the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break
by Rose Thorne
Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with The Untamed, and make no money writing fanfiction.
Chapter Twenty Six
The banquet has long since wound down, having ended with the rest of Jifu's fruit wine consumed, mellowing the atmosphere nicely. Most of the Wei clan have started cleaning up and readying for sleep. Dusk has fallen, and someone has lit the red lanterns near the living area, casting a soft glow on the Burial Mounds settlement. The air has a hint of chill in it and the smell of coming dew.
Nie Huaisang, when they left the great hall, was arguing that the bunting should be left up to lighten the atmosphere, and Wei Qing looked rather resigned to it—A-Yuan has fallen sound asleep on a piece of bunting, and so it was a losing argument; his timely exhaustion is the only reason they were able to leave without him panicking.
The five of them—Wei Ying, Jiang Yanli, Jin Zixuan, Jiang Wanyin, and Lan Wangji—gather in Jifu's old hut for this conversation, where Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan will sleep, the only quarters available that don't involve sleeping on the stone floor of the great hall with the other visitors.
As it turns out, Jiang Yanli, with support of Jin Zixuan and apparently by the suggestion of Jiang Wanyin, wants to request that Wei Ying name his coming wai sheng, an honor he's clearly not expecting.
"I wanted to ask you when we last came to Yiling, but there wasn't the opportunity," she says, watching him with soft eyes.
Wei Ying rallies quickly and immediately identifies the Jin's next generational name Ru. He considers, brushing at his nose with his forefinger as he does, taking the request seriously.
"How about Rulan?" he finally suggests, then hurries to clarify when Jiang Wanyin protests. "Not that lan, A-Cheng. Lan as in the gentleman of flowers, the orchid. After all, any son of Shi— ah, Jiejie's is bound to be a refined young man."
"Rulan," Jiang Yanli says, tasting the name. "Jin Rulan. It's perfect, A-Xian."
"I agree," Jin Zixuan adds. "It's regal."
"It's okay, but of course you'd name him after your husband," Jiang Wanyin grouses, ready to dodge when Wei Ying punches at his arm, blushing.
Jiang Yanli chides them gently and they take on the countenance of scolded children.
Wei Ying's sister is clearly tired from travel and the banquet, and so they excuse themselves quickly to let her rest, assuring her that she needn't help clean up from the banquet and swearing ceremonies, leaving her to the care of her husband.
By the time they return to the hall, Nie Huaisang has won the argument with Wei Qing, the bunting to stay at least until they've all moved to Lotus Pier. The Nie heir's bedding is opulent, something Lan Wangji didn't see the night before, and he can only again wonder about his spy ring, or if he may have corresponded with someone among the newly-renamed Wei or the people of Yiling somehow. Their other guests have largely made do with simple bedrolls, Xiongzhang's the same as his own.
Jiang Wanyin breaks from them to speak with Wei Qing, and they help Popo move A-Yuan to her rooms for the night. He blessedly doesn't stir. With the night winding down, their guests settled, nothing else is needed from them.
Lan Wangji steers Wei Ying toward the cave and their alcove, noting the signs he is exhausted—a fine tremor in his shoulder blades and drooping eyelids. It has again been an emotional day, one that had required his husband to engage with their guests and accept that others were taking control to help. Letting them take it, and what that help entails, has not been easy for Wei Ying.
He is unsurprised when Wei Ying falls asleep in the bath, the warmth seeping into him and making him drowse. Once he has soaked with the sachet, Lan Wangji lifts him from the tub and dresses him in a simple underrobe before tucking him in and joining him in the bed for a much-needed rest, hai shi upon them.
"Do you think this will work?" Wei Ying asks in a whisper, having stirred. "The poem, the brotherhood?"
Wei Ying sounds worried, and Lan Wangji pauses to consider.
"Mn. We have allies. All four sects, if you include Jin Zixuan."
That receives an amused snort, then a more thoughtful noise.
"Jin Guangshan is going to be pissed… which could backfire if we're not careful."
