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The box sat between them, its dark wood surface glinting in the flickering candle light. Wei Wuxian was quieter than usual, almost somber as he considered it.
"I don't know if I want to use it. But I know that I didn't want to do it alone, if I did use it. What do you think?" Wei Wuxian flicked the tip of his nose as he spoke before eyeing his husband. The man across from him wore an expression as cold as frost, as still as cave water, his golden eyes the only thing on him that seemed alive. They shifted as if he were sorting dozen of thoughts at once. Wei Ying admired that clever face as he waited for a response.
"I do." When Lan Zhan spoke his voice was firm and steady, his gaze meeting Wei Yings. "Want to use it."
"We'd get to see life through our fathers eyes, it would answer some questions but what if we learn something we don't want to?"
"It's not like you to fear knowledge or hesitate using a spiritual device. What are you afraid of, Wei Ying?" It was honestly a surprise Wei Ying didn't immediately test the device as soon as he learned it was capable of something supernatural. Generally that was his favorite way to learn what items they possessed. Recklessly jump in with both feet, then clean up the mess after.
"I just-I have this idea in my head of who he was, its all I've ever had. I'm a bit scared to lose that I guess."
Lan Zhan reached over the table to cover Wei Ying's hand with his much larger one. "You do not have to use it. Or we can put it away until a later time."
He spoke the truth, because it was all he could do so Wei Ying knew if he decided to put it away right now, they would. But he saw the look of hope that had flickered in his husbands eyes when he told him what it was. He even said he wanted to use it. And he could never hold him back from something he wanted. If Lan Zhan asked for the stars Wei Ying would learn to catch one in a net and give it to him. But this was an untested, possibly dangerous device. If Lan Zhan wanted to use it then of course Wei Ying would have to test it first.
He tossed back the cup of liquor Lan Zhan had poured for him then gave his most reassuring smile. "No we'll use it. What's the point of all that trouble we went through on that night hunt if we don't enjoy the spoils gifted to us. I'll go first."
"I should go first, just in case." Before his elegant fingers could grasp the box Wei Ying snatched it away, holding it to his chest.
"Nope! It only makes sense for me to go first. If I get into trouble you have a better chance of saving me with your superior spiritual power." Before Lan Zhan could snatch the box away, Wei Ying opened it and pulled out the white silk fan. He snapped it open and fanned his face, breathing in the shimmering powder that burst out of it as he did. He almost immediately felt drowsy and was grateful when warm arms gathered him up and carried him to bed. Wei Ying blinked slowly, as if he were under water and tapped the plain white front of the open fan.
He wanted to remind Lan Zhan that he would be able to watch all the memories that Wei Ying was reliving as ever changing ink across the canvas of the blank fan. But he found himself unable to speak. He could feel himself fighting the pull of sleep but it was too late now. He couldn't change his mind now. He was going to be sucked into his fathers memories rather he wanted to or not.
*****
It almost felt like waking from a dream. Warm arms wrapped around him as sunlight flooded into the little room. It was simple and sparsely decorated. An inn. They were in an inn together. It was their last morning together. This would be their last morning.
He settled back into the arms around him and tried not to let the tears that gathered in his eyes overflow. If this was their last morning together then he wouldn't ruin a moment of it on sadness. He tightened his grip on the thick forearm before dropping a kiss on it. Only then did the body behind him begin to shift. He rolled in the arms of his lover until they were face to face, breathing the same air. They laced their fingers together and Wei Changze refused to blink, he was so intent on committing every detail of their last moments together to his memory.
Jiang Fengmain brought their clasped hands to his mouth before dropping a kiss on each of Wei Changze's knuckles. His expression was calm and peaceful but the tips of his eyes betrayed him with their reddened tips.
"Do you have to go? I want to be selfish and order you to stay with me."
"That's a terrible idea and you know it. You are sect leader. You have a marriage alliance to uphold and babies to make and you can't run away with me. You are too important. But I can't stay and watch you be with somebody else." He tried to swallow the lump in his throat away as he leaned forward until their foreheads rested together. "Besides, I won't be alone either."
