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Lan Wangji had died a slow, but peaceful death. 

He died after what seemed like a routine night hunt. Died of the consequences of his work on the line of duty. One could say that he died defending the weak, battling evil, and bringing the light. 

However, this didn't bring any relief or lift any of the weight of guilt, burden, and loss. Lan Xichen lost his brother. 

His dear little brother lay bedridden for a couple of days before succumbing to his injuries. It was terribly sad. But at least the whole family was there with him to say goodbye. 

Lan Wangji was a young man of twenty-five years. He had barely started his career as a cultivador. He was a quiet and noble person. 

His family loved him dearly, but there weren't any visitors at the funeral. He didn't have any close friends, had never dated or shown an interest. 

He was shy….

Many people thought he was aloof. Even cold. But not many people got close enough to really know him. If any outsiders showed up at the funeral, it was just done out of respect for his clan, his lineage, and his family. 

It was a life cut short way before its time. 

But he was a Cultivator, and that meant that he always faced dangerous situations. And the unpredictable nature of their line of work meant that this could be a possibility. 

They accepted this; they knew this could happen; this supposedly made them ready; the rituals and their beliefs guided them. It's still unexpected and unfair. 

And despite mourning, it's to be expected, one must carry on. 

Lan Xichen tried

His brother did not….

++++++

At first, it was the feeling of someone or something lurking in the shadows. Took some days to grow into sounds. 

Footsteps walking the wooden walkways of cloud recess. It grew like the moss in the woods over the following weeks. It infected the walls, the furniture. 

You could feel him near, and you could hear him walking. Until Lan Xichen heard the echo of his voice. 

They all eventually noticed him. His stubborn little brother hadn't passed on. 

Cloud recess was the ancestral home of the Lan cultivation clan. It was a sacred, holy, and peaceful place. It was protected by the wards, by sigils and talismans. This prevented any resentful creature, spirit, or energy from penetrating the grounds. 

This meant the place wasn't haunted in the typical sense. After all, the spirits of their ancestors had to walk the grounds. They were consulted, they were venerated, they lay in their cemetery, and their shrines in their ancestral hall. The wards allowed spirits to roam free if they weren't malicious.

Wangji wasn't a resentful spirit. But he wasn't peaceful. He was troubled, perturbed, and restless. 

Wangji was a restless spirit. 

And yet, they ignored it for several days until his Uncle acknowledged the problem. 

They heard his footsteps in the dining room.

“Wangji is not…at peace,” said Uncle slowly.

“I know,” he nodded. It was difficult to put into words, but he still said. “Whatever he…let unfinished, must be a very powerful thing.”

“It is,” nodded Uncle. “He was ritualistically cleansed as a child, just as you were. And we practiced the proper rituals at the funeral. We played for his rest, the only reason he could overpower all those rituals it's because the reason is way too powerful.”

“He's…suffering?”

“He must be,” said Uncle with a heavy sadness. “And I have a theory. But it's imperative we contact him on the beyond before others say anything about it. And to seek the proper solution.”

“Inquiry…”

“Mhm” 

The next night, after dinner, uncle and he prepared for the séance. Although Xichen didn't eat much. His stomach was in knots. 

There were no words to describe the sadness he felt. 

“According to textbook examples,” began Uncle, sitting in front of him. The Guqin is in the middle between them. Xichen puts his hands nervously on the instrument. Wangji was a young man of twenty-five. He suffered no difficulties in life. No hunger, no pain, no resentment, no debts, no unfinished revenges. He had a good life. The only thing he didn't get to experience was…”

“Love,” sighed Xichen, nodding.

“He was too young, and it might not have been important to him while alive. But we can agree that he was a strong cultivator with a strong Yang energy.”

“So his rest would be unbalanced.”

“Indeed…happens to many men who died…single”

Xichen sighed. 

“But this is just a theory; only he can tell us what his unfinished business is,  so we can proceed with Libation”.

Xichen plays inquiry for Wangji. And his brother tells them that he feels in a state of confusion. 

It's particularly obvious he is. He grew restless and unsettled after a couple of questions. But the message comes across anyway. Wangji does feel alone in the afterlife.

At the end of their session, his brother became so agitated that the lights began flickering, the strange aura grew heavy, an unnatural silence quieted the sounds of the mountains, and brought the chill of winter in the middle of spring. 

The room becomes so filled with restless yang energy that it's suffocating. Xichen plays Rest for his brother. 

But Wangji is so anguished, and he is so powerful that there's no way the song is going to liberate him on its own. The song soothes his spirit for the night. 

“Well, continue this in front of the Elders.”

Xichen nods. 

++++++

The next time, they summon Wangji in the Mingshi. The place is a blessed spot. The energy is balanced, and Wangji is less agitated and more vocal. 

Wangji plucks the strings of the Guqin, and it is so weird to see them move on their own. Not because Xichen hasn't seen it before, because he has. For countless spirits. 

But this is different; he can almost see the outline of the person missing from this realm. The phantom impression of his loss. But this is not real. It's only the feeling that his brother should be in front of the Guqin as always. 

Wangji answers coherently and actively, but everyone in the room looks worried. After an arrowing answer. Someone in the room states the obvious aloud. 

“He's…unaware he's dead”

That pierces his chest with so much pain. He ignores the Elders and tells his brother. “I see, and what do the foggy thoughts say?”

He guides Wangji into stating his need. But Uncle was desperate for a clear answer, so he played the question. “You want a cultivation partner.”

“I think…yes…” The strings say. 

There's a collective reaction of the elders and family present. 

“Surely you aren't suggesting!!” An Elder says, agitated. 

Another says, “What else is there?, Suppression?”

“He was a strong cultivator. I can feel the Yang energy barely contained in this room. If not properly dealt with, it would surely grow unrestful until it becomes resentful anyway. Elimination is the only answer!”

There's a chorus of dissent and indignation.

“Surely you aren't suggesting we eliminate Wangji's soul!!”

“ Surely you aren't suggesting what I think you are thinking!”

Uncle raises his voice, “Lan Wangji is the second young Master and heir of this clan!. He died as a hero, and we won't eliminate or suppress his soul!.”

There's a heavy, charged silence. 

Eventually, another elder says. “He is, he was . But you are implying we celebrate a Ghost marriage!”

Third Aunt interrupts. “Why not?”

She's three hundred years old. She's old and wise, but more often than not, so out of date with the current times. It wouldn't be the first time she approved or sided with things that were morally questionable by today's standards.

“Because it's illegal!”

She swats a hand. “The current laws were imposed by an apostate government that knows no spiritual matters; they are mortal men, what would they know about cultivation?”

However, ghost marriages were forbidden for a good reason. They often ended up being conducted without any consideration for the wife's family. It got so dark sometimes that it involved criminal organizations with grave robbery, body snatching, and even murder.

“You will not suppress or eliminate the soul of my nephew,” Uncle says with so much anger. “Wangji wishes for a cultivation partner, which alone means he's not looking for any recently deceased woman. No, this is indeed a matter between cultivators, and as you know, the government has no right to interfere!.”

“That's toeing the line of the laws that allow and protect our customs. The government has a certain tolerance, but I'm pretty sure this is something that is not within our rights!”

