such Lan Wangji felt a light tug on his heart as the hand is lowered back to Wei Ying’s side.

“There is nothing you could have done to me that wouldn’t have been worth seeing A-Yuan as the confident and happy young man he is now.“ His smile grew a bit brighter as their son’s name left his lips. “And Hey! I’m out here in Lotus Pier now, right? Even if you did actually marry and imprison me for the last decade? Which, admittedly, would be very awkward.”

Lan Zhan was frozen in horror as Wei Ying just shrugged off his words like they meant nothing. Like he did not just make light of resigning himself to being a prisoner.

“BUT! Clearly, I still get to come back home sometimes if Jaing Chang gave me purple robes and my little nephew likes me enough to try and defend my honor! “

That slightly sad smile made Lan Wangji forget himself, and without wasting a moment he grabbed Wei Ying’s hand tightly in his own.

“Never.” He met Wei Ying’s eyes, holding them hostage, daring Wei Ying to look away, to brush him off. His own golden eyes burning with fire, a deep, desperate need to make himself clear, to leave not one doubt in Wei Ying’s mind.

“I will never lock up We Ying.”

“W-..huh?” Wei Ying tilted his head a bit, seemingly thrown off by Lan Zhan’s vehement outburst and suddenly invading his space, for being the one to reach out first.

“Love match.” He tightened his grip on Wei Ying’s hands, feeling the hard-earned, rough calluses that came from fighting and hard work. Calluses that Mo Xuanyu’s hand never fully gained.

“We are a love match.”

“Ha- W-wait No th-”

Wei Ying sounded breathy, almost timid then, and all righteous indignation fled Lan Wangji. Wei Ying was trying to look away, trying to play this all off as some game. It is no game.

“I love Wei Ying. I married Wei Ying for love. ”

Now Wei Ying went still, and his face shifted as he watched Lan Zhan for a long, quiet moment. All indications that Wei Ying was starting to fully let something sink in that he was unsure of. Or that might be dangerous. Or ‘wrong’ or ‘hurt someone’.

He pulled his hands back from Lan Zhan’s grip, placing them in his purple-robed lap. (He could not help the thought that he liked the black better.) Then, in a voice much quieter, a bit deeper, and without its joking edges, Wei Ying spoke.

“No you don’t.” The words were firm in a way that made Lan Zhan’s brows scrunch up just the smallest bit. “You can't. That- it doesn't work that way.”

Lan Zhan sat up straighter, daring Wei Ying to try to lie to him, or more likely, to himself.

“Does Wei Ying not love me?”

This made Wei Ying huff and he seemed to deflate a small bit. Perhaps he was starting to give in, little by little.

“What a silly question! Of course, I do! You’re Lan Zhan! The great and righteous HanguangJun. The mighty second Jade of Lan-” He paused as he finally looked up to meet Lan Zhan’s eyes once more.

“No one could know you without falling for you.”

Lan Wangji perked up at that. This was actually an argument he had heard before and knew the correct answer to.

Quick as a snake, he pulled off his own forehead ribbon, captured the startled Wei Wuxian's wrists, and wound it around in a tight knot.

Without losing speed (and ignoring Wei Ying’s squeak of surprise, and now blazing cheeks), he pushed the hands up, turning them so that he could gently place his lips against Wei Ying’s inner palm. Right where the ribbon and skin meet, touching both.

The whole time made sure to never break eye contact with his beloved.

Now, his Wei Ying was quiet, a truly rare sight. His eyes were as wide as the moon they resembled and his face blazing as red as his favorite hair ribbon.

Good.

“....Love Wei Ying. “ He repeated himself, wanting to make sure the word held as much impact as possible. Wei Ying was far too forgetful at this point in life.

And oh….oh how could he ever resist teasing his beloved husband?

“...Wei Ying may touch the… forbidden ribbon…whenever Wei Ying wishes. “

The words ‘forbidden ribbon’ made Wei Ying squeak rather loudly as his neck, ears, and whole face started to match his cheeks.

Of course, this Wei Ying did not hold the memories of their married life. This Wei Ying did not recall draping his body across Lan Zhan’s lap after Lan Zhan had had a rather stressful and unpleasant day of dealing with people.

This Wei Ying was unaware that to help Lan Wangji relax, he would tug off Lan Zhan’s forehead ribbon with a mischievous smile and started to gently play with the item as they sat in their home. A mere 21-year-old Wei Ying was unaware of how much his voice and gentle chatter could bring Lan Wangji peace of mind.

At this point in time, Wei Ying had no way of knowing that it was he himself who told Lan Wangji about his thoughts. About how after the first time Lan Wangji reacted so strongly to Wei Ying placing attention on his forehead ribbon, that Wei Ying’s mind dubbed it the ‘forbidden ribbon.’ That it was Wei Ying’s own mouth that rattled on and on about how this title just made him ever more obsessed with touching, holding, feeling, and pulling on said ‘forbidden ribbon’.

Now, when Lan Wangji decided to play with his husband by calling it the ‘forbidden ribbon’ his Wei Ying would just laugh and tug on the ribbon with the biggest smile, saying something along the lines of “Yep! Mine! Mine, all mine!’ with a blinding smile.

No, to this Wei Ying, sitting next to him, he had just given permission to see a deep inner secret. Thoughts he had never once put into words for the outside world.

Lan Wangji couldn't help but feel a deep satisfaction well up from inside him. A gentle smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he finally released Wei Ying’s still-tied wrist. He watched as Wei Ying brought the wrist to his chest, holding it there with his other hand. The free one started to gently run fingers over the ribbon.

“Lan Zhan……” He sounded breathless. “You’re…You’re smiling!”

Of course he was. Wei Ying was alive and well. They might be facing another challenge, but as long as they were together they would master it.

“Hm. “ he inclined his head slightly as he hummed, showing how much he meant it. Even at this time Wei Ying was rather adept at reading his ‘hms’ as “At my Husband. For my husband.” He turned to fully face Wei Ying, watching how his hands twitched, likely wanting to cover his face. “I will always stay by Wei Ying’s side. Does not have to be in Gusu.”

Wei Wuxian flushed bright red and hid his face in his hands.

“Lan Zhan! What are you saying! Are you out of your mind?! You have seen the trouble I get into! I refuse to drag you down with me! You're much too good for that.”

Well, if Wei Ying thought he could outstubborn him, he would just have to think again. Lan Wangji would never give up on matters that pertain to his husband’s happiness or self worth. “Wei Ying is very good. Wei Ying is righteous.” He made sure to use a confident tone to leave no room for arguments. “Wangji will go with Wei Ying. Anywhere. Always.”

Wei Wuxian stared at him for a long time, expression lost and one hand still clutching the ribbon tightly to his chest.

And then it finally turned into unbearable fondness. Wei Ying was hesitant as he moved his free hand closer. Watching Lan Wangji for permission, and action Lan Wangji had never seen from his husband. And so he closed the gap for him, gently taking his Wei Ying’s hand in his own and interlaced their fingers.

“Oh, Lan Zhan. Would you really? Would you run away with me, to a place where no one could find us? We could build a house together, and you could stay at home to cook for me while I go out to tend the fields and hunt for meat. Would you truly do that if I asked you to?”

What a redundant question. Lan Wangji stood, and pulled his husband up with him.

“We will tell Sizhui, and leave immediately.”

“Lan ZHAN! Stop it! You must not indulge me like this! I am going to take ruthless advantage of you! Haven’t you heard that I’m evil?”

Another question he knew the answer to. One that Lan Wangji had sadly heard too many times for his own liking. Wei Ying really must stop calling himself evil.

“Mn.”

“All right! I will go to Gusu with you! Just stop saying such things!”

Lan Wangji could not help another smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“Wei Ying is good.”

Predictably, this caused another squak of protest, and Lan Wangji was just about to pull him in for a kiss, when-

“Oh, come on. I did not let you out of my sight for more than an incense stick! Stop looking at each other like that!”

-Jiang Wanyin rounded the corner and approached them with a neatly tied bundle in hand.

Lan Wangji glared at him.

Unfortunately, this was an activity he had practiced so much over the last fifteen years that the recipient had become utterly immune to it.

Striding by him as if he had not even noticed, Jiang Wanyin approached Wei Ying instead and held out the bundle for him to take. Lan Wangji instantly knew what the bundle was, and that his Wei Ying would very much want it.

“Here. They are yours. I don’t know what we will be able to do about the curse or how long it will take, but this could be your only chance in a while to carry them both with confidence. Use it well.”

Wei Wuxian looked at his foster brother in confusion while he unwrapped the cloth.

“What do you mean I- oh. OH.”

Chenqing he took out first, the ghostly flute gleaming and in pristine condition. (Apart from the bite marks. Though Wei Ying often spoke of how they made the flute even better. He agreed.)

It was obviously made for his hands, and he gripped it with easy confidence.
It looked more delicate in this body's larger hands. Lan Zhan had not noticed that before. He had always been too busy despising that seal that harmed his beloved to pay much attention to Chenqing.

The true shock crossed his expression when he took out Suibian. There was disbelief and awe, reverence and longing.

He could see Wei Ying swallowing as he slowly closed his fingers around the hilt. Lan Zhan knew how much his sword meant to him. Even now, Wei Ying left it in the care of Jiang Wanyin because of how much it pained him to not be able to wield the sword himself. The pain of having it so close, and yet not being able to do much more than polish it would be too much for his husband.

It’s the only reason Lan Zhan did not protest leaving such a beloved item with the cantankerous sect leader.

“Suibian…I-”

Jiang Wanyin narrowed his eyes, obviously sensing some form of hesitation.

“Are you going to draw it? Or do you want me to do it.”

It was much more a threat than a question. Lan Wangji disapproved.

Wei Ying also seemed to read it as such, and he seemed immediately suspicious and guarded.

“No need. Suibian is mine, even if I don’t cultivate the sword path anymore.”

He made to push it into his belt, but Jiang Wanyin quickly grabbed his hand.

“Did you know your sword sealed itself? Now will you draw it, or should I?”

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian closed his eyes and willed his racing heart to slow. Bile rose in his throat, and he could not look into his brother's eyes.

Instead, he let his gaze drop onto Suibian, and the old, unbearable ache returned.

Right now, he could draw it. With a strong golden core pulsing within him, Suibian would sing in his hands again.
And knowing he would lose it for a second time would break his heart.

Still, he would rather have his heart broken over and over again than see that expression on his brother's face.

And so he reached forward and drew.

The glow of recognition, of belonging, suffused him, and he let out a breath of relief.

“A-Cheng…”

He did not look up. And from the hoarseness in Jiang Wanyin's throat, it was better that way.

“You have to know. I did not- This is not to hurt you. I have- I was angry, at first. You did not even have the balls to tell me yourself. But if it had been Jin Ling- It was a fucking dumb decision, but it's been a long time. I had the chance to cool down and- and I get it. At least a little.”

Sharp surprise startled Wei Wuxian out of his melancholy, and he looked up at his Shidi in wonder.

“Jiang Cheng…”

There was something in his brother that had not been there before.
That had never had a chance to become true before.

“You grew up.”

Jiang Wanyin narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line.

“Why do I even bother? Seriously. There are a few things that are common knowledge now, and if you go into foreign sect territory, you have to be prepared.

First: Everyone knows you lost your golden core. But not how. So don’t go blabbing.
Second: A lot of the incidents around you were orchestrated by Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao. And uncovering their hand in it seems to have exonerated you of all crimes, even the ones you actually did commit. Fuck knows why, it was probably everyone being afraid what other dark secrets HanguangJun might drag out into the open if they didn't.
Third: Lan Sizhui being Wen Yuan is a fucking secret! Do not breathe a word of it!”

“Sizhui” His radish's courtesy name was Lan Sizhui.

Meaning to re-collect and long for. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly on …his? Lan Zhan’s? -mind had been when that name was given. Who had been thought of with ‘longing’. For now, he just made sure to store the name away in a safe place that he would never forget it.

He smiled gently, and sheathed Suibian again.

“I don’t understand half of that, but I will remember. We should probably prepare for the journey, though. The path to Gusu is a long one.”

“Actually-”

xxx

The array was utterly fascinating. Wei Wuxian was crouching at its edges and studying it intently while twirling Chenqing between his fingers. He was also muttering to himself, and from the alarmed looks around him, only a mad cackle away from being accused of evil overlord again. It was quite amusing.

He was fairly tempted to give a good crazy cackle just to see how they would react. So far meeting the nefarious Yiling Laozu had not garnered the reaction he had expected!

A hand on his shoulder let all thoughts of scandalizing impressionable junior disciples fly right out of his mind.

“Ah! Lan Zhan! Is it time to go?”

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian rose and gave a long-suffering sigh. But before he could start complaining theatrically, he took note of the gathered entourage.

“Alright. I get the Lan disciples coming with us. Makes sense since we are going to Gusu. And Jin Rulan” ( he ignored the offended squawk) “is not only my nephew but going wherever Jiang Cheng is going. “ He pointed Chenqing at each person as he spoke. “But bad life decisions aside, what exactly is the extra doing here? “

The boy flushed slightly and looked down. Honestly, Wei Ying just could not understand why someone from one of the clans that hated him hanging around them and being all…nice? Calm? Not wanting to kill him?

“I- that is-”

Wei Wuxian immediately regretted making him uncomfortable, but before he could think of a way to soften his words, Jin Rulan piped up.

“He's your demonic cultivation student.”

The blood in his veins chilled, and he turned slowly.

“No.” His eyes narrowed as his voice was hard. Firm.

He SWORE he would NEVER bring anyone else down this path!

His words just made the poor boy shrink into himself though, and hurt eyes now looked up at him. That…oh oh no. He didn’t mean for that to happen!

“IT'S TRUE!”

The non-Sizhui Lan jumped up, basically yelling. Wei Ying had NEVER heard any Lan (besides Lan Qiren) yell before now.

“You teach Ouyang Zizhen all kinds of stuff! You call him your ‘head duckling!” The mystery Lan waved his hands around, to the sky, to the boy now named Ouyang Zizhen, and then to Wei Wuxian.

“You teach him about all kinds of inventing! He’s the one who set up your new teleporting anchoring thing yesterday with just the parts you have! And he is the only person besides HangunJun who can read your handwriting! “

Though he was trying to make a point, all Wei Wuxian could think to say was “Ny the gods… you're the loudest Lan I have ever seen.” A grin slowly split his face as he watched the boy slowly turn red, his words cut off. “Lan Zhan! Did I do that? “ He points to the loud Lan with the widest smile on his lips.

The whole thing about having a student was forgotten for a moment as he felt some pride for managing to corrupt a Lan enough to start yelling like that! This kid MUST be his favorite Lan outside of Lan Zhan and now Lan Sizhui.

Lan Zhan simply closed his eyes and shook his head. “...Lan Jingyi has always been as he is.” Then as if reading his mind, Lan Zhan nodded. “Wei Ying often enjoys Lan Jingyi’s company, and compliments his…. varied reactions.”

So Lan Zhan was saying he enjoyed hanging out with the kids and loved spiritedness. Lan rules be damned.

Wei Wuxian started to snicker but then the boy who started this all slowly raised his hand. “um….W-Wei-Shizun..” ah right….this kid was somehow the student he always promised himself he would never have.

The boy seems a bit better after the whole outburst.

“..I am your student…You often said that you rather train someone who understands the right way to go about the ghost path, that it’s about empathy…so that there will always be someone who will be able to stop those who abuse it and use the path with ill intentions.”

As the boy spoke Wei Wuxian could see him starting to stand a bit taller, growing more sure of himself and his words.

“You know, and I know, that this could lead down a path of destruction as well. But you always say that ignorance is not the solution. Now that the possibility of ghostly cultivation has become public knowledge, it will be used. And it will be misused, the way it has been misused. Even if one of your, mine, or our students’ students one day falls to temptation, it is still worth it to keep the knowledge of how to stop them and everyone else who would abuse it alive.”

The whole group looked at Ouyang Zizhen in surprise. He was still breathing hard from his passionate speech, and looking at Wei Wuxian with determination.

Wei Wuxian felt his heart soften and finally understood what his older self had been thinking. He could now see why he chose this kid.

He took a step towards his student and smiled.

“I see now. If there was ever anyone I would trust with this cultivation, it would be someone like you. I am glad.”

Ouyang Zizhen blushed fiercely and bowed.

“Shizun!”

A laugh escaped him, and Wei Wuxian lightly gripped his arms to raise him up.

“No need, no need! But we have wasted enough time chatting here. Will you lead the way, my student?”

