In Whispers, In Songs, In Silence Chapter 2, an untamed/陈情令 fanfic

Part 2

…

By popular demand, I've written a second part to this showing how they take out Jin Guangyao. I hope you enjoy.

…

Two days after Wei Wuxian woke up in the jingshi, Lan Sizhui asked for permission to introduce his friend to him. It was no secret that the Juniors had brought something strange back from Mo Manor, nor that it was currently kept in Hanguang-Jun's room. Also, Lan Jingyi had been part of the group to originally encounter Wei Wuxian that night in the forest, so there was no secret to be kept from him.

Shaking his head fondly, Wei Wuxian accepted.

He was strong enough to sit up in bed and walk to and from the bath, but the damage to his wings kept him off balance. Not to mention the fact that he had barely used his limbs in over a decade. Even for a mythical beast like a siren, recovery would take time. Lan Wangji still played guqin for him every morning and every evening, and the Lan doctors came to visit every few hours to check his bandages, apply salves, and make him drink medicine.

It had been so long since someone had touched Wei Wuxian without intent to harm, and he often flinched away from anyone who wasn't Lan Wangji or Lan Sizhui. But the guqin music helped with his anxiety, calmed his spirit and his mind. He insisted to Lan Wangji that he was 'One hundred percent all better' after every music session, then caved to Lan Wangji's deadpan stare with, 'Eighty-seven percent?'

But if he felt well enough for a visitor, Lan Wangji would not deny him. And so Lan Sizhui brought Lan Jingyi to meet the Siren of Yiling.

"By the gods, you're real!" Lan Jingyi burst out as soon as his eyes landed on Wei Wuxian, still sitting in bed.

Lan Wangji did not look up from his book. He was seated on the bed beside Wei Wuxian for support – whether physical or emotional – should he need it.

'I'm real,' Wei Wuxian signed with a cheeky grin. Lan Sizhui translated for him.

Lan Jingyi crossed his arms and came closer. "Huh. So you really don't talk, huh? After all that yelling in the forest, I never would've thought it, but Sizhui was telling the truth."

A hint of an embarrassed flush stole across Wei Wuxian's face and his wings twitched. His first taste of freedom after being released from Jin Guangyao's prison was not his proudest moment. Lan Wangji placed a hand on Wei Wuxian's thigh. His wings went still.

'You're not scared of me at all, are you?'

Lan Jingyi gave a shrug. "No offense, but you look really pathetic right now. I don't think you could hurt a bunny, let alone a cultivator."

When Wei Wuxian reminded him that he was 'The Siren of Yiling,' Lan Jingyi laughed aloud.

"I never believed all those stupid plays and songs," he said easily, waving the idea away.

"You didn't?" Lan Sizhui asked. Given that they were friends, the fact that even Lan Sizhui was questioning him meant he was likely posturing.

"Of course not," Lan Jingyi insisted with a scowl. "Ten sects worth of cultivators against one household's worth of Wen? Even if they had been hardened warriors, there is no way that was a 'glorious battle' or 'heroic effort.' They would have killed the Wen in minutes! Even with some supernatural help, no way was the Battle of Yiling anything more than Jin sect propaganda." He mimed spitting at the feet of invisible Jin standing in the room.

He probably would have actually spit except that Lan Wangji glared at him before he could complete the action.

'Not a fan of the Jin sect,' Wei Wuxian noted with a curious expression on his face.

The Jin sect had imprisoned him, tortured him, and used him for over a decade. But it was also the sect of his adoptive human sister, and her son whom he had never met. There was no proof that his confinement had been common knowledge, and so condemning the entire sect would be an overreaction. For now.

Lan Wangji closed his book and every eye turned to him. "We need information on Jin Guangyao," he said. "Do either of you know someone we could talk to?"

Junior cultivators from different sects saw more of each other than adults did due to guest lectures. If any of the Junior disciples from the Jin sect might have useful information on Jin Guangyao's movements, it was more likely for Lan Sizhui or his friends to know.

They tossed around names of Jin disciples they knew, but each was dismissed in turn. The disciple was rude, or haughty, and would never tell them anything. The disciple was too young to know anything useful. The disciple was too close to Jin Guangyao to trust whatever information they might give out.

Lan Sizhui clapped his hands together, making Lan Jingyi jump. "I know who we can ask." He pointed at Lan Jingyi. "Mo-qianbei."

Lan Jingyi groaned. "What? No. He's crazy."

'Mo-qianbei?' Wei Wuxian asked.

With a nod, Lan Sizhui explained, "He's the nephew of Madam Mo, who asked for our help ridding the Mo Manor of an evil spirit the night we found you. She very proudly told everyone that her nephew had trained as a cultivator in Lanling with the Jin sect. Apparently, he is the child of her sister and the late Sect Leader, making him the half-brother of Sect Leader Jin and Jin Guangyao."

"Half of Lanling is their half-brother," Lan Jingyi argued, scowling. "And anyway, she also said he was crazy, and when we saw him in the courtyard, he proved it. You can't be serious!"

Lan Sizhui turned his attention to Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, his expression earnest. "I know he's suffered quite a lot and might not be…like everyone else. But I believe he is a good person and would be willing to help us if we only ask."

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian met each other's eyes. Should they see this 'Mo-qianbei' about what information he was willing to give them? He was no longer in Koi Tower for some reason or other. It could not hurt to ask. Turning back to their son, both men gave a nod.

That afternoon, Lan Sizhui headed for Mo Manor again, this time with only Lan Jingyi as a companion. They would travel quickly but would not rush, because they did not want to draw attention to their movements.

…

Lan Wangji woke to darkness.

