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Chapter Text

Wei Wuxian and his favorite two junior Lan disciples reached the town by night fall. They took a room at the small inn, since it was unwise to go after target without investigating beforehand. Wei Wuxian took advantage of the dining room, full to near bursting with locals, to chat up the townspeople. In this way he was able to gather a good deal of information on the reported trouble while the two Lans were obligated to sit silently over their own meal.

An old goat herder was the most talkative. All it took was an offer to share a jar of wine and Wei Wuxian had made himself a fast friend.

“It happens only every ten years or so, something about the star alignment I expect, but I'm no astrologer. People just go missing up on the mountain.”

“Missing? Which people? Can you tell me about them?”

“Herders usually. Old Lady Hu lost her husband 'bout twenty years ago. Same time of year. He had a little herd of cows he'd take up the west side. Found the cows, no sign of him. We thought he fell off the side o'the mountain but no body was found.”

“How many others? Do they all go missing around the same place?”

“Lessee now, there's Hu's husband, Shuo's son not long after, the Yao family's grandson ten years back, that orphan boy the Fas took in...they were so upset, Fa's wife still wears white for him. No bodies were found for any of 'um. Can't say where they were lost exactly, but most o'them were shepherds. Their flocks were found just fine on the west side of the mountain.”

“Is there anything notable in that area?”

“Oh well...the grazing is mighty fine. The animals get nice and fat on it. Everyone goes there year round and no one comes to any harm normally...aside from the grass growing real thick and fast, can't think of anything odd 'bout the place. There's a nice spring of fresh water everyone uses to water the herds. ”

“No one has ever seen ghosts, walking corpses, or dangerous beasts?”

“No, and come to think of it, there's not one ghost story of anyone seeing the spirits of those lost folk either.”

“No stories of tragedy aside from the lost herdsmen? No ancient battlefield, lover's suicide, bandit lair?”

“How do you know something strange is even happening?” asked Lan Jingyi, finished with his food and unable to keep from interjecting into the conversation despite the rule against doing so to one's elders, “A few people going missing every ten years could just be coincidence,”

“Ah well, the Fa's orphan mighta just run off, but everyone says he was treated well by them. Fa never even beat the boy when he lost a sheep. Shuo's son was going to marry his childhood sweetheart just a month after he disappeared. Poor girl spent days alone on the mountain lookin' for him after the search was called off...You'd think we'd have found one body at least. Others at different times have been found. The Song girl for instance, she fell into a ravine last fall chasing after a stray lamb. Broke her leg; but she was found. Nothing unusual that time”

“Out of curiosity,” asked Wei Wuxian, “Is it only men who've gone missing?”

“Hmm...now that you mention it, yes. Only men and a few boys.”

After the old man went home for the night, the three cultivators went up to the room they'd rented to turn in for the night.

“So what do you think my little Lans?” asked Wei Wuxian, carrying the remainder of the third jar of wine and sipping from it as the two Lans prepared for sleep.

“It seems like there isn't much to go on. We can ask more townsfolk tomorrow. Maybe interview the families of the missing ones,” answered Lan Sizhui thoughtfully.

Lan Jingyi gave his opinion, “A few people going missing every ten years in spring? It could just be a coincidence. Maybe there is a concealed ravine or cave opening that they fell down. It could be something other than a curse or a monster eating them. What monster wouldn't also eat the sheep for instance?”

“It is possible. One shouldn't always assume the unnatural without exhausting the possible natural explanations first. We will interview as Sizhui suggested, and then afterwards go up and take a look around the mountain by day. Just a general scouting of the area to see what we might see. Then at the end of the day we'll reevaluate the situation.”

The three went to bed, though Wei Wuxian stayed up a little longer to finish off his wine jar and write a letter to Lan Wangji who had gone to the Jin sect for a meeting to plan a group hunt. Wei Wuxian normally would have tagged along but had opted to go with the juniors on the night hunt as the village's request for aid had intrigued him.

The next morning they went around town interviewing the town's inhabitants. They learned very little new information however, aside from the exact names and ages of everyone who'd gone missing in the last 30 years or so. All were men, their ages, martial status, and level of wealth varied.

Most were herdsman or shepherds, but a few had other jobs. One man worked for the apothecary for instance, and had gone out to look for certain wild plants that grew on the mountain slopes, never to return. A young boy had been sent to gather berries. Nothing was ever found but the basket he'd carried.

The town was not very large and it didn't take long before the entire town seemed to have been interviewed. Being so small a place, most of the townsfolk came forward on their own as soon as they heard about the cultivators looking into the disappearances. One of the last people they spoke to was a young girl who herded goats.

“Are you Daozhangs going to go up the mountain?” she asked, not at all shy of the two older boys and their senior. She was barefoot and a tad grubby. She swatted at one of her goats when it made to chew on Wei Wuxian's sleeve.

“Yes, do you think we might go missing as well?” answered Wei Wuxian, teasingly. He was charmed by the child's lack of manners rather than mildly horrified as the Lan juniors were.

“I will pray that you don't, Daozhang.” The girl wiped her nose on her hem and swatted a fly that tried to land in her hair.

“Thank you, young mistress. Are you avoiding that side of the mountain today?”

“Well...I probably should, but someone pointed out it's only men who get lost and I'll have to water the goats at the spring. It's really the only good spot for it. The other side of the mountain is dry in this time of year 'cause the winds in the east. While I'm there I'll ask the spirit of the spring to keep you safe.”

“The spirit of the spring? The spring has a shrine?” Wei Wuxian perked up, this was the first anyone had mentioned the spring having any sort of significance.

“Not exactly. There's a nice flat rock where I put flowers and fruits sometimes to say thank you for the clean water. My mother always said pure springs have good spirits that keep them clean. It's a real pretty spring, so it must have a strong spirit.” The child chewed on a ragged fingernail, spitting the bitten off part onto the dirt road. Lan Jingyi was unable to hide his wince. “I gotta head out now or we won't make it to pasture before noon. I'm already real late today. Good luck to you Daozhangs.”

She made a messy dip of a bow before chasing her goats down the street as if she could make up for lost time by running all the way up the mountain side.

The three cultivators made their way up the the west side of the mountain in a much more leisurely fashion. They kept an eye out for anything unusual, but none of the three sensed nor saw anything out of the ordinary. The spring the girl had mentioned was truly beautiful. It looked like something you'd expect to see in Cloud Recesses, only more naturally lovely, as the plant life grew riotously unchecked by any human hand.

Water gently ran down the sheer rock side of the mountain to pool in a near perfectly symmetrical cup formed from moss covered stones. There were lush trees shading the spring from the harsh sun that beat down on rest of the mountain. The foliage elsewhere was stunted from the wind and the weather, but everything growing near the spring was greener, more fertile, in comparison.

The goat girl's makeshift shrine was easy to spot, as it was the only rock not covered in moss. Some effort had obviously been made by her or others to keep it clean. There were dried flower petals, and handful of fresh berries on the rock as well as a rough clay cup with the remains of a stick of incense poking out.

The spring was as pure as the goat girl had said, the water clear, cold, and sweet tasting. There was no sense of malice or resentment in the air, only the peace of nature. If there was indeed a spirit of the spring, it could not be the cause of the disappearances. Lan Sizhui left a flower on the little makeshift alter and they moved on.

Aside from the gorgeous mountainside spring, there was nothing else of note on the mountain. Lan Jingyi mounted his sword to get an aerial view, but nothing stood out. There was no resentful energy, bad feng shui, or even any mysterious animal tracks. Everything seemed very ordinary. Lacking any further leads they returned to town for dinner.

“So, what have we learned today?” asked Wei Wuxian, sipping his wine far more slowly than he had the previous night when he'd been making friends with the herdsmen.

Lan Sizhui spoke first, as he'd finished his meal. “Everything seems normal around here. Perhaps Jingyi is right and the missing people really did just leave or die naturally with the body simply concealed somehow.”

“Ah but did we find any manner of resentful energy?”

“None at all Senior Wei.”

“Right, and what does that tell you?”

Jingyi eagerly swallowed his last bite and set down his bowl to speak before Sizhui could respond. “You'd expect at least a bit of resentful energy from the man who died before his marriage. Surely he would have not found peace. Or the son who's mother sent him to pick berries. At least one of these people would want a proper burial.”

Wei Wuxian gave Lan Jingyi a smile and tip of his cup in approval. “Precisely, I'm more convinced by the lack of resentful energy that something strange really is going on.”

“So what should we do now?” asked Lan Jingyi.

“What do you think Jingyi?”

“I'm not sure Senior Wei, we don't really have any further leads,” replied the youth after a moment's thought. Wei Wuxian finished off the cup and stood up. The two juniors stood at once to follow.

“We go look around some more. We scouted the area in daylight; now let's go see if the night brings out any restless spirits.”

The mountain should have been more difficult to traverse by night, but the moon was near to full and their cultivation improved eyesight made the task easy. They walked as easily as in daylight. The night was surprisingly warm and clear, if they hadn't been looking for ghosts it would have been an enjoyable hike.

Lan Sizhui was the first to notice the music. It was played on some type of flute. It was not a dizi as Sizhui would know the sound anywhere. The song carried over hill and stone, breaking the stillness of the night, a tune of neither merriment or sorrow. It was like no song Sizhui had ever heard before. It was...hypnotically serene. Lan Sizhui found himself walking towards it without even realizing he was doing so. Lan Jingyi was only half a step behind him.

“Boys? Where are you going?” asked Wei Wuxian mildly amused.

Sizhui was suddenly aware of his surroundings as he hadn't been mere moments before. He turned to look back at Wei Wuxian.

“Following the music Senior Wei,” he answered. Wasn't it obvious?

“What music?”

“Can't you hear it Senior Wei?” asked Lan Jingyi, surprised.

Wei Wuxian paused and oddly, once he made the effort, he found he suddenly could hear the ethereal tune. He pondered the implications of this a little too long as his two juniors resumed walking.

“Hey! Lans! Maybe stop walking towards the music? It's very likely a trap of some sort.” To his surprise and annoyance, the boys kept walking as if they didn't hear him. He tried to grab at their robes, but they easily evaded him. Jingyi even shoved him out of the way when Wei Wuxian made to get in front of him to block his progress.

Failing to halt the two youths, Wei Wuxian drew out Chenqing and simply walked with them towards the inevitable, in the hope he might be able to face whatever it was head on.

It came as little surprise that the junior cultivators were making for the spring. It was the only thing of any significance on the entire mountain. Under the moonlight it transformed from beautiful to otherworldly. The silvery light cast a layer of mystical luster over the moss covered rocks. Each droplet from the gentle waterfall glittered like a star as it fell to the pool below. The sound of the water blended harmoniously into the melody being played on a flute by a ethereal figure made of moonlight.

Blinking, Wei Wuxian realized he was looking at a nude woman. Standing in thigh high water, her lustrous hair was held up with a ornately carved hairpin but otherwise she was completely bare under the stars. Her skin was fair and perfect, her physique the sort poets sighed over. Always an admirer of both the male and female form, Wei Wuxian could comfortably acknowledge she was the second most beautiful being he'd ever seen in his two lives. If he wasn't already married to the Second Jade of Lan, he might have said this was the most beautiful sight he'd ever beheld.

The two young Lans at his side could not look away, further and entirely unnecessary, proof that something unearthly was going on. Even Lan Jingyi, rude for a Lan, would have looked away upon coming across a naked woman bathing. Wei Wuxian realized belatedly that was precisely what this exquisite creature must have been doing before the allure of the night had tempted her into playing a tune upon her flute. He managed to look away long enough to spot the pale robes suspended from a low hanging tree branch.

It took mere seconds to take in the entire scene and in that time the song cut off abruptly. Several things happened all at once. The maiden looked up at them with a glare, the Lan juniors looked away blushing, and Wei Wuxian bowed.

“Apologies fair one, we did not mean to disturb your bath.” Wei Wuxian could do polite if he really needed to and right now he could tell it was needed.

The ethereal beauty made no move to cover herself. Her furious expression did nothing to dim her looks. “Three! Three rude little men have come to leer at me. What shall I do to punish you? I turned the last one into a tree. Would you like to be trees?”

Her voice was melodic, nearly as hypnotic as her music. Even in fury it was pleasant to the ear.

“I'd rather stay a man if it's all the same to you my lady,” said Wei Wuxian, stepping in front of the two juniors who were still blushing and averting their eyes.

“No, I don't think you can. If I let you leave, you'll tell people, and then it'll get around. I'll never be able to have a bath in peace...Come to think of it, you are the first one to actually ask to be spared. Usually men either act like those two boys or try to lay hands upon my person. Why are you different?”

Wei Wuxian had no idea. He didn't really have time to ponder it either. If she had turned the various villagers into trees, there was little chance of saving them now. His immediate concern was preventing her from doing so to himself and the juniors.

“I guess I'm just unique. What if I give you my word? If you let the young men and myself go, we will each promise not to tell anyone what we saw here.”

“Tsk. What good is the promise of a man? My sisters have been given promises by men before, each to her own downfall. Men are not worth the air they use to utter such lies. Trees are far more pleasing to my eyes. I think you'd make an excellent one. Hmm..what type grows best here? Cathaya?”

Wei Wuxian waved his hands as he spoke, a little frantically. “Oh hey now, I'd make a terrible tree. And the Lan boys here ought to be lovely birches, but the location is all wrong. You can't have birches this far south. Really, you should let them go. Poor things will be blushing for weeks. I'm sure they barely saw anything. Besides, they're Lans. They are forbidden to gossip and their word is sacred. They will have to go home and punish themselves for seeing you on top of it all.”

Her eyes caught on Chenqing as he gestured. “Punish themselves?”

“Ah yes, you see the Lan sect has very strict rules about this sort of thing.”

“So I should let them go without also punishing them myself? I don't know that I agree with that. What about you? You're not going to punish yourself if I let you go now are you?” She seemed just a little mollified by the mention of the Lan sect's discipline or perhaps it was Wei Wuxian's usual charm softening her anger, but her expression was just a bit less outraged.

“Ah well, no. You could maybe give me their punishment as well as my own? I'm responsible for them you see and it's certainly my fault.” Wei Wuxian was still hoping to talk his way out of the situation, but if that failed, he had no problem taking on the consequences if it would mean protecting his two juniors.

“I see. Very well. I will not punish these 'Lans' if they will indeed punish themselves. But you offered to take on their punishment along with your own. I can't make you into a tree three times, so something else is needed...play me something on that black flute of yours. Since you interrupted my music, let me hear some of yours. If it pleases me I might let you off lightly.”

Wei Wuxian considered his options. He could tell the boys to run to get help from Cloud Recesses. If he did end up a tree, perhaps Lan Wangji and the Lan cultivators could find a way to turn him back. He was not too hopeful on this matter. He had never heard of a person thus cursed being turned back. He could play some of his signature corpse controlling music, but there were no corpses nearby to control and Wen Ning was too far off to arrive in time to be of help. He doubted such music would be the sort the maiden would care to hear. Lacking any other ideas, Wei Wuxian played WangXian.

The maiden listened to the entire song, her face empty of her earlier rage. When it was over, she looked him up and down as though for the first time. He hoped it was not because she was trying to decide if he'd make a better redwood or ginko.

“Such a powerful love. It will do nicely. I have taken your love and given you fear instead. You asked, and have now received a punishment worth all three of your trespasses. But because the song was so pretty I have also given you a blessing. Like all fears, it can be overcome. Were you better off a tree? Time will tell. Now, leave! The morning comes soon and I will have my bath in solitude.”

Wei Wuxian didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed a junior in each hand and hauled them as hard as he could away from the mountain spring. They both fortunately seemed to have gathered their sense enough to go willingly, making the task therefore possible. Once out of sight of the little grove with its beguiling occupant, Wei Wuxian was able to get them to fly back down the mountain. He rode with Sizhui, who seemed to have better balance after the previous events.

Back at the inn, they all sat around for a bit drinking tea and digesting what had just happened to them.

“What did she say to you Senior Wei, about giving you all our punishments combined? What do you think she meant?” asked Jingyi, hands trembling slightly on his tea cup. The after effects of the music seemed to linger in the two youths system like a drug.

“She said I've already received my punishment. Except I'm fine. I don't seem different to you right?” Wei Wuxian was, surprisingly, drinking tea for once.

“You look normal.”

“She said something about taking love and giving fear. Do you still feel...love?” asked Lan Sizhui.

Wei Wuxian blinked at this statement. “I feel exactly the same.”

“She didn't simply say she took 'love'. She said she took 'your love' specifically,” managed Lan Jingyi, looking concerned.

“Right. What about when you...”Lan Sizhui blushed a little before continuing, “Think of Hanguang-jun? Do you feel afraid?”

“No, though I'm starting to worry a bit. Do you suppose she meant that part literally? I don't see how she could take Lan Zhan away. He's days away from here.”

“She seemed pretty sure that she'd punished you though.”

“That's true and she was definitely powerful...we should probably warn the people to simply avoid that side of the mountain in spring and let them know they wont be getting their missing people back. I don't think it's safe for even a cultivator to try to convince her to bathe elsewhere.

After that we should return to Cloud Recesses...Lan Zhan will be on his way back from Koi Tower by now. We can just wait for him there. He's fine. She couldn't have done anything to him at so far a distance. How would she even know who to curse? He's Hanguang-jun after all. He's fine.”

The two youths exchanged a look. Senior Wei's smile was so brittle even a child would have been able to tell it was faked. They set about leaving as swiftly as possible after warning the townspeople to stay far away from the mountainside pool of a spring evening.