The boy nodded brightly as he pulled out a talisman that held the Gusu Lan’s cloud in the middle of it. Then with a surge of power, the array activated and sent the group on their way to Gusu.

~~~~

A curling dread spread in Wei Wuxian's stomach at this last chance to- to what? Retract his agreement? Run away? Test Lan Wangji's determination to leave his whole world behind for him?

He sighed and shook himself. He would not. He could not.

When their eyes cleared, and the nausea retreated, there was only one path he would permit himself to follow.

And together, the group followed the trail out of the woods, and then up the mountain path to the elegantly carved gates of the Cloud Recesses.

The guard disciples only had eyes for HanguangJun, as was good and proper, and they were led through quickly.

Once inside, their little group split up quickly enough. One word from HanguangJun, and the four young disciples left to go make some report. Then Jiang Cheng, after having lost a glaring match with HanguangJun also split off. He was a sect leader now, and that meant he had to go greet the acting Lan Sect leader.

Though before leaving he gave Wei Wuxian a hard look. “....Don’t do anything stupid….and DON'T get carried away.”

And just like that, he was alone with Lan Zhan.

After an obviously circuitous and unpopulated route through the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian was quickly ushered into the Jingshi, the place where apparently he now lived with Lan Zhan. The place he called home. Though with all the weird stunned looks he got from the rare passerby on the way in, and how quickly they all worked to usher him away from the other disciples of the Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure how many other places he waw really allowed in here.

Stepping inside, Wei Wuxian was quick to look around the large open room. He took in the divider to the side, a place he quickly decided must be the sleeping space, which, honestly he was NOT ready to think about right now.

Snapping his head to look literally anywhere else, his eyes landed on a work desk.

Wei Wuxian knew he was messy with his work. One look inside of his demon-slaughtering cave could certainly prove that! Paper scattered all over, a mess of ideas that had been tossed around seemingly without much care (But Wei Wuxian ALWAYS knew where everything was). Messy frantic handwriting in brushstrokes that were always far too slow for his lighting brain…

Yet when he wandered over to the table, everything was ... a mix. Not truly an ‘organized’ workspace, but far from his usual windstorm. There were bits of pieces of metal on the ground, papers still scattered around the desk, pieces of half made talismans, and brushes lying around. Yet, they had some containment. Some messy stacks that he could see how they might work for his brain, but he knew he would never have been able to organize in such a way himself.

Wooden boxes of projects stood on a shelf next to the workspace, each box with a cleanly written label written in Lan Zhan’s handwriting. He leaned over to peek inside, and paper with what looked to be the start of some invention or another was inside each box.

The workspace was so clearly his, and his alone to work at, but it had little touches that could only be from Lan Zhan. Touches that even he could admit would be helpful for him when working. Things that must have been done with care, with him and his messy brain in mind. Tidy in ways that only someone who truly knew Wei Wuxian and how he worked would be able to accomplish.

Next to what was surely his workspace was a much cleaner, neater desk. A desk that screamed ‘LAN ZHAN!” but also…. different than what he would picture for a Lan Zhan who was left to his own devices.

There were two matching, small bunny-shaped paperweights carved out of stone. The cushion also had a hand embroidered cloud pattern, which did have the Gusu clouds, but other shapes as well…and the stitches looked a lot like his own.

There was a medium sized glass container as well, filled with random small things like polished stones or little trinkets. All the little random things Wei Wuxian could most definitely see himself have found interesting and just picking up…Things like he used to give his Shijie when he was too young to give her proper gifts, things that made her smile and she would always keep. Things he kept giving her even as they got older because they STILL made her happy.

…He could see it. He could already see himself doing the exact same with Lan Zhan. If he thought Lan Zhan would like it, he would bring back some small pretty stone or interesting little carving from any and all night hunts he went on. And Lan Zhan, prim and proper Lan Zhan who got mad at a drawing with a flower in his hair, seemed to have kept each and every one. Even put them out on his desk for all to see, for himself to keep looking at.

The sights made the breath catch in Wei Wuxian's throat as he kept looking around, taking slow steps to circle the room.

The whole place was a perfect mix of himself and Lan Zhan.

It was tidy, like Lan Zhan, but had so many fun little details Wei Wuxian enjoyed. The walls had papers pinned up, and drawings of bunnies that look like his art style. More slightly larger trinkets on other shelves for decoration. Then there was the kitchen.

The small kitchen space had chili oil and spices, but also a vast collection of teas, not just the ones most common to Gusu, but many different choices.(Wei Wuxian likely brought them all for Lan Zhan…to make the second Jade try them.)

The main sitting space had a dark blue blanket, also with little bunnies on it. Sweet snacks on the table, and a jar of candy hidden on a shelf. (Did Lan Zhan have a sweet tooth?)

Then….then he noticed the sleeping space had just one bed. One bed for a house with two people.

The sight made his cheeks blaze up as he turned again, reminding himself why he started this little house tour.

“...Soooo…this is where you keep me?” He changed the topic, his brain taking it all in.

“Hm.”

Wei Wuxian's eyes snapped back to Lan Zhan, who was now close to the bed, pulling up- a floorboard??

Then A-Yuan’s words popped into his mind.

“..I don’t think I have ever seen HanguangJun stop you from having a cup of Emperor’s smile. He always keeps some under the floorboards for you.”

Ah…….

Lan Zhan slowly turned to him, holding up not one, but TWO jaws of Emperor’s smile.

Wei Ying felt his jaw drop open as he looked at Hanguang Jun. The second Jade of Lan. Lan Wangji….Lan Zhan…… holding alcohol and so unapologetically breaking the rule he once chased Wei Wuxian over rooftops with a sword to uphold.

“...Wei Ying is not kept.” Lan Zhan approaches him, handing him the jars. “This is Wei Ying’s home.”

Wei Wuxian took the jar with a still gaping mouth, staring at them for a long moment before looking back up at Lan Zhan….

“...Wei Ying is free to do as he wishes in our home. Wei Ying has always been free to come and go as he pleases.”

Their eyes met, and warmth spread through Wei Wuxian's chest in a way it had not since he had watched his sect's blood stain the floors of his home.

His fingers closed around the white jar, brushing over Lan Zhan's fingers, and with his heart beating wildly, he leaned forward before his sudden courage could abandon him again.

After all, when would he ever get this lucky again?

He saw Lan Zhan’s eyes widen in comprehension, saw his head tilt forward to meet him halfway, heart thundering with anticipation-

“Wangji, what is the meaning of- Hurk!”

And with a thump, Lan Qiren crumpled to the ground.

“Fuck.”

Chapter Text

Unfortunately for everyone, but especially for himself, Jiang Cheng took his duties as a sect leader very seriously. And simply waltzing into the heart of foreign sect without at least greeting the acting clan head was out of the question.

So with a warning to behave to both his brother and brother in law, he quickly started to briskly walk, not run, to find Lan Qiren and make the fastest greeting of his life.

Even more unfortunately, Lan Qiren seemed to know something was wrong for him to be there. Worse, he got up and started to head for the Jingshi.

So being the good brother he was, Jiang Cheng did what he could to deter the man, all the while being as loud as he could without it being too out of character. Thankfully, he was known for being loud.

Anything to warn his brother about Lan Qiren’s arrival, to make sure they weren’t doing anything to compromise the finally fairly good relations between the se-

Aaaand they were about to kiss.

Which, of course, sent Lan Qiren straight to the floor in a faint.

Great.

Just fucking great.

“REALLY!?” He waved his hand at his brother and HanguangJun, looking at the passed-out man on the floor. “That is REALLY what you chose to do when he opened the door!”

Wei Wuxian looked at the downed Lan Qiren and then to Jiang Cheng with a pout. But at least, he pulled away from HanguangJun to cross his arms. “It’s not like we knew you were going to walk in with him! He didn’t even knock!”

Jiang Cheng growled and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How did you NOT hear us?! I kept basically shouting!”

Before Wei Wuxian could respond, HanguangJun made a small “Ah.” Before walking over to their bed and turning some…dial thing in the wall. What even was that?

“.....It was not turned off. “

What did that even mean!? At least now, HanguangJun finally checked up on his uncle.

Jiang Cheng just watched as his brother sauntered over to the dial and looked it over. “Oh…OH!!! Oh, this is smart!”

“Hm. Wei Ying invented it. You are safe here. I will bring uncle to the healers.”

He lifted Lan Qiren's still unconscious form without effort but kept staring at Wei Wuxian instead of doing what he had just said he would do. Well, at least the elder Lan was off the floor.

“Wei Ying… Please wait for my return.”

With that, he finally turned around and left at a brisk pace.

Jiang Wanyin sighed in relief and plopped down onto one of the seats around the low table.

“Lans. Where exactly does he think we would fuck off to after going through the pain of coming here? Weirdo.”

This, predictably, got Wei Wuxian to raise his hackles immediately. His brother gave him an offended look.

Suddenly tired of even the thought of yet another pointless argument, he waved him off before he could even start.

“Yeah, I know, your husband is perfect. Everything is fine. I get it.” However, that didn’t mean that Jiang Cheng wouldn’t roll his eyes as he said it. Honestly, his brother didn’t even remember being married to that block of ice right now!

To this, his brother started to smirk. “Yep! Lan Zhan is so great he even gave me Emperor's Smile!” This was when his brother held out the two jars in his hands and….

“...The fuck?” Since when the hell did HanguangJun keep ALCOHOL around!?

The smile on Wei Wuxian's face fell again, and his expression turned serious.
He lowered himself on the seat opposite Jiang Wanyin and placed the jars on the table between them.

“Jiang Cheng… what happened?”

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes, but Wei Wuxian still pushed one of the jars a bit closer to him, an offering.

“You went and touched a tree you really, really shouldn't have. It had some kind of aura, and it hit all your weak spots.”

Wei Wuxian opened a jar and took a long drink.

“You know that's not what I mean.”

Fuck, that was Wei Wuxians serious tone.

Jiang Wanyin grimaced and took the other jar of Emperor’s Smile. This was not a conversation he was going to have sober. He took a long swig before meeting his brother’s eyes.

“What do you want to know?”

Wei Wuxian said nothing for a long time, fingers running over the jar’s label over and over again. His smile shifted into that stupid self-deprecating one Jiang Cheng had always hated. The one he still hated himself for not being able to recognize sooner…. Maybe…maybe if he had things would have been different.

“I'm not sure what to ask. Shouldn't you be hurling accusations at me?”

Jiang Wanyin only glared at him and pointedly took a large gulp.

This caused Wei Wuxian to snort. His brother always had this way of reading Jiang Cheng better than he knew himself at times.

“Already did, huh?”

“Extensively.” The words came with a light glare.

“Then… Why did I tell you? I just can’t think of any situation where I would!”

The confirmation of his thoughts made Jiang Cheng let out a small huff. “You would have kept it from me forever, huh? Made a clean cut and just never properly talked to me again? Gotten rid of the baggage?”

There was no keeping the bitterness out of his voice, even though he knew, he knew it wasn't like that, that the circumstances-

“I would never have wanted to hurt you like this!”

The words seemed to echo in the room, in his head, in his memory, and he could not help dropping his face into his hands.

He knew that as well….. But it didn’t change the fact that it did. It hurt like hell watching Wei Wuxian, watching his brother, one of only two family members he had left, walk away from him time and time again.

That he had been left alone in the ashen remains of Lotus Pier.

Thankfully, Emperor's Smile was strong, and in their rush, he had not eaten before leaving…so the buzz was starting to kick in just enough to take some of the edge off.

“...I know. It just- it still hurts. That you didn’t even try. I learned it from Wen Ning. I would have rather kept my brother, even if it meant knowing everything I am, everything I ever will be is because you gave me your future.”

“Would you have? If our positions were reversed?”

Jiang Wanyin opened his mouth to scold him, to tell him that their situations were completely different, and-

He shut it again, and guilt churned in his gut. He still- well. There was one thing he had never revealed to Wei Wuxian. But that really was different. Keeping that particular secret did not hurt his brother. He hoped.

But unfortunately, his brother was a stupid genius who was far more observant than people realized.

“...... You're not telling me something…”

There was an accusation in his tone. Jiang Wanyin looked up to meet his eyes.

Purple met Silver.

A small, wordless battle took place between the two stubborn men.

This time it was Wei Wuxian who broke, his eyes going soft, his shoulders slumping. “Jiang Cheng…what did you do?”

Jiang Wanyin looked to the side, feeling torn. Wei Wuxian was far too smart for his own good.

But… he had always wondered. If it would have made a difference, had he known. And- it was not as if his brother would remember. Tomorrow, it would all be gone again.

“You have to promise me not to tell anyone. Not even your Lan Wangji.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened, staring at Jiang Chang for a moment, searching his face for something. Then he slowly nodded.

“Of course, Shidi.”

He took a deep breath, and with a pounding heart, he started. It’s now or never…

“Back when the Wen captured me. I didn’t go to Lotus Pier. I didn’t leave you behind.”

This just got him a scrunched-up, confused face, along with a head tilt. “Wait…” He could all but see the gears in Wei Wuxian’s head turning. “Then… If you didn’t… How did you….where did you go?”

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath before looking back at the wine. He took another long swig to give himself the strength he needed to get through this conversion. To put his mind at ease about whether or not this would matter at all.

“....they saw you in town and” His hand gripped the jar harder. “....You were already hurt from Zidian. If….” Closing his eyes, Jiang Cheng finally forced out the words, the story that he had been holding back since his life went to hell.

“..You were hurt. If they got to you….I couldn’t lose you too. I wasn’t about to let them take away what little family I had left! They couldn’t take my brother away from me too. So I went to distract them.”

He forced the words out, talking a bit faster with each word, and his volume rose up just a bit in the heat of it all.

Even years later, that moment still felt burnt into his mind. The pain of losing his clan to fire. Of watching his home burn. Of being tied up with Wei Wuxian, with only his brother at his back, being sent off in a boat. The tears running down his face. Then the hiding. Hiding and trying to figure something, ANYTHING out to have SOME direction. He just…he had kept looking to Wei Wuxian, to his big brother who always seemed to have all the answers.

Then his brother went to get food, and… and he hadn’t had a choice. He hadn’t needed to think about it, as soon as he had seen the Wen starting to head to Wei Wuxian, he.had moved. He ran out to distract them. To save his brother. He couldn’t save his home, but he could at least save his brother.

“Jiang Cheng! No!” He made the mistake of looking up, and there it was. Pain, clear and aching in his brother's expression. Pain and regret and loss all mirrored in the gray eyes in front of him.

“Oh, Jiang Cheng… I can't- I never wanted you to sacrifice yourself for me like this!”

Yes, he had suspected this would be one of the arguments made.

He shot his brother a dirty look.

“I can’t imagine what that would feel like.”

Wei Wuxian looked aghast.

“That's different!”

And this finally made Jiang Wanyin's temper flare.

“Different?! Why?! Why would you think sacrificing your golden core was any better!? And without even telling me! Did you think you were the only one hurt by pulling away like this after the war? We wanted to help you, you idiot! If you saw me wasting away right in front of your eyes, you damn well know what that feels like!

Because I could not be trusted to make my own decisions? Because you deemed me more important for some stupid reason or another?! Because you just always have to be the fucking hero who saves everyone!? Bullshit!”

The room fell quiet for a long moment. Jiang Cheng refused to take his eyes off Wei Wuxian. Watching his adopted brother’s face shift, his lips frown, eyes wide and so full of emotions.

In the end, Wei Wuxain broke the silence with a soft voice.

“... Because you are my Didi. My little brother. A younger sibling should never have to sacrifice themselves for their elder.”

Jiang Wanyin deflated, all fight gone from him, and suddenly Jin Ling's face filled his mind.

“Oh.”

He closed his eyes, refusing to let the tears building in the corners of his eyes fall.
His chest tightened and his throat closed up.

He had never-

His voice was uncommonly small when he spoke, and he could not hide the hitch in it this time.

“You never called me Didi before.”

“Oh, A-Cheng…”

And suddenly, his elder brother was at his side, their sides pressed together, and a shoulder right where it needed to be to hide his face in. Muffling his voice as he finally, finally got to use the title he always wanted to use for Wei Wuxian.

“I hate you. I hate you so much, Ge.”

He heard a small ‘Oh.’ as an arm was slung over his shoulder in an all too familiar way. Weighing him down, and keeping him stable. Then he felt a head lean in on his own, and…maybe a small bit of wetness in his hair.

“I know Didi. I love you too.”

And then there was nothing left to say, and they simply held each other until their tears ran dry.

~~~~~~

Lan Qiren woke up with the last vestiges of one of his worst nightmares still on his mind.

He sat up with a groan, and slowly let reality reassert himself.

“I need to speak with the head cook. If I am dreaming of the Yiling Laozu invading the Cloud Recesses and abducting Wangji as a war bride. The evening meal must be far too heavy.”

And then he flinched when he heard his nephew's considering ‘hm’.

A very bad feeling crept up his spine.

“Wangji? What has that boy been up to now?”

“Nothing”

“Is that what he told you?”

Lan Wangji's expression turned icy. “No.”

“Ah, so the truth comes out. What did he tell you?”

“Time travel.”

Chapter Text

Lan Qiren was deemed healthy and recovered from his shock fairly soon, but the healers pointedly recommended a joint meditation for him and Lan Wangji to ‘balance out their feelings on the subject matter’.

Lan Wangji had never heard of such a use for meditation before and strongly suspected the healers of simply wanting them to talk it out in peace and quiet.

No doubt Lan Qiren knew this too, but one did not disobey the healers of the Cloud Recesses lightly. And so they pointedly meditated in silence.

It did however have the effect that Lan Wangji felt his anger and annoyance calm, and once it did, the longing to spend as much time as possible with any version of his husband returned. However, he admitted that he felt particularly drawn to spending more time with his husband at his current age. An age that reminded him so strongly of the time Lan Wangji had the most regrets over. He still desperately wished he had taken the time to let Wei Ying know he was loved. That even when the world was against him, Wei Ying was never alone…the time Lan Wangji wished he had realized the faults of his own clan and had gone to his beloved to give what aid he could.

Yes, he very much did not want to lose any more time with his Wei Ying.

Once he had let his thoughts be taken thus again, meditation became impossible.
He stood, and with a huff of displeasure, his uncle followed.

Thankfully Uncle did not comment on how his stride was longer and a bit quicker than usual.

When they arrived, the sight that greeted them in the Jingshi made him glow with fondness, and Lan Qiren turned an impressive shade of red.

Before them, his beloved looked sleepy, leaning against Jiang Wanyin. Though he could care less about the Jiang sect leader, he could at least appreciate how much having said man sleeping on his shoulder would mean to his Wei Ying. His Wei Wing who was nuzzling the top of the sect leader’s hair as his eyes drifted open and close.

Truly, his husband was a breathtaking sight.

“Wei Wuxian!!!”

Lan Wangji couldn't help but send a small, almost unnoticeable look. It seemed Uncle had yet again forgotten the rule about ‘no shouting’.

Both Wei Ying and Jiang Wanyin shot up from their slumped positions, eyes bloodshot. Both snapped their heads to look at Lan Qiren with wide eyes, expressions not so unlike the ones they had had as students when he caught them drinking in their room. Even more similar was the three empty jars of Emperors' smile sitting on the table before the men.

Lan Qiren took a breath to properly start his scolding.

“You! I don’t even want to know where you got the alcohol from!” (Lan Wangji gave a small sigh of relief) “The sheer disrespect for the rules of the community you live in! You are the spouse of the acting clan head,”

Lan Wangji watched the way Wei Ying’s face scrunched up at the words. Ah right. They had not informed Wei Ying of the fact that Lan Wangji had had to take over many of Lan Xichen's duties. He hoped he would not have to explain that one just yet.

“Whether I like it or not, so you had better conduct yourself with some dignity at least!”

This was quickly going too far in Lan Wangji's opinion, and he decided to put a stop to it before his uncle could start actively insulting his husband. Even more so when Wei Ying was at this age, an age where the world was against him. No, Lan Wangji had worked too hard to convince his husband he was at home here. That he was happy here and not some war prisoner or hostage for their son’s safety.

“Uncle. Wei Ying is a valuable member of our clan, and he is free to behave exactly as he wishes. I would not allow him to be stifled in any manner. Especially in our own home”

The Jingshi was their home. He would never ask Wei Ying to be anything but himself at home. That was the one thing he would not even let Uncle comment on.

Lan Qiren huffed and glared, but took a step back.

“You remain resistant to all advice on the matter, I see. Overcompensating is what you are doing, don’t think I didn’t notice. And to think I once worried you might follow down the same path as your father! Hah! You ate wrapped around his finger! And I have not the slightest idea where you could have received that particular trait from!”

He huffed and puffed a bit more, but ultimately grabbed a slightly confused and still tipsy Jiang Wanyin by the arm and led him away with complaints about not trusting ‘those two’ to give an honest and unbiased account of what had happened to get them into their latest predicament.

Lan Wangji watched him in fascination and thought of the indulgent way his uncle handled Sizhui. For all his Uncle's words and all but outright stating he knew the truth, he had never once let any elder say a bad word about Sizhui. Never let them even attempt to treat Sizhui as anything less than Lan Wangji’s blood son.