“We will seek within cultivation clans and families only, and as long as it's discreetly managed, they will understand our predicament; it's our business if we bury a woman in our land. Now move aside!, I must speak with him!” Third Aunt said before shoving Xichen aside to get access to the Guqin. 

++++

Xichen knows that the responsibility of contacting the sects with this issue is his. 

He just doesn't know how to begin. Luckily, he's not alone, and Uncle begins the process of searching the obituaries of cultivation clans. 

It's the easiest start, before delving into individual families of rough cultivators. 

A few days pass, Wangji's unrestful soul lingers in their house, in his rooms, then into the whole grounds. Just drifting, doing nothing.

One night, he's sleeping when suddenly the temperature drops to a cold so strong he wakes up. 

The lights flicker, the Yang energy rises, and a tremor begins to shake the windows and furniture with the force of Wangji's agitation.

He hurries as fast as he can to the Guqin, already waiting in the next room. 

Everything about this situation is painful and harrowing, and his heart shatters once again when Wangji finally tells him. 

But aside from the pain, there's something worse. A fear so senseless, so wild, useless now, because what else is there after losing your loved ones?. 

“ Mhm. I want to marry a man. Because I remembered I am gay.”

How?, When?, Where?

How did we fail you, brother? , he thinks while tears run down his face. 

He wants to hide; he wants to run away from the shame. How could they not know this??.

How could they fail Wangji like this?. The guilt he feels about being unable to protect him, to cure him, is big enough as it is. 

Now he's supposed to carry on with the knowledge that his little brother didn't get to experience love, maybe because he was too afraid of rejection. 

Maybe Wangji was so afraid he never trusted anyone with this. And Wangji says it's unimportant, like he didn't care. 

But he can't let go of the guilt. 

The rest of the night, he doesn't sleep, and by morning, he seeks out his uncle to tell him. Uncle is too old and too hard to cry like him, but his eyes shine with the tears he won't let run free.

After a long silence. He says. 

“This changes nothing, we'll find him his cultivation partner”. And he repeats the same to third Aunt by midday. 

“That…actually changed a lot of things,” she says.

“No, it doesn't!”

“But it does, Qiren. Stop thinking with your heart, go back to being a scholar. What do we know about ghost marriages?”

“That the energy of a male sometimes gets agitated in the afterlife, so usually balancing the energies is enough to…”

“Yes, so by principle it has to be the Yin energy, hence why it means a woman. Don't you see the problem with this?”

Uncle's jaw locks. Then he says hoarse. “Changes nothing”

Third Aunt is usually so out with the current times that she comes across as a free thinker, a person who is lax with rules and social constructs. But at the end of the day, she's as orthodox as any of them.

“A male attuned with Yin energy can only mean a soul infected by resentful energy Qiren.”

“Changes nothing!, nothing!, we'll try with a male cultivator anyway”

Xichen gasps when he finally understands what third Aunt is saying. 

The silence is heavy. Then the woman sighs, pulls her outer robe.

“A random cultivator won't work unless he's charged with Yin. But you already made up your mind about it.”

“Maybe someone doused with enough Yin will be enough for Wangji's Yang,” Uncle argues.

“Wangji is too powerful for that, but I suppose we'll see. Although this search is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

++++++

A week later, Uncle wakes up way before their usual time. He's moving with porpoise, almost excited, frantic. 

“What is it, Uncle?”

“Wangji came to me in a dream…” he says with a smile. 

Xichen sits quickly at the table and takes the offered tea with both hands.

“He's…growing stronger,” he says.

“Yes,” Uncle avoids his eyes. “My dream was peaceful, balanced. He felt fine in it. I asked him for more details about his upcoming marriage.” Uncle chuckles. “He says he has no particular tastes, but wishes for someone easy on the eyes.”

“What does that mean?” He asks, confused.

“Someone pretty, I guess. But then your brother felt ashamed for asking even that.”

Xichen snorts quietly. “That's Wangji for sure. Always thinking about never imposing on others…maybe that's why he never told us he was gay.”

Uncle sighs tiredly. “Don't focus too much on that. He certainly didn't want us to feel guilty about it. He said it was unimportant for him at the time, so it must be the truth; he doesn't want you to hang up on it.”

“I just wish I had done things differently.”

“He didn't want you to.”

Xichen lowered his head. He said, “Yeah…”

++++++

Five months pass without progress. After keeping watch of the country's obituaries, they send carefully written letters that go ignored at best, angrily answered at worst. 

Out of them, they have contacted the families of three recently deceased men who were at least willing to listen to them. 

Later, one family refused as soon as they learned this was a Gay Ghost marriage. That's fair, thinks Xichen. They said they were completely sure their son was not gay, and would curse them if they proceeded. 

Another family was willing to proceed until a representative of Gusu conducted inquiry with the man, and they found out the guy was deeply in love with a woman. When the truth came out, it was also discovered that she was in love with him in return, and they quietly retreated from negotiations. 

He asked Uncle if he thought the family had married a living woman to a dead man. 

“They probably did, but we can't judge them.”

The third family was willing; there were no past lovers, and they knew their son was bisexual. It was going great, and everyone was growing hopeful. 

Until the representative of Gusu determined that the soul of the man had passed away so quietly that he had already moved on to the cycle of reincarnation. The man didn't answer any kind of summons, séance or ritual. 

Meanwhile, Wangji’s spirit grew stronger and stronger. It went beyond sounds or shadows. Wangji began affecting the real world. 

Some things were unharmful, even amusing. Wangji was hanging up in his usual favorite places. The TV room in the administration building was constantly being turned on. His brother liked the sound more than actually watching. 

Other things were scary for younger disciples. It was a clear manifestation of his longing. His favorite books of poetry were appearing in the mornings with their covers and spines covered in the imprints of bloody fingers. 

And for some strange reason, he was obsessing about the dishes that Xichen carelessly left around their house. It was such a Wangji thing to do even in the afterlife, that sometimes Xichen smiled; it was a little inconvenient after all. 

But still, Xichen told him he shouldn't do it. They always had helping hands that came in the mornings as they were working to clean the house. There was no need, and yet, every morning, the dirty dishes appeared stacked in the kitchen sink. 

Well, as long as Wangji didn't begin washing them, it was just a curious manifestation. His brother's spirit had grown stronger, but not malicious. 

That gave them a little hope that they still had time to find him his cultivation partner despite the recent failures.

+++

“You are an idiot and this is stupid as heck!, This is the worst I have ever heard from Gusu Lan.”

Xichen sighed; he felt trapped and judged; he shouldn't have come to the sect's conference. But then, if they didn't show up, people would begin to think they feel ashamed of what they are doing. That could send the wrong message to future families interested in their ghost marriage.

He is here now, sitting with Nie Mingjue, and he was informed that despite the confidentiality and discretion in the proceedings, they were still the hottest gossip in the conference. He already expected they would.

Tiredly, he loses the knot on his tie. Uncle would disapprove that he took off his suit jacket and pulled his sleeves around his forearms. So unkept and careless. However, he feels so tired and weary that he doesn't care anymore. People are still talking about them. Uncle knew, couldn't cope with the attention and went to bed early. 

He would do the same, but the allure of the alcohol, so forbidden back home, but readily available in LanLing. He just…

He just wanted something to cope with.

“If it were your brother…” Xichen begins focusing his gaze on the bottom of his glass. “If it were Huisang”

Mingjue scoffed. 

