Saudade

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/23296177.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 陈情令 | The
Untamed (TV)
Relationship: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Character: Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Cángsè Sǎnrén, Wèi Chǎngzé, Lán Zhàn | Lán
Wàngjī, the rest of the Lans lol, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Jiāng
Yànlí, the rest of the Jiangs lol, Pretty Much Everyone at Some Point
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Everyone
lives/Nobody dies, Fluff, Family Fluff, Happy Ending, Smart Baby Wei
Ying, Charismatic Baby Wei Ying, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, a sprinkle of
angst, Some Canon-Typical Violence, now with Spanish translation!
Stats: Published: 2020-03-24 Updated: 2020-09-11 Chapters: 8/? Words:
17578

Saudade
by MandMandM

Summary

Darkness.

That was what Wei Wuxian noticed after he died. He was surprised at how similar it was to
sleeping without dreaming. With the things he had done and the amount of blood in his
hands, he expected a punishment, at least.

He jinxed himself.

(Or a time travel AU where Wei Wuxian was reborn as himself after his death, but without
a golden core. This time, he has a lifetime of knowledge, a cultivation method to perfect,
and a group of people to protect.)

Spanish translation

Notes

My attempt at a time travel fix-it au with mdzs. Not sure if I can finish this, but the plot
bunnies just won't leave. I have no idea how to use most Chinese names despite having
Chinese heritage, so I will stick to English when I don't know what to use.
 Chapter 1

Darkness.

That was what Wei Wuxian noticed after he died. He was surprised at how similar it was to
sleeping without dreaming. With the things he had done and the amount of blood in his hands, he
expected a punishment, at least.

He jinxed himself.

After a while inside that black void, Wei Wuxian felt excruciating pain. It started from his head to
his body then to his feet. Every nerve burned. He thought he opened his mouth to scream, but he
could hear no sound. He couldn't remember how he died, but it must have been similar to this pain.

Ahh, so this is my punishment, Wei Wuxian thought, laughing humorlessly. At least, he tried to.
His body control was still nonexistent.

Then, one day, to his relief, the pain vanished and his senses returned. It was such a shock to
suddenly feel that Wei Wuxian shed tears. Is this it? Is my soul finally at peace?

He opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was his blurry vision. Everything was cast in unclear shapes and colors,
that he couldn't make out his surroundings.

Then came the voices.

"Why isn't this child wailing? Can there be something wrong with him?" a female voice said.

"Something wrong?" Wei Wuxian's heart thumped because there was something familiar about
this second voice. "Can you please call my husband?"

"Cangse?"

The male voice and the name uttered shocked Wei Wuxian. He turned his head to the direction of
the familiar voices, but his eyesight was still bad as hell. He tried to raise an arm but found that he
couldn't, his arms and body apparently bound by cloth.

What was this? Was he not dead anymore? Why did everything feel too real? What was going on?

And... Cangse?

Before Wei Wuxian could ponder over more, he felt himself being picked up—as if he were light
as a baby! He tried to squirm but felt shocked when he was encased in someone's arms—like a
baby! But that was impossible. Wei Wuxian was a twenty year old when he died.

"Wei Ying?"

Wei Wuxian looked up. From a short distance, he could see clearly. The person carrying him was a
beautiful woman. Her face was shiny with sweat, her twinkling eyes and bright smile making Wei
Wuxian feel safe. And the woman's smile was so familiar.

Wei Wuxian stared with wide eyes. The name Cangse and that smile... Was she really his mother?
He wasn't a stupid person, but the idea in his head sounded stupid. How could she be his mother
when she had died years ago?

"Why are you so quiet, Wei Ying? Are you just like your father? Changze, come here and look at
our son."

Another person entered his field of clear vision. And if possible, Wei Wuxian felt the breath
knocked out of him. This could not be real. Maybe Wei Wuxian was being punished by showing
him his parents when they were alive.

But... Why does it feel so real?

Unless—

"What are you naming him?"

His parents smiled.

"Wei Ying," Changze said.

Then he understood. Wei Wuxian was reborn.

To his parents and the midwife's shock, he cried out loud.

 Chapter 2
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

“Just two kilos of loquat and one kilo pork.” Wei Changze dug into his pockets for money.

“Ah, it’s you again!” the shop owner exclaimed. “You’re the newcomer that live near the lake,
right?”

Wei Changze smiled politely and nodded.

"I heard you have a pregnant wife. How is she?" the owner asked while packing away his
purchases.

"She's doing well. Thank you for asking." He paused before smiling wider, looking wistful. "She
gave birth last week."

The shop owner gasped. "Oh, congratulations! That's such good news! Because of that, I'll be
giving these to you half the price." She offered the fruit and meat to Wei Changze.

"There's no need for that," he said politely.

"I insist! Consider it my gift to your wife and child. Do you have a boy or a girl?"

"A boy. Thank you very much for these." Wei Changze accepted the purchase, now discounted,
with a helpless smile.

"Good luck with your son!"

As Wei Changze walked back home, his smile turned more sincere. He couldn't wait to go back
home. All his life, Wei Changze thought he’d be spending his days in Lotus Pier. Yet, fate was a
fickle thing. He had met Cangse and fallen in love with her. Now, he couldn’t imagine life without
his beloved wife and their son.

He remembered how happy he had been after receiving news about Cangse conceiving. He felt like
the happiest man in the world. He had his wonderful wife and they were expecting a baby.

Soon, Wei Changze arrived home, still in a good mood. Frankly, he doubted he'd be in a bad mood
these days.

"I'm back," he called out once he entered the threshold and removed his outer shoes. He went to
the kitchen and placed the meat and loquats on the table.

Cangse appeared from the direction of the bedroom. When she saw him, she smiled widely and ran
to him. Wei Changze instinctively opened his arms and caught his wife in a hug.

"Ah, my dear husband, I've missed you. I thought I had to take A-Ying with me and search the
whole town for you!" Cangse exclaimed.

Wei Changze, used to her over-the-top antics, kissed her forehead. "I had to sell some talismans
before I could buy food."

Cangse pouted. "Aiya, we spent a lot on the house and the midwife. If only I knew it would be
expensive to give birth here, I wouldn't have agreed on Caiyi."

"Too late for regrets now, my wife. I'll prepare our meal. Why don't you go back to Wei Ying,
hm?"

"I can cook too, you know. I'm not that weak. And A-Ying is such a well-behaved baby; I don't
have to watch over him too closely. Your son takes after you so much I'm actually a little worried.
After giving birth to him, he hasn't cried at all!"

Wei Changze hummed. "He's not sick, right? I remember how quiet he was when came out. Maybe
he's not just a crier. Thank gods, he doesn't need to inherit that from you."

"A-Ze, how dare you say that. Obviously, what my son inherited from me is my beautiful face."

They walked to their bedroom, hands held between them. Sunlight streamed through the window
and bathed the room in a warm glow. Wei Ying lay in the middle of the bed, sleeping, and
something in Wei Changze’s heart settled at the sight of his son. His and Cangse’s son, a life that
they created.

Cangse left his side to sit beside Wei Ying on the bed. She turned him over and let out a surprised
sound. Wei Changze was surprised, too, at the sight of their son’s opened eyes.

“You silly child,” Cangse said with a fond smile. “You were sleeping when I left, and now you
woke up so quietly again.” She lightly tapped Wei Ying’s nose with a finger. “What an angel.”

Wei Changze sat beside his wife, and Cangse was quick to lean against him, the clingy person that
she was. In turn, he put an arm around her waist. When he looked at Wei Ying, their son was
silently staring up at them. Wei Changze smiled. Wei Ying blinked.

"Still, I'm worried about him," Cangse continued. "Isn't he too silent for a newborn?"

"Didn't the midwife say he is physically well? We have nothing to worry about. Our Wei Wuxian
is just a good child."

It might be a trick of the light, but Wei Changze thought Wei Ying appeared amused.

"A-Ze, why do I feel like our son is looking at us and understanding every word?" Cangse voiced
the same sentiment.

"Cangse, you need to sleep more." I need to sleep more.

"What, I'm hungry. Feed me first, husband."

During the first few months of being reborn, Wei Wuxian slept. While his mind was alert and that
of an adult, his body clearly wasn't. He slept most of the day away and once awake, he could only
catch glimpses of his parents before feeling sleepy again.

One day, he heard his parents talking about leaving Caiyi Town for another city once he turned
one. Wei Wuxian was surprised to learn that he was born in Gusu. If he’d known sooner, maybe he
could tell Lan Zhan—
Ah, even the thought of Lan Wangji brought a pang in Wei Wuxian’s chest.

At first, he tried to ignore the reality of his situation. But then, he’d catch glimpses of his laughing
mother and smiling father, hear their incredibly cheesy conversations, and he’d be smiling against
his blanket. Wei Wuxian could even feel his eyes growing wet. If his parents knew he could cry,
maybe they’d freak out less about his uncharacteristic silence.

His parents. For years, he longed to know more about them. Now he could do so firsthand. Wei
Wuxian felt silly for feeling sentimental over his parents’ petty fights such as:

"Husband, I'm craving for mangoes."

"You're way past the stage to be having cravings."

"Don't you want to indulge your beautiful wife?"

"Not right now."

"A-Ze!"

Laughter.

A lot of his time was spent eavesdropping on his parents. Surely, they would understand. Wei
Wuxian had already died. Surely, whatever happened to him, he deserved to have this.

To be honest, though, Wei Wuxian wanted nothing more than to rest in peace after meeting his
end. In fact, he had been quite content with the silence and solidarity of the afterlife before the pain
and the whole reborn thing happened. But this was the hand he was dealt.

Since he had nothing else to do, during the times he was awake and pretending to play with a toy
his father bought from town, he thought about why he was here. Was it to change the future? To
save the people he loved from death? To stop himself from becoming a demonic cultivator?

No matter the reason, Wei Wuxian had no way of verifying. It wasn't like time travelling and
rebirth happened to everyone. If it were, then somebody would have recorded it, but to Wei
Wuxian's knowledge, no such record existed.

After two months, he gave up seriously questioning everything. No matter what elaborate plan he
made that could prevent the terrible things from his first lifetime, Wei Wuxian wasn’t confident
nothing would happen to mix things up.

He had fallen once already to know he couldn't play god. He was powerful with his knowledge,
sure, but he knew it wasn't a guarantee that things wouldn't go the way they once did.

Wei Wuxian didn't express it in clear terms, but deep down he knew he was just scared.

Scared of thinking he knew better when it turned out he didn't. Scared of hurting his loved ones
again.

In the end, maybe keeping a distance would be his best bet in protecting everyone. Be a rogue
cultivator like his parents and roam the world. Then once the Sunshot Campaign started, help out
without being seen. Once Wen Ruohan was defeated, he'd then work on saving Wen Ning's clan,
 maybe help them establish new identities so they wouldn't be associated as a Wen.

That plan sounded good and feasible. Only if he could stay away. Wei Wuxian would try to stick
to his plan. He should.

He should, even if this plan brought the most painful twist in his heart.

His mother came back from the kitchen. She smiled, and Wei Wuxian once again was marveling at
her beauty. He could only remember certain memories of his parents and unfortunately none of
them included their appearance.

Now he knew. Cangse Sanren was a beautiful woman with an ever-present smile on her face. It
made her look younger and approachable. Wei Wuxian loved the fact that he inherited his sunny
disposition from his mother.

"My A-Ying is awake," Cangse said, smiling, her eyes crinkling.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but smile back.

It made Cangse smile wider. "Aiya! Look at you. You're so cute! My son is the best!" she gushed.
It made Wei Wuxian embarrassed, but he laughed it off anyway.

His mother was even more delighted by his high-pitched baby giggles and cooed. Changze chose
that moment to appear. And now he had both his parents fussing over him.

For now, surrounded by his parents laughing, his young body safe and warm in their embrace, Wei
Wuxian couldn't think of being anywhere else.

