A Phoenix Rising - An Untamed Story (Book 1 In Series)

Chapter 37

A/N: You might want to keep tissues handy.



Wei WuXian steadied one shaking hand with the other as he polished the memorial tiles in the Hall of Ancestors in Lotus Pier. Jiang FengMian. Madame Yu. Jiang YanLi. Wen Qing. And the newest one, Jiang WanYin. He had traveled there from Sanctuary almost a year before for his Shidi's funeral, and never left. The milder climate suited his aging bones much better than Sanctuary. A light snore caught his attention, set butterflies flying in his stomach; Lan WangJi lay asleep on one of the two divans placed inside the Hall for the two elders to rest on during their daily visits. After over sixty years of marriage, their days of intimacy were long over, but the butterflies remained. 

Wen Ning, as youthful as he had been eighty years before, knelt at his Master's side. "Master Wei, do you need anything? Shall I bring you to a more sunny spot? You look cold...."

Wei WuXian shook his head, "No, but I'm glad you're here." He struggled for a bit, but eventually managed to remove four objects from his sleeve. "For you and Song Lan," he said, handing over two identical tassels with little silver bells. "The clappers in here are pills. For when you're ready."

"Ready for what, Master?"

"When you're tired of being alone. When you're tired of watching everyone you love die." Wen Ning ducked his head in understanding. Wei WuXian handed over two jade tokens, one with a lotus flower inscribed on its front, the other with a cloud. "But until that day comes, you may use these if you wish. But only if you wish. I am not commanding you. Or even asking you. They'll let you know if Lan Zhan or I are reborn. And where we are." A tear slipped down Wei WuXian's face. "I wish I had made one for you so you could find your sister.... I need living bodies, though...." 

"It's all right, Master Wei," Wen Ning tried to placate the elder, but Wei WuXian had already fallen asleep. If the younger man could cry, he would have. Plenty of cultivators who were not as strong as HanGuang-Jun or the Yiling Patriarch were able to extend their lives well into their second or even third century; these two men had long ago decided to allow nature to take its course. It was heartbreaking to see ZeWu-Jun and Madame Li walking around as sprightly as they had at fifty and sixty while his masters needed assistance to walk and fell asleep sometimes mid-sentence. Wen Ning felt for Wei WuXian's pulse; the yellowing, waxy, papery-thin skin and the fragile bones almost felt repulsive to the touch. 

"Master Ning, is Waizufu all right?" Lan YongAi knelt on Wei WuXian's other side. She wasn't his eldest granddaughter, but she was the one closest to his heart as her father was Lan WangJi's natural son and her mother was Wei WuXian's natural daughter. There had been many strange looks given to her parents when they decided to wed, seeing as how they had been raised as siblings. However, since they had no blood relationship, they weren't breaking any taboos. At fifteen, she had left Sanctuary to study medicine with the QishanWen under her uncle Lan SiZhui. And now at almost thirty, she had moved to Lotus Pier to be with her affianced husband, Jiang WanYin's younger grandson. 

"He's fine. Just sleeping," Wen Ning reassured. Together they arranged Wei WuXian's body on his divan, and covered him with a light blanket to ward off the chill of the Hall. Wen Ning tied the two tassels to his belt, and hid the other devices in his sleeve. "I think you should tell your parents and the rest of the family it's time to come to Lotus Pier." There were twenty-two children to be told and almost four times as many grandchildren. And more than a few great-grandchildren. And even a great-great grandchild. Wei WuXian had had six children with his concubine: three boys and three girls. Lan WangJi had five: four girls and a boy. The youngest of the adopted children was only a few years younger than Lan YongAi....