Okay so we all know that Wei Wuxian has been a little distant in this fic. And we all know he's been waiting...
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Time moved like dripping syrup and yet Lan Zhan felt more harried than ever.
Despite the friction with Wen Qing, she moved into place like with a shark's grace and speed. Whatever dignity or distance she might have spared before, judges as she was for being a Wen and for marrying Jiang Cheng - she spent freely enough, keeping Jiang Cheng in her sights as much as she could, with her job and his.
So far, she had managed admirably and recruited her brother and various former Wen. Jin Zixuan was trying to do the same thing, spending all of his free time near his wife, or at least made sure Wen Ning was with her, if he could not be. Apparently, he had told the brothers that he was worried about the threats the Wen had made, but didn't want to irritate or worry Yanli. They apparently accepted this and moved ironically to help.
For a brief while Lan Zhan felt as though the situation could move forward smoothly.
The wedding anniversary of the Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan fell early in June, but it felt too close to the murder of her parents, she said for it to really be a celebration. Still, the Jiang brothers really tried and organized a small party on the waterfront and added some children's competitions and games for fun. Which was incredibly sweet and terribly sad at the same time.
Lan Zhan had planned to help with the preparation and then make himself scarce that afternoon. He wasn't family and would only be intruding. Plus, he had planned to update his network and begin the process of releasing the stored information to the authorities. He could now tie Wen Xu to more than one murder. If this was publicly leaked, there would have to be an investigation. While that was ongoing, he planned to have the financial data Figbird had amassed sorted into what they could publish and what they could feed to the right authorities and tax oversight.
But Wei Ying's mood was swinging between frenetic energy and a withdrawn state that prickling unease settling in Lan Zhan's heart.
Before he knew it, he was organizing the decorating of the pavilion for gathering and opted for the kitchen to prepare the food with Granny Jiang, since Jiang Yanli was leaving work and coming straight here.
It was that or risk getting caught admiring that toned ass, as Wei Ying perched on a ladder hanging paper decorations, made by the youngest Jiang disciples.
And a limit on how many subtle photos he could capture of Baba Wei Ying with Sizhui and his youngest disciples, who trailed after him like ducklings.
The festivities would certainly not be complete with a feast, so he excused himself, ignoring Jiang Cheng's amusement. But not before telling the disciples to watch their senior on that ladder. They nodded in immediate agreement, "Yes,Master Lan!", "We will!"
The kitchens of Lotus Pier were divided into communal sect kitchens and one small home kitchen that was an afterthought in the courtyard renovation some years back. Granny Jiang welcomed him with a smile that was surprised but warm, and he could see that she was having a difficult day. Despite all the activity, the kitchens were a little subdued.
Neither Jiang Fengmian nor Madam Yu had time or interest in cooking and before the massacre that ended his life, Lotus Pier had employed a chef for the communal kitchen, which fed over a hundred people each day. Jiang Yanli however, had spent all of her free time working on recipes for her one-day bakery. Wei Ying had let slip, that while he wasn't sure if their parents ever really worked it out, but all of their family meals were made by Jiang Yanli from the time she was twelve.
"Master Lan! What can I do for you? Surely you should be off that leg?" She said as he moved around the counter.
She had browbeat him into calling her Ayi and smiled at him, every single time he did, not helped by Wei Ying's exuberant glee, but was still calling him Master Lan. "The decorations are being dealt with and the table is set. I came to offer my assistance Ayi."
She looked at him for a moment and then nodded, as if he had told her his secrets. "We would certainly welcome it Master Lan."
"My mother taught me all of her family recipes." He said softly, "She was not from Gusu. Mostly I can bake, but I can make some of her savory dishes. I hoped to offer a few as a gift."
"Ah! Well then, A-Li has told me of your baking. How you helped her get started." Granny Jiang said, the careworn lines of her face settling into easy cheer. She was close to Jiang Yanli, the pair of them often together, united over family, food and their hobby of wheat straw weaving. So close to the anniversary that dragged on the hearts of the three Yunmeng siblings, everyone who loved them, felt the echoes of that pain.
"Exaggerated." He said in reply.
Lan Zhan felt watching them together, that both of them finally had the support they needed. Preferring to take care of others, it was in the quiet moments of safety and easy conversation, that he saw the pair finally begin to heal. Granny Jiang had been tormented for years. Her son and his wife had been murdered before Sizhui had even turned one. She had lost her cousins and parents to Wen Ruohan. Grief and loss, compounded by financial difficulties had taken an immense toll on her.
