Return of The Yiling Laozu

Reverse Empathy

Lady Lan laughed, a warm sound that filled the Jingshi, making it feel whole. "Then I suppose I must catch you before you run away again."

The game began in an instant.

Lan Xichen squealed, darting behind a wooden screen, peeking out with barely contained excitement. Lan Wangji hesitated only for a moment before toddling after him, his small feet pattering against the floor as he tried to find a hiding spot.

Lady Lan moved slowly, deliberately, her fingers trailing along the edge of a bookshelf, a smile curving her lips. "Hmm… I wonder where my little Lan-er is hiding."

A tiny giggle slipped out from behind a low table.

Wei Wuxian watched, frozen, as Lan Wangji tried to stifle his laughter, his hands clamped over his mouth, his entire body trembling with suppressed glee.

Lady Lan turned swiftly, scooping him up before he could escape.

"Lao lao," she teased, tapping a delicate finger against his nose. "Caught you."

Lan Wangji’s laughter was breathless, unguarded.

Pure.

Wei Wuxian had never heard it before.

Not in this lifetime.

Not in the one before.

The warmth of it, the innocence, wrapped around his heart, squeezing painfully.

This was the Lan Wangji he had never known—the one who had once been free.

Before silence was forced upon him.

Before rules became his only truth.

Before loss carved out the space in his chest where love had once lived.

Lan Wangji clung to his mother, burying his face against her shoulder. Lady Lan pressed a kiss to his forehead, rocking him gently in her arms.

"You must always laugh, my little Lan-er," she murmured against his hair. "No matter what happens. No matter what the world asks of you."

The memory shimmered at the edges.

Wei Wuxian felt it in his bones.

This moment—this light—was what he had to hold onto.

Because soon, it would be gone.

The world shimmered again, shifting forward. Wei Wuxian barely had time to catch his breath before he felt the difference. The air was heavier, thick with humidity, carrying the scent of lake water and freshly caught fish. Lotus Pier.

Lan Qiren’s voice hummed in his mind. "Two years later."

Wei Wuxian’s gaze flickered to the scene unfolding before him. The conference was in full swing. Cultivators in brilliant robes of blue, green, and red moved through the bustling market stalls that lined the pier. Conversations and laughter rang in the air, drowning out the gentle lap of water against wooden docks.

Among the crowd, an almost eight-year-old Lan Wangji stood beside Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren, his small hands folded neatly in front of him, expression as unreadable as ever.

Wei Wuxian watched as Lan Qiren’s stern face softened ever so slightly. He turned to a nearby stall, where rows of carved wooden toys were displayed. The vendor eagerly held up a small wooden rabbit, the craftsmanship delicate, painted with intricate blue and white swirls.

Lan Qiren inspected it for a moment before handing it to Lan Wangji.

"A gift," he said, gruff but kind.