MXTX Drabble C22 is up and mirrored here
Chapter 22
: The Art of Listening (A Waiting on the Night Hunt Extra) Summary:
Before Wen Qionglin was finally allowed to build the Night Hunt School in the Earn Your Happy Ending universe, he worked as an unofficial babysitter. But sometimes things still manage to go wrong because kids are kids.
(Written for our Cinnamon Roll's birthday and at the request of my Partner In Crime.)
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"I SWEAR I'M GOING TO BREAK YOUR LEGS IF YOU COME BACK DEAD AGAIN!"
Wen Qionglin watched Jiang Wanyin pace at the edge of the cliff face, glaring down into the chasm where Wei Wuxian had apparently gone, chasing after young Jin Ling. At least this time the fault lay with the juniors Jin Ling was trying to help. Despite everything that'd happened before, Laoling Qin were still Lanling Jin's allies.
"Respect... Master Jiang... Young Master Lan...."
"I KNOW LAN WANGJI'S WITH THEM! HE'S AS BAD AS WEI WUXIAN IS!"
Wen Qionglin sighed, forcing the air in and out of his lungs so the sound was just audible. "Young Master Lan... had... seeker's...."
"I KNOW HE HAS A SEEKER'S COMPASS! I KNOW IT'S TIED TO WEI WUXIAN!"
Another sigh. This one as loud as Wen Qionglin could manage. He really wished he could shout, but it took so much effort to talk already. "And.... gave.... it... to me...."
That made Jiang Wanyin stop. Glare at Wen Qionglin as hard as he could glare. "Why would he give it to you? You're dead. You can't use it."
"To... give... to... you...."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?"
That tore it. Somehow Wen Qionglin managed to draw more than enough air into his lungs for a proper shout. "BECAUSE YOU WON'T STOP INTERRUPTING!"
There were three reasons Wen Qionglin didn't tend to raise his voice. The first, of course, because it took extra effort. The second because - even dead - he was naturally quiet and meek, with no desire to raise a fuss. As for the third reason, a ferocious corpse, especially a ferocious corpse whose state had been improved on by the Yiling Patriarch and augmented by the purified Abyss, was incredibly powerful.
Every tree in the area shook, leaves falling in thick clouds. Every blade of grass bent sideways. And every undead in the area howled in response, ready to come to their General's aid if he demanded it. "Er... sorry...."
The apology was necessary. Wen Qionglin's shout had sent Jiang Wanyin's hair flying, ripping his sect master's crown free of its mooring and turning his robes to a disheveled mess. He stared at Wen Qionglin and said, slowly, "You didn't need to shout."
"It... is... very... frustrating... not being... allowed... to finish." There. At least this time he got the whole sentence out.
Jiang Wanyin blinked. "You follow Wei Wuxian and say that?"
"He... does not... interrupt... me."
"He doesn't? Why the hell not? He interrupts everyone else."
"Because... I used... to... stutter."
Jiang Wanyin considered that. Clearly decided he didn't quite understand yet. Just as clearly decided they had more important things to worry about. "You said Lan Wangji gave you a seeker's compass to give to me. He knew I'd be coming?"
"Jin Ling...." Wen Qionglin paused when Jiang Wanyin looked about to interrupt, lips tightening. To his relief, the Sect Master didn't continue, letting him finish for once. "Jin Ling... with the others... you... keep eye out... for him. Young Master... Lan... said... you were sure... to show up."
The two of them stared at each other for a few minutes longer, the dank wind from the chasm beside them fluttering through their hair, the sunlight shining bright against Yunmeng Jiang purple and Yiling Wei black and red. At last Jiang Wanyin said, "Yes. I suppose he's right. Well, better give it to me. The quicker we find that lot, the quicker we're out of here."
#
They followed the path the seeker's compass showed, clambering down the chasm to its base and working their way slowly along the narrow trail. At last they found the others fighting a monster formed of impossibly strong vines of some unknown plant. Those vines struck out and snagged whatever they could reach, dragging the victim towards an opening at the center of a twisted mass of green.