Here at Lotus Pier, while it was not the land of her ancestors, she and the other Wen had settled neatly into daily life. What was more inspiring, was how the Jiang and Wen had become family, strong bonds slotting into place over months and now appeared to have been there, a steady permanent fixture.
The Wen worked to modify their dialectal accent, copying almost all of the Jiang ways. They wore purple, except for Wen Ning and Wen Qing, although that would change with their marriage, he assumed.
Under the heavy shadow of the surveillance teams, Wen Qing eyed the horizon critically and admitted to him, that she just prayed her family passed inspection.
Lan Zhan didn't want to know what Nie Huaisang and Wei Ying had done. Jiang Cheng may have paved the way for legal inter-sect adoption and put his seal on the papers, but the unlikely duo had created false digital identities, forged rock-solid back stories, histories and birth certificates. Anyone looking, and he assumed there would be sudden scrutiny, because no one in the jianghu really knew much about Jiang Fengmian, they would find interesting people devoted to their sect, never straying from Yunmeng.
Lan didn't know whether to simply be relieved the Wen were safe, or horrified at just how much of the law Wei Ying had happily broken.
Granny Jiang laughed heartily and the others in the kitchen, a mix of Jiang disciples and former Wen, looked over curiously. Embarrassed, Lan Zhan attempted a smile and joined her at the counter. They didn't need to worry about the cake, because Jiang Yanli's bakery had made one specially.
An hour later with he had made purple rice soup with coconut milk now ready for the table, two platters of summer fruit arranged in a lotus pattern and his mother's sweet rice cakes filled with cubed mango.
As they worked, various pots boiling on the stove, Granny Jiang talked mostly of Sizhui and Lan Zhan was all too happy to listen. But after a while she said sadly, "So sad for them. So much tragedy, so much heartbreak."
"An atrocity." Lan Zhan offered solemnly as he peeled a durian.
She hummed and then said quietly, "I'm very happy you're here for A-Xian. That young man has done so much for my family and he's the best father I could hope for A-Yuan. I know my son and Xiao Pei can rest in peace."
"A-Yuan is very loved." Lan Zhan said softly. "He is a gift beyond measure."
Granny Jiang wiped at wet eyes. "He is." She smiled, "I just....A-Xian is so good at heart. But...that boy will write his own narrative, no matter the facts and I'm relieved that you came."
Lan Zhan had blinked, not understanding what she was implying and only said quietly, "I always want to support Wei Ying."
Granny Jiang smiled, sweet and knowingly. "And its a blessing."
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Jiang Yanli made sure that all of the Wen stayed for the celebration, her quiet joy and tearful eyes melting even the most shy and distant of the family. Even Lan Zhan who had tried to back out of remaining, had been guided to a chair next to Fourth Uncle.
"We need to distract them a little." The other man said in an undertone.
Instinctively Lan Zhan looked across the table at Wei Ying, who was looking at the water downcast. Like it was a funeral. At the opposite end was Jiang Cheng, but Wen Qing had very cleverly put Sizhui on his knee, and the Lord Jiang was busy chatting with the little boy about the decorations on the table and fiddling with his juice glass. Wen Ning looked ready to cry or bolt. Jiang Yanli was overwhelmed and teary as she tried to put a happy face on for them, chatting to Granny Jiang about the flowers.
Steeling himself, Lan Zhan rose from his seat and raised his glass. "A toast. To the strength and love of family."
Everyone immediately raised their glass and Wen Qing stood as well, "To the little ones who bring joy."
That had them toasting even higher, then laughing as Jin Ling tossed his bear at a hanging paper decoration. "Well, he's got better aim than I do!" Fourth Uncle said proudly.
Then Sizhui was waving his little hand at Wei Yin, "Baba!"
And Wei Ying's eyes sparkled as he waved back, a light laugh escaping him. Lan Zhan felt he breathe and smiled gently at him, when he glanced his way.
===
The day passed in a blur of trying keep everyone buoyant, which considering his upbringing, for him this was a monumental task, for which he was wholly unsuited to.
