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It is strange to think that there might have been a time when Wei Wuxian didn't understand the reason behind the varied and colorful marks that peeked between robes of strangers and stained his own skin. His parents must have explained it to him at some point Wei Wuxian knows, but doesn't remember how.
Soulmarks are a complicated thing. Marks that are left behind when people who love you, or in some cases are just important, touch you for the first time.
Some say it's a sign of fate. Some people scoff at that, after all, if fate was so simple the marks people left behind wouldn't shift and change as you grew even as the people who left them die. Some people smile and say it's just nice to have a reminder of the mark your loved ones left on you. Others try to slice them off.
Wei Wuxian is the type of person that smiles.
While he might not remember his parents faces anymore or their laughter their marks remained. Dark purple and brilliant silver hand prints overlapping and bleeding together on his ribs, like water colors. Fading over the years yes, but never vanishing.
It was nice to hold onto the reminders of his parents' love.
It was a years before Wei Wuxian gained anymore marks aside from dog bites and bruises.
Jiang Fengmian was so happy when Wei Wuxian tugged at Jiang Cheng's hand and left behind an ash grey mark, giving Wei Wuxian a beaming proud smile. Jiang Cheng instantly shoved Wei Wuxian away leaving behind a dark purple handprint on Wei Wuxian's back. Jiang Fengmian did not know what to do at that.
Later Wei Wuxian would flee Lotus Pier from Jiang Cheng's threatened dogs to hide away in a tree.
Jiang Yanli found him. She wasn't able to stop Wei Wuxian's fall, but she tried and left behind lilac marks on his shoulders. For a long time, they were the most vibrant colors Wei Wuxian bore.
As they grew together Wei Wuxian's mark on Jiang Cheng slowly darkened from grey to black.
Madam Yu did not leave a mark on Wei Wuxian, though she certainly seemed to try! He might be able to laugh it off most days, but Ziadian still hurt.
For all that he chatted with the vendors of Lotus Pier, the junior disciples, and had a pack of friends everywhere he went, the only mark Wei Wuxian got from his peers must have been from Lan Zhan. He can't remember the exact moment they touched, but at some point, Lan Zhan must have brushed past Wei Wuxian in the halls. Leaving behind a jade white mark across his ribs
Jiang Cheng once tried to point out that Wei Wuxian didn't know that the mark was from Lan Zhan it could have been from any other Lan, but Wei Wuxian knew the mark had to be from him.
Who else could the mark have been from, Shu She? As if.
Wei Wuxian was quite satisfied with his collection of marks, until Lotus Pier burned. Because for all Madam Yu accused Jiang-shushu of loving Wei Wuxian more than his own son and how easily they got along, Jiang Fengmian never left a mark on Wei Wuxian.
So, Wei Wuxian was not surprised by his Sect Leader's last words to him, "A-Ying... Look after A-Cheng."
As Lotus Pier fell behind them Wei Wuxian knew that he would, no matter what it cost.
Wen Qing was always irritated by soul marks .
No one knew how to even begin researching them. It was still unknown if they truly were connected to the soul, or if it was possible to affect them with spiritual energy. And that's not even the beginning the questions soul marks create about all close relationships being fate.
Wen Qing hated the idea that everything was inevitable and that you couldn't even truly chose your friends and partners.
Soul marks could also be a very dangerous thing in Wen Rouhan's court. They could betray your intentions and alliances before you even started planning anything. Rumor had it that that was why Wen Rouhan is an only child now.
Despite their almost close relationship Wen Qing was never marked by Wen Rouhan and never left a mark in return. That was a blessing. She could only imagine how her mark would twist at seeing the aftermath of the torture her uncle was merciless in executing.
Soul marks weren't something magical, they were a risk. Occasionally Wen Qing could admit that they were a comfort too.
Even now Wen Qing still smiled at the faded memory of her baby brother grabbing her hand for the first time, leaving behind marks as bright as red-hot coal. Both of their palms are red now.
She never wanted to live to see her brother's mark fade with death.
Wen Qing parents' marks weren't as vibrant as her brother's even when they were alive. But the orange-yellow and red of their marks are still clear, twisting together like flame.
It's rather ironic but despite Wen Qing's distaste of soul marks she has a lot. Aunts, uncles, a smattering of her subordinates, a second cousin she bumped into once, and Granny all marked her. Some of these people she never spoke to again, others were her favorite uncle and aunts.
It was nice to feel like there was some family she could trust out there, but it also felt a bit too much like fate was tugging at her strings.
Would they become close because of the soul marks or was it just a sign they were fated to? It was questions like these that gave Wen Qing a migraine and resulted in nothing actually changing.
Unfortunately, soul marks were the least of Wen Qing's worries. War was coming.
She did not understand why the other sects believed it was still possible to negotiate peace. Minor Sects were already massacred, the waterborne abyss was unleashed, her clan would continue to run amuck until they were stopped or everyone else submitted.
And there was nothing Wen Qing could do to stop it!
She couldn't leave her sect, not when that meant leaving her family behind and in danger due to her rebellion. The best Wen Qing could do was refuse to kill and even that would be difficult.
