Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian wasn't a territorial god, which is why he hadn't noticed immediately, upon entering, that something was wrong with the dancing goddess -- moreover, they had been created (born?) in a very similar fashion and she was his senior, which is why his first instinct was to try to talk to her.
Lan Wangji on the other hand, having been made a sect god, had his own territory, so to speak; he didn't wander around like Wei Wuxian, and furthermore, he had done his research beforehand, so he went into the forest with his brother, his son, his son's best friend and with the appropriate wariness the situation deserved. He would not tolerate a goddess that killed her subjects by stealing their souls anywhere near Gusu, let alone innocent people, even if she was older than him by what he thought was a lot.
They met with Meng Yao and Jin Zixuan who, despite his limited use of his right shoulder and leg, was still a force to be reckoned with. Jin Zixuan… stared, at Hanguang-Jun, and shot a questioning glance towards Zewu-Jun, but decided to not ask obvious questions now that they were in an area of danger. Meng Yao informed them that they'd be meeting with Jiang Wanyin (Favorite Uncle) the next day, who was also part of the investigation, and that Jin Ling had asked his Second Favorite Uncle (No, Meng Yao wasn't bitter about it) to help them, since he was probably the only living and sane person who had enough finesse with resentful energies to be of any help. Hanguang-Jun had inclined his head, having already heard stories about the wandering cultivator from others -- and, on one memorable occasion from Xiao Xingchen, who described him as a delightful person who knows his risks, unlike Xue Yang; he was still missing the whole story there.
What their group didn't know, though, was that Jin Ling's group, consisting of himself, Jiang Wanyin, Ouyang Zizhen -- who was spending a year at the Lotus Pier with Jin Ling -- and some senior JunmegJiang disciples had just met up with the arriving Mo Xuanyu on the other side of the mountain pass and were already making their way to the temple that the goddess inhabited, Wei Wuxian hidden as always (though he kept glancing at Jin Ling and Jiang Wanyin, Mo Xuanyu could tell).
Now, the smart thing would've been to simply meet on that day, but sadly, both groups were unaware that the other had decided to investigate the temple, and both groups were unaware of the number of gods that were travelling with them. And Hanguang-Jun's group was further up on the mountain, which is why they arrived at the cave temple first.
And then the goddess went on a rampage, mad with power and feeling very territorial, and they had to leave (read: run) for the outside, because she had the tactical advantage inside the temple. Everyone tried to move behind Hanguang-Jun as he held Bichen at the ready, unsure as to how to deal with the dancing goddess without anyone else getting harmed in the way. Lan Jingyi fell behind while he pushed Lan Sizhui away, and Hanguang-Jun could already see that he wouldn't make it in time to block the goddess' next attack -- Jingyi would be wounded, though not fatally, and then the goddess reared,
And then.
Something redirected her blow that wasn't Bichen, something small and black and so full of resentment that it even had Hanguang-Jun staggering backwards, Lan Jingyi now secure and out of reach of the goddess and behind him.
And the goddess crooned. "Oh, hello there."
(The black mass of resentment turned into the shape of a crow, and Lan Wangji's heart froze in his chest as something impossible tried to break free.)
"We are the same, you and I," the goddess continued, seemingly ignoring the humans now, especially obvious because Meng Yao could hear both Jin Ling's worried exclamation and Jiang Wanyin's Zidian crackling to life, reinforcements that arrived but were completely dismissed. Meng Yao had recognized the bird, obviously, especially because the second had just deigned to fly onto his shoulder -- Mo Xuanyu always sent one of them to deliver his letters. But still, he had never seen the crow this… resentful before.
"Why don't you join me?"
A piercing laugh echoed through the forest, the crow's eyes visibly glowing red even from a distance. "You know, I had been thinking the same thing, but now -- ah, don't make me laugh-!"
All of the adults froze at the voice.
