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Three months since initiating Wei Wuxian into the Qishan Wen Sect as a disciple, Wen Xu has managed to rid him of a few of his questionable habits.
The first of which was his inclination to stealing food.
Well, not stealing. Saving some for later and sneakily hiding it in his room.
Wen Xu had noticed it early on because he was overseeing Wei Wuxian's catching up on lessons and they had made a habit out of taking their meals together by way of convenience. The food on the plates would always be gone, sometimes between one glance and the next. And yet, Wei Wuxian's stomach would growl on occasion.
After Wen Xu had seen a dumpling disappear into the young cultivator's sleeves once and then found it hidden in his room, he had seen to it that Wei Wuxian knew to leave his food where it was and simply request more if he ended up hungry.
It was unbecoming for an outstanding disciple of the great Wen Clan (who lived in the Scorching Sun Palace, no less) to be uncertain of their food supply. As if the Wen were lacking any. As if they were withholding it from their own disciples.
Though, Wen Xu supposed, it was a fair habit. Wei Wuxian had spent most of his life on the streets and there were people out there who had to worry about where their next meal came from, much as his father liked to deny it.
Still. Wei Wuxian, of all people, had nothing to worry about. He was sharing a table with the Wen Sect Heir more often than not.
The second habit Wen Xu had trained out of his protégé was that of refusing any help from the servants and instead attempting to do it himself.
Yes, he was perfectly capable of doing things himself. Yes, there was nothing wrong with helping people out when he could. But these people were paid for helping and taking certain tasks off their hands. Wei Wuxian, by denying their help and attempting to do their work for them, was essentially hindering their labor and putting his own position under question.
It was unbecoming and put the servants in awkward situations, so Wen Xu made it clear (multiple times) that Wei Wuxian was better off just letting them do their work.
He was not confident that Wei Wuxian had abandoned either habit completely, but the progress was there.
There were some more habits they had to work on (such as downplaying injuries and holding back during training - honestly, what had they taught him in that ridiculous, potential-wasting sect?), but one step at a time.
At least there had been no issues with making Wei Wuxian wear the red-and-white Wen Clan robes. The younger had scrunched his nose at the bright color and mumbled something about how every speck of dirt would be visible on them, but changed his wardrobe without protest. Wen Xu suspected it was in part due to the younger's preference for red, which probably had to do with the red ribbon he always wore.
(He tried not to think of those silver eyes flashing red.)
Wen Ruohan had been surprised at his son's introduction of a cultivator he had picked off the streets into the sect (and to inner family, no less), but had had predictably little to say against it, having sensed Wei Wuxian's potential just as quickly.
He had, however, insisted that since Wen Xu was bringing him in under his responsibility, he would be responsible for catching the rogue cultivator up on all Wen lessons he had missed. If he was to earn his rightful place as an inner disciple and respected cultivator, he had to be proficient in the most basic and fundamental teachings of the Wen first.
Wen Xu had told Wei Wuxian as much and honestly not even had it in him to be overly surprised when the latter caught up on nearly four years of lessons in a matter of months. Contrary to Wen Xu's brother, Wei Wuxian was studious and quick-witted, someone who both wanted to prove himself and was filled with curiosity by nature. He was so good, in fact, that Wen Xu had now been instructed to prepare him for the intermediary classes.
At the rate he was going, Wei Wuxian would be joining the older disciples in their lessons in no time. In fact, Wen Xu was sure he would overtake him in a couple of years, if not sooner. Leave it to a cheerful child prodigy to casually outdo them all.
The only problem with Wei Wuxian as a student was that he could not seem to sit still, both physically and figuratively. Both Wen Xu and the instructors were willing to overlook Wei Wuxian's ceaseless fidgeting, but the endless slew of questions, which either went into the discussed topic in much deeper detail than they were prepared for or deviated from the topic entirely, were taxing on them all.
If Wen Xu were a person both less pragmatic and inclined to pathetic feelings of inferiority such as jealousy, he would be very jealous of Wei Wuxian, indeed. Irritated, even, like some of his peers (and certainly Wen Chao) seemed to be.
Luckily, Wen Xu was none of those things. He had no need or desire to be the best. No, Wen Xu was born to lead the best. Rather than being the exceptional one, he had to surround himself with the exceptional. Why waste talent by insisting that you had to be the best of them all, mediocre as you may be?
He was the heir of the biggest and most powerful Immortal Sect. It would have been terribly disappointing if he alone were the best they had to offer. An alliance was only as strong as its weakest link and if his entourage had no weak link, then what did that make them?
