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It takes a thousand prayers for a mortal soul to ascend to godhood.
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For its gruesome reputation Yiling was quite a beautiful town, Wang Haoran thought as he tried to get his donkey to speed up. They were equally stubborn and had been going back and forth the entire way from Lanling.
Living in the Golden City had become too expensive for the Wang family, and they had been forced to resettle. Yiling was an incredibly cheap place to live at as there was no local sect that asked for payment for the protection, they gave commoners.
Wang Haoran had been able to purchase the house of an old woman that had decided to go live with her son and his family and had been looking to sell her property as fast as possible.
Beside the house there was also a big garden and a square of land for farming or livestock holding.
Wang Haoran’s wife, Liu Yuxi, and their two children climbed out from where they had been seated with the luggage for the first time in hours to get a good look at their new hometown.
Yiling was a rather large town sprawled around the foot of the mountain known as the Burial Mounds. The mist and the dead plants created an eerie atmosphere, further supported by the cawing of the crows, living in the dark woods with their murders.
A lot of the houses were built recently, as the creatures of the Burial Mounds had only calmed down enough for new people to settle after the Patriarch had arrived.
The Wang family’s house was more at the center of the town as it was one of the original homes that had been part of the land for decades.
The wood had been weathered by the forces of nature and the roof had a few leaks but overall, it was in a good condition.The same could not be said for the garden.
The rich, dark soil in the front and around the house was covered in plants, tangled, and growing all over each other, intertwined so deeply that they couldn’t even be identified.
Through the mass of green, the dark stone of the path was visible, the plates cracked and damaged so much that walking on top of them would have pierced shoes and cut deeply into the delicate flesh of human feet.
A woman was sitting in front of the house next to theirs, working on a piece of fabric, and when she saw the family standing there, looking at the garden in shock, she laughed brightly and waved them over.
“Are you the people who bought Granny’s house? As you can see, she hasn’t been able to take care of her beloved plants in a long time. You sure have your work cut out for you, haven’t you? I pray that the Patriarch will be by your side, otherwise this will be impossible to tame.” She laughed again and returned to her work.
The Wangs were too overwhelmed to react to the outlandish well wishes. They simply thanked their neighbor and entered the building that was to be their new home.
Only when they were already in bed did Liu Yuxi turn to her husband. “Isn’t it strange that the lady next door would pray to the Yiling Patriarch? I thought he was considered some kind of villain.”
Wang Haoran shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s probably a local thing. He was rumored to have grown up in this area and his territory is part of the Yiling region. We should ask the neighbors sometime.”
They forgot about the incident quickly as they were swamped with the repair of their property, so they didn’t end up asking anyone.
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There were many other instances when people called upon the Patriarch. Not only he was popular, his loyal subordinates the Ghost General, Wen Ning, and the Death Doctor, Wen Qing, were also household names.
When talking about a recent passing of a beloved elder, it was common to say: “May the Patriarch guide their soul safely. We will have to go visit the shrine today.”
When the news of the carpenter’s accident hit the town, people quickly went out to gather herbs to sacrifice to the Death Doctor so that she may assist in the poor man’s recovery.
When the son of the Xiaos tried hang himself, only stopped by his mother that had left her stand at the market earlier than usual and caught him in the act, nobody shamed him like they would have in Lanling. Instead, they wished for the Ghost General to shelter his bruised soul and help chase away the malevolent energies attacking his mind.
Whenever corpses were seen around the town and spirits came to close to the community for comfort or the harvest was worse than expected, old man Lao’s wine was sold out and the bones of beloved pets, that had passed during the harsh winter, were cleaned and readied to join the Patriarch’s undead army and strengthen his power so that he may extend his mercy to them and bestow guidance and protection upon their village.
There was never a confirmation that the prayers had been heard or even answered, but they lived in peace and rarely suffered from misfortune. That was enough.
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Liu Yuxi had both of her children’s hands held in hers tightly as she walked towards the Yiling market. It was not a dangerous environment for kids, but they were very excitable, and she didn’t want to lose them in the crowd.
