Wei Wuxian Legasy

The next day, he put his plan into action early in the morning with the help of his companions and his lover, because for the challenge to work as he wished, he needed great spiritual power that would last for a long time, enough to make it become his legacy. He spent most of the day in the Lanling forest, as it was the most suited, taking care of everything necessary, and it was a pleasure to see that giving Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng a means to work together for the sake of the clans' future generation had lifted Xichen's spirits considerably.

For the young people, there was a lot of excitement because what started as a fight between two idiots turned into something massive as more juniors from nearby clans, upon hearing about the new clan challenge, also joined in. Soon, the Golden Carp Tower was as lively as the Lotus Pier had been a few days before, and there was a festive atmosphere that the townspeople took advantage of. Ultimately, it was the kind of event that benefits the entire town and bring joy to the common people.

At the end of the day, when everything was ready for the friendly competition between youngsters, Jin Ling was getting nervous. He had to admit that, as the one who had asked for this challenge, he was now about to play a bigger role than he expected. It was no longer just about his pride and proving to Lan Jingyi that he could do better, but, as the future leader, he needed to establish himself among his generation. The last thing he wanted was to become a clan leader in name only, and this competition was his perfect opportunity to cement his status in the clan.

So that night, he wandered near Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's room, though not close enough to overhear anything he shouldn't in case they were on to it, because with Wei Wuxian being as perverted as Mo Xuanyu, it wasn't at all strange that something was going on. So he paced back and forth for what seemed like an eternity, until finally Wei Wuxian appeared at the small lotus pond they had in that part of the clan grounds.

"Have you never heard that it's rude to pace around in someone else room? What's bothering you? Are you afraid of losing to Lan Jingyi?" Wei Wuxian asked, sitting on the edge of the bridge railing.

"As if I'm afraid of losing to him! I'm confident I can beat him!" Jin Ling shouted, enraged by the mere suggestion that he might lose to that idiot.

"Well then, is this about what this competition can do to your position?" Wei Wuxian asked his nephew, who gulped hard after hearing it from his uncle's own mouth.

"Jin Ling... right now you can't afford to remain a brat without taking your position more seriously. One of the reasons I'm accepting this challenge is so you can grow up and face what lies ahead, whether you like it or not. The truth is, this world is twisted and in the end, it won't forgive anyone, just as it didn't forgive me, my clan, my family, my true friends and followers. We were all young when we began our journey and ended up in a war that cost us much pain and suffering. As the next leader of a major clan, and after the last two leaders have been... well, not the best, the pressure on your shoulders to change that bad image is heavy and unavoidable. The longer you delay your role as leader, the harder it will be for you to carry that burden, and as much as I want you to have an easier life, I won't be doing you any favors if I let you run free until you hit that wall." Wei Wuxian told him, and Jin Ling understood that he was right. 

His own parents had died at a very young age, without even realizing they had been deceived and betrayed by the man they had never expected. The same thing had happened to Lan Sizhui when he was in the Burial Mounds under Wei Wuxian's protection as a child, and he would have almost died at the hands of the so-called leading Righteous Clans, if Lan Wangji hadn't defied the Clans and saved his life. 

Sizhui, too, had been the victim of evil hearts, of the prejudice that he was blameless, and even afterward, he had remained steadfast and followed his heart. He came to know the young man so well that he could see that, like Wei Wuxian, he wasn't afraid to follow his own path and stay in touch with Wen Ning, even when Lan Qiren objected... so why did he hesitate so much? If Lan Sizhui could endure against all odds, as he had done before, he couldn't do less, could he?

"I know it's my time to prove myself..." Jin Ling finally said after reflecting under his uncle's guidance. He had been in the darkness for so long that it was astonishing to see that the light that had eluded him for so long had simply buried itself deep within him.

"And I'm sure you will, Jin Ling. Just use your training to your advantage, control your temper, and see the bigger picture. Just like when we asked the juniors to dare to look beyond that house in Yin City, you must focus on what you must do to achieve your goal. No one expects you to be perfect, as none of us were at your age... I received enough punishments at both Yunmeng Jian and the Gusu Lan Clan to prove that, but this opportunity offers you the chance to grow, learn from your own abilities and those of others, and don't let anything cloud your judgment. Make good friends who are willing to give their lives for you, like my Ah Yuan and climb to the top with the path you have make along the way... There's nothing wrong with trusting others, you just need to trust yourself more." Wei Wuxian advised and Jin Ling smiled gratefully as he suddenly hugged his uncle Xian. The man that have give him his courtesy name, even when he had not use it, as it had been forbidden.