Untouchable, that is what.
Terrified whispers already followed Wen Zhuliu, the Core-Melting Hand. If the whispers were joined by reverent ones about, say, Wei Wuxian, the prodigy cultivator of Qishan Wen, then what did Wen Xu have to fear?
With the most terrifying and accomplished cultivators standing by his side, no one would get any ideas about meddling in the Wen Clan's business. No one would dare question his leadership even when he inevitably failed to live up to his father's image.
Before that time came, though, there was still a lot for all of them to learn. Besides, with his father's cultivation level, his succession of the title was still far off.
Three months after essentially adopting Wei Wuxian into the sect, he was yet to learn the kid's full history. Yet to confirm his theories about the supposedly demonic cultivator in his close inner circle.
Looking at Wei Wuxian, it was hard, if not impossible, to believe him capable of controlling resentful energy. Not just because of his youth. No, Wei Wuxian was simply too friendly. Too lively, too righteous, too accomplished. What reason would someone like that have to even contemplate demonic cultivation?
Wen Xu knew better, though. He had been training to take over the sect one day for long enough to have glimpsed various sides to humanity, both the good and abhorrent. Life was not, in its essence, kind. It had not been kind to Wei Wuxian, either. That much was evident.
Wen Xu was no idiot. He knew Wei Wuxian had secrets. The question was just whether they would prove to be dangerous to him.
So far, Wei Wuxian was proving himself to be useful and loyal. He thrived under the recognition and freedom he received for his competence and inventiveness, and carried himself with a confidence born of surviving some of the worst things life had to offer. He also carried some rather concerning habits from surviving said things, but that was to be expected.
(Wen Xu had made sure no dogs ever came close enough for Wei Wuxian to so much as hear their barking, reasoning with himself that it would do them no good to have such a promising disciple distracted by his fear. Which, judging from the scarred bite marks on his legs, was not unfounded. They would have to recruit the healers to work on that at some point, both physically and mentally.)
While Wei Wuxian was defiant by nature, he ultimately cowered under the glare of an authoritative figure. Not in the submissive way most lower-ranked figures were, though. Rather, he seemed to brace himself for retribution at every turn.
Wen Xu had worried that that, too, would be a problem, considering his father was infamous for his unstable temperament and his brother... was Wen Chao.
But - and this was something Wen Xu struggled to make sense of - his reservations proved to be unfounded.
While Wei Wuxian was quick to argue with and then be deferential to figures of authority, he had absolutely no hesitation whatsoever and was entirely unapologetic when it came to talking back to his peers, even if said peers were the second son of the Wen Sect Leader.
Wen Chao had tried (often futilely) to talk down to Wei Wuxian and humiliate him in some way and, on occasion, even outright challenged him (which had ended in Wen Chao humiliating himself without fail). He had quickly learned that this was a losing game.
Wei Wuxian liked the occasional chaos and drew attention like a flare in the night but was ultimately friendly and kind. He was not easily antagonized, but not easily challenged, either.
Since his little brother was a pathetic excuse for a respectable cultivator, anyway, Wen Xu was not much surprised by that.
The far more surprising part had been his father. Ever since Wei Wuxian's arrival, Wen Ruohan's mood had been steadily improving and becoming more stable. Wen Xu was hard-pressed to explain it, but there was something less sinister about his father's entire being now.
The shadows in his eyes were not as dark anymore. The air surrounding him less heavy. The resentment Wen Xu felt he could see clinging to his father on his worst days was diminishing. Even the healers had told him that his qi seemed to be improving in terms of purity and stability.
It was a mystery no one could get behind. A change felt and seen by everyone in some way, but never mentioned aloud. Wen Ruohan's temperament had been too unpredictable for long enough that people had learned not to speak of it lest they drew the Chief Cultivator's ire.
Wen Xu was sure it had to do with Wei Wuxian, somehow. The timing could not be a coincidence, not with his father's path having had led him steadily towards madness for so long.
As was the problem with most things Wei Wuxian, Wen Xu had only theories and no proof.
Tonight, after three months of skirting around the topic, Wen Xu decided to take the leap and try to needle some answers out of a puzzling, charismatic, prodigal and intimidating child prodigy.
(At night, when his dreams decided to remind him that life was but a game of high stakes best played with a long-term goals and utmost care, he saw Wei Wuxian's glowing red eyes and heard his childish, yet impossibly minatory voice.