He had his suspicions as to where his own soft-heartedness had come from. But far more important than any ruminations on nature versus nurture was Wei Ying.

A Wei Ying he was now alone with. A Wei Ying who had just drunk somewhere between 1-2 jars of Emperors' Smile.

Lan Wangji turned his full attention to his husband. More precisely, his husband’s brittle, clearly forced smile and reddened eyes. Things that immediately narrowed his whole world down to just one thing,

“Wei Ying.”

The tight, high smile vanished and what was left behind was an expression far more genuine. A softer, sadder, tired smile. Along with moonlight eyes that were meeting Wangji’s own.

He watched as Wei Ying rocked forward from where he sat.

“Yes, Lan Zhan?”

Lan Wangji watched his husband for a long moment before letting out a soft hum. He knew what to do when Wei Ying got melancholy like this. The solution is simple.

So Wangji extended his hand. “...Would Wei Ying like to visit his favorite spot?”

His husband looked at him, tilting his head, his lips twisting into something a bit more…playful “Oh? Is the great Hanguang Jun asking little old me out?”

Wangji couldn't help but feel his own lips tug up every so slightly as he nodded. “Yes.”

Wei Ying flushed immediately and complained about being given no warning, but he came to stand by his side and let their shoulders almost brush.

Lan Wangji could not suppress the feeling of happiness spread in his chest, washing away all doubts and fears.

They would solve this latest problem just as they had with so many situations before. As long as they worked together, nothing could stand in their way for long.

“Come. The rabbits have missed you.”

He turned to lead the way, but could not help track all of Wei Ying’s movements from the corner of his eye, and was rewarded with a delightful exclamation and eyes sparkling with glee.

“Rabbits?! You can't mean the bunnies I gave you!? You really kept them?! Lan Zhan!”

The smallest smile tugged at the corners of Lan Wangji's lips, and he started walking.

“Look for yourself.”

~~~

The meadow was not far from the Jingshi, and when Lan Wangji stood at the edge of it, no less than five bunnies immediately hopped up to him to sniff and nibble on his robes.

Though Lan Wangji could not bring himself to look away from his husband. Watching the look of shock and glee that took over the man’s face as he spotted the little rabbits at their feet.

“There are babies!”

“Hm.”

Wei Ying immediately reached for them with a noise of delight, but Lan Wangji captured his hand before he could scare the bunnies unduly.

“Calm. Slow. Here.”

He kept his voice low in demonstration and retrieved a handful of cabbage leaves from his sleeves.

The sight made his love’s eyes go wide with mischief. “Lan Zhan….do you” His voice was shifting to a higher pitch, the playful nature shining through. “Do you really keep bunny snacks up your sleeves??”

Lan Wangji could not deny this, and so kept silent. He was not going to be teased about this yet again. Instead, he sat in calm silence and handed Wei Ying the leaves.

Despite his best attempts, he could see Wei Ying’s hackles rising. Though before he could speak Wangji started to walk deeper into the clearing, right to Wei Ying’s favorite spot.

A spot that his husband claimed to be ‘the best’ due to it being near the middle, getting the best sun, and the grass somehow being softer. Though he never understood the reasoning, Lan Wangji would also consider it his favorite spot, based on how much Wei Ying loved it.

He patted the spot next to him, watching his husband basically skip over before plopping down next to him, the fresh leaves still in hand.

This time, his husband kept quiet and mostly still, though he was obviously excited and restraining himself from grabbing at the furballs for his sake.

He could feel Wei Ying vibrating next to him, watching as more and more of the rabbits started to come out. First five, then ten, then twenty, and then the last ten or so snuck out as well, bringing all thirty rabbits into the clearing and soon surrounding them. Each and every little ball of soft fur looked for the snacks in Wei Ying’s hand.

The sheer number seemed to have stunned Wei Ying as his eyes were wide, lips silently moving to try and count the horde of rabbits before them. Rabbits of all different colors.

More than a few of the bunnies were already starting to hop into their laps and sniff for more snacks. So much so that Wangji had to reach out to pull one back from crawling into his sleeve.

The look of pure adoration, awe, and joy on Wei Ying’s face was everything.

A rush of fondness so overwhelming that he felt his heart might burst gripped him, and he could not help reaching for a hand again and keeping it in his for as long as he would be permitted.

Wei Ying blushed lightly and did not pull away. In fact Wangji could feel Wei Ying’s long, nimble fingers slowly starting to play with his own, rubbing and picking lightly at the ends of this robe. Exploring, and testing a bit of what must be something new for him.

“Ah, Lan Zhan~ Your bunnies are so chubby!” Wei Ying was passing a calm white bunny in his lap a leaf, as he spoke. “How much do you feed them? I bet old man Lan isn’t all that happy, I mean aren’t pets against the rules?”

He could hear the laughter in Wei Ying’s voice, and it brought a soft smile to his face. “...They are not pets. They just happen to live here.”

The words earn him an earnest giggle as Wei Ying bumps their shoulders together. Staying just a bit closer afterward. “Lan Zhan, you keep Rabbit food in your sleeves. These bunnies are far too cute and cubby to not be getting fed.”

The look of joy was one Wangji would not want to miss for the world. And so his eyes stayed locked on his husband, on the small bits of joy creeping on the too-thin face. A face that likely hadn’t had enough to eat, a man who was too thin, the opposite of the rabbits he is so happily watching.

“...They don't depend solely on humans for food. They are not pets.”
The words made Wei Ying lean on his shoulder, tilting his head back to meet Lan Wangji's eyes. They looked brighter than they had when they left their home.

Bunnies always worked wonders to bring light to his husband’s face.

“AH! But they DO get fed then! I bet you even built them a little hutch they can ‘choose’ to live in.”

Lan Zhan let out a small puff of air. “...That was Sizhui’s idea. He was…worried they would be cold…”

Lan Zhan could still remember it. It was the first time he was able to leave his bed after… everything. It was early fall and he had taken little A-Yuan here. The boy loved the bunnies, and soon got worried about them being cold…and so they did exactly as Wei Ying had just suggested.

Bringing up their son seemed to shift something in Wei Ying though. His husband looked back to the rabbits, petting the one on his lap lightly now that he had given out all the snacks. At the same time, Lan Wangji felt his most energetic black bunny starting to hop in and out of his own lap, going to check on its friend in Wei Ying’s care before returning.

“Thank you ….” Wei Ying’s voice was the softest it had been all day, and the most open. “For taking in A-Yuan. For raising him so well. I know it can’t have been an easy choice. Or easy to convince your clan.”

Lan Wangji blinked slowly, memories of desperation and despair, defiance and pain, pain, pain all intermingled from that time. But to this question, the truthful answer was simple.

“it was the easiest decision I have ever made.”

And one of the best. A-Yuan, Sizhui, had been one of the brightest lights in his life. A light and joy only rivaled by Wei Ying himself. If not for A-Yuan, his Sizhui, he did not know if he would have been able to make it the sixteen years without Wei Ying.

Wei Ying smiled at him again.

“You are too good for this world.”

Lan Wangji's mood darkened at this, and he clung to the hand in his tighter.

If only that were true. If only he had been smarter, more foresighted, less insecure, and rigid… A-Yuan might not have had to lose his family twice over. His love might not have needed to die.

“Lan Zhan? Are you alright?”
Ah, it seemed even now Wei Ying was capable of reading him.

“Wei Ying is the good one. Wei Ying is the one who is too good, too kind for this world.”

After all, Wei Ying was the one who went against the whole world to save the Wen, to save the innocent elderly and a mere child…no, at that time their son was still a baby, a toddler at most.

But Wei Ying only smiled wistfully for a moment and then turned away.

“Ah, Lan Zhan. If only that was true.” He felt Wei Ying trying to pull his fingers back, but Lan Wangji just held on tighter. He would not let Wei Ying pull away because of his own self-doubt.

The action earned him a little huff as Wei Ying did sit up straight again, removed his head from Lan Wangji’s shoulder, leaving a little cold spot behind in his wake.

“ I still find it hard to believe that you have given me this..” He started to wave his free hand in a circle, and Lan Wanji was sure if he had an item it would be twirling in his fingers by now.

“This life where I can walk freely by your side. That I have more than one path to walk on once more. I can only imagine what it must have cost to get to this point.”

Lan Wangji swallowed. It had cost them. In Wei Ying’s case, too much. If the world had just been the slightest bit kinder, none of this could ever have happened.

Old fear, buried deep but never forgotten, rushed to the forefront of Lan Wangji's thoughts again, and he needed, needed-

Taking in a sharp breath Lan Wangji leaned over, emboldened by the kiss they had almost shared earlier, he quickly captured Wei Ying’s lips with his own.

Chapter Text

Lan Sizhui would not turn his head. He would not turn and meet anyone's eyes. Lan Sizhui did not wish to talk about or even acknowledge that he had been crying in Senior Wei’s arms just hours ago!

Lan Jingyi held his breath as he yet again tried to quickly pivot in front of his best friend to force their eyes to meet. When Lan Sizhui only turned to avoid him, Jingyi let out a small whine. He then switched to bunny eyes.

“Sizhui……are you sure you're okay?”

He used his best whisper, after all, they were in the library. As the adults wandered to different places, they had been sent ahead to search for any possible useful information to help Senior Wei.

Lan Jingyi had been using this time to try and be a good friend to make sure Sizhui was okay!

Sizhui let out a small sigh. “I’m sure.” His voice was still tight though. That meant he didn’t want to really say, and so Jingyi pulled out his trump card,

“Lying is forbidden.”

The words made Jin Ling scoff and roll his eyes as he sat at a table nearby. “Really? Can you of all people quote Lan rules at someone?”

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but Ouyang Zizhen was a bit faster,

“Now, now, we ARE in the library, so no bickering. If we want to find a way to help Shizun then we can’t get kicked out.”

Sizhui nodded. “Zizhen is right, we need to see if we can find a way to get Xi-..uh” He paused, and Jingyi took his chance, seeing how Sizhui was blushing over his slip-up.

Slip-ups he had been having since they first saw Senior Wei at this age, at his prime of being the Yiling Laozu. This was from the last months Seniro Wei had before his death, meaning THIS was the face that had saved Sizhui back when he was Wen Yuan.

“See! You are not ‘fine!’” Lan Jingyi frowned, he knew something was wrong. Sizhui was always so calm and put together. But as soon as he had laid eyes on this Senior Wei he had broken down. That meant something was going on in that head of his. “You keep trying to call him Xian gege…..”

The worry slipped into his voice as Sizhui finally dared to meet his eyes. He kept his eyes raised, his face PLEADING, BEGGING for his best of best friends to tell him SOMETHING.

It was when Sizhui sighed and put his book down that Jingyi knew he had won.

“.....I…. I just wasn’t expecting to recognize him like that…and…and now the few people who did see him like this here…they might all be ready to draw a sword or faint or… something”

The other two looked over as well, and for once even the little princess was quiet. Ouyang Zizhen, ever kind, showed them a soft smile, nodding.

“I mean…he IS the Yiling Laozu right now……though he really doesn’t look anything at all like the post people make…Or acts much like everyone said he did…”

Jin Ling muttered what Jingyi knew all three of them had been thinking since they first saw Senior Wei that morning.
Ouyang Zizhen nodded faster. “Yeah!...though I kept thinking he might break out into some crazy cackling when he was looking over the teleportation anchor…”

Jin Ling rolled his eyes as Lan Jingyi took the chance to scoot closer to SIzhui. Opening his mouth as he nudged his friend.

“He likely just wanted to mess with us. You know how he is! How he has BEEN!..at least this time we can reason with him better and he isn’t always trying to run away from us.”

Strangely, it was Jin Ling who put a real damper on their mood.

“Well, I don’t like it.”

The three others gaped at him, except Sizhui of course, who did the Lan equivalent of gaping and slightly raised his eyebrows.

“How can you say that, Jin Ling! Senior Wei had horrible things happen to him around that time. You can't judge him for that!”

Jin Ling turned to Lan Jingyi and glowered.

“How dare you suggest I would forget! I lost my parents to those horrible things! And I didn’t say I disliked DaJiu! I just don’t like seeing him miserable!”

Ouyang Zizhen then hummed, looking down at the paper. “Jin Ling is right….I mean” He paused to try and find the right words for what he had noticed. “...It’s like…Like he feels heavier…..like everything anyone does he is taking to his heart or as an act against him…” His tone became heavier as he went on, his face dropping in a way that made Jingyi’s own heart hurt.

The room became quiet as they all sat there, letting it sink in.

“.....Well, this was arguably the hardest time of Xi-...Sinor Wei’s life that we know of…” Siszhui finally, finally spoke, but it just made Jingyi’s mood drop even more. “...After all at this point, he was living in the Yiling Burial Mound with next to nothing…He was coreless and nobody even knew.”

Lan Jingyi bumped his shoulder into Sizhui for some comfort. After all, hadn't Sizhui been there during that time?DHadn't he seen some of that hardship even if he didn’t remember it well? The way his words stopped, how his face twisted. It was clear as day that his mind was running faster than even Jingyi could speak.

Jin Ling huffed, crossing his arms as he glowered down hard at the table like he wanted it to turn to ash before him. “...And he had the world wanting him and everyone else there dead…”

Jingyi did not hesitate to kick Jin Ling HARD under the table, his own eyes hard.

Jin Ling hissed and kicked him back. “What! I’m just saying the truth we all know! That doesn’t mean I like it! Because believe me, I would have LOVED for that situation to be different! “

Lan Jingyi was ready to jump up, and he would have gone and made Jin Ling be quiet if he hadn’t felt the way Sizhui stiffened beside him. His head snapped around to watch Sizhui, and his heart twisted seeing his best friend looking…small. His gaze was down and his lips so tight, looking like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

“...Sizhui….” His voice came out tight, and somehow THAT was what shut up Jin Ling and made the little princess remember WHO exactly is in the room with him. That someone ELSE also had suffered at that time!

But then he realized with a sinking feeling that they didn’t know. As far as he knew, he was the only one Lan Sizhui had ever told.

Zizhen made a small sound of distress. “H-hey um….uh… What is wrong with you, Sizhui?..You have been off since this morning and…”

Jin Ling narrowed his eyes.
“There's something else going on, is there not?... Wait…”
Lan Jingyi started to sweat. He could see that the little princess was actually starting to use his brain to think! This was dangerous.

“ -how DID DaJiu recognize you?....”

The room seemed to freeze, all eyes on Sizhui. Laan Jingyi looked at the other two as panic rose in him and he couldn't even imagine what Sizhui had to be thinking!
How could he possibly salvage the situation and keep the secret intact-

“Xian-gege raised me when I was very small….before Hanguang Jun took me in.”

Lan Jingyi held his breath, watching the other two as his hand found Sizhui’s under the table.

He could see Zizhen start to understand what this information had to mean pretty quickly by how wide his eyes got, but Jin Ling was still frowning in confusion.

“But- you are not that much older than me! When would he have? …Oh.”

Jin Ling seemed to shrink into himself when the horrible realization slowly dawned on him, and tears started to gather in the corners of his eyes.

“XiaoShu wouldn’t have, right? I know he was… evil,” Jin Ling didn’t seem so sure of his own word choice.“ but you would have only been a little baby, right? He wouldn’t have!”

“Oh, Jin Ling…” Sizhui stood up and took a step towards their youngest friend, and gripped his shoulder to comfort him.

“It’s alright to still love your uncle. Even if he did horrible things. It’s alright.”

“NO!” His voice jumps up with his body, now standing, looking at Sizhui with wide eyes. “NO! It’s not alright! Not if this means- If you were!” He sucked in a deep breath, seeming to at the very least understand to watch his words enough that possible eavesdroppers didn’t find out.

“You were what? One? Two? That is not alright! That can never be alright!...” there was anger on his face, anger that didn’t seem to know where to go, but his voice did drop for a yelling whisper so the whole library wouldn’t overhear.

“If….If DieJui had you then he had to have found you at…at that camp….A baby shouldn’t have been at a place like that! You shouldn’t have….” He stares to growl in some frustration.

For once, Lan Jingyi felt a bit bad for him. It couldn't be easy to just keep finding more and more rot under the gilded front of your clan.

Sizhui shook his head after a moment, and gave their youngest friend a sad smile.

“I never said it was alright of Jin Guangjao to support this. But loving people sometimes is not that easy. From what you have told me, he was a genuinely good uncle to you for most of your memory. I would never begrudge you your feelings. Sometimes, we can love people even if we hate what they have done.”

Jin Ling looked at him heartbroken, and then nodded curtly before surreptitiously wiping his eyes.

“You can't tell me what to do. And do you Lan not take care of your precious books anymore? The dust is getting in my eyes.”

There were a few awkward mutters and half hearted protests, but none of them brought up this new revelation again.

Taking a sharp breath, Jingyi took this chance to try and lighten the somber mood a bit.

“Hey! Can you believe how wrong all those paintings of Senior Wei are? No wonder he is always so annoyed at them! I know I would be if someone drew me as old and ugly when I was actually pretty hot!”

Jin Ling sniffed disdainfully “The comparison is untenable. You are certainly not attractive.”

At least he too seemed willing to drop the last topic for a chance to throw jabs at each other. So Lan Jingyi would take it as a win. He shrieked in mock offense and tried to smack Jin Ling's arm in retaliation.

On the side, Ouyang Zizhen nodded thoughtfully.

“He is very attractive. Not that Shizun isn’t currently or um, in his ne- “ he could feel Ouyang Zizhen fumbling hard as the boy started to lift his fingers up to find the words he wanted. “ I mean, the body we are used to! That Shizun is more a slight and cute sort of attractive. This version of Senior Wei has a more tall, handsome, and dangerous appeal.”

Sizhui took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. And oh, he could see Sizhui’s ever-lasting patience finally starting to wear out. “Could we please stop talking about how attractive my father figures are?!”

Lan Jingyi furrowed his brows. “Where is he, anyway? I brought the evening meal to the Jingshi some time ago, but neither of them was there.”

“I think I saw them walk into the direction of the bunny meadow earlier when I did my ward check.”, Ouyang Zizhen chimed in as he slowly started to look back at the scrolls in front of him, trying to subtly direct them back to work.

All four of them halted, realization slowly dawning in their minds.

“Oh, dear…”

“Come ON!”

“They wouldn’t, right?”

“Who are you kidding? Of course, they would.”

Ouyang Zizhen moaned in despair and hid his face in his hands. Sizhui just sighed, closed his eyes and for once slouched in his seat, looking ready to fall face-first into the table.

“What are we supposed to do now?!”

Lan Jingyi sighed and patted Zizhen’s back.

“We'll just make sure sect leader Jiang doesn’t run into them,” Jingyi muttered as he put his own head in his hand and leaned forward onto the table.

Jin Ling grimaced and shuddered, but did not contradict them.

Only Sizhui quirked a small smile and nodded sagely.

“Yes. There is no killing in the Cloud Recesses after all.”

Chapter Text

Taking in a sharp breath Lan Wangji leaned over. Emboldened by the kiss they had almost shared earlier, he quickly captured Wei Ying’s lips with his own.
He could feel his husband gasp into the kiss, stunned….but not pushing away.

So Lan Wangji advanced. He leaned in closer, bringing his free hand to the back of Wei Ying’s head, letting his thumb brush against Wei Ying’s now sharp cheeks.

Hmm, he would need to make sure Wei Ying ate well today. If nothing else, it would make this Wei Ying happy. Who knew when the last time this Wei Ying had eaten a proper meal was.

Nonetheless, the feel of Wei Ying in his hand, against his lips was so familiar and yet different. He had shared only one kiss with this body before, but many, countless, with the body that had originally belonged to Mo Xunanyu.

Yes, Mo Xunanyu had cheeks Wanji made round with treats and good food. Lips that were plusher, and his overall face was less sharp. Mo Xunanyu’s face fit into Lan Wangji's hand with just a slight curve of his fingers, but Wei Ying’s body was different. Now Wangji has to stretch his fingers out and back to hold his whole world.

Even the strands of hair he pushed away when he went in felt new. Only a week ago, his husband’s hair had been a bit wild, always wavy and coming back out from behind his ears….but now Wei Ying’s hair was straight and fine. Tucked back behind his ear and staying up.

Lan Wangji felt golden warmth spread through his body at the thought of finally discovering everything about his husband, all the secrets and details lost to time and tragedy.

Of course, the way this Wei Ying and his current husband kissed was very different, but that might be due to experience. Plus, this Wei Ying, the Yiling Laozu, was likely beautifully stunned.

So Lan Wangji was careful to only indulge a little, not wanting to scare his husband off. However, he couldn’t stop himself from nipping just a bit harder than he normally would as he pulled back from the kiss, making sure to meet Wei Ying’s eyes as he did.

Pulling back slowly, he looked into the deep, wide, shocked starlight eyes. “...Wei Ying deserves good things….Wei Ying is worthy.”

He could see Wei Ying’s breath catch as he met Lan Wangji’s own eyes. The look he had in those silver pools was-

“....again….”

The word came out as a breathy whisper…and since when had Lan Wangji ever denied his husband anything?

Without missing a beat, Lan Wangji leaned right back in, swallowing Wei Ying’s cute little squeak as their lips met once more. This time, he took the chance, the invitation to push in.