This was not uncommon, given the Lan sect's diligence in waking before dawn. However, this time, dawn was still hours away. The cause for his waking was a shifting and struggling from beside him in the bed. As had occurred every night since Wei Wuxian woke up, he was having a nightmare.

It was a quiet disturbance. He did not yell or scream or cry out. He did not even talk. Even in sleep, Wei Wuxian kept his words locked inside of himself. Instead, he whimpered. He clutched at the sheets. He sweat. His wings tried to curl in, to lash out, to do anything. The first night, Lan Wangji had woken up due to being smacked by feathers.

Quietly, Lan Wangji reached out and pulled Wei Wuxian to his chest, so that his head rested under Lan Wangji's chin. At first, Wei Wuxian's struggling increased, but as Lan Wangji began to hum, he calmed. So Lan Wangji would hum their duet, the song they had written together back before the burning of Cloud Recesses, until his mouth was dry and his throat hurt, until Wei Wuxian had relaxed and he himself fell back to sleep.

And in the morning he would play the guqin again, and hope that it would help stop the nightmares before they could disturb Wei Wuxian another night.

…

The man the Juniors brought back from Mo Manor was not what either Wei Wuxian nor Lan Wangji expected. He was a few centimeters taller than Lan Sizhui, but he walked with his head bowed and his shoulders hunched, making him appear smaller. He looked to be in his early twenties, but his body was thin to the point of being malnourished and his face was so covered in makeup that his natural appearance was anyone's guess. He dressed in all black, with his long black hair held in a low ponytail. His eyes remained on the ground, and when he spoke, he stammered.

He stumbled over introducing himself to Lan Wangji. "M-Mo Xuan…yu," he mumbled as he bowed. "It—It's an—an honor to meet…Hanguang-J-Jun."

His timid nature immediately had Lan Wangji doubting that there was much he could tell them about Jin Guangyao's movements these past years. Still, he invited the young man inside the jingshi. The table was set for tea with four cups. Lan Sizhui and Mo Xuanyu took their seats and Lan Wangji moved to help Wei Wuxian from bed to the table.

At first, Mo Xuanyu did not lift his eyes from the table. Then, when he did, it was like he came alive for the first time. He inhaled sharply, his eyes going wide and bright. Wei Wuxian tilted his head to the side in that curious, bird-like way he had, and gave an unsure smile. Lan Wangji began to serve the tea.

"This is Wei Wuxian," Lan Sizhui introduced. "He speaks through sign language so his power won't affect us. I'll be translating for him. Is that alright?"

"I—," Mo Xuanyu faltered. His gaze flickered between Lan Sizhui and Wei Wuxian twice before staying on the siren. He gulped. "You're real."

And then he began to cry, his tears leaving streaks in his hanged-ghost makeup. As they slowly drank the tea, Mo Xuanyu tearily told his tale.

His mother had been one of Jin Guangshan's mistresses. Jin Guangshan had come for Mo Xuanyu when he was fourteen and taken him to Koi Tower to train as a cultivator. He felt out of place in the grandeur of Koi Tower, but Jin Guangyao had treated him kindly and made him feel welcome. They were close—or Mo Xuanyu had thought they were. He admired his older half-brother so, so much. He wanted to be just like him. So courteous. So competent. So admirable.

He watched his brother so often that he soon began to notice something was not right. He had conversations with Jin Guangshan that seemed to have underlying meanings. He often brought guests of Koi Tower to the Jin ancestral hall. There was no reason for guests to go to the ancestral hall. But whenever Mo Xuanyu asked about it, Jin Guangyao assured him everything was fine and normal. That was how things were done in Koi Tower.

Mo Xuanyu had seen servants carrying bags of large feathers unlike that of any bird Mo Xuanyu knew. Feathers that looked like the ones worn by Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao after the Battle of Yiling. The guests that Jin Guangyao took into the ancestral hall told him he was crazy when he mentioned it to them later, that they had never gone to such a place. And Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao always seemed to know everyone's secret desires.

It made sense that they had not killed the Siren of Yiling but had captured it instead. But every time Mo Xuanyu so much as hinted at such a thing, Jin Guangyao had convinced him he was imagining things, that he was making it all up in his head.

"I thought I was going mad," Mo Xuanyu admitted, sniffling into his teacup. "I really thought…"

There was also the fact that Mo Xuanyu was—and he hesitated to continue until Lan Sizhui placed a comforting hand on his shoulder—He was a cutsleeve, in love with his own half-brother. With Jin Guangyao.

Wei Wuxian gasped aloud, then smacked his hands over his mouth. He signed 'sorry' three times and gave a sheepish grin, then motioned for Mo Xuanyu to continue.

"The moment I told him…he had me thrown out. Out of Koi Tower. Out of Lanling. Out of the Jin sect," Mo Xuanyu whimpered. His eyes were hard, though, when he said, "All because I dared to have feelings."

"Because you knew about his secret," Lan Wangji corrected. "Your feelings were his excuse to cast doubt on anything you might tell anyone about him."

He could not understand having feelings for Jin Guangyao. Not at all after learning he imprisoned Wei Wuxian. Given the fact that Wei Wuxian had been surprised by Mo Xuanyu's statement, it clearly wasn't a desire the young man still held.

Mo Xuanyu's eyes shot up to Wei Wuxian, gazing upon his wings with wonder. "You really survived the battle. You're really a—a siren. With wings. And talons. And—and feathers." His hand reached out, then jerked back as if stung.

With a grimace, Wei Wuxian signed, 'You can touch them. Just be gentle.'

After a few silent minutes of Mo Xuanyu's fingers delicately grazing Wei Wuxian's wings, a scar breaking through the feathers on his chest, and even poking curiously at one of Wei Wuxian's talons, he glowered.

