Chapter Text
He recovers his hearing first, after a long, dark unconscious moment. Even before he can be able to perceive the world around him. Then, he feels cold droplets of water soaking his body; clinging to his bangs, and getting caught in his thick eyelashes; running down his chest and cheeks, as if he were crying —
—But he knows those aren’t his own tears. No, since they don’t taste of salt and he had been crying for many, many years till his tears had run dry.
The instant Wei Wuxian feels his body shiver due to the cold air sinking into his bones and goosebumps rising on his skin, he realizes — belatedly — that his outer robe uniform has been removed. Cloistering sounds, silent echoes, and cold air indicate that he’s in a room with poor lighting. There’s a heavy, thick scent that resembles the iron smell of dry blood, making Wei Wuxian’s nose scrunch up reflexively.
While he remembers the Wen Earl mansion’s smell, the Nightless palace, he had been in Yiling. Which can only mean… The Wen’s army forces must have finally been defeated and he has been captured and brought back to Qishan by the rest of the prominent, and other small sects that had been presumably fighting against the Wens.
That could only mean that they also wanted to arrest the remaining Wen branch under Qing-jie’s charge. (And his stomach twists with indescribable dread of what horrendous ways they might want to punish the Wen Remnants in). Fuck.
Now that he thinks about it, Wei Wuxian can remember a bit of the situation that had brought him to this:
He was on his way back to Yiling market. And as he passed a small valley with rocks and various vines clinging to both sides of the hills, tinged with lush green vegetation, just where three distinct gravel paths intersected, he saw a silver gleam of an arrowhead flash in the late afternoon sunlight.
Wen Popo, Uncle Sixth, and A-Shou, an eight-year old orphan girl are there. At the same time, they stare, wide and fear-stricken eyed at Wei Wuxian, their only ‘savior’.
Wei Wuxian’s ears fold backwards as he sneers, showing up his fangs.
Wait a moment. Ears.
Fangs.
Tails.
His tails — all nine of them fully on display.
This can only make him intuit that this people didn’t only dismantled his various optical illusion traps nor destroyed his wards that kept the Burial Mound’s outskirts secure. No, they also had most likely used a talisman on him to unlock his hybrid fox features when Wei Wuxian clearly had been hiding them for a reason!
In that precise instant, a mixture of fear, apprehension and fury covers him, not knowing for a moment what emotion to cling into.
Wei Wuxian notices that excluding the Jiangs and what remains of the former Wen Earl’s family, there are also cultivators and nobles of other sects in the midst of post-conflict negotiations. Although, he clearly does not know what the motives are or what is being discussed.
Among the bixi warriors carrying sables, he then notices Nie Huaisang, Nie Mingjue’s younger brother (who fans his face uncomfortably, looking as if he would rather be elsewhere). There are also minor sect leaders like Yao, Xu and Zheng, whom Wei Wuxian vaguely recognizes from the few conferences that he had been attending and had been organized in Lanling, and whom he had seen from a safe distance during his teenage years.
And finally, the most important of the equation: the white celestial dragons of Lan.
The real ones.
In the flesh.
The leader at the front is who Wei Wuxian had heard of several times during his youth being referred to as “Lan Xiansheng”, Lan Qiren, head advisor and representative of the Emperor and his Imperial Highness. The Lan elder wears the white and cerulean blue ropes of the Imperial Family, with silver dragons embroidered in the collar and its wide sleeves, an indicator that he belongs to the Royal Internal Court of His Imperial Majesty (This Royal Internal Court consists only shortly of about twenty or so members that possess His Imperial Majesty’s favor themselves for being such prominent scholars, teachers, politicians or cultivator warriors).
On both sides of him, other two men walk (presumably a little bit younger than Lan Xiansheng). They are donned with the same high, sliver guans and robes. The one on the left uses the infamous Lan head ribbon without the drifting clouds embroidered to it. He seems to be the younger of the three, maybe in his late twenties.
The man on Lan Qiren’s right apparently is of the same age as the Lan elder — or maybe a little bit older if not. He has a characteristic and perpetually furrowed brow and judging pit dark eyes. (And Wei Wuxian thinks that his contempt-filled look and his held-up high chin could compete with Madam Yu’s).
