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Chapter Text

How could this happen? Wen Ning was supposed to be there just for show. Just so Wen Qing felt better. He wasn't supposed to fight. Even if he did fight, he was supposed to fight for Wei Ying.

How did this happen?!

There wasn't supposed to be any fighting.Wei Ying was supposed to travel to Langling. He was supposed to arrive, see his shijie, and he was supposed to give his new nephew the present he made him.

He wasn't supposed to be ambushed. He wasn't supposed to be attacked. Wen Ning sure as hell wasn't supposed to stop listening to him. And his once nemesis turned shejie's husband wasn't supposed to get killed by Wen Ning.

Fuck!

As Wei Ying and a confused Wen Ning fled from Qiongqi Path, all the demonic cultivator could think was ‘how did this happen?’ The Jin leader would not take his son's death well. He would get what he finally wanted. He would demand the death of Wei Ying and the Wens. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to protect the Wens? How was he supposed to face Shijie? He'd never be able to face her again. He'd never be able to face his nephew.

The pair stumbled into the tiny village, startling those milling about. Not stopping to talk to anyone, he sequestered himself to his cave. He paced with his hands in his hair making it more crazed than it already was. He muttered to himself trying to work through what happened and how to proceed.

This is how the Wen siblings found their friend after Wen Ning stumbled his way through what he could remember happening. Which happened to be not much. The pair watched him for a few seconds before Wen Qing stepped forward with determination and some sadness in her eyes.

Before she was able to say anything, Wei Ying turned to her and with a crazed sort of energy, he said, “We need to leave.”

Startled, she blinked and asked, “What?”

“We need to leave,” Turning on his heels he started rummaging through his meager things, “We need to leave. There's no way the clans will leave us alone now. FUCK!” He cried scrambling to figure out what was important enough to whisk away and what was too dangerous to leave behind.

“Wei Wu-” Wen Qing tried, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Whipping around, he was suddenly in her face, “Wen Qing, we need to leave!”

Steeling herself, she placed her hands on his shoulder and held him in place, “Wei Wuxian!” She barked, “Stop,” He resisted for a few seconds before stilling, “A-Ning told me a little of what he remembers. What happened?”

Looking away, tears sprung to his eyes, “We were ambushed in Qiongqi Path,” He looked away, “I… I tried not to fight. I really,” He shook his head. It didn't matter what he attempted, what mattered is how it ended, “We fought. I sent Wen Ning after them,” Then wild silver eyes looked back at his friend, “Not to hurt them. I didn't want Wen Ning to hurt them. Just… just to make them stop. I just,” Tears started falling more freely, “I just wanted to go see shijie, but…” He trailed off. She let him have his moment before prompting him with a clearing of her throat, “Something happened. I don't know what. I lost control of Wen Ning. I don't know how, but… he stopped listening to me. Then Jin Zixuan arrived and we argued and I just… I wanted him to be quiet, but,” His voice quieted as his eyes slipped down, unable to look at the woman before him, “Next thing I know Wen Ning… he killed Jin Zixuan,” Wen Qing gasped, “It's a little blurry after that. I think there was more fighting and me playing and then we were running back here.”

Once again he looked up, his eyes glistening with tears, making him look far younger than he was, “We have to leave. How am I supposed to fix this? I can't. I killed shijie's husband! My nephew's father. How do I face them? How do I fix this!”

Quietly and painfully, the doctor replied, “You don't. If he's truly dead, you can't,” Sobs wracked his body, “But maybe, just maybe A-Ning,” Her eyes shifted to her baby brother's for a second before returning to the man before her, “And I can.”

Hesitant hope could be seen on his face as We Ying asked, “How?”

“We do what they've been asking,” She gently replied, “A-Ning and I are going to bring ourselves in.”

Barely letting her finish her sentence, the demonic cultivator barked, “No!”

“It's not your choice, Wei Wuxian. We've already decided. We are go-”

“No!” This time he grabbed her shoulders, his eyes frantic, “You can't, you can't go.”

“It's not your decision,” She looked at him hard, “If you try to stop us, I will stop you.”

Before she could reach into her pouch for her needles, he grabbed her wrist. This time his eyes were hard and clear, “Wen Qing, no. Think for a moment. This plan, you going to give yourself and A-Ning in won't work,” His voice quieted to a more normal level, “Not anymore. Wen Ni- we killed the Jin heir. No matter what we do, even if you give yourself over, they won't stop. The Jin sect won't leave us alone.”

“They said-”

“I don't give a fuck what they said! They said they would only round up cultivators. They said they would put them in labour camps to work. They said they would release them after they worked off the crime. You know that was a bunch of shit. They-” He could see tears start to form in Wen Qing's eyes, “They're word means nothing and no one is looking out for us anymore,” He let out a breath, “We need to leave. Now. We don't have time to waste. Once the shock of Jin Zi- of Jin Zixuan's death wears off, the Jin's will rally the other sects and kill us. How could they not after this?”

“I may deserve it,” Wen Qing tried to protest but he talked over her, “I do, I killed him. I did exactly as everyone feared and I wasn't able to control or stop Wen Ning from hurting someone. I killed my shijie's husband. But all of you,” He gestured towards the door, “None of you deserve this. I tried making this place as livable as possible, but we… we can't stay here. You know we can't.”

Wen Qing didn't say anything for several moments. Her eyes looked over We Ying's shoulder, her gaze far away. Finally she said, “A-Ning.”

Her brother hesitantly stepped forward, “Yes?”

“Tell everyone it's time. Only take what is absolutely necessary,” Her eyes finally focused on Wei Ying's, “We leave within the hour. We will take the eastern path.”

“Yes jie-jie,” He said before darting out the door.

The pair stayed silent. Watched each other. They both knew the other had something to say, but wasn't sure what. They waited for the other to break. Neither moved. It wasn't until A-Yuan scurried in and latched onto Wei Ying's arm.

“Xian-gege,” His little voice wobbled as he pushed and pulled the man's arms, “Xian-gege.”

Breaking from the stand off, the man turned to look at the small boy, “What is it, my little radish?”

Tears were slowly dripping down his face, “Why we packing up? What's happening? Are the yellow people coming?”

Heart breaking at the fear in the boy's voice and eyes, the man pulled the boy in, “We've decided to move. Find somewhere where we can actually plant potatoes and other crops,” Then he leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “No more radishes.”

The boy giggled, but still looked scared, “Weally?”

“Yes, we are going to go somewhere new where the people in yellow can't find us,” He hoped anyway. He wasn't much of a praying man, but if it meant his new found family would be safe he would. He'd pray to the squat clay figures popo and half of the remaining clan prayed to. At this point it wouldn't hurt and maybe, just maybe the god and his husband would listen to their please for safety.

“A-Yuan,” Wen Qing gently called to her baby cousin. The boy looked at her with his big brown eyes, “Why don't you help popo? I'm sure she could use it since we'll be leaving soon.”

The boy nodded slowly before giving his gege and cousin a hug. He tottled off in search of his grandmother. Once she was sure he wasn't within hearing distance, Wen Qing stood and looked at the man who had become another younger brother to her, “What aren't you telling me?”

“Hmm?” We Ying hummed as he began collecting only the important manuscripts, talismans, and invention ideas.

Crossing her arms, We Qing tracked the man, “What aren't you telling me? You may be the leader-”

“Not the leader,” He tried.

Ignoring him, she continued, “You may be the leader, but I'm your right hand. What aren't you telling me?” When he didn't respond right away, she threatened, “I can still stick my needles in you and have Wen Ning drag your ass into the cart with popo.”

Looking scandalized, Wei Ying gaped at her, “Wen Qing! Where did you learn that laguage?” She merely stared at him, her posture telegraphing how unmoving she was. Sighing, he admitted, “The tally is too dangerous to leave behind.”

“Agreed.”

“But,” He looked down at his fingers, “I don't want to bring it with me. As terrifying as it is to travel without it, I don't want to bring it wherever we start new. If we are hidden away in the village we found, we'll be safe and I… I won't need it. I don't want any of the Wens, especially A-Yuan near it. I don't want to bring it to the village and bring misfortune down on them because of me. I've…. caused enough problems with it. It was created here,” Now he looked up and let his eyes scan the cave, “It should be destroyed here.”

Wen Qing froze, mouth open as she stared at the man before her. When she could start to speak again, it was a little squeaky, “Wei Wuxian! You said…. You said if you destroyed it-”

“It would cause a backlash no one would probably survive?” His shoulder slumped. The years of bearing the Yin Tiger Tally and wielding resentful energy and not eating or sleeping properly fell upon him. Now, in this moment, Wei Ying looked older, far older than he had any right looking, “I've been working on a way to destroy it without killing me. I think if I can do it without trying to fight for my life or stopping Wen Ning from losing control, I should be able to do it safely. But once I do,” His hand went up to where his golden core should have been, “I won't be able to protect you any longer. I'll be as useful as Second Uncle after he caught that cold. I'll be useless.”