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji woke at 5 am feeling overly warm. Upon opening his eyes he realized his head was under the blankets. Assuming this was the reason for his over heated state, he attempted to pull the coverings down with a hand, only to be unable to do so. It was as if his fingers didn't work properly. He instead tried to kick the blankets aside. This didn't work as it normally would have. The blankets were somehow much larger than they had been when he went to sleep. Lan Wangji ended up doing an odd sort of squirming motion to try to get out from underneath them. It took him a bit of time to even find the edge of the bed as that also seemed to have gotten bigger overnight.

As he rolled to land on the floor, catching himself on all fours, Lan Wangji came to the sudden realization that he was the one who had gotten smaller. Several more surprising realizations swiftly followed as his body sent him the most bizarre feedback. His sense of smell was already better than a normal human due to cultivation, but now it was near overwhelming. He could for example smell traces of the room's previous occupant. His eyesight was still very sharp but colors seemed off in some way he could not readily identify. Looking down to try to see what state his fingers were in, he found he no longer had any. His 'arms' now ended in paws.

All of this added up to two things in Lan Wangji's mind. One was that he'd been cursed, though he had no idea how, and two the curse had changed him into some type of small fur covered four legged animal.

Lan Wangji spent the next few minutes moving around carefully to better acclimate to his new body. He now had a tail and based on the range of movement he could manage, he came to the conclusion he was in fact a dog. A very small dog. So small he'd initially guessed cat, but cats could curve their tails in ways he could not seem to achieve.

He walked around the room, further adjusting by examining its furnishings from his new perspective. While he did so, he tried to decide what to do next. His golden core was still in place as far as he could feel. Lan Wangji knew that animals could develop spiritual energy over time, some even cultivating far enough to change shape. This he might achieve over time perhaps, but the faster way out of his current problem would be to break the curse.

He thought back over his last few days searching for any moment or action that could have caused the curse. Lan Wangji came up with nothing. It was possible that curse's source was someone he offended years ago, only now having the power or ability to send a curse strong enough to effect Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji was certain he had enemies, people who hated him, people he'd offended, and his husband had even more. It might be quite difficult to figure out who had caused the curse. He moved on to what he might do in the more immediate future.

After examining the entire room, Lan Wangji came to the conclusion that he was trapped. He was too small to reach the door handle, jumping would do him no good as it was not a door to be easily opened by paws or mouth. The window was out of reach even if he leapt onto the table in the room. It would be pointless though, to try to find a way to get to the windowsill as the window was also latched.

Lan Wangji managed to jump back up on to the bed. He sat, a task involving an entirely different and unusual arrangement of his limbs, and meditated for a short while. He remembered he'd asked the staff at the inn to bring him breakfast at half past five. He needed to find a way to inform them of his cursed status. Could he write a letter?

Lan Wangji got up and gave this idea a decent attempt, but ran into difficulties immediately. He needed ink and paper to write. The ink stone and paper were in his qiankun pouch. He could not open the pouch with his teeth. Or rather he could not chew the string which held it closed. The string had been reinforced with cultivation to make it difficult to cut to deter thieves or breakage in a fight. He could perhaps improve his chewing with spiritual energy but that would take time to work out as he'd never before had a reason to attempt such a thing.

Lan Wangji abandoned the idea to write a letter. The person bringing his breakfast might not even be able to read anyway. Perhaps he could arrange things in the room to indicate he was not a normal dog in some way? But what if the ordinary folk of the inn thought he was possessed instead? They might attack him or flee from a possessed animal.

He hadn't come up with a decent plan by the time the knock on the door came. The person on the other side called out asking if the honored gentleman guest would like breakfast brought inside the room. Not receiving an answer, they said they would leave it outside the door for his pleasure. Lan Wangji should have figured the inn's servants wouldn't just walk into a guest's room without permission, the inn was a nice one.

He now had a much longer amount of time to practice moving, meditate, and think. It would be awhile before the staff realized their guest wasn't merely sleeping late. In that time he learned a bit more about the limits of his new body and tried out various method of cultivation.

Lan Wangji, the small dog, could not do most of the normal things a cultivator could do, for example he could not control Bichen. He could however still use spiritual energy to jump higher, run faster, and increase his physical abilities in general. He couldn't seem to use it to regulate his temperature as he normally did. The room which had been cozy and warm when he was human, was just a bit too warm now. His new body had very thick fur and he was forced to pant to cool down after exerting himself.

Lan Wangji decided that his best option was to find a cultivator, someone with the knowledge of curses and the ability to see he was not a regular dog. The town he was in was not particularly large, so the odds weren't exactly in his favor.

Failing that, he would head towards Koi Tower. It was the nearest cultivation sect. Though he didn't particularly like the idea, it was the best option. Cloud Recesses would take him several weeks to get to on foot at the speed of a small dog's trot. Doubtless the Jin would have at least one cultivator who specialized in curse breaking. If not, well they could contact his brother. He wished he knew the Jin butterfly method of cultivation. It might not work for him in dog form but Lan Wangji didn't even know enough to attempt the spell.

~

It took Wei Wuxian, and the two Lan juniors the rest of the night to get back to the Cloud Recesses traveling at full speed. The two youths took turns carrying Wei Wuxian since he still couldn't fly on his own despite the increases he'd been making to his cultivation over the last year or so. They arrived just as the morning curfew was ending and the gates opened to accept people in for the day.

Everything was its usual calm in Cloud Recesses. When asked if Hanguang-jun had returned yet, they were told he hadn't. This wasn't worth remarking upon as he wasn't expected until the following day at the earliest, assuming he stopped to sleep on his way as Wei Wuxian and the juniors hadn't.

“Send someone to inform me the second anyone sees him. No matter what time of day or night it is. Understand?” insisted Wei Wuxian, alarmed but also aware that no one around him saw any reason for it. He wished he'd managed to cultivate enough by now to fly so he could meet Lan Wangji part of the way and reassure himself he was safe. The boys were too tired to do so without a night's rest to build back up their strength.

It was Wei Wuxian's misfortune that Lan Qiren happened to be walking by as he gave the order to the Lan disciples currently on watch at the entrance.

“What is this nonsense Wei Wuxian? Wangji will obviously go to the Jingshi when he returns, there is no need to trouble the sentries with such a request.”

“Ah, Shifu. Senior Wei is just a bit...concerned,” said Lan Sizhui, bowing to the elder.

“What have you done now Wei Wuxian?!”

When the story was told, Lan Qiren was no less angry but he agreed there was a possibly reason for concern. It was a difficult thing to gauge. On one hand the phrasing had been vague; on the other, everyone in the cultivation world and large portion of the mundane one knew that Lan Wangji was Wei Wuxian's love. There was also no way of knowing if the threat had been an empty one. The spirit might have been bluffing about the extent of her power. Lan Wangji might also be able to repel or resist any attack of a spiritual nature owing to his powerful cultivation. Still, rather than wait to find out, Lan Qiren decided to send two Lan cultivators to meet him and send word through cultivation means once they found him. Zewu-jun, still in seclusion, was also informed of the situation.

Chapter Text

When the staff of the inn finally knocked on the door for the second time, around noon by Lan Wangji's guess, he debated making noise of some kind to draw them in. As a dog he was surely capable of barking. Making loud noises wasn't a behavior that came to him naturally though, so he decided to scratch lightly at the inside of the door in response. He was careful not to leave a mark on the wood.

It worked; the servant was confused as to the source of the scratching and opened the door. Lan Wangji looked up at a young woman dressed in practical robes, her hair tied simply. She flinched slightly at the sight of him but recovered quickly.

“A little dog. Gentleman guest is this your pet? Honorable young Master?” She looked around the room in confusion. It took her little time to discover the room devoid of any human being. She closed the door on Lan Wangji and returned swiftly with another woman. This one was older and dressed in finer garments, Lan Wangji remembered her from when he'd asked for a room for the night. She was owner of the inn he believed.

“I thought perhaps he left through the window, but the honored gentleman could not have latched it from the inside. It's very strange. He seems to have left all his things behind. Including his pet. He was a cultivator, do you think he ascended?”

“Pish. There would surely have been a disturbance had the heavens opened up to take a man out of one of my inn's rooms. There is a much more likely story in that he was called away in the night by some mysterious cultivator business. He did not leave the room through the front door for certain, but perhaps he snuck out the back door to avoid paying his bill. It seems unlikely that such a fine rich looking man would do so, but sometimes people pretend to be wealthier than they are.”

Lan Wangji was a little insulted that they thought he'd run out on his bill as a Lan Sect member. Such a situation was likely far more common than the current one though, so he forgave the slight.

“What should we do? Take his things as payment?” asked the younger woman.

“No. We will hold them in the event he turns up later to reclaim them. The items look valuable, but they might be fake, imitations to make him appear wealthy. We can't keep the room waiting for him though. I'm not losing paying customers waiting in case he shows up again. Clean it. We'll put his things away for now and rent the room to the next guest.”

Lan Wangji watched for a moment as the young woman started to gather his things. She tried to pick up Bichen and was unable to lift it. In the end she left and returned with a large, muscled man who smelled of horses and hay. He laughed at the maid until he also attempted to lift Bichen. Lan Wangji had a sudden urge to bite the man as he finally hefted the sword.

Lan Wangji followed the man and woman down the hall to be certain they were going to store Bichen, Wangji, and his qiankun pouches properly. They brought the items to the Madame Innkeeper and she locked them away in a box. Only then did the three people seem to remember him.

“What about the dog?” asked the large man looking down.

“The gentleman did not arrive with a dog, perhaps it snuck in looking for food some how. I run a neat and clean establishment, I won't have animals running around. Take it outside.”

The man shrugged goodnaturedly and Lan Wangji suddenly had to dodge a pair of beefy arms as he moved to grab Lan Wangji. Seeing he was so small, the man had simply thought to pick the dog up and carry him outside. Lan Wangji was not about to allow this indignity. He didn't like being touched by strangers when he was a human and he wasn't about to tolerate it now that he was a dog if he could help it.

The man was surprisingly fast for such a large fellow, Lan Wangji wondered if he'd trained in some form of martial arts. He was so focused on escaping the brute's clutches he forgot entirely about the young female servant. She came up behind him, just as he was escaping being cornered by the man, and dumped a large blanket over him. It took her only a second to bundle it around him and then lift him bodily. It was humiliating, both that he'd been caught unaware so easily, as well as her method of carrying him. Still, he thought her wise to do so, even if he'd wanted to bite her to try to escape, he could not do it through the thick blanket.

He stopped struggling once she had him firmly in her arms as he was fairly certain she didn't mean him any harm. She was merely bringing him outside the inn. He would have walked out willingly had they not tried to catch hold of him, but of course they couldn't possibly know this. He needed to be outside to look for a cultivator to help him, there wasn't any point in being difficult about it.

Lan Wangji proved correct and the woman showed herself to be not unkind as she lowered him quite carefully to the ground. She released the edges of the blanket and it fell open.

“Go on now. Shoo, little dog. Go find somewhere else to look for scraps.”

Lan Wangji obligingly stepped off the blanket and walked away. The town brought an entirely new bouquet of smells to his overpowered nose. It was distracting for a few moments. Dirt, chickens, people, animal dung, dogs, cows, dumplings, bird feces, root vegetables all in just a whiff of fresh air. Scents that his human nose would find abhorrent now just smelled interesting. This was not helpful to him though; a cultivator would likely smell nearly identical to a regular human.

He spent some time walking around the town reorienting himself as the world was very different when you were barely 5 cun tall. Mostly people ignored him which suited Lan Wangji just fine. He kept an eye out for anyone carrying a sword or wearing cultivators robes, but had no luck. It had occurred to him that it might be best to wait here in town rather than leave to try to reach Koi tower.

When he did not return to Cloud Recesses in a timely manner, his uncle and others would wonder what had happened to him. Wei Wuxian, and the junior disciples he'd gone night hunting with would return in a few days. Wei Wuxian would certainly look for Lan Wangji when he failed to arrive home. They'd check with the Jin sect first and eventually reach this town. It might take more than a week though. In that time he might find a cultivator who could help him break the curse or fly him to the Jin sect.

He decided to start walking; there was a larger town back the way he had come that was far more likely to have cultivators passing through it, he just needed to get there. He could follow the road.

As Lan Wangji spent a few minutes figuring out which road out of two was the correct direction, he passed a farmer's cart loaded full of vegetables. There was an ox hitched to it and it seemed immense to Lan Wangji's diminished size. He skirted around the back of the cart rather than the front as he didn't want to get trampled if his presence startled the animal.

Around the back there was a man crouched down next to one of the carts wheels. He was dirty and dressed poorly. He probably would have smelled terrible if Lan Wangji had been human. To his dog nose, the man just smelled interesting. He was obviously not the farmer or merchant who owned the cart as he appeared to be pulling turnips out of a slit in one of the sacks loaded on the cart and replacing each with a rock from the sack at his feet.

It took Lan Wangji a moment of observing to realize exactly what the man was up to. Then a further second to decide what to do about it. As a human, Lan Wangji would have brought the theft to the attention of the owner of the cart and left the man to the justice of the non-cultivators. There was a Lan sect discipline about theft, as well as one about aiding the common folk. So, against his own natural inclinations, Lan Wangji barked.

The sound was rather high pitched, more of a yip than a proper dog's bark. It was not to be unexpected from so small an animal. Still, it was a little undignified for a cultivator known as the Second Jade of Lan.

The noise nevertheless, had the effect intended. The ox shifted in surprise causing the wheels of the cart to roll slightly. The man crouched behind the cart flinched, dropping a few of the turnips. Lan Wangji kept barking. Nearby a man in a straw hat carrying a staff turned towards the cart. He came over, likely to calm the ox and the turnip thief fled at his approach.

“What are you doing there?” The man in the straw hat, noticing the movement, chased the man with his staff but gave up before getting very far as he clearly didn't want to entirely abandon his cart. Lan Wangji, satisfied the owner of the cart was informed, ceased barking and walked away.

The man in the straw hat walked back to the cart to calm his ox and check over his load of vegetables. He cursed when he discovered the slit in one of his sacks. He secured it so that no vegetables would tumble out as the cart moved. Then he looked around for the source of sound that had informed him of threat to his property and saw only a brief smear of white as a small dog crested a bump in the road out of town.

The man with the cart caught up to the dog quickly as the ox could move much faster than a small animal. What was curious was as he neared it, the dog moved to the side of the road as if it was smart enough to get out of the way of the cart. In the man's experience small dogs of this type tended to get under foot and bark at an ox which often resulted in the foolish animal being run over to the despair of the child or rich woman who kept the silly creature as a pet. He stopped his cart.

“Hello dog. I owe you thanks for warning me of the theft of my goods. Would you like some food perhaps?” The farmer climbed down and offered the dog one of the dumplings from his lunch. They were fresh made that morning by his wife and packed away for his trip to the next town over. Once there he was planning to sell his load of vegetables for a better price than he could get in their small town. The dog came over and seemed to bow its head to him, but oddly, was not overly interested in the bun. It was strange behavior, but the farmer was not afraid of so small a creature. He'd begun to wonder if it was a good spirit of some sort.

“Not hungry? Would you like a ride then? We seem to be heading in the same direction.” The dog ducked its head again and the farmer laughed in surprise. He patted a spot on the cart and the animal jumped up easily. The man climbed back up into the driver's seat and set the ox to walking again, thinking to himself that his trip might just be blessed with good fortune.

~

The Lan cultivators did not send word. Wei Wuxian paced the Jingshi for hours. He stayed up long after curfew waiting. It took around three days by sword to get from Koi Tower to Cloud Recesses. One could halve that time if a cultivator used spiritual energy to keep from needing to stop to rest. The Lan cultivators arrived at Jin tower without encountering Lan Wangji along the way. When they finally sent a message it said only that Hanguang-jun had left early morning the day after his meeting with the Jin elders and no one had seen him since.

Wei Wuxian, out of his mind with worry, managed to persuade Lan Qiren to allow him, Lan Sizhui, and Lan Jingyi to head to Koi Tower to search. They would try to retrace Lan Wangji's path from the tower in the hopes of finding either where he had turned aside or been waylaid. The Lan cultivators already at Koi Tower would help. They didn't ask for the aid of the Jin sect as it was a serious loss of face to admit the great Hanguang-jun was potentially missing. Surely Lan Wangji had only stopped on his journey to aid some commoners with his cultivation skills.

~

Lan Wangji unexpectedly liked the farmer. The man smelled like earth, clean hay, and his packed lunch of dumplings. He did not try to touch Lan Wangji but occasionally talked to him or the ox. He also hummed pleasant tunes as the cart rumbled down the dirt of the road.

Lan Wangji had not wanted to be rude by refusing the offered food earlier but he didn't know how to do so politely as a dog. His usual polite insistence that he required no reward for his assistance was impossible to convey in his present state. The offered ride would however, get him to the next town far faster than walking on his own unless he used cultivation to run faster. He didn't want to burn up large amounts of his spiritual energy just in case he needed it for an emergency. The road would pass through wooded areas and there was a chance of being attacked by larger animals or even yaoguai. His spiritual energy flowed differently as a dog and he didn't know how quickly it would regenerate.

The rest of the day passed with little of note. Occasionally they passed another traveler. Once, they were forced to pull off the road as a carriage guarded by several riders on horseback took up the entire modest dirt road. The farmer gave way but muttered in surprise. “What's such a fancy gig doing in this neck of the woods?”

