I am not Chinese, and although I've tried my best to research for this fic and other MDZS and TGCF fics, there may still be errors that I am unaware of. If so, I apologize. If anything is offensive or incorrect, please let me know.
The title comes from a proverb that is allegedly Chinese, although I can't find an origin for it; in full, it reads "No matter how tall the mountain is, it cannot block the sun."
The little temple was the only sanctuary from the storm for miles, the incense stick inside it burning with a gentle light that was far steadier than the occasional bolts of lightning that tore through the sky. It was one of those bolts of lightning that illuminated the path into the temple for Lan Xichen as he stumbled towards it, wet and bedraggled and exhausted. He hoped the temple's god wouldn't mind if he stayed the night.
The temple wasn't very big, but when he ducked inside, it was warm, and the roof was strong enough not to leak. Lan Xichen knelt and lit a stick of incense to honor the god of the temple - the Crown Prince Who Pleased the Gods, apparently, which was a story he thought he'd heard before but couldn't remember - then he wrapped his arms around himself and shook. To an outsider, it may have just looked like he was shivering from the rain, but that cold was the furthest thing from his mind. His mind was too busy echoing with the screams.
He should never have run. He wished he hadn't, but he couldn't disobey his uncle. He'd done as he was told, he'd saved the sacred texts, but he couldn't help but feel he should have saved the people instead.
Lan Xichen brought his knees up to his chest and pressed his forehead against them, and he tried his best not to cry.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Didi, I'm sorry. Shufu, I'm sorry. Everyone, I- I wish there had been another way."
"Excuse me?" a quiet voice asked, and Lan Xichen's head whipped up to see a man in white robes on the other side of the temple. He'd been certain that he was alone before, but the man's robes were dry, so he couldn't have come in from the outside.
"I don't mean to disturb you," the man said gently, "but… are you alright?"
Lan Xichen stared for another moment, then he scrambled to his feet and bowed. "I am honored by your concern, but I am unharmed."
"Your clothes are soaking wet," the man scolded gently. "You must be freezing. San Lang, can you make a fire?"
"Of course, gege," said another voice, and Lan Xichen whipped around to see a young man in red begin making a fire. He knew that man hadn't been there before, but again, his clothes were dry, and it almost seemed like he'd been there all along.
Lan Xichen wondered what manner of creatures these men were.
"You'll get sick if you stay in those wet robes," the man in white chided. "And I'm sure you need something to eat. I think I have a bun somewhere…"
"In your left sleeve," the man in red said as he stoked flames that had grown far too big far too quickly.
"Ah, thank you, San Lang!" the man in white said, beaming. He pulled a bun out of his sleeve and offered it to Lan Xichen. "Here you go. It was fresh this morning, so it shouldn't be stale yet."
"I thank you for your generosity, but it is unnecessary," Lan Xichen said with a small bow. He knew better than to take food from some unknown, inhuman creature. There was a chance that the food was fine, but there was also a chance that it wasn't, and he didn't think it was worth the risk.
The man in red snorted. "I think we're scaring him," he remarked. "That's what happens when we appear out of nowhere, gege."
"Oh, I apologize," the man in white told Lan Xichen immediately. "I'm Xie Lian, and he's Hua Cheng."
Lan Xichen blinked, then looked back over at the plaque for the temple's god. There was a chance, he supposed, that the Xie Lian before him was a different one from the Xie Lian who was also the Crown Prince, but it seemed like a rather big coincidence.
"We were nearby," the man in red - Hua Cheng, apparently, which was a name that seemed vaguely familiar - explained. "And gege likes to help people in need."
"You like to help people more than you'd admit," Xie Lian teased.
"I like to help you," Hua Cheng corrected. "I don't care about anyone else."
Xie Lian looked at Hua Cheng with such fondness in his eyes, it almost felt like Lan Xichen was interrupting by watching them. It was clear that they were very much in love.
And then, Lan Xichen remembered the story his mother told him about the martial god and the ghost king.
One thousand years ago, there had been a great kingdom in the Central Plains called Xianle. The last prince of Xianle was Xie Lian, the Crown Prince Who Pleased The Gods. When his country went to war, he ascended and became a martial god. But his lover Hua Cheng, a man in the army, couldn't follow him to the Heavenly Court, and instead, he died and became a ghost. He refused to let that keep them apart, and he became a ghost king, always looking for his lost love. It took them hundreds of years, but eventually, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng found each other again, and they refused to ever be parted.
Lan Xichen's mother had first told him the story when he was very little, small enough to sit on her knee. He'd listened to the story eagerly, and for a long time afterwards, it had been his favorite. "We can trace our ancestors back to Xianle," his mother had told him. "Perhaps they even met Xie Lian or Hua Cheng." Lan Xichen had been enchanted by the thought.