“Tell me honestly, you wouldn't do anything for him.”

Mingjue sighed. “Yeah, but that's me.” His friend leans so close that he could whisper into his ear. Xichen knows that whatever he's about to say, it's all sorts of wrong to begin with.

“I would murder a fucker just to bury him next to Huisang.”

Xichen can't do anything but snort with morbid amusement.

“Yeah, I can see now why people go to such lengths for this; it's not been easy at all.”

“I bet,” nodded Mingjue. “I just find it hard to believe your uncle not only agrees, but he's participating.”

“At his core, Ghost marriage is a form of liberation.”

“But all sorts of questionable things in today's society.”

“We decided that any potential candidate should consent to the marriage with Inquiry.”

“You are just trying to make it sort of okay, and putting yourself in needless hardship.”

“What are you suggesting we force a soul into being with Wangji for eternity?”

“Well, why the hell not?, They'll be lucky to be laid to rest in your cemetery, be venerated as part of your family, and if the family gives their permission…”

“Although Wangji said he didn't have any preferences, I think he would like someone to at least not be forced to be with him.”

Mingjue Huff, “I just…this is all so unbelievable, I mean…I can't wrap my head around the fact that he…that he actually died on a night hunt. Huisang?, That totally could happen, more reason to keep him at home. But not Wangji, you know?, he was….he was so strong, so dutiful, so careful…”

Xichen felt his throat closing up and the tear prickling his eyes. He could only hum.

“And he was so detached ... .it's so hard to believe that his Yang energy would be so restless. He was an incredibly virile man, but he never showed such passion.”

“We were all fooled,” he answered, taking a long sip of his whiskey. “Makes me sad, to think we didn't know him as well as we thought.”

“Maybe he didn't know either,” said Mingjue. “The deeps of his longing?, I'd say that's totally in character with your clan.”

Xichen snorts. “I guess, but he must have been deeply romantic and passionate in secret. And when robbed of the chance…”

“We don't know what we want until we can no longer have it.”

“Not Wangji, he will have it, we'll make sure.”

“But what if you don't find…”

“I don't have the energy to contemplate that,” he says harshly.

Then, probably impelled by the alcohol, he leans into his friend's shoulder and whispers viciously and maliciously. “I'll murder a fucker just for him.”

When he leans back, Nie Mingjue is looking at him with a very serious look, but it's not judgmental. After a long pause, he nods.

“I'll help you.”

Xichen snorts. 

That's so wrong, but it's the truth. He would. He totally would. If he finds an alive funny guy that's easy on the eyes and a cultivator of strong energy?. It's worth the risk of going to jail. Heck, the spirit could get angry about the murder and make it perfectly Yin energy.

But that's the last resort, not yet…just…not yet.

There's a loud cough behind them, and they turn around, startled. A young man is behind them.

“Jiang Wanyin”

“Lan Xichen…Nie Mingjue…”

“What…” Xichen composés quickly, vanishing the murderous thoughts, “What can we do for you?”

“Lan Xichen, my father wished to speak with you.”

“Oh, tomorrow we…”

“No, he's waiting for you in a private audience chamber; he wishes to speak right now.”

“Mhm?” He asks. “But this is the open ceremony banquet; if he wishes to conduct business, maybe we should be at least sober for it.”

Jiang Wanyin looks wary at the glass in his hand. “Yeah, everyone has been drinking, and is distracted, more reason to discuss it now, ” the young man frowns. 

“Oh boy,” Nie Mingjue says. “You better go Xichen, It sounds juicy.”

“I thought Lan clan forbade gossip”.

Xichen stood up smiling, “It does.”

“Then why I have the impression that Nie clan would know about the audience tomorrow?”

“That's best friend's privileges,” Mingjue says. “But not the whole clan”

The Jiang heir scowls. “Whatever, just follow me.”

“Okay”

+++++

Xichen is led into a conference room where various members of the Jiang Clan are already waiting. Most notably, the inner family in its totality. 

Weary, he sits on the other side of the long table and waits patiently for Sect Leader Jiang to begin.

“Sect leader Lan”

“What can I do for you?”

“We…we heard you are searching for a spouse for your late brother.”

Xichen stiffens. “We are”

“We would like to hear the details.”

He puts his hands carefully over the table. 

“My brother passed away in late March after a night hunt. He fell off a big cliff, and he survived for several days. We found him and took him home, but the injuries were very severe, and he fought, but eventually died in our home.”

Everyone in the room looks tired; they have shadows under their eyes as if they hadn't been sleeping. Pale and pasty, as if sick. 

“We noticed that his soul was unrestful, so we conducted Inquiry to know what we could do to help him move on. He stated his wish to marry. Later, he clarified that he wished for a male cultivator, but we haven't found a suitable candidate.”

There's a collective sigh. Jiang Femiang nods in understanding. 

“Yes. Now, I believe that you know that recently there was a severe accident in a sect competition between LanLing Jin and Yummeng Jiang, and there were several casualties.”

“I sent my condolences and a carefully worded interested in knowing if any of the families involved in the losses were interested in our marriage arrangement, you never answered.”

“I did not,” he says, frowning. “Despite your tact and sensibility in the letter. I found it frankly disrespectful and tasteless. Makes Lan Clan look like morbid grim reapers, crows hanging around the heads of the sects. Waiting, waiting for the next death. And you expect us to react positively to such a thing?, while we were mourning our losses?”

Xichen's stomach drops with guilt.

“If you knew the pain this situation is causing my family, you'd understand. It was not only losing him, but it was also the fact that we know for a fact of his suffering. Yes, we may come across as callous and tasteless, but we are growing desperate.”

“Well, maybe we know. So you can rejoice in our own suffering!” He snaps.

The children of the Jiang family flinch. But the Madam looks at him with a deep contempt, and he worries he did something to them.

“What do you mean?”

“Your wait is over, we have a suitable candidate, as you so carefully put it.”

Xichen opens his mouth, he tries, he honestly tries not to feel happy, relieved, but he is!. Hastily, he says, “I'm so very sorry for your loss.”

“No, you aren't,” the man says. “But it is what it is.”

“If you aren't sure about the agreement, why are you telling me this?”

“It's necessary,” Femiang says. “We can't see any other options.”

“Care to stop speaking in riddles and tell me the situation?”

Jiang Wanyin scoffed loudly. “You are such a…”

“Jiang Cheng,” interrupted Madam Yu. “Femiang, stop being so unhelpful and just tell him everything.”

+++++

Wei Wuxian, Wei Ying died in an accident in late May. He was twenty-four years old.

Only, it wasn't an accident. 

“We thought it was a school rivalry, boys' scuffings and petty threats. We never imagined it would come to this,” said Jiang Femiang.

The competition was only another friendly event hosted by the two sects to honor the alliance and closeness of the two clans. 

Jiang Yanli was married to Jin Zixuan, and politically speaking, the relations between sects were in good health.

However, despite the majority getting along remarkably well. This didn't mean everyone was making friends. 

Wei Wuxian was the adopted charge of the Jiang couple. Raised him as their own, educated him, and considered him part of the family. The children called each other siblings, and there was no doubt of the love they shared between them.

But he came across as a jealous brother, and he hadn't had a great reputation after chasing trouble when he went and involved himself in the succession war In Qishan Wen.