Night fell as they reached an area of thick forest. The farmer elected to make camp just on the edge, worried about being attacked by animals or bandits in the dark of the trees. Lan Wangji watched the man water his ox and tie it up so that it might graze on the grass near the cart. He set stones in front of the wheels of the cart to prevent it from rolling in the night. Then he opened his packed food to eat a cold supper.

Once again, the man held out a dumpling to Lan Wangji. It smelled really good. He took the offering; it tasted different than all such food Lan Wangji had eaten in the past. He put this down differences in his new body's sense of taste. The dumpling was stuffed with different types of vegetables and Lan Wangji's dog body found it edible but not ideal. He had an idea that he was probably going to have to eat meat at some point as dogs were predators and his ability to use inedia, like his ability to regulate his body temperature no longer worked in dog form.

After their brief dinner, the farmer rearranged the sacks of vegetables in the cart to more comfortable positions, so that he could lie down. Lan Wangji, being much smaller, had no difficulty finding a spot to curl up.

“If you might bark again if there is any danger in the night, I would be much obliged little dog.”

Lan Wangji gave a nod of his head in acknowledgment. He was certain his new senses would alert him even better than his previous cultivation improved ones had.

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji was awoken many hours later by the sound of crunching coming from the woods. There was no need to alert the farmer with a bark as almost immediately after a scream rent the silence of the night. It spooked the ox and the farmer sat straight up with a small cry of his own. “What?!”

Lan Wangji jumped up to the seat at the front of the cart to get a better view. He faced the direction of the sound and took a deep breath, scenting the air. It had not been a human scream, nor had it sounded like a rabbit or other small animal being killed by a predator in the dark of the night. Lan Wangji could feel the hair on his neck rising, and his face took on a position that felt quite natural as he scented blood on the air. Only after would he realize he'd curled back his lips to show all his teeth as he growled at the threat.

It staggered out of the treeline, a piece of shadow darker than that of the fading night around it. It had glowing yellow eyes. The farmer gasped in horror. He reached for his staff, fumbling as he pulled it out from among the bags of root vegetables. Lan Wangji crouched on the driver's seat of the cart, ready to spring at the creature if it approached.

Before either Lan Wangji or the farmer had to defend themselves however, a second figure emerged from the woods. It moved far faster and carried a bright flash of metal. There was second cry from the creature, much lower as it bled out on the sword of the cultivator. It fell to the ground and the figure bent to make certain it would not rise again.

“Oh thank heavens! We're saved,” breathed the farmer as he lowered his staff.

The cultivator looked up, noticing the farmer, cart, and small white dog for the first time. “Ah, greetings good civilian. This one is Li Yong. You are quite correct. It is safe now. I have killed this dangerous monster.”

“Many thanks, mighty Daozhang for saving this humble one and his livelyhood.”

The two went back and forth like this for a few minutes, the farmer thanking and praising the cultivator, and Li Yong replying that it was merely a trivial thing and so on. Lan Wangji took a good look at the man as the light slowly improved. It was nearly dawn. This cultivator did not wear robes of any sect. He looked just a tad on the shabby side, but his sword was bright and well maintained. He cleaned it carefully before sheathing it.

It would have been better if they'd encountered a cultivator of a major sect as such a person would be more likely to bring Lan Wangji back to their sect's base, but still when one was a dog one wasn't in the position to be picky. He just had to find a way to get this Li Yong's attention. His luck was in despite nothing coming to mind immediately, as the farmer offered to give Li Yong a ride to town. The man accepted since he was tired from his night hunt and must not have been strong enough to fly back on his sword.

“Will this mighty guard dog of yours allow me a place in your cart, humble farmer?”

“Ah don't be afeared of that one, he's smarter than the average dog.”

“Oh?”

“Brought me a bit of luck that one. I think he's no regular dog but that might just be wishful thinking on the part of a simple man like me. He warned me when a ruffian was stealing from my cart. I brought him along in hopes he'd keep me safe again and you showed up to kill that beast. So I say it worked. He don't act like a normal dog. Ye can talk to him and he seems to understand.”

“Is that so?” asked Li Yong, as he made himself comfortable in the cart. Lan Wangji stayed up on the driver's seat next to the farmer as they set out on the road again. He faced the cultivator, remaining still and looking at the man levelly. It looked like he might not have to convince the cultivator, the farmer seemed to be doing it for him. “Do you understand speech little dog?”

Lan Wangji inclined his head, not sure how else he might indicate affirmative.

“That could be coincidence. Small dog, if it wasn't...ah bark once to say yes?”

Lan Wangji gave one of his yips. He'd have preferred not to risk the chance of scaring the ox again but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to have the cultivator figure it out his intelligence.

“Fascinating. You are correct my good man. This dog is surely not a regular dog.”

The cultivator looked thoughtful over the fact but in the end he merely took a nap in the back of the cart. Lan Wangji was rather frustrated over this development.

Later on in the morning, Li Yong woke from his nap and asked permission to touch Lan Wangji. Hoping the cultivator might have figured things out further, Lan Wangji sat quietly and let the man put a hand to his head. Li Yong closed his eyes for a moment and Lan Wangji could feel him lightly running his own energy thorough Lan Wangji's meridians.

Li Yong pulled his hand back in shock after only a few seconds. His face took on a calculating expression and he said nothing to the farmer. Lan Wangji had high hopes the man had figured it out, but simply chose not to explain the details of cultivation to an ordinary commoner.

Some time after midday, they reached a fork in the road. Li Yong indicated he would be taking the left fork to turn in the bounty on the beast he'd killed. He was not from a sect so he had to take money in exchange for night hunts in order to feed himself. The farmer was going to the larger town down the right fork so they must part ways here.

“Thank you for the ride my good man. I wonder though before I go, might I take the dog along with me? I could use some good fortune.”

“Ah Daozhang, you see I've become rather attached to the little fellow.”

“I'll pay you for him. That'll be even better luck surely?”

“Oh I suppose that's fine then, so long as he wants to go with you.”

Lan Wangji did indeed want to go with the cultivator and he jumped down from the cart with a nod to the farmer. Li Yong paid the man some amount and the farmer bid them both farewell before heading along the right hand path.

Walking along with Li Yong, Lan Wangji had to trot at a decent clip to keep up. The man was not especially tall, but he was a healthy cultivator and much rested from his nap in the back of the cart.

They stopped when they came across a stream. The water was cold and clear. Lan Wangji's nose told him it was fine for drinking. Li Yong refilled his water skin after seeing Lan Wangji take a drink.

“I realize you're not a normal dog. The farmer thought you were a spirit of luck. I can tell though, you have cultivation. Maybe a spiritual dog from one of the larger sects? I hear the Jin sect has one.”

Lan Wangji shook his head in the negative. At least the man had figured out some of it. Having cultivation actually made the guessing a little harder for a low level or self taught cultivator he realized suddenly. If he hadn't had a golden core the man might have guessed he was a regular cursed human once he'd established Lan Wangji understood human speech.

A dog with a golden core could be a spiritual dog bred to be more intelligent or an ordinary beast that some how lived long enough to cultivate on its own. Generally it wasn't common for cultivators as powerful as Lan Wangji to be cursed in this manner. It wasn't common for cultivators at all actually, as usually they were able to protect themselves. He could also be a self transformed being, but if that was the case he would have surely turned back by now.

“It wasn't a great guess; you don't look like the right type of dog. Spiritual dogs are bigger I expect. Well if you aren't a lost spiritual dog belonging to a cultivation sect, might you want to say with me awhile? I was telling the farmer the truth, I could use some better luck.”

Lan Wangji yipped once to indicate his agreement. Traveling with a cultivator who knew he was intelligent and not any sort of possessed beast or demon seemed like a better idea than being a guard dog for a farmer. He would surely figure out a way to show Li Yong that he was a cultivator as well. In the meantime, they were still going towards the Jin sect if not the shortest route.

They walked for the rest of the day. Once night fell, Li Yong made camp beside the path. He set up a small fire and prepared himself dinner using ingredients from his qiankun pouch. There was meat; goat Lan Wangji guessed. The smell had his mouth watering and to his shame, his focus was drawn to the cooking of said meat.

Li Yong noticed and gave a laugh. “Hungry, little dog? Not that different from a normal dog ey? Come, I'll give you some of this.”

He tore off a portion and held it out. Lan Wangji approached, eyes on the meat despite his head reminding him there was a Lan discipline against eating meat. He told that bit of his conscience that exceptions could be made when one was a dog, just as allowances were made when Lan disciples were not in the Cloud Recesses. Lan Wangji, had always stuck to the rules even when outside of Cloud Recesses; well except when he was with Wei Wuxian.

This sudden thought distracted him more than the meat did. Lan Wangji missed Wei Wuxian. It was like a physical ache. He'd been trying to avoid thinking too much about his husband. Such efforts never really worked for him as Wei Ying sort of hovered in the back of his mind at all times. Now though, it came to the forefront, his longing to be with the one he loved most, with it the knowledge that they'd likely be separated far longer then the few days originally planned. The prospect of a few days had been bad enough, but how long might it take to get the curse removed?

As Lan Wangji pondered these issues with a heavy heart, Li Yong suddenly drew something from his qiankun pouch. He snapped it over Lan Wangji's head with the inhuman speed of a cultivator. Lan Wangji pulled back in reaction, only to be stopped short.

It was a spirit trapping rope. The rope stopped Lan Wangji from using spiritual energy. It had been looped around his neck and Li Yong had hold of the other end. Despite his shock at this surprise attack, Lan Wangji managed to pull out of the way enough to avoid the cultivator's strike with his sword.

“You're fast even without spiritual energy. You are quite something little dog. I had hoped to return you for a reward. Maybe even an in with the Jin sect, but since you're not one of theirs and you really are too tiny to help night hunt, I think this is the better plan. As a cultivator without a sect this is the best chance I'll ever get for a big power boost. Eating your core will jump me ahead by years.”

This was not what Lan Wangji had expected, but it was true that a person could absorb the power of a beast's cultivation by eating its core. As the Lan sect did not eat meat, it hadn't really occurred to Lan Wangji a low level cultivator might see him as an opportunity. Usually high powered animals and creatures were difficult to beat in a fight. Lan Wangji, as a tiny dog, should be far less of a challenge than even a regular sized spiritual dog.

Lan Wangji was not about to be killed and eaten by this rogue cultivator if he could help it. Li Yong had missed with his first sword strike because swinging a sword at a small dog on the end of a rope made for an awkward angle. A dagger or other short blade would have worked better, the sword was just not ideal for such close range.

Lan Wangji went after the hand holding the end of the rope as Li Yong tried to line up a second strike. He didn't hesitate, he took off at least one of the man's fingers; he felt it give under his sharp little teeth. The end of the rope hit the ground. Lan Wangji ran into the woods as Li Yong's cries of pain followed him.

~

Wei Wuxian and the two juniors arrived at Jin Tower only slightly slower than if Wei Wuxian hadn't been with them. The two Lan disciples had taken turns carrying Wei Wuxian on their swords. It had slowed them down far less than it would have only a year ago. Both had been steadily growing in physical strength and cultivation since they had started night hunting regularly. Lan Jingyi had grown nearly a head taller over the past winter and his arms were only getting thicker from all the handstands he'd been forced to do.

At Koi tower, they met up with the two cultivators who'd been sent by Lan Qiren. They also found out Jin Ling was out night hunting and wasn't expected back for more then a week. Lan Sizhui wished he'd been home; Jin Ling would have bulled his way into finding out what was going on. He would have whole-heartedly interposed himself into the search. The youth's brashness would have been a welcome distraction from the worry that was growing in them all the longer it took to locate Lan Wangji.

Instead, they rested and made a plan to search for signs of the Second Jade, starting with the area around Koi Tower. The two older Lan cultivators would take the less likely places as there might be difficulties if they found him injured or incapacitated in a remote location. Wei Wuxian chose to stay with the juniors as he hoped they would find Lan Wangji along the route he was most likely to have traveled.

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji, spent the night traversing the forest. He caught the deity binding rope, as well as his own tail, on twigs and briers multiple times. His eyesight was excellent in the dark, and his sense of smell made it even easier to avoid dangers, but he was traveling through thick wild foliage. He did not rejoin the road on the off chance Li Yong would back track it to search for him.

It wasn't that he was afraid to fight the cultivator again he told himself, it was just that there was a Lan discipline that said one should avoid fighting unnecessarily. Well that, and maybe he wasn't quite certain if he could disable or kill an adult cultivator in his current form. It would be best not to have to try.

Instead he was headed in the direction he was fairly certain would lead him back to right hand path, which should get him to the larger town, his original destination. If he could find the path, he could follow it from the underbrush thereby avoiding any unwanted attention.

As he traveled, he gradually learned how to better move silently in his new form. The tail would have been an annoyance enough without the rope he trailed. He had stopped running as soon as he'd felt secure enough to do so and examined it as well as he could. The rope was knotted in a slip knot. Even if he could reach it to chew, a deity binding rope was designed to cancel spiritual energy and hold powerful beings of all types. His ordinary teeth and claws were no match for it. A regular sword or metal tool would be unable to cut it, so he couldn't even attempt to do so by intentionally catching the rope on something sharp. Lan Wangji came to the unfortunate conclusion that there was no way to remove it from his neck without hands.

He would need to get a person to take it off for him...perhaps the farmer from earlier? Perhaps not. The farmer might see the rope and assume Li Yong had put it on for a reason. He might come to the conclusion the cultivator had discovered Lan Wangji was dangerous or possessed. It might be best to find another person to remove the rope.

When, after nearly a full night and day of travel, Lan Wangji made it to the large town, he stopped near the outskirts for a bit to gather himself. First he removed the twigs from his tail. His shape was not optimal for grooming his rather fluffy fur himself but he could at least try to look as presentable as possible. Lan Wangji had always held himself to a certain image; the ideal of the Lan sect. A small dog was pretty far from this image, but some things were too worked into Lan Wangji's soul to be altered by a mere change to his shape.

Next, he caught up the rope and lightly wrapped it around his body so it wouldn't drag behind him, in town it would be difficult to avoid people and draft animals who might step on it. He had arrived at the town in early evening, so hopefully the traffic would be less.

He headed into the town carefully, trying to decide what sort of person might be of the most help to him. Most people were too busy going about their business to notice a small white dog with a rope around its neck. This was both welcome and not, as he tried to stay to the less traveled parts of the street.

The smells in this town were stronger than the previous small town, despite the weakening of his senses due to the the deity binding rope. The town was nearly a city, packed with people coming and going, buying, selling, eating, puking, laughing, shouting, bustling around. Just the sheer number of people living their lives in a most unLan like way was overwhelming to him.

Without realizing he'd done so, Lan Wangji headed away from the noisy crowds of the main roads and market, towards a quieter area of town. Here the street was cleaner, the traffic lighter. He felt better in an area where he no longer had to spend most of his attention avoiding being stepped on. Now though, the number of people who might help him was severely lessened.

Lan Wangji was at a bit of a loss. When he was human he rarely ever had to ask a fellow Lan cultivator for help, never mind actual strangers, and now he had to do so in dog form. How should he go about it? If he himself had seen a dog with a rope about its neck, would he have removed the encumbrance? As a cultivator he would be wary of a dog with a deity binding rope, but what about a regular person who did not recognize the rope for anything special?

A child was the first to take notice of him. It wasn't all that surprising, the adults were all busy, but a child had less to do. This child was dressed in clothing that labeled him wealthy enough to not have to work to help his family eat. He was walking along the edge of the street with a stick which he used to tap and bang on random things he passed. Lan Wangji immediately disliked him. The boy, upon noticing Lan Wangji, stopped his attacks on the architecture.

“Hello dog. Want to play?” He crouched down and held out a hand cautiously towards Lan Wangji, clearly ready to snatch it away should he need to. Despite not liking the boy's previous behavior Lan Wangji, decided to try to mimic an ordinary dog in the hopes the child might be willing to remove the rope without prompting. Now how might a friendly animal react to such a gesture?

Lan Wangji stepped closer to the boy and cautiously waved his tail from side to side. He sniffed at the child's hand as he'd seen dogs do in the past. He really didn't need to get so close to smell the dirt and the meal the boy had eaten earlier in the day, but it was definitely a dog behavior.

The child held still as Lan Wangji completed this greeting of sorts. Then, perhaps being reassured by it, suddenly put his hand on Lan Wangji's head. Lan Wangji froze in surprise as the boy roughly patted him between his upright ears. It was far harder than was comfortable for his size. He tried to step back to discourage any continuation. The child didn't take the hint.

“Good dog. Now...what shall we play then? Will you fetch the stick?” The boy threw his stick lightly across the nearly empty street. Lan Wangji watched it go and wondered what the point of such a game was. He was supposed to bring it back? Was this a small child's game he'd simply never heard of, or was it something people often expected of dogs? He'd not had much experience with dogs in general.

As he was pondering this, the boy retrieved the stick himself looking mildly annoyed. “You were supposed to bring it back. Bad dog. I guess we'll have to play some other game. I should hit you for being bad, just like when I'm bad. That's how it works.”

The boy looked thrilled at this notion and Lan Wangji backed away swiftly. He'd started to run before the boy even began to swing the stick. Undeterred, the boy followed barely having to jog to keep pace. “You can't run away from your punishment dog! Get back here!”

It was comical. Lan Wangji, a mighty cultivator, who had killed the Xuanwu of Slaughter at the age of sixteen, was running from a child with a stick. If not for the rope around his neck, he could have used cultivation to run faster, jump, or climb out of reach. He could not bite a child, not even one as unpleasant as the one now chasing him. Perhaps the child would get tired or disinterested if they went far enough.

