Chapter Text
Lan Wangji heard the baby’s cries first. It was in the middle of a thunderstorm. The raindrops were pattering heavily against the tightly shut windows of the Jingshi and Lan Wangji was preparing to retire to bed when he heard it. It was an infant’s cry, probably not more than a few days old. That, even he could tell.
He hastily threw open the doors of the Jingshi and found a baby swaddled in a black cloth- what a bad omen, half-soaked by the rain that got blown in. Even the floor that was sheltered by the roof was wet- that was how hard it was raining. The wind whipped against his face and the sheer force of it slapped his sleeves sharply against his body. The baby was lying in a straw basket, and a long package wrapped with a piece of cloth was placed beside it. The package too, was soaked by the rain.
Without a second thought, Lan Wangji brought the basket in and returned for the package before shutting the doors of the Jingshi.
A calm sort of silence fell within the Jingshi the moment he shut the door. The baby had stopped crying. With swift, almost practiced hands- he had taken care of Lan Yuan after all, he peeled the wet cloth from the baby’s body and took a piece of dry towel to wipe him dry. The baby was so cold that he was turning blue, but despite that, he still stared at Lan Wangji’s face calmly. Lan Wangji quickly swaddled the baby in a thick, soft cloth and brought him close to the fireplace.
Soon, the baby was pink again. His black eyes had slid shut after he began to warm up and was now breathing calmly in Lan Wangji’s arms.
Who are you?
He asked the baby silently, his finger moving to gently tickle the baby’s cheeks the way he would touch his rabbits’ furry cheeks. The cheek was chubby and smooth under his finger, and the baby opened his tiny mouth as if he was smiling. That brought a light, gentle smile on Lan Wangji’s face. It reminded him of someone, someone who smiled on regardless of how horrible life was to him.
Why are you here?
Who abandoned you?
The Cloud Recesses had tight security. The baby could not have come from outside, as nobody would’ve been able to trespass without alerting Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen. Maybe a disciple had gotten pregnant and secretly left the child in front of the Jingshi in hopes of giving her son a better life, instead of being known as a child who was born out of the wedlock.
He had to investigate the matter quietly but thoroughly the next morning to find the boy’s mother and discuss her future plans for him.
When he was sure that the baby was warm and comfortable, he walked towards his bed and gently placed him down, rearranging his pillows around the baby.
Then, he turned his attention to the still-dripping package that he had placed on his table beside the empty basket. Maybe it would hold some clues about the child.
The package was long but not bulky, Lan Wangji could not guess what was within it. He untied the knots of the cloth to reveal another cloth beneath that was filled with spiritual energy. With a hint of a crease between his eyebrows, he dispelled the spell that held the second knot tightly bound. It was a strong spell, something that could keep the prying eyes and hands of lower-level cultivators away, but it was nothing to Hanguang-Jun.
Lan Wangji started to feel worried that this might not be as simple as he thought. Why would anyone deliver a package along with a new-born infant to his door in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm? How important were the contents of the package that someone had to seal it with a spell? A Lan Sect disciple might not be powerful enough to cast a spell as strong as this.
When he cautiously pulled the ends of the cloth apart, the objects that lay before him stilled his heart and froze his blood.
Lan Wangji felt as if someone had punched him in the abdomen, hard enough to bring him to his knees. Hard enough to punch out all the air that was in his lungs. He couldn’t breathe.
What lay before him, was a sword and a dizi that he was familiar with. A little too familiar with.
Suibian and Chenqing.
After the siege on Burial Mound, Wei Wuxian’s weapons were seized from his corpse by the sects as trophies of war. As far as Lan Wangji knew, Sect Leader Jin had kept the sword while Sect Leader Jiang took his dizi. Both sects had security as strong as The Cloud Recesses, nobody could’ve simply sauntered in to take the weapons and leave without raising any alarm.
He turned to stare at the baby that was sleeping soundly in his bed.
Just who are you?
Lan Wangji headed out of Jingshi before turning back after having taken just two steps, to hide Suibian and Chenqing. If anyone saw them lying on Lan Wangji’s table, Gusu Lan Sect would get into terrible trouble. He took one look at the sleeping baby, there was no way he would leave him alone again.
He gently lifted the baby up into his arms, his movements slow as not to wake him up. Then, he grabbed an umbrella and once again headed out of the Jingshi towards the Hanshi.
The Cloud Recesses was silent, the junior disciples that were celebrating the Qixi Festival that night had retreated to their sleeping quarters, adhering to the rules even on a night like this.
When Lan Xichen opened the door to reveal his brother, dressed in nothing but his inner robes that was wet from the rain and plastered to his legs, he was more than surprised. When he took in the white bundle in his brother’s arms, too small to be Lan Yuan, he was even more surprised.
Without a word, he ushered his brother in and shut the door.
Lan Wangji was shaking.
“Wangji,” he said gently. It was an invitation, a reassurance. He would hear his brother out, and he would support him no matter what.