"I have and will run if you decide to toy with me. And if I do, and if I sense any danger of you following me, I will prevent you from doing so. Even if it means abandoning and destroying all the good things you have offered me. Even if means destroying you."
It was ridiculous to feel threatened by a child, especially one as unmalicious as Wei Wuxian. And yet...
Wen Xu knew without a doubt that this particular child would follow through on his threats.)
No one stopped him as he went to the disciple quarters. Why would they? He was Wen Xu, firstborn of the Chief Cultivator and Wen Sect Leader. The only place anyone would try to keep him from were his father's quarters.
Wen Xu made a mental note to inquire whether the same held true for Wen Chao, then passed the guards outside the disciple quarters and went to search for Wei Wuxian's room.
By way of the young cultivator's unusual introduction to the sect and Wen Xu's mentorship in his lessons, Wei Wuxian had received his own quarters. (There was a number of other reasons Wen Xu had considered when arguing for that decision, but no one had had any substantial objections to voice, either way.)
Wei Wuxian, in a move that was quickly becoming characteristic of him, had promptly made the quarters his own and upgraded the wards to his room. It was a mild annoyance to anyone who tried to enter (especially to the servants just trying to do their work, Wei Wuxian), but Wen Xu figured that was the whole point. He himself was usually able to pass through with the token he had been given.
Usually.
Tonight, Wen Xu found himself dumbfounded when he collided with the wards and bounced off, rubbing at his nose in annoyance but no real pain.
Did Wei Wuxian fortify his wards for the night? If so, then Wen Xu couldn't hold it against him. It was a smart move, one that had likely been necessary for a child cultivator living alone on the streets.
Still. Was Wei Wuxian going to leave him standing out here?
The answer, it seemed, was yes. No voice came from the other side and no move was made to open the door. When Wen Xu tried entering once more, this time holding his token out in front of himself, the wards remained firm.
He felt his expression twist into one of annoyance, something he rarely allowed himself. He was the Wen Sect Heir! How could a child disciple deny him entry to their room, which they had been granted by Wen Xu in the first place? Who has the nerve?
Wei Wuxian, that is who.
Wen Xu took a deep breath. It was irrational to be upset at someone sensible enough to take extra measures to ensure their privacy and safety. Wen Xu was invading someone's space at an unreasonable time of day. Every sensible disciple should be asleep by now.
His upbringing and his rationality warred inside him, nurtured arrogance going against innate pragmatism, until Wen Xu finally stepped back, releasing an annoyed sigh.
"Wei Wuxian," he said, a slight warning in his voice. He bristled at the similarity his tone had to his father's. It was sure to speak Wei Wuxian, who was smart enough to recognize the warning in an authority's tone. Still, no answer sounded from inside.
That was what finally made Wen Xu pause and think.
Sure, Wei Wuxian was stubborn and defiant and occasionally a trouble maker, be it by accident or intent. But he respected power distance. He was deferential to those who he regarded as authority and always responded. Truly, most days, it was a challenge to get him to shut up for more than two minutes.
If Wei Wuxian was not answering and his room was locked and warded...
Then Wei Wuxian was not in his room.
Wen Xu stared at the door. It was way past midnight, closer to sunrise than sunset. He had chosen the time to guarantee no interruptions or unwelcome listeners. Where could Wei Wuxian possibly be?
He considered asking the guards, but knew it would be fruitless. If Wei Wuxian had intended to sneak out unnoticed, then the guards would be the last to know about it. Wen Xu couldn't even blame it on the guards' incompetence. It was simply the kind of sneaky that Wei Wuxian was.
Still, he made sure to inquire about any activity. Predictably, the guards had none to report.
Wen Xu made his way back to his own quarters, all the while pondering where Wei Wuxian could have gone.
It had to be a place he had no access to during the day, Wen Xu decided. Why else would he feel the need to sneak around at night?
The problem was, Wei Wuxian had access to nearly everywhere. He was not yet a high-ranked disciple but often treated as one. Wen Xu had also promised him full freedom to live out his inventiveness, and permission to visit Yiling whenever he wished. The rest of the sect perceived him as Wen Xu's personal protégé. Essentially, Wei Wuxian had been granted full freedom of movement within Qishan, with nearly unrestricted access to even the most exclusive places.
The only places in Nightless City he had no access to were the Treasury and, of course, the private quarters of other people, especially that of the ruling family.
Wen Xu paused in his steps, only paces from his door. He got the sinking feeling that he knew exactly where Wei Wuxian could have gone.
He had no interest in the Treasury; had never once shown any concern for worldly possessions.