Lan Wangji turned out to be wrong. They ran past a few other children playing in the street and the boy with the stick called to them to join in. And just like that, Lan Wangji was now being chased by a motley collection of young boys. They were a loud, enthusiastic little mob. A few were gaining on him as they were taller, perhaps a few years older than the original boy. Lan Wangji decided to head back towards the busier part of town with the hope that he could lose them in the crowds.

The plan worked to a point, but his speed was severely curtailed by the people and carts in the road. More than one cart driver swore at the children as they ran out in front of the oxen. Lan Wangji did not want to be responsible for a child being run over. He decided to try to hide among the numerous merchant stalls. If he could at least break out of the line of sight, the children would have to stop running.

Lan Wangji made a sudden sharp turn, dodged a man carrying baskets hanging from a pole, and ducked under a cloth hanging from the edge of a tea seller's stall. It was dark under the stall, dark and not at all clean. He hoped the tea seller hadn't noticed his less than dignified scramble as he pushed under the hanging.

“What are you children doing?,” came a sour voice above him. He didn't hear if there was any reply, it was lost amid the sound of the street and the muffled effects of the wood and cloth around him. “Get on your way now. Go cause trouble somewhere else.”

Lan Wangji had a few moments of quiet to catch his breath, relieved that stall owner seemed to have shooed the children off. This was cut short as he felt a sudden tug on his neck and he realized with horror that the deity binding rope had fallen from the loose looping around his neck while he'd been running from the children. The end of the rope now trailed out from under the stall and someone was pulling at it. Lan Wangji was not strong enough without his cultivation to prevent himself from being slowly dragged out from under the stall.

As he emerged, trying to prepare himself mentally to fight or run, Lan Wangji was met with the wrinkled smiling face of an old woman. She smelled like the tea stall, a blend of herbs and dried plants. She was not at all beautiful, being well worn with age and work, but her eyes were warm in a way that reminded Lan Wangji a little of his older brother.

“And what is this under my stall? Hello little fluffy dumpling. You look a bit worse for wear. Were those nasty children hurting you?” Her voice was very sweet, as if she was cooing to a baby. Lan Wangji found this rather absurd. No one had ever talked to him in such a tone of voice, not even Wei Wuxian in his most ridiculous teasing moods. If he'd ever been cooed over as a child, Lan Wangji had long forgotten it. Still, he wasn't about to bite the hand of a person who seemed inclined favorably towards him. After Li Yong, the dumpling comment made him slightly nervous however.

The old lady kept a firm grip on the rope and Lan Wangji could not tug it from her grasp. She tied the loose end to one of the legs of the stall, “Now then precious, let's have a look at you.”

She pulled him towards her, Lan Wangji came forward rather than be dragged further. She seemed to be familiar with dogs enough to skillfully maneuver him into the fading light without letting him get a chance to bite, not that he was planning to do so.

“What a fine little treasure, so pretty. I bet you'll be even lovelier all cleaned up. Some rich lady is going to be missing her favorite lapdog. She'll order those children whipped that's for sure. Well, it's too late to go looking for her now. Perhaps tomorrow. You'll just have to come home with Old Yi.”

Lan Wangji, still at the mercy of the deity binding rope, had no choice but to wait. The old lady packed up her stall and walked home for the night with Lan Wangji unable to do anything but trot along at the end of the rope.

At her little house, she tied him to a bit of furniture as she went to fetch pails of water. Old Yi filled a small tub, the sort one would usually wash laundry in. Then she closed all the doors and windows in the house. She approached Lan Wangji with no sign of fear; the old woman simply picked him up and set him in the tub.

It was quite undignified, but Lan Wangji was hardly going to throw a fuss over an old lady washing what she thought was a stray lap dog. It was nice to be clean after days of traveling through the forest and today's run had left him coated in dirt from the street. The old lady sang some vaguely familiar song as she scrubbed and continued to call him affectionate names every so often as though to reassure him. Lan Wangji was just starting to relax in her care when she stopped mid-song.

“What is this my lovely? Ay-ah! Such scars! Who would dare beat a sweet darling creature? Some spoiled brat perhaps? Maybe your rich lady doesn't deserve to have you returned.”

Her hands had reached under the fur on his back as she rinsed the soap out. Evidently the scars from his whipping were still there under the long fluffy white hair that now covered his entire body. He hadn't thought about it before, but the scars were rather distinctive. Wei Wuxian and the older members of the Lan sect knew he carried the marks. Still, it was far-fetched that he'd encounter anyone who could identify him based on thirty three whip lines across his back.

The old woman's hands were gentle as she finished. Her voice if possible, became more tender as she dried him off with cloths. She produced a brush from a cupboard and skillfully untangled all the knots in his fur. She was patient and careful as she did so, as if he was some delicate, spoiled child. Lan Wangji couldn't remember ever having been given such sensitive care. Surely there was a Lan discipline against this; it was far too indulgent.

After Old Yi was done with him, she lit a fire and set about cooking dinner. She served him a portion in an old dish on the floor. Lan Wangji found he couldn't refuse it. It'd been days now since he'd eaten; the smell was intoxicating. It was fish and rice, no spices, not too different from a dish he might get at home in Cloud Recesses. Yi lived alone as far as Lan Wangji could tell and seemed very pleased to have company, even if it was just a dog.

After dinner, he was given a pile of old clothes to sleep on. “Not a fancy pillow, but Old Yi does her best for her little darling.”

He fell asleep without meaning to, feeling warm, safe, and full after so many days of uncertainty.

The next morning, Lan Wangji woke at five, only to be up later than his companion for once. The old woman was already packing up her wares for market by the time he rose. She fed him some of her own breakfast, congee with bits of fruit, and to his consternation, put the deity binding rope back around his neck. Old Yi worked alone nearly every day at the tea stall and was delighted to have a little pet to keep her company. Lan Wangji followed along and contemplated his predicament.

~

Wei Wuxian and his two Lan juniors stopped at every town along the path Lan Wangji was most likely to take. It had taken them some time at each to ask if anyone had seen Hanguang-jun pass through. It was unlikely for him to have paused in any of the towns close to Koi tower, but he'd not been in any hurry to get any where other than home. There was no reason he might not have chosen to stop if he'd seen something unusual or wanted to eat a meal.

They did not find anything the first few days. The towns near Koi tower were quite large and it took awhile to check all the inns and restaurants. The second day they reached a sizable town some distance away. They split up to ask around as they had done in the previous towns. Lan Sizhui was just leaving an inn in disappointment when he spotted Wei Wuxian trembling across the street.

He couldn't see anything of note in either direction aside from a small white dog. He blinked and then walked swiftly over to Wei Wuxian. It had taken him a moment to remember Wei Wuxian's fear of Jin Ling's dog Fairy. This was a far smaller dog, but an irrational fear was irrational after all he thought as he moved to try to help.

~

Lan Wangji spent several days with Old Yi. She was kind. Perhaps too kind. Lan Wangji felt smothered. He tried to find a way out of the house at night while she slept to no avail; her home was well built and snug. His attempts to avoid being tied with the deity binding rope merely caused her to leave him alone in the house for the day. He meditated, but decided it was better to go to the market and hope for an opportunity to escape or improve his situation rather than stay in limbo.

Finally he came up with a small plan and put it into action. Old Yi woke one morning and was unable to find the rope. Lan Wangji had hidden it under the bed in the far corner, where she'd be unable to reach even if she located it, as she was too weak to move the furniture unaided. Unable to find the usual rope, she made do with cord from an old robe tie. This was ordinary material and no match for Lan Wangji's teeth. When she turned aside to deal with a customer at the tea stall, Lan Wangji snuck away under the adjoining stalls.

He felt a little guilty leaving the poor old woman alone again after she'd been so happy to have companion, but he could hardly stay with her forever. He made a mental note to find her again some day to thank her for caring for him so kindly. Then he was off, free of the deity binding rope, to resume his initial goal of seeking out a Sect cultivator.

It was around midday when he saw Wei Wuxian. His husband was just exiting a tea house, his 'talking to people he wanted to get information out of' friendly grin on his face. For a moment Lan Wangji forgot what he was doing and went towards his heart.

The grin vanished as fear took its place on Wei Wuxian's face. His posture changed as he clutched his arms close to his body. Lan Wangji stopped in his tracks. He could smell the change, could actually smell fear, his husband's fear...directed at him.

Lan Wangji watched as Lan Sizhui rushed over from somewhere nearby and swept an arm around Wei Wuxian's shoulders. Lan Wangji took one last look at two of his dearest loved ones, then turned, and walked away. His tail drooped as low as his heart as he moved himself out of Wei Wuxian's sight.

Chapter Text

In the next small town, Wei Wuxian and the juniors finally caught some luck.

“Oh yes, we did get a cultivator dressed like you two young masters about a week ago.” said the inn's proprietor, a middle aged woman of serious disposition.

“How long did he stay?” asked Lan Jingyi eagerly.

“Only over night, but in the morning he was gone. Left all his things. It was strange, he didn't seem the type to skip out on his bill.”

“Could we see these things Madame?” asked Wei Wuxian, his relief at hearing news of Lan Wangji immediately doused in further worry upon hearing of such out of character behavior.

“I suppose it won't do any harm. The two young masters here are surely from the same cultivation sect after all.” The matron took out a key and unlocked a chest to reveal Bichen, Wangji, a couple of qiankun pouches, and most alarmingly, a neatly folded set of white Lan robes complete with a forehead ribbon.

Wei Wuxian was unable to keep his composure as he reached out with a small cry and snatched up the ribbon. It was indeed Lan Wangji's, embroidered with cloud patterns, his initials on the underside. Wei Wuxian wrapped it around his own wrist, his chin trembling in a way neither junior had ever seen before.

Lan Sizhui rallied enough to ask, “So you found all these things the next day?”

“Yes, you see he'd asked for breakfast to be brought at half past five. When he didn't answer her call, my girl thought he was still sleeping and left the food by the door. It didn't get touched, so at noon she checked again. She got no answer, so she entered the room. There was no one there. We thought maybe he left during the night and might return for his things, so I kept them here. We had to get my nephew to even lift that heavy sword of his. It wasn't until my girl went to clean the room that she noticed the clothes. The outer robes were hung up neat but the inner ones were between the bed sheets with the ribbon. He must have changed before he left. Strange that he'd leave them like that though.”

“Very strange. May we seen the room Madame?” asked Lan Sizhui. Wei Wuxian had picked up Bichen and Sizhui figured it might be best to give him a moment to compose himself.

“Certainly. I have rented it out since then with no problems. If the gentleman had indicated he wanted it for longer I would have course have kept it for him, but what was I to think him vanishing in the night like that?” The madame was a talkative lady. After she led Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi to the room, she stayed chattering all the while as they examined it and found nothing unusual.

“We'll take this room then, if it's free.” said Lan Jingyi, knowing Wei Wuxian would want to examine it himself.

“We'll pay Hanguang-jun's bill as well. We're going to take his things so if-” Lan Sizhui corrected himself mid-sentence,“-when we find him we can return them.”

“Of course, young master.” The madame bowed.

~

Lan Wangji was not doing particularly well in the big town alone. He'd been avoiding the area with the children and the market street where Old Yi sold tea. The areas of town left to him were of a rough sort. There were numerous stray dogs in town. He'd discovered the larger ones considered him small enough to serve as their dinner. Fortunately his cultivation helped even the fights out a little, but there was a small pack of larger dogs that had been stalking him the last day or two.

They finally cornered him in an alley while he was distracted after following someone who looked like they were wearing Jin sect robes. He had been disappointed when he got a closer look and found them to be just a very fancy dressed merchant. It wasn't until he turned the next corner that he realized the trouble he'd walked into.

The lead dog was nearly the size of a sheep; Lan Wangji had just decided to go for its eyes when a sudden vicious bark echoed down the alley. A new dog entered, snapping at each of the mangy strays on her way to Lan Wangji's face off with the larger dog.

This dog was medium sized and far too fluffy and clean to be a stray. In fact, as she went for the lead dog's flank and he jumped for its throat, he realized he recognized her. Together they fought the large stray into a retreat. The other dogs of the pack attempted to join in but were easily intimidated with feints to their sensitive noses and eyes.

After a few minutes of growling, barking, and yelping, the small pack ran off leaving Lan Wangji and Fairy victorious. For it was none other than Jin Rulan's spiritual dog, Fairy who had come to Lan Wangji's rescue. She was a very clever dog; Lan Wangji remembered her assistance during the incident at the Guanyin temple.

Now he stood blinking at her as she licked a bite on his leg he'd gotten from the fight. He was about to stop her when he realized she was somehow giving him spiritual energy as she licked the wound. It was awkward, but obviously came very natural to her. He did not protest. She was after all, a spiritual dog with considerable intelligence.

Once she seemed satisfied with her work, she turned to walk out of the alley, pausing to wait for him to follow. Where Fairy was, Jin Rulan was surely not far behind. Lan Wangji followed.

~

After they had been served an excellent dinner by the innkeeper, the three sat around the room's table trying to decide what to do next. If they had merely found that Lan Wangji had stayed over night in the inn, they would have continued their search along the most likely route. Now though, they had to contend with the reality they all had been avoiding thinking about. Something had happened to Hanguang-jun.

Even if dire circumstances had led to him leaving in the night, he would have returned for his sword, qin and most important for a Lan, his forehead ribbon. What could possibly prevent Lan Wangji from returning to the inn? What had caused him to leave without wearing his forehead ribbon, never mind his other clothing?

Wei Wuxian was not taking it well; the two juniors watched him drink five jars of wine single-handledly. Lan Sizhui actually found it a welcome distraction from his own worry to deal with it. He quietly spoke to the servant the innkeeper had assigned them, telling her not to bring any more wine no matter the requests from Wei Wuxian. It was long after nine, but he and Lan Jingyi had been night hunting for long enough now that they had no trouble staying awake.

“Come Senior Wei, you should sleep now,” said Sizhui.

“A-Yuan, my A-Yuan, you always were such a good child. You used to sit in my lap and chew on Chenqing. Do you remember when Rich gege bought you all those toys? I never did pay him back for dinner that time. Did I ever tell you about the first time we met?”

Lan Jingyi, who had been about to help Lan Sizhui in nearly carrying Wei Wuxian to bed, paused in interest.

“No, Senior Wei. You haven't.”

“I was sneaking alcohol into the Cloud Recesses. He caught me and we fought. He was so beautiful in the moonlight. It's no wonder he was already nicknamed the Second Jade of Lan. But it's nothing really; he puts jade to shame. His swordplay...was breathtaking even at fifteen.”

Jingyi was nodding along in agreement to every compliment to his idol, soaking the new information like a sponge. Lan Sizhui though, was still trying to usher Wei Wuxian to the bed.

“What happened then Senior Wei?” Lan Jingyi couldn't resist asking.

“When we fought? Oh I got away, but I spent so much time after that breaking Lan sect rules. He must have hated me so much; I was an arrogant little shit at that age. Or at least that's what I always thought. But no, it turned out he never hated me Jingyi. Do you know what it felt like when he told me that?”

Sizhui gave Jingyi a look, which plainly said, 'stop encouraging him to talk and help me.' Jingyi saw it, but chose to ignore his fellow junior disciple's silent plea.

“No, Senior Wei.”

“He loves me Jingyi. Hanguang-jun, the Second Jade of Lan, Lan Wangji, Lan Zhan, loves me. The first time he said it, I told him to get lost. He was whipped thirty three times for defending me; sentenced to seclusion for three years. I went and died, leaving him all alone for thirteen years. When I returned, I teased him. He thought I was making light of his feelings, and yet he still loved me after everything. In a thousand years I could never deserve such love.”

Lan Jingyi wasn't sure how to take all of this information thrown at him by a drunk man. The Lan sect forbid gossip so he'd never actually heard most of it. He'd never even gotten a whisper of Lan Wangji's whip scars as the man did not bathe with the other members of the sect. He'd known of Hanguang-jun's seclusion, but not the reason for it. There were a lot holes in his knowledge.

A more proper Lan, like say Sizhui, would have been very embarrassed about hearing so much personal information about his seniors, Lan Jingyi though, was simply stunned. He gave a moments thought to wondering if Senior Wei would tell him the whole thing if he asked. The moment passed though and he remembered himself. He was also a Lan and therefore it would be very improper to take advantage of a drunk Wei Wuxian to ask about the fascinating information he'd just revealed.

It was good he'd come to this conclusion as Lan Sizhui actually glared at him. Sizhui, the perfect Lan disciple, the one whom the senior Lan cultivators always cited as an example to other juniors to follow. Lan Sizhui, the most patient person Jingyi knew, who probably never had an angry thought in his life, was glaring at Lan Jingyi. They'd known each other nearly all their lives and this look said clearly 'now see what you've done.'

“Xian-gege, you really should lie down and try to rest. It will be easier to resume our search in daylight. When your mind has rested you'll come up with new ideas I'm sure.”

“I'm perfectly fine, A-Yuan. I can go without sleep for much longer than you little Lans with your curfew...Really shouldn't you two be sleeping? What naughty juniors to stay up so late with me.”

“We'll go to sleep after you, Senior Wei. You should take the bed though. We'll make do with the floor. We have our bedrolls.”

“I should stay up and make plans.”

“We will wake you at five, we can plan then.”

“It's easier to plan at night when I'm already awake.”

