Chapter 94

Xue Yang had been lying low. Of course he had – Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan had practically been on his tail from the moment he'd gotten out of the Lan sect. And the last thing he needed was to get caught. Not again.

If they caught him for a third time, he would be furious with himself.

He wasn't afraid to die.

He knew death would catch up to him one of these days. He'd been running from it since he was a young child on the streets. But he still had things to do. He couldn't die, not yet anyways.

Not when he still had to get revenge.

Jin Guangshan needed to die. After everything Xue Yang had done for him, Jin Guangshan thought he could just betray him and throw him away like he was garbage? Not on Xue Yang's watch. He would make the man suffer, make him feel the same sense of worry that Xue Yang had felt. Make him wonder how numbered his days are. Strip him of everything he held so dearly.

Jin Guangshan enjoyed his power and his wealth. He thought he was untouchable. But how much would the cultivation world take?

Wen Ruohan went mad with the poisoning from the Yin Iron. Nie Mingjue nearly Qi deviated, and he probably would have if Wei Wuxian didn't stop him and reverse it. Granted, Xue Yang had overwhelmed him with resentful energy. He supposed it would be different if it were slower, like it were with Wen Ruohan. The cultivation world see him fall apart, driven by greed and madness, with the Yin Iron poisoning driving him even further.

What would Jin Guangshan do if he was similarly poisoned slowly with Yin energy? Would he act power hungry? Would he fall into his vices? Would he crumble?

Xue Yang knew Jin Guangshan would break beautifully, and Xue Yang knew that it was what he wanted. It was what Jin Guangshan deserved, thinking he could stand there, all high and mighty as if he were somehow better than Xue Yang simply because Jin Guangshan didn't get his hands dirty. Simply because Jin Guangshan was born with a name and with status. Because he was born with wealth before he even knew what that meant. Because he'd never had to suffer.

What had Jin Guangshan ever lost in his life?

Xue Yang would show him the true meaning of loss. He would strip everything from Jin Guangshan that he cherished. And watch the cultivation world turn their back on him.

He already saw it happening. He knew the other sects did not trust the Jin. He'd heard the murmurs while he stayed in the shadows. He knew no one trusted Jin Guangshan. He knew the Nie, Lan, and Jiang had all but formed their own alliances and left Jin Guangshan on the outside. He knew how desperately Jin Guangshan wanted to take control of them all.

How easy would it be to further their suspicions that Jin Guangshan secretly was plotting against all of them?

And Xue Yang would enjoy it, he'd enjoy watching Jin Guangshan fall off his pedestal.

Breaking into Koi Tower was even easier than the Unclean Realm. Xue Yang already knew all the secret passages. And Jin Guangshan was too stupid to realize that Xue Yang would still know how to get in and out. Too stupid to realize that Xue Yang wouldn't just jump at the chance to work for him again, and be grateful that the man sent another minion to get him out of Cloud Recesses.

Jin Guangshan thought he deserved the world, and Xue Yang would be happy to be the one to take it all from him.

He walked through the passageways, knowing exactly how to move about to get to where he needed to. And he followed the ones necessary to get to Jin Guangshan's private chambers.

He wouldn't go in. Of course he wouldn't. He didn't want to get caught. That would ruin the fun of things.

No, he would do this slowly.

He would do this secretly. He would poison Jin Guangshan the same way he tried to poison Nie Mingjue. But unlike Nie Mingjue, Jin Guangshan wasn't sleeping with a Lan. He wouldn't know the signs of Yin Iron poisoning, nor would he have anyone around him who did.

Xue Yang may not have had the same piece of his Yin Iron attempt that he'd used before, but he knew where he could get enough resentful energy to make another one. But for now, he knew more than enough about controlling Yin Iron to get started on his task.