~~~

Wei Wuxian felt breathless, disbelief and burning desire coursing through his veins, and he moaned, overwhelmed, unable to think.

This was new, exciting, like nothing he had ever felt before, and somehow still familiar.

Familiar because it was Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan’s hands holding him, Lan Zhan’s body pressed to his.

Lan Zhan's tongue inside his mouth.

His head was spinning, and a soft gasp escaped him. He was pressing forward, but large hands were on his chest, roaming, trailing over his arms. And suddenly they were clasping his wrists, pulling them up and the sudden lurch made him utterly unable to resist the weight pressing him down onto the grass.

Bunnies scattered around them, and hopped off to hide.

The impact rattled him, but it did nothing to quench the fire burning in his gut, and then he was pinned, and-

A sudden realization jarred him enough for the lustful haze to recede.

“Lan Zhan!!!”, he hissed, utterly scandalized. However, Lan Zhan did not move far. Lan Zhan bit his lip, AGAIN! Really Why was Lan Zhan so bitey!? Either way, the Lan pulled back just enough to give Wei Wuxian an easier time to speak. Wei Wuxian could feel the heated golden eyes on him. He was quick to push out his words, not wanting to get distracted.

“On Phoenix Mountain! That was YOU!!!”

Lan Zhan suddenly looked unbearably smug. And…oh…..oh shit. How did he look even hotter!?!

“Yes.”

Wei Wuxian gaped, feeling Lan Zhan’s breath against his skin, feeling the man’s lips ghost against his neck as he spoke.

“You! How can you just admit it like that! How Shameless! You-”

But Lan Zhan had leaned back in with that utterly satisfied look, and his breath ghosting over the shell of his ear made all thoughts fly right out of Wei Wuxian's head.

His world stopped as ….as Lan Zhan nipped at his ear before speaking.

“And you let me. I wonder, if I had gone further, would you have allowed that too?”

Wei Wuxian’s breath hitched at these words, and his eyes glazed over with lust. Somehow, his ever-racing mind was quiet. Captured in this moment where there existed nothing but Lan Zhan, the perfect second Jade of Lan, talking to HIM or all people about things he only ever skimmed over in spring books.
“I-”

But Lan Zhan was far from done, and another breath of hot air ghosted over his ear and cheek.

“What if I had reached into your robe for a touch of your skin?”

“Uh…”

“I wished to make you mine right there.” Lan Zhan paused, and Wei Wuxian felt frozen, like a mouse in the paws of a cat. His heart was thundering, and then the whisper in his ear turned into a growl. The large rough hands shifted his wrists to be held by one of Lan Zhan’s. The newly freed hand slowly wandered down, leaving a burning trail from his neck to his chest.

“With or without your permission.”

Lightning shot through Wei Wuxian's body and he jerked, throwing his head back and pressing his hips up, startled at the sheer intensity of pleasure suddenly gripping him. He had never felt this way before. Nor had he ever thought mere words and only two kisses could ever have THIS kind of effect on him.

He should not feel so aroused by the thought of Lan Zhan taking him against his will, using his body in any way he wished with no regard for him. And perhaps never even letting him take off the blindfold at all, leaving him to guess, to wonder.

Lan Zhan never would, of course, not if he really resisted, but the mere thought made him breathless with desire.

Ah……he really did love Lan Zhan, didn’t he?

The realization made something click into place in his brain as he took in a deep, sharp breath.

He loved Lan Zhan.
He loved Lan Zhan and by some miracle was in a love match married to Lan Zhan.

The hold on his wrists did not give him much room, but he leaned forward as much as he could, and whispered breathlessly:

“I would have been at your mercy….. But you missed your chance.”

And with a wicked grin and a burst of spiritual energy, he grabbed the hands holding him and flipped them over so that Lan Wangji landed on his back with a startled “Oof”, sending the fluffle of rabbits skittering into the bushes.

Wei Wuxian sat with his legs straddled over Lan Zhan’s chest, their hands switched so that now, the great HunguangJun was at the mercy of the fearsome Yiling Laozu.

“I am not so defenseless anymore. And I am starting to suspect you may have taken ruthless advantage of poor, helpless me in the past. HanguangJun should be punished.”

—-----

Lan Wangji felt his eyes widen and the air leave his lungs at the forceful impact, and the same thrill of arousal he had felt earlier when he had been pinned to the wall shot through him again.

This time, instead of letting the sensation swallow him, he let the thrill of adrenaline and arousal fuel his determination.

His husband was a sweet and willing partner. Even when he put up a fight, it was more bratty. Nothing that truly had any bite behind it. Whining, wiggling, teasing. But always HIS. His Wei Ying never truly protested, always at Lan Zhan’s fingertips. Even when he begged for mercy, there was playfulness and an ask for ‘more’ in the room.

But Today, this younger Wei Ying was truly fighting him back. Fighting for control. For dominance. Not just fighting, but now having the pure strength of body and core to make it a real challenge.

This Wei Ying could really fight Lan Zhan off if he tried. Could actively engage in a battle for dominance.

If permitted, Lan Zhan would love nothing more than to tame the Yiling Laozu.

But first, he would enjoy the weight of his husband pressing down on his crotch.

He sighed, barely audible, and started grinding his still fully clothed but ever-growing erection into Wei Ying’s conveniently placed ass.

Unexpectedly, that only got him a raised eyebrow from his husband.
He was almost insulted until Wei Ying spoke and the situation cleared itself up.

“You will have to put a lot more effort in if you want to dislodge me. It cannot be that the Lans famed strength is only in the arms?”

Ah. Wei Ying had not realized yet. He really was an innocent virgin right now. The realization sent shivers down his spine. How far would he be able to go? Would Wei Ying be bashful once he took off his clothes? Would he-

Wei Ying was suddenly nose to nose with him, a suspicious gaze fixed on his face.

“What exactly do you have to be so smug ab-”

And then he cut himself off with a small, startled squeak.

Yes. With the shift in their position, their cocks were now rubbing directly against each other. It seemed not even virginal Wei Ying had been able to miss that.

For all the talk, this Wei Ying, like the one who remembered their marriage, were both very shy about the truth of acting out the spring books he used to flaunt around.

Another squeak, even more high pitched than before, and Lan Wangji managed to break the already loose hold on his wrists just in time to keep his husband’s hips firmly in place. If Wei Ying wished to make challenges, he should be ready to meet with resistance.

“Lan Zhan, what-”

Hands now fully gripping his Wei Ying’s lush asscheeks. They were thinner now, though he knew that given the right food, they had the potential to be larger than Mo Xuanyu’s.

He ground their hips together in a languid circle.

“Wei Ying is the one who should be more attentive. Or he will soon get taken advantage of yet again.”

This finally seemed to startle Wei Ying out of his daze, and he flushed in indignation.

“You even admit it freely! And you dare call me the shameless one! I ought to-”

Lan Wangji pointedly raised one eyebrow, and thrust his hips upward sharply.
Wei Ying gave him a deep, tight startled moan, and sagged forward again when the pleasure of their cocks grinding together overwhelmed him.

Satisfied with the reaction, Lan Wangji languidly rolled them over in the soft grass, ruthlessly exploiting his husband’s distraction.
Without hurry, he took his own forehead ribbon and wound it around Wei Ying’s wrists.

