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onlyhope93 · 1 year ago

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He's not as bad as he seemed to be - Chapter 5 - here we go

Jiang Cheng left the conference hall at a brisk pace, nodding courteously to several sect leaders who seemed to want to gain his attention, but didn’t stop to speak with any of them. He was much too agitated, still disbelieving what he just did. He might have either doomed the Jiang sect or saved it. Opposing Jin Guangshan in such a public setting is never a safe move, especially with possible marriage alliance brewing slowly between a-jie and the Peacock. They started corresponding lately through Madam Jin, but he was suspecting Jin Zixuan was finally opening his eyes to how wonderful and precious his sister really is.

He decided that blowing off some steam at the training grounds would be a good idea. He had to get rid of the pent-up energy. Jiang Cheng hated those conferences with a passion. He was one for action not sitting down and politicking. Give him a good night hunt, disciple training, even solo training for that matter would be much more preferable to this drag.

I wonder where Wei Wuxian disappeared to , thought Jiang Cheng, heading towards old Lan training grounds. Knowing him, he’s probably keeping to the little used routes to avoid the judging eyes of the crowd. With my luck he’ll be somewhere around the training grounds, wreaking havoc and disturbing Lan juniors. Or maybe not.

Training grounds were at the edge of the settlement, far away enough that any training session including clashing swords wouldn’t disturb the serenity of the place and give the residents relative peace. Last time Jaing Cheng was there, he was still a student at Cloud Recesses. Although a quick tour of the completed and still ongoing renovations he was provided after his arrival confirmed their placement in the same spot, he didn’t really pay attention to the state of them.

Taking a longer, more twisted route to find his wayward brother, Jiang Cheng found himself at the back of the healing pavilion. Suddenly, an ominous feeling descended upon him, goose bumps rising on his arms and the nape of his neck. He heard the voices coming from one of the windows. People were clearly arguing, if you can call it an argument, considering he was currently at the Cloud Recesses. What caught his attention though was that one of the voices belonged to Wei Wuxian.

What did he get himself into now , Jiang Cheng thought resigned. Deciding to find out what was going on before he storms in, he sneaked closer to the window, taking a peek of who exactly was in the room. He nearly sold himself out, his eyes close to falling out of his sockets seeing Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen and a Lan healer standing on one side of the bed occupied by faint-looking Wei Wuxian, whose hand was held by none other than the Second Jade, Lan Wangji.

Lan Qiren looked tired and resigned, the healer stood firm with slightly offended spark in his eyes, however, it was the look on Lan Xichen’s face that was the most disturbing. Pale and disbelieving, looking almost in shock, shaking his head slightly and clearly controlling his breathing as if trying not to lose his composure, the Lan Sect Leader was listening to the healer’s explanation.

Then Jiang Cheng started to pay attention to what was said...