"He lied," Mo Xuanyu whispered furiously at the floor. "He—He made me—He made everyone think I—I'm mad. He made me—shameful. He—I hate him. I h-hate him!"

'If you help us prove his wrongdoings,' Wei Wuxian told him, 'we can give you what you want.'

Briefly, Mo Xuanyu was confused, and then he remembered. That's right. Sirens could sense desires. Wei Wuxian would know exactly what to offer Mo Xuanyu to earn his help. Lan Wangji poured everyone one last cup of tea.

'You can become a member of the Jiang sect.'

Mo Xuanyu's hands came up to cover his face, hiding even his makeup from view.

"Can he really join the Jiang sect?" Lan Sizhui asked.

It was a valid question. Wei Wuxian was not the Jiang sect leader, and in fact had not had any contact with the Jiang sect in over ten years. Yet Wei Wuxian was confident, and Lan Wangji trusted him.

Of course Mo Xuanyu could join the Jiang sect. If Jiang Cheng wouldn't allow it, they would simply tell Jiejie about how A-Yu was so helpful and she would walk up to Jiang Cheng and make him allow it. So it was already a determined fact. If Mo Xuanyu wanted it—and Wei Wuxian knew he did—he could join the Jiang sect and finally have a home where no one sneered at him, or belittled him, or stole from him. A home removed from the influence of Jin Guangshan's blood and the Mo family's shame.

Once again, tears dripped down Mo Xuanyu's face. He curled up on the table and wept, loudly and with force. He didn't need to say yes or voice his agreement. This was enough. They already knew.

…

Before they could make their way to Lanling, and Koi Tower, to find the proof Mo Xuanyu knew to exist against Jin Guangyao, they would need more allies. Mo Xuanyu's training as a cultivator had not progressed far enough, and he had not been strong enough, to forge a golden core. Lan Wangji might be Hanguang-Jun, but he could not fight the whole of the Jin sect on his own.

They would head for Yunmeng and gain the assistance of the Jiang sect—now well-established and strong under the leadership of Jiang Cheng.

But they could not travel until Wei Wuxian was well again. For three weeks, he worked on strengthening his body. Lan Wangji helped him to walk, watched him run, assisted him in handstands, and worked with him in every exercise to regain his previous strength. As a siren, he progressed faster than any normal human, and perhaps most cultivators, could have.

During those weeks, Mo Xuanyu was allowed to train alongside the other Lan disciples as a guest disciple. This was decided over tea between Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen. They each took one sip of their tea and then stared at each other in silence. Between their gazes, a quiet battle raged.

"He cannot stay long," Lan Xichen finally acquiesced. "If a-Yao learns the Lan sect is hosting someone who brought shame upon their family…He may urge Sect Leader Jin to act against us."

Lan Wangji left with his victory, without a word about how Jin Guangyao was the one to bring that shame to light instead of leaving it alone.

So Mo Xuanyu trained with the Junior disciples, and Lan Sizhui worked with him after classes ended. At night, after dinner, Mo Xuanyu and Lan Sizhui joined Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian in the jingshi. With the Lans as translators, Mo Xuanyu and Wei Wuxian had lengthy conversations about their shared history of abuses.

Sometimes Lan Sizhui had to leave, his own emotions overwhelmed, but the talking seemed to help both men as much as the songs that Lan Sizhui and Lan Wangji played for them every night before bed. Even only a week later, Wei Wuxian experienced fewer nightmares. They did not disappear entirely, but any relief for Wei Wuxian lightened Lan Wangji's heart.

The talking helped Mo Xuanyu as well. At first, he had wandered around after curfew, mumbling to himself and jumping at every noise. The sight of his new, pure white Lan robes seemed to frighten him, and he was constantly getting them dirty on purpose. And it was a frequent occurrence that he would run from a lesson as soon as the teacher was done lecturing him, to be found later crying alone under one of the walkways.

By the day of their departure, he could sleep through the night; Lan Sizhui had requested light blue robes for him instead of white and he stopped dirtying them; and he didn't run away from the teachers anymore. He could even meet Lan Wangji's eyes for a few seconds without looking like a frightened rabbit.

"I still think he's crazy," Lan Jingyi complained as he and Lan Sizhui walked toward the kitchen for lunch one day, and Lan Wangji overheard them. "How exactly are we supposed to keep a low profile when one of our group looks like a ghost all the time?"

Lan Sizhui frowned. "Do not speak ill of others," he reminded him. "Mo-qianbei is trying his best. That's all that we can ask of him."

Lan Jingyi sighed. "If you say so, Sizhui. Sometimes I think you're replacing me as your best friend."

A laugh. "That could never happen. Jingyi is too memorable to be replaced."

…

Finally the day of departure arrived. The sun set on the Cloud Recesses and only the lanterns gave the world any light. When Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian arrived at the gate, Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui were already waiting for them.

"What the heck?" Lan Jingyi let out brashly, pointing at Wei Wuxian, wrapped in a heavy cloak. "You look like a hunchback."

"How else should he hide his wings?" Lan Sizhui translated Wei Wuxian's flurry of defiant hand gestures. There was a lot Lan Sizhui left out, but the rest was rather rude so Lan Wangji didn't correct him.

Crossing his arms, Lan Jingyi accepted the answer with a huff, then wondered at their missing member. They couldn't leave without Mo Xuanyu, but he had requested the other two Juniors go on ahead. Within minutes, a figure approached them out of the dark. They wore Mo Xuanyu's light blue robes and had his long hair in a ponytail, but—

"By the gods, is that what you really look like?" Lan Jingyi gasped out.

Mo Xuanyu nervously shifted from foot to foot, and could not meet anyone's eyes. He pointed toward the path down the mountain. "W-we should—" He started walking without finishing his thought. The others followed after.

