One Year Later
A child's giggle could be heard running around in the markets in the city of Jiangling, and a young man is calling for the little boy to slow down and wait for his papa to catch up with them. That young man was Wei Wuxian dressed in green and gold and with a green cloak covering his appearance, and that little boy is his new adopted son, Wei Yuan.
It did break Wei Wuxian's heart to hear that even in this life, his little A-Yuan still lost his parents and he was not even a week old. It didn't take Wei Wuxian much thought or time to jump back in and take care of his little radish. It didn't take a lot of convincing to Granny Wen to let Wei Wuxian adopt the baby as his own. When the news reached Baoshan Sanren's ears, she quickly ran to her grandson to abduct her great-grandson from Wei Wuxian. She was ecstatic to have an addition to her family.
It takes a lot of time to get his own son down the mountain to go meet A-Yuan's Aunt and Uncle, who always meets them every four months in the city of Jiangling. It also seems that Jiang Yanli can always find her brother rather easily by the sounds of laughter from little Wei Yuan, as she scoops her nephew up in her arms before Wei Wuxian could catch his own son.
Jiang Yanli, "A-Yuan, do you not realize how busy the market is today?" she gently scolds the two year old, "What happens if your Baba lost sight of you and you couldn't find him?" she asks him.
With small watery eyes, Wei Wuxian turns to his father and says, "A-Yuan is sorry Baba!"
With a nod of approval, Jiang Yanli lets the toddler back on the ground and lets him run into Wei Wuxian's already open arms to greet his son.
Jiang Cheng, "Honestly, it's a wonder why they let you go down the mountain on your own with your son!" he glares at his brother.
Wei Wuxian, "Don't be like that, Jiang Cheng, he is only so young. One moment he asked to be to look at the toys and the next he is chasing a butterfly, what is a single father suppose to do?"
Jiang Cheng, "Be more responsible, and take someone else down the mountain to help you out if you need it!!!"
Wei Wuxian laughed, " Fei Sheng has been hounded by Grandmother Sanren these past few weeks for pulling a stunt with the younger freshmen disciples, there was no way for him to escape her watchful eye."
Jiang Cheng face palms while Jiang Yanli hides a smile behind her sleeve, "Goodness," she says, "A-Xian, you must choose your friends more carefully."
Wei Wuxian, "I honestly couldn't ask for a better friend than Fei Sheng, he reminds me of my younger self when I was more carefree."
Jiang Cheng, "Isn't he older than you by hundreds of years? And also, I never remember you to be such a trouble maker as he is!!!"
Wei Wuxian, "You're right, you wouldn't know would you?" he looked away as if he was watching something from far away, or perhaps looking for something that was lost to him.
Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli look at each other and share a look of just knowing, they know there are many secrets that their brother holds behind those sad eyes and mask of a smile. Though they also knew better to ask about it, as Wei Wuxian only draws further and further away from them if they do. So instead, Jiang Cheng bends down and picks up their nephew and places the now squealing child, letting Wei Yuan sit on Jiang Cheng shoulders.
Jiang Cheng, "Well I am starving and I know for a fact, this little guy has a bottomless stomach. Let's go eat!" he calls for his siblings to follow him.
Jiang Yanli laughs, and Wei Wuxian shakes his head at his brother's antics but still smiling brightly. Offering his arm to his sister, she takes it, and Wei Wuxian leads Jiang Yanli to the restaurant that Jiang Cheng was leading the way, with Wei Wuxian's son on his shoulders.
...
Sitting at the table, Jiang Yanli had the two year old in her lap, who was wiggling like a caterpillar waiting none patiently for the next spoonful of his soup his Aunt was feeding him. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian were sharing a jar of wine between them, while Jiang Cheng was catching his brother up in the gossip, as none reached Wei Wuxian's Grandmother's mountain.
Wei Wuxian almost spits out his wine as he tries not to laugh, "I have more Bastards than Jin Guangshan?" he asks, "Who in their right minds would believe this crap when I haven't been spotted in over a year now?"
Jiang Cheng, "Apparently your demonic cultivation can cause women to be pregnant while being thousands of miles away!" he laughs while making fun of his brother.
Wei Wuxian, "Well, sorry to rain on their parade, but I haven't performed Demonic Cultivation for a long time now as I promised not to by my Grandmother. Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin her's and Qing-jie's hard work of purging the resentment from my core and meridians." he shrugs.
Jiang Cheng, "Well, at least your Grandmother agrees that it's stupid for you to use something so dangerous."
