Chapter Text
“Lan Zhan, ah Lan Zhan hasn’t anyone ever told you that the gods are jealous? I’m the only death that gets to have you.” -Wei Wuxian, The Palace of Bones
Lan Xichen is having a perfectly ordinary day until the moment the crow flies through the window and lands on his desk. Lan Xichen blinks at the crow. The crow blinks at Lan Xichen.
“Why hello there.” Lan Xichen says uncertainly.
The crow sticks out its leg and Lan Xichen sees that there is a letter tied around it. Lan Xichen blinks again, possibly even more confused. He doesn’t know anyone who trains birds. The crow glares at Lan Xichen as he unties the letter from its leg but it doesn’t peck him and he’s about to thank it when he sees the handwriting on the outside of the letter and all thoughts of the crow flee his mind.
It’s Wangji’s.
It’s been a week since Wangji left to offer himself to the god of death in repayment for the gods intervention to save the Cloud Recesses from the Wen and honestly Lan Xichen has been terrified that he will never hear from his brother again. Lan Xichen begged Wangji not to go, begged him to at least look for another way but Wangji is Wangji, stubborn and proud and honorable to a fault and he’s never been one to turn away from a debt or a commitment. Until a week ago Lan Xichen never would have wanted him to be but then until a week ago Lan Xichen didn’t know that his brother had sold himself to the god of death.
After the night the Wens marched on Cloud Recesses and the god of death appeared out of nowhere, slaughtering Wen Chao and his subordinates and saving them all from the horrors the Wen had planned for them, Lan Xichen had asked Wangji about the god’s presence, asked him what it was the god had said to him when they spoke alone, but Wangji had not been terribly forthcoming. He’d said only that the Yiling Laozu had saved him from the Wen indoctrination camp and brought him back to the Cloud Recesses which was why they had arrived together but as for why the all powerful god of death would go out of his way to save one mortal cultivator or why he would then go on to turn on the family of his two most loyal servants and save the Cloud Recesses, on that subject Wangji remained stubbornly silent. All he would say, when pushed, was that they owed the god a dept. Those words had hung heavy on Lan Xichen for a long time after he first heard them for a debt to a god is no light thing, but then had come the Sunshot Campaign and after it he had been busy aiding minor sects with their reconstruction and stepping fully into his role as sect leader and there had been no further mention of this debt or of the Yiling Laozu at all and so he had let the worry over it fade from his mind.
He was foolish.
He sees that now.
Throughout the war he could see the way something wayed on Wangji’s mind, could see the way he grew even more remote, withdrawing into himself, but at the time Lan Xichen just thought that it was, well, the war, battle and blood and killing and all the other horrors that came with it. Now though, looking back, it’s obvious to Lan Xichen that this was always there, this sacrifice in waiting.
He doesn’t know what fate will await his brother at the Yiling Laozu’s hands, doesn’t know what horrors giving himself, body and soul, to the god who is death incarnate will entail but he doubts it is something his upright always righteous always honorable brother will be suited to, especially since the Yiling Laozu is, apparently, the sort of god to take payment in form of human beings, and if Wangji refuses an order from the god… Lan Xichen feels physically nauseous at the thought.
With all that, and with the common lore that is the phrase ‘no one leaves the realm of the god of death alive’ yes, Lan Xichen has been terrified for a week that he will never see or hear from his brother again, and now, this letter.
With suddenly shaking fingers Lan Xichen unrolls the letter. There are two pages so he starts with the one written in Wangji’s characteristically flawless calligraphy.
Brother,
I hope that you and uncle are well. I apologize for any distress my departure may have caused you however it had to be done. Be assured that I am well. My reason for writing is to invite you to attend my wedding to the Yiling Laozu which will take place in his divine realm in three days. This invitation extends to uncle as well.
Respectfully
Lan Wangji
For a VERY long moment Lan Xichen just stares down at the letter. Utterly uncomprehending. There’s no way he just read what he thinks he just read right? Right??
That’s…
This is…
There’s no way.
There’s just no way!
His brother is… His brother is going to marry the god of death?
What…
When Wangji had said he would be giving himself to the Yiling Laozu in return for saving the cloud recesses Lan Xichen didn’t think…. He didn’t think…
Not like this.
Lan Xichen can feel rate of his breathing picking up.
How is he supposed to save his little brother from this?
If it was the leader of another sect trying to force Wangji into marriage he could simply speak with them and find some other solution but something like that won’t work on a god, not politics not even weapons. The Yiling Laozu is the god death. He barely had to wave his hand to wipe out Wen Chao’s entire army. Even the entire Lan Clan put together can’t take Wangji back from him if the god of death doesn’t want to give him up, and by the sound of this letter he defiantly doesn’t want to give him up.
Frantic for some way to save his brother from this clearly undesired union, Lan Xichen turns his attention to the second sheet of paper.
To Sect Leader Lan
Greetings. I know Lan Zhan has already told you our news in his letter but since it’s my realm and since I know you Lan types are big on formalities I figured I should write too. Lan Zhan and I are getting married and you’re invited! So is Grand Master Lan! Unfortunately you’re going to have to find your own accommodations for the night because the divine air in my realm is toxic to mortals and, even with the strength of your cores, if you breath it for a full day it will kill you. I would rather not have you oversleep and end up joining my collection of the dead as it would make Lan Zhan sad so, after the wedding feast I ask that you return to Yiling immediately. Now I can guess what you’re worrying about so let me reassure you, the air in my realm has not killed Lan Zhan or hurt him in any way, but I don’t think you would particularly enjoy the method by which we made him safe as its rather permanent. Finally I just want to remind you that, even if you are Lan Zhan’s family, I won’t take kindly to sect cultivators poking around my realm so when I say you are to come to the wedding and then get out, I mean come to the wedding and then get out.
Regards
Yiling Laozu
Lan Xichen stares down at the letter from god of death, because apparently that’s a thing he receives now, with mounting horror.
The threats are obvious, the reference to having already done something permanent to Wangji that Lan Xichen ‘wouldn’t particularly enjoy’ both ominous and terrifying. He needs to get to Yiling. He needs to see if there is anything /anything/ he can still do to talk the Yiling Laozu into releasing his brother. And before all that, Lan Xichen releases with another wave of horror, he needs to break all this to their uncle.