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Wei Wuxian could hear the juniors shouting his name. Faint, distant echoes as if underwater. He was drowning.
He didn't understand why he couldn't swim back up. His limbs wouldn't move. It was as if his body had suddenly been paralyzed.
Earlier that day, he and Lan Wangji had gone on a night hunt with the juniors just like always. They'd split up briefly to cover more ground, not far from each other, just enough to follow different trails. Wei Wuxian had wandered near a small, seemingly ordinary pond when something, an invisible hand, suddenly yanked him under.
Panicked, his instincts kicked in. His hand moved fast enough to activate the emergency signal flare talisman, sending out a help before he was fully submerged. Then, darkness.
"Ah... my consciousness..." he thought hazily, sinking deeper. The cold water pressed in from all sides, numbing everything. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe.
He could only hope Lan Wangji would get to him in time.
'Lan Zhan will be so worried when he finds me. I'm sorry, Lan Zhan.'
His eyes drifted shut.
When Lan Wangji saw the signal flare across the sky, his first thought was immediate, instinctive.
'Wei Ying.'
Without hesitation, he leapt onto Bichen and flew toward the signal's location. It led him to a small, too-quiet pond.
But Lan Wangji wasn't fooled by appearances.
He dashed straight into the water.
His blood froze at what he saw beneath the surface: Wei Wuxian, sinking, limp, unconscious.
'Wei Ying!'
'No. No no no no-'
He swam fast, cutting through the water with desperation, and pulled his husband's body to the surface. As they broke through, gasping air into the still forest around them, he pressed his ear to Wei Wuxian's lips.
A breathe. Faint. But there.
Relief slammed into him so hard he almost staggered.
Wei Wuxian was still alive.
He tilted his head and finally noticed the juniors. They're all screaming at once, wide-eyed, and in a panic.
"Senior Wei! Is he-"
"Is he breathing?!"
"What happened?!"
Lan Wangji didn't answer.
"We will postpone this case," he said firmly. His voice was calm, but cold with urgency. "We are returning to the Cloud Recesses. Now."
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped onto his sword and soared into the sky, Wei Wuxian cradled tightly in his arms.
By the time they arrived at the Cloud Recesses, the wind had dried most of the water on Wei Wuxian's robes, but his skin was still cold. Too cold.
Lan Wangji strode straight into the infirmary.
Lan Yisheng looked up, startled. His eyes widened.
"Hanguang-jun? What-?"
Then he saw who Lan Wangji was carrying.
"Put him on the bed, hurry!"
Lan Wangji laid Wei Wuxian down gently. The healer moved fast, checking breathing, pulse, qi, and the color of his lips.
"Thankfully, he wasn't in the water long," Lan Yisheng murmured. "His breathing is shallow. Weak. He needs to stay in the infirmary under observation."
Lan Wangji nodded once.
He hadn't taken his eyes off Wei Wuxian since they arrived.
His husband was too still. Far too still.
'Wei Ying was always moving, always humming, teasing, fiddling with talismans, bouncing on his feet. He could barely stay quiet for a minute. Now... now he was lying motionless.'
Lan Wangji reached out and touched his husband's hand.
"Hanguang-jun?" Lan Yisheng said gently.
"Can I stay with him?" Lan Wangji asked, his voice low, barely above a whisper.
The healer looked at him and saw the pain hidden beneath his usual calm. "...Yes. Of course."
Lan Wangji pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down, never letting go of Wei Wuxian's hand. He brought it to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the cold knuckles.
"Wei Ying..." he murmured.
Then, in the quiet of the infirmary, Wei Wuxian's body flickered.
Just for a second. A shimmer, as if light passed through him.
Both Lan Wangji and Lan Yisheng froze, eyes wide.
"What was that?" Lan Wangji asked, standing abruptly.
Lan Yisheng looked pale. "I... I don't know. I've never seen anything like it."
He stepped back, already heading toward the door. "I'll search the library. Maybe there's a record of something like this."
"Tell Shufu," Lan Wangji said quickly. "If you find nothing, search the forbidden library."
Lan Yisheng didn't argue. He nodded once and hurried out the door.
Silence returned.
Lan Wangji sat back down and gripped Wei Wuxian's hand tightly.
"Please..." he whispered.
"Please don't leave me, Wei Ying."