Chapter End Notes

I'm sorry it took a while! I had laptop issues so I've been typing on my phone ;n; I also
wanted to include another scene but it got too long and I didn't know where to cut it.
Please have some Wei family feels~

Thank you so much for the feedback from last chapter! I'll try to have the next one out
this week!
 Chapter 3
Chapter Notes

Ahhh, I'm sorry for being MIA. My first draft got corrupted, then while rewriting I
had writer's block and felt none of the scenes I first planned seemed right. So I kept
rewriting and putting it off by reading Scum Villain (finally). And now we're here. ;n;

Hope everyone's safe and healthy during these times!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

When Wei Wuxian turned two, his family still lived in Gusu.

Though Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren’s occupation required them to be on the move
constantly, they figured that carrying around a one-year-old with no exact, specific destination in
mind was dangerous.

Dangerous specifically for Wei Wuxian’s health.

He was quite shocked and embarrassed to find out he was sickly as an infant. Though he wasn’t
doing anything a baby wouldn’t do—suddenly speaking and walking before the suggested age
would probably give his parents a heart attack—his fragile body had betrayed him by contracting a
fever.

Then again, maybe all infants were simply sickly? Wei Wuxian wouldn’t know. A-Yuan was
already four when he’d got him.

Ah. Wei Wuxian mentally slapped himself. There he goes again. A-Yuan was not his child. No
matter how much grandma and Wen Qing had said otherwise.

He ignored the longing threatening to break free from his chest.

So they stayed for another year.

Then there was a serious problem with some cursed corpses in Guangling, which was only three
hours away from Caiyi Town. Coincidentally, a Discussion Conference was happening at Qishan,
so the Lan clan couldn’t respond.

Ergo, jackpot for rogue cultivators. Ergo, his family staying at Gusu for another year.

And so when Wei Wuxian turned three, his family was still living in Gusu.

Well , Wei Wuxian thought, eyeing the empty jars of Emperor’s Smile, so close yet unattainable, I
don’t mind living in Gusu if I have these to look forward to.

“What are you looking at, dear boy? These are not for you!” jolted Wei Wuxian from his musings.

He smiled his innocent smile up at the auntie playfully glaring at him.

Wei Wuxian knew this auntie, even before during his first life, when she had already been a
middle-aged woman single-handedly managing the best liquor shop in Caiyi Town. She had served
him her most delicious jars of Emperor’s Smile when he was a student in the Cloud Recesses. She
had doted on him like the aunties back in Lotus Pier did when he’d been trying to get away with
free food.

When Wei Wuxian met her in this lifetime, at first he couldn’t hide his shock. Auntie looked so
young! Maybe around the same age as his mother. Thankfully, he got his bearings quickly and
wasted no time showing off his charms.

What, this was his investment. For the future once he was old enough to drink, haha!

“Someday, Wei Ying will have those! Māma says so!” The awkwardness brought upon by child
speak did not exist for Wei Wuxian. As Jiang Cheng had said, he was shameless and pretty much
acted like a child most of the time. Wei Wuxian tried to consider that as a compliment.

Auntie raised a brow. “Your māma said that?”

Before Wei Wuxian could speak, a hand ruffled his hair and he ducked away, laughing, knowing
this person. “Māma did!” he said with a giggle.

“Your māma did not say that,” Mother scolded sharply. She tried to scowl. However her eyes were
bright in amusement, and her lips twitched.

Smiling wider after seeing he wasn’t in trouble, Wei Wuxian clung to his mother’s leg and pouted.
“But I remember māma promised Wei Ying. When I’m ten.” He playfully raised both hands to
show her the number.

Mother gasped, affronted at his twisting of the facts. Auntie doubled over in laughter. “Hey, you
can't have it until you’re at least fifteen!”

Wei Wuxian ducked out of her reach, knowing her tendency to tickle him when he was being a
naughty child. “Wei Ying heard ten,” he insisted with a grin before dashing away. Her mother’s
shouts faded as he ran past the stalls and the people like they were obstacles in a maze.

Wei Wuxian was only three, but he couldn’t help his shamelessness.

He slowed down when he deemed it far enough that it would take a while before his mother caught
up. Then he looked around the merchant stalls, wanting to discover more hidden gems in Caiyi
while he was here. He needed a new hobby to pass the time.

Up ahead, near the end of the street, there was a young lady sitting behind a small table, all alone
with no customers. There were incense sticks and pendants on her table. When the lady noticed
Wei Wuxian staring in her direction, her face lit up and she motioned for him to come over.

Not having anything better to do, Wei Wuxian went over. Upon closer inspection, he realized what
she was.

“Little one, do you want to know your future?” she asked him, like she was asking him if he
wanted congee for breakfast. Wei Wuxian didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry. Sister, can’t
you see I’m a three-year-old. Are you really so desperate for customers?

“Can you really see my future?” Wei Wuxian chose to indulge this poor sister. “Is jiejie a fortune
teller?”
Fortune Teller Sister’s face fell, but she became determined. “My master doesn’t believe I have the
Eye, but I know I do! This jiejie’s powers allow her to see everything.”

Sister was nodding and looking close to tears. Wei Wuxian took pity on her. “Okay, please let me
know my future!”

It seemed this lady didn’t care for money as she didn’t ask for a coin or anything. Maybe she just
wanted affirmation of her skills? She reached over and took his left hand in hers and stared at his
palm. Her other hand lifted a red pendant. Then she closed her eyes.

A few seconds later, Wei Wuxian was getting bored and was ready to pull his hand out when the
lady’s eyes opened wide in shock. She gave a shout and backed away from him, staring at him as if
he was a deadly predator. Thankfully, the end of the street only had a handful of people and they
were apparently used to such reactions from this sister because no one reacted.

Again, Wei Wuxian didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. “Jiejie—?”

“You,” Fortune Teller Sister started, gulping, “You cursed demon! You killed your family!”

Wei Wuxian froze. Uncle Jiang, Madam Yu, and shijie flashed through his mind. His hands
clenched into fists, and he looked down at the red pendant that fell from the commotion, refusing
to meet the fortune teller’s eye.

“You came back and brought a curse with you. Everything you touch,” her voice lowered to a
whisper, “will be tainted.”

He exhaled sharply before closing his eyes to compose himself. His eyes snapped open when
closing them revealed the faces of the people he left, the people he betrayed.

Wei Wuxian gave a tight smile. “You think I’m really unlucky, too, huh. Thanks, jiejie.”

He broke into a run towards the forest.

He was already far away so he didn’t hear the lady whisper, “That boy will change the future.”

It was ridiculous. Wei Wuxian knew it was ridiculous to take it seriously. Everything she
mentioned happened all in the past. They’d happened, over and done with. There was no changing
the past.

But where was Wei Wuxian now? Wasn’t he in the past? Wasn’t he given a chance to change it?

Yes. He was determined to do right by everyone.

It would be repayment for everything they’d done for him.

When his mind was clear, Wei Wuxian found himself back in the market. He didn’t know how but
he ended up walking back here, but he quickly found his now worried mother.

She was alarmed by his disheveled appearance. “What—where did you run off and roll around, A-
Ying?” She scrubbed the dirt off his face and tutted at the scratches on his hands.

Wei Wuxian didn’t know either, so he simply smiled up at his mother. She seemed to see
something in his expression, because her face softened. She placed her palms on his face and gave
 his forehead a kiss. Then she hoisted him up in her arms and carried him home.

“Māma! I can walk,” Wei Wuxian said, embarrassed. He was only physically a toddler, so he could
walk by himself, thank you.

“My A-Ying,” Mother sighed. “So young, yet so independent. You know you can tell me
everything, okay?” She patted his back. “I know you’re not getting along with some of the older
kids in town. If they ever hurt you, I give you permission to hurt them back. I’d like to do it, but
it’s a bit of an overkill, don’t you think?”

His mother looked so disappointed at the prospect of not beating up his nonexistent bullies that
Wei Wuxian laughed out loud. Ah, Mother really is the best, he thought, before tucking his face
into the hollow of her neck. How in the world did he forget her in his first life?

Despite the traumatic reminder from earlier, Wei Wuxian now felt warm. Yes, he did lose a lot the
first time, but he gained a lot more this time around.

And Wei Wuxian would make sure it wouldn’t all go to waste.

Chapter End Notes

Me: wants to write sweet, fluffy reborn wei ying

The plot: nope, here’s some angst

I AM SORRY. I know I promised fluff with little angst, but the angst is just...
naturally appearing? I will try to stop it T^T

Thank you so much for reading and to everyone that left comments! I read them a lot
and draw motivation from them! ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶
 Chapter 4
Chapter Notes

Hello I’m still alive! Sorry for leaving you all hanging for months. Real life got busy
plus little reborn Wei Ying didn’t want to cooperate with me. I appreciate all the
kudos, and the comments and have read and smiled through all of them! You guys are
the best!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It had been hours since the sun set. The flickers from the oil lamp was the only source of light in
the bamboo house. Dinner came and went and everybody went to sleep.

Everyone except Wei Changze.

He sat alone at the dinner table with an array of ink, brush, and parchments surrounding him.

There was nothing Wei Changze wanted to do more than lie in bed beside his dear wife and sleep
for at least eight hours, his routine after a hard night hunt’s work. He was even more tired than
usual since he’d been taking on more work. He and Cangse decided to leave Gusu soon, so they
had to save up for their journey.

And so here he was, working on talismans in the dead of the night.

It was a while past midnight when Wei Changze heard the door of the bedroom creak open. Fully
expecting it to be Cangse, Wei Changze was surprised to see Wei Ying paddle out while rubbing
the sleep out of his eyes.

Unbidden, a fond smile made its way to his face. “What is A-Ying doing awake?”

“I should ask you the same, bàba ,” came his son’s cheeky reply.

He’s growing up like a second Cangse , Wei Changze noted with amusement.

When Wei Ying came up, he proceeded to climb up to sit on the chair adjacent to him. Wei
Changze quickly leaned down to help his son, but as usual, Wei Ying could do it on his own. His
son could do a lot of things on his own.

His wife had told him how Wei Ying was an observant kid who easily picked up things he saw.
One time, Cangse was busy setting up traps for small animals around the house, and Wei Ying was
watching her work while playing around with his bamboo dizi . Then Wei Ying tucked his dizi in
his belt, picked up a metal trap before Cangse could move, and perfectly set it up against a tree.

Cangse had been shocked and scolded Wei Ying about being too young to touch the animal traps.
Still, his wife couldn’t contain her amazement about Wei Ying’s growth, excited about his
potential.

Quick learner or not, Wei Changze had reminded her that their son was still a child and should be
treated as such.
Wei Changze put aside the half-finished talismans on his side of the table, away from Wei Ying.
Some of the talismans were dangerous, meant for cultivation. Better to be safe than sorry. “B àba is
making talismans.”

Wei Ying’s eyes scanned Wei Changze’s work with a serious expression. “Talismans for what?”

“Hmm, these ones repel spirits, those generate flame, and this one restrains people.” Or the spirit-
repelling talismans, the flame talismans, and the chain talismans. Wei Changze pointed at each pile
of parchment as he spoke. Those three are the most basic talismans used by cultivators during night
hunts. Sometimes the common folk purchased the spirit-repelling talismans to attach to their homes
for protection. It was perfectly fine for him to sell to non-cultivators as long as he infused enough
spiritual energy.

Wei Ying hummed. Then he pointed to the pile of unfinished talismans. “This one?”

Oh, he noticed the difference? Wei Changze wanted to praise his son’s intellect. “My invention,”
he admitted with a smile. He didn’t know why he found himself speaking the truth in front of his
three-year-old.

He picked up one of the spirit-repelling talismans. “I want to make the opposite of this talisman.”
With his other hand, he ruffled Wei Ying’s hair, smiling at his son’s affronted squeal. “Maybe
when you’re older, you can help your bàba.”

Wei Ying beamed up to him, and it was like looking at the sun. “I would love to!" That got him
another hair ruffle.

His son seemed content to observe him working, so Wei Changze went back to writing. Currently,
he was computing for the correct number of arrays for his invention. He realized belatedly that his
invention had a glitch and wanted to resolve it before going to bed.

“ B àba, I’m thirsty,” Wei Ying suddenly said, pouting.

