Chapter Text
An unfamiliar woman appeared in the vicinity of Yiling on one of those overcast days, when the dark clouds of an impending massacre hung heavy over the entire cultivation world. At any moment, the great sects were expected to gather their forces at the foot of Mount Luanzang. Their target was none other than the notorious Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian — a man who had earned himself the terrifying reputation of a grandmaster who ruled over the dead.
The people of Yiling, living in the shadow of the looming dark cultivator, paid little mind to the woman who entered their town. Draped in dark hanfu with a veiled douli concealing her face, the stranger didn’t linger long. Leading a small donkey, she paused only to adjust the large basket strapped to her back. Little did anyone know, her young son was tucked safely inside.
She set her course straight for that dreaded mountain of the dead, so inopportunely occupied by the evil dark cultivator Wei Wuxian.
Was this woman blindly walking into a villain’s trap? Not in the slightest — she wasn't the one falling into a trap here. She was simply on her way to see her long-time disciple, whom she had so inconveniently abandoned five or six years ago by shamefully dying right in the prime of her life — just at the start of her third century…
The unfortunate Wen refugees had long since accepted their fate. They had known for a while that a quiet life was never in the cards for them. Even when the Sun-Shot Campaign brought the four Great Sects to besiege the Nightless City, everyone had resigned themselves to the end. After all, in this world, enemies were meant to be wiped out completely and irrevocably — be it an old man, a capable husband, or a boy in the dawn of his youth.
In the past, women had been treated differently, taken in merely to bear descendants. But as cultivation advanced, the rules of war shifted. Women gained power, becoming far too dangerous to leave alive. So after the war, the decision was made to execute them as well. After all, what was the point of capturing furious maidens who possessed both the strength and the resolve to snap your neck on the wedding night?
So the remaining Wens understood that, one way or another, they were not meant to survive. Even when they were technically spared — dumped in a broken heap in the middle of nowhere — no one was surprised. Nor did they resist when young master Jin rounded up their entire extended family and shipped them off to hard labor. It was only a pity for the elders and the children; after all, they had done nothing wrong. But there was nowhere to air their grievances — to the rest of the world, they were already as good as dead.
The Yiling Patriarch, when he finally arrived, turned out to be strange. He was the enemy — a figure so terrifying that fearing him had become second nature. Yet this 'beast,' who had once mowed down entire ranks of their fellow sect members, suddenly became their sole beacon of hope. He struck down the guards and led as many as fifty people away from the Qiongqiu Path.
Yet it brought them little comfort. After all, instead of leading them toward a bright future, this formidable Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation acted like an escaped runaway — dragging exhausted, broken people straight to a mountain of the dead. He settled them there, clearing a small patch of land just to make it barely livable. A reckless young man — what else could anyone expect from him? He should have been out tinkering with new toys and missing his friends, not playing the tragic savior.
The Wens could only shake their heads, resigning themselves to this new reality. At the very least, they were no longer hauling stones or enduring daily beatings. For that alone, they were grateful.
And then that happened. Not a single soul in the small settlement spoke of it aloud, but in their hearts, they all knew: their savior was the one who desperately needed saving. It was painfully clear that the boy was being backed into a corner, beaten down like a blind pup. Wei Wuxian himself, of course, was oblivious to it — drowning in inconsolable grief over the betrayal of those he considered his own, even if they had long treated him like a stranger.
Wen Qing and Wen Ning left the settlement. Then Wei Wuxian himself departed, returning just a couple of days later. One look at his shattered, hollow expression was enough for them to realize: death had walked back in right alongside their savior, trailing on his heels. In the form of a horde of righteous, vengeful sects, it was coming to send the Wens into the afterlife once and for all. Their only regret was that no one would be left to bury them. If only their bodies were consigned to a righteous fire — at least that would offer some final peace.
What the Wens certainly didn't expect was a young maiden leading a donkey, with a basket slung over her shoulder. The guest didn't look dangerous, nor did she seem particularly formidable. It was a complete mystery what such a sweet young lady was doing in a place so bleak — let alone how she had bypassed the warding barrier. Then again, strangers had been wandering onto their mountain lately as if it were a public thoroughfare, so the Wens had long since lost the ability to be surprised.
Having lost all will to live, the Wens were about to warn the young lady away from this desolate place, if only out of sheer politeness. But the maiden moved too fast for them. Setting the basket down onto the damp earth, she barely gave the onlookers time to blink before she lifted a sleepy boy of about seven out of it. Without missing a beat, she tied her donkey to the rickety fence of the nearest vegetable patch.
It was only after the boy spotted A-Yuan in the distance and bounded off to meet the toddler that the maiden finally turned to the Wens.
“Where is Wei Wuxian?”
The Wens might have hesitated to answer, but the fiery red glow blazed in the stranger’s eyes, instantly choking back any objections. In perfect unison, several Wens pointed toward the everlasting sanctuary of their Grandmaster — Demon Conquer Cave.
“Alright, keep an eye on my A-Yu for a moment while I pop in to see him,” the maiden said, her voice carrying a strange accent. Some of her words were downright baffling, but her intentions couldn't have been clearer.
With a final dismissive wave of her hand, the guest casually strode toward a place where even the dead wouldn't venture of their own free will... The Wens stared after the unhinged stranger for a moment, before shaking their heads and returning to their chores. Only Granny Wen remained, her half-blind eyes watching over her grandson and the child the stranger had brought along. Just a couple of weeks ago, they would have worried about sharing their meager food supplies with yet another mouth to feed — but on the eve of imminent death, none of it seemed to matter anymore.