Yilling Wei Sect AU Chapter Five
Ao3
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Wangji remembered the days when Wei Ying was comatose.
He was, simply put, beside himself with worry for Wei Ying. He would've stayed by his bedside all day if Wen Qing and Xiongzhang hadn't coaxed him to leave the medical tent and eat something with the teenagers, since all the other adults were indisposed with taking care of Wei Ying.
Mo Xuanyu and Xue Yang were quiet, picking at their food, and Wangji knew they also wanted to be by Wei Ying. All three of them had been shooed away, told that worried brooding wouldn't help Wei Ying heal faster.
Meng Yao had quickly taken control of the situation when Wangji—frantic and hysterical—had taken a comatose Wei Ying back to the Cloud Recesses, telling everyone that the honorable Yilling Patriarch had been attacked by lowlifes using dirty tricks and caught off guard without his usual amount of weapons, as he was at a Discussion Conference and not a battleground.
Thankfully, it seemed to have the effect Meng Yao had intended, causing much talk about the dishonor of assassins, and none about how easily it had been to take the Yilling Patriarch down.
"I still don't understand why we can't just track the assassins down," Xue Yang growled, glaring at his food like it had been the one to stab Wei Ying.
The assassin Wangji had stabbed (the one who'd stabbed Wei Ying) had unfortunately still had enough life left to activate a burning talisman on themself, turning any clues they might've found on them into ash as the assassin died.
"I know," Mo Xuanyu agreed. "I hate doing nothing."
"Wen Qing told me that Wen Qionglin was bringing many others, as well as the children, here to see Wei Ying," Wangji offered quietly. "Assisting me with A-Yuan, A-Xiao, and A-Qing may help take your mind off of Wei Ying a little."
That earned him a thankful smile from both boys, who then turned back to their food, touchingly considerate of Wangji's habit of silent meals.
"Alright, boys," Wen Qing stepped outside of the medical tent. "Wei Ying is stable and done with medication for the night. You're officially unbaned—only" she held out a hand as Xue Yang and Mo Xuanyu shot out of their seats. "When you're done with your food.
Wangji sped up his pace considerably, as did the teenagers, all showing their empty bowls to Wen Qing in unison.
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.
"What am I going to do with you three. Wangji, make sure those two go to bed at a reasonable hour and in their own rooms. Alert me if anything happens."
With that, Wen Qing left to prepare for her brother's arrival. Xiongzhang had been alerted of their circumstances, and a camp had been set up around the Jingshi, Wangji's old residence, with explicit instructions to the other sects not to disturb them without invitation.
Wangji arranged comfy furniture he'd brought from the Jingshi for the teenagers as they made themselves cozy.
They sat in around Wei Ying silently, Wangji deciding to copy Xuanyu and make a drawing.
His subject, of course, was Wei Ying. It was hard to do without a direct reference—he wasn't trying to draw him unconscious and bandaged on a cot—but he made do, though he suspected it wasn't a very good likeness.
Wangj had never quite taken to art the way others, like his brother and Mo Xuanyu, had. He was adequete at it, and that was enough for him.
He had never before wished to be better at drawing before, but now he longed for the skills to perfectly capture Wei Ying's sunshine smile.
Sighing, he decided his drawing wasn't distracting him well enough and brought out his guqin from where it was set against a post.
Xue Yang looked up from the book he was reading. "Oh, are you going to play for us, Lan-Qianbei?"
Wangji nodded and set up his guqin on the floor, taking the proper position to play Cleansing, hoping to ease the juniors' minds and his own.
Soon, he saw the teenagers start to droop and yawn in their chairs. It was late, and they should probably go to their own rooms to sleep.
He nudged their shoulders, realizing quickly they had both already fallen asleep. Frowning, he wondered how he would get them to their own rooms. Wen Qing would surely be mad at him if she found all three of them here in the morning, but he didn't want to wake them.