“I’ll get you some water. Don’t touch anything on the table, alright?”

Wei Changze got a cup of water as fast as he could, not wanting to leave Wei Ying alone for long.
Well, he planned to, but he couldn’t find their cups in their usual hiding place. Cangse must have
rearranged the kitchen wares again.

Still, it had only taken him about an incense stick perhaps. Wei Ying was exactly where he left
him, thank goodness.

“Thank you, b àba!” Wei Ying reached for the cup. He took a quick sip, then he placed it down on
the table with a thud. “I’m sleepy now. I’m going back to bed. Good night, b àba.”

Wei Changze smiled at his son, charmed. “Good night, A-Ying.”

The bedroom door gently closed behind Wei Ying. He got back to his seat and picked up his brush
to start with the algorithms. He paused, blinking once. His mouth dropped open as his mind tried to
process what had happened.

“What is this? How—?” He looked around wildly, at the place where Wei Ying sat on earlier,
before turning his head to the direction of the bedroom.

Helpless, Wei Changze studied the complete computations in front of him. The formula he had
been stuck on was broken down in equations until they reached the answer. Twelve arrays
 apparently was the number he was looking for.

But how did he solve this problem? He was certain the solution had eluded him still when he left
the table.

The only person who could interfere with it was Wei Ying. His four-year-old son.

Impossible!

“Did Wei Ying do this?” Wei Changze noted his shaky voice, but now was not the time.

He stood up and quickly made his way to their family’s bedroom. There on the cots lay his
sleeping wife and son. Wei Ying had his eyes closed and was breathing evenly.

“Wei Ying?” he whispered. He got no response. He didn’t push because a part of his brain still
couldn’t accept it.

Did his son learn from watching him work? It was not as simple as that, he exceeded Wei Changze.
Forget being a quick learner, his Wei Ying was special .

Wei Ying thought his father wouldn't notice his intelligence, but he did, making him look at his
sleeping son in shock and wonder.

Did Cangse give birth to a genius? Wei Changze thought deliriously. Or am I just sleep deprived?

Unbeknownst to him, Wei Ying was smirking beneath his blanket.

Chapter End Notes

Oh, Wei Changze, spirit attraction talismans are nothing to your son.

This one's a little short, but the next one is the end of the growing up in Gusu arc and
will be up sooner because it's planned and half-written! Thanks for reading, everyone!
 Chapter 5
Chapter Notes

This quick update is dedicated to wangxian+fan who is the most precious gem in this
fandom. Thank you so much for your kindness and dedication. I don’t know if you’re
still around to read this, but believe me when I say that if every single reader is like
you, we can have world peace.

Last chapter of the Gusu arc!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It had been a while since Cangse last held a sword, but she had certainly not forgotten. She was
steady and graceful on top of her sword as she flew to the gates of a place she once associated with
home.

From above the mountains, Cangse could see the large waterfall, the landmark of Cloud Recesses.
She started to fly low until she could see the entrance to the sect. A lone, familiar person stood,
waiting.

Cangse stepped down from her sword and sheathed it in the same movement. The person waiting
for him almost rolled his eyes but refrained with great difficulty.

“Lan Qiren!”

“Cangse Sanren,” came the stiff greeting.

Cangse grinned. “Is that any way to greet an old classmate, Qiren?”

Lan Qiren looked like he wanted to explode in angry ramblings—a common occurrence around her
—but instead took a deep breath. “What is it that you want that you can’t tell in a letter?”

A few weeks ago, Cangse sent a message to Lan Qiren about wanting to meet him urgently and
give him something. Knowing that Lan Qiren wouldn’t so easily agree to such a meeting, she
threatened to permanently set up residence in Caiyi Town if he refused. The reply came a while
later with a simple meet me at the entrance gate tomorrow at noon .

“Straight to the point as always. Not even letting me catch up,” she grumbled. “Tell me; how many
rules did you add after I left?”

Lan Qiren seemed to have reached his limit. “For goodness’ sake, Cangse! You’re a married
woman now. Have some decorum.”

A raucous laugh escaped from Cangse. “I got married and had a child, yes, but I’m still the same
person I was ten years ago. You would know if you settle down with a nice lady—”

“ Shut up! ” Lan Qiren had obviously lost it, to Cangse’s smug satisfaction.

“Ah, Lan Qiren, you’re still too easy.” She would have patted his shoulders as she said that, but
knowing Lan Qiren, he would positively combust where he stood.
And antagonizing the de facto leader of the Lan sect was not her goal today.

Cangse reached into her qiankun pouch and pulled out the pile of books wrapped in cloth. Then she
held them to Lan Qiren.

“What are you doing now?” Lan Qiren asked suspiciously.

“The thing I can’t say in a letter,” Cangse replied, smiling before turning serious. “Take these to
Yiyi. Please.”

Upon hearing her request, Lan Qiren spluttered. “Are you—are you corresponding with her ?”

“No! She’s in seclusion, you oaf! I know you don’t trust her, but Yiyi won’t get away from her
punishment. She’s not like that.” She fumed, remembering the incident and abhorring the
unfairness of it all against Yiyi.

Yiyi, now Lan Yi, her best friend and the first person who offered a lending hand when she had
first descended from the mountain. Yiyi gave her a home, made her food, became her companion
and convinced her to study in the Cloud Recesses. She even supported her feelings and relationship
with Changze.

But now her best friend’s freedom was taken away from her because of a crime she’d committed.

The two were silent for a while, both huffing, but old enough to know that arguing further would
not make things better. Would not fix anything.

“Is Qingheng-jun still in seclusion?” Cangse asked when she calmed down.

Lan Qiren sighed deeply. “He is set on spending the rest of his life in seclusion.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how is Yiyi?”

“You know better than to ask me that.”

“... How are her children?”

“They are not just her children. They are the future of the Lan sect.” At Cangse’s glare, Lan Qiren
sighed again. “They are good children. But they ask about their mother constantly, especially
Wangji.”

Frowning, Cangse felt miserable knowing that her best friend’s children were suffering as much as
her and she couldn’t do anything about it. If she remembered correctly, Yiyi’s youngest was
around Wei Ying’s age….

“Then give these books to Yiyi, please. They’re hers in the first place.” Cangse found them tucked
away in one of her qiankun pouches when she had been cleaning one day. Lan Yi had asked her to
keep them while she was indisposed. “These are her collection of favorite poems. I am sure she’d
love to share it with her children.”

She lifted the bundle of books in Lan Qiren’s direction again, but the latter did not move.

Cangse felt anger simmering in her veins, but she held it in. “If not for me or Yiyi, then please do it
for the children. What they are going through is not easy.”

At the mention of his nephews, Lan Qiren seemed to thaw. He exhaled sharply and brusquely took
the bundle from Cangse.
“Thank you.”

“This is for my nephews, not you.”

Cangse smiled. “I know.” At least, Lan Qiren seemed to be fond of his nephews. “I’m also here to
tell you that we are leaving Gusu next month. You can finally stop avoiding the town like a
plague.”

“ For the last time, I did not avoid town because of you .”

Lan Yi remained in Cangse’s mind for the rest of the week. Wei Changze seemed to notice her
gloomy mood, and asked her to restock their supplies for their impending departure. Knowing that
it was a plan to distract her and appreciating her husband for it, she agreed to go to the market the
next day.

Wei Ying, apparently listening to their conversation, raised a hand and demanded to join her. She
beamed at his enthusiasm and couldn’t help but pat him on the head.

The following day, the mother-son duo woke up early to prepare for their shopping spree. Cangse
was busy making an inventory of the kitchen and the shed where they kept their cultivation
supplies, while Wei Ying had his fun in the mangrove forest nearby.

Once she was done, she picked up her qiankun pouches and headed outside.

His exuberant son was nowhere to be seen, and she had to call his name for an incense stick worth
of time. When Wei Ying emerged, she let out a tsk. He was covered head to toe in dirt.

All his son gave her was a bright grin. She narrowed her eyes at him in mock outrage, used to his
playfulness.

“What are you smiling at me for, silly child?” She bent down to his level to shake off the dust
stains from his clothes. Wei Ying began to look slightly guilty and disappointed. “Hey, I’m not
telling you to stop playing. It’s just that this mother of yours doesn’t want to do the laundry
anytime soon. Be a good, filial son and stay away from the dirt and mud.”

Wei Wuxian’s smile returned. “Yes, māma.”

She took his hand. “Let us leave.”

It was noontime already, and her qiankun pouches were half-filled with their necessities. They had
just emerged from a restaurant after a meal when Cangse noticed something wrong.

White robed cultivators, obviously from the Lan sect, littered the streets. All of them appeared
anxious, looking left and right. Being surrounded protectively by at least five cultivators was a
teenaged boy who looked the most distressed of the lot.

Wei Ying tugged at her robes. “Māma, are they cultivators like you and bàba?”

Cangse’s eyes widened, because she was sure she never mentioned the word cultivator to his son
before. “Why, yes, Ying-er.” Before she could go on, she could feel a presence approaching. It was
the teenaged Lan cultivator.

“Excuse me, Madam, but have you seen a boy around your son’s age with robes like ours?” The
teenager was surprisingly well-mannered.

“A boy?” Cangse asked. “A boy from your sect is missing?”

The teenager nodded glumly. “Yes. My brother.”

Cangse exhaled, looking off into the distance while muttering to herself, “Losing a child. How
reckless of you, Qiren.”

The teenager looked surprised. “Madam, do you know my uncle?”

It was Cangse’s turn to be shocked. Her mind was in tumult as she studied the teenager. “You—
you are Lan Xichen?”

Lan Xichen’s eyes widened and he nodded. “Pardon my rudeness, but may I ask madam’s name?”

“I am Cangse, a classmate of your uncle.” She paused, contemplating her words before deciding.
“And a close friend of your mother.”

Lan Xichen took after his father’s appearance than Lan Yi. No wonder I didn’t recognize him.

Meanwhile, Lan Xichen was surprised to hear both information. “The famed rogue cultivator
Cangse Sanren is Mother’s friend,” he said in wonder. Then he seemed to remember his current
predicament. “It is my brother Wangji who is missing, Cangse-āyí.”

Wei Ying made a sound at the back of his throat, and so did Cangse. He’s calling me auntie?
Before she could further react, a Lan cultivator went up and reported to Lan Xichen. “We didn’t
find the Second Young Master in the northern square.”

“How did he go missing?” came the sudden question from Wei Ying.

Lan Xichen looked at Cangse first. “My son, Wei Ying,” she introduced.

“Hello, Wei Ying.” Lan Xichen met Wei Ying’s gaze and answered him, “Wangji requested for
the two of us to descend the mountain. While we were walking around town, I took my eye off him
for five seconds, and he vanished. I called the senior disciples over to help me look.”

Cangse believed Lan Xichen to be a good older brother. To have lost his younger brother, it must
be killing him. More importantly, they were Lan Yi’s children.

She couldn’t not help.

“We’ll help you look for your brother.” She turned to her son. “Right, Ying-er?”

“Mn!” Wei Ying nodded enthusiastically.

Lan Xichen nodded gratefully. “We have disciples extending the search over to the western and
eastern square.”

“Then, we will start looking in the south. You take the central square, Young Master Lan.”

“Thank you, Cangse-āyí..”

For the first time that day, Cangse unsheathed her sword and let it float before her. Grabbing her
son, who squeaked in surprise, she jumped on her sword and sped in the southern part of Caiyi.
Once they arrived, they started looking, calling out Lan Wangji’s name.

An hour passed and their search was in vain.

Wei Ying tugged at his hand. “Māma, we’re taking too much time. Let’s split up. I’ll look over
there and māma can look over here.”

Cangse gave a worried look at his son. It was true that she had seen Wei Ying as a smart,
dependable, and mature child, but Changze was right. Their son was still five years old, a toddler.
He was not old enough to take care of himself.

Wei Ying could see her conflict. “Māma, please. Just for an hour.” That was still a long time… He
bit his lip and raised his right hand with his fingers crossed. “I won’t go look for trouble. Promise!”

Cangse sighed. “All right. But stay within the town, understood? We’re nearing the Forbidden
Forest, and it is a dangerous place. Go back here after an hour, okay?”

