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Wei Wuxian saunters up the creaky stairs of the abandoned inn, hips swaying to an unheard tune. His eyes half-lidded with one hand in a relaxed fist behind his back and the other over the banister, fingers trailing in playful patterns. Very obviously glorifying in the terror his presence is causing Wen Chao up on the second floor, who clutches at Wen Zhuliu with pitiful weeping sobs.
Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji watch through a hole in the roof, hearts in their throats as they wait on tenterhooks for a glimpse...
Wei Wuxian, previously missing for going on three months, steps around the corner and fully into view of both parties, causing Wen Chao to squeak and those watching above to tense for action. But he merely blinks, almost sleepily, and then smiles with oddly gentle eyes. He shifts forwards and back on his feet, toe to heel. Like a child, or a dancer.
"Wen Chao, Wen Chaochao~" Wei Wuxian lilts, "I told you I would become a fierce corpse and return for vengeance." He laughs as he does a graceful twirl forwards a step, skirts flaring, the inn's meager light shining iridescent over black feathers weaved through his hair. He doesn't react to the way Wen Chao scrambles back, falling to the floor. Or how Wen Zhuliu takes a defensive stance in front of his charge.
He ends the spin with a dainty bow at a haughty angle, hands clasped in front of him around no weapon with a mocking smirk. Wei Wuxian's mouth opens for another taunt but pauses on the breath instead. He frowns. Suddenly he seems confused, eyes dazed.
Brow furrowed, he tilts his head with a quiet click from his neck in the silence of the room, the motion a bit too quick, a bit too sharp. And asks with apparent sincerity, "Can you hear me?"
Wen Chao scuttles further back, into the corner, pulling Wen Zhuliu after him by the hem of his robes, stopping the bodyguard from being able to move effectively. "Yes! Yes we hear you!" he screams, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it! Please!"
Wei Wuxian's eyes clear with a blink, and he straightens with a scoff. "Oh. Right. Well, sorry, but I do want my revenge. So, how about this then~" He does a small skip backward, footwork light, almost joyful, and clasps his hands behind him. His eyes flicker up, right to the hole in the ceiling, and glint red before he closes them and begins to sing.
There are words, but they're in no language that any of them can understand. Black resentment gathers, mists quietly across the floor. Unassuming, dangerous. Unbeknownst to those on the roof, the song echoes strangely to the two Wens. As if they can hear it not only with their ears, but also within their own heads.
Wen Zhuliu, sensing the danger, tries to dash toward him, tripping over Wen Chao who cries as the robes are ripped from his grasping hands.
Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji burst through the tiles.
Too late.
Wen Zhuliu crashes to the floor with a grunt, suddenly digging at his own chest with low, agonized moans. It's hard to see him through the thickening resentment.
We Chao screams, Jiang Wanyin and Lan Wangji hesitate as the bodyguard writhes and Wen Ruohan's second heir's skin starts to boil, bubbling up in large, red pustules that grow in size and number, tearing through his fine silks until he becomes little more than a strange, grotesque mass of flesh. Which pulses as it continues to grow, then begins to pop and shed off in layers and chunks.
Flesh and blood and viscera spatters across the floor, leaving behind a bulbous creature somehow larger than a man. With too few limbs and too many eyes, the mind finds it hard to make sense of.
Has he turned into a demon? A ghoul? A yao?
None of the cultivators have seen anything like it. And Wei Wuxian ignores the interruption and lowers his voice into a soft croon of encouragement as the beast shudders and throws itself upon the Core Melting Hand with a guttural, inhuman cry.
Jiang Wanyin covers his mouth with the back of his hand as what was once Wen Chao tears into his stoically silent bodyguard, but doesn't look away. There's a certain satisfaction beneath his disgust.
Lan Wangji angles his body away, closes his eyes. His fist tightens around Bichen until his knuckles are white.
When the creature has finished, it collapses over the remains of Wen Zhuliu. And then their bodies suddenly turn into black wisps and dust motes, joining the trails of resentment crawling across the floor, which then slowly fades away as Wei Wuxian finishes his song, and closes his mouth with finality. Expression placid.
All that remains of the two Wens is the blood spatter soaked into the floorboards. Even their clothing and weaponry conspicuously missing.
Wei Wuxian turns to them with a flourish, making them jump, and without his newfound grace dashes over to tackle Jiang Wanyin into a fierce hug with a yell right into his ear, "Jiang Cheng! Didi! I missed you so much!" Not noticing or ignoring that they both flinched toward their weapons.
Jiang Wanyin splutters, flailing his arms in ineffective thwacks against Wei Wuxian's octopus limbs. "Who's your Didi! Ah? Get off, idiot!" But he settles quickly enough, hugging back tightly. "Where have you been," he grumbles into Wei Wuxian's shoulder, voice a bit hoarse.
