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When Wei Wuxian first arrived in Yiling with a group of bedraggled-looking Wen and took them into the Burial Mounds, the townsfolk felt there was cause for concern and fear as no one in the surrounding area understood why he was doing this. What reason did he have for taking supposed war criminals into such a dark place? The Cultivation World at large seemed keen to ignore the existence of such a ruined place. No one answered the messages sent despite their pleas to deal with wandering corpses, some which were frighteningly strong enough to walk through the barriers and unconsciously bring shrilly wailing ghosts with them. The citizens closest to the area had been very concerned because they all collectively wondered about the safety of their homes. What did he plan to do with the Wen in that place? Everyone knew that nothing good or living ever came out of there.
Two days after that strange group had arrived, quietly hidden within the ring of darkened mountains, the oddest things began to happen: the fierce corpses wandering along the city walls started turning away, shuffling back to the silent, cloud-covered Burial Mounds, following a song that only they could hear. Another blessing of the group's arrival was that the cries of the wandering ghosts were finally blessedly quieted. All of the mothers of Yiling were comforted by this action as it meant that their most difficult children would finally be able to sleep through the night.
"Do you think any of them are alive out in those hills?" The question disrupted the low chatter of the tavern, though no one could be certain who asked it. “There are rumors going around that Wei-gongzi took the remaining Wen from the camp and is supposedly using them for sacrifice rituals. According to the Jin disciples that I’ve heard speaking in the surrounding towns.”
“Hmm, I have heard the same.” One of the older men leaned backward slightly, tugging his beard thoughtfully. "Hard to say if those strangers are living or dead. None of us are brave enough to find out if the creatures there haven't already gotten to them, even with Wei-gongzi himself in there."
A young merchant called Wu Ping spoke clearly with an even tone. "And even if they haven't, the Jin Clan and the rest of the Cultivation World might. If the things coming out of LanlingJin are the kinds of things that they would like everyone to believe, then we shouldn't advertise to other cultivators that Wei-gongzi and the Wen are in this region. We don't need that kind of attention."
"Agreed. The Cultivation Clans did enough damage with their war, uncaring of who they trampled over to fight off the Wen. The Emperor himself is flooded with requests for aid from his nobility that even he will not be able to hear our pleas for a while yet. Spread the word that the violent Clan aligned Cultivators are not welcome in the Yiling territory. We have just finished rebuilding most of the City proper so our people can have their homes back before winter."
Everyone present shouted their agreement in one voice. "Right!"
Then three weeks after the arrival of their new neighbors, Wei-gongzi himself finally appeared in the marketplace, so quietly that no one knew he was among them until someone spotted him. Then the whispers that he was here began to quickly spread. This young man with a beady-eyed raven on his shoulder and a child clinging to his tattered dark robes was the Yiling Patriarch that the Cultivator Clans were so afraid of? The one they were so very sure that was up to no good according to their poisonous rumors?
Their collective thought was along the lines of ‘look at how thin that boy is, he needs more food. All of those people on that mountain will need more food’. It was also concerning how ill he looked, because the rumored Golden Cores that his sort all sought to have were supposed to keep Cultivators looking strong and healthy.
They knew the moment Wei-gongzi finally noticed their eyes on him, as he froze and slowly turned to stare tensely back at the people watching him. The young raven on his shoulder cawed softly, beating its wings against the air threateningly before Wei-gongzi, without breaking the staring contest, stuffed a bunch of seeds from the folds of his muddied robes into the creature's beak to quiet it down while keeping his eyes on them. The bird seemed satisfied for the moment as the young man’s attention was now focused solely on the people around him as a group of smiling Grannies wandered up to the young man. No one had the heart to try and dissuade this particular group of women from going to him, not when they had been known to do it before, promptly adopting the young people that accidentally crossed their paths.
“We thank you for your service during the War and the attempts that you made to protect the citizens of Yiling, Wei-gongzi.” One of them said, taking his hands into her weathered ones with a soft toothy smile. “Now, do you have everything that's needed for those poor souls and their survival up there?”
Wei-gongzi’s throat bobbed as he answered the woman speaking to him. “...That’s sort of why I came here today.”
“Hmm..We have suggestions if you are willing to listen, dear boy.”
Wei-gongzi tilted his head slightly, deferential in his posture and manners as they watched. “I’m willing to hear you.”