Lan Wangji remembers the plan to ply Wei Qing's trade and feed the street children, and has to admit that will be one way in which they are vulnerable. She will need protection away from the warded settlement, which will mean Wei Ying and Lan Wangji will spend their time in Yiling with her. A-Yuan as well, he suspects, as the boy is likely to become more clingy after his reaction to the zhushazhi. He cannot predict the future, but hopefully they can protect their own until they are safely in Lotus Pier.
"We will take care," he assures his husband.
Wei Ying hums in response, already slipping back into sleep, hopefully reassured. Lan Wangji pulls him close, kissing him chastely and tucking him against his side.
Where Wei Ying was all angles when Lan Wangji first arrived, now he is softer, having gained precious weight, his bones no longer prominent. He is healthier, and Lan Wangji will do whatever is necessary to ensure he stays that way.
The next morning he wakes his husband in the best way possible. Wei Ying makes a crass joke about breakfast, and Lan Wangji's ears burn at the idea—far from finding it offensive; he finds it entirely too thought-provoking. They lie idly together for a period of time before joining the outside world, enjoying the peace of their alcove.
Their guests filter out a few hours apart after a breakfast comprised of actual rice congee, instead of the cheaper millet, and with leftover food from the banquet repurposed as toppings. They gather in the great hall afterward as their guests prepare to leave, their departures staggered to prevent suspicion.
Jiang Wanyin leaves first with two more refugees disguised as Jiang disciples. The uncle with the broken leg is one of them, as Wei Qing hopes being away from the Burial Mounds will hasten his recovery from the necessary rebreaking. The other is the woman with the peony branded on her shoulder.
The Nie leave without much fanfare, though Nie Huaisang promises tearfully that he'll get the yuefu out as soon as possible.
"You deserve a better reputation, Wuxian-xiong," he says, clapping his arm companionably.
They've decided to refer to each other not with titles, but with the honorifics xiong to refer to an older brother and di to refer to the younger, with Wei Ning being Ning-di to everyone and Jin Zixuan being Zixuan-xiong to everyone except Wei Qing and Jiang Yanli.
Lan Wangji fully intends to continue calling his husband Wei Ying, while Wei Ying will undoubtedly still call him Lan Zhan or Lan-er-gege. Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan will continue referring to each other as A-Xuan and A-Li. Jiang Yanli also intends to keep calling her brothers A-Xian and A-Cheng. Meanwhile, Wei Qing and Jiang Yanli are Qing-jie and Yanli-jie to most of them, with Wei Qing using Yanli-mei.
Likely it would be simpler to use dage, erge, etc., but those are already being used by the Venerated Triad, and they know the Auspicious Eight needs to be distinct.
Being called Wangji-xiong or Wangji-di will take a little getting used to, but it isn't a complex system.
"You have the support of the Nie, Wei Wuxian," Nie Mingjue states, and Wei Ying bows gratefully.
Xiongzhang leaves with the promise to schedule night hunts to the Burial Mounds with the Nie and the delivery of supplies.
Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli are the last to depart.
A-Yuan has spent the morning eying Jin Zixuan distrustfully, as though waiting for the zhushazhi to reappear. They are all at a loss for how to remedy the situation.
Eventually, as they near the entrance to the Burial Mounds, the Jin heir removes the tassel from Suihua and holds it out to A-Yuan, stoking his curiosity enough that he takes it and then retreats to hide behind Wei Ying's leg before examining it.
"Soon your guma will have a baby," Jin Zixuan tells the boy. "He'll be your tangdi. Can I trust you to keep that safe for him until he is born?"
The idea of more family seems to help, and A-Yuan nods after only a little hesitation.
"For Tangdi and Guma," he says, shaking the tassel and watching it sparkle in the sun.
Lan Wangji has to admit it's a brilliant strategy, giving A-Yuan a job and the promise of a cousin, along with the bauble itself. Wei Ying helps the boy attach the tassel to his belt next to his clarity bell, and the boy continues to play with it.
"Thank you for taking care of that for your guzhang and tangdi," Jiang Yanli says to him, bending before the boy. "His name will be Jin Ling, courtesy name Rulan, and he'll be happy to have you as his biaoge, A-Yuan."