“Wei Ying,” His friend placed a hand on his, “You've done enough,” He looked up at her. He was so tired, “We've got a head start. We'll push as hard as we can. You've done enough. Far more than I could or should have asked of you,” When he went to protest, she shook her head, “You have. You brought me to my brother, you saved my family, and you brought A-Ning back to me. You've protected us from the sects that want to kill us just because our last name is Wen and you protect us from the resentment that lives here,” She placed her hand on his cheek like she's done so many times to her brother, “There are two phrases most find difficult to say and try to avoid,” Looking into his eyes she said, “I'm sorry and Thank you.”

“Wen Qing…” Tears once again slid down his cheek.

Shaking her head, she continued, “They need to be said. Accept them. We don't have time to argue. I gave them an hour and I still need to pack,” Pulling herself up straighter she took a step back, “Are you ready to destroy the tally?”

Wiping his hand down his face to scrub away his tears the best he could, he replied, “I will be. I'll give you what I want to bring. I won't start until you're gone. It's too dangerous. Especially for Wen Ning.”

Looking uncertain, she asked, “Are you sure you need to destroy it now?”

A flicker of doubt flashed through his eyes as he said, “If I don't now, I never will. The clans can't have it and I want a fresh start for everyone. It's now or never.”

Nodding, Wen Qing turned to leave, “We’ll be gone soon. Put your things in the wagon and prepare.” Then she marched out, leaving Wei Ying alone.

Working mechanically, he shoved a few books, scrolls, pieces of paper, and talismans into a bare thin bag. A few items he'd been tinkering with were also tossed in before he looked over the cave he'd called home for the last year and a half or so. If all went well he would never see this cave again. Doing one last walk through, he finally turned to deposit his two bags to the cart.

The bags he easily tossed in with the rest of the meager items the Wens were bringing along. However, when it came to placing his sword on it, he paused. He stared at Suibian. Gods, how he missed his sword. He hadn't been able to so much as look at it, let alone unsheath it since Jiang Cheng returned it to him. The pain that lanced through him was almost worst if not on par with the surgery to remove his golden core. It wasn't fair. He loved his sword. He loved fighting and flying with it. He loved sparring with Lan Zhan. But that was all in the past. His thumb rubbed over the sheath that was as familiar to him as his own hand.

Sighing, he gently placed it with his bags before turning to see A-Yuan running towards him. Before the child could do his signature move of colliding with his shin, Wei Ying squatted to catch him. He pulled the brave boy into his arms, squeezed him, then stood up.

“Xian-gege, Xian-gege!” The boy cried, rubbing his tear and dirt stained face on the man's shoulder.

Bouncing him, the older man asked, “What's wrong? Aren't you excited to move away from this run down place?”

Rubbing his eyes, the boy pouted, “Scary. Wanna stay with you.”

Heartbreaking a little more, he said, “You need to ride with popo for a little while, then I'll walk with you.”

“No, stay with you.”

“Oh sweet boy,” He gave a small chuckle, “I have a few things I need to do here before I can join you. You won't even notice me gone.”

“No!”

It took several minutes to calm the boy down enough for him to be returned to his grandmother. With the reassurance that he'd be able to ride on Wei Ying's shoulders once he joined the party, the older man headed towards the cave once more. As he passed the family he had grown to love as they struggled to make this place a home, he wished them well and assured them he would see them soon. Maybe if he kept telling them, he'd believe it too.

With a final shout from Wen Qing that they were leaving, the Wens started their way down the mountain towards a possible future. Lighting an incense, Wei Ying continued the preparations to finally destroy the Yin Tiger Tally for good.

Once the second incense was lit and nearly at its end, Wei Ying knelt down, put his hands together, and closed his eyes. For the first time in years, he began to pray.

I'm not usually a praying man. I haven't for years and only occasionally, but… popo has enough faith for me plus three and I hope you've been listening to her. Sometimes I think she's the only reason we've made it this far. I… Please, please let the Wens make it somewhere safe. They deserve a new life. After living under Wen Rouhan, being conscripted into the war, fighting to survive in the labour camps, then having to figure out how to make this place livable, please, please protect them. I know I've messed up and did things that most would consider against the order of things, but they deserve better. They deserve your protection. Please keep them safe.

And if you're feeling particularly generous, preventing my death from my stupid idea would be lovely. But… but I'd understand if you didn't. Please watch over them and thank you.