From the broken skeletons scattered around that opening, Wen Qionglin could tell whatever it was, was eating the victims. From the fact that it was ignoring the fierce corpses Young Master Wei had summoned, he could tell it only wanted living flesh. From the fact that, despite their combined efforts, they were failing to put a dent in the number of vines dragging at them, he could tell the only way to destroy it was from inside.
The only reason they hadn't succumbed so far was Lan Wangji's rapid sound qi strikes, cutting down the vines that caught at the juniors and his husband. Really, there was only one thing to do. Wen Qionglin reached out to Sect Master Jiang. "Master... Jiang. Zidian.... Please."
While Young Master Wei shouted in dismay, Jiang Wanyin just sighed and wrapped Wen Qionglin's arm with his lightning whip, the energy flowing into Wen Qionglin and setting him crackling from hair tip to toe tip. Once he'd absorbed enough, he leapt forward, landing just in front of the monster's maw.
Although it wouldn't have noticed his undead flesh before, it noticed him now. Vines gathered around him, grasping for him to drag him inside. Since that was exactly where he wanted to be, he let them, even though Young Master Wei was cursing at him to stop.
Inside the monstrous maw were other victims, stuck to the wall by fine thorny projections and covered by a clear gel oozing down the monster's inner walls. These victims had been here for some time, still faintly alive but drained of life by the stuff covering them.
Without hesitation, fairly sure of his safety, Wen Qionglin thrust his hand against the nearest wall and let the lightning he'd borrowed from Zidian flow rapidly down his arm. There was a screech somewhere in the darkness ahead of him and something black and gooey struck at him, only to be wrapped in one of his chains and struck by purple lightning as well.
It took several minutes to complete his task but slowly, painfully slowly, the monster stopped screeching. Stopped moving. Stopped. At last, satisfied the thing was no longer a threat, Wen Qionglin pulled his hand out of the gel covering it, confirming his suspicion that it couldn't hurt him. Then he went outside to listen to his master scold him.
Again.
#
At long last, having checked every one of Laoling Qin's juniors out and scolded them for not listening to Jin Ling when he told them to back off, the three adults and one undead dragged the children to the nearest inn for food, drink and a bath. Even Wen Qionglin was in need of washing, a fact he could see better than tell.
"Why didn't you try to stop them?"
"I... did... They... didn't... listen... to me.... or Young Master Jin."
"Neither did you just now," Young Master Wei complained.
"Now you know how I feel," Jiang Wanyin snapped in response.
"Respect... Master Jiang... Young... master... Wei... listens. Always... listens."
That received a sharp and irritable snort. "Sure he does."
"He... does." Wen Qionglin managed a very slight smile. "He... may... not... do what he is... told... but... he... listens.... Just... chooses... not to obey...."
"Yeah, Bro," Young Master Wei smirked. "Exactly."
It was Master Lan Wangji who murmured. "Now you know."
"Eh?"
"How it feels." Lan Wangji gestured at Wen Qionglin. "Just like you."
Young Master Wei, for once, was at a loss for words.
Notes:
* If JC isn't threatening to break your legs for doing something stupid, he doesn't love you. * He isn't good at calming down, however. * A thing those who stammer or have trouble getting sentences out into the world hate. Constantly being interrupted. * A seeker's compass is similar to the resentful energy compass but tied to a specific person. Likely it's in test mode which is why only he has it. * WWX learned early that it was better to be patient with WN when he was trying to express a thought. He doesn't stutter anymore, but he does still have speech issues. * I have no idea what that monster is. A proto-sarlacc? * This is the same universe as Waiting on the Night hunt, so WN's habit of borrowing Zidian's electricity is already established. * It still worries the hell out of WWX. * There's a difference between ignoring what people say and hearing it and doing what you think is best anyway. Not a bit difference, perhaps, but a difference. * LWJ knows his hubby. Knows WN better by now too. And loves getting the last word in.