Wei Wuxian laughed, "You're wrong A-Cheng, she agrees with me that energy is energy. Besides it's not every day a genius like myself becomes a Master of a cultivation of my own making. Just sadly, her mountain is nothing but pure spiritual energy. The first week I was bed ridden because the mountain was fighting with the resentful energy that resided in me." he explained, "Grandmother doesn't want me to live away from her, so she purged me of the resentful energy and begged me not to use it as long as I lived with her, so I am not have to live off the mountain."
Jiang Yanli, "And you're okay with that A-Xian?" she asks her brother.
Wei Wuxian, "Of course! It's a small price to pay to be able to provide a hospital environment for the Wens. We are safe with Grandmother, and she cares for them all. Especially my little radish."
...
After a long day of spending the day with his siblings, Wei Wuxian gathered his worn out son in his arms, before waving goodbye to his sibling. They take out a talisman and transport them back to the mountain. It was already evening, the sun was low enough in the sky to where a beautiful orange and yellow decorated the skies. However the Mountain's residing city was still bustling with the celestial disciples and the residing Wens.
Children ran around Wei Wuxian's legs three times, so amused by their game of tag before running in a different direction. Wen Mothers walked with the babies or toddlers in their arms just as Wei Wuxian was doing the same with his own son. The younger men were building newer buildings for more residence, or in the farm lands. The Younger disciple children must have just gotten out of their training for the day, as now they came down from the stairs that led away from their classes to play with the Wen Children before dinner was called.
Wei Wuxian took the steps to be led to the residence he shares with his Grandmother and son. On his way, he saw the teenagers finish the last of their forms before Fei Huagaung dismissed them for the day and let them run off and have some fun.
Fei Huagaung looks up to find Wei Wuxian was staring back at him. He smiled and waved, using his most charming smile which caused Wei Wuxian to blush, but he shaked his head and waved back, before continuing his way to meet his grandmother. He didn't have to look far as she was in her drawing room, knitting new socks for her Great grandchild as Wei Yuan ripped his last pair.
Wei Wuxian found it funny as Baoshen Sanren still looked no older than her early thirties, and yet, here she is, knitting socks for her great grandchild. Baoshen Sanren could hear a small chuckle from her grandson, "Keep it up A-Ying, and see if I will ever make you anything ever again." she threatens.
This only caused Wei Wuxian to laugh even more as he placed his son on a pillow to rest a little longer before dinner. Wei Wuxian moves to his Grandmother and kneels in front of her, smiling up at her. "Don't be like that Grandmother, sometimes by just looking at you I forget your age."
She gently smacks her grandson on his head with a soft laugh, "You cheeky boy, hush up before I make you!" she shakes her head before patting his head watching him lean into her touch lovingly, "How was the visit with those foster siblings of yours."
Baoshen Sanren calls the Jiang siblings Wei Wuxian foster's siblings, because she refuses to let them truly have him, as Wei Wuxian was her family, and refused to see him 'adopted' by anyone else.
"My shijie and A-Cheng are doing well." he tells her, "The Peacock from the Jin clan finally confessed his feelings for my shijie, but she is taking my warning to heart and is skeptical to return his feelings. As much as I would love to keep them apart, I know my nephew would never be born if they keep avoiding one another. I told her the stupid peacock isn't a bad person, just to be conscious about his father and brother."
Baoshen Sanren nodded acknowledging her grandson's words, "Even though we know of the future, we still shouldn't deny other's chance of happiness." She smiles at her grandson, "You did well to warn her to be cautious but also to tell her to pressure her lover."
Wei Wuxian, "I just hope I can protect them both this time. I don't want A-Ling to grow up without his parents for a second time."
Baoshen Sanren, "I am here, A-Ying, I will help you protect your family." She reassures him. "You don't have to do this alone again."
Wei Wuxian laughs and looks out over the mountain from the open door, to spot Wen QIng making her way up to meet him, "I wasn't alone Grandmother. I had my two best friends.'' He turns his attention back to his grandmother, "It didn't matter what I did, Qing-jie and A-Ning were always beside me, until I lost her, but even then A-Ning had nothing but faith in me. He wanted nothing but the best for me as I wished the same for him as well. I was never alone."
Baoshen Sanren nods, "I am happy to hear it A-Ying, just remember you have far more people in your corner now. There isn't a way to be alone anymore for you."
...
Wei Wuxian locked himself in his study, trying to perfect a far better version of the compass, however he didn't want it to only find evil, but also just harmless spirits who could possibly use the help of a cultivator. Though every time he seems to tinker with another project of his, the more he loses time.