'He's actually really cute,' Wei Wuxian gushed to Lan Wangji as they walked. 'Not as handsome as my Lan Zhan, of course, but adorable in his own way. He could win any guy he wants with features like that. Ah, if only he knew how to flirt properly. And not with his evil siblings.'

Lan Wangji's ears were burning. His Lan Zhan, indeed. He reached out and took Wei Wuxian's hand, holding it as they walked. Wei Wuxian beamed at him, and the night did not seem so dark anymore.

…

The trip to Yunmeng took several days, traveling only by moonlight and camping mostly outdoors. As they travelled, Wei Wuxian entertained the younger cultivators with stories of growing up in Yunmeng. They were just the sort of antics Lan Wangji had always imagined Wei Wuxian got up to in his youth. Luckily, the moonlight hid his smile.

Wei Wuxian talked about night hunts he had assisted the Jiang sect on, pranks he played on people, and places he had explored that no one else could get to because they didn't have wings. He even acted some of it out, making the others laugh. Though sometimes Mo Xuanyu would have an outburst or start crying—and once even he couldn't say why—and then Lan Sizhui would talk with him until he was calm again and Lan Jingyi would sigh and go help Lan Wangji with the horses. When everyone was calm once more, Wei Wuxian would start acting like a fool again to make their smiles return.

When he turned to stories of his time in the Cloud Recesses, the Juniors grew suspicious. No way had he actually done that, gone there, or broken that rule. No way. But when they turned to Lan Wangji to disprove him, they were shocked to see him merely nod. The stories were true, if a little embellished for entertainment's sake.

So Wei Wuxian kept their travels light and fun, even under cover of darkness. And every morning, he and Lan Wangji put the Juniors to sleep by playing a duet. Their duet. The song they had written together as teens in the Cloud Recesses. Their song. Every time, they locked eyes, and Lan Wangji knew that Wei Wuxian was as grateful as he was that they could play it as a duet again after so long, after believing they would never play it again.

…

Lotus Pier was lush with lilies and lotuses, vibrant green trees and flowering bushes. The wood of the dock and the buildings was a rich, warm brown. The entire city, but especially the compound of the Jiang sect, was resplendent in shades of purple, pink, and blue. From the moment their group was allowed through the gates, Wei Wuxian began to vibrate with anticipation. His wings twitched, making his back look like it was rolling oddly, wanting to fly, but his flight feathers were not fully regrown yet.

They were left in Swords Hall, the lotus seat empty in the middle of the room, to wait as a disciple fetched the Sect Leader. Only once they were alone did Wei Wuxian drop his cloak and spread his wings, flapping them rapidly and waving his arms around wildly to calm himself down. He bounded from one corner to the next, inspecting the design like he was checking it was still the same as he remembered, and his talons clacked along the floor with every hop.

"So the mighty Hanguang-Jun has come to visit, huh?" Jiang Cheng yelled as he came through a side door into the hall. "Have you grown so haughty you think you don't even need to send a letter announcing your intent to—Wei Wuxian."

The name was punched out of him, and his face went slack like he had seen a ghost. Wei Wuxian wasn't much better off. His wings drooped to the floor.

"Jiang Cheng," he let out after an endless moment, signing the name as he spoke it. 'You look well.'

He hadn't finished the final sign before Jiang Cheng had surged across the room and crushed him in a desperate hug that just barely missed squishing Wei Wuxian's wings.

"You asshole," Jiang Cheng cursed into Wei Wuxian's hair. "How dare you show up like this? Where the hell have you been?"

Tears trailed down both of their faces, but no one commented on it. Wei Wuxian traced something into Jiang Cheng's back, trying to convey something without disentangling from the embrace. Whatever it was made Jiang Cheng hold him, if possible, even tighter.

"Apology not accepted. Dammit, I thought you were dead."

Wei Wuxian wrapped his little brother up in his wings, a double embrace.

On the other side of the room, Mo Xuanyu turned his back to give them a semblance of privacy and Lan Sizhui followed suit. Lan Jingyi crossed his arms and muttered about the rudeness of forgetting one's guests but kept his voice low enough not to disturb them.

…

After dinner—where the servants did not seem surprised nor wary of Wei Wuxian at all—their group sat down to discuss the situation with Jin Guangyao.

Mo Xuanyu, stuttering but sure, told them all about the guests he saw Jin Guangyao bring to the ancestral hall, and Wei Wuxian backed him up with memories of pulling information from those same people. Mo Xuanyu told them about a golden mirror in Jin Guangyao's room. It was actually a magical artifact that transported people to a hidden room where Jin Guangyao kept documents and artifacts and held discreet meetings. Back when Mo Xuanyu and Jin Guangyao had been close, he had often shown him the treasures housed in that secret room. All the evidence they would need to bury him would be in there.

Jiang Cheng revealed the many letters he had received from Jiang Yanli over the years, and how she had mentioned her distrust of Jin Guangyao often. His sway over her husband's decisions as Sect Leader caused her great concern. With a determined scowl, Jiang Cheng pledged the Jiang sect's support in removing Jin Guangyao from any position of power.

Step one was to figure out who their allies and enemies were.

Jiang Yanli could be counted on, as could the Jiang sect as a whole. They had grown up with Wei Wuxian in their midst and knew the stories about him were false. Nie Huaisang might be an ally—since he was the one to release Wei Wuxian—but as he had a reputation for being useless and had not stepped forward yet, his help could not be relied upon, nor his sect's.

"You know what? I think the princess might be able to tell us who's in league with his snake uncle," Lan Jingyi noted.