The junior disciples had a competition which had Jiang Yanli smiling with genuine amusement and joy. Wen Qing and Wei Ying were organizing the boat race and only grinned when their teams tied at the finish. Wei Ying graciously gave Wen Qing the rosette and Sizhui adorably gave him a flower in compensation.
But that night Sizhui remained at Lotus Pier, fast asleep in Lin Jing's room, after the excitement of the day. Strangely, Wei Ying didn't carry him back to the apartment, citing the threatening humidity, A-Yuan exhaustion and at first Lan Zhan just assumed that meant Wei Ying would stay overnight in the main house.
To his shock, Wei Ying chose to make his way back across the water to his apartment, with a kiss to his sister's cheek and a relatively cheery goodnight to his brother. Granted, the Yunmeng brothers seemed to have a long, silent conversation involving one bright grin, eyebrow flicking and the other one glaring. Yanli was equally calm, as if she had expected this and only hugged her brother tightly.
Wen Qing looked somewhat surprised, pausing mid-step halfway up the stairs. But she said nothing and only watched them leave.
Lan Zhan followed quickly, knowing there was some surveillance watching even from this distance. But mostly he tried to glean some clue to help him gauge Wei Ying's mood and mindset, because Wei Ying didn't seem that affected that his son was going to sleep separate from his protection. And that defied everything he knew about the loving single father determined to built a safe haven for his son.
Wei Ying hadn't eaten dinner, barely touched anything at the celebration and didn't seem inclined to go out or to eat later back at the main house. His eyes were faraway and Lan Zhan wondered if grief had prompted this distant look, or if it was because Sizhui was not with him. But as he didn't know what to say, the silence between them grew.
Still eventually, Wei Ying chatted calmly, if with some reserve that Lan Zhan had never seen before. It wasn't the cold, brittle viciousness of grief or the withdrawn shadow of himself after the attack at Lotus Pier. It was a muted version of Wei Ying, one thoughtful and too calm.
Once inside, Lan Zhan waited for the last possible second to leave him, but Wei Ying just waved him away. "I know you'll want to shower Lan Zhan. I'll heat up some dinner. Soup sound good? Jiejie made vegetable soup."
There was no comment on the lack of spice in his diet, - a tragedy in Wei Ying's opinion - or a teasing comment about the lack of meat. He just wandered off to his kitchen, leaving Lan Zhan feeling wrong-footed and uncertain.
The small AC unit was on and Wei Ying's arrays for driving air through a space were active, reducing the muggy feel to the apartment. Not having Sizhui here from strange and he just stopped himself from checking on the little one on some reflex.
He showered almost on autopilot, anxiety strumming its own tune in his blood. Part of it was worry for Wei Ying, who had years of unaddressed trauma and the anniversary of the Lotus Pier atrocity was coming closer. Wei Ying was the type who would smile through the pain or break his own back trying for a solution. He was not someone who was willing to talk about their problems. Not easily anyway.
So Lan Zhan dressed carefully in a loose white t-shirt and cargo pants, deliberately leaving his footwear and jewelry behind. No headband, no insignia. Just himself. When he was done and could no longer linger without contravening his sect's rules, he left for the kitchen, feeling no where near ready but committed to help Wei Ying however he could.
There was no manual for helping the love of your life, who thinks of you as a 'good friend', through intense trauma, grief and a lifetime of silence.
In the kitchen, Wei Ying had his back to the door. The house was quiet in a sweet hush, as it always was when Sizhui went to bed in the early evening. The smell of wood ear mushrooms and spice filled the space and Lan Zhan could see two pots simmering away.
One would be red, he was sure. Filled with more chili than one person should be able to consume and the other would be Yanli's take on vegetarian recipes. Improved for flavor, she would say. Wei Ying teased, but he respected Lan Zhan's life choices and truly, if it contained hot spice, Wei Ying was not fussy in the slightest. Meat-filled or vegan, he didn't really care.
There was tea steeping and two cans of coconut juice on the table, resting on the woven bamboo mats Wei Ying had made with A-Yuan as a craft project.
"Ah Lan Zhan." He said in greeting, turning from the stove holding a long metal spoon. "Dinner is almost ready." With the spoon he pointed to the small table idly, before going back to his stirring.
It felt like a trap. Police trained instincts, and his own upbringing said that it was. But Wei Ying's grey eyes were mercury in the dim light, his long fingers stirring the pot almost idly as he waited for Lan Zhan to make his choice. Flee or stay.