(Lan Wangji's heart thawed at once, all of the emotion he'd bottled up inside overflowing as a smile broke free on his face, his whole being literally lighting up. "Wei Ying!" He shouted. Lan Jingyi spared him an incredibly scandalized glance.)
The crow turned to him and replied, mirth making its voice somehow lighter. "Lan Zhan! Aiya, it's great to see you --"
"Oh, and how are we not the same?"
The goddess moved again, and the crow returned its attention back to her, tone cold once again. "I'm not in the habit of killing the souls of my followers, but ah, step back--!"
That last one was meant for not the goddess but the humans, because as soon as the warning was echoed, a shrill note filled the air and pressure crashed down on them, and Meng Yao was treated to a front-row seat of seeing Chenqing again, wisps of resentful energy curling around the ghost flute and around the shadowed figure of the Yiling Patriarch as he played an aggressive tone sequence, and then the ground around the goddess broke free and --
and--
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HOLDING
Then Mo Xuanyu was grasping Meng Yao's head and yanking it to the side, cutting off his line of sight, and he finally noticed the row of green fire surrounding them.
"...what?" Meng Yao thought he'd grown used to gods, with Hanguang-Jun around, but obviously, that was not the case. A glance over his shoulder revealed an equally distraught Lan Xichen, and Meng Yao's hand automatically went for his even if his gaze turned back to Mo Xuanyu, who was wearing a grim expression Meng Yao has never seen on his youngest brother before. The two birds circled their group.
"Trust Wuxian --" And then Mo Xuanyu turned to the marginally-less-terrified Cloud Recesses group, expression bewildered. "-- and explain to me what's going on, please?"
The second Wei Wuxian ended his aggressive instructions, Wangji could feel the foundation of the mountain responding in kind, the resentment of the hundred upon hundred of people the dancing goddess had consumed surging upward and against her, restraining her movement for a precious few seconds.
"Lan Zhan, Xuanwu Cave! Big, hulking mass of difficult to kill resentment!"
Wangji, "En. Chord Assassination."
Schooling his expression back into its neutral state; with barely a thought, he had the guqin strings in hand, his instrument having loosened them at the same second. He stepped away from his brother and the others, and with another note, Wei Wuxian had encased them in a ring of green flames, his eyes burning with the same color. Wangji's probably did as well, as they turned their attention back to the goddess and suddenly, despite the danger they were in, it felt as if no time had passed since they'd been seventeen and human.
And then the dancing goddess of Dafan Mountain screamed.
The group of very confused, very frightened, and very done cultivators was huddled together near a stream at the foot of the mountain, still in shock at the very effective (and brutal, and short--) fight that had happened barely half an hour ago near the temple.
Sizhui was the only one not disturbed by the scene in front of them -- well, he and Mo Xuanyu, a few feet to his left, washing off the dust and grime the dancing goddess statue-thing had released upon defeat and that had mostly hit him. It isn't the first time he's seen Wei Wuxian put the resentful souls to rest, even if this time involved a great deal more corpses shuffling back to their graves, their souls returned to their bodies and finally allowed to rest fully. What surprised him was that Hanguang-Jun had joined him, the soft sounds of their combined melody soothing every spirit that was present.
(And how beautiful it was, to finally hear both parts played in union after two different instances and thirteen years apart, Sizhui thought.)
Jiang Wanyin, the aforementioned very done cultivator and party-member, kept glaring at Zewu-Jun, Zidian crackling with purple sparks around his finger. "So, Lan Wangji has been back at the Cloud Recesses since roughly three years, and you hadn't planned on telling any other Sect Leader?"
Jingyi pipes up: "Sect Leader Nie and Senior Yao know!"
Meng Yao, "I'm not a sect leader, though."
Jiang Wanyin snorts. "That those two know isn't a surprise -- Lan Xichen, why keep it a secret?"
