Chapter Text
"Lan Sizhui?" He was too light-headed to recognize the person but he had heard this voice somewhere.
He tried to open his eyes. It was too bright for his liking or rather his eyes were used to the darkness. Oh, he wasn't blindfolded anymore.
"Lan Sizhui, are you able to hear me?" The calm and steady voice was more audible this time. The chief cultivator.
He pried open his eyes and the first thing which came into his view was the carpeted floor on which he was kneeling . Raising his head he met Nei Huaisang's gaze who was sitting regally on the throne where he had seen Jin Ling multiple times during various past visits. Huaisang was fanning himself, patiently waiting for his response. Sizhui pushed down the now-bittersweet memories associated with Jin Ling and gave him an imperceptible nod.
"Very well, I think you are in the right state to answer some questions. We may begin the trial now." Sizhui could feel others' presence but his head was throbbing with pain to properly acknowledge anyone. Not that he could bow properly with his hands bound behind his back. Perhaps their queries would give him answers to his own questions. Huaisang closed his fan and put it in his lap. "Sect leader Jiang, I think you might want to go first." He said, his eyes didn't leave Sizhui though.
"I already told you this trial is bullshit to me." The voice came from somewhere on his right. "Everyone saw and heard what happened." Jiang Cheng sounded impatient. "This Wen Dog is undoubtedly guilty." Sizhui squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the sneer rather than seeing it. How did sect leader Jiang know of his lineage? Jin Ling, his mind reasoned but his heart denied the accusation in full force.
"Jiang Cheng, mind your words!" Someone rebuked from the opposite side.
"Baba!" Sizhui screamed against his raw throat, despite himself.
His eyes instinctively landed on Wei Wuxian who was standing behind Lan Xichen, rather than sitting like other cultivators. The only thing holding him up was Lan Wangji's firm yet gentle grip on his arm who had ChenQing clenched in his other hand, the dark flute contrasting against the pristine white.
"A-die…" Sizhui squirmed against the spirit-binding ropes making up for what his dry throat couldn't manage this time. He was very adept at gauging the expressions of his mentor. From a very young age, Lan Yuan had started searching for any signs of disappointment on his face. Consequently, it was easy for him to recognize the pain in Lan Wangji's golden orbs as Sizhui felt two strong arms on each of his shoulders, pressing him down to the floor. The Jin colors came in his peripheral vision and he discovered the guards behind him.
He had faith in his parents, half of his concerns already faded. All Lan Wangji said was, "Xiong-Zhang."
Sizhui knew Lan Xichen heard the plea as well which might come as only a formal address to the majority.he had faith in his parents, half of his concerns already faded
"Lan Sizhui, I'll ask you only this one question." Lan Xichen's soothing voice always acted like an anchor for him since childhood. During nights when he woke up due to nightmares, it was this ethereal human who helped calm his nerves. The voice might be the same but his gentle smile was hardly seen anymore after the events at Guanyin Temple. "Why did you ambuscade sect leader Jin?"
Nothing prepared Sizhui for this question. "I- I didn't…" He managed to speak through his shock.
"Young master Lan, I think you are smart enough to comprehend what's being asked," Huaisang interrupted in a leveled voice looking intently at him with his piercing gaze.
Sizhui's eyes widened and his head snapped towards Lan Xichen or rather the sect leader Lan who was wary of trusting even his disciples after coming out of seclusion. He wasn't asking whether Sizhui committed the crime but the reason. In his eyes, Sizhui was already guilty. Exasperated, he looked at his adoptive parents who were avoiding eye contact with him. Did they all believe it? Despair clutched at his mind as his gaze wandered, landing on Jingyi, Zizhen, and several other familiar faces. Each one of them had their heads held low.
Why is everyone so sure of something I can't even imagine doing even if my own life is at stake? Sizhui thought through unshed tears. Surprisingly, he still had some left after the day before.
"Denial is not an option here when you have left proof in its wake." Jin Ling addressed him with that tone he used only with someone he detests. "Look at me," His cold voice demanded obedience not that Sizhui would reject him. He blinked away the tears and looked at his immediate right. Sitting at a table beside Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling loosened the collar of his outer robe.
