Wei Ying POV
Wei Ying knew what it felt like to be under the influence of a powerful truth serum. Memories of not being able to think straight, of having his mouth moving without his consent returned in a suffocating rush. He wanted nothing more than to walk back out the door. But there were things he needed to know. There were questions they all wanted to ask.
"A-Xian!" Jiang Fengmian said with a friendly smile. "Where have you been, mmmmy boy?"
Wei Ying looked to his grandmother who stood there with a satisfied gloat on her deceptively young face. She encouraged him with her hands but he couldn't move. His silver eyes looked over at his parents who waited patiently for him to make a decision.
A warm hand slipped into his. The action was almost unnoticeable to others. But to Wei Ying, it had the same effect as a bucket of cold water being poured on an open campfire. The heat from the smoldering embers was still there but the flames no longer licked hungrily at the logs.
Wei Ying took a deep breath. He held it, weighing his options within his calculating mind, before exhaling slowly. Giving his jade's hand a reassuring squeeze, he moved closer to the man who had treated him like his own son. As their connection slowly faded, Wei Ying found that he wasn't scared. Lan Zhan was with him. Even if they weren't physically touching, he knew his soulmate was still beside him. Still protecting him. Still loving him.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Jiang, I've been a little busy. But I'm here now." Wei Ying explained as he knelt in front of the heavily drugged man.
"Youuu look good. You lllllook happy. I'm ssssooo glad you're hhhhappy."
"I am happy, uncle. Are you happy?"
It was such a simple question. Yet, at its core, it would open the door to the truth the serum had unlocked.
Jiang Fengmian paused as the smile on his face faltered. His brows knitted together until thoughtful furrows appeared on his normally smooth forehead.
I...I uuuused to be happy." he answered, his deep lilac eyes drifting to his hands that rested in his lap. "I remmmember being happy."
Jiang Fengmian looked at Wei Ying as if the young man kneeling before him had all the answers. "Why ammm I nnnnot happy anymore, A-Xian?"
The older man reached out for Wei Ying's hands but found only air when the young man in black pulled them back. It hadn't been a conscious response on Wei Ying's part. In fact, he hadn't even known he had responded in that way until Jiang Fengmian stared at him with clear shock.
Tears gathered in the corners of Wei Ying's eyes. He looked up at his parents whose watery gazes matched his own. When he looked at his grandmother, he realized she would not be as merciful if asked to question the Jiang Clan leader in his stead. Yanli stood silently in the corner. Her hands fidgeted in front of her and all Wei Ying wanted to do was hug her and tell her everything was going to be alright.
But that would have been a lie.
"Uncle, what do you know about Madam Yu and the Wen's?"
Jiang Fengmian's hands struck out like vipers and grabbed Wei Ying's shoulders. "Sheee let them innnn, didn't she?"
Lan Zhan quickly moved behind Wei Ying but Wei Ying waved him off. The scowl on his protective jade's face was obvious but Wei Ying didn't know if it was because of Jiang Fengmian's hands on him or the fact that Wei Ying denied him from laying a hand on the groggy man in the chair.
Placing tender hands on top of the clan leader's, Wei Ying slowly loosened Jiang Fengmian's hold on his shoulders. With a small jerk, his shoulders were free. However, Wei Ying continued to hold onto Jiang Fengmian's hands, praying that the clan leader he admired for being fair and kind was not someone who would be responsible for the massacre of his clan.
"Yes, uncle," Wei Ying answered. "We believe she allowed the Wens access to Lotus Pier. They were after me. I'm sorry. I caused your home to be destroyed and you to be hurt."
"Wei Ying does not need to apologize." Lan Zhan growled.
"He's right, you know?" Wei Ying's father agreed, taking a step forward. His wife's hand gripped his forearm and stopped him from taking another, her eyes hard but her gaze soft.
Wei Ying looked up at everyone standing around him. He knew what they said was true but it didn't make the guilt any less painful. If he hadn't been so close to the Jiang siblings, the Wens and Madam Yu wouldn't have used his shidi and shijie as bait. Lan Zhan wouldn't have had to put his life in danger to rescue his stupid ass that insisted on going back for them.