Fei Huaguang kept close taps on Wei Wuxian to make sure he was still alive. He and the rest of the residence learned that once Wei Wuxian came to be like this, it will be a fortnight until they see him again, well that is, unless either Baoshen Sanren goes in and drags her grandson out there or Wen Qing goes in brandishing her needles and comes out with a passed out Wei Wuxian being dragged by the back of his robes.
However this time, once Fei Huagaung was going up the furthest mountain where Wei Wuxian's workshop resided, he was met with an empty room. Instead past the screen door that leads to an outside balcony that views over the clouds and the very far distance of the scenery below the mountains, Fei Huaguang found it to be open and Wei Wuxian out there sipping on a cup of tea looking so far away, and his mind being the furthest away.
Wei Wuxian was thinking about everything, his past, present and future. However, today was the hardest. Today, it would be his and Lan Wangji's anniversary if he was still living in the past. He missed him, he missed the life he worked so hard for, but he didn't truly lose it, more like he had to move on from it. Even though it hurts everyday just to think of it.
Wei Wuxian knows he now has even a bigger family, with his grandmother and his son, he just hates the fact he has to lose something in order to gain something new. All of this was still so very new to him as the memories in his head are just as fresh as the day he lived them.
Fei Huagaung, "A-Ying, are you alright?" he asked.
Wei Wuxian, "Of course, just lost in the past I suppose." he explains.
Fei Huagaung thought for a moment see it anything came to mind that could distraught Wei Wuxian as much as it did right, but only one thing did come to mind but figured it wasn't his place to bring it up, "Do you perhaps want to get off of this mountain for a night?" He asked instead. Wei Wuxian turns to look at Fei Huaguang with wide silver eyes. "I heard there was a Shui Gui on the river side near Guangling's local fishing town.
Wei Wuxian smiles, feeling grateful for the idea, and came to the conclusion it was exactly what he needed. When the others heard that Fei Huaguang and Wei Wuxian were going off the mounting to Night Hunt, they were all extracted, except for young Wei Yuan, who wanted to follow his father, but Wei Wuxian refused to allow his little A-Yuan to come. It was far too dangerous for a little one.
With the promise that Wei Wuxian would bring back gifts if his little Turnip behaved, Wei Yuan allowed his father to pass with a simple kiss to his forehead and promises exchanged between them. Fei Huaguang wanted to travel by teleportation, but Wei Wuxian said it had been a while since the last time he flew on his own sword for a night hunt. So they agreed and sped off into the sky on their swords.
Guangling, a small local fishing town, was small, exclusive, and had no minor Sect hovering over the people. Yes, technically it would be under the jurisdiction of Gusu Lan, but even then, they preferred to keep to themselves, that's how they never realized a spirit was roaming in their lakes for so long to become as big a problem as it was now.
Even though Fei Huaguang and Wei Wuxian could have been there and done with the job over one night, Wei Wuxian wanted to do it the old fashion way and preferred to continue by sword, which took them over a week to travel such a far distance to the town. Though it was exactly what he needed, a week away from everything.
Fei Huaguang couldn't help but to beam at the version of a carefree Wei Wuxian. He's known that the young man always hid his true feelings and intentions behind a mask. It was inherited from that young man's grandmother. He saw how ecstatic Wei Wuxian was to sleep under the stars the first night, or how proud he looked when he came back to camp with a few rabbits at hand already skinned and ready to eat.
The few nights, they decided to spend at a pub drinking the night away and drunkenly, mostly on Fei Huaguang's part, leaning on each other singing chores throughout the town all night, and somehow both waking up in a barn next to some cows and cuddling with a few chickens that they later decided to steal to pluck and roast the very next night like a bunch of delinquents.
They even came upon a river full of lotus pods ripped and ready to be plucked and eaten, so unable to help himself, Wei Wuxian swam to the nearest batch to pick some for the both of them. They picked a shady spot under a tree and snacked on their treat, and at the same time Fei Huaguang listened with intense interest to the stories Wei Wuxian had on his little adventures over his lifetime.
After feeling bored enough after their snack, Wei Wuxian dressed down, leaving him only in his trousers. Wei Wuxian pulled his hair back in his red ribbon in a tall ponytail leaving only his bangs hovering over his face. It's been awhile since he last had his hair up like this, it was almost weird for Wei Wuxian but he decided to ignore it and turn to Fei Huaguang to do the same and follow him into the river.
