Stop! It hurts!
Paperman Wei Ying hid in the robes of Jin Enlai who finally stood at the door to his hidden library. It took far more weeks than they had hoped to reach this moment. Nie Huaisang's spies did their best to make Jin Enlai feel insecure enough to dig into his forbidden books. Obviously, Wei Ying gave them some talismans to ease their work; still, it had taken far too much time.
Finally, however, Wei Ying was there - it was a dark low room probably an underground corridor changed into a library. It did not bring to mind the vast and luminous Lotus Piers library with elusive books secured by talismans or hidden bookshelves, nor the pirstine secret library in Gusu Lan accessible only with tokens which belonged to carefully chosen people.
And one of them was a terrible mistake. So many people could have been alive..
In spite of everything, Wei Ying was far from blaming Lan Xichen. Especially since the man was already punishing himself hard.
JIn Enlai was a tall man, with a sophisticated hairstyle and golden jewellery placed nearly everywhere. Wei Ying would find it really uncomfortable. He would never wear it. However, now he was finding them quite useful as heavy bracelets meant that the man needed to be more careful with precious books and slower in dealing with them. Wei Ying was disappointed in man's research. The problem was not only that those documents were not connected to the petrifying spells, but that Jin Enlai was not really too intelligent. The options which he checked were ridiculous, taking into consideration what inscenization Wei Ying and his friends had prepared.
And he was not a quick reader. Wei Ying quickly became bored. He made the reconnaissance, but his strength in this form did not allow him to open a book or unroll a scroll… Apart from books there was nothing interesting here - no proof of any wrongdoing. It was simply frustrating!
Lan Zhan was anxious. He was watching Wei Ying sitting in a meditation pose. The only time this man could stay focused on meditation so long was when he was performing rituals. So Lan Zhan did not especially like it. The mission itself was dangerous. Furthermore, they had expected it would take a lot of time. Each hour in a paperman form exposed him to another type of danger and was very exhausting.
Wei Ying seemed calm. Lan Zhan started to play the guqin to give some spiritual energy to Wei Ying and enhance his spells. Time was passing…Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang came in a few times to check on them. Lan Zhan only spared them a glance.
Suddenly, Wei Ying shuddered and opened his eyes. He smiled reassuringly at Lan Zhan.
"I have an idea how to free Wen Qing!", he declared, truly content.
"First you'll eat", Lan Zhan stated.
Obviously there was no way for his betrothed to remain silent during a meal which they shared with Nie and Jiang leaders.
"My idea with using the Lan's cleaning spell is a good one, but it needs to be combined with another three symbols so it should then reach the past taint. However, if it simply worked like that it would be too easy to destroy talismans and other symbols so I have to add the breaking spell. And I know how to create it!"
"Was it in the documents?", Nie Huaisang asked curiously.
"No! I read the spell they used", he stood up, took out a fresh scroll of paper from his things and started to draw.
"It's a variation of solidifying water into ice", Lan Zhan recognized the symbols.
"Correct!", Wei Ying flashed a grin, "However if you use this symbol you can charge the whole spell with resentful energy. You need fear. Probably they collected fear in the Yin Amulet and then used it. What's more - there are four more spells, he drew them - this one must be fed with hatred, this one with despair, this one with guilt and the last one with disgust!"
"Brilliant!", Nie Huaisang muttered.
"I'll need your songs, Lan Zhan to express sympathy, hope, honor, admiration and courage."
"Mmm", Lan Zhan would give everything to his Wei Ying.
"One of you", Wei YIng looked at the other two men, "will use water and cleansing symbols to draw them on the statue all the time. The other will cast talismans at the right moments - when the music changes. And I will deal with the resentful energy. Obviously each part may be dangerous."
"Then we'll have Wen Qing's testimony and the Chief Cultivator can order to search the involved people residences. Probably we'll be able to accuse them based on what we found. Excellent plan, brother Wei", Nie Huaisang brought a bottle of wine as a toast.
"Wei Ying is brilliant", Lan Zhan murmured quietly. And beautiful, he added in his thoughts when the man cast him a radiant smile.
Obviously it took time to prepare everything. Most of the work went to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng hated this as he had far too much time to think.
Wen Qing had rejected his gift and then disappeared from his life. He had done nothing to help her when his brother sacrificed everything he had to help her and her family. Back then, it seemed to be a responsible decision, the one that the sect leader was due to take.
The Jiang sect was flourishing. Would it be still flourishing if he had stood in Wen's defense as his brother had? It was hard to admit to himself that the answer was probably positive. He could have saved Wen Qing but was too afraid. He did not fear for his life but for his sect. Had he known about his golden core then, he would have understood Wei Ying's commitment and probably felt exactly the same.
And now Wen Qing was alive and she had been tortured for so many years. He would offer her place to stay even all those cruel words he said about Wens in Lotus Piers… However, she would leave with Lan Wangji. Never had she been cast away from Gusu and, what's more, her brother lived there.