For once, he and Mo Xuanyu agreed. While Jin Ling—son of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan—thought highly of his uncle's intelligence and wit, he also never wanted to be alone in a room with the older man, and had—in that way young children do—admitted that sometimes "Xiao Shushu" frightened him. He was older now—thirteen—but those feelings had not abated.

Before Mo Xuanyu had been thrown out of Koi Tower, Jin Ling had said he was "just as creepy as Xiao Shushu" and told him to stay away forever.

"Did you always look like a hanged ghost?" Lan Jingyi asked rudely.

After a moment's thought, Mo Xuanyu nodded. "Not always like this, but…If they were judging my makeup, then they weren't making fun of the real me so…"

"And that's why you're creepy."

On Jin Guangyao's side would be Su She and all of the Moling Su sect. The servants at Koi Tower were also suspect, as Wei Wuxian remembered many different servants bringing him food and drink, or giving him minor first aid, during his imprisonment.

Step two was to find a reasonable excuse to visit Lanling with a retinue of Jiang disciples. They couldn't just show up out of the blue like some people. That would start a war. There wasn't a cultivation conference or any lectures planned in Lanling in the near future either.

"A group night hunt?" Lan Sizhui suggested.

Except what cause would there be for a group night hunt that large? No one was getting married or having a baby, and there had been no sightings of powerful beasts or demons anywhere near Lanling.

'But there could be,' Wei Wuxian signed with a devious grin. 'A great and terrible siren might appear. A siren with connections to the Jiang sect. A siren that recently escaped from Jin Guangyao's prison.'

At first the others were against it—Lan Wangji especially, though he kept silent—but Wei Wuxian was good at persuasion, even without his oratory powers. Soon they had all agreed to the logic of his idea and the matter was settled. Even if Lan Wangji still worried.

So the plan was set. While Wei Wuxian led the cultivators on a merry chase about the forests outside of the city, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, and Mo Xuanyu would infiltrate the secret room behind the mirror to retrieve any documents or evidence they could find to prove what Jin Guangyao had been up to. Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji would keep an eye on Jin Guangyao and his supporters during the hunt and keep anyone from getting too close to Wei Wuxian if necessary.

…

That night, Wei Wuxian sat at the window of Lan Wangji's room and stared out at the lotuses. It was well beyond the Lan designated bedtime, but travelling solely at night had shifted Lan Wangji's sleep pattern and it would take a few days to right it. So, instead of sleeping, Lan Wangji sat beside Wei Wuxian at the window.

"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian said, turning his attention inside. 'Would it be alright if I stayed here tonight?' There was a small grin on his face, as if he were hinting at the scandal of Hanguang-Jun and the Sirin of Yiling spending the night together.

"Are you worried about nightmares?" Lan Wangji asked.

The smile faded to something more genuine and Wei Wuxian shook his head. 'I just want to stay with you.' He grinned, all teeth. 'I like it when you hold me.'

Lan Wangji's ears were burning again.

He held out a hand and, once it had been accepted, led Wei Wuxian to bed.

…

The Jiang sect made for Lanling within the week. Jiang Cheng took half of the Jiang disciples with him, leaving the other half back to defend Lotus Pier and the people of Yunmeng should the need arise. Mo Xuanyu wore Jiang purple with pride.

Within days, they arrived at Lanling City. While the rest of their retinue continued forward, Wei Wuxian stopped.

"Wei Ying?" Lan Wangji reached out and took his hand—a sort of familiarity borne of nights wrapped up in each other to fend of nightmares.

Wei Wuxian grabbed it with both of his own, squeezed, and then pulled away to sign, 'I can't. I'm sorry. I can't.'

He could not go back to a place he had been trapped—not while the one responsible for it was still there. Not when those who helped him still had the power to put him back in that dark place.

"No need for apologies. I understand," Lan Wangji told him.

A jolt of deja vu raced through him, remembering the last time he said those words. The Battle of Yiling had occurred. The Wen sect was wiped out. He thought he had lost Wei Wuxian forever.

Not this time.

With a frown, Wei Wuxian signed, 'Lan Zhan? What's with that face?'

Then Lan Wangji pulled him into a kiss. One kiss to promise they would see each other again. One kiss to swear to stay safe. One kiss to prove his feelings were true. They kissed until they were short of breath, and only then did Wei Wuxian pull back.

"Lan Zhan," he gasped. "Lan Zhan, I love you."

Warmth spread across every inch of Lan Wangji's skin and beneath it. He was euphoric. There was no fighting the way his lips pulled up into a bright, yet close-lipped, smile.

Wei Wuxian was not smiling. 'Oh no. Lan Zhan, I'm sorry! I did that, didn't I? You can—You can stop smiling. You—' He groaned. "Lan Zhan, you don't have to be so happy if you don't want to. Feel how you want to feel."

The warmth drained out of him, except for in his chest. His heart felt full to bursting, and though his smile was smaller now, his eyes grew fond with love. Lan Wangji reached up to caress Wei Wuxian's cheek.

"I love Wei Ying too," he murmured. "Always have." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Wei Wuxian's forehead. "Be careful."

Even as Wei Wuxian flapped his wings and took flight for the first time since his capture, his cheeks burned bright red and his eyes remained fixed on Lan Wangji.

…

"Sandu Shengshou. What an unexpected pleasure," Jin Zixuan greeted their group. His eyes flicked curiously to the Lan disciples in white. "Your letter said there was something to hunt?"

He was wrong-footed, but that kept him from being pompous. His curiosity was allowed to win out over his pride. To his side and a step behind, Jiang Yanli watched, concerned. To his other side and a step ahead, Jin Guangyao stood with a pleasant smile.

The entire Jiang sect bowed. "Yes. We heard there was a sighting in the forest near the city and came as quick as we could to offer our support."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sect Leader Jiang," Jin Guangyao said with a quick bow. "A sighting of…what?" His eyes trailed over the disciples. "You have brought so many disciples with you, one might think you had ill intentions."