Muqin, he thought helplessly, now I have met Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.
He knelt, as quickly but gracefully as he could. "Oh, you don't have to do that," Xie Lian fussed immediately. "It's really not necessary."
"Tai Zi Yue Shen," Lan Xichen murmured. "Xue Yu Tan Hua."
"You don't need to kneel," Hua Cheng said carelessly. "Neither of us care about that."
"You lit a stick of incense, which is more than enough," Xie Lian added. "We want to help you. What happened?"
Lan Xichen rose out of his bow, but he didn't get up off the floor. He was too exhausted to properly stand, and he didn't think Xie Lian or Hua Cheng could mind.
"There is nothing more you can do to help," he murmured. "My home was invaded and attacked, and I could do nothing to protect it. The damage is done."
Xie Lian sat in front of Lan Xichen, his eyes sad and oh so old. "I'm sorry. It is no easy thing to lose a home."
"My uncle told me to leave," Lan Xichen whispered. "He told me to save the texts of our sect, and I obeyed. But I can't help but think he was wrong. I never should have left."
"What could you have done?" Hua Cheng asked as he finished with the fire. "You're only one person. It wouldn't have made a difference."
Xie Lian shot Hua Cheng a look. "I think what my husband means to say is that you couldn't have fought off these invaders on your own. You did as your uncle told you, and you saved the texts. You did what you were told to do."
"But they're my people," Lan Xichen protested. "I'm their leader. My father may still be sect leader in name, but my uncle and I are the ones who truly lead the sect. And I left them to be slaughtered."
Xie Lian closed his eyes and took a slow breath. Hua Cheng put a hand on his shoulder, and Xie Lian reached up to squeeze it.
"One of the hardest things to learn in this world," he finally said, his voice slow and quiet, "is that you cannot save everyone. When I was young, I wanted to save the common people. It was the main goal of my life. But I couldn't save all of them, and when I tried, I only made things worse. You must accept the things that you cannot change."
"My brother fought," Lan Xichen said, his voice no louder than Xie Lian's. "My uncle fought. My people fought. I should have fought beside them, and if I died, then so be it."
"And then what do you think would happen to your sect's texts?" Hua Cheng asked. "Anyone who would invade you wouldn't think twice about destroying them."
"What good are the texts with no sect for them to belong to?" Lan Xichen asked.
"Your sect lives as long as you do," Xie Lian said. "And you can't know that your entire sect was wiped out. There are always survivors. I expect you will find yours, and they will be glad to know that their teachings still live."
"I could hear them die," Lan Xichen admitted in a rush of breath. "As I escaped, I heard them yell and scream and die. And I just gathered the texts in a bag and ran. How can I lead the sect now that I have abandoned them?"
Xie Lian made a soft, wounded noise and gathered Lan Xichen into his arms. He didn't look much older than Lan Xichen himself, but when he held Lan Xichen, it felt like being protected by a parent. It almost reminded Lan Xichen of how his mother used to hold him, back when he was small.
"There is no shame in surviving," Hua Cheng said quietly, as Xie Lian rocked Lan Xichen back and forth slightly. "Anyone who tells you there is is useless trash that doesn't know what they're talking about."
"I was a coward," Lan Xichen choked out. "I was a coward-"
"You were brave," Xie Lian whispered. "You've been so brave. You're safe now. We won't let anything happen to you."
The words broke some dam inside Lan Xichen, and the sobs came out, harsh enough to shake his whole body. Xie Lian held him through them all, whispering to him softly and rubbing his back. Hua Cheng sat next to them, silent but steady. Lan Xichen sobbed as he hadn't since his mother died, and he was not alone.
He woke the next morning, curled on the floor of the temple. It was empty, but he'd expected it to be. He remembered falling asleep in Xie Lian's arms, and he'd known even then that he would wake up alone. A god and a ghost king could only stay so long. He was lucky they'd stayed at all.
When he sat up, a robe slipped from his shoulders, one that didn't belong to him but he recognized anyway. He held it out, noting the slight wear along the hems. This was a well-worn robe, a comfortable one, and it was a gift he'd never expected to receive.
Slowly, he slid the robe on. It felt warmer than it should have, and when Lan Xichen checked the qiankun sleeves, he found a few fresh buns in each. The food and warmth were appreciated, but the most important part was knowing that he was not alone. Perhaps there was no one with him at that moment, but there were people who cared. Even if his people were gone, he did not have to be alone.
He lit a stick of incense at the altar and bowed. "Thank you," he whispered. "I will try to remember your teachings."
You must accept the things that you cannot change. There is no shame in surviving.
Lan Xichen stood, and he stepped out of the temple. Just above the horizon, the sun was beginning to rise.