It might be a trap, but Lan Zhan would never not be able to take that seat.
Wei Ying's smile was warm and gentle as if reassuring him that he had made the right decision. Then he turned back to the soup, calmly reaching for the bowls, fingers deftly swinging the red cupboard door open and flicking it back with such casual grace.
Lan Zhan had seen echoes and versions of this Wei Ying over years and more recently with Sizhui. But Wei Ying was a man capable of wearing many types of armor, of picking and discarding versions of himself cultivated to suit his audience and the situation at hand.
It was disturbing on some levels, because Lan Zhan had struggled for years to find who he was as a person beyond his sect and develop his own personality. But Wei Ying was a chameleon, often he suspected at the expense of himself.
"I thought we could talk." Wei Ying said in a deliberately smooth voice.
The trap door closed and Lan Zhan swallowed as he reached to pour them tea. "I always enjoy talking with you Wei Ying." He said honestly, remembering Granny Jiang words. He writes his own narrative.
A soft laugh was his reply, "Yeah well. You must. Otherwise you would have stopped replying to my messages years ago."
Wei Ying forged on before Lan Zhan could argue. "But still, so much has happened and I've been a bad friend."
"Wei Ying is never bad." Lan Zhan said firmly and Wei Ying spluttered.
"Figures you wouldn't agree. Lan Zhan is too forgiving." Wei Ying said, adding dry noodles to the soup from a reusable bag. "So much has happened. You nearly died on the job in Caiyi and I know you're nearly all better, but still...it's a lot. And I haven't asked you."
Because you were waiting. Lan Zhan thinks in realization.
He had been naive to think he could escape the full intensity of Wei Ying's mind, his interest. He had been so busy trying to hide how much he felt, he had forgotten that Wei Ying cared for very few and those special ones he looked out for. He had erroneously thought that because Wei Ying was so distracted, he wouldn't focus on him all that much, or at least for long enough to question why he was here. Years of invitations and he had never come before.
Everyone else might buy his obvious explanation, but not Wei Ying.
And he had been distracted himself. Now he realized that Wei Ying had been watching and waiting. A cat patiently waiting, poised to pounce.
In all his time loving and dutifully observing Wei Ying, he had adored and admired, but he had never lived with the adult version of him. Wei Ying had been hardened by survival as a child and hid his thoughts behind endless masks and deflections. He had suffered loss again on a larger, far more traumatic level only last year. The massacre the jianghu are already trying to forget.
Standing at the stove, gorgeous in his half-attached dungarees and t-shirt, stirring two pots of soup, was the other version of Wei Ying. The soldier, not the teacher, brother or father. Not the dazzling friend or the commanding, but supportive boss. Devoid suddenly of deflections and diversions, of the bright enthusiasm that was partly his hyperactivity and optimism and partly a facade.
The immovable mountain, shrouded in mists and shadows, not the rushing river in bright sunlight.
Lan Zhan loved this version as well, he decided. Loved and respected the danger of him always, the hidden edges that were as sharp as Suibian, that indomitable will, force of character and those jaded grey eyes. This was the Wei Ying ready to defend his family to the death. This was the Wei Ying who took no prisoners, and left no infrastructure behind.
This was the Wei Ying who murdered Wen Chao. Who freed Wen Qing and her family. But Lan Zhan felt no apprehension, still felt that sense of safety Wei Ying had always given him. Safe to be himself whoever that was, no barriers between except what he imposed, to hide how much he loved him.
The flames shut off and Wei Ying was pouring soup before Lan Zhan could answer. Then a bowl was placed in front of him and Wei Ying was pouring a red concoction into another bowl, this one with a rabbit painted on the side.
There were mushrooms floating in a bronze broth, with water chestnuts, bamboo and lotus roots bobbing gently. A nest of noodles fighting to the top. It was the nicest bowl of soup anyone had ever made him. "Thank you Wei Ying."
The man himself slid into the seat opposite him and smiled. It was warm, but it wasn't beaming. "I'm a master at reheating Lan Zhan. Its a sacred art form." He teased. He didn't have soup as it turned out, but a bowl of lotus root fried with garlic. The lotus slices were scarlet red.
"It is lovely." He said, taking his first spoonful. "Your sister is very kind."