There was no reason for him to invade another disciple's quarters, either. Most would let him in if he asked and those that would not were of no particular interest to him, either. Wei Wuxian was sensible enough not to go around pulling petty pranks at night, too.
He would most certainly steer clear of Wen Chao's quarters, seeing how the both of them tried their utmost best to ignore each other's existence when they were not actively fighting.
If he had wished to come see Wen Xu, he would either have informed him in advance or someone would have sent for him, intercepting Wen Xu on his way. This only left one option.
Wen Xu pivoted and strode towards his father's quarters.
The changes to Wen Ruohan's temperament... Could it be that Wei Wuxian was doing something, just like Wen Xu assumed?
The problem with getting to his father's quarters was, ironically enough, that this was the one place Wen Xu would be restrained from entering.
Wen Xu mentally cursed Wei Wuxian. He did not know yet for sure that the younger had somehow made his way into Wen Ruohan's quarters, but Wen Xu was beyond doubting his ability to. Leave it to Wei Wuxian to get into places even Wen Xu couldn't get into.
Wen Xu broke his brain trying to come up with a good excuse for the guard up until he reached the doors to Wen Ruohan's quarters, and the guards made no move to stop him. In fact, they did not so much as look at him.
Wen Xu took one step back, confused. He peered into the guards' eyes and found them unfocused and unseeing.
What in the name of his ancestors?
With a hand motion, he extinguished all torches in the hallway, bathing them all in darkness. Slowly and quietly, he pushed the doors open, leaving just enough of an opening to slip through.
What greeted him inside was a haunting melody.
It was at once beautiful and terrifying, hypnotizing and fearsome. The sound of the flute was high-pitched a shrill. A dizi. There had to be some powerful silencing talismans attached to the walls to keep the noise out. It was the first thing he noticed.
The second thing he noticed was the thickness of the shadows in the room. This was no ordinary darkness. No, it was something else.
Wen Xu looked over to where the sound was originating from. There was no surprise as he spotted Wei Wuxian, only an amused kind of resignation.
Because who else could it possibly be? The empty quarters, the unaware guards, the silencing talismans, the dizi...
It was signature Wei Wuxian. No one else could even dream of pulling this off.
Not for the first time, Wen Xu wondered just who he had brought into the inner circle of his Sect and why he continued to take the gamble.
Wei Wuxian seemed oblivious to his arrival as he continued to play his dizi, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his eyes closed. Even from behind his closed eyelids, there was the unmistakable red glow Wen Xu recalled so often.
The shadows in the room seemed to curl around him, caressing his skin with shapeless whispers. The shadows...
Seemed to come straight from his father, who lay motionless in his bed.
Wen Xu got the feeling that he should try to intervene and stop this. Surely, that would be the sensible thing to do. Take Wei Wuxian by surprise while he could. For all he knew, he was witnessing the murder of his father.
And yet, with a defeated kind of resignation, Wen Xu noted that there was no point.
Whatever it was Wei Wuxian was doing, he was already far along in the process. Disrupting him now may cause more damage than do good.
Considering everything he already knew about the young cultivator and everything he had learned tonight, Wen Xu had to admit to himself that if a fight were to break out, he was unlikely to emerge victorious.
Most importantly, though, he did not genuinely believe that Wei Wuxian was causing harm.
He simply had no reason to. Even if he wanted to, he could have done so a long time ago. Wei Wuxian had snuck into the Chief Cultivator's quarters unnoticed. If his goal was to kill him, there were far more efficient ways to do so than by sitting around and playing his dizi.
No, there was no point to intervening. With a sigh, Wen Xu resigned himself to waiting and seeing where this went.
Wei Wuxian opened his (very red, very haunting) eyes then and looked right at Wen Xu. In the red glow of his gaze, a smile appeared on his lips. It vanished again as he picked up a more complicated melody, but Wei Wuxian winked at Wen Xu before closing his eyes again.
Actually winked at him.
If his brain had not given up trying to make sense of the impossibility that was Wei Wuxian, Wen Xu would have felt irked by this. As it was, all he could do was shake his head to himself.
He was so incapable of processing Wei Wuxian that his mind simply refused to try. What a thought. There truly was a first for everything in life, huh?
Wei Wuxian kept up his performance for another small while, then wrapped up the song and lowered the dizi. The shadows in the rooms seemed to retreat, some sinking into Wei Wuxian's dizi or skin, others simply dissipating.
Wen Ruohan left out the content sigh of someone deep in a restful sleep.