“...have developed my techniques for years, Sect Leader, and perfected them when you were still a child. There is no possibility of a mistake. He really went through several phases of starvation and low nutrition during his life, multiple broken bones and whippings, and considering the damage from the fall into the Burial Mounds it is a miracle he is still alive. And I am certain, his core was not melted, but surgically removed.”

~~~

Wei Wuxian was resting in bed after drinking an awful concoction aimed to decrease his dizziness and invigorate him, when Lan Qiren returned with his older nephew. Lan Xichen looked mildly surprised seeing him in Lan healing pavilion.

“Young master Wei, is everything alright?”

“Sect leader Lan,” he nodded his head, “forgive me for not greeting you properly. I would gladly bow, but I was forbidden from moving off of the bed,” he said, looking accusatorily at Lan Zhan and the Lan head healer.

“Wei Ying needs rest,” said Lan Zhan.

“Wangji is right, young master Wei needs all the rest he can get,” confirmed Lan Liangchen, looking at his sect leader.

“It is fine, young master Wei. If my head healer says you are in no condition to stand on ceremony, I will not hold it against you,” Lan Xichen looked back to his shufu and Lan daifu. “What happened?”

“It is of utmost importance, Xichen, that whatever you hear in this room will not get out of it,” Lan Qiren warned his nephew. After getting an agreeing nod, he continued, “young master Wei bumped into me this afternoon, and since there was something I wanted to talk to him about, I have invited him to my office.”

“More like demanded to follow you, xiansheng,” retorted Wei Wuxian with a sneer.

“’Do not disrespect the elder’, ’Sneering for no reason is prohibited’.”

“I am not one of your sect’s disciples xiansheng”

“Yet, like I told you earlier, I was your teacher once, therefore I am forever your teacher. Now stay quiet and let me explain the situation without unnecessary interruptions,” said Lan Qiren to Wei Wuxian, then, turning to Lan Xichen, he continued. “Like I mentioned, I invited young master Wei to my office to confront him about his unorthodox cultivation. I am aware you were not informed about certain things during the war, Xichen, and I had no opportunity to share some of the information not related to the clan and sect matters, as those were irrelevant at the time to the restoration efforts of Cloud Recesses. Now, however, there is no way of explaining the situation without passing my knowledge to you.

“During the first months of the Sunshot Campaign, shortly after Wei Wuxian joined the efforts, I was informed by one of my associates that Wen Chao and his retainers had thrown someone into the Burial Mounds. Unfortunately, I managed to associate this person with Wei Wuxian months after, when news of his new cultivation style and continuous refusals to carry his sword got to Cloud Recesses. Since Wen Zhuliu was Wen Chao’s bodyguard at the time, I assumed that his core has been lost to the Core Melting Hand. To my surprise, when I checked Wei Wuxian’s meridians...”

“By force,” interrupted Wei Wuxian. Judging by Lan Xichen’s face, he could not decide whether to be horrified by the tale or amused by the bickering.

“’Do not interrupt.’ I already apologised, now let me finish. When I checked Wei Wuxian’s meridians, they were whole, but there was no golden core in his lower dentian.”

If he could pull it off, Lan Xichen’s eyebrows would travel straight to his hairline, they were so high in astonishment and disbelieve.

“How is it possible? I have checked the meridians of many of Wen Zhuliu’s victims and every time the meridians were damaged beyond repair,” said the First Jade, getting paler by the minute.

“There is a surgery, a very old one, allowing the transfer of a golden core from the donor to the recipient,” explained Lan Liangchen. “There are only few copies of it left, as it was used for nefarious purposes one too many times. Most of the copies were destroyed, however, one of them is in the Forbidden Section of our library.”

“There’s Forbidden Section?” asked Wei Wuxian, trying to distract them from the topic of his golden core, and partially out of curiosity.

“Yes. Will take Wei Ying when he feels better,” said Lan Zhan.

“Wangji, not now,” scolded Lan Qiren

“Yes, shufu.”

“Are you certain Lan daifu? There must be another explanation.”

“I am certain, Xichen. I have run a full diagnostic on him. The state of his body is truly atrocious, considering he was raised in one of the major sects. Malnutrition since he was about 5 till 9 th year of life, multiple broken and/or bruised bones, whip scars, low nutrition periods... I am full of wonder that he even survived. Then the Burial Mounds; his body was in pure agony, there are still bones and organs that have not finished healing and are clearly thwarted from doing so by the amount of resentful energy stored in his meridians. I would dare to assume it was keeping him alive at one point and he never thought of actually cleansing himself of it to finish healing.”