“Okay, māma!”

Flashing her a bright grin, Wei Ying dashed away.

Cangse was surprised at Wei Ying’s concern, but remembering the child to be Yiyi’s, she couldn’t
help but feel worried as well. She got back to her search.

#####

Wei Wuxian did not expect to spend his day like this.

Looking for a missing Lan Wangji.

Heavens above! Was fate mocking him? Here he thought he would be able to leave Gusu without
running into familiar faces. His hopes were crushed by a teenaged Zewu-jun.

Wei Wuxian wandered around the whole town proper the whole day, but they could not find Lan
Wanji.

None of Wei Wuxian’s wildest imaginations could come up with this scenario.

The situation was turning for the worse. No matter how capable Lan Wangji was as an adult, his
five-year-old self certainly would not fare well unsupervised for long.

Twilight had come, and still no sight of Lan Wangji.

He tried not to panic, but the paranoia was disturbingly similar to that instance when Granny lost
sight of A-Yuan. The Burial Mounds had been thrown into chaos as they tried to locate the missing
child. Eventually, they found A-Yuan hiding in one of the barrels they used to store water, passed
out, apparently falling asleep in his self-imposed game of hide and seek. Wei Wuxian remembered
Wen Qing scolding him for teaching the game to A-Yuan, but all he could do was stare at A-
Yuan’s peaceful face and try to calm down the panic in his heart.
If they had found A-Yuan any time later, he could have suffocated…

Shaking the memory away, he began asking around.

“Auntie!” he called out to the woman selling fruits and vegetables. “Have you seen a boy my age
wearing white robes?”

She frowned. “Not sure I have, A-Ying.”

Thankfully, the old man transporting produce in the corner heard his question. “A kid your age,
you say? In white robes? Looks like a young master?” He raised a brow.

“Yes! That’s him. Did you see him, uncle?”

The old man nodded. “I saw him enter the Forbidden Forest hours ago. I tried calling for him, but
he was too fast. And I was behind my delivery schedule. I wanted to inform the town master about
it, but it slipped my mind, until this little one asked.”

“He went to the forest?” Wei Wuxian eyed the foggy forest rich in tall bamboo trees and
mysterious spiritual energy, near the borders of Gusu. The forest was dangerous for humans at day,
much more at night. Even now, looking at the forest, the bamboo trees appeared dark and
menacing. “Thank you, uncle, auntie!” Then he ran to the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

“A-Ying, wait! It’s getting late. You can’t enter the forest alone!”

He ignored the calls and wasted no time scouring the forest for Lan Wangji. Thankfully, he had
tucked some talismans in his robes before leaving; for emergencies, he thought. He activated a
flame talisman on a piece of a branch. With his makeshift torch, his search was made easier.

Wei Wuxian was a bit exasperated at Lan Wangji. Just what was Lan Zhan thinking, entering the
Forbidden Forest by himself? What’s more, Lan Wanji had broken the rules!

Lan Zhan, isn’t it hypocritical of you to tell me off for breaking the rules, when you’re running off
like this in your youth?

The moon hung in the sky when he saw a flash of white.

His heart leapt, and he walked towards that white blob lying on the ground. Oh, heavens .

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian called out, uncertain.

The white blob moved and sat up, turning to Wei Wuxian. Once he got closer, the fire illuminated
Lan Wangji’s appearance for the first time.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed, incredulous and disbelieving.

The peerless jade beauty Lan Zhan—untouchable, perfect Lan Zhan—was adorable . Despite the
slight smears of dirt on his face, he was rosy cheeked. And every time he blinked, his long lashes
contrasted against his pale skin.

He had the look of a cherub.

And it was detrimental to Wei Wuxian’s poor heart.

Almost immediately, Lan Zhan turned affronted. His eyebrows were furrowed and he frowned.
Wei Wuxian marveled at how easily and clearly this Lan Zhan displayed emotions for anyone to
see.

“Everyone calls me Second Young Master.”

Wei Wuxian tilted his head. “Your brother and uncle call you Second Young Master?”

Then another adorable thing happened. Lan Wangji’s lower lip jutted out into a pout. Cute!
“Xiongzhang and Uncle are different.”

“But I want to call you Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian whined, but he was really just teasing.

If looks could kill, Wei Wuxian would have probably died. Again. The murderous expression on
Lan Wangji was so familiar, it made Wei Wuxian smile wider.

“Okay, okay, I won’t call you Lan Zhan anymore.” At Lan Wangji’s angry huff, he put his hands
up placatingly. “Hahaha, that’s the last one. I promise. I’m a friend.” He beamed, placating. It was
important to let Lan Wangji know he was on his side and would do him no harm.

Lan Wangji looked surprised, and he wondered why. It was only when Wei Wuxian happened to
glance down that he saw Lan Wangji cradling his right arm awkwardly, and his teasing mood
vanished.

“Are you injured? What happened?” He crouched beside Lan Wangji. He reached out, pausing
when he remembered Lan Wangji’s aversion to physical contact. “Can I see it?”

Not breaking his continued stare at Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji nodded.

Wei Wuxian then picked up the injured arm and studied the wound. It was far from fatal, but it
was deep, and the fact that a four year old Lan Wangji had not made any sounds of pain spoke
volumes of Lan Wangji’s character. Ah, Lan Zhan is truly amazing, even as a kid.

Reaching over his head, Wei Wuxian tugged at his hair ribbon until it came loose. His hair fell
down and framed his face the next second. He ignored Lan Wangji’s wide eyes as he wrapped the
ribbon around the bleeding arm, softly patting it afterwards.

“There, I bandaged your arm until you could clean it when you got home. Next time be careful,
Second Young Master.”

Lan Wangji stared at him. “Who are you?”

“Oh! I didn’t say? I’m Wei Ying. Even though you don’t want me to call you by your name, I’ll let
you call mine, hahaha.”

“Wei Ying?”

That voice, although higher and younger than he remembered, gave Wei Wuxian a rush of
giddiness.

“Yup, that’s me!”

“Thank you, Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian grinned. A shiver ran down his back, and he finally remembered where they were.
“We better go back now. Your clan is looking all over for you.”

Surprisingly, Lan Wangji shook his head. “I cannot go back yet.”

“Huh, why not?” We’re in a deadly forest here, Lan Zhan.

“I have to find the sun and moon dew flower.”

The what? Wei Wuxian had never heard of that flower before. And he doubted it could be found in
this place. “What is it?”

“It is a flower in Mother’s poetry.”

A poem book? From experience, Wei Wuxian knew there was a high chance this flower was
fictional. “Why would you want to find it now?”

“Mother said that perhaps like the poet, seeing that flower will cure her illness.”

Oh. Oh . Wei Wuxian’s heart ached at the innocence. In his past life, he had no idea about the
circumstances of the Lan matriarch, too focused on cultivation and tomfoolery to bother with
gossip. Now he knew and he admired the lengths Lan Wangji would take for his mother.

Lan Wangji stood up and glanced over at him. “Would you like to come with me?”

Wei Wuxian blinked and took a moment to respond, because Lan Wangji was not the kind to seek
companionship. Or maybe Lan Zhan had always been friendly, but growing up, he’d lost it. “I’d
love to. But it’s really late. Don’t you want to go back another day?”

Lan Wangji frowned, but because he was young and quite chubby, it looked like he was pouting.
“No.”

Wow, this was his first time facing petulant Lan Zhan. He tried a tactic that worked on A-Yuan
before. “Your brother and uncle will worry if you’re not back anytime soon.”

“No.”

“Your mother will worry. Would you like that?”

He was met with silence as Lan Wangji contemplated over his words. Feeling pity, Wei Wuxian
decided to help him a bit.

“You know, my parents are rogue cultivators, and they traveled to a lot of places. If you want, I can
ask them about the flower. We’re not even sure if they grow in Gusu, you know. Searching for
them now is fruitless.”

More sulking. Lan Wangji eyed the dark horizon before them, before saying, “Mn. I accept your
offer.”

Wei Wuxian was relieved. “Great! Let’s get out of here.”

They stumbled along the uneven forest ground, the makeshift torch lighting their way. He could
feel spirits whooshing over their heads, and he quickened his pace, glancing at Lan Wangji to see if
he was keeping up. It was a good thing Wei Wuxian found Lan Wangji at the right time. Entering
a forest at night, how reckless of you, Lan Zhan!

Unsurprisingly, they found a number of Lan disciples plus Wei Wuxian’s mother gathering at the
edge of the forest. Wei Wuxian had just deactivated the torch when they pounced on them.

“There they are!”

“Second Young Master, why did you leave like that?”

“You gave us a scare, Second Young Master. Don’t do that again.”

“Wangji.” Lan Xichen emerged from the crowd and stood before his younger brother. He looked
over Wangji until he saw the bandaged arm. “What happened?”

“Wei Ying took care of it.”

At the time, a shout drowned out the rest of their conversation.

“WEI YING!”

Cringing, Wei Wuxian offered a smile at his furious mother. “Māma, I found him!”

She loomed over him and raised a hand, and Wei Wuxian snapped his eyes shut. To his surprise, a
warm pair of arms wrapped around him. She carried him in her arms until they were a few feet
away from the Lan sect.

“What were you thinking, going in there all by yourself? You could’ve gotten hurt,” she gushed.

He had only seen this in other families, mother fussing over her children. Tight hugs promising
security. Aggrieved words tumbling over in worry.

Now he was experiencing it himself, and he felt warm all over.

“Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.”

His mother looked at him with a fond and complicated expression.

Luckily, before either he or his mother could burst into tears, Lan Xichen interrupted their moment.
As a preteen, he was really similar to his adult self, all smiling and polite. “I can’t thank you
enough, Wei Ying.”

Wei Wuxian waved off his thanks, feeling a bit embarrassed at the weight of everyone’s eyes on
him. “It was nothing. I just arrived here first, is all.”

“It was the opposite of nothing, Wei Ying. I am indebted to you.” Lan Xichen smiled.

“Wei Ying.”

With just his name, Lan Wangji held all his attention. Lan Zhan was looking at him meaningfully,
and he finally remembered. “Ah! Māma, Lan—I mean, Second Young Master Lan has a question
for you.”

“Oh, what is it?” Mother looked between him and Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji stepped forward and tilted his head up to meet Cangse’s gaze. "The sun and moon dew
flower. Where can I find it?"

His mother looked surprised, but her expression smoothed out into a smile. "And why do you wish
to find it?"

"To cure Mother's illness."

Lan Xichen made a noise, and Mother's eyes widened. Then they exchanged a look of
understanding. It seemed they understood what happened and also knew the flower was fictional.

Thankfully, Mother chose to protect Lan Wangji's innocence. "Second Young Master Lan, I'm
afraid the flower is extinct. Besides the flower is not meant for medicine, but for alchemy."

"If you are worried about Mother's condition, Wangji, the healers are already fixing a new
medicine for her. Don't worry about it any longer."

Wei Wuxian wanted to pat his mother and Zewu-jun in the back for their quick thinking.

Frowning, Lan Zhan looked up to his brother. "Then can I see Mother again tomorrow?"

Wei Wuxian was missing something, he was sure, judging by the pained expression on Lan
Xichen, and his own mother's suspiciously shiny eyes.

"We'll see, Wangji," is what Lan Xichen ended up saying.

"I'm sure your mother would want you safe at home than out here finding medicine for her. Grow
up nice and healthy, and I'm sure she'll be happy."

Lan Wangji nodded, but he still looked sullen.

“Wangji, it is time to go back.” Lan Xichen turned to Wei Wuxian and his mother. “Thank you for
helping us find Wangji. I hope we can repay the favor.”

His mother smiled, pleased. “Just be good and healthy.”

Wei Wuxian remembered what his mother said earlier and thought she would bring up Lan
Wangji’s mother, but she said no more.

“It is a pleasure meeting you, Cangse-āyí.” Lan Xichen bowed.

Curious but knew better than to ask, Lan Wangji followed his brother’s example and bowed. “Nice
meeting you, Cangse-āyí.”

