Chapter Text
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian’s secondary residence was, as promised, huge. It was composed of several independent buildings serving as bedrooms, a library, a music hall, storage units, all joined by roofed halls. There were also just as many courtyards, gardens… It even had a lake! It leaned heavily into the Lan Clan aesthetics, so Wen Ning guessed that their main residence would have to be more to Wei Wuxian’s tastes. He would have liked to go explore it, but he wasn’t only tired—Lan Huan’s recovery had to be top priority.
After moving in his meager belongings—laptop, tablet, phone, his books, his plants, and clothes for him and Lan Huan, along with Lin Qing’s gift basket; fruit and expensive tea would not go to waste under his watch—Wen Ning would like to say that he spent most of Monday resting from that chaotic weekend while the Lan doctors took care of Lan Huan, allowing them to use their cultivation healing magic on him. In reality, though, he loomed in the doorway, supervising.
The doctors likely knew who he was—who he had been—since their hair stood on end and they made sure to provide their patient the best care to avoid the Ghost General’s wrath. Maybe also Lan Wangji’s, but the latter’s would be more like disappointment. Wen Ning remembered the junior disciples from all clans fearing that more than any yao they encountered.
That done, Wen Ning did retire for the day. He had been offered a building of his own to be his personal quarters, but it’d be better for his nerves to stay next to Lan Huan.
“I did promise to look after him until he healed. ”
“Mn,” Lan Wangji replied, and Wen Ning thought he could finally see a spark of approval in his eyes. On the other hand, he was too tired; it might as well be wishful thinking on his part.
Once he made sure Lan Huan was fast asleep, Wen Ning put his phone to charge for the night and flopped on the bed to do the same. When he opened his eyes again, the sun was coming out on a beautiful Tuesday morning. He felt invigorated and in a better mood.
A quick check-up to his patient later, he set out to inspect the gift Wei Wuxian had insisted on giving him. He found it just as promising as he had the night before—and it reminded him of a report he should be making, and the sooner the better.
Wen Ning made a show of wearing a straw hat when he video-called his sister from the garden. She should be up by then, but she wouldn’t have started work yet. As she expected, she picked up and squinted at the scenery behind him.
“Jie!”
“A-Ning; where are you?” she asked. “Where is Lan Huan?”
“He’s in bed, as he should,” Wen Ning answered, aiming the camera at the building behind him. “I’m right outside his room.”
“A-Ning, explain.”
“Long story short, distant relatives of Lan Huan got in touch during the weekend with him to offer him a place to help with his recovery.” Which was true from a certain angle. “I supervised the transfer myself. It’s a great place in the countryside, quiet and with fresh air. It’ll really be good for him.”
“I see. When are you coming back to the city? It’s not good that you miss classes.”
“About that, they let me move in too. They liked the way I’ve been taking care of him.” He was not going to tell her about the eviction, thank you. “Don’t worry about the classes! The commute from here is not that complicated.” Which was also true, given that Lan disciples were always available to fly him to school on their swords—or use teleportation talismans in case of an emergency.
She didn’t look too convinced, but she knew her little brother was a responsible young man.
“Fine. Just be careful. I expect weekly updates. Tell Lan Huan to call me tomorrow for a check up.”
“Count on it! By the way, they gave me a patch of land. I’ll be able to grow a proper garden now. You should visit and see!”
She smiled.
“Why not? I’ll go as soon as work allows.”
Wen Ning smiled back. Right then, however, the woodlouse ruined the mood when it photobombed the call as it passed by behind him.
“A-Ning, what’s that?”
Wen Ning pointed the camera to a different place.
“Ah! Nothing! Nothing! It’s the family pet! It’s a weird… capybara-like thing! Lan Huan’s relatives are on the eccentric side.”
His sister hummed but didn’t comment on it. She insisted on updates, Wen Ning agreed, and they said his goodbyes before hanging up.
“You almost gave us away, you know?” he asked the woodlouse, who began doing its assigned job and snack on the weeds covering Wen Ning’s future garden. He sighed and petted it as he surveyed the area, planning mentally where to plant which herbs.
“How was it?” called a cheerful voice coming from a hall. “The call with your sister, I mean. It wasn’t my intention to eavesdrop, but you were already about to hang up when I was passing by. Good morning, by the way!”
