Chapter 90
Lan Wangji was happy to be back to Gusu. It had been too long since he had left, and while he knew he had been doing his duties, it didn't make it any harder to be away from home.
But that didn't mean he didn't miss being with Wei Ying. He did. He missed his zhiji so much more than he could possibly bear. Despite the fact that their wedding was fast approaching, all he wanted to do was go bring Wei Ying home. For them to spend several long days in the Jingshi and not leave no matter what happened in the world outside of them.
"Wangji," he heard his brother's gentle voice call out, and he looked up to see Lan Xichen approaching him, as Lan Wangji returned to Cloud Recesses, "I am glad that you have returned safely."
"I am glad to be home," Lan Wangji agreed, "I missed it."
"Uncle has agreed for you to get some rest before debriefing us on all that has happened," Lan Xichen told him, "But if you do not mind, would you like to get tea with me before you rest? I wish for you to meet someone."
Lan Wangji turned a smile knowing exactly who his brother had been referring to, and nodded eagerly, as Lan Xichen let out a happy sound, turning them on course to the Hanshi instead. He knew he probably should bathe after travelling, but his brother had asked him so kindly, that he didn't have it in his heart to refuse.
"Baba!" he heard a loud yell from inside his Xiongzhang's house, as Xiongzhang winced at that, "Is that him?"
"We are still working on the loud voices," Lan Xichen murmured,v and Lan Wangji could only curl his lips upward.
He watched as a young boy all but barrelled his way through the doors, throwing his arms around Lan Xichen.
"A-Yi, what did we say about loud voices?" his brother said kindly, without the harshness that he and Xiongzhang had grown up with.
"That they should only be used if absolutely necessary," Lan Jingyi said solemnly, and Lan Wangji knew that was certainly against the rules. Lan Jingyi pulled away from Lan Xichen and looked at Lan Wangji with what could only be described as awe in his eyes, "Hanguang Jun, it is nice to meet you! I want to be just as strong as you when I grow up!"
"You may call me Shufu," Lan Wangji corrected him, "As I am your Baba's younger brother."
"Shufu," Lan Jingyi repeated, with wide eyes, "Baba, Hanguang Jun says I can call him Shufu!"
"I heard," Lan Xichen chuckled, "A-Yi is a rather big fan of you. Even before I adopted him. I have been regaling him with tales of your childhood as well."
"Shufu is so cool," Lan Jingyi sighed, "Can you teach me to be just like you?"
Lan Wangji felt his heart melt a little at that. He had always been fond of children, and seeing Wei Ying with kids had always stirred a desire for family in him. And meeting his nephew now made him want nothing more than to protect the boy to the best of his abilities.
"I will teach you to be even better," Lan Wangji readily agreed, "Your Baba has written to me quite a bit about your progress. I think you are turning into a fine young cultivator. I will work with your Baba and we will create a training plan for you."
Lan Xichen agreed to that, leading them both inside the Hanshi, as he moved to make tea, leaving Lan Wangji alone with his nephew.
"How have you been settling into your new home?" he asked his nephew as he sat down beside him.
"It's very nice here," Lan Jingyi said happily, "I have a new Baba, Die-die, and Fuqin! Even though I don't see Die-die and Fuqin every day, but they write to me all the time and send me presents! And Baba takes me to see the bunnies all the time! Shufu, I didn't know they were your bunnies! They're so cute!"
"They are very cute," Lan Wangji smiled, "They were a gift from my zhiji."
"Bixie Jun?" Lan Jingyi inquired.
"Your Shushu," Lan Wangji nodded, knowing Wei Wuxian would refuse to accept anything else.
"Baba, I have a Shushu," Lan Jingyi said, looking over at Lan Xichen who came back over with some tea then.
"You have many, many Shushus," Lan Xichen commented lightly, "You have many people who will love you, A-Yi. You will never be alone. I promise."
Lan Jingyi looked moved at that, leaning into Lan Xichen who simply wrapped an arm around him. Lan Xichen began talking about events that Lan Wangji had missed, and Lan Wangji listened aptly as he drank his tea, while Lan Jingyi played with Lan Xichen's ribbon.