How was he not supposed to feel guilty about all of that?
Without warning, Jiang Fengmian wrapped his arms around Wei Ying and stood them both up.
"But theyyyy didn't get you, A-Xian! You'rrre here! You're sssafe!" he said as he patted Wei Ying's back.
Wei Ying returned the sign of affection and answered, "I am here, uncle. I'm safe."
It wasn't a lie, technically.
Wei Ying extricated himself out of the older man's embrace and held him at arm's length. "Uncle, what do you know about Madam Yu's dealings with the Wens?"
It was time to get answers. The tension in the room thickened, the silence unnatural as everyone held their breath.
"Mmmmaybe two years ago? I nnnnoticed her mmmmeeting with Wen Rouhan more often. She told me it wasss to strengthen the bonds between our clans. I knnnew QishanWen was growing in power. And if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"
Everyone visibly tensed. Jiang Fengmian's jaw clenched.
"I was jussst trying to protect mmmmy family," he said defensively.
Wei Ying tried to sympathize with him. Wanting to protect the people they loved was something both men had in common. Yet protecting his clan while at the same time ignoring an evil digging its claws into his own family was something Wei Ying could not understand. Would never understand.
"Did you know the Wen's were stealing children? That they were destroying entire villages?" Wei Ying asked impatiently. If this truth serum was anything like the one he had taken, he was running out of time and needed to ask the difficult questions they all needed answers to.
Jiang Fengmian turned away from the young man interrogating him. He looked at everyone else in the room until his eyes landed on his daughter huddled in the corner. Jiang Yanli's face was wet with tears that trickled from her bloodshot eyes. Father and daughter cautiously came together in the middle of the room, both too afraid to reach out for comfort.
"You understand, don't you, mmmmyyy precious daughter? I did evvverything to protect you annnd your brother."
"A-die," Yanli replied with as much kindness as she could inject into her voice. "Did you know what a-niang was doing? Did you know she conspired with them to capture A-Xian?"
"But they didn't capture himmmm! He'ssss right here!" Jiang Fengmian exclaimed, turning to hug Wei Wuxian again. "He's perfectly ffffine! I've always known he would grow into a sssstrong man. Just...just look at him!"
Cangse Sanren could no longer hold her tongue. She charged forward and grabbed the stunned Jiang clan leader by his robes, shaking him.
"Those monsters took my boy and tortured him! They forced him to kill in an arena surrounded by people who wanted him to see him suffer! My baby almost died trying to escape! How could you ignore what was going on around you?! The Wens have been stealing children, experimenting on them! And you knew it!!"
Jiang Fengmian's eyes were wide with fright. "I couldn't sssstand up to themmm! To...to herrrr! She's my wife! The mmmmother of my children! As long as A-Li and A-Cheng were safe, nothing else mattered!"
Wei Ying backed away in disbelief, Lan Zhan's arms wrapping around him just before his legs gave out from under him. Yanli sank to the floor in horror, her cries broken. Wei Changze gathered his seething wife in his arms. Baoshen Sanren stepped forward and punched Jiang Fengmian in the face, the sound of bone crushing bone deafening within the walls of the small room. Jiang Fengmian stumbled, his hands going up in a futile defensive posture.
Resentful energy gathered at the bottom of Wei Ying's robes. The darkness that lingered just under the surface of his control billowed up from the depths of his emotions. He steadied himself in Lan Zhan's arms. Pushing away from his jade, he approached the purple robed man who still wobbled on his feet from his grandmother's punch.
"What kind of clan leader are you?" he hissed.
Jiang Fengmian spun around, facing Wei Ying. "A damn good one! Iffff I hadn't kept my mmmmouth shut, she would have ssssacrificed Lotus Pier to get what she wanted. She threatened to turnnnn my children against me."
"She DID sacrifice Lotus Pier along with innocent people! And she got what she wanted! She gave me to the Wens! And turned your children against you! A-Cheng sided with her! A-Li no longer knows who her father is!"