The juniors had gone on to complete the night hunt with another elder. Lan Wangji couldn't bring himself to feel guilty about it.
He should feel guilty. But he didn't. He couldn't leave Wei Wuxian's side.
What if Wei Wuxian woke up and Lan Wangji wasn't there? What if the first thing he saw wasn't him?
It was selfish. He knew that. But he wanted, needed to be the first person Wei Wuxian saw when he opened his eyes.
The days passed.
Wei Wuxian's body continued to flicker, disappearing and returning, each time for longer. On the fourth day, he'd vanished for nearly five full minutes.
Everyone, the elders, healers, even apprentices were searching through the archives for any explanation. Only Lan Yisheng, the head healer, and a few chosen elders were permitted into the Forbidden Library.
At least, Wei Wuxian's breathing had begun to stabilize. That brought Lan Wangji some small relief.
Someone sent him food every day. He didn't know who. He only whispered quiet thanks under his breath before returning his full focus to his husband.
Every night, he hummed Wangxian, hoping Wei Wuxian could hear it somewhere, wherever he was.
Lan Sizhui came by the infirmary every day to sit quietly. Even Lan Qiren visited once. No words. Just presence.
On the fifth day, something changed.
An elder found something in the forbidden library. In his hand was a single page, worn and ancient, glowing faintly.
"I found it buried deep in a forgotten scroll. It lit up for only a second."
He read aloud:
The purest heart is the one that bleeds for sins it did not commit.
He who bore the stain of another's sin, so they could walk in light while he vanished into darkness.
Condemned for what was never his, he carried their burden until it devoured him whole.
He who deserves happiness more than any other, yet chooses suffering so others may know joy.
If he is dragged into the darkness and still survives it, then perhaps fate will grant him the one wish his heart has guarded most.
As the last words were spoken, a senior disciple burst into the room.
"Senior Wei disappeared again! It's been over ten minutes and he's not back yet!"
Gasps filled the room.
Lan Yisheng didn't wait. He ran, robes flying, ignoring the 'running is forbidden' rule. "I'll write a self-discipline report later," he muttered as he pushed past the elders.
When he reached the infirmary, he stopped in the doorway.
Lan Wangji was sitting in his usual chair, hand stretched out. But the bed was empty.
Wei Wuxian was gone.
And for the first time, they saw it. Lan Wangji's face, on the edge of breaking.
"Hanguang-jun..." Lan Yisheng said softly.
Lan Wangji didn't respond. He just stared at the space where his husband should have been.
Lan Qiren stepped in and took command quietly. "Everyone, return to your dorms."
The juniors hesitated, casting sorrowful glances back. Even they knew this was beyond mere injury. This was grief.
Lan Sizhui didn't move. "I will stay," he said firmly, kneeling by the bed. Not even Lan Qiren tried to dissuade him.
Lan Jingyi, glancing at his brother-disciple, bowed and reluctantly left.
The room quieted. Only Lan Wangji, Lan Sizhui, Lan Qiren, Lan Yisheng, and a few elders remained.
And then, Lan Xichen arrived. He was supposed to be in seclusion. He said nothing. He only sat beside his brother, hand gently resting on Lan Wangji's back.
Two ke later, nearly half an hour, a sudden pulse of spiritual energy filled the infirmary.
Wei Wuxian's body reappeared.
But not the one they had known these past few years. It was his original body, the one from before the siege of the Burial Mounds. Healthy. Whole. His spiritual energy shimmered around him like sunlight.
Lan Wangji stood so fast his chair fell over. He rushed to the bed, taking Wei Ying's hand in both of his.
"Wei Ying!" He cupped his husband's cheek, then kissed his forehead.
Then he turned immediately. "Lan Yisheng, check him. Now."
The healer didn't hesitate. He rushed forward, scanning Wei Wuxian's qi lines, pulse, core- His hands froze over Wei Wuxian's dantian. His eyes widened.
"What is it? What's wrong with his core?" Lan Wangji reached forward himself, touching Wei Wuxian's golden core with his spiritual sense.
And stopped.
It was whole. Pure. Stronger than it had ever been. Even stronger than before the loss of his original core. Far beyond what Mo Xuanyu's body had ever held.
Wei Wuxian's original body was returned to him, with a golden core equal in strength to Lan Wangji's.
A miracle.
Suddenly, a twitch.
Wei Wuxian's fingers curled faintly around Lan Wangji's hand.
