Chapter 100
They stayed in Lotus Pier for about a week after the wedding, helping Wei Wuxian's brother and new brother-in-law settle in, seeing off all the guests, and help with day-to-day tasks to allow the newlyweds some time together.
The other sects had long since left, with the Jin being one of the first to depart. Jin Guangshan had sent him a note through a disciple, unsigned of course, with some funds and more interestingly, with a request that he check on the Burial Mounds, as if it weren't something he was already planning to do. It seemed that Jin Guangshan was rather interested in the power available there, most likely akin to what Xue Yang or whoever was responsible for the spike in resentful energy there and wanted him to see if it would similarly be a good source of forging a new weapon.
None of it was clear evidence. None of it explicitly tied Jin Guangshan to what had been happening. In fact, at the most it was a request for a night hunt that overstepped Da-Ge's authority over the Nie, and a curious speculation on refining resentful energy, something that without the ill intent specified, could be mere theoretical interest.
He'd showed the letter to the others, and while they could add it to their collection of mounting evidence, all of it was still purely circumstantial.
At the very least, it was something.
But beyond that, the added time in Lotus Pier allowed their family to spend some time together before they would all have to return to their respective sects.
He knew Da-ge missed being around Yao-ge and Xichen-ge, especially since Yao-ge was planning on spending a few more weeks in Cloud Recesses working with Lan Qiren, and with Er-ge married out now and Wei Wuxian about to go to the Burial Mounds, Da-ge was lonely. So Wei Wuxian was glad to spend time with his precious elder brother, younger brother, and occasionally second brother, when he deemed fit to grace them with his presence.
Of course it meant that A-Yuan and A-Lian were elated to be surrounded by their entire family, especially as Wen Qing and Wen Ning were attending the wedding as well, which made it all the harder when it was time to leave.
Especially given A-Lian and A-Yuan would be heading back to Cloud Recesses while he and Lan Zhan were going to the Burial Mounds.
"Why aren't Baba and Die-die coming with us?" A-Yuan asked, lips trembling slightly, "I thought you said it was our home? Are you going to a new home?"
"No!" Wei Wuxian said, in a rushed voice as he bent down and hugged his son, "No. A-Yuan, Cloud Recesses is our home, the Unclean Realm is our home. Lan Zhan and I have some important work to do, but then we promise we'll be coming back to you, okay? This will only be for a few days. I promise."
"Why can't we come with you?" A-Lian asked, even though she was holding it together a bit better, it was still very clear that she was rather upset with not being allowed to go with them as well, and it broke his heart.
"Because it isn't safe," Lan Zhan said, comforting her, "It is very dangerous, and your Die-die and I do not want anything to happen to you. You're going to be with your Bobo, and he's going to keep you safe, okay?"
"We're going to have a sleep over," Xichen-ge said in a light tone, trying to offer them a bit of relief, "With A-Yi. Won't that be a lot of fun? We'll set up bed rolls in his room so the three of you can spend more time together."
A-Yuan perked up ever so slightly at that, despite his tear-stained face.
"Baba and Die-die will come back?" A-Yuan asked, still clenching Wei Wuxian's robes rather tightly.
"I promise," Wei Wuxian told him firmly, "We will be back before you know it, okay? So quick that you barely have time to miss us. You're going to be begging me when I get back to go away again so you can spend more time with your cousin."
He poked A-Yuan's belly slightly, tickling him, and the boy giggled.
"Come back soon, please?" A-Lian asked, looking at them both with trusting eyes.
Wei Wuxian's throat tightened with emotion, but he forced a smile onto his face, determined to reassure his children despite the fear that gripped his heart. "Of course, A-Lian," he promised, squeezing her hand gently. "We'll come back for you both, I swear."
"As soon as possible," Lan Zhan promised them both with earnest eyes.
Lan Xichen, who had been watching the exchange with a heavy heart, stepped forward and knelt down beside them. "I will take care of them, Wei Wuxian," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "They will be safe with me."
Wei Wuxian nodded gratefully, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Thank you, Xichen-ge," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, knowing this was the first time he'd left them since their adoption, "I trust you with them."
Xichen-ge gave them a nod, as Wei Wuxian passed A-Yuan off to Yao-ge, and Nie Mingjue took A-Lian's hand.
"Be careful, both of you," Da-ge said, in a stern tone, "Wangji, I trust you to take care of both of you. Do not befall any harm."
"Da-ge, you don't trust me?" Wei Wuxian protested, unhappy with the lack of faith.
"I know you far too well," Da-ge said, raising a brow at him, "I trust you to not let any harm come to Wangji. I trust Wangji to ensure both of your safety, as he will look for the best, safest, possible outcome."
"Fair," Wei Wuxian agreed. Because he probably would sacrifice himself if it came down to him or Lan Zhan. Not that Lan Zhan wouldn't do the same for him, but his husband would be far more pragmatic about it and think through the decision more.