Wei Wuxian stretched and stood, the red glow slowly fading from his eyes. "Wen-gongzi! I was wondering when you would finally join us."
Wen Xu pushed himself off the wall he had resorted to leaning against and nodded towards his father. "You want to have this conversation here?"
Wei Wuxian waved him off. "Wen-zonguhu is in deep rest. He won't hear us." At Wen Xu's glance back, he added, "Neither will the guards. Even if the silencing talismans don't hold up, the ones affecting the guards will."
He sounded just the slightest bit smug while saying that and Wen Xu reached up to rub his temple, feeling the first signs of that particular headache only dealing with his brother usually gave him.
"Wei Wuxian. What were you doing?"
"Drawing the resentful energy out of Wen-zongzhu," he replied without pause.
Wen Xu stared at him. That had been surprisingly painless.
"Elaborate."
Wei Wuxian pursed his lips and twirled his dizi.
"Well, it is no secret that Wen Ruohan's temper is unstable. His qi is unbalanced and there is resentment lingering around him. That's why you were in Yiling, isn't it? He wanted to see the Burial Mounds, see if he could somehow use them for his gain."
Wei Wuxian shook his head. "But the Burial Mounds don't work like that. They cannot grant someone control over resentful energy. They simply are."
Then how did you gain that control?, Wen Xu wanted to ask. Instead, he said, "You knew I was here, didn't you? You knew I would come, sooner or later."
Wei Wuxian had smiled and winked at him when they had first met eyes. He had not reacted to the opening of the door at all. But Wei Wuxian would never let himself caught unaware. He always knew when someone was near, always felt other people's presences. No one had been able to sneak up on him in all the time Wen Xu had known him.
Surely, the wards to his room would have warned him of their disturbance, too. Also, the guards did not react to Wen Xu...
With the silencing talismans keeping all the noise out and everyone entirely unaware of even the possibility of someone entering Wen Ruohan's quarters unnoticed, there was no reason to charm the guards.
No, Wei Wuxian had done that for him. He had anticipated Wen Xu's arrival and made it possible for him to enter and discover this scene.
The question was just how and why.
Wei Wuxian nodded in confirmation.
"I knew you suspected me of something. At the very least, you've seen my red eyes. Wen-gongzi, I am not ignorant or naive enough to believe that you offered me what you did simply because I impressed you by saving you from that fierce corpse."
Wei Wuxian shook his head. "There had to be more to it. A reason you introduced me into your inner circle and kept such a close eye on me. You suspected I could cultivate resentful energy a long time ago, did you not? The only problem is that you had no proof."
Wen Xu clenched his teeth. He was irritated and annoyed that We Wuxian had figured him out so easily. At the same time, he was deeply impressed. It kind of annoyed him more.
Wei Wuxian took his silence as confirmation and spread his arms, grinning darkly. "Here is your proof. What are you going to do about it?"
Wen Xu needed a moment to catch the full implications of what the young cultivator was saying.
Wei Wuxian was testing him.
While Wen Xu had been busy assessing and testing Wei Wuxian, the child prodigy had been doing the very same. Only, it seemed Wei Wuxian had always been two steps ahead.
Wen Xu acknowledged that with a nod, raising his arms in defeat.
"Nothing, Wei Wuxian. Absolutely nothing." That, at least, earned him a frown. "It seems I keep underestimating you. Despite knowing better." Wen Xu lowered his arms again and shook his head. "I have no interest in exposing you or your powers to anyone."
"Then, do you have an interest in keeping them for yourself?" Wei Wuxian challenged. And wow. For a moment, Wen Xu had forgotten how straight-forward the boy could be.
"Depends on your understanding of it," Wen Xu conceded, "I have no interest in learning your demonic cultivation."
Wei Wuxian tilted his head curiously, gaze flicking between Wen Ruohan and his son. "Really?"
It made sense for him to think otherwise. Wen Ruohan had clearly been preoccupied with the topic and Wen Xu was always trying to behave in the best interests of the Wen.
Which was precisely why he told Wei Wuxian, "Yes. You think that after seeing my father, one of the most powerful cultivators alive, chase after this ridiculous idea, abandoning what the Wen stand for, and moving steadily towards madness, I wish to risk repeating his mistakes?"
Wen Xu shook his head before he even finished the sentence. "No. I shall leave that to you. Obviously, you have found a way to make it work and are not using it for harm."
He considered the shadows that had clung to the younger. Although there were none of them in the room now, there were still some faint traces of smoke clinging to his dizi. "Haven't you?"