It would be hard for Wen Ning as well. Her brother was too kind for his own good, and the people he chose were the same kind of meek mice who wouldn't stand up for themselves but would pick a fight with a lion for someone else.
Perhaps Wen Qing shouldn't have been surprised when Wen Ning came back with the heavily injured heir and the head disciple of the Jiang Sect.
The only safe thing to do was turn in the Jiang remnants.
Her little brother was in danger every second they remained under their care, and if Wen Chao heard... Traitors are lucky to just be executed. And it's not like Wen Qing could stand against him long. She was favored by Wen Rouhan true, but one's own children could not be compared to someone else's. For all her talent Wen Qing could be discarded in an instant.
Turning the Jiang in was the only safe path, but Wen Qing knew she couldn't live with walking it. She couldn't even kick them out.
Wen Qing was a doctor, she wanted to spend her life healing people.
So, she does not speak and turn in what's left of the Jiang clan. Instead, she knocks out the shouting heir, and gives them further treatment.
It takes an embarrassing amount of time for her to notice Wen Ning's new soul marks. A chocking black handprint around his neck and a matching grip of his wrists. The two hardest places to hide.
Wen Qing looked at the culprit, "Wei Wuxian..."
"Ah, right... To be fair I did not recognize your brother and I never expect that I would be soul marked with Wen-gongzi here."
"I-It sounds strange to hear you c-call me that."
"Ok then I'll be far too casual and rude until the day you die, is that better Wen Ning?" Wei Wuxian managed to muster up a teasing smile looking away from Jiang Cheng's bedside.
Wen Ning actually smiled, "That's fine Wei-gongzi."
Wen Qing wanted to scream, but managed to just sigh instead. Why did her brother's first friend (outside of his junior disciples) have to be an enemy of the Wen Sect that left a far too distinguishing mark!
Soul marks suck. Some relationship needs to be kept secret. Somethings you should at least have the option to hide.
"A-Ning you are not to be within even eyesight of Wen Chao got it? You need to wear longer sleeves just to be safe too, and no tying your hair back. It mostly covers the mark." Wen Qing lectured as her brother nodded accepting every demand.
"Ordered to never see Wen Chao... no wonder so many people want you in charge of their region." Wei Wuxian remarked.
Wen Qing tried not to smile at the compliment. "Did my brother mark you?"
"I think Wen Ning grabbed my arm."
Wei Wuxian made no motion to check his so Wen Qing rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist rolling up the arm guards favored by the Jiang. Nothing on the left arm... Until Wen Qing released her grip and saw the dark red mark she left behind.
Wei Wuxian had the audacity to laugh at her face.
Wen Qing could only stare as Wei Wuxian rolled up his right sleeving revealing a bright red mark left behind as Wen Ning must have had grabbed his arm when he led Wei Wuxian away. It was the same color as the mark he left on her. Not as vibrant, but Wen Qing had a feeling that could change.
Fate certainly had a sense of humor, but Wen Qing didn't share it. Being friends with someone on the other side of a war would only hurt.
Wen Qing sighed, "You are wearing gloves, got it?"
"You know that isn't going to guarantee anything right? A lot of marks are transferred no matter how many layers." Wei Wuxian shrugged. "Best thing to do is make sure the mark is easy to hide."
He wasn't wrong. But Wen Qing did not want to accept that yet.
"Then just don't touch anyone. With our luck you'll stain everyone you'll meet black. We don't Wen Chao asking questions about where such marks came from."
"Oh, please I'm not that bad."
"Wei-gongzi? I-I'm not sure if you saw but you d-did mark Fourth Uncle..." Wen Ning stuttered out.
"What! What didn't you tell me that before- Stop laughing like a maniac Wei Wuxian! This is serious!"
It didn't take long for Wen Qing to stop wondering why both her and her brother were soul marked with Wei Wuxian. Despite everything they were quickly becoming friends. Wei Wuxian was well read, principled, far too loyal and an excellent debater.
Wen Qing never should have agreed to perform the core transfer.
Wei Wuxian made some convincing arguments. He wanted this done to him. He fully accepted the terrible odds of success. He needed to help Jiang Cheng.
The heir, who was like a brother to him, was still refusing food and they were in enemy territory, he would die if Wei Wuxian didn't do this. Wei Wuxian could live with the cost, Jiang Cheng simply couldn't.
It was all very well-reasoned, and part of Wen Qing had always wanted to see if she could do it. She wanted to prove that her theory wasn't crazy.
So, Wen Qing agreed and now here she was cutting Wei Wuxian open, listening to him scream. It was three days before anyone could sleep except Jiang Wanyin. It felt like so much longer.
Still, it was done and it had worked perfectly. Which should have felt like more of a success.
All she could do for Wei Ying now was bandage him up and send him on his way with supplies. Hopefully he would heal well.
The war continued for months without word of Wei Wuxian and when he did return... Wen Qing could barely believe the reports. What had happened to him? Just how had Wen Chao driven him to do that?
Wen Qing doubted she would get any answers as the tides of war turned with the rise of Wei Wuxian's corpse army.
Her clan was losing now. But Wen Qing did not find herself regretting helping Wei Wuxian. It was the right thing to do.