His mother, and even Wei Wuxian, grinned at the adorable scene. Lan Xichen took his brother’s
hand and started walking away.

Lan Wangji turned to follow, but then he paused. He seemed to think of something before turning
around, digging around his robes.

"Wei Ying, take this."

When he opened his hand, Wei Wuxian gaped. There, hanging by a white string was the jade token
to the entrance of the Cloud Recesses.

"Why are you giving me this, Second Young Master?"

Suddenly shy, Lan Wangji turned to look to the side. "You said you're my… friend."

He did, but not in that context?! Wei Wuxian’s mind was reeling.

"As friends, I am giving you this. And. You can. Call me. By my name." He struggled to say.

Wei Wuxian grinned, fighting the urge to squish Lan Wangji in a hug. "Thank you, Lan Zhan!"
 Lan Wangji turned around, but Wei Wuxian caught the small smile lighting up his face. Lan Zhan,
so cute!

And just like that, down the drain went his plans to stay away. Too late to turn back now.

Wei Wuxian had been tempted by fate and he was too weak to resist.

Little did they know the Lan disciples in the back were gawking, Lan Xichen smiling, and Cangse
cooing.

Ten years later, these people would see the two together again, look back to this day, and say "Ah, I
knew it."

Chapter End Notes

Surprise appearance by little tsun tsun Hanguang-jun! I’m sure a lot of you expected
it! Not that happy with this chapter but I did my best. T^T

WWX and LWJ’s moms being bffs is a headcanon I will die for. ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̥⌓˂̣̥ )‧º·˚ I
named Madam Lan as Lan Yi, which is the sect leader’s name in the drama, yes, but
this is fanfic.

Btw, if you read tgcf and wanna read sweet, fluffy hualian, I’m reccing my fic
Wherever you are, I’ll be there for you. It was written for Xie Lian’s birthday and I’m
quite proud of the way it turned out. ♥

Come say hi on Twitter! @msmissymeira

 Chapter 6
Chapter Notes

Thank you for all the love for this fic! I know I'm slow in responding and writing, but
the chapters are somehow getting longer in exchange, lol

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The excitement of a festival hung in the air. The streets of Qinghe were lit up with lanterns, stalls
opened for business at the side of the streets, and people bustled around.

At fourteen, Nie Mingjue was accustomed to the sight far longer than his brother, and so he
remained calm and impassive, while Huaisang flitted about, gushing over a fan or a snack here and
there.

Mingjue outwardly scoffed at his brother’s naivety, yet deep down he felt warm. Despite growing
up without a mother, Huaisang turned out to be a cheerful child.

“Ge, look! Candy rabbits!” Huaisang babbled happily and started asking the stall owner how the
candies were shaped into rabbits, his appreciation for the arts showing.

Mingjue snorted. This brother. If only he had shown the same dedication to his cultivation and
swordsmanship, Mingjue would not have any problems. But Huaisang seemed set on being a
permanent headache with his reluctance to take his studies seriously.

No matter. For today, Mingjue had resigned himself to be an... obliging older brother for Huaisang.
Huaisang’s birthday coincided with Qinghe’s Harvest Festival, and as a result, Huaisang never had
birthday celebrations that were solely his own.

Mingjue had expected Huaisang to be the person who would sulk over that fact, but surprisingly,
his little brother did not mind. This year, he seemed happier at the chance to admire the works of
art on display than to hold a party. Mingjue would never utter it out loud, but his baby brother was
just precious.

Finally content with his perusal, Huaisang returned to his side.

“Ge, let’s watch the talent contest tonight!” his brother said with shining eyes.

Mingjue hummed. “What about dinner with Father?”

“I eat with him every night. And Father is too busy to sit with us for the full meal, anyways. I
wanna grab some street food and watch the show with you.” Pouting, he clutched at Mingjue’s
sleeve. “Please? It’s my birthday! Pleeease?”

“Stop whining, Huaisang. You’re a Nie,” Mingjue said instinctively, his usual line when Huaisang
started acting up.

“Then be a man and grant my wish, Ming-ge.”

“... All right.”

Since when did his brother start acting like a spoiled young mistress?

The talent contest, open for all ages and gender, was more of an endurance contest. The contestants
demonstrated their toughness by sword fighting and archery, and a single loss meant an
elimination. In other words, it was survival of the fittest.

It was the common folks’ way of displaying strength and for Qinghe, there is no trait more
important than that.

Mingjue had witnessed the show already ages ago and once wanted to participate. A small part of
him still did, if he was honest.

For Huaisang, it was his first time. And as expected, his little brother became disappointed.

“Ge! Where is the talent? The beauty? The arts?”

Mingjue suppressed a smile and couldn’t keep the smug tone out of his voice. “What are you
talking about? This is a talent contest.”

The show presenter eagerly welcomed two young men up the stage for another bout of sword
fighting.

Huaisang groaned. For some reason, he stayed seated as he unhappily shoved spoonfuls of rice in
his mouth. It seemed like he was determined to see the show through the end, despite it not
meeting his expectations.

Huaisang’s determination both surprised and pleased Mingjue.

To show his delight, he bought sweets for his brother to snack on.

The contest went on with neither brothers speaking. The crowd around them went wild after an
intense fight, clapping loudly for the winner. Everyone except Mingjue and Huaisang, who
remained seated while eating their food quietly, content with just watching.

After all, they were cultivators. They were used to it.

Soon the sword fight round ended, and archery began. Mingjue lost interest until a certain
contestant came up.

“Oh, what do we have here, folks?” the presenter laughingly exclaimed. He crouched down to get
eye level with the contestant. “Are you lost, little one?” The people burst into coos and laughter.

Mingjue’s arched brows almost went up his hairline. That was. A child contestant.

Huaisang gave a surprised shout. “Look, ge! He’s the same age as me!”

The child smiled, innocent and wide. “Nope! I’m here to participate in the archery contest.”

The presenter laughed again, but with a note of hysteria. The people, finding the child’s actions
adorable, cooed again. “I’m sorry, little one. What’s your name? Wei Yuandao? For real? Ah, I’m
sorry, Yuandao, you can’t do that. Wait a bit until you’re older, okay?”

The child frowned. “But I thought the contest doesn’t discriminate.”

The crowd went silent.

Indeed. Qinghe valued strength first and foremost; equality second.

Having charmed some of the people, shouts of “let him try one round!” rang out. Even Huaisang
dropped his spoon and joined in. Meanwhile, Mingjue felt some admiration at the child’s guts and
wished Huaisang had even a quarter of it.

The presenter became flustered, not knowing what to do, until the officials whispered some
instructions and the presenter recovered in a few moments.

“All right, what about this, Yuandao? If you get an arrow to hit inside the largest red circle, we will
accept you as a contestant.”

Yuandao grinned. “Deal!”

At first, Mingjue was astonished by the bravado of this boy, thinking him foolish and careless. But
then he saw the way he held the recurve bow, confident and at ease, like he had done it multiple
times.

This child… He knew what he was doing.

Mingjue was instantly intrigued.

As Wei Yuandao arranged his arrow and raised his bow, the presenter backed off a bit to give him
space. The people standing near the target board also ran off.

Mingjue noted the set of relaxed shoulders and steady hands. Incredible. It was almost like he was
looking at a seasoned warrior and not a seven year old.

After a moment’s time, the arrow was released and everyone’s eyes moved to the target board.

It hit dead center.

Shocked silence filled the street.

Then, like a pin drop, enthusiastic cheering and clapping resounded, people having lost their mind
at the sheer talent and skill of this child.

Mingjue himself had not even noticed he’d stood up. Stunned, he looked down at Huaisang, also
standing and jumping up and down, crying “Amazing! Amazing!”

The child in question looked embarrassed at the barrage of attention. When the audience calmed
down a bit, he turned to the shell-shocked presenter and asked. “Can I participate now?”

Just who the hell is this kid?

Across the town square, a small group of cultivators in red and white garbs was thinking the same
thing.

#####
Nie Huaisang had a memorable seventh birthday, because he'd spent the entire day with his older
brother. The excuse with the talent contest actually worked!

For Huaisang, there was no other person more important in his world than Mingjue-ge. His mother
died from childbirth. His father, while alive, was never really around much, there was no
difference from having none, too.

It was Mingjue who was always there for him.

His brother’s gruff, terrifying demeanor. It was all just an act, really. Too bad few people knew
that.

Despite not being born of the same mother, Nie Mingjue never treated him like a half brother. He
accompanied him every meal time as much as he could. He bought him delicate fans and beautiful
calligraphy tools. Even though his older brother was busy as the head disciple, he always made
time for Huaisang.

That's why he'd rather be with Mingjue-ge for a day than spend time having a stuffy dinner with his
father.

But wow, that little kid from the talent show was the highlight of the night!

Huaisang called him a little kid since that kid had a smaller build even though they were the same
age. Perhaps in the future Huaisang would grow even taller than him, ha!

Anyway, that little kid, Wei Yuandao if he remembered correctly, was amazing! Even his brother
was impressed, and the number of things that could impress Mingjue-ge could be counted in one
hand.

Huaisang wished he could meet him again.

As he lay in bed, contemplating, he thought, hm, why not?

The next day was a fine morning; the birds were chirping happily, perched on the branches. The
serenity however was broken by a hunched figure in the middle of his room in the Unclean Realm.

Having spent the early hours being scolded for refusing to attend sword practice, Nie Huaisang
was too busy angrily packing a bag to notice the good morning. Nie Mingjue had actually growled
as he’d stalked out of the room.

Well, was it Huaisang’s fault that he didn’t want to be a cultivator?

Hmph. Huaisang had enough.

His plan last night to sneak out to find Wei Yuandao turned out to be a plan to run away. Again.
This wasn’t the first time Huaisang tried to run away, so the motions of packing were second
nature to him.

Silently, he made his way out of his room, heading to the exit by the training grounds. He stopped
behind a pillar when he heard his martial brothers talking about a familiar person.

"That kid in the archery contest yesterday was something, wasn't he? To be able to cleanly hit the
target in eight out of ten times at that age." The disciple whistled.

"I agree! Not even Nie-shixiong could do so at that age."

"Don't say that. None of us here are good in archery. During the Discussion Conference, we never
even placed in the top ten."

"Ai, don’t remind me! Hey, do you think that kid wants to be a cultivator? Let’s invite him to the
sect!”

“Stupid! We’re junior disciples. We can’t just invite someone into the sect.”

“I know that but — Ah! Crap, it’s time for sword practice. Let’s go!”

Right! Huaisang wanted to find this Wei Yuandao. How could he forget that!

His simple runaway plan forgotten, Huaisang decided to spend the day escaping and looking for
Wei Yuandao. The mind of a child was truly fickle.

Huaisang had a feeling Wei Yuandao was worth meeting. And Huaisang’s gut feelings were
always accurate.

Oh. Huaisang wiped the water off his face. Maybe his gut was wrong this time.

Of all the things to happen today, a rainstorm was the last he expected!

Failing to bring an umbrella, he could only seek shelter from the awning of a rundown inn. Sitting
hunched over a dry corner, Huaisang looked no different from a homeless orphan.

The innkeeper seemed to want to drive him away, but upon seeing his Nie sect robes, thought
otherwise. Huaisang wanted to rent a room but didn’t have enough money after his lavish breakfast
and lunch. Ah, he really should’ve bought only two pieces of youtiao instead of four.

Asking around for Wei Yuandao all afternoon yielded no results. Huaisang wanted to cry. Why is
searching for a little kid so hard? The Unclean Realm wasn’t that big to start with. How come no
one knew where this Wei Yuandao was?!

The rain continued to pour heavily, the air getting heavy with humidity. Huaisang whined as he felt
his robes sticking to his sweaty skin. Great. His plan for the day took a turn from exciting to
uncomfortable. A complete failure!

He almost wished Mingjue-ge would appear in front of him. Sadly, his older brother, used to his
rebellious bouts, let him wander around town for the day, only sending out a search party when he
wasn’t home by sunset.

There were still a few hours before sunset.

In his frustration, Huaisang pulled out his jade hairpin and chucked it away with so much strength,
Nie Mingjue would have been proud.

