Return of The Yiling Laozu

Dual Cultivation

Wei Wuxian sat cross-legged in the dimly lit study, a single candle flickering beside him. His fingers tapped rhythmically against his knee as he flipped through an ancient scroll on cultivation techniques.

If Lan Wangji’s golden core thrived on resentment, converting it into yang energy, then the answer lay in balance. Yin to yang, like a cycle. A give and take.

His eyes flickered to the section on dual cultivation.

Heat crept up his neck.

For a man who wouldn’t even return a kiss, the thought of bringing up dual cultivation with Lan Wangji felt like throwing himself into a fire. But if there was a way to cultivate together without full awareness—some way to transfer energy without direct participation—maybe there was hope.

Wei Wuxian exhaled sharply. He wasn’t a Lan. Their methods were different, but he knew someone who could help.

Lan Qiren.

The very idea made him wince.

Still, the next morning, he found himself sitting stiffly across from the elder in the quiet courtyard, teacups cooling between them.

Lan Qiren narrowed his eyes. “Dual cultivation?”

Wei Wuxian scratched the back of his head. “Strictly for medical reasons, Senior.”

Lan Qiren’s scowl deepened. “You expect me to approve such—such shamelessness?”

Wei Wuxian raised his hands in surrender. “Look, I know what it sounds like, but hear me out. If I can convert my yin energy into yang and feed it back into Lan Zhan’s core, it might help stabilize him. But I need to know… is there a way to do it without—” he cleared his throat, avoiding Lan Qiren’s glare, “—you know, full participation?”

Lan Qiren’s expression was unreadable as he stroked his beard.

“There are ancient methods,” he admitted begrudgingly. “But they require deep spiritual synchronization. Without conscious consent, the body resists, and the transfer will fail.”

Wei Wuxian sighed. “So it’s impossible.”

“Not impossible,” Lan Qiren muttered. “Just… unlikely.”

Wei Wuxian chewed his lip. “I’ll take those odds.”

Lan Wangji stood outside Jingshi, listening.

His fingers curled into his sleeves as he heard the hushed conversation between Wei Wuxian and his uncle.

Dual cultivation.

His breath caught.

Wei Wuxian had just returned with that boy—Mo Xuanyu—from Mo Village. A known cutsleeve. Had Wei Wuxian already moved on? Found a replacement for a husband too weak to even lift a sword?

The resentment in his core curled, whispering dark thoughts.

His grip tightened.

If Wei Ying no longer needed him, why had he married him at all?

The moment Lan Qiren’s robes disappeared beyond the courtyard’s edge, Wei Wuxian turned, already forming the words to convince Lan Wangji. His plan was bold—risky, even—but if it worked, he could save Lan Wangji without forcing him into something he wouldn’t willingly accept.

He just had to get Lan Wangji into the dream realm again. There, they could dual cultivate under the veil of lucid dreaming, letting their bodies mirror what happened within. If Lan Wangji wasn’t fully aware, he wouldn’t resist, and the balance between their energies could be restored.