He took out the piece from his robes, raw and unrefined, and began pulling the energy from it, channelling it out into the room where he could see Jin Guangshan sleeping peacefully, and smirked, knowing it wouldn't be for long. He pushed the energy towards the man who betrayed him, and watched as it circled him. Jin Guangshan began thrashing in his sleep, evidently having a nightmare, and it only made Xue Yang smile harder.

This was going to be a lot of fun. Xue Yang savoured the thought of watching Jin Guangshan fall from grace, watching everyone judge him the same way they'd judged Xue Yang.

Finally, when Jin Guangshan had enough to not have a full-on qi deviation, Xue Yang stopped, and put the stone back in his robes. It was enough for now, but Xue Yang knew he would be back. A few times a week but over a couple of months ought to be enough for Jin Guangshan to start acting erratically and have his fellow cultivators stop trusting him entirely.

But for now, he needed to focus on making his new weapon as powerful as possible. He knew he would face Wei Wuxian again, and this time, Xue Yang would be ready.

And he knew just where to get enough resentful energy for such a task.

It was time to head to the Burial Mounds.

Asdf

"Da-ge wants to speak to us," Wei Wuxian sighed, cuddling further into Lan Zhan's chest. He didn't want to move, and all he wanted to do was spend all day in bed with his husband. But Da-ge had a serious look on his face the day before when he'd asked Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan to come to his study the following day.

He knew something was up. His brothers and his family had been hiding something from him all week since his wedding, talking in secret when they thought he wasn't aware. But he knew something was up. He just didn't push too hard because he kept getting distracted by his new husband.

He couldn't help it.

Lan Zhan was beautiful.

And he was his.

Forever.

He pressed kisses to Lan Zhan's neck, despite knowing they didn't have the time to start anything, and yet, he couldn't help but want to start things, nonetheless. He wanted to have Lan Zhan roll him over onto his back and have his wicked way with him. He wanted Lan Zhan to roll him onto his front and take him from behind. He wanted all of it, he wanted-

"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan kissed his head, interrupting his lust filled thoughts, clearly knowing what Wei Wuxian would start if given the chance, "We should rise."

Wei Ying wanted nothing more than to pull Lan Zhan in closer instead and bite his neck.

Lan Zhan had been great at staying in bed longer with him over the last week, not rising at haishi and staying up far past maoshi so they could fully celebrate being married.

Over.

And over.

And over again.

"Yeah," he agreed, knowing that Lan Zhan was right. As much as he wanted his husband, they had other things to focus on. He reluctantly pulled away from his Lan Zhan, getting out of bed and throwing on his robes. He watched as Lan Zhan as well tied his robes elegantly, looking like the ethereal cultivator that he was.

He wrapped his arms around Lan Zhan, giving him a kiss, as his husband looked at him with warm eyes, clearly warning him that they needed to leave, and Wei Wuxian shouldn't tempt him. Because if they started anything, they wouldn't be done for a while.

"I know," he said before Lan Zhan could even start, "We have to go. I just wanted to kiss you again before we did. I have a feeling whatever Da-ge has to say will ruin the happy bubble we're in and I'm not sure I'm ready to hear whatever it is that he's going to say."

"It will be okay," Lan Zhan told him softly, "We will face it together. With our family."

Wei Wuxian nodded into him. Xichen-ge was still in Qinghe for the time being and he knew that Xichen-ge had to leave soon. While Lan Zhan stayed behind with him. And Lan Zhan deserved to see his brother and spend some time with him as well, given that his husband would be spending the next few months with Wei Wuxian, as per their marriage negotiations.

They walked hand in hand to Da-ge's study, and unsurprisingly they were the last ones there. Da-ge and Er-ge did not look surprised that they were late, but they did have rather grim looks on their face, enough for Wei Wuxian to know that whatever it was, must have been serious.

"What happened?" he asked, as soon as the door closed, wanting to cut right to the chase. Because something had happened. Something that was clearly serious enough to warrant the people in the room to gather just to tell him and Lan Zhan about it.