He was seriously contemplating returning home when someone stopped in front of him.

“You hit me with this?” someone coldly asked.

Huaisang looked up and almost cried in terror. Crowding around him were three angry-looking
men in familiar white and red robes — QishanWen cultivators!

The tall one in the middle held up Huaisang’s hairpin. He wanted to shake his head but the
scowling faces were too frightening!

They didn’t look happy with his silence. The Wen cultivator in the middle stepped forward and
roughly grabbed the front of his robes, making Huaisang cry out.

“Nie scum should bow before the mighty Wen. Why didn’t you bow, hah? Think you’re better
than us? Is that why you threw this at us?”

Huaisang shook, tears now streaming down his cheeks. He’d never faced this much aggression
from a stranger before. Weak and helpless, he could only cry.

“Speak up, brat? You think you’re above us?” The Wen cultivator sneered.

“Fighting with a kid, you definitely are lower than scum.”

All of them, Huaisang included, turned to the newcomer. It was a woman in plain robes, holding up
a white umbrella. However, her clothes were the only thing plain about her. Her beautiful face
twisted in annoyance and a powerful aura emanated from her, making Huaisang believe she was
either a cultivator or a vengeful goddess.

The three Wen cultivators seemed to think the same and tensed up.

Huaisang met the eyes of a woman before she leveled his harriers with a glare. “You three better
run away before I lose my patience and show you how I fight with someone half my age.”

“We’re not afraid of some old woman!” spat the Wen on the left.

A pause. The woman’s face cleared but Huaisang knew it didn’t mean anything good.

“Old woman?” she asked in a sweet voice.

Suddenly, Huaisang only blinked but the Wens lay sprawled on the ground, groaning.

Folding her now broken umbrella, Huaisang’s savior stepped into the awning and brushed the
droplets off her robes.

Then she turned to Huaisang and her entire demeanor softened, smiling kindly down at him.
“Would you like to come in with me?”

Awed and grateful, Huaisang nodded.

The smile on the woman’s face grew. “Great! Come on.”

Huaisang left the downed Wens —he jeered at them in his heart—and followed the woman inside
the inn. She led him upstairs until they stopped at one of the rooms at the end of the hall.

When she opened the door, there were two other people inside, playing go . A man and—

“Wei Yuandao?!” Huaisang exclaimed, eyes bulging out.

Wei Yuandao looked equally surprised to see him, a flicker of something flashing fast in his eyes
before disappearing. “You saw me yesterday?”
“Yeah—Yes! You were amazing!” Huaisang couldn’t help but enthuse.

After setting aside the umbrella, his savior spoke up, “My, my, seems like you know my son?”

Ah, where were his manners? Huaisang wanted to slap himself. He turned to her, cupped his hands
respectfully, and gave a deep bow. “I’m sorry for not introducing myself sooner. This one’s name
is Nie Huaisang. I’d also like to thank you for saving me from those Wen cultivators earlier.”

“Wen cultivators?” the man asked. He turned to Huaisang’s savior with a disapproving look.
“Cangse, you didn’t.”

His savior—Madam Cangse?—shrugged. “I didn’t do much; just had them let go of this child.”

The man didn’t look happy still, so Huaisang bowed once again. “I’m truly sorry!”

Madam Cangse pulled him upright. “Ah, you don’t have to bow. Let me introduce my family. My
name is Cangse, and that is my husband, Wei Changze. You know my son, but apparently by a
false name?” Madam Cangse was looking at Yuandao with narrowed eyes.

Yuandao gave an uneasy laugh. “I panicked when they asked me, māma. I wasn’t really trying to
hide anything!”

After watching them interact, Huaisang was still confused so he asked, “A false name? Is that why
I can’t find you no matter how much I look?”

Yuandao looked at him again, this time with curiosity. “Why is Nie’s second young master looking
for me?”

“What I want to know first is how Second Young Master Nie heard of my son’s false name,”
Madam Cangse intervened before he could answer. After pulling him to sit down before the table,
she served him water and commanded all his attention. All the while, a pleasant smile lit up her
face, as if his words would be the most precious thing in the world.

Even Yuandao’s mother was amazing! Huaisang was once again in awe.

Too bad for Wei Yuandao who failed to convey his stay-silent message. Wei Changze observed
the scene in amusement.

“Now, please tell me how you know ‘Wei Yuandao.’”

“Um,” Huaisang started, darting a look sideways at Yuandao but got blocked by Madam Cangse’s
smiling face. He took a sip of water before replying. “He participated in the archery contest
yesterday.” It came out sounding like a question.

Both adults turned to give exasperated looks at Yuandao, who was quick to defend himself.

“I didn’t—I was careful not to hurt anyone! I promise. And look.” He ran to grab his pillow and
dug out a hidden stash of money. Grinning, he presented them to his parents. “I won some cash!”

“Wei Ying!” Madam Cangse was aghast.

Uh, oh. Maybe he got Wei Yuandao—Wei Ying?—in trouble?

“Um, he was so talented with the bow and arrow. My martial brothers couldn’t stop talking about
him...” came Huaisang’s aborted attempt at pacifying the situation.
Wei Changze looked proud for a moment before frowning. “So that’s why you insisted on staying
home with me today. I should’ve known you were trying to hide.”

“I also wanted to spend time with you, bàba!”

“Don’t change the subject, A-Ying.”

“Yes, māma. I do promise I didn’t hurt anyone.”

Madam Cangse heaved a big sigh before standing up to kneel in front of Wei Yuandao—er, Wei
Ying. “It’s not about possibly hurting other people.” She cupped his face. “We’re worried about
you getting hurt.”

Wei Ying’s eyes widened and seemed to glaze over.

As for Huaisang, he experienced a pang of jealousy. None of his parents had said those words to
him. Mingjue-ge, while Huaisang could infer his worry through his actions, had also never uttered
such words.

“I-I’m sorry for making you worry,” stuttered Wei Ying, and Huaisang was surprised to see the
confident kid from yesterday looking unsure of himself, looking anywhere but at any of the people
in the room.

His father reached over to ruffle his hair. “Next time, you tell your mother and I your exact
whereabouts. And tell us if you ever participate in something like this again.”

Wei Ying nodded and smiled.

Silence filled the air, the family of three seeming to forget about another person in the room. When
Huaisang sipped on his cup, they finally noticed him and looked embarrassed by their actions.

Oh, no! Please don’t mind me! I am admiring the view very much!

Madam Cangse turned back to him with an indulging smile. “You should join us for dinner,
alright? You and Wei Ying can stay here and chat while my husband and I fetch dinner from
downstairs.” Then Madam Cangse left the room, tugging her husband with her.

Left alone with the person he was searching for all day, Huaisang suddenly felt a bit awkward.
Apart from watching him in yesterday’s contest and accidentally witnessing some of his family
matters, he’d never really got to talk with Wei Ying.

All he knew was that he was an awesome little kid! His eyes fell on the go set left unattended.

A kid who also liked playing go ?

Huh. Who knew Wei Ying had an old man hobby? Was he even a child?

“Ah, Nie-xiong, sorry you had to see all that,” Wei Ying suddenly apologized profusely, as if he
had greatly sinned. If only he knew Huaisang was insulting his go hobby in his mind...

Startled, Huaisang focused on the familiar title and realized that he... quite liked it. If he called out
Huaisang that way, perhaps he wanted to be friends?

Excited, he replied, “It’s no problem, Wei-xiong!”

Wei Ying beamed at his acceptance of the informal speech. “Here, take this.”
Something yellow flew from his hands which Huaisang almost didn’t catch. It was a long piece of
yellow cloth. “This is...?”

“Tie for your hair.”

Huaisang blinked, feeling tears gather in his eyes. No one ever gave him gifts before, naturally
excluding Mingjue-ge. Which should be obvious because, well, Huaisang never had any friends
before.

Born weak in body and spirit, Huaisang could not keep up with disciples around his age, so they
had a tendency to leave him behind. As for the other sects’ young masters, the Nie clan was never
close with the other big name sects. By proximity, the closest clan would be the Wens, but
everyone disliked them so they were out of the question.

Now, this amazing little kid gave him, a weak, lame person, a gift?

Huaisang gripped Wei Ying’s hands in his. “Wei-xiong, you’re such a nice person. Can we be
friends?”

Shocked for a moment, Wei Ying quickly replied, “That shouldn’t be a question. Of course, we
can!”

Wei Ying and him… became friends.

When dinner arrived, the four of them ate their fill and Huaisang learned that they were a family of
rogue cultivators, which explained Madam Cangse’s incredible aura. Usually he never spoke a
word during mealtimes, but with this family, he couldn’t stop talking and laughing.

Once they were through, the sun had set. When Huaisang noticed this, he stood up in alarm.

“Oh no! My brother is going to kill me!”

Wei Ying placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Do you need to go back now? We can take
you to the Unclean Realm. Right, māma, bàba?”

They hummed in agreement. “That’s right. It’s already dark and it’ll be faster to travel by sword.”

And so that was how Huaisang found himself in front of the gates to the Nie clan manor, staring up
at his exasperated brother while hiding behind Wei Ying.

“I think I have an idea what happened.” He bowed to Wei Ying’s parents. “Thank you for taking in
Huaisang. I’m sure he was troublesome.”

“Not at all! He was an adorable child.” Madam Cangse and her husband smiled.

Huaisang perked up happily. Him? Adorable? Nobody ever said that about him before.

Nie Mingjue raised a brow at his overjoyed expression before he snorted. “Come back here, you
troublemaker.”

“Is Ming-ge mad?”

“I was, but now I’m not.”

 “Oh, okay!”

He ran out to stand beside his older brother. His fear of his brother’s anger forgotten, he excitedly
introduced Wei Ying to Mingjue.

“Ge, look, Wei Ying was the winner from yesterday’s archery contest! He’s not actually Yuandao.
It’s just a fake name because his parents didn’t know he was joining the contest.”

Wei Ying laughed awkwardly. His parents looked amused but stayed silent as they let their son
handle it himself.

“I see.” Nie Mingjue said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Mingjue, Huaisang’s brother.
Congratulations for winning. Your archery skills are brilliant.”

“Ah, thank you, First Young Master Nie.”

"I know this is sudden, but the Nie sect has a place for you, if you are interested."

Not only Wei Ying but also his parents appeared shocked at the unexpected offer. Deep down,
Huaisang wished Wei Ying accepted the offer.

Wei Ying broke into a smile. "Thank you for the offer, but I'd like to stay with my parents. And as
rogue cultivators, we'll be leaving this place."

"Is that so?"

“You’re leaving?” Huaisang exclaimed, his lower lip trembling. He just made his first friend today
and he was about to lose him?

“Not anytime soon,” Wei Ying assured him. Then playfully, he said, “We still have time to
practice your archery skills.”

Gasping in betrayal, Huaisang whined. “Wei-xiong!”

An approving glint lit up in his brother’s eyes. “You are welcome to the Nie sect training
grounds.”

“Really? Then, let’s have fun tomorrow at your place, Nie-xiong!”

“ No! ”

Wei Ying laughed, carefree and bright. “Ah, it’s really nice to meet you.”

Mingjue tugged at his arm. “We need to get back home.”

Huaisang pouted and clutched at Wei Ying’s hands again. “Wei Ying! Don’t leave without telling
me, okay? We have to meet again soon!”

Wei Ying stared before he smiled widely. “Okay.”

Chapter End Notes

Can you believe I had this draft of Wei Ying and Huaisang’s meeting before Lan
Zhan’s? And then it got scrapped in the end and turned out like this!! Also I haven’t
seen Fatal Journey yet so the only thing running through my mind for characterization
was “Nie brothers love each other!! (◕‿◕✿)”

For those curious about Lan Zhan, we’ll find out soon... *cue evil laughter*

Somehow I find it easier and more enjoyable to write my other wangxian fic *cries in
Mandarin*

Next chapter is my fave part! Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

 Chapter 7
Chapter Notes

It’s here!!! The reason this fic was born! Ahhh!!

It’s raining where I am which perfectly sets the mood for this chapter...