Then, suddenly, he remembered his uncle's words when he told him that in life, you have to learn two things; one is 'thank you' and the other is 'sorry'. So, as he hugged Wei Wuxian tighter, he swallowed his pride and whispered...

"Thank you, Uncle Xian... I'll do my best not to let you down..." Jin Ling murmured, and Wei Ying simply smiled as he hugged him back.

"Silly brat, for most of my life I was a disappointment to many people, so it doesn't matter what others think of you, but what you think of yourself."

"Even so, thank you... I... I owe you..."

"Very well... then, do your best tomorrow, and I'll be proud, regardless of the results."

"I won't lose..." Jin Ling insisted, and Wei Ying laughed.

"Fine... as you wish. Now get some rest, I assure you, you'll need it."

"I hope you didn't go too far with the challenge. We're still young..." Wei Ying laughed even harder.

"As if that had stopped you from doing stupid things before, huh?"

"They weren't stupid!"

"Yeah, yeah... go and rest, Jin Ling. I'm sure you'll do well to tomorrow." He encouraged him before the boy let go and ran back to his room.

Not far from where they were, Lan Zhan watched them, and Wei Ying approached him, filled with emotion. Before, when he discovered that Jin Ling was his nephew, he had never imagined sharing such a touching moment with him, since the boy hated him deeply, but he was glad to be able to enjoy what had been denied to him in his previous life.

"Did you hear it all?" Wei Ying asked as he pull his Lan Zhan closer.

"Yes."

"To be honest, it feels good to be an uncle and a father to such brats..." Wei Ying said back in his arms.

"I know." Lan Zhan agree as he kissed him.

"Mmm... Shall we continue with what we started before Jin Ling started hanging around?" He asked, and Lan Zhan smiled at him before scooping him up in his strong arms and walking back to the room they shared with his very happy husband.

The Challenge

The next day, back at the Lanling Jin Clan's hunting grounds, all the young men gathered excitedly to demonstrate their strength and that of their clans. Most thought it was a hunting competition, given the location of the challenge, but once Wei Wuxian began to explain what the test entailed, everyone paled at the unusual and difficult task they had been given.

Yes, they were going to hunt, but not animal prey, but small mobile talismans that Wei Wuxian and the other leaders had scattered across the vast grounds. The goal was to catch as many small human-shaped talismans as they could, with a minimum of at least one to pass. However, each talisman was filled with spiritual power, which meant they weren't going to be caught so easily. And since Wei Wuxian himself was connected to them, everyone could expect the elusive little things to even fight back to prevent them from been hunted.

To catch moving spirit talismans, they not only needed to have strong spiritual powers but also skills, because Wei Wuxian was a cunning master who was difficult to fool, not to mention he was smarter than them, and the things could actually glide quite fast to evade attacks.

There were no rules in the hunting grounds, as everyone could act alone or in a group, but each capture, even when made in a group, belonged to the person who caught it and if there was a forced transfer, such as if someone tried to steal the talisman, the little guy was set to explode instantly.

In other words, it was more of a personal competition than a shared one, unless their group consisted of selfless members who preferred collective achievement to personal ones. At this, Lan Sizhui smiled as he looked at the young men in his clan. They had been hunting alongside Wen Ning for almost a year, meaning they were already risking their stay in the clan every time they broke the rules to go night hunting. His father, Xian, no doubt wanted to give them a taste of true brotherhood as well as too see how much they had learn to counterattack spiritual targets.

"Sizhui... I must admit, your father is amazing! Let's go hunt some naughty talismans!" He shouted as Sizhui nodded and they ran into the forest to hunt down their targets. But, as they already knew, catching just one became increasingly difficult as they ran and hid, not to mention attacking when cornered, some even sacrificing themselves to avoid being caught.