Wei Wuxian considered him with an assessing gaze, then inclined his head.
"I have. And I am not." He nodded at Wen Ruohan's sleeping form. "Everyone is aware of Wen-zongzhu's unstable temper. Although he has not found a way to cultivate resentful energy, he harbors some and it is unbalancing his qi. I was merely drawing it out and cleansing his meridians."
Wen Xu, perhaps despite good reason, believed the younger.
"Cleansing does no longer work on him," he informed Wei Wuxian nevertheless.
In the earlier days of Wen Ruohan's descent towards madness, when he had still been somewhat reasonable, many cultivators had tried. They had even requested some Lan cultivator's help. But Cleansing alone had not been enough to cleanse Wen Ruohan of what was ailing him.
"The melody you were playing was not Cleansing," Wen Xu noted, both a question and a simple, resigned statement.
Wei Wuxian let out a chuckle. "No, it was not. Cleansing? Even if someone had taught me the song, it would have had no effect here, just like you mentioned. No, there is a point where ordinary cultivation no longer works when it comes to resentment."
Wei Wuxian made a motion with his hand, eyes flashing red briefly. "There is no use in trying to stop a flood. The answer lays in redirecting the stream."
He twirled his dizi and put his hands behind his back, pacing as he talked. The sight reminded Wen Xu of his instructors, and he got the ridiculous feeling that he was being lectured.
"Energy is energy," Wei Wuxian stated, "Who cares whether it is spiritual or resentful energy? They are just two different names for two things that are very alike. Everything in this world is based on the principle of yin and yang. Resentful energy is the yin to the yang of spiritual energy."
The corner of his mouth quirked up.
"Only," he twirled his dizi once more, pausing to point it at Wen Xu with a grin, "that is not quite correct. Untouched, these energies are neutral. Identical in a great many properties. Women are more attuned to the yin while men are more attuned to the yang, but neither of them are superior to the other because they are complements. In its base form, energy is perfectly balanced between those two."
"The problem," he said, "Is that we modify that energy by cultivating it and then call it the natural order of things. The practices we use are targeted towards separating the yang energy and cultivating it, even though really, we should be cultivating both. They exist in equilibrium and should continue to do so. By discarding the yin energy in the cultivation process, we leave it free and unbalanced, pushing it closer to becoming resentful."
Wei Wuxian raised a finger, seemingly having remembered something.
"That is why women are perceived to be generally less capable cultivators, did you know? They are attuned to yin energy, therefore, cultivating yang energy comes harder to them. And yet, our teachings focus exclusively on the cultivation of yang energy as if it is synonymous with spiritual energy, when really, it is not."
He crossed his arms, a petulant expression on his face. "Has anyone ever paused to think why the only known immortal cultivator is a woman? Why all the male cultivators, despite being naturally attuned to yang energy, never cultivate to immortality? Because we are ignoring and demonizing yin energy, that's why. We are disregarding the natural equilibrium of two complementary energies. I bet Baoshan Sanren was smarter than the rest of the cultivation world and figured that out."
Wen Xu's head spun from trying to keep up with Wei Wuxian's teachings-turned-rants. "What you are saying is that cultivation is the root cause of resentment."
"Maybe," Wei Wuxian conceded, "It's only a theory. But think about it. What do we call it when spiritual energy is corrupted? A qi deviation. Resentful energy is nothing more than a result of qi deviation. We just call and treat them differently, even though they are one and the same."
He nodded at Wen Ruohan. "What is Cleansing used for? To stabilize unstable qi. To prevent qi deviation. And why is it unstable? Because it consists exclusively of yang energy and is, therefore, not in equilibrium. Cleansing fights the traces of yin energy trying to enter."
Wei Wuxian ran a hand along the sheath of his sword, considering. Wen Xu noted for the first time the presence of Suibian, his other spiritual weapon.
"This is why it no longer works on Wen-zongzhu. The entire approach is wrong. Cleansing only works on small amounts of resentment because the yang energy greatly outweighs the yin energy. Thus, spiritual energy can counteract the intruder, which is why musical cultivation draws on a cultivator's reserves. Once the energy has turned resentful, there is nothing more that can be done."
Wei Wuxian paused and snapped his fingers.
"The problem," he said, "with spiritual energy is that it requires lots of time and effort. Few cultivators ever form a golden core. And why is that? Because cultivation works with cultivated energy. It has to create its own reserve to draw from. To first modify the energy it wants to work with before using it. That is why spiritual energy can be depleted."
"And resentful energy does not work that way?" Wen Xu guessed.