Fengmain snorted a laugh. "And is Cangse Saren supposed to keep you out of trouble or are you supposed to keep her out of trouble? Either way sounds unlikely."
"You were always the one to do that for us. I don't know how we will behave without you." Wei Changze squeezed his hands as a single tear slipped out, hopefully unnoticed.
The pad of Fengmain's thumb swept away the errant tear before it could soak into the bed sheet. "I'm a bit jealous if I'm honest. You'll have so much fun without me. Meanwhile a woman who doesn't love me will be forced to marry me."
"I heard her parents are desperate to marry her off after learning she planned to run off with that clanless boy."
"Zhao Zhuliu." He grimaced as he said the name, as if it tasted bad.
"He's a strange guy. Kind of gave me the creeps." Changze's thought was interrupted by a brisk knock at the door, two taps then a pause followed by three more.
"Enter." They both called out in unison.
A cheerful woman wrapped in pink silk fluttered in, a box of food in her hands and a broad grin on her face. After she slid the door shut she stood just watching the two men on the bed intertwined together with a mixture of joy and sadness.
"As much as I hate to interrupt I know that if I don't make sure you two eat you'll both waste away to nothing. Come Er-ge, let us eat one last breakfast with gege before we send him to his doom."
Wei Changze sent her a reprimanding look as he slid out of bed and tossed on a thin sleeping robe. "Don't speak of his future wife that way. I've heard she's-well. She's very..talented?"
Cangse Sanren shot Jiang Fangmian an apologetic glance as she laid out dishes. "Talented? You mean terrifying. If looks could kill Ziyan gu'niag and Jin gu'niag would have killed me a hundred times during our time in Cloud Recesses."
"Aiiyay!" Wei Changze tapped her on the tip of her nose with his chopsticks. "Aren't you an enlightened woman from the hidden mountain clan?? How can you say such things about gege's future wife. Besides they never actually did anything to you."
"I was kicked out of the mountain remember?" She shoved a bite of food into her mouth as Jiang Fangmian joined them. "And of course they didn't do anything to me, they wouldn't even speak to me! No matter how hard I tried. And who wouldn't want to be my friend? I'm delightful." She took a swig of wine before lifting her brows in question, waiting on her two best friends to agree with her.
Wei Changze seemed suddenly intent on the food in front of him while Jiang Fangmian was focused on refilling cups of tea.
"Oh screw both of you. I am an absolute delight."
Fangmian cracked first, grinning over the rim of his tea cup. "Yes you are a delight. But have you noticed all your friends are men? If you want more lady friends you have to be more…well..."
"Of a lady, you delightful ruffian." Changze only barely got the words out before a cube of tofu smacked into his cheek. "See??? This is exactly what we mean."
The sorrowful air of the room instantly cleared as Cangse Sanren entertained them with jokes and insults, chattering the entire time they ate. The man he loved was being forced into a marriage with Yu Ziyuan. She was a talented woman, she was smart and poised and a clan leaders daughter. She was everything Jiang clan needed right now. Their union would stabilize the clan that had raised him. The only clan he'd ever considered his home. He wanted nothing more than to see Lotus Pier thrive after the droughts. But he could no longer stay there. He'd miss that but even if he could stay he couldn't allow Cangse Sanren to travel the wilds alone like she intended. Cultivators were always safer in groups besides he and Cangse Sanren did love each other, in their own way.
She was the only one who knew everything about him and accepted him anyway. Accepted his love of Jiang Fangmian without hesitation and even shouldered the jealous rumors that she and Fangmian harbored a secret romance. She'd started the rumors herself after Lan Qiren nearly walked in on Jiang Fangmain and Wei Changze in the library wrapped in each other's embrace. They'd hastily re-clothed themselves as she wove explicit stories of her torrid romance with Fangmian, acting as if she needed Lan Qiren's advice. It had given them the time they needed and had also caused Lan Qiren to turn bright red and look like he was near Qi deviation, which seemed to be Cangse Sanren's favorite past-time. He'd thrown something at her so hard that it tore through a paper screen and knocked a pile of scrolls over.