Once both males were undressed and in the water, Wei Wuxian tried to show Fei Huaguang how to catch fish with their own bare hands, even though he had never been able to fish in all of his years, especially with his own hands. Fei Huaguang found this task rather too difficult for him, always somehow finding himself on his butt in the water while Wei Wuxian was over him laughing at the man below.
Wei Wuxian offered his hand to Fei Huaguang, to help him up, but the other equally sly man had other ideas and took that hand and pulled Wei Wuxian into the water alongside him, wrestling the younger for a moment but in the end, Wei Wuxian was found on top of him pinning Fei Huaguang in the shallow parts of the river showing a victorious smile, letting the counter male that he won. For a moment longer the two stayed there catching their breaths, but couldn't help but to stare in each other's eyes. A strand piece of Wei Wuxian's hair stuck to his forehead, and Fei Huaguang couldn't help but to reach out and pull it free to tuck it behind Wei Wuxian's ear, but his fingers stilled, hovering and gently touching Wei Wuxian's ear.
Wei Wuxian's breath got caught in his throat, and his heart quickened its pace as Fei Huaguang's fingers curled around the nape of Wei Wuxian's neck. He was being pulled down gently, as Fei Huaguang raised up onto his elbow and reached to him, being met with a gentle kiss he coaxed Wei Wuxian in. It was only a peck but that one peck caused both males to blush.
Little did they know, there was a certain other male that was not that far off from where they continued to lay in the river. This certain male was the newly established Sect. Leader of Gusu Lan, Lan Wangji. He heard a familiar laugh not far from where he landed with his disciples taking a quick break from flying on their swords, coming back from Yunmeng Jaing as of not long ago.
Lan Wangji knew that laugh as he heard it in his dreams, every night and with that laugh came to the two pure silver eyes that he missed and came to terms with he did not deserve to see them again after what he had done. His elders did take advantage of his vulnerable state at the lost of his brother, and manipulated Lan Wangji to become their newest puppet of a Clan Leader, but after all was said and done, Lan Wangji woke up from his grief and realized what he has done and it was far too late to take anything back.
Also because of him, Wei Wuxian is now a feared man, all throughout the Cultivation world, and the new Head Cultivation Sect. Leader Jin Guangshan used this to gain support by promising to bring Wei Wuxian to justice. Justice for what? Well, Justice for stealing property from the Jins and siding with the Wens, planning to become the Wen Rouhun. Everyone believed it was all because of what Lan Wangji did. The Jiangs stayed clear of the rest of the cultivation world as much as possible, except for a few meetings here and there for supplies between the Sects. Though, Sect. Leader Jiang Cheng refuses to see any of them and refuses to let any of them stay on his land longer then they are needed to.
Lan Wangji never knew what came of Wei Wuxian, always feared the worst-especially when word got back to him that he took the Wens with him from a camp. Jin Guangshan used this to confirm to others that Wei Wuxian was truly evil and wanted to be the next great Wen Rouhan. Lan Wangji knew that this was a lie, he knew Wei Wuxian the best, and knew his soulmate must have seen something horrendous at that camp to step in to save innocent lives. However, seeing Wei Wuxian share a kiss with that no good Fei Huaguang, he knew where Wei Wuxian took residence at and he must have moved on past Lan Wangji.
...
Wei Wuxian rested by a fire drying off from the fun in the water, however his mind kept going back there and a tint of blush crept up his cheeks at the reminder of the kiss. Wei Wuxian stole a glance at Fei Huagaung, who was still topless, laying their now clean robes on a low hanging branch close enough to the fire so they may be dry in the morning.
Fei Huagaung, "Is something on your mind?" he asked Wei Wuxian as he could feel the others' gaze burning in the back of his neck.
Wei Wuxian quickly looks away, "No, nothing." he quickly said, maybe too quickly because he heard Fei Huaguang laugh from behind beside him, "I just can't believe that this fun trip will be over by tomorrow. I missed be able to travel so freely as I once did, in another life."
Fei Huaguang, "Don't worry, we will make a habit out of this, just you and me, perhaps even A-Yuan once he is older." he reassured Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian, "That sounds nice Fei Huaguang." he whispers to the night air.
Fei Huaguang, "A-Sheng."
Wei Wuxian turns to look at Fei Huagaung, "What?" he asked.
Fei Huaguang, "Call me A-Sheng, A-Ying."
Another bright smile crept on Wei Wuxian's lips before he leans against Fei Huagaung, "Okay, A-Sheng." Wei Wuxian says.