Zidian cracked in response to the chaos of emotions he was feeling. He still liked the intelligent woman he met during lectures in Cloud Recesses. Though there was no such a person. Who exactly would they free? A broken one? An insane one? A vengeful one? Could she hide her true nature while Empathy with Wei Wuxian?
Too many emotions.
Too many questions.
And too little wine.
Another bottle suddenly became empty. No full one had remained.
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian had been working all the time. He had to admit that business helped his brother. The man seemed even to sleep without nightmares when Lan Wangji finally made him take a break.
Nie Huaisang had been dealing with his spies and gathering information. Jiang Cheng suspected that he made sure to be ready to accuse Wei Wuxian's tormentors even without Wen Qing's testimony. He counted on it but at the same time he was quite disappointed that the man had no time even for some wine with him.
I am useless… Too dumb to help them. I've organized everything I could, everything we may need and there is no place here for me among genius cultivators and talented spies.
They reached the cave again. Wen Ning greeted them when they entered the dark place hiding the stone statue of the woman Lan Zhan had never tried to understand.
"I've received your message master Wei", Wen Ning whispered, "Does it mean you know the way to save my sister?"
"I believe so", Wei Ying smiled in a tense way. He was too aware of the danger they would face.
"I wish you take care of the security of this place. Nobody can come in during our ritual."
"Yes, Master", the undead man bowed slightly and left.
Wei Ying put the candles and incense in the corners of the array which he was going to paint on the ground. Then he focused on his work whistling a melody heavy in spiritual energy. The other cultivators were waiting. They repeated the whole plan many times. They knew the ritual by heart by now. And they knew how risky it was.
Lan Zhan was aware how many things could go wrong. However he agreed that there was no other way... No, actually, there was. There was a method to transfer the spell to another person. Lan Zhan knew Wei Ying was aware of that and felt grateful that they had not discussed that possibility. To turn Jin Enlai or any of his men to stone was a tempting option. This method was far safer. Lan Zhan could find many reasonable arguments to use that spell against those who had hurt his Wei Ying. To satisfy the need for vengeance even if it was against the Gusu Lan teachings.
"It's ready", Wei Ying smiled nervously as he finished to draw the last cleaning symbol on the stone, "we can begin", he cast a few drops of his blood to awake the symbols.
Lan Zhan touched the array to activate it fully with his energy. The array flashed in white lines for a short moment and embedded itself in the ground.
Jiang Cheng encircled the statue with Zidian the paper talismans ready in his hand while Nie Huaisang positioned himself near the statue but outside the whip, his brush gently drawing water-symbols glowing with purifying energy.
Lan Zhan started the first song. Sympathy. It was not exactly the music learnt during his time in Gusu Lan. He composed it when Wei Ying was working on spells and then he slightly changed it when he played together with Wei Ying. Lan Zhan had decided they needed to work together on the five songs. He had to admit that his betrothed gave a unique touch to each melody. They were more personalized, more like an offering to Wen Qing.
The resentful energy started to coil around the statue, to reach in their direction before it was attracted towards Wei Ying playing on the Chenqing. It was always a terrifying view for Lan Zhan to see the dark clouds of energy dancing around the man and slowly succumb to his will. Lan Zhan switched to the next song. The guqin energy was vibrating between the stone walls, and enhancing itself. The statue started to glow slightly.
It hurts! Stop it! It hurts!
Please!
Wei Ying heard the desperate thoughts. He was not sure if they really belonged to Wen Qing now or were just a reminiscence, a memory. Or were they just a way to secure the spells, to make sure that those who wanted to save the trapped person would withdraw? Making a step back now would create a greater danger than simply follow the ritual to its end.
Lan Zhan started the fifth song.
Courage. The courage to sacrifice oneself to save the others.
Wei Ying allowed himself to cast a glance at his beloved. The man was focused on the music, but their eyes met. For a moment the song of the flute and quigin intertwined creating their own dialogue. The whole statue was imitating goldish light. It was too intense to watch in that direction. The ritual reached its final point.
The whole place was vibrating, the air heavy from energy.
The light diminished, the dark cracks appeared on the still glowing stone. Not a random one, an array. A trap.
Wei Ying understood it immediately.
"Back off!", he screamed towards his brother and friend. The cultivators obeyed him, Zidian returned to his brother's hand.
The energy swirled around the statue and Wei Ying knew he had to open to it in order to save others. He cast a last glance towards Lan Zhan. He saw a question in those beautiful eyes.
Farewell
He could not spare his breath to say a word as he had to play as long as he was able to.
Wei Ying knew he would not have enough time to stabilize the energy he was absorbing. It was not typical resentful energy, it was charged in spells, unstable, threatening with an inevitable explosion.
The sudden pain was the only warning Wei Ying received before the energy transformed into a ball of flame, or rather of thorns, which exploded in his body eliciting a scream that ended in gurgling blood.
A/N
Diving for a cover...
Betad by Legate_of_Apples who commented" "Post it. I don't want to suffer alone."
Not a deathfic, I swear... (a bloody whisper)
He was drowning in crimson darkness.