"Be safe," Nie Huaisang said, as he hugged Wei Wuxian tightly, "And visit us more. I want to see you my niece and nephew."
Wei Wuxian made a face at him, but agreed readily, as Da-ge hugged him too.
"I'll see you both back in Qinghe shortly," Da-ge said, giving him a considering look. They had a few more months in Gusu, but with Da-ge's wedding up next, he knew he would probably be going back more frequently to help with the wedding in both Cloud Recesses and the Unclean Realm to ensure it was properly planned.
"We should proceed to the Burial Mounds," Lan Zhan, looking regretfully down at their children, but Wei Wuxian knew he was right. The more they delayed it, the later they would return to their kids.
He pressed a kiss to both A-Lian's and A-Yuan's heads, before he drew his saber, mounting it and rising into the air. He waved goodbye to his family, feeling pain in his chest, as they flew together towards the Burial Mounds.
Yiling wasn't too far off from Yunmeng, and as he landed on the edge of the town, he found himself hit with strong memories of years he'd long since forgotten about.
Wei Wuxian stood at the edge of the Burial Mounds, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. It had been years since he last set foot in this desolate place, years filled with memories both painful and haunting. Yet, here he was, drawn back by a sense of duty and a lingering desire to confront the darkness that had once consumed him.
"Neither of the times I've been here were pleasant," he told Lan Zhan as he looked over the village, "When I was a child, I could only think about surviving. How I was going to find my next meal. How I could avoid the dogs. How I could find a warm place to sleep at night."
Lan Zhan took Wei Wuxian's hand in his own, "And then I came back here after Lotus Pier was burned down by the Wens, and I just wanted to keep Er-ge safe. I was so scared when Wen Chao caught me, and I could only think of how to survive."
He looked at the Burial Mounds, as they stood on its bordering edge, "I can't believe I'm back here," Wei Wuxian murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "It feels like a lifetime ago since I was thrown into this hell. I spent three months here. I thought I was going to die when I was here. That I would be stuck here for the rest of my days, and that I'd never make it home to Da-ge and Er-ge. That I'd never get to see you ever again or tell you how much I loved you ever again."
Lan Zhan's grip tightened slightly, clearly having felt something similar in his sense of not knowing what had happened to Wei Wuxian during those three months he'd been missing. During those three months when he'd had no idea if Wei Wuxian was alive or if he was dead, but had searched for him anyways, needing to find him.
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan said softly, his voice a soothing balm to Wei Wuxian's frayed nerves. "You are alone. I am here with you, always. If being here is too much, we can ask Uncle to send someone else. There are other qualified disciples who can also examine the site."
Because he was right. None were as versed with resentful energy as Wei Wuxian was, but if the trauma was too much to bear, no one would fault him for stepping away.
Wei Wuxian glanced up at him, gratitude shining in his eyes, as his love for his husband only grew.
"Thank you, Lan Zhan," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't know what I would do without you."
"You will never have to know such a time," Lan Zhan said smoothly, and Wei Wuxian moved a bit closer to his husband.
They began the walk through the Burial Mounds, still lingering on the edge of the perimeter, but deep enough that he could already feel the resentful energy seeping into the air. If he made his way back to the heart of the Burial Mounds, where he'd spent so many months, he wondered if he truly would be able to forge a piece of a new Yin Iron out of nothing.
He'd probably lose his mind first.
If Xue Yang was here, if he were refining his own weapon, then it was likely that the Burial Mounds was also eating away at his sanity. Not that Xue Yang was mentally stable to begin with. But he knew firsthand what the mountains were like. He knew how easy it was to lose himself.
"If Xue Yang is here, we will not find him easily," Lan Zhan said, looking around, his face saying everything. The pain was evident in it, clearly thinking about Wei Wuxian's time here.
"No, we won't," Wei Wuxian agreed, "I spent three months here, and it was only at the end that I found Wen Chao. I didn't see him for weeks before then. Even though we both should've theoretically landed in the same spot. We're not going to find him today. But I can confirm that the energy here is different."
"Different, how?" Lan Zhan asked him, with pursed brows.
"Resentful energy is chaotic," Wei Wuxian said carefully, "Especially when it is unfocused. It's what makes it so dangerous and toxic. It becomes focused on your fears and your insecurities."
He paused, "I don't know how to describe it, Lan Zhan. I can feel it in my bones, that something doesn't feel right. It feels focused, like it's drawing me in closer, not just to bring us into the heart of the Burial Mounds, but it's calling out to me. It's asking me to yield it."
He shivered, as he felt the familiar voices fill his head, 'Use me. Wei Wuxian, we can hear your thoughts. Do you not want it all to end? Jin Guangshan stands in the way of your happiness. He is a threat. Use me, and you can be free of him. Use me, Wei Wuxian, like you were always meant to do. USE ME.'