Besides her family was never going to win this war. If Wen Rouhan won, they would be serving a tyrant now forever unopposed. If the Sect's won well, all her family could do was hope they had mercy.
They didn't.
At the beginning Wen Qing almost had hope. That did not last long. The survivors were isolated, insulted, injured and shuffled off to worse and worse conditions. The once honored Wen were now synonymous with rabid dogs, less then human. People started disappearing on Night Hunts and no one cared.
Her brother was gone. Her little brother who brought her broken winged birds to heal, was taken. Wen Ning couldn’t be dead. Wen Qing wasn’t going to let that happen.
But she couldn't find A-Ning on her own. And who was there left to listen? Who would even care about the deaths of a few Wen-dogs after all they had done?
Wen Qing already knew the answer. Wei Wuxian.
When Wen Qing was the Chief officer of Yiling respected by the world, who never needed to doubt where her next meal would come from, who knew where all her family was and that they were safe, she dismissed Wei Wuxian's debt to her. He was already is such a precarious position. And Wen Qing was a proud person. She never before needed someone's help and never would beg for it until now.
She didn't need to in the end.
Wei Wuxian just pulled her to her feet and asked how he could help. Finally leaving behind his own mark. A solid black shackle of a grip around her wrist, matching his dark red one.
For better or worse they were bound together now and no matter how hard they tried they didn't succeed in the end.
Wen Ning was dead.
Her brother who always stepped aside to let other's past, who could let any slight against himself slide, but turned traitor to rescue innocents who should have been enemies at the first opportunity, was murdered.
His chest was caved in. His ribs were broken and the internal bleeding would have killed him even if his lungs weren't crushed or punctured.
Wen Qing knew instantly that the injury was fatal. He was already dead, but what else could she do, but try to heal him? She couldn’t. Wen Ning was dead and he was never coming back.
Wen Qing couldn't do anything but cry.
It was okay in the end, because Wei Wuxian was there to make up the difference. He killed Wen Ning's murders, taking the only kind of justice possible for them now. He broke out the group of disciples Wen Ning led and anyone else that would follow him. He created a safe place for her family.
Wei Wuxian was going to bring Wen Ning back to life. It was impossible, but Wei Wuxian made the impossible the standard reality and Wen Qing needed to believe it was true.
And so, they set about making the Burial Mounds livable, debating what crops should be planted, and planning how to build homes.
This was all interrupted by Jiang Cheng.
There was a reason Wen Qing did not go to him for help. Between his screaming demands, and their staged interaction at 'Baoshen's mountain', Jiang Cheng had not made a good impression especially when compared to Wei Wuxian. And he just continued to cement that.
Jiang Cheng seemingly did not have many questions as to why there was a child in the Burial Mounds. He showed no desire to support Wei Wuxian. He did not acknowledge the immense debt he owed Wen Ning instead trying to slice off his head!
And as if that all wasn't enough? Jiang Cheng decided that mere separation wasn't good enough, no there was going to be a duel.
Despite their supposedly being no true falling out, Wei Wuxian had to stuff back in his own guts. Wen Qing had far too much experience with injuries like this turning fatal even if you had a golden core, pain killers, and all the proper medicines to stop infection. Wei Wuxian lacked all of that as Wen Qing once again stitched his gut closed.
The fact that Wei Wuxian seemed to hold no true ill will towards the man, made Wen Qing hate Jiang Cheng all the more. He did not deserve Wei Wuxian's sacrifice.
But life continued.
Radishes and potatoes burst through the black soil of the burial mounds. Uncle Four carved Granny a proper cane. Wen Fang's eye slowly started to heal and her nightmares steadily stopped waking the camp. They were laying the foundations for proper homes.
Wen Qing never before cried out of sheer joy until her brother was back to life. Wen Ning was okay! He could speak and see and move and talk to her again and he wasn't gone. Wen Qing wasn't going to outlive her little brother! His mark on her would never fade.
Never before had Wen Qing been as happy as she walked around pouring drinks as her entire family gathered to celebrate.
Even if everything fell apart, Wen Qing could not regret a single decision that brought her to this moment.
After this night any awkwardness between the Wen remnants and Wei Wuxian vanished.
Wei Wuxian was quick to make friends. Talking about wine with Fourth Uncle and folk remedies with Granny. Even managing to make Wen Fang laugh. Soon his arms were stained red and he was brushed past and people dragged him off to see something or another.
And Wei Wuxian finally lived up to the accusations of being a vat of ink. Leaving ashy hand prints on almost everyone he touched.
Wen Qing’s family was finally together and safe. The Burial Mounds were slowly becoming a place of life and if all went well maybe they could afford a few goats this winter.
They could have made it.
If it weren’t for that damn ambush they could have made it. Or maybe Wen Qing was being too naive, after all these days all the world’s evils were blamed of the Yiling Laozu. The Sects would have found an excuse eventually.
Perhaps it’s equally foolish and naive to expect the Jin’s to live up to their side of the bargain if Wen Qing and her brother turn themselves in. But what else can they do? Wen Qing doesn’t think she can live with herself if her family dies because she still lives.
So, Wen Qing scrapes together the remnants of her composure and gives Wei Ying a proper farewell. She doesn’t cry when A-Yuan tries to stick to her legs and begs for her to return, as young as he is A-Yuan is experienced with family never coming back and can read the signs.