Pursing his lips, he gently picked up Mo Xuanyu first, carrying him to the tent room they'd set up for him, only a few feet away from the medical tent where Wei Ying was (they'd both insisted on staying near him)
Then, once Xuanyu was comfy and tucked in, he came back for Xue Yang and repeated the process, gently setting him on his bed and pulling the blankets around him. It was autumn, edging on winter, so they would need them.
After the teenagers were cozy and asleep in their own beds, Wangji went back to the medical bed and continued playing songs of peace and relaxation for Wei Ying. Wen Qing would yell at him for sleeping there again, but what was he supposed to do? Leave Wei Ying alone so that he could wake up, frightened and abandoned, without any clue where he was? No. Wangji would stay with Wei Ying. He would stay...
Wangji awoke to blinding sunlight and a disapproving look from Wen Qing, who was standing over him, her hands on her hips.
"What did I tell you about sleeping here?" She asked pointedly, tapping her foot.
Technically, Wangji wanted to tell her, she had told him to make sure Mo Xuanyu and Xue Yang didn't sleep there, not him. But he didn't feel like being sassy, and she'd implied she expected him to sleep in his own bed as well.
Wangji bowed his head in apology, though he wasn't really sorry.
"Wasn't going to let Wei Ying wake up alone." He insisted stubbornly.
Wen Qing's face softened, and her stern posture dropped as she set up her medical tools.
"I understand," she told him gently. "But Wei Ying needs you to take care of yourself right now more than anything, okay? A-Ning should arrive very soon, and the children will want to see you. Why don't you go wait for them?"
Wangji nodded, resting his guqin against a post before leaving the tent and joining Mo Xuanyu, Xue Yang, and Meng Yao for morning meal.
Sure enough, soon he heard the shouts and chatter of the children and Wen Ning and stood along with Meng Yao and the teenagers to greet them.
"A-Die!" A-Yuan, A-Xiao, and A-Qing squealed, rushing to hug him, clinging to his legs.
Mo Xuanyu, Xue Yang, and Meng Yao all received their hugs as well, while Wangji quietly informed Wen Ning of the situation, Wen Ning's normally cheery face turning serious and worried as Wangji filled him in.
"Wanna see Baba!" A-Yuan demanded, tugging on Wangji's robes.
"Baba isn't feeling well right now, we'll have to ask Wen Qing, okay?" Wangji told the toddlers. All three of them nodded, following him to the medical tent as he poked his head through the flap.
"The children want to see Wei Ying," He told the doctor, who seemed to be finishing redressing Wei Ying's wounds.
"Alright," She replied, "Give me a minute."
Wangji closed the flap, turning to his children, who were all looking at him expectantly.
"Wait a moment for Wen Qing to finish up, alright?" He said.
"Do you want to know how A-Yu and I did in the challenge?" Xue Yang stepped in, entertaining the kids with the rankings of the challenge.
Wei Ying, unsurprisingly, had come in first. Wangji himself had come in second, followed by Jiang Wanyin and Jin Zixuan for the adults.
In the Juniors section, a Jiang disciple had claimed first place, followed by Xue Yang, then Mo Xuanyu, and a Lan disciple. Xuanyu's friend, Shu Junlai, had ended up somewhere around fifth or sixth place, which was impressive with the way he'd looked about to pass out meeting Wei Ying.
"Okay, you can all come in now. Be careful not to jostle him," Wen Qing opened the tent flap, ushering the children inside.
Wangji followed them, standing behind them as they frowned at the sight of their Baba, comatose and unresponsive on the bed.
"What's wrong with Baba?" A-Qing asked, her lip wobbling.
"Baba had an accident," Wangji tried to explain. "Some bad people didn't like him and tried to hurt him."
A-Xiao's eyes watered. "Is Baba gonna die?" He asked tearfully.
"No, no," Wangji assured the small child, hesitantly wrapping his arms around him. "I took care of all the bad people. Baba will be alright again soon."
All his children crowded around him, wriggling their way into the hug, clutching his robes.