As Lan Jingyi grew bored, Lan Xichen set him up with some toys, before returning back towards him.
"You are good with him," Lan Wangji told his brother kindly, "You are a good father."
"I am trying my best," Xiongzhang said, and Lan Wangji couldn't help but note the uncertainty in his voice, "I often feel like I do not know what I am doing."
"You are doing everything you can," Lan Wangji said to him, "You do not scold him unnecessarily. He feels safe and comfortable with you, despite the short time it's been. He trusts you. He loves you. You are giving him the childhood we never had, and a home where he feels loved. I am proud of you, Xiongzhang. You are a good Baba to him."
"Thank you, Wangji," Lan Xichen smiled at him, "You should go get some rest. It has been a long day for you."
"I will," Lan Wangji nodded, standing, "I will meet you at Shufu's quarters tomorrow. Goodnight, Xiongzhang."
"Goodnight," Lan Xichen nodded kindly at him, and Lan Wangji left his brother's home, heading back towards his own, where he would remain alone.
Wei Wuxian was depressed. He was more than depressed.
He was devastated.
Distressed.
Distraught.
Disheartened.
Dejected.
The world was falling apart, and Wei Wuxian wanted to do nothing more than cry from the pain he was feeling.
Truly, it was all horrible, and he wasn't going to survive it in the least-
"Are you still moping?" Er-ge said as he plopped down beside Wei Wuxian in the courtyard where he currently was lying on his back, waiting for the days to pass by sooner.
"What else am I supposed to do?" Wei Wuxian pouted as he looked towards his brother without quite sitting up.
"You could spend time with your family," Nie Huaisang said in a sarcastic manner, "I don't know, maybe because in less than a month you are going to be married and then you will be with the love of your life forever, but then I will leave for Lotus Pier and Da-ge will be back and forth between here and Gusu most likely while you are in the other location, so the three of us in one place will become a lot rarer in the future."
Wei Wuxian paused his depressing train of thought to look up at his brother, as he fully processed that.
Somehow, he hadn't quite registered that Da-ge and Er-ge getting married as well meant he would be losing being around them all the time.
"Are you going to cry?" Er-ge asked him, a bit too gleefully.
"No," Wei Wuxian said, despite sniffling.
"You are crying," Nie Huaisang gloated, "Just wait til I tell Da-ge that you were pouting about being not yet being married and now you're pouting about getting married."
"I just want both," he whined, "I want to be with Lan Zhan but I also want to have you and Da-ge around with me forever. Is that too much to ask? Why can't I just have everyone I love all in one place with me for the rest of my life."
"Because life doesn't work that way," Er-ge said gently, "You knew that this was going to happen. Though I will admit, when I was younger, I always thought you would be the one to leave the Nie permanently. I never thought I'd be the one leaving."
"You thought I'd leave?" Wei Wuxian said, a bit surprised, "Why would I ever want to leave here? It's my home."
"I know it is," Nie Huaisang said, before admitting, "I thought you were going to leave for Lan Wangji because even when you first met, I could tell you liked him. And every time you met since then it became clearer and clearer that you were falling for him. I figured that one day, when you realized your feelings, you'd leave the Nie forever to be with him."
"I would never willingly leave the Nie," he said dramatically, "Not unless you try and make me, and just you watch, if you tried, I'd hold on so tightly that you'd have to force me out the door."
"No one is forcing anyone out of Qinghe," Da-ge said, as he approached, sitting down beside them both, "Why are we talking about that?'
"Er-ge thought I was going to abandon the Nie sect for Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian accused his brother.
"We were prepared for it being a possibility," Da-ge said, and Wei Wuxian gasped.
"You too?" Wei Wuxian looked back and forth between his two brothers, "You both actually thought I would leave? My own sect? For a boy?"
"For a boy who happens to be the love of your life," Nie Huaisang countered.
"Yeah," Wei Wuxian sighed, "Yeah he is. Wait. Is that why you hated Lan Zhan so much when I first met him? Because you thought I'd leave you for him?"
"You were practically glued to his side for the entire visit," Nie Huaisang scoffed, "Your first thought when seeing him was that he was pretty, which you vocalized for everyone to hear, then you took him by the hand and spend the entire time with him. How could I not know you were in love with him?"