As they step onto Qiongqi pass Wen Ning grabs her hand. Their red soul marks still lining up perfectly.
Wen Qing resents the branching paths breaking away from Koi Tower and their deaths. It’s not like they can step off their path now. And no matter how many times Wen Qing runs through her life she cannot think of a time she could have changed this fate.
They were never going to win.
Hopefully Wei Wuxian and the remnants of her family are at least able to survive.
Haven’t you heard the good news? Wei Wuxian is dead!
Jiang Cheng doesn't look at his marks.
Some are easy to ignore. His father's lilac was a once firm hand on his back pushing him either away or forward. It was hard to tell. But with the years it faded so slowly Jiang Cheng didn't realize anything was wrong until the mark was a watercolor haze, matching his faded recollections of his father's words and attempted guidance.
His sister's mark is similar. It's not quite as faded luckily. The light purple it still a tiny hand print on his side. A steady reminder of happier times long gone because
-she sacrificed herself for-
Wei Wuxian doomed her in all but deed. Jiang Cheng can't look at it without his heart twisting.
Madam Yu's mark is as strong as the day she died for him if not darker. A dark purple hand on his shoulder. Sometimes Jiang Cheng lets himself imagine that he can still feel her grip on him. It's strong.
Jin Ling grabbed his finger as Jiang Cheng tried to figure out how to hold him right. His sister laughed quietly at his struggle, her gaze far away maybe imagining what someone else might have said if he were still with them. Jiang Yanli tried to show him the proper way to hold a baby while her husband stressed. Jin Ling let go. And it was only then that Jiang Cheng noticed the brilliant yellow handprint marking his ring finger.
It was too vibrant.
Babies shouldn't mark any adult more brilliantly than their parents. It was a bad omen. But his sister laughed and cooed over them saying something about him becoming the kid's favorite uncle. Jiang Cheng shouldn't have ignored his building dread.
Jiang Cheng did.
Soon Jing Ling was the only living person who left a mark on him. Everyone else was dead. The only sign they ever existed were the marks they left.
Wei Wuxian's mark wasn't gone. It wasn't! It was still there, the barest brushes of black soot washing away, even if no one else could really tell.
Jiang Cheng would not or could not tell you when Wei Wuxian's mark on him first started fading. Was it when Wei Wuxian left him for those Wen-dogs? (that's the story he tells or at least lets others assume) Was it further back when Jiang Cheng stopped Wei Wuxian from interfering in Xuanyu's cave? Was as his home burned and everything was Wei Wuxian's fault?
It might have happened slowly all the while and then all at once as Jiang Cheng prepared for the siege of the burial mounds and as Wei Wuxian prepared for his own end. Jiang Cheng wouldn’t know. He didn’t want to look at the mark then.
When Wei Wuxian died, the mark he left was already a shadow. Now only faintest traces of him are left.
Jiang Cheng cannot look at the mark as he tightens his wrist guards preparing to face the new day alone. That is not a choice. Jiang Cheng closes his eyes anyway and curses Wei Wuxian for leaving.
This is all his fault
Solitude and seclusion were never a difficult trial for Lan Wangji. Being alone was simple, there are few people he missed talking to, and sometimes you just needed to be alone with your thoughts to make any sense of them. Even now that remained true.
The lash marks on his back were easy to heal, compared to the pain in his heart.
His brother doesn't understand that. Lan Xicheng is painfully sympathetic and pitying but he did not understand why Lan Wangji had done what he had done, disobeying his clan and elders without any regrets and wishing to stand beside one who made an enemy of the entire world.
Lan Wangji sometimes wished his brother could understand that pain, and then dismissed that thought just as quickly. This grief and regret, is not something he would wish on anyone let alone his brother.
Even now their marks were unchanged. A clear sky-blue hand print on his shoulder and a pale white mark left in turn.
His uncle's mark is not unchanged. There were lines running through the once clear white surface like cracked porcelain. Lan Wangji knew that his uncle blamed his disobedience on Wei Wuxian and wished that Lan Qiren would understand Lan Wangji's true motives.
Lan Wangji would not have helped Wei Ying escape if he wasn't truly righteous. His love wasn't blinding. How could they not see that? How could they look at A-Yuan and not understand just why and who Wei Wuxian left everything behind to protect? And just who the sects rallied to destroy?
Well maybe Lan Wangji understood. It was a hard thing to go against what you are taught and what the world believes to be true. By the time he acted it was already too late.
If only he had stood by Wei Ying at the beginning. If only he hadn't...
It was so trivial in the end, but Lan Wangji wished he had accepted Wei Ying's invitation to visit Lotus Pier even if it was in jest. He wishes that they could have picked lotuses and jujubes together. He wishes he had shared a drink with Wei Ying when offered. He wishes so badly to have understood more about where Wei Ying came from, but the Lotus Pier of now was a different place and if he saw Jiang Wanyin now...
Well, at best Lan Wangji would punch him in the face. It was probably a good thing he was in seclusion right now. If anyone tried to congratulate him about Wei Ying’s death Lan Wangji didn't know what he would do.