Yes, this version of his husband was likely to put up much more of a fight. And the best thing about it was that no matter what the outcome was, he would still win.

~~~~

That night in the Jingshi, when Lan Wangji was getting ready for bed he couldn’t keep the slight smile off his lips

After all, the incense burner was nice, but it was truly nothing compared to the real thing. There were so many small differences between Wei Ying’s bodies, things he never could have known. Like the little marks on his back upper shoulder when he arched under his touch, the dimple on his cheek, or how his ass felt in his hands.

Oh, and all the little spots that made him moan. Spots that were NOT the same as with Mo Xuanyu’s body.

No, Lan Wanjji had the pleasure of exploring and discovering the ways to make this Wei Ying writhe. The special spots on his old body.

Like how in this body, he liked it better when Lan Wangji nipped at his neck closer to the back instead of the head.

Taking a deep breath, Lan Wangji calmed himself down as he smoothed out his (fresh) outer robe.

Yes. He truly had a dream come true today.

Not only did he get to confess to the Wei Ying he lost, but he got to make the man feel loved, wanted, and known.

Just as he was getting ready to blow out his candle and go to sleep, he heard a noise at his window.

“Lan Zhan?”

Ah……

“Wei Ying.” He called back to his husband as the man wiggled open the window with the widest grin on his face. A breathtaking sight to behold.

Truly, he wished he was a better artist, so that he could capture Wei Ying’s likeness in ink, so his mind would never forget even the smallest details.

“Lan Zhan~ “ Wei Ying made his way inside, and Lan Zhan knew that tone. It was his teasing tone. His ‘I want something but don't feel I can ask so I will tease about it’ voice.

“Lan Er-Ge, can’t this Wei Ying sleep in his own bed tonight?” He fluffered his eyelashes and oh, Lan Wangji felt like his heart might burst. As if his lungs had stopped working.

His Wei Ying, his 24 year old Wei Ying who had always been so quick to refuse to return to the Cloud Recesses with him, was now asking to stay.

To stay in the Jingshi. With him. In their bed.

He nodded, and forced air into his lungs before he could speak. “It is Wei Ying’s bed as well. He may choose to sleep in it whenever he wishes.”

He hesitated, not wanting to shatter the moment, but if rhere was a chance that this might hurt Wei Ying, he had to speak up.

“You will be confused in the morning.”

Wei Ying scoffed, but Lan Wangji resolved to remain firm on the matter.

“Wei Ying…”

“Alright, Lan Zhan. We will remain clothed. I just… I need you right now.”

Well. There was nothing else to say about the matter then.

Even if Wei Ying changed his age tomorrow, Lan Wangji got up far earlier than him. He could arrange for whatever precautions were needed.

And when he slipped under the covers, he was gifted with a bright smile. One lighting up Wei Ying’s whole face as he watched him in the dim starlight.

Whatever the morning may bring, he resolved that this would be a memory forever etched into his mind.

Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian woke slowly and reluctantly, fighting the newly formed habit of rising at an hour the Lan clan deemed appropriate every step of the way.

They should at least make their accommodations less comfortable if they expected guest disciples to wake up at such horrible, horrible hours. After all, how could he possibly get out of such a nice, warm bed?

He wriggled deeper into the warmth surrounding him and tried valiantly to fight off the rising wakefulness. He hated to admit it, but this bed is way more comfortable than his own back home. Warm, just the right mixture of firmness and softness….

Then the blanket tightened around him, and suddenly Wei Wuxian was wide awake.

The beds in the Cloud Recesses were hard and uncomfortable, indubitably healthy for back and shoulders, but nothing one could let himself sink into.

No, this was something else entirely.

Had there been a night hunt?

There were ghosts that tried to slowly suffocate their victims, but ghosts were cold, and the only spiritual energy he felt was-

Wei Wuxian's eyes flew open, even though he did not dare move any other muscle.

And then his worst fears came true when it was indeed the arm of the second young master of the Lan sect wrapped around him instead of a malicious spirit.

Wei Wuxian decided he was dead. His heart started to race no matter how much he tried to calm it as his panic rose higher and higher once he realized that he was not in the guest quarters either.

He whimpered.

“What the fuck did I do last night?!”, he whispered into the darkness and immediately regretted it when Lan Zhan shifted next to him and pulled him even closer.

Wei Wuxian froze. These arms felt…..a bit too big? Even for the Lan’s legendary arm strength, they were massive, and far too muscular for a 16 year old.

Taking in a slow breath, Wei Wuxian very carefully tilted his head up to get a look at Lan Zhan’s face and- Lan Zhan looked… different.

His features, even soft with sleep, looked sharper and more regal, and his shoulders seemed even wider than before. And those biceps were distracting! And right in front of him! Trapping him effortlessly with his too big, too long, too buff arms even for a Lan. How was he supposed to think like that?!

…It was probably just the fact that he was wearing only a single layer of sleeping robes.

This thought sent Wei Wuxian down a spiral of confusion and panic yet again, and in addition to that, left him uncomfortably fluttery in his stomach.

This was not proper at ALL! And if he wanted any chance to make Lan Zhan his friend he couldn’t be discovered here!

Alright. He had to think.

Had there been any plans for alcohol? Any last-minute shenanigans that could have resulted in… whatever this was? Had he managed to get Lan Zhan drunk?!

But before he could get his thoughts into any kind of order, Lan Zhan shifted behind him, pressing up to him, and-

Wei Wuxian realized just what was poking him in the hip, and in a fit of startled panic released a high-pitched, surprised giggle.

This finally woke Lan Zhan, and after a long, confused blink, he shifted away. Wei Wuxian moved just enough to catch a glimpse of the newly awakened second Jade of Lan. Why did Lan Zhan have to have zero bed head!?!?! Was his hair always so perfect!?

“Wangji apologizes for touching Wei Ying without permission…..”

The surreality of the situation crashed over him all at once, and Wei Wuxian could not help the hysteric chuckles. How in all the realms did he even end up in Lan Zhan’s bed!?! And WHY was the other man so calm about this!?!?!?

“Is Wei Ying alright?”

“Alright? Of course, I am alright! Why would I not be alright? So, I will just sneak back into my dormitory and we can pretend I was never here!”

Another slow, confused blink, and when Lan Zhan reached for him, he realized that despite talking about it, he had, in fact, not moved.

“...Wei Ying? Are you hurt? Are you still sore?” He held his breath as he felt Lan Zhan’s finger ghost his cheek, pushing a stray strand of hair back. The man slowly sat up on the bed.

Wei Wuxian suddenly couldn't stand simply sitting there anymore and jumped up. He stood upright beside the bed, his whole body stiff, stance like a loaded spring. Then started to point to the closest window.

“Why would I be sore?!”
And WHY was LAN ZHAN TOUCHING HIM!?!?! Did this guy not just grab him by the collar a day ago saying he didn't touch strangers!?!?

Then there was the way Lan Zhan’s shoulder fell, how his eyes seemed to lose just a small bit of their golden luster. How his jaw firmed up, resolute. Like he was disappointed. Disappointed but accepting of this fate… And in this very moment, Wei Wuxian decided Lan Zhan shouldn’t ever look like that.

“You do not remember.”

And then the pieces started to click into place.

There was no way. There was no way he and that fuddy duddy Lan Zhan had-

Lan Wangji would never!

But.. why else would he have woken up wearing only a single layer of clothing? Clothing that…that was NOT his own!?

His mouth desperately wanted to blurt out: ‘Remember what?!’, but he clamped his jaws down around the impulse. His brain was in rapid-fire mode. Nothing and everything passing by at once. Then suddenly the jumble of thoughts and hysteria became too much. His feet unlocked, his legs let him take a small, stumbling step back.

And with a garbled: “Gottagobye!”, he jumped out the window and into the darkness as fast as his feet would carry him.

He was so, so dead.

He ran around the unfamiliar grounds aimlessly for a while, until he finally came into an area he recognized again. The Lan clan was already starting to stir from sleep, and so he slowed his run to walk into the guest disciple area as casually as he could.

And with the calmer pace, he finally slowed his racing mind enough to notice.

The walkways seemed the same, but some of the buildings were off. He did not usually notice such details, but just yesterday, these roof shingles had been old and worn. These trees taller. And in the corner had been house at all.

He swallowed, suddenly on high alert, and tried to focus. But there were no seams, no cracks in the illusion, nothing he could pinpoint.

And when he finally reached the area designated for guests, he slumped in relief when he noticed a purple silhouette just leaving a building.

Wei Wuxian rushed over and quickly grabbed and tugged the arm of the purple figure, of his clansman, his senior-

-and he was faced with the lined face of his much older Shidi. Because a grumpy face like THAT could only ever be his Shidi!

Relieved, he felt as if a heavy weight had dropped off him, and he squeezed Jiang Cheng’s arm while he stared up at his brother. He silently thanked every god in the heavens that it was his own brother he ran into. The one person he could fully trust with this madness.

“Thank the gods. It’s just time travel. Can you believe I woke up thinking I had slept with Lan Zhan and couldn’t even remember it?!”

Jiang Wanyin's expression turned stormy almost immediately. His whole body snapped around to face Wei Ying, eyes scanning his whole body.

“You WHAT?!?!”

“I time traveled.” He said again, nodding, and then his eyes glanced back at where he had come from.

Jiang Cheng growled and placed both hands on his shoulder, forcing Wei Ying to look at him. “That is NOT what I was asking!”

Before he could respond to his brother, another thought hit him, and Wei Wuxian's eyes flew wide open.

“Jiang Cheng!!! Did I somehow time travel into the body of Lan Zhan’s wife?!”

As his brother slowly turned red, Wei Wuxian’s brain went off into a rush of thoughts. He let go of Jiang Cheng in order to point at himself. “Wait…he said my name…”

This realization made him look at his brother again. “He said my name….and…asked if I was sore so-”

“STOP!”
Jiang Cheng yelled, very much against the rules of this place, as he stared down Wei Ying. Wei Ying looked back up, meeting his eyes.

“Shut your mouth.” Then with a harsh tug, Wei Ying was dragged back to the building Jiang Cheng had just exited from, which was very much not the guest disciples’ dorms but rooming for more honored guests.

Interesting. Very interesting.

But before he could think about the implications of that further, Jiang Cheng pressed him ondo a seat with a serious expression.

“Wei Wuxian. Did he touch you?”

This finally caused his swirling mind to grind to a halt, and he answered slowly:

“I- it is all an embarrassing misunderstanding, right? Lan Zhan and I didn’t really- do that?”

“You are under a fluctuating de-aging curse. I am thirty-five. “

“Oh, so not time travel?” As soon as the words left his mouth he noticed the way his brother’s eyes twitched. Jiang Cheng then pinched the bridge of his nose before speaking in a slightly more strained voice.

Ah, it seemed he had somehow hit a nerve.

“I ask you again: How old are you, and did he touch you?”

Suddenly, the room felt cold, and the flush from his cheeks retreated. Lan Zhan was incredibly handsome, and he totally wouldn’t mind- kissing him? Maybe… touching? And from what he had seen, the years had been very kind to him. Those shoulders! The arms! But- there was one thing that made all the fuzzy feelings inside him die and he had to wrap his arms around himself for warmth.

“I don’t remember. Oh, and I'm seventeen.”

Strangely, the first part had his Shidi sigh in relief.

“If you don’t remember, that means whatever he did happened yesterday. You were older then.”

Ah. That was actually a much better reason for not remembering than any he had imagined. But still-

“Hey! Seventeen is plenty old enough! Who says I can't kiss Lan Zhan while I'm seventeen!”

Though, he wasn’t completely sure Lan Zhan would want to kiss him. Wait…why WOULD Jiang Chang think they were kissing? Why would they be kissing? Well, it’s not like kissing Lan Zhan would be that bad right? The guy was really, really REALLLLLY good looking. And like, super strong.

Jiang Cheng pinched the bridge of his nose, again, and grumbled under his breath.

“If it only was just that! No, you just proved my point exactly. I am still going to kill him, but at least yesterday you had some kind of idea what you were getting into.”

“Huh.” Wie Ying started to tap his chain. “This must be one weird curse. But you think I consented to… whatever happened to make Lan Zhan think I was still sore?”

The look of utter misery and disgust on Jiang Cheng's face was priceless.

“I, your brother, and sect leader, sure as hell didn’t consent to it! And I certainly never consented to you talking to me about what you two get up to!”

Well, that certainly was an answer. Wei Wuxian nodded knowingly.

“So I did consent. Probably enthusiastically. It is Lan Zhan after all. I can’t imagine him doing anything someone DIDN’T consent to.” He nodded along, following his own inner logic.

“Very good. I should go and tease him about it. I bet his reactions are even better now!”

Jiang Cheng opened his mouth for a no doubt scathing reply, then closed it again thoughtfully.

“You know what? I am just going to let you find that one out for yourself. You deserve it.”

“Huh?”

Jiang Cheng then quickly turned away, digging into a pouch only to pull out some black robes and toss them at Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian caught the robes and started to look them over. They….weren’t Yunmeng Jiang cut robes, even if they were in his personal colors. ”Whose robes are these?”

Jiang Cheng crossed his arms, staring him down. “Yours. Put them on, we have a meeting with Lan Qiren and you can’t go out in only one layer.”

Wei Ying looked down at himself again and then snickered a bit. But nonetheless he listened to his Shidi and started to get dressed. “But how are these mine? They are cut weird.”

He couldn’t see Jiang Change, but he could hear the slight strain in his voice. “Don’t worry about that. Just put them on.”

As Wei Ying got them one he looked himself over and…. “WAIT! Do I REALLLLY Not get any bigger!?!?”

The robes were only a little big on him. If they were HIS robes, his 35-year-old self’s robe then…then HE WOULD REMAIN ABOUT THIS SIZE FOR LIFE!?!?!?

“No fair! You CAN’T be this much taller than me! I’M THE OLDER BROTHER!”

Expectedly, Jiang Cheng showed no sympathy at all.

Chapter Text

Lan Qiren was not having a good day.

He rarely did nowadays, and frankly, the last time he recalled being truly relaxed was the day before Cangse Sanren's only child had set foot into his home for the first time.

He sighed wearily.

When Wangji had swept out of the Cloud Recesses four days ago, he had immediately suspected it was Wei Wuxian's fault. It usually was. Still, he had not suspected his nephew would return with the Yiling Laozu in tow!

Arguments could be made of course that he had married the Yiling Laozu, and that the superficial changes mattered very little. Lan Qiren himself found no difference, both were nuisances that never let him rest. The face behind that wild personality mattered little.

However, others never seemed to notice this fully. They did not feel the full force of ‘Wei Wuxian’ with his wild personality. Either that or it got fotten and replaced with the fear of the Yilling Laozu. As such his face meant the difference between starting a panic and not starting a panic. And that damn well made a difference in his opinion!

At least they had the sense not to use the main roads. Still, there had been several older disciples with panic attacks in the medical pavilion! The anxious voices had been getting louder and louder until-

Well. News had spread that the meadow which everyone silently agreed to be Wangji’s was off-limits for a few hours. That seemed to have calmed the worried disciples down considerably and only served to raise his own blood pressure further.

What had the world come to?!

He aggressively stroked his beard and squinted at the first rays of the new day suspiciously.
A meeting at sunrise meant a meeting at sunrise. Perhaps he could not scold his adult de facto clan head and a foreign sect leader the way he liked, but that was no reason to take tardiness without reproval at all! No respect for their elders!

Jiang Wanyin had informed him of the nature of the curse and had only just managed to contain the worst of his foul language when he had retold the events of the last days in broad strokes.

Truly, Even he could appreciate the amount of restraint it must have taken to deal with child versions of Wei Wuxian again as an adult. Oh, his grand nephew and his friends must have suffered a great deal of hardship trying to keep up with such a hellion,

Then they had then spent the rest of the evening in the library, waiting futilely for Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian to join them. Though neither man had shown up, they had at least unearthed several scrolls and books that looked promising.

And when the horizon over the mountain peaks finally turned from red to blue-gray, there was a rustle of cloth in front of his door along with a nock.

He barked at them to enter as soon as the question came, and looked up into the face of his second (third?) worst nightmare.

Behind Jiang Wanyin's broad back, the image of the boy he had failed to teach looked up at him with curious and innocent eyes. Untainted by war, hardship, and the ghost path.

The image of the boy he had failed to teach.
“Lan Laoshi! You look so old!”

Yes. The second worst nightmare indeed, and maybe even creeping into first place.

He did not dignify that particular statement with an answer and huffed instead.

“Am I right to assume that you have forgotten everything about the curse you are under?”

The bright "Yes, Lan Laoshi!”, was as cheerful as it was infuriating.

But before his blood pressure could spike even more, Lan Wangji entered the room with a dramatic sweep of his robe, and all attention shifted to him.

Jiang Wanyin immediately GLARED at Wangji with a truly extraordinary level of hatred. The sect leader even went so far as to move the small menace behind him.

And since bloodshed and killing were explicitly forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, he did not wish to test Sect Leader Jiang’s notoriously short patience.

The worst part was that Lan Qiren could not even really blame him. It would be weeks before he himself intended to go near that rabbit meadow again himself. No… He really should not leave Wangji along with that boy until the whole curse was broken. Honestly, Wei Wuxian had always been Wangji’s weak point. And like this, none of them had any idea what repercussions they would face for thoughtless actions down the line.

Lan Qiren sat down, placing his tea cup down heavier than normal, the sound drawing all eyes to him as he spoke.

“Tree curses are not very well documented, and considering their rarity, I am not surprised. There are of course numerous accounts of one turning into a Yao, but as this one seems to not have reached that stage yet according to Jiang Wanyin, the strength of the curse is quite surprising.”

He cleared his throat and pointedly did not look at the crowd in his study. They were all adults and far beyond his responsibility to teach …Well all but one, technically. This Wei Wuxian was still young, and in his own mind he was likely still a student here.

“All evidence indicates that it is actually a temporary affliction. “ As he spoke , Wei Wuxian, (Of course) started to talk over him.

“But temporary on a tree's timescale could mean decades to a human”

“Rule Number 65, do not interrupt others” His voice was cutting as he sent this younger Wei Wuxian a look. He watched Wei Wuxian press his lips together and lean back on his cushion a bit, his finger starting to fidget.

And…god Wangji was watching the child with a very inappropriate look in his eyes….

Lan Qiren could only sigh. He is going to need more calming tea if he wished to get through this day without a QI deviation.

“As I was saying: Temporary does not mean we can just wait for it to pass, since the tree would see time differently than we do…As such we have found a small handful of promising records we may find useful. Although Wei Wuxian is younger today, and lacking much of the insight his older self from yesterday would have had.”

Insight he wouldn’t have minded, but it was too late to get now. He could only spare a small glance at Wangji who looked completely unapologetic about it all.

“It would likely be best if only experienced-”

But Wei Wuxian was already completely deaf to them and was reaching for the oldest-looking scroll with enthusiasm.

“I love curses!”

Everyone but Lan Wangji cringed at that.

“Idiot! Don’t say it like this!”

There was an absent “Like what?”, but Wei Wuxian's attention was already firmly on the matter they all should be researching.

That was one thing he would give the boy. Once his Mind DID latch onto a topic of interest, there is no stopping him. If only that boy could have put even a fraction of that brain of his into normal class work, he would have been a star student. But alas, he just could never focus in class like this.

Lan Qiren sighed in defeat and motioned for the rest of them to follow suit. At least, even at this age, the boy did have SOME respect for the older texts. Despite everything, he had never seen Wei Wuixan cause harm to any scrolls or books. He might be messy and toss things around, but at least he kept them safe overall.

—-----

“OKAY!” Wei Ying clapped his hands together as his eyes scanned the messily written note before him.

After a long morning of reading and writing, and his brain stewing with all this new information they seemed to FINALLY have a few ideas……maybe….

“Soooo Trees!!! Super old, just about to reach immortality!” He pointed to his brother, who just sighed, pinching his nose and nodding. “But it was destroyed, likely by a storm. Meaning an act of nature. NOT by humans.”

“Yes.” His brother hissed out the answer, and Wei Wuxian just nodded along.

“Good good. So far only animals touched it and each turned fully back to normal after a few days….BUT!” He snapped his hand up in the air animatedly as he spoke. His eyes slowly watched the Lan’s. Lan Zhan especially, always watching him with clear eyes, his full attention never wavering. Which only made Wei Wuxian smile more.

“None of the animals had any Qi! SO that is the difference with ME!” He jabbed his thumb at his chest. “Meaning that my age has been jumping all over, not just a linear progression back to my normal age.”

He nodded to himself and started to tap his cheeks, staring at his ‘chicken scratch’ notes as his Shidi would call them. “The tree had no malice, and I haven’t shown any other negative effects, just age hopping…”

Lan Zhan then nodded. “Hm. … positive effect if anything.”

“Right right…..” He hesitantly agreed, eyes squinting.

They had records of trees being harmed by humans and cursing them. Trees that affected an area to protect themselves in various ways. Trees that sometimes gave blessings of fertile land even…but nothing about age.

“....so basically all the records we have here have absolutely NOTHING in common with this curse!”

Jiang Cheng then let out a growl. “REALLY!? You couldn’t have just led with that!”

Wei Wing huffed, crossing his arms. ”Well, what do you want me to say? We have nothing! The curse is not malicious and just about all the records we have are only about revenge against humans! The one or two about blessings don’t give us much since it’s only about blessing the land not humans or animals. Then the three cases of them protecting themselves are mostly mazes and vines. Physical! NOT spiritual and age stuff!”

He huffed, flicking his arms wide and letting himself fall back on the floor with a pout on his face. “The cases on paper have no similarities other than Trees.” He waved his hands from side to side with each point he made. His eyes caught on Lan Zhan as he sat there.

“The other cases with this tree have all been animals. We KNOW that the main difference is my core.” He taps his stomach where his core is.

“BUT unlike the animal, my age is changing a bunch, and it seems like there is no pattern to the changes either! No consistently with golden core use or lack of…. Otherwise we would see some pattern with the days I was flying on my sword and yesterday when you said I used it…but nope~ I went from 35 something to 6 to 15 to 12 to 21 and now 16! So up, down, up, down! And the number of years are all different, down 21, add 9, subtract 3, add 9 subtract 5..”

He paused and made a small hum. And shot back up, tapping his chin.

“Well, I guess I DID go up 9 years twice in a row? So….If I’m like 25 tomorrow then we might have a small inkling of a pattern ….and …did I use my core a lot when I was 12?”

He looked at Jiang Chang, who sighed and shook his head. “Not really. You spent most of the day following HanguangJun around. “

He nodded to himself and then smiled at Lan Zhan. “Okay….so maybe it has something to do with my core and my age going down?“ He tilted his head a bit looking at Lan Zhan who… looked tense.

Wei Wuxian froze, his eyes watching Lan Zhan, studying his face that somehow looked a bit too tight.

Lan Qiren's voice snapped him out of it though. “So then you should avoid using your core to see if you revert back to normal faster?”

Wei Ying shook his head and gave a crooked smirk. “Nope! I should use my core as much as possible today! “

Jaing Chang gave him another look, his face tight with confusion and Wei Ying just wanted to laugh at the dry tone. “What… But you just said-!”

“I said maybe. “ He nodded, holding up a finger. “I mean either it’s my core OR I’m just getting older by 9 years every other day…meaning the best thing to do is gather more information. Meaning if I use my core today, then tomorrow we will know if the aging up is just every other day, or linked to my core use. Or maybe even completely random.. If I DON'T use my core we will need to wait another whole day for any kind of information. Jiang Cheng can monitor my Qi use so you have an estimate tomorrow!”

Across from him, Jiang Cheng buried his face in his hands with a groan.

“Why me. Why is it ALWAYS me.”

Wei Wuxian, in a moment of benevolence, patted him on the back.

“There, there. It’s not like I am going to die, right?”

Chapter Text

Hello one and all~~

Frist, let me say thank you all sooooo much for all your lovely comments and the shockingly high amount of kudos!  Like wow....we are stunned with how many are coming in....

Now! done to the point of this little chapter (Which will be removed before we post the next real chapter)

You see, we love all our little ducklings here, and it has come to our attention that three of our ducklings have been done dirty! >:(

Yes, you see Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi AND Ouyang Zizhen have been woefully ignored when it comes to their swords! Because somehow, some way, our ducklings' beloved bladed, between books, comics, animation AND live actions are STILL nameless!!  And this just is NOT fair!

We here at Glimpses Of the Past will not stand for this injustice any longer! 

As such we are calling on you! Yes, YOU! Are dear readers for aid! Please give us some ideas about what our beloved ducklings might have named their swords and why! 

Together we can right this wrong!

Love,
Cookie and Geli

Chapter Text

Lan Jingyi would not admit to lying in wait for the meeting to end even on pain of being forced to sit still for hours.

Especially not since he was far from the only one.

But at least with all four of them here, they had the somewhat reasonable excuse of chatting in a seemingly random location for their loitering.

As their prey finally left the meeting, Wei Wuxian was already shifting closer to Lan Wangji. His eyes were scanning over HanguangJun the way they always did, with wonder and adoration, but now there seemed to be a different element to it as well. Perhaps starry eyed disbelief?
Of course, they all had heard tales just how hard Wei Wuxian had been trying to befriend HanguangJun in their youth. And how horribly the war had sabotaged their blossoming relationship and feelings. Still, it was almost painful to watch this innocent adoration now and know where it would end.

As an adult and mentor, Wei Wuxian represented everything the previous generation had sacrificed to Lan Jingyi. How they had torn their own lives, souls and bodies apart so their own children could have peace.

And even in that peace, Wei Wuxian had been the one to show the cultivation world that not all that was different was bad. And that responsibility should always be something to be taken upon themselves, instead of demanded from others.

“Lan Zhan~”

But today…

Looking at the 16-year-old in Sinor Wei’s robes, Lan Jingyi’s mind stopped.

This was a Senior Wei who was right around their age. Carefree, with none of the burdens placed upon him weighing him down. As innocent as them. It was the age Senior Wei had met HanguangJun. Meaning this was the age he was when he first sparred with HanguangJun, the moment he consistently waxed on and on about whenever he got a chance to talk about how they met. So right now, Senior Wei was about even in cultivation skills as HanguangJun was at seventeen. Just a little bit younger than them.

Lan Jingyi’s eyes were wide as he watched the teen. Despite it still being fairly early, and everything so strange, the boy was sticking close to HanguangJun. He was almost dancing around him, and now he was in the very familiar black and red robes he always wore. Sect leader Jiang was trailing behind them, looking annoyed.

And all Jingyi could think was,

“...I want to spar with him.”

These words made Jin Ling whirl his head around. “What the hell are you talking about!”

Jingyi jumped, not having meant to say that out loud. “What!?” He looked between the little princess and Senior Wei who was now staring at them.

“When will we ever get another chance like this! I mean, we can see how we match up to not only Senior Wei, but also HanguangJun when they were close to our age!! This is a once in a lifetime chance!” He flailed his arms around as he talked, vice rising in volume as his excitement built.

“We are the top of our generation! Have you really never wanted to know how we compare to the top of the last generation!?!?”

This finally got his friends’ attention, and they started murmuring in consideration when a voice broke through their growing excitement.

“....He is the loudest Lan I have ever seen.”

The words made Lan Jingyi stiffen and go quiet as he turned to look at Senior Wei, who was watching them. He had heard those words all his life. So often he would hear them with a disappointment-laced voice, followed by a punishment for breaking the rules. It was something he had gotten used to.

And yet Senior Wei was smiling at him, grinning from ear to ear and eyes shining with mirth. Even without knowing him, Senior Wei was smiling at him, happy about what he had just seen.

Wei Wuxian leaned even more into Lan Wangji's space, tugging at the man’s sleeve and grinned up at him.

“Speaking of sparring! WangjiXiong, you must have gotten even better over the years! And you were already a respectable opponent back then! The Lan arm strength is truly impressive!”

“Mn.”

“Say, how about this generation? Are they any good?”

“Mn.”

“You would say that…Wait! Lan Laoshi did mention something about a grandnephew before we left. Would any of them happen to be your kid? “

“Mn”

“Let. me. see!”

Senior Wei then looked over all of them, his eyes darting between himself and Sizhui.

“Hummmmm then…is it the one with the nice smile?” He turned to look up at HanguangJun, who even nodded to that one. But well, he always was more..vocal? Active? When it came to acknowledging Sizhui. Then again, ANYONE would be proud to call Sizhui their son!

“Mn.”

Wei Wuxian shot him a teasing smile and slithered even closer to Lan Wangji.

“Would that make me his mother? Or is there another? How many wives does it take to satisfy the second Jade of Lan?”

Lan Jingyi felt his jaw drop at the interaction and felt himself blush furiously.
He knew Senior Wei was shameless, but this was too much!

And to make it even worse, HanguangJun immediately whirled around to take Wei Wuxian's chin in his hand and tilt it up.

“There has only ever been Wei Ying. I have always wanted none but Wei Ying. I will never desire anyone else.”

A beat of silence, and then a high-pitched squeak that cracked right in the middle echoed over the serene landscape.

“LAN ZHAN!!! How could you! So shameless! Do not talk so earnestly out in the open! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”

“And anyway! You can't be counted as impartial if one of them is your son, and you know it! For all I know they aren’t any better than, say, the peacock.”

“Mn.”

“Ooohh, burn. But still. I doubt they are like us.”

“Mn.”

This time, even the older disciples listening with growing confusion and annoyance could hear the definite “No.” In the monosyllabic answer. It was, in Lan Jingyi’s opinion, quite offensive. He pouted.

“Hey! We are pretty good! And you are just a teen! Younger than me, even! I bet any of us could mop the floor with you!!” This time Jin Ling called out, his face turning a bit red in the face. If Lan Jingyi had to guess, it was from his father being brought up. He winced.

Wei Wuxian smirked.

“Wanna bet?”

Lan Jingyi took in a deep breath and then quickly made a small pivot to HanguangJun and bowed. “HanguangJun, this one would like to request an official sparring match with Senior Wei!”

He might be loud, but even HE knew there was no unauthorized fighting allowed in the Cloud Reesses!

Jin Ling then followed suit. “This one would like to make the same request! “

There was silence for a moment, and Jingyi didn’t even need to look up to know who HanguangJun was watching.

“Lan Zhaaaaaaan Come on! Please! It will be soooo much fun! And plus, We DID just say I should be trying to use my core! And when I am done, perhaps we could go for a round?”

Jiang Wanyin hissed in outrage at this last request, and quickly grabbed Wei Wuxian by the back of his collar.

“No, you will fucking not! And YOU! Keep your hands off my brother, you predator!”

Wei Wuxian looked between them in confusion, and then rolled his eyes at Jiang Wanyin.

“What are you even talking about?! I can spar with whoever I want! What has gotten into you? Anyway, can we Lan Zhan? Please?”

He could hear the slight escape of breath from HanguangJun.

“Mn….back training field.”

Jingyi popped right back up. “Thank you HanguangJun! “

Wei Wuixan then turned to Sect Leader Jaing. “Jiang Cheng! You judge to make things far!”

“What? Why me?”

“Because you are out to spoil all of my fun anyway! Make yourself useful at least. And this way Lan Zhan’s son can request a match without having to worry about favoritism!”

Senior Wei then turned to Sizhui and flashed him a bright smile. “I can see it all over your face! You want a match too, right? No need to be shy! This will be soooo much fun!”

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes.

“You are just trying to get fresh meat who doesn’t know you are crazy so you can beat them up. But joke's on you, these kids have met you. They are not going to let you walk all over them. Right, Jin Ling?”

The last part was said in a very pointed voice, and Lan Jingyi shuddered. He had no idea how the little mistress had become so immune to that particular tone. It still gave him the urgent need to either flee or grovel for forgiveness.
But sure enough, Jin Ling was completely unaffected.

“Jiujiu! What is that supposed to mean?! Of course I am going to win! You just watch!”

Sect leader Jiang shook his head and looked them over with disdain that Lan Jingyi still had some trouble believing was actually false.

“Just don't embarrass me!”

But now even Ouyang Zizhen was smiling enthusiastically.

“Yes! Come on! This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to see Wei Shizun go up against his own inventions!”

This stopped Wei Wuxian short where he was still excitedly bouncing around Lan Wangji.

“My what?!”

And now Lan Sizhui blinked, and an angelic smile that was definitely hiding a dangerous streak of mischief spread over his face.

“I am sure Senior Wei will have no trouble countering what he himself has thought up.”

“Ahaha… Lan Zhan?”

Wei Wuxian suddenly looked a lot less sure of himself, and looked over at HanguangJun for any kind of warning or reassurance.
But he only got an intense look and a very vague non-answer in return.

“Lan Sizhui is a credit to his father.”

This did not seem to abate Wei Wuxian's sudden trepidation at all.

“You mean yourself, right?”

Lan Sizhui’s smile turned even sweeter, and Wei Wuxian looked between them with rising dread.

“RIGHT?!”

Chapter Text

Lan Jingyi could not stop himself from vibrating in excitement. This was his chance! Of course, it was still an uneven fight, with him being several years older than Senior Wei. But since he was being honest with himself, he could admit that he would need the advantage sorely. There had always been a brilliance in Wei Wuxian's unorthodoxy, and he doubted this young version of him would be anything less than one of the most dangerous opponents he had ever faced.

“Begin!”

With a whoop of joy, Lan Jingyi rushed forward, completely unable to hold himself back to assess his opponent for a few moments.

Senior Wei smiled back at him, stance loose and his grip on Suibian casually confident.

Then he was upon him and-

Fast.

Fast and smooth.

This was the first thing Lan Jingyi noticed as his match started. Senior Wei, even at this age, was swift as a current.

He had seen the way their Senior Wei moved in battle before, how he ducked and weaved, but this, this was something else.

They were used to his flute, as he still rarely if ever used his sword, and somehow it seemed to change his whole pattern of movements.

For every three swings Lan Jingyi made, Senior Wei made one, and it seemed like he was made of water, gliding past the blade like it was nothing. Just narrowly dancing out of its reach, twisting and shifting ever so slightly.

If it were any other opponent, he would jump back more, gain some space between himself and his opponent to utilize his superior strength and reach, but Wei Wuxian was far too fast for that. By all means, he should be just within arm’s reach, but he moved in a way that always keeps him JUST inside the range where Lan Jingyi could not get power into his swings.

Truly, he could now see exactly why Senior Wei and HanguanJun called their first meeting a “moonlight dance”.

What was even more interesting was how Senior Wei held his blade, keeping it close but low. That was the new factor in all this, the unknown.

If only he could get a proper hit in…

Lan Jingyi feinted left, and let his guard lower on purpose, affecting a stumble while letting his sword gain momentum-

And finally managed to catch Suibian in a lock.

As their blades locked, he could feel himself push Senior Wei back just a bit. The slightest of tremors as his opponent quickly shifted to slide his blade off of Suibian.

And a whistle. Sinor Wei whistled as he pushed forward again, using speed to get close.

“Aia! So strong! You Lans and your arms!” There was a snicker in his tone as he used a quick jab to try and catch Jingyi off balance, but the attack was blocked.

“Though I have to say, that is one sturdy sword you have! “ He could see the way Senior Wei’s eyes flashed over his blade when he pulled it across in a controlled swipe to counter a probing hit.

“I bet a sword like that has a nice name right?”

“Of course my sword has a name! It’s ChenSheng!“

To Lan Jingyi’s chagrin, his idol started laughing, and he could not help but pout.

But Senior Wei was quick to notice his drooping mood.

“No, no! I like it! I like it a lot! I just never thought I would see a Lan with a sword named like this! You must really be an amazing character. Honestly, the Lan sect could use some more outspoken sincere voices! ”

Warmth flooded through Jingyi at those words, and he felt himself flush with happiness. This had always, always meant the world to him. To be seen as a Lan, and still have his most basic traits praised instead of belittled. Few people accepted him for everything he was, and Senior Wei had been the first to be vocal about it.

He started grinning, and looked up again, only to see the young version of his mentor gone.
Immediately his smile fell.

He had messed up.

He had messed up so bad, and before he could even look around in confusion,
“Where- Agh!”

Cold steel pressed into his neck, and the whisper of fox-like laughter played around his ears.

“A bit too easy to distract though!”

Jingyi just lowered his sword and groaned. He felt Suibian’s sharp blade leave his neck, and Senior Wei was already spinning around to be in front of him.

The now 16 year old hummed as his eyes locked on ChenSheng.

“That really is a finely crafted sword. And BOY do you have the arm strength to match it! Oh man, I think you might even have more raw arm strength than Lan Zhan!”

This made Jingyi’s eyes go as wide as the moon.

He had better arm strength than HanguangJun did at this age…. HE COULD MATCH UP TO A YOUNG HANGUANGJUN!

Granted, he was a few years older than they had been at that point, but still! This was so awesome!

“You really think so?! That's amazing!”

Senior Wei smiled dreamily.

“Of course, Lan Zhan was very slim back then. Almost delicate. And such fine bone structure! But seriously, you seem to be really nice! I wonder if I would have been so focused on annoying him if there had been Lan disciples as entertaining as you!”

Immediately, the joy from the comparison vanished and left behind horrible, horrible dread. Lan Jingyi could feel the sudden drop in temperature at his back.

“Aha… I am sure I am super boring in comparison. Not noteworthy at all. Anyway, what did you think of my footwork? You have been helping me improve it!”

And so he managed to quickly direct the conversation to the much safer topic of the various ways he could still improve.
At least until Senior Wei casually stepped to the side to avoid the flat of the blade coming at his side from behind.