"There was something that happened during your wedding procession," Da-ge started, "It was dealt with, and we saw no reason to alert you both, as we did not want to ruin your day. But it is important that you know what happened as it will affect our plans going forward."

"What occurred?" Lan Zhan asked, stiffly, and Wei Wuxian slipped his hand into Lan Zhan's worried about what they would say.

"Someone attempted an assignation," Nie Huaisang said, seeming far less than pleased, "We're not even certain the target. The arrow landed on a tree in front of Da-ge, so clearly they missed, but whether he, or someone else was the target, is unclear."

"Someone tried to kill you and you didn't tell me?" Wei Wuxian turned to his brother, furious, "Da-ge, you promised you wouldn't hide things like that from me! I was right there, and I didn't even notice! What if you'd been injured, or killed? How could you not tell me? I could have helped you!"

"It was your wedding day. I did not want to disturb you. We don't know I was the target," Nie Mingjue said to him gently, "Which is the problem. Because I sent two of our cultivators after the assassin but there was no trace of them. Clearly they were either good at hiding. Either they wanted to just spook us, or they truly were a bad shot. And what worries me is that I am not entirely sure which one is the case here."

"Do you think it was Xue Yang?" Lan Wangji asked, looking at Xichen-ge.

"He would have used resentful energy," Wei Wuxian pointed out, "He's never used a weapon before. I don't see him rushing to use one now, unless for some reason he can no longer cultivate resentful energy. I'm not even sure he knows how to use a bow."

"So there is someone else," Xichen-ge agreed, "Most likely anyways. Which is rather troublesome. None of our informants have heard anything about it. Which means they do not know either. So no one knows who tried to kill someone, and no one knows who they tried to kill, or if they tried to kill anyone at all."

"No one in my network has heard anything," Nie Huaisang admitted, looking troubled at that, "I will ask them to expand their search, however. But it could mean it wasn't a coordinated, planned attack. Or it could mean it was coordinated so well, that no one is able to find anything."

"So we know nothing, basically," Meng Yao surmised that all wryly.

"Nothing," Lan Xichen agreed, looking less than pleased about it. But Wei Wuxian was still focused on one thing.

"You kept it from me," Wei Wuxian said, looking at his older brothers with a frown.

"I didn't even know until after your wedding," Nie Huaisang said defensively, "I was just as mad at Da-ge. But at that point, I agreed to let you have a few days to enjoy being married before you found out, so I do apologise for that. It was unfair. I promised not to keep things from you, and I am sorry. Da-ge on the other hand-"

Nie Huaisang gave Nie Mingjue a pointed look.

"We wanted you to enjoy your wedding day, A-Ying," Nie Mingjue said gently, "There was nothing for anyone to do. I sent people after them, and we carried on. We stayed alert, but we carried on. We did not want you to worry. And you deserved your time with your husband after the wedding. We all know how much you were looking forward to getting married. I couldn't bear to ruin that for you."

"You wouldn't have ruined anything," Wei Wuxian said hotly, "But I don't want you to feel like you have to protect me. Not if you could be getting hurt and I don't even know. I cannot lose you Da-ge. Not after we just saved you. You promised me you wouldn't exclude me."

Da-ge looked unhappy, and Wei Wuxian knew his brother just wanted him to be happy. He didn't like fighting with Da-ge, so he sighed before standing and wrapping his arms around his older brother, "Thank you, though. I am upset you lied. But thank you for wanting me to have a good wedding day. Because it was. I've wanted to marry Lan Zhan for so long, and you and Er-ge gave me an amazing day and made me feel so loved by all my family and friends, on it. I loved every part of it, and I will always think of it fondly. Even if I disagree with you on whether I should have known or not."

"I am sorry," Da-ge said thickly, and Wei Wuxian hugged him tighter.

"I'm glad you weren't hurt," Wei Wuxian said, as Da-ge squeezed him back.

"Xiongzhang did what he thought was best," Lan Zhan said simply, and Xichen-ge gave him a gentle smile.