"Were you jealous, Er-ge?" Wei Wuxian teased him.
Nie Huaisang smacked him on the head.
"Of course I was. I was a kid and I worked hard to get myself a little brother. I just barely had managed to get you to open up to me. But with him, it was like you were an open book. You were so shamelessly flirting with him. It's honestly a wonder that he didn't just ignore you and leave," Nie Huaisang sighed.
"He was too in love with our a-Ying to do that," Da-ge laughed deeply, "He took one look at how earnest Wei Wuxian was, realized he wasn't teasing Wangji, then fell in love with him. They were gone on each other from the start. Honestly I'm surprised it took you as long as you did to realize you had feelings for him."
'Da-ge," Wei Wuxian pouted, "Don't bully my poor oblivious self. I truly was trying my best. It's not my fault I was too dumb to realize that wanting to be with someone all the time like that isn't platonic. How was I supposed to know? It wasn't like anyone ever bothered telling me!"
"You would have laughed at us if we tried," Nie Huaisang countered, "Imagine, Hey Wei Ying, did you realize the reason you're absolutely demonic about wanting to be around your best friend isn't because you think he's your best friend? It's because you want to be with him romantically for the rest of your life? Jiang Cheng and I used to see how many innuendos we could make about your feelings, and you never once even remotely picked up on it. You were so oblivious that even if we told you, you'd think we were just joking around and that you didn't see Lan Wangji like that. You had to truly get hit in the face with it to realize how much he meant to you."
"Mean," Wei Wuxian wailed, "Da-ge tell Er-ge to be nice to me. He said that once we're all married we won't all be in the same place like this ever again. Now I'm depressed about that too. Depressed I'm not married. Depressed I won't have my brothers by my life for the rest of it. Depressed that everything is changing. Why do I have to lose you both to gain Lan Zhan?"
"First of all, you will never lose us," Da-ge started, stroking his hair, "We will always be your older brothers, as long as we all live. Which Sang-er has made me agree to that being a long, long time. We will never leave you alone truly. Secondly, just because changes happen, doesn't make those changes bad. It is just different. After all, you now have a nephew. And soon once Jiang Yanli gives birth, you will have two. Those are both changes, but they are positive changes."
Wei Wuxian nodded, glumly.
"And all the sects are close by to one another," Nie Huaisang commented, "If you ever truly miss me, you can come visit, even for a day. There is no reason why we couldn't see each other out of the blue without a proper planned visit. Do you think I'll be unhappy if my San-di decides he wants to visit me? Whatever you need, whenever you need, you can visit, and I will gladly drop almost anything to see you."
"Almost anything?" Wei Wuxian looked at him pitifully.
"If there is a major emergency you cannot expect me to laze around with you," Nie Huaisang sniffed, "Instead, I will make you assist me instead."
"Who are you and what have you done to my Er-ge?" Wei Wuxian looked at him in awe, "Willing putting aside relaxation to take on responsibilities?"
"I'm going to become Jiang Furen," Nie Huaisang looked his nose up at his brother, "That means it is my job to take care of sect matter. But I will make sure to take plenty of time to also rest in between tasks so I do not have to work too hard and overexert myself."
"That's the Er-ge I know and love," Wei Wuxian nodded seriously, and Nie Huaisang flicked him.
"Abuse!" Wei Wuxian accused him.
"You deserved it," Nie Huaisang shot back.
Nie Mingjue simply sighed.
"For what it's worth, I truly am proud of the both of you," Nie Mingjue said after a moment, "You both have grown up so well. I am so proud to see the people you have become. You have accomplished so much at such young ages. And I truly do want both of you to be happy in your marriages. Qinghe will always be your homes. And for any reason, whatever reason, you both wish to come home, you will always have a place here. You will always be the young masters of the Nie sect and you will always be welcome. I will always welcome you."
"Da-ge," Wei Wuxian said, throat closing up at that, "Da-ge, Er-ge, thank you. I know you said I don't need to thank you both for raising me. For loving me. So I won't. But thank you for being you. For letting me play around. For letting me grow. For fighting for me against the others like Jin Guangshan. For being my Da-ge and my Er-ge and for loving me as much as you do."