“Good morning, young master Wei,” Wen Ning replied. “You’re up early.”
“More like I haven’t gone to sleep yet. I spent the entire night talking with Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao about their stay in that coffin. They were supposed to be there only for a hundred years, but in the end, they stayed there long enough they managed to cultivate awareness. A feat, considering how they get along.”
“Jin Guangyao did tell me that it took them centuries to do what you did in months.”
Wei Wuxian grinned.
“Well, you know. There’s clever and there’s genius.”
And you’re a genius too clever for your own good, Wen Ning thought, but didn’t feel the need to say it. Wei Wuxian himself knew it.
“So, Wen Ning, what are you planting?”
“Medicinal herbs, maybe some fruit. What worries me is our friend there. It seems to enjoy eating anything plant.”
“Ah, yeah. There is something you can plant around your garden that will repel it. I’ll tell you what it is as soon as I remember—or maybe we can ask Lan Zhan. I first made the stone to control them when they ate the crops of some industrious farmers who tried to establish themselves in their territory. They ended up leaving—the farmers, I mean. I didn’t expect the stone to be used like this, but I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Wen Ning nodded along all throughout the speech. Besides, he really agreed with that last part.
“Well, what time are you going to school?”
“I’m going tomorrow. My special leave ends today and I was hoping to take things easy.”
“Yes, that’s fine. So! Let’s go get breakfast!”
“You should sleep.”
“After breakfast!” Wei Wuxian insisted and grabbed Wen Ning’s arm to drag him down the hall.
On the way, Wen Ning saw, from the corner of his eye, Lan Wangji coming into Lan Huan’s quarters. Hanguang-jun’s face looked as impassive as ever, but Wen Ning knew that he would pay for this one way or the other. It didn’t matter, though. The peace that the familiarity of the gesture brought him made it worthwhile.
“Young Master Wei?”
“Yes?”
There was a question building up in Wen Ning’s heart, a need to ask about something. About someone. But his tongue pushed it back down. He was afraid of the answer. Instead, he asked the next thing that crossed his mind.
“How did you know to show up when you did?”
“Oh, that? The timing was coincidence, actually,” Wei Wuxian replied pulling a chair to sit down, as did Wen Ning. “We had no idea about the Night of the Battle of the Giant Woodlice was ongoing. Lin Qing gave us a call during the evening to tell us he’d found Zewu-jun reincarnated. You should have seen Lan Zhan’s face when we heard the news, hahaha! I should have recorded it. Actually, it took me a while to convince him to at least go take a look, but in the end we had a most heroic entrance, didn’t we?”
“Lin Qing? The old master luthier?”
“Yeah. We’ve known him most of his life. He was raised by a secondary branch of the Lan Clan. Lan Zhan himself taught him a few things when we noticed he had talent. That’s why he could make a guqin that resonated so well with Zewu-jun. Otherwise, it would’ve been harder to summon the fierce corpses. The blood sacrifice helped, though, in case you were wondering.”
“I did wonder,” Wen Ning said. “So, what now? Is the cultivation making a comeback to the public eye?”
“What? Pfft! Not at all! Nowadays they prefer to stay behind a curtain of mystery or something.”
“What about the witnesses? And the streaming?”
“There is a dedicated damage control team that’ll make sure people believe it’s a video made with AI. Before that, it was photoshop. Besides, I’m of the idea that anyone who can find their way to the front step of the cultivation world deserves a shot to get in.”
Wen Ning’s nodding along got interrupted by Wei Wuxian’s bright, intense gaze.
“Yes, Young Master Wei?”
“Would you like to try it?”
“What? Cultivate a golden core in this body?”
“That exactly!”
“I—don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it.”
“Well, do and let us know. I’ll ask you again in a month—unless you have an answer before that. Then, you can tell me yourself.”
Wen Ning exhaled a long breath.
“Fine. I will think about it.”
“Great! Now, you say you’ll go back to school tomorrow, right? What time are you off?”
“Well, you know, it’s not always the same.”
Wen Ning relaxed as the conversation went on to normal topics. He had missed this and he didn’t know it. Every minute was better than the last.
