Suffering and Yearning

 Lan Xichen sat in worry outside the jingshi. Faint traces of tears lingered in his eyes. Inside the jingshi is rather excruciatingly painful. Lan Wangji lay on the ground. His clothes unkempt. The backside of upper body bore ugly marks of the Discipline Whip. The slashes covered his entire back, over his arms, and ran down till his waist. Blood dripped from them has now semi dried. His gorgeous hair was all in tatters with his eyes closed as he was heavily drunk. The empty jar of the Emperor's Smile lay toppled at a distance, dripping the last few remaining drops of the wine.

The beautiful gracefulness of Wangji's face still lingered even when he was incapacitated. He lay like this for a whole day until his older brother Xichen managed to bring him to his bed and tend his wounds with medicine and bandage them. He remained unconscious for two days straight, running high fever. On the third day, he sheepishly opened his eyes. The light golden pupils glistened as the first morning sun rays fell on his face.

Xichen sensed this and quickly came over to his brother and asked, "Wangji?! Are you awake?"

Wangji just moved his head a little, nodding without saying anything. The last few days were dark for him. As he closed his eyes, and with the effect of Emperor's Smile off all, he could see how the love of his life got obliviated into the Stygian Tiger Amulet. Yet somehow, he refused to accept Wei Wuxian's demise.

Wangji struggled to sit up, and Xichen rushed to hold him.

"No Wangji! Lie down. You have not recovered yet."

Wangji, "Xiongzhang! I have to see."

Xichen, "Wangji, he is no more. You have to accept the truth."

Wangji, "No! I have to see."

Xichen gave up his persuasion, knowing all too well about how stubborn his brother can be. And this is about the man he loved, so all the more it is out of his capacity to stop Wangji.

Wangji stood up and with staggering steps put on his robes to cover the heavy bandages on him. He took Bichen and stepped out of the jingshi. The moon was shining with its full vigor, and its light fell on Wangji's handsome face, making his jade like complexion glow. Yet there was a darkness and unspeakable sorrow in his expression. As if the pain itself has taken a beautiful physical form. He looked up at the sky glittering with thousands of glittering stars and closed his eyes. Two fresh, warm tears rolled down his jade like cheeks. Slowly opening his eyes, Wangji rode and flew off on Bichen.

Swiftly, he flew on Bichen. After some time, Wangji could see the landscape below changing. Huge burnt patches started to appear, and he knew that the Burial Mounds were nearby. His breath heavied and his eyes glistened like a hopeless optimist. He could not accept the death of the man he loves, and neither did he somehow believe that a cultivator of Wei Wuxian's caliber can actually perish that way.

"He must have found something. Must have done something. Because he is Wei Ying!" he kept telling himself while the whole world and even his own brother were convinced of the Yiling Patriarch's demise. The only regret he carried in his heart at this moment was him being unable to be with We Wuxian during the fateful moment. Only if he could at least make him hear his confession that he loved him. But We Wuxian was way too weak and semi-conscious due to the fatal injury trying to destroy the Yin Iron.

Lan Wangji reached near the Demon Subdue Cave of the Burial Mounds and got off Bichen. He fanatically ran inside the destroyed cave and started to look around. All these strenuous movements of his body have refreshed certain parts of his back wounds, which now are bleeding and getting soaked into his pure white robes. Yet he ignored the pain and the fatigue and went running to the spot where he held Wei Ying's battered body trying to bring him to his consciousness by channeling out his own qi.

Running towards the spot, he suddenly stopped spotting something kind of hidden behind a rock at one side. He turned around and carefully approached the stone boulder with Bichen unsheathed and on guard. With a few swift steps, he reached the side of the boulder and was about to strike and stopped abruptly. A small boy lay unconscious, struggling to breath. He soon picked him up and placed his hand on his forehead. The child was running high fever. Lan Wangji softly called him out,

"A-Yuan!"

Wen Yuan met him months ago at the Yiling Market, buying vegetables with Wei Wuxian. The little kid grabbed his feet, even calling him dad. And from that very first day, A-Yuan had a special liking for him. Wangji picked him up and ran outside the cave to find anything that might help the ill child. But most of the Burial Mounds were destroyed and there is absolutely nothing left, not even a drop of water. Helpless Wangji started to transfer his spiritual energy to A-Yuan so that he might sustain till Wangji finds a way to rescue him. While taking care of A-Yuan Wangji, he suddenly felt a spiritual presence coming deep within the cave, and it gave a very ominous and dark sensation. Wangji was in a fix. He cannot leave A-Yuan in this state but the spiritual indication too, seems something that needs to be found as well. With nothing else he could think of, Wangji carefully placed A-Yuan in a safe place nearby and covered him up with his upper garment.

Wangji entered the cave and started following the ominous spiritual indication and it took directly to the Blood Pool, where Wei Wuxian practiced demonic cultivation. Right in front of the pond, there was a significant blackened round area on the ground, as if something strong has been burned there. Wangji unsheathed Bichen again and slowly stepped towards the area. As he drew closer, a distorted black mass came to his notice right in the center of the burned area. On his guard, Wangji carefully stepped closer and stopped down to cautiously pick it up. With his spiritual strength, he tried to read it.

Fragments of Wei Wuxian's last moments flashed and his soul was sucked into the Stygian Tiger Amulet. Horrified Wangji opened his eyes, muttering,

"Wei Ying!"

He quickly took the burned piece and placed it in a pouch and enchanted it with protective spells so that no one, especially his brother and uncle, could sense the Yin Iron. He ran out quickly, picked up A-Yuan and flew away on Bichen to Gusu.