Warning: canon-typical violence and gore, angst (just trust me on this)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

In a small hut in the outskirts of Yiling, Cangse was helping Wei Wuxian compose a letter.

“And then the characters for ‘missing you’ are written like this.”

Wei Wuxian’s mother moved her brush, put it down once she was done, and waited for her son to
copy it.

And Wei Wuxian foolishly did, ignoring a part of him saying he’d been baited into doing
something he shouldn’t.

“Perfect! You’re such a fast learner. Now you’re ready to send it to your Lan Zhan.”

He knew it!

Warmth blossomed in Wei Ying’s cheeks, but he didn’t notice as he stammered out, “He’s, he’s not
my Lan Zhan!”

“Oh? Then why is his reply here signed as ‘Your Lan Zhan—’”

“A mistake! It was a mistake!” he insisted, not knowing if he should laugh or cry.

Seriously! Wei Wuxian didn’t know what Lan Wangji was thinking when he’d sent that letter and
signed with Your Lan Zhan. The first time he’d read it, his eyes almost bulged out of his sockets.
Good thing he wasn’t drinking water then or else death by choking would’ve been his end this
time!

Lan Zhan, ah, Lan Zhan, ah. What was going through that head of yours?

Funny how a young Lan Wangji still managed to befuddle him. How silly.

(Little did he know, he only had himself to blame. Caught by his subconscious tendency to write
teasing remarks to Lan Wangji, he signed From Your Wei Ying. Thus, Lan Wangji was merely
reciprocating. Unfortunately, Wei Wuxian had been too lazy to read through his letter to notice the
slip-up.)

His mother stared at him with an all-knowing grin, leaning her head against a propped up hand.

“If I knew you and Yiyi’s second son would hit it off, I should’ve let you meet ages ago. Or we
could’ve stayed in Gusu longer.”
Wei Ying only smiled, not saying anything. The truth was, he hadn’t known what to feel with the
sudden meeting with Lan Wangji. It had certainly never happened in his past life—he would’ve
remembered meeting such a cherubic child no matter what!—and so he could only conclude that
his rebirth changed their first meeting.

To be honest, he’d been afraid of continuing this friendship. The words shared between Lan
Wangji and with his past self were not nice. Lan Zhan was righteous and kind, and he was
terrifying and evil.

Wei Wuxian understood their roles very well.

But seeing a cute Lan Zhan completely wrecked his decision skills. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but
think of those better days spent getting a rise out of Lan Zhan. A desire to see them again
overwhelmed him. So he could only accept the jade token and see Lan Wangji off that day.

Then, his mother seemed to really like the friendship between them as she’d brought him to say
goodbye on their last day in Gusu. Again, that pouting face of little Lan Zhan was too powerful!

His mother had come prepared and offered to start a correspondence through pigeons between him
and Lan Wangji. Before Wei Wuxian could say anything, Lan Zhan perked up and agreed, gave
him a look and a nod.

Wei Wuxian was surprised at how easily it all happened, until he remembered.

Right, Lan Qiren had been missing from the scene the whole time...

“Wei Ying!”

Jolting back to present, Wei Wuxian flashed an innocent smile at his exasperated mother. She
sighed, used to his antics by now.

“Clean that up right now. It’s time to eat.”

“Mn!”

Reply letter to Lan Wangji taken care of, Wei Wuxian set the table as his mother quickly fixed
their dinner. It was barely sundown, only you shi but the Wei family was already preparing to eat.
This routine started when they moved here in Yiling.

A routine that didn’t sit well with Wei Wuxian.

In his parents’ eyes, the cause of his agitation would probably be the fact he’d be left at home
alone. Ever since he had been born, one parent stayed the night with him while the other went off
on a nighthunt. Recently, just starting this recent move, they deemed Wei Wuxian old enough to be
left on his own.

As the family of three sat down and ate their food, Wei Wuxian couldn’t keep the crestfallen look
off his face. He could feel more than see his parents trading looks when they thought he wasn’t
looking. Apart from that they kept quiet.

Despite his actual age, Wei Wuxian wanted to throw a tantrum.

Why did they even have to go on a nighthunt together? It wasn’t like they needed more money. Did
they want to spend time away from Wei Wuxian? Spend some alone time? He knew his parents
were so in love it made him embarrassed most times, but could they please have mercy on their
poor son?

In his past life, Wei Wuxian vividly remembered telling Lan Wangji that the only memory he had
of his parents: his father cracking jokes, his mother busy laughing, and him smiling astride a horse.

Why was it vividly remembered? Because that exact scene happened just weeks ago!

What he hadn’t revealed—to Lan Zhan or anyone—was how painful that memory was.

Despite his murky memories, he knew it in his bones.

That memory happened right before his parents had died.

Yiling was more than just a place he made an infamous name for himself.

Wei Wuxian was orphaned because his parents had gone to a nighthunt and never returned. True
enough, his parents started going on nighthunts together. Wei Wuxian knew what was happening.

Nighthunts led to Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren’s death. Then and now.

He thought of the way his mother always let him tag along whenever she visited the market. Of the
way his mother tackled him in surprise hugs and peppered his face in kisses, making him really
embarrassed. Of how his mother taught him meditation techniques to prepare for his cultivation,
along with patiently teaching him how to read and write.

He thought of the way his father looked quiet and unassuming, until talismans or his family were
mentioned. Of how he wordlessly took over the household chores upon seeing his tired wife. Of
how he indulged Wei Wuxian with board games every time they were stuck together at home.

There was no way he would let them die again.

Reborn for almost eight years now, Wei Wuxian had grown used to his simple life. Grown to love
his parents as he got to know them again.

And so he decided.

I will prevent their death.

It was a decision that would irrevocably change his life.

But not one he would ever, ever regret.

“Wei Ying?” his father softly called, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Wei Wuxian put on his most pitiful face. “Can’t you stay and play go with me, bàba?”

As he met his eye, Wei Changze seemed to melt. Then he quickly righted himself. “We’ll play
tomorrow, okay?”

Knowing it was a lost battle, Wei Wuxian could only nod and look forlorn.

His parents hugged him goodbye, and he stayed by the door as he waved at them until they flew
away on their swords into the horizon.
Sighing, Wei Wuxian went back inside and started closing all the windows and extinguishing the
fire in the braziers. He went to his bed, dug out his qiankun pouch and put it in his pockets. He
dragged out his outer robe from its hiding place. Once his preparations were done, he closed the
door behind him and ran.

His pleading was no use to dissuade his parents, leaving Wei Wuxian with no choice but to resort
to extreme measures.

That is, secretly following his parents during nighthunts!

So far, this was the third time he’d accompanied his parents. With his constant training, he was
nimble enough to climb up on trees and observe from a distance. Once he had ascertained the kind
of spirit or demon his parents planned to face off, he had chosen his spot and served as a lookout
and unofficial backup.

Funny enough, it reminded him of his Yiling Patriarch days, and the fact he was actually in Yiling
did not go over him.

His body might be young, but his mind was brimming with experience. His long lost skills in
espionage did make his body ache after the first night, but after that he was fine.

A part of him is nervous and wary about the type of monster that would cause his parents’ deaths.
They were both excellent and capable cultivators, so Wei Wuxian was always extremely worried.
His qiankun pouch was filled with talismans he created behind his father’s back, some of them
ordinary, most his inventions.

Tonight, it seemed that cursed corpses were his parents’ targets.

He discreetly followed a few li away, taking extra care in avoiding the dried leaves on the ground
and gave him away. He made that mistake the second night. Thankfully, a squirrel had come out of
the bush he was hiding in and made his parents back off.

It took a long time before his parents located the corpses. By chou shi, they started performing the
basic purification ceremony along with some added incantations for the curse.

Overall, it was again a relatively harmless nighthunt and Wei Wuxian was beginning to relax,
fighting off a yawn and wishing for the comfort of his bed.

Again, he jinxed himself.

Dried leaves crunched loudly. It was caused neither by Wei Wuxian nor his parents.

His parents also heard the sound and went alert.

“Who’s there?” his father called out.

A snort of laughter and a group of cultivators emerged from the treeline. Out of habit, Wei
Changze moved to stand in front of Cangse.

Upon seeing the intruders, Wei Wuxian grimaced. Wen cultivators. And it seemed they were
looking for trouble.
Not good.

Cangse sauntered to stand beside Wei Changze, face expressionless. “If you’re here for the
corpses, you are down on luck.” She gestured to the now purified corpses and smiled thinly.

Someone scoffed. “The hell are you to dictate our luck!”

It didn’t take a genius to realize that if a fight broke out, odds were against Wei Wuxian’s parents.
They were outnumbered plus fatigued and depleted of spiritual energy from the purification they
had just done.

His father seemed to realize the same thing. “Look, if you want the corpses, they are all yours.
We’ll hand them to you.”

“We’re not here for some fucking corpses.” The Wen cultivator leading the group smirked. “You
should consider yourselves lucky. Not everyone is given the honor of being chosen by our great
Sect Leader.”

“Wen Ruohan?” Cangse snorted. “What the hell does he want now?”

The group roared in anger. “How dare you? After his generous offer, this is how you speak about
him?!”

“You will pay for this!”

“Gentlemen, we have no idea what you’re talking about. We’re simply and peacefully working
here, and then you barged in,” Wei Changze explained, a little helpless.

“What insolence!”

“As if we even want you to join our sect!”

A figure emerged from the group, younger but more level-headed than his peers, coming out to
clear the confusion.

“The great Wen Ruohan ordered us to take Cangse Sanren to Qishan,” he announced coldly.

That shocked Wei Wuxian into action, stealthily approaching the clearing. What was going on?

A dark look overcame Wei Changze. “You dare say so to my face. On whose right do you think
you can take my wife?”

The calm Wen cultivator’s eyes narrowed, and the jeering restarted.

“By the Wens’ right as the most powerful sect, obviously!”

“You insolent servant!”

A sword gleamed and reflected the moonlight as it was sharply unsheathed from Cangse’s side.
Her previously cool and detached facade gone, Cangse’s eyes burned with barely hidden rage as
she leveled the Wens with her sword. In response, the Wens started pulling out their swords.

“I let you ramble with your stupid superiority complex, but I am not letting you disrespect my
husband.” Her grip on the sword tightened. “You want to take me? All right. Go ahead and try,”
was all the warning she gave before descending on her enemies like a vengeful god.
Wei Changze was quick to react and followed after his wife’s lead. The clearing was soon filled
with flashes of spiritual energy and the sound of metal clanking.

And yet...

No matter how skilled Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren were, this fight was a losing battle.

When Wei Wuxian finally got back his bearings, he was a step away from the treeline, gripping a
thin branch so hard that it had splintered and pricked his hand. Nevertheless, he paid no heed to his
bloodied hand.

Itching to join in the fight, he held himself back as his body was only a child’s. Further, he would
distract his parents.

Cangse was busy fighting off five opponents at once that she almost didn’t notice a sixth person
lunging at her. She barely evaded, nicking her arm in the process.

White noise filled Wei Wuxian’s head. He could barely hear his parents talk over the sound of
battle.

Wei Changze saw what happened. “Cangse! Get out of here! Take Wei Ying and go!”

“Are you stupid? I’m not leaving you out here.”

“But Cangse we—” will both die if you don’t, came the unspoken words.

A grim smile on Cangse as a blow from the back made her kneel. “We won’t die. Our son is
waiting for us at home. You hear me, A-Ze? We cannot die here!”

A sword rose above her, intending to land the final strike.

NO!

Wei Wuxian couldn’t hold back any longer.

#####

The sharp, chilling sound of a dizi filled the air, and the battle came to a standstill.

Cangse took a sharp intake of breath. She heard Changze do the same.

Coming out from the treeline was Wei Ying. Head bowed, he walked leisurely towards the carnage
as if he was just taking a stroll through town. The bamboo dizi Changze had made for his fourth
birthday was pressed against his lips, playing that haunting tune that made gooseflesh rise on
Cangse’s arms.

“Wei Ying,” she whispered, frozen, uncomprehending.