Sizhui gasped in distress as his eyes met the bruise on Jin Ling's neck. It was similar to what he sustained after Jin Guangyao's death but this one was fresh. It took him a moment to realize the implications of Jin Ling's words. "It's impossible… I… I can't-" He reasoned with no one in particular.
Jiang Cheng laughed bitterly, "It was our initial thought too," He looked him in the eye, "But I trust zidian more than anyone else." Sizhui's emotional turmoil eclipsed any physical discomfort but he couldn't ignore the slight twinge in his back now. "Or are you saying you performed a sacrificial ritual to bring back the former sect leader Jin?" He gritted venomously.
Sizhui knew very well that sect leader Jiang wasn't just exploring excuses for him, rather it was a direct jab at his former Shixiong. He thought that things had started healing between the two but he couldn't blame Jiang Cheng for the sudden fallout when Jin Ling's life was at stake. Sizhui was the reason, he ruined everything, for himself as well as the others related to him. This was his fate for being a Wen and it was bound to happen. He was a fool to believe in Jin Ling's promises. What could be done now? All he had to do was to sit and hear the decree.
"I demand that either the Lan sect take responsibility for its disciples' actions or banish him from the sect." Jiang Cheng twisted zidian as he spoke.
Silence befell over the hall. Everyone knew there was no choice. Taking responsibility for Sizhui's supposed actions meant declaring war against the Jin sect and by association the Jiang sect. Moreover, it wouldn't be a surprise if the majority of the sects present would go against the Lan sect as well, after all, for them, it was Sizhui who did the unthinkable.
Thus, Sizhui couldn't blame Lan Xichen as he declared, "As the leader of the Lan Sect, I hereby confirm that Lan Sizhui is no longer a disciple of our sect and he's responsible for his own words and actions."
Sizhui clenched his fists, resisting the sobs threatening to overpower him. He might not be a Lan anymore but he was raised one. It would be a disrespect to the forehead ribbon he was donning if he did lose his composure in front of so many people.
"Shall we decide the punishment then?" Nei Huaisang spoke casually as if asking which nighttime story they wanted to hear.
"He's a Wen dog, he deserves to be burned alive." Someone suggested. Sizhui had already lost his power to recognize the speaker.
"Burn him alive." Several voices rose in unison.
"Very well," said Huaisang. "But I think sect leader Jin should get the final say since he is the one who was attacked and had his deceased parents slandered." It came as another shock to Sizhui as the Chief Cultivator shrugged the responsibility from himself as well as renewed Jin Ling's resentment, killing two birds with one stone.
Sizhui stared at the carpet in terror. Could his situation get any more absurd than it was? His whole frame trembled with restrained emotions. If he did what they were accusing him of, he would accept this punishment wholeheartedly.
"I differ from your viewpoint, sect leader Yao," said Jin Ling with utmost finality. The whispers of 'what could be a worse punishment?' died with it and only the shuffling of clothes could be heard in the hall as he stood from his seat. "All of you are having blissful lives to think of death as a punishment I guess." The ice-cold voice sounded nearer than before. "Life is the real punishment," Jin boots came in front of Sizhui's vision before Jin Ling crouched to his level. The hand on his chin guided him to look into empty hazel eyes. "A life where you die every day."
Sizhui's eyes involuntarily traced every inch of Jin Ling's face for any sign of familiarity but in vain. He felt that it would be better if his eyes were still blindfolded. Jun Ling's features were colder than death itself. Sizhui inferred what he was talking about. For a moment the question 'What kind of life was Jin Ling living?' rose in his mind but in the next instant, he felt a tug on his forehead ribbon. Sizhui gasped like a fish out of the water as the ribbon came undone in front of his eyes.
Jin Ling pulled it away and Sizhui felt like it wasn't the ribbon but his heart in the other's hand. He couldn't breathe. The hand left his face.
"You are not worthy of it, Wen Yuan .'' Those were the last words Sizhui heard before his vision darkened completely.