"She is." Wei Ying agreed amicably, then those grey eyes sharpened to steel. "So, while I love the fact that you are finally here in Yunmeng and taking time for yourself, forging a relationship with the most perfect godson to ever walk this land...that's not why you came is it?"
His throat closed as he looked into grey eyes, unyielding and yet sympathetic.
Lying was forbidden. Hurting Wei Ying by deflection was impossible. But being honest could get him killed, break the trust between them and trigger Wei Ying's downward spiral, if he thought the jianghu were out for his family. Whatever he would do, it would be self-sacrificing and final.
Secrecy was the only answer. No matter how wrong it felt, or how uncomfortable it was.
Wei Ying picked up a piece of lotus root and bit into it, eyes on Lan Zhan, waiting for him to attempt to weasel free of this, or tell him something. "I'm not blind Lan Zhan. Gusu was low-key attacked only a little while ago and Zewu-jun is in Qinghe for the Reunion from Hell. That leaves your Shushu to defend Gusu and...yeah the old goat is plenty to deal with on a good day. But you wouldn't leave the region without a fight."
"Gusu is well defended. Wei Ying's shielding and the humiliation will be a deterrent for a while." Lan Zhan defended quietly.
"Not an answer Lan Zhan." Wei Ying replied calmly. "We are very different in a lot of ways. But putting our families first? That's the same. You love your job and you've been hurt before. Your response was to hole up in Gusu and take on more sect responsibility while you healed. Even when I pleaded with you come to Yunmeng. So tell me, what's wrong?"
Lan Zhan hesistated and Wei Ying nodded.
"Is it....because of Mian Mian? Or Lan Minshang?" Wei Ying asked quietly, stabbing a chopstick through one of the holes in his lotus root dinner.
Lan Zhan stared at him in honest confusion.
"I heard....that Mian Mian might have....cheated on you." Wei Ying said quickly, in a strange gap-filled way and he added, "And Lan Minshang's betrayal hit you hard I know. He was....well something to you and that....I didn't ask...I should have but I didn't want to make it worse and..."
"Wei Ying." Lan Zhan interrupted, lost and now determined to end this bizarre guilt over an even more bizarre reason.
Grey eyes wide and vulnerable looked up at him. "I'm so sorry about Mian Mian. I know you've had a thing for her for years." He just blurted.
Really? This Lan Zhan could not believe. Wei Ying didn't actual believe that he had been harboring feelings for the girl that Wei Ying had dated for a month. A fact he doesn't seem to remember! Dated mainly to screw with Jin Zixuan and because he liked her. After saving her life twice. He did realize that Lan Zhan was gay right?
"Luo Qingyang and I have never dated." He stated first and foremost, trying everything to hide his irritation, hurt and disbelief, because she didn't deserve to lose Wei Ying's friendship over rumors.
"But..." Wei Ying looked shocked.
Swallowing the cocktail of emotions in his chest, Lan Zhan forged on. "The public disagreement between Luo Qingyang and I stemmed entirely from a case. We also argued over my injury and her immense, misplaced guilt. I have no romantic interest in her Wei Ying."
"Oh." Wei Ying subsided slightly and nodded, "Okay. And Lan Minshang?"
....Would be an ideal excuse.
"I do feel betrayed by his choices. Once he was my friend." Lan Zhan told his bowl, not daring to look at Wei Ying. "Gusu is torn by the revelation that betrayal came from within. Officially, Brother's visit to Qinghe, the first in many years, is being considered a sect alliance."
Before Wei Ying could speak, he added quickly. "Lan Minshang's family, specifically his father is close - or at least he once was, with Shushu."
"And he's blaming you?" Wei Ying sounded outraged.
"He is blaming Su She for coercing or corrupting his son. Then, he is blaming Brother and myself for not believing that Lan Minshang was a victim." That was no lie and a great source of tensions. Shushu was in fact relieved that he wasn't going to be recovering in Gusu, simply so he could have the time to cool tensions.
"So you nearly died and then couldn't go home, because you might upset a faction of Elders bonded to the old goat?" Wei Ying asked, his eyes wide at first and then narrowing to a vicious glare.
"...Essentially." Lan Zhan replied.
Wei Ying swore, "That is nowhere near fair Lan Zhan. Or right."
Lan Zhan drank another spoonful of his soup and waited.
"But that's not all. You would have stayed in Caiyi." Wei Ying said softly.
Okay. So a truth that they could all live with.