Taking a few extra seconds to try and center himself, he finally stood. Turning towards the bound tally, he said, “Just you and me now. Let's start.” The silence was deafening for two beats, then hellish shrieks erupted. The fight for dominance, death, and survival began.

~~~
The last of the caravan had just arrived on the flat road leading away from the Burial Mounds when a loud explosion erupted from behind. Turning suddenly, the Wens watched in horror as a column of red and black smoke shrieked from the tallest mountain. Seconds later they were hit by a wind so strong it caused many of the Wens to either stumble or topple over. The shrieking grew in volume to near deafening levels.

Watching on in fear, Wen Qing couldn't help but whisper Wei Ying's name, knowing he was the reason for the sudden explosion of resentment. Biting her lip, she turned to her brother whose eyes were wide in fear. A heart beat later, he looked to her and without being told, he darted back into the Burial Mounds.

Getting her wits about her, she turned to her family and shouted orders to continue. The grand show of energy will cause a commotion they did not want to be around for. They needed to continue their escape.

As she reassured her family that Wen Ning would get Wei Ying out, or at least what was left of him, she pushed them forward. A new faster pace than before had them all but running away from the place they had called home. An unknown amount of time later, they paused to catch their breath and hope the last two would catch up.

Knowing they couldn't take a break for long, it was as they were getting ready to march onward again, they heard a calling. “Jie-Jie!” Everyone turned to see Wen Ning running to them with a dark lump in his arms.

“A-Ning!” She called back and shouted for someone to clear a space on the wagon for Wei Ying. Ushering her brother to lay the man down, she took in a sharp breath. Wei Ying looked more like a war torn corpse than a man. His heavy black robes he'd worn to see his nephew were tattered and torn, covered in blood and dirt. Nearly every inch of skin was covered in blood with lacerations, most deep wounds. His long black hair was matted with clumps of dirt and blood, with chunks of it missing on one side of his head as if he turned his head to protect himself.

First she felt for a pulse, she felt a weak thud against her fingers. The doctor let out a relieved sigh as she ordered for some water, rags, and for the party to move out. As the company continued to flee, Wen Qing did her best to once again put her friend back together. Further up in the wagon popo clasped her and A-Yuan's hands together and prayed.

Chapter Text

11 years later

This was their first night hunt on their own and Hua Yuan was not sure they were going to make it out alive. The five of them, Hua Yuan, Xioa Li, Feng Shi, Feng Meng, and Wu Yang, had done their research. They gathered intel on what was terrorizing a small section of woods a half day from their home and were confident they could kill the ghouls. If they had known it was a boar possessed by a very angry spirit, they would have called for either baba or Doazhang. Yet here they were running and fighting for their lives.

They did manage to snare it, but unfortunately the boar broke free. As Hua Yuan rounded a tree to try and get an advantage point, he mentally swore upon seeing Feng Shi getting tossed aside by the boar's snout and Wu Yang dodging out of the way before he got trampled.

Pulling out a few talismans, Hua Yuan threw three at the boar as he ran back to help his friends. The boar managed to dodge two and was momentarily stunned by the last. The second the talisman wore off, it was once again charging, giving Hua Yuan barely any time to help Feng Shi up. While the other three attempted to distract it with their attacks, they were easily knocked to the side. Right as the boar was about to use its tusks to tear Feng Meng to pieces, a whistling ripped through the air, then a glare, and finally the boar backed off, squealing in pain. The sword that had appeared out of nowhere slashed and danced around the boar with an ease only seen before when the teenagers witnessed Doazhang's husband practice.

The five teenagers watched in awe as the blade danced around before disappearing, only for a man clad in white appeared. Before he even touched the ground he produced a sound wave that had the boar shrieking in pain. A few notes later, the demon possessing the boar attempted to escape before it was slashed in two by the cultivator.

For several seconds the teens stared open mouthed at their savior before Hua Yuan shook off the shock and bowed, “Thank you for saving us. We are in your debt.”

The man bowed his head, “Hmm. Are you alright?”

Hua Yuan looked behind him to his friends and winced, “We will be. Though baba will be upset,” He turned back towards the man, “If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing this far out in the woods? The nearest village from your direction is a two day walk from here.”

The man walked over to Feng Shi and took her wrist to check her meridians. The young girl blushed and tried not to shy away. The man replied, “The villagers requested aid. I was able to help. You will need rest and to see a doctor.” He stood up.

“Our village is only a half day's walk. We can have Qing-jiejie look at us,” Hua Yuan stared at the man in white for a moment before offering, “If you have nowhere to go, you can find rest at our village,” The other teenagers nodded, “We can offer you rest and food before you return home or move on to your next hunt.”

“Hmm, thank you,” The man nodded in acceptance.

“I am Hua Yuan, courtesy name Boayi,” The boy bowed in greeting before turning towards his friends to introduce them, “The injured one is Feng Shi, her brother is Feng Meng,” gesturing to the girl on his right right he said, “Xiao Li and Wu Yang,” He pointed to the boy helping Feng Shi up, “How may we address you?”

Bowing in greeting, the man replied, “I am Lan Zhan, courtesy name Lan Wangji, Hanguang-jun.”

“I've heard of you!” Feng Meng shouted, “They say you go where the chaos is.” Lan Zhan merely stared at him while his sister elbowed him, “Hey, what was that for?”

Ignoring her brother, she asked, “Can we go please, my side is killing me?” Without much prompt, the group began the trek back towards Puqi Village. The kids talked amongst themselves and occasionally asked Lan Zhan questions on how they could have done better. Although a man of few words, the teenagers listened carefully to what he had to say. All the while, Hua Yuan couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity. He knew he didn't know the man. He now only had vague memories of his time before his family moved to Puqi Village. He had nightmares nearly every night throughout his childhood. However, as he grew older, felt more secure and safe in the village, and didn't have to actively think about the people in gold and the hazy other coloured disciples, the nightmares faded and the traumatic memories with them. Sometimes he'd ask his father, aunt, or uncle if he remembered something. He didn't like to though. The questions always caused his baba, jie-jie, and Shushu to become sad. It was generally better to not ask. It's not like it really mattered anyway. They were too far for any major clan to stumble upon them.

Near late afternoon, the small group finally made it back to the village. Unsurprisingly, a small group of villagers were waiting for them by the time they made it to the village proper. Even more unsurprising, Hua Yuan's father, clearly rushing in from the fields, pushed through the crowd, took one look at the kids, and cried, “What happened?” Then threw his arms around his son, “A-Yuan, my little radish, I thought it was some ghouls!”

“Baba,” Hua Yuan cried, trying to be embarrassed, but finding it hard to be, “We thought so too.”

“Yeah!” Feng Shen, piped in, “We did too. Everything said ghoul, but it turned out to be a possessed boar!”

Suddenly stepping back with his hands still on his son's shoulders, the older man exclaimed, “It was a what now?”

“A Possessed boar!” Feng Meng reiterated.

Hua Yuan nodded, “If it wasn't for Huangang-jun, we would have been worse.”

Suddenly concerned silver eyes shifted to confusion, then slight panic, “Huangang-” Silver eyes shifted and finally took in the tall, dark haired man in white.

“Hello, Wei Ying,” Through the whole interaction between the teenagers, villagers, and Hua Yuan's father, all Lan Zhan could do was stare. For several long moments, his world froze as he took in the man everyone thought had died and he hoped somehow vanished somewhere safe. For eleven long years, Lan Zhan had traveled trying to help people, but also listen out for any signs of Wei Ying or the last of the Wen remnants. He had started to believe that whatever had happened on that day nearly twelve years ago had actually killed everyone on that mountain. He had started to believe it until now.

Freezing as he took in his old friend, Wei Ying let out a slow breath and gave a small grin, “Hi Lan Zhan.”

Gaping at his father, Hua Yuan asked, “Baba, you know huangang-jun?”

Not taking his eyes off the man in white, he replied, “Yes, we're old friends,” Then he looked down and started ushering the kids towards the right, “Go get checked on by Qing-jiejie before she kills me for not sending you to her sooner. I'm going,” His eyes shot up towards Lan Zhan, “To show Lan Zhan around and offer him tea for saving your butts. Now go.”

“But!” The teenagers started before Wei Ying gave them a look and pointed towards the village doctor’s building. “Fine,” They groaned. As they marched off, they whispered to each other and looked back until they turned a corner and were out of sight.

“Hua Ying, you know this man?” One of the village men called to him. Puqi Village didn't tend to get many visitors and the villagers tended to be hesitant around new people. Even if they did supposedly save their children.

Smiling, Wei Ying said, “Yes, we go way back. Huangang-jun is the most righteous man I know,” Having complete faith that Wei Ying wouldn't put the village in danger, the villagers quickly returned back to work so they could have dinner at a reasonable hour. Turning towards his old friend, Wei Ying became slightly hesitant.

Before he could say anything, Lan Zhan asked, “Hua Ying?”

“Huh?” Wei Ying cocked his head for a moment before quickly replying, “Oh that,” He motioned for Lan Zhan to follow him, “Needed a fresh start. Decided a name change was needed,” He started fiddling with his fingers, “It was also safer not being Wei Wuxian anymore.”

“Mmm,” The pair leisurely walked up a gentle hill towards a few simple houses, “Your son?”

Silver eyes took in their old friend before saying, “You would know him as Wen Yuan or A-Yuan,” He couldn't help but chuckle as Lan Zhan's eyes widened ever so slightly, “I know. If I hadn't watched him grow, I probably wouldn't recognize him either. A steady meal and a safe place really did wonders for the kid. Nearly as tall as I am and he still has a few more years of growing,” A proud, gentle smile spread across his lips, “And his golden core,” He whistled, “He's going to be trouble for things that go bump in the night.”

“Mmm, he had a strong form. He just needs experience,” Lan Zhan nodded in agreement, “A possessed boar may not have been an ideal opponent at this time.”