The lost expression that sat openly on Wei-gongzi’s thin face was absolutely heartbreaking, it clearly told them that he hadn’t expected this kind of welcome from them when he came down the mountain after weeks of careful silence from his group. Before the young man could say anything else to the old woman, the small child clinging to his leg - who all of them thought was far too small for his age - cried out.
Unsurprisingly, one of the other older women present immediately whisked the wide-eyed toddler into her arms, soothing the fit before it could properly start with soft words and a warm, soft meat bun while Wei-gongzi carefully watched them, tense in alarm. Seeing the young man’s shoulder slump down in relief when assured that the boy was safe in the woman’s hold was enough to make the matter mutually decided in the hearts of everyone present: for the deeds he had done to protect them during the War, the Yiling citizens would protect Wei-gongzi and his battered Wens in return.
–
“What do you mean the Yiling people down the mountain have adopted us?” Wen Qing asked, incredulity rushing through her body. Wei Wuxian had only gone to get some basic supplies so that they could get settled within the Burial Mounds before winter. “How did you get all this food without actually bartering away the things that I gave you?”
“I don’t have any more clues than you do. Honestly, I don’t.” Wei Wuxian answered, rubbing the side of his nose gently. “I went down to sell stuff with a-Yuan and a-Bao, who utterly failed their threat intimidation attempts, got mobbed by a group of grannies and suddenly we’ve been adopted. They refused to take any of the stuff. Apparently they decided to protect us in return for actions I took during the War to make sure they were protected from both sides of the fighting when it came close.”
“...”
Nearby, where the newly brought back goods were sitting in what would eventually be the eating area, one of the Aunties sorting them snorted in amusement. The others grinned at each other, while Popo seemed to radiate an air of smugness. Wei Wuxian glanced questionally at Wen Ning, who stood at his sister’s shoulder.
“Popo often did the same with young cultivators that wandered through our village before the war.” Wen Ning responded, shrugging his shoulders slightly.
For a few moments, Wen Qing was silent before she said. “So, we’re adopted then.”
Wei Wuxian shrugged one shoulder, grinning sheepishly. “I would say so.”
Her expression calm, Wen Qing shook her head. “Only you could accidentally make something like this happen, Wei Wuxian.”
Wei Wuxian blew a strand of dark hair out of his eyes before responding to her. “I honestly can’t tell if you mean that nicely or not, Wen Qing.”
Wei Wuxian looked over at the other Wen, who were listening to the conversation that he knew wouldn’t have remained hidden from them even if he’d wanted to. It wasn’t just his future, but theirs as well, that was being decided in this space of time, and they had a right to be part of such discussions if they wanted to.
Swallowing warm water down his parched throat, Wei Wuxian asked them: “What do you guys think? You should be part of this discussion too.”
For a few short moments, the Wen Remnants looked between each other having a silent conversation with their expressions and hands. Wei Wuxian wasn’t privy to the nuances of their silent dialogue, but he felt pleased that they were willing to let him see them do it.
After a few minutes, Uncle Four turned to him and Wen Qing. “You two did well in bringing us here, but we think it would be best for a-Yuan if he was not within these mountains.” He said softly, ever so gently. “If those people down the mountain are truly willing to help us then we think it is worth the risk to raise a-Yuan away from the creatures of this forsaken place.”
It was decided then.
–
Many months later:
The later days of Fall brought with them the crispness of the coming Winter to the air in the early mornings. These cold days now saw a careful migration from the softly hissing mountain paths toward Yiling, as the town people began the work of integrating Wei-gongzi’s people amongst the populace.
From his position on a small boulder near the path, Wu Ping watched it all with a careful, assessing eye as Wei-gongzi stood beside him with two birds on his shoulder, a-Bao and Jingjing. Two very ridiculous creatures, he thought, watching as they flew away to survey the area.
“I still can’t believe everyone decided to adopt my group and I just because of the grannies not taking no for an answer.” Wei-gongzi muttered as the two birds returned, opening his eyes as they cawed softly at him.
There was no need for Wu Ping to respond, but he did so all the same.
“It has always been that way, Wei-gongzi. With time you and these Wen will learn that too.” He responded, shrugging easily with a small grin on his lips. “I learned that when I first traveled through the region to sell my wares and the grannies here all took me under their collective wings. And now this is the place that I return to after traveling around the territories.”