The discussion dragged on back and forth for nearly another half shichen, when suddenly to the luck of the juniors, Wei Wuxian finally passed out. They transferred him to the bed, then sat back down at the table.

“What should we do in the morning?” asked Jingyi, setting a talisman to warm the pot of now cold tea.

“Ask around town in case anyone did see Hanguang-jun. We need to learn if anyone saw him after he entered this room for the night. If he did just leave, someone in town might know.”

“You can't think of any reason he'd leave all his things behind though?”

“No, but I don't have any other ideas either.”

“Could he have maybe ascended to immortality? I heard one of the servants say something. I suppose it's possible right? If anyone was worthy it'd be Hanguang-jun, only...”

“Only?”

“Do people ascend to the heavens naked?”

“Jingyi!”

“I'm just saying. His under robes were in the bed...did you look in his qiankun pouches to see if his spare robes were there?”

“Yes. All of his pouches are full of the usual supplies. Nothing is missing.”

“He just...vanished in the middle of the night, from his bed, leaving everything behind, even the clothes he was wearing. It's almost like he melted into smoke.”

“Don't say that, Jingyi. Hanguang-jun is one of the most powerful cultivators of his generation, he can't have just ceased to exist.”

~

Jin Rulan it turned out, was having lunch in a restaurant nearby. The place obviously didn't want a dog in the dining room, so Fairy had been forced to wait outside. Lan Wangji sat with her until Jin Rulan exited.

“There you are Fairy, good dog. What is this? You found a friend? A boyfriend?”

Fairy made a huffing sound at this, as though offended by the suggestion. Lan Wangji was also offended so he didn't blame her. They both fixed Jin Rulan with stares that spoke their outrage as clearly as two dogs could manage.

“Ok maybe not. Still, we should head out. Say good bye to your friend Fairy.”

Fairy shook her head.

“Huh? What is it? This is just someone's lapdog. We have to go see Jiujiu. You like Jiujiu, he always give you treats.”

Fairy made a low whine. She paced around Lan Wangji before going back to Jin Rulan. Lan Wangji wasn't sure what to do except try to write in the dirt of the street with his paw. The dirt was too well packed from hundreds of feet walking on it to easily make an impression. Jin Rulan noticed the odd behavior though.

“What are you trying to tell me? This isn't someone's lost pet?”

Fairy barked. Lan Wangji nodded.

“Are you not a regular dog, little fluffy?”

Lan Wangji blanched at being called 'little fluffy' but nodded his head again. Maybe Jin Rulan would figure it out.

“Bark if you understand me like Fairy does.”

Lan Wangji gave his silly little yap in response.

“Wow. You don't look like a spiritual dog. I've always wanted another dog but Jiujiu says one is enough. How about it, do you want to come with me and Fairy?”

Lan Wangji had no choice but to bark a second time. This was how he ended up on a boat to Lotus Pier with Jin Rulan and Fairy.

Jin Rulan tried to get Lan Wangji to sit on his lap. Lan Wangji had refused at first, having enough of being coddled by Old Yi. He changed his mind when the bottom of the boat proved to be rather damp and fowl smelling.

Fairy was lucky her head was so much further from the ground, he thought with mild jealousy as he rode perched on Jin Rulan's's knees like the lapdog he resembled. If he'd been even a medium sized dog, the entire experience would have been easier, children and other dogs would be intimidated, old ladies wouldn't coo at him.

It wasn't long before Jin Rulan was absently petting him on the head as if it was the most normal thing in the world; for him it probably was, with a dog as a companion. Lan Wangji realized this intellectually. He knew he was now in nearly the same category as the rabbits of Gusu Lan. People liked to pet soft animals. He still hated it though, and jumped down to deal with bottom of the boat rather than more unwanted physical contact.

Fairy seemed to understand him without need for words. She stood near but had not touched him at all after the wound licking she'd performed earlier. They could stand in comfortable silence without any awkwardness. She even obligingly pushed her head under Jin Rulan's hand when he started to object to Lan Wangji's retreat from his lap. Jin Rulan pet her instead, assuming she'd been jealous. It was a pity his husband was so afraid of Fairy thought Lan Wangji, as he looked for a dry spot to stand, she had a number of good qualities he could appreciate.

Chapter Text

In the morning, Wei Wuxian had a hangover and did not get out of bed at five. He didn't normally get up until at least nine back at Cloud Recesses unless he had a good reason. Looking for his lost husband was certainly a good reason, but he'd also barely been sleeping the last few days, so Sizhui and Jingyi left him at the inn while they walked around town to question people.

They talked to several people who had seen Hanguang-jun the day he'd stopped at the inn. No one had seen him later than eight o'clock in the evening or so. The two youths went back to the inn for breakfast frustrated. When they requested food, Sizhui thought to ask to speak with the girl who had looked after Lan Wangji's room.

“Can you tell us everything that happened? We heard it from the innkeeper but sometimes a little detail gets excluded that can help.” said Sizhui.

The young woman was flustered to be the focus of two such handsome young cultivators. She blushed and insisted that surely her mistress had told them everything important. It wasn't until Wei Wuxian came down to breakfast, looking every bit like he'd drunk five jars of wine the night before, that they had any luck. Despite his bleary eyed, disheveled state, Wei Wuxian was still able to charm the maid into giving him hangover tea and sympathy. It didn't take long at all for him to have her talking to him comfortably.

“It really must have been odd for you, to walk into a room you thought occupied only to find it completely empty.”

“Oh yes. Very strange. Although, it wasn't completely empty.”

“Not empty? He wasn't there obviously. Was there someone else?”

“No, not a person...but there was a dog. It's why I opened the door actually. I heard scratching at the wood. It was the dog pawing at the door. I thought to myself, that is strange, but perhaps the gentleman cultivator had a pet and I just hadn't noticed the night before. Perhaps it was asleep in his robes. It was a small thing after all.”

“A dog,” said Wei Wuxian, nearly shivering at the very word, “in the room that Hanguang-jun had rented. What happened to this dog?”

“My mistress won't have animals in her inn. If she had known the honorable young master had brought it inside, she would have charged him more or told him to take it elsewhere. She thinks such creatures are dirty, so she had me take it outside even though it was quite clean, as white as the gentleman's robes.”

“Then what?”

“I don't really know I'm afraid. It walked away. It was just a little thing. I'm sure it went off to catch mice or something for its dinner. Maybe someone in town took it in as a pet?”

The three cultivators exchanged looks. They paid for breakfast hastily, giving the maid extra for her time, and rushed out. They began to re-question the townspeople, this time about whether or not they had seen a small dog a week ago.

“The dog could have gone anywhere by now; it's been awhile.” said Jingyi after they'd asked dozens of people. “Besides, who notices a dog, even a white one?”

“Pardon me young master, I couldn't help but overhear,” said a woman in earth colored clothes, who was waiting at the nearby tinker's shop to have a pot repaired. “You're looking for a little white dog? My cousin's husband claimed one helped him scare a thief away from his vegetable cart just the other day. 'Said it brought him good luck.”

This tidbit of information led them to seek out a farmer who lived not far out of town. He told them he'd sold the lucky dog to a wandering cultivator named Li Yong. He wasn't able to tell them exactly where they might find him, but he could tell them which direction the cultivator had gone.

Following the trail of Li Yong took them several days as the man had headed to a nearby manor to claim the bounty on a monster that had been eating the livestock off a local noble's property. The noble was able to tell them the direction the man had headed afterwards but little else other than that the cultivator had not had a dog with him when he collected his reward for killing the beast.

They found Li Yong in the next town over. He was still nursing a wound on his hand, a missing finger that no amount of cultivation could grow back. He was sulky and didn't want to speak, even when Wei Wuxian put on his usual charm. Wei Wuxian wasn't about to be put off however, when charm failed he was not above threats.

The two Lan juniors watched in mild alarm as he pulled out Chenqing and proceeded to terrorize the man into confessing the dog had run off, but not before he'd gotten a deity binding rope around it's neck and lost a finger to it. He didn't know where the dog had gone, though he'd searched the forest for awhile.

At this point the three went back to the small town disheartened. The trail was cold. They weren't sure where to look next. The forest around the area was vast. A small dog could be anywhere.

“What will we even do when we find it?” asked Jingyi, dejectedly.

“You and I can examine it. Senior Wei is afraid of dogs, so he'll just have to wait until we can report to him concerning it...wait Senior Wei! We saw a small white dog in the previous town. I remember you were startled by it and I came over to see if you were alright.”

“If by startled, you mean terrified out of my mind, then yes you're right. I think it was a white dog. Perhaps it made it's way through the woods to the bigger town up the road.”

They traveled by sword back to the town in question and started their search all over again. It took some time, but eventually Lan Sizhui found a stall owner who remembered seeing his neighbor, Old Yi the Tea Seller, walking a small white dog on a leash a few days back.

Old Yi was far easier to get information out of then the recalcitrant Li Yong.

“Ah my sweet little darling! What a nice little dog. I figured somebody'd lost him; but I was too selfish. I wanted to keep him. I've never had a dog like that, all fluffy and tiny. The Farm dogs I grew up around aren't nearly so nice to pet. He didn't want to stay though. Probably used to finer things than Old Yi could provide. I have hope he went and found a nice home better than his last one though, poor dear.”

“What do you mean grandmother? If he was used to nicer things surely he got them at the old home.”

“Surely, but even a gilded cage isn't worth staying in if you're beaten. I figure the little thing ran away from all the whippings he got. Such terrible scars under that beautiful white fur. You weren't the people who did that to him now were you?”

Wei Wuxian stood stunned for a moment. Up until now they'd been pursuing the dog as their only lead related to Lan Wangji's disappearance. None of them had thought beyond the idea that the dog might be connected somehow. This new piece of information hit Wei Wuxian like a kick to the chest. He didn't even hear the juniors assurances to the old woman and their further questions about the dog's demeanor.

“Hanguang-jun, cursed into dog shape? It can't be. His cultivation is strong enough to repel curses of that sort,” wondered Lan Jingyi aloud, as they walked back to the inn where they'd taken temporary residence while searching the town.

“We don't know the actual power of the being that issued the curse. Maybe he'd have been able to resist in Cloud Recesses. At the time he was sleeping in an un-warded room with only his inner robes on,” Lan Sizhui replied, as he sort of steered the still shocked Wei Wuxian along the road.

He had a point, the Lan sect robes had warding spells and protections woven into the fabric. Sleeping was also the time when a person's mental defense against evil influence was weakest. By wearing only one layer of robes and sleeping in a room with no further protections on it, Lan Wangji's defenses had been far lower than usual. Even a very strong cultivator would not have unknowingly been able to defend against a curse in such circumstances.

“A dog though. A little, fluffy, white dog.” Jingyi was in shock a bit himself it seemed.

“Jingyi. Stop. You're not helping,” Sizhui gestured to Wei Wuxian, who'd nearly tripped on the way into the inn. He helped the man to sit at a table and ordered them some tea. “Let's focus on finding Hanguang-jun, first. The tea seller said he ran away from her but she hasn't seen him since. That was days ago. Someone else might have seen him after that.”

“Back to asking everyone. Do you think he's still got his mind? Or is his mind a dog's mind now? Is that why he seems to be just wandering around?”

“Don't speculate Jingyi. We don't know anything yet.” said Lan Sizhui, subdued. The tea arrived and Sizhui poured for everyone. He had to put Wei Wuxian's cup into his hand to get him to drink. He did so numbly as if he wasn't paying any attention at all to his surroundings.

“Does he really have scars from the thirty three lashes Senior Wei mentioned?” asked Lan Jingyi softly, unable to stop himself.

Lan Sizhui's response was even softer, to the point no one who wasn't sitting right next to him could hear it without cultivation skills. “Yes. It's one of my earliest memories, seeing his back bleeding by accident one time, when Zewu-jun didn't realize I was still near. We shouldn't discuss it though. No gossiping.”

“Why are we drinking tea?” came a sudden outburst from Wei Wuxian. “You two little Lans should know me by now. Hey lovely young Miss, bring me some alcohol!”

“Senior Wei, you really shouldn't drink without having some dinner first at the very least,” protested Sizhui weakly. He ordered food, which meant unfortunately, that they had to be silent and Wei Wuxian held forth.

~

It took two days by river to get to Lotus Pier, during which Lan Wangji made no headway at all in leading Jin Rulan to figuring out his identity.

“You should have a name, little fluff. Something more dignified than Fluff.”

Lan Wangji nodded to show he agreed, but failed to come up with a way to explain that he already had a perfectly good one.

“Hmmm...you're not really very sweet so Tongtong is probably out. Shanshuo? Zhenzhen?”

Lan Wangji just stared. Each name was worse than the last. Wei Wuxian had joked about Fairy's name but there was no way Lan Wangji was going to answer to Twinkle or Precious.

“Those eyes of yours are surprisingly cold, maybe Snow or Frost? Wait. No, I've got it! Hong!”

Lan Wangji continued to stare.

“Oh come on little dog, it's perfect. You're smart and all, but you aren't a human. I promise it's great name. My Jiujiu will agree when we get to Lotus Pier.”

Lan Wangji could only hope Jiang Wanyin would be easier to deal with, Jin Rulan kept trying to pat him on the head.

At Lotus Pier, their appearance was met with much fuss on the part of the sect servants and disciples, evidently Jin Rulan's arrival hadn't been expected. They cautioned Jin Rulan that Jiang Wanyin was busy. Jin Rulan seemed undeterred by this, barging into his uncle's office with the two dogs following along in his wake.

“Jiujiu! I'm here!”

Jiang Wanyin was indeed working on paperwork at his desk, he looked up with his usual glare at his nephew's interruption. “Jin Ling, I am working. Why are you even here you brat? Shouldn't you back at Koi Tower doing your own work? You better not be shirking your duties night hunting with Fairy.”

“Oh,” replied Jin Rulan with a dismissive air, “I have people for that. Sect Leader Nie told me I don't have to do most of the paperwork myself. I just have to delegate, then I can go off night hunting whenever I want.”

“I'm sure that works very well for a lazy ass like Huaisang who's sect is a disorganized mess, but here in the Jiang sect we aren't afraid of hard work. You should at least look over all of the paperwork before it's sent out to have an idea of what is going on in the Jin sect. If you're not careful people will try to cheat you or make decisions to benefit themselves personally.”

“Yes, yes, I'm not a complete idiot Jiujiu.”

“Could have fooled me if you're taking advice from Nie Huaisang on how to be a sect leader over your own uncle.”

From his view near the floor, Lan Wangji caught the brief flicker of hurt in Jiang Wanyin's face as he said this before the usual glare covered it up. Lan Wangji was starting to feel he was intruding on a private family conversation so he tried to quietly retreat from the room. He would wait until there was a better moment to get Jiang Wanyin's attention. His movement did not go unnoted however.

“What is that? Another dog? Jin Ling?” Jiang Wanyin's glare was gone. He got up from the desk and approached Lan Wangji, who paused in his exit from the room.

“Fairy made a friend Jiujiu.”

Jiang Wanyin held out his hand for Lan Wangji to sniff. Lan Wangji, tired of this by now, obliged out of politeness. Then he looked over at the ink stone and contemplated whether he might write something with his paws utilizing it. Jiang Wanyin's focus was on Lan Wangji despite his continued conversation with Jin Rulan. He covered the ink as soon as Lan Wangji moved toward the table.

“This is someone's lapdog Jin Ling. I'm surprised at you just taking it with you. I told you one dog is more than enough for you to handle.”

“It's not Jiujiu! Hong is as smart as Fairy. It's not a regular dog!” protested Jin Rulan, obviously offended at the notion that he just made off with people's pets.

“Hong?! That is a ridiculous name Jin Ling.”

“No it's not! It's funny! Come on Jiujiu! The dog doesn't like it, but I was sure you would back me on this. I tried other names, but it's the best one I came up with by far.”

“You should have asked me for advice. If the dog doesn't like it, I can do better. Come here dog?” Jiang Wanyin held his hands out invitingly. Lan Wangji didn't particularly want to go, but he had high hopes Jiang Wanyin, a sect leader and senior cultivator, would figure out Lan Wangji's true nature.

Jiang Wanyin picked Lan Wangji up, much to his consternation.

“This dog is far too elegant to go by something so pedestrian as Rainbow. Its got a very noble bearing despite its small size...Pensong de Gongzhu?”

Being held up by Jiang Wanyin was not a great experience for Lan Wangji but he was hoping it would lead to the sect leader examining his spiritual energy and noticing his golden core. The suggestion of 'Princess Fluff' as a name however, inspired Jiang Wanyin to do something far more undignified.

Lan Wangji huffed and fiercely attempted to squirm out of Jiang Wanyin's grip to no avail. Jiang Wanyin managed to hold him firmly with one hand while brushing aside the coating of fluffy hair on his lower stomach with the other. Lan Wangji seriously considered biting the man.

“Ah it's a male. Pensong de Wangzi then, but what is this?”

Jin Rulan came over for a closer look and Lan Wangji's chest was suddenly the subject of two cultivators' fierce interest. Jiang Wanyin's hands were gentle as he shifted aside more of Lan Wangji's coat.

“That emblem...it's definitely a sun,” said Jin Rulan. “Would a rich person brand their spiritual dog? I mean why? It's smart enough to not run away on its own.”

“That, Jin Ling, is a Wen Sun Emblem. You never did pay attention in your sect history lessons did you?” replied Jiang Wanyin brusquely.