"So what's the plan then?" Wei Wuxian asked, crossing his arms, wanting to get down to business, "You wouldn't have asked us to come here just to let us know what happened. I know you have something planned for this."

"The Jiang are hosting the next hunting competition," Nie Mingjue said, looking over at Lan Xichen, "Jiang Wanyin offered to as he thought it would be a good way to help draw out whoever is responsible for the attack."

"So you want all of us to be bait," Wei Wuxian said, thoughtfully, because what better way to know what happened. For all they knew, it could have been a bandit dumb enough to try and rob two major sects.

"Yes," Nie Mingjue admitted readily, "If they strike again, it could help us determine who the target of the attack actually was. And we can work to narrow down the suspects."

"But you think its Jin Guangshan," Wei Wuxian said, clearly knowing all too well who they thought was responsible.

"We do," Lan Xichen agreed carefully, "But at the same time it would be naïve to assume that he is the only one who has faults with either the Lan or Nie sect, as it was us who were attacked. And we cannot rule out the possibility that someone else was behind it all together."

"We will remain vigilant," Lan Zhan agreed giving his brother a nod, "When is the hunt scheduled for?"

"A month from now," Lan Xichen told them, "The Jiang did not want to have it too late as they still need to prepare for Huaisang's wedding to Jiang Wanyin, but as that is still a few months away, this gives them enough time to prepare. The Lan and Nie just hosted the last several events, and while Jin Guangshan hosted the last hunt and had his son's wedding to Jiang Yanli, since he does not have anything upcoming until the birth of his grandchild, he wanted to host, however we wanted to remove any advantages he may possibly have."

"So basically we're trying to force someone to attack," Nie Mingjue concluded.

"How did you get the Lan to agree to a plan so reckless?" Wei Wuxian questioned his brother, and Nie Mingjue just laughed.

Asdf

The hunt came quicker than Wei Wuxian thought it would. Married life was in fact, everything Wei Wuxian had wanted his entire life.

He woke up next to Lan Zhan, slept next to Lan Zhan, and spend every waking moment of his days with Lan Zhan.

Except when he'd had to do his sect duties, and even then, sometimes he dragged Lan Zhan along for the company so he wouldn't be alone.

And now, he was in Yunmeng, ready to win this competition. It may not be the point of why they were here, but he was excited and he wanted to win. He had challenged Lan Zhan, and unlike the last hunt, they didn't need a chaperone this time. They could spend the entire day together and no one would even bat an eye.

It was everything he wanted and more.

"Wei Ying, pay attention," Lan Zhan said gently, bringing Wei Wuxian's attention back to the room where Jiang Cheng was greeting everyone. His speech was nowhere near as superfluous as Jin Guangshan's usually were, but why pay attention to a speech when he could stare at his husband.

"Lan Zhan," he let out a sad whine, but looked over to where Jiang Cheng was talking.

"That's all I have to say. The rules have all been laid out," Jiang Cheng ended a bit gruffly, "Let the hunt begin."

"Lan Zhan, do you want to have a little bet between us?" Wei Wuxian asked, "And before you asked, we're in Lotus Pier, not Cloud Recesses. And instead of a bet, we can call it a friendly competition."

"And what does the winner get?" Lan Zhan asked him, looking over at him curiously, clearly intrigued.

"Whatever the winner wants," Wei Wuxian said breathlessly, as Lan Zhan looked at him with dark eyes.

"Anything?" Lan Zhan asked, with a heated look, clearly quite interested in the bet.

"Anything," his voice hitched, "Be prepared for when you lose."

"Mm, I'll be prepared for my victory," Lan Zhan said quickly, as he walked off, towards the hunting grounds.

"Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian called out, and when Lan Zhan did not stop, he could only run after his zhiji with a laugh.

Seemed like Lan Zhan was rather inclined to win.

"Lan Zhan," he caught up to his husband, wrapping his arm around Lan Zhan's, cuddling into him.