"Always," Nie Mingjue promised, kissing his head, as Wei Wuxian leaned against his brothers.
"Always," Nie Huaisang agreed readily, "I will destroy the world if it meant keeping you both safe."
"Maybe just settle for world domination," Nie Mingjue joked and Nie Huaisang nodded seriously at that, as if it was an acceptable alternative.
"World domination," Nie Huaisang said in agreement, "Alliances in every sect, through marriage where they all will trust in me and my plans."
"Yes, we all are pawns for your usage," Wei Wuxian joked, and Nie Huaisang winked at him.
"That's the spirit, Didi, just sit back and let me take care of everything," Er-ge beamed, "I'll make sure everything ends up the way we want it to."
"I trust you," Wei Wuxian smiled widely at his brother. Because even if Er-ge really wanted to take control over the cultivation world, Wei Wuxian knew he and those they loved would only ever be protected and be safe. Any plans Er-ge had would only be beneficial to them all.
Maybe Er-ge should be the next Xiandu. After all, he already was controlling most of the happenings in the cultivation world, one way or another.
"Don't," Er-ge said, looking at him warningly, "Whatever you're thinking, just don't."
"I wasn't thinking anything," Wei Wuxian pouted, clearly disappointed that he wasn't even allowed to even think the things he was thinking without Er-ge knowing exactly what he was thinking.
"You're thinking of me becoming Xiandu," Nie Huaisang deadpanned and Nie Mingjue looked at Wei Wuxian in surprise.
"How did you know that?" Wei Wuxian demanded, spooked by his brother's power of deduction.
"You're too predictable, Didi," Nie Huaisang patted his head lightly, "I've known you for so many years. You think I don't know how to read you after all that time?"
"Maybe I think you'd make a good Xiandu," Wei Wuxian pouted again at his Er-ge.
"I don't want to be Xiandu," Nie Huaisang told him honestly, "I don't mind organizing things like I've been doing to ensure that the people I love are happy and healthy. But I wouldn't be a good Xiandu. I couldn't be impartial. I would gladly burn everyone in the world just so the people I love are happy. I would let my personal feelings get in the way of justice, especially if those I loved were hurt. Even know, I'd rather just have Jin Guangshan be taken care of, but in the long term, it's far better to have him brought to justice and stripped of his power. Despite the fact that the longer we wait, the more at risk we all are. It's why Grandmaster Lan is such a good choice for Xiandu. Because he is fair and honest."
"You would make a good Xiandu if it was what you wanted," Da-ge commented to him, "If you truly wanted it, you would be fair and just. I've seen you make judgements and act in the best interest of everyone, despite what would be good for you. I would support your claim if you wanted it."
"Against Yao-ge?" Nie Huaisang asked, raising a brow at him.
"Yao-ge wants to be Xiandu?" Wei Wuxian said, surprised. It was the first he'd heard of it.
"Grandmaster Lan offered to train both of us," Nie Huaisang told Wei Wuxian, filling in the gaps, "To ensure that the transition to the next Xiandu is smoother. I know Yao-ge told you that Uncle asked him to work with him and wanted him to pitch ideas to Uncle. Would you pick me over him?"
"You want me to choose?" Nie Mingjue asked in response, clearly knowing Nie Huaisang all too well.
"No," Nie Huaisang shook his head, "I know you would pick me because I'm your brother, and you love me. I don't want you to have to pick, for what it's worth. I know I could be good at it. But I don't want it. The added responsibilities without any real benefits towards myself. I don't have the same plans for the betterment of the cultivation world that he does. He truly wants to make the world a better place. I want it to be him."
"I would support you no matter what you wanted," Nie Mingjue told him, "You're my Didi. Of course I would support you."
Nie Huaisang nodded, "I know, Da-ge. But I know Yao-ge would be good for the job as well. I don't want it to be a fight between us, because I know he would be better at it, and because I don't want it. Yao-ge should have a chance to show off how good at it he would be. And I think he can truly shine if he was in charge."
"So world domination from the sidelines then?" Wei Wuxian asked, nodding wisely, "Smart, then you can act in the shadows and do whatever you need to do without anyone stopping you."