Wei Changze couldn't surpass the grin at the memory.
"I'm glad you are both leaving before the wedding tomorrow. This is a much happier parting, besides when we meet up at new years you'll have to regale me with stories of your travels. Promise you'll meet me here?" Fangmian raised his glass at the promise and waited until the other two lifted their drinks before they all three downed them in unison.
****
Wei Ying woke with a gasp, as if he couldn't get the air he needed into his lungs. He couldn't process the brush of Lan Zhan's fingers through his hair of the gentle voice he spoke to him with.
His father and Jiang Fengmian had been in love. Of course he never corrected the rumors. He was clan heir of a struggling sect. They needed money and disciples and a biological heir that couldn't be challenged. It was hard to know which fact would have been more poorly received by the cultivation world, the fact that he was a cut sleeve or the fact that he was in love with his personal servant. The rumors alone may have been a killing blow to the already weakened sect.
The weight of Lan Zhan's body on his, brought him back to himself. Lan Zhan's calloused palms dragged against Wei Ying's sides while his soft kisses fluttered across his face like butterflies landing.
"Lan Zhan." Wei Ying's voice was thick and gravely when he spoke. His husbands eyes fixed on his face, eternally patient, his thick hair forming a curtain around their faces, isolating them in their own private world. "They were so alive. My parents. Did you see?"
"I saw." The fan was now folded, resting in its box next to their bed.
"I actually feel better. Like I understand so much more. Madam Yu was wrong to believe what she did but I understand why she was the way she was now. She believed a rumor my mother started to protect my father and Uncle Fengmian. And she was in love with Core melting hand?? Can you believe it??"
Wei Ying wiped the remaining moisture from his face and sat up, accepting the cup of tea Lan Zhan held out to him. Once his hands stopped shaking he picked the folded fan back up and held it out to his husband. "So. Will you do it? Do you want to know what happened with your parents?"
Lan Wangji took it after a brief hesitation, glancing from it to Wei Ying's face then back to it again. "Yes. I want to know. Are you sure you are ok?"
Wei Ying thought for a long moment before nodding then grinning. "I am. I'm glad I did it." He wrapped his hand around the nape of Lan Zhan's neck before pulling him into a deep kiss. They were both suddenly very greatful that fate allowed them to be together, even after all of their waiting. The story they'd both just witnessed held a tragic reality that made them clutch each other tighter. After a moment they pulled apart and Lan Zhan laid his head on the pillow while Wei Ying watched over him. A quick kiss landed on the center of his head ribbon before he fluttered the fan over his face, breathing in the sparkling dust.
****
The beautiful woman on stage sang, her voice filling the room with a soft, forlorn melody sweeter than the song of a nightingale. She danced too, her flexible limbs curving in graceful shapes while the fine silk layers of her pale dress floated around her. She should have been captivating but no matter how hard he tried to focus he found his gaze drifting to rest on a table in a far corner of the room.
Three people sat at it, leaning towards each other as they spoke in animated tones. One of the cultivators he recognized as the woman Cangse Sanren who attended classes at Cloud Recesses. The elders admitted her with high hopes of learning about the secret cultivation techniques of the immortal Baoshan Sanren. Instead she had questioned the instructors to the point of potential Qi deviations, constantly challenged other students to duals and unapologetically broke rules in her relentless pursuit of knowledge. She'd shaved off Lan Qiren's beard, broken into the restricted area of the library and got caught borrowing spiritual weapons from the armory to test different theories she had. She'd left shortly after an incident involving Jiang Fangmian. He'd heard whispers of it but tried to ignore gossip. He just knew that his brother had a vendetta against her after that particular incident involving the two of them.
The man sitting next to her he only vaguely recognized as the servant who had attended Jiang Fangmian his first day in Cloud Recesses. Jiang Fangmian had petitioned for the other man to be allowed to join classes with him due to his high cultivation and potential but the elders had ultimately denied his entrance. Admission was meant for only the highest ranking cultivation heirs. The elders argued that if they let just anyone in then they'd quickly be overrun with students and training in Gusu was meant to be a rare honor, not something any common cultivator could achieve. It was one of the many things he hoped to change once he became clan leader.