Wei Ying lifted his head and Cangse saw the red haze overtaking her son’s eyes, a warning. Her
heart dropped.

Out of nowhere, dark, resentful energy emerged and danced over Wei Ying, endless and persisting.
Cursing in her mind, Cangse remembered how close they were currently to the Burial Mounds,
explaining the abnormally large dark energy in the area. Soon, the black mist glided in an intricate
dance to the direction of the purified corpses.

To everyone’s horror, the corpses twitched, stiffly standing up, heads creaking to stare at the
unmoving group of cultivators.

“Dear gods,” Changze whispered. Cangse exhaled.

The standstill ended as the undead pounced on the nearby Wen cultivators.

Screams of alarm rang out as they realized the walking dead heading in their direction. Many were
shouting about what a devil’s child Wei Ying was, but all curses faded over agonized screams and
the loud, clear tune of the dizi.

“Cangse!” Changze shouted, rushing to her side. The fight had shifted, and the Wens no longer
paid attention to them. She grabbed her husband’s outstretched hand, eyes still on her son.

Half-lidded, Wei Ying watched the massacre happen, apathetic. Eyes gouged out of skulls. Arms
detached with a sickening pop. The morbid scene cloyed the senses, matching perfectly with the
taste of horror in the atmosphere.

Cangse trembled. What happened to her son?

The taciturn Wen cultivator seemed to realize the mastermind behind the corpses. With heavy
steps, he turned to Wei Ying, cutting down corpses on his way.

“Changze, Wei Ying’s in trouble,” she hurriedly said. Changze quickly left and intercepted the
cultivator.

“Get out of my way. That kid must be killed.”

Changze did not reply but the force of his strikes increased as he drove his opponent away from
Wei Ying.

Cangse thankfully managed to drag herself to the side and, using a tree as support, managed to
stand in one foot.

The sound of a branch snapping had her glancing, cursing at the sight of a corpse coming over. She
reached for her sword and tried to stand her ground with a broken leg.

The corpse groaned as it attacked. Cangse raised her sword to defend but another blade made it
before hers.

“A-Ze.” Her voice could not hide the relief at seeing Changze come back safe and sound. “Wei
Ying?”

“There are no more Wens near him, and the corpses don’t seem to be interested in attacking him.”
Because he’s their master remained unsaid, but she understood just the same.

Changze cut off the head of the corpse which made it disoriented, going away in the opposite
direction. They looked at each other, unspoken words clear in their eyes.

“Later,” she murmured. “We’ll figure this out later.”

Changze nodded and helped her back to the clearing.

The people fighting lessened with a few Wens left barely hanging or trying to run away. Dead
bodies and body parts littered the ground, and Cangse had never been in a more gruesome
battlefield before.

She and Changze stayed behind the trees as they neared Wei Ying. Even now, their son remained
standing straight as a pillar, dizi playing uninterrupted.

“Where did he learn how to—” Changze cut himself off and let out a frustrated sigh. Cangse
understood how he felt and remained silent.

When all that was left was the undead, the tune of Wei Ying’s playing changed, sounding gentle
and calm. If Cangse hadn’t known the carnage that just occurred, she would’ve believed her Wei
Ying was playing a lullaby.

On cue, the corpses stilled and dropped to the ground, resentful energy leaving their bodies. Wei
Ying stopped playing, the air once again silent, and stared up at the dark mass forming overhead.

Cangse had a bad feeling, and her grip on her husband’s hand tightened, urging him to move.

But they were too late.

“WEI YING!” Cangse screamed as black resentful energy plunged, coming to swallow Wei Ying
like an ocean wave.

She and Changze took action despite the roaring in her ears. Channeling spiritual energy to her
palms, she lashed out with all her power. Changze activated a set of advanced purification
talismans before blasting his qi into the swirling dark mass.

Her son will be fine. She will save him, no matter what!

The light of their combined energies illuminated the surroundings, chasing away the dark until it
dissolved like a bad dream.

From within, Wei Ying stood, eyes closed and unconscious.

“Wei Ying! ” She and her husband shouted.

Because of her injury, Cangse was unable to catch Wei Ying before he collapsed. Thankfully,
Changze was there, cradling their precious son in his arms.

“He’s breathing, but he’s too cold,” Changze said grimly, focusing on transferring what was left of
his qi into Wei Ying.

Cangse fell to the ground beside her family. “Let me. I’ll do it.” They both knew Cangse had a
greater spiritual reserve, so Changze wordlessly handed their son over to her.

Cangse gathered Wei Ying in her arms and immediately began channeling qi into his body.
Gasping out loud, she felt his constricted meridians and a large amount of yin energy.

Even with her entire spiritual powers, she could not cure her son completely.

Changze had a similar dark look on his face. "Cangse, we can't resolve this on our own."

She gritted her teeth angrily and continued transferring energy. "Then what do you want me to do?
Let my son die?" Her voice broke on the last word.
 "Let's bring him to Lotus Pier."

Cangse opened her mouth then shut it, glancing down at her son. Wei Ying's brows were furrowed,
beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He looked to be in perpetual pain.

She raised her sleeves to wipe Wei Ying's forehead.

For her son, she would do anything, even returning to that place.

"All right," she finally said, her eyes not leaving Wei Ying. "Let's go to Lotus Pier."

Chapter End Notes

"You shi" is the time around 5pm to 7pm. "Chou shi" is the time around 1am to 3am.
"Li" is a unit of measurement around 500 meters.

"Dizi" is a type of flute. I didn’t translate it as flute because Lan Xichen also uses a
different type of flute called "xiao" and I don’t want to confuse the two later on.

As you can see, I had a lot of fun with the Chinese terms in this chapter, lol. It’s my
most favorite one, I hope you don’t mind.

Writing angst and action still sucks btw.

For those of you asking me not to kill Cangse and Changze, here is the answer! Ofc I
have no such plan after writing six chapters about them!

No Lan Zhan appearance here, I’m sorry to those who got their hopes up.
 Chapter 8
Chapter Notes

Hello, hello! Back to slow(er) updates because grad school is driving me crazy. I hope
everyone's online classes are doing better than mine.

Short but really who wants more of this POV? lol

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Wen Ruohan was in a good mood. His dungeons were almost filled to the brim with prisoners
awaiting torture. How delightful.

Since the past month, Wen Ruohan had started enacting his plan of gathering talented cultivators
and forcing them to work for the Wen sect. Wen Ruohan would rather call it convincing. Just with
a little bit of pain involved. So far, his search only included the nearby towns but his collection was
already plenty.

The stubborn ones were all lined up in the cells, thick metal chaining their wrists and ankles. One
male cultivator kept sobbing for his miserable, pathetic life.

“Please let me go, Sect Leader Wen. I have to go back home. My family is—”

Wen Ruohan waved a hand to his disciple, and a large wooden paddle descended and hit the
pleading cultivator on the stomach, making him groan loudly and start retching. He walked closer
to the kneeling cultivator.

“You see, this is why doing this is necessary.” Wen Ruohan said, smiling hollowly. “This great
one is doing you a favor by inviting you into my sect and you dare utter nonsense in front of me?”

In an instant, his sword had plunged into the cultivator, ending his life.

“If you keep being unreasonable, you leave me no choice,” Wen Ruohan sighed, leveling a glare to
the rest of his prisoners. “Same goes with all of you.”

He didn’t understand. What was difficult with his proposition? Couldn’t these fools see how
privileged they were to gain Wen Ruohan’s attention? He who was famed for his prowess in
cultivation and power ever since his youth. He who was a full descendant of the mighty Wen clan.
He who led the greatest sect ever known to mankind.

Whoever would say otherwise about his beloved Wen sect would soon cross the afterlife.

Wen Ruohan chuckled, not noticing the shivering forms of his kneeling servants as he made his
way to the receiving room.

Despite the loss of one prisoner, he was still ecstatic because his disciples were about to bring the
largest catch they’d ever had.

Cangse Sanren. Proud student of the immortal Baoshan Sanren.

What a fine addition to his collection.

He sat in his seat and took the proffered cup of wine, waiting patiently for the group’s arrival.

The day dragged on, many sect matters were swiftly dealt with, his sons had come and gone, but
the party had not yet arrived.

For the first time since that morning, Wen Ruohan frowned.

Impatient, he swatted away the trays of delicacies his foolish servants thought they could distract
him with. He had just stood up when the great doors opened. Finally—

Wen Ruohan’s frown turned into a scowl.

The group of boisterous disciples that had departed weeks ago was gone. Only one of them was
left, covered in blood and wounds, limping his way before Wen Ruohan.

By the time the disciple stood a few spaces away from him, he was fuming.

“What. Happened,” was all Wen Ruohan said.

The disciple hesitated but held his ground. “Our mission to capture Cangse Sanren failed.”

Murmurs erupted, and Wen Ruohan roared, sending a blast of qi towards the noisy crowd. “You
are telling me one cultivator—a woman —bested ten disciples of my Wen sect?”

The disciple flinched at the accumulating qi in the Sect Leader’s hand, then knelt somberly, even
though his fractured limbs protested. “No, Sect Leader Wen. Something unexpected happened,
something difficult and beyond our control.”

Wen Ruohan kicked the disciple. “Stop testing my patience!”

“It was an army of corpses, Great Sect Leader,” the disciple gasped out from where he lay curled
up on the ground. “While in a fight to capture Cangse Sanren, corpses were suddenly brought to
life and attacked us!”

Inhaling sharply, Wen Ruohan stared hard at the disciple, verifying if he was lying or not.
“Corpses that are brought to life.” he said slowly. “Brought to life by whom?”

At the question, the disciple remained silent for so long that Wen Ruohan gave him another kick.
“It—it was a boy.”

Wen Ruohan sneered. “You expect me to believe this madness?” Now he was convinced that this
disciple was merely inventing a story to distract him from their failed mission.

“It’s true!” The disciple scrambled to his knees and bowed deeply. “I swear on my life, until my
dying breath. My martial brothers were all slaughtered by the corpses. I… I realized the child
playing the dizi was controlling them and was about to kill him but Cangse Sanren’s partner
intervened. They know the child, if he were not their son.”

When he heard this, Wen Ruohan fell silent, thinking deeply. A boy controlling corpses, he would
scoff at. But the thought of controlling the dead with a dizi made him contemplative.

He knew the power of musical cultivation, albeit not being well-versed at it. The GusuLan sect
specialized in their qin playing, had used it before in battles to attack with strong bursts of spiritual
energy, but also used it for inquiring on the souls of the dead.
 Bringing back the dead. It sounded ridiculous, but not infeasible.

Wen Ruohan wanted to know more.

“Get up,” he instructed the disciple. “Bring me that boy or Cangse Sanren or whoever was it that
disgraced the name of the Wen sect before me. I don’t care if you take every disciple with you.
Just bring them to me. Alive.”

The disciple quickly bowed. “Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Now get out of my sight before you bleed out on my floor.”

The disciple bowed once again before he slowly exited. Just as he left, a group of three disciples
entered. Wen Ruohan had gone back to his seat and waved dismissively at the courtesy bows.

“What?”

“Great Sect Leader, we came back from Qinghe and still have not located that talented young
archer, Wei Yuandao—”

Wen Ruohan threw his cup at the stunned disciple. “Many months have you been on this search
and you still have nothing! Forget it! Incompetent fools. I gave a task to one of your martial
brothers. Assist him.”

The three disciples, red-faced in embarrassment, did not want to let go of their original task. “But
we found out that he’s affiliated with the Nie sect—”

At the moment, the overwhelming potential of controlling the undead filled Wen Ruohan’s mind.
If he could have that power, nothing could stand in his way. His plan to gather rogue talents
wouldn’t even be necessary.

He sent a bolt of spiritual energy at the inept disciple. “ Out! ”

The three disciples needed no more words and raced out of the room.

Chapter End Notes

I’ve had a rough few weeks and only managed to write this one because of your
continuous support! Thank you so much to everyone who left kudos, comments, and
bookmarks! Special thanks to user Holllaaa who made the effort to leave me a nice
message on twitter! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ.

(btw I’m @msmissymeira on Twitter if you wanna chat! I forgot to put that here
before)

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