On the other side of the families was Jin Zixun, the cousin of Jin Zixuan. Who never liked or tolerated Wei Ying.

Why did the enmity grow to begin with?, No one knew for certain. They just didn't like each other and were constantly being rude to one another. 

At each other's throats at any given opportunity. Something petty that definitely began in school and carried on into adulthood. Fist fights, sword fights turned into malicious injuries.

“And why did you let it grow so much?”

“As I said, we never believed they were truly trying to murder each other; they certainly were punished all the time, but that didn't stop them.”

By that time, Wei Wuxian had adopted a little kid from the Wen clan, and by all accounts, absolutely adored the child. 

“Whatever he did and saw with the Wen clan, he never said, but he came back different. He was diagnosed with PTSD. He drank, and he didn't show any interest in his position as head disciple. He was slowly withering away. Until he was contacted by representatives of the Wen clan with the proposition of adopting a spear heir from Dafan. It was obvious he knew this child from before, and he took him in as his own son.”

“He was slowly coming back,” says Jiang Yanli with tears in her eyes. “He doted on the child. Later, I had my own baby, and we bonded even more deeply over our babies.”

“Am sorry,” he says, and this time he means it. Because he can understand the anguish of being a big brother.

But the Jin clan was usually prejudiced. And Jin Zixun saw the vulnerability the kid represented for Wei Wuxian.

“You have to understand, Wei Ying always came victorious out of their scuffings; he was honestly talented, and that raised the hackles of Jin Zixun. Who never could best him in anything. So he…”

“He tried to harm the kid,” Xichen guessed. 

There's a pause where everyone in the room looks deeply saddened.

Jiang Femiang nods. “He tried to harm the kid.” 

A helping aid served them a tumbler of whiskey. Xichen took a sip of his and tried to pretend not to see the tears of the Jiang Family.

“With malicious gossip and words, open insults later, and finally…he…he plotted the accident”

“That's a serious matter.”

“He put an alluring flag on the child's backpack, then let loose one of the peens with the game from the competition. Let them run free into the stand.s”

“That's…very, very serious”

“Wei Ying arrived just in time to save A-Yuan, took the flag with him, but the creatures had already killed a lot of people. In the confusion, after seeing another of his stupid plans being stopped, Jin Zixun tried to directly murder him. The details of the final standoff are a little hazy, but they managed to finally kill each other. Found them pierced by their swords and beast marks. We believe they fought each other as they fend off the beasts; there's no way either of them could survive that, we aren't even sure which was the killing blow.”

Xichen sighs. “So Jin Zixun never faced justice.”

“He did not, but he died anyway.”

“And the Jin clan?, What did they say about this?”

At this, Madame Jiang says.

“They had shunned Jin Zixun postmortem. He was stripped from the clan records, buried on a civilian cemetery. His heirs and window have been ostracized.”

“And that's enough?, he killed your family.”

“Indeed, and Wei Ying took him with him to the grave. We can't ask for more. And we aren't willing to mess up the whole alliance for their stupidity. My daughter is happily married, and she has given Jin clan their coveted heir.”

“And you covered everything up,” he said, amazed. 

“Reputation is a fragile thing; we have come to accept that the whole mess was the responsibility of only two individuals, no sense in breaking relationships.”

He scoffs, still surprised. 

“What?,” asks Jiang Wanyin, “aren't we good enough for you?, for your family?. You dare to judge us?, aren't you the ones losing so much reputation looking for a postmortem gay marriage??!”

“A-Cheng”

Xichen snorts. “That's absolutely right. Am sorry, I'll try to keep it to myself.”

“Yes, better keep an open mind, because that's not…everything”

“Okay…”

“Wei Ying died very violently,” Jiang Femiang says slowly. “We…never were sure if his parents held a cleansing ceremony for him at birth. We did later on, just to be sure. But we believe it didn't work.”

Xichen leaned back in the chair. This was the important bit.

“He began manifesting in Lotus Pier. In the same violent manner as his death. He's unhappy, restless, and resentful.”

“I see.” 

“He's angry. And we…tried liberation, but there's nothing we can do. He says he worries about A-Yuan, but he's as safe as he can be. After that, we tried suppression, but you have to…you have to understand. Wei Ying wasn't a common cultivator; he was extremely capable and strong. He fought in real battles, and his resentment, although justified, is too much. Nothing calms him, nothing works, and we can suppress”

Xichen's curiosity piques immediately. “He's that powerful?”

“He is” winced Femiang.

“What about…. what about…elimination?”

“We aren't willing to go with that. Because you understand. We love him. We miss him; it pains us to see him like this. We would never eliminate his soul.”

“Even if that breaks orthodoxy…” says Xichen. “We aren't willing to eliminate Wangji's soul either, despite that is the moral thing to do, but if he's so resentful and uncontrollable, he's not really coherent enough to consent to the wedding, marrying him won't bring him liberation if that's not what he want.s”

“Let me be honest with you,” says Madman Yu. “There never was any lost love between Wei Ying and me. However, this doesn't mean I don't respect him and his accomplishments. Because I saw how good he was at everything, it made me furious that my own son wasn't more like him. But that doesn't mean Wei Ying was not respected. He died a hero's death. He died not only protecting A-Yuan. He saved my daughter and grandson, and several defenseless maidens. There's no doubt in mind that he is a hero.”

“I know better than anyone what a demon he is. He's been haunting my house, my family, my clan. He's angry, and the way I see it, he's got the right to be angry, to lash out, to hate the living. But he doesn't deserve to be eliminated from the world, to never have a chance again. And if this is the solution, then so be it,I  am his guardian, I can decide in his name.”

“But…”

“Surely you understand the mechanics of ghost marriages.”

Xichen winces. 

“We have noticed that your letters to other clans don't mention the need for a male cultivator with some Yin energy in them.”

“We were hoping that the candidate had some, but we were willing to try with any male.”

“You aren't even sure if it could work without the Yin,” says Jiang Femiang.

“Did you know Wei Ying came out with a theory while he was studying at Cloud recess…your uncle wrote us quite the email about it,” Says Madman Yu 

“Yes…I remember something about it.”

“Wei Ying proposed a fourth way to deal with the executioner's paradox,” the woman said with a smirk. “He proposed that when Liberation is not possible, and neither is suppression, and elimination was such a waste when there was plenty of resentful energy to balance out the energy of the executioner….”

“I remember, what he proposed was to dump the bodies of his victims and bury them with the executioner so they could act upon their resentfulness. Basically condemning them to an afterlife of pain and suffering. Fighting ever after”

“But both victims and executioner would be too busy to bother the living. And in fact, suppressing each other out”

“That's not how suppression is supposed to be done!”

“That's not how liberation works either!” Says Jiang Wanyin. 

“Let me get this straight. You are telling me you have a resentful spirit, one that is way too powerful and dangerous for the living, but you are unwilling to eliminate it for the affection you have for them. And so instead, you are hoping his resentful energy, his Yin hateful energy, is exactly what my brother needs to balance out his extremely powerful Yang?”

“Exactly that.”

“But you are condemning them to an afterlife of pain and suffering and never-ending fighting!” Offended, he stands up. “My brother wanted someone to love!, not to endlessly hate!”