"It's calling to me," Wei Wuxian murmured, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of voices that echoed in his mind. "It wants to be channeled. Lan Zhan, it wants me to use it."
He felt himself trying to push the energy away just like he had all those years ago.
Lan Zhan's grip tightened on his hand, a silent warning against the dangers that lurked within the darkness. "Wei Ying, you must resist," he urged, his voice tinged with concern. "It will consume you again. You are stronger than that. You are stronger than before. We do not need the power. You know this."
Wei Wuxian felt the pull of the resentful energy like a physical force, drawing him closer and closer towards the heart of the Burial Mounds. It continued to whisper sweet promises of power and control, tempting him with the possibility of bending it to his will.
"We don't need it," he agreed, feeling tight inside. Lan Zhan was right. They didn't need the power. Before he was scared and alone. Before he didn't know if Da-ge and Er-ge were alive. He didn't know if he would make it out alive. He needed to win a war.
Now he was not alone. Er-ge was married. Da-ge was going to get married. A husband he adored and who filled his entire heart beside their children whom he adored.
But still, it tried to pull him in, and he felt himself struggling against the overwhelming urge to yield to the darkness.
But before he could take another step forward, Lan Zhan's hand came to rest on his shoulder, grounding him with its reassuring presence.
"We should leave," Lan Zhan said firmly, his eyes shining with determination. "This place is too dangerous."
Wei Wuxian blinked, feeling his head grow clearer than it had been before, as he nodded in agreement.
"You're right, Lan Zhan," he conceded, his voice tinged with relief. "We should go."
Lan Zhan guided him towards the edge of the Mounds, and Wei Wuxian looked back at the place he'd spent the worst few months of his life in, "Lan Zhan, I have an idea and you're going to hate it."
Lan Zhan looked at him curiously, as he continued guiding Wei Wuxian back towards Yiling.
"I want to use the resentful energy of the Burial Mounds to purify the remaining pieces of the Yin Iron," Wei Wuxian proposed, "I think they would try and consume each other. The Yin Iron would try and draw in the resentful energy. And the Burial Mounds would try and take from it. It was how the Burial Mounds were created in first place. They were poisoned after the Yin Iron was created here. I think they would be able to counteract each other. And dispel the energy from both. Like what happened with the Yin Tiger Amulet and the Saber but on a grander scale."
"No," Lan Zhan said simply, giving him a very unimpressed look, "Absolutely not. You nearly had a Qi deviation and died. You will not be doing anything of the sort."
"Lan Zhan," he protested, "You know as well as I do that the remaining shards cannot exist in the world forever. It's only a matter of time before anyone tries to get them again. As long as they exist, the cultivation world will forever be in danger. The only solution is to rid the world of its presence. Maybe not today or tomorrow but it has to be done."
Lan Zhan's brows furrowed in concern. "Wei Ying, you know the risks," he reminded him, his voice stern but filled with worry. "It could be too dangerous. Cannot lose you. We have a family. You promised them you would be safe. Remember?"
He faltered a bit at that. Of course Lan Zhan would bring up their children in an attempt to make sure Wei Wuxian didn't do anything Lan Zhan disapproved of. The audacity.
Wei Wuxian met his gaze with unwavering determination, ready to offer a counterproposal.
"What if we have the Lan Sect performing cleansing rituals at the same time?" he suggested eagerly. "Their spiritual energy combined with mine could weaken the darkness enough for me to purify it completely. Or at least to purify my meridians while I go about cleansing the Yin Iron. I know it would take quite a few cultivators and it wouldn't be easy, but it would be far less dangerous and I think we would stand a real chance."
"I will consider it," Lan Zhan relented after several long moments, "I will bring it up to Xiandu and we will properly discuss it fully with your brothers and see if it is a feasible solution and undergo trials to see if the results are as expected. If everything is on board, we will discuss it then."
He figured that was probably the best he was going to get from Lan Zhan in terms of an agreement.
"Okay," Wei Wuxian said easily. He knew his family would kill him if he tried anything without letting them know anyways, so he supposed it was as good as it was going to get. He followed Lan Zhan towards the base of the Mounds, as he drew to a halt.
"Lan Zhan!" he said in shock, as Lan Zhan nodded that he saw it as well.
A fierce corpse.
Wandering around the base of the Mounds.
Perhaps the rumours about fierce corpses wandering around Yiling were not quite as farfetched as some had believed. Because the Burial Mounds had been relatively self-contained for years.
And yet, here was proof that it no longer seemed to be the case.
A fierce corpse, its eyes empty and lifeless, and its movements jerky and unnatural.
Wei Wuxian tensed, his hand instinctively reaching for his saber as Lan Zhan drew his guqin with practiced ease.