Their first stop was at Madam Zhang’s stand, their next-door neighbor. She sold fabric and also worked as a seamstress. A-Hua and A-Bao had grown out of their garments, and they needed new robes. Liu Yuxi was the only child of a farmer and had thus never learned how to handle needle and thread, so Madam Zhang’s services were greatly appreciated.
After the transaction was made, she pulled her children over to the stand of the local herbologist. Wang Haoran had developed a cough in the cool autumn wind, and she wanted to brew him a medicinal tea.
There were two other ladies already standing there. They were talking about Young Madam Song who had given birth to her first child not too long ago and was apparently struggling with the obstacles of parenthood.
“The boy hasn’t stopped crying for the last few days. Young Madam Song said, she tried everything the doctors told her to. When I met her for tea yesterday, she looked close to breaking down crying herself”, Maiden Zhao said to her friend who nodded empathetically.
“I still remember when I had my A-Mei. She never let me get a full night of sleep and my husband was useless, it was a nightmare.” Young Madam Han shivered. “I wish Young Madam Song the best of luck. We’ll have to visit the Patriarch today to offer our prayers for the poor thing.”
Liu Yuxi, who had until then tried to keep herself out of the interaction, faced the two ladies. “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear you talking. I was wondering, why would you ask the Yiling Patriarch for help with children and not any of the usual deities?”
Young Madam Han smiled comfortingly. “No harm done. You are Young Madam Liu who lives in Granny’s house now, aren’t you? I’m not surprised no one has explained it to you yet, it has just become so natural for us that we don’t even realize how strange it must be for someone from the cities. Let’s sit down and we’ll enlighten you on the local religion.”
She waited for Liu Yuxi to finish her business with the herbologist and then pulled her over to the administrative office building. It had a rather big stair leading up to the entrance.
The three women sat down at a comparably clean spot at the edge of the stairs. Maiden Zhao made an all-encompassing gesture with her arms. “Yuxi, -may I call you that? Thank you-, look around. Do you think we have enough financial stability to build big temples for deities like Guanyin? Or the savings to buy the necessary offerings? Or even a priest who would look for the temple and keep it clean?”
Even though Liu Yuxi already knew the answer, she let her eyes study her surroundings. Yiling might not be as poor as it was before the Patriarch anymore, but it was by no means a rich town. What was rich here wouldn’t even be middle class in Lanling. She shook her head.
Maiden Zhao and Young Madam Han nodded grimly. “Exactly. We can’t afford the customs that would make the gods look upon us with benevolence. Besides, the Patriarch has done more for us during his lifetime than the gods have in forever. He and the Wens were always kind and helped us where they could. So, we, the people of Yiling, have decided to make them our gods. Together they form the Yiling Triad.”
Young Madam Zhao took a stick and painted a triangle into the dirt. In each corner she set a circle. Then she set the stick into the lower circle on the right side. “The Death Doctor, Wen Qing”, she stated, “the Patriarch’s right hand. She is the goddess of maladies and wounds and is responsible for all matters concerning physical health. She used to cure small ills and take care of those incapable of doing it themselves. She is also the deity of platonic love. She is more likely to help if one prays for a family member.”
She shifted the stick into the left circle. “The Ghost General, Wen Ning.” She tapped the ground twice. “He is a protective god. He shields us from harm. That’s why he also takes care of people with bad mental health. We believe that the cause of such inflictions is the ability to see the In-Between. A soul, who takes in such a sight while still bound to the mortal body, will receive heavy damage which causes the drop in the temper. The Ghost General is somewhere between alive and dead and has himself laid eyes upon the other side. He can help others cope and mend the cracks in their mind.”
Maiden Zhao was quick to add: “He is also a symbol for restraint. He possesses incredible strength, and he always needs to be cautious so that he won’t cause harm.” She looked happy to know something her companion didn’t.