"It kind of does," Wei Wuxian said, which just served to confuse Wen Xu more. His lessons had never included theory on the cultivation of resentful energy, so perhaps he deserved some slack.
"But unbalanced yin energy is available in abundance, whereas unbalanced yang energy is traditionally stored in a cultivator's core. Yin energy does not require cultivation because it is already cultivated, so to say. Therefore, the cultivation of resentful energy does not require a golden core. However, a golden core supplies the untethered yang energy it takes to balance the resentment out and return the energy to its base form in equilibrium."
He made a sweeping gesture towards Wen Ruohan. "Wen-zongzhu's - and every other cultivator's who has tried - problem is that they think of the two energies as contrasting rather than complementary. He wishes to control resentful energy, but he attempts to do so by trying to subjugate it using cultivated yang energy, further fighting the natural equilibrium of things. Naturally, this blows up the entire plan."
Wei Wuxian made a wide motion with his arms, mimicking an explosion.
"Energy is energy. It can be talked to. The resentment Wen-zongzhu harbors? Just like unstable yang energy, it can be cleansed, only not by orthodox cultivation because that one targets already cultivated yang energy and coaxes it to fight the yin energy. 'Liberate, suppress, eliminate'? Sure, if you want to make it even worse, go ahead."
Wen Xu released a slow breath. "So, what you are doing..."
"Is coaxing the resentful energy out of Wen Ruohan and transforming it back into its base form," Wei Wuxian said with a nod, acting as if this was a perfectly normal thing to do for a 12-year-old.
"Essentially the same as what Cleansing attempts to do, except of fighting the energy by targeting its counterpart, I work with it. I redirect. It's like... You don't seriously expect to thwart an uprising by suppressing it, do you? Not if you want it to blow up in your face with much greater force later. Then why do we attempt to do so when it comes to spiritual versus resentful energy?"
Wen Xu clenched his jaw. It made so much sense. It made so much sense, and he hated that the entire cultivation world had not even considered it because they were so set in their own ancient, supposedly orthodox ways.
"So, you redirect the resentful energy. What happens after?"
Wei Wuxian blinked. "Ah. Where does it go, you mean? Well, I balance it out with my own spiritual energy, cancelling both energies out and transforming them back into their base form. And then I feed that balanced energy into my meridians or my spiritual weapons."
He said it as if it was the most normal thing to do. As if this was not a revolution of the entire teaching over cultivation twice over. Wen Xu was so, so glad he had decided against engaging in a fight against Wei Wuxian. More so now than before, he saw clearly just how miniscule his chances would have been.
Because he needed some more time to process that onslaught of information, he pointed out, "Your dizi is smoking."
"Oh," Wei Wuxian said, considering the instrument in his hands and smiling somewhat sheepishly. "Well. Suibian is a spiritual weapon used to conduct cultivated yang energy. Chenqing does the same for yin energy. If I send energy through them, they modify it before they can use it. They have been constructed in such a way that they cannot be balanced."
"Suibian is your spiritual yang weapon and Chenqing that for yin energy," Wen Xu concluded.
Wei Wuxian nodded. "It would be ideal to have a weapon that combines both and works with balanced energy, but I have not figured out how to achieve that yet."
Wen Xu rubbed his temple, feeling the oncoming little-brother-related headache he was used to getting with Wen Chao. He looked over at his father, peaceful in his sleep and in a more stable mood over the past three months than he had been for years. Looked at Wei Wuxian, expression open and kind despite the situation they were in.
Wen Xu had suspected it for months and always privately thought of it as such, but it hit him only now that Wei Wuxian had found a way to cultivate resentful energy. For all he knew, Wei Wuxian had broken the code to immortality at just twelve years of age.
"Does it hurt you?"
Wei Wuxian looked taken aback by the question, blinking in confusion before he chuckled, something far more sinister than the red glow flashing in his eyes.
"Me? No. Like I said, the Burial Mounds and I, we have an understanding. They fostered me when I was at my lowest, treating me with all the kindness resentful energy has to offer. Why would it harm its sibling?"
Wen Xu tried very, very desperately not to think of the implications Wei Wuxian made by taking about the Burials Mounds as a sentient thing. He also tried not to think of the kind of life the cultivator had led to consider resentful energy kind and speak of it as sibling.
Wei Wuxian tapped Chenqing against his lips, considering. "Honestly speaking, if I let it in without balancing it out, it probably would tear at my soul, little by little. I think the reason it's not hurting me is because I know to cancel out the harmful properties with my golden core."