Without a word, they sprang into action, their movements fluid and coordinated as they faced off against the undead creature. Just as they had so many times before. On the battlefield. On night hunts. Together, as zhiji.
Wei Wuxian's saber sliced through the air with deadly precision, while Lan Zhan's fingers danced across the strings of his guqin, weaving a melody that echoed with power and strength.
The fierce corpse lunged forward with a guttural snarl, its movements clumsy but filled with a deadly intent. Wei Wuxian dodged its attacks with grace, his movements fluid and agile as he danced around the creature's blows.
Lan Zhan's guqin sang with power, the notes reverberating through the air filled with cleansing and purity. With each strum of the strings, the resentful energy from the Burial Mounds that coursed through the fierce corpse seemed to waver and falter, weakened by the purity of the music.
Wei Wuxian slashed at the fierce corpse, watching as one of it's arms fell to the ground, and Lan Zhan was quick to purify the arm so it could not fight against them, while Wei Wuxian moved back to the corpse.
Together, they fought as one, their movements synchronized in perfect harmony as they battled against the darkness that threatened to consume them. With each strike of Wei Wuxian's saber and each chord played by Lan Zhan's guqin, they pushed back together.
Wei Wuxian watched as the final notes of Lan Zhan's piece were played, and he cut down the corpse finally, looking down at the body of a former man.
"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan let out a cry then and with reflexes slow from his energy being drained after their trip into the Mounds and their fight, he didn't see the arrow coming his way. Lan Zhan cut it down in a swift motion, leaving the shattered remains of the arrow on the ground, as Wei Wuxian looked up in confusion to see the Moling Su sect in front of them, with their leader very clearly having shot the arrow.
"You tried to kill Wei Ying," Lan Zhan glowered at Su She, the man Wei Wuxian knew Lan Zhan disliked.
"I was trying to shoot the corpse," the man said, clearly a bit rattled by the intensity of the glare Lan Zhan was giving him.
"Do not tell lies," Lan Zhan said, in a voice that could not quite be called rude but was anything but polite.
"Wei Wuxian was probably controlling the fierce corpse," he heard a whisper from their sect, earning them all another glare.
"I'm not part of your little sect, remember, Lan Wangji?" Su She shot back at him, "Besides, I aimed for the corpse. You cannot prove that my shot was aimed at him. He got in the way after I had already fired it."
"The corpse was already defeated by time you shot it, given the speed it takes for your shot and how long it would have taken to land a blow given the trajectory of the shot," Lan Wangji shot back at him.
"Unless you thought your singular arrow could have done anything when really, it was Cleansing that purified it," Wei Wuxian said, looking at the broken arrow on the ground.
Why did it look familiar? He looked over at Lan Zhan who seemed to pick up on something as well but he kept his expression neutral to not let it show.
"I was trying to help," Su She said with a flush, "It is clear that the two of you have an over-inflated sense of ego if you don't even think it is necessary to accept assistance when it's offered."
Wei Wuxian's lips curled into a sardonic smile. "Help? By shooting arrows at us?" he retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Forgive me if I'm not convinced of your noble intentions, Su Zongzhu."
Lan Zhan's eyes flashed with a mix of irritation and disdain. "Your so-called assistance almost resulted in harm to Wei Ying. It would be wise for you to leave."
Su She's face contorted with frustration, and he clenched his fists. "You think you can dismiss me so easily? I am the Zongzhu of the Moling Su sect, and you will show me respect!"
"Respect is earned," Lan Zhan said, "Now, if that is all, we have other matters to attend to."
He bent over, examining the corpse while the Moling Su sect shuffled awkwardly, clearly unsure of how to proceed, before Su She let out a huff and dragged them away.
"What is it?" Wei Wuxian asked, as they were finally alone, "What did you see?"
"The arrow," Lan Zhan said with narrow eyes, "Matches the one Xiongzhang-fu showed us that was shot during our wedding procession."
"You think one of the Moling Su sect members tried to attack us?" Wei Wuxian asked with wide eyes. Would they truly be so obvious to use their own sect's weapons in their assassination attempt? Or was it part of a greater ploy.
"Do not know," Lan Zhan admitted, "Mere conjecture. Do not have enough evidence. But we will take it with us now and keep a further eye on them. Not trustworthy."
"Mm," Wei Wuxian said, taking a page out of his husband's book, and Lan Zhan gave him a fond look, seeming slightly less worked up than before, "Let's go home, Lan Zhan. We still need to stop by one of the watch towers to get a report for Yao-ge and I miss our babies."
"Miss them too," Lan Zhan said, sounding just as sorrowful that they had to leave their children behind.
"Take me back to Gusu with you, Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian leaned into Lan Zhan pretending to be a helpless maiden, and his husband gave him a dark look, before scooping him up into hi arms and carrying him the rest of the way down the mounds.