Lan Huan opened his eyes to find Lan Wangji’s solemn figure standing by the window next to him, hands behind his back, as straight as a back could be. Before speaking, he looked around the room. It wasn’t as big as the Hanshi, but it was definitely larger than his room at the old apartment. Air circulated better, too. His bed, the most comfortable bed he remembered having slept on, was covered with a canopy that would protect him from any insects that would dare to evade his visitor.
“Good morning, Wangji,” he murmured with a clearer and stronger voice than he expected.
“Good morning,” Lan Wangji replied. Once again, he wore modern clothes, white and light blue, and the clan headband wrapped around his forehead. His joy and relief threatened to burst through his eyes as he approached to help Lan Huan sit up in bed. “You look better.”
“I feel better.” For the first time in days, he was without pain and able to think coherent thoughts at the same time. Cultivation healing really was better than your average painkiller. “I’m also hungry,” he added in wonder. “I haven’t been this hungry in days.”
“I’ll ask for breakfast.” Lan Wangji picked up a talisman from a pocket in his jacket and made it burn between his index and middle fingers using his spiritual energy.
Lan Huan stared at it, fascinated—and wondered whether Lan Wangji could’ve made a phone call or sent a text instead, or if he just wanted to show off. The little things most people would never expect from the esteemed Hanguang-jun.
“I understand you must’ve already had breakfast, but would you mind keeping me company, Wangji?”
The corners of Lan Wangji’s mouth raised in agreement.
In no time, a junior disciple brought a tray with easy-to-digest, nutritious food which Lan Wangji picked up at the entrance to carry it himself the last part of the way.
“Thank you,” Lan Huan said when Lan Wangji placed the tray in front of him.
True to his unspoken word, Lan Wangji stayed while Lan Huan ate his breakfast. Theirs was a comfortable silence during which Lan Wangji communicated through his body language the fear he’d had of being rejected, of being considered a stranger when he first approached Lan Huan.
“It was lucky you arrived when you did. Not only because you stopped the fight, but because only then was I able to understand everything.”
“If you hadn’t remembered, I would have waited.”
So, Lan Wangji would’ve looked over him from a distance forever if he had never recovered the memories of his previous life. That was very like him.
Once he finished breakfast, Lan Huan decided to be brave and ask a most important question while Lan Wangji took the tray away to a table at the entrance of the room.
“When can I see Da-ge and A-Yao?”
“As soon as Wei Ying deems they’re safe.”
Lan Huan’s first instinct was to protest that they were. Unfortunately, they had proven otherwise with their infighting.
“I understand.” He looked up again. “There is someone else I would like to talk to. The guard at the Unclean Realm who got attacked by the thieves as well. He was nice to me.”
“I’ll get you his contact information,” Lan Wangji agreed. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
Actually, yes. Lan Huan’s legs would go numb if he remained in bed for one minute longer.
“As long as I’m allowed. I’d really like to explore your house.”
“It’s yours now.”
“Wangji...”
Lan Wangji made it clear with his expression that he wouldn’t take anything back. Therefore, Lan Huan had no choice but to sigh and accept the hand that would help him get out of bed.
They walked around the residence, exploring as many rooms as they encountered, with only the private living quarters being out of bounds. Lan Huan found happiness in realizing that the memories of the customs and practices of the Lan Clan returned effortlessly. After a long while, they found their way to the music hall. There was no one there at that hour, so Lan Huan was able to take in the atmosphere that surrounded him. In this place, something else he had been thinking about since the previous day came to mind.
“Wangji, I think I would like to cultivate a golden core in this body.”
“Mn,” Lan Wangji replied, but that sound was charged with emotion. He had wanted to ask about that ever since they met.
“Just—after I’m done with my thesis defense. I hope that’s alright.”
“It is. What is your thesis about?”
Lan Huan hesitated for a second, knowing that Lan Wangji would open the doors to all the information he had at his disposal, including primary sources forbidden to all other researchers. Then again, what was wrong with having access to primary sources? They could discuss what to make public and what should be kept secret on the way. So, he told him.
It was late. The sun had long set below the horizon and Wen Ning walked out of the campus letting out the yawn he had been holding back for the last hour of the lecture. He looked around. His ride should be a guy with a sword on standby next to one of the lampposts.
