𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐚 ⚣︎ mo dao zu shi x male reader

thirty-seven.

"are you ready, mo-gongzi?" y/n asks, raising a brow.

"of course!" wei wuxian huffs triumphantly, ignoring the thin layer of sweat that's gathered up on top of his skin. y/n shared a look with his older brother. they shot each other looks, sending their brother a signal. they had entered a silent conversation, and all wei wuxian could do was look from one brother to the other, trying to decipher what on earth both brothers were saying.

y/n sighed. "mo-gongzi, you don't have a sword, correct?" he begins, turning to look at wei wuxian. lan wangji turns on his heel as his sword flies out of its scabbard. "let's go." he hops onto his sword, and y/n follows in suit. his sword flies into the air, glowing with a warm, blue color.

"mo-gongzi, you may ride with me."

~~

"the ghost arm pointed to the north-east, so it should be around here..." wei wuxian hops off of y/n's sword before running off like a little kid.

the two lan brothers planted their feet into the ground before sheathing their blades. they looked around. they found themselves in the center of an old and run-down village. the houses looked so old and worn by time, the roofs looked so close to falling and the walls were barely holding up. on top f that, there was this extremely gloomy aura hanging over the village atmosphere. the three cultivators didn't seem that bothered by the negative energy, even though they could feel it all over their bodies, practically piercing through the clothes they were wearing.

y/n casually kept one hand on the handle of his sword, eyes scanning his surroundings. it was dark, the moon barely peeking through the clouds, so y/n could barely see anything. still, that doesn't mean he can't rely on his other senses. he wandered a few feet away from his brother, who was busy keeping an eye on wei wuxian. from the corner of his eye, y/n could barely make out the figure of someone scuttling about in the shadows. he looked around, releasing some energy into the air. he could feel himself visualize everything as something landed on his shoulder.

it was a hand! y/n yelped from the touch. he was quick to retract his body as he looked around, wondering where that touch came from. he spun around, his sword flying out of its scabbard. the sound of his blade rung throughout the night as a bright flash of blue sped forth, piercing through house walls and old, torn up cloths that hung everywhere as the blade honed in on its prey. lan wangji turned around to find his little brother, but found him missing instead. he looked around, feeling the powerful qi energy of his little brother's sword. he saw his little brother a few feet away, his robes fluttering as he paused in his movements to stare down a cultivator donned in black robes. he picked up his blade before pointing it at the unknown cultivator's chin.

"who are you?" he glowered. "why are you tailing us?"

the cultivator throws himself at y/n's feet, begging him, "please forgive me, y/n-shixiong!" he cried, practically smashing his forehead onto the ground. "i-i was just curious, that's all! there was a surge of resentful energy here, so i though i'd check it out!" the man cries. "not to mention... the treasure.." he murmurs afterward.

"treasure?" wei wuxian curiously asks as he and lan wangji approach the two.

"w-well, as a cultivator, i naturally wish to find the yiling patriarch and the crimson ruiner's treasure."

for a brief moment, wei wuxian and lan y/n shared a look. hearing the names they were called sixteen years ago, the names that striked fear unto the hearts of cultivators and regular folk. they pulled their gaze away before anyone could notice.

"tell us more about this treasure." y/n asked, steeling himself before the man beneath his blade.

the cultivator kept his head low, refusing to meet lan y/n's eyes. "legend has it, that the ghost general, the stygian tiger amulet, the chenqing flute, the chuhua erhu, and hundreds of other devices and demonic manuscripts were destroyed over ten years ago. yet, the ghost general appeared a few days ago at mt. dafan. so perhaps... the other treasures still exist-"