"Lan Zhan...?" His voice was soft. Raspy. But real.
Lan Wangji let out a shaky breath, eyes wide. "Wei Ying! You're awake!"
He helped him sit up carefully, cradling him like something precious. Lan Sizhui rushed forward and offered a cup of water, hands trembling slightly.
Lan Yisheng knelt beside the bed, examining him slowly. "Can you tell me how you feel? Anything strange? Dizzy?"
Wei Wuxian took his time, breathing slowly, answering every question from Lan Yisheng, eyes never leaving Lan Wangji's face. Then he smiled. That same mischievous, gentle smile that Lan Wangji had memorized a lifetime ago.
"Lan Zhan... I missed you. Why do you look like you're going to cry, hm?"
Lan Wangji gripped his hand tighter, swallowing the knot in his throat.
"Mn. Missed Wei Ying too."
And then, like a dam breaking, two tears slid silently down his face.
"Please don't leave me again."
Wei Wuxian reached up with trembling fingers and wiped the tears away.
"I'm here, Lan Zhan."
Lan Wangji pulled him into a tight embrace, breathing in the scent of home.
"You're here, Wei Ying."
Wei Wuxian had been ordered to rest for a full week.
But with his golden core restored, strong and pulsing with spiritual energy, it barely took two days before he was back to his usual, lively self. If not for Lan Wangji's watchful eye, he'd have already snuck out of the infirmary.
That evening, with moonlight casting silver shadows across the room, Lan Wangji sat beside him, quietly recounting the events of the past few days.
He told Wei Wuxian about the single glowing page found in the forbidden library. About the words, and how the elders had interpreted them.
"They're reflecting on their mistakes now," Lan Wangji said softly, but his tone was sharp, biting. "On how they branded you as dangerous, as demonic. How they forbade the disciples from even speaking with you."
A pause. A breath.
"This proves what they should have known all along. How pure Wei Ying's heart is."
He huffed. A quiet, rare show of emotion from the composed Hanguang-jun.
Wei Wuxian laughed, eyes crinkling with affection. "Lan Zhan, don't sound so mad. It's in the past."
"Still," Lan Wangji muttered, lips pressed together.
Then, after a long moment, he asked, voice gentle, "Did Wei Ying... want his original body back?"
Wei Wuxian leaned back slightly, thoughtful. "Actually, I didn't know. I'd gotten used to Mo Xuanyu's body. But I always missed my original one. And my golden core. I used to think if I had both again, maybe I wouldn't have to worry about immortality."
Lan Wangji sat up straighter. "No need," he said firmly. "Would stay with Wei Ying. Even in death. No need for immortality."
Wei Wuxian's gaze softened, his voice dropping to something quieter. "I know, Lan Zhan. But you deserve more than that. You've worked so hard to cultivate, to strengthen your core. You shouldn't have to throw it away just to die with me."
His fingers tightened slightly around Lan Wangji's hand.
"What if you reach immortality, and I..." He faltered. "If I die before you, I'd feel guilty. For leaving you behind again. I don't even want to think about it."
He exhaled shakily, then looked up with a smile, bright and warm like sunlight after rain.
"But now... I have the chance. I have the core to be with Lan Zhan. Forever."
He leaned forward and kissed Lan Wangji's lips, soft and slow, sealing the promise between them.
Lan Wangji looked at him with quiet awe, something like reverence in his gaze. "Mn," he murmured.
Then Wei Wuxian grinned.
"Oh! And I know how Lan Er-gege fell for this face."
Lan Wangji blinked.
Wei Wuxian leaned in, eyes twinkling with mischief, and whispered close to his ear, "I'm still a virgin in this body, by the way."
Wei Wuxian laughed loud and bright, leaning back smugly as Lan Wangji's ears turned a faint shade of red.
"Wei Ying." Lan Wangji said, voice dangerously calm.
"Yes, Lan Zhan?"
"...Not for long."
Once Wei Wuxian was officially cleared to leave the infirmary, he wasted no time dragging Lan Wangji to the site of the incident. The small, seemingly unremarkable pond where everything had begun.
But when they arrived, it was gone. There was no pond. No still water. No dark depths. No spiritual residue.
Nothing.
Just an unbroken field of grass, soft beneath their feet, as if no pond had ever existed there at all.
Wei Wuxian blinked, brows furrowing. "...Huh?"
