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When Wei Wuxian had received the invitation for he and his brother to visit Nie Huaisang in Qinghe, this wasn't what he'd had in mind.
He'd pictured shopping for unique items in the marketplace, lounging around the Unclean Realm while drinking wine and snickering over spring books, and maybe (if Nie Huaisang could be convinced) going out on a night hunt with the famed Chifeng-zun. Instead, he, Jiang Cheng, and Nie Huaisang were huddled around a campfire deep in the heart of a nearby mountain, having explored the cave system long past dark, and though they'd brought bedrolls, food, and wine, the ground was far from the comfort of a nice bed.
Not that Wei Wuxian really minded the rustic living – at times he thrived in it, and was actually surprised and impressed his friend had suggested the outing – it's just that there was one thing he could absolutely do without.
The sight of the other two boys making heart eyes at each other from across the campfire.
Wei Wuxian didn't think the other two even knew they were doing it – he at least was certain neither of them had done anything about the budding feelings between them, if only because Jiang Cheng couldn't keep a secret to save his life – and he was one step away from shoving them at each other and telling them to get it over with before they drove him insane.
So to save all of their lives (and his sanity), he excused himself to find a place to relieve himself of both his imbibed wine and the sight of the other boys pining for one another, and when he was done, he noticed a side cave that they hadn't gone into yet. He could swear he saw something sparkling within, so of course he had to go and take a look.
The cavern wasn't completely dark, thank goodness, with some moonlight shining in from a hole in the cave's ceiling, and in the light he could see some gorgeous formations of glittering stone that stood up from the ground at uneven intervals. He trailed his fingers against one, expecting it to feel slick but instead it was smooth and cool beneath his skin. As he moved further into the immense cavern, he saw that at the centre was a pool of water, a small underground lake that looked like it would be fun to swim in. He would have to suggest it to his companions the following morning, though likely only Jiang Cheng would join him. It was hard for the two Yunmeng boys to resist a beautiful swimming hole, after all.
With the pool's surface so calm and still, Wei Wuxian searched at his feet for some nice flat rocks. He found a few of just the right width and smoothness, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent them skipping across the water's surface one by one, with each attempting to gather more skips than the previous stone. His best so far was eight and he had his hand stretched back for another try when a series of ripples emerged from the pool of water, growing larger until there were actual waves pushing over the edge of the pool and onto the surrounding stone.
And then from the centre erupted a colossal beast with dripping wet skin made up of scales of glistening blue and white, and an enormous head with long, elegant whiskers, several horny protrusions, and a glowing cloud symbol situated right between its dark blue eyes. The dragon shook the water from its body, and when it splashed Wei Wuxian, he hissed at the coldness of it. And then the beast's head was lowered so that it could look at him – he thought it looked angry, but he didn't really know dragon faces enough to tell, particularly since he hadn't known they were real until this very moment.
But thus far it didn't seem like it was going to attack him, and he was curious. He lifted a hand and waved at the dragon.
The beast made a long exhale, the air setting its whiskers to fluttering.
“Why do you disturb my peace?” For such a large dragon, its voice was remarkably measured even in the echoing space of the cavern.
“I didn't know there was anyone in here.” The creature's skin looked so beautiful, it took everything Wei Wuxian had not to reach out and touch it. He didn't think the dragon would appreciate his curiosity. “I hope the rocks didn't hurt much,”
“They were merely an annoyance. Like your kind always is.”
“Hey, now that's not fair!” Wei Wuxian put his fists on his hips in defiance. “I fully admit that most find me annoying, but there are many people who aren't, and I take offence on their behalf.”
The dragon puffed out through his nose, and this time the air-swept whiskers hit Wei Wuxian in the face. “I have better things to do than argue with you.”
Wei Wuxian sensed a challenge. “Like what? There can't be that many interesting things to do alone under a mountain. Are you busy knitting a scarf out of algae? Teaching little fish to swim in patterns?”
“I'm meditating,” the dragon replied as if Wei Wuxian had said the most ridiculous thing possible. “Contemplating cultivation and the world above.”
“Quite riveting activities,” Wei Wuxian teased. “But wouldn't contemplation of the world above work better in the world above?”