Jiang Cheng glared at him so fiercely that Jin Guangyao retreated a step and gave another bow.

"A siren." Every Jin in the room gasped, and Yanli threw her hands over her mouth. "That's right. The only siren ever seen around here was the Siren of Yiling. The Jiang sect raised it, so the Jiang sect has come to take care of it."

And take care of him, they would.

Jin Guangyao inclined his head. "Where did news of this sighting come from? Who is the source?" he asked. "We have heard of no such sighting."

"Lianfang-zun," Jin Zixuan accosted, and Jin Guangyao fell silent. The sect leader drew himself up to his full height. "The Jin sect is with you, Sect Leader Jiang. We will scour the mountains to catch whatever creature it may be—siren or otherwise."

Even as Jiang Cheng gave a bow, Jiang Yanli stepped forward.

"Must you hunt him?" she asked, and her eyes met those of each man around her without fear. "It has been almost fourteen years and he has done nothing to harm us. To harm anyone. Why must he be hunted down? Because of your own fear?" She leveled a harsh gaze at her brother. "Your pride?"

"A-jie," Jiang Cheng started, but Jin Zixuan spoke over him.

"Dear." He took her hands. Never had Lan Wangji seen the Jin leader look so soft as when he was talking to his wife. "It might not be him. In fact, it likely isn't. But if there is some creature roaming our forest, we must act." He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, and whatever sweet nothing it had been seemed to calm the fire in Jiang Yanli's eyes. At least a little bit.

She silently acquiesced to their hunt before leaving with her husband. The hunt would begin the next morning, once the Jin cultivators had time to prepare and the Jiang cultivators had time to rest.

That night, Lan Wangji played a song on his guqin. An inquiry, but not for the dead. Its intended recipient was too far away to hear but playing helped soothe the anxiety in Lan Wangji's heart. So still he played.

…

The night hunt for Wei Wuxian went like this:

A group of cultivators heard something in the trees and rushed in that direction. A group of cultivators a li away also heard something in the trees and rushed in that direction. They ran into each other. In broad daylight. Luckily, no one was stabbed.

A pair of cultivators spotted a winged man lounging against a tree. They rushed him. He sang a song and they became very interested in the flowers.

Lianfang-zun walked by himself through the woods and kept trying to make inconspicuous turns back toward Lanling City. Hanguang-Jun was always just in view further down the mountain, staring straight at him, even if a moment before the path had been empty. When asked, "Is Hanguang-Jun following me?" Lan Wangji merely turned and disappeared into the woods.

The cultivators caught lots of animals, lots of fellow cultivators, and even one actual monster in their nets. No siren ever got near them though.

For four hours, the forests were full of confused groupings of cultivator disciples wandering this way and that and never coming within thirty chi of the Siren of Yiling. The groups bumbled around in confusion caused by a song, or were tricked into walking through bushes and tripping, or in some other way made a fool of themselves that would be very embarrassing if not for everyone else looking like a fool in the same way.

For four hours, Jin Guangyao became more and more irritated at being blocked at every turn by either Lan Wangji or Jiang Cheng, at never getting even a glimpse of Wei Wuxian, at walking around in a forest in his stifling robes.

"What is it, exactly, that you want from me?" he finally snapped at Jiang Cheng. "I thought you were here to catch the siren."

Jiang Cheng had barely lifted an eyebrow at him before a call went out, a flare bursting in the sky.

The siren had been caught. Sect Leader Jin caught the Siren of Yiling!

…

'You're still a peacock.'

That was what Wei Wuxian was signing when Lan Wangji reentered the Fragrant Palace. Then he stuck his tongue out at Jin Zixuan like a child. For his part, Jin Zixuan covered his eyes with one hand like he was too tired for this. Interestingly, Wei Wuxian's arms were bound to his body and his legs were tied firmly together, and even his wings were being held down by spirit ropes, yet his arms from the elbows down were free to allow him to speak.

"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji let out quietly, taking his place to the side of the hall. It was too soft for humans to catch but Wei Wuxian immediately turned to smile and wave at him. Clearly, he wasn't worried about the situation, which meant he had intended to be caught.

Most of the cultivators from the night hunt came into the room, filling in the corners of the hall but staying a respectable distance away, letting the heads of their sects deal with the siren alone. Jin Zixuan, Jin Guangyao, Lan Wangji, and Jiang Cheng stood closest to Wei Wuxian. Along with the other cultivators passing through the doors were Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Mo Xuanyu, and Jin Ling, joining the crowds seamlessly, as if they had always been there. They even carried their swords, as if they had been on the night hunt with the others.

"Excellent job capturing the creature," Jin Guangyao complimented with a bow once he was near his half-brother. "But why is its mouth not covered?"

"Because he promised not to speak," Jin Zixuan said, simple and direct.

Jin Guangyao's eyes were wide. "And you trust it? Da-ge, if I might remind you of the events leading up to the Battle of Yiling—"

"I remember them," Jin Zixuan interrupted. He turned his attention to Wei Wuxian. "Where have you been, Wei-gongzi?"

The title made those gathered gasp. Even Wei Wuxian's eyes were wide in surprise. He started to sign his answer, but Jin Zixuan held up a hand.

"I do not understand sign language. Does anyone here know it and can translate for him?" he asked to the disciples at large.

Lan Sizhui was shoved forward almost before he could raise his voice to say, "I can."

Wei Wuxian kept his eyes on Jin Zixuan while he signed, and Jin Zixuan's stayed on him, even as Lan Sizhui translated.

"During the battle—That is, the Battle of Yiling—he was tricked, and hit over the head. When he woke up, he was in an underground prison. Here, in Lanling City."