They’re surrounded by various Lan envoys that look in different levels of disapproval and displeasure at Wei Wuxian who is tied up like a fox trophy in display for everyone else to behold. The air around this Lan dragons is chill. Their stares and presence are so looming and intense, that Wei Wuxian could cower just a little bit if he weren’t too busy keeping his teeth from clattering with cold.
Wei Wuxian then captures the tension in the air; it’s a familiar one, similar to the tension that used to exist during discussion conferences that were organized to run almost the entire day. They… must be discussing something?
“Lan Xiansheng. I think you will have already noticed that there is a very evident imbalance between sect relationships with the Imperial Suzhou state. It remains to take into account the Yu-Jian contingency” Jiang Cheng interjects.
When Wei Wuxian turns to look at him after hearing this, his former sect brother has an uncharacteristically irritated scowl between his brows. Jiang Cheng has different kinds of scowls between his brows that signify various things: concern, shame, confusion or indignation. This one seems to be real anger, however.
Likewise, he hones Sandou’s edge with precise and measured actions, completely silent, the behavior being dangerous and nerve-wrecking.
Jiang Cheng has a tendency to do this whenever he’s really angry, plotting something or when he’s having a “killing impulse”. (Although Wei Wuxian doesn’t know exactly why).
“The Nie have already stated their need to reset all their lands and military forces after the war against the Wen Earls . They already have a sworn brotherhood with his Imperial Highness due to several years of friendship between both sect leaders. And the Jins, despite their recent betrayal and abandonment of the Lans-Jins mutually beneficial supportive relationship with his First imperial Highness, still receive generous donations on the Lan’s part so they can recover their war-state economy and replenish their coves. And the minor sects have also raised their petitions too. Yet, only the Yu-Jiang contingency hasn’t stated theirs. We neither have an alliance that is beneficial to help us make up for our losses that war has tolled upon all of us”, he continues.
As Wei Wuxian suddenly feels the weight of a piercing, cold gaze stabbing daggers into his sides, he notices Madam Yu staring at him sternly.
Although she doesn’t utter any word, he can still hear her voice clearly inside his head: ‘Stay silent. This is your penitence. We’ll take care of what’s next’. She then turns, making her purple robes fan out around here, to look at the hall. “Lan-Xiansheng, the Yu-Jiang Contingency proposes a political alliance with the Lans”.
Lan Qiren eyes her, stroking his beard. There’s a slight interest flickering in his hazel eyes.
“What do you suggest, Madam Yu, Sect Leader Jiang?”
“To offer the life of the former sect disciple, currently active of the late Earl Wen Ruoha, the Hu Yao, Wei Wuxian, as a war prize to the Lan Imperial Family”, her voice echoes through the cold, dark polished jade walls.
What?
“What? No!! Wei-ge! Wei-ge!”
Wei Wuxian can hear A-Shou desperately calling out to him, her famine-weakened body shaking the heavy chains around her. The other Wen Remnants also seem alarmed at this statement, and at loss of what to do next. They had been subsisting after all thanks to Wei Wuxian’s efforts, and the sudden thought of losing their only defender in the country made their blood run cold.
Wei Wuxian stirs up visibly, suppressing a slight growl at the back of his throat.
He still remembers the way Madam Yu had seen him ever since he had arrived at Lotus Pier at six years old, starving and covered in snow. She had abruptly thrown her head back, wanting her husband to explain why he had brought this one person she had never wanted anything to do with her. During the last years, he remembers her turning into her second sole life-goal to abuse emotionally, psychologically of him, belittling his every effort and constantly de-creditizing him from any real achievement and gain as a important front line disciple of the sect. He remembers the words she had constantly said to him all over and over again while he still was growing as head disciple in training at Lotus Pier.
‘You’re nothing more than the son of a fox-servant.’
‘Jiang cheng, it’s not your fault that your mother will never be able to surpass the deceased mother of a certain treacherous fox’.
This is Madam Yu’s scheme to get rid of him one and for all ant to give Wei Wuxian what he deserves!