Wei Ying groaned, “It wasn't supposed to be one,” He rubbed a hand down his face, “I checked, Doazhang checked, hell even his husband checked that it was supposed to be a few ghouls they were going after. Their first night hunt on their own and it had to be a possessed boar.” Finally making it to a cottage slightly off to the side, but not too far from neighbors, Wei Ying went to open the door, “Home sweet home,” He allowed Lan Zhan to enter before making his way to the kitchen to light a fire, “I can actually offer you tea this time, “He threw a grin over his shoulder before gathering the proper materials to make some tea, “Please sit, I shouldn't take long.”

While Wei Ying hummed quietly to himself and started making tea, Lan Zhan took in the house his friend now called home. It was cozy if not a little chaotic. At least to the pristine order the Lans were known for. While the place wasn't a pig sty by any stretch of the imagination, it did house a lot of items, especially talismans. One desk had several piles of notes, talisman paper, a jar, inkstones, brushes, and what looked to be a compass. It reminded Lan Zhan of the days so long ago when Wei Ying ran amok through the Cloud Recesses.

After taking in all that was visible, there were two other doors, which he assumed were Wei Ying and A-Yuan's rooms, he turned his attention to his friend. The first thing he noticed was how well Wei Ying looked. He was no longer skeletal like. While youth had long left him, his cheeks were fuller and his clothes no longer hung off of him as if they were two or three sizes too big. The second and most important thing he noticed was the lack of resentment clinging to the man. The wisps of black smoke or dark energy combating with Lan Zhan's own spiritual energy were no longer there. He didn't quite emit spiritual energy like he did in his youth, but he also wasn't shrouded in resentment.

Next he noticed the flashes of silver in his friend's long hair. Again, it wasn't as long as the last time he’s seen him, but it was shinier and healthier than before. Still as wild as ever. There was a large patch of white that ran a good portion on the right side. As if all colour had been scared away instead of gracefully aging like the rest of the silver. While different than he remembered, it was still stunning to behold. Especially with the man’s hair in a high ponytail and a single braid on the right side where the white was.

The last thing he truly took in was the scarring. It wasn't quite disfiguring, but it gave the man a rogueish look. Again, the long healed burns, cuts, and slashes were mainly on Wei Ying's right side. Slicing through his eyebrow, lip, cheeks, neck, and chin. A small portion of the upper ear on the right was missing. As the man worked in the kitchen, the light occasionally highlighted the silvery, pink scars on his hands. These did not look like they came from a hard day's work out in the field. Lan Zhan began to wonder what exactly happened that day in the Burial Mounds that possibly left these scars. His golden core must have been too weak to prevent the scars from remaining.

After taking everything in, the last thought he had before Wei Ying turned around ready to serve them tea was: He was still beautiful. Still as radiant as he remembered. After everything, he was still beautifully Wei Ying.

Bringing the tea over, Wei Ying grinned, “You should like this tea. Unlike the watered down sad leaf juice we served you last time you visited.” He sat down and began serving Lan Zhan, then himself, “How have you been? How is your brother and uncle? The Cloud Recesses?”

Taking a sip, Lan Zhan noted how soothing the taste of this particular tea was, “Xiong-zhang and Shufu are well. As is the Cloud Recesses,” He took another sip as he thought about himself, “I am well. How have you been Wei- Hua Ying?”

Wei Ying couldn't help but snicker, “That looked painful. You can call me Wei Ying if you want. Just,” The smile slipped off his face as he looked down into his cup, “Just not out there,” He gestured towards the door.

“I will not,” Lan Zhan agreed, “I will not say anything.”

Some of the tension Wei Ying didn't know he had been holding released, “Ah, thank you. I, With everything- just,” He blew out a breath, “Thank you. I'm glad you and your family are well. We haven't heard much out here, so I haven't kept up on the latest gossip.”

“Gossip is forbidden.”

Silver eyes widened as they stared at golden ones for a few beats before Wei Ying burst out laughing, “Lan Zhan! I forgot how wicked your humor can be,” He threw his head back and continued to laugh until it finally settled down, “Oh how I've missed you.”

Lan Zhan's ears coloured slightly as he replied, “I have missed Wei Ying.”

Wei Ying froze, “Have you? I mean, we didn't exactly part on good terms. We fought nearly constantly. Or,” His finger started tracing the lip of his cup, “At least during the war,” He shook his head, “None of that. Not today. I guess that last time we talked wasn't so bad. Although I do owe you a meal,” He perked up, “That's it! Have dinner with me and A-Yuan. I'll even tamper down on the spices for you. What do you say?”

Nodding, Lan Zhan said, “I would like that, thank you.”

“Great!” A grin returned to the man's face, “I'm assuming you need a place to stay unless you plan on hunting tonight.”

“Mmm,” The older cultivator agreed, “I was here for the boar. I have no other night hunts currently planned.”

“Wait,” Wei Ying frowned, “You knew about the boar?”

With a sharp nod, Lan Zhan said, “Yes. The town that had requested help said there was a boar terrorizing the forest used for travel and hunting. I was in the area to assist them.”

“What about the ghoul?”

“I know of no ghoul.”

Groaning, the silver eyed man put his face in his hands, “Where did those kids end up? I swear, A-Yua-”

Wei Ying was suddenly cut off when the front door burst open and the dark haired doctor stepped in, “A-Xian, A-Yuan sai-” She cut herself off open seeing Wei Ying's guest, “H-H-Huangang-jun.”

Standing up, Lan Zhan gave a bow, “Lady Wen.”

Recovering, but still pale, Wen Qing said, “I'm not lady Wen anymore. It's Hua Qing,” Catching the way Lan Zhan’s eyes shifted to look at Wei Ying before returning to her, she huffed a small laugh, “No, I have a husband, but it's not this idiot,” She pointed to the person who was all but a brother to her.

“Hey!” Wei Ying cried, affronted.

“Are you saying you're not an idiot?” She quirked a brow.

Rubbing his nose, he stiffly replied, “A recovering idiot. I haven't done anything idiotic in a while,” When she went to point at Lan Zhan, he defended, “Lan Zhan saved the kids! I would be a terrible host if I didn't thank him for saving my son. Besides, it would have looked terrible if we kicked him out.”

“So you brought him home and are chatting?”

Crossing his arms, he pouted, “Shouldn't you be looking after the kids?”

“I did and they're fine. Well,” She tilted her head, “Mostly. Feng Shi did a number on herself and it'll take a few days for her to fully recover. I brought your son back.”

A-Yuan, who had been quiet through the whole exchange, peaked out from behind his aunt, “Hi baba. Hello Huangang-jun.”

“My radish!” Wei Ying sprung up and opened his arms. Rolling his eyes, but with a conent smile on his lips, A-Yuan walked over and let his father hug him, “How did you end up facing off against a possessed boar?”

“Yes,” Wen Qing crossed her arms, “Do tell. I'm curious how five teenagers and two experienced adults fumbled this one.”

Thinking for several minutes, the young man replied, “I'm not quite sure. We followed your instructions. We walked east for about an hour when we found the stream you and doazhang told us to look for. We followed it south until it forked and took the path on the right that led towards a deeper part of the forest. We followed the stream until we picked up its trail. There was quite a bit of destruction so we cautiously tracked it until we saw the boar.”

“Oh my darling, precious, smart and yet so dumb son,” He pulled his son into him once more and stroked his hair, “We told you to go East until you found a stream, then follow it south until you come to where it forks. Then you continue to follow the left stream which should take you into a clearing where the ghouls were known to be.”

Frowning, A-Yuan pulled back and argued, “You said right.”

Shaking his head, his father corrected, “Left. Doazhang and I definitely said go left.”

Narrowing his eyes, the young cultivator in training asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, but we can ask Doazhang when he returns or Xiao Hua,” He cocked his head in thought, “I'm pretty sure I saw him tending to the shrine today.”

“I did seeThird Aunt,” Added Wen Qing causing the father and son to nod as if that meant something significant. Turning her attention to the man clad in white, she narrowed her eyes and asked, “Are we going to have a problem?”

“A-Qing!” Wei Ying asked.

Pinning her friend with narrowed eyes she snapped, “He comes from a family that wanted us dead. I'm not risking his clan and the rest of the great sects we ran from knowing where we are.”

Addressing her, Lan Zhan said, “I am not here to cause harm.”

“But when you leave,” She squared up to him, not caring he is a sect heir, “Will your brother, your uncle, your clan, the rest of the cultivation world know where we are?”

“No,” He replied honestly, “There is no reason to. Everyone assumes you are dead.”

“Good,” She nodded, “And keep it that way. We've suffered enough for the sins of our dead clan leader. However,” She this time pinned Lan Zhan with a stare that reminded him of his uncle when he was beyond furious, “If any sect comes knocking on our door, I will find you and kill you. If they manage to kill me first, I will haunt you til the end of your days and with your cultivation level, that would be a long time. You will know no peace. Do you understand?”

By now, Wei Ying was looking at his best friend in horror while A-Yuan had subtly hid behind his father. Lan Zhan however took the threat to heart and gave a nod, “Yes, I understand.”

“Excellent. Now I have patients to see,” Turning to the father and son pair she said, “Be good hosts. A-Yuan,” The woman's body physically let go of most of the tension she held and softened, “I'm glad you are okay. Good day gentlemen.” She turned and gave a bow to Lan Zhan, “Huangang-jun.” Then she left, the door softly closing behind her.

There were a few heartbeats of silence before A-Yuan said, “Qing-jiejie is scary.”

“That she is A-Yuan, that she is,” He patted his son before looking at the tea, “I think the tea's gone cold. I-”

“I'll make some more,” Quicker than lightning, A-Yuan grabbed the teapot and started towards the kitchen, “Will you be staying, Huangang-jun?”

Taking a seat and looking at his friend, Wei Ying said, “As I offered earlier, you are welcome to stay the night. The village doesn't have an inn or anything, although the shrine does have a bedroll” He leaned forward a little and whispered loudly, “We have actual beds if you can believe that.”

“Thank you,” Lan Zhan bowed his head, “If you are sure.”

“Of course, it'll be like our Cloud Recesses days except we'll be sharing a residence, we don't have to be up for lectures, and we can drink.”

“Not like our lecture days.”

Wei Ying paused before snickering, “Guess not, though,” He looked at his son, “We do have to do some training and meditation if you'd like to join us. Maybe you can offer A-Yuan some critique since Doazhang isn't here. You're also better at meditating than I am,” He sighed dramatically, “Still never got the hang of it, even when I tried my best during the Sunshot Campaign.”