Right now, all there was to was heal and reflect.
Occasionally there would be visits. Mostly it was his brother but sometimes A-Yuan came as well. He was a good child. Always gentle with the rabbits, making new friends, excelling in class, and so polite. He was raised well even if he didn't remember his previous caretakers.
Lan Wangji remembered.
He remembered meeting A-Yuan. The child crying as Lan Wangji froze not knowing what to do until Wei Ying arrived with a smile and made everything better. Lan Wangji remembered the dinner he wished lasted longer. He remembered far too little about the rest of A-Yuan's family except that they were kind and did not deserve what happened to them. He could never forget Wei Wuxian's farewell.
It was only as Lan Wangji went back to Cloud Recesses that he noticed that A-Yuan left a mark on him. Vibrant red handprints gripped his leg.
He thought it was a good omen. Daydreaming about a day when the world would once again accept Wei Ying and A-Yuan could attend the cloud recesses lectures, or even more impossibly that he could help raise A-Yuan alongside Wei Ying and the rest of his family. That did not happen.
Lan Wangji wishes that he could talk to Wei Ying about how A-Yuan has grown and if he made the right choices when helping raise him. There is so much he wishes they could have talked about.
It's too late.
It's far too late to ask about anything but maybe Lan Wangji can ask to read Wei Ying's notes and at least figure out if he had judged his ghostly path too quickly.
Even if he was still alive Lan Wangji doesn't think he could ask what mark he left on Wei Ying. There might not be one at all.
Lan Wangji could never forget their meeting. Wei Ying had captured his attention in a way he was infuriated about at the time, blatantly breaking rules with a smile, and somehow getting Lan Wangji to break the rules about private fights as well. He doesn't know the exact moment now but during the fight Wei Ying brushed past him leaving behind an ashen smear across his ribs.
His younger self did not know what to do with any of this let alone how his heart jumped oddly at the idea of touching Wei Ying in return.
In the end Lan Wangji decided to brush past Wei Ying in the hallway, leaving no public mark. That is if there was a mark left behind at all. It was impossible to know now.
Wei Ying's ashen mark only darkened, shifting slowly from grey to inky black with their every meeting.
The mark Wei Ying left on Lan Wangji remains a cutting obsidian hue even as it's been over a year since his death. Lan Wangji doesn't think it will ever truly fade. Even as he heals and the grief ebbs, his love for Wei Ying remains, and he will never be the same because of it.
Hopefully Wei Ying's soul was at peace and far beyond the Sects every attempt at summoning.
That was all Lan Wangji could pray for as he stepped out of seclusion.
Wei Wuxian was kicked awake, insulted, and his stuff was stolen. Really you would think there would be a more impressive fanfare when you’re resurrected to conduct someone else’s vengeance.
It was odd being in another’s body.
People have wondered if marks are carried with you to the next life. Some say that the marks are washed away as you cross the bridge to the next life and forget. Others say that birth marks are a sign of a love so strong it transcends even death. No one knows anything for certain.
Wei Wuxian supposes he came closer than most to getting answers.
As he stretched out his hand in the afternoon light of the shack Wei Wuxian could see that his hands were still stained bloody red with the Wen's love as vibrant as the day he died.
The marks are dangerous proof of his identity and might doom him again, but Wei Wuxian just smiled. At least something remained with him.
He hummed a calming tune as he torn apart Mo Xuanyu's only other set of robes to make bandages to wrap around his hands. The results were terrible; far too dirty and ill-fitting in a way that would give Wen Qing a qi deviation, but it hid the identifying marks and suited Wei Wuxian upcoming act well.
Until then there was nothing to do but wait. Wei Wuxian sat down to meditate exploring Mo Xuanyu's small but still present golden core.
Even in the days that followed Wei Wuxian leaving Mo manor he didn't check his other marks. He hadn't even washed off Mo Xuanyu's makeup. Wei Wuxian's probably wouldn't be able to tell anyone why even if anyone was around to ask.
But as Wei Wuxian stared into the water at the unfamiliar face that was now his own, he could no longer find any reason to put it off.
With a sigh Wei Wuxian untied his robes.
Brushes of red trailed up his arms, left behind by Wen aunts and uncles he knew for far too short a time. Wen Ning still gripped his right arm in a bright solid red. Wen Qing grabbed his left wrist with the dark red of clotted, healing, blood. Since her death, or maybe just as she said her farewells, it only got darker.
Sitting to the left of Wei Wuxian heart was a toddlers red handprint. It was an even vibrant shade that kids are expected to be leave behind on any parent or influential teacher. It should have been a sign that Wei Wuxian would be watching over him for a long time as A-Yuan grew, but it wasn't.
They both died too soon.
For a moment Wei Wuxian wasn't able to smile as he traced the red marks left behind.
But Wei Wuxian had made his peace with what would happen next as he planned for how he would die (because he would die no matter what he chose). Wei Wuxian had done all he could in the end. That was enough.
He moved on tracing the faint marks of lilac brushing his shoulders as Jiang Yanli tried to catch him. Wei Wuxian could not tell you when the marks started to fade. Was it after he killed Jin Zixuan? Or was it after she was killed?