Sizhui thinks Jiang Wanyin can be forgiven for foregoing decorum right now, mostly because he's silently amused at how red his uncle and Meng Yao were; there was even a hitch in the melody of the zither, and upon glancing over to the two(?) gods, Hanguang-Jun wore a faintly amused expression.
Well, that's all of the confirmation Sizhui needed, really. He, Jingyi and Jin Ling might've won a rather hefty bet.
Then the melody of the dizi and guqin quiets, and Sizhui's parents (parental figures, oh who knows anymore at this point??) re-join the conversation.
"Mn. I have been around for five years."
Jin Zixuan's eye twitched and next to him, Jin Ling looked hopelessly confused.
Mo Xuanyu walked over to them, dripping wet but finally clear of all of the dust. "Huh, Wuxian here as well."
That was when everyone grew silent and stared at the two gods, varying expressions of shock, awe, distrust and amusement visible. Meng Yao was about to open his mouth and state the obvious when Jin Ling blurted, "Wait, does that mean you two have been travelling together the whole time?" His attention on Mo Xuanyu and the amused and grinning Wei Wuxian.
"Yep. A-Yu built me a temple -- my first temple, Lan Zhan, you'll have to visit it, it's in Yi City! -- and I was so impressed I made him my disciple! And then we travelled around! It's not like I know what I have to do, or what the rules are to being a god."
Hanguang-Jun, "Mn. Can teach you."
Wei Wuxian, elated: "Aiah, thank you, Lan Zhan! It's also been really nice clearing my name, and helping out A-Yu with his cultivation, and--"
Jiang Wanyin scoffed. "-- you never thought of visiting, did you?"
Wei Wuxian seemed to flinch back, which is when Mo Xuanyu interfered. "That was actually the next step on our list."
"I wasn't really myself though, Jiang Cheng." Wei Wuxian glanced around and raised his hand, and the crow landed on it. "I'm still the Yiling Patriarch; the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, the Founder of Diabolism -- I'm a being made into the shape of a god, but I'm still a being made of resentment and hatred. If I would've visited any of you before now, what are the chances that you'd have hated me from the bottom of your hearts?"
There was silence, no-one having to speak up to voice what everyone in the vicinity knew: Wei Wuxian was right, that even a year ago, most would have cursed his existence, especially among the great sects.
"Wei Ying is Wei Ying." Hanguang-Jun's voice echoed through the silence like a physical blow, with all of the conviction of a god of righteousness. Wei Wuxian blushed. Hanguang-Jun continued, "What Wei Ying did was for the sake of those that were wronged; I heard most of the wishes and prayers of the Burial Mounds." His voice softened, Sizhui's heart with it. "What Wei Ying did was good."
Somehow, no-one found it in their heart to interrupt them, as much as it seems that they had forgotten their surroundings.
(Actually, it was getting rather uncomfortable.)
And then it was Ouyang Zizhen who spoke up again, his tone sounding as if he's had the Revelation Of A Lifetime. "Sorry if I'm interrupting, Hanguang-Jun, Yiling Laozu --"
You don't sound sorry at all, though, Zizhen, Sizhui thought wryly.
"-- but then the rumors that have been circulating around almost everywhere, about-- about--" His face flushed. "About Yiling Laozu protecting those people finding themselves inclined to the, uh, same gender, regardless if they are man or woman, uh."
Wait, what? Sizhui blinked. Glanced over to Lan Jingyi and his uncle, who both looked faintly surprised at this turn of events, to Jin Ling's family, who looked… moderately less surprised -- especially Jin Ling and Jin Zixuan, who both were glancing warmly over to… Mo Xuanyu?
Oh, right. He'd been thrown out of Lanling because of his 'inclinations'. I remember Jin Ling complaining about it.
Wei Wuxian's face split into a cheery grin.
(Jiang Cheng instinctively recoiled at it, and both he and Lan Xichen had a sudden, unrelated surge of brotherly protective instinct towards their dumb, foolish, pining siblings who had been separated through death before they could fucking resolve their issues. Many an evening that had started as Sect Business had devolved into lamenting Wei Wuxian's and Lan Wangji's unfair fates, and Jiang Cheng was fully onboard with getting rid of the sect god sacrificing system.