Young Madam Han agreed begrudgingly. “True. Finally, we come to the man himself. The Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian.” Her stick followed the line to the last circle. “He is the most powerful of the Triad and builds the bridge between the Wen Siblings’ powers. His domain are the souls of both the living and the dead. He shelters them and guides them to the other side or back to their bodies if they get lost. He protects the ones he deems worthy of it and balances out the Doctor’s quick judgement and the General’s soft heart. He is just, above all. He is also the lord of the farmers. He used to cultivate various plants in the dead soils of the Burial Mounds and even had a Lotus Pond, the seeds of which he used to sell. But most importantly, he is the father of all children. He has a soft spot for them and holds each and every one of them dear. His own son, who he used to take to the market with him, was killed in the Siege. It was a tragedy. Such a well-behaved boy.”
She shook her head, lost in thought. “Young Master Wei loved him so much. Perhaps it was his death that crushed his spirit.”
She was quiet for another moment, then she brightened up again. “There is no temple for the Triad, of course, but if you wish to make a prayer yourself, there is a makeshift shrine with a table at the entrance to the Burial Mounds where we put the offerings. You could join Maiden Zhao and I on our way to the shrine this afternoon?”
Liu Yuxi smiled. “I would like that very much. Thank you for the invitation.” The people around them finished their transactions and the vendors tarted to pack up their things.” Oh- it’s so late already?! I really need to hurry up!” She said her goodbyes and went off to search for her children. During the short walk home and while cooking lunch, she had to think of the strange dynamics the people of Yiling had with their gods.
They had known them as real people and not just legends. The way the Ladies had spoken of them seemed full of admiration and trust. It must be nice to have such confidence in a higher power, she thought, maybe I will learn to be the same.
The thought brought a smile onto her lips that stayed there all day.
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The same evening A-Hua wouldn’t go to sleep. She claimed to have lost her favorite doll, a girl made of straw and a few ribbons.
It was not uncommon for her to forget where she had placed her toys, so Liu Yuxi calmed her down and went to search her daughter’s room. But no matter how long she looked and how closely she paid attention, the doll remained lost.
A-Hua started crying at her mother’s failure. Nothing could console her, not even A-Bao’s offer to share his toys with her.
At a loss, Liu Yuxi hugged the little girl and wiped her tears. Desperate for a solution she told her daughter: “Little Love, let’s tuck you in and extinguish the candles. Before you go to sleep, make a wish to the Yiling Patriarch. I heard he loves children a lot and I’m sure he’ll help you find your doll alright?”
Immediately, A-Hua stopped crying. “He’s magic, isn’t he?”, she exclaimed. “He will find her for sure! Thank you, Mama!”
Excitedly she jumped into her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Liu Yuxi kissed her forehead and went to look after A-Bao.
As she left the room, she heard her daughter whisper loudly: “Yiling Patriarch, Mama said you are good at finding stuff. Can you help me? I lost my doll. She is my best friend because Bao-ge is a meanie. She has a ribbon in her hair. When you find her, you will see that she is the bestest doll in the whole world! Good night, Patriarch!”
Liu Yuxi closed the door behind her gently.
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Wei Wuxian was awake.
This was, of course, astounding in and on itself but it wasn’t what surprised him.
Wei Wuxian might be awake, but he most certainly wasn’t alive. In fact, he didn’t even have a body. He knew that because he was observing himself from the outside.
All that was left of the bane of the cultivation world was a red ball of energy, cracked and leaking resentful energy like tar, only kept together by hundreds of grey ribbons wrapped around it.
The ribbons seemed to absorb the resent and the more they had the more they glowed with a celestial power.
If the evidence hadn’t been this obvious, Wei Wuxian would have immediately denied what he saw.
He was turning into a god.
During his musings, new ribbons had floated his way and joined their brothers until the soul was no longer visible. They seemed to fuse with it until the shining red was again the most prevalent color.
The next ribbon was red. As soon as it touched the soul it disappeared. At the same time, Wei Wuxian heard a wish be said out loud.
“Dear Yiling Patriarch, help me find my doll. Thank you lots, A-Hua.”
Had he still possessed a face, he would have smiled. He called upon the new power slumbering within him and set out to fulfill his first prayer.