New powers and the still prevalent scent of fresh blood are relegated to the background as the brothers cling to each other after so long apart.
"Ahaha." Wei Wuxian laughs without humor, then leans further into him and whispers in his ear, voice wavering, "We were so scared, Didi. It's so lonely, between the stars."
Jiang Wanyin jerks away and stares, "what?"
Wei Wuxian looks back with honest confusion, "what, what?"
"What did you just say?!" Jiang Wanyin shouts, angrily.
"That it's a long story!" Wei Wuxian shouts back, eyebrows high.
"Not-! You-!"
"Wei Ying." Lan Wangji interjects when it seems like Jiang Wanyin is going to devolve into a tantrum, catching Wei Wuxian's attention. Under that piercing regard, the full force of sharp silver eyes, Lan Wangji swallows, throat thick with the words backed up behind his teeth. Questions he's desperate to ask about where he's been. What happened to him. About his new cultivation method.
He falls back on the familiar instead and lectures Wei Wuxian on the crooked path, knowing it's a mistake but not sure what else to say when he feels so shaken. Wei Wuxian is found, after three long months. But that strange song... The resentful energy. What happened to the Wens. It was wrong. And Wei Wuxian is acting strange.
Those beloved eyes narrow, glinting red. "Hah? Lan Zhan, Lan Wangji. What do you know about my body, my mind, my temperament?" The playful tone feels dangerous now, after the way he spoke to Wen Chao earlier.
"Come back to Gusu with me," Lan Wangji blurts. Feeling like something is slipping rapidly through his fingers.
Wei Wuxian hums, shifting his weight. "Jiang-Zongzhu," Jiang Wanyin startles at the formality, "has Yunmeng Jiang become beholden to Gusu Lan while I was gone? That their heir can order around the Jiang Head Disciple as he pleases is- ah." he grins sheepishly and scratches his nose, eyes shifting down and to the side, "unless you've chosen a new one, of course."
Jiang Wanyin scowls and steps forward, partially in front of Wei Wuxian. Barks over his shoulder, "don't be ridiculous," while glowering at Lan Wangji. "Wei Wuxian is my Head Disciple," he states firmly, missing the touched expression that crosses Wei Wuxian's face behind him, "his new techniques are therefore sect secrets. And! As they're being used to kill Wen-dogs anyway, no one else has the right to punish him, much less the Gusu Lan."
Lan Wanji's jaw flexes as he grinds his teeth. Words aren't his strong suit, and he dithers for a moment under the Jiangs regard: Jiang Wanyin glaring. Wei Wuxian grinning with too many teeth.
He swallows. Closes his eyes and turns. Leaves first.
By the time they reach the Unclean Realm, it's obvious that Lan Wangji's report has made the rounds. The guards eye Wei Wuxian warily, but neither of them pays any mind because Jiang Yanli waits just inside the gates and when she sees them she moves forward with tears in her eyes.
"A-Xian! A-Cheng!" She hiccups, arms barely raised in time for Wei Wuxian to gently fall into them. Jiang Wanyin isn't sure how he got over there so fast, but he takes the reprieve to blink back his own embarrassing tears as his Shixiong gets through some dramatics and A-Jie calms herself by comforting him. It's a well-worn routine and all three of them feel better from the familiarity by the time Jiang Wanyin reaches them to act offended.
"Jiejie," Wei Wuxian wheedles, startling Jiang Yanli into a new round of tears that they all politely ignore - Jiang Wanyin doesn't blame her, he still feels off balance himself at Wei Wuxian's decision to claim their familial relationship. "It's been so long! Can you make me your lotus and pork rib soup?" The manchild pouts, ducking his head with wide eyes to seem smaller when it does nothing to actually change their height difference. His feathers catch the light, making him appear all the more childish.
"Ah?" Jiang Wanyin huffs, "and who spent all these months running around searching for you? Routing and interrogating Wen-dogs along the way? If anyone deserves A-Jie's soup it's me!"
Wei Wuxian exaggeratedly gasps and staggers, a hand on his chest like Jiang Wanyin's words have mortally wounded him. "A-Cheng! The betrayal! My own Didi, ah~ To deny his lost and starving Gege a taste of the glorious soup of the heavens!"
Jiang Yanli raises her sleeve to hide a giggle, cheeks pink from their antics, and the brothers share a quiet look of triumph at raising her spirits. "Well, you're both in luck. When Lan-er-gongzi returned I started a pot right away. It should be ready shortly. And Nie-Zongzhu will want your own reports, but that can wait until you've rested." She turns and both of her boys naturally drift to either side in her wake, returning to her orbit in long habit that fills all their chests with warmth to bursting.
There's a war to be won, and past losses set aside that must be grieved. An absence and powers to be explained. Plans to make and discussions to be had. But they three are together once more and bask in each other's presence.