He'd heard that the two of them planned to travel together but it was the other woman he couldn't look away from. He'd never seen her before. She was speaking animatedly to the other two, her phoenix eyes wide, sparkling with excitement. Her long pale hands held a brush that flicked quick, sure characters across the paper in front of her. She seemed to be explaining something to the other two that had them captivated. Lan Zhao wanted to go over and listen to her but he lacked the boldness, so he simply watched from afar out of the corner of his eyes.
Her hair was swept up and pinned with silver pins, revealing her pale, graceful neck. She was dressed in a simple gown the dark blue of the evening sky, but the elegant air she carried herself with made it seem fit for royalty. Lan Zhao took a sip of his tea and decided to focus on the singer on the stage.
He looked up to realize the stage was now empty and his younger brother stood in front of him, his arms tucked behind his back with a somewhat disapproving look on his face.
"Qiren. I didn't expect to see you here. Is everything alright?" He nodded at the seat across from him in invitation.
His brother pointedly ignored the table that had held Lan Zhao's attention as he sat. "I thought my eyes betrayed me when I caught a glimpse of you from outside. I didn't expect to see you in…such a place." Lan Qiren's lip curled as he brushed an invisible speck of dust from his shoulder.
Lan Zhao smiled softly at his brothers words. They sounded harsh, even judgmental but he knew how anxious crowds, especially noisy crowds made him. "You joined me a bit too late, unfortunately. There was a renowned singer on stage just moments ago. I came to hear her. It's good to expand one's horizons and see the world." He poured his brother a cup of tea and passed it to him.
Qiren looked down at it suspiciously before taking a small sip and sitting it down. "Your attention seemed to be focused elsewhere, Qingheng-Jun."
Lan Zhao didn't miss the subtle reminder of his station. Even though he was the older brother he found himself frequently reminded of the rules and his place in the world by Lan Qiren. More than once he'd thought they'd been born in the wrong order. Lan Qiren cared more for the order of things and while he didn't like crowds of strangers he thrived in a position of power. He was an excellent teacher and leader. While Lan Zhao found the pressure for perfection to be suffocating. He fumbled at teaching and often found himself tripping over his words and unsure of what, exactly, was expected of him. Rules always seemed like loose, abstract things even though the ones he was taught were carved in stone. Such rigid structure just seemed….silly.
Before he could open his mouth to respond loud voices interrupted them, coming from the table in question.
"How will we ever learn if we don't educate ourselves?" The woman's voice carried now that the singer had retired.
"Do you really think it can be done though? You think you can trap resentful energy and study it? You think this array would hold it?" Cangse Sanren tapped the paper in front of her that the woman had been drawing on earlier.
"What if you put it onto a container? Then you could trap and store pure energy, well in theory." The man said.
Lan Qiren choked on his tea, a scarlet flush moving up from the base of his neck to his cheeks. Of course such talk would enrage him. Resentful energy was meant to be immediately dispersed, it was not something to be handled and controlled. It was taboo.
The trio seemed to finally realize the tavern had fallen silent and all eyes moved from them to where the Lan brothers sat nearby. The Guzu sect robes were well known in Caiyi Town and the brothers were easily identified as the sons of the clan leader. The people of Caiyi Town also knew enough of the rules of Guzu sect to know that such talk was not allowed. Lan Zhao looked towards the table, met the gaze of the trio and nodded once in acknowledgement. His brother made a disgusted noise and stood with a snap of his robes.
Lan Qiren stormed out without another glance backwards. Lan Zhao couldn't help but feel like he'd made the wrong move again. He shook his head and sipped his tea, eyes glued to the table in front of him. He knew he should leave, his presence had created a tense atmosphere but he also wasn't ready to return to the confines of Cloud Recesses. So he just sat, awkwardly.