“Oi! Wen Ning!” called a figure on the sidewalk, waving a hand.
Wen Ning trotted over to his side. “Young Master Wei?”
“The very same! I’m done with the fierce corpses so I volunteered to take you home today.”
“What do you mean done?” Wen Ning asked cautiously. He needed to calculate how much comfort he’d be offering Lan Huan once he got back.
Wei Wuxian laughed.
“I finished evaluating them. They should be mostly fine. They’re talking with Zewu-jun 2.0 right now. If anything happens, Lan Zhan can take care of it. Worst case scenario, he’ll put me on speaker and I’ll do it.”
“Oh. That’s a relief. I wasn’t expecting Chenqing to work over the phone, though.”
“I know, right. It was a relief when we found out it did.”
“So, where’s Suibian?”
“In my Qiankun pocket,” Wei Wuxian replied, pointing at his jeans. “But we’re not flying today?”
“Are we taking the bus?”
“Nope!” replied Wei Wuxian pointing behind him, where a black-and-red shiny Vespa with an attached sidecar awaited. “What do you think? Do you like it?” he asked when Wen Ning got closer to inspect it. “It’s custom-made! Lan Zhan got it for me last year for my birthday. I have less excuses to use it than I would like.”
“It’s… very you,” replied Wei Wuxian’s newest excuse to use his custom-made Vespa.
Wei Wuxian put on a black helmet he got from his pocket and offered a matching one.
“Go on, then! Hop on! There’s no time to lose!”
Wen Ning, with a small smile upon his lips, put on the helmet and shifted his backpack to his front. Then, he settled into the sidecar and braced for a hectic trip.
He hadn’t been wrong. The vehicle roared to life and catapulted them into traffic. With a maniacal grin, Wei Wuxian twisted the handle as far as it would go. Soon, the streetlights became lines that stretched for entire blocks, and the cars around them all but transformed into blurs that were left behind in an instant. Strangely, the passenger didn’t feel the impact of the wind. It was as if a magical windshield had been placed in front of him—which he suspected would be the case.
He also decided not to keep count of the red lights they were crossing and all the zigzagging they were doing. He doubted a traffic agent would stop them, but he wasn’t sure about the street cameras. So, they were either cloaked with a cultivation spell or the deep pockets of Wei Wuxian’s husband would get them out of trouble. Wen Ning suspected that, if he asked, the answer would be, ‘yes.’
They didn’t go to the residence, however. Wei Wuxian took them to a fancy bubble tea shop that closed late.
“Hello!” Wei Wuxian said as he came in. “The usual for me! Wen Ning, what do you want? Order to your heart’s content! My treat!”
“I’ll have whatever he’s having,” Wen Ning replied. He didn’t want to admit he didn’t have a preference when it came to bubble tea. He had only tried it once before.
As they waited for their order, the same person whose fate he was anxious to know came back to his mind’s eye. He took a random cake from the dessert tray to give himself a moment to think. Then, he looked Wei Wuxian in the eye.
“Young Master Wei?”
“Yes?”
Wen Ning opened his mouth—and once again, was unable to say what weighted in his heart.
“The thief who used the giant woodlice to attack us is in jail as we speak, right?”
“He’s at the hospital, actually. We offered him cultivator healers to regrow his ear if he gave away all the people who’d hired him to steal cultivation artifacts throughout the years. He was so happy he cried, hahahaha! After that, he is going to jail, though.”
Wen Ning took a sip of his drink—too sweet and too processed for his taste, but not too terrible—while he nodded.
“So, he got what he wanted,” he said while thinking how some people didn’t deserve a happy ending.
“Yeah, he did. Hopefully, he’ll learn there are other ways to go about things or to make a living. By the way, I’m thinking of keeping the jar with the ear in a closet to use in the future as a cautionary tale.”
“Of course you are.”
“The raids to recover the artifacts start next week. Chifeng-zun and Lianfang-zun are joining them. They’re very emphatic about first going to the place where Zewu-jun’s sword is kept to give it back.”
“That’s nice of them. If you think they can behave themselves, they should totally go.”
“I’ll go with them to pick up the sword and see how they do. Although, honestly, for the peace of everyone’s minds, they should take turns.”