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A-Hua woke up early in the morning. She knew this because Mama hadn’t come wake her up yet which she always did. The sun had just barely started showing at the horizon and the sky was filled with pretty colors.
A-Hua wanted to grab her doll from beside her pillow to show her the nice view as well when she remembered that she was gone.
Tears started to gather in her eyes, and she got out of bed to go get Mama when she saw something startlingly red out of the corner of her eye.
On the little table next to her bed was her doll with a new red ribbon in her hair and a black feather in her embrace.
Quickly A-Hua grabbed her toy and went to wake Mama. “Look! It worked; Mister Patriarch really brought me my dolly!”
Mama blinked sleepily. When she saw the ribbon and the feather, she smiled. “That’s great, Little Love. How about we go thank him at the shrine today, hm?”
A-Hua nodded enthusiastically and ran off to tell her brother of the miracle.
Liu Yuxi exhaled and stared at the ceiling disbelievingly for a moment. Then she chuckled. “Yes”, she thought, “I think learning to trust him will be easy enough.”
She started to shake her husband awake, already planning to visit Old Man Lao’s stand.”
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It takes a ten thousand prayers for a god to walk among men.
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Growing up Jin Ling never felt like something was missing in his live.
He had his grandparents doting on him and giving him gifts whenever he saw them.
He had maids cleaning up after him and coddling him whenever he felt down or was annoyed.
He had his Shushu who always smiled when he saw him and brought him sweets from his many visits and gifted him a dog when he told him that he felt lonely.
He had his Xiaoshu who played with him and was never too busy for Jin Ling.
Most importantly, he had Jiujiu who always scowled and threatened to break Jin Ling’s legs but gave the best hugs and took him flying on his sword.
He never had to ask for anything because it was already bought before he even thought he might want to have it.
Granted, he did sometimes wish he had a friend who could actually talk back and take the blame for him when he got in trouble.
But he was happy and cared for and probably the most spoiled child to ever walk the earth.
This changed when he started practical cultivation lessons with the other disciples at the age of six.
They often told each other stories of their adventures with their parents. And when a child asked Jin Ling for one Jin Chan was bound to be nearby to say something like: “No need to ask him, he doesn’t have any parents.”
Intellectually Jin Ling had known that he must have had parents, but the topic was never brought up and he never wondered about their whereabouts.
He came home the day of his first lesson feeling confused and betrayed that no one had ever breached the topic around him before.
First, he asked his maids. But they only paled and told him that they weren’t qualified to answer such questions.
His grandparents both told him that he was too young to learn about things of this manner and wanted to know what had made him ask the question in the first place.
When Jin Ling came to Shushu he sighed, looking way beyond his years, and sat him down. “Before you were born there was a great villain called the Yiling Patriarch. He was the shidi of your mother, so she invited him to our one-month celebration. The cousin of your father, Jin Zixun, had been cursed by him and had gone to confront him about it but instead the Patriarch ruthlessly slaughtered all the cultivators he had brought for protection. Your father went to make peace between his guests and was killed for his efforts. It was a huge blow to your mother’s belief in her shidi. When she asked him after his reasons for such cruelties, he ordered his corpses to slay her as well.”
Shushu’s eyes were filled with tears when he finished. Jin Ling had never seen an adult cry and it frightened him. His Shushu was one of the strongest men in the entire world, surely, he was above such trivial emotions! The Yiling Patriarch must be an awful fiend if he could awake negative sentiments this powerful!
He quietly thanked Shushu for telling him the truth and left.
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After the maids had put him to bed and left for the night, Jin Ling sneaked out of his rooms and stealthily made his way to the Lotus Pavillon. He knew that his father had built it for his mother when she got homesick. It was Jin Ling’s favorite place in Jinlintai for one single reason.
In the pavillon was a huge painting of his parents together, commissioned for their marriage. They stood arm in arm, both of them smiling at the beholder. Whenever Jin Ling saw the portrait, he thought spitefully about how much better his parents looked than Jin Chan’s.