He hummed in consideration, expression twisting into one Wen Xu recognized from when the younger launched into his theories.
"The cultivation of resentful energy does not require a golden core, but maybe it is only safe to perform in the long term when you do have one and can use it to counteract the resentment. That or you take care not to let in more of it than your qi can naturally cleanse. Huh. Interesting theory."
Wen Xu wanted to bash his head against the wall behind him. He really, really did.
"'Interesting theory'," he repeated under his breath. "Wei Wuxian," he said, prompting the other to look back up at him. He, however, did not know what he was supposed to say now.
Luckily, Wei Wuxian knew where to direct the conversation. He crossed his arms behind his back and grinned, looking for all who bothered to glance his way like a young, innocent boy.
"Now that you know what I can do, are you still willing to keep me close? To put me under the protection of the Wen and to not stand in my way?" he challenged.
The answer to that should not be simple, but Wen Xu found that for him, it was.
"Yes."
Wei Wuxian looked taken aback by that once more. "Truly?"
Wen Xu nodded. "Let me elaborate on my original offer."
He squatted down, putting himself at eye-height with Wei Wuxian just like he had done in Yiling. The younger took the hint and came closer, returning the gaze.
"Everything I offered back in Yiling still holds true. But allow me to add an agreement." He took a deep breath before continuing, confirming with his own inner voice that he was making the right choice here.
"I will not stand in your way, be it your orthodox or your... demonic cultivation."
Wei Wuxian scrunched his nose, presumably at having his cultivation being called that, but nodded. Wen Xu continued.
"In fact, I offer you my support. Any resources you think you need, every cover you should require, I shall do my best to provide. I allow you, even encourage you, to practice both forms of cultivation and improve in them. Invent without restrictions. Document your findings. Do not hold back and rise to the heights we both know you can reach."
"In return," he said, "I ask that you keep it a secret. Do not freely share your knowledge with others, unless you can masquerade it as orthodox. The heavens know the cultivation world already has enough issues without knowing how to control resentful energy."
Wei Wuxian let out an amused snort at that and Wen Xu took it as a good sign.
"All I ask is that you do no harm to the Wen Clan with it. Should you, for some reason, decide to instruct someone in this, make sure that it will never cause retribution for us. And..."
He glanced over at his sleeping father. "Continue to help my father."
Wei Wuxian gazed back at him steadily, the same way he had done three months prior in Yiling.
"What you are saying is that you will allow me to keep my secret, even help me keep it. Allow me to practice and invent and use my powers to my full extent so long as I do not hurt the Wen Clan with it. In return, you want me to keep my knowledge secret, at least from the other sects, and to keep helping your father?"
His voice turned skeptical at the end, wary in the face of an offer that must seem too good to be true.
Wen Xu nodded. "If you can promise to follow the two basic rules - to not hurt my clan and to not broadcast your abilities -, you are free to do as you wish." He considered the younger. "Unless you wish to share your knowledge with the world?"
Realistically, Wen Xu would not be able to stop him and they both knew it. To his surprise, Wei Wuxian snorted in amusement.
"As if. Imagine how much more arrogant cultivators would become! Imagine the chaos it would bring if anyone could perform cultivation as they wished. And if anyone suspected me in meddling in 'demonic cultivation', as you chose to call it..."
He gave a full-body shiver.
"No. It is already believed to corrupt the soul, and no one would believe me that I can perform it safely. I am no high-ranking cultivator with any title or connections to protect me. Knowledge has to be shared, but... some of it is better left contained."
Once more, Wen Xu was puzzled by the young boy in front of him. In that moment, it was not a child who knew nothing about the way life and the world worked speaking. Whatever Wei Wuxian had seen, it had matured him beyond his years. This was someone who had learnt the hard way that the only way to truly protect yourself is to do it yourself. That no matter how good one's intentions were, the truth did not triumph over narrative. If someone wished to make you the villain of the story, they would.
Wen Xu held his hand out to Wei Wuxian. "Do we have an understanding, Wei-gongzi?"
Wei Wuxian huffed and gripped his hand. "We do, Wen-gongzi."
"Excellent."
He rose, letting go of Wei Wuxian's hand. "Now, we should both return to our quarters unnoticed, or our agreement will be in vain."
"Ha!" Wei Wuxian said gleefully, "That will not be a problem. Just leave that to me."
Wen Xu looked at the child that barely reached up to his chest and understood now what the world would one day come to learn: that Wei Wuxian was best kept an alley rather than made an enemy.