Lan Wangji hadn't even thought about Wen brand on his chest. It made sense that all his scars were still there on his body under the fur. It did him little good as identity markers to anyone but his husband or brother however. Now he was starting to worry Jiang Wanyin might come to conclusions even farther from the truth with this new revelation.

“Okay fine but in my defense the Wen sect was wiped out before I could walk. Did the Wen sect brand their spiritual dogs? Could one have lived this long? Why would anyone bother to have such a small spiritual dog?” Jin Rulan couldn't contain his curiosity or his chatter. Far more talkative than a Lan junior was the young Jin sect leader, thought Lan Wangji with mild disapproval.

“Jin Ling, shut up a moment. The Wen sect didn't brand its own. They branded enemies. Did you fight against the Wen in the Sunshot campaign Wangzi?”

Lan Wangji felt a surge of hope as he nodded his head gravely at Jiang Wanyin. It was a strange way to get there, but if this information helped the Jiang sect leader discover Lan Wangji's identity then it was all to the good. He felt Jiang Wanyin's next move with anticipation, the cultivator ran his own spiritual energy through Lan Wangji briefly checking his meridians and core.

“A tiny dog fought in the Sunshot campaign?” asked Jin Rulan incredulous.

“It's possible Wangzi was larger and used up so much energy it's taken years to recover. It's also possible he wasn't a dog back then. He's got far more spiritual energy than any dog I've ever seen.”

Lan Wangji nodded again and Jiang Wanyin set him down on the floor next to Fairy who was very patiently waiting to be acknowledged. She received a few absent head scratches from Jiang Wanyin.

“So which is it? How can he tell us?” asked Jin Rulan.

“Hmm...I saw you looking at the ink earlier. We can give it a try.” said Jiang Wanyin addressing Lan Wangji seriously, because he was a sensible person as opposed to a foolish youth. At his nod, Jiang Wanyin spread out a clean sheet of paper on his desk, moved his other work out of the way, and uncovered the ink.

“Not sure if it would be easier to try with your paws or with the brush in your mouth...”

Lan Wangji was not certain either. With a paw he'd have to smear the ink, but with the brush he'd have to tilt his head at an odd angle. He wouldn't get nearly the amount of control he was used to when writing with his mouth. He delicately hopped up onto the low table and took the brush in his teeth to give the less messy option a try.

It was very awkward. His calligraphy had never been this bad even as a small child. It took several attempts before he managed anything legible. In the end he went for two characters, the one for person and the one for curse. Any hope at anything more elaborate would take far more practice and time.

He had debated attempting his name or other indicators but decided against it. If they knew who he was they would contact Gusu Lan and then Wei Wuxian would come. Things between Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian were still rather strained even though it been over a year since Guanyin temple. If Lan Wangji had had a better option he would not have chosen to come to Yunmeng Jiang for help, but he couldn't afford to be picky.

Jin Rulan was shocked at the reveal but Jiang Wanyin was impassive.

“I could tell he was smart, but I just thought he was like Fairy.”

“You are a cultivator. It didn't occur to you that people can be cursed into animal shape? You said it yourself, why would anyone breed such a small type of spiritual dog? If he's a person, we'd best see about breaking the curse.”

Jiang Wanyin, to his credit did his best. He consulted with his sect's senior most expert on curses and together they tried several common methods. Jin Rulan watched with Fairy at his side, unable to stop his frequent comments and chatter. When none of the usual techniques yielded any results, they decided to stop for the day.

The Jiang sect senior went off to consult some books and send letters to other scholars who might have writings on transformation style curses. Unfortunately, it would take some time to hear back from various people, but in the meantime Lan Wangji was given an invitation to stay at Lotus Pier.

Jin Rulan was sent home after a few days by Jiang Wanyin, though the youth whined and claimed he wanted to stay to see the curse broken.

“I'll send you a letter, now go home and look after your sect.”

Chapter Text

The two young Lan disciples had their hands full dealing with Wei Wuxian. His coping technique of drinking himself to sleep each night didn't aid matters. They went out each day to try to find more information but the trail had gone cold after Old Yi's last sighting. They sent an update to Cloud Recesses about the most recent development.

Much to their shock and awe, Zewu-jun himself arrived in town instead of a return message. He'd been in seclusion for over a year at this point. It was odd for the Lan juniors to see him just walking down the street. Wei Wuxian was less surprised, but deeply ashamed. Which was certainly out of character, as up to that point Jingyi would have said Wei Wuxian had no sense of shame.

“Zewu-jun, forgive this terrible brother-in-law for not looking after your brother properly.” Wei Wuxian bowed lower than one would expect even to a sect leader.

“Forgive us as well Zewu-jun,” said Lan Sizhui, also bowing, Jingyi was quick to join him. “We got into some trouble and Senior Wei took on our punishment as well. If not for that Hanguang-jun would not be missing.”

“There is nothing to forgive children, Wei Wuxian. We will search together.”

Having an extra person to help with the search did enable them to cover more ground even if it was slightly unnerving for the Lan juniors, used to being overseen by the second young master not the sect leader. Not that there had been much of that lately either, as Hanguang-jun had taken over many of the duties as sect leader while Zewu-jun was in seclusion.

Having Zewu-jun along did not magically solve all their problems. The trail was as cold as it had been before. Until one day Lan Jingyi spotted Jin Ling near the town docks.

“Oh hey Jin Rulan!”

“Don't call me that!”

“What should it be 'Sect Leader Jin'?”

“Ugh, no, definitely not that. Jin Ling is fine. What are you doing here? It's Jin territory, so you can't be night hunting.”

“No, actually...”

Jin Ling, upon hearing the details started laughing which Jingyi found quite rude.

“It's not all that humorous Jin Ling,” he huffed in annoyance.

“It kind of is...” He had to pause between breaths, “...I mean...I...had Hanguang-jun, Second Jade of Lan...sit on my knee...Jiujiu...jiujiu held him up to check...to check his sex...”

That was all he was able to manage for some time. The laughter had a certain amount of hysterical edge to it and Lan Jingyi remembered suddenly that Jin Ling was intimidated by Hanguang-jun. The whole thing was very awkward and could only get worse. Jingyi, tugged Jin Ling with him as he went to inform Zewu-jun and Wei Wuxian about the latest development. They ultimately decided to head for Lotus Pier, Jin Ling tagging along despite his loss of face over his prior treatment of Hanguang-jun in dog form.

~

Staying at Lotus Pier was a new experience for Lan Wangji. He'd been to the Jiang Sect's residence before, but he'd never stayed for any significant period of time. It was far warmer than Cloud Recesses at this time of year. Much of the place was built over water and as a result it smelled and sounded like nowhere else Lan Wangji had ever stayed before. It made him a little sad to be visiting without Wei Ying dragging him around to extol it's virtues.

Jiang Wanyin upon learning of Lan Wangji's cursed state had immediately stopped calling him Wangzi and went with 'Daozhang' instead. He treated him as little like an animal as possible, though there were still some things that were unavoidable. As dog, Lan Wangji still had to eat out of a bowl on the floor and he slept on a small cushion provided for him.

There had been some debate about giving him his own guest room. On one hand, he was a cultivator and a guest of Lotus Pier, but on the other, he could not open and close the door himself. In the end, he was given a room with the door left partially open so he could enter and exit on his own. In this manner, he was able to go out to eliminate without having to ask someone to open the door. The various residents of Lotus Pier had been informed of his status and thus none of them impeded or harassed him in anyway.

The Jiang sect's junior disciples were far rowdier than those of Gusu Lan, and though they did not treat him impolitely on purpose, Lan Wangji learned to get out of the way when they were not in lessons. They tended to run, shout, play fight, and push each other in the water. During these times they often didn't notice Lan Wangji and he had to jump on to convenient railings or furniture to avoid being trampled.

Jiang Wanyin rarely scolded the juniors for their unruly behavior outside of cultivation lessons, something that surprised Lan Wangji. It occurred to him that perhaps this rowdiness was also permitted by the previous sect leader. It would explain a lot about teenage Wei Ying's behavior and subsequent poor adaptation to Cloud Recesses the year of the lectures.

He was pondered these insights into Wei Ying's childhood while sitting in on Jiang Wanyin's junior most disciple classes. He'd been invited to watch as he really had nothing much to keep him occupied at Lotus Pier. Jiang Wanyin had evidently started out personally teaching most of the new disciples back when he'd first become sect leader, owing to the small amount of surviving Jiang sect disciples. Now, though the sect's population was much recovered and there were plenty of experienced cultivators to teach for him, Jiang Wanyin still liked to keep in touch with all aspects of his sect. To this end, he checked in on every class at least once a week.

Lan Wangji couldn't help but begrudgingly admire Jiang Wanyin's leadership techniques. He could only hope Jin Rulan was positively influenced by his uncle to run the Jin sect so personally. It was to the benefit of all if the large sects ran smoothly, having the Jin sect collapse in on itself would leave a rather large void in the cultivation world, which still hadn't entirely recovered from the loss of the Wen sect over 15 years ago.

The Jin sect was a worry, having lost its leader only a year or so past. Jin Rulan was only sixteen. Jiang Wanyin hadn't been much older when he'd taken over as sect leader of a nearly destroyed sect, but Jin Rulan was no Jiang Wanyin.

Lan Wangji was distracted with these thoughts as a disciple from outside the class came in to interrupt Jiang Wanyin's instruction.

“What is it? It had better be something that couldn't wait.”

“Yes Sect Leader, your nephew has returned.”

“Jin Ling? He can definitely wait until I make sure everyone can do the proper block.”

“He came with Zewu-jun, and Wei Wuxian, as well as a pair of Lan disciples.”

“Wei Wuxian?! What the fuck is he doing here? And Zewu-jun? Isn't he still in seclusion? Well, go set Zewu-jun up in the best sitting room and serve him tea while I change...give him and his disciples the guest tea, but make sure you serve Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian the regular. Someone inform the kitchens to prepare food suitable for Lan sect members.”

It became organized chaos after that, as the students set about cleaning up the area and Jiang Wanyin gave orders to ensure everything he deemed necessary for his surprise visitors was arranged. Lan Wangji was evidently forgotten in the bustle and he was fine with that. He went to off to his guest room unnoticed.

On one hand, Wei Wuxian was here at Lotus Pier finally. Lan Wangji wanted to be on high alert for tension between his husband and Jiang Wanyin. Normally he felt obliged to intercede in their rather fraught relationship. On the other hand, in his current form Lan Wangji's presence would merely scare Wei Ying.

Then there was his brother's presence. This information was troubling as it was obviously a result of his own missing status. Uncle was likely running the sect while Lan Xichen searched. Xiongzhang would for certain be able to identify Lan Wangji, he just needed to figure out how to see his brother alone.

~

Meanwhile, in the Jiang Sect's best sitting room, a subdued little group sat waiting Jiang Cheng's arrival. Wei Wuxian sat next to Zewu-jun, while Jin Ling and the two Lan juniors crowded together. When tea was brought, the Lans were served from a different pot than Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian. Zewu-jun and the Lan juniors wouldn't have dreamed of commenting on it, but Jin Ling had no such qualms.

“Tch. You Lans get the fancy tea, but Jiujiu obviously told them to give me the normal stuff.”

“Is he mad you came back after he told you to go to home to Koi Tower?” asked Lan Sizhui quietly.

“Is that the kind of thing Sect Leader Jiang would do though? He doesn't seem the type to show his displeasure through tea,” said Lan Jingyi, even softer as it was perilously close to gossiping.

“If it were my shushu then you'd be absolutely right. That's exactly the sort of thing he'd do rather than say anything directly. Jiujiu isn't like that though. He'll just shout at me if he's mad. No, the nice tea is for guests. I don't count as a guest. I'm family.”

The two Lan juniors looked over in unison to where Wei Wuxian was drinking from his own cup, eyes closed. He was either trying to calm himself or enjoying the flavor, Lan Jingyi really couldn't tell which.

Jiang Cheng entered then. He greeted Zewu-jun politely and gave a nod to acknowledge the Lan jnuiors. He did not even glance at Wei Wuxian or Jin Ling.

“What brings the honorable Zewu-jun to my residence?” He asked directly after he had been seated and served his own cup of tea.

“Please pardon our unannounced intrusion, Sect Leader Jiang. Some trouble has come up and we have cause to believe you can assist in the matter.” Zewu-jun was always good at being both polite and vague.

“What sort of matter?” It was unsurprising that Jiang Cheng would skip over the usual banal pleasantries and blind offers to assist. “What did Wei Wuxian do now?”

“I didn't do it on purpose Jiang Cheng!” Objected Wei Wuxian loudly. “I didn't know it would turn out this way!”

“You never do think of the consequences before you jump into things,” countered Jiang Cheng with an eye roll.

“Ah. Gentlemen.” Zewu-jun softly interjected before the two could start one of their arguments. This wasn't about them. It was about Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen was not going to allow the conversation to be sidetracked. “Regardless of who is at fault, the matter is of significant importance. Sect Leader Jin informs us that he brought you a small white dog with yellow eyes and a Wen brand on its chest.”

“That is correct. The dog in question claims to be a cursed cultivator...is it a disciple of Gu- wait. Both you and Wei Wuxian are here.” Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, his face went hard as he came to the inevitable conclusion. "Shit. Hanguang-jun? Surely such a thing is not possible.”

“I would have agreed with you. But if that is not the case, then the alternative is that Wangji has disappeared entirely.”

“Well, I would send someone for him, but it's probably better if you come with me Zewu-jun. Wei Wuxian and your disciples can stay here with Jin Ling. ”

“I want to come too Jiang Cheng!” protested Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Cheng gave Wei Wuxian a look. “Are you sure you can?”

Wei Wuxian looked not all sure. He looked as if the dog was already in front of him. The entire trip to Lotus Pier, Jin Ling had had to tell Fairy to stay on the other side of the boat and Wei Wuxian had still been in a state of near panic. Once they'd arrived at Lotus Pier, Jin Ling had surprisingly sent her to play with some of the sect disciples rather force Wei Wuxian to try to tolerate her presence in the sitting room.

“I'm sure.”

Lan Jingyi was disappointed that he and Lan Sizhui were stuck waiting for their seniors return. Jin Ling was no less disappointed and said so the moment they were alone.

“It's so frustrating not to get to watch! Do you think Wei Wuxian will be able to get near? Will Zewu-jun be able to break the curse?”

“I don't know Jin Ling I'm stuck here too!”

“Don't fight. Zewu-jun will tell us what happened when he comes back. Drink your tea and speak of other things.”

Chapter Text

Lan Wangji recognized Wei Ying's footsteps, smelled his familiar scent, long before the polite knock on his partially ajar door. The other people were his xiongzhang and Jiang Wanyin, their scents also familiar, though Jiang Wanyin's was only learned in the past few days. The knock was merely a formality as he could hardly answer verbally or open the door for guests. The door was opened fully after a moment revealing all three men.

Lan Wangji had been meditating seated on the floor. He had expected Jiang Wanyin to send a disciple for him if the visitors had indeed discovered his identity. He had not expected Wei Ying to come willingly to him.

Wei Ying was white faced and trembling. He stayed in the doorway while Jiang Wanyin took a step inside, but stayed out of the way as xiongzhang entered and approached. Lan Xichen's expression was searching as he looked down at Lan Wangji. He knelt to get closer to Lan Wangji's eye level.

“Wangji?”

Lan Wangji nodded. There was a small sound from the doorway, something neither a sob or squeak but in between. Lan Wangji made a small huff of worry at his husband's distress. He glanced over to see Wei Ying still standing in the doorway, though Lan Wangji could smell his fear. Being the source of it was concerning. He wished he could somehow tell his brother or Jiang Wanyin to take Wei Ying away. He would go to Wei Ying himself when the curse had been broken.

“This is surely Wangji,” declared Lan Xichen.

“Don't you want to see the Wen brand?” asked Jiang Wanyin.

“I don't need to. The worry in his eyes when he looked at Wei Wuxian is enough. He's concerned his presence is upsetting to him.”

“Well of course it is,” snorted Jiang Wanyin, “That's why I told him to wait back with the children.”

“It is not,” lied Wei Ying poorly. He was making an effort to stop his trembling but it wasn't going well. “I just wanted to see if it really was Lan Zhan. I was wondering if I could tell some how. But hah, obviously I can't, otherwise I would have realized when I saw him in town that time. Come to think of it, he walked away then. You did that because you didn't want to scare me right Lan Zhan?”

Lan Wangji nodded solemnly wishing he could do something to help Wei Ying. He turned to xiongzhang trying to express himself with his eyes as his brother had always been good at understanding his nonverbal cues.

“Would you both give me a moment alone with my brother?” asked Lan Xichen. Lan Wangji was relieved. It was a perfectly valid request with the added bonus of forcing Wei Ying to leave. Once they were alone, Lan Xichen spent a moment just looking at Lan Wangji.

“You're so small. And so...fluffy. May I?” He held out a hand to Lan Wangji, who was certainly not going to refuse his brother's touch. He walked forward until his head met the outstretched hand. Xichen stroked his head softly for a moment, the motion so gentle it was less a pat on a the head and more a caress. “I was so worried Wangji when I first heard you were missing. Then days went by and no one had found you. I suppose it was hard trying to make yourself understood. I'm so relieved you're safe.”

Lan Wangji allowed himself to push a little against his xiongzhang's hand trying to comfort him. His brother had obviously not been ready to leave seclusion, Lan Wangji felt guilty that his own troubles had been the cause of it. He'd been running the sect to give both uncle and xiongzhang a break, but here they were having to take care of things for him.