Jiang Fengmian looked back at his daughter. He took one step towards her but she scurried back to stand by Baoshen Sanren's side.
"Who could love a father like you?" Wei Ying snarled. "A coward. A fool."
Lan Zhan's hand slipped into his. "Wei Ying."
Red eyes snapped to the jade's face. "What? They all want me to punish him for his crimes. Why shouldn't I show him what I'm capable of? What the Wens wanted to turn me into?"
But the calm reasoning Wei Ying expected to see in Lan Zhan's eyes was not there. In its place was a volatile anger. Golden eyes burned with a rage that made Wei Ying's blood run cold, snapping him out of his own hatred for Jiang Fengmian.
"Lan Zhan?"
The Second Jade unsheathed Bichen, the cold, slow sound of sliding steel echoing off the walls.
"He failed his clan. He failed his children."
Wei Ying squeezed his beloved's hand. "I know. And he will be punished." He paused and realized what he was about to do himself just a moment ago. Red cooled into silver, Wei Ying's hand was relaxed but steady as he placed it on top of his jade's fist that clenched Bichen. "It's not our decision what his punishment should be."
Lan Zhan took another step towards the now retreating clan leader. "He is the reason Wei Ying was captured. He is the reason you almost died."
The air in the room became charged with Lan Zhan's fury. The hairs on the back of Wei Ying's neck stood on end. Whatever was happening with his jade, Wei Ying knew he was the only one who could stop it.
"Everyone out." he ordered.
"A-ying, how can we help?" his father asked.
Without moving his eyes away from Lan Zhan's face, Wei Ying replied, "You can help by leaving. I've got this. Trust me."
Baoshen Sanren cast him a knowing look before shuffling Jiang Yanli through the door. Wei Ying's parents hesitated but quickly followed. Jiang Fengmian tried to leave as well, but Bichen's blade stopped him before he took two steps, the sword tip pointed dangerously close to the clan leader's vulnerable neck.
"Lan Zhan, please. Don't do this." Wei Ying said calmly.
He moved slowly, purposefully, until he was standing in front of Lan Zhan. A tiny gasp passed through his lips as he looked into his jade's eyes. The gold was still there only now it was rimmed with a tiny circle of red. Speculations of what was happening to his soulmate tumbled inside Wei Ying's mind, none of them good.
"Lan Zhan, look at me." His tone was mature and no longer asking.
"He needs to die. For hurting Wei Ying."
Lan Zhan's voice was cold. But it was a cold born from pain. Wei Ying's heart broke for his jade.
Before they met, Lan Zhan had led a quiet, simple life. It may not have been perfect but it was predictable. Having spent some time in Cloud Recesses, Wei Ying knew how important routine was for a Lan, especially the Second Jade. It gave Lan Zhan structure in his life. It made him feel safe and protected.
But ever since Wei Ying danced into his life, everything in Lan Zhan's life became something he questioned. Every day was a challenge to follow the rules that had been ingrained into him since his birth. Every new adventure his jade experienced gave Lan Zhan a different perspective of the world, one not taught in books or recited by an elder.
After Wei Ying was abducted, his beloved jade was forced to endure the torture of not knowing what was coming next, the agony of not knowing whether Wei Ying was alive or dead. Lan Zhan was forced to do things he had been taught to abstain from his entire life. The pressure and stress must have built up to an unbearable level and was now throwing his soulmate off balance.
Well, there was only one way that Wei Ying knew how to restore that balance.
Placing his hands tenderly on Lan Zhan's warm cheeks, Wei Ying gently shifted his jade's face until Lan Zhan was glaring at him instead of Jiang Fengmian. The intensity blazing in those golden eyes that normally looked back at him with love and kindness caught Wei Ying off guard.
"Why are you protecting him?" Lan Zhan asked with gritted teeth.
Wei Ying's lips softened into a pleading smile. "Because this isn't you, my love. I'm not sure what's going on but I do know that my Lan Zhan is kind. My Lan Zhan would not take the life of a selfish coward. My Lan Zhan would be merciful."