"Hey. Qingheng-Jun, right?" Lan Zhao startled, tea sloshing over his thumb as he looked up. He nodded and tried to remember the proper response. Should he bow? no. Stand? Just speak? Could he just speak? No. That didn't seem possible either. He nodded once in response to Cangse Sanren's question. She smiled back at him, bright and unrestrained. On anyone else he might worry that he was being ridiculed but something about her seemed genuine.
"Cangse Sanren. I studied briefly at Cloud Recesses. Your brother isn't a huge fan of mine, with good reason. Sorry if I unintentionally ran him off."
Lan Zhao cleared his throat. "I-I remember you. We didn't meet, officially but I do. Remember." He cleared his throat again. "My brother doesn't like crowds. So it wasn't you."
"I thought lying was forbidden?" She grinned in a way that said she was teasing. No one ever teased Lan Zhao. He wasn't sure how to respond. This wasn't something he'd been trained for. He shifted, fidgeting with the embroidery of his robe and tried to avoid looking at the beautiful woman at Cangse Sanren's side.
"I'm sorry. I'm being rude. These are my friends Wei Changze and Su Hua. May we join you? Maybe you can add to our debate. I know you Lan's are well educated, if maybe a bit reserved. Though I think that might be exactly what the three of us need. Someone to speak sense. What do you say?"
He licked his lips before his eyes locked with Su Hua's. Her eyes were the oddest color of amber, so light they were almost gold. She smiled at him, a small, gentle thing and it was such a sweet sight that he wanted to sigh. This trio was definitely not the type his Father and Shifu would want him to fraternize with. He should make a polite exit.
Instead he nodded. "Yes. Please. Sit."
The three of them exchanged almost disbelieving glances before they sat. Wei Changze sat next to him, the other two sat across. Su Hua was directly in front of him. He shifted forward and shook his head a bit in hopes that his hair would cover his ears. They had the most annoying habit of flushing red when he was nervous and he could already feel them heating.
The three instantly slipped back into their discussion on if it was possible to trap resentful energy and under what circumstances it could be studied. At the start Lan Zhao simply did his best to try and follow along. It was very quickly obvious that he was in the company of brilliant minds that thrived outside of the strict confines that he was raised in. They asked questions and freely shared thoughts that he'd never consider speaking out loud. Eventually he was caught up in their enthusiasm.
"What if you used music?" The table went silent at his words. "Um. We use music to communicate and disperse resentful energy, maybe you could use music to funnel it where you wanted it?"
"That's actually brilliant." Wei Changze knocked his shoulder against Lan Zhao's and grinned at him. He felt his ears heat again and struggled to not drop his head. "Sanren, don't you play the dizi?"
She cackled in a most unlady like way, it made Lan Zhao like her even more. "I own one. But I've never devoted the time towards it to actually play it well. Maybe I should though."
A wave of warmth rushed over Lan Zhao. He'd never been so actively accepted by his peers before. As the future clan leader the other disciples kept a respectful distance and while he and his brother got along, their relationship always felt formal. Lan Zhao always felt as if he were afraid to go off script. He had a very specific part to play and if he failed at that, he'd disappoint everyone.
Su Hua picked up the paper that lay near his hand, her fingers brushing his knuckles as she did. "Well all that's left is to test it."
"You shouldn't do that alone." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"Well, I won't be alone, but you can join us if you want. Do you think you'd be allowed too? I've heard your clan is pretty strict. I'm not sure I'd survive it honestly! Cloud Recesses sounds…intense."
He did want. Very much. He nodded, once. Even though he knew he wouldn't exactly be allowed.
"Let's drink to it!" Wei Changze poured four cups of liquor from the jug of Emperor's Smile and went about passing them out.
Lan Zhao was trying to politely decline when Wei Changze spoke up. "Oh! It's ok if you don't-"
"Lan Zhao." A voice as sharp as a blade cut through their conversation. Standing over them, looming over Lan Zhao's shoulder was a tall, thin man with severe features. His cold blue eyes shifted from the four cups of liquor before they locked on Lan Zhao's face. His disapproval was plain on his face, only barely masking the threat behind it.