“You never mentioned love, you said that strictly speaking, your brother only wanted company!, so it didn't matter his sexual preferences.”

Xichen winced. More than lie, it was something they thought could work; it kept the door open for a lot of candidates, rather than waiting to find an openly gay cultivator. 

“Your brother's wish will be fulfilled, thus he will be liberated. Wei Ying would be successfully suppressed by his power, and that way neither will be eliminated, and eventually they would move on together.”

He huffed, clinging to his anger. He took his jacket and prepared to leave the room. 

“At least consider it, talk with your uncle about it,” said Jiang Yanli. And the look she gave him deeply shattered into his soul. All the pain, all the sorrow, was mirrored in her eyes. 

He sighs and nods before leaving. 

+++++++

The next morning, they were having a late breakfast. And he was sufficiently hungover to keep drinking juice and to swallow a couple of aspirins to nurse his headache.

Uncle didn't say anything openly, but he let him know anyway that he was displeased. As a means to distract him and to justify his bender, he told him everything about the meeting with the Jiang. 

Nie Mingjue joined them for breakfast too, so he listened with interest. He didn't seem to have an opinion on the topic yet. 

However, Uncle, on the other hand. He was clearly excited the more details he told him.

“Wei Wuxian died…” he said at the end. “That's…that's…wonderful news!!”

“Uncle?”

Lan Qiren was smiling….

“Wonderful news!, Wei Ying is…he's exactly what we are looking for!. He used to be a happy young man, I admit I considered him a bit of an idiot. He was always laughing around the place. But in class….oh that boy was sharp as a knife. Full marks in sword practice, talismans, the six arts, full marks!. It was hard to manage his energetic moods, and it was difficult to have a serious conversation with him, but when you finally did…,”

Nie Mingjue said, “He was a close friend with Huisang, and he helped him study.”

“And then helped him cheat, but the intention counts as sunny, doesn't it?”

“Yes, I never heard a bad thing about the lad.”

“Well, yes, but his family said he changed after his forays into Wen clan affairs. Might be the source of his resentful energy now.”

Uncle said as an afterthought, as if ignoring his reasoning. “He was easy on the eyes, too!”

Mingjue agreed. “Oh yes, very handsome but more into the pretty category.”

“He was very pretty,” continued uncle. 

“Uncle, Wei Wuxian’s soul is not merely unrestful. He's grown into a resentful spirit.”

Uncle's eyes were shining with hope. “He's filled with Yin.”

“ Malicious Yin energy,” Xichen clarified.

“You must go to Yummeng at once!”

Xichen exhaled exhausted. There was no way his stubborn uncle was going to change his mind about it now. He looked at his friend. 

“Wanna come see the resentful demon that could become my brother's wife?”

“Yeah, sure!,” he says, smiling. 

+++++

They hastily leave the conference, and he leaves Uncle in charge with the help of the first disciple. And Nie Mingjue leaves Meng Yao in his place. 

“Lately, I feel as if he runs the whole thing. To be honest, I like it, leaves me with time to cultivate and hunt freely.”

Lan Xichen hums in understanding, leading a sect is a lot of bureaucratic bull— it's boring. 

The Jiangs didn't even hesitate to leave the conference, although they left the Madam in charge of the disciples while the kid and the father led them to Yummeng. 

As soon as they arrived, it became obvious that something really bad was happening on Lotus Pier. A strange, stifling air, like having your nose stuffed with smoke, and there's a heavy fog wandering around the lake. Somehow, this also creates an artificial echo chamber where sound doesn't travel, which at the same time makes it seem as if it's so quiet. Muted. Dead. 

Then they cross the wards of the ancestral house, and sounds are coming from the back of the property. 

Strange moaning and crying. Slow sobs and soft murmurs cross the walkways as if coming and going from nowhere with the wind. 

They settled in the main hall. He's ready to conduct an inquiry, but the place feels cold. Not like the strong chill that Wangji's manifestation brings. More like it's winter inside; the tips of his fingers and toes feel stiff and look bluish. 

He can see his breath coming out of his mouth and nose in quiet puffs. 

Wei Wuxian really is a powerful spirit; his mastery of altering the environment and temperature, even if not actively manifesting, speaks of such power. 

He plays a greeting on Wangji's Guqin, which he now carries for this. And a strange, eerie laugh sounds from the side of the house. 

Loud, fast, and menacing footsteps sound around, the door slams, and a vase shatters in the corner. 

The strings are plugged in answer but Xichen knows it sounds sarcastic as Wei Wuxian says 

“What do you want?”

Xichen exhales; beside him, Mingjue is frowning. 

“Wei Wuxian,” he plays and says aloud so everyone in the room knows what's happening. “I don't know if you remember me, I am Lan Xichen.”

“I remember you.”

“What is the source of your unrest?”

The walls shake suddenly, the cold gets even worse, and one table sails from the corner to hit him. If it weren't for Nie Mingjue, who slashes it in time before he gets hit. 

All this while the Guqin shakes violently and discordant plays “I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE!”

“What a stupid question,” says Jiang Wanyin, mocking him. Xichen ignores him, because what does he know about inquiry? This is the standard process. 

“What can we do to end your suffering?”

“Nothing”

Sobbing is heard, a painful and sorrowful sound. 

“There must be something we can do.”

“A-Yuan is in danger, and I am dead…dead …dead …”

“Wei Wuxian, your son is with your sister. She's looking after him.”

“He'll never be safe without me; he's not safe in LanLing, he's not safe in Lotus Pier.”

“Well,” he plays victoriously. “I have…a proposition for you”

Wei Wuxian's spirit gets angry again, and this time, he gets pushed so hard that he goes sailing against a wall. 

“Watch out!” Shouts Nie Mingjue. “Wei Wuxian, calm yourself down, or I will eliminate you!”

Sinister laughter, and Nie Mingjue gets picked up two meters in the air before being slammed into the floor.

“Not helping,” he exhales, picking himself from the floor. He crawls slowly to the Guqin while Nie Mingjue gets shaken like a doll. Thrown into walls like an idiot. 

“Marry my brother, and I'll adopt Wen Yuan as my legal and only heir to the Gusu Lan clan. He'll be protected!”

Everything stops. The cold disappears suddenly. It feels like when you are inside a room with climate control, and suddenly you come out. 

The Guqin shakes violently before playing a defeated - “ Okay”

++++++

He's so happy about the news, he flies at top speed back into the conference in LanLing. 

Uncle Qiren is in a meeting about cultivation licenses and permits when he enters the room. He can feel every single person looking his way. But he crawls behind his uncle and tells him.

“Wei Wuxian accepted the marriage.”

Uncle stood so fast, everyone was startled. He looks unhinged and undignified. Taking notice of his misstep, he pulls his robes firmly.

“Apologies, Gusu Lan will leave the conference early. Something has come up that requires our urgent attention and care.”

 Heavy murmurs break the silence as they depart from the room. The gossip is wild. 

Once outside, Uncle says. “We must go at once to make arrangements.”

“Yes”

“Did the Jiang have anything to add?”

“They did have a proposition drafted; they said this is a good opportunity for them in the diplomatic and material sense.”

“How much do they want for Wei Wuxian's corpse?” Uncle says, annoyed.

Xichen says, offended, “It's more than a corpse, it's his soul.”

“Don't get prickly, you know what I mean,” Uncle says hastily. 