Murmurs began to pass between the disciples.

"His captors were Sect Leader Jin Guangshan and…Lianfeng-zun, Jin Guangyao."

"He lies," Jin Guangyao broke in, even as Wei Wuxian still signed, but Jin Zixuan held up a hand for his silence.

"He was kept…chained…hungry…thirsty…gagged…and used to pull secrets from people to force their compliance," Lan Sizhui translated dutifully, a wrinkle between his eyebrows. "If he refused, they…hurt him."

The actual thing Wei Wuxian had signed was much worse than 'hurt'—but it was also abundantly clear to anyone what he was saying without the need for a translation anyway. Jin Guangyao bristled.

"Jin Zixuan, you cannot keep listening to his lies," he broke in, even going so far as to stand between his half-brother and Wei Wuxian, who glared at him behind his back. "He is trying to poison you against me, Da-ge."

Jin Zixuan had lived with Jin Guangyao as his council on all matters of sect business for years now, and yet there was not a hint of doubt in his expression. He believed every word of Wei Wuxian's story.

He was married to Jiang Yanli. Of course he believed Wei Wuxian's story. Of course he trusted his word not to speak, despite their fight as teenagers. Even during the Battle of Yiling, no one ever mentioned the actions of Jin Zixuan, eldest son of Jin Guangshan, because he had not even been present. He had stayed behind in Lanling City with his pregnant wife and his mother, governing in his father's place until he returned. Jin Guangyao talked of poison, but Jiang Yanli had inoculated her husband to Jin Guangyao's poison years ago.

"It's not lies," Lan Sizhui spoke up, not translating this time. He pulled a rolled up document from within his robes. "We have proof."

Interest lit in Jin Zixuan's eyes. "Do you? Who is 'we'?"

Lan Jingyi, Mo Xuanyu, and Jin Ling hurried forward to present the evidence they had in their own robes. If Jin Zixuan recognized his half-brother in Jiang purple and without makeup, he showed no sign. The Jin sect leader read each document with growing horror at the things his trusted brother had done. And as he spoke them aloud, the watching disciples' horror grew with him and Jin Guangyao protested more and more desperately that they were lies.

Lan Wangji did not listen closely to Jin Guangyao's crimes. As more and more of his reprehensible actions were laid bare, Lan Wanji found his mind drifting, focused more on Wei Wuxian. After all, he already knew the details, and Jin Guangyao's desperate denials were growing embarrassing at this point.

Though he stood in the center of the room, no one was paying Wei Wuxian much attention. The expression on his face was partly smug, seeing the one who had caused him such harm brought to justice, and partly angry, listening to Jin Guangyao try to talk his way out of it. His hands worked at the ropes binding him, slowly unraveling the cords. He glanced at Lan Wangji, then seemed surprised to find Lan Wangji already looking at him. With a sheepish grin, he stood up tall, like he had done when he used to play at being a model student in Lan Qiren's lectures.

The longer the talking went on, the more annoyed Wei Wuxian appeared. The more he frowned. The more he glared. The tenser his shoulders became. Finally, too aggravated to hold himself back, Wei Wuxian opened his mouth and demanded, in a voice as cold as the steel of Bichen, "Tell the truth, Jin Guangyao."

That was the end of it. Jin Guangyao began to corroborate every misdeed listed in the evidence with his own mouth. He damned himself with every word, revealing every wrongdoing he had committed—even some not in the documents—and his twisted reasoning behind them. He didn't stop talking until he had revealed every last detail, and several of the watching disciples had to leave the room in disgust before he was done.

His senses came back to him in an instant, but it still took a few moments for Jin Guangyao to realize what he had just done. What Wei Wuxian had made him do. "You really do know how to use your gifts for your own self-interests, don't you, Siren of Yiling?" His voice was calm, but it was a calm that was pulled tight enough to snap.

Wei Wuxian gave a mocking smile and wave, like he had just performed a magic trick.

Jin Zixuan ordered Jin Guangyao arrested. He would die for his crimes, but the method of his death was still something to be discussed. Before they could bind him, however, Jin Guangyao dodged behind Wei Wuxian toward the Juniors and pulled a spirit cord tight about the neck of Jin Ling. Blood immediately began to pour from Jin Ling's neck and Lan Wangji jumped into action.

He was not the first to arrive, though. A sword cut through Jin Guangyao's side and he gasped, his hold on Jin Ling going slack and allowing the boy to scurry away. Mo Xuanyu, as if shocked by his own action, dropped his sword.

Jin Guangyao looked into Mo Xuanyu's eyes and, for the first time, someone stared at him with recognition.

"You."

With a deep swallow, Mo Xuanyu said, "You—You deserve this."

For a moment, Jin Guangyao smirked, and it was laced with something akin to pride. Then he ducked down, grabbed the sword from the floor, and stabbed Mo Xuanyu in return. Lan Wangji was across the room to cut off the man's hand as fast as it took Wei Wuxian to shout, "Stop!"

Bleeding and missing a hand, Jin Guangyao was marched from the room. Medical staff took Jin Ling and Mo Xuanyu away for care, and Lan Sizhui quickly bowed his goodbye before hurrying after them. When eyes turned on Lan Jingyi, he shook his head. "Uh, no. I'll stay here."

By the time Jin Zixuan had ordered the gathered disciples to head to the Moling Su sect and arrest their sect leader, and Wei Wuxian had been untied, someone had fetched Madam Jin herself.

"A-Xian!" she cried, running to embrace her brother so fiercely that both Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan coughed uncomfortably. Brother and sister fell to their knees weeping, clutching each other close. After a minute or so, Jiang Yanli motioned to Jiang Cheng and then the three of them sat together, holding hands and tangling themselves up in each other. Three siblings finally reunited.