__________
When they once again returned to the Jingshi, the baby had begun crying again. From the noise of the rain or from the cold, Lan Xichen did not know. He only saw how his brother patiently and lovingly calmed the child down beside the fireplace. Lan Wangji had hope.
“Where are they?” Lan Xichen asked after the baby had fallen silent.
Lan Wangji placed the baby back onto the bed regretfully and retrieved Suibian and Chenqing.
Lan Xichen’s eyes widened upon seeing them. They were unmistakably Wei Wuxian’s. It was one thing to hear from his brother, but too see them lying right in front of him like this shocked him nevertheless.
There was no way Jin Guangyao would’ve let anyone steal anything from his possessions, but the sword now lay in Wangji’s gentle hands, almost as if it was taunting him.
Lan Wangji cradled Suibian and Chenqing close to him when Lan Xichen made a move to reach for them. Lan Xichen sighed, he could understand his brother’s actions, but to see his brother acting this way, so full of hope, he was afraid that his baby brother might once again be hurt.
“Wangji, Guangyao told me before that Suibian had sealed itself when Wei Wuxian... left. Maybe we could use that to verify?”
Lan Wangji stared at him for several seconds, before he nodded and handed Suibian to him.
Lan Xichen held the sword carefully in his hands, and gave the hilt an experimental pull. As expected, the sword did not budge an inch.
He looked up at Wangji’s light, hopeful eyes and nodded at him. Wangji quickly brought the baby to him.
Lan Xichen did not know whether he had hoped that the sword would remain sealed, so that his brother could begin his journey of healing, or wished that the baby would unsheathe the sword, so that he could see life shining from his brother’s eyes again.
He took a breath to steel himself and cautiously brought the hilt of the sword to the baby’s palm. The baby wrapped his tiny fingers over the side of the hilt reflexively, his grip tight.
Lan Wangji’s heart was pounding, with hope, with fear, and a thousand other emotions as he slowly rested his hand over the baby’s. He paused. He was afraid. He was so afraid that the sword would not unseal. Terrified that his one chance at getting Wei Ying, his beautiful Wei Ying back, would be gone.
His eyes squeezed shut when he pulled.
The sword slid out effortlessly.
His mind blanked out. All the thoughts and worries that filled his head were drowned out by a white noise. The world was empty, empty and spinning around him.
When he regained control of his mind again, Suibian was safely sheathed and in Xichen’s hand, and he was pressing the baby as close to him as he could without hurting him.
Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying, Wei Ying...
Oh, he was crying, he noted numbly as he felt a sob wrack through his frame.
That night, he cried for hours. And how long he cried, was how long his brother sat patiently beside him.
When his tears finally ceased, his eyes were swollen, his nose blocked. His brother wordlessly handed a damp cloth to him as he hastily cleaned and collected himself.
When he finally spoke, his composure was as impeccable as always, only betrayed by how his arms protectively cradled Wei Ying to his chest as if he was afraid to lose him. He was afraid to lose him.
“I want to keep him.” Lan Wangji said with conviction.
Lan Xichen smiled gently in response and bowed his head, already expecting that. He was silent for several moments.
“I’ll... adopt him.” Lan Xichen started, before hastily adding, “only in name.”
He paused as understanding dawned on his brother’s features.
“The elders would not be happy if you asked. They were already impatient when you brought Lan Yuan back. If I take him in officially as my adopted son, no one would question me, and no one would dare to harm him.
You’ll get to raise him. I will say that you already had experience with Lan Yuan and that I do not wish for others to raise my son.”
“Brother...” Lan Xichen saw how his brother’s eyes were rimmed in red again. It was really an emotional night.
“We’ll protect him this time. I’m here with you, and I won’t let anyone chase him out of Gusu Lan.”
Lan Xichen did not want to lose his brother again. It has been years since he saw any resemblance of life within these light orbs. He wanted his brother to smile again.
“You have to hide Suibian and Chenqing. If the elders found out about it...” Lan Xichen didn’t dare to think of what they would do to a helpless infant if they realised that he was the reincarnation of Yiling Patriarch.
“No. I will never let them.” Lan Wangji said angrily, clutching the baby closer to him. Lan Xichen nodded in acceptance, and his heart was warm.
“What do you want to name him?” Lan Xichen looked at the baby sleeping contentedly in his brother’s arms. He looked like any other infant, not a hint of Wei Wuxian in him. Lan Xichen wondered if the child would grow up looking like Wei Wuxian. He would deal with the problems if they came to that.
“Lan Ying.” Lan Wangji replied in a soft whisper.
The elders would talk, but ‘Ying’ was a common name. He would be able to get away with it, albeit with some dissatisfaction from them. That, he could deal with.
Lan Xichen wondered if Lan Ying would grow up with the personality of Wei Wuxian. With the same soul, there was no doubt that the very core of his personality would remain the same. But Lan Xichen was curious, and a little excited, to see how someone with a personality as free and as wild as Wei Wuxian would turn out, under Gusu Lan Sect’s teaching.
Gusu Lan Sect was in for a wild ride. Lan Xichen could already foresee the number of rules they had to add to their stone wall. Maybe it was time to add a new wall.