"Wei Ying, we cannot hunt like this," Lan Zhan said fondly, but did not pull away from him.

"I can hunt like this just fine," he raised a brow at Lan Zhan, "Are you saying you cannot? You can accept defeat if you think you can't."

"I can hunt like this too," Lan Zhan said, sounding stubborn, and Wei Wuxian laughed kissing Lan Zhan's cheek.

"We could also both give up and go back to our chambers," he murmured, and Lan Zhan halted, looking consideringly.

"We need to draw out the assassin," Lan Zhan said finally, looking regretful, "Which means we must be available."

"If you say so," Wei Wuxian pouted, but he pulled away, drawing his bow as he hit one of the targets of the hunt.

In the meantime, Lan Zhan managed to hit three.

Lan Zhan, seemingly, was here to win.

"I see how you're playing it," Wei Wuxian laughed, as he shot a nearby target.

"Hanguang Jun," he heard a voice call out, and looked up in surprise to see that random sect leader they had run into a few months ago in front of him. The one that Lan Zhan hated more than anything.

And Lan Zhan hated no one.

"Su Zongzhu," Lan Zhan greeted, the paragon of virtue.

"Hi," Wei Wuxian said, cutting the tension between them, as Su Something gave him a dirty look, clearly unimpressed that Wei Wuxian was talking to him.

"Wei Wuxian," the man greeted.

"Bixie Jun," Lan Zhan said coolly, "You are neither his friend nor his family. Call him with respect."

"I will show him the respect he deserves," Su Minshan laughed, "After all, he's just the third young master of a sect. I'm the one in charge of my own sect."

"I don't want to be in charge of a sect," Wei Wuxian said helpfully, "Why would I want to leave my family behind? Do you know how long Da-ge and Xichen-ge argued about how long they'd be able to keep both of us in their sects each year? Why would I want to give up family who loves me that much and start my own?"

"Wei Ying would be a good sect leader if he wanted to be," Lan Zhan said, giving him a soft look, and Su Minshan laughed coldly.

"And do what with his sect exactly? Teach others how to use demonic cultivation? Convert them all to cutsleeves and show them how to seduce prestigious young masters of our generation?" the man said derisively.

"Well it's a good thing we won't have to find out what I'd do with my sect," Wei Wuxian said cheerfully.

"How someone like you seduced Hanguang Jun, I'll never know," Su Minshan said, glowering at him, "He deserves better than some bastard who was lucky enough to have been adopted into a great sect. He would have died on the street otherwise."

"He would have survived," Lan Zhan said confidently, "My husband is smart and resourceful. Even if he had no name or title, I would have chosen him. Even if he was a rogue cultivator, I would have chosen him. Even if he were a civilian, I'd have chosen him. I will always choose Wei Ying."

"I'd choose you too," Wei Ying smiled at his husband, "Even if you were nothing."

He leaned in, wanting to kiss Lan Zhan, as he felt a stray arrow fly past him, as Lan Zhan pulled him away from it and straight into his chest, as the arrow hit the ground a few feet away from him.

Lan Zhan glowered back at the Su sect as a sheepish disciple bowed in apology, "I saw a target, but my aim was off. I apologise."

"Perhaps you should spend more time on the training field before attending a hunt," Lan Zhan said coldly, "Lest you injure someone."

"Thank you for your advice," Su Minshan said stiffly, glaring at his own disciples, before stomping off, while Wei Wuxian stayed in Lan Zhan's arms happily.

When they were gone, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Lan Zhan's lips, "My hero. Rescuing the poor maiden in distress. How will I ever I thank you? Surely there must be something you want as a reward."

Lan Zhan gave him an amused look, relaxing after the interaction finally, and he knew he'd succeeded.

"Can think of a few ways," Lan Zhan said, kissing him back gently, "Especially coupled with the reward I will receive for winning the competition.

And with that, he'd released Wei Ying carefully, as he resumed hunting.

"Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian could only call out with a laugh as he ran after his husband.