~~~

Jin Ling had slowly been creeping closer while Lan Jingyi was talking everyone's ears off, and was now finally in a good position to attack.

Lan Jingyi might be unbearably annoying on a good day, but he was an excellent distraction.

And sneak attacks were something his Jiujiu absolutely hated and never seemed to see coming, so there was a chance that his Dajiu might react the same.

And then, just when his friend got properly excited about the topic he was talking about, Jin Ling took the chance to strike.

There was no reaction in the first split second of his silent attack, so he smirked and turned the blade to the side in order to not actually injure his uncle.

Who stepped to the side at the very last moment and almost caused him to overbalance and crash into Lan Jingyi.

Almost.

He flushed, almost physically feeling his Jiujiu's judging stare burning into his back, and scowled after straightening back up from where he had absolutely not stumbled.

“Wei Wuxian! It is now my turn to fight you!”

Next to him, Lan Jingyi squeaked in protest.

“Hey! It's still my turn! I wasn’t done talking to Wei Qianbei!”

Then the man in question started to laugh. “Oh wow! I must be really popular to have TWO young masters fighting over me!” The joke just made Jin Ling's skin crawl a bit, he even let out a low scoff at his uncle's foolishness.

Jin Ling tossed his head in a haughty gesture and pointedly did not state the obvious that he would have wasted a valuable opportunity if he had waited until they were done being distracted.

He loved his friends. They were his first and still only REAL friends. People who saw him for HIMSELF and not what happened surrounding his birth, not his new power…just Jin Ling.

But GODS they could be really slow sometimes.

He would have the best start of the fight. Unlike the others, he KNEW how Jiangs fought. And he had heard that at this age, Wei Wuxian had fought like the embodiment of a Jiang.

Like water, like river and rain. Like a ranger passing through the woods without leaving a single trace as they hunt. All five senses ever locked onto their prey.

But unfortunately, they were not alone.

“A-Ling! What have I told you about this underhanded behavior! Face your enemies like a cultivator! Not like a coward!”

The words stung like they always did, but time, experience, and new perspective had dulled the pain. It had taken some thinking, but Jin Ling had realized that while his uncle was still the most powerful man in the world, he was not actually right about everything. That his words hid a whole lot of meaning that was hard for even the ones closest to him to decipher.

“I'm not a coward! But I'm not stupid either! If I get the chance to win a fight before I even begin, I will take it!”

But before his uncle could shout back at him, a whisper of air had him turn and duck on instinct, and before he knew it, Suihua was locked with Suibian.

His Dajiu was grinning at him.

“How very Jin of you! But at least you have the skill to survive what you dish out. I like that!”

“Wei Wuxian! Stop encouraging this!”

“Cheng-Cheng! Stop being so boring! He was very smart to try. You need to utilize every advantage against a superior opponent!”

He used this small break in focus to push back, only unlocking their blades as he started to move into the Jin footwork for a large overhead spinning swing.

“Superior opponent?! You underestimate me!”, Jin Ling boasted, once again eying his Dajiu's defence for any openings.

As he brought his sword down, his uncle ducked under it, swiping his foot out to try and trip Jin Ling up in his spread-out stance. But like water falling into a pound, he jumped up, putting just a bit of spin to the move to slash back.

“Ohhh~” Wei Wuxian made a sound of interest as he used Suibian to deflect the attack. Jin Ling let his body move with the redirected focus to regain a proper stance before charging right back in.

Wei Wuxian swayed to the side, using his arms to try and push Jin Ling out, but Jin Ling was quick to move around his grasp and recover.

“Interesting!” He refused to take his eyes off Wei Wuxian, as the man was now grinning from ear to ear.

“Ah-ya! Well done!! You have a lot of smooth Jiang footwork mixed into your flashy Jin moves~ so well taught! And I like the way you take advantage of every little distraction, no matter what proper form or etiquette says! Very, very useful if you want to survive an actual fight, not just in a training ring!

From the side, Jiang Wanyin groaned.

“I am going to call this match and declare you the loser if you don’t stop giving him ideas! A sparring match is not the same as an actual battle! He needs to conduct himself with honor!”

But Jin Ling could hear the reluctant approval just fine, and let his chest puff up just a bit.

It was true after all, he was both a Jin but ALSO a Jiang at heart. Raised half in both sects, but his Jiujiu had always been the one who took a heavier hand in his training. The one who made sure he would be ready to handle his father's sword when he came of age. That his core and skills would be sharp enough. But even through this, he had never lost sight of his father's legacy either.

Many of the Jin would scoff at how he fought, thinking it was not as ‘refined’ or ‘decisive’. They did the same with how he drank his wine. Despite the fact that the Jin sect was meant to be his home, that he was the leader, he still heard it from time to time. He heard many of the distasteful comments about him. About how he is not a ‘real jin’ not ‘suited’.....

There was nothing like hearing the style he had stubbornly clung to all those years praised so genuinely.

The disciples at Lotus Pier would laugh sometimes about how he was all ‘prim and proper’ but they would do it in a way that felt like they were trying to laugh with him, not hurt him.

Now here his Dajiu was, grinning broadly and exclaiming about how much of a mesh of clans he was. Beaming with pride…

And Jin Ling went in for a sharp attack from the side, shaking it off before he followed in Jingyi’s footsteps and got distracted.

That was the hardest part about fighting someone like Dajiu. It was too easy to get distracted by his chatter or the, frankly, mind-boggling skill.

Wei Wuxian laughed, and the two of them slid into a type of dance. Jin Ling used the Jins’ large, flashy strikes to attack, but then blended in the Jiang’s flexible flowing footwork to dodge and keep balance better.

The hardest part was that his Dajiu was fast.

VERY fast.

And the worst thing about the end was, he saw it coming. He recognized the glint in the man’s eyes when he realized he was about to win and there was absolutely nothing Jin Ling could do about it.

All of a sudden, his fighting style switched. Instead of waiting for Jin Ling to appear and then moving to throw him off, Wei Wuxian took the offensive.

He moved in fast, tossing an increasing amount of quick strikes at Jin Ling. The strikes might not have a lot of power, but they were lightning-quick, and overwhelming in number.

It was like trying to block raindrops in the middle of a downpour.

Jin Ling couldn't dodge them all, nor could he move his own blade fast enough to block. His blocks were not fast enough, and each time he shifted to block one, dodged a second, Suibian was already on its fourth that would nick him, and then the fifth that would hit him on the other side, making it near impossible to keep his footwork and balance in check.

And then, he was lying on his back.

Dazed, he blinked and looked up. He had been so focused on the sword work and rapid strikes, he had lost track of Dajui’s footwork…and then got tripped.

“DAMN IT!”

And that only sets off ANOTHER cackling laugh.

“Oh man! You really spent a lot of time around ChengCheng to curse like that!”

Chapter Text

Ouyang Zizhen was nervous. He was not hotheaded like Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling, or calmly confident like Lan Sizhui.

His heart was beating wildly, and the nausea in his stomach made him seriously rethink his decision to participate in this madness.

But he also really, really wanted this. To measure his hard-earned skills against the greatest master to ever walk the earth, and in a way that he actually held a sliver of a chance at winning! It was a thrilling thing, and not something he would miss out on for the world.
Now if only he could get his shaking knees on board.

Ouyang Zizhen awkwardly cleared his throat and bowed respectfully.

“Thank you for granting me this opportunity, Wei-Shizun! I promise to do your teachings proud!”

Wei Wuxian blinked for a moment and then beamed at him.

“I have no doubt about that! I have taught many a Shidi in my time, and they have all turned out well!”

On the sidelines, sect leader Jiang groaned.

“Stop talking like an old man! How are you supposed to know they turned out fine?! You only really started teaching at thirteen! They could all be drunk rogue cultivators for all you know!”

Senior Wei rolled his eyes theatrically.

“No way. Our Shidis are awesome. Any student of mine is bound to be an accomplished and praised swordfighter. How dare you suggest otherwise.

“It’s not our Shidis I doubt, but your influence!”

Wei Wuxian reeled back as if struck, though he could not help the broad grin on his face.

“Jiang Cheng!”

Cold dread slid down Ouyang Zizhen's back, and he swallowed.

He was a fairly decent swordsman, of course. Even if his friends’ influence had not ensured it, his upbringing had very much demanded it.

But- he was not on their level. Lan Jingyi was surprisingly competent, and Jin Ling was slowly growing into Suihua's weight. He was showing all the signs of soon becoming utterly brutal with it. And comparing himself to Lan Sizhui was futile in all aspects.

And Senior Wei had not taught him swordwork at all. So the match had not even started, and already his promise to make his teacher proud was feeling empty and baseless.

But he would give his best to fulfill it anyway.

And with that thought in mind, he channeled energy to his fingers to form the first seal.

The moment the greenish-yellow energy sparked, Wei Wuxian's attention zeroed in on him with intense focus, and it was obvious the world around them had ceased to exist for him. In his Shizun’s eyes, he could see that all-too-familiar spark. His lips curved up in a very familiar type of grin, one that shows just how eager he was for this fight. His mind shifted to life in a new way.

“Ooohh… I did not just teach you some cool moves. I made you dangerous.”