“I couldn’t,” said Wei Wuxian rebelliously. “How else would I be able to protect Yunmeng Jiang? We lost everything in the Wen attack, only handful of us left. Jiang Cheng was only 17 when he lost his parents and became sect leader; and recruiting during Sunshot only gave us so much. He had to rebuild the sect and Lotus Pier basically from scratch, with only war spoils to finance everything. He was excluded from the sworn brotherhood, left only at the mercy of Jin Guangshan, constantly resisting his nagging about shijie’s marriage to his peacock of a son. I had to have a way to protect the sect...” his speech was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit.

Lan Zhan reacted quickly, helping him sit up, calm down and drink some water. He looked at his fellow Lans with reproach.

Oh Lan Zhan, guarding me even from uncharitable thoughts.

“Thank you, Lan Zhan,” he said out loud, lying back down.

The remaining Lan trio was speechless for a minute. Lan Qiren looked mildly disturbed; Lan head healer was deep in thought, while Lan Xichen was fighting an internal war.

Hearing the truth for once hurts, doesn’t it? thought Wei Wuxian. Keeping his brother out of a major sect alliance was a thorn in his side for a long time. He was blaming himself for it. Because why would anyone want an alliance with a sect having a demonic cultivator in their midst, even if said demonic cultivator helped win the war.

“It was never my intension to keep Jiang Wanyin out of the alliance,” said Lan Xichen in a daze. “I only wanted Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao to stop fighting and start trusting each other again.”

“It is not important now, Xichen, we can get back to this issue at a later time. Let us focus on the matter at hand,” Lan Qiren interjected. “As I was saying, Wei Wuxian’s golden core was not melted, which means it had to be surgically removed. Lan Liangchen could think of only one other surgeon capable of performing this surgery.”

“That is why you asked for Wen Qing and her branch,” Lan Xichen realised, eyes wide open in understanding. His face was pale, breath clearly controlled as if not to lose himself in today’s revelations. He started shaking his head slightly as if to clear his thoughts. Sect leader Lan looked back to the head healer.

“Lan daifu, are you certain there was no mistake in your diagnosis? Are you sure your techniques gave you accurate reading?”

I really wouldn’t question a head healer if I were you, thought Wei Wuxian, seeing the offended spark that flashed in Lan Liangchen’s eyes. He tried it once with Jiang head healer before the fall of Lotus Pier. He will never forget being paralysed from his neck down for the whole of the treatment after one of Madam Yu’s punishments, and then some until he was begging Jiang daifu for forgiveness. He has goose bumps to this day just remembering it.

“I am more than certain. I have developed my techniques for years, Sect Leader, and perfected them when you were still a child. There is no possibility of a mistake. He really went through several phases of starvation and low nutrition during his life, multiple broken bones and whippings, and considering the damage from the fall into the Burial Mounds it is a miracle he is still alive. And I am certain, his core was not melted, but surgically removed.”

“So, we need to bring Wen Qing to the Cloud Recesses to find out what kind of experiments were young master Wei put through?”

“I said already, I was not experimented on. Why are you not listening?”

“Will you tell us then why Wen Qing performed the surgery?”

Loud bang of the door sliding unexpectedly open was the only thing alerting the occupants of the room of the newcomer.

“Tell me, Wei Wuxian, what exactly happed your golden core?!”

“Shit.”

#golden core reveal #good teacher lan qiren #lan zhan/wei ying #mo dao zu shi #the untamed #ao3 fanfic #lan wangji #mdzs #wangxian #wei wuxian

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onlyhope93 · 9 months ago

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He's not as bad as he seemed to be after all - Chapter 6 - shit indeed

If before he thought, he was screwed, now he knew it without a doubt. He sat up.

“Jiang Cheng. How did you get here?” Wei Wuxian asked, panic clear in his eyes. How much did he hear? When? HOW???

“Don’t you Jiang Cheng me and don’t try to change the topic. Answer me this: what the fuck happened to your golden core? What is it about Wen Qing performing a surgery?!”

Oh, he’s pissed alright. The Jiang Sect Leader was visibly fuming, his face the colour of puce, eyes bloodshot, breathing rapid. He'll be steaming from his ears soon enough if I won’t do something to calm him down a bit.

“I can explain, just... calm down, please?”

“Fuck calming down! You will answer me this instant!”

This is bad, this is bad, this is bad...

“Can anyone put up the sound barrier? Or will you let everyone in the Cloud Recesses know? I thought this was supposed to stay secret...” said Wei Wuxian looking at the Lans in the room. It seemed to snap them out of the shocked stupor at last.

“Of course,” Lan Xichen responded, casting the spell. The blue dome spread beyond the room, finally allowing some privacy.