“I will gladly assist.”

Beaming, he said, “Great.”

A few moments later, as Lan Zhan gave a very clinical update on what he had been up to, A-Yuan joined the pair and served them tea. He watched his father closely as names he recognized but didn't personally know were brought up. He watched a myriad of emotions flicker and flow over his face. A grin when a boy named Jin Ling was spoken of, a look of longing and regret when his aunt Jiang Yanli was mentioned, surprise when a clan leader had qi deviated and died passing his title on to his younger brother, sadness and guilt when Jiang Cheng and Lotus Pier was brought up, and relief when the world thought the Wens had perished alongside Wei Ying.

In all honesty, A-Yuan remembered a few details of the fateful day his family fled from the Burial Mounds. He didn't remember the reason, although he had been told it was because of a death of an heir, but he had vivid memories of his uncle placing his baba on the cart. He remembered how scared he was seeing his baba not moving and covered in blood, cuts, and overall looking more corpse-like than the gege he remembered. He remembered the fear on everyone's faces as they fled. He remembered his aunt muttering as she did everything she could to save him. He remembered curling up with his baba any chance he could to make sure he was still alive and wouldn't be lonely.

The journey itself was a blur. He was a child. It felt like an eternity before they found somewhere safe. He doesn't even remember when a rogue cultivator in white joined their weary group. But eventually his baba had been deemed stable and they eventually made it to the village they now resided in. They settled down, his father got better, and life in the Burial Mounds slowly felt like another lifetime. Sometimes he wanted to know more about their time in Yiling, what it truly was like to live amongst too much resentment. Most times, A-Yuan was more than happy to live in blissful ignorance. It may have been a rough and scary time, but he knew he had been happy. He only really had fond memories of running around the run down ruins they called home. He wanted to keep it that way.

Earlier than usual, Wei Ying stood up, stretched and headed towards the kitchen. Seeing his father starting to prepare the evening meal, A-Yuan jumped up and offered to do it instead. Not the least bit affronted at being kicked out of the kitchen, it wouldn't be the first time, Wei Ying informed his son that their guest didn't eat meat and to be light on the spices. Since he no longer had to make dinner, Wei Ying showed Lan Zhan to his room so he could put his travel bag away.

Opening the door, he waved his friend in, “You can stay in my room,” Before the older man could protest, he continued, “I'll bunk with A-Yuan.” Once Lan Zhan relieved himself of anything he immediately did not need, the pair walked into the living area where Wei Ying pointed to a rack by the door, “You can put Bichen in the rack if you'd like. You don't have to though,” He shrugged, not caring either way.

Lan Zhan walked over and paused for a moment as he took in the two swords resting in the rack. One he was not familiar with and he assumed was A-Yuan's. The one that caused pause was one he had known well. It was one that had crossed blades with his own on several occasions, mainly in the Cloud Recesses in his youth. It was one that either he or Jiang Cheng had carried for months while trying to find its owner. Suibian. The sword whose name he scoffed at the first time he heard it, who wouldn't open for anyone, and the one he never thought he would see be wielded again. As he placed Bichen on the rack beside its old friend, he wondered if Wei Ying had finally taken up the sword again. He hoped he did.

Returning to his friend, the other man was keeping up a running commentary on what life was like in Puqi Village. Once dinner was ready, A-Yuan served the food and everyone sat down to eat.

As they sat and during one of the pauses of silence so Wei Ying could shovel food into his mouth, the man suddenly couldn't help but start giggling. Without speaking, golden eyes looked up and asked, ‘What is funny now?”

Resting his cheek on his hand, Wei Ying grinned, “You had a lasting impression on my little radish,” He leaned over to attempt to pinch his son's cheek, “You told him once one does not speak during meal time and he's taken it to heart.”

Hearing this, A-Yuan perked up and broke his usual rule of silence to ask, “I what? What do you mean Huangang-jun left a lasting impression?”

“You've met Lan Zhan before,” Wei Ying smiled while Lan Zhan nodded. At his son's surprised look, he continued, “You were about,” He rubbed his chin, feeling the scratch of day old stubble, “Four or five. I'd brought you into town so you could burn off some energy before poor popo had to watch you. We were there for a while and I looked away for a moment to haggle and the next thing I know, you were gone. Gave me quite the fright, let me tell you,” He leaned back and smiled fondly, “I'm frantically looking around when I hear a group of people first scolding then trying to offer advice to a young father with his crying child.

“I go over and what do I see,” A large grin spreads across his face as he looks to Lan Zhan, “A young man dressed in Lan blue and white looking lost and uncomfortable with a snotty, crying kid hugging his leg. You were rubbing your face all over his pristine robes.”

Looking horrified, A-Yuan said, “No.”

“Yes.” His father grinned, while Lan Zhan said, “Yes, you were quite upset.”

“You were even calling him baba,” A-Yuan groaned, “But to be fair, at that age you alternated between gege and baba in our village. Anyway, I finally wandered over to help. I picked you up and we spent the day with Lan Zhan.”

Frowning in concentration, A-Yuan slowly said, “Did…Did you buy me toys? A butterfly? And I think we ate together?”

“Mmm,” Lan Zhan nodded, “Yes.

“Wait!” A-Yuan lit up as if a lightbulb went off in his mind, “You're Rich-gege.”

Lan Zhan looked startled as Wei Ying curled over the table nearly crying, “Yes,” His father gasped, trying to suck in air from laughing so hard, “Yes, he's Rich-gege. You were quite sad when he had to return home,” He went to pinch his son's cheek again only for the teenager to dodge, “You even asked if he would stay for dinner.” They spoke a little more about the day Lan Zhan had visited before dinner became a quiet affair once more.

Once the meal was eaten and the dishes done, the trio grabbed their swords and went out into the back of the house. There the men stretched, Wei Ying taking a little more time for his old wounds that needed a bit more attention. As he continued, he said, “A-Yuan, why don't you show Lan Zhan your form and he can offer pointers. If you're lucky, maybe he'll show you a few Lan techniques.”

At the suggestion, the boy turned eagerly to the other cultivator. With a nod to proceed, the teenager got into position and started going through the different sequences he had been learning since he was six. After a long day of tracking and running for his and his friends lives, going through the sword motions was calming. It soothed any lingering anxiety he felt from the botched night hunt.

After finishing the first set, Lan Zhan stepped in and offered point suggestions on how to better position himself or move the sword without unnecessary movement. Wei Ying watched happily from the side, finishing up the last of his stretching. Standing up, he walked over and watched his son go through the movements once more. Finishing the last movement, A-Yuan turned to see his father smiling and Lan Zhan nodded in approval.

Turning his head, Lan Zhan said, “Wei Ying.”

He cocked his head for a moment before snickering, “Ah, I see. You think you're the teacher and I'm a student. Yeah, yeah,” He looped his arm around A-Yuan's shoulders, pulling him back towards the middle, “Let's show Lan Zhan how awesome we are.”

“Baba,” The boy grinned while shaking his head.

A giddiness started to course through the older cultivator as he watched the pair begin the next sequence of movements. While keeping a watchful eye for mistakes or areas of improvement, he couldn't help but marvel at his friend's grace. He'd always thought Wei Ying looked more beautiful when fighting with his sword. He made every movement look easy and as if he had been born to wield a Suibian. It did strike him as odd when the man slightly deviated from what his son did. Lan Zhan knew the Jiang clan's fighting style. The Cloud Recesses lectures got him familiar and the Sunshot Campaign, especially the early months, had him know it by heart. Even now, he could see the influence in the way A-Yuan moved even if some of the movements weren't pure Yunmeng.

Wei Ying however, moved quite easily through the parts that were clearly the ones he remembered and taught his son, but even they had some alterations. Instead of a certain motion he knew should be there (he saw A-Yuan execute it easily), Wei Ying shifted and moved differently before re-synchronizing with the flow. It was fascinating to watch. How he missed watching his friend fight.

Once finished, the pair looked over at the experienced cultivator. Taking a moment, Lan Zhan spoke first to A-Yuan and again offered minor adjustments and pointers on making the moves more powerful or less clunky. Taking the critique in good spirits, the boy went to walk through the moves while the two adults talked.

“So, Lan-laoshi,” Wei Ying teased, earning him a red eared friend, “Am I as terrible as everyone back home probably thinks I am?”

Clearing his throat, Lan Zhan replied, “Wei Ying is still quite talented.”

Looking a little surprised, he said, “Oh.”

“You still remember the best way to move and use your sword without extra movements or unnecessary flair. Although some of your alterations I am unsure of,” He paused for a moment to think over the moves, “While not necessarily wrong, they cause a slight disruption to the flow.”

“Yeah,” He scratched the side of his head where the white hair grew, “I'm not quite as nimble as I used to be. I tried the usual move sequence when I started practicing again, but some transitions I just couldn't do smoothly or caused pain. It was a bit of trial and error. For example,” He moved away so he wouldn't interrupt his son or hit his friend, “During this part where you swing down and extend your arm out,” He slowly did the motion, “I can't fully extend with my right arm,” When he paused, Lan Zhan could see the mild bend at the elbow and the awkward way he would have to hold the sword in order for it to be straight, “So, I had to be creative. I could either figure out a way to still use my right arm or switch Suibian to my left,” He did the movement again, this time with a smooth transition to him with the sword ending in his left hand, “I've become quite talented with using my left. Occasionally, I'll have A-Yuan and the others practice with their left hand in case something happens,” Looking at his son and speaking a little louder he said, “Can't have them being useless on a night hunt because they aren't ambidextrous.”

Pausing in his practice, the teenager turned with a slight pout, “It was one time and it wasn't even me.”

“And that is why we practice,” Wei Ying grinned, “Already looking better.” The boy beamed at the praise, “Ready for a few more?”

A-Yuan nodded before looking hopefully at Lan Zhan, “Would you mind showing me some of your clan's techniques? If that's okay?”