Lan Wangji scanned the area carefully, his spiritual sense stretching wide.
"Lan Zhan, are you sure this is the place?"
Lan Wangji nodded. "Mn."
Wei Wuxian scratched his head. "Well, that's just unfairly mysterious. Vanishing body-snatching pond that pulls people into some death-rebirth-spiritual-core trial and then just disappears? No fair. At least leave behind a dramatic mist or a cryptic stone tablet."
Lan Wangji's brow twitched. "Not amusing."
Wei Wuxian gave him a sheepish grin and bumped his shoulder lightly. "Sorry. Too soon?"
"Mn."
Wei Wuxian looked around again, sighing. "Well, I guess we won't get any answers today. Still. I got my body and my core back. I can't exactly complain, can I?"
Lan Wangji reached out and laced their fingers together. "Still... it is concerning."
Wei Wuxian squeezed his hand gently. "We'll figure it out. Together."
Back at the Cloud Recesses, the shift in Wei Wuxian's presence did not go unnoticed.
It wasn't just the spiritual pressure though that had changed too. It was the way he looked, now restored to his original body.
Tall, confident, with a golden core burning bright beneath his skin, and a smile that could make even the most stoic cultivators forget their vows.
The rumors spread faster than a rogue ghoul in a graveyard.
"Did you see Senior Wei today? He walked past the eastern courtyard-"
"His hair was shining, I swear."
"His eyes is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
"Do you think he's married?"
Lan Wangji's eyebrow twitched. That last one had been whispered by a young visiting cultivator, one who had lingered far too long watching Wei Wuxian during morning tea.
Lan Wangji calmly repositioned himself to stand between them.
Very obviously.
Wei Wuxian, of course, noticed none of it.
"Oh Lan Zhan, the disciples have gotten friendlier lately, haven't they?" he said brightly one afternoon as they walked the corridors. "It's nice. I guess they're not scared of me anymore."
Lan Wangji, "...They are not simply being friendly."
Wei Wuxian blinked. "What do you mean?"
Just then, a passing group of Lan disciples walked by. Every single one of them bowed deeply to Lan Wangji then gave Wei Wuxian not-so-subtle lingering looks before walking off, giggling under their breath.
One even bumped into a pillar because he wasn't watching where he was going.
Wei Wuxian tilted his head. "Are they alright? Should we call Lan Yisheng?"
Lan Wangji didn't answer.
He just reached out and pulled Wei Wuxian closer by the waist. Boldly. Possessively. So obviously territorial it nearly stunned the passing juniors into forgetting how to walk entirely.
Wei Wuxian looked up, startled. "Lan Zhan??"
"Too many eyes," Lan Wangji said coolly, voice low.
Wei Wuxian laughed, blinking in surprise. "Lan Zhan... are you jealous?"
Lan Wangji didn't reply. He only pulled him closer.
Wei Wuxian beamed. "Aiyah, don't worry, I only have eyes for you."
"Mn," Lan Wangji said but he didn't let go.
In fact, he only held tighter.
That night, Wei Wuxian flopped dramatically onto their shared bed, robes slightly disheveled from the wind, hair messy, lips curled into a lazy grin. "Lan Zhan, you know... I think everyone's in love with me."
Lan Wangji stood by the window, his gaze distant. "Wei Ying has always been beautiful."
Wei Wuxian blinked. "You really think so?"
Lan Wangji looked over his shoulder. "Mn."
Wei Wuxian hummed, clearly pleased. "I mean, you have always been impossibly handsome, so I guess we're quite the couple, huh?"
Lan Wangji returned to the bed, leaning over him slowly. "You are mine."
Wei Wuxian grinned. "Completely."
Then, mischievously, Wei Wuxian's grin widened. "You know, with how everyone's been staring, I'm starting to think I should charge a fee just to look at me-"
Lan Wangji pressed a firm kiss to his lips to shut him up.
"-Mmph. Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian laughed as he pulled back, eyes bright with amusement. "Don't be so possessive!"
"I am allowed," Lan Wangji said simply.
Wei Wuxian looped his arms around Lan Wangji's neck, still grinning. "Mhm, true. I am yours."
"Forever."
"Forever," Wei Wuxian echoed, resting his forehead against Lan Wangji's. "And if anyone else stares at me again-"
"I will remove their eyes."
"Lan Zhan!"