“A lot, they want a lot.”

Uncle sighs, “Why would they pass up the opportunity?, They know we are desperate. Anyway, we should process as if it's a done deal with the proceedings to the wedding like the tomb and the robes, meanwhile, we should push a little to break them, don't let them win everything.”

“There's a catch,” he says sheepishly. “In order to get Wei Wuxian's consent, I promised him to adopt Wen Yuan as my heir.”

Lan Qiren stumbled. 

“Are you ready to be a parent?,” he asks seriously. “Without your brother, it's your responsibility, I'm not going to live forever, you know?”

“Nonsense, you'll outlive me, probably,” he says sheepishly again. “But I do know I would do anything for Wangji. And I suppose for Wei Wuxian, too. It's his only wish.”

Lan Qiren gives him a soft look. “Alright”

+++++

Wen Yuan, well… Wei Yuan. Comes to cloud recesses a month before the actual wedding. 

Planning the wedding had some tricky parts. It was so much easier to adopt and initiate Wei Yuan into the sect than to bring his father's corpse. 

It's kinda out of order, but Wangji didn't seem coherent enough since the news that he was going to get married was delivered by Uncle. 

He's so much quieter, so he thinks he must be happy about it. 

Wei Yuan is delivered by the Jiang family, the young Madame Jin, and a stern-looking woman. 

They sit in the ancestral hall with the registry ready for inscription by the Records Master. The little child is dressed in perfect little white robes. But these weren't children's robes used in Gusu. Someone had dressed Wei Yuan in mourning clothes for the ceremony.

Although it is proper, it's very grim. It should be a happy occasion, but it feels like another extended part of the funerals. 

They proceed with the ceremony, they change the legal name, and they fill out the government paperwork. 

But the important part is what follows. 

“My name is Wen Qing from the Dafan Wen branch of medical cultivation. I was a friend of Wei Wuxian. I believe that A-Yuan and Wei Ying always had the strongest connection. He often said he birthed him, and if I wasn't medically trained, I would have believed it,” she jokes. There are some quiet snorts and laughs in the room. 

“Their bond was so deep that it doesn't surprise me how much this hurts him now. Although I have no right to comment on the decision to marry him post-mortem. I believe that Wei Ying thinks he's doing what's best for A-Yuan. He was born as Wen from Qishan, became an orphan at days old, and was rescued by Wei Ying himself. 

The succession War has left deep wounds on our territory, and luckily, we managed to get a full pardon for A-Yuan, with the promise that he's not coming back to the district in at least ten years, if at all. Some might say it's a harsh penalty for a child. But I think A-Yuan's future doesn't lie in the land of his ancestors. 

Now, we gather here to once again pass up his custody to his new father's family. And I want to say that I wouldn't approve of it if I didn't at least have an assurance that he'll be fine. I want you to swear you'll give him the love and stability that Wei Ying didn't…. didn't have the opportunity to finish,” she shakily cleans her tears. 

There's a quiet pause, where Wei Wuxian's sister openly sobs, and A-Yuan cries. 

“But…” the Wen woman says. “Most importantly, Wei Ying will be here with him, and if you touch or do anything against his child . You'd better know he's so restless and perturbed that he can, and will destroy your sect from the beyond. His Yin energy is massive, and he once gained the title of The patriarch of Yilling, which means he was considered a demon on the battlefield. And I guess at the end, he did turn into one because of love, so better to treat A-Yuan as is right.”

A heavy silence sits in the room, Xichen moves uncomfortably for a bit. 

Now, that's a threat. He thinks wildly. And he also feels ashamed, his speech was more protocolary and formal than words from the depths of his heart. He sighs and decides to start and then add something sincere. 

“I, Lan Xichen from the Gusu Lan sect. Head of the clan and current Sect Leader. Give my permission and recognize the right of my brother to inscribe this child as his only legal heir. And take full custody of him, as next of kin. Turning now this child into Lan Yuan, Lan Sizhui. Only legal heir to the main family branch. I swear on my honor and that of my family, that he will be treated with the dignity his new station dictates, he will be cared for, fed, and loved as if he had my own blood. As my late brother's wishes.” He sighs. 

“I wish I could share some funny story about Wangji, but he wasn't very good with jokes; however, he was very caring and loving once you got past his harsh exterior. Ever since he was informed that he is to become a husband and a father. We can tell this has given him a great deal of happiness. 

But most importantly, it has given us. My uncle Lan Qiren and I. A great deal of happiness. Because you are allowing us to love such an amazing little kid. And the precious gift of legacy and love. It's what Wangji wants, but more importantly, it's what I want. Welcome A-Yuan, to Gusu Lan”

There's some muted applause, and then they inscribe the registry. He signs at the bottom. And it's done. 

Lan Yuan is now part of their family. 

++++++

“Uncle!!” A-Yuan screams. 

Xichen drops his iPad on the bed and is on his feet, running out of his room.

A-Yuan is against a corner of the dining room as the dishes began to be carefully stacked by unseen forces. 

He sighs at the sight. “Don't worry, that's my brother, he's…. cleaning”

A-Yuan looks wide-eyed as the dishes float gently into the kitchen. 

“Is he…” he asks fearfully. “Going to break them?”

“No, he just moves them sometimes. Why?, Are you…scared of ghosts?”

A-Yuan gives him a look between defiance and fear. Maybe he thinks the answer should be no because he is to become a cultivator. But he obviously is. Gently, he sits in a chair and moves another so he can sit. 

“Did your Baba scare you when you were at Lotus Pier?”

A-Yuan sadly nods and sits beside him.

“He didn't do anything against me, but he would come into my room in the middle of the night to cry. I told him many times he shouldn't, but he didn't listen. And other times, when he thought I was in danger, he was mad and angry, and hurt others…”

“Well, he's not in the right state of mind,” Xichen says, patting his shoulder. “We are hoping he's gonna become more coherent once the paradox is in place.”

“The…”

“Oh, I mean, once he's here with Wangji.”

“Do you think they'll like each other?”

“I don't know, I hope they do, otherwise I really can't think of what else to do. Although even if they don't, the theory is that the energy will balance itself. Making them more conscious”

“How was he like?, A-die?”

“Umm, very quiet, he spoke little and acted big. Not much of a hugger, but you could tell he cared and loved deeply. He sometimes comes into our dreams. Maybe you'll meet him soon.”

“Oh yeah!, Baba comes to my dreams too, but he's always so sad.”

They spend two hours speaking about Wei Wuxian and Wangji, reminiscing. Then, when the clock says it's eight, he takes A-Yuan to his room and tucks him in. 

“I really wish they would like each other,” he mutters to no one in particular. 

+++++

The exhumation of Wangji happens one week before the date of the wedding.

“Ohh my god, Wangji!” He cries, and then he begins retching. “Oh my god, he's a mess!”

“Xichen,” says Lan Qire,n snapping. “Some dignity for your brother.”

“He fucking reeks, he smells, how are we even going to show him, why didn't he have some dignity?!!”

“Yeah, because you'll do it better?, Rotting yourself with dignity?”

“I would!” He says like a petulant child. Then he turns desperately to the woman beside him. She's a leading mortician and embalmer from the best mortuary in the country. “What do you think?”