"Shifu." Lan Zhao stood and greeted his master, sword clasped in his hands. He focused on keeping the trembling of his body under control.
His Shifu turned and marched away without another world and Lan Zhao knew he was meant to follow. He tried to mask the disappointment, fear and annoyance on his face before he turned to leave. Those feelings were not befitting the future clan leader.
Just as he turned to walk away Su Hua reached out and gripped his wrist, giving it the briefest squeeze before her hand fell away. Her warmth remained the whole walk back to Cloud Recesses and the entire night he knelt before the Wall of Discipline, his back throbbing from his punishment.
The memories flickered by, day after day of the same thing. Rise, meditate, sword practice, read, copy rules, teach new disciples. Over and over and over. One night the routine was broken by a note left in his room, resting on his pillow.
We are going to test our theory tonight at the edge of the forest near the old well. Your friends would love it if you could join them and maybe keep them out of trouble.
Hua, Changze, and Sanren
His thumb rubbed over where it said 'friends'. The script was also written in Su Hua's hand. Before he realized what he was doing he'd lifted the paper to his nose in an effort to catch any of her lingering scent.
What was he thinking? He couldn't sneak out. If he was caught anywhere near them he'd be punished, again. But if he didn't go and they got hurt he'd never forgive himself.
It was full dark once he arrived at the old well, later than he'd intended. He felt silly in his solid white outfit knowing he was glowing like a ghost in the darkness.
"Qingheng-Jun! We didn't think you would make it!" Wei Changze stepped from the other side of the well where the three had gathered in a circle. "Look!! It actually worked!! She did it!" He was of course clad in black, his long hair pulled up in a high pony tail. Cangse Sanren stood next to him, a dark gray cloak thrown over her light robes, though her pale face was flushed pink with excitement. Su Hua looked resplendent in her dark blue robes, her hair half down, this time cascading past her lower back in smooth sheets that looked like silk. She wore a pleased expression on her face as she floated over to him, as graceful as a swan on a lake.
"Qingheng-Jun." She said as she stopped in front of him and dipped her head.
"Lan Zhao. Please."
The corners of her lips raised in that easy soft smile of hers. "Lan Zhao." His name rolled off her tongue softly as if it were too precious to speak. He'd never heard anyone speak his name like she did. "Look! It worked."
She held out a clay jar inscribed with the array she'd designed that night in the tavern. It looked slightly modified but was similar enough. He sent out a flicker of spiritual energy and sensed a vortex of resentful energy writhing within the jar, slamming and hissing against its walls. But it held. Lan Zhao stood considering the uses of such an ability. Cultivators less capable at fighting or traveling alone could simply bottle up the resentful energy and bring it to a sect to be dealt with.
"This is incredible." He couldn't keep the awe from his voice as he spoke. Lan clan could contain spiritual weapons tainted by resentful energy, usually. But even that was not always successful. Containing pure energy like this, was unheard of.
"Would it be possible to pull resentful energy out of a person or object and bottle it like this? Like curses maybe?" He asked still turning the bottle in his hands.
Sanren walked over to join them, her excited voice echoing in the surrounding field. "We think so! At least, that's the hope. And this was easier than fighting it. This could change how the cultivation world works."
"I'm sorry I wasn't here to help."
"It's ok, you are here to celebrate with us and that's far more important!" Wei Changze laid out a blanket on the ground along with a box of sweets, fruit, and a bottle of wine. "Do you drink? I brought tea in case you didn't. I hope we didn't get you in too much trouble last time."
Lan Zhao's heart warmed at the consideration. "I've never drank wine before, but I think I'd like to tonight. Just one cup."
Cups were poured, toast were made and drinks were downed. Their voices rose in their excitement as they discussed all the applications for their new found discovery. Before long their conversation turned to new applications for different types of arrays and Lan Zhao found himself mentioning a scroll in the library that covered that exact subject.
"Oh I know. I may have borrowed it once or twice." Cangse Sanren admitted without an ounce of shame. "I took good care of it though and I put it back!"
"Was it you that snuck the letter in to me? How did you get past the barrier?"