"I submitted evidence against the Wen. Against Wen Xu specifically."
The chopsticks lowered, grey eyes stunned. "Against..." Wei Ying's tone hardened. "And they're punishing you for it?"
"Yes." He admitted, reaching for the can of coconut juice. "And no."
"How can it be both?" Wei Ying demanded, dinner forgotten entirely. "Lan Zhan!"
"After Gusu...burned." He began and Wei Ying winced, his eyes gentling. "As you know, I was determined to find justice for my slain family and sect."
"I know. I do. You became a cop for that reason. Marrying cultivation, Night Hunting and law enforcement all together. Caiyi SCD." Wei Ying said gamely.
Lan Zhan nodded, feeling his way across the icy field of his own making. Why was this so hard?
"For years I found vagueness. Nothing I could build a solid case upon. Nothing a prosecutor would entertain. The Wen have too much power. " Lan Zhan told him and Wei Ying stabbed another slice of lotus root angrily.
"Someone gave Brother a datastick with evidence against Wen Xu."
"Damn. You mean actual crimes? Ones you can build a case with? Because no one's ever managed to get him in court." Wei Ying asked, then frowned. "No offense, but why Zewu-jun?"
"Brother refuses to admit his source. All of the evidence on that datastick can be proven, except no one has ever had access to the full files. Incriminating financial data, fraud, murder and intimidation. Enough to get the attention of my superiors."
"Were they interested?" Wei Ying asked over his cup, "Because let's face it, the bastard is very much still free Lan Zhan."
"Interested enough to launch an investigation, at least financially based. Then, by chance I investigated the death of a woman in Caiyi. Her murder was unrelated, but it led me to the unsolved case of another woman, murdered in the same building a year before." Lan Zhan explained.
"And that got you to Wen Xu?" Wei Ying asked sounding shocked, "What was that bastard doing in Caiyi?"
It had taken a year, Figbird and the rest of his network, combined with police work, but the answer certainly didn't fall from the sky. "The woman who died was Wen Xu's former mistress. She escaped and fled to Caiyi. He found her and personally paid her a visit."
"You have evidence." Wei Ying said in a hushed tone, his eyes skittering away from Lan Zhan to stare off to the side.
"CCTV footage placing him inside the elevator and entering the building at eight pm. I also found footage of him exiting the apartment, without the jacket he was wearing on his way up. There was blood clearly visible. He paid for a cleaning crew to come by an hour later. He scrubbed the building CCTV, but did not know that the landlord who murdered the SCD victim in apartment eleven, had been stalking her - and others- for five years."
"Sick. Really sick." Wei Ying said in disgust. "But his secondary footage caught Wen Xu?"
"Yes. Entering and leaving. The landlord tried to use it to reduce his sentence during interview." Lan Zhan told him.
"Roll on a rotten bastard to save his own skin. Epic. Why didn't you tell me before?" Wei Ying asked clearly annoyed. And Lan Zhan knew that any hint of him not being mentally stable enough would anger him no end.
"I do not know that the evidence I submitted will result in anything. We need DNA to match against the small sample we managed to recover. I would not give Wei Ying false hope, any more than I would Shushu." Lan Zhan told him, though he was sure that the murder charges, plus the financial would result in an arrest. Wen Industries was doomed. "There is a financial investigation underway against Wen Industries."
"Wow. So you might be able to get him on that. Give you time to get more evidence for the murders." Wei Ying considered. "You think it might work?"
"I have hope Wei Ying. They have kept it quiet, so as to not tip off Wen Xu. My superiors informed me of it, when I was in hospital. They wish for me to remain out of it."
All true, except said superiors had no idea he was the one supplying the anonymous information.
"Because of Gusu. Shortsighted fools. Why did you agree?" Wei Ying asked then, too clever to just let it go, as much as Lan Zhan wished he would.
For a moment, Lan Zhan struggled and then sighed. A final truth.
He flexed his feet beneath the table and set down his spoon, giving up on all pretense of eating. What he was going to do, was something he had longed for, since the moment he and Xichen had achieved a miracle of their own making. But time and enemies were against them.
Trust didn't come easily, the risk compounded when the secret was shared and just knowing how someone might react wasn't really enough. But if Lan Zhan couldn't trust Wei Ying. Who could he trust?