“I've seen all I wish.” The dragon's head swayed away from Wei Wuxian as the beast looked about to return to the deep water.
“Wait! You can't go yet, I've never met a dragon before.”
The beast's eyes narrowed at him. “That isn't my problem.”
“Ah, I guess you're right.” Wei Wuxian shrugged and smiled mischievously. “And since it's my problem, I'll have to find a way to solve it. I can come back tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, as many times as I need to until it's not a problem anymore. Do you like wine? I can bring some for you if you like.”
“Do you ever cease speaking?” The dragon's deep voice was growing louder and echoing around the cavern. “Go and let me meditate in peace.”
“But are you the only one of your kind or are there others? Is there room in your pool for others? Do you-”
“PISS OFF!”
Wei Wuxian couldn't help but feel victorious at the reaction. This was fascinating. No matter how much he taunted, the dragon wasn't attacking him, in fact he sounded so much like some cultivators he'd met over the years. “Make me! I'll shut up after I've learned a little more about you.”
The dragon's head reared before snapping its huge, sharp teeth before Wei Wuxian's face – he stood still, and just as he'd expected, the dragon didn't actually bite him. It was but a threat, and a good one for anyone who wasn't as shameless and reckless as Wei Wuxian. Before he could think of another way to taunt the dragon, however, he could hear voices approaching behind him.
“Huaisang, where are you going? Is that water ahead.”
“Wei-xiong, please don't do anything foolish yet...”
Wei Wuxian turned in time to see Nie Huaisang come barrelling through the doorway with Jiang Cheng at his heels. When he saw Wei Wuxian, the other boy gave a sigh of relief... and then Wei Wuxian was pushed aside as the dragon's head shoved past him. The moment Jiang Cheng saw the dragon, he nearly tripped over his own feet.
“Nie Huaisang, what are these interlopers doing here?”
“Oh Wangji, don't be like that.” Nie Huaisang stepped forward to pet the dragon's nose only to have his hand shaken away. “I was going to bring them to say hi to you tomorrow, but we needed our beauty sleep first.”
“You know this dragon, Nie-xiong?”
“It's a long story, Wei-xiong.”
“I thought I had told you no more strangers in my caves?” The dragon, Wangji, was now focusing his glare on Jiang Cheng who kept looking in shock from one person to the other. The beast sneered and let out a small growl.
“I think he can help you, Wangji. He has a way with talismans and arrays that even surprised Lan Qiren, not that your uncle would say so to anyone, but Xichen-ge and I could tell.”
“Uncle?” Wei Wuxian looked the dragon over with more assessing eyes.
“Lan Wangji.” It was Jiang Cheng, who had just reacquired the power of speech. “But if that's who you are... you disappeared ten years ago. Nobody in the Lan would say what happened and there have been rumours spreading ever since.” He looked over to meet Wei Wuxian's gaze. “Lan won't lie, but they can still avoid questions.”
“So you weren't always a dragon.” Wei Wuxian's mind began to whirl with a new problem to solve. “Was it a talisman or array that changed you? Or something else? A family curse? A demon?”
The dragon let out a disgusted noise. “I don't know why you persist in this futile venture, Nie Huaisang. He will be no better able to help than any of the others you have brought. I wish you would just let me be.”
“Don't mind him Wei-xiong. I think he's started forgetting what it was like to be a human.”
“Does he even want to be helped, then?” Jiang Cheng piped up. “Maybe he's happy the way he is.”
Wei Wuxian shrugged. “What's the harm? If I look into it and can't think of anything, he's no worse off than he is. And if I do, the decision will be his whether or not we implement it.”
“Useless,” Wangji muttered as he lay his head upon the ground next to them, his eyes closing in a way that spoke of exhaustion.
Nie Huaisang gave the dragon a considering look. “Is it your horns again?”
“Mn.”
The other boy reached into a qiankun pouch, took out a long file of some kind, and approached Wangji. The dragon puffed but made no further action as Nie Huaisang began running the instrument around the many protrusions one by one where they jutted out from the dragon's scaly exterior. “The minerals and the algae in the water create some kind of buildup that can get really uncomfortable when they get under his skin,” he said by way of explanation.