Wei Wuxian still didn't know what she even came to even a battlefield to tell him. Maybe even she didn't know in the end. But she still came. She still tried to save him.
That love was enough of a comfort for Wei Wuxian even now. Hopefully she was at peace.
It took some twisting but Wei Wuxian was eventually able to make out Jiang Cheng's mark on his back. For a second, he mistook it for a bruise. The once dark purple handprints were faded to nonexistence in some place and blackened in others. Some parts were almost red others a bruised blue. It was a still festering wound.
"Jiang Cheng what's happened to you now...?"
Wei Wuxian really had hoped that Jiang Cheng could have moved on past his hatred and grief after Wei Wuxian died, but perhaps that was naive. Time heals everything, but as Wen Qing liked to remind him, things aren't guaranteed to heal right especially if you touch it and get dirt in the wound!
Wei Wuxian sighed. There was nothing he could or even should do.
Jiang Cheng's hatred aged like wine even unrelated demonic cultivators weren't safe from his wrath. If Wei Wuxian revealed himself, he would not be safe from Jiang Cheng's rage, nothing would heal, and he would only get hurt.
Pulling his robes closed again Wei Wuxian stopped as he saw the brilliant white streak across his ribs.
Lan Zhan's mark, no matter their arguments and even as the world turned against him, remained the same. Pure white. The type of color that could only truly be found among the untouchable clouds on clear blue days. It was a beautiful mark befitting the person who left it there.
Wei Wuxian still doesn't know what mark he left on Lan Zhan. He never had the opportunity to find out.
They were standing on opposite sides in the end, but despite this Wei Wuxian couldn't believe that the mark he left would twist in hatred and anger. It wasn't that bad. No, if he left a mark at all it would be long faded and vanished by now.
For a long moment Wei Wuxian could only stare into the water. This was depressing. He got to his feet and almost wanted to laugh.
It seemed that Jin Ling really had managed to touch him in their... confrontation.
In his rush to get up and away Jin Ling must have literally stepped on Wei Wuxian's toes or tripped over him. The mark he left behind was split, half golden and half a grubby yellow that reminded Wei Wuxian when he tried to mix yellow and purple pigment. But the gold and muddy yellow were stubbornly separate. Never mixing or blurring.
It was a strange contradictory mark.
He wondered what his mark on Jin Ling was like and when the kid would even see it. They first touched when Wei Wuxian placed a talisman on his back, right? That would hopefully take some time to notice and maybe the mark wouldn't even be the Yiling Laozu's signature ink black.
Unfortunately, Wei Wuxian had never been that lucky and started making up various explanations as he made his way back up Dafan mountain. You never know when you might be accused of being the Yiling Laozu.
Supposedly Jin Ling once had marks of his parents, but they had long vanished all because that Wei-dog murdered them. It was cruelly fitting. After all, Jin Ling was too young for any memories when they died. All Jin Ling had of his parents was his father's sword, and an empty place where they should have been.
For all that Jin Ling was an orphan and never made any friends he completely wasn't markless, no matter what Jin Chan said!
His shoulders were touched with a soft gold, like that of a flickering candle. Jin Guangyao left that mark. Apparently, it created quite the stir at the time as rumor had it that Jin Ling's grandmother forbid Jin Guangyao from ever holding him. It was a rumor Jin Ling believed. Madam Jin couldn't abide that her husband's bastards were acknowledged especially with her own son dead.
There was another rumor circulating too, that Jin Ling hadn't marked Jin Guangyao in return. That rumor Jin Ling never had the courage to ask his uncle about despite being certain it was a lie.
His back was stained royal purple when his jiujiu held him for the first time. It was the largest and darkest mark by far. But that wasn't much of a victory as Jin Ling only had one other mark.
That was until the disastrous night hunt at Dafan mountain.
A slate grey handprint was pressed at the exact center of his back. It overlapped Jiang Cheng's mark like graffiti instead of blurring together like watercolors. Jin Ling barely believed it was real.
For the first time in his life Jin Ling could remember he got a soul mark. Who was it? Did Jin Ling mark them in turn?
Slowly Jin Ling ran through all the people he met that day.
Lan Jingyi might have shoved him, and one or two of the rouge cultivators wrapped their arm around his back, but the placement wouldn't be right. He already touched most of the Jiang disciples, so it couldn't be them. And for some reason he never understood Jin Ling had never been purposefully run into or brushed aside in a crowd. People were good at giving him distance. The only one who touched his back was...
No. Please no. His first new soul mark couldn't be from Mo Xuanyu! Mo Xuanyu was incestuous, insane, and clearly only got crazier after he was kicked out of Koi Tower.
It couldn't be him.
It was impossible. Jin Ling must have brushed past him already; except he couldn't be absolutely certain of this. Before his disgrace Mo Xuanyu stuck to the shadows, making no true connections, and Jin Ling couldn't even remember really meeting him.
Jin Ling must have been marked by someone else and just not noticed the mark! Except even after an hour, he couldn't think of anyone who would dare slap him on the back during a first meeting. Jin Ling also had an embarrassing habit of regularly checking for soul marks so it had to be very recent.
Jin Ling wanted to scream. The first soul mark he could remember getting was from his crazy cut sleeve uncle?!?! Did the heavens hate him!