“Don't blame yourself. You didn't actually cause this curse. It was the night hunt Wei Wuxian and the juniors went on. Apparently they angered someone who decided to punish Wei Wuxian by changing you in this manner.”

This information was something of a relief as Lan Wangji had spent many spare moments since the transformation trying to figure out how he'd gotten cursed but had came up blank every time. He'd never seriously thought of such a possibility before as he was generally able to protect himself. To be used against his husband in such a manner angered him though he knew such anger was entirely unproductive at this point.

“It upsets me as well. We will find a way to break this curse. I will speak to Sect Leader Jiang, Jin Rulan mentioned he had already put some effort into the endeavor.”

Lan Wangji nodded, pondering their next move. The standard curse breaking methods had not yielded any results but there had to be techniques that hadn't been tried yet. Perhaps Uncle would have some ideas; the Lan sect library might provide the answer as well. There was just one problem. If he went back to Cloud Recesses, where would he stay? Not in the Jingshi where he usually lived with Wei Wuxian. He would have to stay out of Wei Wuxian's sight. Would it be better then to just stay at Lotus Pier?

The Jiang scholar had already sent word to other allied sects including Gusu Lan for assistance. There was an particularly famous expert who had already sent word that they would be pleased to come to Lotus Pier to assist. Jiang Wanyin had only just sent a response. It would take the cultivator at least a week to arrive.

In the end everyone, including Wei Wuxian, stayed at Lotus Pier. Lan Xichen sent word to Lan Qiren to make the Jiang sect's recent request for assistance in curse breaking a priority, as well as permission to search the forbidden section of the library for relevant information.

Lan Xichen, Jiang Wanyin, and Wei Wuxian spent hours the first night discussing their options. Lan Wangji meanwhile spent his time in meditation and actively avoiding being anywhere Wei Wuxian was. Jin Ling showed Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui around Lotus Pier as the juniors were not permitted into the discussions. In all the excitement and upset, Jin Ling's uncle had not told him to leave. He hoped to avoid Jiang Cheng's attention and thus stick around to see how things turned out. This was far more interesting than doing sect paperwork back at Koi Tower.

~

That first night, long after Lan curfew, Lan Wangji woke to the sound of soft shuffling footsteps at his door. He could smell Wei Ying, a combination of spices, fear, and some unnamed scent that was just Wei Ying's alone. Lan Wangji waited. The steps retreated after a few moments and Lan Wangji, lay awake listening long after they faded.

In the morning xiongzhang visited him. “Would you have breakfast with me and the juniors?”

In response to a look from Lan Wangji, once more correctly interpreted, “Wei Wuxian is with Sect Leader Jiang. Your husband is happy, I think, to be at Lotus Pier again despite the circumstance. And I can't say for certain but Sect Leader Jiang seems pleased as well. Neither will admit it however.”

Lan Wangji inclined his head and followed his brother to an open air pavilion where Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui were already waiting with breakfast. The two youths looked at Lan Wangji with wide eyes, but even Jingyi managed to hold his tongue until after the food was eaten.

“Hanguang-jun? Jin Ling said you wrote with a brush earlier. I wondered if you might want to do so again?” Lan Sizhui spread out paper and set down a brush with ink at Lan Wangji's nod of agreement. Xichen was good at interpreting his feelings from his expressions but that wasn't enough to always get the information he wanted. Lan Wangji was far less involved in his own uncursing than he'd prefer to be.

He spent a few moments trying to decide what he wanted to say and how he might do so with the simplest characters possible. The first character was fairly easy, the second less so. He had four more after that which were a considerable challenge. He went slowly to best counter stray drips and the unsteadiness of his grip on the brush.

“Report...” Read Lan Jingyi aloud. “Night...hunt. Oh. You want to know about the night hunt that got you cursed Hanguang-jun?”

“I would also like a more thorough account, come to think of it. Wei Wuxian gave me his version, but I would also like to hear yours,” added Lan Xichen.

When the full story was told, Lan Wangji was not really surprised. The details were new but Wei Ying's behavior was entirely predictable.

“Have you punished yourselves yet?” asked Lan Xichen. Lan Wangji hadn't spared a thought for that part of the story. Nor it seemed had their juniors.

“Oh. No,” started Lan Sizhui, looking a little alarmed.

“We were going to but...there wasn't time while we were helping look for Hanguang-jun,” interjected Lan Jingyi, looking a little pink in the cheeks.

“Yes of course, but we must not neglect it. I think as your Sect Leader that the maiden would hardly object to allowing my choice of punishment. When we return to Cloud Recesses you both should copy the portion of the rules about proper behavior towards female cultivators and women who are not your spouse. But in the meantime...”

Lan Wangji looked up at a shriek of laughter, everyone else in the pavilion turned as well. The Jiang sect disciples were up to their usual behavior, this time with both Jin Rulan and Fairy along. It was late morning by now and the sun was almost to it's highest point.

Oblivious of their audience, the young Jiang disciples were stripping and diving into the water with much pushing and jostling along with occasional shriek as one boy pulled another in who wasn't finished undressing. The Jiang disciples seemed to have little deference for Jin Ling, pushing him as if he wasn't a sect leader. He gave as good as he got though, ducking the disciple who disrespected him after his initial squawk of outrage.

“I think, as you interrupted a bath to the shame of the bather, you should take a public one. As part of the punishment. Both of you go join the Jiang sect disciples in their bathing,” said Lan Xichen, to the shock of both Lan juniors.

Lan Wangji was not at all taken aback by his brothers words. Had he stood there at fifteen watching Wei Wuxian play among his fellow disciples, xiongzhang would have seen his desire. Sixteen year old Lan Xichen would have merely suggested Lan Wangji join in and been rebuffed. It truly was the wise Lan Sect Leader that now ordered his young disciples to do the very thing they most wanted to do anyway.

With small bows to both Zewu-jun and Hanguang-jun, both youths made their exit. Lan Jingyi started to jog, with Lan Sizhui following at the fast walk many Lan cultivators developed in the Cloud Recesses when they wanted to get somewhere at speed without breaking the rules.

“There is no rule against running in Lotus Pier,” called Lan Jingyi as he outpaced Lan Sizhui by a large margin.

Chapter Text

The next night Lan Wangji was again woken by footsteps outside his door. This time he got up and approached. His nails made a clicking sound on the wooden floor. The smell of fear increased and he could hear Wei Ying's heavy breathing on the other side as if the door was not there.

“Lan Zhan? I'm sorry. It's all my fault and I can't even...” A sob caught in Wei Ying's throat and Lan Wangji was overwhelmed with the need to just hold him. Wei Ying took a deep breath before continuing. “I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know I'm going to fix this. I'm working on it. Zewu-jun is working on it, and even Jiang Cheng is helping. That's all. Sorry to wake you.”

Wei Wuxian came to the door every night. Sometimes he spoke, talking about the ideas he had that the other cultivators might try out in the daylight. Other times he just stood there awhile before walking back to his own room.

The days passed slowly as the nearby sects gradually responded with the results of their research into alternate curse breaking methods, including Gusu Lan. Occasionally a letter would inspire another round of attempts with no success.

The famous curse breaker arrived at the end of the week and was introduced to Lan Wangji. Her name was Sheng Yang and she was the oldest cultivator, possibly even the oldest person, Lan Wangji had ever met. After being informed of the circumstances of the curse and discussing every method already attempted, she examined Lan Wangji with a frown on her wrinkled face.

“This is not the usual sort of transformation curse. If it were, one of the methods you've already tried should have worked. The being who issued the curse was not a evil creature or a cultivator with ill intent. It's as if it isn't even a curse...”

Sheng Yang examined his meridians and golden core with the practiced experience of a cultivation doctor. “He isn't being blocked from his spiritual energy. His golden core has not been harmed. The most logical method I can think of to fix this is for him to cultivate the shape changing technique and simply change himself human again.”

“That would take even Wangji years to accomplish,” said Lan Xichen, with concern.

“Yes, but unfortunately I'm fresh out of other ideas. Animals manage the technique, though it is a rare occurrence. Hanguang-jun is, from what I've heard, one of the most accomplished cultivators of his generation. He has a good chance of figuring it out.”

Lan Wangji accepted this statement with a sinking feeling. He had no doubt she was correct in her estimation of his abilities, but to go years without Wei Ying was a daunting prospect. He'd already had to live 13 years without his beloved. This would be easier though, as he knew Wei Ying would be there at the end of it, unlike the first time. It would also be shorter. Far shorter if he had any control over it. Lan Wangji gave the curse breaker a bow of thanks, then went to his room to begin.

~

“You can't do anything?” asked Wei Wuxian later in a voice edging up on despair. He'd insisted on talking to Sheng Yang right after she'd finished her examination.

“It is not even a 'curse' in the traditional sense. It's more like Hanguang-jun was 'blessed' into a dog shape by a god, rather than cursed by an enemy. The energy is all wrong.”

“Well that does give me ideas for a new direction in my talismans.”

“I am interested to see what you come up with.”

~

That night  was the first Wei Ying did not come to Lan Wangji's door. Xiongzhang told him over breakfast that Wei Ying had started working on developing new techniques based on information from the curse breaker. As far as anyone could tell he was still going. Every so often he'd pause to look for Sheng Yang to ask her opinion and then resume.

Jiang Cheng and Lan Sizhui had both been making sure someone brought him tea and food, which he occasionally deigned to eat according to Lan Xichen. Eventually after several days of continual work, Wei Wuxian reached a point of near collapse but refused to sleep. Sheng Yang put an end to the problem by simply hitting a few pressure points, causing him to pass out.

Lan Wangji visited her personally afterward to express his gratitude. He brought Lan Sizhui, who carried the paper and brush.

“You are welcome of course. Someone said he was your husband? I had a husband once, he was just as stubborn as I recall. But you know, if you really want to thank me, you can play some of that nice Lan music for me when you're human again. The Lan sect always did have the best musicians. I'm terrible at musical cultivation, but I do enjoy the sound of a well played instrument.”

Lan Sizhui wasn't as good at understanding Lan Wangji's expressions as Lan Xichen, but the meaning behind this one was obvious. The youth wordlessly removed his guqin from his qiankun pouch to the old woman's delight.

~

After he woke from his enforced rest, Wei Wuxian was practically chipper. He had been quite close to completion of his latest idea. He attempted to explain what he wanted to try, only to realize that no matter how carefully he explained, he couldn't be certain his ritual would be done precisely as he described if he wasn't present to watch.

“I've got an idea,” suggested Jin Ling as he watched Wei Wuxian set up the arrays. “If Hanguang-jun was any other animal you wouldn't be scared right? Why don't you try to convince yourself that Hanguang-jun isn't a dog? He could be a small fluffy fox for instance, or maybe a white cat? He's so tiny he barely even counts as a dog anyway.”

Wei Wuxian didn't answer, carefully laying down the physical parts of the ritual. The suggestion was ridiculous. A dog was a dog. He idly toyed with the idea of a talisman to alter his memories of his childhood trauma or one to change his perception, but swiftly dismissed both. Neither existed as far as he was aware and it would be a waste of time creating such. His time was better put to getting his husband back in his proper shape.

He went back to Jin Ling's idea, to try to mentally convince himself Lan Zhan was a cat or a fox. Well...foxes were far too close to dogs for comfort...a fluffy white cat though, was certainly not something he feared. Lan Zhan was a very small dog. A very fluffy, very white, very small dog. Not at all like the skinny, mangy, street dogs who fought him for scraps as a child. And Lan Zhan...Lan Zhan would never hurt him. Wei Wuxian knew this in his conscious mind, it was the unconscious reaction he couldn't control though...

He set to explaining the ritual to Lan Xichen, Sheng Yang, and Jiang Cheng, who was there despite claiming to be busy with sect leader duties. Jin Ling had vanished nearly the instant his jiujiu entered the room, so Wei Wuxian didn't get a chance to respond to his suggestion.

Sheng Yang had some constructive critism on his design and he was distracted for a good while discussing the merits of his chosen shape for the array. Lan Xichen listened silently, his usual polite smile on his face, while Jiang Cheng scowled and interrupted every so often to ask for clarification on some point. Once it was laid out, the others agreed the ritual seemed like it had a chance of working in theory. The problem was, the ritual couldn't be practiced as they had no other cursed being available and without one as the subject, nothing would happen inside the array. It would therefore have to be tried for the first time on Lan Wangji directly.

~

Once everything was ready, Wei Wuxian made himself scarce after being certain his instructions were clear to the rest. He waited anxiously with Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui, and Lan Jingyi. The latter of which was developing a tan from the Lans' extended stay at Lotus Pier, something Jin Ling teased him about.

“How does Sizhui stay pale when he's been swimming just as much as the two of us?” asked Jin Ling. “He doesn't wear a hat.”

Lan Sizhui said nothing but looked away embarrassed. Wei Wuxian didn't have the heart to pay much attention to the discussion. He sat far more properly than usual, with his ear turned towards the door to the room where the ritual was being undertaken, anxiously waiting for any sound of success.

“Whatever it is, he's not told me, or else I wouldn't be starting to look like a farmer's son. I'm still not over the shock of Zewu-jun telling us to go bathing with the Jiang disciples as punishment.”

“It's not much of a punishment, unless you count all the duckings I gave you.”

“I gave you at least as many in return, so don't act like you got the better of me, young mistress.”

“Hush you two, Zewu-jun is opening the door,” Lan Sizhui scolded.

Wei Wuxian jumped up to meet Lan Xichen's eyes as he looked over in their direction. Nothing needed to be said aloud, his lack of smile was answer enough for all present.

“Damn. That should have worked. I need to talk to Sheng-shifu as soon as possible...” Wei Wuxian walked away muttering to himself and the boys knowing they'd just be underfoot, went off to play with Fairy.

Chapter Text

That night Wei Ying stood meditating at Lan Wangji's door for nearly a shichen.

“Can I come in?”

Lan Wangji thought this was a terrible idea but it wasn't like he could say so. He gave a soft chuff of assent expecting Wei Ying to take a quick look at him and then retreat. He really didn't understand why Wei Ying kept torturing himself like this. He was very glad to hear his voice through the door at night, but he'd do without rather than cause his husband further distress.

The door opened the rest of the way. Wei Ying entered, looked around to find Lan Wangji's location on the floor by the low table, then firmly closed the door behind him. The only light in the room was from the moon shining through the window. It was enough to see a white fluff even without cultivation skills.

Wei Ying was controlling his breathing so carefully it was almost as if he was holding his breath. Lan Wangji kept completely still as he approached. He sat down some feet away, and then to Lan Wangji's surprise, closed his eyes.

“Jin Ling suggested I pretend you were a cat or a fox. I thought about it and I realized that might be a decent idea for a real dog. But you aren't a dog at all. You're just dog shaped. You're Lan Zhan. How can I be afraid of Lan Zhan?”

Lan Wangji hated feeling so helpless. He wanted to go to Wei Ying but wasn't certain if this new strength of his would stand up to actually being touched by Lan Wangji. Unwilling to break the fragile moment, Lan Wangji waited.

“I'm being ridiculous. You should be annoyed at me for this. It was my fault you got cursed and now, I can barely stay in the same room with you. You should leave such a terrible husband Lan Zhan. After all I've put you through...”

Lan Wangji made up his mind in a moment. Wei Ying's statement was so contrary to everything he believed and he couldn't speak to reject it. Lan Wangji bridged the space between them in less than a second. Wei Ying still hadn't opened his eyes, but tears were leaking out from under his lashes.

Lan Wangji carefully climbed into Wei Ying's lap. The man flinched at the touch but made a conscious effort to remain in place. Lan Wangji leaned up, he had to put his front paws on Wei Wuxian's chest to do so, and gently licked the tears off his cheeks.

“Lan Zhan...you...can't just do things like that.” Wei Ying choked on a sob as it turned into a soft laugh. “You're far too sweet...I don't deserve you.”

Lan Wangji chuffed again as he carefully retreated. It was the closest he could get to his usual 'Mn.' Really Wei Ying always undervalued himself in the relationship. If he could have spoken, Lan Wangji would have insisted that he would endure, had endured, worse for Wei Ying.

Wei Ying collected himself, wiped his face on his sleeve, and changed the subject abruptly, as if he hadn't just been crying.

“I asked Sheng Shifu to give me a description of what happened when they tried my new technique. Her observations were good but I realized it'd be easier if I can just get my own rather than second hand accounts. So, we should repeat it again tomorrow and I will watch. Or at least...I'll watch if I can just manage to open my eyes.”

Wei Ying's logic was reasonable. His fears however, didn't merely disappear as a result. He kept talking to Lan Wangji, eyes firmly shut. The talking turned to random chatter. It was both avoidance and a coping mechanism. Lan Wangji had always enjoyed the sound of Wei Ying's voice and his habit of rambling about whatever came into his head was familiar.

He moved back to the cushion he slept on at night. It was more comfortable for him as the large bed just reminded him how small he was now and how empty the extra space was. Wei Wuxian had been talking for quite awhile and still hadn't opened his eyes. Lan Wangji was prepared for it to take several nights. There certainly wasn't any rush, Lan Wangji had no where to be except here with Wei Ying. Here with Wei Ying was the best place after all...

~

Lan Wangji woke at five with a start, not having remembered dozing off to the sound of Wei Wuxian's idle chatter. Wei Wuxian was not in the room, hardly surprising, but Lan Wangji was curious as to how Wei Wuxian had managed to leave silently. Had he finally opened his eyes only to see a sleeping Lan Wangji? Had he simply gotten up and walked out without looking around, using his cultivation senses to avoid tripping?