Wei Wuxian decided to use the distraction to sit next to the dragon's head. He reached out slowly to brush his hand against the beast's nose and was amazed when he wasn't blown off or snapped at.
“So, how did this happen?”
Wangji's eyes glanced over at him before closing in defeat. “As a child, I ran away from Cloud Recesses one night.”
“It was after Madame Lan passed away,” Nie Huaisang added sympathetically as he tried to climb up onto Wangji's neck. His foot slipped, but Jiang Cheng was there in a moment to help him up.
“Would you rather tell the story?”
“Sorry Wangji, go ahead.”
“I was gone for days. It began to rain and I sought shelter at the first domicile I saw, a small cottage that looked dry and was lit from within. There was an Elder woman inside who invited me in and told me I could stay the night. She fed me and made me a place to sleep by the fire, and all she asked in return was that I didn't touch anything without her permission.”
“And let me guess,” Wei Wuxian inserted, “you disobeyed.”
Wangji snorted. “She was asleep when I woke the next morning and I was looking around for something to eat. And then I saw a statue on her shelf, a jade dragon that looked just like one my mother used to own.”
Wei Wuxian patted the dragon's snout. “I'd have probably touched it too.”
The beast opened the eye closest to Wei Wuxian and looked him over. “The moment I touched it, I fell unconscious and awoke like this in the middle of the forest. I was scared and returned home. Every cultivator in our sect of any talent tried every method they could think of to change me back, to no avail. Someone went to find the cottage and the elder who had taken me in, but the cottage no longer existed, had disappeared without even leaving any evidence behind.”
“I'm presuming some thought to leave offerings to the Dragon God and ask for help.”
“Mn. There was no response to our efforts.”
“So how did you end up in a mountain in Qinghe?”
Wangji sighed. “There was no room for a dragon in Cloud Recesses, and the nearest hiding place was a distance away and far from people of any kind. My brother was friends with Nie Mingjue and spoke to him about my situation, and I was offered this system of caverns to make my home. It's close enough to the Unclean Realm that I'm not completely isolated from the Jianghu.”
“And we're still far enough from the major trade centres,” Nie Huaisang added, “so he can get out and walk under the sun whenever he wants without freaking out the non-cultivators. There, I think that's the last of it.”
“I am much obliged,” Wangji muttered. “Watch your step getting down, you twisted your ankle last time.”
“I'll be fine-” Nie Huaisang replied as his foot searched for a foothold. Suddenly he slipped and started falling, only to be caught in Jiang Cheng's arms. The two boys blushed furiously as Nie Huaisang was lowered to the ground, and then they jumped apart.
“Are they always such idiots?” Wangji asked, grunting as he shifted his great chin upon the stone ground.
“Unfortunately, yes.” The dragon made a noise that Wei Wuxian thought might have been a laugh. “Thank you for telling me your story. Will you let me help you now? I want to do some research, but there might be a few things I can try that may not have been tried yet. I promise, I'll work on this with you, if you let me.”
Wangji looked him over again before his head moved just the slightest bit. “I suppose I've nothing to lose. You may try.”
Wei Wuxian grinned. He patted Wangji's nose one more time before pulling his hand back. It would take time and effort, but he was determined to help find a way for Wangji to turn back again. He looked forward to the challenge – and to getting to know the dragon better.
~*~*~*~
Over the next several months, Wei Wuxian remained in Qinghe to research Wangji's condition. He not only searched through cultivation manuals but storybooks as well, and after having found tales of a woman much like the one Wangji said he'd encountered as a child, it led him on a possible direction for further research.
Every day he went to the caverns to spend anything from a single meal to an entire day with Wangji. The two talked about anything and everything under the sun, and the time passed without Wei Wuxian realizing just how long he'd been in Qinghe.
And then, after a few experiments, he thought he'd found the answer.
For some reason, even though he was pleased to have made the discovery and confirm his theory... he almost wished he hadn't. The moment Wangji was made human again, Wei Wuxian would no longer have a reason to remain away from Yunmeng, and though he missed his home and his family, he feared he would miss Wangji just as much. Despite his reluctance, he brought his findings to the dragon to let him decide whether or not he was ready to attempt the impossible.