“So? Do you deign it safe enough to tell me now?” Jaing Cheng asked, arms crossed, anger clearly visible on his face.

Wei Wuxian took a steadying breath.

“Do you remember in Yiling, after Lotus Pier, when Wen Qing was hiding us away? I told you I remembered where Baoshan Sanren’s mountain was. Well... I didn’t remember. I never knew...”

Jiang Chen shook his head.

“No, I met her. I met Baoshan Sanren, she restored my core.”

Wei Wuxian grimaced, unsure of how to put it into words.

“She didn’t. It was Wen Qing.” At his brother’s disbelieving look he hurried to explain. “I found an antient scroll in her library. Pestered her until she agreed. She did a surgery. A core transplant,” he finally settled on saying.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes grow round in shock and denial.

“Core transplant? It's impossible. There's no such a thing.”

“Yes, there is,” Wei Wuxian said, grimacing even more. “That’s why I don’t have one. I gave it to you.” He shrunk back on the bed, waiting for the inevitable explosion that surely will hit him square in the face.

“No. NO! It's impossible! I can’t have your core!” Jiang Cheng shouted in clear distress and started pacing around the room. He was muttering something illegible for a time, but then his volume started growing and his words became clearer. “...after everything. After all I did to draw their attention from you! Why would you do such a thing?!” he finally asked turning back towards Wei Wuxian.

That made him perk up a little. Sitting straighter on his bed, Wei Wuxian asked with confusion.

“Draw their attention? Who's attention? Jiang Cheng, what did you do!?” Wei Wuxian’s horror grew with every imagined possibility.

Jiang Cheng deflated slightly, but still was incredibly angry.

“When we were on the run, in that town we stopped to rest and you went to get some food, I saw Wens approaching you. I had to do something. I couldn’t lose you too. So I showed myself to them. I couldn’t let them catch you, so I let them catch me...”

Wei Wuxian froze, his eyes almost falling out of his sockets. He could remember that situation. He was ready to fight them and draw them away from his siblings, but somebody shouted, and they left him alone. No, not somebody. Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng, who was taken back to Lotus Pier, beaten and tortured. Jiang Cheng, whose core was melted.

“It’s my fault,” he said weakly looking at his brother. “Jiang Cheng... Your core... It’s my fault you lost it...”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng moved closer to him, determination filling his eyes.

“No, Wei Wuxian, it’s not. I knew what would happen to me if they caught me. And I knew you could survive, protect A-Jie and rebuild our sect.”

“No, Jiang Cheng, I could not,” said Wei Wuxian, shaking his head. “You were the sect heir, sect leader! I’m just a nobody, a son of a servant. I’m replaceable. But you are a true Jiang, you were meant to lead our sect and become the greatest sect leader the Jiang ever known! Don’t you understand? I couldn’t let you waste away. I had to find a way to heal you somehow. The transplant was the first light in the darkness I found after weeks of looking, reading every medical text Wen Qing had in her library. And it worked, Jiang Cheng. It worked!”

“At what cost?!” Jiang Cheng argued. “And what’s that about being nobody huh? You're my fucking brother whether you want it or not! You're family!”

“But Madam Yu...” Wei Wuxian started to argue back but was not allowed to finish before Jiang Cheng interrupted him.

“I don’t give a fuck what she said or what she did, you are my brother for fucks sake! You were my brother from the moment father brought you home, the first real friend I had after years of other kids avoiding me and not wanting to play with me because I was the sect heir and my mother chasing everyone away. You refused to leave me alone despite my mother’s constant nagging that I shouldn’t play with anybody of lower station. I loved my mother but in this she was wrong. She didn’t allow anyone near me, yet she refused to have any more children. To give me more siblings to play with. She kept repeating to father that her duty as a wife was done for years before you came to live at Lotus Pier. You are my Twin Pride of Yunmeng. My brother. Even if it’s not by blood, my heart keeps screaming it to me every minute of every day. No matter how much you irritate me and how much trouble you bring, you’re family and family sticks together. Especially after everything we went through,” vented Jiang Cheng.

It was Wei Wuxian’s turn to be in shock. His eyes started to water. For so many years he was trying to get Jiang Cheng to admit their siblinghood, even martial one, but he always dodged it and denied it. His heart was beating fast in his chest. Oh, he loved his shidi. The best shidi ever.

“Jiang Cheng,” he said with adoration in his eyes. Jiang Cheng’s glare softened, and he came even closer, deciding to sit on the bed. He took out a handkerchief from his lapel and gave it to Wei Wuxian. He looked slightly embarrassed and lost. He was never good with emotions that was not his hallmark anger.