Wei Wuxian’s blood boils, as he swallows the bile from his throat.
It’s not surprising why right now she’s in front of the representatives of the Emperor of Gusu himself, trying to exchange Wei Wuxian’s live for another political and economic asset for her own benefit, as if the fox were a fine dagger of great value, only to be used and then discharged later.
She knows that right now, he’s not in a position to refuse, when his whole life and the Wen Remnants’ are on the line. Damn it.
Both Lan elders who flank Lan Qiren on both of his sides frown.
Lan-Xiansheng’s shoulders tremble, with a well suppressed shock and fury. If he wasn’t a Lan, too attached to his boring, inflexible disciplines, his goatee would be prickling right now and he would be lashing out his long draconian tail in full indignation.
“DEBATABLE! His Imperial Majesty would tarnish his dignified name with someone like… a demonic fox spirit and who’s the son of a servant” Diaper-faced Lan elder comments, showing his fury and disgust more openly.
“That bastard should better be off dead!” Someone else roars, suddenly encouraged by the Lan.
Lan Qiren makes a hand gesture, and the silence returns once more, settling among those present. Then he proceeds. “Madam Yu, why do you imply that it’s — advisable we accept someone like the Hu Yao, who dishonors our own principles and who is, as you say, part of the enemy family that has attacked us all in the past?” he asks, no inflection in his tone and his expression regaining stoically blank.
‘Clearly because SHE WANTS to torture me!’ Wei Wuxian thinks in his mind. (Although she knows well that she herself cannot put it that way).
Lan’s disciplines are said to exceed the four thousand rules. FOUR THOUSAND! It would take a miracle from the heavens and a tremendous amount of sheer willpower from Wei Wuxian’s part to not be kicked out of the Imperial Palace of Cloud Recesses within the first shichen upon his arrival. And has he already mentioned that the Lans are rigid, inflexible, super cold and strict. And that is FREEZING in said mountains?!
“Why?” Madam Yu asks. “Because it’s convenient.”
As a former Jiang disciple, and a late bloomer without having presented yet, Wei Wuxian’s value lied simply and solely in being a war weapon, a peon to only fight and die in war obeying the Jiang Family’s orders, and lose his life in the battlefield if it was ever needed. There was no other place to take for him in the family. He should always be, as well, at service for both Jiang Heirs, caring after them. Always three steps behind Jiang Cheng, always following him (not the other way around). But like a Wen now, he’s no longer their responsibility.
“If we offer him to you, you may have the authority to punish the only alive remaining representative of the Wen Earls for their transgressions against your house and empire. I’m also pretty sure, that Your Majesty and the entire Heavenly Cloud Recesses Empire will want to do justice, as honor demands, after you empire of thousands of years has almost been burned to the ground once. Or am I wrong?”
A war weapon.
A burden that can simply be thrown into other people’s laps. That’s what Wei Wuxian has always been all this time to the Jiangs. He grits his teeth in fury at these words, realizing the sharp meaning they carry.
“This way you’ll have the Jiang as part of your main support in your army forces” Jiang Cheng complements. “We will pass on to you our remaining military forces and political connections. The Yu-Jiang Contingency will be part of the forces that help the Lan Empire fight the Great Contingency’s Oppression. We will only need you to provide us with assets and more soldiers to make up for our lack of resources and men lost in war”. A pause, and then he adds, “ We desire once again, an alliance by sworn brotherhood with the Imperial Family”.
It’s true that once, there was a sworn brotherhood between the Actual Imperial Majesty, the old sect-leader Nie and the deceased Uncle Jiang.
Also, the Great Oppression implied by the British and Japanese contingency is an event that has marked China's entire region right now.
Technically, the English-Japanese forces had been pushing the current ruling Imperial Family of the country to let english-japanese governments take Chinese through a trade and political exchange treaty, imposing THEIR policies and their Communitaritarism on China.
It’s known that the Imperial Family is not at the disposal of accepting such aberrations, yet they’re also in no position to decline right now after the SunShot war.
(This is common knowledge among high-ranking nobles, the Imperial Family itself, and cultivators who have access to political and economic leadership spaces — those elected as current effective sect leaders. Like Jiang Cheng’s case).