"It was. And that's not terribly hard. If your clan could ever tolerate me for more than a few hours I'd be glad to come give some tips on how to make them stronger. Oh!" She reached into a pack at her side and pulled out two scrolls before passing them to Lan Zhao with a lowered head. "I-uh-I'm done with these now. You can have them back. Hahah Thanks! I just think that we could do more if we all shared the knowledge we have instead of hoarding it. Ya know?"
"I'll make sure they get returned safely." Lan Zhao responded, not bothering to hide the wide grin that swept over his face.
"Hey. You have a nice smile." Su Hua whispered. Lan Zhao tried not to pay too much attention to what her words did to his heart.
Cangse Senren was right though. Maybe once he was sect leader he could push the sharing of Guzu's knowledge too. There were so many things that could be improved on if they could just-
His thought was interrupted by a burst of spiritual energy that knocked him backwards, slamming his spine against the trunk of a tree. Once the blinding light cleared from his vision he could see his three friends scattered off to the side where they were lashed by the edges of the burst of energy he caught in the chest.
His Shifu stalked towards him, his long strides eating the ground beneath him, his face twisted in fury. "Disobedient!" He spat the word before the back of his hand caught Lan Zhao across the cheek. He willed his body to go limp and boneless, not bothering to attempt to fight back. He knew he had no chance against his Shifu. And he knew from experience that if he attempted to block or speak it would only make it worse. Another two strikes caught him across the face before the third landed against his already bruised back.
"This behavior is unbecoming a Sect Leader! You embarrass the entire clan with your willful disobedience." A kick caught him in his chest and he gasped as he felt a rib crack. "And for this trash?! You lower yourself for them??" Another kick.
"SPEAK!" The words were shouted against his ear. Lan Zhao slowed his breathing to stop the burning in his chest and swallowed the blood that crawled up his throat. He pulled himself up until he was kneeling at Shifu's feet.
"No venturing out at night." Lan Zhao recited calmly. It was answered with a smack across his face.
"No stealing." Another hit. The inside of his cheek tore against his teeth.
"No alcohol." Another.
"No smiling foolishly." Even as the strike hit him he wanted to smile again at the memory. It was still worth it.
"And no bullying? What of that?" Lan Zhao tried to open his swollen eye to send Cangse Sanren a look of warning. His three friends stood just out of reach. They were crowded together, clearly terrified but angry. They looked so angry.
"Stay out of this!!!" His Shifu hissed. "THIS is discipline. Something the three of you have clearly lacked!" Shifu's chest heaved as he looked down at Lan Zhao. This wasn't over. "Get up boy."
Lan Zhao struggled to his feet, his arm wrapped around his aching ribcage. He saw the hand raise, he heard the sharp, angry sound of it, but he didn't feel anything. He slowly cracked his eyes open only to find himself staring at Su Hua's back. Shifu looked momentarily surprised before he set his jaw and pulled his arm back for another strike, this time aiming for Su Hua. She raised her arm and flung the clay jar at his feet. It burst into a rolling mass of resentful energy that screamed and reeked of wet decay. Lan Zhao wrapped his arms around Su Hua's waist and hauled her away, slamming the two of them into the ground. He covered her with his body as the screaming intensified into an inhuman howl.
He slowly lifted his head as he realized that it wasn't the resentful energy screaming. It was Shifu. The dark mass poured down his throat and colored his eyes black as the darkest pits. Blood poured from ever orifice and exploded from his chest. Lan Zhao watched transfixed. It was a horror to witness but some deep, dark, unspoken part of him felt satisfaction. His Shifu was never a kind man and had always seemed particularly disappointed in Lan Zhao. Lan Zhao couldn't remember ever seeing him raise a hand at his younger brother. But this was also the first time he'd ever raised a hand at him with witnesses, before it was always in the privacy of Shifu's residence. As he watched the resentful energy slowly tear apart the man that had raised him he decided three things. One, he'd burn down Shifu's house as soon as he returned to Guzu. Two, he would protect the woman in his arms with his life. And three, he would never, NEVER, become sect leader.