His luck only got worse as not only did Jin Ling almost die trapped in the halls of the saber tomb but there wasn't even a proper monster here befitting Jin Ling's first night hunt! He needed to prove himself and he failed. Not only that but Mo Xuanyu arrived to save him hanging off of Hanguang-jun's arm.
Jin Ling wasn't happy to see him. But... the apology was appreciated, and the help wasn't completely unneeded.
Mo Xuanyu was many terrible things but he wasn't Wei Wuxian. Just being a demonic cultivator and being afraid of dogs isn't enough evidence, and the Yiling Laozu wouldn't have saved Jin Ling's life twice over. He didn't deserve to be tortured and whipped. But Jin Ling didn't bother arguing with Jiang Cheng, it never worked.
All he could do was break Mo Xuanyu out and he did.
Jin Ling ran away as Hanguang-jun approached, and decided not to return while Jiang Cheng was still fuming about Jin Ling helping another demonic cultivator escape.
A trail of dead cats eventually led Jin Ling to Yi City.
It was horrible!
From the chocking white mists, to the looming mountains, it was no wonder that no one was truly living in this place. And that not to mention that Jin Ling was cursed to run into the worst people. From that annoyance Lan Jingyi, to the strict Hanguang-jun, to Mo Xuanyu, to Xue Yang .
Terrible landscape, terrible people, terrible food and countless tragedies. There is nothing to recommend about Yi City.
Jin Ling was glad to leave it all behind.
And as they rested in an inn Jin Ling finally noticed a silvery pink mark on his shoulder that must have come from one of the Lan juniors. Jin Ling hoped it wasn't Sizhui who was infuriatingly calm and definitely a Yiling Laozu apologist or Lan Jingyi who did not know when to keep his mouth shut and was practically a Hanguang-jun fanboy. But despite all their faults Jin Ling would be lying if he said he never wanted to see them again.
Mo Xuanyu's mark had darkened from a comforting grey to pitch black.
It didn't have to mean anything. The Yiling Laozu wasn't the only person in the world who stained people ink black, just the most infamous.
Yes, Jin Ling glimpsed Mo Xuanyu's blood red marked hands when he removed his gloves, but that didn't have to mean anything either.
It's not like anyone living knew precisely what the Yiling Laozu's bloody marks looked like. The monster commanded his army at a distance and no one was paying attention to the precise pattern of the marks at Nightless City and defiantly wouldn't be able to remember anything specific thirteen years later. It's not like the Yiling Laozu left behind a corpse for reference either.
The fact that Mo Xuanyu had red marks on his hands proved nothing except that he didn't want to be mistaken for the Yiling Laozu.
You couldn't trust Jiang Cheng's word that this time it really was Wei Wuxian either. How many times had been wrong? The Cultivation world had long since stopped taking Jiang Cheng seriously when he said someone was the Yiling Laozu.
Besides Mo Xuanyu was so clearly in love with Hanguang-jun!
It would almost be sweet if it wasn’t so befuddling. Out of all his many suitors and decades of abstinence Hanguang-jun decided that the crazy cutsleeve, dirt poor, demonic cultivator was the one? Really? Well Jin Ling supposed he didn’t really have to understand it as long as it kept Mo Xuanyu from the Jin Sect and they were happy together.
Frankly their close relationship would convince even Jiang Cheng that he got the wrong guy. The Yiling Laozu and Hanguang-jun were infamously the worst of enemies and that Wei Ying would never let himself be tied up with Lan Wangji's forehead ribbon.
It was impossible for Mo Xuanyu to truly be the Yiling Laozu. That was certain.
Jin Ling wasn’t as angry, that Mo Xuanyu strolled through Koi Tower like nothing happened, as he should be. It wasn’t awful seeing him again. And Mo Xuanyu’s advice, while strange, wasn’t useless. Jin Ling reveled in finally winning against Jin Chan and his lackies!
Maybe Jin Ling wouldn’t mind seeing his uncle again, and definitely wouldn’t turn down any lessons Mo Xuanyu offered.
It wasn’t so bad to be marked by him after all, it’s not like Mo Xuanyu’s actually the Yiling Laozu. Even Jin Ling wasn’t that unlucky.
Qin Su should have found a knife.
Why hadn't she found a knife? If she had one, she could have sliced Jin Guangyao's throat as he spoke polite platitudes as if she was the insane one when he- Qin Su wanted to throw up.
She needed to find a knife and slice off the mark he left on her.
But if there even was a knife in the Jin Guangyao's chamber's Qin Su couldn't reach it. She was stuck here only able to think.
The thing was Qin Su never had many marks.
Her true father left a handprint on her back as he picked her up for the first time. Her mother left a similar mark though it had twisted over the years of arguments and faded unevenly with her death. Now knowing the truth behind her mother's arguments, the mark only seemed to darken and twist like polluted water.
She wasn't once marked by a friend. She once longed for that to change but now Qin Su accepted that friendship was a delicate thing easily shattered at the slightest rumor. (Oh, if they know the truth! The pity in their once envious voices was the worst poison imaginable.)
Once Qin Su wanted siblings! She wanted to mark and be marked in turn by them!!! For a moment all she could do was laugh at the absurdity.
