A Means to an End (WangXian)

Don't Drop Me!

Lan Wangji stared at the sword in Wei Wuxian's hand. It was the first time he had seen it unsheathed. Even when they had battled, Wei Wuxian never drew it out and mainly only defended against his attacks. He could tell that it was a top-grade spiritual weapon and it was brimming with power. It shimmered a bright blood red in the light.

He realized that the color of the sword matched Wei Wuxian perfectly. The bright red reminded him of the ribbon he always wore in his hair. It was also different. His own sword is a bright blue light when unsheathed, but Wei Wuxian's held a different undertone, a different wave of power from his own. "What is the name of your sword?" he asked.

Wei Wuxian smiled brightly. This was one conversation he found highly amusing with Lan Wangji and couldn't wait to see that expression on his face again. "Whatever," he replied.

Lan Wangji paused and prompted Wei Wuxian to repeat himself. He thought maybe he had heard wrong.

"Whatever."

He frowned. "It is disrespectful to call a powerful spirit, 'Whatever.'" he commented.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help laughing at Lan Wangji's expression. It was exactly the same way he had remembered.

Once he sobered up, he repeated the distant memory of his childhood to Lan Wangji. By the end of it, he looked slightly thoughtful and quite amused about the story. "Absurd!" he muttered.

Yet, it suits him so perfectly.

Movement appeared in the water again, this time circling Jiang Cheng. "They're back!" he shouted.

Multiple disciples pushed more nets into the water, but they quickly realized their numbers were too large. Black tendrils darkened the water around them and more pale colored hands darted out.

"Lan Zhan! The side of your boat!" Bichen darted into the water and pierced the ghouls before launching back to it's owner.

Another disciple watched the magnificent sword control of Lan Wangji and attempted to do it on his own, but when he tried to call his sword back, it had been lost inside the black swirls.

Lan Wangji pierced the water again, but he quickly noticed something was wrong. The water was too dark. There were too many of them.

The boats drifted endlessly to the center of the lake, where the color only darkened with a foreboding tint of green.

"We must go back!" Lan Wangji shouted out.

"Why?" his brother asked.

"The creatures intentionally led us here. It's a trap!" he said.

Wei Wuxian confirmed with a nod. "This is not a major case of water ghouls. It's much worse."

Again, Lan Wangji got the strange feeling that Wei Wuxian already knew what was going on. He was too perceptive.

The water rose rapidly, filling the boats quickly. In the center, a large creature took shape and began spinning the boats, submerging some of them in the process. Wei Wuxian began to panic. He was too busy enjoying the innocent conversation with Lan Wangji that he forgot what happens next.

The disciples all around him began mounting their swords. He saw Jiang Cheng looking at him expectantly.

Jiang Cheng didn't like the way Wei Wuxian was hesitating. He loves to fly, and this is a dangerous situation. Surely he would have hopped on his sword already.

Wei Wuxian saw the disciple that lost his sword fall into the water and cry out for help. Without hesitation, he jumped into the water after the disciple. His sword was attached to his hip to prevent it from plummeting into the water and disappearing.