"Exactly, San-di," Nie Huaisang beamed, "You're getting smarter. I knew you would catch on to what I wasn't saying."
Wei Wuxian beamed back at him.
"What am I going to do with the two of you?" Nie Mingjue shook his head fondly, "Always getting up to trouble, aren't you?"
"Nothing anyone will be able to prove," Nie Huaisang smirked in return.
"Xian-gege! Xian-gege!" he heard a little voice shriek, and he looked up to see A-Yuan running towards him with outstretched arms, and followed quickly behind him was A-Lian.
"A-Yuan," Wei Wuxian grinned brightly at the boy, picking him up, before Nie Lian climbed into Nie Huaisang's lap "A-Lian. How are my favourite two Nie disciples doing?"
"Good, Xian-gege!" A-Yuan patted his face, "Play?"
"What would my little A-Yuan like to play today?" Wei Wuxian asked the boy, as Nie Huaisang began combing his fingers through A-Lian's hair. Nie Huaisang pulled a few strands apart, as A-Lian leaned back against Er-ge and Nie Huaisang started braiding the strands of her hair.
"Mm, don't know," A-Yuan giggled, as he pulled one of Wei Wuxian's braids, "Xian-gege, braid my hair too?"
"I'm not good at it as Sang-gege," Wei Wuxian warned the boy, but A-Yuan shook his head, in protest.
"Please, Xian-gege?" A-Yuan pleaded, and Wei Wuxian smiled down at him, as he began braiding the boy's hair.
He focused on each strand, going one over the other, as he spent the rest of the afternoon with his two elder brothers. Perhaps things would be different in the future, when Da-ge and Er-ge were both married as well, but they would always be family. They would always have each other. And Qinghe would always be home.
Nie Mingjue wasn't drunk.
He wasn't.
But he was very very close to being drunk.
"Pour another," Nie Mingjue lamented, as he sat beside Zonghui in his study, drowning drinks together in solidarity.
"Ganbei," Nie Zonghui said, lifting his cup towards Nie Mingjue.
"Ganbei," Nie Mingjue said, downing his drink quickly, before slamming it down on the table.
"Want to tell me while we're drinking tonight?" Nie Zonghui asked, as he finished his cup.
"My brothers are growing up," Nie Mingjue sighed, "Wei Ying is getting married in a few days. He was so small, Zonghui. He was so tiny I could pick him up with one hand. And now he's going to be getting married. And after he's married, Sang-er's going to be getting married. My baby brothers are getting married so soon. They used to sleep with me because they had nightmares. And now they're getting married. They're not my baby brothers anymore."
He poured himself another drink at that.
"They're not," Nie Zonghui agreed, "I remember when you first brought A-Ying to Qinghe. I thought he was going to fall over with how small he was. And he was so meek. He was so scared of getting into trouble for the first year, and I thought one of those days he would just start crying if anyone as much as looked at him the wrong way."
"This is all Wangji's fault," Nie Mingjue grumbled, "If I never asked Xichen to bring his brother for a visit they wouldn't have fallen in love and Wangji wouldn't be taking him away from me."
"We could still murder him," Nie Zonghui suggested, "And Jiang Wanyin. It's not too late. Then there will be no weddings."
"A-Huan will be upset if I murder his didi," Nie Mingjue muttered, "It was both of our ideas to introduce them. But look what happened. I should have known better when Wei Ying called Wangji pretty. Should have sent them all packing then and there. Instead they became friends. And now they're getting married.
"I could bully Wangji into calling it off," Nie Zonghui offered.
"Wangji would never," Nie Mingjue scoffed, "He's far too love with Wei Ying to ever break it off. We could murder him and he would come back as a resentful spirit just to marry Wei Ying. There is no breaking those two apart."
"Well at least Wei Wuxian is not leaving the Nie sect," Nie Zonghui offered in consolation, "He could have seceded. The Lan elders even could have tried to demand it."
"They could have tried," Nie Mingjue glowered, "Wei Ying will always be part of the Nie sect, even if he wanted to spend more time at other sects. Even if he spent eleven months of the year with the Lan sect, this will always be his home."
"Hear, hear," Nie Zonghui agreed, raising another glass to him.
