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Chapter Fourteen
《OG Timeline, 13 Years After Wei Wuxian's death》
XuanZheng era, year 37. The cultivation world was shaken by the news of the death of LianFang-Zun, Jin Guangyao. His every sinister deeds were disclosed to world, together with the undercurrent of what happened in the past years and the loss of lives under his name.
Words of condemnation, whether just false rumors or truth, spread like wild fire. It was a scene that was so familiar, just like when the world rejoiced for the death of the Yiling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian. In fact, these two events were closely related, for the reason that Jin Guangyao himself could be held responsible for the fate of the Yiling Patriarch.
Funny how with the death of another villain, Wei Wuxian was proved to be wrongfully blamed for his crimes. He never lost control, was never the ungrateful wolf that bit his owner's hand.
Thirteen years ago, the world wronged him leading to his death. After thirteen years of being misunderstood, his name was cleared. But this could never bring him back. A life that was lost could never be brought back.
The Yiling patriarch was indeed unfortunate. However, his death was something that not many would regret. They pity him, but they still fear his power. They had wronged him, but many would never feel guilty for pushing him to his end.
The people who truly felt guilty for this person could only be counted in fingers. Sect Leader Jiang was one. After knowing that the golden core revolving inside him was Wei Wuxian's, how could he not? Second was Wei Wuxian's shizhi who he never met but grew up blaming him for the death of his parents. Some were like Lan Xichen, the few sect leaders who did nothing to stop the siege in the Burial Mounds even though they knew that there was something wrong about it.
But if there's someone who felt the loss deeper than anyone else and who was blaming himself for not being there when Wei Wuxian died, it would be the person who suddenly disappeared after the confrontation with Jin Guangyao in the Yunmeng Guanyin Temple, Hanguang-Jun.
Deep within the darkness of the Burial Mounds, the melody of guqin scattered to the wind like a silent cry, a lonely agony. The very same man who had been missing for months strummed the seven strings of his zither, tirelessly playing an excerpt to ask the spirits. His expression was as usually cold, but every note of his piece carried the melancholy and worries kept within his heart, wishing and pleading for that person to come back to his side.
Lan Wangji was here in Burial Mounds, in the very same cave where he last left Wei Ying. Years had passed, but he still couldn't forgive himself for what he did. He deeply regretted coming back to Gusu that time. He knew, he shouldn't have left Wei Ying just because Wei Ying asked him to get lost. Wei Ying would never leave him had they exchanged roles. Wei Ying would never leave anyone had he seen them being treated with injustice. Because that's the kind of person he was, a selfless soul.
When Lan Wangji heard of Wei Ying's death, it was as if his world had fallen. He knew what he felt for the man, but losing him had made him realize how deep his feelings was. His love for Wei Ying was as deep as the ocean, the ocean that became his endless abyss the moment Wei Ying died.
Lan Wangji couldn't pull himself from the void he had sunk into, like a quicksand drawing him deeper and deeper without a way out. He could never forget about the love that he never got to have. He could never forget about Wei Ying, his smile, his free spirit, his selflessness. For thirteen years he never did.
He knew that Wei Ying would come back. He would wait for him. And if Wei Ying couldn't find his way back, he would search for him. He would do anything even to exchange his entire life just so Wei Ying would once again look at him, a liberty that he took for granted before and a desire that he would die to have now.
In the past years, Lan Wangji had been travelling around the world to look for any news about Wei Ying. Whether the prey was small or big, as long as there's a hunting, as long as there's a possibility of having Wei Ying back, he would go. It had earned him a title of being wherever the chaos is. It was an act that many deemed as selflessness but was truthfully his own selfishness.
Time slips by quickly in front of Lan Wangji without a pause. Without him realizing, it had already been thirteen years. Spirit or alive, he still didn't know where Wei Ying was. Every clue led him into a dead end. They weren't clues in the first place. Lan Wangji knew, however, he could not leave any stone unturned. He would never stop looking for Wei Ying.
Lan Zhan, are you listening? Look at me. Lan Gongzi? Lan Er-gege, why don't you do me a favor and look at me?
Lan Wangji's eyes casted a shadow as inquiry was nearing to its end. He wanted to look at Wei Ying, wanted to see his eyes, his smile, but where was he?
Wei Ying, where are you?