Wei-gongzi hummed low in response, his voice giving nothing about his thoughts away. “I see. After everything else, it's honestly unexpected to be received this way. Everyone thought so.”
Settling the group to live amongst them was easy work, they quietly accepted living under new identities without protest; aware that it would be a very long time before the Wen name would be accepted without hatred. Wen-guniang became their chief healer with her brother at her side once the young man was back on his own two feet; and their grandmother quietly stayed with them. Wei-gongzi was eventually convinced to share living space comfortably with Wu Ping and his husband, on the promise that he would one day eventually get a house for himself and the young Wen child who refused to leave his side.
Once he was deemed healthy enough by their new resident healer, Wei-gongzi almost immediately puts himself to work in the fields alongside everyone else to help bring in the harvest for the season, busy only with preparing for the coming winter months and beyond now that the wandering corpses were safely sealed within the Burial Mounds behind a barrier.
Everyone who had been close enough to accidentally find out the reason why Wei-gongzi was looking so ill when they first beheld him in the marketplace immediately swore to keep his secret, despite their saddened anger towards the young man’s situation.
Despite their protests that he should rest, Wei-gongzi set himself to work on creating talismans that he carefully laid around the still uncontested territory boundaries of Yiling. Wei-gongzi had said that it was all his way of wanting to protect them not only from the other supernatural creatures, but also from greedy Cultivators that would be willing to betray them for even a small amount of money if they could gain the short admiration of the Sects with the secret that the Yiling commoners were so willing to protect.
Life was good.
Three and a half years later, after settling the Wen and Wei-gongzi amongst them, word eventually reached Yiling that Jin Guangshan along with one of his sons, Jin Guangyao, and a nephew by the name of Jin Zixun, had died in a joint night hunt with the diminishing Jiang Clan led by the young Sect Leader and his new First Disciple. And with them, died the fervor of hunting down the missing Wei Wuxian and the remaining Wen to demand answers for his supposed unrighteous actions. The people of Yiling shared long looks between each other as they felt relief in their hearts and wondered what this all meant for the future of the group living quietly amongst them.
One of the men spat on the ground, grunting. "Good riddance."
Nearby one of the young women shook her head, her voice softly pitying. “That boy could have done better for himself instead of going to the Jin Clan and wasting his potential.”
What a waste indeed.
One day, Wu Ping caught sight of white robes and a pale sword sheath, alarm fluttering with his heart at the sight of a Lan Cultivator here in Yiling. But before he could raise the alarm or stop the others from starting to form a mob around the noble cultivator, all intent on chasing the young man away, Wei-gongzi picked up a-Yuan and bounded off towards the young Lan - who Wu Ping would later realize was Hanguang-Jun and be somewhat embarrassed for not recognizing immediately. To his credit, when the young man spotted them he did a very unLan-like version of speed walking towards Wei-gongzi.
They met in the middle of the square and embraced each other instead breaking into a fight like everyone watching thought would happen. Instead, they shared a kiss so sweet and long that everyone merely shook their heads as they went back to their business.
“Lan Zhan! I can’t believe you’re finally here!”
“Mm.” Hanguang-Jun tilted his head slightly like he was nodding in agreement. “Will always find Wei Ying no matter where he is.”
In the privacy of his mind, Wu Ping was quietly amused by the sight of Wei-gongzi blushing at the soft words. Wei Wuxian then gently began to try and introduce the young boy in his arms, who had hidden his face in Wei-gongzi’s chest, to the silent Hanguang-Jun.
Later, Wu Ping himself got the full story revealed to him over a warm meal at the tavern, where everyone else was listening in as well, and found himself surprised, yet also not, to discover that the two young men before him had married in secret despite everyone being so sure during the War that they had hated each other, as they knew there would have been opposition to their relationship.
Wei Wuxian had sent word of his location to Lan Wangji only after Jin Guangshan was dead and he was certain that no one would be put in danger. Lan Wangji in turn startled both of them by revealing that he had left his natal Clan and Sect behind with the blessing of Zewu-Jun to follow his heart, instead of continuing to bind himself to blindly following 3000 rules that would have had him closing his eyes to the pain of the world of cultivators.
It pleased Wu Ping to know that Lan Wangji intended to stay openly with his husband for as long as they had time to share together.