"You're lucky Wen Qionglin is part of our sect already," Nie Mingjue sighed, "That way you don't have to deal with splitting your time between sects. You get to just stay in Qinghe forever with him. I wish I could just stay here forever with A-Huan and A-Yao."
"I'm sure Lan Zongzhu also wishes the two of you could stay there with him as well," Nie Zonghui commented.
"It's not fair," Nie Mingjue bemoaned, "Why are my Didis leaving me? I want them to be young babies forever. Why are they all grown up?"
He stared at his glass, not even noticing the door open.
"A-Jue?" he heard A-Yao call out and he looked up to see his zhiji staring back at him, "It's getting rather late. Are you coming to bed?"
"He's all yours," Nie Zonghui smirked at Nie Mingjue, "Good luck trying to get him to stop complaining about his brothers though."
"A-Yao," Nie Mingjue sighed, "My Didis are getting married and leaving me."
"I know," A-Yao soothed him, "How about you come and tell me all about it in bed?"
"Okay," he sighed, as he stood up, leaning on A-Yao heavily, as he wrapped his arm around A-Yao's waist, "You smell so good."
"You smell like alcohol," A-Yao said dryly.
"I've been drinking," Nie Mingjue supplied helpfully.
"I can see that," A-Yao said, as he led them towards Nie Mingjue's bedchamber. Their bed chamber. Even if A-Yao hadn't moved in officially, he spent most nights with Nie Mingjue. Much to Nie Mingjue's approval.
"Bed," A-Yao commanded, and Nie Mingjue obediently dropped down onto the bed, letting A-Yao undo his braids, one by one.
"Join me?" Nie Mingjue asked, after A-Yao finished, and Meng Yao nodded in agreement, as he sat down beside Nie Mingjue on the bed, only for Nie Mingjue to pull him on top of him.
"What are you doing?" A-Yao asked, letting out a laugh.
"Distracting myself from depressing thoughts," Nie Mingjue said, kissing A-Yao's neck, and the man on top of him smiled, but allowed Nie Mingjue to do whatever it was he wished, and took what he wanted as well.
Su She was not having a good time. Not in the slightest.
First he had met the love of his life, and then had the man disparage him. He'd met the man's intended, and had him look even more down at him. It was not acceptable. Not in the slightest. And Su She was very, very unhappy with how it had all gone.
It wasn't his fault. He had done his best, despite the hand he'd been given.
He wasn't the greatest cultivator. He knew that. Everyone knew that. But he'd done his best. He tried to get better, but he could never be on the same level as Lan Wangji.
And then the Wen attacked and it all fell apart. The Wen attacked, and he'd been scared. Scared of losing his life. Of losing his home. And he'd made a decision. He picked between his life and his home.
He'd picked his life, and he'd been punished for it. Sure, they claimed he wouldn't have truly been at harm, but he knew better. He saw the look in Wen Xu's life. He would have died if he didn't offer up a solution to them.
And now, now he had his own sect. He was no longer some nameless member of the Lan. He was Sect Leader. He was in charge now. He was on equal footing of the rest of them.
In fact, he was higher.
While Lan Wangji was only sect heir, he was in charge of his own sect.
And he would be able to offer Lan Wangji the chance to be a sect leader's husband.
Wei Wuxian would never be able to offer that much. He wouldn't be able to offer even a fraction of that.
And yet, Lan Wangji refused to look at anyone else. He never took his eyes off of Wei Wuxian if he was in the room. Even despite his demonic cultivation, he stood by Wei Wuxian.
Like a hypocrite.
The entire Lan sect did. They stood by him even thought he should have been everything they hated. And while Su She was turned out of his own sect, Wei Wuxian was welcomed in with wide arms.
Lan Wangji was Su She's. He refused to concede him to anyone else. Even if Wei Wuxian had the backing of the Nie sect behind him. He was still nothing and he was no one, and Su She would not let the love of his life marry anyone else. Not when Lan Wangji belonged to him.
Not when Lan Wangji would look so beautiful underneath him, writhing and screaming his name. As his own husband, his own lover.
Besides, the two of them were not yet married. He still had time.
And it would be such a shame if something happened to Wei Wuxian before their wedding.
Such a shame indeed.