“Mmm,” Lan Zhan hummed in agreement. Something warming in his chest at the eagerness of the young man.With renewed motivation, the boy started to go through his warm ups. With a chuckle, his father joined him and for the next thirty minutes, the pair moved fluidly through the different movements.

With an eagerness that had him nearly vibrating, A-Yuan watched with rapt attention as Lan Zhan began. He truly was as graceful as his baba told him. The only people more stunning in their movements was perhaps the doazhang and his husband, but that may not be a fair comparison. Although to his surprise, he recognized a few moves. His eyes flicked to his baba for a second before returning to the man before him. Apparently, the Jiang clan weren't the only ones donating to his education.

“Baba?” He quietly asked, eyes not leaving the man in white, “Do you know what Huangang-jun is doing?”

“Hmm?” Wei Ying asked, eyes also staying focused on his friend, “Yes. This is a warmup I learned while I stayed in the Cloud Recesses for their lectures.”

“I recognize some of the moves and movements.”

Finally looking over at his son, he grinned, “Smart boy,” His eyes returned to Lan Zhan who was about to finish, “I pulled mainly from the Jiang Clan since that was my sect growing up, but having learned from Cloud Recesses I also incorporated of few of theres. If you ever see a Nei Cultivator, you’ll know a few of theirs too. Can't know too much.”

“Some of the Lan techniques remind me of doazhang,” A-Yuan commented. Wei Ying hummed but said nothing. It was an open secret that most either knew or had an inkling that the doazhang taking care of the small shrine was far older than he appeared. Wei Ying and many of the Hua's had a feeling he was perhaps the god popo put all her faith into. Especially when his husband would call him Dianxia. None of the villagers would deny or confirm whether or not it was true. That just made Wei Ying think he was right. Not that he particularly cared. The man had helped them find and settle into the village. He wasn't going to say anything.

As Lan Zhan approached, Wei Ying started clapping, “Wonderful as always, Lan Zhan. Truly a treat to watch you practice your swordsmanship.”

Again, A-Yuan all but started vibrating as he started talking nonstop about how cool and amazing it was to watch the older cultivator. If he thought he was impressed before seeing him perform a few moves on the boar, seeing him now was incredible. Lan Zhan listened patiently as he would with the students he occasionally taught when he wasn't roaming the land. Once the boy finally ran out of words and breath, the older man said, “He truly is your son.”

While A-Yuan blushed, Wei Ying let out a hearty laugh, “Isn't he! Now, do you have any questions before Lan Zhan teaches you?” The boy shook his head, “Then pay careful attention.”

For the next hour, Lan Zhan began teaching the teenager beginner Lan warm-ups. He gave praise where it was deserved and critique when needed. By the time an hour was coming to a close, A-Yuan was exhausted. His body felt like jelly and he knew once he got to his room he would pass out.

Plopping onto the grass and panting, the teen looked up and called, “Baba,” Wei Ying, who up to this point had oscillated between practicing on his own and watching his son, looked over, “Can I see you do it?”

Smiling, the man looked over at his friend and asked, “Want to join me?” A-Yuan's eyes lit up when Lan Zhan nodded. “Okay,” Rolling his shoulder and shaking out his arms, he got into position next to the Lan heir. Taking a breath in, the pair began moving. It was a sight to behold. While Wei Ying wasn't quite as graceful as Lan Zhan, he matched the man nearly perfectly. A few times he did alter his movements, his body remembering and knowing a move wasn't one he could do. Overall, it was exhilarating to once more practice with his friend. Freeing and grounding in a way he hadn't felt since he was a teenager.

The teenager grinned as the pair finished, “That was amazing. Baba, you were almost perfectly synchronized with Huangang-jun.”

“Oi, why the surprise?” Wei Ying pouted as he stepped in front of his son, “I literally told you I was doing that when I was fifteen.”

“Yeah,” The teen stood up, “But that was forever ago and I've never seen you do it before.”

“Are, are you calling me old?” The look of faux offense had the boy laughing, “What are you laughing about, get over here!” A-Yuan continued to laugh as he started sprinting around the backyard, barely managing to evade his father. Lan Zhan remained where he was with a barely there upturn of his lips, enjoying the sound of laughter from father and son. His heart ached just a little bit at the sight.

It didn't take long for Wei Ying to capture his son and wrestle him to the ground. With giggles barely enabling him to say anything, A-Yuan tapped out of his father's embrace. Giving his son a big kiss on the cheek, Wei Ying released him so they could do their final stretches before heading back inside to meditate and head to bed.

Unsurprisingly, Wei Ying wasn't great at sitting still for more than twenty minutes. Even after years of practice, he still couldn't last long. While his son and friend meditated quietly, he crept away to work on some talismans he knew they were low on. By the time A-Yuan opened his eyes, a small yellow and red pile sat to the right of his father's arm. Trying not to disturb their guest, he wished his father goodnight and got ready for bed. With a final wave, the teen closed his door and was out before his head hit the pillow.

Not long after A-Yuan finished his meditation, Lan Zhan opened his eyes. It was closing in on his usual bedtime, but seeing Wei Ying after so long made him determined to not get ready for bed yet. Surprising his friend, Lan Zhan made his way over to the desk Wei Ying was using and inspected the talismans that were finished.

With a teasing smile and a last swipe on his talisman, Wei Ying said, “Isn't it time for little Lans to go to sleep?”

“Mmm,” Lan Zhan replied, still looking over a talisman he had never seen before, “I am not little.”

“That you are not,” The man snickered. Straightening up his area, he stood up and stretched, “Would you like some tea? I still have a few hours in me.”

“Yes, thank you.” He watched as his friend made his way to make more tea. This time a chamomile and lavender blend that would help them settle. Carrying the tray outside, the pair sat on the small porch. Neither spoke as they sipped their tea and looked up at the stars. Well, Wei Ying was, Lan Zhan stared at his friend unsure how to ask the questions that burned inside him. He wanted to know, yet he didn't want to once again burn the camaraderie they had formed over the last several hours.

Nearly done with his first cup of tea, Wei Ying finally looked over at Lan Zhan and asked, “What's going on inside your head, Lan Zhan? I can feel your eyes burning into me.”

Lan Zhan looked down at his cup before steeling himself, “I would like to ask Wei Ying about what happened. You do not have to.”

Letting out a little sigh, he replied, “You will have to be more specific.”

“What happened at Qoing Path? What happened that day that lead to you and the Wens living here?”

Right to the heart of everything they hadn't talked about. He knew it would be brought up. It was bound to. After everything that happened, he knew Lan Zhan would want to know the truth. Or at least Wei Ying's truth of that day.

Pouring himself another cup of tea, he asked, “What do you know about that day?”

While he didn't like gossip or rumors, Lan Zhan remembered the conference held after. The stress his brother had been under. The call and very little debate on how it had all been Wei Ying's fault. How the sects needed to band together and kill the Yiling Patriarch and the last of the evil Wens. How they needed to avenge the Jin sect heir, his wife, and newborn son. Lan Zhan had wanted to go to the Burial Mounds and talk to Wei Ying about the events, but he had been too late. He hadn't even left the Jin palace before the cultivation world felt the release of excessive resentment energy. He had been barely halfway to the Burial Mounds when he had heard that there had been an explosion in them and how the barrier had shattered. By the time he rushed to the little dilapidated village the Wens called home, the area had looked like a bomb had gone off. No Wens could be found. There had been blood and shreds of clothes, but no living soul. Lan Zhan had silently cried as he picked up the broken pieces of Chenqing. He was the one to confirm the Yin Tiger Tally remained no more and not a single soul resided on the mountain.

After a moment's pause, the Lan heir said, “Jin Zuxun,” Seeing Wei Ying's confused face, “Jin Zixuan's cousin and the man in charge of the labour camps, reported back that you and your fierce corpse had attacked them and killed Jin Zixuan. He said you attacked unprovoked when they went to escort you to Jin Ling's ceremony.”

Giving a hollow laugh, Wei Ying said, “I bet,” He leaned back and stared out into the darkness, “And everyone of course believed him.”

“Most. Lady Jiang did not and I felt that to be untrue,” Silver eyes slid over to him. They reflected both sadness and curiosity, “Lady Jiang did ask a few questions, but no one truly answered them. I know the way you hold your sister in high regard. You would never hurt her in such a manner. Especially when traveling to see your martial nephew.”

“You have so much faith in me, Lan Zhan,” The man gave a small smile, “I may not have liked Jin Zixuan, but he had unfortunately grown on me over the course of the aftermath of the Sunshot Campaign. Mainly due to Shijie's love for him. I wouldn't hurt her that way.”

“What happened, Wei Ying?” There was a slight desperation in his voice that surprised Wei Ying.

Leaning his head against the house, he tried to explain. It'd been well over a decade by now and most of the finer details were blurry and lost to time, but the overall image was still clear. He talked about bringing A-Ning with him because A-Qing had been worried someone would try to harm him on his way to the ceremony. Sadly, she had been right and he had actually been the one ambushed. Not the other way around. He admitted that he was quick to fight, but he only wanted them to stop. To beat them enough so he could move on and see his shijie. Then Jin Zixuan arrived and didn't actually make things any better. He jumped to conclusions just like everyone else. Told him he needed to stop even though he was only defending himself. But even then, he didn't really mean any harm. There had been more fighting and although he was furious, he never once played a killing tune, but for some reason A-Ning went in for the kill. How it had actually shocked him seeing Jin Zixuan die. After that it was a bit of a blur. He remembered struggling to get A-Ning under control and how they fled back to the Burial Mounds. He vaguely remembered telling A-Qing they needed to leave. They had been talking about it for a while, but weren't anywhere near ready to implement to move. But she started talking about giving herself and A-Ning over to the Jin's and he couldn't have that and they needed to leave.