“Why are you crying you big baby huh? Just you wait. You should save it for when jiejie will find out. You’ll be cut off from her soup for months, I tell you,” Jiang Cheng said light-heartedly, wanting to draw his attention away from the heavy emotions he was just subjected to. It worked.

“Noooo, Jiang Cheng you can’t do that to meeeee... Pleeeaaase, you know how much I love shijie’s soup,” Wei Wuxian whined like a child.

“I think it’s high time for you to finally start calling her jiejie too,” said Jiang Cheng. He got up from the bed, standing straight in his full, yet slightly dishevelled, sect leader glory. “As soon as we’re back in Lotus Pier, we’ll hold an official adoption ceremony. Everyone will have no doubt you are part of the clan, not only the sect.”

Wei Wuxian froze. Again. How many more surprises will I encounter today? First Lan Qiren, then Lan Zhan, then Lan daifu, then Lan Xichen, now Jiang Cheng, twice at that... Can I just go to sleep now? Madam Yu would be so disappointed and horrified...

“But, Jiang Cheng, your mother...”

“My mother is dead. She cannot stop me now,” Jiang Cheng said with determination. “Father should’ve done that years ago, but he was too weak. I am not my father, neither am I my mother. And besides, as your sect and clan leader it is my decision to make. I made it.” He turned to the gathered Lans, as if he never forgot that they were present. “I am taking you as my witnesses. From this day on, Wei Wuxian is my adoptive brother, and he will be treated as such. Also, until I have my own children, he will be my heir presumptive.”

“As you said, Sect Leader Jiang,” said Lan Xichen with a smile. He then turned to Wei Wuxian. “Wei gongzi, congratulations on your adoption and new position in your sect.”

Wei Wuxian couldn’t take it anymore. Too many emotions for the day.

“Oh hell, I’m screwed. Lan Zhan, save me...” he turned to his zhiji, hiding his face in Lan Zhan’s waist. Lan Zhan put his arm around him, his flowy sleeve hiding Wei Wuxian from view. His other hand though reached for his chin, making him look up to Lan Zhan’s face.

“Mn. Wei Ying deserves to be treated with full honours due to sect leader’s brother and heir,” Lan Zhan stated sincerely.

Wei Wuxian blushed furiously.

“Not you too...” he tried to hide again, but decided against it and tried his luck in dissuading Jiang Cheng from his decision. “I know nothing about being an heir. I’m doomed to make a fool out of myself.”

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Cheng said with a smirk. “When we come back, I’ll teach you everything you need to know. A-jie will help as well. Now we need to focus on your health.” Turning to Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng bowed slightly. “Sect Leader Lan, I would be happy to offer my help finding Wen Qing. Please let me know when you’ll find out where she and her family is, I’ll send any resources I can spare to help you transport and guard them until they are safely under your jurisdiction.”

“Thank you, Sect Leader Jiang. I will contact you when I know something,” responded Lan Xichen.

“It may be wise to deploy several of your most trusted men to form a search team,” suggested Lan Qiren. “I doubt the Jin will want to cooperate without any problems. Jin Guangshan is not one to take a defeat easily. Xichen, speak with Nie Mingjue, explain him our suspicions about Jin’s too quick agreement to our request of taking the Dafan Wens. Ask for his most trusted as well. Hopefully, your long-standing friendship with him will make it easy. Now let us leave, Wei Wuxian needs his rest”

“Yes, that he does,” confirmed Lan daifu. “Wangji, I assume you want to stay?”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan confirmed with slight nod.

“Very well, but no funny business. Your Wei Ying needs care, not straining energy that he lacks at the moment. Do I make myself clear?”

“Mn” responded Lan Zhan, his ears reddening adorably by the second.

“Good. I will be back within a shichen with next dose of your medication Wei gongzi.”

“Ugh, I hate your bitter poisons,” grimaced Wei Wuxian.

“Stop exaggerating. You’re not a child,” Jiang Cheng scolded with his usual angry face back on its place.

“But Xianxian is three,” he fluttered his eyelashes innocently with his best pout to accompany it.

“Three my ass,” Jiang Cheng huffed. Wei Wuxian knew that the next thing his brother will say will come from his rarely used but well cultivated mischievous core. He had that glint in his eyes that bode trouble. “Besides, if you’re three, you can’t marry. And from what I see, there is a marriage contract I need to negotiate here.” He turned to Lan Xichen again with a smirk. “Maybe after Dafan Wens are settled here we can schedule a meeting, Sect Leader Lan?”

“With pleasure, Sect Leader Jiang.” Lan Xichen had suspiciously very similar glint in his eyes, as he answered with a smile.

Then it hit him. Wait, wait, wait...

“Marriage?!”

#mo dao zu shi #the untamed #ao3 fanfic #golden core reveal #good teacher lan qiren #lan zhan/wei ying #wangxian #mdzs

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