"Um, Lan-Gongzi," One of the disciples poked their head into the tent awkwardly. "Jin Zhongzhu is here."
Wangji frowned, forgetting for a moment that Jin Zhongzhu was Jin Zixuan and not Jin Guanghshan.
"Tell him I will come to greet him in a moment," Wangji said, standing up and dusting his already pristine robes.
"I shall accompany you," Meng Yao added, appearing out of nowhere beside Wangji.
He nodded, and they both went to greet Jin Zixuan, A-Yuan, A-Xiao, and A-Qing, trailing behind them.
"Jin Zhongzhu," Wangji and Meng Yao bowed. The children attempted to copy them, and A-Xiao ended up tumbling to the ground.
He sniffled, and Wangji knelt to help him back up, wiping the dirt from his face.
"Um," Said a forgotten Jin Zixuan.
"These are my children," Wangi explained, standing back up and turning to Jin Zixuan.
"Oh, er, hello," Jin Zixuan waved awkwardly at the children who were staring up at him curiously.
"A-Die, who's that?" A-Qing asked in a stage whisper.
"This is Jin-Zhongzhu," Wangji told them. "He's a sect leader, like Baba."
"So he has an Uncle Four and Yao-Shushu and Qing-Ayi and Ning-Shushu and Xiu-Jie and Yu-Gege and Chu-Bobo—"
A-Qing shushed A-Xiao before he could name all of their family members.
"Not exactly," Wangji explained patiently. "Each sect has different people and different structures. Some of them aren't as close-knit as ours."
A-Xiao frowned. "That's sad."
Wangji nodded. "Sometimes."
"Uh, well, anyways," Jin Zixuan looked extremely nervous and awkward now. "I just wanted to inquire after the Yilling Patriarch. I'm not stupid, I know it was most likely my father's supporters who tried to kill him, and I wanted to apologize on behalf of my sect."
"Did you order him killed?" Meng Yao asked calmly.
"What? No!" Jin Zixuan sputtered.
"Then you have nothing to apologize for. Things like this happen in cultivation politics; it's not your fault unless you were involved. That being said, I would like to be notified of any developments in the search for the assassins." Meng Yao assured him.
Jin Zixuan seemed to slump in relief. "Of course."
Meng Yao bowed again, and he and Wangji began to take their leave.
"Wait!" Jin Zixuan called after them.
"Did you need something else, Jin Zhongzhu?" Wangji asked. This visit was getting longer than he was willing to be apart from Wei Ying.
"I just wanted you to know, Meng Yao, I'm sorry you're my brother."
Meng Yao frowned, looking vaguely offended.
"No, no, wait, that didn't come out right." Poor Jin Zixuan looked ready to descend into a panic attack. "I'm sorry your father had to be Jin Guangshan. You and your mother didn't deserve that."
Meng Yao had an unreadable expression on his face.
"Why don't you stay for a while," He offered, waving the guards to let Jin Zixuan into the premises.
Jin Zixuan smiled. "I'd like that."
He followed them through the camp to where Xue Yang and Mo Xuanyu were sitting with Mo Xiaohui, Xuanyu's mother.
Wangji hadn't seen Second Lady Mo very often, as she was prone to sickness, but from what he'd seen, she was a kind, lively young woman. Wei Ying had told him that she'd come to the Burial Mounds as a last resort with a young Xuanyu after her family cut them off.
Jin Zixuan stopped short, seeing Mo-Nushi.
"Mo-Er-Furen," He bowed hastily. "I was not aware you were..."
Mo-Nushi turned, an amused smile playing across her face. "Alive? Yes, I had heard my family had been telling people I'd died after they threw me out."
Jin Zixuan's face burned, and Wangji felt a little bad for him, so he decided to make formal introductions.
"Mo-Nushi, Xuanyu, Xue Yang, this is Jin-Zhongzhu. Meng Yao has invited him for a meal." He explained.