But this time he had other matters occupying his mind. How would his life have been if he had grown up with parents? Would his mother let him sit on her lap and read him stories like Jin Modan’s did? Would his father teach him how to hunt and correct his stance and tell him he was proud of him like Jin Baoshi’s did?
He would never know.
He would never know because the Yiling Patriarch stole them from him. For the first time in his life Jin Ling could feel true, profound grief well up within him. Ugly sobs wracked his body, and he felt his knees give out under him.
“Why did you have to do it, huh?”, he screamed, “why did you have to take my parents? You had no right! It’s all your fault! I hate you!” His voice cracked and suddenly, he wasn’t getting enough air. He coughed and wheezed for what felt like hours until he had exhausted himself.
Before he drifted off to sleep, he whispered: “Give them back. Please.”
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As soon as Jin Ling’s eyes closed three figures appeared around him. One of them was a small woman wrapped in red robes covered in a flame pattern. Her hair adorned by a silver guan and her face was stern and ageless.
The other two were both men, one of them entirely dressed in black, a tall, intimidating person safe for his soft features and tiny smile. On his neck black veins were visible and he had thick iron chains wrapped around his arms.
The last person was the tallest out of the three. His black robes were lined with red and made with expensive fabric. Everything about him was angular and strong, his nose, his cheekbones, his shoulders. His hair was held together only by a red ribbon. Calloused hands held a black dizi and the bird on his shoulder let out a caw.
The Yiling Triad was assembled.
The Patriarch smiled at his companions. “It’s good to see you, Wen Ning, Wen Qing.”
The Doctor nodded curtly. “It’s been a while.” Her face softened and she took the men’s hands in hers.
The General looked at the child laying on the cold floor. “Are you sure we can help him, Young Master Wei?”
Wei Wuxian tilted his head thoughtfully. “It will be hard”, he finally said, “but I’m confident we can do it. Wen Qing is responsible for the bodies, I will guide the souls and Wen Ning will make sure they don’t sustain any damage. If we can pull that off, they’ll live.” He chuckled brightly. “For real this time and not only half like you, Wen Ning.”
They shared a laugh and got to work.
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The maid who discovered Jin Ling’s disappearance was the same one who had the idea to check the Lotus Pavillon. As soon as she entered it, she had the shock of her life.
Sect Heir Jin was indeed in the pavillon. He was fast asleep in the lap of his dead mother who was conversing softly with her late husband while running her fingers through her son’s hair, adorned with a red ribbon.
She was not the only one who got a rude awakening.
It was still early in the morning and Jin Guangyao’s day was already miserable. He was woken up by his advisors who essentially told him that his chance to become Sect Leader was ruined and that years of planning had gone to waste, and they didn’t couldn’t even tell him how.
Then one of his demonic cultivators came running with more bad news; the Ghost General had somehow dissolved into thin air and left the most secure dungeon in Jinlintai, built to avoid just that.
It was safe to say that his mood was ruined. This was the worst day of his entire life.
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It takes one cry for help for aid to come.
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Mo Xuanyu did not like to curse but even he had to admit that his luck was pretty fucking rotten.
After his mother’s death, going to the Jin Sect had felt like a dream. He got food and clothes and was allowed to learn how to cultivate.
The Erge Jin Guangyao had asked him for his help with an important project. It had felt like a great opportunity but in hindsight it was the beginning of the end.
He met Xue Yang who was charming and never laughed at his failed attempts at Demonic Cultivation. It had felt a bit like love.
And then Dage came back, and Wen Ning disappeared, and Jin Guangyao decided that he had overstayed his welcome and Xue Yang had laughed into his face and not raised a single finger to help him.
And now he was back where he started: in a little shack in Mo village with nothing to his name but a few stolen documents of the Yiling Patriarch.
Well. Those were new.
The only one who had ever visited him had been Sect Leader Nie. He had brought him food and other gifts and told him to reach out if he needed help.
Mo Xuanyu had declined the offer. But it had brought him a wonderful idea.
He was indeed going to ask for help. Just not from Sect Leader Nie, like he had probably intended, but from the Yiling Patriarch. Nie Huaisang was going to be scandalized when he heard of this.