“No problem, Mister Lan, I have worked in worse cases than this,” she cracked her fingers and then commanded her group of hazmat-suited men to begin. 

They sit outside of the hospital wing of the sect where the morticians are working in making their brother pretty. 

A-Yuan comes running away from the babysitter. 

“Uncle!, uncle!”

“What is it?” He asks, lowering himself to hear him.

“I found this picture!”

Xichen takes the picture, and his heart clenches hard with memories. In the picture, Lan Wangji was probably looking forward to the pulpit in class. 

But he has the softest expression on his face, you could almost think he was smiling. Xichen had taken the picture because he was goofing in class. 

From this perspective in the picture, he noticed something interesting. 

“You know, you look like him. The shape of your nose and the pull on your eyes.”

A-Yuan frowns deeply into the picture, then his beautiful, bright smile breaks on his face. And then, he thinks that A-Yuan actually looks like a younger Wei Wuxian, with the same grey eyes and dimples. 

“Do I?” He asks. 

“Yeah, you do. But also you smile like Wei Ying in this other picture,” he say,s showing him the picture that Jiang Cheng had sent him by text in the morning. 

It was the one they had chosen for the mortician that are going to Lotus Pier after they finish with Wangji.

“I look like them,” he smiles. 

“Yeah, it's a weird coincidence, isn't it?”

A-Yuan giggles. “I think my real dad looked like Baba, and my mum like A-Die Wangji. Maybe that's why I look like them.”

Xichen, who had seen the picture of the bio parents before. Nodds. “You are totally right!”

“I guess I belong to the four of them together.”

“I think so too,” he pats his head gently. “This year at the ghost festival, you'll have to make a lot of offerings for them.”

A-Yuan's eyes shine with mischief. “Yeah, maybe Jingyi and I can burn some stuff”. He says vaguely.

Dread fills him; he wouldn't have mentioned burning stuff if he knew that Jingyi would be involved. Well…no sense in backpedaling. He'll just have to be careful with the kids. 

+++++++

The big day arrives; Xichen feels nervous, he can't help but to walk around trying to find things out of order, but they planned this thing to the letter. 

Great Aunt stops him with a hand on his arm. 

“The theory is sound,” she says wisely 

“I hope, because if it doesn't work, this wedding will become a carnage.”

“Don't be dramatic, this is a cultivation sect. Worst case scenario, Wei Wuxian gets out of control, we eliminate him, Wangji gets out of control, and then we also eliminate him, problem solved.”

“And then everything would have been for naught.”

“Well, I admit this wedding has surpassed the cost of your father's.”

“He eloped,” he frowns. 

“It's a joke Xichen” she says. “Relax, although it's a shame that even after the first embalming and the second one, your brother still smells funny.”

He sighs. “They stuffed him like a teddy bear with aromatic potpourri, showered him in oils, and the fucker dares to smell.”

She snorts. “Give him a break, it's been months since he died.”

“So says uncle,” he frowns. “Oh, here they come.”

He hurries over to receive Jiang Cheng. He looks tired and worn down, but he is still dressed elegantly and traditionally. Worried, he asks. 

“Is everything okay?”

“They are coming up the mountain, the casket does weigh an awful lot,” he sighs. “I got tired just taking it out of the house.”

“It's the carved sigils, the strong energy, and the bidding reflects in physical weight”.

“Yeah, your people explained, otherwise Wei Ying can't pass the entrance.”

“That's right, I worry is not enough.”

“It's enough,” Jiang Cheng says, “the fucker calmed down instantly once he was laid inside. And believe me, I have never been more relieved. He didn't make it easy for the embalmers, possessed his own body, turned into a fierce corpse for a bit, and when they finished with the makeup, they refused to dress him.”

He's stunned, and he's annoyed his brother smells, but Jiang Cheng doesn't stop. 

“We had to fight him, your disciple and my sister had to talk with him, turns out he forgot he was getting married.”

“Did he...change his mind?”

“Not really, just asked where A-Yuan was, we told him he was waiting, and after that, he let us dress him. I have to say, Lan Xichen, I love him, but I hope to never again fight a semi-fierce corpse into a wedding robe.”

Then the rest of the family arrives, they exchange greetings with the rest of the Jiangs, and the visiting Jins, and then they enter the building to wait. Meanwhile, the disciples begin lowering the casket. 

Jiang Cheng moves his hands nervously. But when they open the casket, Wei Wuxian doesn't jump to kill them….yet. 

They get closer carefully. Wei Wuxian didn't exactly look right. Neither did he look good. Well, most corpses never look like the person they used to be. 

“I think the morticians did a great job, taking into consideration they were working with this fucking mess,” Jiang Cheng says before shoving his phone screen on his nose. 

Xichen can't help saying “what the fuck”

Wei Wuxian lies in a metal slab in the picture, but he's totally horrifyingly destroyed. 

“Did you take a picture of your dead brother?”

“Yeah, before they reconstructed him, hey, I had to have a point of reference to complain in case they did a bad job. But they ended up worth every single coin,” he huffs a laugh and leans over the corpse. “Who's the fairest in the land, now?, Wei Ying?, Certainly not you, you vain mother fucker.”

He's about to say something along the lines that he should respect the dead or something. But Wei Ying moved first. And they both shamefully jumped and gave shrilly screams. 

His hand turned first into a fist, then the middle finger righted itself. 

Jiang Cheng laughed loudly. He was shaking, but at the same time, his eyes looked crystallized. 

“He's a riot, isn't he?” He asks when he calms himself. “Well, let's get this shit show going.”

Together, they work to pick up the corpse and reverently get him inside, where Wangji waits. Most of the hall is in silence, but he can't hear the whispers and quiet sobs around the crowd. 

In order to carry out the Ghost Wedding, they had to get effigies made of straw and paper from a little city called Yi that was known to be the best in the country regarding paper goods for funerals. 

Then both their bodies are finally one next to the other. Nothing relevant happens beyond Wei Ying relaxing his hand back to allow Wangji's to be intertwined with his. 

As for the rituals of the wedding, they are the standard ones. They just added funeral chants and sutras to wish them a good rest. 

When the ceremony ends, they carry both of them to the newly constructed mausoleum in the Could Recess cemetery. It has a big casket of stone to fit both of them, and someone decorated the inside with red flags and ribbons.

When they are done, they walk back to the main compound for the feast. He tells an equally tired Jiang Cheng. 

“I got a dispensation for any senior disciple who doesn't have current vows. Those weeks have been very taxing, and I would like to share a drink with you.”

Jiang Cheng laughs. “Yeah, sounds like a good plan.”

“I ordered many bottles of Emperor's Smile. I heard it was a favorite of your brother.”

“He would have loved that,” he smiles and claps his hand over his shoulder. “Thank you.”

+++++

“Sect Leader Lan,” there's a laugh.

Xichen opens his eyes, and he's surrounded by dancing girls in what looks like a strip club. He's never actually visited one. 

If he remembers right, he's dreaming about the only time he almost entered one. Nie Mingjue had dragged him down the street, but he had planted his feet firmly and refused. 

But he sometimes wondered what would have happened if he had gone inside. He's seen movies about it, and this is the closest image to it.

“An interesting lack of nudity for such a place,” the voice says mockingly. 

Xichen turns and finds his late brother-in-law. 

“I believe it's from a B-rated movie I saw once.”