He quieted for a moment and squinted. The next part was patchy. He remembered the Wens leaving him alone on the mountain. This was the plan. He would destroy the tally and join them later. He waited two incense times before starting the ritual to destroy it. Next thing he knew was pain and feeling like dying. Vague memories of voices. Screaming. Some might have been his. He thinks most were the ghosts that felt betrayed. When he fully woke up they were in a small village and he'd been unconscious for weeks. It had been touch and go for days even after they arrived in the safety of Puqi Village. It was a slow recovery with him having to basically relearn how to use his right side. His son had kept him company and learned alongside him how to write and move again.

Wei Ying quieted. His mind turned inward as he remembered those early days. While most days felt like a lifetime ago, some times, especially in the cold or a storm rolling through, the ache in his bones remind him of his recovery. Lan Zhan remained quiet, knowing his friend would speak when he was ready.

“It was hard,” He whispered as if this was the first time he was admitting it, “I remember getting frustrated a lot. I wanted to do everything that I had before. I wanted to write, paint, hold my sword again and yet it was nearly impossible. There were days I'd look at A-Yuan and be jealous,” He let out a huff of a laugh, “This little scrawny kid was doing better than me! I was twenty-three years old and I couldn't even write my name,” His eyes shifted to Lan Zhan, “Your uncle would have qi deviated on the spot,” Lan Zhan looked over and saw the grin that told him he was allowed to laugh. He hummed, “It was embarrassing. Popo was patient though,” His smile grew sad, “I'm just glad she could have some peace before she died.”

“When did you adopt A-Yuan?” Lan Zhan asked, the question had been quietly burning in him for a while.

Looking straight ahead once more, Wei Ying thought before saying, “I don't think I have ever formally adopted him. I lived with Popo until she passed. As you know, she helped me while I was recovering and when she died A-Yuan just stayed with me. By the time I thought about it and brought it up, A-Qing looked at me like I was dense and said he was mine.”

Lan Zhan was mildly surprised to find out A-Yuan had not always been Wei Ying's. During his short visit to the Burial Mround, Wei Ying had teased that he had birthed the boy, carried him around as if he were his blood son, and seemed to deeply care for him. It also didn't surprise the Lan heir that his friend was also the last to know. As smart as the man was, he also seemed to be quite blind when it came to certain areas of his life.

“He is lucky to have you.” Lan Zhan stated.

“I don't know about that.”

Before he could protest further, Lan Zhan turned to him and said, “He is. He is thriving and you have always cared for him. I did not see you long when I visited the Burial Mounds, but even then I could see.”

Looking down, Wei Ying could feel the embarrassed happiness of being told he hadn't screwed up his son wash over him, “Thanks, Lan Zhan. It's good to know I didn't screw him up. Though that might have to do with the rest of the Hua's.”

“Wei Ying would never ‘screw up’ his son,” The older man said seriously, “Why Hua?”

Wei Ying chuckled, “We wanted a new start and to ensure we weren't found. The Wens were more than ready to shed that name and I…,” He trailed off for a moment, “I didn't want to give up Wei. It's the only connection I have to my parents, but,” He let out a sigh, “If someone found me because of my name they could make a connection to the rest of them so I adopted the name too. Also, it would help A-Yuan stay connected to his blood family.

“We were stumped though. What name would we choose? We ended up just asking doazhang what his name was, but he suggested his husband's last name instead. Saying something along the lines that he's used it as an alias before, so Hua it was. Xiao Hua was tickled and teased doazhang that now they had a village full of children. I don't think we saw doazhang for three days.”

Lan Zhan frowned, “Xiao is not Hua.”

“The villagers call him Xiao Hua. It's been tradition since he showed up with Doazhang one evening and stayed. His real name is Hua Cheng.” While the name sounded somewhat familiar, the older cultivator could not think of why and let it go. He nodded at the explanation. “Now,” he watched as his friend stifled a yawn, “I think it is time for bed,” Wei Ying stood up and collected the tray with the tea pot and cups, “Little Lans are up past their bedtime and I have to check on the shrine. With doazhang away, we Hua's take care of it unless his husband is there.”

“Still not little,” Lan Zhan deadpanned, causing Wei Ying to snicker. Completing their separate nighttime routines and saying goodnight, the pair split for their rooms.

The next morning, Wei Ying found Lan Zhan meditating. He quietly began warming congee and making tea for when his guest and son were ready. While A-Yuan didn't quite take after his father, the teenager was still slow to rise on days he helped tend to the shrine. Just as Lan Zhan opened his eyes, a half asleep A-Yuan stumbled out of his room and collapsed into a chair.

“Good morning, my little radish,” Wei Ying smiled as he placed a bowl and cup in front of his son, “Good morning, Lan Zhan.” He did the same as the older man sat down.

While A-Yuan merely mumbled a greeting, his friend said, “Good morning, Wei Ying.” Once the teas were poured the trio began eating quietly. Almost half asleep himself, it was a rare occasion where Wei Ying didn't try to fill the silence.

Before long, the three men finished their breakfast, cleaned up, and prepared for the day. A-Yuan left his room to find his father doing his morning stretching and Huangang-jun standing quietly off to the side looking at a compass that didn't appear to point north.

His father looked up with a tired smile, “Ready?” The boy nodded, “Lan Zhan, you may join us if you want. We are on shrine duty, but if you'd rather stay here or go do something else, you are more than welcome.”

Placing the object back on the desk, the man in white replied, “I will join you.”

“Excellent,” He stood up and started for the door, “Let's go.” The trio leisurely made their way towards the shrine. To Lan Zhan's surprise, it was a very modest building. The outside was surrounded by a fence with a simple archway that greeted any followers and asked for donations for maintenance. There were three steps that led to a porch, a simple wooden front door, and one window on either side.

Inside there appeared to have two rooms. The first was the room that held a little kitchen off to the side and a simple wooden table where followers could leave gifts and burn incense. Behind the table was a beautiful painting of the shrine's god. While it was said the painting was hundreds of years old, it looked as if it had been painted the day before. Under the portrait were two simple, but well kept statues. The one on the left was in a simple robe, a straw hat on his back, and a bag of what looked like a pile of junk. Next to him was a man in a little more refined clothing, an eye patch, and holding what appeared to be an orb. They were bound together by a red string.

To the left was a doorway with a straw curtain acting as a door. Lan Zhan couldn't be certain, but he assumed it was for anyone who needed a place to stay or a room for storage.

Once they entered, A-Yuan immediately tidied up the table and lit some incense before putting his hands together in prayer. Wei Ying leaned in to Lan Zhan and whispered, “The god of this shrine does not believe his followers should kneel in prayer. Bowing is a little more acceptable, but he prefers, at most, a bowed head,” Lan Zhan looked mildly surprised at the notion, “I know. He's a unique one,” Wei Ying quieted for a moment, closed his eyes, put his hands together, and offered a quick prayer of thanks and continued protection for the family that had accepted him as theirs. It lasted all of a minute, then he opened his eyes and began cleaning up inside while A-Yuan went to sweep the porch and walkway.

As Wei Ying cleaned the table and dusted the statues, he began informing Lan Zhan of the god, “This shrine is to the Scrap Immortal, The Flower Crown Martial God, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Xianle and his husband the ghost king,” Again, Lan Zhan's eyes opened a little wider in surprise, “Apparently, this is the first shrine of the Scrap Immortal when he ascended for the third time.

“Doazhang and his husband usually maintain it, but when they both need to be away we'll do it for them. As a thank you for helping us and giving us a place to call home. Doazhang said we didn't have to, but it's our way of giving back, you know?” Nodding in satisfaction at the cleanliness of the table, he moved to carefully peak into the side room. Finding it empty, he rolled up the sleep mat and stored it with the other three before returning to the main room.

Motioning for Lan Zhan to follow him, the pair went outside to help A-Yuan. While the teenager finished up, Wei Ying grabbed an ax and two pales and headed out towards the forest. Initially he was going to down a small tree to chop into fire wood, however Lan Zhan took the ax. Knowing he wouldn't be able to sway his friend to instead gather some water, he pointed to a few trees he could fell and left the man to his own devices.

By the time he filled the buckets, Lan Zhan had already downed the tree and started chopping it into moveable pieces. The rest of the morning was busy chopping wood and fixing small issues around the shrine. Around lunch, the trio paused to warm up more congee. This time around, Wei Ying grinned happily as he turned his fiery red. Lan Zhan said nothing as he ate his bland lunch and A-Yuan shook his head as he added a little spice to his, but barely enough to cause it to turn a light pink.

A few hours after lunch, the group of cultivators in training noisily made their way to the shrine. They helped where they were needed before Wei Ying shooed them to start their warm ups. They all froze for a moment when Wei Ying suggested Lan Zhan teach them before bursting into excited cheers. They raced to the side yard where they quickly started stretching. Wei Ying snickered as he went back to caring for the shrine. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Lan Zhan walking them through new moves then, when Wei Ying had time, discuss what happened during the night hunt. The older cultivator was pleasantly surprised at the discussion the group had.

As night began to fall and the teenagers returned to their houses, the trio made their way back to the Hua household. A-Yuan looked at his father's friend and asked, “Huangang-jun, will you be joining us on our night hunt tomorrow?” It had been decided that the following night, the teenagers would attempt their night hunt once more. This time Wei Ying would assist them just to make sure they didn't get lost. He would hang back once they were on the correct trail and wait for them to return or for them to send up a flare if they needed help.

“If Wei Ying is okay with it,” The man replied, his hands clasped behind his back.

“If you aren't busy or need to leave, more the merrier!” Wei Ying grinned. The rest of the night was spent eating and talking about the upcoming night hunt. As Lan Zhan drifted off to sleep, it was to the sound of a dizi and a familiar song.

The following day, the teenagers, Wei Ying, and Lan Zhan started the journey towards the ghouls. The adults hung back, allowing the cultivators in training to lead the way. Every so often, Wei Ying would ask a question about either the ghoul, the best way to defeat a ghoul, or if anyone noticed anything out of the ordinary. Most of the time the teens knew the answers, but when they didn't more often than not they discussed it until they came to a correct answer. If there were multiple ‘right answers’ one of the adults would ask about it and a further discussion was had. It both passed the time and ensured the teens had the correct knowledge to one day be a true cultivator.