"Hui-Ayi, he's a sect leader," A-Xiao declared to Mo-Nushi in a stage whisper, clambering into her lap.
"I, um, wanted to apologize for my, er, father's actions," Jin Zixuan said, readjusting his robes nervously.
Mo-Nushi's face turned sympathetic. "Oh, it's not your fault. You had no control over what your father did, and the fact that you want to apologize for it shows you're a much better person than he was."
Jin Zixuan looked as though he was going to cry at Mo-Nushi's kindness.
"So are you, A-Yu's brother or something?" Xue Yang asked. Wangji took a moment to be proud of his use of passive aggression before giving him a look.
Jin Zixuan looked thoroughly intimidated by the teenager. "I mean, biologically, yeah. He... could call me Ge, I'd be okay with that, only if he wanted to though."
Xue Yang looked incredibly grumpy at that and glared at Jin Zixuan in response.
"I would like that," Xuanyu smiled at Jin Zixuan, who seemed to melt with relief.
"I've always wanted siblings," Jin Zixuan admitted. "I didn't understand until I was around your age why I never got any full ones."
"I have food ready!" Wen Ning walked over, holding a pot of soup. "Oh, Jin-Zhongzhu, I didn't know you were here." He bowed carefully, still holding the soup.
"So, is your mother here as well?" Jin Zixuan asked as they sat down to eat.
Wangji stilled, preparing himself to prevent violence if necessary. Meng Yao's mother, Meng Shi, was a delicate subject. From what Wangji understood, she had died just before Meng Yao joined the Nie.
"She died. If you have anything to say about her profession, I suggest you get it over with now." Meng Yao's jaw tensed as he said that, gripping his utensils more than he needed to.
Please, please, please don't be an idiot or asshole, Wangji begged mentally as he waited for Jin Zixuan to finish chewing.
"My sincere condolences," Jin Zixuan responded, looking genuinely sorry. "And you mean that she was a sex worker?"
Shit. Wangji was going to have to prevent violence, wasn't he.
Meng Yao was holding his utensil so tightly that Wangji thought it would snap. Or get stabbed in Jin Zixuan's eye.
"Why would I have a problem with that? My father often had women of the same profession over, as you probably know, and they were all very kind to me. Some of the ones he had over regularly would give me candy." Zixuan continued, oblivious to the precarious situation he was in.
Wangji relaxed as Meng Yao's death grip on his utensil softened. Thank fuck.
"Oh. Well," Meng Yao seemed to be at a loss for words.
"Okay, good news!" Wen Qing emerged from the medical tent, stopping when her eyes fell on Jin Zixuan.
"What did I tell you about unexpected visitors?" She scolded Meng Yao.
Meng Yao rolled his eyes. "I was just about to tell you he was here, Qing-Jie."
Wen Qing sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before continuing with her good news.
"The Yilling Patriarch is no longer comatose," She told them, using Wei Ying's title since Jin Zixuan was there.
"He's awake?" Wangji shot out of his seat, followed closely by everyone else at the table.
"No," Wen Qing corrected him. "I only said he's no longer unconscious. He is not awake, but he's asleep. He's dreaming. That means he can be woken up. Though if I find out any of you woke him up, I will be very displeased."
"I would never," Wangji said, affronted.
"I am relieved to hear the Yilling Patriarch is on his way to recovery." Jin Zixuan bowed to Wen Qing. "I will take my leave now, so you can care for him without me getting in the way."
"You'll come back?" Xuanyu asked hopefully. "I would like to get to know you."
Jin Zixuan beamed at that. "Yes, if you'll have me! I would love to get to know both of you, as well as the sisters I noticed at the initial discussion."
Meng Yao smiled back at him, bowing as Jin Zixuan began to leave. "You are welcome here anytime. I'm sure the Yilling Patriarch would sanction a visit to the Burial Mounds in the future if you wanted."
The children waved goodbye as Jin Zixuan left, still huddled around Wangji and Mo-Nushi.