Lan Wangji watched them with a sense of bittersweet joy. Wei Wuxian's name had been cleared and he was with his family again. For Lan Wangji, his connection with his own brother would likely never be so strong again.

…

The Cloud Recesses were quiet, as they always were. In the distance was the rumble of a waterfall. Birds chirped in the trees. A breeze caused a windchime to let out a gentle trill. And in the hanshi, the Twin Jades of Gusu were drinking tea.

"I cannot believe A-Yao would do such things," Lan Xichen murmured, eyes downcast. "How could he?"

Lan Wangji did not answer for he had no answer to give. Even with Jin Guangyao explaining himself, Lan Wangji could not understand his actions. The people he had killed, the manipulations, the way he treated Wei Wuxian, that constant need for more—Lan Wangji would never understand.

Besides which, his brother was not so blind as he wanted to believe himself. He had bowed to Jin Guangyao's whims for years, letting him commit atrocities left and right, and always claiming there must be a good reason. Never had he stood up and said 'Enough.' Lan Xichen was not to blame for Jin Guangyao's actions, but he could be blamed for turning a blind eye to them for so long.

After so long a silence that the tea in their cups was gone, Lan Xichen roused himself enough to ask, "What of that young cultivator, Mo Xuanyu? He did not return with you."

Of course. Now that no one at Koi Tower would frown upon Mo Xuanyu being around, Lan Xichen wanted to extend an olive branch, offer him a place. But he was too late.

Sect Leader Jin had offered him his position in the Jin sect back. That was after Wei Wuxian explained that Jin Zixuan had found him in the mountains and had promised him protection. On his shijie's life. That was enough to earn Wei Wuxian's trust. But in the end, even Jin Zixuan's hand in taking down Jin Guanyao had not been enough to convince his half-brother to return.

"He has been granted status as a disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang sect. Both Madam Jin and Sect Leader Jiang agreed," Lan Wangji informed him, before pouring them both a second cup. "Lan Sizhui elected to stay with him."

He did not say 'for now.' He did not say 'forever.' Even so, Lan Xichen seemed to know which it was. And so he knew what Lan Wangji had really come to tell him that day.

"You are leaving."

Lan Wangji nodded.

Lan Xichen frowned. "There are those who will frown upon this choice, Wangji. Member of the Jiang sect or rogue cultivator, they will know why you have gone."

"So let them," Lan Wangji intoned severely. He did not care what the world thought. The ones he loved were not there in the Cloud Recesses. They had been separated before and he would not let it happen again. Come what may, his family would be together. In Yunmeng, or anywhere in the world.

He wished his brother had half as much passion and loyalty as his son, who stood by a siren and an outcast without blinking an eye. Who stood for what was right, even against men far more powerful than himself. He wished his brother were so brave. If he were, perhaps Lan Wangji would not have to part ways with him.

"You feel you cannot trust me," Lan Xichen said on a sigh. "I wish you would."

"We may wish for many things," Lan Wangji replied just as quietly. "But it is not so."

It was not only his brother that Lan Wangji did not trust. He could not trust the elders of the Gusu Lan sect. Not to do what was right. Not with Wei Wuxian's life and freedom. Not even with his son, should they ever learn his true heritage. And Lan Wangji would no longer remain surrounded by such toxic air. He wanted to breathe free.

Sorrow and regret lit in Lan Xichen's eyes and he frowned deeply. "I tried to do right by you, but it seems that I lost you…somewhere along the way. Hard as I have tried, I have not been able to find you again." He gave another sigh and looked toward the garden. "It is of my own doing…and it is my greatest regret." His eyes lowered to the floor. "I have been so blind."

To Lan Wangji's needs and the needs of the people. To Jin Guangyao's intentions. To his own hypocrisy. Perhaps, with time, he would not be so blind. Perhaps losing both his sworn brother and his blood brother at the same time would finally be enough to open Lan Xichen's eyes to the truth of the world.

"I wish you well, xiongzhang."

…

The moon had just risen when Lan Wangji's boat docked at Lotus Pier. All the vendors and shoppers had retired for the evening, paddling their boats home amid the other ponds and lakes of Yunmeng. Yet the moon was full and Lotus Pier maintained its aura of peace, grace, and naïve hope even in the dark.

In that darkness, Lan Wangji spotted the creature. His wings were outstretched, flying over the distant walls of the Yunmeng Jiang sect compound and toward the docks, his tail spread out for balance and his clawed feet trailing behind. He was barely more than a shadow in the moonlight.

The closer he came, the more Lan Wangji could make out. The long black hair pulled back into a high ponytail. A handsome, human face with deep, dark eyes, and flawless skin. Low slung pants but no shirt, revealing the feathers that covered his arms and part of his chest, and the scars he had earned in his life.

Wei Wuxian was breathtaking to behold.

And that was before he gave a delighted cry of, "Lan Zhan!" and collided with Lan Wangji, wrapping his arms, his legs, and even his wings around the previous Jade of Lan. He pulled back only far enough to sign, 'I missed you!'

Lan Wangji smiled and gave him a quick kiss that had a blush darkening Wei Wuxian's cheeks. "I missed Wei Ying too. Let's go home." And he carried his love all the way there.

…

fin

…

And the ages I had in mind for everyone:

Jin Ling – 13 years old

Jingyi – 16 years old

Sizhui – 17 years old

Mo Xuanyu – 22 years old

Jiang Cheng/Nie Huaisang – 32 years old

Wei Wuxian/Guangyao – 33 years old

Lan Wangji/Jin Zixuan – 34 years old

Yanli– 36 years old

Lan Xichen– 37 years old