Jin Ling once experienced that, as he was about to catch the little guy, the small talisman performed a dramatic death act and exploded at his feet, causing him to scream in frustration, as the explosion only increased the wind when releasing the spiritual energy.

Sizhui's team of hunters set up special flags in formation to attract the spiritual energy of the talismans. However, when cornered, the small human-shaped beings were too agile to be caught at normal speed. In the end, capturing them proved quite frustrating, and many gave up after an hour of running around unsuccessfully. Nevertheless, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, and Jin Ling were determined to face the challenge and move forward.

If the hunt required unity and coordination to overcome, Lan Sizhui was ready to prove he could do it, and in an unexpected call, he told his Lan team that they needed Jin Ling, as they were good at cornering them with the flag formation, but not fast enough to outmaneuver them. Jin Ling was fast enough to catch up, but not skilled enough to corner them.

"Sizhui, if we set the trap and he catches them, he'll always win, since talismans can't be stolen," Lan Jingyi said, unhappy with his friend request, which would make them lose to that arrogant idiot he so desperately wanted to defeat.

"Jingyi, just think about them as if they are real fierce corpses. To hunt them, we need all the resources we can get, and joining Jin Ling is a good option. If this were a real night hunt, we'd trust each other with our lives and do whatever it takes to save lives." 

"Yes, but this is just a challenge... I really don't want to lose to that guy," Lan Jingyi insisted, and Sizhui approached and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"This is indeed a challenge, but not for the purpose of catching naughty talismans. It's a challenge for us to unite and move forward as one. Can you let go?" Sizhui asked Jingyi, who sighed as he looked into his best friend's eyes. They were always so pure that sometimes they mesmerized him and made him want to hug him.

"Is that what you really want?" Jingyi asked, almost defeated. Those eyes and that beautiful smile had always ruined him.

"Only if you can live with it... letting go of anger and competition, it's part of our life. That's how we become members of this family, it's the way of our Clan." Sizhui told him, and Jingyi's heart skipped a beat.

"True... I can live with a defeat. It will be planned anyways." Jingyi said and Sizhui smiled gently, indulging himself for a second, and wiped some dirt off Jingyi's face, whose heart went wild at the subtle but intimate touch.

"Let's call him..." Sizhui whispered, and used a talisman of his own creation to find and guide Jin Ling to them. Within a few minutes, he appeared.

Like Lan Jingyi, he wasn't entirely satisfied with the winning solution, but if it was Lan Sizhui's wish, he could do it. His victory would be a sacrifice, but then again, his Uncle Xian loved drama and was sure that was the outcome he hoped for. They were young and impatient, most of the time thinking only of themselves, just like the previous generation, who had led the world into war and pain. A single ripple against that current (Wei Wuxian) hadn't been enough to stem the flood, and it would flood back again if no one was willing to stop it. That was Wei Wuxian's legacy: to create more ripples that could change the world, and if he was one of them, he accepted it along with the Lans'.

So they formed another flag formation, and as soon as one of the talismans appeared, Jin Ling sprang into action, using his increased speed to corner it, while Jingyi and Sizhui assisted him. He eventually managed to catch one. However, sensing Wei Wuxian's warm spiritual energy, he thought of something and approached Sizhui to offer him the talisman.

"I can't take it. It was your capture..." Sizhui told him in surprise.

"Since when does Wei Wuxian tend to follow the rules? Besides, he said the talisman would explode if stolen, but I'm offering it to you freely, which is different. Take it and you'll see I'm right..." Jin Ling said, holding his hand open for Sizhui to take the talisman. Sizhui took it, expecting the little thing to explode in his palm, but nothing happened.

"Damn, I should have thought of that!" Jingyi exclaimed and Sizhui laughed because they had finally found the right path for everyone to pass.

After the challenge ended, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were returning to the mountains to train and cultivate, but the seeds of union he planted and left behind were not forgotten and eventually their ripples will really make a difference. The next time he come down for a visit, it will be with a completed golden core and the start of a new down.

AN: Thanks for reading this far, this is the end of this story. The seed were planted so its up to you guys to decide if they grow. I hope this is a good ending and a peace message for all the wild things happening in our world. No matter where you are, please take care and be safe. Akai Seirei out.