Ouyang Zizhen swallowed and viciously suppressed the urge to bow again, to explain himself, even to flush at the praise. But he didn’t. Instead, he completed the seal without letting himself be goaded into distraction.

The flare of energy released into the ground right by his own feet, and he breathed in relief.

On the other side of the training ground, Wei Wuxian's eyes widened.

“What did that do? It looked complete, but-”

He looked around the floor intently, as if waiting for it to erupt, and Ouyang Zizhen took the chance to attack.

With his sword Yongxin in his right, and his left continuing to gather energy for quick discharges, arrows of light or simply to hold it in preparation, he started the dangerous dance he had been trained for.

He could still feel the remnants of clumsiness in his hand, not bad, definitely improving, but for now still there. But his opening move had served this part of its purpose well, and Wei Wuxian was distracted with scanning the ground almost nervously from time to time. This allowed Zizhen to keep up better than expected.

Ouyang Zizhen shot another bolt of energy into the ground when his feet reached the opposite end of the field, making sure he had as straight of a line as he possibly could. This made Senior Wei's eyes narrow, the look he got when his mind was racing with information and putting puzzle pieces together.

“This is not just a distraction, and I know it. Does it take time to unfold? Multiple applications? Energy buildup?”

Ouyang Zizhen swallowed, both intimidated and proud of how fast his teacher had almost come to the correct conclusion, but kept his expression as blank as possible.

A step forward, and suddenly Wei Wuxian was right inside his guard.

Ouyang Zizhen inhaled sharply, but the blow that would end the bout never came, and instead the teen was looking at him mulishly.

“Why aren’t you talking?! I can see you want to! I certainly never taught you to be quiet in a fight!”

His heart was hammering, and Senior Wei was still just in front of him, Suibian poised casually where he just knew any movement from him would end the match, and-

“Wei Ying did teach Ouyang Zizhen not to talk during this kind of fight.”

Wei Wuxian startled, and swiveled around to face Lan Wangji, allowing Ouyang Zizhen to hastily put some distance between them.

“Eh?! Why would I ever do that?!”

“Because you are very good at getting whatever information you need from your opponents. And Ouyang Zizhen is not a dishonest boy. His advantage in this fight are the secrets he can keep until you have to face them. To protect them, he is silent.”

There were practically hearts in Senior Wei’s eyes after this and he gushed: ”Lan Zhan! So smart!”

Ouyang Zizhen wanted to sigh in happiness at the romance (and the vague compliment).

On the side, HanguangJun nodded.

“Wei Ying indeed is very smart.”

Which instantly turned his opponent into a stuttering mess, and allowed Ouyang Zizhen to stealthily place the second-to-last talisman anchor into the ground.

Only one more to go!

Then, as his teacher was still recovering, he pulled out one of the paper talismans he had prepared for the day. After spending the last few days chasing after his teacher, he had thought ahead today and prepared something…. sticky.

Before Wei Wuxian could turn around Zizhen tossed out the activated talisman, watching as Senior Wei tried to dodge, but misinterpreted the talisman’s target. It landed on his sleeve, and he waved his arm, only for the sleeves to touch his body, and the talisman stuck to both. Partly pinning his arm to his body.

This only made his teacher’s eyes go wide as he tried to pull his arm free, but the sleeves would not budge.

“Oh, oh, did I know this talisman? I must have had so much fun with this!” He could hear the laughter in his Shizun’s voice. Ouyang Zizhen then tossed out a few more papers to help keep Wei Wuxian busy and buy him time.

And then, he was finally there and throwing all caution in the wind, he let his face split into a grin while he rapidly formed the energy. He sprinted to the final point in his circle, though from the corner of his eye, he could see that Senior Wei already had his arm out of his sleeve, and was hot on his tail.

Ouyang Zizhen wasted no time dropping to his knees, slamming his hands to the cold earth below him. At once a spiderweb of energy shot into all directions-

Until an open palm slammed down right next to his, wrestled control over the array from him forcefully, and reversed the positions of the attacker and victim.

And in a flash of energy, it was all over.

Ouyang Zizhen groaned, and let himself flop onto his back, the hum of energy-like ropes keeping him in position. He had been so close!

Outside his prison, Senior Wei was crouching and studying the cage intently.

“Interesting. Really interesting. Did you know it's much harder to make a shield stable from attacks on the inside than the outside? This is fascinating work. You used anchor points almost like a farmer would use fence posts when constructing a pen! That way instead of having one point to center it all, you get a much more stable effect. Very practical!”

With a sigh, Zizhen made a small sound. “Yes…. we are still working on making the anchor points easier to set in battle….”

Lan Shizui calmly dispelled one of the talisman anchor points, and the cage collapsed.
Ouyang Zizhen stood with one smooth motion, still grinning from ear to ear.

He clapped Sizhui’s back in a friendly manner and retreated to the sideline, where Jiang Wanyin was pinching the bridge of his nose.

~~~~~

“Alright, Lan Sizhui. I actually only agreed to this little experiment so that you lot could tire him out! At least make him work for it! He has barely spent any spiritual energy at all! I expect you to step up your game!”

Lan Sizhui felt his smile stiffen on reflex, the particular tone of voice oh so reminiscent of countless embarrassing encounters from before.

Even though he knew now, and could actually tell the difference between disdain and worry, both had the tendency to make the hairs on his arms stand on edge.

And- there actually was worry in them.

Lan Sizhui blinked and turned his full attention to Jiang Wanyin.

“As sect leader Jiang wishes. May I inquire just how much energy would be ideal?”

It was a frankly inelegant probe, but if there was something wrong, he had to at least try and get a hint as to what it was.

And judging by his father's blank stoicism, Jiang Wanyin was not the only one who knew.

Which would have been valuable information to have before they had started! If they needed Wei Qianbei to expel a lot of energy fast, they could have worked together!

“Hummm how much energy did I use when I was 15 and 21? Probably at least that much. Maybe a small bit more just to be sure.”

Lan Sizhui turned to look at Senior Wei and then glanced back to both Sect Leader Jiang and his father for confirmation.

Jiang Wanyin glared at him and shook his head sharply.

“No! You will get a real workout, or I will beat you into the dust personally! Stay on the safe side for once in your life, damnit!”

Lan Sizhui watched while they bickered and only when it did not look like they would stop anytime soon did he clear his throat politely.

“Senior Wei, I am ready. If you wish to start the match, I am at your disposal.”

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes and faced him with a grin.

“Aia! There you go, scolding me into good behaviour. And being so polite about it too! You know, Lan Zhan is never this polite to me.”

Fighting the urge to remain stoic and not grin back, Lan Sizhui lowered his head demurely.

“HanguangJun is our greatest inspiration, and I am sure all encounters that were interpreted as impolite were simple misunderstandings.”

There was a derisive snort and a choking noise from the sidelines, but their audience remained silent otherwise.

And good thing too… if he and Lan Jingyi got reminded of that horrifying first stay of ‘Mo Xuanyu’ in the Cloud Recesses even one more time…
But that thought did give him a sudden idea on a possible strategy. Now if only he could steer the inevitable banter into the right direction…

Then he heard a laugh, “A-ya! Such a filial child you are!”

Sihsui just smiled and readied himself with a small, “Mn”, the same exact way his father always did. This sound only made Wei Wuxain laugh even more.

Taking this chance, Sizhui approached for a quick but precise strike at Wei Wuxian’s side to try and throw him off balance. He caught a glimpse of that playful smile as the man dodged to the side with a spinning jump.

And so their match began in earnest.

Sizhui had not just idly waited as the others had their turn, instead he had observed carefully. Now he was pressing forward, one powerful attack after the other. He watched and studied how this younger Wei Wuxian fought with his core not yet gone, and still fully in the Jiang sect.

He had taken careful notes, and now he made sure to put them to use.

He knew his sinor was fast, and so he made sure to stay light on his feet to compensate. He did his best to keep moving, to keep Senior Wei at the right distance. In a place where he could be a bit farther, but move in at a moment’s notice for a timed strike.

As they traded powerful blow after blow, Senior Wei just smiled even wider. Unlike with Lan Jingyi, Senior Wei was attacking him a little more, and instead of flat-out dodging, he was redirecting more attacks. Like water dripping down leaves, shifting the strength of his attacks to the side. Trying to use his own power against him, but he knew how to shift his balance so it didn’t work well and he could practically feel the spiritual power move in his opponent to augment the strength that was not on the level of a Lan.

Senior Wei was very hard to catch though. He kept jumping around, and spinning more to draw in his attention, to keep him moving as well. It was different from how he was fighting the others. Far more intense.

Their match was going strong for some time, and Sizhui did his best to keep up. And after a bit he heard a laugh. “Ah-ya! You really ARE Lan Zhan’s kid! You fight almost exactly like him!”

The bright grin and the gleam in Wei Wuxian’s eyes showed pride, joy, like this was the best thing in the world…. but it felt a bit off to Sizhui.

After all, he had two dads. Both of them loved him like their own, and made him into who he was. Who had saved his life.

When Senior Wei said things like that, about him being ‘ HanguangJun’s son’ it always started by calling him ‘my’. Or ‘his’ as well. HIS little radish. HIS duckling. Wei Wuxian’s something, and HanguangJun’s son. He belonged to them both!

So, Sizhui shifted his stance, taking on some footwork that HIS Xian-gege had taught him. It wasn’t a proper Lan Stance or move, but it added to the form. It was footwork that catered specifically to Sizhui and how HE fought.

He swung his blade down and then up, shifting to the right and then attempting another slash from the side. The move utilized his high amount of precision in his strikes.

The move made Senior Wei stumble just a bit, his eyes going wide.

Sizhui just smiled even while his chest swelled with pride. “I believe you will find I have two loving fathers who have taught me well.”

Wei Wuxian looks at Him and tilted his head a little bit, “you really are, aren’t you? “ Shizui could still hear the breathy disbelief. “How on earth did I manage to get Lan Wangji?!”

Sizhui kept his face carefully blank to hide his amusement. This was the perfect opening.

“You confessed by shouting that you wanted to sleep with him in a room with the chief cultivator, both of your brothers, nephew, and various other cultivators and monks. Then you proceeded to kiss and… other things right in front of everyone.”

Wei Wuxian paled and then flushed rapidly. His stance unbalanced as his eyes widened to the size of the moon.

“I didn’t!”, he squeaked, and pulled up his hand to hide his burning face. The other still gripping Suibian lowered.

“Nooo! I- Lan Zhan wouldn’t! Right?!”

Lan Sizhui could practically feel his father's satisfaction radiate all the way across the training field, but did not turn to confirm it. Instead, he takes his moment.

Using the moment of shock, he pulled out another trick his Xian-gege took the time to teach him, an old favorite. As quickly as he could, he activated the talisman paper he kept in his sleeves into the paperman stunning spell. With a quick burst of energy, he tossed it ahead of him. Unlike with Ouyang Zizhen, this time Senior Wei was fully distracted, lost in his own frantic disbelief.

The paperman hit, and Sizhui could feel it the moment his Xian-gege came back to himself, realizing what had just happened. He had left his guard down. Though before he could act, Sizhui already rushed forward as quietly and fast as he could and reached for the hand carrying Suibian while pushing it back and to the side with Chenxi, and in the blink of an eye, Wei Wuxian was disarmed.

There was stunned silence for a moment, and then a deafening cheer that was almost definitely against the rules from his three best friends.

“You did it!! You won! I can't believe it!”

Lan Sizhui let himself grin from ear to ear.

Chapter Text

Even though it was just a disarm and not an actual end to the spar, there was no thought of continuing it.

Not with the three Juniors rushing into the training ground and babbling excitedly while they swarmed Lan Sizhui with their congratulations.

Lan Wangji himself felt his spine straighten with pride, and he let a tiny smile appear on his face when his son looked up before taking his position at Wei Ying’s side.

Wei Ying was looking at the spectacle of jubilant juniors with mild confusion and an endearing tilt of his head.

“They are very… excitable?”

Lan Wangji nodded to acknowledge the question. He supposed for a version of Wei Ying that had not yet reached the height of his fame, this level of celebration over a (slightly dubious) victory must appear quite strange.

“To achieve even this kind of triumph over one as skilled as Wei Ying is worth celebrating. Their reaction is proportionate.”

Next to him, there was a sharp intake of breath.

“Ahaha- If Lan Zhan says it, it must be true!”

Lan Wangji preened.

He then saw Wei Ying starting to rock on his feet, his smiling shifting into a more playful look. “Sooo~ Do I get the honor of sparing with the heart Lan Zhan next? Or do you want me to break a few rules first?” 

Lan Wangji felt himself grow hot and opened his mouth, but Jiang Wanyin interrupted them with his booming voice. “No! You are not sparring with him. For fucks sake what do you think will happen?  You were just about even at your age! How do you think it will end fighting an adult!?” 

Wei Ying started to pout, rolling his eyes. “But Jiang Chang! The whole point is for me to use up energy!” 

The sect leader just scoffs, and the juniors seem to quiet down in order to observe the interest at hand. “Yes, use energy, not get your ass handed to you on a silver platter. No. You are done sparing. I will not condone him touching you even in a fight. If anything, train or something to use up more. Go run off with your ducklings and pester them with your questions and shit.“

Wangji’s brow turned down just the slightest bit as he listened, but Wei Ying seemed to brighten up. 

“Ducklings?” 

As his young husband spoke the words, sect leader Jiang just waved his arm over to the group of juniors in question. Lan Wangji had heard his husband happily call the juniors his ‘ducklings’ many times. A term of affection when referring to the group of four who took such a shine to his husband and appreciated him for who he was. 

“Really? Already ducklings? Not minnows or guppies? “

To this,the sect leader only rolled his eyes. “Yes, you call them ducklings. You saw their skill for yourself.“

For some reason, the more this conversation went on, the more Lan Wangji felt as though he might be missing something. Some small piece of information that would put this into context. From what he could gather, it seemed like the two were speaking of some type of ranking system? 

Then Wei Ying bounced over to the group, his arms behind his back as he walked up to Lan Jingyi first “So, Loud Lan, do you often fight alongside Lan Zhan’s son?” His words were knowing, despite having no way to truly have access to this information. 

“Yes?” The boy answered and Wei Ying nodded, tapping his chin with his finger.

“Thought so! Your way of fighting would fit so well together. Your powerful strikes and his precision. He can draw them into place, jump out quickly, and leave you a perfect opening to get in there and take a power swing to stun the target. And I bet that gives the little Lan Zhan time to set up any type of trapping, or spells you want to use?”

The two of them smiled brightly, with Lan Jingyi almost vibrating on the spot.

“You really think so? Thank you so much, Senior Wei!”

The two others joined them, and Ouyang Zizhen clapped them both on the back before shouting boisterously:

“We can truly call ourselves accomplished cultivators now after this kind of praise from Wei Shizun! This calls for a celebration!”

Jin Ling perked up, but then drooped again sullenly.

“No alcohol in the Cloud Recesses. How would that even be a celebration if we can't even drink?”

Lan Jingyi immediately took offense and scowled at him.

“Hey! Who says we can't have a party without alcohol?! I for one would much rather actually be able to remember spending time with my friends instead of drinking myself to oblivion!”

Jin Ling sniffed haughtily.

“Well, if you pass out, you are obviously doing it wrong! Just stop before you get blackout drunk!”

Next to Lan Wangji, Wei Ying snorted.

“Oh, my sweet, innocent nephew. You still have a lot to learn about Lans. But hey, I actually have the perfect solution for your little problem. …How about some soup!?” 

Though Lan Wangji was watching his Wei Ying, he couldn’t help but notice the way Sect leader Jiang’s eyes went wide at the suggestion.

~~~

Somehow Lan Wangji was blessed enough to be rid of sect leader Jiang for a short time as the man offered to go into town to pick up the lotus root and pork ribs himself

This left Wangji alone with his husband and the children for a bit in the Jingshi to cook. After all, it was only in their own home that Wei Ying could cook with as much meat and spice as he wished. 

Now his husband was going through their kitchen with wide eyes 'ooh'- ing and ‘ahh’- ing at all the spices they owned. Spices his husband had spent most of their married life slowly collecting. He watched as Wei Ying grinned wider each time he found one he now needed, and also noticed the stunned look on young Jin Ling's face as his uncle started to chat absentmindedly about what they needed. 

Lan Wangji couldn't help but feel proud that they somehow had everything other than pork and fresh roots at home. 

Of course, most of those currently present knew just how important this soup was to Wei Ying. It was something he often talked about, a piece of his past that meant so much to him. A comfort….and something that has been lost to time. 

Of course, Wei Ying had told him that Jiang Yanli had taught both boys how to make it in their youth, but over time, after years of hardship and loss, the recipe for this soup was yet another casualty to trauma and faulty memory. 

Lan Zhan had tried several times to help his husband recreate the soup, but Wei Ying only remembered bits and pieces. 

The fact that this soup that Jiang Yanli always used to soothe her brothers and spend time with as a family, that it was this very soup that now continued to crack away the walls that now stood between the two men was not lost on Wangji.  

“OKAY! We have everything we need for the lotus root and pork rib soup! “ Wei Ying nodded to himself and then tossed Jin Ling a potato. “Well, my little nephew, time to peel! I KNOW Shijie would never let you be clueless in the kitchen! Oh! And little Lan Zhan! You can help wash the carrots. My mysterious Ouyang student, you get two pots of water boiling. One big and one medium. Loud Lan, you will help Clean the lotus root. Jiang Cheng will prepare the meat!“

Despite their busy hands and the general bustle of the kitchen, the group fell into a peaceful rhythm as they worked on their assigned tasks.

Wei Ying’s voice was steady and calm while he told them bits and pieces he had learned about cutting, seasoning, and steeping. Lan Wangji followed his words as closely as he could, but the cadence was soothingly meditative now that all important instructions had been given. Almost like- He had not known Jiang Yanli well, or much at all, but the way Wei Ying’s words flowed over and around them reminded him of her nonetheless. 

Of the few times he had met her during the war she took over the kitchen. 

The four Juniors relaxed as they settled into their tasks, a tension he had not even realized laying on them slowly releasing as the steam started wafting up from the pots and the pork ribs were slowly starting to cook.

Not long after that, the scent of cooking meat wafted around them, and one after another, Wei Ying deemed the other ingredients ready to go into the pot.

It was only when he absentmindedly reached for the dried chilis the third time, that Lan Wangji stealthily hid them in his sleeves. He would enjoy anything Wei Ying cooked, of course, but this moment was important for Sizhui too, and he wanted his son to enjoy all aspects of it. And three good sprinkles of chili seemed quite enough.

Though sect leader Jiang noticed this as well and glared, using a harsh tone. “Wei Ying! Stop trying to put more chilis in! Add that stuff to your bowl, not the main pot!” 

He would make sure Wei Ying had chili oil available to adjust his own portion when they ate.

