Second Time Around

2. Phoenix Mountain

Once inside the hunting grounds, Wei WuXian untied the blindfold. He wasn't here to catch a third of the prey, nor was he here to get kissed. He had something completely different than hunting in mind. Well, other than hunting yao; he was hunting a human. "Lan Zhan!" he yelled happily upon seeing his friend. "Mourning clothes for a night hunt? Don't you have anything that doesn't scream 'look at me!?"

"Mmm," wasn't exactly a 'yes', nor was it a 'no'. "Why did you throw a flower at me?"

Wei WuXian mimed swooning. "It was pretty. You're pretty. Why not?" He staggered to stand again. "I do have something I want to show you. Let's go?"

"Go where? Wei Ying will not hunt?"

"I hunt natural creatures for food, and unnatural creatures because they're bothering civilians. These poor things?" He shrugged. "Glory for my Sect can be found on these grounds by someone else. Come on. You'll have to fly us there; it takes too long to walk."

Lan Zhan mmmed again, but obediently set Bichen ready to fly. Stepping on, and holding out hand for Wei Ying to grab, he asked, "Where is Suibian?"

"Oh, you know. I left it back in my room." As they soared above the trees, Wei Ying forced himself to relax his grip on the jade's waist; Lan Zhan was not Wen Chao. And he really needed (wanted?) Lan Zhan to move onto a new topic of conversation. "I'm going to tell you this once, and never again. I can't use Suibian anymore. The reason has nothing to do with demonic cultivation, either. I was faced with a choice: to give up everything I loved or give up the sword path. The choice was easy. There is not a single day that I regret making that choice. And if I could do it all over again?" I was able to do it all over again.... "I would make the same choice. So... please stop talking about demonic cultivation. It's the only option left."

"Wei Ying...." Lan Zhan turned to look at Wei Ying standing behind him on the sword. "Come back to Gusu with me."

"Again with Gusu? No, thanks. I'm not letting you punish me for finding a way to be useful when I literally cannot use Suibian anymore!"

"Not a punishment." Golden eyes gazed steadily into gray. "For rest and healing. Let me help you."

Wei Ying stared at his friend. All this time... All those years when he ordered me to go home with him.... It was for healing? Not for punishment? "Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan.... What are you saying?"

Lan Zhan turned to watch where he was flying. "Asking Wei Ying to come to Gusu. Demonic cultivation is bad for the body, bad for the soul. Come rest. Let me try to Heal you. Will keep you safe."

The rest of the flight was spent in silence while Wei WuXian tried to absorb what his friend said. Years wasted, thinking Lan Zhan wanted to haul him back to Cloud Recesses to be beaten into using the sword path again. Which, of course, was going to fail. So he'd be punished further. When the reality was an offer for an indefinite amount of time spent resting and relaxing in the tranquility that was Cloud Recesses? My friend... use your words more often, please. These partial sentences? Come back to Gusu indeed.

They landed at Qiongqi Path. Wei WuXian had been there the day before and was sickened all over again by what he saw. This time? With several years to think it over, he hoped that this time he could solve the Wen problem correctly. "Lan Zhan? I want you to keep an open mind about what I'm going to show you. Please."

"What is this place?"

"Just... look for yourself. Make up your own mind." Wei Ying led the way to a spot hidden from the workers and overseers below. The scene wasn't that much different than it had been the first time around. Of course, the particular Wens he had rescued were not there. But their counterparts were.