As such, both of them had the sudden urge to strangle Ouyang Zizhen, because other gods know, those two had been in love since they had been fifteen and neither had known what to do with it.)
As such, it came to everyone's surprise when Wei Wuxian, fearsome Yiling Patriarch, confirmed the rumors with a simple, "Yup!"
Ouyang Zizhen seemed the most surprised, though unlike some of the senior Yunmeg disciples who looked very affronted, he grinned back after a second. "Really?"
Wei Wuxian, "My greatest accomplishment -- well, Xuanyu's, really, but still. I'll send a crow to haunt anyone who even thinks of disagreeing."
Ouyang Zizhen, emboldened by the positive(-ly threatening) reply, continued: "So is it also true that the reason Yiling Laozu has taken those people under his metaphorical wing is because he and Hanguang-Jun had been in a forbidden romance that had ended tragically in the ascension of Hanguang-Jun and the death of Yiling Laozu? And that, upon becoming a god himself, Yiling Laozu had wanted to protect those in the same situation as himself?"
Abort, abort, abort! Sizhui panicked. Zizhen, what the heck? I know that you loved hearing Hanguang-Jun talk about his past as a human and the beginnings of the Sunshot Campaign as much as the next (Lan) disciple! But! I never thought you'd be able to get such a narrative together!
(On the other side, Jin Ling was also fuming -- either in embarrassment or anger, he wasn't sure. This is what happens when he talks about his family to others! This is the result of that time when Zizhen managed to get both of them drunk and then Jin Ling proceeded to heap praise onto his second favorite uncle?
…
Also, did this mean he's just gotten another uncle?!)
(Wangji was also, internally, panicking. His mind did the same thing Sizhui's did, screaming abort, abort, abort!, but as always, no reaction was outwardly visible.)
"Ah, well." Wei Wuxian blinked, stunned at the passion in the speech. "You're a romantic, aren't you?" It was a rhetorical question and instead of waiting for an answer, he continued on, voice much more solemn than before. "You aren't wrong, though -- but like I said, Mo Xuanyu did most of it by himself, but. Yes." Wei Wuxian took a deep breath and glanced at Hanguang-Jun, stepping just a bit closer until their shoulders touched. "I had been in love with Lan Zhan already, but precisely because we were practically children, Lan Zhan was going to be the next sect god and there was a war looming, we never said anything."
That… that was such a heartfelt admission! Glancing over to Hanguang-Jun, Sizhui could see his composure crack, the faintest outline of a smile visible on his lips. It was as if a miniature sun was casting its light on all of the huddled cultivators.
"Wei Ying..."
"Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian laughed, turning to Hanguang-Jun. "I've only realized it much, much later, but I really, really, really love you!"
"En."
And then there was a slight hesitation, Wei Wuxian turning so that he and Hanguang-Jun stood facing each other, and the small smile on Hanguang-Jun's face turned into something much larger, Wei Wuxian's laugh evening out and gentling as he leaned forward slightly and pressed their lips together at the faintest nod he received.
("Finally," Mo Xuanyu muttered, the two birds perched on his shoulder cawing in agreement.)
It was rare to see a temple or shrine that was dedicated to the sect god Hanguang-Jun to not also be dedicated to Yiling Laozu Wei Wuxian nowadays, this close to any of the four sects, Xiao Xingchen mused. Amusement curled at his lips. He'd himself just finished his prayers and was waiting for Song Lan to do so as well, before they set off on the remainder of their journey to Yi City, A-Qing already browsing the stands in the market on the main street.