Although Jiang Cheng’s statement is somewhat bold and desperate, the times call for it. The war against the noble Wen Earls was just one of their many troubles.
The biggest right now is a war on the horizon between three countries, were two of them are allied to scare all of China off.
Practically, the Yu-Jiang see this union as the best interest for the entire country. And damn, Madam Yu and Jiang Cheng know exactly what’s in the best interest of both of them. And the Lans.
“I am sure, esteemed Lans, and every attendee here, that you have already heard rumors about this” Jiang Cheng lifts his chin proudly. Then he adds with dark solemnity. “That Wei Wuxian is the last Huli Jing of a royal bloodline of Yiling Wei foxes. He is the son of the late Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren. Half of the highly regarded sect cultivators wish him dead and the other half covets him as their valuable asset. You will be aware that he has a high cultivation level and is a skilled master of the dark arts as well as a seductress. In his time, he brought great victories to the Jiang Sect by his cunning and effective war strategies. He was our Sect’s best kept secret. That is, until, as everyone will know, the war with the Noble Wen Earls broke out”.
(Ouch. The ‘seductress’ and ‘master of the dark arts’ part hurts a little).
The “Yiling Wei Royal Fox Bloodline” part is just a paper title and a lie. In fact, they had served the Wen long ago, until they no longer had wanted anything else to do with them, severing all ties between them.
But the Lans still don’t seem entirely convinced.
(And this gives Wei Wuxian a slight sense of relief).
“Your former best-kept secret is the ‘number one public enemy of the cultivation world’? You plan to give him to us!? No way!! How will we know if the Hu Yao, someone who didn’t even follow the orders of his former sect leader, bringing the Jiangs their own downfall, will never turn the British-Japanese contingency and all of our people against us?” Argues the diaper-faced Lan.
“Exactly! There’s a reason why the Wen Earls eradicated all the Huli Jings in the past! To suggest such a thing and fail brings dishonor to his Imperial Majesty!” Another Imperial Guard argues heatedly.
“We can assure you that something like this will not likely happen”, Madam Yu raises her voice above the shocked murmurs that all the sect leaders exchange among themselves. With this, full silence returns to the hall. Not even an exhale can be heard.
Wei Wuxian’s lips even quiver a bit in response.
As some sort of cue, the two Lan elders on either side of Lan-Xiansheng exchange surprised glances. “What do you mean by that, Madam Yu?” Asks the most polite Lan, doubtfully.
Madam Yu turns then to look at Wei Wuxian with a scowl, eyes gleaming with determination. Something stirs up in him in that moment; his deepest fox instincts yelling at him to protect himself, to flee. Yelling at him that she’s willing to make everyone present in here fully recognize and accept the alliance right then and there. That Wei Wuxian fears to know what she’s about to say.
She snatches Sandou still resting in Jiang Cheng’s hand, who looks at her, speechless with surprise. She then walks towards Wei Wuxian with that same venom and anger on her eyes that she had when she had whipped him at Lotus Pier’s Ancestral Hall with Zidian right in front of Wen Chao and his men.
Swinging the sword in several long lashes across Wei Wuxian’s tors, the white shirt is shred to pieces, falling to the ground in tatters.
Around them, there’s utter silence, as if they were in a long-forgotten cemetery. Nobody moves or dares to breathe.
A shiver runs down Wei Wuxian’s spine, goosebumps rising in his skin in a full-body shudder.
In the cold air, he feels unusually self-conscious and exposed.
“Look at his bare chest”, Madam Yu instructs. She points Sandou’s cold blade at the almost completely faded scar from the Wen brand that Wei Wuxian had received in his youth, on the left side of his chest, right above his solar plexus. All eyes move towards said point, like magnets. Wei Wuxian feels the weight of their eyes, feel them fixed heavily in his bare skin. It is intimidating.
These Lan dragons look like huge beasts on the prowl. They look at him with intensity in their gazes; with a hungry gleam hidden behind. And Wei Wuxian is a juicy piece of meat offered to them on a silver platter.
