Chapter Text
This. Was a very, very bad idea. No, beyond that, it was a mistake. A truly, horrendous mistake of epic proportions. Sizhui didn't care what shufu, guma or gufu promised, there was no way the cultivation world would just let them waltz back in, and they certainly won't be welcomed with open arms. This trial or whatever they wanted to call it was just one big farce, put on by the other sects so they could feel good about themselves again. Ha, who was he kidding? They'd need to feel bad for all the things they'd done first. No, it was more likely that they wanted to keep them close for their own selfish gain.
"Tch! A lousy bunch of self righteous assholes."
"Well now. I don't think your Fùqīn would be very happy with that kind of language xiao-Yuan."
"Năinai!" Startled by his grandmother's sudden appearance, Suzhui stumbled as he jumped up and would have fallen over if Wei-furen hadn't caught him.
"Aiya! Be more careful, A'Yuan! If you hurt yourself, what exactly am I supposed to tell everyone, hm?" With a sigh Wei-furen steadied her grandson. "Now then, what are you doing up here? Your fathers are looking for you, they want to go over plans for the Conference."
Sizhui scoffed as Wei-furen led him back down the mountain. Wei-furen sighed and turned to face the path, "I understand you know. I do. But I know that you also understand your Fathers' point." And that- that was the worst part. He understood why they were going through with this, he just didn't like it. The so-called 'Great Sects' had done nothing but take from them, they took lives, people, hope, safety and so much, and now-now that the YilingWei had earned a name for themselves they wanted to sit and have a trial. Welcome them as one of the gentry. It made him sick! Where were all of these so-called righteous cultivators when Granny and so many others were unjustly murdered, where were they when they were starving and barely surviving, when they needed help getting established? There were so many times that the Sects could have chosen to act, but when do they choose to offer their help? After they had formed a Sect of their own. Only when they were useful to them, did they offer their ' help ' , long after it was ever needed.
"Aiya, xiao-Yuan, do remember where you are and whom you are with." Wei-furen cautioned. Chastened, Sizhui paused and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing and his core. He took a few minutes to calm down. When he reopened his eyes and smiled sheepishly at his grandmother. Wei-furen simply raised one of her brows and continued leading them down the path to the village center. They were immediately spotted by Sizhui's sisters, who rushed over to them. Wei Yue and Wei Meng looked as agitated as Sizhui himself had felt, while Wei Hui appeared exasperated. No doubt she'd had to keep an eye on these two, as well as the others, on top of double checking last minute prep. Sizhui felt the smallest pinch of guilt at the sight of her pinched expression. As the oldest, he should have been with her to help, at least with organization.
"Oh thank the Gods! Da-ge!" "Baba and a-die were looking for you, they-" "Where the hell were you? Can you believe this-?!" As the girls bombarded him, Sizhui tried to make sense of what they were saying. He tried to placate them, raising his hands and gesturing for them to calm down. Wei-furen had disappeared at some point, leaving him to his faith. His sisters, still quarrelling about the news, grabbed his raised hands and dragged him after them to the hall. There almost the entire village had gathered, those not yet inside were busy with preparations for the Conference.
With Wei Hui leading the charge, the girls marched Sizhui to their seats next to their parents at the front of the hall. Lan Wangji noticed them entering and nodded as he gained his husband's attention. Looking up from his discussion with Wei Qing and Wei Ning, Wei Wuxian, seeing that everyone was ready, began the meeting.
"As you all know, last month we received an invitation to this year's Discussion Conference, where the Sects have agreed to...a trial of sorts, to put an end to the current animosity between us and them. We all know that this whole thing is a load of" -Wei Qing quickly leaned over and thumped his forehead- "Ow! Qing-jie!" When she gave him her ' be serious' glare, Wei Wuxian cleared his throat and continued. "As I was saying. I know that this has caused some distress among our community, but I promise you that nothing bad will happen. By all accounts, provided that this isn't some highly elaborate ruse, this is a very good thing for us. Our Sect and community will finally have a fair chance to grow and this will also ensure better safety outside of Yiling." He passed his gaze over the entire hall as he waited for the murmuring to stop. This was a lot for their little village. It could mean so many good things for them, but the truth remained; no one here had a particularly favorable opinion of the cultivation world at large.
When things were once again quiet, Wei Wuxian continued, "The Conference is in a week's time. We'll go over plans and procedures, and afterwards I'll open up the floor for discussion. Good?" At the murmur of assent from the crowd, Wei Wuxian sat beside his husband and allowed Wei Qing to take over.
This was a very, very bad idea!
Growing up, A'Niang and A'Die had tried to protect - to shield him - from the true nature of their sect. Jiujiu had been against it, he knew that much. He'd warned them that their efforts were in vain, and he was right. Try as they might, not even Jin Ling's parents could silence all of the words of those determined to speak. Like his peers, Jin Ling grew up hearing all about the 'Yiling Laozu' and his terrible deeds. Unlike them, he also heard about Wei Wuxian and the type of person he was - is. Which is how he knew that this plan wouldn't work. He heard the other disciples when they spoke about his Da-Jiu, he knew that there were those who still thought of him as just the Yiling Laozu and nothing else. He knew that no matter what they'd never change, not so long as it suited them and their pride better to not admit their wrongs.
"A'Ling. What are you doing out here?" Jin Guangyao asked as he joined his nephew in the garden. Hazing over the edge of the pond bridge he said, "It's passed Zi shi. The Sects will begin arriving tomorrow, and you'll want to be well rested for that, I assure you." Noticing that his attempt at humor had fallen flat, Jin Guangyao turned his full attention to a morose and silent Jin Ling. Whether it was the darkness or Jin Ling himself, Jin Guangyao couldn't read his nephew's expression. He didn't let it trip him up though. Given the date, there were only a handful of things that could've put A'Ling in such a mood.
"It will be alright, you know?"
"How can you be so sure?!" Jin Ling interrupted, "How could you possibly know that-that everything will be alright?!"
Jin Guangyao stared at Jin Ling, shocked at his sudden outburst, before he sighed. "I don't. A'Ling I cannot guarantee that everything will be alright. This is, after all, a gathering of people with extremely strong opinions, who'd willing place their pride above all else. But I can guarantee that we will do everything we can to ensure Wei Wuxian and his Sect's safety while in our care." Opening his arms Jin Guangyao brought his distraught nephew into a hug. "I promise, we've thought of the absolute worst that could happen and prepared for it. Now, you must hope for the best. And get some rest. You'll be meeting your uncles and cousin tomorrow. You'll want to look your best."
While ushering Jin Ling to his quarters, Jin Guangyao silently prayed to the Gods, while vehemently swearing that the Conference, trial and all, would go off without a hitch. He'd personally see to it that everything ran smoothly. It was the least that he could do, after-after everything.
Nephew safely delivered, Jin Guangyao headed toward his own quarters. He'd been serious when he'd told Jin Ling that he'd need his rest. Knowing Wei Wuxian, tomorrow was bound to be interesting.