With each calm word spoken, Bichen drifted slowly downward. Jiang Fengmian stumbled back until he hit a wall. Out of the corner of his eye, Wei Ying watched him fall to the floor, unconscious.
Wei Ying brushed his thumbs over Lan Zhan's cheekbones. "Thank you, my love. Would you like your reward for being a good boy?" he teased.
Lan Zhan nodded, his eyes fixed on Wei Ying's moving lips.
They came together with a fierce urgency. Lan Zhan's empty hand swiftly slid around Wei Ying's waist and yanked him closer. Bichen clanged to the floor, forgotten. Now empty, his other hand reached up to claim Wei Ying's head.
Wei Ying's arms ensnared his jade's neck, his hands delving deep into Lan Zhan's loose hair. With his skillful tongue, he parted Lan Zhan's lips and tightened his grip. A moan of satisfaction left his mouth only to be devoured voraciously by the man caging him in his arms of steel.
Wei Ying wished this kiss was for pleasure only. But this time he was looking for something. His core reacted as it always did, yearning to be one with its fated mate. It took all of Wei Ying's concentration to focus his power. Lan Zhan's possessive kisses were so distracting. The tingling sensation started in his chest and spread outward like intricate spider webs of desire.
He could feel their cores joining, rejoicing in the intimate connection they shared. And then he felt it.
All the anger, hatred, confusion, jealousy, sadness, frustration his jade had been hiding were all shadows taking shape. All the negative feelings that Lan Zhan was probably never taught how to properly deal with or had never experienced before in such magnitude swirled like a dark aura around his core energy. It was faint but present in a larger amount than Wei Ying had felt in the past.
Unsure if he should try and purge the pain from his jade's troubled heart, Wei Ying decided to try the simplest solution first. However, that meant they had to stop kissing.
Taking one last moment to enjoy himself before breaking away, Wei Ying deepened their kiss. Lan Zhan's body trembled as Wei Ying's tongue flicked up and down, side to side, inside his mouth, making sure that no part was left untouched. With slow and soft pecks, Wei Ying let his arms drift down until his hands were once again on his jade's flushed face.
Lan Zhan's eyes fluttered open. Thankfully, they were once again focused and clear.
"Better?" Wei Ying asked.
"Mn."
Wei Ying affectionately pushed a strand of Lan Zhan's hair behind his ear. "We need to talk about why this keeps happening. Talking about your feelings is the easiest way to deal with them. Even though I talk a lot, some people tell me that I'm a great listener. So, whenever you're ready, I'm here."
He could see Lan Zhan struggling to gather his thoughts. It pained Wei Ying to know that his jade was having such difficulty dealing with emotions that were new and raw to his heart and soul. But if Lan Zhan didn't deal with them soon and learn how to accept them as part of himself, Wei Ying feared they would soon consume the man he fell in love with.
And there was no way he was going to let that happen.
But now was not the time. Wei Ying knew that, once the door to Lan Zhan's deepest, hidden emotions was thrown open, there would be no closing it. They would both need space and more time than they had right now for Wei Ying to teach Lan Zhan how to reconcile what he was feeling.
Wei Ying turned and bent to check on Jiang Fengmian.
"He's sleeping. The truth serum must have finally run its course."
Lan Zhan walked over and offered his hand to Wei Ying. "At least now we know."
"Yeah. I was hoping she had kept him in the dark. Even if he had been conspiring with her, I think it would have been more acceptable than knowing the man I looked up to was a coward willing to sacrifice his entire clan in order to keep him and his children safe."
"Your family will decide his fate. It is not only Wei Ying's decision."
"It wasn't just my family he hurt, though. His actions led to hundreds of families being destroyed. I think all clans should have a say in his fate. But that's for another day. We still need to keep the element of surprise on our side."
"Wei Ying is smart. Grandmother will hold him until then."
"Hmm, Lan Zhan is also smart." Wei Ying said as he bounced on his toes and booped his jade's nose.
Lan Zhan pulled Wei Ying against him. "Wei Ying is the smartest. End of discussion."
"Yes, but..."
A not so subtle knock on the door interrupted them.
"Are you two finished yet?"