“The Wens tried to brand him once and the brand is almost fading now. If you look carefully, he doesn’t have any Jiang brand on him either. That is why sometimes this insolent wench risked disobeying direct orders”.
(Wei Wuxian knows she’s adding the disobeying part to give those words more weight. He rarely ever disobeyed Jiang-shushu actually).
Lan Qiren’s scowl deepens, seemingly triggered by these words.
“In the extraordinary event that he doesn’t obey you, you can have both his and the Wen Remnants’ heads and keep with the Yu-Jiang’s contingency assets and lands. In case you decline to our offer, you can still get forty percent of our men and connections, yet all of us might have to brace ourselves for an oppression during another century, this time effected by the british-japanese contingency”.
The Wen’s gasps are audible now. Some of them ever stirring up on their places.
‘Then, they’re really going to make the Lans accept, huh?’
“Why must we accept such a disgraceful arrangement?” demands the Diaper-faced Lan elder.
Such insistence.
“Because”, Madam Yu says eerily, word by word, “The Wen and us know something you don’t” She makes a small pause, as if she left the whole impact of those words sink in in everyone of the presents. And then she continues, “It’s also of our knowledge that His Imperial Majesty desires to continue with His Celestyal Bloodline”.
Wei Wuxian’s stomach twists with anxiety at the implication that she’s about to make. He doesn’t know how he knows, but he does. (Given the way her eyes glimmer, she’s holding on to a possibility that still hadn’t been taken into account).
Madam Yu looks at him with an immeasurable contempt that would make even Wei Wuxian’s very soul freeze into perpetual ice. “We offer Wei Wuxian as a war-prize concubine to the Imperial Family. It will help greatly to intertwine his blood with the Emperor himself”.
There it is. Wei Wuxian doesn’t know whether to burst into rage like a volcano or shy and hide under a rock. He clearly remains frozen in place for what seems like an eternity, with his ears ringing and a knot forming in his throat.
All around him, chaos ensues and screams of indignation come, specifically from the Lans.
“Absolutely not! — ” The disapproving face of the Lan Diapper elder gets red, when Polite Lan stops him with a hand gesture and a look.
(Wei Wuxian suspects all of this — this offering of him birthing the Emperpor’s next heirs as a war prize concubine—is due to the fact that he’s capable of bleeding).
“Silence! Please! I remind you that we are here to negotiate!” Lan Qiren bursts out and everyone returns to their seats, keeping quiet once more.
“You want to know how I know that he will obey and that this match is advisable?” Madam Yu continues, clicking her teeth.
She then pulls Sandou’s sharp blade away from the almost completely healed brand on Wei Wuxian’s chest, only to bring it instead under his chin, lifting it up so that everyone else in the room can look at him in the eye.
“Why?” Lan Qiren asks, squinting slightly.
“There’s a term that comes from Japanese, ‘chi no keiyaku’, blood contract”, she says. “The reason why many daimyos in Japan won the previous confrontation between contingencies was because of their powerful blood contracts with demonic animal spirits”.
The origin of this form of sorcery was somewhat grotesque. But Madam Yu understands that this follows a single, firm belief: In the end, you will achieve complete control to make a demonic spirit obey you and your family for the rest of your lives until you die.
That Wei Wuxian is offered as imperial concubine to continue the Imperial Family’s bloodline is another form to have utter control over him. (And if he were to be marked by the Head of the imperial family himself… Well, said contract and blood bond would be practically overpowerful beyond all and unbreakable). He shivers just at the mere thought of it.
“Huli Jings are rumored to be fox spirits rich in yin energy and powerful creatures. Also, all of them, whether they’re female or male, can bear. Which means… It may be that although Wei Wuxian might not have been presented yet as an omega, but he could be valuable for you”, Jiang Cheng interjects.
Wei Wuxian honestly hates every word he says. But it’s true. And something like his high cultivation skills could be very valuable to pass on to the heritage of such a formidable clan, such as are the Lans.
“Intertwine the Imperial Dragon Lan bloodline with that of a Hu Yao? To create strong heirs? With his Majesty, the Celestial Emperor?” Asks the Polite Lan looking at both, mother and son, with a mixture of horror and morbid curiosity.