She was so happy to meet her 'A-Yao'. When he rescued her all Qin Su could see was stars and he was so kind, and smart, and handsome, for all the thought made her now want to wretch. And in the years that followed Qin Su fought to be with him despite her mother's arguments and society's distain for his lineage. They were in love, supposedly.
Now Qin Su can only wonder. She was the only child of a minor Sect Leader affiliated with the Jin. Politically she was the perfect match. Did he have some hand with her getting captured, was he just taking advantage of the situation, or was he truly ignorant? Did he even love her?
And what would be worse? If Jin Guangyao loved her or if he never did?
Qin Su didn't know any more. She couldn't trust a single thing he said and could barely trust her own judgements anymore.
Somehow there wasn't anything wrong with either of their marks. They were an almost matching twin golden hue. Her’s rose gold and his edged a darker shade. Qin Su once loved tracing his mark as they walked hand in hand through the gardens.
The was no visual difference between platonic and romantic marks, but how could nothing be rotten?
Qin Su know her mark had to be a different hue now knowing the rancid truth. The mark was far too large. She would have to slice her back apart to be rid of him, and even that wouldn't be enough.
She wished that her mark on him would be just as ugly. And wished even more that she didn't once know what all Jin Guangyao's marks once were. They exact details were now unclear, since the marks weren't what Qin Su focused on when they- She didn't want to think about that.
Despite what created him, Qin Su could not regret A-Song. He was perfect. With a smile that lit up any room and he always loved to show her ant hills and all of the other hidden wonders of Koi Towers gardens. She loved him.
Qin Su vowed to be better than her own mother and that the mark she left would never twist and darken. She never would have even considered that her A-Yao would be a threat to their son. Even now Qin Su wants to be wrong. But everything lined up perfectly for A-Song's murderer to be his own father. How could anyone do that!!
Qin Su needed a knife. She needed to slit that monster's throat!!! -
Except, could she? He was a far stronger cultivator and could convince everyone she was crazy...-
Aside from meeting and pursing Jin Guangyao the only thing Qin Su regretted was not getting to know her nephew Jin Ling.
She just didn't know what to do with the kid.
At first it wasn't her place to do anything, he wasn't her kid after all. Even after his parent's died, he was well cared for by perhaps an excessive and revolving number of nannies. And half the year Jin Ling was taken in by his... intense maternal uncle.
It was easy to overlook him especially as she once had her own kid to look after. Then A-Song died. And Qin Su didn't want to replace her son, for all that logic didn't make any sense now.
It's not like she was ever cruel to Jin Ling she was just distant and nice, as if just being nice was any good. It's no wonder that they never left much of a mark on each other.
Qin Su barely spoke to her other half-brother Mo Xuanyu. Once she trusted Jin Guangyao's word on what he had tried to do and now Qin Su wanted to laugh at the lie.
She really wished they had spoken and wanted to know how he had the face to enter Koi Tower again knowing what people were saying about him. How could you be happy again? How could you live with this? How could you not go crazy knowing all the lies and the rotten truth at the center of it all?
Qin Su had left a mark on so few people. Her presence or absence would change nothing about the world. It was all too late.
She needed a knife.
Goddamn it. Why did Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng have to stab in the same place?
It was bad enough getting stabbed there once, the second time was just painfully predictable. At least it didn't take quite as long to heal. Even if Wei Wuxian’s body was weaker, Cloud Recesses had far more resources than the burial mounds could dream of though none of their doctors were as skilled as Wen Qing.
Perhaps not everything was the same as his last life. This time Wei Wuxian awoke to Lan Zhan sitting by his bedside.
Wei Wuxian felt far too happy about that.
It seemed that even as the world declared him their enemy Lan Zhan was determined to stay by his side. Really is it any wonder that his mark was now a solid jade white?
Wei Wuxian wanted to see the mark he left on Lan Zhan again. Last time he was rather distracted by the unexpected scars to pay much attention, aside from being shocked that it was so pitch black.
Now... well Wei Wuxian was very distracted by other things. And in the morning was almost giving Wen Qing arguments about drunken foolishness merit.
Luckily Wei Wuxian was able to quickly resolve these misunderstandings! Other people might say that confessing you love while being actively held hostage was insane, foolish, and embarrassing, but Wei Wuxian didn't care. It worked. And he was too busy cuddling with Lan Zhan to be embarrassed!
The hostage situation was eventually resolved after several attempted interruptions.
Jin Guangyao died sealed under the statue of his mother trapped together with Nie Mingjue who would never let go of his resentment even as hundreds of years passed. Lan Xicheng was haunted, regretting his every decision, and doubting his every judgement.
Nie Huisang's revenge was finally completed.
And as even more people gathered Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan snuck out the back. Finally able to elope and be happy together.
Jin Ling tried to go after them.
Jiang Cheng chose to bite his tongue and turned away letting Wei Wuxian live his new life happy and free of pointless decade old debts. It was the least he could do now. What else was he supposed to do say 'thank you' and then 'sorry'? As if he could.
As Jiang Cheng turned away the mark he left on Wei Wuxian, like a healing wound, started to fade. It was going to be okay or at least it was finally over.