Chapter Text
Nie Huaisang will admit that it wasn’t in his initial plan to time travel. He had gotten his revenge and was prepared to settle down and live a relaxed life for the rest of his days. For real!
Yes, he planned the downfall of Jin Guangyao. Yes, he planned to cripple Lanling Jin to some extent. Yes, he will even admit, that he planned the rebirth of Wei Wuxian. Yes, he spent thirteen years pulling the strings from behind a helpless façade to expose his brother’s killer. Yes, he did the whole elaborate scheme thing, but he swears he did not plan this.
He didn’t even know time travel was real! If he did, he wouldn’t have even bothered to go through all that 13 years worth of effort and instead just travelled back to stop Jin Guangyao. So much time and effort would have been spared!
Anyway, it wasn’t in his plans but then he came upon this one book when he was going through the Nie library.
And then he saw the time travel array.
And then Wei Wuxian decided to visit.
So Nie Huaisang does what he does best: attempt at manipulation (because who in their right mind will actually try to manipulate the founder of an entire cultivation technique?)
“Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang doesn’t quite whine but it’s a damn near thing, “Please see if this array works?”
Wei Wuxian raises an eyebrow, quite aware that Nie Huaisang is a mastermind.
“I found it in one of our libraries,” Nie Huaisang explains, “Brother told me about it once.”
Wei Wuxian hums, “What does it do?”
“I don’t know,” Nie Huaisang replies calmly (he hopes), “The Sect Leaders and the Sect heirs are the only ones who know.”
“You…are a sect leader?” Wei Wuxian replies, brows rising in suspicion.
“I wasn’t meant to be Sect Leader!” Nie Huaisang replies, and the sorrow in his voice and expression isn’t even faked, “When father died, I was only told about its existence but I don’t know what it’s for.”
Bitterly he spits, “Da-ge didn’t even get the time to talk to me before he died.”
Fortunately that seems to work to some degree because Wei Wuxian reaches for the sketch of the array without another word.
Nie Huaisang barely contains his excitement as he hands it to the demonic cultivator, “I tried to activate it but it didn’t so I was wondering if there was something wrong with it.”
Wei Wuxian hummed, silver eyes focused on the array in his hands.
“It’s not the original is it?” He asked.
“No,” Nie Huaisang hurried to reply, “Even I don’t know where the original is. Zhanling-xiong says it was lost during the war. Apparently they were trying to get all the sacred texts away lest…an attack happens and it got lost somewhere.”
“Then how did you have that?” Wei Wuxian asks, sharp eyes focused on him, no doubt trying to gauge his intentions.
“We have numerous copies made,” Nie Huaisang explains easily, “But they are just sketches of the array without any information.”
Wei Wuxian hums again, eyes returning to scan the array.
“I don’t see anything wrong…” Wei Wuxian said after a few more minutes, “Are you sure it didn’t work?”
“Yes,” Nie Huaisang sighed, “I even got Zhengsang to do it too but even he couldn’t activate it.”
“Well I’m certainly not powerful enough to power an array that can’t be powered by the strongest Nie alive.” Wei Wuxian laughs, extending the paper to hand it back to Huaisang.
He shook his head, “What about demonic cultivation?” Before Wei Wuxian could speak he continued, “Among all the other cultivation techniques, the Nie cultivation techniques are closest to demonic cultivation. Granted our clan never invented the whole demonic cultivation thing but I wouldn’t be surprised if it could be powered with resentful energy.”
Wei Wuxian assessed the array yet again, eyes widening minutely before he turned to Nie Huaisang, “You are possibly right.”
“Please try it,” Nie Huaisang smiled.
“Say Nie-xiong…” Wei Wuxian looked at him with doubt, “Are you trying to lure me into a trap?”
Despite the light tone, the threat behind the question remained.
“Of course not,” Nie Huaisang said placating, “All my hatred has been spent on Jin Guangyao and anyway, unlike others I don’t think demonic cultivation is any different than normal spiritual cultivation. Energy is energy…it’s often how you use it and We-xiong is mostly an amazing and moral person.”
“Mostly?” Wei Wuxian laughed, putting the array on the table in front of him.
“If Jiang-xiong, Sect leader Jin, Hanguang-jun or the Lan juniors are in danger…” Nie Huaisang trailed off, trying to find the right words, “Then you lose most of your inhibition.”
“They are my family,” Wei Wuxian snapped lightly, though still threatening.
“Of course,” Nie Huaisang laughed, “I understand that sentiment. After all I avenged Da-ge’s murder.”
They both shared a strained smile, neither daring to touch the topic again.
Wei Wuxian turned back toward the array, slightly hesitant.
“Are you sure this isn’t one of your schemes, Nie Huaisang?” he asked again.
“I swear Wei Wuxian!” Nie Huaisang enthused, shaking his head reverently.
Wei Wuxian sighed, “I hope no one gets killed.” Before he extends his hand out over the array, letting a flare of resentful energy connect with the centre of the array.
Immediately the array on the sheet comes to life. It lifts up off the paper, rotating and hovering as a normal array.
“It works!” Nie Huaisang gasps easily hiding his disappointment.
“It doesn’t do anything?” Wei Wuxian scratches his nose in confusion, “Decoration?”
“No,” Nie Huaisang frowns, “It was in our library…why would a decoration array be hidden?”
Wei Wuxian frowns as well, quietly scanning the array in front of him.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!” Nie Huaisang insists, “Our library is very well-kept. There’s no reason why it should be there.”
“…”
Nie Huaisang lets the other delve a little deeper in his thoughts before he suggests, “What if resentful energy was needed to activate it but to get it to work…we need spiritual energy.”
Wei Wuxian narrows his eyes, turning to scrutinize Nie Huaisang. Nie Huaisang slips his expression into one of confusion and curiosity, meeting his eyes dead on.
Wei Wuxian is the first to look away.
He sighs in relief.
“It doesn’t hurt to try,” Wei Wuxian says finally and Nie Huaisang eagerly reaches for his core, letting his spiritual flare and enter the array.
For a second nothing happens.
Then the array enlarges, engulfing the whole room, flaring so bright that he needs to close his eyes and turn away.
Slowly the world fades.
Faintly, he hears the bang of his door slamming open and a panicked gasp of “Wei Ying!” resonated by a barely audible “Lan Zhan…”
Then the world fades to black.