Lan Sizhui came in not long after with breakfast on a tray. Either he or xiongzhang had been bringing it most mornings, though occasionally it was both. He was always glad to see them, though they were no Wei Ying.

“Good morning Hanguang-jun,” said Sizhui as he set out the dishes and arranged everything on the low table. “Senior Wei says he wants to try to do the ritual again with himself watching to see if he can spot where it went wrong. He seems confident he can stay in the room. Oh, also shigong is coming to Lotus Pier to see you. We got word he was on his way.”

Lan Qiren was coming to Lotus Pier. That was somewhat unexpected. He had to be running the sect while Lan Xichen was here in Yunmeng. A sect as large as Gusu Lan could run for at least a week or so without too much oversight barring any disasters however. Doubtless Uncle was wondering why it was taking them so long to un-curse Lan Wangji. Perhaps he was coming to insist they return to Gusu.

The juniors had been having something of a holiday from what Lan Wangji had heard. They would be best put back to their regular routine before they were unduly influenced by the Jiang Sect's undisciplined nature.

It would be proper for all of them to go home and cease imposing upon the Jiang Sect's hospitality. Sheng Yang had said she liked the music of the Lan Sect, doubtless she would enjoy a visit to Cloud Recesses. As for Wei Wuxian, he could work on his cursebreaking just as well in Gusu with the library to assist him. Yes, Lan Wangji decided, it would likely be Uncle's insistence that everyone return with him and it wasn't a terrible idea.

He and Lan Sizhui had a silent, companionable breakfast. Then Sizhui went off to find the other juniors and Lan Wangji went for a walk to find a discreet place to relieve himself. This was a morning ritual he'd carefully maintained by seeking out places where no one could observe him. It was very undignified, being a dog. He'd had to be extra careful in his walks after Wei Wuxian had arrived, to avoid crossing paths coming or going from his task.

During the walk back he overheard a Jiang sect member giving instructions to a junior to watch for Lan Qiren's arrival. Sect Leader Jiang was to be informed immediately, but he was going to be busy assisting former sect member Wei Wuxian with something and was only to be bothered with that news specifically. Lan Wangji finished the walk back to his room pondering over Jiang Wanyin's hot and cold behavior towards his former shixong.

Lan Wangji was brought up short by the sight of Wei Wuxian's presence in his room. His husband was sitting with a cup of tea at the table, clearly waiting for him. He spotted Lan Wangji in the doorway right away. His demeanor didn't change outwardly but Lan Wangji heard him instantly resume the breathing technique he'd been utilizing last night.

“There you are Lan Zhan. I wanted to see you.”

Lan Wangji gave a sniff of agreement, he always wanted to see Wei Ying. He stepped into the room but remained at a distance. Wei Wuxian watched with barely a tremble to his tea cup.

“The others are resetting the array to my previous specifications. Sheng Yang is over seeing. I thought I'd come try out my ability in daylight. It's so funny, you were asleep when I finally opened my eyes last night. I guess all my talking bored you.”

Lan Wangji shook his head in protest.

“No? Well then it was just too long past curfew for you huh? I've been keeping you up every night talking lately. Watching you sleep though...I was thinking about how tiny you are. Under all that fur, you're not bigger than a rabbit.”

Lan Wangji chuffed in annoyance at that. He was likely fairly close to the size of the Gusu Lan rabbits, they grew larger than typical wild rabbits due to the safety and food provided to them living in Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian kept going,

“Your little paws twitched as you slept. Did you have a nightmare Lan Zhan? I actually thought about waking you up but you didn't seem upset. It was a lot easier to look at you when you weren't looking at me, even though you've still got the same look in your eyes. Like you look right now, annoyed at me for making light of your teeny paws?”

When he was right, Wei Ying was right. Lan Wangji couldn't argue. His paws were small and he was annoyed at it being pointed out. He was very tired of being so small.

Wei Wuxian laughed and it didn't sound forced for once. “I can see how Zewu-jun could tell it was you now. It's obvious. Say, I'm doing pretty well so far aren't I?”

Lan Wangji thought the same. He was quite proud of Wei Wuxian's control so far. He couldn't smell any fear, the man was still holding himself more rigid than normal but he wasn't panicking or even trembling any more.

“Aww...I wish you could say I was doing good. Pat me on the head. Oh! I should do that to you ey? That's what people who like dogs do. You probably would hate that though huh Lan Zhan?”

Lan Wangji carefully approached. He did hate it when people tried to pat him on the head as if he was a regular dog, but if Wei Ying wanted to touch him...if Wei Ying could manage to touch him without passing out in fear, well then he was going to let him.

He halted in front of Wei Wuxian. The man abruptly put down his tea cup in an awkward clatter of porcelain.

“You want me to? Lan Zhan? You can't possibly...”

Lan Wangji carefully laid his head on Wei Ying's knee. The shaking was back but it was minute. Wei Wuxian brought a tremulous hand down between Lan Wangji's ears. They both froze as contact was made. They stayed motionless as the moment stretched out for several breaths. When Wei Wuxian finally spoke Lan Wangji was not expecting his next words.

“Oh. Wow. Oh Lan Zhan. You're softer than a rabbit.”

Then Wei Ying was stroking his head, between his ears, down his back. His touch was far lighter than he'd ever pet any of the Gusu rabbits, far more delicate than any rough affection he bestowed upon his beloved donkey. Lan Wangji, pleased at how well it was going but wary of things going south fast, stayed still as Wei Ying touched him in wonder.

“Of course if Hanguang-jun was a dog, he'd be the silkiest, most beautiful dog ever.”

Lan Wangji huffed in response to such praise. Much like when he was human, people were always going on about how he looked. Aside from keeping clean he really didn't have much control over it. Excessive vanity was against one of the Lan sect disciplines for a reason.

“Are you saying 'ridiculous' Lan Zhan? I rather think you are. Will you let me hold you Lan Zhan? It's been so long since you held me. The reverse is always just as good.”

Lan Wangji climbed carefully into Wei Wuxian's lap. He fit just right. It felt better than anyone else's lap had so far, but his opinion was vastly biased and he did not care. Wei Ying's breath stuttered for a moment until Lan Wangji settled in place. Then he wrapped his arms around Lan Wangji and squeezed gently.

Lan Wangji couldn't help but think that this was in fact the ideal position to be in when one was his current size, enveloped in warmth and just slightly crushed by someone who loves you. Wei Wuxian, while also moved emotionally by the moment, was not on the same level of quiet pleasure as Lan Wangji; what he was feeling was elation.

“Lan Zhan we've got to show Zewu-jun, and Sizhui...and Jiang Cheng won't believe it. Let's go show them!”

Wei Wuxian rose awkwardly with Lan Wangji still in his arms. Lan Wangji wasn't planning on attempting any sort of escape though. He was quite happy to go where ever Wei Ying deigned to carry him. It was such a nice warm feeling being held by his husband, better even than when he'd been cared for by Old Yi.

Lan Wangji was starting to feel a little floaty, a bit of pins and needles, but in a good way. He felt as if he was about to fall asleep at any minute, which normally would have caused him puzzlement as he'd slept soundly the last night and had no reason to feel drowsy. The absolute contentment he felt at being in his husband's arms made it seem less important however.

Wei Wuxian meanwhile, was rather oblivious in his jubilation. He ran towards the room where the ritual was being prepared at full speed. He excitedly showed off his lack of fear to every Jiang disciple he encountered along the way, but did not slow down long enough to hear their words of congratulations. Lan Wangji enjoyed the show from the comfort of Wei Wuxian's arms, occasionally yawning and blinking sleepily.

Chapter Text

When Lan Qiren arrived at Lotus Pier, he was greeted by the senior most Jiang Sect cultivator, but not the sect leader himself. He forgave the slight as he was informed Jiang Cheng was assisting in the attempt to fix Lan Qiren's nephew from the latest trouble Wei Wuxian had gotten him into. That the fault was Wei Wuxian's he was certain, no matter what the two Lan juniors had written in their reports.

He asked for his juniors just after his arrival; a Jiang disciple was sent for them. They arrived with the young Sect Leader Jin, whom Lan Qiren greeted and then mentally dismissed as not his problem. Lan Sizhui was presentable as usual, but Lan Jingyi ever a source of stress for the teachers of Gusu Lan, had sunburn on his nose of all places. Clearly Xichen's worry over his younger brother had caused him to neglect to check in on the two youngsters behavior. Sunburn, of all things! A member of the Lan sect didn't just walk around with a sunburned face like a peasant. Lan Qiren did Lan Jingyi the favor of not scolding him directly in front of young Sect Leader Jin, but gave a glare that let the boy know exactly what he was in for later.

Then he wanted to see his nephews, Sect Leader Jiang, and the cursebreaker Sheng Yang, and had been informed they would all be in the same location. He was escorted most appropriately by the Jiang Sect's head disciple. The two young Lans trailed behind at a respectful distance with young Sect Leader Jin shyly tagged along as well.

Lan Qiren had met cursebreaker Sheng once or twice before at cultivation meetings. It had been years since the last time as she'd eventually stopped attending. Her sect had been slowly dwindling in size and was nearly wiped out during the Sunshot campaign. She was the senior most member and strangely didn't seem concerned with recruiting new members to bolster it. Instead she spent all her time in research. She was by all accounts less of a cultivator and more of a researcher.

That she was willing to aid in curing his nephew was reassuring as her sect did not have an alliance so much as a mutual agreement of nonviolence with Gusu Lan. Over the years she had come out of her study to look at interesting curses, and occasionally break a few. He'd sent her a letter requesting updates after he had been informed by Xichen she'd arrived at Lotus Pier. She'd responded that she was too busy to bother and if he wanted to know what was going on he'd best come and see for himself, which was why he'd finally made his way to Yunmeng.

It had been a shock to see Xichen leave seclusion to look for Wangji but he'd expected them to return to Cloud Recesses once Wangji had been found. Why they'd ended up staying at Lotus Pier Lan Qiren didn't know. It would be better if everyone returned to Gusu with him. The Lan sect library was larger than that of the Jiang sect. Sheng Yang would doubtless be pleased to have its knowledge at her disposal. The juniors could go back to training and Xichen could resume his role as sect leader. Yunmeng Jiang had already done far more than could be reasonably expected of them. Gusu Lan would deal with this problem themselves from this point onward.

He was just explaining his plan to Sect Leader Jiang, thanking him for his efforts and was about to invite Sheng Yang to come to Gusu, when he was rudely interrupted by Wei Wuxian bursting into the room.

Wei Wuxian was loud as usual, but far more boisterous than Lan Qiren had expected given the circumstances. He was carrying a small, fluffy, white bundle in his arms and practically crowing with excitement.

“Jiang Cheng! Zewu-jun!” He did a comical double take upon seeing Lan Qiren sitting next to the other cultivators holding a cup of Yungmeng Jiang's best tea. “Oh. Sorry Lan shifu.”

He bowed vaguely in Lan Qiren's direction before continuing as if without interruption. Rude as ever thought Lan Qiren as he snorted in annoyance. Living in Cloud Recesses all this time had not instilled any of the Lan sect manners into the man.

“Look, look! Jiang Cheng! I'm holding Lan Zhan and it's alright!”

The other members of the group did indeed look surprised. Lan Qiren leaned forward in curiosity. He'd heard his nephew had been turned into a small dog. He'd just not realized how small until seeing with his own eyes. He didn't get more than a moment to try to ascertain if the small creature was indeed Wangji as there was a sudden flash of blinding light.

~

Wei Wuxian felt Lan Zhan suddenly double in weight. It threw him off for a second but not enough to drop the bundle of fluff in his arms. Then it happened again. This time accompanied by a flash of light so bright he went blind for a moment. The entire time he did not let go of Lan Zhan but he could feel the shape changing in his arms, growing both in width and height. He had to lean forward as he could not bear the weight.

When the light faded and he was left blinking away spots, Wei Wuxian found to his delight that his arms were now wrapped around a very human, entirely naked Lan Wangji. He looked up into golden eyes that were rapidly blinking away any remaining disorientation from the after effects of the transformation. Wei Wuxian's elation over his ability to carry around Lan Wangji as a dog was nothing compared to his joy at having his husband back to normal. The feeling was quite mutual naturally, and he was swiftly enveloped in return embrace.

“Lan Zh-” was all Wei Wuxian managed before he was soundly kissed. Several people spoke at once after that as everyone's else's eyes cleared up enough to register the change. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were too absorbed in each other to pay them much mind though.

“Wei Wuxian!,” came duel shouts of outrage from Lan Qiren and Jiang Cheng.

“Well, that answers that question,” This was definitely Jingyi's voice, swiftly followed by Sizhui's cry of “Jingyi!” in consternation.

“Oh my, I wasn't expecting such a show. Your husband is quite the catch Wei Wuxian. Very fit,” laughed Sheng Yang, as she observed with no sign of embarrassment.

“Sheng Yang, that is my nephew-”

“I can see that. You've got a lovely set of nephews Lan Qiren, you should be proud. A fine example of excellent Lan breeding.”

Wei Wuxian tuned out the rest as he held Lan Wangji as tight as he could manage with Mo Xuanyu's still rather weak arms. Lan Wangji for his part only allowed the interruption of Lan Sizhui bringing him a robe.

“Sorry to bother you, Hanguang-jun, Senior Wei. You might want some clothes though seeing as the room is rather full of other people.”

“Oh, Lan Zhan, speaking of which. Here.” Wei Wuxian pulled Lan Wangji's sect ribbon off his wrist with an efficient tug as Lan Wangji put on the offered robe.

Lan Wangji merely lowered his head so Wei Wuxian could tie it.

“It really had me worried when we found this at the inn with all of your other things,” he said as he tied it with efficiency born of long practice. “Of course you could hardly have brought it with you, not having hands to tie it. You could have carried in your mouth though. It's really weird to think of a Lan without their ribbon.”

“Mn. I left it for you Wei Ying.”

“Oh. You,” was all Wei Wuxian could manage through his tears of happiness.

~

Epilogue

A week or so later, Sect Leader Nie came to visit Cloud Recesses on sect business. It was very important sect business Wei Wuxian. No, he wasn't just here to gossip and drink with an old classmate, that was just a perk. Maybe he had heard some odd rumor about the Second Jade of Lan being cursed or something but that was nonsense for sure. He'd only asked because he knew his old friend would tell him the truth of the matter.

The story was worth the trip. Wei Wuxian was a pretty decent storyteller even when he was sober, but drunk on his husband's hidden stash of Emperor's Smile? The whole thing was hilarious! Well, it was probably funnier since he was fairly drunk himself. Lucky Lan Wangji was such a doting husband, putting up with their behavior in the jingshi.

“I should thank Jiang Cheng somehow don't you think? It was awful nice of him to let us stay at Lotus Pier the whole time. To even try to uncurse Lan Zhan. I would have thought he'd have just chucked us out and said 'Deal with it yourself.' ”

“You should send a gift. What does Jiang Cheng like? Alcohol? Silk? Fine fans? Wait no that's me...”

“Hmm...he likes...alcohol sure, but not as much as me and you. He's like 'No time to waste on drinking, I've got a sect to run' and then he glares at me. As for the rest, frippery he'd call it. He likes...Jin Ling, lotus root soup...that's about it...”

“You should ask Jin Ling then. He's been around Jiang Cheng more recently. He'll surely know if Jiang Cheng has developed any fondness over the years for Tanghulu for example.”

“That's an idea...I bet Fairy pays more attention than Jin Ling though...wait! Fairy! Jiang Cheng likes Fairy!”

“So? That's Jin Ling's spiritual dog right? The one that was at Guanyin temple? How does that help?”

“I'm not bothered by her any more. Well not much anyway.”

“What? You said you stopped being scared of Lan Wangji because it was Lan Wangji. Other dogs aren't your husband, so I don't see how that happened.”

“Well...She's smarter than a regular dog. You can talk to her and she behaves when you tell her to. She helped back then, and she helped Lan Zhan when he was a dog. When we left I even patted her head and said she did good without shaking. Jin Ling was impressed.”

“Sure he was. He's a youth who thinks you're a wimp for being afraid of his dog.”

“Shush, shush here Nie-xiong, I am having a great idea!”

“What idea Wei-xiong?”

“We get a dog for Jiang Cheng! Not a regular dog I'm still pretty scared of those, a spiritual one. He'll train it to be at least as well behaved as Fairy, probably better, and I won't be afraid of it.”

“Why would you think Jiang Cheng wants a dog? Wouldn't he already have one if he wanted one?”

“Good point...when I lived at the sect he didn't get one because he knew I was afraid, but after he could have gotten one anyway and he didn't. Maybe it isn't such a great gift then...” Wei Wuxian sat down in defeat.

“Oh you are such an idiot sometimes Wei Wuxian. It's obvious he never got a dog because what if you came back to Lotus Pier and were scared away? He clearly hoped you'd come back one day.”

“You really think so Nie-xiong?”

“I know so Wei-xiong.”

“Well then, you'll help me with the gift, right Nie-xiong?

“What? Why do I have to help? I don't need to thank Jiang Cheng for looking after my cursed spouse.”

“You can help a old friend in exchange for excellent wine and a great story. One which you will not tell at the next cultivation conference even if you're drunker than you are now because you're a reliable person no matter how much you try to pretend the opposite.”

“Damn it, Wei-xiong. I have a reputation to keep up. Fine. Gusu does have the best wine after all. Just one last question. How did it feel being married to Lan Wangwangji instead of Lan Wangji?”

A pained groan was all the answer he received.