Ch 43

It took longer than planned for the two jades to return to YiLing. Once Wei Ying had left Wen RoHan had tried to use his core to get rid of his unwanted visitors. When that hadn't worked, he had eventually swallowed his massive pride and called for help from some of his guards. Neither plan worked however as both jades now had access to their cores and the only powerful Wen still alive had theirs restricted by the talisman. The Wen guards who had come to the aid of their leader had either been quickly subdued by Lan Zhan or turned away from the fight when Lan XiChen informed them of their leader's current lack of power. Neither wanted to destroy the Wen Sect completely, despite all they had done, the Lan Sect didn't believe in killing just for the sake of it. The Wen were now completely powerless and that would be enough for the cultivation community to be able to move forwards.

Eventually, two days later, they did manage to land just outside the power maze of YiLing. Both had been in the maze multiple times before and both knew that with their cores intact, they would not be getting out of it without Wei Ying's assistance once they stepped over the threshold. Yet with only a passing glance between them they both simultaneously stepped over that divide between the outside world and the domain of the Wei Ying, with hardly a second's hesitation. Neither man moved more than a few steps from the entrance before sitting down on a rock and waiting for their host to come and collect them. It didn't matter where they went in the maze anyway, they would never find their way through so they may as well just conserve their energy.

Lan Zhan was already feeling uncertain and had started to pace by the time the two had been waiting less than an hour. XiChen couldn't help but be concerned about his younger brother. This was the same person who had been able to kneel for six hours straight at the age of eight while meditating, and yet know he could barely sit still for a single hour without pacing. Add to that the fact that Wanji had not been himself since that conversation with Wei Ying at Nightless City, and XiChen knew there was something seriously off between his brother and his partner.

'Wanji' He tried. 'Something has been wrong with you ever since Wei WuXian left with Uncle. Are you going to tell me what is wrong?'

Lan Zhan kept pacing, his voice so void of emotions even XiChen couldn't make them out, which only made him even more worried

'Nothing is wrong brother. I just did what I needed to do for Uncles safety, I know that.'

'Wanji I…..'

Lan XiChen tried again but found himself cut off by an ice-cold voice echoing through the dead woods.

'Of course, you did Lan Zhan! After all you Lan's look after your own, don't you?'

Before either of the brothers could respond to the voice, its owner appeared in front of them. Lan XiChen almost stepped back in shock. He thought he had seen Wei Ying as the YiLing Lazou before, but this was nothing like that. The Wei WuXian before him looked like he hadn't eaten, slept, or even bathed since they last saw each other, and if the eyes were the key to the soul, then those eyes! Before when XiChen had seen those eyes look like ice it had seemed almost like a still lake hid behind it, now though, now he could swear sharp shards of ice almost danced behind the pupils. As if Wei WuXian could kill someone with a simple glance. The man before him was ten times as dangerous than XiChen had ever seen Wei WuXian be capable of before. Lan Zhan however, rather than seeming surprised, looked upset at the appearance of his partner. Could it be that this is what was worrying him these days? XiChen wondered to himself as he glanced from one of the younger men to the other. It can't be, how would Wanji have known Wei WuXian would turn out like this?

Wei Ying seemed to be completely ignoring both Lan's as he produced and opening to the clearing outside the cave and proceeded to walk through. The Lan brothers had the choice to stand up and follow Wei Ying's receding back, or allow the opening to close without any idea when, or even if, the man would return for them again. With more speed than was proper, both Lan's hurried after the dark clad figure.

Arriving in the clearing Wei Ying turned and headed for the small gathering of dead trees at the opposite end from the cave mouth. Again, XiChen was confused, when he had been in YiLing those times with his brother Wanji had shown him all the places to get food, drink and places to rest, none of them where the direction Wei WuXian was headed. What made things more confusing was that Wanji himself seemed rooted to the spot, conflicted between going into the cave (where he assumed their uncle was) and following Wei Ying's disappearing form. In the end though, Lan Zhan turned towards the cave with his elder brother following. As expected, Lan QiRen was in the cave, but not on the bed near the entrance, rather he was confined to the small cell against the opposite wall.

Their uncle looked up slightly when he heard the footsteps and noticing it was his two nephews, a hard look descended upon his face.

'Uncle!' XiChen exclaimed, knowing from his own experience not to get too close to the power barriers. 'How are you feeling?'

'How do you think I should feel XiChen? My own nephews handed me over to the YiLing Lazou, from one power hungry madman to another. I have been betrayed by my own kin; how do you think I should feel?'

'That is not the truth Uncle! What happened was….' XiChen tried to explain, but was soon cut off when Lan Zhan spoke up.

'Wei Ying is not a power-hungry madman!' He said emphatically.

'Of course, he is!' Lan QiRen nearly roared. 'He is a demonic cultivator! You have both been taught that such abominations are little more than demons themselves. These people do not deserve to be in company of proper cultivators, and I want to know what this man has done to pollute your minds into thinking so. What about a man, who would not only create a talisman to cut off a cultivator from his core but also use it on an injured man, who he locks him in a cage like an animal, says to you two that he can be trusted?'