A-Yuan hugs her when prompted, then clings to Wei Ying's leg as they watch the two step into the carriage and the carriage fade into the distance.
By the time they return to the settlement, lunch has been prepared, with Wei Ning having repurposed more leftovers into an array of xian bing, baozi, and zongzi. A-Yuan is less interested in the food than the tassel at his waist, but they manage to get him to eat with Popo's help.
The day passes quickly, Wei Ying falling asleep to musical acupuncture treatment and napping with A-Yuan, both of them exhausted. A-Yuan in particular is fussy before he sleeps, eventually falling asleep with his fingers in his mouth, which Lan Wangji remedies afterward.
"Do you think becoming ba xiongdi will work?" Wei Qing asks, unknowingly echoing Wei Ying.
"Those who have sworn brotherhood are likely to honor it," Lan Wangji says, "but the reaction of Lanling Jin is unpredictable."
Wei Qing nods, her brow furrowed as she watches A-Yuan and Wei Ying sleep.
"We will need to begin fulfilling the yuefu," he tells her, and she nods. "Wei Ying will need to grow lotuses."
She snorts.
"He'll manage. I'll need to put together supplies for a clinic in town."
"And you will need protection while you do," Lan Wangji points out, and her lips twist in distaste.
"You and Wei Wuxian will need to adopt the street kids anyway, so I'm sure you'll be in town with me when I go," she says with a sigh, heading for her medical alcove. "Hopefully the Jin don't act against us, but we'll keep aware."
It takes several days to prepare and make plans. They decide on baozi for the street kids, something that doesn't require dishes, unlike Wei Ying's idea of soup. He had to concede that the need for dishes limited them, but argued successfully for sweet zongzi in addition to the baozi, on the grounds that they would be a nice treat.
Wei Qing was hopeful she could examine the kids as they came to treat any injuries or maladies, but the first order of business was finding and leasing an appropriate stall.
Fortunately, when it is made clear she intends to treat and feed people for free, space is made in a small booth for a very small price by the Yiling magistrate. He is thrilled to have the famous doctor back in Yiling, as she previously treated patients for free if they braved the Wen sect to reach her. He even tries to offer the former supervisory office, which is a better place for them than the Burial Mounds, but it has no defenses and they regretfully decline.
If they can convince Jiang Wanyin—Wanyin-di if he had to in polite company, though fortunately it would have the benefit of irking the other man—to provide disciples for defense, they may revisit that, but it's likely better to simply retreat slowly to Lotus Pier.
Wei Ying does not prove easy to wake early to go to Yiling, and Lan Wangji resorts to waking him carnally, which is quite effective. It takes little time to clean up.
Lan Wangji dons the blue robes he arrived in, and Wei Ying wears a black robe that shimmers purple in the sun. They debated wearing more nondescript robes, but decided on more opulent ones since they weren't sneaking around or trying to hide their identities. Wei Qing is wearing a dress in Jiang blue and the comb Jiang Wanyin gave her is in her bun. Wei Ning is wearing the nicer robes Nie Huaisang gave him—they intend to get him another nice set or two in town—and aside from his pallor and black veins he looks as though he could be alive, his hair properly in its crown.
The preparation of food took place the evening before by Wei Ning and several aunties and uncles, who are happy with the prospect of helping children, even as they also need help. With the help of a qiankun pouch, they're ready to be cooked up later. Wei Qing also enlisted the help of the aunties and uncles making several medicines she knew would be requested, with ingredients tucked away for medicines that could hopefully be made on-site. They even have a hand painted sign with both the character for doctor and the yin/yang symbol so those who cannot read will know the booth has a doctor.
They don't like the idea of leaving the Burial Mounds unprotected, but Wei Ying has spent the last few days adding wards and maze arrays, as well as a talisman to alert him if the wards go down so they can rush back, and so it is as safe as it can be. Hopefully the Jin are too busy choking on their own opulence to notice.
A-Yuan insists on coming, refusing to let his fathers go away without him. Lan Wangji can see it is a losing battle, as the boy seemed primed to throw a temper tantrum at the idea. Wei Ying also seems to recognize that, and given his reaction to Jin Zixuan, it seems prudent to assuage him.