The melody halted, once again yearning, hoping, and waiting. But there's still no answer to his inquiry. No news about the person he was waiting for. He should be numb by now, but every time he would be met with such disappoint, it was still as painful. He was still hurting and perhaps, it's even more excruciating the longer he waited.
"Wangji," a familiar voice called out.
Lan Wangji calmly dispersed the spirits surrounding him with a wave of a hand. He placed back his guqin to his spiritual space and stood up, clasping his hand to greet the figure outside the cave, "Xiongzhang."
Lan Xichen smiled, his smile not as bright as before, his face pale, and his eyes contained the suffering from the still fresh wounds within his heart.
They had not seen each other for months. Both of them had entered a seclusion and both looked terrible compared to their usual self. Lan Wangji remained silent, and his brother understandingly did not make a comment.
Lan Xichen walked beside his brother, deciding to directly speak his purpose as his eyes wandered around the cave, "Wangji, you have been here for three months now and it made us worried about your wellbeing." He faced Lan Wangji as he continued, "Uncle wanted you to comeback. Will you return with me?"
Lan Wangji lowered his head, not saying anything. It was enough for Lan Xichen to know his little brother's answer. He gave Lan Wangji a tired smile. "Wangji, Young Master Wei had been dead for years..."
Hearing others talking about Wei Ying's demise, even if it was his brother, could make a usually calm Lan Wangji to be unusually impolite. Lan Wangji raised his head, meeting his brother's gaze, and saying resolutely, "He will comeback. I will wait for him."
"Wangji... the Burial Mounds is not a safe place to live. Even Young Master Wei would not want you to do this," Lan Xichen tried to reason out.
Lan Xichen understood his little brother's stubbornness very well. But Lan Wangji had been silent about Wei Wuxian's matter for years and Lan Xichen was afraid that Lan Wangji's sudden change would put him in a dangerous situation. Him staying in Burial Mounds was a clear manifestation of this.
Lan Wangji, "Wei Ying had lived here."
"The Burial Mounds is not as stable as before," Lan Xichen stated helplessly.
The corner of Lan Wangji's eyes twitched. The Burial Mounds was indeed not as stable as before. Thirteen years ago, the Burial Mounds turned to shambles. It's resentful and hostile energies leaked to the town surrounding it, creating a massive hunting spanning in the territories of Yunmeng and Qishan.
He had a deep impression of this incident because it was the aftermath of Wei Ying's death. Many said that it was the revenge of the Yiling Patriarch, a curse he left to the world in exchange for his death.
It took the combined efforts of all cultivation sects to calm it down. They managed to contain the resentful and hostile energies within it but its stability inside was still shaky. It was indeed not a safe place to stay.
"Wangi, please comeback with me," Lan Xichen spoke, almost desperate.
Lan Wangji evaded his brother's eyes as he replied, "Xiongzhang, I'm sorry."
Lan Xichen, "I know that you felt bad for Young Master Wei, but Wangji, you already cleared his name. Punishing yourself by staying here... I'm afraid that the resentful energy here would affect your temperament."
Lan Wangji frowned. Did his brother mean that his actions were influenced by the energies here? Or did his brother suspect him for straying away from orthodoxy? He understood his brother's concern. He himself knew that the him now was capable of doing anything just to get Wei Ying back. But he hadn't still get to that point. "Xiongzhang should not worry, Wangji is only here to ask the spirits."
His brother sighed, "I know, I'm just worried about you."
Lan Wangji, "Wangji have regrets, Xionzhang should understand this." His gaze travelled outside the cave, his words were still as polite as he spoke, "It is not early, Xiongzhang should go back."
Lan Xichen furrowed his eyebrows, staring at his brother whose face was as expressionless as usual. However, Lan Xichen knew that his brother right now would not cower in the face of any force. He could only give in, "...Alright, you should send me letters. Please return to Gusu as soon as you're ready. The juniors are asking about you."
Lan Wangji, "Mnn." He paused, "Xiongzhang should also take care of himself."
"Yes, of course." When Lan Xichen turned around, walking away from his brother, he had no idea that Lan Wangji would never comeback, that it would be the last time he would see his brother. The reason for this came not long after he left.