Upon coming to the fork in the stream, the group paused and Wei Ying crossed his arms, “Alright my little gaggle,” The teens groaned, “Tell me what you did last time.”

“We went right!” Feng Meng pointed to where the stream deviated right.

The older man hummed, “And what did you notice or didn't notice when you went to the right?”

Frowning, the teen said, “Nothing. It was a normal stream and route. No path since most people don't travel this way. Can't really say it was overgrown, but it wasn't clear either.”

Feng Shi tilted her head and added, “There wasn't anything sinister that way until about…” She paused and did mental calculations, “Three hours in? Then the forest looked corrupt.”

A-Yuan nodded, “There appeared to be a distinct separation between the green lively forest and the blackened, dead area we were about to enter.”

Tapping her chin, Xiao Li continued, “It had the hair on the back of my neck sticking up and it smelled wrong. Rotting and sulfur.”

“And what, my dear children, do ghouls smell like,” Wei Ying asked as he leaned on a rock.

“Dirty.” Feng Meng said right as his sister said, “Unwashed.”

“Maybe a rotten smell or like blood,” A-Yuan replied.

Wu Yang said, “Unclean and maybe like blood.”

“Good,” Their mentor nodded.

As the teens preened, Lan Zhan then asked, “What of the environment around them?”

Xiao Li pondered before answering, “Broken branches. Like someone had been stumbling around. Maybe blood if they had recently killed something.”

“Mmm. Correct.” The girl grinned.

Pushing off the rock, Wei Ying went to stand once more beside his friend, “Now, after saying all that. Should you have assumed the creature you hunted the other day was the creature you were hunting?”

The high energy deflated as the teens began to understand their mistake. Together they muttered, “Nooo.”

Stepping forward to pat them, Wei Ying smiled, “I know your first night hunt alone is exciting. I remember that feeling well. However, now you know to look out for what you should be hunting and what you may have stumbled upon. Sometimes, what you think you're hunting is in fact something completely different, but that is why you collect as much information as you can before hand to prevent surprises such as a possessed boar,” He turned to face the left stream, “Keep on eye out as we move left on what matches what we know about ghouls and what does not. Ready?”

With renewed determination, the teenagers nodded and began the trek left. Once again, Wei Ying fell back to walk beside his friend. Again, every so often Wei Ying or Lan Zhan would quiz the teenagers or ask them if they noticed anything along the way. However, when they should have been about an hour and a half away from the area where the ghouls were located, the adults bid the children good luck and stayed back. Anxiety and pride coursed through Wei Ying as he watched his gaggle of future cultivators march on.

Sitting down and lounging against a tree, Wei Ying began munching on some snacks he brought. The pair was surprisingly quiet for some time before Lan Zhan broke the silence. Keeping his eyes looking somewhat towards the sky, he asked, “Wei Ying?”

“Hmm?” The younger man hummed around a piece of bread.

“Is A-Yuan the only one of them with a courtesy name?” Wei Ying tilted his head in question, “When he introduced himself, he said his courtesy name was Boayi, but did not give courtesy names to the others.”

“Ah,” Stuffing the last of the bread into his pouch, he replied, “Yes. The others don't come from any sort of sect. They just happen to be local kids or orphans that had the potential to grow a golden core and did. A-Yuan knows myself, A-Qing, and A-Ning have courtesy names and asked if he could have one. The three of us came up with Boayi. Boa written protect, defend and Yi written happy, joyful.”

“Befitting,” Lan Zhan nodded. Grinning, the other man felt warm knowing his friend felt the name fit his son. They spent the next few hours chit chatting until they switched over to playing their respective instruments. They never really had an opportunity to play together before. First, Wei Ying hadn't taken any music classes while studying at Cloud Recesses and by the time Lan Zhan could tolerate him the younger boy had been kicked out. Their time during the indoctrination also was not conducive for them to play. Between boring propaganda sessions, being locked in their rooms, and almost dying, dueting was the farthest from their mind. Then Lotus Pier was attacked, Wei Ying was in hiding, then lost his core, spent three months in the Burial Mounds trying to survive, and finally coming back only to play haunting music that called forth spirits, again dueting wasn't going to be a thing to bond over. Fighting between the two happened so often no one was really sure if they were friends.

Now though, as they waited for the teens to return, they could relax and play until they were needed. It was nice. One of the best afternoons either have had in a while. Lan Zhan led in the beginning, playing songs he knew from his home. Wei Ying easily picked them up, embellishing them when he didn't know a particular part. As time progressed, the pair switched. Then Wei Ying started songs he had learned from the villagers and those passing through and Lan Zhan would join in.

By the time the battle worn teenagers found their mentors, the pair were playing a tune only they knew. Well, they and A-Yuan who paused for a moment upon hearing the melody and recognized it as the lullaby his baba would play.

Exhausted and too late to trek back home, the group set up camp for the night. While ghouls weren’t the hardest creatures to kill, they still had put up quite a fight. By the time the young cultivators had finished setting up the camp, ate, and did a short debriefing, they all passed out the moment they were allowed. Wei Ying couldn’t help but snicker at his young wards.

With several hours before he would normally retire, Wei Ying sat back and kept watch. He scooted over a little when Lan Zhan went to stand beside him. For several moments the pair didn’t say anything. Listening to the world around them to ensure they were all safe.

Eventually, Wei Ying relaxed and quietly asked, “Hey Lan Zhan, do you remember your first night hunt? Were you as tired as them?”

Lan Zhan didn’t speak right away, then said, “Mmm. It was difficult, but I had Xiong-zhang and a few others with me. I do not believe I was as tired as them. However, we also had not battled a possessed boar beforehand.”

“That’s true, they did have a trying first time,” He smiled at nothing, “I went with Jiang Cheng and four other shidi and shimei. I think I was more exhilarated than tired. I believe it was a low level water demon.” Lan Zhan hummed in acknowledgement, “Was that Zuwu-jun’s first night hunt also?”

“No,” The older man replied, “He had been on several before, but not as many as one would think. He spent most of his time learning to be a sect leader.”

“Makes sense. How about your first time without him?”

Lan Zhan once again took a minute or two to think back, “It was not long after my first night hunt. He went with Shufu to the Unclean Realm and I was assigned a hunt. It took us two days of intel gathering and another day and a half to track the creature down. We were tired then, but it was quite rewarding.”

A small smile slipped onto Wei Ying’s face, “I loved night hunts. After the fall of Lotus Pier, I never was really able to go on any. Even when I was helping rebuild it. Jiagn Cheng wanted to keep me close and most of the new shidi and shimei were too frightened of me. Then with everything that went down, I couldn’t really night hunt while protecting the Wens. The closest I got was stopping malevolent spirits from harming the settlement and turning fierce corpses. Wasn’t the same.”

Lan Zhan hummed again. It was quite sad to hear. He also liked going on night hunts even when he was helping his brother rebuild the Cloud Recesses. Although it took some time, he did eventually go out and help where he was needed. It was one of the few activities that kept him sane the last decade.

“After we fled the Burial Mounds, I never thought I’d be able to night hunt again. My right side was barely functional and my cultivation was shit-”

“Hua Ying,” His friend chided.

“Sorry, sorry,” Wei Ying grinned while tapping his mouth with his hand, “My cultivation was in tatters. But with some encouragement from A-Yuan, the other villagers, and doazhang, I managed to do what I had thought impossible. Once they were old enough and at a level to go out, we started going on easy night hunts. Occasionally, doazhang and I will go out for a higher level creature, but for the most part the kiddos come,” Contentment had his body relaxing more into the tree, “It’s been nice. Never thought I’d have this again.”

Gold eyes watched their friend as he replied, “I am glad.”

Snorting, Wei Ying jested, “Because I found my way back to the orthodox path?”

“Yes,” Lan Zhan couldn’t deny, “You are also happier.”

Wei Ying quieted. He was happier. In the quiet of the night surrounded by his sleeping gaggle and his best friend, his heart quietly whispered that this was perhaps the happiest he’d ever been. While he loved his shijie, Jiang Cheng, and all the shidi and shemei he grew up with, his time in Lotus Pier had always been conditional. It took losing his golden core, being tossed in the Burial Mounds, coming out barely patched together with resentment, fighting a war, copious amounts of lying, having everyone turn their back on him, betraying his brother, protecting the Wens, nearly dying, then healing in a far off village that probably didn’t even exist on a map for him to realize he’d never been happier or more content in his life.

While Wen Qing bantered with him and threatened him with her needles (less so now), she loved him like a brother. She cared for him and never made him feel like he was taking up too much space. He never had to apologize for things out of his control or feel indebted to those around him. That was probably one of the hardest things to let go of. It took several months of telling him repeatedly that he owed the Wens and the villagers nothing. That he could just exist without having to sacrifice himself for others. That he didn’t have to work and put on a cheery face for people to like him. His new life in Puqi Village was debt free and he wouldn’t be kicked out for being too much. He was happy. He could be Wei Ying without worry or fear of being beaten or pitted against a loved one. He missed parts of his old life, but wouldn't give up his new one for anything.

Sighing contently, he said, “Yes, yes I am.” They didn't talk much after that. At some point Wei Ying shoo’d his friend away to sleep with a promise he could take the next watch. The night passed calmly and by morning the young cultivators in training were rested enough to make the last of the trek home with little complaint.

A few days later found three people at the edge of the village. The youngest leaned tiredly against his father as they said goodbye. With a promise to visit again, Lan Zhan bowed his farewell and began walking towards the closest town. It would be some time before the three met again, but their farewell was not forever.