"In theory, if Wei Ying decided to do something - against the law - would Wei Ying tell me? Knowing I would be an accessory. Even if I was not a Chief of SCD." He knew the answer of course, the ghost of Wen Chao silent but present between them for a long second.
Wei Ying's eyes betrayed nothing, neither did his face. Not guilt. Nor even a twitch when asked. Which might be because, Wei Ying didn't feel any guilt for keeping him 'innocent' of his crimes. Wei Ying would gladly hurt himself to save someone else, so why would he regret protecting Lan Zhan? He didn't even smile or laugh or use any deflection at all. He chewed slowly and then sipped his tea.
"If you would be an accessory, held accountable legally and I couldn't ensure you wouldn't get hurt...then no. I wouldn't tell you."
I did not and I will not.
This was Lan Zhan's burden. To help him carry the weight of killing a man who delighted in atrocity. Silently. His promise was to keep Wei Ying from prison or death. What was the need for Wei Ying to spill his secret when Lan Zhan already knew it?
'Why are you asking me Lan Zhan? Don't tell me you need a body hiding?" Wei Ying asked with a teasing smile. Then paused, searching Lan Zhan's face. Whatever he found there seemed to disturb him and Lan Zhan regretted that. In a different, softer tone, he said as if testing the waters, "I would help. If you did. But you wouldn't ask me that."
Wei Ying's apartment walls were covered in various arrays, including sound-proofing, muffling charms and a smaller version of his tri-layer shielding. He doubted strongly that anyone could break in to plant a listening device. Just trying to get inside, with permission and the access codes was hard enough.
"Not a body." He confirmed and Wei Ying relaxed a little. "A victim."
Wei Ying frowned, but sipped his tea. "You want hide a witness?"
"I am hiding a witness. Brother too." Lan Zhan told him, hope unfurling even as his chest tightened in nerves.
"A witness...no one else knows is alive?" Wei Ying guessed, dark brows lowering in thought. Heavens Above, he loves this man.
"Are you being threatened?" Wei Ying asked, his voice low, his eyes burning into his. 'Lan Zhan? Threatened? By the Wen?"
"By the Jin." Lan Zhan admitted, feeling calmer about it than he had anticipated.
"The Jin?" Wei Ying repeated. "Ma de. Well its Jin Guangshan. Nothing is beyond that creep. Nothing. But to threaten you? About this witness?"
"Father's mentor was a renowned cultivator." Lan Zhan told him bluntly. "He committed a crime against my mother and she accidentally killed him. Father offered her sanctuary within Gusu and they married a week later."
"Lan Zhan..."
"Mother was never free. She was trapped within Gusu. Because if she should leave, the Jin Sect would arrest her and had already charged her with murder when sanctuary was given. She was to be executed or imprisoned." Lan Zhan continued. "The night of....when Gusu burned....Brother got Mother out of her cottage. He was injured and she..."
"Killed to protect her son, didn't she?" Wei Ying added softly. "She didn't die? You smuggled her out? But Lan Zhan you...you were so injured?"
"Father was dead. Most of my generation were dead. Shushu nearly died." Lan Zhan told him desperate for Wei Ying to understand. "We convicned Mother to hide in the forest. To take the old road to Gusu. She made it to Caiyi."
Wei Ying swore. "Where is she now? No. Don't tell me. I won't ask. Damn Lan Zhan that's a lot for you to carry."
"When I was lucid enough to tell Wei Ying....Wei Ying was gone." Lan Zhan said haltingly. "Then,"
"There wasn't an opportunity and only an idiot would say that online or over the phone." Wei Ying interrupted. "Is she safe?"
"Safe."
"She's in Yunmeng?" Wei Ying suddenly asked, eyes wide.
"Nearby. Where Wei Ying is. Wei Ying helped her recently. Protected Mother." Lan Zhan told him.
"Your mother! I met your Mother and didn't know?" Wei Ying yelped.
"Mother likes you." Lan Zhan told him with a tiny smile, reaching for his spoon.
Wei Ying seemed to freeze in shock at this. "Your...your mother likes me?"
"Mother knows Wei Ying is....vital." That's what friends said, didn't they? Lan Zhan wondered as Wei Ying's eyes again widened and he sat back stunned.
"So you came to visit her?" Wei Ying asked then. And I was just convenient?
"No. Brother came to see Mother before Qinghe. Came to see Wei Ying. To heal. To be safe." Lan Zhan told him firmly.