Wangji’s Longing

The jinghsi was quiet and empty. Wangji was lying on the bed face down. His eyes were closed with traces of dried tears. Hair unruly, his upper body was bare, wrapped in bandages, which were soaked in blood. The Gusu Lan headband was kept on the table beside Bichen. A few feet away his seven stringed guqin, Wangji was kept. The lamps burning covered the jinghsi in a fine veil of light.

Lan Xichen just left treating to Wangji's freshly inflicted whip scars. Thirty three of them, all, over his back and arms. The Gusu Lan discipline whips scars are infamous for their excruciating pain and permanent scars. Normally there were few records of the whip being used and that too not more than one or two strikes. The whip scars were deeply inflicted and it destroyed Wangji's perfect, beautiful physique. Lying in excruciating pain inflicted by the scars what pained him more was the torture by the sense of longing for Wei Wuxian. Yet he was so incapacitated physically that he could not even be in his full senses.

Unbeknownst to him Wei Wuxian's soul has been lost into oblivion with the Psyche Spell casted by him. His lifeless body was lying in the rumbles of Burial Mound, already started to desecrate. None of them predicted fate to be so cruel that they wouldn't even get to say goodbyes to each other. All those unexpressed feelings, accumulated emotions felt useless, irrelevant.

Three years later, still under the injury of the whip Lan Wangji could not stay calm and dragged his broken body to Yiling, hoping to at least find some remains of the person he loved so much to endure years of pain. But when he reached there was nothing left. Neither Burial mounds, nor Wei Wuxian's mortal remains. He was about to leave disappointed when his eyes fell on the little boy hiding behind a rock. He was unconscious, running high fever.

"A'Yuan!", Wangji called him.

He then took A'Yuan with him to Cloud Reccesess and adopted him into Lan Sect giving him his courtesy name Sizhui. Lan Qiren could not bring to oppose his decision either. Sizhui lost most of his memories due to the fever and grew up as a fine gentleman under the care and guardianship of Wangji, who was now called Hanguang-jun.

However, after bringing the child A'Yuan, Wangji found a strange object in his clutched hand while tending his fever. The object looked like a black burned charcoal. He took it and examined himself without anyone's knowledge especially Lan Qiren. He consulted the various books on dark objects in the hidden restricted section of the Library yet found no answers.

Wangji's intuition told him that this might be something which has a connection with Yiling Laozhu, so he stubbornly pursued it. An unknown hope kept him going in spite to hitting dead ends. A few fruitless years passed. The emptiness in Wangji's heart grew day by day. The desperation he felt was excruciating. Then one day, after a couple of years something extraordinary happened.

Lan Wangji kept the burned object away from Cloud Reccessess into the cave where Lan Yi was guarding the Yin Iron. He put put strong wards of incantation to secure it. That day he was playing Wangji in the jingshi when it struck him. He took his guqin and went into the cave. There he played the wèn ling tune (inquiry) in front of the burned object, before he got the shock of his life.

As he played the last tune of the music piece it kind of echoed through the empty cave and at that moment the object made a slight move on its own.

Present Times

Lin Chang's insides churned and a feeling with her heart being heavy as she walked up the small pathway towards what Dai Lu said will be their staying place for the week. The place seemed oddly familiar. Her steps stopped abruptly in front of an ancient styled cottage with a gateway porch, then a small pathway leading up to the cottage.

"Why did you stop?", Dai Lu enquired.

Lin Chang, "Is this where we will stay?"

Dai Lu's face brightened as she spoke, "Yessss. You got it. Isn't it beautiful and serene?"

Lin Chang, with a strange mixture of happiness and pain replied, "Beautiful."

Dai Lu, "Come then let's settle and after we can go around for stroll."

Lin Chang jerked off the weird feeling and resumed her new chirpy mode. They went inside the cottage and settled down. The interiors of the place were kept as traditional as possible with a few modern amenities. Lin Chang took a shower and changed. It was Dai Lu's turn for the shower so, Lin Chang casually went out to the front of the extended open space. She looked around and saw the bamboo forest flowing in the mild wind with rustling sound, soothing her ears. She was so mesmerized by the environment that she could not control herself in taking a stroll by herself forgetting Dai Lu's warning to wait for her.

Lin Chang savored the visual beauty of the place, covered in mild fog as if she was strolling in the clouds. After a while she reached a stream with a small bridge. The area has no cottages and the bamboo trees were denser. She came up on the bridge and listened to the water flowing. A faint peaceful smile appeared on her face. Suddenly, she heard a commotion. About two three people arguing. She followed the sound and reached the other side of the area. There was another stone gate and the pathway is built by cutting the stones of the mountain making it a natural stairway. Two guards were there arguing with a man. To get a clear view of what was going on she came and stood a few meters away from the gate.

"You cannot just go in like that Sir. We need to see some permit", one of the guards demanded.

The man he spoke to stood like a rigid rock. Lin Chang felt more inquisitive and so she walked a few more steps to see who it was. Her heart skipped a beat. He was around six feet tall, broad shoulders, jet black hair, athletic built, long neck with a very sharp distinct adam's apple, his eyes were narrow yet sharp and they bore a very serious look in them. As the guards argued he just spoke one sentence with his deep voice,

"I am going in, either way."

The guards shook their head and vehemently said no. Suddenly he pulled out his phone and dialed up a number. Spoke for about two to three seconds before hanging up. Soon the guards received some instructions on their wireless walkie talkies and they stepped aside letting him in. Lin Chang scoffed and thought to herself,

"Celebrities!! Huuhhh!! Gets away with almost everything."

She then turned around and left. Lin Chang wandered here and there amidst the fog. Lost in her own world she completely forgot about Dai Lu who by this time went mad not finding her. Lin Chamg's cell phone rang and she received it.

"You did exactly what I said not not to you ungrateful person," Dai Lu yelled.

Lin Chang realizing the danger, replied, "I am sorry. I am sorry. I will return right now."

Saying it she disconnected the phone and broke into a run, thinking,

"Ohhh boy I am so dead. Dai Lu is gonna kill me."

As she ran the fog started getting denser and it was beginning to be difficult to see afar. Yet Lin Chang managed to run to reach as fast as she could and at that moment it happened. Out of nowhere she collided headlong with a person. The sudden collision made her tipsy and she was about to fall when two strong hand caught her. Looking at the face her heart thumped against her chest for some reason. It was the same person she saw at the gate. His eyes were a little light in shade with big lashes. These weren't noticeable with the distance between them before but now Lin Chang could clearly see them.

To her surprise these eyes stared right back at hers. The expression on his face was like as if he found something long lost. Those strong hands wouldn't let Lin Chang go and clasped tightly into an warm embrace. A faintest, almost untraceable smile appeared on his face as he opened his lips and slipped out a name. A name Lin Chang never heard or knew, yet felt strangely connected to. So she replied,

"I am not Wei Ying!."