The swirling energy finished it's job then returned to the well, diving down into its depths until they could no longer see it. It seems it had sated itself on the blood and body of the most powerful cultivator in Guzu. What remained of Shifu's body collapsed in a boneless heap of meat.
Suddenly the night was too cold. He couldn't stop shivering. He could feel a hand on his back. Could hear Su Hua crying on Cangse Sanren's shoulder. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from the pile that used to be his Shifu.
"You have to go. Before the rest of Guzu Clan gets here. They could already be on the way. Go. Get out of here, both of you." Su Hua shoved against Cangse Sanren as she sobbed.
"We can't leave you. They'll lock you up. We'll go. We can all just leave. Lan Zhao, you don't have to live like that. Come with us." Cangse Sanren reached her hand out to him.
Lan Zhao studied her hand as if it were something he'd never seen before. "They won't lock you up. They'll execute you. Leave. Go with them. I can't. I just. I can't. I can't leave my brother."
Su Hua nodded as if she'd reached some inner decision and reached to clasp his cold hand in her warm one. When she spoke her voice was low and soft, the way you'd speak to someone who was dying. "No. It's ok. I'm going to stay with Lan Zhao. I used resentful magic to kill. I must answer for that. This was a mistake. It was all a mistake, but it was my mistake. I'll answer for it. Please, you both need to leave. We may need help from the outside one day so go, be that for us. Sanren, you are the only one that can get into Cloud Recesses. Wait a month then come see me, ok?"
Cangse Sanren's lower lip quivered but she and Wei Changze gathered up what things they had before offering words of comfort and promises before they left. Moments later the first of the elders arrived on his sword.
***
Lan Zhan returned to himself far calmer than Wei Ying had. Wei Ying laid next to him on the bed, their bodies pressed together from ankle to arm, his hand resting lightly on the center of Lan Zhan's chest. Wei Ying dropped a kiss on the arch of his shoulder and waited in silence.
"They knew each other." Lan Zhan's voice was steady, a rumble in his chest.
"More than that. They were friends." Wei Ying's voice was thick, as if he'd been crying. He swallowed thickly and sniffled before he spoke again. "They were all friends. I wonder if they came back to visit your parents in Cloud Recesses? That all happened at least six or seven years before they died."
Lan Zhan's warm palm stroked his arm soothingly. "I think so. I remember, when I was very young there was a lot of focus on strengthening the barrier around Cloud Recesses. Why would there be if they were functioning properly? And I think..I think the resentful energy may have rebounded on to my mother. There were signs I missed when I was younger that I understand now. I believe she suffered, much like you did."
The room fell into a reverent silence, the ghost of the past hovering just out of sight. The silence stretched until Wei Ying chuckled. "So your parents met because of my parents. We need to build them an altar and thank them properly. Burn joss paper and gift them flowers and gold. I owe them far more than I realized." His fingers tangled in the tails of his husbands white ribbon before he startled and sat up. He started off into the middle distance for a moment before he looked down at Lan Zhan.
"Su Hua…Is it possible she was related to Su She.." Wei Ying trailed off, his nose wrinkling as if the name alone smelled bad. The two men shook their heads in unison, immediately dismissing the thought. The earth tilted as Lan Zhan kicked off the thin blanket and rolled so that Wei Ying was pinned beneath him. He kissed the tip of his nose before brushing a clump of hair out of his face.
They studied each other in the quiet dark with a renewed sense of wonder. It felt as if all of the planets and all of the stars aligned just for them, so much more than either of them ever realized. Lan Zhan dropped a kiss at each corner of Wei Ying's mouth. "I'm glad we get to be together, Wei Ying."
The simple admission sent a flush across Wei Ying's cheeks. As shameless as he could be sweet words never failed to make him squirm in the most endearing way. His gaze moved to the round window just over their bed to see the purple and pinks of the evening sky.
"Lan Zhan! There's a night market tonight in Caiyi. Let's go! We can eat dinner in the tavern they ate together at and order memorial tablets for them. We can set them up something here, just for us. What do you say?"
"Of course."
And they did.