The glare of Bichen illuminated the clearing outside the Demon Slaughtering cave, its sharp edge cutting through the wind and the miasma of resentful energy. It imbedded itself to a nearby tree, but if one would look closely, it actually pinned the sleeves of someone, preventing the person to escape.
The person nervously fanned themselves with their free hand as they wailed, "Hanguang-Jun, I don't know, I don't know, I really don't know."
Lan Wangji approached but didn't recall his sword contrary to his polite words, "Sect Leader Nie, why are you here?"
Nie Huaisang replied miserably, "I just... I'm visiting Wei-xiong's grave. It's his death anniversary, and I want to pay respect to the dead."
Lan Wangji's brows twitched ever so slightly. If Lan Xichen was still here, he would understand that his brother was displeased with the other using Wei Wuxian as an excuse. In fact, even though the tone of Lan Wangji's voice was the same, it appeared colder as he stated, "There is only the two of us here."
It wasn't clear how Nie Huaisang interpreted it, but his lips suddenly curled up behind his fan. "Then I will not go in circles. Hanguang-Jun, I have a proposition that you will be interested in."
Lan Wangji remained silent for some time. He wasn't clueless about the real nature of Nie Huaisang. He knew that the Sect Leader had his hands for what happened from the Mo Village to the Yunmeng Guanyin Temple. He was someone to be wary about. However, something was telling him that he should hear the man out. Lan Wangji heaved an inaudible sigh as he recalled his sword, sheathing it before nodding, "Please speak."
Nie Huaisang beamed, "Hanguang-Jun, I have something to show you first."
Lan Wangji frowned but let the Sect Leader led him. He was surprised when Nie Huaisang walked inside the Demon Slaughtering cave, taking turns and familiarly strolling like it was his home. He stopped in a quite hidden corner, pushing the unsuspicious rock in one of its wall, and revealing a tunnel that Lan Wangji was not aware of.
"Years after the calming of the Burial Mounds, the old farts decided to check the stability within. I (secretly) followed the expedition and happened to stumble upon this place," Nie Huaisang suddenly spoke in reply to Lan Wangji's silence, once again surprising Lan Wangji that he could tell that he was asking for an explanation.
After a few seconds, he shifted with another subject, "Mo Xianyu of the Mo Village."
Nie Huaisang activated a fire talisman as he entered the tunnel with Lan Wangji trailing behind him before he continued, "His soul was not snatched by the Goddess of the Dafan Mountain. He was meant to be a sacrifice. A sacrificial vessel that would willingly gift his body to his chosen spirit in exchange for revenge. Wei-xiong was skilled with dark arts, with things concerning the dead. I was hoping that he could assist my plan together with you. However, the ritual failed, Mo Xianyu's soul was lost forever, his body left without a soul." Nie Huaisang halted his step, looking behind his back, "Hanguang-Jun, why do you think the ritual failed?"
It was easy for Lan Wangji to piece together the information that Nie Huaisang told him. His eyes drooped, the flickering of the fire talisman in Nie Huaisang's hand casted a warm hue on his pale face while his lashes casted light shadows onto his cheeks, making his expressionless face appear gloomy. Lan Wangji answered, "The spirit he called for had already dissipated."
"That is what I would think had I not seen this before. There could be another reason," Nie Huaisang said exactly when they reached a pool as red as blood. In the middle of this pool was a platform drawn with strange array, and in the middle of the array was a small crack suffused with deep red glow that would fluctuate from time to time. "Wei-xiong is indeed no longer in this world, but it's whether his spirit completely dissipated or...it's now in the place unknown to us. I have doubts about the way Wei-xiong died. They said that he was chewed to death."
Lan Wangji, "He wasn't."
"Yes, it was indeed odd. Like something exploded. And then this," Nie Huaisang pointed to the crack.
Lan Wangji nodded as he formed a complex hand seal before pouring his spiritual power to the crack to test it out. Image of the Burial Mounds suddenly assaulted his mind, a man falling from a high altitude, his face swollen, his hair disheveled, and his robe though grey was evidently soak with blood.
Lan Wangji forcibly pulled his cognition from the crack. His lips slightly parted, closed again, before he finally said, "Wei Ying... This is..."
"This is positively a crack between the space and time." Nie Huaisang pulled manuals and notes from his sleeve. "We can use it as a medium to travel back in time. This is my proposition. Hanguang-Jun, are you willing to accept?
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