Lan XiChen watched helplessly as Lan Zhan stared at his uncle for a moment before turning on his heel and walking out of the cave. Suddenly Wei WuXian's behaviour began making sense, the lack of sleep, the edginess in his eyes, even Wanji's behaviour. Lan QiRen was still grumbling behind him, causing a headache to grow behind XiChen's eyes. He needed to get his uncle to understand, he HAD to get his uncle to understand, before his uncles' actions destroyed Wei WuXian, and by doing so also destroyed the heart of his younger brother.

Uncle!' XiChen turned back to Lan QiRen who was still staring at the entrance to the cave as if he could summon Lan Zhan back with his sheer strength of will. 'All this time I have respected you as my uncle and my Elder and so I have given you the respect of not speaking out against you. I know why you hate Wei WuXian so much and it has very little to do with his type of cultivation, rather it has a lot to do with Wanji loving him! Whether you hate it or not uncle it has happened, and Wanji is happy. You need to understand something about your actions and the current situation. If you continue to act like this towards Wei WuXian you will further isolate Wanji to the point he no longer considers himself part of the Lan Clan! and if you do that, I do not think I need to remind you that I will always stand with my brother!'

'XiChen!' Lan QiRen's voice was loud enough to break any rule in existence, but XiChen for once in his life wasn't listening as he walked out of the cave into the fresh air of YiLing.

Lan Zhan had found Wei Ying in a large copse at the opposite end of the clearing from the cave. Wei Ying was surrounded by dead trees and looking out from a small cliff over the larger landscape of YiLing, all equally lifeless. Even the small things that given the place pieces of life such as the stream or the thin rays of light that made it through the clouds, seemed missing here. This spot in YiLing was clearly dead, and only the dead inhabited it. Seeing Wei Ying alone in such a place made Lan Zhan's heart shatter. As he stepped closer though, those ice-cold eyes once again turned and pinned themselves on him. Not Wei Ying, the YiLing Lazou…he reminded himself.

'Have you come to beg me to let him go yet?' The YiLing Lazou said with a smile. 'If so then I already have your core and I already have you. I don't think you have anything left to bargain with!'

'I have not come for my uncle. I have come for you!' Lan Zhan stated honestly.

Those eyes seemed to thaw just a moment before freezing over again as the YiLing Lazou laughed loudly enough to echo. Even the laugh sounded lifeless though in such a dead landscape.

'You asked me to bring your uncle back to the only sanctuary I have left and yet you expect me to believe you came for me? I am not so stupid Lan Zhan, go back to your family, I have no further use for you.' dismissively turning his back to Lan Zhan, once again looking like the king of death in his lifeless domain. Silence weighed down on the two for a few seconds before the YiLing Lazou spoke up again, louder this time, obviously assuming Lan Zhan had followed his instructions to leave. 'Oh, and by the way, you can also inform your uncle that he has also been tainted with demonic energy as it was used to keep him alive until you two arrived. His core has also been sealed, just as I sealed both his nephews, so if he still wants to cling to his outdated and self-righteous rules then I assume he will be banning himself from the Lan Sect as well.'

'I am not going anywhere!' Lan Zhan spoke up from his spot behind Wei Ying's shoulder. 'I promised you I would remain in YiLing with you.'

This time the YiLing Lazou did laugh loudly, the sound full of mirth. One moment Lan Zhan was looking at Wei Ying confused, and the next moment Lan Zhan found himself on the ground with the other man propped up on one arm above him, the free arm gripping his chin hard enough to leave a mark and forcing his head up to meet the frozen eyes looking down at him. The YiLing Lazou hadn't removed his permission to access his core so he could have easily fought back, possibly even turned the tables, but something inside him made him remain still, remain passive.

'You promised to do a lot of things that I haven't forced you to do Lan Zhan. I think I have been overly kind to you as you don't seem to understand that this is not a request. I will not be giving your uncle access to his core so do not ask. As for you…..' Wei Ying's eyes scanned down Lan Zhan's body, closely assessing every physical millimetre, before moving back up to his face. 'I have already told you; I have no further use for you.'

The YiLing Lazou's hand twisted Lan Zhan's face to the side painfully as he rose to his feet and resumed his observation of the dead land in front of him, leaving Lan Zhan to rise to his elbows in the dirt and look at the back of the man he loved helplessly. He had never seen Wei Ying behave so unpredictably even when the YiLing Lazou side had come to the front of his personality, but this time had been different, this time it had been himself who had hurt Wei Ying and that hurt had been aimed straight at the heart of where Wei Ying had felt safe, YiLing. He might not have known what had been said between his uncle and Wei Ying during those 2 days they were alone, but if those few sentences he had heard from his uncle's mouth had been any indication. He wasn't surprised his choice to help his uncle over his lover had produced such a strong reaction.