“Oh, yeah. Absolutely.”
Wei Wuxian finished his drink and stretched on the chair.
“We should go now. You have an early day tomorrow, don’t you? I’m afraid I won’t be taking you to school,” he laughed.
“That’s fine,” Wen Ning said, ready for another round of Wei Wuxian’s driving skills. However, he was aware that, if he had to, he would choose the Vespa over the sword every day.
“Xichen,” Nie Mingjue said as he came into Lan Huan’s quarters early in the morning with Jin Guangyao coming right behind him. Both of them had been given new clothes, with latter agreeing to modernize his style, wearing black pants, a dark yellow shirt, and a jacket, while Nie Mingjue flat out refused to consider it. Because of that, he wore an exact replica of his old Nie robes made even with the same materials. Lan Huan wasn’t sure which one of the two caused him the worst shock.
“Good morning, Da-ge, A-Yao,” Lan Huan replied. He closed the laptop Lan Wangji, determined to shower him in gifts Lan Huan didn’t have the heart to refuse, had given him to work on his thesis, and set it aside. He was taking full advantage of the screen ban being lifted.
“Er-ge, how do you feel today?”
“Much better, thank you.” Much better physically and emotionally, now that he was allowed to see them unsupervised. “I heard the raids began last night.”
“That’s correct,” Jin Guangyao said. “We found less resistance than we expected.”
“It was boring,” Nie Mingjue declared.
Lan Huan chuckled softly.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find at least one of those dens guarded by strong yao at some point.”
“I hope so,” Nie Mingjue said while Jin Guangyao made a show of shaking his head. “By the way, Xichen…” He looked at Jin Guangyao, who completed the phrase.
“We have something for you.”
Jin Guangyao brought out from the depths of his left sleeve a Qiankun bag and, from there, produced a long, rectangular box. Nie Mingjue grabbed one end of the box while Jin Guangyao held the other. They both stepped forward to present it to Lan Huan, who stood up with his heart pounding in his chest.
“Is that…?”
“Xichen.”
“Er-ge.”
Lan Huan accepted the box and placed it on a table to open it. Inside, there it was. Right there, in front of him, lay Shuoyue, Zewu-jun’s sword, just like they had promised. With a big smile on his face, Lan Huan picked it up by the handle. Shuoyue resonated with him the same as Liebing had. He let go of it soon, though, and turned around to bow his thanks to Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao. Nie Mingjue, however, grabbed him by the shoulders to stop him before he could start.
“No need, Xichen. We made a promise—and we owe you for putting you through such hardship.”
“Especially me,” Jin Guangyao said with a wisp of a voice. He avoided looking at Lan Huan in the face.
Lan Huan pressed a hand on his forearm.
“We have plenty of time to talk about it.” It didn’t have to be right then. Lan Huan didn’t feel strong enough to talk about he had been the one to drive a sword into Jin Guangyao’s chest. He pressed his eyes close for a moment and, when he opened them again, he was smiling. “You two couldn’t have come at a better time. Just a couple of days ago, I was telling Wangji that I would like to cultivate a golden core in this body when I’m done with my thesis defense. Liebing and Shuoyue will help immensely. Thank you.”
“What’s a thesis and who will you defend it against?” Nie Mingjue asked.
Lan Huan smiled.
“A thesis is a piece of specialized research. Defending means that I’ll discuss it with a panel of experts and must demonstrate that I’ve mastered the subject. Then, if they agree I have performed to their standards, I’ll be granted an academic degree.”
“Ah. I understand now.”
Nie Mingjue’s condition made it difficult for him to convey emotion, but Lan Huan knew that he found the lack of a physical fight disappointing.
“What is the topic of your research, Er-ge?”
“Songs by the Lan Clan that have been forgotten by the mortal world.”
“It’ll be impossible for you to lose,” Nie Mingjue said.
“Is there a date for this defense?”
“Yes, but I still need to revise it.”
“I’d love to help,” Jin Guangyao said.
“I’m sure you’ll pick up weak points in my writing that will need to be corrected, A-Yao.”
Nie Mingjue didn’t say anything about it. This time, Lan Huan wasn’t expecting him to. After all, this was far from his area of expertise. Regardless, he would surely agree to be moral support, and that was more than enough. It was a beginning for them to start rebuilding the bridges between them.