Wei Ying just rolled his eyes at this. “Jiang Cheng! That is what the ginger is for! It mellows out the chili and gives the soup that special flavor!” 

This caused Jiang Wanyin to pause, and his eyes widened. Wangji strongly suspected this might have been one of the key things neither brother could remember about the soup at the current time. Although he could not help feeling highly dubious about ginger, which was spicy in itself, mellowing other spices out. But he steeled himself to enjoy anything Wei Ying made anyway. Especially since this seemed to actually be the recipe Wei Ying had once confessed to losing to his bad memory. It had been a sad evening, full of liquor and morose wishes to change the past.

And once all the ingredients were in, and all that was left was waiting for everything to cook, Wei Ying took to telling them small snippets of his and the Jiang siblings’ childhood, likely not even noticing the awed focus they were all directing at him. This time, even Sect Leader Jiang bit his tongue and just rolled his eyes as Wei Ying chattered.

For Wei Ying to talk so openly about his past was….rare.  Wie Ying loved to talk, but never much about himself. It seemed the Juniors were getting a special treat. Young Jin Ling even more so as Lan Wangji knew how hard it was for both Wei Ying and Sect leader Jiang to speak about Jiang Yanli. 

“Ohh man Shijie was so mad at us too!” Wei Ying’s joyful laugh spills out. “We came back in the middle of the storm, soaking wet and completely COVERED in mud from head to toe! BUT! We did find her lost hairpin! She was glad to have it back, but she scolded us the whole time we took TWO baths to get it all off… and made us wash our robes on our own. “ 

Wei Ying leaned back, rocking on his cushion, his eyes looking around only to land on a jar of small trinkets Lan Zhan kept. Wei Ying’s eyes then went wide. “No way! Lan Zhan!” His voice rose, full of shocked joy as Wangji looked over to meet his gaze. He could see Wei Ying's eyes brighten. “Lan Zhan!!!! Did I start to crow you to!? And you kept them!?!?”

Lan Wangji felt his ears heat up and gave a proud nod.

“Mn.”

Wei Ying blinked.

“You… did? Seriously? You don’t have to, you know! It's not even important stuff! Just little trinkets that make me think of you!”

Lan Wangji could not even imagine discarding any gesture of affection coming from his husband as ‘not even important’. How ridiculous. 

“They are gifts from Wei Ying. That makes them important.”

Wei Ying turned slightly pink at his words, huffing lightly. “Ahya! You sound like Shijie!.. They are just shiny rocks!  I don’t get how both of you just decided to hoard them.“  

Wangji felt himself sit up just a bit straighter when Wei Ying brought up his beloved sister. Did…did his beloved do the same thing with Jiang Yanli all those years ago? 

A quick glance at Jiang Wanyin confirmed this…and…

Well Wangji did not think he could imagine something that would be a higher honor from his Wei Ying. To be treated to an act he used to do with his beloved sister was truly the highest form of love for Wei Ying. After all, Wei Ying loved his sister more than anyone, Wangji knew that Jiang Yanli was like the mother Wei Ying never had. She was also the one person whose blessing he wished he could have gotten for their union.

Nonetheless, this new information just made his collection of so-called ‘ shiny rocks and trinkets ever more valuable. 

“Proof that Wei Ying regards me as much as I regard Wei Ying is priceless… ”

Wei Ying stumbled over nothing and almost managed to casually put his arm into the pot of simmering soup. (Ouyang Zizhen caught him at the elbow at the last moment with an alarmed squeak.)

“Ahaha, how? What? Why? Ah, I think the soup is ready! Please sit down everyone!”

Lan Wangji side-eyed the pot, entirely certain that only minutes earlier Wei Ying had declared that it should continue to simmer for an incense stick more, but he was not about to contradict him, of course. 

Instead, he wordlessly gathered bowls and spoons, and watched Sizhui politely herd the group outside to a stone table next to a small, murmuring brook.

Wei Ying set down the soup pot in the middle with perhaps a little too much force, but the motions of setting aside the lid and inhaling the wafting steam visibly calmed him.

He kept up a soothing murmur of conversation while he portioned out the soup, and only looked at Jiang Wanyin strangely when he failed to return the light teasing he directed at his foster brother.

But Jiang Wanyin's attention was directed at the bowl of soup in his white-knuckled hands and nothing else.

His hands were shaking lightly as directed the spoon to his mouth. 

A strange tension rose between them as if they were all waiting for Jiang Wanyin to give judgment, and even Lan Wangji could not help waiting with bated breath to see if he would have to step between them, protect the one he loved, but-

Nothing happened, and Jiang Wanyin set the empty spoon back down. A single tear slid down the cheek he had turned away from his brother, and suddenly all four Juniors looked down or to the side to spare his dignity.

“Eh?” Wei Ying asked, seemingly clueless about the fragile emotions threading between all of them.

“Don't pretend it's that bad! I worked hard to get this good at soup making! I will just take all your pork ribs if you don’t even appreciate them!”

Jiang Wanyin took one more shuddering breath and pulled a mask of annoyance over his face.

“Keep your hands to yourself! This was a group effort, and you have no right to decide who gets what! And it's not as good as A-Jie's soup anyway!”

Wei Ying gave an adorable scoff. “Of course, it's not as good! But I am getting pretty close, and you know it! So show your appreciation properly!”

Jiang Wanyin scoffed but quickly went to eat more soup.

Wei Ying huffed in response, sticking his tongue out at his foster brother before serving each of the Juniors their own healthy bowl of soup. He placed one in front of Jin Ling first, his smile bright as the stars. “ I know no one can match Shijie's, but that doesn’t mean my little nephew should be soup-deprived! “

Jin Ling looked at the soup and then nodded, seeming to bite the inside of his lips as he held the bowl close to his chest, cradling it like a priceless treasure. 

He waited for Wei Ying to turn around before trying it, and well, Wangji pretended not to notice how wet the young man’s eyes got. 

As he turned his head, he was met with two pairs of pleading eyes from both Sizhui and Jingyi. 

Ah….right. There was meat in the soup. 

Lan Wangji sighed, mentally put it on the list of rules broken today (they were at fourteen so far.), and gave a small nod, closing his eyes to signal his approval. After all, he could hardly think of an occasion more special than the one they had been presented with today.

~~~~~

In the evening, Lan Sizhui looked over the careful notes he had taken with a critical eye, and after a moment placed the brush down with a smile.

Senior Wei always made sure to hammer the importance of being observant at all times into each and every one of them. Ensuring they were always looking for details, even when they were not night hunting. And Sizhui has never been more grateful for that skill. 

Because of this very instruction, Lan Sizhui was able to take careful notes of everything that had been going on in the kitchen. Listening to the directions that this younger Senior Wei had given each person, catching glimpses of the amounts of each ingredient, when he added it, and to what. Each time he had taken a moment to memorize this information, and now he had written it all down. 

He tucked the dried sheet under two scrolls Wei Wuxian used regularly and went to bed excited for his Xian-gege’s face when he returned to his current body and mind and found the recipe for the soup he had spent many nights trying to recreate waiting for him.

Chapter Text

Lan Qiren could only stare.

He had gotten up and was on a peaceful morning walk, trying to calm his blood pressure from the day before, when he stumbled upon a child.

A child who could be no older than six at best, but was as small as four or five. A child with sunken cheeks, messy hair, robes far too big, and, dear gods, did he even have shoes on!?

Lan Qiren knew who this child was. Oh, how those silver eyes and the red ribbon haunted his nightmares… but he was also a teacher. A teacher and a parent, if not in blood, then every other way.

As a teacher and parent, he couldn't just leave a child this small alone, much less so on such a cool morning. No, he would pray no soul would be so cruel as to abandon a child to the cold.

And yet the small child was standing there, smiling at him like nothing at all was wrong with any of this.

“...Wei Wu-” He paused as the child just kept giving him that same smile. A smile he knew couldn't be true. Not when he had only found the child because of a growling stomach. Not when his toes were red from the cold ground and snowy mountaintop breeze that was flowing around them. Not when this child was so clearly lost and had to be confused out of his mind by how he had even got here.

No… this small child was not ‘Wei Wuixan’, he had not been given that name yet.

Taking in a long breath, Lan Qiren steadied himself. He could do this… This was not Wei Wuxian, but a small, very lost, cold, and indubitably sacred child.

“...A-Ying…” The name came out a bit strangled, but the child’s eyes widened, the smile flickering for a moment.

“....you know A-ying?” The voice was soft and unsure as the frail-looking child pointed to himself.

Lan Qiren was not sure what to make of the look he was getting.

“Yes. I do. As such I know this is not where you are meant to be.”

As soon as his words left his mouth he knew he picked the wrong one. The smile dropped instantly; now, staring at him wide eyes were clearly full of a fear he had never seen in them before.

“A-A-Ying is sorry!” The child immediately bowed, before…before turning to RUN away.

“No running in the Cloud Recesses!” His tone came out sharp in his surprise, sharper than he should have let it. After all, this was not the troublemaking Wei Wuxian. This was a scared child, and neglected children do not react well to harsh tones. But STILL!

….of course, the child just proceeded to run FASTER.

Lan Qiren could already feel a headache coming on as he quickly walked after the child. His longer legs gave him the ability to catch up in mostly open space or the Cloud Recesses, but it was not an easy task. “Wei Ying!“ He called out again in frustration, as the child, dear gods this still barefooted child in baggy robs, tried to dash into some bushes, only to trip over the hem of his own robes and fall flat on his face.

Taking the opening, Lan Qiren was quick to move in and grab the Child, lifting him up by the waist before he could get back on his feet. His eyes scanned over the small body for any signs of cuts or scrapes. Thankfully, all he could see was dirt and grass smudges. Nothing that a (clearly needed) warm bath and new, fitted robes wouldn’t fix.

“Wei Ying! Do you even know how dangerous it is to run around barefoot? Much less in such thin ill-fitting sleeping robes at this time of day!”

He was met with wide silver eyes and a face that lost the seemingly eternal smile that it wore. Instead, he got a face filled with fear. “ I’m sorry. I-I didn’t take them! T-they were just on me.”

Lan Qiren took in a deep breath, and turned to walk back to his own home with the child. “ I do not doubt they were. However, that is not the problem here. It is very cold out, and you should not be out in a light sleeping robe, nor should you be walking around without shoes on.“ He kept his voice even and focused on what he could do for now.

Wei Ying slowed down his struggle as confusion seemed to take over. Slowly, that smile started to come back and…Well Lan Qiren could not for the life of him think of a reason this child should be smiling at him.

“A-A-Ying will give them back! He will go back now. “

Lan Qiren gave him a look. “A-Ying will be going to take a bath to clean the dirt off and warm up. Then it will be time to eat before we go and find sect leader Jiang.”

There was hesitation from the boy, and he looked around warily before he finally nodded.

The hesitation was understandable, Lan Qiren supposed. Considering where the child had come from, it was probably more that he did not dare disagree with the adult that had caught him, and- Well. Lan Qiren was not going to ponder on matters he had no way to change. He would instead do what he could do here and now. And warming the boy up with a warm meal and a good scrubbing would certainly be an excellent first step.

Or at least, that had been the plan. Lan Qiren had (very reluctantly) made the decision to try and feed the child first before giving him a bath. Even if the very idea of dirty hands and clothes at mealtime made his skin crawl, sacrifices would need to be made in the name of a scared young child growing trust in his temporary caretakers.

“A-Ying can really have this?”

Lan Qiren tried not to sigh. He had been asked that three times now, and the child had yet to touch any of the food. Not a single grain of the rice, or any of the simple steamed vegetables.

“Yes. This is for you only. You may start to eat now.”

That seems to do something as he watched A-Ying slowly reach out to pick a few grains of rice with his finger, making Lan Qiren cringe inside. Still, he held his tongue for the moment.

This was just a child.
A child who lived on the streets.
Who had no one to teach him HOW to use chopsticks…
Just….he held his tongue. There would be time to teach later, once the child was calm, clean, and had a full stomach.

…..besides there was no talking while eating, and so Lan Qiren started to eat his own food. The room was strangely quiet for a place that held Wei Wuxain, but for now, Lan Qiren would count his blessings. It would not remain quiet for much longer as he had already sent someone to fetch sect leader Jiang as soon as possible.

He had also sent for some smaller robes and a bath. No child would be left in such thin, ill-fitting, dirty robes on his watch.

~~~~~~

The room was still smelling of the bath herbs and hair oil when Jiang Wanyin finally caught up to Wei Wuxain.

And then he immediately blanched at the sight of a tiny, scraggly Wei Wuxian…no Wei Ying. . Even smaller than when he had regressed in age the first time.

… And thinner. Much thinner. He swallowed around the knot in his throat that was adamant at trying to choke him. His own mind did not want to admit how old he knew Wei Wuxian was right now. Not when he was seeing his brother in extra layers of Lan robes to compensate for his thin frame.
“A-Ying?”

The tiny bundle in Lan Qiren’s arms turned to look at him hesitantly, and he could see the hauntingly large eyes widen in surprise. Eyes that scanned him up and down, lingering on his clarity bell before slowly looking up.

“Baba?”

The voice was tiny, hesitant, scared and- Wei Ying had already forgotten his father's face. Jiang Wanyin felt his heart break as he stepped closer, and even though the need to just give in and confirm the child’s, his own brother’s, erroneous belief was almost overwhelming, he pulled himself together just enough to shake his head.

“No, A-Ying. I am not your father. But I am a good friend of his. May I hold you?”

This lie at least fell much easier from his lips. If he had ever met Wei Changze, he could not remember it, but his father had. And he would not, could not, let his brother continue to believe he was completely surrounded by strangers and potential enemies.

Not again.

Never again.

He had already made mistakes the first time. He was a child then, of course, but he wasn’t a child now. No more mistakes like that.

There was disappointment in Wei Ying’s face, but no surprise. The deep purple robes were rare enough that there would be some superficial resemblance between him and Wei Changze, but nothing more.

The boy looked up hesitantly at the man still carrying him, and Lan Qiren nodded firmly.

“Your father and sect leader Jiang were indeed close friends.”

There was no lie in that statement, however, misleading it was in the situation. It seemed even a Lan Qiren would give comfort to a beaten-down orphan as long as he did not have to lie directly.
Even if that orphan was Wei Wuxain.

Wei Ying still looked hesitant.

“Are you sect leader Jiang?”

Jiang Wanyin took a small step closer and reached his arms out in invitation.

“I am. May I-?”

This time, the little boy slowly and cautiously obeyed, Jiang Cheng carefully lifted his brother into his arms with a practiced ease.

As soon as Wei Ying settled, Jiang Wanjin felt another spike of unpleasant emotions…. Wei Ying just…just went right into not only his arms but also Lan Qiren's. The arms of complete and utter strangers without much thought. He just…. believed them!?

Wei Ying trusting Jiang Cheng made some sense. After all, his purple robes and bell matched that of Wei Ying’s own father. Something familiar, something that could mean safety….but Lan Qiren? What reason would Wei Ying ever have to trust that man? A stranger he knew NOTHING about!

Taking in a small deep breath, he looked down at his small, smaller-than-ever brother. “... let's go get some food.” Jiang Wanyin remembered all too well that when Wei Wuxian was this small, you had to TELL him it was time to eat, not ask, not offer, TELL. A fact he hated and that he would not share with that stone-faced tight-ass Hanguang Jun.

Lan Qiren was already stroking his beard as he looked at Wei Ying. “ He already ate two bowls of rice.”

Jiang Cheng just ignored him. He didn’t care much about Lan's rules on a good day, now he couldn’t give a flying fuck. If this clearly starving child is still hungry, he WOULD feed him more food. He would use that teleportation talisman to bring them both back to Lotus Pier right now if that was what he had to do.
He glared.

Fortunately for everyone involved, Lan Qiren did not comment further beyond cautioning against heavy foods that might upset the tiny stomach enough to vomit. And though Jiang Wanyin did not manage to actually coax the little one into eating more, he did give him several handfuls of dried fruit and nuts that Wei Ying could squirrel away into his robes the way he had often done after first arriving in Lotus Pier.

It was both a relief and heartbreaking to watch the child relax just a tiny bit with every bit of food stashed on his person. It was something Jiang Cheng had known back then, a small fact that had never really left his mind most of his life.

‘Wei Ying feels better having food stashed in his sleeves.’
A habit their sister had pointed out to him. One he remembered her constantly feeding by always slipping Wei Ying different little snacks and sweets that wouldn’t easily go bad.

Though he had always known this, it was only now, seeing it play out as an adult and as someone who raised a child that it fully hit him. That the full implication of this fact started to click into place. That his heart felt heavy and his chest tight. From the way Lan Qiren’s face seemed to age with grief, he was not the only one having some small bits of Wei Wuxian trivia being placed into a new light.

Ah well, it could not be helped. And the tiny smile on his brother's cheeks when he conspicuously pressed another smoked fish into the small fist out of Lan Qiren’s line of sight was worth it anyway.

~~~~~

Lan Wangji woke up that morning slightly earlier than he normally would. His mind was busy with a type of excitement he knew he should not have, but something inside of him was… buzzing to see what form his Wei Ying would be in today.

Truly, he had been very blessed by the gods to be able to see his Wei Ying in so many different forms, and at so many different points in their shared life.

As such, he did not wish to waste even a moment of this blessing. As soon as he had his morning meal, he was quickly walking to the quarter sect leader Jiang was staying in.

And well…. nothing could have prepared him for the sight that awaited him as he opened the door.

Chapter Text

So, we have the good, the neutral, the problem, and the solution!!!

The Good:
I would say about ⅓ of the remaining story is written! (though not in order...)
The whole story IS planned out, though! We have about 2 more age sections after the current one. And maybe a few bounces.

The Neutral:

Due to life (nothing bad!!!), this cookie is now more or less a solo writer for the fic! But I WILL FINISH THIS!!!!
August is my one month off from grad school, so that should give me the free time and brain juice. As such, my personal goal is to have it all written by the end of August.
(Q: Would you like me to post as I go? Or wait till I get it all done and do weekly post from there? )

The problem:

I am not that good with spelling/grammar….
Oh top of that, I often need another person to bounce off of a bit or at least give me some feedback so I can get my brain going to do the things and move past blocks. My writing isn’t always the best without someone else talking with me about things…

The solution:

I want to find a beta reader to help with the spelling/grammar and writing block/ suggestions/and proofreading to make sure things work.

As such, I would like to humbly ask if anyone reading this might be interested???

If so, I would like to initiate contact over Discord, and then I will share a link to my current working Google Doc from there..I will post a Discord group link below to start contact!
(Or if anyone even just wants to chat WangXian fun stuff.)

Thank you all SO MUCH for all the comments, kudos, and sticking with us as life/ gradschool/writer's block and more. It means a lot to still see comments popping up and people excited!

Again, I promise I will finish this fic!!

Discord:
https://discord.gg/6dXgVTyq