Mo Xuanyu cackled gleefully as he drew the blade of his knife over the delicate skin of his wrist again and painted the finishing touches to the large array on the floor.
The Patriarch called it a Sacrificial Array in his notes and the name truly was fitting. It offered the body of the caster to the soul of a great evil in exchange for a single wish.
According to Jin Guangyao, there was no greater evil than the Patriarch himself. He would know, Mo Xuanyu thought spitefully, silver-tongued fiend that he was, the bastard.
The finished array was quite beautiful, he mused as he stepped into the middle of it and got ready to activate it.
A single wish was tricky with how much he wanted, but the most important thing was his revenge.
May the Yiling Patriarch make everyone who ever wronged me pay for what they did.
He pushed as much resentful energy into the array as he could and blacked out.
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When Mo Xuanyu regained consciousness there was a man in his room. He was the most beautiful man he had ever seen, and he was the Yiling Patriarch, evident by the flute he kept spinning with his long fingers.
“You know”, he said, “the next time you try to summon someone, you should factcheck if they’re even available. Oh, and formulate your wish more clearly. Make them pay, what do you even mean? This could be anything from pulling a prank on them to killing them in the most horrible way possible.” He paused. “Both of which I would be capable of, but that’s not the point.” He looked at Mo Xuanyu expectantly.
He blinked. “Uh, sure?”
The Patriarch seemed satisfied with his response. “I’ve taken some liberties with the fulfillment of your wish. Honestly, I didn’t even have to do much of anything. Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli are pretty eager to get rid of Jinlintai’s rat problem themselves. There is a trial sometime this week. You want to go watch?”
The onslaught of information overwhelmed Mo Xuanyu for a moment. Then he smirked. “Hell yeah.”
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Jin Guangyao took back everything he said. This was by far the worst day ever.
He was currently kneeling in the middle of Jinlintai’s courtyard, waiting for his process. He was joined by Jin Guangshan, Xue Chengmei and Su Minshan.
The list of accusations was long. Jin Guangyao had to admit that in retrospect his planning was bad. There was no loyalty between his accomplices and him and they had had no second thoughts at all about ratting each other out to safe themselves. The only one who had gleefully admitted to all of his crimes was Xue Chengmei but that was no surprise to anyone.
In the end, they each had three statements against them with no chance of getting out of this mess.
The process was a formality. They had already been found guilty and the only thing not yet decided was the punishment, tough Jin Guangyao was willing to bet on execution.
At least I’m not going down alone, he thought bitterly, side eyeing his sniveling father. Pathetic.
It was an open process. In the first row was Erge and seeing him so crushed was what made Jin Guangyao finally admit to everything. He hoped it would help lessen the guilt on Lan Xichen’s shoulders. Perhaps Lan Wangji would actually get his shit together enough to help his brother.
More surprising was Mo Xuanyu’s appearance. He stood in the back beside a tall man wearing a mask and he spent the entire process laughing into their faces. It was terribly disrespectful, but at his place he would have done the same, if in a less obvious way.
On golden thrones in front of the accused was the remaining Jin family, bar Madam Jin who not graced them with her presence. Jin Ling was sitting in between his parents, always keeping his hands on them, and looking far too cheery for the dreary setting.
All in all, it was a very dry affair. The verdict was not a surprise to anybody and there were no protests as the executioner swung his sword and ended the lives of four men, equal only in their death.
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The following reveal of Wei Wuxian’s resurrection and the official adoption of Mo Xuanyu into the Jin family were private affairs done in front of the major sects only.
There was a lot of crying and yelling and several emotional hugs as well as one heartwarming love confession, courtesy of Wei Wuxian himself that was met with exactly no surprise from the family.
Not everything was perfect but for the moment it was enough.
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“If Wei Ying is a god, why did he never come when I called?”
“Silly Lan Zhan! I never heard you calling. But I will definitely come the next time you want me near.”
“Mh. Not necessary. I will follow Wei Ying anywhere, so you will always be by my side anyway.”