“Mrrmp,” Wei Wuxian laughs. 

“I don't usually dream like this,” he says defensively. 

“You overdid it with the wine.”

“I…” he frowns. 

“You passed out.” 

“I was doing shots with Jiang Cheng; he's surprisingly a sturdy drunk.”

“That he is!; Man, I'm pissed off!, The first Lan wedding of this decade, they allow wine, and it's my wedding, and am dead.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel great, actually,” he smiles. “Not sure yet about your brother, but I wanted to come and thank you.”

“You don't have to.”

“I do,” he smiles. “I've had my first real conversation with A-Yuan tonight in what feels like ages. You don't…. You can't…imagine.. what it is like to be trapped inside the resentful Yin energy to the point where you lose yourself.”

“We just wanted the best for both of you.”

“I understand, and honestly, I don't even know why I feared so much for A-Yuan's safety. It's not like Madam Yu was a real threat to him, and my sister would have done a wonderful job raising him. But I don't know, I felt better knowing he's with you, Lans. So thank you.”

“We did what we believed was best for everyone. Don't fear anymore. I would love him as my own. And you are welcome to jump into my dreams for anything.”

“I'll take your word for that one,” he smiles. Then he looks into the horizon. “Well, seems your brother is conscious now. I'm gonna meet him now.”

“Be gentle,” he advised.

+++++++ 

The next morning, they sit down after the breakfast feast with the whole family on the second day of festivities. And A-Yuan announces, “Baba came to my dreams!” .

“Mhm!” Uncle huffs. “He came to mine, too. Called me a hypocrite, and then he gloated about being right about the executioner's paradox. Said he wants to dictate a paper through inquiry!”

“Is that even possible?” Asks Jiang Femiang. 

Great Aunt says, “Most cultivators consider the afterlife like a great retirement and rarely want to keep cultivating. It's such a bother to ask them things, and even more to pry for the answers we don't know, saying that you'll get the answer when it's your turn to die. There's no rule or secret universal ruling that forbids it, tho, it's just not common when one wants to keep interacting with the living.”

“Well,” says Jiang Cheng, “It's Wei Wuxian; he hasn't stopped interacting with the living. And I doubt he'll stop.”

“For now, at least,” says Great Aunt. “We all will eventually join them, and in the end, his favorite and closest people will be there with him. He will eventually gonna lose interest.”

“Meanwhile, he's gonna jump into your dreams to pester you,” says Jiang Cheng. “And I am glad, he's your problem now.” 

“He visited mine too, to say goodbye before I go back to LanLing,” says Jiang Yanli. “What about your brother, Sect Leader Lan?”

“Oh” he says, surprised. He's very hungover and slow. “My brother is more….quiet, lately he barely manifested, so I think it's gonna be a while  before I hear from him”

++++++

It took two weeks before they heard from Wei Wuxian and Wangji again. 

The rest of the paranormal activity had ceased. Until that night when a strong energy dropped the temperature in the house. Then the walls shook like an earthquake. 

He runs out of his room and finds A-Yuan equally startled in the hall. A loud crash sounds inside Wangji's room. Out of curiosity, he opens the door, only to witness how everything is flying against the walls. Papers, books, pictures, and even his brother's clothes. 

The room is violently turning itself down. A-Yuan screams. 

“What's happening?!!” He asks. “Why is Baba angry?”

But, Xichen, being an experienced cultivator, can tell that it's not only Wei Wuxian doing this. No, the energy is equally Yang and Yin. Clashing in the middle of a ferocious fight. 

He takes A-Yuan on his arms and runs across the little garden until he reaches Uncle's pavilion. He knocked loudly until the old man rose from bed. 

When he tells him what's happening, Uncle's eyes flash in understanding.

“They are balancing the energy.”

“With a fight?” He asks. 

“Yes, it's to be expected. Wei Wuxian told me that even if the mere presence of Wangji helps with the exchange of energies and there's a minor suppression, he believes it's gonna take more than that. He said the Yin energy was like a boiling water that he felt was simmering and would eventually try to get control over the suppression Yang.”

“Meaning they need to fight once in a while so he can calm the violent nature of the Yin,” he adds 

“Yes,” nods Uncle. 

Xichen sighs. “Can A-Yuan spend the night with you?”

“Of course he can.” 

Wei Wuxian's and Wangji's fight ends right at three in the morning, as usual for paranormal activity of this nature. But he's very worried about the notion that maybe he condemned them to an even worse afterlife, fighting this ferociously for control. 

++++

Wei Wuxian kept actively manifesting, visiting people in dreams, and making more cultivation theories that grimly had to do with the nature of one being dead and all sorts of dying. 

Wangji does not. He's as quiet as his tomb. 

“He's okay, he's just not aware he's in the afterlife. When I regained consciousness after dying, it was because I was angry I had died . But your brother doesn't know, so we spend our days in a weird limbo where we imitate life.”

“What would happen if you tell him?” He asks. Probably because he is an egoist who wants his brother back in some undead capacity.

“I'm not an asshole. I think he will eventually snap from it, but it's not my business. Although, Its so curious the lengths to which the human consciousness lies to itself in order to preserve or evade shock and pain, and believe me, knowing you are dead hurts…a lot”

“So he's not…suffering”

“No, he's not. I like him like this.”

“So you….like each other?”

Wei Wuxian blushes and dissolves from the dream. 

++++

Wangji visits him once to ask for gifts for Wei Wuxian. 

After that, there's…another…balancing of energy. But he's shocked beyond words. 

He might be a Virgin, and he might have vowed chastity for his entire life. But he's not an idiot. He knows what the rhythm of sex sounds like. 

“Uncle,” he says this time, as he passes A-Yuan to the old man's arms. “I believe it's best if A-Yuan and I move out of the house and leave them there. They require…privacy now.”

He blushes and refuses to answer more questions. But in the morning light, Uncle inspects the room, and pale-faced says.

“This house now belongs to your brother.”

He can't believe this is happening, so he calls Nie Mingjue, who, upon hearing about it, roars in laughter for several minutes. 

Probably he shouldn't have told him, because if he wanted sympathy, he got none, and rather, he had to hear the phrase.

“Ectoplasmic cum!!!”

+++++

It's been a whole year later after Lan Wangji died. When he finally begins manifesting as a friendly spirit. A proper elder and ancestor. 

“Took you long enough,” he smiles. 

“Seriously, Xichen?,” asks Wangji, frowning with reprobation at the dancing girls. 

Xichen huffs, offended. “Yeah, well, they aren't naked, are they?, They just dance.”

Wangji snorts and takes a seat at the round table. 

“I wanted to thank you.”

“I already told Wei Wuxian that you don't have to.”

“But we do. What you did breaks Orthodoxy. You weren't even sure the theory to the paradox was going to work.”

“When you were fighting him, I believed we had failed, but now you have found a different means to balance yourselves out.”

Wangji blushes; his ears are a deep scarlet color. “I would like to apologize for that, too. I was not aware that we can alter and manipulate the environment while the energy is out of control.”

Xichen laughs. Then he sobers up and asks what he truly fears. 

“I just want to know if you are happy now.”

“I am. And I will spend an eternity with him, that's…everything I needed in my life, and I didn't even know. But I have him now. And it's more than enough. We'll be healed and we'll be whole.”