“You really think this will work?” Wangji asked skeptically.
“I've tried it on a few cursed objects and animals, and after the first couple of failures, every one of them changed back to their normal form. And even the failures simply didn't work without any damage to the cursed things.”
“So you're saying there's no harm in trying.”
“Exactly.”
Wangji was quiet for several minutes, but eventually nodded. “If you believe it will work, I will try.”
They spent the next day making preparations around the cavern, painting arrays and drawing talismans and positioning them strategically around the area. They waited until the dawn was breaking – all of Wei Wuxian's greatest successes had come in the early morning – before taking their positions.
Wangji stood tall at the side of the pool, his scales shining in the little sunlight that managed to filter into the cave through the hole in the ceiling. Wei Wuxian watched, his eyes running over the beautiful colours, memorizing them in case they succeeded and he would no longer get to see them again. They were ready.
Before Wei Wuxian could begin, Wangji lowered his head to the ground next to him. “The cloud on my forehead, touch it.” Wei Wuxian did as instructed, and the moment his fingers touched the glowing shape, it flashed bright white, forcing his eyes to close at the brightness of it. The moment he could no longer see light through his eyelids, he opened his eyes... there was now a long white ribbon wrapped around his hand, divided at the centre by a metal cloud, identical to what he had noticed Lan Xichen wearing upon his brow the few times they had met. “If anything happens to me, return it to my brother.”
Wei Wuxian nodded, honoured at the trust the dragon was showing him. “Is there anything else before we start?”
Wangji lifted his head back up and shook it. “Begin, before I change my mind.”
It took nearly an hour for the arrays and talismans to be activated in the proper order, and at the end of it Wei Wuxian had begun to think it hadn't worked. But then the water in the pool began to ripple, the ground to tremble, and the great dragon fell to the floor, unconscious. Wei Wuxian wanted to go to his side to check if he was all right but was stopped by what appeared to be a whirlwind forming around the dragon's body. He ducked behind a rock formation to avoid the debris that was flying around, only poking his head out once the wind had died down.
There was no longer a dragon before him; instead, there was a naked man lying on the cavern floor.
There was a grunt from the man as he rolled onto his back, eyes opening to look around him; a hand lifted, only to be brought before the man's awe-struck eyes. Wei Wuxian blushed at the sight – he couldn't take his eyes off of the man's sheer beauty, pale skin, dark hair, and a face that was a picture of perfection. He knew he should probably look away and give the man some privacy, but he found he couldn't resist.
“It worked,” Wangji said in wonder, looking up to find Wei Wuxian by his side. “You... you actually did it.”
“You sound like you doubted me,” Wei Wuxian teased – he knew his quest was nearly impossible to begin with and knew most thought him a fool to even try. That had never stopped him before. He reached for a pile of robes he had brought and carried them over to the naked man. “Would you like me to help you get dressed? I doubt they'll let you walk around naked outside, not that it wouldn't be fun. Anyway, I think they're expecting the first snowfall soon and you won't want to catch cold.”
Wangji nodded and slowly rose onto his feet, a little unsteady but Wei Wuxian was more than happy to lend him an arm. He could now see that Wangji was even taller than he was, and he really had to keep his eyes on the man's face and not... other places that were temptingly within sight. He held the first layer of robes open and helped to slide them over Wangji's shoulders, then two more layers before he was finally properly clothed.
He looked radiant. Beautiful, handsome, elegant...
“Will you return to your home? After this,” Wangji asked solemnly.
“I suppose so,” he hesitated. “They let me stay here to work on this, and now that you're you again... I guess I don't have a reason not to go back to Yunmeng.”
Wangji glanced down to the ground before lifting his head up, amazingly dignified as a man. “This transformation, I fear it might not take, not permanently. It would be best for you to come with me to Gusu, watch over my transition in case I begin to change back.”
As the two men looked at one another, Wei Wuxian smiled. He wants me to stay with him, at his side. I want to stay with him. “I certainly can't leave you to go through this alone.”
He held out his hand, the one that was still wrapped in the white ribbon, and Wangji reached out to take it in his. Their hands clutched together.
“Now let's go step into the sun.”
Fin