"He needs reassurance and will reassure the people of Yiling," Wei Qing says with a shrug when they tell her. "They all know who I am, and whose company I keep. Time to rehabilitate your image, and if A-Yuan can help, so be it."
They take him back to the cave to change him into nicer robes, and then start the trip to Yiling.
Wei Ying and A-Yuan ride in the cart pushed by Wei Ning on the way, as part of the plan for the day is to purchase some items needed to make the rest of their stay in Burial Mounds more comfortable, now that they can afford them, including talisman paper for Wei Ying, ingredients and supplies for medicines, cooking utensils, and other sundries.
"I want to cook… to cook a wider variety of food," he said when the list was compiled, arguing for cooking utensils, and Wei Qing wrote it down immediately.
Lan Wangji agrees with her decision, and not only because it will expand their diets, something that will benefit Wei Ying. Wei Ning enjoys cooking and he deserves the enjoyment. He feels no small manner of gratitude to the man for all he does around the settlement and how he has helped Wei Ying, and he is happy to be his sworn brother.
When they arrive at the booth, almost a hut with no walls, a small throng of people are already waiting, word of mouth having already spread, and the croud breaks into murmurs. Bits of rumor, wondering which is the Yiling Patriarch, the Ghost General, who is the child? Wei Ying doesn't react to their curious gazes, ignoring them.
Wei Qing gets to work treating the patients, introducing herself as Wei Qing, to ensure it is known she is no longer Wen. Wei Ning sets up the sign and starts a fire in the little hearth to get the food cooking. Wei Ying and Lan Wangji attend to the list, but keep the booth in view in case of problems, cautious. A-Yuan comes with them, holding their hands securely even when they come to a toy stand, clingy even as they get him several toys, whether because of the aftermath of Jin Zixuan or because he picks up on their worry.
They manage to find at least some of their purchases within view of the booth, but the rest will wait until afterward now that A-Yuan has toys to distract him the rest of the day.
Only past the shichen of the snake, when they eat some of the baozi and zongzi themselves, does the first likely street kid show up, which makes a morbid amount of sense.
"We're new, and every street kid has heard of the stranger with poisoned food," Wei Ying explains softly, and a chill runs through Lan Wangji at the idea of that being a risk, one his husband has faced.
The child thanks Wei Ning solemnly and keeps close to the booth while he eats, watching warily around, then disappears once the food is eaten, not even thinking to ask for more. Wei Ying watches the space the boy was in with a sad expression, and Lan Wangji takes his hand to bring him back to the present.
"It will take time, but we will wait," he says, and is given a breathtaking smile in return, full of love and appreciation and gratitude. Of hope and happiness.
There is not much Lan Wangji won't do to protect that smile, one not long ago he feared he'd lost.
After I posted the last chapter, I wound up in the hospital the next day with pancreatitis caused by my gallbladder. I was admitted and had my gallbladder removed. Went home, the incision got infected, wound up back in the hospital. Never got to celebrate my birthday and spent a large portion of June in the hospital. I'm completely healed now, though!
No, Wei Ning isn't xiao didi, as that's slang for penis. This is why they decided not to do the titles.
According to my research, the yin/yang was a symbol of medicine because it was about balance and good health is about achieving various balances in traditional Chinese medicine.
The shichen of the snake is the 9-11 shichen, so past that would be the shichen of the horse, as each shichen is associated with the animals of the zodiac.
baozi = stuffed buns
ba xiongdi = sworn brothers
biaoge = cousin (mom's brother's son, elder)
hai shi = 9-11pm
guma = father's older sister
guzhang = father's sister's husband
jiejie = older sister
jifu = fourth uncle (季父)
mei = little sister
popo = grandmother
shichen = 2 hour period
tangdi = cousin (dad's sister's son, younger)
wai sheng = sister's son
xian bing = stuffed pancakes
xiong = older brother
zhushazhi = the cinnabar mark on the Jins' foreheads
zongzi = sticky rice dumplings