“It’s working really well,” Wen Ning said as he covered the perimeter around his garden with a mix of citrus peels and coffee grounds, a natural remedy that kept the woodlouse away without hurting it.
The creature stood a few meters away, its head retracted inside its exoskeleton. It looked hurt at the idea of being subjected to such indignity. Wen Ning would apologize once he finished his work, but first, he had to guarantee the survival of his medicinal herbs.
“That’s fantastic!” Wei Wuxian, who was crouching next to him, said. “Are those zombie pins on your hat?” he asked, poking them.
“Yup. I thought they were cute. We should get together and watch a movie, sometime. I would like your expert opinion on it.”
Wei Wuxian laughed.
“Sure, why not. I’ll be giving my opinion all throughout the movie, though.”
“That’s the only way to go about it.”
“By the way, let me know when you’re ready to take a break. I am here on a mission.”
“A mission?” Wen Ning looked at his work and the bow with the mix. “I’m missing only a couple of meters, so I’ll be done soon. If you can wait…”
“Yes, that’s fine. Go ahead and finish. I’ll get the refreshments ready.”
Curious, Wen Ning watched Wei Wuxian go toward the kitchen, then applied himself to work. When the entire perimeter was surrounded with the peels and the coffee grounds, he proceeded to wash his hands. On the way, he patted the woodlouse’s exoskeleton, but it received no response. It truly was offended.
“We’ll talk later,” Wen Ning murmured.
When he came back, he found Wei Wuxian settled on an outdoor table which had been placed between the garden and Wen Ning’s private quarters. The table held a tea set, different kinds of cake and other sweets, and fresh fruit. Wei Wuxian himself was feeding apple pieces to the woodlouse, which went back to hide its head as soon as it saw Wen Ning.
Wei Wuxian laughed. “Consider this your first fight.”
Wen Ning sighed as he sat down in front of Wei Wuxian. “It has to understand I have a right to have boundaries.”
Wei Wuxian laughed harder.
“Now that I know they won’t be eaten before their time,” Wen Ning continued, serving the tea, “I’ll start transplanting my plants. They must be tired of being constricted in those pots.”
“No doubt,” Wei Wuxian said, accepting the cup. “You gotta invite me to your first harvest.”
“Sure. I won’t mind the help.”
They kept joking around as they ate and drank tea for a while, before Wen Ning figured it would be a good moment to bring the main topic up.
“So, what’s that mission you mentioned?”
“Oh, that. Yeah. I was wondering if you had any question for me?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. A big and important kind of question. You could have asked Lan Zhan as well, but he would’ve told me if you had.”
Wen Ning looked back at the woodlouse. To be honest, yes, he had a big question he hadn’t been able to ask, out of his own cowardice—and he still couldn’t do it.
He remained in silence for so long that Wei Wuxian decided to fill it in.
“Fine. In that case, I have a big question for you.”
Wen Ning’s eyes shot back up.
“It hasn’t been a month yet.”
“I know. It isn’t that. My question is…” He paused, leaning forward with a frown on his face. “Wen Ning, why do you want to make good people sad?”
“Sorry?”
Wei Wuxian’s frown deepened.
“You’re a really mean person and you gotta fix it.” He fished for a business card in the pocket of his jacket. “He’s very patient and understanding, and he’s willing to wait for as long as it takes, but he also grows more and more despondent every day that goes by and you don’t ask for him.”
He offered the business card to Wen Ning, who grabbed it with trembling hands.
“Young Master Wei, do you mean…?”
Wei Wuxian’s frown changed to a wide grin.
“Lan Zhan and I haven’t been the only ones able to cultivate into immortality in history. It turns out that radishes can too.” He pushed the card further into Wen Ning’s hands. “I’d tell you to take your time, but why would you want to make him sadder than he already is?”
Wen Ning looked down at the card, tears welling up in his eyes. But the name he had avoided saying was there, printed over a phone number.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“Don’t mention it.” Wei Wuxian got up, stretched, and patted the woodlouse’s back. “Come on. Let’s give him some privacy.”
The creature went after him, and Wen Ning was left alone in the garden. After a deep breath, he reached for his phone and dialed the number in the card.