The second word had gotten out that the two young gods had been together, most of Hanguang-Jun's followers, even outside of cultivation sects, had been shocked -- even more so when Yiling Laozu's followers had immediately flocked to him, most of them not because they were demonic cultivators, but because they loved differently and were stigmatized by the general population. And then the offerings followed, and the prayers and wishes and questions and hopes, and suddenly the crow and the rabbit were found next to one another: on talismans, paper crafts, lanterns.
(It was rather endearing, really, especially since Xiao Xingchen would meet both of them whenever their paths crossed, and they were so very obviously in love that even being a bystander, you couldn't help but feel warm all over (and like an intruder). Their son was also rather endearing, and he and A-Qing got along splendidly despite their differences, and whenever they parted ways, Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan had to endure A-Qing's over-the-top remarks about the only person that understands my pain is leaving. It was something about dad jokes, always, which Song Lan would roll his eyes at and then proceed to egg her about until she screamed in frustration and ran ahead.
Ah, good old times.)
Xiao Xingchen noticed movement in the corner of his eyes and was about to call out to Song Lan when he'd noticed that it was not the direction of the entrance, nor his partner -- it was two girls, giggling to themselves while clutching some scrolls to their chests, sneaking out of the back room of the temple with smiles in their eyes. They froze upon seeing him, dressed as he was as a cultivator not affiliated with any close sect, their good humor leaving them abruptly. Xiao Xingchen smiled at them, gently, his smile widening as Song Lan finally appeared next to him.
His attention was immediately diverted. "Are you done, then?"
Song Lan's response was a kiss to the cheek in lieu of a verbal answer, and then he turned around with the air of somebody who knew that he would be followed. "We have to find A-Qing before she does something stupid -- ever since she became friends with Sect Leader Jin Rulan, she's gotten worse." Which was a feat for both of them, really, seeing as they're over twenty now and should have something like common sense.
Xiao Xingchen rolled his eyes in good humor, turning back to the now-again smiling girls, pressing a finger to his amused lips. They bowed to him in gratitude before disappearing around the corner, and Xiao Xingchen followed after his A-Lan.
CODA:
"You know, Xichen-ge," Wei Wuxian had a sly smile on his face, eyeing the motley group of cultivators (and Lan Zhan). They had retreated to the town at the foot of Dafan Mountain and had booked an inn with a community room they could use, and in which they were currently seated, the Junmeg Jiang disciples that had accompanied Jiang Cheng in their own rooms and sleeping off their shock. Wei Wuxian was leaning comfortably against Lan Zhan.
Lan Xichen raised his brow elegantly, his expression open but wary. "Yes?"
"As Ouyang Zizhen has so nicely pointed out what I am a god of, I had thought that, you know, you and Meng Yao, that's two-thirds already here, have any questions you'd want answered?"
Lan Xichen froze. Meng Yao froze.
The whole room froze, really. Wei Wuxian grinned. Jackpot! This was something he'd been wondering ever since the Sunshot Campaign, and Jiang Cheng's words from earlier were not lost to him. He continued, voice dropping into a sultry tone. "Xichen-ge, you would not believe the stuff I've been offered, from scrolls to toys to books, some of them with fascinating combinat--"
"WEI WUXIAN!"
Oh, look. Jiang Cheng had Zidian in hand, the whip alive and crackling with energy. Somewhere in the back, Mo Xuanyu gave a life-weary sigh. Wei Wuxian could hear his muttered "Of course he would," but chose to ignore it. A-Yu shouldn't be the one speaking, considering he's kept quite a few of the books and toys, but that was secondary to Wei Wuxian fleeing from the room, Jiang Cheng hot on his heels.
Could he withstand Zidian? Yes.
Was there a need to run away? No. But it was fun.
He barely caught sight of Lan Xichen hiding his expression behind his palms, Meng Yao still frozen, and then he was out of the room.
(If Meng Yao approached him the next day, flustered beyond reason, and asked about those books, then it was neither here nor there. Or if Wei Wuxian told him that he was free to take any such offering from his shrines if it was, ah, in his taste.
It did spark an idea, though. Hm.)