Gold Blood Eyes ||Mo Dao Zu Shi||

Chapter 17: To Everything Revealed

Its Lan Xichen who gets it out, "...you're aging,"

Lan WangJi's breathing hitches suddenly and a tear hits cheek. Wei WuXian's eyes widened, about to speak, but he goes still as Jin ZiXuan makes the next connection.

"Then, the reason you've been using demonic cultivation isn't because of some arrogance or anything else..."

Jiang Yanli lets out a sob, tears streaming, "You don't even have a choice,"

Lan WangJi's hit with the reminder of all the words he had said. All the times he had asked the younger to pick up his sword. All the times he had asked. All the times had shared physical contact yet never noticed.

How could he not have noticed?!

Lan WangJi abruptly releases Wei WuXian, stepping back shaking his head, "Impossible. This...this is not real..."

"Oh, Lan Zhan," Wei WuXian says softly, "It's very real, I didn't want you to know...not like this,"

Lan WangJi stares at him, "Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why did I not..." Lan WangJi hesitates, but then he takes one look at Wei WuXian, truly looks at him. He looks at the sharp jaw line, the sunken cheeks, the loose robes. He thinks about all the scars he'd traced numerous times. He thinks about all the joy he's had with this man. Somewhere, he registered that there was a risk in his next words, but he shoved it away. Fuck it all. Fuck every risk.

Lan WangJi raised his voice slightly, "How many times have I seen you? How many times did you lie to me, Wei Ying?"

Wei WuXian's eyes widen and Wen Qing jolts behind the demonic cultivator. Lan Xichen snaps his eyes to Lan WangJi, "What?"

"Answer me," Lan WangJi ignored everyone else.

"Lan Zhan,"

"How did I not know?" Lan WangJi hisses.

Wei WuXian stares at him, before his expression falls and he sighs, "How would you know if my body is flooded with resentment? How would you find the emptiness of my dantain if I clogged my meridians with resentment and told you it was because of where I now live? Lan Zhan, how could you have possibly known when I was so determined on not letting you know?"

Lan WangJi freezes.

"Wei Ying?" Lan WangJi asked, pausing suddenly and glancing at where he was holding Wei WuXian's wrists.

The male glanced as well and he blinked, before laughing softly. Wei WuXian cupped his face, pulling him down into a soft kiss, "Mm, resentment swims through me, always will as I use this strength of mine and keep the Burial Mounds habitable for us,"

"Wei Ying..."

"Shhh, my Lan Zhan," Wei WuXian smiled at him, a delicate thing, but there was a slight fear in his eyes, "Please, I do not wish to talk about this. Not now,"

Lan WangJi had obliged him and had continued pleasuring the younger, continuing removing the black and red robes.

Lan WangJi felt a rush of anger and his tone dropped, "When?"

"When what?"

"When did you lose it?"

Wei WuXian smiles. It is a sad one, a weak one. Wei WuXian confesses, "Before Wen Chao threw me into hell,"

Jiang Yanli lets out a loud sob of horror, her hand covering her mouth as it all comes crashing over them. Wei WuXian had survived the Burial Mounds with no core. Wei WuXian had been fighting in the war without a core.