"Will he?" Xuanyu asked after Zixuan was gone. "Willingly?"
"Oh," Meng Yao snorted. "No. Not without convincing."
Xue Yang smirked at that.
Wangji soon lost interest in the conversation and ushered his tired children into the medical tent so they could be near Wei Ying. He always felt safe and relaxed around Wei Ying, and he assumed the same of the children.
"Don't go to sleep in here now," Mo-Nushi joined them, sitting next to Wangji.
"I will try my best, Mo-Nushi," Wangji replied.
"Ah, don't call me that. You're part of the family now! Call me Hui-Jie." Mo-Nushi insisted. Wangji nodded, suddenly remembering that she wasn't all that older than him.
The minutes passed slowly. The children fell asleep soon, and Hui-Jie took them to bed so Wangji could continue playing calming guqin music for Wei Ying.
He sucked in a hopeful breath when Wei Ying turned over restlessly, muttering sleepily.
"Jiang Cheng..." He murmured into his pillow, his movements growing agitated.
Ah yes. There was that. Wangji had been so worried he'd almost forgotten what he'd seen in the woods.
While hunting the illusions, Wangji had passed by an odd encounter. Wei Ying had run into Jiang Wanyin, who had looked at him oddly and continued on his way.
That hadn't been the odd part. Wei Ying had stood there like a deer in headlights, completely frozen. Without seeming to realize he did, he'd chanted Don't recognize me, over and over again through their communication talisman. Even after Jiang Wanyin had left, Wei Ying had stared after him, something unreadable and conflicted in his eyes.
This had left Wangji with many questions. Just who was Jiang Wanyin to Wei Ying? How did they know each other? Had they been friends? Lovers?
It would explain his weirdness about the Jiang family, how he always seemed to change the subject when they were brought up, either seeking them out in social settings or avoiding them.
It would also explain how he never talked about Jiang Wanyin. Never. He would mention Jiang Yanli in reference to something nice she had done, or in a specific context, and he would mention Jiang-Zhongzhu and Madam Yu when talking about all the sects in general, but not once had he ever brought up Jiang Wanyin.
It was fine, Wangji told himself. It was only a political marriage after all. He should be grateful he was even friends with Wei Ying, that their marriage wasn't like so many of the ones in their parents' generation.
Wei Ying could love whoever he wanted to, Wangji told himself firmly. He had no claim on him.
It wasn't like he was in love with Wei Ying himself, right? They were good friends, and Wangji couldn't allow himself to hope for anything more.
Then why did it hurt so much?
Wangji brushed the nagging thought aside and focused on playing the guqin.
Wait.
Wei Ying was becoming more distressed. He was tossing and turning, his face scrunched in panic.
"No—stop—ehh—" He cried in his sleep. Wangji rushed to his side, shaking him gently to wake him from the nightmare.
"Wei Ying," He called quietly. "Wei Ying, wake up. You are having a nightmare."
Wei Ying grunted, moving his hand to cover Wangji's. "Lan Zhan..." He said softly, stirring from his nightmare.
"I'm here, Wei Ying," Wangji assured him. "You're safe."
Wei Ying gasped, his eyes flying open and locking onto Wangji's.
"Lan Zhan," He breathed.
Wei Ying was awake.
What?! Two chapters in a row?? I know, I'm surprised myself. I kinda thought this would marinate in my drafts for another day, but I pulled through!
And yes, Second Lady Mo is alive! I contemplated this for a bit, before deciding, why not? Canonically, she died after Xuanyu was kicked out of the Jin sect, which didn't happen here. Instead, her family kicked her out and she and Xuanyu (who was around six or seven at the time) were on the streets for a bit before hearing of the mysterious Yilling Patriarch who took in refugees in the Burial Mounds, and traveling there as a last resort. She was still sixteen when JGS happened; she's thirty right now.
Yes, this is where the angst tags come in, sorry lol.
Have an amazing day!
